Almost time for hoodies and campfires, maybe a cigar or three…September’s right around the corner and we’re finally having some cool evenings and this guy definitely isn’t complaining about that. It was a great month of music with a lot of variety which is something I love about our local music scene here: it doesn’t matter where your taste in music lies, you can find it here.
My first trip out was actually at the end of last month, up to Northumberland for the Norry Hookies (it’s a fire company, get your mind out of the gutter LOL) 150th Anniversary Block Party. There was a ton of different vendors, food trucks, and of course music. I didn’t get there in time to see Runaway Stroller on stage unfortunately, but Jessie were just taking the stage. I’ve seen their name around quite a bit, but this was my first time actually catching them playing. The guys are a classic rock cover band covering tunes from the likes of Tom Petty, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits and many more. They had a great sound to them and I really enjoyed their set. I last saw these guys a few years ago up at Pineknotter Brewing (also in Northumberland btw) and remembered liking them quite a bit. They played a nice mix of Rock/Pop Rock/Alternative Rock tunes covering bands like the Black Keys, The Doors, Aerosmith, ZZ Top and more. Headlining the evening was a band with a lot of ties and history to the area: The Badlees. Pete and the boys took the stage with their incredible energy to put on a great double-set show for an awesome crowd. Cranking out favorites like Don’t Let Me Hide, Angeline Is Coming Home, Fear Of Falling; a few of their newer songs and even a few covers including a great cover of Paint It Black, it was awesome getting to see the guys playing this show for fans, friends, and family. Special shout out to The Badlee’s biggest fan Evie for joining the guys on stage for a few songs, she did an awesome job!
The following day I journeyed down to the Bel Air, Maryland area to hang out with, and do a promo shoot for the guys in Images Of Eden right before they headed to Europe for a two week tour with SOiL. I got down there as the guys were about half way through their rehearsal for the day so I had the opportunity to see the work that goes in to preparing for a tour which was pretty cool. If you haven’t heard it yet, Gordon and the guys do an incredible cover of Triumph’s “Fight The Good Fight”. It was awesome to finally get to hear them perform it live…and I’ve just got to mention one specific part: About 3 minutes in to the song (seriously, bring this song up and LISTEN!), Gordon hits a note/scream that I have trouble describing accurately…but being about 4 feet away and hearing it literally raised the hair on my arms and gave me goosebumps. It was just unreal/surreal and even though I have trouble, even now, of putting words together to describe it accurately, I had to mention it. I’ve always loved this song, both the original and their cover, but this momentary experience just took the song to a whole new level for me. Speaking to Gordon briefly since their return from Europe, they had a great tour and are looking forward to getting to work on their next album which I can’t wait to hear!
Next up was a trip back to (finally!) The Abbey Bar in Harrisburg. “The Local Show” Season 2 Finale was hosted by The Abbey Bar, Moon Peak Productions, The Central Pennsylvania Hall Of Fame, and The River 97.3. The evening was an open mic and was recorded live to be aired on “The Local Show” which is a show on The River hosted by Glenn Hamilton and Brandon Valentine on Sunday evenings showcasing, appropriately enough, our local music scene. It was a great night of music. I did start a list of all of the performers, but it quickly became too long of a list to be able to put down here so you’ll just have to check out The Local Show on Sunday nights LOL. Music ranged from solo musicians to full bands of a multitude of genres each getting 10 minutes or so to showcase their musicianship. All of the performers did an awesome job!
A few days later, I headed down to Lovedraft’s Brewing for another solid 717 Entertainment show. Starting off with Edge of Desolation, this promised to be a night of heavy music. Hard core, driving guitars and bass backed with heavy and fast paced percussion, these guys set the crowd up and got the night started with a bang. As Beings, a Jersey based metal core band then came out with their brutal lyrics and guitar riffs and a ton of energy. Heartsick was next up and played with tight, solid sound and great energy. My friends in The Art of Deception followed up with a great metal performance. Every time I see these guys, I’m struck by how “together” they are, and how they show constant and consistent improvement. Headlining the evening was California based Filth, bringing their ultra-heavy death-core “Tales From the Guttour” music to the Lovedraft’s stage for a crowd of fans that slammed, danced, headbanged, and sang along for all of their tunes.
A few days later, Wendy & I joined a bunch of friends a few miles down the road at the Winery at Hunters Valley for their second annual Music Fest. The day started off with an acoustic performance by Emily Rowe belting out great covers of songs like Valerie, Jolene, Rolling In The Deep, and more. Emily was followed by If By 5. This five-piece band cranked out songs from multiple genres like Beverly Hills, Simple Man, Fat Bottomed Girls, Goin To California and more. Next up was the Go To Guys who covered a number of classic rock tunes like The Way, I melt With You, and Wagon Wheel. Headlining the evening was my friends, Williamsport based Cass And The Bailout Crew. Cass and the crew put on a great show and had a great crowd dancing for them. They covered a number of songs really well with my favorite being a mash of Somebody To Love/White Rabbit. Cass has the perfect voice for this one and the crowd loved it.
Our final trip for the month was over to the Carsonville Hotel. I’m pretty sure this was my first time there, but we picked a beautiful evening for an outdoor show put on by Joe Cooney & Friends. The hotel has a great outdoor entertainment area with a beautiful country backdrop. Joe (and friends LOL) performed a ton of great covers including Lee Greenwood’s God Bless The USA, 5 O’clock Somewhere, and a bunch more. It’s a beautiful (maybe a little bumpy LOL) drive out to this venue, but it was totally worth it for the scenery, some great food and music for a great crowd.
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 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.
