Montgomery County, PA

NORRISTOWN — The Montgomery County Commissioners and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania proudly announce the 2^nd Annual Concert in the Park series at Norristown Farm Park. Continuing on the success of last year, the park staff has scheduled eight new concerts throughout the summer months.
Summer is the perfect opportunity to join friends and family for a night of musical entertainment.  The concert series starts on June 5 and continues through the end of August. All concerts are from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Saturdays, weather permitting, at the outdoor picnic pavilions in the Farm Park. All concerts are free. In the event of inclement weather, shows may be re-scheduled for the following evening, Sunday.  In the event of inclement weather on two consecutive evenings, the shows may be re-scheduled for a later date.
Residents are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets to the concerts.  Spend a Saturday evening surrounded by friends and family, listening to great music, set in a serene, picturesque setting.

The dates and musicians are:

June 5        Dean Garofolo – Elvis Impersonation
June 26 WiRTH – Rock-n-Roll
July 10 Christine Havrilla – Folk, rock and pop
July 17 Jon Turk and Love Train – Classic soul band
August 7 Al Raymond & The Next Generation Big Band – Big Band
August 14 Don McAvoy & The Great Whatever – Rock-n-Roll
August 21 Rockhardforty Band – Rock-n-Roll
August 28 Simon Apple – Pop, progressive and jazz

June 5 - Dean Garofolo
Dean is a local musician who has been doing Elvis impersonations since he was nine years old.  Dean, a Philadelphia native who now resides in East Norriton, has won many awards for his musical talents and has appeared in numerous venues throughout southeast Pennsylvania.

June 26 - WiRTH
What started as a solo project for John Thomas, veteran of the Philadelphia music scene, evolved into a band known as WiRTH.  At the end of 1998, Thomas returned to the Philadelphia area after working and playing music in the Caribbean for two years.  Within a few weeks of his return, plans were made to record his second independently produced CD featuring songs he had written while away from home. 
While enlisting the help of many talented local musicians to record the CD, Thomas was looking to form a band to play the material.  In 1999, he crossed paths with guitar player Jay Campbell and drummer Justin Perkins through original singer Lyn Knepper.  With just the right mix of similarities and differences, a band was born.
In 2000, the band began to perform live at many local music venues.  With the departure of Lyn, the band welcomed a new singer, Rachel Renshaw, to the mix while continuing to enlist the services of a few different bass guitar players; Bruce Penney, Ed Gainer, Chris Pastore & Matt Blaser.

July 10 - Christine Havrilla
Christine Havrilla's aggressive guitar playing animates her tales of the scars, fumbles, first times, simple pleasures, pain and yearning any listener would recognize. Her recordings and shows hold equal appeal to rock, pop, singer/songwriter, folk and alternative listeners in the U.S. and overseas.
Christine has performed at the 2003 Concert series at the Farm Park and the crowds enjoyed her music.

July 17 - Jon Turk and Love Train
Do you enjoy the Motown sound? Jon Turk has been likened to Smokey Robinson, Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations and also the soothing voice of Sam Cooke. The premier classic soul rhythm and blues vocalist and dynamic entertainer in the Philadelphia, Delaware and New Jersey areas, Jon is keeping the sound of the sixties alive and well.  Jon, a genuine sixties artist born in Syracuse New York, began playing guitar at the age of nine. Around the same time he began singing in mixed, boys, and all-city choir in elementary school. His first public performance was in church at the age of 3 singing: Yes Jesus loves me. He was influenced first by the Beatles and the British Invasion sound, later in the sixties and in his teens he evolved into more of a soul player and later into rock music.  Currently residing in the Philadelphia area, Jon owns his own music company Jon Turk Music and his own record label, Turk Productions.

August 7 - Al Raymond and The Next Generation Big Band
Al Raymond's Big Band plays all types of music for all ages, from society to modern jazz, show tunes, wedding music and the top forty.  The Big Band played for the Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C. in 1973 and 1997.  They have also performed at the Music Pier in Ocean City, NJ and hotels such as the Franklin Plaza and Adams Mark in the Philadelphia area.  This group also has to its credit many recorded albums and authorship of a new book entitled, "Swinging Big Bands...Into the Millennium," which is in its second printing.

August 14 - Don McAvoy and The Great Whatever
A local band, Don McAvoy and The Great Whatever, isn't your ordinary rock-n-roll band.  In fact, they aren't a rock band at all.  They might be better characterized as a talented musical family who cannot be pigeonholed to a specific genre.  They play songs about life in an honest and upfront way that everyone can relate to.  Their music is diverse, energetic and infectious.  Whether you are 9 or 90, Don McAvoy and the Great Whatever have something for you!
Fronted by Don McAvoy (lead vocals & various instruments), backed by his brother Michael McAvoy (Drums / Percussion / Vocals), plus long time friend Marc Arot (Bass & Vocals), and newest member Jim Walsh (Lead Guitar), this band is a solid team that plays together as one.  While sitting and listening to them play, you get a full sense of what this band is about.  They are about music... they are about life... they are about family.  They play together in-sync.  Each member of the group knows instinctively what the other is going to do.  They are talented musicians and perform meaningful songs.
The group is currently working on its third album, "There’s Time Between The Bridge And The Water," which they hope to release this year.  One of their songs, "Caught in Traffic", was featured in the motion picture Rubbernecking, starring, Corbin Bernson (Major League) and Renee O'Connor (Xena).

August 21 - Rockhardforty Band
Rockhardforty is a classic rock-n-roll band from southeastern Pennsylvania.  They cover a wide assortment of rock-n-roll music, from the Beatles to Badfinger, Tom Petty and Santana.  It's classic rock at its finest.  In the past, Rockhardforty has performed for the Farm Park Preservation/Norristown Farm Park "Nature Art and Crafts Day", Lansdale Bike Night and a couple of local nightclubs.
Be sure to come out and hear the rock-n-roll of the 60's, 70's and 80's.

August 28 - Simon Apple
Two Philadelphia area musicians, Buzz Saylor and Jeff Miller, formed Simon Apple with the intention of writing material that combined their favorite elements of pop, progressive rock, and jazz, coupled with a broad-based positive, hopeful, thought-provoking and sometimes humorous messages.  In early 1998, Simon Apple independently released their first single, "It's Over", taken from their debut CD.
Simon Apple has performed at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, opening for both Elton John and Billy Joel in 1998.  Between 1999-2002, Simon Apple was invited back to open for Billy Joel, as well as Bruce Springsteen, Cher, Creed, & Depeche Mode. The band has performed in settings as small as nightclubs to as large as crowds of 65,000 people at pre-game & half-time shows at Veterans Stadium for Philadelphia Eagles games.  Simon Apple's new album is presently being recorded and is scheduled for a summer 2004 release.

For more information, please contact the Farm Park Office at 610.270.0215 or e-mail the Norristown Farm Park at jlarsen@mail.montcopa.org.