Event Type : Ticketed Concert

When Jeremy Pinnell releasedOH/KYin the summer of 2015 to stunned acclaim, it felt like an entire career compressed into one knock-out album. Hailed as, a “Mind-blowingly good” (Greg Vandy/KEXP) “ ”tutorial on classic country music” (Popmatters), Pinnell’s debut immediately differentiated as authentic and unflinching. Dogged touring through Europe and the States and celebrated radio sessions followed, cementing Pinnell’s position as a no-fuss master of his craft.

His 2017 album,Ties of Blood and Affectionpresented a canny lateral move. Instead of doubling down on the stark themes and values of his debut, the sophomore album found Pinnell finding comfort in his own skin, achieving the redemption only hinted at in his previous batch of haunted songs.

If the third time’s a charm, Pinnell is all shine and sparkle onGoodbye LA. Produced by Texan Jonathan Tyler, the tunes buff the wax and polish the chrome on Country music’s deeper roots. Rooted in his steady acoustic guitar,Pinnell’s songs are shot through with honest and classic elements. The rhythm section, all snap and shuffle, finds purpose in well-worn paths. The pedal steel and Telecaster stingers arrive perfectly on cue, winking at JP’s world-wise couplets . Here slippery organ insinuates gospel into the conversation. You can feel the room breathe and get a sense of these musicians eyeballing each other as their performances are committed to tape. And through it all comes this oaken identity, the devastating centerpiece of his work. Honest and careworn, Jeremy’s voice can touch on wry, jubilant, and debauched – all in a single line.At his best, Jeremy Pinnell chronicles the joy and sorrow of being human, which is the best that anyone could do.

Big Rail Brewing is honored to present The Clarks, live in concert, August 3rd, 2024 at 7pm on our stage in the woods! Get ready for an unforgettable evening with one of Pittsburgh’s most widely renowned rock bands, in a beautiful rustic venue tucked away in the western Pennsylvania forest. With special guest opener The Alyssa Hankey Band.

About The Clarks

The four original Clarks members, Scott Blasey (vocals, acoustic guitar), Rob James (6 and 12-string electric guitars, vocals), Greg Joseph (bass, vocals) and David Minarik (drums, vocals) first met while students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) in the late ’80s.

With a highlight reel that includes the Late Show with David Letterman, The Simpsons, and others, The Clarks are enjoying their time together as a band now more than ever. “It’s one big extended family,” says guitarist Rob James. “Dave’s son Noah plays on our albums, and with us live, so saying that isn’t just a metaphor, it’s fact!”

Singing and playing new songs from the band’s 2022 EP Tracks and their 2018 full-length Madly In Love At The End Of The World has rekindled a fire in The Clarks’ sometimes broken, sometimes mended hearts.

Visit The Clarks’ Web Site >>

Need Lodging?

Upgrade your concert experience by booking a room at our partner hotels to receive FREE shuttle service! Discount rate, free breakfast, and best of all, shuttle to and from the show for a safe and easy night out!

View lodging options here (clicking takes you to the appropriate partner site):

Big Rail Brewing Concert 8/3 – Hampton Inn & Suites >>

Big Rail Brewing Concert 8/3 – Holiday Inn Express >>

Agenda

4:00pm – Big Rail Tap Room Opens / Early Check-in Begins

Because of the size of this event, **just for today** we’ll be requiring all visiting patrons to have or purchase a ticket to be on-site. Once you’ve checked in and received a wrist band, you can hang out and have a pint in the tap room & back patio area until the beer garden gates open.

5:30 PM – Beer Garden Gates open for ticket holders

If you’ve checked in and received a wrist band you’ll be able to freely enter & exit the beer garden / venue area starting at 5:30pm.

7:00 PM – Let the Show Begin

The Alyssa Hankey Band opens, followed by The Clarks

Please read the FAQ page for more information on Big Rail’s concerts.

“This band is therapy for me to bring myself back to being a better person, and I hope people come along with me,” says powerhouse singer Clinton Clegg of The Commonheart. The testimonial begins on August 16th when the 9-piece band issues its most potent and purposeful dose of grittily redemptive rock n’ soul, its sophomore album, Pressure (Jullian Records).

Clinton didn’t grow up in a Baptist church, and his soul machine of a band isn’t pushing religion. Live and in the studio, the Pittsburgh-based collective is offering feel-good positivity, Golden Rule messaging, and sweat-soaked performances that nimbly ease through blues, vintage soul, and rock.

The nonet is bonded by familial-like ties and a desire to foster spiritual uplift. Among its ranks are female backup singers, drums, bass, guitar, a horn section, and keyboards. Out front is Clinton, a lightning bolt charismatic front man with dynamically expressive pipes that effortlessly traverse bluesy pleading, and honeyed balladeering. Onstage and in the studio, Clinton evokes B.B. King, Al Green, Otis Redding, and Sam Cooke.

The Commonheart is known to have transformative powers. Case in point is the band’s own singer. During one gig, while singing “Do Right” from Pressure, Clinton experienced a revelation.

“Seeing the audience’s reaction to the positivity in that song made me feel like I was giving them something they may need.” He pauses thoughtfully, and then continues: “You know blues music is sad as hell, but it makes you feel good. I thought maybe my bad stories could make people feel good, and I could bring a little bit of love to the show.”

Previously, Clinton was in an eclectic indie band searching for some semblance of artistic focus. He had grown up loving B.B. King and soul music, and recognized the strength of his raspy emotive voice. After some soul searching, he and that band’s drummer decided to do a back-to-basics band centered around Clinton’s singing and a vintage R&B-informed aesthetic. At first the band’s name was a casual variant of The Commonwealth, as in “The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” but the moniker later accrued significance as the band began to explore the pent-emotionality inherent in its gospel-tinged tunes.

The Commonheart’s latest album, Pressure, is both rugged and refined. The 10-song album showcases raw-nerve soul musicianship pristinely recorded. The opening track boasts soulful sandpaper-y lead vocals, swoops of cosmic slide guitar, a driving Sly Stone groove, and rousing female backup vocals. It’s an up-against-a-wall tune about making a living while raising a family, and it speaks to the album’s title. The bluesy ballad title track, replete with pleading emotive vocals, drips yearning and melancholy redemption. “That’s about the daily grind—what it takes to maintain important relationships while you’re away from home, driving thousands of miles in van to pursue a dream,” Clinton confesses.

A spirit of a new-day optimism courses through the aptly titled “Different Man.” The song soars with stirring group backup vocals punctuated by Clinton’s vulnerable confessions. It’s a rousing and uplifting slice of R&B brimming with warm organs, clipped soul-guitar chanks, and triumphant horn melodies. “That song is about begging for a second chance, and building something beautiful after a sordid past,” Clinton reveals.

Pressure is an album by a band on a mission. “We are willing to take risks and to go at any lengths for this band,” Clinton says affirmatively. “We are ready to spread positivity and make a stretch of this thing.”

Need Lodging?

Upgrade your concert experience by booking a room at our partner hotels to receive FREE shuttle service! Discount rate, free breakfast, and best of all, shuttle to and from the show for a safe and easy night out! Clicking these links takes you right to the appropriate partner’s web site for this event:

• Big Rail Brewing Concert 8/17 – Hampton Inn & Suites
• Big Rail Brewing Concert 8/17 – Holiday Inn Express

Jim Donovan and The Sun King Warriors are best described as a blend of rhythm heavy roots rock, with a strong dose of big barreling drums. Think bluesy Zeppelin-esqe bombast, Santana style percussion with wild Avett Brothers energy.

At a Sun King show, you can expect to dance, sweat and have the time of your life.

The band’s music has garnered radio airplay throughout the US and Canada, and has appeared on Billboard’s Americana chart multiple times.

The band plays regionally at festivals and clubs throughout the mid-atlantic and have opened for 10,000 Maniacs, Donovan’s former band Rusted Root and many others.

Jim Donovan, the band’s founder and writer brings almost three decades of experience to the Sun King Warriors. As a member of the popular 90’s band Rusted Root, he helped shaped the group’s sound and toured with legendary including The Grateful Dead, members of Led Zeppelin, Carlos Santana and the Allman Brothers.

He also co-authored the band’s biggest hit, “Send Me on My Way,” which has been streamed over 100 million times on Spotify and used as the wakeup music for NASA’s Mars rover.

Press quotes:

“Jim Donovan and Sun King Warriors are one of the most eclectic and exciting bands to come out in some time…” -The Washington Times
“Sun King Warriors channel unabashed enthusiasm into a series of songs that are both rowdy and rejuvenating…” -Relix Magazine