[Jim Price]

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND RECAP 11/28/05

“A NIGHT OF ROCK, RHYTHM & BLUES” w/JAMES COTTON BAND/FLOOD CITY BRASS @ ACE’S LOUNGE, JOHNSTOWN 11/23/05

When I learned that legendary blues harmonica man James Cotton and his band were visiting Johnstown on Thanksgiving Eve to partake in the annual “Night of Rock, Rhythm & Blues” benefit for the Johnstown Free Medical Clinic, I was planning to do the roadtrip to check the show out.

But as the night neared, the weather forecast called for light snow, on the order of at least 3-4 inches. I quickly abandoned the plan to do the roadtrip to Johnstown, as I don’t drive on the mountains when it’s snowing. No way.

But when I saw a thread surface on Rockpage that afternoon from “Undercoverjoe” inquiring about who all was heading over to see James Cotton, and he mentioned that he and several Rockpagers were doing the trip, I inquired about seating availability on the ride. It turned out that seating was available, and since I didn’t have to do the driving in the snow, I was in!

It had begun to snow as the entourage of Undercoverjoe the wheelman, Songsmith, Songsmith’s .00 Buck accomplice Brian Cupples and yours truly traversed the mountain to Johnstown. But the roads were only wet as we arrived at Ace’s Lounge.

We entered as the opening act, Flood City Brass, was in the midst of their set. Eight members strong, the Flood City Brass performed a mixture of classic rock, soul and blues. The group played such selections as Van Morrison’s “Domino,” Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man,” Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour” and “634-5789,” Delbert McClinton’s “Standing on Shaky Ground,” Stevie Wonder’s “Signed Sealed Delivered,” Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin,’” Robert Johnson’s “Sweet Home Chicago,” James Brown’s “I Feel Good,” Ides Of March’s “Vehicle” and more. Tom Pavic sang some powerful and soulful lead voice, backed by a tight and dynamic band. Luis Gonzalez played keys, Josh Covert guitar, Kyle Reasbeck bass, Brian Wechtenhiser drums; and the group also featured the horn section of Dan Perich on trumpet, Jen Shuty on sax and Jim Bilitski on trombone. Flood City Brass gave a solid, spirited performance, and had a few folks up and dancing before all was said and done.

The Flood City Brass gets the dance floor active early in the evening.

Along the way, we helped ourselves to our first servings from the nice food spread. Hot dogs, kolbassi, sauerkraut, mac and potato salad, baked beans, other goodies as well – good stuff!

The main event was soon ready to go. James Cotton’s band first stepped onstage to open with a few instrumental numbers, allowing James’ sidemen to show off their chops. After two faster exercises and a slower one, James was introduced, and the Ace’s audience was treated to a crash course in Blues Harmonica 101! James and his band played a selection of blues, boogie, R&B and more, with James’ harmonica skills always in the spotlight. We were spellbound watching James in action, especially Songsmith, himself a respectable harp blower. We watched as James masterfully bent and twisted notes, held out harmonica notes and rudiments for long periods of time without coming up for air, played in different key without changing harmonicas and more; this man was simply amazing! James’ sidemen weren’t shabby either; guitarists Rico McFarland and Tom Holland themselves provided some fretboard fireworks and nice guitar tones along the way. I didn’t know much of the material that James and his band performed during this first set; the only song I recognized was the singalong version of “Sweet Home Chicago.”

During the intermission, James and his band mingled with the audience, and a number of people purchased CD’s and obtained autographs from James. Songsmith had his harmonica belt autographed, and I purchased and had a CD autographed. I also witnessed an incident that illustrated how ignorant some fans can be. While I was waiting in line to have James autograph the sleeve of the CD I had just purchased, some dufus – without warning – took a close-up flash picture of James. Apparently, James’ eyes were sensitive to bright light, and he winced and backed away when the shot was taken. The zealous fan adamantly wanted to take another picture of his buddy with James, even though James held his arm up to his face and tried to wave the guy away. I thought that this clown was going to ruin it for everybody else; fortunately, after a few minutes to let his eyes recover, James resumed his autographs. We also noticed James throwing back a few drink shots during the break – interesting to see, given that this was benefit show for a medical clinic!

We were disappointed to see that the audience had diminished significantly during the intermission, and only a handful of hardcore blues fans – ourselves included – remained as James Cotton and his band got ready to return to the stage. With all the front tables now vacated, we migrated forward and claimed those tables so we could experience James Cotton’s performance from a closer vantage point.

Soon the nightcap set began, and as happened during the first set, James Cotton’s band first did some more instrumental numbers. James himself was re-introduced during the third song, and after the fourth number – another instrumental – his drummer performed a solo. After renditions of “Little Red Rooster” and “Got My Mojo Workin,’” the group welcomed a friend and local guest up to the stage – Who’s Your Daddy singer and harmonica man John Shaeffer, who showcased his own harp skills on Elmore James’ “Sky Is Crying.” The group performed a few more songs, with James and his band continuing to dazzle us along the way. At one point, James stepped to the microphone and spoke; the combination of throat problems a few years ago and the shots he just quaffed during the intermission made him a bit difficult to understand. But in his gruff and gravelly voice, I did hear James declare that “…These blues, these blues have been a part of my life for 65 years.”

It was great to witness this legendary performer and his band; given his age (70), there might not be too many more opportunities to do so. For James Cotton, the harmonica has long since become an extension of his persona, and he expresses himself and reveals his soul and moods through his playing. His heartfelt, robust performance was passionate and fiery, as he forcefully cupped his harp to wrench every last drop out of every note. As somebody who has dabbled in harmonica myself, I looked on in awe, hoping that someday I can develop enough skill to make my harmonica speak even just a fraction as good as James Cotton does – amazing!

The roadtrip back to Altoona was a bit more adventurous than the trip from Altoona earlier, as a good 3 to 4 inches of snow had accumulated on the roads. Undercoverjoe’s minivan handled it well, although we discovered that the Johnstown and Cambria County roads were in better shape than the Blair County roads. Traveling became more treacherous after we crested Cresson summit and descended the hill to Altoona, and it looked like the Route 764 interchange hadn’t even been plowed and treated! It was the first significant snowfall of the winter season, and it happened on Thanksgiving Eve, so I guess local road crews didn’t want to be bothered this night. Eventually, though, we did manage to make it back to our original rendezvous point in the Q94 parking lot, and I crept my way home on the snow covered roads, content that I had been able to witness a harmonica legend.

James Cotton.

James Cotton and his band.

Once again belting out some blues, James Cotton and his band.

Once again, harmonica master James Cotton.

Guest John Shaeffer displays some of his harp skills with James Cotton’s band.

FELIX & THE HURRICANES “TURKEY NIGHT JAM” FINALE @ PETER C’S, ALTOONA 11/24/05

It was the beginning of the end…of an era.

Peter C’s was closing up shop. Big John and Jodie K were selling the establishment to a new owner. Altoona was losing a venue that for 15 years had provided a stage for new bands to get their start and build followings. It was also a stage where bands could showcase their own original music. And on Thursday nights, Peter C’s was the stage where Felix & the Hurricanes continued to solidify their status as a local music institution. It was hard to argue with heading to Peter C’s for that weekly Thursday night edition of Hurricaning. It was always guaranteed to be a night of good tunes, good vibes, excellent musicianship, and a touch of mischief and chicanery.

This night, it was slated to come to an end with the annual Hurricanes’ Thanksgiving tradition, the “Turkey Night Jam.” I had seen some legendary “Turkey Night Jam’s” in years past, but this one – the final one – would be special. The Hurricanes welcomed any and all musicians who had ever performed at Peter C’s the opportunity to step on that stage one last time. By the time all was said and done that night, many did.

The host band opened the evening, with Hurricane Bob uttering the classic line in reference to the end of Thursday Hurricaning, “Where am I going to get my Friday hangover from?” With a large crowd and a number of musicians already present, Bob, Felix and Jeff opened with “Who’s Fooling Who,” continued with the soulful “Walking A Straight Line,” before performing two Allman Brothers numbers, “Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More” and “No One to Run With.” At this point, Rob Bonsell brought the first round of celebratory Wild Turkey shots to the stage, before the Hurricanes continued with Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well.” Noting the large musician populace in attendance, Hurricane Bob again remarked, “The last time I saw this many musicians in the same room, we were in court!” The musical flavor of the Hurricanes’ set then shifted towards country, as the group did Eddie Rabbitt’s “Driving My Life Away,” as the Tonkin brothers, Kent and Kirk, presented another round of Turkey shots. The group then did Robert Johnson’s “Rambling on My Mind,” which segued into the Marshall Tucker Band’s “Heard It In A Love Song.” After Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Pride and Joy,” guest John “Songsmith” Stevens, freshly recovered after experiencing James Cotton in Johnstown the night before, put harp to lips and harping lessons to good use on the Hurricanes’ popular “Keep On Rockin.’” John also contributed his harmonica talents to “I Just Had to Play the Blues,” before the Hurricanes beckoned Peter C’s first couple, Big John and Jodie K, to the dance floor to slow dance during the set-ending rendition of the Allman Brothers’ “Sweet Melissa.”

Felix & the Hurricanes, with guest John Stevens, entertain during the final “Turkey Night Jam” at Peter C’s.

The Hurricanes show hugs and adoration for Peter C’s first couple Big John and Jodie K.

Once again, Felix & the Hurricanes.

At this point, a parade of guest musicians platooned on and off the Peter C’s stage in a series of jam session collaborations. The combination of Fat Vinny, John Stevens, Rob Bonsell, Paul Rainey and Brian Cupples performed renditions of the Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues” and the Allman Brothers’ twin shot of “Statesboro Blues” and “One Way Out.” Vinny, Rob, Brian and bassman Jamie Smith then did Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” and AC/DC’s “The Jack.” Then a different gathering of players altogether – Generation Gap frontman Brian Elliott, Dwane Edmiston on guitar, Mike “Griff” Griffiths of Homer’s Army on bass, and Lisa “Woo” Fazenbaker on drums – played renditions of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” and (for the second time this night) Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Pride and Joy.” This was followed by the partial reunion of Dead Reckoning, as singer/guitarist John Fleming (these days known as Drugmoney frontman Fisher Meehan) and drummer Sean Hershey stepped up and performed a trio of agitated songs. The jam session portion of the evening then drew to a close with Hurricane Bob, Kirk and Kent Tonkin taking the stage to perform versions of Golden Earring’s “Radar Love” and (for the second time this night) Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.”

Let the jamming begin! Fat Vinny, John Stevens, Rob Bonsell, Paul Rainey and Brian Cupples commence the jam session portion of the “Turkey Night Jam.”

More Turkey Night jamming.

”The Deathmaster” joins in on bass.

Dwane Edmiston, Brian Elliott, Lisa “Woo” Fazenbaker and Mike “Griff” Griffiths keep the jams going.

John Fleming (a.k.a. “Fisher Meehan” of Drugmoney) and Sean Hershey convene a partial Dead Reckoning reunion during the final “Turkey Night Jam.”

John Fleming of Dead Reckoning.

The Tonkin brothers and Hurricane Bob close out the jam portion of the evening.

Kirk “Otto” Tonkin contributes some licks to the “Turkey Night Jam.”

“Otto” can keep a beat, too!

A view of the bar during the final “Turkey Night Jam” at Peter C’s.

For the homestretch of the “Turkey Night Jam,” Felix & the Hurricanes returned to the stage to party down Peter C’s one more time. The dance floor instantly filled up as the Hurricanes launched into the Allman Brothers’ “Ramblin’ Man” and remained filled as the group performed their original tune “Black Widow,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Ballad of Curtis Loew,” Los Lonely Boys’ “Heaven,” Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “House Is A Rockin,’” Ted Nugent’s “Free For All,” and – appropriately – their showstopper rendition of the Outlaws’ “Green Grass and High Tides” to close out the night. The dance floor stayed filled and jubilant, as many audience members savored the occasion and cut the rug on Peter C’s dance floor for one final time. As one observer recalled the moment, “When I left Peter C’s, the band was onstage and the crowd was cheering for more, and that’s the way I’ll always remember it.”

As it turned out, this would just be the first of several finales to close out the Peter C’s era, as delays in the license transfer and other factors would keep the venue open for another few weeks. But for many musicians and fans, this was the end of an era, and they got to see Peter C’s one last time, with the Hurricanes and other musicians on stage, people on the dance floor, Big John, Jodie K and good vibes a-plenty.

How many people will remember Peter C’s – with Hurricanes on stage, and a packed dance floor cheering for more tunes.

Lead Hurricane Felix Kos.

Once again, Felix & the Hurricanes and a busy dance floor at Peter C’s.

Jodie K, Tina and “Nikki Slice” whoop it up during the final “Turkey Night Jam” at Peter C’s.

Bandit the Peter C’s C.E.O. and wonder dog receives some love and adoration during the final “Turkey Night Jam.”

The Peter C’s “Wall of Fame.”

DDR @ ALDO’S, ALTOONA 11/25/05

After the musical excitement of the previous two nights, this Friday evening was one of those occasional “been there done that” nights, where nearly all the bands on stage I had just recently seen or written about. The only question mark on stage for me this night was the mysterious name DDR, which was listed on Aldo’s marquee as I drove by. Being the only unknown entity on stage this night, I decided to step in and investigate.

Aldo’s was almost empty when I first arrived, with only a handful of folks in the house. Onstage, I quickly discovered who DDR was, and the significance of the name: Dustin Burley on guitar and voice, Dan Mullen on bass and Rob Bonsell on drums. It was essentially three musicians getting together to jam on some common tunes onstage.

As I arrived, DDR started playing one of Dustin’s original songs, “Broken Mirror.” The trio continued with Oasis’ “Wonderwall,” Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s “Blue On Black,” and Violent Femmes’ “Blister In The Sun.” After a feisty treatment of Bob Marley/Eric Clapton’s “I Shot the Sheriff,” the group sang another of Dustin’s originals, “Yesterday,” before ending with Pearl Jam’s “Black.”

During intermission, it was revealed that Rich the bartender was celebrating a birthday this night.

The nightcap set also featured an assortment of songs, including renditions of Stone Temple Pilots’ “Interstate Love Song,” Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Otherside,” Proclaimers’ “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),” Men At Work’s “Down Under,” Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again,” a reggae-flavored version of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” before an audience member’s request for a repeat of “Interstate Love Song” closed out the evening.

For what was essentially a pick-up jam session, DDR did a good job. All three players were on the same page and kept things together well; and as a trio, all three players had room to improvise and work off of one another. It was a quiet night at Aldo’s, but those who were present seemed to enjoy it.

Dan Mullen and Dustin Burley of DDR.

DDR, jamming out on tunes at Aldo’s.

SCREAM @ COUNTY LINE INN, MOUNT UNION 11/26/05

After about a half year hiatus, Mount Union favorite sons and 80’s hair-band rockers Scream were slated to storm back into action this night, with their vacant drum slot finally filled. Kevin “ToonaRockGuy” Siegel was making his debut behind the Scream drum kit, and a road trip to Mount Union’s County Line Inn was in order for designated driver Yours Truly and designated drunk The Right Honorable Guv’nor Jesse.

We arrived towards the end of Scream’s first set, in time to hear renditions of Poison’s “Nothin’ But A Good Time” and Dokken’s “Alone Again.” Not surprisingly, it was a full house at the County Line Inn for Scream’s return, and we were lucky to be able to locate a table along the wall near the front of the stage to take in Scream’s show.

After the first intermission, Scream was ready to go again. Singer Jeff Hoover, guitarists Ed Miller and Skip Henry, bassist Robert Port and Kevin behind the kit launched their second set with Warrant’s “Down Boys,” and the 80’s rocking party was again on. Scream continued with Skid Row’s “Youth Gone Wild,” before Ed and Rob shared lead vocal duties on Golden Earring’s “Twilight Zone.” The group broke out a more recent number, Buckcherry’s “Lit Up,” before firing off more 80’s metal classics from Def Leppard, Quiet Riot, Motley Crue, White Lion, AC/DC, Scorpions, Krokus and more.

Scream was clearly excited to be back in action after the long layoff; jubilantly moving about on the stage and playing with heart and enthusiasm. Kevin was clearly fired up behind the kit, enough so that Jeff kiddingly called him “Speedy Gonzales” because of his agitated tempo. Jeff constantly took his game directly to the crowd, even venturing out onto the dance floor and atop the side bar to belt out his vocals. Lee Worthy and his production staff were making Scream sound and look mighty with his concert-caliber gear and mix.

The County Line Inn remained jam-packed through the intermission, and was ready to resume rocking as Scream returned for their third set, kicking off with the Scorpions’ “The Zoo.” Autograph’s “Turn Up the Radio” re-filled the dance floor, and Scream continued the party with tunes from Twisted Sister, Motley Crue, Bulletboys, Aerosmith and Ozzy, culminating in the set-ending rendition of Accept’s “Balls to the Wall.” The County Line crowd demanded an encore, and Scream answered with Quiet Riot/Slade’s “Cum On Feel the Noize” to finish out the night.

Scream and the crowd kept the hard-rocking party at a feverish pitch. Scream’s enthusiasm and confidence levels this night were as high as I’ve ever seen them; you could tell that this group had been chomping at the bit to get back out there and do their thing. Now with their drummer situation stabilized, Scream should return to being a steady hard-rocking fixture on this region’s stages for a while to come.

Scream, back in action in front of the hometown fans at the County Line Inn.

Jeff Hoover of Scream sings to a crowded dance floor at the County Line Inn.

Jeff Hoover of Scream.

Ed Miller of Scream.

Once again, Ed Miller of Scream.

Scream’s rocking party continues.

Broadcasting to millions from high atop the County Line’s back bar, Jeff Hoover of Scream.

Because they’re an American Band, Jeff Hoover of Scream.

The new man behind the kit, Kevin Siegel of Scream.

Robert Port of Scream.

With Guv’nor Jesse looking on, Jeff Hoover of Scream.

Wearing a shirt that just screams “Have a nice day!,” Jeff Hoover of Scream..[/color]

Once again rocking a crowded dance floor, Scream.

Robert Port and Skip Henry of Scream.

Scream, bringing their “Headbanger’s Ball” to the County Line Inn.

Jeff Hoover of Scream and a bunch of happy County Line fans.

“Take our picture!”

At night’s end, a happy Guv’nor Jesse celebrates good rock’n’roll and his conquest of beer at the County Line Inn.

GREEN EGGS @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 11/27/05

After serving “Backyard Rocker” duty, I finished out my Sunday and Thanksgiving weekend at Pellegrine’s, where Green Eggs provided the party.

A good-sized crowd populated Pelly’s this night; obviously many folks were still into Thanksgiving weekend party mode (and given that the Thanksgiving Eve snowfall probably kept a number of folks at home, people probably still had funds in their weekend partying budget to use up). Green Eggs gave them music to party down to. As I arrived during their second set, Green Eggs had the dance floor party going strong with Guns’N’Roses’ “Paradise City,” continued with Weezer’s “Beverly Hills” and Bryan Adams’ “Summer Of ’69,” before fusing together the Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” and Tom Petty’s “American Girl” to end the set.

The nightcap set found Green Eggs again doing what they do best, mixing a hodgepodge of tunes and styles into near-seamless dance party grooves. Green Eggs kept Pelly’s dance floor filled with a set list spanning tunes from Guns’N’Roses, AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Vanilla Ice, Jet, White Stripes, Green Day, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, hip-hop medleys and more. The music kept moving along and never staying in one place for too long, and the band members themselves were constantly moving around as well, with keyboard man Brian Nicarry, bassman Brad Nicarry and guitarist Steve Nelson constantly swapping lead vocal chores, and sometimes even instruments. Drummer Doug Black held down the fort behind his kit with his steady beats.

It was another hearty and exhaustive Green Eggs party workout that nicely slammed the lid on the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

A common sight: Green Eggs partying down a packed dance floor at Pellegrine’s.

Once again, Green Eggs parties down at Pellegrine’s.

Brad Nicarry of Green Eggs sings to the dance floor crowd at Pellegrine’s.

Brian Nicarry of Green Eggs.

Once again, Brad Nicarry of Green Eggs addresses the packed dance floor at Pellegrine’s.

More fun and excitement with Green Eggs at Pellegrine’s.

Again, Brad Nicarry of Green Eggs.

Doug Black of Green Eggs.
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