SSTCi Thanks 2012 Silver Spring Blues Festival Sponsors

Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. wishes to express its appreciation to the many sponsors of the 2012 Silver Spring Blues Week and the 4th Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival in Downtown Silver Spring.

Abyssinia Restaurant
Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation
Atomic Music
Big Greek Cafe
Bombay Gaylord
Courtyard by Marriott
Dale Music
DC Blues Society
DigiPrint Connection
Downtown Silver Spring
Fenton Street Market
Fire Station 1
Frozenyo
Home Properties
Ledo Pizza
Lesaac Cafe
McGinty's Public House
Montgomery Community Media
Monument Bank
Olazzo's
Peterson Cos.
Piratz Tavern
Planet Cotton
Pyramid Atlantic
Safe Silver Spring
Silver Spring Patch
Silver Spring Regional Center
Silver Spring Voice
Statland & Katz Ltd.
The Quarry House
The Society Lounge
Zed's Cafe
ZPizza

Mary Amato, Ethan Balis, Tebabu Assefa Elected to SSTCi Board of Directors

At its June 21, 2012 meeting, the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Board of Directors elected the following individuals as Directors: Mary Amato of Silver Spring, Ethan Balis of Silver Spring, and Tebabu Assefa of Takoma Park.

We look forward to their contributions to our work.

We thank Sheryl Brissett-Chapman and Mary Ann Zimmerman for their service on our Board as Directors, and as executive officers of the organization, and we look forward to their continued contributions as members of our Advisory Committee.

Alan Bowser
President
Silver Spring Town Center, Inc.

Cooking With Gas serves both fine acoustic and electric music featuring generous portions of blues seasoned with jazz, swing, gospel and folk that spans most of the 20th century.

Formed in the Spring of 2011 by a core group of players from the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation (AKA The Barbershop), the acoustic version of CWG includes David "Takoma Dave" Rothman on vocals & blues harp, Bob Dreher & Adam Oppenheim on guitars and Jim "Gutbucketeer" Bunch on washtub bass & washboard.

Cooking with Gas performed at the 2011 Silver Spring Blues Festival on the Market Stage. They have performed on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza as part of the Plaza Performance Series and regularly at El Golfo Restaurant in Silver Spring. We are proud that they will return to the 4th Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival and will perform at Fire Station 1 as part of the first-ever Silver Spring Blues Week!

Cooking with Gas Plays Fire Station 1, June 9 from 9 to midnight - A Featured Performance of Silver Spring Blues Week!

See Cooking with Gas "live" at Fire Station 1, from 9 pm to midnight, Saturday, June 9, 2012. Fire Station 1 is at 8131 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Cooking With Gas serves both fine acoustic and electric music featuring generous portions of blues seasoned with jazz, swing, gospel and folk that spans most of the 20th century.

Formed in the Spring of 2011 by a core group of players from the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation (AKA The Barbershop), the acoustic version of CWG includes David “Takoma Dave” Rothman on vocals & blues harp, Bob Dreher & Adam Oppenheim on guitars and Jim “Gutbucketeer” Bunch on washtub bass & washboard.

Cooking with Gas performed at the 2011 Silver Spring Blues Festival on the Market Stage. They have performed on Silver Spring’s Veterans Plaza as part of the Plaza Performance Series and regularly at El Golfo Restaurant in Silver Spring. We are proud that they will return to the 4th Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival and will perform at Fire Station 1 as part of the first-ever Silver Spring Blues Week!

Jonny Grave Kicks-Off Silver Spring Blues Week 2012

Silver Spring's own Jonny Grave was the featured artist at the opening reception for the 2012 Silver Spring Blues Week at Pyramid Atlantic.

Nearly 150 people joined Silver Spring Town Center, Inc at Pyramid Atlantic to celebrate the first-ever Silver Spring Blues Week. SSTCi Board members Don Berkemeyer, Wanda Whiteside, Gloria Bonilla, Mary Ann Zimmerman, Graciela Jaschek, Reemberto Rodriguez, Beth Wong, and Alan Bowser welcomed friends, family, community representatives and Blues Festival performers to the packed house. Special thanks to Jose Dominguez and our friends at Pyramid Atlantic for their help and hospitality.

Guests were treated to bluesy cocktails, and delicious food from several of Silver Spring's best restaurants including Lesaac Cafe, Zed's Cafe, Piratz Tavern, Gharab-al Kabob, the Big Greek Cafe, and ZPizza.

For more information about Silver Spring Blues Week or the Silver Spring Blues Festival, visit www.silverspringblues.com

See & hear more Jonny Grave at http://jonnygrave.com/

Silver Spring Town Center Teams with Fenton Street Market for Silver Spring Blues Festival

Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is proud to partner again with Silver Spring's favorite destination, the Fenton Street Market, for the 4th Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival.

On Saturday, June 16, 2012, Fenton Street Market will host the Blues Festival's "Market Stage" for an exciting series of performances by the region's leading acoustic blues artists. 

This is the second year that Fenton Street Market has supported metro Washington's fastest growing and most popular grassroots blues festival.

This year, the Market Stage will be produced by Willie Leebel of the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation.

The Market Stage schedule follows:

10 am     Cooking with Gas

11 am     Gina DeSimone & the Moaners

12 pm     The Sheryl Sears Trio

1 pm       Swampcandy

2 pm       The Archie Edwards Blues Ensemble

Silver Spring Blues Week Begins Friday, June 8!

We're pleased to announce the beginning of Silver Spring's first-ever "Silver Spring Blues Week!" 

Check out the list below for Blues Week Musical Performances, Activities, and Blues Week Food & Drink Specials.

Blues Week Musical Performances & Activities

Friday, June 8 - 6 to 9 pm - Starring "Jonny Grave" - Festival Kick-off Party and Fundraiser at Pyramid Atlantic. $10 in advance, $15 at the door.  Contact Lisa@silverspringtowncenter.com for more information.

Saturday, June 9 - 9 pm to 12 am - Starring "Cooking with Gas" - Fire Station 1

Tuesday, June 12 - 7 to 9 pm - Starring "Snakehead Run" - Veterans Plaza

Wednesday, June 13 - 7 to 9 pm - Starring "Harmonica Blu Band" - Veterans Plaza

Wednesday, June 13 - 7 to 9 pm - Blues Trivia Night - Fire Station 1

Thursday, June 14 - 8 to 11 pm - Starring "Patty Reese" - McGinty's Public House

Saturday, June 16 - 10 am to 9 pm - 4th Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring on the Fountain Stage and the Market Stage.

Saturday, June 16 - 10 pm - Starring "Hard Swimmin' Fish" - McGinty's Public House

Saturday, June 16 - 9 pm - Starring "Robert Lighthouse" - Zed's Cafe

Food & Drink Specials - Silver Spring Blues Week.

Ask for Silver Spring Blues Festival Specials at these participating restaurants!

• Abyssinia, 8221 Georgia Ave Silver Spring, MD 20910
• Austin Grille, 919 Ellsworth Drive  Silver Spring, MD 20910
• Bombay Gaylord, 8401 Georgia Avenue # 1  Silver Spring, MD 20910
• Copper Canyon Grill, 928 Ellsworth Dr Silver Spring, MD 20910
• Fire Station 1, 8131 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910
• Frozenyo, 935 Ellsworth Dr., Silver Spring, MD 20910
• McGinty's Public House, 911 Ellsworth Drive  Silver Spring, MD 20910
• Olazzo's, 8235 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910
• Piratz Tavern, 8402 Georgia Avenue  Silver Spring, MD 20910
• Quarry House Tavern, 8401 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910
• The Society Lounge, 8229 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910
• Zed's Cafe, 8225 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Schedule of Performances - 4th Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival, June 16, 10am to 9pm

The 4th Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring takes place on Saturday, June 16, 2012, from 10 am to 9 pm on two stages!

Schedule of Performances

On the Fountain Stage (2pm to 9pm)

2pm       Warner Williams

230pm   School of Rock Playin’ the Blues

3pm        Nate Foley and FLLD

4pm        Moonshine Society Band

5pm        Fast Eddie & the Slowpokes

6pm        DC Blues Society Band featuring Ayaba Bey

7pm        The Unruly Blues Band

8pm        Clarence “The Blues Man” Turner

On the Market Stage (10am to 3pm)

10am        Cooking with Gas

11am      Gina DeSimone & the Moaners

12pm      The Sheryl Sears Trio

1pm        Swampcandy

2pm        The Archie Edwards Blues Ensemble

10pm      After Party at McGinty's  "Hard Swimmin' Fish

7pm-10pm Acoustic Music at Zed's Cafe

Ida Campbell, Cortney Hicks, Ted Kelly to Host 4th Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival, June 16, 10am - 9 pm

We're very proud to announce our celebrity hosts for the 4th Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring:  WPFW-FM's Ida Campbell, Majic 102.3's Cortney Hicks, and andmagazine.com's Ted Kelly.

Majic 102.3's Cortney Hicks.  Born and raised in Motown, Cortney "BabyGirl" Hicks knew early on in life that her love of music would lead to a career in the entertainment industry. While attending Michigan State University she took an internship at a local radio station in 1994. Cortney's natural delivery and ability to connect with listeners quickly provided an opportunity for her to join the full-time on air staff. Upon graduation in 1995, she relocated to Chicago and joined the WEJM staff as the new Midday Host.

After a very successful three year run in Chicago, she was invited to return home to Detroit and serve as a part of the Morning Show team on WJLB from 1997-2000. Cortney's love for Chicago took her back in 2001 to serve as Midday Host and to assist in launching WPWX. Through hard work and dedication, Cortney was soon promoted to the coveted Morning Show Host position in 2005 making her the first female in Chicago radio history to headline a Morning Show.

As the radio industry continued to change, Cortney identified the need to be in radio management as a means to further her career. In 2007 she relocated to Mobile, AL and joined the WBLX team as Assistant Program Director and Midday Host. Recently, Cortney expanded her media career to include TV as the entertainment reporter for the NBC affiliate in Mobile, AL.

Throughout the years Cortney has and continues to mentor many who have gone on to attain major success in the media industry. Known for her great celebrity interviews, community involvement and youth advocacy efforts, she is excited about serving as Midday Host on MAJIC 102.3.

WPFW-FM's Ida Campbell.  Ida Campbell, born in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and raised in Washington, DC, has been singing all her life. Ida’s Blues Nation Band was formed in 2008 to bring a distinctive blues and R&B sound like no one else’s. Ida’s finds her musical inspiration in artists like B.B. King, Bobby Blue Bland, and ZZ Hill among others. In addition to the blues guitar masters, she also emulates the spirit and energy of Aretha Franklin, Etta James, KoKo Taylor, Barbara Carr, Denise LaSalle, Tina Turner and Betty Wright.

Ida brings a spirited, invigorating, soul shaking presence and masters the kind of sound of blues that will affect you to the bone. Blues Nation is comprised of professional musicians from the District, Maryland and Virginia that have played with Grammy and Grammy-nominated artists and international acts.

We are pleased to welcome Ida Campbell back to her 4th Silver Spiring Blues Festival.  She has been our celebrity host since the beginning of the Festival.  In 2010, she performed with her fantastic blues band, "Ida Campbell & the Blues Nation."  She also has served as Montgomery Community Media's on-air host for interviews of our Silver Spring Blues Festival performers.

Ted Kelly.  Ted Kelly, an internationally recognized digital media pioneer, brings his unique interview style, commentary and proven ear for new talent to AND Magazine. Ted Kelly’s over two decades at the forefront of music and media ranges from major market, national and international morning radio personality to executive management for some of the world’s largest media companies in New York, Washington DC and globally.

As Program Director of the world's first and only global pop music channel, WorldSpace Satellite Radio’s “UPop”, heard in 134 countries around the world and in America on XM, AOL and DirecTV, Ted Kelly assembled an international air staff with radio stars broadcasting live 24/7 from studios in Johannesburg, LA, Washington DC, London, Singapore, India and Dubai.

As Senior Vice President of Global Content Promotions and Events for WorldSpace Global and US XM Channels, Ted Kelly was personally responsible for dozens of satellite radio firsts, including the first global concert broadcasts live from Europe, NYC, South Africa, India and Singapore, and daily broadcasts to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. His live backstage coverage of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies, America's Virgin Mobile Music Festival, the global radio hosting of The Annual Brit Awards, Mandela's 90th Birthday 46664, The Concert For Diana, We are The Future in Rome, as well as Live 8 and Live Earth are all considered broadcasting benchmarks.

Ted Kelly is a Senior Music Editor at andmagazine.com.

Update - 4th Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring!

The 4^th Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring is less than a month away.  Here’s an update.

We kick off the Festival and first-ever “Silver Spring Blues Week” with a fundraising/ticketed event at Pyramid Atlantic.  Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Executive Director, Lisa Martin, has arranged an exciting three-hour program that includes food, drink and live music performed by Jonny Grave.  Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door.  Get advance tickets for this event on PayPal

Our first-ever “Silver Spring Blues Week” includes live blues performances, and food and drink specials throughout downtown Silver Spring.  As of today, the venues include Fire Station 1, Zev’s Café, McGinty’s,  and more.  SSTCi has plans to present blues bands on Veterans Plaza during that week, and we expect to present popular singer/songwriter Patty Reece & David Chappelle at McGinty’s on Thursday night.

The Festival takes place on Saturday, June 16, from 10 am to 9 pm on two stages—the Fountain Stage on Ellsworth Drive, and the Market State on Veterans Plaza at the Fenton Street Market.  Like last year, we’ll have acoustic blues music on the Market Stage, with some incredible performers including Eleanor Ellis, Ruben Dobbs of Swampcandy, Sheryl Sears, Gina DeSimone, and the Archie Edwards Blues Ensemble.  Our thanks go to the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation for producing the Market Stage program.  Performances on the Market Stage go from 10 am to 3 pm.

On the Fountain Stage, we’ll have a dizzyingly array of acoustic & electric blues performances from 2 pm to 9 pm.  Starting at 2 pm, we have a solo guitar performance from NEA honoree Warner Williams, followed by the School of Rock, Nate Foley & FLLD, the Moonshine Society, Fast Eddie & the Slowpokes, The Unruly Blues Band, the DC Blues Society Band featuring Ayaba Bey, and, for the finale, Clarence “The Blues Man” Turner.  Our celebrity hosts for the 4th Annual Blues Festival are Ida Campbell of WPFW-FM, returning for her 4th Festival, Majic 102.3 radio personality Cortney Hicks, and Ted Kelly of andmagazine.com.

There will be an after-party at McGinty’s featuring the popular group “Hard Swimmin’ Fish” starting at 10 pm.

For more information, visit www.silverspringblues.com