Music
Bring a folding chair or a blanket and enjoy live music from fantastic local artists on two stages this year at the Conshohocken Arts Festival and Car Show:
Masonic Lodge Stage:
11:00 AM - Roberta Faceplant
12:00 PM - Emily Drinker
1:00 PM - Katie Henry
2:00 PM - Yellow Moon
3:00 PM - Awards
Library Stage:
11:20 AM - Doug Wartman
12:20 PM - Carrie Zaruba
1:20 PM - Rob Tait
2:20 PM - John Faye
DOUG WARTMAN
Doug Wartman is an instrumental guitarist from Glenside, PA. An alumnus of Berklee School of Music, Doug has released several independent records and eps of live and studio performances over the past twenty years. Doug’s passionate, creative, and evocative instrumental approach to composition often utilizes his talent for rhythm and ambience, creating immersive pieces with both classical and experimental elements.
CARRIE ZARUBA
Hailing from South Baltimore, and living in Philadelphia, Carrie Zaruba weaves
her songs like the tapestries of the songwriting greats, her work echoing that of
Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlile, and Patty Griffin. Her early career spent in the
studios and writing rooms in Nashville helped to develop her unique and singular
performing and writing style that continues to set her apart. The Country Music
Association described her as “rising into the Country Music sky bright, fast and
impossible to ignore.” She has written and released 3 EP’s and 1 full- length
record, along with two singles, all critically acclaimed, all co-written and produced
by the legendary Kent Wells (most recently produced the heavily anticipated
double- album Rockstar by Dolly Parton). She continues to travel to Nashville to
write, record and perform, along with regular regional and local performances in
the Mid- Atlantic area.
Photo credit - Brenda Franco Photography
ROB TAIT
Whether he's serenading from behind the drums or the guitar, Rob Tait's folk-pop style can mend the ache of a broken heart or make you stomp and holler until the sole of your shoe falls off. Born and raised in the pine barrens of New Jersey, Rob Tait's music combines his Americana/folk/singer-songwriter vocal style with his deep rooted love and education of rhythm and the drums.
After moving to Philadelphia, Rob performed as a sideman, touring and performing with a variety of acts including and not limited to John Gilbride, Emily Drinker, Brittany Ann Tranbaugh, and more. When the pandemic hit, Rob took the incredible opportunity to get his music polished up and start playing his music with a band. Then, in January 2022, Rob collaborated with Matty Muir (Four Way Street, Ben Arnold) at Retro City Studios (Amos Lee, Train, Low Cut Connie) to make his first record "Here and Now". Rob will be releasing a single every 6 weeks, which will lead to the release of the full record in the fall of 2024.
Photo Credit - Will Drinker
ROBERTA FACEPLANT
Roberta Faceplant is a honky tonk hurricane with a voice that blends the raw, rock n’ roll grit of Janis Joplin and the whimsical, western smoothness of Patsy Cline.
Fronted by singer/songwriter Katie Feeney, Roberta Faceplant’s unique Alt-Country sound and playful storytelling has already garnered international press and radio play on KEXP, WXPN, Post To Wire, Lonesome Highway and more.
With her gang of Philadelphia music vets in tow, Roberta Faceplant’s live show is high-energy roadhouse joy infused with a rebellious spirit that'll keep you on the dance floor all night. The band is currently finishing their first EP, which will be released in July 2024.
Photo Credit - Olivia Hoover
EMILY DRINKER
Emily Drinker is an independent, award-winning singer-songwriter from Philadelphia. Her soulful brand of folk, pop, and rock goes down smooth, whether she’s performing with her powerhouse band, the Funky T, or in a more intimate format, incorporating live looping. Emily is an artist who has found a way to do what she does using every weapon in her considerable arsenal. Emily has been featured by NPR Music, Philadelphia's WXPN, and played at many regional festivals including Firefly, Musikfest, and the Philadelphia Folk Festival. In the last few years, Emily has opened for Pat Benatar, Rufus Wainwright, JD Souther (Linda Ronstadt, Eagles, James Taylor), Switchfoot, Joey Dosik (Vulfpeck) and Bakithi Kumalo (Paul Simon’s Graceland). In addition to a busy performance schedule in Philly and its surrounding areas, Emily enjoys working as a session vocalist doing sync work for national TV shows, performing in half a dozen local bands, and hosting a festival in her backyard with her band/housemates. (CINNAMiN Fest!)
Some parts of this bio were borrowed - with permission - from Episode 27 of John Faye’s podcast “Talking at the Diner.”
JOHN FAYE
During his three-decade career, John Faye has been a mainstay of the
Philadelphia area music scene. As the voice and primary songwriter of
the Caulfields, his 90s band signed to A&M Records whose single
“Devil’s Diary” cracked the modern rock top-40, IKE, whose song “Into
Philadelphia” has been in rotation on WMMR for over 20 years, John
& Brittany, who received massive airplay on Sirius XM’s Little
Steven’s Underground Garage, and his award-winning solo work, Faye
has crafted a lasting musical legacy. He has shared stages with over 60
national acts, including Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees REM,
Bon Jovi, Bo Diddley, Joan Jett, and the Ramones.
John has won numerous Hometown Heroes Homey Awards (DE Public
Media / NPR), most recently for Artist of the Year and Song of the Year
for his collaboration with Sug Daniels “Lightning In A Bottle.”
John’s memoir, The Yin and the Yang of it All: Rock ’n’ Roll
Memories from the Cusp, as told by a Mixed-Up, Mixed-Race
Kid, published in 2023 by Advantage/Forbes, is an Amazon #1 Best
Seller.
Faye plans to release his first full-length album in nine years in the fall
of 2024, and his recent solo single “Sell Your Soul As An NFT!” has
received airplay on WXPN, including a designation as the station’s
Philly Local Pick of the Day.
Photo Credit - Joe Del Tufo
KATIE HENRY
Katie Henry is part of a new generation of talented and passionate young artists currently reshaping the blues landscape. The New Jersey-born singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist broke out with On My Way, the critically acclaimed release that earned her a spot on Blues Rock Review’s list of the Top 20 Albums of 2022. But that, in retrospect, merely scratched the surface.
Henry’s exciting new project Get Goin’ shows off a whole lot much more of what this intelligent and charismatic blues singer has to offer. Backed by the crack band of celebrated bluesrocker Bernard Allison (who produced the album and contributed a pair of songs), Henry raises her game and delivers her finest performances to date.
Henry sees this album and this chapter as the next big step of a journey that began when she learned her first piano chords around the age of six. She later added guitar to her arsenal and set her sights on nearby New York City as soon as she was old enough to hit the clubs. While attending college in Manhattan she became a favorite on the local live music scene, winning over audiences with a blend of influences that included blues, rock, R&B, funk, pop, soul and country – a stylistic mix still reflected in the music she is making today.
Her self-released debut High Road (2018) was universally well-received, earning award nominations from Blues Blast Magazine and the International Bluegrass Music Awards. The follow-up On My Way (a top ten entry on the Billboard blues chart) saw Henry sign with Germany’s Ruf Records and hit the road on the label’s annual Blues Caravan tour. The subsequent live CD Blues Caravan 2022 featured her jamming with tourmates who, like Henry, are not afraid to cross boundaries and shake up the scene. Playing to discerning international audiences night after night on that concert tour allowed her to sharpen her skills on the fly.
Though she’s surrounded by experienced players on Get Goin’, her growing abilities as a singer, guitarist and keyboard player, not to mention her adept songwriting and magnetic personality, are the heart and soul of the album and her live show. It's not one to miss!
Photo Credit - Dropkick Josh Photography
