Millennium Music Conference – Harrisburg, PA, February 27-29, 2020
Smokefree Music Cities (SFMC) was proud to participate in our first Music Millennium Conference (MMC) as both an attendee and a co-sponsor. Pennsylvania has a weak statewide smokefree law that exempts several hospitality venues – including bars and casinos. Local communities like Harrisburg are preempted from being able to pass their own regulations on smokefree air. Many musicians were surprised to find their MMC gigs were scheduled in smoke-filled spaces.
A new SFMC video features talented musicians from across the country who wanted to share their stories about the harmful effects of secondhand smoke in performance venues. Featured in this video are:
Jason Damico, recording artist/actor, multi-instrumentalist, and producer from Raleigh, North Carolina who also created and hosts a YouTube series entitled “The Jason Damico Show,” which is available on iTunes, Spotify, SimpleCast, iHeart Radio, etc. Damico has toured the East Coast both solo and with his band New Blue—rocking thousands of fans at hundreds of celebrated venues. He has racked up many awards, including the Carolina Music Awards Rock Male Artist of the Year and Youth Artist of the Year; Triangle Blues Society Solo Blues Challenge Winner competing in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis; Best Overall Musician Award; Youngest Member (15) of the Duke University Jazz Ensemble; Song of the Year Semi-Finalist Winner; winner of multiple music video awards, and more. He has had the privilege of sharing the stage or opening for world-renowned, musical greats in a multitude of genres. Lastly, he also works regularly as an actor in TV, film and theatre as well as commercial/industrial—experiencing much success.
Sam Coe, a singer-songwriter, and British Country artist who also plays with her band The Long Shadows. She has spent time in the Top 5 of the iTunes Country Chart and been nominated for a British Country Music Award (BCMA). Sam’s solo single Hard Time from her debut album, Comeback Queen, went straight into the iTunes Country Chart at Number 2.
Spencer Wenger, from Harrisburg, VA, is the newest lead singer and guitarist of The Hackens Boys since 2018. Voted both Best Cover and Original Band in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley in 2018, The Hackens Boys is an energetic six-piece group accustomed to catering to a wide variety of audiences and venues, including performing at fairs, festivals, resorts, as well as several notable theaters, bars and night Clubs on the east coast. They have also been lucky enough to share the stage with national artists like Zac Brown Band, 1000 Horses, Easton Corbin, Dylan Scott, Craig Morgan, Blackberry Smoke, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Van Zant, and Pop Evil.
Dr. Louis Anthony deLise, composer, arranger, conductor, as well as orchestral and studio musician has worked with many musical superstars, including arranging and conducting Grammy-winner Patti LaBelle’s number one hit album, The Gospel According to Patti LaBelle.
Dr. deLise was formerly Adjunct Professor of Theory and Composition at the Boyer College of Music and Dance and at Rowan University. He is the author of The Professional Songwriter, a new textbook on songwriting, and president of Bocage Music Publishing, LLC.