Trip to Pakistan - The Eclectiks on Veterans Plaza

The Eclectiks are a local electric string band, whose instrumentation includes three violins, one cello, one guitar, a keyboard and flute. The music they play is a blend of modern and old. Some of the folk tunes on their play list date to the 18th century.

The Eclectiks are Mike Cohen, Violin; Regina Koenig, Violin; Charles Tolbert, Violin; Frances Eargle, Cello; Simona Patange, Flute; Pete Stover, Guitar; Steve Soroka, Keyboard; Gary Daum, Bass Guitar.

For more Plaza Performances videos by the Silver Spring Town Center, visit our YouTube Channel here.

The Thrill Is Gone - Boomerang

Boomerang is an old-time rock & roll band whose set list includes such classics as Walkin' the Dog, Devil with the Blue Dress On, Slow Down, Don't Fight It, Love Rocket, You Can't Do That, Gimme 3 Steps, Rainy Night in Georgia, Mustang Sally, Sharp Dressed Man, Money, Louie Louie, Pretty Woman, Let It Bleed, Burnin' Love, Little Sister, and Feelin' Alright. Boomerang is John Brown (bass and vocals), Cap Pendleton (guitar and vocals), Hank Burnett (drums and vocals), and Gary Garvin (guitar).

For more Plaza Performances videos by the Silver Spring Town Center, visit our YouTube Channel here.

I'll Get To Heaven On My Own - Cooking with Gas

Cooking With Gas serves fine acoustic music featuring generous portions of blues spiced with jazz, gospel, swing and folk. CWG has played at the Washington Folk Festival and the Silver Spring Blues Festival. The members of Cooking with Gas are Jim Bunch (washtub bass, washboard), Marcus Childs Moore (fiddle, vocals), David Oziel (guitar, vocals), David Rothman (harmonica, vocals), Bob Sherman (guitar, vocals) and guests. For more information, visit their website at http://www.facebook.com/cookingwithgasmusic

For more Plaza Performances videos by the Silver Spring Town Center, visit our YouTube Channel here.

House of the Rising Sun - The Traveling Bluejayes

The Traveling Bluejayes performed on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza on July 3, 2011. They're a great band that plays folk, rock, rockabilly, originals, and blues. The band members are Arlene Jaye, George Hardman, Karen Hardman, Rick Kanton, Michelle Murray, and Joyce Ettingoff.

For more Plaza Performances videos by the Silver Spring Town Center, visit our YouTube Channel here.

The Second String Bluegrass Band - Emmett Overstreet, Earl Williams & Paul Young

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.

For more Plaza Performances videos by the Silver Spring Town Center, visit our YouTube Channel here.

SwagFunk, Cloud 9 Return to Veterans Plaza, Sunday, July 31,2011. Free!

Please join us for more exciting Plaza Performance on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza! On Sunday, July 31, we welcome "SwagFunk" to the Plaza Stage, at 6 pm. And we welcome "Cloud 9" back to the Plaza Stage for a repeat performance. These performances are free!

SwagFunk! Formed in the 1990s, SwagFunk's original band name was "Equinnox and the Mary Groove." The band consisted of the current lead singer/drummer Danny Gorman, guitarist/bassist Brian A.C. Williams, and Thomas Johnson on guitar. With the departure of Thomas Johnson from the group, the band took a break for a while until Danny decided to hold a jam session with a few new musicians. Al Warren was immediately recruited, based on previous projects with Brian. Guitarist Mike Sutton came on board to replace Thomas Johnson. Scott Eister soon joined to hold down and work the bass guitar. The band has been playing at large and small venues since 2008. The present band consists of: Deirdra Harris Vocals, Daryl Braxton: Vocals & Keys, "Funk Master" Mike Sutton: Rhythm & Lead Guitar, Back Vocals, "Smokin" Al Warren: Drums & Percussion, "The Funk Doctor" Scott Eister Bass & Percussion, Brian A.C. Williams Guitar. The band has recently been featured at the Fenton Street Market.

Cloud 9! We're pleased to announce that Cloud 9 will return to perform on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza on Sunday, July 3 at 2 pm as part of the Plaza Performances series.

"From the ever growing urban setting of the DMV (Laurel, Maryland to be more specific) comes a new iconic band, Cloud 9. Cloud 9 is a group that embodies positive change and advocates artistic integrity. Opposing the negative impact of commercial music in today's world, Cloud 9 ironically brings a fresh down to earth sound. Their music can hardly be classified, as they merge different genres to create music that appeals to the masses. The group started in April 2009 as 4 teens trying to win their high school talent show, and has now evolved into a 6 member super group.

On the roster they have: Michael "TK" Akinlosotu - Lead Vocals; Adam Dunbar - Electric Guitar ; Jason Zamora - Piano and Synth; Jonathan Livas - Drums; Timm Cruz - Bass Guitar and Jordan McRae - Saxophone.

Cloud 9 played Veterans Plaza for SSTCi in April 2011.

Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza is located at the intersection of Fenton Street & Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring.

These performances are productions of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Visit our blog at www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook.

Fillmore Silver Spring opens with Mary J. Blige on Sept. 15 - Washington Post

By Chris Richards, Friday, July 22, 12:05 AM

It’ll be an evening fit for a queen — namely, the queen of hip-hop soul.

The Fillmore Silver Spring will finally open its doors Sept. 15 with a performance from R&B great Mary J. Blige — the first in a handful of concerts the venue is announcing on its Web site Friday. Tickets for the Blige show go on sale July 29 at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster. Other notable acts on the schedule include Black Star, Blondie, Primus, Cheap Trick and Louis Black.

The 2,000-capacity venue is scheduled to open nearly four years after Live Nation, the world’s largest producer of concerts, sealed a deal to build one of its Fillmore venues on Colesville Road, near Georgia Avenue, where a J.C. Penney department store once stood.

Now, after years of red tape and construction, the venue is promising big names and a wide variety of entertainment offerings.

“We’re working to make this venue representative of the really rich diversity that’s in this region and in Silver Spring in particular,” says Stephanie Steele, the Fillmore Silver Spring’s general manager.

Fans can expect R&B singers, classic rockers, country acts, alternative-rock bands, rock en Espanol groups, comedians, local musicians and collaborations with the Fillmore’s across-the-street-neighbor, the AFI Silver Theatre. The Fillmore will also be available for private events.

Steele says the general-admission, all-ages club will be open three to five nights a week to start, with hopes of booking all seven nights in the future. Concerts will finish in time for patrons to catch the last Red Line trains out of the nearby Silver Spring Metro station.

Music fans can preview the space Sept. 13 at an evening open house.

The original Fillmore in San Francisco became a legendary hub for psychedelic rock in the 1960s, hosting the Doors, Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead and countless others. Since then, the venue has spawned into a Live Nation-owned chain with locations in Denver, Detroit, Miami and Charlotte. Live Nation rebranded New York City’s Irving Plaza with the Fillmore name in 2007 but bent to pressure from fans and switched it back in 2010.

The promotion company says its newest Fillmore is here to stay.

“We’re in it for the long haul, says Arich Berghammer, the Fillmore’s executive vice president of clubs and theaters for North America. “We have the full expectation that in 20 years, we’re going to renew the lease for another 20 years.”

© The Washington Post Company

The Eclectiks perform on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza, Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 7 pm. Free

On Tuesday, July 26, 2011, at 7 pm, we welcome The Eclectics to the Plaza Stage. The performance is free! The Eclectiks are a local electric string band, whose instrumentation includes three violins, one cello, one guitar, a keyboard and flute. The music they play is a blend of modern and old. Some of the folk tunes on their play list date to the 18th century. Past performance venues have included: Caribou Coffee House in Rock Creek Village, Rockville, the Gazebo in Takoma Park, the Gaithersburg Band Shell, the Co-Housing apartments in Silver Spring, and a benefit for preserving of the old Takoma Park Theater.

The Eclectiks are:

Mike Cohen, Violin
Regina Koenig, Violin
Charles Tolbert, Violin
Frances Eargle, Cello
Simona Patange, Flute
Pete Stover, Guitar
Steve Soroka, Keyboard
Gary Daum, Bass Guitar

Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza is located at the intersection of Fenton Street & Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland. Click here for map and directions!

These performances are productions of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Visit their blog atwww.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com, follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook.

Enjoy Boomerang on Veterans Plaza, Sunday, July 24 at 2 pm. Free.

Please join us for another exciting performances on Silver Spring’s Veterans Plaza. On Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 2 pm, we welcome Boomerang to the Plaza Stage. The performance is free!

Boomerang is an old-time rock & roll band whose set list includes such classics as Walkin' the Dog, Devil with the Blue Dress On, Slow Down, Don't Fight It, Love Rocket, You Can't Do That, Gimme 3 Steps, Rainy Night in Georgia, Mustang Sally, Sharp Dressed Man, Money, Louie Louie, Pretty Woman, Let It Bleed, Burnin' Love, Little Sister, and Feelin' Alright. Boomerang is John Brown (bass and vocals), Cap Pendleton (guitar and vocals), Hank Burnett (drums and vocals), and Gary Garvin (guitar).

For information, check out their website at http://www.boomerang-md.com/index.html

These performances are productions of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Visit their blog atwww.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com, follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook.

Plaza Performances Coming Up! Boomerang on Sunday, July 24th, and The Eclectics on Tuesday, July 26!

Please join us for two exciting performances on Silver Spring’s Veterans Plaza!

On Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 2 pm, we welcome Boomerang to the Plaza Stage. The performance is free!


Boomerang is an old-time rock & roll band whose set list includes such classics as Walkin' the Dog, Devil with the Blue Dress On, Slow Down, Don't Fight It, Love Rocket, You Can't Do That, Gimme 3 Steps, Rainy Night in Georgia, Mustang Sally, Sharp Dressed Man, Money, Louie Louie, Pretty Woman, Let It Bleed, Burnin' Love, Little Sister, and Feelin' Alright. Boomerang is John Brown (bass and vocals), Cap Pendleton (guitar and vocals), Hank Burnett (drums and vocals), and Gary Garvin (guitar).

For more information, check out their website


On Tuesday, July 26, 2011, at 7 pm, we welcome The Eclectics to the Plaza Stage. The performance is free! The Eclectics are a local electric string band, whose instrumentation includes three violins, one cello, one guitar, a keyboard and flute. The music they play is a blend modern and old. Some of the folk tunes on their play list date to the 18th century. Past performance venues have included; Caribou Coffee House in Rock Creek Village, Rockville, the Gazebo in Takoma Park, the Gaithersburg Band Shell, the Co-Housing apartments in Silver Spring, and a benefit for preserving of the old Takoma Park Theater.

These performances are productions of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Visit their blog atwww.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com, follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook.

Montgomery Channel Presents Silver Spring Blues Festival

Watch the promo! See Montgomery Channel's broadcast schedule for the Silver Spring Blues Festival.

See The Unruly Blues Band & Banjer Dan on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza, July 17th and July 19th. Free

Please join us for two exciting Plaza Performances on Silver Spring’s Veterans Plaza, as we welcome The Unruly Blues Band on Sunday, July 17th, and Banjer Dan, on Tuesday, July 19th. The performances are free.

On Sunday, July 17, 2011, the Unruly Blues Band will play Veterans Plaza, 2-4 pm. the performance is free. “Unruly Blues" is derived from both an eclectic blues-inspired musical style and their fun-filled antics on (and off) stage. Their music has many flavors of blues from Swing, Rumba, Zydeco, Rock and Country. They also play Chicago, Delta and Memphis style blues.

Saskia, the lead singer, is known for her unique way of connecting with audiences and acting while singing. Unruly Blues' song list and on-stage presence provide a fun and memorable experience for anyone who likes to listen and move to blues-inspired grooves.

For more information about the Unruly Blues Band, visit their website and read this article in Frederick Magazine.



On Tuesday, July 19, at 7 pm. we welcome BanjerDan to the Plaza Stage. The performance is free. BanjerDan (Dan Mazer) is a banjo player and multi-instrumental performer based in the Washington, DC area. His style is an Americana mix, rooted in straight-ahead bluegrass and branching into many musical genres. Since taking up music in 1974, Dan has performed in almost every imaginable situation, in the U.S. and overseas, from busking, coffeehouses and bar gigs to musical theater productions, theme parks, children’s shows, studio work and solo strolling appearances, and even symphonic concertizing. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Theory from George Washington University in 1984, and has played in numerous bands, including J.B. Beverley & the Wayward Drifters, The Jackstraws, Rockcreek, and D.J. and the C.B. Pickers.

BanjerDan’s first CD, “Old Stuff,” was released in January 2001. “Old Stuff” features some of the finest pickers and singers in the bluegrass/acoustic field, including Mike Auldridge, Jimmy Gaudreau, Pete Kennedy, Dave Giegerich, Tom Gray and Moondi Klein. Dan’s banjo, mandolin and dobro work appears on CDs by J.B. Beverley & the Wayward Drifters, The McGinley Family Gospel Singers, Dead Men's Hollow, Ubiquitone, D.J. and the C.B. Pickers, Tim Flannery, Teagen McClain, James Durst, Joe Ross, and Honky Tonk Confidential.

In addition to performing music, Dan is a journalist and music teacher. His articles have appeared in Bluegrass Unlimited, Acoustic Musician, Banjo Newsletter, and other magazines. In addition to solo work as BanjerDan, Dan Mazer is a member of J.B. Beverley & The Wayward Drifters. Visit his website at http://www.myspace.com/banjerdan

These performances are productions 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.

Silver Spring officials seek to keep arts and entertainment district designation - Gazette

Title, set to expire in 2012, provides tax breaks and incentives to arts organizations

by Jeanette Der Bedrosian, Staff Writer, Wednesday, July 13, 2011

In the nearly 10 years since Silver Spring was designated Montgomery County’s first arts and entertainment district, the area has become a destination for festivals, high-caliber music performances and community theaters.

Now, county officials are drafting an application to keep the designation around for another decade.

The designation provides tax breaks and other incentives for businesses, theaters, arts nonprofits and other organizations to plant roots in Silver Spring. But as far as the area has come, there still is work to be done, residents and officials said at a forum Tuesday on the redesignation.

“The development of Silver Spring is incomplete, and there’s more work to be done,” said Alan Bowser, president of Silver Spring Town Center Inc., a nonprofit that plans programs for the Silver Spring Civic Building and Veterans Plaza. “The redesignation of Silver Spring as an arts and entertainment district would help that work be done by bringing more business and arts to the Silver Spring community.”

On the to-do list is expanding arts programs and organizations outside the central business district and into Cameron Street, South Silver Spring and Fenton Village, he said. Eugenia Park, a resident who spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, said she wants to see a community ballroom dance space.

Having the title is beneficial for a district because it exempts certain taxpayers from the county amusement tax and allows property tax credits for certain renovated buildings, according to county law. There are 19 such districts in Maryland, including Bethesda, Wheaton and Silver Spring in Montgomery County.

Tina Benjamin, director of special projects within the county’s Department of Economic Development, said the county needs to submit its application to the state by Oct. 1. The application includes narratives of how Silver Spring has evolved, maps and lists of private and public properties within the district and lists of signature events and festivals, among other things. The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development is charged with deciding whether to award the title for another 10 years, she said.

Silver Spring has grown as a cultural destination location during its tenure as an arts and entertainment district, many at the meeting said.

The area has attracted the AFI Silver Theatre, Round House Theatre, Lumina Studio Theatre, Bonifant Theatre Space, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center and the Fillmore music hall -- to name a few. That’s not including informal performances that take place on Veterans Plaza or in restaurants.

“People have been excited by what we have to offer here,” said Mike Diegel, a member of the Silver Spring Arts and Entertainment Advisory Committee. “We’re getting a growing reputation as a place of destination for this kind of thing, and the word spreads. That’s the kind of thing we want to continue to encourage.”

Bowser said cultural events help bring Silver Spring’s cultures together and make Silver Spring attractive to all businesses, arts-themed or otherwise.

Many at the meeting said they couldn’t imagine Silver Spring not receiving the redesignation.

“We’ve got a critical mass already, and I think it will be hard to stop our momentum, but...everything is really only truly coming together now,” Bowser said. “It’s hard to see how anyone would look unfavorably on the application, because we’ve been so successful thus far.”

jderbedrosian@gazette.net

Jamming to a new beat in Silver Spring - Old Time music groups join Fenton Street Market - Gazette

by Kristi Tousignant, Staff Writer, July 10, 2011

Some old world tunes met new world capitalism Saturday as mandolin, banjo and accordion players jammed out at the Fenton Street Market in Silver Spring.

The Old Time Music Jam played on Veterans Plaza while shoppers browsed through booths of antiques and handmade jewelry.

Although there were just five jam musicians at the market Saturday, the group usually has about nine or 10 people playing and has had as many as 20 show up at once to pluck their strings or tap a drum. Saturday featured two mandolin players, a guitar, a banjo and an accordion. There usually are a few fiddlers and a bass player that often join in as well, said member John Bobkin of Silver Spring, who plays the mandolin.

“It’s really a social thing,” Bobkin said. “I get out of my house and hang out with friends. It keeps you getting together.”

The Old Time Music Jam is just one act in a series of artists playing at the Fenton Street Market this season. Organizers decided to include live music at the market to draw in more people, said Fenton Street Market founder Hannah McCann.

“We are very excited, because this is a community grassroots effort, which is what the Fenton Street Market is all about,” she said.

Around 60 vendors sell their wares every Saturday at the market, which McCann started in fall 2009. This season, the market is hosting about two to three music acts every Saturday, said Chantelle Stewart, who coordinates the entertainment.

“Live music brings all different types of people to the market,” Stewart said.

The music groups help draw in customers and further develop the community atmosphere the market seeks to create, McCann said.

“People stop and linger, and that is the other thing the market is all about,” McCann said. “It’s a community gathering spot.”

For Bobkin, though, it’s just about the fun. The Old Time Music Jam is casually organized, and anyone who shows up can sit and play. There are no practices, just performances in public.

“It keeps you learning and practicing,” said member Ryan Powell of Hyattsville, who plays accordion.

When musicians swing by and join the open music circle, they can either use the sheet music provided by the group or jump in and play by ear, Bobkin said.

“I think it’s just nice,” said member Kurt Bauman of Kensington, who plays banjo. “It keeps me practicing,”

The group was founded by players originally involved with Friends of Old Time Banjo, a jam group with members across the Washington, D.C., metro area.
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Old Time music is a genre of American folk music with Celtic and Scottish origins. A lot of the time, children will gather around the group and dance, Bauman said.

“It’s really meant for dancing, and kids pick up on that right away,” Bauman said.

The Old Time Music Jam will be playing again at the Fenton Street Market on Aug. 20 and Oct. 9. The market is located at One Veterans Plaza and takes place 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays until early October.

ktousignant@gazette.net

Click here for online version.

Time2Go performs on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza, July 12, 2011, 7 pm! Free.

Please join us for another exciting Plaza Performance on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza. On Tuesday, July 12, 2011, at 7 pm. we are pleased to welcome Time2Go to the Plaza Stage. The performance is free!

Time2Go is a teenage "classic rock" band that has been playing together since December 2010. Band members are Guitar and Vocals: Joey Barnet; Guitar and Vocals: Jeremy Gordon; Drums: Doug Kahn; and Bass: Ian Schwenke

The 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.

Betty Mae Kramer Gallery Launches New Exhibition – Opening Reception on Sunday, July 10, 2011

WHO: Artists: Jorge Bernal, Joanne Bleichner, Florence Gang,Diane Mesirow

WHAT: “On theEdge,” an exhibition featuring the works of four Montgomery County painters

WHEN: On display from Monday, July 11 to Monday, October 3, 2011. Opening reception on Sunday,July 10 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM.

The gallery is open Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM.

WHERE: Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room, Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veterans Place, Silver Spring, MD 20910

PRICE: Addmission to the gallery and reception is free.

SILVER SPRING, MD(July 6, 2011) — Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) announces the opening of “On the Edge,” a new exhibition at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room inside the Silver Spring Civic Building in downtown Silver Spring.The opening reception will be held Sunday, July 10 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the Gallery. The public is invited to this free event.

“On theEdge” features four local artists working in oil, acrylic and encaustic. These artists were selected in a juried process based on the excellence of their work. For each of these artists, the use of lines and the edges where one color meets another define their work.

Jorge Bernal uses encaustic (hotwax) paintings with dark straight lines and strong colors to create powerful abstracts. The edges that divide Joanne Bleichner’s anatomical tree limbs from their backgrounds of sky and forest create commanding images that make the viewer think of trees in a whole new way. Florence Gang pours acrylic ink on canvasor paper and adds opaque lines to create flowing abstracts. The hard edges of Diane Mesirow’s buildings and commercial sites are drawn free hand to create stark contrasts that are simultaneously landscapes and abstracts.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

An interdisciplinary artist working in mixed-media painting and collage/assemblage, Jorge Bernal was born in Havana and raised in Jersey City. He received a BFA in ceramics and art history from Florida International University and an MFA in architecture from Virginia Tech. Recently, he has been focusing on encaustic monotypes. His work is inspired by a variety of interests: the exhilaration of color, texture and space, fragmenting architectural images influenced by his architectural training and interpreting human emotions, biblical texts and spirituality. Bernal’s work is greatly influenced by Gottlieb, Rothko and Kandinsky. He says that this artwork explores the realms and depths of his dreams, beliefs, spirituality and his daily life journey. These compositions represent personal archetypes communicated through historical,architectural and mythological symbolism. His goal is for a story to unfold through layered abstractions.

Joanne Kephart Bleichner graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Studio Art and Art History and was the recipient of the Colonel James P. Wharton Award for Excellence in Art. For the past 25 years, she has taught hundreds of Montgomery County students at her private studio, inspiring many to art-related studies and careers. She draws and photographs bare tree limbs and roots, acknowledging their anatomical resemblance and relationship to their surroundings of sky,ground and forest. As a painter, she focuses on leafless trees through which she explores composition, color and brushwork. The contour or edge of the lines of the branches creates friction with the surrounding space by their shape,texture and color. Bleichner is drawn to the inherent strength and dignity of trees as a subject to be contrasted with varied backgrounds that evoke diverse moods.

Florence Gang has been active in the Washington area art scene for over 30 years and has exhibited at the Katzen Art Gallery, Rockville Art League, Glenview Mansion and Strathmore Mansion. She has a degree in Art History and Studio Art from American University and did graduate studies at the University of Maryland, the Corcoran Gallery and with William Christenberry, Mindy Weisel and Michaele Harrington. Her work is unplanned and intuitive. She interacts with the color and medium. Her work derives from personal experience, emotion, memory and a definite solution apart from conscious thought. Gang hopes the viewer shares some of the excitement she feels during its creation.

Diane Mesirow has studied art for over forty years, including extensive study with Doris Haskel. Prior to that, she took watercolor classes and workshops with various artists until she realized that oil painting was her love. She has participated in many group and solo shows, and her work has been represented by agents and galleries. Mesirow is interested in showing the beauty in buildings,farms, and other architectural shapes. She loves color and order, happiness and, yes, humor in her paintings. Mesirow says that she wants to bring joy and a smile to those who view her work.

ABOUT THE BETTY MAE KRAMER GALLERY AND MUSIC ROOM

The Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room is a tribute to the former First Lady of Montgomery County who passed away in March 2010. Mrs. Kramer was an active arts patron and performing arts. She led the volunteer efforts to establish the Executive’s Ball for the Benefit of the Arts in 1986 when her husband, the Honorable Sidney Kramer,was elected County Executive. Since then, the Ball has raised more than $1 million to benefit a variety of non profitarts and humanities organizations.

Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County has been designated to manage the Gallery and Music Roomin partnership with the Silver Spring Regional Center. An endowment fund has been established by AHCMC for the management of the gallery and music room in perpetuity. Major donors to the gallery include the Kramer Family, GEICO and Montgomery County with other gifts from Fran and Hillel Abrams, Joseph Adler, Ike and Catherine Leggett, Senator and Mrs. Laurence Levitan, Lawrence Resemble, Bobbi and Larry Schulman, and Sami and Annie Torah. To make a donation to the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room, please contact Suzan Jenkins, CEO of AHCMC, at 301-565-3805 ext. 23

The Music & Arts Ministries of Jesus House DC, Sunday, June 10, 2011, on Veterans Plaza at 2 pm. Free!

Please join us for another exciting Plaza Performance. On Sunday, July 10, 2011 at 2 pm, we welcome the Music & Arts Ministries of Jesus House DC to the Plaza Stage! The performance is free!

Jesus House DC is a dynamic vibrant non-denominational multicultural church where praise is exuberant, prayer is steadfast and preaching is practical. The church has been based in the DC Metropolitan area for over a decade. The mission of the church is to restore hope and maximize potential. The church has an active community outreach ministry called “True Love Cares (TLC)” whose mandate is to share the love of Jesus Christ by caring for others.



For more info, please visit www.jesushousedc.org



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.

Plaza Performances on YouTube! Click Here!

The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is on YouTube!

SSTCi has been privileged to present exciting arts & entertainment programming for the greater Montgomery County community. You can see some of our Plaza Performances on our Youtube Channel by clicking here

Our SSTCi performers have included Groove Jet, Cloud 9, the 2nd Story Band, Snakehead Run, Warner Williams & Joyce Ettingoff, the Greater U Street Jazz Collective, Luisa & her Imaginary Orchestra, the Capital Accord Chorus, Mary Amato & Bill Wiliams, Hays Dowdy & Friends, Harmonic Blu Express, Garry Elders & Garrick Alden, Nathan Foley & Midnight Express, The Wharf Rats, the Second String Bluegrass Band, the Jazz Stimulus Project, the Traveling Bluejayes, and Cooking with Gas.

Visit our YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/thetowncentre

Check out blog at silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com, our website at www.silverspringtowncenter.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter, or on Facebook!

Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Supports Silver Spring's Re-designation as an Arts & Entertainment District

The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. supports Silver Spring's re-designation as an Arts & Entertainment District. Interested parties were invited to provide comments on the re-designation of the Silver Spring Arts and Entertainment District at a public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, July 5 at 7 p.m. at the Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veterans Plaza in Silver Spring.

Silver Spring was designated an Arts and Entertainment District in 2002 for a 10-year period and the designation will expire in 2012. As the designation proved to be highly successful, the County intends to apply for re-designation. In 2001, the State of Maryland enacted legislation that authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) to designate arts and entertainment districts in which tax and other financial benefits will be available for arts and entertainment enterprises and qualifying resident artists. Each year, DBED may create six districts, with no jurisdiction having more than one district designated in a single year. In Montgomery County, the central business districts of Bethesda, Silver Spring and Wheaton have each been designated an Arts and Entertainment District.

Comments will be heard by representatives from Montgomery County who will submit a recommendation to the County Executive and County Council. The Executive and Council will then submit a request to the State to apply for a re-designation.

Testimony of
Alan S. Bowser, President
Silver Spring Town Center, Inc.
Support Re-designation of the Silver Spring Arts & Entertainment District
July 5, 2011

My name is Alan Bowser, a Silver Spring resident and local business owner, and currently, President of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. I am also a member of the County Executive’s Silver Spring Arts & Entertainment District Advisory Committee.

The Silver Spring Town Center Inc. (SSTCi), a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is the result of a long process of community involvement and engagement to support the development of downtown Silver Spring. It was created to infuse community spirit and involvement in the new Silver Spring Civic Building and Veterans Plaza.

We are governed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors, representing all facets of the civic and business community in Silver Spring. Our current officers were elected in February 2010. The officers are myself; Dr. Sheryl Brissett-Chapman, Vice President; Mary Ann Zimmerman, Secretary; and David Fogel, Treasurer. Our website is www.silverspringtowncenter.com, our blog is www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com; you can follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and on Facebook!

The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. very strongly supports the re-designation of the Silver Spring Arts & Entertainment District for the following very important reasons.

First, our work in Silver Spring is not yet done. The economic redevelopment and community revitalization process that is evident in Silver Spring has made great strides in recent years, but clearly much more work needs to be done.

We need to expand the area of economic progress and advance beyond the CBD center to other parts of Silver Spring, and re-designation of this area as an Arts & Entertainment District will help to achieve this important goal.

While we currently have many valuable cultural amenities such as the American Film Institute, Round House Theatre, Pyramid Atlantic, the new Montgomery College Performing Arts Center, The Bonifant Theatre Space, the Urban Nation Academy for the Performing Arts, and the soon to open Fillmore facility on Colesville Road, we believe that we need more art, more entertainment, more artists, more entertainers, and more creative venues to support our lively arts environment.

Second, re-designation will help us support our local artists and those individuals and business which help them survive and thrive.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of creative personalities are proud to call Silver Spring their home. We are blessed with an abundance of creative energy in the form of many singers, songwriters, musicians, actors, actresses, playwrights, graphic artists, printmakers, painters, sculptors, photographers, among others. Re-designation helps support our artistic community by providing valuable tax breaks and incentives for artists and supporting businesses to locate and remain in Silver Spring. Re-designation helps us by supporting a “critical mass” of creative energy that will nurture existing artists and new artists in exciting new ways.

Third, re-designation will help us to build and strengthen our community, by educating our neighbors and visitors, and fostering ties between people and communities.

As you know, Silver Spring is one of the most diverse communities in the metropolitan Washington area, indeed in the United States. People speaking scores of different languages attend our schools, shop in our businesses, worship in our churches, mosques and synagogues, ride our buses and enjoy our rich arts & entertainment offerings. In this cultural mosaic, we have seen hundreds of people come together to celebrate the arts from every corner of the globe.

Recently, the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., in cooperation with Montgomery County, has begun the production of a number of community-centered arts & entertainment productions on Silver Spring’s Veterans Plaza. Since we began our 2011 performance season in April, we have hosted nearly twenty free performances for the benefit of the entire Montgomery County community, and have scheduled nearly forty more. We have brought to the Plaza Stage jazz, blues, bluegrass, country & western music, rock, folk and choral music, and look forward to spoken work, dramatic productions, and dance performances. And as we have brought this tapestry of performance to the Plaza, we have seen very enthusiastic audiences—large and small—or every color and hue—unite to celebrate these performances that reflect our community’s diversity. We have seen the music bring our neighbors together, and make our community safer.

Fourth, re-designation will help us to strengthen the local economy in Silver Spring and in greater Montgomery County.

We know that fostering and promoting “arts & entertainment” can bring millions of dollars into our community and into our community. One has only to look at the success of the Silver Spring Jazz Festival, AFI’s & Discovery’s SilverDocs, and our own Silver Spring Blues Festival to see that quality art & entertainment attracts tens of thousands of customers to local businesses. Our Silver Spring Blues Festival, with the support of local merchants, has promoted local restaurants and clubs, and has economically benefitted a host of businesses, in Silver Spring and throughout Montgomery County. Re-designation will help us to build on this progress and provide an even much greater stimulus to the County’s economy, and particularly, local small businesses.

Fifth, re-desigation will help us enhance our community’s statute as an important arts & entertainment destination.

Many of us in the community have worked tirelessly to enhance Silver Spring’s reputation as a go-to place for fun, recreation, relaxation and education. We feel proud of our collective accomplishments in this area and look forward to even greater achievements. Already, Silver Spring is seen as an important regional arts & entertainment destination, and this perspective will only increase as we continue our efforts to embrace the local creative community and the thousands of our neighbors who support it.

In conclusion, the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is pleased to support the efforts to secure re-designation of our community as an Arts & Entertainment District. Our organizational motto is “Celebrating Diversity, Creating Community.” An Arts & Entertainment District supports this objective. We still have important work to do, and this mechanism can help us achieve our goals.

Thank you for the opportunity to present this testimony this evening.

"Plaza Performances" at the Silver Spring Civic Building

The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is pleased to present its updated schedule of "Plaza Performances" at the Silver Spring Civic Building.

Tuesday Evenings 7-9 pm

June 7 Luisa & Her Imaginary Orchestra
June 14 Hays Dowdy & his band
June 21 Garry Elders
June 28 The Second String

July 5 Cooking with Gas
July 12 Time2Go
July 19 Banjer Dan
July 26 The Eclectics

August 2 Don Muller, Guitar/Vocals
August 9 Gina DeSimone & Pat Quinn
August 16 Strings4Joy
August 23 SwagFunk
August 30 TBA

September 6 BlackJacks
September 13 TBA
September 20 Archie Edwards Blues Ensemble
September 20 TBA

Thursday Evenings 7-9 pm

April 7 Groove Jet
April 21 Cloud 9
April 28 Thursday Night Music Club
May 5 2nd Story Band

May 19 Warner Williams & Joyce Ettingoff
May 26 Snake Head Run
June 2 Greater U Street Jazz Collective

June 9 Capital Accord Chorus AND Mary Amato
June 23 Midnight Sun with Nathan Foley
June 30 Jazz Stimulus Project

July (All Thursdays) Silver Spring Swings (Montgomery County Govt)

August 4 Warner Williams, Joyce Ettingoff and Jonny Grave
August 11 Truth
August 18 Rocksteady Kid DJs
August 25 Sonic Circuits Presents

September 1 Wendy and the Lost Boys
September 8 Wiley Sonic
September 15 Mary Amato & Friends
September 22 The Social Ramble
September 29 Dimensions of Blue

October 6 Contradiction Dance
October 13 TBA
October 20 Contradiction Dance
October 27 TBA

Sunday Afternoons 1-6 pm

June 12 So. Mont. County Orchestra (SSRC)
June 19 Harmonica Blue Xpress
June 26 Wharf Rats

July 3 The Traveling BlueJayes 2pm
July 10 Jesus House 2pm
July 17 The Unruly Blues Band
July 24 Boomerang
July 31 The Five One & SwagFunk

August 7 Blues Ramblers (5-7)
August 21 The Fabulous Newports
August 28 Jeff Snyder & Friends

September 4 Jesus House (2pm) Bobby Lewis Band
September 11 September 11th Observance (no events planned)
September 18 Sonic Circuits
September 25 TBA

For more information, email silverspringjams@gmail.com

Thanks to SSTCi's Alan Bowser and Don Berkemeyer for their great work in organizing this program. Special thanks to Joyce Ettingoff for her major contribution to this program.

The Traveling Bluejayes and Cooking with Gas perform on Veterans Plaza, Sunday, July 3rd and Tuesday, July 5th. Free!

Please join us for two exciting Plaza Performances on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza! On Sunday, July 3rd and Tuesday, July 5th!

On Sunday, July 3, from 2 pm to 4pm, we welcome The Traveling Bluejayes to the Plaza Stage.

The Traveling Bluejays is a great band that plays Folk, Rock, Rockabilly, Originals, Blues. The band members are Arlene Jaye, George Hardman, Karen Hardman, Rick Kanton, Michelle Murray, and Joyce Ettingoff. George Hardman, rhythm guitar and vox..they call him Elvis..veteran of many bands in the Washington DC area..loves to do rockabilly and Elvis and keep the audience entertained...Arlene Jaye, vocalist..veteran of many DC bands as a vocalist..also former member of CSA Jamboree...Karen Hardman, percussionist..has played with many bands and loves to sinng Cher Songs, Michelle Murray, songwriter and very active in SAW as well as fantastic perfomer on guitar and vox..she gives the Blue Jayes an original sound...Rick Kanton, guitar..one of those guitar guys who can play just about anything in any style..has played with many bands...Joyce Ettingoff, harmonica player..endorsed by Lee Oskar..was part of CSA Jamboree..will also play anything and take the harmonica where people think it shouldn't go. For more information, check them out on Facebook or at http://www.reverbnation.com/thetravelingbluejayes

And, on Tuesday, July 5, from 7pm to 9 pm, "Cooking with Gas" will perform on Veterans Plaza

Cooking With Gas serves fine acoustic music featuring generous portions of blues spiced with jazz, gospel, swing and folk. CWG has played at the Washington Folk Festival and the Silver Spring Blues Festival. The members of Cooking with Gas are Jim Bunch (washtub bass, washboard), Marcus Childs Moore (fiddle, vocals), David Oziel (guitar, vocals), David Rothman (harmonica, vocals), Bob Sherman (guitar, vocals) and guests. For more information, visit their website at http://www.facebook.com/cookingwithgasmusic

These performances are 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.