120 N State St, Newtown, PA, USA
Tarkus returns to Newtown Theater Fri. March 6th 2026 8:00pm
We are excited to bring the music of ELP to Newtown Theater!
Meet the Band
Keith Turner
Keith Turner grew up playing piano in the golden age of R & B, Classic Rock, and Motown,the 60’s & 70’s. He studied music at CCC while writing and performing originals and ELP for his class which included the late Billy Paul. Keith was ecstatic when asked to play in Tarkus. Keith Emerson was one of my earliest influences shall we say “From the Beginning!
Mike Ian
Mike is a well respected multi-instrumentalist out of the New Jersey/Philadelphia area. Coming from a musical family, Mike starting out drumming following in the footsteps of his older brother John. His father was an accomplished singer and front man, and Mike’s sister Karen plays piano. Music was always permeating throughout the household, including the music of Genesis, Yes, ELP, and The Beatles.
Mike started guitar at age 11 and had formal lessons from jazz instructor Bill Johnson out of New Jersey. As a teen, many guitarists — including Steve Howe, Allan Holdsworth, John McGlaughlin, Pat Metheny, Andy Summers, and Robert Fripp — started to peak Mike’s interest even deeper. At the same time, he kept up his drumming skills listening to the likes of Stewart Copeland, Dave Weckl, Bill Bruford, Phil Collins, and Vinnie Colaiuta.
Mike attended Rowan University graduating with a Bachelors in Music studying under Denis DiBlasio, and Joe Federico.
Mike took interest into recording and producing his own music and eventually opened Eyeball Studios, a recording studio from where he produced and recorded a slew of local groups and artists. Mike releases his own projects to this day out of this studio. His music is currently available online at www.mikeian.com.
John M. Cassidy
John M. Cassidy
John started drumming at age 13. His influences include John Bonham, Carl Palmer, Dave Weckl and Buddy Rich among many others. He studied with local instructors and played in school bands as a teenager. After years of playing in area clubs, he moved out west to attend The Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA where he graduated with honors.
John toured the Vegas casino circuit and the world aboard cruise ships before returning to his native Delaware where he seeks challenging musical opportunities such as Tarkus.