Outdoor concerts for July are beginning to occur

As the month of June gives way to the heat of a July summer, our outdoor concert options continue to grow along with the local corn...

On Tuesday night in Eagleview, another FREE concert for one and all to attend - This week it will be Handsome Jack and Canyon Lights taking the gazebo stage...

Handsome Jack were formed in 2004 by guitarist and singer Jamison Passuite. While he and the other founding members were still teenagers, they began playing gigs and had already developed a strong taste for classic rock, boogie, and blues. By 2008, Handsome Jack had recorded their first self-released album, Heatseeker, and hit the road on their first cross-country tour.

Playing a lean, hard-grooving fusion of blues, R&B, and garage rock they call "boogie soul," Handsome Jack hails from Lockport, New York, a city not far from Buffalo. The band logged plenty of miles on their touring van and released a handful of self-released discs before they hooked up with the respected indie label, Natural Sound Records, which gave them their first nationwide release with 2014's Do What Comes Naturally, a swaggering exercise in '70s-style blues rock.

Canyon Lights are a blend of throwback rock n’ roll, swampy Americana, and heavy blues. Friends and bandmates since 2018, Pat and Tim have racked up thousands of hours touring and performing on stages all over the world.

In 2023, Pat and Tim began connecting over their mutual love of 70s rock n’ roll bands like Mountain, Thin Lizzy, and James Gang. Inspired by this era, Pat proposed the two work out some song ideas he had been playing with. At the same time, Tim revealed to Pat some personal lyrics he had held onto for years. The songwriting connection was instant and unique. Pat and Tim realized that this was a new venture, not strictly blues and not confined to any lane of creativity. The two flew to Denver in early 2024 to put these sounds on tape with friend Dylan Brown at the helm as engineer and co-producer. From this session, Canyon Lights was born.

More info on this FREE show can be found at: eagleviewtowncenter.com/free-concerts

On Thursday, at the Concerts Under the Stars series in King of Prussia, God Street Wine is set to perform...

They are a New York-based jam band in the tradition of the Spin Doctors and Blues Traveler, and blend funk, reggae, folk-rock, post-punk, pop/rock, and blues-rock into a cohesive whole that is unique and original. God Street Wine formed in New York City in the late '80s and lived there until they moved to Westchester County, NY, in 1991. Comprised of Lo Faber on guitar and lead vocals, Aaron Maxwell on guitar and lead vocals, Dan Pifer on bass guitar and vocals, Jon Bevo on piano, organ, and vocals, and Tomo (aka John Thomas Osander) on drums, God Street Wine played their first show on December 13, 1988, at the Nightingale Bar in New York City and performed a ton of times in the Philly area during the 1990s.

They became legendary for putting on shows in excess of three hours, and with their two guitarists and reliance on improvisation, began to draw comparisons to another great twin-guitar band, the Allman Brothers.Even though God Street Wine's sound was considerably less bluesy, the band wasn't afraid to take chances in front of a live audience, not unlike the Doctors or the Travelers.They have maintained a large mailing list, in excess of 15,000 names, and continued developing a dedicated fan base often referred to as "Winos." It was this grassroots following that attracted the attention of record executives, not unlike the way Phish took off up in that band's home state of Vermont.

On Saturday in King of Prussia, folks into jazz will enjoy a FREE Montco Jazz Festival preview featuring the music of John Coltrane + Miles Davis and performed by Nasir Dickerson & the Life Light Empower Band. He is a saxophonist, a kora player, an African flutist, a composer, a producer and recording artist as well as an Emmy Award winning music educator. Nasir is a student of the late greats, Charles Bowen, Robert Bootsie Barnes and Leon Mitchell; and currently of Cullen Knight. Nasir is the Leader of the jazz sextet, Life Light Empower and will be bringing the talents of this incredible ensemble to King of Prussia this weekend.

He has performed with artist such as, Lauryn Hill, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, Busta Rhymes, Wyclef Jean, Angie Stone, Quest Love & the Legendary Roots Crew, Beanie Sigel, the legendary Stylistics, The Intruders, the Philadelphia Eagles and more. He has opened for legendary jazz greats, such as Donald Byrd, Robert “Bootsie” Barnes, Wallace Roney, Jimmy Heath, Cyrus Chestnut Trio and more.

Promises to be a wonderful evening of great music! Oh... & it's FREE! Just need to RSVP ahead of time so they'll know you are gonna stop by... Find all the info you need for BOTH of these KoP shows at: concertsunderthestarskop.com/

Finally, a couple of shows of note at the Twilight Concerts Series over there in nearby Bryn Mawr...

On Saturday, the legendary folk troubadour Tom Rush is slated to appear!

A mainstay of the 1960s urban folk revival, Tom Rush has enjoyed a long-running career spanning more than 70 years. His rich, warm voice and his knack for finding new material from gifted songwriters made him a frequent presence at folk clubs (like The Main Point - just down the street a bit from where he will be performing on Saturday) and festivals from the '60s onward. Also a talented tunesmith, Rush's song "No Regrets" went on to become a folk standard recorded by the likes of Harry Belafonte, Waylon Jennings, and Emmylou Harris, among others. (Rush's version appeared on 1968's The Circle Game, widely regarded as his best album.) His career received a boost in 2007 when a video of Rush performing the song "Remember?" became a viral hit, introducing him to a new generation of fans which he continued to court with late period albums like 2009's What I Know, 2018's Voices, and 2024's Gardens Old, Flowers New. Rush will be accompanied by Brendan Cleary for this show.

Then, on Sunday, the Twilight Concerts welcome Shovels & Ropes to the gazebo... For the uninitiated, the band is an Americana folk duo from Charleston, South Carolina composed of husband and wife Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst. Combining the threads from their individual solo careers, they blend traditional folk with rock & roll with a dash of country rock sensibilities added to the mix. Their raucous, rollicking live performances have become the stuff of legends and should not be missed!

The Golden Hours, featuring David Wax Museum + Lowland Hum, are also on the bill for that evening... Should be a BLAST!

If you have an "Urge for Going" to either of these shows in Bryn Mawr (see what we did there?!?) - You can find more info at: brynmawrtwilightconcerts.com/

Enough options for THIS week? Hope to see you out there - ENJOY!