[Jim Price]

WEEKEND RECAP 12/4:

As expected, an eventful weekend with some very memorable shows and performances; plus a few recurring themes, such as the 80's, the Hurricanes, benefits, PA Musician reunions, plus some soapboxing at the end. This week's report and commentary are on the lengthy side, thanks for indulging me...

WEDNESDAY NIGHT 11/27 - Thanksgiving Eve, acknowledged by many as the second busiest night of the year for audiences and live music next to New Year's Eve. Stept On, Nevermoure, Banditos, Marauders and more were in town, plus the big blues benefit show in Johnstown; I decided to get my Thanksgiving off to a headbanging start by taking in 80's rock proficienados Bad Hair Day at Pellegrine's. I saw this band one time before, in front of a jam-packed Memorial Day eve crowd at Pelly's a year and a half ago. That night, it was so crowded that the group's sound was muffled and you couldn't get a good sense of their full impact. This night was different - though a good crowd was on hand, things never got jam-packed, so everything sounded clearer. Bad Hair Day concentrated on 80’s hair-band favorites from Poison, Bon Jovi, Guns’n’Roses, Def Leppard and more. This band seemed to dig deeper into the catalog than they did the last time I saw them, breaking out Bon Jovi’s hit ballad “I’ll Be There for You” and Poison’s “Ride the Wind.” Performance-wise, Bad Hair Day was tight and on the money; frontman T.J. Spears, bassist Ronnie Jeremy and keyboard man Matt Haze all were solid on their respective turns at lead mic, and guitarist Rikki Starr did his fair share of damage on the frets. I liked this group’s gimmick for getting people on the dance floor, too – place a row of complimentary shots along the front of the stage, and invite the audience to partake and dance, first come first serve! Overall, I thought this was a better show than the first time I saw this group, they seemed tighter and more focused (possibly a result of not playing in sardine-can-jam-packed sauna-like conditions this night, like they had to do during that Memorial Day eve show). Hopefully more frequent ‘Toona visits from Bad Hair Day are on the way…

Ronnie Jeremy of Bad Hair Day

Matt Haze of Bad Hair Day

Rockshow of Bad Hair Day

Bad Hair Day, rocking Pellegrine's into Turkey Day.

THURSDAY NIGHT 11/28 - Thanksgiving Night for me means one thing – burning off the newly-added turkey poundage at the Hurricanes Turkey Night Jam at Peter C’s! As expected, this was another fun post-Thanksgiving party, with a good crowd in attendance and a number of highlights and guests along the way. Comedy highlight of the night was when an audience member yelled out, “Felix, show us your ass crack!” Felix responded by pointing to Bob the drummer, lol! Seriously, the ‘Canes smoked on tunes from Charlie Daniels, ZZ Top, Skynyrd, Allman Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, original songs and much more. John Stevens joined in on harmonica during the second set, and guest singer Duane Edmiston, singer/guitarist Jeremy Nelson and drummer Steve Bidoli each joined the ‘Canes onstage during the third set (the version of Robin Trower’s “Too Rolling Stoned” sounded great).

Guest John Stevens, burning off turkey calories on the harp during the Hurricanes Turkey Night Jam.

Good time jamming with Felix & the Hurricanes plus guest John Stevens.

FRIDAY NIGHT 11/29 - I made the roadtrip to Mount Union to check out the Selina Brotemarkle Benefit Concert at the County Line Inn, featuring the reunions of Bashful, Thin Ice and Defiance to raise money for 5-year-old Selina Brotemarkle of Mount Union, who is battling leukemia.

Before I get to the show itself, the first big adventure of the night occurred on the trip down. For the first time ever, I had my first vehicular encounter with a deer (at least the first involving actual physical contact, I've had a few close calls over the years). And for the record, the deer hit me, I didn't hit it. Yes, in my new car. It happened between Geeseytown and Canoe Creek along Route 22, I saw the deer suddenly emerge onto the road from my right, and then felt the "whump" as he broadsided my car (it was a buck, I think a 4-pointer). Since there was no place to pull off along this stretch of highway, and no lit area where I could survey the damage, I drove an extra ten miles to the Minit Mart past Water Street, fearing the worst (I was expecting the passenger side of my car to be dented in at the very least). MIRACULOUSLY, my car escaped with very little damage (I discovered a four-inch scuff mark and a 2-inch pinpoint-width scratch where the son-of-a doe made contact; nothing a good coat of wax or touch-up finish shouldn't remedy. WHEW!). I expect given such minor damage that the deer probably got a wake-up call from the ordeal, and lived to see at least a few more mornings before some hunter catches up with him. I had mixed feelings over this experience…On one hand, I was very relieved that my car and I made it through virtually unscathed; but on the other hand, I wish I would have been driving a beat-up truck and the deer had surfaced a second sooner – instant venison!

Arriving at the County Line in one piece (and having to park about a quarter-mile away, the lot and roadsides were jammed full), I was happy to see such a massive turnout to help out Selina. Scream/Bashful frontman Jeff Hoover took me over to the bar where Selina and her parents were sitting, and introduced me to them. It definitely made the night more meaningful to actually meet the wonderful young lady this show was all about, Selina is a charmer! Selina was then brought up to the stage to help kick off the evening; she thanked the crowd, and the show was set to begin. The reunited Defiance took the stage, featuring frontman Boz, guitarists Skip Henry and Eric Deamer, bassist Brad Zinn and drummer Ronnie Hetrick. The group burned off the rust on tunes from KISS, AC/DC, Loverboy, Judas Priest, more AC/DC, and to my pleasant surprise, Krokus’ “Midnight Maniac” and Helix’s “Heavy Metal Love!” (I can’t remember the last time I heard anyone cover Helix!) This group sounded respectably solid considering they haven’t been together on the same stage for 15 years. The big highlight during their set, though, was seeing Selina Brotemarkle dancing with her folks in front of the stage, and having a good time during this show in her honor. The quote of the night came from Thin Ice frontman John Stevens (yes, the same John Stevens playing harmonica with the Hurricanes at Peter C’s the night before, how times have changed!), who offered this introduction to the reunited and now chunkier group: “We’re Thin Ice; we’re not as thin as we used to be!” The reunited Thin Ice line up of John, guitarists Eric Deamer and Ed Miller, bassist Curtis Morningstar and drummer Mark Morningstar, mixed Thin Ice original favorites like “Hard Time,” “(I Want My) Rock’n’Roll” and “Let Me Rock You” with tunes from Metallica, Thin Lizzy, KISS, Robert Palmer, and their version of Kim Mitchell’s “Lager & Ale” (Thin Ice is the only band I’ve ever seen cover that song, it became one of the cover favorites Thin Ice was known for, not to mention probably the only time in rock history that any song by Kim Mitchell other than “Go For Soda” has been covered). You could tell these guys were glad to be on the stage this night; the Morningstar brothers especially were having a blast; Mark was close to turning the drum kit into splintered kindling! Then the reunion of Bashful, featuring frontman Jeff Hoover, guitarists Ed Miller and Bob Kise, bassists Robert Port and Brad Zinn (both doing half a set), and drummer Greg Reigle. With a burst of flashpot pyro (does ANYBODY use flashpots any more?), Bashful returned to action with Judas Priest’s “Hellion/Electric Eye,” and tore it up with metal favorites and original tunes, including Krokus’ “Burning Bones” and “Screaming In The Night,” Judas Priest’s “Some Heads Are Gonna Roll” and “Green Manalishi,” Def Leppard’s “Let It Go” and Switch 625;” and popular Bashful originals such as “Into the Battle,” “Axshun,” “White Line Fever,” “Down for theCount,” “Love Bites Back” and more. It was everything you remember from old Bashful – arena-caliber lights and production, with sound thunderous enough to induce bowel movements; crisp leads axework from Bob and Ed, and Jeff Hoover stalking the stage and vocalizing full tilt. Bashful’s set pushed against the 2 AM mark, so a few songs had to be excluded; but it was still good to see this band thundering out in its full glory, bringing back memories of Hill Valley Hotel, William Penn Inn, old Sebastiano’s and more. I don’t know yet what the final dollar figure was for this night, but it was very heartening to see these musicians and fans out in full force to do their part to help assure that 5-year-old Selina Brotemarkle will be able to enjoy many more Christmases to come. Excellent job, everyone!

It was also cool to run into fellow PA Musician scribe Keith Hummel this night; and I must have departed from the venue before the parking lot incident John Stevens eluded to on the message board…I always miss the good stuff!

The maiden of honor, Selina Brotemarkle, helps kick off her own benefit concert!

Boz of Defiance.

Brad Zinn and Eric Deamer of Defiance.

Boz of Defiance serenading show honoree Selina.

Curtis Morningstar and Eric Deamer of Thin Ice.

Eric Deamer of Thin Ice.

One night removed from being a Hurricanes blues harp player, John Stevens belts it out for Thin Ice.

Curtis Morningstar of Thin Ice, proudly singing about Lager & Ale.

Bob Kise of Bashful.

Ed Miller of Bashful.

Jeff Hoover of Bashful.

Robert Port of Bashful.

In a festive mood this night - Jeff Hoover of Bashful.

SATURDAY NIGHT 11/30 - The burst of wintry weather early in the evening limited my travels to within the Altoona area, so I wound up checking in with Nevermoure at City Limits. Nevermoure effectively mixed numerous original tunes with favorites from Ramones, Cheap Trick, Social Distortion, House of Pain (with Big Dawg rapping out the lead on “Jump Around”), Van Morrison and more. Nevermoure rocked into the holiday spirit with their version of “Silver Bells;” and several new original songs sounded good this night, including “All She Wants” with its slight Dishwalla flavor. Interesting night...due to the wintry weather, the house was less than packed when I arrived, and it looked like it would be a slow night by Nevermoure standards. But then a Hooters Girl birthday party entourage arrived en masse, and the place was suddenly very busy. Then the Hooters entourage cleared out of City Limits during the third set, leaving the diehard Ravens populating the dancefloor and cheering Nevermoure on. Overall, a good show.

Adam and Big Dawg of Nevermoure.

Mike Ritchey of Nevermoure.

Adam Marino of Nevermoure, addressing the fans...

Mr. Intensity himself, Shawn Hocherl of Nevermoure.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON 12/1 - On the road again, this time to Lewistown to partake in the annual Salvation Army Benefit concert sponsored by Pennsylvania Musician and Black Thorn Entertainment, which took place at the Brooklyn Firehall near downtown Lewistown. I arrived at the firehall just as the day's first band, Trespass, was under way. A decent-sized early crowd was already on hand, good to see the support! Football-aholic that I am, I was shifting attention between the televised Steeler game in the back of the room and Trespass’ and Etc.’s sets. Both of these groups performed mostly original rock of the nu-metal variety. I liked Trespass’ energy and enthusiasm, and their basic song ideas are good; but I thought they didn’t sound quite as instrumentally tight and together this set as they did when I caught them a few months back at Peter C’s. Etc.’s original songs sounded more raw and primal; they also did a version of the Deftones’ “Bored.” Both Trespass and Etc. are young bands getting their chops down; more practice and stage time should continue to make them better. Next was my first look at Third Day’s Dream. This was one of the group’s first shows with their new singer; they did an adequate job on current rock favorites from Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, 3 Doors Down, Puddle of Mudd and others, plus a version of Rufus Thomas/Aerosmith’s “Walkin’ the Dog.” Third Day’s Dream was fairly solid, and their new singer appeared to fit in well. At least in the early going, kids were a highlight of this show, as several energetic young fans were dancing and sliding around on the stagefront floor. Brok*n then picked up the action with their takes on current and classic favorites from Lit, System of a Down, Golden Earring, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nickelback, Sublime and more; plus a few original tunes. Brok*n seemed to build momentum as they proceeded through their set, and Ed displayed some good lead guitar fireworks on Golden Earring’s “Twilight Zone.” The crowd seemed to be more into it as Brok*n continued, and the two little kids shouting backing vocals during Saliva's "Click Click Boom" was the icing on the cake. The party was on! The next band, Wiskerbisket, was insane! With several little kids helping on backing vocals (and one child air-jamming along on inflatable air guitar, this group delivered a varied and unpredictable setlist, including hard-rocking, high-octane renditions of tunes like Dion’s “Runaround Sue,” Waylon Jennings’ “Good Ol’ Boys,” a two-speed version of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” and more, mixed with a few current favorites, original songs like “Killer” and “Skank” and others. I thoroughly enjoyed Wiskerbisket’s freewheeling, caution-to-the-wind presentation; this is definitely a band to watch for! Up next was Halestorm, fresh back from dealing with their first experience with harsh western PA mountain winter weather just hours before this show; they braved white-out driving conditions en route to the previous night’s gig at the Castle Pub in Ebensburg. Tired and weary from their journey, Halestorm still delivered a very good set featuring powerful original songs like “Dangerous Innocence,” “”Sweet Addiction,” “The Eye” (tired from the previous night’s ordeal, Lzzy could only hold ‘the note’ for just over ten seconds this day), “Save Me,” “Surrender” and more; plus two rocking holiday classics, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Oh Holy Night” (both complete with snow machine accompaniment). Singer Lzzy has mastered the art of reading and connecting with crowds; she quickly celebrated the youngsters up front who were dancing and cheering along with the group, and made them a part of the show. As this was an all ages show, Arejay was behind the drum kit this day. Halestorm made a very strong showing, and won a number of new fans with this set. Dead Leaves then shook the firehall with their high-powered, emotional set of original rock, including tunes from the “Your Kind Is Labeled” CD such as the torrid opener “No Reply,” the title song “Dead Leaves,” “Black Sav,” “Fall Back” and the current single “President.” Dead Leaves were tight and powerful, but frontman Kris held the majority of my attention with his meltdown performance on throat. This guy was pure body-draining intensity during this set; at times you almost feared that he would turn himself inside out or detonate onstage with his all-out performance. Last on the bill was Spinebelt. Though much of the crowd had vacated the show by the time they took stage, Spinebelt mesmerized the crowd that remained with their terse, intense, modern cyber-metal set. Despite a few technical problems, Spinebelt worked their way through songs from their new CD, “Beautiful Songs for Ugly Children;” including “Change Adapt Evolve,” “The Politics of Breaking Down,” “It’s All Running Out,” “Buckle and Strap” and the current single, “Losing All.” Spinebelt’s music and live presentation are always an interesting study; this show was no exception. While Spinebelt’s lyrics largely concern man’s evolution and de-evolution, plus the construction and destruction of our society and planet, I found it interesting how bassist Bill Atkinson’s bestial growls provided a primal, primitive counterpoint to the group’s technically-geared cyber-metal sound. The group appeared disappointed with the technical snafus this day, but the remaining audience members cheered their appreciation for Spinebelt’s effort. At the end of it all, it was a good day. Several hundred dollars was raised for the Salvation Army, and a good number of fans – many under 21 – were turned on to a bunch of new bands. And the Steelers won. Life was good…Hats off to Shel Hoachlander, Troy, Big H from Wiskerbisket and everyone else who had a hand in making this year;s show happen.

Lewistown's Trespass kicks off the Salvation Army Benefit Concert.

Ryan Russler of Trespass.

Etcetera...or just call them Etc. for short.

Third Days Dream...from the wee folks' perspective.

Third Days Dream, from a taller angle.

Justin and Ed of Brok*n.

Jay of Brok*n.

Brok*n lays the smack down at the Salvation Army Benefit.

The smallest axeslinger of the day, helping out during Wiskerbisket's set.

Doug Snook of Wiskerbisket, with a little help from a little friend.

Big H of Wiskerbisket.

Troy Neff of Wiskerbisket.

Nate Myotte of Halestorm.

Lzzy Hale of Halestorm keeps the stagefront fans riveted.

Just can't get enough of that Western PA snow...Halestorm's wintry re-enactment of Ebensburg from the night before...

Kris of Dead Leaves, going full-vent.

Jay of Dead Leaves.

Rich of Dead Leaves.

Butch Lloyd of Spinebelt.

John K of Spinebelt.

Bill Atkinson of Spinebelt...WHOOOOOAAAAARRRRGGHHHH!!!!!

SUNDAY NIGHT 12/1 - Glutton for live music and Hurricaning that I am, I headed straight to Pellegrine's from Lewistown to catch the latter two sets of the Hurricanes' last show before their state prison tour this month. Glad I did, this was one wild show and an excellent evening! I haven't logged that much rug-cutting time on a dancefloor in a while! I don't know if it was because I was having fun on the dance floor, or if Felix, Bob & Jeff were more fired up because of it being their last show before the big prison tour.or a combination of both - but I thought the Hurricanes sounded particularly sharp this night! The energy, fun and excitement levels steadily increased through the evening, as the 'Canes proceeded through original tunes and classics from Doors, Beatles, Allman Brothers, Free, ZZ Top, and the Ted Nugent double-shot of "Cat Scratch Fever" and "Stranglehold." Hurricaniac Beth Ann broke out her washboard, with Willie, Guv'nor Jesse, Brandi from City Limits, the Beer God and several other folks taking their turns with the spoons! Things got really wild during the third set, with Felix demonstrating his slide-playing abilities with one lady's shoe, and another lady's chest (breast-neck slide!)! Then the fitting finale, the scorching rendition of the Outlaws' "Green Grass & High Tides," reaching its full meltdown crescendo as the clock hit 2! Good crowd and excellent show all around - memo to Harry Jr., we need more Sunday night Hurricaning at Pelly's, 'nuff said!

Felix of the Hurricanes gets an assist from Hurricaniac Beth Ann on washboard.

Thrills and chills abound at every Hurricanes show. Here, Guv'nor Jesse can be seen spoon-stroking Brandi's washboard.