Here are pictures from Friday (July 29), the first night of the July edition of the PA Roundhouse Rally Summer Series 2022 at Roundhouse Harley-Davidson near Duncansville.
For the Friday musical slate, blues was the theme, as the PA Roundhouse Rally put together an epic blues-rocking bill – local favorites Felix & the Hurricanes, followed by Washington DC-based blues and roots legends The Nighthawks, celebrating their 50th anniversary as a band this year!
Felix & the Hurricanes – joined by Jim “Juga” McConnell on harmonica – led off the night with plentiful original tunes and classics. Jim, lead Hurricane Felix Kos on guitar and vocals, Jeff Clapper on bass and vocals, and Bob Watters on drums and vocals did a wide variety of blues-driven numbers from the likes of ZZ Top, Lonnie Mack, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gregg Allman, Spirit, Molly Hatchet, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Winter, Blackfoot and others; along with lots of their original tunes such as “Beale Street,” “Walking A Straight Line,” “Cut That Line,” “Free,” “Issues,” “What’s Going On” and more. The Hurricanes’ musicianship was sharp and spirited, and all three Hurricanes sang it all with heart and conviction.
Established in 1972, The Nighthawks then introduced the Roundhouse Rally crowd to their invigorating brand of original blues and roots music plus distinctive takes on select covers. Founding member, singer and harmonica player Mark Wenner, guitarist and singer Dan Hovey, bassist and singer Paul Pisciotta, and drummer and singer Mark Stutso played songs from throughout their career, including tunes off their latest album, “Established 1972.” They did songs from the album such as “Nobody,” “I’ll Come Running Back to You,” “Johnny Too Bad,” “Ain’t That Lovin’ You” and “Gas Station Chicken,” and also broke out numbers such as “She Looks Good,” “Leave My Woman Alone,” “Tiger in Your Tank” and many more. The Nighthawks packed groove and swagger into their performance; Mark Wenner put on a clinic with his seasoned harmonica playing, Dan displayed excellent guitar work, the rhythms from Mark Stutso and Paul packed punch, and all four musicians displayed strong voices and harmonies. The audience saw a seasoned band that knew their turf and knew it well; The Nighthawks showed mastery on their blues and roots-driven music, and had a lot of fun on the stage while demonstrating it.
Pictured are both bands, dancers, the Q-crew of “The Professor,” Jim Price, Adam Erikson and technical wizard Bob, various vendors, representatives of the Central PA Humane Society doing the 50/50 drawing with a cute canine, and more. And as always, the PA Roundhouse Rally is a 501c3 organization that helps out local charities with these summer weekend concert series. Thanks to everyone who attended and was part of the fun!
