Events that combine fundraising, educational activities, exciting musical performances, staying up all night, and the opportunity to meet, play music with, and learn from an internationally known musician don’t come along very often. Unless you are a student or a friend of the Uptown Music Collective, then they happen at least once a year at the school’s yearly Blues-A-Thon.

The Uptown Music Collective Blues-A-Thon is a two-day fundraising and performance event that uses the Blues as a platform for young musicians to have the opportunity to interact and learn from each other, their teachers, area musicians, and a nationally known Blues musician. While also raising money for the nonprofit school through a “relay for life” type of fundraising format.

The 10th Annual Blues-A-Thon will start June 1st at 6 p.m. on Pine Street in Williamsport and will end 26 hours later at 8 pm on June 2nd on the Midtown Landing right behind the nonprofit school’s facility. The event is sponsored by the Billtown Blues Association and the Brickyard Restaurant and Ale House and will feature Bluesman and educator Tas Cru, UMC Students and Staff, as well as local Blues musicians, and friends performing a variety of Blues styles.

The two-day Blues Jam works like a musical version relay for life with participants asking friends and family to sponsor them for a certain number of hours during the event. The Uptown Music Collective’s goal is to raise $5,000 through the event, which will support the school’s free programs including programs that organize free lessons for local “at risk” youth, and two technology-based programs that teach students how to use modern technology in performance, and how to write, shoot, edit, and upload musical/marketing videos to social media.

In celebration of the tenth year, the Collective will be adding a new addition to the Blues-A-Thon festivities, the Billtown Barbecue Bash. This part of the event will be held on Saturday, June 2nd between 1 pm and 3 pm in the Midtown Landing parking lot behind the Collective. Those in attendance will be able to sample incredible barbecue, and vote to decide which area restaurant has the best! For a $15.00 donation to the Collective, attendees will be able to sample barbecue from participating restaurants including The Brickyard Restaurant and Ale House, Barrel 135, Boom City Brewing Company, The Sticky Elbow, Franco’s Restaurant & Lounge, The Old Corner Hotel, Moon & Raven Public House, & Saffron Grill. The Brickyard will also be serving throughout the event and attendees will be allowed open container within the confines of the Midtown Landing parking lot.

Another new edition to this fundraising event will be the Art Raffle, which will also be on Saturday afternoon between 3:30 and 5:30 pm. Handcrafted items from local artists were donated in the spirit of supporting the Uptown Music Collective. Gift baskets such as movie night and pet treat basket will also be available during the raffle.

The event will begin at 6 pm on Friday, June 1st on Pine Street as part of Williamsport’s First Friday festivities, then move to the Pine Square Stage until 10 pm, finishing off day one with overnight jams inside the Uptown Music Collective. On Saturday, June 2nd the festivities will bounce between the Mid-Town Landing stage (behind the Collective) and Pine Square starting at noon. The event will wrap up at 8 pm on the Midtown Landing Stage. “Every year we try and make this event bigger and better,” says Jared Mondell, Assistant Executive Director of the Uptown Music Collective. “Since our move to downtown, the pieces have started to fall into place. Being able to add the Mid-Town Landing and introducing the Art Raffle and the Barbecue Bash this year will really make this a great Blues driven fundraising event in Downtown Williamsport.”

This year’s Blues-A-Thon will also kick off the official 2nd Annual “Bright Lights, Big City Blues Week.” in the great City of Williamsport. Last year Mayor Campana officially proclaimed June 1st through June 10th as “Blues Week”. The event which will feature live blues performances in many downtown venues, visual arts exhibits, and blues music films/documentaries, all leading up to the 29th Billtown Blues Festival on Sunday, June 10th, presented by the Billtown Blues Association, which will feature 10 hours of music from nationally known blues artists on two stages, and also featured local and regional blues artists.

Over the years a key ingredient to the Blues – A – Thon has become the guest artist, sponsored each year by the Billtown Blues Association, to open and close the event. Previous guest performers have included celebrated blues musicians like Kelly Richey (2016), Shawn Holt (2014), Taylor Scott (2013), Dave Keyes (2012), Bob Margolin (2011 & 2017), and Tas Cru (2010 & 2015). “I am blown away and totally inspired by the energy and talent of the young blues people of the future that I have met here [at the Uptown Music Collective],” said 2012 Blues-A-Thon guest artist, Dave Keyes. “This is the future of blues, right here! The Blues – A – Thon is a concept that belongs in every blues society and community throughout the country.”

This year the Collective is excited to welcome back very special guest, Tas Cru. This will be the third trip Cru has made to the Collective’s Blues-A-Thon. Cru will be helping to kick off the event on Pine St on Friday, as well being featured throughout the day and the closing event on Saturday. Described as raucous, rowdy, gentle, sweet, and quirky, Tas Cru’s songs testify to his reputation as one of the most unique bluesmen playing his trade today. His latest album, “Simmered & Stewed”, released on the VizzTone family label, has received wide acclaim and extensive worldwide airplay. It ended 2017 as the most played VizzTone album according to the Roots Music reported Blues Album chart. Also in 2017, Tas joined the Delaney guitar family of endorsees and now has his own Delaney custom guitar. Tas was recently the featured artist in Blues Music Magazine with reference to his 8th album, “Memphis Song” which is to hit the streets in June. As well as being a musician, Cru is a renowned music educator which makes him the perfect partner for the Collective and this event!

In addition to Tas Cru, the event will feature some special guest musicians from the area including The Gabe Stillman Band, Doug McMinn, Sean Farley, The Collective’s 3rd Street Blues Band, Stacia Abernatha, Chris LaRose, The Collective’s River City Blues Band, Gage Avery, Bryan & Kimbo, and The Dirty Mojo Blues Band.

In the weeks leading up to the Blues-A-Thon, Uptown Music Collective teachers will be working to prepare their students and instill in them a healthy respect and appreciation for this essential American music form. “The Blues is so important to the evolution of modern music, it is one of the seminal styles from which so much of what is played today comes from,” said Dave Brumbaugh, Executive Director of the Uptown Music Collective.

This year’s Blues-A-Thon is sponsored by the Billtown Blues Association and the Brickyard Restaurant and Ale House. Media sponsors include Lamar Advertising, NorthcentralPA.com, as well as WZXR and all of Backyard Broadcasting. The Blues-A-Thon is open to the public until 10 p.m. Friday night and will be open to the public again starting at 12 p.m. on Saturday. Donations in support of the school from the public will be accepted during the event and on the school’s web page via PayPal. For more information on Tas Cru, visit www.tascru.com. For more information, including the full schedule and locations of Blues-A-Thon events, visit www.uptownmusic.org. Also, check out Collective’s official Facebook page, as well as other Collective social media outlets for teasers, previews, behind the scenes info and more from the event.