Bluegrass and folk sounds filled the Casino at Altoona’s Lakemont Park in late September during the inaugural “Corks & Hops” benefit, raising funds for the Mountain Lion BackPack Program, which provides elementary children in the Altoona Area School District with food for the weekends when other resources may not be available to them.
The event featured beer and wine sampling from area breweries and wineries, snacks, a basket raffle and, of course, music!
Three bands provided the music this night, starting with Cumberland, Maryland’s JiggleBilly, who performed their blend of bluegrass, folk and Celtic-toned sounds. Singer and guitarist Briana Merkel, mandolinist Dave Dub, fiddler Heather Twigg and fill-in upright bassist Trish Imbrogno performed several original tunes plus their grassy take on Corey Hart’s “Sunglasses at Night.”
Northern Virginia’s The Plate Scrapers followed with their upbeat and jovial set of progressive folk and bluegrass sounds. Banjo player Derek Kretzer, guitarist Andrew Jordan, upright bass player Kevin Johnson, dobro player Jody Mosser and fiddler Robbie Mann played original numbers such as “Dishes,” “Old Friends and Good Times,” “Moonlight,” “Truckers Aspirin” and more. The Plate Scrapers’ presentation was pleasant and lighthearted, and their musicianship was precise and impressive.
And Binghamton, New York-based Americana folk-rockers Driftwood finished the night with their adventurous brand of acoustic music. Violinist and singer Claire Byrne, acoustic guitarist and singer Dan Forsyth, upright bassist Joey Arcuri, banjo player and guitarist Joe Kollar and drummer Sam Fishman work elements of instrumental experimentation and groove into their mixture of folk and acoustic rock, often working between quiet and intense moments in their songs. Driftwood mesmerized the audience with numbers such as “Deputy Rottingham,” “It’s About Time,” “Buffalo Street,” “New Year’s Day” and more. Driftwood fed off the audience’s excitement and went above and beyond to keep them engaged. Keeping with their tradition, Driftwood left the stage and brought their instruments directly out into the crowd to play their last song of the night, a version of Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin.’”
This night was a success, with a lot of folks showing up to support the cause and enjoy the music, and money was raised to help out area schoolchildren!
Pictures include all three bands, plus shots of the audience and attendees, baskets, sampling tables and more.
