Category: Morning Call

A Conversation With, Entertainment, Interview, Morning Call, Music

Concert pick: Banjo player Tony Trischka brings holiday show to Godfrey Daniels
Banjo player Tony Trischka performs Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem. (Greg Heisler)

There’s no question that Tony Trischka stands as one of the most preeminent banjo artists of our time. For more than 50 years, his innovative style, dazzling speed, and musical ingenuity have shaped and inspired generations of bluegrass musicians.

Beyond his celebrated career as a performer, Trischka has authored 15 influential instructional books, produced artists like fellow banjoist Steve Martin, and recently released “Earl Jam,” an album paying tribute to one of his own musical heroes, Earl Scruggs.

Trischka continues to maintain an active touring schedule, and on Thursday, the Syracuse native will bring a banjo-fueled celebration of the season to Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem.

I recently spoke with Tony Trischka about his upcoming performance and more in this new interview.

Q. What can you tell me about your upcoming performance at Godfrey Daniels?

Trischka: I’ve got a great band and we’ll be doing Christmas, holiday and seasonal tunes. Many of which are not the standard ones you hear. We have Hannah Read from Scotland who’s an incredible singer/songwriter. We also have Tim Eriksen, who’s been doing these Christmas shows with me for the last 27 years. Then there’s Jared Engel on bass and my son, Sean, who’s also in the band playing drums and mandolin.

Read the rest of my Morning Call interview with Tony Trischka by Clicking Here.

A Conversation With, Entertainment, Interview, Morning Call, Music

Lehigh Valley concert pick: John McCrea of Cake previews SteelStacks performance

It’s hard to pigeonhole the music of Cake into one single slice. That’s because the band, which formed in the early 1990s, has a sound genre reminiscent of all the best elements of country, jazz, folk and bluegrass.

Cake’s ubiquitous American flavor and hits like “The Distance” and “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” have earned them both critical acclaim and a loyal following. Their last release, 2011’s “Showroom of Compassion,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and in the years since they have put out a live album as well as a collection of B-sides and demos.

The band plans to release a brand new, and long-awaited, studio album in early 2026, one which will include their latest song, “Billionaires in Space.”

Fans of the band can hear the classic songs, new material and more when Cake performs at The Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks on Sunday. I recently spoke with vocalist John McCrea about Cake’s upcoming performance and more in this new interview.

Q: Cake has been together now for more than 30 years. When you think about that milestone with so much perspective, what thoughts come to mind?

John McCrea: It’s unusual in the music industry for a band to live this long. I remember when we were first starting out there were a lot of bands that were a way bigger deal than us, but then they’d be gone in three years. Then there’d be another group of bands that were really important, and three years later they’d be gone too. It almost felt like we worked at McDonald’s for too long and saw people just come and go [laughs].

What can fans look forward to from the band’s upcoming performance here in Bethlehem?

A messier, louder version of the studio recordings that are a little more energetic. We also have a few new songs that we throw in every so often that will be featured on our next album. There’s a new song called “Billionaires in Space” we’ve been playing that has been going over well along with a George Jones cover that we just started playing this year. We stopped using a set list because it allows us more freedom to do what we want to do. So we probably won’t know what we’ll be playing until we’re standing up on stage. We’ll play it by ear and see what feels right for the situation.

You can read the rest of my Morning Call interview with John McCrea by Clicking Here.

1980's, A Conversation With, Entertainment, Interview, Morning Call, Music

Concert pick: 1980s tribute band Rubix Kube to rock the crowd at Musikfest

They’re dubbed “The Galaxy’s Most Excellent ’80s Tribute Band” for good reason. It’s because the members of Rubix Kube pride themselves on re-creating the music from the decade of decadence with gnarly note-for-note precision.

Their high-energy, costume-fueled, interactive extravaganzas have not only earned them critical acclaim as the premier ’80s act, but many of the original artists whose music they cover have actually joined their stage, with Rubix Kube performing as the artist’s backing band for extended sets.

On Monday, Rubix Kube will once again bring the soundtrack of the 80’s to Musikfest’s Air Products Americaplatz at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks for a summer performance every fan of the decade should experience.

Just be sure to bring along your neon socks, Aqua Net and a few spare quarters for Galaga and Pac-Man (I’m kidding).

I recently spoke to Rubix Kube founder and frontwoman Cherie Martorana Neve about the band’s Musikfest appearance, what makes the music of the 1980s so timeless and more in this new interview.

Q. What can fans expect from Rubix Kube’s performance at Musikfest?

Cherie Martorana Neve: They can expect an all-out ’80s extravaganza of endless energy taking them back to the best decade of music of all time.

Q. In your opinion what makes the music of the ’80s so timeless?

First of all it’s the only decade of music that has so many sub genres. The ’80s had pop, hair metal, new wave, dance, punk. It’s something that continues to appeal to so many demographics even after all of these decades. We’re doing just as many college parties now in 2025 for people who are between the ages of 18-22 who didn’t even grow up in the ’80s. It’s a testament to how appealing the music is to have so many different types of people and age groups as fans. The ’80s also had MTV — the first generation to have videos and picture stories put to the music. So you were no longer just listening to the music but were also seeing it. It was a really exciting and fun time.

Read the rest of my Morning Call interview with Rubix Kube by clicking here!

A Conversation With, Entertainment, Interview, Morning Call, Music

Concert pick: Bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers return to Bethlehem with Musikfest Cafe performance

Since their formation in 2000, Steep Canyon Rangers have been wowing audiences with their eclectic mix of bluegrass and Americana.

The Grammy-Award winning band, which features Graham Sharp on banjo, Mike Guggino on mandolin, Aaron Burdett on guitar, Nicky Sanders on fiddle, Mike Ashworth on drums and Barrett Smith on bass, guitar, all provide vocals and have released 14 studio albums as well as three collaborative albums with actor and banjoist Steve Martin.

The band credits its longevity to a culture and community among its members, most of whom have known each other since their college days. It’s a foundation of friendship that really comes across to audiences whenever they perform.

Steep Canyon Rangers have also served as the “house band” for Steve Martin and Martin Short’s comedy show, having performed with them several times at Wind Creek Event Center. Now the band from North Carolina is gearing up for their first appearance in Bethlehem on their own, performing at The Musikfest Café in Bethlehem on Sunday.

I recently spoke with Barrett Smith of Steep Canyon Rangers about the band’s upcoming performance in Bethlehem and more in this new interview.

Q: What can fans expect from the band’s upcoming performance at Musikfest Café?

Smith: What we hang our hat on is a really good live show. Each is tailor made for the space where we are. So we’ll land in Bethlehem earlier in the day, get a feel for what the night’s going to be like and then make a set list. Maybe we’ll stick to it and maybe we won’t. We like real engagement with the crowd and making it as fun a night as we can. We’ve already played several times at the [Wind Creek] casino as the house band for the comedy show Steve Martin and Martin Short so we know the area well.

You can read the rest of my interview with Steep Canyon Rangers by Clicking Here.

A Conversation With, Entertainment, Interview, Morning Call, Music

Sounds of Summer: The Beach Boys bring their tour to the State Theatre in Easton

You can’t say the words “The Beach Boys” without instantly conjuring up images of California sun, surf, infectious harmonies and sophisticated musical arrangement.

The band’s indelible catalog has sold more than 100 million records over the last six decades and their ubiquitous album, Pet Sounds from 1966, is widely regarded as one of the most influential albums of all time. Even Paul McCartney, who knows a thing or two about the craft of songwriting, once proclaimed a track from that album, “God Only Knows,” as being the perfect song.

The Beach Boys arsenal of music includes nearly 40 Top 40 hits like “Good Vibrations,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “California Girls,” Surfin’ USA,” “Little Deuce Coupe,” and “Kokomo,” to name but a few.

Fans of the legendary group can relive the magic, music and memories when The Beach Boys bring their Sounds of Summer Tour to Easton’s historic State Theatre on Sunday, at a special time of 3 p.m.

I recently spoke with Mike Love about The Beach Boys upcoming performance in Easton, the band’s timeless career and more in this new interview.

What can Lehigh Valley fans expect from your upcoming performance in Easton?

Mike Love: A lot of music. We do a two-hour show: an hour followed by a 20-minute intermission and then another hour. In the first hour we like to get retro, so I like to do the “surfer” and “car” songs like “Don’t Worry Baby” and “I Get Around.” After intermission we get a little more introspective. We’ll do some Pet Sounds stuff like “God Only Knows,” “Sloop John B” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” I like to do songs I wrote with my cousin Brian [Wilson] and tell stories about the songs. I remember in November of 1963 we wrote this beautiful song called “The Warmth of The Sun” and were awakened the next morning to the news that President Kennedy had been taken to the hospital in Dallas. We recorded that song about a month later with a tremendous amount of emotion.

Of course we have to do “Good Vibrations” and wouldn’t want to leave the area without doing “California Girls,” “Fun Fun Fun,” “Barbara Ann,” and “Help Me Rhonda.”

You can read the rest of my Morning Call interview with Mike Love by Clicking Here.

A Conversation With, comedy, Entertainment, Interview, Morning Call, Movies and TV

Jon Lovitz talks career, his ‘that’s the ticket’ catchphrase ahead of Bethlehem stand-up show

For more than 40 years, Jon Lovitz has been one of the best-known comedians of his generation.

His brand of funny can be traced back to his stint on “Saturday Night Live” in the mid-80s, where the catch phrase “Yeah, that’s the ticket,” from his character, Tommy Flanagan the Pathological Liar, became a weekend staple of must see TV.

He’s appeared in several Adam Sandler films over the years and done voiceovers for “The Simpsons” as well as his own show, “The Critic.” Lovitz even had the opportunity to work with his comedic hero, Woody Allen, on Allen’s film, “Small Time Crooks” in 2000.

On Friday, Lovitz will bring his unique brand of stand-up humor to the Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem. I recently spoke with him to preview his upcoming performance and get his thoughts on the current state of comedy and more in this new interview.

How would you describe your style of comedy?

Lovitz: It’s about my personal opinions about stuff and trying to understand what’s going on in the world. It’s funny, everyone thinks of themselves as being young and hip and then all of a sudden it’s not — it becomes the opposite of what you grew up to believe in. Some people just go along with it, and I just can’t. The show is just me talking about all different subjects and what’s going on in the world and how I see it.

You can read the rest of my Morning Call interview with Jon Lovitz by Clicking Here.

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Legendary KISS bassist Gene Simmons bringing solo tour to the Lehigh Valley

Widely regarded as one of rock’s most quintessential and influential bands, KISS became a worldwide phenomenon in the early 70’s, not only for their music but also for their whimsical make-up, blood spitting and fire-breathing antics, a massive pyrotechnical display and the desire to rock and roll all night and party every day. 

After a half century of gold and platinum albums and global touring, KISS finally decided to end its run in December of 2023. 

As one of the founding members of KISS, Gene Simmons (and his alter ego “The Demon,”) has helped sell more than 100 million albums. And once the band retired from the road Simmons thought he’d keep himself busy with his many businesses ventures but soon felt the urge to return to the stage with his solo group The Gene Simmons Band. An outlet which allows him to perform both fan favorite and obscure KISS songs and covers as well as sharing stories about his life and career, including one about discovering a then unknown band named Van-Halen.

On Thursday, May 8, fans will get a chance to experience all of the iconic artistry when Gene Simmons brings his legendary music to Bethlehem for a performance at Wind Creek Event Center. 

I recently spoke with Gene Simmons about the show, his career and more in this exclusive new interview.

It’s now been more than a year since KISS retired from touring. What made you decide to return to the stage?

Gene Simmons: Obviously, I’m very proud of what KISS has done which is, to be blunt, changed the face of stage performances. I got tired of seeing some of my favorite bands because they just didn’t live up to the sounds that I heard. I loved the records but when you went to see them live they were just looking down at their shoes. We decided to put together KISS as the band we never saw on stage. No rules, just one big spectacle. We stopped after half a century. 

I thought I’d be able to stay busy with my restaurant chain and film company but there’s magic that happens on stage that you can’t verbalize. It’s like electric church. But the difference between KISS and the Gene Simmons Band is that in KISS we couldn’t invite anybody up on stage because if they stepped in the wrong place it literally wouldn’t be safe.

The Gene Simmons Band is totally different in the sense that I have three killer musicians who are multi-instrumentalists who can (and do) sing live. We’re flexible enough that if someone yelled out, “Hey, how come you never did “Spit?” (an obscure track off of the Revenge album), we can do it as well as some unrecorded tunes I’ve written and, for the first time, we do covers.

You can read the rest of my Morning Call interview with Gene Simmons by Clicking Here!

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Legendary musician Todd Rundgren on his career and his tribute to Burt Bacharach

Burt Bacharach wrote one the most beloved songbooks in all of popular music — timeless classics like “Walk On By,” “Alfie,” “I Say A Little Prayer” and “What’s New Pussycat,” which have been recorded by legends like Dionne Warwick, Tom Jones, Aretha Franklin and Barbara Streisand, to name but a few.

Although he passed away in 2023, Bacharach’s music and influence continues to be celebrated around the world.

On Friday, Bacharach fans will be able to take part in a one-of-a-kind experience, “The Bacharach Songbook Live,” at Wind Creek Event Center. Led by longtime Burt Bacharach music director Rob Shirakbari, the show will feature a nine-piece ensemble that’s worked with artists like Stevie Wonder, Adele, Dionne Warwick, Brian Wilson and Aretha Franklin.

Another legendary artist, Todd Rundgren, will also take part in the performance, where he’ll be covering some of his own personal favorite Bacharach songs.

I recently spoke with Todd Rundgren about “The Bacharach Songbook Live” and the influence Bacharach’s music had on him. We also discuss his early band The Nazz, production work, a few memorable moments and more in this exclusive new interview.

Q: How did this celebration of Burt Bacharach come about? What inspired it?

Todd Rundgren: Well, it wasn’t really inspired by me because I had sort of sworn off doing tribute shows after I finished one celebrating the music of David Bowie. But then the producers of the David Bowie thing came to me with the Bacharach idea and I realized that there was too much Bacharach in my music to avoid doing it. In some ways it was closer to me than a lot of the other stuff we’d done. I think that will make it more fun to do.

You can read the rest of my Morning Call interview by Clicking Here.

A Conversation With, comedy, Entertainment, Interview, Morning Call

Comedian Sam Morril previews ‘Errors Tour’ performance
Photo by Matt Salacuse

Comedian Sam Morril is one of the fastest rising and most popular stand-ups on the scene today. In addition to constantly touring his eclectic show at venues across the globe, he’s appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” as well as done stints on “Last Comic Standing” and “The Joe Rogan Experience.”

Morril can regularly be heard on the popular “We Might Be Drunk” podcast alongside fellow comedian and co-host Mark Normand, and his latest special, “Sam Morril: You’ve Changed,” is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.

Morril is currently out on his brand new The Errors Tour — a “swift” play on words about a hugely successful recording artist. The show makes a stop at The Wind Creek Event Center on Saturday.

I recently spoke with Morril about The Errors Tour, his comedy and more in this new interview.

Q: What can fans expect from your upcoming Errors Tour performance in Bethlehem?

Sam Morril: Expect a lot of new material. It’s already in a good place right now but I’m going to be a hitting a lot of cities so it will keep getting better.

Why call it “The Errors Tour?”

I thought it would be kind of fun and figured if at least one boyfriend says to his girlfriend, “Hey I got you tickets to the Errors Tour” she’ll be like, “Oh my god!” And then when she shows up he can say, “Well, at least I didn’t lie. You’re just a bad listener” [laughs].

You can read the rest of my Morning Call interview by clicking here.

Entertainment, Morning Call, Music

Lehigh Valley concert preview: Here are the shows coming in 2025
Rascal Flatts will perform Saturday, March 15, 2025, at the PPL Center in Allentown. (ABC/ADAM BETTCHER)

t may be hard to believe, but the arrival of 2025 means that we’re now officially one-quarter of the way into the 21st century. It’s a new year that brings with it an opportunity to make resolutions to do things you’ve kept putting off for one reason or another.

If one of the resolutions you’ve made this year is to get out and explore what’s going on in the Lehigh Valley, then we’ve got you covered. Because 2025 is already shaping up to be a memorable one for live entertainment.

Set aside those winter blues and enjoy this list of some of the exciting options happening in an around the Valley in the new year.

Musikfest Cafe

The fun officially kicks off over in Bethlehem at the Musikfest Café with the smooth sounds of Yacht Rock as well as the return of several familiar faces. It begins on Friday, Jan. 10,  when New York City-based band Yacht Lobsters performs a signature blend of soft rock of the ’70s and ’80s. It continues on Friday, Jan. 24, when Go Go Gadjet returns with their popular high energy show. They’ll be followed the very next week with fan-favorites The Amish Outlaws on Friday, Jan. 31.

Wind Creek Event Center

If dancing is more your thing, Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem has two performances of the popular “Dancing With Stars Live” at 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25. Comedian Sam Morril will return to the Wind Creek stage on Saturday, Feb. 8; classic rock legends The Marshall Tucker Band perform on Friday, Feb. 14, and fans of the ’90s can relive the nostalgia with “I Love the 90s” featuring Vanilla Ice, Rob Base, Tone Loc and C&C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams on Saturday, March 15.

You can read the rest of my article previewing the 2025 Concert Season by clicking here.