Scott Tady: Old Economy & Midland announce concerts
Like I told you last week: Make sure you've got a lawn chair, because this is the summer of outdoor shows in the Beaver Valley.
Old Economy Village gets in on the action, starting this Sunday with the Beaver County Symphonic Wind Ensemble.
The Ambridge historical site will offer seven shows total, each free − though donations are appreciated − lasting from 2-4 p.m. with guests encouraged to bring their own chair. Concerts will take place in the garden (remember when Survivor of "Eye of The Tiger" fame played there in 2012?)
If raining, concerts move inside the Feast Hall.
The lineup:
Beaver County Symphonic Wind Ensemble, June 19
David Hodge, July 10
Betty Douglas & Friends, July 24
Miss Freddye's Homecookin’ Band, Aug. 7
Allegheny Brass Band, Aug. 28
Swingin' Bopcats Big Band, Sept. 18
Hodge appeared in six stage productions with the Pittsburgh CLO; Miss Freddye is "Pittsburgh's Lady of The Blues"; Douglas is a jazz singer and Beaver County Musicians' Hall of Famer.
Midland music Mondays
The Bangles were right: Mondays get manic.
Though at least the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center has a plan for bringing some relaxation and joy to the beginning of the week.
Midland Music Mondays kick off June 20, behind the center in its namesake Lincoln Park.
These free weekly events start at 6:30 p.m., offering local musicians, food and non-profit community partners, plus food offered by Annie Lee's Southern Kitchen and various food trucks.
The performance lineup:June 20: Jukebox the party band.
June 27: Allegheny Brass Band.
July 11: Hopewell Community Big Band.
July 18: Monaca Cornet Band, the longest-running Beaver County band, founded in 1899.
July 25: Grammy-award winning jazz artist Eric DeFade.
Aug. 1: Beaver County Symphonic Wind Ensemble
Aug. 8: Beaver Bopcat Big Band.
In partnership with the Midland Business Development Committee, each concert will offer fundraising raffles for local community partners, such as Midland's Carnegie Free Library, and the borough's American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts, West End Renaissance, Fourth of July Committee, The Center and the Volunteer FireDepartment.
More:Lord Huron reigns in the rain at Stage AE
Murderous-ly good
A local band reaching new artistic heights is Murder for Girls, the melodic punk/garage-rock band that last week released "Nine Stories," its fourth and most polished album, though still brimming with urgency.
The album's leadoff rippers, "Monster" and "Tsunami," set the tone for deep grooved, intertwined guitars and harmonies from Tammy Lynn and Stephanie Wallace, formerly of New Brighton.
More:My Favorite Guitar... Stephanie Wallace
The Murder for Girls songwriting process often begins with Jonathan Bagamery, a Beaver native, drawing from his extensive repertoire of basslines and giving the work-in-progress a placeholder name (usually titled after a female film icon.) In the case of "Barbara Steele" the placeholder name stuck, and the band cheekily added a sound clip from Steele's 1964 horror film "Castle of Blood."
"Nine Stories" also has a song "Patty Shemel," about the pitfalls of the fast lane. Murder For Girls' drummer Michele Dunlap chose the title, named after the drummer for '90s alt-rock band Hole, explaining, "because she doesn’t get half the credit as Dave Grohl and she’s a freaking great drummer.”
So is Dunlap, a Baden native, who titled another new track, "Pay The Rent," saying "I’m angry about the fact that people have full-time jobs and still can’t pay their rent, so I wanted to thrash the drums and get out some anger.”
"Pay The Rent," lyrically, is a kindred spirit to early Replacements, whose Tommy Stinson produced Murder For Girls' 2020 album "Done in The Dark."
Wallace wrote the angry and anthemic "Egomaniac," with its attention-grabbing line "our revolution is faded."
She elaborates, "I found the use of several four-letter words unavoidable while lamenting on what feels like accelerating backwards momentum and rewinding of the women’s movement." She hopes the song is a call to arms for women to fight to preserve "the achievements our foremothers and their allies have fought so hard for."
Punk-rock that dares to take a political stand? Wasn't I pining for that in my column two weeks ago?
Having warmed audiences for heroes like Bob Mould, Shonen Knife,Richie Ramone, Stinson's Bash and Pop and this past month MC5, Murder For Girls will do a limited vinyl edition release of "Nine Stories," and perform a release show July 9 at hip North Side, Pittsburgh venue Government Center.
Vinyl pre-order is available at katzulhu.com with digital pre-order at murderforgirls.bandcamp.com
The band also will appear July 23 at Deutschtown Music Festival, playing a 3 p.m. set.
More:My favorite guitar ... by Aliquippa blues-and-soul artist Dan Bubien
Early Mays
Always good to see a Pittsburgh band get representation from a Los Angeles or New York P.R. firm.
Such is the case for The Early Mays, an Appalachian folk duo with a debut EP arriving July 1.
The Early Mays is composed of Ellen Gozion, pianist for the Pittsburgh Ballet, and Emily Pinkerton, who's spent years teaching songwriting at the College of St. Rose in Albany, N.Y.
They've settled in Pittsburgh, where their tightly woven vocals and strings (banjo and cello) power darkly themed, old-timey songs like "On a Dying Day" and "Bury Me Under The Willows."
The EP's leadoff track, "The Ballad Of Johnny Fall," begins with love spawned by a luminous pair of blue eyes and romantically whispered words. The couple's rambling days are done, but soon so are the loving nights, as mistreatment and excessive drinking leads to consequences. There's a train, of course, and someone vowing to leave town alone. It's what Appalachian folk calls a "murder ballad."
The EP's mood gets a lift from the toe-tapping instrumental "Shakin Down The Acorns."
The Early Mays play their album release show June 25 at SongSpace in Shadyside.
More:Review: John Mayer weaves magic once more in Pittsburgh
Scott Tady can be reached at stady@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Tady: Old Economy & Midland plans concerts
