The Professor continued... versions of Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.” Next, Half Tempted’s set began with a bit of a surprise, as bassist “Big Jim” Ricotta donned a beat-up acoustic guitar - the “first guitar” he ever owned - and began crooning “The Riddle Song.” This turned into a recreation of the frat party acoustic guitar scene from the movie Animal House, as NailDriver guitarist Scott Botteicher stepped onto the stage, grabbed and smashed the guitar John Belushi-style. (You can watch this on YouTube!) A shocked Jim, singer/guitarist Ron Dalansky and drummer Kevin Siegel then launched into AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap)”, triggering a set of classic rock favorites from Cheap Trick, Kiss, Free, Black Sabbath and more. Half Tempted’s set closed with a surprise as well, as Rick Wertz joined the group onstage to help sing Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funk Music.” Kevin remained onstage as his other band, NailDriver, then tore into a set of all-out original heavy metal. Kevin, Scott, singer Matt Watson, guitarist Todd Dale and bassist Scott Bush slammed scathing assaults such as “The Enemy,” “Hypocrite Anthem” and “Within an Inch,” as well as a torrid take on Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper.” Steve Oswalt and Joe George then returned to the stage to reconvene another of Jeff’s former bands, Shattered China, along with guitarist Greg Turchetta, keyboardist Phil Steele and drummer Scott Everhart. While serving up complimentary hot dogs in front of the stage (a highlight of Shattered China shows while Jeff was in the band, he believed in feeding the people), Shattered China performed an impressive song list that included a scorching take on Deep Purple’s “Burn,” Elton John’s expansive classic “Funeral for A Friend,” songs by Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, plus a resurrection of the obscure Riot classic “Overdrive.” Next was the most anticipated highlight of this year’s Jeff Wallack Memorial Show, as Altoona dance favorites Xeno reunited onstage for the first time in nearly a quarter century. Singer Paula Glunt, singer/guitarist Rick Wertz, bassist Randy Rutherford, keyboardist/singer Fran Hite and drummer Beau Saller were joined by guest sax player Bob Scholl as they performed a set of classic funk, pop, rock and dance favorites. Xeno quickly filled the dance floor with favorites from their heyday such as Cameo’s “Word Up,” Roxette’s “The Look,” Jody Watley’s “Looking for a New Love,” Morris Day & the Time’s “Jungle Love” and more. The night-ending set by the reunited Rapid Fire turned into a bit of a heavy metal jam session, as Steve, Joe, Bob, plus John Scarfone and Rich Piccerillo on guitars celebrated ‘70s and ‘80s-era rock and metal classics. Rapid Fire broke out versions of Def Leppard’s “Wasted,” Iron Maiden’s “Running Free,” songs by the Guess Who, Deep Purple and more. Inspired by this special occasion, Rich delivered an all-out guitar shredding clinic throughout the set, dropping jaws to the floor with his solo work. Guest Ron Dalansky joined in toward night’s end to help sing on the Judas Priest arrangments of “Green Manalishi” and “Diamonds and Rust.” The Jeff Wallack Memorial Jam again raised several thousand dollars toward the Jeff Wallack Memorial Scholarship Fund, helping out area high school students who intend to pursue music or art degrees after graduation. As part of their American tour in late March, Ireland’s Screaming Orphans played a series of shows at Penn State branch campuses, including Penn State Altoona’s Slep Center. Four singing sisters comprise the Screaming Orphans; Joan Diver on drums, Angela Diver on bass and violin, Grainne Diver on guitar, and Marie Therese on keys and accordion. The sisters blended elements of traditional and modern Irish folk, rock and pop on a variety of original compositions and covers. During the portion of their show I witnessed, the Screaming Orphans introduced a new original called “City Lights” which will be on their forthcoming album, and performed their adaptations of Irish-themed favorites like the Proclaimers “(I’m Gonna Be) 500 Miles,” “Whiskey in the Jar” and Steve Earle’s “Galway Girl.” Their presentation was pleasant and upbeat, featuring bright harmonies and a constant sense of humor. The Screaming Orphans play throughout the United States and Ireland over the next few months, and will appear at the Penn-Mar Irish Festival near York in June, and the Pittsburgh Irish Festival in September. Another group that features beautiful and captivating sisterly vocal harmonies is Pittsburgh’s Rising Regina, who I finally had a chance to hear for the first time last month at Northern Cambria’s City Hotel. Sisters Jessica and Kiki Young first started the group in 2007; joining them currently are multiinstrumentalist Rich Kulbacki, bassist/upright bassist Phil continued on pg. 2 3 ...
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PENNSYLVANIA MUSICIAN MAGAZINE
May, 2013