Music blog Highway 81 Revisited hosts anniversary show with Lewis & Clarke in Wilkes-Barre on May 12
From a press release:
Music blog Highway 81 Revisited will celebrate its seventh anniversary on Saturday, May 12 at Karl Hall, a new venue in downtown Wilkes-Barre, with performances by Delaware Water Gap avant-folk band Lewis & Clarke, Brooklyn singer/songwriter Brother Roy, Philadelphia indie folk act Rosu Lup, and Scranton country/folk singer/songwriter Chris Kearney.
Doors at Karl Hall (57B N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre) open at 7 p.m., and the all-ages show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door, and the event is BYOB.
Highway 81 Revisited, founded in 2011 by Northeastern Pennsylvania native Michael Lello, covers local, regional, and nationally relevant music, ranging from song premieres by artists like MiZ, The Spinto Band, and King Radio to interviews with Alice Cooper, Yoko Ono, Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, The Breeders, Of Montreal, and Del McCoury. Highway 81 has also presented events at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre, The Bog in Scranton, and the River Street Jazz Cafe in Plains.
H81R has been based in New York since 2014, when Lello’s journalism career brought him to the city. He is a web copy editor for the New York Post. The website features writing by Lello and contributors, including writer Michael Lester of Bloomsburg, as well as photographs by Sam Watson, Alex Seeley, Pati Bobeck, and Angelo Santoro.
Lewis & Clarke, based in Delaware Water Gap, is the musical alias/nom-de-plume of Pennsylvania-based musician Lou Rogai. The name references the fellowship and correspondence between C.S. Lewis and Arthur C. Clarke, not the 19th century explorers. For over a decade, he has created signature lush, long form art-pop and avant-folk compositions. Rogai’s slow-burning process is as much of a mission statement as an authentic stance in a corporate age, having released several acclaimed recordings while deftly skirting mainstream currents. Rogai founded La Société Expéditionnaire in 2006, a record label dedicated to fostering and exposing wild and/or fragile music of both his own and of colleagues. Lewis & Clarke’s most recent album release is “Triumvirate.”
Brother Roy, a.k.a. Roy Williams, is New York City’s rock and roll missionary. He lists Harry Nilsson, The Beatles, The Band, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, as some of his biggest influences. These are high standards to live up to, and many have tried and failed. But with refreshing honesty, dedication, and a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor, Brother Roy has managed to find a voice for himself in a genre so beloved that it might as well be a religion. Brother Roy’s recently released debut album is “Last Man Standing.” Williams is originally from the Scranton area.
Rosu Lup, from Philadelphia, is the musical project of songwriters Jonathan Stewart and Josh Marsh. They have garnered positive attention for their 2016 debut release “Is Anything Real” and coverage by Paste, Impose, WXPN’s The Key, and PureVolume. The band has recently toured in support of artists such as The Districts, Eric Slick (of Dr. Dog), Matt Pond PA, Cub Sport, and Valley Queen.
Chris Kearney is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter based in NEPA. Formerly with the bluegrass band Coal Town Rounders, he performs solo and in various other configurations, including with members of Cabinet.
See NEPA Scene’s photos of Lewis & Clarke performing in Scranton here.
Photo of Lou Rogai by Robb Malloy/Tammy Heid/NEPA Scene
