Jammin’ For The Animals II, 7/30-31 @ Blue Falls Grove

The Reading festival season is alive and kicking again with the second annual Jammin’ For The Animals Festival, an event benefiting the Humane Society of Berks County in memory of festival organizer’s brother, Bobby Jones, being held at Blue Falls Grove in Ontelaunee Township.

The second year also brings the addition of a second night of live music, with the festivities to begin on Friday evening (7/30) with two very solid bands, and did we mention, a Grammy Award wnner to fill in the gaps (and from what the rumor is, to sit in with BOTH bands to make the first evening, an epic night of improvisational jams and dueling solos).

The camping music & arts festival returns to Blue Falls Grove, a family fun picnic & camping site for over 26 years, complete with an Olympic size swimming pool (additional discounted cost), fishing (license required), over one mile of creek front, volleyball, basketball, hiking, and horseshoes.  It is adjacent to 3,000 acres of watershed and a 1,000 acre lake for fishing and it has become famous recently as the site of the “birthday party episode” of  the “John & Kate Plus 8” reality television series.

Gates will open at 5pm on Friday, July 30th with Grateful Dead tribute band, the Good Lovin’ Jamband kicking off the music at 6:30pm.  Grammy-winning guitarist David Cullen, a Berks County native, will be providing the “tweener” set before premier Pennsylvania bluegrass band Cabinet hits the stage to headline the first evening at 8:30pm.  There will also be an acoustic campfire jam with the members of Cabinet immediately following their set on the main stage.

Gates will re-open at noon on Saturday, July 31st with events for children and adults of all ages.  Scheduled events are juggling & hula hooping workshops, tie-dying & pottery workshops, piercing & tattooing seminars, glassblowing, fire performances, live painting in the art village, disc golf, Chinese auction, raffles, as well as dozens of kids activities in their own pavilion.  This is all happening while non-stop premier live music is going on from 1pm until 10:30pm with artists including Mike Miz, Flux Capacitor, Fellswoop, George Crow & Cody Chelius, Dakini, Estaban & Friends, and headlining the event is breakout gospel, funk, organic groove jamband, Natural Breakdown.

In only its second year, the Jammin’ For The Animals festival is leading the way in captivating the small, hassle-free festival scene with the caliber of music one would normally see at a larger festival.  Combine the top notch music with workshops, kids events, raffles, and a variety of vendors of all kinds with proceeds benefitting a great cause in the Humane Society of Berks County, and what you get is a great festival with a great vibe – something +VIBES is proud to be a part of.   

PlusVibes Productions will be providing the light show for the festival, as well as greeting you at the front gate and patrolling the grounds as the VIBES PATROL.  Our good friends at Scarlet Sound will be providing the crisp sound.

This event is an ALL-AGES, rain or shine, family-friendly (please be kind to the people AND the environment) event.    Friendly pets are also welcomed (leashed only).

A limited number of advance tickets are available for $30 for the weekend through CHRIS at PlusVibes Productions, at the Brass Lantern, and at the additional ticket outlets listed on the MySpaceand Facebook pages.  

Tickets will be available at the gate for $40.   NO DAY PASSES are available.  We highly recommend you take advantage of the discount and guarantee your ticket (we’re expecting a big crowd) by purchasing your ticket now.

Children under 10 are admitted free with adult.  Camping is available for an additional $5 per person (to be paid at front gate).

For more information or any additional quesitons, email info@plusvibes.com.

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE.    BRING A FRIEND!

Three’s Company at Trooper Thorn’s (outside) every 2nd Friday

In an audio and visual extravaganza, PlusVibes Productions and Trooper Thorn’s are proud to now host local DJs Gregg Nyce and DJ Evolution with progressive visuals by VjcA every second Friday of every month. 

Being billed as “Three’s Company“, including a hilarious poster design created by Tony and Allen Jackson of T-Bone and Aljaxx Illustration and Design, mimicking the classic TV series theme.  The Jacksons were also recently approved by national music act, Ween, to produce a poster for their Baltimore, Maryland show.  

The shows will feature individual sets by each DJ, with a showcase battle at the end of the evening.  The entire evening will also feature two projectors with spectacular visuals controlled by engineer, and York, Pennsylvania native, Justin, also known as VjcA. 

DJ Gregg Nyce has been spinning records since the age of 15, starting off spinning hip hop & reggae at local parties in the Reading area gaining a loyal fanbase and eventually gaining enough reputation to be officially “booked” by venues.   

In 1999 he moved to Philadelphia and quickly established himself, including a Saturday spot spinning hip hop and reggae on Drexel University radio 91.7 WKDU, then transitioning in the club music on Fridays in popular clubs such as Club Eden Roc, Club Glam, Transit, and Shampoo.  He also branched out as far as the New York City scene, with stints in clubs such as Manhattan’s Club M1-5, Delancey, and The Knitting Factory.  Most recently Nyce went global, when he headlined two nights in Amsterdam, Holland at the famed Club De Duivel in April of 2009. 

The Gregg Nyce sound has evolved into an eclectic mix that encompasses all genres from Hip Hop to R&B to Reggae to House to Electro to Classics.  His eclectic show is a perfect pairing with sounds of DJ Evolution. 

Starting his musical identity with a large collection of L.P.’s and 12-inch singles passed on from his father in his teen years, DJ Evolution first began “mixing” using the simple start-stop technique when experimenting as a teenager.  He recognized the potential of adding non-musical snippets, such a movie voices, nature sounds, recorded conversations, and speeches to the music tracks and he began to produce the makings of an overall show. 

It was not until the age of 17, when he bought his first set of Technics, that he was truly able to accurately (and mechanically) express the musical art that was flowing through his creative veins.  DJ Evolution spent many years after that with his headphones on in his bedroom studio, practicing the basic skills of beat matching, seamless mixing, and track selection, but more importantly, he was incessantly collecting more and more records. 

It was this collection that formed his extremely eclectic identity.  DJ Evolution spins ANY and EVERY genre of music – no exaggeration.  Hip hop, reggae, Motown, soul, techno, hard rock, funk rock, alternative rock, pop, even country (Johnny Cash is most definitely in his repertoire) – these are some of the major genres he covers and he’s bound to mix and match, and maybe even create his own genre on any given night. 

He’s been the hardest working DJ in the area with spotlights in Allentown, Bethlehem, Philadelphia, and more locally in Reading spots such as the Northeast Taproom, Blind Hartman’s Tavern, and The Brass Lantern. 

One thing you can guarantee at any DJ Evolution show is that you will be embarking on a musical journey from beginning to end and he keeps your attention on the dance floor, and, more often than not, you will sporadically hear familiar banter from people in the crowd saying, “I LOVE this song”. 

The trifecta of two DJs and a visual engineer makes each show one that stimulates all the senses.  We hope that you can come and experience the stimulation for yourself. 

Here’s all the information: 

Three’s Company

   every second Friday of every month 

with Live Art & Visuals by VjcA

 at Trooper Thorn’s
(outside on the deck) 

ALL SUMMER LONG

RAIN OR SHINE (covered dance area)

$5 at the door

Lights provided by PlusVibes Productions.

  - May 14, 2010 
 - June 11, 2010
 - July 9, 2010
 - August 13, 2010
 - September 10, 2010

Trooper Thorn’s offers a unique Irish-pub style atmosphere and dinner menu, with two floors of indoor seating, and an outside deck with a bar and a covered stage & dance area.

GRATEFUL DEAD night monthly with GLJB @ the Brass every 3rd Friday

After a successful celebration of the birthday of Grateful Dead leader, Jerry Garcia, last month at the Brass Lantern, the members of the Good Lovin’ Jam Band (GLJB) were asked to return for a monthly residency.

Every third Friday until 2010 (or beyond), starting this Friday at 9pm, PlusVibes Productions is especially proud to establish a consistent monthly spotlight on Grateful Dead music once again in Reading, at the Brass Lantern.

It’s been some years since the likes of Grateful Dead cover bands such as Living Earth, Double Dose, and Solar Circus (just to name a few) frequented the Reading area in small clubs like the Brass Lantern, Mr. Charlie’s, The Strand, and Top of the ROC (all but the Brass have long since closed).  With all of those bands dissipating over the years it has been extremely difficult to find a solid replacement until now. 

The Good Lovin’ Jam Band has filled the shoes of its predecessors in providing a complete show for Grateful Dead fans,  starting off with a set by Pangea Acoustic, a set by Neo Trio, and ending with combination of both openers to form the Good Lovin’ Jam Band for two full sets.

It’s a 4-set night of magical music in tribute to a band that’s influenced the ears of happy-hippie listeners since the 1960′s – the Grateful Dead.  We’re sure that all Deadheads will be satisfied in the right on performance that the Good Lovin’ Jam Band provides each and every show.

Take a listen or download the GLJB show from August here.

Here’s all the information:

The Good Lovin’ Jam Band

    every third Friday at the Brass Lantern

featuring Pangea Acoustic & Neo Trio

9pm – 2am
21+ only

$5 at the door

Friday, May 21st
Friday, June 18th
Friday, July 16th
Friday, August 20th

The Brass Lantern offers:
 - $2.50 domestic drafts, $6.50 pitchers
 - $3 Jager, Rumplemintz, Blackhaus, & other shots
 - Wings, Burgers, Nachos, Patty Melts, Salads, & more
 - Kitchen open until 9:45pm!
 - Friendly service & great overall vibe

Critique A Brass Lantern Show

 I’ve uploaded a bunch of great live shows from the Brass Lantern that I’ve had the privilege of running front-of-house sound for (and recording) into the Live Music Archives on ARCHIVE.org.

Give them a listen and post your comments below.  I would definitely appreciate your feedback.  It’s the only way to get better.

Don’t forget to list WHICH show you are referencing when making your comments below.

I encourage you to share & distribute any show you think is worthy.  Its a good way to promote the music, the artists,  & the venues.   Just don’t forget to tell your friends where you got it from!

Spread the vibes.

Chris @ +VIBES