Last year was the inaugural ride of the Rock All Night Tour in Lawrenceville, an all-day-and-into-the-night free festival of local bands of all stripes. At the time, the festival — run by DJ Zombo and Mary Jo Coll (who books at Hambone's, as well as Howlers in Bloomfield) — was a new idea, and largely an experiment. This year, it's back, and beefed up a little.
The music is once again all over the map, both literally and figuratively; the tunes stretch across 20 venues, from Dozen Bake Shop, way down at 3511 Butler St., up to the 5400 block of Butler. And showcases everything from folk to metal, jazz and hip hop. And this year, Coll and Zombo have organizational help from local musician Chet Vincent.
There are more venues this time around: New spots this year include Wild Purveyors (5308 Butler St.), Allegheny Wine Mixer (5326 Butler St.) and Nied's Hotel (5438 Butler St.). The main outdoor afternoon performances have been moved from Allegheny Cemetery down to Arsenal Park, presumably because of concerns over waking the dead.
R.A.N.T. starts early this year. Dozen, Wild Purveyors and Embody Juice Bar (5400 Butler St.) all host tunes starting around 10 a.m. At noon, the outdoor shows — at Arsenal Park and Nied's, and as part of a car cruise at Stinky's Bar and Grill (4901 Hatfield St.) — begin. Several artists play at New Amsterdam (4421 Butler St.) starting at 2 p.m., and 5 p.m. is when Blackberry Studios (4814 Blackberry Way) opens for Chrome Moses and The 9th Ward.
Evening is, of course, when the more traditional venues open up. Thunderbird Cafe, Hambone's, Eclipse, Kopec's, Cattivo and a host of others present shows of all stripes.
All the bands playing are listed at www.rantlawrenceville.com.
