[Jim Price]

WEEK/WEEKEND RECAP 9/18/06

BLUEGRASS JAM @ THE HITCHING POST, ALTOONA 9/13/06

Had anybody suggested to me ten, or even five, years ago that bluegrass music would be happening on a tavern stage in Altoona, and it would draw a packed house crowd in the middle of the week; I would have probably laughed in their face. But times have changed, and roots music has become a hot ticket here in the Altoona area. After establishing consistently good crowds on their Wednesday "Country Night," The Hitching Post was trying something a little different this Wednesday night - a bluegrass jam, the brainchild of local "Songsmith" John Stevens.

I was pleased to find a near-packed house at the Post as I arrived; obviously bluegrass could draw a crowd in Altoona during the middle of the week! A who's who of musicians were participating in the bluegrass jam, platooning on and off the stage in different combinations. Of course, John Stevens was in the middle of it all, playing dobro. Other musicians involved included Wood-n-Strings' Jeremy Nelson on guitar, banjo and mandolin and his dad, Altoona area bluegrass legend Ben Nelson on guitar, who hadn't played out publicly in 30 years! There were Tim Klock and Chuck Cox, who both host the bi-weekly Open Mic Night Wednesdays at The Bar in Altoona; Pat McGinnis of Broken Pony/Tyne & the Fastlyne fame on upright bass; Bruce Foor of Mudbone; Matt Harrison of Oak & Ivy on mandolin; and a few other players as well.

Still a novice to the world of bluegrass music, I didn't know a lot of the selections played this night, but did pick up on a few titles along the way. There were traditional bluegrass and Appalachian folk songs such as "Blue Ridge Mountain Blues," "Shenandoah Mountain Home," "Why Did I Leave the Plow in the Field," plus Bill Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky," "Rocky Top" and more. To close out the night, Ben sang a song to his wife, "Wait A Minute."

This was a fun show, as the various musicians found common ground in their song selection along the way, and proceeded to blend their talents accordingly. Nearly each song enabled the players to showcase their individual talents for a stanza or two, and impressive musicianship was frequently on display along the way.

Bottom line, the first bluegrass jam night at the Hitching Post was a success, and it appears that these will be happening monthly.

It was father and son onstage during the Hitching Post bluegrass jam, with Ben Nelson (seated on left) and Jeremy Nelson (playing banjo at center); it was Ben's first public performance in thirty years!

Bluegrass on an Altoona stage on a Wednesday night...who woulda thunk?

DUSTIN BURLEY @ CITY LIMITS, ALTOONA 9/13/06

After finishing up my meal and shooting the breeze with some of the bluegrass players at the Hitching Post, I decided to head to City Limits to take in Dustin Burley's weekly Wednesday night acoustic performance.

City Limits usually never gets crowded for Dustin's weekly show, but there were a few fans and regulars sprinkled around the premises as I arrived, and Dustin was playing an eclectic selection of material. He proceeded through this set with renditions of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Tuesday's Gone," Madonna's "Like A Virgin," Robert Johnson's "Crossroads" (I told you it was an eclectic selection!), Pearl Jam's "Black," Red Hot Chili Peppers' "The Other Side" and more.

After an intermission, Dustin commenced his final set of the night. This set would develop into the Dustin and Loren Show along the way, as one of the audience members, Loren Johnson, stepped up and sang lead with Dustin several times. After tunes from Phish, the Grateful Dead's "Eyes of the World" and the Velvet Underground, Loren flexed her vocal muscles on Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man." Next was a Phish number, "Silent in the Morning," followed by Dustin's spin on Snoop Dogg's "Gin & Juice." After another song, Dustin broke out some Pink Floyd, doing his acoustic rendition of "Brain Damage/Eclipse." Loren then returned to join Dustin on the mic and, after a playful attempt at a Pearl Jam number was abandoned at midsong, the two did a rendition of Live's "Lightning Crashes."

Dustin was in good form on voice and guitar, and the duets with Loren worked well. Due to the small audience size, this felt more like a casual musical get-together with friends than a formal gig atmosphere. In all, a good time.

At this late point of the evening, I was starting to battle heavy eyelids, and decided to depart City Limits. But what I saw from Dustin - and the Dustin and Loren Show - was good, and worth stopping by to check out.

From the 'Dustin and Loren' segment of the show, Loren Johnson singing lead with Dustin Burley.

And from when he was flying solo this night, Dustin Burley.

SOLEGION @ ALDO’S, ALTOONA 9/15/06

Indiana-based rockers Solegion were guests on Q94's "Backyard Rocker" earlier this summer. I was impressed with the incendiary, hard-edged rock on the group's demo CD's, and had this night marked on my calendar, when I could experience Solegion's live performance during their first Altoona appearance at Aldo's.

Solegion was under way as I arrived, and was performing a hard-driving mix of current, classic rock and originals. Guitarists Adam Getty and Jim Chiesa, bassist Ryan Suley and drummer Adam Hartwick constructed a driving, powerful wall of sound, setting the backdrop for the full-frontal vocal assault of lead singer Jarrod Bartock. Jarrod and Solegion attacked their setlist with velocity and vigor; during this set lighting it up on renditions of Velvet Revolver’s “Slither,” Alice Cooper’s “I’m Eighteen,” the Rolling Stones’ “Jumping Jack Flash,” Stone Temple Pilots’ “Sex Type Thing,” Danzig’s “Mother,” Misfits’ “Die Die My Darling,” the original song “Moment of Silence” and more.

Aldo’s had some people in the house for Solegion’s first appearance, including families and friends, and a healthy contingent of other area musicians checking out the new band in town. Members of Chapter 5, Suicide Switch, Choking Faith, FedUP and Half Tempted were all representing this night.

Solegion soon launched their nightcap set with Metallica’s “Fuel,” and again tackled their setlist with relentless drive and energy. Choking Faith frontman Jason Mittan hopped on stage to contribute backing vocals on Solegion’s rendition of Corrosion of Conformity’s “Albatross,” followed by an Adam Hartwick drum solo display that led into Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen.” Solegion then went with three original songs, including a newer number, the faster punk-flavored “Anything” and “Seven.” The group returned to the Rolling Stones for “Paint It Black,” and continued with Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” (retitled “Conformist’s Whisper” by Jarrod), Guns’n’Roses’ “It’s So Easy” and Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name.” Approaching the end of the night, Solegion closed out with Stone Temple Pilots’ “Dead and Bloated” and two original songs – a newer one and “Dead Man’s Game.” The Aldo’s crowd wanted one more, and the group responded with White Zombie’s “Thunder Kiss ‘65” – helped out again by Jason Mittan on backing vocals – to finish out the night.

I was pretty impressed with what Solegion brought to the stage this night. Their style was hard-driving and high-velocity, but they were tight on their instruments and very together. The guitar tandem of Jim and Adam could both fire off the acid-burn riffage and some scathing solo work, and Jarrod’s full-bodied, feral vocal howl was in-your-face and intense. Solegion offered full-force rock with punkish abandon; it was a wild, fun ride.

Solegion’s first visit to Aldo’s was a successful one, and more Altoona appearances from this group are likely. Make a point to check them out at your earliest convenience.

Solegion, rocking the house during their first Aldo's appearance.

Again, Solegion.

Adam Getty of Solegion.

Keeping it rowdy at Aldo's, Solegion.

Jarrod Bartock of Solegion.

Again, Adam Getty of Solegion.

Adam Getty and Jim Chiesa of Solegion.

Again, Jarrod Bartock of Solegion.

Once again, Adam Getty of Solegion.

Adam Hartwick of Solegion.

ROCK THE HOUSE BENEFIT CONCERT @ GREENHOUSE PARK, JOHNSTOWN 9/16/06

On my agenda this day was the fourth annual Rock The House Benefit at Johnstown’s Greenhouse Park, to help out the IMAC Foundation.

I was surprised by the lack of buzz and promotion regarding this year’s concert, at least until the final week before the event. And besides headliners The Clarks and Johnstown favorites Pivot, I was pretty much unaware of the other acts on the bill until only a day or two before the show.

I arrived in mid-afternoon, and caught the tail end of the set by Pittsburgh punk rockers Hope On A Rope on the center pavilion stage. From the three songs I was able to witness, Hope On A Rope drilled high-octane, fast-firing punk rock, topped with a keyboard and saxophone player. At least from what I saw, these guys showed abundant energy and a sense of humor to boot. A pretty smoking set from what I witnessed; hopefully I’ll get to catch a full set from them sometime down the road.

Hope On A Rope.

Mikey Disappointment of Hope On A Rope.

Again, Hope On A Rope.

At this point of the afternoon, the audience was pretty sparse for Rock The House, definitely less people than what I recalled for this time of the afternoon in previous years. I grabbed an initial bite to eat at the food vendor stands, before heading across the field to the other electric stage for the next act, Dubmissive. As I made my way there, I couldn’t help but notice the abundance of bugs buzzing around, many of them doing kamikaze maneuvers towards my face and body! It must have been this stage’s close proximity to the nearby Stonycreek River; the bugs were bad!

But they did not deter me or others present from enjoying Dubmissive. Singer/guitarist Bobby Dub, bassist Joe Sell and drummer Steve Hanik performed a variable blend of roots, punk and reggae sounds. They showcased a number of original tunes, showing a variety of tempos and speeds, unpredictable plot twists and more. Some of the titles I caught included “Further,” “Desperation,” “From These Burning Streets,” “Alright By Me,” “Something to Believe” and more. Dubmissive’s loose style and vibe reminded me a little of Sublime, while their musical unpredictability and versatility reminded me of 311. There performance was constantly moving and never remained in one place for too long. Dubmissive kept the crowd happy, and for my first time seeing them, I thought they were entertaining and did a good job.

Dubmissive fires off their blend of roots, punk and reggae during Rock The House.

Bobby Dub of Dubmissive.

Again, Dubmissive.

Again, Bobby Dub of Dubmissive.

Steve Hanik of Dubmissive.

Joe Sell of Dubmissive.

A throng of fans - including the guys from Hope On A Rope - cheer on Dubmissive.

Once again, Dubmissive keeps the fans happy at Rock The House.

After Dubmissive’s set finished, I headed back to the central stage, where the day’s next band, Buddy Dee & the Hitmen, was ready to go. Five members strong, Buddy Dee & the Hitmen started with a foundation of early and classic rock, opening with a double-shot of the Grass Roots, “Midnight Confessions” and “Temptation Eyes.” They then followed with two from Creedence Clearwater Revival, tying together “Down on the Corner” and “Fortunate Son.” The group then did Neil Diamond’s “Cherry Baby,” and cleverly followed that with the Four Seasons’ “Sherry Baby.” After Danny & the Juniors’ “At the Hop” and Curtis Lee’s “Pretty Little Angel Eyes,” the group expanded into more recent terrain, doing Styx’s “Babe” and “Come Sail Away;” the latter with a young guest named Madeline helping out with vocals. Bassman Paul Hearn then sang lead on Guns’n’Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” as the group shifted into a harder direction, following with Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever.” The group vocally and instrumentally were fine, but were battling some technical issues throughout their set, primarily feedback and distortion.

Buddy Dee & the Hitmen.

Again, Buddy Dee & the Hitmen, Rocking and rolling The House.

Young guest Madeline helps out on vocals during Buddy Dee & the Hitmen's set.

Again with young guest singer Madeline, Buddy Dee & the Hitmen.

Paul Hearn of Buddy Dee & the Hitmen.

At this point, I decided to investigate what was going on at the acoustic stage. As with the rest of Rock The House thus far, the acoustic stage wasn’t seeing a whole lot of traffic, as a handful of people were taking in the performance of Down Street Deuce. A duo, Justin D and Michael S played what sounded like angst-ridden acoustic alternative, performing songs with darker textures and emotions. I watched as they did four songs; the last being a rendition of Alice In Chains’ “Down In A Hole” to end their set. What I heard from Down Street Deuce was respectable; however, the impact of their set was hampered by a problem that has surfaced at the acoustic stage previously; it was too close to the central electric stage, and the sound from that stage was often overpowering the acoustic stage.

Down Street Deuce.

I remained at the acoustic stage to take in part of the next act, House Of Commons. A trio, House Of Commons did a bluesier style of acoustic sounds; one of the members was noted area bass player Scott Jeffries. I stuck around for three songs, but as Pivot started their set over on the far electric stage, their sound was distracting me from the acoustic stage, and I decided to head over to check it out.

House Of Commons.

I arrived shortly into Pivot’s set, and the crowd appeared to be growing as more people were arriving for the evening’s acts. (The bugs seemed to tone down their act as well.) Singer Mark Lux, guitarist Jay Snyder, bassist Mike Wozniak and drummer Jason Kirchner rocked the house (!) with their mix of original tunes and select Tool covers. The group did all of the tunes from their newly-released five-song EP, including “Redefine,” “River Entrance,” “Y,” the tribute to fallen comrade Josh Moore “Moore” and the angry burner “Mud.” They also introduced a few new songs, plus did select Tool numbers such as “The Pot,” and for their encore, “Stinkfist.” As expected, Pivot gave an incendiary and powerful performance, with Mark’s charismatic stage presence holding the crowd’s full attention throughout the set.

Mark Lux of Pivot.

Giving another strong performance at Rock The House, Pivot.

Again, Mark Lux of Pivot.

Jay Snyder of Pivot.

Jason Kirchner of Pivot.

With a large crowd on hand to check them out, Pivot.

The crowd continued to arrive as the next band, Good Brother Earl, started over on the central pavilion stage. This was my first time experiencing this Pittsburgh-based band; and while I had heard their song, “Fighting Gravity,” several times on WDVE, I didn’t know this was the band that did the song (I usually would hear it late nights while WDVE was playing at Pellegrine’s, and there usually isn’t much backselling of songs at that time of the night). In any case, I took in Good Brother Earl’s set of original Americana-geared folk- and country-rock, as they did tunes from both of their CD’s, their self-titled debut and their latest, Perfect Tragedy. Five members strong, Good Brother Earl did such numbers as “Firecracker,” “Hard to Love,” “Shell,” “Another Rainy Day,” the hit “Fighting Gravity” and more. Along the way, one loud fan yelled up to the group a request for the dreaded “Free Bird;” singer Jeff Schmutz declined to do that song, but he and Good Brother Earl did respond with another remake, Neil Young’s “Powderfinger.” The group closed out the set with the feisty and backwoodsy “Cain & Abel” off their first CD, which started out as a slow instrumental but gearshifted into a fast, action-packed number. I was thoroughly impressed with Good Brother Earl, as they presented good, well-constructed songs, executed with strong musicianship and Jeff’s smooth and powerful voice. I hooked up with both of their CD’s after their set, and I look forward to again seeing this band sometime soon.

Good Brother Earl, making their first Rock The House appearance.

Jeff Schmutz of Good Brother Earl.

Skip Sanders of Good Brother Earl.

Again, Good Brother Earl.

Paul Fitzsimmons of Good Brother Earl.

Good Brother Earl's drummer.

A sizable crowd was finally in place for the headliners, The Clarks. As expected, The Clarks mixed their best-known favorites with new songs; all delivered with an upbeat, friendly vibe and solid musicianship. Singer/guitarist Scott Blasey, lead guitarist Robert James, bassist/singer Greg Joseph and drummer Dave Minarek played songs such as “Fast Moving Cars,” “Better Off Without You,” “You Know Everything,” “Help Me Out,” “Rise and Fall,” “Born Too Late,” “Snowman,” “Let It Go,” “On Saturday,” “Shimmy Low,” “Hell On Wheels” and more. Along the way, Greg sang one of the songs from his solo album, American Diary, doing “Mississippi Mud.” The Rock The House crowd enjoyed every minute of it, and at times got a little too excited, with crowd surfers and a few stage divers getting on the stage, to be politely reprimanded and scolded by Scott. By set’s end, it was a foregone conclusion that this crowd wanted an encore, and The Clarks soon delivered it; first starting with “Penny On The Floor” (people were trying to climb on the stage and stage-dive to this?), and from a slow and slinky blues introduction, finished the night with the ever-popular “Cigarette.” It was a reliably strong Clarks performance, played with solid musicianship, enthusiasm and constant appreciation for the crowd. And in the best Clarks tradition, it was pure, basic, honest rock'n'roll without gimmicks or adhering to current style and fashion trends; The Clarks again showed the Johnstown crowd that quality songs win the day. It was an appropriate close to the day’s festivities.

Now a veteran of this event, I knew that traffic would get chaotic once the music ended, so I was already well on my way to my car as the Clarks started into “Cigarette,” and I was among the first out of the Greenhouse Park lot as the concert ended. As indicated earlier, it appeared that the attendance was down this year from past years; likely due to a lack of strong Johnstown area draws on the bill and more new names, plus what appeared to be less promotion of this year’s concert. Every year is a learning experience, and I’m sure the organizers were taking notes on what worked and didn’t work this year, and will make adjustments accordingly in future years. I enjoyed what I saw, and thought the bands all represented fairly well.

The Clarks, providing the finale to this year's Rock The House.

Robert James of The Clarks.

A large crowd takes in The Clarks' performance at Rock The House.

Several rounds of body surfing broke out during The Clarks' performance at Rock The House.

Again, Robert James of The Clarks.

Scott Blasey of The Clarks.

Robert James and Scott Blasey of The Clarks.

Dave Minarek of The Clarks.

Again, Dave Minarek of The Clarks.

Greg Joseph of The Clarks.

Once again, The Clarks, making the Rock The House crowd happy.

Again, Greg Jospeh of The Clarks.

Adding some mandolin flavor during "Penny On The Floor," Robert James of The Clarks.

Once again, Robert James of The Clarks.

ITCH @ KATIE’S PLACE, JOHNSTOWN 9/16/06

I was able to quickly escape the post-concert traffic and escape Greenhouse Park as Rock The House ended at around 11 PM. Although having just experienced a full day of music, I was still game for finding out what else was going on in the Johnstown nighttime world this night. I first stopped at the Moxham Sheetz to procure a Johnstown Tribune-Democrat, but they were sold out. So I would have to do a tour of Johnstown and discover for myself who was playing where. I headed up to Westmont to see what was up at the Gardens. It was dead, the Gardens were closed – sad for a Saturday night! I then headed down the hill and investigated what was going on at the Boulevard Grill. Ribbon Grass was there; I had just seen them at the recent Conemaugh Township Wing Fling, so I decided to keep looking around to see what else was happening. I had yet to set foot inside Katie’s Place, not having caught a show in that room since its previous inception as Dougherty’s “Terra” Tory. I decided to stop by and see what was up. I found out that Itch was playing this night. I hadn’t seen Itch for a long time, so it was time to get caught up…

A good crowd was on hand at Itch was into their second set when I arrived. Singer Greg Cveykus, guitarist James Forish, bassist Jason Habrel and drummer Doug Lohr mixed current and classic rock favorites through the course of the night. The group was into a version of Bush’s “Machine Head” as I procured my first brew, and they continued with Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me.” During the B-52’s “Love Shack,” Greg introduced the other band members; before the group wrapped up the second set with Free’s “All Right Now” and Weezer’s “Beverly Hills.”

As the audience became more festive during the final set, Itch responded by getting crazier themselves. After starting with Tool’s “Sober,” Itch drew folks back onto the dance floor with Nickelback’s “Figure You Out,” Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and Rob Zombie’s “Dragula.” The party continued to escalate as the group tied together Puddle Of Mudd’s “She Hates Me” and “Wild Thing.” Then came the Joan Jett double-shot of “I Love Rock’n’Roll” and “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” followed by Poison’s “Talk Dirty to Me.” The party got crazier, as a number of laides started platooning on and off the stage to dance alongside the band. By this point, Greg was feeling it, and he headed upstairs, into Katie’s roof rafters, where he fronted the group on renditions of Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun” and Seether’s “Remedy.” Greg then descended the rafters to close out the set with Velvet Revolver's "Slither." These Johnstown partiers weren't ready to end the party yet, though, and wanted another song. Itch gave them three; lying on his back on the dance floor, Greg sang The Clarks' "Cigarette," before standing back up to front Itch on versions of Bon Jovi's "Living On A Prayer" and Alice In Chains' "Man In The Box."

As parties and performances go, this turned into a pretty good slobberknocker. Itch gave the people a good time. It wasn't always pretty, and the band was sloppy at times, but they kept the party moving forward and kept the dance floor busy. Greg became the party animal and elevated the craziness as the crowd got crazier. James showed exemplary guitar skills through it all, firing off some clean and dazzling solo work along the way.

Itch scratched the itch of Johnstowners looking to party on this Saturday night, and delivered a rocking and rollicking good time. As Saturday night blowout parties go, Itch had a good one going at Katie's this night.

With some ladies joining them onstage, Itch.

James Forish of Itch.

The party heats up onstage with Itch.

The ladies take over the Itch lead mic!

It's a full-blown party onstage with Itch.

More party mayhem with Itch.

Getting crowded off the stage, Itch frontman Greg Cveykus takes his show up into the rafters.

Serving millions...err...dozens...from atop the Alleghenies...err...Katies' rafters...Greg Cveykus of Itch.

With the lead singer above them, the onstage party continues with Itch at Katie's Place.

NINE PLANET TOUR @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 9/17/06

My path to the close of another weekend again passed through Pellegrine's this Sunday night, where Altoona area up-and-comers Nine Planet Tour were making their first appearance.

I arrived towards the end of the group's second set, but initially succumbed to the temptation of Guv'nor Jesse's 'DVD of the Week' on the wide-screen telly by Pelly's entrance. (I didn't note the DVD Jesse brought in this night, probably a Star Trek movie.) But I could hear the band finishing the second set with versions of Led Zeppelin's "D'yer Maker," and Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" into the Beatles' "Twist and Shout."

By the time Nine Planet Tour had commenced their nightcap set, I had broken free of the magnetic pull of the wide screen television and made my way to Pelly's main band room. Singer Erika Marino, lead guitarist Brendan Burns, rhythm guitarist Eric Wertz, bassist Kelly Montgomery and drummer Evan Rutherford reconvened the music with the B-52's "Love Shack," and proceeded to mix current and classic rocking favorites through the duration of the set. A good-sized Pellegrine's crowd was a little tentative about hitting the dance floor for this new band right away, but Nine Planet Tour eventually won them over as they continued with tunes from Sublime, Heart, Wheatus, Radiohead, Guns'n'Roses, Aerosmith, Joan Jett, original songs and more. Again, Erika's soaring and powerful voice was a highlight, exhibited nicely on Heart's "Barracuda" and Janis Joplin's "Piece Of My Heart." Nine Planet Tour's party picked up momentum as the audience got more into it, and by night's end, they had the Pellegrine's dance floor steadily busy.

With Erika soon to be a mommy, Nine Planet Tour will be stepping away from area stage action temporarily later in the fall; but this show helped elevate their profile with local fans, improving the chances that they can hit the ground running when they eventually return to action.

Nine Planet Tour, making their first tour stop on Pellegrine's stage.

Brendan Burns of Nine Planet Tour.

Erika Marino of Nine Planet Tour.

Brendan, Kelly and Evan of Nine Planet Tour.

Kelly Montgomery of Nine Planet Tour.

Again, Nine Planet Tour.

Eric Wertz of Nine Planet Tour.

Evan Rutherford of Nine Planet Tour.

JP'S HAIKU

Bluegrass Wednesday night?
First Hitching Post 'grass hoedown
Footstompin' good time!
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http://pamusician.net

[Jim Price]

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http://pamusician.net