Strings for Joy! perform on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza - Video Clip of the Day

The performers are Alexandre Paintsil, Jepthalyne Senas, Kevin Gopala-Rao, Stephanie Birmingham, Aniza Moore, Breanna Roth, Evonne Baasch, violins and Dr. Ekatrina DiPinto, cello.

Salsa on the Plaza - Video

Ricardo Loaiza leads the Salsa on the Plaza program. Mr. Loaiza, a native of Colombia, is the originator the Latin Dance Company DC SALSEROS/LATIN VIBES which was launched in 1996 in Washington, DC. Ricardo has taught, choreographed and performed in more than 500 events in the Washington DC Metropolita, area as well as in over 20 cities in the USA. He has taught and Performed in various major SALSA international events in Holland, England, Germany, Dubai, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Japan, Aruba and Colombia. Currently he teaches Salsa-Aerobics (Dance Aerobics) at various Washington Sports Clubs, as part of a High and Low exercise program, for young and old.

For the last 10 years, he has helped organize and host the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Latin Dance Competition which has had as many as 10 schools participate in the past. As a result of this competition in November of 2010, he co-founded “The After School Latin Dance Fund”(ASDF), a non-profit organization that provides artistic, technical and financial support for the establishment of after school Latin dance programs with the hope of expanding the program to all 25 MCPS.

After School Dance Fund provides artistic, technical and financial support for the establishment After School Latin Dance Programs in all Montgomery County Public Schools (“MCPS”). ASDF offers its programs in an effort to combat the troubling prevalence of preventable social and health issues; particularly in the Latino community, including childhood obesity, teen pregnancy, high rates of high school drop-outs, and the devastating influence of gangs in our communities. The ASDF initiative aims to create a permanent space for participating MCPS students to be involved in a positive group activity with their peers after school. The GOAL is for students to learn to showcase popular Latin dances, as well as the importance of living a healthy mental and physical life style. To this end, dance becomes a vehicle for increased cultural awareness and pride, while fostering exercise and having fun. In addition, participants learn teamwork and gain leadership skills in preparation for competition with individuals dancers and dance teams from other schools. The artistic progress and continuous improvement in dance technique will have a positive impression in each participant's personality, manners and etiquette. Also, by participating in a structures program, students learn to be part of a team, to be responsible, on-time, respectful to their team members, adults and their parents.

As a result of last year MCPS High School 11th Annual Latin Dance Competition, which was held at the Strathmore, The ASDF proudly partnered with HIPtv, who produced a Documentary “The Road to Strathmore” which features the lives of four students from two different schools and their sponsors. The documentary will be PREMIERE in Silver Spring this Fall 2011 and will be submitted to local, regional, national and international film festivals. The Documentary elaborates on the struggle, success and importance of students to be involved in a positive group activity with their peers.


This program 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 at http://www.facebook.com/groups/8305814081/

See our Plaza videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/TheTownCentre

See our Plaza pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanbowser/collections/72157626644003377/

CaShandra J. Plays Veterans Plaza, Tuesday, August 30th at 7 pm. Free!

Please join us for another exciting Plaza Performance on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza. On August 30, 2011, we welcome jazz vocalist CaShandra J. back to the Plaza Stage!

A singer’s singer, CaShandra J. exudes her love of music in every note that she sings. Born and raised in rural Texas, she had every opportunity to be immersed in and around music. CaShandra J. picked up her first instrument at the age of 7. Her mother and father purchased an upright piano and started her on lessons. “I can remember always wanting to play a musical instrument and when my parents offered me the chance to take piano lessons, I was thrilled!” It was only a few years later that she was also taking lessons for violin and clarinet and playing in school ensembles. “I must be honest, I never was the best musician in class but I loved music so much, I didn’t really care. Music was my escape from the daily rigors of my school life and the people I was around. I just wanted to be next to it.” By the time she was in high school, CaShandra J. longed to leave her hometown in hopes of finding some place where she could just be herself. “I managed to maintain my sanity by taking art classes, photography and choir. I enjoyed it so much that I knew my happiness lied in creating.”

After finishing high school in only 3 years, Cashandra J. took off to college in a small community near Dallas, TX to study fashion design. After two years, she quit to find other avenues of education and self-fulfillment. “That was such a rough time for me. I had no direction and it was as if the music left my life!”CaShandra J. pick up and move again. This time she moved to Austin, TX, which was known for it’s live music. “Austin livened up my spirits again. This city had such a diverse music culture and I was always being exposed to new forms of music.” It was in Austin that she decided to start dancing in an ethnic cultural dance company. The company’s house band let her sit in from time to time to do covers of soul music. It was those experiences that ignited her love of singing and refueled her passion for music.

After receiving her Bachelors in music at Howard University and performing at a host of venues, CaShandra J. is taking her love of music to a new level. Look forward to hearing her new project, Life in Techni-Color, which is wholly injected with jazzy licks and soulful lyrics, due out in 2011.

Visit her website at http://cashandraj.com/index.html

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 at http://www.facebook.com/groups/8305814081/

"One" - A Performance by the Urban Nation Academy for the Performing Arts

Performing on the Veterans Plaza Stage, Urban Nation Academy for the Performing Arts students presented a musical review of Broadway show tunes, coupled with exciting hip-hop songs and dance.

The Broadway Meets Hip-Hop musical review is produced and directed by Dr. Rickey Payton, Sr., assisted by Artistic Director, Sherion Cosby, Acting Coach Lyndsay Rini, Music Director Glenn Pearson, Choreographer Shawn Cosby, Assistant Choreographer Roslyn Ramseur and Children's Coordinator Tomasena Allen. The performance band includes Glenn Pearson and Rickey Payton on keyboards, Kush El-Amin on bass and Michael Nicholas on percussion.

Broadway Meets Hip-Hop! On Silver Spring’s Veterans Plaza, August 10-12, 2011

Please join us for another exciting Plaza Performance on Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 7 pm, when we welcome students from the Urban Nation Academy For the Performing Arts Summer Camp to Silver Spring’s Veterans Plaza.

Performing on the Plaza Stage, the Urban Nation Academy students will present a musical review of Broadway show tunes, coupled with exciting hip-hop tunes and dances.

The Urban Nation Academy for the Performing Arts is both a music and dance performing arts school located in the heart of the newly refurbished Arts District in Downtown Silver Spring, Md. They are dedicated to providing quality music and dance lessons to children and adults alike in a professional, nurturing, and student oriented environment. For information, check out their website at http://www.urbannationacademy.com/

The program will also be presented at 12 noon on Wednesday, August 10, 2011, Thursday, August 11, and Friday, August 12.

The Broadway Meets Hip-Hop musical review is produced and directed by Dr. Rickey Payton, Sr., assisted by Artistic Director, Sherion Cosby, Acting Coach Lyndsay Rini, Music Director Glenn Pearson, Choreographer Shawn Cosby, Assistant Choreographer Roslyn Ramseur and Children's Coordinator Tomasena Allen. The performance band includes Glenn Pearson and Rickey Payton on keyboards, Kush El-Amin on bass and Michael Nicholson on percussion.

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 at http://www.facebook.com/groups/8305814081/

Warner Williams & Joyce Ettingoff Play Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza

Guitarist and songster Warner Williams is one of the greatest unsung heroes of the Piedmont blues—an Eastern seaboard style that incorporates fiddle tunes, ballads, country and popular songs, ragtime, and gospel. With a jaunty rhythmic finger-picked guitar style and an eclectic repertoire that ranges from blues to honky-tonk, jazz crooning to children's songs, Warner Williams is an old-style community entertainer of national significance. Joining Warner Williams on the Plaza is harmonica player Joyce Ettingoff from Silver Spring.

In this clip, Warner and Joyce play Take It Slow, Danny Boy, Honeysuckle Rose, and One Day at a Time.

These performances are productions of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. See more Plaza Performances at http://www.youtube.com/user/TheTownCentre#grid/user/54B3D9F47094BE13

Visit our blog at www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook.

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

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.

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.

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!