[Jim Price]

ST. PATRICK’S WEEKEND RECAP 3/18/08

“THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR” TONY JANFLONE JR. BENEFIT @ THE RHYTHM HOUSE, BRIDGEVILLE 3/13/08

One week before Rockpagers would be staging a similar benefit to help out a local musician with medical problems, the Pittsburgh area was doing it this Thursday night. ‘Burgh guitar great Tony Janflone Jr. has been sidelined since the end of last year with herniated discs in his neck, suffered after an auto accident last September. Mounting medical costs from this condition and an emergency appendectomy he underwent last summer, coupled with an inadequate insurance policy that won’t cover those expenses, led to Tony attempting to sell off some of his guitars to pay the bills. When some of his musical friends learned of this, they stepped in to help, organizing the “That’s What Friends Are For” benefit show this night at the Rhythm House in Bridgeville. Tony has frequently donated his time and talents to help out other people and causes; and with an all-star Pittsburgh music scene line-up donating their talents to help Tony this night, I decided to do the roadtrip to the Rhythm House to check it out.

With my friend Pat along to check it out, we arrived to find the Rhythm House parking lot already filled beyond capacity. Fortunately, there was still some parking space left near the end of an adjacent dead-end street, so we parked the Professor-mobile and made our way inside. It was wall-to-wall people, as a mass of humanity was in the house to support Tony and enjoy the music.

The Rhythm House – what a great venue! This place reminded me of the old Cisco’s in Altoona, with a big main band room, a back room, and side lounges with pool tables and dining areas. This was a clean facility, and the staff was friendly and courteous as well. I definitely plan to come back here to see future shows!

Shortly after arriving, I noticed the show beneficiary, Tony, in the rear of the band room, greeting a line of friends and well-wishers. I joined the line, and got to speak with Tony (who was surprised and humbled that we drove in all the way from Altoona to be a part of this special night for him). He told me that he is handling the therapy and recovery okay, but is chomping at the bit to get back out and play. He also said that his neurosurgeon advised him not to undergo surgery, and instead ride the injury out until it heals; which may take a few years before he is fully back to normal. Tony said while he isn’t actively gigging, he has been enjoying spending more time teaching his guitar students, as well as finishing work on some CD projects.

The show openers, the Skip Peck Band, had already performed before we arrived; and the second act of the evening, the Billy Price Band, was firing away on their feisty brand of soul, rhythm and blues as we arrived. We caught a few songs, but with complimentary food being offered as part of the $20 admission, we headed to the less-crowded back room to get some wings and pizza.

Entertainment was happening in the back room as well, with Pittsburgh lounge legend Frankie Capri performing. Frankie’s one-man show includes a mini-stage with dancing toy monkeys, umbrellas, American and Italian flags, and himself, singing, playing percussion and other instruments to a wide variety of sounds, spanning Elvis to Sinatra to polkas. His performance was fun and lighthearted, and a few folks even got up and danced in front of his little stage set-up.

Besides Frankie Capri and the complimentary food in the back room, a Chinese auction took place, and souvenir T-shirts for the evening were being sold as well.

We eventually made our way back out to the main band room shortly after Billy Price had finished. On the stage, an auctioneer, Steve Yillet, was auctioning off a special guitar made by Tony’s father, Tony Janflone Sr. The winning bid was $3,100.

Next was a performance by the Pittsburgh All-Stars. And this group lived up to its billing, featuring some of the biggest names associated with Pittsburgh music…Donnie Iris, Clarks guitarist Rob James, B.E. Taylor and his longtime guitarist/collaborator Rick Witkowski, backed by Tommy Bellin on bass, Rick Dickerson on drums and Jamie Peck on keys. This cast lifted the mood of the evening even higher with a set celebrating the best-known hits of each of the All-Stars! After the group led off with B.E. singing lead on “Without Love,” Rob sang lead on the first of two Clarks hits performed, “Better Off Without You.” Then it was Donnie Iris’ turn, as he fronted the All-Stars on “Love Is Like a Rock,” turning the song into an all-out audience singalong that had the whole place rocking! The group then returned to the Clarks catalog as Rob fronted the group on “Cigarette,” at one point commenting that he had to take a moment to remember the words, since he usually doesn’t sing! Then it was a hit out of B.E. Taylor’s catalog, as he, Rick and the band broke out “Vitamin L,” which also turned into a wild audience singalong.

At this point, show host Sean McDowell of WDVE stepped onstage to conduct the 50/50 drawing, with the winner taking home $500. The Allstars continued with Donnie Iris’ other big solo hit, “Ah! Leah! Like he did when he and his Cruisers performed at Altoona’s Railroaders Museum last summer, Donnie again demonstrated he still has the energy and the voice – and he just turned 65 last month!

After this song, the most special part of the evening, as the musicians onstage invited the show beneficiary, Tony Janflone, Jr., to come up to the stage. Tony made his way through the huge crowd and stepped on the stage, and – holding back tears – thanked everybody for this special night. The musicians then encouraged Tony to strap on a guitar, and he did. The musicians then started into a rendition of Booker T & the MG’s “Green Onions,” featuring another special highlight, as Tony’s father, Tony Janflone Sr., brought his guitar onstage and stood in alongside his son! Indeed this was turning into a special and historic evening!

At this point, there was a short changeover intermission, before the final performance of the night, from a band featuring D.C. Tanner and Tony Janflone Jr. Both demonstrated their six-string abilities on a short set of classic rock and blues, including “All Along the Watchtower,” Van Morrison’s “Moondance,” ZZ Top’s “Fool for Your Stockings,” Luther Dixon’s “Big Boss Man” and more. And while this night was about Tony Janflone, Jr., this set showed the house that his father can do a pretty lethal job on the guitar as well; he was great!

The night had drawn to a close. This was one of those shows where, at the end of it all, you just stand there and say, “WOW!” That’s exactly what Pat and I, and much of the remaining crowd, did. It was an amazing, special, and historic evening. And we were glad to make the roadtrip to be a part of it!


Frankie Capri and his unique and entertaining lounge set-up in the back room.

The Pittsburgh All Stars kick off their performance.

Again, the Pittsburgh All Stars.

Two of the Pittsburgh All Stars, Donnie Iris and Rob James (The Clarks).

Indeed a prominent Pittsburgh All Star, Donnie Iris.

The Pittsburgh All Stars: Donnie Iris, Rob James, B.E. Taylor and Rick Witkowski.

Rob James fires off a guitar solo, as other Pittsburgh All Stars and audience members look on.

B.E. Taylor and Rick Witkowski.

Rob James and Donnie Iris.

Again, the Pittsburgh All Stars. The guitarist on the right is Derek Bayer, one of Tony's guitar students, who helped to organize the benefit.

Donnie Iris, still kicking ass at 65!

Donnie gets the crowd clapping during "Ah! Leah!"

Tony Janflone, Jr. addresses the crowd.

The Pittsburgh All Stars cheer on the man of the evening, Tony Janflone, Jr.

Tony jams on the guitar.

Donnie Iris and Tony Janflone, Jr.

Son and father jamming together...Tony Janflone Jr. and Sr.

Rob James, Tony Jr. and Sr.

Guitar jamming with Rob James, Tony Jr. and Tony Sr.

D.C. Tanner. If the lyrics to one of the songs he sang is true, D.C. is 67 and still rocking!

Tony Janflone, Sr.

D.C. Tanner and Tony Janflone, Sr.

Again, D.C. Tanner and Tony Janflone, Sr.

One more time, D.C. and Tony, Sr.

FLIGHT 19 @ THE BULLPEN, TYRONE 3/14/08

My game plan this night was to catch the double-bill of Flight 19 and The Syrins as they hailed in St. Patrick’s Day weekend at the Bullpen Lounge in Tyrone. I knew that this place got jam-packed whenever hometown favorites Flight 19 played here, so it was my hope to get there early to beat the crowd. However, workplace duties got in the way, and by the time I arrived at the Bullpen, the parking lot was so jam packed that I had to practically park in the woods on the other side of the Save-a-Lot store!

The Syrins had long since played and exited the stage by the time I arrived, and as I struggled my way through the mass of humanity to the Bullpen’s rear band room area, Flight 19 was in the midst of their first set. The dance floor was gyrating with bodies as the “Party Plane” fired off renditions of Great White/Ian Hunter’s “Once Bitten Twice Shy,” the John McKelvey-sung rendition of Gary Numan’s “Cars,” The Knack’s “Good Girls Don’t,” Nickelback’s “Figure You Out” and a new original song to close out the set.

I was still recovering from the cold that had plagued me the previous weekend, and didn’t feel like battling the mass of humanity to obtain a brew. Fortunately, K.C. Seidel recognized my plight and brought me a brew via the band’s express pipeline to the bar (always cool to have on nights like this) – thanks K.C.!

The Bullpen remained packed as Flight 19 commenced their nightcap set with Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell,” and continued with favorites from Poison, Jonny Lang, Buckcherry, their disco/funk medley, and Scott singing the lead on AC/DC’s “Shoot to Thrill;” before the group welcomed former bass player Jim “Bim” Phillips up to provide the bottom end on the group’s party-hardy original “Hands” and another song to close the night.

Tyrone Nation was out in full force for Flight 19 and St. Patty’s merriment, and judging by the excitement and atmosphere, they were enjoying their time aboard the “Party Plane” this night!

It’s a packed dance floor at the Bullpen as Flight 19 kicks off St. Patty’s weekend.

Strapping the bass back on for Flight 19 this night, their former bassist, Jim “Bim” Phillips.

THE 814 RIOT @ THE CASTLE PUB, EBENSBURG 3/15/08

Besides the wearing of the green, green beer and other Irish merriment, St. Patrick’s Day weekend also provided another edition of the annual 814 St. Patty’s Riot, which took place this year at Ebensburg’s Castle Pub. The Riot featured continuous music with nine bands on two stages. It had been a few years since I last attended one of these, so I wanted to witness this party in all its glory this year.

I arrived too late to see show openers Black River Circus commence the evening on the upstairs main stage, but did see the first band on the basement “Dungeon” stage, Rob Wallace & the Mess. The duo of namesake Rob Wallace on vocals and guitar and Mark Wigfield on drums rocked from behind a cage (which was removed after their set) with their edgy blend of hard rock, blues and country. I arrived in time to witness the group do four songs; a new tune called “Get This Show on the Road,” and three songs from their CD Infidelity in Hi-Fi, “May the Devil Have Mercy on Your Goddamn Soul,” “Cross That Mason-Dixon Line” and the naughty CD bonus track “Dirty Girl,” which drew laughs from the Dungeon audience.

As seen through a cage, Rob Wallace of Rob Wallace & the Mess.

Rocking as a duo, Rob Wallace & the Mess.

Mark Wigfield of Rob Wallace & the Mess.

Again, Rob Wallace of Rob Wallace & the Mess.

After Rob Wallace & the Mess’ set ended, I headed upstairs to see Pittsburgh’s Atomic Drops, already in progress. Singer Scott Terz, guitarists Mike Copen and L. Mitch Hell, bassist Mike Lux and drummer Phil Herrup were cranking out rowdy punk-flavored rock’n’roll originals, the titles that I didn’t catch. The group finished their set with the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.” At least based on this first look at them, the Atomic Drops blended velocity and punk-like reckless abandon with a knack for song hooks and a fun demeanor. Todd Harshbarger behind the sound board was giving the Atomic Drops a crisp, clear mix.

The Atomic Drops.

Scott Terz of the Atomic Drops.

The Atomic Drops, rocking the 814 Riot crowd.

Mike Copen and Scott Terz of The Atomic Drops.

After the Atomic Drops’ set finished, I returned to the Dungeon to see Richmond, VA’s RPG. A mass of humanity was crowded around the Dungeon stage, which was now no longer caged in. Singer/guitarist Matt Conner, guitarist John Partin, drummer Mike Marunde and Lamb Of God bassist John Campbell throttled a jam-packed crowd with high-octane raunch/punk-driven rock. Again, I didn’t catch much in the way of song titles, but liked this band’s brand of reckless abandon rock as well. RPG kept the crowd in a constant frenzy throughout their set; enough to get called back for an encore.

A large crowd is present in the Castle Pub Dungeon to take in RPG.

Matt Conner of RPG.

Again, RPG.

John Campbell and Mike Conner of RPG.

Again, Matt Conner of RPG.

One more time, RPG and fans.

Back up the stairs I went to catch The Marauders, in progress. Singer/guitarist Ben Dumm, upright bass player Chris Lawson and drummer Abe Weber elevated the party with their charged roots-rocking sounds, performing favorites like “Late Night Livin,’” the Brian Setzer-penned “We Are the Marauders,” “Oh My My,” the new song “On the Radio,” “Rhythm Fix” and “New Tattoo.” The group also broke out their own rip-roaring renditions of the Stray Cats’ “Rock This Town” and the Misfits’ “Astrozombies.” The Marauders kept a massive stagefront crowd of fans happy for the duration, and worked that crowd into a sweaty frenzy with their tight, nonstop performance.

The Marauders, playing to a huge crowd during the 814 Riot.

Chris Lawson and Abe Weber of The Marauders.

Ben Dumm of The Marauders.

Again, a wild and crazy 814 Riot crowd celebrates The Marauders.

Drinks are raised to The Marauders.

Another look at the huge crowd taking in The Marauders’ set.

It was then back downstairs to the Dungeon I went, to check out Cleveland-based trio Echoes of Harpers Ferry. Comprised of singer/guitarist Tim, bassist Rozco and drummer Patrick; Echoes of Harpers Ferry performed a relatively short set of short, jagged and savage punk rock songs. Many, if not all, of their songs were 2 minutes or shorter, and featured agitated rhythms and screaming, angst-ridden vocals. Their performance was loose, and this trio didn’t take themselves too seriously, having fun with the folks who were there to watch them.

Tim of Echoes of Harpers Ferry.

Rozco of Echoes of Harpers Ferry.

Again, Tim of Echoes of Harpers Ferry.

Patrick of Echoes of Harpers Ferry.

One more time, Tim of Echoes of Harpers Ferry.

Back upstairs, as the beer flowed more and more freely among the gathered masses, The Deuces ignited mayhem with their go-for-broke, melody-geared brand of blue-collar punk rock. Singer/guitarist Brian Dumm, guitarists Joey Lenze and Eric Krieg, bassist Cory Smith and drummer Matt Floravit kept their high-powered rock nonstop, keeping the crowd frenzied and generating the first moshpit action of the night. The 814 Riot was starting to live up to its name.

The upstairs Castle Pub stagefront floor was jam packed as The Deuces performed.

Brian Dumm of The Deuces.

The fans had a wild time as The Deuces performed.

Again, The Deuces.

More mayhem with The Deuces.

Again, Brian Dumm of The Deuces.

One more time, Brian Dumm of The Deuces.

A look at the mess on the merch table during the latter stages of the 814 Riot.

Finishing the action on the downstairs Dungeon stage was Punxsutawney/Pittsburgh foursome American Armada. Featuring some alumni from the former Mad Cows, this group too played adrenaline-rush old-school-flavored punk rock originals, and kept a tightly-packed stagefront crowd gyrating for the duration. Again, I couldn’t catch any of their song titles, but American Armada’s sound was jagged and agitated, and the tunes were delivered with velocity and reckless abandon.

It’s another packed crowd in front of the Dungeon stage as American Armada performs.

Corey Cameron of American Armada.

Corey Cameron shares the mic with a fan.

American Armada.

It’s a wild crowd in the Dungeon, rocking to American Armada.

Closing the Riot on the upstairs main stage was new Altoona foursome Locked Inside. Featuring former members of Ten Sent Wings, Locked Inside kept the crowd in front of the stage turbulent with their selection of punk-driven original tunes including “Gotta Go,” “Last Resort,” “Beatdown” and more. The moshpit action was hot and heavy through most of the set, with bodies, sweat and beer colliding with each other in almost constant frenzy. Fortunately, almost everybody was having fun and getting along, with the exception of one person late in the show whose temper got the better of him and who had to be escorted from the premises.

Again, the Castle Pub upstairs floor was packed as Locked Inside performed.

Locked Inside playing to a logjam of fans.

Again, Locked Inside.

Again, Locked Inside with a huge Castle Pub crowd.

One more time, Locked Inside.

But like past editions, this year’s 814 Riot was another jam-packed, sweaty, beer-soaked, hard-rocking and memorable blowout! It again provided an opportunity to experience a few new bands and some established favorites. An all-out good time was had!

FELIX & THE HURRICANES @ SHAW’S BAR, JUNIATA 3/16/08

After finishing up “Backyard Rocker” duties, I decided to head to Shaw’s Bar for some St. Patty’s Eve Hurricaning. That was short-lived, however, after I arrived. I ran into two sisters I hadn’t seen for a while, and accidentally confused one for the other. Uh oh…After getting scolded by both, I was left in the company of a middle-aged third sister, who started bitching to me about her life’s problems, her ill-mannered teenagers, their deadbeat dad, etc. With a good-sized crowd of people in place inside the confined quarters of Shaw’s, I didn’t really have anywhere to escape to. So apologies to the ‘Canes, I departed after three songs, as my idea of St. Patty’s merriment wasn’t listening to a middle-aged woman grumbling. There would be other opportunities for Hurricaning; but for this moment, I needed to make a hasty exit, and head for more festive surroundings…

SLACKER THEORY @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 3/16/08

And those more festive surroundings on this Sunday night were at Pellegrine’s, where Slacker Theory was ushering in the day for the wearin’ and drinkin’ of the green.

A good crowd was in place as Slacker Theory finished up their second set with Nickelback’s “Enemy.” I noted that Paul Greiner was still playing bass for the group this night; apparently covering until his replacement could be found.

Slacker Theory rocked the house during their nightcap set, doing modern rock and metal numbers such as Metallica’s “Sad But True,” Tool’s “Sober,” Breaking Benjamin’s “Polyamorous” and “So Cold,” and to finish the set, an original number called “Shake” and a 4 Days Dirty carryover number. When the Pelly’s dance floor crowd demanded an encore, Steve and Dalton finished out the night with an acoustic original, “Here’s to You.”

At least from what I witnessed, it was another consistently strong performance from Slacker Theory, and the crowd again stuck around for the duration of their performance.

Slacker Theory, ringing in St. Patty’s Day at Pellegrine’s.

Steve Danfelt of Slacker Theory.

Playing bass with Slacker Theory one more night, Paul Greiner.

Paul Greiner and Steve Danfelt of Slacker Theory.

Slacker Steve has some company from a princess wearing a crown.

BIG JIM & BAD DAZE ROB @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 3/17/08

St. Patrick’s Day fell on a Monday this year, and Monday is my night for consuming mass quantities of wings at Pellegrine’s. So when Pelly’s brought in acoustic duo Big Jim & Bad Daze Rob to provide St. Patrick’s entertainment, I got to enjoy wings and music at the same time!

While I savored Pelly’s original recipe hot wings, “Big Jim” Ricotta on guitar and “Bad Daze Rob” Carolus entertained, performing a wide variety of hits and requests over three sets. Kicking off their first set with Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising,” Jim and Rob played favorites from 3 Doors Down, Five Man Electrical Band, John Mellencamp, Dobie Gray, Guns N’Roses, Bryan Adams, Johnny Cash and many more. The pair encouraged audience participation, and frequently honored requests, during this initial set performing requests for the Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right (to Party),” Don McLean’s “American Pie” (which became a singalong), Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” Counting Crows’ “Mr. Jones” and more. And if they didn’t know a requested song, they attempted it anyway, teasing acoustic spins on Britney Spears and Michael Jackson numbers during this set. (One fan, Pat, yelled out that Rob should shave his head first before trying Britney!)

More members of my usual Monday night wing-eating contingent arrived, as did a few other celebrants, and soon a small but festive audience was in place to cheer Jim and Rob’s performance. The pair kicked off their second set with the Bon Jovi double-shot of “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Wanted Dead or Alive,” and followed with hits by Green Day, Deep Purple, Van Morrison (the only “Irish” music they knew this night), Queen, Rick Springfield, Neil Diamond, Jimmy Buffett, Live, more Lynyrd Skynyrd, Fuel and more. Highlights during this set included the pair’s rendition of the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There,” dedicated to Paul McCartney lotto winner Heather Mills, whose nearly $50 million divorce settlement was announced earlier in the day; also their hilarious attempted tease of a request for Billy Idol’s “Caribbean Queen,” and the Jim-sung version of Skynyrd’s “Ballad of Curtis Loew.” The pair even drew a dancer or two along the way, as well as the aforementioned Pat, attempting to stump yours truly with an occasional music trivia question.

This night was also giving me a chance to practice my ambidexterity, as I developed my southpaw writing skills by jotting down song titles with my left hand while handling wings with my right hand! I even took a few pictures with one of the hands, whichever one wasn’t coated in wing sauce!

Big Jim and Bad Daze Rob did a slightly shorter third set (because the first two sets had run long). This set featured songs from Peter Frampton, Elvis, Grand Funk Railroad, Poison, AC/DC, Doobie Brothers, Eagles and more.

Big Jim & Bad Daze Rob made St. Patrick’s night a fun one, and based on the success of this night, more Monday night appearances from this duo at Pellegrine’s appear likely.

Big Jim, with his big green beer.

Bad Daze Rob and Big Jim.

Bad Daze Rob demonstrates his best Irish jig moves.

Bad Daze Rob.

With a guest singer helping out, Big Jim and Bad Daze Rob.

Again, a guest singer helps out with the festivities.

With guest Pat helping out with backing vocals, Big Jim & Bad Daze Rob.

Pat, getting lei’d.

Pat shows off his Irish lei.

JP’s HAIKU

Big Jim Bad Daze Rob
St. Patrick’s and wing party!
Drinking of the green!
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http://pamusician.net

[Jim Price]

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http://pamusician.net