Thursday, June 19, 2008
"Eight Days of Blues and Total Soul - From Blues to Motown"

This seven-piece rockin’ blues band strikes a chord for people of all ages - from those who grew up in the '60s and '70s to little kids who dance to the tunes. A danceable groove, innovative dynamics, and a love for the blues create the band's original, raw energy. Two drummers deliver a hard-hitting, hot rockin' beat made up of both original and blues classics, drawing largely from the Chicago style infused with rock and touches of Latin, funk, and jazz.

Total Soul
7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

This 8-piece R&B, soul, classic disco and Motown style group will perform hit songs of the greatest artists from the sixties through today. The music is brought to life with a mix of four-part vocal harmonies, a soul-driven rhythm section and Hot, Hot, Hot horns. Audiences will be mesmerized by the slick dance moves and smooth harmonies, a la The Temptations and The Four Tops. Total Soul starts parties whenever they play and their spark and energy promises to have the audience getting down and having fun with the music they know and love.

Thursday, June 26, 2008
Joanna Mell & Alison Gillespie and Dirdy Birdies Jug Band - Celtic & Jug Band Music

Joanna Mell & Alison Gillespie
6:45 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.

These two ladies play Celtic music with a special flair for unique arrangements of toe-tapping jigs and reels, catchy hornpipes and enchanting slow airs performed on Celtic harp and fiddle, and ballads enhanced by Mell's beautiful vocals. Joanna Mell is an award-winning singer, harper and storyteller, and is no stranger to SCCC, having performed in years past for the Thursdays on the Green series. She brings her talents on the Celtic harp, as well as lyrical soprano voice and spell-binding storytelling skills, to entertain us again. She will be joined by the fiery and expressive fiddle playing of Alison Gillespie, herself a veteran of the Celtic scene, having performed for many years as part of Blackwater, an internationally known Celtic band. Together, they present a lively, refreshing evening of exciting Celtic music from the Enchanted Isles.

The Dirdy Birdies Jug Band
7:45 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

The unique musical form known as jug band music had its beginnings in the United States among southern black musicians during the 1920's. While the backbone of the jug band sound was the blues, the repertoires of these bands were gathered from a wide variety of musical styles including country-dance, string band, ragtime, jazz and popular music. These songs often had a light-hearted, comical, ribald flavor. In addition to playing standard blues instruments like the guitar and harmonica, The Dirdy Birdies Jug Band uses instruments more commonly associated with country string bands, like the fiddle, banjo and mandolin. But, the cardinal feature of their music (and the origin of the name "jug band") is the use of a variety of homemade instruments that produce unusual melodic and rhythmic colorings. These instruments include the kazoo, washboard, washtub bass, spoons and, of course, the empty whiskey jug.

Thursday, July 3, 2008
SCCC Players and Cameo Productions - Patriotic Songs and Theatrical Performances

SCCC Players
6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

The SCCC Players will present a medley of patriotic songs made famous by American musicals.

Cameo Productions, Ltd.
7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Celebrate America!!! Let your spirits soar with Cameo Productions' award winning singers from Broadway, Las Vegas, Opera and International Touring Companies featuring "America's Singing Poet" Steve DePass and his BiCentennial Tribute to America. Also, Carmen Artis, Dominic Guastaferro, John Hammel, Jacqueline Kroschell and special guests will present crowd pleasing performances of uplifting Broadway and Traditional songs.

Thursday, July 10, 2008
Local Musicians and Sussex County Students and the Somer's Dream Orchestra - Jazz, Big Band and Swing

Local Musicians and Sussex County Students
6:45 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

One or two lucky Sussex County musicians will open for the Somers Dream Orchestra.

Somers Dream Orchestra featuring Keaton Douglas
7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Be prepared to sway in your seat, tap your feet and maybe even sing along as the exciting 18-piece Somers Dream Orchestra jumps, jives and wails the evening away! The Somers Dream Orchestra has attracted a wide audience of admirers in their 13 years, from professional musicians, to jazz critics, to fans of the big band sound. Under the direction of trumpeter and founder John M. Somers, this "hand-picked" 18-piece swing orchestra plays it all with a sound that's full, rich, and tight! The ensemble playing is impressive, the rhythms pulsate and Keaton Douglas' vocal solos are simply superb!

Thursday, July 17, 2008
Local Musicians and Sussex County Students and Conjunto Imagen – Salsa the Night Away

Local Musicians and Sussex County Students
6:45 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

One or two lucky Sussex County musicians will open for Conjunto Imagen.

Conjunto Imagen
7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Pack your dancing shoes for this performance! Conjunto Imagen, known as NYC's hardest working and most popular Salsa band, was founded in 1989 by bandleaders Ernie Acevedo and Junior Rivera. Their selections paint a landscape of rhythms and songs depicting the trajectory of the band throughout the years. Led by Ernie Acevedo, with the aid of co-leader/tres player Junior Rivera and the musical direction of trumpeter Ángelo González, Conjunto Imagen delivers a bit of old-school and a bit of new-school Salsa, all in the traditional conjunto style accentuated by the tres guitar and the dramatic horn arrangements anchored by a baritone sax. Fronting the band on vocals are Jesús Serrano and Eddie Rosado.

Thursday, July 24, 2008
Blue Plate Special and Dave Remelis and Country Life - Blue Grass to Country

Blue Plate Special
6:45 p.m - 7:30 p.m.

Blue Plate Special hails from Bergen County, New Jersey. They play original and traditional American roots music including bluegrass, swing, Cajun and blues. Their song, "Nowhere Fast" was used in the PBS documentary "The Appalachians." Band members include: Tom Wise on bass and vocals, Dave Gross on mandolin, guitar and vocals, Jay Friedman on fiddle, guitar and vocals and special guests. The band says "howdy" to its Sussex County Friends at Little Lost Arts as well as cousins April and Ian.

Dave Rimelis and Country Life
7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Dave Rimelis and Country Life is an experience in Americana. This show picks you up in New Jersey, drives you through the hills of Tennessee, and takes you down the river to New Orleans, across the Texas Pan Handle and back. You'll be singing the whole way. These are the songs you grew up with, played and sung, like you've never heard them before. Dave's fiddle gives a fresh take on standards like "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" or "Cotton Eyed Joe." Rimelis and the band sing the country hits from Johnny Cash to Allen Jackson. Whether you've spent your day in a Manhattan office or a Sussex County cornfield, Dave Rimelis and Country Life are taking you down home tonight!