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JP's Reviews
BILLY AND THE INMATES AT THE HARD ROCK CAFE'....PITTSBURGH
BILLY & THE INMATES @ HARD ROCK CAFÉ, PITTSBURGH 1/1/06
Little did I ever expect that my first band show
of the new year 2006 (after Hair Force One the previous night) would take place in Pittsburgh! But it did - midway through
the afternoon, after I had fully recovered from New Year's Eve and enjoyed the traditional New Year's Day pork and sauerkraut
dinner, I received a call from "Big Jim" Ricotta asking if I was up for a roadtrip to Pittsburgh to check out Billy &
the Inmates' show at the Hard Rock Café at Station Square. With the "Backyard Rocker" prerecorded this night due to the holiday,
I was game for Big Jim's roadtrip invite, and soon we were en route to the 'Burgh!
We arrived at the Hard Rock Café,
and were seated in one of the upper levels, with a clear view of the stage. Several members of Billy & the Inmates were
pleasantly surprised that I had shown up to cover their first venture at this venue.
Several solo performers opened
up the evening, before Billy & the Inmates and another band scheduled after them called The Monophonics. The first soloist
was a 15-year-old guitar player (whose name I missed), who played a rendition of Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary" and
an acoustic number, "Things Are Looking Up for Me." This youngster showed a good voice and some skills on the strings, and
he had some apparent family and friends on hand to cheer him on during his two songs.
Next was another acoustic soloist,
Jason Deutsch. This Pittsburgh-based singer, songwriter and guitarist played four songs; three original songs and a version
of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away." His style and sound were folksy alternative, not too far removed from John Mayer. From what
we saw, Jason's brief performance was a good one.
After a short intermission, Billy & the Inmates took
the stage to fire up some rock'n'roll. Singer Don Duriez, lead guitarist Jason Shevock, bassist/singer Ken Pompa, rhythm guitarist/singer
Jerry Carnevali and drummer Jared Carnevali - subbing for Bill Stauffer this night - kicked off with Free's "All Right Now,"
and proceeded with a feisty blend of classics from the 60's, 70's and 80's. Billy & the Inmates rocked the Steel City
audience with numbers from John Mellencamp, the Allman Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Lynyrd Skynyrd,
Guns'N'Roses, Van Morrison and more. Highlights along the way included Ken breaking out the high notes as he sang lead on
the Outfield's "Your Love;" Jason's stunning guitar solo fireworks (including behind his neck) during the Jerry-fronted rendition
of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode," Ken's original ballad, "The Tearjerker," and singer Don stepping out onto the dance floor
with the fans as he sang Van Morrison's "Wild Night."
This was the most spirited display I've witnessed from Billy
& the Inmates thus far. Obviously these guys were fired up to be playing in Pittsburgh and at such an esteemed venue as
the Hard Rock Café. Their tempo and vibe were continually spirited and upbeat, their tunes delivered with a smile. The group
was instrumentally strong, and their vocals and vocal harmonies were in good form. They battled some sound issues early on,
but those were soon resolved, and the Billy & the Inmates built momentum from there. The Pittsburgh crowd, mostly sitting
and dining while watching the group, seemed to be receptive to their efforts.
After watching the group for about 90
minutes, Big Jim and I decided to embark on our return journey back to the 'Toona. But what we got to witness from Billy &
the Inmates was good, and the combination of the roadtrip and the band's strong performance made the first day of 2006 a memorable
one.
It didn't take me long into 2006 to go see my first show (post-New Year's Eve). On New Year's Night, a friend and I journeyed
to Pittsburgh's Hard Rock Café to check out Billy & the Inmates’ Pittsburgh debut. After a 15-year-old guitar player
(whose name I didn't catch) and solo acoustic performer Jason Deutsch opened the evening, Billy & the Inmates fired up
good-time rock’n’roll from the 60's through 90's. Singer Don Duriez, lead guitarist Jason Shevock, rhythm guitarist/singer
Jerry Carnevali, bassist/singer Ken Pompa and drummer Jared Carnevali (substituting for Bill Stauffer, unavailable this night)
kept the Hard Rock crowd festive with hits from John Mellencamp, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Chuck
Berry, Wilson Pickett, Van Morrison, Doobie Brothers and many more. The group also performed Ken’s original ballad,
“The Tearjerker.” Billy & the Inmates’ performance was upbeat and enthusiastic, and Jason’s performance
was particularly impressive as he showcased his fast guitar solo work in front of the Pittsburgh audience. Billy & the
Inmates’ first visit to the Hard Rock Café was a successful one; they return Feb. 26.
BILLY & THE INMATES @ BURGI’S ROUNDHOUSE, ALTOONA 3/18/05
The excitement was building for yours truly…My work duties were done for the week,
and I would not have to worry about a thing for the next eight days; it was the eve of my long-awaited vacation week in Florida!
I was in good spirits as I arrived at Burgi’s Roundhouse to catch one last band before the big break, Billy & the
Inmates.
I arrived during the group’s first set, and technical difficulties were
the story of the evening early on. The group and soundman Jack Servello were trying to figure out Burgi’s in-house sound
system, and weren’t having an easy time doing so. Several blasts of harsh feedback made me cringe in my booth seat,
and at least early on the sound was too brash and loud for the room, at least the booth area near the stage. Still, Billy
& the Inmates – singer Don Duriez, lead guitarist Jason Shevock, rhythm guitarist/singer Jerry Carnevali, bassist/singer
Ken Pompa, and drummer/namesake Bill Stauffer – battled and persisted, and fired off tunes from John Mellencamp, Doobie
Brothers, Metallica, Steppenwolf, Guns’N’Roses, Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi and more. The musical flavor here was variety,
and Billy & the Inmates were throwing a little bit of everything out there early on, to see what the Burgi’s populace
responded to. Interestingly, the only dance action during this set were some couples slow-dancing to – I kid you not
– Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters.” (I wonder if James Hetfield and the boys ever envisioned couples
someday slow-dancing to their music!) The group closed the set with a song not often covered on area stages, Chuck Berry’s
“Wee Wee Hours.”
Intermission allowed the group an opportunity to try to
resolve the sound system bugs, and despite a few more feedback blasts, they seemed to get more of a handle on the system as
the second set got under way. The group opened the second set with Eric Clapton’s “Let It Rain,” with Jerry
singing lead. Billy & the Inmates continued to mix it up, then offering Jimmy Eats World’s “The Middle,”
Foghat’s “I Just Wanna Make Love to You,” Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Pride and Joy,” Van Morrison’s
“Wild Night” and another Eric Clapton number, “Wonderful Tonight.” The group then broke out another
lesser-heralded classic, John Cafferty’s “Runnin’ Thru the Fire” from Eddie and the Cruisers 2.
Bassman Ken Pompa then flexed his high-ranging vocal cords, singing lead on The Outfield’s “Your Love.”
The group continued with the Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Women” and Greg Kihn’s “Break Up Song,”
before another technical problem – Bill’s bass drum pedal breaking – forced the group into their second
intermission.
Equipment problems notwithstanding, Billy & the Inmates fared better
during the second set, and more of their strengths became apparent. The group executed some nice vocal harmonies along the
way, and began to generate some forward momentum as they went along, prompting a few more dancers to populate Burgi’s
dance floor. Burgi’s wasn’t crowded, but Billy & the Inmates were holding their own, with equal amounts of
people paying attention to the band and to the NCAA March Madness first round games showing on televisions throughout the
complex. (Some people, like me, were paying attention to both; as I had a television hanging right in front of my booth, and
I took in the Bucknell/Kansas game with increasing interest as Bucknell led most of the way and pulled the upset.)
By the third set, the group had pretty much resolved the sound system issues, and Bill had addressed his drum
pedal dilemma. Opening with Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” the group then again presented a variety of
rock’n’roll favorites, including tunes from Bad Company, 3 Doors Down, Neil Young, Free, Doobie Brothers, Allman
Brothers, Spirit, Badfinger, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top and more. The group even broke out an original song, as Ken sang a ballad
he penned called “Tearjerker.” Billy & the Inmates again generated some momentum and energy, and saw the evening’s
largest amount of dance floor action.
It was a night of struggles on the technical end,
but Billy & the Inmates battled through it, and eventually succeeded in entertaining the audience and winning some new
fans along the way. I enjoyed the group’s variety, including some lesser-known classics not often heard. The group’s
instrumental execution was solid, and grew stronger as the night proceeded and the technical issues were resolved. And their
vocals and vocal harmonies were strong. Despite the problems, I came away with a good first impression of Billy & the
Inmates and what they brought to the table; and I’ll make a point to catch this group again, hopefully on a night when
the equipment demons decide to stay away.
Helping Hands For Hastings Benefit;
Feedback problems also plagued the next full electric band of
the afternoon, Billy & the Inmates. But the problems didn’t plague this band’s spirits, as singer Don Duriez,
lead guitarist Jason Shevock, rhythm guitarist Jerry Carnevali, bassist Ken Pompa and drummer Bill Stauffer were hellbent
on rallying the hillside crowd with their good-time rock and roll from Stevie Ray Vaughan, 3 Doors Down, Guns’N’Roses,
Lynyrd Skynyrd, Doobie Brothers, Allman Brothers, Jimmy Eats World and more. As the feedback problems were slowly resolved,
Billy & the Inmates generated some momentum and drew steadier applause as their set continued.
During Billy & the Inmates’ set, I saw a Hastings police car pull up near the concert
site, and a police official speak with Rob Carolus. My first gut reaction was that it was going to be a warning about noise
violations, outdoor consumption of alcohol or some other legal issue. Instead, though, it was Hastings’ police chief,
commending Rob and everybody for doing the benefit. According to the police chief, Hastings needed a day like this to lift
its spirits and morale after the May 14 tragedy. The chief also assured Rob that the outdoor portion of this benefit could
run as late as desired, no problem. We were starting to realize, this was turning into a very special day.
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