Jim Price
Moderator
Joined: 07 Dec 2002
Posts: 4817
Location: Altoona, PA
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 Posted: Friday Jan 16, 2004 |
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THANKSGIVING WEEKEND RECAP 12/1/03
SAUCE @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 11/26/03
Anybody who has worked in the live music industry long enough knows that the following statement is true: Sound can make or break a band or artist on area stages.
I frequently see this in practice during my bandwatching endeavors. I have seen shows happen where a band or artist might not be supremely talented, but their sound and light production is great, and they end up with a successful show that wins them some fans and a repeat booking. I’ve also seen my share of performers who were very talented, but whose sound production blew chunks, scaring the audience out the door and receiving a thumbs down from the club owner. The sound mix can make or break you.
This Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I had the opportunity to see both scenarios play out.
This Thanksgiving Eve, one of the biggest party nights of the year, presented a smorgasbord of live band options throughout the area to choose from. Having “been there” and “done that” with everything else going on in the Altoona area on this night, I decided to take another look at the newest name in town, Sauce, making their first appearance at Pellegrine’s.
It looked bleak in the early going, with only a small crowd on hand early to take in Sauce’s first set. Shooting the bull with cohorts and chowing down on pizza in the rear of Pelly’s near the entrance, I didn’t see Sauce’s first set but could hear them perform as they entertained four walls in the main band room. Even in the rear of the building, I could tell – their sound was bad! Observers who were in the main band room reported and confirmed to me that Sauce, apparently mixing themselves this night, were too loud during the first set. I could tell guitarist Jason Rubright’s vocals were overpowering; they were loud where I was sitting back by the door! I was expecting to see an exodus of whatever crowd there was out the door if things didn’t soon improve.
Fortunately for Sauce, two things happened. First, a steady influx of patrons made their way into Pelly’s during Sauce’s first intermission. (Word arrived that three blocks away, at the 4D’s Lounge, people were being turned away at the door because Velveeta already had the place packed to capacity; Pelly’s was likely catching part of that overflow crowd.) Second, Sauce got a handle on their sound; and had cleaned things up considerably for their latter two sets.
I eventually did make my way into the main band room to take a closer look at Sauce during the second and third sets. Their sound had improved, but their light show was minimal, and didn’t do much to help draw attention towards the stage. Only a few souls ventured towards the stage through the course of the night, and the dance floor never became busy.
But on the plus side, this band seemed to have things very together on the performance front. As was the case when I saw Sauce a few weeks before at the 4D’s Lounge, frontlady Marci Cressman was a confident performer, displaying a smooth, rangeful and bright singing voice, making eye contact with the stagefront fans that were present, and bringing the party. Guitarist Jason, bassist Scott Maulick and drummer Bryan Ross were a tight unit behind her; and Jason again flashed his fretboard skills at various points throughout the show, shaping the sound with his guitarwork and breaking out the solo fireworks where needed.
Songwise, Sauce’s second set largely eclipsed what I had witnessed at the 4D’s earlier; the Cranberries’ “Zombie,” James’ “Laid,” Sublime’s “What I Got,” Kim Wilde/The Muffs’ “Kids In America,” the Joan Jett/GoGo’s/Toni Basil mini-medley, and the set-closing version of Living Colour’s “Cult of Personality” with Jason’s fiery guitarwork.
Sauce’s third set was their strongest, as the group had tweaked their sound to a decent balance, and more beer-loosened Pelly’s patrons advanced towards the front to see what was going on. The group opened the set with two classics, the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and Billy Joel’s “You May Be Right.” They continued to mix it up between current favorites and select 70’s, 80’s and 90’s tunes; jumping between No Doubt’s “Spiderwebs,” Soul Coughing’s “Super Bon Bon,” The Cars’ “Just What I Needed,” Devo’s “Whip It,” Blink 182’s “Dammit,” Nena’s “99 Redballoons,” the evening-closing version of Blondie’s “One Way or Another” and more.
So what started out to be a potentially lackluster night at Pellegrine’s turned out being a decent one. Sauce overcame their early problems to win some new fans this night, and although most of it never advanced to the stagefront and dance floor, Pelly’s did end up having a good-sized Thanksgiving Eve crowd.
My verdict on Sauce after seeing them the second time: for the most part, a solid band. If they can get their production issues together early (and drop the System of a Down covers, they didn’t work for me this night, either), Sauce has the potential to develop into major players on this state’s stages.
Jason Rubright of Sauce.
Marci Cressman of Sauce.
Sauce, attempting to kickstart Thanksgiving weekend at Pellegrine’s.
Again, Marci Cressman of Sauce.
Scott Maulick of Sauce.
FELIX & THE HURRICANES’ “TURKEY NIGHT JAM” @ PETER C’S, ALTOONA 11/27/03
I followed with tradition this night, and hauled my turkey-stuffed butt over to Peter C’s for the annual Hurricanes Turkey Night Jam.
And why not? More often than not, this night is usually one of Felix & the Hurricanes’ most memorable shows of the year, as lots of friends and musicians turn out, prompting the Hurricanes to step it up a notch and put on a stellar show.
This year was no exception. I arrived as the Hurricanes were just into their second set; Felix, Jeff and Bob were heating things up with Southern rock favorites from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Stevie Ray Vaughan and ZZ Top. The group then broke out the bluesy original “Free” before shifting into Ted Nugent mode for “Cat Scratch Fever” and “Great White Buffalo.” The ‘Canes gearshifted into country for John Michael Montgomery’s “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident),” before storming their set home with the Outlaws’ “Green Grass & High Tides.”
The mood at Peter C’s was festive. Besides the expected Thanksgiving revelers in attendance to burn off turkey calories on the dance floor, The Iceman was in the house to celebrate his birthday, and the Tonkin brothers from The Grimm were on hand to partake in the festivities as well.
The party really came to life during the Hurricanes’ third set. After the Allman Brothers double-shot of “Back Where It All Began” and “Blue Skys” resumed the action, the Hurricanes took a Grimm turn, as Otto and Kent Tonkin from The Grimm joined Hurricane Bob onstage; first for the Otto-fronted version of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” and then the Kent-sung rendition of Golden Earring’s “Radar Love.” After versions of the Doors’ “Love Me Two Times,” Stray Cats’ “Rock This Town” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “That Smell,” birthday celebrant The Iceman took up position behind the ‘Canes’ drum kit to supply the beat on Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally.” This continued into a free-for-all blues/funk jam, with Banditos guitarist Phil Wagner joining The Iceman and ‘Canes onstage, and two festive ladies stepping onstage to strut their best moves before the Peter C’s audience. Unfortunately, the clock on the wall was drawing near closing time at this point, and the Hurricanes had time to fit in a short encore, electing to do an abbreviated version of Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” to cap the Turkey Night Jam.
Again, the Hurricanes’ Turkey Night Jam lived up to expectations, as the combination of Hurricanes, their onstage guests, and festive holiday revelers resulted in a happy-go-lucky blowout with musical fireworks and smiles a-plenty.
Those are some Grimm-looking Hurricanes! Otto and Kent of The Grimm take part in the Hurricanes’ Turkey Night Jam.
Hurricane Bob and Kent Tonkin of The Grimm.
Kirk “Otto” Tonkin of The Grimm, staffing the Hurricanes’ lead mic.
Felix Kos of the Hurricanes.
Hurricane Felix gives guest guitarist Phil Wagner a lift across the stage.
Phil Wagner of Banditos takes part in the Hurricanes’ Turkey Night Jam.
The Iceman cometh…Birthday celebrant The Iceman, celebrating behind the Hurricanes’ drum kit.
Two ladies join in on the fun onstage.
Girls just wanna have fun during the Hurricanes’ Turkey Night Jam.
The Iceman and Phil during the post-Jam celebration.
SOUND DRIVEN @ BECKY SHEETZ BUILDING, ALTOONA 11/28/03
Ever since the band members started attending college this fall, Altoona jam rockers Sound Driven have not had many opportunities to perform. With everybody back home for Thanksgiving weekend, it meant time to set up an all ages show at Altoona’s Becky Sheetz Recreation Building and jam!
I arrived as Sound Driven had just begun their final set of the night. A good-sized crowd had congregated at stagefront to partake in Sound Driven’s grooves, including a few parents and chaperones.
Sound Driven’s set was one continuous, nonstop free-jam. The jam started out with an Allman Brothers/Grateful Dead-styled groove, and evolved and developed from there. Guitarist/singer Brian Pavlic, guitarist Mark Sinisi, bassist Dan Condrin, keyboardist/singer Denny Karl and drummer Luke Leiden each had their moments to solo and contribute to the overall flavor and direction of the jam. Eventually, the jam diminished into a Luke Leiden drum solo, which soon evolved into a full-band percussion jam, with all five players matching rhythms on a selection of drums, toms, and other percussion. This soon progressed back into a full-fledged band jam that entered a homestretch towards its conclusion. All the while, the stagefront fans grooved and danced, with even the parents and chaperones getting swept up into the grooves and busing their own individualistic dance moves.
The audience, which included members of Electric Blue, was having too much fun at this point to allow Sound Driven to end things; so an encore was demanded. After the band members momentarily caught their breaths, they donned their respective instruments and ended the night with one more jam. The group did an original composition, I believe entitled “Mistaken,” and rode this song out into another heated jam exercise to finish out the night.
Sound Driven put on an exciting, fun display. All five members let the music do the driving; playing off one another, stretching, improvising and letting the jams take their own course. The group simply commenced an initial riff or passage, and let the freeform jam take on a life of its own. All five musicians challenged and pushed each other, riding the jam to its full pinnacle and climax.
It was a fun display, and given the members’ various school commitments, likely the last Sound Driven jam that fans in these parts may get to witness for a while. Sound Driven made it count.
Sound Driven kicks out the jam at the Becky Sheetz Building.
Denny Karl of Sound Driven.
Luke Leiden of Sound Driven.
XPENDABLE/NO LIMIT @ ALDO’S, ALTOONA 11/28/03
After Sound Driven’s all-ager wound down at the Becky Sheetz Building, I decided to head to Aldo’s in Juniata to sample No Limit and the slimmer and trimmer Xpendable.
Kicking off the night, Mifflintown newcomers No Limit were making their first-ever Altoona appearance. Singer Josh Rosenberry, guitarist Ben Nealman, bassist James Foltz and drummer Kyle Alexander overcame initial technical problems, and turned in a respectable performance on their mix of current rock favorites and original songs. No Limit performed songs from Lit, Puddle of Mudd, 3 Doors Down, Nirvana, Jimmy Eats World, Linkin Park, Godsmack, Chevelle and more. Highlights included a fiery version of Fight’s “Little Crazy” with ex-Choking Faith frontman Jason Mittan singing backing vocals, and the group’s original songs. No Limit played two original songs from their 4-song EP; “Recycle” and the positive message-geared “Unified;” both which were hard-edged, classic rock-rooted and melodic. The early technical interruptions seemed to disrupt their momentum early on, but the group regained that momentum as they progressed, and finished strong. Overall No Limit gave a solid effort, and established themselves as an up-and-coming band to keep an eye on.
I learned shortly after arriving at Aldo’s that Xpendable had slimmed to a trio, having parted ways with singer Matt Watson due to musical differences. Guitarist Lerch, bassist Jay Herbert and drummer Dan Kenmore were proceeding as a trio, with all three musicians splitting lead vocal duties. As it turned out, not a good thing. Deciding to move in a more old-school melodic metal direction, Xpendable performed two sets blending old-school metal with select current rock favorites. The group tackled songs from Judas Priest, Kiss, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Static X, Godsmack, Ugly Kid Joe and more. While instrumentally this band was still strong, it quickly became obvious that none of these three musicians were singers,.and Xpendable’s vocals were a trainwreck for most of the night. To their credit, the group gave it a decent effort; but they clearly missed that central vocal presence, particularly on material requiring vocal range such as the Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Kiss selections. Xpendable has stepped backwards since their initial charge out the gate last winter; here’s hoping they can locate a decent singer soon, so they can reverse course and start to rebuild the momentum they first generated when they surfaced last winter.
No Limit states their case onstage at Aldo’s.
Josh Rosenberry of No Limit.
Xpendable, now as a trio.
Dan Kenmore of Xpendable.
Jay Herbert of Xpendable.
SCREAM @ COUNTY LINE INN, MOUNT UNION 11/29/03
There were a lot of band options happening throughout the region on this Thanksgiving weekend Saturday night. I was in the mood for some old-school 80’s metal, and how better to experience this vein of rock than with Scream, performing before their hometown crowd at Mount Union’s County Line Inn.
It had been exactly a year to the day since I last caught a show at the County Line, and it was actually many of these same musicians in the reunited incarnations of their previous 80’s bands during last November’s Selina Brotemarkle Benefit Concert. While this night was not a benefit concert, the vibe was still festive, wild and crazy as I arrived shortly into Scream’s second set.
Mount Union was partying like it was 1989, and the insanity in front of the stage had already begun. As I advanced to the front of the stage, Scream frontman Jeff Hoover was soaking down a few willing female participants, who responded by “flashing their goods,” to the delight of the band, the male audience members, and the Rockpage and Scream website cameras! At this point, Jeff, guitarists Skip Henry and Ed Miller, bassist Robert Port and drummer Mike Dooley had just completed a version of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Goodbye to Romance,” and were escalating the tempo with Slaughter’s “Up All Night” and AC/DC’s “Live Wire.” After a brief 90’s break with The Offspring’s “Gone Away,” Scream ripped into Motley Crue’s “Wild Side,” before bringing a guest onstage to perform. Chucklehead frontman J. Michaels took over lead mic to belt out the voice on AC/DC’s “Have A Drink On Me,” nailing the Brian Johnson howl to a tee. Scream completed their second set with a Def Leppard double-shot, performing “Pour Some Sugar On Me” and “Love Bites,” the latter song giving the County Line revelers the opportunity to slow dance.
During the intermission, I chatted with several people I had not seen in a while, including former Spellbound bassist Ray Miller, in the house to catch the show.
Scream soon resumed the action with their final set of the night, kicking off with Golden Earring’s “Radar Love.” The group dipped into the early 90’s for Rhino Bucket’s “One Night Stand,” followed by Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again.” Scream accelerated the tempo with AC/DC’s “If You Want Blood, You Got It,” and dug into the back of the 80’s rack for Jetboy’s “Feel the Shake.” Scream then slowed it down for a classic I hadn’t yet ever seen them do, Aerosmith’s “Dream On.” The rest of the set was uptempo and rowdy, as Scream entered the homestretch of the night with Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” Poison’s “Nothin’ But a Good Time,” AC/DC’s “Touch Too Much,” Buckcherry’s “Lit Up,” and Nazareth’s “Hair of the Dog.” Jeff Hoover’s voice was starting to sound a bit ragged at this point, but the man still was enthusiastically moving about the stage and working the crowd. Mount Union was not done with Scream yet, and the stagefront masses began yelling in unison, “Hell no, we won’t go!” Scream delivered one more to close the night, Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train,” delivered with maximum sound, lights, and enough CO2 fog to asphyxiate the posers from the real headbangers in the house!
Judging by this crowd, there were lots of real headbangers in the house, as seemingly nobody left the stagefront area until Scream’s last chord had sounded. Mount Union likes to rock!
Scream delivered the goods with another strong performance. Mike Dooley’s and Robert Port’s rhythms were mean, lean and beefy; and Ed Miller and Skip Henry both sliced and diced on their guitar leads throughout the night. Jeff Hoover was still very much the onstage party animal, demonstrating good voice through most of the night and constantly working the crowd and keeping them interested in the show. Combined with the thunderous sound, blazing lights and fog, Scream brought the total 80’s rock experience to Mount Union once again. And again, Scream’s performance was passionate on all of these tunes, delivering this vein of rock like it was fresh out the gate in the 80’s. And as these guys were cutting their musical teeth on 80’s metal in such projects as Bashful, Defiance and Thin Ice, you could tell their hearts were into this music; and the passion was genuine, the real deal!
Scream made the hour roadtrip to Mount Union well worth it, delivering a rowdy, rocking party that kept the crowd happy all night.
Wet stagefront shenanigans during Scream’s metal blowout at the County Line Inn.
Jeff Hoover of Scream.
Ed Miller of Scream.
Mike Dooley of Scream.
Chucklehead frontman J. Michaels staffs Scream’s lead mic.
”Have a Drink on Me” – Chucklehead’s J. Michaels rallies the Mount Union masses during Scream’s performance.
Robert Port of Scream.
Scream puts pedal to the 80’s metal at the County Line Inn.
Skip Henry of Scream.
Again, Robert Port of Scream.
Again, Skip Henry of Scream.
Scream continues to rock the County Line Inn.
Jeff Hoover of Scream, with assistance from Chucklehead’s J. Michaels.
RHYMES WITH ORANGE @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 11/30/03
My Thanksgiving holiday weekend ended as it began, at Pellegrine’s. And as it had begun on Wednesday evening, sound issues were again a factor with Pelly’s band this night, Rhymes With Orange.
Due to “Backyard Rocker” duties, I didn’t arrive until the group had just started their final set of the evening; so I didn’t witness the early stages of their show. But I was informed that Rhymes With Orange’s hired sound production was horrendous as their show got underway, and that a number of early attendees had already made their exit. A mid-sized crowd remained, and the group had reportedly made some adjustments by the time I had arrived. But their sound still wasn’t good; the bass was barely audible, and the overall sound was tinny and hollow. If this was the improved sound, I can’t imagine how bad it must have been earlier! On top of that, Rhymes With Orange’s light show was minimal and barely adequate.
Memo to bands playing a new room or town for the first or second time: DON’T SKIMP ON PRODUCTION! First impressions are important, and if you cut corners on production and make a first impression that sounds and looks ‘Mickey Mouse’ and low budget, you’re likely not going to convince too many first-time viewers to want to pay cover to see you again.
In addition: Consider the room you are playing, and the caliber of bands that regularly play there! For example – Pellegrine’s crowds are used to seeing bands like Backstreet Law, Juiced, Green Eggs, Poptart Monkeys, and other bands that regularly bring top-notch sound and light production when they perform. Bands like these set the standard for what Pelly’s crowds expect to see onstage on a given night; bands that subsequently bring lackluster sound and light production to Pelly’s will ultimately pale in comparison and not measure up to that standard.
Unfortunately for Rhymes With Orange, lackluster sound and lights probably scared at least a portion of their potential fan base this night. Sad, because once you got past the production issues, Rhymes With Orange actually displayed some talent and put on a good high-energy show. The group mixed it up between current, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s favorites; never staying in one era for too long. As I arrived, Rhymes With Orange was jumping from The Outfield’s “Your Love” to White Zombie’s “Thunder Kiss ’65,” from heavy favorites like Drowning Pool’s “Bodies” and Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People” to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” and AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long.” The group also broke out tunes from the Ramones, House of Pain, James, Violent Femmes, Buckcherry, Beastie Boys and more.
Despite the lackluster sound, there were at least some people on Pelly’s dance floor enjoying the show. A few of the female fans were particularly frisky this set, one was doing some wild contortionist dance, bump and grind moves on the floor, while another made her way onto the stage and was putting on a show in front of Rhymes With Orange frontman Russ. Russ didn’t seem to mind this at all, but the stagehand who was running the lights stepped in and ushered the lady off the stage.
The band itself was solid; guitarist Jon, bassist Jim and drummer Blicko were a tight and steady unit that kept the party moving forward. Their energy and pacing were good, and they were able to establish a rhythm and stick to it. Singer Russ showed decent vocal range and lots of energy and enthusiasm, working the stagefront crowd and keeping them involved in the show.
To their credit, Rhymes With Orange’s strong performance and upbeat onstage personality ultimately won the night and kept what crowd that remained the whole night entertained. But had they taken their production issues a little more seriously heading in, the first set sound debacle likely would have been avoided, and this could have been a far better night for both band and venue.
Jim of Rhymes With Orange.
Blicko of Rhymes With Orange.
Russ of Rhymes With Orange.
Jon of Rhymes With Orange.
Again, Russ of Rhymes With Orange.
Again, Jon of Rhymes With Orange.
Once again, Blicko of Rhymes With Orange.
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