Category: Morning Call

A Conversation With, Entertainment, Interview, Morning Call, Music, Women Who Rock

Meet her on Broadway: Bethlehem native Lilly Moss talks about her singing career, her new album and that time she met Taylor Swift

Rising country artist Lilly Moss has roots that run deep through the Lehigh Valley. Born and raised in Bethlehem, the talented singer-songwriter is making a name for herself by combining her uniquely ubiquitous voice with a good measure of poetic storytelling.

This year, Moss performed for a sold-out crowd at the Pediatric Cancer Foundation’s Hearts of Gold Gala, where her mosaic artwork brought a winning bid of $20,000 for the foundation. She also performed at the Sherman Theater Showcase as a special guest of Hayes Warner, who was named one of People’s “Emerging Artists to Watch 2023.”

Moss’ second single, “Heartbreak Summer,” will be released Friday; the release date of her album will be announced soon. The title-track, “Meet Me on Broadway,” is an energetic tribute to Moss’ dream of a Nashville happily ever after and was produced by Grammy-nominated producer Dan Malsch of Soundmine Studios in Stroudsburg.

Moss’ summer schedule is shaping up nicely and includes both band and solo (guitarist-accompanied) performances, including a Musikfest appearance at Lyrikplatz on Monday, Aug. 5. On Monday, July 22, she’ll appear with her full band, The Steel Ponies, at the Williams Township 75th Country Fair. Her performance starts at 7 p.m.

You can find out more about Lilly Moss on her website: www.lillymoss.com. I recently spoke with Lilly Moss about her music in this new interview.

Q. Did you always know music was going to be your calling?

Lilly Moss: I like to say that I grew into it. I started voice lessons in sixth grade and took them up until I left high school but never really thought about performing because I was self-conscious of my voice and its tone. I wasn’t confident enough to put myself out there until I realized that’s what set me apart. I performed for the first time back in 2021 and remember never wanting to get off the stage. It was then that I thought, ‘OK, let’s do this for real.’

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

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

Get ready to jam: moe. to perform at SteelStacks
Moe. (Paul Citone)

For more than 30 years, the band moe. has garnered critical acclaim for its exploratory musical improvisation along with members’ unfettered knack for both showmanship and songcraft.

The key to the jam band’s longevity can be credited to having never performed a song the same way twice and the camaraderie among its members, which includes founders Al Schnier (guitars/vocals), Chuck Garvey (guitars/vocals), and Rob Derhak (bassist/vocals) as well as longtime members Vinnie Amico (drums), Jim Loughlin (percussion) and Nate Wilson (keyboards).

It’s also reflected in the band’s passionate fanbase, aptly named, “Famoe.ly.”

On Wednesday, July 10, moe. will be bringing its unique style and mind-bending musicality to
Bethlehem for a standing room only performance at Levitt Pavilion.

I recently spoke with Amico about the band’s upcoming performance. We also discuss songwriting, what it was like touring and hanging out backstage with Robert Plant of Led
Zeppelin, and more in this new interview.

What can moe. fans expect from your upcoming performance at Levitt Pavilion?

Vinnie Amico: Well, you’re going to get a high-powered set of rock and roll. We’ve been working a lot this year and playing better than ever. We’re also back in the studio putting together some new music. You’ll hear music from across our catalog. It’ll be a really good show.

You can read the rest of my Morning Call interview with Vinnie Amico by Clicking Here!

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

A modern Renaissance: Blackmore’s Night brings medieval melodies to Lehigh Valley

Inspired by renaissance, nature and love, Blackmore’s Night has been captivating audiences with their ubiquitous melodies and troubadour-style performances for more than 25 years at venues, festivals, and castles alike.

The group features vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Candice Night as well as legendary guitarist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple, Rainbow).
But don’t expect to hear screaming vocals or high-volume distorted electric guitar from this eclectic duo and their band. Instead, Blackmore’s Night live show is a passport to a time gone by; complete with merry camaraderie, medieval instruments like the hurdy-gurdy, shawms, and pennywhistles as well as renaissance garb.

The group is out on six-city tour, which includes a stop at The Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg at 8 p.m. Saturday.

I recently spoke with Candice Night about the band’s upcoming performance and more in this new interview.

It’s been nearly 30 years since you and Ritchie formed Blackmore’s Night. What inspired the project?

Candice Night: I had never heard of Renaissance music before I met Ritchie, yet I was always inspired by having one foot in a magical world, a world of fantasy. When I met him, he brought me to his dark English Tudor house in the woods of Connecticut with nothing but trees around for miles. He had a minstrels gallery; everything was very low lit with lots of tapestries on the walls and a huge fireplace. He would play nothing but purist Renaissance music on the sound system. And it was there, looking out the window as the snow fell and watching deer eat the grass off the front garden while this music played that it became the soundtrack to nature in my mind. It completed the picture — the perfect marriage of visual and audio.

Read the rest of my Morning Call interview with Candice Night by Clicking Here.

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

Lehigh Valley native brings horror-comedy ‘Grampy’ to Southside Film Festival

Graham Burrell is a Philly-based independent filmmaker whose passion for the craft began around the same time he learned how to say the word “camera.”

A Parkland High School and Muhlenberg College graduate, Burrell was heavily involved in the film programs at both schools. To date, he’s written, directed, and edited more than 25 shorts, garnering more than 20 awards and millions of views online.

His most recent short, “Grampy,” is a horror/dark comedy with a big beating heart at its core. It’s the story of a young woman who must spend a rainy night with the taxidermy corpse of an old man in a creaking farmhouse. With the help of other Lehigh Valley natives and despite having a shoe-string budget, Burrell has successfully woven a curious tale of dark humor, horror, and hope.

“Grampy” has been captivating festival audiences across the country, earning numerous awards including Best Director – U.S. Short Film at the Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival, Best Dark Comedy at the Allentown Film Festival, and Best in Fest at the Northeast Pennsylvania Film Festival.

The film will next be screened as part of this year’s Southside Film Festival, which will be held in Bethlehem June 11-15.

I recently spoke with Graham Burrell about “Grampy” and what it was like going through local school film programs in this new interview.

Where did the idea for Grampy originate? What inspired the story?

Graham Burrell: Back in 2021 I saw a comedic TikTok video about someone pretending that their friend was stuffed and immediately thought it would be a clever concept for a horror/dark comedy. The mental image of “taxidermy grandpa” was particularly compelling and felt ripe for a horror film. Unfortunately during the middle of pre-production, I lost my own step-grandfather to a battle with multiple myeloma. While mourning his loss, I realized that “taxidermy grandpa” could actually serve as a potent analogy for grief and the difficult process involved in saying goodbye to a loved one. The story went through a significant re-writing in order to give the film a deeper, dramatic edge. I added the backstory involving our protagonist grieving the loss of her father, and writing the film became an outlet for me after losing my own loved one.

You can read the rest of my interview with Graham Burrell by Clicking Here.

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

She’s played for the Queen and channels Jimi Hendrix. Blues guitarist Malina Moye is coming to Allentown
Photo: Josh Shultz

For guitarist Malina Moye, who’s left-handed, upside-down guitar wizardry instantly conjures up images of Jimi Hendrix, it’s always been about the blues.

Drawing inspiration from her own personal experience and with a genre-defying mixture of tone and style, Moye’s albums have felt right at home on the Billboard Blues Charts. Her 2018 release, “Bad As I Wanna Be,” even reached No. 1 for two consecutive weeks.

In addition to being an in-demand performer on her own, Moye is often asked to take part in other musical endeavors, like the Experience Hendrix Tour where she performed alongside
other guitar greats like Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. She’s the first African-American woman to perform the national anthem for a major sporting event and was even invited to perform “God Save the Queen” to honor the Queen of England’s 60-year reign.

This summer, Moye will be performing two back-to-back shows in Allentown. The first, on Friday, June 21 at the Civic Theater in Allentown, is part of a benefit for Rush Arts Philanthropic Foundation. The following day, June 22, Moye will be taking part in Allentown’s 16th annual Blues, Brews & Barbecue festival.

I recently spoke with Malina Moye about her upcoming Allentown appearances in this new interview.

Q. What can fans expect from your Allentown performances?

Malina Moye: I always hope to bring excitement and fun. We do a high energy show and it’s always about keeping it fresh and making it cool. I’m excited to meet new people, saying hello to old friends and fans and just having a great time.

Your Friday show at the Civic Theater benefits the Rush Arts Philanthropic Foundation. How important is it for you to be a part of this benefit?

For me, being part of a benefit, especially one dealing with the arts, is very important. I think that when you get to a certain place part of your job is to give back. The reason I’m where I am right now is because someone poured into me. So, if I can be part of something that can make someone or something better then please include me and thank you.

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

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

Wind Creek Event Center first on East Coast to install state-of-the-art sound system

When the Wind Creek Event Center decided to upgrade its sound system, they weren’t going to settle for anything but the best.

With that in mind, the venue chose the coveted L-Acoustics L Series sound system to replace their antiquated 14-year-old system. The impressively innovative, concert-grade L
Series is the first install on the East Coast and one of the first in the world.

Major artists always want to have the best possible sound while touring and have trusted L-Acoustics to fill that gap for years. Having the new state of the art, L Series system as part of its arsenal will be an even bigger incentive for artists and their audio teams to choose Wind Creek Event Center over other locations for their live performance events.

I recently spoke with several of the people involved in the Wind Creek Event Center’s new sound system about the L Series and what patrons can expect in this new interview.

What inspired the decision to upgrade the Event Center’s sound system?

Jeff Trainer [Owner]: When we first opened the Event Center we wanted to bring great concert experiences to the Lehigh Valley. Major upgrades like the sound system continues our
commitment for world class entertainment here at Wind Creek.

Read the rest of my Morning Call Interview with the team from Wind Creek Event Center by clicking here!

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

Bethlehem Bach Festival starts May 10. What you need to know about the 116th annual event

Founded in 1898, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem presents more than 40 concerts and educational programs each year for thousands of people who attend from across the country and around the world.

To culminate the celebration of their 125th anniversary season, the choir will present its 116th Bethlehem Bach Festival over two weekends in May. This year’s festival, led by artistic
director / conductor Christopher Jackson, includes recorder-playing star Vincent Lauzer as artist-in-residence, and will feature familiar works like the Brandenburg Concertos and
Goldberg Variations as well as the annual performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor.

The 2024 Festival will once again be offering the Ifor Jones Chamber Music Concert, Bach at 4, and Chamber Music in the Saal concerts and performances.

The 116th Festival also marks the return of Zimmermann’s Coffee House both weekends, showcasing extraordinary young musicians performing in a relaxed atmosphere, complete with a selection of German-inspired food and drink.

I recently spoke with Christopher Jackson about this year’s Bach Festival and more in this new interview.

Q: For people who may not know, can you give me a little bit of the backstory on the Bach Choir and its purpose and mission?

Christopher Jackson: We’ve been around since 1898 and are America’s oldest and longest running Bach Choir. We’re founded by many immigrants from Germany and what is now the Czech Republic and the Moravians are largely responsible for bringing over the music of Bach.

In terms of historical importance a lot of Bach’s music was performed for the very first time by this organization. We have a youth choir program that starts at the age of three and have
members of the choir who are over 80 and singing really well. We perform for audiences of all ages around the Valley including a music in hospice program. We really are attempting to
share the benefits of music at every stage of life. There are many other choral organizations in the U.S. that base their own Bach festivals off of what they experienced in Bethlehem.

Read the rest of my Morning Call interview with Christopher Jackson by Clicking Here.

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

Forging his own path: Wolfgang Van Halen talks tour, Oscars performance and his legendary father
Photo: Javier Bragado

When you’re a musician with the last name Van Halen, you might think it would be a daunting task establishing yourself as an individual artist, but that was never going to be a problem for multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Wolfgang Van Halen, who’s proven himself to be more than capable.

The son of legendary guitarist Edward Van Halen and actress Valerie Bertinelli was only 16 when he played bass and toured the world with his famous father and the legendary band that bears their name. Wolf would later go on to have a role in what would become the band’s final studio album, 2012’s A Different Kind of Truth.

Shortly after the passing of his father in 2020, Wolfgang Van Halen released his first band album, Mammoth WVH; the name a reference to both Wolf’s initials and an homage to an earlier band that featured his father and uncle, Alex, prior to forming Van Halen. The album would reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hard Rock chart and the single, “Distance,” would earn the legendary guitarist’s son his own Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song. Even more impressive is that all of the writing, vocal and instrumentation (including guitars, bass, drums) on the album was done by Wolfgang exclusively.

Wolf’s most recent album, Mammoth II, also topped the Hard Rock album chart when it was released last summer — a feat that not only speaks to the maturity of Wolf as a player but also solidifies him as a consummate artist.

On Saturday, Wolfgang Van Halen will bring his monstrous Mammoth II tour to the Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem for a night of rock music and ferocious guitar playing.

I recently spoke with Van Halen about his upcoming performance in Bethlehem, music and more in this exclusive new interview.

You recently attended the Oscars where you got to perform with Slash and Ryan Gosling on “I’m Just Ken,” a song nominated for an Academy Award and one you helped record for the “Barbie The Album” soundtrack. What was that experience like?

Wolfgang Van Halen: It was very crazy but an exciting thing to be a part of. That is not my normal place to hang around in or operate from, so I felt a little like a fish out of water [laughs].

You can read the rest of my Morning Call interview with Wolfgang Van Halen by Clicking Here.

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

From boxing to Big Band to ‘Taxi’: Tony Danza to talk personal life and career at Musikfest Cafe

For more than 45 years, actor and singer Tony Danza has been one of the world’s most beloved entertainers. Whether it’s his celebrated performances on shows like “Taxi” and “Who’s The Boss,” his extensive movie and Broadway credits, or even rubbing elbows with the likes of legends like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and songwriter Sammy Cahn, Danza has firmly established himself as a multi-generational icon.

But for all you know about Tony Danza, one of the things you might not know is that prior to becoming an actor, Danza envisioned himself as a teacher, even earning a bachelor’s degree in education. Before finding a job teaching, he made a living as a professional boxer until fate stepped in and took his life in a whole new direction.

This is a small example of the stories fans can expect to hear on Friday, when Tony Danza brings his acclaimed “Standards &Stories,” to the Musikfest Café in Bethlehem.

The show combines Danza’s love of performing the timeless music from the Great American Songbook while interweaving stories from his personal and professional life. Who knows, there may even be a dash of soft shoe dancing and ukulele performances as well.

I recently spoke with Danza about his show and more in this exclusive new interview.

Q: How did the idea to do a show called “Standards & Stories” come about?

Tony Danza: Back in 1993 I hit a tree while skiing and almost killed myself. When I came back from it I said to myself, “I’m getting a second chance. What haven’t I done yet?” By then I had already been tap dancing for about 10 years and realized what I wanted to do was be a song and dance man. So I called up my agent and said I wanted to try it and wrote it up. It’s called “Standards & Stories,” which is pretty self-explanatory. It’s some of the greatest songs ever written played by a four-piece band led by Joe Davidian that will knock your socks off. Then I tell my stories: some professional, some personal, and a story about my mother that I’m very excited to tell. I try to make a connection with the audience and have them relate to the songs. People really seem to enjoy it and we have a great time playing it.

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

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

Aardvarks to celebrate 20th anniversary on home turf with Musikfest Cafe performance

Chalk it up to musicianship, perseverance, or simply being able to give audiences what they want to hear as reasons for The Aardvarks musical longevity, but one thing’s for sure: The band has defied the odds over the last 20 years and cemented themselves as one of the Lehigh Valley’s premier and longest running rock bands. 

After years of performing together in and around the Valley in The Armadillos, bandmates Michael Rauscher (vocalist/guitarist) and Rod Walls (vocalist/keyboardist) founded The Aardvarks in 2004. The band would quickly evolve with the arrival of vocalist/guitarist Jason Morgan and vocalist/bassist Jon Novak in 2006, and later, when vocalist/drummer Ted Donatelli joined, six years later. 

The current line-up of The Aardvarks has been together for more than a dozen years; constantly updating their song catalog with an eclectic and energetic blend of rock and pop from the 1970s through the 2000s. At any given show you’re just as likely to hear the band’s spin on songs from Earth, Wind and Fire and Pink Floyd as you are to hear covers and medleys from artists like The Bee Gees, Rick Springfield and Blink 182. 

On Saturday, The Aardvarks will begin their new season and celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band along with another familiar Lehigh Valley group, The Honey Buzzards, when they perform at the Musikfest Café in Bethlehem. 

I recently spoke with Rauscher and Donatelli about the show, the band’s milestone anniversary and more in this new interview. 

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

Michael Rauscher: The guys and I have been working hard on learning new material over our winter break, and I think our fans will be pleased. We’re also bringing up a surprise guest to dive into our old material. It’ll be a hoot!

Read the rest of my Morning Call interview with The Aardvarks by clicking here!