By Irma Henson
It’s happening! You might even meet up with one of your neighbors at the upcoming Susquehanna Summer Solstice Festival at French Azilum from June 21-23. There’s a great array of musical performers appearing, from professionals to hometown folks, all giving festival attendees a chance to enjoy their music at the historic location, along the Susquehanna River.
The local performers include the Rob Hartmann Band, also known as Free Beer. They are a father-sons trio playing cover songs from the early sixties through the late 90’s. Dylan Hartmann, lead guitar, just graduated from Penn State with a biology degree. Mason, his brother, is attending Penn State, working towards a degree in material science engineering. Rob, the dad, is a local businessman.
They used to sort produce at a local farm market prior to becoming The Sorters. Their music Rooted in real-life experiences, each song crafted by The Sorters tells its own story. They’ve appeared at notable festivals like State College Festival of the Arts, Another World Festival and the Sterling Folk Fest. They’ve spent time in the studio, recording singles and releases, showcasing their musical depth. As they continue to captivate audiences and carved their niche in the folks rock music scene, The Sorters exemplify dedication, creativity and a commitment to telling stories through their music.
Lindsay Van Gorden is a singer, songwriter who has her roots in country music. She’s recorded original songs and has been a regular on the local music scene, performing at numerous venue throughout the area.
The Flat Wounds are a brand new instrumental band from the Towanda-Athens area. “Our song selections are an eclectic mix of rock, blues, and funky-jazzy covers with a handful of originals thrown into the mix. You might even hear a TV or movie theme song if you’re paying close attention! Everything from Duke Ellington to The Beatles, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Rush, Phish, The Meters, Jimi Hendrix, and others is fair game. Our mission is that “the music must be groovy!”.
Members of Flat Wounds includes Rich Irace who plays the area’s only “drumitar”, RickVischansky on bass and Scott Williams on guitar. Veterans of the local music scene for 40+ years, we’ve individually and/or collectively been in bands such as; 5 Man Trio, Mother Funk, Cracking Wise, Kuppa Joe, Keeper, Night Flight, Antix, and Feedback among others.
Youth performers will be presenting Sunday at the Festival. A singer-songwriter from Athens, Willow Bacorn performs an extensive repertoire of covers along with her own original music. She is currently working on recording her first album.
A fresh-formed group from Wyalusing includes Sophia Alvarez, Ellie Elcheck, James Rogan and David Fenton. They’ll be putting music in the air when they premier their talents at the festival, on Sunday afternoon.
Canton will be represented by music from Ryder Route.
For scheduling details and tickets are available at the Festival website, www.susquehannasolstice.com . For information or assistance, call the BCRAC at 570-268-2787.
Major Festival Sponsors includes: Taylor Family Foundation, Arey Building Supply, Dandy Mini Marts and Bradford County Tourism.
