DIY America #1: Bethlehem PA

and on Sunday 11/24: Resistance Cinemas Screening at Secret Riso Club (fundraiser for Palestine/Lebanon)

GUNK is excited to present a new series: DIY America (workshopping names still). A few months ago, we put a call out to folks who have understanding/knowledge of the DIY scene in different cities across the US that would be helpful to share for bands booking/ fans finding good music. This series was actually largely inspired by our band (band reveal) having such a great experience in Bethlehem PA, so we are excited to present to you, #1. our hometown...

do you have a city to submit?? thegunkyard@gmail.com

Venues (that all encourage local music, all in Bethlehem, PA): 

Funhouse
5 E Fourth St. 
Show frequency: almost every day
Cap: At least 50 around where the band plays, whole bar is probably 120 if we had to guess?
How to Book: Recommend calling to try and book or dropping off physical media with Tina. Bands sometimes split these late night 3 hour sets that usually span from 10pm-1am, so it is recommended chatting with local bands who’ve played there before to set up a joint date together to get your foot in the door. 
Know before you go: they allow cigarettes indoors 

Icehouse Tonight
56 River St. 
Show frequency: typically Thursday- Sunday
Capacity: Upstairs room 100, downstairs 210 seated 
How to book: dougroysdon@gmail.com (program director who can forward your email to the right committee- there are committees specific to Irish, Comedy, Latin, Jazz, and more) 
Rock/ Indie/ Alt/ Punk specific contact: DM @icehouse.punkdiy on Insta or email icehousetonightpunk.diy@gmail.com (Note: Icehouse Punk & DIY only host once a month (sometimes 2x) shows so they fill up quickly and months in advance. This collective is still a good resource to point you in the right direction for booking the Lehigh Valley, they keep a list and try to minimally repeat acts in their series, pulling shows together of typically 2 out of town/ 2 local; or 2 local, 1 out of town bills so those traveling have a good crowd and payout at the end of the night) 

Sokols
613 Hillside Ave. 
Show frequency: case by case basis; Open Mic, every other Thursday, contact Matt from Higbee or Noah from The Redos for more details 
Capacity: Somewhere between 150-175?
How to book: email sokolsshows@gmail.com, recommend already having a bill put together and a targeted date, this venue prefers that out of town bands be the priority, while still having some good local support to make sure you get a crowd out to your show. Room rental is around $450 last time checked, this covers reserving the night, door people, use of their PA system. After the show, see if one of the members will take you downstairs to see the members only club, they’ve got cheap drinks, bowling (for free), pool, shuffleboard, and a lot of the local musicians hang out here. 

The Flying V
201 E Third St. 
Show frequency: once, sometimes twice a week 
Capacity: 100
How to book: DM @liveatthev on Insta 
(Note: shows are very DIY, there is an in house sound system but it is recommended to bring a friend or help each other with sound during shows since the space is run by volunteers. The venue doubles as a BYOB restaurant so your food needs are all right there should you choose to try their delicious poutine.) 

House venues (no set frequency of shows, connect with these bands for more info) :
Truck Stop- contact the band Food Truck
The Avenue- contact the band Willowbrook 
The Slop Sink (outside backyard- seasonal)- contact the band Felt Rite 

Booking/ resources:
The Lehigh Valley scene is mostly run by volunteers at DIY spaces. The following groups help handle a lot of booking. Even if they can’t get you on a bill, they will try to help you find bands and venues to connect with in the area if you ask (nicely). 

Soft Guts Collective
Fuzzy Cat Booking
Tape Swap Radio (send them your music, they host a radio show on WDIY the last Friday of the month and can get you some airplay, they’re also doing a rooftop series) 
Musicgardenpa 
Icehouse Punk & DIY (Link to info on all they do: https://linktr.ee/icehousetonightpunkdiy?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=045247b7-be43-4564-87bb-a0e037792a97)

Spots to eat/ drink: 
El Jeffe’s (open late) 
Tulum (Mexican / open weekdays) 
The Other Fish (sushi) 
Peoples Kitchen (breakfast) 
Sizzling Bites (open late) 
Lehigh Pizza (quick pizza by the slice, close to all venues named above) 
Bonn (craft beer) 
F & G Grog House (large selection of beer- also has live music on occasion, usually longer sets/ cover bands) 
The Wooden Match (good food/ cigar bar- also has live music on occasion- mix of both original/ cover bands, they also book their own stage during Musikfest which is usually across the first 2 weeks of August) 
Lit (coffee)
The Joint (coffee)
Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop (got a sweet tooth, definitely the spot for you) 

Upcoming Local Show Concert Calendar
https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vSG6lE8QCZ1mYBYvHQY6HAPJzgVzAvUEDCSqHKc4anKaK_HQILJhnsx1izzsrLfzKQeVijk2Cpd0KQ_/pub

Bands to check out in the area: 
There is something for everyone in the Lehigh Valley, the following bands are just the tip of the iceberg. These are bands that have been active recently, newly formed ones, and ones who know the area and all that surrounds it well, get in contact to make some friends:  

We’re From Antarctica (indie)
Felt Rite (Folk/indie)
Just (indie)
Shy (alternative/ punk)
Controller (hardcore)
Higbee (indie)
Food Truck (punk)
Willowbrook (indie)
Landline (electric folk/ psychedelic funk) -> hit them up to maybe play a Lehigh U house show 
William H Travis (indie)
Christina Giacoletti (singer songwriter/indie)
Cnidarian (grunge) 
Pale Fang (post-punk/ psych punk)
Wyatt Davidick (Folk/indie)
The Redos (jazz punk)
Emma Bockrath (singer songwriter/ jazz) 
Rubix Pube (experimental/ punk)

Photography:
@tumbleweed_photographer 
@musicgardenpa
@jiggsflicks
@mileshphoto

Misc. 
Lehigh Valley Girls Rock (great organization- a nonprofit dedicated to empowering cisgender girls and women + nonbinary and trans folks through music and art) 
Shards Studios (all your recording needs) 
Southside Arts District (this organization's goal is to revitalize Bethlehem’s southside arts district, contact them to maybe play one of their first friday slots or different events they put together on the Greenway throughout the year) 
WMUH (Muhlenberg College radio hosts shows of their own and they take very good care of the bands they book- send music for them to spin too) 
Lehigh Valley Arts Podcast (want to dive deeper into the scene, they’ve got coverage of a lot of different aspects) 
LVAC (all your t-shirt printing needs)

compiled by Ryan Susko

On Sunday 11/24, GUNK and Secret Riso Club are hosting a Resistance Cinema screening and we hope you’ll join us. tickets are $5-$15 (no one turned away for lack of funds) and all proceeds are going towards Palestine/Lebanon.

doors at 5PM at Secret Riso Club (122 Central Ave, Bushwick).

Resistance Cinema: Programmed by Yasmina Tawil & Rosa Marin

Log line: A program featuring early works of Mustafa Abu Ali, a founder of the Palestine Film Unit, and other examples of art as a means of resistance and militant action in Palestine. 

Synopsis: Mustafa Abu Ali was a screenwriter and producer, born in Jerusalem in 1940. He studied filmmaking at UC Berkeley and the London Film School. He is considered one of the founders of Palestinian cinema and founded the Palestine Film Unit (PFU) in 1967 alongside Sulafa Jadallah and Hani Jawharieh. The organization was part of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and, for them, film was not just an artistic medium but one of resistance and militant action. This program showcases three of his early works, Scenes of the Occupation from Gaza, They Do Not Exist, Palestine in the Eye, all documentary shorts that continue to resonate to this day. 

Included in this program is also the short film The Urgent Call of Palestine from 1972 by the filmmaker and painter Ismail Shammout. It features a song by the same title, written and performed by Zeinab Shaath, who was only a teenager at the time. This song was part of an EP produced by the PLO and is another example of the use of art as a means of resistance by the Palestinian people and specifically by the PLO. 

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yours,

ceci and hannah