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WHAT: Ribs-N-Rock Festival
WHEN: Noon to 11 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday
WHERE: DeBartolo Commons at Southern Park Mall, 7401 Market St., Boardman
HOW MUCH: $7 with free admission until 3 p.m. each day
The Ribs-N-Rock Festival returns to DeBartolo Commons at Southern Park Mall today through Saturday.
The mall has been the site of the event since its start, and this will be the second year at DeBartolo Commons.
National rib vendors including Alabama's Off the Bone BBQ, Carolina Rib King, Desperado's BBQ & Rib Co. and The Texas Outlaws will be serving ribs, brisket, pulled chicken, macaroni and cheese and more. Fair food vendors also will be on site.
According to event promoter Corey Ward, "We have enjoyed producing the Ribs-N-Rock Festival at the Southern Park Mall. We love the location and the facilities, and the rib vendors and national recording artists do too. It will be an ideal way to spend an early summer weekend at Southern Park Mall. We invite all fans of live music and great ribs to come join us."
Those national recording artists this year will include Pittsburgh's The Clarks tonight, Fuel on Friday and Gin Blossoms on Saturday.
The Clarks have been a regular opening night attraction for the festival, and the band is a rarity in that it's been together for more than 35 years and still contains its four original members -- Greg Joseph, bass and vocals; Scott Blasey, lead vocals and guitar; Robert James, guitar and vocals; and David Minarik Jr., drums and vocals. It's now a seven-piece band live with Noah Minarik (David's son) on guitar, Gary Jacob on guitar and pedal steel and Skip Sanders on keyboards and guitar joining the original foursome.
The Clarks have sold out many of Pittsburgh's largest venues, appeared on "The Late Show with David Letterman" and had a song featured on "The Simpsons."
Friday's headliner Fuel started its career with a pair of platinum-selling albums, "Sunburn" in 1998 and "Something Like Human" in 2000, and its alternative and rock radio hits include "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)," "Shimmer," "Innocent," "Bittersweet," "Bad Day" and "Falls on Me."
The current lineup features founding member Carl Bell, lead guitar and backing vocals, and Kevin Miller, the drummer on many of those hits.
Gin Blossoms' 1992 album "New Miserable Experience" sold more than four million copies in the U.S. and produced four multi-format radio hits -- "Hey Jealousy," "Until I Fall Away," "Found Out About You" and "Allison Road."
The follow-up album, "Congratulations … I'm Sorry," went platinum and included the songs "Follow You Down" and "Til I Hear It From You," which also was featured on the soundtrack to the film "Empire Records."
Locals acts will fill out the bill each day.