FELIX & THE HURRICANES @ PETER C’S, ALTOONA 3/4/04
This Thursday found me doing my usual monthly drill of delivering the new March issues of Pennsylvania Musician around the Altoona area. Once the task was completed, I ended the evening with some Thursday Hurricaning at Peter C’s.
Unlike the previous Thursday, a good-sized crowd was in the house as I arrived shortly after midnight. A number of musicians were in the house, too, including members of Pneumatic, Dafunkt and Stillframe. The prospects of some onstage guests through the course of the evening were looking good.
I didn’t have to wait long, as Kevin Siegel took up position behind the Hurricanes’ drum kit, and furnished the beat on versions of “One Way Out,” “Take Me to the River” and an audience request for Molly Hatchet’s “Flirtin’ with Disaster.” ‘Canes drummer Bob Watters returned to the drum kit for Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” and the Hurricanes continued with songs from the Allman Brothers, Ted Nugent and Charlie Daniels. The group then introduced a new song I had not heard them perform before, Eddie Rabbitt’s “Drivin’ My Life Away.” The ‘Canes segued this directly into “Who’s Foolin’ Who,” before it was time for another guest appearance. One of the original “Hurricaniacs,” “Uncle Bud,” took up position on guest mic to help provide backing vocals on a version of Dr. Hook’s “Cover of the Rolling Stone.” Lead Hurricane Felix Kos remarked that the occasion brought back memories of the group’s early years; when they played Thursdays at Frank’s Pier in Gallitzin, and “Uncle Bud” used to regularly get up and sing with them. The group then finished out the night with their original anthem “Keep On Rockin,’” a repeat performance of “Flirtin’ with Disaster,” and the Allman Brothers’ “Soulshine.” When the Peter C’s crowd called for the encore, the Hurricanes delivered with a version of Steppenwolf’s “The Pusher,” allowing lead ‘Cane Felix to experiment with some hallucinogenic guitar effects, before he ripped the strings out of his instrument at night’s end.
No doubt inspired by the good-sized, enthusiastic Peter C’s crowd, Felix & the Hurricanes gave an exciting, heartfelt performance. You could tell that Felix, Jeff and Bob were happy to be onstage and making music this night; the three musicians continually pushed and challenged each other to take their respective games to a higher level.
Ever-reliable, the Hurricanes again provided the successful blast-off to another weekend.
Felix & the Hurricanes, tearing it up onstage at Peter C’s.
”Uncle Bud” joins in the ‘Canes festivities onstage.
An American original, “Uncle Bud.”
FRAYED/THE GRIMM @ PETER C’S, ALTOONA 3/5/04
Never let it be said that I don’t try to give new bands a chance. Case in point: My original game plan this night was to go see Astra perform at Aldo’s. Although day job duties and supper plans delayed the start of my bandwatching some this night, I figured even if I arrived at 11:45 at Aldo’s, I’d still have ample time to take in Astra’s show. But upon arrival at Aldo’s, I discovered that no band was playing. Aldo and main lady behind the bar Amy told me that Astra was already packed up and GONE for the night. The impression I got from both Aldo and Amy was that I apparently wasn’t missing much, and that Astra didn’t do particularly well during their first set. It’s rare that Aldo’s would ever shut down a band’s show prior to midnight unless they were scaring bodies out of the venue.
So with the Aldo’s option exhausted, I deferred to Peter C’s to see what was up with The Grimm and Frayed. Frayed had already performed their opening set, and The Grimm was into the first of their two sets. A decent-sized crowd was in attendance, including representatives from Dafunkt, Breakdown, Drive, Amplified Heat and the openers, Frayed.
The Grimm was in the midst of “6’s and 7’s” from their first album as I procured my first foamy beverage from Jeff the bartender. The Grimm then did the title track from their Resurruption, followed by an instrumental original and two more Resurruption tunes, “Suicide Knob” and “Forced Reflection.” The group shifted into remake mode to finish out their first set, first performing A Perfect Circle’s “Judith,” and then launching into a Metallica medley containing snippets from “Master Of Puppets,” “Creeping Death,” “Small Hours,” “Four Horsemen” and “Am I Evil.”
So far, The Grimm were in good form. Singer Bob Lee’s voice was strong and clear, particularly on the original material. And guitarist Kirk “Otto” Tonkin, bassist Kent Tonkin and drummer Dom Peruso executed crisply and tightly. They were especially effective on the Metallica medley; demonstrating razor-sharp execution and clarity.
The Grimm returned to their Resurruption opus to begin the nightcap set, commencing with “Flatline Parts I & II” and “Raise the Line.” The group then alternated between original and cover material, mixing songs from Staind, Tool and more in with “Dead Time” from the self-titled Grimm CD, “Fade” from Resurruption and “Angry and Shirtless” from Cleansing The Pit to end the night.
For The Grimm, it was another strong performance. The group was instrumentally on the money; and vocally, singer Bob was confident and focused, concentrating just the right balance of intensity and restraint into his presentation. The Tonkin brothers were precise on their respective instruments, and drummer Dom has settled into his role as the Grimm timekeeper well, able to handle the complex time signature and tempo shifts of The Grimm’s original song material with no problem.
It wasn’t the show I had originally intended to see; but The Grimm’s strong showing justified my eventual decision to head to Peter C’s this night.
The Grimm, providing the nightcap to Peter C’s double-bill.
Big Bad Bob Lee of The Grimm.
Dom Peruso of The Grimm.
Once again, The Grimm.
Kirk “Otto” Tonkin of The Grimm.
Big Bad Bob addresses his stagefront minion.
Once again, Bob Lee of The Grimm.
In the night’s latter stages, The Grimm, slamming the lid on the night at Peter C’s.
TOTEM @ MAGOO’S, CRESSON 3/6/04
With no snow in the forecast this night, I headed up the mountain to discover a new band I had not yet seen, Totem, making their first Cresson appearance at Magoo’s.
Magoo’s had a good-sized crowd in attendance as I entered and procured my first brew of the evening. Totem, the new band project featuring former members of Johnstown’s Vice, was performing a feisty version of Jonny Lang’s “Lie to Me.” Singer/guitarist Perry Sheesley, bassist Paul Lanzendorfer, keyboardist Gene Suto, drummer Tom Gajewski, and special guest percussionist Jerry Jackovich continued to perform a variety of classics. After Jethro Tull’s “Locomotive Breath,” Totem shifted into Joe Cocker’s “Feelin’ Alright,” with Perry demonstrating his best Joe Cocker growl, and Gene sparkling on the keys. Totem then kicked into Derek & the Dominoes’ “Layla” – a bold move – and proceeded to NAIL both halves of the song dead on! Perry’s guitarwork and Gene’s ivory tinkling both shined on this classic. The highlights for this set weren’t over yet – Totem shifted into Bob Seger mode for “Sunspot Baby.” As many times as I’ve heard Bob Seger covered over the years, Perry came the closest I’ve heard to actually capturing Seger’s signature gruff-edged growl. Totem then sent the evening into intermission with a smoking edition of the Allman Brothers’ “Whipping Post.”
During intermission, I ran into a musician in the house who was also checking out the proceedings, Trace Moran Band namesakes, Trace Moran. We compared notes on the impressive performance we had seen from Totem thus far. Magoo’s in general appeared happy with what they had seen from Totem thus far, with a number of fans already familiar with several of the band members from their prior stint with Vice.
Soon Totem returned to action, picking up the musical fireworks where they left off on a hot version of Fleetwood Mac/Santana’s “Black Magic Woman,” featuring an extended jam-filled ending that eventually segued into Jimi Hendrix’s “Third Stone from the Sun.” The group continued to dish out a variety of classics, performed with dazzling musicianship. After versions of ZZ Top’s “Velcro Fly” and Them’s “Gloria,” Totem introduced an original song, “I Have a Real Good Feeling.” This song was upbeat, and had a slight Santana Latin-rock feel to it. The group then performed versions of Deep Purple’s “Hush” and Free’s “Alright Now,” before closing out the set with the fiery Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels double-shot of “Devil with a Blue Dress On” and “C.C. Rider.” With Magoo’s dance floor busy and churning at this late stage, the crowd demanded an encore; which Totem answered with John Cafferty’s “on The Dark Side.”
I was very impressed with my first look at Totem. This band was strong all around; these musicians were veteran players who had their act very together. Perry Sheesley was the focal point, both with his powerful, gravelly voice and heated guitarwork throughout the evening. And Totem maintained a tasty balance between Perry’s guitar and Gene Suto’s keys. I also very much liked the group’s diverse classic rock song selection, as Totem touched on a variety of sounds, and showed tastefulness and talent on all of it.
Totem was an obvious hit with Magoo’s, and it is likely they will be back sometime soon. If you’re up for hot musicianship, strong performances and good, muscular rock and roll, definitely catch Totem when they hit your neighborhood.
Totem, making their Magoo’s debut.
Perry Sheesley of Totem.
Paul Lanzendorfer of Totem.
Again, Totem, keeping Magoo’s dance floor busy.
Again, Perry Sheesley of Totem.
Demonstrating his hot guitarwork, Perry Sheesley of Totem.
Once again, Totem, laying down the classic rocking good time at Magoo’s.
FELIX & THE HURRICANES @ THE HITCHING POST, ALTOONA 3/7/04
After Felix & the Hurricanes helped me to celebrate the 6th anniversary of Q94’s “Backyard Rocker,” I decided to return the favor and help the ‘Canes slam the lid on another weekend at Altoona’s Hitching Post.
The mood at the Hitching Post wasn’t totally festive, though. Just a few days before, a friend and fan of the Hurricanes, Mike McElhaney, suddenly passed away at age 24. Several family members were in the house, and some tears were shed as the Hurricanes dedicated “When the Saints Go Marching In,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” and their own original song “Walking a Straight Line” in Mike’s memory.
On either side of that remembrance, though, it was a laid-back and reserved Hurricanes good time. The ‘Canes mixed it up pretty well between Southern and classic rock favorites, with a few of their original songs mixed in. Highlights included Felix Kos’ guitar fireworks on Jimi Hendrix’s “Redhouse,” John Michael Montgomery’s “Sold (Grundy County Auction Incident)” with a member of the Hitching Post bar staff, Faith, contributing vocals; and Hitching Post resident wildman Dennis prompting Hurricanes drum man Bob Watters to drink beer out of his hat.
After a fiery version of Ted Nugent’s “Great White Buffalo” ended the last set, the Hurricanes answered Hitching Post encore demands with their original tune “Grow,” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” to send the night – and weekend – home.
The Hitching Post’s Faith helps the Hurricanes out on vocals.
Once again, Faith, helping out the Hurricanes’ party.
