The Mainstay is observing the flavor and excitement of Mardi Gras with a special Fat Tuesday (February 21st) concert. The featured artists are the Philadelphia-based band James Day and the Fish Fry.
James Day is originally from the Mississippi Gulf Coast town of Biloxi. He spent his twenties living in New Orleans sucking up all the real New Orleans music he could. His day jobs included being a fish fry man, which is the name of the classic New Orleans band he put together after moving to Philadelphia. They perform all styles of New Orleans music: A gumbo mix of Street Parade music, Cuban Rumbas, Swamp Pop, and Zydeco. The material covers all the familiar idioms of that style: backbeat drumming, slapping upright bass, fat tone guitar, squeezing accordion, scratchy frottoir, Cajun fiddle and ripping harmonica. The players include Ron Howard on piano, organ, and accordions, Greg Snyder on “all manner of guitars”, Willie James on upright bass, Stephan Tolnay on drums, Alan “Gator” Yandziak on baritone and tenor saxophones, and James Day on “hollerin’ and harmonicas.”
Showtime for this special concert event is 7 pm. Tickets are $20 in advance of the show and can be purchased online at mainstayrockhall.org. Phone reservations are accepted by calling (410) 639-9133 (tickets reserved by phone are $25 when paid at the door). The Mainstay is located at 5753 N Main Street in Rock Hall, Maryland. Its regular calendar of local, regional, and nationally touring artists features a live performance every week of the year (February through December) in a variety of music genres.
The programs of the Mainstay are also supported in part with funding from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Kent Cultural Alliance.
Tracking the evolution of the program over twenty years, Gillin vividly details the ways in which daily hiking excursions enable students to deeply connect the experience of landscape to the study of English literature. As students push themselves physically, they are asked to consider how the specific environment informs and textures the poetry and prose they read. Moreover, the visceral struggle of climbing a mountain in cold, wet, windy weather enriches each student’s self-awareness and heightens their connection to the world at large. Students also gain a sense of personal achievement and learn first-hand how to get along with others in often difficult and uncomfortable circumstances. Ultimately, these hikes serve as touchstones that enable students to journey within and without to source tangible insight into the relationship between literature, landscape, and place.
The new open design makes shopping a pleasure. Signs will now alert you to new artists and items you might like to check out. Another new feature is a special display showcasing the work of RiverArts Clay Studio artists.
With great delight, Shelagh Grasso, director of the upcoming production of Sense and Sensibility, has chosen an outstanding cast for an exciting adaptation of the Jane Austen classic. While still set in Regency England, her actors will zip around the stage on wheels and make split-second costume changes. A New York Times review called Kate Hamill’s adaptation, “A Whirlwind of Delicious Gossip.”
Allegro Academy, now in its new location in the heart of downtown Easton, will be offering two singing programs for musicians of all ages in 2023.
The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (MSO) held its 2023 Elizabeth Loker Concerto Competition on Thursday, January 12th at the Avalon Theater in Easton, Maryland. This year’s annual competition included applicants from throughout the United States ranging from ages 12 to 25. The seven finalists competed in a final live round of the competition in front of a panel of three judges which included, Grammy-nominated MSO Music Director, Michael Repper, MSO Concertmaster, Kimberly McCollum, and MSO Principal Bassoonist, Terry Ewell.