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Archive for the ‘Musikfest Cafe’ Category

Patty Griffin (Musikfest Cafe, Bethlehem, PA, July 16, 2026)

Posted in Bethlehem, PA, Kathleen Edwards, Musikfest Cafe, Patty Griffin, Steelstacks on July 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 16, 2026] Patty Griffin

I have Patty Griffin’s first two albums.  I liked her first album (folkie) and really liked her more rocking second album Flaming Red.  I’d always thought she had kind of a weird voice but it was a cool voice. And then after those two albums I’d basically forgotten about her.  My wife really liked one of her songs (Where I Come From).  That one’s from 2019 and seems more likely that it would have been played.

Patty Griffin came out on stage with two musicians-a percussionist who was wonderful to watch–he had so much gear and hit all kinds of things.  I was very happy we were on his side of the stage.  And a guitarist who made some amazing sounds come from his guitar.  She announced their names but I didn’t hear either one.

Patty stood front and center and began singing.  And she didn’t sound anything like I thought she would.  I realized that the albums I liked were 30 years old, but I didn’t expect her to sound so different.  And when she spoke, it was practically a whisper.  Well, I have just learned today that Patty Griffin had a battle with breast cancer in 2016 and lost her voice.  She started singing again in 2019.

So I guess that explains why she sounds different.  And probably why she doesn’t sing any of her older songs–at some other recent shoes she did sing a song from her debut but clearly not at every show.

As she started All the Way Home, the guy in front of us whooped.  Really loudly.  I admit that I don’t like whoopers at the best of times.  But this was a small, quiet crowd.  In no way was any whoop necessary, but certainly once you did one and the crowd didn’t react, it’s time to read the room dude.

I enjoyed these first two songs from her latest album.  Back at the Start had s cool surf-guitar sound that sounded great with her whispery voice.  She played The Wheel from that 2019 album (my wife liked the wrong song, I guess).Then she played a bluesy song called Standing.  I don’t really like the blues as a genre, so I didn’t love this one.  Up next was a song about her mother’s passing.  Indeed, her whole new album is about that.  Born in a cage was a very pretty song.  (more…)

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Kathleen Edwards (Musikfest Cafe, Bethlehem, PA, July 16, 2026) [PATTY GRIFFIN]

Posted in Bethlehem, PA, Kathleen Edwards, Musikfest Cafe, Patty Griffin, Steelstacks on July 16, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 16, 2026] Kathleen Edwards

When I saw Kathleen Edwards in 2021, I traveled to NYC to see her because I thought that this was a one and done kind of thing.  That she had basically retired from music but was going to do this show and I’d finally get to see her.

Who would have guessed that five years later I would have seen her seven times.

I didn’t necessarily need to go to this show, but I knew that a Kathleen Edwards set would be enjoyable and Musikfest Cafe is a delightful place to see a show.   I was also vaguely curious about Patty Griffin.  I have two of her albums from the 1990s but otherwise know little else about her.

We arrived way too early because the last time, parking was a struggle.  There was something going on downstairs–I wonder if it was supposed to be outside.  Because of the fires in Ottawa the air quality was terrible today.

When I bought tickets I had purposefully bought ones where no one was around us and it paid off, we had a nice buffer around us.  So we relaxed and waited for Kathleen,

I had no idea how this show would work.  It seemed like a double headline bill.  But, in fact, Kathleen was the opener.  For this set it was only her and Matt Sucich.  I think I’ve seen this combo before, but I always marvel at how every one of her shows has been different in some way.  Kathleen played acoustic guitar and Matt played various guitars adding solos and riffs and of course backing vocals.

I had asked on two social media channels if she would play “I Make the Dough You Get the Glory,” my favorite song by her, which I have never seen her play.  But she obviously didn’t get the memo.  But this turned out to be a kind of greatest hits set and it was fantastic.  Interestingly, my wife also had a “wanna see” song (Hard to Everyone) and she didn’t play that either.

With it just being the two of them, Kathleen was looser and the songs sounded different (not better or worse, just different). (more…)

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Built to Spill / Guerilla Toss (Musikfest Cafe, Bethlehem, PA, June 4, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Bethlehem, PA, Built to Spill, Guerrilla Toss, Musikfest Cafe on June 4, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATEND: June 4, 2026] Built to Spill / Guerilla Toss

Built to Spill and Guerilla Toss played Asbury Lanes last night.  I probably would have preferred to see them at Musikfest Cafe, but I’m not sure.  The question was moot, though because tonight was an award night for my daughter’s school.

So I was glad that the Asbury Lanes show went on.  There’s a part of me that would have liked to go to both shows–I mean, I could watch Built to Spill any time and Guerilla Toss was amazing.  Now that Dug has been playing with this lineup a lot, I think they have even more songs under their collective belt which makes for even more varies setlists.

Here’s the setlist from Bethlehem–they played 11 songs that they didn’t play the night before.  Amazing.

  1. C.R.E.B.
  2. Reasons
  3. Stab
  4. Understood
  5. The Plan
  7. Hindsight
  8. Fire to Dust
  9. Gonna Lose
  10. Bad Light
  11. Wherever You Go
  12. Broken Chairs
  13. Else
  14. I Would Hurt a Fly
  15. Made-Up Dreams 
  16. Randy Described Eternity 
  17. Car

Here’s from Asbury Lanes

  1. Some Other Song
  2. Spiderweb
  3. The Plan
  4. The Wait
  5. Mess With Time
  6. Center of the Universe
  7. Three Years Ago Today
  8. Tomorrow
  9. Fire to Dust
  10. Distopian Dream Girl
  11. I Would Hurt a Fly
  12. Gonna Lose
  13. Laughing (R.E.M. cover)
  14. Car
  15. Virginia Reel Around the Fountain (The Halo Benders cover)
  16. Carry the Zero
    Encore:
  17. Broken Chairs
  18. Goin’ Against Your Mind

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Kathleen Edwards (Musikfest Cafe, Bethlehem, PA, October 19, 2025)

Posted in Bethlehem, PA, Kathleen Edwards, Musikfest Cafe on October 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 19, 2025] Kathleen Edwards

When I saw Kathleen Edwards in 2021, I traveled to NYC to see her because I thought that this was a one and done kind of thing.  That she had basically retired from music but was going to do this show and I’d finally get to see her.

Who would have guessed that four years later I would have seen her six times.

After seeing her at the XPN Fest it wasn’t really necessary to see her a few weeks later, but heck, seeing her in an intimate setting like the Musikfest Cafe from just a few feet away (when I already had tickets) was hard to pass up.  I had a ticket for my wife as well but she didn’t feel the need to come to the show.

I must have left a little later than I meant to because by the time I parked (and there are NO ADA spots near the venue–the best they can do is spots on the closest side of the closest parking lot which is like two blocks away) I was running seriously late.  In fact, I think I walked in at exactly 8.  Luckily, this is one of those loose setups and there was no opening act, so she came on around 8:15, which gave me enough time to order my (obligatory at this place) food (a flight of pierogis–pretty good).  I was seated at a table not too far from the stage (but I knew better than to get right up against the stage–it’s too close!)

It’s funny that the first few times I saw her, she had a different backing band each time, but for the last three shows it has been the same–they are a well seasoned band by this point and they sound great. (more…)

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Richard Thompson / Alexa Rose (Musikfest Cafe, Bethlehem, PA, July 26, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Alexa Rose, Bethlehem, PA, Musikfest Cafe, Richard Thompson on July 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 26, 2024] Richard Thompson / Alexa Rose

I really want to see Richard Thompson one more time, but I really want to see hi with his band rather than solo.

For this tour, he announced it would be a band tour!  I was so excited.  But when he announced this relatively local show, it was solo.

What’s weird about his solo shows is that he had a million songs in his repertoire and he plays all request shows where I’m sure he’s playing all kinds of songs.  But when he plays solo he tends to play the same twenty or so songs.  It’s always amazing, I am just looking for something a little different from him.

I keep hoping he’ll bring the band to McCarter one more time.

Alexa Rose was born in the Alleghany Highlands of western Virginia, raised in the tiny railroad town of Clifton Forge. Though no one in her immediate family played or sang, she inherited a deep musical legacy.

She has a pretty, clean voice with vaguely country leanings.

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Richard Thompson (Musikfest Cafe, Bethlehem, PA, May 17, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Bethlehem, PA, Musikfest Cafe, Richard Thompson on May 17, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 17, 2023] Richard Thompson

I wanted to see Richard Thompson, although we had seen him fairly recently.  Actually, I’d really like to see him with his band rather than solo.  But I’m not sure if he’ll be bringing a band with him on tour much anymore–maybe is he releases a full band record again?

When his first local show was announced at McCarter, I was pretty excited about it.  But it turned out to be the one night that I had other shows lined up.

Then he announced this show at Musikfest Cafe.  It’s a great venue and I would have loved to have seen him there.  But I had a few things going on this week and it just wasn’t going to happen.

I’m sure he’ll be playing nearby again soon–maybe even with his band.

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Wetface (Musikfest Cafe, Bethlehem, PA, September 4, 2022) [BUILT TO SPILL]

Posted in Bethlehem, PA, Blood Lemon, Built to Spill, Musikfest Cafe, Wetface on September 5, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 4, 2022] Wetface

When I realized that I was going to be late for this show, I hoped beyond reason that Wetface would go on first and I would miss his set instead of Blood Lemon.  I realize that Blood Lemon bassist Melanie Radford plays bass in this incarnation of Built to Spill and probably needs some downtime between sets, but I really did not want to sit through Wetface again.

I considered leaving the room and looking at merch or just going for a walk but I didn’t really want to lose my place.  Although, realistically, my place kinda sucked because the people around me were awful.  I should have stuck with my guts.

The drunken Bethlehem crowd absolutely loved Wetface.  And I’m going to say that I found him more entertaining at this venue than the first time.  Perhaps because my expectations were so low.

He had a lot of technical difficulties which he played up and which he had fun with.  I also got a kick out of him throwing his last three T-shirts (that’s all that left of my merch) into the crowd.  “But, hey, they are all smalls, so if you’re a big person and you just grabbed that shirt, I am happy for you that you got something free at a concert, but kindly give it to someone who will fit it).

He played a song and when it was done, someone requested that he play it again.  So he did.

I am quite aware that I need to lighten up at shows, but yes, I would have been very happy to have missed this set.

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Blood Lemon (Musikfest Cafe, Bethlehem, PA, September 4, 2022) [BUILT TO SPILL]

Posted in Bethlehem, PA, Blood Lemon, Musikfest Cafe, Wetface on September 4, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 4, 2022] Blood Lemon

I had seen this very lineup just a few months ago.  I assumed that seeing the show in May and then in September would be a different experience.   I was especially excited to see Blood Lemon again because I missed most of their set last time.

Unfortunately, the traffic into Bethlehem was terrible (there was a torrential downpour as well).  And between that and the loud, drunken crowd all pressing to get in, I missed half of Blood Lemon again.  The lighting was much better for this set, so it was nice actually seeing consisting of singer/guitarist Lisa Simpson, singer/bassist Melanie Radford and percussionist Lindsey Lloyd.

The sound seemed to be a little off.  Or, maybe it was just that there were some remarkably loud talkers at this show.  The last time we went to shows here, the crowds were good.  I’m guessing this was a college night/end of school year/loud rocking band kinda show.  Because this crowd was really shitty to be around.

They didn’t even seem to show much respect when Blood Lemon called Doug Martsch out on stage to jam with them on their last song.

The band was great again, and the few songs I heard made me really want to see them again–an actual full set even!

This show wasn’t even listed on setlist, so I’m just guessing their set was something like this.

  1. Master Manipulator ß
  2. High Tide
  3. Perfect Too
  4. The Stone Castle ß
  5. One More Time ß
  6. Her Shadow
  7. Burned ß
  8. Whistleblower ß

ß Blood Lemon (2021)

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Mountain Goats (John Darnielle solo) (Musikfest Cafe, Steel Stacks, Bethlehem, PA, June 27, 2021) [rescheduled date, rescheduled again]

Posted in Bethlehem, PA, Coronavirus, John Darnielle, Musikfest Cafe, Postponed, Quarantine, Steelstacks, The Mountain Goats on June 27, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: June 27, 2021] Mountain Goats (solo) [rescheduled from June 4 and October 12, 2020; moved to September 26, 2021]

indexI thought this date might go on since things are starting to reopen, but presumably it wasn’t going to be 100% capacity, so it was pushed back just a few more months.

Unfortunately, the new date conflicts with another show, so 18 months of waiting for nothing.

When this show was rescheduled there were still a few chairs left. Musikfest Cafe seems like  a pretty safe venue–lots of distancing available.  But I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to a show yet.  Having it postponed, made the decision for me.

I like The Mountain Goats quite a lot.  I think John Darnielle is a great songwriter.

I’ve never seen them (or him) live and I’ve often thought it would be an enjoyable night, but they’re usually just under my radar.

I’d usually prefer to see a band rather than its lead singer solo, but in this case, I don’t know if it would make that much of a difference to me.  Seeing him at the Musikfest Cafe would be pretty fantastic–a great venue with excellent acoustics.

The biggest surprise to me is how quickly his shows sell out.  If this one hadn;t sold it, it was very close, by the time it was postponed.

2425316-1591535737

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Mountain Goats (John Darnielle solo) (Musikfest Cafe, Steel Stacks, Bethlehem, PA, October 12, 2020) [rescheduled date–POSTPONED]

Posted in Bethlehem, PA, Coronavirus, John Darnielle, Musikfest Cafe, Postponed, Quarantine, Steelstacks, The Mountain Goats on October 12, 2020| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: October 12, 2020] Mountain Goats (solo) [rescheduled from June 4; moved to June 27, 2021]

indexWhen this show was rescheduled there were still a few chairs left. Musikfest Cafe seems like  a pretty safe venue–lots of distancing available.  But I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to a show yet.  Having it postponed, made the decision for me.

I like The Mountain Goats quite a lot.  I think John Darnielle is a great songwriter.

I’ve never seen them (or him) live and I’ve often thought it would be an enjoyable night, but they’re usually just under my radar.

I’d usually prefer to see a band rather than its lead singer solo, but in this case, I don’t know if it would make that much of a difference to me.  Seeing him at the Musikfest Cafe would be pretty fantastic–a great venue with excellent acoustics.

The biggest surprise to me is how quickly his shows sell out.  If this one hadn;t sold it, it was very close, by the time it was postponed.

2425316-1591535737

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