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Local Allentown, PA Music Scene Billy Joel's song "Allentown" has made the city a permanent fixture of pop culture. In the new century it's been a fast-growing city. The metropolitan area have over 816,000 residents according to the 2010 Census. Campuses include Cedar Crest College and Muhlenberg College. The local scene is covered by The Morning Call and Pulse Weekly. Artists from the area include Fiona, Drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (Alice Cooper, Megadeth), Jay & The Techniques and Emmy nominee Orchestral Conductor Donald Voorhees. The history of the Allentown music scene does not have a long list of signed acts. Wailing Waters is well known rock band from Bethlehem, PA featuring American Idol 9 semi-finalist Tyler Grady who sings lead. The band was named "Best New Artist" at the 2010 Lehigh Valley Music Awards. Grady also won awards for "Best Male Performer" and "Best All Around Entertainer." Allentown Music Acts Wailing Waters * Mr. Brickhouse * Frontline and the Brotherhood * Rob Jarrett Band * Locksmiths * Balance and Composure * Erin Kelly * Bill Bauer Band * Todd Wolfe * Orange Sky Allentown Local Music Scene History In April 2020 Another Day Dawns became the first unsigned Pennsylvania rock band to appear on the Mediabase Active Rock Top 40 chart, according to the band's manager John Phillips, who owns 900 Management. The band in based in Lehighton. The previous year the band's debut EP "A Different Life" reached number 10 on Billboard's Northeast Heatseekers chart. "Taste of Heaven" also appeared on the charts and was able to achieve coast to coast airplay. The Allentown Symphony Orchestra has performed regularly at Miller Symphony Hall, which reopened in 2006 after a $10 million renovation project. On April 8 and 9, 2017, the orchestra presented the late 19th century Mahler's Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection" for the second time, as it was the work that opened the venue. The 80 minute performance featured over 150 musicians and vocalists. Allentown local rock band The Yetis scored a slot to help kick off the first "Allentown Cocktail Week," which is a fair that featured several events, dinners, music, lectures and book signings from September 13-19, 2015 at the Renaissance Allentown Hotel. Events included the Pennsylvania Craft Spirit Affair, The Shakers Ball and the AEDC Bridgeworks Block Party. Hamilton Kitchen general manager Jason Lonigro was one of the event's organizers. The 30th annual Musikfest at three year old Steel Stage took place throughout the summer of 2013, but attendance was disappointing compared with previous years. The top draws were Darius Rucker and a double bill of Styx and Foreigner, both attracting sellout crowds of 6,300. None of the other shows sold out, but ranged between 2,000 and 4,500 attendees. These acts included Avenged Sevenfold, Ke$ha, Skillet, Carly Rae Jepsen, George Thorogood, Peter Frampton and B.B. King, OneRepublic and KC & The Sunshine Band. The concert series was written about in this John J. Moser article 9/15/2013 in the Lehigh Valley Music Blog of the Morning Call. Solid Lines is a Lehigh Valley indie rock band that started in 2007 with vocalist/guitarist Mike Spyridon, vocalist/guitarist Andrew Tomasino and drummer Nicholas Fritz. Since then the band has added Josh Beck on guitar and Marc Vollo on bass. They've written several songs and strive to have a diverse sound. Come of the venues they've played include the Crocodile Rock Cafe and The Silo. Their songs include "Phantoms," "Dust" and "New Colors." Solid Lines was written about in this Todd Kunsman article 12/5/2009 in the Examiner. The Allentown Band - a band that keeps 200 year musical traditions alive. None of the musicians make their living from musical performances, although some are music teachers. Their music ranges from opera to Sousa marching band songs. As a community band they've played at Allentown's Symphony Hall and as far away as New York's Carnegie Hall. They have appeared on local television several times, as well as national appearances on Good Morning America and the PBS show The American Experience. |
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