One of the first big outdoor spring events in the Q94 listening area, the fourth annual Blair Creators Festival brought live music, arts, crafts, food, beverages and fun to downtown Altoona’s Heritage Plaza in late April. Sponsored by ArtsAltoona and the Sheetz Fellows Program at Penn State Altoona, the purpose of the festival is to provide an opportunity for area creators to share their arts and visions.
Eight bands and performers graced the Plaza’s Rail Car stage throughout the day; starting with Altoona’s Toy (The Band), who showcased their edgy alternative rock sound. Singer and guitarist Christian Douglas, lead guitarist Julian Saborio, bassist Adela and drummer Matt Savino introduced their set with their powerful new single “Target Audience,” and also performed their songs “Until the Day It Does,” “Swell” and “Chemical Burns.” They also did versions of the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” the Backseat Lovers’ “Pool House,” Green Day’s “Brain Stew,” and Nirvana’s “Marigold” and “All Apologies.” Toy’s mix of mild to wild, their innovative melodies and song arrangements, and feisty stage energy drew increasing amounts of cheers and applause as their set progressed.
Making their first Blair Creators Festival appearance, Felix & the Hurricanes then brought their popular blend of blues and rock to the stage. Lead ‘Cane, guitarist and singer Felix Kos, drummer Bob Watters, and bassist and singer Pat McGinnis entertained the growing crowd with numbers from Jimmy Martin, Gregg Allman, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the James Gang, as well as their popular original number “Walking the Straight Line.” As always, the Hurricanes had fun, and that pleasant vibe rubbed off on the audience.
Also making his debut at this festival, Dom Frucella and his band performed a set of country-toned songs. A previous member of the Sheetz Fellows Program, Dom sang lead vocals and played acoustic guitar, joined by lead guitarist Jextin Pugh, Walkney’s Derek Mrdjenovich on bass, and drummer Randy Servello. The group played several of Dom’s original songs, including “South Bound,” and he also did two songs as solo acoustic: Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange” and his original song “Sweet Margaret Anne.”
Up next were Stephanie & the Wild Hearts to perform their mix of outlaw country and rock’n’roll. The lead duo of singer Stephanie and singer and guitarist Bob Onkst led the group through a mixture of their original songs and select covers, backed by guitarist Chad Morral, bassist Jacob Naugle and drummer Les Beatty. The group introduced one of their newer numbers, “Sorry You Got Caught,” and also did numbers from Nancy Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Shania Twain, Dwight Yoakam, the Eagles and more.
Previously known as Hot Fudge Mondaes, Search Party next introduced their heavy-hitting, alternative-meets-nu-metal sound. Vocalist Jake Mowery, guitarists Breydon Bremer and Micah Button, bassist Kevin Neely and drummer Justin Burket slammed through several new original songs that will be on their forthcoming debut EP; Search Party also did versions of Local H’s “Down to the Floor” and the Deftones’ “My Own Summer (Shove It).”
Eagerly anticipated on the Rail Car stage was the next performer, local NBC “The Voice” contestant Ethan Eckenroad. Armed with his acoustic guitar, Ethan showed a gentle-toned voice as he performed a number of his original songs, including his popular “Chase the Sun,” “So Far From Fun,” “Still Sing Amen” and more. He also played a version of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Ethan expressed deep appreciation to the audience, and thanked them for the support during his run on NBC’s “The Voice.”
The musical flavor then turned to ska as – 10 members strong – Altoona’s Tom Nevers Field cut loose with their fast-firing set. The group played a number of their original song creations, including “Punk Rock Girl” and “Keep It Safe,” plus a cover of the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop” that triggered youngsters dancing in front of the stage. Tom Nevers Field kept the tempo lively, and it was cool to witness a number of people kicking up their heels and having a good time.
Although cold from the arriving colder night time temperatures, Sweet Desire closed out the main stage by heating up the crowd with their hearty blues-rock set. Having just put out their first CD, Sweet Desire did many of their original numbers; including “Hummingbird,” “Sweet Desire,” “11 x 17,” “Raspberry Joe Blues,” “The Dealer” and more. Sweet Desire again launched many of their songs into full-fury jams to the excitement of the crowd, and capped their set with their fiery version of the Humble Pie-popularized “I Don’t Need No Doctor.”
In addition to the Rail Car stage, entertainment also happened in the Heritage Plaza circle lot, and included performances by comedians/comediennes Julia Shokker, Adam Holt and Ridge Hershberger, the Backyard Rockers, the Keystone Regiment Senior Drum & Bugle Corps, and the ARC of Blair County drummer and chorus groups.
The Blair Creators Festival was again a fun day and a big success. And as in the previous events, this year’s festival brought together many people from the Altoona and central PA community, and that community spirit grew throughout the course of the day. It’s always great to see a community come together! Hats off to the Penn State Altoona Sheetz Fellows student organizers and ArtsAltoona for making this festival happen!
Below are various photos taken during the Blair Creators Festival – including all of the Rail Car stage bands, several of the Heritage Plaza lot performers, and other scenes from throughout the festival.
