Destination: Downtown Reading!

I S S U E 7 2 OCTOBER 30, 2018

The Reading Downtown Improvement District Reading Fest office is located at 645 Penn Street, First Floor, Suite 105. Office hours: Monday Returns For Second Year through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Office number: 610-376-6424

DID Ambassadors number: 484-955-0315 (Please call this number directly for escort assistance to vehicles, trash and leaf removal, graffiti removal, and public nuisance issues)

DID You Know? At the risk of repeating ourselves, we’d like to remind you that on Sunday, November 4 at 2 a.m. it will be time to “fall back” an hour for Daylight Savings Time.

Since this means it will start getting dark around 5 p.m., you may want to You cannot get enough of the blues. Which is why there will be a second annual take advantage of our Reading Blues Fest November 16 through 18, primarily at the DoubleTree by free Ambassador escorts to vehicles within Hilton Reading hotel in downtown Reading. the Improvement District. Ambassadors Once again, the festival is being presented by Berks Arts Council with John are available 6:30 a.m.- Ernesto as fest general manager -- the same folks who bring you Boscov’s Berks 11:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon- Jazz Fest. 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, and 9 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. on Rock and Rock Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Sunday. recipient Booker T. Jones is the headliner, and Reading Blues Fest also is

Please call 484-955- stocked with plenty of other extraordinary artists. 0315 at least 20 minutes in advance of needing "Last year's Blues Fest, for an inaugural event, did well,” Ernesto said. "It was an escort so we have successful, but we learned some things we needed to change. We need to keep enough time to most of the events in one place – the DoubleTree by Hilton Reading.” accommodate your request. (article continued on page 2) Reading Blues Fest Coming Back

(article continued from front page)

Booker T. Jones John Nemeth The blues festival will start rocking downtown Reading with a Kickoff Luncheon at The Peanut Bar Restaurant on Friday, November 16 at 11:30 a.m. with The Bluesmasters featuring three Berks County musical giants -- bassist/vocalist Bennie Sims, pianist/vocalist Cliff Starkey, and saxophonist/vocalist Erich Cawalla.

Booker T. Jones plus Ruthie Foster featuring DOXA Gospel Ensemble will bring A Night of Soulful Blues to the DoubleTree Grand Ballroom on Friday, November 16 at 8 p.m.

Jones was one of the architects of the Memphis soul sound of the 1960s as the leader of Booker T. & the MG’s, who scored a number of hits on their own as well as serving as the Stax Records house band. He arguably is the most famous Hammond B3 player in history with his trademark keyboard chops elevating him into a pillar of .

But Jones’ accomplishments don’t stop there. As a producer, songwriter, arranger, and instrumentalist, he has worked with a remarkable variety of artists such as , Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, , John Lee Hooker, Soul Asylum, the Roots, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Eddie Floyd, Albert King, Steven Sills, Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge.

In 1992 Booker T. & the MG’s were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and that same year the group reunited for a special high-profile gig, serving as the house band for an all-star tribute to Dylan on his 30th anniversary as a recording artist.

Ruthie Foster won the Koko Taylor Award for Traditional Blues Female at the 2018 Blues Music Awards. It was her eighth Blues Music Award. With the release of her latest album Joy Comes Back, the Recording Academy may want to put its engraver on notice because every note on it confirms this truth: It ’s Ruthie’s time.

Reading's own DOXA Gospel Ensemble, whose name means "praise," has been featured many times in the Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest as guests with other artists, mostly notably in Kirk Whalum's Gospel According to Jazz Celebration.

Opening Night features the Welcome Party concert with the Craig Thatcher Band with very special guest G.E. Smith on Friday, November 16 at 6 p.m. at the Crossroads at the DoubleTree.

Thatcher is a gifted guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter from Nazareth who has played with such great artists as Simone, Buddy Guy, Derek Trucks, John Mayall, Jimmie Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Roseanne Cash, Roger McGuinn, Herman’s Hermits, Spencer Davis Group and John Mayer.

Smith is one of the most in-demand blues/rock guitarists in the world. Millions of TV viewers know him from his 10-year stint fronting the Saturday Night Live Band. He was lead guitarist for Daryl Hall and John Oates, toured with Bob Dylan and performed with Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, Buddy Guy, Eddie Van Halen and Keith Richards. (article continued on back page) WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?

If you’ve passed by the intersection of Eighth and Penn Streets recently, you’ve probably noticed construction activity occurring at the property next to Santander Arena. So what’s going on here? That will be the future home of a restaurant and bar on the ground floor, with the possibility of meeting space and other functions on the upper floors. The building has been vacant for several years, last housing a Pearle Vision Center. The property was purchased by the Berks County Convention Center Authority in 1999 with the intent of eventually breathing new life into it. Paving way for the current construction project was a $1.5 million state grant awarded late last year. The grant total is being matched in funding from the Convention Center Authority. Constructed in 1929 as a bank, the structure was designed to look like Philadelphia's Carpenters' Hall, where the First Continental Congress met. The exterior of the brick building will remain intact, while the interior is being retrofitted to accommodate new uses. Reading Blues Fest Returns Nov. 16

(article continued from page 2)

Shemekiah Copeland

The festival finale is a blockbuster featuring four distinct concerts starting at noon on Sunday, November 18 at the DoubleTree Grand Ballroom with Shemekia Copeland, John Nemeth & The Blue Dreamers with The Berks Horns, Jazz Gets the Blues: Clarence Spady & Nick Colionne, and Vanessa Collier.

Whether she’s belting out a raucous blues-rocker, firing up a blistering soul-shouter, bringing the spirit to a gospel- fueled R&B rave-up or digging deep down into a subtle, country-tinged ballad, Shemekia Copeland sounds like no one else.

John Nemeth is top shelf as an electric blues and soul harmonica player, singer, and songwriter. He has won two Blues Music Awards for Soul Blues Male Artist in 2014 and Soul Blues Album in 2015 for Memphis Grease.

The Blue Dreamers are Danny Banks on drums, Matthew Wilson on bass and guitar, and Johnny Rhodes on guitar. The Berks Horns are Mike Anderson on saxophone, John Loos on trombone, and Rob Diener on trumpet. Clarence Spady plays with a depth and sensitivity that can’t be taught, effortlessly combining blues, jazz, , Latin and rock into his own unique style. His moving guitar play, rough street-edged vocals, songwriting and live improvisations are demonstrated with every performance.

With a style that is both urban and contemporary, Nick Colionne combines jazz, R&B, blues and funk into an unmistakable sound and vibe that is instantly recognizable. Colionne takes the guitar to unexpected places in his performances and his rich baritone vocals delight his audiences.

The multi-talented Vanessa Collier is an in-demand artist, bringing her charismatic charm, passionate and fiery performances, soulful voice, searing saxophone solos and witty songwriting to the stage.

In addition to the DoubleTree and Peanut Bar, other downtown performance venues will include The Speckled Hen Cottage Pub, Grill Then Chill, GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, and Christ Episcopal Church. Tommy Castro

The Reading Downtown Improvement District is focused on creating a vital, productive and commercially active environment in downtown Reading. The Improvement District provides cleaning, security, and marketing services for a specially designated commercial district in the city, and also sponsors several events and activities throughout the year, including MidDay Cafes, Reading Holiday Parade, Downtown Alive free outdoor concert series, and Reading Fire + Ice Fest. The Improvement District continually strives to make downtown Reading a cleaner, safer, and more inviting place to live, work, and visit. You can learn more about us on our website at: www.downtownreading.com.