Scott Tady: Center musicians help power Ghost Hounds' strong new blues album

A monumental May is taking shape for local blues band Ghost Hounds.

This weekend marks the arrival of Ghost Hounds "You Broke Me," an exhilarating album of raw, let-it-rip blues released on the band's own Maple House Records label.

Ghost Hounds get to introduce the new songs May 21, as hosts of the Maple House Music + Art Festival, a day-long event bringing acclaimed, award-winning national acts Jason Isbell, Black Pumas and Elle King to Hartwood Acres park in Hampton Township.

If the web flier is the indicator, Ghost Hounds are batting fourth between King and Lake Street Dive in that day's star-studded lineup. The Pittsburgh-based band will be sure to include "Baby We're Through," the new album launcher ablaze in razor-sharp guitars from Johnny Baab and Thomas Tull; gritty, growling vocals from Tre Nation, and the splendid piano tinklings of Center Township's Joe Munroe.

Munroe's fleet piano work puts the pace and chase in "On Your Trail," while his stark, quick notes break the haunting silence in a cover of Lightnin' Hopkins' "Lonesome Grave."

A fellow Center bluesman, Charlie Barath, brings extra gusto and urgency with great guest harmonica on five of the album's nine tracks; covers of Howlin' Wolf"s "Smokestack Lightning" and Ry Cooder's "Willie Brown Blues," the "You Broke Me" title track, and the separate acoustic and sped-up versions of "Through Being Blue Over You." A week ago, Barath was entertaining blues fanatics in Beale Street Memphis clubs as part of the International Blues Challenge.

Songwriting credits on the Ghost Hounds' originals are shared by band founder Tull, and Kevin Bowe, who's written and produced for John Mayall, Paul Westerberg and Etta James.

Baab, who's quickly emerged as one of Pittsburgh's top six-stringers, explained the third album's genesis:

“Being able to play the type of music that we want to hear always leads us back to the core of not only rock and roll, but music rooted in blues generally,” Baab said. “As a band, we’re always trading music between us and more often than not, the songs we’re sharing are these deep cuts from the beginning of recorded music as we know it. This record is exemplary of both of those things. We’ll all get in a room and cut the songs live and see how it fits for the band. We’ve got a few covers and a bunch of originals on this record born from that process, and can’t wait for you to hear them.”

Maybe you missed Ghost Hounds as the opening act on last year's Rolling Stones stadium show, or you didn't catch them warming up shows for Bob Seger on his farewell jaunt.

With magnetic singer Nation on the mic, Ghost Hounds are an entertaining live act with an impressive new album. Having a Beaver County presence in this now nationally-statured band is icing.

And who doesn't like icing?

I realize there's consternation among organizers and hipster supporters of the Millvale Music Festival because Ghost Hounds booked the Hartwood festival on the same day as their event that features 300 bands on 27 stages.

Hey, it's a competitive summer − Allegheny County's free lineup of Hartwood and South Park shows often conflict with big arena concerts downtown − and those complaints about the Maple House Music Fest can be filed under the "this is why we can't have nice things" category.

There's plenty of great live music to go around, plus I question how much overlap there will be with Maple House Festival charging $59 plus fees at a park venue that has free concert admission 90 percent of the time.

I salute Ghost Hounds for believing western Pennsylvania needs a national-act music festival, which we haven't had since the pre-pandemic Thrival Festival.

Ambridge library books singers

The Music Monday concert series has returned to the veranda of Laughlin Memorial Library in Ambridge.

Acoustic artist Meg Smith performs there May 16 and June 20, with another singer-strummer, Holly Mathias, as the May 23 and June 27 act. Visit Mathias' Facebook page for a video of her slaying on Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home."

Other Ambridge library shows: June 6, Tell Vickers from rock band Talisman, and June 13, singer-songwriter James Tobin & The Dewey Decimators.

Shows last from 5 to 6 p.m., and there remain a few Monday slots to fill between June and October. Interested musicians can call 724-266-3857, and ask for the director.

Rochester concert gets cinematic

The Beaver Valley Choral Society presents its Spring Spectacular pops concert May 22 at Rochester High School.

The 5 p.m. show is themed "The Music of Stage and Screen," and finds the BVCS principal choir, orchestra and Treble Youth Chorale combining on selections like "The Impossible Dream" (from "Man of La Mancha"), "Seventy-SixTrombones" (from "The Music Man"), George Gershwin's "Clap Yo' Hands (from "Oh,Kay!"), Rodgers & Hammerstein’s "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" with "You'll Never WalkAlone" (from "The Sound of Music" and "Carousel"), and a suite of selections fromLeonard Bernstein’s "West Side Story," plus "Moon River" by West Aliquippa's own Henry Mancini, and a medley of Walt Disney favorites.

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.

'Avatar 2's local angle

It took a dozen years, but we finally got a glimpse last week of the sequel to "Avatar," filmdom's highest-grossing movie ever.

The brand-new trailer for "Avatar: The Way of Water" showcases more of the fantastical creatures and eye-popping scenery masterminded by Center High graduate Joe Letteri, who returns as visual effects supervisor. Letteri's innovative visual effects tricks on the original "Avatar" earned him his fifth Academy Award.

"Avatar: The Way of Water" arrives Dec. 16.

Meanwhile, Letteri already is enjoying a banner year, having been senior visual effects supervisor for 2022's top-earning film, "The Batman."

More:What's cooking? Beaver Falls family sports bar opens; New Brighton eatery adds beer & wine

Stay informed: Download the Times app at https://app.adjust.com/tj0idhm?fallback=https%3A%2F%2Fcm.timesonline.com%2Fsubscriberguide%2F%23apps.

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@timesonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Tady: Center musicians help power Ghost Hounds' strong new blues album