Tuesday, June 28, 2011

See The Jazz Stimulus Project perform on Silver Spring Veterans Plaza, Thursday, June 30, 2011, 7 to 9 pm. Free!



Please join us for another exciting Plaza Evening performance on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza. On Thursday, June 30, 2011, from 7 pm to 9 pm, we welcome the The Jazz Stimulus Project to the Plaza Stage. The performance is free!

The Jazz Stimulus Project ("JSP") is a confederation of lawyers, consultants, and other D.C. professionals who wear power suits by day but secretly aspire to become Jazz stars by night. Having met at the Maryland Summer Jazz fantasy camp several years ago, the JSP band formed to play the Latin and Straight-Ahead Jazz music of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Charlie Parker, Joao Gilberto, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, and many others. JSP has performed at many local restaurants, jazz clubs, festivals, farmers markets, and private functions.

Performing at Veterans Plaza will be:
Chip Smoley -- Piano
Guy Stevens -- Bass
Alan Kirschenbaum -- Drums
Franklin Wade -- Trumpet/Flugelhorn
Dayton Eckerson -- Soprano/Tenor Saxophone

For sample recordings and more information: http://www.reverbnation.com/jerrybresee
e-mail: hde607@gmail.com

This performance is a production of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Visit their blog at www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com, follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook.

Monday, June 27, 2011

The Second-String Bluegrass Band performs on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 7 to 9 pm.


Please join us for another exciting Plaza Evening performance on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza. On Tuesday, June 28, 2011, we welcome the Second String Bluegrass Band to the Plaza Stage. The performance is free!

Emmett Overstreet, Earl Williams, and the late Ron Krupka formed the Second String Bluegrass Band over 30 years ago. The band, which was active from 1981 to 2004, has had from three to five members and instrumentation including rhythm guitar, five-string banjo, Dobro guitar, lead guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and string bass. Paul Young joined the group in the late 1990s. The band's repertoire is heavily influenced by the music of bluegrass pioneers such as Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs and Bill Monroe. Folk songs, country songs, and instrumentals round out the repertoire.

The band has played at various local venues, including O'Carroll's Restaurant, Arlington, Va.; Tiffany Tavern, Alexandria, Va.; Colonel Brook's Tavern, Washington (Brookland) D.C.; the Arlington County Folk Festival; the Washington Folk Festival (@ Glen Echo, Md.); Glover Park Day (in Upper Georgetown, D.C.); Burleith Day (in Upper Georgetown, D.C.); Potomac Overlook Park, Arlington, Va.; and at private parties and picnics.

Current personnel:
Emmett Overstreet of Falls Church, Va.: lead vocals and rhythm guitar.
Earl Williams of Washington, D.C.: baritone, lead vocals, five-string banjo, lead guitar.
Paul Young of Washington, D.C.: tenor, lead vocals, mandolin.

This performance is a production of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Visit their blog at www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com, follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

The Wharf Rats perform on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza, Sunday, June 26, 2011 from 3 pm to 6 pm. Free.


Please join us today, Sunday, June 26, 2011, from 3 pm to 6 pm, as we welcome "The Wharf Rats" to the Veterans Plaza stage. The performance is free!

The Wharf Rats' musical focus has a solid foundation influenced by the Grateful Dead & improvisational jamming searching within each band member's personal sound. The result is an innovative expression played for their fans and the band on each gig. Rock, blues, and psychedelic jamming is their passion.

Instrumentation:
Robert Gersten - Drums / Vocals
Lenny Dinerman - Bass / Harp / vocals
Eric "dawg" Metzman - Vocals, Lead Guitar
Eric "Huck" Huckleberry - Vocals, keyboards
"Cosmic" Carl Baer Schwartzman - Vocals, Percussion

The original Wharf Rats started three years ago in Eric's studio basement with several friends who jammed together for many years. They have expanded the Grateful Dead sound, interpreted many new directions by jamming on Dylan, Doors, blues, and originals. The band's back line of solid drumming/percussion and bass is balanced with the interplay melodies between the guitarist and keyboard player. New dimensions of sound happen at every rehearsal and gig.

Read more about the Wharf Rats at http://www.sonicbids.com/TheWharfRats2

This is a production of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. You can follow them on their blog at www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Nathan Foley & Midnight Sun perform on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza, Thursday, June 23, 2011, 7 to 9 pm. Free!

Please join us for another exciting Plaza Evening performance, Thursday, June 23, 2011, 7 to 9 pm, on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza. Tonight, we welcome the band "Midnight Sun" to the Plaza Stage. The performance is free!

"Midnight Son" features guitarist, Nathan Foley, from Montgomery Blair High School, who performs with a 4 piece jazz funk band. Nathan, age 16, is the only person in Apollo Theater history to win 8 consecutive 1st place victories (2010 Apollo Champion in the adult division and 2008 Champion in the children's division).


Read more about Nathan Foley in a November 2010 Washington Post Article. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/18/AR2010111805019_pf.html

"Contestants primp at mirrors in the Green Room, warble harmonies in the corridor. A 32-year-old female poet from Harlem, dressed like Michael Jackson, twitches and twirls. A dance troupe from Japan does impossible contortions. A 25-year-old music graduate student from London lugs in her cello.

Trying to hear himself in the rising din, a thin young man in black slacks and a black T-shirt restlessly picks staccato scales on his unplugged electric guitar. His iridescent gray sport coat hangs nearby. His black fedora is on the floor beside his guitar case.

He is Nathan Foley, 16, of Rockville, a junior at Montgomery Blair High School.

Foley has been making history at the Apollo. He has finished first on Amateur Night seven straight times over two years. This has never been done in the theater's 76-year history, according to producers and resident historian Billy Mitchell.

On this October Wednesday, Foley's eighth appearance, he is competing for "Super Top Dog," the best of the best of 2010. First prize is $10,000. There is no second prize.

"If I have the resources after tonight, I'm definitely getting a new guitar," Foley says to his guitar teacher, Eric Ulreich of the Levine School of Music.

Foley pays for all his equipment out of savings from infrequent gigs. But for Foley, it's not all about the money. The Apollo is not an end; it is a hallowed gateway to a seemingly limitless future..."

See "The Apollo Kid" Nathan Foley and Midnight Sun tonight on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza, from 7 to 9 pm!!!!

This program is a production of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. This program is a production of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Read their blog at www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com or follow them on twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Garry Elders performs on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza, Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 7 pm. Free!


Please join us tonight, Tuesday, June 21, 2011, for another exciting Plaza Evening performance on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza. Tonight, we are pleased to welcome Garry Elders to the Plaza Stage! The performance is free.

Garry Elders has been performing and recording professionally most of his life. A cousin of Johnny Cash, his passion is country, bluegrass and blues music, influenced by country greats such as Bill Phillips, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Charlie Pride, Dolly Parton, and Porter Wagoner.

This program is a production of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Read our blog at www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com or follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Kinsey Report at the Silver Spring Blues Festival, June 18, 2011!



From Alligator Records

It's been nearly 15 years since Gary, Indiana's Kinsey Report first burst upon the national blues scene with their blistering brand of streetsmart, up-to-the-minute, funky blues-rock. Over the course of four critically acclaimed albums (two for Alligator and two for Pointblank) and endless national touring, the Kinsey brothers' guitarist/vocalist Donald, drummer Ralph and bassist Kenneth have blazed a modern trail of powerful, original radio-friendly music that grabs both die-hard blues fans and rockers who love supercharged guitar and boneshaking vocals.

With their new release, Smoke And Steel (AL 4860), The Kinsey Report return to Alligator Records and lay out their modern blues vision for music lovers everywhere to enjoy. Led by Donald's soulful vocals and explosive guitar playing and powered by the airtight rhythm section of Ralph and Kenneth, Smoke And Steel features seven of 12 Kinsey originals, along with powerful versions of Bob Seger's Fire Down Below and John Fogerty's Rattlesnake Highway. From the streetwise lyrics of This Old City and Code Of The Streets to the soulful and moving Loved Ones to the foot-pounding urgency of Time Is Running Out, The Kinsey Report fire on all cylinders, the band a precision engine running at full speed. Recorded in Chicago and produced by The Kinseys along with Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer, Smoke And Steel will no doubt go down not only as a defining moment for The Kinsey Report, but as a gateway into the next century of blues.

The Kinsey Report developed its singular sound from a lifetime of working and sweating together on stage and in the studio. Their father and musical mentor, the late Mississippi-born Lester 'Big Daddy' Kinsey, a bluesman known for his Delta slide guitar and harmonica playing, introduced his sons to gospel and blues early on. Big Daddy's daddy, firebrand preacher Lester Kinsey, Sr., pastored Gary's Chase Street Church of God in Christ for close to 50 years. As youngsters, Donald, Ralph and later Kenneth, saw first-hand the emotional power of music in their grandfather's church. Ralph received his first snare drum when he was five, the same age younger brother Donald was when he got his first guitar. By the time Donald was thirteen, he was an accomplished guitarist who performed with Big Daddy around Gary as Big Daddy Kinsey and B.B. King, Jr. During the late 1960s, Big Daddy began taking the family act on the road as Big Daddy Kinsey & His Fabulous Sons. The act disbanded in 1972 when oldest brother Ralph enlisted in the Air Force. That same year legendary guitarist Albert King recruited Donald as his rhythm guitarist. Donald appeared on two of King's Stax albums, I Wanna Get Funky and Montreux Festival . After Ralph left the service in 1975, Donald left King's band to form the heavy metal group White Lightning, along with his brother Ralph and former King bassist Busta 'Cherry' Jones. With ex-Mountain bassist Felix Pappalardi producing, the group cut a self-titled debut for Island Records. They toured nationally, performing with artists like Aerosmith, Yes, Jethro Tull, and Edgar Winter.

At an Island Records reception in New York, Donald met reggae superstar Bob Marley, who in turn introduced him to Peter Tosh. Tosh invited Donald to sit in on the recording of his album, Legalize It. Pleased with the results, Tosh invited Donald to join him on his upcoming tour. White Lightning was in the process of imploding, so Donald took the gig. After touring with Tosh for a year, Donald got a call from Marley asking him to overdub some guitar parts for Marley's album, Rastaman Vibration. Now Marley wanted Donald for his upcoming tour. Donald moved to Jamaica in 1976 and toured with Marley, appearing on the live album, Babylon By Bus. That year Rolling Stone voted Bob Marley and the Wailers Band Of The Year. Despite all the success, Donald left the band after he was nearly killed in an assassination attempt on Marley's life.

Donald toured briefly with the Staple Singers before hooking up again with Tosh, playing on his Bush Doctor record and opening several dates with him on the Rolling Stones' 1978 U.S. tour. When the tour ended in California, Donald stayed and brought out his brother Ralph and friend Ron Prince to form the reggae/ funk/blues/rock band, The Chosen Ones. After a short hiatus Donald rejoined Marley for what was to be his final U.S. tour. The Chosen Ones returned to Gary and recorded an EP in 1981 for the Faulty Products label. Success still eluding him, Donald hooked up again with Tosh, playing on his Mama Africa album and touring Africa and Europe. The album contained a hit version of Johnny B. Goode, arranged and co-produced by Donald, and he and Ralph co-wrote Where You Gonna Run, a single from that album.

The Kinsey Report came together in 1984, with Donald returning home to join Ralph in reforming the family band with Big Daddy. Youngest brother Kenneth took over the bass slot and old friend Ron Prince was added on second guitar. The band, Big Daddy Kinsey and the Kinsey Report, combined the sons' funky, rock-influenced sound and their father's Mississippi Delta blues roots. In 1985, Donald produced his father's debut album, Bad Situation, for Rooster Blues, with backing by The Kinsey Report.

Alligator president Bruce Iglauer liked what he heard and saw of the young Gary blues-rockers, and brought his friend, guitarist Roy Buchanan to hear them live. Roy was equally impressed and asked Donald to play rhythm guitar on two of his Alligator releases. In 1986, Iglauer included one cut (Corner Of The Blanket) by The Kinsey Report in The New Bluebloods anthology. The strength of the song led Iglauer to offer the band a full album deal. Edge Of The City burst upon an unsuspecting blues world in 1988, leaving fans and critics open-mouthed with amazement, leading to three Blues Music Award nominations. Downbeat declared, "the band is telepathically tight, and its impact is devastating." Musician called the album "a stunner." With great reviews in mainstream press and rock radio airplay, the band quickly grew from one of Chicago's most popular acts to a national phenomenon. They played clubs, concert stages and major blues festivals both in the U.S. and in Europe. Tour dates with Living Colour, Albert Collins, Dr. John and Hugh Masekela brought them to blues and rock fans all over the world.

Their follow-up, 1989's Midnight Drive, more than lived up to the promise of their debut. Another set of great songs and eye-popping guitar, along with more non-stop touring, brought the band world-wide recognition and acceptance. Guitar Player called Midnight Drive "one of the most exciting albums ever issued by Alligator... immaculate and soulful." They signed with Pointblank and released two heavily rock-edged albums, 1991's Powerhouse and 1994's Crossing Bridges.

Smoke And Steel marks the Kinsey Report's return to Alligator, and the group is prepared to take their groundbreaking music to more people than ever before. "We're excited to be back on Alligator," says Kenneth. "I'm glad they've opened their arms to us," agrees Donald, "because the blues is really where our hearts are at." They'll hit the road in support of the album with a national tour kicking off in Chicago. With their crowd-pleasing mix of fiery guitar, funky, telepathic rhythms, streetwise lyrics and seemingly boundless energy, The Kinsey Report will reach from the smoke and steel of Gary, Indiana to every funky, blues-rocking corner of the world.

Big Boy Little Band at the Silver Spring Blues Festival in Downtown Silver Spring


Big Boy Little may be the nom de blues of veteran harp player/singer Bret Littlehales, but then again it may not. If it is, then we can trace him back to the Northside Blues Band in 1968- 69, with a young Bobby Radcliff on guitar. If not, then he might have been the mysterious harp player on Son House's extended recording of Death Letter Blues in Mississippi circa 1942. Then again, that might have been someone else.

This we know for sure: he's led the BBL Blues Band in DC for the last nine and a half years, eight in residence at the Zoo Bar, and that, much like the Duke of Earl, nothing can stop him. Loved by some, including himself, reviled by some, also including himself, BBL keeps those blues keepin' on, whatever that means. So check it out- the enigmatic, quixotic, mysterious, always entertaining Big Boy Little Band.

Bassist Wolf Crescenze plays in several other bands including Hot Rods and Old Gas and Lisa Lim and Over the Limit (get it?). He is also regarded as one of the top Carousel animal restorers in the world. A former middle school teacher, he plays music full-time when not working on his carousel projects. He lives in Welcome MD with his beautiful fiance Constance Warner.

Matt Kelley, only 26, recently won the Albert King Award at the International Blues Competition in Memphis TN. His guitar playing prowess has become legendary in the Baltimore- DC area and he gets regular and favorable comparisons to such DC blues legends as Bobby Radcliff, Pete Kanaras, and Rusty Bogart. He can also be heard fronting his roots- music project, the Idle Americans (get it?) where he gets to sing way more than he does in the Big Boy Little Band.

Robby Leebrick plays the red Rogers drums.

See the Big Boy Little Band at the Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring, June 18, 2011

For more about the band, visit http://www.bigboylittleband.com/bigboylittle.cfm

For Silver Spring Blues Festival information, visit www.silverspringblues.com

Ida Campbell & the Blues Nation at the Silver Spring Blues Festival in Downtown Silver Spring!


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.

The Blues Nation Band
Music Director Rowe Oliver, Professional Bassist
Alvin White- Professional Lead Guitarist
Glen Douglas-Professional Pianist and on keyboards
Kenny Sanders- Professional Percussionist –Drummer
Eddie Kornegay-Professional Saxophonist
Special Guess Harp Player Howard Bernstein.

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

Ayaba Bey at the Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring



We are thrilled to welcome Ayaba Bey to the Market Stage at the 3rd Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival on Saturday, June 18, 20111.

Hampton University is where Ayaba Bey received her Bachelors Degree in Speech and Drama, with a Minor in Art. She was trained by the renowned Professor Edward Boatner in New York City and later embarked on a national tour for the Heritage Foundation with Weldon Irvine, Musical Director for Nina Simone, educating many on the history of Jazz music through song, lecture, prose and poetry.

As Cultural Ambassador for the Uhuru Sasa School of Brooklyn, NY, Dr. Bey traveled to Guyana, Brazil, the Caribbean Islands, and hundreds of colleges and universities across the United States sharing her historically-based educational theater programs with magnificent music mixed with improvisational, and interactive history through lectures, mythology and folktales. She has performed in Philharmonic Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the New York Jazz Festival.

She is a storyteller and member of the National Association of Black Storytellers, Storytelling Arts of Indiana, ASCAP (American Association of Composers and Publishers) and the Moremi Auxiliary Women’s Society. She established the Caravan Jazz, Blues, African Rhythm Band, performed with the Caribbean Association of South Miami Florida, The Yuth Rahkirs Reggae Band, Olu and the Future Reggae Band, the Weldon Irvine Big Band, Trio and Quintet, The New Blues Review, which she founded, and performs solo with guitar, storytelling, and dramatizations.

Ayaba Bey sang with Nina Simone, on the album, “My Sweet Lord.” She has shared the stage with such renowned Jazz artists as James Spaulding, Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner, Tony Williams, Rashan Roland Kirk, Pharaoh Saunders, Lonnie Liston Smith, Betty Carter, Jean Carn, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Hugh Masakela, Sun Rah, Lee Morgan, Stan Getz,Andy Bey, Leon Thomas, Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln, Wayne Shorter, Patty La Belle, and many other greats. She has appeared with The Last Poets, Third World, Weldon Irvine, Lenny White, Randy Weston, Sonny Stitt, James Mtume, Olu Dara and more. Her independently produced CD, For the Love of It, is inspirational and speaks to the love of children and family.

See Ayaba Bey at the Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring, Saturday, June 18, 2011.

For more Festival information, visit www.silverspringblues.com

Jonny Grave & the Tombstones at the Silver Spring Blues Festival



www.jonnygrave.com

Jonny Grave is a guitarist, songwriter, singer, bandleader, teacher, musical historian, and Bluesman from Washington DC. Growing up in a very musical family, Grave was introduced to the sounds of American traditional folk music early on. At age fifteen he found himself learning slide guitar techniques from old Blues records, and by seventeen he was performing them live.

The distinct sound that Jonny Grave’s music conjures is a resurrection of sorts—The music of R. L. Burnside, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Robert Johnson and Bukka White all find a way into Grave’s playing style. His repertoire of sound is made up of new arrangements of older Blues tunes, and deeply rooted solid originals.

In 2009, after years of performing as a solo/acoustic act, he formed a band, and took the DC area by storm with an electrified, blues-rock sound. Billed as Jonny Grave and the Tombstones, they have played a steady string of shows at local DC clubs. They maintained a 6-month residency at the Quarry House Tavern, performing every first Friday of the month. They are also currently a part of the student band program at Omega Studios, serving as a model band for the students to record.

Staying true to his acoustic roots, though, Grave still performs solo on a regular basis. He has an ongoing residency at Nanny O’Brien’s in Cleveland Park of Washington DC. He is an active participant in the local folk community, teaching slide guitar and Blues lessons. He is also the youngest member of the Washington Folk Festival Committee.
With three recorded releases being sold online, the music of Jonny Grave has reached Blues enthusiasts around the world. There is a fourth release presently in the works—an album that begins with a solo/acoustic sound, and moves gradually, track by track into a full-band. The new album, called The Bluesmaker, was released in January 2011.

See Jonny Grave and the Tombstones at the Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring, Saturday, June 18, 2011.

For more festival information, visit www.silverspringblues.com

You're Invited! 3rd Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring, Saturday, June 18, 2011, 10 am to 9 pm. Free!


Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring, Saturday, June 18th, 10 am to 9 pm.

You are cordially invited to the 3rd Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival! Celebrate Father's Day weekend at this FREE blues festival—a blues block party—with live music, dancing, kids activities, and more.

The FREE Third Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival on Saturday, June 18 is an outdoor street festival featuring national and regional blues stars playing acoustic and electric blues. Festival activities include vendors, crafts, face painting, clowns, harmonica workshops, and a musical instrument petting zoo.

This year, our Festival has expanded to 2 locations -- at Fenton Street Market starting at 10am and at Silver Plaza on Ellsworth Drive (at the Fountain) at 2pm after the Farmers Market.

The Festival features electric and acoustic blues performances from The Kinsey Report, Big Boy Little Band, Jonny Grave & the Tombstones, DC Blues Society Band with Stacy Brooks, Ida Campbell & the Blues Nation, Ayaba Bey, Archie Edwards Blues Ensemble, Cooking with Gas, The Social Ramble, Gina DeSimone and the Moaners, and the School of Rock playing the blues.

It's Father's Day weekend! Bring your kids to dance and play at the Dale Music Instrument Petting Zoo, bring your harmonica to the 11am/1pm Harmonica Workshop with Choo Choo Charlie, enjoy an entertaining History of the Blues at noon, and stay for the music all day.

Start at the Fenton Street Market at 10am with down-home acoustic blues with the Archie Edwards Jambassadors, story hour with the History of the Blues, and more acoustic blues to accompany your stroll through the vendor market.

The Farmers Market and the busking blues musicians will lead you to the Fountain Stage which kicks off at 2pm with the School of Rock Playing the Blues.

Enjoy the all-day atmosphere, beer/margarita garden at the Austin Grille patio, variety of outdoor restaurant seating, and more.

Stay current on ongoing updates and invite your family and friends! http://www.silverspringblues.com/

View the Schedule http://www.silverspringblues.com/

The weather is going to be perfect!

Produced by the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., and the DC Blues Society

For more information:

On the Web
http://www.silverspringblues.com/

On Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=109196055770300

Directions: http://www.silverspringdowntown.com/directions

Location: http://www.silverspringdowntown.com/go/silver-plaza

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Hays Dowdy at Friends perform on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 7 pm. Free!

Please join us for another exciting Plaza Evening performance on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza. On Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 7 pm, we welcome Hays Dowdy to our stage. The performance is free!

Hays Dowdy has been playing guitar and singing for seven years, and tonight he will be performing on Veterans Plaza as both a member of his three piece band as a member of a guitar/vocal duo.

Hay’s band has been playing throughout his time at Sherwood High School. They have a mix of original music, covers and will be performing a few improvised jams. Hays will be joined in the duo by his girlfriend, Lindsey, and they will be playing a mix of originals and covers. Their genres cover a mix of hard rock, funk, garage and late 60's influenced folk.

This program is a production of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Read our blog at www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com or follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Schedule of Performances - Silver Spring Blues Festival!



On the Fountain Stage

2:00 School of Rock
2:30 Gina DeSimone & the Moaners
3:00 Ida Campbell & the Blues Nation
4:00 Jonny Grave & the Tombstones
5:00 Big Boy Little Band
6:00 The Kinsey Report
7:00 The DC Blues Society Band featuring Stacy Brooks
8:00 Blues Jam

On the Market Stage

10:00 Archie Edwards Blues Ensemble
12:00 Ayaba Bey
2:30 Cooking with Gas
3:30 The Social Ramble

11:00am and 1 pm Harmonica Workshop by Choo Choo Charlie Williams


Afterparties at McGinty's Public House and the Quarry House.

Graphic image by Steve Hotz of Planet Cotton

Silver Spring Blues Festival Welcomes Its Many Sponsors



Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is proud to recognize the many sponsors of the Third Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring

DC Blues Society
Downtown Silver Spring
Fenton Street Market
Comcast
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc
Lee Development Group
Monument Bank
Home Properties
Barwood Transportation
Courtyard By Marriott
School of Rock
Silver Spring Voice
Silver Spring Regional Center
Montgomery Community Media
Pyramid Atlantic
Dale Music
Atomic Music
McGinty's Public House
Potbelly Sandwich Shop

We thank you for your very generous support.

Graphic image by Steve Hotz of Planet Cotton

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Plaza Evening: Capital Accord Chorus and Mary Amato and Bill Williams on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza, Thursday, June 9, 2011 at 7 pm. Free!


Capital Accord Chorus, an award-winning women’s a cappella chorus, draws from a variety of musical styles to deliver high energy performances that are remembered by their audiences long after the last chord has rung. Bringing together the talents of a diverse group of female singers from the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, members of the Capital Accord Chorus join their voices to create the familiar and unexpected sounds of a cappella harmony that entertain audiences of all ages. Under the direction of Sherry Stanton, an accomplished a cappella performer in both the contemporary and barbershop styles, Capital Accord Chorus is known not only for the sounds they create but also for their memorable performances that touch audiences with humor, nostalgia, and pure joy.

Bill Williams and Mary Amato enjoy writing original songs as well as performing jazz, folk, alt-country, and blues. Find out more about Bill at http://www.willbilliams.com/ and Mary at http://twopiecesuit.wordpress.com/. Although they play with separate bands, they are teaming up to work on a special music project together and will debut some of their songs here.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

ISO Volunteers for the Silver Spring Blues Festival


We're looking for volunteers to help us run the 2001 Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring on Saturday, June 18, 2011. Can you help us?

This year's Silver Spring Blues Festival is bigger than ever, with two stages and and eleven acts, including The Kinsey Report from Chicago, our first national act.

We're pleased to have a new stage--the Market Stage--located at the popular Fenton Street Market. Our acoustic performances start at 10 am on Veterans Plaza with the Archie Edwards Blues Ensemble. Our "Fountain Stage" performances on Ellsworth Drive begin at 2 pm, with the School of Rock rockin' the blues.

We need volunteers to help staff the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. and the DC Blues Society tables, to host the "Green Room," to escort the performers, to help with Choo Choo Charlie's harmonica workshop and Dale Music's musical petting zoo.

Your time commitment is flexible...we need your help.

If interested, please email us at SilverSpringTownCenter@gmail.com or contact us on Facebook @ "Silver Spring Town Center.

Thanks for your support and see you Saturday, June 18th at the Silver Spring Blues Festival.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Luisa Rose and her Imaginary Orchestra to perform on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza, Tuesday, June 7 at 7 pm!


Please join us for another exciting Plaza Evening performance on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza. On Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 7 pm, we welcome Luisa Rose and Her Imaginary Orchestra to our stage. The performance is free!

Luisa has been sharing her gift of music since she was four years old. She was born in Irapuato, Mexico in 1965, moved to the USA in 1975, and became a citizen in 1996.

Luisa has sung with several church and concert choirs, a number of well known musicians, and as a featured vocalist. In 1984, while still in high school, she backed Barry Manilow at a show in Los Angeles. In 1996, she won first place in a Karaoke contest which was broadcast live on KXMT-FM. In 1999, she sang with Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bochelli in Las Vegas. Also in Vegas, while hosting a daily Karaoke show at The Barbary Coast Casino, she sang with the Jordanaires and Bobby Rydell.

Since moving to the Washington D. C. area in 2001, Luisa has been a featured vocalist on several radio shows, and has sung with several well known local bands including The Newports, The Oz Revue and Daryl Davis. In 2003, Luisa won first place in a regional Karaoke contest sponsored by the Brunswick, MD VFD. In 2008, she won first place in a Spanish language Karaoke contest sponsored by El Tejano Restaurant in Germantown, MD.

She released her first CD, "Luisa Rose and her Imaginary Orchestra", in 2005. Her second CD, "Luisa & the Reverbs" was released in April, 2011.

She was selected to sing in the Papal Mass Choir (first soprano) for the Pope's visit to Washington, DC in April, 2007.

An article about Luisa appeared in the January 2010 edition of "The Point", published by the Equal Rights Center.

This program is a production of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Read our blog at www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com or follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

The Greater U Street Jazz Collective on Veterans Plaza - Photos

The Greater U Street Collective performed on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza on June 2, 2011. The group consists of National Endowment of the Arts Fellow, Art Cobb on drums; vocalist Cashandra Bacon (Howard University's Afro Blue); bassist Thomas View (Yah Ya Abdul Majid, Anthony Braxton, Peter Yarow, Jermaine Jackson); pianist Peter Frassrand(Curly Robinson Ensemble) woodwinds Russell Carter (Doug Carn, Webster Young); trumpeter Carl Macintyre (Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Gladys Knight, National Symphony Orchestra, Ojays). Many thanks to Don Berkemeyer, Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Board Member for these excellent photos.








Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Greater U Street Jazz Collective to perform on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza, June 2nd at 7 pm. Free!


Please join us for another exciting Thursday Plaza Evening on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza. On Thursday, June 2, 2011 at 7 pm, we welcome the popular group, The Greater U Street Jazz Collective to our stage. The performance is free!

The Greater U Street Jazz Collective is a Washington DC based jazz collective that is inspired by the great jazz tradition of the historic Greater U Street section of the city. In the days during segregation, jazz music from the likes of Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane was played in the jazz clubs that lined the streets of U Street.

The group consists of National Endowment of the Arts Fellow, Art Cobb on drums; vocalist Cashandra Bacon (Howard University's Afro Blue); bassist Thomas View (Yah Ya Abdul Majid, Anthony Braxton, Peter Yarow, Jermaine Jackson); pianist Peter Frassrand(Curly Robinson Ensemble) woodwinds Russell Carter (Doug Carn, Webster Young); trumpeter Carl Macintyre (Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Gladys Knight, National Symphony Orchestra, Ojays)

For the last 18 months The Greater U Street Jazz Collective has presented Jazz on The Avenue series which brings "real live music..." to Takoma Park/ Silver Spring at El Golfo Restaurant 8739 Flower Avenue Silver Spring. The presentation is every Wednesday evening from 7pm till 9pm.

This program is a production of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Read our blog at www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com or follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter

Snakehead Run on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza