April definitely brought showers of music to my ears! It was a superbly busy month, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Nothing to it, but to get to it!
It all started many moons ago with the CPMAs. The problem with a monthly magazine, it sometimes feels like some of the stuff I write about was forever long ago! The CPMAs were tons of fun. I absolutely love seeing the central PA musical family all getting together to celebrate each other’s accomplishments, and to take a minute to pay homage to the talent that has layed the path for so many, as they got inducted into the Central Pennsylvania Music Hall of Fame: Blitz Dynette, Vince DiCola, Fuel, Hybrid Ice, and Fred Waring. The Whitey Noll Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Al Shade. Al came on stage to receive his award and put on a great performance as well. Al has been a radio DJ for over 70 years, and one heck of a performer! Brett Scallions came to the after party, and took the time to stop and talk to me about the days of advertising in the PA Musician Magazine, and he was glad to see it was still alive and well! The after party had karaoke which was a little strange, yet interesting. I was glad to see so many people at the After Party letting loose and having a good time!
On a Friday night I had the opportunity to go see Y2Kids have their debut performance at the Hollywood Casino in York. It’s awesome to see how many people come out to the local band shows at all of the Hollywood Casinos. When I went to see Y2Kids all of the tables were reserved, and it was standing room only before the show even started! It’s awesome hearing a band cover so many of the current popular hits! Plus being able to take requests. Y2Kids put on a great show and I’m glad I got to witness it!
On a Saturday night I had the amazing opportunity to go hear Matt Jameson and Dave Gates play at a House Party in Chad and Krissy Dressler’s Deliciously Disgusting Cafe. Even though I’ve heard both of these guys play so many times, it was still super cool to be able to just chill in a living room with these guys and hear them jam. No amplification, just acoustic guitars, and great music, and even greater friends! I also officially got inducted into the “Music Made Me Do It” cool kids club with my very own personalized sweatshirt! Thanks Chad and Krissy for not giving up on me and continuing to invite me until our schedules could finally align!
On a Wednesday night I headed back to South County Brewing Co. to hear Matt Jameson jam with Tom Lepore on Cajon. Tom was a fun addition to Matt’s show, and it was awesome to see so many people out on a Wednesday night! South County is a gorgeous venue with delicious food and I hear their beer is good too!
On a Thursday Matt somehow had a night off, so we headed out to catch the end of Dave Gates at Hops & Barley in Mechanicsburg. It’s been a while since I heard Dave play, it was awesome hearing him bust out some originals. I always enjoy seeing musicians pull out their original songs. You can see their spirit brighten as they play each note! You can check out all of Dave’s music, and his Solo Musician Podcast from his website, www.davegates.org. I actually just recorded a Podcast episode with Dave! It will be airing Tuesday, April 30th. It will be Episode 17. I was told to never record another podcast after my last go-round, but hopefully I didn’t say anything that will offend anyone. HA! Give it a listen to find out!
Matt Jameson celebrated 2 years as a solo musician in April, and it was fitting that he finally had another show at Fratelli’s, because that’s where his solo career started with his 1st official show. It was awesome to see him pack the place and so many people showed up to help him celebrate this awesome accomplishment. It’s crazy to look back and see how Matt has grown as a performer, and the fans/friends he has made along the way!
After Fratelli’s I zoomed down to the The Kennel at West York Inn for Six Bar Break. Since I was headed to another fun music spot, Michele and Stephen Robert decided to join in the fun and go along. It’s always nice having friends along on my Out & About adventures! I haven’t heard Six Bar Break in a full rockin’ band show in way too long! It was awesome to hear them playing as a full electric band! Dave Moore has been bringing in a lot of great acts to the West York Inn, you can check out their full schedule in this issue. Dave also is the one who gave our website its new design, if you haven’t checked it out lately, you really should! www.pamusician.net. He did an amazing job, and he keeps it updated for us every month.
On a Thursday night my friend Cindy and I headed back over to Hops & Barley to see Hank the Buffalo. This was the first time I was able to catch the full band rockin’ together. Stephen Robert and Chris Auxt both sing lead and play guitar, and Mike Suhina plays the cajon. They play quite a mix of music from country to rock and other fun stuff in between. Stephen is constantly running around out supporting other local musicians when he’s not playing himself. He also brings “Hank” with him, his little buffalo. HA! He loves people taking pics with Hank and posting all about Hank’s adventures on their Facebook page. It’s a great gimmick for the band and it’s really helping him get their name out there!
On a Friday Michele Rider and I headed out to Wolf’s Brewing Company to see Megan and Dave. This was another first time for me! I’ve heard Megan get up and sing a couple songs with Matt, but it was my first time hearing Megan and Dave together. Megan really has a beautiful voice! She was the first female I heard nail Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season”. It’s so many words! Megan and Dave put a poll up on their Facebook page and they had their fans help them create their 2nd Set list with all of their favorite songs. That was a great idea to be able to hear which songs your fans are liking the best! Megan and Dave are new advertisers in the mag. Please check out their schedule and get out to a show, trust me, you won’t be disappointed!
I finished my night with a trip down to Englewood for Cold Spring Union. It had been way too long since I had the opportunity to join “The Union” and listen to these guys! The whole band is filled with talented musicians, but hearing Johny Rossey and Cody Wilt trade off lead vocals and guitar solos is just crazy, but when they blend harmonies with Brandon chiming in as well, it’s truly magical! I love listening to those guys! Such a great show!
On a Saturday night I finally worked my way back down to the Racehorse to hear Steel. It’s crazy to hear all of the different songs Steel is adding to their set list. Some people used to refer to them as an Iron Maiden tribute band, but that’s no longer the case. They mix in quite a few new songs in all different genres. Dave Magaro even added in a mandolin for a few songs, one of those is “What’s Up” by the 4 Non Blondes; I know right?! It’s crazy hearing these guys rock out to that song! The Racehorse was packed and the whole bar was singing along. It was also equally crazy to see so many metal fans singing along! HA! It was a great night of awesome music, friends, and fun singing and dancing along!
On a Tuesday night Observe the 93rd had the opportunity to open for Neon Trees at XL Live. On a Tuesday night XL Live was packed! Neon Trees has at least four popular songs played pretty frequently on the radio, so I wasn’t the only one that was excited they were coming to Harrisburg! Observe the 93rd did an amazing job getting the crowd pumped up! My Kid Brother was on tour with Neon Trees and took the stage next. It was cool to see a keyboard player, and a female one at that, rockin’ the stage. Then, when Neon Trees took the stage, they had a female drummer that was banging her head with her hair flying everywhere, singing and playing along! Such an awesome night of music! It was so hard to believe it was only Tuesday!!! It’s important to keep a close eye on XL Live’s schedule because you never know who they will be having perform next! You can see their schedule in this issue and plan your next night out on the town!
On a Thursday night I was trying to decide what to make for dinner when I saw on Facebook that Dr. Nyce was playing at Carly’s piano bar. Instead of making dinner, why not go listen to live music and eat dinner at the same time! Of course dinner is more fun with friends, so I messaged my friend Cindy, and asked if she wanted to leave in 15 minutes to go see Dr. Nyce, and she quickly accepted the invitation, and away we went. The bar was in full sing-a-long mode when we arrived, and we quickly joined in the fun! Dr. Nyce played “Tupelo Honey” for me, which was the song my Dad sang to my Mom on their first date, so that’s a very special song!
Since Dr. Nyce’s show was over at 8pm, we still had time and energy for another stop, so we headed to The DogHouse for Shannon Bobb. I’ve heard Shannon play a few different times in bands, and solo, and it was awesome to hear that he is getting back out there playing solo again. Shannon has a unique voice and he covers quite a few songs that not many musicians do! It was a great way to end our night!
The next day, I got a call from Stephen Robert that his band Hank The Buffalo had off for the night, so he was ready for some fun, and fun was definitely had!! First stop, Wolf Brewing Co. for Derek Henry Acoustic, Wolfs was slammed full of people and Derek did an amazing job, and even played Pixies for me!! Then, it was off to Flinchy’s for my first experience of Crash & Cross. Those guys were jamming in the corner, and everyone was having a great time on the trainwreck deck!! “Crash”, aka Scott Crasher, is another guy that is constantly out supporting music whenever he can. I’ve hung out with him quite a bit, and so glad I finally got a chance to hear him rockin’ with “Cross”. Crash uses quite a few percussion instruments to add to their show, and keep the crowd rockin’ along! We still weren’t done yet; next, we zoomed to the Horn Pub for some RJ Moody. I always thought RJ was more of a country only guy, but I heard him pull off some 50cent! HA!! Stephen also played some Noah Kahan for me so that was awesome! Then last but definitely not least Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course for Katz 22!! I absolutely love Katz 22! Grantville’s bands play until midnight, which helped us be able to squeeze in this last band of the night! We had a blast dancing and singing along! I’m always blown away by their powerful three-way harmonies, and hearing Kathy rip away on the guitar all while singing lead vocals! She is a powerhouse that is mesmerizing to watch and hear! Katz 22 is a long time supporter of the magazine, you can always check out their schedule every month! Get out there and see them for yourself, you’ll be glad you did!
Last but definitely not least, Ozzfest Tribute 2024 at Lovedrafts was nothing short of AMAZING!! Due to other job duties I only made it for the last 3 bands, but I heard the whole day ROCKED! I was able to catch: Tourniquet (Marilyn Manson), my amazing homeboys, Penntera – PA’s Pantera Tribute Band and Old School HollyWood – System of a Down – Tribute. Nick Meyers of 717 Entertainment, LLC once again brought the party to Lovedraft’s Brewing Co., and I’m so glad I was able to enjoy at least part of the show. It was Penntera’s first show with their new lead singer Chris, from the band Voice the Chaos. Chris did an amazing job, even though he tripped in the first song and totally messed up his knee!! He didn’t let it stop him from singing, but it did stop him from running around the stage like a maniac! He had them bring up a stool and he had to sit down, but still managed to get the crowd moshing and having an amazing Penntera time! It was also awesome to see so many familiar faces in Old School Hollywood! Trevor Shubert always amazes me with his vocal madness! If you know ya know, and if ya don’t… well, you really should check it out for yourself sometime!
Whoohoo! I finally made it to the end! What a wild month. I’m so glad I had so many friends join me on my adventures this month! I used to prefer going out alone, but anymore I do prefer going out with friends. Regardless, I go out every weekend, so if you’re ever bored and want to tag along, hit me up! Just ask Stephen, he might have needed some late night espresso to keep up with me, but I think he survived! HA! I will be traveling a lot throughout May, but I will be Out & About every chance I get! When you do see me Out & About, please say Hi! April showers bring May Music!! Get out there and support it!
