Idlestar Stacks Lavery Bunker with Metal, Comedy, Punk, and More

Contributed

Idlestar Productions brings three energetic shows to Lavery's Bunker in March, ahead of the anticipated reopening of Centennial Hall. Catch shows from Bore, Zeta, or a comedy set from Neil Rubenstein, along with their musical and comedic guests.

BEGINNING Saturday, Mar. 21

Bore, Twist and Writhe, One If By Land, Loss Becomes, and Gatlin

The first Saturday in spring will be filled with sounds of punk, metal, and hardcore. Starting the night off will be the Youngstown quartet Gatlin, fresh off their latest full-length (released March 3), Worst Case Scenario, courtesy of This Is Just a Record Label.  NYC heavy metalcore five-piece Loss Becomes will follow, formed by guitarist/YouTuber/Mission Sandwich Social Chef Brian Tsao, with members of Thracian, Tiger Flowers, as well as the Westfall Recording Company. Make sure to catch your local(ish) heroes, Meadville's very own One If By Land, the long-running punk outfit fronted by 40 Under 40 alum Fred Oakman. Continuing in that vein, Hanover, PA's Twist and Writhe will take the stage, with their gritty, lovable throwback punk sound. Headlining the show will be NYC hardcore chaos agents Bore, supporting their recent album Feral from Silent Pendulum Records.

6 p.m. to 11 p.m. // The Bunker at Lavery's, 128 W. 12th St. // $10 adv., $15 day of show // 21+ // Tickets and info: tickets.eriereader.com

Thursday, Mar. 26

Zeta, Hiroe, Amplifiers, Zakrahe

Prog, ambient alt, and post rock will be the order of the day in Erie on the last Thursday in March. Dextrous compositions and virtuoso musicianship will be on display from the very beginning with Zakrahe, the talented team hailing from right here in Erie. Pittsburgh's Amplifiers will bring their trademark sound of lush and often ambient orchestrations swelling and churning away thunderously. For this show – including a trio of regional performances – they'll be joined by their siblings in sound, Hiroe. The Philadelphia instrumental rock quintet will be performing cuts from their 2025 album Wield and more, and first met Amplifiers sharing an Idlestar bill in 2025. Finishing out the evening will be Venezuelan post rockers Zeta. With their uptempo, punk rock-inspired sound, the group of hard-touring and harder-playing artists will win over fans with their high-energy stage presence and fervor.

6 p.m. to 11 p.m. // The Bunker at Lavery's, 128 W. 12th St. // $15 adv., $20 day of show // 21+ // Tickets and info: tickets.eriereader.com

Tuesday, Apr. 7

Neil Rubenstein, Bailey Pope, Jerry Morrison, and Alex Stypula

It might seem to be a break from the norm (if you can remotely call it that) for an Idlestar night of comedy. But when you see the throughline of punk ethos and street cred, it's easy to get how the first Tuesday in April came together. Pittsburgher (and former Los Angeleno) Alex Stypula will be hosting the night, having recently completed the second season of his rotoscoped animated short series Night Drives, and will be bringing his dark wit to the Bunker stage. Then, guests can catch comedian Jerry Morrison, the Nashvillian and former bassist of Tooth & Nail/Forefront Records band Bleach. Bailey Pope will bring her own punk rock roots to the mic; the trans New Yorker (and former Angeleno) recently released her live special and album AKA. Headlining the night will be Neil Rubenstein, who released his 2024 comedy album  Have Some Dignity on Equal Vision Records. Erie will be the first night in a six-show run for Rubenstein and Pope, christened the Pennsylvania Takeover. Yeah, the PA Takeover, as the duo makes their way all throughout this so-called nation. 

7 p.m. to 10 p.m. // The Bunker at Lavery's, 128 W. 12th St. // $20 adv., $25 day of show // 21+ // Tickets and info: tickets.eriereader.com