Scott Tady: Nominations sought for Beaver Valley music hall; and don't miss Kenny Stockard

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Nominations are being accepted for the Beaver Valley Musicians Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

To be considered, the candidate must have a connection to the Beaver Valley, and have made substantial musical contributions to society.

We're talking a half of fame whose members range from 20-time Grammy Award winner Henry Mancini, to chart-toppers The Jaggerz; nationally touring arena rockers the Granati Brothers, to vocal dynamos like The Skyliners' Donna Groom and jazz chanteuse Betty Douglas; plus numerous countywide or scholastic band directors and educators.

Last year's induction ceremony, at Center Stage, welcomed new members such as blues stalwart Billy Evanochko, Midland composer Todd Goodman, and drummer Nick Zeigler of national garage-rock bands The 4019s and Mary's Danish.

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The official nomination form for 2024 can be found on the Beaver Valley Musicians Union website bvmusiciansunion.org under the Beaver Valley Musicians Hall of Fame, using the "Nomination Packet" tab.

Required information will include the nominee's contact information, photos, their connection to the Beaver Valley, and details about their musical accomplishments and/or philanthropic musical contributions.

The nominations deadline is April 30. Up to five candidates will be selected for induction at the hall of fame banquet in October.

Launched in 1990, BVMU Hall of Fame inductees' names are inscribed on the Hall of Fame Honor Roll at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center. Each musician receives a plaque inscribed with their class year.

Beaver concert offers Stockard's feel-good songs

I'd imagine catching a 20-foot wave off Oahu's North Shore feels about as exhilarating as last month's Cabin Fever Music Series launcher starring surf music band The Boss Stingrays.

Didn't take long for people to push aside the front row chairs to clear a dance floor as spectators cut loose and grooved to the carefree, surfy sounds inside the Beaver Station Cultural & Event Center.

I'd recommend grabbing your dance shoes, or at least be prepared to be swept up in the music, when the Cabin Fever series continues Feb. 24 with smooth-voiced R&B-soul singer Kenny Stockard.

"I am super excited about this show," said Stockard, who will be backed by his trio. "I’ve played there a couple of times and love the space. We’re going to be pulling together some soul classics and all-around feel-good music. My band and I have been rehearsing new material and we’re excited to share a couple of new dance tunes, too. Expect some Stevie Wonder, some John Legend and a few surprises as well."

Based in Pittsburgh but with a national presence, Stockard has performed on "CBS This Morning," sang background for Josh Groban and Donnie Iris, warmed audiences for Willie Nelson and Van Morrison, and earned artist of the week accolades from 91.3-WYEP in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. He's released two albums with a third on the way this spring.

I really dug his voice and stage presence last year at South Park Amphitheater, opening for the Dazz Band.

Stockard takes pride that no matter how large the audience is, his shows feel intimate and engaging.

Beaver Station's cozy setting, where audience and band easily mingle during intermission and afterward, should make for an excellent showcase for Stockard, who likes to share from the stage the meaning behind his songs, while changing his setlist on the fly.

Reserve your seats at beaverstation.org. The $35 charge covers all your pre-show and during-show wine, craft beer or pop. It's February, and I'm hearing there will be free chocolates as part of pre-show festivities.

Ghost Hounds announce new lineup

Pittsburgh's globe-trotting Ghost Hounds announced the new band lineup making its debut Feb. 16 at the Roxian Theatre in McKees Rocks.

The singularly named Savnt takes over as lead singer, with Sydney Driver the new drummer and Tyler Chiarelli a new guitarist.

That leaves three original members, Center Township's Joe Munroe on keys, Thomas Tull (part Pittsburgh Steelers owner) on guitar and Bennett Miller on bass, with more recent addition Kristin Weber on fiddle.

Savnt, 28, is a New Jersey native who competed on season 13 of NBC's "The Voice." While no official reason has been given publicly for the change of singers, former Ghost Hounds vocalist Tre Nation posted on Instagram his support for his replacement.

"The new singer is amazing! 100 percent has my endorsement. You'll love him!" Nation said. "Don't give up your tickets. You never know, you may love it."

Tickets are $39 to $114 for the Ghost Hounds' Roxian show, with guitar goddess Orianthi as the opener.

The Ghost Hounds have opened European and U.S. shows for The Rolling Stones, while also touring with Bob Seger and ZZ Top. Most recently, Ghost Hounds warmed arena audiences for several shows on last year's Guns N' Roses North American tour.

NZ band to see

Garnering ample praise from music critics in their native New Zealand, alt-rock band Swallow the Rat makes its Pittsburgh debut March 6, playing the Government Center, the record store and concert venue on the city's North Side.

"We are in Pittsburgh for approximately 14 hours, so you got to make it count, and for me, my main priority is to eat as much pierogi as possible," Swallow the Rat bassist-keyboardist Steve Horsley said in an email from Down Under. "It's one of my favorite foods, and I hear that the 'P' in Pittsburgh is for Pierogi."

Good to know what food our region is associated with 8,000 miles away.

Streaming on Bandcamp, Swallow The Rat's 2023 album "South Locust" has really impressed me, drawing on post-punk, shoegaze and psychedelic stylings, with intriguing textures and surprising sonics.

Under The Radar hailed the album's "wonderful balance between simple space and driving force" with elements interweaving "to deliver moments of low-key cathartic guitar music bliss."

For a reference point, I'm confident Pixies fans would savor Swallow The Rat.

With a March 14 showcase set for the prestigious South by Southwest music fest in Austin Texas, you can catch Swallow The Rat eight nights earlier at Government Center, at715 East St., in the North Side's Deutschtown neighborhood. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.

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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: Beaver Valley Musicians Hall of Fame seeks nominations