[Jim Price]

WEEK/WEEKEND RECAP 1/21/08

SOUL STRUCTURE @ 4D’S LOUNGE, ALTOONA 1/15/08

Up for some Tuesday bandwatching, I headed to the 4D’s Lounge, for a rare glimpse at occasional local rockers Soul Structure.

Upon arriving, I noted a difference in the Soul Structure roster. When his day job schedule prevented Jeremy Nelson from performing bass duties with Soul Structure this night, singer/guitarist Dwane Edmiston and drummer Eric Wertz enlisted the multi-talented Randy “Jackson” Rutherford to fill in. This turned into a special treat, as all three musicians played off one another and turned a number of songs into interesting and improvisational workouts.

I arrived during their second set, in time to witness the group doing Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” followed by Men At Work’s “Down Under” and the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black” to finish the set.

The group’s final set provided more interesting highlights as these three musicians matched wits. Soul Structure kicked off this time with Sublime’s “What I Got,” and continued with Oasis’ “Wonderwall.” The following rendition of “All Along the Watchtower” featured solo displays from both Randy and Eric; before Dwane and Randy did a duet version of Pearl Jam’s “Black.” The full group then continued with Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under the Bridge,” Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun,” Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s “Blue on Black” and Pink Floyd’s “Breathe” to close the night.

Again, it was interesting to see these skilled musicians read off one another and improvise as they went along. It all sounded good, which was not lost on the 4D’s crowd, who cheered approval steadily through the night.

Dwane Edmiston of Soul Structure.

Eric Wertz of Soul Structure.

Soul Structure, entertaining at the 4D’s.

Again, Soul Structure.

Randy Rutherford, moving too quick for the camera eye.

Once again, Soul Structure.

MT. CITY GRASS @ THE HITCHING POST, ALTOONA 1/16/08

Back to the scene of the ‘grass for another hump-day, as I headed to the Hitching Post in hopes of enjoying more ribs and bluegrass courtesy of Mt. City Grass.

I got to enjoy one of the two; Mt. City Grass was in place and performing as advertised, but I was disappointed to learn the Post’s kitchen had closed early this night due to slow business…Bummer!

My downtrodden spirits were lifted, though, by Mt. City Grass’ reliably strong performance. The trusty lineup of singer/guitarist Denny Cerully, guitarist Ed Decker, upright bassist Katie Cerully, banjo man Dean Berkhimer and dobro man John Stevens again provided an evening of bright and happy traditional bluegrass sounds during the set and a half I got to see. The song selection this night was largely familiar, as the group did traditional numbers such as “Salty Dog,” “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down,” the Dean-sung rendition of “Mountain Dew,” “Fox on the Run,” “Old Joe Clark,” “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” “Pick Me Up on Your Way Down,” “Katy Daley” and more.

It was again enjoyable, with Denny calling out the tunes and the group blending their talents to make them happen. Each player frequently got to highlight his/her talents during most of the songs, and a mid-sized Hitching Post crowd applauded their approval along the way.

Sans the closed kitchen (which was advertised on the signage to be open til 10 PM!?), the bluegrassin’ was a good time.

FELIX & THE HURRICANES @ 30 SOMETHING, ALTOONA 1/17/08

After putting in a late night at the office, I was back at 30 Something this Thursday night to enjoy some more Hurricaning, and see if folks were discovering that the ‘Canes had a new Thursday home.

As I arrived late in their show, I found that a few more folks were in attendance this week than the previous week, so the word was spreading. The Hurricanes kept the audience pleased as they delivered their mix of original songs and classics. In the late going, the group did original numbers such as “La La Land,” “Cut That Line” and “Little Ears;” and also did favorites such as Johnny Cash’s “Cocaine Blues,” Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See,” Iron Butterfly’s “Innagaddadavida,” the Allmans’ “Whipping Post” and Blackfoot’s “Highway Song.” The Hurricanes were feeling it this night, and Hurricane Felix put on a distortion clinic on his guitar as the ‘Canes ended the night with the fiery combo of Ted Nugent’s “Great White Buffalo” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Third Stone from the Sun.”

What I witnessed onstage was great, and the larger audience was an encouraging sign that Hurricane Thursdays at 30 Something were catching on.

DAY WELL SPENT @ 4D’S LOUNGE, ALTOONA 1/18/08

I decided to explore the new band in town this Friday ngiht, as Day Well Spent was playing their first Altoona show at the 4D’s Lounge.

From Cambria County, Day Well Spent features Clete on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Mike McCloskey on lead guitar, Todd Smith on rhythm guitar, Tony Partsch on bass and Jason Nagy on drums. I arrived just after the group started into their second set, and watched as Day Well Spent played an energetic mixture of 70's, 80's and 90's rock. During this set, The group did familiar favorites from the Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pearl Jam, the Clarks, Neil Young, Weezer, the Toadies and more. Some interesting highlights included Mike’s scorching lead solo on Pearl Jam’s “Evenflow,” the group’s pairing of Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride” with CCR’s “Fortunate Son,” and a competent read of The Who’s “Baba O’Reilly.”

Although it was a new band playing on a Friday night, at least a few folks were in attendance at the 4D’s this night, and the dance floor saw some action during the set. Ray “onetooloud” Bucza behind the sound console was giving Day Well Spent a clear and powerful mix, while an off-duty Peter Fitzwell (Hair Force One) kept the band illuminated on stage.

After a 23-minute intermission, Day Well Spent kicked off their nightcap set with a Metallica medley, stringing together portions of “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Enter Sandman,” “Master of Puppets” and “One.” The group kept it heavy with Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” before shifting into more mainstream fare for the rest of the way, doing songs from 311, O.A.R., Eve 6, Ram Jam, Black Crowes, The Knack, Deadeye Dick, and Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right (to Party)” to close the night. Again, Day Well Spent triggered some dance floor action along the way.

Overall, this group’s first Altoona sojourn was a successful one. Day Well Spent's instrumental execution was tight and on the mark, and Clete displayed a strong and sturdy voice up front. Day Well Spent made a good first impression with the 4D's audience this night and kept people on the dance floor. Based on what I saw this night, this is a group on the rise, and we should be hearing more from them in the months ahead.

Day Well Spent, rocking the 4D’s.

Again, Day Well Spent.

Once again, Day Well Spent.

Some fans cheer on Day Well Spent.

Clete of Day Well Spent.

Mike McCloskey of Day Well Spent.

One more time, Day Well Spent.

SUBDUE/SCALERA/NINETAIL @ ALDO’S, ALTOONA 1/19/08

On this frigid Saturday night, I was up for some metal, and Aldo's was dishing out a heaping does of it in the form of a powerful metal triple-bill featuring Subdue, Scalera and Ninetail.

I was expecting a large audience when I arrived, especially with Ninetail on the bill; but was surprised to find a relatively small-ish crowd on hand. Perhaps the bitter cold was keeping folks at home. But at least some metal fans were in the house, including Rockpagers DirtySanchez and Darth Tatum.

Johnstown's Subdue was just under way when I arrived, and it was my first time seeing them live. They commenced the night with a sound that blended European-styled classic metal with a thrashier edge. Singer/guitarist Diggy, guitarist A.J., bassist Beaver and drummer Tito performed a number of songs from their new CD, Ununoctium, such as "Falling Away," "Forbiddance," the title song and "Orbit Nine;" plus some newer numbers such as "Divine Paradox." As they demonstrated on their CD, I liked Subdue's attention to melody, their instrumental tightness and scathing dual guitar leads, all which came through well in the live setting. I was pretty impressed with what Subdue brought to the live stage, and I look forward to seeing them again soon.

Subdue, kicking off the metal triple-bill at Aldo’s.

Again, Subdue.

Diggy of Subdue.

Beaver of Subdue.

One more time, Subdue.

Next was Cleveland's Scalera, doing a more metalcore sound rooted in the extreme side of Pantera. Vocalist Craig Hamman, guitarists James "J" Skrtich and Jim "DRH," bassist Sponge and drummer Donovan Grimes delivered a Pantera “F**king Hostile”-styled intensity throughout their set, as they achieved punishing extremes on assaults from their first CD such as "Cut," "Salvation" and "Still Alive;" and new songs from their forthcoming album such as "Make Me Bleed." Craig was a brutal howler, and I was impressed with Scalera's entire jagged, rigid dynamic. Scalera’s brand of brutality was convincing, and grew on me more as their set progressed. Like Subdue, I wouldn’t mind encountering this group again at another show down the road.

Sponge and Craig Hamman of Scalera.

Again, Sponge and Craig of Scalera.

Craig Hamman of Scalera.

Scalera.

One more time, Scalera.

A few more folks arrived through the course of the show, and by the time the third band of the bill, York’s Ninetail, was ready to perform, a healthy contingent of metal fans was in place to bear witness.

Ninetail closed out the night with their intense brand of cyber-metal brutality. Frontman J. William Heitmann, lead guitarist Don Belch, rhythm guitarist Chris Evan, bassist Griff, new keyboardist Greg Weber and new drummer Chris Appenzeller drilled a number of tunes from their CD The Process of Conversion, along with newer material. Again, I was intrigued by Ninetail's ability to set dark moods and weave harsh and sinister musical terrain, with Greg’s keys and samples filling in and coloring in the backdrops between the metallic carnage of each composition. J. William Heitmann unleashed the beast throughout the set with his constantly over-the-top delivery, and he and Ninetail kept the stagefront Aldo’s crowd fired up from start to end.

Ninetail, bringing cyber-metal thunder to Aldo’s.

William J. Heitmann of Ninetail.

Chris Evan and Griff of Ninetail.

Don Belch of Ninetail.

New keyboard player Greg Weber of Ninetail.

Again, Don Belch of Ninetail.

Looking appropriately sinister, Don Belch of Ninetail.

Another guy named Griff who plays bass on the Pennsylvania music scene (besides the Homer’s Army bassist), Griff of Ninetail.

Once again, Ninetail rocks down Aldo’s.

All three bands presented distinct flavors of heavy metal, and each showed its unique scope and vision. Although it took the crowd a little while to populate Aldo’s this night, hopefully all three bands came away with some new fans by the time this show was said and done.

ROCKPAGE DRUM SUMMIT @ THE SCIARRILLO RANCH, SKELP 1/20/08

I was in a room with six drummers and lived to tell about it!

After reading about these various drumming summits organized through Rockpage over the past few years, I finally decided to check out one for myself this Sunday afternoon, hosted by Naildriver drummer Randy Sciarrillo. It turned out to be interesting, fun and informative, as several area drummers – Randy, Bill “hawk” and Shawn “mourekick” Hocherl, Bob “hurricane” Watters, Steve Brulia (The Verge) and Floyd “MatchstikDrummer” Hunter (Naildriver) shared techniques, learned rudiments, discussed new drums and gear, and dissected beats and rhythms from famous drummers like Tool’s Danny Carey and the late John Bonham. It was a friendly, laid-back atmosphere. The drummers learned from one another, and if anybody had a question about how something was done, the rest of the group diagnosed and figured it out. By session’s end, each participant was inspired, recharged and ready to go home and practice!

I even learned from this session, and I don't play the drums (at least yet; a few more of these sessions might change that!). Hats off to Randy for hosting it, and everyone who took part – it was fun! Definitely worth checking out the next time one of these takes place...

Left to right: Bob Watters (Hurricanes), Randy Sciarrillo (Naildriver), Steve Brulia (The Verge), Bill Hocherl, Shawn Hocherl, Floyd Hunter (Naildriver).

Steve demonstrates a little drum workout.

Shawn and Bill, practicing a technique.

SUGARCOAT @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 1/20/08

After seeing their ads and cover story in Pennsylvania Musician Magazine over the past few months, I would get my first opportunity to see Lancaster’s Sugarcoat as they made their Altoona debut this night, closing out the weekend at Pellegrine’s.

On a night so cold that I needed a cold beer just to warm up, I arrived at Pelly’s towards the middle of Sugarcoat’s second set. Sugarcoat features two Negative Space alumni, lead singer/guitarist B.J. Huss and drummer Sean Sultzbach; along with former Cloud Party bassist Chris Altland and guitarist Tim White. Sugarcoat was going over well with the Pellegrine’s crowd on their first night at this venue, as a contingent of folks was on the dance floor in front of the stage as the group played a mix of current and classic rocking favorites. The group played out the rest of their second set with versions of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” the Black Crowes’ “Hard to Handle,” the Romantics’ “What I Like About You,” and the Van Halen double-shot of “You Really Got Me” and “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love.”

Sugarcoat was sounding good so far. Frontman B.J. demonstrated a smooth, steady, and rangeful voice, as well as a poised and mild-mannered stage presence. The group was instrumentally tight, and kept the energy and excitement levels high with tight pacing between songs.

After a 25-minute break, Sugarcoat returned for their nightcap set, launching with Buckcherry’s ever-popular “Crazy Bitch.” After Bush’s “Machinehead,” the group broke out a tune I had not heard in ages, Cutting Crew’s “I Died In Your Arms.” After an original tune from their EP Bed Head on Picture Day, Sugarcoat broke out Pearl Jam’s “Better Man,” Sublime’s “Santeria,” Fuel’s “Hemorrhage” and Everclear’s “Santa Monica (Watch the World Die).” The group broke out another tune from their EP, before providing the night’s homestretch run with the Chris-fronted version of Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” into 3 Doors Down’s “Kryptonite,” and Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” for the finale. The group again kept Pelly’s dance floor busy for the duration; usually a tough feat for a first-time band at this venue!

Sugarcoat passed their first Altoona test with flying colors, and their first Pellegrine's visit was a successful one. Hopefully they can build on this initial success, and pay more visits to this neck of the woods in the coming months.

Tim White of Sugarcoat.

Sugarcoat, making their Pellegrine’s debut.

Chris Altland of Sugarcoat.

B.J. Huss of Sugarcoat.

Again, Chris Altland of Sugarcoat.

Sugarcoat brings business to Pellegrine’s dance floor.

Tim White and B.J. Huss of Sugarcoat.

B.J. Huss and Chris Altland of Sugarcoat.

Once again, Sugarcoat.

One more time, B.J. Huss of Sugarcoat.

JP’s HAIKU

Rockpage drum summit
Drummers shared skills, learned techniques
Not a drop of drool!
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http://pamusician.net

[Jim Price]

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http://pamusician.net