My oh my, what an amazing May it was! I had such an amazing time out listening to music and sucking friends into my “Funnel of Fun”! During sing-a-longs Matt always likes to say, “It’s always better when we do it together!” and I can’t agree more! The more friends you have at a show enjoying the music and having a good time, the more fun it is!
This month I had the cool opportunity to sit down with Dave Gates, with the Solo Musician Podcast for a little chat. Podcasts terrify me, but I had a great time chatting with Dave. He really knows how to make you feel comfortable and get ya talking! Dave has been interviewing a bunch of people, and even started out by sharing some of his ‘Solo Musician’ secrets. You can check out all of his Podcasts through his website, www.davegates.org. Every episode sucks me in, it’s awesome to hear so much fun facts about other musicians, and some not so fun stuff that is still interesting to hear. My episode is #17 if you’d like to check it out!
This month’s adventures started with a trip up to Shy Bear for Matt Jameson. Our good friends Chad and Krissy came out with Emmy, so I instantly knew I’d have a dancing partner. Shy Bear was packed with people on a gorgeous Thursday night and of course the internet all over the area decided to go out, most people would freak out and close for the day, but not these guys, they got out the old paper order sheets, and ran the business old school! It was all handled flawlessly, and if they wouldn’t have looked at us with panic wondering how it was all going to work, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed! The staff, the venue, the vibe, the music, it was all just amazing! If you haven’t checked out Shy Bear for yourself, you really should!
After some BRP work, I wound up at Flinchy’s for some Phil and Greg! I’m not sure what they call themselves, but whatever that was, was tons of fun! Flinchy’s seems to be the middle meeting point for people to gather after their early shows. On Fridays and Saturdays Flinchy’s music is from 8-11pm which gives people a chance to make it there before the show is over, to unwind and have a good time. Phil and Greg were pulling out a bunch of sing-a-long fun and everyone was having a good time.
The next day was the 1st Annual Vertical 4 Life Music Festival. Vertical 4 Life was created by my good friend Brad Wetherbee. He came up with the idea months ago, and he made it happen! He was able to get the help of some amazing sponsors, and bands provided entertainment, for the festival itself, and with “One Beat at a Time,” Vertical 4 Life was able to donate the proceeds to Cover Six Canines. Vertical 4 Life plans on having a festival every year, benefiting other non-profits that are supporting our veterans. Brad himself has one of Cover Six Canines dogs, Kooper, that helps him with his PTSD, and other tasks with his daily life, so he understands first hand how much they do for our Veterans. The music festival itself had awesome sets by Matt Jameson, Hank the Buffalo, Coal, Dead Centre, and Steel, with all sound and lights by Sonic Productions. When you have a festival it’s super important to have a good A/V Team, and we had one of the best! Unfortunately, the weather didn’t quite cooperate, but we still all managed to have a rockin’ great day for an even greater cause!
8 hours of music wasn’t enough, so after the festival I headed to Liquid Noise for the end of Matt’s show, where I picked up Stephen and Matt, and we continued our fun out to Hollywood Penn National for the Colt Wilbur Band. Matt has been wanting to see Wally DeWall perform, so we took advantage of the casino music going until Midnight so we could see them. The Colt Wilbur band always puts on a solid performance. We added in some more shenanigans with some of our other friends that were at the casino, and it turned into a wild dance party, all night long! DJ Zimmz was spinning the tracks til 1am, so the party just kept on partying… HA!
We had a lovely whimsical Wednesday at Flinchy’s for Derek Henry. The girls all got together for all kinds of fun on the trainwreck deck! The musicians all began to filter in, and by the end of the night it was yet another crazy night on the deck.
Thursday bike nights are back all over the midstate, but I’m thrilled that Susquehanna Valley Harley Davidson is right in my backyard, so I was able to make it out to the first bike night of the season with Stonewood. BRP Entertainment provides the bands for SVHD’s bike nights, so I was able to support both my employers at once! It turned out to be a beautiful Thursday and the bikes were out in full force. It was great seeing so many people out supporting live music and Susquehanna Valley Harley Davidson. Jen Shade and her 105.7 the X crew were out in full force as a proud sponsor of bike night. Stonewood had the crowd rockin’ and everyone was having a great night of music, food trucks, and fun! Remember to slow down, look twice, and save a life.. Motorcycles are everywhere!
Next I stopped in and picked up Cindy and Matt, and we zoomed up to see Dr. Nyce at The Pub in Duncannon. It was very odd for Matt to have off on a Thursday, so it was a special treat for him to get out to see Dr. Nyce. We definitely brought the party to the Pub! Zach was so happy to see us, and I really felt like he was super sincere when he said, “Holy Sh**! Look who’s here!” During his break Cindy and I took a Duncannon Pub crawl down the street to the Doyle Hotel to listen to a bit of Chris Auxt. Then, when he took a break we grabbed Jen and made our way over to Lindgren Craft Brewery in the old town bank to check that out! Then it was back to the Pub for the end of Dr. Nyce. He had the whole Pub singing along and having a great time. After his show we all headed down to the Doyle for the end of Chris’s show, and before we knew it there was a sing-a-long deck party up on the balcony of the Doyle to end the night. Chris brought out his guitar and a whole bag of percussion fun! We even had a special treat hearing Dr. Nyce play guitar! Spur of the moment jam sessions are the absolute best!
Friday started early with a BRP Corporate Event, but then I was done just in time to catch Megan and Dave at the Beerded Goat. It’s always fun walking in and seeing the surprise on their faces. Poor Megan has been fighting a cold, but she still put on one heck of a show. I love their song choices, Megan and I are definitely on the same wave length when it comes to our favorite music. Check out Megan and Dave’s ad in this issue and get out there and support them, you’ll be glad you did!
When they were done I still had time to make it to Flinchy’s for the end of Matt Jameson’s show. Dave from Megan and Dave decided to follow me over there and stop in too! Matt had quite the party going on that no one wanted it to end, so we all decided to then go to Moe’s for a little while. We had a blast over there visiting with old friends and new friends! Dave was shocked that we actually stayed out til 2am. He’s always had a blast watching my Out & About stuff on Facebook, but to actually be part of it was a whole lot more fun!
The next day was the super long 13 hour adventure day with my good friend Michele! It all started bright and early at Jimmy Jaxxx in Dillsburg for their 1 year anniversary party. Even though we once again had nasty weather on a Saturday, quite a few people still showed up to help celebrate. The party kicked off with Matt Jameson, followed by Crash & Cross. Matt did a great job at getting the stage warmed up and the party started. Crash & Cross continued to rock the stage and they were playing some country songs that the crowd definitely appreciated. Jimmy Jaxxx had some delicious food trucks and some great vendors, including my good friend Linda Kyle and her daughter, with their booth ‘Linda’s Rings & Things’. Linda is making beautiful jewelry out of Sterling Silver Silverware. She makes everything from bracelets, rings, necklaces, etc. Her work is amazing! After Crash & Cross we zoomed over to Sworn Brewing Company for Hank the Buffalo. This time it was just the duo version, Stephen Robert and Chris Auxt. Sworn is a new little brewery in Mechanicsburg that has live music regularly. Hank the Buffalo had the crowd signing along and having a great time. Sworn was standing room only and people just kept coming in. Next, we headed to Appalachian Harley Davidson for a little Back in Black. Unfortunately they stopped the show a few minutes early, so we literally made it for one song! We did get to say hey to Ritt though. It’s been a quite a long time since our paths crossed and it’s always a special treat to see Ritt! Then we took a little pit stop at the diner for some fresh salads and regroup before we headed up to Grandpa’s Love Shack for Megan and Dave. These two are a blast to listen to and do an amazing job at playing requests even with Megan not feeling her best! Next we headed to Sherman’s Creek Inn for SuckerPunch’d. These guys are a new party band in the area that quickly got the dance floor hopping! The Shermans Creek Inn was packed and the party was getting started when we got there. Their bass player is Jon Carder, he used to play in the band SOS, and when his wife messaged me about his new project, I couldn’t wait to check it out! So much fun! I’m sure you will be seeing a lot more of SuckerPunch’d all around the area. The days wasn’t over yet, just one more stop.. Last but not least, we headed to Hook and Flask for DMC Duo. Marisa has also been fighting a little cold, but also was singing her heart out, making sure the show goes on! DMC Duo has been pumping out the originals. It’s awesome hearing them find their groove on the original side of the music scene. When we got to DMC Duo’s show, Megan from Megan and Dave was also there. I love seeing musicians supporting musicians.
On a Friday night I headed out to the Fredericksburg Eagle Hotel for Matt Jameson. The Hooootel has such delicious food. Keesha also made me a delicious Mocktail to go with my dinner! Matt quickly connected with his audience and was playing their requests and he had the whole bar singing along. He finished his show with “God Bless the USA”, which meant a lot to quite a few of the Veterans at the show. I always appreciate how Matt goes above and beyond for his audience. Matt has another busy month. You can check out his full schedule in this issue!
After Matt’s show we zoomed over to Flinchy’s for the last part of Wally DeWall’s solo show. Wally has been helping Matt out a lot with some voice techniques, equipment tricks, etc. so Matt has been trying to see a solo show. Wally has been helping so many different musicians throughout the years, I often heard his name when I was interviewing other musicians. It’s always awesome when you see firsthand how our music scene works together instead of considering each other competition.
The last show of the month was a wet one! I went to see Observe the 93rd headline the main stage at Artsfest. I was excited to see them actually have a 90 minute show! Unfortunately, mother nature had different plans. When they were playing their 2nd song, the sky opened up, and it started pouring. Observe the 93rd continued to play, and I had the amazing opportunity to dance in the rain! It was truly a beautiful moment. They played about 45 minutes until the stage roof had water pooling on top and looked like it was about ready to burst! Shenanigator Entertainment made the executive decision to end the show early, but at least we got to hear half their show, and we had a blast doing it!
June is going to be a big blur, my baby is graduating from High School. I know I’m majorly in denial, and will be a basketcase soon. Congratulations to Mason and the entire class of 2024! We are so super proud of you! I know the sky is the limit, and I can’t wait to see everything he will accomplish. My other son is also heading West and leaving the nest on the 21st. It’s going to be a whirlwind of emotions for me, but I think I will handle it. Thank you in advance for all of your patience. Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there too! My husband is one heck of a Dad, and does a lot for our family day in and day out. I am extremely grateful for all he does for not only us, but also our Moms too! Both of us have lost our Dads, and Kris does all he can to help our Moms in their absence.
We have a few new advertisers this month! Thanks so much to all of our advertisers for all of the support. Without you, we wouldn’t be! Don’t forget to check out our website, www.pamusician.net, and most importantly, get out there and Support Local Music!
