Jim Price
Moderator
Joined: 07 Dec 2002
Posts: 4817
Location: Altoona, PA
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 Posted: Wednesday May 28, 2008 |
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CINCO DE MAYO WEEK/WEEKEND RECAP 5/12/08
BIG JIM & BAD DAZE ROB @ PELLEGRINE'S, ALTOONA 5/5/08
It was Cinco De Mayo. But at Pelly’s this night, Big Jim said “Hold the mayo.” After all, it was wing night!
As I arrived at Pelly’s, “Big Jim” Ricotta and “Bad Daze Rob” Carolus already had a good party going, with Rob’s honorary sombrero on the floor in front of their stage position, awaiting some Cinco de Mayo reveler to do a Mexican hat dance around it…or maybe spill some tequila on it. The pair entertained a goodly crowd of Pelly’s revelers with acoustic favorites from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Beatles, Nickelback, Counting Crows, Poison, Rick Springfield, Tommy Tutone, Bon Jovi and more. Twice along the way during this set, the pair welcomes Jim’s Shark Bite performing partner, Adam D, to step in and sing; on the Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues” and Guns N’Roses’ “Patience.”
More folks arrived as the the duo performed, and the wings and brew flowed freely (well, the brew flowed freely; the wings didn’t exactly flow, although the wing sauce did). Obviously live music on Mondays at Pellegrine’s was a hit, and people were showing up to partake in music, brew and wings.
Jim and Rob soon kicked off their last set with Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away” and performed the Pearl Jam spin on “Last Kiss,” before leading the Pelly’s partiers on a singaling rendition of Don McLean’s “American Pie.” Grand Funk Railroad’s “Some Kind of Wonderful” and the Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right (to Party)” led to another crowd singalong, this time to Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” After Poison’s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” Adam D returned to contribute his vocal cords to Journey’s “Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin,’” before he and Rob sang duet on the Who’s “Squeeze Box.” After Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” it was audience participation time, as an audience member stepped up to help sing a song for the Cinco de Mayo occasion, Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba.” Big Jim, obviously enjoying the fact that he could sing about telling people to kiss his donkey, then gleefully fronted the duo on Glenn Frey’s “Partytown.” Boston’s “More Than a Feeling” led into CCR’s “Proud Mary,” before a female audience member stepped up to sing on the Allman Brothers’ “Midnight Rider.” Jim and Rob then finished up the set with a slow number, “Amazed By You.” But Pellegrine’s wasn’t done partying yet, and demanded more. The pair responded with two final numbers to close out the night, The Outfield’s “Your Love” and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
I don’t think anyone ever did the Mexican Hat Dance other than Bad Daze Rob, whose version of it looked suspiciously similar to his Irish jig back on St. Patrick’s Day. A good time was had by all, and excellent wings were had by me. At this rate, Big Jim & Bad Daze Rob will soon have the market cornered on providing acoustic entertainment for any ethnic-geared holidays that fall on Mondays in the near future!
Guest Adam D, Big Jim and Bad Daze Rob, celebrating Cinco de Hold the Mayo.
Again, Bad Daze Rob and Big Jim.
LEMONSOUL @ THE PHYRST, STATE COLLEGE 5/7/08
In the wake of The Nightcrawlers vacating Happy Valley stages at the end of last year, Maxwell Strait has inherited the 'Crawlers' former weekly Thursday slot at the Phyrst, moving into that slot from their own weekly Wednesday slot at the same venue. Somebody had to replace Maxwell Strait on Wednesdays, and Lemonsoul was the lucky recipient of that weekly gig. I had seen Lemonsoul last summer at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, and was curious to see what a nighttime show by this band was about, so I did the roadtrip this night to check it out.
It was Senior Week in State College. No, that doesn’t mean that octogenarians were out and about blocking bar passageways with their canes and walkers; it meant that Penn State seniors were getting their last good “drunk” and “bar tour” craziness on before donning the cap and gown, and moving out into the real world of careers, families, debt, and in time, more alcoholism. But this night, a packed house was whooping it up inside the Phyrst as I arrived shortly after midnight. It was so packed that I couldn’t even consider making my way up towards the stage through the mass of seated and standing humanity, so I patiently stood at the back of the room by the steps until a few celebrants abandoned their bench table.
During this point, I watched as Lemonsoul – singer/guitarist Dan Vidmar, lead guitarist Ingmar Carlson, bassist Austin Arrington, percussionist Landon Evak and drummer Tom Connolly – engaged in a reggae-styled jam, before performing a rendition of the Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” and The Band’s “The Shape I’m In.” I didn’t recognize the next two numbers that the group finished out the set with; the first was a faster, rock’n’roll-geared number, while the second was reggae and blues flavored.
As folks retreated back from the stage towards the bar to reload on adult beverages during the ensuing intermission, I took full advantage and moved my way forward to the stage, arriving in close proximity to both the stage and men’s room by the time Lemonsoul commenced their last set. (And at this venue during this week in State College, being situated near the men’s room wasn’t a bad thing…)
The group kicked off their nightcap set with the Allman Brothers’ “Blue Skys,” which transitioned into Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.” During this pair of tunes, a guest by the name of Ronny stepped onstage and scat-sang along. I didn’t catch his full name, but Dan the singer mentioned that Ron was performing at the State College Hilton the following night. Ron continued his scat-singing as Lemonsoul proceeded into a funk-styled jam, and then did a rendition of Paul Simon’s “Late in the Evening.” The group introduced one of their numbers, which evolved into a percussion workout between Tom and Landon. Lemonsoul then started into a jazz piece (a classic jazz number I’ve heard before, but have never known the title to), which they executed at a brisk tempo. Guest Ron then returned to help out on congas as the group played a reggae tune; before Dan, Landon and Tom finished the night with another reggae-flavored number, I believe called “Song of Freedom.”
Lemonsoul offered up an interesting and variable presentation, never staying in one place too long musically. The styles changed as well as their arrangements on the material, so the sound was constantly fresh. Their execution was clean, and performed on target even with guests and a lively crowd of partying students continually in their faces. I liked their interesting song selection, as they chose material you don’t hear every other day performed live.
This set showed why Lemonsoul continues to be a rising name on the State College circuit, as well as why they earned this coveted weekly Wednesday performance slot at the Phyrst. They presented a colorful and ever-changing musical tapestry, and generated uplifting vibes along the way. Good stuff!
Lemonsoul, mixing up musical flavors at the Phyrst.
Tom Connolly of Lemonsoul.
With guest Ron scat-singing along, Lemonsoul.
Ingmar Carlson of Lemonsoul.
More jamming with Lemonsoul.
Landon Evak of Lemonsoul.
Dan Vidmar of Lemonsoul.
Guest Ron taps out some percussion with Lemonsoul.
Again, Dan Vidmar of Lemonsoul.
FELIX & THE HURRICANES @ 30 SOMETHING, ALTOONA 5/8/08
After logging another late Thursday night in the workplace, I stopped off at 30 Something to catch what I could of the Hurricanes’ weekly show.
It was a slow night, with only a few folks in the house. But the Hurricanes set out to entertain the few folks in attendance. The group was just finishing out a set with Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight.”
After a short break, the ‘Canes returned to do three more songs before calling it a night. Felix, Jeff and Bob did spirited versions of the Allmans’ “Whipping Post,” Bobby Womack’s “It’s All Over Now” and Ted Nugent’s “Stranglehold.”
To borrow a cliché, it was what it was…The Hurricanes sounded good as always, but unfortunately, there weren’t many folks in the house to hear them. Thus proving even the ‘Canes aren’t immune from empty rooms from time to time…
VS. THE EARTH @ 4D'S LOUNGE, ALTOONA 5/9/08
I was due for a Vs. the Earth update, as I hadn't seen them since last summer's CD release party for their new album The Initiative. So I headed to the 4D's this night to see what Baltimore's best Altoona band was up to.
Not surprisingly, the Dees was already quickly filling up as I arrived shortly into Vs. the Earth’s first set. The Dees’ dance floor was already busy, and singer Adam Marino was already off the stage and making the rounds around the room, greeting fans as he sang. Adam, guitarist Mike Ritchey, bassist Dawg and drummer Elliot Wiley were triggering the dance floor party with classic and recent rocking favorites from Bryan Adams, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Lit, Buckcherry, Outfield, Tom Petty and more. The group was also dropping in original songs from The Initiative, including “Psycho” and “Lightswitch” during this set, and even a few newer original songs as well.
People kept continuing to arrive through the intermission, and the 4D’s was nicely packed by the time Vs. the Earth was ready to start their nightcap set. The group kicked it off with a fast-paced number – I believe possibly a new original – and immediately re-packed the Dees’ dance floor with Green Day’s “Basketkase,” followed by a rendition of Sublime’s “What I Got” that morphed through portions of Chumbawumba’s “Tubthumping,” Sugar Ray’s “Fly” and the Four Seasons’ “December 1963” before returning to “What I Got” for the finish. The party continued with the Quietdrive rocking rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time,” the Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker,” and a hip hop/dance medley. After this, Vs. the Earth broke out Michael Jackson’s “beat It,” before honoring an audience request for Disturbed’s “Sickness.” The rest of the way, Vs. the Earth kept the party chugging along with tunes from Johnny Cash, Panic at the Disco, and a few new original songs as well. When the group got to another tune from The Initiative, “Who He’ll Be Tonight,” Adam launched himself off the front of the stage and up over the crowd for a short body-surfing joyride. The group then brought the night to a close with Guns N’Roses’ “Mr. Brownstone.”
Vs. the Earth again did what they do so well, kicking up the high-octane party and never letting it subside for the duration. These guys still provide bounce-off-the-walls energy as they crank out these tunes, while keeping it tight and together throughout. And I take it that the group was pleased this night, as Adam had declared earlier on that their goal for the night was to get through a show with no fights among the crowd or any displaced ceiling tiles. From what I witnessed, the group succeeded on both counts!
This night reaffirmed that Vs. the Earth still delivers one of the premiere rocking onstage parties in the region. They continue to pack the crowds into the 4D’s, and based on what I witnessed this night, deservedly so!
Adam Marino of Vs. the Earth poses for a fan’s camera.
Elliott Wiley of Vs. the Earth.
Dawg of Vs. the Earth.
Vs. the Earth, rocking the Dees crowd.
Again, Dawg of Vs. the Earth.
A familiar sight; Vs. the Earth and a packed 4D’s dance floor.
Again, Adam Marino of Vs. the Earth.
Adam Marino lets an audience member sing.
Adam’s guest looks on as he does the singing.
Mike Ritchey of Vs. the Earth.
Again, Adam and Dawg of Vs. the Earth.
Once again, Adam Marino of Vs. the Earth.
After his crowd-surfing adventure, Adam lands in the arms of several fans.
Once again, Adam Marino of Vs. the Earth.
Again, Mike Ritchey of Vs. the Earth.
HIT THE LIGHTS/EVERY AVENUE/FAREWELL/SING IT LOUD/WE ARE FOREVER @ JAGGARD UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, ALTOONA 5/10/08
This turned out to be an interesting day in my live music-watching endeavors. During the late afternoon, my day job duties had me doing a live Harley remote at Tino’s VIP Pizza (good pizza and strombolis, by the way), at the corner of Jaggard Street and Pleasant Valley Boulevard in Altoona. As I did the remote outside in front of the shop, I noted a bunch of cars, vans and trailers across Pleasant Valley Boulevard, in the parking lot of the Jaggard Street United Methodist Church. Obviously another of the “An EmergencyScene” all-ages Jaggard multi-band bills was taking place.
Although I have come close to checking a few of these out in the past, work duties and other things have always gotten in the way. Well, today, I decided I’d take in this show after I wrapped up my work duties at the remote. I didn’t even know who the bands on the bill were, but I wanted to check it out and take in the Jaggard show experience and see what it was all about.
I was pleasantly surprised on a number of fronts. I missed the first two bands on the bill, Sing It Loud and We Are Forever, but arrived to find a large crowd of several hundred mostly under-21 youngsters in attendance, enjoying live music and having fun. The show was happening in the church’s basement, and my only complaint about the whole experience was that it was a little warm and steamy in the basement; a few electrical fans or ventilation would be preferable.
The next band on the bill was Epitaph recording group Farewell. Based out of Greensboro, North Carolina, Farewell introduced a melody-geared pop/punk sound that showed off good melodies and crisp vocal harmonies. With a large contingent of appreciative young fans cheering them on; singer Marshall Davis, guitarists Kevin Carter and Wil Andrews, keyboardist Chris Lee, bassist Buddy Bell and drummer Jeff Ellis played tunes from their latest CD, Isn’t This Supposed to Be Fun?, including “Start It Up,” “Zelda,” “Eighty-Eights,” “War” and more. Farewell displayed abundant bounce-off-the-walls energy, especially singer Marshall as he constantly charged to the front of the stage and atop the speakers to take his game directly to the fans. Several times, the audience sang the words of Farewell’s tunes back to them; obviously this crowd knew these guys!
Marshall Davis of Farewell.
Farewell, entertaining a large crowd of young fans.
Again, a large crowd of young fans celebrates as Farewell performs.
During the intermission, I observed as a number of fans immediately headed for Farewell’s merchandise table and purchased CD’s and shirts, while the band members chatted and cordially greeted audience members moments after finishing their set. This was a cool scene I was witnessing so far.
The next band up, Michigan’s Every Avenue, also performed a melody-geared guitar rock sound, with a slightly more mainstream flavor. Five members strong, Every Avenue was also performing a number of songs off of their new album, called Shh…Just Go With It. Some of their tunes included “Chasing the Night,” “Freak Out!,” “Boys Will Be Boys,” “Trading Heeartbeats,” and their disco-beat driven set closer “Where Were You?” As with Farewell before them, Every Avenue also had the audience singing their song lyrics back to them; obviously this young Altoona crowd knew who these guys were as well!
Every Avenue, also playing in front of a large crowd.
Again, Every Avenue and the crowd.
Yet again, Every Avenue and the crowd. I noticed a lot of these kids were taking pictures of the band. Maybe they’ll be future Rockpage or Pennsylvania Musician photographers!
Dave and Cam of Every Avenue.
Likewise, the intermission after Every Avenue’s set saw a number of fans chatting with the band members and purchasing merchandise. During this intermission, I chatted with Rockpager BloodyFingers, who was helping out with the stage set up, as well as the promotional wizard behind these AnEmergencyScene shows, Ryan. This guy is a promotional machine, who continually promotes all of these shows via flyers and Myspace. He started this thing four years ago and has run with it, and based on what I was seeing this afternoon, he’s built a healthy scene for live music here in the basement of the Jaggard Street United Methodist Church.
One more band remained; Lima, Ohio foursome Hit the Lights. Their sound was more aggressive and punk-driven, with a little more velocity. Singer Nick Thompson, guitarist Omar Zehery, bassist Dave Bermosk and drummer Nate Van Dame were fiery and bristling, delivering more bounce-off-the-walls energy as they played selections from their CD’s, including their forthcoming new disc, Skip School Start Fights, which comes out in July. They played “Stay Out” and “Bodybag” from the new CD, “The Fallout” and other selections. Likewise, Hit the Lights had a jam-packed crowd of young fans in front of the stage and shouting song lyrics back to them.
Hit the Lights, also playing to a large crowd of young fans.
Again, Hit the Lights and fans.
Nick Thompson of Hit the Lights.
One more time, Hit the Lights.
I can say that my first experience checking out one of these AnEmergencyScene all-agers at Jaggard was a good one. The three bands I got to see were all good at what they did, and again, I was very impressed at the overall scene taking place at this show. The young fans in attendance appreciated the bands, and the bands returned the love and appreciation. Business at the merch tables appeared to be brisk, and it seemed like everybody came away a winner at this show. Hats off to Ryan and the folks involved with making these shows happen, definitely it looks like a very healthy under-21 live music scene flourishing at Jaggard, and I plan to be back to see more!
$9 PORNO/CALOSITY/MAD-ERA @ ELECTRIC AVENUE, HOUTZDALE 5/10/08
Shortly after departing the Jaggard show, I headed up the mountain to Electric Avenue in Houtzdale, where – I must confess – I was headed to view…Porno. Seriously, I planned to take in a new band I hadn’t seen before, Philipsburg’s $9 Porno. Again, I was in for a pleasant surprise this night, as I found that this was essentially a triple band bill!
On the stage as I arrived at Electric Avenue was an opening band playing their very first gig, called Mad-Era. The band name is actually a word play on the town they’re from, Madera. Featuring singer Shawn Kephart, guitarists Nat Gardner and Bill Droll, bassist Brad Waite and drummer Dean Hendershot; Mad-Era warmed up the Houtzdale crowd with rugged rocking favorites from Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Alice In Chains, Guns N’Roses and more. At least from the portion of their set I got to see, Mad-Era were instrumentally solid and on the mark, and delivered a good, full-rocking sound. It appeared to be a good start for this band, and they should continue to tighten and improve with future shows.
Nat Gardner and Shawn Kephart of Mad-Era.
Playing their first show, Mad-Era.
After a break to change over band and gear, $9 Porno then performed the first of their two sets. Singer Mark Zendek, guitarists Pat Briscoe and Tim Heath, bassist Adam Washell and drummer Dave Dodge performed hard-hitting rock from the 70’s to present. This first set featured renditions of Blur’s “Song 2,” Prong’s “Snap Your Fingers Snap Your Neck,” Green Day’s “Brain Stew,” Clutch’s “Pile Driver,” Marilyn Manson’s “Antichrist Superstar,” a crowd shout-along version of Rage’s “Killing in the Name,” Run D.M.C.’s “It’s Tricky,” Deftones’ “My Own Summer (Shove It),” System of a Down’s “Sugar,” tunes from the Ramones, Dead Kennedys and more. $9 Porno generated constant excitement with their agitated performances; and were instrumentally tight and torrid, with singer Mark’s delivery fiery and in-your-face.
During their first of two sets, $9 Porno.
Again, $9 Porno.
Some stagefront fans enjoy $9 Porno.
The $9 Porno party continues.
Pat Briscoe of $9 Porno.
Mark Zendek and Adam Washell of $9 Porno.
Mark Zendek, encouraging some fan participation.
Again, Mark Zendek of $9 Porno.
In between their sets, Pat Briscoe’s original band project, Calosity, performed a mini-set. Pat on guitar, Mike Saupp on bass and vocals, and Shane Kovach on drums introduced a hard-hitting, funk-infused sound suggesting a middle ground between Primus and Slayer; in fact, the group played a tune each from Primus and Slayer in addition to two original numbers, “Bon Appetit” and “Make It Fast.” This unit displayed tightness and precision as they delivered wicked, fast-firing chops.
Calosity, bringing their original sounds to Electric Avenue.
Mike Saupp of Calosity.
Pat Briscoe of Calosity.
Shane Kovach of Calosity.
Once again, Calosity.
$9 Porno soon returned for their final chapter to the night. This set launched with The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” and continued with a guest vocalist on AC/DC’s “Jailbreak,” and Mark’s girlfriend singing the lead on No Doubt’s “Spiderwebs” and Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock’n’Roll.” The group then followed Calosity’s lead and dug into the Primus catalog for “Too Many Puppies.” $9 Porno fired up the dance floor party the rest of the way with songs from Rage, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana and more; eventually culminating in a version of ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man” with a bunch of fans and the guys from Mad-Era joining them on stage, and Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” to close the night.
$9 Porno showed that they were about firing folks up and having a good time, and they succeeded on both counts through both sets. This Porno was hard core, as they kept the music fiery and constant. The crowd, while not huge, was spirited and there to have a good time. Both band and crowd fired each other up, resulting in an exciting, hard-rocking party!
My first experience with Porno was a good one! This was a fun show that introduced three impressive, rising names; watch for all three of these bands on area stages in the coming months.
Some fans join the band onstage during $9 Porno’s latter set.
Mark Zendek of $9 Porno.
Fans again having a good time enjoying Porno. 
The $9 Porno party continues.
Adam Washell of $9 Porno.
Once again, $9 Porno and fans.
One more time, $9 Porno and fans.
RISE PHOENIX RISE @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 5/11/08
Another weekend was drawing to a close, and again I headed to Pellegrine’s to close out my weekend, with Rise Phoenix Rise providing the sounds.
“Backyard Rocker” duties prevented me from arriving in time to catch the debut of new Altoona-based band House Atlantic, who was opening the night. Eyewitness accounts gave these guys a thumbs up; and they were doing their first full night at Pelly’s the following Sunday, so I would have my opportunity to see this band in action soon enough.
A good-sized crowd of folks was in the house as I got there early into Rise Phoenix Rise’s first of two sets. Singer Gibson, guitarists Chris Bishop and Jarrod Griffith, bassist Ronnie Williams and drummer Rob Hampton quickly had this party clicking on all cylinders, triggering dance floor activity with numbers from Soft Cell, Devo, Cars, Billy Idol, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Metallica and more. The group did one of their own songs during this set, “Walk Away,” and also fired up a brief disco/funk medley.
Rise Phoenix Rise’s nightcap set again triggered steady dance floor action the rest of the way, as the group did numbers from Gin Blossoms, Eve 6, Oasis and more. This set celebrated several time frames in the popular music era, touching on 80’s hits with versions of Eddie Money’s “Take Me Home Tonight” and the Ronnie-fronted spin on Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” (the guy’s got a voice!), an urban funk/hip-hop medley, and a touch of country to close out the night, as the group did Garth’s “Friends in Low Places” and Billy Ray’s “Achy Breaky Heart.”
In typical fashion, Rise Phoenix Rise fired up the good time. The group was tight and crisp on their instrumental execution, and Gibson again took the party to the crowd early and often, maintaining steady contact and never giving folks reason to divert attention from the stage or sit down.
This night again reaffirmed Rise Phoenix Rise’s current status as one of this region’s most popular and reliable party machines, and convincingly slammed the lid on another weekend.
A familiar sight; Rise Phoenix Rise and a busy dance floor at Pellegrine’s.
Ronnie Williams of Rise Phoenix Rise.
Ronnie Williams and Gibson of Rise Phoenix Rise.
Gibson of Rise Phoenix Rise.
Rob Hampton of Rise Phoenix Rise.
Once again, Gibson of Rise Phoenix Rise and a busy Pelly’s dance floor.
JP’s HAIKU
Jaggard all-age show
Young fans enjoying live bands
Very healthy scene!
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