I was just wondering about the status of some of the performances at the Cambria City Ethnic Festival this weekend, particularly the ones that usually happen outdoors, like Yum at St. Mary's. I was planning to head over this evening (Friday) in spite of the rain, and I just wanted to find out if any performances have been cancelled or moved indoors (and if so, where). If anybody knows for sure, please post below.
I do know that Johnstown Folkfest is going on as scheduled; all of their stage areas are inside tents and should be able to proceed despite the rain.
Johnstown Fests and Ernesto?
Ernesto was supposed to really slam us down here. They evacuated the tourists a few days before it was scheduled to hit. I went crazy down here wondering what it would be like to be in a hurricane. Closest I ever came to being in a hurricane in Pennsylvania was at The Hitching Post on a Sunday nite 
It was nuts. I went to the store at 11:30 at night to buy canned food, candles and 3 cases of water and the place was packed 
I'm lucky to have gotten any water at all. Most of the stores in town put up metal panels on their doors and windows. I had to put metal panels on my windows. The storm ended up breaking up while it was over Cuba and hardly even touched us. I've been through bigger storms in Pennsylvania. Sup JP 
Miss you all.
It was nuts. I went to the store at 11:30 at night to buy canned food, candles and 3 cases of water and the place was packed I'm lucky to have gotten any water at all. Most of the stores in town put up metal panels on their doors and windows. I had to put metal panels on my windows. The storm ended up breaking up while it was over Cuba and hardly even touched us. I've been through bigger storms in Pennsylvania. Sup JP Miss you all.
Hey Jim,
Everything went as scheduled except we played under the pavillion. Great crowd considering the rain and 2 big local football games. Everyone has their fingers crossed that the rain clears out by tonight so we can get that Bourbon Street atmosphere fired up. We'll be crankin' it up around 7 again tonight. Hope to see you there.
Darren-YUM
Everything went as scheduled except we played under the pavillion. Great crowd considering the rain and 2 big local football games. Everyone has their fingers crossed that the rain clears out by tonight so we can get that Bourbon Street atmosphere fired up. We'll be crankin' it up around 7 again tonight. Hope to see you there.
Darren-YUM
Have a YUMMY DAY!
Here's what I saw at Folkfest:
Gospel Lights, a great Southern gospel group. Certain old gospel songs make me misty-eyed, and these guys sang several that did. They had a very bluesy feel, including a drummer, bass guitarist, and a Strat player with a silverface Twin. What I could hear sounded great, but, the soundman obviously couldn't care less about the act. He leaned back in his chair, doing what soundmen call "babysitting," meanwhile you couldn't hear ANYTHING the singers said between songs, no drums, only a little bass and guitar. I'm sure the monitors were far louder than the house. Too bad.
Eric Tessmer Band, a smokin' Stevie Ray kinda guitarist with a Hurricanes-type backing band. This guy was flashy and just crushing loud. His stage volume was eardrum-splitting, despite having a plexiglas soundscreen in front of his amp farm. I liked him, my wife thought he wanked a bit too much, but that's part of that whole he-man blues thang, so I could dig it.
Tim Dabbs, an acoustic performer with a small combo, just bass and drums. He was cordial, doing Harry Chapin covers while I watched. Sound wasn't bad, this should have been a very easy sound gig, though.
Rusty Gun Revival. You know who they are. Despite the rain, and perhaps because of it, they started with a packed house, and maintain a majority of them, though they played pretty late and folks had worked that day. They put on a classic RGR show, mostly originals peppered with choice Americana covers, and pretty much killed. I watched the crowd intently, and noticed the VIP's stayed around the whole set, and the townfolk loved the Gunners. The sound? I sat 20 feet from the stage, and had to strain to hear. The guitar, arguably the star of the show, sounded like it was still in it's case, all boxy and lifeless and too quiet. I spoke with them after, and Slim said there were issues pre-show, and he went with the soundman's advice. Tonight he won't. Still a great show, and I'd bet RGR will be back in Johnstown soon.
After Rusty Gun, we tripped over to the Highmark Stage to see The Lee Boys, a sacred steel act from Florida. "Sacred Steel" is a blend of gospel, rock, and r&b with a pedal steel guitar as main instrument. The steel is meant to sound somewhat like a woman's voice, so it's nothing like the pedal steel you hear on country records, where the emphasis is on known country patterns. It's about vocal-sounding melody. Anyway, these guys were great... soulful and intricate, but the grooves were just nasty and funky. I liked them alot, but the sound was shameful. they were on the same stage as The Gospel Lights earlier, and the house engineer apparently used the same mics, same channels, same settings. You couldn't hear the vocals intelligibly, and the lead instrument, the steel was only audible when the rest of the band quieted down. Why? The soundman was leaning back in his chair, feet up behind the console... babysitting when he should have been giving this band a great mix. there were very few people in attendance by this point, at around 11pm, so maybe he just didn't care. I would have loved to mix any of the bands I saw, but that's just me. He was lollygagging, not even paying attention... I'd have fired him on the spot.
The one pervasive aspect: the rain. It rained pretty much the whole evening, sometimes heavy, sometimes not, but truly it wasn't as bad as I thought. It rained much harder today (it's about 12:30pm right now), and it's supposed to clear off today. Take an umbrella, and a fleece jacket (I just wore a long-sleeve tee, but I'm always warm), and you'll be fine. We had plenty of parking on-site, too, and the food's good. If you want the excellent food, hit the Ethnic Fest first, then get back to Folkfest for the beer and entertainment.
That's my take on the Folkfest. Your mileage may vary.------>JMS
Gospel Lights, a great Southern gospel group. Certain old gospel songs make me misty-eyed, and these guys sang several that did. They had a very bluesy feel, including a drummer, bass guitarist, and a Strat player with a silverface Twin. What I could hear sounded great, but, the soundman obviously couldn't care less about the act. He leaned back in his chair, doing what soundmen call "babysitting," meanwhile you couldn't hear ANYTHING the singers said between songs, no drums, only a little bass and guitar. I'm sure the monitors were far louder than the house. Too bad.
Eric Tessmer Band, a smokin' Stevie Ray kinda guitarist with a Hurricanes-type backing band. This guy was flashy and just crushing loud. His stage volume was eardrum-splitting, despite having a plexiglas soundscreen in front of his amp farm. I liked him, my wife thought he wanked a bit too much, but that's part of that whole he-man blues thang, so I could dig it.
Tim Dabbs, an acoustic performer with a small combo, just bass and drums. He was cordial, doing Harry Chapin covers while I watched. Sound wasn't bad, this should have been a very easy sound gig, though.
Rusty Gun Revival. You know who they are. Despite the rain, and perhaps because of it, they started with a packed house, and maintain a majority of them, though they played pretty late and folks had worked that day. They put on a classic RGR show, mostly originals peppered with choice Americana covers, and pretty much killed. I watched the crowd intently, and noticed the VIP's stayed around the whole set, and the townfolk loved the Gunners. The sound? I sat 20 feet from the stage, and had to strain to hear. The guitar, arguably the star of the show, sounded like it was still in it's case, all boxy and lifeless and too quiet. I spoke with them after, and Slim said there were issues pre-show, and he went with the soundman's advice. Tonight he won't. Still a great show, and I'd bet RGR will be back in Johnstown soon.
After Rusty Gun, we tripped over to the Highmark Stage to see The Lee Boys, a sacred steel act from Florida. "Sacred Steel" is a blend of gospel, rock, and r&b with a pedal steel guitar as main instrument. The steel is meant to sound somewhat like a woman's voice, so it's nothing like the pedal steel you hear on country records, where the emphasis is on known country patterns. It's about vocal-sounding melody. Anyway, these guys were great... soulful and intricate, but the grooves were just nasty and funky. I liked them alot, but the sound was shameful. they were on the same stage as The Gospel Lights earlier, and the house engineer apparently used the same mics, same channels, same settings. You couldn't hear the vocals intelligibly, and the lead instrument, the steel was only audible when the rest of the band quieted down. Why? The soundman was leaning back in his chair, feet up behind the console... babysitting when he should have been giving this band a great mix. there were very few people in attendance by this point, at around 11pm, so maybe he just didn't care. I would have loved to mix any of the bands I saw, but that's just me. He was lollygagging, not even paying attention... I'd have fired him on the spot.
The one pervasive aspect: the rain. It rained pretty much the whole evening, sometimes heavy, sometimes not, but truly it wasn't as bad as I thought. It rained much harder today (it's about 12:30pm right now), and it's supposed to clear off today. Take an umbrella, and a fleece jacket (I just wore a long-sleeve tee, but I'm always warm), and you'll be fine. We had plenty of parking on-site, too, and the food's good. If you want the excellent food, hit the Ethnic Fest first, then get back to Folkfest for the beer and entertainment.
That's my take on the Folkfest. Your mileage may vary.------>JMS
Thanks for the update, songsmith.
I didn't make it over on Friday night due to work duties. (To get three days off for a holiday weekend, I have to do something like two weeks' worth of work! I didn't escape the workplace til near 10:45 PM.). I will be there today and Sunday, should be arriving in the Johnstown vicinity around 2:30 - 3-ish. I hope to catch both festivals.
I didn't make it over on Friday night due to work duties. (To get three days off for a holiday weekend, I have to do something like two weeks' worth of work! I didn't escape the workplace til near 10:45 PM.). I will be there today and Sunday, should be arriving in the Johnstown vicinity around 2:30 - 3-ish. I hope to catch both festivals.
Sorry, but the Ethnic Fest on Friday nite was a complete wash---literally. I'm not going to sit here and sugarcoat it. Dismal.
I got there when it opened and walked around. I don't think I saw more than 300 people total when there's usually thousands. It was rainy, damp and miserable. We had the benefit of playing indoors and I don't think we had more than 150 people through the door.
My wife walked around while my band was playing and told me later that the crowds really didn't pick up at all.
Hopefully it will be better for the bands that are playing Saturday and Sunday. It looks like it's trying to clear up a little bit as of this writing so to all the bands at both festivals---"break a leg" and I hope the crowds are better these next two days.
I got there when it opened and walked around. I don't think I saw more than 300 people total when there's usually thousands. It was rainy, damp and miserable. We had the benefit of playing indoors and I don't think we had more than 150 people through the door.
My wife walked around while my band was playing and told me later that the crowds really didn't pick up at all.
Hopefully it will be better for the bands that are playing Saturday and Sunday. It looks like it's trying to clear up a little bit as of this writing so to all the bands at both festivals---"break a leg" and I hope the crowds are better these next two days.
Both festivals are now done for another year.
I attended Folkfest on Saturday, and split time between Folkfest and Cambria City on Sunday. Now with the scenic pathway under the stone railroad bridge and the new foot bridge across the Conemaugh River open, you can walk from Folkfest to Cambria City in about 10-15 minutes.
As expected, the entertainment I saw at Folkfest was incredible. I was blown away by a number of performers - including Billy Price, his Folkfest set was the best I've seen him do with his current band so far, he and his horn section were on fire! The Eric Tessmer Band smoked as well, doing Texas-styled blues rock - Eric's fingers were a blur on his guitar, he was getting standing ovations. Having played the accordion as a child, I can appreciate Those Darn Accordions, rocking on tunes like "Frankenstein" and "Magic Carpet Ride;" crazy and amazing! Likewise amazing was Bonerama, a New Orleans-based brass ensemble with four trombones and a sousaphone - these guys were doing stuff like "Whipping Post," "Helter Skelter," and at the end, "War Pigs" and the encore, "Frankenstein" - with the trombones snarling like metal guitars, and the sousaphone player breaking out Jaco Pastorius-like sousaphone "bass" solos - insane! Also good was Doll Hospital, featuring Johnstown native Heather Eatman on vocals; they did lounge-like pop and jazz, with a stunning vibraphone player. I never thought I could refer to somebody "shredding" on vibraphone (like an xylophone), but this guy did! There was also Balkan Beatbox (I mentioned them in another thread), who had the teenagers dancing up front with their unique mix of Mediterranean and klezmer-meets- techno and hip-hop beats. And I saw Rockpage's own Rusty Gun Revival, lighting up the stage with their Americana and honky-tonk - Slim was heating it up on his guitar like a man possessed!
I spent a few hours at Cambria City Ethnic Festival on Sunday, to get my annual fix of St. Mary's pirohi, halushki and halupki. I watched a jazz band, the Harold Betters Quartet, playing old-school jazz standards that had some elderly folks up and cutting the rug. I then headed to the Holy Cross Lutheran Church stage and saw some of 2X4's set - this band features four youngsters ranging from 15 to 18 years old. They displayed good instrumental chops as they did classic rock, and should get better as they continue to gain experience.
After Folkfest ended on Saturday, I caught The Desperadoes' last set at Ohio Street Lounge. After it ended on Sunday, I headed to Parrot Bay Cafe in Cambria City to see Red Alert.
I thought crowds at both festivals were about even on Sunday. Both were fairly well attended; definitely stronger attendance than on Saturday.
On Monday, I'll probably head up to Forest Hills Festival in St. Michael, even though I have no clue who is performing. (I assume Johnstown Buttonbox will do the polka thing in late afternoon; I have no idea who is going on stage at 12 noon.
I attended Folkfest on Saturday, and split time between Folkfest and Cambria City on Sunday. Now with the scenic pathway under the stone railroad bridge and the new foot bridge across the Conemaugh River open, you can walk from Folkfest to Cambria City in about 10-15 minutes.
As expected, the entertainment I saw at Folkfest was incredible. I was blown away by a number of performers - including Billy Price, his Folkfest set was the best I've seen him do with his current band so far, he and his horn section were on fire! The Eric Tessmer Band smoked as well, doing Texas-styled blues rock - Eric's fingers were a blur on his guitar, he was getting standing ovations. Having played the accordion as a child, I can appreciate Those Darn Accordions, rocking on tunes like "Frankenstein" and "Magic Carpet Ride;" crazy and amazing! Likewise amazing was Bonerama, a New Orleans-based brass ensemble with four trombones and a sousaphone - these guys were doing stuff like "Whipping Post," "Helter Skelter," and at the end, "War Pigs" and the encore, "Frankenstein" - with the trombones snarling like metal guitars, and the sousaphone player breaking out Jaco Pastorius-like sousaphone "bass" solos - insane! Also good was Doll Hospital, featuring Johnstown native Heather Eatman on vocals; they did lounge-like pop and jazz, with a stunning vibraphone player. I never thought I could refer to somebody "shredding" on vibraphone (like an xylophone), but this guy did! There was also Balkan Beatbox (I mentioned them in another thread), who had the teenagers dancing up front with their unique mix of Mediterranean and klezmer-meets- techno and hip-hop beats. And I saw Rockpage's own Rusty Gun Revival, lighting up the stage with their Americana and honky-tonk - Slim was heating it up on his guitar like a man possessed!
I spent a few hours at Cambria City Ethnic Festival on Sunday, to get my annual fix of St. Mary's pirohi, halushki and halupki. I watched a jazz band, the Harold Betters Quartet, playing old-school jazz standards that had some elderly folks up and cutting the rug. I then headed to the Holy Cross Lutheran Church stage and saw some of 2X4's set - this band features four youngsters ranging from 15 to 18 years old. They displayed good instrumental chops as they did classic rock, and should get better as they continue to gain experience.
After Folkfest ended on Saturday, I caught The Desperadoes' last set at Ohio Street Lounge. After it ended on Sunday, I headed to Parrot Bay Cafe in Cambria City to see Red Alert.
I thought crowds at both festivals were about even on Sunday. Both were fairly well attended; definitely stronger attendance than on Saturday.
On Monday, I'll probably head up to Forest Hills Festival in St. Michael, even though I have no clue who is performing. (I assume Johnstown Buttonbox will do the polka thing in late afternoon; I have no idea who is going on stage at 12 noon.