Fall music events spotlight jazz, country and oldies music

October is upon us, and the fall music events keep rolling along on Delmarva.

In Dewey Beach, the Rusty Rudder will host its 38th anniversary celebration from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 7; admission is free. The emphasis will be on the sounds of yesteryear, and there will also be flashback prices on select adult beverages at the bar.

The first band up at 1 p.m. will be The Hubcaps, who specialize in rock and pop from the 1950s and '60s. The Funsters will follow at 5 p.m. with their horn-driven renditions of soul and rock hits from the '70s and beyond. At 9 p.m., Saved By The '90s will celebrate the decade that bought us grunge, boy bands and more.

Looking ahead a few weeks, the Rudder will present a free concert by national country act The Steel Woods at 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21.

The 28th annual Rehoboth Beach Autumn Jazz Festival will kick off Thursday, Oct. 12, and run through Sunday, Oct. 15, at venues throughout Rehoboth and the surrounding areas. This year's edition may break a sales record, as more than a dozen of the officially-sanctioned, ticketed concerts have sold out in advance — including the opening and closing parties and also shows by Pieces Of A Dream, Lalah Hathaway and others.

However, tickets were still available at press time (priced from $59 to $125) for the festival's afternoon performance by legendary funk act Larry Graham & Graham Central Station. Graham, the former bassist of Sly & the Family Stone, will play the theater of Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15. To order tickets and check out the latest updates, visit www.rehobothjazz.com.

The fifth annual True Blue Jazz mini-festival will take place simultaneously as usual in Rehoboth. Co-founder Eddie Sherman told me he is extremely excited for this fifth anniversary celebration, particularly because of a concert by Grammy-winning bassist Christian McBride and his backing band, Tip City. That group will play a pair of concerts (priced at $60 each) at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at Rehoboth's Clear Space Theatre.

True Blue Jazz kicks off a day earlier than the other festival. At 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11, the free Youth Jazz Appreciation Night will take place at Bethany Blues Lewes on Route 1 at Midway. This event debuted last year and drew a packed house to check out Delmarva's finest young jazz players.

On Thursday, Oct. 12, at 5 p.m. a group of more seasoned local, regional and national musicians will participate in the free True Blue Afternoon Jazz Jam at the Avenue Inn in downtown Rehoboth. To view the full schedule, check out www.truebluejazz.org. We'll have more information about both festivals in next week's Frequency column in The Beachcomber.

In Ocean City, the Cowboy Coast Saloon will present regional country favorite Phillip Michael Parsons at 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7. Prior to his performance, the bar will host its inaugural Daisy Duke Contest at 8 p.m. Contestants dressing up like the Dukes of Hazzard character popularized on television by Catherine Bach (and on movie screens by Jessica Simpson) will vie for cash prizes.

Back in downtown Rehoboth, the original location of Arena's Bar & Deli was scheduled to hold its Puerto Rico Relief Party at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5. Local singer-guitarist Jodi Lynn Cohee helped organize the event, which was to include performances by various acoustic musicians.

All donations, which will continue to be accepted throughout the weekend, will be forwarded to The Ricky Martin Foundation.

E-mail Roger Hillis at rogerhillis@gmail.com

This Week's Must-See List

Saved By The '90's, The Funsters and the Hubcaps at the Rusty Rudder in Dewey Beach on Saturday, Oct. 7. Free

Dr. Harmonica & Rockett 88 at MR Ducks in Ocean City at 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7. Free

Phillip Michael Parsons at the Cowboy Coast Saloon in Ocean City at 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7. Free

All-Star Band Jam with Opposite Directions at Fager's Island in Ocean City at 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9. Free

True Blue Jazz Jam at The Avenue Inn in downtown Rehoboth Beach at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12. Free