Brews & Grooves debuts in Beaver; Pat Benatar amazed; Lincoln Park grad releases single
One of Pittsburgh's most-in-demand rock bands pairs with an impressive roster of Beaver Valley beermakers for Brews & Grooves, a debut event Aug. 16 at Beaver Station Cultural & Event Center.
NASH.V.ILL, starring guitar blazer Byron Nash and vocal powerhouse Jacquea Mae, will entertain under the stars, performing a high-energy mix of rock and soul.
NASH.V.ILL returns by demand, after a few well-received performances at Beaver Station's Cabin Fever and Summer Music concert series'.
"We are excited to make our way back to Beaver with a new explosive set," Nash tells me. "We are prepping for a big opening show with my rock and soul heroes, Living Colour, Aug 30 at the Crafthouse Stage & Grill (in Baldwin.)
"The focus has been finishing the new songs and getting super locked-in, musically," Nash said. "Our Beaver friends will get the first sneak peek and listen to the new set and material."
Regional radio stations, including 91.3 WYEP and the Beaver Valley's The Beaver 95.7 FM, are playing NASH.V.ILL's "Hey, Sister," a propulsive riffing, psychedelic-tinged tune that leads to a dramatic vocal part by Mae, who's utterly riveting on stage.
While NASH.V.ILL provides the Brews & Grooves music, Nashville Hot Chicken will be on the menu, served by Eric's Gourmet Hoagies, which also will offer Italian meatball and vegetarian hoagies plus kettle chips.
The food comes with each concert admission, as does complimentary adult beverage pours from After The Fall Cider from New Sewickley Township; Altered Genius and Fermata brewing, both of Ambridge; Koehler and The Time brewing, both of Ellwood City; ShuBrew of Zelienople; Dancing Gnome Beer of Sharpsburg; Rusty Rail Brewing of central Pennsylvania and Velum Fermentation from Pittsburgh's South Side.
The party starts at 6:30 p.m. with the music commencing at 8 p.m.
Admission is $45, reserving your spot via beaverstation.org.
Powerful Pat in Pine
I won't pretend $195 isn't a pricey concert ticket.
But if you want to witness a truly one-of-a-kind show next summer, start budgeting for Celebrity Care Fest, a fundraiser that last month put Pat Benatar and Pitbull on stage, performing in a Pine Township backyard, with Smokey Robinson roaming around selling wine and posing for photo ops.
I made it out opening night for Benatar joined, of course, by her guitar-slinging husband and fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Neil "Spyder" Giraldo.
Benatar, 71, proved she's still a marvelous singer, blessed with power and command, as she, Giraldo and their bandmates ripped and roared through 1980s classics like "You Better Run," "Shadows of The Night," "Hell is For Children," "Love Is a Battlefield" and her '79 breakout hit "Heartbreaker."
They did a searing, show-stopping cover of Edwin Starr's anti-war song "War."
Movable folding chairs were provided, though some spectators stood, and others sat behind them on a slight incline in shaded tents that offered a fine view of the largest mobile stage in the nation, according to concert mastermind and renowned promoter Rich Engler.
It's a dream pairing, matching Engler's expertise with Pine mansion owners volunteering their backyard that easily fit 800 concertgoers on opening night, with 1,200 expected the next night for pop star Pitbull.
All proceeds from both nights benefit the UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation.
They call it Celebrity Care Fund because there are sports celebrities throughout the audience, sitting next to us regular folks.
Football star Dan Marino sat next to Pittsburgh Steelers hall-of-famer Bill Cowher cheering on his wife and the night's opening act, New York rocker Queen V.
Queen V's strong voice and engaging stage presence impressed me. When she urged spectators to get on their feet and dance, I did so ? especially once the still fierce-looking James Harrison and fellow Steelers legend Mel Blount, both seated next to me, rose to their feet, too.
That's who you can bump elbows with at Celebrity Care Fest.
A shuttle bus transports non-VIP ticketholders to the concert site, with the pickup and drop-off site being the college-sized Pine-Richland High School complex.
Again, tickets aren't cheap, but if you want a night where you feel like you're in the Hamptons ("resort casual" attire suggested), mark your calendar for the 2025 Celebrity Care Fest. Previous performers have included famed acts like Earth, Wind & Fire, Peter Frampton, REO Speedwagon, Kool & The Gang and Lou Gramm of Foreigner.
Lincoln Park grad shines on latest single
Local "America's Got Talent" alum Ashley Marina just released her latest original song, "Summer's Almost Over," on major music platforms.
An official video will follow in a week or so on Marina's YouTube channel, where she's got 44,000 subscribers.
Riding an indie-rock melody as warm, bright and daydreamy as the season that inspires it, "Summer's Almost Over" describes that feeling high school graduates experience in the last summer before friends go their separate ways.
Marina's pleasant voice, with expertly weighted emotional crests, draws from personal experience, as she graduated this past June (a year early) from the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School.
"Summer's Almost Over" deserves radio airplay, and already received some this past week on The Beaver 95.7.
A music career is an ambition of Marina, who's currently participating in the prestigious Berklee College of Music's five-week Aspire Summer Program in Boston.
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This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Brews & Grooves debuts in Beaver; Pat Benatar amazed
