On Friday, July 21, The Mainstay in Rock Hall, Maryland welcomes one of its favorite local performers to its outdoor stage (weather permitting). Singer songwriter Barbara Parker, originally from Seattle and now a long-time resident of Kent County, has written songs, sung, and accompanied herself on guitar since she was a young girl. But for a number of years, she stepped back from music, deferring to her career in the advertising industry. An invitation to perform at a local Open Mic night about 10 years ago jumpstarted her return to performing. Since then, she has appeared solo and with musical backup at some of the Mid-Atlantic’s best-loved stages and listening rooms.

Parker’s original music comes from an understanding of her own and other’s emotions, and wistfulness for what lies beyond the horizon. Her stage presence summons memories of the grand folk dames of classic coffeehouses, and the giant female stars of old-time country such as Patsy Cline. But she is equally capable of assigning her signature voice to the iconic tunes of her favorite performers, including John Hyatt, Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, Carly Simon, and James Taylor. She will be accompanied on the program by Joe Holt on piano, Stu Gray on guitar, Sam Moore on percussion, and Elbert Hicks on bass guitar.

In addition to her music, she is also a highly regarded painter. Her work, typically embodying bold colors and patterns from the landscape of Chesapeake country, can be viewed in a number of local businesses frequently visited by the public.

Showtime for the live concert event is 8 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 supported with funds from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Kent Cultural Alliance.

On Saturday, June 17^th at 8 pm, the Mainstay in Rock Hall, MD is excited to welcome the return of one of its most requested acts, the 3D Jazz Trio. The trio features Amy Shook on upright bass, Sherrie Maricle on drums, and Jackie Warren on keyboard. The three performers met in May of 2014 while playing in the internationally acclaimed 15-piece, all-women DIVA Jazz Orchestra. From their first shared downbeat, they became kindred-swinging spirits and the resulting musical synergy was fast and fierce…or as the New York Times put it…”blistering hot!”

Fiercely swinging, this powerhouse trio plays original, traditional, and contemporary standards from many different genres of music. Their distinctive style and innovative arrangements are super-charged by their boundless musical joy, gratitude, and enthusiasm.

Since its inception, 3D has performed at many of the world’s most prestigious venues and festivals, including: The Blue Note (NYC) Dizzy’s Club (NYC), Mezzrow (NYC), Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors (NYC), Blues Alley (D.C.), and at the Festival Internacional de Música La Guarapachanga in Cuba.

From her drum set, Sherrie Maricle also leads The DIVA Jazz Orchestra, and her jazz quintet FIVE PLAY. She is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions, including The Kennedy Center Alliance Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Arts, a Doctoral Fellowship from New York University, the New York City Music Educator’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and was twice selected New York University “Music Teacher of the Year.”

Amy Shook has performed numerous times at the Mainstay at the invitation of various jazz headliners. She has appeared on stage with an incredible roster of jazz icons including Lionel Hampton, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the Scott Silbert Big Band, Hubert Laws, and Kurt Elling to name a few. She has performed at the Kennedy Center, Blues Alley, Dizzy’s Club the Blue Note NY, Washington Women in Jazz Festival, and at the White House twice by special invitation. In addition to her work as a performing and recording artist, and a multi-instrumentalist (acoustic bass, electric bass, violin, viola, and cello), Amy is also an accomplished composer.

Pianist Jackie Warren performs regularly as a soloist, but also has another jazz trio, with bassist Peter Dominguez and drummer Ron Godale.  She also arranges and plays salsa and Latin jazz with percussionist Sammy Deleon y suorquestra.  In addition to these groups, Jackie has performed locally and nationally with such artists and groups as David Fathead Newman, Clark Terry, the Spirits of Havana, Jimmy Heath, Tito Puente, Jr., Percy Sledge, and the Jazz Heritage Orchestra.

All three women are experienced and enthusiastic educators. They’ve presented workshops and clinics at numerous universities, colleges, and high schools throughout the country. Ever since the summer of 2019, they’ve served as virtual and in-person artists-in-residence for the Maryland Summer Jazz event in Rockville, MD.

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.

On Friday, June 9 at 8 pm, The Mainstay is pleased to present the seamless acoustic music of the Honey Dewdrops.

The husband and wife Americana team The Honey Dewdrops – Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish– have long felt the push-and-pull between their original roots in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia and their current home in urban Baltimore. Soon after relocating to Maryland in 2009, they became enmeshed in Baltimore’s thriving string-band music scene, and found it to be “one of the most open and enthusiastic creative communities” they’d come across. Seven albums and fourteen years of touring domestically and internationally later, Laura and Kagey continue to expand their contemporary folk sound, using their beautiful playing and harmonies, and other musician contacts to emphasize what connects with their audiences.

With a background in American string-band music and a close-harmony style reminiscent of Appalachian mountain singing, Wortman and Parrish bring a familiar yet unique sound to listeners with clawhammer banjo, mandolin, acoustic and electric guitars. Their partnership has long focused on writing original songs and adding new ideas to the repertoire. Their live show at the Mainstay also features Baltimore multi-instrumentalist Alex Lacquement on upright bass, and percussionist, EJ Shaull-Thompson.

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.

On Friday, June 2 at 8 pm, jazz-impresario Joe Holt, host of the Mainstay’s monthly First Friday series, welcomes bluegrass fiddle player Nate Grower as his guest. Nate is perhaps best known as the fiddle player for performing artist superstar David Bromberg’s band. Expect an interesting exchange of genres.

During Nate’s tenure with Bromberg’s band, he has toured throughout the United States, Australia and Japan. In the process, he’s played with a steady stream of musical guests, including the late Allen Toussaint, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, John Oates (of Hall and Oates), Sam Bush, KebMo and Arlo Guthrie.

When Joe Holt was seven years old, his family moved from his boyhood home in Kentucky to New Jersey. His parents acquired a spinet piano, and the young boy’s course was set. But, in Joe’s words “If I had grown up in Kentucky, I probably would have ended up a bluegrass musician”. Was that on Joe’s mind when he invited Nate Grower to join him on stage at the Mainstay? What certainly was on his mind was that both he and Nate are natural improvisers. The show promises to be “a multi genre evening of musical fireworks.”

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.

On Friday, May 26, The Mainstay in Rock Hall is excited to welcome Baltimore’s highly acclaimed Motown soul music revival band, the Palovations. The 8-piece band delivers a soul music show inspired by the early Motown legends of the ’60s and ’70s and R&B artists of the 70s and 80s. Their live shows recapture the joy and excitement of the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, the Stylistics and other giant soul music icons from that time.

Avery Yancey, the leader of the group explained the band’s formation back in 2012, long before “tribute bands” became so popular. The group was the idea and legacy of a retired performer from the Baltimore area who had performed throughout the country (but primarily in Las Vegas) with a Temptations tribute band, complete with silky-smooth vocals, sequined wardrobe style, smooth moving choreography, and a full live back-up band. His legacy was to start and train a new band that would carry on in his band’s successful tradition. After two years of training, the Palovations were born and have been performing to sold-out audiences throughout the Baltimore/ D.C area ever since.

This show is tentatively scheduled for the Mainstay’s outdoor backyard covered stage area weather permitting. Showtime for the concert is 8 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.