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 shows will be held on one Thursday each month at the renowned small jam band venue, the Brass Lantern, starting around 9:30pm and going until at least 1am with a cover charge varying depending on the band.

The first official edition will be held on THURSDAY, JULY 22nd with

KUNG FU

 
Jambase.com writes about the recently formed band:

“Some of today’s most innovative musical minds – who have played with the likes of John Scofield, Warren Haynes, Dave Matthews Band, The Allman Bros., The Breakfast and RAQ – will be pushing the boundaries of improvisation each week…”

Calling themselves Kung Fu, this new super group consists of Tim Palmieri (The Breakfast/guitar), Todd Stoops (RAQ/keys), Kris Jensen (Dickie Betts/Jaimoe/sax), David Livolsi (Jazz Is Dead/Scofield/bass) and Adrian Tramontano (The Breakfast/drums).

“Everyone is a monster,” says Palmieri, who is a regular in the New Haven, CT music scene. “This music is going to be funky, mature and powerful.”

“It’s lethal funk,” explains Palmieri. “It’s music smart and strong enough to defend one’s self, or art’s self. I love this music.”

They are on the lineup at some big festivals this year such as the 20th Annual Chaffee Gathering, Gathering of the Vibes, and Camp Barefoot.

Here’s a link to a Kung Fu show for you to stream or download:
                      http://www.archive.org/details/KungFu2010-01-18

Here’s all the information:

WOW Thursdays Concert Series

with

KUNG FU

Thursday, July 22nd @ The Brass Lantern

9:30pm - 1am
21+ only / NO SMOKING
Doors:  6pm

$8 at the door

 
The Brass Lantern offers:

 - Well lit parking lots on both sides
 - Music room, Bar room, Game room
 - Great drinks.  Great Staff.  THE BEST live music
 - TACO THURSDAY special 6pm – 9pm (A.Y.C.E. for $5.99)
 - BRAND NEW menu (available to view here)
 - Kitchen closes at 9pm

Upcoming WOW Thursday Concert Series

 
August Edition – Thursday, August 19th with CopperTonic
September Edition – Thursday, September 16th with Zach Deputy

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 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!