Craig Thatcher Band and Friends will perform live at 8 p.m. Saturday at The Mauch Chunk Opera House, 14 W. Broadway in Jim Thorpe.

Long a well-known bluesman and rocker in the Lehigh Valley, Thatcher has assembled a band of many outstanding talents, much to the delight of audiences in Pennsylvania as well as around the country.About to release a new CD, the Craig Thatcher Band storms into the Opera House with a magnificent set of new music combined with classics performed in their inimitable, magnetic style.Led by Thatcher, the band also features Nyke Van Wyk on electric fiddle, Craig Kastelnik on keyboards and vocals, Wayde Leonard on bass and vocals, and Don Plowman on drums. Recently, they even subbed for ZZ Top, who were unable to perform because of illness, at Bethlehem's MusikFest.This concert will also feature a new book and signing by close friend, Dick Boak, longtime director of artist relations at Martin Guitar. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the show at 8.Tickets are $23 and can be purchased by calling 570-325-0249 or visiting

www.mcohjt.com. Tickets are also available at Sound Check Records, 23 Broadway in downtown Jim Thorpe, 570-325-4009. Parking is available at the Carbon County lot behind the train station and is free after 5 p.m.