It feels like Musikfest just started. And yet, the 2023 edition of the nation’s largest free, non-gated music festival is past the halfway point.
Your legs may be hurting a bit by now, so we’ll keep your travel to a minimum by giving you a pair of selections on the North Side of the ‘Fest.
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We’ve got quite a choice for you here at the halfway point of Musikfest. Both of our picks today occur at the same time, on completely different sides of the festival.
Choose wisely, friends…
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This evening’s forecast calls for rain in Bethlehem, but the great thing about Musikfest is that it continues, rain or shine!
Start a brand new week with us at the nation’s largest free, non-gated music festival by checking out these shows…
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It’s hard to believe we’re already on the third day of Musikfest! It’s been a wild time at this year’s edition of the nation’s largest free, non-gated music festival — but we’re just getting warmed up!
Temperatures are warming up in Bethlehem today, too. Let’s see who’s doing their part to bring the heat for Day 3!
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We had a fun first day of ‘Festing up here in Bethlehem! Now, it’s onto Day 2, and Phillip and I have a fresh pair of Picks for you to enjoy in your Musikfest travels.
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Musikfest (officially) begins tonight! The nation’s largest free, non-gated music festival kicks off in our OG hometown of Bethlehem, PA — and for the next ten days, we’ll give you our must-see shows with a little help from our friends.
Join me, Your Friendly Neighborhood North Side Sheriff, and my good buddy Phillip Reese from Yoir Next Favorite Band podcast as we give you something worth checking out as you make your way to the ‘Fest!
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UMC is Nashville-based, but our roots are planted in a small former steel city about an hour north of Philadelphia.
We began our journey in the indie music blogosphere in 2016 as Lehigh Valley Underground, a regional publication covering the local music scene in Eastern Pennsylvania. Every August, Musikfest served as an anchor point — a 10-day celebration featuring artists at all levels, from talented locals, to mid-range independent artists catching fire, to some of the biggest names in music.
I had the honor of joining the team at ArtsQuest — the Bethlehem-based non-profit behind Musikfest — as Event Staff in time for the 2014 festival. I tell that story here. Here in the 2020s, I’ve begun taking an annual “vacation” to rejoin the Musikfest family, with the number one goal of making sure you don’t cause a ruckus.
I’m telling you this, because I’ll be a little tied up over the next week or so. I’m also looking at this as an opportunity to find new inspiration from the festival that spawned this publication’s very existence. Expect us to come out swingin’ upon my return from “vacation.”
In the meantime, we’ll still be delivering the goods here over the next week. That includes a new UMC20 (curated by UMC’s own Jenna Rose) and an episode of The Quinn Spinn. Keep an eye out!
And, if you’ve been following UMC since it was LVU, maybe I’ll see you at ‘Fest?
Full stop: as a recovering English major, I hate using clichés.
However, sometimes the simplest way to get a point across is also the best, and the phrase “remember where you came from” hits home this week.
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We’ve returned to Nashville, even more inspired than usual to bring you 20 tracks of fire.
Listen to UMC20
Since we made this announcement back in November, a lot has happened. We changed our name. We moved to Nashville. And yes, we’ve met tons of incredible creatives of all disciplines in our travels.
Through it all, we’ve never forgotten where we came from. This past weekend, we had a chance to go back.
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