THE NIGHTHAWKS with Opener RICH RUSSMAN BAND!

THE NIGHTHAWKS
Legends of Blues and Roots Rock
The Nighthawks step forward with two new members: Dan Hovey on guitar and Paul Pisciotta on bass. Dan delivers strong lead vocals along with his tasty guitar playing, and Paul brings the band’s already famous four-part harmonies to a new level. Drummer Mark Stutso’s singing and songwriting make him an audience favorite. And founder, lead singer and harpmaster Mark Wenner is still at the helm. With some 30 recordings and local and international awards to their credit, The Nighthawks are still churning out new material while drawing on more than four decades’ worth of signature tunes for their legendary live shows.
The Nighthawks was an idea in Mark Wenner's brain long before he was able to implement it. The musical product of pre-1958 radio in Washington, D.C., he did not know there were rules against mixing blues, R&B, honky-tonk country, doo-wop, gospel and rockabilly into one delicious stew.

In 1972, Mark, then 23, returned to his hometown after a New York City band apprenticeship eager to start a real, work-every-night band based on American roots music. He found a receptive local scene. Washington has long been a musical melting-pot of the kind that made Memphis the source point for the evolution of American music in the second half of the 20th century. It just never had a Stax or Sun record label to tell the world. As the city exploded with an influx of people from all the surrounding states during the Great Depression and World War II, Washington became a hotbed of musical cross-fertilization. When Bill Haley first brought his wacky Pennsylvania mix of hillbilly music and rhythm and blues to D.C. in 1952, people got it. And white kids like Mark found the Howard Theater – now recently restored and part of the historic top tier of the Chitlin' Circuit that included Baltimore’s Royal, Chicago’s Regal and New York’s Apollo – just a 25-cent bus ride away from the suburbs.

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RICH RUSSMAN BAND
Rich Russman is an American guitarist, bassist, vocalist, composer, instructor, and recording engineer. Specializing in Blues and Rock music, he has written well over 100 original compositions for numerous bands. In addition to his work as a solo artist, he has founded Shakin Woods, an American Blues band, The Creaky Bones, an Americana Rock band (co-founded with Mike Jones), and Halfway to Concord.
Rich is also the bassist for The Jones, a log-running DC Rock band, and an Audio Production Engineer for Youtube's The Crossover TV.
Growing up in a family of music lovers, Rich was first inspired by the songs of the sixties. Piano lessons established a solid musical foundation, and then he soon moved on to guitar.
His inspirations include Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, SRV, Gary Moore, The Allman Brothers, and The Who, BB King, Albert King, Howlin’ Wolf, Elmore James, Freddie King, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Robben Ford, and Sterling Magee.
He has been fortunate to perform all over the US at memorable venues in San Diego, NYC, New Orleans, Cleveland, DC, Maryland and Virginia, sharing the stage with acts such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Eddie Money, The Record Company, Eli Paperboy Reed, Old Dominion, Ernie Williams and the Wildcats, and Five for Fighting.
Rich’s approach to The Blues feeds off high-energy funky grooves and doesn’t turn its back on The Delta roots or the Marshall-stack successors. The guiding principle is raw and fun.

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