Flagpole Band - Fireworks Night

Come celebrate America with this really great Bluegrass rooted band that plays bluegrass, folk, Americana and jazz.  There is NO better place to watch the fireworks than here. The music runs from 6:30 to 9:30 for this night with the fireworks commencing around 9:15.

The Flagpole Band is made up of excellent musicians steeped in the traditions of Pete Seeger, bluegrass, and folk. They will be celebrating these truly American music roots.

Flagpole Band

Rick Brodsky (bass)
Howie Carlough (fiddle, harmonica, vocals)
Richard Neal (guitar, banjo, vocals)
Francine Wheeler (vocals, guitar, keyboards)
Cadence Carroll (percussion, vocals)
Korey Brodsky (mandolinist and guitarist)

Rick Brodsky (bass) is a multi-instrumentalist and live event production manager who has played within numerous musical genres over the past 30+ years. He grew up in NYC playing rock, blues and folk on guitar and bass. He later studied and performed acoustic finger-style blues and slide guitar before becoming hooked on bluegrass and devoting himself to upright bass. As a production manager and event coordinator, Rick has 25 years of experience with the Clearwater Festival in Croton, NY and has produced many independent concerts and played bass for previous Flagpole Radio Café headliner Jonathan Edwards for several years. Currently, Rick plays and tours regularly for the bluegrass band Rock Hearts on The 615 Hideaway Records label out of Nashville. Rick loves being a member of The Flagpole Radio Café because of the community connection and the broad range of musical styles presented on the show.

Howie Carlough (fiddle, harmonica, vocals) A native of Bergen County, New Jersey, Howie first became interested in the violin in the late ’60’s when watching a PBS special where he heard American traditional fiddling for the first time. Over the years Howie studied, traveled, and immersed himself in the traditional fiddling styles of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, Ireland, and Scotland. His musical curiosity beginning with blues and jazz, then traditional American and British Isles eventually leading him to gypsy jazz where he performs with the fabulous Swing du Jour. Howie has a reputation for intuitive playing, and a joyous infectious spirit that makes him a perfect fit as a member of the critically acclaimed Flagpole Radio Cafe Orchestra. Over the years Howie has shared the stage with a broad range of musicians ranging from David Amram to Peter Yarrow.

Richard Neal (guitar, banjo, vocals) works as a musician in the studio as a producer and session player; on stage as an accompanist on a variety of stringed instruments with any number of acts; and in the classroom as a teacher of those instruments. He also conducts songwriting workshops around the region, most recently at the CT Folk and Black Bear Americana Music Festivals. His recordings can be heard on a number of cable television shows and independent films. For more info visit https://dickneal.com/about-richard.

Francine Wheeler (vocals, guitar, keyboards) is a performer with over thirty years’ experience on stage, and in jingle and voice work for commercials and films. She was a member of The Dream Jam Band, playing eclectic original rock for kids, whose first album was featured as one of the Top 10 Children's Records by National Public Radio and features songs featured on the national charts of SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Francine is the creative director of Ben’s Lighthouse, a local nonprofit promoting empathy and compassion in children where she directs a summer camp based on her original puppetry and music program The Isle of Skoo. Currently, Francine and her creative team are in pre-production on her original teleplay with music Just Five Minutes, to be filmed and streamed this year. With music and book written by Francine, Just Five Minutes is her journey following the loss of her son Ben. She also teaches voice and piano privately here in Newtown.

Cadence Carroll (percussion, vocals) grew up surrounded by music. Her mother, an elementary school music teacher who taught while she was pregnant, claims Cadence got her sense of rhythm from nine months of listening to guitar playing while in the womb. For many years, Cadence was a regular feature performer at venues up and down the east coast. She has also played professionally with The Kennedys, Greg Greenway, Cosy Sheridan, and Ina May Wool. These days Cadence is blissfully living the dream of keeping music in her life while being a mom and an elementary art teacher. She can be found providing backup vocals and percussion for The Sloan Wainwright Band, The Flagpole Radio Café Orchestra, Anne Marie Menta and anyone else who asks her to jump in.

Korey Brodsky (mandolinist and guitarist) Growing up in Connecticut, he built strong roots in bluegrass music. Since then, his musical explorations have ranged from old time to Bach to jazz. He has been featured in numerous publications such as Flatpicking Guitar Magazine and Bluegrass Unlimited, was a 2013 IBMA Youth All Star, a member of the 2018 Acoustic Music Seminar, and a graduate of the Berklee College of Music. Over the years, he has toured and recorded with various local and national bands and is currently a member of Mile Twelve. In addition to performing, he teaches weekly online and in person music lessons.

The outdoor concerts are held on the Boyd Concert Lawn that sits aside Lake Carmel creating a beautiful venue. Bring your lawn chairs, food, drink and friends to enjoy this excellent night of music and spectacle. Light snacks and beverages will be available on site.

The "doors" open at at 6 PM. Parking is limited especially on Fireworks night so plan to arrive early. The police will be guiding and restricting traffic as the night gets closer to the time for fireworks . There is NO better place to watch the fireworks than here, we are directly across from where they are launched. Drop off people if you can and consolidate cars.

Tickets are $10 and are available on-line (See button above) and at the door. In case of rain, we generally try to go ahead with the concerts as we have a tent covering the stage so passing showers are ignored.If we have to cancel both the fireworks and music have a rain date of July 2. 

Email office@artsonthelake.org for any questions.