Scott Tady: Boilermaker Jazz to get Midland swinging; Beaver County horror films thriving

Get in the swing this Thursday in Midland, as the Boilermaker Jazz Band entertains at the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center.

Set in the center's intimate BlackBox Theater, the Paul Consentino-led Boilermaker Jazz Band will draw from its 35-year legacy, playing jazz classics, swing music and Great American Songbook tunes performed by superb instrumentalists and heartfelt vocalists.

"This show features a best-of collection of authentic Swing Era classics, not to be missed," Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Eric DeFade, a Lincoln Park faculty member and the night's emcee, said.

Showtime is 7 p.m., with seating available for $20 and $25 at lincolnparkarts.org or by calling 724-576-4644.

Lincoln Park will enhance the jazzy mood by serving drinks and light refreshments from the in-theater bar.

This show launches the 2023-2024 "In The Box" concert series at Lincoln Park that also includes Pittsburgh's award-winning blues-soul artist Billy Price on Jan. 26, and Beaver County's own Donna Groom, of The Skyliners, doing her "Love Letters" mixed-media show on May 24, pairing songs with actual letters written to loved ones from war zones over the past 75 years.

Keanu Reeves rocked Millvale

Sometimes, you just want to bask in the glow of celebrity.

Ask the 850 people who crammed into a sold-out Mr. Smalls Theatre on Oct. 6 to see Los Angeles band Dogstar featuring Keanu Reeves.

The "Matrix"/"John Wick" film star laid down a solid groove as bass guitarist, enabling Dogstar to deliver a set of vibrant, straight-up rock -- no "indie-," "alternative," "emo" or any other prefix required.

Dogstar's guitarist/vocalist Bret Domrose noted the trio's album came out that same day, and he wondered aloud if a Pittsburgh audience's energy would equal the band's enthusiasm for the new material.

The crowd's warm cheers and steadfast attention indicated fans appreciated the performance, even a mid-song harmonica solo by drummer Rob Mailhouse on "Dillon Street" that elicited a roar of applause.

Though as one of my X/Twitter followers noted, you seldom see so many concert photos of a bass player posted on social media. (Maybe Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz is the other exception.) There was a bit more room than usual to stand on the left side of the Millvale venue's floor, because Reeves, and those crucial photo ops, were on the opposite side.

Sporting long hair and a look of utter focus, Reeves only took the main mic once, to utter a quick greeting. But he locked eyes on spectators, and between songs often did a grateful nod with a quick smile. You could imagine him saying "thanks" in his "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" voice. He took a swig from a Yuengling bottle as Dogstar launched an encore featuring a few more bar-rock anthems.

They didn't move the needle artistically, but Dogstar supplied an entertaining night of robust, melodic and original rock, illuminated by star power.

The horror

The indie horror film scene heats up locally this time of year.

Three examples:

*Grimm Sleeper Productions, the team behind local horror feature, "Waltz," will be at Freddy’s Haunts haunted trail in Independence Township on Oct. 20 to showcase new clips from the movie. Guests will be able to pre-order the fright film and other merchandise and get photos with the film’s villain, The Hatter.

The "Waltz" plot synopsis: "Desperate after losing her job, Alice earns money selling content through an erotically-charged social media site. But when an avid fan takes things too far, Alice finds herself in a fight for her life. Deep within her tormentor's lair, both victim and monster will be confronted with the truth of who they really are, and how far each of them will go in this murderous dance."

**A Western Pennsylvania cast, including actors from Rochester and New Brighton, appear in "The Carver House," a scary film that premieres Oct. 18 at The Oaks Theater in Oakmont, Tickets and more information are at www.Siktastik.com.

Primarily shot in Rochester, "The Carver House" gets screened again 8 p.m. Oct. 28 at a special Halloween event at Parkway Cinema in McKees Rocks.

"It will be a costume party and the movie will be playing on a loop in the background for the duration," New Brighton actress Wendy Round Dunham said,

There is a $5 cover charge.

***Indie film screenwriter Kelsey Pollock Rhea used her Brighton Township house as the locale for "Delamination," a horror film competing in the Pittsburgh 48 Hour Film contest.

Rhea, director Darrell Pullie, and their filmmaking friends give this plot synopsis: "Skateboarding enthusiast Shawn Taker stumbles into a peculiar Halloween party, only to unravel a sinister secret. As the night unfolds, he discovers that some wounds can't be healed without taking a treacherous dark slide into the unknown."

"Delamination" and other horror and sci-fi films selected for the Pittsburgh 48 Hour Film competition will be screened from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Oaks Theater in Oakmont, where moviegoers will vote for the winner. Tickets cost $12 at pittsburgh48.ticketbud.com.

As the contest's name implies, filmmaking teams get just 48 hours to make a film immediately following a random drawing where they're assigned the genre -- comedy, mockumentary, thriller, romance, drama, western, etc.

I asked Rhea what the contest means to aspiring filmmakers like herself.

"Indie films are driven by passion, not money," she said. "Simply put, they focus on true storytelling. These movies allow for greater artistic risks, provide opportunities for creatives newer to the field and encourage diversity."

Rhythms of Life

Johnny Angel and the Halos, The Skyliners, Bastard Bearded Irishmen and an all-star house band with Kenny Blake, Bob Banerjee and Beaver County-ites David Granati, Herman Granati and Drew Pinchotti will entertain Oct. 18 at the 20th annual Rhythms of Life concert at Linden Grove Nightclub in Castle Shannon.

Tickets cost $20 and benefit “Music Smiles: Live Music in Caring Places," which in the past 14 years has sponsored 875 live music performances at Pittsburgh area hospitals designed to boost the morale of patients and their families.

"Music Smiles" was launched in honor of the late-Sonny Pugar, a professional drummer from Ambridge. For more on "Music Cares," and to buy tickets for the show, visit sonnypugar.org

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times. Reach him at stady@timesonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Tady: Boilermaker Jazz to get Midland swinging; Beaver horror films thrive