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Live Local Music

THON Music

Posted by Carly Mallenbaum on 02/18 at 12:42 AM

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for a while, you probably know that THON, the 46-hour dance maraTHON in which Penn State dancers stay on their feet to raise money to for children with cancer (watch if you’re clueless) is this weekend.

Considering it’s meant to be a weekend-long dance party, there is constant music playing at THON.  DJ Larry Moore spins most of the tunes, but there is also a bunch of LIVE MUSIC.  Even if you don’t have a specific THON child or a PSU dancer to support it’s worth going to the Bryce Jordan Center this weekend to take in the crazy-awesome THON scene and check out the bands.  Though I can’t tell you when they play (at THON you’re not ever supposed to talk about what time it is), here is a rundown of who will be performing:

-JR and Natalie
You may have seen them at The Phyrst or at Cafe 210.  If so, you’ve probably already developed a crush on lead singer Natalie. 
According to their Facebook site, they play “classic rock, country, R&B, a little bit of everything…”  The group does some great covers, like Blind Melon’s “No Rain”

-Go Go Gadjet
Go Go Gadjet, a rockin’ cover band, plays Wednesdays at The Phyrst.  The group is made of 5 guys that play any combination of keyboard, guitar. bass, drums, and trumpet.  Check out their Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/gogogadjet and website.  I especially like their rendition of the RHCP’s “By the Way” (found on their website).

-Lowjack
They play at Bar Bleu, The Phyrst, and Cafe 210.  Lowjack’s sound is, according to their myspace page “a cross between Tom Petty, Social Distortion, and Creedence Clearwater Revival drunk on cheap whiskey.”  The 5-person band, featuring award-winning fiddler Dan Collins, is refreshingly original.  Here is a video of Lowjack playing DMB’s “Ants Marching” from last year’s THON but I recommend listening to the stuff on their Myspace site.

-Table Ten
The group has played at a bunch of local places like Rotelli and Bar Bleu.  The 3 guys of Table Ten sound a bit like Dispatch and play both covers and original songs.  I enjoy the harmonies and percussion in their songs.  Check out their stuff.

-Velveeta
A 4-piece band that plays a bunch of “cheesy” 80s covers.  You might have seen them perform at several local bars including The Phyrst and Saloon.  Here’s a clip of them playing “I Would Walk 500 Miles.”  Hit up their website to see a list of songs they play.

-My Hero Zero
An energetic band that plays Thursdays at Saloon.  On their myspace page it says they play “the best music from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and today.”  Lots of sing-a-longs. Take a peek.

-Whipple Jam
The band hasn’t performed as a group for a while, but they’ll be at Cafe 210 Friday (and then THON, obviously).  They’re inspired by groups like The Allman Brothers and Dave Matthews Band.  You can hear the 5 guys on their site.

-Country Club Drive
Country Club Drive seems to do a lot of punk/rock covers.  Here they are doing a Green Day song. Looks like a good time.

-Billy Bauer Band
An acoustic folk-rock group that has a bunch of original music and plays some covers.  The band has appeared on the Philadelphia’s NBC 10 show and has 2 albums out.  Here they are on TV.

-Brew Devils
The Brew Devils is a 4-man band that covers anything from AC/DC to Weezer.  Seriously, the variety of songs they play is huge.  But, like all cover bands, they have to be able to play this.

So go to THON!  If not to support the awesome philanthropy, then to at least enjoy some live music at the BJC at any time from Friday night to Sunday.