The
Main Street Farmers' Marketof Washington, PA
Our 2008 market musicians
Our Market features superb musicians in a wide range of musical styles, including rock, country, Celtic, folk, blues, jazz, and American popular songs. We've had bag-pipers, hammered-dulcimer players, drum troupes, fiddlers, guitarists, sax players, and singers galore. And these talented performers volunteer their talent for your pleasure and ours.
As we book musicians for 2008, we will add additional performers and dates here. Click on the following link to see the complete roster of our 2007 musicians.
May 15: Dan Baker and the Washington Jazz Society
Guitarist Dan Baker performed at our first Market day this year and brought with him the Washington Jazz Society. They were great! And they played and played, well past the closing of the Market. People hung around to listen. We volunteers were very happy. You can listen to a truly swinging version of "Summer Time" performed at the Market here. To contact Dan, email him at dandaguitarman@aol.com.
May 22: Ramblin' Ron Boone
Ramblin' Ron Boone is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter who specializes in original, narrative songs about historical events. He has performed these, and other traditional folk songs, over much of the United States, including Alaska. He has been a loyal contributor to the Market and he contributed a fine afternoon's music. The OR has a video of him singing the Greenland Whale Fisheries at the Market here. To contact Ron, email him at ibrb1@verizon.net. Photo courtesy of Ben Kerchner.
May 29: Harry Funk & Patti Spadaro
Harry Funk is one of our most faithful musicians, performing a wealth of material in the Grateful Dead/Gram Parsons tradition. He
is one of the Market's best friends, loaning us electronic equipment,
interviewing and videotaping other musicians, and offering his own
abundant talent for our entertainment. To contact
Harry, email him at hfunk@observer-reporter.com.
Better yet, he will be joined by Patti Spadaro, a passionate lead guitarist/ singer/ songwriter with several CDs, a professional career in LA, and nationwide appearances. Are we lucky or what? For more information about Patti, see her web site at www.pattispadaro.com. A video of her debuting a new song at the Market can be seen here.
June 5: Joy Ike
Joy Ike has been performing in the Pittsburgh music scene for over two years- playing venues such as the The Hard Rock Café, Club Café, Diesel, and the Shadow Lounge, as well as major events such as FLUX, Art All Night, and the Shadyside Arts Festival. In 2007 she was voted 2nd for best solo artists by readers of The Pittsburgh City Paper. Her music is a mix of neo-soul, jazz, and pop influences reminiscent of artist like, Sarah McLachlan, Norah Jones, Fiona Apple, and indie newcomers Corinne Bailey Rae and Amy Winehouse. Once again, she delighted us with a return visit this spring. You can see a song from her performance on June 5th by clicking here. For more information about Joy and for contact information, see these sites: www.joyike.com and www.myspace.com/joyike.
June 12: Lee Young
That's Lee on the left (and Harry Funk on the right). Lee is a wonderful mandoline player and a great friend to the Market. When not playing her mandoline, she is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for the Penn State Cooperative Extension and therefore knows a lot about the business of raising local crops and foods. We are very pleased that she will be appearing at the Market in her musician mode. You can reach her at ljs32@psu.edu.
June 19: David Roth
David Roth is a fabulous electric guitarist, with styles ranging from earthy roots-rock, to psychedelia, to the blues. He has played at the Market many times, much to our delight. He is also a regular performer around Washington and has contributed his talent to many public events. To contact him, email him at daveybaby@verizon.net. You can hear his performance of "Ripple" at the June 19th Market here.
June 26: Backroads Bluegrass
Backroads Bluegrass is a now well-established band of veteran musicians who perform traditional bluegrass and gospel. These guys and gals are the real thing! They are the voice of regional music and are a big hit at the Market every time they appear. We are very pleased that they are playing again in August. You can listen to their rendition of Black Mountain Rag, performed at the Market this June. For more information, email Jerry Phillips at mongpap@localnet.com.
July 3: Bob Giacometti, Vicky Andreis,
and Mark Muretisch
Despite torrential rain, Bob Giacometti and Vicky Andreis put on a great show, performing a long and appealing set of contemporary tunes, ranging from Mary Chapin Carpenter to Fleetwood Mac. Lesser musicians would have wilted, but not these two! We are deeply grateful. The Observer-Reporter has a splendid clip from their performance here: Rhiannon. You can contact Bob at bobbyg4321@yahoo.com.
In addition, they invited Mark Muretisch to play. And he too held up in the rain. His set of original songs was skillful, infectious, and very appealing. Best of all, he'll be returning to the Market on September 4 (you can see his details there). You can check out the Observer-Reporter's video clip of Mark's performance here: Seasons Change.
July 10: Adam Sutch
Adam Sutch brings sparkle and delight to our Market, every time he comes. He is dazzling on the hammered dulcimer and is often accompanied by guitar, rhythm instruments, and a giant wooden thumb piano (a "marimbula"). There are few instruments better suited to open-air markets than a hammered dulcimer. Bright, percussive, often danceable, sometimes delicate, the hammered dulcimer under Adam's hands is a joyful experience. Not surprisingly, he has won many awards. A video of him playing a rather startling number can be seen here (thanks to the Observer-Reporter). For more information, see adamsutch.tripod.com. To contact him, email sutch@zoominternet.net or call him at 724-938-8851.
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July 17: "Two Tall Americanos" - Heather Kropf and Keith Hershberger
Last year, Heather graced the Market with an afternoon of wonderful music, much of it her own. This year, she returned with her old pal from college days, Keith Hershberger. Their appealing and artful singing, keyboards, and guitar made a big impression on our shoppers and vendors. Heather's singing ranges from jazz to folk, to radio friendly pop. Her tasteful arrangements highlight her vocal range, from crystal clear sweetness to burnished sensuality. She has independently produced 2 full-length albums: Sky (2000) and What Else is Love (2005) and will be familiar to regular WYEP listeners. To hear some more of her music or learn more about her, you can visit her lovely website or her MySpace page. To contact Heather, you may email her at heather@heatherkropf.com.
Keith is an accomplished guitarist and singer, and if that wasn't talent enough, is a striking graphic artist. You can see his extremely stylish website and listen to some of his very appealling music here. Together, they were amazing. Thanks, guys!
(Please note: they may be coming back October 9th!)
July 23: Jordan Umbach
We are pleased to welcome back Jordon Umbach, a young singer and songwriter who is becoming well known in Washington through his many local appearances and the songwriting workshop he leads at WashArts. You can see him performing "Seems like Yesterday" here (with thanks to the O-R).
July 31: Sandy Lusco
Sandy Lusco has a gorgeous voice and specializes in gospel music and childrens' songs. She has been playing guitar and singing since she was 13. She became a professional musician by 16 and has recently issued her second CD: Love Forever Lingers On. And her experience shows. She is captivating. She may be joined by her husband, Ron Lusco, on harmonica. We are very pleased to welcome her back to the Market. For more information about Sandy, please visit her website at sandylusco.com.
August 7: Nadina Bemic & her ensemble
Nadina Bemic, a Pittsburgh singer-songwriter, has created a unique indie sound by applying the harp to clever, entirely modern songs (such as the routine humiliation inflicted by spell-checkers). Fun and touching, we are confident that you'll find her and her ensemble entrancing. You can hear her solo harp work (from her latest CD, Fallen Paper Towels) at www.myspace.com/nadinaharp and examples of her indie rock material at www.myspace.com/nalaladina. We are thrilled to invite her (and her fellow musicians) to the Market. To contact her, visit one of the myspace sites listed above.
August 14: The Primatives
The Primatives offer a blend of rock with folk stylings and Indian rhythms. They describe it as "folk that rocks." Jesse Hanson (vocals, guitar, and songwriter) performs with his wife, Lila (vocals, silver flute, and percussion) and perhaps several other musicians (depending upon who is available). We are delighted that they are coming to the Market. In fact, you may have heard a bit from them at the July 3rd Market. You can hear some of their music and contact them through their myspace page.
August 21: Backroads Bluegrass (see June 26 for details)
August 28: Ty West (and friend)
Ty is a versatile fellow. He is a 21 year old guitarist and singer/songwriter who has played in rock, country, acoustic, bluegrass and Sicilian free jazz groups. Yes, Sicilian free jazz (in Sicily). He is also a student of Pittsburgh jazz guitarist Eric Suseoff, of Salsamba. His performance at last year's Market was delightful,. He played a mix of covers and original material in a bright jam-band style. I'm sure he will delight again this year. And he is bringing a friend. We welcome him back! To contact Ty, email him at westtr@webmail.washjeff.edu.
September 4: Mark Muretisch, Bob Giacometti, and Vicky Andreis
Mark Muretisch is a gifted songwriter and talented performing artist who has crafted a unique and appealling sound, whether he is performing ballads, contemporary pop/rock, blues, or acoustic folk. A Southwestern Pennsylvania native, Mark has been very active as a musician and vocalist since childhood. His style is mainly rooted in traditional popular musical forms of the twentieth century. Mark’s songs are intentionally structured with uncomplicated, yet poignant lyrics and catchy melodies that aptly express themes of hope, love, and relationship. Despite bad weather, he played a very appealing set at the Market on July 3. You can contact Mark and hear some of his music at his website or his MySpace page. Better yet, you can hear a clip from his July 3rd performance here: Seasons Change.
Mark has also invited back Bob Giacometti and Vicky Andreis. As you may recall from that most rainy of days, July 3, these two are not only great musicians, but are indominatable. We are looking forward to the return of all these splendid musicians! You can find more information on Bob and Vicky at their July 3rd listing.
September 11: Ron King
Ron King is a local record producer, radio station owner, and regular performer of favorite "oldies." He is a charming guy and says that he enjoys singing to vegetables. Hey, we're not that old! He performs appealing renditions of well-known tunes from the '20's to the '60s and some original material as well. We are delighted to welcome him back for another year. You can contact him at 724-225-2030.
September 18: The W&J Jazz Ensemble
We are delighted to welcome back W&J's talented Jazz Ensemble, under the leadership of trumpeter Kyle Simpson. They play a wide range of material, from New Orleans style swinging marches to soulful ballads. They are hot, they cool, and they swing! They offer concerts at the college several times a year and we encourage you to go and see them. They can really warm up a chilly afternoon. You can contact Kyle at ksimpson@washjeff.edu.
September 25: T. Mitchell Bell (details coming soon)
October 2: Alex Pfundt
Alex Pfundt is a singer-songwriter and guitarist offering clever, eloquent lyrics and a unique style of performance. He is new to the Pittsburgh area (formerly of Ithaca NY and Philadelphia) and we are very pleased to welcome him to the Market for the first time. You can contact him and hear some of his music at his website: www.alexpfundt.com.
October 9: "Two Tall Americanos" - Heather Kropf and Keith Hershberger
(see July 17 for details)
October 16: Wash. High Jazz Band (details coming soon)
October 23: Harry Funk (see May 29 for details)
October 30 (our final day): Wash. High Steel Band (details coming soon)
Are You A Musician?
If you would consider donating your time and talent for an afternoon, please contact us. We have a lovely place to play, an open roofed pavilion overlooking a small seating area. And we have a good sound system. If you appear, we will do all we can to publicize your appearance, including a mention in our weekly newspaper ad, an announcement in our weekly e-mail, an entry and photo here in our web page, a video clip taken by the Observer-Reporter and posted on both their web site and ours, and possibly an interview by the Observer-Reporter. We really value what you do. And we'd love to see you at our Market next year.
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This page was updated on
July 24, 2008