On Stage: Copely brings multimedia harp show to Philly

The show on May 30 at the World Café Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, www.worldcafelive.com) will be a little different than usual – in several ways.

The headliner will be a solo artist. The main instrument will be a harp — which is more common with a classical concert and less common on the stage of a rock music venue. The show will be a multi-media concert. And the event will feature free admission.

The free show at the World Café Live will showcase Kirsten Agresta Copely.

Copely is a GRAMMY® Award Nominated, international award-winning harpist and composer based in New York City. Her prolific career has taken her throughout the United States, Europe, South America, Israel, Japan, and the South Pacific. She has performed for heads of state, in blockbuster movie soundtracks, alongside Billboard 100 artists, on late night television, and on some of the most recognized arena stages in the world.

Copely’s most recent album, “Aquamarine,” was nominated in the 66th GRAMMY® Awards for Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album. Her music has over 10 million streams on Spotify, steady airplay on the Sirius XM Spa Channel, and has recent features in the New York Post, Hollywood Soapbox, and Crain’s Business New York.

“Aquamarine Live,” is billed as a mesmerizing multimedia show seamlessly blending musical artistry with visuals by OBIE and Bessie Award-winning multimedia artist Laurie Olinder. “Aquamarine” is Copely’s second New Age album, and in addition to a GRAMMY® nomination for Best New Age/Ambient/Chant Album, is also the winner of the 2023 Global Music Award for “Outstanding New Age Performance.”

“The album was released in July last year,” said Copekly, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from her home in Brooklyn.

“It was recorded in April 2023 and released in mid-July. We have a full recording studio in our home in Brooklyn with digital and analog equipment. It’s called Casa Copely.

“‘Aquamarine Live’ is a multi-media concert with visuals by Lori Olinder on a fabric backdrop.”

Olinder is a multi-media designer, painter textile designer and photographer. She is a founding member of New York’s Ridge Theater and has been recognized with an OBIE Award, a New York Dance and Performance “Bessie Award” and an Eliot Norton Award for Outstanding Design in the Theater.

Olinder has designed projections for numerous contemporary composers and performers, including John Adams, The Brooklyn Youth Chorus, The Brooklyn Philharmonic, Gavin Bryars, Bryce Dressner, Philip Glass, Michael Gordon, Henryk Gorecki, The Kronos Quartet, David Lang and Julia Wolfe. Her work has been shown at noted performance venues such as ART, BAM, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and MASS MoCA.

“For this particular concert, I’ll be joined by two local artists – Susan Werner on cello and Petula Perdikas on violin,” The set list will include all the songs from ‘Aquamarine’ interspersed with tracks from my previous album.”

Copely’s previous album “Around the Sun”, which was her first solo album, was released in 2020. Copely describes it as a season-based 365-day experience.

“It was easy to find tracks from the previous album that fit this show,” said Copely. “I do New Age music, so everything is appropriate.

“The ‘Aquamarine’ album was an homage to my late mother and love of the ocean. I figured out the order for the songs after I recorded them. There were moments when I thought they flowed really well. I used Eventide and that helped me write with space.”

Steeped in rigorous classical training, Copely’s performance career began at an early age.

“My mother was a pianist and a vocal teacher,” said Copely. “She was interested in a lot of instruments. The Troubadour harp was one. I stated playing one when I was five years old.”

The Troubadour harp was designed after the medieval harp and represented a breakthrough in lever harp design. It offers nearly three-quarters of the octave range of a full-size pedal harp, making it versatile for a broader range of music. Additionally, its “big harp” string spacing provides a responsive feel for harpists.

“I grew up outside Detroit and studied with a harpist from the Detroit Symphony,” said Copely. “I also studied with Susann McDonald at Indiana University. She holds degrees in harp performance from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (B.M. & M.M.), where she was awarded the Performer’s Certificate for outstanding musical performance.”

This will not be Copely’s first-ever gig in Philly.

“I’ve played in Philadelphia a number of times,” said Copely. “The first time was at Live Aid in 2005.In addition to this week’s show there, I’ll be doing ‘Aquamarine Live’ at venues around America this year. And I’ve started writing a new album.”

Video link for Kirsten Agresta Copely — https://youtu.be/sr1Tzw2cApI.

The show on May 30 at World Cafe Live will start at 8 p.m.

Tickets are free.

Other upcoming shows at World Cafe Live are Chris Smither on May 30, Professor Louie and The Crowmatix on May 31 and Yaya Bey on June 1.

Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985,www.jameyshouseofmusic.com) will host two acts from opposite ends of the age spectrum this weekend – Callum on May 31 and The Two Johns on June 1.

Callum is actually Callum Toner, a talented singer-songwriter who, while still in her teens, is starting to make a name for herself in the Mid-Atlantic music scene.

“I turned 17 on February 6,” said Toner,” during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from a gig in Ocean City, Maryland. I’m home schooled and I’m taking a few community college classes.”

So far, Toner has released one EP, “You Know Who,” and four singles – “Told Ya (I Was a Fool)” (2023), “Captivated” (2022), “Testing My Patience” (2022) and “If I Could.”

“I made the EP last year and it came out February 2, 2024,” said Toner. “I had been working on it for a very long time – a couple years.

“I want to do a full-length. I’m working on my next EP now and then I’ll do a full length. The EP will be very different than my first one and the album will be totally different from everything I’ve done.”

Despite her young age, Toner has been involved with singing and entertainment for a long time.

“I’ve been singing and humming since I was in the crib,” said Toner. “I’ve been into music my whole life. My grandparents would sit with me in the kitchen when they played Sinatra and other music like that.

“My dad would sit me on his lap at the keyboard when he played. My dad was the techno type. I picked up some of his habits. I hated taking music lessons unless absolutely necessary. I like to play by ear.

“I started with ukulele when I was four. I picked up guitar at 10 but really got into it when I was 13. And I’ve been writing songs since I was 10. When I was in fifth grade, I wrote and performed her first song. It was for a teacher and was titled, ‘I Will Remember You.’

“My pop-pop gave me an acoustic guitar. A Fender Stratocaster was the first electric guitar I really messed around with. I didn’t really like it so I went back to acoustic.”

Two years later, Toner did some youth performances with Clear Space Theater in Rehoboth, Delaware. At 13 years old, she continued theater with the Theater Academy of Delmarva.

“I really thought I was going to pursue a theater career – all the way to Broadway,” said Toner. “Broadway music was really speaking to me. When I started with theater, I was extremely shy. I eventually came out of my shell. But my last theater work was when I was 13.”

Toner had to deal with several setbacks over the years.

“My dad died in 2012 and that was really hard to deal with,” said Toner. “I also have synesthesia.”

Synesthesia is a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. For instance, people with synesthesia may experience colors when listening to music, see shapes when smelling certain scents, or perceive tastes when looking at words.

“I see colors with music,” said Toner. “It happens all the time.

“For example, with my EP the first track is purple. Purple is very jazzy and soothing. At the end of the EP, it turns orange – passive/aggressive.”

Now, Toner is in the middle of her “You Know Who Tour.”

“I’m touring with my band,” said Toner. “Jonah Ridgely, who will be studying at Berklee (College of Music), plays electric guitar and I play acoustic. We also have Sam on drums, Nick on bass and Jamar on keyboards and bass.”

Video link for Callum — https://youtu.be/HMzpa9Rr9oU.

The show on May 31, which has Greto and the Flood as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

The show will also be available as a pay-per-view at $15 each.

The show on June 1 will feature, as the name implies, two Johns – Johnny Never and John Colgan-Davis, the front man for the Dukes of Destiny. Both bands are frequent headliners at Jamey’s. The duo features John Colgan-Davis and Johnny Never.

According to Colgan-Davis, “We start June off in a club in which we have both spent some wonderful times. Voted a winner of the 2024 Philadelphia Inquirer’s favorite concert venue and a favorite live music spot, this is a room with great sound, good views, wonderful food and brews, a friendly crowd, and wonderful waitstaff. We always have a great time here, and we know you will too. Welcome June at Jamey’s with The Two Johns.”

East Coast bluesman Johnny Never has a mission to deliver pure, unadulterated vintage blues to those who already love the blues as well as those who have never heard it. Whether solo or with accompaniment, Never has energized audiences in Northern Maryland, Southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey from small bars and restaurants to music halls such as the MAC Concert Series, The Mainstay, the Kennett Flash and Jamie’s House of Music.

Never, who has also performed in a variety of music festivals, delivers his take on the blues as a solo performer as well as with a duo and a trio.

Often referred to by blues enthusiasts as “the real deal,” Never pays homage to, but does not mimic, the vast array of original bluesmen that gave birth to the genre more than a century ago. He is known for his covers of artists like Son House, Robert Johnson, and Charlie Patton.

His original compositions possess the qualities of the genuine article, delivered through deft finger-style guitar work and a voice that reeks of authenticity.

These qualities have earned him recognition by blues and folk music societies from Memphis to Philadelphia. In 2014, Johnny was a quarterfinalist in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis.

Colgan-Davis, harmonica and vocals, started playing the harmonica in local blues and folk clubs back in the late 1960s while he was still a high school student. He played and recorded with Philadelphia singer-guitarist Jesse Graves and played with Bonnie Raitt when she lived in Philadelphia in the early 1970s.

Through Raitt, he had the opportunity to meet and play with Mississippi Fred McDowell, Arthur Crudup, Buddy Guy, Skip James, Mississippi John Hurt, and others. He has also jammed with James Cotton, John Hammond, Charlie Musselwhite, John Lee Hooker, Bill Dicey, and Louisiana Red.

Colgan-Davis has toured nationally and has recorded two CDs — “Cold and Lonesome on a Train” and “Heroes and Hard Times.” A founding member of The Dukes of Destiny, John also taught social studies at Friends Select School in Philadelphia for 29 years and has written articles and supplements for The Philadelphia Inquirer on Blacks in the American West, Black Literature, the History of Black Philadelphia, and other topics.

For a long time, the two Philly area blues aces were aware of each other and their talents. A few years ago, their paths came together.

“About four years ago, Johnny and I were at the same gig and started talking,” said Colgan-Davis, during a prior phone interview from his home in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia.

“We started hanging out together. Then, I sat in with him at a mini-festival but I can’t remember where. It was somewhere out in the country. He also had a bass player with him – Dave Young who since has moved to Colorado.”

In a prior phone interview, Never said, “John is a great harmonica player. I’ve been playing blues for decades and had a parting of ways with my previous harmonica player. I called John up to see what would happen.”

Colgan-Davis said, “For the past few years, we’ve been playing as The Two Johns. Our first real show was at Hummingbird on Mars in Wilmington.

“I love playing acoustic again. There are things you can do as an acoustic harp player that you can’t do with a loud band.

“Johnny is a very good picker and a great slide player. He’s also a great Piedmont Blues player.”

Colgan-Davis and the harmonica have a long history together.

“

I started acoustic harmonica when I was in high school at Philadelphia’s Central High School,” said Colgan-Davis. “Central High had a folk music club, and we had a budget big enough to being Skip James and Son House to play at our school.

“With The Two Johns, we play a couple songs I played in high school – including Son House’s ‘Death Letter Blues.’ We play a lot of Piedmont Blues, ragtime and some 1920s jazz ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’,’ a Fats Waller song. We do things I haven’t found a way to do with the Dukes of Destiny.”

Never said, “Music is about feel. When you play with somebody, you need to make sure you can connect with the feel. John’s playing works very well with old blues – especially Piedmont style. I play guitar almost exclusively acoustic. Early blues didn’t have electric guitar.

“I got attracted to early acoustic blues as a young person. It was a slow evolution. As a teenager, I heard recordings by Charley Patton and Son House. It hit me – and really stuck with me. When I was in my late 30s and early 40s, I really started working at it.”

With regard to The Two Johns, you have Never and Colgan-Davis.

With regard to Never, you actually have three Johns – Johnny Never which is the stage name for John Carleton and John Dorchester, the artist’s real name.

John Dorchester is a multi-discipline artist/creator who grew up in West Chester and attended West Chester Henderson before graduating from Westtown School. As an adolescent, he had a keen interest in landscape painting and filmmaking — studying painting with Nantucket artist, Warren Krebs, and filmmaking with Earl Fowler, whose famous brother, Jim, made nature films for Mutual of Omaha’s “Wild Kingdom.”

“I’ve had a bunch of different jobs,” said Never/Carleton/Dorchester. “I started as an AFA painter and then got into commercial filmmaking from 1993-2014. Now, I’m back to being a fine artist working in oils”

He is also back to being a fine musician who has teamed with Colgan-Davis to keep early acoustic blues alive.

Video link for The Two Johns — https://youtu.be/ny2EmfXYMR0.

The show on June 1 will start at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

The show will also be available as a pay-per-view at $15 each.

The next gig for The Dukes of Destiny is on June 14 at Steel City Coffeehouse in Phoenixville.

According to Colgan-Davis, “This is our first time at Steel City since the year before the pandemic, and at that time Arlyn was our lead singer. The band personnel is different now, and we would love to have a good turnout.”

“Jazz at Jamey’s” will be presented every second and fourth Thursday, and “Anything Goes” every first, third and fifth Thursday.

Every Sunday, Jamey’s presents “SUNDAY BLUES BRUNCH & JAM” featuring the Philly Blues Kings. On the second Sunday each month, the featured act is the Girke-Davis Project which features club owner Jamey Reilly, Roger Girke, Glenn Bickel, Fred Berman and Colgan-Davis.

“Corteo,” the long-running and most enchanting arena production from Cirque du Soleil, is back in North America and heading to Philadelphia. This unique production, directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, has amazed over 10 million spectators in 20 countries on four continents.

“Corteo” will be presented at the Liacouras Center (1776 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, www.liacourascenter.com) for five shows from May 30-June 2.

“Corteo” is a Cirque du Soleil touring production that premiered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on April 21, 2005.

As of May 24, 2005, Cirque du Soleil had broken its record of spectators for the première location in Montreal; more than 200,000 people had viewed the production, far outpacing the prior record of 180,000 tickets sold for Varekai during its première.

The show’s final performance under the big top took place in Quito, Ecuador on  December 13, 2015. On November 20, 2017, Cirque du Soleil announced that the show would once again set out on tour, this time in the arena format. The re-staged show premiered March 2, 2018 in New Orleans.

Cortéo — an Italian word meaning “cortège” or procession—is a contemporary circus show about a clown who watches his own funeral. It was partly inspired by “The Grand Parade: Portrait of the Artist as Clown” on display at the National Gallery of Canada and the movie “I Clowns” by Federico Fellini.

The show brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world of fun, comedy and spontaneity situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth.

The clown pictures his own funeral taking place in a carnival atmosphere, watched over by quietly caring angels. Juxtaposing the large with the small, the ridiculous with the tragic and the magic of perfection with the charm of imperfection, the show highlights the strength and fragility of the clown, as well as his wisdom and kindness, to illustrate the portion of humanity that is within each of us.

The touring show has a Delaware County native starring in the cast.

Jonathan Buese, who was born in Drexel Hill, performs the “Tournik” act which marries horizontal bar techniques with circus arts. It’s often said that the complexity of this act defies gravity and keeps audience members on the edge of their seats.

Buese, who competed at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships, was recruited by Cirque du Soleil’s casting department during a competition. At the same time another life opened for him with a job offer in Iowa as assistant manager for a high-end fashion brand.

His taste for travel, new sportive challenges and his gymnastic teammates convinced him to move to Montreal for genera acrobat training in 2010. That same year, he officially joined the Cirque du Soleil family as an aerialist on high bar act in “Mystere.” He then performed in “Alegria” for the arena tour in Europe from 2011-2013, and “Totem” from 2014-2020.

Video link for “Corteo” — https://youtu.be/ds7ETyJqFzE.

“Corteo” will run from May 30-June 2 at the Liacouras Center.

Ticket prices start at $29.

It’s time once again for the Ladybug Music Festival (Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, https://theladybugfestival.com) – a free festival held on Market Street in downtown Wilmington.

The popular annual event will be staged on May 31 from 5-10 p.m.

The 2024 festival will feature more than 30 different female-fronted bands, duos, and singer-songwriters performing simultaneously at four indoor venues and on four outdoor stages on the 400 and 500 blocks of Market Street.

The Ladybug Music Festival is a celebration of women in music taking place annually in both Wilmington and Milford, Delaware. Started in 2012 by Gable Music Ventures, the idea was to offer an alternative to the Firefly Music Festival that was focused on local independent artists, and free for the community to attend.

Michael and Debbie Schwartz, owners of the popular Shops and Lofts at 2nd & LOMA, engaged the company to throw a live music block party for their tenants shortly after Firefly was announced. Gable used the timing of the request to put on the first ever “Ladybug Festival”, featuring an all-female lineup of artists local to the Wilmington/Philadelphia music scene.

One of the featured acts at this year’s Ladybug Music Festival will be Gina Zo and the Philly-bred, L.A.-based indie pop act Velvet Rouge.

In 2016, Gina Castanzo (AKA Gina Zo) was featured on NBC’s The Voice, Team Blake for the show’s tenth season. After her time on The Voice, Zo formed Velvet Rouge.

In March of 2023 the band was WMMR’s Local Shots Artist of the Month. They have performed at an eclectic mix of Philly’s music venues, including a sold-out show at Johnny Brenda’s, Brooklyn Bowl, and World Cafe Live. Velvet Rouge has also had the opportunity to perform on WXPN for National Public Radio Day 2022, as seen in NPR Music.

In 2022, Gina Zo was inducted into the Recording Academy Philadelphia Chapter and has set out on a journey to put her mark on rock n roll. In late 2022, Velvet Rouge was voted Best Rock Band in Philly by PHL Live & was featured in the March issue of Philly Style Magazine as the music to listen to in the Now section — where they were titled “Philly’s Hottest Rock Band.”

As they prep for their EP release in early 2024, they have been recording at Philly’s top studios with Brian McTear and Amy Morrissey (War On Drugs, Sharon Van Etten, and Dr. Dog) at Miner Street Recording, Tommy Joiner at Milkboy Studios, and Mitch Beer at Retro City Studios.

They announced the self-titled EP due July 26 and the folk-pop single, “Lonely Since The Day We Met,” is out now.

Velvet Rouge’s raw and unrestrained EP is a throwback to early 2000s pop and ‘90s rock music with each track taking on one of the essential life elements: “Lonely Since The Day We Met” (Earth); “Trial” (Space); “I Don’t Know Why” (Air/Wind); “Shattered” (Fire); and “When Did I Become” (Water).

The material on Velvet Rouge’s upcoming self-titled debut EP features drummer Buddy Mazzenga, guitarist Joe McEnany and guest pianist Zo’s younger brother Tyler DeTulleo.

Some of the other featured acts at this year’s Ladybug Music Festival will be Catbite, Screaming Orphans, Humilitarian, Miss Cantaloupe, LA Creus and Chatterbox.

Video link for Velvet Rouge — https://youtu.be/LUPKzC-tBXo.

On May 31 and June 1, Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, 610-388-1000, savoy.org) is hosting a special live production by the Savoy Company in its Open Air Theatre.

The Savoy Company, which is the oldest amateur theater company in the world, is dedicated solely to the production of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan.

This weekend, the Savoy Company is returning to Longwood Gardens with another Gilbert & Sullivan classic – “The Grand Duke.”

This classic take on a “play within a play” has hilarious turns and twists that will keep you riveted. A rollicking tale of love, politics, and mistaken identity, sprinkled with Gilbert’s razor-sharp wit and Sullivan’s enchanting melodies.

Without a shot being fired, confusion and hilarity reign as a troupe of actors take political power overthrowing the government of the mean and miserly Grand Duke. Duels with weapons have been outlawed.

A statutory duel has been instituted: the two disputants draw cards from a deck.  The person with the higher card wins. The person with the lower card becomes a legal ghost and all his relations (including fiancées), debts, bets, and obligations pass on to the winner.

After 24 hours, the “dead” man returns to life, and all will be well again, or will it? Changing the setting to post-war Britain, this updated and revised version of the show will delight all ages.

This gem of a show is rarely produced, and it has been 30 years since The Savoy Company last staged the show. Director Bill Kiesling has created a masterful comedy that sings under the outstanding direction of Peter Hilliard and the professional orchestra.

Tickets for reserved seating are $29 and $39.

On May 30, the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com) is hosting GRAMMY Award-winning Americana and bluegrass artists Mark and Maggie O’Connor.

In April, the talented duo released “Life After Life.”

A seven-time CMA Award winner, Mark O’Connor is a legendary multi-instrumentalist famous for his work on fiddle, guitar and mandolin. On “Life After Life,” Mark not only brings these talents to bear but is also the principal songwriter and harmony singer, in addition to producing the album. Maggie, a talented artist in her own right who won a GRAMMY for playing and singing bluegrass with her husband Mark in the O’Connor Band, debuts as the lead singer as well as an instrumentalist.

The compelling theme flowing throughout “Life After Life” is the idea that while our common experiences can turn into challenges — even hardships — we still seek optimism and hope.

According to Mark O’Connor, “Our new songs are about learning to fall in love with life again after being utterly frightened by it” – referring to the collection which took shape during the pandemic.

The recording of “Life After Life” is an all-acoustic Americana sound garden, with the authoritative upright bass of Dennis Crouch, an old-fashioned drum set masterfully played by veteran John Gardner and the O’Connors using practically every acoustic instrument in their collection.

Video link for Mark & Maggie O’Connor — https://youtu.be/dy0rfuVGSEQ?list=PL-UUBt4dc5yguUjHsXxb5IqOluesGWXXw.

The show at the Sellersville Theater on May 30 will start at 8 p.m.

Ticket prices start at $35.

Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theater are The Reverend Horton Heat on May 31, Billy Prine on June 1, the Duprees on June 2, Leonid & Friends on June 3 and the Gilmour Project on June 5.

The Candlelight Theatre (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, 302- 475-2313,

www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org) has a new mainstage production, “Moon Over Buffalo.” The play opened on May 11 and is running through June 16.

“Moon Over Buffalo” is a 1995 comic play by Ken Ludwig set in Buffalo, New York in 1953. This play marked the return of Carol Burnett to the Broadway stage after a 30-year absence.

This madcap comedy by Ken Ludwig centers on George and Charlotte Hay, fading stars of the 1950s playing Private Lives and Cyrano de Bergerac in rep in Buffalo, New York. On the brink of a disastrous split-up caused by George’s dalliance with a young ingénue, they receive word that they might just have one last shot at stardom.

Frank Capra is coming to town to see their matinee, and if he likes what he sees, he might cast them in his movie remake of The Scarlet Pimpernel.

“Moon Over Buffalo” relies heavily on situation comedy for its humor, as well as some sexual innuendo and a little slapstick. The actor who plays George, in particular, must be able to deliver a highly physical performance. George engages in a mock fencing match with Charlotte, a wrestling match with Howard, and a stunt fall into the orchestra pit.

The action and dialogue are fast paced, as the characters are constantly bickering or frantically trying to resolve some confusion. It bears numerous similarities to Ludwig’s previous farce, “Lend Me A Tenor” — period timeframe, Northeastern city, drinking-and-womanizing male star, justifiably jealous wife, young stage manager desperately trying to keep things together, important person(s) in the audience, at least one character who has passed out and is believed missing, non-actors forced to go onstage, etc.

Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings (doors 6 p.m./show, 8 p.m.) and Sunday afternoons (doors, 1 p.m./show, 3 p.m.).

Tickets, which include dinner and show, are $70.50 for adults and $35 for children (ages 4-12).

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) will present Antje Duvekot on May 30, Strays and Misfits, Nicholas Lurwick and Jac Conner on May 31 and Kennett Metal Festival on June 1.

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org) is hosting New York’s Finest on May 30, Larger Than Life on May 31 and Diggery Digger on June 1.