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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CountryFest, a free festival set for Aug. 21-22, "will bring the heart and soul of country music to the Lehigh Valley with two full days of live performances, great food and high-energy fun," ArtsQuest said in a release. -
The fourth annual No Planet B Jamboree, a free festival featuring music, sustainable vendors and more, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at the Town Square Community Stage outside ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.
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The $27,731,984 raised this year tops last year's record of $26,231,833. When including donations to United Way’s Critical Support Fund and contributions through the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit program, United Way raised $30,436,542 this year.
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Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Patty Griffin and Canadian singer Kathleen Edwards will perform a show July 16 at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center in Bethlehem. Tickets fo on sale at noon Friday, April 17.
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Here are 25 acts that say they'll play Musikfest free stages, including PA teen band that went viralNow that Musikfest has completed the announcements of the headliners on its main Steel Stage, the festival still has to reveal the wide offerings on the festival's 15 free stages.
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The Struts, whose style recalls bands such as The Rolling Stones and Queen and who has had the hits “Could Have Been Me” and “Kiss This,” will perform at 7 p.m. June 28 at Archer Music Hall, it was announced Monday.
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Jesse Royal, a Jamaican who blends traditional roots reggae with modern influences and socially conscious lyrics, will perform at the July 11 festival on the SteelStacks campus. Royal will be among more than a dozen acts across three stages scheduled for the festival, set for noon-1:30 a.m.
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Brian Regan, who has starred in several Comedy Central specials and refrains from profanity and off-color humor, will play State Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25, the venue announced. And Lewis Black, known for his cantankerous comedic style and also as an author, playwright, social critic and actor, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9.
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Jessica Simpson, known for her 1999 platinum single "I Wanna Love You Forever," as well as for starring in the MTV reality show "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica" with her husband, singer Nick Lachey, will perform at 8 p.m. June 11.
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ArtsQuest announced Thursday it will transform its campus at SteelStacks into "the Lehigh Valley’s premier soccer destination" June 11-July 19.
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Brooks and Dunn, the country music Hall of Fame duo that had a dozen gold and platinum albums and more than 40 Top 10 Country chart hits before retiring in 2010, will reform for another tour, it was announced Monday.
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State Rep. Bob Freeman, D-Northampton, announced Monday he will seek re-election to a 20th term.
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Orgy, known best for its 1998 hit cover of the New Order song “Blue Monday,” will perform at 5:30 p.m. May 17 at MainGate Night Club as part of a tour to mark the anniversary of its album “Candyass,” which included “Blue Monday.”
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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.
