[Jim Price]

WEEK/WEEKEND RECAP 6/30/08

SHARK BITE @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 6/23/08

Another Monday night meant another anticipated appointment with chicken wings and the Adam and Jim Show, better known as Shark Bite, at Pellegrine’s.

As expected, the wings were fine, with lotsa sauce the way I like ‘em! And Shark Bite’s music and antics made for fitting entertainment for savoring the wing feast.

Adam D and “Big Jim” Ricotta entertained a good-sized, happy crowd with their varied assortment of classic and current rock and pop favorites, with a few curios and oddities thrown in along the way. The pair’s second set featured favorites from Guns N’Roses, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gin Blossoms, Jimi Hendrix, Puddle Of Mudd and more. Some of the interesting highlights and highjinks along the way included Big Jim singing lead on “Hey Joe,” a lady from the audience attempting to sing lead on a request for Tom Petty’s “American Girl,” and Adam’s interesting Ray Manzarek-styled keyboard work on Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild” to close the set.

Shark Bite’s nightcap set kicked off with a request for Radiohead’s “Creep,” and also featured its share of interesting moments. The pair did an edition of Dr. Hook’s “Cover of the (Pennsylvania Musician),” tunes from Motley Crue, the Beatles, Tool, Poison and more. Adam honored a request for Triumvirat (now, what weirdo would request that? ), showed his multi-tasking skills by singing, playing keys and percussion at the same time on Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music,” and delivered a wild and spacy midsection on Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.”

It again amounted to fun evening of wings and musical thrills and chills, the latter delivered with smiles and fun.

A dour-faced Big Jim – obviously “not gay” – looks on as two audience members sing during Shark Bite’s performance.

Adam D of Shark Bite demonstrates his multi-tasking talents, singing, playing keys and percussion at the same time.

THE B STREET BAND/SAL PARADISE @ RAILROADERS MEMORIAL MUSEUM, ALTOONA 6/25/08

This night, I headed to Altoona’s Railroaders Memorial Museum for the second installment of this summer’s Alive @ Five Summer Concert Series. On the bill this night was a New Jersey-based Bruce Springsteen tribute band, The B Street Band, with opening guests Sal Paradise.

I arrived late during Sal Paradise’s performance. An acoustic duo, Matt and Nick finished their set with four songs with a modern flavor, including their acoustic spin on Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun.”

Opening the show, Sal Paradise.

Again, Sal Paradise.

With the night blessed with nice summertime weather, a good-sized crowd was already gathering for this show in the early stages. And I noted a lot of middle-aged music fans were in the crowd; obviously there were some Springsteen fans on the Museum grounds.

The B Street Band soon took the stage for their first of three sets. Billed as the longest-running tribute act, this group forned in Asbury Park, New Jersey in 1980, and used to perform under the name Backstreets. The current cast features “Springsteen” himself, Glenn Stuart on lead vocals and guitar; along with keyboardist/singer Willie Forte (the only band member from Pennsylvania), lead guitarist Steve Baranian, bassist Steve Lopresto, Rich Taskowitz on sax and Joey Vitello on drums.

As expected, the B Street Band played plentiful Boss favorites over the course of their three sets, and tapped material from throughout Springsteen’s career, from early tunes to numbers from Bruce’s Magic album from last year. The hits and clear crowd favorites included “Hungry Heart,” “My Hometown” (which singer Glenn dedicated to “your hometown, Altoona”), “Dancing in the Dark,” “Born in the U.S.A.,” “Prove It All Night,” “Fire,” “Glory Days,” “I’m on Fire,” “Brilliant Disguise” and more. B Street also did Springsteen classics such as “Jungleland” (featuring an excellent sax solo from Rich), “Badlands,” “Out in the Street,” a request for “Jersey Girl,” “She’s the One,” “Spirit in the Night” and “Bobby Jean.” They broke out more recent fare as well, including “Radio Nowhere” (which kicked off their first set) and “Livin’ in the Future” off Magic. Glenn (“The Boss”) handled most of the singing duties; but occasionally deferred to guitarist Steve to sing lead on a few non-Springsteen numbers, including Roy Orbison’s “You Got It” and Tom Petty’s “American Girl.” Although the crowd had thinned some by the group’s third set, a contingent of Springsteen fans had congregated in front of the stage to cheer and dance along as the B Street Band reached their homestretch, finishing up this Boss party with “Bobby Jean,” “Rosalita” and – what else? – “Born to Run!” When the crowd erupted to demand an encore, the group quickly returned to do one more Springsteen standard, “Thunder Road,” to end the night.

Although I don’t consider myself a big Springsteen fan to begin with, I thought the B Street Band did a very good job in capturing the sound and style of The Boss and the E Street Band. Although Glenn depicted Springsteen, his voice stood out on its own merits, and he came across as a genuine singer and not a Springsteen mimic. He and the rest of the B Street Band were very strong instrumentally as well; and again, these guys didn’t try to out-dazzle their corresponding E-Street performers, their performances were reverent tributes to the original. Rich showed he could wail on sax quite well himself without aping Clarence Clemons’ style and flair, and keyboardist Willie and lead guitarist Steve demonstrated some good-sounding solo work along the way.

The B Street Band treated the show as a celebration of Bruce Springsteen’s body of work, as well as a celebration of people coming together to have a good time and enjoy music. This was an enjoyable concert, and the strong attendance indicates that Altoona has embraced the Alive @ Five Summer Concert Series as another special opportunity to enjoy food, drink, friends and music.

The B Street Band kicks off their first of three sets.

Again, the B Street Band.

Glenn Stuart, Steve Baranian and Rich Taskowitz of the B Street Band.

Sounding “Boss” this night, Glenn Stuart of the B Street Band.

Again, Glenn and Steve of the B Street Band.

Once again, the B Street Band.

Again, Glenn Stuart of the B Street Band.

Again, Rich Taskowitz of the B Street Band.

Yet again, the B Street Band.

Once again, Rich of the B Street Band.

Again, Glenn Stuart of the B Street Band.

Willie Forte of the B Street Band.

Once again, Glenn Stuart of the B Street Band.

Again, Glenn, Rich and Steve of the B Street Band.

More from the B Street Band.

Yet again, the B Street Band.

Again, Willie Forte of the B Street Band.

Rallying the audience to clap along, the B Street Band.

Audience members in front of the stage and having fun with the B Street Band.

One more time, the B Street Band and a happy crowd.

THE BIG DIRTY @ ZENO’S, STATE COLLEGE 6/26/08

My ongoing mission to seek out new bands and inform the world about them brought me to Zeno’s in State College this night, to explore a group that is playing there every other Thursday through the summer months, The Big Dirty.

I arrived during the intermission before the group’s third set, and a deejay was spinning a mixture of modern funk and hip-hop. As it turns out, this person was Erik Dressler, and he would be playing turntables with the band once they got started. Zeno’s wasn’t particularly busy, so I grabbed a brew and procured a table vantage point behind the sound console, being run this night by The Rustlanders’ Chris Rattie.

Soon the band was ready to go. The Big Dirty features Todd Troutman on guitar, Russ Nahodil on bass and vocals, Nick Merena on sax and vocals, and Mike Barata on drums and percussion. As their set unfolded, The Big Dirty mixed elements of funk, rock, soul and jazz into an eclectic and improvisational stew of sounds. Much of their set was original material, including numbers from their recently-released CD, Move! I didn’t catch many of the song titles of the original numbers except for “Slick Slacks” from the CD, which they performed towards the middle of the set. The Big Dirty also included a couple of select covers, including a feisty read of the Grateful Dead’s “Mr. Charlie” and, to close out the night, an instrumental jam rendition of the Motown classic “Just My Imagination.” Prior to that latter number, the group did a nearly 30-minute nonstop blues/funk jam!

The Big Dirty kept it interesting. Although they engaged in a few lengthy passages, these guys more resembled an improvisational funk/jazz group than a jam band. Russ and Mike laid down some punchy and funk-driven rhythms, serving as the launching pad for Todd and Nick to demonstrate some excellent solo work. Todd displayed a knack for effects, using various floor pedals to get a variety of interesting sounds out of his guitar. The clincher this night, though, was guest Erik on the turntables. This guy was amazing, showing excellent timing and control as he worked his turntables as an instrument; his handspeed and accuracy brought the right pitch and effect out of the turntable to fit what the rest of the band was doing. I had seen other turntable artists work alongside bands before, but this was definitely the best one I had seen so far!

It all amounted to an interesting presentation by The Big Dirty, and the Zeno’s audience paid attention and grooved along. The stagefront dance floor area even got busy during “Just My Imagination!” The Big Dirty left a good first impression on me, and I definitely wouldn’t mind catching these guys in action again sometime soon.

The Big Dirty, entertaining at Zeno’s.

Mike Barata and Russ Nahodil of The Big Dirty.

Todd Troutman of The Big Dirty.

Nick Merena of The Big Dirty.

Once again, The Big Dirty.

BLUE NUMBER NINE @ CURTIN MALL, ALTOONA 6/27/08

Two nights after catching my first Alive @ Five concert of this year’s Altoona summer season, I checked in with the Summer Sounds of Jazz concert series for the first time this year. Returning to perform this night was Jersey City, New Jersey’s most popular export to the Altoona area, Blue Number Nine.

The weather forecast hadn’t been promising this day, and storms were in the forecast. I was hoping that Blue Number Nine and this night’s concert wouldn’t see a repeat of last year, when a severe storm blew in, toppled tents and cut the night short. Fortunately, the biggest threat of stormy weather had passed through before late afternoon, and the concert would see good weather and a good turnout.

Burning a vacation day this day, I was able to arrive at Curtin Mall in enough time to find a good vantage point behind the sound tent to set up my folding chair, and go procure brew and grub. I was glad to discover that the food variety had expanded this year, with several more vendors’ stands set up on 11th Avenue (which was blocked off). I stuck with the old stand-by this night, going for the Clem’s ribs platter.

Blue Number Nine soon began their first of two sets. The group’s core remains lead singer, flute player and ringleader Stefanie Seskin, flanked by bassist Marco Accattatis and drummer Jack Gourdine II. B.D. Lenz was playing guitar this night, with Morgan Rose Fite and Paul Munoz singing backing vocals. And as they have done before, Blue Number Nine brought aboard a few hired local guns to help out this night, including Bellefonte’s John “JT Blues” Thompson on keys, and two young sax players, Rich Ebersole and Dan Lersch.

Through their show, Blue Number Nine mixed up original funk, pop, soul, rock and dance-geared numbers from throughout their discography, and showcased a few tunes from their brand new CD, Let’s Find a Way. Among the new songs performed this night were “Jerking My Chains,” “On Our Way to You,” “Sleepwalker,” “I Like the Way You Move” and more. The group played several familiar original song favorites that have become popular with the Altoona fans, including “Castles,” “Dig My Hands” and “Coming Back Human.” When the group finished their first set with the popular “Love the Beat,” Stefanie invited the youngest fans at the Curtin Mall to step up front and pick from a selection of percussion instruments and play along; several youngsters accepted the invitation, including one little guy who lined up several little drums and tambourines along the ground in drum kit style – it looked like a future Neal Peart was in the making! (Stefanie later informed me that the little drummer broke the heads on two of the little tambourines – a future rock drummer indeed!) Blue Number Nine also offered their own spicy spins on several hits; including Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” (which showcased the two guest sax players), a slow and funky read of Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move,” Stephen Stills’ “Love the One You’re With,” and a slow funk take on Stevie Wonder’s “Living in the City,” sung by Morgan. In the show’s homestretch, Stefanie, Morgan and Paul all shared lead vocal duties on a rendition of the B-52’s “Love Shack” which brought a multitude of folks of all ages forward to dance in front of the stage. Blue Number Nine kept them dancing with their last song of the night, the appropriately-titled, Miami Sound Machine-flavored “Dance Dance Dance.”

As expected, Blue Number Nine’s performance was again top notch. Their vocals were again excellent, with Stefanie and Morgan both displaying soulful styles and, along with Paul, bright harmonies. Their instrumental talents were great as well, with each member of the group given chances to shine. A jazz guitarist, B.D. Lenz showed some precision jazz-flavored solo work along the way. Marco and Jack locked into tight and funky grooves that drove the sound along, and Marco executed a stunning bass solo at one point. His second time performing with this group, John fit in comfortably and sounded like he had been playing with these folks for years; he also showed some excellent solo work along the way, and I liked his steel-drum-flavored keyboard sound during “Dance Dance Dance,” adding to the song’s tropical flavor.

Blue Number Nine was again a big hit with the Altoona audience, and their performance again resulted in a multitude of smiles throughout the Curtin Mall crowd. This band has built a special relationship with this part of the world, and this show only strengthened that relationship. Blue Number Nine returns to the region July 19 to play at Somerset’s Somerfest; I’m tempted to do the roadtrip to enjoy more of this band’s party!

Playing keys with Blue Number Nine this evening, Bellefonte’s John “JT Blues” Thompson.

B.D. Lenz of Blue Number Nine.

Marco Accattatis and Stefanie Seskin of Blue Number Nine.

Again, Marco and Stefanie of Blue Number Nine.

Singing backing vocals with Blue Number Nine, former State College resident Morgan Rose Fite.

Again, John “JT Blues” Thompson.

A large audience takes in Blue Number Nine’s performance.

Piping out a flute solo, Stefanie Seskin of Blue Number Nine.

Again, Stefanie of Blue Number Nine.

Once again, Stefanie Seskin of Blue Number Nine.

Some youngsters groove to Blue Number Nine.

Blue Number Nine, bringing the party to Curtin Plaza.

Blue Number Nine’s three singers: Stefanie Seskin, Morgan Rose Fite and Paul Munoz.

The guest saxophone section with Blue Number Nine this day, Rich Ebersole and Dan Lersch.

Two youngsters play percussion with Morgan and Blue Number Nine.

More fun with the young musicians and Blue Number Nine.

A future Neal Peart in the making?

Again, the youngsters dancing and having fun to the sounds of Blue Number Nine.

Again, guest sax players Rich Ebersole and Dan Lersch.

Dancing fun with some youngsters and Stefanie and Morgan of Blue Number Nine.

Again, Blue Number Nine.

SOUNDDRIVEN @ THE HITCHING POST, ALTOONA 6/27/08

After Blue Number Nine’s show concluded, I headed to the Hitching Post to catch one of the seemingly annual “farewell” performances by Altoona jam rockers Sound Driven.

Ever since the band members started attending school in different locations, the group has performed only sparingly, usually during summer and holiday breaks. But now, with members in school or pursuing careers, any one of these shows could actually be their farewell performance. And although the group billed this night as a possible farewell show, they left the door open on a chance it might happen again sometime. As Brian said, it was “our last show of all time until we do our next one…”

I arrived just before the start of their first set, and Sound Driven this night was a foursome. Brian Pavlic played guitar and sang, Dan Condrin was on bass, Denny Karl played keys and sang, and Luke Leiden played drums. For much of their first set, Sound Driven was joined by a special guest, as Luke’s uncle, Peter Wolf (Low Spark Trio) played conga. The group opened with a lengthy jam edition of Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London,” and followed with Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So.” The group proceeded to mix a variety of flavors, from classic and jam rock to reggae, pop, country, jazz and more. Other first set highlights included the Brian-fronted version of Pink Floyd’s “Us and Them,” and Denny singing on Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler” and an extended jam edition of Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets” to close the set.

The Hitching Post crowd had swollen to a packed house as Sound Driven’s first set progreesed. Obviously the time away didn’t hurt this band’s popularity, as many of their friends and fans were in the house to celebrate yet another reunion jam.

Brian told me during the break that this second set would be the “greatest hits” set, where the group would do many of the songs fans most remembered them for. The group followed through on that promise, opening with their take on a jazz instrumental (a song I’ve heard before, but do not know the title to) and stretching it into an improvisational jam. Dancers were quickly in front of the stage to move and celebrate along with the tunes. Sound Driven stretched out on energetic jam editions of Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer,” Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile,” the Grateful Dead’s “Casey Jones” and more; as well as their most popular original jam, “Antelopium.” When the jubilant Hitching Post crowd demanded an encore, Sound Driven responded with Lou Reed’s “Rock and Roll.”

Sound Driven had an opportunity to do some rehearsing before this night, so they sounded fairly tight. Denny, who I understand now performs regularly aboard a cruise ship, sounded sharp on both keys and voice. These guys clearly were having fun making music together again, and judging by the overall vibe from the stage, I get the feeling that we haven’t yet witnessed the last farewell show from Sound Driven.

The marquee outside the Hitching Post indicated that Sound Driven was there this night. I don’t know who “Rany Jackzon” is, but he was scheduled to be there on Saturday.

Sound Driven, entertaining fans at the Hitching Post.

Denny Karl of Sound Driven.

Luke Leiden of Sound Driven.

Once again, Sound Driven and a crowd of fans.

Luke Leiden and Denny Karl of Sound Driven.

Again, Sound Driven.

Brian Pavlic of Sound Driven.

Once again, Sound Driven.

Dan, Luke and Brian of Sound Driven.

Again, Brian Pavlic of Sound Driven.

Dan Condrin of Sound Driven.

One more time, Sound Driven.

SATURDAY 6/28

It’s rare that I don’t take in a band on a Saturday night. Although both Thunder In the Valley and The British Invasion’s first visit to 30 Something offered strong temptations, it was workplace duties and a friend’s annual backyard “Summer Drink-athon” party that won my attentions this night. This affirms that yes, JP does take a Saturday night off from live music once in a great while…

THUNDER IN THE VALLEY, JOHNSTOWN 6/29/08

I wanted to take in more of this year’s entertainment at Johnstown’s annual motorcycle rally, Thunder In The Valley, but workplace chores and other events didn’t allow me to get over the mountain until this Sunday afternoon, the final day of Thunder. But I did get to see at least a little bit of the bike action, a stunt show, a Budweiser Clydesdale horse (just one), and a couple of bands.

The Budweiser Clydesdales’ big rig.

One of the Clydesdales gets led to his ride.

Some of the many bikes lining the streets this day during Thunder In The Valley.

The first band I saw, local Celtic rockers Full Kilt, I only got to see one song from. They were wrapping up their performance on the Central Park gazebo stage as I arrived. A good crowd was on hand to witness and cheer on the group.

In the waning stages of their performance, Full Kilt.

Again, Full Kilt.

Chris Myers of Full Kilt.

Mike Zerbee of Full Kilt.

Mandy Passmore and Pat Boland of Full Kilt.

With Full Kilt’s show ended, I walked several blocks to the railroad station stage and area, where I would get my first look at Johnstown trio Inside Job. Featuring Eugene Sanders on guitar and vocals, Thaddeus Wolfe on bass and vocals, and Brandon Martinazzi on drums; Inside Job played a blend of classic rock, blues and soul. These guys did a good job, performing material from Sam & Dave, Willie Dixon, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Chuck Berry, Van Morrison, the Eagles, the Boxtops, Eric Clapton, Wilson Pickett, Marshall Tucker Band, Eric Clapton and more. Highlights of their performance included Thaddeus providing the growling lead voice on an interesting blues-rock read of Fastway’s “Say What You Will, and Eugene’s guitar fireworks during Jimi Hendrix’s “Red House.” All three of these guys were solid players; Eugene flashed some impressive guitar solo work alongside his soulful vocals, and Thaddeus and Brandon provided sturdy and punchy rhythms. Inside Job drew some fans to the front of the stage as their set progressed, and they received favorable response from the onlookers and passers-by.

Inside Job, bringing rock, rhythm and blues to Thunder In The Valley.

Eugene Sanders of Inside Job.

Thaddeus Wolfe of Inside Job.

Brandon Martinazzi of Inside Job.

Again, Inside Job.

Again, Brandon Martinazzi of Inside Job.

Again, Eugene Sanders of Inside Job.

Again, Thaddeus Wolfe of Inside Job.

Once again, Eugene Sanders of Inside Job.

One more time, Eugene of Inside Job.

It was Christmas at Thunder In The Valley, as Biker Claus arrived to greet youngsters.

While I was there, I also ran into and chatted with several musical friends while watching the band, including Jimmy Roach of Four Day Crawl (who played earlier), Ribbon Grass first couple David and Terri Single, and Ray “Onetooloud” Buksa. I also grabbed some tasty grub from the Pepper Shack (Why, when the weather is warm and humid like this day, do I always end up selecting the hottest-tasting food items?)…And a women’s motorcycle stunt-riding group, the Circus Una Motorcycle Stunt Riding Show, performed nearby. These two women did motorcycle high-wire acrobatics maneuvers and were pretty entertaining.

High wire biking stunts with Circus Una.

Again, Circus Una.

More acrobatics with Circus Una.

Once again, Circus Una.

One more time, Circus Una.

As Thunder In The Valley drew to a close and vendors were beginning to break down their wares, I decided to continue my Johnstown adventure in another part of town, and see what entertainment the Roxbury Bandshell was providing this day.

LOU STEIN & ALL THAT JAZZ @ ROXBURY BANDSHELL, JOHNSTOWN 6/29/08

A patriotic tribute was happening at the Roxbury Bandshell this day, including a performance from Lou Stein and All That Jazz. It had been a long time since I last saw this group in action (I think dating back to when Johnstown Folkfest was centered in Cambria City), so I stopped in to see what was up.

I was happy to see a large audience of people seated in front of the Bandshell and taking in the performance. Lou Stein and his band, along with guest singer Mark Jevecky, were performing Frank Sinatra’s “Lady Is a Tramp,” and followed it with a jazzy spin on “Danny Boy.” Mark then left the stage, and the group did a jazzy patriotic music salute, before ending their first of two sets with their jazzy instrumental spin on The Drifters’ “On Broadway.”

During the intermission, a volunteer from the Roxbury Bandshell Preservation Committee spoke to the audience, thanking them for their support and discussing some of the ongoing work happening at the Bandshell, including electrical wiring being done inside the structure. She also outlined some of the upcoming events happening at the Bandshell.

Soon Lou Stein and All That Jazz returned for their second set. Lou – whose resume includes stints with the Ice Capades and Ringling Brothers Circus, plus performing alongside Woody Herman, Lawrence Welk, Stan Kenton and the Dorsey Brothers – demonstrated his instrumental skills on clarinet, saxophone and congas during the course of the performance. His band included Jerry Melega on keys, and Chuck Kerrigan on drums. The musicians played a selection of jazz and pop standards, patriotic music, and even polkas along the way. Highlights included Lou’s clarinet display on the jazz standard “On the Sunny Side of the Street” (with Mark Jevecky again singing), their arrangement of Bobby Darin’s “Mack the Knife,” their coupling of the “Pennsylvania Polka” and “Beer Barrel Polka,” and Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” My favorite highlight, though, was their patriotic medley, where the group tied together a number of patriotic song standards, with Chuck’s dazzling drum solo work bridging the various pieces together.

I was very impressed by the quality musicianship exhibited by Lou Stein and All That Jazz. Each of these guys was a master on their respective instruments, and demonstrated abundant skill while making it all look so relaxed and easy! I also enjoyed the variety of song material they performed, as well as their arrangements of the material. Although these were mostly time-tested standards, Lou Stein and All That Jazz made them all sound fresh and invigorating. I also liked their creative jazzy arrangements on the patriotic numbers as well. The approval was unanimous, as the large Roxbury audience, spanning young people to senior citizens, applauded as the show progessed.

I had noted some dark clouds gathering on the horizon and making their approach to the Johnstown area during Lou Stein’s second set. I was hopeful that they would either bypass the concert or at least hold off until the concert was over. The latter scenario was almost the case. I had already packed up my folding chair and was ready to exit Roxbury Park as Lou Stein and All That Jazz started into their final song, “America the Beautiful.” But only a few bars into the song, the darkening skies cut loose with a volley of wind and heavy rain, sending musicians and audience members scattering for cover or their cars. Even though I had already started walking back towards my car, I was parked two football field lengths away (in front of the Roxberry Creamery, near Dively’s Tavern), so I didn’t even bother to run; it was a moot point that I was going to get drenched no matter how fast I moved. After reaching my car and leaving Roxbury Park, I headed to the Boulevard Grill to dry off and do some supper; I chuckled when other Roxbury Bandshell staffers – also drenched – showed up after me to dry off and get a meal!

Stormy weather notwithstanding, this was another enjoyable concert at the Roxbury Bandshell. Still developing my knowledge of jazz, this concert gave me some different styles and sounds to expand my appreciation of the genre. And I was happy to see the large audience, as more people are showing up and taking interest in the Roxbury Bandshell and its concerts. I’ll hopefully be back for another concert or two before the end of the season!

A large audience takes in the performance of Lou Stein and All That Jazz at the Roxbury Bandshell. The dark clouds in the background are the edge of the approaching rainstorm that cut the concert’s last song short.

Lou Stein, on saxophone.

Lou Stein and All That Jazz.

Jerry Melega of Lou Stein and All That Jazz.

Lou Stein, on bongos.

Chuck Kerrigan of Lou Stein and All That Jazz.

Again, Lou Stein and All That Jazz.

Guest singer Mark Jevecky.

BAD DAZE @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 6/29/08

After returning to the Altoona side of the mountain, I finished up my weekend by catching the latter portion of Bad Daze’s party at Pellegrine’s.

I didn’t make it out to the band room right away, because Tony the doorman had brought in a DVD of Rambo IV. I only caught about the last five minutes of the movie, but I can easily say that this is the bloodiest of the Rambo movies. Enemy soldiers exploding like splattering tomatoes when Rambo fires the gatling gun on the back of the jeep – damn!

Fortunately, Bad Daze wasn’t blowing up folks on Pellegrine’s dance floor, but did blow up the party with their energetic, hard-rocking mix of favorites from Disturbed, Saliva, Good Charlotte, Drowning Pool, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Counting Crows and more. One highlight during this nightcap set was guitar man Kenny Murdick’s pyrotechnics during the Van Halen combo of “Eruption” into “Panama.” Bad Daze kept the Pelly’s dance floor crowd fired up, and at set’s end, that crowd quickly demanded an encore. The group welcomed special guest Steve Danfelt from Slacker Theory to the stage to help bark out the vocals on the encore performance of Pantera’s “Walk.”

It was a typically rowdy and fun Bad Daze party that ended the weekend on a high note.

A large crowd of fans cheers on Bad Daze.

Providing an “old skool” pose, Kenny Murdick of Bad Daze.

Again, Kenny Murdick of Bad Daze.

The Bad Daze party continues, with Slacker Theory’s Steve Danfelt helping out on vocals.

Bad Daze Rob and Slacker Steve.

Paul Rainey and Rob Carolus of Bad Daze.

One more time, Bad Daze and a busy Pellegrine’s dance floor crowd.

JP’s HAIKU

Sound Driven returns
This year’s farewell jam session
Last show…’til next one!
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