HIT
N RUN (Biography)
Hit N Run (HNR) is a 6 piece band that is a member of the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. HNR won "Buffalo's Music Awards" Top Pop Rock band for 9 years straight prior to being inducted and is Channel 4's reigning "Best-Of Cover Rock Band", Art Voice multiple time winner for Top Rock band and won the Peoples Choice award just about every year they had the People’s Choice Awards. Hit N Run was signed to a National Recording Contract in 2009 with Rhapsody records. WYRK and Jack FM, has named us Top Local Cover Rock band to see in the summer.
The band has won over 30 awards for the group alone. Both male and female lead vocalists have won multiple awards for being tops in their field. Mark Valentino (Lead Vocalist) has won Buffalo's Top Male vocalist 18 times between the Buffalo Music Awards, Art Voice Awards, NightLife and the Peoples Choice awards and was most recently (in July 2025) awarded the Buffalo Music Hall of Fames first ever Legendary Performer Award. Mark was flown to NYC by promoters to sing on Broadway with members of American Idol and was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame in 2009 and into the Buffalo Music Hall of achievements in 2010. Mark received the Nightlife Lifetime achievement award in 2011. Amy Frost was awarded Top Female vocalist in 2025 and now has won the Top Female Vocalist 3X in both the Buffalo Music Awards and Nightlife Awards. Pat Annunziata has won Top Rock Keyboardist 5X. Jason Neubauer won 7X times for Top Rock Guitarist and is greatly admired by his peers. The remaining members, Bill Drew (Bass Player) and Nathan Flintjer (Drums) have all been nominated numerous times for being the top in their category and are up for awards in 2023. In 2009 Hit n Run, the band was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame, and in 2011 HNR was inducted into the Nightlife Hall of Achievements and Buffalo Music Hall of Fame which is a tribute to all present & past members.
Hit n Run has performed on stage with National Acts: The Kinks, Brett Michaels of Poison (2X), Frankie Valli & the 4 Seasons, The Tubes, Honeymoon Suite (5X), Jeff Healy, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Rick Derringer, Edgar Winter, The Rascals, The Tokens, Blue Oyster Cult, Steppenwolf, Sweet Sensation, Firehouse (2X), The Turtles, The Cover Girls, Survivor, The Guess Who, Asia, The Sugar Hill Gang, The Little River Band, Boston and many more. To be able to open up for groups from the many decades and styles a band has to be both, very good and very versatile.
Hit n Run performs songs from ACDC, to Neil Diamond, Bon Jovi, Boston, Styx, Bruno Mars, Rush, Franki Valli, Kansas, Justin Timberlake, REO, Michael Jackson, Goo Goo Dolls, Def Leppard, Motley Crew, Poison, Cheap Trick, Johnny Cash, KC & the Sunshine Band, Van Morrison, Van Halen, Train, Bruce Springsteen, Garth Brooks, Pink, Lynard Skynard, Grand Funk, 3 Doors Down, Dion & the Belmonts, Pat Benatar, Foreigner, Prince, Queen, Journey and more.
Hit N Run promotes all the functions that we play at. We send out 1500 weekly emails to loyal HNR followers and weekly invites to our over 10,000 Facebook friends and send over 500 postcards each month. Our website (www.hitnrun.net) has over 600,000 hits and you can see the crowds that we draw on each and every show through the website in the "Club Pics" area. We have a number of local radio stations provide our clubs and events free plugs on the radio where we play (97 Rock, WBEN, WYRK, 102.5 and more.) You can call (I will provide references) any of the larger local clubs (The Cove, Santora’s, NF Casino) or Large Event chairs from (Queen of Heaven, Clarence Center Carnival, Alden Carnival, St John Vianney, Harbor Series Concerts on the Canal, Burgerfest, WS Community Days and more). Each will state that Hit N Run is the best drawing band for their function.
With the wide array of material (mostly Dance and sing-along Classic Rock, with some Oldies, newer Alternative material, and a touch of Country, Disco and Blues) we strive to play something for everyone. This is why the events feel HNR is such a success at the outdoor, all ages performances, like the Erie County Fair, The Canal Concerts, All major huge Lawn Fetes, The Taste of Buffalo, Fire hall parties, Bisons Park Shows, Town Park Shows (Lancaster, N Tonawanda, Alden, Cheektowaga & Williamsville) and Carnivals.
All of that means nothing. You can put it on a website. But to realize the true representation of a band is to go and see them "LIVE" with their current line-up. This way you can judge the actual talent, see the crowds they draw and the reasons behind it. Our CD's and clips are from live shows. The tracks have a typical sound, and typical mistakes. We did not go to a studio and make multiple takes, or use pitch correctors in order to get the perfect sound or eliminate mistakes, because that is not what you will see live. We want you to feel that what you hear and pay to see, will be exactly what you get. I would NEVER recommend that you book a band without seeing them in person. 99.9% of the people who has seen us live, have booked Hit N Run and been extremely happy.
We look forward to working together with you on an upcoming date. You can call us at 716-913-1685, or email us through the website www.hitnrun.net or become a friend on facebook at hitnrunbuffalo or at markjvalentino. You can contact us via email: hitnrunbuffalo@yahoo.com
https://www.facebook.com/mark.valentino.714
Hit
N Run - "Live at the
Erie County Fair 2016"
click the links below
