Events
Funk Jam
Funk Jam
Funk Around and Find Out is Our
Open Funk Night Jam at Side Bar!
November 15th, 2026
6-9 pm
No Cover Charge!
All Musicians Welcome
Guitar and Bass Players just show up with your instrument
Drummers and Keyboard players welcome
All horn players have a spot to sit in all night if they like
This jam is all about collaboration—musicians from around the area getting together to create music, connect, and push each other creatively. It’s a place to stretch your legs as a player, experiment with new ideas, expand your musical vocabulary, enjoy the camaraderie of fellow musicians, and help keep live music thriving.
Whether you’re planning to sit in, hang out, talk music, cheer on your friends, or just enjoy a great night of live funk, we’d love to see you there.
UPSTAIRS AT
The Side Bar
& Restaurant
10 East Gay Street
West Chester, PA 19380
(610) 429-8297
Full menu and bar service available
All the Living and the Dead
All the Living and the Dead
Opening Band: Spearmint or Fruit?
Join us for good food, great drinks, and live music!
November 19th, 2026
7-10 pm
No Cover Charge!
UPSTAIRS AT
The Side Bar & Restaurant
10 East Gay Street
West Chester, PA 19380
Full menu and bar service available
All the Living and the Dead:
All the Living and the Dead is a five-piece, indie pop band from Philadelphia that blends the energy of rock with multi-layered vocal harmonies. Longtime friends and neighbors, Krista, Marc, Scott, and Tim solidified the idea of working on songs together throughout 2020 with the lineup filled out by early 2022 when Doug joined to handle drums. Members have played (and still play) in and around the Philly area in bands like The Bigger Lovers, Mason Porter, Missing Palmer West, The Bret Tobias Set, and Space Ate Mafia.
Spearmint or Fruit?
The guitar quartet Spearmint or Fruit? emerge from the space where the bricks and sticks of Greater Philadelphia converge - declaiming the illusion of choice - the band channels post punk pulse awash in blown out textures into spaghetti elegies for accelerating entropy at the end of history: a swirling maelstrom of black ice little trees, piles of purest Velcro, and fading notes of drakkar noir.
Dub C Swing
Dub C Swing
An evening of your favorite holiday music performed in exciting and unique arrangements, from swing and Latin, to reggae and rock. Usher in the holiday season with Dub C Swing and If Not for Music!
December 13th, 2026
5-7:30 pm
No Cover Charge!
UPSTAIRS AT
The Side Bar & Restaurant
10 East Gay Street
West Chester, PA 19380
Full menu and bar service available
Dub C Swing
Hailing from West Chester, PA (aka “The Dub C”), Dub C Swing is a unique and exciting musical ensemble, specializing in instrumental music from a variety of genres. The rich sound of Mike Stefano’s tenor saxophone taking the lead on familiar melodies, combined with the group’s love of improvisation and experimentation, lands them squarely in the world of jazz.
With popular song selections spanning rock, pop, dance, Latin, funk, and soul, Dub C Swing grabs the audience’s attention and takes them places few would imagine. Playing the vibraphone, Ben Green takes the role often performed by pianists and guitarists—supplying lush chordal harmony and solos that are as fun to watch as they are to hear. Craig Gonci’s bass playing is silky smooth and transports the listener to all corners of the world with authenticity.
Funk Jam
Funk Jam
Funk Around and Find Out is Our
Open Funk Night Jam at Side Bar!
Sunday | December 20th, 2026
6-9 pm
No Cover Charge!
All Musicians Welcome
Guitar and Bass Players just show up with your instrument
Drummers and Keyboard players welcome
All horn players have a spot to sit in all night if they like
This jam is all about collaboration—musicians from around the area getting together to create music, connect, and push each other creatively. It’s a place to stretch your legs as a player, experiment with new ideas, expand your musical vocabulary, enjoy the camaraderie of fellow musicians, and help keep live music thriving.
Whether you’re planning to sit in, hang out, talk music, cheer on your friends, or just enjoy a great night of live funk, we’d love to see you there.
UPSTAIRS AT
The Side Bar
& Restaurant
10 East Gay Street
West Chester, PA 19380
(610) 429-8297
Full menu and bar service available
Damselfly
Damselfly
Join us for good food, great drinks, and a
live jazz fusion band you won’t want to miss!
November 5th, 2026
7-10 pm
No Cover Charge!
UPSTAIRS AT
The Side Bar & Restaurant
10 East Gay Street
West Chester, PA 19380
Full menu and bar service available
Damselfly is a jazz fusion group inspired by bands like Weather Report and The Yellowjackets. Francesco Protasi, bandleader, wanted to create a group that blended electronic and acoustic sounds. Most fusion bands aim to sound intergalactic but Damselfly has that earthy grit that’s sure to keep you moving your feet.
INFM Fundraising Performace
Fundraising Performance
TO BENEFIT THE MISSION OF IF NOT FOR MUSIC
with the Jesse Snyder Quartet
From the Big Island of Hawaii featuring
Classic Jazz in the Spirit of Aloha
Grammy Nominated Jesse Snyder with
Jeff Knoettner, Rob Swanson and Jackie Browne
October 29th, 2026
6-9 pm
Get Your Tickets Now!
Suggested donation $20
Space is limited so buy your tickets in advance!
Funk Jam
Funk Jam
Funk Around and Find Out is our open Funk Night Jam at Side Bar!
October 25th, 2026
6-9 pm
All Musicians Welcome
Guitar and Bass Players just show up with your instrument
Drummers and Keyboard players welcome
All horn players have a spot to sit in all night if they like
This jam is all about collaboration—musicians from around the area getting together to create music, connect, and push each other creatively. It’s a place to stretch your legs as a player, experiment with new ideas, expand your musical vocabulary, enjoy the camaraderie of fellow musicians, and help keep live music thriving.
Whether you’re planning to sit in, hang out, talk music, cheer on your friends, or just enjoy a great night of live funk, we’d love to see you there.
Side Bar & Restaurant
No cover charge
Full menu and bar service available
Cordelia Blue
Cordelia Blue
Come out and listen to blistering grooves,
soulful vocals, and dynamic songwriting!
October 22nd, 2026
7-10 pm
No Cover Charge!
UPSTAIRS AT
The Side Bar & Restaurant
10 East Gay Street
West Chester, PA 19380
Full menu and bar service available
Formed in 2020, Philadelphia based soul-rock outfit Cordelia Blue is made up of John Bickel on Hammond Organ and vocals, Patrick Bickel on bass, Rob Tait on drums and Luke Ferracone on guitar. In December of 2023, the band released a self titled 5 song EP, followed by their sophomore release in June of 2025, a double album titled "In Limbo". Over the last few years, Cordelia Blue has cultivated a distinctive sound blending elements of classic funk, blues, rock, soul and RnB. Expect blistering grooves, soulful vocals, and dynamic songwriting that ranges from a whisper to a roar. Peace!
Dave Mattock and Funktap
Dave Mattock and Funktap
Join us for a night of innovative original jazz and funk from one of the West Chester's most popular performers.
October 1, 2026
7-10 pm
Side Bar & Restaurant
No cover charge
Full menu and bar service available
Fundraising Performance
Fundraising Performance
TO BENEFIT THE MISSION OF IF NOT FOR MUSIC
Larry Roney and Friends
40 Years of the Best in Acoustic Music
July 22, 2026 | 6-9 pm
Full Bar and Menu Service Available
Get Your Tickets Now!
Suggested Donation: $10 (or more!)
Space is limited and sell out likely. Get your tickets in advance
The 5th Annual Kennett Jazz and Funk Fest
The 5th Annual Kennett Jazz and Funk Fest. Join us at this festival to benefit If Not for Music. Three days of Jazz and Funk at three venues: The Creamery, the Kennett Flash and the Kennett Library. Hear some of the region’s best up and coming artists and established professionals in a musical celebration of jazz and funk. See details at www.kennettjazzfest.com.
One Alternative at the Kennett Flash
One Alternative at the Kennett Flash. Blending oboe, violin, acoustic guitar, drums and bass, One Alternative describes its music as an acoustic fusion that blends jazz, rock, folk and classical traditions into its own unique style. See details at www.kennettflash.org
Mark Oppenlander at Stargazers Winery
Mark Oppenlander at Stargazers Winery 3-6 pm. A free performance from guitar virtuoso Mark Oppenlander to benefit If Not for Music. Come out for some stellar wines and music from Bach to Leo Kottke. For more information go to www.stargazersvineyard.com.
Dub C Swing at the Kennett Flash.
An instrumental band from West Chester, PA. With the saxophone as the lead voice, the band performs popular songs in their own unique arrangements. The vibraphone handles the chordal accompaniment with the bass and drums bringing the energy of the rhythm section.
Kitchen Sink at the Kennett Flash
Kitchen Sink at the Kennett Flash. A launch party for this group’s latest album. Kitchen Sink is an ensemble of students and graduates from West Chester University performing experimental music with undertones of jazz, classical and improvisation.