If Yo Go

WHAT: Waterford River Rhythms

WHEN: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays in June, July and August.

WHERE: Village Hall Park, 123 N. River St., Waterford. The park is just off Highway 20 in downtown Waterford.

COST: Free

WATERFORD - Village Hall Park will come alive with the sound of music once more when the Waterford River Rhythms concert series opens it third season on June 4 with the John Calarco Quartet. While Calarco - a drummer who has toured and recorded with musicians from Daryl Stuermer to Nils Lofgren - may not be familiar to fans of the riverside concert series, the keyboard player in his quartet, Dan Trudell should be.

This will be Trudell's third summer on the Waterford River Rhythms stage. The Milwaukee/Chicago-based pianist and master of the Hammond B3 organ performed with the Who's Your Daddy Trio (jazz) in 2007 and with the B3 Bombers (funk/jam) last year.

This time around he and Calarco will be joined by guitarist Kirk Tatnall and bassist Chris Kringel and together they will fill the park with hot, straight-ahead jazz, with bits of progressive and funk thrown in. Each of the four accomplished musicians have performed, recorded and toured with national artists, while making a name for themselves through their own recordings.

The Calarco Quartet is one of six groups lined up for this year's River Rhythms series, which will run on the first and third Thursdays of each month throughout the summer. Other concerts will feature The Blue Olives out of Madison; the Lake Geneva blues band Hobie and the Leftovers; the soulful sounds of Group Therapy; classic and alternative rockers Jackie Brown and the Boys; and Sawdust Symphony, with its mix of bluegrass and rock.

Blasting out

Inspired by Milwaukee's Jazz in the Park series, Waterford's River Rhythms focuses mainly on the jazz and blues music genres, but does step outside those parameters on occasion, says series organizer, Al Sikora.

Jackie Brown's alternative/acoustic rock, for instance, pushes the envelope a bit, Sikora said. Yet he is bringing her back to the series for a third time this summer because of audience response.

"Last year they did a Jethro Tull medley that brought a standing ovation," he said. "You just can't ignore that."

This time around, Sikora says the series has "blasted out" of the envelope with Sawdust Symphony - the final act of the series which has "the uncanny ability to rearrange rock tunes into blue grass." Their down to earth, "American New Grass" sound, which also incorporates Celtic music styles, is a crowd pleaser no matter where they play, he said.

"These are all skilled, experienced musicians and great entertainers. They are just a great band."

Fans of Group Therapy will be in for a treat when the blues band's original members come back together for the River Rhythms gig on July 16. Kirk Tatnall and Chris Kringel (who will also play with the Calarco Quartet) will reunite with drummer/vocalist Roy Edwards for the show - after not having played together for several years.

Edwards, who lives in Racine, said he is looking forward to playing with Tatnall and Kringel, who were members of Group Therapy for about 10 years, once again.

"It should be a fun show," he said.

BYO Chairs etc.

Concertgoers are welcome to add to the evening's entertainment by bringing their own picnic items (as well as chairs and blankets) to the park, or by purchasing food from local vendors on site. A different food vendor will be scheduled for each performance, selling sandwiches and other festival type food at the North end of the park, according to Sikora. So far vendors include The Cotton Exchange restaurant and the Waterford Lions and Lioness clubs.

Last year, Sikora had hoped to have food vendors at every concert, but was not able to provide that service at some of the shows. Food will be available for sale at every show this year, he said.

While alcoholic beverages cannot be sold at Village Hall Park, patrons are allowed to carry in their drinks of choice, Sikora said.

Parking for Waterford River Rhythms is available on nearby streets, as well as in a free municipal lot located across the river from the park, next to the village's municipal building.

Being able to offer the free concert series again is something Sikora is especially proud of in the current economy.

"Even when a number of festivals in Milwaukee have been canceled, we are still going on," he said. "TDS decided to stay on board as our primary sponsor and I can't say enough about that, times being what they are."

Organizers will be supplementing that funding through the sale of commemorative Waterford River Rhythms T-shirts during the free concerts. This year's edition will cost $15 and last year's T-shirts will be sold at a discount.

Here's a small taste of what each performer will offer, along with Web links where you can get more and listen to some of their music.

June 4

John Calarco Quartet, featuring John Calarco on drums; Dan Trudell on keys, Kirk Tatnall on guitar and Chris Kringel on bass. Because this group doesn't have a Web site of its own, visit members' individual sites for background: http://www.johncalarco.com; http://www.kirktatnall.com; http://www.kringelbass.com; http://www.dantrudell.com

June 18

The Blue Olives. This seven-piece Madison band is not partial to one kind of music. It not only covers everything from blues, jazz, classic rock and R&B numbers, but brings some original tunes to its mix. The Olives' repertoire features more than 400 songs by everyone from Steely Dan to Bob Marley and they have shared the stage with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sting, James Taylor and many more. http://www.blueolives.com

July 2

Hobie and the Leftovers. If you hang out in Lake Geneva at all, you've probably heard this trio of blues musicians doing their thing. Their name stems from each members' history of playing with many other bands through the years. They may be small in number, but their sound is big and guaranteed to bring you to your feet. http://hobieandtheleftovers.com

July 16

Group Therapy. Fans of this R&B/blues band, anchored by drummer Roy Edwards, will be treated to a reuniting of original members Kirk Tatnall and Chris Kringel with Edwards for this show.

To find out what Roy Edwards has planned next, go to: http://whatsroydoing.com

August 20

Sawdust Symphony. "New Grass" is what this string band calls its genre. With mandolin, guitar, banjo, upright bass and plenty of vocals, it blends traditional bluegrass style with high energy, contemporary musical forms. Its members - Al Brundage, Greg Brundage, Mike Mueller and John Losiniecki - all hail from Milwaukee. Go to http://www.sawdustsymphony.com

August 6

Jackie Brown and the Boys. Returning to WRR for round three, this group of five is fronted by Milwaukee native Jackie Brown. They perform original material, as well as classic and alternative rock. Visit: http://www.jackiebrownandtheboys.com