Jim Price
Moderator
Joined: 07 Dec 2002
Posts: 4817
Location: Altoona, PA
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 Posted: Wednesday Apr 09, 2008 |
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WEEK/WEEKEND RECAP 12/3/07
MT. CITY GRASS @ THE HITCHING POST, ALTOONA 11/28/07
Once again, bluegrass music was a part of my Wednesday night plans, as I took in Mt. City Grass’ monthly hoedown at the Hitching Post.
The usual suspects were all in place: Denny Cerully on lead vocals and guitar, Ed Decker on guitar, Dean “Topo Gigio” Shumaker on banjo, Katie Cerully on upright bass, and John Stevens on dobro. In the middle of their second set as I arrived, Mt. City Grass was again demonstrating their brand of traditional bluegrass, doing standards such as “Old Joe Clark,” “Love Me Darlin’ Just Tonight,” and “Remington Ride,” with the spotlight on Dean’s banjo-picking talents. And as is often the case, the group broke out at least one song in this set that I hadn’t heard before, Ralph Stanley’s “Little Boy Called Joe.”
As I devoured another round of Hitching Post barbecue ribs, I found myself increasingly dividing my attention between the band, performing to my left (I was seated at a bench table along the wall), and an exciting high school football playoff game on the wide screen television on my right between Gateway and Pittsburgh Central Catholic. It was like watching a tennis match, as my head kept turning back and forth between the two events!
But I paid enough attention to the stage to catch Mt. City Grass’ nightcap set, as the broup did such traditional bluegrass favorites as “Man of Constant Sorrow,” “Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms,” the Dean-sung “Mountain Dew,” “John Henry,” “Hey Hey Hey,” “Kentucky Girl,” “Katy Daley” and “Dear Old Dixie;” the group also did Gene Sullivan’s “When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold” and the Louvin Brothers’ “Are You Teasin’ Me.” Although the Post was lightly populated this night, an encore was demanded, and Mt. City Grass responded with the ever-popular “Rocky Top,” which drew a singular dancer towards the stage to bust some moves.
It was good, clean, cordial fun, as the Mt. City grassers picked, grinned and grinned some more, showing fast fingerwork and a happy vibe as they rolled through this night’s bluegrass “hit parade.”
The football game, by the way, kicked serious ass, and was the best football game finish I had seen all season on any level! With 1:10 left in the 4th quarter, Pittsburgh Central Catholic led 21-13, and ran a Gateway interception in for an additional touchdown to increase their lead to 28-13. “Game over,” I thought. Not so. With 31 seconds left, Gateway’s quarterback heaved a long pass completion for a touchdown to close the score to 28-20 with the extra point. Gateway then recovered their onside kick, and on a running play involving a lateral, scored another touchdown to close the gap to 28-26 with just 1 second left. They then got the 2-point conversion in that last second to send the game to overtime at 28-28. Then in overtime, Gateway scored a touchdown to take the lead 34-28, but missed the point after. Then – you guessed it – Pittsburgh Central Catholic scored the tying touchdown, and successfully kicked the extra point to win the game, 35-34. This was one of those few games that, although I had no interest in who won, the sheer drama of the ending kept me looking back at the TV screen while the band was playing!
Here is footage from Mt. City Grass’ performance:
http://www.rockpage.net/users/jprice/video/MOV00211.MPG
With their merch table in the foreground, Mt. City Grass.
Dean “Topo Gigio” Berkhimer of Mt. City Grass.
Dobro man John Stevens of Mt. City Grass.
Again, Mt. City Grass.
One more time, Mt. City Grass.
SHOTS McGEE/7TH GEAR @ 4D’S LOUNGE, ALTOONA 11/28/07
After witnessing Mt. City Grass and that exciting football game, I headed to the 4D’s Lounge to see 7th Gear. What I found when I arrived, though, was the Dees debut of a brand new area band!
Popular regional solo acoustic performer Rhyne McCormick and members of 7th Gear had joined forces to form a new band called Shots McGee, and they were opening for 7th Gear in the Dees’ upstairs Schnappes Shoppe. Rhyne, 7th Gear bassist/singer Kelly Montgomery and guitarist/singer Brendon Burns, and former U.S. Army drummer Randy Servello proceeded to perform a wide-ranging mixture of tunes, opening with the Rhyne-fronted rendition of Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s “Blue on Black.” Next, guest Erika Marino stepped up to front the group on Alanis Morisette’s “You Oughta Know,” before Randy sang lead from behind the kit on Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.” 7th Gear drummer Eric Wertz joined the party onstage behind his own kit to give the group a double-drum attack on Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ‘69” with Kelly singing lead. Next was Deep Blue Something’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” followed by Brendon singing “Twist and Shout.” The music continued with tunes from Johnny Cash, the Eagles, Gregg Allman, Gin Blossoms, and finally, Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxey Lady” with Kelly singing lead. For just their fourth gig overall, Shots McGee already had it pretty well together during this performance, and these four musicians gelled together well as a unit. All four showed they could carry a tune, and were on target instrumentally as well. And their vibe was fun, with the Dees crowd cheering more as the set progressed. This served notice, Shots McGee looks poised to be a future force on area stages!
Making their 4D’s debut, Shots McGee.
Playing to the beat of two drummers, Shots McGee.
7th Gear soon followed with two sets of their own, as they mixed various current and classic rocking favorites. Brendon, Kelly and Eric played a crisp selection of tunes from Collective Soul, Van Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, James, Sublime, Blues Traveler, Violent Femmes, Counting Crows, Neil Young, Buckcherry and more. This trio fired up the Dees crowd and had a good contingent of folks dancing in front of the stage in short order.
Making one of their final appearances before going on the backburner indefinitely, 7th Gear.
Kelly Montgomery and Eric Wertz of 7th Gear.
Eric Wertz and Brendon Burns of 7th Gear.
More good times with 7th Gear.
Kelly Montgomery of 7th Gear.
Eric Wertz of 7th Gear.
Brendon Burns of 7th Gear.
Again, 7th Gear.
Again, Kelly Montgomery and Brendon Burns of 7th Gear.
I learned that this night presented a bit of a passing of the torch, as 7th Gear would be stepping back from local stage action in the New Year. Brendon and Kelly will continue to help get Shots McGee off and running, while Eric concentrates his drum thunder behind Bad Daze. Shots McGee will also be taking over a number of 7th Gear’s weekly Wednesday performances at the 4D’s Lounge.
JAM SESSION @ DIGNAN’S FIREHOUSE, GALLITZIN 11/29/07
Dignan’s Firehouse in Gallitzin had been hosting a monthly jam night on the final Thursday of each month, and I was interested in checking one of them out. When I learned that new area hard rockers Crow In The Snow would be performing at this month’s edition, I made plans to journey up the hill to check it out.
Upon arriving, I learned that Crow In The Snow had already performed earlier in the evening. But I was told that they might get back up to play again before the end of the night. In the meantime, I took in the jam night festivities, as “Three-Quarters Kilt” – Full Kilt members Chris Myers on bass, Mike Zerbee on guitar and vocals and Pat Boland on drums – did a rendition of the Eagles’ “Hotel California.” Then Mike and Pat were joined by Booter on bass and The Red Arrow’s Mike Crocetti on shakers for a version of Van Morrison’s “Wild Night.” These musicians continued with versions of Matchbox 20’s “3 AM,” another Van Morrison classic, “Brown Eyed Girl,” and Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville.”
Then, after bassist Bob Gailey returned to the Firehouse, it was time for a second appearance this night from Crow In The Snow. Beyond Reason bassist/singer Jamie Smith sings lead and plays rhythm guitar, flanked by lead guitarist Tom Brown (returning to live performing after nearly 20 years), Bob on bass and drummer Dan Way. Crow In The Snow proceeded to showcase three hard-edged original songs from their CD Snow Flurries, Blizzards and Carrion: “Standoff,” “Vampyre” and “Fireblood.” The group did a satisfactory job; especially given that this is Jamie’s first stint doing rhythm guitar and lead singing on a full time basis. Crow In The Snow is gearing up to make their full arrival on area stages in 2008.
This wrapped up the musical entertainment for the night. Rockpager “Esa” provided more entertainment with her hysterical laughing fits, brought on by antics from Booter and Jamie.
In all, a fun jam night, and definitely worth the trek up the hill to check out!
Making their public debut this night, Crow In The Snow.
Again, Crow In The Snow.
Jamie “Deathmaster” Smith of Crow In The Snow.
SAMARA/DRAIN THE SORROW/CHAPTER 5/SUICIDE SWITCH @ ALDO’S, ALTOONA 11/30/07
Aldo’s was my destination this night, to check out the hard-hitting four-band bill featuring Samara, Drain the Sorrow, Chapter 5 and Suicide Switch.
This would finally be my first opportunity to witness Samara, the band formed out of the ashes of the former Inversion. Samara opened the night with a dark, intense and theatric style of heavy metal, featuring original songs with apocalyptic themes and brooding, dense rhythms; topped with digital samples and frontman/guitarist Rug’s anguished vocal howl. Rug, guitarist Ryan, bassist Dave and drummer Shaun offered a distinctive, focused sound that was brutal, yet artistic in its scope and vision. I didn’t catch much in the way of song titles, but each composition was distinct and showed a different slice of what this band did. It was interesting stuff, and raised my curiosity to hear and witness more of this band in the future.
Samara kicks off the musical action at Aldo’s.
Aldo’s barkeep Rich dons a Vikings helmet.
Although the dark background renders it almost invisible, Underground Television street-teamer Rachel is styling and profiling a black derby hat this night.
The next band was Drain the Sorrow. I was interested to observe how this group had progressed since first seeing one of their first performances at Dirt Soldiers in September. Just as they did at that show, Drain The Sorrow offered emotional hardcore-flavored original metal; as frontman Dave delivered a cathartic, full-vented roar over a harsh and powerful backdrop laid down by guitarists Shaun and Brian, bassist Troy and drummer Andy. Some of their assaults this night included “The Caveman,” “Stand Your Ground” and “My Heart Runs Cold.” Drain The Sorrow sounded tighter and more focused this night; and based by the response of the Aldo’s crowd, they have been growing a fan base.
Drain the Sorrow brings their own style of rage to Aldo’s.
Dave of Drain the Sorrow.
Not originally on the bill this night, Chapter 5 performed a short three-song set that demonstrated their brand of aggressive, hardcore-infused punk rock. Singer/bassist Tim Mort, guitarists Tom Noel and Shaun Barr, and drummer tim Mort did three numbers from their A Great Day to Die CD: “Inside Out,” “Buried” and “Hollow Song.”
Making an abbreviated appearance this night, Chapter 5.
With Suicide Switch frontman Cheeze helping out on vocals, Chapter 5.
Again, Chapter 5.
Tim Mort of Chapter 5.
Tom Noel of Chapter 5.
Again, Tim Mort of Chapter 5.
After a short changeover intermission, Suicide Switch closed out the night with their distinct style of rampaging metalcore. Frontman Cheeze was a raging bull on the microphone, pushing his rage and fury to the maximum on each song. He, guitarists Tom Noel and Shaun Barr, bassist Dan Mort and drummer Jay Mosey mixed older and newer assaults, including “Say Goodbye,” “Conflicted,” “Unbreakable” and more. After they finished their set, the Aldo’s crowd demanded an encore, with shouts of the group’s popular closer “In the Wake” clearly heard. Unfortunately, technical difficulties with Jay’s bass drum prevented an encore, and the night’s music was over.
Here is footage from Suicide Switch’s performance:
http://www.rockpage.net/users/jprice/video/MOV00219.MPG
Once again going all-out and intense, Cheeze of Suicide Switch.
The stagefront crowd looks on as Suicide Switch closes out the night.
Again, Cheeze of Suicide Switch.
This was an interesting show, as the Aldo’s audience and I got to witness four different heavy-hitting bands, each with their own distinctive style and sound. Each used a slightly different variation of hard-hitting music to create their art; from Samara’s more theatric variety to Drain the Sorrow’s dark and emotional style, to Chapter 5’s punk-infused flavors and Suicide Switch’s all-out rampage and rage variety. It provided an interesting study on how four different bands can paint four different sounds in the heavy side of the musical spectrum.
SKELL @ ALDO’S, ALTOONA 12/1/07
Despite an early season snowfall that lightly blanketed area roads, I was back in Juniata again this night, returning to Aldo’s to check in with Pittsburgh heavy-hitters Skell. This would be my first opportunity to see the group since former frontman Pat “Bones” Bono returned to the fold.
I arrived during Skell’s second set, and a mid-sized crowd was in attendance, probably stunted a little by the snow. Pat, guitarist Mike Palone, bassist Mike Ekis and drummer Keith Kweder were scalding the walls with a scathing read of Pantera’s “F**king Hostile,” with Choking Faith frontman (and Aldo’s bartender) Jason Mittan helping with backing vocals. The group continued with Mudvayne’s “Not Falling” and Sevendust’s “Bitch,” before Keith put on a drum clinic with a pounding solo. This guy has some of the fastest feet I’ve witnessed behind a drum kit on local stages! Skell then finished the set with two of their own, “Unnecessary Bulls**t” and “Get Up.”
Based on what I had seen so far, “Bones” was clearly back in the saddle, confidently barking out the voice like he did before, and confidently addressing the Aldo’s crowd in between songs. The two Mike’s and Keith were bringing the full metal buzzsaw roar behind him.
Soon Skell was back onstage for the final round, opening with System of a Down’s “Sugar,” and continuing with Static X’s “Push It.” The group then introduced a new original, I believe called “Destroy Everything,” before doing numbers from Pantera and Tool. Skell did several more new originals, and broke out assaults from Slipknot, Slayer and more Pantera to finish out the night. It was all appropriately scathing and heavy, with the band confidently clicking on all cylinders.
With their frontman spot again stabilized, Skell is presently finishing up tracks for their long-awaited second CD, expected out sometime in 2008.
With Pat “Bones” Bono again holding the lead mic, Skell.
Again, Skell.
Mike Palone of Skell.
Mike Ekis of Skell.
Again, Mike Palone of Skell.
Pat “Bones” Bono of Skell.
Once again, Skell.
More scathing metal with Skell.
“Bones” and Mike Ekis of Skell.
Once again, “Bones” of Skell.
Scorching out a solo, Mike Palone of Skell.
Keith Kweder of Skell.
Into his solo display, Keith Kweder of Skell.
Again, Keith Kweder of Skell.
Yet again, Skell.
One more time, Mike Palone of Skell.
Although a little blurry, I think you can tell that venue owner Aldo is having an exciting evening.
BAD DAZE @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 12/2/07
Once again, Pellegrine’s served as the terminus for my weekend, and Bad Daze was again the band with the dubious assignment of slamming the lid on it.
The Pittsburgh Steelers provided the rousing opening to the night with a 24-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, and lots of Steeler black and gold was present in the house as I arrived at the end of Bad Daze’s late-running first set, which closed with Blink 182’s “All the Small Things.”
The trusty roster of singer Rob Carolus, guitarist Kenny Murdick, bassist Paul Rainey and drummer Eric Wertz had Steeler fans and rock fans alike populating the dance floor during the second set, as they did favorites from Disturbed, Drowning Pool, Saliva, Seether, Linkin Park, Weezer, Nickelback, Buckcherry, Def Leppard, Green Day and more.
With the Steeler game pushing back their timetable for the night, Bad Daze’s third set was a short one featuring numbers from Rage Against the Machine, Godsmack, Staind, Jimmy Eats World, Eminem, and Pantera’s “Walk” to cap it. When the dance floor denizens demanded more, the group responded with one more number, Nickelback’s “Rockstar,” to close out the night.
The Steelers started the evening with a win, and Bad Daze finished it with a rowdy and rocking victory party. Weekends don’t finish much better than that!
Kenny Murdick of Bad Daze.
Again, “Old Skool” of Bad Daze.
Bad Daze closes out the weekend at Pellegrine’s.
Kenny Murdick and Rob Carolus of Bad Daze.
It’s Chrome Dome night at Pellegrine’s, featuring Bad Daze Rob, Guv’nor Jesse and a third unidentified dome. Oh, the blinding light!
Bassist and philosopher Paul Rainey of Bad Daze.
A familiar sight: Bad Daze rocking a Pellegrine’s crowd.
Again, Paul Rainey of Bad Daze.
JP’s HAIKU
Firehouse jam session
Crow In The Snow makes first flight
Esa gets last laugh
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