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WEEK/WEEKEND RECAP 3/1/04
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Jim Price
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Joined: 07 Dec 2002
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Location: Altoona, PA

 Post Posted: Tuesday Apr 13, 2004 
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WEEK/WEEKEND RECAP 3/1/04

RONNY D., ADAM D. & BIG JIM @ BELMAR HOTEL, ALTOONA 2/24/04

After discovering Altoona’s newest Tuesday night live music party the previous week, I was back at the Hotel Belmar to check in with Ron Dalansky and Adam D, and whatever musical guests that showed up to help out.

As I arrived, procured a Yeungling Black & Tan and an order of the Belmar’s delicious Cajun wings, I discovered that a third musician was indeed assisting the duo this night, Stillframe/former Outta Control/Banditos guitarist “Big Jim” Ricotta, who was onstage and contributing additional guitar. As the night progressed, Ron and Adam marveled at “Big Jim’s” apparently large song arsenal, as Jim seemed to know nearly any and every song the pair wanted to do. All three musicians platooned on and off the stage through the evening, making for a nonstop evening of music throughout the night.

The whole evening was relaxed and lighthearted, and contained its fair share of highlights. “Big Jim” knew his Who, and partnered with Adam on “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and “Pinball Wizard;” and with Ron on “Behind Blue Eyes.” “Big Jim” also knew his Gordon Lightfoot, at least “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald;” and complemented Ron’s vox on this song for another highlight. Other highlights included Guns’n’Roses’ “Patience,” with Adam giving the song several different endings, including a polka take; also a version of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” with guest gang-shout backing vocals provided by members of the Sweet Adelines in the next room (I think they were actually singing “Sweet Adelines”); Adam’s unique lounge lizard treatment of Bush’s “Comedown;” and the trio’s treatment of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird,” with Ron on vocals.

As with the previous Tuesday, this was a fun night as well, as the three musicians kicked back, jammed together casually, and continued to discover what they could collectively perform together. The mood was infectious, and the Belmar observers seemed to enjoy the constant music throughout the evening.

The Belmar appeared a little busier this night than the Tuesday before; hopefully more people are learning about live music here on Tuesday nights, and this trend will continue.

Ron Dalansky and Adam D entertain the Belmar.

And then there were three – Big Jim, Ronny D and Adam D.

Adam D.

FELIX & THE HURRICANES @ PETER C’S, ALTOONA 2/26/04

Time for some more Thursday Hurricaning, brought to you by the ever-trusty trio of Felix, Jeff and Bob.

I arrived during the second course of the ‘Canes’ musical meal, as the group served up plate after plate of hot Southern, classic rock, blues and originals. Attendance was small in the early going after my arrival, but this did not thwart the Hurricanes in their endeavor to generate excitement on Peter C’s stage. The vibe was slower and more laid back; but still exciting as the Hurricanes played inspired versions of “Statesboro Blues,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Ballad of Curtis Lowe” and “Simple Man,” their ode to the area’s Sunday night local music radio showcase “Backyard Rocker Rocks,” and a Latin-flavored take on “All Along the Watchtower.” More people arrived during the course of the Hurricanes’ set, and the dance floor saw its first action of the night during the group’s R&B-flavored original “Walking A Straight Line.” The Hurricanes introduced a new original song during this set, “Cut That Line.”

As expected, the Hurricanes were again on their game this night. All three players dazzled; Felix’s guitar, Jeff’s bass and Bob’s drums each pushing each other to higher levels. Each Hurricane’s talents shined at various points throughout the set; I found my attention shifting from one to the other as the instrumental emphasis itself shifted.

The audience had grown to a respectable mid size as the Hurricanes commenced their nightcap set. After the uptempo original “Icy You” reconvened the action, the trio broke out a song I had not heard them do before, Al Green’s “Take Me to the River.” The group then honored an audience request for “Train Train,” and turned it into a Blackfoot double-shot by then doing “Highway Song.” Bassist Jeff then sang lead on Iron Butterfly’s “Innagaddadavida,” and the Hurricanes introduced another new addition to their song arsenal, Ides of March’s 1969 chestnut “Vehicle,” with Felix singing the lead. With the clock nearing 2 AM, the Hurricanes then gave the Peter C’s audience one last opportunity to cut the rug, stepping up the tempo with John Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses” before closing the night with their soaring original “The Feeling.”

Felix & the Hurricanes have reached that level of excellence and proficiency where even an “average” or “routine” night is a damn good one! There were no special guests onstage this night, and attendance was slightly off, with Peter C’s never getting more than half full. But the Hurricanes’ fireworks were still impressive; their playing tight, energetic and clockwork; and their vocals again fiery and inspired. This group’s talents and continuous enthusiasm guaranteed that even on a relatively routine and uneventful night like this, the Hurricanes’ performance was a strong one, and justified my decision to stop off at Peter C’s to check it out.

Felix & the Hurricanes in action at Peter C’s.

Lead Hurricane Felix Kos.

Jeff Clapper of the Hurricanes.

Again, Felix & the Hurricanes bringing the rock to Peter C’s.

Some ladies adorn the stagefront floor near the end of the Hurricanes’ party.

THE RUDYS/WISKERBISKET @ PETER C’S, ALTOONA 2/27/04

It was a cold and rainy Friday night; and I didn’t get much sleep the night before; making conditions for my venturing out of town this night not especially favorable. I thus decided to stay in the ‘Toona for my bandwatching. But mostly everyone onstage this night I had seen and written about recently. Where do I go? I drove around the wet streets of this fair city, pondering this query. I remembered that one band I hadn’t yet seen, The Rudys, were opening for Lewistown’s Wiskerbisket at Peter C’s. So I settled on Peter C’s, to see what wildness might transpire from camp Wiskerbisket this night.

I arrived shortly after 10:30, eager to discover what the Rudys had to offer. Unfortunately, the Rudys had taken the stage at 10, and I got to see all of half of the group’s last song, a punkish original, before the Bellwood foursome exited the stage to make way for Wiskerbisket. The half-song sounded satisfactory, but wasn’t nearly enough for me to get any type of accurate idea what the Rudys were about. Another night, perhaps.

Alas, I stuck around to see what craziness this latest Wiskerbisket adventure would bring. I ran into a friend, Mike, who told me he had decided to see Wiskerbisket this night based solely on a write-up of the group I recently did in Pennsylvania Musician. Mike was putting Wiskerbisket to the test, and in the process, my credibility was on the line. The pressure was on!

After a slightly lengthy transition intermission between the two bands, Wiskerbisket was ready to go. The band kicked off with an original tune, the high-powered “Killer.” Singer/guitarists Doug Snook (in full fishnets this night), John Everly, bassist Troy Neff and drummer Harry Bleyer then proceeded with their over-the-top, feverish kitchen sink mix of modern rock, classics, country and redneck favorites and more. Jimmy Eats World’s “The Middle,” Blur’s “Song 2,” Devo’s “Whip It,” Steve Earle’s “Good ‘Ol Boys,” and Men At Work’s “Down Under” set the stage for the night, as Wiskerbisket geared up and let their party fly full-throttle. The band tossed in some humorous banter along the way, ribbing each other and attempting to fire up the Peter C’s crowd. The group continued to go for broke on favorites from The Clash, Violent Femmes, Chuck Berry, Van Morrison, Puddle of Mudd and more. Later highlights in this set included Wiskerbisket’s improvised fourth verse during the Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right (to Party);” a “s**tkickin’” version of Alabama’s “Mountain Music,” the group’s Motorhead-like original “6 Finger Flip” and their high-speed treatment of Dion’s “Runaround Sue” to end the set.

Since Mike had to get up early the next morning, he departed Peter C’s after Wiskerbisket’s first set. But he gave the band a definite thumbs up, citing that they were just as exciting and insane as I described in Pennsylvania Musician. Wiskerbisket had won a new fan; I heaved a sigh of relief, happy to have assisted with expanding the band’s fan base, and glad to retain my credibility.

Wiskerbisket soon reconvened onstage with their nightcap set of the irreverent and the unpredictable. A Blink 182 song triggered the action, followed by Wiskerbisket’s fast-firing rendition of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me.” The group gave John Denver’s “Take Me Home Country Roads” a fast and wild ride; the set continued with more feverish favorites from Don Henley/The Ataris, Greg Kihn Band, the Ramones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Seger, Billy Joel, Lit, Kinks and more. Highlights along the way during this set included high-powered versions of Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues,” Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock’n’Roll,” and Tennessee’s national anthem “Rocky Top;” plus two songs from their just-released 4-song EP; the original rocker “Skank” and their version of LaBouche’s “Be My Lover.”

Besides the aforementioned Mike, a few more folks had come to Peter C’s to experience Wiskerbisket this night, and a respectable midsized crowd was on hand to take in their chicanery – an improvement over the group’s previous visit. In all, it was a good night that further broadened Wiskerbisket’s local fan base and foothold, and initiated more new fans to the group’s riotous brand of high-velocity rock’n’roll fun.

Wiskerbisket, in the early stages of their chicanery at Peter C’s.

John Everly of Wiskerbisket.

Harry Bleyer of Wiskerbisket.

Again, Wiskerbisket brings the party to Peter C’s.

Doug Snook of Wiskerbisket.

Troy Neff of Wiskerbisket.

Again, John Everly of Wiskerbisket.

ZUPE @ BELMAR HOTEL, ALTOONA 2/28/04

I had been long overdue to pay area solo performer Zupe a visit. So I decided to kick off this Saturday by heading to the Hotel Belmar to get caught up with Zupe and his on- and off-stage happenings.

First, the off-stage happenings…Zupe has again hit paydirt in composing music for television, as Fox Television accepted two more of his compositions for use in the series The Simple Life with Paris Hilton. This follows Zupe’s prior success landing compositions in the Fox comedy Malcolm In The Middle. In addition, Zupe also inked a six-song publishing deal with DSM Producers in New York City; this deal includes worldwide distribution through Warner Brothers. With most area bands and artists trying to succeed as performing entities, Zupe again proves with these latest successes that there are other opportunities available for musicians to score in the entertainment industry.

To this night’s performance…As I arrived at the Belmar and procured a table directly in front of Zupe and his electronic/keyboard array, Zupe was playing a version of Steely Dan’s “Josie,” requested by Jerry the doorman. Zupe then finished this particular set by shifting into jazz mode, tinkling the ivories on Vince Guaraldi’s “Charlie Brown Theme.”

Zupe touched base with me and proceeded to meet and greet the Belmar audience during intermission, and I ordered up some food on the Belmar menu. Having made several visits to the Belmar for live music in recent days, I was quickly discovering that the Belmar has some of the best bar food in the Altoona area.

Zupe soon returned to his gear and launched his second set with the Police’s “Roxanne.” Zupe continued to mix a variety of classic rock, current and recent hits, oldies, jazz and other favorites, demonstrating the knack of being able to shift the mood and vibe of his presentation with just the push of some buttons or keys on his electronic array. Zupe gearshifted from Police to Eagles to a Latin flavor on Santana’s “Smooth,” to vintage pop on the Monkees’ “I’m A Believer,” to a requested big band era song, Glenn Miller’s “In The Mood.” Following the Beatles’ “Let It Be,” Zupe turned the mood tropical for Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” and Buster Poindexter’s “Hot! Hot! Hot!;” and kept the mood festive and upbeat for the B-52’s “Love Shack.” The atmosphere shifted slow and mellow for the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody,” before Zupe honored another Steely Dan request, “My Old School,” for Jerry the doorman. Zupe then closed the set with the Elton John double-shot of “Bennie and the Jets” and “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.”

Thus far, this was a bright performance. Zupe maintained a friendly and cordial persona, addressing various tables at the Belmar. He kept a tight pace on the music, almost seamlessly moving between songs and styles. He worked his keyboards and cyber instrumentation like a wizard, and reached for his trumpet to blast out some brass accompaniment along the way.

Zupe then resumed the music, commencing with Supertramp’s “Logical Song,” before shifting back into Latin mode for Santana’s “Oye Como Va.” Zupe then tapped the David Bowie catalog for “China Girl,” and waxed late 60’s on the Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin.’”

Alas, while technology can be a wonderful thing, it can occasionally have its drawbacks, as Zupe found out during his next song. Shortly into his version of Martha & the Vandella’s “Dancing In The Street,” Zupe’s cyber band staged a wildcat strike on him, and fell silent. Not only did Zupe’s main music computer crash, but it wiped out his main song arsenal as well. Fortunately, Zupe did have a back up system, but could only milk three songs out of it – performing Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music,” Steely Dan’s “Peg,” and Frank Sinatra’s “Lady Is a Tramp” to end the night, earlier than expected.

Technical difficulties notwithstanding, this was ultimately still a fun performance. And while the technology cooperated, Zupe delivered a bright and upbeat show that constantly varied from flavor to flavor, and never stayed in one place for too long. His programming flare made his cyber “band” sound full and detailed, complete with “guitar” leads, Latin-styled “percussion” and more. For a small room, intimate setting like the Belmar, this worked well; and the audience politely cheered Zupe’s efforts.

With Zupe’s rebellious computer deciding to end the night early, I departed the Belmar at this point to seek out another show and turn this Saturday night into a doubleheader.

Zupe entertains the Belmar Hotel.

Zupe on the trumpet.

Once again, Zupe entertains the Belmar.

SHIFT @ CITY LIMITS, ALTOONA 2/28/04

For me, the live music action this Saturday night shifted to City Limits for…Shift.

A good-sized crowd was partying it up with Shift as I arrived round about midnight. A number of revelers were on the dance floor and having fun. Shift was in the midst of Fountains Of Wayne’s hit “Stacy’s Mom,” as bartender Davey popped the top on my first foamy brew at the bar.

It was a happy-go-lucky, goofball rock’n’roll party. Circus ringleader and frontman Martin Lybek led the celebration by adorning a wide and wild assortment of headgear – hats, wigs, umbrellas and other assorted craziness. Behind Martin’s antics, new guitarist Toby Mercer, bassist Joe Pyzowski and drummer Phil Hopnick anchored the party with a rocking mix of classic and current favorites. Shift mixed it up well, performing songs from Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Cars, Violent Femmes, Steppenwolf, Joan Jett, Kid Rock, Good Charlotte and more. The stagefront crowd remained festive as Martin broke out his huge cowboy hat on Kid Rock’s “Cowboy” and Garth Brooks’ “Friends In Low Places.” An Eminem song brought the set to a close.

The nightcap set was even crazier; including more headgear and antics from Martin, and eventually, beach balls and silly string flying about the City Limits stagefront environs. Musically, Shift again mixed it up, keeping fans happy with tunes from Blur, Beastie Boys, The Knack, Cheap Trick, Devo, White Stripes, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Wild Cherry, Lit, Metallica and more. The group ended the set on a heavier note with Papa Roach’s “Last Resort” and Godsmack’s “Bad Religion.” Not wanting the party to end just yet, the City Limits stagefront crowd had Shift return for not just one, but two encores. Shift satisfied the revelers with versions of the Romantics’ “What I Like About You” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

Shift is further establishing their niche as a party band. Musically, Shift isn’t fancy; and you won’t experience mindboggling musicianship from them. But what this band may lack in detail and finesse, they more than make up for in enthusiasm, energy and fun. The group kept their show upbeat and moving, never pausing for long or staying in one place musically for too long. Besides his headgear, frontman Martin was a mobile performer who worked his way back and forth across the stagefront, singing to and establishing eye contact with revelers. He and Shift maintained a constant rapport with the audience, and kept things friendly and personable.

In all, a good night at City Limits; if Shift can continue to keep their party upbeat, fesh and fun; their stock should continue to grow on area stages.

Shift entertains the stagefront fans at City Limits.

Phil Hopnick of Shift.

The dancefloor action stays busy as Shift continues.

In a rare non-headgear moment, Martin Lybek of Shift.

Joe Pyzowski of Shift.

Again, Martin Lybek of Shift.

A bluehair in the house, Martin Lybek of Shift.

Martin Lybek and more Shift chicanery.

Again, Phil Hopnick of Shift.

GREEN EGGS @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 2/29/04

Pellegrine’s was once again the setting for the conclusion of my weekend, with Lancaster-based party juggernaut Green Eggs furnishing the tunes.

Workplace duties prevented me from arriving at Pelly’s until midway through Green Eggs’ second set. But upon my arrival, I found that in reliable fashion, singer/keyboard man Brian Nicarry, singer/bassist Brad Nicarry, singer/guitarist Steve Nelson and drummer Doug Black fused together their trademark uptempo party, mixing new and classic rock, dance grooves, hip hop, 80’s metal and more. Green Eggs’ musical menu this night ranged from Guns’n’Roses and Whitesnake to Prince, Nine Inch Nails, House Of Pain, Beastie Boys, Bon Jovi, Blur, Violent Femmes, Metallica and more. The group again seamlessly mixed it all together into bright, spirited grooves that kept the dance floor kicking. In essence, a typical Green Eggs party.

Well, almost. The cats were a-fighting this night. Two WWE diva wannabees attempted to scrap on the dance floor during the third set, but were quickly separated by Pellegrine’s stagefront security. The same two locked up again at night’s end, prompting their quick expulsion from Pelly’s to the peanut gallery cheers of “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!” (in response to Harry Jr. referring the catfighters as Jerry Springer Show guests) and an eventual cameo appearance from the Altoona Police Department uniforms.

Brad Nicarry of Green Eggs.

Green Eggs’ party ignites Pellegrine’s.

Brian Nicarry of Green Eggs.

Green Eggs continues to give the crowd a good time!

Again, Brad Nicarry of Green Eggs.

Again, more dance floor festivities with Green Eggs.
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