The Pennsylvania Music Expo, hosted by the Keystone Record Collectors continues to be a shopping bonanza of CD’s, records, DVD’s and music memorabilia. The Sunday, October 10^th show will have an added bonus feature with added attractions. 

That day, dubbed “Ten-Ten-Ten”, will feature a few firsts for the four decade running show. Radio air personalities who worked at Central Pennsylvania radio stations from the 1950’s to 1980’s are being invited to attend at a “meet and greet” event 10 am – 2 pm in the Act 1 Lounge, directly across from the showroom floor at the Continental Inn, 2285 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster. “Central Pennsylvania had a wealth of talent on the air, back in the day when the air personalities actually got to pick the music they played,” said Phil Schwartz, Special Projects Coordinator. He continued, “We are looking forward to reuniting and thanking as many of our “Pilots of the airwaves” as possible. 

Also scheduled to make a return appearance is Charlie Gracie, Philadelphia’s first rock and roll artist. At the height of his fame, Gracie frequently appeared on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, The Ed Sullivan Show, and Alan Freed’s TV Specials. He’s best known for 1950’s hit songs, “Butterfly” and “Fabulous”. Gracie is finishing a new CD, set to be released late this year. It is being produced by Al Kooper with guest appearances by Peter Noone, Graham Nash and Dennis Diken, among others. A book is also in the works for 2011.

Shawn Swords, with Character Driven Productions has produced two documentaries that will be screened and also available that day: the bio-documentary Charlie Gracie: Fabulous! released in late 2006 and the Wage$ of $pin documentary about the late 1950’s radio payola scandal. 

Rounding out the line-up is LinDee Rochelle, author of her newly released book, Blast From Your Past! Rock-n-Roll Radio DJs Who ROCKED Your World! 1954-1979, Volume I. The book pays tribute to the men and women of the Golden Era of Rock & Roll Radio who were the energetic keepers of the music world. 

Admission is always free to the Pennsylvania Music Expo, held the second Sunday of each month. The Keystone Record Collectors, host of the show, is a non-profit club dedicated to the promotion and advancement of the hobby of music collecting. For more information about the Pennsylvania Music Expo or Keystone Record Collectors call the 24 hour voice line at: 717-898-1246, visit: www.recordcollectors.org or follow on Facebook (Keystone Record Collectors).

Special Website Sale Starts Now!

Media Boomtown is proud to announce that the company’s debut documentary “Pure Imagination: The Secret of Comics Creation,” was named “Best Short Documentary” at the Prometheus Film Festival.
 
“Pure Imagination” was one of six films honored during the festival’s first annual awards dinner Saturday August, 28th, 2010.
 
In its first year, the Prometheus film festival featured over 30 films ranging in style, genre and length from filmmakers in York, PA and surrounding areas.
 
Judging for the awards was done by a panel of 15 different judges with 5 judges rating a category of films in the following categories: Screenplay, Acting, Editing, Cinematography, and Audio/Soundtrack.
 
Judges described the film as:  “Inspirational.”  “Well Done.”  “Nicely put together.” “Moving.”
 
“Pure Imagination” has also been well received by folks in and around the comics community, including Garfield Creator Jim Davis.
 
Davis said that, “Creating a comic strip requires perseverance, determination, and imagination. It would have been nice to have seen a video like Pure Imagination, The Secrets of Comics Creation when I was young. Hopefully this video will inspire others to explore and develop an interest in comics and graphic novels.”

“We feel really honored to be recognized by the Prometheus Film Festival.  This film was designed to help kids reach their potential creatively,” says Dan Almoney, Co-Owner/Producer for Media Boomtown, “but there are lessons that are universal and it’s great that there’s an outlet locally where more people will be exposed to our film.  Hopefully this will open up more opportunities for the film in the future.”
 
In honor of the recognition from the Prometheus Film Festival, “Pure Imagination is currently available for a limited time for $15 through the company’s website http://www.mediaboomtown.com .  Additionally, for every copy sold through the company’s website between now and the end of the year, Media Boomtown will donate $5 to the York Little Theatre in recognition of hospitality during the festival.
 
Media Boomtown, LLC is a Harrisburg-based video production company.  Their mission is to offer great video at an affordable price.
 
For more information, please contact Dan Almoney or Ed Fox at 717-870-2667 or via email at info@mediaboomtown.com.  

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[Allentown, PA]  Allentown based rock artist Maddam Ink took first place last night at WZZO’s annual Backyard Bands Contest held on the Allentown State Fairgrounds.  The group who recently released their new album titled Inklination, produced by ™Grammy nominated engineer and producer David Ivory is beginning to create quite a buzz in the region. 

The contest consisted of 5 of the areas top bands in a battle for a prize of two-thousand dollars worth of equipment.  Maddam Ink performing only 4 songs wowed the judges and in the end came out on top.  “It wasn’t easy” stated the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist Adam Burke, “all the bands were excellent and it was quite a competition.  We’re thrilled and very proud to be chosen as one of the regions top rock bands”.

The band was recently featured in the Aquarian Weekly where columnist Tim Louie stated “I’m surprised that Maddam Ink songs like “Carry Me Home” or “Falling” aren’t burning up the rock charts on stations like WZZO.  The band’s music is pop rock at its finest”.  Maddam Ink will be touring in support of their record and will be performing at many regional venues and festivals this fall.  You can check them out at their website www.maddamink.com

The CD is well produced and recorded live at Rosie’s Cabaret. 

Tim Carbone from the band BLUE SPARKS FROM HELL  is the main point of the band. The other members include: JEFF BARG (drums), EDON (percussion), CHRIS FARRELLY (bass),  BUCK DILLY (6 & 12 string electric guitars and vocals), PAUL MAASSEN (acoustic & 12 electric guitar, vocals)  and Tim Carbone (acoustic, 6 & 12 string guitars, violin, vocals).

The CD has 12 songs on it and they are quite strong. The song “PUT YOU TRUST IN ME” is great and the vocals sound like the same vocalist from the BLUE SPARKS band. They do a cover of ”CROSSTOWN TRAFFIC” and definitely made it their own .

The violin is a sure crowd pleaser  as only Tim can play it. “SEVEN” is a song by Prince they covered and it’s kept simple and sweet. The hidden track, which is # 12, has a great flow to it and is titled “UNTITLED.”

I recommend the CD if you ever were a Blue Sparks From Hell fan and even if your not… you’ll enjoy the ride. It’s a real treat.

Great jobs guys and keep in touch.

Kind Regards,

Jim

CHRIS WOODWARD hailing from Three Springs, PA. The title of the CD is BELIEVE.

This country artist been playing waves for quite awhile. The CD has 12 tracks on it and it as released on 2000 on COUNTRY IS RECORDS.

The CD was very well produced. Chris’ back-up  band is made up of interchangable musician from the area and they fit him to a T. He does a great cover of “BROWN EYED GIRL” and it flows nice with the steel guitar in the background. Chris is a very likable guy and easy to talk to. We met quite a few times in the area.

The songs are very strong with great hooks and lyrics. The song ”I’M OUTTA HERE” resembles part of his story in which he wants bigger things for himself. The lyrics tell it all.

“HOME SWEET HONKYTONK”  has a great guitar riff and nice piano and steel  guitar in the background. This is definitely a bar sing along song… simple and sweet and it wants to make you bop at the bar with everyone. A crowd pleaser to say the least.

“I’M IN LOVE AGAIN” is a nice slow song to to break up things and it’s definitely worth a listen.

I highly recommend this country cd to anyone. 

When you see, Chris ask him about his day time job! 

Kind Regards,

Jim

Hannah Grasers’ pleasant vocals and soft heartfelt emotions on “November Breeze” permeate throughout this wonderful effort. With very distinct vocals in the mold of a Paula Cole, Lisa Loeb or Shawn Colvin, she projects a simple but overpowering quality in her presentations. She gives that feeling of what is in her heart, body and soul and does it in a very professional way.

“LightHouse”, “We Cannot Erase” and “Pink Ribbon Skylines” are extremely moving ballads in the mold of a Norah Jones. The exquisite talent needed to write and perform songs like these at this level is rare.

The title track “November Breeze” makes me visualize a grey day, bare trees and the chill of winter’s impending approach. Simple, yet compelling, this number hits home! “JDC” is a nice mid-tempo number with a great storyline that has the sound of an early Jewel. “How I Feel In September” has a nice soft-rock feeling that takes me back to the days of Natalie Merchant in her early solo years. The instrumental track on the CD is a very pleasant relaxing number that unwound me quickly. The simple riffs are clean and refreshing.

“Buy And Sell Out” is a song that has awesome harmonies, nice overdubs, clean vocals and that ever present acoustic guitar blending together nicely. The lyrics in “No Vacancy” took me back to the early days of some classic Joan Armatrading from the late 70’s.

“Grace Amazing” is a classic! This song is so cool! The fresh composition and heartfelt vocals lend itself to this unique tune. The way that the original Amazing Grace was infiltrated into this makes this a number that could do well in Christian music circles.

Yes, the comparisons are there. Why? I heard every one of them in this well written and produced effort. Hannah has an awesome set of pipes and she uses them to her advantage on every one of her songs. By the way, see if you can decipher the hidden message on the back of the CD!

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the extra email this week, but we have a few quick things to tell you.

In our last newsletter, with so much going on we forgot to mention the radio show that airs tonight. So, if you’re not gonna be at the Steamtown Original Music Showcase when we play (8pm at the Scranton Hardware Bar), then tune in to or stream 102.3 The Mountain. We recently recorded an interview and made the first ever live recording of our new song, “Don’t Walk Away” (which is on the upcoming Bare Bones EP) with our good friend Alan Stout for his Music On The Menu radio show. The entire hour is dedicated to Pan.a.ce.a, so please tune in. Again, that’s:

Tonight (Sunday 9/5) at 8pm – Music On The Menu – 102.3 The Mountain.

WZXR has posted some photos from the show on Friday. You can find ‘em on their Facebook page. If you were at the show, post a comment!

Also on Facebook, you can find info on the show this Thursday with FUEL in Lancaster. We hope you can be there, but even if you can’t go, please check out the event page on either our Fan Page or Group (and MySpace too!) and invite your friends, share it on your page, leave a comment, whatever…This is a big show and a new area for us, so please do a little extra to help spread the word – thanks in advance!

It’s a beautiful day – enjoy the rest of your Labor Day weekend!!!

Pan.a.ce.a

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Pan.a.ce.a on the web

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How was your summer? Hope is was relaxing and enjoyable. But now the kiddies are off to school and Labor Day is just around the corner. To celebrate the new season, the band just scheduled 2 great new shows for the fall. Here’s the scoop:

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2010

OVERTIME SPORTS BAR (FORMERLY SHAKEY’S) ( HTTP://OTSSPORTSBAR.COM/ )

The Badlees With Pan.a.cea And TT Max – 10:00pm

312 Mill Street
Hershey Pennsylvania 17033
717-533-9824
21 and over. Price: $10
 
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW. Call the venue to pre-purchase yours. The phone number is 717 533-9824. You can also click on the link to go right to the venue’s website ( http://otssportsbar.com/ ) to get directions.
 
This club, Overtime Sports Bar, used to be called Shakey’s. The band used to play there there regularly and it was always a fantastic party. I’m sure it will be a great time once again. In fact, I’m postive. Seriously…

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3RD, 2010

MAUCH CHUNK OPERA HOUSE ( HTTP://WWW.MAUCHCHUNKOPERAHOUSE.COM/ )

Fall Foliage Festival – 6:00pm To 7:30pm (no Opening Band)

14 W Broadway
Jim Thorpe Pennsylvania 18229
570-325-0249
Price: $12 (plus $3 service fee) – ALL AGES! Doors at 5pm
 
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW. Call the venue to pre-purchase yours. The phone number is 570-325-0249. You can also click on the link to go right to the venue’s website ( http://www.mauchchunkoperahouse.com/ )
to get directions and additional information. They also set up an
internet site to purchase tickets. It is located here:
http://jtams.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=291555
 
This show is going to be very special. First of all, it is an All-Ages
Show, so bring the whole family. Second, it is an early Sunday Night show. The theatre is gorgeous. And the band is working on a
super-secret set that will only happen once. Also, we have a special guest lined up for the evening. Nice. If you are on Facebook, here are their pages: http://www.facebook.com/MauchChunkOperaHouse and
http://www.facebook.com/FallFoliageWeekends
 
In addition, the town is running their Fall Foliage Festival that
weekend. If you haven’t been to Jim Thorpe in the Fall, you will be
highly impressed. Visit the Fall Foliage website here:
http://www.jimthorpe.org/fallfoliage2010.htm Arrive early and check out the crafters, artists, and food vendors. And cap it off with a special performance by the band.
 
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
 
I think that’s about it for now. I’ll set up events pages on Facebook
for these shows and send out a reminder as it gets closer to showtime.

The last 5 or 6 Badlees shows SOLD OUT, so you may want to consider pre-purchasing your tickets. We’ve only been playing a handful of shows lately, but we’re trying to make each show very special.
 
See ya out there!
 
The band
 
http://www.badlees.net (Visit out website for more info)
 

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MORE Links:

The BADLEES Facebook page: Facebook (
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#%21/group.php?gid=46011544292 )
The BADLEES MySpace page:Badlees.com ( http://www.badlees.com/ )
The BADLEES Amazon Store: Amazon.com (
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Rain-Badlees/dp/B002P9EV40/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1256583032&sr=8-1
)
The BADLEES ‘Love is Rain’ store:Badlees.net ( http://badlees.net/ )

The BADLEES CDBaby Store: CDBaby.com (
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/BADLEES )
The BADLEES i-Tunes Store:iTunes (
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=337679812&s=143441
)
The BADLEES e-mail: badlees@badlees.net
 

————————-

 
Click here to purchase the new CD ‘Love is Rain’ (
http://www.badlees.net )

READ ALAN K. STOUT’S NEW REVIEW OF “LOVE IS RAIN”
 
http://www.theweekender.com/
 
www.badlees.com

Having performed in legendary venues from CBGB’s to The Fillmore, Blair’s music is described as “more singing, less blinging” and “a burst of soul, with urban irreverence, romantic abstraction and bittersweet spirituality.” He said, “Here’s my job: play music with so much passion that the audience breaks some off and takes it home with them.” With a melodic mix of punk energy, old school soul, and sunny pop, Blair’s set includes “ironic cover tunes pulled out of the hat” from glam-rock to spirituals to standards to Motown, coupled with originals from his many recordings.

Spotlight Magazine dubbed Blair as “the Harry Houdini of the music world.” Earcandy.com called him “a delightful entertainer.”

Blair was born in the Susquehanna Valley but moved around the country. Part of his time in California was spent working as a bicycle messenger in San Francisco. He said, “I was on the street ten hours a day, seeing the best and the worst in people. I called it ‘the asphalt ballet.’” He lyricizes over everything from abuse to baptism to slapstick comedy to coffee addiction (“I’m a certified caffeine-aholic”).
Putting on an energetic performance is one of Blair’s trademarks. He has shared the stage with Howie Day, The Dead Kennedys, Bob Geldof, Chris Isaak, Stephen Stills and others. Blair frequently records and tours with Davy Jones of The Monkees. “I’ve learned immeasurable amounts of stagecraft from David,” noted Blair.

Blair is currently in Mind’s Eye Studio (Williamsport) working on his next full-length release, I LIKE THE STREET. The project will contain the title song as well as the You Tube hit “If I Could Dress Like Clive Owen,” a cover of Velvet Underground’s “What Goes On,” and other songs he often performs live. He recently reissued the 25th Anniversary edition of his first album DOOR IN THE WATER, and he’s writing a fiction novel that ties together George Gershwin, Che Guevara, New Wave rock music culture of the late seventies, and bike messengers of San Francisco.

Soundclips can be heard at www.johnnyjblair.com and on Blair’s “Singer at Large” Facebook musician page.

At Ten West there will be a $2 cover for adults and $1 for children. CDs will be sold. Call 570-662-2979  or go to www.fineartsforum.org.

Students from the Uptown Music Collective, the area’s premier nonprofit school of music, have been given the esteemed privilege of performing for the cameras of WNEP TV and a live audience at a special event on Thursday, September 9th at 7:30pm. The performance, which will take place at the Community Arts Center, will consist of four 30 minute segments of music which will be recorded for broadcast on WNEP’s new channel WNEP2.

The students of the local nonprofit music school first came to the attention of WNEP when they took part in the live broadcast of WNEP’s Leckey Live Morning Show from downtown Williamsport. “Our students performed at intervals throughout the event and surprised the WNEP crew with their highly energetic performance and professionalism,” said school founder Dave Brumbaugh. “Our staff and students, many of whom had stayed up all night setting up and preparing for the 5am broadcast, were extremely excited when producers from WNEP expressed an interest in doing a project with the school. This is such a unique opportunity for our organization,” said Brumbaugh, “our students are being given the chance to show not only what they can do as a group, but what young people in general can do when given the opportunity, discipline and the motivation.”

The material recorded by WNEP at the September 9th performance will be edited together with interviews with the staff of the school and the Community Arts Center and aired on WNEP2 each Tuesday in November at 7:30pm.  Each TV special will feature one of four music segments, all of which will be recorded live during the event at the Community Arts Center. The segments will include the school’s Latin Percussion Ensemble, a set of original music written by Uptown Music Collective students, a set from the schools recent Motown tribute and a special preview set of the upcoming Uptown Music Collective Fall performance, Urban Legends; The Music of Ten Cities.

The Collective’s Latin percussion ensemble, which will lead off the live performance next Thursday, was formed in late 2009, and made possible through a grant from the Nothern Tier Alliance, a partner of the PA Council on the Arts.  The ensemble works with traditional Latin Percussion instruments such as Congas, Timbales, Bongos and more.. The Latin percussion ensemble is under the direction of percussion instructor Rich Cummings. Their performance will feature music from the Miami Sound Machine, Carlos Santana and Eddie Palmieri.

The original music segment of the show will feature a few of the student’s personal music projects, including area favorite Clouds Make Sounds. The set will also include music from Brandon Route and Shannon Cantor, Dylan Rockoff and Maverick Vicars, and local band The Treehouse.

In the spring of this year, the Collective brought the sounds of Motown to the Community Arts Center stage with their tribute show, Heard It through the Grapevine. The segment for the WNEP performance will feature a few songs from that critically acclaimed performance, as well as new material learned specifically for this event.

Finally, the Uptown Music Collective will offer a special preview of the schools upcoming fall performance entitled, Urban Legends; The Music of Ten Cities.  The show will consist of students performing the signature music of Ten U.S. Cities. The cities include Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and Los Angeles, New Orleans, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Nashville and Memphis. This show will feature a diverse group of styles with something for every music fan. The full show will be performed on November 12th and 13th at the Community Arts Center and include music from the cities of San Francisco CA and Philadelphia PA.

Established in April of 2000, the Uptown Music Collective has developed a reputation as the premier source of music education in the area. Offering private lessons at all levels on guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and vocals, as well as classes and workshops in music theory, songwriting, and styles such as the Blues, Jazz, Classical and Rock. The primary age range of the Collective is 10 – 18 yrs old, but is open to all ages and levels. Along with private lessons, the UMC offers a myriad of programs including its flagship Performance Program. This program educates students about the ins and outs of major and minor performances, including direction, production, preparation and technical aspects of the performances. The program brings outstanding student run performances to the area, including the most recent, Heard It through the Grapevine: A Tribute to The Music of Motown.

The event, which is sponsored by The Hartman Group and is open to the general public, will start at 7:30, tickets are $5 and are available at the Uptown Music Collective and the Community Arts Center Box Office. For more information about this event please visit www.uptownmusic.org or call 570-329-0888.