Lancaster always has something going.

Bethlehem is a good place for music.

Delaware County has open mics all over. And close to Philly

Chester county can have some good stuff, but it can be hit or miss. West Chester and especially Phoenixville have a good amount of live music.

Yes big time. Godfrey’s, The Funhouse, not to mention steelstacks. Musikfest, I mean…

Ardmore could be good. Close to the biggest scene (Philly), has some venues of its own, and also close enough to other towns with music scenes in the area (Phoenixville, Media, West Chester)

Lehigh Valley…got a decent music scene and you’re close to NYC and Philthadelphia

Agreed! Delaware and Montgomery Counties, along the Main Line. OP FYI, someone else said Ardmore, which is a part of the Main Line.

West Philly has a booming jazz scene!

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'm definitely looking closer at all the areas mentioned. I'll be leaving a pretty active music community and want to get plugged in right away!

Lititz (Lancaster Co) is home to Rock Lititz (if you aren't familiar - look it up) - so there's a direct connection to the entire music industry here. It's not uncommon to see tour busses and trucks from top name performers on the north end of Lititz when they are here to prepare for a new tour; or stop in along a tour for equipment fixes. There's a small venue right on the campus which has an incredible (Claire Brothers) sound system but its mostly tribute bands that play there. The prices are pretty reasonable to get seats, though they recently changed from using Event Brite to TicketMaster so there are probably higher fees now. And you're only about 5-8 miles from Lancaster where there are more clubs, etc.

Lancaster has three different DIY venues, a few small clubs, a couple of places that rent rehearsal rooms, half a dozen recording studios, and lots of bands.

I was gonna mention all these towns. Ardmore music hall always has shows and has a septa line to take you into the city to see more

I second Bethlehem. Musikfest, Godfrey’s, Funhouse, Artsquest, and Windcreek events to name a few. Surrounding you’ve got Easton and Allentown too both of which have solid venues.

Electric factory

Lansdale and (to a lesser extent) Pottstown also have scenes of their own

I would suggest the Soundbank in Phoenixville but they’re closing down because the new Landlord wants to tear the place down to build luxury apartments (which Phoenixville already has enough of). They’re open until 4/22 and Open Mic is Wednesday

The holy city blessed the world with Pissed Jeans.

Don’t forget “Lovin Lititz Every Second” which is their street event every 2nd Friday with local bands, food trucks and good brew from the Bulls Head pub. Also, all the cool shops are open late.

Phantom Power in nearby Millersville hits way above its weight as well. The sound there is phenomenal for its size.

Does Lower Bucks still has a scene? I used to do DIY shows in Levittown, Bristol, Croydon, Bensalem (+ Trenton and Philadelphia) damn near every weekend in the 90s/00s. In Central PA now and there's a nice little scene here even, relative to the size.

And a short drive to Lancaster, Harrisburg/Mechanicsburg and even Lebanon, each of which has a good variety of shows on a given weekend. Plenty of musicians around as well though forming a band will require some driving unless you get lucky.

The Fillmore in Philly is always great.

Mickeys Black Box! We have Built to Spill coming in, Rick Wakeman, and others on tap. Just had Maggie Roger's and The mountain goats recently. There are a lot of Tribute bands but also good original stuff as well. We opened during the pandemic, so we are still ramping up.