Songwriter's Spotlight

Hosted by Joe Grushecky and Rick Witkowski, this edition of the “Songwriter’s Spotlight” series will feature:
• Ben Hardt of New Victorians
• Abby Abbondanza formerly of Povertyneck Hillbillies
• Vocal powerhouse and rising star Vanessa Campagna

Media Sponsor: 91.3fm WYEP

Artist Bios

Ben Hardt:
Ben Hardt can be found fronting the band New Victorians, which has just released the first of a three albums in a series about a love affair in WWII London. Simply titled "I" (one), the album uses the music, actual captured sounds and broadcasts from the second World War to tell the story of the two lovers and explores ever relevant themes of love and existence an increasingly uncertain world.

Usually accompanied by a band and string section, Hardt was WYEP's Local Artist of the Year with heavy airplay of his songs 'Avalanche' and 'Come On, Come On'. Hardt has toured the US on the NACA circuit and been a favorite of the Three Rivers Arts Festival both with his band and solo.

The two follow-up albums by New Victorians will be released later this year, completing the story and song cycle.

Abby Abbondanza:
Sometimes a departure from the familiar is the only way an artist can truly move forward. Chris “Abby” Abbondanza certainly believes that to be true, which is why the former Povertyneck Hillbillies singer is focused on only one thing these days - his new solo career. Once the Hillbillies called it quits, Abbondanza wasted little time worrying about the prospect of “starting over.” Instead, he chose to embrace the opportunity to finally write and record the material he’d been saving for himself. With a new album recently released, Abbondanza confesses the approach has been a refreshing change. “I’ve always cared more about being a good songwriter than anything else,” says Abbondanza, who wrote or co-wrote nine of the album’s eleven tracks.

Vanessa Campagna:
At 18 years old Vanessa Campagna is already a seasoned professional. She’s been warming up crowds for industry icons such as Reba, Wynona, and Loretta since she was 8 years old. It is her commanding presence and explosive stage personality along with her dynamic and versatile voice that has made her a fan favorite and has catapulted her to national attention. It is her current CD, “For You”, however, in which Vanessa begins to show her maturity and potential. Vanessa wrote all but one of the songs and co-produced the album with Anthony Rankin and Rick Witkowski at Studio L. Because of her talents and accomplishments, Vanessa was the focus of Vanessa’s Story, a 30 minute documentary on WQED-TV.

About the Hosts

Joe Grushecky:
Grushecky is a musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, music arranger, recording artist and teacher. Music critics place him among the best rock and rollers ever.

His discography is impressive. MCA released Grushecky's first album "Love's So Tough" in 1979 to tremendous critical acclaim. He and his band were then known as the Iron City Houserockers, and the collection was crowned the "debut record of the year" by Rolling Stone.

For 30 years now, he has continued to produce albums with the band and as a solo artist that encompass the singer's many influences, including blues, roots rock, hard rock, pop, and a hint of country. A song he co-wrote with Springsteen won a Grammy for best solo rock vocal performance ("Code of Silence"). He met Springsteen in New York City in 1980, they are still close friends, and they still collaborate.

Rick Witkowski:
Rick Witkowski is a man of many talents and accomplishments: guitarist, songwriter, composer, producer, and recording engineer. He is the co-founder of Crack the Sky, the critically acclaimed band that has released five recordings. Rick has been a member of the B.E. Taylor Band since 1980, and co-wrote the song Vitamin L that reached no. 66 on the Billboard Hot 100. As a writer/producer Rick has created theme songs for numerous national network television shows. As owner of Studio L Rick has produced many artist recordings including: Donnie Iris, Joe Grushecky (including his "Live at Nick's Fat City" CD with Bruce Springsteen), Dharma Sons, Push, Brownie Mary, The Distractions, Bitter Delores, Stone Soup, Wade, Mark Eddie and many more. As a guitarist Rick performs in concert with both Crack the Sky and the B.E. Taylor band.