Sellersville, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/08/2008 -- Skookil Express was the band that helped introduce Philadelphia to bluegrass 35 years ago, and the group is getting back together for a one-night-only reunion performance at the Sellersville Theater (www.st94.com) at 7:30 PM on Sunday, October 5, 2008.

Skookil Express was founded by John Stey in 1973, and was a fixture in the Philadelphia live music scene. The group played weekly at the Wheel Pump Inn in Erdenheim and at the Bryn Mawr Beef and Ale, where more than 70,000 people paid the cover charge to hear them play. They also shared their stage with many famous national bluegrass bands as they passed through the area. Skookil Express fans got to hear groups such as JD Crowe and the New South, Buck White and the Down Home Folks, Larry Sparks and the Lonesome Ramblers, the Bluegrass Alliance with Vince Gill, and Ricky Skaggs and Boone Creek.

The various musicians who played with John Stey as part of Skookil Express reads like a who’s who of Philadelphia bluegrass music. They included Bob (Tanner) Tangrea, Rich Gerlach, Rob (Bo) Frazer, Wannamaker Lewis (Andy Applebaum), Rich Kalikow, and Ed Lick. Former band members from across the country are returning to take part in this reunion performance.

An added feature of the concert will be a silent auction of two brand new instruments, donated by Silver Sponsor Ibanez Guitars (www.ibanez.com). Skookil Express was featured on an Ibanez bluegrass promotional poster in the 1970s. The AW800RNT acoustic guitar comes with a hardshell case, and the M522SBS is the company’s flagship F5-style mandolin. Both will be sold to the highest bidder the night of the concert to help defray the costs of producing the concert.

Information about the band, including a history, photos, music clips, and much more is available at the band’s Web site, http://www.skookilexpress.com. Tickets are available through the Sellersville Theater Web site (http://www.st94.com/music/2008_10.html#express), or by phone at 215-257-5808, or at the theater box office at Main and Temple Streets in Sellersville, PA.

Alfred Poor
Desktop Wings, Inc.
215-453-9312
http://www.skookilexpress.com