Monday might be the eve of 2008, but Slim Forsythe and The Parklane Drifters say they plan to "party like it's 1949."
Kevin "Slim" Forsythe, the Morningside vocalist for the country-swing band that formed in 2005, will be giving an old-time country concert that begins in the late evening and lasts through the early morning of 2008 at the Cabaret at Theater Square. Forsythe's band is known for tributes to early 20th-century country music greats such as Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Ernest Tubb, Buck Owens and Johnny Cash.
When Forsythe and The Parklane Drifters play, audience members both young and old love to dance, he says.
"We knock 'em dead," says Forsythe, 51. The native of Bradford, McKean County, is an attorney and author of the Pittsburgh River Trilogy books, which include "Stardust on the Allegheny," "Murder on the Mon" and "Twilight on the Ohio."
"A lot of people just love this stuff," says Forsythe, who has toured around and beyond the U.S. "Even a lot of people who aren't big country music fans will say ... that they love what we do.
"I think that we do have a timeless quality to our music," Forsythe says. "If people will just give it a listen, we will get new fans. We win 'em over."
The Parklane Drifters include -- all nicknames -- Candy Mountain on bass, Big Rock on steel and electric guitar, and Scratchy Hunter on fiddle.
"They are tremendously talented musicians, and beautiful people, too," Forsythe says. "I sometimes feel like I'm the luckiest man walking on God's green earth to be onstage with this caliber of musicians." Additional Information:
Slim Forsythe and The Parklane Drifters
When: Starting at 10:30 p.m. Monday. Free karaoke will be offered 7-10:30 p.m. at the Backstage Bar
Admission: Free. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is offering a $25 Cabaret New Year's Eve package that gives patrons priority seating at the concert, along with a midnight champagne toast, noisemakers and a dessert and coffee buffet until 2 a.m.
Where: Cabaret at Theater Square, 655 Penn Ave., Downtown
Details: 412-456-6666
