Posted: May 23, 2021 11:12 am
In a May 19 press conference, the AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival announced its Friday and Saturday headliners: Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers (pictured), and Uprooted featuring Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root. The festival, which normally takes place the first weekend in August, will take place Oct. 1-2 this year.
“We have wanted to present Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers at the festival for years – they are an act with almost limitless appeal for a wide range of audiences. We are thrilled to be presenting them on Saturday night of the 2021 festival,” said Ron Carnevali, festival chairman. “And Uprooted featuring Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root is one of the most popular acts ever to come out of the Pittsburgh region, and they’ll deliver a terrific show for us on Friday.”
The two-day, three-stage festival is held at Peoples Natural Gas Park, a venue that was developed by the festival’s producer, the Johnstown Area Heritage Association.
AmeriServ Financial is the festival’s title sponsor for a record 26th year.
“We are thrilled to be moving forward with JAHA and the festival committee to bring this widely anticipated event back to our community. The musical line up is first rate and will definitely provide a much welcomed wide array of music choices for festival goers to enjoy,” said Jeff Stopko, AmeriServ Financial, Inc., president and CEO.
Early-bird two-day passes are $40, or $55 for a VIP Pass, which includes access to the VIP Lounge and the site’s only full bar and indoor restrooms, as well as a special tented viewing area at the mainstage. Single-day tickets will go on sale when early-bird prices expire at 11:59 pm on July 31. Regular prices for passes are $50 for two-day passes, $65 for VIP, and single-day tickets will be $25 for Friday night, and $40 for Saturday night.
Tickets are being sold through the Eventgroove platform this year, and may be bought online at www.floodcitymusic.com or in person at the Heritage Discovery Center and Johnstown Flood Museum. JAHA members are entitled to a free upgrade from general admission to VIP passes – to take advantage of this benefit, passes must be purchased in person (limit 4 per family membership.)
Visit floodcitymusic.com for more information and online ticketing
More about the all the artists:
Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers: Bruce Hornsby is on a roll. After taking the music world by surprise with his wide-ranging, critically acclaimed 2019 album Absolute Zero, the singer, songwriter, composer and bandleader returns with a follow-up that picks up where its predecessor left off. Non-Secure Connection features 10 new songs exploring a broad range of themes, from civil rights to computer hackers, mall salesmen to the Darwinian aspects of AAU basketball.
Hornsby plays piano, of course, but the songs on Non-Secure Connectionfeature Hornsby’s electric sitar and Chamberlin, along with guitars, horns, strings and subtle samples from sources as varied as minimalist composer John Cage and Scottish rockers Franz Ferdinand. Like Absolute Zero, Non-Secure Connection also features a wealth of collaborators: singer James Mercer of The Shins and Broken Bells, singer and poet Jamila Woods, Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, Bon Iver leader Justin Vernon and the late Leon Russell, who appears thanks to a demo that he and Hornsby recorded together more than 25 years ago.
“I must be the only person around that has a record with James Mercer, Jamila Woods, Leon Russell and Vernon Reid,” Hornsby says with a laugh. “It’s a great, disparate crowd.”It’s the kind of unexpected roster that listeners have come to expect from Hornsby, who has built a
distinctly unique career since his debut with The Range on their multi-platinum 1986 album The Way It Is. From there, Hornsby has steered his way through a stint on keyboards for the Grateful Dead, writing music for Spike Lee’s films, and albums exploring jazz, bluegrass and contemporary classical music.
“I’m often looking to make a sound that I haven’t heard before, and find a place in what I guess is the context of popular song for some new information,” he says.
Uprooted featuring Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root: Michael Glabicki, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for Rusted Root, fuses musical mastery and shamanic inspiration into his music and live performances. In his most prolific period to date, Glabicki is focusing his energy on his new band, The UPROOTED Band, to carry on the legacy of Rusted Root’s energetic music while recording new music for their debut album.
To honor the past, Glabicki is taking The Uprooted Band on tour to perform the multi-platinum album WHEN I WOKE in its entirety. Rusted Root’s When I Woke, spawned the Top 40 hit “Send Me On My Way” along with fan favorites “Ecstasy” and “Martyr” (among others) and went on to chart on Billboard’s Hot 100.“Uprooted has masterfully expanded the landscape of the older Rusted Root songs and created a new intuitive and magnetic vision of the material,” says Glabicki. “These inspired performances not only energize and expand the hearts of the crowds but also show us how to take the new music to the next level”.
Rusted Root, led by Michael, built their career around dramatic performances; their polyrhythmic, multicultural rock-and-soul picked up fans like a junkyard magnet as they swept across the nation on tour. Glabicki continues to keep this tradition alive through his new project, The Uprooted Band. The Uprooted Band Featuring Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root With Dirk Miller on guitar and vocals, Zil Fessler on drums, Shawn Hennessey on percussion, Erik Krameron bass and Daisie Ghost Flower and Emily Victoria on background vocals, The Uprooted Band is a liberating project for Glabicki.
He says, “I looked to the past and imagined where I wanted to go and realized this band is the perfect vehicle to take me there.” This tour will focus on the energy and excitement Rusted Root brought to all of their fans, and keep the spirit of the music moving forward.”
Midnight North: Grahame Lesh, Elliott Peck, & Connor O’Sullivan began playing together in the Bay Area in late 2011 and early 2012. In the years since, Midnight North has established itself as a mainstay on stages in both the Bay Area roots music scene and on the nationwide touring circuit. They have opened for acts like Phil Lesh, the Infamous Stringdusters, Twiddle, and Jackie Greene, played festival stages across the country, and they have welcomed the likes of Bob Weir, Luther Dickinson, Karl Denson, Eric Krasno, & Nicki Bluhm to join them onstage. Rolling Stone hailed Midnight North as the “Best New Act” in its review of 2018’s Peach Music Festival saying the band “takes the best parts of roots music and weaves them into a tapestry of rock and Americana.”
Maggie Rose: Maggie Rose channels influences that existed long before she was born, in a place completely unlike today. Yet to essentialize, Muscle Shoals, Tears for Fears, Aretha circa Young Gifted & Black, Michael Jackson a la “The Way You Make Me Feel,” Sophie B Hawkins’ blue eyed funk and passion is right where Rose has landed. Pretty much the intersection of all-American rock and soul, with just enough British sparkle to make her music shine. It gives Rose the versatility to play Bonnaroo, the massive CMA Music Fest, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France, The Grand Ole Opry, AmericanaFest and Cayamo with Jason Isbell, Dawes and Emmylou Harris, while also being able to align with artists as diverse as those taking part in Marcus King’s live ‘Four of a Kind’ and the “Last Waltz Tribute” including Jennifer Hartswick, Devon Gilfillian, Nicki Bluhm, Elizabeth Cook and Billy Strings. As The New York Times proclaimed, “Maggie Rose is a sturdy heartbreaker…full of astute, aggrieved songwriting … and attitude that even in the post-Miranda Lambert era feels knifelike.”
Marco Benevento: Dubbed “one of the most talented keys players of our time” by CBS Radio, Benevento’s released six critically acclaimed solo albums over the last decade, performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall and Newport Jazz to Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo, and worked in the studio and on the road with the likes of Richard Swift (The Shins, The Arcs), Jon Brion (Spoon, Aimee Mann), A.C. Newman (The New Pornographers), and Simone Felice (The Felice Brothers, The Lumineers) among others. “It’s safe to say that no one sees the keyboard quite like Marco Benevento’s genre-blind mashup of indie rock, jazz and skewed improvisation,” the LA Times raved, while NPR said he combines “the thrust of rock, the questing of jazz and the experimental ecstasy of jam,” and Rolling Stone praised “the textures and colors available in his keyboards and arsenal of manipulated pedals and effects,” along with his “deceptively rich, catchy melodies and straight-ahead grooves.”
Roosevelt Collier: Soft spoken by nature, South Florida-bred Roosevelt Collier does his hollering on the pedal steel guitar. Brought up in the “sacred steel” tradition of the House of God Church, Roosevelt built his reputation alongside his uncles and cousins in The Lee Boys, known for their spirited, soul-shaking live performances. Seated front and center, “The Dr.” leaves an indelible mark on listeners, flooring audiences with his lightning-fast slide work on the pedal steel. He last played our festival as part of the Lee Boys, back in 2010 and 2006.
Billy Price Band: Billy Price has been entertaining audiences in Pittsburgh and Johnstown since the early 1970s. In April 2016, he was officially recognized and inducted as a Pittsburgh Rock ’n Roll Legend at an award ceremony sponsored by the Cancer Caring Center of Pittsburgh.
With the Keystone Rhythm Band, the Billy Price Band, and solo projects, Billy Price has recorded and released a total of 15 albums, CDs, and DVDs. His album This Time for Real, with recently deceased Chicago soul singer Otis Clay, received a 2016 Blues Music Award by the Blues Foundation of Memphis, Tennessee in the category of Best Soul Blues Album. A live album by the Billy Price Band, Alive and Strange, was released by NolaBlue/Vizztone Label Group in April 2017.
Billy is a longtime festival favorite, having played our event in 2016, 2012, 2010, and 2006, and we’re excited to welcome him back.
Colebrook Road: Bridging the divide between straight-drive, traditional grass played by the Del McCoury Band and the Lonesome River Band and the genre-warping progressive grass done by the Punch Brothers and Front Country, Colebrook Road strives to find a common middle ground, creating new enthusiasts for bluegrass while expanding the definition of the genre for established fans.
Influences of the members of Colebrook Road abound, from ‘90s country to heavy metal to punk rock to, yes, traditional bluegrass. Each member brings their own experiences to the music to create something greater than what the five individuals could have ever achieved separately.
Although the band has built a fan base in Johnstown through appearances at Venue of Merging Arts and other local events, this will be Colebrook Road’s first appearance at the festival.
West Philadelphia Orchestra: The West Philadelphia Orchestra is a unique ensemble in today’s musical field. According to Stranded in Stereo, “The music has a magical quality, and we mean that in the darkest and most arcane sense of the word.” Founded in 2006 as a weekly neighborhood Balkan music workshop replete with strings, WPO has evolved into a tight knit brass band.
WPO’s brass and drums merge with the fusion of Bulgarian/American vocalist Petia Zamfirova to ignite parties with joy and love through infectious dance – “Despite a sizeable portion of the crowd likely not understanding the various languages of the southeastern Europe region, there always seems to be a supernatural synergy between the crowd and the band.” (Jump Philly) WPO is known for ecstatic parties where the band’s mashup blend of Balkan brass, improvisation, and American beats has deepened with age. The band played the Johnstown Slavic Festival in 2018 and 2016, and we are delighted to welcome them to our event.
Jukehouse Bombers: The Jukehouse Bombers are an explosive five-piece band from Indiana, Pennsylvania, dedicated to keeping the blues alive and well. Formed in 2011, the JHB lineup includes Troy Laney on bass, Andy Kirsch and Joe Roach on guitar, Logan Yonkoske on drums, and Jimmy Roach on guitar and harmonica. Jimmy, Joe and Troy all share vocal duties. Seasoned performers, the Bombers have extensive recording and touring experience and have supported various national acts including Sonny Landreth, .38 Special, Dan Baird of the Georgia Satellites, Ana Popovic, and Garry Tallent of the E Street Band. Their original songwriting reflects influences of classic blues, soul and southern rock served up with a contemporary flavor.
FlowerChild: Hailing from the Laurel Highlands of PA, FlowerChild celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2019 and continues to bring the fire and good times to all who cross their path. Drawing their inspiration from the jam/funk music of the 60′ and 70’s, a FlowerChild show keeps the audience on their feet dancing.
Desperadoes: Rocking since 1976, the Desperadoes are a Johnstown institution. Bassist, Mike Suppes founded the band and joined forces with guitarist Mark Middleton in 1977. In addition to the Desperadoes, Middleton played lead guitar for the nationally-signed band Raging Slab in the 1980s and 90s. Mark and Mike are currently joined by Mike’s son Eric on drums. Eric is a graduate of the Musician’s Institute in Hollywood, California.
Crawdad Joe: The band’s founder, Joseph Dedon, grew up in southern Louisiana where he was heavily influenced by southern rock, blues, southern gospel, hard rock, metal, jazz, and country music. You can hear the mix in his performances where he plays a wide range of covers and originals for fans in his new home of central Pennsylvania and abroad.
Ne’er-Do-Wells: With roots in folk, bluegrass, punk rock, alternative rock, Americana, and everything in between, The Ne’er-Do-Wells pull together to bring you their own brand of underground rock-n-roll. With the pure voice of singer Sonya Giuffre and the commanding lead guitar of Adam Milkovich, each song paints a bittersweet picture. The driving second guitar of Mike Giuffre fronts the strong rhythm section with Leo Drager’s bass lines adding the perfect blend of melody and push. Jugrun completes the circuit taking care of timekeeping. The band’s songs reflect everyday life in a sweet melodic way paired with a distorted, gritty backing track.