JJ Grey & Mofro to Headline Second Annual Peace River Revival
It’s definitely the happiest time of year. No, not the winter holidays. It’s the happiest time of year because of the 2019 lineup announcements that pour in on a daily basis. Add Peace River Revival to that growing list with its announcement that JJ Grey & Mofro will be headlining its second annual festival to be held on March 30 in Punta Gorda, Florida. Joining them atop the bill will be Keller Williams’ PettyGrass featuring the Hillbenders.
Photo credit: Michelle Wilson, Rock Legends Photographers
Supporting Grey and Williams for a day of bluesy, soulful rock, bluegrass, Americana, and folk will be Donna The Buffalo, Cat Ridgeway & The Tourists and Still Friends. The festival will be held in Laishley Park in downtown Punta Gorda on the banks of the beautiful Peace River.
A Jacksonville native and international road warrior, JJ Grey is becoming a fixture on the music scene in sleepy little Punta Gorda, having played there numerous times, including twice headlining The Big Orange Music Festival. This will be the first time Grey and his band Mofro will be bringing their gritty, soulful take on bluesy rock to Peace River Revival.
Photo Credit: Mark Weaver
A tireless showman and multi-instrumentalist who has been known to reduce grown men to tears with his gut-wrenching delivery of fan favorites like “Brighter Days” and “Lochloosa,” Grey draws huge adoring crowds wherever he goes. Backed up by Mofro, made up of Dennis Marion on trumpet, Todd Smallie on bass, Marcus Parsley on trumpet, Craig Barnette on drums, Zach Gilbert on guitar, and Eric Brigmond on keys, Grey burns with an honest intensity that is always guaranteed to set the stage alight.
Punta Gorda will get a double dose of bluegrass and alternative everything when Keller Williams’ PettyGrass featuring The Hillbenders celebrate the music of Tom Petty. Pettygrass is (you guessed it) bluegrass versions of some of Tom Petty’s most beloved tunes. If anyone can pull this off it with joy and aplomb, it’s Williams, whose one-man performances feature live phrase-looping, multiple instruments, and multi-genres, including bluegrass, folk, jazz, rock, and funk.
The Hillbenders, a seasoned bluegrass outfit from Springfield, Missouri, are icing on Williams’ cake. Consisting of Nolan Lawrence on mandolin, Gary Rea on bass, Jimmy Rea on guitar, Mark Cassidy on banjo, and Chad Graves on dobro, have been fixtures on the bluegrass festival circuit since 2008. Winners of the 2009 Telluride Bluegrass Competition, they’ve made multiple appearances at the Telluride, Rocky Grass, Walnut Valley Festival and more.
Perhaps the country’s premier Americana dance band, Donna The Buffalo is a rolling party train that has been bringing their brand of soulful roots music to faithful fans called “The Herd” for the better part of 30 years. Hailing from upstate New York, the band includes Jeb Puryear on vocals and electric guitar; multi instrumentalist Tara Nevins on vocals, fiddle, guitar, accordion, and scrub board; David McCracken on organ; Kyle Spark on bass; and Mark Raudabaugh on drums. This will be the band’s second appearance at Peace River Revival, having brought the sky down last year (literally, because it poured) with a head-spinning collection of genres and music styles including zydeco, folk, reggae and rock.
Orlando-based Cat Ridgeway & The Tourists embrace the sounds of indie rock, pop and soul. A talented singer and songwriter, Cat Ridgeway’s eclectic style shines though on guitar, harmonica and trumpet. Her equally talented supporting cast, The Tourists, include Brenden McNeil on guitar, Ryan Goodwin on keys and vocals, John David Williams on bass and vocals, Rhemy Ventura on drums, Adam Grant on sax, and Mitch Ridgeway on guitar and vocals.
Punta Gorda’s own Still Friends will be opening the day at the festival, combining elements of bluegrass, folk, soul, jazz and folk into their unique blend of Americana. Made up of Carrie Blackwell Hussey on vocals and percussion, Japhy Blackwell on saxophone, Tiffiny Coffey on vocals and guitar, Evan Walsh on bass, and Andy Leach on lead guitar and mandolin, the band will be warming things up with original acoustic music and more.
For more information and where to purchase tickets click on the links below.
