(Published April 29, 2010 in the Daily Item Applause section, page D3)
The 2nd annual Punk Rock Prom benefiting To Write Love on Her Arms, also known as TWLOHA, will be held at Shikellamy High School this Friday.
Punk Rock Prom was started as a senior project in 2009 by Shikellamy senior Samantha Dailey. Current senior and event organizer Kate Kistler is organizing the event’s second year for her senior project.
Five bands have donated their time to this year’s event. The bands performing will be An Ocean's Farewell, Lights Camera Distraction, Lucas Carpenter, The Groundbreaking Ceremony and Farewell Rescue.
“The [Punk Rock Prom] proceeds go to the To Write Love on Her Arms foundation. The community should come, not just to hear some great music, but also to help support a great cause,” said Kistler.
To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit organization which focuses on helping those struggling with thoughts of suicide, depression, self injury and addiction. TWLOHA raises awareness of these issues and connects sufferers with treatment centers and support groups. TWLOHA uses supportive musicians and other entertainers to promote its cause.
"To Write Love On Her Arms is such a noble cause, and The Groundbreaking Ceremony naturally gravitates towards it. The messages of GBC songs such as "Fight To Stay Alive" and "Ride It Out" are very aligned with the ideals of TWLOHA, so we're very honored to be able to give back to this organization through our music," said Chas Myers, guitarist of The Groundbreaking Ceremony.
Northumberland based band, Farewell Rescue, is in its second year of supporting Punk Rock Prom.
“TWLOHA is a great cause because it's so positive. It exists to encourage, inform, inspire. We’ve got a really cool forum as musicians, why not use it to inspire and encourage as well,” said Josh Kerstetter, bassist for Farewell Rescue.
According to Kistler, punk attire is encouraged, but not required to attend the event.
Punk Rock Prom will be held on Friday from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m at Shikellamy High School, Sixth and Walnut Streets, Sunbury. All ages are welcome. Tickets are available before the show for $6 by visiting Josh at the Susquehanna Valley Mall Hot Topic and tickets will be available at the door for $10. For more information on To Write Love on Her Arms, visit www.twloha.com.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Hip-hop Saturday Satisfaction Coming to Milton
(Published April 22, 2010 in the Daily Item Applause section, page D3.)
An underground hip-hop show featuring three trendsetting hip-hop groups and one of Pa.'s most popular disc jockeys is coming to Big Andy's in Milton this Saturday night.
The showcase of hip-hop has been dubbed "Saturday Satisfaction" and will feature Northeast Pa.'s Track Masons and DJ Hersh, Williamsport's Smoked Out Entertainment, and Lewisburg's Basement Productions.
"This show was put together as an effort for 3 independent Pa. based hip-hop record producers to cross promote each other and hopefully increase exposure across the state," said Dana Barrack, producer/manager of Track Masons.
Hip-hop shows are few and far between in Central Pa., but Barrack believes that there is a strong potential market for hip-hop music in this area.
"My research showed that on average, a third of all people interviewed between the ages of 13-30 preferred hip-hop, R&B or some other genre played on an Urban station," he said.
Barrack also explained that hip-hop continuously dominates the Billboard album and singles charts and is enjoyed by a vast demographic of people.
Barrack's label, Track Masons, was founded in Northeast Pa. in 2006. Barrack and Juan Carlos Jimenez founded the label after they were introduced while spinning records for WCLH-FM, Wilkes University's radio station in Wilkes Barre.
The label has released several compilation albums and currently has two artists on its roster that have released full length albums. Bee Ez's album was released in December 2008 and Crusafix's album was released in September 2009. A third artist, Rukus, is expected to release an album later this summer.
Artists from Williamsport based Smoked Out Entertainment will also hit the stage. The label was established in 1998 by CEO Anthony Parsons and features artists AP Tha Don (Parsons' stage name) and co-CEO C-Kwal.
"I have always been able to paint a vivid picture so my music is the picture I give to the people," said Parsons.
The goal of Smoked Out Entertainment is to strengthen the underground hip-hop movement in Pa. Parsons believes that Saturday's show will help the independent groups earn more recognition within local communities.
DJ Hersh expressed an interest to Barrack in traveling to Milton for "Saturday Satisfaction." He is a veteran of spinning records in the Northeast Pa. region. He was recently named NEPA's favorite DJ in The Weekender's Readers Choice 2010 poll.
"[Hersh] is extremely familiar with how these local hip-hop showcases go as he's done several shows with us before," said Barrack.
The Susquehanna Valley's own Basement Productions will also perform.
The group, also known as Basement Pro or BP, is a hip-hop movement formed by a unit of longtime friends in the Lewisburg area.
BP's artist roster includes Sammy Hope, Angels, Crypto Creep, Rounds, Ruff Jungle, Relivant and FU.
Crypto Creep, a co-founder of BP, explains that his biggest accomplishment has been evolving as an artist which has helped his vocabulary and confidence. The music has also allowed him to reach out to people that he normally wouldn't associate with.
As for the state of hip-hop in Central Pa. he explains that "rap isn't exactly popular around here, so [BP] had to make it popular."
Sammy Hope, who participated in the 2007 NYC 50 Mics Tournament, a showcase in front of major record labels and a large audience, is also determined to make this area known in the hip-hop scene.
"I want to give back to the community I was born and raised in. People are going to know about the 570 and Basement Pro," said Hope.
Visit http://www.myspace.com/danabesus for more information on Track Masons, http://www.myspace.com/smokedoutentertainment for Smoked Out Entertainment, and http://www.myspace.com/lewiking or http://www.myspace.com/sammyhope570 for Basement Productions.
"Saturday Satisfaction" will be held this Saturday night at Big Andy's, 14 S. Front St., Milton. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. with performances starting at 10 p.m. The show is ages 21+ only and will be $5 at the door with $2 drink specials from 9-11 p.m.
An underground hip-hop show featuring three trendsetting hip-hop groups and one of Pa.'s most popular disc jockeys is coming to Big Andy's in Milton this Saturday night.
The showcase of hip-hop has been dubbed "Saturday Satisfaction" and will feature Northeast Pa.'s Track Masons and DJ Hersh, Williamsport's Smoked Out Entertainment, and Lewisburg's Basement Productions.
"This show was put together as an effort for 3 independent Pa. based hip-hop record producers to cross promote each other and hopefully increase exposure across the state," said Dana Barrack, producer/manager of Track Masons.
Hip-hop shows are few and far between in Central Pa., but Barrack believes that there is a strong potential market for hip-hop music in this area.
"My research showed that on average, a third of all people interviewed between the ages of 13-30 preferred hip-hop, R&B or some other genre played on an Urban station," he said.
Barrack also explained that hip-hop continuously dominates the Billboard album and singles charts and is enjoyed by a vast demographic of people.
Barrack's label, Track Masons, was founded in Northeast Pa. in 2006. Barrack and Juan Carlos Jimenez founded the label after they were introduced while spinning records for WCLH-FM, Wilkes University's radio station in Wilkes Barre.
The label has released several compilation albums and currently has two artists on its roster that have released full length albums. Bee Ez's album was released in December 2008 and Crusafix's album was released in September 2009. A third artist, Rukus, is expected to release an album later this summer.
Artists from Williamsport based Smoked Out Entertainment will also hit the stage. The label was established in 1998 by CEO Anthony Parsons and features artists AP Tha Don (Parsons' stage name) and co-CEO C-Kwal.
"I have always been able to paint a vivid picture so my music is the picture I give to the people," said Parsons.
The goal of Smoked Out Entertainment is to strengthen the underground hip-hop movement in Pa. Parsons believes that Saturday's show will help the independent groups earn more recognition within local communities.
DJ Hersh expressed an interest to Barrack in traveling to Milton for "Saturday Satisfaction." He is a veteran of spinning records in the Northeast Pa. region. He was recently named NEPA's favorite DJ in The Weekender's Readers Choice 2010 poll.
"[Hersh] is extremely familiar with how these local hip-hop showcases go as he's done several shows with us before," said Barrack.
The Susquehanna Valley's own Basement Productions will also perform.
The group, also known as Basement Pro or BP, is a hip-hop movement formed by a unit of longtime friends in the Lewisburg area.
BP's artist roster includes Sammy Hope, Angels, Crypto Creep, Rounds, Ruff Jungle, Relivant and FU.
Crypto Creep, a co-founder of BP, explains that his biggest accomplishment has been evolving as an artist which has helped his vocabulary and confidence. The music has also allowed him to reach out to people that he normally wouldn't associate with.
As for the state of hip-hop in Central Pa. he explains that "rap isn't exactly popular around here, so [BP] had to make it popular."
Sammy Hope, who participated in the 2007 NYC 50 Mics Tournament, a showcase in front of major record labels and a large audience, is also determined to make this area known in the hip-hop scene.
"I want to give back to the community I was born and raised in. People are going to know about the 570 and Basement Pro," said Hope.
Visit http://www.myspace.com/danabesus for more information on Track Masons, http://www.myspace.com/smokedoutentertainment for Smoked Out Entertainment, and http://www.myspace.com/lewiking or http://www.myspace.com/sammyhope570 for Basement Productions.
"Saturday Satisfaction" will be held this Saturday night at Big Andy's, 14 S. Front St., Milton. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. with performances starting at 10 p.m. The show is ages 21+ only and will be $5 at the door with $2 drink specials from 9-11 p.m.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
The Badlees Are Back
Published in the Daily Item, April 1, 2010. Applause section page D1 (NOTE: this article was ran with the wrong photo - it showed Pan.a.ce.a instead of the Badlees - Daily Item's error.)
After a 7 year hiatus, one of Central Pa.’s most successful and critically acclaimed rock bands, The Badlees, have picked up right where they left off. Promoting the release of their newest record, “Love is Rain,” the band will hit the stage this Saturday at the Front Street Station in Northumberland.
The Badlees’ story began in the late 1980’s when guitarists Bret Alexander and Jeff Feltenberger and drummer Ron Simasek formed the band in Selinsgrove. Vocalist Pete Palladino and bassist Paul Smith were added to the lineup and Feltenberger eventually left the band.
Their first full length album, “Diamonds in the Coal” was released in 1991. The band acquired a following in the area and frequented local venues such as Mike and Dots in Mifflinburg, Bots in Selinsgrove and The Riverside in Danville.
In 1995, the band’s third full length album, “River Songs,” earned them a national recording contract and national hit songs “Angeline is Coming Home” and “Fear of Falling.” During this time, The Badlees toured some of the largest arenas in the nation with acts such as Bob Seger, Plant/Page and Gregg Allman. The band released three more albums in 1999 and 2002 and then took an extended hiatus.
During the hiatus, Alexander and Smith, who began Saturation Acres Recording Studio in 1999, produced many artists, including Breaking Benjamin, who are now a platinum rock band. Palladino and Simasek stayed involved in performing and other side projects.
Fast forward over 7 years and The Badlees are back where it all began with live shows and their new album “Love is Rain,” which was released in October 2009.
“It took a friend of ours to persuade us to make time as a band to get back in the studio and record some music again,” said Smith.
The band became reacquainted during the recording of “Love is Rain.” The album is a step forward for the band and includes several radio-ready gems but also stays true to their roots-rock sound.
“There is a fair amount of familiar sounding stuff on ‘Love Is Rain’ - everybody wants to hear that. But it actually took more of an effort to sound like the old band than the new one. I think this is our best record,” said guitarist and principal songwriter Alexander.
Since their return, The Badlees have been selling out local shows and have also been receiving radio airplay on 94KX and Y106.5. A new generation of Badlees fans is emerging but many fans have stuck with the band since the beginning.
“The last few shows have looked very familiar. There are people that come out now that we recognize and are still right there with us. It's a very cool thing to have people follow the band after so many years,” said Smith.
The Badlees have also added guest musicians to their live shows, including guitarist Aaron Fink of Breaking Benjamin and studio musician Nyke Van Wyk. Fink, who is also from the area, will be performing with the band on Saturday.
Pan.a.ce.a will be opening Saturday’s show with an acoustic set. Alexander produced their latest full length effort, “We The Broken.” The title track off of the album has been receiving radio airplay from local stations 94KX, Y106.5 and WZXR
“We are tight with [Pan.a.ce.a] and love to see them play. It was a natural fit, although a bit unconventional, to have them play some shows with us. They've been playing an acoustic show to open up our shows and our fans as well as theirs have really loved it,” said Smith.
For more information about The Badlees, visit www.badlees.com, and for more information about Pan.a.ce.a, visit www.panacearock.com.
Doors open at 7 p.m. and show time is 8 p.m. on Saturday at the Front Street Station, 2 Front Street, Northumberland. Only a few tickets remain and they can be purchased by visiting www.badlees.net or by calling the promoter, Travis Fisher, at 570-473-3548. Tickets can also be won by listening to 94KX and Y106.5 on Friday.
After a 7 year hiatus, one of Central Pa.’s most successful and critically acclaimed rock bands, The Badlees, have picked up right where they left off. Promoting the release of their newest record, “Love is Rain,” the band will hit the stage this Saturday at the Front Street Station in Northumberland.
The Badlees’ story began in the late 1980’s when guitarists Bret Alexander and Jeff Feltenberger and drummer Ron Simasek formed the band in Selinsgrove. Vocalist Pete Palladino and bassist Paul Smith were added to the lineup and Feltenberger eventually left the band.
Their first full length album, “Diamonds in the Coal” was released in 1991. The band acquired a following in the area and frequented local venues such as Mike and Dots in Mifflinburg, Bots in Selinsgrove and The Riverside in Danville.
In 1995, the band’s third full length album, “River Songs,” earned them a national recording contract and national hit songs “Angeline is Coming Home” and “Fear of Falling.” During this time, The Badlees toured some of the largest arenas in the nation with acts such as Bob Seger, Plant/Page and Gregg Allman. The band released three more albums in 1999 and 2002 and then took an extended hiatus.
During the hiatus, Alexander and Smith, who began Saturation Acres Recording Studio in 1999, produced many artists, including Breaking Benjamin, who are now a platinum rock band. Palladino and Simasek stayed involved in performing and other side projects.
Fast forward over 7 years and The Badlees are back where it all began with live shows and their new album “Love is Rain,” which was released in October 2009.
“It took a friend of ours to persuade us to make time as a band to get back in the studio and record some music again,” said Smith.
The band became reacquainted during the recording of “Love is Rain.” The album is a step forward for the band and includes several radio-ready gems but also stays true to their roots-rock sound.
“There is a fair amount of familiar sounding stuff on ‘Love Is Rain’ - everybody wants to hear that. But it actually took more of an effort to sound like the old band than the new one. I think this is our best record,” said guitarist and principal songwriter Alexander.
Since their return, The Badlees have been selling out local shows and have also been receiving radio airplay on 94KX and Y106.5. A new generation of Badlees fans is emerging but many fans have stuck with the band since the beginning.
“The last few shows have looked very familiar. There are people that come out now that we recognize and are still right there with us. It's a very cool thing to have people follow the band after so many years,” said Smith.
The Badlees have also added guest musicians to their live shows, including guitarist Aaron Fink of Breaking Benjamin and studio musician Nyke Van Wyk. Fink, who is also from the area, will be performing with the band on Saturday.
Pan.a.ce.a will be opening Saturday’s show with an acoustic set. Alexander produced their latest full length effort, “We The Broken.” The title track off of the album has been receiving radio airplay from local stations 94KX, Y106.5 and WZXR
“We are tight with [Pan.a.ce.a] and love to see them play. It was a natural fit, although a bit unconventional, to have them play some shows with us. They've been playing an acoustic show to open up our shows and our fans as well as theirs have really loved it,” said Smith.
For more information about The Badlees, visit www.badlees.com, and for more information about Pan.a.ce.a, visit www.panacearock.com.
Doors open at 7 p.m. and show time is 8 p.m. on Saturday at the Front Street Station, 2 Front Street, Northumberland. Only a few tickets remain and they can be purchased by visiting www.badlees.net or by calling the promoter, Travis Fisher, at 570-473-3548. Tickets can also be won by listening to 94KX and Y106.5 on Friday.
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