Out & About
by Rachel Rocks
April showers bring May flowers…Let’s hope May is a much more beautiful month for me. If you saw me Out and About in April and I was making nasty faces, it wasn’t about your band, it’s because of a broken tailbone. I should’ve been taking notes because I really don’t remember much. As I was getting my Hot Shots together I was shocked at the amount of bands I did see. The only way to get relief, was going out and hearing more music, so that’s what I did.
The first band of the month is Tukurpa. These guys are just starting out, but they are eager to play wherever and whenever they can. I got an e-mail that they were heading out to the Harrisburg ABC’s Open Mic night on a Thursday hoping to get a chance to play. Sure enough, they did and everyone was impressed. They play all original music and it’s amazing. “Peaceland” is a fantastic song with amazing beats, but even more amazing lyrics. These guys have been practicing for a long time and now they are ready to rock the state of PA and beyond.
Up next at ABC was Kilego Vert. I saw these guys once down at The Chameleon, and I somehow missed the fact that they do have a drummer. They play some psychedelic jam band music that is simply amazing. Occasionally you’ll hear a lyric or 2, but it’s mainly about sitting back and enjoying the music!
The weekend led to a trip to Shakey’s in Hershey to check out the Red Velvet Girls opening for Rise Pheonix Rise. The Red Velvet Girls were doing their thing working through the crowd getting everyone up and dancing. Both of the back-up dancers were there so I was finally able to see a full show. Once again I think everyone in attendance at a RVG’s show is amazed at what this band can produce. They sing such a huge variety of music they can keep people on the dance floor all night long. It seems that I’ve only been able to catch them as “openers,” but I definitely want to get to a full show soon!
Rise Phoenix Rise took the stage next. They were glad to be “home” and we were all glad to have them home. Their song “Dante Maria” is charting right now, but “Boxing Josh” is still by far my favorite. I always accredited the amazing vocals to Gibson, but Ronnie, on bass, really harmonizes all those crazy high notes, I don’t know how I didn’t notice that before. Maybe I was too distracted with all of Bishop’s guitar/pic antics. This band is insane. They will be playing all over the state of PA in May. Make sure and check them out when they are playing in your back yard!
Yes, here we go, everyone hate me, I went to see Steel…again. The story behind this is that the month before I took my friend Marge, she was so amazed by them she told her daughter Sherry, who lives somewhere down south, she jumped in a plane and flew up for Steel’s next gig. I know it’s crazy, but it’s the truth! We had yet again another great time. Steel plays every night like it’s their first big show! Their energy and enthusiasm is contagious, and when I need a pick me up, I head out to see Steel.
I was finally able to go see LeadFoot again. Believe it or not, I haven’t seen them since January. They were playing at Johnny Joe’s and they made an entire stage transformation to the place. They shoved back the pool tables and took over the room. That room is huge and they needed the extra space to Rock the night, like they do every time! With The Rebels new light show it even made the night more amazing. It was great catching up with the guys. If you haven’t seen them play yet, I’ll tell you once again, you really should.
Black Mountain Jack was playing at Double K so I stopped in there on my way home. They are on our cover this month, so you can check out more details about them and their show in the front section of this issue. When I got there they had the crowd all fired up and having a great time. Brandon was even playing his keyboard upside down/backwards…Crazy!
The next night was a night I’ve been talking about for two months…Sailesh returned to Gullifty’s. Sailesh is an uncensored hypnotist. The last time he was in town I somehow managed to get hypnotized, it was nice to be on the other side of the stage this time. I was able to remember everything I did, but I couldn’t remember all the other people’s actions. Needless to say it was hilarious seeing seven people hypnotized and realizing once again how real it all definitely is! One of my favorite parts was standing on the steps seeing everyone’s reaction as they realized they were indeed hypnotized and also seeing them remember/realize all the things they did the past 3 hours. It’s an unreal feeling. It’s one of those things I told my friends as I was trying to convince them to do it, It’s like letting your hair down and having a really good time, and no matter what you do, you just blame it on the hypnotist! It’s definitely something I’ll never forget, and who knows maybe I’ll even do it again someday!
Next up was a trip down to York. Yes, I said York. I headed down to the Glad Crab to check out Solar Child and Heavy Burden. It was great to see how appreciated I was in the York area. Solar Child was on stage when I got there. Cherie does an amazing job singing songs that I’ve ever only seen a man sing, like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, etc. She can really pull it off! She’s backed nicely by the rest of the band harmonizing and helping her hit some of the crazier notes, but she can definitely hold her own. They are currently working on their “official” CD and I can’t wait to get my copy.
Heavy Burden was the headliner of the night. I was glad I got down there to see them. I had no idea it was one of Bill Hunt’s last nights with the band. They already have another lead singer/guitarist lined up, so they won’t miss any shows, or need time to adjust. They play songs by great artists like AC/DC, Kiss, and one of my newest faves, Puddle of Mudd. It was a great night at the Glad Crab and everyone was having a rockin good time.
Since I was down in York I decided to swing into The Waterway Bar and Grill, home of The Blue Room. I pulled right into their beautifully well lit/landscaped private parking area. I don’t know why people complain about parking in York, you really need to check out the Waterway. If their parking is full there is another huge completely free parking area just across the bridge from The Waterway. The Blue Room, is a fantastic new, original, venue with even more fantastic drink specials! $5 for a 16oz. pitcher, even Rum and Coke, count me in! It wasn’t only the alcohol that had me excited it was the music too. The Thrives were playing and I haven’t seen these guys in forever. John had some co-workers there that were loving the music, so I joined in on their party. The Thrives have added in a lot of great new songs. We all had plenty of pitchers by the time they played “I Like Robots,” so it definitely wasn’t hard to have a little extra fun with that song! You can catch The Thrives opening for The Shackletons at Gullifty’s in Camp Hill on May 31st. They are all very excited for this show!
Next up was I band I’ve heard a lot about and that is Nate Myers and the Aces. About all I can say at this point is, WOW! Their set got cut a little short, or maybe I just wanted more, but wow! They play some funky blues mixed with rock and it’s amazing. Nate’s voice is definitely one of a kind and when he plays that harp, man ‘o man. It was a great set and I hope to catch more of them soon, real soon.
The following day included the 11th Annual Bob Bash. A birthday bash held each year by the radio station Bob 94.9. You can get tickets by being the first at one of the many ticket stops throughout the listening area, or you can donate money to St. Jude’s and they give you 2 tickets. That’s how Kristin and I got ours. To make it even a more enjoyable day my friend Don from My Wife’s Sound Company does the sound for the bash, so he was able to hook us up with “All Access” passes. That was extremely cool for my friend who has attended all 11 bashes. The party itself was great. There weren’t any “huge” names there this year, but the talent on that stage was amazing! It started off with Carter’s Chord. Three sisters that grew up loving music and know they are sharing their beautiful harmonies with the world! Phil Stacey from American Idol was next and we all know how cool he is. It was awesome to see him live and actually get to meet him. Lee Brice was next and he’s a fantastic singer/songwriter. He’s already had one song picked up by Garth Brooks, and another one was picked up by some other big country artist. I was a little confused about why he’d let that happen, but he then explained “royalties” to me when I met him, and now I understand. He would like to make it on his own, but it’s nice to have the financial security under his belt too. He’s still writing great songs, and one day he’ll make it all the way! Speaking of all the way, Lady Antebellum was the headliner and their CD just became the #1 Best Selling Country Album. Good for them. The two lead singers actually met on myspace and have been singing and performing together ever since. They truly are great artists! It was awesome to get the news that their CD made it all they way to #1! Not only was it great music but Nancy & Newman were up to their usual crazy antics entertaining the crowd between sets. It was definitely a great day. Thanks again to Don and Nina for hooking us up. We greatly appreciated it!
There is nothing like jumping in early to the weekend and original Thursdays at Rumors do just that! This Thursday I headed up to Rumors to check out Brian Thomas Jackson, unfortunately I missed his amazing set, but Mercy Nation took the stage next. Mercy Nation is a 3-piece indie rock band, strongly influenced by Smashing Pumpkins, Led Zepplin, etc. Their song “Prom Queen” is pretty awesome, and the lyrics are so true! Geez, maybe I still can’t get over high school. Even though the Prom Queen was my best friend.
The biggest surprise of the night was Rhea Silvia, again another 3 piece. These guys had so much energy and you can tell they truly love what they are doing. They’ve only been playing together for a little over 6 months and enjoying ever minute of it. They all work together and create some amazing rock songs that aren’t like anything else I’ve ever heard. They are working on their first EP, which should be out very soon. Everything is happening very quickly for them, they were even already voted the Best New Band for 2008 at the 717 Awards. Now I see why.
Asking Andy made a special trip in for a Thursday night at the Hardware Bar. You can catch them it looks like every other Thursday at the Hardware Bar in May. One great thing about a Thursday is the bar isn’t quite as packed so you can actually enjoy the music and have a great time, plus from 9-11 they have really cheap drinks! Asking Andy had the crowd jumping and singing along. The DJ took a break from his duties and stepped up as the lead singer while Keith took a walk around. I’m so glad I was able to catch up with these guys again, even the sheep missed me, thanks guys!
S.O.S. was opening for Dingleberry Shortcake at Shakey’s so we headed back down there. Kids wouldn’t cooperate, but we were still able to hang out with the guys and listen to Dingleberry Shortcake. It was odd seeing them somewhere other than Perry County. As soon as they started the women attacked the dance floor and everyone was up and having a great time.
I didn’t stay long because I wanted to go check out the “Rock for a Cause” event at Gullfity’s. Cyphor opened up the night so unfortunately I missed them too, but when I got there the Jellybricks were just starting their set. I caught these guys for the first time at the MMC and they are amazing. They are finally getting ready to release a new CD, so they are back out teasing everyone for the big release. I know I can’t wait to get my copy!
Another big event the following weekend was the “Battle to Get Signed” at Gullifty’s. I know I didn’t see all the bands, but I did see Enstride, Recent Hours, and the band I came to see, Deja Vudoo. Recent Hours won the event with Deja Vudoo coming in 2nd. They won 40 hours of studio time, which was fine with them. The crowd definitely ran to the stage when Deja Vudoo started. It was great to see how much support was for them in the room.
After the “Battle” we headed down to see the Luv Gods. I haven’t been able to catch these guys in forever, but it’s always good to see musicians who truly love what they do, rocking out with their fans. Shea was actually bandana-less this night, but his fans were not. A good amount of them were sporting the bandanas I’m sure in his honor. That shows the anticipation of the fans ready to have a rockin fun night with the Luv Gods. One fan we’ll call him “Superman” was having an extremely good night. Shea pulled him on stage to help sing a song, and he stole the show. Everyone in the room was amazed by this guy!
My final and was supposed to be my most exciting night was a trip to Allentown. I headed out early to arrive in plenty of time to catch White Witch at The Sterling Hotel. Due to “technical” difficulties between the club and the band, the show did not go on. So instead of being totally bummed out, I headed up to the Crocodile Rock to catch Emily’s Toybox. Once again, more technical difficulties. It was getting late, and my allergies did not like the basement at the Croc, so I unfortunately headed home. I traveled 3 hours and I didn’t get to see one band perform! There was technically some “national” act upstairs at the Croc, but what can I say, I like my “home-grown” music! Plus the crowd upstairs was a little rowdy for me, a female, all alone in the big city. People wonder why I cover the same bands and the same venues all the time. It’s called safety and security!! That has to come first! I occasionally have some friends with me, but most of the time, I travel alone. Safety has to be my #1 concern. I knew Bo, the bartender at Sterling would have my back, and I knew Mike and the rest of ETB would have my back at the Croc, but it was still VERY intimidating!! Just parking was scary!!! Anyway. If that’s the worst that’s happened to me in a year and a half of being “Out and About” I guess it’s not the bad, but it was still a complete bummer of a night!
Well that rounds up another crazy month of being Out and About! There is a lot to look forward to in May starting with the Mayhem on the Mountain (Ski Roundtop) on May 3rd. Bring the kids, it will be tons of fun! Only $5 per car! There is also the Rockin’ For Ronald Benefit May 17th at Shakey’s in Hershey. It’s also all ages with great bands inside and tons of family fun from 3-7pm outside! With artists like ETB, Back in Black, the Luv Gods, Friction Broadcast, plus many more. That’s going to be a great day! I’m sure I’m missing a lot. Read through these pages, and fill your month with tons of music, fun, and adventures! I know I will. Become my friend at www.myspace.com/pamusician.
