Every once in a while, when the mood strikes me, I go wild with my ballpoint sketch pens and crank out several of them in one day – a sketching “bender,” if you will. Friday, May 14 was one such day, when I started four different sketches of four different bands!
The first sketch creation started coming together during the afternoon, as I attended an outdoor performance by State College-based acoustic trio The Extra Miles, entertaining during a spring festival at the Way Fruit Farm near Stormstown. Singer and multi-instrumentalist Andrea Miles, guitarist and singer Patty McKenna and guitarist/banjo player Ruth Williamson entertained an all-ages audience with their mixture of original songs and their own distinctive versions of rock and pop favorites. Andrea and Patty delivered great-sounding vocal harmonies throughout the performance, and all three women were together and on target on their instruments. Their original song selection included such numbers as “High Crimes and Misdemeanors,” “Fingerprint,” “Nearly Perfect,” “Days Like These,” “Stream of Lies” and others. Their cover selection was wide, as The Extra Miles did songs from Tom Petty, X Ambassadors, George Michael, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Mamas & Papas, Eagles, Beatles, Roxette, Simon & Garfunkel, Phillip Phillips, Van Morrison and many more. The Extra Miles made their cover numbers into their own with their unique acoustic arrangements and vocal harmonies, and they clearly pleased the audience through their whole performance. The group is working toward recording and issuing an album soon, and they perform regularly throughout the region, so keep an eye open for them!
The other three sketches were triggered by the triple-band bill happening later that night at McGarvey’s in Altoona, which featured three rising names from the local independent rock scene. Kicking things off was Mediocre Gatsby. Normally a trio, this group played as a duo this night, with singer/guitarist Kevin “Kevo” Quinn and drummer Greg Brigham. The pair merged folk and punk rock flavors over their set of original tunes and select covers – including the entirety of Mediocre Gatsby’s debut EP “Quarantina” plus a few of Kevo’s other original tunes and a version of Tom Petty’s “American Girl.” Kevo sang each song with grit and edge, and both he and Greg kept the pace uptempo and moving.
Next was my first look at Skyline Drive. Three members strong, this group fired off a strong set of indie/garage-flavored rock, mixing both original tunes and covers. Guitarist Christian Douglas handled most of the lead singing duties, with bassman Dylan Forr singing lead on versions of Tom Waits’ “Chocolate Jesus,” the Grateful Dead’s “Mr. Charlie” and the Doors’ “Crawling King Snake.” Christian, Dylan and drummer Phill Hanold also did several of their own numbers, including “Until the Day It Does,” “Dopamine,” “Time” and “Untitled” (where Dylan unleashed a bass solo), plus did a version of Pavement’s “Harness Your Hopes.” Skyline Drive’s performance was strong and energetic, and cheers from the growing crowd grew louder as the group’s set proceeded.
