For many Pittsburghers, sometimes traveling to events outside of the city limits can seem like too much effort. But there's a music festival happening in Johnstown this weekend that is more than worth the trip. Flood City Music Festival, taking place Aug. 2-3 at Peoples Natural Gas Park, will host 17 acts from Pittsburgh and beyond, from country to funk to pop.
Headlining the festival is Gin Blossoms, an Arizona based rock band that rose to fame in the early '90s with its breakthrough album, New Miserable Experience; Cowboy Mouth, whose song "Jenny Says" became an alt-rock classic; Ghost Light, a newer band whose creative process began with LSD; and Brownout, an American Latin-funk band from Austin, Texas whose 2014 Black Sabbath inspired Brownout Present Brown Sabbath album was a surprise hit.
While the acts may be at the top of the bill, Flood City's director of communications, Shelley Johansson, says that the acts slated to perform earlier in the day, like Bill Kirchen, and Davina & the Vagabonds, are the ones she finds the most appealing.
"The lineup this year is so diverse, and so talented - absolutely stacked top to bottom," says Johansson. "It’s such an easy festival to attend in that there’s plenty of parking, and the stages are close. Every year people tell me they came to see a headliner but were blown away by someone on the underbill. I think a lot of people will find new favorites this year."
Others performers include Dale Watson, Sue Foley, Red Baraat, National Park Radio, The Plate Scrapers, and a nice mix of local/regional acts like Elias Khouri, Adler & Barath Blues Band, Jeff Perigo & Friends, Afro n'At, Jeff Webb & the Delectable Sound, and Essential Machine.
“Gin Blossoms is an act with great name recognition and enormous appeal – they may have made their name in the '90s, but they’re still recording and going strong, and we’re thrilled to be presenting them on Saturday night,” said festival chairman Ron Carnevali in a press release. “Cowboy Mouth’s live show is like a revival tent, with one of the most talented frontmen in the business. Ghost Light and Brownout presents Brown Sabbath are two incredible festival acts – Ghost Light is a new jam band supergroup that’s having a breakout year, and Brownout presents Brown Sabbath is a horn band, members of the Latin funk band Grupo Fantasma playing Black Sabbath covers.”
For more about the artists, visit floodcitymusic.com/performers.
Two-day passes are $40, or $55 for an Oilhouse (VIP) Pass, which includes access to the VIP Lounge and the only full bar and indoor restrooms found on site, as well as a special viewing area at the mainstage. Friday single-day tickets are $23, and Saturday single-day tickets are $35.
Proceeds from the event benefit the Johnstown Area Heritage Association, which operates several local museums including the Johnstown Flood Museum, The Heritage Discovery Center, and the Johnstown Children’s Museum.
Johnstown music festival, running Aug. 2-3, boasts an eclectic lineup
