Weekend of local rock volume 47
It’s not meant to be exhaustive, but I decided the couple bands I shot at Pork in the Park were worth a post. Can’t do politics every day.
First up was a band called Anything Goes, which was playing when we arrived. To be honest, we did quite a bit of our walking around and photography while these guys were playing, so I wasn’t hanging on every song they played.
Having said that there were a couple songs which perked my interest, including some old Pat Benatar and their versions of current hits.
But once I recalled these guys were coming next, I knew it was time to go get my dinner and find a place close by where we could listen.
Smokin’ Gunnz is a veteran of several local festivals, and the reason they keep being invited back is that there’s a wide audience here for what they like to play: Southern rock.
And they put on a good show, with the unusual lead singing drummer Bob Morris.
These guitarists made for a hammering combination, Mike Brady and Terry Sherry, respectively. I always liked how Sherry plays.
Kim was more partial to this guy, guitarist Chris Della Porta.
Here’s a rock n’ roll veteran. According to the band’s bio, Brady has been playing in bands for nearly forty years.
Once the Gunnz wrapped up the show with some Lynard Skynard, those listening went nuts.
Smokin’ Gunnz hails from Pennsylvania, so they’re not necessarily considered local rock. But they play down this way several times a year – not just at Wicomico County shows, but in other venues as well. Most of their upcoming shows are in their home area but they will be following the bikers in for Delmarva Bike Week later this summer as they have done for the last couple years.
It’s worth mentioning as well that we didn’t stick around for the two headlining acts, although I’m not sure if the show went on anyway because the heavy rain which ruined Sunday at the event started later that evening. One was a Blues Brothers tribute called Briefcase Blues, while the other, Tuesday’s Gone, devoted their show to the aforementioned Lynard Skynard.
Unfortunately, those who run Pork in the Park haven’t returned to an event I liked because there’s no rock station sponsoring it anymore. Instead, they did it as a country show for Friday night and sorry, I don’t do weekend of local country.
But maybe if they can find a bigger locale they can go to a two-stage setup like the Good Beer Festival had last year. It’s another idea for that hopper.
Weekend of local rock volume 46
All seasons must come to an end, and so it is with the Ocean City off-season. While tourism is the lifeblood of the area economy, it’s not as good for local, original music. Those who come “downy ocean” from origins like the Baltimore area, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey seem to want the tried, true, and familiar so club owners hire DJs and cover bands for the summer and some bands have a harder time being seen.
On the other hand, a group of local multi-band shows punctuate the fall and winter months, with many of them occurring at the behest of promoter and local musician and radio program director Skip Dixxon. The 10th Annual Spring Luau is one.
It was a gloomy evening that didn’t remind me of spring when they got together.
Nevertheless, I arrived a little after what I thought was the 4 p.m. start time and found out it began at 3, so I missed The Hooplas and barely caught the last two songs of Dust n’ Bones.
Neither of them were their namesake Guns n’ Roses tune, which is disappointing. I think it would be a great closing song for them.
But the winner for best-named band, hands down, had to be Drink Drank Drunk.
Their playlist was more reminiscent of an early ’70s band than most – when was the last time you heard ‘I’m Your Captain’ by Grand Funk Railroad on the radio, let alone by a cover band? Growing up in the Midwest it was more of a staple song, but I wasn’t sure GFR made inroads to the East Coast.
Another Midwest favorite, Rush, made it onto the bill of Witches Brew.
If you don’t believe me, here’s their (somewhat altered) playlist.
‘In The Mood’ is a forgotten gem from the Canadian trio, obviously done with a twist with the female vocal. And Susan was springlike in her non-black attire.
EZ Action also featured a lady, and also reached back into the early days of what’s considered classic rock (as opposed to oldies) by reviving bands like Spirit and Badfinger.
I also liked the appropriate Spring Luau attire.
Anchoring the middle of the 12-band lineup was Petting Hendrix.
They were rocking enough to cover a somewhat more modern playlist but fun enough to do their own version of The Jeffersons theme (‘Movin’ On Up.’) Definitely different.
This photo wasn’t taken during that song, but I liked it enough for inclusion.
Returning from the D.C. area to do another of Skip’s shows was Hightest.
Their set was more in the hard rock vein as they jammed out with some Van Halen and Alice in Chains, among others.
Interestingly enough, we were a little ahead of schedule at the time so the sound guy got to play a couple as part of the Bob Brown Project.
Literally they did two songs before clearing the way for Vivid Season.
If you can read upside down, here’s what they played. They managed to get all these songs into their timeslot.
And I like how this picture came out as well. If there were a picture of rock n’ roll I think it would qualify.
I’m going to add another solo picture here. This lady did not sing or perform, but she had a difficult task.
She was holding up the camera to record Bride Dressed in Black’s performance.
The very active, very intense Christian-themed band blends hard rock and hip-hop with mostly original songs. They also had a little bit of swag (which the young lady pictured above was in charge of) and they certainly made more fans at the event. In fact, they jumped around so much that the guitarist in the center with the red guitar must have landed wrong and twisted an ankle or knee – by the end of the performance he was on a stool. Hate it when that happens.
The lead singer here may look familiar.
Loud Love and Drink Drank Drunk share the same lead singer but Loud Love plays a more hard rock set featuring a batch of Van Halen.
Believe it or not, they were almost through. The last band standing was The Phantom Limbs.
I like The Phantom Limbs and I’ll tell you why. Not many bands take all the influences they seem to have and make them sound this fun. They can play a seven- or eight-minute original jam and it’s all good.
So we can all thank the guy in the middle of this for putting the Spring Luau and other shows together. By the way, I have no idea who the lady was who asked me to take the picture or who the other two guys were, but here you go. Use it for what it’s worth, whoever you are.
It’s just another weekend of local rock around Delmarva.
Weekend of local rock volume 45
Just like I did for the first rendition, last Saturday I was at the Bands for Baby Ava II benefit held at the Pour House in Ocean City. (This time Kim tagged along as well.)
Unfortunately, I have to extend my apologies in advance to the three bands Kim and I didn’t stick around for: Slackjaw, Square Root Syndrome, and Witches Brew will have to wait for another day for me to see them. For whatever reason we were just whipped.
There were a few different wrinkles for round 2. First of all, there were fewer items donated so the auction was done as a Chinese auction where tickets were purchased and dropped into a bag so the winners were picked randomly.
Remind me to bring Kim along to the next Chinese auction, though – she won one of the items!
They also began the show a LOT earlier so that some bands who had performances later that evening could play. But first up was a band made up of up-and-coming youngsters who are taking advantage of their chance to get in front of an audience – this was Parental Guidance.
One thing I noticed (although it’s not in the picture) was the video cameras recording the show. Well, perhaps these guys are their own worst critics.
Obviously it’s a good learning tool, but the band was well received by those who came when the show first got underway.
The next band indeed had a show across the bridge later that evening but wanted to perform.
Normally I’m not a huge fan of rock/rap combos, but Bride Dressed in Black was quite impressive, performing both originals and a unique take on ‘We Are the Champions’ as a highlight of their show. I could see why they were in demand.
Lime Green was another band that had a second engagement and played early.
It had been awhile (far too long) since I had seen them, but I recalled at the time they were a three-piece. So obviously there’s been personnel changes, and they mixed a broad range of cover songs with the originals ‘Pemberton Park’ and ‘Psychedelic Dream.’
The tone changed somewhat as the lone acoustic act, Jason Lee, took the stage.
Lee is best known as the lead singer and guitarist for Crookedfinger, but stuck to covers for this solo performance.
I noticed that there was quite a follwing gathering around for the next band, the Justin Crenshaw Band.
With the possible exception of a cover of Poison’s ‘Every Rose Has Its Thorn’ JCB played the part of a modern country band. Apparently they have a large following about their Charles County base, and several made the five-hour drive to see the band play their 45-minute set.
These folks up front liked them as much as Kim did, so I’ll give them a second picture. Me, I’m not a big fan of country music but they were certainly good musicians who put on a solid show.
Now I expected a definite difference when Dean took the stage, and for the most part I was correct.
The one criticism I would have of them may not have been their fault, but on the slow songs it was hard to hear the vocals. The first two songs and the last couple songs they did were definitely harder-edged than what they did in the middle, and I thought those came off better.
One other thing which left me a little disappointed but wasn’t completely unexpected was the smaller audience. The Pour House was packed for edition 1 but there was more elbow room this time. I took this while Dean was playing, about 6:00.
But while Dean was a new experience for me, I had a pretty good idea what to expect from Gravy.
Of course, they did not disappoint. And they are another band which made a personnel addition because I didn’t recall keyboards in their midst last time I saw them. It made a difference in what they could play, although they kept some of the other songs I remembered as well.
That pushed the show past its halfway stage as 13 bands were scheduled, and unlike the initial show there weren’t the single-shot acts between bands, perhaps because Skip Dixxon and crew were trying to cram in thirteen bands in as many hours.
Next up was a band that played in the first rendition as well, Abbey’s Cage. (This time I apparently spelled it right.)
They did the heaviest set of the night, with songs by Tool, Linkin Park, and Drowning Pool punctuating their set. That’s why the bodies were hitting the floor, as you can see in the picture.
It slowed down somewhat for Asphalt Surfers, who played more of a blues-rock set.
It seems to me they played quite a bit of ZZ Top, too, which makes sense because they’re a three-piece group.
We were tired, but managed to stick around to see Semiblind play.
And because they’re friends of ours I’ll give them individual shots, too.
One thing which stuck out about the Semiblind set was Michele singing ‘I Will Always Love You’ as a Whitney Houston tribute.
Something else struck me as we listened, though. Obviously I’ve followed this veteran band for quite awhile, and there’s no question that a cover list has to be freshened up from time to time. What I noticed was that, because Michele is now becoming a sought-after DJ in her own right (she’s known in that profession as DJ Siren) the band’s playlist is evolving to more closely match the songs she plays a lot at those gigs. People want to hear ‘Red Solo Cup’ and the band learns it, for example. If nothing else, it goes to show that despite Semiblind being on their second bassist and probably sixth or seventh drummer since I’ve come to know them, there’s a lot of talent there.
I will grant that I don’t travel the world to see the various local music scenes, but the one we have right here has a pretty deep pool of good musicians who deserve our support – not just because it’s how they scratch out a living, but because they also unselfishly give their time for a cause. They didn’t charge a dime for doing the Baby Ava benefits, and between the two they raised almost $10,000 for the family.
But I think the well may be a little dry for the time being in terms of fundraising. Next week Skip will have his annual Spring Luau at the Pour House, with 10 bands on the bill currently. That should be a good show.
Charity begins at home, but continues onstage
I wrote this piece last month for a print venue, but the plans for it fell through. So I’m sharing it here with you today. But the nice thing about posting it here is that I can add the links.
Recent months have seen an enhanced awareness of charitable endeavors around the area. We always have the Thanksgiving food drives and the Salvation Army puts out their red kettles every Christmas, but what I’m referring to are the one-off events which galvanize a community – one case in point, the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition stops last fall in our local area. Thousands of local volunteers descended on both the Sussex County site and the Johnson-Goslee home in the small Wicomico County community of San Domingo to aid those chosen to benefit.
But there are always people and families in need around the area, and oftentimes it’s through no fault of their own – a house fire, crippling medical condition, or tragic auto accident place them in a perilous financial situation with little prospect for help. That’s where the community of local musicians steps up time after time, donating their efforts to the charitable cause. Need to find entertainment for a benefit? Put out the word and you’ll probably have a dozen bands beating down your door to volunteer.
I’ve attended many such events, but a recent one was put together over the space of a few weeks to benefit Ava DelRicco. The toddler was seriously injured in a December auto accident in Ocean City and has spent the time since at Johns Hopkins in a long, slow recovery process. While her prognosis is good, the family still needs financial help. Ten bands gave their time for “Bands for Baby Ava,” sharing the bill for nine hours in order to help the DelRicco family.
And it’s not always for local tragedies. After the Haitian earthquake and Japanese tsunami, benefit shows were organized and those proceeds donated to relief efforts for people who attendees will likely never meet nor receive thanks from. But they came and gave just the same.
Some of these one-off fundraisers have become annual events. After Terri Clifton’s son Chad was killed in Iraq in 2005, the next year two bands participated in a fundraiser to begin a foundation created in his memory. It was popular enough that another was scheduled for the next year in a larger venue with more bands, and the Concert for a Random Soldier has grown to become a popular Memorial Day weekend event. Similarly, after succeeding in her fight against breast cancer, Michele Hogsett began the Save the BreastFest to thank the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition for their help in her case and to give them financial support. After a rocky start in 2009 due to a forced postponement and change of venue, the event will celebrate its fourth edition next September as a opener to Delmarva Bike Week. In both instances, several of the bands participating return to play these shows year after year.
Yet the bands aren’t the only ones who should be given kudos, as local businesses step up to the plate and donate items like the food, the venue, or even door prizes in order to draw people to the events. But most of those who attend these shows are there to see the bands, and I thought it high time to use this space to thank them for their willingness to support the community. They should be appreciated as much as the businesses that also participate in making Delmarva a better place to live.
Weekend of local rock volume 44
You can subtitle this one, “the Bands for Baby Ava benefit.”
At some unknown future point in another venue, I’m going to point out all the good the local musicians do for the community.
That spirit of giving was on display last week – a full month after Christmas – when a number of bands and assorted one-off impromptu groups gathered to help raise money for Ava DelRicco, a toddler who was seriously injured in a December auto accident just a piece up the road from the Pour House in Ocean City. Since then she’s been recovering at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.
So as the Pour House mascot looked on approvingly, we were treated to almost 10 solid hours of musical entertainment from the various bands and DJs Skip Dixxon and Bigler.
And the order of presentation was fairly interesting, as a couple of the bands already had other gigs planned for the day but felt in their heart they needed to come and participate.
So you had a more experienced group who would otherwise be one of the headliners leading off. Paul Lewis and Y-Not had an evening engagement across the Bay Bridge so they were the first band in this instance. They also made one of the more popular donations to the silent auction, which I will get to in due course.
They were one of the few bands who played some originals as well, which was a good touch considering many of the participants specialized in covers of various rock genres.
And by the way, the Sons of Patriots motorcycle club came in as a group right behind me as the event started – about a dozen or so to help fill the room nicely to start the show.
I think the next group has a collective mancrush on Sublime, since there were two of their covers I heard in their set.
Sunny Side Up began as half of the youthful group The Hooplas, which, as you may recall, made their debut at the 12 Bands of Christmas back in December. They picked up some vocal help for the latter part of their set.
The place was beginning to fill up quite nicely at this point, and it was heartwarming to see the community support.
That open mike feel to the event was a recurring theme. But I also learned an old musicians’ trick, thanks to Bryan Russo.
That guitar case isn’t carelessly laid on the floor. It’s by his foot with a microphone inside so when Russo taps his foot it becomes his bass drum. Very multitalented and smart.
Brian brought a bluesy feel to the event with his attire and his playlist, which also featured a number of originals. He also announced that he would donate a portion of the proceeds from the CDs he had for sale at the event to the cause.
He was the one-man band at the event. But we’re not quite done with Bryan yet.
As Russo was clearing out, Blake Haley made a request: to play a song. He wasn’t on the bill but wanted to make his presence known, too.
And since Bryan hadn’t completely packed up and left he helped Blake out with his song.
Next up was Easy Action, a group of classic rockers who reset the stage with a more traditional feel.
As I said above, it was an open mike night of sorts. So Witches Brew singer Susan Witchey stepped in to help Easy Action with vocals on a couple tracks.
Her band didn’t participate either, but she stayed most of the night to support the cause.
Then it was time to put the host to work playing his drum set.
Livin’ the Dream did their normal hard rock show, with the obligatory tribute to KISS as part of the set. And Susan helped out with a song or two on their set as well.
This picture is in there just because I like it.
I’d heard this lady’s name mentioned a number of times but last week was the first time I’d seen Lauren Glick play.
Her band dug back to the era of the late sixties and early seventies for most of their covers, with a country-tinged set.
But that’s what brought people to the dance floor.
After another one-song cameo by the Bob Blair Project (sadly, I have no photo of that) we next heard from Familiar Soul.
And they played some familiar songs that kept the party going, as the dance floor was filled during their set, too.
After Familiar Soul played, I saw an opportunity for a little calm before the storm.
This may be the only month out of the year you can take this shot at 7 p.m. on a Saturday night without a truckload of people in it.
I decided to do something a little different with the Phantom Limbs. Here’s each member of the trio separately.
In the frenetic manner that this trio plays their mosh pit of originals crafted from surf, punk, and rock, it was almost easier to get individual shots, although the group one came out okay as well.
Next up was the hard-rockin’ Dust n’ Bones, with a more modern rock playlist than most of their predecessors on stage.
The last three groups had more of an up-to-date playlist than the earlier groups. High Test came from across the bridge to play the show.
And the Prince George’s-based band probably made a lot of fans with an active show. I was sitting when I took this – the singer was standing on two chairs.
Closing out the show was Vivid Season. We know they bring the hard stuff.
But before they played, we had the conclusion of the silent auction. As I noted up top, Y-Not helped out with this PRS guitar and also donated several other items as a package.
Despite their playoff failure, Ravens items were in high demand, too.
Here’s a look at some of the other items up for bids. There were two other smaller tables, too.
You could even wear your support.
The really good news is that, between the $5 cover charge, the pair of 50-50 raffles, the silent auction table, the various other raffles they had, and straight cash donations, the event raised over $7,000 for the family.
Even better news is that there will be a “sequel” event on March 10, with a venue to be announced. With as many people as there were at the Pour House, they may need a bigger place.
Benefit set to go
On this upcoming Saturday afternoon/evening – be there or be square.
In case you’re wondering, the subject of the fundraiser is little 19 month old Ava DelRicco. She was gravely injured in an auto accident along Coastal Highway in Ocean City on December 16, 2011 and has been at Johns Hopkins ever since. By most accounts she’s on the mend but there’s going to be a long road to recovery for Ava and this fundraiser will help the family deal with all the expenses. As usual, the local music scene is stepping up to participate.
It’s highly likely that more items will be donated for the silent auction and, trust me, 5 dollars is a very inexpensive day out, particularly when the venue is providing complementary appetizers. After all, we’re talking about the dead weekend between the conference championships and Super Bowl and there’s no primary being held on the 28th – so there’s no excuse for any of my core audience in the area to not at least stop by the event for a little while. The band lineup looks pretty promising.
The Pour House is located at the corner of Baltimore Avenue and Wicomico Street near Ocean City’s Inlet.
Update: the event has 10 bands and has been extended to 10 p.m.
Friday night videos – episode 71
After a hiatus of just over five months, I’m bringing back the series this week. Don’t anticipate I’ll do this every week, but I think it’s likely I can do this every one to three months, anyway.
All of these videos were recorded over the last two months in two venues: the first two were among the live entertainment at November’s Punkin Chunkin up in rural Delaware, while the others came from the recent 12 Bands of Christmas show I attended earlier this month.
I’ll begin with Semiblind doing a Led Zeppelin classic.
What surprised me was the wind noise not being the problem I feared, because it was a-blowin’ out there – as it always seems to that time of year.
The next band up was Vivid Season, and they did their rendition of this Fuel hit.
Unfortunately, I didn’t stick around there to see some of the other bands which were featured, nor did I get a good video of every band at the 12 Bands of Christmas.
But these young guys were impressive, as The Hooplas blended in a little funk and hip-hop on this number.
Now this is one you don’t hear a cover band doing every day. Aside from the slight false start, I enjoyed a little Pantera as done by Slackjaw. Walk on home, boy.
Another song which rarely finds its way onto playlists but should more often is The Cult’s ‘Love Removal Machine.’ Livin’ the Dream has it on theirs.
Fast forward about a decade and a half, add a couple dancers, and you get this video of Dust n’ Bones doing some Nickelback.
Just so you know, this IS Abby’s Cage, because they tell you so.
I compare this version with another band (which shall remain nameless) that did this song until the vocalist lost his beer trying to sing it. No such mishap on this one.
No beer was spilled with this, either. But Susan, the lead singer of Witches Brew, was less animated than usual on this one.
Having just watched this, I really need to complain about the lighting. It would have been a better video with one more spot on the front of the stage – so I can see the singer.
The other video which gave me difficulty was this one. First of all, We Might Collide is a six-piece band. Second, there were a lot of people up front. And third, I thought the sound wasn’t all that great. But this at least gives you a flavor.
So now you all know a little bit of what I’ve been up to lately. But I also need to hunt down more good videos and further promote the local musical talent. Maybe my friend Ridgely needs to put my channel on his Facebook rotation. (That’s called a hint.)
In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this edition of FNV. My YouTube channel now has 75 videos on it (although not all are music) so I’m getting quite the collection here. Maybe I’ll dig through my archives and see what other nuggets I have over the next few months.
Weekend of local rock volume 43
For the seventeenth time, Skip Dixon held his annual Christmastime tradition last weekend.
Okay, so it was only nine bands who show for the annual 12 Bands of Christmas event. Still, The Pour House in Ocean City was the place to be for local rock, as those nine local bands wailed through the night. And unlike previous events, there was a nifty prize to be had:
The reason the autographed Paul Reed Smith guitar was being raffled off (at $25 per chance) was to raise funds for Melanie Davis, a 9 year old Pittsville Elementary student who was hit by a car in October, with the family racking up over $150,000 in medical bills so far with her care. They also had a 50-50 drawing and passed the hat, collecting a few hundred dollars more. It’s amazing how many shows I go to which are like that – the local music community is always happy to lend a hand.
Before the hat was passed, though, we heard the Phantom Limbs and it was good.
As always, they entertained with their mashup of punk, surf, and jam music – so much so that they only played four lengthy originals in their set.
But the crowd was gathering while the Phantom Limbs jammed to see the next band play.
These guys had to play early or else the bar would be in trouble – none of them are over 18 yet. But The Hooplas showed talent some bands with much more seasoned players couldn’t match, and it will be interesting to see what happens as they mature in the local music scene. All I know is that these youngsters packed them in, apologizing for not knowing all that many cover songs. Fellas, I don’t mind a bit – keep doing those originals!
…was next. As opposed to The Hooplas, they did all cover songs but picked out a heavy set which included a reasonable version of ‘Master of Puppets’ that got me screaming out the lyrics. “Taste me you will see…more is all you need.”
Apparently this singer doesn’t always sing for them, and I can’t recall who he normally sings for. (I want to say Lime Green?) But Slackjaw played a couple songs as a three-piece, too.
Livin’ the Dream also played part of their classic hard rock set as a three-piece. They put the host to work back on the drum kit, as you can see here and in the next photo.
But midway through the set they picked up the second guitarist to play some Van Halen and other classics. Yes, there was a KISS song too – ‘Detroit Rock City.’
We reached the midway point with another hard rock cover band, Dust ‘n Bones.
While they played a solid, workmanlike set I wonder why they don’t play their namesake Guns ‘n Roses song. Maybe next time I see them.
One has a bad leg, another has a surgically-repaired wrist, and they’ve gone through more drummers than Spinal Tap lately. Yet Semiblind keeps on playing as they remain a staple of Skip’s events.
But Jim Hogsett’s wrist held out and Michele Hogsett managed to stand through the whole half-dozen songs they played, gamely going through several of their newer cover songs. Semiblind doesn’t just play standard classic rock anymore, as they can toss out some country, funk, or Top 40 too. They are perhaps the most versatile band playing about these parts.
We took a short break to draw the 50-50 winner and hear a little bit from this friend of Skip’s.
Tim “Thunder Walrus” Yarosh is a comedian of some repute, although I wasn’t familiar with him. But perhaps I should check him out further since he was kind of a funny guy. (That or he may threaten to stay at my house.) I won’t dislike him simply because he didn’t draw my 50-50 ticket. Nor will I blame him for messing up the sound, as I’ll explain a bit later.
After the brief bit from Yarosh, we got back to music. A band which apparently hadn’t been playing around here of late was Abby’s Cage.
Just by a close listen I thought maybe they weren’t quite as tight as a couple of the other bands, but that would come back as they return to the fray. And Abby’s Cage liked the hard stuff, too.
Yet most of those who stayed waited to hear We Might Collide, a band making their debut at this show. The six-man band could be construed as a local supergroup of sorts as it includes three former members of the popular local band Lennex and two others from the late Baltimore-based band Fourth Element. Both of these late, lamented groups were talented enough to write a number of good, original songs – some of which I own on CD.
And they played all new material, too. So when I figured out that these guys shouldn’t have been that rusty, I had to concede that the last bands in this 9-band show suffered from a lack of sound quality – the mix didn’t seem right to me. Perhaps it sounded great in the stage monitors that the bands hear themselves from, but on my end it seemed too muddled together. So I’d rather not judge either Abby’s Cage or We Might Collide based on this show.
The sound was really off by the time Witches Brew, the final band of the night, took the stage. I couldn’t even hear the drums on the first song and the overall sound detracted from should have been a better effort to close the night.
I know Witches Brew can play their Judas Priest covers better than they sounded, because I’ve seen them enough – they’re also reliable veterans of Skip’s shows. But I have to chastise the fans as well.
Sure, they probably came out to see We Might Collide. But it always annoys me that so few stay around to see the last band, which gets to play to a half-empty bar but works just as hard as the other bands do. To me, it’s just common courtesy to stick around. Maybe that’s just me, and of course I wasn’t looking to get smashed or pick up someone. I just wanted to hear some good tunes and support local music. It’s what I do.
So the next time Skip has one of these shows – probably Spring Luau 2012 – come out and stay for all the bands. You won’t be sorry.
Weekend of local rock volume 42
One thing about the Good Beer Festival is that they also have good music. On Monday I reviewed the event as a whole, now it’s time to talk about the music. Here’s a handy-dandy guide to what’s coming up:
One admission I had to make: with a couple exceptions, I couldn’t stay and hear every musical act. For the most part, acts on the bar stage were lost in the crowd noise but I could hear those playing on the main stage pretty well.
Weekend of local rock volume 41
At one time this was supposed to be two posts, but as it turned out – thanks to my faulty memory and other things which happened (or didn’t happen) over Delmarva Bike Week – this can fit comfortably into one post.
However, my camera misfortune actually opened the door for me to introduce you to a kind friend of mine who deserves a lot of credit. I’ll share that with you in a bit, but first I’d like to mention that this WLR post came from the recent (Save the) BreastFest that occurred a couple Thursdays back out at the Oasis Bar and Grill.
I was expecting an inside event, but instead the BreastFest was set up outside, amid some other Delmarva Bike Week vendors like these:
But you can tell which one was the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition tent – it was pretty in pink.
By the way, the woman seated on the hay bale with the gray shirt next to the crutches – this event is her baby. Michele Hogsett gets a lot of help but has organized this event over the last three years.
She lined up quite a few interesting items for the raffle. Believe it or not, I’ve won something two years in a row – seems like this is the only place Lady Luck smiles on me.
It’s a shame the weather wasn’t better and warmer; still I believe there were quite a few of these consumed.
This shot? Well, I added it to show that some guys have WAY too much time on their hands.
Okay, okay, now for the bands. As I said, I had camera issues and shortly after I took that last shot of the short bus, well, my batteries died and I didn’t have a spare set on me. I also had the occurrence of a longer-than-normal day of work, which meant I couldn’t get to the show until just before the third band took the stage. (My haste was probably why I forgot the batteries!)
Fortunately, there was an award-winning photographer there who I’ve come to know over the last few months through her work. She was there for the whole event and got some great band shots, so the photography credits henceforth go to Francie Davis/3roses photography.
The first band up was Fast Nixon.
By the accounts I heard these guys had a very tight sound. I had hoped to catch them live since they’re frequently played on the ‘Local Produce’ radio show but it was not to be.
Dust ‘n Bones took the stage next and I assume, based on my previous encounters with them, rocked the place with some strong cover tunes. They led into the point where I arrived, just in time for The Electric Co.
They took a folk-rock turn in their set, mixing in a few originals and showing their wide influence base of rock, folk, and even bluegrass. It may not have been everyone’s cup of tea, but those who stuck around definitely enjoyed the show. Nate Clendenen of TEC was a second-time participant in the event, leading off last year with a solo gig.
The growing chill in the air reminded me of the upcoming Halloween season, and told me it was time for a dose of Witches Brew. (Clever segue, huh?)
The way Witches Brew rocked the stage, I’m sure they were quite toasty by the end. As usual, they pummeled out some hard rock covers from the catalog of groups like Judas Priest and Nirvana. They’re one of two bands which has played all three of these events, the other being the host group Semiblind.
Another band I’d looked forward to seeing was Deep Sea Research, which played next.
They may have been one of the most unique cover bands I’ve ever encountered (although they played one original tune too.) In a 45-minute set, they played only 3 or 4 full songs – the first 25 or 30 minutes was one continuous jam of various song snippets from the classic rock era. Just when you thought they may settle into a groove, they up and changed the thing around – I frankly enjoyed it.
Their last song was a Pink Floyd cover with a special guest.
Since Semiblind was next on the bill anyway, they asked guitarist Jim Hogsett to jam with them on their last song. And it made the transition between bands easier, too.
Even though Michele Hogsett was hobbling around on crutches helping to direct the BreastFest proceedings, Semiblind did their set with her gamely standing throughout. You can get a little more of the backstory behind the (Save the) Breastfest here and here. It’s definitely been a star-crossed event, having survived three venue changes including a last-minute cancellation.
With two new players on stage, they stuck to their bread-and-butter of classic rock covers – but Jim promised that exciting stuff is in the works with the new members. Stay tuned.
A band with a definite affinity for Van Halen is Fuzzbox Piranha. The music of those classic rockers was a staple of FP’s set, with a definite lean toward the days of David Lee Roth. But anyone who starts ‘Panama’ with the opening riff to ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’ will get your attention.
Last but not least was Vivid Season.
A lot of what they played was those songs you’d find on a modern rock radio station, but they took a country detour for a couple tunes just for fun. Heck, those still out there were freezing by then so whatever worked to get up and dance, right? Some of the ladies were getting into it, that’s for sure.
I’m not sure just how much the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition raised from the event, although it figures that the first fall-like day with threatening weather happened to occur for this event. Sunny and 80 degrees would have likely doubled or tripled the turnout. But I’m sure Michele is undaunted and probably working out ways to make edition number four next year bigger and better.
I also want to point out that Francie Davis was most helpful and thank her for permission to use her work. She has a full album of the event, which includes many more band shots that I didn’t include here. Francie is probably best known, though, for her award-winning nature photos, with prints available for sale. Check her site out!
Weekend of local rock volume 40
You know, I promised this edition about a month ago and completely forgot.
To be honest, I have no idea if Third Friday came off tonight because of the storms which rolled through town (by several accounts.) I was actually up the Shore for my job so I couldn’t make it to 3F this month anyway.
But these bands were featured at last month’s Third Friday, so better late than never I suppose. Let’s begin at the Plaza with alex&shiloh and the Hot Mess.
I’ve seen alex&shiloh together as a duo but this was their full-band debut. There was definitely a nice variety of instruments and sounds in the few songs I heard from the band as I was strolling the Plaza – they seemed to have something of a folksy vibe to them in this arrangement.
Moving around the corner to the courthouse, I came across The New Standards.
Despite the intriguing dual-percussion lineup, they played the most classic rock. While there’s nothing wrong with that at all, perhaps I was expecting more of a jam band feel to them and that may have been the case in those times I was out of their earshot. Still, if I were out to see any of the three bands in a more formal setting this would be my first choice.
The last band along East Main Street was Skyway Nine.
I have to admit that of the three I heard by far the least of Skyway Nine so they didn’t have a lot of opportunity to make an impression on me. But the one thing which did stick out was that the singer needs to find songs to better complement his voice. Sometimes the wrong song makes all the difference.
As I noted up top, tonight was supposed to be another Third Friday but I don’t know if it went off as normal because of the rain. On the bill were three local acts, in order of stage from Plaza to East Main the slate was The Hot Meals, Bigtimeshipwreck, and The Tent Pins. I’ve heard Bigtimeshipwreck before and enjoyed them so I was bummed to miss out on their show.
Oh well, next month is another chance although I have plans to see a big show the night before.
Blessing of the Combines in pictures and text
Today my significant other and I wandered down to Snow Hill for the 13th Annual Blessing of the Combines. In its short history the event appears to have placed the otherwise sleepy town of Snow Hill on the map.
(Just so you know, some of the photos I’m featuring come from my girlfriend, and if you can’t figure it out from the enhanced quality of her photography compared to mine I’ll have to clue you in. The one to start this post is by Kim Corkran.)
The event begins with a parade, and seeing a row of combines coming down the road can be impressive.
Some of the combines had politicians on them. Andy Harris joked that it was one of the few times he was on the left, but Norm Conway and Jim Mathias were at home there.
I did get the chance to bend Andy’s ear a little later. The lady in the center is former Delegate candidate and Worcester County Republican Chair Marty Pusey. (Photo by Kim Corkran.)
Now that they’ve wrapped up the budget, I want Andy to work on reducing those government mandates!
Both political parties were represented there, although the Republicans were a little more open about it.
Meanwhile, two tables down the Democrats were trying to register voters as well.
But there was something I noticed about their table – not one item I saw mentioned President Obama. Odd, don’t you think? Maybe the local Democrats are running away from him?
Interestingly enough, the featured speaker was Nelson Brice. He serves the federal government as the District Conservationist for the USDA, and he pointed out how farmers were helping the environment.
Still, most of the people there weren’t interested in politics. The actual blessing was handled by the Rev. Rick Edmund, a former Snow Hill pastor who now serves a church in the village of Ewell out on Smith Island.
For the kids, there was plenty to do – crafts, face painting, a bounce house, a petting zoo, and the chance to play in a bed of soybeans, all tucked away on Pearl Street.
If their parents wandered around the block the kids could have a pony ride as well.
This feathered friend awaited across the way (photo by Kim Corkran.)
And kids of all ages who like to eat had plenty to choose from. I took this while standing in line waiting for some pit beef.
While standing in that line, Kim took this unique crowd shot. (So did I but hers came out better.)
While we were eating, the band began to play. Mike Short, Jr. and Statewide were the featured performers, playing a mix of country and rock originals and covers.
The second photo of Mike is by Kim Corkran.
After listening to his band for a spell, we worked our way down to one of my favorite parts of the event, the Wheels That Heal car show.
Here’s a pair of Pontiac Firebirds from a bygone era.
My dad used to have a truck like this but it was in nowhere near this good of shape.
For those who wanted to really relive a bygone era, there was the opportunity to ride a horse-drawn carriage.
It also was a chance to meet friends old and new. Kim took this last picture of this couple, who have been married 55 years. Surely they saw a lot of people they knew and probably recalled a lot who are no longer with us.
If you weren’t there, you missed a chance to celebrate our rural heritage with a family-friendly event. Come the first Saturday in August 2012 you just might find us there again!
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