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the Pennsylvania Rock Show

Winter's Descent – Jerry & John

September 1, 2017 Build the Scene All Podcasts, pars 1:00:33 Comments Off on Winter's Descent – Jerry & John

Jerry from Winter’s Descent joins Bill on the show for the second time (Listen to his first visit) and brought along the band’s drummer John. Jerry talked about thinking about moving the band to Nashville, but deciding that it wasn’t really the city for them. They had recently replaced their guitarist, Nick, and our ability to say Greek names is put on show. We also learn why his new nickname is “Triangles”. We talked about the Femme Fatale show. They talk a bit about their new originals, which includes a new acoustic song called “Paper Angels” In segment 2, we open up with Jerry asking Bill a question but it then transitions into a bad tattoo story. And in normal PARS tradition we just rambled about lots of things… we then transitioned into Rock for Life and some of their shows and that Winter’s Descent will be playing at Rocktoberfest. We then talked about how many covers and originals that they usually play in a set. We also talked about the band almost breaking up and that they talked about changing the band name. Jerry and John talk about the musical community and how it is evolving. They take a moment to praise Mr. Small’s Funhouse. There are many great talking points in this interview, give it a listen!

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A Concert for Anna 2017 Preview

August 29, 2017 Build the Scene All Podcasts, pars 0:57:33 Comments Off on A Concert for Anna 2017 Preview

Reina and “Ozz” join Bill on this episode of the Pennsylvania Rock Show to talk about A Concert for Anna 10. They give us a look into the history of the benefit concert, bands that have played the show, a bit about Anna herself, the bike ride, and more. Find out more about a Concert for Anna by listening to the show or visiting their website. We also get some background on “Ozz” and Reina during the episode as well. About A Concert for Anna 10 In April 2008, Anna Lee Piroch was diagnosed with cervical cancer. The original Concert For Anna was put together by the local music community, of which Anna was an avid fan, as a way to help her pay her bills while she was unable to work as she battled the disease. Anna knew of the show to be held for her over Labor Day weekend 2008, and looked forward to attending. Sadly, in August 2008, Anna succumbed to the disease… But the music community would not let her spirit die. They came together in an incredibly moving act of kindness and held the show in her honor. When all was said and done, 17 bands had graced the stage that weekend, as well as numerous local businesses donating prizes, etc., and paid for Anna’s funeral expenses. That spirit of generosity and kindness in our local music community lives on in honor of our lost sister Anna, as a continual way to help others in our area in her name. Please help us every Labor Day weekend as we make a difference in someone’s life and ease the struggle that unfortunate circumstances can bring. God Bless, The Concert For Anna Team

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the Pennsylvania Rock Show

Tidefall – Zach Cunningham

August 18, 2017 Build the Scene All Podcasts, pars 1:00:43 Comments Off on Tidefall – Zach Cunningham

Zach Cunningham joins us for the first time to talk to us about his studio project Tidefall, and a little bit about Reign of Z (look for them on the show in the near future). I asked him some of my normal questions like who he would site his influences as. He mentions Breaking Benjamin and then talks about a few other bands. From there we segued into what national act he’d like to open for and where and why. We talked about whether or not he has anything odd in the rider when playing a show. (I SAID EVIAN!) We talked about the importance of the sound man for a show. We talked about pay to play (yes I know I’ve been hitting that hard lately). We talked about embarrassing moments on stage. He talked about his moms support of him as a musician, but reminding him that he should have a backup plan. We also talked about Reign of Z’s first show at Mr. Small’s Funhouse. We discussed whether or not he has ever written a song based on influences of other musicians. We gave him a few minutes to talk about his equipment, too. He told us about Tidefall’s song Control and a little bit of his history within the band Alter the Design https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URNOnpQPN48 Reign of Z’s Youtube

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The Art of Burning Bridges, Justin Tyme

August 11, 2017 Build the Scene All Podcasts, pars 1:03:53 Comments Off on The Art of Burning Bridges, Justin Tyme

On this episode of the Pennsylvania Rock Show, we revisit the year 2005 for a while when we talk to the former drummer of the band Fountain Infinity. He is currently the drummer for the band The Art of Burning Bridges. We talked about the history of the current band dating back to the time that Justin Tyme was in Fountain Infinity, the conglomerate that was created through the integration of band members from the band, Fiction on Fire, moving to California with the band Human Animation Lab, and more. We then move into discussing the Pay to Play situation, the local musics scene.. Justin brings up the issue of the amount of people at shows, the lack of venues (especialy underage venues), and the issue of technology and local musicians. At this point I had him do some name dropping with Starset, Silver Snakes, and September Mourning. We then compared the music scene of the AK Valley and Pittsburgh back in 2005 and now. We talked about the support of the musicians for each other in the scene today, compared to 2005, as well. We also talked about playing in the South Side of Pittsburgh and the issues that are now involved in that. The next topic of discussion was the album that The Art of Burning Bridges is currently (re) recording. Who is the Art of Burning Bridges? Justin Time – Percussions Kassie Rock – Bass Timmy Rock – Keys/Synth Anthony Rome – Guitars/Vox

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Donny Eozzo

August 4, 2017 Build the Scene All Podcasts, pars 1:02:12 Comments Off on Donny Eozzo

Donny Eozzo joins us to talk about his solo work and his band Fighting Fate. We talked about his time in California and the meaning behind his song Train 413 in segment 1 of the interview. In segment 2 we talked about upcoming shows for both Donny and his band Fighting Fate. Donny also does a open stage at Rock Ann Haven every other Wednesday. We talk about the local scene, his time in California, his solo album, and more. He gives us a little bit of insight into what his songs are about. Donny brought up “pay to play” and his dislike of it. He first experienced it in LA. He talked about the other band members (and how hard their last names are to say… so I suggested stage names). We also moved on to discuss the Danny Macko tribute show and the great showing that it had. We talked about how many albums Donny has recorded through the years and more… He also turns the table and asks me about something I would change about the local scene. If you listen to the show the whole way through, Donny tells you how to get a free copy of Donny Eozzo – Just a Littlle Bit Crazy! p.s. I may have said the wrong episode number haha

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Rock for Life 18

July 28, 2017 Build the Scene All Podcasts, pars 1:01:09 Comments Off on Rock for Life 18

In this episode, we do a pre-show for Rock for Life 18. You’ll hear interviews from last year’s Rock for Life 17 as well as new interviews from this year’s gigaroo. Included in these interviews are Alicia Hruby (2013 Recipient), Amanda Hensel (mother of Alex Hooks 2005 recipient) & Mark Hensel, Patty and Eric Jageman (parents of 2016 recipient, Dylan), Mike Piroch of Staley’s Comet and many  other bands, Mike Ekis from skell, OverMyDeadBody’s Natasha, members of Kill the Drama, & Sean of Homicide Black. You also get to hear music from 9 of the participating bands including another new track from Fist Fight in the Parking Lot!

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Fist Fight in the Parking Lot

July 21, 2017 Build the Scene All Podcasts, pars 1:30:55 Comments Off on Fist Fight in the Parking Lot

Come join Molasses Barge and Fist Fight in the Parking Lot as they release their next CDs with blackseed records. Both bands will be featuring songs live from their records and have CDs available for sale, and they want to share it with YOU, Pittsburgh! July 28, 2017 Doors at 9, Show at 10PM $5 In our first segment, Bill is visited by Moe, Larry, and Curly… errr Jason, Johnny Metal, and RuDawg of Fist Fight in the Parking Lot. We start out talking about the writing process and how circumstances allowed them to sit on the songs and go back to them later, we smoothly transitioned into the history of the band (yeah smoothly haha) and talking about about festivals and competitions… throughout the whole interview you get bits and pieces about their writing  & recording processes. I asked about the title of the album, and got a lot of different answers (haha). They were much more forthcoming about where the band name came from. Segment 2 starts out with a conversation about social media and websites and then we move on to learning a bit more about the pieces that make up FFITPL. Sammy or Dave? It was around this time that we learned that Chris embarrasses Fist Fight in the Parking Lot. We move on to name every band we could think of and even talk about Overlord Brom (Dethlehem) and his helmet. Somehow we even included Orko… we then move onto having them create their own super group from local musicians. and well… ya… listen to the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KecIdlEAKhU Bob Price was the member of Dog Day Sunrise that I couldn’t remember during the show, tattoos at Inferno Studios.

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The Band Jam

July 11, 2017 Build the Scene All Podcasts, pars 0:54:01 Comments Off on The Band Jam

Utah Burgess joins us to discuss 97.7FM WLER The Grass Roots Show‘s 5th annual Band Jam brought to you by Shady Lady Productions. He gives us some insight into the show’s history, as well as, giving us a run down on what to expect when you attend it. There are 20 bands for $20 in a 2 day format. We also talk a little bit about the local music scene, the Rock Done Right Tour and his band, the Noble Hops Band. Friday’s Lineup Beginning at 5pm Mary Lou Scherder Noble Hops Band Sumpn’ Fierce WoJo Highland Brothers Band The Redlines Anger the Ant Saturday’s Lineup Beginning at 11:30am Donny Eozzo Isaac Cole Stationary Pebbles Trigger Happy Lions in America Castashadow Acoustic Fingers Nied’s Hotel Band Zone 8 Juvenile Characteristics Shag Dog Melon Head Red Room Effect TeraChain Sky   What is the Band Jam? The Band Jam Grass Roots Music Festival is a weekend long celebration of local music and artists. It was started as a way to commemorate the yearly anniversary of the “Grass Roots Show”, which airs Sunday nights at 7pm on The Rock Station 97.7fm (WLER – Butler, PA), and as a way to showcase the incredible talent featured on this show in a “Live” setting for music lovers of all genres to enjoy. The Festival is held at Cooper’s Lake Campground, located at 205 Currie Rd in Slippery Rock, PA, right off of I-79 Exit 99 (New Castle Rd / US Route 422), and is sponsored this year by: Sloan’s Guitar & Super Monkey recording Company Cooper’s Lake is the perfect place for a family friendly outdoor music festival, with over 450 acres of wooded areas and mowed fields. Amenities include over 100 electric and water hookup sites, activity areas, campground store, full bathroom facilities including showers, laundromat, picnic tables and pavillions, and a 10-acre lake for fishing and canoeing. Cooper’s Lake is world renowned for such events as Pennsic, The Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival, and the Pyrotechnics Guild International Convention. The 2017 Band Jam will take place July 14-16, with live music beginning Friday the 14th at 6pm, and beginning again on Saturday the 15th at Noon. There will be plenty of other activities for young and old including Belly Dance lessons by Malissa, Hooping with The Hoop Bear, Balloon Art with Dragonfly Balloons, Taekwondo demonstration from Master Connell’s ATA, fishing, biking, and more… Attendees are encouraged to come camp for the whole weekend, however day pass only admissions will be available. Camping fees must be purchased separately through Cooper’s Lake Campground and can be purchased HERE. Admission Prices $20 Advance / $25 At The Gate Kids 17 and Under are FREE Band Jam Festival Tickets Available Through ShowClix by clicking HERE or by calling 1-888-71-TICKETS Tickets also available through Butler Media Group at 252 Pillow Street, Butler PA or through the bands and Shady Lady Productions Camping Passes must be purchased through Cooper’s Lake Campground and can be purchased by clicking HERE. Please visit their website for more information.

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Evil Boll Weevil

July 7, 2017 Build the Scene All Podcasts, pars 0:58:45 Comments Off on Evil Boll Weevil

With me for the first time on the show was Seth Legrand from the band Evil Boll Weevil. Segment 1: I started the conversation out by asking Seth where the band name came from. Seth then introduced us to the band members and told a bit of the band history. Evil Boll Weevil is in the process of recording their first album and Seth gives us a bit of insight as to how that is going. Segment 2: starting the second segment out, we discussed the difficulties that they have had with the spelling of their band name. We then moved the conversation towards how they will record their freshman disc. Home vs Studio? After that we dive a little into who Seth is as a musician by talking about his influences… and more. Who is Evil Boll Weevil? We play all forms of rock from classic to metal, punk to blues, new to old; pretty much you name it as long as its rock. We want our sound to be like old stones, or zeppelin albums where song to song the sound and genre is very different. We’re not huge fans of albums that sound the same every song. We have a lot of talent in our band and we hope to be a standout as our originals are released.

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Red Room Effect PARS383

June 30, 2017 Build the Scene All Podcasts, pars 1:13:04 Comments Off on Red Room Effect PARS383

Eric Gadola joined me for the first time to talk about his band the Red Room Effect. Segment 1: We started out talking about their upcoming show at the Grass Root’s Band Jam that 97.7FM and Shady Lady Productions put on each year. Eric went on to talk about a few other shows that they have played with Shady Lady. We talked about their song “Raindrops” being nominated for the Grassy Awards. If you have yet to vote for the Grassy, you have until the end of the day on June 30, 2017 to do so! Click here to get your vote in! We rounded out the first segment with Eric telling us about their song “Allergic to Negativity”. If you’re into 90’s rock, you’ll love this track. Segment 2: In the second segment, we got to know Eric a little better. We discussed his record collection to give you an idea of where he comes from musically. Along those same lines he talks about his biggest influences as well.  Eric and I then talk about the people that support Eric the most as a musician and his most embarrassing moment on stage. We also hit up some of the other normal questions for the show like favorite venue and some new ones like favorite cover song to play. Segment 3: We started the third segment out talking about Mia Z, Miss Freddye, and JJ Smith. Eric introduced us to the rest of the Red Room Effect band members: Anthony Lamendola (Guitar). Nick Svitek (Keys, Guitar, BGV, Aux), Matt Johnson (Bass), & John Layhew (Drums). At this point, we learned a good bit about the history of the band itself. Eric deescribed the process of recording their album “Funky-Hip Music, Vol. 1“. From there we discussed the music scene for a while… and more Who is Red Room Effect? Eric Gadola, also known by his stage name “Crazy Eric” formed the grassroots of Red Room Effect in the summer of 2013. Working as a golf pro by day and struggling singer/songwriter by night, Gadola approached producer/drummer, Paul Jay with songs he had been writing with hopes of forming a band. Impressed by his songwriting abilities, Paul Jay and Eric began to mold the the majority of songs that would later appear on the “Frame of Mind EP.” Hendrix, Clapton, Jack White, The Black Keys, the RHCP, Nirvana, Prince, Rick James, & Outcast have played a significant role in Gadola’s, songwriting, playing style, and vocal delivery. Stricken with sadness and loneliness from Paul Jay’s unexpected death, Gadola turned to talented Pittsburgh drummer, Spencer Day with the demos produced @ Paul Jay’s Red Room Studios, in Cheswick, PA. After hearing the demo, Day agreed to help Gadola jumpstart the band. Gadola crowned the band Red Room Effect in honor of the late Paul Jay. Mason Callender was added on bass guitar, as the group began gigging across Western PA. They later recorded the Frame of Mind EP with producer Ryan Wood (Audio Bridge Studios/New Medicine) which yielded favorable reviews and national radio airplay. In November 2014, Day expressed interest in pursuing other musical ventures. As a result, Gadola began producing and recording songs he composed in his home studio. While recording the majority of the instruments himself, Gadola sought out the talents of a few local skilled session musicians, including bassist, David “Funk Daddy” Traugh (of The Last Drop) & guitarist, Anthony “Tony Tone” Lamendola. (formerly of The Next Month) Gadola’s lust for the stage lights was short lived when Tony suggested revitalizing the group with a new lineup. Former Next Month bassist, Matt “Matural Ice Jr.” Johnson soon joined the band. Eric grew fond of local indie rockers Blithehound, and later recruited 2 of their members: muilti-instrumentalist Nick Svitek, and drummer Jon Walters who’s towering drum beats can be heard throughout the record. Jon recently left both groups to pursue a degree in Jazz from Berklee College of Music. The ultra-talented John “JayLay” Layhew was recently added to the lineup on drums. “It’s special how we have a built such a strong musical chemistry in such a short amount of time as everyone shares a mutual respect for one another. What a humbling experience this has been. I’m geeked that guys with this kind of talent want to be bring this project to life. Being on stage in front of crowd is what I live for, and I’m thankful for these guys. As for the music, what type of music you ask? This music will make you laugh, make you cry, make you think, make you feel. It’s blues, it’s funk, it’s hip hop, r&b, soul,… It’s rock n’roll. This band, this music, these songs…. will move you. It’s what we like to call Funky-Hip Music.”

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