Scott Tady: Monaca launches Groove 'n Grub series; fundraiser set for flooded North Sewickley stage

April flooding along the Connoquenessing Creek destroyed building materials purchased for a new outdoor stage in North Sewickley Township.

But rather than simply curse fate, the property's owner and 10 local musical acts will rally this weekend to raise money to buy new wood and materials, to put the proposed stage back on course.

"Our dream is for this idea finally come to light for not only us but for many other families to enjoy the beautiful, wooded quiet area along the Connoquessing Creek, and maybe bring the good old community events or gatherings back," owner Ed Quear said.

A sound engineer since 1992, Quear started his own music production company, E.Q. Audio, five years ago, and two years ago began planning the stage near Olde Stonewall Golf Course.

"Me and my ex-wife had a vision of making the property a nice family oriented rental property, pavilion and a stage for any music events," Quear said. "I was ready to start the patio/temporary stage till the permanent stage is built, but we had two floods in a week and swept away most of the building materials I bought over time to get this done. A friend of mine, Dawn Biega, contacted me about helping or doing something to help get materials or money, but my pride kept telling her 'no it's OK.' But she finally broke me, and I agreed."

And so on May 18, the Bands Together to Rebuild rock and country concert will take place outside at 175 Sycamore Drive, along the creek, in North Sewickley.

The lineup:

Noon: Tim McKeag

1 p.m.: The Chad D

2 p.m.: Last Chance Band

3 p.m.: Mr. Pitiful

4 p.m.: The Leftovers

5-6:45 p.m.: open

7 p.m.: Burning Boxes

8 p.m.: Notta Band

9 p.m.: Ten Feet Under

10 p.m.: Gary Burk III.

Burk, is a Nashville recording artist from Butler County, with radio singles "Crashed" and "Friday." Like most of the concert's performers, he has relied on Quear's talents, specifically as a sound engineer at gigs.

The concert's second-billed act, Ten Feet Under, is an Ellwood City band that plays hard rock from the 1990s through today.

Bands Together to Rebuild admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids.

There'll be food vendors. Feel free to bring your own chair.

Music in Monaca

The Monaca Friday concert series gets more gastronomic this year, rebranded as Groove ‘n Grub, an event for live music lovers and food truck fans.

Sponsored by the Monaca Community Development Corp. and the Borough of Monaca, Groove ‘n Grub is free to attend, taking place 5-9 p.m. May 31, June 21, July 26 and Aug. 30 at George Washington Plaza in the heart of the Downtown Monaca Business District.

Hometown vinyl record shop Inner Groove Records and Monaca Brewing Co. will sell their specialties while booths offering jewelry, vintage clothing, kids’ novelties and chocolates also will be on hand.

Games for the kiddos will be available, too.

The May 31 kick-off features Charlie Barath’s Blues Band featuring award-winning harmonica stylings. Inner Groove’s turntables ace Ian Sallese will spin records during band breaks and offer a variety of records for guests to look through, request and purchase.

Representing "The Grub" will be Comfortably Yummm, Divine Swine, Kona Ice, Totaros Italian Cuisine and Trish’s Truffles & Sweet Treats.

The June 21 concert will feature reggae band Truth And Rites.

“Hosting events that bring community together for music, art, and fun while also giving people opportunities to discover our business district is an important part of our Monaca CDC’s mission," the organization's president Simon Short, said. "We are also excited to continue providing gigs for local and regional musicians."

For event updates, follow the Facebook pages of Monaca CDC and Borough of Monaca, or visit monacacdc.org.

Blackhawk educator a Grammy quarterfinalist

Maura Saint, choral director at Blackhawk High School, is a quarterfinalist for the 2025 Grammy Music Educator Award. Out of 2,400 applicants nationwide, only 215 reached the quarterfinal round.

The Music Educator Award recognizes educators (kindergarten through college) who have made a lasting contribution to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in schools.

Co-sponsored by the Grammy Recording Academy and Grammy Museum, the 10 finalists receive cash prizes for their schools, with the first-place recipient recognized during the 2025 Grammy telecast.

Social D-Bad Religion

Since the initial diagnosis of tonsil cancer 11 months ago, doctors have promised Mike Ness a full recovery, though it still was reassuring to see and hear the Social Distortion frontman back in action last week at a sold-out Stage AE.

Ness' voice sounded solid, still bearing that gravelly tone that's always brought authenticity to Social Distortion punk-rock anthems about fighting the good fight and overcoming hardships.

Having completed radiation treatments and six weeks of a chemo infusion after first undergoing a grueling surgery, it's understandable if Ness seemed to be strumming and singing at a slightly slower gear compared to decades past, though he and Social Distortion conjured the fiery essence of fan faves like "Bad Luck" and "Mommy's Little Monster."

Setting up "1945," Ness gave a shout-out to early 1980s punk-rock disciples, recognizing the punk lifestyle must have been challenging to embrace then in a city like Pittsburgh, where "people wanted 'Stairway to Heaven' to last forever."

Given the health scare he's endured, an extra sense of relevance and emotionality came 11 songs into the set, when Ness began singing "Reach for The Sky" with its live-in-the-moment message reminding "tomorrow may never come."

From there, Social Distortion hit the homestretch in vintage form, spawning an audience singalong for "Ball and Chain," ripping through the tour debut of the venerable "Story of My Life" and closing with the band's famed cover of "Ring of Fire."

Overall, an impressive comeback, with fans equally blessed to savor the 70-minute, 22-song set of co-headliners Bad Religion, still delivering punchy, melodic, socially conscious punk-rock powered by twin guitars and the engaging stage presence of singer Greg Graffin.

Hard to believe that labelmates Bad Religion and Social Distortion, standard-bearers of the California punk scene for 44 years, never co-billed a U.S. tour until now.

Remembering Dee

New Brighton native DeHaven “Dee” Thompson, a fixture of Pittsburgh's Channel 11 News team from 1974 to 2009, died last week at the age of 84.

Thompson started as a sports reporter and later transitioned to news, often assigned late-night or weekend fire and crime stories he handled with exemplary professionalism.

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

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Tady: Monaca starts Groove 'n Grub series; flooded stage fundraiser