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Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
TikTok sensation Burn The Jukebox to open for Philadelphia Freedom at the Kirby Center
Apr. 3—WILKES-BARRE — Straight out of NEPA, Burn the Jukebox just celebrated its five-year anniversary as a band. Since its debut, the band has been climbing with TikTok fame into the hearts of fans across the world, and all this while the musicians are still in high school. Burn The Jukebox will be the opening act for Philadelphia Freedom, rescheduled due to winter weather to this Saturday , April 5, at the F.M. Kirby Center for Performing Arts. Burn The Jukebox is engaging with its audience in a modern way, and it's working. They've amassed their fans through social media, mainly by covering a wide range of popular music across decades and genres. "My parents, for many years, used to scorn me, like, 'Hey, you can't be on your phone so much. Come on, like, do homework or something'. And now they're on it because of us," said bassist and vocalist Virginia Franks. Burn The Jukebox's members found each other through mutual connections between family, friends and school. Virginia Franks is on bass and vocals, Luke Vanchure is on guitar and Carter Dennis is on drums. Luke and Carter are juniors while Virginia is a senior. "It was all my fault," said Virginia Franks. "So, when I was, I think, 11 or 12, I decided I wanted to be in a band because my parents were in a band for a long time, and I just always really enjoyed music." Burn The Jukebox blew up on TikTok and their newfound fame spread to other platforms. They funneled fans to their links and other profiles to create a massive following of 2.5 million, spreading like wildfire. They covered a song a day for over a year on social media, producing lots of videos and content to keep the interest flowing. Consistency became second nature after awhile and they stayed dedicated to it. Posting every day paid off. "Anyone can do it," said Virginia. "That's why I think it's such a cool thing that we just happened to be super lucky on the algorithm, posting these videos and cranking them out. But, any person who wants to share their passion with the world or the internet, you're a buddy ol' pal!" Burn The Jukebox sports a rock n' roll attitude while merging it with alt-rock of the new age and their own style. They started out by covering a wide variety of songs, everything from Queen to Justin Timberlake to Luke Bryan to Fleetwood Mac to Lady Gaga. Some of their most viral videos include covers of "99 Red Balloons" by Nena, "Living on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi, and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears, with millions of TikTok views each. "Our target audience is definitely very close to our age, so that's also lots of our fan group," said Virginia. "So, I think what really makes them connect is that they see people close to their age doing big things, and it makes them believe in themselves — that they can do that too." Burn the Jukebox said they're on the road to an album that they've been writing for the past couple months. Although they have a lot of demos out there and have found success on social media, they are looking forward to putting out a full album of their own original songs, something they are very passionate about. Interestingly, the album they're writing actually isn't about them — it's all about the fans. They turned to social media to crowdsource their stories from their very own followers. They were moved by the personal stories they received and were able to pull inspiration from submissions. For every song on the upcoming album, they picked a story that a fan sent in. There's no shortage of incredible stories, and they appreciate getting to engage with their fans on a whole new level, where they're actively participating in their upcoming music, too. "I think they have so many stories to tell and a lot of them are around our age," said Carter. "It's just kind of cool to spread that because music gives people a voice. So, when we incorporate our own voice into the song, it's a good combination of both. Burn The Jukebox is a local band that was able to reach far beyond Northeastern Pennsylvania, which also adds to their diverse storytelling for the upcoming album. Their fans come from all over the world. Switzerland was big for them early on, and they've also captivating fans from the across Europe and beyond, from France to Singapore. This band of talented young musicians have become so popular and influential that they have also begun inspiring others close to their age to pick up instruments. "It's crazy to hear like, Hey, we started a band because we saw you guys on TikTok." said Carter. On Saturday, April 5, Burn the Jukebox finally has a chance to play a hometown show at F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre. They are all looking forward to entertaining family and friends in the crowd while opening for Philadelphia Freedom: A Tribute to Elton John. "They're fantastic musicians, all of them, and they're just great people. I've known Doug (Delescavage) for quite a while. He's Elton John actually." said Carter. "Doug just really makes the show like, so fun, SO fun. He's just so happy all the time and he just brings all that happy energy with him everywhere he goes." said Virginia. "—We all have lots of people coming and I'm excited to be able to play for people I know who've never seen us before." Burn the Jukebox has been busy traveling the country. They've played in Las Vegas, Nashville, St. Louis, and more from coast to coast! In November, Burn the Jukebox headed to Los Angeles and appeared on Pauly Shore's PMS Podcast Show. One day, they hope they get to go across the pond to meet their fans abroad. "We're all over the place," said Carter. They have an upcoming national summer tour where they'll be going around the country. They are looking forward to seeing new cities and meeting new people across the route. So, how do they juggle being a mega rockstar and a regular teenager at the same time? They said they've had five years to get used to it. Although it can be challenging at times, the main thing is that they love what they do. So, whether it's scribbling down songs in study hall or last-minute finishing up homework before the bell, they make it work. "It started off as like a hobby and now it's a job — but it's like a dream job. So, I'm having fun at work all the time," said Virginia. They are moving away from covering older songs and onto a new era, which will definitely be demonstrated in their first studio album of original music. They're taking inspiration from The Strokes, Kings of Leon, Deftones and more. "You can tell on our TikTok lately we've slowed down on the covers, but when we do post them, it's more geared towards the style we're headed toward," said Carter. Lately they've done Artic Monkeys, Title Fight, and other bands more related to the modern alt-rock scene. See them walking the PA Red Carpet. Burn The Jukebox earned three nominations for the Central Pennsylvania Music Hall of Fame in 2025 and won for Best Youth Band, they were also nominated for best alt-rock band and for their original song, "Reflection (In Your Eyes)." They also won a Steamtown Music Award for Pop/Top 40 Act of the Year. You can hear them just about every day on WNEP, their song "Hello World" is one of the station's theme songs. "A goal is just that each year is bigger and better than last year," said Carter. Over the rest of 2025, they really want to focus on harnessing their sound and style, maybe even debut some coordinating outfits while defining their live performance attitude outside of social media. They want to find a style that suits the next stage of the band through this upcoming album. "Not only figure it out personally, but then also the music. We want to really hone in on a sound that we all love, and we want to write and get more direct because we've done a ton of originals and I think now we're starting to figure out who we are as a band," said Carter.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
NM Legislative Recap Feb. 20: Where the wild things are
Kiara, a wolf dog who lives at the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary in Ramah, visited the Roundhouse with Siena Radice, an animal care specialist and the program development coordinator for the sanctuary, on Feb. 20, 2025. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source NM) The New Mexico Legislature receives many distinguished guests during the session, but Thursday's was arguably more special than the rest, and undoubtedly more furry. Kiara, a wolf dog, looked happy as she walked back and forth inside a cage built in the Rotunda, rubbing against the fence and getting pets from members of the public. Kiara is a mid-content wolf dog, meaning she is a dog with more than half of her DNA coming from a gray wolf, said Siena Radice, an animal care specialist and the program development coordinator with Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary. Being a mid-content wolf dog makes Kiara more social than some other wolf dogs, Radice said, which explains why she was licking the hands that reached through the fence to pet her. Kiara is 12 years old, the upper limit of a wolf dog's lifespan, Radice said. These animals in the wild usually only live to be about seven or eight years old, she said. 'There's no sanctuary for them, so there's disease, they get hit by cars, and there are a lot of hunters, a lot of people who want to kill them, which is very unfortunate,' Radice said. There are 83 wolves living at the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary, Radice said, and 25 more are expected to join what she called the 'big pack' in the coming months. The sanctuary is located in Ramah, an unincorporated community in McKinley County in the northwestern part of the state, she said, hours away from most people, vehicle traffic and loud noises. Yes, you can visit. The staff care for the animals well enough to allow them to live nearly twice as long compared to those living in the wild, she said (George RR Martin narrated a video about the sanctuary some years ago that gives a feel for the environs). Kira's visit to the Roundhouse coincided with Land, Water and Wildlife day at the Legislature. Speaking of water, if you want to give input on the regional water boundaries or the plans for state water planning for later this year, submit this survey before midnight on Friday. Sens. Craig Brandt (R-Rio Rancho) and Carrie Hamblen (D-Las Cruces) harmonized to Bon Jovi's 'Living on a Prayer,' on the senate floor Thursday, marking that we are in fact 'halfway there' (the session ends at noon on March 22). Thursday was also the final day for either chamber to introduce legislation. Lawmakers have introduced more than 1,100 pieces of legislation with the Senate introducing 559 bills and the House putting forward 583 bills, along with memorials and resolutions. Senate Bill 16, a bill to allow independents to participate in major-party primaries without changing their registration, passed the Senate floor in a 27-11 vote Wednesday evening. On Thursday afternoon, the House of Representatives voted 56-2 on House Bill 193, which would allow the Legislative Education Study Committee to study early childhood education and higher education issues. The House voted 44-23 in favor of Senate Bill 3, one of the three bills that make up what is called the behavioral health package. The House voted 68-1 in favor of House Bill 10, which would allow the state's cannabis regulator to police bad actors in the cannabis industry. The Senate voted 26-14 to pass Senate Bill 36, which would prohibit state Department of Motor Vehicles employees from disclosing driver data to any entity that would use it to enforce federal civil immigration laws. The Senate unanimously voted in favor Senate Bill 135, which would allow lawmakers to be reimbursed with public funds for out-of-state travel even if they lost their election or haven't declared their candidacy, without the need for a three-quarter majority vote by the Legislative Council. The Senate is expected to vote on House Bill 8, known as the crime package, on Friday, said Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe). The House Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs Committee unanimously endorsed a bill that would cap the liability on rural electrical cooperatives if they are proven in court to have caused a wildfire, and remove their liability so long as they can prove they followed fire mitigation measures they previously submitted to the state. The bill, which comes amid a lawsuit against PNM for the McBride Fire, now heads to the House Judiciary Committee. The Senate Indian, Rural and Cultural Affairs Committee advanced a bill mandating the creation of a Turquoise Alert to spread information about missing Native Americans, without recommendation after hearing from sponsors that law enforcement wanted to change some of the language. As of 5:30 p.m., the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee was starting a hearing on House Bill 339, which would prohibit landlords across the state from rejecting prospective tenants based on their source of income, including Section 8 vouchers. Several New Mexico cities ban the practice, but a statewide measure has died in committee in recent years. Senate Bill 41, sponsored by Sens. Angel Charley (D-Acoma) and Cindy Nava (D-Bernalillo), moves now to Senate Tax, Business and Transportation. House Bill 392, which would ban single-use plastic bags statewide and require stores to charge a minimum $0.10 fee for paper bags, will have to go again before the House Energy and Natural Resources committee next wee, after members requested the sponsors to clean up the bill's fee section and a few other tweaks.
