Greetings Rockers ’N’ Rollers! The past month began with the return of Chicago-based band The Orwells at Philadelphia’s Kung Fu Necktie on March 30th. The band gained huge popularity after a remarkable appearance on David Letterman in 2014 performing their hit, “Who Needs You.” The Orwells disbanded in 2018 amid sexual abuse allegations but announced their return in 2023 stating “Almost five years ago, we were falsely accused of inappropriate conduct by a group of people we had never met. The untrue but sensational rumors led us to take a break to address the situation. We saw no choice but to take legal action and filed a business tort and defamation suit.” Their recent tour consisted of 7 amazing intimate concerts on the East Coast playing a selection of their greatest songs.
Lebowskis of Harrisburg reformed and played their first show in over 8 years. The “secret show” (a preparation for their upcoming public appearance at HMAC’s Stage On Herr on May 4th) took place at the discreet Ramona’s Basement in Uptown Harrisburg on April 13th. The show also included The Tsunami Experiment and Stiv Reynolds as support. Do not miss their upcoming show… for the future knows not when Lebowskis will take place again.
Skid Row has parted ways with Swedish singer Erik Gronwall. The band’s longtime friend Lzzy Hale, of Halestorm will be taking over vocal duties for the upcoming scheduled four concerts in May and June. Erik has decided that touring is not conducive to his overall health in which the singer recently received treatment against leukemia. Skid Row stated they are “proud of what they have created and accomplished with Erik over the past two years and wish nothing but the best to him and his health.” Lzzy Hale said “What an honor to call them my friends and a privilege to be sharing the stage with them.” The 40-year old singer has fronted Halestorm for more than two and a half decades and will be the fourth frontman since Sebastian Bach. Halestorm will play Scranton on July 24th and York Fairgrounds on July 27th.
KISS has sold their name, logo, image and likeness rights and their share of the band’s music catalog and publishing for over $300 million. Pophouse Entertainment who purchased KISS, is the same company behind ABBA’s popular live avatar show and plan to use the same technology for KISS avatar shows in America. Billboard reports the KISS avatar show will open in an unspecified U.S. city in 2027 and the Swedish company plans to “Keep to the KISS legacy. And to extend and amplify it for new generations.”
Poison drummer RikkI Rocket is planning on dropping a new book which will focus largely on his time with the band. The 62-year old co-founder, whose birth name is Richard Allen Ream stated his memoir is “Nearing completion. This book is of course about my life, but much of it is Poison through my eyes. What would you all like to really know?” Rockett was born in Mechanicsburg and went to Cedar Cliff High School in Camp Hill. Poison has sold over 50 million records worldwide, releasing eight studio albums, four live albums, and four compilations. Lead singer, Bret Michaels, also from Mechanicsburg recently said he plans to take a break from performing due to what he described as “medical results and setbacks.”
Guitar legend Dickey Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, “Ramblin’ Man,” died at the age of 80 on April 18. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer died at his home in Osprey, Florida, and had been battling cancer for more than a year and had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Betts left the Allman Brothers Band in 2000 and continued to perform either as a solo act or with the Dickey Betts Band. The band last performed at the Pavilion at Montage Mountain in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in 2018.
Mary J. Blige, Cher, Foreigner, A Tribe Called Quest, Kool & The Gang and Ozzy Osbourne have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a class that also includes folk-rockers Dave Matthews Band and singer-guitarist Peter Frampton. Alexis Korner, John Mayall and Big Mama Thornton earned the Musical Influence Award, while the late Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick and Norman Whitfield will get the Musical Excellence Award. The induction ceremony will be held October 19th at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It will air on ABC at a later date. Those music acts nominated this year but didn’t make the cut included; Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, the late Sinéad O’Connor, soul-pop singer Sade, Britpoppers Oasis, hip-hop duo Eric B. & Rakim and alt-rockers Jane’s Addiction.Sudden Little Thrills Music Festival will make its debut in Pittsburgh September 7th & 8th with a lineup topped by SZA and The Killers. Additional performers include Pittsburgh natives Wiz Khalifa and Girl Talk, along with Melanie Martinez, St. Vincent, Omar Apollo, Fletcher, Yung Gravy and many more. The event inspired by Pittsburgh’s arts and culture will take place at Hazelwood Green, the 178-acre lot on Pittsburgh’s riverfront.
Marley Brothers: Ziggy, Stephen, Julian, Ky-Mani and Damian Marley are hitting the road together for a 22-date North American tour. In what is being called their first outing together in two decades “The Marley Brothers: The Legacy Tour” visits Holmdel, NJ on September 23rd and Bristow, VA on September 27th. The Marley brothers will honor their father by performing individual hits of their own along with classic Bob Marley songs as what would have been his 80th birthday approaches.
Aerosmith announced it is ready to resume its “Peace Out” tour following the injury to Steven Tyler, who suffered vocal cord damage during the tour’s third show last September. Tyler and his bandmates are going back on the road this fall, announcing rescheduled dates as well as three new shows. The 40-date run resumes with a special concert at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh that will feature Teddy Swims as a guest. The routing then includes The Black Crowes with stops at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center September 23rd and Washington DC’s Capitol One Arena on October 8th.
Boundary-pushing western-tinged cowboy crooner Orville Peck is heading back on stage with an expansive North American tour this summer and fall. Peck has not been on the road since abruptly canceling this tour last summer. Peck, who recently signed a record deal with Warner, will visit Harrisburg’s Riverfront Park on July 28th with Jaime Wyatt and Gold Star.
Renowned musician Eric Clapton announced he will visit sunny Southern California later this year for a limited run of shows. The former member of influential bands Cream, Yardbirds and Blind Faith will perform three nights: San Diego on October 8th, Palm Desert on October 10th and the Hollywood Bowl on October 12th. Clapton, the guitarist virtuoso known as “Slowhand” is considered to be one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
MAY CONCERTS: The Super High-Tech Jet Fighters – Mechanicsburg Metropolis May 3. Lebowskis – Harrisburg HMAC May 4. The Loved Ones – Philadelphia Venice Island May 5. Martini Bros – Camp Hill Sierra Madre May 5. The Alarm / Gene Loves Jezebel – Phoenixville Colonial Theatre May 17. L7 – Lititz Mickeys Black Box May 18. Echo & the Bunnymen – Philadelphia Franklin Hall May 19. Skating Polly – Baltimore Metro Gallery May 22.
