The Uptown Music Collective will kick off its 2024-2025 performance season with Midnight Train to Memphis: A Tribute to Modern Country at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 and 9 at the Community Arts Center, 220 W. Fourth St. The performance, presented in partnership with UPMC North Central Pa and UPMC Health Plan, will feature the music of modern country stars such as Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, Tyler Childers, Taylor Swift, and more. Performed by the Collective’s renowned student performance group, Special Performance Group 1 (SPG1), which consists of UMC students aged 13 to 18, this diverse group of young musicians delivers the high-level performances that have become a staple in the local community. This performance is sponsored, in part, through a partnership with Hudock Capital Group and Geisinger’s Janet Weis Children’s Hospital.
Modern country music, including songs like Tennessee Whiskey, Heart Like A Truck, Beautiful Crazy, Before He Cheats, Girl Crush, and more, blends the sound of rock, pop, folk, and blues with the rich tradition of country storytelling. These songs speak to the timeless themes of heartache and love, small-town values, and, of course, the familiar comforts of dogs and trucks. While featuring electric guitars and modern production, these performances remain grounded in classic country instruments like flat-top acoustic guitars, banjos, fiddles, and pedal steel guitars, creating a sound that bridges the old and the new. In every note, today’s country artists honor the past while pushing the genre forward, evolving country music for today’s audience while keeping its spirit intact.
“Among our students, country music has gained wide popularity, and they are beyond excited to bring this performance to the stage,” said UMC founder and Executive Director Dave Brumbaugh. “This will be our third country performance, following on the boot heels of Family Tradition: A Tribute to Outlaw Country (2016) and Friends in Low Places: A Tribute to Garth Brooks and 90’s Country (2023). Each time we saddle up to perform a country show, the energy level rises, and our students’ inner country boy and girl come riding out to deliver a great and inspiring performance – so don’t miss it.”
Midnight Train to Memphis will feature Collective students who have been diligently preparing for this event for more than three months. Along with the music, there will be a professional-grade light and sound show, organized by the students, themselves, working alongside the professionals at the Community Arts Center. As with all Uptown Music Collective performances, the students are not only the performers but also the directors of the show. A group of younger students, or “Tech Monkeys,” will serve as stage technicians and spotlight operators. The cast for the show is drawn from the Uptown Music Collective’s much-heralded “Special Performance Group 1.”
This show is directed by Uptown Music Collective senior Izzy Butters (Loyalsock Township High School) and junior Rian Gephart (Montoursville Area High School). The show’s leadership committee consists of UMC students Matthew Bellino and Nick Willoughby (Danville Area High School); Lila Butters and Ella Hertwig (Loyalsock Township High School); Tixo Bower (home school); Grace Godin, Abby Jamison, Owen Miller and Caiden Scarfo (Williamsport Area High School); Mackenzie Hakes (South Williamsport Area High School); Elle Donlin (Loyalsock Township Middle School); Rowan Alamy (Lewisburg Area High School); and Gianna Waldman (Montoursville Area High School).
“Heading into the country show, I thought my role would be pretty straightforward, just strumming a few basic chords,” Bower said. “But after listening to the setlist, I was pleasantly surprised by the heavier riffs and advanced, yet still tasteful, solos in the songs. The guitar parts turned out to be more fun and challenging than I expected. Plus, I get to play other instruments like the pedal steel and banjo, which adds to the experience. What seemed like a simple gig has turned into a more exciting and rewarding opportunity.”
Additional partners and sponsors for this performance include Chartwell Hotels, Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships, The Kiessling Group of Janney Montgomery Scott, KFC of Williamsport, The Brickyard Restaurant and Ale House, The Stonehouse Wood Fired Pizza and Pasteria, The Crooked Goose, Woodlands Bank, FASTSIGNS of Williamsport, Lycoming College, Pennsylvania College of Technology, The Hartman Group, Beiter’s Furniture, Mattress and Appliance, and Roche Financial. Media sponsors include Backyard Broadcasting, the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Lamar Advertising, 92.1 WSQV, NorthCentralPa.com, and The Graphic Hive.
Tickets for the performance are only available through the Community Arts Center box office and website (www.caclive.com). In addition to this show, tickets for the Collective’s entire 2024-2025 Performance Season at the Community Arts Center are now on sale, including Music That Made the Movies: Soundtracks That Rock! on January 25, 2025; Wonderwall: The Ultimate ’90s Mix on March 15, 2025; and ‘80s Arena Rock: Power Ballads & Rock Anthems on April 25 and 26, 2025.
For more details about Midnight Train to Memphis, visit uptownmusic.org/midnighttrain or call 570-329-0888. Check out the Collective’s official Facebook page, as well as other Collective social media outlets, for teasers, previews, behind-the-scenes info and more from the performance.
