2024 Artist Lineup
Tullycavy (2018)
November Blue
Heavily influenced by classic harmony-based rock outfits of the 60s and 70s, November Blue’s unique sound perfectly marries country and roots rock. They blend rich five-part harmony with Class-A musicianship. The six-piece band consists of three guitarists (John Wilcox, Tom Currey, and Dylan Bradley), bassist Brodie Holifield, drummer Dean Maddox, and pedal steel guitarist Alex Barcic. Together they deliver a dynamic live experience that combines modern sounds with nostalgic feel. Their combined talents as individual musicians is currently driving their live shows to ever bigger and better venues, captivating audiences both young and old.
Originally from Pennsylvania, the band self-produced three full-length albums that are well-loved and oft-memorized by their Pittsburgh fans. The band has now called Nashville, TN their new home since 2019 and are writing and dialing in their original sound with Grammy Award-winning producer, Michael Omartian (Christopher Cross, Steely Dan, Peter Ceitira). Their plans for the future are to continue to write, record, and travel the country bringing their unique sound to the masses.
Cue Ball
Cue Ball was formed in 2004 with the intent to cover a mix of Blues/ Blues Rock music with Irish and Celtic Rock music. The result is a collision of the Mighty Mississippi with the River Shannon. All of the music explored is rooted in the folk tradition and the band has therefore ventured in the Folk Rock genre and Country Rock genres as well. It's the continuing conversation between East Belfast's Van Morrison and the late John Lee Hooker from the Mississippi Delta.
The band has expanded to a sextet and includes the following musicians:
Mike (Mitch) Arnold - Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Guitars
Joe (JJ) Johns - Bass, Vocals
Evan (Big Daddy E) Rowles - Drums
Tim (Irish Stew) Stewart - Vocals, Keyboard, Accordion
John (Fast Hands) Wilcox - Guitars, Vocals
Mark (Sky Dog) Wilcox - Guitars
Declan (Dectricity) Jameson - Guitars
Tullycavy
Tullycavy was formed in 2014 and consists of Madeline Monahan, Michael Monahan, Mitch Arnold and Declan Jameson. The group focuses on folk, alternative country and celtic music while adding in originals. The name is derived from the town in Northern Ireland of the same name. The Allison Park - Hampton area was settled in the mid 1880's by immigrants from this area of Ireland (thus the street names Talley Cavey that are in the area).
Tullycavy has been the "house band" for Music for MS since the beginning and always look forward to performing at the annual event.
729ers
The 729ers is a 3-person alternative folk group from Southwestern PA. The trio includes guitar, fiddle, mandolin, harmonica, percussion, and vocals. They play a variety of styles including traditional, Irish, bluegrass, Appalachian, pop, originals, and more.
John Vento
John Vento is best known as the front man for the high-energy, rhythm and blues group, The Nied’s Hotel Band (www.niedshotelband.com). NHB is quite a collection of great players that has built a stellar reputation for killer original music and live performances. Away from the band Vento works closely with producer/multi- instrumentalist David Granati in creating more stripped down recordings. ”The Nied’s Hotel Band is like a powerful wall of sound, with two guitars, keys, drums, sax, etc., when I create with David we usually just stick to drums, guitar, bass, and voice, the tunes are stripped back for the most part” says Vento.”
His fans relish his blend of eclectic influences, delivered with raw emotions, which he masterfully shared in his 2019 release, “Love, Lust & Other Wreckage,” an almost all true autobiographical story of his struggles with inter-personal relationships and how they have been affected by his first love, music.
Of course, it’s purely logical that Vento would find a great following in his home town of Pittsburgh, Pa.. His steely resistance to categorization is the very essence and backbone of Pittsburgh. Built by a veritable melting pot of blue-collar workers, the once-gritty city has risen from the slag heap, through the smoke and haze, to become a sparkling, spectacular hub of culture and learning. Yet, it remains true to its deeply-forged identity.
