Rock Veteran And Country Chart-Topper Receive International Recognition For Charitable Organizations

Top 20 iTunes rocker John Vento and Pittsburgh club owner Ron Esser, along with #1 radio chart country artist Richard Lynch are Communitas Award Winners.

MTS Management Group is happy to announce John Vento and Ron “Moondog” Esser, along with Richard Lynch, are 2020 Communitas Awards Excellence Winners for their work with Band Together Pittsburgh and Love Tattoo Foundation, respectively. Communitas winners are recognized for specific programs involving volunteerism, philanthropy and ethical, sustainable business practices. Band Together Pittsburgh was recognized for their innovative programs, experiences and vocational opportunities to enhance the lives of those on the autism spectrum. Programs include Professional DJ Services by people on the autism spectrum, Drum Circles, Autism Open Mic and the Pittsburgh Blues and Roots Festival. Love Tattoo Foundation was recognized for its work that honors and assists American Veterans who carry mental or physical scars, from serving our country. Its mission is to raise money and awareness to help give these Veterans the opportunities they sacrificed, so we could have ours. Richard Lynch has raised well over $150,000 for veterans through Love Tattoo concerts at his Keepin’ It Country farm.

Communitas nominees are evaluated based on the extent and effectiveness of their program. The size and potential scope of the nominee is also taken into consideration. Winners are located throughout the world and include such recognizable companies as MasterCard, Honeywell, Dow Chemical, Toyota and Vonage. A full list of winners can be seen at http://enter.communitasawards.com/winners/.

ABOUT COMMUNITAS AWARDS: Communitas Awards, a Latin word that means people coming together for the good of a community, was started in 2010 as an outgrowth of the pro bono recognition program of the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (www.amcpros.com), a several-thousand-member group that honors creative achievement and fosters partnerships with charities and community organizations. As part of its mission, AMCP gives grants to community organizations and underwrites a large portion of Communitas expenses.

ABOUT BAND TOGETHER PITTSBURGH: Band Together Pittsburgh is a non-profit founded in 2016 by successful businessman and musician, John Vento (Nied’s Hotel Band, solo artist) and Ron “Moondog” Esser, owner of Moondog’s and the Starlite Lounge in Blawnox.

John Vento returned to music to front The Nied’s Hotel Band, voted Pittsburgh’s Best Bar Band – 2016. He is also a Top 20 iTunes charting solo artist and an International Music and Entertainment Association Award winner. John has also been seen in Billboard Magazine. Through his performances, he has raised more than a quarter of a million dollars for charity. His leadership, generosity and work ethic are well known throughout the Pittsburgh music scene. John loves to perform and wants to share that experience with those on the Autism spectrum. John and the Nied’s Hotel Band are donating proceeds from downloads of their music to Band Together Pittsburgh. http://www.johnvento.com

Ron “Moondog” Esser has been a huge part of the Pittsburgh music scene for 30+ years. Ron owns Moondog’s and the Starlite Lounge in Blawnox, and he produced the Pittsburgh Blues Festival for more than 20 years. The Festival, during that period, netted over $2 million for charity. Moondog has also been awarded Volunteer Philanthropist of the Year by the Western PA Fundraising Professionals and he is a board member of the Autism Society of Pittsburgh.

ABOUT RICHARD LYNCH: Richard Lynch is a Waynesville, Ohio-based country music artist, who has compiled a long list of country hits and chart toppers in the world of traditional country music. His single, “A Better Place” topped the New Music Weekly AM/FM country chart, the IndieWorld Country Record Report, and spent an incredible 32 weeks atop the Roots Music Report True Country chart. His next 4 singles also topped the country airplay charts, including a duet with Grammy Award Winner, Rhonda Vincent. Richard’s single, “Country Music Isn’t Country Anymore” went Top 25 on the iTunes Canada sales chart. His last single, “Pray on the Radio” received Christian radio airplay and charting, also reaching the US iTunes Single Sales chart. His current release, “Back In 1953” is topping charts all over the world. Lynch has appeared on WSM Radio Nashville, RFD TV, Fox TV, and countless other media outlets.Richard is a member of the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame, The Independent Country Music Hall of Fame, and he is a Billboard Magazine Emerging Artist. http://www.richardlynchband.com

Country Singer Richard Lynch Honored With American Patriot Award

The Ohio Country Music Hall of Famer and founder of the Love Tattoo Foundation was honored by the Josie Music Awards, for his support of veterans, farmers and barn preservation.

WAYNESVILLE, OH - November 22, 2019 - Country music singer-songwriter Richard Lynch has been awarded many accolades for his music over the years. From his induction into the Independent Country Music Hall of Fame and the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame, to his multiple Josie Music Awards, Academy of Western Artists Awards, Independent Country Music Association Awards and many others, Lynch has been recognized as one of traditional country music's biggest champions. Now, Richard Lynch has been honored for his actions off the stage, as the recipient of a Josie American Celebration Patriot Award. Lynch, who is a founder of the Love Tattoo Foundation, was acknowledged for his above and beyond support of veterans, American farmers, and barn preservation. He was chosen from a field of 28 nominee submissions from fans around the world.

The Patriot Award was given in a ceremony held on October 26th in Lebanon, TN. https://americancelebrationtour.com/ Lynch said, "I am very proud to be considered a Patriot for using my traditional country music to benefit our true patriotic heroes...our veterans!" Richard Lynch is currently promoting his Christmas single release, "I Saw Santa Fishin'." https://open.spotify.com/track/1Mnf5tsp5UWFLbZtJwRDmd?si=mjl3QMqlTTa4Ibj9yuMx9Q

BEACH SLOTH – July 5,2019 Richard Lynch  

Think I’ll Carry It On Jul 2, 2019 | Music | 0 comments A true slice of Americana rolls through Richard Lynch’s “Think I’ll Carry It On”. Richard Lynch delivers the songs with true grit and soul. Country, folk, with a nice western rock touch helps everything come together in a perfect fashion. Taking a bit from Wilco’s directness, the whole of the album works akin to chapters in a greater story. Every piece builds off the last one resulting in a vast tapestry of sound. Concepts of faith, patriotism, and navigating relationship all comes into the fray, with Richard Lynch singing of universal truths.

The whirlwind of “We’re American Proud” celebrates the joy of what it means to be an American. A rollicking good time bursts forth with the wild style of “You Can’t Stay Here” complete with slide guitar for good measure. Nostalgia comes into view with the reflective scope of “Back In 1953”. Full of love “Back In 1953” serves as the album highlight, showing off Richard Lynch’s uncanny storytelling ability. “Fast Times and Easy Money” goes for a virtual blur, as the tempos barrel through with such intensity. With “Daddy’s Guitar” the gorgeous chamber pop arrangement recalls Lambchop at their most astute. On “One Breath Away” Richard Lynch sings with such incredible tenderness. Perfectly ending the album is the meditative work of “They Don’t Play ‘em Like That” which closes everything in a colorful way.

On “Think I’ll Carry It On” Richard Lynch crafts a pitch-perfect sound, one whose richness virtually teems with life.

INDIE BAND GURU – Scott Carlito July 2, 2019

A soft strum of the guitar is all that it takes to rouse the attention of listeners in “They Don’t Play ‘Em Like That,” one of the dozen songs that comprise Think I’ll Carry It On, the latest album from country singer Richard Lynch. Like the other eleven tracks that join it in this treasure chest of twang and tonality, “They Don’t Play ‘Em Like That” is loaded with an undying Americana that is hard to come by in mainstream country music these days, and while Lynch isn’t reinventing the framework of the genre in his new LP, he’s playing to a faction of Nashville’s longtime audience that has been neglected by the establishment for far too long now. Think I’ll Carry It On is old school country at its finest, and that’s certainly no small statement to make.

There’s a tremendous amount of instrumental detail in this record, with songs like the balladic “Back in 1953,” fire-starting “Fast Times and Easy Money,” “Keyboard Cowboy” (featuring Donna Lynch in a brief guest appearance) and the bluegrass-influenced “Daddy’s Guitar” packing some of the heaviest string harmonies that I’ve heard in a Richard Lynch album thus far in his career. Unlike his peers in the major label-led mainstream, he puts just as much effort into making the melodic backdrop of these tracks as evocative and heartfelt in tone as any of his actual singing is. Think I’ll Carry It On is much more than an exercise in pastoral poetry and decadent down-south grooving; this is the sort of full-color depiction of traditional country music that many of us, myself included, have been begging for these last few years.

You can tell that Lynch has a personal investment in “One Breath Away,” “We’re American Proud” and the gospel-tinged “Pray on the Radio,” and it goes far beyond their intimate lyrical content. There’s an emotionality in his voice when he serenades us with the spiritually-strengthened verses of “Pray on the Radio” that transcends the limits of rhyme and rhythm altogether, and I wouldn’t say that it’s inaccessible to those of a faith different from that of Lynch’s at all. Much like the rich cultural fabric of the country that inspires so much of his music, Lynch’s latest record is a melodic melting pot of material that is as indebted to the work of his predecessors as it is a forward-thinking, constantly evolving artistic entity.

This has been an incredible year for country music so far, with scores of young up and comers making headlines in both the underground and the mainstream, but Richard Lynch’s Think I’ll Carry It On definitely gives us some of the most straightforward and relatable songcraft that I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing this season. Whether you’ve been following him since his debut or are just now discovering his music for the first time through this stellar new album, this is a sterling listen for anyone who enjoys unvarnished country sung by a deeply gifted singer and lyricist. I’m looking forward to seeing him hit the road in support of this set, and once you’ve heard it for yourself, I think you’ll share my sentiments.