Got to the hotel, picked up registration,
no problem. Had a room booked for the conference thanks
to Strictly Heavy Management. When I got to the front desk,
however, they only had me checking in on Saturday and
checking out on Sunday. Not a good thing. I wasn't
really sure what to do. I decided to call SHM, since
they were the one who booked the room and, as my wife
had pointed out, they had sent me the room confirmation once
it was booked. So, I gave them a call, they called
the hotel, problem solved. We were all set.
The trade floor was kind of boring. I spent most
of the day in and out of the hotel. It was a nice day
and since I don't get up to Harrisburg too often,
I decided to walk around a bit. I did meet a few people
during the time I spent on the trade floor. Shooting
the shit, you know. That's what it's all about. Picked
up a copy of Orgivation Magazine. Got a Carafax Abbey
CD from their table...good stuff. Spent some time
talking to the members of Stryk-9, who I didn't get
to see live. But, I did get a copy of their disc, which
I'll talk more about in a future article. Also talked with
Terry Selders & Robert Scott of Scott Wray Studios.
Got to rap a little about Youth In Asia and Hybrid Ice.
It was more entertaining once the music kicked in. Caught
some of Tony C. & The Truth and I was impressed. The best
way to describe 'em is rock 'n' roll. Thought they
were a bit raw, which is a good thing. They have
a "from the streets" vibe going on. Those of you
who registered should be spinnin' that three song
CD right about now and it's pretty cool, isn't it?
Yeah, I thought so. "Little Bit More" is a killer track.
Went down to The Firehouse to have a beer because
I really like that place. I spent some time there
last year and I wanted to drop in to see what was
going on there. Caught a little bit of Holis, who had a
pretty good sound. I noticed they had a nice female
following. There were a few women up front kind of
moving to the beat and singing word for word
with the band. I guess it's safe to say that
they've seen the band before. Gotta respect
loyalty, it's a good thing.
Next up was Scott's Grille, where I spent most
of my time this year. It was my first time in
there and I thought it was a great place. The staff
was very friendly and...hell...let's just say I give
it four thumbs up. Anyway, I got there early enough
to catch some of Asa's Garden from New York and,
from what I saw, they put on a good show. I was
really there to see Julie Schreiber, who I've
written about in the past. I never got to
see her live until tonight and I was blown away.
What you hear on CD and what you see live...two,
totally different worlds. The live show was
rocking and it was well worth the wait.
My biggest hope is that their next CD is
more like what they do live. That would be killer.
Went back to the Crowne Plaza to catch Allentown's
Eight Days Gone. Their most recent CD, "Silence To
The Naysayers," came across my desk about two weeks
before the MMC. So, I was familiar with their music.
But, I was curious to see what they could do in a
live setting. Very cool. Emotional, melodic rock.
This is a band that you might wanna keep your eyes
on because they're gonna be huge, there's no doubt
about it. I spoke with the band later on in the evening,
with a little help from Ang from The Lab. Once I dig
out the tape, I'll be sure to share it with you as
it was a pretty interesting conversation. That was
pretty much it for the night. Went back to my room
to take a shower, which is the perfect way to wind
down after a long day. Very relaxing. Z
I'm not sure when I actually saw it, but, I'm pretty
sure it was Thursday...and I've gotta mention it because
I thought it was funny. Anyway, I was watching the news
on tv and there was a clip on there about the MMC. The
video footage they used was Halestorm (when Nate was still
playing guitar) and they mentioned how the band would be
performing at the MMC. In case you didn't notice, Halestorm
wasn't there this year. But, that's not the point. The band
they were talking about was The Underwater (who was there)
and they said the band was from Boston. That's news to me.
Last time I checked, both Halestorm and The Underwater
were/are Pennsylvania bands.
Did anyone else see this??? Like I said, I thought
it was funny. I guess it just goes to show you that
you can't believe everything you see/hear on television.
Ain't that the truth?