MIDNIGHT FLYER @ THE HITCHING POST, ALTOONA 4/6/05
This night, I headed to the Hitching Post to check out a “new old” band, Midnight Flyer.
Although Midnight Flyer is a relatively new name on Altoona area stages now, their story goes back to the early 70’s. Singer/guitarist Gabe Pipetti, guitarist Ken Oyler and bassist Harry Walter first formed Midnight Flyer in 1972; but jobs, families and relocations separated the band for over 30 years, until Harry moved back to the area from Florida last year. The three musicians reformed Midnight Flyer, and the trio has started to again perform on Altoona area acoustic stages.
Due to my normal Wednesday night day job duties, I feared that I had missed most of Midnight Flyer’s performance when I arrived at the Hitching Post around 9:30. But found out that I had actually arrived during Midnight Flyer’s first set, good deal! The trio played an interesting mix of acoustic classics, blending favorites, deeper cuts and the occasional oddity. After songs from the Eagles (a song title from which the band’s name, Midnight Flyer, came from), Marshall Tucker Band and the Beatles, Midnight Flyer finished their first set with an unexpected acoustic treatment of Martha Reeves & the Vandellas’ “Heat Wave.”
Harry told me about the history of the group during the first intermission, and informed me that this had just been their first set and there was more to come. The Hitching Post was mostly empty, with just a handful of patrons present to take in Midnight Flyer’s performance.
Midnight Flyer began their second set with Steely Dan’s “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” and demonstrated some nice vocal harmonizing on Crosby Stills & Nash’s “Teach Your Children.” The group continued with more Beatles, performing “Don’t Let Me Down,” before breaking out a forgotten gem from America, “Don’t Cross the River.” Back to the Beatles for “You Can’t Do That,” followed by a George Harrison deep cut, “I’d Have You Anytime.” After a Neil Young tune, a late-arriving patron requested some America, and Midnight Flyer answered by repeating “Don’t Cross the River.” The trio then ventured into Bob Dylan territory with “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright,” before closing their second set with Crosby Stills & Nash’s “Just A Song Before I Go.”
So far, this was a nice performance from Midnight Flyer. Gabe with his 12-string acoustic, Ken and Harry gave a relaxed, laid-back presentation; and blended their talents well for a full acoustic sound. The lack of crowd didn’t appear to bother the three musicians; they had fun performing for the few who were there, and enjoyed each other’s company as they made music together.
Midnight Flyer continued with more acoustic classics during their third set, including the Beatles’ “Mother Nature’s Son,” “Honey Don’t,” and “Come Together,” The Eagles” “New Kid In Town,” Crosby Stills Nash & Young’s “Woodstock” and more.
The lure of my weekly Pellegrine’s Wednesday pizza supper pulled me away from Midnight Flyer’s show late in the third set. But I enjoyed what I saw from Midnight Flyer this night, and their focus on the harmony-geared sounds of the 60’s and 70’s offers another slant to the area’s acoustic scene worth checking out.
Midnight Flyer entertains at The Hitching Post.
Gabe Pipetti of Midnight Flyer.
Harry Walter of Midnight Flyer.
Once again, Midnight Flyer.
FELIX & THE HURRICANES @ PETER C’S, ALTOONA 4/7/05
After a late night at the office, I headed down the street to Peter C’s to join this week’s edition of Thursday Hurricaning, already in process…
It was a relatively slow Thursday night at Peter C’s, with just a small crowd of fans and Hurricaniacs present. The Hurricanes trio of Felix, Bob and Jeff was working out on the Allman Brothers’ “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” as I arrived, and continued to mix classic, Southern rock favorites, original songs and more. Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See” and the ever-popular country standard “Rocky Top” led into two songs from the ‘Canes’ debut CD The Feeling, “Keep On Rockin’” and the lowdown “On The Bottom Again.” The Hurricanes picked up the tempo with Robin Trower’s “Day Of The Eagle,” and Felix showed off his slide talents on Blackfoot’s “Train Train.” Jeff Clapper sang the original song “Such A Fool,” before the group put pedal to the metal on Molly Hatchet’s “Flirtin’ with Disaster.” The Hurricanes continued with Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Pride and Joy,” their soulful original “Walking A Straight Line,” and an abbreviated rendition of “Green Grass and High Tides” to finish the night.
As Hurricanes shows go, this was pretty much a routine evening, with the group blazing through their songs and giving the small Peter C’s crowd plenty of reasons to cheer the group on. Felix, Jeff and Bob again executed tightly as a unit, and provided ample instrumental fireworks and flair to keep the fans riveted. A slow Hurricanes night is nonetheless a good Hurricanes night, and this was still an enjoyable show.
Thursday night Hurricaning at Peter C’s.
FAYTED @ THE WAREHOUSE, BEDFORD 4/8/05
An interesting Friday night of live music options stood before me…Earthtones, Broken Dolls, a Hair Force, and I was feeling a slight Backdraft nipping at the back of my neck. But somehow I felt Fayted to do a roadtrip to Bedford County…
Yes, I opted for the one band I hadn’t seen yet, Fayted, who was performing at The Warehouse in Bedford. It should be noted that I was at The Warehouse to perform my journalistic duties reporting to the world the musical adventures of Fayted this night; the fact that a bikini top contest was on tap for this night as well was purely coincidental. (***JP smirks***)
I arrived late during Fayted’s first set, and watched as the group – singer Josh Lockard, guitarists Kenton Sitch and Ron Horton, bassist Larry Bishop and drummer Zac Grace – closed out the set with tunes from John Mellencamp, Stone Temple Pilots, 3 Doors Down and Bob Dylan/Guns’N’Roses’ “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.”
The Warehouse had a mid-sized crowd present, including a rowdy bunch seated at the table in front of mine. These folks were frisky early on and clowning around early; they would provide rowdier entertainment as the night progressed.
Fayted was soon ready to resume the party onstage. The group immediately filled the Warehouse dance floor with the set’s opening tunes, Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me” and John Mellencamp’s “Authority Song,” as the two guitarists and bassist Larry came off the stage and weaved their ways around the dance floor and room.
As the group started into Georgia Satellites’ “Keep Your Hand to Yourself,” activity at the table in front of me picked up, and not in a good way. A few guys at the table were clowning around, when some lady friend of one of the guys came up and, after a seemingly playful exchange, tossed her drink at one of the guys. The bulk of the drink hit the wrong guy, a gruff-looking fellow dressed in black biker leathers. This guy sternly stood up ready to rumble, and his buddies had to settle him down, with a little help from the Warehouse security staff. This would be the first commotion I would witness from this table this night. As Fayted was performing “Keep Your Hands to Yourself,” I was thinking to myself towards the folks at the table, “Keep Your Drinks to Yourself!”
Back to the band…Fayted kept the party going with tunes from Godsmack, Velvet Revolver, Jimmy Eats World, Bryan Adams, Deadeye Dick, Rick Springfield, Lit, Puddle Of Mudd and more; eventually finishing their set with versions of Live’s “I Alone” and Ugly Kid Joe’s “(I Hate) Everything About You.”
The second intermission featured the aforementioned bikini top contest, at least to start. The event progressed (or devolved, depending on your viewpoint) from a bikini top contest to a wet bikini top contest, to an invisible bikini top contest, to the joy of the Warehouse’s male populace. The winner was determined by audience cheers. I’m not sure what the winner won, but the male audience members at The Warehouse were probably the bigger winners from this event.
After the stage area was mopped up from the (wet) bikini top contest, Fayted returned for their third round, opening with Loggins & Messina’s “Your Mama Don’t Dance.” The group then continued with a tune from a band they recently opened for at St. Francis University, The Clarks, as they did “Chasin’ Girls.”
At this point, my attention shifted back to the table of rowdies in front of me. Now pretty well liquored up, two of the guys decided to entertain themselves by racing chairs back and forth on The Warehouse’s now straw-covered dance floor, wildly careening into other chairs and almost hitting a few dance floor participants. They crashed into their own table, sending some drinks flying and prompting quick action by Warehouse security, who decided these folks had enjoyed enough fun for one night, and started showing them the door. These crazy drunks didn’t go easily, though, running from security, stalling them and doing whatever they could to try to remain in the venue. Security eventually did win, though. Shorty afterward, a Warehouse staffer commented to me simply, “The Broadtoppers are in town tonight,” alluding to the Southern Huntingdon/Northern Bedford county location these folks were likely from. Every region has ‘em, I guess!
In the meantime, Fayted continued with an original tune, followed by Kenny Loggins’ “Footloose” and Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me.” Fayted introduced another original tune, “Tonight,” a midtempo tune with gang shout choruses. As they fired into Guns’N’Roses’ “Paradise City,” Ron, Larry, and eventually singer Josh made their way over to the bar and climbed atop it to jam to the crowd from there, and remained there for the Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues.” Fayted then ended the night with Candlebox’s “Far Behind.”
Fayted proved themselves a capable party band that could ignite the dance floor. This group was fundamentally solid; their instrumentation and vocals were on target, and the group delivered constant energy and enthusiasm that carried over to the Warehouse crowd. Fayted’s performance picked up momentum as it went along, no doubt fired up by the dance floor, the bikini top contest and even the “Broadtopper” highjinks during the third set. Their original songs were good; the group mentioned onstage that they were entering the studio shortly to record their first CD.
In all, a fun and adventurous Friday night in Bedford, that made the roadtrip worth it. And Fayted showed they are a band well worth watching out for; they bring a good-time, rock’n’roll party to the stage.
Fayted, partying down at The Warehouse.
Josh Lockard of Fayted.
Once again, Fayted.
Kenton Sitch of Fayted.
Zac Grace of Fayted.
Jamming from atop the bar, Ron Horton of Fayted.
The bar top jamming continues with Josh Lockard, Larry Bishop and Ron Horton of Fayted.
FLIGHT 19 @ BURGI’S ROUNDHOUSE, ALTOONA 4/9/05
This Saturday night, I headed to Burgi’s Roundhouse to catch the 6th anniversary flight of the Party Plane, Flight 19. I was the designated driver, and the Right Honorable Guv’nor Jesse was the designated drinker. We arrived during the layover between the first and connecting flights. This was the biggest crowd I had seen at Burgi’s thus far; the only available seats we could find were back behind the pool tables. As It turned out, these seats were a little more adventurous than we were up for this night.
Flight 19 was in good spirits as they opened the second set with Nickelback’s “Figure You Out.” Singer Brian Thomas, guitarists John McKelvey and Scott Imler, bassist Sean Johnson and drummer Darin Hand quickly packed Burgi’s 2,000 square foot dance floor with their mix of current and classic rock favorites, plus original tunes. Highlights during this set included renditions of Saliva’s “Survival of the Sickest,” Kiss’ “I Was Made for Loving You,” and an 80’s medley that tied together Modern English’s “Melt With You,” Men Without Hats’ “Safety Dance,” INXS’ “Devil Inside,” Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” and Sly Fox’s “Let’s Go All the Way.” The group also did the original tune “3 Of A Kind,” a new original tune, plus tunes from Jet, Gary Numan, Lit and more.
Meanwhile, Guv’nor Jesse and I were observing the party from behind the pool tables. A couple of times we had to dodge flying cue balls, prompting us to keep vigil for any available booths or tables that might open up at a safer location. Fortunately, just as Flight 19’s third set started, a booth near the stage area opened up, and we migrated there.
Flight 19 delivered a full-throttled party set for their final round of the night, resuming the party with Big & Rich’s “Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy.” The group continued with Stevie Wonder/Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Higher Ground” and Bush’s “Machinehead,” before the group welcomed former bassist Jim “Bim” Phillips up to take over bass duties on Puddle Of Mudd’s “She Hates Me.” The dance floor remained packed for Violent Femmes “Blister In the Sun,” the Scott-fronted version of AC/DC’s “Shoot to Thrill” and the John-fronted edition of the Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated.” Then for the grand finale, Flight 19 welcomed “Bim,” soundman Tom Seidel and lightman Bob Cannistraci up to the stage to help sing Drowning Pool’s “Bodies” and George Michael/Limp Bizkit’s “Faith,” as the festivities reached a feverish pinnacle. The Burgi’s crowd wanted an encore, and the group answered with a funky-flavored number to finish out the night.
As expected, Flight 19 delivered the party; firing on all cylinders vocally and instrumentally, and keeping the audience and dance floor crowd rocking at a nonstop, feverish clip. The third set was particularly fun, as the group thanked the folks who helped them along the way and made it feel like a celebration.
A lot of bands are lucky to make it past one or two years together, let alone six. Flight 19 has paid their dues and played to their fair share of empty and unresponsive rooms early on, but kept it together through it all. This night at Burgi’s was the reward – a packed and appreciative house full of accumulated friends and fan base. Here’s hoping Flight 19 remains a frequent flyer on area stages for a while to come.
Flight 19 and their guests party it up onstage at Burgi’s.
Sean Johnson and Scott Imler of Flight 19.
Once again, Flight 19, celebrating six years of frequent flyer miles onstage.
Brian Thomas of Flight 19.
Bob Cannistraci and Brian Thomas of Flight 19.
Scott Imler of Flight 19.
Sean Johnson of Flight 19.
Darin Hand of Flight 19.
Once again, Scott Imler of Flight 19.
BACKSTREET LAW @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 4/10/05
After a relatively late night at the office doing “Backyard Rocker” duty, I arrived at Pellegrine’s to see Backstreet Law. As one of Pelly’s top draws these days, the parking lots were full both in back and front of the Pelly’s complex, so I would up having to park a block away down the alley. Walking towards Pelly’s, it became pretty obvious that Backstreet Law was playing inside, as I could feel the bass line of their popular original tune “Seatbelt” pulsating through the group’s gargantuan sound system and out into the parking lot. I could almost swear that I saw the whole band stage section of the building gyrating…
I was arriving just as Backstreet Law was wrapping up their second set with Nickelback’s “Figure You Out.” Then, as has been the custom at Pelly’s in recent weeks, acoustic soloist Dustin Burley took up position on the stage and performed several songs, starting with his original tune “Broken Mirror” and continuing with his acoustic take on Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice.” Dustin then dedicated Pearl Jam’s “Black” in memory of Justin Muhlbauer, a friend from the 4D’s Lounge who had recently passed away. Dustin then finished out his mini-set with Nirvana’s “Jesus Don’t Want Me for a Sunbeam” and Phish’s “Gumbo.” Dustin was in good form, and a number of fans congregated around the front of the stage to cheer him on.
Soon Backstreet Law returned to slam the lid on the weekend, resuming the party with Smile Empty Soul’s “Bottom of a Bottle.” The dance floor quickly filled up for Backstreet Law renditions of Motley Crue’s “Girls Girls Girls” and Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name,” followed by bassist Jamie Morral’s monstrous Anselmo growl on Pantera’s “Walk.” The group continued with their Jeckyl-and-Hyde take on Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville,” followed by the original song “Stages,” which was also dedicated in memory of Justin Muhlbauer. Backstreet Law then shifted gears into country for Garth Brooks’ “Friends In Low Places,” before inviting devout fan Doug onstage to sing lead on Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train.” Backstreet Law bypassed the formalities of awaiting audience demands for the encore and just proceeded; first with their microsong original from their first CD, “Apes**t,” and then finishing the night with their musical chairs rendition of “Wild Thing.” Here the Pellegrine’s audience witnessed as frontman Goody strapped on Jeremy Edge’s guitar, drummer Choke stepped out front to sing lead, bassist Jamie took up position behind the drum kit, and the group’s light technician strapped on Jamie’s bass. It was an unexpected twist to bring the night to a close.
Again, Backstreet Law did what they do best, providing a dynamic, action-filled party with ample twists and turns, executed with tightness, confidence and swagger. The packed house at Pellegrine’s again enjoyed every minute of it, as Backstreet Law slammed the exclamation point on the end of the weekend.
Backstreet Law, teaching proper bird-flipping techniques at Pellegrine’s.
Sporting his Sunday tractor pull finest headgear, Goody of Backstreet Law.
Choke of Backstreet Law.
Jeremy Edge of Backstreet Law.
During Backstreet Law’s ‘musical chairs’ finale, singer Goody plays guitar while drummer Choke sings.
Also during the ‘musical chairs’ finale, bassist Jamie Morral keeps the beat behind the drum kit.
Jamie Morral of Backstreet Law, hooking ‘em horns.
