August – Hot for Music!
More fun days at the Swissvale Farmers’ Market (9-11am, at the Dickson STEAM Academy on
Shoyer in Swissvale), where I got to sing with friends Deborah Brooks and Bill Collinge, and the Bloomfield Saturday Market (10am-noon, on Liberty Avenue across from the Honda Dealership in Bloomfield) where friend Lutie Rodriguez
came out to listen (next time she might bring her cello!). Summer’s winding down, so there are not many of these farmers’ market gigs left on my schedule (see at right, or below if you are on a cell phone).
Playing at Three Rivers Outdoor Company on August 14 got cancelled because of rain, but fortunately we could reschedule for September 1 (just this past Friday!), where both Susan Spangler and Deborah Brooks joined in on
mandolin and harmonies. Lots of people stopped by to listen, beer or coffee or soft drinks in hand. It was a lovely way to welcome Labor Day Weekend (and try out the Loudon Wainwright III song “Summer’s Almost Over”).
Had a great time with the harmony group Subject to Change, doing a full show to a full house at The Breezeway Home in Point Breeze. Subject to Change consists of Susan Spangler on mandolin, Mary Fleck and Deborah Brooks on guitars,
Lutie Rodriguez on cello, and me on banjo, accompanying Susan, Mary and Deborah in some of the prettiest harmony singing you’ll hear! Our fiddler Jan Hamilton was off in Europe, so Stephen Weiss of the Bastard Bearded Irishmen did a yeoman’s job subbing for her. Jan should be back in town this week — we’re looking forward to playing with her again!
Coming up in September and October…
- Last date of the season at the Bloomfield Saturday Market (September 9, 10am-noon)
- Music at the Sharpsburg Art and History Stroll (September 9, 1pm-1:30)
- Two old time jams with East End Appalachian Jam at the Swissvale Farmers’ Market (September 16 and October 7, noon-2pm)
And in other news…
One of the other projects I work on is SongSpace at First Unitarian, a concert series for folk, Americana, bluegrass, singer-songwriter, old-time, and world music, featuring local, regional and national artists, that takes place at First Unitarian Church in Shadyside. The new season has been announced, and it looks great!
- Rachael Kilgour with special guest Eve Goodman – Saturday September 30, 2023, 7:30pm
- Christopher Mark Jones with special guest Alex Meleshenko – Saturday November 4, 2023, 7:30pm
- An evening with Bertha and the Belles – Saturday January 27, 2024, 7:30pm
- Songwriters’ Showcase with Liz McBride, Lenni Green, Louie Castle and Ol Whitetail – Saturday March 23, 2024, 7:30pm
- An evening with Peter Mulvey – Saturday May 4, 2024, 7:30pm
Full details at uusongspace.com…
As usual, for a fuller listing of my events, audio and video recordings, and more, see brianjunkermusic.com.
Hope to see you out in the world!
-BJ