The big announcement I promised you 2 weeks ago about the Reservoir Music 5th Anniversary Party can now be made! The date and location, as I already told you, is July 15 at The Bearsville Theater. Doors will open at 7PM, and the music will start at 8. The headliner will be Pitchfork Militia, whom, as regular readers of this column already know, is, IMHO (that’s In My Humble Opinion, for you non-tech savvy readers), the best band in the Hudson Valley (apologies to The Reddan Brothers Band, The Organiks, Kristin Capolino, et al.). So I’m extremely happy to have them on board.
There will be a total of 5 acts playing that night. Opening up will be TJ, with or without his band, The Manchilds. That will be a game day decision. But either way you’re in for a treat because both acts have been ensconced at the #1 position on the Reverb Nation charts for the Hudson Valley for over a year now. (By the way, if you haven’t visited Reverb Nation on the web, you should. It’s a great site for musicians to get their music out on, and also a great place for music fans to find new music that you probably won’t find anywhere else.) TJ is a songwriter in the vein of John Hyatt, Bob Dylan, and Leonard Cohen, but he’s also a great guitar player, who will rock the house, especially if The Manchilds show up with him.
Following TJ’s set will be a short set by a new acoustic/electric duo called The Whateverly Brothers. These guys are masters of picking material and also write great original songs, and I’m sure they’ll have a handful of each at The Bearsville Theater. Like great rock n roll artists have always done, these guys are sure to teach you a song or two that you’ll love, that you’d never heard before.
After The Whateverly Brothers, we’ll have an Americana set from The Cheating Hearts featuring Just James, Jimmy Eppard, Chuck Cornelis and yours truly. Again, as my regular readers know, Jimmy Eppard is my favorite local guitarist, and we’re very lucky to have him with us for this show. I guarantee you’ll hear some guitar solos that will have you smiling and shaking your head in amazement.
Next up will be The Green House Funk Band, who are well known to many Hudson Valley inhabitants. Based around the guitar and bass playing of Gary and Allan Phifer, these guys do a mix of old and new school R n B and Rock, so, watch out!
And Then, Pitchfork Militia will close out the show.
Special guests have been invited, and some of them even said they’d show up!
It’s gonna be a late night, so if you’re sitting home at 10 o’clock, and you suddenly remember it’s July 15, not to worry. You’ll still have time to catch a couple of the bands. Throw some clothes on and come on over!
Back to this week’s reality, I only noticed a couple of good shows this week, but who cares! We need a rest after the last 2 weeks, and next week has the best show of the summer, so far, which I’ll tell you about in a minute.
Coming up this week though, on June 9, at The Tarrytown Music Hall, we have the great Eric Burden, voice of the Brit-rock Invasion band, The Animals, and later on, War. This guy’s one of the greatest singers ever. Like most his age, he may have lost a step or two, but he can still knock the wind out of most singers.
On June 10, we have local faves, The Paper Planets appearing at Market, Market in Rosendale. Five years from now, you’ll be bragging that you saw them in a place that held a hundred people.
And get yerselves ready, because next week is the hottest show yet this summer. It’s Dave Alvin and Los Straitjackets at Club Helsinki in Hudson, on June 19. Both of these acts are amongst my favorites anywhere, anytime! Dave is the brains behind The Blasters, one of the top 5 rockabilly rock n roll bands of the last 30 or 40 years. I’m not kidding. Check them out. He’s still rockin as hard as ever, and to quote my good friend, Tommy Hill, said at a Blasters concert, “It doesn’t get any better than this”.
But it can get pretty damn close, and the opening act that night does. They’re Los Straitjackets, and they are all amazing musicians who also have an ear for comedy, songwriting, and song selection. Their style of music varies, but it’s mostly psycho-surf and rock n roll. Do Not Miss These Guys! Do Not Arrive Late For This Show! I’ll remind you again next week, but put it on your calendars NOW!
Alright, gotta run. I’m late for a gig!