Karl Hall in Wilkes-Barre reopens with punk, hardcore, indie, and more all-ages shows
After nearly two years, Karl Hall is finally ready to bring concerts back inside.
COVID-19 closed the intimate all-ages venue in March of 2020, and while it hosted online shows as well as a massive drive-in concert with the Mohegan Sun Arena, the downtown Wilkes-Barre building remained closed into 2021, instead opting to hold a special outdoor concert series in its back parking lot over the summer, including an acoustic show by Tigers Jaw.
Hardcore bands Terror and Pain of Truth were set to bring their tour to Karl Hall (57 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre) on Jan. 4, but their short East Coast run was quickly canceled. Now the venue’s first indoor event since the pandemic will be another hardcore show featuring Raw Brigade, a Colombian straight edge group, with local bands Ripped Away and Snubnosed on Tuesday, Jan. 25.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m., and the music starts at 8 p.m. Tickets, which are $10, can be purchased at the door. For more information, visit Wilkes-Barre Shows on Instagram.
Just a few days later, Planning for Burial (described as “loud/quiet quiet/loud doom/shoegaze”) will headline a night of underground and experimental music from Wilkes-Barre and Philadelphia on Friday, Jan. 28. The lineup features Lástima (blackgaze/emo/post-metal from Philadelphia), Vulturepeak (noisey hardcore from Wilkes-Barre), and Dead Camera (power electronics/ambient from Wilkes-Barre).
A press release details the history of Planning for Burial: “For over a decade, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania-based musician Thom Wasluck has been unleashing his signature gloomy dirges under the name Planning for Burial at a nearly relentless pace. He now has three full-length albums under his belt, most notably 2017’s monumental “Below the House,” as well as numerous EPs and splits. Wasluck writes and records everything himself and has toured extensively as a one-man band, playing hundreds of shows over the years. Both incredibly loud and intimate, Planning for Burial performs with an unrivaled passion and funereal grace that is equally at home in basements and concert halls.”
Doors open at 7 p.m., and the music starts at 8 p.m. Tickets, which are $10, can be purchased at the door. For more information, visit the Facebook event page.
Next, Barnstorm Booking will return with a release show for “When It’s Over,” the new four-song EP by Plains pop punk band Into Sunday, on Friday, Feb. 4.
“We’re a band from Plains, PA. We formed about five years ago, and we primarily make emo/pop punk music. We just really love playing and making music together. It really ties us all together, and we all really love it,” the group told NEPA Scene.
“As far as the show goes, this is going to be our first show in a while, and it’s our first one since our EP released in November, so we’re really excited and ready to bring the house down with this one!”
Fellow pop punks Second Suitor, Stay Loud, and Starving Hysterical Naked will open the show.
“All we can say is it’s good to be back. We can’t wait to rock out with everyone again. It’s been a long time, and we missed you all,” Barnstorm Booking owner Brian Kelly stated.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the music starts at 7 p.m. Tickets, which are $10, can be purchased at the door. For more information, see the Facebook event page.
All of these events are all-ages and BYOB for those 21 and over; proof of vaccination or a negative test within 72 hours of the show is required to attend every one. The full schedule of confirmed shows is below, including some indie and alternative rock, stand-up comedy, and more.
Karl Hall schedule
Raw Brigade, Ripped Away, and Snubnosed
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 25
Time: Doors at 7:30 p.m., show at 8 p.m.
Cost: $10
Planning for Burial, Lástima, Vulturepeak, and Dead Camera
Date: Friday, Jan. 28
Time: Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.
Cost: $10
Into Sunday, Second Suitor, Stay Loud, and Starving Hysterical Naked
Date: Friday, Feb. 4
Time: Doors at 6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m.
Cost: $10
Get With This, Karmic Wheels, and The Virgos
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 9
Time: Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.
Cost: $10
Rosary Guild, Those Clever Foxes, and These Elk Forever
Date: Saturday, Feb. 12
Time: 7 p.m.
Illusion, Choice to Make, Skourge, Never Again, and Exhibition
Date: Sunday, Feb. 13
Time: 7 p.m.
Cost: $12
Homebrewed Comedy with Tyler Rothrock, Paul Spratt, Stephen Brown, and Mike Peters
Date: Friday, Feb. 25
Time: Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.
Cost: $15
Photo of Rosary Guild by Jason Riedmiller Photography/NEPA Scene
