The Professor’s Live Reviews continued... Rainbow” and his adaptation “Twinkle Little Star on Steroids.” Sarah then followed with a gentler presentation, showing a delicate touch on her ukulele strings as she crooned a ballad. Craig then joined her for a few duet numbers, including “Say Something,” displaying tasteful harmonies with their ululele virtuosity. And Craig added some solo numbers, including “Guilt.” This presentation enabled the audience to witness the full potential of the ukulele through the wide assortment of arrangements from tranquil to aggressive. The Allegheny Ukulele Kollective is planning its second annual Ukulele Soiree event for next March, and they will present the return of Lil Rev for a workshop and concert at Penn State Altoona’s Eve Chapel on November 3rd. Big Apple-based Kiss tribute Kiss Alive! NYC made their first visit to Altoona’s 30 Something in late August. Skye 2.0 launched the night with their celebration of 1970s era progressive and arena rock. Singer/keyboardist Adam D, guitarist/singer Don Osborn, keyboardist Ken Civils, bassist Kris Civils and drummer Bill Hocherl demonstrated impeccable musicianship as they mixed an impressive array of material from the libraries of Yes, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Styx, King Crimson and more. They focused on lengthier Yes classics like “Roundabout,” “Astral Traveler,” the Yes take on Simon & Garfunkel’s “America” and “Yours Is No Disgrace.” Skye 2.0 also did a selection from Jesus Christ Superstar, King Crimson’s “Court of the Crimson King” and more. Kiss Alive! NYC then recreated the spectacle of classic Kiss with the costumes, theatrics and - of course - the music. Featuring singer/guitarist Luke Luv (“Paul”), bassist/singer Thomas Pressano (“Gene”), lead guitarist/singer Pasquale Porpora (“Ace”) and drummer/singer Michael Haar (“Peter”); Kiss Alive! NYC celebrated Kiss’ biggest hits and classics, spanning mid-1970s gems like “Strutter,” “She” and “Cold Gin,” to 1980s-era Kiss favorites like “Lick It Up,” “Domino” and “I Love It Loud.” Kiss Alive! NYC captured the excitement of classic Kiss, and successfully rallied the crowd into a rocking frenzy in front of the stage. Delivering their hard-rocking Kiss to McGarvey’s stage last month was the return of Harrisburg’s StarChild. Altoona’s No Angels kicked off the party with an engaging variety of classic-rocking favorites. Singer/guitarist Ross Hoover, bassist/singer Beth Hoover, guitarist/singer Todd Lane and drummer/singer Todd Mallory fired up the crowd with tight renditions of numbers from The Cult, Stone Temple Pilots, Doobie Brothers, Lenny Kravitz, Green Day, Badfinger and more. Highlights included the Beth-fronted version of Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me,” and No Angels’ set-ending edition of Angel City’s “Marseille.” StarChild then unleashed a nonstop two-hour-plus celebration of hard-edged rock’n’roll, as they mixed original songs and plentiful Kiss classics. Singer/guitarist Jerry Martin, guitarist/singer X Bomb, bassist/singer Sharon Starr and new drummer Timmy Vincent delivered exuberant takes on Kiss classics such as “Deuce,” “Love Gun,” “Calling Dr. Love,” “Hide Your Heart,” “Lick It Up,” “Black Diamond,” “Strutter” and more. Several of the original songs were from StarChild’s forthcoming Volume 3 CD; including “Come Back for More,” and the group did earlier anthems like “One More for the Road,” “You Better Think Twice,” “I’m Forever Young,” “On Fire” and more. With Jerry leading the way, StarChild’s energy and excitement rode a constant high from start to end, and kept McGarvey’s fired up for the duration. This band is must-see; StarChild returns to McGarvey’s November 8th. continued on page 2 3 ...
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PENNSYLVANIA MUSICIAN MAGAZINE
October, 2014