Author: Marie Graham

Wilmington musicians making up the indie rock/alternative band MEGA – Tyler Halloway (drums), Chris Maloney (vocals), Allan McKinley (bass) and Phil Matarese (guitars, keyboards, vocals) – have released one single and aim to put out a new album in early September, The Valley Spirit Never Dies.

The record was primarily recorded with the help of Nick Krill of The Spinto Band and Teen Men at Dr. Dog’s studio in Clifton Heights, Pa. Additional work was done in home studios around Wilmington and surrounding areas.

“We started working on the record in late 2014 and chipped away as time and budget permitted,” says Matarese. “It’s a record about change. You know, life is constantly changing and that can be both fun and exciting and scary and sad. I guess bittersweet is the word that often describes big changes, and all of those feelings often co-present. I tried to work with that in the way the lyrics and music were arranged. The love songs sound like break-up songs, the songs about changes and loss sound upbeat, the songs about confusion sound less musically predictable.”

Matarese was listening to the band Girls and Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys when he wrote most of the material and he thinks some of that rubbed off too, both in some of the surf rock sounds and in the vocal harmony arrangements.

The band members hadn’t really played together much prior to going into the studio. “It was also cool to work on recordings first,” Matarese says. “The band sorta developed around the recordings, in the recording process, rather than gigging the material then recording it. I love that because it opens you up to what the song can be in the studio and forces you to re-think the material when it’s time play it live.”

Matarese has worked with Maloney, who wrote two of the songs, sings lead on one, and does vocal harmonies, for years.

“He was an integral part of the writing process,” says Matarese. “I had played with the other guys a good deal in the past and in other projects, but the recording of these tunes was the way this band really came together. It was cool to start a project with the bar set high but no real expectations of how we get to ‘the best versions ever’ of a given song. Many of the tunes had only been rehearsed once or twice before recording them.”

For more, visit mega.bandcamp.com.

The Delaware Art Museum recently released more than 500 archives online, with more items being added daily. The release allows art and archival material from the museum to be viewed anywhere in the world via its online Digital Collections Portal. The archives include work from John Sloan, Howard Pyle, and Samuel and Mary R. Bancroft, Jr., and more. The release of work will pave the way for extensive research into the various works that are found in the museum without having to physically visit the museum. The digital portal acts as an online library of information and makes it easier for scholars and people from around the world to conduct research and view specific objects, images, and manuscripts from the comfort of their homes and places of work.

More information and the entire archive can be found at delart.org.

 

Scission Espresso Truck aims to separate itself from the generic coffee shop scene by being different, and it has chosen Wilmington as the place to do that. Scission owner Zach DeLong has converted an old ice cream truck into a mobile espresso bar and started selling homemade espresso drinks around the city.  You won’t find drip coffee on the menu at Scission and with drink options that include a chocolate orange mocha and an iced blueberry and vanilla latte, it’s clear that Scission is succeeding in being different. Aside from its original drinks, the espresso truck also sells pastries from De La Coeur Café in Wilmington, and DeLong’s homemade pop tarts, donuts, and oatmeal cream pies.

Scission can be found at several locations during the week, including a spot on the corner across the street from 1201 N. Market on Wednesdays and Fridays between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., at The Delaware Contemporary on Thursdays between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and at the Cool Springs Farmers Market on Thursday between 3 and 7 p.m.

To find out where and when Scission will be, check Instagram at @scission.espresso.

A stand-up comedy series is coming to Catherine Rooney’s locations in Wilmington and Newark this summer. Each show will feature three popular comedians, some of which are from Philadelphia. Delaware native and comedian Joe DelCollo will be hosting the series. The first show is on Saturday, June 10, at Catherine Rooney’s in Trolley Square and will feature comedians Brian Six, Brandon Vincent Jackson, and Charles Blyzniuk.  The show will start at 8 p.m. and will cost $10 (which includes 1 drink voucher). The dates of future shows have yet to be announced.

To stay up to date with Catherine Rooney’s Comedy Series be sure to follow them on facebook at facebook.com/catherinerooneyscheck and out catherinerooneys.com.

Newark Farmer’s Market

Last month started the 2017 season for Newark Natural Foods Co-Op Weekly Farmer’s Market. The market meets every Sunday, May to November, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. (rain or shine) in the parking lot of Newark Natural Foods, 230 E. Main St.

The market, which started in 2000, provides customers an opportunity to buy local produce and support farm families, agriculture, and environment through community gathering. Many of the vendors are farmers from Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Other vendors include artists and craft jewelers, bakers, designers, and potters, making the Weekly Farmer’s Market a diverse and entertaining experience.

To stay up to date with this season’s farmers market, Visit newarknaturalfoods.com.

Saturday, June 10, is the date of the second annual Farm to Food Tuck evening at Coverdale Farm Preserve in Wilmington. Presented by the Young Friends of Coverdale, the evening will consist of local food, music, and fun, all on the gorgeous Coverdale Farm. With a variety of local food trucks — I Don’t Give A Fork, Mama Mia, Cajun-Sno Maile, and Kapow Outlandish — guests should have no problem finding the perfect meal for their appetite. Other attractions include live music by Lion Powda Sound System, a Dogfish Head Craft Brewery beer garden, a tractor photo booth, hayrides, and lawn games.

The adult-only event will run from 5-9 pm. A limited number of tickets are available for $25 and are going fast, so get them while you can.

Coverdale Farm Preserve is at 543 Way Rd., Greenville. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit delawarenaturesociety.ejoinme.org/foodtruck.

 

Delaware’s newest microbrewery, Dew Point Brewing Co., will host second race in its 5K Summer Happy Hour Series on Thursday, June 15, between 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Details of the race and its course will remain a secret until race day, but runners are warned that the race will cover just less than 1,000 feet of elevation change on the 3.1-mile course, most of which will not be a paved road. After the race, finishers are encouraged to stick around and enjoy some of the Dew Point beers on tap and food from a local food truck. Tickets are $25 and will include a beer and sandwich after the race. Additional beers will be available for purchase for those with a heavier thirst.

The race will start and finish at Dew Point Brewing Co., 2878 Creek Rd., Yorklyn. To find out more on the Can You Dew It race series and to purchase tickets visit facebook.com/DewPointBrewing/events.