More great opportunities to see outstanding outdoor concerts begin TONIGHT!

As we continue to dodge afternoon & evening raindrops (plus the lightning bolts!) this summer, the tremendous slate of outdoor concerts continue (mostly) unabated...

Case in point is the VERY COOL show happening just down the street from us at Valley Creek Park on Morehall Road (Route 29) - It's an anniversary celebration for The Newport Folk Festival of 1965! You remember that one... Where Bob Dylan infamously plugged in his electric guitar (sacrilege!) & some folks covered their ears while other opened their minds?!? Well, it's been SIXTY years since that happened & it seems the world is still spinnin'... So might as well mark that auspicious occasion with a tribute to those days gone by...

It is set to begin at 6:30 with Norman Taylor performing some of the blues tunes that were popular back in those days followed by Dank Pine playing stuff from Bill Monroe & the Bluegrass Boys. After that, it'll be Mighty Joe Castro doing the music of Johnny Cash; Chelsea Mitchell covering some of the catalog of Joan Baez; and it all wraps up with Philadelphia treasure Kenn Kweder tackling the songs of Mr. Dylan himself - Will KK plug in for part of the set? Only the folks that are there in person will know for sure!

It certainly has been a summer of anniversary days - Live Aid at 40, Archbishop Carroll's Class of '75 at 50, Newport at 60... and even Smokey the Bear at 80! We'll be observing them ALL!! ...& that starts tonight with this great show!!!

On Friday over at the Bryn Mawr Twilight Concerts series on Friday, July 18th, it's a double bill that should not be missed with Lucy Kaplansky and Liz Longley... Regular readers of this space know how much we love, Love, LOVE the music of Liz Longley - The Downingtown native has been performing various venues around this area for many years & she continues to grow as an artist and deliver spectacular, thought-provoking, moving music that needs to be heard by the masses... Lucy Kaplansky is no slouch in the singer-songwriting department either - She started out singing in Chicago folk music clubs as a teenager. Then, barely out of high school, she took off for New York City where she found a fertile community of songwriters and performers—Suzanne Vega, Steve Forbert, The Roches, and others. With a beautiful flair for harmony, Lucy was everyone’s favorite singing partner, but most often she found herself singing as a duo with Shawn Colvin. Most folks would embrace that opportunity, but she was convinced that her calling was in another direction and left the musical fast track to pursue a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Upon completing her degree, she took a job at a New York hospital working with chronically mentally ill adults, and also started a private practice. But through it all, she continued to sing. Kaplansky was often pulled back into the studio by her friends, (many of whom had signed with record labels) wanting her to sing on their albums. She harmonized on Colvin’s Grammy-winning "Steady On," and on Nanci Griffith’s "Lone Star State of Mind" and "Little Love Affairs." She also landed soundtrack credits, singing with Suzanne Vega on "Pretty in Pink" and with Griffith on "The Firm," and several commercial credits as well—including “The Heartbeat of America” for Chevrolet. Eventually, Shawn Colvin—who was itching to produce a record—hooked up with Lucy, her ex-singing partner. They went into the studio, and when Lucy’s solo tapes got into the hands of Bob Feldman, president of Red House Records, he was blown away. Suddenly, Lucy was back making music full time... She signed with Red House Records and started playing gigs. Red House released The Tide in 1994 to rave reviews, and within six months Lucy signed with a major booking agency... An incredible journey & one that plays out with each and every performance!

More info on the concert can be found at: https://www.brynmawrtwilightco...

Meanwhile, over in King of Prussia at the Concerts Under the Stars series, they will have Trevor Hall appearing on Saturday, July 19th. Hailing from a small island in South Carolina, Hall was raised in a musical family and began formally studying classical guitar in high school at Idyllwild Arts Academy. Quickly thrust into the world of major labels, Hall signed a record deal at the young age of 16. After realizing the restrictive nature of such deals, he decided to pave his own way and reclaim his artistic freedom. Starting in 2017, he began releasing music independently. Since then, Hall has sold hundreds of thousands of albums and amassed billions of streams, leaving an indelible mark on the lives of countless listeners. His memorable live performances have graced venues around the world, including multiple sold-out headline shows at the historic Red Rocks Amphitheater. Guitarist Daniel Rodriguez will be opening...

Then on Sunday, July 20th, the California Honeydrops are slated to appear - Formed in the subway systems of Oakland, this retro-soul outfit are an electrifying group that defy convention at every turn. They’ve become a mainstay at festivals including Byron Bay Bluesfest (Australia), Outside Lands, Monterey Jazz, Lightning In A Bottle, and touring with B.B. King, Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, and Allen Toussaint.

Led by the enigmatic and energetic frontman, Lech Wierzynski, and drummer Benjamin Malament, each member of the band is a virtuoso in their own rite — Yanos “Johnny Bones” Lustig on saxophone, Lorenzo Loera on keyboards/guitar, Beaumont Beaullieu on bass, and regularly accompanied by Oliver Tuttle on trombone, Leon Cotter on saxophone/clarinet, and Miles Lyons on trombone/sousaphone — navigating through a vast repertoire of original songs and timeless classics every night. But what truly sets them apart is their unwavering commitment to the art of improvisation - a skill so finely honed that they have completely abandoned the use of set lists and no two shows are ever the same.

More info on these concerts can be found at: https://www.concertsunderthest...

To recap; great shows in Malvern TONIGHT, Bryn Mawr on Friday, as well as KofP over the weekend when the weather promises to (maybe) give us a little bit of a break... Well worth your efforts to check out as many of these as you are able...

Hope to see you there!