The stage is open for area musicians
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Craig King backs JoLo during a night of open-stage entertainment at Maxwell’s Lounge.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Dan D’Alessandro coined the “Three Bassketeers” as a reference to himself, Pat Phillips and Dave Lesick.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Craig King jams at Maxwell’s.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
JoLo was instrumental in making The Session a reality.
With his big frame, long blond hair and matching Fu Manchu, musician Dave Lesick looks as if he would be right at home sitting in with Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd or the Outlaws.
But strap a bass guitar on the Eighty Four resident, and he’ll be glad to funk it up to the likes of Kool and the Gang.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Craig King performs at Maxwell’s.
“The reason I come here is because I can get that out of my system,” he said during a recent night of participatory music at Maxwell’s Lounge. “I can’t do that other places.”
Maxwell’s, just off the lobby of DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Meadow Lands in North Strabane Township, offers a distinctive opportunity for area musicians: The Session, an open stage from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. Thursdays.
The event follows the format that the Craig King Band – Craig on guitar, Max Woodhall on bass and Keith “Twizzy” Thornhill on drums – has followed for nearly six years on Wednesday nights at the R Bar in Dormont. Fellow musicians are invited to join the band to perform a few numbers, or in some cases, groups take over the stage for a bit and give the regulars a break.
“I’ve always liked the open stages, because that’s the only way I get a chance to rehearse,” King, who led them for 13 years at Lawrenceville’s Thunderbird Café prior to its closing, explained during one such break.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Keith “Twizzy” Thornhill on drums
“I mean, I’m working all the time and I’m always playing,” he said. “So this gives me a chance to mix and mingle with a lot of musicians I don’t get a chance to see or play with, because I’m doing my own thing on the weekends and they are, too.”
The Session at Maxwell’s is a production of local singer and musical entrepreneur JoLo, who got the concept going with Heidi Carola, DoubleTree director of operations.
“We just saw an opportunity for musicians to get together and have a good time,” JoLo said. “They have as much fun with this as anybody does, just coming in to meet and greet, do some networking and play with each other on the fly.”
Carola had talked with JoLo for a few years about the diminishing number of venues featuring live music, and they took King up on an offer to check out his open stage. For her, “It was love at first sight.”
“This vision was for the love of music and to support local musicians,” she said. “I’ve been very blessed to have my ownership and my boss support my vision and my love to support the musicians.”
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Max Woodhall on bass
Lesik is among the musicians who have become Thursday-night regulars.
“The sad thing about this is I never get to play with my friends Pat and Danny, because we’re all bass players,” he said about some other regulars. “There’s no shortage here.”
He’s referring to Pat Phillips and Dan D’Alessandro, who in turn refer to themselves as the “Three Bassketeers,” with Woodhall in the role of d’Artagnan. Phillips’ band membership is in the country-flavored Ruff Creek.
“My roots are in soul and classic rock, and just being able to pull out that old soul lets me rediscover myself. I think that’s the best part of it,” Phillips said. “When you can get people who are on the same wavelength, and they’re all good dudes, it makes for a good night.”
D’Alessandro coined the bass players’ collective nickname.
“Some of us, like myself, are no longer working in a band,” he said. “We just decided to take some time off. But we come down here to keep our gears loose.”
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Katie Simone performs with the house band.
Vocalist Katie Simone of Highland Park recently traveled to Washington County for her first time at Maxwell’s, joining King and company to sing Clint Ballard Jr.’s composition “You’re No Good” and a few others.
“It’s cool to have a jam session run by not only great players, but professional musicians,” she said. “Whether you’re a pro or just a hobbyist, it gives you an opportunity to play with a great band, and on a really cool stage in a real venue. There are not really a lot of jam sessions around like that anymore.”
The Maxwell’s staff also welcomes The Session.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Dave Lesick has become a regular at The Session.
“Before we started doing this on Thursday nights, it was pretty quiet, nothing going on. Now it’s lively, and I like to see people having a lot of fun,” staff member Sarah Sullivan said, noting about the musicians: “They have a wide range of what they play. So that’s what makes it nice, because it’s not one thing. It could be anything.”
Carola is especially enthusiastic.
“I think that we’ve started something, not only for Maxwell’s, but for other hotels and restaurants,” she said about the possibility of the concept growing. And as for her place:
“I want people when they walk in here, whether you’re a musician or a guest, to forget about their lives outside the doors and just get lost in the music. That’s all I want them to do.”
By Harry Funk
Staff writer
hfunk@thealmanac.net
The Craig King Band performs “Paradiso.”
By Harry Funk
Staff writer
hfunk@thealmanac.net
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
From left are Max Woodhall, Craig King, Heidi Carola, JoLo and Twizzy.