A night of jamgrass at M.C. Opera House

JTAMS Productions is presenting Boris Garcia & Cabinet for a night of Jamgrass live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House, 14 W. Broadway, Jim Thorpe on Saturday, February 27 at 8:30 p.m.

Boris Garcia isn't a person but a band, an ensemble that starts with what is called jamgrass - "We're all folkies at heart," remarked one band member, "but our music also fuses American music into a rich, ever-evolving sound.

Bluegrass, jazz, rock, folk, Celtic, soul, blues, you can hear them all."

Boris Garcia's Jeff Otto (vocals, bass, guitar, and ukulele); Bob Stirner (vocals, guitar, and bass); Bud Burroughs (mandolin, bouzouki, button accordion, Hammond organ); and Stephen Ferraro (drums/ percussion) have been part of the Philadelphia performing music scene for the past 20 years.

The recording sessions for "Boris Garcia's Family Reunion" quickly moved from a demo reel to a CD. The band found themselves thrust suddenly in opening slots for The New Riders of the Purple Sage, Little Feat, Railroad Earth, Jackson Browne, Hot Tuna, and David Bromberg.

Their second release, "Mother's Finest", earned them even more applause for well-crafted songs and superior production.

"Once More Into the Bliss" their third effort, produced by Railroad Earth's Tim Carbone and featuring sit-ins by Buddy Cage (New Riders), Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay (Grateful Dead) and Carbone will take them to the next level.

Rust Belt Bluegrass? That's Cabinet. In just two years, Cabinet has forged a dedicate fan-base in the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre area, and is growing steadily across Pennsylvania and Ohio with break out gigs in Vermont and Pittsburgh.

The band consists of six talented musicians - all who have singing talent. Three and four-part harmonies are a regular part of the show.

Guitarist Mickey Coviello and his mandolin- playing songwriting partner J.P. Biondo formed the nucleus of Cabinet before the rest of the band came along. J.P.'s cousin, Pat Biondo, recently moved to the area from Cleveland and was assimilated into the group after agreeing to learn a new skill.

Todd Kopec adds another blue-grassy element dynamic with his fiddle while Dylan Skursky's nimble fingers on the upright bass supplements the rest of the ensemble well.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the performance begins at 8:30 p.m. To reserve tickets by phone, or for more information, call (570) 325-0249. Tickets can also be purchased on-line at: mauchchunkoperahouse.com. Parking is recommended downtown at the Carbon County Municipal Lot behind the train station.