Aerial stuntwork, fire-breathers and burlesque.
Those are just a few of the components that make up what This Way to the Egress singer Sarah Shown describes as a "neo-Vaudeville cabaret scene" audiences will be treated to this evening when the Bethlehem sextet headlines One Centre Square in Easton.
"We're always excited to have more venues pop up in the Lehigh Valley," Shown said during a July 5 phone interview. "We try to bring areas we're plugged into across the country to our hometown."
Since their formation in 2008, This Way to the Egress has released three albums, their most recent of which is 2015's Great Balancing Act. For their soon-to-be-released fourth studio effort, Shown said the upcoming album -- which was written and recorded in just five months -- reflects their evolution as songwriters and storytellers.
"This is the first album that we were able to actually go into the studio and record all of the parts together," she explained. "It's a lot more emotional. There's some stuff on it fans won't expect to hear... This one bridges a lot of gaps."
While the accordion-driven, "fist-pumping drinking song" is not falling to the wayside, Shown said, the new record taps into a variety of influences, ranging from pop to disco to a moodier Decemberists feel.
For This Way to the Egress, diversifying their musical portfolio is nothing new. The group has developed a following for its mashing of styles: imagine, if you will, a sonic smackdown between Gogol Bordello, Django Reinhardt, Jack Skellington and Tom Waits. Their instrumentation features violin, tuba, trombone, guitar and keyboard in addition to electric guitar and percussion.
In April 2016, This way to the Egress performed during a screening of the 1936 propaganda film Reefer Madness as part of ArtsQuest's "Soundtrack Comes Alive" concert series at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.
"We're learning how to navigate the DIY industry. We're really finding our path and owning our art and making it a sustainable living and doing it our way," Shown said. "Sometimes you feel like your dragging your knuckles and pounding your head against the wall."
For the first time ever, This Way to the Egress will head across the pond to the United Kingdom, where they will play the Boomtown Fair in Winchester, England. In addition to the Boomtown Fair gig, the band has booked a string dates around that show.
"We found a way to stand by what we're doing and not lose our values," she said. "And it seems to be working."
This Way to the Egress performs 8:45 tonight with Crufeli Sideshow + Entertainment at One Centre Square, 1 Centre Square, Easton. Tickets cost $8.