First, another tip of the ballcap to PA Musician Magazine for completing its 42nd orbit around the sun! Thanks again to publisher/editor Josh Noll and consulting editor Robin Noll for keeping the legacy alive, and for allowing me to be part of this publication for more than 37 of those years! Here’s to more years to come!
As with recent months, outdoor live music kept me quite busy during the past few weeks as well, as late summer season events transitioned into numerous fall festivals to visit and enjoy. On a rainy Monday in late September, I made my first trek ever to the 169th annual Bloomsburg Fair to enjoy fair cuisine and live music, including the evening concert featuring Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Foghat. It didn’t take me long to find daytime live music after a friendly food vendor pointed me to a covered seating area where I could enjoy my steak sandwich and fries out of the rain. Finishing up their performance as I arrived was a duo favorite of regional fairs and festivals far and wide – Dan & Galla, who wrapped up this day’s show with their rendition of Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee.” Next up was my first look at Williamsport area trio Kopper and Kash. A family group featuring dad Jeff Pennycoff on vocals and acoustic guitar, daughter Ava on acoustic guitar and vocals, and daughter Mia on bass and vocals; Kopper and Kash played a variety of country, light rock, pop and gospel numbers, plus traditional favorites from the American songbook. Their performance was warm and pleasant as they shared lead singing duties and did numbers from Eddie Rabbitt, Fleetwood Mac, Carrie Underwood, the Eagles, the Bellamy Brothers, Lee Greenwood, Dolly Parton and others. One of the highlights was their version of the “Pickin’ and Grinnin’” joke segment from the TV show “Hee Haw,” with Ava and Mia delivering the simple jokes and one-liners.
I then made my way to the grandstand for the night’s main event. Rain and drizzle continued to fall as Foghat took the stage. Drummer Roger Earl is the group’s remaining founding member, joined by lead singer and guitarist Scott Holt (who previously played with bluesman Buddy Guy), Pittsburgh’s Bryan Bassett on guitar (who was a founding member of Wild Cherry), and bassist and singer Rodney O’Quinn (formerly with the Pat Travers Band). Foghat scorched through many of their established favorites, including “Drivin’ Wheel,” “Road Fever,” “Somebody’s Been Sleepin’ in My Bed,” “Stone Blue,” “Fool for the City,” “I Just Want to Make Love to You” and more. Bryan’s presence in the band wasn’t ignored, as he led the group on a version of Wild Cherry’s hit “Play That Funky Music,” before Foghat stormed the set home with their hit “Slow Ride,” which accelerated toward a full-throttled, push-it-to-the-limit ending…With the rains finally tapering off, Bachman-Turner Overdrive soon took the stage. Guitarist, singer and co-namesake Randy Bachman was the lone founding member on the stage this night (co-namesake Fred Turner sings and plays bass with the group on select dates); joined by son Tal Bachman on guitar and vocals, bassist and singer Mick Dalla-Vee, drummer Marc La France and guitarist Brent Howard Knudsen. BTO came out the opening gate with one of their 1970s hits, “Take It Like A Man.” Randy then led the group into a musical history lesson as he introduced and performed songs from his group prior to BTO, the Guess Who. Randy shared insights and stories, and Guess Who video footage showed on the stage backdrop as the group did renditions of hits such as “Shakin’ All Over,” “These Eyes,” “No Time,” “Undun” and “No Sugar Tonight.” The group transitioned back into BTO with “Four Wheel Drive” and “Stayed Awake All Night” (which shifted into the Guess Who hit “American Woman”). Now a member of BTO, Tal took the spotlight as he led the group on a version of his 1999 solo hit “She’s So High.” From there, the group rocked the fairgrounds with their hits “Let It Ride,” “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” and “Roll On Down the Highway.” After telling the audience the group wasn’t leaving the stage for the typical pause before the encore, Randy and BTO continued right into it, using their hit “Hey You” to frame a celebration medley of their classic rock contemporaries; playing snippets of tunes from Free, Steve Miller Band, AC/DC, the Rolling Stones, T. Rex and Bob Seger before jumping back to “Hey You.” BTO then closed out the night with a powerful and glorious rendition of their hit “Takin’ Care of Business.”
It was on a wintry night on Nov. 11, 1991 when some friends and I did a daring roadtrip on icy roads to Johnstown; it would be my first time seeing Queensryche as they played at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena as part of their “Building Empires” tour. As part of that show, Queensryche performed their 1988 breakthrough album – the iconic concept album “Operation: Mindcrime” – in its entirety. Fast forward to last month, when I returned to Johnstown to see the current edition of Queensryche on their “Origins” tour, just a couple of blocks from the War Memorial at the Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center. Kicking off the show was Wisconsin-based singer and guitarist Jared James Nichols and his band, who delivered some scorching blues rock. Accompanied by drummer Ryan Rice and Philadelphia’s Bryan Weaver on bass, Jared performed several of his hard-rocking original songs – including some from his latest self-titled album such as “Easy Come, Easy Go,” “Down the Drain” and “Good Time Girl,” also “Nails in the Coffin” and more. Jared showed impressive skill with his “pick-less” fingerstyle guitar technique, which escalated into full-throttled shredding several times during his set. Jared and his group ended their set with a powerful version of Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen.” The current edition of Queensryche – founding members Michael Wilton on guitar and Eddie Jackson on bass, plus lead singer Todd La Torre, guitarist Mike Stone and touring drummer Casey Grillo – soon took the stage and immediately celebrated the group’s musical “Origins” per the tour title, as they played Queensryche’s self-titled 1983 debut four-song EP, and their 1984 first full length album “The Warning” in their entireties. The crowd roared approval as the group did early career favorites such as “Queen of the Reich” and “The Lady Wore Black” from the EP, and songs from the album such as the title track “Warning,” “No Sanctuary,” the futuristic-flavored “N M 156,” “Take Hold of the Flame” and “Roads to Madness.” Queensryche’s current lineup sounded powerful, with Todd displaying great power and vocal range, guitarists Michael and Mike demonstrating tight guitar harmonies and solo work, and Eddie and Casey providing steady, strong rhythms. When the crowd called for the encore, Queensryche returned to do three more numbers – “Prophecy” (also created in 1983 but not on the EP), “Empire” and “Eyes of A Stranger.”
As typically happens in late September through mid-October, I again embarked on my “fall festival world tour,” which included several area festival favorites plus a couple of “new” festivals I had not attended before…One of the latter was a festival where I was both performer and spectator, the annual Fall Festival of the Arts at the Mariana Heights residency area of Garvey Manor Nursing Home near Hollidaysburg. Acoustic music was the flavor of the day; solo performers Bill Wandersee and James Grove started the day with their respective sets, and Pat Anderson was entertaining festival-goers as I arrived with his variety of 1970s-90s era classics and hits. I liked Pat’s song selection as he performed some forgotten hits rarely heard on area live stages such as John Stewart’s 1979 hit “Gold” and R. Dean Taylor’s 1970 hit “Indiana Wants Me.” Next was time for me to slap around the djembe and bongo skins with my Backyard Rockers brethren – this day Rich Dasch on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, and Peter Wolf on acoustic, electric guitar, harmonica and backing vocals. We played our acoustic-driven classic rock and folk assortment; including songs from Faces, The Band, Steve Earle, Leonard Cohen, Tom Petty and others. Devin Sherman soon followed with his variety of acoustic blues, folk and rock numbers. He shared songs from John Hartman, Townes Van Zandt, Tom Petty, John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Traffic, the traditional “Sittin’ on Top of the World” and more. Arriving cloud cover brought a “silver lining,” as half of area acoustic duo The Silver Linings – Michelle Barnes – played her mixture of current and classic pop, rock and folk hits and favorites. Michelle displayed a smooth and versatile voice as she sang numbers from Nena, Jewel, Fleetwood Mac, Coldplay, Teddy Swims, Brandi Carlile, Anna Nalick and more. Closing the day was Little Jimmy Melonballer with his mix of original, often lighthearted folk sounds. Jimmy has established himself locally as a humorist and storyteller, and several of his songs this day brought smiles and laughter. Early on he sang his popular ode to one of the fall season’s most annoying insects, “Stinkbug” (which he repeated toward set’s end when a youngster requested it). Some of his other numbers included “Prettiest Woman in Saxton” (his hometown), “Tackle Box,” “Henrietta” (a tiny community in southern Blair County) and more. Jimmy’s performance was casual and pleasant, and he kept the music going until lightning from an approaching thunderstorm struck a little too close for comfort, finishing the day.
The first day of autumn in September brought one of my favorite annual events, the 34th Italian Food & Heritage Festival at DelGrosso’s Park in Tipton. Like many other folks this year, I showed up to savor tasty Italian cuisine (penne with hearty meat sauce, and sausage and ricotta-stuffed peppers) while taking in the day’s second set by featured performer, singer Vittorio Di Carlo. Known as “The Graceful Tenor,” Vittorio – from Puglia, Italy – dazzled and charmed onlookers as he belted out a variety of Italian pop standards and classic hits. Vittorio’s voice shined from the get-go, and his bright, fun stage presence captured the audience early. After his initial songs, Vittorio strode off the stage and into the audience, as he serenaded youngsters, ladies, couples and more, and let a few folks sing along with him. He sang such numbers as Tom Jones’ hit “Delilah,” Dean Martin’s “On an Evening in Roma,” Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night,” the Elvis Presley-popularized “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” and Italian numbers such as “L’Italiano,” “Mamma Maria,” “Funiculi Funicula” and more. Vittorio inspired dancing along the way, and led an audience train throughout the picnic table area in front of the stage during “Tarantella.”
Live music was again a big part of Ebensburg’s 33rd annual Potatofest celebration in late September. I caught portions of two performances during my visit, starting with Johnstown’s Jeff Webb & the Delectable Sound at the Penn Eben Park gazebo stage. Namesake Jeff on keys and lead vocals, singers Mere Kae and Venus Hall, guitarist Josh Covert, bassist Scott Jeffreys and drummer Dominick Peruso, Jr. brought pleasant and delectable sounds as they blended elements of blues, soul, rock, R&B and more. They mixed original songs and select covers, with several of the originals from their latest album, “In A World Of…,” including the Venus-fronted “The Night I Went to Bed Angry Over You” and Jeff singing “You Don’t Sing for Me Any More.” They also performed numbers from Keb Mo, Lake Street Dive, Elvis Costello, the Beatles, and did a tribute to Jimmy Buffett with a rendition of “Margaritaville.” I later caught part of The Cresson Brothers’ set at the South Center Street stage. All three members sing; with Bruce Schettig playing acoustic guitar, Pat Boland on drums and Tim Boland on keys. This group entertained and triggered some dancing with their variety of popular classic rock, folk rock, blues, jazz and more from the 1960s and 70s; everything from Bruce’s guitar work on Mason Williams’ “Classical Gas” to songs from Canned Heat, Van Morrison, Pure Prairie League, Derek & the Dominoes, Bobby Hebb, the Rivieras and others.
Another festival I experienced for the first time was last month’s Aaronsburg Dutch Fall Festival in Centre County. Happening annually since 1976, this two-day festival featured a variety of local arts and crafts, foods, a handmade quilt raffle, and live music. I arrived in time at the Don Wert Memorial Park Festival Grounds to catch the last few songs from The Chris Bell Band with their brand of hard-driving country. Chris on guitar and vocals, Max Campolong on bass, David Ramey on mandolin and Jason Stanko on drums finished a rowdy version of Luke Combs’ “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” before ending their performance with a hearty rendition of “Wagon Wheel,” featuring Chris’ extended guitar jam homestretch. Soon after, the Tussey Mountain Moonshiners lit up the festival tent with their bright blend of bluegrass, folk, Americana and old time music. Singer and fiddler Steve Buckalew, singer and banjoist Gwen Stimely, singers and guitarists Steve Crawford and Jeremy Tosten, and upright bass player John “JK” Kennedy mixed traditional favorites and original songs, including several from their most recent album “Shine” such as “I’ll Be Your Johnny Cash,” “Sad Country Song” and “Country Girl.” The Moonshiners’ presentation was pleasant, and their talents blended nicely to serve each number they played.
I took in the second day of last month’s two-weekend, four-day 60th annual Bedford Fall Foliage Festival in downtown Bedford. Sunny weather resulted in a large turnout. I first caught the latter portion of Chris Diehl’s outdoor solo performance at Bella Terra Vineyards. The Bad Luck Lover Boys’ frontman strummed acoustic guitar and performed a mix of punk-based favorites and original numbers. I heard his renditions of Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and “Time Of Your Life (Good Riddance),” Cheap Trick’s “Surrender,” and the Bad Luck Lover Boys’ original “London Fog” (usually sung by the group’s bassist Adam Lingenfelter)…Afterward, I made my way to the River Stage to see Lexington, Kentucky-based rock and pop sibling duo Rags and Riches. Tanner Whitt plays guitar and sings, while brother Peyton Whitt plays the drums. The pair generated high-energy pop-rock original songs; many from their 2021 album “Complete.” Some of their numbers included “Tension of the Season” (which transitioned into the Beatles’ “Let It Be”), “Holiday,” “Summer Nights,” “Light It Up,” their first single release “Speed of Sound” and more. Rags and Riches was friendly with the crowd, and their overall energy was infectious…I then headed to the Gazebo Stage to enjoy the harmonies and humor of the A’Cappella Kinda Guys. First formed in 1986 at Beale Air Force Base in California, the group – Jim Van Fleet, Chuck O’Donnell, Jeff Welsh and Bedford native Dennis Ice – reunited shortly after the tragic events of 9/11. Since then, the group reconvenes every year to perform at the Bedford Fall Foliage Festival, bringing their bright blend of vocal harmonies and often hilarious songs. They were doing one of my favorites, their version of Dana Lyons’ “Cows With Guns” (about a bovine rebellion) as I arrived. Some of their funnier songs this day included Heywood Banks’ “The One Eye Love” and “You Can Be Mean to Me,” their adaptation of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” (referencing local Bedford eatery Bad Boyz Bistro’s “Wings From Hell” challenge), and original songs such as “I Want A Beer (Just Like the Beer That Pickled Dear Old Dad),” “Country Doctor Dave,” “I Gave Up Religion for Life,” “Hannah Is A Horrible Person” and more. The A’Cappella Kinda Guys also did a few more serious numbers, such as “The Face Inside the Lighthouse,” “Dancing in the Flame” (inspired by inner-city riots and looting in recent years), and their tribute to beloved local entertainer Dennie Huber called “The Dennie Huber Show.”
I was again performer and spectator during last month’s 18th annual Hollidaysburg PumpkinFest celebration in downtown Hollidaysburg. Early in the day, I helped pound out west African drum rhythms on the djembe as part of the Joy Drummers contingent. I then stuck around to see the other entertainment, first observing the Altoona Brass Collective. “Blair County’s Brass Band,” the Collective’s members include many area music educators, school administrators, studio teachers, music merchants, freelance performers and more. They performed a wide variety of songs, spanning reverent compositions by Aaron Copland and Morton Gould, popular numbers such as Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana (At the Copa)” and Earth Wind & Fire’s “September,” the “Pennsylvania Polka” and more. Next was one of the anticipated annual highlights of this festival, as the Hollidaysburg Area High School Drumline marched onto the downtown Diamond to demonstrate their percussion finesse with sharp rudiments and routines. Closing the day’s music was the San Tones Orchestra, who also delivered brassy sounds. Nearly 20 members in number and directed by Renny Santone (who plays trumpet), the San Tones Orchestra entertained festival-goers with a variety of sounds, spanning contemporary hit songs, big band standards, rock’n’roll favorites and more. The group did several brass-rock classics from Chicago, dance favorites from Donna Summer. Irene Cara and Gloria Gaynor, a Beach Boys medley, the Andrews Sisters jump blues favorite “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” plus numbers from Frank Sinatra, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Herb Alpert, James Brown and more.
And my “fall festival world tour” concluded with a visit to last month’s annual Fort Ligonier Days Festival in downtown Ligonier. I attended on the festival’s third day, Sunday, to enjoy food and live music on two official stages (and I observed music happening at several nearby venues as well). The first live music I encountered was on the West Main Street stage, as solo performer Fuzz Hout sang and played acoustic guitar and harmonica on classic rock and pop favorites. Fuzz displayed a good voice, and engaged and entertained passersby as he did numbers from John Denver, Sam Cooke, Van Morrison, Marshall Tucker Band, Tommy James, Traveling Wilburys and more. I then proceeded to the downtown Bandstand (gazebo) stage to see Greensburg-based Mike Urick and the Modelaires. This group has an interesting back story; their bandleader and namesake, Mike Urick, is the grandson of one of the founding members of the original Modelaires big band from the 1940s, who used to play throughout western PA until the early 2010’s. Mike formed the current edition of the Modelaires two years ago to pay homage to the legacy of the original group and evolve it to resonate with today’s audiences. Their efforts were successful this day, as Mike (singing and playing trumpet) and his Modelaires – singer and keyboardist Carmen Marotta, guitarist Dylan Riley, bassist Randy Miller, drummer Tom DeCarlo, sax player Brian Anater, trumpeter Nick Payne, trombonist and singer Chris Dufalla and alto/soprano sax player Rocco Kempa – sounded great on their wide range of songs and styles. They mixed jazz, funk, Latin, New Orleans, soul, swing, rock’n’roll, blues and more into a constantly-moving presentation. Some of their song selection included versions of CCR’s “Proud Mary,” Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man,” Huey Lewis’ “Hip to Be Square,” Billy Joel’s “Movin’ Out,” Louis Prima numbers like “Jump Jive and Wail,” “Just A Gigolo” and “Banana Split for My Baby,” and more. Mike even broke out a nose flute to play on the group’s rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day in September, Harrisburg’s Kilmaine Saints brought their amped-up brand of Irish-toned music to McGarvey’s for a rowdy and fun night. Work duties prevented me from seeing local openers Tom Nevers Field, but the Saints were up as I arrived and had their robust party going full tilt. Singer Brendan Power; bass, bagpipes and accordion player Jon Heller; bagpipes, bouzouki and whistle player Bill Brown; banjo and mandolin player Rich Lipski; guitarist Erich Arndt; fiddler Gary Eurice and drummer John Kramer exuberantly fired off their mixture of original songs, amped-up Irish and Celtic numbers, and uniquely rowdy takes on a few familiar favorites. Their numbers included a breakneck version of “Drunken Sailor,” fiery original songs like “Undivided” and “Whiskey Blues and Faded Tattoos,” and their exciting homestretch, as Jon and Bill brandished bagpipes for a version of “Amazing Grace” which transitioned into “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and the hard-slamming “The Saints Are Up!” to end the last set. When people started demanding an encore, the Saints responded with their uniquely catchy rendition of House Of Pain’s “Jump Around,” which even had me jumping around!
McGarvey’s also hosted last month’s “Homegrown Night of Music and Storytelling,” which raised funds and supplies for the Central PA Humane Society and the Mountain Lion Backpack Program. Similar to VH1’s “Behind the Music” series, the event featured performances from the Ed N’Born, the Backyard Rockers, Walkney, Abstentious, and event organizers Hanna Barakat and Lisa Fazenbaker. A moderator (me) asked each group a few questions about their beginnings, their music and live show before they played. Response was good for this inaugural event, and sequels are likely.
And I caught up with PletchVello – the duo of singer and guitarist Matt Pletcher and percussion wizard Randy Servello – at Spring Dam Brewing Co. in Roaring Spring last month. While I enjoyed a glass of the house’s PletchVello Pilsner named after them, Matt and Randy performed a variety of rock and country favorites. Their initial set featured hits from Dion, Bob Seger, Foo Fighters, Jelly Roll, Johnny Cash, the Clash, Georgia Satellites and more, plus Matt’s original song “For You” from his 2014 debut CD “Sure Thing.” A guest joined the duo for the nightcap set, as Kenton Sitch Band bassist Jacco Gassler added bass rumble to the mix and helped escalate the party. Dancers started hitting the floor as the group did numbers from Zac Brown Band, Violent Femmes, Hank Williams Jr., David Allan Coe and more. The fun and energy continued to escalate for the show’s duration.
Other performances I saw in recent weeks included Altoona’s Sweet Desire cutting loose with their classic-styled hard rock at McGarvey’s; this group continues to amaze me with the song material they pull out from the “back of the rack” – this night resurrecting the forgotten Guess Who gem “Heartbroken Bopper!”…And I also caught part of Xs For Eyes’ hard-slamming set to finish a punk-rocking bill at McGarvey’s.
The area and state music scene were saddened by the passing of two musicians in recent weeks…Chris Silvagni, the longtime guitarist with renowned Pennsylvania hard rock group Harpo and later with Suckerpunch, passed away on October 15 after a valiant battle with cancer; he was 59. Chris was recently involved with a recording project with Ed Gansel called Bond Unbroken…And former State College area musician Bill Brickley passed away on October 16 following a battle with oral cancer; he was 72. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Bill’s performance career spanned several decades, as he played bass for numerous Centre County and State College area bands – including the Earthtones, Body & Soul, Fat Girl Slim, JP Rocks, Taylor Made, Wisecrack, Asylum, Bluesmoon, John Edwin Phelps and others. Bill had relocated to Front Royal, Virginia in recent years.
News and notes…Recent weeks have seen fires devastate the lives of friends involved with area music. PA Musician’s own Chris Rider and his partner Wendy Ellenberger lost everything in a structure fire early last month. Benefit events to help them out will take place at the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center (HMAC) on Nov. 1, and at Lovedraft’s Brewing Co. in Mechanicsburg on Nov. 17…Area musician and recording studio operator Rik Golden, his wife and family also lost everything in a house fire on Sept. 21; a GoFundMe campaign is helping them to get back on their feet…The 14th annual “Patched Together: A Day Of Music to Benefit the Healing Patch” event will take place on Nov. 23 at Altoona’s Bavarian Aid Society; performing will be The PennSoulvanians, The Jaded Lips, the Kiara Smith Band, Half Tempted, solo performer Greg Burley and Jim Donovan & the Sun King Warriors, with a deejay finishing the event. Proceeds benefit the Home Nursing Agency’s Healing Patch Children’s Grief Program…Multi-instrumentalist Chris Vottero – one half of Greensburg-based instrumental duo The Arts – recently issued his first solo album, called “One Against the Storm”…and Pat McGinnis has become the official new bass player for Felix & the Hurricanes, replacing the recently-retired Jeff Clapper.
Please send correspondence and recordings to: Jim Price, 1104 S. Catherine St., Altoona, PA 16602. You can also e-mail me at jptheprofessor@gmail.com. And if you’re into social networking, look me up on Facebook. Happy Thanksgiving, and continue to SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC!
