Note: In case if you haven’t noticed, there’s a tiny black box to the right of these words that links to all the music-related blogs on the FNP’s blog site. The great Sue Guynn, who writes the Three Chords & The Truth blog, often covers what’s going on at the Hollywood Casino over in Charles Town, West Virginia. And because we host The Local Playlist every Friday on WSHC in Shepherdstown – which is only a stone’s throw away from Charles Town – we thought we’d start posting her coverage here as well. Thus, behold an interview with Brian McKnight, who will be performing at the casino on Sunday. If you’d like to read more of Sue’s work, head on over to her blog. Why? Because she’s the best.
Coming To Charles Town: Grand Funk Railroad
December 8, 2015 By - Leave a Comment
Note: In case if you haven’t noticed, there’s a tiny black box to the right of these words that links to all the music-related blogs on the FNP’s blog site. The great Sue Guynn, who writes the Three Chords & The Truth blog, often covers what’s going on at the Hollywood Casino over in Charles Town, West Virginia. And because we host The Local Playlist every Friday on WSHC in Shepherdstown – which is only a stone’s throw away from Charles Town – we thought we’d start posting her coverage here as well. Thus, behold an interview with Grand Funk Railroad, who will be performing at the casino on Saturday. If you’d like to read more of Sue’s work, head on over to her blog. Why? Because she’s the best.
The Weekend Playlist: 11/25/15
November 25, 2015 By - Leave a Comment
Welp. It’s the night before Thanksgiving. Thus, what better way to celebrate the impending holiday than to run down the next four days of entertainment in and around Frederick? There is no better way. That’s the answer. The Big Deal tonight will be at Cafe Nola, with our good friends in Seaknuckle (above) and Chainsaws. You’ll want to get there early if you’re going to get there – it promises to be total ruckus and total fun. Tomorrow night, after that turkey washes down the gullet, you can head out to Bushwaller’s for some open mic action. And if memory serves, last year’s Thanksgiving night open mic was quite the open mic. And then you have the requisite (Frosty) Friday and Saturday goings-on. Two Teks at Nola. Naked Cult in Eldersburg. Men In Black at Beans. The Kelly Bell Band coming back to Frederick and setting up shop at The Blue Side. Jack Funk releasing an EP at Olde Towne on Saturday (and we love us some Jack Funk, as you all know). Plus, lest we be reminded of Tuba Christmas. Duh. Don’t get too drunk or full or deaf or sleepy over the next four days. Christmas season is in full effect and we’ll be back soon to make a Very Big Announcement regarding the second annual Frederick Music Showcase. When will it come? You’ll have to tune in to find out. In the meantime, viva la Thanksgiving!
Declan Kennedy: ‘Desire To Inspire’
November 25, 2015 By - Leave a Comment
For those who don’t know, let’s get caught up: Walkersville’s Declan Kennedy appears to be a music junkie. Check out his Facebook page or, more impressively, his YouTube page, where a video of him playing drums along to Maroon 5’s “Sugar” has nearly 1,000 views in one month. He says his hero is Dave Grohl, and, if you look hard enough, you’ll find a screen shot of a message that Billy Idol’s drummer left him on Twitter, complimenting the guy on his performance of “Rebel Yell.”
Quinn Sullivan At The Weinberg
November 24, 2015 By - Leave a Comment
Note: The below story was written by Karen Valentine. We would love to add a few links to places you might be able to find her on the Internet … but she doesn’t have a website, Twitter account or Facebook page, and for that, friends, she should probably be commended.
Good lord! Just how many young music prodigies are there on the planet? You have the blossoming Yo-Yo Mas (cellists) and the 21st century Mozarts (pianists) that we’ve seen perform on daytime talk shows, delighting us all and blowing our minds. These extremely gifted young musicians hail from around the globe, and all of them are equally amazing with their talent. (Visit YouTube if you want to confirm this for yourself).
The Weekend Playlist: 11/19/15
November 19, 2015 By - Leave a Comment
‘Tis the weekend before Thanksgiving and all through the house … yeah, we’ve got nothin’. Anyway, welcome to The Weekend Playlist! In case you missed it earlier this week, our second Jazz In The Vines installment out at Big Cork Vineyards is Saturday. It will feature a freaky fresh trio from Jeff Cosgrove, which will include John Thomas on saxophone and Shawn Simon on bass, as well as the Monocacy Jazz Quartet (above). But that’s just one in a whole bunch of music happenings in and around town. The Weinberg, for instance, has a hell of a weekend. Livingston Taylor and Tom Chapin are there tonight. The YMCA benefit show featuring Guys In Thin Ties is tomorrow. Quinn Sullivan will take the stage Saturday night. And then, though it’s not listed here, Aimee Mann, along with Billy Collins, will be entertaining you – yes, you! – Sunday night. Business is also picking up at Cafe 611 with 12 different bands rocking and rolling between Friday and Saturday night. The other cafe in town, Cafe Nola, has the Dapp funk Friday night and then the A Marc Train Home on Saturday night. The Opera House, over in Shepherdstown, will host The Bitter Liberals (who we spoke with earlier this week) tomorrow night and then Better Off Dead on Saturday night. There are all of the open mics, including, but not limited to, the one hosted by Tomy “One M” Wright. There’s 5.5. Men. There’s Ghost Pepper. There’s All Natural. There’s 351 South Band. There’s Drymill Road. There’s Rob Robinson. And then, of course, there’s I, The Breather. Do yourself a favor and go enjoy the final weekend before The Christmas Push with music and fun and music and, well, fun. Yeah, you get it. Anyway, don’t forget to vote for Frederick and … viva la Big Cork!
A Q&A With Clark Hansbarger Of The Bitter Liberals
November 19, 2015 By - Leave a Comment
Friday night. 8 p.m. Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The Opera House. A pretty great thing is going down. The Bitter Liberals will take the stage to perform (for the last time in 2015) and you really ought to consider checking it out. We recently caught up with Clark Hansbarger of the band to talk about the group’s great name, how they came to be, how great the sound is at the Opera House, and, of course, what we can expect from their show tomorrow night.
Take us back to the beginning. How did The Bitter Liberals start? Who approached whom? How did it get off the ground? How long have you since been together?
Hey, you – yes, you: Help Frederick (Again)!
November 17, 2015 By - Leave a Comment
Last year, right around this time, we wrote this …
So, check this out. Right now, as we speak, the Downtown Frederick Partnership is engaged in a battle. It’s not a battle to the death, but it’s probably the second-most intense thing. Now, what is the organization looking to do? Well, it’s looking to earn a grant aimed at helping “small to mid-sized cities” bring music to town … for free. As in, free to the public. As in, set up a stage somewhere downtown and boom: Taylor Swift pops up with a guitar and the dude from Bleachers.
It’s Time For Jazz In The Vines Volume 2
November 16, 2015 By - Leave a Comment
The headline says it all, friends. In August, we began a jazz series at Big Cork Vineyards out in something called Rohrersville, Maryland. And this weekend, we’re ready to host the second installment. Because what goes together better than jazz and wine? The answer to that question: Nothing. The answer is nothing.
This time out, our dear friend Jeff Cosgrove is putting together yet another amazing trio for your entertainment. The players? John Thomas on saxophone, Shawn Simon on bass, and, of course, Cosgrove on drums. Making things interesting this time around will be the addition of the Monocacy Jazz Quartet, who will kick things off at 6 p.m. The cost, like it was back in August, is $20, but that also gets you a free glass of wine, which is pretty essential, considering how this is at a winery.
The Weekend Playlist: 11/12/15
November 12, 2015 By - Leave a Comment
Here we are, here we are. The second weekend of November. Are you excited? You should be. Because there’s a ton of Great coming to town. Especially tomorrow night, when the fabulous Mike Farris takes the Weinberg stage with his Roseland Rhythm Revue. And especially tonight, when BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet (above) gets in where it fits in at The Opera House over in Shepherdstown. They’ve been around since 1975 and they have something we like to call a Grammy. So, on this unseasonably not-cold-or-snowy night, why not head over to Shepherdstown to be entertained, New Orleans style? Speaking of New Orleans style, Cafe Nola has Sephaniesĭd coming back to town on Saturday and if you remember, we once Q-ed and A-ed her, so check it out, you should. There’s a metal show at Hard Times Cafe. Laure Mae Socks (and presumably her Baked Goods) will head on into The Blue Side tomorrow night, and that place is a lot of fun. There’s Secondhand Ramblers. There’s some bluegrass. There’s Harlen Simple. There’s Back By Sunrise. There’s The Steppin’ Out Band. There’s Litz. There’s Broken Rocker. And then, of course, there’s Party Like It’s. We’ll be back, same bat time, same bat channel, next week, where we hope to get you – yes, you! – stoaked up for our next Jazz In The Vines event going down one week from Saturday. For now, enjoy your weekend. Eat your vitamins. Say your prayers.
