One of Pittsburgh’s most in-demand rock bands teams up with an impressive roster of Beaver Valley brewers for Brews & Grooves, a debut event August 16 at the Beaver Station Cultural & Event Center.

NASH.V.ILL, featuring guitarist Byron Nash and powerful vocalist Jacquea Mae, will entertain under the stars and perform an energetic mix of rock and soul.

NASH.V.ILL returns by request after several well-received appearances at Beaver Station’s Cabin Fever and Summer Music concert series.

“We’re excited to return to Beaver with another explosive set,” Nash tells me. “We’re gearing up for a big opening show with my rock and soul heroes Living Colour on August 30th at the Crafthouse Stage & Grill (in Baldwin).”

“The focus has been on getting the new songs finished and in the right musical mood,” said Nash. “Our Beaver friends will be the first to get a taste of and hear the new set and material.”

Regional radio stations, including Beaver Valley’s 91.3 WYEP and The Beaver 95.7 FM, are playing NASH.V.ILL’s “Hey, Sister,” a driving, psychedelic-tinged tune with riffs that leads to a dramatic vocal part by Mae, who is absolutely captivating on stage.

While NASH.V.ILL provides the music for Brews & Grooves, Nashville Hot Chicken is on the menu, served by Eric’s Gourmet Hoagies, which also offers Italian meatballs and vegetarian hoagies, as well as kettle chips.

Food is included in the price of admission to each concert, as are complimentary alcoholic beverages from After The Fall Cider of New Sewickley Township, Altered Genius and Fermata Brewing, both of Ambridge, Koehler and The Time Brewing, both of Ellwood City, ShuBrew of Zelienople, Dancing Gnome Beer of Sharpsburg, Rusty Rail Brewing of central Pennsylvania and Velum Fermentation of Pittsburgh’s South Side.

The party starts at 6:30 p.m., the music starts at 8:00 p.m.

Admission is $45. Reserve your spot at beaverstation.org.

Powerful Pat in Jaw

I’m not going to pretend that $195 isn’t an expensive concert ticket.

But if you want to see a truly one-of-a-kind show next summer, you’ll want to budget now for Celebrity Care Fest, a fundraiser last month that featured Pat Benatar and Pitbull performing onstage in a Pine Township backyard while Smokey Robinson paraded around, selling wine and posing for photo ops.

I managed to make it to Benatar’s opening night, accompanied of course by her guitar-playing husband and fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Neil “Spyder” Giraldo.

Benatar, 71, proved she’s still a great singer, blessed with power and poise, as she, Giraldo and her bandmates belted out and roared through ’80s classics like “You Better Run,” “Shadows of The Night,” “Hell is For Children,” “Love Is a Battlefield” and her 1979 breakthrough hit “Heartbreaker.”

They played a rousing, breathtaking cover of Edwin Starr’s anti-war song “War.”

Portable folding chairs were available, but some spectators had to stand and others sat behind them on a slight rise in shady tents, which, according to concert host and renowned promoter Rich Engler, offered a beautiful view of the largest mobile stage in the country.

It’s a dream match: Engler’s expertise meets the owners of the Pine Mansion, who volunteer their backyard. The garden easily accommodated 800 concertgoers on opening night, and 1,200 are expected the next night for pop star Pitbull’s concert.

All proceeds from both evenings will benefit the UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation.

They call it the Celebrity Care Fund because there are sports stars everywhere in the audience sitting next to us mere mortals.

Football star Dan Marino sat next to Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame member Bill Cowher and cheered on his wife and the evening’s opening act, New York rock band Queen V.

Queen V’s strong voice and captivating stage presence impressed me, and when she asked the audience to stand up and dance, I did so – especially when a still wild-looking James Harrison and fellow Steelers member Mel Blount, both sitting next to me, also stood up.

These are the people you can talk to at the Celebrity Care Fest.

A shuttle bus will transport non-VIP ticket holders to the concert venue. The pick-up and drop-off point is the Pine-Richland High School college complex.

Again, tickets aren’t cheap, but if you want an evening that makes you feel like you’re in the Hamptons (casual, resort-style attire recommended), mark Celebrity Care Fest 2025 on your calendar. Past performers have included big-name artists like Earth, Wind & Fire, Peter Frampton, REO Speedwagon, Kool & The Gang, and Lou Gramm of Foreigner.

Lincoln Park graduate shines on his latest single

Local “America’s Got Talent” star Ashley Marina just released her latest original song, “Summer’s Almost Over,” on major music platforms.

In about a week, an official video will follow on Marina’s YouTube channel, where she has 44,000 subscribers.

With an indie rock melody as warm, bright and dreamy as the season that inspires it, “Summer’s Almost Over” describes the feeling high school seniors experience in their last summer before friends go their separate ways.

Marina’s pleasant voice, with its skillfully weighted emotional high notes, draws from personal experience, as she graduated from Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School last June (a year early).

“Summer’s Almost Over” deserves to be played on the radio and was already played on the radio last week on The Beaver 95.7.

A music career is a dream of Marina, who is currently taking part in the five-week Aspire Summer Program at the renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston.

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This article originally appeared in the Beaver County Times: Brews & Grooves debuts in Beaver; Pat Benatar surprises