July 2012 in review

Agustina Cortina at the July THP

July has been a very busy month musically with a couple of organizations I work with in supporting live music in the Carolina's.

First was the July Tosco House Party held at the Evening Muse in NoDa was delayed a week due to the conflict with the July 4th festivities.  The delay had good results with the night featuring 31 performances!

Performers on the night were:

Wallace, Nathan Davis, Max Singleton, Annie, Brandon Burleson, Cameron & Connor, Katie Marshall, Bob Doherty, Bruce Johnson, Greg Baker, Elizabeth & Tommy, Turner Barnell, Phyllis & Holly, Julie Dean, Maya Atkins, Ellie Good, Laura Good, Laura Milani, Mason Schmitt, Rachel Van Slyke, Caroline Spence, Elliot Boswell, Justin Taylor, Allison O'Connor, Anna Burnett, Matthew Seneca, Kevin Marshall, Donald Storms, Agustina Cortina, Brandon Buckmaster, Maddie Shuler and Jake Bartholomew.

** Photos from the July Tosco House Party **

Pam Taylor Rockin'

Second was the Charlotte Music Awards Women in Rock Showcase held at Easy Eddies in Huntersville on July 14th.

This was a stellar night of music.  Everything from country-rock to blues to a southern flair were featured in the performances of  Michelle Leigh, Stellarising, Amy Broome, Brooke McBride, Pam Taylor and Monika Jaymes.  Congrats to the Pam Taylor Band on their being named the showcase winner. Pam Taylor and Monika Jaymes both rocked the house!!

** Women In Rock Showcase Photos **

Codi Lester wins the Juniors Showcase

Third event was the Charlotte Music Awards  Junior Showcase held at the Community Performance Center in Rock Hill, SC Saturday July 28th, 2012.

This is a very special event as it showcases the finest of our musical future.   This Juniors Showcase featured performances by Landon Devinney, Keri Hughes, Ethan Alexander, Cameron Lee, Codi Lester, Casey Stockton, Sevin Becker, Wallace Foutch III, Callan Loflin, McKayla Reece, Anna Cibbarelli, Carson Hill, Jorda Mattacchion/Sydia Tarnell, and the Hinson Girls.



Congratulations to the very talented Codi Lester on being named the winner of the CMA Junior Showcase - well done Codi!

** Photos from the Juniors Showcase  **

August promises to bring more opportunity with both of these organizations.  The CMA Christian Showcase in Salisbury on Friday August 3rd  and the Tosco House Party at the Evening Muse on August 7th!


More to come on the advances within Semper Iuvenis as well.


Cheers,






Monty

Tosco Music Party - Sept 11 2010

Georgia Middleman @ the Sept 2010 TMP

A few times a year I have the privilege of listening to and photographing a spectacular musical event here in Charlotte held at the CPCC Halton Theatre.  That event is the Tosco Music Party.  The event has a long tradition of excellence and community support exceeding 20 years.  In short it's a night of music featuring some very talented singer-songwriters and musicians who volunteer their time and talents for the charity. 

With a list of 20 performers taking the stage during each show, the genre mix is always representative of the tastes in the room.  Everything from rock to bluegrass is on tap.  The greatest thing is the level of talent - it's second to none.  The performers all have released albums - either self produced or signed with a label.  Most are Indie labels which tends to make them real and in touch with the people in the audience.

A nicer group of people you'll never meet..

Here's a link to the images I shot at the show last week - the anniversary of Sept 11th..

Cheers..

Monty

Tosco Music Party - Jan 2009

It's at times like this that I wish I had taken more writing courses in school - how to describe the aura of a musical presentation so diverse and rich? Fortunately a picture is worth a thousand words, and there are 160 photos at this link!

What started as a circle of friends jammin' in the living room has evolved over the past two decades into a musical production within an intimate 1,000 seat theater - but what has really changed is simply the size of the living room. John Tosco remains the host, the musicians remain the talented musician friends of the sort which have always been drawn to John's living room. The change is that these musicians now have a venue and audience that greatly improves their visibility and highlights their talents.

To give you a feel for the flow of a TMP show, here's the line-up for this nights event - eclectic and awesome!! (tip: a singalong involves all 1,000 people in "the living room" standing and singing a tune with the TMP singalong choir and band)

Singalong - "Mr. Sandman"

Derek Fulton - 14-year-old guitarist

Alan Black & Rachel Rudoi - Classical cellist and violinist

Jeanette Leardi - Ethnic vocalist

Ethan Uslan - Ragtime/Jazz pianist

Bill Averbach - New Orleans Jazz/blues trumpeter

Reinaldo Brahn - Brazilian guitarist-vocalist

Singalong - "L-O-V-E"

Desmond Myers - 16-year-old singer-songwriter

The Snyder Family Band - Bluegrass group

Vinx - Modern Jazz percussionist-vocalist

Patrick Landeza - Hawaiian slack-key guitarist-vocalist

Singalong - "Don't Bring Me Down"

Intermission

Singalong - "Right Back to Where We Started From"

The Polka Dots - Polka Band

Abigail Alvarez & Graciela Beltran - Mexican vocalists

Contagious Blues Band - Alternative blues-rock group

Abou Sylla - West African xylophonist

Tim Fast - Singer-songwriter

Singalong - "Paradise"

Soul Survivor - Soul/Funk/Rock band

RJ Adams - Singer-songwriter

The Darin & Brooke Aldridge Quintet - Bluegrass/Gospel group

The StereoFidelics - Jazz/Art-rock duo

Singalong - "The Times They Are A-Changin' "

End of the program....

Cheers,

Monty