Friday night was a night for new discovery. Thus, we found ourselves in a new location — Phillipsburg’s SoMa Downtown Grill — to hear a band we’ve never covered before — acoustic folk/pop act January Noon.
The place to be on the music scene on Saturday afternoon? The Phillipsburg Mall. That’s where Spin Me Round, the popular regional record store, is located, and where the store held its annual Record Store Day celebration.
Well, that was fun!
Hopefully, you enjoyed following along on our Launch Music Conference adventure this past weekend. We know we had a blast and learned a ton! As mentioned, we’ll be sharing some takeaways with you shortly.
We’re back in the Valley, though, and it’s a good thing, because this week holds many…
Sunday saw LVU heading into unfamiliar territory. Prior to this weekend, we had never set foot inside of Spin Me Round, the popular record store located inside of the Phillipsburg Mall. We had heard plenty about the great work they do, but the stars had never aligned for us to formally cross paths, in person.
After Sunday, I can assure you that those stars will be aligning much more frequently.
One thing you’ll notice below: This weekend is stacked!
Some of this week’s talent is homegrown. Other artists will be visiting us from other locales near and far with unforgettable performances. Regardless, all of these performances are sure to be…
You had the chance to hear local singer-songwriters Steve Brosky and Neil Grover earlier this season on The Quinn Spinn.
On Sunday, March 26, you have the chance to hear them live.
A meaty bassline and crunchy, fuzzy guitars are the calling card of “All My Days,” the most recent single to be released by alt rockers Alpha Zero Three.
Live music in the Lehigh Valley can take on a life of its own in any given week. Take this past Saturday, for example. We thought we’d just innocently head to a ribbon cutting and hear some jazz in Allentown, and it ended up being a Super Saturday triple-header ranging from country rock to hardcore!
With that, know that there’s plenty of adventure in store once again, including our latest…
Fri., Aug. 26 | 8 p.m.
Farewell to Summer
Venue: Spin Me Round Records, 1200 U.S. 22, Phillipsburg, NJ
Admission: FREE
Description: Elijah.the.Fly, Willing Tibet, Chasing Down Sunset, and Houston & the Dirty Rats are featured during this in-store, end-of-summer bash.
Fri., Aug. 26 | 10 p.m.
Carter Lansing
Venue: Stoke Coal Fire Pizza, 1 Lehns Ct., Easton
Admission: FREE
Description: As you re-enter PA, grab a slice and listen to the Acoustic Kitty Project frontman.
Sat., Aug. 27 | 1 p.m.
The Stoop w/ Percolator, Seoul Delhi, Stay at Home Dad, Duke Maroon, and more!
Venue: 1953 Township Line Road, Blue Bell
Admission: $5
Description: Eleven performers in all highlight another special day at the Philly-area DIY venue.
Sat., Aug. 27 | 9 p.m.
Steel City Sunrise
Venue: TD Community Stage on the Air Products Townsquare, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem
Admission: FREE
Description: Bethlehem’s original energetic folk rock band returns to SteelStacks.
Artist: Alpha Zero Three
Track: Ghost (LISTEN)
Released: June 30, 2016
Genre: Hard Rock
Since making their live debut at The Originals Music Series in May, the guys in Alpha Zero Three have been hard at work in the studio. That much is apparent on the band’s blistering new track, “Ghost.”
Starting off with an impressive metal riff from guitarist Jeff Smith, the pace of “Ghost” stays fast and never relents. Backed by driving rhythms, frontman Monty Leach delivers a powerful vocal that resides somewhere between the passion of Chris Cornell and the melody of Dave Grohl and company.
They’re only a few songs in, and already, Alpha Zero Three has proven themselves a versatile and multi-talented rock band. We can’t wait to see where the road leads next on their rock journey.
In three months…
…and we’re just getting warmed up!
When I first hatched the idea for Lehigh Valley Underground, I did it because I believed in the talent and passion of our music community. I knew that our original music scene was on the verge of exploding, and it just needed some unifying forces to make the people aware of everything happening in their backyards.
We have a lot of work still to do. However, I must say that, in three months, I’m impressed with and inspired by how far we’ve come together.
Through Lehigh Valley Underground, artists have become aware of opportunities to perform and have their music heard by local and worldwide audiences. Lesser-known venues have received some much-needed and deserved spotlight. There was always a strong arts community here in the Lehigh Valley, but I would like to think that LVU has made it just a little bit closer-knit. So far, so good – we’re adhering to our mission, and we have big ideas to make this resource even better in the months to come.
Of course, it all starts with the beginning of another week. A new episode of The Quinn Spinn will hit sometime tomorrow and you’ll hear about the week’s Can’t-Miss Shows. In those two instances alone, you’re guaranteed to learn something you didn’t know before.
This isn’t any ordinary week, though. Allentown JazzFest kicks off Friday night with Al Chez & the Brothers of Funk. As an official media partner of the festival, you can be sure that we’ll be at that show and many others over the course of ten days.
Thank you for joining us as our #UndergroundSwell continues to grow. Stick with us, because the best is yet to come!