James Callahan

A Camp Rattler profile: Guitarist, Black Earth alchemist, and freemason TJ Bell

A Camp Rattler profile: Guitarist, Black Earth alchemist, and freemason TJ Bell

TJ Bell and I initially met in the winter of 2009 at a tiny “drinkers” bar called Nak’s by the Tracks in Exeter. I had just recently returned to Northeastern Pennsylvania from a New York City burnout and was, at the time, finishing the first draft of a textbook on artist management and development for […]

 James Callahan

VIDEO PREMIERE: Resilient rocker Karen Bella takes a shot of ‘Jack Honey’ in debut music video

VIDEO PREMIERE: Resilient rocker Karen Bella takes a shot of ‘Jack Honey’ in debut music video

Early in March, the gang here at Camp Rattler in West Pittston was contacted by our superstar PR agent Denise Kovalevitch of DMK Publicity, her boutique agency located in the greater Philadelphia area. Denise, who I have known since the mid-’90s, works with clients such as Blues Traveler, Candlebox, Steve Vai, Corey Glover of Living […]

 James Callahan

A Camp Rattler profile: Blues rocker Kaleigh Baker and the killer tale of the ‘Pittston Pistol’

A Camp Rattler profile: Blues rocker Kaleigh Baker and the killer tale of the ‘Pittston Pistol’

Kaleigh Baker is a Florida-based singer/songwriter that is organically and unapologetically armed to the teeth with unbridled vocal enormity. Possessing equal parts soul, blues, and rock, she weaves a tapestry of tension, beauty, and intrigue that will chill the most jaded of critics. This tidal wave of emotion smashes like a war hammer into your […]

 James Callahan

A Camp Rattler profile: Cult visionary and Noir Dark Spirits proprietor Josh Balz

A Camp Rattler profile: Cult visionary and Noir Dark Spirits proprietor Josh Balz

My initial interaction with Josh Balz began sometime after he had chosen to leave Motionless In White to pursue other endeavors and my trashy little rock bar, The Rattler in Pittston, had closed due to structural difficulties. Well… the back fell off the building. I found myself venue-less and saddled with several storage units, crammed […]

 James Callahan

VIDEO PREMIERE: Pittston metal band Black River’s Edge takes down brutal ‘2020’

VIDEO PREMIERE: Pittston metal band Black River’s Edge takes down brutal ‘2020’

The last time NEPA Scene talked to Black River’s Edge, the Pittston hard rock/metal band was making their live debut at Diane’s Deli & Internet Cafe in 2015. A lot has changed since then, including the closing of their hometown venue, but 2020 has made everything seem like a cakewalk in comparison. From the dark […]

 James Callahan

VIDEO PREMIERE: Infamous Philly hardcore band Bad Luck 13 releases 3-song Halloween extravaganza

VIDEO PREMIERE: Infamous Philly hardcore band Bad Luck 13 releases 3-song Halloween extravaganza

The mere mention of this flaming nail bomb of a band from the “City of Brotherly Love” can strike terror in the souls of promoters, venue owners, and aggressive music fans alike. Born in Philadelphia in 1996, Bad Luck 13 Riot Extravaganza has become the thing of mosh pit legend – a fiery, multi-headed hardcore/metal […]