Jim Price
Moderator
Joined: 07 Dec 2002
Posts: 4817
Location: Altoona, PA
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 Posted: Wednesday Dec 15, 2004 |
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WEEKEND RECAP 10/11/04
VICIOUS CYCLE @ CITY LIMITS, ALTOONA 10/8/04
This night, I headed to City Limits to take my first look at Harrisburg’s Vicious Cycle, making their first visit to this venue. I had heard Vicious Cycle’s debut CD, Tools of the Revolution, and was curious to see what the group brought to the live stage.
Since it was an unknown, out-of-town band playing their first show at City Limits on a Friday night, I was expecting an empty house and chirping crickets when I arrived. But surprise, there was actually a decent-sized crowd present as I stepped inside; enough of a crowd that I had to take a seat in the rear of the room near soundman Zilly and his console.
Vicious Cycle – frontman Jack Lockard, bassist Mike Swartz, guitarist Mike Lockard and drummer Stopsign – launched the night’s proceedings with Godsmack’s “Bad Religion,” and continued to mix mostly current and 90’s rock with original tunes and a few curios along the way. As the group kicked into the Deftones’ “My Own Summer (Shove It),” it became apparent that Jack was a lively personality who not only ran the gamut from subdued reflections to maniacal full-vent rage; he was also not shy about bringing his game out onto the floor and into the audience. As Jack introduced one of the group’s original songs, a fans jumped onto City Limits’ dance floor and started doing some spasmodic dance moves. After System of a Down’s “Spiders,” Vicious Cycle did another of their own songs, “No Better Than Me,” and Nirvana’s “Rape Me.” As they performed George Michael/Limp Bizkit’s “Faith,” frontman Jack was again out and taking his performance to the crowd. The tempo escalated with the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop,” Blur’s “Song 2,” Green Day’s “Basket Kase” and a punk-fueled original song. Then a curious highlight, as Vicious Cycle offered an emo/angst-ridden read of the Doors’ “People Are Strange,” with Jack’s erratic moods taking this classic into some strange and dark places. The group then ended the first set with the Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right (to Party)” and The Offspring’s “Come Out and Play.”
So far, what I had witnessed from Vicious Cycle was good. The group obviously had energy and enthusiasm, with Jack and the two Mike’s taking their show to the crowd. Vicious Cycle maintained a loose, informal mood to their presentation, never taking themselves too seriously or letting the intensity of their song material get in the way of delivering a fun vibe to their audience. I detected a few slight instrumental tightness issues during the first set, but nothing that was fatal to the overall flow or vibe of Vicious Cycle’s performance.
Some of the audience – apparently there as part of some family gathering or occasion, judging by the diversity of their ages – left during the intermission; but a number of people still remained to see what Vicious Cycle had to offer during Round 2.
Vicious Cycle kicked off their second set with another original from their Tools of the Revolution disc, “Downtime.” The group then continued with hard-edged current and 90’s rock favorites for the remainder of the set; doing tunes from White Zombie, Green Day, Weezer, Lit, Jet, White Striped and more. During the group’s take on Soft Cell/Marilyn Nanson’s “Tainted Love,” singer Jack serenaded some ladies grooving over beside the main bar; and guitarist Mike sang lead on a version of Blink 182’s “All the Small Things.” In the set’s latter stages, Vicious Cycle took things in a heavier direction, performing renditions of Danzig’s “Mother,” Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” and Drowning Pool’s “Bodies” to close the set.
At this point – I must confess – I ran into a friend and former co-worker I hadn’t seen in ages (former Q94 “Rock Goddess,” Tabitha, making a rare public appearance), so I was chatting with her during Vicious Cycle’s third set, and not paying close attention to what was happening onstage. (It happens sometimes…) But I did hear the band continue with harder-edged current-geared rock, and they kept the remaining audience entertained for the duration of the evening.
But what I did see from Vicious Cycle received a thumbs up. This band manages to deliver a modern rock/metal wallop with an upbeat and fun presentation. They don’t take themselves too seriously, and set out to give the audience a good time. Here’s hoping more Altoona visits are in this band’s future; I’ll make a point of seeing this group again.
Mike Lockard of Vicious Cycle.
Vicious Cycle, taking their party to the audience at City Limits.
Again, Mike Lockard of Vicious Cycle.
Mike Swartz of Vicious Cycle.
Jack Lockard of Vicious Cycle, taking his presentation to the fans.
THE SECOND WINDS @ HARTSLOG DAY, ALEXANDRIA 10/9/04
And now, a little jazz for you folks…
In my ongoing world tour of autumn festivals around the region, I attended the Hartslog Day Festival in nearby Alexandria. Besides some decent grub and stuff to look at, Hartslog Day features live entertainment all day, usually including a band or two.
I arrived during the mid afternoon, and made it to the entertainment tent as the day’s final group was getting started. The group was The Second Winds, a jazz/blues group based out of the State College area. As I observed this group performing, I realized the significance of their name – all nine band members appeared to be senior citizens, catching their “second winds” by playing out in this band! And late in their performance, the group’s narrator, singer and spokesperson, Liz, introduced their drummer, Dan, who will soon turn 90! Besides Dan and Liz, the group also featured a three-piece horn section including tenor sax, trumpet and trombone players; a banjo player, an upright bass player and a keyboard player.
The Second Winds’ repertoire was, as listed on their banner, “more or less jazz,” with some blues and standards thrown in. They performed a Prohibition-era blues song called “Iceman;” also such selections as “Satan Takes a Holiday” (popularized by Tommy Dorsey & his Orchestra), “When the Saints Come Marching In,” “When You’re Smiling” (performed by Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway and Billie Holiday among others), “Sentimental Journey,” “Sing Sing Sing” and “Bye Bye Blackbird.”
This was a pleasant, relaxed performance. The Second Winds were doing this for fun and enjoyment, and you could tell by the constant smiles on their faces that they were happy to be out here in the autumn sun and making music together. The crowd was appreciative, and happily applauded the group after each song. Besides enjoying their musical talents, I was inspired by seeing these folks getting together and making music at this stage of their lives; particularly Dan, still keeping the beat just shy of 90 years young!
The Second Winds turned out to be a pleasant surprise discovery for me at this year’s Hartslog Day. Here’s hoping that these folks can continue to do what they do for a while to come. Hat’s off to them!
To quote a Jethro Tull song/album title, “Too old to rock and roll, too young to die”…The Second Winds, having fun in the sun during Alexandria’s Hartslog Day.
Nearing 90 and still tapping out the beats, Dan the drummer from The Second Winds.
LOST LEDNY @ THE WAREHOUSE, BEDFORD 10/9/04
After being open for several months, I finally had the opportunity to do the roadtrip to Bedford this Saturday night and check out The Warehouse; and in the process, catch my first look at Lost Ledny since this band returned to action early this year.
Things are very busy in Camp Ledny these days. Besides hooking up with the ever-popular Jagermeister, Lost Ledny also connected with the Zippo Hot Tour 2004, presented by Zippo Lighters. Lost Ledny was one of 62 semi-finalists selected out of over 1,000 local band entries, and they get to perform in “Battle of the Bands”-type events in October and November. People attending these shows vote on their favorite bands, and the winning band gets to perform a showcase for a major record label in New York City. As semi-finalists, Lost Ledny gets to perform at three of the Pittsburgh area’s most prestigious rooms – the Hard Rock Café at Station Square (they performed there the day after this gig, likely in front of a packed house following the Steelers-Browns football game – nice!), the 31st Street Pub and Nick’s Fat City. And during the course of the campaign, Lost Ledny is getting hooked up with various Zippo lighters, shirts and other swag – in addition to the stuff Jagermeister is providing them with. So if you’re into scoring freebies at shows, Lost Ledny is the hot ticket!
Jager and Zippo stuff was flowing freely as I arrived shortly before Lost Ledny’s second set. Lost Ledny and their management hooked me up with my first-ever “Jager Bomb” (good stuff), a Lost Ledny Jager T-shirt and a Zippo compilation CD, featuring Ledny’s “Disown” plus nine other songs from semi-finalist bands on the Zippo Hot Tour. Free stuff is good.
Soon Lost Ledny took the stage. Besides witnessing this band for the first time since their return to action early this year, this was also my first opportunity to see the group with new bassist Matt Rakar, replacing Ryan Long recently. Bassist Matt, singer Matt Cherry, guitarist Dave Hildebrand and drummer Joe Mulligan started their second set off slowly with Pearl Jam’s “Black,” and accelerated the party from there. During Ledny’s take on Bizkit’s take on George Michael’s “Faith,” frontman Matt was freely distributing Jagermeister to willing stagefront fans. The group proceeded with a Metallica medley, fusing together “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Enter Sandman” and “One,” with Matt providing more Jagermeister hospitality to the fans along the way. Korn’s “Blind” and a Limp Bizkit number provided more opportunities for the sharing of the Jager (I notice a theme here, obviously this band knows how to pimp their sponsors!); and the group stepped up the tempo with the unlikely fusion of House Of Pain’s “Jump Around” into Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.” Lost Ledny completed the set in uptempo rock fashion, with versions of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” and Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell.”
Jagermeister-related chicanery aside, I was impressed with what Lost Ledny was doing onstage. This was clearly a more concise, to the point and focused Ledny than I had seen before. Their instrumental execution was the tightest I have seen from them thus far, and frontman Matt has arrived as a full-out ringmaster who can lead the circus and the party! This current edition of Lost Ledny was confident, and delivered their tunes with enthusiasm and swagger. Definitely this band was back, and better!
Lost Ledny’s final set was a brief one, as the group found themselves up against the clock. But they rocked the house in the remaining minutes with versions of Godsmack’s “Keep Away,” Stone Temple Pilots’ “Dead and Bloated,” Rage’s “Killing in the Name” and appropriately – to end the night – their original angst rocker “Farewell.”
In all, a strong performance and a fun night from Lost Ledny. With all the sponsorships and promotions the group has been hooking up lately, hopefully they will continue to expand their fan base and profile, and proceed to take their game to new heights. This night showed me that Lost Ledny appears well on their way to achieving those objectives.
Lost Ledny, pimping rock and Jager at The Warehouse.
Joe Mulligan of Lost Ledny.
Matt Cherry of Lost Ledny.
The new guy, Matt Rakar of Lost Ledny.
Lost Ledny, celebrating rock and Jagermeister at The Warehouse.
Dave Hildebrand and Matt Cherry of Lost Ledny.
GREEN EGGS @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 10/10/04
In years past, as my birthday approached, I would often customarily start my “Scribefest” birthday decadence at Pellegrine’s. This year, I decided not to, and held off publicizing that my birthday was only 24 hours away. After observing the freakshow crowd at Pelly’s this night, I’m glad I held off. The circus was in town, and the freaks were in the house!
I had noted a good crowd present when I arrived, and as I usually do, I opted to stay in the front room by the door to shoot the breeze with my regular Sunday night cohorts, Schtiv the former City Limits doorman, and the Right Honorable Guv’nor Jesse. We got involved in watching the season premiere of Enterprise (the current Star Trek series, for non-Trekkies) on the big screen TV, and I started jotting down notes on Green Eggs as they commenced their third set in the main band room.
Unfortunately, I can’t accurately recap most of what Green Eggs played in that final set, because just minutes before I was ready to step into Pelly’s main band room, some pot-bellied drunk woman came up to our table, obnoxiously tore several sheets off my notepad (including the sheet I was taking my notes on), and proceeded to use them as her own personal snot rag! I stared in disbelief! What a freakin’ PIG! The ignorant sow then nonchalantly cavorted back towards the main band room, probably to consume more alcohol and exercise other forms of human waste product behavior.
Eventually, I recovered from my disgust and mental anguish enough to venture into Pelly’s band room to catch the remainder of Green Eggs’ final set; and witnessed as the band kept the party moving nonstop. In the show’s latter stages, Green Eggs kept Pelly’s dance floor busy with seamlessly-executed favorites from Vanilla Ice, Jackson 5 and Soft Cell, shifting into 80’s hair metal mode to finish the night with Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again” and Guns’n’Roses’ “Paradise City.”
As I said, it was a freak show at Pelly’s this night, and there seemed to be a larger volume of drunken women in the house than usual this night. At least a few of them got into shouting matches with members of the opposite sex while headed out the door for the night; and I witnessed the aforementioned noseblowing drunken sow storming out through the door, obviously pissed off about something (out of snot rags, perhaps?). (I would learn several days later that this slob got the permanent heave-ho from Pelly’s later this same week, apparently for getting into some other type of trouble when she was there afterward. Yes, there is justice in the world!)
Obnoxious hag notwithstanding, this was at least an interesting end to the weekend. Not a hall-of-fame party by Green Eggs’ standards, but it was definitely entertaining…
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