Snowblast 2001: One Last Winter Fling

By Lisa Hummel

Julian Fist. Pete Palladino. Clutch. Oleander. Lifehouse. Alone, the names speak for themselves as some of the biggest acts in regional and national music. Together they are the line-up of Snowblast 2001.

Being billed as “one last winter fling,” Snowblast 2001 marks the fourth time in as many years that WQXA-FM has welcomed spring with some of the best names in modern rock — past line-ups have included Fuel, Three Doors Down, and Lit. Held this year at Blue Marsh Ski Area and Winter Sports Complex in Bernville, Snowblast 2001 guarantees to be a great mix of music and fun on the slopes.

Julian Fist
Together for just under three years, the current line-up of Julian Fist — guitarist Scott Michajluk, vocalist Mitch Taylor, bassist Troy Lehman, and drummer Kyle Taylor — has been creating quite a buzz as of late. Recently, the band turned some heads at their Millenium Music Conference showcase and have been playing more shows in anticipation of the scheduled April release of their long-awaited sophomore album, Pushing Audio Platinum. A follow-up to their self-titled EP, the band hopes Pushing will show the growth and maturity that Julian Fist has undergone since their debut release. “We’re really excited about it,” said Kyle Taylor. “We worked with Paul and Bret from the Badlees and they brought a whole new perspective to the band — it came out 10 times better than we ever expected.”

Calling themselves a ‘more mature band with more of a focus,’ the members of Julian Fist have overcome a few years of line-up changes to find happiness with where they are now. “The four us together are the only four people who could do what we do, who could define the sound that is Julian Fist,” said Taylor. And what is the Julian Fist sound? “We’re edgy, and even though we’re a guitar driven band, we really focus alot on melody and lyrics,” said Michaljluk.

With that said, the band is looking forward to their upcoming list of dates, including the one on the slopes. “We’re definitely looking forward to it, it’s a great line-up,” said Michajluk of Snowblast. “It’ll be fun.”

Pete Palladino
After fronting one of the area’s best-loved bands for more than 13 years, Pete Palladino has decided to strike out on his own for a little while. Having spent the last year writing and recording material for his upcoming solo release, Sweet Siren of the Reconnected, Palladino is ready to take his new material to the stage and find out what it’s like to be without the Badlees. “To me it [The Badlees] exists and it’s just a great umbrella for us to create under and if we decide to get together and create another Badlees record together great; if we don’t, great,” he explains. “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life. As artist you kind of grow and branch off into different tangents and you’re constantly trying to challenge yourself creatively, and this was just the next logical step for myself.”

And proof that all is well among the troops lies in the fact that when Palladino began his search for musicians to play on his album he looked no further than his own back yard. “It was just kind of a simple decision for me,” he said, laughing. “I brought in the best band I knew.”

Referring to the experience as “incredibly fulfilling,” Palladino is clearly satisfied with what he’s accomplished in his solo release. “I love it. It’s totally liberating to be the only person in charge — and that’s not a power trip, it’s just exactly your vision and that’s a wonderful thing.”

With the release of the album quickly approaching, Palladino views Snowblast as the perfect opportunity to share his new music with the fans. “Claudine [DeLorenzo, WQXA Program Director] was great, she asked me to do this concert and I loved the idea,” he said. “It’s going to be a great day of music.”

Clutch
Germantown, Maryland natives Clutch — vocalist Neil Fallon, guitarist Tim Sult, bassist Dan Maines, and drummer Jean Paul Gaster — have released five albums since their 1992 debut EP, Pitchfork. Friends since high school, the band is currently on the road and making preparations for the release of their latest effort, Pure Rock Fury. Described by Fallon as a “a happy medium” between the band’s two previous recordings, the “very polished” Elephant Riders and the “weird” Jam Room, Fury is the band’s attempt to capture the emotion of a Clutch performance. “We tried to capture some of our live sound,” said Fallon. “That’s always been very elusive to us and I think that’s been one of the complaints that we and some of our audience has — that our records, while good, don’t do justice to the way we play live.”

Clutch’s appearance at Snowblast will mark a return of the band to the area, an opportunity they are looking forward to. “When we started out, Central Pennsylvania is where we went first, because we could drive home the same night,” Fallon said, laughing. “The area has been very good to us and we enjoy going back there when we can.” And, as for Snowblast itself, Fallon is excited about that, too. “Playing live is what it’s all about for us … because when you’re doing it live you only have one chance to do it right. It never gets old,” he said. “It’s a rush, there’s nothing like it in the world.”

Rounding out the Snowblast 2001 line-up are national acts Oleander and Lifehouse. Both on tour promoting their recent works, the soon-to-be-released Unwind and No Name Face, respectively, the two bands have been busy creating waves in the industry. Lifehouse is currently topping the top of the modern rock charts with their hit, “Hanging By A Moment.”

For more information on the concert and where to purchase tickets, go to 1057thex.com.