Click here to subscribe today or Login.
WILKES BARRE — The 60th Fine Arts Fiesta kicks off the weekend with a little soul on the square with headliners Frank Shiner and Martha Davis and The Motels. On Sunday, George Wesley’s I-tations mellow the mood and ends the day on a positive note with some reggae.
Shiner and his band will play on Friday, May 15, when Mayor Thomas Leighton will declare it “Frank Shiner Day,” to honor the local musician.
Shiner was born and raised in Wilkes-Barre. His family owned a bakery downtown where Shiner worked before hitting the music scene. He went to Bishop Hoban, now Holy Redeemer High School, and studied theatre arts at King’s College.
“This is a homecoming,” he said. “I am like a little kid. I couldn’t be more excited and I am blown away about the proclamation. I just want to know, why me?”
Davis and The Motels take stage on Saturday, May 16. The band is from the West Coast and looking forward to their debut on a Wilkes-Barre stage.
Davis began touring with the current formation of The Motels in 2012. The band consists of Marty Jourard on saxophone and piano, Nicholas Johns playing keyboard, Brady Wills on bass, Clint Walsh playing lead guitar, and Eric Gardner on drums.
“I have been with Marty since 1979,” Davis said. “I have been playing with the others for the past 12 years. Which is longer than The Motels were together in their heyday.
Shiner and his band will play his entire album, “The Real Me,” as well as a couple of surprises for the crowd.
“The songs on the album are stories mixed with music,” Shiner said. “They have an overall message of getting back to who you are and finding yourself at any age.”
Wesley recently performed at the Susquehanna Breakdown Festival and said he’s looking forward to spreading the message of love and unity in Wilkes-Barre. He has played at the Fine Arts Festival before and is excited to be back.
“I love the fact that the festival is family oriented and promotes all art,” Wesley said.
Davis and her band will play songs that were at the top of the charts in 1979 to new songs the group is currently working on for their new album.
“We play some good old classics like “Only The Lonely” and “Suddenly Last Summer,” Davis said. “It will be a great mix of the old and the new.”
Shiner’s performance will be a “great mix” too. His album is made up of 12 tracks of “hidden gems” by greats such as Elvis Costello, Paul Simon and Van Morrison.
“These are songs that people haven’t heard before,” Shiner said. “They are from well-known artists but with a fresh, new song. All of the tracks should have been huge successes for the artists but got lost along the way.”
Davis describes The Motels’ music as very cinematic. “It allows you to travel with it to different places in time,” she said. She said their songs run the gamut from jazz to new wave to pop.
Wesley said his music is a hybrid music — it’s “country music from another country.” His band consists of himself as lead vocals, Chris Condel on drums and Lion Sandford on bass. Joining the band for the festival is Wesley’s son, James Wesley on percussion and Pete Terpak on guitar.
”I-tation means positive vibrations,” Wesley said. “That is what we want for the festival and everyday. My job as a musician is to uplift the community. I am proud to be part of this community.”
Shiner and The Motels are also looking forward to stage time in Wilkes-Barre.
Shiner said he is excited to perform in front of people he grew up with.
“My favorite thing about performing is the energy traded between the band and the audience,” he said. “There is no feeling quite like that and to get to do it with people I know brings it to a whole additional level.”
The Motels are ready to see how Wilkes-Barre can rock. Davis said she is excited for the crowd to hear their new songs and see their reaction.
“I love actually having that connection with the audience,” Davis said. “There is nothing like it.”