Christmas is done and 2026 is peeking through the window. I hope you and yours had a great Christmas and will have a fun and safe New Year. This month was full of great music, some of it for great causes, and all shared with great friends and family.
My first trip out was one that’d been in the making for a while. I’ve always been a fan of Rush’s music, and for years now I’ve only heard great things about Solar Federation, but until now I just hadn’t been able to make it work to catch one of their shows. Not only did I finally make it to one of their shows, but it was the one celebrating 10 years of performances by this awesome group of musicians at the beautiful Whitaker Center in Harrisburg. With two full sets of music that included some of my favorites like Subdivisions, Limelight & Tom Sawyer, as well as deeper cuts that aren’t as commonly heard outside of “Rush circles” like The Trees, The Necromancer, Xanadu and more. Solar Federation has an amazing group of fans and they’re not just Rush fans, they’re fans of how Solar Federation shares the music of Rush. There’s an important difference in that I think, although I suppose to some it may be minor. It all added up to an incredible energy in the room for an awesome rock show that I definitely look forward to capturing again in the future!
The following week, I headed over to the HMAC in Harrisburg to capture a band that I’ve been listening to for quite a while after finding them through TikTok (or maybe another social media, I’m not sure I remember which at this point) and really enjoy their sound. The house was packed! Opening up the show was The Thing With Feathers – a Nashville based band with a sort of classic rock/pop-rock feel to them, even wandering in to a British pop sound from time to time. They opened up the shows with the announcement that they come with nothing else but a party and they delivered. They played their all original tunes including a few off their recently released debut album to a crowd that may not have been too familiar with them at the beginning, but ended up loving them and their infectious stage energy. Headlining the evening was The Band Feel. I was really looking forward to this…and was NOT disappointed! They played all the songs I’ve heard on streaming platforms from them like Shoal Creek, Call It What You Will, and my personal favorite – Icarus. They also dove in to a few covers of songs like; Use Me Up with feels of Zeppelin, The Doors, The Allman Bros and more. Their music has beautiful melodies, powerful guitar rifts, driving bass lines and incredible vocals. They’ve been seeing explosive growth in the last year or so and it’s no wonder, after seeing them. Honestly, I don’t know that I’ll be able to see them again in a smaller and more intimate setting like Stage On Herr, they truly have a sound meant for much bigger stages.
A couple days later, I headed up to Shermans Creek Inn in Shermansdale for a fundraising event that hit close to my heart. Rebuilding With Love was created to benefit a family that had recently lost their home and their two furbabies, so when I found out about it I had to make sure I was there. There were four music acts over the day, along with raffles, pulltabs and 50/50’s to help this family get back on their feet. Each of the groups donated their time, as well as the sound crew and venue, which was awesome! Corina Rose started the day off with her beautiful solo acoustic set with a variety of country tunes that did a great job getting the crowd going. Fell From Zero took the stage next with a completely different energy ripping out tunes like Killing In The Name, Sound Of Madness, The Diary of Jane and more. Next up was Southern Detour, a country rock band that “takes the essence of country music and infuses it with a fresh, rock twist”. They’re a pretty new band (although most were in a band together previously), and they crushed their set. Headlining the evening was my friends in TGIR (Thank God It’s Rock). TGIR plays a wide variety of rock songs and to put it simply, they ARE the party. Playing songs that everyone in the crowd loved, sang along and danced to. I never fail to have a good time seeing them play.
The following weekend brought the Christmas event that I’ve come to look forward to every year: Joy To The Burg. Joy To The Burg raises money through collaboration with a huge variety of musicians from across the midstate to bring hope and outreach to those experiencing homelessness. With performances by Chrissy, Bob Geiger, Vicki Rogers, Antonio Andrade, Liam Galiano, No Last Call Street Band, Just Us Too, and Grumpy (a one time reunion performance of the band formerly known as Grumpy Old Men): songs ranged from classic and spiritual holiday songs to pure rock & roll. Each of the performances were fantastic and it just made for a great way to spend an afternoon leading up the Christmas.
For my last trip out for the month, Wendy and her daughter joined me and my friends Wayne & Jenna (shoutout to Waynestock!) at the Stoney Creek Inn for dinner and entertainment from my good friend Dave Gates. It’s been a few years since I’d been there…and I’m honestly not sure why. The food was absolutely amazing, and I had one of the best Old Fashioned’s I think I’ve ever had in a restaurant. It’s clear that they take a lot of pride in what they do there. Dave played a great show with songs like All Along The Watchtower, Friends in Low Places, and many more for an enthusiastic crowd. He took a break half-way through, but the music didn’t stop. A young man named Jude Allman (I hope I spelled that right?) played a few country songs for the crowd. This kid had a great voice and chose his songs well, hopefully I see him out playing again in the future!
So there it is, my month of music through my eyes and ears. I want to once again thank all the bands, venues, and everyone else involved in our incredible local music scene for everything they do. Just a reminder: if you’ve got a show coming up that I should see; make sure to send me an invite, shoot me an email or a message, let me know about it. Venues: please don’t hesitate to reach out to me as well. The majority of the shows that I go and shoot I find out about through invites from all of you or your friends. Hit me up on facebook: @chrisriderphotography or email: chrisriderphotography@gmail.com, stop me if you see me and say hi. Until next month…go find some live music and give them and the venue your support, they truly need it more now than they ever did.
