New name, new date, great music | AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival is tuning up for this weekend's debut

BY RUTH RICE

RRICE@TRIBDEM.COM

A Labor Day weekend tradition is shifting gears to an earlier date and changing its name to reflect its musical variety.

The inaugural AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival, which replaces the Johnstown FolkFest, will be held Friday through Sunday at Festival Park, Johns Street, downtown Johnstown.

Shelley Johansson, marketing manager for Johnstown Area Heritage Association, said the hours of the festival have largely remained the same, except for a 10 p.m. Sunday closure.

“We’ll have to wrap up early Sunday since this isn’t a holiday weekend,” she said.

The date of the festival was changed to allow the public more time to spend at other festivals and events during Labor Day weekend, Johansson said.

“Labor Day, and any holiday weekend, can be so overscheduled in general,” she added.

Changing the name of an event with such an established history as FolkFest was not an easy decision to make.

“The name ‘folk’ makes people think of acoustic music,” Johansson said. “We want to spotlight the music more clearly. The name gives a better picture of how eclectic the music is.”

Johansson hopes the public will be intrigued by the name change and want to learn more about the music.

She has received positive feedback about the changes.

Preparing for the newly conceived festival has gone smoothly so far.

“Anytime you have something new, you have to figure it out,” Johansson said. “We’re excited about the talent. We’ve heard happy noises.”

The name and date of Johnstown’s premier music festival might have changed, but the entertainment will be better than ever, she added.

“I think the public will get what they’re used to and then some,” Johansson said. “The quality of the entertainment is several rungs above what we’ve had in the past.”

Headlining the festival will be The Derek Trucks Band, which blends jazz, rock, blues, Latin, Eastern Indian and other world music.

“They’re a national act,” Johansson said. “We want to kick it up a notch. Derek Trucks, the band’s leader, is the youngest player to make Rolling Stone’s ‘100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time’ list.”

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals is described as a neoclassical rock ’n’ roll band.

“They’re an incredibly hot band that played in every festival of note,” Johansson said. “They’re going to play twice for us. Grace Potter has been compared to Janis Joplin.”

Donna the Buffalo infuses traditional mountain music with elements of Cajun, rock, folk, reggae and country.

“They’re a festival favorite that we’ve been trying to get for years,” Johansson said. “They’re a jam band who play party music with elements of zydeco. Their fan base is called The Herd.”

Ruthie Foster combines Southern blues, rock, gospel, country, jazz and soul.

She has been compared to singing legends Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin.

“She has an incredible voice,” Johansson said. “I can’t wait to see her onstage.”

Seven Nations, which appeared at FolkFest 2004, will return with its blend of American rock and Celtic roots.

Group members combine bagpipes, mandolin, violin and horns for a matchless sound.

Seven Nations has had specials on ESPN, PBS and CNN.

Another returning group, Bill Kirchen and the Hammer of the Honky-Tonk Gods, appeared at the 2004 and 2007 folk festivals.

Kirchen, who has earned the title “Titan of the Telecaster,” is the former guitarist for Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen.

His 30-year career celebrates the American tradition of country music drawing on its origins in blues, bluegrass, rockabilly and Western swing.

“He’s one of the most entertaining people I’ve seen live,” Johansson said. “When he was here in 2007, the audience was right there with him when he was onstage.”

The Pennsylvania folk group The NewLand-ers, who played at FolkFest 2004, also returns.

The musical trio Kane Welch Kaplin is made up of Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch and Fats Kaplin.

The group melds folk, country and blues while performing with a jazz musician’s spontaneity and freedom.

This group claims fans from as far away as Australia.

“I got an e-mail from Australia, and they are coming to Johnstown to see Kane Welch Kaplin,” Johansson said. “They have family in the country.”

Scott Blasey, a member of the hugely popular group, The Clarks, will be doing a solo act for the music fest.

He has been recording and touring solo since 1995, in addition to his work with The Clarks.

The jazz group Scrapomatic features Mike Mattison and Paul Olsen, who began playing together in the mid-1990s.

The duo has been schooled individually in jazz, roots and blues music and has received Minnesota Music Award nominations for best R&B; group and best male vocalist.

Mattison also plays in The Derek Trucks Band.

The Canadian group The Clumsy Lovers blends bluegrass, Celtic and rock using a mandolin, banjo, fiddle, harmonica, guitar, bass and percussion.

“They’re described as bringing their own patented ‘fingerpicking mayhem,’ ” Johansson said. “They should be so much fun live.”

Todd Wolfe, Sheryl Crow’s former lead guitarist, will bring heavy blues rock.

Ernie Hawkins will play Piedmont blues, The Turpentiners will bring Americana and Kristi Rose and Fats Kaplin will sing honky tonk.

Performers with a connection to Johnstown will be Endless Mike & the Beagle Club, punk; Tree, Celtic; Jazz in Your Face, jazz; Gerry Stanek, singer-songwriter; and Whiskey River Panhandlers, Americana.

Ben Hardt Acoustic, whose music has been described as rock over strings, has been getting a lot of attention in Pittsburgh.

Other Pittsburgh acts are Bill Deasy, Bill Toms and Heather Kropf, singer-songwriters; 16-year-old country singer Maddie Georgi; Brad Yoder, known as the “king of the coffeehouses;” Nigerian-born singer-songwriter Joy Ike; and Bob Banerjee, former fiddler with the Celtic group Gaelic Storm.

Other regional performers are Americana with Gypsy Dave & the Stumpjumpers from Meadville, Crawford County, and gypsy jazz with Miner Swing Quartet from Curwensville, Clearfield County, featuring Marc Parve, a member of Rusty Gun Revival.

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