Jim Price
Moderator
Joined: 07 Dec 2002
Posts: 4817
Location: Altoona, PA
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 Posted: Thursday May 15, 2008 |
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WEEK/WEEKEND RECAP 4/28/08
SHARK BITE @ PELLEGRINE'S, ALTOONA 4/21/08
Again, Monday night Wing Night at Pellegrine's is now being adorned with live music. This night, Adam D was joined by "Big Jim" Ricotta, in a collaboration called Shark Bite.
I arrived after my Monday night workplace duties to find a number of folks already in the house, and more peeps arriving. I staked out a table for my “Monday Wing-Eating Think Tank” crew, and ordered up my wings and veggies from Snookie the Monday night server, and noted that Pelly's was ready for some business this night, with Snookie, Harry Jr., Natalie and Misty all in the house and ready to handle the increased traffic.
Adam and Jim soon started the show with a variation on Rick Springfield's hit, "(Harry's) Girl," during which Harry Jr.'s wife started dancing in front of the bar.Obviously this was already going to be a fun night! The musical fun continued with audience requests for Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" and Dire Straits' "Sultans of Swing;" and the musical highjinks continued with favorites from The Who, Live, 3 Doors Down, Pearl Jam, Creed, Bryan Adams, Poison, Smash Mouth, and Billy Joel's "Piano Man" to end the first chapter.
The merriment soon resumed, as Adam and Jim kicked off their second set with Styx’s “Come Sail Away,” and Adam strode up to the bar singing Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places” into his microphone headset.” After Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun,” Big Jim demonstrated his singing voice on a request for Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville.” Next was the pair’s rendering of Rick James’ “Superfreak,” before the duo organized a house toast to an audience member celebrating his 85th birthday, and sent a song out to him…”Knocking on Heaven’s Door!” A version of the Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie” led to the Jim-sung version of Cat Stevens’ “Wild World,” before Adam attempted to “stump the Professor” by posing the question of what album Silverchair’s “Tomorrow” was from (Frogstomp, I recalled that one pretty quickly). Adam and Jim then wrapped the second set with their ambitious take on Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Pelly’s had a good-sized, happy crowd at this point. The wings were great, and I was improving on my abilities to handle wings in my left hand while jotting down notes and taking pictures with my right hand, not getting wing sauce on my notes or my camera!
Meat Loaf’s “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” started the third set, as Adam and Jim again mixed up a musical variety for the Pelly’s audience. The Hollies’ “Long Cool Woman” led to Jim singing Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Ballad of Curtis Loew.” Then Adam led the pair on some Bee Gees disco with “Stayin’ Alive,” followed by Poison’s “Talk Dirty to Me” and Buckcherry’s “Crazy Bitch,” dedicated to Natalie behind the bar. Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” and Guns N’Roses’ “Patience” led to another attempt to “stump the Professor,” this time with Adam asking the artist and the album that “Rock On” was from (I knew those answers, too; David Essex and Rock On, as I coincidentally had just seen that album days before in an Ebensburg store used album shelf!). I mercifully allowed somebody else to answer Adam’s next stumper, who first did the early 70’s hit “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)?” (The band was Looking Glass, and I fired back at Adam the question of what the attempted follow-up single was – “Jimmy Loves Mary Anne.”) This led into Bob Dylan’s “Serve Somebody,” before Shark Bite closed the evening appropriately with Semisonic’s “Closing Time.”
Shark Bite provided good tunes with a friendly, happy-go-lucky vibe. And the increased traffic at Pelly’s again showed that live music and wings make an attractive combination. There’s live music to enjoy on Monday nights again!
Shark Bite, adding life to a Monday night at Pellegrine’s.
Adam D offers up his best Phil Rizzuto impersonation during Shark Bite’s version of “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.”
Adam D and Big Jim, performing as Shark Bite.
Things get deviant at night’s end, as Big Jim touches Adam D’s organ.
CHRIS V. & THE STANLEY STREET BAND @ AL'S TAVERN, ALTOONA 4/24/08
Able to escape the workplace at a relatively early hour this Thursday night, I headed to Al's Tavern to enjoy a long-overdue encounter with an Al's Hooter sandwich, and take in the bi-weekly performance of Chris V. & the Stanley Street Band.
As documented in past reviews of this project, the unique feature of Chris V. & the Stanley Street Band is Mike Zelnosky providing rhythms on the Latin box drum, the cajon. This night, another international instrumental flavor entered the mix, courtesy of special guest Colin Lennox and his Australian didjeridoo! A mid-sized crowd was in place to witness this unique meeting of Latin and outback sounds.
Colin, Mike Z, Chris V. and bassman Mike Stanley continued the tunes with a very unique-sounding spin on the Beatles' "Helter Skelter." This was followed by a Chris V. original tune, "False," and a didjeridoo-infused spin on Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues." The musicians were smiling as they experienced this unique fusion of sounds, and the audience was intrigued by this unique mixture as well. G. Love & Special Sauce's "Back of the Bus" followed, before the group finished out the night with Ben Harper's "Brown Eyed Blues" and a Grateful Dead number.
Again, the sounds emanating from Al's stage were interesting and entertaining. Chris V's freewheeling Latin percussion-driven rock and funk jams, injected with an Aussie outback didjeridoo groan.The musicians were as fascinated by this mixture as the audience was! Very cool stuff!
This night further signified the open boundaries and sense of adventure with Chris V & the Stanley Street Band. Chris V had indicated that this project would be about exploring and stretching musical boundaries, and this night was clearly an example of that! No doubt I'll be back to see these guys again soon to see what other unexpected musical adventures may take place!
A cajon and a didjeridoo are in the house during this week’s edition of Chris V. & the Stanley Street Band’s performance.
FELIX & THE HURRICANES @ 30 SOMETHING, ALTOONA 4/24/08
With a little bit of time still remaining on this Thursday night following the conclusion of Chris V. & the Stanley Street Band's performance, I decided to swing by 30 Something to get my Hurricanes fix.
30 Something was lightly populated when I arrived, but the folks in the house were digging the Hurricanes' sounds, as Felix, Bob and Jeff were rocking through the Outlaws' "Green Grass and High Tides," before finishing their last set with the original rocker "Black Widow." But the small audience of fans was vociferous and demanded an encore, which the Hurricanes gladly provided in the form of two songs, the new original "Hurtin' People" and the Allman Brothers' "Soulshine."
Although my Hurricanes fix was short this night, it was satisfying, and the group sent Thursday night into the books in good fashion.
BEDLAM @ 30 SOMETHING, ALTOONA 5/25/08
The combination of a dinner special and live music again drew me to 30 Something to kick off my post-workplace Friday evening. As I enjoyed the ravioli dinner (not the dinner special this night, but still damned good!), Bedlam provided the tunes, while the Pittsburgh Penguins were beating the New York Rangers in a playoff game being shown on a plazma television screen. Life here was good!
The trio of singer/bassist Denny Frank, guitarist/singer John McKelvey and drummer Duane Young again mixed it up between current and classic rock favorites, with a little blues and original tunes thrown in along the way. This night’s performance included tunes from White Stripes, Blink 182, Weezer, Jonny Lang, Cheap Trick, Tom Petty, Green Day, Black Croews, Van Morrison, a funk medley, The Clash and more. The group did decent work on a number they were doing for the first time this night, Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams;” and John sang on his bluesy original song “The Heart Is in the Mind.” Towards set’s end, Bedlam fired up the small-ish 30 Something audience with their renditions of My Chemical Romance’s “Teenagers” and Jimmy Thackery’s “Cool Guitars,” drawing a few folks onto the dance floor.
Again the group sounded good. These seasoned players all know their way around their instruments, and Denny again showed he still has the vocal range after his 20-plus year layoff from local stages.
After Bedlam finished their lengthy first set, I departed 30 Something to continue my Friday night bandwatching in another part of town.
WITHOUT ZERB/RYAN CARDUCCI @ ALDO'S, ALTOONA 4/25/08
After departing 30 Something, I was Aldo's bound to check in with Without Zerb.
Upon arriving, I learned that there was an opening guest, former Edison frontman Ryan Carducci performing solo acoustic. I missed most of Ryan’s set (had I known he was performing, I would have gotten there earlier), and only got to see his last song or two.
After a short intermission, Without Zerb was ready to go. Namesake and singer Brian “Zerb” Zerbee, guitarist P.J. Kelly, bassist Chuck and drummer Mike McGough started off their first set with an original song, the modern and melodic-geared “Far Away.” The group then proceeded to perform an eclectic mixture of tunes from the 70’s to present, as well as a few deeper alternative cuts, rocked-up pop remakes and originals. This set featured tunes from Jimmy Eats World, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bad Relgiionj and The Cure. The group also did another original, called “Last Goodbye;” and Ryan Carducci joined the group onstage to help sing on a Fugazi number.
Without Zerb sounded good, and has shown improvement since the first time I saw them last year. Instrumentally the group is tighter as a unit, and Zerb himself has improved as a singer and a frontman. His vocal range is stronger, and he displayed more poise and control. Clearly the gigging experience has been paying off for this group.
A good-sized crowd had steadily arrived at Aldo’s during the course of the show so far, and some folks took to the dance floor as Without Zerb opened their nightcap set with Radiohead’s “Creep.” The group followed with a faster-paced original rocker called “Fly Away,” and cranked up the party further with Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” and the Judas Priest double-shot of “Living After Midnight” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin,’” with Choking Faith frontman/Aldo’s bartender Jason Mittan contributing some backing vocals. Without Zerb then broke out Social Distortion’s “Bad Luck,” before taking an unexpected twist and performing the rocked-up combo of Suzanne Vega’s “Luka” into Nena’s “99 Redballoons,” with Ryan Carducci returning to the stage to sing backing vocals. The group kept Aldo’s stagefront floor busy with Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69,” Kenny Logins’ “Footloose,” Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” and another unexpected rocking take, this time on Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler.” Entering the night’s homestretch, Without Zerb kept the musical mix interesting with Stray Cats’ “Rock This Town,” Rancid’s “Ruby Soho” and Janes’ Addiction’s “Mountain Song,” before Ryan returned to the stage to help the group finish the night on Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” and Nirvana’s “Breed.”
I again enjoyed Without Zerb’s high-powered set and their unpredictability. These guys paint outside the lines and pull some unexpected song material into the mix, keeping things fresh and interesting. As said before, this was a tighter, more confident performance from Without Zerb; and I’m eager to hear their forthcoming EP once it hits the streets. Good show!
With Ryan Carducci helping out on backing vocals, Without Zerb.
Mike McGough of Without Zerb.
Guest Ryan Carducci, P.J. Kelly and Zerb of Without Zerb.
Again, P.J. and Zerb.
Brian “Zerb” Zerbee of Without Zerb.
Chuck of Without Zerb.
Again, P.J. Kelly.
Once again, Without Zerb.
Zerb and Chuck.
Once again, Zerb.
One more time, P.J. Kelly.
HERE WE GO AGAIN @ THE ANCHOR INN, PATTON 4/26/08
My day job and night job duties collided this night. The day job duties had me doing a Q94 Harley Remote at The Anchor Inn near Prince Gallitzin State Park. The night job duty came into play when I learned after arriving that a band was setting up to perform during and after the remote, Here We Go Again.
It had been over three years since I last saw Here We Go Again, since the 2004 End Of Summer Jam benefit. The roster has seen one change over that period, with guitarist John Buterbaugh replacing Mel Boose. Carol Markel still sings and plays tambourine, Scott Markel still plays guitar and sings, Bill Mazak plays bass, and Alan Newberry plays drums.
I missed most of Here We Go Again’s initial set, as the Anchor Inn was jam-packed with folks hoping to qualify for a Harley, and the clamor, crowd din and my remote broadcast PA system didn’t alow me to hear much other than a few bars of the group’s rendition of John Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses.”
After the remote concluded and some of the crowd cleared out, though, I was able to take in Here We Go Again’s remaining two sets. With Carol tooting a wooden train whistle and Scott singing lead, the group started the set with Jethro Tull’s “Locomotive Breath.” The group followed with the Beatles’ “Come Together,” Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s “Blue on Black,” and the Allman Brothers’ “Midnight Rider,” before drawing some dancers onto the Anchor dance floor with ZZ Top’s “Cheap Sunglasses.” After another ZZ Top number, “Tush,” the group closed this second stanza of the evening with George Thorogood’s “Move It On Over.”
A special guest arrived and joined the group onstage to help lift off the third set. Phil Kolarczyk strapped on the bass and helped elevate ZZ Top’s “La Grange” into a rowdy jam. Carol then sang lead on The Proclaimers’ “(I’m gonna Be) 500 Miles,” and Here We Go Again continued with tunes from Matchbox 20, Janis Joplin, Marshall Tucker Band, The Call and Steppenwolf. The group then broke out an original song, “Out of Sight, Out of Mind,” before the Scott-fronted rendition of the Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues” closed out the performance.
Here We Go Again did a solid job overall and kept it loose and lighthearted onstage, having fun and never taking themselves too seriously. Carol handled most of the lead singing duties, and displayed a good voice along the way. It was also good to witness John’s guitar talents again, it had been several years since I last saw this guy play!
I wasn’t expecting a band when I showed up at the Anchor Inn, so Here We Go Again’s performance was an unexpected treat this night, especially as this group performs infrequently on area stages.
Guest Phil Kolarczyk jams with John Buterbaugh of Here We Go Again.
Here We Go Again with guest Phil Kolarczyk.
Carol Markel of Here We Go Again.
Here We Go Again.
Scott and Carol Markel of Here We Go Again.
John Buterbaugh of Here We Go Again.
Once again, Here We Go Again.
Scott Markel and John Buterbaugh of Here We Go Again.
KYX @ 30 SOMETHING, ALTOONA 4/26/08
Following the end of Here We Go Again's performance, I descended the mountain back to the 'Toona, to check in with Kyx's first visit to 30 Something.
Not surprisingly, I arrived to find a nicely-populated room just before the start of Kyx’s final set of the night. As the group took the stage, I learned that guitarist Jim Walstrom was on the mend for an arm injury and could not perform this night; Mike Nevling was filling in for him.
Kyx started into the set with Blackfoot’s “Highway Song,” and continued with a mix of classic rocking favorites from Georgia Satellites, Van Morrison, Robert Palmer, Rick Springfield, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, Steppenwolf, Bob Seger and more. The group also broke out one of their own songs from last year’s The Verge of Satisfaction CD, doing “I Don’t Wanna See Your Back.” Highlights along the way included the extended guitar jamming between Bill Ferrell and Mike on ZZ Top’s “Sharp-Dressed Man,” the group’s accurately-executed rendition of The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” and disabled list member Jim stepping up to help with backing vocals on Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville.”
Kyx generated dance floor activity from the set’s start; and although some of the crowd began to filter out later in the set, they still kept folks on the floor for the duration.
Mike did a good job filling in on guitar, and Kyx delivered the goods on all fronts. Instrumentally the band was tight and colorful; and vocally, the rotating cast of singers – rhythm guitarist Bill Moyer, Bill Ferrell and bassist Glenn Walstrom – all handled their singing assignments well.
Bottom line, another quality Kyx performance, and their 30 Something debut was a successful one.
Bill Ferrell and Glenn Walstrom of Kyx.
Bill Moyer of Kyx.
Kyx rocks the classics at 30 Something.
Again, Kyx.
Bill Ferrell of Kyx.
A gimp arm doesn’t keep Jim Walstrom of Kyx down this night; here he helps out with backing vocals.
Once again, Kyx.
Again, Bill Ferrell and Glenn Walstrom of Kyx.
Terry Wills of Kyx.
More rock’n’roll with Kyx.
Bill Ferrell, Glenn Walstrom and Mike Nevling of Kyx.
Chris Sherkel of Kyx.
Post-game celebration; Kyx and yours truly in a group shot.
Kyx with birthday gal JoJo in another group shot.
18th CRAZY FEST AMATEUR YOUTH TALENT SHOW @ GREENWOOD FIREHALL, ALTOONA 4/27/08
Youth was in the spotlight this Sunday afternoon, as the 18th annual Crazy Fest Amateur Youth Talent Show was happening at the Greenwood Firehall in Altoona. Organized and hosted by Dennie Huber, the event again gave young entertainers ages 21 and under an opportunity to showcase their talents.
Twenty-five individual contestants participated in this year’s Crazy Fest, along with six performing duo and group acts. After the playing of the National Anthem, Denny opened the afternoon with his introduction and some initial comments, again reassuring parents that no “Simon Cowell” types were going to humiliate their children.
The organizer and emcee of Crazy Fest, Dennie Huber.
Running sound at Crazy Fest this afternoon, the new jingle pitchman for J&P Auto Mart, Jack Servello.
Crazy Fest then began with the youngest contestants, in the age 6 and under category. Six-year-old Anatasia Kimball began with her acrobatic dance routine, which would win her the top honor in this age division. But perhaps setting the fun tone for the afternoon was the day’s youngest contestant, 4-year-old Layna Henry, who did a belly-dancing routine to the I Dream of Genie television show theme! Despite their young ages, neither Anatasia or Layna were intimidated by being in front of the audience; these two youngsters enjoyed their moments in the limelight and had fun – very cool!
The age 7 to 9-year-old division featured two prospective future members of “Hawk’s” drumming get-togethers, as 7-year-old Mackenzie Brantner of Altoona and 8-year-old Matthew Bidoli of Altoona both showed their talents on drums. Other contestants in this age bracket included 9-year-old Elizabeth Vaughan of Altoona, who did a dance routine; Jessie Arthur, who played guitar, and 9-year-old Shannon Barnes of Hollidaysburg, who won the first-place trophy with her singing performance of Allan Sherman’s novelty hit “Hello Muddah Hello Faddah.”
Displaying her talents playing drum rudiments, Mackenzie Brantner.
Someday he might be attending Rockpage drum summits…Matthew Bidoli.
In the age 10 and 11 division saw three contestants. Ten-year-old Cindy Piner of Altoona kicked off the category with her dance routine, which eventually won top honors. Also performing were 10-year-old Delaney Hallinan of Altoona, who sang “Stupid Cupid,” and 11-year-old Carly Ingold of Cresson, who sang the song “My New Philosophy.”
In the age 12 category, Amber Ickes of Altoona started with an a cappela singing performance. Carter Cerully of East Freedom sang a folk number, with his parents, Denny and Katie Cerully (Mt. City Grass) backing him on guitar and bass. The eventual division winner, Harley Salzgiver of Duncansville, performed a ballet-styled dance routine. And Chelsea Moses (daughter of Rockpager tornandfrayed) did a self-choreographed dancing performance.
With parents Katie and Denny Cerully providing backing accompaniment, Carter Cerully performs at Crazy Fest. In such an instance (where somebody performs with accompaniment), the judging panel is advised to only judge the contestant, not his/her accompaniment.
Again, Carter Cerully.
The audience looks on as Chelsea Moses performs her self-choreographed dance routine.
Every year at Crazy Fest, past contestants return to serve as judges on the judging panel, and also to perform in exhibition. At this point, the first of those exhibition performers, Angela Dodson, first thanked Dennie Huber for giving kids this opportunity to shine and nurture their performing talents, before she led the audience in a singalong rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.”
Performing in exhibition, Crazy Fest alum Angela Dodson.
Next was the age 13 to 15 division, also with four contestants. The first three contestants were 13; Hunter White started with a singing performance, followed by Eden Henry of Hollidaysburg, who won top honors with her singing and keyboard performance. Crazy Fest is partially named because of its unpredictable nature, as the talents young contestants bring to the contest are only limited by their own imaginations; the next contestant, Clay Sholly, did a skateboard performance to music, complete with his own mini-ramps to perform his maneuvers. 15-year-old Brittany Poplan ended the division with a violin performance.
Skateboarding made its arrival at this year’s Crazy Fest. The audience looks on as Clay Sholly demonstrates his skateboarding skills.
Another Crazy Fest alumnus gave an exhibition performance at this point. Now professionally performing in the fair and festival scene, young Elaini, armed with her pink acoustic guitar, performed a rendition of Hank Williams’ “Hey Good Lookin.’”
Next was the age 16 bracket, which featured three contestants. Chelsea Zeek of Altoona started off with a dance routine. Mara Murphy of Hollidaysburg gave a strong singing performance, that netted her the gold. And Kelsie Ingold of Cresson gave a singing and keyboard performance.
Displaying the excellent singing voice that won her top honors, Mara Murphy.
Singing and playing keyboard, Kelsie Ingold.
At this point, host Dennie Huber bestowed some Crazy Fest awards upon two past contestants; first giving the “Outstanding Achievement” award to Elaini, and the first of two “Hall Of Fame” awards to Angela Dodson.
The age 17 and 18 category featured two contestants. First, 17-year-old Nick Finucchio of Altoona sang and played keys on an original song called “A Little Pink Ribbon,” which he wrote about a friend that was recently declared cancer-free. This performance earned Nick first place. The other contestant, 18-year-old Mike Hallinan, sang and played an acoustic guitar rendition of the Beatles’ “With a Little Help from My Friends.”
Performing his original song “A Little Pink Ribbon,” Nick Finnuchio.
Performing some Beatles for his Crazy Fest entry, Mike Hallinan.
The final age division of this year’s Crazy Fest was the age 19 division. First, Kira Burley of Roaring Spring sang and performed a song on keyboard. Eventual winner Danny Tippery of Duncansville gave an acoustic guitar and singing rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man.”
Singing and playing keys, Kira Burley.
Danny Tippery, winning Crazy Fest top honors with his performance of “Simple Man.”
Next was another exhibition performance by a Crazy Fest alum. Don Hughes, who just released his self-titled debut CD, played an instrumental composition on keys; before Dennie Huber awarded him with the second Crazy Fest “Hall of Fame” award of the afternoon.
Giving an exhibition performance on his keyboard, Don Hughes.
Next was the duo and group competition. Six different duos or groups performed; these were singing or dancing groups, not to be confused with the amateur band division, which didn’t happen this year because of lack of band entrants. First was the acoustic duo of Tippery & Harris, doing a rendition of Sheryl Crow & Kid Rock’s “Picture.” Next was the duo of Bidoli & Coppola, who won top honors this year for their Italian-themed dance performance. The young duo of Barnes & Wood sang together on “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better.” Next was the dance duo of Clintello & Pringle, doing a dance performance. The pairing of Carly Ingold and Chelsea Moses next performed a ballet dance number. Closing out this division was the dance trio of Bidoli, Bidoli & Clintello.
The duo of Tippery & Harris perform Sheryl Crow & Kid Rock’s “Picture.”
With keyboard accompaniment, the duo of Barnes & Wood do “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better.”
One more scheduled exhibition performer remained, as Crystal Marie sang the country number “In a Small Town.” But then another surprise at this year’s Crazy Fest, as an unexpected visitor, Crazy Fest alumnus Anthony Harrison, dropped in while he was in town on weekend leave from his U.S. Navy services in Norfolk, Virginia. Anthony did an exhibition performance, doing an a cappella sung and spoken word piece.
Singing in exhibition, Crystal Marie.
Unexpected special guest and Crazy Fest alum Anthony Harrison, performing a singing and spoken word number.
Finally, it was time to award the hardware. Dennie Huber announced the placings and winners in all the age divisions, awarding trophies, plaques, and ribbons to every youngster who performed. After announcing the age division winners, Dennie presented other Crazy Fest awards; including the “Fan Favorite” awards, voted on by the audience; the female fan favorite winner was Mackenzie Brantner for her drumming performance, and the male fan favorite winner was Carter Cerully for his folk singing performance. The Future Star awards, as selected by the judging panel, went to Shannon Barnes in the ages 12-and-under division, and to Danny Tippery in the age 13 and older division. Crazy Fest also awarded several Outstanding Awards; Matthew Bidoli of Altoona won the Outstanding Musician award, Cindy Piner won Outstanding Dancer, the duo of Barnes & Wood won for Outstanding Variety Act, Nick Finucchio won Outstanding Male Vocalist, and Mara Murphy won Outstanding Female Vocalist. Lastly, 4-year-old Layna Henry won the Most Original Performance award for her belly-dancing routine.
Crazy Fest was again well-attended, and again lived up to its billing as a fun and at times crazy family event. On behalf of Dennie Huber, thanks and hats off to all of the sponsors, the Greenwood Volunteer Fire Company, Jack Servello for running sound, all the volunteers who helped with the event, the contestants, and everybody who came out to support the event. Q94 and Pennsylvania Musician Magazine were again proud to be sponsors of this year’s Crazy Fest, and we look forward to next year’s event!
Sporting his brand new Pennsylvania Musician ballcap, Dennie Huber.
SLACKER THEORY @ PELLEGRINE'S, ALTOONA 4/27/08
After completing my weekly “Backyard Rocker” duties, I headed to Pellegrine’s, where Slacker Theory was putting the cap on another weekend.
I learned this night that Slacker Theory had found their replacement on bass. Ryan George was now handling bottom end duties, replacing Paul Greiner.
A good-sized crowd was on hand as Slacker Theory rocked house with their mixture of current rock numbers, originals and rocked-up surprises. I arrived during the second set and watched as Ryan, singer/guitarist Steve Danfelt, guitarist Dalton McDonald and drummer Rob Bonsell did such numbers as a heavier-rocking take on Chris Isaac’s “Wicked Game” and Flock of Seagulls’ “I Ran;” Breaking Benjamin’s “Polyamorous,” Nickelback’s “Animal” and more.
Admittedly, my attention was divided between the band and the back entrance room, where my friend Brian had brought in the DVD for the movie Pathfinder, about early Native Americans taking on invading, mean-spirited Vikings. There was lots of action, battles, blood and dismemberment…in other words, good movie!
As the movie reached its conclusion, I returned to the stage to catch the latter part of Slacker Theory’s closing set. A number of folks populated Pellegrine’s dance floor in front of the stage as Slacker Theory finished up their set with a rocking take on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” Metallica’s “Sad But True,” an original number, and a Coheed & Cambria tune to finish the night.
What I witnessed of Slacker Theory’s performance was good. New man Ryan appeared to be comfortably fitting in with his new band surroundings. He and the rest of the group gave a tight and fiery presentation, and kept the Pelly’s dance floor fans happy. Slacker Theory likely expanded their Pelly’s fan base with this show, and their future on this stage appears to be a bright and long-term one.
The dance floor audience looks on as Slacker Theory rocks Pellegrine’s.
Again, Slacker Theory and fans.
Once again, Slacker Theory.
Steve Danfelt and Dalton McDonald of Slacker Theory.
Donning big shades this night, Rob Bonsell of Slacker Theory.
Slacker Theory’s newest member, Ryan George.
One more time, Slacker Theory.
JP's HAIKU
Chris V. Cajon Band
Welcomes a didjeridoo
Latin Outback jams!
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