’80s new wave icon Howard Jones headlines synth pop show at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe on June 9
From a press release:
In support of his first new studio album in nearly a decade, new wave icon/synth pioneer Howard Jones will headline a massive North American summer tour kicking off in June with Men Without Hats and All Hail the Silence featuring BT.
The tour will stop at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe on Sunday, June 9 at 7:30 p.m.
“I’m super excited to be touring this summer in the U.S. and Canada. I’ll be playing cuts from my new album ‘Transform’ as well as my fans favorites. BT has collaborated on three tracks on the new album, and his band All Hail the Silence will be our special guests alongside my buddies Men Without Hats. I’m sure there will be some amazing interaction between the bands!” Jones said. “Can’t wait for this tour!”
Tickets, which are $29 in advance or $34 the day of the show, go on sale this Friday, Feb. 15 at 10 a.m. at all Ticketmaster outlets, the Penn’s Peak box office (325 Maury Rd., Jim Thorpe), and Roadies Restaurant and Bar (325 Maury Rd., Jim Thorpe). Penn’s Peak box office and Roadies Restaurant ticket sales are walk-up only; no phone orders.
Electronic music innovator Howard Jones has been a constant presence on the international touring scene for the past three decades, playing live in a number of different configurations, including intimate solo shows and dates with his full high-tech band setup.
In 2015, Jones released “Engage,” an entirely fan-funded, visually-stunning multimedia project, incorporating specially-commissioned visuals with music and an interactive live show. “Engage” is inspired by such diverse musical genres as electronica, contemporary classical, and pop, fusing this audio mélange with other visual and literary arts, such as ballet, modern dance, and philosophy. “Engage” was performed in London, Los Angeles, and New York and is available as a DVD/CD package. His new album, “Transform,” is due out May 10 worldwide.
Jones first burst upon the contemporary music scene in 1983, with his very English songwriting and pioneering synthesizers. His first two albums, “Human’s Lib” and “Dream into Action,” were worldwide hits. “Human’s Lib” reached No. 1 in 1984 in the United Kingdom and featured the hits “New Song” and “What Is Love?” In 1985, he released the follow-up, “Dream into Action,” which quickly became a Top 10 platinum album in the United States and featured the smashes “Things Can Only Get Better,” “Life in One Day,” “No One Is to Blame,” and “Like to Get to Know You Well.”
Jones has sold over eight million albums worldwide and continues to make new music and tour the world. He recently performed on NBC’s top-rated morning and nighttime shows respectively, “Today” and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
Men Without Hats have been creating iconic and irresistible pop music for over three decades and have soared back with the release of their latest album, “Love in the Age of War.” Led by charismatic frontman, lead singer, and songwriter Ivan Doroschuk, MWH has surged back starting with a breakout show at 2011’s SXSW and followed by extensive, well-received touring across North America over the last few years.
Along with his brother Colin and a full band, Doroschuk and the Hats have been delivering high-energy shows packed with all of the band’s absurdly catchy lyrics. It’s no surprise that this band has topped charts across the planet and even picked up a 1983 Grammy nomination for Best Group (Culture Club won it). The Hats song catalog always sounds fresh and relevant, and Hats hits have been featured on “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy,” and “Glee.” Their hit single “Pop Goes the World” now lights up TV screens in a Tide ad.
Together as All Hail the Silence, Grammy-nominated composer BT and triple-platinum British singer/songwriter Christian Burns have forged a just-released stellar debut album, “Daggers,” that resonates with shimmering ’80s authenticity. Awash in soaring vintage electronics, massive pop hooks, and glittering analog warmth, this seasoned, timeless synth-outfit blurs stylistic and musical boundaries like their heroes Depeche Mode, Yaz, Human League, and New Order did in the 1980s. BT and Burns have quite literally crafted an album that sounds like it fell straight out of 1983.
BT, wildly heralded as an electronic music pioneer, his music described as “all that electronic music can be: expansive, beautiful, enveloping and, oh yes, human,” (Billboard magazine), provides the intricate, meticulously crafted analog synthwave symphonies. Christian Burns, one of the most in-demand voices in dance music, offers his seasoned vocals reminiscent of the Killers and Blue Nile in the same breath. Burns has No. 1 hits with Tiësto and Armin Van Buuren and is a member of the beloved multi-platinum band BBMak. The result of their collaboration is a heavy rotation album awash in analog swagger.
