Click here to see the photos. Hoots and Hellmouth played Gullifty’s on 08-15-2008 and was the second time in a week seeing them.  After seeing them open for Grace Potter, I knew that I would not miss there performances in the area again. These guys are incredible musicians and singers if you get the chance to see them, do it.  They do not have a full-time bass player so you will notice this is a different one than in the other set of photos. This time the show was in a small smokey basement under the Gullifty’s restaurant named the Gullity’s Underground.  Unfortunately for turn out sake, this was the night of one of Michael Phelps gold winning races at the Olympics so that might have kept some people at home.  But the people that were there enjoyed a full nights worth of ruckus great music and they ate it up. I am typically not the person at shows to call out songs but when a guitar string broke they were looking for suggestions to play.  Most songs yelled were 80’s metal ballads, they obliged playing their rendition of “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” and after seeing them a week prior and them not playing one of my favorites of theirs, “The Good I know You Know”, I asked them and they were grateful to play it for me. I met the band afterwards thanked them for playing great music as well as my song request.  They replied thanks for knowing our songs, a ply off “The Good I Know You Know”.  It’s The Good I Know You know about this band, now go out and see them!

I think that Napster, which begat Kazaa, which begat Limewire, which eventually somehow got us to iTunes, has done great things for musical variety. My sense is that everyone who doesn’t live in New York City, Milwaukee or Austin occasionally gripes about their local music scene, but to me, this weekend is the perfect example of how far we’ve come in certain respects. This weekend there are a bunch of different bands playing original music all over the area in a bunch of different genres. The easy availability of music has allowed people to explore different kinds of stuff that they would never have bothered with before. Today, we have tools like Pandora and iTunes that introduce us to new music all of the time, and as a result, we are more open to trying new things. With that in mind, this weekend is a great opportunity to try new things, because off the top of my head, I know you have the opportunity to listen to Roots Blues, Jam, Parisian String Jazz, Classical Bluegrass and Retro Brit-Pop live in Central Pennsylvania within the next few days. Events-wise, Friday night is all about music, or at the very least, musicals. The Whitaker Center has the feel-good fem-rock musical Girls Night, and their own description of the show tells me that it’s the “perfect treat for women of all ages.” Sorry guys, you’re not invited. The show is about a group of forty-something women out for a night of karaoke. If that doesn’t appeal to you, you could always actually go out for a night of karaoke. Or go watch either Hoots and Hellmouth at Gullifty’s or The Juice at the Abbey Bar. Hoots and Hellmouth plays gritty, rootsy music that definitely has a place on my iPod. The Juice is a jam band, and though I don’t have tons of knowledge about their brand of music, they remind me a bit of the Disco Biscuits. Saturday marks the beginning of Chivalry and Romance weekend at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, so take that special someone to Mount Hope to do all kinds of mushy stuff. Or if you don’t have a special someone, go yourself and enter the wooing contest. Who knows what you’ll come home with if you win. Also on Saturday is the Kids and Kritters benefit at Jackson’s Junction, which features tons of live music including the Brit-pop outfit The Tamboureens, who I absolutely love. If you have a lot of hair and need a trim, you could also stop by the Locks of Love Cut-a-Thon at the Capitol City Mall. If you don’t have that much hair and love peaches as much as I do, don’t miss the Peach Festival at New Hope Church in Harrisburg. Millions of peaches, peaches for me, millions of peaches, peaches for free. On Sunday, an absolutely brilliant bluegrass band from Alaska named Bearfoot(pictured) will be playing in Fort Hunter’s Sunset Series. Seriously, seriously beautiful music. Parisian string jazz quintet the Gadjo Playboys will also be playing outside as the latest installment in the Italian Lake Concert Series. As for me, I’ll be packing Friday night, moving during the day on Saturday and hopefully checking out a new restaurant and a new bottle of wine when all the boxes are empty. Have fun kids.

I was just remarking to Dori the other day that I couldn’t remember the last time I had a tetanus shot. Funny I should bring it up, because I just walked the whole way from Bricco to Spotobe headquarters on Locust with one foot shoeless. I spend most of the summer barefoot, but not walking down the streets of Harrisburg. Ick. I was walking down the street listening to Coconut Records on my iPod, when a woman waiting to cross the street backed up into me, stepping on my cheap flip-flops. Naturally, I pulled the thong part straight through the bottom when I tried to raise my foot. She didn’t even apologize, and now I have 67 diseases. Lovely. Anyway, it doesn’t matter, because I can always buy more 99-cent sandals, and nothing is getting in the way of my optimism this weekend. Maybe it’s the weather, but right now, I’m feeling very festive. I wish I could go sit outside somewhere and have a beer (yeah, you all make fun of Sawyer's but isn't it nice to spend happy hour outside during the summer? Forget the astroturf and the ugly outside bar, doesn't that look like a place you could have fun?). Instead, we’ll go over the weekend. Obviously, the biggie is the Harrisburg Street Festival. You should all come out, say “Hi,” and take your best shot at winning fabulous prizes in the two contests I posted about earlier this week. There are two bands playing this weekend that are definitely worth a listen. Power-pop/punk outfit Safari So Good is at Gullifty’s tonight. Loving them. Also The Good Things, who sound vaguely like a poppier White Stripes are at Suba on Saturday night. Going back to Friday, you can catch some fireworks in Newville if you didn’t get your fill last weekend. You can also take the kids to see Bee Movie outside in Camp Hill’s Seibert Park. If the kids are afraid of bees or are space junkies (or space cowboys. Or just like Steve Miller) head to Pinchot Park for a little astronomy talk and some telescope time. Saturday, you’re going to spend all day at the Street Festival, so you’ll probably be exhausted. If the kids have any energy left, you can catch Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at Shank Park in Hummelstown.  That’s the original one, not the one with Johnny Depp acting like a complete nutcase eerily similar to Michael Jackson. Sunday, you’ve got Senators baseball, roller derby (yep) and the Keystone Concert Band live in Reservoir Park. I’ll be going to bed early tonight in preparation for a long day Saturday. Hope to see you at the Street Festival. Have fun kids.

Here’s a neat find for a Sunday morning. Jerry Joseph and The Jackmormons have been a mainstay in the political rock/jamband circuit for many, many years. Those of you reading this that reside in or around Harrisburg have most likely seen Jerry Joseph at Gullifty’s presented by John Harris many a time over the years. So whilst searching [...]