HOMEGROWN ROCKER 4/6/25 (BLAIR CREATORS FESTIVAL)

[Jim Price]

Hello Everyone,

Here is the recap of the April 6 edition of “The Homegrown Rocker,” which airs every Sunday night from 8 to 10 PM on Q94 Classic Rock (www.q94classicrock.com), and from 10 PM to midnight on 107.1 and 101.3 Jack FM (www.1071jack.fm)!

This week, we discussed the upcoming Blair Creators Festival, which takes place on Saturday, April 26, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at downtown Altoona’s Heritage Plaza, presented by ArtsAltoona and the Sheetz Fellows program at Penn State Altoona. Joining us in the studio to discuss the event were ArtsAltoona president Donna Gority, festival director Bella Rhoades of Penn State Altoona’s Sheetz Fellows program, and area musician Ethan Eckenroad, currently competing in Season 27 of NBC Television’s “The Voice!” We learned all the details surrounding the festival, and featured music from the participating bands and performers! We also debuted new songs from Dom Frucella, Paulie & the After Party, The Mandibles and Billy Davis; updated “Local Music News,” and dug a 1997 song by State College’s Sideshow Bob from the archive for this week’s “Local Music Flashback!” (For those who missed the program, a four-part podcast of this show is available for listening or download from Q94’s website, www.q94classicrock.com. Click on “The Professor’s Classroom,” and then scroll down to “Homegrown Rocker Podcast” and look for the four show segments marked with the date, 040625.)

Here is this week’s playlist:

HOUR ONE:

BLACK RIDGE – “Sweat”

WANDERLOST – “Carolina”

DOM FRUCELLA – “South Bound”

ZAC GRACE – “Firefly Summer Night”

THE CHROME HEARTS (STEPHANIE & THE WILD HEARTS – “Lookin’ at My Boots”

PAULIE & THE AFTER PARTY – “Four Questions”

ETHAN ECKENROAD – “Chase the Sun”

ALLISON BOREK – “Melancholy”

BILLY DAVIS – “Take Me to Your Leader”

HOUR TWO:

THE JADED LIPS – “Sold the Souls”

TOY – “Chemical Burns”

TOM NEVERS FIELD – “Heaven Held Hostage”

HOT FUDGE MONDAES (SEARCH PARTY) – “Sorrow”

SWEET DESIRE – “The Dealer”

SIDESHOW BOB – “Genius” (1997, Local Music Flashback)

FELIX & THE HURRICANES – “Walking A Straight Line”

THE JUKEHOUSE BOMBERS – “All Night Long”

THE MANDIBLES – “In A Ruthless Way”

WALKNEY – “Take Me”

For our next program, we will speak via phone with Mike Wise – the singer, ringleader and remaining founding member of longtime central PA party band juggernaut Emily’s Toybox! Emily’s Toybox this year marks their 30th anniversary as a band – we’ll get Mike’s thoughts on that milestone, plus recap the group’s career, discuss the current band and live show, and get folks fired up for Emily’s Toybox’s next visit to Altoona’s Concordia Society on Saturday, April 19! We’ll also air some Emily’s Toybox “oldies but goodies” and hear a brand new song off the group’s upcoming album! Plus we’ll update “Local Music News” and dig a “Local Music Flashback” from the archive! Hear the “Homegrown Rocker” this Sunday night (April 13) on Q94 Classic Rock – 94.3 FM and online at www.q94classicrock.com, and on 107.1 and 101.3 Jack FM, online at www.1071jack.fm!

Upcoming guests and specials:

APRIL 20 – Samantha Sears

APRIL 27 – Buffalo Rose

MAY 4 – MSJR with Derek Woods

MAY 18 – James Grove (Acoustic Altoona)

MAY 25 – Memorial Day Special

JUNE 15 – Father’s Day Special

AUG. 10 – Billy Davis

DEC. 14 – Dr. Barry Atticks (Lilla Jul Rockeband)

(All dates are subject to changes as circumstances warrant.)

Bands and artists wanting to submit news items for “Local Music News” may email their news to homegrownrocker@gmail.com. Indicate “MUSIC NEWS” in the subject heading!

Bands and artists interested in having music aired on the show are invited to send their broadcast-quality recordings to: The Homegrown Rocker, 2513 6th Avenue, Altoona, PA 16602 (ATTN: Jim Price). You can also email digital song files or inquiries about the show to homegrownrocker@gmail.com; and submit digital song files through the link on “The Professor’s Classroom” page. And bands and musicians interested in being guests on the program can email their interest to homegrownrocker@gmail.com as well!

Jim Price

In Local Music News…

A new band trio called Booby Trap will be debuting on area stages in July. All three group members – Bob Helbig on bass, Aaron Wolf on guitars and John Shimko on keys and drums – will share lead singing duties. Booby Trap will perform hits spanning the 1950s through 1980s; their debut performance will take place on July 5 at the Fusion Bar & Grill at the Indiana Ramada.

The 12th annual Allegheny Ukulele Soiree will take place from April 25-27 at the Altoona Grand Hotel. Pennsylvania’s longest-running ukulele festival, the Soiree will again feature a slate of skill workshops, concerts and ukulele jam sessions. Performers and participants this year include some of the top names in ukulele, including Perry Stauffer, Marc Gallagher, Jessica Maeve, Dani Joy, Daniel Ho, Viggy and Mim. Other performers will include the hosts of the event, the Allegheny Ukulele Kollective, along with the Steel City Ukes Little Band and the Arc of Altoona Ukulele Club. There will also be a number of vendors and a flea market. This year’s event is officially sold out, although there are still a few spots left on the Beginners Track list. For more information about the event, visit the website ukulelesoiree.com.