LAUNCH Music Conference and Festival

April 26^th through 29^th, MOOSE will be sponsoring the 4th annual LAUNCH Music Conference and Festival in Downtown Lancaster. Held in Freedom Hall at the Lancaster County Convention Center, LAUNCH is a must-attend event for all music lovers. This event is a great opportunity for music performers and lovers alike to enjoy educational sessions and live entertainment. The conference portion of the event includes workshops and open panel discussions on a variety of topics with leading industry professionals. Attendees will have the chance to network with industry members as well as other artists.

Then, each evening, artists will take to the stage at venues stretching throughout a four block radius of the city. There will be a variety of performers, from developing acts to established artists. Performances will range in musical styles catering to different tastes in music. Each night of the festival there will be a different headlining band performing.  Headliners this year include: Rusted Root, The Felice Brothers, and Texas in July. Rusted Root will be performing Thursday April 26, The Felice Brothers will be performing Friday April 27, and Texas in July will be performing Saturday April 28.

Information about registration and ticket purchases can be found on the events website. As LAUNCH approaches, be sure to check back to MOOSE’s blog. I will be providing updates as details become available for this music filled weekend in the city!

Register and purchase tickets at the LAUNCH Music Conference and Festival website: http://www.launchmusicconference.com

Written by: Stephanie Cafoncelli

Music Friday, Series 42 presents Modern Roots

August 19^th MOOSE, Music for Everyone, and Series 42 will be having Roots Rock Revival as the Music Friday theme in downtown Lancaster, across from Binns park. The music begins at 5:30 and continues until 8:45 in the evening. Admission is free and MOOSE will have a pub area set up with Wine from Tamanend Winery and beer from Lancaster Brewing Company. There will also be vendors from Kunzler and Rachel’s Cafe and Creperie.

Vinegar Creek Constituency will be opening the show at 5:30. Their set will continue until 6:40. Vinegar Creek Constituency is an eclectic, incendiary string band out of the PA Dutch Country. They channel venerable old ghosts of American folk tradition through imaginative, emotive original songs delivered with rock n roll intensity. Their music is full of shouting, floorboard- stomping soul, and their live performances are uplifting, high energy events with fans dancing in the aisles and clapping, stomping, and singing along.

Next there will be a performance from the Music For Everyone chorus.

At 7:30, the Defibulators will take the stage and continue their set until 8:45. The Defibulators have emerged as one of the most engaging live acts from the thriving roots scene in Brooklyn, NY – melding bluegrass, rockabilly, honky-tonk, and punk into their own eclectic sound.

Crawdaddy, The magazine of Rock, based in San Jose, California had this to say about The Defibulators,

“The Defibulators (not defibrillators) hail from Brooklyn, New York’s thriving indie scene and they’ve developed a funky, rootsy, out-of-control sound that’s all their own. The six-man, one-woman band blends bluegrass, country, honky tonk, rockabilly, Dixieland jazz, punk, and maybe a touch of anti-folk into an intoxicating, good-time mélange that’s guaranteed to slap a smile on your face. Roots-heavy, post-punk music that reinvents the conventions of country music with a CBGB-meets-Grand Ole Opry feel.” -Crawdaddy

I encourage everyone to come out and walk around Downtown Lancaster while enjoying live music and a cold beverage from the MOOSE pub area.

Written By: L. Ashley Lynch

Music Friday- Latin Night!

This Friday is our “Latin Night” Music Friday, and I am excited! We will be having Melena performing from 5:30- 6:40, and again from 7:30-8:45. Melena, born in Havana Cuba has performed and toured with legendary artists such as: Barry White, Stevie Wonder, Macy Gray, Julio Iglesias, Chayanne, Eva Ayllone, and more. Melena is one of the most accomplished and proficient female percussionists and I cannot wait to see her performance live.

Starting at 6:50 Greg Fitzpatrick will be giving Salsa dancing lessons. The lessons will continue until 7:20. Greg Fitzpatrick, known as the Latin Leprechaun was first bitten by the “salsa bug” while he was in Miami in 1997 and it hasn’t left him since! It was love at the first beat! Over the years, he has developed a passion for Latin dance and music and has concentrated on expanding his Latin music collection with a focus on Salsa.

MOOSE and Music for Everyone will be providing the tunes. All alcohol sale proceeds will benefit MOOSE. The pub area will be serving wine from Tamanend Winery and beer from Lancaster Brewing Company. Kunzler and Rachel’s Café & Creperie will be serving their delicious food. I would encourage everyone to come out and enjoy the festivities. The weather is supposed to be 85 and sunny until the sun goes down; then it is supposed to be 61 and clear. It will be a great Night to Walk around Downtown and enjoy the City.

Be sure to check out event calendar on our website: http://lancastercityevents.com/

Written By: L. Ashley Lynch

Celebrate Lancaster

Celebrate Lancaster is this coming Friday, June 24^th, and I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am. My day will begin here at 8:00am and finish well after the fireworks end, but it will all be worth it because this is sure to be a spectacular event.  This is not a fourth of July Event, but an Event to celebrate the city.

We will have twenty three delicious food vendors during this event. Forno Inferno will be there serving wood fired pizza by the slice or pie. Rachel’s Café & Creperie will have savory crepes, sweet crepes, iced coffee, mint tea, and lemonade. I tried their Thai chicken crepe at Last week’s Music Friday and it was delicious! Their mint tea and strawberry Lemonade is also a refreshing choice. Ice Cream express will have soft serve ice cream, flurries, floats, sundaes, and gelati’s. Dude with the Food will be serving pulled pork sandwiches, beef brisket sandwiches, smoked bbq ribs, beer can chicken, buffalo chicken subs, cheeseburger subs, chicken fingers, and a fried shrimp basket. T&J Concession will have New York style hot dogs, Italian sausage, hot beef sausage, burgers, fries, and chips. Schnader’s Concessions will have funnel cakes, French fries, fried Oreos, and lemonade. Kunzler & Co., Inc. will be serving hot dogs, pretzel dogs, chili sauce topping, and sloppy Joes. Dutch Country Concessions will have hand-rolled soft pretzels, iced tea, and lemonade. Greco’s Italian Ice will be serving homemade ice cream and Italian ice, gelato, Italian ice shakers, and hot waffles with ice cream. Urban olive will have Chicken Pitas and salad, falafel pitas and salad, and cookies.  The Onion Shack will be serving deep fried onions, and have strawberry & raspberry lemonade. Asian Carry Out will have homemade Vietnamese egg rolls, real fruit smoothies, and fresh squeezed fruit drinks. Caribbean Breeze will be providing Jerk Chicken, oxtail, curry goat, and curry chicken. Tropical Smoothie Café will be bringing delicious smoothies. Sherri’s Crab Cakes will be serving crab cake sandwiches. J&J kettle Korn will have classic and cinnamon Kettle corn. “Dan the Man” Crumpton Southern Style BBQ will be serving a rib dinner, chicken dinner, pulled pork, brisket dinner, slaw, baked beans, and BBQ sandwiches.  Sa La Thai Restaurant will be having spring rolls, crispy wontons, tulip dumplings, Thai Chicken wings, and fried banana. Rice & Noodles Restaurant- Simply Vietnamese will have vermicelli noodle salad with grilled chicken or grilled pork. Brickers Famous French Fries will have fresh cut fries, and chicken strips. Lancaster Brewing Company will be serving Empanadas. 7 Degrees South will be serving stroopies, a famous Dutch cookie, it’s a cinnamon cookie made in a waffle press with a home-made caramel sauce, Or Dipped chocolate stroopie (single or six pack). Taj Mahal will also be there serving authentic Indian cuisine.

We will be having two stages, one at Penn Square and the other at Binns Park. Starting at 5:00, 21^st Century Dreamtime Lions will be kicking off the evening’s performances. The 21^st Century Dreamtime Lions is an Afro beat, hip hop, reggae band made up with Tim Riggs, Ben Weiss, Ryan Overly, Evan Gentry, Doug Smith, and Brandon Tennis.  They describe their sound as “A synthesis of the forgotten dreams of creation that visit the sleeping hour of all people.” They have a CD to be released in September w featuring 12 original songs recorded and produced by their friend Pete Barnhart. This Friday should be a great representation of what will be on their album.

At 5:30, on the Binns Park stage, Manatawny Creek Ramblers will be performing. The band began in 2004 in the hills of Berks County Pennsylvania as a traditional bluegrass band, a roots project of bandleader Daniel Bower (guitar/vocals) who also plays drums for Frog Holler. Since inception the band has built a mixed repertoire of classic bluegrass tunes by the likes of Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, Del McCoury and Flatt & Scruggs as well as an array of original material. During that time The Manatawny Creek Ramblers have been working steadily, performing at countless events and festivals.

Beginning at 6:30, at Penn Square, Sonora los fantasticos will begin performing. Sonora Los Fantasticos are an up-and-coming salsa band dedicated to the perfect execution of traditional “salsa dura”. This band is deeply rooted in the development of the image, culture and prestige of this classical afro-Caribbean art.

Playing in the pub area between 6:30-7:00 and 8:00-8:30 will be Fire in the Glen, who debuted on March 17, 1999, with John Varner on vocals and guitar and Tom Knapp on fiddle, bodhran and backing vocals. Now, Tom is working with singer/guitarist Jason Mundok to take Fire in the Glen to yet another level. Already, the new partnership is getting rave reviews! They have an Acoustic, Celtic, and folk sound.

At 7:00, at Binns Park, Slo-Mo featuring Mic Wrecka will be performing. Slo-Mo featuring Mic Wrecka combines Brenner’s lap steel-driven grooves and the hip hop poetry of front man Mic Wrecka. Backed by a tight and funky band and singers Sue Rosetti and Steph Hayes (from Stargazer Lily), Brenner and Wrecka effortlessly meld genres, creating a steel guitar/hip-hop hybrid unlike anything you’ve ever heard. .. .. The new disc “Gimme What You Got” (Authentic Records) is their most rocking to date, boasting more steel guitar than previous efforts and organic, live band arrangements that lay down the funk.

At 8:00, at Penn Square, Nation Beat will be performing. Nation Beat’s trademark maracatu-rock is brought to the next level, with a cutting-edge 21st century fusion, between Brazil and New Orleans second line rhythms, Appalachian-inspired bluegrass music, funk, rock, and country-blues required by just the right sort of band. Conjuring the spirit of powerful and liberated carnival queens, rising Brazilian star Liliana Araujo, a recent finalist on Brazil’s “American Idol” spin-off program FAMA now fronts the ensemble with her soaring powerhouse vocals. I personally, cannot wait to hear this performance!

Our last musical act, The Holmes Brothers, will be going on at 8:30 at Binns Park. The Holmes Brothers, over the course of their 30-plus year career, The Holmes Brothers (bassist/vocalist Sherman Holmes, guitarist/pianist/vocalist Wendell Holmes, drummer/vocalist and brother-in-spirit Popsy Dixon) have been feeding the souls of their devoted and ever-growing fan base with a joyous and moving blend of blues, gospel, soul, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll and country. Their amazing three-part harmony singing, mixing Wendell’s gruff and gravelly vocals with Popsy’s soaring falsetto and Sherman’s rich baritone brings the soul and spirit of gospel music into everything they perform. Equally gripping is the rhythmic foundation laid down by Sherman’s bass playing and Popsy’s drumming, perfectly complementing Wendell’s blues-soaked guitar solos and church-inspired piano playing. The band easily blends Saturday night’s roadhouse rock with the gospel fervor and harmonies of Sunday morning’s church service.

Fireworks are set to go off at 10:00pm. I hope that as many people as possible will be able to participate and enjoy this event.

Check out our QR Code: Celebrate QR code

Written By: L. Ashley Lynch

Music Friday, Music For Everyone CD Release Party

Come out to Music Friday in Lancaster Square next week, June 17, for the Music For Everyone CD Release Party.

The music lineup for the show is The Cultivators opening at 5:45 and playing until 6:30.The Cultivators make rootsy music and like playing it for a wide range of people, from little children to great grandmothers. The group formed in Lancaster in 2007 and features a repertoire of original tunes with some vintage cover songs mixed in. Instruments include acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle, electric guitar and drums. The band can be found playing a variety of venues, from bars to farm festivals, throughout the region.

Next up is Mike McMonagle who will take the stage at 6:45 and continue until 7:30. At an age when most kids start playing with matches, Mike McMonagle was, well, also playing with matches. Luckily, the day came when matches lost their luster and he picked up a guitar. It was a Saturday, presumably, and the Pennsylvania sky was blue and cloudless (probably). The first chord he ever strummed was an E minor; to this day, Mike still plays that chord, along with others, to craft an array of folk-inspired ditties about riding trains, drinking wine and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Listening to Mike perform is like taking a deep breath while watching the sun rise on a crisp, dewy morning, after a sleepless night of heavy drinking.

The final act of the evening, Toy Soldiers, begins at 7:45 and will continue until our program ends around 9 O’clock. The Toy Soldiers began in September 2007 as a duo between songwriter Ron Gallo and long-time friend and drummer, Mike Baurer. What began as a joke, quickly turned into a vehicle for a collection of songs that jumped around in the roots of American music. After a year of carting around in a Toyota Camry pushing their home made demos, they entered the studio in early 2009 to create “Whisper Down the Lane”, the band’s first record released on May 18th, 2010 through Drexel’s MAD Dragon Records; later described as a “gritty, dirty collection of liquor-fueled Americana music that shifts flawlessly from roots, to blues, to country, to rockabilly. “Whisper Down the Lane” is an undeniable barn-burner”. Going in as a duo, the band came out as collective of upwards of 13 musicians who had contributed to the album. Over the course of 2009 through 2010, the new collective played WXPN’s 2010 XPoNential Fest, toured the south twice and constantly fluctuated and shifted members until Gallo decided to pare down to a solid core group in October 2010 welcoming in a group of Lancaster based musicians and friends known as Dominic Billett on drums, Bill McCloskey on bass, Luke Leidy on keys, and Matt Kelly on guitar.  One of the new groups’ first shows was a sold out show supporting Fitz and the Tantrums at World Cafe Live.  They are releasing a new EP in April 2011. The band has been nominated in three categories for the 10th Independent Music Awards for “Best Alt. Country Album”, “Best Blues Song: Throw Me Down” and “Best College Label Release”.

I can’t wait for what is sure to be a great show, and I hope to see as large of a crowd, if not larger, at this event as at our last Music Friday.  We will have the same vendors as last time: Kunzler, Lancaster Brewing Company, Rachel’s Café and Creperie, and Tamanend Winery. Beverage proceeds benefited both MOOSE and Music for Everyone.

Written By:  L. Ashley Lynch

Rock the Block

Throughout my five months as an intern at MOOSE I have learned so much about the fun events and activities the City of Lancaster has to offer.  As I was handing out posters for MOOSE’s Music Friday and Celebrate Lancaster! events the other week, I noticed the banner about the Rock the Block event the 300 Block of North Queen Street was hosting.  I had never heard about this event before so I was pretty curious about it.  One day while we were brainstorming topics to write about in MOOSE’s new blog we decided to start including events that we weren’t hosting along with writing about our events.  We decided Rock the Block would be an awesome event to write about since it is a very large event and includes a lot of the great local businesses in Downtown.   This gave me the chance to attend the event and still do something productive for MOOSE, that’s what you’d call a win-win!  To start, I got into contact with a businessperson on the 300 Block that is participating in the event to get more information.  Here’s the blurb I got in return:

“The 300 Block of North Queen Street presents “ROCK THE BLOCK” – our 9th annual street party!  It’s scheduled for this Sunday, June 5, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  This year’s event features plenty of live music, including the Chelsea Squares, Silver Hawks, Octavia Blues, Mama Tried, and Slackwater News.  Live music will be going on all day, plus great food vendors (with seating throughout the block and at the Northgate parking lot), and several craft vendors.  PLUS, all the great shops on the block will be open!  There will also be a chance to support The Steve Murray Special Needs Fund.  The event will run rain or shine, but we just KNOW the weather will be perfect.  Best of all, it’s FREE!  Please join us for a great time, live music, delicious food, and plenty of shopping opportunities!”

As a poor recent college graduate, “FREE” sparked my interest even more so I decided to bring some friends and go check out Rock the Block!

On Sunday, June 5^th I attended the Block’s 9^th annual street party.  The music was awesome and definitely my favorite part; it was great to see people dancing and have a good time! I also love wandering around all the shops on the 300 Block and it was great to look around and see all the other tents and tables out!

Events like these are what MOOSE is all about – bringing people together and bringing excitement to Downtown Lancaster.  I had a great time at the block party and will definitely be going back for the 10^th annual party!  Rock the Block was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon! If you attended I’d love to hear your thoughts on the event as well!!

Written by Megan Hartnett

Rock N’ Roll opener recap!

This past Friday we had the privilege of having Snake oil Band, Junkyard Drummers, and the John King Dance band perform for our Music Friday Rock N’ Roll Opener In Lancaster Square. The weather was touch and go throughout the day, but when Snake oil went on the sun decided to shine, and the combination truly brought our event to life. Snake Oil’s Rock N’ Roll sound encouraged people passing by to enquire about our event, and stay to see what else MOOSE and Music For Everyone had to offer.

The Junkyard drummers were the next act to take the stage. The students of the program, ranging from elementary to high school, provided a great display of creativity, energy, and eagerness to perform for their community. I like the idea of turning recycled materials and buckets into musical instruments and while watching the students use them and incorporate break dancing with the rhythm of the beat, which I applaud because it did not look easy. I must say that their energy during the performance was a great opportunity for the community to see the hard work that goes into the Junkyard Drumming program, and have it pay off with the support of the community. Overall I think the crowd had as much fun watching them perform as they did performing.

Next, Music For Everyone had a raffle for an African style Drum; which was followed by them auctioning off an original piece of artwork, a drawn picture, which was created during the event.

Our last act was John King Dance Band which brought new hits, classic rock, and original songs of their own to the table. The weather was spotty, which allowed for a short intermission, but when the rain stopped the double rainbow appeared over Downtown Lancaster, and the show went on. People were dancing the night away as the John King Dance Band continued their set until around 9:00.

We had Kunzler, who is celebrating their 110^th Anniversary, and Rachel’s Café and Creperie there at the event vending a variety of different hotdogs and crepes. Lancaster Brewing Company provided Fest, an Amber Lager, and Strawberry Wheat Ale for the event. Tamanend Winery provided an array of different wines, including their margarita wine, for the event. Beverage proceeds benefited both MOOSE and Music for Everyone.  

I hope that everyone had as great of a time as I did, and I look forward to seeing old and new faces at the next Music Friday in Lancaster Square, June 17^th, and Celebrate Lancaster, June 24^th.

Written by: Ashley Lynch

Music Friday in Lancaster Square, 5/20

I am a new intern with the MOOSE team and we’re gearing up for the first Music Friday in Lancaster Square this Friday. Music Fridays are from May through September, on the third Friday of every month. MOOSE and Music For Everyone hosts Music Friday. Live music can be found throughout the city at shops, restaurants and city parks. Music Fridays begin at 5:30 and conclude at 8:45. Music Fridays are a great opportunity to walk around the city, grab a bite to eat, enjoy a cold drink and listen to great live music in Downtown Lancaster. Proceeds from the purchase of wine and beer benefit both MOOSE and Music For Everyone. I would encourage everyone to come out and participate.

May 20^th is our Rock N’ Roll Opener with the opening act, Snake oil Band, a dynamic band featuring Corty Byron on guitar and vocals, Bob Esbenshade on bass and vocals, and Dave “snake” Secunda on drums. Corty is a young player, but has ten years of playing under his belt. He fronts his own band, played in the “green onions” since he was fifteen, and has opened for many stars at the American Music Theater. He is truly one of Lancaster’s outstanding musicians and performers.  Bob and Dave are the founding members of the iconic band “Big Red”. Together they represent one of the great rhythm sections of the Lancaster music scene. They are also the backbone for the local blues band “Blue Light Special”. Bob and Dave have travelled from Philadelphia to Asbury Park over the years. Bob also plays in “Lingering Doubts” and “The Willie Marble Xperience”. The teaming up of Corty, Bob, and Dave represents the coming together of the ages to make great music. Music steeped in the roots of Rock and Roll and Americana. The young and the elders, together for one purpose….to make some beautiful noise from the heart.  I spoke with Bob Esbenshade on the phone earlier this week and he expressed that they are as excited to come play Friday as we are to have them! They go on at 5:30 and end their set at 6:40.

Our second act begins at 6:45 when the Music for Everyone Awards show takes over the stage. When the Awards show comes to an end The Junkyard Drummers will take the stage and be performing until 7:10. I spoke with Justin Rule, Founder and Executive Director of Heads up Lancaster, and he gave me the scoop on Junkyard Drumming. Junkyard Drumming is the latest in a unique collection of music programs being offered through Heads Up Lancaster.  Led by Music Arts Director Tim Riggs, the group uses recycled materials and buckets to learn and perform rhythms, tell music stories and prove that ‘one man’s junk is another man’s treasure!’  The students range in age from elementary to high school students from all around the county.  The only apology ahead of time is to parents: Your kitchen, and your kids, will never be the same!

Our last event of the evening, John King’s Dance Band, will be taking the stage at 7:30 with the promise of energizing the crowd and “Get the Party Started”. They perform a variety of music from Soul, Motown, Top 40, Classic Rock, R & B and Original songs.  The band has 2 strong lead Vocals, John King and Alaina Nelson.  Lenny is on Keys, Chad on bass guitar, John on drums and Seth on saxaphone. The event closes at 8:30.

I hope that all of you find your way to the City this Friday for great music and a wonderful opportunity to explore what Downtown Lancaster has to offer. I know that I can’t wait to hear all of the bands and see how large of a turn out we achieve.

Written by: Ashley Lynch

MOOSE

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