Two Scranton music festivals that draw fans from a wider area — the Electric City Music Conference and Good Things are Happening — are tuning up for the second weekend of September.
Steamtown Music Awards and Elephants Dancing performance
The 13th annual Electric City Music Conference launches with the Steamtown Music Awards ceremony and concert Thursday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m. at the V Spot bar, complete with red-carpet arrivals and interviews.
Admission is free for nominees and $15 for others.
Elephants Dancing, a Northeast Pennsylvania reggae and ska band that tours nationally, will perform. “They are doing really cool stuff,” said Electric City Music Conference organizer Joe Caviston. Elephants Dancing is nominated for Artist of the Year.
Other scheduled performers at the ceremony include Squid Sterling, Alahji DáQuan, Chase Who, Bryan Banks, Wagner Road Band, DJ HERSH, Ravyn and Spellslinger.
Votes for more than 35 awards can be cast at Electriccitymusicconference.com through Sept. 7. Online votes will count for People’s Choice Awards and partially count toward decisions made by a panel of judges.
Winners are named for broad categories, such as song and cover band of the year, as well as awards for different genres. There are also categories for technical roles and content creators.
In addition to Elephants Dancing, the Artist of the Year nominees are James Barrett, Traverse the Abyss, Gracie Jane Sinclair, University Drive, So Much Hope, Buried, American Vanity, Tori V and The Karma, Brendan Michael Smith, and Cowgirl Pills.
“This weekend has always been about putting a spotlight on the incredible musical community we have in Scranton and throughout Northeast Pennsylvania,” said Caviston. “There is an unbelievable amount of talent here. Our goal has always been to give those artists a platform, bring people into the city to discover them and remind everyone that Scranton has a music scene worth paying attention to.”
Electric City Music Conference weekend performances
More than 90 regional and touring musicians will play Electric City Music Conference shows in the Scranton area Friday, Sept. 11, and Saturday, Sept. 12.
On Friday, Celtic punk band Hold Fast will headline at the Bog, and the act Screaming Emo Night, which includes Caviston, will be at the Ritz Theater.
The V Spot will host some of the most theatrical performances of the weekend. Eastern Tribute Collective will bring a Nu Metal tribute to the venue Friday night. On Saturday, the Philadelphia-area band Stereotytans will be part of a night of live rock. “They have their own comic book that’s nationally published and syndicated, and the band is kind of like a part of the comic book, the comic book is kind of part of the band,” Caviston said. Their costumes include armor.
The nationally touring reggae band Reggaelar People will play at Mutant Brewing on Saturday. “They’re headlining venues throughout the United States,” Caviston said. “They’re a really, really hot act right now.”
Another anticipated Saturday performance will be a reunion set from Captain John and the Explorers at Backyard Ale House.
Other venues will include Union Vapors in Dickson City, Electric City Ciderworks in Old Forge, the Thirsty Elephant, Sergei’s Live, Black Cow Ice Cream Parlor and the LGBTQ-venue Strange Birds.
Fans can pay the cover charge at venues or buy passes that cover one, two or three days of music. Ticket prices begin at $18 for one-day passes bought in advance.
Free conference panels
Caviston said free educational and mentoring workshops with industry pros, including some of the scheduled performers, are the real highlight of the conference. Most are held at the Ritz Theater. Topics will include tips on booking shows and tours, marketing, how artificial intelligence is impacting the music industry and building a career as an independent artist.
A DJ-focused educational panel and discussion will be Saturday at Sergei’s Live from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
It’s important to Caviston to stage the panels for free. “You shouldn’t need a huge budget or an industry connection to walk into a room, ask questions and learn from someone who has been there before,” he said.
Pool Kids will play at the Good Things are Happening event. (COURTESY OF GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING)
Pool Kids to play the Good Things are Happening event on Sept. 12
There is another festival the same weekend. The alt rock band Pool Kids will headline the Good Things are Happening festival on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Scranton Iron Furnaces historic site. Alternative rock and indie rock are well represented in the lineup of 12 acts, with some other genres mixed in.
Pool Kids may be on the verge of a big break. Right after the local gig, they will play some shows with Death Cab for Cutie in the United Kingdom.
In addition to Pool Kids and festival organizer and musician James Barrett, the lineup includes the Cowgirl Pills, Have Mercy, The Sw!ms, The Virgos, Wild Red, Latewaves, Purple Lung, Rachel Ana Dobken, Connor Bracken & The Mother Leeds Band, and Look Back Luna.
Barrett hopes the fifth annual festival will be the biggest yet. The name is a reference to an old local TV news feature, and the festival really has become a good thing, he said. “There’s just like something for everybody there, you know. That’s what we try to make it.”
The all-ages, rain-or-shine festival begins at noon and runs until about 11 p.m., and reentry is allowed. There will be face painting and artisan, thrift and food vendors. The local breweries will include Blind Cat, Groove Brewing, Mutant Brewing and Electric City Ciderworks. Scranton restaurants Backyard Ale House and the Thirsty Elephant are among the food vendors.
Admission is $35.
The website is Goodthingsfestpa.com.