Holy cow, did September pass by in a flash or was it just me? Jeans and a hoody on, dark by 730 or so lately…nice knowing ya Summer! September saw six or so trips out for twenty-plus acts at some of my favorite venues, and a new (to me) venue as well. It made for a great month of music, so let’s just get to it, shall we?
My first trip was down to the East Petersburg Civic Grounds for the 12th Annual East Pet Blues Festival. Six bands, multiple food and beer vendors as well as several other vendors, along with a great crowd…it all came together to make for a great day. Music provided throughout the day by Mystic Alpacas, Ben Yo Blues Band, Alex Lee Warner and Soul Sunrise, Muddy Ruckus (a Portland Maine blues duo), Bobby Gentilo, and the Greg Sover Quartet out of Philly. All six acts put on great shows and I only have so much room, so just a few points here: Alex Warner – if you haven’t heard this kid play guitar, you are missing out. Remember his name, you’re going to hear it a lot going forward in my opinion. Muddy Ruckus – I enjoyed the hell out of their set…both of them very talented musicians and vocalists. Bobby Gentilo – I finally got to meet Bobby at this year’s CPMA ceremony and talk to him a little bit, but this was my first time catching him playing out. I wanted to kick myself for not seeing him sooner after his set; words are tough to come up with that truly do him justice. If you like blues and rock, just trust me on this one and get out to see him play. All that said…this festival takes place the first Saturday each September and I’ve already got it in my calendar, I had a total blast!
A few days later we headed down to the Doyle in Duncannon for a bite to eat and some tunes. Lydia Zavala came to town, accompanied by Steven and Eric. It’s a tight fit having 3 musicians on their small stage, but they did a great job of making it work! With a very soulful and expressive voice, they covered a wide range of songs including Stand By me, Let The Good Times Roll, X’s and O’s, and a bunch more.
Next up was a trip up to Shy Bear Brewing in Lewisburg after an invite from owner Jason Ufema to see his band the Ryan Carter Trio (RC3). I was long overdue for a return to Shy Bear, so this was just great timing. They’ve got a great beer menu, and their food menu is incredible…highly recommend the Pork Belly Sliders, they were just amazing! RC3 played a really wide range of genres with a great acoustic style: songs like Hotel California, Starting Over (a personal favorite of mine that I don’t see covered often), Margaritaville, Desperado, The Wall. The guys had a great crowd for the entire time and kept them engaged, singing and dancing along the whole evening.
A few nights later, I headed up to Spyglass Ridge Winery outside of Sunbury for a show I look forward to every September – Get The Led Out. I grew up loving the music of Led Zeppelin but never had the opportunity to experience it live myself. Get The Led Out is as close to that experience as I think is possible. This tribute band has one of, if not the largest followings that I’ve ever seen and it is very well earned. As they mention every time they play, their goal is to bring the studio recordings of Led Zeppelin to life in concert. Kicking off the show with Immigrant Song and strolling flawlessly through more Zeppelin monsters like I’m Gonna Leave you, Ramble On, Fool In The Rain (my personal favorite Zeppelin song) and more, Paul and the guys did an awesome job recreating the Led Zeppelin experience. I’m pretty sure they’ll be back at Spyglass next year, so if you haven’t seen them yet or even if you have, I’d recommend this show to anyone.
The following week I headed down to HMAC in Harrisburg for a show co-headlined by two bands I’ve listened to for what seems forever and opened up by one band that was completely new to me and another that I’ve been listening to lately and had been hoping to catch at a show. Opening up the evening was Any Given Sin, a Maryland based Hard Rock/Metal band. With songs like Insidious, Dynamite and their newest release War: these guys took the stage with authority and left everyone in attendance stunned. They definitely made a lot of new fans. Next up was Las Vegas based Adelitas Way. I’ve been listening to these guys for a few years now and have come to really dig them a lot. Ripping out tunes like Notorious and my personal favorite (so far at least) of theirs Ready For War, they absolutely did not disappoint. Third on the bill for the evening was co-headliner Saliva. Though they’ve had a few lineup changes over the years, with songs like Cruise, Always, Your Disease and the ever popular Click Click Boom, they left no one in the Capital Room with any doubt as to why they have done so well over the last 27 or so years. Closing out the evening was Drowning Pool. Exploding on stage with songs like Sinner, Step Up, Feel Like I Do, and closing out the evening by lettings the Bodies hit the floor, it made for an awesome end to a powerful evening of music.
My last trip of the month was my first time down to Phantom Power in Millersville for the Horns For Hearts Benefit Show, a show put together to raise funds for the Water Street Mission which serves the homeless and impoverished of Lancaster County. Performing for the evening was Dave Grow, Elsewhere, Matt McKenzie, Amathia, Marrisa Porter, The Art Of Deception, Monument Of A Memory and Defiant. Phantom Power is a cool venue with awesome staff and turned out to be a great place to see some live music for sure. The event brought in a bunch of people and did a good job of raising money for a great cause.
So there it is, my month of music through my eyes and ears. 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 out & around 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.
