From Erich Cawalla and The Uptown Band
Erich Cawalla and The Uptown Band are proud to be celebrating a monumental achievement in entering their 20th year as a band. The Uptown Band has been an Award-Winning Premier Choice as the featured act at over 2,500 shows and has earned a solid reputation as one of the country’s most versatile and respected live bands. On Friday, April 3, The Uptown Band will celebrate their 20th anniversary at their annual Bandapalooza with fellow Berks bands The Groovemasters and Vinyl Rush also performing at SoulJoel’s historic Sunnybrook Ballroom in Pottstown.
Since the band’s inception during the Berks Jazz Fest 2006, The Uptown Band has become one of the busiest bands in the Northeast. With the release of their debut original CD, “Waiting for Her,” and sophomore release, “Heart, Soul, Body, & Mind,” they have grown beyond their regional roots and have become known nationally and internationally. TV-wise, they have performed twice on NBC New York’s Late Night talk show “All Night With Joey Reynolds” and have been named the “Best Variety Band” two times by the Central PA Music Hall of Fame. The group was founded by its bandleader and Shillington resident Erich Cawalla in late 2005. Cawalla stays busy as a full-time musician, recording artist, educator, booking agent, and recording studio owner. Most recently, his latest release “DooWoppin” was featured twice on Sirius XM’s “DooWop Stop with Cool Bobby B.” Erich is a Grammy voting member of the National Recording Academy and also volunteers as the current President of the Greater Governor Mifflin League Community Days, which will be celebrating their milestone 50th anniversary this June. In an age where most bands fall apart after a few years, The Uptown Band continues to endure, and Erich attributes this to the strong professionalism and bond that its members share both on and off stage.
In many ways, The Uptown Band and The Groovemasters are tightly knit at the seams. Besides being the leader and visionary of The Groovemasters, Bennie Sims serves as both The Uptown Band and its leader, Erich Cawalla’s original music producer. Along with Cliff Starkey, they have performed for numerous celebrities, including President Bill Clinton, Dizzy Gillespie, The Temptations, Al Jarreau, Tower of Power, and Tavares, to name a few. Their talents have been showcased nationally on “Good Morning America,” “The Emeril Live Show” (where Cliff served as the house piano player for nine years and appeared on the Rachael Ray Show in 2016), and on a 2002 PBS Special called “Love, Rhythm, & Soul” featuring Aretha Franklin, Lou Rawls, and The Spinners. Sims was the musical director for The Three Degrees. Both continue to perform nationally and internationally with these and many other artists. Sims has also written and performed with Smooth Jazz Legends Pieces of a Dream. The Groovemasters just performed for their 34th straight year as the opening act of the Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest.
For the first time, The Uptown Band and The Groovemasters are excited to be performing alongside the exciting group Vinyl Rush, which just took home the award for “Best Youth Band” at the Central PA Music Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony. Billing themselves as Berks County’s premier rock trio, the members have been performing together since they were 14 years old and are currently in high school and college. They deliver a dynamic presentation that caught the eye of Cawalla last year, and he has been booking them non-exclusively ever since at shows throughout Pennsylvania, Virginia, and beyond.
Tickets are $30.00 VIP or $20.00 general admission ($25.00 at the door) and can be purchased on www.souljoels.com or by calling 484-300-4681. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the event runs from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. It is being produced by SoulJoel’s at Sunnybrook, Anjoli Productions, and Erich Cawalla. Food and drinks are available from SoulJoel’s.
