Jim Price
Moderator
Joined: 07 Dec 2002
Posts: 4817
Location: Altoona, PA
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 Posted: Friday Nov 17, 2006 |
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WEEKEND RECAP 8/28/06
SCREAMING DUCKS @ TUSSEY WING CHALLENGE, TUSSEY MOUNTAIN SKI RESORT, BOALSBURG 8/24/06
After the Lakemont Park Wing-Off's concluded the previous Thursday, I headed to the Tussey Wing Challenge this evening to feast on wings and check in with Happy Valley favorites the Screaming Ducks.
I carpooled with accomplice Sparky D'Engineer, and we arrived towards the end of the Screaming Ducks' first set. With wings just four for a $1 ticket, I first procured four citrus wings and four barbecue wings at The Arena's wing stand, and took in the remainder of the Ducks' set. After the group did the Allman Brothers' "Blue Sky," guest Ken Volz stepped up and sang lead on the Beatles' "Birthday," before the group closed out the set with Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Call Me the Breeze."
During the intermission, I completed my first eight wings, and went back for round two, this time sampling Wegman's Caribbean Jerk wings and barbecue wings. Obviously, one big advantage the Tussey Wing Challenge has over the Lakemont Wing-Off is wing price and variety!
The Screaming Ducks' nightcap set featured more of the group's blend of 60's and 70's classic rock and pop. The group opened the set with the Rolling Stones double-shot of "Honky Tonk Women" and "Gimme Shelter," before gearshifting into Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes." After a version of "12 Bar Blues," Ken Volz again returned to the lead mic to front the Ducks on the Beatles' "All My Loving," and stuck around for the following rendition of Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl." After the Ducks did Lynyrd Skynyrd's "I Know A Little," another well-known State College guest, J.R. Mangan, stepped up to front the Ducks on a version of Neil Young's "Powderfinger." After a Crosby Stills Nash & Young number, the Ducks performed "T-Bone Shuffle," with guitarist Andy Tolins singing lead; before the Ducks closed out the evening with "Hippy Hippy Shake."
The Screaming Ducks sounded good through it all, laying down tight grooves on their variety of song material. It was a playful and fun vibe, as the Ducks welcomed their various guests on the stage and turned the Wing Challenge into a musical party.
Wing-wise, I did eight more, this time visiting Damon's stand for four "Sizzling Sunrise" and four honey glaze wings. All good! And as they did last year, Damons offered up complimentary celery and bleu cheese - one more thing this wing-eating event offered! Damon's actually won this round of the Wing Challenge, punching their ticket to the championships being held the following Thursday.
In all, another fun time at the Tussey Wing Challenge; and I fully planned to be in attendance for the finals the following week!
Guest Ken Volz sings lead for the Screaming Ducks during the Tussey Wing Challenge.
Ken Volz.
The drummer for the Screaming Ducks.
John Cunningham of the Screaming Ducks.
Again, the Screaming Ducks.
Andy Tolins of the Screaming Ducks.
Once again, the Screaming Ducks.
MARSHALL BLUE @ THE BREWERY, STATE COLLEGE 8/24/06
After the Tussey Wing Challenge, wheelman Sparky and I headed up to the Centre County Grange Fair for a short while. Since it was rather dead on the opening night of that event, we soon left and returned to State College. I decided to stay in the neighborhood and catch a band in downtown State College. I didn't know who was performing at The Brewery this night, so out of curiosity I headed there, discovering that Marshall Blue was playing. As I hadn't seen this band in over a year, I decided to go in and get caught up.
Marshall Blue underwent some changes since I first saw them at Burgi's last year. The group has expanded into a foursome; joining founding members Chuck Mason on guitar and Chris Jordan on bass are new drummer Ben Tolten and singer Dave O.
As I arrived, Marshall Blue was in the midst of an Allman Brothers number, and shifted funky to finish out their set with the Commodores' "Brick House" and Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music."
Marshall Blue's next set featured a mixture of classic rock, blues and soul. With Chuck singing lead, the group opened with Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love" and Jimi Hendrix's "Manic Depression." On the ensuing renditions of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" and the Allman Brothers' "Whipping Post," guest harmonica player Adam Carper ("Carper the Harper") wailed some accompaniment with the group. After War's "Low Rider," the group took a quick bathroom bvreak, before resuming with Led Zeppelin's "Moby Dick," thrusting the spotlight on drummer Ben. Marshall Blue continued with Marvin Gaye/CCR's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and another Jimi Hendrix number, "Fire;" before Adam returned to contribute more harmonica to the night-ending Cream double-shot of "Sittin' On Top of the World" and "Crossroads."
Overall, this was a stronger performance than the first time I saw this group as a trio. Dave O's addition gives Marshall Blue a stronger vocal presentation, as he sang with power, soul and grit. Instrumentally Marshall Blue is still strong; these guys are all good players who know their way around their instruments well. Although the group stuck fairly close to the original versions of the songs they were doing, they did occasionally stretch and engage each other in some feisty jamming displays.
Although The Brewery was not crowded this night (to be fair, the students had not yet arrived for fall semester yet, so there was not maximum population in State College to attend anyway), the folks who were in attendance stuck around, and few were even grooving in front of the stage during the latter stages of Marshall Blue's performance. As the group's show has strengthened with their expansion into a four-piece, the group is getting busier on local stages, and has played more frequently at The Brewery and other Happy Valley venues. For a healthy dose of classic rock and blues, Marshall Blue demonstrated this night that they do it well.
Marshall Blue, rocking The Brewery.
Again, Marshall Blue.
Chuck Mason of Marshall Blue.
Marshall Blue’s new singer, Dave O.
Chris Jordan of Marshall Blue.
THE AMPLIFIED HEET @ THE BAR, ALTOONA 8/25/06
After a late evening at the office and a dinner got me off to a late start, I eventually arrived at The Bar to check in with that ever unpredictable crew known as The Amplified Heet.
The party was already well under way as I arrived. With a good-sized, frisky crowd in attendance, it was a little rough in the trenches at The Bar's main bar, as I got poked in the butt by a wayward cue stick from the nearby pool table, and a tipsy lady at the bar spilled her drink, barely missing me (a few splashed drops did hit my leg, prompting the lady to buy me my first beer; that works!).
Having survived those moments, I headed up the steps to the main stage area, where the Amplified Heet party was in progress. Lead maniac, singer and guitarist Jules Bianchini, bassman/singer Andy Mathers, guitarist/harmonica man Adam Brown and drummer Tyke Dodson were mixing it up with a wide variety of sounds old and new. Versions of Social Distortion's "Ball and Chain" and Seven Mary Three's "Cumbersome" led into the Allman Brothers' "One Way Out," with Adam blowing some quality harp. After AC/DC's "TNT," the Heet heated it up with Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues," with a special guest names Ivan singing and playing guitar. The group continued their free-wheeling journey with renditions of the Guess Who's "No Sugar Tonight," "Got My Mojo Workin'" and The Band's "Up On Cripple Creek," before doing a Lou Reed/"Sweet Jane"-flavored original song called "Half Your Life," sung by Adam. The group then ended the night with a blues number.
It was wild and crazy, as the Amplified Heet and their guests kept it lively and unpredictable. Ringleader Jules called the musical shots, and he and the group then had fun and explored on each number, letting the vibe carry them. At times it was haphazard and sloppy, but it was also unrehearsed and fun, warts and all. The crowd seemed to enjoy the freewheeling musical journey this night, and for a Friday night in 'Toona town, it was a fitting evening of cutting loose both on and off the stage.
Fun and chaos with The Amplified Heet at The Bar.
Jules Bianchini and Adam Brown of The Amplified Heet.
16TH ANNUAL “END OF SUMMER JAM” @ CRESSON SPORTSMEN’S CLUB, CRESSON 8/26-8/27/06
The succession of events that started the winding down of the summer season had reached another marker; the 16th annual “End of Summer Jam” at the Cresson Sportsmen’s Club. I had been eagerly anticipating this annual benefit show for Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and the wide array of area musical talent it would provide over two days. But despite my best-laid plans, I got off to a late start on Saturday, and didn't arrive at the Cresson Sportsmen's Club until mid-afternoon.
The sun was shining as I arrived, and onstage was a trio of musicians: Ron Novak on guitar and vocals, Jerry Mosey on bass, and show organizer Mickey Luckenbaugh on drums. The scheduled group was supposed to be Ron's and Jerry's band, 3 Easy Pieces, but their drummer had to pull out of the show late, and Mickey was filling in on drums. Since Mickey was a member of another band slated to perform the following day, The Knuckleheads, the group quipped about their official name for this band collaboration onstage, branding themselves such titles as 3 Easy Knuckles, 3 Skinned Knuckles and more. Whatever they were called, Ron, Jerry and Mickey played classic rocking favorites from Marshall Tucker Band, Neil Young, George Thorogood, Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top, Bob Dylan, Doors and more. The performance was good for what it was, three musicians getting together on short notice and jamming out to common tunes they all knew. As expected for this point in the weekend, attendance was rather light, so the mood was laid-back and lighthearted both onstage and off.
3 Easy Knuckles, or 3 Skinned Knuckles, or whatever the hell they were calling themselves this day, having fun on stage at End Of Summer Jam.
Ron Novak of 3 Skinned Knuckles.
Again, Ron Novak.
Show organizer Mickey Luckenbaugh getting his workout behind the drum kit.
Jerry Mosey of 3 Skinned Knuckles.
Again, Mickey Luckenbaugh.
I soon learned that although I arrived some three hours into the event, I had only missed one band. The group slated to kick off this year's "End Of Summer Jam" at high noon never showed up. (Apparently, as I realized as the weekend progressed, some communication signals had been crossed, and a few bands thought to be confirmed for this year's event apparently didn't realize they were confirmed, and thus didn't show up. This is something that will be cleared up for next year's event, to be sure.) In lieu of the opening band not arriving, the second scheduled band, Spirit Lost, opened up the event and was finished before I arrived.
As it turned out, it would be a lengthy period of time before the next band would take the stage after the Skinned-Up Knuckles' set. Felix & the Hurricanes, doing a rare Saturday appearance at this event (Sunday is when they usually perform; they had an out-of-state gig on Sunday this year and deferred to Saturday), was running late due to an unexpected problem lead Hurricane Felix ran into while he was out of town earlier in the day. So the intermission stretched on as more revelers arrived at the Cresson Sportsmen's Club. By the time the last piece of the Hurricanes puzzle arrived and set up, there was a decent-sized crowd on hand, and the night's remaining bands were all on the grounds - so the music for the rest of the evening would be pretty much nonstop!
Felix & the Hurricanes did what they do so well, mixing original songs and classic and Southern rocking favorites. The group broke such numbers from their own arsenal as "Black Widow," "Icy You," "The Lonely One," "Issues" and "Such A Fool." The group also did favorites from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers, Charlie Daniels Band, Jimi Hendrix, Ted Nugent and more. Two noteworthy highlights included Jeff singing lead on a song I had never heard the 'Canes do before, REO Speedwagon's "Ridin' the Storm Out;" and the group closing out their set with a tribute to a musician who had graced this event in years past, the late John Baker - the Hurricanes dedicated Bob Marley's "Smoke Two Joints" in John's memory.
Dried-up river beds couldn’t stop Felix & the Hurricanes from being a part of the 16th “End Of Summer Jam.” The Hurricanes are the only band to have appeared all sixteen years of the event.
Jeff Clapper of Felix & the Hurricanes.
Again, Felix & the Hurricanes.
Bob Watters of Felix & the Hurricanes.
The lead Hurricane, Felix Kos.
As mentioned, with the remaining bands all on the Cresson Sportsmen's grounds, the rest of the night's music was pretty much nonstop, with only short intermissions the rest of the way. Grade E was next. Singer/guitarist Chris Vipond, bassist Mike Stanley and drummer Todd Harshbarger took the Cresson Sportsmen's audience on a jamming and funky journey, as they wove together original numbers and select favorites into nearly nonstop grooves. The musicianship was sharp and the vibe happy as the group did original tunes such as "Mined" and "End," and mixed in takes on the Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil," Sublime's "What I Got" and, to end the set, Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues."
Grade E, getting their groove on at “End Of Summer Jam.”
Todd Harshbarger of Grade E.
Chris Vipond of Grade E
Mike Stanley of Grade E.
Once again, Grade E.
While Grade E played, Mike “Iceman” Bryant helps Cathie from Silver Sunday prepare her setlist.
Iceman and his friends, whooping it up.
Since Mike and Todd were also members of the next band, Silver Sunday, the changeover was short, and Silver Sunday was quickly under way. Mike, Todd, frontlady Cathie and guitarist Buck heated up the party with their mixture of female fronted favorites, twisted 80's hits and more. Opening with Sublime's "Santeria," Silver Sunday kept the action nonstop with tunes from Goldfinger, The Outfield, Joan Jett, GoGo's, Pat Benatar, Veruca Salt, No Doubt, Madonna and more. The group did one original song, "I Know;" and Cathie deferred lead mic duties to Buck for one song' Loverboy's "Working for the Weekend," during which the spotlight was also put on Todd for one of his trademark cowbell solos. It was a typical, fun, high-octane set from Silver Sunday, which succeeded in igniting steady dance action in front of the stage.
Silver Sunday heats the party up.
Again, Silver Sunday.
Buck Dickson of Silver Sunday.
Todd Harshbarger of Silver Sunday.
Fans gather in front of the stage to party down with Silver Sunday.
Once again, Buck Dickson of Silver Sunday.
Showing off his cowbell prowess, Todd Harshbarger of Silver Sunday.
Closing out the first day of "End Of Summer Jam" was Half Tempted. Since regularly-scheduled bass player "Big Jim" Ricotta was not available to perform this night, Half Tempted dug into their past roster and brought designated bassist Joe George out of retirement. The group also had an additional guest this night, former Rapid Fire/Shattered China frontman Steve Oswalt. Half Tempted kicked things off with AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," and the party intensified as Steve sang lead on Free's "All Right Now." The energy level remained feverish as the group kept the crowd fired up with tunes from Aerosmith, Nirvana, Judas Priest, Ted Nugent and more. Eventually, the group welcomed up frequent-flyer guest Denise "Nece" Neely to sing lead on several AC/DC songs, including "Whole Lotta Rosie." Eventually, this party reached its crescendo with a thunderous edition of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs” as the night neared its close. The Cresson crowd didn’t want the party to end, so Half Tempted extended it with the two-song encore of AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” into Kiss’ “Detroit Rock City.”
With special guest Steve Oswalt singing lead, Half Tempted brings the party at “End Of Summer Jam.”
Joe George, reprising his role as bass player of Half Tempted at the 16th “End Of Summer Jam”[/color]
Joe George and Ron Dalansky of Half Tempted.
Again singing for Half Tempted this night, Steve Oswalt.
Steve McCulley of Half Tempted.
Half Tempted rocks into the night.
Out on the lawn, Half Tempted has ‘em partying!
Frequent flyer guest Denise “Nece” Neely belts out some voice with Half Tempted.
Ron Dalansky of Half Tempted.
Again, Denise Neely with Half Tempted’s Ron Dalansky.
An unexpected guest dancer busts her best moves as Half Tempted’s party heats up.
Half Tempted’s spirits run high as the dancer takes it low...
Another lady partakes in the onstage fun.
Although action was slow during a few points, the first half of “End Of Summer Jam” ended well with a good-sized crowd in front of the stage and having a good time. With a number of people camping out overnight in tents, campers and RV’s, hopes ran high that the second day of the event might do even better.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature, miscommunication and band no-shows wound up derailing those hopes.
I was disappointed to find a steady drizzle soaking the Altoona area when I awoke on Sunday morning. Although I was hopeful that the rain would end by noon and the start tine of Day Two of “End Of Summer Jam,” I realized that the damage was likely already done, and most people not already there probably weren’t going to venture out to see live music in Cresson on a rainy day. But the show would still go on rain or shine, and determined to make it fun for those who did brave the elements to partake in the event, I stopped by Krispy Kreme on the way up the mountain and purchased two boxes of donuts to give out from the stage.
I arrived late into the set of the opening band this afternoon, Generation Gap, but got there in time to see the band do renditions of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” Bad Company’s “Can’t Get Enough” and the Black Crowes’ “Jealous Again.” Generation Gap operated as a foursome this day, with keyboard man Keith Little not on the stage this afternoon. What I heard sounded good, and the small audience of fans and awakening campers politely clapped approval for the group’s efforts.
Generation Gap kicks off the Sunday action at “End Of Summer Jam.”
Brian Elliott of Generation Gap.
Harry Walter of Generation Gap.
Jarrett Bickel of Generation Gap.
Ed Murvine of Generation Gap.
Once again, Generation Gap.
It was raining off and on at the Cresson Sportsmen’s Club, and I found myself retreating my video gear back underneath the sound tent in front of soundman Rick of Ace’s Music and his dad. Not much in the way of crowd was arriving, and it appeared that Sunday would be the slower of the event’s two days in terms of attendance.
But the music would provide the highlights. I eagerly anticipated the next band, the debut performance of Red Eye. Although a new name, Red Eye would combine the talents of several area music veterans. Longtime local guitar ace and guitar designing artist Paul Miller and Tracy Felton both played guitars, Ed Somerville sang, Troy Laney played bass, and Bill “Hawk” Hocherl - father of former Nevermoure/Vs. the Earth drummer Shawn - played drums. Red Eye came out the gates strong, opening with a rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” The group proceeded to perform a mix of progressive and hard rock from the 70’s to present, including numbers from Soundgarden, Velvet Revolver, Styx, Ozzy Osbourne, Rush and more. The group wasn’t afraid to take on challenging material; including Dream Theater’s classic rock medley, and after a brief intermission, Led Zeppelin’s “Moby Dick,” showcasing Bill’s pounding drum solo display. Although intermittent rain kept the small “End Of Summer Jam” crowd at bay for much of their performance, Red Eye still received some enthusiastic responses from the crowd, and their maiden voyage onstage was a successful one.
Red Eye, making their maiden voyage performance at “End Of Summer Jam.”
Bill Hocherl of Red Eye.
Tracy Felton of Red Eye.
Ed Somerville of Red Eye.
Paul Miller of Red Eye.
Once again, Red Eye, making their debut at “End Of Summer Jam.”
Into his drum solo during “Moby Dick,” Bill Hocherl of Red Eye.
Again, Bill Hocherl.
More percussive fireworks with Bill Hocherl.
Once again, Paul Miller of Red Eye.
One more time, Red Eye.
Little did anyone know at this point that the next band of the day, Tie Down, would also be the final band of the day and weekend. Singer Scott Walk, guitarists Brett O’Donnell and Tim Eckenrode, bassist/keyboardist Craig Fitzpatrick and drummer Jason Grodis performed hard-rocking classics from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s; including numbers from Billy Idol, Neil Young, AC/DC, Grand Funk Railroad, John Mellencamp, Doors, Georgia Satellites, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Sabbath, Kiss and more. First set highlights along the way included renditions of Ace Frehley’s “New York Groove,” and the group’s musical chairs rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” with the group’s manager, Brenda Smithbower, going behind the drum kit, Jason singing lead, and Scott playing guitar. Tie Down was in good form; they were instrumentally tight, and their harmonies worked very well this afternoon.
The next scheduled band was to be show organizer Mickey Luckenbaugh’s band, The Knuckleheads. But knuckleheads that they were, the remaining band members besides Mickey no-showed. When it became apparent that this band was not going to be able to perform, Tie Down offered to cover the gap with another set until the next scheduled band, The Marauders, was to perform. Tie Down thus plugged back in and played on, this time rocking with songs from Lenny Kravitz, Poison, Motley Crue, Cheap Trick, Stone Temple Pilots, AC/DC, Robert Palmer, Black Crowes, more Kiss and Metallica.
Tie Down commences their performance at “End Of Summer Jam.”
Again, Tie Down.
Tim Eckenrode of Tie Down.
Craig Fitzpatrick of Tie Down.
Brett O’Donnell of Tie Down.
Once again, Tie Down.
Jason Grodis of Tie Down.
Yet again, Tie Down.
Scott Walk of Tie Down.
Again, Brett O’Donnell of Tie Down.
A musical chairs edition of Tie Down.
Keeping a good beat behind the Tie Down drum kit, the group’s manager, Brenda Smithbower.
Trying his hand on guitar, Scott Walk of Tie Down.
In between Tie Down’s sets, these youngsters get closer to the music onstage.
A lengthy intermission then ensued as the next scheduled band, The Marauders, weren’t supposed to begin for another 90 minutes. Along that time, a steady rain began to fall on the Cresson Sportsmen’s grounds; and many of the campers who had stayed overnight were beginning to tear down their gear, pack it in and hit the road. And as their scheduled start time approached, nobody from The Marauders’ camp was showing up to set up gear. I had noted that the group hadn’t advertised this show on their schedule; leading me to believe that another cross-up in communications signals was the culprit here.
It had been hoped that perhaps the final scheduled band of the weekend, Nitekast, might arrive early and be able to set up early and pick up the slack. But they weren’t supposed to go on until 10 PM, and it was only into the 6 PM hour. As the hour approached 7 PM, and with rain falling steadily, crowd diminishing to a scant few, and lightning being detected in the distance, the decision was reached between the sound crew and organizer Mickey to call it a weekend. Just as soundman Rick was going to call Nitekast to tell them not to worry about doing the show, the group’s motorcade showed up, and they were informed of the decision. They were good sports and took the news in good stride; and were assured that they will be given priority for playing at next year’s event.
This year’s “End Of Summer Jam” won’t go down as one of the smoother weekends in the event’s sixteen year history; sometimes the variables don’t cooperate, and that was the case this year. Except for Saturday evening and the early part of Sunday afternoon, communication glitches, inclement weather and band no-shows took their toll on this year’s benefit. In the end, at least a thousand dollars was raised over the course of the whole weekend to benefit Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
“End Of Summer Jam” has always had the reputation of being a laid-back, loosely-run, almost haphazard affair. Perhaps in terms of organizing this year’s bands and band schedule, it was a little too loosely run. I will be offering some suggestions to Mickey before next year’s event, so that hopefully things are improved for next year.
Hats off to the bands that performed or tried to perform at this year’s event, and next year should hopefully be better.
AGONY HILL @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 8/27/06
With “End of Summer Jam” ending prematurely, I headed down the hill in the rain, fog and lightning to Pellegrine’s, to wrap up my weekend taking in Corning, New York rockers Agony Hill.
Admittedly a little bit beat and worn out from the rest of the weekend, I spent most of this night back in the doorway area of Pelly’s taking in whatever DVD of the week Guv’nor Jesse had brought in to show (probably one of the Star Wars episodes). I did note Agony Hill doing numbers from Weezer, Good Charlotte, Cheap Trick, Rancid, Harvey Danger and others during the first two sets of the evening.
Eventually by the third set, I had gained enough second wind to make the walk out to the front band room to take in the nightcap set. Agony Hill launched the set with Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and proceeded to keep a mid-sized Pelly’s crowd happy with Green Day’s “American Idiot,” Good Charlotte’s “Little Things,” tunes from the Ramones, Clash, House Of Pain, Beastie Boys and more.
In all, it looked to be a good party, but I was too spent from the rest of the weekend to pay close attention. But based on what I saw, Agony Hill should likely be back at Pelly’s soon so I can catch more of their festivities next time.
Eric Bleiler of Agony Hill.
Again, Eric Bleiler of Agony Hill.
Richard Haberkern of Agony Hill.
Andy Krise of Agony Hill.
Again, Eric of Agony Hill.
Some ladies party down alongside Agony Hill bassman Joe Wakefield.
Again, Agony Hill, partying down Pellegrine’s.
JP’s HAIKU
End Of Summer Jam
Rain, no-shows end it early
Better luck next year
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