NEARfest

NEARfest Official NEARfest page The festival was founded in the spring of 1998 by Robert LaDuca and Chad Hutchinson, with the first event occurring in 1999.

The North East Art Rock Festival, or NEARfest for short, was a two-day event celebrating the resurgence of progressive and eclectic music in the United States and around the world. The event was held annually in early summer in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, approximately one hour north of Philadelphia and less than two hours west of New York City. NEARfest quickly grew to become "the most prestigious progressive music festival in the world." The final NEARfest was held in 2012.

NEARfest FlashbackRemember Lisa Bouchelle from NEARfest 1999?! She sang and played acoustic guitar with Mastermind. She...
12/06/2021

NEARfest Flashback

Remember Lisa Bouchelle from NEARfest 1999?! She sang and played acoustic guitar with Mastermind. She’s now on a local Philly cooking show called Rock Star Kitchen. Here’s a screenshot of her with Lita Ford as her guest. Crazy!

Cabezas de Cera and Hidria Spacefolk NEARfest live albums available
05/07/2021

Cabezas de Cera and Hidria Spacefolk NEARfest live albums available

HIDRIA SPACEFOLK Live Eleven AM (space rock par excellence from Finland). NEARFEST LIVE ALBUMS PROG ROCK RARE 3 disc lot.

It’s been a bad week for NEARfest alums. Today, we lost legendary guitarist Roger Trigaux, founding member of Univers Ze...
03/11/2021

It’s been a bad week for NEARfest alums.

Today, we lost legendary guitarist Roger Trigaux, founding member of Univers Zero and mastermind of Present. Present graced our stage in 2005 with an unforgettable performance.

Earlier in the week, guitarist James MacGaw of Magma and One Shot was lost to brain cancer. Magma performed in both 2003 and 2007, each time leaving the sellout crowd in complete awe. One Shot played on Fusion Friday in 2007 opening for the late Allan Holdsworth.

Very sad news to pass along. Cynic bassist Sean Malone has passed away. Sean performed a fantastic solo set at NEARfest...
12/10/2020

Very sad news to pass along. Cynic bassist Sean Malone has passed away. Sean performed a fantastic solo set at NEARfest 2004.

CYNIC's longtime bassist Sean Malone has passed away. He was 50 years old. No cause of death has yet been revealed. The news of Malone's passing was broken by his CYNIC bandmate, guitarist/vocalis...

Jarno Sarkula of Alamaailman Vasarat has passed away. RIP
07/16/2020

Jarno Sarkula of Alamaailman Vasarat has passed away. RIP

Alamaailman Vasarat on tehnyt yhteistyötä esimerkiksi Tuomari Nurmion kanssa.

Here is the video of the SOAL Saturday Night Live NEARfest Radio Special from last weekend. Besides Rob and I, guests i...
07/15/2020

Here is the video of the SOAL Saturday Night Live NEARfest Radio Special from last weekend. Besides Rob and I, guests included Annie Haslam, Larry Fast, Mo Moore, Brett Kull and Mile Keneally. Thanks to Sean Tonar for having us all!

A look back at the multi-faceted progressive music festival that ran from 1999 to 2012- the North East Art Rock Festival (NEARFest) with founders Chad Hutchi...

Tonight's interview with Pete Pardo on Sea of Tranquility.
06/12/2020

Tonight's interview with Pete Pardo on Sea of Tranquility.

Join host Pete Pardo and special guests Rob LaDuca & Chad Hutchinson, the founders of the North East Art Rock Festival, which ran from 1999 to 2012, as they ...

06/10/2020

Rob and I are being interviewed by Pete Pardo of Sea of Tranquillity on Thursday for a future broadcast! We will be talking all things NEARfest and reminiscing about all the wonderful memories!

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Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, 420 East Packer Avenue
Bethlehem, PA
18015

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The North East Art Rock Festival, or NEARfest for short, was a two-day event celebrating the resurgence of progressive and eclectic music in the United States and around the world. The event was held annually in early summer in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, approximately one hour north of Philadelphia and less than two hours west of New York City. The festival was founded in the spring of 1998 by Robert LaDuca and Chad Hutchinson, with the first event occurring in 1999. NEARfest quickly grew to become "the most prestigious progressive music festival in the world." Join also event page. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=105578726156484&index=1