Primrose Lane kicks off summer concert series

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A local summer tradition returns to Veteran’s Park next week.
The 2014 Granville Summer Concert Series kicks off on June 5 with a performance by the Primrose Lane Barbershop Quartet and the weekly concerts continue through Aug. 21.
This year’s series will feature old favorites that have graced the bandstand stage for years, as well as acts that will perform in Granville for the first time.
“There a few groups that are standard-bearers. Grand Central Station is an act people almost universally say is good and The New York Players have come for many years. The Big Smoothies are another popular group. You try to bring those groups back, but like anything you also try to keep it fresh and different. You can’t have rock n’ roll every week or country every week. You try to change it up,” Rick Roberts, village clerk and series organizer, said.
This year’s lineup features an eclectic mix of performers ranging from the big band sound of the New York Players to the bluegrass melodies of the Starline Rhythm Boys.
The opening act of the summer concert series, the Primrose Lane Barbershop Quartet, will be new to the Granville audience.
The quartet, which has been together since 2010, won the Northeastern District Senior Quartet Championships in 2011, and are part of the Racing City Chorus out of Saratoga.
On June 12, Satin and Steel, a 10-piece horn band, brings its act to town.
“They play a lot of Chicago and Earth, Wind and Fire,” Roberts said. “They have a nice sound that people seem to really enjoy.”
After a one-week break for baccalaureate services, the concert series resumes on June 26 with the New York Players.
Grand Central Station will kick off Granville’s Independence Day celebrations on July 3.
The concert will feature a strawberry social and a fireworks display will follow the concert.
“We have a few anonymous sponsors that kick the show up a little. We usually draw a good crowd,” Roberts said.
He and Brent Tuttle, a music teacher at Granville, arrange a musical score to accompany the fireworks display.
The following week, on July 10, Harold Ford and The Cash Band, return to the Granville stage. Roberts said Ford’s imitation of the “man in black” is uncanny.
“If you close your eyes and listen, it’s scary close. He does a very nice job and is always well received.”
On July 17, the Starline Rhythm Boys, will make their long awaited Granville debut.
The trio was supposed to perform in Granville last year, but the concert was rained out and a makeup date was never scheduled. The group is known for its old-time country and bluegrass sounds.
The Big Smoothies will grace the stage on July 24. This highly interactive and entertaining performance is an audience favorite.
The American Longboards will close out the month of July on the 31st.
“They have been in Castleton and were well received,” Roberts. The group plays music from the 50s, 60s and 70s and has a “beach sound,” Robert said.
The first concert of August will have a local feel as the Freedom Hawk Band brings its southern rock sensibilities to the stage on Aug. 7.
T.S. Ensemble will perform on Aug. 14.
“More than anyone, their range is up and down the board. They did a Frank Sinatra song and then came back and did a song by Pink,” Roberts said.
Country Express brings the series to a close on Aug. 21.
The series will once again be augmented by Sunday evening performances of the Granville Poultney Town Band on from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 3, 10, 17 and 24.
Roberts said the concerts will feature a number of vendors, including local Scouts, and the Granville Masons will host chicken barbecues on June 26, July 10 and 24 and Aug. 7.
The concert series is supported by regional business, local organizations and the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council.
All concerts are free and are held from 7 to 9 p.m.