Dennis Drew, Jeff Erickson and Steven Gustafson in front of the new sign honoring 10,000 Maniacs at the Jamestown city entrance (Image courtesy of 10,000 Maniacs).

JAMESTOWN, NY – Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist unveiled a new  sign at the city’s North Main St. entrance Monday morning, honoring 10,000 Maniacs.

Maniacs’ members and Jamestown natives Dennis Drew, Jeff Erickson and Steven Gustafson were on hand for the occasion, along with several other city and state officials.

Both Drew and Gustafson were founding members of the band when it first formed in Jamestown in 1981. Others in the original group included Rob Buck, John Lombardo, and Natalie Merchant – along with a rotating cast of drummers – including Tim Edborg, Bob “Bob-o-Matic” Watcher, and Jim Foti – on drums (Jerry Augustyniak would eventually become the Maniacs’ main percussionist in 1983 and has remained with the band ever since).

During the past 40 years, 10,000 Maniacs has released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums – selling millions of records and performing thousands of shows around the world. While the band has seen some members come and go (including Merchant, who left the band in 1994 and Buck, who passed away in December 2000) it has continued to perform and entertain audiences over the year, including putting on a sellout show at Reg Lenna Center for the Arts earlier this year. Current band members include Augustyniak, Drew, Erickson, Gustafson and Lombardo, along with Mary Ramsey on lead vocals.

Ten Thousand Maniacs joins Lucille Ball, Roger Tory Peterson and Robert H. Jackson as prominent natives of the Pearl City. The signs note that Jamestown is “The Birthplace of” both Ball and Peterson and “Home of” both Jackson and 10,000 Maniacs.

Others on hand for the unveiling included Assemblyman Andy Goodell (who actually served as an attorney for 10,000 Maniacs in the band’s early years) along with State Senator George Borrello.

10th Anniversary Celebration with 10,000 Maniacs, Rolling Hills Radio with Ken Hardley, and more!

JAMESTOWN – The area’s only locally owned and operated non-religious radio station, WRFA (107.9 FM Jamestown, streaming at www.WRFALP.com), will celebrate 10 years on the local airwaves on Saturday, Sept. 13 with an afternoon and evening of live radio programing that includes interviews and musical performances.

• ACCESS LIVE STREAM (STARTS AT 2:40PM)

SEPT. 13 SCHEDULE:

• 3 p.m. – Interviews with community members and local non-profit organization leaders (Streaming and broadcasting);
• 4 p.m. – Community Matters roundtable discussion on local economic development with community leaders, hosted by Jason Sample (Streaming and broadcasting);
• 5 p.m. – Rolling Hills Radio with Ken Hardley with special guests John Latini and Miche Fambro (live at the Reg Studio Theater and streaming, broadcasting) (Get Tickets);
• 7 p.m. – Interviews with WRFA and Reg Lenna Staff (Streaming and broadcasting);
• 8 p.m. – Live concert with 10,000 Maniacs (live at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts and streaming, broadcasting) (Get Tickets).

10 Years of Community Radio

WRFA began broadcasting as a non-commercial, low power radio station on Sept. 13, 2004 with a mission to provide educational and volunteer radio programming to listeners in the Jamestown area. It was started by musician Dennis Drew from 10,000 Maniacs, with a broadcast license held by the Arts Council for Chautauqua County.

Since its first broadcast, the station has grown to include online streaming, a variety of volunteer-produced programs and a public affairs department that focuses on news and issues affecting the greater Jamestown Community. Today, the station continues to operate with an independent spirit, mixing syndicated public radio programming with locally produced music, news and public affairs shows. Its license is currently held by Reg Lenna Center for The Arts.

Celebration Begins with Community Matters Roundtable

The 10-year anniversary celebration starts on Friday, Sept. 12 with a special recording of Community Matters, a program that focuses on issues that relate to the Jamestown and Chautauqua Region.

The program will feature a roundtable discussion on the future of economic development in the Jamestown area and will include officials from both local and state governments. The program will be moderated by WRFA Public Affairs Director Jason Sample. The program will be streamed online on Saturday, Sept. 13 beginning at 4 p.m.

Special Rolling Hills Radio Performance

On Saturday, Sept. 13 at 5 p.m., the 35th episode of Rolling Hills Radio with host, Ken Hardley, will be broadcast live and streamed online from the Studio Theater (adjacent to The Reg) before a live audience.

Rolling Hills Radio, features singer/songwriters and small groups from around the nation and locally who perform Americana, folk, country and other roots music. Hardley will be joined on stage by Michigan’s John Latini and Miche Fambro from Geneseo, N.Y.

The show begins at 5 p.m. and is free to the public, but tickets must be ordered ahead of time at The Reg box office.

10,000 Maniacs at the Reg Lenna

Jamestown’s 10,000 Maniacs are part of a small group of American bands that defined college rock during the 1980’s and 1990’s. For over three decades they have written and performed powerful, danceable and socially conscious original music including “What’s The Matter Here?”, “Like The Weather” and “These Are Days.” The group toured extensively and independently produced their own records years before the industry caught on. After signing with Elektra Records, they achieved international fame with several albums, including the acclaimedOur Time In Eden.

Since the departure of original singer, Natalie Merchant and the death of founding member Robert Buck, the band has settled with a lineup including original members, Steve Gustafson and Dennis Drew, longtime drummer Jerry Augustyniak, guitar player Jeff Erickson and their vocalist since 1994, Mary Ramsey. The Maniacs released the album, Music From The Motion Picture in 2013 and is currently working on their new album, Twice Told Tales.

The Maniacs played at The Reg in 2006 and, in 2011, celebrated 30 years with concerts at Jamestown Community College (JCC) and an art retrospective at The Reg’s 3rd On 3rd Gallery.  Drew, who continues to serve as General Manager of WRFA, is no stranger to starting up radio stations. Before his time with 10,000 Maniacs, he and bassist Gustafson started JCC’s first radio station.

Tickets for 10,000 Maniacs are $10. Limited premium seating is available for $25.

V.I.P. packages may also purchased. These include tickets to the concert, a pre-show reception on The Reg mezzanine and a meet and greet after the concert with the band in the 3rd On 3rd Gallery.The packages are priced at $60 and $75 and include food and beverages from local businesses including Sandee’s Bakery, Hartley’s Potato Chips, Stedman Corners Coffee Roasters, Gypsy Moon Cake Co., Tom’s Place, Lone Palm Cookie Company, Ecklof Bakery, Fresh Picked Vegetarian Delicatessen, Peterson’s Candies and Southern Tier Brewing Company.

Live Streaming of All Events

Live streams of all the anniversary programs can be found on Sept. 13 at www.WRFALP.com. Streaming services will be provided by event sponsors, Digitell, Inc. and the official provider of voice and data for the Reg Lenna Center for The Arts, DFT Communications. Other sponsors include Shults Auto Group, Arthur R. Gren Company, Inc., Hogan Energy Consulting and Northwest Savings Bank.

Tickets for all of these events can be purchased and more information can be found at www.reglenna.com or by calling (716) 484-7070. The box office is open week days between 10 a.m.and 5 p.m. Reg Lenna Center for The Arts is located at 116 East Third Street with convenient street and ramp parking.

LAKEWOOD, NY – An annual fundraising event for the only locally owned, non-religious radio station in Chautauqua County will be taking place Sunday, June 2 and everyone is invited!

WRFA-LP and the Southern Tier Brewing Co. are teaming up to present the second annual Great American Picnic – an afternoon of friends, food and live music from a variety of local and regional performers. This year’s theme will be music from the original Woodstock.

Hosted by Ken Hardley from the Rolling Hills Radio show, the Great American Picnic will begin at 1 p.m. at the home of the Southern Tier Brewing Co. (2072 Stoneman Circle, Lakewood, NY) and will feature nearly a dozen different musical acts. Many of the performances will also be recorded and broadcast on WRFA.

Musical acts for this year include Smackdab, The Bogarts, The Modified Nouns, Ken Hardley & The Henways, Bill Ward & Amanda Barton, Cindy Haight, Dennis Drew and Jeff Erickson (both from 10,000 Manaics), John Merino, Steve Piper, Jamie Trusler and SYMBA.

Rolling Hills Radio Host Ken Hardley

All the music that will be played during the three-hour event will be songs from the original Woodstock Music Festival – which featured such famous acts as Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Who, Ten Years After, Arlo Guthrie, Sly and the Family Stone, Joe Cocker and many others.

The entire show will be presented at the Southern Tier Brewing Company’s outdoor stage with plenty of seating and space for everyone in attendance. Sound and stage support will be provided by Steven Gustafson, Graham Riggle, Ed Tomassini and Jeff Erickson.

The WRFA Advisory Board will also be on hand, serving hot dogs and other foods from the grill.

Perhaps best of all, there is no cost to attend the fundraiser! Instead, a portion of all proceeds collected by Southern Tier Brewing Co. between 1 and 4 p.m. will go directly toward WRFA. Donations will also be accepted. All ages are welcome.

Sylvia is a play about Greg (Vince Joy) and Kate (Kristina Benson) who have moved to Manhattan after 22 years of childrearing in the suburbs. Greg’s career as a financial trader is winding down, while Kate’s career as a public school English teacher is beginning to offer her more opportunities.

Greg brings home a dog (Crin Fredrickson) he found bearing only the name “Sylvia” on her tag. Sylvia soon causes stress between the couple and offers Greg an escape from the frustrations of his job and the unknowns of middle age.  The marriage is put in jeopardy, resulting in hilarious and touching complications. Along the way, the audience meets several other interesting characters, all of them played by Malachi Livermore.

Performances are set for 8 p.m. tonight, 16, 22, and 23 and 2 p.m. on March 24. Ticket prices are $10 for general admission and $5 for JCC Faculty Student Association cardholders. Tickets can be obtained by calling JCC’s box office, 338.1187, or visiting campusstore.sunyjcc.edu.

The show will be directed by Robert Schlick with technical direction by Steven Gustafson.

“Sylvia” is a play about a dog, the couple that adopts it, and the drama that results. The plot runs something like this: Middle age, upper class, Greg finds a dog, Sylvia (played by a young female) in the park on his break and immediately takes a liking to her. He brings her back to the empty nest he shares with Kate. When Kate gets home, she reacts very negatively to Sylvia and wants her gone. They eventually decide that Sylvia will stay for a few days before they decide whether she can stay longer. But Greg and Sylvia have already bonded. Over the next few days, Greg spends more and more time with Sylvia. Greg and Sylvia go on long walks. They discuss life and astronomy. Tension increases between Greg and Kate, who still does not like Sylvia at all. Eventually, Greg becomes completely obsessed with Sylvia, and Kate fears their marriage is falling apart. Kate and Sylvia are at odds with each other, each committed to see the other defeated. And so on…

When the show was running at the Manhattan Theatre Club in 1995, it received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Play.

Needed for the cast are: a middle aged couple; a young, pretty female; and one other person to play multiple roles – both male and female. The production opens in March 2013. Auditions will consist of actors doing cold readings from the script. Any previously prepared monologues will also be considered.

If you have further questions, call the director, Robert Schlick, at 716-338-1153.

Tonight’s concert features the college choir, directed by Brian Bogey; the vocal jazz ensemble, directed by Michael Kelly, and the jazz ensemble, directed by Ralph Rasmusson – who also directs the concert band.

On May 12, the JCC rock ensembles, directed by Bill Eckstrom, will present their Spring Jam featuring rock to acoustic sets. The concert will be fully staged with sound and lighting by Steve Gustafson.

Admission for either show is $4, general public; $3, area students and senior citizens; and $2, JCC Faculty Student Association members. Tickets can be purchased by calling the JCC box office, 338.1187, or at the theatre door prior to a performance.

The cast features JCC students Hillary Belin of Cassadaga as Laura Wingfield, Tyler Drew of Randolph as Tom Wingfield, Maxton Honeychurch of Fredonia as Jim O’Connor, and local actress Mary Brunacini Hoover of Frewsburg as Amanda Wingfield. The Glass Menagerie is directed by Robert T. Schlick, with technical direction by Steven Gustafson.

The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams’ four-character memory play, premiered in 1944 and has since become one of the most famous plays in modern theatre. A somewhat autobiographical piece, The Glass Menagerie was Williams’ first big success and began his legacy as one of America’s most highly regarded playwrights.

Tickets can be purchased by calling JCC’s box office, 338.1187.