Events

Tim Vitullo was running out of time.
After the failure to launch of a time consuming and expensive follow-up album, the Pittsburgh-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist traded the state-of-the-art recording console and celebrated producer to self-produce his triumphant sophomore LP, Running out of Time. Backed by his group, the Tim Vitullo Band (TVB), the Americana/Roots Rock tour de force showcases Vitullo’s growth as a songwriter and performer since his debut in 2015. TVB performs regularly in the Northeast, Midwest, & Atlantic Coast regions of the United States, and has supported critically acclaimed acts such as The Marcus King Band, Amanda Shires, Jimbo Mathus, Kelsey Waldon, Hollis Brown, The Accidentals, Moon Taxi, Cory Branan, Jack Broadbent, Perpetual Groove, The Floozies, Tim Reynolds & TR3, and more. Each performance the band gives is unique, but soaring, catchy choruses, lush three-part vocal harmony, inspired improvisation, and Vitullo’s signature guitar pyrotechnics have all become staples.

“Andrew Adkins is without a doubt the embodiment of the current state of roots music in West Virginia, as well as it’s most profound songwriter” -No Depression Magazine

After seven years of fronting the popular Appalachian Stompgrass band The Wild Rumpus at countless festivals, concerts and clubs including Merlefest, Bristol Rhythm and Roots, and the AMA (American Music Association) as well as writing nearly all of the songs for their 3 studio albums, Andrew has now firmly established his own voice with the release of his 4th solo album. “Who I Am” on Mountain Soul Records.

Produced by Mountain Stage musical director Ron Sowell, recorded by virtuoso guitarist and engineer Bud Carroll and featuring an all star line up on West Virginia musicians, the album showcases Andrew’s wry insightful songwriting and his soulful authentic voice.

Andrew is not only a talented singer songwriter, he is held in high regard as performer by his peers. Often accompanied by his close friend, bass player and long time collaborator Clint Lewis, his performances leave a lasting impression. Here’s what Amanda Platt of the Honey Cutters had to say. “His onstage presence is the perfect mix of humor and humility, putting his audience at ease and drawing them into a songscape that originates in the Mountains of West Virginia and stretches to include the emotions and experiences that people of every corner of the country can relate to”.

And this from fellow West Virginian Tim O’Brien -”Andrew brings a likeable everyman to his live performances….his music and the stories he tells us are honest and real. Andrew reminds us that we’re all in this together”.

Since the early 1970s, The Back Pages Band has been performing classic songs from the Golden Decade of Rock (1963-1973). The Band plays concert theaters, festivals, fairs, community events, private parties and corporate events. Audience participation is encouraged! Settings range from intimate “unplugged” events to our largest event to date at Orioles Park at Camden Yards (and everything in between). All five members of the Band sing lead and backing vocals, permitting the Band to cover classic tunes from this ten year period that often aren’t attempted by other bands. Being flexible in order to meet all of our clients’ needs is a priority that is as important to us as always putting on the highest quality, all-ages, family-friendly musical performance. We encourage our clients to select songs from our song list, or to suggest songs not on the list that they would like us to play. The members of the Band hail from some of the most legendary bands from the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore music scenes over the decades since the 1960s, including Butler’s Orchard, Crusader Rabbit, Summer, Love Riot, The Last Picture Show and the Kennedys. We’re happy to perform in everything from intimate “unplugged” settings to very large events with professional sound systems

Alma (say it like Alamo) is a vocalist, songwriter, and musician out of Western North Carolina. She plays patchwork music: country, folk, and Appalachian roots sewn together to make something unique. When she’s not on the road, she lives in Whittier, North Carolina. Songwriting is cheaper than therapy, and old songs make her happy. Music has taken her lots of places, from the hometown bars, to church, to the highway. She spent a while performing as an entertainer on the passenger train in Bryson City, NC, and once she wound up getting 3 yeses from ABC’s American Idol Judges on Season 1 and being sent to Hollywood, CA. Music continues to give her stories to tell.  As a kid she’d spend summers in the Great Grandma’s mountain  house in Western NC. Her English teacher Mama took her to historical book readings and heritage events, and she fell in love with mountain culture and heritage – especially the music. She was the kid frolicking arounud the yard singing Scotch-Irish murder ballads, passed down through generations; songs about old-true loves and murders.

Emay:   A soulful singer, exceptional fingerpicking guitarist and eclectic songwriter, EMay is most frequently compared to Alanis Morisette, Grace Potter, Joni Mitchell or Janis Joplin, and is poised to sit in the upper echelon of female singer-songwriters. EMay’s most recent album, Let Out Your Ghosts, was produced by multiple Grammy-award winner Jimmy Hoyson and features 10-tracks of alternative folk-rock from the greats who invented the genre: guitarist Marc Ford (The Black Crowes, Marc Ford & The Neptune Blues Club, The Magpie Salute) keyboardist Rami Jaffee (Foo Fighters, The Wallflowers), percussionist Michael Jerome (Better Than Ezra, Richard Thompson, The Toadies) and bassist Taras Prodaniuk (Richard Thompson, Merle Haggard, Lucinda Williams).EMay’s songs reflect her life. She sings of the wildness of nature – both the great outdoors and the vast wilderness in a human heart. She writes about human potential, overcoming struggles, and our fragile but indelible connection to the web of life.She currently fronts the experimental rock band The Moon My Twin, as well as B&E, an acoustic duo with her sweetheart, YAME yoga music ensemble, and many unique and genre-bending collaborations. She has recorded and performed with doom-metal group Black Yo)))ga Meditation Ensemble, Turkish Folk project Kirik Hava, acoustic trio Between Liberties, party rock band The Sectionals and as a session musician.

Ben Shannon: Ben Shannon has no qualms scouring the current singer-songwriter repertoire and illuminating the cracks and crevices that haven’t yet been sung. His songs provide refreshing perspectives on old topics in a lovely voice with well-crafted, intelligent lyrics. Songs rooted in love, loss and redemption make each of his performances — full band or solo — a revelation.Ben was a 2010 showcasing finalists in New York’s annual Songwriting Circle competition. He released his self-titled EP that year and quickly followed up with a critically acclaimed, Triple A radio-friendly, full-length studio album, “Move On,” in May, 2011. In 2012 he was a showcasing finalist at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Colorado and a main stage performer at the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh. He is currently working on his next studio album for release in 2013. Ben Shannon has a natural connection with audiences through his easy going nature and his deep seated compassion for the human condition. His voice is emotionally present and the big choruses and strong hooks of his songs are equally matched by his honesty and integrity as an artist.

Though Ben Stevenson grew up steeped in in the thriving but somewhat closed world of Edmonton’s punk scene, his world unfolded at the age of 18 when he heard Outkast, 2pac and Biggie Smalls for the first time. With the love and interest of this unfamiliar sound came a decision: he never wanted to be stuck in a specific genre or limit himself to a singular intake. The resulting work is a culmination of vast influences and impressions. It’s soul insofar as it’s something inherently deep down, but it certainly extends past any singular descriptor.

Folk-rock singer and songwriter Joe Holt graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2015, where he studied composition. Three full-length albums, four EPs, and one acoustic album. Since then, he’s played at Boston’s Club Passim, the Hard Rock Café, New York City’s Rockwood Music Hall, Boston’s The Bitter End, Nashville’s Bluebird Café, and Los Angeles’ Whisky A Go-Go, among others, and his music has been played on more than 60 radio stations across the world. I took piano lessons as a kid, then moved on to trombone for a year and then saxophone for 2 or 3 years. I always held the saxophone incorrectly though, twisting it across my lap and holding it like a guitar – it’s like I always knew what instrument I would eventually land on.  I started playing the guitar at 12 and ended up going to Berklee to major in Songwriting. Studying with Guy van Duser got me into fingerpicking, which led me to my current discipline.

Like stumbling into a rose garden on a trek through the arctic, listeners of Emily Anderson’s music find themselves helplessly lifted into a world so hauntingly familiar, and yet so enchantingly curious. Anderson’s music is as shaped by this whimsical perspective as it is by her musical credentials. A multi-instrumentalist trained at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Anderson fills her songs with images of nature, hope, and the solar system, not to mention a few puns. Anderson hails from Fairbanks, Alaska, and now splits her time between her hometown and Los Angeles.

Her upbringing in a tight-knit community has shared her musical perspective. One radio reviewer remarked of her 2017 full-length album Simple Things, “Emily Anderson’s music shatters the imagery you might have of surviving the long dark winters while living in Fairbanks, AK. One might expect dark introspection or a songwriter who bites back at life, but the songs on Simple Things are warm and emotive.”

Ben just tries to be himself with his music. Not always easy, sometimes too easy. Music is second nature to him, always has been. He started pretty late though – not making his first attempts at guitar and singing until well into his late teens. But, one lead in a musical and he’s been at it ever since.

Ben has been fortunate to perform in bands, duos and trios across the US and internationally. He’s mainly performing solo these days as a one-man-band doing percussion with his feet, rhythm guitar, looping, lead guitar and vocals. It’s acoustic to the next level.

Music Influences: John Mayer, Zac Brown, Justin Timberlake, late 90’s country, Alicia Keys, Bon Jovi, Skynyrd and almost every musician I’ve performed with or jammed with over the years.

Hello June’s intimate alternative warmth is the perfect way to shake off the summer and slip into autumn. Moody, impassioned, poetic, and beat-driven, the band’s debut album Hello June invites us to dwell in a range of reflections and emotions; to take time out for ourselves, while never forgetting our responsibilities to others. It’s a truly immersive musical experience, and one we can’t wait to spend endless hours with over the months and years to come.

Ian Robinson AKA “Black Guy Fawkes” is a 22 year old singer/songwriter and guitarist from Baltimore Maryland. Using the catchy punk hooks from Green Day, the theatrics of My Chemical Romance and the straight forward heartfelt lyrics of Frank Turner, Black Guy Fawkes makes music that is intimate yet theatrical. “I wanted to write music that reflected my life growing up as well as make something intimate enough for a big crowd but big enough for a smaller crowd at the same time.” His music inspires people to know that there is a better tomorrow and promote self aware.

Coltt is a 26-year-old Appalachian folksinger, songwriter, author, poet, folklorist and retired race car driver. Originally from Bedford, Pennsylvania, he’s been billed as “Bedford’s Own Poet Laureate” and “A young songwriter with chops well beyond his years” by Pennsylvania Musician Magazine. Coltt is also a published poet and fiction author who is currently an MFA Candidate at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. Coltt received his undergraduate education at The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. He has an extensive and aggressive upcoming schedule planned and has had his original music featured on some of the premiere songwriting music channels such as “Truthful Sessions,” and “Wallflower Wanderer,” as well as local programs such as Jim Price’s “Homegrown Rocker” radio show, The Band Junkies “Interview and a Song,” and “The Weird Turn Pro” podcasts dually hosted out of Nashville and Central Pennsylvania.

Michelle’s last album with her husband, Jason (entitled You Can Go Home: The Quarantine Sessions) recently reached number 1 on Airplay Direct’s Country/Americana radio airplay chart. The band features the warm, soulful vocals and songwriting of Michelle Hannan, along with her husband; singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Jason Hannan. They are supported by the dynamic instrumental work of talented musicians Howard Parker (pedal steel, resonator guitar) and Dan Macon (drums).

The Moon My Twin, a modern rock band with roots in grunge, psychedelia and indie, will perform July 30 at the Little Yough Summer Music Festival at the Mountain Fresh Pavilion in the Oakland Town Parking Lot. Concerts are held every Friday evening through Sept. 3. Food vendors open at 6 p.m. and the performances begin at 7 p.m. This trio of accomplished musicians found each other in the mountains of West Virginia after having successes in other bands in New York City, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Boston and New Jersey. TMMT is led by award-winning songwriter EMay with guitarist Chris Quattro and Charles E. Richard on percussion.

The New Jersey songwriter might have started out banging on doors, braving New York’s blues clubs, playing piano until her fingers bled, and winning over the city one show at a time. But lately, the multi-instrumentalist has raced through career milestones at a rocket pace. There was her Blues Blast and IBMA-nominated 2018 debut album, High Road. Her international breakout on Ruf’s 2022 Blues Caravan Revue. Her starburst of media acclaim, including Henry Yates of Classic Rock, NME, and The Guardian, saluted “a runaway talent you need to keep up with.”  Now, with the release of her second album, On My Way, Katie has found another gear. Whether slinging her trusty Gibson SG, hammering the keys, or hollering up a storm, these ten original songs, co-written with bassist and slide-guitar maestro Antar Goodwin, announced her as an alchemist who creates gemstones from the base metals of American roots.

A soulful singer, exceptional fingerpicking guitarist and eclectic songwriter, EMay is most frequently compared to Alanis Morisette, Grace Potter, Joni Mitchell or Janis Joplin, and is poised to sit in the upper echelon of female singer-songwriters. EMay’s most recent album, Let Out Your Ghosts, was produced by multiple Grammy-award winner Jimmy Hoyson and features 10-tracks of alternative folk-rock from the greats who invented the genre: guitarist Marc Ford (The Black Crowes, Marc Ford & The Neptune Blues Club, The Magpie Salute) keyboardist Rami Jaffee (Foo Fighters, The Wallflowers), percussionist Michael Jerome (Better Than Ezra, Richard Thompson, The Toadies) and bassist Taras Prodaniuk (Richard Thompson, Merle Haggard, Lucinda Williams).EMay’s songs reflect her life. She sings of the wildness of nature – both the great outdoors and the vast wilderness in a human heart. She writes about human potential, overcoming struggles, and our fragile but indelible connection to the web of life.She currently fronts the experimental rock band The Moon My Twin, as well as B&E, an acoustic duo with her sweetheart, YAME yoga music ensemble, and many unique and genre-bending collaborations. She has recorded and performed with doom-metal group Black Yo)))ga Meditation Ensemble, Turkish Folk project Kirik Hava, acoustic trio Between Liberties, party rock band The Sectionals and as a session musician.

Coltt is a 26-year-old Appalachian folksinger, songwriter, author, poet, folklorist and retired race car driver. Originally from Bedford, Pennsylvania, he’s been billed as “Bedford’s Own Poet Laureate” and “A young songwriter with chops well beyond his years” by Pennsylvania Musician Magazine. Coltt is also a published poet and fiction author who is currently an MFA Candidate at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. Coltt received his undergraduate education at The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. He has an extensive and aggressive upcoming schedule planned and has had his original music featured on some of the premiere songwriting music channels such as “Truthful Sessions,” and “Wallflower Wanderer,” as well as local programs such as Jim Price’s “Homegrown Rocker” radio show, The Band Junkies “Interview and a Song,” and “The Weird Turn Pro” podcasts dually hosted out of Nashville and Central Pennsylvania.

As with many bands, Buffalo Run has undergone many transitions and name changes, all the while writing and recording highly acclaimed music indicative of the region. A constant has been Rob Smith who readily credits his musical successes to his band members, past and current. Smith has built a respected reputation as a musician-songwriter both locally and throughout the mid-Atlantic region. He’s not from a musical family but is from a family that had ties to Garrett County long before he made it his home. This would become news to him long after he settled in and became a full-fledged “local” boy from Buffalo Run.Before it was their band’s name, Buffalo Run was the title of Rob Smith’s first album that he recorded with bandmate Keith Roberts under the name Smith & Roberts. Their premiere recording was released in 1980, featuring eleven tracks of original material. Bob Shank, a West Virginia musical icon and formerly part of Hickory Wind, Flying Fish Recording Artists, played on the recording of Buffalo Run. Shank beautifully fit into the mix and became a fast friend, according to Smith. With a catalog of new material, Smith and Roberts performed at top clubs and festivals throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Their first album sold several thousand copies and was widely embraced at that time.Their follow-up album, By Accident, was enhanced with the addition of Fred Crozier on mandolin/vocals, Dick Lansberry on bass, and Alex Hicks on percussion, who after leaving the band, was later replaced by one of Smith’s old friends, Fred Jacoby. Together, the band recorded 12 original tracks that released in 2005. The group created a sound enjoyed by a broad range of listeners with diverse musical interests and was heralded as “dynamic acoustic rock with acoustic instrumentals and tight harmonies that showcased their talent as singer-songwriters.”