Friday
Tonight kicks off the grand opening weekend at the Dreamland Ballroom above the MV Chowder Company in Oak Bluffs. Tonight’s lineup features the talents of DCLA, 2nd Power, The Grateful Dread, Nina Violet & Marciana Jones, and Island Thunder Sound Systems on. The five acts are all Vineyard summer staples and represent the finest in reggae, deejayed dancehall, rock and gypsy rock hop. The show is 21+, $10, and doors open at 9pm.
Saturday
Saturday at the Dreamland Ballroom, DJ Di, Isall Us and DJ Topsytail handle the deejay duties. Isall Us is a dynamic deejay who plays electronic music influenced by his time spent around the electronic scene in Balneario Camboriu, Brazil, now home to one of the biggest electronic music scenes in the world.
Dj Di has an encyclopedic knowledge of music, and she has a versatile ability to adapt her set to match the crowd. The show is July 14th, $10, doors are at 9pm.
Former Island resident John Thomas, 19, is back on the Island for a benefit concert at The Base at the Alexandra Gagnon Teen Center at the YMCA on Saturday, July 14th on Edgartown – Vineyard Haven Road.
John Thomas was born and raised on the Island and moved to New York after his junior year of high school in order to pursue a career in music. He looks up to pop and soul greats such as Michael Jackson, The Temptations and Marvin Gaye. He recently performed with Boyz II Men and The Roots among others.
Tickets are $10 for teens, $15 for adults. The concert starts at 8pm and benefits the teen center. Find out more here: mvtimes.com/2012/07/11/singer-john-thomas-marthas-vineyard-teen-center-11491/
Sunday
With one of the first major 18+ shows of the summer, the Dreamland Ballroom brings Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band and Biggie Shorty to shake the house with jazz and blues. The show is July 15th, $10, doors are at 9pm.
Perfect fit
The Dreamland Ballroom is owned by JB Blau and his business partner Chef Alexander Nagi. The original Dreamland ballroom opened 113 years ago.
“It’s going to be a heck of a weekend, and a good run up at Dreamland, bringing back the Dreamland of old,” said Mr. Blau. “When the call went out to keep the music alive, we reached out to Phil (DaRosa) and his friends, and said, ‘Hey you guys, let’s keep the momentum going out here. Keep the music going through the summer.’ We’ve got more talent on our little island than some cities.”
Phil DaRosa seems like a perfect fit to be the music director at the Dreamland Ballroom. “He’s a local musician with his own recording stdio, he’s a go- getter. We reached out to him, one thing lead to another and made it an easy decision to go with one of ob’s own. It’s been a good call,” Mr. Blau said.
The Dreamland Ballroom will continue to host music, comedy and events through the summer.
