The Uptown Music Collective returns to the Journey Bank Community Arts Center on Saturday, March 14 at 7:30 pm with Women of Rock II: The Music of Joan Jett, Pat Benatar & The Pretenders. This one-night-only performance, presented in partnership with UPMC North Central Pa. and UPMC Health Plan, features student musicians paying tribute to three of rock’s most influential and enduring female artists, performers who did not just produce hits but reshaped the landscape of rock music.
Audiences can expect an electrifying evening spanning Joan Jett’s defiant anthems like I Love Rock ’n’ Roll, Bad Reputation and I Hate Myself for Loving You; Pat Benatar’s powerhouse hits including Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Heartbreaker, Love Is a Battlefield and We Belong; and The Pretenders’ sharp classics such as Brass in Pocket, Back on the Chain Gang and Middle of the Road. These are songs built for the stage, with driving guitars, commanding vocals, and choruses that demand to be sung out loud – built to bring an audience to its feet over and over again.
“When Joan Jett, Pat Benatar and Chrissie Hynde rose to prominence in the late ’70s and early ’80s, the rock world was still very much a boys’ club,” said Dave Brumbaugh, founder and executive director of the Uptown Music Collective. “Women were often pushed to the sidelines as backup singers or novelty acts, or expected to soften their edge. These artists did not ask for space; they just took it. They stepped onto the scene with authority, played their own instruments, led their own bands and claimed control of their music and careers. That shift changed the landscape. It made it possible for future generations, including the young women on our stage, to stand alongside the young men, owning the moment together, equally.”
Collective students have been diligently preparing for this event for more than two months. Along with the music, there will be a professional-grade light and sound show, organized by the students themselves, who work alongside the professionals at the Journey Bank 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 seniors Nick Willoughby (Danville Area High School) and Caiden Scarfo (Williamsport Area High School). The show’s leadership committee consists of UMC students Matthew Bellino (Danville Area High School); Elle Donlin (Stanford Online High School); Lila Butters, Jake Butters, Ella Hertwig and Jocelyn Moser (Loyalsock Township High School); Cash Street (Williamsport Area High School); Hailey Campbell (Montgomery Area High School); Christian Williams (Walnut Street Christian School); Mackenzie Hakes (South Williamsport Area High School); and Rian Gephart (Montoursville Area High School).
“I am very excited to direct this show for my senior year,” Scarfo said. “Seeing the women of our group take on the powerful vocals of Pat Benatar, Joan Jett and Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders has been very educational for me and will definitely be something you don’t want to miss. This show will be filled to the brim with energy, emotion and various different keyboards and special instruments. I’m very excited to see what kind of mark this show will leave on the Collective’s history.”
“It has been so fun helping direct the show,” Willoughby added. “I’m so excited to finally put the music we’ve been practicing on the stage. I’ve learned so much directing and had so much fun listening to and playing this music with all of my friends and seeing the women of the group step up and take on the vocals of artists like Pat Benatar. This is not a show you want to miss.”
Additional partners and sponsors for this performance include Chartwell Hotels, KFC of Williamsport, Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships, The Kiessling Group of Janney Montgomery Scott, Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital, Woodlands Bank, Miele Amusements, The Brickyard Restaurant and Ale House, The Stonehouse Wood Fired Pizza and Pasteria, The Crooked Goose, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Roche Financial Inc., The Hartman Group, Hudock Capital Group and Beiter’s Furniture, Mattress and Appliance. Media sponsors include Backyard Broadcasting, the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Lamar Advertising, 92.1 WSQV, NorthCentralPa.com and The Graphic Hive.
For more details about “Women of Rock II: The Music of Joan Jett, Pat Benatar & The Pretenders,” as well as ticket information, visit uptownmusic.org/worii or caclive.com/umc. Check out the Collective’s official Facebook, Instagram and other Collective social media outlets, for teasers, previews, behind-the-scenes info and more from the performance.
