Ocean City's Resort Entertainment Guide - Coconut Times http://coconuttimes.com Ocean City's Resort Entertainment Guide - Coconut Times - Coco Nights en http://coconuttimes.com/ Ocean City's Resort Entertainment Guide - Coconut Times http://coconuttimes.com 8791368930185 Coco Nights http://coconuttimes.com/articles/Coco-Nights/Coco-Nights-133     Hey, hey. Finally .. beautiful weather. Sure hope it holds while our Cruiser friends in their amazing machines are visiting. I’ve been having such a good time enjoying just as much great music as I possibly can, and looking forward to much more this weekend. Last week I hit High Stakes on Rt. 54 to check out Go With The Flo and this Bandeoke thing they’ve got going there every Thurs. Three talented musicians and Flo on vocals were most impressive. The deal here is that anyone may come up and either play or sing with the band. I gave it a shot and had fun along with my duo mate Michael Smith and friend Judith Cooper and several others you’ll see in a few pictures. I’ll have more on the band another time but suffice it say that Flo has a fantastic voice and is super friendly and accommodating to all us star wannabes. That’s every Thur. at High Stakes.
    The band at High Stakes this Sat. is the Jon Pheasant Band. I remember some years back hearing Jon singing and playing on the boardwalk and again in his Beatles tribute band. Flash forward, he has assembled a trio, James Mathias on guitar and brother Ben on drums, who are quickly making a name for themselves. I heard them in March at Hooters (where they will play on Sat.) and was quite impressed with their whole sound and set list. Check ‘em out for yourselves.
    Another artist who has long been on the scene put together a few of his talented friends to play last Mon. at Fager’s Island as Poole & The Gang. I’m referring to Kevin Poole, who holds down the Fri. deck parties at Fager’s, and also loves playing with this group which includes John Remy on lead guitar, Ryan Mete on bass & Joe Mama on drums (he’s everywhere!). You may have heard them last Fri. M.R. Ducks and already know what I’m talking about. And when Joe Smooth joins them on sax, they’re that much better. Kevin can also be heard playing with Joe on Sat. at Coconuts and at the now open Rio Grande Tiki Bar on Sat., May 25.
    While I’m still thinking about Fager’s Island, I have to tell you that Hot Sauce Sandwich kicked it up big time on the big stage Mon. at Fager’s. These guys, Zach, AJ, Cory & Jesse, have increased their repertoire, putting their own spin on covers and performing some awesome originals as well. Such talent at such a young age. Two who may be just as proud as their parents are Kevin Poole & Joe Mama who had AJ sit in on guitar with them at age 12! Be sure to go out and hear them the next time they play.
    I’m excited for the 2nd Annual Bob Dylan Birthday Bash on Wed. It was super cool last year and promises to be even more so this year with several additional singer/songwriters on board. Read Nate Brunet’s article on page 18 to learn more.
    Downtown at the Pour House last Sat. was a blast with great music for a great cause. Linda Cain’s Music Rocks Autism featured live music from noon ‘til close and I enjoyed a good bit of it, especially my friends of Old School. Their rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” was particularly great. This weekend brings more excellent vibes with Haleytown debuting their blend of country rock featuring Blake and Danielle on vocals. I’ve heard them, folks, and they’re awesome. Then Sat. come on back for Rob Fahey who is bringing along his band The Pieces. His “Raised On Radio” heydey as the pride of Baltimore may be long into the past, but his talent has certainly not dimmed. He’s still a house favorite who can carry a show all by himself with his great songs and entertaining delivery; so having his band with him is icing on the cake.
    Also downtown, stop in The Purple Moose to hear rockin’ tunes from Outbreak. And don’t forget the first tribute band performs Thur. with Odyssey Road doing an amazing job on all your Journey classic favorites.
    Fans of Coconuts Beach Bar braved the chill winds last week and look forward to more good music with John LaMere on Fri., Kevin Poole & Joe Mama on Sat. and Lauren Glick & The Mood Swingers on Sun.
    Tranzfusion is out strong this weekend playing Coins Fri. & Sat. and M.R. Ducks Sun.Yay, Duck parties!
    Heard Dave Sherman’s 2 Guys & a Mama last night at BJ’s - last performance ‘til Sept. due to their other projects. They were absolutely fantastic. Gonna miss them.
    Sending out best wishes to Lisa Ashcraft’s daughter Toni getting married Sat.]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 8781368930019 Coco Nights http://coconuttimes.com/articles/Coco-Nights/Coco-Nights--4     Hi, all. While we often refer to Sunfest as Windfest, this Springfest might go down to memory as Winterfest, as some were calling it, as again high winds lowered the chill factor to nearly freezing. At least, that’s how it felt in the evenings for the OC All Star jam and again when I ventured out for the Foreigner concert on Sat. It certainly didn’t deter the hundreds of fans who packed the entertainment tent for what proved to be one of the best concerts we’ve seen here. I’ve dedicated an entire page to photos that I took and our concert photo journalist, Gary Crouthamel, has an article and photos for you on page 20, so I’ll let you read that and just say, stellar performances from all, including our own SDHS Chorus who sang on “I Want To Know What Love Is.” Fabulous!
    Those of us who were brave (or foolish) enough to ignore the weather on Thur. night really enjoyed the show from our area’s finest. Onstage were Mike Armstrong & Lauren Glick, Kevin Poole, John LaMere, John Remy, Joe Smooth, Jeff Davis & Joe Smooth. Plus me to sing with Lauren on one. Thrill! There’s a picture on page 23 that identifies each member and their bands. As the summer season swings into high gear, each of these excellent musicians can be heard playing at the many venues around town. Kevin Poole will be assembling his Poole & The Gang band to play at M.R. Ducks on Fri. and Fager’s Island on Mon. John LaMere will be at Coconuts Fri. Jeff Davis & Joe Mama will be playing with the Chest Pains Fri. at BJ’s. And John Remy & Joe Smooth will be playing with 2 Much Stuff on Sun. May 26 at Jive. I know you’ll all want to venture out to hear these magnificent artists at work.
    This Sat. at Coconuts Beach Bar will bring the return of that ‘put you in a happy place’ group, Randy Lee Ashcraft & The Salt Water Cowboys. There’s just something about the music from this group that keeps you smiling through the whole show; even when Randy Lee sings a nostalgic or ‘love lost’ kind of song, you’re smiling through the tears. Love his original material - great stuff. Again, despite the chill, it was loads of fun hearing John LaMere again last Fri. (back today). I know he was having a tough time with the temp after being in Key West all winter, but like a true professional, he persevered and had the crowd dancing.
    I hear the folks at High Stakes have been having a great time with their new Thurs. Bandeoke night. A twist on Karaoke, the band Go With The Flo, invites guests to sing with the band. I just met Flo last night, a lovely and most friendly soul, who I hope I have the pleasure of hearing real soon. They’ll be hosting this show every Thur. Tonight, Fri., that awesome trio of blues rockers, Lower Case Blues, returns to High Stakes. It’s always a full house when they play, so come early to get a seat. Jake, BJ & Paul will show you what ‘excellence’ is.
    And while we’re on the subject of excellence in the musical world, let me tell you that Whitehouse Effect will play their first gig of the season at The Purple Moose, both Fri. & Sat. nights. These five guys play all the best from so many genres that your favorite tunes are bound to be on their set list - Rock, Pop, Country, Hip Hop & Motown. High energy is almost an understatement here as front man Ahmad is fairly bristling with talent and energy, jumping all over the stage (and sometimes off it), to keep audiences jammin’ on the dance floor. In plain words, they put on an awesome show. As Char tells us in her Barhopping article, tribute Thursdays are real close with Odyssey Road, a Journey tribute band, playing on May 23rd. They are also excellent!
    Be sure to spend some, or all, of your Sat. at The Pour House for the “Music Rocks Autism” day featuring more than 13 bands beginning at noon. Just a few of those as given to me will be Semiblind, Guns Out at Sundown, Old School, Korrupt, Witches Brew & more. Support a great cause.
    One Night Stand will play at Jive on Sat. featuring their newest player, Ted Gelinas on bass. Yes, he is also with the Mood Swingers. Our best wishes go out to Eric as he battles health issues. Party safe, friends!]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 8691367699052 Coco Nights http://coconuttimes.com/articles/Coco-Nights/Coco-Nights-132   It’s official – spring has sprung and it’s spilling out sunshine for our annual Springfest. I can’t wait to finish up this paper and head up to the boardwalk to hear some great music and take a walk through the tents. I always manage to find something new, whether a unique piece of jewelry or a back rest, or something for Mother’s Day. The product selections are amazing! But, of course, it’s the music that’s the big draw for me and today there are two I really want to hear: Beatlemania Again and the Locals’ Jam. Every year in honor of our dearly departed Michael Tracy White, a group of local musicians put on one heck of an OC All-star jam with such artists as Kevin Poole, Joe Mama, Joe Smooth, John Remy, John LaMere, Mike Armstrong, Lauren Glick and several others who always come by. Of course, that’s in the past now but be sure and check out the schedule; several more locals such as Tommy Edward and Randy Lee Ashcraft will be playing too. I’m excited to be going to hear Foreigner on Sat., thanks to my friend Frank. I hope you all have a wonderful time at Springfest this year.
Meanwhile, there’s all kinds of good things going on around town. The first Mon. deck party at Fager’s Island was fun last week with music by Opposite Directions’ Darin & Bob joined by Joe Mama & Joe Smooth and this coming Mon. sounds like a hoot too. That fabulous blue grass band Chester River Runoff will have us kickin’ up our heels on the deck for the next edition. Inside onstage the night begins with original music by national music indie band The Fleeting Ends. Hailing from Philadelphia, The Fleeting Ends made a huge splash at the SXSW conference this year. Finishing the night will be our own singer/songwriter/musician Bryan Russo with his band The Tragic Figures. It promises to be an excellent night of music at Fager’s Island. Over the weekend be sure to tune in for Baltimore’s best, No Pets For Noah both Fri. and Sat. nights. This group continues to present the absolute best performances of the music you love to hear and dance to. So get your party on!
Hey, the Tiki bar at de Lazy Lizard is opening today and entertainment comes along with it. Today it’s that mellow duo from Salisbury, Willow Brook and Sat. we’ll hear Doug Day. And remember, for late night fun and dancing, stop in and party with CK the DJ. He has games and prizes and great music.
The Skye Bar at Galaxy 66 is officially open today, too, with entertainment by The Elwood Band at 4 pm. A lot of people have been asking me if it’s Elwood Bishop, bass player from No Byscuyts but, no, it’s not. This group hails from Laurel, Del., and Preston, Md., with players Scott Harding (vocals/guitar), Patrick Dubinski (guitar), Andrew Cline (bass/vocals) and Mark Wilson (drums). Playing originals and covers, the band cites the following as influences in their alternative style: The Black Keys, Soundgarden, Led Zeppelin, Sublime, Cage the Elephant, Jimi Hendrix, Beck & Red Hot Chili Peppers. Their first album, Saturnalia, was released in February of this year. I missed them when they played at Johnny’s recently so I’d really like to hear them this time out, at Galaxy 66 Friday.
M.R. Ducks was a blast last week with Tommy Edward on Sun. That man is amazing! A four-hour show with absolutely no break. He plays song after song with infectious energy right ‘til the end. People who know him as “Sir Rod” may not be aware of the depth of his talent: he plays guitar, keyboards and saxophone. Catch him at Springfest on Sat. at 2pm with a full band for his Sir Rod Show where he does all Rod Stewart music in a fantastic dead-on impersonation tribute to the Brit rocker.
This weekend begins at Ducks with the Aaron Howell Band Fri. Just heard them last night at Hooters and they are one solid trio of players: Rick (bass), Chuck (drums) & Aaron (guitar). Sun. the Bo Dickerson Band makes their way south from their Sat. gig at Smitty McGee’s to do some fresh country rock sounds for us on the bayside deck. Check ‘em out.
But the group I want to close with is Bird Dog & The Road Kings who will be playing on Sat. I’ve been hearing Bird & the boys play for so many years; they’re like extended family from Easton (Bird & Roger), Somerset Co. (Charlie), & Lewes (Billy) - you know those cousins you only see at family gatherings. Well as some of you know, legendary guitarist Billy West suffered a heart attack last year and missed most of the summer playing while he recovered. That meant he wasn’t earning money and the medical and other bills are stacked up on him. Friends have organized a musical jam to help him out and I hope you can all make it. It’s gonna be a fabulous day of music with Bird Dog & The Road Kings, Tranzfusion, Kentavious Jones Band, Out of the Blue, Big Hat Small Cattle and Three Penny Opera. When: Sat., May 11, 1-11pm. Where: On a farm in Gumboro, Del., 37910 Merrill Lane (take Rt. 346 off Rt. 50). Just a $10 donation will help out a lot; and more if you can. Sounds like a great outdoor jam doesn’t it?
Still gotta find time for John LaMere at Coconuts today. So much fun. Remember to check your mobile devices, too, for Who’s Where When on coconuttimes.com Til next week, party on but always party safe!
 
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