Happy Holidays Everyone! It’s so hard to believe I’m already saying that. This year just flew by. Now that I’m out working in the real world, it seems that life just keeps moving while I’m standing still. It’s so hard to keep up. This article will still cover Halloween Happenings, while also talking about New Year’s Eve. That’s just crazy, but it’s what I have to do to meet my deadlines!

   Going all the way back to my spookiest night in Harrisburg…It was actually the Saturday before Halloween, but there were some very freaky people in costumes that were Out and About in Harrisburg. My first and main stop was into Ceolta’s to see Hair Force One. Ceolta’s was jam packed with everyone enjoying the great 80’s Rock of Hair Force One. Their new bass player, Peter Fitzwell, fits right in with the perfect 80’s Hair style, and eye liner. He can also play that bass. He’s been around the block a few times within the music community, but he’s glad he found his place within Hair Force One. They are definitely becoming regulars in the Harrisburg and Altoona areas, so make sure and check out their schedule and see where you’ll be checking them out next. They are definitely a Rock and Roll Party that you don’t want to miss!

   During one of their set breaks I headed up 2nd Street to Smalls just to see what was going on. Little did I know I’d see my brother in a dress?? He was dressed up like “Mother Trucker” one of the Harrisburg Area Roller Derby girls. It was well worth my walk up the street. Haha  Earlier in the day the H.A.R.D. girls hosted the “Thriller” dance up State Street in Harrisburg to try to break the Guiness Book World Record for the most people doing the same synchronized dance at the same time across the world. They found out they didn’t break the record but they had 1,669 “zombies” in 48 cities, throughout 5 continents. In the process the HARD girls accepted donations for YWCA in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The Harrisburg Area Roller Derby girls will be having an Open Recruitment at the Olympic Skating Center in Enola it’s absolutely free for anyone that wants to come see what a Roller Derby is all about and possibly become part of the team.

   Angry Johnny and the Killbillies were performing inside at Smalls. I didn’t stick around too long, but I heard a couple songs. Instead of Rockabilly, they actually consider themselves “psychobilly” They’re from Killville, Massachusettes, so everyone seemed pretty excited to have them there at Smalls. They even had a mandolin player, which was awesome. I love seeing “different” instruments in bands, it really helps make songs a lot more thick and interesting to listen to.

   I ended my night with a quick stop in to check out Sugarcoat at the Harrisburg Hardware Bar. The Hardware Bar was giving away a $500 cash prize to the best costume, so that place was an absolute zoo! It was hard to get a good shot of Sugarcoat, so I headed up to the 2nd level so I could actually see. They now have a pool table area up there for people’s enjoyment. It’s also a great place to get a good pic, no matter how big the crowd is.

   The following weekend I headed up to Tubby’s to do the interview with Smokin Gunnz. After I sat down with the guys and found out so much interesting info, I was able to check out a new band, Cyphor, their opener for the evening. Cyphor has only been playing out for 4 months, but they definitely have the confidence that’s needed to succeed in this business. They play a mixture of originals and covers with a tightness you don’t see too often anymore. These guys are young and they are ready to impress Central PA and beyond.

   Smokin Gunnz is a four-piece Southern Rock powerhouse that will blow your mind away. They are just so entertaining to watch and hear, for a full review of the band check out this months Cover Story. It was nice seeing them at Tubby’s again where there is plenty of room to dance and plenty of room for the band to move around. They always give quite a show, and make your night out one worth remembering.

   We’ve been going a little crazy about our 25th Anniversary, but we finally had the party, and it was a total blast. I can’t even imagine how bands feel before a show, we were all stressing about how many people were going to be there, if they were going to have fun, what we were going to say, etc… We shouldn’t have worried. Everything was pretty much taken care of for us, really all we had to do was sit back, relax, and enjoy seeing friends we haven’t seen for years, and celebrating our success and PA’s Music Industry successes over the past 25 years.

   We hosted our party at Gullifty’s in Camp Hill. Our wait staff was amazing, and our food was delicious. They did a great job at keeping everything hot and fresh and making sure all of our needs were met. Our sound guy kept everything moving smoothly, our friends and supporters kept coming up to us and talking about how much they appreciate the paper, and of course all of our bands were fantastic. You have to really have a tough shell to work in this business but it was nice to be able to let my guard down and enjoy a fun night.

   Our first performer of the night was the one and only “Whitey the Mighty” (Dad). He got up there and performed for us as a solo act and then Dave got up there and helped end the set with 2 of his original songs. Dad labeled the night as one of his “Top Ten” Favorite times in his life. So many old friends he hadn’t seen in years came out to show their support. There are too many to list them all, but thank you! He was signing autographs and selling CDs. His all “original” CD is amazing. If you don’t already have one, give us a call and we’ll hook you up.

   Next up was a very long time supporter of the PA Musician Magazine, X-Terra. X-Terra is an original, Christian Rock band out of Wilkes-Barre, PA. My personal favorite was “Don’t Knock the Rock,” it struck a cord with me because I feel like saying that to a lot of different people. X-Terra is only a 3-piece band with Bill Hunt, doing both lead guitar and vocals. That’s a hard task that not too many people try to do. He does it very well. It was so nice to get to finally meet and hear them. I’m glad we were able to give them the opportunity to perform in our area.

   The next original rock band was Drop of Grey. These guys stuck with us all night, and really helped bring in some of the crowd. I knew they’d be a great middle band to get people up and moving with their high-energy stage show. It’s hard to sit still and just watch these guys, their energy just flies off the stage. They are working on getting out a full length CD which I’m sure will be amazing. Their songs, “Waiting” and “Asleep” are my two favorites, and I can’t wait to have them added to my CD collection.

   Asking Andy was the last but definitely not the least band of the night. They definitely know how to keep a party moving. By this point of the night everyone “thought” I was a little over my limit, but I was just having so much fun, realizing how much our paper, and all of our hard work, especially Mom’s, is truly appreciated. Asking Andy gave us lots of compliments from the stage, which was very nice of them. They really helped make us all feel special. I was finally introduced to the “sheep.” For those of you who never personally met the sheep, be thankful. I also helped sing “Anyway You Want It” by Journey. We should have sang “Don’t Stop Believin” because I know one thing for sure, Don’t Stop Believin’ in the PA Musician Magazine, because we’ve been around for 25 years, and we’re still going stronger than ever!

   Thanks so much to all the bands and to everyone who came to party with us, and especially thanks to Gullifty’s for having such a great venue to host a party. Thanks to all of our advertisers and supporters who have kept us alive all these years, without you, we definitely would not be.

   For my next night of entertainment I headed down to the Hot Point Inn in Shippensburg. LeadFoot was there opening for Back in Black. I got there a little early and I still had to park, way down the street. It was amazing how huge this place is, and of course how unbelievably crowded it was. I came from Harrisburg, and I saw some friends there from Mt. Union. It’s just so centrally located, it’s a great place to draw crowds from all parts of the state. Another part I really liked about the venue itself was the “bar lines” they had 2 different full bars, but they actually had signs for “the line forms here.” Instead of squeezing uncomfortably into the bar to get to the bartender, you could just wait in line and have the bartenders full attention. It was pretty cool.

   LeadFoot did a great job getting the party started. They had the people crowding in. That’s one thing I really appreciate about LeadFoot, they’ll be an opener, one night and a headliner the next. They are able to swallow their pride and do whatever needs to be done. They just love playing, and they want to play however and wherever they can.

   When the warm-up song came on for Back in Black, I definitely knew it. My face was getting more and more smooshed up against the big, black curtain. That place was unbelievably insane. I grabbed the couple pics that I could and headed for the back of the crowd. It was crazy to see the crowd go absolutely insane for Back in Black. Tony has been the only lead singer for the whole 17 years of BIB’s existence. It’s amazing that they know 127 AC/DC songs. Every show is a SHOW. When they are in the area, it’s definitely a show worth catching.

   Shoot the Moon made it back to the midstate. They played at Champions in Highspire, and I was there to enjoy the show. They were psyched about their big CD Release party that was coming up in just a couple days. They released an EP with 5 fantastic songs. My personal faves are “Leave Me Alone,” “Dysfunctional Accident,” and “This Hurt.” They were able to record it at JL Studios in Wyoming, PA. They were quick to point out that they actually wrote 10 songs, but they narrowed it down to 5 for this release, but it’s definitely just the beginning. Expect to see a lot more out of these guys. The original songwriting is a great combination amongst all the guys. Sean and James write the lyrics, Tom writes the music, and John fills in the rhythm, and they wind up with some great songs!

   Their actual set was a fine mixture of their new originals and covers. They can play songs ranging from “Time After Time” by Cindy Lauper, all the way to “The Wall” by Pink Floyd. Sean has an absolutely amazing voice, and Tom fills in nicely so Sean doesn’t have to carry all the vocals. John also had his new beautiful drum kit. The kit just shined, and the man behind the kit was a monster as usual. You can check out their myspace page and get a short taste of their new music.

   The night was still young so we headed over to Doc Holidays to catch the tail end of the Luv Gods. They were starting into their 3rd set when we arrived, so Shea was asking for requests, trying to get the crowds ideas. Of course they were yelling for a Sharks song and they guys finally broke in and played “Holiday.” During some song requests the band was switching up instruments with Shea even taking Tom’s bass at one point. I’m sure their library of songs in their heads is quite overwhelming. It was nice getting to see the Luv Gods again, it’s been a while since I was able to catch them Out and About.

   The final band of the month was The Red Velvet Girls. They got a call on Thanksgiving Eve around 7pm that The Martini Bros. needed an opener, by 9:30pm, they were on the stage at Gullifty’s. That shows some definite determination to get their band out there and playing. It’s so hard to find last minute replacements. The Red Velvet Girls have only had their “new” band finalized for a little over a month. They were already playing a wide variety of music. They played “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavine, “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith, and “Thriller” by Michael Jackson, just to name a few. With 2 female front singers, Harlequin and Blaze, they can cover many different songs without overstressing their vocals. They just kept singing one song after the next taking advantage of every possible second on stage. They really did a great job. I unfortunately couldn’t stick around for the Martini Bros. or the Real Be Easys. I had to get home and get ready for Thanksgiving with the family, but I’m glad I at least got to get out and see a little bit of entertainment.

   Wow! Once again another crazy month. I’m sure this month will be insane with family activities and tons of bands to see and hear. I know one thing I’m hoping to catch is the Toys for Tots Benefit at Shakey’s in Hershey. There will be lots of great bands playing and last year was an absolute blast. It’s an all-age event so start the tradition and make it one of those “family” things you can’t miss every year. Also, New Year’s Eve provides tons of awesome entertainment throughout the state of PA. If I was going out, I would probably head up to Shade Mt. Inn to see Kevin Siegel’s last show with Scream. Unfortunately it will probably be one those nights I will cherish and spend with the family.

  

 

  

 

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