[Jim Price]

WEEK/WEEKEND RECAP 3/14/05

WOOD-N-STRINGS @ THE BAR, ALTOONA 3/10/05

I arrived at The Bar in Altoona this night seeking Acid Reflux; I wound up taking in a diet of Wood-n-Strings instead. It was another inception of Dwane Edmiston’s musical persona, but it was still very much a good thing.

I ordered up my first brewski and situated myself at a table near the stage area, Dwane and Jeremy Nelson were in the latter stages of their first set, and started into Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” with Jeremy singing lead. The group then finished out the set with Dave Mason/Joe Cocker’s “Feelin’ Alright,” with Jeremy unleashing some wicked acoustic pyrotechnics on his guitar. The group jokingly toyed with a few other monickers this night in reference to Acid Reflux not being there; such as “Acoustiflux” and “Acid Rejects.”

While not a huge crowd present, The Bar crowd was pleasant and receptive. Dwane and Jeremy met and conversed with various audience members during the break; and soon returned to the stage area for the second chapter.

Dwane and Jeremy mixed it up between acoustic and current and classic rock favorites, alternating lead singing duties along the way. The pair swapped singing assignments on two recent numbers; Dwane crooning on Incubus' "Drive," and Jeremy singing Filter's "Picture." On the next tune, the Classics 4's "Spooky," Jeremy sang lead while Dwane scat-sang accompaniment at midsong. The duo then swapped classics, with Jeremy singing America's "Horse With No Name" and Led Zeppelin's "Going to California." After the Jeremy-fronted rendition of Oasis' "Wonderwall," Dwane sang Crosby Stills Nash & Young's "Ohio" and Staind's "Outside." Jeremy took the set the rest of the way home with the Eagles' "Take It Easy" and Bad Company's "Feel Like Making Love."

As they have demonstrated before, Wood-N-Strings displayed abundant vocal and instrumental skill. Both Dwane's and Jeremy's voices were in good form this night; and both showed skill and dexterity on their respective guitars, plus the ability to combine those talents into a consistent, cohesive whole. I also liked the wide-ranging set list, spanning folksy classics to acoustic takes on modern rock. The Bar was enjoying it as well, as the two musicians received a good response from the small audience.

Soon Wood-N-Strings would return for their third and final set, opening with Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb." The pair sang this as a duet, with Dwane handling the solo vocal parts and song-ending guitar solo, and Jeremy giving the 'pin prick' scream. By request, Jeremy sang Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," before taking the song into an unexpected bluegrass-flavored side journey. The pair continued with Violent Femmes' "Blister In the Sun," a request for Nirvana's "All Apologies," and alternated singing duties on tunes from Pearl Jam, REO Speedwagon, Charlie Daniels, Steve Miller, Jim Croce, Rusted Root and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The duo saved their best for the finale, though. After starting off with Led Zeppelin's "How Many More Times," the pair shifted into "Whole Lotta Love," with Dwane incorporating some distortion effects on his guitar, for a psychedelic acoustic finale!

Wood-N-Strings' performance was again interesting and entertaining, as Dwane and Jeremy never stayed in one place too long, alternated singing duties, played new and old tunes and offered ample instrumental and vocal nuances to keep it interesting. Even though it wasn't the Dwane Edmiston performance vehicle I expected to see when I first arrived, it was still a satisfying show and evening.

Dwane Edmiston and Jeremy Nelson – Wood-N-Strings – entertain at The Bar.

Once again, Wood-N-Strings.

Jeremy Nelson of Wood-N-Strings.

Dwane Edmiston of Wood-N-Strings.

SHIFT @ CITY LIMITS, ALTOONA 3/11/05

Entering mid-March, and ten days until the official start of Spring. Winter is almost over. And I’m starting to conclude, this is when winter driving can be its most dangerous. By now, people have dealt with snow for the better part of three months, and they’re tired of it. They’re accustomed to it. And after dealing with 3, 4, and even 6 inches of it this winter, what’s a little measly coating of the stuff on the roadways to deal with?

Two inches of wet snow had fallen on the Altoona area earlier in the day, and with daytime temperatures above freezing, the roads were wet for much of the day; no problem. But as night fell, road surfaces started freezing over, coupled with intermittent snow showers that put a coating of white atop the icy road surfaces. It looked almost harmless, but it wasn’t. I had just finished doing supper at Hong Kong Buffet, and was en route to City Limits to check in with Shift. Proceeding towards the 17th Street light on just after Plank Road splits into Pleasant Valley and Valley View Boulevards, I noted this small sedan, driven by what looked like a teenager with his buddy, weaving back and forth around cars in the northbound lanes. I knew the road was slick, so I left this car go past, and made a point to let this person get further ahead and stay away from them. Within seconds, my wisdom paid off, as the sedan started fishtailing wildly and skidded towards the busy 17th Street intersection sideways! Still a good ways back behind the sedan, I slowed down further, I wanted no part of this action! The car fishtailed back in the other direction across the lane, and the driver was fortunately somehow able to get the car righted and stopped before entering the intersection, luckily without hitting anyone else! I slowly pulled up behind the stopped sedan, and noted how slowly this car was going after the light turned green! Then, I almost got clipped by some other goof who blindly attempted to merge onto Valley View Boulevard off the 17th Street exit of I-99, without yielding the right of way! Geez, the idiot drivers were out in full force this night!

So I heaved a big sigh of relief as I pulled into City Limits’ parking lot. Driving on slick roads I can handle; dealing with people who can’t drive on slick roads is my big fear. Now I was safely parked, let everyone else stage their wintertime demolition derby, I’m heading inside to see some live music!

For me, it was pretty much a “been there, done that” Friday night on the ‘Toona music scene; just about everybody else playing around town I had just seen or written about. Shift hadn’t seen my face for a few months (since November, and the Pennsylvania Musician/City Limits Toys for Tots benefit), so they were my selection this night. Attendance was somewhat light as I arrived, and since the slick roads had some band personnel running late, Shift was still in their last moments of preparations as I arrived, obtained my first brew from Timmy the bartender and claimed a booth seat in front of the sound board.

Eventually the preparations were completed, and Shift was ready to begin. Frontman Martin Lybek, guitarist Sean Ammerman, bassist Joe Pyzowski and drummer Phil Hopnick opened the evening with Bobby Fuller's "I Fought the Law;" commencing an evening full of current and classic rock'n'roll favorites. The party picked up in the first set with tunes from The Clash, Steppenwolf, Bryan Adams, Tom Petty, Jimmy Eats World, Rick Springfield, Georgia Satellites, Everclear and more. Highlights included an interesting angst/emo take on Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville," and.Martin's headgear. Yes, Martin was at it again, fashioning various hats and headgear as the night progressed, the lids varying with the songs. Martin donned a sombrero during "Margaritaville," an umbrella hat for Bryan Adams' "Summer Of '69," a red white and blue tophat for Tom Petty's "American Girl," a redneck-styled straw hat for Georgia Satellites' "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" and more. The hats helped serve their purpose, though; enabling Martin and Shift to break the ice with the audience so far, and entice a few folks to venture onto City Limits' dance floor.

On the performance side, Shift started off a bit sluggish, but picked up momentum as they proceeded. Martin was battling a cold, but still had enough of a voice to get the job done this night. Instrumentally, the group did a solid job early on, but some of the backing vocals showed room for improvement. But Shift was still getting warmed up at this point; we would see how they would fare as the night continued.

Martin broke out his hair band wig as Shift kicked off their second set with the Kinks' "You Really Got Me." This set would feature more current and classic rock'n'roll favorites; this time from John Mellencamp, ZZ Top, Lit, Ramones, Blink 182, Joan Jett, the Knack, Cheap Trick, Devo, Violent Femmes, Beastie Boys and more. Martin modeled more hats as well; including a tophat and ZZ Top beard during "Tush," a checkered Dr. Seuss 'Cat-In-the-Hat'-styled tophat for "I Love Rock'n'Roll," a swim cap for Devo's "Whip It," a huge cowboy hat for Kid Rock's "Cowboy," and a sombrero for the set-closing run-through of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama."

More people were braving the outside elements and arriving as Shift's performance proceeded, and a mid-sized crowd populated City Limits by the end of Shift's second set. A number of people were starting to populate City Limits' dance floor, and although a lighter attendance than Shift's usual City Limits get-togethers, it was still turning into a party in spite of the bad roads.

Soon the final chapter in Shift's show was set to begin. Martin donned a simple ballcap as the group launched the set with Southern Culture On the Skids' "Camel Walk." Shift continued with songs from Green Day, Chuck Berry, White Stripes, AC/DC, Poison, Ugly Kid Joe, Tommy James & the Shondells and Blur. Shortly into the set, one female fan ventured onstage and started ransacking Martin's box of headgear; before long, dancefloor participants had donned various pieces of Martin's headgear collection, turning this into a rock'n'roll madhatter party! This party had reached its full fury this set, as band and beered-up crowd were fueling each other and raising the level of craziness. My favorite highlight during this set was during Tommy James' "Mony Mony," when a middle-aged woman on the dance floor led the crowd in yelling the infamous "Get laid get f***ed" chants.

The final scorecard indicated (and yes, I was keeping score) that Martin changed hats and headgear 20 times during the course of the night! But Martin's hats were part of Shift's successful equation this night. Shift again proved their ability to make every night a good time; pulling all stops and doing whatever it took to get what crowd there was fired up and on the dance floor. Martin did the foot (and hat) work early in the night to break the ice, and built upon it during the second and third sets, until it snowballed into a charged, fired-up party! As musicians, Shift aren't fancy or virtuosos; but they are solid and get the job done. And they entertain, giving the audience the good time they paid for at the door.

Shift turned what could have been a very ordinary and slow night into a good time party that made everyone forget about bad roads and winter driving for a while.

Shift delivers the party again at City Limits.

Joe Pyzowski of Shift.

Once again, Shift, bringing the party…

Again, Joe Pyzowski of Shift, taking aim…

Phil Hopnick of Shift.

Sean Ammerman of Shift.

Taking aim once again, Joe Pyzowski of Shift.

Displaying some of his head lettuce, frontman Martin Lybek and Shift.

Once again, Martin Lybek of Shift.

SECOND OFFENSE/4 DAYS DIRTY @ ALDO’S, ALTOONA 3/12/05

I originally wanted to head up the hill to Philipsburg this night to catch my first look at Pittsburgh’s Gasoline Dion, doing an all ages show at Chrome Cult Studios; but snow showers and heavy snow squalls throughout the day scuttled those plans, so I stuck close to home this night. Still up for some heavier sounds, I proceeded instead to Aldo’s to catch the heavy-hitting double-bill of Second Offense and 4 Days Dirty.

I recalled thinking that this was to be Second Offense’s CD release party for their debut disc, Suffer Through Dishonesty, and I figured they would thus be going second on the bill. But as I arrived at Aldo’s, I discovered first that Second Offense was already onstage and going first this night, and second that their CD was not yet done, thus no release party this night. I got to see the last five songs of Second Offense’s set, as the group hammered out stern and dark hardcore-meets-metal originals. I only caught one song title, “Against the Wall.” Guitarists Travis Bohn and Brian Faychak, bassist Jes Mattern and drummer Wally Fiedor laid down the thick and monstrous wall of metallic sound, against which frontman Myle Long snarled and roared his monstrous vocals. The songs were mostly midtempo affairs, with the next-to-the-last song being a faster assault. Second Offense had a contingent of rowdy fans on the dance floor getting crazy to the metal maelstrom. On their final song, frontman Myke stepped onto the dance floor and began moshing with the crowd while barking his vocals; he wound up on his back on the floor, but still snarling his lyrics all the while! This set gave me a stronger representation of what Second Offense was all about; I await hearing the debut album so I can get more familiar with their tunes and what they bring to the table.

Mixing it up with the fans on the dance floor, Second Offense.

Once again, Second Offense.

Despite the snow showers and questionable roads, Aldo’s still had a decent-sized crowd in place, including Chris, Kathy and cameraman Stacy from The Underground TV. Like me, Chris had wanted to go to Philipsburg this night to visit Chrome Cult Studios, but agreed that road conditions were too questionable to attempt it; he was instead checking in with Second Offense and 4 Days Dirty, both recent guests on The Underground TV.

Soon 4 Days Dirty was ready to launch into their two sets. Singer/guitarist Steve “Dig” Danfelt, guitarist/singer Joe Neary, bassist Paul Greiner and drummer Justin Fair unleashed their volatile brand of heavy modern rock, featuring original songs with a few select covers along the way. Still getting familiar with their original songs, I wasn’t able to pluck too many of 4 Days Dirty’s song titles this night outside of the two songs they performed on The Underground TV, “Downtime” and “Wanted;” and “C.C.” during their second set, but I noted the consistency of the group’s original song material. Their melodies and songs mostly ran the gamut of dark, shadowy and understated verses leading to full-vent, emotional release choruses; with Steve and Joe screaming and howling full-tilt. This tension-and-release style brought to mind bands like Deftones and Chevelle, but 4 Days Dirty appeared to be forging their own slant on it. The group also did select songs from Tool, Trust Company, Breaking Benjamin and others, including their heavy take on Flock Of Seagulls’ “I Ran.” 4 Days Dirty had the Aldo’s crowd fired up, including Kathy and Stacy from The Underground TV dancing atop the speaker bins, and the combined 4 Days Dirty and Second Offense fan bases rocking and grooving at stagefront.

In all, this was a pretty strong show, as both bands showcased hard-hitting sounds and won new fans in the process. For me, it provided clearer pictures of what both Second Offense and 4 Days Dirty were about, and whet my appetite to hear more from both bands in the coming months.

4 Days Dirty start their onslaught at Aldo’s.

With Kathy from The Underground TV dancing next to the speaker stack, 4 Days Dirty.

With matching Underground TV bookends joining them on both sides of the stage, 4 Days Dirty.

Kathy from The Underground TV, emulating Mickey Mouse as Joe Neary of 4 Days Dirty performs behind her from atop Aldo’s pool table.

Steve “Dig” Danfelt of 4 Days Dirty.

Justin Fair of 4 Days Dirty.

Paul, “Dig” and Joe of 4 Days Dirty.

Paul Greiner and Steve “Dig” Danfelt of 4 Days Dirty.

With fans cheering them on at stagefront, 4 Days Dirty.

Again, Justin Fair of 4 Days Dirty.

“Dig” and Joe Neary of 4 Days Dirty.

Once again, 4 Days Dirty.

I wonder if he’s aiming at the same thing Joe from Shift was the night before…Steve “Dig” Danfelt of 4 Days Dirty.

4 Days Dirty, rocking the stagefront fans.

Once again, “Dig” from 4 Days Dirty.

Paul Greiner of 4 Days Dirty.

That’s a mighty big step, Kathy…Kathy from The Underground TV, looking to join Paul Greiner of 4 Days Dirty atop the bin.

Again, Paul Greiner of 4 Days Dirty.

The Aldo’s “Wall of Fame.”

FELIX & THE HURRICANES @ THE HITCHING POST, ALTOONA 3/13/05

Another interesting aspect of Felix & the Hurricanes that I’ve noted lately is that this band has worked with so many musical guests over the years, that they’ve built a pool of talented pinch-hitters that can step up to the plate and deliver whenever one of the ‘Canes is not available on a given night! Several weeks before, when lead ‘Cane Felix Kos was unavailable for the weekly Sunday Hitching Post appearance, Rick Ramsey took over the guitar and vocal duties that night. It changed the dynamic, songlist and overall presentation, but it was still all good and was a hit with the crowd. This night, drummer Bob Watters was not available. Up to the kit steps Kevin Siegel to tap out the beats, and the ‘Canes brought an extra guest in for some added punch this night, Backdraft singer/guitarist Brian Cupples.

Arriving during their second set, I found a good-sized contingent of Hurricaniacs and other fans in the house. Felix, Jeff, Kevin and Brian were stirring up a musical gumbo onstage; mixing ‘Canes originals and a wide assortment of classics and favorites. The ‘Canes played hot renditions of tunes from Wilson Pickett, Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Michael Montgomery. Stevie Ray Vaughan and more. Highlights included a rendition of Brooks & Dunn’s “Neon Moon” for Hitching Post main kitchen lady Stephanie (“Mom”), and a Latin-flavored version of “All Along the Watchtower” to end the set.

Thus far, this mach version of the Hurricanes was clicking on all cylinders. Kevin was comfortably firing the beats behind his drum kit; and Felix and Brian were mixing and matching guitar leads, showing solo talents and blending for some tasty guitar harmonies along the way.

The last set of the night provided more musical fireworks, as the four musicians played tunes from Bryan Adams, Los Lonely Boys, Stevie Ray Vaughan, James Cotton, original songs and more. Highlights during this set included the Marshall Tucker Band double-shot of “Can’t You See” and “Heard It In a Love Song;” and recent Hurricanes frequent-flyer guest Lauren flexing her vocal cords on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” to end the set. The jubilant Hitching Post crowd wanted one more, so the Hurricanes ended the night with Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “The House Is Rockin,’” during which Felix’s wife, Deb, slung on her husband’s guitar and schooled the house on Guitar 101…err…Guitar Stylin’ and Profilin’ 101!

Once again, it was a good time, as Felix, Jeff, Kevin and Brian had fun pooling their talents and seeing where the journey would take them. Although the journey didn’t venture too far off course from the regularly-scheduled Hurricanes journey, there were enough variations and instrumental thrills to make it a fun ride for the duration, and a spirited close to the weekend.

This night’s mach version of the Hurricanes: Felix Kos, Kevin Siegel, Jeff Clapper and Brian Cupples.

Hurricanes a-jammin.’

More fireworks from Felix, Jeff and their special guests.

Special guest Lauren belts out some voice.

Once again, special guest Lauren.

Towards night’s end, Felix Kos’ wife, Deb, shows the lead Hurricane how geetar is done…
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