Brian was an active part of the Altoona area's punk, hardcore and metal scene, and fronted a number of bands, including FedUp, Revolutionary Front, Dysfunktion and more. He and his bands were frequently involved in all ages shows, as well as various benefits at places like Aldo's and Peter C's.
Beyond music, though, Brian was a personality off the stage. I always liked his irreverent sense of humor - he was responsible for some of the hardest laughing fits I've had in recent years, as he had a knack for coming up with a funny comment at the perfect moment. And on Rockpage, he frequently stirred up laughs on various threads here for a number of years.
On a more serious and personal note, I remember when I lost my full-time radio gig at Q94 back in 2008, Brian was one of the first people to offer me an opportunity for new employment, as he spoke with me about coming aboard with the telemarketing endeavor he was managing at the time. Although my college teaching gig situation came up shortly after, I'm thankful to Brian for offering me that opportunity.
Brian was also an avid fisherman, and he shared stories with me about his fishing adventures at the Raystown spillway and some of the fish he caught there. He told me to give him a call if I ever wanted to try out that area, but sadly I never had the chance to take him up on it.
And I remember the final time I got to speak with Brian, which was 3 or 4 years ago at McGarvey's during the Super Bowl. He, the late "Big Jim" Ricotta and I enjoyed the game together at a table, enjoying food, beers and laughs.
I have some of Brian's demo CD's from some of his band projects (such as FedUp and Dysfunktion), and will break out a song or two on an upcoming "Homegrown Rocker" in his memory.
My thoughts are with Brian's family, as well as his parents, Jim and Cindy (Jim was an elementary school classmate of mine), and all his friends and associates in the area music community.
Thanks for the music, laughter, friendship and being you, Brian...
Here are a few pictures I took of Brian on the stage over the years - including fronting Revolutionary Front at Aldo's in December 2004, two pictures of him fronting FedUp at Aldo's in June 2006, and him singing to his young daughter as he fronted The Side Effects during the Kuny Family Benefit at 30 Something in December 2009.
