We’re so lucky to have so many great performers TONIGHT (11/11) at BAPL! Let’s meet a few.
Artist interviews by Madison Hummel, Moravian University.
‘ZEL
Who is part of the band?
‘Zel is a solo artist, but he does perform with his sister Melladi who sings backup vocals for his sets. He also enjoys performing with bands and hopes to one day have a consistent band to travel and perform with.
What kind of music do you play?
‘Zel is a Hip-Hop artist who fuses melodic R&B, Soul and Jazz elements in his music. ‘Zel’s music is heavily influenced by artists such as Drake, Kendrick and J.Cole, The Neptunes, Ryan Leslie, and 70s artists such as The Whispers, and Michael Jackson.
How long have you been making music together?
‘Zel has been making music for the last ten years. He started out as a local producer, making beats for his friends in high school and then decided to try his hand at making his own music, becoming a solo artist a few years later.
What are your favorite songs that you’ve made?
‘Zel’s favorite song that he’s made is titled “Sunshine”, which was released in 2021 on all platforms. The song was one that was made years ago, combining the smooth sounds of 70s Roy Ayer’s “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” and revamping it as a sample to create a modern hip-hop track. The song laid dormant for some time, unfinished. He decided to rejuvenate and complete the song, which has since been a local fan favorite.
Have you played at 11Fest before? What was that experience like?
This would be ‘Zel’s first time performing at 11Fest and he’s extremely excited to share his craft at the Bethlehem Library. He hopes that he can bring something unique and pleasantly surprising to the audience.
What are you most looking forward to at this year’s 11Fest?
Besides being able to perform for new people, ‘Zel is excited to perform new music from his recently released mixtape, “Inception: The Mixtape” and see how well it connects with the audience. ‘Zel is also excited to have his brand team, Rebellious, helping with set design for the event this year.
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WE’RE FROM ANTARCTICA
Who is part of the band?
The band is comprised of 5 members:
Carlos (Paco) Brown – Rhythm guitar/Vocals
Jessie Rae – Keyboard/Vocals
Jon Blanco – Lead guitar
MacKenzie Kressley – Bass
Christopher Rauch – Drums
What kind of music do you play?
It’s a little tricky for us to pin ourselves down to a specific genre since we all come from different backgrounds musically. Mack comes from a metal background and Jon was in a punk band before joining WFA. Paco is into soul and R&B and Jessie is classically trained but a lover of Indie Folk. We usually like to say we’re an indie band, just for convenience’s sake but, we feel like we’re so much more than that. So we made up our own genre label called Pacrock. Feels a lot better than just indie.
How long have you been making music together?
Paco and Chris have been in different variations of WFA. They’ve been playing music together since about 2014 but, the official 5-piece was established in 2018 and, has been going strong ever since.
What are your favorite songs that you’ve made?
It changes daily for everyone but here are some of our favorites:
Jon- S1MP (This is an unreleased song but we play it all the time live!)
Mack – It’s Not Me
Chris, Jessie, Paco – For A While (Another unreleased song but, we will be going into the studio soon to record it officially, and it will also be played at 11fest)
Have you played at 11Fest before? What was that experience like?
We’ve never played 11fest before but are super stoked to be playing this year.
What are you most looking forward to at this year’s 11Fest?
We’re looking forward to seeing all the talent from the valley meet up in one place. Some of the bands we’re friends with and love playing with but, there are also some other bands we’ve never met and are excited to check out and meet!
TIME BEING
Who is part of the band?
Time Being is a three piece Indie Rock band from Emmaus PA. We are composed of love birds Marcus Denke and Jessica Denke, and life long best friend Ben Schmidt. Marcus sings and plays guitar while Jess and Ben hold down the rhythm on bass guitar and drums respectively.
How long have you been making music together?
We have been playing music together on and off for a decade, but have only congealed into Time Being during the early days of Covid 2020.
What kind of music do you play?
We play alternative rock music taking inspiration from indie, punk, noise, folk and art rock.
What are your favorite songs that you released?
We do not have any official releases at the moment, but we have made this demo available: Lost Type.
Have you played at 11Fest before? What are you most looking forward to at this year’s 11Fest?
This will be our first time around at 11Fest. We are looking forward to doing anything we can to help support Studio 11 and the Lehigh Valley music and art community!
FICTIONAL NAME
Who is part of the band?
Fictional Name is Josh Berk, Carys Chase-Mayoral, Tom Janis, Bryan Lazewski, Sam Radogna, special guest: Allison Paige
What kind of music do you play?
Indecision Rock
How long have you been making music together?
4 years
What are your favorite songs that you’ve made?
Overall Now I want to Destroy This Place (The Bike Song), No Buses On Christmas in Dublin, Something Picturesque
Have you played at 11Fest before? What was that experience like?
Yes, all of them — each one has been fun every time.
What are you most looking forward to at this year’s 11Fest?
Stage banter, community, and music.
TRICKERY!
Who is part of the band?
Rachel Doncsecz- vocals/ukulele
Brent Corona- bass
Daryl Fogel- guitar
Mark Doncsecz- drums
What kind of music do you play?
Alternative rock with influences from Motown to punk
How long have you been making music together?
4 years as a trio (Rachel, Brent and Mark). Daryl joined last year.
What are your favorite songs that you’ve made?
Sewing and Taking Over
Have you played at 11Fest before? What was that experience like?
We played 11fest for the first time last year. It was a ton of fun and we met some really great people!
What are you most looking forward to at this year’s 11Fest?
This year, we’re looking forward to rocking out and checking out all of the other bands!