04/16/2025
Turning it up to 12 this year!
The Electric City Music Conference Turns it Up to 12!
by Keith Perks
The Electric City Music Conference announced its 12th annual event this year, featuring the Steamtown Music Awards followed by two nights of LIVE music in Downtown Scranton.
The Steamtown Music Awards kick off the weekend each year, and as usual, it will be held at Bar and will feature a slew of local celebs, awards, and of course, live performances by the area's best local bands.
Conference organizer Joe Caviston said he's gotten to the point where he looks forward to "the people" the most. "I love connecting with as many people as I can that weekend. I'm actively taking steps this year to put myself in a place to be able to interact with as many people as possible. I don't want to be running around like a chicken with its head cut off this year. I want to engage and have meaningful time with as many people as possible."
2025 brings us another supportive list of local venues ready to rock. The Bog, Backyard Alehouse, The Ritz, Mutant Brewing, Sergei's Live, The V-Spot, and others will host several live performances each night, giving guests the chance to catch their favorite local metal, rock, rap, and punk bands.
Caviston filled us in on the growth aspects of the conference. Each year, more people want to be involved and more show up to support. So, ECMC added a few new venues, and Caviston said to look forward to "more all-age availability than ever before. Some of the venues will have multiple stages in them. We want to give as many artists a platform as possible. There's also a renewed focus on the educational portions. I say it every year, but it's by far the most important part of the event. We're going to try to make that aspect as accessible as possible to as many people as possible."
ECMC will also host FREE educational panels that will give guests the chance to learn from industry professionals. This is your chance to learn something new and get a mentoring opportunity to help you along in your musical career path.
When asked what's one thing he hopes people walk away from the conference with this year, Caviston said, "A sense of self-worth. I think anyone who pursues a creative endeavor questions themselves all the time. I ask myself what I'm doing at least 5 times a day. Events like this, where I get to be surrounded by like-minded people who are all trying to accomplish similar goals—and are killing it—give me a sense of fulfillment. When you're on an island, it's easy to feel like you're running a fool's errand. Hopefully, this event, if nothing else, makes people feel like what they're doing is worth it."
Applications to perform will be open on April 21st. Nominations for the Steamtown Music Awards open a week later on April 28th. Nominations are open to the public. Winners are determined by cast votes, with the final determination being made by the events committee of industry professionals. Each category also features a People's Choice Award that is decided by the fan votes.
This year's nominees will be announced during Happy Hour at Mutant Brewing from 5 pm-7 pm on August 24th. See you there!
For more information:
www.electriccitymusicconference.com
