Groove Merchants EPK
LIVE VIDEOS
Real Estate
The Groove Merchants latest release, “Real Estate” was produced by Grammy award winner Phil Joly and recorded at Miner Street Recordings in the band’s home base - Fishtown, Philadelphia. The single is the Groove Merchants’ first studio recording to feature the full, 9-piece sound including Hammond Organ, horns, and backing vocals. An energetic yet poignant social commentary on occupying your mental and emotional capacity with meaningful experiences, the release is being hailed as perhaps the bands best yet and has already received major airplay on WXPN in Philly. “Real Estate” is available now on all major streaming platforms!
Live at Morgan Creek
Recorded and released during the COVID pandemic, “Live at Morgan Creek”, gives the listener a taste of what they do best, an inspired live performance. The EP recorded at Morgan Creek Farms in Quakertown, PA features a selection of three original songs as well as a cover of the Dylan classic, “I Shall Be Released”. The band stretches out and delivers one of the hottest fusions of high-energy blues, funk, soul and rock that you’ll hear today.
“While the bill touted the likes of Portugal. The Man and Vance Joy, it was Groove Merchants, a five-member funk blues band that recently owned the stage at the Radio 104.5-FM Summer Block Party.”
- Philadelphia Weekly
“The Groove Merchants: Philly funk quintet steadily grooving a path into playlists all over the country” - Philadelphia Weekly
“A big sound, funky rhythms, and stellar musicianship have become The Groove Merchants’ trademark.”
- Lehigh Valley Underground
“The video recording of The Groove Merchants performing “Midnight Mountain Queen” shows off a barely-controlled energy and the exact kind of infectious groove that their name implies.”
- WXPN - The Key
“One thing a music lover will notice about The Groove Merchants is their prowess as musicians. They are seasoned beyond their years, and are only getting better.”
- Lehigh Valley Underground
“They play with a raw ferocity that stems from that youth. In an age where most bands seem pliant in their approach to making music, GM does not play it safe…The Groove Merchants seem limitless with what they can provide musically. They are indeed, getting it done.”
- WCHE West Chester Radio
BIO
Fueled with howling vocals from frontman Tye Vallone, driven by Luke Ferracone’s guitar work, and insured through swelling organ and focused horn sounds with a hustling backbeat from bassist John Evin Groome and Peter Snyder on drums, the band twists in elements of blues, funk, soul and rock resulting in a revival of authentic performance.
Since 2012, The Groove Merchants have been pushing that sound forward. Founded out of the practice rooms and Main Street basements of Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, the band discovered their chemistry almost instantly.
2014 saw the release of their debut album, produced and engineered at the Music Centre in Exton, PA. This complete collection of songs proved to demonstrate the gravity of The Groove Merchants.
A second effort, “Take It,” was released in 2016 under the ListeningPost label featuring a 4-piece horn section on several tracks. From there the band received radio air time, and their single, “Hold You Hand” was featured on Philly’s Alternative Rock station 104.5FM. The bands third full-length record, “The Throne",” was released in March of 2020 on all major platforms. On the band’s most ambitious project to date, they introduce organ and keyboards and a fresh, revamped horn sound.
During the pandemic, the band was fortunate enough to release its first ever live EP, “Live at Morgan Creek.” Recorded live at Morgan Creek Farms in Quakertown, PA the project reimagines some of the best songs from “The Throne” as well as a cover of Bob Dylan’s classic, “I Shall Be Released.” Featuring swelling organ, a powerful horn section, and skilled backup vocalists, the record has garnered critical acclaim in publications such as Philadelphia Weekly and The Key and has received airplay on WXPN.
The group now boasts driving a 9-piece lineup ideal for larger stages featuring Vallone, Ferracone, Groome, and Snyder, as well as Mike Talento on Tenor Sax, Clayton Reilly on Trumpet, John Bickel on Organ, and Brie Parry & Rebecca Connelly on backing vocals. This full-bodied, energetic, and soulful sound can be heard on the Groove Merchants’ latest release, “Real Estate.” Released in August of 2023 and recorded in the band’s home of Fistown, Philadelphia at Miner Street the single is being hailed as potentially the group’s best yet. Produced by Grammy-winner Phil Joly and mastered by Colin Bryson out of The Bunker/Electric Lady Studios in NYC, the song has already received major airplay on WXPN Philadelphia and NPR affiliate WDIY in Bethlehem.
The band has performed sets at the historic Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA, 118 North on Philadelphia’s Main Line, The Grape Room in Manayunk, PA, Brooklyn Bowl in Fishtown, Philadlephia, the Midnight Mountain Music Show in Blakeslee, PA, hosted by country group Mason Porter, and maintains a strong presence in the Lehigh Valley festival scene at events like the Blues, Brews, & BBQ Festival in Allentown, and 7 years running at the nation’s largest, free music festival: Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA.
These live performances are where the band truly thrives. Celebrate what happens when The Groove Merchants control the room. With each performance, the band strives to create an energy that lies inside intimate clubs and transcends past large stages. Once The Groove Merchants show up, expect relentless, soulful energy and a belief in connecting beyond music.
Contact
groovemerchantsbooking@gmail.com
Listening-Post Music
bud@listening-post.com
listening-post.com