Huge Lineup of Music at the Brass Lantern, 4/20-4/29

Starting on Tuesday, April 20th, the Brass Lantern, in association with PlusVibes Productions, will be hosting a huge lineup of premium artists, with what was supposed to be, the venue’s final five shows.

As reported in a previous blog entitled, “End of an Era: The Brass Lantern To Change Ownership,” the venue was scheduled to be sold to a local sports bar owner on April 30th.

Well, that deal has fallen through and, while some people may think this is a good thing, it is unfortunately not.  Though technically back on the market (serious inquiries should contact them immediately), the Brass Lantern is still suffering from the issues discussed in the March blog and now is in serious danger of closing its doors forever, especially as the summer “slow” season approaches.

So the events planned as their “final” performances may continue to be billed as such, because the future of the Brass Lantern as a live music venue is now up in the air.  +VIBES encourages everyone to patronize this landmark live music venue and tell a friend (to tell a friend) that the Brass Lantern needs their help to keep its doors open.

The “final” performances will begin on Tuesday, April 20th, with NINE FINGER SALOON performing an early show as part of the “FINAL Taco Tuesday” at the Brass Lantern.  9FS is a musical tribute to the works of Jerry Garcia, with all the members being no strangers to that stage.  The music is schedule to start around 9pm.

Thursday, April 22nd is “Customer Appreciation Day” at the Brass Lantern with FREE homemade appetizers from 5pm until 7pm, and $1.25 Miller Light drafts until midnight and West Chester’s high energy dance band, BODEGA.  These youngsters have graced the stage at the Brass Lantern many times in their still-rising career, gaining the attention of any conscious music lover in the building.  They are raw talented musicians, and they continue to build a loyal following with every show.  They hit the stage around 9:30pm (with no cover until they start!). 

FROG HOLLER is having their CD Re Release Party on Friday, April 23rd at the Brass Lantern.  They have completely remastered and re-packaged “Couldn’t Get Along”, which was the Berks County band’s debut album released in 1998 on the ZoBird label.  It was a year or so later when they established a lasting friendship with the Brass Lantern and from that point until now they have undoubtedly provided the highest attended shows there ever.  We expect this evening to be like “old times” where it’s standing room only and the place is full of fans singing along to every word.  This show starts at 10pm, but we suggest you come early to get your spot!

A semi-reunion show is shaping up for Saturday, April 24th, with some of the members of ALCHEMY coming together to open up for QUAGMIRE SWIM TEAM.  We couldn’t (possibly) say goodbye to the Brass Lantern without hosting two bands that have been with +VIBES since its very beginning.  This night will be one to remember as all sort of surprises are expected, but one thing is for sure, the Brass Lantern will be full of dancing friends and family.

Not sure how to top all that, so we’d like to think of Thursday, April 29th’s show as the “cherry on top”.  What was billed as the “Final Show at the Brass Lantern” before the new ownership has now become possibly the last chance you will have to see Reading-reggae favorite, JAH WORKS at the Brass Lantern.  This Baltimore-based band had no idea what they were in store for when they arrived for their first show at the Brass Lantern in 2008.  They immediately became part of the +VIBES and Brass Lantern family by putting on one of the best reggae parties ever at the venue.  They somehow topped those shows two more times, increasing the attendance and gaining new fans each time, while remaining very humble and grateful for the opportunities.  This show is slated to start at 9pm and will be standing room only, so come early and spend an evening with some positive vibrations.

Stay posted to www.plusvibes.comand www.thebrasslanternlive.com for more news regarding the future of the Brass Lantern.

In summary:

TUESDAY, 4/20 – Nine Finger Saloon – 8:45pm

THURSDAY, 4/22 – Bodega – 9:30pm

FRIDAY, 4/23 – Frog Holler – 10pm

SATURDAY, 4/24 – Quagmire Swim Team w/members of Alchemy – 10pm

THURSDAY, 4/29 – Jah Works – 9pm

Bodega, RYAT, Tim Conley, JUGGLING SUNS @ Brass

This weekend is cooking up to be a jam-roast, with instrumental powerhouse Bodega on Friday (10/23) night, and the now 4-piece jam veterans, the Juggling Suns on Saturday (10/24) night  at the Brass Lantern.

With the fireplace now in full roar, the Brass Lantern kicks into cold weather mode, which, more importantly, means its peak business (see older blog, “SAVE THE BRASS LANTERN”).

PlusVibes Productions has a full roster of great music scheduled through the New Year at the Brass Lantern, including confirmed shows with fantastic bands such as MIZ (featuring Mike Miz), PUSH, Quagmire Swim Team, Cabinet, Pychedelphia, Flux Capacitor, and a special Brass Lantern Christmas show with Gingham.

The Brass Lantern also features three residency shows every month with DJs Gregg Nyce and Evolution, the Manatawny Creek Ramblers, and the Good Lovin’ Jam Band featuring members of Pangea Acoustic and Neo Trio.  See the Brass Lantern‘s official website for further information.

THIS Friday, October 23rd, are the young (but certainly

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veterans on the jam band circuit) Bodega.  Billed as high-energy dance music, they always kill it at the Brass Lantern.  You can hear their past shows from the Brass The General rip , available now on Internet Archive. 

This time they are bringing the duo RYAT and Tim Conley (Grimace Federation) with them.  The duo perform a very unique electronic show with RYAT laying down captivating vocals with very spacey effects, and Tim playing his guitar through heavy effects as well, with both of them controlling beats, loops, and samples on laptops.  The whole show has a very Björk overall feel.

On Saturday, October 24th, the Juggling Suns come back to town.  The Suns have reduced their numbers to four, losing rhythm guitarist and vocalist Tim Morris, leaving the rhythm and solos to guitar master, Mark Diomede – a feat that Mark conquered immediately, as evident in the most recent rain-soaked Sun’s awesome performance at the Dragonfly Equinox Festival

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on September 26th at Blue Falls Grove.

The new ensemble has opened up space to return to its roots – the long intricate jam (much to any music fan’s delight).  The live shows have become havens for those wanting to dance, to sing, to play air guitar, and most importantly, leave every venue or festival grounds with HUGE smiles on their faces, saying, “Damn, that Juggling Suns show brought the house down!”

It’s a sight and saying that I have seen and heard multiple times this year.   This Saturday will be no different at the Brass Lantern.  Don’t miss it!

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Here’s all the information:

Bodega with RYAT and Tim Conley

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Friday, October 23rd, 2009

9:30pm – 2am

21+ only
NON-SMOKING venue

$5 @ the door

————— – ———— – ————- – ————- – ————-

The Juggling Suns

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

10pm – 2am
21+ only
NON-SMOKING venue

$8 @ the door

The Brass Lantern offers:
 - $2.50 domestic drafts, $4.50 micro brew drafts
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 - $3 Jager, Rumplemintz, Blackhaus, & other shots

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 - Wings, Burgers, Nachos, Patty Melts, Salads, & more
 - Kitchen open until 10pm!

Bottle Shock

 - Friendly service & great overall vibe

Hope to see you there.

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BODEGA returns to the Brass Lantern, Friday 8/14

Ropeadope Records recording artist, Bodega return to the Brass Lantern in Reading, Pennsylvania on Friday, August 14th at 10pm.

It’s been some time since their last performance in Reading, but these young players are most definitely veterans to the Brass Lantern, playing about every eight to ten weeks in 2007 and 2008.

Bodega calls West Chester, Pennsylvania their home, and members include Nick Bockrath (guitar, keyboards, synths), Steve Lyons (bass), Jeremy Worthington (drums, samples, percussion), Peter Madonna (guitar), and Max Swan (saxophone).

The year 2007 proved to be a stellar year for the instrumental-dance-rock group, with a highly acclaimed improvisational set at the side stage (Ropeadope Stage) at the All Good Festival The Charge of the Light Brigade move , in Masontown, West Virginia, as the “stage band” for Marco Benevento’s set.  Billed on the official stage schedule as “Marco Benevento & Friends Goodfellas dvd “, the invite to play with Benevento would prove to be one of the best moves, as a  band, that Bodega has ever made. 

That All Good set flowed like the group had been headlining festivals with Benevento for years and it marked Bodega as a true force to be reckoned with on the jam band scene, and after the recording was published on the Live Music Archives, with full credit to Bodega as the support band, the recording opened the eyes and ears of live music lovers world-wide.  To date, that set has over 4,000 downloads and counting.

Following All Good Shallow Ground 2007, the band shot into the spotlight on the jam band scene and started filling small venues easily in the Philadelphia, West Chester, and surrounding areas such as the World Cafe Live and The Note.  Side projects ensued in 2008 and 2009, including lead guitarist, Nick being picked up for some Damn Right! shows, and bassist, Steve, who is the only band member still under 21, and Nick both contributed musically on a track on the latest Disco Biscuits studio album.

The band has also been known to host (un-announced) guest musicians at their shows such as Rick Lowenburg (formerly of Brothers Past) and Ian McGuire (MJ Project) to name a few.

In 2008, Bodega released the debut studio album, Bounce! (available at Ropeadope Records Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome release Vanishing Point divx ) and have been supporting it since.  Studio tracks, intertwined with melodic and high energy improvisational jams make every show a dance fest. 

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Here’s all the information:

Bodega

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2 full sets

@ The Brass Lantern

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Friday, August 14th, 2009

10pm – 2am
21+ only
$5 at the door

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! 
 - 2 large parking lots
 - Friendly service & great overall vibe

Hope to see you there!

End of an Era: The Brass Lantern To Change Ownership

Purchased by John and Ginger Ortiz in 1999, the Brass Lantern, located in the Northeast section of Reading, Pennsylvania, started off as your typical neighborhood bar and restaurant, with a standard American-style menu but focusing mainly on the [at that time] growing fascination with microbrews, which is simply another term for handcrafted beers produced in limited amounts (which varies by region).

The Brass Lantern featured seven different beers on draft and a massive bottled beer selection from microbreweries around the world.  If you wanted a “good” beer in town, you came to Northeast Reading.

After building a successful clientele in a short amount of time, the Brass Lantern became a pioneer in the live original music scene in the Berks County area.  They purchased an entire sound system, built a stage, and began showcasing the best musical talent in the area, such as Frog Holler, The Worms, The Youngers, Hexbelt, and Dakini.  All these bands built a large part of their fan base at the Brass Lantern over the years.

With talent like those bands listed above, the Brass Lantern quickly fit the bill as “Berks County’s BEST Original Live Music” and they established themselves as THE venue to play in the area.  This, in turn, brought the Brass Lantern to the attention of touring bands nation-wide, and they began to receive press kits and demos from bands around the country (so many that they filled an entire coat closet full of demo CDs!).

Acts such as Brothers Past, Townhall, Fat Mama, RAQ, The Recipe, and Lotus all had multiple successful shows at the Brass Lantern in the early part of the millenium before becoming headlining national touring bands.

By 2003 the Brass Lantern had caught the attention of NATIONAL touring acts and hosted maximum capacity shows with Michael Glabicki (of multi-platinum record selling band, Rusted Root) and Melvin Seals & JGB.

It was shortly after these shows when +VIBES founder, Chris Kratz came on staff at the Brass Lantern as a bartender and, by the end of that year, took over the booking responsibilities from the co-owner, John, who had booked all the phenomenal shows up until then (those were some big shoes to fill).

From there, it was full steam ahead for live music at the Brass Lantern, with shows two, three, four, and sometimes fives days a week for several years. It showcased THE premier artists (of ALL genres) in the jamband circuit, including Quagmire Swim Team, Alchemy, Jazzam, Cabinet, Living Earth, Future Rock, Jah Works, Pnuma Trio, BioDiesel, Boris Garcia, Kris Kehr & Julie Edlow, Juggling Suns, Family Groove Company, Natural Breakdown, U-Melt, Mike Miz, Codename, Bodega, Ronnie Penque (of New Riders of the Purple Sage), Jeff Bujak, David Cullen (Grammy winner), Marco Benevento, and many more.  It is roughly estimated that, through the years, the Brass Lantern has hosted over 1500 shows with over 200 bands with over 600 individual musicians.

Those numbers demand respect, especially in the fact that 90 per cent of those bands performed their own original material and not just a night full of cover songs (with the exception of the Grateful Dead and “reggae nights”), so every night was its own unique show.

It was undoubtedly evident that the Brass Lantern had established itself as a landmark for live original music in Reading, Pennsylvania.

But while the music flourished over the years, Father Time had taken his toll and danced his heavy boots all over the Brass Lantern property, leaving a trail of evidence – a leaky roof, a pothole-ridden parking lot, a shattered front marquee, broken tables, chairs, & bar stools, broken beer coolers, and many other little tedious broken things throughout the  building. 

Showing the utmost respect to what it had become in the music scene yet having its demeanor not going un-noticed, people have even called it the “Brokedown” Lantern, in reference to a Grateful Dead classic.

So these extra repair bills and responsibilities, in addition to a city with a rising crime rate, as well as a declining national economy (which hurts the overall patronage to the venue) and that equals a financial liability for the current owner, who has a family including a newborn to worry about, and also a thriving interior & exterior renovation business.

Understandably, the business was put on the market in 2009, and it is now official – the Brass Lantern has been SOLD!  The final day of the current ownership is tentatively Thursday, April 29th, 2010.

Although deeply saddened by the situation, PlusVibes Productions keeps its head high in knowing that it has provided the best hospitality around to all the artists, the crews, the patrons, and our beloved Brass Lantern “family” of regular customers, and also, that it has been such a positive experience for everyone involved – the memories, the lasting friendships made, the laughs, the tears, the smiles, and most of all, the MUSIC! 

It will NEVER be forgotten.

After speaking with the NEW owner, he has stated that he wants to give the Brass Lantern a much needed makeover and improve the general security inside and outside the venue, but keep the overall vibe the same.  Upon the urging of his wife, who ironically worked in the building when it was a seafood restaurant, he plans to simply name it, the ‘New’ Brass Lantern.

We are very anxious to see what the future will bring for the landmark Berks County venue and hope that +VIBES will be able to continue to provide the same quality live music to our beloved community of music lovers at the Brass Lantern.

Stay tuned for information on that as the changeover approaches.

In the meantime, +VIBES has put together a proper lineup of music from now until April 30th, with some of the artists that have been our true friends throughout the years.

Please be sure to catch one of your favorite acts before the changeover, and say goodbye to the current owner.  In honor of the years past, we are encouraging patrons to write down on a small piece of paper, a positive experience or good story about the Brass Lantern and attach it to our band wall.

Here’s the final lineup of the ‘old’ Brass Lantern:

3 on the Tree
9pm, Thursday 4/8

Three’s Company feat. DJ Gregg Nyce, DJ Evolution, & VJCA
10pm, Friday 4/9

I Yahn I Arkestra
10pm, Saturday 4/10

Cloud Party
9pm, Thursday 4/15

Good Lovin’ Jamband
10pm, Friday 4/16

DJ Alpha Zulu vs. DJ Spacecase
9pm, Saturday 4/17

Bodega
10pm, Thursday 4/22

Frog Holler
10pm, Friday 4/23

Quagmire Swim Team with Ben & Josh (of Alchemy)
9pm, Saturday 4/24

FINAL SHOW OF THE OLD BRASS LANTERN
Jah Works
9pm, Thursday 4/29
Kitchen CLOSED this evening!

For all show information, go to http://www.thebrasslanternlive.com/.

And KEEP POSTED to http://www.plusvibes.com/ for information on FUTURE shows at the Silo Upstairs Lounge, Trooper Thorn’s, possibly the New Brass Lantern and other venues near you. 

And we are ALSO sponsoring four festivals again this summer.  More information on that coming soon.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF LIVE MUSIC & ARTS!