In response to your requests,
we've put up this page to share information with you about
artists who have performed on our stage within the last couple
of months.
At right, is a list of the artists who have
graced our stage since the Sellersville Theater opened its
doors.
Recent Shows
Click on an artist's
name below to expand and show details of recent performances,
including links to the artist's own web site.
Gin Blossoms exploded onto the music scene in the
90's with their quadruple platinum album New Miserable Experience
which yielded the radio friendly mega-singles "Found
Out About You", "Hey Jealousy", "Allison Road"
& "Until I Fall Away"; they followed it up with another
string of hits including "Follow You Down" & "Till
I Hear It From You" (co-penned by Marshall Crenshaw). Gin Blossoms
bring their infectious pop-rock sensibilities back to Sellersville!
Scott Harris
- the creative force behind this band - has been a well-known
artist in the New York area since his teens and developed
a loyal fan base with a fun & infectious sound.
Big Shot is a world class experience! They're fronted by Michael
DelGuidice, whose commitment is to the accurate reproduction of
Billy Joel's repertoire and makes for the closest thing to a Billy
Joel concert. Expect to hear many of your favorite Piano Man classics,
such as "Allentown", "She's Always a Woman",
"The Longest Time"& "It's Still Rock And Roll
To Me".
"They had a hard time convincing me it
wasn't me" - Billy Joel
Live Wire emulates the pure essence
& electricity of an AC/DC show as they play the classic rockers
"You Shook Me All Night Long", "Dirty Deeds Done
Dirt Cheap", "Back in Black", "TNT" &
"Highway to Hell".
November Rain meticulously recreates
every visual & musical nuance of the Guns N' Roses experience
with a sensory overload of the power & energy and perform the
hits "Sweet Child O' Mine", "Patience" &
"Don't Cry".
Celebrating their 35th year, those "good ol'
boys" from Spartenburg, SC, bring their special blend of country,
rock, jazz & blues back to Sellersville. The Marshall Tucker
Band have racked up multiple gold & platinum albums and charted
with several hit singles on country, top-40, gospel & album
charts with classics like "Heard It In a Love Song", "Fire
on the Mountain", "Can't You See" & "This
Ol' Cowboy".
The recently reunited Doughboys
are once again blowing audiences away with their high energy
rock 'n' roll and their song "Black Sheep"
is currently "the coolest song in the world" on
Little Steven's Underground Garage. They were one of the most
popular NJ '60's bands with their singles "Rhoda
Mendelbaum" & "Everybody Knows
My Name" and are led by the charismatic Myke
Scavone who went on to front Ram Jam ("Black Betty")
Electric Prunes
"I Had Too Much
To Dream Last Night"
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Amid a flurry of feedback, tremolo & fuzz the
Electric Prunes emerged from the confines of their L.A. garage onto
the world stage in '66. Their classic "I Had Too Much To Dream
Last Night", recognized as one of the first psychedelic hit
records, heralded a transition in music. With other singles also
hitting the charts, including "Dr. Do-Good="” &
"Get Me to the World on Time", Mojo Magazine named them
"Essential Cult Heroes". Three of the original band members
continue to produce innovative music with live performances that
combine the visual stimulation of a swirling light show with an
olfactory sensation of burning incense.
Referred to as the "Von Trapp Family of Celtic
Music" and recently voted one of the top acts of NBC's
America's Got Talent, Celtic Spring is
a fiddle & dance band composed of the six Wood family siblings
on fiddles & in dance shoes, joined by their father on traditional
Irish drum & mother on piano. Celtic Spring's awe-inspiring
performances feature a rich variety of music from the Celtic lands
& beyond with arrangements ranging from lyrical beauty to dance
tempo exuberance. As championship Irish dancers, their skill &
enthusiasm have taken them around world and onto national TV, including
The Today Show, Good Morning America & PBS.
Often called "the Everly Brothers of the 60's
British Invasion", Peter and Gordon blend
folk, blues & rock with their own pop-flavored English sensibility.
Their string of hits include the first British invasion #1 single
by an artist other than The Beatles with Paul McCartney's "A
World Without Love" plus "Nobody I Know", "Woman",
"I Go to Pieces" and "Lady Godiva". After going
their separate ways, Peter Asher first become director of Beatles'
Apple Records and then a Grammy Winning producer (& manager)
for the likes of James Taylor & Linda Ronstadt. Reunited since
2005, Peter and Gordon are currently featured on the PBS
Special My Music: The British Beat.
The musical pedigree of Grammy Award winner James
"Superharp" Cotton consists of a veritable who's who in
the world of the Blues. Inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in
2006, the Smithsonian Institute in 1991, and winner of countless
W.C. Handy Blues Awards, he has shared the stage with B.B. King,
The Rolling Stones, Johnny Winter, the Allman Brothers, Santana,
Bonnie Raitt, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Sam and Dave, The Grateful
Dead among many others.
An orphan at the age of nine, he was raised in Mississippi
by his mentor, Sonny Boy Williamson, who remains famous for his
many unique songs and innovative Delta Blues harmonica style. In
1966 Cotton formed his James Cotton Blues Band which continues to
showcase his immense talent and keeps him one of the most sought-after,
hard-driving, seminal blues musicians touring the world today.
Cotton passionately explains, "My audience
always tells me how I'm doing. If I look out there and don't like
what I see, I work harder." His audiences are still on their
feet, they enjoy themselves as much as he does, and there continue
to be standing ovations night after night. You will have a memorable
evening with an international treasure and a true Living Legend
of the Blues.
Solas continues to make a major impact in America
& abroad as an Irish super-group whose albums and live shows
are among the finest & most exciting musical experiences in
the world. Multi-instrumentalist wizard Seamus Egan leads the group,
who was born in the Philadelphia area but grew up both here and
in Ireland. Solas is determined to expand the musical possibilities
of the traditions they've mastered!
Chad Stuart & Jeremy Clyde
were "discovered" by famed movie composer John Barry and
went on to record a string of hits during the British Invasion:
"Yesterday's Gone", "Willow Weep For Me", "Before
and After", "Distant Shores" & their signature
classic "A Summer Song". Also making it in Hollywood,
these former drama students appeared as themselves in the legendary
television shows The Dick Van Dyke Show, Patty Duke Show, Laredo
and Batman. Chad & Jeremy's career was revived when their songs
were used in contemporary movies (Rushmore and Princess Diaries),
a Sports Heaven commercial for the '06 Super Bowl and were featured
on a PBS Special.
Great music is still around - you just have to know
where to look for it. If you are longing for the greatest popular
music of the 20th century, be at the Sellersville Theater on April
26. Fred Radke and the Harry James Orchestra have entertained folks
of all ages, at all types of venues, including intimate private
parties, weddings, conventions, cruise ships, formal concerts, and
international tours. The group, along with the talented and beautiful
vocalist Gina Funes, features show-tunes, standards, love songs,
and music from the golden age of swing. Hear classics like "You
Made Me Love You", "I Don't Want to Walk without You"
and "Two O'Clock Jump". Close your eyes, and you will
believe that Harry and his band are here for you....in person.
"The band has found a remarkable leader
in conductor and trumpeter Fred Radke. Radke has commanding stage
presence. His royal figure demanded flawless performances from his
fellow musicians, and they delivered with style and grace."
- The Des Moines Register
Multi-platinum Grammy winning Men At Work front-man
Colin Hay returns to Sellersville Theater for an intimate
solo concert. In addition to performing songs from his illustrious
solo career, he may delve into some pop classics including "Who
Can It Be Now", "Overkill", "It's A Mistake"
& "Down Under" which hit #1 in dozens of countries
and stayed at on top of the American charts for 16 weeks!
Jerry Douglas has been described as the Jimi Hendrix
and the Charlie Parker of acoustic music. He's won five Grammies
& other specialized awards. Though he got his start in bluegrass,
Jerry has made an impact from rock to jazz, blues to Celtic, from
mainstream country to contemporary classical and has been a member
of Alison Krauss' Union Station, The Whites, and recently with Paul
Simon. Douglas has defined the sounds of over 1000 recordings as
a session player and/or producer including Garth Brooks, Ray Charles,
James Taylor, Reba McEntire, Jesse Winchester, Del McCoury Band,
Ricky Skaggs, Emmylou Harris, and the O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Soundtrack.
"Dobro's matchless contemporary master."
- The New York Times
Trespass' debut show at Sellersville Theater features
their authentic Genesis tribute show. Trespass' repertoire includes
Peter Gabriel era classics including "Watcher of the Skies",
"Cinema Show", "Supper's Ready", a suite from
"The Lamb Lies Down", and Phil Collins era songs including
"Squonk", "Ripples", "Afterglow" and
other favorites of Genesis music fans. Presenting the theatrical
characters and style of early Genesis concerts, and with excellent
sound and light show, this is a must see concert for Genesis music
fans.
Dressed in leather, brandishing heavy guitars and
an unabashed fetish for British Invasion pop, the Smithereens were
an anomaly in the American rock scene of the late '80s. Led by singer/songwriter
Pat DiNizio, The Smithereens became rock radio favorites in Philly
& NYC thanks to their catchy musical hooks. Their biggest hits
– which you can hear on WXPN - include: "Blood &
Roses", "Behind the Wall of Sleep", "A Girl
Like You", "Only a Memory" and "Too Much Passion".
Moonalice is a [mostly] all-star super-group consisting
of GE Smith (Hall & Oates, Dylan, SNL bandleader), Jack Casady
(Hot Tuna, Jefferson Airplane), Barry Sless (Phil Lesh, Kingfish),
Pete Sears (Jefferson Starship, Hot Tuna), Jimmy Sanchez (Boz Scaggs,
Bonnie Raitt, Dr. John, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, J.J.Cale, Steve Miller,
Arlo Guthrie) and their Flying Other Brothers band-mates Ann McNamee
& Roger McNamee. They bring their wonderfully eclectic, yet
familiar sounds to Sellersville for a unique once-in-a-lifetime
line-up!
Leo Kottke is one of the most important & influential
acoustic steel-string fingerstyle guitarists of the 20th century.
Leo has had a prolific career, recording over thirty albums and
has jammed & recorded with a wide range of musicians, from Chet
Atkins to Procul Harum to the Violent Femmes to Phish's Mike Gordon.
He has won the Guitar Player Magazine annual readers poll as Best
Folk Guitarist four years in a row. Leo is not just an amazing guitarist
& singer-songwriter, but also has a capacious sense of humor
that can be heard in his lyrics & experienced in his concert
performances.
Kicking off the last theater
member’s party, Burning Bridget Cleary
returns with their high spirited, foot stomping, heartwarming
Celtic music. The combination of Genevieve Gillespie with
the father-daughter duo Lou & Rose Baldino, spark a blaze
of fiery fiddles, bringing a lively flair of youthful intensity
and exuberance to traditional tunes.
Tempest
No-Holds Barred Celtic Rock
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Since forming in 1988, Tempest
has delivered a globally-renowned hybrid of high-energy folk rock
fusing Irish reels, Scottish ballads, Norwegian influences and other
world music elements. With 19 years, 12 critically acclaimed CDs,
and more than 2,000 gigs to its credit, Tempest has enjoyed an evolving
line-up that's enabled its musicianship and creativity to rise with
each new member. The group's current roster includes founder and
lead singer/electric mandolinist Lief Sorbye who is recognized as
a driving force in the modern folk-rock movement, original fiddler
and fan favorite Michael Mullen, bassist Damien Gonzalez, who is
also an accomplished drummer and didgeridoo player, guitarist James
Crocker, former member of the UK's folk-rock band Equation, and
Cuban-born drummer Adolfo Lazo, an original Tempest member, who
colors the band's sound with inventive percussion.
Mandolinist/composer/producer David Grisman
is the creator of "dawg" music - a blend of stylistic
influences including swing, bluegrass, Latin, jazz & gypsy -
which continues to inspire new genres of acoustic string instrumental
sounds. Grisman began composing & playing with other urban bluegrass
contemporaries like Peter Rowan & Jerry Garcia, with whom he
would later form Old & In The Way and he's gone onto producing
dozens of recordings, five of which have been Grammy nominated.
Several DGQ alumni subsequently established successful careers including
Tony Rice & Mark O'Connor… and David Grisman continues
to deeply influence several generations of musicians through his
own musical explorations. The current David Grisman Quintet includes
David on mandolin, Jim Kerwin on bass, George Marsh on percussion,
FRANK VIGNOLA on guitar, and Matt Eakle on flute.
An Evening with Ottmar Liebert -
Solo Guitar and Conversation
Nouveau Flamenco Guitar Innovator
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
8:00pm - $29.50*
Multi-faceted, Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling
guitarist Ottmar Liebert will treat us to a rare intimate show of
solo flamenco guitar. A Renaissance man who nurtures his songwriting,
guitar playing and albums like the children they are, Liebert gained
the attention of the music world with his classic recording Nouveau
Flamenco, with songs that fused Flamenco, Jazz and Pop
into an irresistible new musical form. Ottmar Liebert harnessed
the emotional fire and mournful tonalities of traditional Flamenco
music, updated it with the subtle rhythms of Jazz and made it widely
accessible with the melodic song structures of Pop. Expect to hear
holiday music in addition to compositions from his classic albums
like the Grammy Nominated Borassca and of course, Nouveau
Flamenco.
"(What's So Funny 'Bout)
Peace, Love and Understanding"
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
8:00pm - $27.50*
SOLD OUT!!!
Nick Lowe is a respected singer-songwriter and producer.
He began a back-to-basics movement that flowered into the punk rock
explosion in the late 70's, was at the forefront of the new wave
movement in the 80's and has become a country-rocker since the 90's.
Lowe produced many classic records by Elvis Costello, Graham Parker,
Dave Edmunds & Rockpile (in which he was also a member), The
Pretenders, Fabulous Thunderbirds and John Hiatt. His classic "(What's
So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" - originally
cut by Elvis - was featured on The Bodyguard soundtrack
plus had hits with "I Knew The Bride When She Used To Rock
'n Roll" & "Cruel to be Kind". Nick Lowe makes
his Sellersville Theater debut with a special solo acoustic performance.
The San Francisco Sound hits Sellersville featuring
Jefferson Starship (including founders Paul Kantner & Marty
Balin) along with Quicksilver Messenger Service's David Freiberg
& Grateful Dead pianist Tom Constanten. Expect to hear their
classic repertoire as the halcyon era members of all three bands
perform many familiar favorites in four sets, including "Somebody
To Love", "White Rabbit", "Crown of Creation",
"Volunteers", "Fresh Air", "What About
Me?", "St. Stephen", "Deal" & "Cold
Rain & Snow". Your ticket includes a soundboard concert
download.
Tony Furtado blends an awesome
combination of musical styles into its own unique sound. With
elements from traditional American & Irish folk music,
funk, blues, jazz and beyond, his music is rich in culture
and deep in groove.
Sonny Landreth
"Congo Square"
Saturday, April 5, 2008
One of the most celebrated guitarists in the world,
Sonny Landreth's popularity is based not only his impeccable taste
but on his unique technique… a merging of Chet Atkins-style
finger-picking and Sonny's own revolutionary approach to the bottleneck
slide guitar. In addition to his distinguished solo career, Sonny
has played with Clifton Chenier's Red Hot Louisiana Band, BeauSoleil,
Kenny Loggins, Dolly Parton & John Hiatt and wrote the classic
"Congo Square" which was a hit for John Mayall's Bluesbreakers
& the Neville Bros.
Two of the most influential musicians in American
music. Rowan - whose career has spanned from SeaTrain to Old &
In the Way to numerous solo and ensemble projects with Don Edwards
and others - is a soulful singer and a poignant songwriter. Rice,
a veteran of the David Grisman Quintet, the Tony Rice Unit, the
Bluegrass Album Band, Rice Brothers and Rice, Rice, Hillman &
Pedersen, is an unparalleled guitarist. In addition to their compositions
from their immense catalogue, expect to hear material from their
first full-fledged collaborative album You Were There For Me.
A little folk, a little rock & a twinge of country,
Alice Peacock CD has been voted one of the "Ten
Best Emerging Artist CDs" by Amazon.com. She's been compared
by critics to such luminaries as Joni Mitchell, Sheryl Crow, Shawn
Colvin, Rickie Lee Jones & Mary Chapin Carpenter but Alice Peacock
has a trademark voice, style & song sensibility all her own.
Singer-songwriter-fiddler, Laura Cortese
lights up the stage with a radiating smile, dazzling musicianship
& uninhibited delight. She deftly strums, plucks & chops
her fiddle behind her raw & rootsy voice. Cortese returns to
Sellersville with Aoife O'Donovan (Crooked Still & Sometymes
Why) on glockenspiel, mini wurlitzer and guitar. On her latest live
release, Blow the Candle Out, Cortese couples the groove & polish
of urban music with universal themes of the old world. Also, check
out Laura's new music video: "Bad
Year".
Tom Paxton has become a voice for addressing
issues of injustice & inhumanity while laying bare the absurdities
of modern culture and celebrating the most tender bonds of family,
friends & community. He's been an integral part of the songwriting
& folk music community since the early 60's Greenwich Village
scene and continues to be an enduring influence with standards like
"Ramblin' Boy", "Where I'm Bound", "Whose
Garden Was This" & "The Last Thing on My Mind".
Tom Paxton's place in folk music is secured not just by hit records
& awards, but as a loved cultural figure who has always chosen
goodwill over commercial success.
"Tom Paxton's songs are so powerful and
lyrical, written from the heart and the conscience." -
Judy Collins
"Tom Paxton embodies the spirit of folk
music in the most beautiful sense." - Ani DiFranco
The Wiyos charm &
amuse with their exuberant style of Old-Timey American music inspired
by the idioms of the 1920s & '30s. Gleefully subverting genre
distinctions, their instrumentation of washboard/harmonica/kazoo,
resonator guitar/banjo & upright bass with three harmony vocals
create a visual spectacle in the tradition of vaudeville-esque performers
with on-stage physical comedy recalling the silent films of Laurel
& Hardy, Keaton and Chaplin.
Performing with plectrum banjo, string bass, kazoos
& foot percussion, The Two-Man Gentlemen Band
combines early-jazz, old-time country & vaudevillian-swing to
create a joyous sound. Their quirky compositions address a broad
range of topics including: badminton, the Hindenburg disaster, math,
civil war, dead presidents, corn liquor, gentlemanliness, and matters
of the heart. Audiences will be called upon to participate and may
be rewarded with a complimentary kazoo.
The Hunger Mountain Boys spirited
performances of eclectic traditional American music as well as their
own compositions have put them on stages with many roots-based artists
from Taj Mahal to Doc Watson and Ralph Stanley to Kathy Mattea.
Expect a healthy dose of Americana infused bluegrass.
Celebrating their thirtieth anniversary,
Battlefield Band plays Scottish music of a rare passion and joy.
They mix heritage songs with a self-penned repertoire, all played
on a fusion of ancient & modern instruments: bagpipes, fiddle,
synthesizer, guitar, flutes, bodhran & accordion. Battlefield
Band continues to inspire with their rich heritage of Celtic music
as their latest album Dookin' has been nominated
for a Grammy in the Traditional Folk category.
Marcus Eaton - Relentless touring
and amazing music have made Marcus Eaton a household name
within the Pacific Northwest music scene. A guitar virtuoso
and gifted song writer, Marcus writes of love, life, and humility
and takes these qualities to another level with a "wearing-his-emotions-on-his-sleeve"
style of songwriting that wins him devoted fans wherever he
performs.
Tim Reynolds & TR3
Dave Matthews Collaborator
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Despite selling more than 2 million
CDs with Dave Matthews, Tim Reynolds' work is completely different.
His music is beyond high energy with a power trio - TR3 - that is
a wildly danceable blend of funk, jazz & rock originals. A guitarist
who rises above the mere mastery of chops to a virtual state of
communion with his instrument, Tim makes utter use of every capacity
the guitar has to create sound - harmonic, melodic & percussive.
THE CRAIG THATCHER BAND
has been entertaining audiences with their exciting brand of blues-rock
since '93. This is a must-see-live performing band whose on-stage
energy and confidence is explosive! Based in the Lehigh Valley,
Craig has sold out Sellersville Theater twice last in '07 with his
Eric Clapton Tribute... and while you can still expect to hear blues
& rock classics, Craig will perform his own powerful original
compositions. Craig is very active in mentoring up and coming area
musicians and will present the phenomenal Eric Steckel at this performance.
Originally from the Lehigh Valley,
Eric Steckel's passion for the Blues enabled him
to soon share the stage with many nationally known artists. He delivers
a Freddie-BB-Albert King influenced performance with an intensity
and skill that belies the fact that he is only 17 years old.
Since its inception in 1971, the Seldom
Scene has thrived on playing bluegrass a little differently
than everyone else. Through skilled musicianship and an urban approach
to bluegrass, the Seldom Scene has become one of the most influential
– if not the most influential – bluegrass band of the
last 30 years.
Leon Russell has been a major force
in music for five decades with a resume that includes: half dozen
gold albums; session-player for Phil Spector's Wall of Sound plus
artists like The Byrds, Herb Alpert, Barbra Streisand & Frank
Sinatra; wrote songs that became chart-toppers for Joe Cocker ("Delta
Lady"), The Carpenters ("Superstar"), George Benson
("This Masquerade" - first single to become #1 in jazz,
pop & R&B); and is well-known for his own string of hits
including "Tight Rope", "Back To The Island"
& "Lady Blue". Leon always sells out Sellersville
Theater with his captivating performances, so we strongly suggest
getting tickets well in advance!
Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter
Ben Arnold finds himself exactly where he's
meant to be in his career: a self-sustaining artist composing
his finest songs to date, playing to a loyal, ever-expanding
audience with a new album - Nevermind My Blues - that is yet
another benchmark in his steadily growing discography.