Jim Price
Moderator
Joined: 07 Dec 2002
Posts: 4817
Location: Altoona, PA
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 Posted: Friday Jan 18, 2008 |
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WEEK/VACATION/WEEKEND RECAP 8/20/07
JOE GRUSHECKY & THE HOUSEROCKERS/DONNIE IRIS & THE CRUISERS @ RAILROADERS MEMORIAL MUSEUM, ALTOONA 8/8/07
I had this show marked on the calendar the moment it was announced on the Railroaders Memorial Museum's website earlier in the spring! It would be my first opportunity to see two Pittsburgh legends, Joe Grushecky and Donnie Iris, both coming to Altoona!
As expected, a lot of other folks were looking forward to this concert as well, the latest in the Railroaders Museum's "Alive @ Five" Summer Concert Series. A good-sized crowd was already in place by the time Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers were introduced. And I had to chuckle when I heard the show "emcee," a woman who works for one of my radio competitors, identify Joe as being from CENTRAL PA…BWAAAAHahahahahahahaha!! Novice!
With the late afternoion/early evening temperature hovering near the 90-degree mark, Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers then commenced the evening with a strong set of blue-collar rock'n'soul. Joe and his Houserockers - guitarist Danny Gochnaur, bassist Art Nardini, keyboardist Joe Pelesky, drummer Joffo Simmons and percussionist Bernie Herr - did several of his best-known songs, such as the Pittsburgh radio hit he sang with Bruce Springsteen, "Code of Silence," as well as "Fingerprints," "Sweat It Out," "Searching for My Soul" and "Down the Road Apiece." He and the Houserockers also did such classics as the Standells' "Dirty Water," the Temptations' "My Girl," and an extended hard-rocking jam edition of the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" to close out the set. The band was tough and sturdy throughout it all, and Joe sang his words with ample soul and grit. I was glad to finally get to see Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers for the first time; hopefully, it will not be the last!
Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers begin their Railroaders Museum performance.
Joe Grushecky.
Art Nardini and Joe Grushecky.
Again, Art Nardini and Joe Grushecky.
Danny Gochnaur of Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers.
Once again, Art Nardini and Joe Grushecky.
Again, Joe Grushecky.
Joe Grushecky and Danny Gochnaur.
Some fans groove along to Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers.
Bernie Herr of Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers.
Joe Pelesky of Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers.
Once again, Art Nardini of Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers.
Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers.
Again, Joe Grushecky and Danny Gochnaur.
Cooling his head from the summer heat, Joe Grushecky.
Art Nardini, Joe Grushecky and Danny Gochnaur.
I moved my way up in front of the stage, and near front and center for the arrival of Donnie Iris and the Cruisers. I noticed some heavy-looking clouds building in from the west, and was hoping this wasn't a thunderstorm.
Soon, the stage was ready, and Donnie Iris & the Cruisers were set to go. Taking the stage, they opened with a song from Donnie's new Elwood City CD, his hard-rocking remake of Sam & Dave's "Soul Man," before going into "Agnes," another song and "That's the Way It Ought to Be." During this song, though, my fears were realized, as the skies opened up and a close lightning strike and a loud blast of thunder signified that a thunderstorm had indeed arrived. Donnie and band announced they would take a break for the storm to pass, as audience members scurried for shelter. Fortunately, the Railroaders Museum opened their doors and allowed people to wait out the storm in the downstairs lobby. Fortunately, the storm was short in duration, and had moved out of the vicinity within 20 minutes, allowing the concert to resume. Few, if any, of the folks in attendance left during the storm, and the crowd returned to the front of the stage. Donnie and the Cruisers resumed with "I Can't Hear You," proceeded with a funkier number, before Donnie lit up a stogie and commenced his rendition of Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher." Donnie and band continued the hits with "Sweet Merilee," followed by "Love Is Like a Rock," which developed into a crowd singalong. Out of that, guitarist Marty Lee Hoenes and Donnie went into a slow guitar and voice rendition of "Ah! Leah!," which then morphed into an extended full band version of the classic to end the set. Obviously the Altoona crowd wasn't ready for this show to end yet, and demanded an encore. Donnie and the Cruisers soon returned and kicked off their encore with Donnie's first big hit, "The Rapper," from his Jaggerz days. This segued directly into a rendition of Deep Purple's "Hush" to close out the night. Although people were calling out for Donnie's latest hit, "Little Black Dress," the show had to be over by 11 PM, and the song wasn't performed.
That was the only complaint, though - otherwise, Donnie and the Cruisers smoked! For being 64, Donnie Iris showed he still has an incredible voice that can easily reach the high notes, and he still has plenty of energy, as he jumped around the stage like a teenager! He exuded stage presence, and frequently shook hands and greeted fans at the front of the stage during the course of the show. His band was excellent as well, especially Marty Lee Hoenes' guitar work and Mark Avsec's work on keys and guitar. Donnie Iris and the Cruisers rocked the Museum, and slammed the lid on a night that delivered the goods, even despite Mother Nature's best effort to disrupt it!
Donnie Iris.
Again, Donnie Iris.
Donnie Iris.
Marty Lee Hoenes of Donnie Iris and the Cruisers.
Again, Marty Lee Hoenes.
Once again, Donnie Iris.
Once again, Marty Lee Hoenes.
Lighting up a stogie, Donnie Iris.
Yet again, Marty Lee Hoenes.
With cigar in hand, Donnie observes Marty at work on the guitar.
Rallying waves from the crowd, Donnie Iris.
Putting up his dukes, Donnie Iris.
Again, Donnie Iris and the Cruisers.
Donnie Iris and Mark Avsec.
Undeniably, the bass drum head of Donnie Iris and the Cruisers!
MISCHIEF BREW @ CITY LIMITS, ALTOONA 8/9/07
This night, I headed to City Limits to check out a rare Thursday night show featuring a band passing through from the Philadelphia area, Mischief Brew.
Not surprisingly given a new band on a Thursday night in the 'Toona, crowd was minimal as I arrived at City Limits around midnight, as Mischief Brew was performing. Singer/guitarist Erik Peterson, bassist Shawn St. Clair and drummer Chris Kulp were playing a fiery brand of Celtic- and folk-flavored punk rock, mixing original songs with select covers. I didn't catch much in the way of song titles, but the group's performance was hard-driving and explosive, led by Erik's spirited howl. The group's main spokesperson, Erik gave insight on many of the songs along the way. Towards set's end, Erik did several songs solo, singing and playing guitar renditions of "Carpenter's Soul," "Love and Rage" and "Coffee, God & Cigarettes," before the rest of the group returned to help him finish out the set. Although the audience was small, Mischief Brew successfully triggered some dance floor pogo-ing by some fans from the Philipsburg area who were familiar with the group and made the roadtrip to Altoona to check them out. The crowd that was at City Limits liked them enough to demand an encore, and Erik responded with a final guitar and voice rendition of "Midnight Special."
Lack of audience notwithstanding, I liked what I heard from Mischief Brew. These guys tour around the northeast, and play all-age shows and over-21 events. So perhaps we might see them back this way again. If they do return, they are worth checking out.
Mischief Brew brings their Celtic-flavored punk rock to City Limits.
With a fan rocking in front of the stage, Mischief Brew.
Mischief Brew and two appreciative fans.
Erik Peterson of Mischief Brew.
Again, Mischief Brew.
Again, Erik Peterson of Mischief Brew.
Once again, Mischief Brew.
Chris Kulp of Mischief Brew.
Yet again, Mischief Brew.
Once again, Erik Peterson of Mischief Brew.
Mischief Brew and two pogo-ing fans.
Shawn St. Clair of Mischief Brew.
OUTER BANKS VACATION 8/10 - 8/18/07
DAY (NIGHT) ONE, FRIDAY 8/10:
As busy and as hectic as this summer had been so far, I was ready for some rest and relaxation. The week I had been waiting all summer for had arrived, VACATION! A week in a beach house on North Carolina's Outer Banks, here we come!
Six of us were renting the beach house in Kitty Hawk, and five of us departed on Friday night. Yours truly, wheelman Sparky D'Engineer, the Right Honorable Guv'nor Jesse in one car, and friends Rocky and Kate in another. (Our sixth member, Big Jim, would catch up with us on Sunday.) We got under way around 9 PM-ish, and did our usual tour southward through Breezewood, hopped onto I-70 and then Route 522 through Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, where we took Sparky's Pathfinder through the automatic car wash (a psychedelic experience, as the photos will show). We then proceeded to our usual first pit stop location, the Waffle House in Winchester, Virginia for the ceremonial vacation kickoff meal. Again, it was good, artery-clogging food cheap, and it held us over for the rest of our first night's journey.
The previous year, we had done the entire 7-8 hour trip in one night. This year, since we couldn't officially check into our beach house until Saturday afternoon, we overnighted at a Comfort Inn in Newport News, Virginia. The trip getting there wasn't very eventful, except in the last few miles before our exit off Route 664, when we witnessed and were passed by a goofball driver who kept speeding up, passing people and then slowing down. We didn't know if he was drunk or just being a butthead. Eventually he passed us for the final time and sped down the pike and out of view, only to pull off the highway with an apparent engine problem a short time later. Serves you right, idiot!
We checked into our hotel at around 3 AM, and would get a few hours sleep before doing the final stretch of our journey on Saturday.
Sparky, celebrating the psychedelic imagery of the Berkeley Springs car wash.
Yours truly, Sparky, Jesse and Rocky, after enjoying the vacation breakfast of champions at the Winchester Waffle House.
These panties were laying in the hallway at the hotel. Kate assures us they weren’t hers.
DAY TWO, SATURDAY 8/11:
We awakened and checked out of our hotel shortly after 11 AM. We noted some sort of motorcycle run organizing in a nearby parking lot, organized by a local Newport News Harley dealership and a local radio station. We grabbed quick breakfast foodstuffs off the shelves of a nearby convenience store, and hit the road to complete our trek to the Outer Banks.
Sparky had warned us that Saturday was arrival day for vacationers at the Outer Banks (especially beach house renters like us), and that traffic would pick up as we drew closer to the beach. It did. After we crossed the Chesapeake Bay and pitstopped at noted tourist trap The Border Station on the Virginia/North Carolina border, we ran into the gridlock. What would normally be a two-hour trip took about four hours, especially as we closed in on the coast and the bridge crossing the bay to the Outer Banks. But we did eventually get there, checked in with the realty company we were renting the house from and picked up our keys.
Rocking at the Border Station, Kate, Rocky, Sparky and Jesse.
Jesse celebrates his Budweiser purchase at the Border Station.
Posing under the Border Station sign, Sparky, Jesse, Kate and Rocky.
Writhing on the ground to get a picture, Guv’nor Jesse.
Welcome to North Carolina! I’m sure North Carolina’s tourism bureau would appreciate Guv’nor Jesse’s type of welcome greeting at the state line, just like Kate does…(A few folks actually honked their horns at Jesse, ha ha! Hopefully none turned around and went back home!)
Then we arrived at the house and unpacked. WOW!!! This place was great! Sparky had rented a two-story beach house (called the “Steele Away 2,” named after the folks who owned the place) with four bedrooms, fully equipped kitchen, fully furnished living room air with television and DVD player, central air conditioning, outside decks on both floors overlooking the ocean, parking bay for several vehicles beneath the house.We had indeed arrived in paradise!
We unpacked our gear, determined our respective resting quarters (mine was on the second floor), and proceeded to relax outside on the deck and take in the view. We sat and watched as other vacationers continued to arrive, and people played on the beach and in the ocean waves, just across the street. That would be us, very shortly!
This would be the Outer Banks vacation trip where we discovered several ways of saving money. First was the beach house; at nearly $1,600 total for the entire week, divided up among six people, we were each spending roughly $266 per person. Meanwhile, at the hotels where we had stayed in past years, the going room rate was the season rate of at least $110/$120 per night for the cheapest hotels! Do the math - a whole week staying at a beach house was much cheaper per person than staying in the hotel!
The second money saving discovery was made possible by renting the beach house as well. With a fully-equipped kitchen area, we found it was a lot less expensive to buy the food in from grocery stores and cook meals ourselves! Kate offered to be our cook for the week, and we ate like kings at a fraction of what it would have cost to do restaurants for a week! We headed out to a nearby supermarket and bought in food.and booze. (North Carolina allows supermarkets and convenience stores to sell beer and alcohol.)
Kate already had our first meal ready, as she brought along a pan of cooked lasagna and heated it up for our evening meal, and did up a nice salad in addition. I washed it down with some sangria. We were living the life!
We again retired to the outside deck after our meal and took in the evening, as we heard the sound of waves crashing along the beach a short distance away. I had purchased a case of Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat and a bag of oranges to enjoy while at the beach – I popped the top from a bottle and inserted an orange wedge, kicked back and enjoyed life!
Eventually, it was time for Guv'nor Jesse to provide some entertainment. He had procured a bottle of Jack Daniels when we went to purchase food supplies, and he decided to initiate the bottle. For anybody who has never seen Jesse do whiskey shots, it is comparable to watching Dr. Jeckyll drink his laboratory concoction that turns him into Mr. Hyde. Jesse's face and body went into all sorts of weird contortions as he tried to down his first shot of Jack. He poured a shot for me, and I dumped it down the ol' hatch, no problem! He struggled his way through two shots, to the laughter of the rest of us!
Guv’nor Jesse vs. Jack Daniels, Round One…
The rest of the evening we spent alternating between watching television and lounging outside on the deck. It was the first Saturday night since February where I wasn't going out anywhere to see a band. Yep, I really was on vacation!
DAY THREE, SUNDAY 8/12:
Vacation means having nothing on your schedule to do when you wake up in the morning. Well, I did have one thing on my agenda for this day...THE BEACH!
It didn't take too long to break out the swim trunks and sun screen, grab my folding chair, radio and a book, and head across the street to log some beach time. Soon the rest of the entourage joined me. We had a fun afternoon, although the surf was a little rough and we got knocked over a few times by rough waves. But it was all good fun, and it didn't take too long to shake the sand out of our trunks!
Rocky, enjoying some rest and relaxation on the beach.
This U.S. Coast Guard plane flew over at close range while we were on the beach.
A view from our beach house deck, part one.
A view from our beach house deck, part two.
A view from our beach house deck, part three.
Eventually, we retired back to the house, anticipating the arrival of the sixth member of our vacationing party, Big Jim. He arrived at sunset. Next on the agenda was the evening meal. Kate and Rocky made the food run to the supermarket for this night's prime menu item...STEAK! Our beach house had a gas grill downstairs in the parking bay, and we were putting it to use!
I had my own menu item to contribute this night as well, grilled Old Bay potato wedges. I had done these up numerous times at home on my own grill, but never had done them up in a quantity to serve six people! So I was a bit apprehensive as I set about doing these up, coating them in veggie oil, placing the wedges on the grill and topping with Old Bay seasoning. For the most part, they came out good, although we did sacrifice a few wedges to the grill God, and a few other wedges got extremely "well done" (translation: charred). But overall, good eating, and they made a good companion to the steaks.
The meal completed, we again lounged around on the outside deck like beach bums for a while, before heading inside to give the DVD player its first true workout. We ended up watching the World War II German sub drama Das Boot this night, before logging some late night outside deck time and then calling it a night.
Establishing his arrival on the beach, Guv’nor Jesse.
My potato slice sacrifices to the grill god.
DAY FOUR, MONDAY 8/13:
Monday, more of the same. We returned to the beach and again got tossed in the waves, although the ocean wasn't quite as rough this day. I got a good amount of reading done, finishing the Star Trek book I had started the day before. Hey, vacation is the only time of the year when I have time to get any book reading done!
Getting caught up on some reading, yours truly.
Guv’nor Jesse vs. the Atlantic Ocean.
The Outer Banks offers some excellent scenery…
The vacation entourage enjoys fun on the beach.
This military chopper passed by at close range while we were on the beach. We later heard that it might have been headed north to search for a fighter jet that reportedly crashed into the ocean off the coast of Virginia.
This military chopper also flew by a short while later.
In lieu of not being in close proximity to any good wing establishments in the Outer Banks, this Monday night became shrimp night. Kate and Rocky revisited the supermarket and brought back several pounds of bigass shrimp, and did up a shrimp boil for supper! We gorged ourselves on the crustaceans along with corn on the cob. Kate kept bringing fresh plates of steaming shrimp, and we kept eating them. Damned good eating!
After dinner, this was the night that we discovered the joys of Borat. Big Jim had brought the Borat DVD along with him, and after negotiating with the DVD player to work this night (the "love tap" on the side convinced it to operate properly), we took in Borat and its story of a Khazikstani native experiencing America for the first time. We were howling so hard at this movie, there was danger of the shrimp coming back up!
After Borat, more lounging on the outside deck and listening to the ocean waves, and then lights out.
Big Jim arrives back at the beach house with Mountain Dew in hand.
DAY FIVE, TUESDAY 8/14:
More beach, more sun, more fun.at least from what I can remember. I was having so much fun being a beach bum for a week, one day was blending into the next at this point. But yes, we again did the beach thing, and I continued on my reading, now working on Howard Cosell's I Never Played the Game. And watching the ladies in bikinis walking by.
This night, we decided to go out for our meal, returning to an eatery we enjoyed last year, Sam & Omie's in Nag's Head. We then checked out a few souvenir shops before returning to the house to lounge about the deck and take in another DVD or two.
And chase crabs. After darkness descended on the beach, Sparky and I headed over to the beach to spook and videotape snow crabs that came ashore. This was amusing for a while, as I could slowly walk up on the crabs, move my camcorder up close to them, and then after sensing the camera light the crabs would scurry away a few feet and we would do it again. Cheap thrills on the beach!
This night we were couch potatoes again, checking out stuff on the tube before watching the Borat DVD again. Freakin' hilarious!
DAY SIX, WEDNESDAY 8/15:
One thing I wanted to do during this week of vacation was to videotape an Outer Banks sunrise. But thus far, I hadn't been getting to bed until 2 or 3 AM, which wasn't very conducive for awakening in time to see a sunrise. But somehow, I actually woke up just as the sky was starting to turn lighter this morning, and I took the opportunity to pull my shorts and sneakers on, grab my camcorder and go across the street to capture the sun rising on video. With a bit of a haze hanging over the ocean, it turned into a multicolored orange, blue and gray spectacle, with the sun dimmed just enough that it didn't burn eyes or camera - excellent!
Perhaps my favorite photo from the whole trip, the sun rises on the Outer Banks.
Safely reassured that the sun indeed did rise again this day, I retired back to the slumber chamber for a few more hours, before arising and doing breakfast.
Today we decided to give the beach a rest, and did some driving around to check out a few sights and shops around the Kitty Hawk environs. We visited the Outer Banks Pawn Shop, well-known as the home of the cursing parrot. The parrot wasn't there this year. We browsed at a selection of instruments in the back room, including a number of mandolins and even a banjo. We then moved on to check out some stores in a shopping plaza, and hit up an ice cream eatery before returning to the house.
This sharp-looking antique Auburn convertible was parked in front of the Outer Banks Pawn Shop.
Enjoying a convertible ride, Guv’nor Jesse and Big Jim.
The rest of the night was mostly uneventful. Kate’s cuisine this night was meatloaf, and consistent with the rest of her culinary feats, this one too was excellent! We gorged on meatloaf, salad, and I forget what else. That evening meal was followed up by more laziness on the outside deck and in front of the tube.
DAY SEVEN, THURSDAY 8/16:
Activity-wise, this day we returned to the beach for more fun in the sun and in the ocean waves. We noted that the sea was much calmer this day, and we weren't getting toppled over by rough waves at all. It was almost like wading in an inland lake!
Sadly, part of our vacation entourage had to depart this day. Rocky had a prior commitment for Friday, so he and Kate had to leave this afternoon to return to Altoona. Before their departure, though, we all presented Kate with some gifts and souvenirs for being our cook over the past few days.
On behalf of the rest of the entourage, Big Jim presents Kate with her gifts.
A group shot before Kate and Rocky departed.
With our in-house cook departed, we headed out to eat this night; returning to another eatery we had enjoyed before, Jimmie's Seafood Buffet in Kitty Hawk. When we first got there, a large crowd was outside and waiting for tables. So we grabbed a token and were told to return in 45 minutes. We left and visited the OBX Visitors Center a short distance away, and then returned to wait for our table. Eventually we got in, and gorged ourselves on all things seafood for the better part of two hours. Jesse only went through six plates of food this year, down two from last year's feast.
Jesse, Big Jim and Sparky at the OBX Visitor’s Center.
We returned to the house to relax after our feast. We had entertained the idea of visiting a miniature golf course, but found a long waiting line outside the facility, and thus our OBX Skins Game was thwarted for another year.
During this week, we found out that another friend, Schtiv (the former New Sebastiano's doorman and former Final Cut columnist) was also on vacation in the Outer Banks with his wife, Yan. Schtiv, Yan and I got together to check out some OBX night life this night, heading to the Outer Banks Brewing Station to - you guessed it - take in a band. (You didn't think I'd get through this whole week without seeing at least one band, did you?)
The group performing was the Ben Phelps Project out of Virginia. As we enjoyed some of the Brewing Station's own microbrewed beers, we watched as this group did an eclectic mixture of funk, ska, and jam-band flavored sounds. The group was six members strong, including namesake Ben, who sang and played acoustic guitar, a lead guitarist, bassist, sax and trumpet players, and drummer. The group did a blend of original songs including "Virginia Song," a tune Ben penned while attending Virginia Tech; some instrumental improvisation; and at one point fused "Dueling Banjos" (on guitars) into Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues." Overall this band wasn't bad; we stuck around for a set and a half before calling it a night.
The Ben Phelps Project, performing at the Outer Banks Brewing Station.
DAY EIGHT, FRIDAY 8/17:
Our last full day in the Outer Banks, we spent this day - where else? - at the beach. Again, the ocean was very calm, and I could actually see schools of sea minnows swimming by me in the water. And I saw a school of something else swim past as well - small stingrays! The stingrays were relatively small, about a foot wide, and swam within about 3 feet of me; I just stood still and didn't bother them. That was a surprise!
Since it was our last full day before heading home, the food itinerary was.leftovers. We dined on all that remained from the past week's meals, and between the four of us, did a pretty good job of cleaning up on remaining food so we wouldn't have much to take home the next day.
For much of the evening, as we finished up leftovers, we did a bit of a DVD-watching marathon, watching such flicks as Waterworld, Air Force One and another action-adventure flick starring Kurt Russell (I forget the name; his wife gets stolen by a trucker, and he gets beaten up by rednecks when he tries to find her).
After our DVD-a-thon, Mother Nature provided the entertainment. A storm passing off shore to the south was lighting up the sky with some vivid lightning, including frequent cloud-to-cloud arcs and more. This display was so impressive, I videotaped some of it!
Alas, we accepted the reality that we had to hit the road the next day, and retired to get rested up for the journey.
DAY NINE, SATURDAY 8/18:
Big Jim and Guv'nor Jesse were up and on the road by 8 AM, and were gone by the time Sparky and I woke up. We packed our stuff into the Pathfinder, and dropped off the house keys at the realtor. Then we paid a visit to our friend Ted Etheridge, whose studio, Music Box Recording Studio in Hamilton, NC, is usually one of our destinations when we are in this neck of the woods. It just so happened that Ted was on vacation this week as well, and he was staying in his own beach digs, part of a private beach housing complex. We spent a few minutes chatting with Ted and taking in the ocean view from his outside deck (the ocean waters had become rough again, following the previous night's storm passage). We then hit the road for the long journey home.
There wasn't anything too remarkably eventful about the trip home. We hit one of our usual stops during the return trip, the Grandy Farm Market in Grandy, NC, to load up on peaches (the peaches from this place are the best I have ever eaten, period!). We decided for a change of pace, to take Route 17 all the way back and avoid the usual Interstate 95 madness. We saw a lot of different small towns we hadn't passed through before. We witnessed an air show happening in central Virginia, with some biplanes buzzing around as we drove past. We arrived back home in the 'Toona around 9:30 PM.
The beach house was great, the weather was near perfect, and the past week without having any responsibilities or worries flew by way too quickly! We didn't want it to end! Special thanks to Sparky for landing the beach house and doing the driving, Kate for doing the cooking, and Rocky, Jesse and Big Jim for their share of the good times! Plans are already under way for another sequel in '08!
SCREAM @ GLENN'S PLACE, CLAYSBURG 8/18/07
Having arrived back in Altoona by 9:30 PM, I had enough time to unpack, relax for a few moments, and then step back into JP weekend warrior mode, grab cameras and notepad, and drive to Glenn's Place in Claysburg to check out the first Glenn's appearance by Mount Union 80's rockers Scream. This was also a Rock For The Troops show.
I arrived shortly into Scream’s second set to find a good-sized crowd on hand as the group played their hard-hitting 80’s rock favorites. They were in the midst of Golden Earring/White Lion’s “Radar Love,” and continued with AC/DC’s “Live Wire,” and the Def Leppard triple-shot medley of “Rock of Ages, “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Love Bites,” the latter which drew a number of slow-dancing couples onto the floor. Scream picked up the tempo once again with Nazareth/Britny Fox’s “Hair of the Dog,” before finishing the set with Kiss’ “Lick It Up.”
As always, Scream was in good form. Kevin “ToonaRockGuy” Siegel’s beats were crisp and thunderous to drive things along, Robert Port’s bass was thumping, and the guitar tandem of Skip Henry and Ed Miller sliced, diced and carved effectively with sharp solos and crisp duel leads along the way. This all set up shop for singer Jeff Hoover to deliver his rangeful howl on top of it all. Scream was tight and together, and built more momentum as they went along.
During the intermission, I chatted with a number of the Rockpager contingent in the house, including Hawk, YankeeRose, Songsmith, Bic & Que, Bag, Hubast and of course, ToonaRockGuy (kind of hard for him not to be there, he’s in the band).
Scream’s nightcap set launched with Krokus’ “Long Stick Goes Boom,” and continued with more 80’s hard rock from AC/DC, Kix, Bulletboys and a Scorpions double-shot of “Rock You Like a Hurricane” and “The Zoo.” At this point, John “Songsmith” Stevens was welcomed to the stage to belt lead voice on Scream’s rendition of Ozzy’s “Crazy Train,” before John “Hubast” Passarelli was welcomed behind Kevin’s drum kit to provide the thunder on the night-ending rendition of Krokus’ “Screaming in the Night.” After these late-set guest highlights, I thought an encore would be a no-brainer, but with a lethargic Glenn’s crowd voicing little response, the night…ended. That’s not the first time I’ve seen that happen with the Claysburg crowd; if it ain’t NASCAR, some of these folks can’t be bothered into cheering or applauding!
Lethargic crowd notwithstanding, I had a good time and was soundly rocked by Scream. Considering I should have been dead tired after sitting in a moving car for eight hours, Scream kept me awake through it all, and delivered the goods in typical fashion. And the Rockpage cameras captured some more useful footage towards the Rock For The Troops effort. Hopefully their first Glenn’s visit won’t be their last; we need to see this band in Blair County much more often!
Jeff Hoover of Scream.
Robert Port of Scream.
Kevin “ToonaRockGuy” Siegel of Scream.
Scream, rocking Glenn’s Place.
Ed Miller of Scream.
Scream’s guitar tandem, Ed Miller and Skip Henry.
Again, Ed Miller of Scream.
Again, Scream.
A Rock For The Troops camera captures footage of Scream’s performance.
Scream’s Ed Miller is joined by special guest singer John Stevens.
You’re not going to see this on bluegrass jam night…Songsmith sings Ozzy.
Kevin Siegel and Robert Port of Scream.
Skip Henry of Scream.
Once again, ToonaRockGuy.
Robert Port of Scream, with John Passarelli behind the kit.
Hubast behind the Scream drum kit.
Again, Jeff Hoover of Scream.
One more time, Ed Miller of Scream.
FLOOD CITY BRASS @ ST. BERNARD’S CHURCH FESTIVAL, HASTINGS 8/19/07
As if to slam an exclamation point on the fact that my week of fun in the sun of North Carolina’s Outer Banks was over, the weather in west-central Pennsylvania this day was chilly and rainy. Still, I knew that Johnstown’s Flood City Brass was providing the entertainment at St. Bernard’s Church Festival in Hastings, and with the “Backyard Rocker” memorexed for this week, I was en route to investigate.
The heavy rains and unseasonable chilly temperatures didn't thwart Flood City Brass from their appointed performance. Fortunately, the festival was under tents, and a number of folks weren’t dissuaded by the elements as a good crowd was on hand. I procured a sausage sandwich from one of the lower tent food stands, and made my way to the upper tent to see what the band was up to. (This sausage sandwich kicked butt, too – best hot sausage I’ve ever eaten!)
Flood City Brass dodged puddles from rainwater streaming underneath the tent as they delivered classics from the 60's, 70's and 80's with their own brassy edge. The group was doing the Four Tops’ “I Can’t Help Myself” when I arrived, with Ken Pompa of Jerry’s Fault helping with backing vocals. A rendition of Wilson Pickett’s “634-5789” followed, before drummer John Homerski Jr. provided the voice on Van Morrison’s “Brown-Eyed Girl.” Then the group’s primary singer, Tom Pavic, amazed with his convincing David Clayton Thomas vocal on Blood Sweat & Tears’ “You Make Me So Very Happy” – amazing! The dance area then became busy as the group launched into the ever-popular “Mustang Sally,” and Tom drafted audience members Karen and Janice to help sing. The dance party continued with Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music,” before trombonist/guitarist Jim Bilitski displayed his best Satchmo growl on Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” Versions of Van Morrison’s “Moondance” and Cherry Poppin’ Daddies’ “Zoot Suit Riot” led to the climactic set-closer, Chicago’s “Beginnings,” where the horn section of Jim on trombone, trumpet/flugelhorn player Dan Perich, sax player Jen Shuty and trumpet player/guitarist Josh Covert (plus a special guest this night, Carl Walker on trombone) delivered a hearty workout.
After just a 15-minute intermission, Flood City Brass was back to give the Hastings crowd some more. With rainwater continuing to stream perilously close to cords and plugs on the ground, it was fitting that the group opened their nightcap set with Delbert McClinton’s “Standing on Shaky Ground.” John Homerski again sang the lead behind the kit on the Doobie Brothers’ “Long Train Runnin,’” followed by John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band’s “On the Dark Side” and one more workout for the horn section, Chicago’s “Make Me Smile,” to finish out the performance.
Flood City Brass was in good form, sounding bold, brassy and sassy. The horn section sounded great, and Tom Pavic provided both a great voice and lots of energy and movement. Keyboard player Luis Gonzales, new bassist Andy Heinze and drummer John all provided a sturdy foundation behind it all. The mixed-ages festival crowd was appreciative and cheered approval throughout the performance. Showing talent, variety and versatility, Flood City Brass made it every bit worth braving the elements to make the roadtrip to Hastings this night; excellent show!
Flood City Brass entertains at St. Bernard’s Festival.
Again, Flood City Brass.
The horn section of Flood City Brass.
Once again, Flood City Brass.
Guests Karen and Janice join Flood City Brass singer Tom Pavic.
Tom Pavic of Flood City Brass.
HI-TYDE @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 8/19/07
I hung out at St. Bernard’s Festival for a little while longer, thinking another band would be performing. It turned out to not be the case; Moldy Oldies was some sort of deejay-meets-karaoke-meets-Guitar Hero with live instruments; not my cup of tea. So I departed Hastings and descended the mountain back to Altoona to my usual Sunday night destination, Pellegrine’s, where Hi-Tyde was finishing up the weekend.
I arrived early in Hi-Tyde’s second set, and the group had some folks on the dance floor as they played their set of upbeat favorites from the 80’s to present. Singer Dale Nitti, guitarist Rob Sottile, guitarist/keyboardist Ted Depto, bassist Mike Weber and drummer Michael Davis fired through Don Henley/The Ataris’ “Boys of Summer,” followed by favorites from Cameo, Seether, U2, Weezer, Prince, a disco medley, Buckcherry, Bon Jovi, Outfield, Deadeye Dick, Poison and Tom Petty.
Although not crowded, Pelly’s still had enough people this night to populate the dance floor and give Hi-Tyde a crowd to fire up. And the group was successfully accomplishing this, keeping the floor busy through the course of this set.
Soon Hi-Tyde returned, firing things back up in a heavier rocking vein with Godsmack’s “Keep Away” and Linkin Park’s “One Step Closer.” Waking the Pelly’s crowd back up, the group proceeded to refill the dance floor with favorites from The Knack, Beastie Boys, Black Eyed Peas, Michael Jackson, House Of Pain, Cheap Trick, Nickelback, Big & Rich, Def Leppard, Fallout Boy, Disturbed and more; eventually closing out the night with Limp Bizkit’s “Breakstuff.”
Hi-Tyde built some good momentum, especially during the nightcap set; keeping the songs pretty much nonstop for the duration. Dale worked the front of the stage and dance floor, mixing it up with the fans and keeping them involved in the party. The rest of the group sounded solid, and shifted the emphasis between guitars and keys to keep things interesting. In all, Hi-Tyde delivered a satisfactory party to send this weekend into the books.
Dale Nitti of Hi-Tyde brings the party to the Pellegrine’s dance floor crowd.
Rob Sottile of Hi-Tyde.
Again, Dale Nitti of Hi-Tyde and Pellegrine’s dance floor crowd.
Ted Depto of Hi-Tyde.
Michael Davis of Hi-Tyde.
Mike Weber of Hi-Tyde.
Again, Ted Depto of Hi-Tyde.
Dale and Web of Hi-Tyde.
The party continues with Rob and Dale of Hi-Tyde.
Once again, Dale Nitti of Hi-Tyde with the Pellegrine’s fans.
Again, Michael Davis of Hi-Tyde.
JP’s HAIKU
JP’s vacation
Beach, sun, fun, food, brews and friends
The joys of Borat
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