LAUNCH Music Conference & Festival Announce Panelist Line Up

Entering its tenth year, LAUNCH Music Conference & Festival is set to return to the beautiful Lancaster, PA on April 12 - 15, 2018. The jam-packed event - full of panels, seminars, parties, events, and performances as well as music executives to speak and perform to a crowd of artists and industry go-getters. LAUNCH Music Conference & Festival is thrilled to introduce an impeccable line up of panelists including:

August Burns Red, Brian Lamtman (CB Entertainment and Events), Brian A. Rosenblatt (Bryce Downey & Lenkov, LLC), Chad Schreck (Tour Manager), Chad Taylor (Think Loud Studios / +Live+), Chris Bianchi (CB Entertainment, Mercenary Management, LEGEND Recordings, HuffPost), Chris Smith (Adjust Creative), Deborah "Zuke" Smith (zuketunes, LLC), E. Michael Harrington (Berklee Online), Eyal Levi (URM Academy), Finn McKenty (CreativeLive, The Punk Rock MBA), Frank Fanelli (Tour Manager), Heather Griffin (Fearless Records), Jeanne M. Hoffman (Bryce Downey & Lenkov LLC), Jen Appel (The Catalyst Publicity Group), Jen Kellogg (Vans Warped Tour, The Entertainment Institute, Launch Music Conference and Festival), Jenny Reader (Fearless  Records), Jeremy Weiss (Founder and Owner of Launch Music Conference & Festival, The CI Companies), Jim Digby (Founder and Chairman of Event Safety Alliance), Joe Bogdan (Culhane Meadows, Columbia College Chicago), Joe Ferree (Live Nation), Jonny Boucher (Hope For The Day), Karl Hensel (Kings Road Merch), Kate Truscott (4Fini Inc.), K Enagonio (Photography / Alternative Press Magazine), Kent Smith (Trumpet player, Arranger, Producer), Kevin Rife (Tour Manager), Kristin Gypsy Schloesser (We are Team Hans), Kyla Lombardo (Red Frog Events),Larry Martin (FakeLife Clothing), Loren Wells (Pierson // Wells), Lou Plaia (Reverbnation), Mark Mosley (Music City Booking), Mark Schultz (Recording Academy), Matt Halpern (Periphery), Michael Ciprari (SJC Drums), Mike Carpenter (Adjust Creative), Mike Mowery (Outerloop Management), Randy Nichols (Force Media Management), Shawn Young (York College of Pennsylvania), Shawna Potter (War on Women), Steph Mirsky (4Fini Inc.), Suzanne Paulinski (The Rock/Star Advocate, LLC), Tim Borror (United Talent Agency), Ulf Oesterle (Syracuse University), Uncle O (Power 99).

In addition, LAUNCH is proud to bring back Fest Friday, the only night where every LAUNCH attendee is gathered, during the nighttime programming. The all ages event will take place at Binns Park on April 13th and include food, drinks, and alcohol on site. Attendance is free to all LAUNCH badge holders and open to the public for $10. Fest Friday will feature 15 acts across 3 stages with over 5 hours of music including America's #1 Blink-182 tribute band, Blink 180 True, Lancaster's own Stonewall Vessels who bring a broad musical palette that will sure to draw in fans with their pure rock n' roll sound, and Stacked Like Pancakes, a boisterous Baltimore-based brass-rock band with an ultra high-energy live show will have everyone dancin' in no time! Conference Co-Director, and Founder, Jeremy Weiss, shares:

"I wanted to organize one special event within LAUNCH, where there'd be no concurrent programming; where every attendee would gather together in one place, along with the greater Lancaster community, for a night of terrific music, food and drink, and a heck of a good time. The outdoor experience and splendor of Binns Park, and the incredible energy of the people and performers gathered there, make this particular event incredibly special.  All of us at LAUNCH are SO EXCITED for return of Fest Friday at LAUNCH Music Conference & Festival 2018!" - Jeremy Weiss

Stacked Like Pancakes vocalist Kellen McKay, had this to say about their appearance/performance:  

"Every year Launch Music Conference comes to a close, my immediate thought is that I cannot wait for the next year. This will be our 5th year attending and performing. This isn't just a gig - LAUNCH is an experience, and one that we can credit as the root of many of our achievements in recent years. Needless to say, I am so pumped to be playing Fest Friday with Stacked Like Pancakes at LAUNCH 2018!" - Kellen McKay

The weekend of LAUNCH Music Conference & Festival features a number of events including a screening of the world premiere of the Lancaster metal documentary, Barn Burner, The Rise of The Lancaster County Metal Scene, which will take place at Freedom Hall A at The Lancaster County Convention Center on Thursday, April 12th at 7pm. Spotlighting acts such as August Burns Red, Texas In July, This or The Apocalypse, and more, the documentary takes the audience on a remarkable journey of the heavy/metalcore scene from Lancaster County, an area considered to be a quiet, steady conservative Christian community. But the party doesn't stop there as the weekend continues with a special performance from two-time Grammy-nominated band andLancaster natives, August Burns Red, on Saturday, April 14th at 5pm at Freedom Hall in The Lancaster County Convention Center in Historic Downtown Lancaster. Members of August Burns Red have offered their expertise at several different LAUNCH annual events, but will be performing for the first time at the festival in celebration of their 15 year anniversary as a band. The performance will include guest appearances by members of the band's line-up during their earliest years, from both their debut Looks Fragile After All and Thrill Seeker records. Tickets for the documentary screening and special performance from August Burns Red are available at LaunchMusicConference.com.

Admission is included to both events, and all LAUNCH programming throughout the weekend, to those who purchase a LAUNCH 2018 VIP Badge. This badge provides attendance to each of the 140+ live performances by night throughout the City of Lancaster, including the newly installed Fest Friday outdoor concert event. The badge also provides full access to the LAUNCH daytime educational program, consisting of panels and sessions that feature dozens of the country's foremost music industry professionals, speaking on their respective areas of expertise, for aspiring artists and persons seeking to learn more about the industry.  

In speaking on the conference portion at LAUNCH, co-Director Jen Kellogg says, "We are looking forward to another great year of conference programing to help our developing artists and aspiring industry professionals take their career to the next level. In addition to many returning speakers and favorite sessions, we are working to bring in new faces to the conference to keep it fresh, relevant, and extra informative."

Review and select attendance options, programming details, and lodging arrangements by visiting: www.LaunchMusicConference.com  

LAUNCH Music Conference & Festival Announce Return of Fest Friday

Entering its tenth year, LAUNCH Music Conference & Festival is set to return to the beautiful Lancaster, PA on April 12 - 15, 2018. The jam-packed event - full of panels, seminars, parties, events, and performances - has welcomed some of today's top musicians such as Panic! at the Disco, Atreyu, twenty one pilots, Meghan Trainor, Foxy Shazam, PnB Rock, and Yazz the Greatest (B. Gray of TV's "Empire") as well as music executives to speak and perform to a crowd of artists and industry go-getters. LAUNCH Music Conference & Festival is thrilled to announce the return of Fest Friday, the only night where every LAUNCH attendee is gathered, during the nighttime programming. The all ages event will take place at Binns Park on April 13th and include food, drinks, and alcohol on site. Attendance is free to all LAUNCH badge holders and open to the public for $10. Fest Friday will feature 15 acts across 3 stages with over 5 hours of music including America's #1 Blink-182 tribute band, Blink 180 True, Lancaster's own Stonewall Vessels who bring a broad musical palette that will sure to draw in fans with their pure rock n' roll sound, and Stacked Like Pancakes, a boisterous Baltimore-based brass-rock band with an ultra high-energy live show will have everyone dancin' in no time! Conference Co-Director, and Founder, Jeremy Weiss, shares:

"I wanted to organize one special event within LAUNCH, where there'd be no concurrent programming; where every attendee would gather together in one place, along with the greater Lancaster community, for a night of terrific music, food and drink, and a heck of a good time. The outdoor experience and splendor of Binns Park, and the incredible energy of the people and performers gathered there, make this particular event incredibly special.  All of us at LAUNCH are SO EXCITED for return of Fest Friday at LAUNCH Music Conference & Festival 2018!" - Jeremy Weiss

Stacked Like Pancakes vocalist Kellen McKay, had this to say about their appearance/performance:  

"Every year Launch Music Conference comes to a close, my immediate thought is that I cannot wait for the next year. This will be our 5th year attending and performing. This isn't just a gig - LAUNCH is an experience, and one that we can credit as the root of many of our achievements in recent years. Needless to say, I am so pumped to be playing Fest Friday with Stacked Like Pancakes at LAUNCH 2018!" - Kellen McKay

The weekend of LAUNCH Music Conference & Festival features a number of events including a screening of the world premiere of the Lancaster metal documentary, Barn Burner, The Ride of The Lancaster County Metal Scene, which will take place at Freedom Hall A at The Lancaster County Convention Center on Thursday, April 12th at 7pm. Spotlighting acts such as August Burns Red, Texas In July, This or The Apocalypse, and more, the documentary takes the audience on a remarkable journey of the heavy/metalcore scene from Lancaster County, an area considered to be a quiet, steady conservative Christian community. But the party doesn't stop there as the weekend continues with a special performance from two-time Grammy-nominated band and Lancaster natives, August Burns Red, on Saturday, April 14th at 5pm at Freedom Hall in The Lancaster County Convention Center in Historic Downtown Lancaster. Members of August Burns Red have offered their expertise at several different LAUNCH annual events, but will be performing for the first time at the festival in celebration of their 15 year anniversary as a band. The performance will include guest appearances by members of the band's line-up during their earliest years, from both their debut Looks Fragile After All and Thrill Seeker records. Tickets for the documentary screening and special performance from August Burns Red are available at LaunchMusicConference.com.

Admission is included to both events, and all LAUNCH programming throughout the weekend, to those who purchase a LAUNCH 2018 VIP Badge. This badge provides attendance to each of the 140+ live performances by night throughout the City of Lancaster, including the newly installed Fest Friday outdoor concert event. The badge also provides full access to the LAUNCH daytime educational program, consisting of panels and sessions that feature dozens of the country's foremost music industry professionals, speaking on their respective areas of expertise, for aspiring artists and persons seeking to learn more about the industry.  

In speaking on the conference portion at LAUNCH, co-Director Jen Kellogg says, "We are looking forward to another great year of conference programing to help our developing artists and aspiring industry professionals take their career to the next level. In addition to many returning speakers and favorite sessions, we are working to bring in new faces to the conference to keep it fresh, relevant, and extra informative."

Review and select attendance options, programming details, and lodging arrangements by visiting: www.LaunchMusicConference.com  

Five Acts to Watch Out of Lollapalooza

Lollapalooza opens its gates to the public tomorrow.  The music festival, located in Grant Park in downtown Chicago, is a national attraction and has been a guiding agent for many bands on the road to fame and glory.  Some of the many bands that have stopped at Lollapalooza before even hitting the radio include Kings of Leon, Jon McLaughlin, and Cage the Elephant.  Needless to say, Lolla can do a lot for a music career.

Every year, a few bands explode out of Lollapalooza and suddenly appear on our car radios.  A year ago, for example, fans heard the musical stylings of fresh new artists like G-Eazy, Glass Animals, and Twenty One Pilots and wondered where they’d been all their lives; since they graced the Lollapalooza stages, they’ve all had songs hit the radio and top charts.

Which bands will erupt out of this year’s Lollapalooza?  Who are the must-see bands that we’re sure to hear on the radio in a few months and we can brag to our friends, “I saw them before they were cool?”  Here are five artists to watch out for out of Lollapalooza:

1.  Local Natives
Local natives of Los Angeles, this young band of high school friends formed in 2008 and has been growing steadily ever since.  Their brand is marked by dreamy melodies and every instrumentalist pitches in for their harmonic vocals.  The band is already making strategic moves as they approach their time on the Lollapalooza stage; they’re putting the finishing touches on their latest album, “Sunlit Youth,” which is set to release in just a few months. Perfect timing; just when Lollapalooza fans get nostalgic for their days in the sun, they’ll remember Local Natives and buy their latest album.
Local Natives performs at on the Bud Light stage of Lollapalooza Sunday, July 31st, from 4:45 to 5:45.

2.  The Arcs
While The Arcs are new on the scene, their style certainly isn’t.  Formed by Black Keys singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and instrumentalist Leon Michaels, The Arcs was formed in 2015. Dan confessed to the press, “I just wanted to do my thing and get extra weird;” and that is exactly what The Arcs has done.  While you can definitely hear some of the classic Black Keys sound in The Arcs’ music, they have a fresh new flair that comes off sometimes folksy, sometimes more tech rock.  Their summer tour has had them bouncing all around the United States, including Asheville, North Carolina, and they’re already selling tickets to their west coast tour.
Check out The Arcs on the Lakeshore Stage Thursday, July 28th, from 7:30 to 8:30.

3.  Cashmere Cat
Rising quickly in popularity, Cashmere Cat is an abstract electronic music producer fresh out of Norway (he’s also gone under the alias Final at worldwide DJ championships).  His collaborative style and smooth, mellow remixes make for great lounge music.  Though he’s still gaining popularity and recognition for his remixes, his work with Jeremih, Ariana Grande, and Lana Del Rey has helped and Lollapalooza is sure to speed up his momentum.
Cashmere Cat will be on the Pepsi Stage Thursday, July 28th, from 7:45 to 8:30.

4.  Flosstradamus
If you prefer electronic music intended more for a club than for a lounge, it won’t take you long to fall in love with Flosstradamus.  Known for their heavy beats, this DJ duo of Curt Cameruci, aka Autobot, and Josh Young, aka J2K, doesn’t like to label themselves as electronic artists; instead, they dabble across house, R&B, electronica, and techno to produce their own ingenious genre.  These trap DJs have been famous in Chicago for years, and they’re about to become famous worldwide.
Flosstradamus will be performing in their hometown of Chicago at Lollapalooza Thursday, July 28th, on Perry’s stage from 8:30 to 9:45.

5.  Frightened Rabbit
Founded back in 2004 in Glasgow, Scotland, brothers Scott and Grant Hutchison and their friend Billy Kennedy started the project for fun, self-producing their first album before being picked up by Universal.  The group thought their big break might come at the South by Southwest music festival in 2007 but, while it certainly boosted their sales and recognition in the U.S., it didn’t quite launch them into the forefront of pop rock genre.  After years of waiting for another great opportunity, perhaps Lollapalooza is just what they need.
Frightened Rabbit will perform on the Lakeshore Stage on Friday July 29th from 5:00 to 6:00.

Carmen R. Lawrence is a freelance writer currently located in Chicago, IL.  Though she writes about topics as varied as craft beer, theatre, and video games, writing about music is a passion and a pleasure.  Follow her on Twitter at @carmenrlawrence or find her on Facebook at carmen.lawrence1