Memorial Day is known nationwide as the unofficial start of summer. At least, that might be the case everywhere except Bethlehem, where the start of the Levitt Pavilion season at SteelStacks got summer underway a week early with the Greater Lehigh Valley Music Association’s Winners Preview Weekend.
Now that the nominations have been collected, you might be wondering when you can cast your vote for the 18th Annual Lehigh Valley Music Awards, taking place Sunday, March 5 at the Musikfest Café.
The answer? You won’t have to wait much longer.
Who is the best?
Beginning November 1, the Greater Lehigh Valley Music Association wants your answer to that question, as nominations for the 18th Annual Lehigh Valley Music Awards have begun.
We enjoyed our Musikfest rendezvous with the Greater Lehigh Valley Music Association so much, we’ve decided it’s time for another round!
Lehigh Valley Underground is proud to sponsor the Third Annual Arts on the Move, taking place on Saturday, November 12 at Touchstone Theater, 321 E. 4th St. in Bethlehem.
Arts on the Move is a fundraiser for the GLVMA, with all proceeds funding the organization’s scholarships, to be awarded at the 18th Annual Lehigh Valley Music Awards on March 5, 2017. The evening will feature live music from local performers Triple G, Project 32, Jordyn Kenzie, and Erin Kelly. In addition, Arts on the Move will host an auction of unique instruments donated by local musicians and styled by local visual artists.
Tickets are $15 and can be found on the GLVMA’s Eventbrite page. For updates and more information, visit Arts on the Move on Facebook, and check back with Lehigh Valley Underground and DustinSchoof.com in the weeks leading up to the event.
As you know from reading Lehigh Valley Underground, this year’s Musikfest was not my first rodeo. However, it was the first go-round for LVU at the nation’s largest free outdoor music festival, and we are beyond grateful that A) this thing happens in our backyard and B) we had the opportunity to take part.
We saw and heard some amazing musicians – some good friends of LVU, while others were completely new discoveries for us. We ate good food, we filled our mugs, and we even got to hang in the Sands Steel Stage pit and get some pretty cool photos of X Ambassadors. We got to see this entire community come together to celebrate music, summer, and the Lehigh Valley – and we were fortunate enough to join in.
So, with that, I personally want to thank a few people and organizations for making our first Musikfest as an organization one for the ages.
First, thank you to the team at ArtsQuest who, in addition to being SUPER supportive of LVU, take weeks out of their summer every year to ensure that you and I have a good time in downtown Bethlehem for 10 days. You all were the first folks I met when I came back to the Valley, and I look forward to working with you all for years to come.
Thank you to amazing teammates like Lisa, Ambrose and, of course, our fellow Mega Power Dustin Schoof for covering what I couldn’t. Next year, I promise that I won’t book any vacations before knowing the dates of Musikfest (not that I regret fulfilling my lifelong, bucket list dream of finally seeing my Cubs play at Wrigley Field, because that place is amazing and I WILL be going back – just not from Aug. 4-13, 2017).
Thank you to our partners at the Greater Lehigh Valley Music Association for the honor and privilege of introducing Another Day Dawns, Doubting Thoma$, The Cherrybombs, and Social Call at the Lehigh Valley Music Awards Rock Showcase on Aug. 7. This night was easily a highlight of 2016 so far, both for LVU and for me personally. We can’t wait to work more with you to create opportunities, large and small, for everyone on the music scene.
Also, special thanks to Lisa and my wonderful girlfriend, Meg, for volunteering their time to LVU at the event and believing in this hare-brained scheme of mine.
Thank you to all of the musicians, who use their talents to make Musikfest and, as always, the Lehigh Valley’s music scene what it is. Without you, there would be no ‘Fest or LVU, and this place would be a lot less vibrant.
Finally, thank you, the readers, for making last week by far the most successful week in LVU history. We shattered records for page views and unique visitiors during our Musikfest coverage, and it’s because you all care so much about your music scene. We couldn’t do it without your support.
#ThanksMusikfest, for being you. See you in 2017!
Today, Lehigh Valley Underground is thrilled to announce an official partnership with the Greater Lehigh Valley Music Association (GLVMA).
The GLVMA is a non-profit 501(c)3 arts organization which, according to its official Facebook page, “believes that artistic expression and the creative process are positive and desirable contributions to our diverse culture.” The organization is responsible for many local programs and initiatives, including the annual Lehigh Valley Music Awards, as well as a scholarship program for young students in the arts.
“The Greater Lehigh Valley Music Association and its volunteers continue to work for the betterment of the entire music community in eastern Pennsylvania,” said Gerard Longo, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Lehigh Valley Underground. “This mission is similar to that of Lehigh Valley Underground, and I am ecstatic that our organizations will work together to create more opportunities for all local artists.”
The first instance of this will be at the Lehigh Valley Music Awards Rock Showcase, occurring at Musikfest’s Plaza Tropical stage on Sunday, August 7 from 8-11 p.m. Lehigh Valley Underground is an official media sponsor of the event, which will showcase bands including Social Call, The Cherrybombs, Doubting Thoma$, and Another Day Dawns.
Lehigh Valley Underground also plans to participate as a media sponsor in the GLVMA’s Third Annual Arts on the Move event, taking place at South Bethlehem’s Touchstone Theatre on Saturday, November 12 at 6 p.m. The event will feature local artists including Triple G, Project 3², Jordyn Kenzie, and Erin Kelly, as well as an auction of unique musical instruments to benefit the GLVMA’s scholarship fund.
Being in the middle of a move won’t stop us! Despite a lack of present equipment, The Quinn comes to you on his birthday with an interview with Raymond Short from local rock band Rofo Audio. Also, we touch a bit more on the aftermath of the Lehigh Valley Music Awards.
Track listing:
REVEL 9 – All I’ve Become (Opening theme)
The Cremer Bros. – Lies, Lies, Lies
Julius – Better Life
Rofo Audio – From the Bottom Up
Rofo Audio – Maisie
The Band of Rivals – Golden Shores
This Way to the Egress – Rogue Trip
Avi Wisnia – New Year
On Sunday, the 17th annual Lehigh Valley Music Awards emanated from the Musikfest Café, located on the third floor of the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks. Of the many winners on Sunday afternoon, local mainstay Scott Marshall received top honors with a record-breaking nine LVMAs.
Naturally, many people feel good for Marshall. He’s assembled a band of talented musicians who play seamlessly across genres. They’re good, and you’d have a difficult time honestly denying that. Moreover, Marshall appears by all accounts to have remained hard-working and humble throughout his ascent to the top of the scene.
Others, however, decry Marshall’s nine awards as a perceived flaw in the system – one alleged in certain circles to play favorites and select the same artists, year after year.
While cruising social media Sunday night into Monday, I saw my fair share of both opinions. I know and respect numerous people who believe different things across the board. With that, I feel compelled to say…
Congratulations are in order for Scott Marshall and all of the event’s winners. You all work hard to perfect and present your talents, and you deserve recognition for that. My hat’s off to you and your continued success.
As for those who came up empty-handed – including those who weren’t nominated – you deserve recognition as well. I know for a fact that many of you work every bit as hard as Sunday’s winners, and none of you should feel like your efforts are in vain.
Most importantly, remember this: No matter where you find yourself in the wake of the LVMAs, you’re now on a clean slate.
The LVMAs come but once a year. It is one day out of 365 – or, in 2016’s case, 366. This is not to downplay the event’s significance or popularity, but to point out that there are more opportunities than ever to make your musical voice heard in the Lehigh Valley throughout the year.
New opportunities for Lehigh Valley musicians to perform and network are popping up all the time. For the vast majority of the year, it doesn’t take a large festival or awards gala to make waves. Small venues, as well as musicians and fans on the scene, expand these possibilities every day. Folks who work full-time “day jobs,” and who work on music as a passion project, are transforming the scene into one that is increasingly focused on the artist with open mic nights, weekly showcases, radio shows, blogs and more. These people and their ideas are the gears that make the Valley’s music scene turn on a daily basis. Without them, there would be nobody and nothing to recognize at larger-scale events.
It is your responsibility as a musical citizen to find opportunities, learn from the folks around you, and add your own ideas to the musical landscape. Perhaps your efforts will find you accepting the LVMA you covet in 2017. If not, or if you aren’t the “awards show” type, maybe it will gain you more respect and admiration from your musical peers. For some of you, perhaps the self-satisfaction derived from doing what you love is enough.
No matter what, your pure efforts are contributing greatly to the musical landscape in the Lehigh Valley. Whether you realize it or not, your unique voice is making this scene better, stronger, and more diversified as time marches forward – and that, my friend, is what we need around here.
If you won on Sunday, congratulations, but now is not the time to get complacent. Keep up the good, hard work.
If not, don’t let it get you down. It doesn’t mean that what you’re doing isn’t deserving of recognition.
Nine awards or zero, you have talent and a voice. The Valley needs those voices working together to thrive, and everybody knows it.