Jim Price
Moderator
Joined: 07 Dec 2002
Posts: 4817
Location: Altoona, PA
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 Posted: Sunday Jun 12, 2005 |
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WEEKEND RECAP 5/9/05
GIN & JUICE @ CITY LIMITS, ALTOONA 5/5/05
After spending most of this ‘Cinco de Mayo’ evening doing my monthly Pennsylvania Musician “paper boy” duties, I ended the evening at City Limits, checking in with the latest jam exploits of Gin & Juice.
Although not crowded, a number of the group’s fans and friends were there and checking out the proceedings. And since Gin & Juice have evolved into a jam-styled band in their first few weeks together, their growing fan base has included what could be termed modern-day “hippies” – dressed in their best tie-dyes, long hair, and grooving intensely by themselves in front of the stage.
The prevailing stereotype of hippies is that they’re peaceful creatures; all about peace, love, the Dead or Phish, good weed and the American way. But this night at City Limits, we would witness…the Hippies From Hell!
All was peaceful as I first arrived at City Limits. Guitarist/singer Travis Dunn, singer/guitarist Dustin Burley, drummer Kevin Siegel and special guest bassist Jamie “Deathmaster Funk” Smith from Beyond Reason were jamming out on renditions of Violent Femmes’ “Blister In the Sun” and Robert Palmer’s “Sneaking Sally Through the Alley.” As lady Rockpager Esa and I took in the onstage activities at our table vantage points, we noticed a commotion at the back of the room. Two of the “hippies” started heatedly jawing at each other, and a throwdown meltdown appeared imminent before some of their friends – and eventually City Limits main man Claudio – separated the two and calmed things down. Temporarily…
After the intermission, Gin & Juice returned to the stage with Jamie again on bass, and kicked off their nightcap set with “All Along the Watchtower.” This combination of players was sounding sharp, with both Dustin and Travis lighting it up on their guitars. Brian Pavlic then took over bass duties as Gin & Juice continued with two Phish numbers, “The Story of the Ghost” and “Sand.” The group continued to jam and improvise on Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer,” and were under way on another Phish number, “Roses Are Free,” when the ‘Hippies From Hell’ flared up again, this time engaging in a shoving match and near blows that ended the show. Claudio had seen enough for this night, and the house lights were brought up. One of the brawling hippies became especially belligerent, threatening his opponent and even Claudio; he then threatened to damage cars in the parking lot outside upon his extrication from the venue. Local law enforcement was called in to deal with him. Needless to say, a stupid way to end the night.
Gin & Juice had fun while it lasted. Woodstock had its Altamount; likewise, Gin & Juice’s usual jam bliss at City Limits had its taste of the dark side this night.
THE “?????” BENEFIT w/4 DAYS DIRTY/FAT VINNY & THE WISEGUYS/BEYOND REASON/THE NIGHTCRAWLERS @ PETER C’S, ALTOONA 5/6/05
The previous night at City Limits I experienced witnessing the “Hippies from Hell.” This night at Peter C’s, it was the “Benefit from Hell.” Well, almost.
Suffice it to say, this was one of the strangest nights I have encountered on the area music scene in a long time. The circumstances brought to my mind a benefit I attended years ago at Chaser’s in Tyrone, where the headlining band got into a brawl with each other during an intermission and the show ended early. But that night started out well and ended on a sour note; this night instead started out bad but ended on a positive note.
I won’t go into the details of what exactly happened early on, because it all happened before I arrived. But a benefit to help out an area musician’s deceased brother’s surviving family went awry when a disagreement between the musician and venue ownership resulted in an altercation, and a visit from local law enforcement. One of the law enforcement vehicles was outside the premises as I arrived; I first feared that the noise police were making their rounds again. Once I stepped inside, I heard bits and pieces of what occurred.
There were several bands and a number of Rockpagers and fans in the house; so like the chicken that lived for 18 months after its head was cut off (http://home.nycap.rr.com/useless/headless_chicken/), this benefit would live on, even if the original purpose for the evening went out the window.
I understand that Beyond Reason (who supplied a good amount of the equipment onstage) performed a set early on before the aforementioned incident. They would again perform later in the evening. 4 Days Dirty was onstage as I arrived. Their story would become a sidelight of the evening, as guitarist Joe Neary was playing his final show before heading off to serve active duty in Iraq. Joe, singer/guitarist Steve “Dig” Danfelt, bassist Paul Greiner and drummer Justin Fair drilled their set of heavy-geared modernish rock, fusing several medleys together as they showcased original assaults and select covers. These guys were dead on; their execution was tight and focused, and they delivered full-out energy and intensity! And since it was Joe’s final show for the next 18 months, he and band stuck around and celebrated for the duration of the evening.
4 Days Dirty rocks Peter C’s in the early stages of the benefit.
Next up was Fat Vinny & the Wiseguys. Group namesake, singer and guitarist Fat Vin, bassist Randy Ketner and drummer Jeff Van Clief mixed songs from their albums, with an emphasis on new material from the soon-to-be-released third album Tight Play such as “Bad Men On The Run,” “Barroom Floor” and their bluesy reworking of AC/DC’s “The Jack.” Previous Fat Vinny favorites also made an appearance, such as “There’s A Lot Of Blues Around” and the double-entendre “Vet Bill Blues,” which got the house laughing. Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Pride and Joy” brought the set to a close. Even though they were following a heavier-flavored band in 4 Days Dirty, Fat Vinny & the Wiseguys still drew a good response from the Peter C’s crowd, with Joe from 4 Days Dirty even whooping it up and grooving along in front of the stage.
Fat Vinny & the Wiseguys, laying down the blues at Peter C’s.
E.Vincent “Fat Vinny” Kelly of Fat Vinny & the Wiseguys.
The mood of the evening eased as the show progressed. The Peter C’s musician and audience populace still had no idea what this show would now benefit; but the bands would play on, and the show continued to come together. Soundman Scott Russell continued to work diligently to make sure things were sounding right.
Beyond Reason returned to the stage for another set. Singer/guitarist Dan Myers II, guitarist Tom “Urbs” Urbain, bassist Jamie Smith and drummer Chris Myers mixed rock’n’roll from the past four decades, including some early 60’s surf, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Gimme Three Steps,” the Jamie-fronted version of Gin Blossoms’ “Hey Jealousy,” Cracker’s “What The World Needs Now,” the Urbs-sung edition of Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” and Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See.” Beyond Reason triggered the first dance action of the evening, with several ladies taking to the dance floor (and several ladies back at the tables engaging in some interesting butt-smacking exchanges, hmmmm…). Beyond Reason continued to loosen up the vibe of the evening after its tense start, and the show was feeling more like a party.
Beyond Reason continues the rock and roll at Peter C’s.
Jamie “Deathmaster Funk” Smith of Beyond Reason.
Tom “Urbs” Urbain of Beyond Reason.
Once again, Beyond Reason.
After the night’s final changeover intermission, State College’s Nightcrawlers were set to make their first Peter C’s appearance. Singer/guitarist Noah Figlin, bassist Mike Leitzel (available to perform with the group this night; he’s exiting the group to pursue his studies in Europe), keyboardist/flutist Aeb Byrne and drummer Steve Arnold broke the ice with this new audience with flavorful renditions of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick In the Wall,” Dire Straits’ “Sultans Of Swing” and Men At Work’s “Down Under.” Celebrating the unveiling of their self-titled debut EP, The Nightcrawlers then performed the first “hit” from the disc, “African Echo.” The Peter C’s audience responded well to this tune, particularly Aeb Byrne’s flute solo near the end. Aeb then sang lead on Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobby McGee,” bringing more cheers from the house. The Nightcrawlers continued with several more original songs, including “Desert Sun” and “Lover’s Test” to end the night. The Nightcrawlers again dazzled and amazed with their blend of tasteful arrangements, instrumental skill and tunes that never stayed in one place for too long. Peter C’s loved it, and judging by the response, The Nightcrawlers clearly earned some new Altoona fans this night.
The Nightcrawlers, making their Peter C’s debut.
Noah Figlin of The Nightcrawlers.
Once again, The Nightcrawlers.
Steve Arnold of The Nightcrawlers.
Mike Leitzel of The Nightcrawlers.
Aeb Byrne of The Nightcrawlers.
The Nightcrawlers, charging the crowd at Peter C’s.
Also during The Nightcrawlers’ set, a final determination was made regarding where the proceeds from this derailed benefit show would go. Since two of the audience members were Ed Murvine and Cathy Berg of Get Closer To The Music, it was decided that the monies should go to this organization to help in Get Closer’s efforts to bring children and music together.
The events that began the night were unfortunate and regretful, but hats off to the bands, musicians, Scott the soundman and the fans for rising above the situation and making the show happen for a worthwhile purpose by night’s end. It was affirmation of that longtime show biz axiom “the show must go on,” and further testimony of how this area’s music scene can pull together in a pinch and turn bad to good. A very interesting night.
Here’s a crazy crew of individuals, pondering what the benefit is about…Steve Arnold of The Nightcrawlers, Rockpage Ron, and The Underground TV’s Kathy sandwiched between two unidentified gents.
At night’s end, Dan Myers II of Beyond Reason gives 4 Days Dirty’s Joe Neary a salute and a send-off before Joe heads off to Iraq the next day.
HI-TYDE @ GLENN’S PLACE, CLAYSBURG 5/7/05
I hadn’t seen Hi-Tyde since last year, and I hadn’t been to Glenn’s Place to see a band since last year. The two came together this night, so I was there!
I arrived early into Hi-Tyde’s second set. Singer Dale Nitti, guitarist/singer Rob Sottile, guitarist/keyboardist Ted Depto, bassist Mike “Webb” Weber and drummer Mike Davis were in the process of firing through Jet’s “Cold Hard Bitch.” The group introduced a new original called “Faultline,” a melody-based number with a driving riff. The group continued with favorites from Good Charlotte, Poison, Sublime, a hip-hop segment including House Of Pain, and Ugly Kid Joe’s “(I Hate) Everything About You” to close the set.
Hi-Tyde’s presentation was upbeat and fast-moving, as the group drilled song after song in their feverish quest to ignite Glenn’s dance floor. Dale handled the lion’s share of lead voice chores, with Rob fronting Hi-Tyde on some of the more hip-hop-geared material. Instrumentally the group was tight and solid, with the two Mike’s laying down the rhythmic foundation and Rob and Ted frequently lighting it up on their respective instruments.
To a dead crowd. Glenn’s Place had a decent mid-sized audience in the house, but they were unresponsive and only sparingly utilizing the dance floor. I soon realized that Hi-Tyde was battling some serious competition for the Claysburg audience’s attention this night – there was a NASCAR race on the big screen television. Next to Daytona and Talledega, Claysburg is probably the unofficial NASCAR capitol of the world, even though they don’t have a track!
Still, the show must go on, and the race couldn’t last forever, so Hi-Tyde tried once again to get the folks going during the third set. Green Day’s “American Idiot” and Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” resumed the party, and had the band members jumping up and down onstage. The group followed with tunes from Tom Petty, the Bangles, Good Charlotte, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and a disco medley that fused together Village People’s “YMCA;” KC & the Sunshine Band’s “That’s the Way I Like It,” “Get Down Tonight” and “Shake Your Booty; Kool & the Gang’s “Celebrate” and Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music.” The auto race had ended and the beer was finally kicking in, and Hi-Tyde was finally seeing some steady dance floor action. The group finished out the night in a harder-rocking vein, doing Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” Disturbed’s “Stupified” and Limp Bizkit’s “Breakstuff.”
It took a little while to get the crowd going, but Hi-Tyde eventually succeeded in pulling some folks out onto the dance floor and making a party of it. The group again executed like a high-octane party machine; had they not had to compete with NASCAR, they probably would have had this party chugging along at a more feverish clip sooner.
Hi-Tyde, partying down at Glenn’s Place.
Dale Nitti of Hi-Tyde.
Rob Sottile of Hi-Tyde.
Once again, Hi-Tyde, bringing the party to Claysburg.
From a different angle, Hi-Tyde.
Mike Weber and Ted Depto of Hi-Tyde.
Ted Depto and Dale Nitti of Hi-Tyde.
IN @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 5/8/05
Pellegrine’s was again the setting for the end of my weekend, with In doing the musical honors.
Having seen In a number of times in recent weeks, I wasn’t paying strong attention to the band this night, instead engaging in conversations and watching Star Trek Enterprise on Pelly’s wide screen TV by the door for much of the evening. But I was paying enough attention to know that In had a good party going on the dance floor, as they mixed current and classic favorites, a hip-hop medley and more. I managed to pull myself up to the stage for the last few songs, witnessing In doing versions of Velvet Revolver’s “Slither,” The Sweet’s “Ballroom Blitz,” and for the encore, Tool’s “Stinkfist.” All done with ample fire and enthusiasm, with Greg, Matt, Adam and Rob keeping the stagefront rowdies properly fired up.
Matt Day of In.
In, partying down at Pellegrine’s.
Greg Locke of In.
Rob Bonsell of In.
The ‘In’ crowd at Pellegrine’s, part one.
The ‘In’ crowd at Pellegrine’s, part two.
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