Jim Price
Moderator
Joined: 07 Dec 2002
Posts: 4817
Location: Altoona, PA
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 Posted: Tuesday Jan 15, 2008 |
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WEEKEND RECAP 8/6/07
YOUR DAD’S FRIENDS @ WING-OFF, LAKEMONT PARK, ALTOONA 8/2/07
The good news, the beer issue had been resolved for this week’s Wing-Off, and a nonprofit beneficiary for the event had been secured. Beer was back at the Wing-Off.
The bad news, the mother of all severe thunderstorms had swept through the Altoona area just two hours before Wing-Off start time, soaking the Wing-Off environs, and scaring at least some attendance away from this week’s event. It wasn’t enough to deter my wing-eating ambitions, however, and I showed up to consume wings and take in this week’s band, Your Dad’s Friends.
Sporting their black “YDF” T-shirts (which look like they were bought on vacation – “Where is YDF, is it near the OBX?”), guitarists/singers Dave Misera and Rick Herbster, bassist Don Bedell, keyboardist Roger Corey and drummer Brett Fanelli rock’n’rolled for the people who did brave the storm’s aftermath. I arrived at the start of their second set, and witnessed as the group did a selection of 60’s and 70’s hits. Kicking off with Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin,’” Your Dad’s Friends fired through hits from the Doobie Brothers, the Rivieras, Tommy James & the Shondells, Monkees, Beatles, Hollies, Roy Orbison, Turtles, Del Shannon, McCoys, Steppenwolf and more. Dave, Rick and Don handled most of the lead singing duties, with Roger offering his Johnny Cash groan to a rendition of “Ring of Fire.”
Meanwhile, I was enjoying wings, and enjoying the return of beer to the Wing-Off. So was the insect life, as a wayward hornet got interested in my beer, and decided to take a swim in the stuff! The inebriated insect was quickly splashed out of my beer cup and onto the ground.
Your Dad’s Friends returned for one more set, this time doing songs from the Rolling Stones, more Beatles, the Who, Yardbirds, Neil Diamond, more Tommy James and more. Roger again sang his low ranging voice on the Ringo rendition of “Only Sixteen,” and the group worked up an “Eat wings, they’re good” chant during Tommy James’ “Mony Mony.”
Your Dad’s Friends did a respectable job overall. They were instrumentally on target, and their vocals and harmonies worked more often than not. They kept the mood pleasant and jovial, and kept the music pretty constant through both of the sets that I witnessed.
Fortunately, it did not rain again during the Wing-Off, and things cleared up a bit as the evening progressed. The crowd was stunted by the earlier storm activity, but there were at least some people in attendance to take in the wings and music. It was at least an improvement over the beer-less (and reportedly crowd-less) Wing-Off of the week before.
Your Dad’s Friends, rocking and rolling at the Lakemont Park Wing-Off.
Again, Your Dad’s Friends.
RANDY JACKSON JAZZ BAND @ CURTIN PLAZA, ALTOONA 8/3/07
This night, I returned to Curtin Plaza in downtown Altoona to catch another installment of the Blair County Arts Foundation’s Summer Sounds of Jazz Concert Series. Although I had seen Randy “Jackson” Rutherford in a lot of various musical situations over the years, jazz had not been one of them, until this night. I would get my first look at the Randy Jackson Jazz Band.
Given the pleasant summer evening weather, it was not surprising that the Curtin Plaza was again packed to the gills with people, in attendance to take in the jazz music, Clem’s Ribs and brews. It took me a while to locate an available parking space, and eventually work my way through the crowd to procure a brew and ribs for supper. The Randy Jackson Jazz Band was in the midst of their second set as I arrived, but I got to chatting with some friends and was a little too far from the stage to hear what exactly was being performed above the din of the crowd.
But by the time Randy and his band started into their nightcap set, I was able to procure a good vantage point on a bench close to the stage. I watched as Randy on guitar, bass and vocals, Bob Scholl on sax, Dave Villani on keys, Lee Appleman on drums and Blaise Michaels on additional percussion opened the set with a David Sanborn number, followed by a Miles Davis number. With Randy singing lead, the group then broke into Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going In,” followed by Santana’s “Europa.” At this point, a guest showed up at the stage, Altoona legend Jerrone Barnes. Jerrone joined the group on a rendition of Don Covay’s “Mercy Mercy,” before displaying some incredible falsetto on the Miracles’ “Ooh Baby Baby” to close out the show.
Given the assortment of talent assembled on the stage, I would have been surprised if it DIDN’T sound great! Randy and his bandmates did an excellent job throughout the set, showing skill and versatility on the variety of song material. Randy, Bob and Dave all showed flair on their respective instruments, with Dave’s keyboard groan providing a solid underscore, and Blaise’ congas adding color to the mix. Jerrone’s arrival was icing on the cake, this man’s voice remains incredible, and there are few other people who can immediately energize a show situation the way he does! He again proved he is one vibrant performer!
The Randy Jackson Jazz Band provided a good start to my Friday evening of live music, and I was glad I could escape the workplace early enough to take it in.
The Randy Jackson Jazz Band, entertaining at the Summer Sounds of Jazz Concert Series.
Again, the Randy Jackson Jazz Band.
Dave Villani of the Randy Jackson Jazz Band.
Bob Scholl of the Randy Jackson Jazz Band.
Again, Dave Villani of the Randy Jackson Jazz Band.
Again, Bob Scholl of the Randy Jackson Jazz Band.
Darkness starts to arrive as the Randy Jackson Jazz Band performs.
Guest Jerrone Barnes (left) joins the Randy Jackson Jazz Band in the latter stages of their Summer Sounds of Jazz Concert Series performance.
I MULTIPLY/SIGNAL LOST/THE CLOVER @ ALDO’S, ALTOONA 8/3/07
After leaving the Curtin Mall, I had a car load of new August issues of Pennsylvania Musician Magazine, and set out to deliver to the Altoona nightspot locations. My eventual destination later on would be Aldo’s, for the three-band bill featuring I Multiply, Spirit Lost and The Clover.
I arrived late during I Multiply’s set, and only got to witness their last song. From New York state, the group’s style seemed to be a blend of punk and alternative, with a female guitarist singing lead. Again, I only saw one song, but what I saw wasn’t bad.
Next was local melody punk rockers Signal Lost. Brandon, Brad, Jimmy and Mike did their set of high-velocity, melody-infused punk rock, including several songs from their new EP Fell’s Point such as “Speed Dial” and “One More Lie.” As before, I was impressed with this band’s ability to merge velocity with well-crafted melody, incorporating detailed vocal harmonies along the way. Signal Lost has developed a fresh, invigorating and unique sound, and I’m looking forward to hearing more from them.
Signal Lost rocks the stagefront fans at Aldo’s.
Brandon Kane of Signal Lost.
Brandon Kane and Jimmy Skinny of Signal Lost.
Drummer Mike of Signal Lost.
Brad Davis of Signal Lost.
Again, Signal Lost.
Brad and Jimmy of Signal Lost.
Again, Mike from Signal Lost.
Finishing the night was The Clover from State College. First started under the name of 69-Leaf Clover as a St. Patty’s Day party band project, the group has continued on as The Clover, and their brand of music is punked-up Irish drinking songs and original Celtic-flavored punk in the vein of the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. How can you not ignite a party playing this stuff? The Clover did, as they soon had lots of folks in front of the stage, hoisting brews and singing along with such tunes as “Kiss Me I’m Irish,” “Drink This Problem,” “One Part Whiskey,” “I’m Still Drunk” and more. Singer/bassist Mudzo, lead guitarist Patrick Newby, rhythm guitarist Johnstone, acoustic guitarist Lance T. Burgess and drummer Matt Floravit kept the velocity constant and the spirits and energy level high, and kept this party riding at a constant high clear to the end of the night. Based on how the crowd heated up to this performance, The Clover’s first Aldo’s visit definitely won’t be their last…Good stuff!
It was a fun, rowdy triple-bill – glad I got to witness it!
The Clover, getting their Irish up at Aldo’s.
Again, The Clover.
Greg “Mudzo” Mudzinsky of The Clover.
Partying down with the stagefront fans, The Clover.
Lance of The Clover, getting their Irish up at Aldo’s.
Once again, The Clover.
More mayhem with The Clover.
The stagefront floor area fills up as The Clover continue their high-velocity Irish-rocking sounds.
Again, Mudzo and Lance of The Clover.
Mudzo of The Clover and some fans.
More of The Clover.
It’s a fist-raising good time with The Clover.
One more time, The Clover and their fans.
THE PASSTIME BAND @ THE ANCHOR INN, PATTON 8/4/07
With the new August issue of Pennsylvania Musician out and loaded up in my car, I spent this day doing my monthly glamorized paper boy duties around the Altoona area. But I was aware that Mountain Days was happening in and around Prince Gallitzin State Park, so in the middle of my Altoona delivery route, I took a little detour up the mountain to the Anchor Inn to catch a look at the new PassTime Band.
With complimentary hot dogs and sauerkraut cooking for visitors, The Anchor Inn had a few folks sitting in the dining room as I arrived, just minutes before the PassTime Band started into their third and final set.
This was my first chance to see the new PassTime line-up, featuring Jeff Leeper on guitar and vocals, Ken Civils on keys and Randy Lang on drums. As you might expect given the name, PassTime does past hits of the rock’n’roll era, spanning the 60’s to 80’s. But PassTime does it a little bit differently, courtesy of Jeff’s wild stage presentation. Jeff became the ‘mad-hatter’ as the set got under way, changing through various modes of head gear from song to song, plus cracking jokes and bantering with audience members along the way. Jeff donned a captain’s hat for the set-opening rendition of Van Halen’s “Jump” and the Hollies’ “Long Cool Woman,” switching to a propeller beanie cap for the Cars’ “Just What I Needed,” and a Viking hat for Loverboy’s “Working for the Weekend.” A sailor cap then appeared for Spirit’s “I Got a Line on You,” and a derby hat for ZZ Top’s “Tush.” There didn’t seem to be any apparent or intentional association between the hats Jeff wore and the songs he wore them for, as a cowboy hat appeared on his head for Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69;” before the derby hat returned for the final song of the set, Roy Orbison’s “Crying.”
But while Jeff’s antics and hats provided comic relief, this guy still displays some serious singing skills; including his incredible vocal range on “Crying” – Jeff can still nail the high notes! Instrumentally, PassTime was solid and generated some good energy and enthusiasm during their performance, even getting a few folks up and dancing along the way. From what I got to witness, a good set of time-tested rock’n’roll – nothing wrong with that!
Although I wanted to stick around to see the next scheduled band at the Anchor, Here We Go Again, Pennsylvania Musician delivery duties beckoned me, and I had to depart.
Entertaining during Mountain Days at the Anchor Inn, the PassTime Band.
Donning propeller beanie, Jeff Leeper of the PassTime Band.
Again, Jeff Leeper of the PassTime Band.
Randy Lang of the PassTime Band.
Ken Civils of the PassTime Band.
Once again, Jeff Leeper of the PassTime Band.
One more time, the PassTime Band.
SWEATY BETTY BLUES BAND/FELIX & THE HURRICANES @ BURGI’S ROUNDHOUSE, ALTOONA 8/4/07
After concluding the remainder of my Pennsylvania Musician delivery duties, I headed to Burgi’s Roundhouse to take in the bluesy double-bill of Pittsburgh’s Sweaty Betty Blues Band and Felix & the Hurricanes.
In a miscue on my part, I was assuming that the Hurricanes were opening for Sweaty Betty, and that there would be a jam session of some sort at the end. Sweaty Betty Blues Band actually opened the night, and I ended up missing most of their set. And what I did get to see of their set was limited because I was drawn into some conversation with friends back at the main bar upon my arrival. What I was able to hear sounded good, but unfortunately, my attention was diverted and I couldn’t note any of the finer details of what they were doing. Occasional hazard of the industry…
Burgi’s had a good-sized crowd in attendance, including a number of Rockpagers, including YankeeRose, Zappa, representatives of the Kitty Whip organization and more…plus a large contingent of Hurricaniacs.
Felix & the Hurricanes performed two sets of their blazing blues rock, quickly filling the dance floor and keeping it busy for much of the rest of the night. This crowd was so stoked to dance, they even filled the floor for the first song, the ‘Canes’ new happy-go-lucky original “La La Land.” The group continued with the Allman Brothers’ “Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More” and Glenn Pavone’s “Postman Jack,” and picked up the party further with their popular original tunes “Walking A Straight Line” and “Keep On Rockin.’” The rest of the first set continued with a number of original tunes such as “Such a Fool,” “Cut That Line,” “The Lonely One” and “Who’s Fooling Who,” along with renditions of the Allman Brothers’ “Blue Skys,” and a rendition of the Beatles’ “Something” to end the set.
The nightcap set picked up the party where the first set left off, commencing with Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Cold Shot,” and proceeding with the Allmans’ “One Way Out,” Free’s “All Right Now,” Ted Nugent’s “Stranglehold,” the Allmans’ “Jessica,” the Hurricanes’ own “Issues” and “Hurtin’ People,” with the latter seguing directly into ZZ Top’s “I Thank You,” Ted Nugent’s “Free For All,” John Mellencamp’s “Rain on the Scarecrow,” and to close the night, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man.” Although the crowd diminished in the later stages of the evening, the Hurricanes still kept the dance floor active with those folks who did stick around.
Bottom line, typical good Hurricanes party. I wish I would have arrived sooner and been able to catch a better look at the Sweaty Betty Blues Band; hopefully I’ll get another opportunity to see them sometime down the road.
Felix & the Hurricnaes.
Felix Kos of the Hurricnaes.
Again, Hurricane Felix.
One more time, Felix Kos of the Hurricnaes.
SUBDUE/THE ALLUMINATI/THE EMBALMED/SAINT DIABLO/ANTAGONIST/SILENT CITIZEN @ ACE’S LOUNGE, JOHNSTOWN 8/5/07
The original game plan for me this day was to head over to the Roxbury Bandshell in Johnstown to take in the performance of Somerset County singer/songwriter and Q94 “Backyard Rocker” frequent flyer guest Michael Reich. However, a steady and heavy rain developed during the afternoon; and although I held out hope that the performance might still take place, I arrived to find a steady rain and no music at the Bandshell this day. The show had been cancelled.
But there was another option. After doing a pizza at the Boulevard Grill, I headed to Ace’s Lounge in Cambria City to catch the all-ages metal bill being headlined by Silent Citizen. This would be the first such concert I got to witness since Ace’s started hosting metal bills, so I was curious to see how the show went.
I arrived towards the end of the second band on the bill, The Alluminati’s, performance. (I missed openers Subdue.) I only got to catch the last three songs of their set, but was very impressed with what I heard, as singer/guitarist Kyle Cameron, guitarist Jordan Tomb, bassist Nate Blose and drummer Nick Tercek crisply executed their brand of high-velocity, melody-geared metallic, modern rock. All four were tight on their instruments and held it together very well, and a throng of fans in front of the stage cheered approval as the group completed their set.
At this point, I discovered a small problem: my camera battery was dead, and I forgot to recharge my backups! Fortunately, the rain had ended by this point, so I hoofed it eight blocks down Chestnut Street to Sheetz to load up on some Duracells to get me through the night. At least that should have worked off the calories from the pizza I consumed at the Boulevard Grill!
Although I moved as fast as I could, I still arrived back at Ace’s in time to catch only the last three songs of The Embalmed’s set. But what I saw kicked ass, as guitar men and lead throats Chad and Jason Straw, bassist Greg Hatch and drummer Darren Byer demonstrated their brand of metal firepower, defined by complex tempo, rhythm and chord arrangements topped by coarse “vokill” mayhem. I caught two song titles, as the group did “Heartworm” and “Toe Tags & Body Bags” to finish their set.
Hooking the Ace’s Lounge crowd on demonics, The Embalmed.
Greg Hatch of The Embalmed.
Jason Straw of The Embalmed.
The Embalmed brings the metal at Ace’s Lounge.
One more time, The Embalmed.
Up next was Richmond, Virginia's Saint Diablo. Out of the traveling national names on this bill, this band was the one that really caught my attention because of their different style and sound. Comprised of Tito on vocals, Justin on guitar, Chris on bass, Anthony on drums and Brandon on additional percussion, Saint Diablo provided an interesting slant, firing off aggressive metal with a Latin percussion edge. Their set was action-packed, with vigorous song arrangements that mixed in frequent Latin percussion displays amid snarling rhythms. I didn’t catch much in the way of song titles, but liked how this band varied their song arrangements and kept things lively. At one point, singer Tito remarked that he was pleasantly surprised to see kids in the audience already wearing Saint Diablo T-shirts although the band had never played in Johnstown before.
Richmond’s Saint Diablo brings their Latin-tinged metal to Ace’s Lounge.
Tito of Saint Diablo.
Again, Saint Diablo.
Brandon of Saint Diablo.\
Tito and Brandon of Saint Diablo.
Next on the stage was California's Antagonist, performing aggressive brute-force heavy metal topped with detailed guitar finesse. Featuring Carlos Garcia on guitar and screams, Paul Salem on bass and backing vocals, Matt Lopez on guitar and Lond Garcia on drums, Antagonist was constantly high-velocity and heavy. Their fast and rampaging assaults frequently featured clean, precision guitarwork and dual leads. Again, I couldn’t catch much in the way of song titles, but I was impressed by Antagonist’s overall tightness and intensity.
California’s Antagonist puts pedal to the metal at Ace’s Lounge.
Carlos Garcia of Antagonist.
Paul Salem of Antagonist.
Antagonist, giving a group behind-the-neck guitar display to the Ace’s crowd.
One more time, Antagonist.
Closing the show was Silent Civilian, the Los Angeles metalcore foursome formed by former Spineshank frontman Jonny Santos. Their sound was bristling, angry and torrid, made angrier by a technical problem that caused Jonny to frequently get shocked from the microphone in the early going. The band sounded convincingly torrid and slamming, but the set’s momentum kept getting interrupted by Jonny getting shocked and then bitching about it. Eventually the issue was resolved, but his bitchfest was enough to drive me out of the door after three songs.
Silent Civilian caps the night of metal at Ace’s Lounge.
In between zaps from the microphone, Jonny Santos of Silent Civilian.
Once again, Silent Civilian.
Microphone shock problems notwithstanding, I thought this was a good show overall. Although attendance probably was smaller than what the organizers hoped, it seemed the all-ages crowd that was there wanted to be there, and mostly stuck around for the duration. I noticed a lot of people buying merchandise from the bands, and band members appeared friendly with their new fans. It was a good atmosphere, and seemed to be a positive evening in all. I hope to catch more of these bills at Ace’s in the coming months.
BAD DAZE @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 8/5/07
I arrived back in Altoona with enough time to catch most of Bad Daze’s monthly Pellegrine’s party to close out the weekend.
Picking up action in the first set, the group was stirring up the party in front of the stage with tunes from Godsmack, Disturbed, Seether, Puddle of Mudd and more, plus their original tune “Lost.”
I spent much of the second set in the back room by the door, taking in Guv’nor Jesse’s DVD of the week on the wide screen TV, and wasn’t paying close attention to Bad Daze. But I did note the group doing numbers from Disturbed, System of a Down, Drowning Pool, Green Day, Blink 182 and more.
I returned to the main band room during the third set, and watched as Bad Daze had the party in high gear. The group kept Pelly’s dance floor busy with rocking favorites from Fallout Boy, Foo Fighters, Staind, Buckcherry, Beastie Boys, Def Leppard, and Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” to finish out the night.
It was what it was, a charged, rocking Bad Daze party, and a good time.
Guest Jinx helps out with backing vocals during the latter part of Bad Daze’s party.
JP’s HAIKU
Ace’s metalfest
Silent Civilian’s singer
Shocking performance!
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