July 3, 2006

Classic rock, blues and dance planned for ‘Music in the Glen’

Concert brings new rhythm to Thursday nights in Willow Glen

By Laura Rheinheimer
Times intern

This year’s “Music in the Glen” will offer a little more of everything. The annual concert series, starting Thursday, July 13, and every Thursday for the following five weeks, will host five local bands, dancing and warm summer nights for no charge.

The success of the annual music series in its fifth year caused organizers to make the event last a half an hour longer each week. From 6 until 8:30 p.m., the series will feature music from classic rock to top-40 to rhythm and blues organized by the Kiwanis Club of Willow Glen, a local group of volunteers dedicated to helping children in the community.

The event will be held on the Willow Glen Elementary school grounds at 1425 Lincoln Ave., behind the school’s new parking lot on Lincoln Avenue. Hot dogs, sausages, nachos and popcorn will be available to buy, along with soda and water.

In 2005, bands played from 6 to 8 p.m., which was too short for some attendees, said Mike Rubino, president of the Kiwanis Club of Willow Glen.

Some concertgoers arrived at 7 p.m., an hour into the show, and found the music was over too soon, Rubino said. In order to remedy the problem and provide the bands with a 10-minute break in the middle of the performance, this year the show will last a half-hour longer.

“My thought was that if it started at 6 and people came at 7, they’d still have time to see the bands,” Rubino said.

Another change for the music series is the lineup. Last year’s genres included jazz, Motown, rhythm and blues, funk, 50s and 60s music and big band, this year displays more rock influences.

The first concert starts with a classic rock tribute band, Rock Hard, followed by “rock and soul royalty,” the Groove Kings on July 20.

The Silicon Valley Houserockers, a 10-piece band complete with horns, bass, drums, rhythm guitars and a keyboard will play a mix of rock and blues on July 27, followed Aug. 3 by Sage, a long-time presence in Silicon Valley festivals and music series.

Sage previously performed in “Music in the Glen” in 2005 in a show added to replace one that was rained-out.

The final performance on Aug. 10 will feature The Hitmen, a local band that recently played at the Cinco de Mayo festival at Discovery Park in downtown San Jose.

The Kiwanis Club of Willow Glen, a group comprised of two formerly separate groups, again will be hosting “Music in the Glen” in order to raise funds for schoolchildren.

The concert series gives a percentage of the proceeds from food and beverages and sponsors to Willow Glen Elementary. Rubino said the percentage of the proceeds given to the school depends on the success of the series: food and beverage sales and the number of sponsors. The club tries to give as much as possible to the school, but getting sponsorship is tough, Rubino said. Other charitable events like “Dancing on the Avenue” make the competition tight for sponsorship. Rubino added that he is always looking for new sponsors.

In the past, proceeds from “Music in the Glen” have gone to fund computer programs and art projects for elementary schoolchildren not covered by the school budget.

“It’s overflow money for them to do extra projects,” Rubino said.