Remembering Jeff....

[Ron]

Nova! Nova! Nova!

[Jim Price]

Watching some of the amazing stuff Jeff did on guitar back in the Rapid Fire days was part of the reason I started writing about local music in Pennsylvania Musician. This amazing guitar player, right in our own backyard! Folks needed to know about him!

I will always remember chatting with him when dropping off magazines at Jarrett's, seeing him work his guitar magic, and sharing really, really stupid jokes with him and Hurricane when we'd run into each other out and about. Jeff was always in a good mood; I don't think I ever saw him down or angry.

The only real Jeff story I can share dealt with how humble he was. He never took himself too seriously, and downplayed it whenever people remarked about how good he was. One time, Jeff actually told me to write a crappy review about him in Pennsylvania Musician, because he didn't want to be put on a pedestal above everybody else. I never did; I was continually amazed by his talents, and couldn't be dishonest with my opinion.

I'll be at the benefit at Aldo's on April 5, to help celebrate his memory and hear more Jeff memories.

[CCdrums]

Mmmmm.....

I could add some acoustic rhythm guitar and backup vocals.

Cool, maybe if enough people want to participate in this tune we could get a "We are the world" type vibe happening Steve Oswalt is an awesome vocalist and he'll cover the song really well. We'll see what happens. If we can't get the instrumentation happening, as it might be tough and a pain in the butt to get keys up and in the mix, we could just do it without keys or just do it with an acoustic guitar or two with vocals. I really think it will bring a tear to many an eye if it's done right. That would really be a tribute to Jeff in the true sense. Stay tuned....

[f.sciarrillo]

I still remember him playing Yngvei (sp?) every time I went into jarrets .. He was a good guy and a great guitar player ....

[onegunguitar]

I remember this one time at Jarretts when the new Marshall(I think it was the DSL 2000) came out,he was like "Dude,ya gotta check this thing out!!",he cranked it to about 7 and just started rippin'. After he was done,he just set the guitar back down and we bullshitted about this,that and whatever else came up. Jeff was a great guy to talk to and no matter what playing level you were at,he always gave words of encouragement and never thought he was better than anyone else.

[PStl]

Anyone who wants to see if they can pull the Kansas song off, let me know. Serious vocals in it and keys as well. Anyone???

I know the keys part.
I think it's a great idea!

[rickw]

One fairly warm day in February Christy and I went to Blue Knob to see the Lodge Lizards. Jeff was the kind of musician that kind of made you focus on him because you just didn't want to miss one thing he was doing. Well, the band asked me to sit in (something that always seems to terrify me, and now I have to be on the same stage as Jeff?? Yikes). Turns out we both were laughing and talking through the song. I'd do a lead then Jeff would leave me star struck when he took his. I hung with him at Jarrets and he sold me my first acoustic guitar which I have and still love.

[ozwalt816]

well now.......after reading posts on my man Eli Wallack and checking JP's photographic coverage of the area music scene for the past three years or so, I finally decided to participate.....better late than never....there were many times I thought the name of our band should have been "Wallack" (which is pretty cool sounding, kind of like Dokken, Dio, Van Halen, you get the point); however, like Jp mentioned, Jeff was extremely humble about his own abilities, so we went with the Priest-influenced, metal allusion Altoona came to know as Rapid Fire.....let's face it, Jeff was the show......to be fair to the multitudes of local guitar players, I'll say that Jeff was "one of the best" Altoona will ever see, but in my heart he was Altoona's best lead guitar player in the metal genre, and because of his influence and ability, I grew as a vocalist.....with influences like Michael Schenker, Gary Moore, Yngwie Malmsteen, Mark Reale (Riot) (to name a few), Jeff molded his own "bedroom sound" from the humble genesis of a small Fender Champ amplifier run somehow through his stereo system....awesome shit and very innovative.......having been by his side for hundreds of gigs with Rapid Fire, Shattered China, and a plethora of Joe Abraham's dive bar gigs (where each night Jeff would rename the band....Sea Hag, Wasted Reindeer, Kiss of Shit....), I would go to sleep at 4:00 or so with his amplifier humming/pulsating in my ears, remembering the blistering 64-measure solos that Jeff had shredded that night on as many tunes as he could stretch.......the memory is much more incredible to me now because as we prepare to honor Jeff with another tribute show and I remain retired from "the scene," I am extremely honored by the acknowledgement and accolades that still come Jeff's way from an entourage of local fans that remember, as I do, what an incredible talent Jeff was/is and how much of an influence we as a band may have been on younger musicians....thanks to all of you for keeping Jeff's memory alive and well.....he lives on as a local legend......life is short, so we must leave our mark.....Jeff Wallack is engraved in my heart and my musical soul!

for those of you who will be at the show and have posted possible song selections, I am in, well rested, and look forward to sitting in as much as possible on April 5......the singer turned and he said to the crowd, "Let There Be Rock!!"

S

[PStl]

Amen! brother OZ!!!!

[CCdrums]

well now.......after reading posts on my man Eli Wallack and checking JP's photographic coverage of the area music scene for the past three years or so, I finally decided to participate.....better late than never....there were many times I thought the name of our band should have been "Wallack" (which is pretty cool sounding, kind of like Dokken, Dio, Van Halen, you get the point); however, like Jp mentioned, Jeff was extremely humble about his own abilities, so we went with the Priest-influenced, metal allusion Altoona came to know as Rapid Fire.....let's face it, Jeff was the show......to be fair to the multitudes of local guitar players, I'll say that Jeff was "one of the best" Altoona will ever see, but in my heart he was Altoona's best lead guitar player in the metal genre, and because of his influence and ability, I grew as a vocalist.....with influences like Michael Schenker, Gary Moore, Yngwie Malmsteen, Mark Reale (Riot) (to name a few), Jeff molded his own "bedroom sound" from the humble genesis of a small Fender Champ amplifier run somehow through his stereo system....awesome shit and very innovative.......having been by his side for hundreds of gigs with Rapid Fire, Shattered China, and a plethora of Joe Abraham's dive bar gigs (where each night Jeff would rename the band....Sea Hag, Wasted Reindeer, Kiss of Shit....), I would go to sleep at 4:00 or so with his amplifier humming/pulsating in my ears, remembering the blistering 64-measure solos that Jeff had shredded that night on as many tunes as he could stretch.......the memory is much more incredible to me now because as we prepare to honor Jeff with another tribute show and I remain retired from "the scene," I am extremely honored by the acknowledgement and accolades that still come Jeff's way from an entourage of local fans that remember, as I do, what an incredible talent Jeff was/is and how much of an influence we as a band may have been on younger musicians....thanks to all of you for keeping Jeff's memory alive and well.....he lives on as a local legend......life is short, so we must leave our mark.....Jeff Wallack is engraved in my heart and my musical soul!

for those of you who will be at the show and have posted possible song selections, I am in, well rested, and look forward to sitting in as much as possible on April 5......the singer turned and he said to the crowd, "Let There Be Rock!!"

S

Well said my brother, let's turn it up a notch and do Jeff proud on the 5th. Looking forward to a great night with many memorable musical experiences!

[FBooth]

Amen! brother OZ!!!!

I second that! Hey Phil, I'm looking forward to jamming with you, OZ, and Clint.

As far as memories of Jeff, I played bass in most of the bands that OZ mentioned above, I have a thousand great stories to tell. From the transitor radio speaker he hung on his bedpost, hooked up to a 100 watt head and caught on fire. To the many Kings after gig breakfasts where he and I needed two tables to hold the food we ordered.

But my favorite memory of Jeff is a camping trip he and I took to a place we liked to call "Deathwell" It's on the Juniata River near Hopewell. He and I carried a tent, sleeping bags, lounge chairs, a large cooler of food, a large cooler of beer, a hibatchi grill, and even a 12' rubber raft at least a mile through tough terrain to one of his favorite fishing holes. After the walk, and the set up of camp, he pulled out a paper bag of "beans" and we sat there smoked, drank, ate, and laughed untill our bellies hurt. We did fish some, but as we only had about 14 hours for the whole trip, we spent most the time on the lounge chairs on the bank of the river fixing all of the worlds problems.

[Ronnyd]

Alright my brothers !Cannot wait to get together with you all in the name of remembering Jeff .
looks like we have got a great list of songs to learn in the few days before this show.Glad to be a part of this.Thanks!

[Ron]

Oz! Glad to see you here.

I'm going to be hard pressed to make the show, but I will try my best to make it. I fly out of Frankfurt on the 5th at 1:00PM. Land in Newark at 3:40PM (6 hour time zone difference). Then I'll rent a car and drive home, then to Aldo's. Jet lag will suck and my body may shut down, but barring any schedule changes I should be there.

Hopefully there is a sound man this week!

[DrumAndDestroy]

Oz! Glad to see you here.

I'm going to be hard pressed to make the show, but I will try my best to make it. I fly out of Frankfurt on the 5th at 1:00PM. Land in Newark at 3:40PM (6 hour time zone difference). Then I'll rent a car and drive home, then to Aldo's. Jet lag will suck and my body may shut down, but barring any schedule changes I should be there.

Hopefully there is a sound man this week!

ron, you are central pa's designated backup sound dude

[PStl]

Amen! brother OZ!!!!

I second that! Hey Phil, I'm looking forward to jamming with you, OZ, and Clint.

.

Likewise my friend! Can't wait!

[Baceman Spiff]

I've been reading this thread for a few days, but I didnt really have anything interesting to add. Untill the following memory popped into my head today, better late than never.

A few years ago, at Blue Knob,I was making one of my dismal attempts at skiing. After spending several hours tumbling down the mountain, I decided to take a break by having a few beers in the lodge. To my surprise, Jeff was playing with a band inside. ( I believe they were they called "The Lounge Lizards" ) They were playing cheesy covers like "Lets talk dirty in Hawaiin"and "Kokomo". Dont get me wrong, they were good and the people watching seemed like they were enjoying the performance. But it was funny watching Jeff play these songs. It was like watching Michaelangelo paint by numbers. While the band was taking a break, I went up to talk to Jeff for a little bit. I said to him "DUDE...dont you just want to break out into some arpeggios?" He just laughed and said he saved that stuff for when he was practicing. While the rest of the band was getting ready to start up again, I saw him start to shred quietly with his guitar turned down. Later on he told me he usually pocketed 75 bucks for playing on Saturday afternoon. Not too shabby for Kokomo.

I didnt know Jeff as well as alot of people here did, but he remembered my name and always took the time to talk with me.

[nickname]

Jeff during the "mullet years" (when he still worked for Ron Jarret) was my favorite! He was absolutely HILARIOUS! He is missed so much that it hurts sometimes. Kudos for keeping his spirit alive in this thread!