HOMEGROWN ROCKER 7/4/10

[Jim Price]

Hello Everyone,

Here is the recap of the July 4 edition of Rocky 99 and Rocky 104.9's weekly local music program, "The Homegrown Rocker," which airs every Sunday night from 8 to 10 PM on WRKW-FM (www.rocky99.com) and WRKY-FM (www.rocky1049.com).

Since it was Independence Day, America and the 4th of July were a partial theme of this week’s show, as we spotlighted a few songs about America and the 4th. We also checked out a few new recordings that arrived at “Homegrown Rocker” headquarters in recent weeks; debuting new songs from The Wheels, Sucker, Ben Hardt and his Symphony, East Coast Turnaround, NE 146, Sean O’Donoghue and Dick & the Deer Gutters. We also updated “Local Music News,” featured a 1999 song by Driven for a “Local Music Flashback,” and reviewed Joy Ike’s Rumors CD in “The Professor’s CD Corner.” A busy week!

Here is this week's playlist:

HOUR ONE:

ROADKILL – “Fifth on the 4th of July”
PETE PALLADINO – “4th of July”
THE WHEELS – “The Blow”
GLENN PAVONE & THE CYCLONES – “Bang Bang Baby”
SUCKER – “Can’t Say No”
BEN HARDT AND HIS SYMPHONY – “Runaway”
EAST COAST TURNAROUND – “Cadillac, Cadillac”
DOPPLER AFFECT – “One Last Nail”
NE 146 – “Crystal Eyes”
WAYSTED SYLENCE – “Spirit of the Dark Night”

HOUR TWO:

FELIX & THE HURRICANES – “Lady Liberty”
JACKSON MONSOUR – “July 5th”
SEAN O’DONOGHUE – “Little Miss US of A”
JOY IKE – “Plans”
CHRIS VIPOND & THE STANLEY STREET BAND – “Freedom”
DRIVEN – “Chaos & Rock & Roll” (1999, Local Music Flashback)
DICK AND THE DEER GUTTERS – “Butt Kickin’ Time”
SECOND BEST – “Wake Up, Stand Up”
THIS CALLING – “The Day I Died”
THE EMBALMED – “Deathlehem”

On our next program, we will continue to get caught up on new recordings that have arrived in recent weeks, and will be debuting more new tunes! We’ll also update Local Music News, review another new local/regional CD in “The Professor’s CD Corner,” and dig into the local music archive for another “Local Music Flashback!” Maximum local and regional music on the “Homegrown Rocker,” next Sunday night!

Forthcoming guests and specials include:

JULY 18 – THE BIG TIME
JULY 25 – CONNER GILBERT
AUG. 8 – FAST FORWARD SPECIAL
AUG. 15 – JUSTIN GARMAN
AUG. 22 – KEN GRAY
AUG. 29 – ROYAL BENSON
SEPT. 5 – COVER SONG SPECIAL
SEPT. 12 – MIKE VAVREK
SEPT. 19 – FULL KILT
OCT. 3 – ORIGINAL SIN
OCT. 10 – ACOUSTIC JAM SPECIAL
OCT. 17 – MYSTERYTRAIN
OCT. 24 – SCORCHED
NOV. 7 – SYNESTHESIA

For regular updates on what is happening on the area music scene, pay a visit to Rockpage (www.rockpage.net). Rockpage features band links, a message board, "Homegrown Rocker" updates, the online 'zine publication "The Final Cut," and other local music scene information.

Bands and artists interested in having music aired on "The Homegrown Rocker" are invited to send their broadcast-quality recordings to: WRKY Radio, One Forever Drive, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648; ATTN: Jim Price. Or drop the recordings off at the station during regular business hours, Monday-Friday 9 AM - 5 PM. You can also email me with inquiries about the show at profjp@rocky1049.com.

Jim Price

In Local Music News…

The area music scene has again been rocked by another unexpected passing. Wally Chidboy of Patton died unexpectedly last Monday at age 31. Wally played guitar and drums, and has been involved in various Cambria County-based projects over the past few years, most recently Rick Ramsey’s acoustic project, Ramsey.

The date and bands have been announced for the seventh annual Gigaroo Festival. The event will take place on July 23 and 24 at the Iselin ballfield in Iselin, and proceeds will help out the Rock For Life organization, which helps western PA children battling serious illnesses and other medical conditions. Bands involved in this year’s Gigaroo include Five 2 One, the Terry McCausland Band, Bad Daze, The Sunflower Spectacle, Terry Lee Spencer, After The Fall, Access Denied, Post Traumatik, Dauntia, Vision Through Sound, E.E.L, Older But Wiser, The Minda Brothers, Tender Loving Bashers, Joe Patrick & 4 on the Floor, Usual Suspects and more. Admission for the weekend is $15.

Pittsburgh symphonic rock artist Ben Hardt is hard at work on not one, not two, but three new albums of music. The albums, comprising 21 songs total, will expand upon the theme Hardt first established on his 2007 debut album, a story of two lovers in London during World War II. The albums will be Acts I, II and III of the story. He plans to issue the albums over the course of nine months starting this fall. Hardt is currently on a fund drive and accepting financial pledges to support the release of the albums through the website Kickstarter.com; for more information about the project, you can visit Ben Hardt’s Myspace website, www.myspace.com/benhardt.