WOOD-N-STRINGS @ THE BAR, ALTOONA 5/19/05
Sometimes, original game plans don’t work out…My original plan this night was to head out to Duncansville to check in with Steve Summerhill, performing at Beerbellies. But just before I arrived there, a car accident occurred on Route 22, about a quarter mile east of Beerbellies. It was rainy, I could see flashing lights of rescue vehicles in the distance ahead, and there was no traffic coming from the other direction; indicating to me that the road was closed until the wreck was cleared up. I decided I didn’t want to deal with that hassle, so I turned the car around in a parking lot and headed back to Altoona. I decided instead to swing by The Bar to see what was going on.
Wood-n-Strings was performing, and as it turns out, they are now the weekly Thursday entertainment at The Bar. Attendance was light and confined to The Bar's lower bar area. I procured my first draft and ascended to the upper level to see what Wood-n-Strings were up to.
Dwane Edmiston and Jeremy Nelsonm were strumming their guitars and singing a mixture of sounds, spanning current and classic rock to folk and bluegrass. The pair swapped lead singing duties, with Jeremy handling the lion's share during the latter half of this set. Jeremy sang lead on the Eagles' "Tequila Sunrise" and America's "Sandman." Dwane then sang on Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," before Jeremy sang Jim Croce's "Operator." After a brief bluegrass-styled jam, the pair closed out the set with Waylon Jennings' "Good Ol' Boys."
During the latter part of Wood-n-Strings' set, I almost did a double-take when I witnessed Felix & the Hurricanes enter the building. This was Thursday night, when the 'Canes usually play at Peter C's - what was up? Apparently Peter C's was empty early on, so the 'Canes stopped in to catch a beer and a few tunes from Dwane and Jeremy before returning to Peter C's to start their own show.
After a short intermission, Dwane and Jeremy returned to continue the music. The pair interestingly kicked off the set with a bluegrass tune Jeremy's dad wrote, called "Shenandoah Mountain." The pair kept the third set largely in the rural vein, continuing with the traditional "Man Of Constant Sorrow," followed by a John Prine number. Jeremy sang lead on the Allman Brothers' "Melissa," before the pair finished out this slow evening with tunes from Howie Day and Matchbox 20.
Again, Dwane and Jeremy dazzled with their abilities. Both were impressive on both voices and instruments; and both blended their skills together well into a harmonious, cohesive sound. It was too bad more folks weren't on hand to enjoy this musical journey; but as a weekly appearance, Wood-n-Strings hopefully can grow a Thursday night crowd as this show continues.
Dwane Edmiston and Jeremy Nelson: Wood-n-Strings.
GIN AND JUICE @ CITY LIMITS, ALTOONA 5/19/05
My last encounter with Gin and Juice was during the night of the Hippies From Hell, when two longhairs in tie-dyes attempted to throw down. Would I witness a repeat performance this night? I would discover the answer within City Limits.
I entered City Limits to find two things - first, that the band was now performing in the back of the main band room in front of the rear bar instead of on the stage; and second, that they were playing to a good-sized, festive crowd, possibly their biggest Thursday night crowd so far!
Singers/guitarists Dustin Burley and Travis Dunn, bassist Brian Pavlic and drummer Kevin Siegel were early into their third set and engaged in a lengthy jam excursion as I arrived. The excursion became longer when Travis developed power cord problems with his guitar and vacated the stage for a few moments. Once Travis returned, Gin & Juice moved on to the next song, their jam rendition of Snoop Dogg's "gin and Juice." A goodly crowd continued to jam and groove along near the stage as the group proceeded with "All Along the Watchtower," before closing out the set with the fusion of the Grateful Dead's "Sugaree" with Phish's "Chalkdust Torture."
At this point, the City Limits audience began loudly yelling for the group to do an encore. Several audience members began calling out individual song titles; and since Gin & Juice performs a number of songs by Phish, a few Phish titles were called out.including one drunk happily yelling out the Phish title "Punch Him (You) In The Eye!" "Punch Him In The Eye!" Hell, I thought the Hippies from Hell had returned and were starting to throw down again, before I realized it was a song title! Nobody got punched in the eye, and Gin & Juice punched the night home with Phish's "Possum."
This was probably the strongest display I had seen from Gin & Juice so far. Dustin and Travis were particularly stinging on their guitar work, and with Brian consistently working with the group now, they sounded tighter and more on the same page. And with this large and rowdy audience feeding their performance with rabid cheers and support, Gin & Juice performed with fire and purpose. This night served as clear evidence that this band is on their way to prominence on area stages, and their fan base is snowballing with each passing week.
Gin & Juice and their fans, during the heat of jamming at City Limits.
Once again, Gin & Juice.
Gin & Juice has them partying down at City Limits.
HOUSE OF CAIN @ ALDO’S, ALTOONA 5/20/05
After Johnstown metalists Deviance went on the backburner indefinitely last year, guitarist Jason Straw assembled a new project called House Of Cain. Jason sings and plays guitar, Dan Little plays bass, and Bob Frye the drums. Curious about what House Of Cain brought to the stage, I headed to Aldo's this night to investigate.
Day job duties didn't enable me to arrive at Aldo's in time to catch the opening band, John Denver Flight School. I got there during the intermission and secured a vantage point to take in the show. Attendance was predictably light for the new band in town, with only a few curious metalheads and band entourage on hand to witness House Of Cain.
House Of Cain soon took the stage and introduced their brand of metal. As the group performed their arsenal of original songs, their sound became defined as retaining the harshness and groove of Deviance, topped by a more aggressive vocal style from Jason, who delivered a more caustic, Tazmanian Devil-styled voice and his trademark technically-geared guitar solowork. House Of Cain varied the tempo and dynamics with each tune, and although the musical terrain was constantly coarse and brash, no two songs were the same. Songs that House Of Cain unleashed during their first set included "Pale to Blue," "Look A Little Deeper," the big beat-rooted "Faith or Filth," "Kindred," "Lead to Waste," "Infidel" (which Jason dedicated to our soldiers), the tension-and-release-geared "Emissary," and their badass set closer "Moment of Violence."
Although attendance was sparse, the few who were populating Aldo's seemed to appreciate what House Of Cain was offering – including a few members of the Suicide Switch organization, in the house and representing.
House Of Cain continued their onslaught in the nightcap set with more original numbers, again demonstrating variations in their style of harsh groove-oriented metal. Standouts for me during this set included "Final Insult," "Wargasm" (with the memorable lyrical line “Watching you drop is getting me off!”), the more aggressive “Murder On My Brain,” and the night-ending “Let It Bleed” (NOT the Rolling Stones tune).
This night provided me with a good introductory chapter to House Of Cain and what they are about. In a nutshell, the groove and melodic aspects of Deviance collide head-on with the monstrous aggression of The Embalmed (Jason’s past two bands), and a new, focused, aggressive melodic metal sound is the result. It will be interesting to follow how this band continues to develop, and what directions Jason and his bandmates decide to take the sound into.
Jason Straw of House Of Cain.
Jason Straw and Dan Little of House Of Cain.
Dan Little of House Of Cain.
Bob Frye of House Of Cain.
Again, Bob Frye of House Of Cain.
Again, Jason Straw of House Of Cain.
Once again, Bob Frye of House Of Cain.
House Of Cain, putting pedal to the metal at Aldo’s.
Again, Dan Little of House Of Cain.
Once again, Jason Straw of House Of Cain.
BEYOND REASON @ CITY LIMITS, ALTOONA 5/20/05
Since House Of Cain’s show ended just after 1 AM, I decided to venture to the City Limits side of the railroad tracks to see if there was any life there.
It was the first City Limits performance of Beyond Reason; and surprise surprise, there were actually some people in the house and even on the dance floor, and a decent little party was under way midway through the third set. Lead singer/guitarist Dan Myers II, guitarist/singer Tom Urbain, bassist Jamie Smith and drummer Chris Myers had folks dancing to Black Crowes’ “Hard to Handle,” Greg Kihn Band’s “Break Up Song,” Romantics’ “What I Like About You” into John Mellencamp’s “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.,” and the Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place.” Although not a huge crowd, they were a vocal one, and immediately called out for not one, not two, but three encores from Beyond Reason. First the group delivered with a slower-rocking original song, “The Rain,” followed in the second encore by Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away.” And the third encore wound things down for the night, as Beyond Reason closed with Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight,” prompting a rare slow dance opportunity for yours truly. (Yes, I got to slow dance with Esa! Right in front of Deathmaster Funk Jae! Mwahhhahahahahahahahhhhhh!!!)
At least from what I witnessed, it was a good little party. And it was further testimony that when good basic rock’n’roll is needed on the weekend, Beyond Reason is one of the bands locally who can deliver it.
Jamie Smith and Dan Myers II of Beyond Reason.
Beyond Reason fires the party up at City Limits.
Tom Urbain of Beyond Reason.
Chris Myers of Beyond Reason.
Again, Jamie Smith and Dan Myers II of Beyond Reason.
Once again, Beyond Reason.
BLAIR COUNTY ARTS FESTIVAL @ PENN STATE ALTOONA 5/21/05
Because it usually happens in the midst of my radio day job Harley giveaway season, and it usually happens right around Pennsylvania Musician article deadline time, it’s difficult for me to get to see too much of the annual Blair County Arts Festival at Penn State Altoona from year to year. But this year, I had no Harley remotes to do this weekend, and was not pushing hard against an article deadline, so I was freed up to take in a little more of this year’s festival.
I arrived towards late afternoon, as the Matt Wagner Band was entertaining in the Main Stage Pavilion area. Given Matt’s currently huge popularity, I was pleasantly surprised to discover there were actually some seats still available in the pavilion, so I procured one near the front to catch the rest of the set.
Matt had assembled a different line-up than his usual electric band that performs at Pellegrine’s and the 4D’s. Flanking Matt was guitarist Jim Tangeman, Flight 19 bassist Sean Johnson and Vertigo drummer Toby on toms and percussion. Matt and his sidemen performed an interesting blend of acoustic-geared current and classic tunes; after a song from Howie Day, the group offered their own distinct slant on Simon & Garfunkel’s “Cecilia,” followed by Ben Harper’s “Burn One Down,” Mr. Big’s “To Be With You” and Sublime’s “Little District.” Sean then handled the lead vocals on Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Soul to Squeeze.” After another song, the group finished out their set with Rusted Root’s “Ecstasy.”
Matt’s forte continues to be his acoustic presentation, and as such, what I witnessed here was good overall. Matt’s distinct midrange voice and phrasings were front and center, and his bandmates complemented his presentation with tasteful playing. Matt and this group of bandmates were on the same page, and their mood was relaxed and cordial. These four players were having fun on their instruments, and the Arts Festival audience offered up polite and appreciative applause.
The Matt Wagner Band, performing at the Blair County Arts Festival.
Matt Wagner.
Jim Tangeman of the Matt Wagner Band.
After witnessing Matt’s set, I headed to the crowded Festival food area to procure a bite to eat, and while waiting in line for a “crabcake sammich,” made this following observation/gripe: Why do people have to bring dogs to arts festivals? I mean seriously, what appreciation for arts and music does the pooch get out of it? I saw one individual nearby walking three big huskie/collie-type dogs on leashes. Any one of these three dogs would have been plenty for one person to handle, this guy had three of them. All was well until another person and his dog showed up a few yards away; the three dogs saw the newcomer mutt and started barking wildly and jumping at the end of their leashes; the owner struggled to keep all three under control. People backed and pulled their children away, for fear of getting bitten. Bottom line for me, dogs don't belong at arts festivals or other crowded situations. I witnessed a situation several years ago where somebody’s small pooch on a stretch leash ventured too close to somebody’s putbull, got grabbed and thrown around like a rag doll by the larger dog, and got its ear mauled. The dog lovers who bring their pets to events will always argue that their precious pooch would never hurt or bite anybody…until it happens. Leave your dogs at home, people, the rest of us don't need to see them (nor step in their residues) at public festivals and events.
After procuring my sandwich, I made my way across the Penn State Altoona campus to the Community Arts Center to see folk singer Jay Smar. Jay has been a fixture at this festival for as long as I can remember, but I have never caught his performance until this year. Based near Reading, Jay Smar entertained a small crowd of onlookers with traditional folk and folk renditions of classics. As I arrived, he was performing the traditional folk number “Golden Slippers” on fiddle; he then switched to acoustic guitar for an instrumental rendition of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Jay then introduced a Merle Travis number, before finishing up his set with Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.” The small crowd applauded, and one older lady wanted to hear more; so Jay brought his guitar over and serenaded her personally with an encore. Jay’s performance was laid-back and low-key; he demonstrated nice skill on both the fiddle and guitar, and his song selection was interesting and varied. As mentioned, Jay has been a part of the Blair County Arts Festival for years; it was good to finally witness what he was about.
Jay Smar, making his annual appearance at the Blair County Arts Festival.
At this point, it was going on early evening. The Altoona Area High School band, after assembling in the campus’ lower parking lot near the Community Arts Center, marched their way up past the Center towards the campus’ reflecting pond and the Slep Center for a concert. After I watched them march by, I entered the Arts Center to check out the juried art exhibit. As always, it was interesting, with an eclectic selection of paintings, sculptures and other artwork. I even spotted a music scene-related painting that somebody had done, depicting the summer concerts at downtown Altoona’s Heritage Plaza. And I encountered another source for a gripe: I'm concentrating on one particular piece of artwork, when I hear this woman chattering away loudly next to me. I look over at her, and she's yapping away on a cell phone! Was this conversation so important that it had to be carried on at an art exhibit? Was this woman so absolutely indispensible that she couldn't leave her cell phone in the car in case the President called? Are people nowadays so imprisoned by their cell phones that they can't go anywhere without them? I don't have a cell phone myself, but if I did, I sure wouldn't be carrying it around with me 24-7; there are situations where I just don't want to be bothered, and an arts festival is one of them. Surely this lady's conversation didn't sound so important that it couldn't wait until after she left the gallery. Cell phones have their purpose, but some people get carried away with them.
At the juried art exhibit, this painting, depicting the Summer Concert Series at downtown Altoona’s Heritage Plaza. I’m not 100% sure, but it looks like The Prime Time Band is the one depicted in the painting.
Outside the Community Arts Center, tall Uncle Sam hoofs it along (the Altoona Area High School marching band is advancing up the sidewalk behind him, he had to pull off the sidewalk or get run over!).
After perusing the juried art exhibit some more, I exited the building and made my way towards the Slep Center for the evening’s festivities. After a performance by the Blair Concert Chorale, I took in most of the performance from local oldies band Your Dad’s Friends. Singers/guitarists Dave Misera and Rick Herbster, bassist/singer Don Bedell, keyboardist/singer Roger Corey and drummer Brett Fanelli performed a selection of mostly 60's era rock'n'roll, kicking off with the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night," and proceeding through favorites from the Hollies, Roy Orbison, the Rivieras, Johnny Rivers, the Monkees, the Rolling Stones and more. Your Dad's Friends broke out some Motown courtesy of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "You Really Got a Hold On Me;" also some early 60's soul from Jackie Wilson and more. Don and Dave handled the lion's share of the singing duties, with Rick and Roger mostly providing backing harmonies. Rick sang lead on the Rivieras' "California Sun," and Roger flexed his lower range voice on Johnny Cash's "Ring Of Fire." Overall, Your Dad's Friends were solid instrumentally and vocally, and seemed more comfortable and into their groove this night. They kept the mood upbeat, even mixing in a little bit of choreography along the way.
Midway through Your Dad's Friends' set, the Arts Festival's fireworks display began. I stuck around through the duration of the fireworks. With a show destination an hour away up the mountain to get to, I departed the Blair County Arts Festival at this point, with plans to return the following day for some more.
Your Dad’s Friends, entertaining in front of the Slep Center.
Again, Your Dad’s Friends.
SERIOUS JONES @ WILDWOOD INN, GRAMPIAN 5/21/05
I had been seriously jonesing about making a return visit to one of my favorite out-of-town live music venues, the Wildwood Inn near Grampian. It had been a year and a half since my last visit; in fact, my last visit to the Wildwood was the ill-fated night when I got nabbed with my first-ever speeding ticket in Ashville, while en route to go see Serious Jones. Shortly after that show, the Wildwood discontinued running bands briefly, but resumed live music last summer and has been going strong since. With Serious Jones playing at the Wildwood this night, I decided to address my serious jonesing for a Wildwood road trip, and headed up the hill to Clearfield County after the fireworks ended at the Blair County Arts Festival.
Since I was leaving from Penn State Altoona, I traversed Juniata Gap Road up Wopsy mountain to Route 53, hopped on Route 453 north at Madera, and got on Route 879 at Curwensville; thus avoiding Ashville and any possible repeat of my speeding ticket episode from last time. I arrived at the Wildwood just in the nick of time to nab the last available parking space out back, as Serious Jones was just underway with their first set.
Singer Dennis Wood, guitarists Tom Zattoni and Darren Elensky, keyboardist Rich “Doc” Horton, drummer Calvin Walls and new bassist Matt Hertlein already had the Wildwood dance floor busy just a few songs into their first set, as they played their fun, high-energy mix of new and classic rock. Serious Jones mixed it up, and maintained a near nonstop pace as they jumped from Jimmy Eats World’s “The middle” to Huey Lewis & the News’ “Walking On A Thin Line,” Foreigner’s “Dirty White Boy” (sung by Darren), Eddie Money’s “I Think I’m In Love” and more. The group shifted into a feisty R&B interlude, performing the Temptations’ “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” Eddie Floyd’s “Knock On Wood” and Spencer Davis’ “Gimme Some Lovin.’” The dance floor remained full through it all, and the crowd continued to cut the rug as Serious Jones played Robert Palmer’s “Bad Case of Loving You,” Loverboy’s “Working For the Weekend” and ZZ Top’s “Tush” to finish out the set.
It had been a good year-and-a-half since I was last here, so I spent much of the first intermission touching base with folks I hadn’t seen in a while, including the band members and semi-retired soundman “Big” Jim Dickson.
Serious Jones soon started their second set, first with Dennis and Darren performing a duet rendition of Extreme’s “Hole Hearted.” From there, the energy level snowballed as the group filled the dance floor with Autograph’s “Turn Up the Radio” and Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” (with Dennis donning a big hair wig). The dance floor populace kept pace with Billy Joel’s “You May Be Right,” Fountains Of Wayne’s “Stacy’s Mom” and Deadeye Dick’s “New Age Girl.” Serious Jones demonstrated a little bit of musical chairs on Kiss’ “I Was Made for Loving You,” with Darren singing lead and Dennis playing bass. The group then celebrated Wendy Zattoni’s birthday with – logically enough – the Beatles’ “Birthday.” Serious Jones then shifted forward to the present for Bowling For Soup’s “1985,” before dipping back to Motown for Smokey Robinson/The Temptations’ “Get Ready,” which segued into Grand Funk Railroad’s “Some Kind Of Wonderful.” The following rendition of Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally” became a crowd singalong, and the Wildwood dance floor remained packed for the Doobie Brothers’ “Listen to the Music,” Sammy Hagar/Rick Springfield’s “I’ve Done Everything For You” and Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell.” More musical chairs from Serious Jones at this point to end the set, as drummer Calvin stepped forth from behind the kit and swapped places with singer Dennis, who provided the beat behind Kiss’ “Lick It Up.”
Just as they did the first time I saw them, Serious Jones was kicking some serious ass. These guys were again tight and fiery on their instruments, and kept this party constantly moving forward. Dennis was again the jovial frontman; constantly working the crowd, donning wigs and other headgear, and keeping the mood happy and festive. This band was clearly having fun, and the vibe was infectious and ignited the crowd.
And you could also tell that Serious Jones was having fun and enjoying their stage time this night, as the second intermission clocked in at a whole 7 minutes! The group quickly returned the stage and picked the party back up with Golden Earring’s “Twilight Zone,” before shifting into Big & Rich’s “Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy.” A guest joined the band onstage at this point, as Buck-It lead singer Greg Mallon stepped up to sing lead on Poison’s “Talk Dirty to Me.” Darren then sang lead on Night Ranger’s “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me,” and the party continued with Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl.” Calvin and Dennis again swapped spots onstage, with Calvin fronting the group on AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” became “Don’t Fear the Cowbell,” as a lady audience member took over cowbell duties onstage. Serious Jones continued with Seven Mary Three’s “Cumbersome,” and is actually one of few bands I’ve ever seen get the vocal harmonies on this song right! The Wildwood party entered its homestretch with Billy Squier’s “Everybody Wants You,” Prince’s “Let’s Get Crazy,” and the finale rendition of the Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues,” when Wildwood main lady Tammy finally got freed up from behind the bar and pulled me onto the floor for some rug-cutting! Cool!
Bottom line, Serious Jones delivered the party in flying colors; generating fun, enthusiasm, an energized presentation and nonstop action. They effectively mixed it up between current and classic rock favorites, never staying in one place for too long. Their tempo and pacing kept the Wildwood dance floor packed from the get-go, and Serious Jones never gave this crowd any reason to want to sit back down. The production was clean and sharp, and everything onstage was clicking on all cylinders. And of course, Wildwood main lady Tammy (confined behind the bar most of the night with a busy crowd) and her staff made everybody feel at home and welcome, a further contributing factor to the great vibes this night!
In lieu of Serious Jones making inroads onto Altoona area stages, I foresee more Wildwood road trips to see this band in the future. Great night! (And no speeding tickets or roadkilled animals on the way back home, either!)
Serious Jones, rocking and rolling at the Wildwood Inn.
Dennis Wood and Darren Elensky of Serious Jones.
Rich “Doc” Horton of Serious Jones.
Darren Elensky of Serious Jones.
With drummer Calvin and singer Dennis swapping positions, Serious Jones.
Serious Jones singer Dennis Wood, behind the drum kit.
Tom Zattoni of Serious Jones.
Again, Tom Zattoni of Serious Jones.
Serious Jones keeps the party going…
Calvin Walls of Serious Jones.
Calvin Walls of Serious Jones, flexing his vocal cords from atop a chair.
Again with Calvin on vocals and Dennis behind the kit, Serious Jones keeps the Wildwood dance floor seriously packed.
Yours truly, with more reasons why I’ll be seriously jonesing to do another Wildwood Inn roadtrip soon: Wildwood management (Tammy) on the left, and friendly and courteous bar staff on the right.
BLAIR COUNTY ARTS FESTIVAL @ PENN STATE ALTOONA 5/22/05
I headed back to Penn State Altoona for the second day of the annual Blair County Arts Festival. This day the weather was slightly more iffy, with spotty rain showers interspersing with blue skies. One moment it would be sunny, the next it would be showering. As veteran Arts Festival soundman Scott Zillinger reaffirmed, rarely a year goes by that rain doesn’t touch this festival at some point.
I arrived shortly before local country favorite Ricky Lee was set to perform. Ricky is gearing up to release a full-length album and continue his quest to make it happen in Nashville. Ricky had again assembled a cast of veteran area players to back him up, including Randy Rutherford and Rick Wertz on guitars, Mary Villani on keys, Fritz Wyland on bass, and Clint Carothers on drums.
Before a large audience, Ricky and his band performed a mixture of original songs, country and rock’n’roll covers. Among the original songs Ricky sang were “Who’s Counting,” the ballad “Nowhere to Hide,” “In the Middle of a Little Love” (which Ricky told the audience will be in an upcoming movie, Tomorrow’s Heroes), “Beach Day,” “A Soldier Like You” (which he dedicated to our armed forces; Ricky took a moment to salute a disabled veteran in the audience before starting the song), and his popular closer, “my Kind Of Girl.” Ricky also mixed in favorites like “Rocky Top,” John Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses” (where audience members were encouraged to wave American flags handed out to them before the show), Brooks & Dunn’s “Neon Moon,” Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” and another John Mellencamp number, “Hurts So Good,” during which Ricky introduced the rest of the band (sans Mary, who perked up on the microphone to introduce herself, to the laughs of the audience). Ricky’s presentation was warm and personable, as he frequently stepped off the stage to sing directly to the crowd. At one point, he took several flowered headbands and adorned several women and girls in the audience with them, before returning to the stage and placing one on Rick Wertz’ head for another comic moment. The band behind Ricky was solid, and Ricky often shifted the attention to his bandmates to let them enjoy some spotlight. In all, this was a good set, once again establishing Ricky as a promising country performer with a legitimate shot at taking his career to the next level.
Ricky Lee and his band, entertaining at the Blair County Arts Festival.
Ricky Lee.
Mary Villani and Rick Wertz (with flowers in his hair, courtesy of Ricky Lee) of Ricky Lee’s band.
Ricky Lee, adorning audience members with flowered headbands.
During “Pink Houses,” the audience waves their American flags.
Waving his own American flag, Ricky Lee.
Clint Carothers, keeping the beat for Ricky Lee.
After grabbing a bite to eat and dodging one of the random rain showers, I traversed my way across the campus to the Community Arts Center to check out Three Generations Of Strings. As the name indicates, this group represents three generations of the Roaring Spring-based Replogle family; Tyne Replogle (of Tyne & the Fastlyne fame, to you State College readers) on lead vocals, guitar and banjo; her mother, Teia, on upright bass; and her grandmother, Erma, on autoharp. Three Generations Of Strings played a blend of folk, bluegrass, Americana and Celtic music; including some of Tyne’s original compositions, such as “Summer’s Dream” (written while she spent time in Ireland), “Fields Of Gettysburg” (from a PBS documentary on Gettysburg), “Galveston Storm” (performed by James Taylor, but written by somebody else), and for the encore, Tyne’s solo rendition of “Amazing Grace,” which she performed using a bow on her banjo strings. This was a pleasant, relaxed performance, with Tyne, her mother and grandmother blending well on their instruments, and Tyne demonstrating versatility on her instruments and musical flavors. Through seeing Three Generations Of Strings, I gained a better understanding of this young and talented performer and her background.
Three Generations Of Strings.
Playing her banjo with a bow, Tyne Replogle of Three Generations Of Strings.
I had hoped to catch one more group at the Main Stage Pavilion, Blue Number Nine from New York City. Since the stage was running late, I only was able to witness three songs from them. Blue Number Nine performed a blend of upbeat funk and jazz, with three ladies, including singer/flutist Stefanie Seskin, blending on some tasty harmonies and choreographed dance moves, a guitarist, drummer and bassist. I had to leave for day job duties after the third song, but what Blue Number Nine had performed thus far was intriguing; I’ll have to catch their return to the Altoona area July 15 for the Downtown Concert Series.
Blue Number Nine performs at the Blair County Arts Festival. They return to Altoona on Friday evening, July 15, to perform a free concert at the Curtin Mall as part of the Downtown Concert Series. Check it out!
Stefanie Seskin of Blue Number Nine.
Thus ended my 2005 Blair County Arts Festival experience. While I still think this Festival should book more entertainment and a more diverse slate of acts, I was overall pleased with the entertainment I witnessed this year. Attendance seemed to be a little bit better than last year, and probably would have been even better if the weather cooperated. But overall, it was an enjoyable time.
IN @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 5/22/05
In has been doing frequent flyer miles on Pellegrine’s stage on Sunday nights lately, and they were there again this week to cap another weekend.
I found a good-sized crowd in the house as I arrived late during In’s second set, and listened from the back room near the door as the group finished up a medley, and did Bowling For Soup’s “1985” and Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me” to finish their set.
In picked the party back up quickly in the third set, keeping Pellegrine’s dance floor busy with tunes from Good Charlotte, Harvey Danger, Green Day, Black Crowes, Tom Petty, Velvet Revolver, The Sweet, Marilyn Manson and more, eventually culminating in Living Colour’s “Cult Of Personality” to end the set. As fired up as the Pellegrine’s audience was, an encore demand was imminent, and In responded with Rage’s “Killing In The Name” to finish off the night.
This was the standard high-octane In party, with Greg, Matt, Adam and Rob keeping the music and action nonstop. Greg continually rallied the crowd to keep them fired up and festive, and instrumentally In was tight and together.
Another successful In party at Pellegrine’s; I was happy to be able to take it In…
Greg Locke and Adam Zimmer of In.
Adam Zimmer of In.
In, keeping the Pelly’s dance floor masses happy.
Matt Day of In.
Greg Locke of in.
Rob Bonsell of In.
