The sixth installment of Bridgeport Arts Council’s Music in the Parks series will feature Phil Wiseman & South Mountain Soul.  The free show will start at 7 p.m. Thursday at Bridgeport City Park.

 

Bridgeport Arts Council President Mary Kay Greer invites all music lovers to bring their lawn chairs and blankets to the community event and expect some quality entertainment. 

 

Delivering their special brand of southern rock and soul, the band is fronted by Wiseman, a singer, songwriter and recording artist from Belington. For about 15 years, he’s been playing venues all over the country, sometimes performing with the All-Army Band and participating in national tours with various popular musicians. Some of his tunes, including “Settle for a Showdown” and “Ephemeral Flame” can be heard at Reverbnation: https://www.reverbnation.com/philwiseman.

 

In choosing this year’s featured musicians, Bridgeport Arts Council took into consideration public demand and musical excellence in presenting some of the most accomplished, talented musicians from throughout North Central West Virginia, said Tom Randolph, board member.

 

This summer’s series started July 2 with the Davisson Brothers Band, after the scheduled June 25 show featuring The Masons was rained out. On July 16, the Dennis McClung Blues Band played at the venue, followed by the Latin jazz band Salsamba on July 23.

 

At some of those concerts, the Arts Council provided a bounce house and other inflatable attractions for children who attended.

 

Last week’s show drew around 75 people, but those attending certainly had a good time, Greer said.  There weren’t many children in attendance, she said. This week’s show will not feature the inflatable rides, but there will be food available for purchase by the Bistro Brothers.

 

The last two concerts of the summer will be August 6 featuring Wyatt Turner and August 13 featuring The Grey Agents. The latter band consists of locals Brian Cottrill, Bob Workman, John Farmer, Davin Seamon and John Forester. After being postponed in February due to a heavy snow, the band held a CD release party in April at Main Street Café in Clarksburg. Titled “Classified Misinformation,” the recording project features all original tunes with Cottrill as lead vocalist. Among artists influencing the band’s sound are Tom Petty, R.E.M., The Beatles and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few well-known performers.

 

Greer and Randolph encourage members of the public to attend the last few shows of the summer. Thursday’s weather forecast is promising sunny skies with temperatures in the mid-80s. 

 

Editor's Note: Pictured top/cover is Phil Wiseman of South Mountain Soul. Pictured right is last Thursday's show featuring Salsamba. Photo is by Tyler Maxwell of Ben Queen Photography.