[Jim Price]

WEEKEND RECAP 9/22/03

FELIX & THE HURRICANES CD-RELEASE PARTY @ PETER C’S, ALTOONA 9/18/03

When you’re a band called The Hurricanes, what more perfect setting could you possibly have to release a brand new CD than on a night when an actual hurricane is arriving outside?

After months of anticipation, Felix & the Hurricanes’ second studio album, “Travelers Not Forgotten,” had arrived earlier in the week and was finally ready for release. The CD-release event was quickly announced for the Hurricanes’ weekly Thursday show at Peter C’s. Then Hurricane Isabel made her approach on the Outer Banks, and forecasters announced Isabel’s intentions to track northward right into western Pennsylvania, on the same Thursday night as the Hurricanes’ CD-release. No-brainer, I was there!

Despite constant weather warnings, and increasing rains and wind as Isabel (diminished into a tropical storm as she arrived in our neck of the woods) arrived, a healthy crowd steadily congregated at Peter C’s as the Hurricanes performed their first set. The Hurricanes – unveiling their large, brand new banner behind them onstage this night – warmed up the crowd with a number of classics during their first set, including versions of Willie Dixon/Foghat’s “I Just Wanna Make Love To You,” Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire,” the Allman Brothers’ “Blue Skys,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “The Needle and the Spoon,” and – appropriately enough – Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Couldn’t Stand The Weather.” The group also broke out one of their earlier original tunes, “Icy You,” from their first album, “The Feeling.”

The Hurricanes celebrated the new album during their second set, playing a number of songs from the new disc, including “Issues,” “Little Ears,” “It’s Just Me,” the instrumental “Moon Lightin,’” “Walking A Straight Line,” and my obvious early favorite from the album, “Backyard Rocker” (duh!). Many of these songs have already become favorites of the ‘Canes’ live show, and each song drew nice applause along the way. Towards set’s end, the group honored audience requests with versions of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Ballad of Curtis Lowe” and Blackfoot’s “Train Train.”

Hurricanes drummer Bob Watters opened the night’s third set by issuing the proclamation: “Hurricane Isabel married Hurricane Felix tonight;” as hurricane (err…tropical storm) winds and rains howled outside, and musical Hurricanes stormed inside. Lead Hurricane/singer/guitarist Felix Kos, bassist/singer Jeff Clapper and Bob broke out numerous classics during this set, including Blackfoot’s “Highway Song,” Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze,” Molly Hatchet’s “Flirtin’ with Disaster,” the Allman Brothers’ “Dreams,” the Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun,” Outlaws’ “Green Grass and High Tides” and Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Crosscut Saw.” Peter C’s dance floor became busy during this set, as hurricane and Hurricanes celebrants danced and grooved along. For the night’s finale, Felix invited a guest onstage, PnEumatic guitarist Colton Fouse, to help jam on the Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See.”

The combination of hurricane and Hurricanes made this a memorable night. But ultimately, while Hurricane Isabel outside lost strength and went away, the Hurricanes inside Peter C’s proved again that they continue to be Category 5, and based on “Travelers Not Forgotten,” show signs of strengthening and are definitely NOT going away!

The Hurricanes, during their CD release party at Peter C’s.

Colton of PnEumatic, jamming onstage with Felix & the Hurricanes.

Felix Kos and Bob Watters, yukking it up during the Hurricanes’ CD-release party.

Jeff Clapper of The Hurricanes.

PnEumatic’s Colton mans the guitar while Felix occupies lead mic.

Bob Watters of Felix & the Hurricanes.

Celebrating the new CD after the show, Felix & the Hurricanes.

BOOST @ THE BREWERY, STATE COLLEGE 9/19/03

Among the many things I’ve learned in my years of covering the area music scene is that, frequently in the case of young bands or musicians just starting out, it often takes some time for them to gain their chops and develop their show into something worth seeing. It is this reason why I am never too critical of young musicians or bands just starting out, because they are just getting their game feet under them, and deserve encouragement and the opportunity to grow and develop.

Case in point this night, Boost. When Boost first surfaced as a trio on the Altoona music scene three years ago, I viewed them as a potential diamond in the rough. This young group displayed some instrumental chops, but were a little timid behind their microphones and a bit unsteady as to what direction musically they wanted to go in. That inception of Boost played a number of shows on Altoona area stages, but the fan base was slow to develop, and the group eventually stepped away and underwent some changes.

Eventually, former No Dice member Bart Hipp joined guitarist/singer Matt Seno and drummer Jim Logrando to sing and play guitar. And as school duties shifted the group’s home base from Altoona to State College, Boost attracted what turned out to be a pivotal fourth member, bassist/singer Keith Niedermeier. Keith, a veteran of several prior bands in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio, was one of Jim’s professors at Penn State; and saw in Boost a group of musicians who had some work ahead of them, but who also had the desire to listen to suggestions, learn and get better. Under Keith’s tutelage, Boost developed their songlist and chops, and studied the success formulas of regional powerhouse bands like Emily’s Toybox and Green Eggs, observing what made those bands successful and asking advice on how to improve their own onstage product. Eventually the group began to steadily build a fan base in Happy Valley, and earned the weekly Friday night slot at one of downtown State College’s favorite watering holes, The Brewery.

My Pennsylvania Musician duties brought me to The Brewery this night to check out Boost, who would be the feature band on the cover of the October issue of the magazine. It was a football weekend in Happy Valley, and The Brewery had its fair share of revelers on the Friday eve before the Penn State/Kent State game. As I advanced towards the band area in the rear of the venue, a group of friends merrily raised a “team drink” to the arrival of the weekend, and even wanted me to take their picture (the hazards of carrying a camera around your neck). Upon arriving in the band area, the seating section in front of the stage area was full, and Boost undertook the task of rallying these onlookers into a partying frenzy.

As I watched Boost’s party unfold over the course of the next two hours, I realized just how far this band had come along since the first time I saw them in 2000. That young, shy band that struggled to entertain tens of people at Peter C’s three years ago has evolved into a confident, full-fledged Happy Valley party machine! With Keith and Bart taking turns on lead microphone, Boost performed an upbeat party mixing current and classic rock favorites with 80’s new wave and 70’s disco side journeys, unexpected twists and turns, and a good-natured sense of humor. Highlights included Boost’s unique shotgun marriage of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” with Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up;” their clap-along rendition of Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love;” a disco medley that prompted Keith to rename the venue ‘Brewery 54;’ a version of Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” featuring Jim’s sudden vertical leaps behind his drum kit; assorted upbeat favorites from Violent Femmes, James, Good Charlotte, The Clash, Wheatus, R.E.M., Sublime and more; and towards night’s end, Boost’s tribute to the recently-departed ‘man in black,’ Johnny Cash, with high-velocity treatments of “Ring of Fire” and “Folsom Prison Blues.” As the night progressed, the festive mood of the crowd continued to rise, and the dance floor was soon packed with revelers.

Boost’s execution was very on the mark; with crisp rhythms; Matt’s clean and precise guitar soloing; bright two- and three-part vocal harmonies; and tight pacing between songs. Boost kept it lively onstage with constant stage movement and energy, and maintained a continuous positive vibe and mood; bantering with the audience at select points during the show, organizing “team drinks” and more.

Obviously Boost has arrived. They have found their focus and mission, studied and learned how to make their show better, and spent ample amounts of time in the practice shed getting it right. The payoff was obvious this night, a dance floor packed with happy college students who have determined that when it’s time for Penn State to hunker down and party on a Friday night, Boost at The Brewery is the ticket.

Keith Niedermeier of Boost.

Bart Hipp of Boost.

Again, Bart Hipp of Boost.

Jim Logrando of Boost.

Boost entertains the dancefloor partiers at The Brewery.

Performing death-defying leaps behind his drum kit, Jim Logrando of Boost.

From a different angle, Bart Hipp of Boost.

Matt Seno of Boost.

Boost keeps the party going at The Brewery.

Again, Matt Seno of Boost.

“ROCK THE HOUSE” BENEFIT @ GREENHOUSE PARK, JOHNSTOWN 9/20/03

The summer outdoor concert season had one last gasp left in it, before summer crossfaded into fall, and live music activity would head back indoors. That final concert was Rock The House, which took place this day at Greenhouse Park, near Tire Hill outside of Johnstown. Organized by current Pivot and former Bonedigger/Creep singer Mark Lux, this benefit show would feature 11 bands. Proceeds from the show would help out the IMAC Foundation, an organization that makes alternative medicines and medical procedures available and affordable to patients in need.

As rainy and monsoonal as this summer had been, weather was the big concern heading into this concert. Nervous eyes watched the weather map in the week preceding the concert, as Hurricane Isabel took her best shot at the U.S. mainland; and it wasn’t until late in the week that everyone could sign in relief that the storm had passed through the area and was well into Canada as the day of the concert arrived.

In fact, the weather was picture-perfect as I arrived at Greenhouse Park. Cloudless blue skies, minimal humidity and forecasted high temperatures in the low 70’s set the backdrop for a great day of live rock.

With first time concerts of this sort, there is always the question mark of attendance. Would people gravitate towards this new concert event and support it, or would folks bypass it for something else they already planned on doing? Fortunately, a healthy crowd was already in place at Greenhouse Park as I arrived, and that crowd would steadily grow in size throughout the course of the event.

I arrived too late to catch the earlybird bands on the bill, Hardly Knew Her and RetroActive; and I had missed most of the set from the afternoon’s third band, John Denver Flight School, observing their last two songs from afar (as I was parking my car). What I heard sounded respectable; but I didn’t witness enough to be able to give an accurate analysis of them.

Rock The House had a two stage set-up, allowing one band to perform on one stage while the next band set up on the other. So after a few final technical adjustments on the second stage, Pittsburgh’s Hipsled was ready to go. Formed from the ashes of Creep, Hipsled performed a mixture of hard-hitting original songs, and 90’s/current heavy rock favorites from Stone Temple Pilots, System of a Down and more. With only a few shows reportedly under their belt, Hipsled still did a solid job both instrumentally and vocally. The group appeared a little indecisive at times about what song to go into next; an issue that should work itself out as they get more shows under their belts and coordinate their sets better. But the Johnstown fans cheered Hipsled’s efforts; and in all, this was a good set.

The singer of Hipsled (no, I didn’t get his name, my bad).

Tom Polisano of Hipsled.

Hipsled “Rocks The House” at Greenhouse Park.

Up and ready to go on the first stage was Semichrome. This was my first opportunity to check out this Johnstown-based rising force; which paired three former members of Stone Krow – guitarist A.J. Hamara, bassist Chris Holsopple and drummer Frank Tomaselli – with former Itch/Trick Bag Soul/Fury frontman Greg Cveykus. As their set unfolded, I was quickly impressed with Semichrome’s instrumental tightness, power and attention to dynamics and detail. A.J., Chris and Frank had already established themselves as a tight unit previously in Stone Krow; and obviously it carried over into this project. Singer Greg was fiery and passionate as he vented on tunes from Godsmack, Staind, Chevelle and more. Watching him in this band setting, it was hard for me to picture this as the same singer who sang and strutted James Brown and Wilson Pickett tunes not long ago in Trick Bag Soul! For me, the peak of Semichrome’s set was their intense treatment of Tool’s “46 & 2,” where their instrumental prowess came to the forefront. Also good was the group’s lone original song during this set, “Scene of the Crime.” I was very impressed with my first look at Semichrome; and this set was one of the early highlights of my Rock The House experience.

Semichrome rocks the mainstage at Rock The House.

Chris Holsopple of Semichrome.

Greg Cveykus of Semichrome.

A.J. Hamara of Semichrome.

Pittsburgh metal powerhouse Skell was on deck on the second stage. This would be my first opportunity to see Skell since their frontman change. For those who haven’t heard, Chris “Scooby” Dittman exited the band in early summer, and has been replaced by Pat “Bones” Bono. This was my first chance to see Pat in action, and see how well he fit into his predecessor’s shoes. Skell tore into their set with the rowdy closer from their self-titled CD, “Come On;” and Pat immediately answered any questions as to how he fit into his band. This man picked up where Scooby left off, total maniacal metallic energy and ferocity on the lead mic! Skell was particularly on fire this set; bassman Mike Ekis and guitarist Mike Palone stormed about the stage like rabid Dobermans, while drummer Rich Palone was levying the hefty beat behind the kit. A crowd immediately gathered directly in front of the band to headbang and let off steam, as Skell continued with more carnage from their self-titled disc, including “Like A Mountain,” “Betrayal,” “No Solution,” “Ex,” “Dope” and more. The group introduced several new songs as well, including “World of Terror.” Skell was total fire and intensity during their entire set, never letting up and leaving no survivors. It was also cool to see a number of young school-aged fans be able to witness Skell in this all-age show situation; many of the kids had Slipknot and Static X shirts on, and it was good to see them going ballistic for a regional band who (at least in my mind) deserves to be eating Slipknot’s and Static X’s lunches! For Skell fans concerned about the change in singer, do not worry, Pat “Bones” Bono is a perfect fit, and Skell is clearly moving onward and upward…stellar set!

Michael Ekis of Skell.

Pat “Bones” Bono of Skell.

One of the meanest-looking bass players in western PA, Mike Ekis of Skell.

Rich Palone of Skell.

Mike Palone of Skell.

Again, Pat “Bones” Bono of Skell.

Back to the main stage to see emerging Johnstown party force Flap Jack’n’Jill. After the terse-flavored nu-metal of the previous two bands, Flap Jack’n’Jill lightened the mood with a more pop-geared modern rock vein, mixing tunes from James, 311, Greenday, Puddle of Mudd, Rage Against the Machine, Blink 182 and more. Singer Shane Lee, guitarist Duggie, bassist Brad Jeffries and drummer Tony Oleksa (the latter two musicians formerly of Suckerpunch) kept things exciting with ample stage movement and a constant party vibe. A funny sidelight of Flap Jack’n’Jill’s set for me was watching how the band carefully kept the lid on any onstage swearing during their set (because of the children present); this itself was admirable, but rather pointless after the number of “F-bombs” Skell dropped during their set just minutes before! Flap Jack’n’Jill provided a fun and upbeat mood that had fans cheering and grooving along – a timely diversion from the predominant metallic flavor of most of the other bands on the bill.

Flap Jack’n’Jill turn up the party at the Rock The House benefit.

Brad Jeffries of Flap Jack’n’Jill.

Tony Oleksa of Flap Jack’n’Jill.

A Steeler fan shares his sentiments towards the team’s former quarterback…

The musical ball was then tossed to Rennis on the second stage, who threw down with a torrid set of volatile nu-metal. As the group tore into tunage from Korn, Linkin Park, Slipknot, System of a Down, Disturbed and more; metal fans crammed into the stagefront area to partake in the maelstrom; and the first serious moshing of the day began. Now two guitarists strong with former member Craig Stiles rejoining Angry Johnny, bassist Steve Stull, lead throat Joe Moore and drummer Darren Byer; Rennis was tenacious and constantly on the attack. The group stepped up the heaviness and intensity as their set progressed, breaking out heavier tunes from Hatebreed, Mudvayne, Slayer, Sepultura and Slipknot. Surprisingly, as Rennis’ attack grew heavier, it was the stagefront WOMEN who were getting into it full fury; headbanging, dancing and clapping along. Rennis also introduced an original song during this set, “Isolation.” Another impressive display from Rennis, whose set escalated excitement to a feverish pitch as darkness began to descend on Greenhouse Park.

Joe Moore of Rennis.

Steve Stull of Rennis.

Angry Johnny of Rennis.

Craig Stiles of Rennis.

The attention then shifted back to the mainstage, where Pivot was poised to perform. As the organizer of the Rock The House benefit, Pivot frontman Mark Lux pulled all the stops as Pivot got underway. As a big fan of Tool, Mark arrived onstage decked in Maynard Keenan-like facepaints as Pivot commenced their set with an excellent rendition of “Eulogy.” Mark nailed the Maynard Keenan look and persona near perfectly, and the now massive stagefront crowd roared approval. Pivot continued with more modern metal favorites from Filter, Marilyn Manson, System of a Down, more Tool, and several original songs, including “The Split,” “Y” and “Drown.” As expected, Mark was the enigmatic frontman, frequently looking other-worldly as he became immersed in each song and let the music and vibe take control. Particularly intriguing was Mark’s recital of The Lord’s Prayer during Pivot’s set-closing rendition of Tool’s “Sober.” Mark’s bandmates – guitarist Mike, bassist Woz and drummer Kirch – are tightening into a steady, solid unit, based on their crisp performance during this set. And unlike the first time I saw Pivot a few months ago, Mark largely left the music do the talking, pausing only a few times to address the crowd. In all, a strong display from Pivot, and proof positive that this group is developing into a force to keep an eye on.

Pivot rocks the mainstage at Rock The House.

Mark Lux of Pivot.

Mike of Pivot.

The throngs of music fans made their way over to the second stage for that stage’s final band of the day, NE-146. This trio was up for the occasion, and delivered a pounding set featuring both old-school and new-school metal, original songs and more. Singer/bassist Paul Hearn, guitarist/singer James Forish and drummer Mark Hockycko commenced in the nu-metal vein with tunes from Limp Bizkit, Drowning Pool; and System of a Down’s “Sugar,” which inspired some hardcore kid-moshing at stagefront (those 10 and 11-year-olds were into full contact body slams!). NE-146 then introduced a new heavy original song, “Belligerent,” and continued with tunes from Disturbed and Eminem, before breaking out some old-school Paul DiAnno-era Iron Maiden, “Wrathchild.” After Puddle of Mudd’s “She Hates Me,” the trio broke out another original song, “Misfit.” The highlight and lowlight of NE-146’s set was Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” – highlight because of the band’s gritty, savage delivery onstage, and lowlight because the day’s first fisticuffs broke out during the song, and even spilled onstage! (Then again, with an aggressive song like this, that’s almost a compliment, isn’t it?) Several security personnel hustled the combatants away from the stage area, and the band completed the song, then proceeding into Pantera’s “Cowboys from Hell” to conclude their set. This was the most fiery display I’ve witnessed from NE-146 so far; the trio was instrumentally on the money the whole set, and Paul’s voice ran the gamut from high falsettos during the old-school-geared numbers to ferocious snarling during the newer numbers. NE-146 kept the spirits of the show riding high, and nicely set the stage for Stept On’s finale.

Paul Hearn of NE-146.

James Forish of NE-146.

Again, James Forish of NE-146.

Again, Paul Hearn of NE-146.

Mark Hockycko of NE-146.

With a huge crowd amassed at stagefront, Stept On slammed the lid on the day with their volatile set of original songs and nu-metal favorites. Weaving in and out of tunes from Korn, Disturbed, Rage, System of a Down, Eminem and more; Stept On played old and new original songs, including familiar tunes from the “Lonely” album such as the title song, “Day After Day,” “Drowning” and “Voices In My Head.” The group also introduced a few new songs, all which seemed to go over well with the assembled masses. The stage was configured slightly differently than usual, stemming from Pivot’s set earlier; drummer Josh Hetrick’s kit was positioned in the front left-hand side of the stage, so onlookers could get a closer look at Stept On’s hammer in action! Frontman Chuck Budzina moved about the stagefront area and rallied the crowd to get rowdy, while bassman Art Armani and guitarist Matt Day drilled their respective mayhem. Chuck rallied the crowd into rowdiness a little too well, as another fight broke out and interrupted the show briefly. But cooler heads soon prevailed, and the remainder of Stept On’s set continued trouble-free thru the end.

Chuck Budzina of Stept On.

With some interesting lighting, Chuck Budzina of Stept On.

Josh Hetrick of Stept On.

Caught in mid-air, Chuck Budzina of Stept On.

Josh Hetrick and Art Armani of Stept On.

Matt Day of Stept On.

At the end of the day, the first Rock The House benefit was an overwhelming success, with several thousand dollars raised for the IMAC Foundation. Hats off to Mark Lux and his staff for pulling it off on the first try; getting this show off the ground successfully, and laying the groundwork for another annual concert event we can look forward to next year and beyond. And on a personal note, thanks to Mark and his staff for the hospitality, and the Deviance organization for the steady supply of cold brew, it was much appreciated!

SIMON SEZ (EAST) @ SHOOTERS, JOHNSTOWN 9/20/03

Following Rock The House, I decided to stick in the Johnstown vicinity for the evening, and checked out this town’s newest nightspot, the new Shooters location in the Value City shopping plaza. As advertised, this is a bigger, more spacious Shooters; a large facility that can fit several hundred people easily. The venue reminded me a little of State College’s Crowbar in terms of overall size; while it is all one level, the venue is longer and wider than Crowbar, and thus can fit nearly the same amount of people. In just a few weeks, Shooters would have its first litmus test as far as major shows were concerned, as Skid Row was coming to town on October 9.

For this night, though, it was the Shooters debut of northeastern PA party force Simon Sez. I had seen the western PA edition of Simon Sez earlier in the summer; and in the interest of fair coverage, I wanted to see what the eastern PA edition had to offer.

A good-sized crowd was already present as I arrived, although stagefront dancing had not yet gotten underway in earnest during the first set. That would soon change. A five-piece, Simon Sez mixed a wide variety of favorites, spanning 80’s new wave and hair-band through current rock, hip-hop and rap favorites, 70’s funk and disco to nu-metal, cheesy oldies and more. The group followed a version of the Bangles’ “Walk Like an Egyptian” with the shotgun marriage of J. Geils’ “Centerfold” and Tone-Loc’s “Funky Cold Medina;” as they turned up the party with operational sudsy “snow” and bubble machines. The group broke out the T-shirt bazooka, firing a shirt out into the crowd to a lucky recipient. It was quickly becoming apparent that this was a band that had no qualms about pulling all the stops to deliver the good time. After versions of Blink 182’s “All The Small Things,” James’ “Laid” and Stroke 9’s “Little Black Backpack;” Simon Sez broke out an original song, “Nothing To You;” before breaking into an 80’s hair-band double-shot of Poison’s “Talk Dirty To Me” and Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” Songs by the Beastie Boys, Linkin Park and Evanescence brought Simon Sez’ freewheeling party to halftime.

I had read some debate on the Rockpage message board regarding sound and acoustics at Shooters. With any new venue, sometimes it takes some tweaking and adjustments to get the acoustics right. As far as this night, soundman Jesse Mulhollen of Music World Sound and Light did a very good job; he had the mix sounding balanced, and while the volume was there, it was not overpowering or ear-shattering. You could stand relatively close to the stage and not get a migraine.

As Simon Sez’s nightcap set commenced, it was disclosed that two bachelorette parties were in the house this night, feeding the already festive mood on and in front of the stage. As Simon Sez kicked into the disco/funk double-shot of K.C. & the Sunshine Band’s “Get Down Tonight” and Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music,” more snow and bubbles emanated from above the stage, several ladies platooned on and off the stage, and the party quickly was back to full force. The group rocked with the Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated,” and escalated the party further with versions of Violent Femmes’ “Blister In The Sun” and Tommy Tutone’s “867-5309/Jenny.” Journey’s “Anyway You Want It,” Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” and Abba’s “Dancing Queen” led to a Michael Jackson medley, which started with “Smooth Criminal” and continued with “Beat It” and “Billie Jean.” A number of beach balls started flying out into the audience, converting the dance floor into an impromptu beach party; while musically Simon Sez continued with tunes from Pearl Jam, Puddle of Mudd, House of Pain and more. The group stepped up the hardness and aggression in the show’s latter stages, bringing their set to a close with versions of Rage’s “Killing In The Name,” Drowning Pool’s “Bodies” and Linkin Park’s “One Step Closer.” The huge dancefloor crowd and Shooters’ owner wanted an encore, and the band was glad to oblige, delivering a version of Tool’s “Sober” to end the night.

I came away very impressed with this edition of Simon Sez and the high-octane party they brought to the stage. Singer/keyboardist Jax, singers/guitarists Kevin and Jay, bassist/singer Eric and drummer Jamie wee a tight unit instrumentally, nailing every song they did crisply and on target. These guys all demonstrated good singing voices and personality onstage as well, happily bantering with the crowd, making it easy for this audience to feel like part of the show. I liked the diverse and well-compiled setlist, which never stayed in one place for too long, and kept the show continually moving forward. The group’s energy level and genuine enthusiasm were constant throughout the night. Bottom line, this edition of Simon Sez – like the western PA model – is a band that very much has their act together, and is about delivering the maximum party to their audience. Their first appearance at Shooters was a very successful one, and more return visits are very much a likelihood. This band brings the party, make a point to check them out!

Donning some interesting headgear, Jay of Simon Sez.

Receiving some encouragement from one of his newest fans, Jay of Simon Sez.

Two fans toast Simon Sez.

Jax of Simon Sez.

No, it’s not the old Lawrence Welk Show, it’s Simon Sez at Shooters.

With some help from a female fan, Simon Sez parties down Shooters.

Eric of Simon Sez.

Team drink time with Simon Sez at Shooters.

The ladies seem to like this band, don’t you think? Kevin of Simon Sez.

”Take my picture!” Okay…

JON KAPLAN @ HOLLIDAYSBURG OKTOBERFEST, HOLLIDAYSBURG 9/21/03

While summer concerts were winding down for another year, the fall festivals were just beginning. Typically, one of the first fall festivals in our neck of the woods is downtown Hollidaysburg’s Oktoberfest, which despite the name happens in mid-September along Allegheny Street and the downtown Diamond area. Oktoberfest usually features a few performers during the course of the weekend, and as was the case last year, native son Jon Kaplan – lead singer for Washington, D.C.-based modern rockers Bicycle Thieves – provided the final live music performance of Oktoberfest weekend.

Again it was a nice day, sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70’s. Here at Oktoberfest, though, this led to a not-so-desirable subplot to the afternoon…yellow jackets. Apparently the bee family populace starts to realize around this time of year that their days are numbered, and they better get outside and indulge in all the sugar-type products they can possibly get into. At Oktoberfest, this meant that anything that had any sugar content – from funnel cakes to open cans of soda – was fair game for yellow jackets to investigate. And they did, buzzing festival attendees and their drinks, buzzing yours truly as I tried to locate a place to sit down, and even buzzing and strafing Jon Kaplan onstage.

Jon made the best of it, and proceeded to sing acoustic renditions of new and classic favorites, plus a few original songs. He lent his full midrange voice to nice treatments of the Beatles’ “Here Comes The Sun,” James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” and “Mexico,” Paul Simon’s “Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard,” Seals & Crofts’ “Summer Breeze;” plus deeper cuts from Elvis Costello, Pearl Jam and more. Jon performed several original songs as well, including “Lost Weekend” and several songs from Bicycle Thieves’ new CD, “The Second Place Confession.” Despite the yellow jackets, Jon kept the mood laid-back and relaxed; his set providing fitting accompaniment to the friendly community get-together happening on the street before him.

I spoke to Jon after his performance, and he gave me a copy of “The Second Place Confession.” The album contains a harder, faster-paced brand of rock than the more jam/fusion-geared Bicycle Thieves debut; but the songs are very catchy, and the group’s songcraft has become more streamlined and direct on this new release.

As my band guests for this week’s edition of Q94’s “Backyard Rocker” had cancelled their appearance and I needed a guest, Jon was game to appear on the show; making me glad I stopped out to Oktoberfest to check in with him!

Jon informed me that Bicycle Thieves is eyeing the prospect of doing some shows up this way in the new year. Based on the sound of the new album, I’ll be in attendance to bear witness should that possibility come to fruition.

Jon Kaplan entertains at Hollidaysburg Oktoberfest.

JUICED @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 9/21/03

As it often does, my weekend wound down at Pellegrine’s, with Juiced providing the entertainment.

As Juiced parties go, this one was pretty routine, which is not a bad thing. Good-sized crowd in the house, and frontlady Carrie and crew were game to get this crowd on the dancefloor and partying. The big surprise this night was guitar man Norm Marks crooning an early rock’n’roll chestnut, Dion’s “Runaround Sue” Otherwise, Juiced performed their reliable mix of current and classic rock favorites, including tunes from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Salt’n’Pepa, Limp Bizkit, Ramones, Twisted Sister, Beastie Boys, Clash, Blink 182 and much more. The ladies in the house were invited onstage to join keyboard man Doug Buch as he crooned Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” And another first this night – the Right Honorable Guv’nor Jesse was brought onstage to bust his best dance moves with the Juiced gang (memo to Carrie and Juiced, you’re safe as long as you don’t break into “Rocky Top” with this man onstage, otherwise all bets are off!).

Again, nothing frilly or fancy this night, just Juiced doing what they do best, helping all of us slam the lid on another weekend and let off the final blasts of steam before the commencement of another work week. Alas, the simple pleasures of life…

The fans look on as Carrie of Juiced rocks Pellegrine’s.

Greg Folsom of Juiced.

Lots of ladies help Juiced party down onstage.

Smile! You’re on Candid Camera…and Juiced’s website! Doug Buch of Juiced.
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