First and foremost, I want to lead off this month’s article by extending my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to everybody who shared their sympathies, condolences and love in recent weeks, following the unexpected passing of my older brother Mike on January 13. Mike was 72, and had been dealing with several health issues in recent years. Needless to say, Mike was a major force in my life. As I would soon enter junior high school in the early 1970s, Mike started attending Penn State University (initially at Penn State Altoona), and transferred to University Park in 1972. As he moved into his dormitory, he purchased a J.C. Penney brand Penncrest stereo system with tuner, speakers and a record turntable. He also started buying record albums of some of the cutting-edge rock bands and artists of that era, names that would evolve into the iconic classic rock names of today – such as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Neil Young, Santana, the Rolling Stones, the Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, and the group that would quickly snag this younger brother’s attention – Emerson, Lake & Palmer. He would often commute home on the weekends, and bring his stereo and records with him. And as we shared the same bedroom, I would hear his records as he played them. I quickly got hooked on this thing called “rock and roll,” and would often sneak and play his records on my small close-and-play record player when he was not around. This planted the initial seed in my life that would grow into my lifelong fascination with rock music and radio, and ultimately led me toward my career arc in radio. Mike was also a musician in his younger days; playing clarinet and drums in school band situations, and later playing drums with the Tyrone-based Gardner Guards Drum & Bugle Corps. He also played accordion, and for a brief period played that instrument as a member of an early 1970s polka and variety band called the Memory Makers. A lifetime of memories of my brother will live on, and I will miss him.
My brother’s passing and Old Man Winter’s nuisance snows limited the amount of live music I was able to experience in recent weeks…One of the most rewarding parts of covering this area’s music scene is when the music community comes together to support somebody in need. Last month’s benefit show to help out Felix & the Hurricanes drummer Bob Watters provided a shining example of this. Bob underwent heart surgery during the recent holiday period, and won’t be able to get back behind the drum kit until at least March (his doctors’ permission pending). The proceeds from this benefit helped Bob and his family with medical expenses and to take care of him until he can again get back to drumming with the Hurricanes. Road conditions from the day’s passing snowstorm were atrocious, but it didn’t thwart friends, fans and community from showing up at Funky Claud’s in Altoona; resulting in a full house bringing the love for Bob. Five bands provided the musical love through the afternoon, starting with Sweet Desire. These guys amaze me every time I see them, as they explore the frontiers of late 1960s/early 1970s blues, blues rock and psychedelic rock and make it their own. With guitarist Kenton Lewis, bassist Joshua Simpson and drummer Trey Boore churning up the rhythms and backdrops, singer Jordan McCaulley belted out the hearty, soulful voice on several early 70s classics along with some Sweet Desire original tunes. The group unleashed an extended full-jam version of their latest single, “The Dealer,” as well as their number “Easy Woman, Loving Woman.” They also broke out versions of Buddy Miles’ “Them Changes,” Buffalo Springfield’s “Mr. Soul” and more. Sweet Desire delivered it all with their full youthful fire and passion, arousing the early crowd and setting the tone for a fun musical afternoon. Lauren & Joe then provided the acoustic flavors of the day, performing a wide variety of hits and classics. Lauren and Joe George opened with Sister Hazel’s “All For You,” and mixed things up with songs from Lady Gaga, Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, George Michael, Pat Benatar, Stone Temple Pilots, the Black Crowes and more. Lauren & Joe threw a few surprises into the mix, such as King Harvest’s “Dancing in the Moonlight,” their acoustic rendering of Heart’s “Magic Man,” and Joe singing lead on Jethro Tull’s “Locomotive Breath.” And they capped their set with Pink’s “That’s All I Know So Far.” Lauren & Joe’s set was laid-back and pleasant, and helped continue the happiness in the room. Next was Half Tempted, who reliably rocked the room with their sturdy brand of classic rock favorites. Lead singer and guitarist Ron Dalansky, guitarist and singer Jim Mincin, bassist Todd Batzel and drummer Dan McConnell brought the rock and triggered the day’s first dance floor action with tunes from Thin Lizzy, Tom Petty, Grand Funk Railroad, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kiss, Wild Cherry, Queen, the Knack, Mountain and more. After performing Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” earlier in their set, Joe George (who preceded Todd as the group’s bass player) took over bass duties on a glorious rendition of “War Pigs” to close out the set. The joy of the day escalated during Half Tempted’s set when the man of the day – Bob – arrived with his wife Sandy. Musicians and friends proceeded to greet Bob and express their love through the rest of the event. Autumn Rising next took the stage. Namesake Autumn Shiffler on vocals, guitarists and singers Scott Imler and Kirk Robison, bassist P.J. Kelly and drummer Shawn Gioiosa brought upbeat fun with their blend of classic rock and pop favorites. After leading off with Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” Autumn Rising continued to trigger dance floor action with numbers from Joan Jett, Lit, the Cranberries, Toni Basil, Walk The Moon, AC/DC, Pat Benatar, Cheap Trick, Poison and more. Autumn again displayed her power and grit on the singing end; Kirk fronted the group on Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way” and Scott did likewise on AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long.” From behind the kit, Shawn credited Bob for being his drum hero. Autumn Rising delivered an energetic, fun set. Before the Hurricanes’ set, Bob took the microphone to thank everybody for the support. Overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, Bob expressed his full appreciation to his family in the house (including his wife Sandy, whose mother passed away a few days ago), the show organizers, Funky Claud’s proprietor Claudio (his lifelong friend since they were youngsters), all the musicians who took part, and the friends and community members who braved the roads to be a part of this day; it was a touching and heartfelt moment. Bob’s bandmates in Felix & the Hurricanes took it from there…Joined by Donnie Rhodes behind the drum kit, Dave Villani on keys and Jim “Juga” McConnell on harmonica; lead Hurricane, singer and guitarist Felix Kos, and singer and bassist Pat McGinnis kicked off their set with “Louise,” and immediately shifted into ZZ Top’s “Balinese.” The group continued with their original song favorite “Walking A Straight Line” and the Allman Brothers’ “Midnight Rider,” before slowing it down for the Stevie Ray Vaughan-popularized “Tin Pan Alley.” After a punchy rendition of the James Gang’s “Funk No. 49,” Randy Servello – who played earlier in the afternoon at another nearby benefit event – stepped in behind the drum kit for the Allman Brothers’ “One Way Out.” The man of the day, Bob, then took the microphone to growl out the lead vocal on the day’s final song, ZZ Top’s “La Grange.” The Hurricanes’ musicianship was stunning throughout the set, and the smiles on their faces reflected the fun they had jamming with each other and doing their part to help out their band brother. Besides the music, 50/50’s, a silent auction, a basket raffle and other giveaways helped raise money during the event. The end result of this afternoon of music, fun and community was $7,790 raised to help Bob and his family. It was wonderful to witness and experience this show of community – including a multitude of area musicians showing their support, numerous “Hurricaniacs,” and lots of other friends, fans and community members as well. This was a very heartwarming day and a beautiful event.
Big hats off to all who helped to make this day happen – organizers Brian McConnell and Tom Seidel of Freelance Productions, who also made everything on the stage sound great; also Claudio, Carol and the staff of Funky Claud’s for the venue, hospitality and great food, all the area businesses and donors who contributed to the day, all the musicians who donated their talents, and everybody who came out to participate and show their support. This day was what community is all about – unity, supporting and lifting each other up!
On to New Year’s Eve…I closed out 2024 and welcomed 2025 at Altoona’s Unter Uns Musical & Entertainment Society, where DD & the Pub Crawlers provided the musical entertainment. Nine members strong this night – including a four-piece horn section – this group mixed up plentiful amounts of rock, soul, funk, swing, ska sounds and more. Lead singer Dana “DD” Martino, bassist Art Martino, guitarist Devin Sherman, drummer Rick Guyer and keyboardist Adam Baranik, plus the horn contingent of sax players Ryan McCracken and Anthony Martino, trombonist Jeff Woomer and trumpet player Adam Lingenfelter lit up the room and powered up the dance floor with soul classics from Sam & Dave, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and James Brown; a ska version of Van Morrison’s “Brown-Eyed Girl,” brass rock classics from Chicago and Ides Of March, the swing merger of Louis Prima’s “Jump Jive and Wail” into the Andrews Sisters’ “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” (with Adam stepping out onto the dance floor to play his trumpet directly to the dancers) and more. After the stroke of midnight and entering the New Year, the Pub Crawlers reconvened the music with Blue Swede’s “Hooked On A Feeling,” and did songs from Reel Big Fish, Looking Glass, Boz Scaggs, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and more.
The next-to-last group I saw in 2024 was StoneMan as they performed at Pine Grove Hall in Pine Grove Mills in late December. Singer Shawn Inlow wasn’t available this night, so keyboardist Steve Dixon handled most of the singing duties this night; joined by guitarist Nick Miller, keyboardist Rich Horton and drummer Mike Hughes. StoneMan performed a blend of originals from their 2023 debut CD “Heartbreaks” and their forthcoming follow-up album “Promises” (which has since been released). Some of their new songs included the Nick-fronted “Stealin’ Minds,” “The Bottom Rung,” “Again” and an update of the rowdy and rollicking “I Like It” (which appeared on the first album). They also did numbers from the first album such as “What’s Good For You,” “Parkland,” “I Guess You Should Know” and others. StoneMan also dazzled the audience with their eclectic mix of covers – including Elton John’s “Honky Cat,” Steely Dan’s “Black Friday,” their merger of The Who’s “Getting the Tune” into the Beatles’ “Come Together,” and their strong renditions of three Pink Floyd classics – “Money” (with Steve doing all the spoken voice parts in the end), “Have A Cigar” and the finale version of “Pigs (3 of them).” In between their two sets, Nick fired up a few songs from his Nick Miller Project, looping together backdrops live before the audience before singing and slinging guitar over them. One number he did was his version of Led Zeppelin’s “When The Levee Breaks.” StoneMan’s performance was well-received by the audience.
Beyond New Year’s Eve, the first two shows I saw in 2025 both happened at McGarvey’s, and both involved Toy The Band. The first show featured Toy along with Hollidaysburg rap artist WXLverine and new area group Scavenger. Under way when I arrived, Toy sounded good as they mixed indie rock melody and aggression on original numbers and select covers. Some of their songs this night included their popular original song “Chemical Burns” and a blistering take on The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” Four members strong, Altoona’s Scavenger closed the night with their set of funk and jam-geared music. Scavenger laid down steady grooves, and had fun jamming their way from song to song. Among their song selection were renditions of “I Know You Rider” and Eric Clapton’s “After Midnight.”
Toy was also part of a triple-bill involving Walkney and Maul. Again under way when I arrived, Toy opened the night with their original songs and select covers. They again did their version of “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” and also broke out a take on Nirvana’s “Marigold.” Next was Walkney, who introduced a number of new songs this night. Singer, guitarist and ringleader Derek Mrdjenovich fired up the crowd as he led the group – lead guitarist Jextin Pugh, bassist Nik Mik and drummer Dave Applas – on catchy, high-energy original songs. Walkney triggered dance floor action on several numbers, including their recent single, “Take Me.” Maul then slammed the lid on the night with their brand of progressive-edged alternative hard rock. Singer Todd McKeone, guitarists Eric Prindible and Nate Nagle, bassist Tanner Thomas and Dave Applas again behind the drum kit again demonstrated their knack for captivating, detailed melodies and hard-hitting grooves. Maul’s songs run the gamut from dual-tempo rockers to blues-tinged numbers, aggressive rock and more.
And McGarvey’s hosted more musical theatre in late December, as 39 Tigers presented “The Full Monty” over two weekends. Gut-busting laughter was constant during this tale of six unemployed steelworkers in Buffalo, New York, who are low on cash. After seeing their wives get excited over the Chippendales touring male striptease act, the steelworkers devise a plan to form and earn money with their own striptease act, Hot Metal. The ensuing capers and performances were hilarious. The acting cast included several area musicians, including Michelle Barnes as “Pam Lukowski,” Nick Bayer (The BSXpress) as “Tony Giordano,” and Ryen Beam (formerly of The Nerves) as “Ethan Girard.” The upper loft “pit” band included Annette Nagle on keys, Aaron Kenawell (The PennSoulvanians) on bass, Eric Wertz on drums and Randy “Jackson” Rutherford on guitar. 39 Tigers has several productions planned for later this year, including “The Play That Goes Wrong” in July, “Evil Dead the Musical” in October, and “Monty Python’s Edukational” in December.
Avenue Of Kings and Xorillion joined forces last month for a night of rocking fun at Funky Claud’s. A good-sized crowd was already in place as Xorillion started the music; singer Travis Dick, guitarists Jordan Ferraro and Josh Michael, bassist Isaac Sell and drummer Alex Michael set the night’s tone with rocking numbers from 3 Doors Down, Green Day, Talking Heads, Shinedown, Kings Of Leon, Linkin Park, Local H and more. The group also broke out their hard-rocking version of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up.” Xorillion sounded sharp and powerful, and their set drew some folks onto the dance floor. Avenue Of Kings generated rock and metal excitement over the course of their two sets. Singer Matt Stoyanoff, guitarists Chris Silva and Joe Lybarger, bassist Beau Cabassa and drummer Randy Wilson proceeded to pack the dance floor with tunes from Poison, Grand Funk Railroad, Skid Row, Van Halen, Alice In the Chains, Ratt, Metallica, Motley Crue, Kiss, Bon Jovi, Firehouse, Bon Jovi, Judas Priest and many more. Xorillion’s Travis Dick stepped in to sing lead on AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell,” heightening the dance floor activity. And Avenue Of Kings saved the hardest-hitting stuff until after the end of the night, sending the show home with songs from Megadeth, Metallica and Ozzy Ozbourne.
News and Notes…Bedford-based folk singer, poet and author Coltt Winter Lepley will be releasing his self-titled debut album later this year…Western PA power trio The Blazing Suns issued their final album; the 14-song album, called “Volume II,” had been completed at the time when the group decided to go their separate ways, so they decided to release it. Group members Steven Frye and Logan Yonkoske will be relocating to Austin, Texas in the near future.Rhythm guitarist Matt Woods has joined the roster of Johnstown-based alternative rock and punk cover band Twenty Three…The area music scene mourned the passing of Tony Dostal, who passed away on January 17 at age 36 after battling health issues. Tony was known on area stages as the “sample guru” and electronics specialist for Nanty Glo-based horror rockers One Adam 12 during their run on area stages from 2009 to 2019…We also report sad news with last month’s passing of Dustin Pritts; Dustin was a singer and founding member of Somerset-based acoustic group The Feels.
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. SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC!
