It was a gorgeous day on the ocean with great music from First Class at Lenny’s Beach Bar & Grill at the Clarion.

Max Black, featuring guitarists Will McIntyre & Warren Dunlevy, will return to rock the Purple Moose Tuesday & Wednesday.

Calling all Lynyrd Skynyrd fans - tribute band Tuesdays Gone will perform Wednesday at Seacrets.

Former Untouchables guitarist Sean O’Brien sat in w/the band at M.R. Ducks.

The Lucky Daredevil Thrill Show will have you dazed and amuzed Thursday and Friday (9/18) at the Steer Inn Tavern.

Stacy Mitchhart was brilliant on guitar with his band at the Convention Ctr.

Phil Knight opened the Stacy Mitchhart concert playing great originals.

The Stacy Mitchhart Band featured Cory on trumpet & Jules on sax.

    Hi, all. As I’m writing to you on Thurs. afternoon, the wind and rain of a genuine Nor’easter is pounding the trees in front of my office; feels like Fall today but I say bring on Indian Summer! In fact, this weather just makes me want to curl up and watch a movie, so I’m not writing too much today. I know everyone is pumped up about the beginning of football season and so am I. And I’m excited about the Chamber Grand Ball taking place at the Clarion Fri. night; with music by Teenage Rust, you know it’s going to be a fun night.
    It was a great concert at the Convention Ctr. last Sat. with the Stacy Mitchhart Band brought to us by MikeMike Productions. Mitchhart is a dynamic blues guitarist, who thoroughly charmed us with his friendly banter, snappy attire and constant shuffling dance moves. And his band was terrific, too. The talented horn section, Cory Distefano (trumpet) and Jules Caldarera (sax) were soooo good looking. Bonus! Emanual Cole on bass, Darin James on drums and Paul Brown on keyboards showed us why this group is the house band at the famous B.B. King House of Blues in Nashville. They played many of his originals, including from his latest CD Grown Ass Man, and did some covers including a Freddie King number and a most intriguing rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Lovin’.” Mitchhart played slide on his Dobro, just one from his extensive guitar collection. The arrangement was so cool and sexy. He stopped at one point and said, “You know those words ‘big legged woman ain’t got no soul’?” Then he teased the women in the audience a little and said, “I’m thinkin’ a big legged woman gotta whole lotta soul!” This type of good humored communication with his audience was a keystone of his performance - thoroughly enjoyable. And he was so gracious to his new fans after the show - even gifting some new young fans with his CDs. Sure hope they come back next year and hope you all will come out and support such quality music.
    Besides the start of football season, all the talk around town is about the much anticipated Bike Week. I know the entertainment schedules have been amped up to make sure we and our visiting biker friends all have a good time. Case in point, Tranzfusion will kick off the week on Mon. at Micky Fins - first time there for this popular group. Also at Fins this Sat. make sure  you come out to hear David Stone - The Johnny Cash Experience. This man almost channels the spirit of the late ‘man in black’ with sight and sound, playing all the famous tunes and some obscure ones, too, with a story to tell about many of them. A night with David Stone is most definitely an Experience!
    Another experience you won’t want to miss is the return of The Lucky Daredevil Thrillshow at the Steer Inn on Wed. and Thurs. nights. Owner Skip considers this to be the premier show of its type featuring death-defying stunts hosted by Tyler Fyre & Thrill Kill Jill. Take a break from the ordinary and stop in for some out of the ordinary entertainment.
    Out of the ordinary is just what we had last week at M.R. Ducks last week with a stellar performance by Mary Lou & the Untouchables. This was the biggest crowd I have ever seen there - amazing! Such a shame the weather prevented their Labor Day show. They will be back for Sunfest.
    The first Friday Jazz Night at Galaxy 66 was a huge success with the very talented duo of Vessa and her keyboard accompanist Bill Nocello. Beautiful Vessa had such an incredible voice and sincere performance stemming from her genuine love of music. (Thanks to Roberta for introducing her friend to us.) Vessa will return on Sept. 18th. This Friday you’ll hear the jazzy cool sounds of the Philly George Band. I had the pleasure of hearing them last week at Jive. Georg Shelton (keyboard), Tom Thorpe (sax), Vaughn Bratcher (bass) & Phil Scudder (guitar) have the talent it takes to capture their audience with the brilliance of their performance. Listen and love!
     Be sure to check our listing for all the good stuff such as the Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band Tuesdays Gone on Wed. at Seacrets and the AC/DC tribute band Live Wire on Thur. Plus the Purple Moose has been off the hook  lately and brings it on strong with Max Black (featuring Will McIntyre on guitar) on Tue.-Wed. and Surreal Thur. thru Sat. Now, Coconut Amy visited the Island Cafe last week and has some music news to share with us. Take it away, Amy.
    Had the pleasure of catching a new group at Island Cafe last Saturday night, Bumpin' Uglies. Well, the name may not be very pretty but their music was great! They played lots of alternative favorites, some with a funky, almost jazzy twist that got me snappin' my fingers and tappin' my toes! Their extensive repertoire was mostly on the upbeat but included just the right dash here and there of a cool slow tune. Fast or slow, funky or jazzy, all were smooth and surprisingly tight for a relatively new, young group. Also impressive was the very full sound they were able to turn out for just three guys. Although, I understand there are two more members who were unable to make this gig that complete the group. Hey, as full and strong as they were with just the three, I can't wait to hear them again with all five! Keep a lookout for their next appearance at Island Cafe!
    Thank you Amy. As usual, there are many great choices for live music in our fair town this week. I have to mention Full Circle who will appear at 707 tonight (Fri.) and applaud them, and their guest players, for donating their time and talent to Kathy Gorrera’s benefit at Coins last Sun. It was a spectacular success and I know it was a boost to Kathy’s spirits.
    Keep on partying and always party safe!