March! Wow.. How’d that happen?!? March is definitely coming in like a lion hunting it’s prey, quiet and super sneaky! I can’t believe it’s March already! Time definitely flies when you’re having fun. This month, even though I escaped to the beach for a week, I still managed to see some live music. There is never a dull moment in my life, I am constantly on the move, and for that I am very grateful!
This article starts a long time ago, when I was actually out delivering the February issue; I took a break and peeked at Facebook and I saw Ten Ton Stone celebrating about being on the cover of the magazine, but there was one problem, they still didn’t have the magazine. I quickly messaged the band, and it turned out they were practicing right down the street from where I was! I made a detour and hand delivered them their stack. It was awesome to see how excited they were to get their hands on a copy! After a quick photo op, it was time to get back on the road.
Before I headed to the beach, I did have time to stop in at Flinchy’s to see Phil Cannizarro. Even tho the bar was pretty full, I still managed to find a spot to start dancing so I could close my rings on my Apple Watch! Luckily Phil played some fast-paced music to keep my feet moving. My favorite choice, tho was “Ring of Fire!” HA! It was very appropriate for that moment. Some people were looking at me like I was crazy, but others joined in on the fun! The most important part was that I got all my rings closed! Thanks Phil for making my movement fun for the day!
As I was driving home from the beach I was once again getting reports of the fun times I was missing at Matt Jameson’s debut show at Al’s Pizza & Pub in Enola. Of course I couldn’t resist, and technically Enola was on the way home, kind of, so I had Mom take a detour and drop me off in time for Matt’s last set. He had Al’s completely packed, there were even people sitting in the overflow dining area. Birthdays were celebrated and lots of fun was had!
Mardi Gras “Fat Tuesday” Matt was playing at Liquid Noise. It was another debut venue for Matt, and I wasn’t in there since it re-opened under the new ownership. They really did some great changes to the room, and with it being a place called Liquid Noise, one of the most important renovations was putting in the house sound! When you have a long room like that with high ceilings it sounds so much better when the sound is evenly dispersed throughout the room. Plus, it makes the musicians life so much easier when they just need an XLR to plug in to the wall! Matt was joined once again with TJ Frengel from Mid-Life Crisis. It definitely adds a whole other fun element watching Matt rock out with other musicians on stage. Kudos to Liquid Noise too for their Faschnaut Burger! Man oh man, that was soooo delicious!!
Wednesday night led me to Flinchy’s for Derek Henry doing his acoustic thing! All of the ladies were finally together again. Things got a little rowdy, but Derek managed to stay focused and put on one heck of a show! I’m so glad Flinchy’s supports live music so much! I managed to also catch Matt at Flinchy’s on a Friday night too this month. Flinchy’s is definitely the hometown bar where everybody knows my name.. HA! But seriously Ali hooks me up with the best mocktails, and every time I’m there it’s always a good time. I can’t wait til it gets warmer and we can open the deck and truly appreciate it’s beauty. It gets a little crowded, cold and loud in the winter, but the amount of fun you have makes it worth it!
Some new places have been popping up around my house, so on a Thursday night I decided to check them out. The first stop was at The Beerded Goat for Phil Cannizarro. The Beerded Goat is the old New Fangled. They did some renovations, completely changed the menu, added in some fun games like skee ball, pinball, etc.. and they took the little “stage” area down and made it more like a living room kind of feel for the musicians to hang out and jam! Overall, it has a great vibe and excellent service. I was back the following week for Matt’s debut performance there as well. Matt helped celebrate little 2-year old Rory’s birthday. He was jamming with his very own ukulele. He was super cute, and of course all of the ladies loved him, Rory that is.. Lol. We had the dance floor busy all night, dancing the night away and having a great time!
After the Beerded Goat I headed over to the DogHouse. I’ve heard mixed reviews of the DogHouse, but I’m thrilled to report they seem like they’ve worked out their kinks and have things flowing nicely. The DogHouse is the old Irgo’s on 39 outside of Linglestown. Chris Auxt and Stephen Robertson were jamming on the stage and having a grand old time. You can usually find these guys playing with a drummer too, and then they are known as Hank the Buffalo. Not sure how they came up with that name, but they’ve been stampeding their way into the central PA area, and you see their name popping up at venues all over the place, so it must be working for them. They play a great mix of music and with two lead singers they can cover a wide variety of songs too. Check them out, you won’t be disappointed.
On a Friday night I tried to go to Springate for Six Bar Break, but I messed up the set times, and instead I got to catch some Love Rocket Duo. I’ve been trying to catch these guys for a while, so it was a nice surprise. With the duo it is Mike on guitar and Brian on bass. Love Rocket plays all 90s, and when I say all, I mean ALL. They nailed everything they played, and it was super entertaining hearing them cover so many songs you don’t regularly get to hear, especially from two guys! I love their “love note” bucket. I’m sure they get some interesting notes at the end of the night! Hopefully, next time, I’ll catch the full band show, because I’m sure it’s one heck of a 90s party!
On a Saturday night I kicked things off early and stopped out to the Copper Pub for Matt, and their delicious Pittsburgh Salad! Copper Pub is really kickin butt with their food. It’s always fast and delicious even when it’s packed!
After some eating and dancing it was time to head to XL Live for the Metron Reunion with Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers. I heard Shea and Swish kicked off the night and put on a great show. XL Live was pretty packed with lots of familiar faces. The crowd was loving Tommy Conwell, singing and dancing along! I caught Tommy once years ago at the Lancaster Roots & Blues Festival, so it was awesome finally getting a chance to see them again. XL Live really has such a diverse calendar of entertainment.. A little bit for everyone! Anything from jam bands to 80s bands, to the top TikTok musicians, that some people never heard of, but yet the place sells out! Check out their full schedule in this issue or at xlhbg.com and get out there and support the venues that support live music!
After a year of hosting open mics at Blue Sky Tavern, Matt Jameson finally got his own debut show on a Friday night. He wanted to make sure he packed the place, so he called in favors from friends, family, and even his doctor, but the place was PACKED. It’s awesome to see so many people supporting him on this crazy musical journey. He keeps saying he’s going to schedule less shows, but it’s so hard for him to say No, so 2024 is jam packed of all kinds of shows in all kinds of places! You can check out his full schedule for March in this issue, and you can check out his schedule for the year at mattjamesonacoustic.com. There’s even a group of friends that are planning on following him to Rehobeth the weekend of June 28th! Rehobeth better get ready! If ya wanna join the party, make your reservations now!
Last but not least, it was time for another new venue, Fyre Lounge & Bar, inside the Colonial Park Mall. Lyndhurst filled a bill with lots of great bands, that I couldn’t resist. When I arrived Observe the 93rd was rockin’ the stage! It’s a decent sized stage with lots of lounge seating, all around. It’s a little awkward getting up there to dance, but I gotta admit, how could I resist! HA! Observe the 93rd just released a new music video for their song “Glimpse”. If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor and check it out! You can check out their music and see all of their awesome videos on their website, observethe93rd.com. Their creativeness in everything they do is amazing. Mental health is such a huge problem in the world today. I can’t help but buy their amazing merch with positive simple phrases like “Stick Around”. Observe the 93rd is doing their best to bring awareness to mental health and to let people know, they are not alone.
Next up was Sick Century from York. Gotta admit, this is one of those bands that makes me shake my head and say, “How am I just now hearing these guys!?” They’ve been around since 2018, and put on one heck of a show. They were having some sound difficulties during the show, but I checked them out online after the show, and wow!! What a band! I’ll be keeping an eye on these guys, and will hopefully catch another show soon!
The headliners, Lyndhurst, took the stage and quickly had us dancing and rocking out with them on every song! Lyndhurst also has some amazing songs out there to check out. I have to admit, it’s sad that I don’t get to more Lyndhurst shows. These guys, like all original musicians, pour their heart into everything they do. They also have videos and links to all of their music online at wearelyndhurst.com. All three of these bands will also be part of iRock Radio’s 10 Year Anniversary show along with about another 10 bands on June 1st at Lovedrafts! Make your plans now, because this is a show you won’t want to miss! Congrats to Jay Hunter and his team, for supporting all of our local musicians for 10 years! That’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears!
Well, that was a fun and crazy month, and I’m sure March will be no different. I only have one weekend of travel time, so I’ll be around quite a bit this month. I’m looking forward to St. Patrick’s Day! Plenty of shenanigans to be had! I’ll be kicking it off early with a trip to Lancaster on March 5th for the Dropkick Murphys! I’ll be running in the Lucky Charm race in Harrisburg, Saturday the 16th. New Cumberland is putting on one heck of a party Saturday in the afternoon, then ya have Hold Fast at Lovedrafts and so much everywhere celebrating with Green things and fun! The month will end like a lamb with the largest family gathering in Central PA, with the Central Pennsylvania Music Awards, hosted by the Central PA Music Hall of Fame! Thursday, March 28th at Hershey Theatre. Take off work now on Friday, because you will need it! I love the CPMAs because you get everyone together in one place celebrating each other. It truly shows how the central PA music scene is a tight knit group of people that truly love each other. It’s seriously one big, giant love fest! It really should be held in February. HA! Good luck to all of the nominees. If you see me there, please stop me for a selfie! I love to get as many selfies as possible! And if the CPMA’s themselves aren’t enough, don’t forget the Pre-Party at Hershey Fresh Market at Mid-State Distillery from 2-5. Then the Red Carpet awards at 5pm, the show at 7pm, and the After Party at Englewood!! Don’t forget your dancing shoes!! Tickets and all of the details are available at www.cpmhof.com.
Thanks so much to everyone that continues to advertise in this magazine, continues to read my article and continues to support me in every way possible. I’ve met some truly amazing people thanks to music! Even though some days I feel a little exhausted, I really wouldn’t trade it for the world. Don’t forget to check out our website, pamusician.net, and REALLY don’t forget to get out and SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC!
~ All photos in Out & About by Rachel Rocks~