Big Joe and the Stolen Hearts Little bit of blues. Little bit of soul. Little bit of rock. Little bit of roll.

Little bit of blues. Little bit of soul. Little bit of rock. Little bit of roll.

That’s it. That’s the formula Big Joe and the Stolen Hearts have been mixing as they have steadily worked themselves into the Greater Hartford music scene. Initially founded in 2019 but interrupted by the pandemic, the band has since emerged as one of the capital region’s most exciting new acts, blending classic sounds from artists like Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Springsteen with modern artists like Gary Clark Jr. and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats. They represent the forefront of a new blues rock movement, alongside bands like GA20 and The Record Company.

Led by the guitar artistry of Joe Linhart, the band has played everywhere up and down the Connecticut River Valley, from Middletown to Springfield, at such locales as Hartford’s famed Pratt Street and Bushnell Park, to venues like Plan B, New Park Brewing, and West Side Square. The band has regularly featured at such events as DominGo!, the West End Porchfest, and pre-games for Hartford’s minor league sports teams. Among the variety of bookings over the 2023 outdoor season, the band was included in the lineup for the Riverfront Recapture’s Riverfront Food Truck Festival and the Glastonbury Apple Harvest & Music Festival.