Wine & Spirit

On March 9 Wine & Spirit will perform in concert at the Hard Rock Cafe in Pittsburgh to celebrate the release of the band’s CD “Against All Odds.”
Wine & Spirit is made up of Paul Joseph, 26, of Wampum, lead singer who also plays guitar and harmonica, Derek Ruby, 25, of Butler, who plays bass; Scott Morrison, 28, who lives in Butler and plays drums and T.J. Hervatine, 23, of Wampum, who plays lead guitar.
Joseph said “Against All Odds” is the perfect title for the album because the songs are all original music and each is significant. The music is the band’s signature rock. The album cover, designed by Ruby, is done in black and gold with a silhouette of Pittsburgh.
“We are a Pittsburgh band, and we love to play rock and roll. Every song on the album has a meaning. It is about our struggle, making the best of it, facing the challenges, overcoming obstacles and doing it,” Joseph said.
“This is our passion. This what we want to do with our lives.”
On March 8, the day before the concert, Wine & Spirit will be on 102.5 WDVE Morning Show at 9 a.m. to perform one of the songs from the new album.
In March of 2012 Wine & Spirit won the grand prize in the Pittsburgh Hard Rock Cafe’s X Winter Rock Showcase in March of 2012, and the band also won the coveted fan favorite prize. A part of the prize was a recording contract with Tree Lady Studios in Turtle Creek.
Since winning the Battle of the Bands, Wine & Spirit has had a year full of new opportunities. They have played numerous times at the Hard Rock in Pittsburgh’s Market Square and in Youngstown and will be touring the Midwest in May.
“It has been a crazy wonderful year. We have done a lot of radio, too, WDVE and (105.9) WXDX,” Joseph said. “We are grateful to be where we are.”
The album will be available on iTunes, CD Baby (a nationwide store for independent bands) and online at Amazon.com. Its music video “Lightswitch,” has been on YouTube for two weeks and has had more than 2,300 views.
“When we knew we won the Battle of the Bands we began practicing and honing our songs so that it would only take one or two takes in the studio for each song, because every minute costs money,” Joseph said. “We have been working everywhere to make money for our new album because it costs thousands of dollars.”
While they were attending Slippery Rock University Ruby and Joseph were playing acoustic guitars, writing songs and making their music whereever they could, including doing open mike. One evening they noticed the Wines & Spirits sign on a state liquor store and decided on a name for their group.
They would be Wine & Spirit like Simon and Garfunkle with Joseph being Paul Wine and Ruby being Derek Spirit. The name has stuck.
“Our band is a collaboration. Each member takes care of different parts of the business, and we do it together because this is what we are. Making this music is our passion,” Joseph said.
Three bands from Butler County — the Highland Brothers Band, Stationary Pebbles and Zoolieu Tree — will open for Wine & Spirit at the Hard Rock.
“We enjoy meeting with other bands and networking. There are a lot of independent bands with so much talent. We support local music. Its alive, its real and its here,” Joseph said. - Beaver County Times

Richard Zana was regarded as a modern day Glenn Holland from the 1995 movie “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” His instruction inspired hundreds of children throughout his 38-year career at Ambridge High School as the choir and band director. Eight years after his retirement, Zana passed away on July 13, 2008 after a long bought with cancer.

This year marks the 5th annual Zanafest, in which the teacher’s former students put together to honor their departed mentor. The 5-day-event begins Sept. 18 and extends through Sept. 22 at The Venue at Harmony Ridge. Local band Wine & Spirit hits the stage on Sat. Sept. 21. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitar player Paul Joseph recently discussed the band’s upcoming show and how it got involved with Zanafest.

“Maroon David from the band ‘The Drowning’ called to our attention that they wanted Wine & Spirit to join the Saturday night bill with is the rock day for the festival,” said Joseph, whose band won the 2012 Winter Rock Showcase battle of the bands. “We wanted to be involved because of the great cause the festival is supporting.”

Wine and Spirit came together seven years ago when Joseph and band mate Derek Ruby attended Slippery Rock University. The two previously played together in a punk band while attending Lincoln High School. They added Scott Morrison from the SRU drum line as the drummer soon after, and in 2010 TJ Hervatine rounded out the lineup as the lead guitarist.

“What made us all come together was the fact that we individually knew we wanted to make music our passion and lively hood. Each member pretty much made sacrifices with [his] job, school, and any other activity to make room for rehearsals and our shows,” Joseph added. “In a nutshell, we all want to be rock stars.”

The rock band released an album in March 2013 at Tree Lady Studios entitled Against All Odds which yielded a single, “Lightswitch.” Greg Paul, a coordinator of Zanafest, talked about the lineup and why his team chose Wine and Spirit.

“Each year, the caliber of musicians increases. This year, we have an American Idol finalist (Kristy Lee Cook) and Courtney Rau, who made the Billboard charts,” Paul said. “Wine and Spirit did well at Clear Channel, and we try to have all of the top acts in the region.”

Paul spent grades 1-9 under the musical tutelage of Zana. He, with the assistance of several other former students, makes sure to follow along with his former teacher’s message of supporting youth music.

“On Sunday, we hold a youth talent search for individual performers from kindergarten to twelfth grade. The winner in each category wins a cash prize and a 3-song recording deal,” explained Paul.

Along with the Saturday rock show, the festival consists of all different genres of music. On Wednesday, jazz bands take the stage, while Thursday presents blues. Famed local radio station Froggy broadcasts from Zanafest live on Friday as some nationally known acts play throughout the day. On Saturday, the rock show commences at 12:30 p.m., and Sunday contains the grand finale free-for-all finish with no specific genre.

Tickets for the event start at $10 daily, or $25 for the entire festival. Proceeds from the event contribute to cancer research and music scholarships in honor of the Richard D. Zana Memorial Fund. The Wine & Spirit performance begins at 9 p.m. - Ellwood City.Org

Local band Wine and Spirit won first place in the Pittsburgh Hard Rock Cafe's X Winter Rock Showcase.
Not only did Wine and Spirit win the grand prize in the battle of the bands competition, but it also won the coveted "fan favorite" prize.
Wine and Spirit, which describes its music as rock with a modern twist, bested 85 bands in the contest that spanned several weeks.
The first round of competition winnowed the bands to 16. Wine and Spirit was one of only four bands that advanced to the finals.
In a heated musical battle before a sold-out house Feb. 24, Wine and Spirit won the grand prize of $1,000 in cash and a recording package with Tree Lady Studios. The band also gets to headline its own show at the Hard Rock Cafe this year and will be opening for a national act through Drusky Entertainment. And finally, the band gets a spot on 105.9-FM The X (WXDX).
Wine and Spirit is made up of Paul Joseph, 25, from Wampum, lead singer, who plays the guitar and harmonica; Derek Ruby, 24, from Butler, who plays bass; Scott Morrison, 27, who lives in Butler and plays drums; and T.J. Hervatine, 22, from Wampum who plays lead guitar. - Louise Carroll