Good Things Are Happening Fest Recap
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Good things are happening. A daring proclamation to make in 2026 when it feels like every glimpse into your phone reveals a new horror. At the end of a summer choked by wildfire smoke, mounds of recalled food, authoritarian surveillance creep, data center “debates,” and one regressive repeal after another, we hardly need a reminder of all the ways our leaders are failing us. America’s profit-minded individualist approach has led to a degraded, distrustful society, and its death rattles have never felt as evident as they have this year. Even still, despairing gets us nowhere. In fact, this might even be something to celebrate; the faster we get away from the circumstances that got us here, the better.
One solution I’ve found is to get out and get away. Walk out my front door, breathe the air (when it’s safe to do so), and say hi to my neighbors. Pet a dog. Kiss a lover. Hug a friend. Eat some food. Watch some music. Sweat on a stranger. Experience the world. When you do this, you realize not all is lost. Not all is evil. In fact, most people are good and filled with the same love and worries as you are. This reminder is one reason why it’s so important to get out and be around your fellow man. It’s no coincidence that this is also a list of things you can do at Good Things Are Happening, a music and arts festival held at the Scranton Iron Furnaces in the heart of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Now in its fifth iteration, the festival was founded by Scranton-based singer-songwriter James Barrett in 2022 when he posted, and I quote, “I'd like to set up a music festival in Scranton because it could be really cool and I simply enjoy making my life difficult for the benefit of others.” Of course, a festival like this with a dozen music acts, 30+ vendors, and hundreds of attendees cannot run on one man’s willpower alone. Alongside James, Erin Kosisky and Harry Eric Rockower helped organize fundraising, logistics, and all the behind-the-scenes magic that makes something like this happen. These three were backed by a hearty network of 15 volunteers, plus security and sound people who all worked together to ensure that the day ran smoothly.
Previous iterations of the fest have been headlined by local legends such as The Menzingers, Petal, and Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, but have also included perennial Swim Favorites like Wild Pink, Oldsoul, and Caracara in the undercard. This year, I made the three-hour drive up from Philly on Saturday, September 12th, to see what Good Things Fest was all about. I was excited to watch headlining eternal emo faves Pool Kids, but was also looking forward to finally catching The Virgos, Latewaves, and, like any good festival, discovering a slew of new bands live in the moment once I got there.
I arrived at Good Things by 1 pm, guided in by the sounds of an electronic remix of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” as I followed groups of tattoo-clad locals down a hill to the Iron Furnaces. The festival grounds were small but easy to navigate. One underrated benefit of this landscape is that you get a great overview of the whole thing upon entry, with the towering furnace wall to the left and a flowing tributary named “Roaring Brook” to the right. Between these two landmarks were rows of vendor tents, a pavilion with tables and seating, and the stage situated at the far end.
Within minutes, I saw a dog wearing a festival wristband, met James, and got situated with a media badge that gave me access to the area behind the stage. Full disclosure, I received half a sandwich, a scoop of pasta, and a free tote bag for my efforts.
Upon entry, James introduced me to his friend Justin Troutman, a volunteer who has helped with every previous iteration of the fest and also plays in a local band called Sunblush. Together, Justin and I talked about the festival’s history, as well as the Scranton music scene at large. Perhaps because Andrew Sacher’s Emo Revival book was fresh on my mind, but I was determined to take on Scranton and Wilkes-Barre with an open heart. The two of us discussed local legends like Tigers Jaw, Menzingers, and Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, as well as some of the scene’s vital forebears like the Bob and the Sagets. This all reinforced what I’ve come to learn time and time again, which is that good music scenes can truly happen anywhere; all it takes is a dedicated and passionate few to get the ball rolling. Even here in Scranton, a city once defined by its railways (and more recently as a sitcom backdrop), was a music festival happening beneath the relics of an 1800s iron plant. Here were hundreds of people making art, music, food, and being in community with each other, which, at the end of the day, is what this is all about.
Good Things For The Kids, Good Things For The World
One thing I praise Good Things for is the family-friendly approach that the organizers took. Kids under 10 get in free, and there was no shortage of wholesome activities for families to keep occupied outside the music on stage. Some of the good things I saw immediately upon entry were a barrage of outdoor games like mini golf courses, Giant Jenga, and Connect Four. There was also a face-painting station, a balloon-animal guy, and literal piles of candy scattered across various tables and vendor booths. If a kid was organizing a music festival, these are probably many of the same decisions that they would make.
This family-centric approach, combined with other smaller decisions like re-entry and free water, makes Good Things feel welcoming and easy-going – a distinct contrast from other festivals and street fairs that might try to charge a few dollars for a bottle of water just because they know they can. Speaking of vendors, there were over 30 in attendance, ranging from local restaurants, breweries, coffee shops, and record stores to artists selling pottery, jewelry, and live screen-printed T-shirts.
One of the most heartening things I found was that two of the booths placed closest to the entry were Binghamton Solidarity for Palestine, a coalition of students and community members fighting for divestment from Israel, and People’s Guild, a mutual aid and meal delivery program based out of Wilkes-Barre. Getting the members of your community out for a day of music is all well and good, but getting them involved (or even just aware) of local orgs like this is an actionable way to fight against the objectively not good things happening in our world. While the festival didn’t have an overt political bent, I found it reassuring to see people like this spreading a vital message and fighting hopelessness. Plus, I was able to buy a pin of Snoopy holding a Palestinian flag for my girlfriend, so that was cool.
The Bands Part One: Jersey Takes Scranton
Since I showed up an hour after doors, I sadly missed the opening band Look Back Luna, a fact that immediately made me regretful when I got to the merch booth and saw how cool the album cover for We’re Leaving This Place looked. Instead, the band that kicked off the day for me was Connor Bracken and the Mother Leeds Band, who brought their classic rock-and-roll vibes from Asbury Park as the sun poured down and attendees trickled in. Immediately following was Rachel Ana Dobken, who stunned with a sort of 70s space-rock vibe, complete with tons of solid-ass riffs and sick guitar solos. The high point of her set came during the song “Always,” when Rachel strung up her guitar and seamlessly took over the drum kit to play (and sing) into the following song. It was a true feat of coordination, and all without missing a beat, a true sight to behold. The third and final Jersey band of this opening stretch was none other than Latewaves, who brought the emo-punk energy with hard-hitting drums and absolutely rippin’ guitar work. I had initially met Latewaves lead singer Mike Pelligrino when I was on the road with Carpool back in 2024, so it was nice to reconnect with him here and finally see his band live and in the flesh.
Rain Break, Caffeine Break
Up to this point, the day had been mostly perfect mid-70s, alternating sunny blue skies and some slight overcast that offered a nice reprieve from the direct sunlight. Since it was already mid-afternoon, this seemed like a great time to step away and check into my hotel, the nearby Hilton with a beautiful-ish seventh-story view of downtown Scranton and an impressively clogged bathroom sink. After some check-in delays, I stepped back outside and noticed a light sprinkle coming down. It felt good. I hustled my ass back to the festival grounds with a Red Bull in hand, hoping it would power me through the rest of the day. When I returned, I was sad to learn I missed the entirety of Purple Lung’s set, but hotel fuckery tends not to care about festival schedules or set times.
Once the music resumed, I found that my Red Bull paired perfectly with Wild Red, whose infectious easycore energy got the crowd finger-pointing and shouting along. Once again, I found myself ruminating on the influence of bands from this exact slab of the state, like Title Fight, who were clear forebears of Wild Red’s hopped-up pop-punk stylings.
After a short changeover, “Pennsylvania’s Heaviest Band” The Virgos took the stage, and the mood shifted in the best way. First off, the band was loud as shit, hauling their own cabs onstage, making their already-loud approach to heavy metal even louder. At one point between songs, while encouraging the crowd to pack in, lead singer Andy Saba exclaimed: “The closer you are, the louder it is, the better it sounds.” Couldn’t have said it better myself.
On my way to get a better view of the trio, I navigated past two children having a balloon sword fight to the band’s music, forming their own little pit at the edge of the field as their parents watched on. Something about that struck me, reminiscent of how my younger brothers and I would run around and roughhouse any time we were in a similar situation, emboldened by the lawless feeling of live music in an outdoor setting. The Virgos’ blend of stoner-metal-horror-punk seemed perfectly fitted to score their battle and mark the midpoint of the day. Other highlights in the band’s set included a one-chorus interpolation of “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera and a full cover of “Snowblind” by Black Sabbath, which they dedicated to Ozzy. Indeed, they might have been the heaviest band that played that day, and I was glad to have my trusty WXPN earplugs protecting me from the booming bass and thunderous drums.
A Tale of Two Beers
I was doing my best to pace myself throughout the day, so after a quick bite, I decided it was time to try one of the two Good Things-branded beers made specifically for the festival. First up was the Good Things Festbier brewed by Blind Cat Beer Co., a 5% German-style festbier that was fairly tart and bitter, but still refreshing. The can is wrapped in a cool-as-fuck rainbow logo that was incredibly striking and beautifully designed.
The second beer brewed in collaboration with the fest was Groove Things Are Happening from Groove Brewing, a 5.1% Kölsch that immediately won me over on the first sip. To me, this beer tasted much lighter and felt easier to drink than the festbier, although that drinkability could be because it was my second beer of the night, and the second drink always hits different.
If I had to pick a winner between these two pretty great beers, I’d probably opt for Groove Things Are Happening, but the Festbier comes through with a better design and presentation. Regardless of the winner, it’s cool to be at a music festival that has its own beer, let alone two! Ever since we lost Pitchfork Fest (and their final year skipped it entirely), I’ve missed that special one-off beverage experience you can only find right then and there at a festival.
Back to The Bands
After the crushing heaviness of The Virgos came the psychedelic brightness of The Sw!ms. Easily the most colorful band on the day’s lineup, the group’s five members were decked out in either suits and ties or psychedelic 70s button-ups with big-ass lapels. At the front of the stage sat a series of illustrated tri-fold standees that gave the stage a cartoon-church feel. The set itself was just as vibrant as the Scranton natives ripped through a jubilant set of music complete with organ, vocal harmonies, and even a damn theremin! One of the biggest surprise “guest spots” of the weekend came when The Grump, mascot of the defunct AAA baseball team the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, hopped on-stage to gesticulate and rock out for a song. While The Grump has his own sordid history, which I didn’t know until researching for this piece, I’m glad the town was willing to recontextualize him in this more positive environment.
Before going deeper into the lineup of bands, I feel like it’s a good point in this journey to talk about Cowgirlpills, the DJ duo who spun tunes between every set, playing from noon till 10 pm. These remixes often took the form of vocals from a popular song pumped out over an electronic beat, woven in and out with other tracks. The peak of this might have been when they took “Bodies” by Drowning Pool and seamlessly segued it into “Who Let the Dogs Out” by Baha Men. Another combination that I had to write down later was when Ram Jam’s rendition of “Black Betty” played off Dababy’s recent mega-hit “POP DAT THANG.” You never knew what was coming next, and the electronic bed kept everything feeling seamless as Cowgirlpills guided us through the entire day. Props to both of them for the endurance and the wide swath of pop culture they so readily pulled from.
As the sun was setting, it was finally time for James Barrett to take the stage. His set was preceded and punctuated by chants and screams of “JB!!!!” as friends and family cheered on the man who was, for all intents and purposes, the reason for the season. Despite playing under his name, the James Barrett band materialized as a six-person lineup with three guitarists, a bassist, keyboardist, drummer, and an occasional seventh spot that opened up for guest vocals from Amanda Rogan. To my ear, the music felt like a firm middle ground between two fellow Pennsylvania bands: The War On Drugs and The Menzingers. The six-piece often defaulted to a heartland indie rock thrum, but occasionally exploded into livelier peaks that got the crowd plenty riled up. My one wish is that the guitars could have been cranked a little louder; maybe it was just the mix from where I was standing, but the bass overpowered a lot of the other instruments, and when you’re playing with that many guitars there’s a huge opportunity to sound expansive and textured, but the set often sounded more compact and tight.
I’ve been lucky enough to hear an advance of Barrett’s new album, Now That I’ve Seen The Light, which hadn’t even been announced at the time of the festival, so it was cool to hear some of those songs performed live here. I found it poetic that, when alluding to the upcoming LP, James said it took five years to come together, which felt fitting given that this was the fifth iteration of Good Things Are Happening. These two things running in parallel feels like a distinct chapter beginning, unfurling, and coming to a close all at once.
Midway through the set, Barrett took over the piano and invited Mariah Hawley Williams (aka Francie) to the stage to perform one of the record’s singles, a ballad fittingly called “All I Need (Something Good),” which wound up coming off like a thesis for the entire day. It wasn’t just the “goodness” of it all, but it truly felt like the entire crowd, band, and the Iron Furnaces themselves were held in suspension as the track played out. Something good indeed.
After the standout set from Mr. Barrett (aka “The Prince,” as Sw!ms vocalist Brian Langan called him), Have Mercy took the stage and rocked reliably, scaling their Warped Tour-level pop-punk theatrics down only a smidge for the Scranton stage. The track “Two Years” was an undeniable standout, with big, fence-swinging vocals and moments for every instrument to shine.
One more changeover and Pool Kids were up on stage blasting through a set of their mathy, anthemic brand of emo. The group opened with “Arms Length,” which helped me summon the last bit of energy I had to bang my head while singing and flailing along. The set included other classics from their self-titled record like “That’s Physics, Baby,” as well as newer tracks like “Easier Said Than Done” and “Dani.” I left with the exact same feeling I came into their set with: Pool Kids are four of the most talented musicians in this scene or any other. It’s always a blast to see them, and they did an amazing job capping off a pretty incredible day.
Good Things End
After the final notes had been played, James Barrett took the stage once more to sign off and thank everyone for coming. During his set, between songs, Barrett had said, “This year has sucked, but today has not,” and echoed a similar sentiment in closing, saying that “If you’re here, you give a shit.” While part of me wishes the fest had more of a political bent or direct tie to a local organization, it was also clear that the sense of community and camaraderie went a long way.
Ultimately, James, Erin, and Harry facilitated a day where good things were abundant, and attendees were free to pluck their own positives like flowers. For some, that was candy and balloon animals; for others, a one-of-a-kind beer crafted just for that day or a delicious pulled-pork sandwich from Backyard Ale House. For some, it was learning about local efforts to make the world better; for others, it was just a bunch of good music from across the Northeast. These are all good things to someone, and the rainbow-clad presentation of so many spirit-boosting options, condensed into one field in downtown Scranton, was easily worth the three-hour drive up from the city.
I had a blast reveling in the good things that Scranton had to offer and left Good Things Are Happening Fest feeling energized to not just remain observant of the good happening around me, but to actively contribute my own positive energy back to the world wherever I could. I am someone who believes that when you put good things out, good things come back to you, and the five years of this festival seem to have proven that to be true.
The thing about goodness is that it’s achievable. It’s not perfection; it’s not even something you have to work particularly hard to attain. Goodness is simple gestures and invitations. It’s opening things up and being kind. It’s making a conscious decision to treat your fellow man with love and not skepticism. Goodness doesn’t have to be a whole-day music festival, but I’m certainly glad that’s how Barrett and company chose to manifest theirs.
