We rolled up to Allentown Art Museum shortly after 2 o’clock this afternoon for the fourth day of Allentown JazzFest. Today promised to be perhaps the biggest day of the festival, with world-class performances taking place within the museum’s many galleries, each providing its own unique backdrop to the art created onstage.
After a wild and mostly wonderful October, I looked to Saturday as a big day. Through weddings, birthdays, and the Cubs’ epic World Series championship run, October was a very busy month that required a lot of weekend participation in my personal life.
I looked to Saturday, however, as a chance to get back to basics. I knew about plenty of great things happening in the Valley, and my goal was to get out on the scene. I did just that — even if I got off to a slow start.
Last night, I concluded Super Saturday by heading over to Bethlehem’s historic Ice House for the final concert of the summer in Tape Swap Radio’s IceHouse Tonight series. The night featured four hardcore bands — Swimmers Lungs, Manbeast, Tile, and Couch Slut — making for, frankly, the heaviest night of music I’ve ever experienced.
Last night’s show, as well as all of Tape Swap Radio’s efforts, was completely DIY and took a village to make a reality. The series was started by local residents Matt Molchany (whom you might know as the frontman of indie rock band Voirvoir) and Shamus McGroggan. The pair, as well as a host of local musicians and music supporters, make it their mission to showcase a different genre at each Tape Swap Radio show.
I also found it interesting to learn that Tape Swap Radio does more than produce live events. Tape Swap is also a music and video series that exclusively features DIY and independent bands. The show airs every other Friday at 11 p.m. on 88.1 WDIY FM, the Lehigh Valley’s NPR station.
On behalf of Lehigh Valley Underground, I want to send congratulations to Tape Swap Radio for a job well done on last night’s show, and a sincere “Thank You” for their efforts in making our music scene that much more vibrant. You can learn more about Tape Swap Radio online and on Facebook.
