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FELIX & THE HURRICANES (& FRIENDS) @ THE HITCHING POST, ALTOONA 7/10/05 The forecast during the past several days indicated that Hurricane Dennis was churning towards the Gulf Coast. The forecast during the past several days indicated that a musical hurricane would strike Altoona’s Hitching Post this Sunday night. Hurricane Dennis gained strength over the warm Gulf waters, and intensified into a Category 4 storm. Felix & the Hurricanes gathered strength this night with the forecasted presence of musical guests named Mollick, Solinski and others. Hurricane Dennis caused significant damage to Pensacola, Florida and surrounding areas. Felix & the Hurricanes and their guests caused significant damage to Sunday night boredom in the Altoona area. It was already quite the party at the Hitching Post as I arrived after serving my "Backyard Rocker" duties for the evening. As they had told me during the show, my guests T.M.P. (Tony Mollick Project) had already arrived in the house and were ready to jam. Also in the room was John Solinski, 'on vacation' from Key West, just as Hurricane Dennis was paying that part of the world a visit. Other Hurricaniacs, musicians, Rockpagers and other patrons were in the room; and the atmosphere was charged as the Hurricanes heated up the night with classics from Eric Clapton, Jonny Lang, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and a rendition of "Neon Moon" sent out to Hitching Post kitchen lady/matriarch Stephanie to end the set. Intermission would allow the guests to step up and perform. After a few moments, John Solinski stepped to the stage area with his acoustic guitar, and explained to the crowd his 'vacation' from Key West. John then put on a fun, energized performance, playing favorites from the Eagles, Van Morrison, Guns'N'Roses and Rick Springfield; before launching into a rollicking, freewheeling medley of tunes from Bon Jovi, George Michael, Simon & Garfunkel, Def Leppard, Journey, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Neil Diamond and more. Along the way, John solicited frequent singalongs and callbacks from the audience, treating the Hitching Post crowd to the type of high-energy performances he gives nightly in Key West. The Hitching Post dug it, and the performance nicely charged up the room for the next special guests, T.M.P. After John left the stage, T.M.P. - singer/guitarist/namesake Tony Mollick, bassist Fuzzy McGirk and drummer David Blake - took up positions on the stage and played a smoking five-song set. Opening with the Stray Cats' "Rumble In Brighton," T.M.P. rocked the house with ZZ Top's "Cheap Sunglasses," the group's early-60's-styled original rocker "Little Stingray," Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Willie the Wimp," and Santana's "Black Magic Woman." T.M.P.'s presentation was strong and robust, led by Tony's rugged, confident vocals and stinging guitarwork. T.M.P. likewise received rowdy applause from the happy Hitching Post crowd, in turn setting the stage for the finale by the host band. As Felix & the Hurricanes returned to the stage, they were joined by two guests - Kent Martin on flute, and Steve Todesco, guitarist for Boston-based blues band Mission Of Blues. Both guests added their touches to the Canes' set-opening rendition of the Allman Brothers' "Statesboro Blues." As the group continued with Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Tin Pan Alley," Tony Mollick plugged his guitar back in and joined the onstage festivities. The guests remained onstage and helped the Hurricanes light it up on renditions of "One Way Out," "Rocky Top" and Los Lonely Boys' "Heaven;" with dancers filling the Hitching Post's stagefront dance floor along the way. The party continued with the Canes' own "Keep On Rockin,'" followed by a hot rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Green River," featuring some heated guitar dueling between Felix, Steve and Tony. The Hurricanes and their guests then kicked off Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold;" I don't know if the Nuge ever envisioned flute in the mix when he first conceived this classic, but Kent Martin proved with his fiery woodwind display that flute was a viable addition. Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" brought new guests and changes onstage, as Ron Novak replaced Tony on guitar, and Tony moved behind the drum kit to replace Hurricane Bob; and guest singer Loren Johnson took over lead mic. The Hurricanes ensemble then closed out the night with Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Look At Little Sister." The atmosphere remained charged as these musicians jammed out and made it count. Jaw-dropping highlights were in abundance this night, as Hurricanes and guests upped the ante and pushed each other's abilities to the max; to the obvious delight of the attentive Hitching Post audience. As I've said many times before - on any given night, Felix & the Hurricanes and their guests can lift a show from routine to legendary. This show definitely qualified under the latter label. As Hurricanes shows go, this one was definitely a Category 5 storm of the first degree! |
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