The Professor continued.... musical guests up for joyous renditions of Jethro Tull’s “Locomotive Breath,â€? Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girlâ€? and U2’s “With or Without You.â€? The large audience was then invited to get their dance on as Hotwax – Mike Zerbee, Chris Myers and drummer Mike Crocetti – closed out the party with their blend of dance-friendly rock’n’roll and country favorites. The GDQFH Ă RRU LQVWDQWO\ Ă€OOHG XS DV Hotwax did numbers from Zac Brown Band, Jimmy Buffett, Jason Mraz, Billy Joel, Eagles, Tom Petty, Eric Clapton and more. During their latter set, Hotwax welcomed past and present members of Locked and Loaded to step up for a mini-set with songs from Georgia Satellites and Thin Lizzy, before Strings Radio – Chris Myers, Dan Myers II and Mike Crocetti – closed out the night. The atmosphere was joyous and friendly throughout this party; hats off to the Gallitzin Fire Company, the musicians and the Gallitzin American Legion for again delivering an excellent and memorable night! The Goddamn Gallows brought their brand of musical insanity back to McGarvey’s last month, headlining a four-band bill. Local rockers Xs for Eyes and Railroad City Murder Machines opened the proceedings before my arrival. As I entered, Chattanooga, Tennessee’s Husky Burnette and his band were in the midst of their set. Seated and playing guitar, Husky GHOLYHUHG D JUDYHOO\ JURZO XS IURQW Ă DQNHG E\ EDVVLVW Caroline Crews and drummer Rasheen Isaac. Their style was raw, stomping delta-styled blues-rock, chock full of driving, coarse grooves that kept the large crowd hollering and stomping their own feet. Soon afterward, the Goddamn Gallows unleashed their psycho circus upon the McGarvey’s crowd with a feverish set. My best approximation of the Gallows’ sound for the uninitiated would be a circus of punk rock velocity, southern fundamentalist gospel revival, gypsy music run amok and a touch of Black Sabbath doom. Handling the bulk of the vocal Ă€UH DQG EULPVWRQH ZDV JXLWDULVW VLQJHU Mikey Classic, who brought authority and fury to songs of sin and salvation such as the uproarious crowd favorite “Y’all M-F’ers Need Jesusâ€? and more. Almost worth the admission price himself was accordion and washboard-playing wildman TV’s Avery, whose unpreGLFWDEOH EOHQG RI LQVWUXPHQWDO Ă€UHZRUNV IDFLDO H[SUHVVLRQV DQG
other antics added to the group’s circus atmosphere and had the large crowd of fans cheering frantically. Fishgutzzz provided vocal growls and howls as he thumped his upright bass, while drummer Baby Genius packed the high-velocity beats that powered this crazed stew of sounds. Recently returning to the Gallows’ ranks was Jayke Orvis, who staffed banjo and mandolin this night. Every song the Gallows performed was unique and unusual, featuring anything from dramatic song arUDQJHPHQWV WR IDVW Ă€ULQJ NOH]PHU VW\OHG UK\WKPV JDQJ VKRXWV power riffs, accordion passages and more. It all made for an H[FLWLQJ SHUIRUPDQFH WKDW NHSW WKH Ă RRU LQ IURQW RI WKH VWDJH packed and beer-puddled for the duration. Bottom line: once you experience Detroit’s Goddamn Gallows IRU WKH Ă€UVW WLPH you will not soon forget them. A return visit to McGarvey’s is likely. It has been a long time since I last wrote about Hitchcock Railway in this column; if memory serves me correctly, the last time I saw this group was nearly two decades ago when WKH\ KDG GURSSHG WKH Âś5DLOZD\¡ SDUW RI WKHLU QDPH %XW VLQJHU guitarist Jim Taylor has kept Hitchcock Railway alive and rocking, and I caught up with the current edition last month as they brought their rocking party to The Arena in State College. A good-sized crowd was on hand as Hitchcock Railway – Jim VLQJHU JXLWDULVW Jamie Taylor, lead guitarist John Hazel (of Nitro fame), drummer Mike Solt DQG EDVVLVW singer Bob Sterrett – kept the Arena’s GDQFH Ă RRU EXV\ ZLWK WKHLU IDVW Ă€ULQJ FODVVLF URFN PL[ Jim still belts out excellent YRLFH GHPRQVWUDWHG RQ WXQHV IURP $& '& /\Q\UG 6N\Q\UG $OGR 1RYD 7KH 2XWĂ€HOG %RE 6HJHU 1D]DUHWK -XGDV 3ULHVW Journey and more. His daughter, Jamie, packed additional vocal punch as she fronted the group on songs from Pat BenaWDU 6W\[ /RYHUER\ DQG RWKHUV 7KLV ZDV DOVR WKH Ă€UVW WLPH , had seen John in action since his early years in Nitro; and he VKRZHG KH FDQ VWLOO Ă€UH RII LQFUHGLEOH JXLWDU OHDGV $ VSHFLDO treat this night was when Hitchcock Railway alumnus John Phelps – celebrating a birthday – joined the group on stage to sling guitar and sing lead on T. Rex’s “Get It On,â€? the Rolling Stones’ “Jumping Jack Flashâ€? and more. Clearly evidenced by this night, Hitchcock Railway is still rocking down the tracks; watch for their return to The Arena, and on other Centre and &OHDUĂ€HOG &RXQW\ VWDJHV
I also discovered Bedford County bluegrassers Lizzie and the Yeehaw Gang last month as they entertained the dinner audience at Horn O Plenty farm-to-table restaurant in BedIRUG 7KH FRUH RI WKH JURXS ² VLQJHU JXLWDULVW DQG Ă€GGOH SOD\HU Lizzie Yee-Haw and upright bass player Lili Yee-Haw – were MRLQHG WKLV QLJKW E\ JXLWDULVW VLQJHU Jim Meckley of West Virginia-based string band Stewed Mulligan, plus the dual banjo-picking tandem of Cumberland, MD’s Don Annonio and Duncansville’s Jeff Dodson. This was a fun show, as Lizzie and the Yeehaw Gang mixed traditional bluegrass and Appalachian string favorites like; “Worried Man Blues,â€? “Long Journey Homeâ€? and Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentuckyâ€? with grassed-up takes on the Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil,â€? Bob Dylan’s “Easy Chair,â€? John Denver’s “Take Me Home Country Roads,â€? the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses,â€? Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fireâ€? and more. Their mood was relaxed and jovial, as the group surrounded a condenser microphone and took turns displaying solo skills along the way. This provided a pleasant atmosphere to enjoy Horn O Plenty’s great food menu, which emphasizes locally-grown meat, dairy and produce. Lizzie and the Yeehaw Gang frequently appear at Horn O Plenty, as well as other Bedford County stages. , H[SHULHQFHG D OLWWOH FRXQWU\ ODVW PRQWK ZLWK P\ Ă€UVW ORRN at Bedford duo Lil’ Country DV WKH\ PDGH WKHLU Ă€UVW DSSHDUance at Shan Nicole’s Irish Pub in Hollidaysburg. Featuring singer Sarah Mellott DQG JXLWDULVW VLQJHU Artie Burtnett, Lil’ Country performed plentiful acoustic country favorites from the likes of Keith Urban, Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood, Zac Brown Band, Chris Stapleton, Jana Kramer, Miranda Lambert and more. Both performers displayed excellent voices; handling most of the singing dutis, Sarah demonstrated her power and range on some unexpected song surprises as she belted out two Halestorm numbers, “Freak Like Meâ€? and “Here’s To Us,â€? as well as an acoustic take on Pretty Reckless’ “Heaven Knows.â€? Artie Ă H[HG KLV YRLFH D IHZ WLPHV DV well, notably on Bon Jovi’s “Bed of Rosesâ€? and the Doobie Brothers’ “Long Train Running.â€? The pair also dueted on versions of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’â€? DQG 7RP 3HWW\ Stevie Nicks’ “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,â€? and Artie’s wife Cheryl joined Sarah for the night-ending rendition of the continueud on pg. 20...
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Pennsylvania Musician Magazine
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