Jim Price
Moderator
Joined: 07 Dec 2002
Posts: 4817
Location: Altoona, PA
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 Posted: Friday Mar 12, 2004 |
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WEEKEND RECAP 2/9/04
NEOGUMBO @ PETER C’S, ALTOONA 2/6/04
As snowfall got in the way of my regularly-scheduled Thursday bandwatching exploits, my weekend commenced on Friday instead with the return of Neogumbo, reuniting onstage at Peter C’s.
It had been about 4-5 years since the lineup of singer/guitarist Paul Johnson, singer/keyboardist Chris Vipond, bassist Mike Stanley and drummer Billy Mort graced local stages. But judging by the mid-sized crowd of festive fans assembled and grooving to Neogumbo’s first set as I arrived, people hadn’t forgotten about Neogumbo during their time away.
As they had done during their earlier stint, Neogumbo filled the evening with classic-geared jams and medleys; blending rock, funk, blues, country, and even one cartoon theme into a flavorful gumbo of grooves. The group showed few signs of rust as they fired off songs from Creedence Clearwater Revival, Black Crowes, Georgia Satellites, Lynyrd Skynyrd and more. After reprising one of their original jams, Neogumbo answered audience requests for a song they were remembered most for doing, the “Scooby Doo” cartoon theme song. After performing the song, Paul even remarked, “The sad thing is, it’s the song we’re best known for…” Neogumbo then shifted into medley mode to finish their set, seamlessly stringing together Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” Bad Company’s “Feel Like Making Love,” Spin Doctors’ “Pocketful of Kryptonite” and Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride.”
Between sets, I got to speak with Paul and Billy. Paul told me Neogumbo had gotten back together to have fun. He said that unlike before, the group wasn’t trying to make a living out of playing out. This time, their plan is to surface every other month or so, getting together to have fun onstage and provide a good time for their friends and fans. Evidenced by the mid-sized crowd at Peter C’s this night, the group still has a number of fans and friends who haven’t forgotten about them.
Bill told me about his unique situation, performing with three different bands, each with a different flavor. Bill unleashes the beast behind the kit with Chapter 5, uncorking aggressive, heavy, hardcore punk rock. With Neogumbo, he could flex his skills on classic rock-geared styles. And Bill also provides the drumbeats behind new area modern rock collaboration Breakdown, the new band featuring former Korruption/Jack Daddy guitarist Ryan McCulley, former Pipe/Riot Act bassist/singer Dan Martino, and former Raghouse bassist Dan McCloskey. Bill said there would be no conflicts fulfilling his obligations for all three bands, because none of the three bands plays a heavy enough schedule to conflict with the others. So Bill is able to work his drum skills to a variety of styles through his work with all three bands.
Neogumbo’s nightcap set commenced with Dave Matthews’ “What Would You Say?” The groove then shifted into Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House,” before drifting into a rural country-flavored direction. The group then tapped into their original archive for a song, during which Paul introduced the rest of the band. The group then shifted funky, and kicked off one of their freewheeling medleys, which included Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music,” the EMF’s “Unbelievable,” Scorpions’ “Rock You Like a Hurricane” and Beastie Boys’ “No Sleep Til Brooklyn.” Neogumbo’s mix continued with John Mellencamp’s “Hurts So Good” and the blending of Romantics’ “What I Like About You” and Mellencamp’s “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.;” before the group closed on a slower note with Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight.” The celebrating Peter C’s audience quickly called for an encore, and after a minute or two, Neogumbo returned to their instruments to close out the night with a country-geared encore (I didn’t know the song title).
As they were in their previous run on area stages, Neogumbo played it loose and laid-back; establishing and maintaining their happy-go-lucky, upbeat grooves to keep the crowd moving. Neogumbo has always been strongest as a full team effort, and they executed as such this night. All four band members lived for the groove, contributing their part to keep the grooves flowing along smoothly. As they did before; Paul, Chris, Mike and Bill strung songs together into seamless medleys with relative ease, and nicely mixed various styles into a cohesive, flowing presentation.
Although they won’t be as commonplace on area stages as they were previously, Neogumbo is back in action. And this night served notice that their party is as crisp and fun as ever; and that their periodic appearances on area stages will be friendly, grooving occasions worth partaking in.
Chris Vipond and Paul Johnson of Neogumbo.
Back in action, Neogumbo.
Paul Johnson of Neogumbo.
Once again, Chris Vipond and Paul Johnson of Neogumbo.
Neogumbo’s grooves pack Peter C’s dance floor once again…
HYPHEMA/WAKE UP SCREAMING @ ALDO’S, ALTOONA 2/7/04
What ever happened to the Altoona metalheads?
Just one year ago, I was raving here on Rockpage about how Aldo’s was packed one Saturday night for a local metal band triple bill, featuring Broken Neck, Xpendable and Choking Faith. Now one year later, at least two of those three bands are history, and so apparently are the crowds that support metal in this town. Last Saturday, Elysion Fields, Suicide Switch and Num played to mostly crickets at Peter C’s; and this night, Wake Up Screaming and Hyphema played to a mostly sparsely-populated Aldo’s.
Granted, there were various factors that affected the low turnout this night. Elsewhere in the Altoona area, Vs. the Earth, Juiced and Hair Force One were all in action, and all three likely took some toll on Aldo’s attendance. Also likely a factor was the condition of Altoona area streets following the slushstorm the day before, as the city highway department did little plowing of side streets, and slush froze over into ice and made maneuvering difficult in many areas this night (which I discovered while attempting to deliver the new February Pennsylvania Musician magazines earlier in the evening). And perhaps too, the relative newness and unfamiliarity of the band names might have been a factor as well. But still, fans of live metal need to support it when it appears on area stages, or it goes away. And by the time this night was said and done, both bands proved themselves worthy of better attendance than what Aldo’s saw this night.
I was especially curious about openers Hyphema, making their first Aldo’s appearance this night. Based north of Wellsboro near the New York state border, Hyphema was just under way as I arrived. The group kicked into a version of Live’s “Secret Samadhi,” and proceeded to mix select current and 90’s rock with original tunes. Hyphema continued with a heavy-geared original, “Pill Form America,” followed by a version of A Perfect Circle’s “Judith.” The group then performed Chevelle’s “Send the Pain Below,” and the heavy Machine Head take on the Police’s “Message In A Bottle.” Hyphema then introduced another original song, “In So Many Ways,” which featured an interesting time signature and an Incubus-like flavor. Their set then concluded with a darker and more intense original song called “Eight,” highlighted by guitarist Mat Marsiglio’s creative use of effects.
I came away pretty impressed with this first look at Hyphema. The group was instrumentally tight and powerful, and singer Ryan Hoke demonstrated a strong, clear voice with decent range and grit. The group’s original material showed several methods of attack, as they flavored their brand of darkish modern metal with interesting tempo and chord shifts, guitarist Mat’s clever use of effects and more. Hyphema demonstrated that they have something unique to say in their developing brand of rock; it will be interesting to follow this band’s progress during future visits.
Although attendance was light this night, it was good to see members of two off-duty bands in the house and supporting their fellow musicians. Members of Traumatic and the Buzz Munkys were both on hand to take in the show.
Soon, Wake Up Screaming took the stage. The group progressed through their first set of heavy-hitting metal, playing songs by Tool, Static X, System of a Down, Black Sabbath, Godsmack, Alice In Chains and more. Shortly into their set, the group pulled out an original song, the Pantera-flavored “Retrospect.” But technical problems with the monitors caused several interruptions along the way, and prevented Wake Up Screaming from developing any lasting momentum during this set. The band visibly was not happy with the problems, and expressed some relief when their first set concluded, so they could further diagnose and work out the technical snafus.
The group was able to remedy the first set problems, and the nightcap set went much smoother. Wake Up Screaming opened with their Metallica medley, stringing together portions of “Whiplash,” “Seek and Destroy,” “Master Of Puppets,” “One” and more into a sharp, powerful display. The group generated a solid head of steam as they plowed through songs from Suicidal Tendencies, Rage Against the Machine, more Metallica, Tool, and powered down the night’s homestretch with Helmet’s “In The Meantime,” Rage Against the Machine’s “Freedom” and Pantera’s “Five Minutes Alone” to end the night. This set enabled Wake Up Screaming to do what they do best; the pacing was tighter, and the band was able to stay in high gear without interruptions to slow them down. Drummer Jim Bagrosky’s and bassist Adam Zimmer’s rhythms picked up in intensity as the set progressed; guitarist Rich Johnson’s leads sounded more focused, and singer Bryan Gisewhite was able to maintain his intensity level better than in the first set. And although not many people were on hand to bare witness; those who were cheered and applauded Wake Up Screaming’s efforts on what was not an ideal night.
Non-musical highlight of the night happened after the show, when Bryan – encouraged by several fans – showed his acrobatic talents by executing two impressive backflips in front of the Aldo’s stage.
I wonder if he can do that while he is singing…
Hyphema commences the action at Aldo’s.
Ryan Hoke of Hyphema.
Once again, Hyphema, in the heat of some heavy rock.
Bryan Gisewhite and Adam Zimmer of Wake Up Screaming.
Rich Johnson and Bryan Gisewhite of Wake Up Screaming.
Jim Bagrosky of Wake Up Screaming.
Once again, Rich Johnson of Wake Up Screaming.
Again, Jim Bagrosky of Wake Up Screaming.
Again, Bryan Gisewhite and Adam Zimmer of Wake Up Screaming.
HI-TYDE @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 2/8/04
Pellegrine’s again provided the setting for the conclusion of another weekend, with Hi-Tyde supplying the tunes. There was a little added buzz in the air this night, as several members of the Harlem Globetrotters – in the region for a performance – were in the house to take in the party.
I arrived well after midnight, and was only able to catch Hi-Tyde’s final set of the night. A mid-sized Pelly’s crowd was on hand to party down with Hi-Tyde’s uptempo mixture of current and classic rocking favorites. Pelly’s dance floor stayed fairly busy as the group fired off tunes from Def Leppard, Fountains of Wayne, Rick Springfield, some hip-hop, Cheap Trick, J. Geils Band, EMF, Van Morrison, Violent Femmes, Tommy Tutone, P.O.D., John Mellencamp, Pearl Jam, and Devo’s “Whip It” to cap the night.
Hi-Tyde kept the energy level high, as frontman Dale Nitti, guitarist Rob Sottile, guitarist/keyboardist Ted Depto, bassist Mike Weber and drummer Mike Davis maintained a tight pace and kept their show moving along. The group was instrumentally on target, and Dale did a satisfactory job supplying the voice and serving as field general for the party. On the down side, I thought Hi-Tyde’s sound mix was a bit murky and didn’t sound clean. The balance between the various components of their presentation was there, but the mix as a whole lacked the clarity it had during their previous visit; which I thought detracted from the group’s edge some this night.
Still, it was an adequate performance, and good enough to keep Pelly’s festive until the end of the night. Hi-Tyde again demonstrated they can generate a fun and upbeat party, and helped this Pelly’s crowd wring the last drops of fun out of another weekend.
Mike Weber of Hi-Tyde.
Hi-Tyde, bringing the party to Pellegrine’s.
Mike Weber and Ted Depto of Hi-Tyde.
Mike Davis of Hi-Tyde.
Rob Sottile of Hi-Tyde.
Ted Depto of Hi-Tyde.
Once again, Hi-Tyde, partying down at Pellegrine’s.
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