Jim Price
Moderator
Joined: 07 Dec 2002
Posts: 4817
Location: Altoona, PA
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 Posted: Tuesday Mar 11, 2003 |
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WEEKEND RECAP 3/11:
THURSDAY NIGHT 3/6 – I had wanted to catch PnEumatic at City Limits, but day job duties kept me occupied well past midnight, so I wound up heading down the street to Peter C’s again for some Thursday Hurricaning. But I’m glad I did, again the musical fireworks were hot! Several guest musicians during the last set made for some interesting highlights onstage. Former Phat Lip harmonica man Dennis Argenzia, Not Them Guys’ Steve Shiffler and flute player Kent Martin were each key contributors to the onstage action. Dennis and Kent nicely spiced up the Canes’ rendition of War’s “Low Rider,” and Kent remained onstage afterward to lend his woodwind touch to Jethro Tull’s “Locomotive Breath.” The Hurricanes themselves pulled out a few surprises, including a crazy rendition of Dr. Hook’s “Cover of the Rolling Stone,” and a surprise version of “Ghost Riders In The Sky” which downshifted directly into the Canes’ original “On The Bottom Again.” The musical highlights were exciting, and the crowd was lively as well, complete with female nudity, foot fetishes and more! As it turned out, this wild and crazy Hurricanes Thursday set the stage for what turned out to be a wild weekend.
Felix Kos of the Hurricanes with guest harmonica man Dennis Argenzia.
Mr. Felix and his geetah.
Dennis Argenzia and Kent Martin.
Dennis Argenzia wailing more harp with the Hurricanes.
Bob Watters of the Hurricanes.
Kent Martin, piping out the flute with the Hurricanes.
Mr. Felix of the Hurricanes.
Once again, Kent Martin on flute.
Now, the post game activities, as Steve Shiffler sees to it that a female audience member doesn’t leave Peter C’s with dirty feet. Hopefully he got the good toe jam…
FRIDAY 3/7 – Indulge me as I relay the unusual story of how a little misfortune during my magazine delivery duties led to my learning of a cool story I wouldn’t have known about otherwise. I was attempting to do my “Pennsylvania Musician” Ebensburg-Johnstown-Portage-Cresson delivery route (one of 5 different routes I do every month in getting the magazines out in this region). I arrived in downtown Ebensburg for my first delivery stops at Music Mart and Castle Pub. I always park in the municipal lot next to Dollar General. This lot slants downhill towards West Lloyd Street. This day, it was covered with ice and slush from the previous day’s winter precipitation. I precariously parked my car, got out and ran my two deliveries. I hopped back in the car, and tried to back out of my parking bay, slightly uphill on ice. No-go. The tires were spinning, I was not moving. I tried rocking the car back and forth, to no avail. Fortunately, the lady parked a bay away down the hill came out, had less ice than me and was able to back her car out, freeing some space for me to cut a hard right turn and pull forward down the hill, escaping my parking dilemma. And head into another dilemma. The rest of the lot had mucho ice on it, including a steeper dip at the bottom exiting onto West Lloyd Street. Despite my best efforts, I found myself starting to slide down this dip into the street, unable to stop. Compounding this dilemma, I look to my left, and an Ebensburg police cruiser is coming downhill on West Lloyd Street towards the lot exit. He is driving on ice, too, and HE STARTS SLIDING! “Just what I need,” I thought, “a fender-bender with a cop!” Instinct took over, I guess; I took my foot off the brake and left my car run out into the street, and made my right turn onto West Lloyd in front of the police cruiser (I cleared him by about five feet; if I had kept the brakes on, I would have hit him). I proceeded slowly down West Lloyd Street, with the police car behind me. I begin to feel a rumbling in the back of my car. I first thought it was a chunk of ice that got up inside one of my rear wheel wells, and I proceeded to pull over into the first available parking lot. The police car pulls over behind me. As I exit the car, the officer yells over to me the cause of the rumble: “Hey, your right rear tire went flat!” Wonderful, just what I needed. I thanked the officer, he proceeded on his merry way. Next order of business, putting on the spare tire. Except that I parked atop another sheet of ice, not the ideal spot to try to set up a jack. I see a bare spot in the lot behind my car, so I attempt to back up to that spot to fix the flat. But the ice has my number again, my front tires are spinning, but I’m going nowhere. Again I attempt to “rock” the car out of this ice patch, to no avail. I decide to attempt to change the tire in that spot (I sure as hell wasn’t going anywhere else). So I put my emergency brake on and prepare to set up the jack. Just then, two good Samaritans in a pickup truck pull up and offer to push my car out of the icy area. Cool, except that I forgot to take the emergency brake off for the first two times they tried to push my car (yes, I felt like a complete jackass!). I did take the brake off, and the third time was the charm, they helped push my car back to the bare spot in the lot. NOW I could change the flat. I jack the car up, only to discover that the folks who installed the tires on the car before I bought it used the mechanical wrench and the LUG NUTS WERE TOO DAMNED TIGHT! On to Plan B, call Triple A! I thought I was going to have to trudge my way up the icy streets to the nearest convenience store or phone booth, but my luck began to change. I looked at the business I was parked in front of, Digitally Correct. I know the owner of this business, former Over The Edge guitarist/singer and current solo performer Brian Nipps! So I went inside, and Brian graciously left me use his phone to call Triple A for assistance.
Now the music story tie-in. While I’m sitting inside Digitally Correct awaiting my Triple A assistance, Brian informed me of a cool story regarding his business. Part of the design work Brian and Digitally Correct do is guitar designs. Among his recent clients, national country singer/guitarist Brad Paisley. Brian showed me photos of the paisley guitar design he did for Brad; and Brad used the guitar (manufactured by Crook Custom Guitars) in the video for the song “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song).” And Brad helped hook Brian and Digitially Correct up with an even bigger musician client, Dusty Hill of ZZ Top! Brian showed me a big poster photograph of Dusty Hill holding the guitar with its paisley design. Very cool!
Bottom line – had I not run into car and tire problems in Ebensburg this day, I would have never learned about Digitally Correct’s connection to the major music world!
And MEMO TO EBENSBURG: Mix in some snowplows, cinders and salt the next time you get some snow or ice on your streets and parking lots!
FRIDAY NIGHT 3/7 – I wound up doing a doubleheader this night, starting by catching up with Steve Summerhill at the U.S. Hotel in Hollidaysburg. Surprisingly, as often as Steve plays around the area, this was only the second time I have ever seen him perform! It’s easy to understand why this man is so popular once you take in a show. Steve performs nonstop requests from the audience; he passes out laminated songlists at the beginning of the night listing several hundred songs, and audience members can make their requests from the list through the course of the evening. (Steve even lists a ‘top five’ list of ways to make requests; his favorite is if you write your request on a $5 bill!) Steve’s repertoire is quite wide, he did everything from Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven” and “Dancing Days” to Jimmy Buffett’s “Cheeseburger In Paradise” and “Margaritaville,” from Bruce Springsteen’s “Born To Run” to “Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Screw?,” from Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” to Santana’s “Smooth” to Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer” and much more. The U.S. Hotel was steadily busy the whole night, and the crowd got crazier as the night went on. One female fan hopped up on the window ledge separating the bar and the dining room and did her best striptease moves lying on her back; while other fans danced wildly in the narrow floor area in front of the bar! Patrons entering the U.S. Hotel needed to be careful not to collide with dancers as they entered the building! (Come to think of it, patrons also needed to be careful swinging that door open too fast, or risk clocking the dancers or even Steve himself, set up by the door!) Steve was solid and consistent through it all, demonstrating good vocal range and enthusiastically strolling out into the crowd with his guitar. It was a nonstop fun party, easily demonstrating why Steve Summerhill is one of the most popular names in the local acoustic circuit!
Steve Summerhill, cranking out everyone’s favorites at the U.S. Hotel.
Once again, Steve Summerhill working his magic at the U.S. Hotel.
Since Steve Summerhill’s performance ended around 1 AM, I had time to catch somebody else’s last set of the night, so I headed to Peter C’s to take in the nightcap set by Driven. Good crowd here as well, as Driven throttled with old-school-geared metallic original tunes, both from their “Incoherent Thoughts” CD and forthcoming follow-up. Several things I really like about this group: First, strong original songs that hang in your head after the show; with catchy melodies driven atop go-for-broke charging rhythms. Second, frontman James Musselman actually sings, and demonstrates a solid, powerful, good-ranged voice. Third, Driven’s high-velocity instrumental attack, with guitarist Scott Bush, bassist Josh Michael and drummer Jim Povich driving hard and playing for keeps. This band hunkers down and drills it out no-nonsense! Although this area’s metal scene has lost Saucemonster and Broken Neck in recent weeks, Driven provided plenty of reason this night to remain optimistic, these guys pound!
James Musselman of Driven.
Driven, driving it down their throats at Peter C’s.
Josh Michael of Driven.
Jim Povich of Driven.
Once again, James Musselman of Driven.
Once again, Jim Povich of Driven.
Peter C’s, where all the cool cats hang out…
The newest addition to Peter C’s bartending staff; another reason to pay a visit…
SATURDAY NIGHT 3/8 – Up for some metal this night, I decided to check out the heavy-rocking double-bill of Johnstown’s Deviance and Strychnine at City Limits. Good crowd on hand, as Deviance brought a busload of metal faithful from Johnstown to take in the proceedings; also cool to note members of Lost Ledny, Choking Faith and former Saucemonster in the house as well. After some time off, Strychnine is back in action, and did a decent job opening with modern metal original tunes and select covers from Taproot and more. Strychnine even paid homage to former Johnstown extreme metallists The Embalmed (whose three members are now in Deviance) with an original song, “Tribute To The Embalmed.” Strychnine was instrumentally solid and powerful, and frontman Mike Worthington varied his delivery between controlled angst and outright ferocity. Tightening up the pace between songs will make this group better, but this was still the strongest display I’ve seen from Strychnine yet. I was curious to witness Deviance for the first time. Chad, Jason and Darren from The Embalmed join forces with former Stone Krow frontman Eric Voeghtly; the result is a base sound that is still monstrously heavy, tempered with a more melodic vocal presence and a more groove-oriented metal sound. Deviance played a number of pounding original assaults, including “Chapter X,” “Save Me,” “Scars” and more; along with metal from Static X, Pantera, Disturbed, Godsmack, System of a Down, Coal Chamber and more. Instrumentally, this band hits you like a cinder block thrown at your chest – Darren & Chad’s full-pounding, weighty rhythms and Jason’s searing, scorching guitar leads will knock you across the room, while Eric stalks the stagefront area and rallies the metalheads. By night’s end, the Johnstown busload faithful were joined by a number of new Altoona fans, resulting in a successful night of “deviant” metallic mayhem. If you like it heavy, Deviance needs to be on your must-see list!
Bassist Chad, unleashing the beast at City Limits.
Eric Voeghtly of Deviance.
Unleashing more beast, Chad of Deviance.
Jason of Deviance.
Again, Eric Voeghtly of Deviance.
Jason of Deviance.
Again, Jason of Deviance.
Eric of Deviance, taking it to the stagefront fans.
Darren of Deviance.
One more time with feeling, Jason of Deviance.
Eric of Deviance, letting the fans have a voice.
Deviance fans, getting deviant over their favorite band.
SUNDAY NIGHT 3/9 – I finally had my first look at Harrisburg’s Something Fluid, wrapping up the weekend at Pellegrine’s. I don’t know if Carrie and the Juiced gang briefed the members of Something Fluid a few weeks ago (when they opened for Juiced) on how crazy Pelly’s can get on a Sunday night, but Something Fluid got a crash course this night, because the ‘Toonie Loonies’ were in the house! Lots of crazy women doing crazy things onstage, a cameo appearance by Elvis (my guess-timate, 1977-era overweight Elvis, a day or two before his death), a wildly-dancing governor from Minnesota and more! Seriously, it was cool to see a good crowd on hand for Something Fluid’s first full night at Pelly’s, and the group kept the dancefloor busy with popular tunage from No Doubt, Alien Ant Farm, Hives, Bloodhound Gang, Harvey Danger, Blur, Marilyn Manson, Lit and more; along with nostalgic faves from Toni Basil, Billy Idol, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel and more. It was uptempo and rocking; frontlady Gretchen was constant motion, maneuvering her way around the stage and out into the dancefloor crowd. She often switched off vocal duties with the other four band members, all could handle the vox end of things well. The action onstage was nonstop as the group darted between uptempo rock, funk, hip-hop, nostalgia and more. Add Something Fluid’s name to the list of fun rocking party bands making the rounds, they are quickly winning fans in this area, based on what I saw this night!
Jerry of Something Fluid.
Mitch of Something Fluid gets some personal attention onstage…and who says drummers don’t get any respect?
CJ of Something Fluid meets the onstage welcoming committee at Pellegrine’s – Welcome to Altoona!
The welcoming ceremonies continue…
And continue…WOOAAAHHH!!!
The night included a cameo appearance by the King of Rock’n’Roll. Would Elvis please leave the building?
Frontlady Gretchen addresses CJ of Something Fluid.
Gretchen also has some words for bassist Jerry…
CJ of Something Fluid contemplates his Altoona experience, as bandmates Jerry and Gretchen look on. |
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