[Jim Price]

WEEK/WEEKEND RECAP 4/12/10

THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 4/5/10

With Adam D recovered from the laryngitis that thwarted his vocal efforts the week before, That’s What She Said was back to 100% strength for this week’s round of Monday wing night entertainment at Pellegrine’s.

Adam and femme fatale cohort Jess P. alternated singing duties back and forth for much of the night, with cameo appearances from the regularly-scheduled “Gamber Gone Wild” and Eric D chiming in on acoustic guitar, voice and harp. There wasn’t much out of the ordinary this week, save for Adam and Eric’s rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road,” Jess’ “Pussy Cat” song, and Adam posing the question of just how many blunts Bob Marley proclaims to smoke in his classic song “Smoke Two Joints.” (My count is 48, if we add up 16 per verse. That’s clearly getting baked!)

The wings were again divine, and the entertainment fun. Good time!

Jess P. and Adam D, a.k.a. That’s What She Said.

JAM NIGHT @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 4/7/10

The hump-day highlight, Wednesday “Jam Night” at Pellegrine’s, had again arrived. And once again, more musicians showed up to take part.

Early on, solo performers did mini-sets to showcase their talents. Mark Sopic of Clearfield County R&B’ers Harmonious Funk did a set of country and folk sounds; this man has an excellent voice! He broke out tunes from John Prine, the Williams Brothers and more.

Jam Night frequent flyer Rich “Allheart” Edmundson then did a short set, and again dazzled with his percussive style of guitar playing. He freestyled a couple of songs, did his original tunes “Little Child” and “Barstool,” and did his improvisational spin on the classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

Don Osborn then did several songs solo; including Eric Clapton’s “Change the World,” Hoyt Axton’s “Joy to the World” and the Beatles’ “Don’t Let Me Down”; before other musicians began to join in, slowly commencing the jamming portion of the evening.

Eric D performed a few songs, before Phil Wagner and Matt Watson sat in to do versions of Alice In Chains’ “Rooster,” Days Of The New’s “Touch Peel and Stand” and more.

The jam session then kicked in earnest after that, with Adam D, Big Jim, “Allheart,” Mark, Eric, yours truly and others partaking in the musical fun. Dewayne McKnight sang on a blues song, and various other combinations of the gathered musicians did other fun fare from the Beatles, Doors, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Santana, Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, George Thorogood, BTO, Allman Brothers and more. With no drum kit in the house this night, I held down the beats on hand drums and cajon!

It was laid-back, good time fun and music-making. This jam night keeps getting cooler every week, with surprise musicians showing up and partaking in fun jams that get the crowd cheering. Can’t wait ‘til next week!

One of the new faces participating in this week’s Jam Night, Mark Sopic of Curwensville soulsters Harmonious Funk. This man has a voice!

Rich “Allheart” Edmundson.

Another Jam Night frequent flyer, Don Osborn.

“Allheart,” Adam D and Don Osborn.

Eric D.

Contributing two songs to this Jam Night, Phil Wagner and Matt Watson.
(The following photos were taken by Deb Greene.)

We have ourselves a jam session! Left to right: “Allheart,” Johnny Blaze, a Professor, Adam D, Dewayne McKnight, Don Osborn, Mark Sopic and Big Jim.

The blues jam continues.

Professor Cajon…

“Allheart” and Johnny Blaze.

More JP cajoning…

The jam fun continues.

Yours truly switches up to hand drums.

Tunes and fun times continue!

Eric D sings, while Adam D tries out the cajon.

Adam D on cajon.

JOE KONIOR @ PARK AVENUE PUB, PATTON 4/8/10

With nothing else happening this night, I finally ventured up the hill to the Park Avenue Pub in Patton for the first time this Thursday night, to see Joe Konior in action.

Park Avenue Pub has a cool thing happening on Thursday nights. They host various acoustic acts each week, and have generated a good-sized crowd to come check it all out.

Joe started into his last set shortly after I got there, joined by Josh Yahner on bass. Singing, strumming acoustic guitar and playing harmonica, Joe demonstrated a distinct style that he incorporated into each song he did, turning each selection into one of his own. With an enthusiastic crowd looking on and cheering, Joe and Josh did renditions of the Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil,” David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust,” Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here,” Bob Dylan’s “Just Like A Woman,” the Doors’ “Riders on the Storm,” Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold,” Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads” and more.

In the later stages of his set, Joe welcomed a few guests up to join in; including singer Alicia Hritsko, who demonstrated a potent voice and personality on her rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” And Rick Ramsey, after hoofing it outside to quickly retrieve his djembe, joined Joe and Josh for their rendition of Rusted Root’s “Ecstasy.” Joe and Josh then closed out the night with a psychedelic ‘60s bubblegum classic, the Lemon Pipers’ “Green Tambourine!”

It was all well performed, as Joe provided some good voice, and showed some incredible skills on his acoustic guitar! Although he admitted afterward he didn’t know some of the song material and had to adapt on the fly, bassman Josh nonetheless quickly found the groove on each song Joe did, and successfully filled in the missing tones on his instrument.

I liked the friendly atmosphere at Park Avenue Pub. The folks here were friendly, as was main man Charlie behind the bar. Good show, fun crowd. I liked!

Joe Konior and Josh Yahner.

Joe goes to town on his guitar!

Rick Ramsey joins in on backing vocals.

DIESEL @ GLENN’S PLACE, CLAYSBURG 4/9/10

Somerset-based rockers Diesel were making their first excursion into Blair County this night, so I decided to check in with them at Glenn’s Place in Claysburg.

This group has officially grown by one member since I first saw them last year at Bedford’s Hillcrest Hotel. Kristen Pritts, who made a couple of cameo appearances during that Hillcrest show, has now joined Diesel full time as a singer. The other three members of this band; bassist Tanner Reffner, drummer Todd Reffner and guitarist Jason Larimer; also sing.

As the group finished their first set with Kiss’ “Rock and Roll All Nite,” I arrived and procured a good vantage point at the main bar, which enabled me to both view the band and one of the plazma screen televisions, which happened to be showing Clint Eastwood shoot-em-ups on AMC. So I could watch the band perform and Clint shooting up rednecks at the same time!

Diesel did well over the two-plus sets I witnessed from them. Kristin sang lead vocals through much of the second set, fronting Diesel on songs from Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, the Bangles, Strangeloves, Buggles, Tommy James (Tiffany), Paramore and more. All four band members could carry a tune, and the three male band members spotted Kristin a few breaks along the way. Eventually, some folks graced Glenn’s dance floor late in the set, as Diesel closed out the set with tunes from White Stripes, Beastie Boys and the Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the U.K.”

Kristin sat out the nightcap set, as Tanner, Todd and Jason continued the festivities with tunes from Godsmack, Dead Or Alive, House Of Pain, Green Day, Weezer, Ramones, Marilyn Manson, Chris Isaak, Eminem, Misfits and more. Late in the set, the group broke out a version of the Misfits’ “The Last Caress,” executed an uptempo read of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb,” and ended the night with Metallica’s “Seek and Destroy.”

Diesel sounded tighter and more on target this night than the first time I saw them last year. The group’s execution was on the mark, and their performance was more confident as well. Kristin’s official addition has allowed Diesel to expand their set list as well.

Although Diesel found out that Glenn’s is a tough crowd to get dancing, they nonetheless provided a good show. And they return to Glenn’s on May 7, so hopefully they can build their fan base from the handful of new fans they won over this night.

Todd Reffner of Diesel.

Diesel, making their Glenn’s Place debut.

Again, Diesel.

Tanner Reffner of Diesel.

Jason Larimer of Diesel.

Kristen Pritts of Diesel.

Again, Todd Reffner of Diesel.

Again, Jason Larimer of Diesel.

Once more, Jason Larimer.

Performing as a trio, Diesel.

One more time, Tanner Reffner of Diesel.

V-DAY INTERNATIONAL BENEFIT CONCERT @ 30 SOMETHING, ALTOONA 4/10/10

This Saturday night, I took the short jaunt to 30 Something to check out the four-band V-Day International benefit concert, being presented by Penn State Altoona’s cast of The Vagina Monologues. Proceeds helped out V-Day International, a worldwide organization devoted to stopping violence against women. Most of the money raised – 90 percent – stays local, and helps out Family Services of Blair County in assisting rape victims, while the other 10 percent is designated to combat violence against women in a spotlight area of the world – this year, the Congo. Republic.

A good-sized crowd was already in place as I arrived prior to the start of the music. Two new bands I hadn’t yet seen were kicking things off, The Downfall and Flatline.

Featuring musicians from Blair and Bedford Counties, The Downfall got the night started with a set of hard-driving rock favorites. The group touched on favorites from the ‘90s to present, from such names as Lit, Seven Mary Three, Buckcherry, Black Crowes, Green Day, Big & Rich, Finger Eleven, Theory Of A Deadman, Velvet Revolver and more. The Downfall sounded good. Dustin Reisling held up his end well on the vocal front, and his backing corps of guitarists Lee Stein and Scott Diehl, bassist Ryan McKracken drummer J.D. Heverly sounded sharp and powerful behind him. The Downfall’s straight-up hard rock got things started on an upbeat note, and set the tone for the rest of the bands to follow.

Kicking off the V-Day International benefit, The Downfall.

Dustin Reisling of The Downfall.

Lee Stein and Dustin Reisling of The Downfall.

Scott Diehl of The Downfall.

J.D. Heverly of The Downfall.

Once again, The Downfall.

In between sets, some representatives of Penn State Altoona’s V-Day campaign spoke to the audience about the V-Day International organization and its purpose, before two cast members presented a short, ear-opening excerpt from The Vagina Monologues.

V-Day International volunteers and cast members of The Vagina Monologues speak to the audience.

Flatline was then next. Formed late last year, this group merged most of the former Tie Down – guitarist Brett O’Donnell, bassist Craig Fitzpatrick and drummer Jason Grodis – with former Radiofuel frontman Jim Veasey. Flatline dug a little further back, doing hard rock from the ‘70s to present from such artists as Grand Funk Railroad, Poison, Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot, Green Day, John Mellencamp, Kid Rock, Metallica and more. Instrumentally, this band was tight, not surprising given their tenure together going back to Tie Down. Jim demonstrated a gritty voice and howl, which served the more metallic tunes of Flatline’s set especially well. Like The Downfall before them, Flatline did a good job and maintained the energy and momentum of the evening.

Next up on the bill, Flatline.

Craig Fitzpatrick of Flatline.

Again, Flatline.

Brett O’Donnell of Flatline.

Jason Grodis of Flatline.

Jason Grodis and Jim Veasey of Flatline.

Jim Veasey of Flatline.

Once again, Flatline.

Once again, Jim Veasey.

The audience continued to grow during these first two bands, including the arrival of a contingent from Penn State Altoona with a birthday girl brandishing an inflatable male appendage.

I-Enemy soon followed. This group slimmed to a quartet since I last saw them seven days before at the Jeff Wallack Memorial Jam, as guitarist Jody Earnest parted ways with the group due to creative differences. The remaining cast of singer Ryan Dibert, guitarist Rich Johnson, bassist Jim Stephanic and drummer Dave Russell nonetheless pounded impressively on their set of hard rock from the ‘90s to present. I-Enemy sounded particularly devastating on the Tool numbers this night, dead-on nailing their renditions of “Aenima,” “Sober” and “The Pot.” They also rocked authoritatively on versions of Audioslave’s “Show Me How to Live,” P.O.D.’s “Boom,” Soundgarden’s “Spoonman” and System Of A Down’s “Toxicity.” Ryan was tenacious and focused on the vocal end, Rich seared on his guitar leads, and Dave levied the boom behind the drum kit with aggressive hard hits. Based on this set, I-Enemy will continue on just fine as a four-piece.

Rich Johnson of I-Enemy.

Ryan Dibert of I-Enemy.

I-Enemy triggers some dance floor activity.

Again, I-Enemy.

Jim Stephanic of I-Enemy.

Once again, Ryan Dibert of I-Enemy.

Spirit Lost’s set not only ended the night, but ended an era for the group, as Austin Tepsic was fronting the group for the final time this night before moving over to handle rhythm guitar duties. (Tyler Hull is stepping in to take over lead vocals.) Austin was fired up, and ratcheted up the party as he, guitarist Brian Smith, bassist Russ Patterson and drummer Sam Thurau mixed hard-rocking favorites. Spirit Lost did a hard-rocking version of Pink’s “So What,” as well as numbers from Nirvana, Blink 182, Beastie Boys, Green Day, Offspring, Papa Roach, Nickelback, Rob Zombie and more. The group triggered dance floor activity through much of the set, and by night’s end had several ladies onstage dancing alongside them. Like I-Enemy before them, Spirit Lost’s set suggested that this band won’t lose any momentum with their impending roster change, either.

Brian Smith of Spirit Lost.

Austin Tepsic of Spirit Lost.

Austin and Brian of Spirit Lost.

Finishing out the V-Day benefit, Spirit Lost.

Again, Spirit Lost.

Russ Patterson of Spirit Lost.

More Spirit Lost.

Austin of Spirit Lost fires up the fans.

Again, Austin Tepsic of Spirit Lost.

Brian of Spirit Lost has company onstage.

The party joins Spirit Lost onstage.

The party continues.

One more time, Spirit Lost and fans.

The bottom line was a successful, well-attended benefit that raised money and awareness for V-Day International, and provided a solid night of live rock from start to finish.

MIA MANIA @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 4/11/10

My weekly “Homegrown Rocker” duties prevented me from arriving at Pellegrine’s until after midnight. I was hopeful of seeing some people in the house for Mia Mania. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Whether it was people already spending their entertainment wad for the weekend and staying in on Sunday night, or the continued fear of a still-relatively new band name on Altoona stages (probably more the former reason, being Mia Mania has been frequent flyers at Pellegrine’s for the past half year and are on the cover of this month’s Pennsylvania Musician); attendance was dismal when I first arrived. It only marginally improved during the rest of the night.

Admittedly, I didn’t venture out to the band room this night, and listened to Mia Mania from the comfort of a chair in the rear room by the door. But Mia Mania sounded good from afar on tunes by the Cars, Pat Benatar, Rage Against the Machine, Buckcherry, Tool, Cheap Trick, Smashing Pumpkins, Poison, Nickelback and more.

Nights like this worry me about the future of Sunday night live music at Pellegrine’s. It would be a shame to see live music discontinued on Sundays, a tradition that dates back to when I first started writing for Pennsylvania Musician. It’s likely that any number of factors contribute to the evaporation of crowds on Sunday nights; some observers say that Pelly’s still has never fully recovered from the aftermath of the UVA Club shootings a few years ago. People who complain about more expensive bands not playing here any more help perpetuate the situation by staying away…how do you expect Pelly’s to pay for more expensive, bigger name bands when you don’t support the current “lower-priced” talent?

Time will tell if this trend will continue or reverse itself. Bottom line for me, Mia Mania deserves more love in this town than they are currently receiving. Hopefully people will get over their new band and Sunday night shyness and start showing up for them!
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[Jim Price]

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http://pamusician.net