The Professor’s “Live Reviews”
by Jim Price
Finally, SPRINGTIME! Well, at least on paper. As I’m writing this month’s article during Easter weekend, I note 4 inches of new snow on the ground that fell overnight. At least this time of year, the snow won’t be on the ground for long.
A sure sign of spring’s arrival is the annual Crazy Fest Amateur Youth Talent Show. The 18th annual Crazy Fest will take place on Sunday afternoon, April 27, at the Greenwood Firehall in Altoona. Once again, Crazy Fest will put the spotlight on the talents of area youth, as young amateur singers, musicians, dancers, actors and actresses, and bands are invited to display their talents in front of a friendly and supportive audience for trophies, plaques, prizes and a taste of the limelight. This is not “American Idol”, and Crazy Fest’s objective is to encourage, and never discourage, youngsters to perform their talents. Youngsters 21 and under are eligible to participate; for an application, contact show organizer and host Dennie Huber at 814-942-2516. Pennsylvania Musician Magazine and Q94 Radio are again glad to be sponsors of this year’s Crazy Fest!
Several benefits and special shows provided the big highlights on the regional music scene last month. As I reported previously, revered Pittsburgh-based guitarist Tony Janflone Jr. had to step away from live performing at the end of last year to recuperate from herniated discs in his neck, suffered in a September auto accident. Mounting medical costs from this injury and an emergency appendectomy last summer, coupled with an inadequate insurance policy that didn’t cover those expenses, led to Tony attempting to sell off some of his guitars to pay the bills.When some of his musical friends learned of this, they stepped in to help, organizing the “That’s What Friends Are For” benefit show at The Rhythm House in Bridgeville near Pittsburgh. This was an amazing, special and historic night, as a jam-packed crowd came out to support Tony and witness music from some of Pittsburgh’s biggest names. I missed the opening act, The Skip Peck Band, but arrived during The Billy Price Band’s set, as they performed feisty soul, rhythm and blues. In the Rhythm House’s rear room, Pittsburgh lounge legend Frankie Capri was performing. Frankie’s one-man show includes a mini-stage with dancing toy monkeys, umbrellas, American and Italian flags; and himself, singing, playing percussion and other instruments to a variety of sounds spanning Elvis to Sinatra to polkas. His performance was fun and lighthearted, and attracted a few dancers. I arrived back out front in time to watch auctioneer Steve Yillet take bids on a special guitar made by Tony’s father, Tony Janflone Sr.; the winning bid was $3,100. Next, the Pittsburgh All-Stars took the stage. This group lived up to its billing, featuring some of the biggest names associated with Pittsburgh music: Donnie Iris, Clarks guitarist Rob James, B.E. Taylor and his longtime guitarist/collaborator Rick Witkowski; backed by Tommy Bellin on bass, Rick Dickerson on drums and Jamie Peck on keys. This cast lifted the mood of the evening even higher with a set celebrating the best-known hits of each of the All-Stars; including Donnie’s “Love Is Like a Rock” and “Ah! Leah!,” The Clarks’ “Better Off Without You” and “Cigarette,” B.E. Taylor’s “Vitamin L” and more. Late in their set, the All-Stars invited show beneficiary Tony Janflone Jr. up to the stage. Holding back tears, Tony thanked everybody for this special night. The musicians then invited Tony to strap on a guitar, and the musicians started into a rendition of Booker T & the MG’s “Green Onions,” during which Tony’s father, Tony Janflone Sr., brought his guitar on stage and jammed alongside his son! Capping the evening was a set from a band featuring another guitar great, D.C. Tanner, along with Tony Janflone Sr. Both demonstrated their six-string abilities on a short set of classic rock and blues, including “All Along the Watchtower,” Van Morrison’s “Moondance,” ZZ Top’s “Fool for Your Stockings,” Luther Dixon’s “Big Boss Man” and more. And while this night was about Tony Janflone Jr., this set showed the Rhythm House audience that his father can do a pretty lethal job on the guitar as well! This night was a huge success, and the monies raised help alleviate the financial pressure on Tony and his family.
A similar benefit happened a week later in the Altoona area at 30 Something Restaurant & Lounge. Organized through local music website Rockpage, the Rockpage Benefit Jam raised money for Half Tempted drummer Steve McCulley, who has been unable to perform or work since having back surgery last summer. The night featured several bands, musician collaborations and a night-ending jam session; starting with the debut performance of the Arthur Itis Blues Band. Featuring New Tricks (Generation Gap) singer Brian Elliott and bassist Harry Walter, drummer Bill Hocherl and guitarist Mike Borstnar; the Arthur Itis Blues Band played blues and blues-rock numbers from Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and more. Half Tempted was slated to perform next, but with two-thirds of the roster either incapacitated or unavailable this night, group ringleader, singer and guitarist Ron Dalansky billed this night’s roster of himself, bassist Joe George and drummer Clint Carothers as Sausage Magic. Like Half Tempted, they fired off a selection of classic rocking favorites from Aerosmith, Free, AC/DC, Kiss and more; triggering the evening’s first dance floor action along the way. The evening then shifted into an acoustic direction with a short set by Big Jim & Bad Daze Rob; before Mama Corn set toes tapping with their mix of traditional bluegrass, ‘grass-flavored spins on Guns N’Roses’ “Sweet Child of Mine” and Men At Work’s “Down Under,” and more. This was followed by several special collaborations, including Bad Daze singer Rob Carolus fronting Spirit Lost (whose regularly-scheduled frontman, Austin Tepsic, was under the weather this night), members of FedUP and The Scraps converging as The Side Effects, an acoustic Slacker Theory trio, and members of Dick Shack Posse doing old-school punk as The A—cracks Of Society. The night then ended with an anything-goes, hard-rocking jam session featuring singers Troy Earnest, Erick Carlson and Denise Neely, show organizer Bob Watters (The Hurricanes) and show beneficiary Steve McCulley on drums, Joe George on bass, guitarists Rich Piccerillo, Jody Earnest, Ryan McCulley and more. It was indeed “anything goes” when the musicians fired through numbers from Black Sabbath, the Doors, Motorhead, Alice In Chains and AC/DC; as an amplifier began billowing smoke midway through the set – a smoking jam session! This benefit was well-attended, and a good amount of money was raised to help out Steve McCulley.
Besides the wearing of the green, green beer and other Irish merriment, St. Patrick’s Day weekend also provided another edition of the annual 814 St. Patty’s Riot, which took place this year at Ebensburg’s Castle Pub. The Riot featured continuous music with nine bands on two stages. I arrived too late to see show openers Black River Circus commence the evening on the upstairs main stage, but did see the first band on the basement “Dungeon” stage, Rob Wallace & the Mess. The duo of namesake Rob Wallace on vocals and guitar and Mark Wigfield on drums rocked from behind a cage (which was removed after their set) with their edgy blend of hard rock, blues and country. Following their set, I headed upstairs to see Pittsburgh’s Atomic Drops, already in progress. Singer Scott Terz, guitarists Mike Copen and L. Mitch Hell, bassist Mike Lux and drummer Phil Herrup cranked out rowdy punk-flavored rock’n’roll, including their set-finishing rendition of the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.” Then, back down to the Dungeon to see Richmond, VA’s RPG. Singer/guitarist Matt Conner, guitarist John Partin, drummer Mike Marunde and Lamb Of God bassist John Campbell throttled a jam-packed crowd with high-octane raunch/punk-driven rock. RPG kept the crowd in a constant frenzy, enough to get called back for an encore. Back upstairs (This show provided a “stair-master” workout!), The Marauders elevated the party with their charged roots-rocking sounds, as they performed favorites like “Late Night Livin,’” the Brian Setzer-penned “We Are the Marauders” and “New Tattoo;” new songs and select covers from the Stray Cats and the Misfits. Next in the Dungeon was Cleveland trio Echoes of Harpers Ferry, who performed short, sweet, savage punk rock songs. The Deuces kept things rolling on the upstairs stage with their go-for-broke, melody-geared punk rock, which generated the first moshpit action of the night. Finishing action on the downstairs Dungeon stage was Punxsutawney/Pittsburgh foursome American Armada. This group too played adrenaline-rush old-school-flavored punk rock originals, and kept a tightly-packed stagefront crowd gyrating for the duration. Closing the Riot on the upstairs main stage was new Altoona foursome Locked Inside. Featuring former members of Ten Sent Wings, Locked Inside kept the crowd in front of the stage turbulent with punk-driven original tunes including “Gotta Go,” “Last Resort,” “Beatdown” and more. Like past editions, this year’s 814 Riot was another jam-packed, sweaty, beer-soaked, hard-rocking and memorable blowout!
The Underground Television kicked off its new season last month, and celebrated with a hard-rocking triple-bill at Aldo’s that featured three bands being filmed for the program. Drain the Sorrow began the night with their scathing brand of metalcore, offering the tightest and most focused set I’ve seen from them so far. Lead vocalist Dave Winters, guitarist Shaun Barr, bassist Troy Mort and drummer Andy Hicks introduced several new original assaults such as “From the Mouth,” “Stand Your Ground” and “Time Heals Nothing” (dedicated in memory of Michael Hicks). Next was This Calling, a new hard-rocking foursome formed from the ashes of 4 Days Dirty. Lead singer/guitarist Joe Neary, guitarist/singer Chris Silva, bassist Paul Greiner and drummer Justin Fair introduced a sound that combined elements of thrash and modern metal as they performed original songs such as “A Thousand Words,” “My Turning Point,” the group title “This Calling,” “The Day I Died” (a song inspired after Joe was pronounced clinically dead for two minutes while serving in Iraq) and more. And Brockway’s Demise Awaits closed the show with a set that demonstrated their brand of all-out, guitars-blazing thrash and speed metal. Lead singer/guitarist Jason Chatfield, lead guitarist Jason Shimmel, bassist Austin Feely and drummer Brian Wells played blistering assaults such as the Slayer-ish “I Want Your Blood,” “Ultra Perfect Machinery,”“The Nothingsoul” and “Professor Headwreck.” All three bands will be featured in upcoming episodes of The Underground Television, and this was the second of six band-filming dates for this season’s programs.
The show must go on, even when the winter season throws a one-two punch to try to derail it. This was the case during the “Leap Day Party” at Aldo’s in late February. An “Alberta Clipper” dumped from 6 to 16 inches of snow on the region, which sidelined one of the scheduled three bands, McConnellsburg’s Way Down East. Indiana’s Solegion did make it in, and opened the evening.This was my first chance to see this group with their new line-up; joining singer Jarrod Bartock and guitarist Adam Getty are former Alluminati guitarist Kyle Cameron and drummer Nick Tercek, and bassist Simon Richard. Solegion’s updated sound demonstrated more velocity and a sharper metal dynamic, while retaining melody and Jarrod’s charismatic presentation. Choking Faith fought the illness punch, as frontman Jason Mittan battled bronchitis and experienced more difficulty howling out his savage voice as the group’s two sets progressed. Fortunately, some fellow frontmen came to the rescue to help Jason with vocal duties; Slacker Theory frontman Steve Danfelt, Suicide Switch lead throat Cheeze, and a third vocalist named Adam. The guest vocalists helped Jason and Choking Faith on several original songs and select covers from Pantera, Devildriver, Skid Row and Slayer.
When I showed up at Aldo’s early last month to see Pittsburgh rockabilly rockers The Legendary Hucklebucks, I discovered that the group had to withdraw from their performance due to a family matter. But they didn’t leave the stage bare, sending two bands to cover in their absence. I missed the first, Candy Apples & Razorblades; but arrived in time to see the second, Face Down Presley. Featuring Mean Gene on vocals and guitar, Face Down David on bass guitar and Couch on drums, Face Down Presley played slamming, punk-fueled rock; including numerous original songs such as “Squatters,” “Mexico” and “Shotgun Johnny;” as well as amped-up renditions of Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69,” Metallica’s “Motorbreath,” Supersuckers’ “Rock-N-Roll Records” and more. Face Down Presley had fun, slamming out their tunes with reckless abandon and never taking themselves too seriously; and it appeared that their fill-in appearance won them some new Altoona area fans.
A band I saw for the first time recently was The O.C.B. (Original Cover Band), during their first visit to Altoona’s 4D’s Lounge. The O.C.B. features several familiar regional names, including former FoXXy members Lexanne Berich on lead vocals and Chad Caprio on guitar and vocals, Loudmouth and former Hitchcock bassist John Cimino, George Powell on drums and Mike Mitchell on guitar. The O.C.B. mixed a wide range of favorites, spanning current names like Fallout Boy, Weezer and Big & Rich to classics from Cheap Trick, Johnny Cash, Poison and more; some highlights included Tom Cochrane’s “Life Is a Highway,” the George-sung rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” and the Chad-sung funky take on the Beatles’ “Come Together.” Lexanne continues to emerge into one of this region’s brightest singing talents; she displayed an excellent voice, poise and a lot of enthusiasm this night. The group executed tightly as a whole and kept the music and energy level constant throughout the night, successfully pulling folks onto the Dees dance floor before all was said and done. The O.C.B. is a party band on the rise; they return to the 4D’s May 16.
The O.C.B. also opened for Velveeta at the 4D’s two weeks later, with bassist John Cimino subbing for John Matthews in the Velveeta roster. Both bands teamed up to make it an excellent party; during Velveeta’s nightcap set, Lexanne and Chad from The O.C.B. were frequent-flyer guests onstage with John, singer/guitarist Brian Kriley, keyboardist/singer Brent Martin and drummer John Harper. Velveeta and their guests kept the dance floor crowd festive to the end with various 80’s and other favorites.
Every Thursday night, Harrisburg’s Echoburn brings the party to State College’s Saloon. During their late February Saloon appearance, Echoburn kept a packed house happy with their mixture of nonstop classic and current rock hits and a few original songs along the way. Singer/guitarist Joey Dalto, guitarist/singer Greg Folsom, bassist/singer Shane Moore and drummer Chris Anderson did melodic and groove-geared rock numbers from their forthcoming CD such as “All for You,” “Shaken” and “Make Me Crazy.” The group also kept the dance floor crowd lively with favorites from Buckcherry, Queen, Green Day, Guns N’Roses, Gin Blossoms, Journey, Oasis and more. Echoburn kept the music and action constant, with Greg and Shane sometimes swapping instruments. And they maintained constant contact with the crowd, encouraging singalongs and other audience participation to keep them involved in the show. Echoburn will log some time in Key West early this month; but watch for their return to The Saloon, as well as various Harrisburg venues.
I finally caught up with CK & the Boomers during their early March performance at Altoona’s Family Pizza & Pub. This group features several seasoned vets of the area music scene; Bob and Patty Helbig both sing; Bob plays bass and Patty plays some acoustic guitar and percussion.The group also features former Stillwater keyboardist/singer John Koeck, Dave Nichols on guitar, and John Stevens plays drums. From CK & the Boomers you’ll hear rock’n’roll, R&B and country hits from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. With Bob, Patty and John Koeck all handling lead singing duties, the group spans a wide variety of sounds, from the Four Tops and Eddie Floyd to Billy Joel, the Stray Cats, Quarterflash, Johnny Cash, B-52’s, the Beatles, Pat Benatar and more. Highlights were numerous; including songs I didn’t expect to hear such as Bob and Patty’s Ike & Tina spin on “Proud Mary,” John singing Hall & Oates’ “Kiss on My List” and Hot Chocolate’s “You Sexy Thing,” and special guest Jerrone Barnes lending his soulful falsetto on the Miracles’ “Ooh Baby Baby.” CK & the Boomers did it all well, showing ample versatility in bringing this wide range of songs to life. CK & the Boomers maintain a busy performance schedule throughout central Pennsylvania; watch for their return to Family Pizza & Pub.
Huntingdon County trio Backlash made their first visit to Altoona’s Hitching Post last month. Featuring bassist/singer Dan McCorkle, guitarist/singer Wade Shumaker and drummer Jim Mills; Backlash mixes rock and blues favorites from the 60’s to 90’s, including numbers from Robert Palmer, Allman Brothers, Steppenwolf, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Social Distortion, Spin Doctors, Kiss, T. Rex, the Doors and more. Dan and Wade swap vocal duties, and all three musicians are solid on their instruments. Backlash keeps the tunes nonstop and the breaks in the action minimal, making for a Saturday night rock’n’roll good time. Backlash maintains a busy schedule on Huntingdon and Mifflin County stages; watch for a return visit to the Hitching Post soon.
I mixed some country into my musical diet when I checked out The Country Outlaws during their first visit to Glenn’s Place in Claysburg in late February. Now six members strong with the recent addition of fiddle player Melissa “Dread,” the Country Outlaws still do traditional-styled outlaw country from names like Johnny Cash, Dwight Yoakum, Hank Williams, Hank Jr., Hank III, David Allan Coe, Waylon Jennings and more. You’ll hear lead singer/guitarist Charlie Hilderbrand do a convincing Man In Black groan on Johnny Cash favorites such as “Cocaine Blues,” “I Walk the Line,” “Cry Cry Cry” and “Folsom Prison Blues.” But you’ll also hear Charlie and singer Angela Dodson join voices on excellent duet renditions of “Ring of Fire” and “Jackson;” and Angela showing her crystal clear voice on Lynn Anderson’s “Stand By Your Man,” Miranda Lambert’s “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” and even Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobby McGee!” Melissa’s addition on fiddle gives this group’s sound more depth and fullness. The Country Outlaws’ first visit to Glenn’s Place was a successful one, as they kept the dance floor busy through most of the night; they return April 12.
St. Patrick’s Day fell on a Monday this year, and Monday is my night for consuming mass quantities of wings at Pellegrine’s. So when Pelly’s brought in acoustic duo Big Jim & Bad Daze Rob to provide St. Patrick’s entertainment, I got to enjoy wings and music at the same time! While I savored Pelly’s original recipe hot wings, “Big Jim” Ricotta on guitar and “Bad Daze Rob” Carolus performed a wide variety of hits and requests. The pair encouraged audience participation, and attempted nearly every song or artist called out. (The attempted acoustic spins on Danzig, Billy Ocean and Britney Spears brought some laughs.) Highlights included the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There,” dedicated to Paul McCartney lotto winner Heather Mills, whose nearly $50 million divorce settlement was announced earlier in the day; the house singalong rendition of Don McLean’s “American Pie” and more. This night also gave me the opportunity to practice my ambidexterity, as I jotted down song titles with my left hand while handling wings with my right hand! Big Jim & Bad Daze Rob made St. Patrick’s night a fun one, and more weeknight appearances from this duo at Pellegrine’s appear likely.
Other bands I saw recently included Mt. City Grass at the Hitching Post, Slacker Theory at Pellegrine’s, D-n-A at the 4D’s upstairs Schnappes Shoppe, Bad Daze’s 5th anniversary celebration at 30 Something, Flight 19’s parties at Pellegrine’s and Tyrone’s Bullpen Lounge, and Felix & the Hurricanes at 30 Something and Shaw’s Bar.
News and notes: The Rock4RedCross Benefit, being organized by Mt. Union Area High School students, happens Saturday, April 12 at the Huntingdon County Fairgrounds Grandstand, and will feature performances from The Potters Band, The Four of Us, Shattered Ice, Among the Voices, Downstairs Push, Take It Further, Gift Of The Hour, Send Her to the Grave,