CFTC-McPherson

       It was a beautiful night to party on The Plaza in McPherson this past Thursday night as CFTC hosted a  benefit for The Girl Scouts.  

     Stevie Warren from the band Road 23 out of Wichita, KS., who opened the show by singing The National Anthem.  She did a beautiful job.  Her voice has an amazing range and I don't think I've ever heard the anthem sung with such emotion.  Stevie did a fantastic job.  She brought tears to people's eyes by the time she was finished.

    
     Up next was Sean Story from the band VOS (Victims of Spotlight) out of Hutchinson, KS., who performed solo and did his acoustic show.  One of Sean's stand out songs of the evening was his version of Creep by Radiohead as sung by Kermit the Frog.  He had everyone laughing and how he does that song without laughing himself silly, I have no idea.  But every time I've seen him perform is he does it with so much emotion and a totally straight face.  I think the voice and how serious he is when he sings it just makes it all the more hilarious to the audience.

     To finish out the night was the band The Calm, from Wichita, KS.  These fellas played a variety of original songs, they joked with the crowd, and even played songs suggested by the crowd.  It was hard to sit still and listen.  So dancing broke out in pockets all around the plaza.  The crowd just couldn't sit still.

      All in all, another successful show in McPherson.  This was the second show for CFTC and it was bigger than the one before.  Who knows what this coming Thursday will bring?  Come down to The Plaza this Thursday night and check out what CFTC has in store.  The musical acts featured will be Burgess Martin along with his band Phenomenon from Hutchinson, KS.,, as well as Johnathan Fleig from Emporia, KS.

    

CFTC-School's Out Bash

       And the rain came down . . . literally all day. But first there was Friday. It was the beginning of a two day event at The Rusty Needle Sports Bar to benefit three charities. First up was Interfaith Housing with the proceeds of Friday night’s show going to benefit this organization. The evening went off without a hitch and it was a party in the tent on the parking lot. The sides were rolled up and the music rolled out. Full parking lots of people crowded into the bar and spilled out into the parking lot and out of the tent. They came to hear Joe, sing and play his original songs accompanied by his guitar. Up next to round out the evening was Chad Sullins and The Last Call Coalition.

     About 6:00 am on Saturday, Hutchinson was treated to an incredible downpour that never let up until 10:00 pm that night. The show at The Needle faced a cross road. Does the show go on with a tent floor full of water or do we cancel? The afternoon was a benefit for The Cancer Society Cancer Dinner and for the CFTC Scholarship fund in the evening. It was decided that like all good entertainers that the show must go on!

     The show began late inside the bar with Conner and Isaac and the group formerly known as Earth to Matilda who performed an acoustic set for those who had decided to brave the rain to come to the show. While this show was going on inside, outside management of the bar and the evenings performers gathered together to dry out the tent and floor, and move the stage which was no small feat. The fact that they moved the stage in one piece is simply beyond all imagining. But they did.

     And the show went on under the big tent. A variety of performers took to the stage. Hard Rock, heavy metal and a variety of other incredible musical styles spilled out from under the tent into the wet, rainy night. And at the end of it all was Hemlock. Yes, Hemlock returned to a crowd that rivaled last years. And the crowd jumped, juked, jived, and splashed through the water standing on the floor under the tent. No one seemed to care about the rain, the water, the puddles or the soaked pant legs and soggy shoes. Truly an event all its own.

     Whatever will next year bring? CFTC and The Rusty Needle can only guess. Make sure your there next year for The School’s Out Bash. It is literally different every year.

CFTC-McPherson

      What do you get when you combine a harpist, bagpipes and kilts, a group that plays rock/post punk/goth music, a barbecue grill full of food, and pop? It has to be the kick off to the first season of Concert For The Cause in McPherson, Kansas.

      Hutchinson’s own Bob Colladay, kicked off the evening by singing the Scottish National Anthem and the American National Anthem. Then as a last minute song he slipped in a song from his new CD entitled Outhouse. Of course, he had everyone laughing.

 

      As is fitting for a benefit for The McPherson Scottish Festival, it just wouldn’t be the same without one of the most popular performers from the festival. RoJean Louks started the evening off with some amazing harp music. People drifted onto the The Plaza, drawn by the music to listen a while to a little ear candy. Since we’ve been having so much rain lately, RoJean ended her set with a montage of musical selections featuring rivers and rain.

      Then The DeVeils from Wichita Kansas took to the stage. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with this group. The have a wide range of musical styles and I wasn’t exactly sure what post-punk was going to sound like. The played a variety of different styles of original music and I’ll have to say that this is a group to watch. If you get a chance to hear them don’t pass it up. The music is fresh and original. It was hard not to keep time to the music and dance. So I did just that. People were driving by on the street, rolling down their windows and just stopping in the middle of the street to listen.

     What a beautiful night for a concert, fresh grilled food, drinks, and meeting new friends. Thursday CFTC will do it again on The Plaza in McPherson with fresh, new music and a benefit for the Girl Scouts.