We are proud to announce our first “official” indoor 2-day multi-band event:

Berks JAMFest 2010

November 5th & 6th at The Silo Nightclub

Not to be confused with world renowned Berks Jazz Fest, Berks JAMFest will be a two-day [non-camping] event with the top musical jamband acts - bluegrass, rock, reggae, and electronica – that have been the powerhouse shows at The Brass Lantern and other Pennsylvania venues over recent years.

But, that’s not all.

+VIBES always tries to step it up a notch, so we’re also bringing in two headlining national touring acts that have graced some of the biggest stages and festivals across the nation and beyond. 

Berks JAMFest will feature two floors of alternating non-stop music at The Silo Nightclub, festival-style with music from 6pm until 2am on Friday and then 1pm until 2am on Saturday.   All concert-goers must vacate the building and parking area by 2:30am each night and all non-Reading residents are advised to stay in one of the 50 hotels within 25 miles of the venue.  

 
We also encourage all concert-goers to have a designated [sober] driver or use one of our fine taxi services!

The Recipe

  And +VIBES didn’t forget about our local business & arts scene!  There will be vendors on both floors with art & sculpture, clothing & jewelry, and much more.  Our friends at Dragonfly Studio & Glass will also be tattooing and piercing on the premises [liability waiver must be signed].  Food vendors are also in the process of being worked out to ensure that everyone can eat and relax and enjoy the entire day of the best music around.

   Friday night the event will kick off at 6pm, just in time for you to grab some dinner and hit the dance floor for artists including HogMaw, Flux Capacitor, and CopperTonic then headlining the evening, and returning to Reading after many years away is The Recipe. 

Hailing from the musically rich Mid-Atlantic region, The Recipe sprung onto the scene in 1995 with their debut CD, “LOVE MARBLE HOE DOWN”, introducing listeners to a fresh mix of insightful songwriting and superb musicianship.  What came next was a non-stop touring schedule resulting in a fan base that is the envy of bands everywhere.  The band’s high-energy live shows have fortified their stature considerably on the national club and festival circuit.   Sometime during the early winter of 1995 in Morgantown, West Virginia, singer-songwriter Joe Prichard started to break into the local music scene with a louder voice. 

After several years of honing his craft in the bars and coffee shops of North Central West Virginia his remarkable ability to combine the organic presence of Appalachian roots music with a solid pop-rock swagger, has for over a decade since captivated all who have listened.  This is evident by the history of his band, The Recipe, and it’s endless survival throughout member changes and other horrific adversities over the last ten years.  At the center of this groups survival has always been it’s creator, Joe Prichard.  After years of reproving one thing is for certain, his songs have always been the main ingredient. 

From the very beginning, The Recipe’s high-energy live shows and good-time vibe have motivated their fans to get up and dance, making the shows part concert and part family reunion.  It is this “high-energy, good-time vibe” that attracted +VIBES and we are sure that you will agree!

Saturday the doors re-open at 1pm with artists including the Good Lovin’ Jamband, JAH WORKS, Natural Breakdown, and our good friends Quagmire Swim Team return to the stage for a rare show and a whole day of mind-blowing music again.  The icing on the cake is the headliner (and +VIBES favorite) RAQ performing two full sets.

RAQ

Self-described as high performance rock and roll, RAQ has been going strong since its 2001 inception.  With their unique sound, featuring complex song structure coupled with quirky-yet-accessible lyrics and a healthy dose of full-band improvisation, RAQ delivers a strong presence to their loyal fans nationwide.

Hailing from Burlington, Vermont, the band began with the name “Shadraq”, but shortened the name to RAQ before cutting their debut album Shed Tech. The bands unique sound developed while playing to ardent fans in local Burlington clubs.

Over the past several years, RAQ has taken the stage at festivals such as Bonnaroo, High Sierra Music Festival, Langerado, Berkshire Mountain Music Festival, Summer Camp, Gathering of the Vibes, Adirondack Music Festival, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Camp Bisco and aboard the floating festival, Jam Cruise.

One of the reasons behind RAQ’s highly successful tour past is due to their compositions being grounded in solid song structures, but still being malleable enough to go in infinite directions in the live setting.  This keeps the quartet’s devout following and first time listeners yearning for more as the audience is taken along on the collective journey.  Their extensive repertoire of original compositions and eclectic selection of covers give the band the freedom to create a unique set list for every show.

RAQ has never disappointed and this evening will be no different.  You are all in for a treat.

Here’s all the information:

Berks JAMFest 2010

November 5th & 6th

at The Silo Nightclub
     2017 Bernville Road
     Reading, PA 19601
     610.372.7373
     (5 minutes OUTSIDE the city)

THIS SHOW IS 21+.

$25 early-bird 2-day pass (limited) – BEST DEAL!
$35 presale 2-day pass (limited)
$45 day-of-show 2-day pass (if available)

$20 Friday ONLY pass
$30 Saturday ONLY pass

TICKETS ON SALE NOW <– Click here

  
There will be NO CAMPING for this event and all patrons must leave the venue by 2:15am and the parking lot by 2:30am.

Concert-goers are advised to stay at one of the over 50 hotels within 25 mile of the venue (www.hotels.com).

There is a Quality Inn – Airport (2.5 star) attached to the venue and a Holiday Inn (Airport) Express (3.5 star) less than a mile away that shuttles to the venue.

The venue is located right off all major highways that link up to Harrisburg, Allentown, York, Lancaster, Philadelphia, New York City, & Baltimore – it is less than a 2 hour drive from all the listed cities above. There is also the Reading Regional Airport less than a mile away for those who choose to fly!

EARLY BIRD TICKET SALES WILL END AT 12:01am ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6th.

ALL ONLINE TICKET SALES WILL END AT 12:01am ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5th.

This event is supported by:  Tri State Indie, Old Goat Graphics, ROOTS Glassware, Dragonfly Studio & Glass, and Paisley Moon

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A pair (2 tickets) of FREE 2-DAY PASSES will be given away each month (Sept 1, Oct 1, Nov 1)  – picked at random.

Simply email info@plusvibes.com and put the words “Spread +VIBES” in the SUBJECT line and put YOUR NAME as the BODY of the email.  Note:  by entering this contest you are putting your email in our mailing list database and you will receive future information on future dates, contests, and otherwise.  ONE entry per email addresss!!     Winners will be contacted via email on the first of each month.  GOOD LUCK!

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!

Featuring a day long (with overnight camping available) celebration of the works of Jerry Garcia, the bands are Star “69, Old & In The Way Tribute (featuring members of OFP & Sully’s Fortune), Pangea Acoustic, Steal Your Face, Toni Brown Band, Reflections, Deadbolt, Only Footprints.

The event is organized by Gig Goals and the good people at the Music at Snipes Farm committee, and +VIBESwill be providing the evening light show.  Our good friends at Scarlet Sound will be mixing the live sound.

The campground will open at 11:00 AM on Saturday, June 12th and close at 1:00 PM on Sunday, June 13th.

Tickets are as follows:

$15.00  Advance (available at the Brass Lantern [through Chris])
$20.00 Day of Show
   $5.00 Camping (per person) at the gate

We encourage the purchase of advance tickets.

This show is an all-ages, RAIN or SHINE event.

All information about the event and the beautiful venue can be found at the Music at Snipes Farm website.

Come join a celebration of inspirational music with friends & family.

Snipes Farm & Golf
890 West Bridge Street
Morrisville, PA 19067
215-295-1138

A full description of the venue can be found here.

The Brass Lantern has been a landmark for live music in Reading, Pennsylvania since around 2001, hosting prime national touring acts such as Melvin Seals & JGB, DJ Flow (of the Chappelle Show), The Recipe, RAQ, and Michael Glabicki (of Rusted Root), just to name a few.  More importantly, it has been the “stepping stone” venue for hundreds of smaller jam bands, building solid fan foundations for bands such as Lotus, Pnuma Trio, Quagmire Swim Team, Juggling Suns, Frog Holler and many others.

These bands played (and some are still playing) multiple shows at the Brass Lantern in order to capture the hearts of Reading live music fans and create the “travelling music fan” in an era where live shows (and turnout for live shows) is in direct proportion to keeping each band travelling and performing, thus keeping the band together.  Some of these bands have moved on to bigger venues and large festivals largely in part to building their fanbases at the smaller clubs across the country like the Brass Lantern.

By consistently providing the quality live music stated above, and using mainly word-of-mouth promotion with bits of Internet blogs and posts by its proud staff and satisfied patrons over the years, the Brass Lantern has gained the reputation as “PA’s Best All-Around Small Venue“, and truly is a hidden gem (although scuffed) nestled in the city of Reading.  People connect at the Brass Lantern, whether it’s over a fine craft beer or a top-end mixed drink, over a game of darts or pool, or over some top notch live music;  all patrons, whether it’s their first time there, or they’re a regular customer, are assured a safe and fun time.  It is for this reason that people want to come back.   Many patrons who come in from out of town remark, “this bar reminds me of my hometown bar” and it’s because we treat bands and out-of-town concert-goers so kindly and with open arms (yes, this is still possible in the heart of the city).

Simply put, the Brass Lantern is the reason PlusVibes Productions was even created.

So, I plead with you to KEEP THE BRASS LANTERN ALIVE.

Come in and spend a little money – have a drink or have a bite to eat, catch up with good friends and good people, see the best live music that Reading has to offer, and TELL SOME FRIENDS ABOUT the Brass Lantern.  We honestly have some of the best food & drink specials around the city and we absolutely need all the business we can get, plus we love seeing new faces!

I actually bartend every Tuesday evening from 5pm until 2am, with our $1.25 Taco special (chicken, beef, or beans, 7-10pm) along with $6 domestic pitchers.  I am also usually playing some of the best Brass Lantern live show recordings from over the years on our soundsystem.  Do you have a request? Do you want to talk about good music?  I would love to chat. 

Is there a live show from the Brass Lantern that you would love to have a copy?  I personally extend an invitation to anyone wanting a copy of a live recording to come in, have a couple drinks, maybe eat some tacos, write down the show you want, and I will personally make you a copy for free(first come, first served).  It will be ready for pick up  the following week (there, I got ya’ for two visits).  All I ask is that you buy a drink or two each time you stop by!

I thank you for your continued support of live music in the city of Reading, Pennsylvania, and I hope to see you soon.

Chris K

   Founder, +VIBES Productions
   Entertainment Director, The Brass Lantern

More information, including a full band schedule can be found here.

The Brass Lantern
1350 North 12th Street
Reading, PA  19604
610/372-9311

Hours:  Mon thru Sat 5pm-2am

The Farm School at Snipes is a non-profit educational organization that exists to model and teach sustainable farming, while building community and reconnecting people to the land.  They host a wide variety of programs and activities throughout the year for children, youth, and adults. 

Strangers Helping Strangers

will also be on site collecting canned and non perishable foods to donate to local charity. Stop by and share some love with a stranger.

The Freshman movie

Snipes Farm is a beautiful 150 acre property with recreation areas including mini golf and pitch & putt courses, driving range, wild animals, fruit orchards, and ancient trees.  The Snipes family dates back to the year 1682, and its remarkable history can be read here.

On July 26, 2003, Snipes Farm welcomed their very first official musical event, called the Bucks County Bluegrass Festival. This year they are excited to announce the return of this event. Snipes Farm and Don at Gig Goals booking agency have teamed up with some great pickers from all around the region.  Bring your lawn chair’s, throw a blanket on the grass, eat some BBQ and enjoy!

American Violet on dvd

The festival features two stages, with alternating stages running music from 2pm until 1am, with the gates opening at noon.  This is a family-friendly, rain or shine event.  A camping area is available for an additional fee.

The lineup consists of The Pluckin’ Grassholes North to Alaska download , Painted Blue, Jatoba, Boulevard Express, Mason Porter, Lyle Rickards & the Black Lighters, and The Vinegar Creek Constituency.  After the headlining set, an All-Star pluckin’ jam usually happens on the main stage or by the main bonfire.

August Rush film

This festival will enjoyable for all bluegrass lovers, both young and old.  As with all events at Snipes Farm, it will be a time for friends & family to come together on a gorgeous property, rich with history and culture, to celebrate the roots of bluegrass music with a foot-stompin’, whiskey drinkin’ good ole time. 

PlusVibes Productions will assist with sound engineering for the day, in addition to being a caretaker/overseer of the property (one of the solid crew of good people enlisted to assure the property stays beautiful).  We are full believers in the “Leave No Trace” philosophy when attending festivals, and we encourage you to do the same by cleaning your camping area each night, especially the cans, bottles, and extinguished cigarettes. 

PlusVibes will also have a table on grounds with a mailing list sign up sheet as well as promotional material for future PlusVibes Productions events.  Stop by and say, “Hello”.

The Kite Runner film

Here’s all the information:

2009 Bucks County Bluegrass Festival

@ Snipes Farm What Just Happened? dvdrip , Morrisville, PA

Saturday, September 12th, 2009

Admission: $15 advance, $20 at the gate ($5 per person camping fee)

Gates: 12pm

Music from 2pm until 1am.
All ages, under 12 admitted free.
Rain or shine event.

More information here.

It will be the final outdoor event this summer, at least in the Reading area – one remains on October 3rd at Snipes Farm, Morrisville. 

This one-day festival (with camping available*) is in celebration of the Autumnal Equinox (on 9/22) and features our friends and jam band veterans, the Juggling Suns headlining the pavilion stage.

Festival organizer, Todd Jones, returns to Blue Falls Grove, approximately 10 miles north of Reading, after a successful 1st Annual Jammin’ For The Animals Benefit show for the Humane Society of Berks County back in July 2009. 

The primary sponsor will be Dragonfly Studio and Glass, in West Reading, a prominent glass, art, and tattoo studio owned by David Dragonfly.  David has always been a kind friend to the live music & arts scene in Reading over the years, building a faithful clientele for his business along the way.  He will be doing tattoos all day on the festival grounds, for those of you up for some true body art!

The festival features live music from 1pm until 10:30pm with a side stage to provide music while the main stage is in transition.  A LARGE camping area is on site, not far from the stage, with car-side camping, and tree lines on both sides for shade, although it stays cool because it sits right off the water on a low level area.

Overnight camping is encouraged and the family-friendly event will include a kids pavilion (dedicated to activities for kids [or adults who feel like kids]), hula hooping and juggling workshops, swimming (at a small additional cost), and assorted food & arts vendors in between the pavilions.

A solid four-punch-combination of live music is this round’s primary focus, with the jabs coming in the form of bluegrass powerhouse jam band Cabinet, out of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania starting off at the main pavilion, followed by excellent West Coast newgrass string band Montana Slim String Band Thirteen Days out of San Francisco. 

Cabinet is a 6-piece blugrass ensemble, pushing the limits in the “duels” of each jam, creating beautiful improvisational moments, and making their shows both dance-filled and jaw-dropping (from back-and-forth seamless duels) from beginning to end. 

They are a Pennsyl-tucky favorite that have been filling up rooms such as the Brass Lantern and the River Street Jazz Cafe for the last couple of years, and currently are scheduled for a very special holiday celebration, billed as “Christmas with Cabinet“, at the Brass Lantern on December 26th.

Montana Slim String Band, hailing from San Francisco, is  a SOLID bluegrass 5-piece known for their “invigorating live performances, peppered with dueling melodic fiddle, mandolin and acoustic guitar improvisation.”

They most recently set up and played impromptu sets each night at Yonder Mountain String Band‘s Northwest String Summit, in North Plain, Oregon in early August 2009 and a writer for Jambase.com described them as, “Tenacious troubadours from San Francisco with snappy rhythms that inspired some delightfully dirty dancing, they won over several new fans before the weekend was over.”

They will be doing warm up shows (2 full sets) at Zeno’s in State College on Thursday (9/24) and at the Brass Lantern on Friday, (9/25)  to make a run of the time that they are in the area.  So show your support if you are able to attend any of the 2-set shows. 

The fight then moves on to the body shots, with conscious dub, roots reggae rockers, I Yahn I Arkestra.  Hailing from the “boondocks of Baltimore”, Kaseopi and Jah-D relocated to Philadelphia and, since forming in 1997, they have been sharing their positive conscious Rastafarian vibe to many of the city’s hottest jam band area clubs, such as The Middle East and the World Cafe Live.  

They have grown to become one of America’s most unique and original reggae bands, offering up cosmic rhythms – psychedelic, herb-induced soundscapes with an uplifting message and positive vibes.

The smooth riddums, Rastaman chants, including spoken word by “Joseph I”, and Nyabingi drums are the perfect opportunity to trance the mind and open up your consciousness for the knockout punch that is the called the Juggling Suns.

The Suns have been tearing up the jam band circuit since 1997, shredding up clubs, halls, theatres, and festivals along the way, and often referred to as extremely under-rated.

Their original songs have been covered by the Disco Biscuits and Keller Williams, and the Suns have hosted numerous guest musicians up on stage beside them, including Buddy Cage, Tom Constanten (Grateful Dead), Martin Fierro (Legion of Mary) and Jon Gutwillig (Disco Biscuits).

Guitarist Mark Diomede, who has been on the road as a musician since 1989, received the Asbury Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. Diomede has shared the stage with Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Herring, Santana, moe., Mickey Hart, Bob Weir, and many more.

This event is fully packed with talented musicians on the bill, and will surely be an epic celebration of the beginning of the Autumn season.

PlusVibes Productions will be providing security, front gate meet & greet, and most importantly, spreading the word throughout the live music scene about a great festival in the Reading area.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please contact Dragonfly Studio & Gallery in West Reading.

JUST ANNOUNCED:  Superb guitarist & singer/songwriter, Mike Miz will be kicking off the festival at 1pm with a very special set, and also immediately after Cabinet during changeover to Montana Slim.

We hope to see all of you there!

A limited number of tickets are also available at the Brass Lantern (see ChrisK).