After two very successful concerts earlier this year, local musician Thaddeus David Storme (a/k/a Thad Schwenk) will return to the banquet hall of the East Greenville Fire Company next Friday night for a third performance.

                This writer recently caught up with Thad and his sound technician, Mike Allem, during a rehearsal for his upcoming concert.  It was an opportunity to experience a raw performance and chat with the musician.

                Schwenk began his musical journey at age 7, playing the trombone.  By the time he was 10, he was playing the guitar. "I taught myself to read and write sheet music so I could do anything I wanted," he said.

                Now, in addition to performing cover songs, he writes and performs his own.  His describes himself as a pop-musician, but his diversity is displayed when listening to the symphonies that are part of the prelude to his concerts.

                Of the masters, Schwenk said his favorites are "Mozart and Beethoven, with a particular respect to Mozart."  Listening to Schwenk's "Opus in F Minor," which he wrote when he was a senior at West Chester University, one can get lost in the music that blends the excellence of the European masters with a handshake of Yankee modernism and pop-music.

                For all of his songs, Thad writes the notes and enters them into a 16-track synthesizer capable of producing 936 different sounds to provide the proper instrumental effect. On stage, Schwenk performs with guitar, bass and keyboards – accomplished with each – and, of course, his voice, which can soothe you to a mellow mood, then rock you to fist-pumping heights.

                He uses a crew of four technicians to set up his elaborate light show, programmed by himself to enhance the audience's musical experience of the show.

                On stage Thaddeus David Storme has the voice range to croon the soft lyrics of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," while doing an excellent job of playing the guitar-riffs that make you feel that you are indeed making a trip from the dark side of the moon.

                His quick transformation from the smoothness of Pink Floyd to the hard-rock sounds of Nine-Inch-Nails will snap you back to reality and bring you to your feet.

                Schwenk says he is "narcissistic and plays that which inspired [him] to be a musician."

                After performing with several groups over the years and playing the club circuit from New Hope to Allentown and West Chester, Schwenk took a hiatus from music about 12 years ago.

                On returning to the performance stage, Schwenk said that he "got the itch and just wanted to do it again."

                The venue for next week's event is the banquet hall of the East Greenville Fire Company, located at 401 Washington St. in East Greenville.  Doors open at 7:30 p.m. with show starting at 8 p.m.  The open-seating concert is open to music-lovers of all ages.

                The performance will be as his poster's describe.  "It's not a band, it's not a DJ. It's Thaddeus David Storme Live."

                Check it out.