“It’s that time of year again. As Jack wrote, Everybody goes home in October.”
For 37 years, the Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Festival has welcomed fans and scholars from across the country and around the world to explore the city that shaped Jack’s life and work. The weekend includes tours of Kerouac’s Lowell landmarks, many featured in his novels, along with panel discussions, readings, live jazz and folk performances, films, open mics, poetry competitions, book signings, and more. Click here for the full 2025 schedule.
This year, the festival welcomes Rocking Horse Music Club as the headliner, performing The Last Pink Glow: An Interpretation of Jack Kerouac’s The Haunted Life. A stunning reimagining of Kerouac’s unfinished novella, the project weaves Jack’s original words into lyrics, created in collaboration with Jim Sampas, Literary Executor of the Kerouac Estate. The result is a powerful musical translation that brings new life to Kerouac’s story.
Formed by producer/songwriter Brian Coombes with a collective of session musicians from Rocking Horse Studio in New Hampshire, Rocking Horse Music Club has built an eclectic reputation blending progressive rock, baroque and chamber pop, gospel, fusion, indie folk, and art rock. The 2025 lineup includes Justin Cohn (vocals, acoustic guitar), Brian Coombes (keyboards, vocals), Brenden Harisiades (bass), Myron Kibbee (guitars), Mike McAdam (guitars), Andrew Rotunno (guitars, vocals), and Eric Wagley (drums).
Beyond the core band, Rocking Horse Music Club is known for drawing in a wide circle of collaborators. Their albums have featured contributions from Steve Hackett (Genesis), John Helliwell (Supertramp), Greg Hawkes (The Cars), Kenwood Dennard (Brand X), Chris Difford (Squeeze), David Cross (King Crimson), Tim Bowness, John Hackett, and Amy Birks, among others. Their critically acclaimed 2022 rock opera Circus of Wire Dolls earned “Album of the Year” honors from ProgRadio.com and sold-out performances in England.
Their newest release, The Last Pink Glow, dropped May 9, 2025, with Genesis legend Tony Banks co-writing and performing on the song The Haunted Life. The album has already garnered praise for its bold blending of literature and progressive rock, a fitting centerpiece for this year’s Kerouac celebration.
With its combination of music, literature, and community, the 2025 Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Festival promises to be one of the most memorable gatherings yet—a weekend where Jack’s spirit is alive in every word, note, and street corner of Lowell.
