This month’s writ comes to you from the temporary “home office” in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where I’m catching a little of this mythical thing called rest and relaxation…and maybe even some live music!
Recent summer heat waves impacted area outdoor events, including this year’s 20th annual Smoked Country Jam Bluegrass Festival, which happened in late June at Quiet Oaks Campground near Cross Fork to raise funds for the Lupus Foundation of America Philadelphia Tri-State. Daytime high temperatures in the 90s didn’t thwart the fun at this year’s festival, though, and even helped lead to an unexpected highlight…During late Saturday afternoon, festival favorites The Hillbilly Biscuits began their first of two sets on one of the two performance stages, the PA Wilds stage. After the group played six songs, Smoked Country Jam organizers Ron and Teresa Kodish stepped onto the stage to present a special award to the Biscuits, recognizing the group’s long dedication to the event (they have been in each Smoked Country Jam since the first). But just as Ron was starting to present the band the award, the power suddenly went dead throughout the festival grounds, and both stages’ sound systems fell silent. Ron proceeded to shout out his award to the audience and presented it to the band, with hugs, congratulations and cheers to follow. Then, without missing a beat, the members of the Hillbilly Biscuits all grabbed their instruments, stepped off the stage and directly out to the audience to play on totally unplugged! (A reminder that traditional bluegrass is played on acoustic instruments, and lack of electricity and amplification does not stop the show.) The crowd cheered wildly as the group played a song or two in the hot sun, before several people brought a shade tent over and placed it over the band. The group finished up their set with the Bill Monroe-popularized song “Y’All Come,” with the crowd happily yelling the call-backs to the band. The next group, upstate New York-based country bluegrassers BearTracks, followed suit and did their set unplugged from under the tent as well, and also received rousing cheers from the audience. Power was soon restored to both stages and everybody got to play their respective performances…The Hillbilly Biscuits returned later that night to close out the festival on the Quiet Oaks stage, culminating in what has become the traditional closer of the festival, the finale jam – where any musicians who played on the stages during the weekend were welcomed to join the Biscuits on a bluegrass jam free-for-all. Many musicians partook, each contributing solos to such songs as Mama Corn’s “Smoked Country Jam” (although no longer together, Corn alumni Johnny Stevens and Bruce Forr represented), “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “Worried Man Blues” before Ron Kodish closed things out by thanking everyone for attending and supporting the festival, and announcing its return on June 19-21, 2025.
The rest of Smoked Country Jam provided a lot of great music and fun from a cast of groups and artists who represented many branches of the bluegrass tree, from traditional bluegrass to “new-grass” to folk, country and more. Thursday’s slate on the Quiet Oaks stage featured returning favorites Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, the Tussey Mountain Moonshiners and the YTRAP String Band (all who performed before I arrived), plus Philadelphia’s Joe Hillman Band and returning headliners from Lock Haven, the Private Stock Trio.
Headlining both Thursday and Friday on the Quiet Oaks stage, this group – lead singer and guitarist Pete Wert, guitarist and fiddler Watson Thompson, and lead singer and percussionist Gigi Kaluzny – stretch out from their acoustic folk and bluegrass roots to embrace a wide range of popular rock, pop and country music. The Private Stock Trio quickly triggered cheers and dancing with their feisty acoustic treatments of songs by Bob Dylan, Toto, Shania Twain, Dropkick Murphys, The Who, John Mellencamp, Tyler Childers, Little Big Town and AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” to close the night. Both Gigi and Pete deliver powerful voices out front, and had the crowd fired up to the finish…Friday’s schedule provided a number of returning favorites plus some impressive newcomers. One of the newcomers that made a big impact during their two sets was Kentucky-based David Atkins and Mountain Soul. The group’s namesake, David brought a hearty, soulful voice and energetic personality to the stages as he led the band on a variety of original songs plus classic folk, country and pop hits. Also making their first Smoked Country Jam appearances were Binghamton, New York’s Simmerin’ Stew and folk duo Cold Chocolate. Also providing highlights were returning favorites Colebrook Road, Lockport Drifters, Pocono Jones & the Bear, West Virginia’s Silas Powell Band, Serene Green, Van Wagner (with guest Matt Harrison), Doug Forshey and friends (including Mama Corn alumni Johnny Stevens and Bryan Homan, Steve Buckalew, “Banjo” Bob Baronner and Chris Strait), the Texas Rose Band and more…Besides the aforementioned power outage moment, Saturday also saw other highlights – including North Carolina-based favorites Fireside Collective with their progressive and improvisational brand of “new-grass,” New York’s Bug Tussle, Virginia quartet the Fly Birds, the Tussey Mountain Moonshiners, Buffalo-based trio Brothers Blue, Troy Engle & Southern Skies and others. In addition, Saturday also featured the annual Pennsylvania Heritage Songwriting Contest (PHSC), as David Pinelli announced the top three winners: Chris Carithers from Williamsport won first place with his song entry “Peddler’s Grove.” Second place turned out to be a tie from another Chris Carithers song creation called “The Prince of Pennsylvania” and Fogelsville’s Greg Buragino with his song “Men of Steel.” Third place went to Brenden Michael Smith of Scranton with his song “Stone Quarry Story.” All three songwriters won cash prizes and the opportunity to perform their winning songs on stage. Thanks to Ron and Teresa Kodish and all the volunteers for their work in again making Smoked Country Jam one of my favorite weekends of the year!
Last month’s annual Route 22 Rock & Blues Festival at Lincoln Caverns Campground near Huntingdon also endured some high heat, but after a two-year hiatus, folks were more than happy to endure some hot weather to enjoy this event. Temperatures were cooling off as the festival got under way on Friday night. Toy and Kevo Can’t Dance got things started, before Abstentious – who made their debut here four years ago – slammed breakneck speed punk rock, mixing original songs from both of their albums. Walkney and Hot Fudge Mondaes kept the energy and intensity high on their respective sets, before Black Sun brought the first night to a close with their heavy and improvisational metal odes to mysticism, mythology, and – to quote lead guitarist Jason Feathers – “Gnomes and s**t in the Austrian Alps”…Saturday saw a wide variety of acts, beginning at high noon with Brother Jack and his observational folk odes to everyday life – including favorites such as “Snake Ate My Radio,” “Pancakes” and “Boom Boom Chicka Boom.” The folk trio of Chris Strait, Dylan Miller and Bob Baronner then did a set that blended original songs from their various collaborations and a Steve Earle number. Altoona’s On The Brink then demonstrated their brand of original folk-infused rock, doing songs from their three albums plus select numbers from Eric Clapton and Pat Benatar. JuJu Bone brought the blues with a slightly different look this day, as sax player Lyndsay Reilly suffered a hand injury and was on the disabled list, and Jim Houser took care of bass duties – joining singer Brian Elliott, guitarist Jason Feathers and drummer Nate Woods. Brian brought a soulful and gritty delivery to the microphone, and Jason scorched on the guitar strings as the group did such numbers as their original songs “Bottom Shelf Woman” and “Walking Dead” plus numbers from Robin Trower, John Lee Hooker, Jimi Hendrix and more. Featuring former members of Lloyd, newcomers Prussian Blue introduced an interesting indie/alternative rock sound with a slight Talking Heads vibe. Sweet Desire then took the stage with a different look, as Abstentious’ Gage Ickes filled in for Josh Simpson on bass. Sweet Desire again dazzled the audience with their 60s/70s-rooted blues-rock sound, and continued to take it into different places. In addition to doing their original songs “Queen of the Dawn,” “Raspberry Blues” and title song “Sweet Desire,” the group also did numbers from Buddy Miles, the Grateful Dead, the Doors and their improvisational take on Quicksilver Messenger Service’s 1965 psychedelia blast “Year of the Outrage.” Although Lyndsay Reilly couldn’t play saxophone with The PennSoulvanians this day, she could sing, and thus fronted the group on a new original song (I believe called “This Man”). The PennSoulvanians excited the audience with established original song favorites like “Crime to Be Curious,” “Bounce Back,” “Now,” “Pilgrimage” and “Swagger.” Maul followed with their original, groove-driven hard rock, before The Zuds did a full-set tribute to Stone Temple Pilots – sounding especially strong on STP favorites like “Wicked Garden,” “Vasoline,” “Dead and Bloated,” “Crackerman,” “Unglued” and more. Another tribute followed in the form of Alice In Chains practitioners Deny Your Maker, who kept folks rocking with a number of Alice In Chains favorites as well as a few deep cuts. Mysterytrain then closed out the festival with their late night demonstration of improvisation and adventure, mixing various musical flavors on a variety of their original song creations. This year’s Route 22 Rock & Blues Festival was an excellent event both because of the high quality of music displayed on the stage, and the fans and friends who added their happiness and generosity to make it feel like a community. Hats off to organizers Todd McKeone and Veronica Morgan, all the volunteers and helpers, the production crew of Rich, Jimmy and Rick, and everybody who brought their best selves to help make this the most memorable edition of this festival that I have experienced yet!
Williamsport bluesman Gabe Stillman headlined the kickoff to the Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Summer Concert Series in late June Johnstown’s People’s Natural Gas Park. Hometown Johnstown bluesmen the Stone Bridge Blues Band opened the night strong with a sturdy demonstration of classic electric blues from such artists as Willie Dixon, Junior Wells, Freddie King, Little Walter, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins, B.B. King and more. Singer and bassist Brian Moore, lead guitarist and singer Mike Borstnar, guitarist Jake Moore, harmonica player Rick Rhodes and drummer John Mundy gave a rousing performance that put the crowd in a good mood for Gabe’s fireworks to follow. Gabe delivered those fireworks with his feisty set of blues, blues-rock and soul. Backed by Eric Heveron-Smith on bass and Billy Bellino on drums, Gabe fired up the audience with his hearty singing, electrifying guitar skills and lively enthusiasm for the blues as he did a number of his original songs along with some select blues favorites. He introduced several newer songs that will be on his next album, such as “Yesterday’s Donuts” and the slow and intense “The Man I’m Supposed to Be,” as well as songs from his “Just Say the Word” album such as “No Time for Me” and an extended edition of “Alabama Wildflowers.” Gabe showed that he knows his way around the six-string, delivering fiery solo displays that often escalated into jaw-dropping moments. His bandmates showed their talents as well, with Eric firing off a bass solo display during the blues standard “Rock Me Baby,” and Billy going into an impressive drum solo display just minutes later. The crowd loved every minute of it and were up and dancing as the set went along. Gabe and his band sent the audience home happy with a spirited rendition of Slim Harpo’s “I’m A King Bee” to end the night.
After Gabe’s concert concluded, I made my way to the Windber Hotel in Windber to catch my first look at Spiffy Jeffy & the Freezeline. The trio of singer and guitarist Jesse Wehner, bassist and singer Todd Harteis and drummer Jesse Erb mixed a wide variety of sounds, spanning classic rock and soul to pop standards, modern pop, soul, country numbers and more. Jesse and Todd split lead singing duties, and the group demonstrated strong voices and harmonies, solid instrumental execution and grooves. Their diverse song assortment included everything from Prince’s “Purple Rain” to Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” to their own cosmic arrangement of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie” to The Champs’ “Tequila” and more.
If you read last month’s cover story about Pittsburgh rock and pop group Radio 45, you may know that the group has started two tribute band side projects – Tom Petty tribute Petty 45 and U2 tribute U245. I recently got to witness both tributes at separate events, starting with Petty 45 as they played during the opening weekend of Punxsutawney’s week-long Festival In The Park at Barclay Square in late June. Singer and guitarist Gary Bickerstaff, lead guitarist and singer Aaron Greer, bassist C. Scott Gilbert and drummer Mark “M-sexy” Wesesky played a steady stream of Tom Petty favorites; including “I Won’t Back Down,” “Even the Losers,” “Here Comes My Girl,” “You Got Lucky” and more. As they said in last month’s story, Petty 45 sweated the details to capture the various nuances of Tom Petty’s sound, from Aaron accurately conveying the guitar tones to Gary reaching Petty’s high vocal range. The group stepped outside the Tom Petty catalog to end their set, dedicating Journey’s “Lights” in memory of longtime area singer Joe Serian, who passed away last year. Following Petty 45 was country artist Andrew Mack and his band. An Indiana (PA) native now based in Nashville, Andrew mixed a number of his original songs – including “About To,” “Easy Like That” and the George Strait-inspired “Silvertone” – with country favorites from John Michael Montgomery, George Strait, Dierks Bentley and others.
Two weeks later I saw Radio 45’s other tribute, U245, make its debut during the first night of last month’s 30th annual People’s Choice Festival of Pennsylvania Arts & Crafts at Grange Park near Centre Hall. Despite some early technical issues, the Radio 45 cast successfully launched their U2 incarnation, doing songs from throughout the Irish band’s career. Opening with “Where the Streets Have No Name,” U245 performed such U2 favorites as “Vertigo,” “Mysterious Ways,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” “Desire,” “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and more. Aaron Greer nicely captured Edge’s chiming guitar tones, and Gary’s voice effectively evoked Bono’s emotive delivery. U245 did perform one Radio 45 original song, “Come Alive.” Before U245 took the stage, I caught a portion of Code: Blue’s performance. First formed in the early 1990s, Code: Blue enjoyed a strong run on the state’s stages with their spirited brand of blues and soul before separating in 2000 to pursue other projects. Recently reuniting, the current cast of Code: Blue – singer Terri Parker, singer and guitarist Rene Oakman, lead guitarist Chris Younken, acoustic guitarist Jerry Zolten, harmonica player Richard Sleigh, keyboardist Barbara Neumuller, bassist Harry Werner and drummer John Raiser – roused the People’s Choice audience with soulful favorites from Stevie Wonder, the Staple Singers, Mahalia Jackson, Al Green and more. Terri and Rene provided excellent vocals up front, and Code: Blue rode their songs to inspirational highs that had the audience grooving.
Live music was again part of the Patton Fire Department’s 16th annual Firemen’s Jubilee during July 4th weekend. I attended on the first night (Friday) to enjoy two performances, starting with young singer, songwriter and acoustic guitarist Asher Fieni. This 16-year-old performer sounded strong as he blended original songs and acoustic-flavored favorites with an emphasis on country and southern rock. Asher displayed a smooth voice and friendly persona as he did tunes from the Judds, Tyler Childers, Chris Stapleton, the Eagles, the Allman Brothers and more. He also pulled a few musical surprises, offering up an acoustic version of Outkast’s “Hey Ya,” Sublime’s “Santeria” and a guitar rendition of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.” Following him was Pittsburgh dance-rock foursome Metro. Since it was July 4th weekend, Metro – lead singer Elisha Costello, lead singer and bassist Chris Caruso, lead guitarist Ron McBurney and new drummer Zach Hrip – led off their first of three sets with a pair of patriotic songs, with Elisha and Ron doing solo vocal and guitar renditions of “The Star Spangled Banner,” followed by Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” Then the street party started, appropriately enough, with Pink’s “Get the Party Started.” Metro quickly filled Magee Avenue with dancers as they played upbeat hits and favorites from Prince, Big & Rich, Katrina & the Waves, Shania Twain, B-52s, Michael Jackson and more. The group kept the music constant and the audience engaged; by their third set they had the crowd happily singing along on Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places,” and songs by Luke Bryan, Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, Walk The Moon and more led up to the night-closer, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin.’”
Since recent changes in their roster made them less “geriatric,” the former Emmy & the Geriatrics have morphed into Era-X, and they performed last month during Hastings’ Music in the Park Concert Series, a fundraiser to benefit Hastings Pool and Park. In this new incarnation, Ethan Marines sings and plays guitar, while his daughter Emily “Emmy” Marines plays drums and sings backing vocals; Korie Gorchik plays guitar, and new member Jon Henry plays bass. As Era-X, this group still delivers lots of 1990s-era rock and alternative, including some songs not often heard on stages anymore. Some of their songs this day included Better Than Ezra’s “Good,” Spacehog’s “In The Meantime,” Screaming Trees’ “Nearly Lost You” and Presidents Of The United States of America’s “Lump.” Era-X also did 90s classics from Blur, Sugar Ray, Alice In Chains, Incubus, Third Eye Blind, Stone Temple Pilots, Bush, Foo Fighters, Fuel, Beastie Boys and more. Era-X played it all with tightness and power, and earned good cheers from onlookers; enough so that the crowd demanded an encore, and the group ended the show with the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Suck My Kiss.”
All-female AC/DC tribute group Shoot To Thrill headlined last month’s annual Bikers For Barkers motorcycle run and after-party, which raised funds for the Central PA Humane Society. The run started and ended at Roundhouse Harley-Davidson in Duncansville, and the after-party featured two bands. Altoona’s Half Tempted reliably fired up the rock with their blend of hard-hitting classics from the 1960s, 70s and 80s. They quickly set a brisk pace as they delivered solid-sounding classics from Grand Funk Railroad, Free, Jimi Hendrix, Thin Lizzy, Pink Floyd, Cream and many more. Raleigh, North Carolina’s Shoot To Thrill then lit up the audience with their enthusiastic performance of AC/DC favorites. The all-lady lineup of singer Kara, guitarists Susan and Wendy, bassist Jai and drummer Kate mixed Bon Scott and Brian Johnson-era AC/DC. Leading off with the Bon-era trio of “Live Wire,” “If You Want Blood (You Got It)” and “Whole Lotta Rosie,” Shoot To Thrill set their exciting and brisk pace early and kept it constant throughout. They did many of the essential AC/DC favorites – “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You),” “TNT,” “Have A Drink On Me,” “Thunderstruck,” “Highway to Hell,” “Girls Got Rhythm,” “Hells Bells,” “Jailbreak” – and for the homestretch – “Back in Black,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “It’s A Long Way to the Top (If You Want to Rock and Roll),” and for the finale…their namesake number “Shoot To Thrill.” Shoot To Thrill celebrated AC/DC and kept it fun, connecting with the audience and delivering their rock with smiles and excitement. Bikers For Barkers was again a successful event and raised several thousand dollars to benefit the shelter animals at the Central PA Humane Society.
Reggae and ska-driven sounds filled downtown Altoona last month when Elephants Dancing played outside Levity Brewing Company. Making their second visit, Elephants Dancing – lead singer and guitarist Danny Sales, lead vocals and bassist Michael Iorio, trombonist Dan Sperlein, sax player Adam Jonkman and drummer Thomas Brennan threw down punchy, catchy and fun reggae, ska and punk-infused grooves with their mix of original songs and select covers. The group did several songs off their debut album “Chill Like Penguins,” including the upbeat “Free,” “I Love What I Love,” “Reggae Show,” “Tiki Time” and more; sparking rowdy ska and reggae dancing along 11th Avenue. The group also threw in their spin on Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” Third Eye Blind’s “Semi-Charmed Life” and others. Elephants Dancing captivated the audience, enough so that they demanded a two-song encore at the end of the evening.
News and notes…Vets Fest 2024 takes place on August 4 at Altoona’s Unter Uns Musical & Entertainment Society; performing will be the Backyard Rockers, Flashpoint, The Stiffs, Phil McCaulley, Skye 2.0 and the McCaulley Project, plus Anna Oberneder singing patriotic songs between bands. Admission is free, and proceeds will benefit area veterans through Vietnam Veterans of America Blair County Chapter 967…Well Strung, The Hillbilly Biscuits, Ironwood Drive Band and Middleground Bluegrass will perform at the annual Pickin’ For Wishes” benefit, taking place on August 17 at the Cresson Sportsman’s Association near Loretto; proceeds will help out the Make A Wish Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia…Chip & the Charge-Ups bassist and singer Maleena releases her second album, “ For The Love of Everything Beautiful,” on August 30…Medusa’s Disco is going on indefinite hiatus, as members will pursue other endeavors…And sad news from the Altoona area music scene, as popular personality Priscilla Gati –known to many as “the Tambourine Lady,” passed away on June 29 from Alzheimer’s Disease at age 74.
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. And continue to SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC! ~ All photos in The Professor by Jim Price
