Tag Archives: Lucy Woodward

Sunday Thought Series: We’ve Had Ourselves a Month

May has been so busy and exciting that it’s hard to believe that we were in the middle of our first media partnership with Allentown JazzFest only a few weeks ago. We started the month with Scott Tixier in Emmaus, and the festival would continue during the month’s opening week with performances from Steve Coleman and Five Elements, Lucy Woodward and many more.

The fun continued all month long. We’ve seen debuts, international rising stars, industry veterans, and long-time local favorites. We successfully closed the return season – and first on LVU – of our official podcast, The Quinn Spinn, with great hope for the future. And, of course, we met more great people and had insightful conversations that will surely help us all work toward the betterment of our original music community in the months and years ahead.

Through it all, there’s a sense of satisfaction in knowing that so many people in our music community have been positively impacted by Lehigh Valley Underground, both throughout this month and dating back to January. The fact that people are hearing about us on their own – and not just from my incessant, daily social media posts – means that we’ve strengthened the music scene, and that we can only get better from here together.

It should be an amazing summer. A lot of big things are beginning to take shape. Although I can’t talk about them yet, please know that May was just the tip of the iceberg. There’s a lot more #BuildingBetter where this came from.

Sunday Thought Series (Saturday Edition): Totally Jazzed

Tomorrow is going to be busy, so I want to make sure I get this out of the way now.

008For more than a week, we’ve been dutifully bringing you the latest from Allentown JazzFest. We’ve seen some top-notch performances, re-connected with old friends, and met some great new people along the way.

I just wanted to take some time today to mention how grateful Lehigh Valley Underground is for the opportunity to participate in such a great, growing local festival. We’ve been welcomed with open arms into another very important, lively part of the Lehigh Valley’s music scene this week, and it has been a phenomenal experience from top to bottom.

003I also hope that the passion behind this blog’s mission has come through in a new way over the past week or so. We want to reach into every corner of our scene and support the many people – not just musicians, but volunteers and industry folks – who strive to make it a better place. It is my hope that our coverage of JazzFest this week opens new doors for all involved, and that we can all continue to work together to strengthen our offerings and make the Lehigh Valley a music destination, based foremost on the efforts of the people who call our region home.

It’s not over yet. Tonight at 5 p.m., we’ll be at West Park to catch Hector Rosado and Orq Hache. Tomorrow at 5 p.m., we’ll wrap things up with The Bryan Tuk Complex at Billy’s Downtown Diner on Hamilton St. Photos and reactions from those shows, of course, will be made available here.

PHOTOS: Lucy Woodward at the Renaissance Ballroom (AJF2016)

A powerful voice, commanding stage presence, and world-class supporting musicians helped Lucy Woodward wow the Allentown JazzFest crowd at the Renaissance Hotel ballroom on Thursday night.

Lucy was engaging from the start, introducing many of the evening’s selections with witty stories encompassing her career as a musician. The New York native’s set was equal parts high-tempo, funky pop and soulful balladry, allowing Lucy and her band to showcase their versatile skill sets throughout the course of the evening.

Lucy heads off to London to prepare for her upcoming tour with Rod Stewart. We wish her the best, and hope she’ll visit us again sometime!

Can’t-Miss Shows of the Week: May 2-8

JazzFest continues, while local favorites make their presence felt.

Allentown JazzFest is just getting warmed up! Expect plenty more coverage here on Lehigh Valley Underground throughout the week as we take you to different venues with an array of different artists.

Naturally, a few of those shows are listed below. We also have others for folks of different tastes. To us, they’re all, without a doubt, the…

Can’t-Miss Shows of the Week!

Mon., May 2 | 7:30 p.m.
Adam Niewood Quartet (AJF 2016)
Venue: Allentown BrewWorks, 812 W. Hamilton St., Allentown
Admission: $20
Description: Niewood and his band will play selections from his latest effort, “Homage: Niewood Plays Niewood,” in honor of his late father, Gerry.

Wed., May 4 | 7:30 p.m.
Steve Coleman and Five Elements (AJF 2016)
Venue: Miller Symphony Hall, 23 N. 6th St., Allentown
Admission: $30 general; $50 VIP
Description: World-renowned saxophonist and MacArthur Fellow Steve Coleman performs at JazzFest.

Thurs., May 5 | 8 p.m.
Lucy Woodward (AJF 2016)
Venue: The Renaissance Ballroom, 12 N. 7th St., Allentown
Admission: $30 general; $47 VIP
Description: Acclaimed London-born singer-songwriter Lucy Woodward makes her Lehigh Valley debut.

Fri., May 6 | 5:30 p.m.
The Bastard Sons Ride Again
Venue: Weyerbacher Brewery, 905 Line St., Easton
Admission: FREE
Description: Come to Easton after work for songs and musings from Carter Lansing, Bryson Kay, Werner Sommer, and Mike Roi.

Fri., May 6 | 9 p.m.
The Groove Merchants
Venue: The Hamilton Kitchen, 645 W. Hamilton St., Allentown
Admission: FREE
Description: Shoot over to Allentown later on for a great night of excellent food, drinks, and Groove.

Sat., May 7 | 5 p.m.
JazzFest at Noches de Ritmo (AJF 2016)
Venue: West Park, 15th and Linden Sts., Allentown
Admission: FREE
Description: Hector Rosado’s Orq HACHE kicks things off, and the Jeff “Tain” Watts Quartet keeps it going.

Sat., May 8 | 5 p.m.
Jazz at Billy’s: The Bryan Tuk Complex (AJF 2016)
Venue: Billy’s Downtown Diner, 840 W. Hamilton St., Allentown
Admission: FREE
Description: Allentown JazzFest 2016 concludes with a show from the festival’s Executive Director and his ensemble, plus special guests.

Six Degrees: Allentown JazzFest 2016

The day has arrived! Allentown JazzFest begins tonight with a big night of music (and film) in the Lehigh Valley’s largest city. Lehigh Valley Underground will be at the festival throughout its duration to cover key performances and highlights.

As a proud, official media partner of Allentown JazzFest, we want to tell you what we’re most looking forward to over the course of the next ten days. For full information, please visit allentownjazzfest.org.


A ‘Funky’ BeginningTonight at 8 p.m., Al Chez & the Brothers of Funk kick off the festival at the Renaissance Ballroom. Chez, a world-class trumpeter whose performance history reads like a “Who’s Who” list, brings a rock and roll feel to big band music as he and his band roll into Allentown for a second consecutive year.

More Than Music – For the film aficionado in all of us, Allentown FilmFest receives its trial run at Civic Theater 514 during three of the festival’s ten days. Tonight at 7:30 p.m., FilmFest begins with the 1966 Antonioni film, Blowup. That will be followed by International Short Films on Sun., May 1 at 4 p.m. and A Night with the Experimental on Tues., May 3 at 7 p.m. Performing Arts Live! Filmmaker in Residence Stephanie Gardner will lead a discussion each night.

We’ve Got ‘Nerve’ Jojo Mayer and his trio Nerve will push the boundaries of jazz by intertwining it with their trademark genre-busting live electronica. This is sure to be one of the most unique performances associated not only with JazzFest, but the entire Lehigh Valley in 2016. It takes place Sat., Apr. 30 at Halo nightclub (22 N. 6th St.) beginning at 7 p.m.

I See London – After 15 years of touring, London-born singer Lucy Woodward makes her Lehigh Valley debut at Allentown JazzFest 2016. Lucy has toured with the likes of Rod Stewart and has major label credibility to her name. She’ll bring all of that and more to the Renaissance Ballroom on Thurs., May 5 at 8 p.m.

I See France Scott Tixier, a French violinist quickly gaining international fame, is coming to 187 Rue Principale for his JazzFest debut this Sun., May 1 at 7 p.m. Scott has worked with an incredible list of artists, and both his recordings and live show prove him to be a cut above the rest.

Homegrown Talent – Of course, what would a Lehigh Valley music festival be without plenty of our own on the bill? Regional favorite Hector Rosado will make a couple of appearances, and local music fans can enjoy performances from Joe Wagner, Tiffany Ly, Eric Mintel, and the Bryan Tuk Complex – to name a few – at different points throughout the festival.