CLARKS SUMMIT — A ’50s doo-wop band, featuring a resident of the Abingtons, will be among the musical acts during the 12th annual Clarks Summit Festival of Ice, Feb. 12-15.
The Paramounts will perform two shows at Duffy’s Coffee Company on Sunday, Feb. 14 at 1 and 3 p.m.
Clarks Summit resident Will Mendez is one of the group’s lead singers along with Milton Delgado of Moscow, and Richard Chapman and Dick Plotkin, both of Scranton.
Joe Bruno, of Moosic, plays keyboard and guitar; Dave Brown, of Scranton, is the bass player; Chet Varner, of Hawley, plays the drums and Dan Gardner, of Elmhurst, plays guitar.
“We perform the hit songs from the ’50s and ’60s just like the original 45 records that we very popular back in the day,” Delgado, 72, said.
According to Delgado, the group was formed in the 1950s and still has a few of the original members.
“Over the years, we’ve replaced some members,” he said. “All of the lead singers have been with the group for more than 20 years and all of the other musicians have been part of the band for about two years.”
Delgado, Chapman and Mendez grew up in the greater New York City area and were inspired by the street corner harmonies of the doo-wop era and decided to form a band.
Some of the band’s most popular songs include “Trying” and “Girlfriend.”
Another group with a strong presence in the Abingtons will also participate in the festival. Members of the Old Man River Band (Mike Waskovich and Friends) will perform from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13 at Frontier Communications.
The group plays a combination of classic rock and folk music with a little bit of blues mixed in, according to Mike Waskovich, bass player/vocalist.
“We always enjoy playing at the festival,” Waskovich, 50, said. “It’s a nice setting and it draws people into town. We hope everyone will enjoy listening to good music and singing along if they know the songs we’re playing.”
The group consists of Waskovich, a North Abington Township resident; Steve Kurilla, of North Abington Township, on ukulele and vocals and Jack Copley, of Clarks Green, on guitar, mandolin and vocals. The final member of the group, Neil Burke, who plays guitar and harmonica is unavailable for the festival.
“We’re going to do a few different things,” Waskovich said. “We’re normally skewed more toward folk and country music, but we’re going to be playing more classic rock and blues. Our performance is accessible to pretty much everyone. It’s good, fun, basic Americana music.”
