‘Roots’ music series returns to Westside Center
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After getting a relatively light response last spring, the Pikes Peak Blues Community (PPBC) will try again with its live acoustic series called “Roots in the Hood” at the Westside Community Center, 1628 W. Bijou St.
The first of three shows on the third Thursday of the month will feature the Jason Miller Band Oct. 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., with the doors opening at 6. The price of $5 (kids free) covers the cost of the bands and the catered food which is included with the cost of admission, according to PPBC President Brenda Knight. Miller's group, which plays a folkier style known as “Americana,” gained notoriety by opening for the famous Nitty Gritty Dirt Band when it played at the Stargazers club in Colorado Springs last July. Other PPBC shows in the Westside Center series will be Nov. 15 (Lost Junction Band) and Dec. 20 (band not yet scheduled). The PPBC, a nonprofit organization that supports local musicians, views the center as a venue “that's appropriate for families with kids,” Knight said. “We like to reach that public.” Center Director Dick Siever is pleased that the PPBC is coming back. “They're a great addition to the programs at the community center,” he said. “People have really enjoyed it. It's a nice family event, a fun evening at a very reasonable cost.” The three shows last April, May and June were enjoyed by those who attended, but attracted smaller crowds, along with fewer families, than the PPBC had hoped for. “We'd like it to at least pay for itself,” Knight said. As a result, a couple of changes are planned for the upcoming concerts. One is a shorter time frame. Last spring's shows had gone three hours. “That just seemed like way too much time,” she said. Also, instead of having the chairs arranged in rows, theater-style, facing the stage, the chairs will be set around tables; that way “it's easier to have conversations with people,” Knight said. Westside Pioneer article |