Yes, Springfest was a blast and I only saw a fraction of the incredible music that was offered, but I did come home with quite a few new trinkets - a little Happy Mother’s Day to myself. I think most notable was the glorious weather. Hallelujah! No N’easters! Thur. night did get pretty chilly during the Ocean City Jam for our local musicians but we kept warm groovin’ to the music. Hope you enjoy all the pictures elsewhere in this issue.
    We have two Monday deck parties at Fager’s Island under our belts now, the Friday deck parties with Kevin Poole have begun; and this Sat. Opposite Directions will open up the Sat. deck parties. My friend Barbara and I enjoyed a delicious brunch Sun. for Mother’s Day with music by Everett Spells, who not only plays and sings like an angel but also has a most charming and genuine smile.
    If you love classic rock, you’ll have two of the best in the business in town this weekend. Friday night Tranzfusion will play at the 707 Sports Bar & Grille in West Ocean City. Bob on keyboards, Hank on guitar, Tom on bass and Bobby on drums perfectly recreate the tunes that forever remain the best in classic rock. If you’re not a late night person, you can hear them play Sat. afternoon on the dock at M.R. Ducks. The cafe is open, too, and they have some really good food.
    The other group I was referring to is Alive n Kickin playing Friday and Saturday nights at the world famous Purple Moose on the Boardwalk. These guys deliver the hard-driving classic rock that was the staple of the ‘80s and still most popular today. Let’s rock at the Moose! And don’t forget to get your tickets for KIX coming to the Moose on June 30th.
    The trees are in and the beach at Seacrets will be open for the first Beach Party of the year with the return of the Jim Long Band. It promises to be an all-out blast with all of Jim’s fans at the Party Bar celebrating (hope I’m not blowin’ it) his birthday. Yey, it’s finally here. Following will be the return of Anthem for all you reggae fans who love to groove in the sand; while inside you can rock out to Lifespeed on Friday and Big Bang Baby on Saturday.
    I made it to High Stakes last week in time to hear the last few songs from Lower Case Blues. Every time I hear these guys I’m totally blown away by their incredible talent and awesome energy. We can hear Jake, BJ & Rick again this Saturday playing at Smitty McGee’s.
    Leading up to their amazing Rods & Rockers Show next Sat., May 21, the Steer Inn Tavern presents a great weekend lineup for us with the Gas House Gorillas on Friday and The Mood Swingers with Lauren Glick on Saturday. If you haven’t been to hear Gas House Gorillas yet, you just don’t know what your’re missing; and if you have, I know I’ll see you there. Rick Fink on lead vocals not only has a killer voice but a stage presence that is unsurpassed. As his bio says, “his writing skills and boundless high energy performances blur the lines that separate Jump Blues, Rock and Swing, creating a mixture of American music that transcends all walks of life.” Couldn’t have said it better myself (so I didn’t). Dean Shot on guitar also delivers like a shot in the arm of “sheer power and passion behind every note.” And then we have Jerry “Chicken” Scaringe on the upright bass. Not only talented on the bass, Jerry plays with total abandon and is a fan favorite. How did he get the nickname “Chicken?” His own Rockabilly Blues band is called The Slippery Chickens. Added to this mix is the sound of James White on sax and Angelo Merendino on drums.
    There’s so much to do all around town so check out the “Who’s Where When” and go!