Post by jptheprofessor on Mar 9, 2006 21:58:38 GMT -5
This past weekend, I got to experience two bands who both do classic rock sounds well - one young, and one not so young...
The young band I saw was The Syrins, performing Thursday night at Zach's in Altoona. Four members strong, The Syrins feature Chris Conrad on drums and vocals, Tom Fronauer (whose Dad, Tom Sr., also plays locally in the band The Silencers) and Ryan Furry on guitars and vocals, and Mike Furry on bass guitar and vocals. All four band members are in their late teens or early 20's.
But unlike the norm for folks in this age group, The Syrins didn't play punk, hardcore, emo, screamo, rap, hip-hop or other sounds associated with the current MTV generation; these guys did CLASSIC ROCK, and did it very well! Through the latter half of their show I witnessed, The Syrins did classics from Dire Straits, Grand Funk Railroad, ZZ Top, Kinks, Beatles, Steve Miller Band, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Bad Company and more. Their performance was sharp and spirited, and their instrumentation and vocals were dead on the money! Two songs especially floored me...Their version of Tommy James & the Shondells' "Draggin' the Line," where the group demonstrated perfect three-part vocal harmony and even had the low-end vocal part down pat; and their take on The Kinks' "All Day And All of the Night," where the group accurately captured the rawness and fury of the Kinks original. Needless to say, I was quite impressed with my look at The Syrins, and I highly recommend fans of classic rock check these guys out!
The Syrins, performing at Zach's in Altoona.
Tom Fronauer of The Syrins.
Ryan Furry of The Syrins.
Mike Furry of The Syrins.
The following night, Friday, I journeyed up the hill from Altoona to check in with a Johnstown institution, The Desperadoes, performing to a small but receptive audience at the White Lady Tavern. Singer/guitarist Mark Middleton, bassist Mike "Soupy" Suppes and drummer Harold Knapenberger fielded requests from the audience, and honored those requests, tapping from their estimated 800-plus song arsenal. And if the Desperadoes didn't know the requested song, they would huddle before giving the song a try any way, nailing it on target more times than not! The Desperadoes performed selections from Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk Railroad, Ten Years After, Humble Pie, Black Oak Arkansas, Rainbow, Neil Young, Robin Trower, Johnny Winter and more. This trio was seasoned, and played every song they tackled with fire and vigor. My favorite display this night had to be when one audience member yelled out the name Robin Trower...The Desperadoes teased the ending of Trower's "Too Rolling Stoned," before Mark rang out several distortion chords on his guitar, signifying the beginning of "Bridge Of Sighs!" Mark nailed down Trower's guitar sound so accurately, that if you closed your eyes, you could swear it was Trower in the house and blazing away! The group tackled at least two songs they hadn't played before - Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Workin' for MCA" and Grand Funk Railroad's "Are You Ready" - and delivered the goods on both of them! The Desperadoes are closing in on 30 years of rocking regional stages (minus the few years in the late 80's/early 90's when Mark put the band on the back burner to join national recording group Raging Slab), and this night showed me that they still kick maximum butt! More people should have been in the house to witness this show!
The Desperadoes, performing at the White Lady Tavern.
Mark Middleton of The Desperadoes.
Mike Suppes of The Desperadoes.
Harold Knapenberger of The Desperadoes.
Again, The Desperadoes.
Bottom line - if you're in the mood for live classic rock done well, The Syrins and The Desperadoes are two area bands from two generations who both do it well. Check them out!
The young band I saw was The Syrins, performing Thursday night at Zach's in Altoona. Four members strong, The Syrins feature Chris Conrad on drums and vocals, Tom Fronauer (whose Dad, Tom Sr., also plays locally in the band The Silencers) and Ryan Furry on guitars and vocals, and Mike Furry on bass guitar and vocals. All four band members are in their late teens or early 20's.
But unlike the norm for folks in this age group, The Syrins didn't play punk, hardcore, emo, screamo, rap, hip-hop or other sounds associated with the current MTV generation; these guys did CLASSIC ROCK, and did it very well! Through the latter half of their show I witnessed, The Syrins did classics from Dire Straits, Grand Funk Railroad, ZZ Top, Kinks, Beatles, Steve Miller Band, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Bad Company and more. Their performance was sharp and spirited, and their instrumentation and vocals were dead on the money! Two songs especially floored me...Their version of Tommy James & the Shondells' "Draggin' the Line," where the group demonstrated perfect three-part vocal harmony and even had the low-end vocal part down pat; and their take on The Kinks' "All Day And All of the Night," where the group accurately captured the rawness and fury of the Kinks original. Needless to say, I was quite impressed with my look at The Syrins, and I highly recommend fans of classic rock check these guys out!
The Syrins, performing at Zach's in Altoona.
Tom Fronauer of The Syrins.
Ryan Furry of The Syrins.
Mike Furry of The Syrins.
The following night, Friday, I journeyed up the hill from Altoona to check in with a Johnstown institution, The Desperadoes, performing to a small but receptive audience at the White Lady Tavern. Singer/guitarist Mark Middleton, bassist Mike "Soupy" Suppes and drummer Harold Knapenberger fielded requests from the audience, and honored those requests, tapping from their estimated 800-plus song arsenal. And if the Desperadoes didn't know the requested song, they would huddle before giving the song a try any way, nailing it on target more times than not! The Desperadoes performed selections from Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk Railroad, Ten Years After, Humble Pie, Black Oak Arkansas, Rainbow, Neil Young, Robin Trower, Johnny Winter and more. This trio was seasoned, and played every song they tackled with fire and vigor. My favorite display this night had to be when one audience member yelled out the name Robin Trower...The Desperadoes teased the ending of Trower's "Too Rolling Stoned," before Mark rang out several distortion chords on his guitar, signifying the beginning of "Bridge Of Sighs!" Mark nailed down Trower's guitar sound so accurately, that if you closed your eyes, you could swear it was Trower in the house and blazing away! The group tackled at least two songs they hadn't played before - Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Workin' for MCA" and Grand Funk Railroad's "Are You Ready" - and delivered the goods on both of them! The Desperadoes are closing in on 30 years of rocking regional stages (minus the few years in the late 80's/early 90's when Mark put the band on the back burner to join national recording group Raging Slab), and this night showed me that they still kick maximum butt! More people should have been in the house to witness this show!
The Desperadoes, performing at the White Lady Tavern.
Mark Middleton of The Desperadoes.
Mike Suppes of The Desperadoes.
Harold Knapenberger of The Desperadoes.
Again, The Desperadoes.
Bottom line - if you're in the mood for live classic rock done well, The Syrins and The Desperadoes are two area bands from two generations who both do it well. Check them out!