A phone call to the Mayor’s office confirmed rumors that Mayor Reed is not currently in his office and Linda Lingle has been “Acting Mayor” for an undisclosed amount of time.
No information as to the whereabouts of the Mayor was disclosed either.
When questioned as to the reason for the Mayor’s absence and the appointment of Linda Lingle as a fill in, I was transferred to the Mayor’s Assistant- Matthew Coulter.
A voicemail left for Coulter was not returned at post time.
Stay tuned for more…
Completing something of a trifecta of live-music-mishaps, the Joe Russo and Friends show at ABC last night was nothing short of surprising- and rang consistent with a series of minor mishaps that keep this promoter on his toes-
Here’s a bit of backstory-
November 17, 2005, Roundtable Presented an evening with The Benevento/Russo Duo to a pretty full house. At the time, it was our biggest name to date- along with one of our bigger crowds. Having only graduated from shows at dive-bars merely six months prior, we still had a lot to learn.
Three times during the ripping performance by The Duo, we overloaded the breakers and the power cut out mid song.
Three times.
Embarrassing? Yeah, a little. But more importantly, we learned a thing or two about preparation for bigger shows. Two weeks later we completely upgraded the power system at ABC- and haven’t had a problem since.
Skip ahead about a year and a half to spring of 06- Brothers Past returned to The Brewery for their incredible “Intro To Ilya” show- kicking off a tour with their new drummer Ilya Stemkovsky.
The crowd was stellar- the music was on-point- and good times were being had by all. Until halfway through the second set- when the FIRE ALARM went off.
Two hundred dancing-happy music fans filed politely and orderly into the parking lot while the Harrisburg Fire Department made their way through the building. After determining the alarm went off from a combination ofof a very smoky audience and the use of a fog machine, everyone filed back into the building and the show continued without a hitch.
About a month ago, I got a call from The Duo Management about a one-off date that Joe Russo was planning with Brothers Past guitarist Tom Hamilton and a bass player that had yet to be determined.
Excited about the unique combination and shuffling around an open mic for the week, I booked the night and began promoting.
Support duties went to the Quagmire Swim Team/Slamo!-spinoff Suburban Transit- with Tobey Forsman, Buzz from QST and Kelly Hollinger on drums.
Sub Tran played a ripping-as-usual set to a small but warm and anticipatory crowd of Duo Fans, Brothers Past Heads and local scenesters.
And just as I got to the point in the night where I think that everything is coming up roses, it happened.
While mounting the stage, bass player for Joe Russo and Friends and longtime jamband collaborator Justin Wallace took a freak spill and fell frontwards onto his bass guitar.
After walking it off and sitting down for a minute to look at the damage, he quickly realized this was no simple scraped knee- and we could clearly see his shinbone.
Requiring a trip to the Harrisburg Hospital emergency room for five stitches and a night off his feet.
So there it is.
Power problems with The Duo.
An emergency evacuation with Brothers Past.
And get them both together- and it’s a trip to the emergency room.
Tobey Forsman- bass player for Suburban Transit filled in for most of the night- resulting in nearly two hours of incredible jams spanning all genres- all completely unrehearsed.
Was it a good night? Hell yeah it was-
And it’s nights like those that keep me coming back for more.
See you at the next show…
Josh Karns wrote an eloquent and inspiring piece yesterday about the corporate littering of your Patriot News.
And in a typical-schoolyard-playground-bickering response, PennLive responded- also including yours truly in the piece-
Join us this Thursday, September 20 at The Abbey Bar at Appalachian Brewing Company in Harrisburg for the DEBUT PERFORMANCE OF Joe Russo and Friends – Featuring Tom Hamilton and Justin Wallace-Joe Russo – of Benevento/Russo Duo fame, Brothers Pasts’ Tom Hamilton and longtime collaborator and ULU bass machine Justin “Juicy” Wallace plan to explore the inner depths and far reaches of experimental rock – jazz- electronica…and anything else they feel compelled to rock -Tickets are available until midnight tonight for ten bucks at http://roundtabletickets.com or at the doors for twelve-
Pick em up now, as you don’t want to miss this one-of-a-kind performance
***The Summary***
Joe Russo and Friends
The Abbey Bar at Appalachian Brewing Company
Thurs Sept 20
Doors at 7PM
21+
10 adv 12 dos-
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/4oe4QmrR3W8" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
Here’s a few tidbits- for those of you who are interested- in what’s happening in other locations with their Amusement Tax Woes-
A phone call to Jill Rhiner in the City of Lancaster Accounting Office gave me the insight that- surprise, surprise, the City of Lancaster does not have an amusement tax.
Illegal because it’s selective
Rosemont Will Fight Amusement Tax
From CNN.com
Amusement tax: Ever wondered about the extra tax you pay on stadium seats? That’s the amusement tax, often levied at both city and state levels. Most states, including Massachusetts, Virginia and Maryland, and cities like New Orleans, have amusement taxes on tickets sold at any venue with more than 750 to 1,000 seats.
Amusing, isn’t it?
From State College
