The Professor continued...

few covers, including their own distinctive rendition of the Steve Miller Band’s hit “Fly Like an Eagle.”

The area’s youth band movement has been on the rise during the past couple of years, and I took my first look at one of the latest young bands to generate some buzz, Havoc, as they performed last month at Cresson’s Shovel Head Tavern. Six members strong, the Nanty Glo-based group kept the audience happy with their mix of classic and southern rock favorites. Waylon on lead vocals and guitar, lead guitarist Wyatt, singers Darian and Abby Rae, bassist Johnny and drummer Jozi Lee showed their skills and versatility on a range of material, spanning tunes from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hootie & the Blowfish, Tracy Chapman, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Faster Pussycat, Kid Rock, Georgia Satellite and more. Havoc also introduced a few of their own original songs, such as “Gone” and “Nashville Blues.” Other highlights included Waylon and Abby Rae blending their voices on Kid Rock/Sheryl Crow’s “Picture” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” Abby Rae’s strong voice on the Cranberries’ “Zombie,” the audience singalong version of Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places,” and –after the Cresson crowd demanded an encore – the ever-popular “Tennessee Whiskey” to close out the night.

Bedford’s Bella Terra Vineyards recently moved to a new address, and I visited the new location last month to catch the latter half of the performance by the father-and-son tandem of Rhyne and Tabyn McCormick on the outside deck. Rhyne sang and played acoustic guitar, while Tabyn jammed on electric guitar. Together they entertained onlookers with a mix of classic rock and pop covers done in their own style, plus a few originals. Some of their surprises included a slow and bluesy acoustic take on Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” to open the third set, versions of the Beatles’ “Don’t Let Me Down,” Prince’s “Little Red Corvette,” Tom Petty’s “Learning to Fly,” John Brim/Van Halen’s “Ice Cream Man,” Dwight Yoakam’s “Fast As You,” plus numbers from Van Morrison, the Rolling Stones, John Mellencamp and more. They pulled out one of Rhyne’s Red Eye Kings original songs, “Secret,” with Tabyn having fun with the reverb on his guitar, and another original song, “Spark in Your Heart.” Rhyne and Tabyn return to Bella Terra Vineyards in June.

And I was again reminded that every weekly episode of Felix & the Hurricanes’ Sunday shindig at Altoona’s Black & Gold Tavern packs a different musical adventure. I caught two episodes last month…Guest Dave Villani added his signature organ groan to the Hurricanes’ April 2 performance, joining lead Hurricane

Felix Kos on guitar and vocals, Bob Watters on drums and vocals, and the group’s Sunday night bassist, Pat McGinnis. Dave displayed his jazz chops during the ‘Canes version of “Freeborn Man,” and the frequent solo trade-offs between Dave and Felix provided constant excitement…And when Felix lost his voice before the April 16 episode, guest guitarist Tom Fronauer and bass- ist Pat handled the lion’s share of singing duties, with guest John Shimko stepping in to contribute his best Molly Hatchet growl on versions of “It’s All Over Now” and “Dreams I’ll Never See.” The area music scene was saddened in recent weeks with two passings…The Altoona area music scene was saddened by the passing of longtime area musician Barry Yeager on April 5; he was 73. Barry was the owner of Panda Productions, which provided sound and lighting for various events. Barry’s involvement with area band projects extends back to the 1970s. He most recently was the keyboard player for Altoona-based classic rock group Kickin.’…And longtime area musician Kyle Pickett passed away late last month. Kyle fronted and played guitar with numerous band projects during the past several decades; including Amacitia in the 1980s, the Meenies, his own self-named band and others. Kyle made a number of recordings of his original music, including several vinyl albums with Amacitia. He was a popular fixture in the regional music scene and collaborated with others. News and notes…Organizers of Johnstown’s Classic Vinyl Concert Series have announced the albums they will perform for their next concert. Comprised of musicians throughout the greater Johnstown and surrounding areas, the Classic Vinyl Concert Band will next take on both Michael Jackson’s 1982 album “Thriller” and Prince’s 1984 album “Purple Rain”; the concert takes place on Oct. 28 at the State Theater of Johnstown, and tickets go on sale May 5…The Pennsylvania Heritage Songwriting Contest continues to accept entries for its 2023 edition. Songs must have a Pennsylvania namesake, theme or reference, and can be about a location, person, event or story tied to Pennsylvania. Deadline for entries is May 15; winners for the top three songs will receive cash prizes plus the opportunity to perform their songs during the 2023 Smoked Country Jam Bluegrass Festival at Quiet Oaks Campground near Cross Fork June 15-17. For more information, visit www.smokedcountryjam.com/phsc/... Altoona-based punk rockers Abstentious announced that guitarist Brayden Adams is departing the group to continue his academic pursuits; the group will continue on, and will release their new album, “The Album... Ever,” on May 5, with a release show (and Brayden’s last show with the group) on May 7 at McGarvey’s…Stacy & the Rejects are seeking a new drummer and bass player to start playing with the group in late summer or fall; the group’s current drummer and bass player, Mike Davis and Josh Yahner, are leaving the group to concentrate on their original music endeavors and their Alice In Chains tribute project, Deny Your Maker…Singer Ryen Beam announced that he recently parted ways with Altoona area indie rockers The Nerves; Ryen left the group to focus priorities on his health and family…Homer City-based rockers Post Traumatik have completed recording sessions for their forthcoming brand new album, called “Saint Traumatik”…and Wax Mekanix, the creative alter ego of former Nitro drummer and singer Tim

Wilson, has submitted his new album to Philadelphia-based indie record label Electric Talon Records; that album should be available later this year.

Please send correspondence and recordings to: Jim Price, 1104 S. Catherine St., Altoona, PA 16602. You can also e-mail me at jptheprofessor@gmail.com. And if you’re into social networking, look me up on Facebook. SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC!

Darlene Hassinger

HED PE - McGarvey’s

The Hed PE Nu Metal Madness Tour II -2023 came through hitting Central Pennsylvania hard in the month of April. I was

HATE GRENADE - Chuck Lavera -McGarvey’s

fortunate to see three of the four shows in Pennsylvania. One of which was only a Hed PE show. If you didn’t catch any of the madness, you missed out. After this experience I can see why they called it Nu Metal Madness. The tour started March 30thand will end May 13th in Garden City, California.

First stop was “Stage West” in State College. The bands were Hed PE , Adema, Tantric and a local hard rock band called,

ADEMA -Stage West - Mark Chavez

Relic Hearts. This was the first time seeing Adema , from California. The crowd including myself definitely enjoyed their original music. Hope to see them more in our area. Tantric never disappoints! Playing their past hits to their new songs. Filling in for Jaron Gulino on most of the tour is Rick Reynolds. Jaron has been involved in multiple bands with the most recent being George Lynch. The evening ended with Hed PE. How can you not resist to move when Hed PE hits the stage.

Second stop was “Lovedrafts” in Mechanicsburg. This was a full line up and then some. As if Hed PE , Adema, Crazy Town and Tantric was already a killer line up, it wasn’t enough for the promoter, Nick Meyers. He added two more bands Heartbent from Maryland and Defending Cain from West Virginia.

The energy was high throughout the night from both the bands and the audience. Members of the bands mingling in with the crowd, people snapping pictures and capturing vids with their cell phones as the music played in the air, just as it should be at every show! I don’t think I have seen so many photographers in a venue at the same time. People definitely left with endless memories.

Third stop was a Hed PE show at “McGraveys” in Altoona with two supporting bands. First band was a local Nu-Metal

Band called, Hate Grenade. Hate Grenade had recently returned from their own East Coast run just in time for the Hed PE show. Up next was the band, Rebelmatic from New York. They are a hybrid of punk, hardcore and aggressive funk of their own. Lastly was Hed PE. Their vibe is one of their own that you can get into and takes you to different place mentally.

All the bands brought it to the stage with their music, energy and presence. I hope there will be a Nu-Metal Madness 3. ~ photos on pg. 26-27 by Darlene Hassinger Band Photography www.facebook.com/Darlene