log in · your profile · private messages · members · search · help · register
   
· Home
· Band Pages
· Show Schedule
· The Forums
· The Final Cut
LABOR DAY WEEK/WEEKEND RECAP 9/7/10 PT. 2
Post new topic   Reply to topic
ROCKPAGE Forum Index » JP's Corner
previous topic :: next topic  
Author Message
Jim Price
Moderator
Moderator


Joined: 07 Dec 2002
Posts: 4817
Location: Altoona, PA

 Post Posted: Friday Nov 26, 2010 
Reply with quote

LABOR DAY WEEK/WEEKEND RECAP 9/7/10 PT. 2

CAMBRIA CITY ETHNIC FESTIVAL, JOHNSTOWN 9/4/10

After a few hours rest, I was back in the Professor-mobile and back over the mountain for the second day of the Cambria City Ethnic Festival.

As was the case on Friday night, Holy Cross was my first stop when I first arrived on Saturday afternoon, as Midnight Graffiti was wrapping up their performance. I only caught two songs, but Midnight Graffiti’s versions of Aerosmith’s “Last Child” and Joan Osborn’s “One of Us” both sounded strong.

Midnight Graffiti.

Natalie and Rick of Midnight Graffiti.

After enjoying a bowl of Chesapeake crab soup from the Parrot Bay Café folks, I then proceeded up Chestnut Street to V.O.M.A. to take in part of acoustic performer Aaron Puglia’s performance. Singing, playing acoustic guitar and harmonica, Aaron did a variety of original songs, classic rock, country and pop favorites. Some of his set included Jim Croce’s “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim,” Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll,” Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” and George Jones’ “The Race Is On.” Aaron’s voice was sturdy and in good form, and his style and cadence was upbeat and kept the audience engaged.

Aaron Puglia.

I then headed to the Resurrection Church’s tent stage to check out the Jimmy Lamb Trio. This trio played a variety of classic hits and standards. Namesake Jimmy on keys and vocals, guitarist Joe Tirpak and drummer Doug Williams did such numbers as Jim Croce’s “Bad Bad Leroy Brown,” Ray Price’s “For the Good Times,” the Drifters’ “Under the Boardwalk,” Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock’n’Roll,” Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” and more.

Jimmy Lamb.

Doug Williams and Joe Tirpak of the Jimmy Lamb Trio.

Joe Tirpak of the Jimmy Lamb Trio.

Doug Williams of the Jimmy Lamb Trio.

The Jimmy Lamb Trio.

A dog relaxes to the sounds of the Jimmy Lamb Trio.

While at Resurrection, I ran into John Charney and we decided to do our respective annual pilgrimages to St. Mary’s Church hall for their culinary trifecta of halushki, halupki and pierogi. Completing this trifecta has become almost as important as witnessing the music itself at Ethnic Fest; thanks John for assisting me with this religious undertaking!

After emerging from St. Mary’s hall, I took in part of Yum’s annual St. Mary’s street party. Yum is always fired up for this shindig; these guys grew up in this neighborhood! Singer Dan Vavrek, guitarist Darren Buchko, bassist Shawn Mock and drummer Brian Scaletta entertained the massive all-ages crowd with upbeat party rock from Blink 182, Sublime, John Mellencamp, Poison, Dead Or Alive, Bush and more. Yum offered freewheeling fun that kept folks dancing, grooving and happy.

Yum, firing up the street party for the second consecutive night outside St. Mary’s.

Darren Buchko of Yum.

Dan Vavrek of Yum.

Brian Scaletta of Yum.

Shawn Mock of Yum.

Once again, Yum.

Again, Brian Scaletta.

Again, Dan Vavrek.

Smoking the stage, Yum.

After taking in Yum’s party for a while, I decided to return to Resurrection to enjoy what was a highlight of my Ethnic Fest experience last year; one of the Irish-themed parties featuring the Michael O’Brian Band. As expected, Brian Anderson and Mike Zerbee were getting their Irish up before a huge crowd with their mixture of Irish folk and pub favorites, fast-firing wit and copious amounts of Guinness. Again I enjoyed Brian’s antics and comic timing as he played off the crowd to provide constant laughter. The pair did many of their established favorites, such as the singalong “Sara,” “Barley Moll,” “Finnegan’s Wake,” and their wild adaptation of “Puff the Magic Dragon,” where they interpret the song as other performers might have done it, such as Billy Idol, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, ZZ Top, Journey, Poison, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Eagles and AC/DC. This musical merriment, coupled with inexpensive cans of Guinness pounders, made for a fun time!

The Michael O’Brian Band.

Brian Anderson and Mike Zerbee.

Brian Anderson, banging on the bodhran.

A huge crowd has fun with the Michael O’Brian Band.

An audience member joins in the festivities.

Once the Michael O’Brian Band reached intermission, I headed down to Chestnut Street and V.O.M.A., where Pound was in the process of pounding out rocking ‘90s and modern favorites. Singer Shane, guitarist Mike, drummer Joe, and bassist Babs filling in for Steve this night; Pound cranked out tunes from The Cure, Sublime, Cracker, Gin Blossoms, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer, Pearl Jam, Better Than Ezra, Bush and more. I especially liked their version of the Red Hot Chilis’ “Dani California.” It all rocked, and kept a large crowd in front of the V.O.M.A. complex dancing and cheering.

Shane of Pound.

Joe of Pound.

Performing amid some funky colored light action, Pound.

More crazy lights and Pound.

Again, Shane of Pound.

Filling in on bass, Babs of Pound.

Once again, Shane of Pound.

Pound rocks outside V.O.M.A.

One more time, Pound.

I then headed inside Ace’s Lounge to watch as Ribbon Grass slammed the lid on the night with their maximum dance party. The room and dance floor were packed wall-to-wall, and Ribbon Grass kept them happy with nonstop dance-friendly pop, rock, funk and hip-hop favorites. Singer Terri Single, keyboardist/singer Dave Single, bassist/singer Ron Gallucci, guitarist Steve Toma and drummer/singer/rapper Mark Vatavuk kept the music uptempo and nonstop, never giving folks any excuse to want to sit down! The rock and dance grooves were constant, from Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69” to Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” to Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” to Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long” and much more. No doubt fired up by the massive crowd, Ribbon Grass was on their ‘A’ game throughout, riding this party for all it was worth! And the crowd fed off the band’s energy as well; at one point, even soundman Ray “Onetooloud” Buksa was dancing atop a table! This was the appropriate slam-dunk dance party to send the second day of Cambria City Ethnic Fest home!

Mark Vatavuk of Ribbon Grass.

Steve Toma of Ribbon Grass.

Ribbon Grass packs the dance floor at Ace’s Lounge.

From the side of the stage, Ribbon Grass and the huge dance floor crowd.

Again, Mark Vatavuk of Ribbon Grass.

Again, Ribbon Grass.

The Ribbon Grass dance party continues.

More dance mayhem with Ribbon Grass.

Terri and David Single of Ribbon Grass.

Ron Gallucci of Ribbon Grass.

Once again, Ribbon Grass.

Ribbon Grass has Ace’s partying down!

Again, Terri Single of Ribbon Grass.

Again, Steve Toma of Ribbon Grass. His precision guitar solo work on Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”…amazing!

CANDLELIGHT RED @ PONY LOUNGE, JOHNSTOWN 9/4/10

Glutton for more live music, I quickly drove my way to the Pony Lounge to catch the latter half of Candlelight Red’s latest visit.

Hot on the heels of opening for the legendary Kiss in Pittsburgh in July, performing on the Rockstar Uproar Tour in Scranton in August with Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold, Halestorm and more; Candlelight Red brought their full-fury rock to the Pony with the mission of firing up the crowd. It took a little while for this mission to achieve full fruition, but the group did eventually succeed.

Although the Pony was pretty well packed, the crowd was a little sluggish early on when I first arrived, and frontman Ryan Hoke did his best to bark some response out of the folks. Shortly after my arrival, Ryan welcomed his predecessor, Greg Locke, to the stage to handle vocal duties on Theory Of A Deadman’s “Bad Girlfriend.” Ryan, guitarist Jeremy Edge, bassist Adam Zimmer and drummer Josh Hetrick continued with Linkin Park’s “One Step Closer,” Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer,” their pounding take on Roxette’s “The Look” and their original tune “The Wreckage” to end the set.

It didn’t take long into Candlelight Red’s final set of the night for the night’s biggest surprise to happen. After opening with Green Day’s “Holiday,” Candlelight provided reason to celebrate, as Greg Locke returned to the stage to sing lead on Sublime’s “Santeria,” before proceeding to propose to his girlfriend, Amber. Fortunately for him, she accepted. Greg remained onstage to front the group on Chevelle’s “The Red.” The special moment onstage seemed to bring the crowd more to life, and the group kept them fired up as they rocked the Pony with tunes from Danzig, Beastie Boys, Drowning Pool, Filter, Lynyrd Skynyrd and more, eventually closing out the night with Pantera’s “Walk.”

Candlelight Red sounded strong through all of it, performing as a tightly-wound machine. Their execution was sharp and powerful, with pounding rhythms providing the forceful foundation behind Jeremy’s precise guitar leads and Ryan’s in-your-face vocal aggression. This band clicked on all cylinders for the duration, and kept this party in high gear.

With the good stuff that has been happening for these guys lately, it might be wise to catch Candlelight Red while you can, because this band appears to be in serious danger of advancing to the next level!

Greg Locke rejoins his former Candlelight Red bandmates onstage.

Greg and Candlelight Red.

Ryan Hoke of Candlelight Red.

Candlelight Red and fans.

Josh Hetrick of Candlelight Red.

Ryan Hoke with a dancer onstage.

Greg Locke proposes to Amber.

Amber accepts!

Adam Zimmer of Candlelight Red, singing lead on Danzig’s “Mother.”

Again, Adam Zimmer.

Again, Josh Hetrick.

Jeremy Edge of Candlelight Red.

Candlelight Red rocks the Pony.

Once again, Adam Zimmer.

Once again, Josh Hetrick.

Again, Ryan Hoke.

With Ryan and Greg both singing, Candlelight Red.

One more time, Candlelight Red.

I wasn’t the only Altoonan representing at the Pony this night…Stephanie and Bobbie were in the house!

CAMBRIA CITY ETHNIC FESTIVAL, JOHNSTOWN 9/5/10

It was a few more hours of sleep for me, before the roadtrip back over the mountain for the final day of the Cambria City Ethnic Festival.

I decided to grab a late breakfast (like, 1 PM) upon my arrival, trying out a serving of palicinky (Hungarian pancakes) at Holy Cross, before heading up Chestnut Street to V.O.M.A. to catch some acoustic performers.

Mike Vavrek was hitting the stage as I stepped inside V.O.M.A.’s former church building. Although he appeared a little nervous early on, Mike did a good job with his set of original song material, offering a soaring voice and relaxed, laid-back performance style. Mike took moments before each song to explain his inspirations and thoughts as he performed, setting an appreciative, conversational tone with the audience. Mike did a few numbers from his self-produced CD such as “Shimmering” and “Down Here,” several newer compositions, and renditions of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” and Jimmy Cliff’s “Sitting In Limbo.”

Mike Vavrek.

I stuck around V.O.M.A. to catch the next performer onstage, Justin Garman. Justin performed a mixture of original songs and select cover material, varying rhythms, timings and cadences along the way. Justin never stayed in one place for very long; mixing it up with original tunes such as “Wild Hearts, Blue Jeans and White T-shirts,” “Goodbye,” “Only You” and more. Adam Mundok joined Justin on several of the covers, contributing wood blocks, shakers and harmonica on renditions of Bob Dylan’s “Just Like a Woman,” the Beatles’ “Get Back” and more. Justin also broke out versions of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” and Kiss’ “God of Thunder.” Ever-changing and entertaining, good stuff!

Justin Garman.

Adam Mundok and Justin Garman.

Yours truly, enjoying the music and festivities inside V.O.M.A.

Next, I headed back to Resurrection Church’s tent for another Irish party, this time hosted by Full Kilt. I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon and early evening here! Also generating merriment with Irish-based folk and rock, wit and copious amounts of Guinness; Full Kilt mixed rocked-up Irish tunes, Irished-up rock and country tunes, fiddle tunes and everything in between! Mike Zerbee on guitar and vocals, Mandy Passmore on fiddle, Chris Myers on bass and bodhran and Pat Boland on drums kept the party at a constant high with lots of fun tunes. On the Irished-up rock side, Full Kilt broke out Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls,” ‘Charlie McDaniels’ “The Devil Went Down to (Dublin),” Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and U2’s “With or Without You” to name a few. They also offered plentiful Irish favorites such as the Clancy Brothers’ “Johnson’s Motorcar,” “Whiskey In The Jar,” Gaelic Storm’ “Darcy’s Drunken Donkey,” “Mary Mack,” “Back Home in Derry,” “Danny Boy,” “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” and others. There were Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly covers, plus original songs such as “Ordinary Day” and “Come Have A Drink with the Band.” And at least twice, the group welcomed special guest step dancer Paige to do her fancy footwork (and her feet were fast, almost a blur!). It all amounted to a lot of fun, and a party I couldn’t pull myself away from!

Mike Zerbee, Mandy Passmore and Chris Myers of Full Kilt.

A large crowd looks on as Full Kilt fires up the party under the tent.

Mandy Passmore of Full Kilt.

Chris Myers of Full Kilt.

Guest step-dancer Paige displays her fast footwork.

More of Paige and Full Kilt.

More Full Kilt fun.

Mike Zerbee of Full Kilt.

Chris Myers having fun behind the bar.

Some youngsters display their best unicorn poses on the “Unicorn Song.”

From behind the stage, more fun with Full Kilt.

Once the Full Kilt party ended, I made my way to Ace’s Lounge for the final act of Cambria City Ethnic Fest, Johnstown rockers Blue Collar Fate. This was my first time seeing this group, which features Steve Forgas on keys and vocals, John Penrod on guitar and vocals, Jim “Chico” Mirkovich on guitar, Randy Penrod on bass and Jeremy Fecko on drums. I stuck around for the better of two sets, and watched as Blue Collar Fate performed mostly classic rock favorites from the likes of Crosby Stills Nash & Young, CCR, Steve Miller Band, John Mellencamp, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Allman Brothers and more. These guys were solid on their instruments and vocals, and laid down a strong wall of hard-rocking sound. They maintained a good clip, and kept the music nearly nonstop. The crowd largely seemed to dig what Blue Collar Fate was offering, and the crowd stuck around for the duration.

Blue Collar Fate.

Again, Blue Collar Fate.

Jim “Chico” Mirkovich of Blue Collar Fate.

Steve Forgas of Blue Collar Fate.

Again, “Chico” of Blue Collar Fate.

Jeremy Fecko of Blue Collar Fate.

Again, Blue Collar Fate.

John Penrod and Randy Penrod of Blue Collar Fate.

Again, Jim Mirkovich of Blue Collar Fate.

Again, Steve Forgas of Blue Collar Fate.

One more time, Blue Collar Fate.

Blue Collar Fate remembers the late Chris Klym.

This closed my Cambria City Ethnic Festival 2010 experience. Again the food and music were great, and I again got to witness and enjoy the community pride that comes with this event every year. This is more than just a festival; this is a celebration of a neighborhood, a heritage, and a homecoming celebration for Johnstown as a whole. People come home from long distances to be a part of this festival; this year from as far away as England and Argentina!

By the door of Ace’s Lounge, the scorecard for visitors by state and country.

JOHNNY DANGER @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 9/5/10

Although I departed Cambria City Ethnic Festival near the midnight hour, there was still at least some time to get back over the hill to Toona-town to catch the tail end of Pellegrine’s Labor Day Eve party, featuring the debut of Johnny Danger.

Although the name itself is new, Johnny Danger features four seasoned vets of the Altoona music scene. Adam D sings and plays keys, Greg Larrimore plays guitar, Tim Kelly plays bass, and Steve Brulia plays drums.

I only got to see the final four songs of the night, but they sounded good. Johnny Danger did the GoGo’s “We Got the Beat,” a Kid Rock tune, and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Give It Away,” before answering encore demands with George Michael’s “Faith.” Johnny Danger sounded strong and together on all four numbers. Adam was still getting accustomed to this new band situation, though, as he accidentally referred to the group as “Jack Daddy” (one of his former bands) while closing out the night.

What I heard from Johnny Danger sounded good enough that I want to get a longer and more detailed look at this group when they return to Pellegrine’s in early October.

Adam D and Greg Larrimore of Johnny Danger.

Again, Greg Larrimore of Johnny Danger.

Again, Adam D of Johnny Danger.

GHOSTOWN REVELRY/THR3E @ THE CAMBRIA COUNTY FAIR, EBENSBURG 9/6/10

For the fourth day in a row, my live music duties brought me to Cambria County. Today, though, I didn’t head to Johnstown, but Ebensburg, for the annual Cambria County Fair.

The highlighted entertainment of this first day was to be a four-band local showcase, featuring the Rik Golden Band, American Made Soul Grenade, Ghostown Revelry and Thr3e. Although I had hoped to see all four bands, I missed the first two and only got to see the latter two.

This was my second time seeing Ghostown Revelry, after my initial look at them a few weeks earlier at 30 Something. Again, I liked what I heard from this group, as they performed classics from the Moody Blues, Elvis Presley, Grateful Dead, Traveling Wilburys, Rascals, Bob Dylan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Cars, Doors and more. This band sounded on target both instrumentally and vocally, and they received unanimous applause from the group of folks on hand to witness their performance.

Ghostown Revelry at the Cambria County Fair.

Again, Ghostown Revelry.

Adam Gerycz and Craig Pablic of Ghostown Revelry.

Kevin McKenrick of Ghostown Revelry.

Thr3e was a new band I hadn’t seen before. Three members strong (logically), Three introduced mostly original-geared, alternative-flavored rock. At least one or two members were formerly with the group The Skateboarders. If I heard the names correctly (they have no web presence that I was able to find), Darren Jones plays bass and sings, Jason Haybrook sings and plays guitar, and Steve Neville plays drums and sings. Thr3e’s song selection sounded good, with the original songs featuring solid melodies and interesting twists and turns. Their cover selection included numbers from Weezer, The Clash and Radiohead. In all, they sounded good; hopefully I’ll run into Thr3e again at some point.

Thr3e.

Jason of Thr3e.

Steve of Thr3e.

Darren of Thr3e.

Again, Thr3e.

I perused the fairgrounds afterward and checked out the animal barns, games, grub and other displays. Since there were no more bands to follow, I soon departed this year’s fair. Although I understand the Cambria County Fair scaled back entertainment this year, I was glad that they at least gave local music an opportunity to shine this day. Hopefully all four bands won at least a few new fans from their efforts this afternoon.

A flying machine above the Cambria County Fair.

Something I now look forward to seeing at the Cambria County Fair, rodent roulette.

The dizzy rodent looks for a hole to stumble into.

A motley chicken at the Cambria County Fair.
_________________

http://pamusician.net
 Back to top »
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Jim Price
Moderator
Moderator


Joined: 07 Dec 2002
Posts: 4817
Location: Altoona, PA

 Post Posted: Friday May 27, 2011 
Reply with quote

...
_________________

http://pamusician.net
 Back to top »
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Display posts from previous:   
ROCKPAGE Forum Index » JP's Corner
Post new topic   Reply to topic All times are GMT - 4 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

©Twisted Technology, All Rights Reserved