THE PROFESSOR continued.....
Charlie Barath
“Cousin Mike” Weiland of ReWired
Bryan Thanh / Post Season
Mark Randall / Crawdad Joe & the Mudbugs
“Crawdad Joe” Dedon
Garrison Bailey
Mitch Neuder/Shallow 9 Kristen Leigh /On the Brink
Shawn King & Alexandra Naples / LoveBettie
Megan Reilly & Andrew Morrison / The Wild Geese
Sharky
Mike Prebehalla / Octane
H OT S H OTS, S H OT H OT by Ji m Pr ic Nathan Williams Sr/ Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas 16
The Soulville Horns w/ Bill Toms & Hard Rain
eS ee al l JP ’s Sh ots at fa ce bo ok .c om / PA M us ic ia n M ag az in e
D.D. & The Pubcrawlers Horn Section Pennsylvania Musician Magazine
Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas were happy to oblige, ending the night with one more spirited instrumental Louisiana-flavored jam. Recognized as the birthplace of the banana split, Latrobe hosted the three-day Great American Banana Split Celebration in late August. Pittsburgh’s Lovebettie was part of that celebration, as they entertained during the event’s first day, Friday, in downtown Latrobe. Singer, keyboardist and Latrobe native Alexandra Naples, guitarist/singer C.T. Fields, bassist Nick Quinn and drummer Shawn King mixed Lovebettie originals with select covers, plus new material from Alexandra and C.T.’s new country-driven project Willow Hill. The group did established Lovebettie favorites including “Downpour” and “Are You Out There,” introduced Willow Hill numbers such as “More Like a Memory” and “Can’t Have My Best,” and also did numbers from Tom Petty, Stealer’s Wheel, CCR, Tracy Chapman, Elle King, Cage the Elephant and more. Alexandra’s sultry voice was in excellent form, and she and her bandmates delivered a tight, clean performance. As this day of the festival doubled as a pep rally before the kickoff of the scholastic football season and the local rivalry between Greater Latrobe and Derry Area, the cheerleading squads of both schools came to the front of the stage to sing and cheer along as Alexandra and Lovebettie did 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up,” before the group ended their performance with one of the new Willow Hill original tunes, “Don’t Let the Door Hit Ya.” The combination of Lovebettie’s performance and scholastic furvor made this day a good time – and yes, I did indulge in a celebratory banana split! Craft beer and live music fans converged on Altoona’s Railroaders Museum in late August for the annual Rails & Ales Brewfest, a fundraiser for Altoona Community Theatre. As visitors sampled among more than 80 different craft brews from local and regional brewers, D.D. & the Pub Crawlers and Shallow 9 provided the music (with Lauren & Joe entertaining during a V.I.P. session prior to the main event). Leading off, D.D. & the Pub Crawlers brought their brassy mixture of rock, funk, ska, soul and more. The group set the tone with their upbeat, happy vibe; singer Dana “D.D.” Martino, bassist Art Martino, new guitarist Matt Hunter, drummer Todd Harshbarger, keyboardist Tim Boland, and the four-piece horn contingent of sax players Anthony Martino and Lyndsay Reilly, trumpet player Adam Lingenfelter and trombonist Nick Martino displayed abundant energy on the railcar stage as they did numbers from Sam & Dave, Amy Winehouse, Peter Gabriel, LaBelle, Less Than Jake, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Chicago, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and more. Shallow 9 then stepped up the dance party vibe with their performance, delivering a near-seamless mix of energized pop, funk, disco and hip-hop favorites. Guitarists Ryan Weaver and Greg Larrimore, bassist Mitch Neuder and drummer Todd Harshbarger (pulling double-duty with both bands) set the launching pad for lead singer Erika Marino and lead rapper (and soundman) Mike Stanley to stir up the party. Shallow 9 kept the crowd happy with hits from Cee-Lo Green, Michael Jackson, House Of Pain, Outkast, DNCE and more, and also strung together rousing funk and hip-hop medleys along the way. The combination of craft brews, music and non-rainy weather made for another successful Rails & Ales. (For the record, my favorite brew of the day was Robin Hood’s Blue Sky-PA.) The Railroaders Museum last month hosted a special showcase presented by Altoona’s Greenbean Coffeehouse. Greenbean regularly hosts a weekly Thursday Open Stage night, and they spotlighted the talent that regularly performs each week with the Open Stage in the Park event. A variety of Open Stage artists graced the railcar stage this day – performers I got to witness included singers and guitarists Keith Lucas, Michelle Barnes, Brother Jack and Joe Caroff; a cappella singer (and show emcee) Garrison Bailey, young dance group Simply Dance; the duos Ted & Tina (sax player Ted Ellis and singer/keyboardist Kris Tina Reiter), Cloudy Days and The Extra Miles; and young indie rock trio Wilted. In between recent cross-country tour dates, Altoona rockers Walkney capped the event with an energetic set that spotlighted a number of new original songs. Singer, guitarist and ringleader Derek Mrdjenovich, lead guitarist Rogan Allen, bassist Nate Nagle and drummer Dave Applas fired off new pop/ punk/rock numbers such as the single “Lucia Rose,” “Unhappy,” “Jealous,” “Venom” and “Don’t Stop Lovin.’” The group also broke out their own heated twist on Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” and introduced a song inspired by Derek’s recent American Idol experience, “Ready.” The inaugural Open continued on page 17...
October, 2018