You don’t have to go far to rock through the holidays. Two special concerts of rock ’n’ roll Christmas songs will be presented this Saturday and Sunday at Settlement Music School, 3745 Clarendon Ave., and a third performance is slated for Dec. 23 at the Bristol Riverside Theater.
Jim Lopardo of Sandbox Music Publishing in Tacony said the program of 28 songs performed by the 12-piece Sandbox Rock ’n’ Roll Orchestra will feature music from the 1950s to the present.
This is the third year the orchestra will play Christmas concerts. It’s the first year the orchestra will perform at the Riverside at 120 Radcliffe St. in Bristol.
A few years back, Lopardo got together some local musicians and they created a 14-song CD. They then did a live concert in Montgomery County. Last year, they expanded to Settlement.
“Each year, it’s gotten bigger and bigger,” Lopardo said.
This year, the band will again recreate the Andrews Sisters’ Mele Kalikimaka, the Hawaiian Christmas song. The musicians also once again will do Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, sung Bruce Springsteen-style.
This is family entertainment, Lopardo said, and “it helps support the local music and arts scene.”
New this year will be the Sandbox version of the Beach Boys’ Little St. Nick and new holiday songs by orchestra members Jim Ritter and Giana Lynn, who recently released an eight-song EP.
Tickets are $20 at the door for adults, and $12 for kids and senior citizens. There also will be a $50 friends and family four pack ticket available.
Showtimes are 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7, at Settlement, and 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 23 at the Riverside. Call 2157189676 or visit www.sandboxmusicpublishing.com ••
