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| 2010-05-22 Fireside Tavern Strasburg, PA Steven Courtney Band Show at 8:30 to 11:30 visit www.stevencourtneybandoffriends.com for more "news" 2010-05-29 Flavorfest Penn Ren Faire Manheim, PA Steven Courtney Band Show www.parenfaire.com more info soon. grown up music 2010-06-09 Loxley's: The Legend Continues Lancster, PA Steven Courtney Band Show at 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM visit www.stevencourtneybandoffriends.com for more "news" 500 Centerville Road, Lancaster PA 17601 ![]() 2010-06-11 Union Barrel Works Reamstown, PA Steven Courtney Band Show at 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM visit www.stevencourtneybandoffriends.com for more "news" 2010-06-12 Fireside Tavern Strasburg, PA Steven Courtney Band Show at 8:30 to 11:30 visit www.stevencourtneybandoffriends.com for more "news" 010-06-20 Quentin Tavern- Summer Deck Concert Series Quentin, PA Steven Courtney Band Show at 5:00 to 8:00 visit www.stevencourtneybandoffriends.com for more "news" 81 West Main Street, Quentin PA 17083 2010-06-26 Quips Pub Lancaster, PA Steven Courtney Band Show at 10:00 to 1:00 visit www.stevencourtneybandoffriends.com for more "news" 457 New Holland Avenue, Lancaster PA 17602 2010-07-10 Fireside Tavern Strasburg, PA Steven Courtney Band Show at 8:30 to 11:30 visit www.stevencourtneybandoffriends.com for more "news" 2010-07-16 Union Barrel Works Reamstown, PA Steven Courtney Band Show at 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM visit www.stevencourtneybandoffriends.com for more "news" 2010-07-17 SPLASH Concert Series York, PA Steven Courtney Band Show w/special guest Mark DeRose Duo at 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM visit www.stevencourtneybandoffriends.com for more "news" 2010-08-04 Loxley's: The Legend Continues Lancster, PA Steven Courtney Band Show at 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM visit www.stevencourtneybandoffriends.com for more "news" 500 Centerville Road, Lancaster PA 17601 2010-08-13 Union Barrel Works Reamstown, PA Steven Courtney Band Show at 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM visit www.stevencourtneybandoffriends.com for more "news" 2010-08-14 Fireside Tavern Strasburg, PA Steven Courtney Band Show at 8:30 to 11:30 visit www.stevencourtneybandoffriends.com for more "news" |
Old Albums (2009) Steven Courtney and His Band of Friends Steven Courtney is well-known in central/southeastern Pennsylvania for his long-running and acclaimed career making music for kids and families. His strength has long been making music that appealed to his younger audience without boring their parents. Now he has made an album that is geared specifically for those parents. The past few years has found Courtney gradually pursuing a rootsier, acoustic sound with his talented group (the aforementioned “Band of Friends”), and on his new disk, “Old Albums,” he stays with that sound. One of the things that I love about acoustic music is that it for me it puts the focus right where it should beon the songs. Although a great performer, Steven’s ability as a songwriter has always been central to his success and that doesn’t change here. The title song, which kicks off the disk, sets the mood by not only recalling the great music much of us grew up listening to, but also the way we listened to that music: on vinyl. Courtney’s consistently strong originals are mixed with some well chosen covers, such as Elton John’s “Ballad of a Well-Known Gun” (from the rootsy “Tumbleweed Connection”) and the Chuck Berry standard “Johnny B. Goode.” He also includes a couple of traditional tunes, such as the instrumental “Drowsy Maggie” and the rollicking “Mary Mac,” although it sounds as if Steven may have added a few lyrics of his own to the latter. I also need to mention the rest of the band: Aldon Hoke (fiddle, melodica, banjo), Frank Portaro (bass, mandolin), Doug Walton (guitar, mandolin) and Mike McElravy (dobro, guitar). These guys support and add to the work of their leader without getting in the way. Nobody overplays, stepping out when it is their time to shine and moving back into the ensemble when the spotlight moves to someone else. Even without percussion the sound is strong and rhythmic, pushing the up tempo songs and giving the ballads a good foundation. This is an excellent record by an excellent band. It leaves the listener with fond memories of the music they have loved and looking forward to new music from this veteran artist who obviously still has the spark to create new memories for his audience. BR~ Folktowne.com Review by Warren Truit |
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