BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Welcome to LehighValleyNews.com's Fest in Show, a daily offering of some of the can't-miss acts on the stages of Musikfest.
Read us daily during Musikfest for suggestions of the best music — and more.
The music
Pepperwine, 3 p.m. Zinzenplats, and 8:30 p.m. Main Street
Pepperwine, an indie, female-fronted four-piece band from the Jersey Shore, produces hip-shaking rhythms, head-nodding tunes and a whole lot of soul in its mix of pop, rock, funk and groove. "Pepperwine is a great rock band — we've had them a number of times," ArtsQuest Programming Director Patrick Brogan said.
Chance Emerson, 5 p.m. Americaplatz
Chance Emerson is a Taiwanese-American folk-rock singer-songwriter from Hong Kong now based in Rhode Island. His self-produced "The Indigo Tapes" hit No. 1 on iTunes' Singer-songwriter EP chart. "He's probably my favorite," ArtsQuest's Brogan said. "This is the alt-alt indie rock sound. Great, crazy rock."
Hector Rosado y su Orq Hache, 9 p.m. Plaza Tropical
Percussionist Hector Rosado has toured with David Byrne and Tito Puente, has recorded for Warner Bros. Records, and has created tracks for “video Jams” as seen on the BET Network. He's a go-to Latin percussionist on the East Coast, and makes his home in the Lehigh Valley.
Bastard Bearded Irishmen, 9:30 p.m. Stadtplatz
Not too many years ago, Pittsburgh Celtic punk band Bastard Bearded Irishmen were described as "a rising talent," with Rolling Stone online calling them a "band to watch." These days, its ferocious blend of rock, punk, acoustic and traditional Celtic sounds is once seen as among the best of the genre. "A great Irish show on the festival," ArtsQuest's Brogan said.
Hot Bijouxx, 8 p.m. Jazz Cabaret Stage
Philadelphia’s Hot Bijouxx is performing "a reunion for the first time in years," ArtsQuest's Brogan said. The energetic band plays Prohibition-era jazz, French gypsy swing-waltz, and Brazilian bossa nova — even Great American Songbook standards metamorphosized into jazz.
For foodies
The mouthwatering smash burgers from Slide On By are by far some of the best grub we've tasted at Musikfest.
The food stand, located next to Hogar Crea at Handwerkplatz, serves sliders in four varieties including a vegetarian option.
Burgers are sold with a side of chips and napkins (you'll need them).
We tried the O.G. ($13) with American cheese, chopped pickles, onion, ketchup and house-made garlic aioli (the sauce rivals McDonald's famous Big Mac flavoring).
