AJ Arts & Entertainment

March 17, 2010

Poconotes welcome acoustic talent

By Gerard Hetman ghetman@timesleader.com
Reporter / Photographer

SCRANTON- On Saturday evening, March 20, The Tripp House in Scranton will play host to Joe Crookston, along with special guests The BlueBird Jamboree with Peter Glanville.

The show is just the latest event to be organized by PocoNotes, a limited liability company organized by Lake Ariel residents Dolores Hippler and Pat Harper.

Since the company’s founding in 2006, PocoNotes has specialized in bringing affordable and enjoyable musical entertainment to Northeastern Pennsylvania, with special emphasis on creating an intimate and up-close show experience for music fans who attend their concerts.

The Joe Crookston show will be the ninth musical performance organized by the company, which operates in cooperation with Duffy Accessories in Scranton to promote and develop shows into community-based events that cover a broad range of performers, venues, and musical talents.

“We were home one day and Pat was playing some music that I had not heard before,” Hippler said of how Crookston first was noticed by PocoNotes. “I hear a lot of music, and I learn to tune a lot of it out, or else I will lose my mind. But I liked what I had heard, so I came down to the living room and really got into it.”

“What he was playing was an acoustic arrangement on a1970’s song that I detested in its original form,” Harper added of the discovery. “But he had an amazing musical hook in it, and the sound just captured my ear and drew me in to his work.”

An Ohio native who has won numerous awards in the acoustic and folk music communities, Crookston was more than enthusiastic about coming to Northeast Pennsylvania, according to the duo.

“We have a policy where we will not book an act unless we see that act in person,” Hippler said of their first experiences dealing with Crookston. “Once we saw him and decided we wanted to bring him to the area.”

“We try to present these musicians in a listener’s environment. When you come to one of our shows, you leave knowing the musician, and the musician gets to know you.”

While Crookston is a nationally-known name in the music industry, his guest performers are just starting to break onto the big stage. Local musicians Pat Flynn and John Smith will perform as special guests, and Harper says the intimate setting for the show greatly enhances the opportunities to enjoy the show for both performers and audiences alike.

“With our shows, you will see a really well-known performer, and a performer who is not so well-known yet. In this case, Pat Flynn and John Smith will be playing in a place that is different than some of their other settings, so the crowd will get to see some great local talent up close.”

A portion of the proceeds from the upcoming performance will be donated to the St. Francis of Assisi Soup Kitchen in Scranton, and Hippler and Harper ask that guests bring at least one canned food item to donate . For tickets and more information, visit www.PocoNotes.com or call 1.888.800.POCO. Tickets can also be purchased at Duffy Accessories, located at 218 Linden Street in Scranton.

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