Jersey Mike

Today is June 23. It’s about 5:30 in the afternoon and a Wednesday. The “Harrisburg Jazz and Multi-Cultural Festival” Hosted By, er, was-Hosted By-But-Now-It-Ain’t-By-Mayor Linda Thompson begins in ten days and there’s nary a calendar, schedule, email blast, Facebook invite or even a TWEET to be found.

Sure, the city is in rough shape and whether or not this poorly-renamed “festival” was even going to happen was up in the air until only about a month ago, but you’ve got an event that you’ve known about since BEFORE you took office and there’s been nothing but BAD INK about it since the renaming- it’s time to HIT THE STREETS.

To make matters worse, the “headliner” of the “Jazz and Multi-Cultural Festival” has been announced…but it ain’t much worth getting excited about. The Duke Ellington Legacy Band – a band formed by the Jazz legend’s, ahem, grandchildren. (which, I guess is better than last year’s American Music Fest headliner – an Asia tribute band)

Look, I might not be qualified to comment on the finances of the city or the wacky situation involving the Harrisburg Authority and the incestuous nature that the appointments are taking, but I DO know a thing or two about booking a show and promoting events and I can say with full confidence that the 2010 American Music Fest Harrisburg Jazz and Multi Cultural Festival is going to be a major disappointment unless the new parks and rec director pulls a gigantic Raven out of his hat and brings back Jerry Garcia, John Lennon and Jim Morrison from the dead to headline a show on a stage borrowed from Pink Floyd and has Bill Graham come down from the skies to promote it.

TEN DAYS AWAY and NO LINEUP!?

Are there any bands booked for this thing? I titled the post the way I did because Linda Thompson is hosting this thing- so, who better to ask than the HOST, right?

Get with it, guys. And if you can’t figure out this part of the administration, HIRE someone to do it.

Randomly stopped into Maxwell’s in Hoboken late last night. I was looking forward to checking out some bands- but similar to sweet-home-Harrisburg, North Jersey is littered not with McDonalds bags and Dunkin Donuts coffee cups, but with crappy cover bands in nearly every bar and venue.

Even the place across the street from my brothers apartment- although ’twas a pretty cool bar, they had some pretty lame acoustic duo from Long Island playing horrible Dave Matthews and Sublime covers. When they said “anything you guys wanna hear?” I belted out “Tenacious D!” – they chuckled and said “sorry man- don’t know any.” (I’m sorry, but if you’re going to play fucking covers all night, you better know one or two Tenacious D tunes.)

ANYWAY- went into Maxwell’s and really dug this band called I.D.K. Immediately thought of early Black Flag/Rollins – and the association is blatant- the lead singer covered in ink and pretty well built and has that same kind of go-ahead-and-try-it…I’ll-kick-your-ass attitude.

Apparently, the I.D.K was a pretty well received North Jersey Hardcore band for about ten years in the early nineties. Touring the country on their “To kill for the good of the fight for the right to be right” EP on Bush League records and followed up with one or two more. But they disbanded for some time from 1998 til today- and now are back again.

I knew nothing of these guys before wandering into Maxwell’s at the end of last night- but was certainly impressed, not only with their live set, but by the dedication and energy being thrown back to them from the forty or fifty kids in front of the stage.

Sort of looking at it as my unexpected good find of the day-

Dig it-
What’s the deal? by I.D.K.

They’re back!

Toubab Krewe rolls their biodeisel fueled bus back to The Abbey Bar at Appalachian Brewing Company for an early “Evening With” show-

Doors at 7 and the show’ll start nice and early (due to the early-in-the-week status of this show)

Tickets are onsale now at the host stand at Appalachian Brewing Company or Roundtable Tickets for eight bucks in advance or twelve at the door.

It’s been a loooong time comin’, but it looks like we may see a full-on reunion of Philly’s Brothers Past.

In an announcement on their website today, Tommy, Clay, Rick and Tom revealed plans for a special New Years Eve show at the brand-spankin new The Note in West Chester PA.

- Hey all. A few weeks back we played some music at a friend’s party and had a good old time doing it. From the looks of things, some of you did too. So …. we’re gonna do it again. But this time we’re gonna do it on New Year’s Eve, in West Chester, where it all began

Stay tuned for more…

[Here's a clip from the Fire Drill show at ABC- uploaded by the one and only Stony]