Sun King Warriors in Concert at Jergel’s; Stage 62 Running ‘Spamalot’ (Sat., 7/29/17)

1) 80’s group The Go Go’s once sang “We got the beat” and that can also truly be said of the highly talented Pittsburgh percussionist Jim Donovan. The original drummer for the multi-platinum album selling Pittsburgh group Rusted Root, Donovan co-wrote the song “Send Me on My Way” which was used in the films Matilda and Ice Age. He retired from Rusted Root to concentrate on his young family and work as a college professor. After a long hiatus he now fronts his own jam band—Jim Donovan and the Sun King Warriors. One of the ways that he has achieved this high level of percussive performance is through studying the rhythms and drumming of other cultures. Donovan has studied and performed African rhythms with various drum masters including Congolese drummer Elie Kihonia, Mamady Keita, and Mbemba Bangoura. Another mentor in African music for him was the well-known Kwabena Nketia from Ghana. Donovan is a scholar himself, earning a B.A. in Music Performance from the University of Pittsburgh and a Masters of Educational Leadership from Saint Francis University where he’s an instructor in the Fine Arts department. He’s even published a book, Drum Circle Leadership: Learn to Create and Lead Your Own Transformational Drum Circles, and believes drum circles can be used to enhance social connectivity and wellness. 2008 was a big year for Donovan, he was the winner of the Best Drum Circle Facilitator award, and was nominated for Best Percussion Performance in Drum! Magazine.

Just last weekend the band was on the bill at the Pittsburgh Blues and Roots Festival. The Sun Kings released their first album in 2016, a self-titled one, which Donovan worked on for five years in between his duties as a father, husband, and college professor. Now you can catch the groove rock group at Jergel’s Rhythm Grille. The Hawkeyes open. 8 p.m. 285 Northgate Dr., Warrendale.

2) In the medieval kingdom of Camelot, they ate ham and jam and spam a lot. They also used coconut-wielding menservants instead of horses and received supreme executive power from watery tarts. Such was the quality of English history as taught by British comedy troupe Monty Python in 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail. These lessons and more were revived in the 2004 Spamalot. The Tony Award-winning musical was lovingly taken from the movie script by original Python cast member Eric Idle. It features singing, dancing, and no small amount of silliness. Spamalot has music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, lyrics and book by Eric Idle. While on Broadway, the cast featured legendary comedic actors Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce, and Hank Azaria in place of the now largely retired Pythons. While Stage 62’s production will be less star-studded, the hilarity lives on. 8 p.m. Performances through July 30.Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, 300 Beechwood Ave., Carnegie. (EC, RH)

Share on Social Media