Middletown Music Festival!

The first annual Middletown Music Festival will be held Aug. 12 from 4-9pm at Middlesex Community College.

Presented by J-Cherry Presents, in association with , , WESU 88.1FM, , and sound provided by Stereo Joe. J-Cherry is a local artist living in Portland with her life partner and band mate, co-host and producer, Tim Sparks.

J-Cherry and Sparks produce and host, VOICE of the CITY, airing on WESU 88.1-FM Middletown, Tuesdays from 6:30-8 p.m.; as well as, Anything Goes Open Mic Monday, at the Buttonwood Tree from 8-10 p.m.

The festival will start with an open mic hosted by J-Cherry.

If you’re a local musician, poet, or comedian, and would like to perform in the open mic, arrive early. Limited space is available. This is a rain or shine event. If the sun shines, bring a picnic or delight in delicious food from the , and enjoy the grove at Middlesex Community College.

If it rains, join us in the state-of-the-art multipurpose room in Chapman Hall. Middletown is an eclectic city with a vibrant arts culture. Attracting artists of every type for across the state, and is the perfect location to host some of the finest local artist for an annual music festival.

This year’s lineup includes the multi-talented Anderson, who plays a variety of unique instruments, some of which he makes himself. Sympetalous, a local bard, will be reciting his unique blend of jazzy poetry throughout the evening.

“Sympetalous? Means my petals are fused sort of like a Morning Glory of Heavenly Blue.”

Gigglejuice, hailing from the east side of the river, plays a fusion of rock, reggae, jazz and psychedelic jams. Gigglejuice will have your feet tapping, and get you up and dancing!

The energetic and rocking Two Virgins, with over 400 original songs, “Tom & Tom are lifetime songwriters and performers who, under the guise of Two Virgins, present an eclectic blend of Americana, power folk, R&B, soul and punk rock music.” J-Cherry and the Strawberries, is a mixture of improvisation, poetry, Americana, folk and roots rock.

Here’s what critics have to say about J-Cherry and the Strawberries, “J-Cherry and the Strawberries took to the stage and played to a house that overflowed the music room and spilled out into the library. A local artist with a passion for music, lead singer J-Cherry, a.k.a. Jennifer Shafer Wood, plays her own soulful style of blues, poetry, and funk surrounded by an ethereal musical background,” Middletown Patch.

When you support the local music scene, you support a vital part of the community. Local music brings people together in public places and stimulates interaction and local commerce, on a social and business level. With a hard economy people are not able to afford concert tickets to big name acts these days, or even movie tickets.

There’s no need to have to pay a fortune for good music and entertainment when we’re surrounded by it in our communities! That doesn’t mean local music should be free and that is why we request a suggested donation of $10.

Tune into WESU 88.1-FM Middletown for more great local music and exciting events in the greater Middlesex and Hartford Counties, and parts of Massachusetts, and Long Island. For information, visit jcherrypresents.com.

Live and local… this is great music!