On the latest WDIY 88.1 FM broadcast, we featured the Rooftop Session from Bethlehem, PA-based indie rock band Food Truck, recorded in August, 2024. With their influences planted firmly in the ‘90s alternative rock era, the trio delve into earnest songwriting about friendship, love loss, and the tribulations of navigating your 20s — all with guitar…

On the latest WDIY 88.1 FM broadcast, we featured the Shards Session from Brooklyn-based post-punk band Matte Black recorded in June 2023. From the doom metal feel of their 2015 album Dust of This Planet to the psychedelic touches in 2019’s Psyche to the addition of synthesizers on their new album, 2023’s Portrait, the trio has never been afraid to…

On the latest WDIY 88.1 FM broadcast, we featured the Shards Session from Allentown, PA-based psych rock band Catatonic Suns recorded in March 2022. The band is made up of Jakob Christman, Patrick Shields, Caleb Strobl, and LJ Llaguri. They’ve been refining their their lush and noisy sonic template since beginning in 2018. They performed wo songs f…

Tape Swap’s first show of 2022 premiered in April on WDIY 88.1 FM and featured the Shards Session with Laurel Canyon. The four-piece band is a new addition to the Lehigh Valley music scene, having recently releasing their debut EP, Victim, in January 2022. Laurel Canyon is made up of guitarists Nicholas Gillespie and Serg Cereja, bassist Dylan Locc…

We premiere the Rooftop Session with Allentown, PA-based punk band The Jawnestowne Standard. The four members of the band joined us on the Flatiron Building in SouthSide Bethlehem in August 2020. This show premiered on WDIY 88.1 FM in September 2020. 1. Silver Linings (0:04) 2. As Years Pass (3:54) 3. Matty and Me (6:53) 4. Something Better (10:04)…

We premiere the Rooftop Session from Hairdo, a three-piece band from Kutztown, PA. The band was recorded in August 2020 and was the first recording Tape Swap has done on the Flatiron Building in Bethlehem, PA in August 2020. This session debuted on WDIY 88.1 FM later that month. Radio hosts Shamus and Maggie also catch up with fellow Tape Swap coll…

Nazareth, PA-based punk band The Mega Yeah perform a Shards Session, recorded in November 2019. This was the final session recorded before the COVID-19 lockdown period. We also have a conversation with Dave Allison, the Creative Director of Custom Made Music, a Virginia Beach-based record label specializing in punk, post-punk, shoegaze, and differe…

Lehigh Valley-based hip-hop group, The Xenomorph, join us for a Shards Session recorded in November 2019. The two members of the group are Bethlehem rapper NyteXing and Allentown artist and producer Johnny Five. And if all of those names didn’t clue you in, you can expect lots of references from comics, movies, cartoons, and gaming in their music, …

On this show, we premiere the Shards Session from Philadelphia-based band Booze Radly, recorded in August 2019. The five members of Booze Radly, who are all originally from the Lehigh Valley, have just self-released their debut album Haunted Mind, an energetic mixture of raucous pop-punk and emo whose songwriting explores singer and guitarist Alex …

---------PART ONE--------- Run from the Radio: An Introduction (0:39) LV Girls Rock Interview ----> Jen and Felicia introductions (2:06) ----> What is LV Girls Rock? (2:41) ----> Why did they start LV Girls Rock? (4:04) ----> Discussing former campers Space Is Crunchy (5:29) Space Is Crunchy - Safe Space (6:40) Small Mess - Feeling Better (10:25) L…

A ROOFTOP SESSION WITH WE’RE FROM ANTARCTICA AND A MIXTAPE BY THE DEAD MILKMEN’S JOE JACK TALCUM On this show, we premiere the Rooftop Session with We're from Antarctica. The five-piece alternative indie pop band joined us on the roof of the Cigar Factory in June 2019. Also on the show, we feature a mixtape put together by Joe Jack Talcum from lege…

A SHARDS SESSION WITH EXPERT TIMING PLUS, A MIXTAPE OF FLORIDA D.I.Y. BANDS FROM AMANDA STARLING We’re going full Florida for this show. We unveil the Shards Session with Orlando three-piece 'bubblegrunge' band Expert Timing, recorded in May 2019. The band combines melodic punk and energetic indie rock to create a catchy and powerful sound. Also, o…

---------PART ONE--------- L.A. FASTLIFE: An Introduction (0:37) Slingshot Dakota - Louder (2:29) Pretty Lousy - People You May Know (6:00) Pool Radio - Real Life Hero (8:57) ---------PART TWO--------- L.A. FASTLIFE - Beach Party (14:26) L.A. FASTLIFE - Killbot (17:32) L.A. FASTLIFE - Ersatz (20:04) L.A. FASTLIFE - Interview Part 1 ----> Practicing…

A Shards Session with Beth Israel Plus, a mix of music from from the Dull Tools record label Austin, TX post-punk band Beth Israel stopped by Shards on their tour in October 2014 to record this Shards Session. The band had just released their album Dental Denial on the indie record label Dull Tools, a label run by Parquet Courts’ Andrew Savage whic…

---------PART ONE--------- The Curls - Hit Em Where It Hurts (3:18) You & Your Whatever - Heart Breaks in Three (6:34) Horrible Charlie - Browning Out (9:52) ---------PART TWO--------- Line Leader - Premonition (12:12) Line Leader - Gemini Divide (16:08) Line Leader - Bubblegum (20:54) Line Leader - Interview Part 1 ----> Band introductions (22:57)…

Nazareth punk band The Road Sodas are no strangers to controversy. The night before recording this Rooftop Session with us in October 2018, the band had an annual benefit show in their hometown shut down by the police. Simply put, the four members of the Road Sodas know how to put on a memorable show. In their interview, they describe playing live …

RUNHIDEFIGHT PERFORM A ROOFTOP SESSION PLUS A MIX OF NEW MUSIC FROM SOME DIY FAVORITES Raucous Philadelphia rock garage band RunHideFight joined us on the Cigar Factory roof in October 2018 before a show at Muhleberg College later that night. The new band is made up of Philly garage rock veterans Geeta Simons (ex-Rockula, Swisher), Christine Weiser…

A Shards Session from Spirit Of… plus a preview of the music at Allentown ArtsFest 2018 A lot of bands like to turn up the volume when they play live, but Spirit Of… have become known for their high volume live performances and towering amp set-up. Brooklyn musicians Frederick Nicholson and Mikael Tarkela use volume as one of the tools in their mus…

A Rooftop Session from Under the Clothesline plus a spotlight on Lab Two Twelve and Live at 13 Spread across Northeast PA and the Lehigh Valley are the four members of Under the Clothesline, a sleazy garage psych band who have begun to make an impression on the Valley’s music fans in the last couple of years. Under the Clothesline wear their music’…

Easton's Brother JT has weaved a storied and memorable career in his close-to-four decades making music. After leaving behind garage rock outfit The Original Sins, JT still finds his feet firmly planted in a DIY music headspace in the Lehigh Valley, making music for the sake of the music. His latest album Tornado Juice was released in 2018 on Thril…

For this show, Allentown noise rock/punk outfit Tile joined us for a Rooftop Session on top of the Cigar Factory building in Allentown in June 2018. The band is made up of Michael Morekin on guitar/vocals, Ray Gurz on bass/vocals, and Michael Dumoff on drums. You may recognize Gurz and Dumoff from our Bad American Shards Session released in August …

Professional wrestling and DIY music came together at National Sokols in Bethlehem on July 20, 2018 for Let's Hang Out, a co-production of LVAC and BWA. Tape Swap Radio was on hand to handle sound for the event, and we're excited to bring you the full audio and commentary with some photos. The event featured five matches as well as performances fro…

Philadelphia experimental glam rock weirdos Cerulean Blue joined us at Shards in August 2017 to record this session. The band comes from the songwriting of Philly guitarist and singer Kevin Brusha, who, until recently, ran The Nest, one of Philly's most well-known DIY show spots in recent years. Cerulean Blue was born out of the ashes of Kevin's pr…

We kick off a new year of Rooftop Sessions by welcoming Wilkes-Barre's Doghouse Charlie & The Buck Knife to the Cigar Factory building in Allentown. The band's session was recorded on a cold and windy day in April 2018. We also dig into recent submissions from regional bands and spotlight a few of our favorites. This show premiered on WDIY 88.1 FM …

On this show, minimal junk three-piece band Transkam from Tokyo, Japan joins us for a Shards Session. The band recorded their session during their tour stop in Bethlehem in October 2016 before their set at the Funhouse. We also talk with Transkam's tour manager Michael Young from Baltimore who brought Transkam to the U.S. for their first tour of th…

On this show, we have a Shards Session with Daytime Cleaners, a four-piece garage rock/jangle pop band from Bethlehem, PA. The band is made-up of Don, Ben, Bill, and Earl, who have played in Lehigh Valley bands like Narrow Lover, Poor Diet, and The Under Sixteens. The band joined us to record this session in May 2017. We also talk with Ramona Córdo…

On this show, we welcome Beaver Falls, PA indie pop band Captain the Sky for a Shards Session. Recorded in May 2017 during the band's weekend in eastern PA, the four members of Captain the Sky drove north to Shards after playing a show in West Chester. The band had just released their new EP "Lions and Foxes" two months prior. We also present our y…

On this show, we welcome up-and-coming Bethlehem sad jammers Small Mess to Shards for a session. We also mark the release of the band's first 5" single on Square of Opposition Records by talking with Square of Opposition founder Chris Rejec and listening to some selections he brought from the label's catalogue. Square of Opposition Records has been…

This show features our second-ever Rooftop Session with long-time eclectic Bethlehem rock band The Insidious Rays. We also play a handful of tracks from artists who are performing at our stage at this year's Allentown ArtsFest including exclusive first-listens of songs from Ironhead's Devils Pit Blues Cult and Mike Teknology. Originally aired on WD…

This show features a Shards Session with Oley, PA garage/psych rock band Poor Luther's Bones and a mix of new music. Originally aired on WDIY 88.1 FM (Lehigh Valley's Community NPR Station) on September 8, 2017. Weakened Friends - Hate Mail [feat. J Mascis] (2:00) Spur - Wilt [Demo] (4:37) El Silver Cabs - Shrink (8:00) Radiator Hospital - Dance Nu…

This show features our Shards Session with Allentown hardocre punk band Bad American and a mix of bands that played the Lehigh Valley in the month of August. Originally aired on WDIY 88.1 FM (Lehigh Valley's Community NPR Station) on August 25, 2017. Anticitizen - Bricks Not Ballots (1:23) The Plumcocks - Run to Me (2:48) The Clap - Look Before You…

On this show, Bethlehem's Gypsy punk/vaudeville troop This Way to the Egress perform our inaugural Rooftop Session on the Cigar Factory building in Allentown. Our staff picks for this show highlight artists who played in the Lehigh Valley during July including local indie pop band Doctor Ransom and Brooklyn folk punk group Out of System Transfer. O…

A Shards Session with U.S. Nero and we explore the DIY Music Scene in Hawaii We're turning the spotlight on New Orleans and Hawaii with this show. New Orleans' U.S. Nero stopped by Shards to record a session in September 2015 while they were in the middle of their tour. U.S. Nero stands in stark contrast to the jam bands and cover bands you'll find…