Things are definitely heating up in PA! Not only the temperature outside, but also the outdoor shows, parties, and just good old fun! June was a crazy busy month for me personally, but I managed to squeeze in a few shows here there and everywhere.
This month started at a new venue for me, Creekside at Liberty Forge for their live music Wednesday night Summer series, for Megan and Dave. What a great Summer spot! They have a very technical/fancy driving range right by the performance area, and a club house with food and drinks. There’s also a full mini-golf course for great family fun! Megan and Dave had the performance tent overflowing with people out enjoying the beautiful evening.
Since Megan and Dave’s show ended early, I headed over to finish off the night at the end of Blue Sky Tavern’s open mic night hosted by Matt Jameson Live. I was able to catch ATM rockin’ their 90s hits. I also heard a new to me, young performer, Jude. He was awesome! Zig and the Super Cyber Cowboys were there rockin’ their originals, and of course plenty of mixes and matches to jam the rest of the night away! Never a dull moment at an open mic night.
On a Friday night Jen Auxt’s Mom was visiting so we decided to take her out on the town. The fun started at The DogHouse for Jason Carst. Jason was actually playing for a family member’s graduation party, but they were sharing the fun and entertainment with the public! It was a wild sing-a-long party where he was playing everyone’s requests to keep everyone engaged and having a good time. After dinner we headed out to Hollywood Casino in Grantville for the Amish Outlaws! Jen and her Mom didn’t see them before so they had no idea what to expect. They were both shocked, laughing, and loved people watching during the show. If you’ve never caught the Amish Outlaws, it’s definitely something to see!
Saturday was a super busy day, but I managed to squeeze in time to swing up to Liquid Noise for the 2ndhalf of Love Rocket. Liquid Noise expanded to the space next door and now have an official “Game Room” which makes more space for a full band to set up and entertain us. Love Rocket was missing Brian from their crew, but Mike managed to play the bass and sing, and the band managed to still rock our faces off! It was cool to see a whole table of my fellow alumni from Greenwood out supporting live music. After Love Rocket I zoomed down to Sierra Madre for the end of Matt Jameson Live’s debut performance at Sierra Madre. It was an odd chilly June night, luckily the firepits were burning and keeping the people warm so we could enjoy the show.
Tuesday night was the monthly open mic at Copper Pub, hosted by Megan and Dave, this one was also co-hosted by the CPMHOF, so the night was well-attended. We saw some new faces and some old faces. RJ Conrad brought his little girl Nora to perform, bummed I missed it, but I did catch some video. Megan and Dave kicked things off, then I heard Lucy Trout live for the first time, a new young talent in the area, Marshall Stone showed up, another new guy, Eli Snyder played his keys and amazed us, finally heard Kate Buck, I’ve missed her several times, she had some amazing originals, Matthias and Megan, two parts of Nixon Harmony, they are releasing new music and breaking into the scene, Ricky Lee, I haven’t seen him in forever, he got a new knee, and is getting back out there again! Bonnie Jean, also jamming originals, Antonio Andrade, shared some orginals, part of which is in Spanish and you think you’re singing a beautiful song straight from the guitar’s perspective, Crash Acoustic who keeps knocking out originals like water! Check them out on all streaming platforms, Leeahna, a new multi-instrumentalist, busted out the guitar and keys! And last but not least, Derek Avalon rocked, and helped sing his infamous, “Teenage Dirtbag” for Joanie. I love seeing so much amazing talent in one place.
Wednesday was open mic at Blue Sky Tavern hosted by Matt Jameson Live, it was the last night with the best server ever, Amy!!! But Charlotte, and the rest of the staff, still takes amazing care of all of us. Matt kicked off the night, and quickly had Stevie J up there getting all bluesy on the harp, Xander made it out to his 2ndopen mic, it’s awesome watching his confidence grow! Megan Yvonne showed up to rock some songs solo, then we had a surprise visit from Shannon Bobb, it was great seeing him still rock the guitar, even sober! So proud of you my friend. Zig and the Psycho-Cyber Cowboys had a new bass player, Caleb. He played some songs solo and then played with the band too! Then it was time for the jams. There’s always so much jams and so much fun at Blue Sky Tavern! Making Wednesdays great again!
Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!! While driving home from Ohio with family I kept getting messages about my friends getting together for Sunday Funday, so I had my family drive me directly to the music! I started at The DogHouse form the last few minutes of Julia Denne and her sister Kelsie! They were rockin’ the deck, and they were amazing! I’m sure you’ll see more duo shows from them soon! Then, I got a ride from Cindy and he headed to Snitz Creek for her brother, Roger Bowyer Acoustic Music. There we were able to enjoy Roger rockin’ the garage, and also Sean Driscoll got up and played a couple songs during his break. So blessed to have so many musical choices close to home!
Open Mic is back EVERY Tuesday at Shermans Creek Inn! They are providing the stage, the lights, the sound, you just have to bring the talent. Kevin Nelson is the host and gets everyone tuned in right! I made it out, I unfortunately missed the first act, but I did get to hear Cool Beans, a classic rockin’ duo, I got to also see a magical bubble fairy that shared some poetry with us. Finally a new acoustic duo, Logan and Ashley broke out some amazing songs too! It was a great kick-off to their open mic night, hopefully it will continue to grow!
Thursday was yet another Open Mic at The DogHouse, hosted by Erica Everest. We saw a few performers, but the crowd was definitely light. We did see a guy playing a Cigar Box guitar which was pretty awesome to see and hear! Then we zoomed downtown to see Jake Rollins at Sturges Speakeasy. It’s hard to believe Jake is only 18! What a talented kid. It was cool watching him rock out an relishing every minute of the show! Huge kudos to Rachel, bartender, on her crafty cocktails! Everything is always so delicious at Sturges Speakeasy!
Friday night and had another awesome night of listening to live music and chilling with my friends. It kicked off at Copper Pub and Grille for Megan and Dave. It was a scorcher but we were all rewarded with amazing music and a gorgeous sunset from the deck! We also got to hear Greyson Beardsley come up and play a couple songs during their break. After their show it was off to Horn Pub for Matt Jameson. He was rockin’ and having a great time as always. During his break he had guest performances by Bob Patterson, Megan Yvonne, and Merve Music 717. That was Matt’s last Horn Pub show til September! He will be too busy rockin’ the beach!
Saturday kicked off with a stop at the 12th Annual Shits of the World Blues Picnic! Our amazing open mic OG, Rob Davis, was playing a solo set, and wanted Matt to come check it out. We had no idea it was a full night with all kinds of music. We heard The Swisher Sweets full band, and also some more acoustic performances by Brock, Matt, and Andy Mac too! The other huge surprise was the Echoburn reunion set! Man I wish they would get back together! After Echoburn, we headed over to Champs Bar for Shout at the Devil, a Motely Crue Tribute for some old school rock and roll! I always forget about Champs. It’s a great place for live music, some Thursday I’ll have to get over there for the Open Mic Blues Jam!
Sonday Funday was a hangout day with my baby, aka my young man, Mason! We headed over to the Harrisburg Beach Club and heard some awesome music by the super talented Kylie Keltzel. Kylie spends a lot of time in Nashville, but she is a Dillsburg native. When she’s home, she usually tries to book a few shows locally, I’m glad we managed to catch her show. We also played an intense game of mini golf at Water Golf. It was a great day just chillin’ with my homie!
Tuesday my friend Kierstin was celebrating her birthday at Falls Crab Shack during Matt Jameson’s show, so Cindy and I stopped over to say Hi and help celebrate! Falls was absolutely packed! But it was an amazing night with amazing friends. Falls Crab Shack is definitely one of those bars where everyone knows your name, and everyone wants to just hang out, have fun, and listen to great music!
Wednesday was another trip to The Blue Sky Tavern for Matt’s open mic. Matt Jameson is always such a great and welcoming host! It’s awesome to just watch him interacting with all of the musicians, and also just pulling random people up from the crowd to come up and jam! He had more first timers this night than regulars! Not that I don’t love the regulars, but it’s always exciting hearing new music! Some of the new music was Clinton, aka Eli Charleston, he used to play in the area, but he left for a while, and had some medical issues to work through, but he’s back and ready to jam!! We have a lot of mutual friends, so I’m sure some of you know him. He plays the some awesome guitar! Yet another great night of music. When my weekends are jam packed and busy it’s so nice to have the open mics to go to and get my live music fill!
Thursday night was another trip back to the Sturges Speakeasy, but this time for Megan and Dave. It’s always so amazing watching my friends jam and have a good time. Megan is really mastering in her guitar skills. I love watching her break out of her comfort zone and even occasionally playing lead guitar! It’s cool to watch Dave be amazed watching her jam out too! We also had guest appearances here by Chris Auxt and Stephen Robert! You can check out Megan and Dave’s schedule in this issue, and get out there and see this amazing duo! You can also see Hank the Buffalo’s schedule too!
Friday I was busy organizing/hosting a Free Community Movie night in Duncannon. Some local churches, businesses, and Duncannon Parks and Rec, all join forces to put on this amazing community event! The movie this time was Air Bud. We had a great turn out and the weather was absolutely fantastic! We are hosting another movie night on Friday, July 17th! The movie is going to be Mulan. There are tons of free kids activities, food, and of course the movie! Come hang out, enjoy the show, and if you’re lucky, you can even find a little Jesus!
After all of the chaos and craziness this month had to offer, I couldn’t handle missing the beach any longer, so I escaped to Rehoboth. Matt and Holly were down there camping so Matt could play back to back weekends, and I had way too much FOMO, so I booked my own cabin at Big Oaks Campground and headed down for 4 super relaxing days! Beach during the day, music and friends at night! It really can’t get any better. Matt Jameson was rockin’ at Kiwi’s Kove and Tiki Hut right on the boardwalk at the Atlantic Sands Hotel. Dave Gates was also performing. at Kiwi’s. Matt rocked the Tiki Hut on Friday night, but then Saturday, because of the rain, he had to rock inside the Kove. He still managed to pack the place and had kids taken pics with the Music Guy, and plenty of people dancing and singing along! I absolutely love seeing him perform out of our area to see people’s reactions to him playing for the first time! Or pulling people right off the Boardwalk to come sing. Ya don’t know much about what to expect next at Matt’s shows, but you can guarantee one thing, you will Never Not Be Having Fun!! Matt will be rockin’ Rehoboth again, July 10th and 11th. It was cool to see so many friends from home taking a break from their vacation time to come watch Matt perform too! It truly helps when you have your own cheering squad! You can check out Matt’s full schedule in this issue and get out there and support him, near or far!
Last but not least, I needed a little more beach, so I headed back down to the Harrisburg Beach Club for Derek Henry. I haven’t seen my good friend Derek in a while, and it was such a gorgeous day, so I figured, why not? It was also cool to see Angie, Michele, and our other friends out supporting him too! I haven’t seen my friends for quite some time so it was cool to get to hang out and catch up with them too!
Woohoo!! Another month of music documented! It’s always a relief to get to the end of my article. Everyone party safe this 4th of July!! Happy 250th Birthday to America!! Don’t forget to get a DD, or call an Uber! DUIs are NO FUN! There’s always so much to do, turn the page of the magazine, check out the schedules, and get out there and Support Local Music!!!
