Here you will find various articles about and related to Chris and reviews of his works. More will be added as they become available. All articles are the property of their respective authors and/or publications.

MUSIC ON THE MENU: A SOLO SUNRISE
By Alan K. Stout
Published: December 5, 2007 in The Weekender and posted at http://www.theweekender.com/music/A_Solo_Sunrise_music_on_the_menu_12-05-2007.html

Bryan Brophy is the voice behind a one-man musical project which he calls An Autumn Sunrise. He recently released a new CD, “When Words Speak Louder Than Actions,” a 10-song collection of songs that combines everything from melodic rock to loud, aggressive punk-meets-metal sounds. One minute, you hear a soft piano intro, and the next, Brophy’s screaming on the top of his lungs. It’s a dynamic and fresh mix, yet when asked about his songwriting, he says it all began with the world’s oldest muse.

“The thing that actually got the ball rolling was a girl,” says Brophy, 23, with a chuckle. “That was actually what got me started. It felt good to get my songs out and share them with people in an artistic way. I was always a very quiet kid, and I always had a lot to say but really never had any guts to really come out and directly say it. When I started writing songs, I’d play them for people or show them to people, and they’d be like, ‘Wow. Where did this come from? You’re always so quiet.’

“It became a way to express myself — like any musician would probably say — but it also became very therapeutic, too.”

Brophy, who also plays drums in the local band Maybe Someday, played all of the instruments on the CD. Tracks include “Playing With Matches,” “Your Wish,” “Beautiful Affliction” and “Living For Yesterday.” It was recorded and self-produced at his home studio with the assistance of Chris Hludzik and mastered at Sound Investments in Scranton. Self-described as rock/pop/punk, even the CD artwork offers some interesting contradictions. The cover features a soft sunrise over a hillside that conveys a sense of tranquility and serenity, yet the music found within the package is often far from tranquil.

Brophy says he likes irony.

“I’m one of those guys that will sit and watch the sunset, or whatever, and actually write my songs while I’m watching all of this stuff take place,” says Brophy. “Autumn is my favorite season, because of the leaves and the nice brisk weather. A lot of people associate autumn with the trees dying or [leaves] falling off, but still, there’s that beautiful sunrise that comes up. So it’s kind of like, when everything’s really bad and at its worst, there’s still something good that comes out of it, or there’s still something good you can find if you look at it the right way.”

Brophy says the fact his album contains such a wide array of sounds is also no accident. It’s a reflection of his collective influences.

“I grew up listening to everything and anything,” he says. “As a young kid, I actually listened to a lot of classical music, and then I got into classic rock and The Beatles, and I was always a huge Jethro Tull fan. I would hear that stuff playing throughout my childhood from my father, and then I started getting into jazz quite a bit as I studied music.”

Another turning point in Brophy’s musical journey came in high school when he discovered The Ataris.

“One day, somebody came up to me who was really big into punk rock and said ‘You’re really into music, and I really think you’re going to appreciate this.’ Now, at the time, I wasn’t into punk at all. I listened to it and said ‘Wow!’ I was just blown away with the lyrics and the aggressiveness of the music. I couldn’t believe that so many wonderful thoughts could be expressed with so many different emotional levels. It opened my eyes to so many different genres that are a little bit heavier.

“My music reflects all of that.”

The CD is available at Embassy Vinyl and Gallucci Music in Scranton and Magdon Music and the I-Cafe in Olyphant. Brophy will also host a CD-release party at The Regal Room in Olyphant on Jan. 10.

“I hope that it will be able to touch people,” he says. “I hope people will be able to relate to it and say, ‘You know what? I’ve felt this way’ or ‘I’m feeling this way right now.’ Even though the songs are deeply personal, it’s totally open to interpretation.”

MUSIC ON THE MENU: Dealing In The Blues
By Alan K. Stout
Published: January 2, 2008 in The Weekender and posted at http://www.theweekender.com/music/Dealing_In_The_Blues_music_on_the_menu_01-02-2008.html

It’s pretty unlikely that two high school kids who had never met would bump into each other in a music store and discover they were both huge fans of the ’60s rock group Free, but that’s exactly what happened when Sarah Yzkanin first met Tim Beckage. Soon, the two teens were sharing their mutual love for blues-based rock, writing songs together and forming the musical project Dealer in Wares.

“We kind of like to think of it as fate,” says Yzkanin, 17, the band’s vocalist. “I was going in to my guitar lesson, and he was coming out of his guitar lesson, and it just kind of happened at the right time. We just kind of clicked. We were just talking about our views, our values and our vision, and we kind of had the same kind of musical background. One of the first things we talked about was ‘Rocks’ by Aerosmith. People say we’re old souls, and we kind of are.”

The band’s new CD, “Black Arrow,” was recorded at home and was produced by Chris Hludzik. It is available at the group’s shows. Songs include “Lonely Train,” “November’s Vine,” “The Hollow” and “Ride On.” Yzkanin’s influences include Paul Rodgers, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Eric Clapton, Rory Gallagher, Lead Belly and Big Bill Broonzy. Beckage, 16, the group’s guitarist, names Jimmy Page, Slash, Gary Rossington and Allen Collins as favorites.

The blues-rock connection between the two, says Yzkanin, also makes songwriting easy.

“It just flows naturally,” she says. “We’ll write a song in about a half an hour. It’s kind of like finishing each other’s sentences, musically. He knows what I’m looking for. I know what he’s looking for.”

And what inspires their songs? “Life’s experiences,” she says. “Every musician is going to say that. Break up songs, love songs, happy songs… if there’s someone that you care about, you’re going to write a song for them, or to them. Or we have a song like ‘This Dream,’ which is about something trying to get in the way of your happiness or take the dream away from you. When you’re happy, something is always going to be there to try and ruin that, and it’s therapeutic to write a song about it.

“I’ll write for people,” she adds. “If people have a problem, I’ll write a song for them. Or I’ll write about stuff going on in my life. That’s the beautiful part of ‘Black Arrow.’ It reflects us a duo, and it’s a soft album, but it’s a beautiful album because I got a lot of stuff off my chest, and so did Tim. It was our first time exploring what we could do as a band together.” Yzkanin says music — especially music with a blues-like quality – was always her most natural form of self expression.

“I grew up with music,” she says. “Ever since I was five years old, I always wanted to be a singer, and I just kind of feel that music is embedded in my soul. Free, Bad Company, Ten Years After. … Blues like that is universal and doesn’t conform to a certain feeling. People used to think blues was only about sadness, but it’s really not. Tim’s always been influenced by Guns N’ Roses and Aerosmith and very blues-rock based stuff, and so have I. It’s a free kind of genre. And everything’s based off of it. Everything that you listen to is blues based.”

Though too young for rock bars, Yzkanin says Dealer in Wares hasn’t had a hard time finding gigs and has played Cafe Metropolis, I Brewed It My Way and Barnes & Noble. They’ve also received airplay on 102.3-FM, The Mountain. This Saturday, they play Test Pattern in Scranton.

“It’s more of an advantage than a disadvantage,” she says of the band’s age. “We don’t like to tell people until after we play someplace, because if you tell them, they kind of shut you out because you’re a young kid. But a lot of venues we’ve played have been very supportive of us and surprised by our age, and that’s what we want. People are surprised that we’re so in tune to the old sound that we have.”

Based out of Olyphant, Dealer in Wares was originally a duo but is now a trio that also features Chris Price, 16, on drums. Yzkanin says they have no visions of grandeur, but at 16 and 17 years old, most would say it’s still OK to shoot for the top.

“Every time we play a show, I feel like I’m on top of the world, but yeah, I do have dreams of eventually one day, we’ll get signed, or maybe go on tour,” she says. “But right now our goal is to just get our sound out to anybody that will listen to it. People have compared us to AC/DC and a young Led Zeppelin, and that’s just really cool.”

Songwriters Shine
Ear Full
Cornucopia series off to a solid start
By Alicia Grega-Pikul
Published: June 12, 2008 in The Electric City and posted at http://the570.com/Event/82645/Cornucopia_Songwriters_Series_feat_Dustin_Switzer,_Bob_Lewis

Cornucopia Songwriters Showcase

It’s not a coincidence that Charles Havira’s new CD comes out this week, just as his weekly Cornucopia Songwriters Showcase is picking up steam. Featuring a changing lineup of musicians performing at a different Starbucks location in the 570 every Wednesday through July 30, the series is an innovative shout out to a largely suburban audience of under-age and bar-leery music lovers.

Yet aside from the intentional timing of the series, Havira said it all came about quite casually after talking to the manager of Starbucks at the Mall at Steamtown.

“Mainly it was an excuse to get out and sing some songs and get together with people and play some music,” the musician offered.

The shows are being offered free of charge and the musicians aren’t being paid. Most of the artists have albums coming out before the end of the year, however, and in all, 20 have welcomed the opportunity. Though he’ll play every date with the exception of the July 23 Shoppes at Montage show, Havira shares the bill with his guests, serving as an emcee of sorts.

The small but attentive crowd at last Wednesday’s series opener made itself comfortable in wooden chairs pushed away from tables and over-stuffed loungers.

Havira opened the night by treating the audience to a couple tunes from his self-titled new album. John “Fud” Zavacki followed with a couple of laments that took listeners back to the day when swaying crowds still held flaming lighters, not glowing cell phones, high above their heads. Before dipping into early Mighty Fine Wine, he surprised us with a little ditty preferring “dogs to women.”

Brenda Fernandes slid her keyboard center and slipped off her shoes as half the audience took a smoke break outside. They gradually returned as her svelte voice found unconventional rhythms.

She went on to introduce the new “Symptom,” discontent simmering under a seemingly innocent surface, and dust off an older tune called “Heaven” before passing the torch to the Rich Jenkins and his bluesy lounge style.

While many of the musicians yet to play on the series have been writing songs for years, a few have just evolved beyond the open mic stage.

“We have a good variety of people,” Havira said. “There are a few from brand new bands like Ends With Disaster – that’s Bob Lewis’ band with drummer A.J. Jump. And to make it even better there are several brand new records – Cabinet just came out with one, And The Moneynotes is coming out soon, and Bob Alunni and Orner Brothers will be out in the next three months or so.

“It worked out nicely that they have something for sale or they’re working on new songs and that’s exciting. It’s in the process so you’re actually hearing songs either for the first time or it’s brand new to the songwriters themselves.”

Cornucopia Songwriters Series
Wednesdays, 7-9 p.m.
June 18, Starbucks Dallas/Shavertown: Dustin Switzer, Bob Lewis
June 25, Starbucks Clarks Summit: Sean Haggerty, Brian Reese, Mike Quinn, Pat Finnerty
July 2, Starbucks Dickson City: Bob Alunni, Jay Noble
July 9, Barnes & Noble, downtown Wilkes-Barre: Terry Childers, Chris Hludzik
July 16, Barnes & Noble, Arena Hub Plaza: J.P. Biondo, Jon Novakovich
July 23, Shoppes at Montage: Jay Morgans, Brian Langan
July 30, Starbucks Clarks Summit: Megan Kosik, Ryan Schofield, Rich Jenkins

Chris Hludzik – Yours In Rock Review
By Michael Meade
Originally posted at http://www.tasteslikerock.com/reviews.html

Yours in Rock is an interesting mash up of indie rock themes, from not living your life around an indecisive possible lover, to the mental state of the planet’s populace, to insomnia.

Chris’ musical career has run a lot of ground (performing, writing, engineering, mixing, and producing), explaining the album’s diverse subject matter perfectly. But best of all, Chris’ songs sound and feel like they were written from living life, not just watching it pass by.

Yours in Rock is ten tracks of originality: Live, Leave It At Home, Insomnia, Negative Space, Friend, Sleep Forever, Big Damn Deal, What Good, Grain of Sand, and All Amped Up, respectively.

There is an underlying melancholic quality to most of the tracks; a very “tired of living, but the music keeps me going” feeling, even in the rather funny Insomnia. Which incidentally, is my favorite track, being a regular sufferer of the sleep disorder, along with the added bonus of my good friend Sarah Yzkanin of Dealer In Wares singing harmony.

What Good is another track I enjoyed a good bit, an almost Reagan-Era punk level disgust with society.

Yours in Rock earns its three out of five with indie style that few others can match.

Yours in Rock was written, arranged, and produced by Chris Hludzik. Chris also pulled lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitars, bass, lead guitar, and keyboards on Yours in Rock.

Joined by Bryan Brophy on drums and percussion, Clyde Rosencrance on lead and rhythm guitars on Live, Insomnia, Friend, and Big Damn Deal, Sarah Yzkanin on harmony and backing vocals on Insomnia and Big Damn Deal, Lenny Mecca on bass on Grain of Sand and All Amped Up, Tom Borthwick on keyboards on All Amped Up, and Chris Condel on drums and percussion on All Amped Up.

MUSIC ON THE MENU: Hludzik prefers it plugged
By Alan K. Stout
Published: October 21, 2008 in The Weekender and posted at http://www.theweekender.com/music/Hludzik_prefers_it_plugged_music_on_the_menu_10-21-2008.html

If you see area musician Chris Hludzik strolling into a local club toting his acoustic guitar, don’t think for one second that you’re in store for a quiet singer-songwriter type of evening. In fact, when the Weekender was putting this story together, Hludzik specifically asked that we not use a photo of him holding his acoustic guitar. Such pictures, he says, can be misleading. When he plays — even solo — he still likes to rock pretty hard.

“I don’t want people to think I’m some sort of James Taylor knockoff,” says Hludzik, 24, of Dickson City. “I don’t have a problem playing acoustic gigs, but when I do my songs acoustically, I don’t really tone them down.”

Considering Hludzik’s new CD is titled “Yours In Rock,” this should come as no surprise. The very-electric CD will be available on iTunes by Nov. 11, and several songs can already be heard on his MySpace page. Though he’s recorded before with various local bands, the 10-song collection is Hludzik’s first solo release. Tracks include “Leave It At Home,” “Insomnia”, “Sleep Forever” and “Grain of Sand.” Hludzik, who is joined by several guest musicians on the CD, not only plays guitar, but also bass and keyboards.

“I’m sort of like a jack of all trades and master of none,” he says with a laugh, adding that he has also studied audio production and has worked as a sound engineer at Sound Investments studio with bands such as OurAfter, Lessen One and Dealer in Wares. His songwriting is inspired by feelings, not events.

“A lot of people write about specific people, places or things,” he says. “I write more or less about feelings and emotions that come from those people, places and things. Somebody will write a song when they’re angry at someone — and they’ll write a song about being angry at that person — whereas I’ll write a song about that anger and that feeling, not necessarily about that person or that thing. That’s how I’ve always written. I’ve never really written anything autobiographical or anything that pointed directly to one source.”

Hludzik says this style of songwriting makes it easier for listeners to put themselves into his songs.

“I’ve always been a fan of songs that anybody could connect with,” he says. “I don’t really care for songs that I can’t picture myself being able to sing, or do myself, or be able to relate to in my own life. It’s funny, but when your songs are open to interpretation and people can kind of connect, everybody has a different concept of what they’re about. There are songs on the album, and people tell me that they mean a lot of different things to them, and that’s kind of cool.”

Hludzik names Lou Reed as one of his favorite songwriters and Ian Hunter as his all-time favorite.

“His songs are just very honest,” he says of the Mott the Hoople legend. “They’re very blunt and to the point, and really beautiful. They’re very simple, but they hit you right where they need to hit you.”

Hludzik says his late father is the main reason he’s become a fan of such music, some of which was recorded more than a decade before he was born.

“We always listened to music together, and I just developed a love for it,” he says. “But it went further. He had his bands that he liked, and I’d like them as well, but if he had one or two albums from a specific artist, such as ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal’ by Lou Reed, well, I’d listen to that album, and then I’d go out and buy ‘Street Hassle’ or ‘The Bells.’ It was funny. He’d always liked certain artists, but I’d always end up liking them more. There was really something fascinating about it. I always liked to delve in deeper and see what they had outside of the hits and the big albums.”

Though Hludzik, like all musicians, has his favorite artists, he tries to leave it at that. He wants his own music to be reflective of no one.

“I don’t like the word ‘influence,’” he says. “To me, being ‘influenced’ by something means you try to emulate it. I’m more of a person who is ‘inspired’ by things. I don’t necessarily emulate them but rather learn from them and hopefully take some of their qualities and use them to further my own style and sound.”

Hludzik has played at venues such as Cafe Metropolis, Barnes & Noble, I-Cafe and I Brewed It My Way. He says he’s looking forward to the upcoming iTunes release of his album and — as his songwriting style supports — he hopes people can relate to the songs.

“I let the songs speak for themselves,” he says. “However people can apply them to their lives and their situations is completely up to the individual. I hope people like the stuff, but I hope, if anything, that they get something from it. That’s the ultimate thing. If they do that, hopefully I’ve done my job.”

Chris Hludzik: Yours In Rock
By Brian Fanelli
Originally posted at http://unboundculture.com/2009/Feb09/yoursinrockalbumreview.html

The most impressive aspect of Chris Hludzik’s 10-song debut album, Yours in Rock, is the fact the Dickson City, Penn.-based musician not only engineered and mixed most of the album himself, but also played a majority of the instruments on the album, including bass guitar, lead and rhythm guitars, keyboards and lead and backing vocals.

The album’s opener, “Live,” is a mid-tempo rock ‘n roll song interlaced with some intricate guitar soloing. The debut kicks into a slightly higher gear on the following track, “Leave It At Home.” The song begins with crashing, heavy drum beats, followed by Hludzik’s bluesy vocals. The track also serves as warning to a love interest to back off. “If you can’t ease my mind, then why the hell are you here/If you can’t help me, please just disappear,” sings Hludzik.

Some of the tracks take on a lighter musical tone, especially the song “Insomnia.” It begins with a clean guitar riff and finds Hludzik not only singing in a higher pitch, but also sharing vocal duties on the chorus with Sarah Yzkanin. Her sweet, melodic voice fits perfectly with the song’s Beach Boys-esque flavor. Ironically, the song’s lyrical content is a lot heavier than the track’s sugarcoated pop flavor. Some of the words are a sharp critique of the fast-paced grind of western culture and the impact it has on Hludzik. “This caffeinated culture barely keeps me awake/through the daily grind and the promise of another empty handshake,” he sings.

Some of the other tracks find Hludzik experimenting with different musical styles, while maintaining the driving rock ‘n roll style that fills the album. “Sleep Forever” finds him crooning over an acoustic guitar about heartache and the desire to sleep to escape woes for a while. Meanwhile, “Friend” has a heavy industrial sound.

The album closes on a soothing note, “All Amped Up,” featuring calming piano and acoustic guitar arrangements. The song’s light, airy feel is another welcome change of direction musically.

Overall, Hludzik’s debut is impressive, especially because it showcases his ability to play a variety of instruments, spread his vocal range and shift musical styles from song to song. The production is also strong and clear, especially considering most of the album was recorded at his home studio.

Musician, Author highlight much anticipated Christy Mathewson Days Celebration
By Michael Iorfino (Staff Writer)
Published: August 5, 2012 in The Times-Tribune and at http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/musician-author-highlight-much-anticipated-christy-mathewson-days-celebration-1.1354818

FACTORYVILLE – Seventeen years ago, Factoryville residents organized a one-day celebration to honor a hometown hero whose list of baseball-related accomplishments are engraved on a bronze plaque hanging in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Over time, the celebration honoring the life and career of Christy Mathewson, a fireball pitcher who was among the first five players to get elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame, has grown into a communitywide event that spans two days.

This year, Christy Mathewson Days organizers are hoping to build on the festival’s already storied tradition by adding a few new events.

Scheduled to kick off Friday at noon, this year’s celebration features a lecture and book-signing by Bob Gaines, the author of “The Three Mathewsons,” and a live performance by Archbald musician Chris Hludzik on Saturday evening.

“We like to add a few events every year so it’s never just the same routine,” said Liz Ratchford, one of the event’s organizers. “But no matter what is scheduled, this celebration is great because it unites families, friends and supporters.”

The 17th annual celebration will begin, as usual, with a collection of some of Mr. Mathewson’s baseball and Army uniforms, handwritten letters and other memorabilia on display in the lobby of Keystone College’s Gambal Gymnasium. Following the display and Mr. Gaines’ lecture at 8 p.m., there will be a community ice cream social.

As a first-year attendee, Mr. Hludzik says he is most excited for the parade – which starts at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Keystone College – though he won’t be able to see it in its entirety because he has to prepare for his performance.

“I’ve heard a lot of great things about the parade, and it will be exciting to see the number of people in attendance,” Mr. Hludzik said.

As for his performance, which follows the conclusion of the parade, Mr. Hludzik said it’s something he’s wanted to do for more than two years.

“I requested to perform at the parade two years ago, but it never ended up working out,” Mr. Hludzik said. “It’s a great opportunity for me to play music in front of a large crowd of people and cap the ending of a great night.”

CELEBRATING A LOCAL LEGEND
By Stephanie Longo (Abington Suburban Editor)
First published August 9, 2012 in The Abington Suburban

Runners prepare to begin the annual Big 6K Run/Walk at last year’s Christy Mathewson Days celebration. Registration for this year’s Big 6K Run/Walk begins on Saturday, Aug. 11, at 7:30 a.m. The run/walk begins at 8 a.m. with an awards ceremony at 9 a.m., followed by a breakfast served courtesy of Keystone College.

Factoryville is getting ready to celebrate the birthday of its most famous son this weekend with a series of events celebrating the life of baseball hall-of-famer Christy Mathewson, who was born on Aug. 12, 1880.

“Christy Mathewson was born and raised in Factoryville and he was a member of the first class that was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame,” said event organizer Beth O’Malley. “He went to Keystone Academy, which is now Keystone College. He’s our local legend and we’re very proud of him.”

Christy Mathewson Days originally began as a way to say “thank you” to the Factoryville community after it joined together to replace a walking bridge that was wiped out in a flood roughly 15 years ago. From that time, the event kept growing and growing, developing into the summer celebration that it is today.

“If you have someone who was an upstanding guy, like Christy Mathewson was, from all accounts, and who is originally from your community, you want to celebrate that person,” O’Malley said. “You would want your children to learn about someone like him. You would want your community to be proud of someone like that.”

The weekend’s events begin on Friday, Aug. 10, at Keystone College, where their Christy Mathewson Collection will be on display from noon to 10 p.m. at the Gambal Gymnasium. A book signing and lecture with Bob Gaines, author of “The Three Mathewsons” will begin at 8 p.m., followed by an ice cream social in the gymnasium lobby at 9:30 p.m.

The Christy Mathewson Collection display will open again at 7 a.m. through 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 11. Also taking place on that day is the “Big 6” Run/Walk, beginning at 8 a.m. at Keystone College’s College Green. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. the Christy Mathewson Adult Softball Tournament will take place at Christy Mathewson Park, behind the Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center.

The annual Christy Mathewson Parade will begin at 5 p.m. at Keystone College and will end at the Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center on College Avenue. A celebration will take place at Christy Mathewson Park immediately following the parade, including a pie-baking contest sponsored by the Trail Rotary, magic from 11-year-old magician Mr. Jay and the Zoomobile from Ross Park Zoo and a musical showcase organized by Factoryville’s Devon Clarke for his Eagle Scout Project. Headlining act Chris Hludzik will host a concert at the park at 7 p.m.

“It is a family-oriented event; we think Christy Mathewson would approve,” O’Malley said. “There is so much happening locally this weekend, we hope people would split their time and, hopefully, visit our event and visit Factoryville. People think it is in the middle of nowhere, but it isn’t that far. We have a lot in our little town that is worth seeing and we hope people will join us to celebrate our local legend.”

For more information, call the Christy Mathewson Days hotline at 945-8169.

HELLO HARMONY
Headphones
By Tom Graham
Published: November 8, 2012 in Electric City and posted at http://the570.com/index.php/2012/11/headphones-42

Chris Hludzik will play on Friday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. at The Vintage Theater 326 Spruce St., Scranton, to celebrate the release of his second album, Dissonance Meets Harmony. The electric showcase will also feature opening acts Bryan Brophy and Adam Kime/Kyle Rebar. The show is all ages with a $6 cover. If you can’t make it to the show, Dissonance Meets Harmony is available for purchase at Magdon Music in Olyphant, Embassy Vinyl, Scranton Music Works (formerly Galluci Music) and The Vintage Theater in Scranton, Duffy’s Coffeehouse in Clarks Summit, Barnes & Noble in Wilkes-Barre and Wayne’s World in Dallas.

LEGACY MUSIC FESTIVAL PRESS RELEASE
Originally posted at http://www.scrantonchamber.com/events/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=524

LEGACY MUSIC FESTIVAL
Date: 4/26/2013
Time: 6:00 PM TO 11:00 PM
Location:
Hilton Scranton & Conference Center, Casey Ballroom
100 Adams Avenue
Scranton, PA 18503

Event Description: Enjoy good music and a fun night for a great cause at the first ever LEGACY Music Festival in downtown Scranton. This event will bring several local musicians and a live DJ to the Casey Ballroom at the Hilton Scranton for the benefit of the local Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. The festival kicks off at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door.

LEGACY Music Festival will feature four of NEPA’s favorite bands: Eye on Attraction, Left Coast Envy, A Fire with Friends, and Silhouette Lies. There will also be three acoustic acts: Valkyrie, Chris Hludzik and Dylan Todd Avery. The evening’s DJ will be Ryan Kenton. Food and drinks will be available at cash bars.

All proceeds will be donated to the local American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. With the outpouring of donations to Hurricane Sandy relief, fewer donations have come in to help the local disaster relief fund. Major sponsors of the festival are The Hilton Scranton & Conference Center, Dickson City Hyundai, Koberlein Environmental Services, Penn Security Bank, Coyer Construction and Hnat Designs.

The festival is being planned and run by four Marywood University seniors as their graduation project: Amber Mohrmann, Robert Hannon, Donya Albert and Kelly Rickert. All are communication arts students who created LEGACY Music Festival as a project to incorporate the skills and tools they’ve acquired as undergraduate students. The brand, logo, campaign and all promotional tools were designed by committee members. They have also created a blog, Facebook page, YouTube and Twitter accounts to publicize the event and record the process of its creation.

Up Close & Personal
An Autumn Sunrise — Past Works Revitalized
By Katelyn English
Originally posted at http://the570.com/up-close-bryan-brophy

Musician and Lakeland High School music teacher Bryan Brophy recently released his new second full-length album, Look Toward Tomorrow, under his project An Autumn Sunrise. He continuously performs with several cover bands — Maybe Someday, Far From Fancy, HAZE and ABLAZE both before and throughout the duration of the album’s production. He has returned to creating personal original works after his first album, When Words Speak Louder Than Actions, came out in 2007. After speaking with Bryan, anyone would admire his affability and his raw passion for his music. He took time off in 2011 due to his hectic lifestyle before realizing songs he had written years ago were essential to revisit. Look Toward Tomorrow has mostly rekindled songs he wrote long before his first album was ever completed. He can do it all — guitars, keyboards, piano, drums, vocals, composing and even recording a fair amount of his songs. Meet Bryan Brophy …

Can you delineate your career as a musician?
Music was always an interest of mine and I constantly played throughout my youth. During middle school, I wrote a great deal of poetry. When I became more proficient in music, I applied the poetry to my music. The results yielded much material that pertained to those things we care about in our childhood, such as writing about girls I had crushes on. I think most songwriters start out this way. I majored in musical education at Marywood University. I met friends there who were also into recording. We produced some recordings together. In addition, Chris Vitale and myself recorded an album of my original songs together. After this, I received some recording equipment for Christmas, began recording and created When Words Speak Louder Than Actions. The album was released around the time I was graduating. I continued recording more upon graduation and acquired a full-time teaching job at Lakeland High School. Working, getting married, having a baby, buying a house (and fixing up the house) caused me to take a hiatus from my music for a little while. I never quit playing in cover bands, but now I’m back on the scene with my own project.

Can you talk about your musical style?
My music style is very pop-punk. It consists more of a hardcore edge, sometimes lighter melodies and, at times, it can get kind of rustic. You could say it’s a conglomeration of everything I have ever listened to in my entire life, which includes classical, jazz, folk and metal, to name a few.

You mentioned the instruments you play in creating your projects.
I write and play everything, along with pretty much recording everything myself. In this current album, I recorded with Jimmy Reynolds at TwentyFiveEight Studios. The recording began in the upstairs of his parents’ house. Once he began work at TwentyFiveEight, we finished recording there, teaming up with Mark Dennebaum in the process.

What’s it like to teach music and share your passion with others in a somewhat different environment?
It’s great. It’s a very rewarding experience, especially when it’s the first day and my class learns a new piece of music. We enjoy watching how the piece blossoms over the coming weeks and months as we strive to complete it. Seeing and having the final beautiful product that we can show an audience is a genuinely gratifying experience.

What excites you most about your music and teaching?
Music has eternally been my passion. I’ve always listened to it, studied it and played it. To be able to do it for fun and as a teacher is really awesome, because there are not many people who can say that they can turn their hobby into a career.

Talk about Look Toward Tomorrow.
The album pertains primarily to my college and my post-college years in my early-to-mid 20s. Everything I wrote, still write and have written before this album is my endless diary. I commenced recording it after When Words Speak and most of the music was composed prior to my first album’s release. While recording the music with Reynolds, I was offered the full-time teaching position. This halted production for some time. By the time I came around to it again, I initially desired to scrap it altogether. I felt my work had matured from those songs that I came up with so long ago in my youth, and I wanted the new material I produced to reach the world. But when Reynolds stumbled upon these old tracks of mine at the studio one day, he changed my mind. He told me they were really awesome and that I should finish the work with them. Admittedly, I hesitated at first, but did choose to take on the task. When he sent me the tracks, I knew I made the right decision. I could not believe I did not finish it before. In the end, it took me several years to complete the album, and I am so happy I did. I owe a big thanks to Mike Lesnesky as well. He provided all the bass tracks on this album. He brought the music alive when he came in to track songs with a different idea concerning the bass parts sound. He has such a melodic way that made the tracks so much better than I ever believed they would be.

What do you want your audiences to take away from Look Toward Tomorrow?
I want my audience to take something away from this album that signifies growth. From the album’s beginning, you can see a progression — lots of angst and sometimes a sense of recklessness. You can see a maturing change that takes place when I begin saying I made messes and now I must own up to my mistakes instead of blaming others. I also hope my audience will just enjoy rocking out to my music. I have embraced this newfound spirituality for myself, but mainly I am aiming to entertain my audiences despite whether or not they are believers in Christianity or anything.

You are involved in other projects as well. What are they and how do they compare to An Autumn Sunrise?
An Autumn Sunrise is my solo project. It is my original music project, whereas Maybe Someday was a cover band I was in. With Maybe Someday, we actually have a CD of originals that were released our senior year. Nate Hosie, the lead singer, wrote many of the songs and I put the drum tracks down on them. The next group I played in was Far From Fancy and it was pretty much the same ordeal. We produced numerous cover songs and party songs. Then I joined a cover band called HAZE and we specialized in a lot of Top 40 material. Recently, members from HAZE and Maybe Someday have kind of come together. Although many of us have been playing together in those bands off and on, we decided to form a group called ABLAZE. It features singer Amanda Vitz from Far From Fancy. An Autumn Sunrise differs from other side projects I have undertaken because it is my original music project where I provide all of the vocals and instruments. The other bands I take part in are more cover band related.

With a dual career lifestyle, what does your typical day entail?
My typical day starts out at Lakeland High School. I teach chorus and I participate in other activities teachers normally do, such as lunch duties and hall duties. After school, I come home. I will cook dinner and usually pick up the baby. If I have time at the end of the day, which does not happen often until later on in the evening, I will sit down and write material or maybe track a demo here and there provided I am still able to function. On the weekends I play with ABLAZE and in an acoustic duo with Mike Lesnesky, along with playing solo acoustic as well. But summers and holidays hold the biggest timetable for me to do a majority of my tracking for my music.

What initially inspired you to have a career in the music business?
Music is what I know how to do best. It’s definitely something I can say I excel at. Because of this, I was inspired to make my music my career. I can look at An Autumn Sunrise at the end of the day and say it’s the one thing I have to express myself. I am proud of this. I’m involved in so many other things to make a livelihood and it is nice to be able to express myself the way I want to through my music when I am unable to do so in these other aspects of my life. Using An Autumn Sunrise to just get myself out there in a different element than people are accustomed to seeing me in feels extraordinary. I hope people can see this. It’s cool to hear other peoples’ thoughts about my music. Although I usually avoid playing my music for my students, they somehow sometimes come in and will have my tracks on their phones. But hearing their enthusiasm in listening to it is thrilling.

What goals or projects do you intend on pursuing in the near future?
Right now, I do not have a lot of new material written. I plan on recording more this summer in hopes of having the new material released by next summer or by the end of next summer. In the meantime, however, I want to reissue an older album I recorded. It’s an acoustic album that I didn’t put much time into promoting. I made it available as a pre-download on PureVolume.com. My goal would be to include all of the tracks that were recorded for that album on a new reissue of the album Songs for a Lonely Night. My good friend and musician, Chris Hludzik, made the album happen, so it would be a significant accomplishment to reissue it with him.

Bryan Brophy reissues acoustic album ‘Songs for a Lonely Night’ as An Autumn Sunrise
By NEPA Scene Staff
Originally posted at https://nepascene.com/2015/01/bryan-brophy-reissues-acoustic-album-songs-lonely-night-autumn-sunrise

Scranton native and NEPA musician Bryan Brophy is reissuing his acoustic album, “Songs for a Lonely Night,” under the project name “An Autumn Sunrise” on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

Brophy is currently taking pre-orders for the album on An Autumn Sunrise’s Bandcamp page. The album was tracked in 2007 and originally released in 2011 right before the hiatus he took from the project to start his family, career, and play with local cover bands Maybe Someday, HAZE, Far from Fancy, Over & Out, and Ablaze. Due to the timing of his hiatus, the album was never properly released or promoted.

An Autumn Sunrise hit the Scranton scene once again in 2013 with the release of “Look Toward Tomorrow,” which was a continuation of the pop punk, post hardcore sound that the project was most known for. After its success, Brophy began getting requests for acoustic music, so he decided to reissue “Songs for a Lonely Night” with additional bonus material and brand new cover art. The reissue contains three tracks from the “Songs” recording sessions that were not included on the original album, as well as four live tracks from his first album release show in 2008.

Brophy, a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, provides all of the guitars, keyboards, piano, percussion, and vocals on the album. Sonically, “Songs” has a much lighter, organic, and intimate vibe than the power pop/punk anthems he is known for. All of the music was recorded in his home studio in his parents’ basement in 2007, with the exception of the live tracks. Several tracks were engineered and mixed by Brophy, while other tracks were mixed by Chris Hludzik. Several tracks were mastered by Tom Borthwick from SI Studios in Old Forge.

Brophy started writing songs for the project back in 2005, originally calling it “A Full Moon Sky” in hopes it would turn into a full band. When things didn’t go as planned, he kept it going as a solo project and changed the name to “An Autumn Sunrise,” releasing his debut album, “When Words Speak Louder than Actions,” in 2007. To date, he has released three albums under the moniker An Autumn Sunrise.

Brophy is currently booking acoustic and full band shows in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, and an intimate acoustic show will be announced soon to celebrate the new album’s release. Plans are being made for the release of a brand new full-length album sometime next year.

Tricycle For Nathan Buchinski Benefit Concert
Originally posted at http://heyevent.com/event/qlflqmoddjgvqa/tricycle-for-nathan-buchinski-benefit-concert

Tricycle For Nathan Buchinski Benefit Concert
Sunday, 14 June 2015, 13:00
Eagle Hose Company Hall, Dickson City

Live entertainment, refreshments, bake sale, basket raffle, prizes, kids activities/games! Entertainment includes Skip Monday, Chris Hludzik, Light Weight, ABLAZE, The Push, and An Autumn Sunrise! All proceeds go toward the purchase of Nathan’s Rifton Adaptive Tricycle!

Nathan Buchinski might be mayor one day, or a police officer, or an Eagle Scout like his 19-year-old brother, Adam. But right now, all the 7-year-old Dickson City boy wants to do is ride a tricycle with his friends.

Cerebral palsy keeps him from walking on his own. It also keeps him from operating the pedals. A Rifton adaptive tricycle, which is modified so he would be able to pedal it, costs between $2,000 and $3,000, said his mother, Carolyn Buchinski.

“But Mom, I want a bike of my own,” Nathan told her. It broke her heart, but the price tag is too high.

We are hosting this benefit in order to raise the money toward Nathan’s tricycle!

Official Lineup for Sunday (Times are approximate):
1:10-1:45 Chris Hludzik
1:55-2:30 An Autumn Sunrise
2:40-3:15 Ablaze
3:25-4:00 Light Weight
4:10-4:45 The Push
4:55-5:30 Skip Monday

EXCLUSIVE: Electric City Music Conference announces 26 acts, 5 panelists, and presenting sponsor
By Rich Howells
Originally posted at http://nepascene.com/2016/05/exclusive-electric-city-music-conference-announces-26-acts-5-panelists-presenting-sponsor

From a press release:

The Electric City Music Conference has just announced a host of new information on its 2016 event in Scranton.

Tunefly, a mobile app that allows users to record and post original music, write reviews of the music they want to share, and keep followers updated through journal entries, has been named the presenting sponsor for the 2016 Electric City Music Conference.

“We’re extremely excited to partner with Tunefly, as we believe this application to be a valuable resource for all musicians,” said ECMC co-founder Joe Caviston.

“It’s also been developed locally in Northeastern Pennsylvania. All in all, it seems like a match made in heaven,” added Ken Norton, who is also a co-founder of the event.

Tunefly is the latest sponsor to show support for the event, joining the likes of NEPA Scene, 97.9X, Word Is Bond Management, Prospect Music Group, FizzKicks, and 1120 Creative.

Former member of Breaking Benjamin, Lifer, and Stardog Champion and current solo artist Aaron Fink will make his debut appearance at the Electric City Music Conference, and Kingston indie rock standouts Tired Army will also play the festival for the first time. On the regional level, Matt Wheeler & Vintage Heart from Lancaster and Black Tie Brass from New York City have been added to the event.

The following acts have also been added to the 2016 ECMC lineup: The Pee Pees, Andrew Cutillo, CrimZn, Talia & Gov L (Vicious Fam), Reject Royalty, Ten Stories, Still Hand String Band, North Winds, The Barn Cats, Strength in Allies, Fiddy Shades, Chris Hludzik, Shock Value, Rob Palmitessa, Silhouette Lies, James Barrett, Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen, I Trust you to Kill Me, The Tisburys, Heart Out, Doghouse Charlie, and Spruce Springsteen.

In addition, the ECMC announced last week that national recording artist Apache Chief would be performing.

A host of music industry professionals have been announced as panelists for the conference portion of the event: Bret Alexander (singer/songwriter/producer), Freddie Fabbri (Entercom), Erick Droegmoeller (Word Is Bond Management), Jim Thorpe (Dewey Beach Music Conference/DVT Entertainment), and Vince Volz (Liberty Music Festival/DVT Entertainment).

Alexander was a member of rock legends The Badlees and the recipient of the 2015 Steamtown Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. Fabbri is a local radio icon who was instrumental in the early success of Breaking Benjamin.

Droegmoeller signed and released Four Year Strong’s debut album “It’s Our Time” and I Call Fives’ “First Things First” on his record label Open Your Eyes; he later managed both acts. He was an agent at Philadelphia’s FATA Booking Agency, booking The Dangerous Summer, I Call Fives, Mae, Handguns, The Story So Far, and many more bands.

EXCLUSIVE: Glass Prism and Joseph Wegleski to receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Steamtown Music Awards in Scranton
By NEPA Scene Staff
Originally posted at https://nepascene.com/2018/05/exclusive-glass-prism-joseph-wegleski-receive-lifetime-achievement-steamtown-music-awards-scranton/

From a press release:

The Steamtown Music Awards have announced the recipients of the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Awards exclusively on NEPA Scene. As part of the fifth annual Electric City Music Conference, this year’s ceremony will honor the Glass Prism and Joseph “Wiggy” Wegleski.

“Many musicians and bands have worked with Wiggy, both on the stage and in the studio, and I’ve never heard one bad word about him. He is not only respected, but loved by most in the NEPA music scene,” local musician Chris Hludzik explained.

Over the last 25 years, few people have single-handedly shaped the sound of the Northeastern Pennsylvania music scene as Joseph “Wiggy” Wegleski has. Behind the scenes, Wegleski is the chief engineer at SI Studios in Old Forge, a guitar teacher, and a producer/composer.

He’s also a mainstay on local stages. His bands Vicious, Jugdish, and Jigsaw Johnny have had prolific careers and become household names among NEPA music lovers and casual fans alike.

“Wiggy has literally shaped the sound of NEPA music and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future,” added Electric City Music Conference co-organizer Ken Norton.

After signing with RCA Records in 1969, the Glass Prism became the first rock and roll band from NEPA to land a major label record deal. The group released two albums through RCA, “Poe Through the Glass Prism” and “On Joy and Sorrow.”

Local radio personality Freddie Fabbri noted, “What a great choice. The Glass Prism were the first to do it. They did it and made it. They’re a part of local music history and an important part of overall rock and roll history.”

The Glass Prism’s first single, “The Raven,” and its B-side, “El Dorado,” were the first original singles released nationally by a rock group from the Northeast United States. “Poe Through the Glass Prism” and “The Raven” spent several weeks on the Billboard, Cashbox, and Record World charts in 1969.

Rock historians have labeled “Poe Through the Glass Prism” the first-ever concept-based rock album or “rock opera.”

The band worked with the legendary Les Paul at his recording studio in Nyack, New York. Paul served as the engineer and producer on “Poe Through the Glass Prism.”

The band later became the subject of a documentary entitled “On Joy and Sorrow: The Glass Prism Story,” which aired on PBS, MetroCast, and other stations. The movie features the last filmed interview with Les Paul before his passing.

“I have to admit, I wasn’t familiar with the Glass Prism. But as I started my research, I was blown away by how influential they were. Once I was presented with all of the facts, this was really a no-brainer,” explained ECMC co-organizer Joe Caviston.

The band reunited in 2007 for their first performance in 40 years at the Edgar Allen Poe Historic Site and Museum in Philadelphia. They have since played multiple reunion shows in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Rock journalist Maxim W. Furek acknowledges the Glass Prism as forerunners of the goth movement and originators of “goth rock.” “The Raven” single was the first true expression of goth rock, predating Bauhaus’ “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” (Small Wonder Records, 1979) by some 10 years and The Alan Parsons Project LP “Tales of Mystery and Imagination” (1976) by a full seven years.

The nucleus of the band – Rick Richards, Tom Varano, and Lou Cossa – continues in full stride as Shenandoah. This name was established in 1971 when the band opened as Shenandoah for Three Dog Night at Bowman Field in Williamsport in front of a crowd of 20,000. Cossa was also a member of Ralph, Dakota, and The Box Tops.

The 2018 Steamtown Music Awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, Sept. 13 in Scranton.

EXCLUSIVE: Steamtown Music Awards Announce 2018 Venues, Performers, and Presenters in Scranton On September 13th
By NEPA Scene Staff
Originally posted at https://nepascene.com/2018/07/exclusive-steamtown-music-awards-announce-2018-venue-performers-presenters-scranton-sept-13

From a press release:

The fifth annual Steamtown Music Awards will return to The V-Spot in Scranton on Thursday, Sept. 13 to pay tribute to Northeastern Pennsylvania’s many musicians and music industry professionals, officially kicking off the Electric City Music Conference weekend in venues throughout the Scranton area on Friday, Sept. 14 and Saturday, Sept. 15.

This year’s event will see 40 awards distributed in various categories. Announced in May on NEPA Scene, the annual Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to the Glass Prism and Joseph “Wiggy” Wegleski.

New for 2018, organizers will also present a “Steward of the Scene” award to Karl Hall for opening a much-needed all-ages music venue in Wilkes-Barre.

As always, special “local celebrity” guests will present the awards. This year’s presenters include comedian Ted Hebert, Camp Rattler’s James Callahan, comedian Dan Hoppel, George Pachucy of Black Tie Stereo, photographer Jesse Faatz, cultural and art influencer Jess Meoni, Juggalo wrestler Carver Cross, Dave Kline of The Aegean, Rich Howells of NEPA Scene, Melissa Krahnke of 98.5 KRZ, local radio personality Freddie Fabbri, Chef Gene Philbin of Peculiar Slurp Shop, musician Chris Hludzik, photographer Bill Lester, Pat Kernan of The Weekender, Joey Graziano of BDP4Life, candidate for state representative Kyle Mullins, Justin Adam Brown of Better Than the Weekend, local radio personality Kennedy Kai, John Popko of “Alt-Natives” on Alt 92.1, Steve Wright of the Podder than Hell Podcast, PK of Alt 92.1, Mike Duffy of 97.9X, viking comedian Thomas the Red, Tom Tell and Gina from Thirst T’s Bar & Grill, Brad Beneski of Great Lakes Brewing, Kris Jones of Special Guest App, local musician Steve Werner, John Canjar and Rick Gillette of Nowhere Slow, local musician Abby Vail, Max Robbins, and more.

DJ Hersh will return as the event’s official DJ for the fifth consecutive year, alongside ECMC organizers Joe Caviston and Ken Norton, who will again host the event.

The award ceremony will feature live performances by Half Dollar; AlphaAudio; Dreamers, Like Us; University Drive; The Charming Beards; The Russello Project; J Merrick; Lucas Hex; Graces Downfall; Nowhere Slow; and Black Tie Stereo.

The parking lot in front of The V-Spot (906 Providence Rd., Scranton) will be utilized again this year with tents. For the first time ever, a performance will also take place outside on the red carpet.

The red carpet will begin at 6 p.m. and feature live-streamed interviews, photographs and a performance by Half Dollar. The event is free to all nominees and only $5 for the public to attend.

Caviston and Norton have also been raising money for charity through a weight loss competition since April. A final weigh-in will take place on the red carpet, and checks will be presented to their respective charities.

As the largest event of its kind in Northeastern Pennsylvania, this celebration of the diverse local music scene is much more than a music festival, bringing hundreds of artists and music industry professionals together annually to meet and network while recognizing and showcasing established and up-and-coming musicians.

EXCLUSIVE: Electric City Music Conference reveals 2019 venues and initial artist lineup in Scranton
By Rich Howells
Originally posted at https://nepascene.com/2019/03/exclusive-electric-city-music-conference-reveals-2019-venues-initial-artist-lineup-scranton

Following the opening of artist submissions last month, the Electric City Music Conference is announcing the venues and the names of the first 67 acts that will perform live at the sixth annual Scranton event exclusively on NEPA Scene. More artists will be announced here in the coming months.

Venues returning for the 2019 ECMC are Ale Mary’s, the Backyard Ale House, The Bog, Harry’s, the Irish Wolf Pub, The Keys, the New Penny Lounge, Peculiar Slurp Shop, Thirst T’s Bar & Grill, and The V-Spot. The new venues added this year are Finnegan’s Irish Rock Club and Stage West, which both opened within the last year. Organizers have noted that one additional venue may be added.

The Steamtown Music Awards will kick off the 2019 ECMC on Thursday, Sept. 12, and the rest of the conference takes place on Friday, Sept. 13 and Saturday, Sept. 14 with over 150 bands across 12+ venues, along with an educational component with industry professionals.

Applications to play are still open. Local artists from the 570 area code can apply for free through the Electric City Music Conference website. All other artists can apply to perform via Sonicbids.

Nominations for the Steamtown Music Awards are also currently open at electriccitymusicconference.com/awards and will close on Saturday, June 29.

Last year’s conference featured performances by over 150 bands from five states in 10 venues throughout the Scranton area, the Steamtown Music Awards ceremony with many new awards and special performances of its own, and free panel discussions and mentoring sessions for local musicians, professionals, and music fans. As the largest event of its kind in Northeastern Pennsylvania, this celebration of the diverse local music scene is much more than a music festival, bringing hundreds of artists and music industry professionals together annually to meet and network while recognizing and showcasing established and up-and-coming musicians.

Organized by music promoter Joe Caviston and Graces Downfall singer Kenneth Norton, the ECMC worked with Scranton media production and web development company Ionic Development to produce the 2018 aftermovie, which premiered on NEPA Scene in February:

Confirmed 2019 Electric City Music Conference performers:

2 Sad Bois – Bloomsburg – acoustic duo
3 Tools No Box – NEPA – rock
8 Bit Panda Strike – NEPA – industrial/electronic
A.C.’s Soul Medicine – Danville – blues/funk
Adam Farley & The MDG Crew – Scranton – rock
Alibi – Mountain Top – classic rock
Alma Mater – Scranton – indie rock
Alone I Walk – Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – emo
AlphaAudio – Scranton – nu metal
Always Undecided – Mountain Top – hard rock/acoustic
American Buffalo Ghost – Scranton – folk rock
Andrew Nicholas & Kennedy – Scranton – acoustic
Black Hole Heart – Scranton – post-hardcore
Black Tie Stereo – Scranton – pop rock
Brenda Fernandes – NEPA – acoustic pop
Bright Shiny Objects – Damascus – alternative rock
BrighterDays – Scranton – pop punk
Bryan Brophy – Jermyn – acoustic
Chris Hludzik – NEPA – acoustic
Common Wealth – Toms River, NJ – hard rock
Cookie Rabinowitz – Philadelphia – alternative soul
Dank Hopes Project – NEPA – indie folk
Death Wish Birdie – Lake Ariel – folk punk
DJ Cryptic – Williamsport – EDM
Ed Allison – York – pop rock
Friends of the Family – Dunmore – roots rock
Gabby Borges – Hawley – indie rock
Gold Steps – Austin, TX – pop punk
Graces Downfall – Scranton – alternative rock
Gravel – Pittsburgh – experimental
Holla Da Scholar – Scranton – hip-hop
Ill Ray the Menace – Scranton – hip-hop
Illegal Siegel – Nanticoke – hip-hop
Jason P Yoder – Selinsgrove – blues
JBØNAX – Lewisberg – EDM
Joe Cigan & The Benders – NEPA – rock
Joe Craig – Moosic – acoustic
John Moncivais – Scranton – acoustic
Lauren Aminor – Dunmore – pop
LittleStarRun – Scranton – indie folk rock
Lucas Hex – Scranton – hip-hop
Mahantongo – Pottsville – pop punk
Monoceros – Easton – progressive metal
Noxen – Noxen – folk
Patrick McGlynn – Scranton – acoustic rock
Plaid the Inhaler – Scranton – rock
Rob Santoro – Effort – bass
Runnin’ on Whiskey – Scranton – country
Sarah Carne – Mountain Top – acoustic
Shannon Marsyada – Hazelton – pop
Silo Good – Scranton – hip-hop
Slapjaw – Scranton – hardcore
Standoff – Scranton – punk
Suburban Zombies – Lake Grove, NY – punk
The Boastfuls – Scranton – rock
The Charming Beards – Wilkes-Barre – folk rock
The Cryptid – Avoca – indie rock
The Hobo-Style – Philadelphia – folk
The Holtzmann Effect – Scranton – hard rock
The Maguas – Scranton – pop punk
The Stash – Beacon, NY – future pop
The Unbroken – Brooklyn, NY – metal
Tim McGurl – Scranton – acoustic
Tiny Moon – Philadelphia – lo-fi surf rock
Traverse the Abyss – Scranton – metal
TySoul – Nanticoke – R&B
uMan Era – Newfoundland – hard rock

EXCLUSIVE: Electric City Music Conference artist schedule at 11 Scranton venues announced
By Rich Howells
Originally posted at https://nepascene.com/2019/07/exclusive-electric-city-music-conference-artist-schedule-11-scranton-venues-announced

The Electric City Music Conference held an announcement party at Stage West in Scranton on July 5, revealing all the nominees for the 2019 Steamtown Music Awards as well as the conference’s artist schedule.

ECMC producers Joe Caviston and Ken Norton read off all the nominees in 35 categories, sharing the stage with live performances by The Boastfuls, Elephants Dancing, Send Request, These Idol Hands, and Joe Lombardo that were streamed on NEPA Scene’s Facebook page. Joylynne Raye Frie opened the evening with an acoustic performance, and many of the eligible artists were in attendance cheering along as all the names were called. The winner of the 36th category, the Lifetime Achievement Award, was announced on NEPA Scene on July 4. The Rods drummer and accomplished producer Carl Canedy will be honored this year.

All the winners will be announced at the sixth annual Steamtown Music Awards on Thursday, Sept. 12, honoring Northeastern Pennsylvania’s top musicians and music industry professionals at a massive ceremony at The V-Spot (906 Providence Rd., Scranton) featuring red carpet interviews by NEPA Scene.

The rest of the conference takes place on Friday, Sept. 13 and Saturday, Sept. 14 with over 150 bands across 11 venues, along with an educational component with industry professionals.

Today, the full music schedule for both days was made available online exclusively on NEPA Scene. The 11 participating venues are Ale Mary’s, the Backyard Ale House, The Bog, Finnegan’s Irish Rock Club, Harry’s, the Irish Wolf Pub, The Keys, the New Penny Lounge, Peculiar Slurp Shop, Stage West, and The V-Spot, all located in Scranton.

2019 Electric City Music Conference schedule
Friday, Sept. 13 and Saturday, Sept. 14

Ale Mary’s (126 Franklin Ave., Scranton)
Friday
10 p.m.: Joe Lombardo
11 p.m.: Esta Coda
Midnight: Alma Mater

Saturday
10 p.m.: Zayre Mountain
11 p.m.: The Great Enough
Midnight: Project 90’s

Backyard Ale House (523 Linden St., Scranton)
Friday
8 p.m.: Patrick McGlynn
9 p.m.: American Buffalo Ghost
10 p.m.: Phyllis Hopkins Electric Trio
11 p.m.: Joe Cigan and the Benders
Midnight: Brother Jerome

Saturday
8 p.m.: Ken Norton
9 p.m.: Dylan Hartigan
10 p.m.: Switch Mob
11 p.m.: Jordan Ramirez and the Tribe
12:30 a.m.: JBØNAX

The Bog (341 Adams Ave., Scranton)
Friday
7 p.m.: Ed Allison
8 p.m.: Electives
9 p.m.: Kali Ma and the Garland of Arms
10 p.m.: Old Charades
11 p.m.: The Maguas
Midnight: Turbo Goth

Saturday
6 p.m.: The Stash
7 p.m.: Alone I Walk
8 p.m.: Noxen
9 p.m.: Rudy and the Gansetts
10 p.m.: The Tisburys
11 p.m.: Gabby Borges
Midnight: Futurist

Finnegan’s Irish Rock Club (514 Ash St., Scranton)
Friday
6 p.m.: Brotality
7 p.m.: AC’s Soul Medicine
8 p.m.: Springbrooke
9 p.m.: The band TITAN
10 p.m.: The Crowning
11 p.m.: Hideous Groundhog
Midnight: Alibi

Saturday
6 p.m.: The Unbroken
7 p.m.: Monoceros
8 p.m.: Sympotico
9 p.m.: Red Hymns
10 p.m.: Royal Hell
11 p.m.: The Holtzmann Effect
Midnight: Contraband – A Scott Weiland Tribute

Harry’s (302 Penn Ave., Scranton)
Friday
6 p.m.: Bryan Brophy
7 p.m.: Andrew Nicholas and Rob Kennedy
8 p.m.: TBA
9 p.m.: Bright Shiny Objects
10 p.m.: Jack’d Up Country
11 p.m.: Runnin’ on Whiskey
Midnight: 3 Tools No Box

Saturday
7 p.m.: Oblivion Her Majesty
8 p.m.: The Morgana Phase
9 p.m.: Low Low Chariot
10 p.m.: The Maguas
11 p.m.: Wild Planes
Midnight: Tatiana and The Boastfuls

Irish Wolf Pub (503 Linden St., Scranton)
Friday
6 p.m.: Johnny Vice
7 p.m.: Silo Good
8 p.m.: Always Undecided
9 p.m.: Wayside
10 p.m.: BrighterDays
11 p.m.: MGD Crew
Midnight: Crock Pot Abduction
1 a.m.: 8 Bit Panda Strike

Saturday
6 p.m.: 2 Sad Bios
7 p.m.: Gravel
8 p.m.: Ripped Away
9 p.m.: Standoff
10 p.m.: Alpha Audio
11 p.m.: Black Nihil
Midnight: Starving Hysterical Naked
1 a.m.: The Hobo-Style

The Keys (244 Penn Ave., Scranton)
Friday
6 p.m.: #ShirtsOff
7 p.m.: Sweetnest
8 p.m.: LittleStarRun
9 p.m.: Permanence
10 p.m.: Perfect Focus (reunion)
11 p.m.: The Cryptid
Midnight: Plaid the Inhaler
1 a.m.: Ill Ray the Menace

Saturday
6 p.m.: TySoul
7 p.m.: Suburban Zombie
8 p.m.: aMinor Glitch
9 p.m.: Garden View
10 p.m.: E57
11 p.m.: Alone I Walk
Midnight: Death Wish Birdie

New Penny Lounge (1827 N. Main Ave., Scranton)
Friday
6 p.m.: Rob Sontoro
7 p.m.: Lauren Aminor
8 p.m.: Downsides
9 p.m.: Terrorize This
10 p.m.: Stay Loud
11 p.m.: Paladin’s Death
Midnight: Invictum

Saturday
6 p.m.: Grant Williams
7 p.m.: Black Horizon
8 p.m.: From a Nightmare
9 p.m.: The In Between
10 p.m.: uMan Era
11 p.m.: Mercy Gang
Midnight: Torment Ridden

Peculiar Slurp Shop (307 Penn Ave., Scranton)
Friday
6 p.m.: Chris Hludzik
7 p.m.: Timothy McGurl
8 p.m.: Sarah Carne
9 p.m.: Joe Craig

Saturday
6 p.m.: Stacia Abernatha Duo
7 p.m.: Jason P Yoder
8 p.m.: Bryan Banks
9 p.m.: The Dank Hopes Project

Stage West (301 N. Main Ave., Scranton)
Friday
7 p.m.: Gus the Savage
8 p.m.: Minority 905
9 p.m.: Send Request
10 p.m.: Behind the Grey
11 p.m.: The Boastfuls
Midnight: Black Tie Stereo

Saturday
6 p.m.: Moral Code
7 p.m.: Eibes
8 p.m.: Special guest TBA
9 p.m.: Boys of Fall
10 p.m.: Emo Night/Lucas Hex
11 p.m.: Emo Night
12:30 a.m.: DJ Cryptic

The V-Spot (906 Providence Rd., Scranton)
Friday
7 p.m.: Mahantongo
8 p.m.: The Stash
9 p.m.: Cheap Seats
10 p.m.: Black Hole Heart
11 p.m.: These Idol hands
Midnight: Graces Downfall

Saturday
7 p.m.: Vitruvia
8 p.m.: Common Wealth
9 p.m.: Sonic Salvation
10 p.m.: Slapjaw
11 p.m.: Traverse the Abyss
Midnight: Threatpoint

Luzerne County Historical Society receives donation
of COVID-19 interviews from radio host
By Alan K. Stout
Originally posted July 10, 2020 at https://musiconthemenu.blogspot.com/2020/07/wilkes-barre-luzerne-countyhistorical.html?fbclid=IwAR3ewLEQIhqeFlH_P09v9kuwt_owwfPjxA5Tz6cDQ0tgQrJYFD6SP4pJUl8

The Luzerne County Historical Society receives a donation of 19 recorded interviews focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic. The interviews, which were conducted by radio show host Alan K. Stout, discussed how COVID-19 has affected the local arts, entertainment and musical community.

WILKES-BARRE – The Luzerne County Historical Society, which is hoping to preserve the oral history of the COVID-19 crisis, recently received a donation of 19 recorded interviews focusing on the pandemic. The interviews, which were conducted by Alan K. Stout, discussed how COVID-19 has affected the local arts, entertainment and musical community. Stout is a radio show host with The River. (100.7-FM. 103.5-FM, 104.9-FM)

Stout covered arts and entertainment for The Times Leader and The Weekender from 1992-2011. His weekly music column, “Music On The Menu” appeared in The Times Leader from 1994-2005 and in The Weekender from 2005-2011. He continues to contribute occasional stories to both publications as a freelance writer. Stout’s weekly radio show, also called “Music On The Menu,” has aired every Sunday night since 2004. The show was put on hiatus on March 29 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the closing of Mohegan Sun Pocono, from where the program is broadcast. Shortly thereafter, Stout began conducting phone interviews from home with various people involved in the music scene of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Titled the “Music On The Menu COVID-19 Podcast Interviews,” the conversations were posted to the Music On The Menu channel on YouTube and posted to the Music On The Menu page on Facebook.

“Initially, when we put radio the show on ice for a while, due to COVID-19, I thought I’d just take some time off from Music On The Menu,” said Stout. “Between the newspaper column and the radio show, I’d been doing something with local music, every week, for 26 years. But after about two weeks, I guess the old newspaper reporter in me kicked in. I wanted to talk to people. I wanted to interview people. I wanted to see how they were doing, personally, and how all of this was affecting them professionally. Because we’d never seen anything like it.”

The first interview was posted on April 15 and the last on June 1. The series included conversations with Bret Alexander, Jimmy Harnen, A.J. Jump, Bill Kelley, Joe Nardone Jr., Will Beekman, Dustin Douglas, Richie Kossuth, Ellie Rose, Joe Wegleski, Patrick McGlynn, Chris Hludzik, Richard Briggs, Eddie Appnel, Loreen Bohannon, Tom Flannery, Mike “Miz” Mizwinski, Aaron Fink and Michael Cloeren, Most interviews ran 30-40 minutes in length. They have been donated to the Luzerne County Historical Society as a 10-CD set and also in mp3 form.

“They are timepieces,” said Stout. “Some of the first ones were done pretty early on when we were just getting into the stay-at-home orders and everything was shutting down. And, like everywhere else, the affect on the music industry was pretty devastating.”
　
The interviewees ranged in age from those in their twenties to sixties. Stout says his intent was to talk with not just working musicians, but with people from all walks of life working in the music industry.
　
“Quite a few of those that I spoke with were working musicians, and with all of their gigs suddenly being cancelled, they certainly had a unique perspective on everything,” said Stout. “Most of them got very creative right away and started doing live web streams from home on social media. But the series wasn’t just about musicians. I also talked to people who produced records in local recording studios, and people that managed music venues, both large and small. And so you have A.J. Jump from Karl Hall talking about postponing about 40 shows and Will Beekman from Mohegan Sun Arena talking about postponing concerts and sporting events. Jimmy Harnen, a native of Plymouth, is the president of one of the largest record labels in Nashville, and he shared his perspective. Joe Nardone Jr. talked about the challenges of keeping his record stores in business. Richie Kossuth co-owns a music store and sound company and plays in a band, so he had thoughts on everything. Loreen Bohannon tours the country as a sound technician and all of her summer tours were canceled. Richard Briggs talked about canceling the Briggs Farm Blues Fest. Bret Alexander had played with The Badlees. Aaron Fink had played with Breaking Benjamin. Both were national recording artists and had seen a lot, but nothing like COVID-19.”

Stout says that some of the interviews were done shortly after the passing of Jerry Hludzik, a legendary local musician who had been a member of national acts The Buoys and Dakota. Thus several of the guests in the interview series who had known and worked with Hludzik also shared their thoughts on him. In early June, when most of Northeastern Pennsylvania began to enter the yellow and green phases of re-opening, he felt the series had covered every topic and thus decided to end it at #19.
　
“Nineteen seemed like the appropriate number to wrap up the COVID-19 series,” said Stout. “When we started, everyone was still a bit shell-shocked by everything that was happening and nobody really knew what direction things were heading. And about six weeks later, when we did the last one, Micheal Cloren, who manages the Penn’s Peak concert venue, was talking about trying to put some shows back on the calendar for the fall. There was a light at the end of the tunnel which, hopefully, will remain bright. But there’s still a lot of uncertainty.”
　
The Luzerne County Historical Society appreciates receiving the recordings.
　
“This is great donation,” said Mark J. Riccetti Jr., director of operations and programs at the Luzerne County Historical Society. “I think it will be a great impetus for future donations, and it also shows that you don’t necessarily have to be what we call one of the ‘front-line’ workers. It doesn’t have to be the stories that you see on TV. We’re looking to collect any oral histories. We want to know how this affects every single person in the valley.”
　
Stout says that, through the interviews, he’s grateful to have helped play a small role in helping preserve some local history. His weekly radio show will return to the airwaves on August 2.
　
“I love the Historical Society,” said Stout. “I’ve worked on some projects with them in the past. And when I saw a post on their Facebook page asking for people to contribute some oral history stories regarding COVID-19, I thought the interviews that I had done might interest them. Granted – they deal mostly with arts, entertainment and music – but their stories are also a part of the story. Everyone, no matter what your profession may be, has a story. And these people from our local music community talked about how the pandemic has affected people’s creativity and their livelihoods. And I’m grateful that they took the time to share those stories.
　
“Hopefully,” he added, “more people from all walks of life will do the same. If you’re a doctor or a nurse and you were, or still are, working in the ICU with COVID-19 patients, take 20-30 minutes some night and document your story. If you worked in a supermarket, do the same. If you had COVID-19, or someone close to you did, document it. You can record your thoughts and memories as a voice-memo right on your smart-phone and e-mail it right to the Historical Society. It’s easy. And it’s something that future generations will certainly be interested in. This has been one of the most significant historical events of our time.”

(For information on submitting COVID-19 stories to the Luzerne County Historical Society, call (570) 823-6244)

DIVIDE AND CONQUER MUSIC WEEKLY ROUNDUP
Originally posted January 8, 2021 at https://www.divideandconquermusic.com/indie-music-album-reviews/weekly-roundup9572510

WEEKLY ROUNDUP
1/8/2021
Every week we mention a couple of artists that are worth your time to check out that were not featured in our weekly reviews.