Harvesting the Beats
The weekend's events at the Butler Farm Show will be accompanied by country and rock tunes of featured bands. The performances will be held for free at the Pennsylvania Lottery Pavilion at the Connonquenessing Township farm show grounds bringing together a collection of cover bands and original tunes from several generations of performers. To end it all, musicians in the audience are invited to participate in the old-time fiddling, banjo, mandolin and flat top guitar contest at 5 p.m. Aug. 10.
The four members of the Good Guyz formed the group in 2016 but the members, all in their 60s now, have been playing music for most of their lives, according Tony Barge. The group is based out of New Castle and it mostly covers famous songs for audiences in nursing homes in the county. The band describes their music as classic, traditional country music inspired by musicians like Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, George Jones and Hank Williams.Barge said the band's “objective is to keep that kind of classic country music alive. That type of music is not mainstream any longer. They've got what they call country music on the radio now but it's different. They don't use steel guitars like they use to, don't use fiddles like they use to. It's all about pickup trucks and a keg of beer now.” The band emphasizes meaningful lyrics that “meant something. They were about people who lived and had been through trying experiences. Triumph and heartache.”The Good Guyz will open the farm show's musical schedule with performances at 7 and 9 p.m. Monday.
The rock band Trevolta, formerly known as This Is The World, is made up of three Knoch High School students with a self-described '70s-rock style. They list their musical influences as rock 'n' roll legends Kiss, Queen, Led Zeppelin and Yes as well as psychedelic rockers like Pink Floyd. In the past they've played at places like the Grove City Community Center and the Mars Apple Festival and the backyard stage at the Zarnick household. This year, the band has completed appearances at the Millvale Music Festival, a Grove City arts and crafts show, and Market Square in Pittsburgh.They will perform at 7 and 9 p.m. Tuesday.
This Slippery Rock-based bluegrass band blends traditional and progressive bluegrass music, with band members who were influence by a diverse musical background from Pink Floyd to Stevie Ray Vaughan. The songwriter of the band, Sam Stuckey, describes his writing style as “closely related to something between the classic country stylings of the early 1960s and '70s, to the well-carved sound of bands like Infamous Stringdusters, Greensky Bluegrass, The Punch Brothers, and everywhere in between.”The band has been around since 2004. One of the members, Stephanie Franzen, graduated from Slippery Rock University with a bachelor's degree in violin performance studies and has performed with the Butler Symphony Association since 2006.Well Strung will take the stage for the 7 and 9 p.m. shows Aug. 7.
Descended from the western foothills of the Alleghenies, this four-person string band boasts a sound that “echoes the sound and feeling of the golden age of bluegrass.” The band has been around for more than a decade, according to its website, and describe its music as fast-paced, engaging versions of bluegrass classics along with strong soulful vocals and blazing instrumentals.The Allegheny Drifters will perform at 7 and 9 p.m. Aug. 8.
Revelatory sounds are coming from this Butler-based band that, according to their description, mixes “old school twang with that new school sound.” Their group describes themselves as a “couple of guys who've been playing for years” to create a “sound that can't be found just anywhere.” The band boasts that it has “a guy that can go from fiddle to bending strings on a guitar, and two guys that can sing anything you put in front of them.”The five-member group will entertain the crowds at the 7 and 9 p.m. shows Aug. 9.
