Rock The 80’s
Due to popular demand, limited standing room only tickets are now available!
Limited overflow seating will be available for Standing Room Only ticket holders at the rear of the auditorium, seating is not guaranteed. The first three rows in front of the stage will be removed for dancing; both Standing Room, and Reserved ticket holders are encouraged to get up and dance!
We welcome you to join us for “Rock the 80’s,” a benefit concert for the Bob Perks Cancer Assistance Fund at The State Theatre. Enjoy a spectacular evening of music while raising funds to support local cancer patients who receive financial support from the Bob Perks Fund. When local cancer patients face tough decisions on whether to feed their families, heat their homes or pay for medical expenses, the Bob Perks Fund steps in to help pay for basic necessities so cancer patients can worry less and focus on their treatment and recovery.
The Totally Rad Reception at the Kish Expect More Store – Allen Street, offers complimentary beer, wine and an array of appetizers. The event is scheduled from 5pm to 6:30 pm and guests must be age 21 to attend. Reception tickets are limited.
Join us for a totally awesome evening of great 80’s music performed by sensational local bands. On Saturday, February 11th at 7 pm, 80’s attire encouraged!
Come dressed in your 80’s best for a chance to win a gift card to a great local restaurant!
To enter the Rock the 80’s costume contest, please do one of the following on Saturday, February 11th:
1. Post a photo of yourself in costume on Facebook or Instagram, including the hashtag: #RockThe80s23.
OR
2. Email a photo of yourself in costume to info@bobperksfund.org. Please include your name(s) in the email, so that you can be properly recognized.
The final deadline for entry is 7:00 PM on Saturday. Finalists will be chosen by BPF staff and volunteers, and winners will be selected by audience vote at the end of intermission. You must be present to win!
The Best Duo or Group Costume will take home a $150 gift card to Gigi’s Southern Table, and the Best Solo Costume will leave with a $100 gift card to The Tavern Restaurant. Break out your headbands and leg warmers for a chance to take home one of these great prizes!
Artist Line Up
Anchor&Arrow
Anchor&Arrow is the musical collaboration of husband and wife, Matt Dashem and Jennifer Henry-Dashem. Their unique sound is an upbeat mix of soul, funk, rock, and jazz: a culmination of many years of their individual musical styles and experience. The pair has been deemed Happy Valley’s FUNked-Up duo: A two person band with a whole lotta sound! Jenn’s moving voice fused with Matt’s seasoned guitar can be enjoyed by music lovers of all kinds, but especially those fond of having a good time. Jenn and Matt combine their decades of experience and styles into this wildly fun project. They never take themselves too seriously, while packing high energy and a banging good time into their live performances.
The duo is known for putting their own twists on familiar tunes; blending styles and swapping genres with ease and originality. While they cover feel good music from the ‘70s to modern day songs that make you wanna move, their first love is creating their own music. Anchor&Arrow’s all-original EP, Jumble, can be streamed on Spotify and most other streaming platforms. Each Anchor&Arrow performance is tailored to venue and audience while always welcoming space for the unexpected.
Anchor&Arrow appears regularly in Central Pennsylvania and surrounding areas at the American Ale House & Grill, J.L. Farm & Cidery, Shy Bear Brewing, Otto’s Pub and Brewery, Broken Axe Brew House, A’s Pub, Café 210 West, Doggie’s Pub and more.
The Corner Brothers
The Corner Brothers, Matt and Tyler Greer, are Penn State alumni whose career in music began right here in downtown State College! For more than a decade, the Corner Brothers have been entertaining audiences in Centre County and beyond, playing all genres of music while engaging their audiences with their own special brand of comedy. You will find the Corner Brothers performing live Thursday and Friday evenings in downtown State College. Be sure to check them out on Facebook and Instagram!
CRUSH
CRUSH plays dance music from the 80s to today. They will perform their set in honor of the memory of their drummer, Travis Kramer.
Genuine Red and the Issues
Genuine Red and the Issues are excited to be a part of this year’s Rock the 80s! Red’s lead vocalist, Cori Donaghy, is a veteran of the event, appearing in every show since its inception.
The band is filled out by Cori’s friends and collaborators; James Miller on bass and vocals (Spider Kelly, Cone of Silence, The Skoal Brothers, The Extractors), Steve Fishbaine on keyboards and vocals (The Extractors, Cousin Neddie), Mike Cullin on guitar and vocals (The Extractors, Cousin Neddie, The Armadillos), and Mike Bartko on drums and percussion (Boxing Oscars, Screwdriver Sally, The Adorabulls).
Cori and her family wish to send a special thank you to the Bob Perks Cancer Assistance Fund for their help with managing the financial burden of Cori’s own cancer. Now 10 years cancer free, Cori is grateful for the opportunity to be on stage once more tonight.
J.R. Mangan Band
JR Mangan has been part of the State College music scene since 1985, Playing in bands such as Space Goop, Stoyln Hours, and JR & Sharon. His unique style and undeniable charisma guarantee a fun show. With the addition of talented vocalist Veronica Auger, this latest iteration of JR’s band is firing on all cylinders!
JR Mangan, Mark Toci, John Lynch, Jason Ebersole, Veronica Auger
Miss Melanie
Based in State College, PA, mISS mELANIE wants to make you move! The tunes are specially chosen, cultivated, and stylized to connect with the audience for a fully enjoyable and righteous experience. Miss Melanie’s vocals range from a powerful soulful blast to a gentle precision, while Chris Coyne plays with slick percussion through varying styles and genres. Jeff Beck lays down one hell of a groove on bass. Brian Cleary provides ample soul and movement through not only his intense guitar grooves but also top notch vocals. This band is a must-see musical experience!
Spider Kelly
Spider Kelly just might be the best band you’ve never heard of. Founding member and Eric Bishop (guitar, accordion, vocals) has been carrying the torch and rocking basement bars in State College for over 25 years, with long-time members Jimmy DeCosmo (drums, vocals) and James Miller (bass, vocals) providing a strong rhythmic foundation. Special guest Michael Cullin (guitar, vocals) will be joining them for their performance this year.
The Extractors
Dr. McRosenmiller and The Extractors, better known as “The Extractors”, formed in 2022 as the result of a serendipitous collaboration between friends and fellow musicians. The focus is on classics, to be sure, but The Extractors like to bring out the occasional deep track as well. Made up of veteran musicians from the State College scene – Michael Cullin, guitar and vocals; David McKee, drums and vocals; Steve Fishbaine, keyboards and vocals; James Miller, guitar and vocals; and Eric Rosengrant, bass and vocals – The Extractors are just getting started. They hope you see a lot more of them in the future!!
The Long Afternoon
Reclusive Pennsylvania-based indie rock pioneers The Long Afternoon formed in Pittsburgh in 1985 and consolidated in State College in 1987. The organization has pursued a strategy of deliberate obscurity, opting not to participate in conventional rock and roll career-building activities and eschewing traditional notions of success entirely, leaving their ultimate ambitions and intent unknown to any but the group’s inner circle.
High-profile opening slots for indie-rock luminaries like Dinosaur Jr. yielded a deal in 1987 with Bulging Eye, then the Flaming Lips’ management company. A self-titled EP was recorded and a national tour planned, but acrimony led to the suspension of all organizational initiatives, and the 1987 EP remains unreleased.
The Long Afternoon later embarked on a new series of initiatives. The organization’s first album, “The Luxury Problem,” came out in 2006 to enthusiastic reviews in The Big Takeover and, ironically enough for an organization whose personnel no longer indulge, High Times. Their second album, 2009’s Signifying Nothing, was named one of the 10 best indie albums of the year by A Future in Noise.
The group’s third album, 2011’s An Index of Maladjustments, added additional guitar muscle and also contained “The Chameleonaires,” a single that, while typically ambiguous and open to multiple interpretations, was nonetheless adopted as an anthem of sorts by Occupy Wall Street protestors. The Long Afternoon neither encouraged nor discouraged this use of their statement. The organization’s fourth album, the eerily prescient Regression, was released in August 2016, steeped in themes of thoughtless automata, top-down control, conspiratorial hallucination, and corrupt denial of reality.
The Long Afternoon continues to issue recorded statements and proffer live demonstrations as situations demand. They are deeply grateful for the opportunity to spend part of their lives creating music, and twice as grateful to those who listen to the music they create.
Eston Martz, Jeff Edmunds, Greg Elliott, J.P. Mulley
Bob Perks Fund Strategic Partners
Bob Perks Fund Special Events Partners
2023 Rock The 80s
Event Sponsors
Rock Stars - $2,500
Lead Singers - $1,500
First Citizens Community Bank
Restek Corporation
Backup Singers - $1,500
McQuaide Blasko, Attorneys at Law
Mount Nittany Health
Truist Bank
Break Dancers - $500
Frost & Conn Insurance
Stocker Chevrolet Subaru
Groupies - $250
Koch Funeral Home
Primary Health Network
State College Orthodontics
Bid For The Balcony
Fan Club
In Kind
James Miller
Jeff Brown
J.R. Mangan
Kish Bank - Expect More Store
State College American Legion Post 245
W. R. Hickey