[Jim Price]

WEEK/WEEKEND RECAP 3/26/07

OPEN MIC NIGHT @ THE BAR, ALTOONA 3/21/07

With a bit heftier workload this Wednesday night, I decided to bypass Wednesday Country Night at the Hitching Post to get work done, and did a pizza supper at Pellegrine's (enduring their country karaoke night in the process, it was slightly more tolerable this night with no obvious dog torturing taking place onstage).

Then I was headed to The Bar for Open Mic Night. Since this was an "open mic" and anybody could take part, I actually brought along some percussion instruments to contribute if the vibe was right.

There was a handful of musicians in attendance this night, and some of the Open Mic Night regulars in the house as well. The musical selections performed this night really didn't seem to lend to extra percussion embellishment, at least from a newbie amateur like me, so I left my percussion stuff (bongos and shakers) out in the car, and decided to remain a spectator this night. The general flavor of the music was popular rock'n'roll, with tunes from the Beastie Boys, The Band, Queen, Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Spencer Davis Group, Don McLean, Oasis and more being performed. There was also an impromptu blues jam along the way, with Dave Thomas blowing some harp and Open Mic founder Tim Klock on guitar. Another performer I had never seen before named Matt sang lead on Oasis' "Wonderwall," before doing one of his own original songs, "Brave the Storm."

It was a relaxing and enjoyable time, even if JP's Open Mic Night debut would have to wait for another time...

GRADE E @ AL’S TAVERN, ALTOONA 3/22/07

I was back to indulge my new bi-weekly habit again this night, finishing a long Thursday evening at the workplace by heading to Al's Tavern for tasty food and tasty grooves with Grade E.

A modest crowd was in attendance as I arrived just before midnight, and ordered up a steak salad. As expected, the trusty trio of singer/guitarist Chris Vipond, bassist/singer Mike Stanley and drummer Todd Harshbarger were blending original songs and an eclectic range of cover selections into nearly nonstop, invigorating grooves. Original songs such as "Lucy," "Mined," "End" and "Flat from Below" intertwined with numbers from Dispatch, Sublime, the Rolling Stones, a spicy funk medley and more. The band members also did their public service duty for the night, lobbying patrons to make dollar donations for the upcoming Autism Walk and sign the special cards to hang on the wall. I gladly donated.

Grade E sounded snappy and sassy as usual, keeping the music constant and the audience happy.

It was an uneventful, relaxing and fun close to the night.

BORN & THE BEANSTALK @ BURGI’S ROUNDHOUSE, ALTOONA 3/23/07

My game plan this night was to attempt a show tripleheader, starting at Burgi's Roundhouse to do some supper and check in with acoustic duo Born & the Beanstalk. I had seen Born & the Beanstalk previously in limited duty at the Lakemont Park Wing-Offs, but had never taken in a whole show from them until this night.

I arrived just before Shaun Osborn and Ben Bowers were ready to begin their second set. Shaun and Ben performed an interesting mixture of acoustic classics, including numbers from the Marshall Tucker Band, Doobie Brothers, Pearl Jam, Allman Brothers, Rod Stewart and more. The group tackled some less-covered selections as well, breaking out a rendition of the Eagles' "Hotel California," the Led Zeppelin double-shot of "Going to California" into "What Is and What Should Never Be," an extended take on the Allman Brothers' "Melissa," and - like Shaun's father, Don Osborn, does in the band Square One - finished off the set with the Crosby Stills & Nash combo of "Cost of Freedom" into "Ohio." They also broke out one of Shaun's original songs, "Day Went Away."

I liked what I was hearing from Born & the Beanstalk so far. The pair applied some interesting arrangements to their song material, demonstrating some layered harmonies along the way. I also liked the song selection, which included a few songs not heard on area stages every day.

Soon Shaun and Ben were ready to go again. The pair started off this set with Train's "Drops of Jupiter," before stringing together a medley of acoustic classics from Pink Floyd, Steve Miller, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and more. An unexpected technical problem brought the set to a sudden halt midway through. After a few minutes to resolve the issue, the pair returned with some more tunes, such as Traffic's "John Barleycorn Must Die," Bob Seger's "Turn the Page," Sublime's "What I Got," and Counting Crows' "Mr Jones." This led to the set finale, the duo's unique fusing together of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" with Dylan/Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower." Although they had one set left, I decided to depart at this point, so I could get to the second stop in my attempted tripleheader.

As they demonstrated during the previous set, Born & the Beanstalk again showed some good harmonies and interesting arrangements, and an interesting song selection. After seeing them in limited duty at the Wing-Off's, this show verified that Born & the Beanstalk had evolved into a solid and competent acoustic entity; I look forward to catching more of this pair's performances in the future.

Born & the Beanstalk, entertaining the dinner crowd at Burgi's.

Shaun Osborn of Born & the Beanstalk.

Ben Bowers of Born & the Beanstalk.

STOMP’D @ ALDO’S, ALTOONA 3/23/07

Second on my attempted tripleheader itinerary this night was Aldo's, to catch my first look at Harrisburg's Stomp'd.

A few weeks previously I had checked out The Amy K Band, fronted by Amy K, former singer for Lovestomp. Stomp'd was what became of Lovestomp after Amy K's departure. Guitarist (and former Johnstown resident) Willy G continued the group as Stomp'd, first with a singer named Jenny K. Jenny departed the group to form another offshoot group called Booty Camp. Willy then recruited another Amy to front the band, Amy Jo Hurricane (I don't think related to Felix and the...).

Not surprising for a new out-of-town band playing in Altoona on a Friday night, attendance was a little sparse as I first arrived prior to the start of the first set. Amy Jo, Willy, former Juiced drum man Ray Ray and a rather motley-looking bass player took the stage for the opening round, starting off with Jet's "Cold Hard Bitch." This Amy showed that she had a voice, too, erupting with a powerful and rangeful display. (It was also at about this time that I noted something else; she had a loaf in the oven...) Amy and Stomp'd went about the business of firing this small Aldo's audience up, firing off renditions of Veruca Salt's "Volcano Girls," the Alanis Morisette double-shot of "Ironic" and "Hand in My Pocket," and several newer modern rock numbers I didn't readily recognize, ending the set with AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long."

During the first intermission, as a few more people arrived at Aldo's, Willy told me about how Stomp'd had evolved since the Lovestomp days, and his knack for recruiting hot-looking ladies with good voices to front his projects. He was especially proud of his current singer, Amy Jo. (I would later find out after this show that they were getting married, and that the forthcoming baby will be their first child together - cool!)

Stomp's soon returned to commence their second set, kicking off with the Ramones double-shot of "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "I Wanna Be Sedated," before gearshifting into Buckcherry's ever-popular "Crazy Bitch." Both Amy and Willy took the party out into the audience, with Amy serenading groups of fans, and Willy even stepping atop chairs to give the people a show. The group broke out some vintage rock with the James Gang's "Funk #49," and proceeded with favorites from Green Day, White Stripes and Rage Against the Machine to close out the set.

At this point, my initial game was to depart from Aldo's to head to The Bar and see Echo Chamber for the third leg of my attempted tripleheader. However, the combination of Willy feeding me Jager shots, coupled with running into a former Q94 co-worker I hadn't seen in ages (remember Tabitha?) caused me to abandon the tripleheader plan and remain at Aldo's for the duration.

Stomp'd soon picked up the party where they left off, reconvening the music with Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl," and escalating the party with Black Eyed Peas' "Let's Get It Started," and a 70's disco medley fusing together Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music," KC & the Sunshine Band's "Shake Your Booty" and Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff." Into the homestretch, Stompe'd closed out the set with Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy" and Blink 182's "All the Small Things." The Aldo's revelers wanted more, so the group quickly returned and obliged with two encores, first doing AC/DC's "Highway to Hell," before ending the night with the Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right (to Party)."

Although the night started out slow at Aldo's, Stomp'd made the best of their first Altoona visit, taking the crowd that did filter in and giving them a good time. Some folks did populate the dance floor, and the ones that didn't were treated to serenades by Amy and Willy during the course of the evening. The group's overall performance was respectable, with everyone on the same page and Amy's voice providing frequent fireworks. It was a successful enough debut to earn Stomp'd a return engagement at Aldo's in May, so the group will have another opportunity to expand on their initial Altoona following.

Stomp'd, making their Altoona debut at Aldo's.

Willie G of Stomp'd.

Amy Jo Hurricane of Stomp'd.

Again, Amy Jo of Stomp'd.

Again, Stomp'd, laying down the stomp at Aldo's.

Again, Willy G of Stomp'd, scoring style points for using my Genesee beer bottle for some bottleneck slide.

Once again, Willy G of Stomp'd.

Willy G of Stomp'd, taking the party out to the seated audience.

Once again, Amy Jo of Stomp'd.

Once again, Stomp'd.

Ray Ray of Stomp'd.

Amy Jo of Stomp'd, singing to the fans.

Amy Jo and Willy G of Stomp'd.

Belting out the voice, Amy Jo of Stomp'd.

The party continues with Stomp'd.

)Once again, Ray Ray of Stomp'd.

RELAY FOR LIFE BENEFIT @ THE LION’S DEN, ALTOONA 3/24/07

As with Friday, I had a couple of shows I wanted to take in this Saturday, starting with an all-ages benefit show for Relay For L:ife at the Lion's Den.

The last time I visited the Lion's Den was the ill-fated four-band bill that was reduced by sickness and other issues to one band, Demise Awaits, in front of a handful of people. At least upon arriving at the Lion's Den initially, this night didn't appear like it would fare much better attendance-wise, with only a handful of people in the room. I had missed the first band of the show, Cambria County's Panic Mode, but several eyewitnesses reported to me that this band represented well, especially their guitar player.

Onstage as I entered the Lion's Den was the Silver Halos. As I watched the group do one of their original songs, I quickly was enjoying what I was witnessing. A trio based out of the Indiana/Homer City area, the Silver Halos feature two sisters; Sarah Sykes on guitar and vocals and Tina Sykes on bass and vocals; and Tim Townsend on drums. The Silver Salos played a melodic and crisp blend of punk-fueled Christian-themed original songs and select covers. The group did renditions of the Romantics' "What I Like About You" and MxPx's "Chick Magnet," and also original songs such as "Pressures" (with a melody similar to "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen") and "The Change." I liked this band's sound; both sisters harmonized nicely on the vocal end, and this group executed tightly on their instruments and kept the show moving forward. The Silver Halos were a pleasant discovery for me this night; and I hope to catch this band again sometime soon!

The Silver Halos perform during the Relay For Life Benefit at the Lion's Den.

Sarah Sykes of The Silver Halos.

Tina Sykes of The Silver Halos.

Again, The Silver Halos.

Besides supporting the Relay For Life effort, part of my incentive for catching this show was to see the next band on the bill, The Overthrow, who I had booked to appear on Q94's "Backyard Rocker" in a few weeks. This band likewise was impressive. Just like the Silver Halos before them, The Overthrow is based in the Indiana area (although two of the members are from Altoona), they are a trio, and two of this band's members are siblings as well. Kali
n McDannell sings and plays guitar, Braden McDannell plays drums, and Chris Scianna plays bass. Together, The Overthrow delivered a raw-edged and hard-rocking sound blending elements of metal and punk; their sound was reminiscent of Silverchair and Helmet, and also reminded me of some of the early New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands like Blitzkrieg and Diamond Head. The Overthrow did a number of original songs, such as "Disease," "Hate," "Read Me," "Pandora," and their curious crowd-pleaser "The Assault of Chuck Norris." The group also did a few covers, including Blur's "Song 2" and Tommy Tutone's "867-5309," plus impressive versions of Green Day's "Geek Stink Breath" and Silverchair's "Israel's Son." The Overthrow was full-throttled and intense, and brought a lot of energy and emotion to the stage. Again, I liked what I observed from The Overthrow, and look forward to catching this band on area stages again soon.

The Overthrow unleashes the beast at the Lion's Den.

Kalin McDannell of The Overthrow.

Again, The Overthrow.

Again, Kalin McDannell of The Overthrow.

Once again, The Overthrow.

Chris Scianna of The Overthrow.

A few more folks arrived during the course of the show, and although the Lion's Den wasn't anywhere near filled, at least there was an audience for the bands. One band was left to go, Spirit Lost.

Singer Austin Tepsic, guitarists Brian Smith and Joe Harpster, bassist Russ Patterson and drummer Lisa Fazenbaker played a strong set that showcased their original songs. Their sound blended elements of harder modern rock with a more melodic and progressive edge reminiscent of Pink Floyd and Tool, resulting in slower-evolving, more elaborate songs. Spirit Lost did such originals as “Lost Soul,” “Burden of Life,” the harder and rampaging “Pieces of a Stained Glass Mind,” “Turning,” “Soul Seeker” and more. The group also scattered some interesting current and 90’s rock covers into the mix, including Sponge’s “Plowed,” Godsmack’s “Awake,” Audioslave and Foo Fighters numbers and more. Although only my second time seeing Spirit Lost so far, I thought this was the most focused I’ve seen them; they had tightened up considerably as an instrumental unit, and Austin has progressed into an expressive, dynamic frontman with a sense of control, varying his tension-and-release intensity between restrained and full fury. The Lion’s Den audience cheered their approval more and more as Spirit Lost’s set proceeded, and demanded an encore when the group finished; they responded with Tool’s “Stinkfist.”

Although attendance was disappointing for a benefit concert, at least a few bucks were raised for Relay For Life, and according to the Spirit Lost organization and the Lion’s Den, more such benefits will take place in the future.

Spirit Lost commences their set at the Relay For Life benefit.

Brian Smith of Spirit Lost.

Again, Spirit Lost.

Austin Tepsic of Spirit Lost.

Once again, Spirit Lost.

Again, Austin Tepsic of Spirit Lost.

Joe Harpster, Russ Patterson and Austin Tepsic of Spirit Lost.

One more time, Spirit Lost.

LEADFOOT @ CITY LIMITS, ALTOONA 3/24/07

The second part of my show doubleheader this night was happening on the other side of the railroad tracks from Aldo’s. Harrisburg hair-band rockers LeadFoot were performing at City Limits, and I was checking in to get my dose of live Headbanger’s Ball.

As the Relay For Life show at the Lion’s Den had concluded prior to 10 PM, I easily made it to City Limits in plenty of time to procure a good seat and take in LeadFoot’s entire performance. City Limits was sparsely populated as I first arrived, so a few City Limits regulars and I procured a table right at the front near the stage. Cool!

What wasn’t cool was that the crowd grew only slightly during the course of the night, and LeadFoot had to play to a mostly empty house most of the evening; despite seeing good attendance during some of their earlier visits. Welcome to Altoona!

Well, at least there were a few people in the house, and we were ready to RAWK! LeadFoot kicked off their first of two lengthy sets with Twisted Sister’s “I Wanna Rock,” and it was ON! Singer James, guitarists Pat and Shane, bassist Kip and drummer Space played mostly 80's hard rock and metal favorites, with an occasional 90's or newer number thrown in. During this set, the group ignited some limited dance floor action from a few ladies present as they thundered through numbers from Ratt, Metallica, Guns N'Roses, Ozzy, AC/DC, Quiet Riot, Poison, Megadeth and more. LeadFoot broke out the long-form version of Ram Jam's remake of "Black Betty;" and also included recent numbers from System Of A Down, Velvet Revolver and Buckcherry's "Crazy Bitch."

LeadFoot was sounding good so far. James' voice was in good form, showing range and grit. Both Pat and Shane were displaying some stellar lead solo abilities, and blending from time to time for some crisp guitar harmonies - all riding along the hard-hitting and thunderous rhythms generated by Space (who formerly provided the beats for Scapegoat) and Kip. The group was playing it all at a brisk pace, and kept the action moving. It was too bad more people weren't present to enjoy it!

Soon LeadFoot was back for the second and final round, kicking off with an unexpected number, Marilyn Manson's "Beautiful People." The group kept it recent for one more song, Godsmack's "Keep Away," before returning to the 80's for Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher." The group kept it in the 80's vein for most of the duration, continuing to rock City Limits with more tunes from Twisted Sister, Ratt, Ozzy, The Cult, Billy Idol, Motley Crue, Metallica, Judas Priest and more. The group welcomed an audience member, former Tyrant guitarist Rod Hill, to sing backing vocals on Kiss' "Shout It Out Loud." After another Kiss favorite, "Rock and Roll All Night," finished the set, the small City Limits audience demanded an encore, which LeadFoot answered with AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long."

As they did the first time I saw them, LeadFoot proved again that they know how to throw the headbanging party. This show was a good rocking time from start to end, and the few who were in the house this night were unanimous in their approval. Hopefully LeadFoot gets a few more opportunities to expand on their Altoona fan base, because the folks in attendance this night will be talking them up.

Here’s some rough footage from Leadfoot’s City Limits performance:

http://www.rockpage.net/users/jprice/video/MOV09521.MPG


LeadFoot, getting some lead out at City Limits.

Pat of LeadFoot.

Pat, James and Kip of LeadFoot.

Pat and James of LeadFoot, kicking out the jams.

LeadFoot draws some ladies onto City Limits' dance floor.

James of LeadFoot joins the ladies on the floor.

Shane of LeadFoot.

Putting pedal to the metal, LeadFoot.

Once again, James of LeadFoot.

Behind the kit, Space of LeadFoot.

Once again, LeadFoot.

James and Shane of LeadFoot.

Again, Shane of LeadFoot.

More rocking with Harrisburg's LeadFoot.

LeadFoot, again getting some lead out.

Yet again, James of LeadFoot.

More headbanging fury with LeadFoot.

Former Tyrant guitarist Rod Hill chimes in with backing vocals during Leadfoot's show.

Again, Rod Hill onstage with LeadFoot.

The LeadFoot party continues.

Once again scorching a solo, Shane of LeadFoot.

Some dance floor craziness with LeadFoot.

[color=cyanHair Force One approved, LeadFoot.[/color]

Again, Pat of LeadFoot.

AGONY HILL @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 3/25/07

Once again, the conclusion of another weekend for yours truly passed through Pellegrine's, with Corning, New York party force Agony Hill bringing the rock.

I arrrived late during Agony Hill's second set, and witnessed as the group kept a mid-sized dance floor crowd happy with their uniquely punked-up renditions of The Strangeloves' "I Want Candy," The Vapors' "Turning Japanese," Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" and Rob Zombie's "Dragula" to close the set.

Agony Hill picked up the party again in the third set with Buckcherry's "Crazy Bitch," and quickly had bodies churning on Pelly's dance floor once again. Singer Eric, guitarist Spam, bassist Joe and Dickie behind the drum kit kept the party lively with tunes from Green Day, Van Halen, Nena, Sublime, Jimmy Buffett, Linkin Park, Drowning Pool and more. Although their song selection was eclectic this night, Agony Hill made the selection uniquely their own with their punk-driven spins on these tunes. Eric kept the mood lighthearted and upbeat, and the group rocked the house while never taking themselves too seriously.

It amounted to another Agony Hill good time, and strengthened this band's argument as a viable party force in the region for fans to check out.

Eric Bleiler of Agony Hill.

Joe of Agony Hill.

Dickie of Agony Hill.

Again, Joe of Agony Hill.

Eric of Agony Hill wants YOU to party down!

Agony Hill entertains Pellegrine's dance floor.

Again, Eric of Agony Hill with some dancing fans.

Joe and Eric of Agony Hill.

Eric Bleiler of Agony Hill, mixing it up with some fans.

Joe and Spam of Agony Hill.

Again, Dickie of Agony Hill.

Once again, Joe of Agony Hill, with some dancing female accompaniment.

One more time, Eric Bleiler of Agony Hill.

JP’S HAIKU

Some Lead for the head
City Limits headbanging
LeadFoot rocks four walls
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http://pamusician.net

[Jim Price]

...
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http://pamusician.net