Los Lobos, Keller Williams' Grateful Grass featuring The Hillbenders will headline AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival in August

Mar. 1—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — The house will be rocking at this year's AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival.

On Wednesday, festival organizers announced Los Lobos and Keller Williams' Grateful Grass featuring The Hillbenders will headline the festival Aug. 4 and 5 at Peoples Natural Gas Park, 90 Johns St., downtown Johnstown.

"Los Lobos headlined the festival back in 2010, and it was the best night we've ever had at the festival attendance wise," said Ron Carnevali, festival chairman.

"They are consummate musicians, popular with virtually everyone. They will be fantastic on Saturday night."

Los Lobos has sold millions of records, won prestigious awards and made fans around the world.

But perhaps its most lasting impact will be how well its music embodies the idea of America as a cultural melting pot. In it, styles such as son jarocho, norteno, Tejano, folk, country, doo-wop, soul, rhythm and blues, rock 'n' roll and punk all come together to create a new sound that's greater than the sum of its parts.

In 2023, the band is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Los Lobos' list of accolades includes three Grammy Awards, the most recent in 2022 for Best Americana Album, and being named a 2021 National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Keller Williams' Grateful Grass featuring The Hillbenders is defined as loose interpretations of Grateful Dead songs done in a bluegrass style.

Williams took his fascination with Grateful Dead songs and mixed it with his love of psychedelic improvisational bluegrass music, and out came this project.

If you like singing along to Grateful Dead songs in that song's normal tempo, but dancing double time to the music, this is definitely your jam.

"Keller Williams' Grateful Grass featuring The Hillbenders will be a huge crowd-pleaser, playing anything-but-traditional interpretations of Grateful Dead classics, performed by some of the best bluegrass musicians in the business," Carnevali said.

AmeriServ Financial is serving as the festival's title sponsor for the 27th year.

"Each year, the festival committee works hard to secure a wide array of musical genres, and this year is no exception," said Jeff Stopko, president and CEO of AmeriServ Financial Inc.

"We are excited to be a longtime partner of such a worthwhile event and look forward to bringing our community together for a weekend of great music, friendship and just overall good times."

Organizers also announced 13 additional acts that include a wide range of musical genres.

—Trouble No More is an eight-piece supergroup, honoring and celebrating the iconic catalogue of The Allman Brothers Band featuring close relatives and friends to the original group. Their intense and up-tempo renditions of the bands' classic songs aim to bring energy and vitality back to the legacy of the greatest Southern rock band to date.

—Doom Flamingo is a six-headed synthwave beast with a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde element to the songwriting. Top Gun guitar riffs and Miami Beach poolside lounge-vibes, are all at once contrasted with darksynth sounds eerily reminiscent of old John Carpenter films.

—New York City based Melt formed in 2017 and is making waves on the music scene. With a sound that continuously pulls from new realms, at Melt's core is a shared love of soul and psychedelia, existential pop songs and ethereal jam sections, and a deep love for each other.

—Dogs in a Pile merges funk, jazz and rock 'n' roll with psychedelia. The quintet presents a completely original vibe built on kaleidoscopic soundscapes.

—Since forming in 1988 in southern California, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys have become one of the world's most beloved Americana/roots acts, drawing from the deep musical waters that flow just beneath the surface of rock 'n' roll's fertile soil. After nearly 35 years on the road, and more than two dozen releases to their credit, they remain key figures on the ever-changing Americana circuit, both on record and in live appearances. Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys last appeared at the festival in 2004.

—Yam Yam brings a diverse range of influences to the group, including jazz, gospel, jam and funk. They create a high-energy, soulful and psychedelic sound that is sure to get fans moving.

—The Mallett Brothers Band is an independent rock 'n' roll/Americana/country band from Maine. With a style that ranges from alt-country to Americana, country, jam and roots rock, theirs is a musical melting pot that's influenced equally by the singer/songwriter tradition as by harder rock, classic country and psychedelic sounds.

—Based in Pittsburgh, Chalk Dinosaur features a fusion of electronic dance music, funk and psychedelic rock. It has distinctive melodic themes coupled with a heavy rhythm section and augmented with synthesizers and electronic textures.

—Gabe Stillman hits the stage in high gear and only goes higher, embracing corners of American roots music with his impromptu selection of original gems and carefully chosen covers. Since landing in the final eight of the 35th annual International Blues Challenge in Memphis, and further honored as the recipient of the esteemed Gibson Guitar Award, Stillman and his band have been focused on expanding their footprint on a national and international level.

—Jeff Webb & the Delectable Sound is influenced by a variety of musical genres and musicians. Mixing a blend of original material with cover songs, the band features male and female vocalists, keyboards, guitar, drums, bass and horns. The band appeared at the festival in 2019.

—The Evergreens are an indie folk duo hailing from Johnstown. In addition to timeless-sounding originals, they cover hits that have stood the test of time and have never gone out of season. They put their own indie/folk twist on hits ranging from the 1950s to 1990s.

—The Jaded Lips describe its sound as "homegrown rock and soul." The Altoona-based trio has gone from the basement to the big stage in two years through hard work, tight songcraft and high energy performances. They expect to release a debut album in the summer.

—The Platelets is a genre-crossing rock band from the Johnstown area formed in April 2016. Their debut album, "Steelworker's Soul," was released in August, and they expect to release another disc this summer.

"In addition to the headliners, our audience should be really excited about the touring talent on this year's bill," said Bryan Hummel, festival co-chairman.

"We've caught a lot of rising stars this year — several of these acts are poised to become huge. And as always, we have a strong slate of local artists to round out the bill."

Early-bird two-day passes are $40 or $65 for a VIP pass, which includes access to the VIP Lounge and the site's full bar and indoor restrooms, as well as a tented viewing area at the mainstage.

Single-day tickets will go on sale when early-bird prices expire at 11:59 p.m. April 30.

Regular prices are $50 for two-day passes and $75 for VIP. Single-day tickets will be $30 for Aug. 4 and $40 for Aug. 5.

Tickets are available through the Eventgroove platform and can be purchased online at www.floodcitymusic.com. Passes will also be available at the Heritage Discovery Center beginning Friday.