JIM THORPE — Mauch Chunk Opera House is hosting a show this Thursday, and you’re on the guest list.
The first entry in the venue’s new Free Concert Series is 7 p.m. Jan. 19, and as the name implies, every patron is admitted free. The monthly entries, spearheaded by Mauch Chunk Opera House Event Programmer Vincent DeGiosio, serve a dual purpose: treating people to a night at the opera house and creating repeat customers.
“We’re trying to give the people a good time, a good night out, and not have to pay for something,” DeGiosio said. “It’s attracting the right talent. We’re hoping the talents we bring in can eventually cultivate an audience in this market.”
The talent for Jan. 19’s inaugural Free Concert Series event, Free Range Folk, isn’t a stranger to Mauch Chunk Opera House. DeGiosio didn’t just choose the group due to its fitting moniker — according to Free Range Folk guitar and banjo player Josh Finsel, the opera house is the eight-piece folk group’s home base.
“We’ve been playing there for six years now and we do three-to-four shows a year there,” Finsel said. “It’s a beautiful building, it’s designed for good sound and the ambiance is great.”
Finsel said the musicians of Free Range Folk met in 2003, but didn’t “get serious” about playing together until 2008. Since then they’ve released three full-length studio records, including November 2016’s “Impending Doom.” Finsel said the band will play “every song” from its new record Jan. 19, along with some other surprises that highlight the diverse skills of its members, including newly-added accordion player Doug Makofka and musical saw player Sara Ruch.
“Not everybody has seen a musical saw and how eerie and beautiful it can sound,” Finsel said. “It’s featured in a lot of the new songs.”
Free Concert Series at Mauch Chunk Opera House will continue Feb. 16 with a performance from Grateful Bluegrass Boys, a band that re-imagines hit classic rock songs from bands like The Eagles and Rolling Stones in the bluegrass style. DeGiosio said the next iteration of the series will occur March 23, but an act has yet to be confirmed. The future of the series beyond March is in the hands of the public.
“We’re going to get three months under our belt and see how it goes,” DeGiosio said. “I know a lot of clubs do open mics and that kind of thing, but it’s very rare to have a venue this size do a live show for free, and the talent we’re bringing in is pretty darn good.”
