Contributed photo Too Much Sylvia is a band that has played beach music in Rockingham two other times before. They will return Thursday for their third Plaza Jam after playing during opening night at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.

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A band that played on stage at the Democratic National Convention during the event’s first night is coming to Rockingham on Thursday, and band members said they are excited about it.

“This will be our third trip to Rockingham,” said Rick Lee, keyboard player for the band Too Much Sylvia. “We always enjoy the nice atmosphere. The city has done such a good job with the plaza, the amphitheatre. It’s a really nice feeling and the audience is receptive. Rockingham seems to like beach (music).”

The band Too Much Sylvia will perform on Thursday at Cole Plaza in Rockingham beside City Hall, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The four-piece band has been playing together for 21 years, after members reformed the band out of their former band Sugarcreek, which Lee said produced “a bunch of albums in the ’80s.” He said Sugarcreek also played with the Eastern Seaboard band. Lee said the Eastern Seaboard band came close to “making it big like Lynyrd Skynyrd.”

Lee said Too Much Sylvia plays at functions like weddings and divorce parties, sometimes for the same people. They play at festivals and corporate parties, bar mitzvahs and more. Sometimes you may catch a glimpse of what looks like a member of ZZ Top or Boy George, if the crowd is receptive. Too Much Sylvia plays more than 100 gigs a year, said Lee.

Too Much Sylvia differs from Sugarcreek in that the latter was focused on producing albums.

“We wanted to do something totally different,” said Lee about the band that formed in the early ’90s. “We don’t have the pressure of having to write songs and make records. We just want to play what people want to hear. We’re lucky.”

The musicians —Rick Lee, Steve Long, Eddy Howe and Don Leonard — like to have fun at their shows.

“They are great, great entertainment,” said Kim Williams, events coordinator for the City of Rockingham. “They interact with the crowd well and are a very fun group. If you haven’t seen them before, you need to come out and see these guys. Bring lawn chairs, blankets and your kids.”

— Staff Writer Dawn M. Kurry can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 15, or by email at dkurry@heartlandpublications.com.