I always look forward to this time of year. When the leaves come out on the trees and the evenings are warming up, it won’t be long until the outdoor music season starts. My wife and I really enjoy going to the various music in the park programs in the area, as well as sitting on various patios and terraces at restaurants that feature live music. It’s almost like a mini-vacation!
--
It’s also the start of the festival season, and there are two nearby events coming up soon. The third annual Spyglass Ridge Winery Blues Festival is on May 17, starting at 11 a.m. This festival brings together six of the best blues outfits in the region, along with two out-of-town units for a full day of great music, along with wine-tasting and a display of muscle cars, all for $13.
Performers include Jonah Gregory, the Burgess-Mitchell-Seal Trio, Nate Myers and the Aces, Bluesmoon, the Ann Kerstetter Band, the Blind Chitlin Kahunas, the Deb Callahan Band from Philadelphia, and back for the second time, blues legend Tom Larsen from Ocean City, Md.
And on June 8, the 19th annual Billtown Blues Festival, featuring six national acts as well as our own Ann Kerstetter Band as the opener, will take place at the Lycoming County Fairgrounds in Hughesville from noon-10 p.m. Advance tickets are on sale at Page After Page, 336 Market St., Lewisburg, for $18, a $5 savings over the price at the gate.
Featured acts at Billtown include Gina Sicilia, Jason Ricci, Alexis P. Suter, the Homemade Jamz Blues Band, Jim Thackery and the Nappy Brown Orchestra with Bob Margolin, Joe Maher and Ann Rabson.
--
As for music this week, tonight Greg Burgess and Beverley Conrad will be at Penn’s Tavern, down the river along Route 147 at Fisher’s Ferry, from 6-9 p.m.
--
Fans of Texas blues in the style of Stevie Ray Vaughn, take note. The great R.C. Yetter will be at the Peppermint, 700 Market St., Sunbury, Friday night at 9 p.m. Yetter and his band, Riviera Paradise, are out of the Lewistown area, where R.C.’s scorching guitar licks are legendary. He hasn’t been around this area in a while, so check him out.
--
Also Friday, Ann Kerstetter will be at Puirseil’s Irish Pub on Sixth Street in Lewisburg with Blaine Renn and Bill Stetz from 7-9 p.m.
--
You’ve got many choices Saturday night, starting with GC and Company at the Milton Moose Family Center from 9-midnight. That’s at 139 S. Front St., Milton.
--
Timothy’s Burden puts on a demonstration of classic rock at Maggie Maloney’s, 13 N. Fifth St., Sunbury, starting at 10 p.m. Saturday.
--
Greg Burgess and Beverley Conrad will be back at Penn’s Tavern, Route 147 south of Sunbury, from 6-9 p.m.
--
Bruce Barr will entertain at Cherry Alley Cafe, 21 N. Fourth St., Lewisburg, from 7-9 p.m. Tim Attinger and Bill Stetz will back him up.
--
This just in — Lawson and Disorder will be at the Natural Foods Store, Route 45 west of Lewisburg, Saturday from 12:30-2:30. That’s right — organic shopping and mellow music in the same place.
--
Skeeter’s Barbecue on the hill above Tedd’s Landing will feature the Ann Kerstetter Trio from 5-8 p.m. on Sunday, Mother’s Day.
--
Finally, on Monday, the Burgess-Mitchell-Seal Trio will be at Page After Page in Lewisburg from 6-9 p.m. to help celebrate the grand re-opening of the bookstore under new ownership.
-- Musicians and venues are encouraged to tell me about shows. E-mail to wlaepple@dailyitem.com by noon Tuesday to be included in next week’s listing.
Entertainment
Get ready for music outdoors
- Entertainment
-
-
Improvised jazz program salutes civil rights movement
LEWISBURG — Local jazz musicians will present "Moving Pictures: Civil Rights Imagery and Improvisation," at 8 p.m. Feb. 23 at the Campus Theatre in Lewisburg. The event is free and open to the public.
-
Clarence Clemons' nephew to play sax on Bruce Springsteen tour
NEW YORK — It takes two men to replace The Big Man. Bruce Springsteen announced Thursday that two musicians — Jersey Shore sidekick Eddie Manion and Clarence Clemons' nephew Jake — will "share the saxophone role" during the E Street Band's "Wrecking Ball" world tour, which begins March 18 in Atlanta.
-
Forget the Happy Meal. 'Lorax' gets green tie-ins
LOS ANGELES -- The Lorax, perhaps the most famous anti-industrial crusader from children's literature, is about to become a big-time corporate spokesman. With a host of comercial tie-ins -- albeit for eco-friendly products -- Universal Pictures will begin promoting "Dr. Suess' the Lorax" This month.
-
The Valley Players to present 'Roses in December'
SUNBURY — The Valley Players will celebrate this Valentine’s Day season with Victor L. Cahn’s “Roses in December,” a play that illustrates the beauty of the written word. In a script crafted exclusively from a series of letters, a young official in a college alumni office, played by Carrie Gilbert of Selinsgrove, invites a celebrated but reclusive author, played by Fred Hooper of Selinsgrove, to his 35th class reunion.
-
'Halftime in America' ad creates political debate
DETROIT — People rarely pick a fight with Dirty Harry. But Chrysler's "Halftime in America" ad featuring quintessential tough guy Clint Eastwood has generated fierce debate about whether it accurately portrays the country's most economically distressed city or amounts to a campaign ad for President Barack Obama and the auto bailouts.
-
Verizon to set up streaming service with Redbox
NEW YORK — Phone company Verizon Communications Inc. will challenge Netflix and start a video streaming service this year with Redbox and its DVD rental kiosks. Verizon and Coinstar Inc., Redbox's parent company, said Monday that the service will be national and available to non-Verizon customers as well.
-
Super Bowl ads battle for championship
NEW YORK — The pressure was on. The tension was thick. And then, there were yawns in between. The Super Bowl may have been a nail biter, but the ads were a snooze. Actor Clint Eastwood waxed for two minutes about Detroit and Chrysler. An M&M candy stripped "naked" at a party. And stars from the 90s were everywhere, as were dogs and babies, of course.
-
Sneak peek at this year's hottest Super Bowl ads
The Super Bowl is a must-watch TV event, if not for the outcome of the biggest football game of the year, then at least for the multi-million dollar commercials that run throughout. And this year’s buzzworthy spots include celebrity appearances, homages to movies and lots of humor.
-
Takeru Kobayashi downs record 337 wings at Wing Bowl
PHILADELPHIA — Competitive-eating champ Takeru Kobayashi conquered Philadelphia's annual gustatory gorge-fest by eating 337 chicken wings in a half-hour before a crowd of nearly 20,000 at Wing Bowl XX. The Japanese phenom demolished the record of 255 set last year by Jonathan "Super" Squibb.
-
Roseanne Barr seeks Green Party presidential nod
WASHINGTON — Roseanne Barr said Thursday she's running for the Green Party's presidential nomination — and it's no joke. The actress-comedian said in a statement that she's a longtime supporter of the party and looks forward to working with people who share her values. She said the two major parties aren't serving the American people.
- More Entertainment Headlines
-
Improvised jazz program salutes civil rights movement
