John J. Moser
News DirectorI’m deputy director for news at LehighValleyNews.com and have been a reporter and editor at newspapers in Pennsylvania and North Carolina for nearly 40 years. I spent more than 30 years at The Morning Call in Allentown as a reporter, copy editor and editor, and for 12 years was its music critic and entertainment writer. I’ve captured more than two dozen statewide and national awards for writing and editing, and was part of a team of reporters in North Carolina that was runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Contact me at JohnM@lehighvalleynews.com or 610-984-8183.
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The Bacon Brothers, which features acclaimed actor Kevin Bacon with his brother Michael, will kick off the new season Sept. 7. And Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience will follow Sept. 12, with the Academy Award-winner on stage, narrating a cinematic journey through the heart of the Mississippi Delta, where the Blues was born.
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Joey Valence & Brae, which in August is schedule to release its third album, will perform at the venue at 8 p.m. Oct. 25 as part of Archer's Pennsylvania’s Own series.
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Pure Prairie League, which with The Eagles defined country rock in the early 1970s and had a No. 1 hit with the song “Let Me Love You Tonight,” will play Thursday, Dec. 4.
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Regional country singer Kendal Conrad, chart-topping punk-pop group Boys Like Girls and more have been announced as Musikfest main Steel Stage supporting acts.
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Beep Boop, Beep Boop: A Sci-Fi Film Festival will be back at ArtsQuest Center's Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas for a fourth year July 25-28, with 11 films over four days.
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Pennsylvania Music Preservation Society will present Music Alive at the Ritz, a series of shows on Sundays through October.
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Sponge, whose biggest hit, “Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain),” hit No. 3 on Billboard's Hot Modern Rock charts in 1994, will perform at The Gin Mill and Grill in Northampton. Sponge will top a five-act show at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 13 in what the venue calls a "customer appreciation pre-Xmas bash."
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Foreigner, which ruled the charts from 1977 to 1987 with songs such as “Feels Like the First Time," "Hot Blooded" and "Waiting for a Girl Like You," will perform at Wind Creek Event Center on Sunday, Dec. 7.
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Thomas Riddle of Bethlehem, founder and chairman of Valley National Financial Advisors, will be recipient of the Linny Awards' Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 Linny Awards ceremony on Oct. 23, ArtsQuest announced.
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Drake Bell, best known for his starring roles on Nickelodeon’s “The Amanda Show” with Amanda Bynes from 1999-02, and “Drake & Josh” from 2004-07, will perform at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at Gin Mill and Grille, at 1750 Main St., Northampton.
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Listen to the Dissonance: Songs & Conversations About Mental Health will be at 2 p.m. Feb. 4 (doors and vendors open at 1:30) in the Charles Brown Icehouse, 56 River St., Bethlehem. Offered by Your Next Favorite Band podcast, the show will offer interviews and solo performances by five regional performers, then a songwriter roundtable with all the participating artists.
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ArtsQuest’s Concerts on the Grange, which kicked off last year as a two-day music festival featuring tribute acts to Upper Macungie Township’s Grange Park, this year will expand to four nights of music throughout spring and summer.
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The series, at the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinema in the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, "promises to immerse audiences in the magic of 1999, a year celebrated for its groundbreaking and iconic films," an ArtsQuest release said.
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The Hooters, the Philadelphia band best known for hits 1980s hits "Day By Day" and "And We Danced," will return to Quakertown's Sounds of Summer concert series for the fourth year in a row.
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The series' shows, in which family shows featuring music, dance, puppetry, storytelling and other creative arts are held one Sunday afternoon each month, will kick off 2 p.m. Jan. 21.
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With some parts of the Lehigh Valley under as much as 9 inches of snow, the National Weather Service says the storm’s not quite done yet.
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ArtsQuest’s annual Souper Bowl, in which area restaurants compete for recognition as creating the best bouillons and superior stews, will return for a 14th year, the organization has announced. In addition, this year’s event will feature a new experience: a Best Thing You Ever Made soup demo with Chef Lee Chizmar, an Allentown native from the restaurant Bolete and Mr. Lee’s Noodles.
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The concert, announced last week, will be part of Philadelphia country radio station 92.5 WXTU's Ski Day at Bear Creek Mountain Resort. The station will broadcast live from the ski area from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Jan. 26.
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The staff at Bethlehem Area Public Library has taken out the time to tell us their favorite chapters of the entire year that has just passed.
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Chuck D, one of the founders of seminal rap group Public Enemy, will present "A conversation with Hip Hop legend Chuck D of Public Enemy" at 7 p.m. April 16 in NCC's Spartan Center.
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The most popular names have been a constant the past few years, according to the major health networks. But one trend that emerged in 2023 in the Lehigh Valley seems to be tied to sports — specifically, the success and popularity of the Philadelphia Phillies. Taylor Swift also may be having an impact.
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The second annual Allentown Film Festival will be from April 6-14 at the Civic Theatre of Allentown and its boutique Theatre514 across the street.