June 2007
OUT AND ABOUT
By RACHEL ROCKS
Wow! What a busy month. My life is rapidly changing. I've been overly focused on putting together a functioning PA Musician Website, which I have sort of accomplished. You can check it out by going to www.pamusician.net. Check it out, let me know what you think. My administrative duties have really swallowed up a lot of my time. I’m trying my hardest to create even a more complex website, but let me tell you, it’s a complex job. Please bare with us while we develop our site. I want to take a minute and say Happy Father’s Day to my wonderful husband, Kris! Without him being such a great Daddy and taking care of our boys, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing. Also happy Father’s Day and Birthday, to my wonderful Daddy, Whitey Noll, without him there wouldn’t be a PA Musician Magazine. He saw the need and put it to a reality, supporting the local music industry throughout the state of PA for almost 25 years. Now back to business…
My first stop of the month was Gullifty's, before I stepped back into the '80's, I had a delicious dinner with some friends, Linda and Susie, upstairs in the dining room. Their food is absolutely amazing! I've only had their pizza before, but it was great to sit-back and enjoy their excellent cooking. That's one great bonus to all the fun I'm having…it's contagious. I talk about it with my friends, and then they want to go with me. It's great because then I have someone to hang out with. Our service was excellent so we made it downstairs in plenty of time to hear Hair Force One open up for LeadFoot. I love both bands so I knew it was going to be an excellent show. The crowd was definitely ready to rock. They at first sort of seemed taken aback by HF1's crazy wigs and more of the danceable, party '80's music. But by the end of their set, our pants were rolled, and we were ready to party. These guys and their "hair" are a show unto themselves. That blows you away before they even start, but then Victor's voice, just pushes you over the edge. They really know how to nail all of the old faves. They even sang some requests being hollered from the crowd. Hair Force One definitely took Gullifty's by surprise, but I'm sure they'll be back again in the future.
LeadFoot, a local favorite, took the stage next. That was the first "Rock" crowd I've seen at Gullifty's and it was definitely a full house. There were lots of people ready to party to their Arena Rock! One thing about LeadFoot is their hair is definitely there! These guys have the 80's style down to a tee, from the look, to the sound. If you loved the 80's as much as I did, you have to check these guys out, they'll amaze you. They were "luckily" having some technical difficulties, so we were able to hear Space, with a drum solo again. This one was unplanned, but when you let that man loose, he just goes. It was very crazy and very cool. It was nice seeing LeadFoot on a bigger stage, with such great sound. I sure hope I get to see them back at Gullifty's again soon.
Next up, "Shakes-It,” Kristen, and I headed out to see Black Mountain Jack at Doc Holidays East. These guys are some down-to-Earth sweethearts that know how to play country. My new goal is to figure out country line dancing, so I pulled Cindy, the booking lady for BMJ, and asked her to show us some moves. I'll tell ya, we were definitely moving. We finally allowed ourselves a break and headed to the bar. We were talking about all of our fun, and then a whole big group of ladies came out to join us. We really had a nice crowd of ladies, trying to figure out, or remember, how to country line dance. With some of things we were doing, I don't know how the guys on stage managed to keep their composure, but they did. They really know how to get you up boot scootin' and boogeying! What a great time.
We ended our night with a trip out to Double K to see and hear Smokin Gunnz. They had that place packed. I thought I was going to have to stand on stage to get a good shot. These guys didn't only stay on stage though, they were on top of Amps, on top of the bar, wherever they could climb to to get a little extra breathing room. Their Southern Rock style is definitely a rare commodity in the area, and obviously "the area" loves it. You really need to go see these guys to truly appreciate them. It's a nice change when the "front-men" are all the band members, instead of just one guy acting crazy, you have all 4.
The following weekend we headed out to Tubby's in Duncannon to see Mustang. The Country Fridays might be coming to an end due to lack of support. If you like having country in Perry County head on out to Tubby’s and Support Local Country Music…call all your friends and family, and get that place packed, we need to change Joe's mind about putting an end to Country Fridays at Tubby's. Back to Mustang, these guys had the dance floor packed with couples and singles, dancing away to all their country favorites. I tried to figure it out, but I definitely need some lessons first. There were two young single guys that definitely knew how to dance. They were the "leaders" on a lot of dance moves that kept the crowd hoppin. Mustang has definitely formed a name for themselves, and they have the followers to prove it. Go check 'em out. I promise you won't only be entertained by the band, you'll like watching the dancing as well.
Next up was Cinco de Mayo! I knew it was going to be a party night, but it was beyond a party night, people were just absolutely crazy! We first headed out to Cameron St. Cafe in Harrisburg, PA. Kevin is doing a great job keeping security tight, and making the place a happening place to be. It's nice because it is an actual cafe where I saw people getting full meals at 11pm. It's sometimes hard to get "real" food so late at night. Our entertainment was pretty awesome too. We went to see Drop of Grey, and we were pleasantly surprised to catch Turning Point opening for them. Turning Point are from the Red Lion area and they've been around a while. They are actually released a CD at the end of May. They are very pysched about that, they had shirts, stickers, and whatever they needed, to make their night a success. Turning Point definitely have their sound down, and they know how to entertain a crowd.
Drop of Grey were up next. The last time I saw these guys was in the main ballroom at the Millenium Music Conference. They had a nice big stage, and they were going crazy. When you see the smaller stage at Cameron St. Cafe, you have to ask yourself, how are they going to pull this one off. They used up every ounce of space they had, and they made sure everyone had a rocking night. For their major head-banging moments they sort of all got in a line, so no one would get hurt. These guys can entertain on a big or little stage. Their sound is very well defined and they are ready to surprise you. With all their energy I think of them more as a "ball of fire" instead of just a "Drop of Grey," but it is a cool new name, they used to be "Disengaged." The big "boxing match" was going to start and it was a full house in the Cameron St Cafe, so we decided we better head out. Our next stop was to the WS Hardware Bar to see Go Go Gadjet.
GGG are one of those bands that don't make it into our area that often, so when they show up you have to go check them out. When we got to the Hardware Bar, we were simply amazed at the crowd. We plowed ourselves to the front for some crazy pics, but it was almost a little too overwhelming. Especially when Go Go Gadjet took a break for the Tuna Taco eating contest, that's right, Tuna Tacos. The Hot 92 radio station was there, hosting the event and they came up and poured on Hot Sauce right before they started eating, the smell was unbelievable. The winner chomped down 12 Tacos, nasty!!! Of course we couldn't leave our front stage position, so we had a front row seat, for it ALL. YUCK! Finally, Go Go Gadjet took the stage again. These guys are absolutely crazy, so they fit right in with the night. I thought there was a new member in the band, but here it was just Dunc, he shaved off all his hair. He had a big, black, curly, bunch of hair and he shaved it all off. What a shocker! These guys had the room packed and the fans going crazy. It was a shame there were so many disruptions because we really didn't get to see as much of Go Go Gadjet that we wanted to. Hopefully next time there will be less distractions and more action.
Have you ever been hypnotized? Sailesh, the “world’s best uncensored hypnotist” was at Gullifty’s. I grabbed some friends and headed down for a great night of entertainment. At the door Sailesh asked me if I wanted to be hypnotized I said sure why not. I got up there thinking there's no way he'll hypnotize me. About 3 hours later, I finally find out I was hypnotized, and I remember EVERYTHING! Being hypnotized is definitely an unbelievable experience. In the beginning, before he put us under he explained that you won't do anything you don't want to do. That is so true. Did I mention Sailesh is an "uncensored" hypnotist! We were doing some interesting things, that only a super-soaker can do, but if you weren't there, sorry, you missed it! In the beginning I remember thinking oh, I'm not hypnotized, I might as well go back to my seat. Then, all of a sudden, I was on a roller coaster and I definitely felt like and thought I was on one. It was unbelievable! After that the night just kept getting more and more interesting. The craziest part I remember was speaking in Chinese. I remember seeing a skit on my honeymoon where they were doing that, and I thought "yeah right!" but let me tell you, it's real. It's not fluent Chinese, but it's what we think Chinese sounds like. Also for those of you in the audience, you WERE naked! I saw everything. LOL! The guys were crossing their legs and turning their backs, it was nasty yet hilarious all at the same time. There were a total of 6 of us hypnotized and I wish I knew all their names to give them all credit for being such good sports about it ALL. The other craziest part is at the end, we, the hypnotized ones, thought the show was cancelled, that we were never hypnotized, until we hit the steps leading out of Gullifty's. Then, it all came rushing back, I all of a sudden remembered everything I did! This rush of energy was so strong when I hit the bottom step that I almost fell over! By the time I reached the top and saw Matt, from Gullifty's, I couldn't believe everything I did. Matt's only comment was, "well, it looked like you had fun." Oh Boy!! For some of those people it was probably horrifying to see some of things I did. Did I mention I had 4 friends in the audience, and of course I know the staff at Gullifty's! I was glad to find out I didn't ruin the show for them. It made it more interesting because they knew me, and my personality, so they could tell it was definitely "real" and I wasn't faking, I might be crazy, but not that CRAZY! The next time Sailesh is in town I'd definitely go check him out. It was so much fun and I can't wait to try and by hypnotized again next time!
Last month was Appalachian Brewing Company's big 10th Anniversary Celebration! It was family friendly, so I finally got to include my whole family in my fun! We got there just in time to catch the last half hour of Paul Wunder's set. When I first started writing, everyone was wondering, "Who is Paul Wunder?" Well, now I know. He's an amazing, very versatile, musician. He was doing a show for the kids, with all "kid-friendly" songs. He even invited my 4-year-old Zack up on stage to play the drums with him. It was a lot of fun. Zack and Mason, both loved it! Paul Wunder is a one-man band, with a lot of tricks. He definitely can entertain any crowd at your next party or event. Give Paul a call and see what he can do for you. You can get all the necessary contact info for Paul in this issue.
Appalachian Brewing Company (ABC) really knew how to throw a party. Everything except alcohol was free and tons of fun! They had some activities for kids and adults, like face-painting, and keg races. Not to mention their free food buffet. They had bands lined up for free entertainment from 10am till 2am. I only stayed for Paul Wunder and the beginning of the Trespassengers, but the party definitely continued till the wee hours of the morning. I've seen the Trespassengers once before as an acoustic act, but it was nice seeing the whole band. They have some awesome originals that it was very nice hearing again.
On a Thursday, I finally made it down to the Winner’s Circle Saloon at the Holiday Inn in Grantville. We made it there too late for the FREE Country Line Dancing Lessons, but it was still an awesome place to check out. The band for the weekend was Tandem, out of Reading. These men definitely knew their country, and what songs they had to play to get everyone up and dancing. Watching Country Line Dancing is amazing to me. The singles stuck towards the middle of the floor while the couples danced away around the outside. It was filled with dancers, young and old! One of the cutest "couples" was on older gentleman with a lady on each side. He's one lucky cowboy! Tandem are one of those very versatile bands that has everyone in the band singing their own songs. They pretty much have two lead singers Tom and Jeremy, with Kevin on drums, pitching in on vocals too. These guys had so much energy I had to laugh when I saw one of their originals is actually called "Wound Up Fired Up." I don't think you can describe these guys any better than that. Not to mention their sound is amazing. When you have 6 guys in a band playing so many different instruments it really makes for a great musical night! Codie, on lead guitar is the youngest of the band, but don't let his age fool you, he's an amazing guitar player, he must've been playing since he's been in diapers. These guys definitely know how to entertain. I'm finally starting to realize we don't only have fantastic rock bands in the Harrisburg area, but there are quite a few local Country bands too, that are ready to amaze you.
After Tandem, we headed down to Shakey's in Hershey to sing some Karaoke. "Shakes-It" and I were just picking out our songs when my cell phone rang. My brother Josh messed up his leg riding BMX and he was in the hospital. After that I really didn't feel like partying so I decided to head home to get the full scoop on my bro. We'll definitely have to go back and check out Shakey's Karaoke, they have it every Thursday night.
The following weekend I headed down to Carlisle to re-visit the smoke-FREE Alibi's Spirit's and Eatery. It's so nice to be able to check out a band and not get all smokey. No offense to smokers, but to me the smokey smell at the end of the night is the worst part of my job. Anyway...the band of the night was the Incredible Rubber Band, (IRB). Alibi's live music is from 9pm to 12pm which is nice because it allows "normal" people to get home a little earlier, but they still are able to enjoy a good band. The IRB were incredible as usual. It was nice catching the end of a show because I was able to hear a lot of different songs, plus they saved "All About the Money" and dedicated it to me, which was very sweet. That's definitely an awesome, crazy song. The most amazing song of the night for me and a bunch of other fans, was when they played "The Wall." They had all the sounds and parts down to a tee. It was crazy. Dave came out from behind the kit to play the keyboard, but soon he had to get back on, so Joey had to take over at keys, then Joey had to sing, so Dan took over. It was crazy how much they had to work together to make it perfect, but they sure pulled it off. It was the first time I heard "The Wall" live and they nailed it. Dan was of course his normal self, climbing on top of a table at one point, to keep the crowd hooked in. They are some crazy performers, I'm so glad I was finally able to catch them Out and About again.
My last band of the month was The Steam. I heard them at Snapper's in Mechanicsburg. Snapper's really doesn't have much of a dance floor, but the little bit they do have was taken over by The Steam's fans. They played a wide range of songs and even at then end of the night they were still pumping them out one after the other. They definitely have their act together with hardly even a breath between songs. They keep the room moving! Rachel's voice is amazing. I know she wasn't feeling 100%, but she really did a fantastic job. Eric on keys helps out with vocals, giving Rachel a much needed break at times. Sean, on lead guitar, also helped out with a lot of harmonizing. He makes a great back-up vocalist while playing a ripping lead guitar. I know I've said it before, but having keys in a band really completes it for me musically. It might be because I'm a piano player, but the keys really help fill in a lot of voids and add that extra needed flair to the sound. Eric really did a great job at doing just that. Check out The Steam’s full schedule in this month’s issue and go check ‘em out!
With family vacations and happenings June is going to be a slim month for me. Don’t lose hope, I’ll be back Out and About again soon. Also, on June 16th I’ll be heading out to the 4th Annual Relay for Life Band Jam. It’s going to be tons of fun with a car show, craft fair, kids activities, etc… with bands playing from 10am-11pm. It’s only $5 per person and kids under 12 are FREE. Check out the ad for more info. Hopefully I’ll see you there!! Also don’t miss Lotus Blue’s big CD Release Party on June 9th at Gullifty’s. It’s going to be a fun night. Congratulations to Sognar and Ferrum for winning the Rockstar Sundays at Sterling Hotel. They brought in the most people to their gigs and won a free ad in the PA Musician Magazine. I’m still constantly meeting new people and running around from gig to gig. My life is never dull. Thanks to everyone for continuing to support the PA Musician Magazine. Without you I wouldn’t be having so much fun!!! Please be my friend on myspace. www.myspace.com/pamusician Take care and have a great month!