The sounds and guitar riffs of Southern Rock come to Williamsport, as the Uptown Music Collective and UPMC North Central PA present “Free Bird: A Tribute to Southern Rock,” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 10, and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 11, at the Community Arts Center, 220 W. Fourth St.

This performance, the third of the Collective’s 2022-23 season, will feature the music of a wide range of classic and more modern southern rock style groups, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Outlaws, Blackberry Smoke, .38 Special, The Allman Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Black Crows, ZZ Top, Molly Hatchet and more, all performed by some of the best young musicians in the area.

The origins of rock music rose from the American south in places like Memphis, Tennessee, and, although the psychedelic rock and British Invasion of the 1960s shifted the focus to the larger cities of London, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, the music’s heartbeat still resonates most strongly in the rural south. In the ’70s and early ’80s, the South rose again when bands from all over the southern states took over the airwaves with hit songs like “Free Bird,” “Ramblin’ Man,” “Green Grass and High Tides,” “Mississippi Queen,” “Flirtin’ with Disaster,” “Tush” and “Hold on Loosely.”

In “Free Bird: A Tribute to Southern Rock,” the Uptown Music Collective will feature its stable of exciting young guitar players, performing highly crafted versions of some of the most popular songs in the Southern Rock style and in rock and roll history. These students will entertain with some of the hottest guitar music, as they take on the challenge of performing the iconic guitar solos that helped make this style of music so exciting.

“The large and excited audiences that attend our local shows are so loyal and committed to supporting our school and especially our students, that it is like performing with and for family every time we take the stage at the Community Arts Center,” said Dave Brumbaugh, founder, and executive director of the Uptown Music Collective. “So many come up to students and me at performances and tell us how they never miss a performance. It’s truly heartwarming and inspirational.”

At the end of each performance season the students in the Special Performance Group 1, the student group that creates, plans, and organizes their large-scale events, meet to determine the shows for the next year.

“This is usually an exciting and boisterous set of events, with a lot of ideas thrown around,” Brumbaugh said. “The students research their proposed ideas and pitch them to the group, followed by several rounds of voting before determining that year’s shows.”

The idea for “Free Bird” was first pitched by guitarist and “Free Bird” co-director Ben Feuerstein.

“The idea for this show came to me when I wanted the guitar players in the group to get a chance to shine, for them to get a chance for people to learn their names,” said Feuerstein, a senior at Lewisburg High School. “I think generally the instrumentalists in the group will really get a chance to play their instruments on ’10’ and show the audience what they’re capable of. And the music is just truly high energy and captivating.”

The group will perform most of the classic songs of the southern rock style, such as “Free Bird,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” and “Simple Man” (Lynyrd Skynyrd), “Hold on Loosely” (.38 Special), “Ramblin’ Man” (Allman Brothers), and “Tush” (ZZ Top). In addition, they will perform versions of more modern southern rock classics such as “Jealous Again” by the Black Crowes, and “Waiting for the Thunder” by Blackberry Smoke.

Brumbaugh said he’s not being diplomatic when he says that all of these talented student musicians are standouts.

“This group of performers has had the busiest performance schedule in recent memory and has delivered standout, professional-level performances each and every time without fail,” he said. “For those who know me – you know those words aren’t thrown around lightly.”

Brumbaugh said the instrumentalists will be carrying the weight during this performance, with the massive amount of instrumental sections, guitar, and keyboard solos taking center stage alongside the group’s standout vocalists.

“It’s going to be an uplifting and exciting performance for the audience, as everyone gets their chance to shine,” he said.

“I think what makes the music of these Southern Rock bands so appealing is their very high-energy performances and style,” said Connor Evans, drummer, “Free Bird” co-director, and a Williamsport High School senior. “They had a presence on stage that immediately hooked the audience into their performances and provided a solid foundation for amazing guitar solos. Their high energy and soulful musicality is what makes these bands so memorable after all these years.”

“Southern Rock is energetic and has a distinct aggressive sound to it – it’s a particularly American genre, and it’s so popular around here,” said Duncan Larson, guitarist, “Free Bird” co-director, and a senior at Loyalsock High School. “Led by great guitar riffs and solos these songs are constantly getting stuck in my head. I think people really enjoy the energy the songs hold. The music is driving, and I think the songs will continue to be popular for a long time.”

As with all of their shows, the audience can expect what Uptown Music Collective shows have become known for.

“An exciting, fast-paced performance filled with the amazing energy, joy, and passion that only a hardworking, dedicated, and synergistic group of highly skilled teenage musicians can bring to the stage,” Brumbaugh said. “Their love for one another, the music, and being on stage bowls over every audience they meet.”