It’s anniversary time for me again, as this month marks 38 years that I have been part of PA Musician Magazine! I never thought when I typed my debut article (on an actual typewriter) for the June 1987 issue that I would still be at this 38 years later! It never gets old…The excitement of attending and witnessing live music events and being a part of this area’s music scene keeps me inspired and eager to share that enthusiasm in PA Musician every month! As always, thanks very much to publisher Josh Noll for allowing me to continue to occupy space in this publication, along with all the musicians, bands, venues and show organizers for keeping the music alive in this part of the world, and you the readers for your support and kind words!
The fourth annual Blair Creators Festival brought live music, arts, crafts, food, beverages and fun to downtown Altoona’s Heritage Plaza in late April. Eight bands and performers graced the Plaza’s Rail Car stage throughout the day; starting with Toy, who showcased their edgy alternative rock sound. Singer and guitarist Christian Douglas, lead guitarist Julian Saborio, bassist Adela and drummer Matt Savino introduced their set with their powerful new single “Target Audience,” and also performed their songs “Until the Day It Does,” “Swell” and “Chemical Burns.” They also did versions of the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” the Backseat Lovers’ “Pool House,” Green Day’s “Brain Stew,” and Nirvana’s “Marigold” and “All Apologies.” Making their first Blair Creators Festival appearance, Felix & the Hurricanes then brought their blend of blues and rock to the stage with numbers from Jimmy Martin, Gregg Allman, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the James Gang, as well as their popular original number “Walking the Straight Line.” Also making his debut at this festival. Dom Frucella and his band performed a set of country-toned songs. Singing and playing guitar, Dom was joined by guitarist Jextin Pugh, Derek Mrdjenovich (of Walkney) on bass, and drummer Randy Servello. The group played several of Dom’s original songs, including “South Bound,” and he also did two songs as solo acoustic. Up next were Stephanie & the Wild Hearts to perform their mix of outlaw country and rock’n’roll. The lead duo of singer Stephanie and singer and guitarist Bob Onkst led the group through a mixture of their original songs and select covers, backed by guitarist Chad Morral, bassist Jacob Naugle and drummer Les Beatty. The group introduced one of their newer numbers, “Sorry You Got Caught,” and also did numbers from Nancy Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Shania Twain, Dwight Yoakam, the Eagles and more. Previously known as Hot Fudge Mondaes, Search Party next introduced their heavy-hitting, alternative-meets-nu-metal sound. Vocalist Jake Mowery, guitarists Breydon Bremer and Micah Button, bassist Kevin Neely and drummer Justin Burket slammed through several new original songs that will be on their forthcoming debut EP; Search Party also did versions of Local H’s “Down to the Floor” and the Deftones’ “My Own Summer (Shove It).” Eagerly anticipated on the Rail Car stage was the next performer, local NBC “The Voice” contestant Ethan Eckenroad. Armed with his acoustic guitar, Ethan showed a gentle-toned voice as he performed a number of his original songs, including his popular “Chase the Sun,” “So Far From Fun,” “Still Sing Amen” and more. He also played a version of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Ethan expressed deep appreciation to the audience, and thanked them for the support during his recent run on NBC’s “The Voice” (which came to an end shortly after during the program’s “Playoffs” round). The musical flavor then turned to ska as – 10 members strong – Altoona’s Tom Nevers Field cut loose with their fast-firing set. The group played a number of their original song creations, including “Punk Rock Girl” and “Keep It Safe,” plus a cover of the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop” that triggered youngsters dancing in front of the stage. Although cold from the dropping night time temperatures, Sweet Desire closed out the main stage by heating up the crowd with their hearty blues-rock set. Having just put out their first CD, Sweet Desire did many of their original numbers; including “Hummingbird,” “Sweet Desire,” “11 x 17,” “Raspberry Joe Blues,” “The Dealer” and more. Sweet Desire again launched many of their songs into full-fury jams to the excitement of the crowd, and capped their set with their fiery version of the Humble Pie-popularized “I Don’t Need No Doctor.” In addition to the Rail Car stage, entertainment also happened in the Heritage Plaza circle lot, and included performances by comedians/comediennes Julia Shokker, Adam Holt and Ridge Hershberger, the Backyard Rockers, the Keystone Regiment Senior Drum & Bugle Corps, and the ARC of Blair County drummer and chorus groups. The Blair Creators Festival was again a fun day and a big success; hats off to the Penn State Altoona Sheetz Fellows student organizers and ArtsAltoona for making this festival happen!
Blending live music and tasty wings, the second annual Wing Fest Express event took place last month at Altoona’s Railroaders Memorial Museum. Six chicken wing vendors competed for trophies with their various wing flavors, while two bands provided the musical backdrop for the wing consumption. Based in Pittsburgh, The Dang Band kicked things off with their upbeat blend of classic and modern hits. Opening with Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” The Dang Band – singer Haley “Hay Hal” Hallihan, guitarist and singer Brian Lasinski, bassist and guitarist Maxwell Knott and drummer Lisle Weaver traversed throughout the hit song spectrum, doing numbers from the White Stripes, Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Weezer, Simple Minds, Alanis Morisette, Human League, The Chicks, Cranberries and more. They kept the pacing tight and the music continuous, and received increasing applause as their two sets progressed. Ages then provided the nightcap with their strong and sturdy style of classic rock. Bone Jacked singer Kip Woodring filled in on lead vocals this day, joining lead guitarist Tyler Bryan, bassist Jacob Naugle and his dad, drummer Jerry Naugle. Ages kept the wing-eating crowd happy with generous doses of songs from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tom Petty, the Doors, Rolling Stones, George Thorogood, ZZ Top and more.
The Indiana Theater in downtown Indiana hosted Pittsburgh’s Buffalo Rose early last month. Opening the night was western PA-based folk performer Alyssa Hankey. Joined by violinist Lydia Hull, Alyssa opened strong with her set of original folk numbers, including at least one new song – “Motel Room” – from her next album expected out next year. They also did several of Alyssa’s established numbers such as “Idaho,” “Wild One” and “Hard Road.” Lydia’s string accompaniment added a nice touch to Alyssa’s music, and they sounded very good together. After the intermission, Buffalo Rose took the stage and quickly demonstrated what a talented and fun band they are…Vibrant, cheery, intricate, playful, theatric, joyful and together – these gals and guys were all of it! Their base sound is bluegrass and folk-rooted, but they took it into happy and spirited directions. Singers Margot Jezerc and Lucy Clabby were continually enthusiastic and expressive, and their harmonies were great – it was obvious that these two love to sing! Margot, Lucy, guitarist Shane McLaughlin, upright bassist Jason Rafalak, dobro player Malcolm Inglis, and mandolin player and fiddler Bryce Rabideau played songs from throughout their catalog; including their punchy new single “Solid Ground,” “Not Today,” “Leftover Love” (which Margot wrote in memory of her grandmother Maria), “Mushroom Song” (their latest entry to NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest), the bluegrassy “God Willin’” and more. Buffalo Rose also did a few covers, including Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose” from “Batman Forever,” and their unique rural take on Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar We’re Goin Down.” This group’s entire happy vibe radiated with the Indiana Theater audience; everyone seemed to have a bright smile on their face by show’s end!
I also caught a heavy-rocking triple bill at McGarvey’s in late April. Leading off this hard-hitting triple-bill was Nanty Glo-based foursome Era-X, who got down to business with hard-rocking 1990s and alternative rock favorites. Singer Ethan Marines, daughter Emily Marines behind the drum kit, guitarist Korie Gorchik and bassist Jon Henry seized the moment and went for broke on their 1990s selection, pulling the stops on numbers from Smashing Pumpkins, Alice In Chains, Sponge, Blur, Weezer and more. Ethan’s voice was powerful, Emily displayed some powerhouse drumming, and this group’s execution was tight and dead-on. Era-X also pulled out tunes I almost forgot from the 1990s such as The Nixons’ “Sister” and Our Lady Peace’s “Superman’s Dead!” Up next was the first Altoona appearance by Nero, a group assembled from the ashes of former Clearfield metal rockers Hell Bent. Lead singer Dalton Condon joins former Hell Bent members Chuck Bungo on guitar, Matt Hertlein on bass and Clayton Condon on drums. As with the previous band, Nero continues to perform heavy and hard-edged rock, but stretches into a few surprises along the way. Opening with Living Colour’s “Cult of Personality,” Nero rocked the house with numbers from AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Helmet, Filter, Van Halen, Rage Against the Machine and more. They also broke out a rocking take on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” and on veered Rage’s “Bulls on Parade” into Hall & Oates’ “You Make My Dreams Come True.” Negan then slammed the lid on the night with their heavy-hitting set; pulling out 1990s alternative and metal favorites. Their set included numbers from System Of A Down, Queens Of the Stone Age, Audioslave, Soundgarden, Danzig, Stone Temple Pilots and Iron Maiden. Guest Matt Watson (of Mashbrotatoe) stepped up to front Negan on their version of the Deftones’ “My Own Summer (Shove It).”
Part of what has kept me doing the PA Musician beat for the past 38 years is the excitement of seeing new talent and groups hitting the area stages. Such was the case when I caught my first full look at acoustic-based area trio Circa Something at Levity Brewing Co. in late April. This group features two lead singers, Jess Veach and keyboardist Curtis Tracy, while Aaron Antesberger plays acoustic guitar and cajon. Circa Something treated the Levity audience to a wide array of different decades and genres – spanning Marshall Tucker Band to Weezer, Foo Fighters to Chris Isaak, Jason Mraz to TLC and much more. Jess and Curtis both displayed powerful voices, and both blended to create great-sounding harmonies as well. Some highlights included the group’s nuanced arrangement on Radiohead’s “Creep” and Jess’ powerful pipes on the Cranberries’ “Zombie.”
Another group I saw for the first time recently was area rockers Time Well Spent during their performance last month at The Grove near Belsano. Musicians from both Bedford and Cambria County comprise this group – Bedford’s Mark Diehl and Duane Sipe play guitar and bass respectively, while Cambria Countians Mark Kudlawiec and Brian “Biz” Bisaha sing lead vocals and play drums. It didn’t take long for Time Well Spent to fill up The Grove’s dance floor as they drilled straight-up-the-gut rock’n’roll spanning the 1960s to 90s. This group was energized and brought it to the crowd, as frontman Mark continually rallied and even danced with the crowd. Time Well Spent played favorites from John Mellencamp, Cheap Trick, Tom Petty, Bryan Adams, Grand Funk Railroad, Doobie Brothers, REO Speedwagon and much more. Frontman Mark’s brother Mike – who previously sang with northern Cambria County rockers Neon long ago – stepped up to the microphone to front the group on versions of Grand Funk Railroad’s “We’re An American Band” and Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild,” while the group’s roadie Nolan showed his voice on Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Gimme Three Steps” and Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock & Roll.” A good time was had by all, and was time well spent.
After delivering last month’s issues of PA Musician to the Johnstown area, I stuck around the city to check in with the new-look Boomers at Southmont Gardens. Joining longtime Boomers guitarist and singer Dave Nichols in the current lineup are singer and bassist Rick Napolitan, and drummer and singer Ken Deater. Flying without a setlist, the Boomers fired off a variety of classic rock and blues favorites spanning the 1960s through 90s. Both displaying strong voices, Rick and Ken split lead singing duties, and often blended for some sturdy harmonies as well; while Dave peppered the mix with impressive lead and slide guitar solo work. The Boomers boomed out classics from CCR, Johnny Cash, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Steve Miller Band, Georgia Satellites, ZZ Top, Beatles, Tom Petty, Steve Earle, Otis Redding and more. The Boomers had fun along the way, and that resonated with the crowd. The Boomers maintain a busy show schedule throughout the region for your rock’n’roll pleasure.
Likewise, while completing last month’s PA Musician delivery route to southern Blair and Bedford counties, I took in the monthly “Spring Dam Jam” Open Mic at the Spring Dam Brewing Co. in Roaring Spring. Happening on the third Thursday of every month and hosted by Braden McDannell, this Open Mic featured a number of this area’s rising acoustic talents. Braden opened the night with three of his original songs, followed by similar three and four-song sets from Little Jimmy Mellonballer, the duo of Matthew Sheedy and Wes Shriner, Wes with John Brehm in the JW Project, a singer-songwriter from Huntingdon simply named “Stork,” local comedian Scott Kelley, singer-songwriter James Grove, Kevo with a guest female singer (whose name I did not get), singer and keyboardist Kris Reiter, and Bedford’s Devin Sherman to close the event. (While readying to perform his instrumental set, Devin accidentally busted his forehead open with his guitar and had to don a band-aid over his eye; I kidded him afterward that he might have inadvertently started a new trend: “Blood and Guts Open Mic!”)
Cosmic Charlie’s Coffee Shop in Bellwood has surfaced over the past year as a new venue to check out acoustic music. I caught a late breakfast and my first look at Firewheel Music when they played a Sunday matinee in conjunction with Cosmic Charlie’s first anniversary weekend in late April. Firewheel is the husband-and-wife tandem of Pete and Lisa Wolf. They performed a variety of classic and modern folk, plus folksy versions of rock, pop and country favorites. Among their selection this day were numbers from Fairport Convention, Beatles, John Denver, Brandi Carlile, Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, a sing-along rendition of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” and even a folk rendition of Pat Benatar’s “We Belong!” An additional highlight this day was special guest Kirsten Leigh Shahmoradi, who added her viola and backing vocals to the mix on songs by John Prine, the Indigo Girls and more.
Other performers I saw recently included touring New England-based psychobilly and honky-tonk rockers Sasquatch & the Sick-A-Billys, who brought their “Highway Desperado” Spring Tour to McGarvey’s last month…I also saw northeastern PA’s Elephants Dancing as they brought their ska party to the Altoona Levity Brewing Co. location early last month…Also at McGarvey’s, Ed N Born returned to demonstrate their brand of “Acoustinsanity” at McGarvey’s early last month. Singer and guitarist Sean Osborn, and percussionist and singer Ed Hofer showed their “acoustinsanity” and stamina this night by playing for three hours straight without a break in the action!…And besides seeing their set at the aforementioned Blair Creators Festival, I also took in Felix & the Hurricanes’ monthly first Sunday shindig at Altoona’s Black & Gold Tavern.
News and notes…Rock and reggae will be the prominent musical flavors at the inaugural Valley Vibes Music Festival, happening June 8 at Watershed Farm in Ligonier; performing will be Lopaka Rootz, Ras Prophet, 4String Fighter & Friends, Wizdom Worldbeats Reggae and MSJR. There will also be artists and live artist demos, food and beverage trucks. Proceeds benefit the Loyalhanna Watershed Association and the Food2Go4Kids Program…After its closure last year, Pittsburgh’s Club Café will reopen this summer, after being purchased by local entertainment management firm Keystone Artist Connect…Another Pittsburgh live music venue, The Smiling Moose, announced recently that they were closing their original location in the city’s south side after May; according to an announcement posted on their Facebook page, the owners plan to focus on building business at their Cranberry Township restaurant and their Grove City Brewery locations…And sad news from the central PA music scene and PA Musician extended family with the passing of “Crazy John” Kerecz on May 16 at age 63. I first met John years ago during the annual Millennium Music Conference in Harrisburg. He was full of personality – friendly, witty, and could always put smiles on people’s faces. He kept busy, and was frequently involved in musical projects and endeavors as well. He was a guest on my “Homegrown Rocker” radio program several years back. John was one of a kind, and he will be missed.
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!
