Roi and the Secret People have had a big 2016, marked by high-energy performances throughout the Lehigh Valley. Saturday night at The Funhouse in South Bethlehem was no exception, as the Easton-based quintet ended its year on a positive, once again proving why they are one of the region’s most exciting rock acts.
First, let me start by saying that this category, like all of them, could have gone a number of ways. For example, I could have chosen a song with the grit of Roi & the Secret People’s “Hungry.” Just as tempting was the prospect of choosing VoirVoir’s youthful anthem, “I Wanna,” or virtually any track from Rofo Audio. In the end, however, I went a bit south to Philly, where The Wayside Shakeup released their single, “Stay Up,” earlier this year.
Roi & the Secret People and Wicked Hollow met over the summer at Philadelphia’s Liberty Music Fest. Three months later, the two bands joined forces for a Saturday night for the ages at South Bethlehem’s Funhouse.
Our day-long Roi & the Secret People party continued with a special kickoff show at Bethlehem’s Tally Ho Tavern Saturday night, as part of the WSCI Summer Concert Series.
The evening was opened by Carter Lansing, frontman of outlaw country group Acoustic Kitty Project, who performed selections off of the band’s album, “Shine,” alongside newer songs.
Then, it was time to RSP, who rocked the Tally Ho with tunes from its two albums, “Dog St.” and “Phoenix,” as well as select tracks from frontman Mike Roi’s older efforts.
The WSCI Summer Concert series continues through August with local, original talent. The lineup is as follows. For tickets and more information, follow this link.
Sat., July 23: MAYVE
Sat., July 30: Trapped in Static
Sat., Aug. 6: Sing, Bird of Prey
Sat., Aug. 13: The Walking Tree
Sat., Aug. 20: Acoustic Kitty Project
Sat., Aug. 27: Kill the Broadcast
It’s a Roi & the Secret People two-fer!
In advance of tonight’s WSCI Summer Concert Series show at Bethlehem’s Tally Ho Tavern, the band held a private recording session for its close friends and supporters at Studio 73 in Bethlehem.
Those in attendance were treated to an interview to be broadcast on WSCI in the near future, followed by an eight-song live set to be released alongside the band’s upcoming single, “Hungry.” A video consisting of official and fan footage from the event will accompany the release.
We’ll be in attendance for Carter Lansing to kick things off at the Tally Ho, tonight at 7 p.m. We’ll see you there, but for now, enjoy a few photos!
We’re a bit late with our typical early-week preview. I guess that’s what happens when you’re out on the scene all day Sunday and have hundreds – literally, hundreds – of photos to sort through from Easton Heritage Day.
To make up for the tardiness, we present you with even more options as part of this week’s…
Tues., Jul. 12 | 6 p.m.
The Groove Merchants
Venue: Hamilton Kitchen & Bar, 645 W. Hamilton St., Allentown
Admission: FREE
Description: Listen to some funky, bluesy rhythms to celebrate Hamilton Kitchen’s second birthday.
Tues., Jul. 12 | 7 p.m.
Bryan Tuk Complex
Venue: Hook, 22 N. 6th St., Allentown
Admission: FREE
Description: Jazz drummer Bryan Tuk and his trio perform at Network Magazine’s release after-party
Jul. 15-17
Double Decker/Square of Opposition Anniversary Fest
Venues: St. Bernard’s, 331-333 Brodhead Ave., Bethlehem (Fri); Merchants Square Mall, 1901 S. 12th St., Allentown (Sat/Sun.)
Admission: $8-$50
Description: Celebrate 20 years of Double Decker and 15 years of Square of Opposition Records, all weekend long.
Sat., Jul. 16 | 4 p.m.
Julius’ Birthday Bash at Ranger Lake
Venue: Coplay, PA
Admission: FREE
Description: Celebrate the birth of one of the Valley’s premier rockers with his first gig at Ranger Lake.
Sat., Jul. 16 | 7 p.m.
Roi & the Secret People w/ Special Guest Carter Lansing
Venue: Tally Ho, 205 W. 4th St., Bethlehem
Admission: $5
Description: The Easton rockers perform as part of the WSCI Radio Summer Concert Series.
The past few hours have been a wild time, as I’ve raced from one side of Easton’s Centre Square to the other to capture all of the great music happening downtown (with the occasional refreshment or restroom break in between).
I’ve come a long way, and by no means am I finished yet. Heritage Day is in the process of proceeding down to the riverfront for tonight’s shows and fireworks. Of course, you can be sure that I’ll be sticking around until things are finished going boom.
In the meantime, here’s what’s captured of the great performers I’ve seen so far, in order of appearance. I’ll be back with more after the conclusion of Heritage Day.
Dan DeChellis Trio (Jazz)
Swing Time Dolls (Vintage 1940s Pop)
Copper Fields (Acoustic Rock/Bluegrass)
The Jolly Tars (Traditional Irish Folk)
Roi & the Secret People (Rock)
There’s more than music in store on Sunday!
Hopefully, you’re all back from your holiday weekend getaways. Whether you were at a barbecue or the beach, we welcome you back with a fresh slate of…
Thurs., Jul. 7 | 7:30 p.m.
Nikki Hill
Venue: Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks, 645 E. First St., Bethlehem
Admission: FREE
Description: Nikki Hill’s high-energy show has graced blues festivals around the world. She comes to your backyard this Thursday.
Fri., Jul. 8 | 6:30 p.m.
Rofo Audio
Venue: Royersford VFW, 730 S. 4th Ave., Royersford
Admission: FREE
Description: Rofo Audio has been working on all-new material. Perhaps you’ll hear some of it alongside “Now Broadcasting” favorites.
Sat., Jul. 9 | 8 p.m.
Fred Eaglesmith Traveling Steam Show
Venue: Godfrey Daniels, 7 E. 4th St, Bethlehem
Admission: $24.50 advance; $29.50 day of show
Description: See Fred Eaglesmith, a songwriter’s songwriter, in one of the last full-time traveling shows today.
Sun., Jul. 10 | All Day Long
Easton Heritage Day
Venue: Downtown Easton
Admission: FREE
Description: Dana Gaynor, Roi & the Secret People, Dan DeChellis and more highlight this day to celebrate Easton’s historic significance.
In case there was any doubt left, Saturday night at Rivals Sports Bar & Restaurant proved once again that Easton Rocks.
The stage at Rivals was graced by the presence of Acoustic Kitty Project, fronted by Carter Lansing, and Roi & the Secret People, who are currently competing in a MusicBrackets.com music video contest for a $5,000 cash prize.
Both acts performed brilliantly, with Acoustic Kitty Project setting a country rock tone during their hour-plus set. Roi & the Secret People then followed with another trademark performance that blended sounds from the rock, pop, and progressive spheres.
Hats off to both bands for another enjoyable night of music (and for the stylish hats of each band’s frontman). Enjoy the photos!
UPDATE (6/24): Roi & the Secret People’s video for “Phoenix” has made the Final Four. Help them reach the finals!
We’ve heard it all before. Plenty of local bands could do truly awesome things if they “only had the money.”
Well, you have the opportunity to help Easton’s Roi & the Secret People do some of those truly awesome things — and all it will take is a few minutes of your time.
The band’s video for “Phoenix” has outlasted thousands of other videos to make it to the Final 8 of the latest MusicBrackets.com music video competition. Now, they need your help to win the contest and secure $5,000, which will go to support the band’s endeavors.
All you have to do is head over there, sign up for free, and vote for “Phoenix” when it pops up. Yep, that’s it. In doing so, you’ll be exposed to tons more great indie artists and their music. Bonus!
And, just to entice you even more, you can watch the band’s video for “Phoenix” below.