The Professor continued... performed an upbeat mixture of current and classic rock, blues and funk. They kept the Marina deck dance area busy with ‘double-shots’ of tunes by the Black Keys, Doobie Brothers, Jimmy Buffett and more. Once their voyage took to the high seas of Raystown, the Hurricanes triggered instant dance action on the Proud Mary’s deck with their blend of classic and southern rock, blues, country and original songs. The seasoned Hurricanes cast of singer/guitarist Felix Kos, bassist/singer Jeff Clapper and drummer Bob Watters cut loose with favorites from Zac Brown Band, ZZ Top, Doobie Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the Allman Brothers and more; the group welcomed guest guitarist J.K. Black to join them on several songs. When the Hurricanes’ Blues Cruise returned to dock, Double Shot’s party was into its homestretch on the Marina deck, extending the festivities a few minutes longer! The Hurricanes hope to hit Raystown’s high seas again sometime this fall. The Flight 19 “Party Plane” is undergoing some crew changes, and I caught the group in mid-transition during their appearance at one of last month’s Legion Park Wing Festivals at Hollidaysburg’s Legion Park. Bassist Mark Triforo has left the group, and A.X.E.’s Denny Frank has replaced him; as A.X.E. played out their final shows last month before drummer Clint Carothers leaves both A.X.E. and Flight 19 to pursue a career opportunity in Nashville. (Paul Carraciolo takes over drum duties in Flight 19 beginning this month if you’re keeping track on your score cards.) The transition “Party Plane” crew of Denny, Clint, singer Brian Thomas, guitarist/singer John McKelvey and keyboardist/singer Phil Steele mixed current and classic rock and pop favorites to keep the wingeating masses content. The group did numbers from Styx, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Green Day, AC/DC, White Zombie, a funk medley and more. Shallow 9 singer Erika Marino joined the group to sing lead on Maroon 5’s “Harder to Breathe.” In a surprise development, Brand New Wings suddenly disbanded late last month, citing personal reasons. I saw the group one more time before the split during their late July appearance at Aldo’s. Singer Tim Howsare, guitarist/singer Matt Day, bassist Matt Buhler and drummer Jim Bagrosky
September, 2013
executed on all cylinders this night, as they tore through a wideranging selection of current and classic rock/pop favorites. The group’s performance included everything from acoustic-geared hits like Mumford & Sons’ “Little Lion Man” and Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel” to hard-hitting rock from Seether, Theory Of A Deadman, Chevelle, Nickelback, Buckcherry and more. In the wake of the split, several of the band members expect to announce new band projects and endeavors in the near future. Aldo’s also hosted visiting Puerto Rico-based modern rockers Message to Venus in late July. Touring in support of their debut EP “The Envelope”, Message to Venus introduced a hard, groove-laden, progressive-edged modern rock sound that suggested elements of Soundgarden, Tool, Incubus and The Mars Volta. Singer/guitarist Yandre Nadal displayed a clear, mood-driven voice on the group’s detailed melodies; flanked by the tight and atmospheric arrangements of guitarist John Feliciano, bassist Edgar Ramos and drummer JuanMa Font. The group did songs off the EP such as “The Show, ” “Change,” “Universal You” and “To Smile,” and also applied their hard-edged style to a Bruno Mars hit and Depeche M o d e ’s “Stripped.” Message to Venus has now returned home from their “Push the Envelope” Tour, which took them across the country through most of August. The Good Seeds have recently expanded to six members with the addition of former Rain Must Fall bassist Hunter James. D u r i n g t h e expanded line-up’s lateJuly visit to Altoona’s Belmar Hotel, The Good
PENNSYLVANIA MUSICIAN MAGAZINE
Seeds - Hunter, singers/multi-instrumentalists Paul Patterson, Brooks Williams and Mike Wertz, keyboardist/guitarist/singer Beau Shirk and drummer John Schwittek - mixed new and older original songs with an eclectic variety of cover material. The group introduced some songs off their new self-titled EP, and also applied their distinctive ‘60s-toned indie rock/folk style to crisp-sounding updates of songs by America, The Cars, U2, Beatles, Prince, the Doors and more. The Good Seeds are good seeds off stage as well, participating in Reverbnation’s Music for Good program; half of sale proceeds from their new songs go toward Heifer International, a charity that fights hunger and poverty in the U.S. and abroad. Now calling St. Louis his home base, Huntingdon native Sheldon Port returned to the area last month to revisit some of his former musical stomping grounds; visiting the Belmar Hotel and the Main Street Café in Alexandria. During his Belmar visit, Sheldon performed a mixture of acoustic rock, continued on next page ...
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