Second Saturday will bring the Blues to town

NEWTON — Three musical performances will bring Spring Street alive for listening to the Blues and strolling on Saturday, Aug. 8, as part of the Main Street Newton Second Saturday events. Glenn Zervas, The Rum Boogie Blues Band and Queens BLVD will be performing. Queens BLVD is headed by guitarist/songwriter/vocalist Lee Delray with bassist Rick Flemming and drummer Alan ‘Jax’ Bowers. These three musicians combine more than 70 years of experience. Area blues fans from the Milford Music Festivals and Layton Hotel Bar & Grill Jamaroo know Flemming as one of Bluestone’s ‘Blusicians.” “We owe the appearance of Queens BLVD in Newton to Alan ‘Jax’ Bowers,” said Sam Platt, a member of the Second Saturday Committee that is responsible for coordinating the events for the day. “While Alan is mostly associated in this region as the drummer with the band Wry Toast he is also the owner/producer of Mudcut Recording Studio in Milford, Pa.” The Rum Boogie Blues Band, based in Hamburg, is the brainchild of guitarist Kit Driscoll who has been playing the blues for years, but always with a rock band. In the summer of 2007, Driscoll went on a trip to Memphis with his father, discovering Beale Street and the Blues. Zervas is well known for his song writing and guitar performances. He has written over 200 songs and is a music producer with productions spanning many moods and variations. Zervas teaches guitar and bass guitar in his home studio in Fredon, as well as in many schools in the area. “Last year’s Summer Blues events provided a great time for all those who came downtown and we hope that this year, with even more going on all day and evening, people will turn out to enjoy what Newton has to offer. This is a great line-up of exciting musicians playing a variety of blues that will suit almost anyone’s tastes,” said Jim Sheldon, executive director of Main Street Newton, Inc.