Professor Ahab, aka Will (of The WhyKayKays and Little Baby Man) returns to TASTE (236 Bridge Street) with a caravan of raucous tunes and mayhem on his mind. “Originals & covers” doesn’t begin to describe it...

Tonight, the Pickering Creek Inn will host a Summit Tap Take Over from 6 to 8 PM. 

There will be four different beers on draft, including the Rebellion Stout from Summit's limited-release Union Series. It's a single-hopped with a new UK dwarf hop named after a Celtic queen who led the fight against the Romans. It's brewed with the quintessential Stout malt from fiercely independent County Cork (Ireland) and loosely based on a recipe from 1896 taken from the archives of an old Cork brewery.

The other beers on draft include:
Winter Ale 
Frost Line Rye IPA 
Saga IPA

There will be plenty of Summit giveaways!

Mike McCarthy is a Phoenixville-based pianist/composer who has developed a particular fondness for the Beatles. Playing cocktail sets around town over the years, Mike always tried to avoid anything "cheesy" or overplayed, which led him to explore the Beatles' deeper cuts - a massive catalouge of over 200 works mainly from the infamous writing duo Lennon & McCartney. 

McCarthy's latest effort, "Gently Sleeps: A Calming Tribute to The Beatles," takes 13 sometimes forgotten Beatles gems and slows them way down into some minimalistic & rather relaxing renditions. There's "an obvious love for the music that comes shining through" says reviewer Wildy Haskell.

Ever since requesting his first piano lesson at the age of 6, Mike has been writing his own original works and his passion for composing grew exponetially over the years. This led to his debut of original compositions, "This Piano" -  a record that portrays a versatile player, bridging the gaps between solid technical skills and distinctive compositional instincts.

The songs of This Piano are considered by Mike to be his musical autobiography. Rather than offering a description of the of the album, Mike simply states, “instrumental music expresses something that words cannot” and he hopes that the notes in This Piano will mostly speak for themselves while connecting with listeners around the globe.

The album was released in the fall of 2012 delighting reviewers and continuing to receive worldwide airplay. "Recommended if you are looking for something a little different," says Kathy Parsons from MainlyPiano.com

When not performing, composing or recording, Mike enjoys a full roster of piano students and also runs Hear & There Music, a travelling music school and record label for Mike’s releases.

Yes, Steel City Coffeehouse is for sale (see Craigslist post HERE). Eli from Steel City sets the record straight below:

"Hi everyone, Eli from Steel City here to answer all of your questions about our putting Steel City up for sale. Rumors and misinformation spread in the age of facebook, and so I’d like to answer a few questions so that everyone who plays, eats, drinks and comes to concerts at Steel City knows exactly what’s going on, straight from the horse’s mouth. 

The basic gist of it is this: My wife Erin and I just got married in September and we are looking to ultimately move to Portland, Maine at some point in our lives. We have great friends and some really interesting and exciting work opportunities available to us if we can make that happen. The first step in that process would be selling Steel City. If it takes 2-3 years to do so, fine. It’s just our long-term goal to move to Portland and simply put, this is how we start putting that plan into action.

Q: Is Steel City going out of business?
A: NO! We are financially sound and we have no plans to go absolutely anywhere! I have just sent out non-refundable deposits for concerts booked in November and December and I am actively working on booking a really big artist for next February as well. Steel City is going nowhere. Period.

Q: What if no one wants to buy Steel City?
A: Then we will stay right here serving coffee, encouraging young artists and booking great music.

Q: Can just anyone buy it?
A: No. We are not looking to sell to anyone who doesn’t want to, on some level, continue what we, and the previous owners, have worked so hard to build. In other words, if Starbucks wants to buy us, we won’t sell. Steel City is vital to this community and I will not let it disappear in order to sell. We are simply looking for someone(s) with a similar passion for music and community to run with the ball and continue to make it better and better.

Q: Should I call Steel City and ask the barista on duty all the details?
A: Please don’t. They have enough to do and I’d rather they concentrate on their jobs. However if you do have questions, simply email me at eli@steelcitycoffeehouse.com and I will be happy to answer them.

Q: Should I post something on this Facebook thread?
A: Nope. No need, we just wanted to get the facts out.

Hope this helps…..
Eli"

Don't miss your chance to see one of the most talked about films of 2014 showing Monday through Thursday night at The Colonial.

Stephanie Zacharek of The Village Voice says:
"Inside Llewyn Davis gets everything softly, quietly right. T-Bone Burnett supervised the music, and it never sounds as if it’s been lifted out of some dusty vault... it’s alive. Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel gives us a half-tarnished, half-burnished vision of early 1960s New York, just dreamy enough, rather than laden with false nostalgia. The movie features one of the finest marmalade-cat performances since The Long Goodbye. (Technically, we’re talking about several cats, but let’s look the other way for the sake of movie magic.) And although the Coens are consummate craftsmen, they don’t always show the lightness of touch or the depth of feeling they do here. Llewyn is suffering, and though we can’t forsake him, it’s hard not to laugh at his terrible misadventures. He’s behaving badly in a typically New York kind of way, fumbling his way through his stress. Intentionally or otherwise, the Coens might be channeling the Hal Ashby of The Landlord, or Next Stop, Greenwich Village-era Paul Mazursky. Whatever they’re doing, it’s remarkable... cockeyed humanism at its best.”

Local rock stars, Big Green Limousine are playing their 20th anniversary show at Club 212 on Saturday, January 18th at 7pm. They're bringing other local legends: Batman's Brother Ed, Grimace, and Klink. 

Also DJ Q-Ball will be spinnin' between sets. 

Only $10 cover for the rock star reunion show of the year!

RSVP HERE

There's an excellent array of beer on tap this week at The Pickering Creek Inn... Stop in a check em out!

Founders Oatmeal Stout (nitro) 4.3%
Anderson Valley Bourbon Barrel Stout 6.9%
Cigar City 'Maduro' Oatmeal Brown Ale 5.5%
Southhampton 'Double White' 6.6%
Yeungling Lager 4.3%.
Weyerbacher Quad (Belgian Style) 11.8%
Ballast Point 'Big Eye' IPA 7%
Breckenridge 471 Small Batch DIPA 9.2%
Neshaminy Creek County Line IPA 6.6%
Dogfish Piercing Pilsner 6%
Pietra 'Columba' Witbier 5%
Rock Art Imperial Stout   10%
Stell Artois 5%

Phoenixville’s Premier Annual Food + Wine + Beer + Festival "Taste of Phoenixville" is happening Thursday, January 16th from 6pm to 10pm at Phoenixville Foundry (2 N Main St.). This is the 12th annual event!

Proceeds from this event support the Good Samaritan Shelter.

For a complete list of this year’s confirmed vendors list, check out the story on Phoenixville Dish.