HOMEGROWN ROCKER 12/18/11

[Jim Price]

Hello Everyone,

Here is the recap of the December 18 edition of Rocky 104.9 and Rocky 99's weekly local music program, "The Homegrown Rocker," which airs every Sunday night from 9 to 11 PM during Steelers football season on WRKY-FM (www.rocky1049.com) and WRKW-FM (www.rocky99.com).

This week, we took the long overdue opportunity to clean out the "Homegrown Rocker” mailboxes, and check out the new local and regional recordings that have arrived in recent weeks. As a result, we debuted plenty of new songs this week, including numbers from The Illuminati, All Bang’d Up, Les Vonderlin, Zupe, Chris Vipond & the Stanley Street Band, The Sunflower Spectacle, Bushmaster, Retro Rocket, Synesthesia and The Embalmed. Along the way, we updated “Local Music News,” dug into the archive to check out a 1992 track from Pittsburgh’s The Affordable Floors, and reviewed The Sunflower Spectacle’s new CD, No Fields, in “The Professor’s CD Corner.”

Here is this week's playlist:

HOUR ONE:

PAN.A.CE.A – “Santa Claus Is Back in Town”
CHUCK MASON & BLUE REALITY – “Can You Tell Me”
THE ILLUMINATI – “Near Babylon”
THE GOOD SEEDS – “Feel”
ALL BANG’D UP – “Legends of Johnstown”
SAVING JAKE – “Candle Light”
LES VONDERLIN – “Vowels”
JERRY’S FAULT – “Ended”
ZUPE – “Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me”
CHRIS VIPOND & THE STANLEY STREET BAND – “Glove”

HOUR TWO:

FELIX & THE HURRICANES – “Walking a Straight Line”
MISS MELANIE AND THE VALLEY RATS – “Slow Down”
THE SUNFLOWER SPECTACLE – “Christmas at the Mall”
THE SUNFLOWER SPECTACLE – “Idiots”
BUSHMASTER – “Phony People”
THE AFFORDABLE FLOORS – “Welcome to the World” (1992, Local Music Flashback)
RETRO ROCKET – “Bouncy Girl”
SYNESTHESIA – “My Enemy Mine”
THE EMBALMED – “The Opposite of God”

Next Sunday is Christmas Day, so appropriately enough, it will again be time for the annual Christmas Special edition of the “Homegrown Rocker!” We will hear 2 hours of holiday music from local and regional bands and artists; including local renditions of time-honored holiday favorites, and area musicians’ original Christmas-themed song creations! We’ll also review Zupe’s new Christmas CD, Yuletides, in “The Professor’s CD Corner!” Break out the eggnog and cookies, and enjoy the “Homegrown Rocker” 2011 Christmas Special, next Sunday night at 9 PM!

Forthcoming guests and specials include:

JAN. 1 – 2011 YEAR IN REVIEW SPECIAL PT. I
JAN. 8 – 2011 YEAR IN REVIEW SPECIAL PT. 2
JAN. 15 – CAESER PINK AND THE IMPERIAL ORGY
FEB. 12 – THE BACKYARD KINGS

For regular updates on what is happening on the area music scene, pay a visit to Rockpage (www.rockpage.net). Rockpage features band links, a message board, "Homegrown Rocker" updates, live show and CD reviews in “JP’s Corner," and other local music scene information.

Bands and artists interested in having music aired on "The Homegrown Rocker" are invited to send their broadcast-quality recordings to: WRKY Radio, One Forever Drive, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648; ATTN: Jim Price. Or drop the recordings off at the station during regular business hours, Monday-Friday 9 AM - 5 PM. You can also email me with inquiries about the show at profjp@rocky1049.com.

Jim Price

In Local Music News…

The band Camino Sky announced earlier this month that they were going their separate ways, after reuniting for the better part of the past year on area stages. The band members plan to pursue new band projects.

The Hawks are bringing the blues to the beat of a new drummer, as Nate Woods has replaced Bill Hocherl in the line-up. Bill has lately been providing the drumbeats behind Chuck Mason & Blue Reality.