First, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Now, the recap...
TUESDAY NIGHT 12/17 – I took in the acoustic “jam night” with Feight at Peter C’s. According to Rob from Feight, this was an off night of sorts, not a whole lot of folks in attendance, and Rob was recovering from a cold or flu bug and his voice wasn’t 100%. But all in all, it was still a good time, as Feight was joined onstage by members of Broken Neck and Xpendable, with members of D’funct and Flea Market Five in the audience. In between Feight and pick-up-band versions of current and classic rock favorites, the occasion turned into “Musician Joke Night,” with several musicians trying their hands at one-liners and stand-up comedy. It was a laid-back, good time; and Feight seems to have a pretty good thing developing at Peter C’s on Tuesdays. Musicians support and grow this thing, and let’s continue to build unity on this area’s music scene!
WEDNESDAY NIGHT 12/18 – I caught 2/3 of the all ages triple-bill at Peter C’s. I’ve had the worst luck lately trying to catch a set from By Any Means Necessary, I always seem to arrive right after they finish playing. (I guess I’m just going to have to force myself to show up at 7 PM some Wednesday when they’re playing.) In any case, shortly after I arrived, Broken Neck picked up the action with their set of originals from their two CD’s. Again, the performance was charged and incendiary, with the group blending agitated heavy metallic grooves with sass and attitude. Strong set overall, I’m still interested in hearing what this group’s new originals will sound like. Suicide Switch then finished the night with their set of high-powered metalcore. Buzzsaw guitar riffage, Jay’s intense and explosive drumbeats, and Cheez’s full-force, in-your-face snarling combined to scald the paint off the walls of Peter C’s this set. Look for a new CD from Suicide Switch in the new year.
Broken Neck carrying out a "Drive-By" at Peter C's.
Phil Wagner of Broken Neck.
Cheez, the big cheese of Suicide Switch.
Suicide Switch, going full bestial at Peter C's.
THURSDAY NIGHT 12/19 – Another installment of “Battle of the Bands” at the Altoona G-Man, and this time all four bands showed up. I arrived during the set by young Altoona trio Fuzzy Pickles, opening the battle with a set of garage band-styled punkish rock. This band had some good energy and enthusiasm going for them, and they were mostly solid, especially their drummer, who kept a steady beat. Their original songs weren’t bad, and had some decent song structure to them. The only song that didn’t sound good was their version of Greenday’s “Basket Case,” which was noticeably off. But given their age and experience level, not a bad set. Next was Looking for June, also doing garage-styled punkish originals. Looking for June did a decent job on songs from their “Five Ways to Say Goodbye” CD, plus tunes from their forthcoming EP “In My Dreams;” and they threw in select covers from Boxcar Racer and Blink 182. Looking for June’s performance was fairly solid, but their sound mix was dirty and a bit distorted. I then witnessed Pneumatic for the first time. These guys and gal did good work on their mix of hard-edged progressive-leaning original songs, plus numerous tunes from Tool and Pink Floyd. I was especially impressed with drummer Woo, she obviously knows her way around a drum kit! Guitarist Colton and bassist Scott were solid, and singer Cramer showed good voice and intensity, especially on the Tool stuff! I thought Pneumatic’s sound mix could have been better, Cramer’s voice was overpowering and distorted, while Scott’s bass was undermixed. But sound mix aside, this is a band definitely worth seeing, based on this set! Last in the Battle was Philipsburg/Lewistown foursome Even As We Speak, who delivered an excellent set mixing original songs with hard-edged current rock from Apex Theory, Tool, Incubus, System of a Down and more. These guys were all tight and talented; drummer Jerm, bassist Cic and guitarist Ken were nails, and singer Chip is a full-tilt frontman who conveys amply emotion and passion. Original songs like “Back To Ten,” Schizo,” “Awake” and “You Can’t Hide” all were tight and impressive, and their versions of Tool’s “Sober” and “46 & 2” kicked as well. There wasn’t too much mystery this night, Even As We Speak took top honors in the Battle, and a mid-sized G-Man crowd got to witness four up-and-coming names to keep an eye on.
Cramer of Pneumatic.
Colton of Pneumatic.
Chip of Even As We Speak.
Cic of Even As We Speak.
FRIDAY NIGHT 12/20 – I checked out the double-bill of The Grimm and Seventh Hour at Peter C’s. Seventh Hour made their first Altoona appearance count with a kickass set of original songs and select covers. Seventh Hour’s original tunes have intriguing melodies and employ two- and three-part harmonies. And the group sank heart and soul into each one, especially singer/guitarist Jay Knorr and his passion-filled vocal delivery. Guitarist Jim Munster broke out the sax to add a nice flavoring to the original tune “Bled Through My Tears.” Drummer Ed Burke is the hardest-hitting drummer I’ve seen since Nevermoure’s Shawn Hocherl; Ed slammed out the beats full force and rendered several sticks into kindling and splinters during the set. Besides the original songs, versions of Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer,” Led Zeppelin’s “The Ocean” and Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell” all sounded good. Seventh Hour got increasing cheers from the crowd as their set progressed; this group definitely won some fans on their first visit; hopefully more visits will follow. The Grimm then rocked the house with their powerful brand of progressive-edged metallic rock, featuring lots of original tunes, select covers from Tool, Stone Temple Pilots and Alice In Chains; and a few surprises, such as a version of “Anarchy In The U.K.,” and for the encore, Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” and the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter.” And the night also featured The Grimmettes, the risqué singalong “Suckupon,” and a session of gift-giving and taking from ‘Rudolph’s’ Big Bad Bag (featuring Christmas goodies and other bizarre stuff). The Grimm sounded crisp as always, and succeeded in winning a few more new fans this night. Good to see decent attendance for this show, including members of Broken Neck, Xpendable, The Hurricanes and Power Play representing!
Seventh Hour at Peter C's.
Jim Munster of Seventh Hour.
Jay Knorr of Seventh Hour.
Jeff Sallada and Jay Knorr of Seventh Hour.
Kent and Big Bad Bob of The Grimm.
Big Bad "Satan Claus" Bob is coming to town...
Otto of The Grimm.
Kent of The Grimm.
SATURDAY NIGHT 12/21 – Since it is the holiday season, I took a rare Saturday night off and attended a Christmas party. But there was live music there, as several musicians in attendance got up and jammed, including members of Banditos, Midnight Rodeo (a country-rock band from Bedford), former Still Holdin’ harmonica/conga man Dave “PA Cleanways” Thomas, Duane “Appliance Outlet” Sipe, plus a few guests from the party attendees. Actually, this makeshift band sounded damned good, considering several of these musicians hadn’t ever played with one another before.
Wally, Billy and Big Jim Bandito jamming with former Carbon 14 frontman Zerb.
SUNDAY NIGHT 12/22 – Although I got a bit of a late start, I still got to catch Crush’s last set at Pellegrine’s. This band impresses me more every time I see them. This band delivers a constant fun vibe, mixing current and classic rock favorites from Dave Matthews Band, CCR, Rusted Root, Jane’s Addiction, Bruce Springsteen and lots more. My favorite moment of the third set was when Crush broke into Springsteen’s version of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” into “Glory Days” (with bassist Mike Levin doing the convincing Boss vocal). This band is very talented; frontman Eric, bassist Mike, keyboard man Dave and frontlady Kristin all have good voices which blend well, and this band is tight and skilled on their instruments. Beyond the talent, Crush keeps it friendly and upbeat, resulting in a busy and festive Pelly’s dance floor as the show drew to a close. Also kudos to Harlan Cox on sound, he had this band sounding very balanced and crisp. Another good showing from Crush, I wish I could have gotten there earlier!
Eric Rudy of Crush.
Eric, Kristin and Mike of Crush.
Kristin and Mike of Crush.
Besides keyboards, Dave from Crush also plays a mean trombone.
MONDAY NIGHT 12/23 – It was a rare Monday band night at Pellegrine’s because of the holidays, featuring Juiced. It was a weird night. First, because the Steelers were on the Monday night game, Juiced didn’t start playing until the game was nearly done. I assume this must have been Pelly’s decision because of all the Steeler fans in the house to watch the game. Problem was, people were still getting charged a five dollar cover, and a few folks weren’t happy that the band didn’t start at the usual 10:30. (I saw at least one person demand his money back and leave.) The Steelers eventually won, and a big crowd was in the house by the time Juiced got to playing two sets of current rock favorites. Since Monday is Pelly’s wing night, I spent most of the night feasting on wings (my normal Monday night habit), but ventured into the crowded band room during the last set to witness the huge stagefront crowd rocking to Juiced. Juiced sounded good overall, with Carrie, Beth & co. rocking the crowd into the Christmas spirit. Well…MOST of the crowd. After the show, one grinch obviously not into the holiday spirit punched out somebody in the parking lot, prompting a visit from the police and the crowd being hastily chased out of the venue. (The victim was brought back inside and had an ice pack on his head, and I understand he needed stitches.) Mean people suck. And mean people who beat other folks up two days before Christmas suck worse.
In closing, may all you Rockpage readers and visitors enjoy a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, and a SAFE, HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS 2003!