12 Years of the Pennsylvania Rock Show, What’s that all about?!? – AKMusicScene.com

newparslogoSeptember 14, 2016 So what is the Pennsylvania Rock Show about and why has it lasted so long? Well, it started out about the local music scene in a little valley in Western Pennsylvania known as the Alle Kiski Valley. There are so many great bands in this small area that need to be heard. The show has been able to remain active for over 12 years due to the amazing talent in Western Pennsylvania. I salute and thank the reasons that both the AK Music Scene and the Pennsylvania Rock show were able to remain sustainable: all the bands and their fans, all the benefit organizers, all the local music promoters, and every single person that has ever shown me, or my hobby a little bit of support (or huge support, you know who you are!)

The Story

anniversaryshows-252x300In 1995, Bill was taking an intro to computing class at Slippery Rock University. In that class, he was given an assignment to create a bio webpage using a template. He didn’t like how the website looked when he was finished and decided to learn how to design his own website. Shortly after that, he came across the unfinished website for the Band Hybrid. Hybrid included members of current day After the Fall and Slant 6. Bill became the webmaster for their website and started designing websites for a lot of the best bands in the area. During this time, he started to accrue local music. He dealt with bands like Doppler Affect, (kaj), sundog, and more!Tim Henry, former Hybrid guitarist and Bill started a group called TH Entertainment that worked with websites and musicians and helped to deeper tie Bill to the local music scene. Eventually Bill created a section of the Th Entertainment website, called TH Music Scene. This was the precursor to today’s AK Music Scene. During the TH Entertainment days, Tim and Bill designed a website for a local artist named Liz Hazelett. Liz’s nephew Tony Marinacci, owns and runs TM Entertainment. Tony was in need of some website help. Eventually, Bill brought up the local bands that he worked with, since Tony ran an Entertainment Company.This is where Utah Burgess (Shady Lady Studio & Grass Roots on the Rock Station 97.7) comes into the story. Bill met Utah through the Rock for Life concerts, (Matt and Steve from Hybrid). Utah is a staunch support of AK Music Scene and The Pennsylvania Rock Show. Utah paid for the original AK Music Scene domain on January 29, 2004.The next 2 people in the story found the AK Music Scene website and ran 2 unsigned music scene websites in Texarkana, TX. Chris and Holly Hawthorne, were a huge step in the evolution of AKMS and PARS. Chris ran indiebandradio.com. An online radio station that played nothing but local bands. Chris had some issues with his streaming computer and didn’t want to shut his station down. Bill offered to help and Chris explained how the streaming worked. Bill then called Brian Shaffer front man of the band (kaj) (currently the Travelers)and asked him if he had a mic that he could use. Brian showed up and he and Bill DJed on indiebandradio.com for the first time on September 14, 2004. This is when the Pennsylvania Rock Show was born. Tony Marinacci was instrumental in teaching Bill how to run a mixer which enabled the show to continue to progress into what is today!

Read more at: https://www.buildthescene.com/listen/anniversary-shows/