GROOVE MERCHANTS

News

See you at Musikfest!

**We’re pumped to make our return to Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA for the tenth year in a row! See us at Stadtplatz at Payrow Plaza on August 1st at 6 PM!**

History

The Groove Merchants are here to throw down and break out.

Founded in 2012, out of the practice rooms and Main Street basements of Kutztown University in Pennsylvania by lead vocalist Tye Vallone, lead guitarist Luke Ferracone, and bassist John Evin Groome, the band discovered their chemistry almost instantly. Twisting in elements of blues, funk and soul resulting in a revival of authentic performance, The Groove Merchants have been pushing that sound forward ever since.

It was in those first live performances when they really set into motion and revealed the full capacity for what their sound would grow to become: tireless, faithful, throw-down grooves.

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.

Adding stand-alone trumpet to the lineup in 2015, a second studio 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 airtime, and their single, “Hold Your Hand” was featured on Philly’s Alternative Rock station 104.5FM and now has reached over 20,000 streams on Spotify.

During this time, the band continued to cut its teeth on the road throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Highlights include an appearance at the iHeartRadio Summer Block Party - sharing the stage with Vance Joy, Portugal. The Man, and Judah and The Lion down on Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing - as well as opening for world-renowned bluesman John Nemeth at the historic Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe, PA, and Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds at the popular SteelStacks arts and music venue in Bethlehem, PA.

Transitioning back to the quartet in early 2019, with a rotating group of added instrumentalists at its disposal, the band developed a fuller sound with elements of horns and keys. The band showcased this latest evolution in its sound with the release of their third studio album, “The Throne.”

After a partial release in two waves of five-track EPs over the summer and winter of 2019, the full-length record dropped in March of 2020 on all major platforms, including three previously unreleased songs.

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, and produced by organist Mark Brown of LA-based jazz/funk outift Hambone Relay, 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 Brown on organ, a powerful horn section and backup vocalists, the record has garnered critical acclaim in publications such as Philadelphia Weekly and The Key and has received airplay on WXPN as they band continues to spread its roots in the greater Philadelphia area.

The group now boasts driving a 9-piece lineup ideal for larger stages featuring Josh Maskornick on drums, Mike Talento on Tenor Sax, Jimmy Boyle on Trumpet, John Bickel on Hammond Organ, and Brie Parry & Jenny Founds on backing vocals. This full-bodied, energetic, and soulful sound can be heard on the Groove Merchants’ latest release, “Real Estate.” Recorded in the band’s home of Fistown, Philadelphia at Miner Street Recordings, 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, the Midnight Mountain Music Show in Blakeslee, PA, hosted by country group Mason Porter, and Octoberfest in Medford, NJ. The Groove Merchants also maintain a strong Lehigh Valley presence with yearly appearances at Blues, Brews, and BBQ in Allentown, PA, Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA, and hosting the annual Lehigh Valley Turkey Jam at SteelStacks. The group is also set to make its debut at the famous Ardmore Music Hall in Ardmore, PA supporting world-renowned Talking Heads tribute act Start Making Sense in late 2025.

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.