BY: Rachel Rocks
It’s hard to believe it is the final article of 2021. What a year it’s been. If there is one thing we’ve learned it is how unpredictable life is. You need to cherish every moment you have with your loved ones and friends, and live every moment to the fullest.
This month was definitely a full month for me. It all started a long time ago with Ten Ton Stone’s Zombie Apocalypse at Racehorse. It was a great idea. They provided a bunch of face paint and fake blood, so you could get attacked and join in the fun! It was great watching more and more people join in the fun throughout the night and by the end there were zombies everywhere. Ten Ton Stone plays songs from all of your favorite rock bands throughout the years. Holly sings lead on my songs, but she also switches it off with the other guys, so they are able to cover even a greater variety of artists. Not only did Ten Ton Stone do a great job rockin’ the night away, but with the added element of the Zombie Apocalypse you can tell they are willing to do anything they can think of to make their shows be something you really don’t want to miss!
On the way home I swung in to check out the West York Inn for Observe the 93rd. OT93 was playing at the end of a night full of original bands. It’s awesome to see a venue giving original musicians a place to play. I heard great things about all of the bands that played. It’s always fun watching people see a band for the first time, at first they just stand there shocked, but after just a couple songs they are dancing along and having a good time! Especially with Observe the 93rd. Their energy is addicting! The West York Inn is in the process of expanding their stage area, and doing some other renovations. I love to see a venue expanding instead of closing during these crazy times.
My next out I went to Hollywood Casino for Emily’s Toybox. I haven’t seen these guys in a while, so it was a blast getting a chance to see them again. This was actually the first of two trips to see them at Hollywood this month! I was amazed at how different their set lists were at both shows. I can’t imagine how many songs they must know to basically pull off 6 hours of different music! Both nights were packed and had people dancing all night long. It’s so refreshing to see the crowds growing again and packing venues big and small throughout central PA and beyond!
On a Friday night I zoomed down to Reading to head to Reverb where Penntera was headlining a night of metal bands! I’m thrilled to have Reverb’s full schedule back in the magazine, make sure and check it out so you can plan your next night out on the town. Reverb is so easy to get to, with plenty of free parking! They recently also did some major renovations. Since some of their shows are all ages they have a great “snack” area where you can buy food, and non-alcoholic beverages. The room itself is massive, but they recently put in new lighting and sound, so it really is an awesome looking show that sounds fantastic! Just a warning, they also take security very seriously, women prepare to be frisked by their female security guard! I unfortunately didn’t make it in time for from Dawn til Death, but I already know I love those guys. I did get to see the Moshfits, they were working through their set, but unfortunately their lead singer was undergoing some medical issues and was having troubles singing, regardless they made sure the show continued, and they were having some guest singers come up from the crowd. They still sounded great, and everyone was saying I need to see them again and give them another chance, hopefully I get the opportunity. Fatal Aggression to the stage next. They came out ready to rock everyone’s faces off and they truly did! They put on a fantastic show playing originals and covers. I had to buy one of their CDs and even a t-shirt, I was definitely hooked! When Penntera took the stage we were all warmed up and continued to rock the night away! Penntera had the mosh put in full swing throughout the night. Some people were absolutely crazy, but that’s always fun to watch as long as you don’t get snagged in the crossfire! It had been a while since I saw Penntera on a nice big stage so it was awesome seeing them on a stage where they could move and rock the night away with us! Penntera always puts on an amazing show and I knew it was well worth the drive.
The next night I headed down to the Union House in Richland. Again, I am thrilled to see the Union House has their schedule back in the magazine and is having regular bands again. The night I made it down there, Psycho City was on stage. I’ve heard a lot about these guys, and I’m glad I finally got to hear them. Butch is an amazing front man with a fantastic voice. The Union House was packed to the point that it was even standing room only! Richland was definitely ready to party with Psycho City. Psycho City played pretty much every song I have on my favorite song list on Spotify. I was excited every time they played a new song, I had plans to leave earlier, but instead I stayed all night!
On a Wednesday night, Flinchy’s in Camp Hill was celebrating their 18 Year Anniversary, so my friends and I decided to meet up. Phil Cannizzaro was playing solo and the poor guy seemed to be able to put up with not only our shenanigans, but everyone else’s too! Even though the show was out on the deck in November it was still pretty warm the way they can seal up their deck with heaters. That’s one thing we can be grateful to Covid for, it really encouraged businesses to get creative with their deck areas, making them more like 4 Season rooms instead, expanding their business and the fun we can all have!
Next, I took a trip out to the Fredericksburg Eagle Hotel for DMC Duo. It just so happened to be a super special night because it was also Darrell’s birthday. Of course Marisa had to promise not to mention it, or make a big deal about it, but he couldn’t stop me! I love birthdays! And we are only given one a year, so I like to celebrate it. Sorry Darrell, I just couldn’t resist. DMC Duo plays at the Hotel at least every month. If you want to get a table for dinner, make sure you get their early! The tables fill up fast. The food at the Hotel is amazing and they always have great specials. Check out their ad in this issue for all of the details. DMC Duo has recently been in the studio recording a few originals. It’s hard to believe how far they’ve come, and they’ve only been together for 3 years. I love listening to them and I’ll be keeping a close eye out to see when their EP is finally released! They will be at the FEHO again on Friday, December 17th.
Another special Tuesday night show I headed to the Grotto Pub for the Nate Myers Trio. The Grotto is always a super fun place, ya just never know who is going to show up and play. At one point I think I counted 7 people playing at once! 3 Acoustic guitars, an electric slide guitar, drums, harmonica, djembe, but it sounded amazing! You think it would be too much in such a small room, but when you have a bunch of top-notch players jamming together, it just sounds fantastic. The place is always packed with people who love music! The Nate Myers Trio plays there every Tuesday from 7-9. If you want a seat get there early!
This was definitely a month of driving around the midstate, my next night out and about took me down to the Tourist Inn for The Famous. My friends Linda and Andy Kyle had a pre-party at their house that was tons of fun with tons of food! Thanks guys for the invite! After eating way too much we headed to the show. That was my first trip down to the “Rock Room” post covid. It was awesome to see the TI packed and still had people coming in to the point where it was standing room only! The Famous had the dance floor packed early and kept people dancing all night long! I love hearing Joey sing, but when him and Shelby sing together it is just perfect! I unfortunately couldn’t stick around too long because it was a long drive home, and I still had one more stop to make.
To end the night I zoomed all the way back up the highway to Snitz Creek Brewing Company in Annville for Derek and Darrin. The crazy brother duo. Really the main reason I go to their shows is to see their amazing Mom. The boys on stage are just the bonus. HA! Just kidding guys. Derek is fun to go see and torture with our shenanigans while he plays his sets of music. He looks annoyed, but I’m sure he misses me when I’m not there! Snitz Creek is a neat place to go hang out with friends, have a good time, and listen to some music. It looks small from the outside, but down in the basement is where the real fun is! Plenty of seating, a nice huge bar, and of course music! If you haven’t been there yet, it’s right down the street from Ft. Indiantown Gap, where Funk’s used to be.
The following night out was Thanksgiving Eve! I’m always grateful when my sister hosts Thanksgiving which means I don’t have to cook, clean, or do any of those tasks to prepare; I just get to go have fun! Not only Wednesday night, but Thursday too! My night started out down at the Racehorse Tavern for Road Case. It took a while to get the crowd warmed up on a Wednesday night, but once they got started, there was no stopping them. Road Case’s hard-hitting rock and roll favorites keep ya dancing all night long! I was only going to stay for one set, but then they kept playing all of my most favorite songs, eventually I just had to dance on out of there! If you’ve never been to the Racehorse it is awesome to see how the owner Jimmy, and all of his patrons love music. I’ve seen everything in there from country to metal to hip hop, and everything in between! He supports music usually at least 3 nights a week, and has delicious food too! The Racehorse also go above and beyond and host many fundraisers for their community or just those in need. They recently gave out Thanksgiving Dinner to families in need, and the last I heard they were now looking for families in need for Christmas as well. Jimmy and all of his staff are super friendly and are always going above and beyond! Check out their full schedule in this issue and get out there and support local music!
To end the night I zoomed up to Johnny Joe’s for what will probably be Observe the 93rd’s last night playing on the JJ Stage. Unfortunately, Johnny Joe’s is yet another venue that after 12/31/2021 is going to stop hosting live music. There is a big post on my Facebook page about Johnny Joe’s, that to me is rather depressing. I know it wasn’t perfect, but the last time I checked, neither am I. If there was a good band playing, I knew I could go there and party the night away with a gaggle of friends. We are running out of places for bands to play and for people to party together. For OT93 Johnny Joe’s has always been their hometown bar. They always pack the place, and everyone always has entirely too much fun. This night was definitely no different. It always amazes me to think how far these guys have come. They recently released a new video for their song “Dopamine”. They don’t mess around when it comes to their recordings. They have their songs recorded by Logan at Rock Mill and videos recorded by Josh Nesmith. Johnny Joe’s will be missed, but hopefully Observe the 93rd will find a new hometown bar that can handle our shenanigans!
After Thanksgiving it was time to go dance our turkey away at the Kix show at XL Live. Unfortunately I missed Dirt Cheap opening the show, but I heard they kicked it off with a bang! Of course one of my favorite bands played next, and that is Steel! I was very excited to hear them playing their original music during this set including one of my personal faves, “Black & Blue”. I love seeing Steel and really any of our local bands on the nice big stage at XL. I’m so glad they had this opportunity to open for Kix! They have been packing in the bands week after week at XL. I know I’m personally looking forward to seeing the Glorious Sons on Dec. 9th, and if I wasn’t going to be busy on December 17th I would definitely be there for Back in Black, The Famous, and Road Case! They really have too many great shows to mention them all. Just check out their schedule and get out there and support the scene! I’m so glad I made it out to see Kix. Kix is basically a staple in our family. As the first band to ever grace the cover of PA Musician Magazine, they were obviously one of Dad’s favorites, and they were most definitely one of my brother Chris’s favorite bands. When they do “Don’t Close Your Eyes” I’m usually crying in a corner somewhere, but this year my brother’s old girlfriend and I were dancing, singing, smiling, and crying together. It’s always bittersweet every time I see Kix, I often wonder if where Chris would be and what he would be doing. Steve and the guys put on one heck of a show as usual! Steve was very happy that it was Jimmy Chalfant’s first time back behind the kit since his scary heart attack. It’s been a tough year for Kix, but I’m glad they keep persevering, and playing their music. XL Live was packed and I’m pretty sure by the end of the night it was Sold Out. It was a great night of amazing music and great friends!
Finally we’ve made it to the last night of the month. On our drive home from the visit with the in-laws, I saw Jason Carst was playing live at Copper Pub and Grill. As soon as I got home and dropped off the family it was time to zoom down the street for some live music. I was a little worried about Jason, turns out he was in Facebook Jail for 84 days! If you are ever in a dispute with Facebook, reach out to Jason, it took him a while, but he finally figured it out and got everything restored. It was awesome to see Jason out playing again, and there were plenty of shenanigans, and a good time for sure! I can’t wait for the next show! That was my first time inside the new Copper Pub outside of Linglestown. It looks amazing inside, with plenty of massive TVs to enjoy the game, and plenty of room for what will hopefully be, a lot more live music!
For the last band of the month I headed back to Johnny Joe’s for Dead Centre. These guys started up right before the pandemic, but they persevered and are finally getting the chance to get out on the scene and play some live shows. Dead Centre plays all of the classic hard rock songs that a lot of bands are afraid to play. These guys played straight through for 3 hours! They wouldn’t take a break, they were crazy machines. All of them have been playing in so many different bands I can’t imagine the song libraries they have in their heads. It was intense! At one point I felt so bad for them, I got some paper and a pen and took a drink order for the band, because they definitely all needed a drink during that set! We were also celebrating Space’s brand new fiancé, Angie Cornman’s, (that’s right after 20 years he finally proposed) birthday. It was yet again another great night of dancing and fun at Johnny Joe’s.
Ahhh.. I finally made it to the end.. BUT before the end of this article, my family is loaded with SUPER special birthdays this month.. Dec. 5th my baby boy, Mason Boob will be 16!!! So, if you see some extra gray hairs, that’s why! Dec. 18th is my wonderful Mommy, Robin Noll’s birthday. Dec. 19th it is the one and only SUPER BOSS’s Birthday, that’s right, Josh Noll turns 50!! (Let’s see if the editor catches that mistake.. heehee) He might not be 50.. but ya gotta admit that’s funny. It is in fact his birthday though. I better warm up the uke, it sounds like I’ll be playing Happy Birthday a lot this month.
It’s truly been an amazing month, and a very crazy and unpredictable year! I hope to see you all Out and About at show soon! It’s so important to support live music every chance we get. When you see me Out there, please stop me and say Hello. I love meeting new people and having as much fun as humanly possible!! Till next month!! SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC!!!!