[Jim Price]

WEEKEND/VACATION RECAP 9/30/03

FELIX & THE HURRICANES @ PETER C’S, ALTOONA 9/25/03

Day-job duties forced a late start to my Thursday night bandwatching, and since it was too late to roadtrip or catch some of the earlier in-town acts this night, I headed down the street to Peter C’s to partake in another episode of those ever-trusty Hurricanes.

A mid-sized crowd was on hand as I entered Peter C’s early in the Hurricanes’ third set. A guest singer (whose name I didn’t catch) did decent work on versions of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Crossfire” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “That Smell.” After two ‘Canes original tunes and a version of the Allman Brothers’ “Blue Skys,” the group broke into Jimi Hendrix’s “Third Stone from the Sun,” which enabled both bassist Jeff Clapper and drummer Bob Watters to showcase their talents. Both players got to display some solo fireworks; always an impressive sight. After the group performed Blackfoot’s “Train Train,” guest drummer Steve Bidoli took over behind the kit on versions of the Allmans’ “Dreams” and Robin Trower’s “Too Rolling Stoned.” The Hurricanes entered their homestretch with the soulful original “Walking A Straight Line,” before ending the night briskly with fiery versions of the Outlaws’ “Green Grass & High Tides” and ZZ Top’s “Beer Drinkers and Hellraisers.”

It was another lively Hurricanes vibe, as the combination of happy fans and guest musicians in the house resulted in inspired onstage fireworks that successfully ignited the weekend.

THE GRIMM “RESURRUPTION PART DEUX”/BLEECH @ PETER C’S, ALTOONA 9/26/03

When The Grimm first unveiled their concept album masterpiece, “Resurruption,” back in March, they did so with a major production like this area’s stages hadn’t seen in a long time – likely since either Mushroomhead’s or Caeser Pink & the Imperial Orgy’s visits a few years ago. As The Grimm performed the “Resurruption” album in its entirety, they implemented computer-generated video screen imagery courtesy of Phantom X Productions, costuming and more. It was a production unlike any this area’s music scene had seen, or would see…

Until “Resurruption, Part Deux.”

After overwhelmingly favorable response to the first “Resurruption” presentation, and numerous requests for an encore performance, The Grimm set the wheels into motion for “Resurruption, Part Deux.” This time the group would do it up even bigger and better, with more computer-generated video graphics, more props and costuming, and even performance artists! Anticipation was running high as the big night drew closer.

I had wanted to arrive early this night to set up my camcorder and record this onstage spectacle, but day job duties got in the way and I arrived midway through the set by openers Bleech. Singer/bassist Bill Haney, guitarist/singer Mike Harper and drummer Bud Beals did a respectable job on the 3-4 classic rock-rooted original songs I saw them do; marked by solid rhythms and Mike’s heated guitar pyrotechnics.

Peter C’s was jam-packed for “Resurruption, Part Deux,” with Grimm fans and “Grimmettes” present; also fans and musicians from the local area and across the state, including Harrisburg and Pittsburgh; and curiosity seekers wondering what all the hoopla was about. Besides myself, several other fans brought camcorders and tripods, and clamored for strategic positions to record the audiovisual spectacle.

Soon, the domestic squabble intro that triggers the “Resurruption” album, “NLE,” could be heard; serving notice that the “Resurruption” journey was beginning. Singer Bob Lee, guitarist Kirk “Otto” Tonkin, bassist Kent Tonkin and new drummer Dom Peruso plunged full-force into the exhaustive opening volley of “Suicide Knob,” “Fade,” and “Flatline” Parts I & II. As the album’s protagonist passed over the threshold between life and death, Bob re-emerged wearing his Grimm Reaper-like black robe, assisted by special guest Raven Sutherland as the “Angel of Darkness and Light.” Nikki Balestino and Mike Hoey as “crows” walked around to tables and lit candles, lending to the surreal atmosphere and mood of the production. The Grimm proceeded through the murky supernatural soundscapes of “Dreamstate,” “Forced Reflection,” “Overtime” and “Shangri-La;” before the album’s protagonist reached the moment of decision on “Burning Embers,” and the album’s climactic resolution on “Raise the Line” and the title track “Resurruption.” The Grimm executed like a precision instrument throughout “Resurruption’s” course, coordinating near perfectly with the computer video screen accompaniment, performance art sequences and more. Instrumentally, new timekeeper Dom Peruso handled the entire “Resurruption” opus well, fitting predecessor Ron Brode’s shoes very capably. Peter C’s roared approval at the conclusion of the work, and a number of people congratulated the band members on a performance well-done during the ensuing intermission.

The Grimm’s nightcap set mixed several non-“Resurruption” original songs with select progressive-leaning modern rock tunes from A Perfect Circle, Tool, Staind and more. Original tunes performed during this set included “Enough,” “Dead Time” and the Bob Lee-orchestrated singalong “Suckupon,” during which Bob cavorted about the Peter C’s complex, soliciting unsuspecting participants to sing the song’s risqué-leaning words. Although advertised in the “Resurruption” program (yes, The Grimm again distributed programs for this night’s ‘rock and roll show’), Bob’s Big Bad Bag’O’Stuff didn’t make an appearance this night (damn, no free cans of slurpy meat or sardines).

As promised, The Grimm again delivered their “Resurruption” masterpiece in an unforgettable audiovisual experience that, unless they would decide later on to shoot for the hat trick, this area’s stages likely will not see again any time soon. Once again, a very memorable night.

The Grimm performs “Resurruption, Part Deux” at Peter C’s.

Bob Lee of The Grimm.

Bob Lee of The Grimm being attended to by an ‘Angel.’

Another scene from “Resurruption, Part Deux.

Phantom X “Resurruption” Command Central…

Bob Lee of The Grimm, giving his rendition of a “Free Bird” to the grimm reaper.

Dom Peruso of The Grimm.

Kent Tonkin of The Grimm.

After surviving another “Resurruption,” Bob Lee of The Grimm.

Again, Kent Tonkin of The Grimm.

VACATION DAY ONE 9/27/03

Time to get out of Dodge once again…VACATION TIME!

Originally, the “Triumvirate of Terror” – Yours truly, Big Jim and Sparky D’Engineer – had planned to return to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a weekend of R & R. But after Hurricane Isabel slammed into the Outer Banks 9 days before, we had learned that the main highway along the coast had been washed away, and that Outer Banks residents themselves couldn’t even get back into their shoreside residences and neighborhoods, let along tourists and vacationers like us. So in the days just before our trip, we changed the itinerary, and opted to instead head a few hours further south, to Myrtle Beach. This would work fine for me, being I had never been there before, and always look forward to seeing new places and new scenery. The alterations to our itinerary were made, and on a muggy and somewhat overcast late September Saturday afternoon, we embarked on our journey.

The biggest adventure of our journey down to Myrtle Beach happened right in Altoona. A major cloudburst erupted as we made our way through town to pick up Big Jim in Sparky’s Pathfinder. Both Jim and Sparky got drenched head to toe just in the brief moments it took to load Jim’s luggage into the back of the vehicle. We then made our way to the Eldorado Sheetz location to fuel up for the trip, only to find that the Sheetz parking lot was a virtual river of rainwater from the downpour. The front gas pumps were inundated by the torrents of water, but the rear pumps near the building were out of the current, so we fueled up there. We watched as passersby maneuvered the river pouring out onto Route 764 from Sheetz, and I took a few photos to remember the stormy beginning of our trip.

As we traversed our way out of PA, we sampled a new toy of Sparky’s that he added recently – XM Satellite Radio. There has been a lot of discussion about XM in recent months, both pro and con. Some people in the broadcast industry fear that XM could make broadcast radio obsolete. While I think it could steal some of broadcast radio’s thunder, I don’t see imminent danger. There will always be a need for local information, which is something broadcast radio can provide that XM presently cannot. On the other hand, for people who travel between cities and states on a regular basis like we were doing this day, XM enables you to pick a station and stay with it the entire trip if you desire; you don’t have to be continually spinning the dial for a new station as you go from town to town. During this trip, we largely listened to the XM comedy channels (they have clean comedy and adult comedy; we took in the latter), and also sampled the indie music channels, ESPN and CNN too.

We hit more heavy rains and a severe thunderstorm as we proceeded south on I-99 through Bedford County and got on Route 30 East towards Breezewood. We even heard a weather warning sound over Q94 due to the weather. I certainly was hoping the weather would be better in the area we were heading to! Threatening clouds closed in behind us as we proceeded through the Maryland and West Virginia panhandles into Virginia; and as we arrived in Winchester to dine at Cracker Barrel (a break with tradition, we usually hit Waffle House), we seemed to put some distance between ourselves and the severe weather. We still saw lightning in the distance as we proceeded south after our stop, but did not encounter any other major weather in our journey to Myrtle Beach. With slow traffic from the severe weather in PA, our dinner stop and a few gas stops along the way, we eventually arrived in Myrtle Beach at around 4 AM Sunday morning, about 11 hours after we started. The Holiday Inn Express was a welcome sight, and we promptly crashed and snored until well into the day on Sunday.

Our last views of Altoona as we embarked on the journey: flooding at the Eldorado Sheetz.

The Eldorado River flows through the Sheetz parking lot.

They call these fuel pumps “islands” – here is a picture of one living up to the name.

VACATION DAY TWO 9/28/03

We arose just as the NFL football games were beginning on the tube. Big Jim had gotten up earlier and procured some breakfast items from the morning breakfast buffet, so we enjoyed a few of these, and eventually decided on the day’s activities. I had done some research on the computer prior to our trip, and noticed that there was an arts and crafts festival happening in the area this weekend, and Sunday was the final day for the festival. The Atalaya Arts & Crafts Festival was taking place at Huntington Beach State Park near Myrtle Beach; and for something to do, we decided to check it out.

Huntington Beach State Park turned out to be a very interesting place. The festival was taking place at the historic Atalaya Castle, the former winter home and studio of noted American sculptress, Anna Hyatt Huntington, and her husband, Archer Milton Huntington, Atalaya is also listed as a National Historic Landmark. The castle actually looked a little bit like a prison or a fortress, and various artisans and craftspeople set up shop inside the various rooms, nooks and crannies of the complex. There was food and drink there, and entertainment. We caught the tail end of a Dixieland band, The Ambassadors of Dixieland. We then browsed around a little bit, taking in the sights and crafts, and then returned to the performance area to watch a bluegrass group, the Northern Border Bluegrass Band. While I typically don’t get to witness a lot of bluegrass bands, these guys were pretty good. Comprised of a guitarist, two banjo players and a stand-up bass player, Northern Border played bluegrass, country and folk songs, including numbers from Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams Sr. and more. Although all gathered around one microphone, these performers coordinated their vocals and harmonies well, and you could hear every voice. These guys were talented pickers too, and you could tell they were having fun performing.

After taking in the festival, we stuck around and explored Huntington Beach State Park itself a little more (especially since we paid $6 admission; apparently South Carolina’s state park system charges admission to use their parks). We were fascinated by the salt marsh area and all the different kinds of wildlife we observed, from various species of crabs and shrimp to water birds hunting for fish, and more.

After retiring to the hotel briefly, we headed to nearby Broadway At The Beach, a circular complex of shops, restaurants, nightclubs and other attractions. We did dinner at Joe’s Crab Shack, and then walked off our respective huge meals by checking out some of the nightspots and storefronts at the complex. We eventually entered Crocodile Rocks, home of the dueling pianos. Not to be confused with the live music venue Crocodile Rock in Allentown, Crocodile Rocks is actually a trio of nightclubs located in Myrtle Beach, Columbia, South Carolina and Norfolk, Virginia. Their trademark attraction is the dueling pianos, where two of the house piano players “duel” and entertain visitors nightly. We watched as the two piano players this night entertained the audience and honored their requests, accepting tips along the way. Eventually, the two piano players engaged in a “North vs. South” duel, with audience tips determining the outcome. This turned out being a cash cow for the two piano players. The northern piano player played “Yankee Doodle Dandy” as long as his tip jar held more money. But when southern fans would tip and raise the southern tip total ahead, the southern piano player would take over and play “Dixie.” The lead kept shifting back and forth as more and more folks tipped to give their pianist the lead; some of these folks were parting with some bigger bills, including $50’s and even a $100 bill! By the end, and several hundred dollars of tips later, the south won. And we confess, we didn’t help out the northern cause, we had better things to use our $20’s on! But what a way to make a lot of cash in a short amount of time!

With the temperature inside Crocodile Rocks feeling like that of a refrigerator, we soon headed back outside to check out some of the other sights of Broadway at the Beach. Eventually, back to the hotel to rest up for the third day of our sojourn…

We arrive at the Atalaya Arts & Crafts Festival at Huntington Beach State Park.

The Northern Border Bluegrass Band.

We made it to the beach again…Yours truly and Sparky D’Engineer.

Big Jim and Sparky, on Huntington Beach.

Yours truly meets an old acquaintance at Broadway At The Beach (“I think I wrestled you in Florida once…?”).

VACATION DAY THREE 9/29/03

Able to awaken earlier this day, we took in a little of the hotel’s swimming pool and hot tub area during the morning. Eventually, we headed back to Broadway at the Beach to take in Ripley’s Aquarium. Ripley’s is an 87,000 square foot aquarium complex showcasing all sorts of ocean life. They have a manta ray petting area, shark tanks, lots of other fascinating aquatic life too. We observed feeding time at the aquarium, as aquarium attendants donned scuba gear and entered the tanks, setting off a feeding frenzy as hundreds of small fish chased after the food they handed out. I was also fascinated with “The Abyss,” featuring displays from the ocean floor (which is mostly undiscovered and unseen by man at this point). We spent most of the afternoon at Ripley’s Aquarium, definitely worth the visit if you make the trip to Myrtle.

After leaving there, we headed to procure our evening meal, this time choosing Crabby Mike’s, an all-you-can-eat seafood restaurant. We came, saw, and gorged, and then headed back to the hotel for a short siesta. Sparky and I eventually headed out to Broadway At The Beach once again to catch the Monday night NFL game somewhere (and maybe procure some wings). We first headed to Fat Tuesdays, which offers the world’s largest selection of frozen drinks. Unfortunately for us, they were closing up for the night as we arrived, and had already shut off their frozen daiquiri machines. So we each had a beer and moved on. Eventually we settled on Broadway Louie’s, where we did some New York-styled pizza and brew while watching the NFL game, as Green Bay beat Kordell and the Chicago Bears. We then retired back to the hotel for one last good night of rest before the trip back home…

It’s feeding time at Ripley’s Aquarium. “Believe it or not,” there is a scuba diver at the middle of all of those fish.

The feeding frenzy continues…

The music industry isn’t the only place where you’ll find sharks…there are a few in the ocean, too.

A highlight of our visit to Ripley’s Aquarium was seeing the terrified look on Big Jim’s face when we turned up the air pressure in his submersible…

Good place to eat near Myrtle Beach: Crabby Mike’s.

This store sign caught our attention not too far from Crabby Mike’s; if you need blunts, this convenience store apparently has them!

VACATION DAY FOUR 9/30/03

As nice as the weather had been during our stay in Myrtle Beach, I could easily have stayed an additional week. But alas, it was nearly time to embark on the journey back home. We checked out of our hotel, and headed over to Broadway At The Beach one last time, to do lunch at the Myrtle Beach location of the Hard Rock Café. We did lunch and took in the sights at this particular Hard Rock Café, and then we started the roadtrip back.

We weren’t heading directly back home, though. We decided to take a trip past the Outer Banks to see how bad the damage from Hurricane Isabel was. En route, we took scenic Route 17 north through North Carolina, through the towns/cities of Wilmington, Jacksonville (near Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base), New Bern and Washington. As we drove nearer to Isabel’s point of impact on the mainland, we began to see more and more damage; first a few damaged neon signs and billboards, and then more severe damage. After we passed through Williamston and proceeded east on Route 64 to the Outer Banks, we saw some amazing sights, including whole groves of evergreen trees, slanted at 45-degree angles towards the ground by hurricane-force winds; uprooted trees, some still on top of houses and vehicles, and emergency crews, still removing downed trees and branches and working to restore power. When we finally arrived at Nags Head, we saw that damage here was substantial, but that residents were already on their way to cleaning it up. We saw piles of wooden shingles and planks stacked along the roadside for removal, and mounds of sand plowed to the sides of the road, much like snow is plowed in our region during the winter. We even were able to park at one of the lots at Nags Head and walk to the beach to observe the damage. Much of the beach area had been eroded away, leaving steep banks instead of the usually sandier inclines. Though damaged by the storm, we knew the beach would eventually be back in business; after all, this area has seen many hurricanes before. It was fortunate that Isabel struck right at the end of “the season,” as the tourism business was winding down for another year anyway. We stopped at New York Pizza Deli for our supper, before embarking on the final journey back home to PA. The remaining trip was relatively quick and uneventful, we arrived back in wet and showery Altoona at around 3 AM; roughly a 7-hour journey from the Outer Banks.

It was a fun and relaxing vacation at Myrtle Beach, and relatively inexpensive, too. I caught a few new sights and sounds, and had seen another part of the world I hadn’t been to before. And after the hectic previous weeks leading up to it, this trip provided the rest and relaxation I had been waiting for.

They grow ‘em big here in South Carolina…This unexpected passenger attempted to stowaway in Sparky’s Pathfinder before our return trip home.

The inside of the Hard Rock Café in Myrtle Beach.

And the Hard Rock Café, from the outside…

Some of the more severe damage we witnessed along Route 64 en route to the Outer Banks.

You can tell which direction Hurricane Isabel’s winds were blowing these trees…

Some of the roadside hurricane damage we discovered when we arrived at Nags Head.

As Big Jim demonstrates, at least one chair made it through Isabel’s onslaught unscathed…
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