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 […]
Wilkes-Barre nu metal band Lifer celebrates 20th anniversary of debut album in Berwick on July 31
In the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, a new musical genre broadly labeled as “nu metal” gave rise to a variety of heavier rock and metal bands that sold millions of CDs, from Slipknot, Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Godsmack to Linkin Park, System of a Down, Disturbed, and Staind. Many of those artists […]
German metal band Accept gets heavy and ‘Mean’ at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe on July 2
From a press release: Penn’s Peak adjusted to the pandemic and kept live music alive with socially distanced events, but now that COVID-19 cases are down and indoor restrictions have been lifted, the Jim Thorpe venue is finally welcoming national and international touring acts back to its stage, the first coming 482 days after its […]
Pottsville groove rockers Crobot uncage ‘Rat Child’ EP with heavy guest stars
From a press release: Featuring several hard rock and metal guest stars, Pottsville groove rockers Crobot released their new EP, “Rat Child,” via Mascot Records today. The four tracks include “Everyone Dies,” a ballad with Stix Zadinia on piano that also received a heavenly music video today. The Steel Panther drummer co-wrote and mixed the […]
Wilkes-Barre hard rockers Lifer explore social media in ‘Hate Me, Love Me’ music video
From a press release: First active in 1999 and the early 2000s, the Wilkes-Barre-based hard rock band Lifer is reunited and entering a very different decade in the new music video for their latest single “Hate Me, Love Me” that explores the polarizing, and often harrowing, nature of social media. According to vocalist Nick Coyle, […]
Black Label Society returns to Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg with Obituary and Prong on Nov. 6
From a press release: Forced to cut their North American tour short last year due to the pandemic, Black Label Society is getting back on the road this fall and “Doom Trooping Over North America” with fellow heavy metal bands Obituary and Prong. The tour stops at the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg on Saturday, Nov. […]
Guitarist John 5 shreds at Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg on Aug. 22
From a press release: For almost 30 years, John 5 has been one of the most in-demand guitar players on the planet. As well as a guitarist for hire, he has shared the stage as axeman for metal icons Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, and Rob Halford. He has also worked with an impressive array of […]
Breaking Benjamin’s only festival show of 2021 is Blue Ridge Rock Fest in Virginia on Sept. 9-12
From a press release: Today, multi-platinum-selling Wilkes-Barre rock band Breaking Benjamin announced that their only music festival appearance of 2021 will be at Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Danville, Virginia. Running Thursday, Sept. 9 through Sunday, Sept. 12, the “fan-driven rock experience” will feature six stages with over 180 bands, including Five Finger Death Punch, […]
Wilkes-Barre hard rockers Lifer release new single ‘Hate Me, Love Me’ from long-awaited EP
From a press release: After an 18-year hiatus, Wilkes-Barre hard rock band Lifer surprised fans last year when they reemerged with three new songs that even lead vocalist Nick Coyle said was a “surreal experience.” Now, the recently reunited group is back with a fourth track that will be part of a forthcoming five-song EP, […]
Alt metal bands In This Moment and Black Veil Brides return to Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg on Nov. 5
From a press release: It was announced this week that California hard rock/alternative metal bands In This Moment and Black Veil Brides will return to the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg on Friday, Nov. 5 on The In-Between Tour with special guests DED and Raven Black. Over the years, In This Moment has performed at the […]
