Tag: music festival

bookmark_borderJerry Ryan’s Rapture

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By Daniel Brouse

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — What do you mean the music scene is dead? There is hope. There is light at the end of the tunnel. In the Mid-Atlantic USA, there is a beacon shining bright — Jerry Ryan.

Jerry is an unassuming hero for musicians and artists. “Jerry changed the music industry by being legitimately all about the bands. It’s not about money to him. When I asked him why he was throwing the first Elephant Talk Music Festival, he replied ‘it’s for the bands.’ I knew then that he was the right guy,” said Rick Reinhart of Out In The Woods Records.

Hundreds of bands have benefited from Jerry’s compassion. He provides musician friendly venues along the East Coast and promotes the bands at no charge. Playing outside in Atlantic City is always a treat. Quite often there are multiple stages both inside and out. The sound quality is always quite good (with a stable of house musicians that blow the roof off when playing indoors.)

Elephants For Autism 2016
Elephants For Autism 2016

In 2011, Jerry founded an annual charity event called Elephants For Autism. “I added the charity aspect to what I was doing when I realized that I could become the change I wanted to see in the world. It just made sense to me that I needed to go into a new direction,” said Jerry.

The charity work of Jerry does make a change. “Jerry Ryan’s Elephants for Autism Indie Music Festivals have raised tens of thousands of dollars for the music programs at The Archway Schools. His generosity has allowed our special needs students to experience the joy of making music on a variety of instruments he has donated, as well as helping us to build a music therapy program that promotes student wellness by managing stress, enhancing memory and improving communication,” said Doug Otto, director of special projects for The Archway Schools.

The fifth annual Elephants For Autism music festival will be held May 20-22, 2016 at the Watering Hole Cafe in Mays Landing, NJ. 100 bands will play on 2 outdoor stages and 1 indoor stage (view the line-up). All proceeds benefit the Archway School in Atco, NJ for their special needs music program and music camp. “We are very fortunate to be in a position to help others through our mutual passion that is music,” laments Jerry.

Photos Unordered: Jerry Ryan, Rob Perna Jr., Citrus Distress, Leland Porter, Elise Moureau, Jacob Graff, Daniel Brouse, Rick Reinhart, Ali Richardson, Galt Line, Ike Joy, Jason Jeffries, Pool Of Thorns, Resident Stone, Terry Utain, Chelsea Allen

Additional quotes courtesy of “A father’s love brings music festival for autism to A.C.” by VINCENT JACKSON

bookmark_borderPhiladelphia Folk Festival

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Upper Salford, PA — The Philadelphia Folksong Society held the 54th annual Folk Fest at the Old Pool Farm. Highlights included performances by Shakey Graves and the North Mississippi Allstars.

Shakey Graves
Shakey Graves

Shakey Graves’ set up caught your ear and your eye. An old suitcase was turned into a kick drum. Shakey played it backwards with one foot while playing a tambourine with the other. At the same time, he shredded an electric guitar while singing. “Shakey Graves, born Alejandro Rose-Garcia, is an Americana musician from Austin, Texas. His music is a cross between blues, country, and rock and roll. Shakey Graves is known his one-man band set up, and most of his debut album Roll the Bones is Rose-Garcia playing unaccompanied by other musicians. When he began working on his sophomore album, And the War Came, Rose-Garcia added musicians to his recording set and live set. Three songs from And the War Came are duets with ex-Paper Bird member Esme Patterson. Patrick O’Connor, from the LA music scene, plays guitar and bass with Shakey Graves at various live shows. Rose-Garcia is also occasionally accompanied by another ex-Paper Bird member, Macon Terry, on double bass, and Aaron Thomas Robinson on steel guitar.”

North Mississippi Allstars
North Mississippi Allstars

The North Mississippi also had a multi-instrumentalist that played drums, keyboards, guitar and vocals at the same time. “Having soaked up the music of their father, Memphis legend Jim Dickinson, and absorbed the North Mississippi legacy by playing in juke joints with their blues ancestors, brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson formed the North Mississippi Allstars in 1996, pioneering their own brand of blues-infused rock and roll.

The North Mississippi Allstars released their debut album, Shake Hands With Shorty, in the spring of 2000. Their debut proved to be a success and earned them a Grammy nomination for ‘Best Contemporary Blues Album’. After earning 2 more Grammy nominations in the same category for 51 Phantom (2001) and Electric Blue Watermelon (2005), the North Mississippi Allstars earned the reputation as one of the most intriguing acts to emerge from the loam of Southern blues and roots rock.

In 2008, after five studio albums and more than a decade of touring together, the Dickinsons decided to branch out and pursue other projects. In 2009 Luther teamed up with Alvin Youngblood Hart and Jimbo Mathus to form the South Memphis String Band. The trio has toured across the country and released two albums since then. In 2012, Luther formed The Wandering, a five-piece folk band featuring Shannon McNally, Amy LaVere, Valerie June and Sharde Thomas (Otha Turner’s granddaughter). He also recorded and released a solo acoustic album, Hambone’s Meditations, which received a 2013 Grammy nomination for ‘Best Folk Album.’”