"See you at the Scholar!"

“ON The MAIN STAGE” Concert Listings for 2013!

msbevents — Mon, 20 May 2013 01:05:58 +0000

The Midtown Scholar hosts prominent singer-songwriters, indie bands, classical musicians, and a unique acoustic venue. Performers are calling us “one of the best folk clubs in the country!” We are always interested in hearing from new musicians. All of our booking now takes place through an online booking system located at: http://midtownscholar.partnershipplanners.org Simply go to this link, (please note that you will have to create an account so you can monitor your request) and submit the “Musical Performance Booking” form. Please note that we book concerts only on Friday and Saturday nights.

May 25th – Sean Cox & Band of Rivals

Music has always been a way of venting and saying things Sean can’t in words. He began to write about 4 years ago and instantly fell in love with the connection between the performer and the audience. Sean writes songs that he hopes people will identify with and will do anything to create a career out of it because whether he is playing for 5,000 people or 5, as long as even one person goes home with something, he feels he has done his job.

June 7th – Matt Wheeler with Opener Hassan Estakhrian

Honest, thought-provoking lyrics & simple but poignant melodies characterize Matt Wheeler’s songwriting. With live shows that feature a heartfelt delivery of songs mixed together with a dose of light-hearted humor, Matt’s music is easy to like.

Based in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Matt Wheeler & Vintage Heart are emerging with a brand of acoustic folk-rock that reflects faith, love, and what it means to be human. Drawing influences from the folk/singer-songwriter tradition such as James Taylor and Iron & Wine, Matt’s musical poetry can range from lilting and sweet to haunting and driving.

Opener: Hassan Estakhrian is a composer, performer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, music producer, music engineer, and instructor. He has a studio in Lancaster, PA where he composes and produces music and also teaches private lessons. Hassan performs live music on multiple instruments including electric bass, guitar, keyboards, percussion and voice. On the electric bass, he specializes in extended techniques such as tapping, slapping, and chords..

June 8th – Tony Halchak

Ever since my house burned up
The road’s been long, it’s been enough
A good pair of shoes, a walkin’ stick
A change of clothes in a handkerchief
I’ll find a way, I’ll carry on
cause I’m the lovelorn vagabond

Lyrics like these from indie folk artist Tony Halchak might not be so far from the truth. After several large life crisis, Tony never strayed far without pen and paper in hand. Writing several hundreds of songs on yellow legal pads and borrowed guitars, he crafted a series of three EP’s in 2011. All of which are now being pressed into his first full length album entitled Collecting.

Drawing inspiration from subjects like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poems and his hometown city of Wilkes-Barre, Tony weaves through tunes as beautiful as they are heartbreaking. “I sort of write for different reasons,” Tony said, “sometimes for therapy, sometimes just to be clever, and sometimes because it’s the only means of expression I have.” One would tend to believe Collecting showcases all of these outlets and more. “Halchak writes songs with doses of reality and glimmers of hope,” said Patch.com.

Tony started recording Collecting while recovering from his second, of three, back surgeries. Pulling a mic close to his bedside he began laying down guitar and vocals for several of the songs on the record. The song Happy remains as recorded during these sessions. Self-producing and engineering the rest of the tracks at Saturation Acres studio in Dupont, PA he then enlisted the help of friend and mentor Bret Alexander to finalize mixes and mastering. “Bret adds color to some of the songs and is even more of a part of this because he has taught me so much about the art of the song that his influence remains branded in each track.”

Tony has composed and written for film and tv, shared the stage with artists like Colorado folk great Gregory Alan Isakov, New England’s Caravan of Thieves, and River James out of Nashville. With his former bands Tony has opened up for artists like Rascal Flatts and Brad Paisley, recorded with multi-grammy winning artist Matt Odmark from the band Jars of Clay, and played several hundreds of shows from MA down to Nashville. Several tracks he’s written and co-written currently spin on radio stations in the Northeast.

June 14th – 2 FREE CONCERTS!

7 PM – Shelly King

There are a ton of young singer-songwriters out there claiming country and blues as influences, but Austin artiste Shelley King is the real deal. Roustabout, N’awlins-style arrangements back up her rich, burnished, lived-in voice to truly goosebumpworthy effect. She’s playing tonight behind an excellent new album, Welcome Home. Fans of late-night bars, Janis Joplin and good fried food will find much to love here.

8 PM - Chris Gassaway

At just eighteen years of age, Chris has already been performing music publicly for over five years, consistently blowing away young and old alike with abilities at the keyboard that far exceed his age. His performances, often based in the music of Elton John, Billy Joel, and similar, cover all areas of music from the last fifty years and beyond, ranging from John Lennon up to the likes of Jason Mraz, with improvised and original music also making appearances- all carefully sculpted to fit his unique and engaging style. Chris has performed all over the state and beyond, from countless festivals and parties to a current series at Carley’s Piano Bar to an ongoing engagement at Broad Street Market, where he has now performed well over 50 times since the end of 2010, a large contributor to his 2012 performances totaling nearly 100, with 2013 set to eclipse that milestone before the end of the summer.

June 21st – Basic Black

Basic Black is a four-piece rock band from Harrisburg, PA. Founded in 2009 by students at Bishop McDevitt High School, Basic Black plays catchy original songs with guitar hooks and tight, three-part harmonies. Since then, they’ve played at a number of local venues, including St. Thomas Roasters and Laserdome. They played a high-profile showcase at the 2012 Millennium Music Conference with Close to Consideration. Last November, they released their debut EP “Accidentally Awesome”, and are promoting it this summer with shows all over PA.

June 22nd – Mike Quinones with Opener Jessica Smucker

Mike Quinones wanted to be Robin Hood when he was little, but instead, he became a musician (and hasn’t regretted it). He hails from western Massachusetts, and has been writing songs ever since he got his first guitar in high school. Musical inspirations have included Paul Simon, Radiohead, The Beatles, and Cat Stevens. His music has been described as passionate, adventurous, and intricate, and features songs with evocative melodies that carry their listeners to unexpected places. He has shared the stage with Vince Welnick of the Grateful Dead, Heather Maloney, The Mobius Band, Olivia Mancini, The Milkman’s Union, The Brass, and many, many others. Mike is currently touring the eastern US, in support of his just-released album, Centuries.

Jessica Smucker writes what could be considered “dark pop” songs: catchy melodies in minor keys, lyrics that masterfully infuse sad stories with tiny flecks of humor and hope. She performs in diverse configurations and contexts, but her songs have a consistent melodic edge. “Woven with a sort of defiant sadness, a square-jawed resilience” (Fly Magazine), her compositions often start down a familiar road but, through a series of subtle twists and curves, deliver the listener to an unexpected destination.

Unflinching in her dealings with controversial themes – God, sex, social justice, and the movement of all three through an intimate personal narrative – Jessica delivers lyrics that will trip your mind and tie your stomach in knots. Her voice gives an impression of innocence until it erupts into an explosion of rage or desire – evoking, in its gentler moments, a lullaby quality in the vein of Cat Power, Sarah McLachlan or Over the Rhine, then launching into a vocal diatribe with all the anger and intensity of Alanis Morissette, Ani DiFranco or Fiona Apple.

June 23rd – The Brothers Kaschak

The Brothers Kaschak are an acoustic/indie duo from Upstate New York. In the early 2000′s, Mark and Sean Kaschak began playing music together. What began as the reckless banging of crash cymbals and indiscriminate slamming of power chords eventually gave way to a more refined sense of musicianship and songwriting.The Brothers Kaschak are now producing music together again worth sharing.

THE LITERARY CELEBRATION SERIES

msbevents — Mon, 20 May 2013 01:00:55 +0000

The Midtown Scholar Bookstore proudly presents our new monthly event, The Literary Celebration Series. The Literary Celebration Series is an all day family event with entertainment, discussions, art and live music focused on the literary world’s most celebrated authors.

Saturday, June 22nd

The Literary Celebration Series in conjunction with

Presents:

Yellow Wall Gallery exhibit: Ted Walke – ImageSpeak

yellowwallgallery — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:12:49 +0000

Ted Walke
ImageSpeak

May 14 – June 16, 2013
Reception: Friday May 17, 2013 from 6pm-10pm

Pennsylvania artist Ted Walke titles this series of paintings as “ImageSpeak.” Similar to how audiences are drawn to written biographies as a means of examining human dimensions, Walke uses this collection of works, as modern portraiture, to depict relationships, moods and inner thoughts of the individual. While representational in outcome, the art is heavily structured with line. Walke paints most of his works on bare wood, initially with India ink. The saturation and bleed of the ink into the wood grain is encouraged and, at times, provides the directional pathway for how the artwork will be completed. Walke says, “The human face, while containing elements common to all us, presents an opportunity to tell a unique narrative. It’s with this narrative that I hope to either depict engagement or have the viewer be engaged through the summation of their thoughts about the art.”

Artist Statement

I can remember the first time I dipped a crow-quill pen into a bottle of Speedball India Ink, removing the pen, and seeing the “thick and thin” weave of line on the paper. Of course, aside from many trials of creating a blob or puddle of ink on the paper, the permanence and nakedness of line work has always captivated me. The benefit of tailoring my skill and using it in the realm of fine art has always been a goal of mine.

In my art, I use the stark intensity of both black and full-color line art with the commonality and narrative of faces and human forms to tell a story by association through suggestive titles. This doesn’t always yield the same interpretation amongst viewers, but that’s what I want. I want viewers to be able to reach their own conclusion of meaning without dictate; to me, that’s pure engagement and expression.

In a prior life, I was an illustrator and graphic designer. In terms of art style and application, my fine art is somewhat the antithesis of the commercial conformity I executed in these occupations. Sometimes the most expressive and impressive nature of line happens by accident. In applying India ink directly to bare wood, I like leaving conformity behind and seeing what happens with a merge of the planned and accidental. Plus, at this point in my life, I’m not satisfying a client; I’m satisfying myself. If others are of a like mind, then I’m happy to have them along for the ride.

I was born and grew up in central Pennsylvania. I currently live on the outskirts of Harrisburg and co-own a fine art gallery in Harrisburg with my wife Linda. My background in fine art is somewhat sparse with only recent consistency. Beyond high school and college, I entered local art shows in the late 1970s and early 1980s. At the same time, with a growing family, I was starting a career in graphic design— “putting food on the table” as they say. For me, a high point was a one-person show at the Doshi in 1982, back when the Doshi was on Second and Reily streets. Beyond that, I stopped producing personal art and devoted my full-time efforts to commercial work.

Flash-forward to 2009 where I decided to produce a mixed-media piece of art for the Art Association of Harrisburg’s annual membership show “Figuratively Speaking.” My piece was awarded first place and the art bug bit me hard. With bolstered confidence, I entered 2010’s Art of the State® and was very fortunate to get a piece of work into this prestigious exhibition. That same year, in May, my wife and I deciced to purchase an 1839 Federal-style house in Harrisburg and open a gallery called Gallery at Second (www.GalleryAtSecond.com). It’s this transition and sharing with other artists and visitors that fuels my current creativity.

Cruise the River with the Little Scholar!

msbevents — Thu, 02 May 2013 13:55:46 +0000

The Little Scholar is Partnering with the Pride of the Susquehanna Riverboat!

For 25 years the Pride of the Susquehanna has been committed to providing Central PA families with memory-making and educational experiences through their Family Night Cruises, Pirate Night Cruise, River School and Sightseeing cruises!

With our mutual commitment to creating events that bring families together, the Little Scholar and the Pride of the Susquehanna are excited to partner together to bring you exciting and fun Family Night Cruises once a month this summer and fall! See below for more details or:

CLICK HERE TO BOOK AND FOR DATES

Enjoy pizza from the Wild Tomato Pizzeria, soda and a fun sight-seeing cruise on our Family Night, along with a few fun activities and entertainment from The Little Scholar and DJ Stevie Blatz! Activities include Magic Shows, kid’s song karaoke, facepainting, Storytelling, fun crafts, Christmas in July, and MUCH MORE! The Little Scholar will also periodically provide a guest speaker, usually a children’s author, to talk about their book! This cruise is for families of all sizes (or anyone!) who are looking for something different and fun to do during the summer and fall months! Take in the sights of the Harrisburg Skyline and other sights along the river while enjoying the warm summer breezes and company of your family and friends. Our friends at The Little Scholar will also be providing a FREE gift bag with flyers, a bookmark, a coupon for the store and a doodle book in it for you to take home! Click the link to see all activities and dates!

CLICK HERE TO BOOK AND FOR DATES

Time:

6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Options:

Child Price (Ages 3-12): All-inclusive of pizza, soda, and a 2 hour cruise, along with entertainment & gift bag ($15.00)
Adult Price (Ages 13 and Older): All-inclusive of pizza, soda, and a 2 hour cruise, along with entertainment & gift bag ($18.00)
Children under 3 (2 and younger): FREE. All passengers under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Galley:

There will be other snacks and drinks available at the galley for purchase.

Other Information:

Boarding begins 15 minutes prior to sailing, as the boat leaves promptly.

The Pride is handicapped and wheelchair accessible.

Restrooms are available onboard.

Advanced Reservations Required. No reservations are taken at the time of boarding for food, but if you just want the cruise you may walk-on and pay on the boat at the time of the cruise.

Robinson’s Rare Books & Fine Prints

msbevents — Wed, 01 May 2013 16:13:53 +0000

Robinson’s Rare Books & Fine Prints is a cozy space within The Midtown Scholar Bookstore. Here you’ll find beautiful and historic books tucked into antique European cabinets, bins stacked with original, museum-quality prints, and hundreds of books on printmaking and print makers. We even have a micro-gallery, with changing exhibits of contemporary and period prints.

We have competitively priced prints by Sunol Alvar, Irving Amen, Isabel Bishop, Colleen Browning, Jim Dine, Jean Dufy, Lazlo Dus, Fritz Eichenberg, Philip Evergood, Henry Farrer, Arthur Heintzelman, Kazuhisa Honda, Georges Item, Robert Indiana, Jerome Kaplan, Christian Kruck, Inukai Kyohei, Lee Johnson David Levine, Frederick Menguy, Andre Minaux, Peter Moran, Gabor Peterdi, Lili Rethi, Andrew Rush, Dorothy Rutka, Richard Segalman, Karl Schrag, Carl Schultheis, Jan Vondrous and many others.

Robinson’s also features our own group of contemporary printmakers from this region and beyond: Jonathan Bean, Ward Davenny, Chung S Ee, Stephen Fieser, Christine Forsythe, Donald Forsythe, Brenton Good, Holly Meade, Trace Miller, Bruce Muirhead, Jake Muirhead, Rosalyn Richards and Evan Summer.

Robinson’s presents:

“Flower Vendors & Flowers”

Original French and American Prints

April 19th – June 15th

The Little Scholar Partners with Caitlin’s Smiles

msbevents — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:25:38 +0000

- and -

Partnering Together

For the Month of May, The Little Scholar is a drop off location for donations of NEW books and children’s craft supplies, which will be delivered to children in hospitals. Check out the details below for ideas of what to donate!

The mission is simple, the impact immense. Caitlin’s Smiles is dedicated to sharing smiles and laughter with children facing chronic or life threatening illnesses. Founded in 2004 in memory of Caitlin Hornung, the non-profit organization distributes arts and crafts kits to hospitals, giving kids an outlet for creativity. Caitlin’s Smiles recognizes children as unique individuals and strives to heighten their feelings of self-worth and competency by providing them with opportunities to be creative and successful with a variety of art experiences.

Learn more about Caitlin’s Smiles at their website: http://www.caitlins-smiles.org/

Or watch this short documentary about Caitlin’s Smiles here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTm-s4VN0cM

Suggested Donations:

PLEASE NOTE: All donations must be new!

Used donations pose too great a health risk to the children that will receive them.

New Children’s Books (this was a special request for this drive because we are a bookstore and because much of what has been sent to the children in the past have been activity books, not storybooks)
Play-doh
Boxes of Crayons
Markers
Colored Pencils
Coloring Books

Middle School Book Club

msbevents — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:46:38 +0000

We welcome all youth, grades 6-9th to participate in our meetings which will take place twice a month from 1p-2p. Two skilled staff members: Josh & Stacey who are middle education majors, will be leading the group.

Saturday, April 13th – 1:00pm @ the Little Scholar

Saturday, April 27th - 1:00PM @ the Little Scholar

Saturday, May 11 - 1:00PM @ the Little Scholar

The current book selection is The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, and 2013′s Newbery Award Winner.

May Little Scholar Events!

msbevents — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 18:02:42 +0000

May Little Scholar Events!

THE LITTLE SCHOLAR is the place to relax and learn with your family. Come visit us for one of our weekend events, or stop by just to browse and read!

May

Family Events Starting at 11:00am

May’s Theme: Storytime Month

Sat, May 4 – 11am – Storytime & Crafts with Andrea Black!

Sat, May 11 – 11am – Storytime & Crafts with Moritza Termin!

Sat, May 18 – 11am – Poetry Day, celebrating Emily Dickinson – The Little Scholar is excited to be a part of the store-wide Literary Celebration Series. This month’s theme is Emily Dickinson! Join us in the Little Scholar for readings of her poetry along with some of your kid’s favorite silly poems, plus crafts!

Sat, May 25 – 11am – Storytime & Crafts with Andrea Black!

Preschool Events – Sydney’s Book Club

Wednesday, May 22 – 10 am

SBC is creatively designed to stimulate vocabulary, infuse word recognition, and advance comprehension, while encouraging positive parent/child interaction, exploration, and embedding the notion that reading is fun!

——————————————————————————–

- and –

Partnering Together

Suggested Donations:

All donations must be new!

Used donations pose too great a health risk to the children that will receive them.

New Children’s Books (this was a special request for this drive because we are a bookstore and because much of what has been sent to in the past to children have been activity books, not storybooks)
Play-doh
Boxes of Crayons
Markers
Colored Pencils
Coloring Books

Harrisburg In-Forum: June Events

msbevents — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:39:34 +0000

Harrisburg IN-Forum

Forums to help Inform the Harrisburg City Community

The Midtown Scholar Bookstore Special Events proudly presents a series of Town Hall meetings, Lectures, Author Talks and Community Summits to help inform and educate the citizens of Harrisburg about different issues that we face as residents.

The Scholar is proud to announce two amazingly informative events:

Wednesday, June 5th

Harrisburg Hope to Host First Gubernatorial Debate

Join Harrisburg Hope and at least 4 candidates for governor at their first debate on Wednesday, June 5, at 6 pm, at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore. Free and open to all. What would you ask the next governor?

Harrisburg Hope has invited Governor Corbett, former Congressman Joe Sestak, Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, former Revenue Secretary Tom Wolf, former DEP Secretary John Hanger, former DEP Secretary Katie McGinty, State Treasurer Rob McCord, Sen. Mike Stack, Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski, and Rev. Max Myers. As PoliticsPA put it, “this debate will be a starting event in the most-watched campaign in Pennsylvania.”

PoliticsPA: http://www.politicspa.com/date-set-for-first-dem-gubernatorial-debate/

Midtown Scholar Press

msbevents — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 22:53:04 +0000

Welcome to the Midtown Scholar Press

The Midtown Scholar Press is looking to print its second title and is accepting submissions from the public.

Our main focus will be to expand upon our Harrisburg History and Culture series which began with City Contented, City Discontented by Paul Beers. The MSP is open to considering all manuscripts submitted. Below, please find the instructions on how and what to submit:

TO SUBMIT A MANUSCRIPT FOR PUBLISHING:

Select a 5 page section of your manuscript and place it into a PDF format. Please have the document name include the writer’s name.
Send the manuscript sample using the Subject: Manuscript Submission: (Author’s Name) – (Title of Work)
Attach PDF sample of manuscript to the email and send it to:
MSBPress@midtownscholar.com

If you have any questions, please contact

Aubrey Bourgeois

Acquisitions Editor

Midtown Scholar Press

1302 N. 3rd Street

Harrisburg, PA 17102

717.525.9356

MSBPress@midtownscholar.com