Hey gang, It was quite a weekend with the Cruisers in town, wasn’t it? I think there were just as many pretender ‘hot rodders’ as there were bona fide classic cars. As long as they all had a good time ... I know I did.

I’m thinking back a bit to the last off-season performance of 2 Guys & a Mama as they played at BJ’s. Each one of this talented trio will be far too busy with their other projects to be able to play together over the summer - and woe is me. Dave Sherman is one of Ocean City’s most talented performers. And I say performer because he does more than just strum a few chords and sing. He is an excellent  guitar player and his vocals are sublime. Tish and I, and many others, especially enjoyed the varied repertoire that he brings to the table; so many songs that other groups don’t do. You’ll find Dave playing solo around town this summer, but I have to say when he is joined by Joe Mama on drums and Chris Button on bass (yes, bass), something magical happens. I was happy to see Chris add his keyboard skill to the mix also. And to expound a bit on the bass playing - we all know that Chris is arguably the best guitarist around but when he plays with the trio, Dave has that covered quite well. Hence the bass; but Chris is no ordinary bass player. When the song permits, he jumps in for a lead part and is all over it, just as if he were playing a guitar. Awesome to behold ... and hear. And he really impressed us when he played keyboard at the same time. Awesome! Well, enough, I guess, but I’m sure going to miss this band over the summer. Check out Funk-O-Licious and Full Circle this weekend at BJ’s.

Last night was a super once-a-year treat as Jordan Sokel, Darin, Engh, Nate Clendenen & Randy Lee Ashcraft came together to honor the birthday of Bob Dylan. Dylans’ music has left an indelible impression on the musicians of the world and several of his songs have been adopted as anthems of generations - “Blowin’ In The Wind” and “The Times They Are  A Chagin’” - from mine in the ‘60s right through to today. It was an amazing show and I think Cathy is going to write more about it and the artists in her Sonic Notes next week.

I have to give words of praise to Blake Haley and his group Haleytown who performed at The Pour House last week and brought the house down. It seems country music is really making headway with a lot of our young people today. While I’m primarily a pop rocker, I certainly appreciate country music and greatly prefer it over hip hop and rap. So go for it, Haleytown. With Otto on lead guitar, Kasey on bass, Skip on drums and Blake’s lovely fiance Danielle on vocals, this group has a bright future.

I had the pleasure of singing with Tim Landers, John Heinz & Mike Picarilli at Station 7 last week. What a talented trio of musicians; and such nice guys too. So... now that Prof. Tim Landers has retired from teaching, he has been spending more time in Nashville, playing and renewing old acquaintances. I ran into him at The 19th Hole where he introduced me to a guy by the name of Mike Gallaher, whose demeanor was anything but that of one of the music world’s most respected guitarists; friendly guy. Originally from Baltimore, Gallaher spent time on the road and then in Nashville as a session guitarist which is where he met Leon Russell many years ago and they became friends. After spending many years in Norway where he played festivals, taught and joined Joe Cocker for his “No Ordinary World” tour, Gallaher is back, in this area to visit his mother Miriam who lives in Ocean Pines. While here Mike plans to play at Da Vinci’s Sun. afternoon and maybe more dates if he sticks around some. Then he plans to head back to Nashville where he may be embarking on 15-month tour with Nine Inch Nails. Guitarist Adrian Belew asked if he could play bass, which he never had, and turns out he likes it and has a fingering style that is probably a result of being a guitarist first; such as our own Chris Button. Ironically, Gallaher says, “All my years of playing I would have loved to be featured in “Guitar Player” magazine but never was until someone saw a video of me taken while playing bass at Les Paul’s birthday party. Now I’m featured as a bass player. How ‘bout that. And I love it!” What a treat meeting him. Off to hear Odyssey Road at Purple Moose. Party ON!! Party safe!