SHARK BITE @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 7/14/08
Another Monday meant more wings and more fun and highjinks with Shark Bite at Pellegrine’s.
Adam D on keys and voice and “Big Jim” Ricotta on guitar and voice were already under way with the fun when I arrived shortly into their second set. Again, the musical variety was wide, as the group performed numbers from ZZ Top, Kid Rock, Pearl Jam, Charlie Daniels, Michael Jackson and more. Highlights during this set included guests, as Phil Wagner strummed guitar and sang lead on Sublime’s “What I Got,” audience member Kendra danced, shrieked and helped sing backing vocals with Adam D on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” and when Adam D ventured behind the bar, Natalie Pellegrine became a backing singer for the set-ending rendition of the Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues.” Also during this set, Adam and Jim did their version of Dr. Hook’s “Cover of the Rolling Stone.” I wonder how this would sound if Big Jim growled out the low-voiced second verse of this tune; I think it would sound closer to the Dr. Hook original!
Shark Bite’s last set was a lengthy one, with Adam and Jim performing favorites from Dobie Gray, Garth Brooks, The Who, Georgia Satellites, Loggins & Messina, Gin Blossoms, Corey Hart, Bad Company, Allman Brothers, Billy Joel, Steppenwolf, Kansas, Cat Stevens, Black Crowes and more. Some latter set highlights included the wing-eating “press corps” contingent shouting along backing vocals on the Big Jim-sung version of Glenn Frey’s “Partytown” and Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” (“You can’t have your pudding if you don’t eat your wings!”), Adam D’s smooth coupling of Live’s “I Alone” with Styx’s “Lady,” and Adam dodging my shouted request for Peter Gabriel-era Genesis by breaking into Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight.”
Again, Pellegrine’s became busier as the night progressed, and good times (and wings) were had by all.
Guest Phil Wagner, singing with Shark Bite.
Sporting his new Pennsylvania Musician T-shirt, Adam D.
With audience member Kendra chiming in, Shark Bite.
Again, Shark Bite.
JOHN SOLINSKI & REDAWG @ THE HITCHING POST, ALTOONA 7/16/08
You know you’re living the dream life as a musician when you need to take a vacation from your day job, entertaining tourists in Key West, Florida! Former RetroActive party animals John and Redawg Solinski faced this situation, and returned northward to Pennsylvania this week to get away from their workplace, Irish Kevin’s in Key West, for a while. And while home in Pennsylvania, they booked a few shows to earn a few bucks and show the folks back at home what their Key West party was all about. This night, they brought the party to the Hitching Post, and I stopped by to see what was up.
Debauchery, that was what was up! John and Red lit it up at the Post with a wild and freewheeling acoustic-geared party! John sang and played guitar, while Redawg sang and provided percussion on his zendrum (a MIDI percussion device, where rhythms can be pounded out by tapping various pads and sensors with your hands). As the pair performed a variety of favorites, there were chills, thrills and spills around every corner!
As I arrived, the duo was performing the Doobie Brothers’ “Long Train Runnin.’” Then John introduced an Irish number, starting into the “Drunken Sailor” song; somehow making the transition into a super-redneck rendition of Charlie Daniels Band’s “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” with appropriate headgear and teeth to match! This led into the pair’s twisted take on Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again,” before they started into the Eagles’ “Hotel California.” During this song, John broke a guitar string; but rather than result in a delay in the musical action, the pair turned it into a “Final Jeopardy” interlude with the game show music playing while the broken string was replaced. The party continued with tunes from Bob Seger, Golden Earring, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Three Dog Night and the Beatles; before Red sang lead on Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” This led into the pair’s rendition of Denis Leary’s “A**hole Song,” with Red declaring during the spoken word midsection “Because we got Jager Bombs!” Puddle of Mudd’s “She Hates Me,” a twisted take on the Monkees’ I’m a Believer” and Carl Dougles’ “Kung Fu Fighting” closed out the show.
This show was pure insanity start to end, as John and Redawg constantly kept the music and highjinks coming. There was never a dull moment for the duration of the show, and the pair continually kept the audience involved; including Hitching Post staff, management and family, and matching wits with a good-natured heckler along the way.
Lots of laughs were had, and lots of Jagermeister was consumed. John and Redawg provided an exhaustive good time; and based on this display, it’s easy to understand how this duo stays as busy as they do in Key West.
The Solinski brothers, Redawg and John.
John “facingwest” Solinski.
Sadly, John Solinski has been spending too much time down South. He’s starting to suffer from toothless redneck syndrome.
John’s flare-up gets worse.
Redawg and redneck.
John’s redneck symptoms subside.
Redawg headbangs with his zendrum.
Again, Redawg and John.
Redawg lets a young lady give his zendrum a spin.
“Mama Buttcheek” gives the zendrum a test-fitting as well.
John and Redawg, with Hitching Post main man Butch looking on.
Redawg gives Butch and his father a zendrum demonstration.
Butch’s dad tries on the zendrum.
Redawg, musically proclaiming he’s an a**hole.
Lovey poses alongside Redawg.
The Solinski brothers match wits with a friendly heckler.
John Solinski prepares to do some “kung fu fighting.”
An interesting and scary array of people; Redawg, John and Red’s father, the heckler, John and Butch.
Butch, Redawg, and yours truly with the zendrum.
Redawg displays a cool new bumper sticker. Red, I need about a hundred of those!
Redawg consoles his brother.
John and Redawg, having fun with their heckler.
Again, John and Redawg.
Yours truly and John.
John and Redawg enjoy a Lovey sandwich.
JP, BIG JIM & GERRY’S NEW YORK CITY ADVENTURE 7/17/08
Originally, I had this day marked on my calendar as a vacation day, so I could travel to Hershey to see the Rush concert. But when cohort “Big Jim” Ricotta presented me with an opportunity to travel to the Big Apple for my first time ever, I couldn’t refuse! Big Jim, yours truly and former area radio broadcaster Gerry Gamber were taking on New York City!
The Big Jim-mobile departed the ‘Toona shortly after 7 AM, and we arrived at our initial destination of Weehawken, New Jersey shortly after noon; a five-hour trip. We had been told that it was less expensive if we parked our car in New Jersey and either took the subway or ferry boat across the bay to Manhattan. So we did the latter, riding the NYC Waterway ferry from Port Imperial over to Manhattan ($16 round trip, $8 one way). Before boarding the boat, we took in the sight across the bay of the Manhattan skyline and all its skyscrapers; I had seen this image in books, newspapers, movies and television, but it’s all the more impressive and huge when you see it in person! I also noticed the number of aircraft in the sky around Manhattan at any given moment, from various helicopters to passenger jets and more. It was quite a sight for a first-time visitor like me!
The Manhattan skyline as viewed from Port Imperial. Impressive!
Another view of the Manhattan skyline.
Gerry and Jim, with the Manhattan skyline in the background.
Again, Manhattan as seen from Port Imperial.
We did the boat ride over to Manhattan, and our exploration began. The initial game plan was to hop a bus and ride to several destinations in Manhattan, including Ground Zero. But as we started walking, we continued walking, and ended up doing our own foot tour of Manhattan! Near the port, we passed the NYPD mounted patrol stable, and observed an officer hosing off one of the horses on this warm day. I nearly lost my Pennsylvania Musician ballcap when a helicopter lifting off from a nearby heliport sent the cap flying off my head, but I was able to quickly retrieve it. We walked past a fleet of street sweepers and New York sanitation trucks as we made our way further into downtown. Ready to do lunch, we did some pizza at 10th Avenue Pizza, a corner pizza shop on the corner of 10th Avenue and 25th Street. I had finally eaten New York pizza in New York!
One of the first things we observed in our trek through Manhattan, an equestrian member of the NYPD mounted patrol gets a bath.
From there, our exploration of Manhattan continued. Using a map from the ferry boat dock, we made our way to several of the famous landmarks in this part of the world, first heading to Madison Square Garden. On the opposite side of 8th Avenue, we entered and walked through the Manhattan post office – huge! We checked out Pennsylvania Station, before continuing our trek towards the next destination we wanted to see, Times Square. I’ve seen Times Square on television many times, and was curious to see the stretch always shown during The Late Show with David Letterman. Again, television doesn’t compare with the real thing, experiencing the traffic, the colors, lights and sights of Times Square in mid-afternoon! We stopped and sipped a few drinks on the third floor of ESPN Sportszone, while observing the constant flood of people and traffic passing through the intersection below. We also noted the armies of yellow taxi cabs constantly moving about the streets. And having read about how much of a melting pot this place was, again I was impressed to witness it firsthand, all the various types of people we were passing and sharing the sidewalks with.
We browsed around the Times Square area for a little while. We passed a number of familiar landmarks, including Macy’s department store, We found that walking through Manhattan was fairly easy, as there were pedestrian crossing lights at every intersection. And actually, as afternoon rush hour approached, we noted that it was probably easier traversing this part of the world on foot rather than car; we could step around the automotive gridlock! We also noted the numbers of little food stands and vendor booths on many of the street corners; this place was indeed a bustling marketplace!
Pennsylvania Station.
Madison Square Garden.
Arriving at Times Square.
ESPN Sportszone on Times Square.
Looking out on Times Square from the 3rd floor of ESPN Sportszone.
More of Times Square…What an insanely busy place!
Yet more Times Square.
And more.
An M&M watches pedestrians on Times Square.
More of the sights on Times Square.
Another view of Times Square.
Gerry and Big Jim on Times Square.
Big Jim, acting like a big tourist.
A NYPD substation on Times Square.
We eventually headed to Radio City Music Hall, where we happened upon an international news story! Unbeknownst to us, the Dalai Lama was in New York this day, and gave a speech about two hours earlier at Radio City Music Hall. As we arrived, a large protest rally was taking place across the street from the building, with people holding signs protesting for religious freedom, and telling the Dalai Lama not to lie. It was a peaceful protest, with people waving their signs and cheering. We stood and took in this incredible sight for a few minutes, observing as the NYPD mounted police maintained order, and a police helicopter kept watch from above. And I shot some video…
Here is some video footage from the protest:
http://www.rockpage.net/users/jprice/video/MOV01786.MPG
A poster promoting the person all the fuss was about, the Dalai Lama.
The protest across the street from Radio City Music Hall.
Another look at the protest.
At this point, it was late in the afternoon, and we decided that we would make our way back to the boat dock area and see about catching a bus to Ground Zero. We again passed through the Times Square area during rush hour (again making steady progress while the automobile traffic was bumper to bumper). Although we didn’t get lost, we found that it was a little tougher finding our way out of Manhattan than making our way in; only a few of the streets actually go all the way to the dock area. At one point, we accidentally wandered into what must have been the bus exit ramps from the Lincoln Tunnel, and found ourselves surrounded by buses in a no-pedestrian area. After backtracking out of there, we found ourselves at another dead end near the Jacob Javits Convention Center. But we did eventually find our way back to the dock area we started out from. Then, in our only disappointment of the afternoon, we found out that the buses didn’t go past Ground Zero, and only came within 5 or 6 blocks of it. We had already done a ton of walking already (Gerry, who works for Blair County 911, probably would have needed 911 for his feet had we attempted to do much more walking), and thus decided to bypass Ground Zero for this trip, and save it for a future trip.
We boarded the ferry boat and headed back across the bay, did supper at the Port Imperial Fuddruckers, and then began the drive back home. We arrived back in the ‘Toona at around 1 AM. Our New York adventure had reached its conclusion.
As I said before, you have to experience this place firsthand to really appreciate how grandiose it is, as well as the number and variety of people you encounter, and the colors and sights of this city! Books, movies and television really don’t do it justice.
And there may be a sequel to this adventure, as we are discussing a return assault on the Big Apple for sometime this fall.
The intersection of 8th Avenue and 30th Street in Manhattan, close to Madison Square Garden.
An army of taxis proceeds down 8th Avenue.
The Fox News headquarters.
The New York Times Building.
A look up at some Manhattan skyscrapers.
Here’s a unique parking “garage” we happened upon in Manhattan. Tough luck if the owner of one of the cars in the top row has to go someplace in a hurry…
Another view of a Manhattan skyscraper.
Manhattan skyscrapers even make Big Jim look small!
IAN ROSS TRIO @ CURTIN MALL, ALTOONA 7/18/08
This night started off with the latest installment of the Summer Jazz Concert Series at downtown Altoona’s Curtin Mall. Providing the music this night was the Ian Ross Trio from Ohio.
Once again, a good-sized crowd was on hand to take in the music, food and drink. After procuring some tacos from Tac’O’the Town’s stand, I found a table seat to watch the Ian Ross Trio from.
Namesake Ian plays guitar, with Jeff Long on organ and Seth Rogers on drums. These guys played straight-up instrumental jazz, blending both originals and select cover material. As I arrived, the group was giving a smooth rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” They did three more selections to close out the set, including two original numbers, “Early Afternoon” and “Hittin’ It.”
All three of these players were good, and were obviously having fun blending their talents and playing off one another. Each number allowed them to stretch out and demonstrate their solo and improvisational skills. Their sound was consistent and smooth, and it appeared that the Curtin Mall crowd was appreciating this display of straightforward jazz.
The next set demonstrated more of the same quality musicianship. The Ian Ross Trio did six numbers in all; the only song title I caught was the fourth number, called “All Worked Up.” This number displayed a little more spunk, and drew some dancers up in front of the stage.
Although I had hoped to watch the Ian Ross Trio’s nightcap set, I discovered that nearby Michael’s Café was presenting some outdoor live music this night as well. And as I stepped closer to investigate, I was hooked in…
The Ian Ross Trio.
Seth Rogers of the Ian Ross Trio.
Jeff Long of the Ian Ross Trio.
Group namesake Ian Ross.
Again, the Ian Ross Trio.
CHRIS V. & THE STANLEY STREET BAND @ MICHAEL’S CAFÉ, ALTOONA 7/18/08
Chris V. & the Stanley Street Band were setting up gear outside the 11th Avenue entrance to Michael’s Café, and beer was being sold outside the front door to the folks enjoying the Summer Jazz Concert. This night’s Stanley Street Band assemblage included namesake Chris V. on acoustic guitar and vocals, Mike Stanley on bass (standing “on his own island” on the opposite side of the doorway, apart from the rest of the band), Phil Wagner on electric guitar, and newcomer Sam Thurau (who just moved into the area) on cajon.
Soon the group started into their two-hour performance, entertaining the street crowd with a colorful mixture of original songs and groove-oriented cover material. The group introduced a number of Chris’ new originals, including “Freedom,” “Be,” “Shine,” “Martial,” “Media Controls the World” and more. They also introduced an interesting variety of remakes, including Ben Harper’s “Steal My Kisses,” the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter,” Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” and the night-ending combination of Sublime’s “what I Got” into the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil.” The group also broke out numbers by Dispatch and the Grateful Dead, and honored a request from renowned local singer Jerrone Barnes for Otis Redding’s “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay.”
This edition of Chris V. & the Stanley Street Band did a good job, with all four players quickly settling in and having fun with their various grooves. Phil’s guitar leads were tasteful, and Sam appeared right at home tapping out the rhythms on his cajon.
The audience, which stretched into the street, seemed to enjoy the music (save for one guy’s “likes-to-fight dog,” which became enraged when somebody revved their motorcycle engine); and the overall atmosphere felt almost like Harrisburg’s 2nd Street or Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Maybe this might lead to a similar outdoor nightlife scene in Altoona. One can only hope and keep fingers crossed…
Chris V. & the Stanley Street Band perform outside Michael’s Café.
Three-quarters of Chris V. & the Stanley Street Band.
Standing on his own island, Mike Stanley of Chris V. & the Stanley Street Band.
Chris V., Phil Wagner and Sam Thurau of the Stanley Street Band.
The cajon man this night, Sam Thurau of Chris V. & the Stanley Street Band.
WITHOUT WARNING @ JOHNNY ANGEL’S, PORTAGE 7/18/08
After Chris V. & the Stanley Street Band wrapped up their performance, I decided to head up the mountain to catch some live music. My first stop was Magoo’s, where I expected to see a new band called Remnants of Eileen. However, I learned shortly after arriving that the band cancelled two hours before because one of the members wasn’t feeling well. Apparently, they didn’t hear of the adage “the show must go on.” So I was quickly out the door and headed to another live music destination.
That destination was Johnny Angel’s in Portage, where a new local band, Without Warning, was playing their first show. This band formed from the ashes of several other previous bands, including Exit 10 and Kickin’ Back; and featured singer/rhythm guitarist Mike Burda, lead guitarist Jim Courtot, bassist Bob “Beanz” and drummer Russ Conley.
But this wasn’t a typical debut gig for a new band. Without Warning didn’t just have to deal with the butterflies associated with debuting a new band project; they had to deal with heavy hearts following a tragic automobile accident the previous weekend that killed four of their friends. The accident the previous Sunday morning took the lives of Richard McKrush Jr., Joseph Krug Jr., Eric Secriskey and Ryan Zunich. Without Warning turned the night into an opportunity to bring the Portage community together and help out the families of the accident victims, as they put a donation box in front of the stage.
I arrived after the group had started into their final set, and a large crowd was packed in front of the band and dancing. Without Warning was mixing up rock’n’roll favorites from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, and throwing in a few original numbers along the way. The group’s rock’n’roll variety included numbers from Great White, Dion, J. Geils Band, Duran Duran, Elvis, Bloodhound Gang, Divinyls, Rancid, Romantics, John Mellencamp and more. Two of the original songs they performed included “Swamp Ass” and “The F**k You Song.”
Without Warning represented well for their first show, keeping the music and energy level constant. They stepped it up in their goal of bringing this crowd together and celebrating the lives of their departed friends, encouraging singalongs and doing memorial toasts along the way. They brought the crowd together, and the night ended with audience members singing a capella renditions of “The Rivers of Babylon” and other songs.
It was not the ideal situation to debut a new band, but Without Warning made the best of it, raised some money to help the families, and in their own way helped bring members of the community together to deal with their loss.
Making their debut, Without Warning.
Mike Burda of Without Warning.
Again, Without Warning.
Once again, Without Warning.
Russ Conley of Without Warning.
One more time, Without Warning.
PLEASURE 2 BURN @ MEMORIES, HUNTINGDON 7/19/08
Although workplace duties forced a late start, I stuck with my game plan this night and roadtripped to Memories in Huntingdon to catch my first look at Lewistown quintet Pleasure 2 Burn.
Memories had a good-sized crowd present when I arrived shortly after midnight. Pleasure 2 Burn – singer Kyle Kratzer, lead guitarist Mike Koch, rhythm guitarist Jerry Ross, bassist Jon Hornbaker and former Scream drummer Mike Dooley – rocked the house with versions of Megadeth’s “Symphony of Destruction,” Silverchair’s “Tomorrow,” Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So” and Velvet Revolver’s “Slither” to end the set.
It took a while to procure an open seat, but eventually I commandeered a table by the door entrance during the intermission. More people arrived, including Matt and Steve from The Verge, and Rhyne McCormick (this is the second time in recent weeks Rhyne has shown up at an out-of-town venue I was in; I think the guy might be stalking me…)
Pleasure 2 Burn was soon ready to go with their final set. This set demonstrated more of the group’s hard-rocking variety, opening with Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls on Parade,” and continuing with Finger Eleven’s “Paralyzed” and Maroon 5’s “Harder to Breathe.” The group drew an increasing number of dancers in front of the stage area as they played renditions of the Black Crowes’ “Hard to Handle,” Buckcherry’s “Crazy Bitch,” Puddle Of Mudd’s “She Hates Me,” the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop,” the Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues,” Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall,” Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music,” Jimmy Eats World’s “The Middle” and Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” Then the group pulled out a surprise, as Kyle showed some good vocal power doing Ronnie James Dio on a rendition of “Holy Diver.” Pleasure 2 Burn then closed out the night with their treatments of System of a Down’s “Toxicity” and Tool’s “Sober.”
Overall, I came away pretty impressed with Pleasure 2 Burn. The group maintained a tight pace and was on target with their instrumental execution. They rocked their setlist with confidence and conviction, despite playing in front of a new room and crowd for the first time. Kyle showed a sturdy and capable voice to front it all, able to handle the setlist from Rage agitation to Ronnie Dio range. The Memories crowd warmed up to this new band as well, with more people gracing the dance floor area as the night progressed.
This band will be another rising name to keep an eye on in our region, based on their strong showing this night.
Mike Koch of Pleasure 2 Burn.
Kyle Kratzer of Pleasure 2 Burn.
Mike Dooley of Pleasure 2 Burn.
Again, Kyle Kratzer of Pleasure 2 Burn.
Pleasure 2 Burn, rocking Memories.
Jerry Ross of Pleasure 2 Burn.
Jon Hornbaker of Pleasure 2 Burn.
Again, Pleasure 2 Burn.
Again, Jon Hornbaker of Pleasure 2 Burn.
Again, Mike Dooley of Pleasure 2 Burn.
One more time, Pleasure 2 Burn.
CANDLELIGHT RED @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 7/20/08
My weekend closed out with my second look at Candlelight Red, making their sophomore visit to Pellegrine’s.
A nice-sized crowd was in the house as I arrived before Candlelight Red’s second set. Singer Charlotte Kopp, former Til December guitar man Jeremy Edge and the former Stept On rhythm section of bassist Adam Zimmer and drummer Josh Hetrick quickly drew a crowd onto the dance floor as they did numbers from Lit, Finger Eleven, No Doubt, Tool, Seether, a few heavier numbers and more. Highlights during this set included one of the group’s first original songs, called “Let Me In,” and an unexpected hard-rocking rendition of Jill Sobule’s “I Kissed a Girl.”
Candlelight Red was again sounding strong. The combination of Jeremy, Adam and Josh was again drilling powerful, crunchy backdrops for Charlotte to go to work with. And she did so, again demonstrating a clear and strong voice up front. Charlotte seemed a little more comfortable and at home with the Pelly’s crowd this night; clearly she is settling into her frontlady role.
Soon the group was back for their final stanza of the evening. This set showed more variety, including songs from John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band, Beastie Boys, Buckcherry, Poison, Joan Jett, Carrie Underwood, Drowning Pool and more. Charlotte again demonstrated her vocal firepower on Candlelight Red’s rendition of Dio’s “Holy Diver.” At set’s end, the Pelly’s stagefront crowd wanted to hear more, so Candlelight Red gave them one more, Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name.”
Candlelight Red furthered their stronghold on the Pelly’s crowd this night with their strong performance. And based on the audience response thus far, this new collaboration is being well received, and their fan base is likely to keep growing.
Candlelight Red, entertaining a Pelly’s dance floor crowd.
Charlotte Kopp of Candlelight Red.
Jeremy Edge of Candlelight Red.
Again, Candlelight Red.
Again, Charlotte Kopp of Candlelight Red.
Again, Jeremy Edge of Candlelight Red.
Once again, Candlelight Red.
Once again, Charlotte Kopp of Candlelight Red.
Josh Hetrick of Candlelight Red.
Yet again, Charlotte Kopp of Candlelight Red.
Adam Zimmer of Candlelight Red.
Again, Josh Hetrick of Candlelight Red.
Again, Adam Zimmer of Candlelight Red.
One more time, Josh Hetrick of Candlelight Red.
JP’s HAIKU
John and Red at Post
Insane, freewheeling party
Much Jager consumed
