Scott Tady: Beaver County shows to see Thanksgiving Eve
Thanksgiving Eve approaches, the busiest night of the year in western Pennsylvania bars.
Beaver Valley expats return for the holidays and, after a few hours at their parents' house, are eager to catch up with old friends at a neighborhood saloon.
Some bands and bars make the most of this by scheduling live entertainment.
Here are three Nov. 23 shows that oughta be lively.
*Fistful of Ballers, 9 p.m. at Thursday's in Bridgewater. The throwback '90s hip-hop cover band has drawn big, party-hearty crowds at its New Brighton, Bridgewater and East Liberty shows.
*Tony Barge's Honky Tonk Heroes, 8 p.m. at Spanky D's Restaurant, Bridgewater. The local country group's high-energy gigs and skilled musicianship have fostered a loyal following.
*Sierra Sellers, Pittsburgh's neo-soul sensation, plays just her second-ever Beaver County show, as she takes the stage 9 p.m. at Fermata Brewing Co. in Ambridge. Trust me: She will captivate you. The music starts at 6:30 p.m. with Holy, Hers. The food truck will be Steve and Benny's Chicken Shack. (Sellers returns to Fermata on Dec. 18.)
Back to that Fistful of Ballers show at Thursday's, band member Brad Meredith − mastermind of the late, great Rockin' the Suburbs music festivals − accepted my challenge and sent nine reasons why people of a certain age should consider attending.
Quoting Meredith:
People look at you funny when you are dropping Conner off at school in your Prius while blaring NWA.
You remember when 'Making it rain' did not involve your weird neighbor 'educating' you about chemtrails and weather modification.
You saved your baggy jeans from the '90s in hopes of a trend comeback.
You know that sweet sound of a heavy breeze smacking your multi-colored wind breaker.
You believe Biggie Smalls and Tupac were seen drinkin’ Henny at Jeffries Landing circa 2009.
There is a mixed-tape cassette in storage you recorded from WAMO on your Realistic Radio Shack boombox.
You ever mixed Peach Schnapps with Tang.
'Ridin’ dirty' used to mean something other than your kid’s muddy soccer cleats making a mess on the floorboard of your SUV.
At some point you were shocked to see ODB was an “Optional Death Benefit” on your supplemental insurance.
Hopewell actor remembers Leslie Jordan
The last two times I ran into Ned Rolsma were at grocery stores in Hopewell and Moon townships.
He's easy to spot, towering 7-feet tall.
Rolsma, an actor, reached out on Twitter several weeks ago to share fun stories of working with Leslie Jordan, the beloved series regular on TV shows like "Will & Grace" and "American Horror Story."
A beacon of humor on social media during the pandemic, Jordan died last month at age 67 after a car crash believed to have been caused by a medical episode.
"I shared a memorable little scene ― and even more memorable time on-set ― with Leslie Jordan while co-starring on an episode of "The Cool Kids" on Fox in 2019," Rolsma said. "He was quite taken with me, cracking jokes all week and coming up with all sorts of scene-stealing bits and scenarios for our characters. We had the whole cast and crew rolling. Most ended up on the cutting room floor, but there was some comedy gold in there that I wish we could've mined further."
The 5-foot-2 Jordan got a kick out of posing for photos next to the mountainous Rolsma.
"We made quite the pair," Rolsma said. "His sassy, Southern-fried drawl made everything he said hilarious, all delivered with a syrupy-sweet earnestness and authenticity that you couldn't help but love, like a tall glass of grandma's homemade sweet tea. I'll never forget those moments. Leslie was a comedy giant and a big star, gone way too soon."
Best-known for appearances on CBS' "How I Met Your Mother," Rolsma still pursues acting gigs.
"I read for two roles on this season of 'Young Rock.' Casting said they liked me, but ultimately went in another direction," Rolsma said. "I'm encouraged by an uptick in audition/self-tape requests. I've been getting prodded a lot lately to make a foray into the exciting world of cameo bookings."
Cameos let people buy a personalized shout-out or live video call from celebrities.
More:Marilyn Monroe impersonator explains what's special about Zelienople Xmas show
Rec & Roll
Award-winning Pittsburgh guitarist Danny Rectenwald holds his album release show Nov. 26 at the Funhouse at Mr. Smalls in Millvale.
Under the stage name Danny Rec, his instrumental album comes out Wednesday on Bandcamp, bearing lovely guitar textures, both cinematic and soothing.
"I wrote the title song 'Canyon' as my love letter to the Grand Canyon," Rectenwald said. "I visited last year and was literally moved to tears and started writing this song that day. I tried to have the melody match how it feels to hike in and out, up and down. I finished writing the song in about four days; definitely a record for me."
Gaining a nice paycheck, I'm sure, when his "Road Song” was used for a nationally televised Scott's Lawn Care commercial, Rectenwald's new album contains six originals, and arrangements of "Still Crazy After All These Years" by Paul Simon, "Peace and Quiet" by (Mister) Fred Rogers, and a Pat Metheny tune.
Having shared stages with The Clarks and members of Rusted Root, Rectenwald, also of Celtic punk band Bastard Bearded Irishmen, releases "Canyon" to major streaming platforms Dec. 2.
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Taylor rocked
Next time you're channel surfing and you see WQED-TV is airing the Joanne Shaw Taylor concert, do yourself a favor and watch. Even if there are pledge breaks.
That TV special put Taylor on my radar and prompted me to check out the English blueswoman this past Sunday headlining the Byham Theater in Pittsburgh.
Taylor sounded incredible, blazing on electric guitar and singing with feeling, backed by an accomplished drummer, organist, bassist and rhythm guitarist.
Standout songs included her spaghetti-western-ish "Bad Blood"; the acoustic-driven tribute to her late mother, "Fade Away", and an '80s pop-vibed "Won't Be Fooled Again." An extended mid-set, rocking blues jam by her and the band organically spawned a standing ovation.
Taylor brought that dry British wit, too, returning to the stage for her encore wearing a Steelers Nation shirt and asking, "That's your ice hockey team, right?"
After her leadoff song, "Stop Messin' Round," she misjudged the microphone and smacked her teeth into it with a force that caused a gnarly sound. Making sure her teeth were still intact, she joked, "That's going to cost a lot to fix tomorrow."
Wish I could share photos from her show, but the Byham's public address announced it was a no-cameras concert.
More:Joanne Shaw Taylor talks about new songs & Pittsburgh-bound tour
Scott Tady is entertainment editor for The Times and easy to reach at stady@timesonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Tady: Bridgewater & Ambridge shows to see Thanksgiving Eve
