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Current mood:  adventurous Category: Music
Out and About August 2009
by: Rachel Rocks
Don’t worry this article is about all of the GREAT bands I saw this month, but before I get started… Recently I was told if I keep speaking highly of “poopy” bands, I’m going to be known as a “poopy” person!! I honestly don’t mind being “poopy” but let me remind everyone why I do what I do and what my purpose is… I am NOT a musician, producer, soundman, judge, booking agent, talent buyer, or anything close to any of these important roles in the music industry… I AM A FAN!!! I’m out and about having a good time seeing who else is having a good time, and seeing where it’s fun for someone like me… a wife, a mother, a business woman, a MUSIC LOVER, to be. Sure some of the bands I see might not be exactly on key, (trust me growing up with a Daddy like Whitey Noll, I know what the proper key is) they might not be the cutest girls/boys in the room, and they might be having an off night, but if they take the time to get up on stage, play their hearts out, say Hi to their fans, have the crowd dancing, drinking, and doing all the other things fans are supposed to do, than they are a good band. If I want to hear the “perfect” music and make sure it all has a good mix, I’ll lean the seat back in my new ride, with a Bose sound system, and turn the radio up… but if I want to spend an average of $20 to $50 out and about on any given night I’m going to make sure I have some extra fun with a “fun” band and “fun” fans! Don’t get me wrong everyone is entitled to their own “fun” this is just what kind of “fun” I’m looking for! I like to bang my head.. dance crazy! And take a few wild shots, oh I mean pictures, that by all means are NOT perfect! But ya know what… I’m having a good time and that’s what keeps me doing what I do, and that is Supporting Live, Local, Music!! Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I’m a LOVER not a HATER, so I’ll just keep doing what I do…
I started my music lover month with a trip down to Lancaster to the Chameleon Club for the Dokken show. Evelyn’s Ashes and Waysted Sylence were opening the show. Waysted Sylence gave me a free ticket so that was very much appreciated! Evelyn’s Ashes opened up with their normal tons of energy and their amazing originals. They even broke out a brand new song, I think it’s called “Why?” They asked if it was a keeper and my vote was definitely! Throughout the song they take advantage of Wes’s amazing vocal range, which is an asset that not many bands in this area have. Evelyn’s Ashes will hopefully be releasing another CD or at least EP within the year, I know I can’t wait to add some more EA music to my collection!!
Waysted Sylence was up next. These guys were so excited and pumped up for this show!! They were anticipating it for at least 2 months, it was exciting to see them up there opening for Dokken, a band they’ve looked up to for many years. Waysted Sylence played their originals to a full house at The Chameleon so hopefully they also gained some new fans in the process. There were already quite a few Waysted Sylence fans there proudly wearing their T-shirts! We all know how strongly I believe fans and bands should definitely where band shirts. It allows the club staff and the other bands to realize exactly whose fans all of those crazy people were. Waysted Sylence ended their set with John Slade ripping a huge phone book in half with his bare hands. They went off the stage with a rip roaring cheer…literally.
Next up was the headliner of the night Dokken. The crowd went wild and packed in the
Main floor the 2nd floor, and even the 3rd floor. I can’t imagine how that looks from the stage when you have three floors of fans going crazy for you and your music! With all of those fans and a packed house at The Chameleon I decided to head on over to The Village to go see Sugarcoat.
Every time I get to see Sugarcoat I’m guaranteed a good time. Not only do I love their originals, but the covers that they play are also my favorites. Sugarcoat has an amazing stage presence and puts on a great show. The Village also has some amazing staff and bartenders. When you ask them for a drink they’ll know how to make it without having to whip out their expensive phone and check out the drinks contents.. They are experienced and the know their customers by name. It’s nice to feel like you’re in a small hometown bar, even though it’s a huge rocking venue with 3 different bars and tons of pool tables. The sunk in dance floor is a plus too because you can easily sit at the bar and still be able to see the band without the dance crowd blocking your view. I love every chance I get to go down to The Village in Lancaster.
The next weekend was the American Music Fest on Front Street in Harrisburg over fourth of July weekend. I only made it to the festival on Saturday to hear a couple bands, eat some delicious food, and end the night with the 2nd Annual Capital City Clash. The first band of the day was the Valerie Nicole Band. I’ve seen Valerie perform a few times solo, but this was my first time seeing the full band. As a solo artist she does a fabulous job, but the full band just makes her original songs so much more rockin’. It also allowed Valerie to play the keys and the guitar, which once again just adds to the music! Valerie’s schedule is getting more jam packed every month make sure and check out her ad in this issue to see where she’ll be playing next!
Next up on the Patriot News Stage were The Sketties. I’ve heard so much about these guys and lady, I was glad to finally get a chance to check them out. They are a blast to listen to! They all love being on stage entertaining the crowd. They are definitely a band that knows how to jam! The Sketties were a blast in an outdoor atmosphere, I can’t imagine hearing them inside a venue like ABC, I’m sure that makes for an awesome night of original music.
I had to head back home for a bit because I wanted to get some comfy chairs for the Capital City Clash and the fireworks after the show. When I returned at the Clash a little after 6, I found out they were one judge short, so guess who got the honors… Did I mention earlier that I am NOT a judge! It was very uncomfortable, and I couldn’t even take pics of the bands on stage. Luckily my friend Heather “Shakes-It” was with me, so she filled in and took some good shots for me, but it was still a bummer… like I said I’m a LOVER, I want everyone to win! It seemed like for the most part I agreed with the other judges, and the crowd counted for 40% of the vote, so I didn’t feel like I mattered that much, but it was still PAINFUL!
The first band up were the OK Rivals. As the first band up in the Clash you could tell they were a little nervous, but they held their own and made it through their set. When I got there they were already standing on stage ready to rock the crowd and as soon as I sat down in my seat, they started to rock.
The next band up was Left Astray. Again, you could easily see how nervous they were. There was a great crowd at the Clash at least a couple hundred people, so I can easily understand how you can be nervous, but with a 20-30 minute set there is no time to be nervous. Left Astray and OK Rivals both played the same type of music sort of a mix between punk and rock. Left Astray’s drummer had some kind of mask on that was very distracting. I think I spent almost their whole set just trying to figure out what he was supposed to be.
The Taken was up next. This new band based out of Harrisburg has a lot of GREAT musicians from previous bands all tied up into one. Tony and Michael from Deja Vudoo, Ben from Drop of Grey, and a new, female lead singer that I’ve never seen before. The Taken had great stage presence, which is very important for me. I like to be entertained visually as well as musically. They said the name of their band at least 6 times and they even thanked the vets and the troops for our country’s freedoms on that beautiful 4th of July! The lead singer even had bright, red hair for the special occasion, very cool. Once they get a few more practices and performances under their belts they’ll definitely be a force to be reckoned with.
Evelyn’s Ashes were the winners of the Clash last year, so they were definitely hoping to reclaim their title. Evelyn’s Ashes played their new original, plus a couple of their fan favorites. I personally thought they were amazing as usual, but they did have some tough competition. Lately every time I’ve seen Evelyn’s Ashes they are only playing a mini 30 minute or less set. Hopefully I’ll be able to catch them for a full show soon.
Tripp McNeely was up next. They were recently voted the “Best New Artist” in Central PA, and I guess we could see why. They consider themselves a rock/pop/alternative band but even with Jim Horn’s twang in his voice you could almost throw them into the country genre, or maybe it was just the cowboy hat on stage. Tripp McNeely’s songs are very catchy and extremely danceable. As a judge the only problem was all of their fans stood right in front of our table! I’m sure they wanted to make sure we could see the sea of Tripp McNeely shirts, but I would’ve liked to be able to see the band even more! Tripp McNeely had a pre-clash party at The Quarter on 2nd Street and gave out t-shirts to all of their fans so they could wear them to The Clash. They also had another after-party at The Quarter thanking their fans for all their support! A tricky move, but obviously a move that worked because Tripp McNeely won the 1st place, $500 prize!
Sickle Eye had to come up after Tripp, but they didn’t let that bother them. I would’ve been going crazy watching all of my competition, I would’ve much rather went up first and got it over with. I’ve seen Sickle Eye quite a few times lately. Their genre of music is definitely harder rock, even metal. That’s another bad part about judges, I could tell the other two simply liked Tripp’s style of music better, so depending on the judges likes or dislikes, I believe that was already a strike against them, and that’s really not fair. Sickle Eye still managed to get people in the crowd moshing and I heard one of them say, “Wow! This bands getting me to mosh, even without alcohol!” At the end of the night when Sickle Eye finished 3rd, they were just happy they got to play in front of so many people and hopefully gained some new fans in the process. They were able to sell some merch and sell some of their tickets for their big show August 14th at The Silo in Reading, where they will be opening for Seven Mary Three! To get your Seven Mary Three tickets you can check out their ad in this issue and contact them or contact The Silo directly.
For my next adventure I headed out to Rumors in Enola. Mulehammer was going to be there and I was hoping to check them out. When I arrived Octagonal was on stage. This two piece band always amazes me with the music that two guys can produce. I stayed for a couple songs, but then I decided I would catch up to Mulehammer next weekend, you’ll have read their review in my September article.
LeadFoot was playing up the road at Tubby’s so I decided to head up that way to do some head bangin! After a week long vacation with the family I was ready to let loose and go a little crazy, there’s no better place than Tubby’s. The drinks are cheap and the parking is FREE! LeadFoot did an amazing job on stage!! Kip just recently had surgery done on his arm, but he was still rockin on stage even though his arm was killing him!! We were all partying and having a great time, all the LeadFoot fans are a blast to hang out with and Aaron from Steel and his wife, Joanie, were an added bonus!!! Thanks Aaron for the dances. Lol. LeadFoot kept me busy, before I even noticed it was 1:30 and time to head home. Thanks for another night of Rock n’ Roll, Arena Style!!!
It’s hard to believe Summer is almost over, but there is still plenty of rockin’ to do! Please come on out and join me… Support Local Music!! And as always, thanks for supporting the PA Musician Magazine. Please be my friend at myspace.com/pamusician or e-mail me at RachelRocks@pamusician.net. Enjoy the rest of your summer!!
11:19 AM
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