Christian Beck's new single stands radio ready, while Vanessa Campagna has a date at the Grand Ole Opry House
Scott TadyBeaver County Times
Five fellas from Beaver County get to headline the hallowed Ryman Auditorium in Nashville this December, then tour stadiums with country star Luke Combs in 2024.
They're the Allegheny High, the highly skilled backing band to alt-country singer Charles Wesley Godwin, who announced their Ryman headlining debut Dec. 8. Tickets went on sale this weekend. The chief support act will be Cole Chaney, who opened for Godwin at a sold-out Feb. 4 Stage AE in Pittsburgh.
Also last week, Godwin announced they'll support Combs on a 12-date stadium swing that includes Buffalo, Houston, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey.
Last night, Godwin and his band were slated to perform at a sold-out T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas opening for country sensation Zach Bryan. Earlier this year, they played at the famed Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado.
With an impressive four-song EP released this month, exciting things keep happening for Godwin and The Allegheny High. I've repeatedly pestered my friends at Pittsburgh's country and Americana radio stations to start playing the band, to no avail. They'll catch up eventually.
The Allegheny High is Beaver County-ites Al Torrence (guitars), Max Somerville (keys), Eric Dull (guitar), Nate Catanzarite (bass), Joe Pinchotti (drums) and Pittsburgh's Read Conolly (pedal steel).
Beck & Vanessa making it happen
Two Beaver County singers announced exciting things this past week, too.
Beaver Falls native Vanessa Campagna will perform at another famous Nashville venue, The Grand Ole Opry House, as one of 21 featured musical artists in Tommee Profitt’s “The Birth of a King” Christmas concert Dec. 4.
Christian Beck and his band return as headliners to Jergel's Rhythm Grille on Sept. 2. Tickets are $10 in advance at jergels.com, $15 at the door. Beck, a Freedom grad, just released a power-packed new country single, "Raise The Roof," with an arena-sized sound and relatable lyrics about cutting loose after a long week of work. Check it out on major platforms, including YouTube Music, Apple Music and Spotify.
More: 'Mr. Las Vegas' Wayne Newton talks about tour that's Munhall bound
Samuel S.C. heads here
Samuel S.C., an alternative-rock band with Monaca grad Dean Taormina on bass, announced tour dates including Westside Bowl in Youngstown on Aug. 25 and The Government Center on Pittsburgh's North Side on Aug. 26.
I recently wrote about Samuel S.C., when the band reunited after 28 years and released a single, "High Places."
The band went simply by the name Samuel during its 1993-95 run that included an EP release and North America tours with nationally known bands likeDillinger Four and Anti-Flag. After Samuel's breakup, Taormina moved to Boston and owned a restaurant. The reunited band, now based in Falls Church, Va., has added the initials S.C. to reflect its roots, having formed at State College, Pa.
Smooth sailing with Pablo Cruise
It gets awkward backstage, Pablo Cruise's co-founding keyboardist Cory Lerios told fans Monday at Jergel's Rhythm Grille.
People show up backstage with Pablo Cruise albums they want autographed. They stare down at the 20-something − and in one case − shirtless band members on those iconic album covers, then look up at the 70-something musicians in front of them. Again they look at the 1970s album covers, then back up at the musicians and ask, "OK, which one are you?"
"It hurts," Lerios said, pausing the perfect amount of time before landing the punchline about how at that point, the band usually insists security remove those befuddled autograph seekers.
He was kidding.
But seriously, Pablo Cruise delivered a great performance at Jergel's, highlighted by Billboard Top-10 singles "Love Will Find a Way" and "Whatcha Gonna Do?" deeper fan faves like "A Place in The Sun" and encore pick "I Go to Rio" and a few flat-out jams proving beyond the yacht rock image is a group of first-rate quality.
Lerios' fleet and fluid keyboard strokes and the red-hot guitar riffs of fellow co-founder David Jenkins, one of the two lead vocalists, sounded impeccable. In his lucky 13th year with the band, Larry Antonino added a few cool slap bass solos and gave the beat a danceable funk groove when necessary, teamed with drummer Sergio Gonzalez.
Something you never see: Lerios and Jenkins encouraged the three non-original members to introduce themselves and briefly discuss their backgrounds. Antonino mentioned his days playing bass for everyone from Jeff Beck to Barry Manilow. The second vocalist, powerful-piped Robbie Wyckoff, talked about handling the David Gilmour vocal parts on six Roger Waters tours featuring Pink Floyd's "The Wall." Wyckoff, said he enjoyed traveling by private jet with Waters, prompting Lerios to remind him teasingly that Pablo Cruise is more of a Southwest Airlines band.
On "Whatcha Gonna Do?" Jenkins sang the bridges and added harmonies while Wyckoff stepped in to hit the high notes on the chorus; a trick other classic-rock era bands might want to follow.
The band's four-part harmonies elevated the performance.
Pablo Cruise connected with its crowd, as Lerios and Wyckoff pulled out cellphones to film the "seventh inning stretch" segment where fans heeded the request to scream as loudly as possible.
Lerios' sarcastic humor brought a fun element, as when he introduced a song he wrote about his kids, adding it would be relatable to audience members with kids or grandkids ... "or great-grandkids or great-great-grandkids."
Hey, the audience wasn't that old.
He then sang the blunt-humored "I Get Tired (Just Thinking of You)" a song lamenting how much effort it takes to raise kids.
Pablo Cruise didn't release that song back in the day, "for good reason," Lerios said.
I spotted 102.5-WDVE DJ and super fan Cris Winter dancing near the front of the stage, and got her post-show assessment:
"They really don't play the East Coast very much," Winter said. "To my recollection, they last played Pittsburgh April 1977 at The Stanley, and played the Palace Theatre in 2014. David Jenkins is a highly underrated guitar player. Since I was a teen, Pablo Cruise's music has always given me that feeling of the beach, the ocean, sun, surfing − a simpler time. Anytime I hear their music on the radio it automatically puts a smile on my face. And to hear all those songs live, it's a bonus."
Opening act The Suns of Beaches Band did a fine job setting the party mood, getting a handful of concertgoers up and dancing to fun covers ranging from Jimmy Buffett to The Beatles. I dug the dual drummers, including a steel drums player and Blackhawk grad Dave Withrow on hand percussion.
Getting fierce in Center
Sumpn Fierce has a scene going in Center.
Every other Saturday night, including Aug. 26, the local hard-rock band headlines the Center VFW, utilizing full-scale professional lighting and hosting warmup bands like B.O.L.O and Atomic Indigo. Open to the general public, that VFW hall is at 144 Bunker Hill Road.
"We're looking for local bands to give them a chance to start building a following in the valley, and to finally give us all a place to go hear good live music again in a concert setting." Sumpn Fierce guitarist Tom Budjanec, formerly of popular '80s rockers Madhouse, said.
Sumpn Fierce selections include originals from its EP "Good Daze" you can check out on Bandcamp or at sumpnfierce.com.
Sumpn Fierce hopes to fix some flaws it sees in the regional music scene.
"We don't make the warmup bands sell any tickets," Budjanec said. "The night clubs are killing the bands, making us all sell tickets and ending up with a few hundred dollars and the clubs keep 75 percent of the ticket money. For all the bands out there like us that have a good following, we're all losing thousands of dollars. The clubs are just wrecking the music industry in the Pittsburgh area. It really needs to stop. The night clubs need to start paying us what we need. This is why we're starting to just rent the halls. All you bands out there are very welcome to join us."
Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and reachable at stady@timesonline.com.
