Huntingdon-area Bands

songsmith · Post by **songsmith** » Wednesday Jan 21, 2004

I've noticed a lot of posts lately from Huntingdon-based bands, especially young guns... very cool! I'm a Huntingdon boy myself, along with BadDazeRob, and a few other regulars here. Standing Stone, Represent!!!
I think it's awesome, considering there was a time when pretty much nobody ever left the garage-band stage in that area... actually, I've heard that in the 60's, there were a few bands, but the 70's were quiet other than a band called Pegasus, then in the 80's there were a few of us playing... Bashful, Thin Ice, BlazOn. I like to think that some little kid saw us play a street dance somewhere, and it stuck with him until he started his own band... I don't have kids, so it's nice to think I have some other way to leave a legacy. I'm not saying I ever had any real effect, only that it's nice to think I did.
Anyway, mad props to the Huntingdon County contingent!--->JMS

313 · Post by **313** » Wednesday Jan 21, 2004

So true Songsmith, definitely some of the best area metal bands in the 80's were spawned in the shadow of the Standing Stone.

Wicked Truth were rocking Huntingdon Co. in the 70's. They put out a single (45 RPM if anybody remembers those things) that is fairly collectible. I have a copy of it if anybody would like to take a listen.

songsmith · Post by **songsmith** » Wednesday Jan 21, 2004

You know, I was going to mention Wicked Truth, but I thought they were from Altoona. They used to play dances at the Community center after home football games... current Backdraft drummer Phil Harpster was a member back in the day. Good eye, 313!----->JMS

witchhunt · Post by **witchhunt** » Wednesday Jan 21, 2004

This guy walks into a bar down in Huntingdon and orders a mudslide. The
> bartender looks at the man and says "You're not from round here are ya?"
> "No" replied the man, "I'm from Maine." The bartender looks at him
and
> says "Well what do you do in Maine?" "I'm a taxidermist." said the
> man. The bartender, looking very bewildered, now asked "What in the world
is
> a tax-e-derm-ist?" The man looked at the bartender and said "Well, I
mount
> dead animals." The bartender stands back and hollers to the whole bar
which
> is staring at him "It's okay, boys! He's one of us!"

BLACKOUT · Post by **BLACKOUT** » Wednesday Jan 21, 2004

I am from the Huntingdon area, and I have been playing in the Huntingdon and Mt. Union area for the past nine years. Let me tell ya it is hard to the locals out around here. There are so many good bands that come into this area but no one comes to listen to them. What a shame! So I am having a four band jam on Saturday January 31st at the Sanbar in Mill Creek. The bands are as follows Cyphin(Huntingdon area band), Borderline(Waterfall area band), Sound of Silence(Three Springs area band), and Blackout(Mount Union area band). So if you don't have anything to do on the 31st please come down and see four bands for only two dollars. Show starts at 8 sharp.

BDR · Post by **BDR** » Wednesday Jan 21, 2004

Johnny...Thin Ice is one of the biggest reasons I'm doing what I'm doing now. Thanks, bro...

r:>)

songsmith · Post by **songsmith** » Thursday Jan 22, 2004

BadDazeRob, me & yer maw are awful proud of you, boy! You're a perfect example of how music (and the desire to create it) is passed down and I'm proud that somebody was paying attention. <holds young BadDazeRob high above his head and blathers something about "The Circle of Life>

And, hey Blackout, say hi to Skull for me... he was there at the Penn pretty much every time we played there... and he probably knows things that would get me in a LOT of trouble!

A band from Waterfall, and a band from Three Springs? Wow, that's too cool... I'll talk to the warden, I mean my wife, about showing up for that one!------>JMS

Chevelle7982 · Post by **Chevelle7982** » Thursday Jan 22, 2004

Songsmith, this Thin Ice that you mentioned, is it the same thin Ice that featured Commander Alexander on one of the guitars? the Watkins brothers on bass and drums? If so, the Commander is my drummers' father.

BLACKOUT · Post by **BLACKOUT** » Thursday Jan 22, 2004

Songsmith, I will say hi to Skull for you although I don't know your name. Hell yeah come on down. If you want to, you can come on stage with us and sing, play guitar or whatever, we are all about having fun. Until later C-YA.
Be sure to check out our website at www.blackout97.com

songsmith · Post by **songsmith** » Thursday Jan 22, 2004

Wow, dude, that's going WAAYYY back! Yep, the Watkins bros. were actually in the very first version of Thin Ice... Commander Alexander, hmmm was his first name Bill, or something? I remember a guy that played a Peavey T-30 or T-60...he was pretty good. I can't place his name, but I can see his face. The REAL Thin Ice started in about 1984 or so, and Craig Shope was the singer, Ed Miller of Scream played guitar, the Watkins boys on bass and drums, and the previously mentioned guy also on guitar. I started around the same time with my first rock band Blytz, then Black Angel, then with Tantrumm, who I quit/got fired from after a few months. During that time, the guys in Tantrumm were looking for a singer and guitarist, and Thin Ice had run it's course, so they got Craig and Ed, who suggested that this new band retain the name,"Thin Ice."
Craig didn't work out, in fact he left the stage halfway through the first set on their first ever gig, just put down the mic, and got in his car and left mid-song. Eddie, however, fit right in, they sounded great but they needed a singer. I came back as soon as I heard how good they had gotten, and hey, the other guys in the band were my friends since childhood (Mark and Curt Morningstar and Scott Mark). A lot of people thought we stole the name, but we didn't... just the guitarist!
Anyway, thats my story... a long long way to say that yes, that's the same Thin Ice, but with different members.
Does anybody know this?... I see in the Huntingdon-based band, 3 Broken Dolls, the drummer's name is Mike Ross. Is this the guy they used to call "Muff" when we were kids? If so, he is one dedicated dude. I can remember that dude dragging his entire drum kit by hand from Crawford Apartments the whole way down to Smithfield bridge, just to practice underneath, where the natural reverb was awesome. People used to make fun of him for that, but he kept doing it. I always dug that about him.
---------->JMS

Asundor · Post by **Asundor** » Friday Jan 23, 2004

You were asking If They use to call Mike Ross from Huntingdon Muff.The
answer is yes.He's a good guy.He use to drum for one of my bands a while back.And yes He's a very dedicated musician and a very good friend.I just heard reciently that his band might be breaking up.I don't no how true that is but I heard that.While everyone is on the kick about
Thin Ice I can remember when I was much younger listing to one of there CD's. I don't remember the name of the song but It was really good.If I'm right I believe one of those guys worked down at Mark's Corner Store, here in Huntingdon.O and be sure If your a local around Huntingdon to make it down to the Sanbar show Jan 31,2004.It is going to be alot of fun.
We are going to start the night off right my band is playin first.And it only gets better from there.So everyone come down get drunk and have fun.Jason/CYPHIN

songsmith · Post by **songsmith** » Friday Jan 23, 2004

I cleared it with the spousal unit... we'll be there. I'll make myself known to the Skull Man, so we can meet. See ya there.
And good ol' Muff, helluva guy! He and I both grew up, shall we say, economically-challenged, like a lot of kids did in Huntingdon in the 70's. I used to hang out with a bunch of kids from Crawford Apts., and he happened to be one of them. I think he got the name "Muff" from an older kid who had a severe speech impediment, and who apparently called him a "MUH-er-FUH-er", and the name stuck at least through high-school. ---------->JMS

TJ Kelly · Post by **TJ Kelly** » Friday Jan 23, 2004

Wicked Truth was from Altoona. I played in one version of it along with Phil Harpster. Guess you all know that I'm an old fart now!

313 · Post by **313** » Friday Jan 23, 2004

TJ, Thanks for clearing that up for me (about Wicked Truth). I always thought they were from Huntingdon County since they seemed to play there a lot, and the single I have was recorded in Alexandria.

TJ - did you also play in a band (early 80s) called Toyz ? I'm thinking they had a bass player with last name Kelly, but my memory often fails me!

Chevelle7982 · Post by **Chevelle7982** » Friday Jan 23, 2004

Dude, yeah The Commander played through the Peavey!! His name was Jeff Alexander. He wore his Dad's Commander hat and usually wore camo pants with a wife beater, and big sunglasses. The Watkins brothers live in Juniata County where I am from. The Commander is the father of my drummer. Jeff later went on to play in a band called Ringer, which featured a great drummer named Larry covert, also played in a band named Weed (JP Weed)?

songsmith · Post by **songsmith** » Friday Jan 23, 2004

Jeff! Exactly! Definitely the same guy. I remember the wife beater shirt with the camo's... even through the haze of 20 years and LOT of dead brain cells (short-term memory ain't the only thing to go...). Good player, he was. Thanks for the memory jolt, Chevelle!---->JMS

BDR · Post by **BDR** » Friday Dec 01, 2006

Sorry all, was reading old posts on our long Friday night at the paper and came across this one ... had to breathe life back into it.

Huntingdon County, speak out, bitches ...

r:>)

bassist4life2004 · Post by **bassist4life2004** » Friday Dec 01, 2006

Another really good band from Huntingdon is Anything Jane, i never see any of them on here but they are awesome. I actually got a chance to jam out The Remedy by seether with them at the Circuit City benefit in Moxham this year, i had a blast. Their drummer is fucking PHENOMINAL.

Asundor · Post by **Asundor** » Saturday Dec 02, 2006

CYPHIN is from Huntingdon

ToonaRockGuy · Post by **ToonaRockGuy** » Saturday Dec 02, 2006

Anything Jane recently changed their name to Camino Sky. I've known Josh (guitars, vocals) since he was a kid, and Dave (drums) was my very first drum student. And let me tell you what, that kid has surpassed his teacher. Big time.

RobTheDrummer · Post by **RobTheDrummer** » Saturday Dec 02, 2006

I'm not from Huntingdon, but I did teach with Mark Morningstar at Huntingdon HS and won an indoor percussion championship.

TJ Kelly · Post by **TJ Kelly** » Saturday Dec 02, 2006

songsmith wrote:You know, I was going to mention Wicked Truth, but I thought they were from Altoona. They used to play dances at the Community center after home football games... current Backdraft drummer Phil Harpster was a member back in the day. Good eye, 313!----->JMS

I was also an Alumni of Wicked Truth and played Huntingdon many many times. We'd play a teen dance then go down the street to either the Moose or VFW and play there. In fact we often just rolled the equipment down the street rather than reload the truck!

PS: Phil's back with Backdraft? Thought he was playing with Tom Fronaur?

bassist4life2004 · Post by **bassist4life2004** » Saturday Dec 02, 2006

ToonaRockGuy wrote:Anything Jane recently changed their name to Camino Sky. I've known Josh (guitars, vocals) since he was a kid, and Dave (drums) was my very first drum student. And let me tell you what, that kid has surpassed his teacher. Big time.

Ive never seen someone actually throw their stick in the air and twirl it and catch it between beats and never miss it once, that was just ungodly. Its crazy to say, but their drummer IS the whole show.

HurricaneBob · Post by **HurricaneBob** » Sunday Dec 03, 2006

We had Dave add some tasty percussion on our last cd. He and Josh would come to Peter C's and sit in once and awhile. Was a blast!

bassist4life2004 · Post by **bassist4life2004** » Sunday Dec 03, 2006

I was just completely amazed by his style of playing, it was quite impressive.

ROCKPAGE

Huntingdon-area Bands

Huntingdon-area Bands

hdon

Question about Mike Ross