[Jim Price]

WEEKEND RECAP 12/12/05

THE BLUE LINE BAND @ MELLON ARENA, PITTSBURGH 12/8/05

You’ve heard the one about going to see the fight, and the hockey game breaking out? Well, this night, I went to see a hockey game, and a band broke out! (And also a snowstorm!)

Sparky D’Engineer hooked me up with a ticket and a ride to go see the Pittsburgh Penguins battle the Minnesota Wild. This would be my first chance to see rookie sensation Sidney Crosby, as well as Mario Lemieux and hopefully, a Penguins win.

Well, Mario was scratched before the game, so he wasn’t on the ice. And in fact, the Penguins themselves weren’t on the ice, either, as they were soundly thrashed by Minnesota, 5-0. The Pens were pathetic this night, not even getting a shot on goal until nearly 13 minutes into the first period, and not getting a power play opportunity until late in the third period! Coach Eddie “Edzo” Olczyk was fired shortly after this loss. How bad were the Penguins this night? During one of the intermissions, there was a contest where two little kids, suited up in oversized hockey outfits, had to skate midway down the ice, put on an oversized jersey, and wearing these oversized clothes, guide a puck back up the ice and into the goal, the first kid to score winning. After the winning youngster scored his goal, the announcer (a Pittsburgh radio guy, I believe from The X) remarked that the youngster could be a future Penguin in another 15 years; several folks in the stands yelled down to suit the kid up now, he was at least able to get the puck into the goal, something the Penguins themselves couldn’t do this night! After the game, the Penguins radio commentators openly called the game the worst Penguins performance they had ever seen, and forecasted changes on the horizon.

So the game sucked. But the band at least was good. Yes, the Penguins have a house band, The Blue Line Band, featuring several established Pittsburgh musicians; including keyboardist Scott Anderson (whose resumé includes stints with Billy Price and Joe Negri). The Blue Line Band entertained during breaks in the action and intermissions. Along the way, I heard them perform renditions of Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill,” “Twist and Shout,” the Black Crowes’ “Hard to Handle,” 70’s soul and more.

All the while, heading to the game, we knew what was in the weather forecast for this night, the first real snowstorm of the 2005-06 winter season; forecasts had called for anything from 8 inches to a foot of the white stuff. It was expected to begin in mid-evening, but we were hopeful we could beat the brunt of the storm and get back to Altoona before it got too bad.

When we stepped outside Mellon Arena after the game, the snow was under way, and about an inch and a half was already down in the parking lot. Several younger Pens fans were having fun and tossing snowballs at one another, and a few folks were playfully wrestling in the first snow of the season. We had journeyed to the game in Sparky’s Nissan Pathfinder, so we felt pretty good about our chances of making it through the elements.

Provided we ever got out of the parking lot. Hopefully if the Penguins ever do get a new arena, they will have a better parking system in place. We waited nearly 45 minutes to get out of the Mellon Arena parking lot, with snow piling up as we waited.

The trip back wasn’t too bad until we got past Blairsville. The snow accumulation on the roads was in the 3 inch range for most of the trip. After getting past Blairsville, though, as we arrived at the first mountain, we came up behind two 18-wheelers that apparently had lost all traction and couldn’t make it any further up the snow-covered grade. These rigs were stopped cold, in lane, not even pulled off the road! We waited for about ten minutes, not knowing if the rigs were stuck, or stopped because of an accident or blockage ahead and further up the hill. We watched one daring soul in a standard passenger auto go around the rigs to try to scale the mountain himself; his car promptly veered off the road and into a snow bank after he passed the rigs! Things weren’t looking good. We then saw another 4-wheel drive vehicle, similar to Sparky’s Pathfinder, pass around all of us and scale the hill. We waited a few more minutes, and did not see this vehicle heading back down the hill; so Sparky decided to go for it. His Pathfinder made it around the rigs and up the curvy ridge with ease, and after we got past this hill, we lucked out and got behind two Penndot snowplows, which we followed for a good portion of the trip from Blairsville to Ebensburg. After getting past Ebensburg, road conditions deteriorated badly; obviously the Blair County side of the mountain got it worse than Cambria and points west; by the time we reached Altoona, there was some 7-8 inches of snow on the ground, including a number of side streets. This, though, was where Sparky’s Pathfinder made a believer out of me. That Pathfinder made it through the snow-covered streets, itself making paths through the snow, and ultimately – even making it up my unplowed hill! This night sold me, my next vehicle will be a Pathfinder (provided I can find one at an affordable price or payment plan)!

So the hockey game itself was a bust…But the rest of the evening made for quite a memorable adventure!

BEYOND REASON @ THE HITCHING POST, ALTOONA 12/9/05

Recovered from my snowy travels from the night before, my first live band destination of this Friday night was The Hitching Post, to catch up on the goings on of Beyond Reason.

With roads plowed by still messy following the previous night’s snowstorm, attendance was somewhat light as I arrived at the Hitching Post near the end of Beyond Reason’s first set. The group finished out their first set with Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild” and the Ventures’ “Walk Don’t Run.”

I was beckoned to sit with Rockpage newcomers Gazoo17 and Lady Rock (thanks!), and noted a few other Rockpagers in the house, such as Slothkill and Rickw, and of course, Beyond Reason beer wench Esa. During the intermission, I learned that Beyond Reason bassist and Deathmaster Jamie Smith was again afflicted with a cold (this seems to happen every time I go to see this band!); an important warning so I knew to dodge any possible snot-rockets if he tried to sing later on.

Soon Beyond Reason was back on stage, and rocking and rolling with a mix of classic favorites with an occasional newer number tossed in. Singer/guitarist Dan Myers II, guitarist Tom “Urbs” Urbain, the Deathmaster on bass and Chris Myers on drums broke out a funky take on the Classics IV’s “Spooky,” followed by Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and a version of Van Morrison’s “Wild Night” that brought a throng of dancing women onto the Post’s small stagefront dance floor area. The party continued with Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” Blues Traveler’s “Runaround,” Greg Kihn Band’s “Break-Up Song” and Tommy Tutone’s “867-5309/Jenny,” before Beyond Reason launched into an uptempo medley merging the Romantics’ “What I Like About You,” Neil Diamond’s “Cherry Cherry” and John Mellencamp’s “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.” The congestion-afflicted Deathmaster then stepped to the lead microphone to sing Gin Blossoms’ “Hey Jealousy,” with no evident projectiles jettisoned from his nostrils in the process. Urbs then took over lead voice duties for Bowling For Soup’s “1985,” before the second set concluded with Bryan Adams’ “Summer Of ’69.”

So far, the party was going well. Beyond Reason built momentum as the evening progressed, and their upbeat presentation drew dancers and cheers from the Hitching Post populace. The group’s performance was solid, and even the Deathmaster did a decent job on the vocal front in spite of his less-than-ideal circumstance.

Soon Beyond Reason launched into the nightcap set, opening with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ever-popular “Gimme Three Steps.” Drummer Chris sang lead on John Mellencamp’s “Authority Song,” before he and brother Dan combined for some good harmonies on Cracker’s “What The World Needs Now.” The group slowed it down for Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb,” setting up well to bring the tempo back up for Neil Young’s “Rocking In The Free World.” After again triggering some dance floor action with Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally,” Beyond Reason brought the evening to a close with – appropriately enough – the Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place.”

In spite of the light crowd and the Deathmaster’s affliction, this was still a good show and a good time. And at least the Deathmaster didn’t die. And the smile on seamstress-for-the-band Esa’s face as she knit the band’s stage clothes on site indicated that she was having a good time, and indeed this was a fun evening of rock and roll at the Hitching Post.

Beyond Reason, rocking and rolling at the Hitching Post.

“The Deathmaster,” Jamie Smith of Beyond Reason.

Once again, Beyond Reason.

Suffering another cold, Jamie Smith of Beyond Reason; what can we say, this guy’s just sick!

Tom “Urbs” Urbain of Beyond Reason.

Dan Myers II of Beyond Reason.

Seamstress for the band, Esa, knitting matching Christmas outfits for the group.

Caught misbehaving again, I accept disciplinary action from Esa.

FAYTED @ CITY LIMITS, ALTOONA 12/9/05

After Beyond Reason’s show ended, with time remaining to catch some more music, I headed to City Limits to see the remainder of Fayted’s show.

As with the Hitching Post, the previous night’s snowstorm had stunted Fayted’s audience size as well; and since this group often brings along a fan following from their hometown Saxton area, they were severely impacted this night. But singer Josh Lockard, guitarists Kenton sitch and Ron Horton, bassist Larry Bishop and drummer Zac Grace made the best of it and rocked what audience they had, finishing out the night with tunes from the Black Crowes, Weezer, Green Day, Puddle Of Mudd, Rick Springfield and Fallout Boy. The group’s overall spark was slightly diminished by the empty house, but overall they still generated some good hard-rocking energy on what I was able to see of their performance.

Bad weather-hampered nights are a part of paying those ever-popular dues, and tonight was one of those nights for Fayted. Given this band’s developing momentum on area stages, this night should likely be only a small bump in the road, and quickly forgotten.

Ron Horton and Larry Bishop of Fayted.

Josh Lockard of Fayted.

Fayted, rocking for the few who did show up at City Limits this night.

Once again, Fayted.

One more time, Fayted.

GO GO GADJET @ 4D’S LOUNGE, ALTOONA 12/10/05

This was one of those nights where there were several bands around that I wanted to see. I first decided to go see the new band in town, Go Go Gadjet, making their Altoona debut at the 4D’s Lounge.

Not surprisingly, given an unknown new band playing Altoona for the first time, the 4D’s was sparsely populated as I arrived during Go Go Gadjet’s first set. A fivesome based in eastern PA, Go Go Gadjet was laying down some grooves! These guys blended new school and old school funk, rock, hip-hop and more into energized dance grooves designed to pack the dance floor – provided there’s a crowd present to pack the floor, not the case this night. The remainder of Go Go Gadjet’s first set was comprised mostly of funk, hip-hop and dance hits I didn’t readily recognize; I think I did hear a Prince number in the midst of the grooves. These guys displayed some hot musicianship, particularly guitarist Chris with his tasteful licks and showy calisthenics, and drummer Michael Stephen Intelisano with his double-kick groove-igniting beats. Singer Jeff could effectively sing and rap, but also played some rhythm guitar, trumpet and keys; Tim Duncan (not the NBA star) played bass; and Owen “Sco” Unger played sax.

During the intermission, things started looking up for Go Go Gadjet, as a small party of folks – possibly from a Christmas party – arrived at the 4D’s and took up one of the larger tables towards the front; if these folks were into dancing, they might at least reward this band’s efforts with some dance floor activity. At least two Rockpagers were in the house as well, as Onetooloud and Bugglez24 were behind the console and doing a good job running sound and lights, illuminating the stage with maximum “LAZERS and EN_ER_GY!”

The group soon launched their second set, and this time demonstrated more of a mixture of sounds. A jazz, funk and dance groove-geared number opened up the set, with the emphasis on the horn section, and the group stepped up the funk/hip-hop grooves for a few tunes, throwing in Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It” and Maroon 5’s “This Love.” The group then shifted into a more rocking vein with versions of Weezer’s “Beverly Hills” and Fallout Boy’s “Sugar, We’re Going Down.” This shift, though, led to a casualty, as the aforementioned party group that arrived during the intermission suddenly upped and left the 4D’s – back to the sparse crowd of onlookers. Go Go Gadjet kept the music going, though, with Kelly Clarkston’s “Since U Been Gone” and the Black Crowes’ “Hard to Handle.” A handful of dancers even took to the floor at this point. The group then returned to more funk and hip-hop geared sounds. At this point, with another show that I wanted to take in this evening, I bid adieu to Onetooloud and Bugglez24 and made my exit from the 4D’s.

Although they played to an empty house, Go Go Gadjet made a good first impression on me. Their grooves were sharp, their musicianship and vocals tight, and their vibes upbeat and feisty. Their Altoona welcome was an inauspicious one; but I got the definite feeling that empty rooms like this night would be short-lived once word about this group’s dance groove party spread.

Making their Altoona debut, Go Go Gadjet.

Again, Go Go Gadjet.

Once again, Go Go Gadjet.

Jeff of Go Go Gadjet.

Chris of Go Go Gadjet.

HALF TEMPTED JAM NIGHT @ CITY LIMITS, ALTOONA 12/10/05

I departed the 4D's because I was more than half tempted to head to City Limits and check out the jam session of local rock legends being hosted by Half Tempted.

Upon entering a busy City Limits, I felt like I was stepping back into the old Sebastiano's Hotel circa 1989. There were a number of local rock legends in the house, as well as a number of folks who used to go check them out back in the day, including some faces I hadn't seen in years!

Onstage, Half Tempted – with guest Joe George playing guitar – was cooking with classics, doing Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me" and Brownsville Station's "Smokin' In The Boy's Room." At this point, singer Steve Oswalt and bassist Jim High stepped onstage to join Half Tempted on Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama." After versions of Grand Funk Railroad's "Some Kind Of Wonderful," Kiss' "Rock and Roll All Night" and the Troggs' ever-popular "Wild Thing," steve and Denise "Nece" Neely joined the group to duet on John Mellencamp's "Hurts So Good." Hurricanes drummer Bob Watters then took over behind the kit, while Ron Dalansky and "Nece" sang lead on AC/DC's "The Jack." John Stevens then hopped up onstage to take over lead mic honors for Black Sabbath's "Paranoid," before the set concluded with Tommy Tutone's "867-5309/Jenny."

This show was delivering as promised, as these area stage vets - some shaking off rust - were having a blast, jamming onstage with musical brethren they hadn't played with in years. It also marked the first time I had ever seen Jim High and Joe George - both traditionally bass players - sharing the same stage. The large City Limits crowd was clearly enjoying the festivities so far; witnessing musical fun, fireworks, and even some local music history in the making.

Soon the festivities resumed. Ron Dalansky paired with two Banditos, bassist Bill Nusom and drummer Dave Russell, to kick off the nightcap set with Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water." That combination of players continued with AC/DC's "Live Wire" and - with Billy singing lead - Violent Femmes' "Blister In The Sun." After the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated," Joe George returned to the stage for ZZ Top's "Beer Drinkers and Hellraisers" to close out the night.

Needless to say, this was a fun and special jam night! Seeing performers like Joe George, Bob Watters, John Stevens, Jim High, Bill Nusom and others join Half Tempted onstage brought back memories of a time when bands like Rapidfire, Psycho, Thin Ice and Fatal Maim were prominent names on the area music scene. This was a very good night that celebrated local rock heritage; the jams were fun and rocking, and it was cool to see both long time music fans and younger fans experiencing these performers for the first time. Thanks to Ron Dalansky of Half Tempted for organizing this special night - here's hoping for more nights like this soon!

Assisted by some fans onstage, Steve Oswalt.

With Jim High and Joe George together on the same stage, Half Tempted.

With a little help from their friends, Half Tempted.

The festivities continue with Half Tempted.

With Denise “Nece” Neely singing lead, Half Tempted.

Half Tempted, with Joe George, “Nece” and Steve Oswalt.

Ron Dalansky of Half Tempted, flanked by “Nece” and Steve.

“Nece” and Steve.

Once again, Denise and Steve.

“Big Jim” Ricotta and Ron Dalansky of Half Tempted.

Half Tempted, with Denise on vocals and Hurricane Bob on drums.

“Big Jim” Ricotta of Half Tempted.

Again, Denise and Ron.

Now with John Stevens singing, Half Tempted.

With guests John Stevens, Joe George and Bob Watters, Half Tempted.

Once again, Half Tempted.

The fans get rowdy as Half Tempted’s party continues.

Once again, “Big Jim” Ricotta of Half Tempted.

Joe George, Steve Oswalt and Ron Dalansky.

Whooping it up with Half Tempted.

The festivities continue with Half Tempted.

It’s a party with Half Tempted at City Limits.

Half Tempted’s legendary jam night continues.

Jody is obviously having a good time during Half Tempted’s jam night.

Steve McCulley of Half Tempted.

Once again, Half Tempted and friends.

Joe George and some Banditos keep the party going.

Yours truly, obviously enjoying life during Half Tempted’s local legend jam at City Limits.

RAY, RED & JOHN @ URIAH’S PUB, ALTOONA 12/11/05

After performing "Backyard Rocker" duties on this snowy Sunday night, I decided to venture over to Uriah's Pub, where live music had resurfaced over the past few Sundays. I knew that Red "Redawg" Solinski was performing with a few other musicians, so I decided to see what it was all about.

Unfortunately, likely due to the light snowfall and slick spots on area roads, it wasn't about much this night. Uriah's Pub was empty when I arrived; my entrance boosted the total attendance to three people, two ladies and myself (the lady tending bar made the audience a grand total of four). The musicians – Redawg on guitar and vocals, Raymond Davis on lead vocals, and John Mulraney on percussion and vocals – were on break, and eventually made their way back up to the stage to perform a few more songs. The trio played renditions of Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer," Puddle Of Mudd's "She Hates Me," and a particularly spirited version of Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See" with Red singing lead to conclude the evening.

What I heard from these three musicians sounded respectable, especially given that they were playing to four walls. This night didn't appear to bode well for the future of live music on Sundays at Uriah's Pub, though. Hopefully business will pick up as word gets out that this live music option is available on Sundays.

John Mulraney, Raymond Davis and Red Solinski, entertaining at Uriah’s Pub.

BACKSTREET LAW @ PELLEGRINE’S, ALTOONA 12/11/05

With the music at Uriah's Pub over by 12:30, I still had time left to head over to Pellegrine's to catch the remainder of Backstreet Law's latest visit.

I entered Pelly's just as Backstreet Law was on the last song of their second set. Not necessarily surprising given this band's popularity and the dedication of their fan base, Pellegrine's had a decent mid-sized crowd on hand in spite of the snow-covered roads.

Soon, big booming bassy vibrations signified that Backstreet Law was kicking off their nightcap set with one of their most popular original songs, "Seatbelt." Singer Matt "Goody" Goodreau, guitarist Jeremy Edge, bassist Jamie Morral and drummer Mike Cavalier instantly drew fans back onto Pellegrine's stagefront dance floor as they continued with Joan Jett's "I Love Rock & Roll;" and then ventured into urban dance groove mode with Cypress Hill's "Insane In The Brain" and House Of Pain's "Jump Around." Backstreet Law then gearshifted into a pop classic, Survivor's "Eye Of The Tiger," before performing another of their own tunes, the title from their 2003 album Hollow. The group followed with Green Day's "Holiday," before ending the set with Tool's "Sober." The dance floor minion wasn't yet ready to call it a night and head out into the winter wonderland, and demanded one more; Backstreet Law closed out the night with another of their most popular originals, "Hockey Helmet."

It was business as usual for Backstreet Law, and business was good, as the group again kicked butt and took names in their own unique style and fashion. Something has to be said about this band's popularity, when they are able to draw this number of fans out even on a bad winter weather night to see them perform. A good slam-dunk ending to an otherwise blah wintry night.

A familiar sight; Backstreet Law and a multitude of fans at Pellegrine’s.

Once again, Backstreet Law.

Goody and Jamie of Backstreet Law.
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