FOLKFEST/ETHNIC FESTIVAL WEEKEND, JOHNSTOWN 8/29-8/31/08
(continued)
SUNDAY 8/31:
After returning home to take care of that sleep thing and get a few vital household chores out of the way, I quickly was back on the road to Johnstown to enjoy the last day of both Johnstown Folkfest and Cambria City Ethnic Festival; again hellbent on experiencing as much live music from both events as I could!
Upon my return to downtown Johnstown’s Festival Park, my first destination was the AmeriServ stage to witness Farmer Jason. This was actually the kids show alter ego of Jason and the Scorchers namesake Jason Ringenberg, and provided a totally different side of his musical personality. With a good-sized contingent of families, kids and music fans in attendance, Farmer Jason performed playful acoustic songs for the younger set, mixing his wit and sense of humor in along the way. Nearly every song encouraged participation from the young audience members, including one song where Jason improvised each verse based on various animals children were asked to whisper into his ear. On another song, the doo-wop singalong “Moose on the Loose,” Jason welcomed up special guest Webb Wilder. Jason also invited a young guest guitar player, Tyner Hilton from Maine, to perform on the song “The Tractor Goes Chug Chug Chug.” Jason revealed a little of his other musical personality on the set-closer “Punk Rock Star,” where he had the kids jumping up and down to a Ramones midsection. For the encore, Jason invited youngsters up to the stage to jump up and down in unison on “The Kitty Song.” Even though it was targeted for the young set, I thought Farmer Jason’s performance was fun and entertaining, and showed Jason’s talents for improvising on the fly, especially when kids unexpectedly say the darnedest things…
Jason Ringenberg’s alter ego, Farmer Jason.
Again, Farmer Jason.
Farmer Jason and special guest Webb Wilder.
Farmer Jason welcomes young special guest guitarist Tyner Hilton.
Farmer Jason gets some youngsters to jump up and down.
Next, I headed to the Dodge stage, where Jordan Valentine & the Sunday Saints were set to begin their second set. Namesake and singer Jordan Valentine is a Pittsburgh native, who with her band now call Boston their home base. Flanking her are Dave Lewis on guitar, Mirek Kocandrle on bass, Andrew Malone on keys, Dennis McCarthy on drums, and a three-piece horn section featuring tenor sax players Paul Ahlstrand and Luke Gosselin and trumpet player Paul Tomashefsky. As they kicked into their set, Jordan Valentine & the Sunday Saints revealed their sound as a blend of old-school R&B, New Orleans jazz, pop and funk. Jordan herself demonstrated a powerful and soulful voice as she and the band performed original songs and select cover material. Several of the original songs stemmed from the group’s prior incarnation as The World’s Greatest Sinners; including a version of Cookie Jackson’s “Do You Still Love Me,” “Voodoo Workin’” and the gospel-tinged “Testify.” Some of the group’s other songs included “The Gossip,” “Mojo Hannah,” “There’s a Brick in the Road” and “Daddy Love.”
Jordan Valentine & the Sunday Saints.
Jordan Valentine & the Sunday Saints’ horn section.
Andrew Malone of Jordan Valentine & the Sunday Saints.
Jordan Valentine.
Again, Jordan Valentine.
Dave Lewis of Jordan Valentine & the Sunday Saints.
Once again, Jordan Valentine.
Again, the Sunday Saints’ horn section.
Dennis McCarthy of Jordan Valentine & the Sunday Saints.
After Jordan Valentine’s set concluded, I headed to the Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield stage to see Johnstown’s own Tim Dabbs. A singer, songwriter and acoustic guitarist, Tim was performing with a full band this day; flanked by Rick Cosgrove on guitar, Anthony Frazier on drums, his wife Amy on flute and accordion, and Mitchell (I didn’t catch his last name) on bass. Tim gave a fascinating performance. He is a gifted songwriter with a knack for telling stories, and his songs are rooted in the storyteller songwriting traditions of Harry Chapin, Gordon Lightfoot and John Denver. Many of the songs he performed this afternoon had stories behind them, which he shared with the audience. Many of those songs are rooted right here in Pennsylvania, and particularly in his native Johnstown area. The first song Tim did after I arrived was such a Johnstown-rooted song, “The Day the Rumors Came True,” written about the 1889 Johnstown flood. Tim continued to mix original songs with select cover material; among the original tunes he performed were “227” (about his grandmother, who used to play the daily number), “Cambria Bells” (about the church bells in Cambria City, many whose future is now uncertain after Bishop Adamec proclaimed this past March that five of the churches would close and merge into one), the title from his latest album Safely Home (about Lt. Colonel Michael Anderson and the crew of space shuttle Columbia, which disintegrated upon entry back into the earth’s atmosphere in 2003), “Worn Ivory Keys” (also about his grandmother) “Waterman” (about the waterman culture of the Chesapeake Bay), “Shine Your Boots” (for his grandfather, a conductor on the Conemaugh and Blacklick Railroad), “Graveyard of the Alleghenies” (about the early pioneers of the airmail service) and “Running River” (a song inspired by trout fishing). Tim also did nice work on his cover selection, which included Harry Chapin classics such as “Cat’s in the Cradle” and “W.O.L.D.,” John Denver’s “Back Home Again,” John Prine’s “Muhlenberg County,” Cheryl Wheeler’s “Howl at the Moon,” Steve Goodman’s “City of New Orleans” and more. Tim was front and center, with the rest of the musicians nicely coloring and accenting his selections. Tim’s calm presentation and topical lyrical subject matter made his performance interesting and entertaining, and another highlight of my 2008 Folkfest experience.
Tim Dabbs.
Tim Dabbs and his band.
Playing guitar alongside Tim Dabbs this day, Rick Cosgrove.
Again, Tim Dabbs.
Tim Dabbs and Rick Cosgrove.
Once again, Tim Dabbs.
Amy Dabbs, Mitchell and Tim Dabbs.
Playing drums for Tim Dabbs, Anthony Frazier.
Amy and Tim Dabbs.
Again, Anthony Frazier.
I spoke with Tim’s drummer, Anthony Frazier, during and following Tim’s performance. Anthony, like me, promotes local and regional music on the radio airwaves, hosting “The Acoustic Hour” Sunday mornings on WCCS, 1160 AM in Homer City. I had heard about the show, so it was cool to meet the man behind the show! We swapped notes about our respective shows and did the networking thing; very cool!
From there, I returned to the Dodge stage to see more of Del Castillo, after being amazed by just one of their songs the night before. This time, I caught the better part of an entire set from the group, and was again amazed by the talents of the group’s namesake brothers, Rick and Mark Del Castillo, and their brand of flamenco-styled shredding. Their classical-styled flamenco guitarwork was beautiful, yet technically amazing and tight; Eddie Van Halen would have been envious of some of the stuff these guys were doing on their acoustics! Del Castillo again performed a style that blended Latin music and rock; their lyrics were both in Spanish and English, and their stylistic range varied between traditional Latin acoustic sounds and Santana-like rock flourishes. Again, I thought this band was very unique and original in their approach, and amazing in their overall musicality. If Del Castillo returns to Folkfest down the road, I highly recommend them!
Playing behind his neck, Mark Del Castillo.\
Rick Del Castillo.
Del Castillo.
Again, Del Castillo.
Alex Ruiz of Del Castillo.
The brothers Del Castillo blend their guitar mastery.
Once again, Rick and Mark Del Castillo.
With the Dodge stage nearly adjacent to the Iron Street heritage trail to Cambria City, I departed Folkfest at this point to spend some more time at the Cambria City Ethnic Festival. The first performer I encountered was Denise Baldwin, wrapping up the weekend’s acoustic performers at the Bottleworks stage. As I grabbed the Polish supper under the tent outside Ace’s Lounge, I enjoyed Denise’s performance as she applied her powerful and rangeful voice on a selection of original songs and select classics. Denise did several familiar original tunes off her CD such as “Roses Are Dead” and “Standing in the Rain,” along with some tunes I hadn’t heard in a while like Rickie Lee Jones’ “Chuck E’s In Love,” Joni Mitchell’s “Help Me,” plus renditions of Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind” and Melissa Etheridge’s “I’m the Only One.”
Denise Baldwin.
Again, Denise Baldwin.
After finishing my meal, I headed down Chestnut Street to Holy Cross Lutheran Church to catch some of Red Alert’s performance. Red Alert had a different look this day, as lead singer Denise Trautman-Karwoski continues to recuperate from recent her health issues and was still on the disabled list. Three singers filled Denise’s shoes, as Tom Pavic, Melissa Nagle and Ron Piljay made Red Alert more resemble the Johnstown Classic Rockers! The three singers, guitarist Dave Nichols, bassist Steve Spack and drummer Greg Malec performed a selection of classic hits spanning from The Supremes and Patsy Cline to Johnny Rivers, ZZ Top, Billy Joel, Johnny Cash and more. All three singers capably filled the role, each showing good voice and harmonizing well. This edition of Red Alert triggered some dance action along the way, and was well-received by the audience.
The Red Alert Classic Rockers.
Tom Pavic, Melissa Nagle and Ron Piljay of Red Alert.
Dave Nichols of Red Alert.
Tom Pavic and Melissa Nagle.
Steve Spack of Red Alert.
Again, Red Alert.
Again, Melissa Nagle.
Again, Tom Pavic.
After catching about an hour of Red Alert’s performance, I worked my way back up Chestnut Street to take in more of the festival. I hadn’t logged any time at St. Mary’s pavilion yet, so I headed there to watch some of Johnstown favorite Jerry Intihar’s performance. Jerry and his group blended popular standards and polkas while I was there; including renditions of the Fats Domino hit “Blueberry Hill,” Frank Sinatra’s “New York New York,” “In Heaven There Is No Beer,” “The Gypsy Girl” and more.
Jerry Intihar and his band.
Jerry Intihar.
Some couples dance to Jerry Intihar and his band.
I continued further to St. Stephen’s Church, where the Jimmy Lamb Trio was just finishing up a set. Namesake Jimmy Lamb played keys and sang, flanked by Jerry Sandusky on sax and Don Wilson on drums. I arrived in time to see the group do Sam the Sham’s “Wooly Bully” and a boogie number before going on break.
The Jimmy Lamb Trio.
I then headed to Ace’s Lounge to check in with Rockpager Onetooloud and see what band would be performing as the clock struck 8 PM. That band would be the current edition of the Buzz Munkys. Now five members strong (although I didn’t catch any of the band members’ names except for drummer Rick Rock), the Buzz Munkys did solid work on a selection of classics while I was there, doing tunes from the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pink Floyd, Georgia Satellites, Poison and more.
The Buzz Munkys.
The Buzz Munkys’s bassist.
Again, the Buzz Munkys.
I then returned to Johnstown Folkfest to catch a performer I had heard a lot of good buzz about from his performance earlier in the weekend, Jason Ricci & New Blood, performing on the Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield stage. This was the main blues entry in this year’s Folkfest, and it delivered the goods! Namesake Jason Ricci himself looks like he would look more at home with a group like Blink 182, with his spiky, pink-dyed hairdo. But once this guy unleashed his skills, he showed he firmly fit into the traditional world of blues, jazz and roots rock! Jason’s forte is harmonica, and he frequently displayed his mastery of the harp, at one point delivering a stunning nonstop, nearly 15-minute solo harmonica clinic! Sharing the spotlight with Jason and his band was a special guest singer, Gina Fox. Gina displayed a smooth and sultry voice as she comfortably fit in with Jason Ricci’s blues and jazz-rock song terrain. I didn’t catch many of their song titles, but the displays of Jason’s hot harmonica and Gina’s vocal talents made this another of the highlights of this year’s Folkfest for me; enough so that I bought one of Jason’s CD’s afterward (and would have bought Gina’s solo album had I had more bucks on me this night!).
With special guest singer Gina Fox, Jason Ricci & New Blood.
Shawn Starsky, Gina Fox and Jason Ricci.
Shawn Starsky of Jason Ricci & New Blood.
Again, Gina Fox sings with Jason Ricci & New Blood.
Todd Edmunds of Jason Ricci & New Blood.
Putting on a harmonica clinic, Jason Ricci.
Again, Jason Ricci.
Jason Ricci & New Blood.
Once again, Jason Ricci.
Jason Ricci continues his marathon harmonica solo display.
Once again, Gina Fox.
Once again, Gina Fox and Jason Ricci.
More of Jason Ricci & New Blood with Gina Fox.
With special guest singer Gina Fox, Jason Ricci & New Blood.
Ron Sutton of Jason Ricci & New Blood.
Next, I went to the nearby Conemaugh Health System stage to see Red Collar. From Durham, North Carolina, Red Collar is a foursome featuring Johnstown native Jason Kutchma on lead voice and guitar, and his wife, Beth, on bass. Red Collar did explosive punk-geared rock, showcasing original songs from their Hands Up EP and more. This group demonstrated a lot of agitation and intensity, often with songs that started out slowly but quickly escalated into full-throttled assaults. Instrumentally they were very tight and together, and vocally they brought the rage. A good-sized local contingent of families and friends were on hand to cheer Red Collar on (including Pivot frontman Mark Lux, shooting video).
Red Collar stirs things up at Johnstown Folkfest.
Jason Kutchma of Red Collar.
Again, Jason Kutchma.
Mike Jackson and Beth Kutchma of Red Collar.
Again, Red Collar.
Once again, Jason Kutchma of Red Collar.
Paul O’Keefe of Red Collar.
One more time, Red Collar.
After Red Collar finished, I returned to the Dodge stage to witness the finale performance of Folkfest, the night-ending zydeco party with Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers. Once again Dwayne and his band played it full tilt in front of a happy, jumping and jubilant mass of humanity. The musicianship was again frenzied and intense, with Dwayne on his accordion and washboard man Alex again frequently dueling back and forth. More strands of beads were frequently being tossed to the crowd from the stage, and it was another maximum Johnstown Folkfest zydeco blowout party! During the encore, Dwayne Dopsie stepped behind the drum kit to provide some beats while the rest of his band jammed away.
Bringing the zydeco party once again, Dwayne Dopsie.
Dwayne Dopsie’s sax player.
Glenn Sam of Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers.
Getting ready to toss out more beads, Dwayne Dopsie.
Back out to duel in the crowd, Alex McDonald and Dwayne Dopsie.
Again, Alex and Dwayne.
Again, Glenn Sam and Dwayne’s sax player.
Again jamming away on the accordion, Dwayne Dopsie.
Once again, Glenn Sam.
Dwayne Dopsie goes behind the drum kit.
Again, Alex McDonald.
Dwayne Dopsie’s drummer goes around the outside of the kit.
Once again, Dwayne Dopsie’s drummer.
All good things must come to an end, and for the happy crowd in front of the Dodge stage, the zydeco party eventually came to a close, and thus another Johnstown Folkfest was in the books. Once again the talent at this year’s Folkfest was off the map, and multiple musical highlights made this one of the more memorable Folkfests I’ve experienced. Hats off to Ron Carnevali, Shelley Johanssen and the JAHA folks for assembling a stellar cast of performers!
BROKEN SPOKE @ FOREST HILLS FESTIVAL, ST. MICHAEL 9/1/08
With the other three Johnstown festivals finishing the day before, I spent my Labor Day Monday enjoying a doubleheader of entertainment. First, I headed to Blair County Ballpark for the final game of the Altoona Curve’s home season, a 12 noon matinee against the Reading Phillies. The Curve made a special entrance into this game, recreating the cornfield entrance scene from the movie Field of Dreams. Although the Curve had a losing season, they won their home finale, 8-2.
From Blair County Ballpark, I headed back over the mountain to attend the remaining Johnstown area festival still in progress, the Forest Hills Festival in St. Michael. Performing this afternoon was Pittsburgh’s Broken Spoke.
Featuring D.J. Honse on lead guitar, fiddle and pedal steel, Keith Thayer on rhythm guitar, Johnstown’s Bobby Palmer on bass, Brian Powell on lead guitar and Jay Harris on drums (all five sing); Broken Spoke entertained festival-goers with a selection of country and rock’n’roll favorites, delivered with gusto and a playful spirit. As I first arrived, the group was into a rendition of Dwight Yoakum’s “Fast as You,” before doing Hank Williams’ classic “Jambalaya.” Bobby sang lead on Toby Keith’s “Who’s Your Daddy,” before the group closed their first set with Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Pride and Joy,” attracting some line dancers to the dance area in front of the stage.
The intermission provided me an opportunity to grab some food items, and chat with the Conniptions contingent in attendance. I also discovered Broken Spoke’s merchandise table, which featured free informational brochures about the band – I like a band that makes my job as a music journalist easy! And the group also had a “Thank You Troops” section of the table, where “Thank you” cards were available for visitors to sign and write messages to our troops serving overseas. It turns out three members of Broken Spoke have sons, daughters or nephews serving in the military; Keith’s stepson Chad recently returned from Iraq, while Bobby’s son-in-law Billy is currently in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The band will send the signed cards over to the troops.
Soon Broken Spoke returned for their second set. After opening with “Mountain Music,” the group gave their own entertaining spin on Charlie Daniels’ “Devil Went Down to Georgia;” as D.J. brought his fiddle to the dance area in front of the stage, where he was chased and challenged by Brian donning a devil mask! Next was the Charlie Daniels double shot of “Drinkin’ My Baby Goodbye” and “South’s Gonna Do It Again.” Then as the band started into “Orange Blossom Special,” D.J. brought his fiddle out to join the seated picnic bench audience before he, Keith and Brian all played their instruments while lying on their backs in front of the stage! The group returned to the Hank Williams lexicon for “Your Cheatin’ Heart” as several couples slow-danced in front of the stage. They then picked the tempo back up with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Gimme Three Steps,” offered a little levity with “Pfft You Were Gone” from Hee Haw and the Green Acres theme. The group then closed their performance with an a cappella performance of “Goodnight Sweetheart.”
Broken Spoke’s performance was strong, yet constantly fun and upbeat. These guys were good on their instruments, and all did good work in their respective singing duties as well. They kept it fun, delivering their tunes with constant smiles, and having fun with the audience as they went along. Broken Spoke was a hit with the Forest Hills Festival audience, and likely won some new fans this day.
Broken Spoke, entertaining at the Forest Hills Festival.
Keith Thayer of Broken Spoke.
D.J. Honse of Broken Spoke, being pursued by “The Devil” Bobby Palmer.
Bobby Palmer of Broken Spoke.
D.J. Honse of Broken Spoke.
D.J. Honse and Brian Powell of Broken Spoke.
Again, Broken Spoke.
Again, D.J. Honse.
Brian Powell of Broken Spoke.
Keith Thayer of Broken Spoke, getting a kick out of the afternoon.
D.J. Honse of Broken Spoke, fiddling around with the audience.
Bobby, D.J. and Keith of Broken Spoke bring the party in front of the stage.
Broken Spoke, laying down on the job.
Brian Powell of Broken Spoke, performing on his back.
D.J. Honse of Broken Spoke, fiddling around on his back.
Broken Spoke, triggering slow-dance action with a ballad.
Following Broken Spoke's performance, I stuck around to see a little of the Johnstown Area Buttonbox Club's performance. Who showed up to do a little dance during their first song, than our old friend The Unicorn Man...He lives!
JP's HAIKU
Johnstown fest weekend
Nonstop Folkfest, Ethnic Fest
JP’s head swimming!
