We've been talking to local, original bands four about 14 months now. In that time, we've heard three major complaints:

1. There is nowhere to play original music around here.

2. Everyone only wants to hear cover bands.

3. We hate having to sell tickets to the gigs that we do get.

Guess what? We just solved all of your problems.

The SHARP ORIGINAL MUSIC SERIES is booking now at one of the coolest locales you're going to find, the deck at Pocono Brewing Company in Swiftwater.

THE SKINNY: Every Tuesday starting July 29, we're going to book one local band to play at PBC. It's all original, all acoustic. You bring the equipment, we give you the stage to play your original music.

ADVANTAGES: Tuesday's are PBC's tourism industry employee appreciation nights. They get a good crowd of camp counselors, hotel workers, and a lot of other people who come out to the Poconos for the summer to work. A good portion of it is probably a crowd you've never reached.

We can't pay for this gig -- but we encourage merch-ing and any kind of plugs you want to give yourself. CDs, future show dates, phone number for dating purposes, it's up to you. It's your mic and your time, you can do what you want with it.

It's a pretty cool venue too, a nice night out on PBC's deck.

Anyone who is interested, message us in the next few days. We've got three of the six spots spoken for, but we may double book if enough people are interested and would want to participate in this with us.

When Sharp started last year, one of our main goals was to support local artists, including local music. This is us putting our money where our mouth is. Who else wants to step up and put on a show at one of the biggest bars in the Poconos?