Jim Price
Moderator
Joined: 07 Dec 2002
Posts: 4817
Location: Altoona, PA
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 Posted: Thursday Apr 08, 2004 |
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WEEK/WEEKEND RECAP 2/23/04
RONNY D. & ADAM D. @ THE HOTEL BELMAR, ALTOONA 2/17/04
Sort of along the lines of the expression, “If you build it, they will come;” If you book live music on a Tuesday night, JP will come…
For the month of February at least, Altoona’s Hotel Belmar is featuring the duo of Half Tempted guitarist/singer Ron Dalansky and former Sidewalk Romeo/Jack Daddy keyboardist/singer Adam D. Snow squalls and iffy parking prevented me from catching this pair’s debut the previous Tuesday, but this night I was there to check it out.
As I entered the Belmar, I discovered a third performer onstage helping out, Flight 19 frontman Brian Thomas. In the midst of the Kinks’ “Lola,” the trio was clearly having fun, with Adam and Brian sharing lead vocal chores. Brian and Adam also handled lead voice on the next tune, Styx’s “Come Sail Away.” Ron then fronted the duo on the Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” Ron and Adam proceeded to perform classics from Pink Floyd, Aerosmith and Pearl Jam, before Brian returned to help the pair sing Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.” Minutes earlier, a contingent of ladies from the Altoona chapter of the Sweet Adelines arrived at the Belmar for some food and refreshments after their rehearsals. They ended up chiming in with the gang shouts at the end of “Another Brick…” Adam then sang lead on a version of Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer,” before Brian returned to the mic for Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music,” with the Sweet Adelines again chiming in with backing vocals from the next door room. Adam then performed half a version of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” (he chickened out of doing the operatic second half of the song, wimp!), before breaking out his unique lounge lizard keyboard take on Black Sabbath’s Paranoid.” Continuing in the comedic vein, Adam then did Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising” with his slightly altered “bathroom on the right” choruses. The Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” followed, before Adam closed the night with an episode of “Stump the Professor,” doing a lounge lizard take on the Cars “All Mixed Up” (I knew the band, was slightly off on the title; the pressure got to me).
This was a laid-back, good time; as Ron and Adam provided a nonstop evening of music. Both musicians would blend and alternate lead singing chores, with one taking a break while the other one sang. This also worked nicely as the emphasis shifted back and forth between guitar and keys, making for a balanced, varied presentation. The mood was friendly and laid-back, and the Belmar audience chimed in with applause and requests.
Based on what I saw this night, Ron and Adam have a good thing going Tuesdays at the Belmar; and this weekly appearance has the potential to grow into a long-term Tuesday live music event. I enjoyed my first encounter with this event; I’ll definitely be back for more.
And thanks to Brian Thomas of Flight 19 for hooking me up with the red-headed slut! (Before you perverts get too excited, that’s the name of a drink!)
Adam D.
THE DESPERADOES @ ASH STREET TAVERN, JOHNSTOWN 2/19/04
With mild temperatures and no precipitation in the forecast, I took advantage this night and roadtripped to the Johnstown side of the mountain, for a long-overdue visit with The Desperadoes.
When I last checked in with singer/guitarist Mark Middleton, bassist Mike “Soupy” Suppes and drummer Harold Knapenberger; their song arsenal was estimated at 700. Now it has expanded to…699. The group has gone “Mustang Sally”-free in the New Year, and has not performed the Wilson Pickett classic yet in 2004. Cold turkey. And although a few folks yelled out for it this night at the Ash Street Tavern, the Desperadoes held firm and did not do the song.
But pretty much anything else was fair game. As I entered the Ash Street Tavern during the second set, The Desperadoes were blasting out AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie,” with Mark providing both the rowdy polecat howl and sizzling guitarwork. Mark and the Desperadoes solicited requests from the mid-sized Ash Street crowd, before kicking into a slower, raunch-rocking take on Motley Crue’s “Looks That Kill.” Mark then flashed back to his late 80’s/early 90’s stint in national recording group Raging Slab, pulling out Slab’s “Get Off My Jollies;” before he and the Desperadoes finished up their set with the Van Halen take on Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman.”
Often, the Desperadoes’ show follows the direction of the audience’s requests. This night, the Ash Street Tavern audience was in a definite rocking mood; and the Desperadoes reflected that with the request that kicked off their next set, Rainbow’s “Man on a Silver Mountain.” In Desperadoes tradition, Mark admitted the group didn’t know the song, but were attempting it anyway; they pulled it off well. Mark’s guitar effects then led into a version of Pink Floyd’s “Breathe.” As Adam D attempted two nights earlier, Mark and the Desperadoes tried their best to ‘Stump the Professor,’ breaking out an early 70’s lost classic and seeing if I – or anybody else – could remember who originally did the song. Well, they don’t call me “The Professor” for my good looks (!) – as the Desperadoes finished the song “Freedom,” I yelled out the answer, Bread, leaving surprised looks on the Desperadoes’ faces. (Nice try, guys.) There was a birthday in the house this night, as veteran Johnstown area music fan and devout Desperadoes follower Rick Masur – dubbed “Mick Razor” by the band – celebrated his big day by staffing the lead mic on the Desperadoes’ version of Coney Hatch’s “Monkey Bars.” The group then broke out a hard-rocking take on the Mamas & Papas’ “California Dreamin,’” before shifting into Neil Young mode for “Cortez the Killer.” Mark caused jaws to hit the floor – mine included – with some incredible guitar shredding on this one. The trio then did The Who/Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues,” stretching it into a Who double-shot with “See Me Feel Me.” The group then completed the night with one more request, Tool’s “Sober.”
As expected, The Desperadoes did not disappoint. Mark, Soupy and Harold played for keeps in front of this modest-sized weekly Thursday Ash Street crowd. They executed like a well-oiled machine, tight and on target. Mark continues to be a fiery performer both on voice and guitar; singing his material with gusto and grit, and constantly stinging on the guitar. Soupy and Harold laid down solid, furious rhythms that underscored Mark’s displays well. These quarter-century veterans of western PA stages showed no signs of slowing down or mellowing out this night. The Desperadoes brought their “A” game again this night, and left the Ash Street music fans convincingly satisfied.
Speaking with Rick Masur after the show, I discovered Rick is a veteran area band watcher who remembers many of this region’s top bands of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Rick recalled roadtrips to Altoona to see bands like The Front and Slammer, and he even used to roadtrip two hours to Mount Union to see bands like Bashful and Defiance at the Hill Valley Hotel. It was great to run into somebody who’s as fanatical about local music as I am!
Mark Middleton of The Desperadoes.
Birthday celebrant Rick Masur (“Mick Razor”) fronts The Desperadoes.
Rick assists Mark with some stringbending.
Mark Middleton of The Desperadoes, doing his best Pete Townshend windmill.
The Desperadoes, rocking the Ash Street Tavern.
Again, Mark Middleton of The Desperadoes.
Once again, The Desperadoes.
NEGATIVE SPACE/FLIGHT 19 @ 4D’S LOUNGE, ALTOONA 2/20/04
A few nights earlier, while speaking with him at the Ron & Adam acoustic jam at the Hotel Belmar, Flight 19 frontman Brian Thomas informed me that Negative Space was coming to town to open up for Flight 19 this Friday night at the 4D’s Lounge. It had been a while since I last boarded the “Party Plane,” so I had already been considering seeing Flight 19 this night. Adding Negative Space to the bill cemented the deal for me – I was there!
I arrived shortly into Negative Space’s set, and was happy to see an already large crowd in the Dees to catch the openers. Negative Space was pulling all the stops to get the party started, mixing current and classic rocking favorites into a potent, energized set. Singer Josh Nice, guitarist Rick Lienhard and bassist Mark Reinmiller swapped lead vocal duties throughout the set, but still managed to keep things mostly nonstop with smooth transitions between singers and song material. Negative Space’s setlist of songs from Bryan Adams, Tom Petty, Don Henley/The Ataris, Trapt, Good Charlotte, Sublime, Violent Femmes, Guns’n’Roses, Van Morrison, KISS, Cheap Trick and more did the job of breaking the ice with the 4D’s crowd, and gradually drew more and more folks onto the Dees’ dance floor. The big highlight for me, though, was Negative Space’s uptempo rendering of Journey’s hit ballad “Faithfully,” which seemed to be the transition point where the pro-Flight 19 masses accepted this band and started populating the dance floor. By set’s end, Negative Space’s agitated energy and constant motion had won them a number of new fans – here’s hoping these folks remember the name, and come back to support Negative Space’s future Altoona visits.
After a relatively short transition intermission between bands, Flight 19 picked up the ball and ran with it; the “Party Plane” quickly achieving altitude and a packed dance floor with their uptempo mix of current and classic rock favorites. Highlights of the group’s first set included established Flight 19 favorites like Lenny Kravitz’s “Dig In,” Deadeye Dick’s “New Age Girl,” and the John McKelvey-fronted version of The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go.” Another highlight ended the set, as Flight 19 introduced a new original song, a rowdy crowd singalong called “Hands In The Air;” which based on this night appears destined to soon be a Flight 19 favorite.
The intermission found both Flight 19 and Negative Space mingling and befriending the 4D’s audience. It was cool to see that even though they drove over 3 hours to perform at the 4D’s this night, and had a 3 hour trek back home to Lancaster facing them, Negative Space was in no hurry to leave, and in fact stuck around the rest of the night to party with the Altoona crowd and support their new musician cohorts in Flight 19.
Flight 19 resumed their party with KISS’ “I Was Made for Loving You,” with Brian handling the primary lead vocals and guitarist Scott Imler chiming in with the high-flying Paul Stanley wail. Flight 19 quickly had the Dees’ dance floor packed again, and kept it filled with more uptempo, nonstop favorites. Highlights in this set included another tune fronted by guitarist John McKelvey, the Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated;” a 70’s funk/disco medley including the Commodores’ “Brickhouse, Ohio Players’ “Love Rollercoaster,” and the Gap Band’s “You Dropped a Bomb On Me;” another new original song and more. At night’s end, the jubilant 4D’s dancefloor crowd wanted more, and Flight 19 responded with the Scott Imler-fronted version of AC/DC’s “Shoot to Thrill.”
This turned out being an excellent party, as Flight 19 caught the party ball tossed to them by Negative Space and ran to paydirt with it. Both bands kept their respective parties heated and near nonstop, giving the Dees’ dance floor very few reasons to want to sit down. Both bands joined forces and pulled all the stops to give the Dees’ audience the maximum party this night, and the result was one of the early contenders for one of the best live music parties of 2004 thus far.
Rick Lienhard of Negative Space.
Negative Space kicks off the party at the 4D’s Lounge.
Mark Reinmiller of Negative Space.
Mark Reinmiller and Chris Stum of Negative Space.
Josh Nice of Negative Space.
Josh Nice and Mark Reinmiller of Negative Space.
Again, Chris Stum of Negative Space.
Justin Neighbour and Rick Lienhard of Negative Space.
Scott Imler of Flight 19.
Jim Phillips of Flight 19.
Brian Thomas of Flight 19.
Darrin Hand of Flight 19.
John McKelvey of Flight 19.
Again, Jim Phillips of Flight 19.
Again, Brian Thomas of Flight 19.
Again, Scott Imler of Flight 19.
Again, John McKelvey of Flight 19.
His “hands in the air,” Brian Thomas of Flight 19.
Once again, John McKelvey of Flight 19.
One more time, Brian Thomas of Flight 19.
The post-game party, with yours truly, Brian and Negative Space.
More post-game festivities…
SKELL @ ALDO’S, ALTOONA 2/21/04
It had been the better part of a year since Skell had paid a visit to Altoona. And since that last visit, Skell had changed lead singers, with Chris “Scooby” Dittman exiting the band’s ranks late last spring, and Pat “Bones” Bono replacing him. Given the lousy attendance Aldo’s had seen the two previous Saturdays, I for one was apprehensive about this night. Would Altoona show up to see Skell? How would they respond to the group’s new singer?
As I arrived during Skell’s first set, I was elated to see a good-sized crowd in Aldo’s this night. Obviously Altoona hadn’t forgotten about Skell, and a number of old-school Whiskey High fans were in the house to see what new man Bones, guitarist Mike Palone, bassist Michael Ekis and drummer Rich Palone were up to. After Skell completed a version of System of a Down’s “Sugar;” Bones saluted our nation’s armed forces putting their lives on the line in Iraq, and continued with the original tune “Unnecessary.” Bones and Skell saluted “Al-F#$&%king-Toona,” and finished their first set rowdily with “Get The F**k Up.”
Skell was clearly happy to see this type of response to their return visit, especially with a new singer. During the intermission, Skell mingled with the Aldo’s audience, touching base with old and new fans alike. Among the audience this night were members of Johnstown’s Rennis and Altoona’s By Any Means Necessary, in the house to show support to their fellow metal musicians.
In their second set, Skell continued to mix their own full-force metallic originals with modern metal favorites from Disturbed, Linkin Park, Static X, Korn, White Zombie and more. New frontman Bones was fierce and confident, proudly barking and howling out lead voice atop the leviathan wall of metallic sound generated by Mike Ekis and the brothers Palone. Skell introduced two new original songs created after Bones’ addition, “Head” and “Satisfy.” Other highlights of this set included a version of Coal Chamber’s “Big Truck,” with former Choking Faith frontman Jason Mittan barking out lead; and the set-ending Pantera double-shot of “Walk” and “Five Minutes Alone.”
The Aldo’s crowd remained in place, and it became apparent that the Altoona metal faithful were accepting new man Bones on lead mic – Skell even had female dance floor participants during this second set!
Soon, Skell resumed with more of their metallic mix, as they performed more heavy-duty originals alongside metal faves from Drowning Pool, Korn, Sevendust, Slayer and more. The group introduced another original song, and also did songs from last year’s self-titled CD such as “Ex,” “No Solution” and “Dope.” My favorite highlight of this set, though, was Skell venturing old-school with a torrid, merciless rendition of Iron Maiden’s “Number of the Beast;” with Bones demonstrating ample range along with his aggression.
Skell kicked ass and took names. This is still easily one of the heaviest, hardest-hitting bands in western PA. Mike Ekis and Rich Palone were rigid and aggressive in their mean, unrelenting rhythm barrages. Mike Palone could make his axe roar with monstrous, terse power chords; but also demonstrated frequently that he is still a shredder and technician whose guitarwork remains searing and precise. And new man Bones picked up where his predecessor left off, authoritatively working the Aldo’s metal faithful and barking and howling out his lyrics with power and confidence.
It was a successful return to the ‘Toona for Skell, as a good-sized crowd gave overwhelming approval to the new era of this Pittsburgh powerhouse. Hopefully Skell can capitalize on this success and build upon it, and reclaim the prominence on this town’s music scene that has eluded them in recent years.
Rich Palone of Skell.
Pat “Bones” Bono of Skell.
”Bones” addresses a stagefront legion of ladies.
Again, Rich Palone of Skell.
Mike Palone of Skell.
Michael Ekis of Skell.
You can tell this drummer means business! Rich Palone of Skell.
”Bones” and Skell, burning the oxides off Aldo’s innards.
Once again, “Bones” from Skell.
Again, Mike Palone of Skell.
Michael Ekis of Skell.
The two Mikes, Palone and Ekis, from Skell.
Once again, Pat “Bones” Bono of Skell.
One more time, Mike Palone from Skell.
One more time, “Bones” from Skell.
Post-game festivities – “Bones,” Rich and Mike Ekis from Skell with Chell and an accomplice.
BACKSTREET LAW @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 2/22/04
Sunday night “Backyard Rocker” duties gave me a late start, but I eventually did make it to Pellegrine’s well past midnight to let Backstreet Law slam the lid on my weekend.
A good party was well under way as I arrived shortly before Backstreet Law’s third set. The group kicked back into action with Cold’s “Stupid Girl;” and brought Pelly’s party and dance faithful back onto the dance floor with Drowning Pool’s “Bodies.” Medleys were the order of the day for this set, as Backstreet Law launched a party rock/funk medley, enveloping Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and their Madonna-from-Hell treatment of “Like A Virgin” inside Violent Femmes’ “Blister In the Sun.” The group then followed with a classic rocking medley that strung together ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man,” Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” and George Thorogood’s “Bad to the Bone.” The group then spotted frontman Goody and drummer Choke a break; bringing in a guest, John Mays, behind the kit, and letting bassman Jamie Morral snarl out his best Phil Anselmo voice on Pantera’s “Walk.” Threatening to go even heavier, Backstreet Law, with John still behind the drum kit, ended their set with that absolute monster of monsters, Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” – done with Backstreet Law’s unique heavy-handed touch midway through the song. The packed Pellegrine’s dance floor wasn’t ready to call it a night just yet, though, and not only were they demanding an encore, many were demanding a Backstreet Law original tune, “Party in the Parking Lot.” The group honored that request, giving Pelly’s the perfect song to wrap their weekend and send them to party in the parking lot as the clock struck 2 AM.
Arriving late, I didn’t get to hear any of Backstreet Law’s new original songs this night; but drummer Choke informed me that the group was very close to releasing a 3-song EP of new material, sponsored by Jagermeister. This EP would serve as a preview for the group’s next full-length album, coming out later this year.
As expected, given that it had been nearly two months since Backstreet Law’s last Pellegrine’s appearance, a large crowd attended and was soundly rocked. Backstreet Law sounded smooth and powerful, as they again successfully balanced their uptempo party and heavy metal flavors. Soundman Jeff Morral’s and light man John Mays’ production was again big and top-notch, giving Backstreet Law’s presentation a concert-caliber edge. Bottom line – good show.
Backstreet Law shares Pelly’s stage with some female company.
Jeremy Edge of Backstreet Law, demonstrating some beer bottle slide.
Jamie Morral of Backstreet Law.
Again, Jeremy Edge of Backstreet Law.
Choke of Backstreet Law.
Backstreet Law performs in a sea of ladies.
Once again, Jeremy Edge of Backstreet Law.
Special guest drummer John Mays.
Goody of Backstreet Law.
Again, Jamie Morral of Backstreet Law.
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