New ‘Traveler’ Prepares for First Performance
Five of “The Travelers” band members practice Wednesday evening before Saturday’s “Rockin` the Cliff” at the Ford Cliff fire hall.
by Jonathan Weaver
For a few months, a local rock band was missing a piece to its successful structure.
But, Ford City-based band “The Travelers” welcomed a new guitarist about a month ago and the band will perform its first show since February this weekend during “Rockin` the Cliff” at the Ford Cliff fire hall.
Riskosky has only been to a handful of practices with the band of three years, but has ‘fit right in’ according to other musicians.
Lead Guitarist Joe Riskosky has played guitar since he was 16 at Kittanning Senior High, has only practiced three or four times with “The Travelers.”
Riskosky played with “The Remedy” for 15-20 years
He already has gelled with original band members Jeff Claypool and Dave Lenavitt with the new blues band “The Bail Jumpers.”
“I’m glad to be involved with these guys – it’s been a lot of fun,” Riskosky said.
Riskosky said he will only be nervous if he’s not prepared.
“When I’m prepared, I’m so confident, I don’t really think about playing – I just play,” Riskosky said. “At first, I do, but it goes away real quick.”
But, Lenavitt, of Ford City – the band’s lead drummer - said nervousness drives him to play better.
“Like Frank Sinatra said, ‘If you’re not nervous before any show you do, you shouldn’t be doing it.’ You have to have emotions,” Lenavitt said. “If I’m not nervous, something’s wrong – I need that nervous energy, and I can channel it into playing the drums.
With Joe, he just walked right in and the transition’s been seamless,” Lenavitt said.
Lead Singer Kary Claypool – Jeff’s daughter and a music major at the University of Pittsburgh - echoed that Riskosky ‘fits right in’ to where guitarist Snap Brandon – who lives two hours away in Huntington, Pa. - was.
Each band member said Riskosky also “raises the bar” of their individual performance.
Guitarist Lars Rozell was approached by a Great Dayton Fair board of director and the band will also be performing on the new stage Wednesday, August 19
The six-member band practices usually once or twice per week in Lenavitt’s basement in Ford City – even before Lenavitt, Jeff and Kary perform acoustic shows.
During Wednesday’s practice, the band narrowed down to a three-hour set list with songs like Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker” in a reggae-style, “Play That Funky Music” by “Wild Cherry” and “Go Your Own Way” and “The Chain” by “Fleetwood Mac.”
“The chemistry in this band, we can pull a song together pretty quick and make it sound decent,” Lenavitt said.
“In this band, the vocals are probably better than anything I’ve been involved with,” Riskosky added.
Rozell said there are also no egos in the band.
Lenavitt and Jeff – a bass guitarist for 35 years- formed “The Travelers” about three years ago.
“Just a dream,” Lenavitt said. “Just wanted to bring a bunch of guys together and have fun playing good music together.”
“The Travelers” also performed during “Rockin` the Cliff” last year.
Local News | jweaver August 13, 2015
