Erie Music History Podcast
The Erie Music History (EMH) podcast focuses on interviews with local musicians who actively played out in venues in and around Erie, PA in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Its purpose is to highlight some of the vast musical talent that Erie had to offer during this time and to allow the musicians to share their stories of playing back then. Hosted by local musician Chip Schell, the author of “9 Years Of Rock: The Story Of The Concerts At The Erie County Fieldhouse,” the EMH podcast does not cover the current Erie music scene. The choice of guest also does not imply some type of ranking of who was better or more important during this period; Chip simply chooses guests based on who he wants to interview. His goal is to include musicians who played covers and originals in a variety of styles (e.g., rock, punk, country).
Episodes
84 episodes
082: Seagrams/Female Monkees
In 1966, the Seagrams, a rock-n-roll band made up of four teenage girls from Academy High School, was playing local Erie venues. But in the summer of 1967, the band got an agent in New York City who changed their name to The Female Monkees and ...
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Season 9
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Episode 82
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13:05
081: Paul Goll
Before he became the bass player for Donnie Iris and Cruisers in 1992, Paul Goll played in Erie bands like The Web of Sound, Anacrusis, and Real To Reel in the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1970s he left Erie for Florida and toured up and down the Ea...
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Season 8
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Episode 80
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58:23
080: Reprise - Tony Stefanelli
A lot of Erieites know Tony Stefanelli only for the great chocolate he makes at Romolo Chocolates. What they don't realize is that he's been involved in the local music scene since the late 1960s, first as a guitarist and guitar teacher, and th...
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1:03:27
079: Danny Smith
I call him by his pseudonym, Danny White, but he refers to himself in this episode simply as GOD. From the late 1970s through the 1980s, Danny Smith played in some of the most original and unique bands in Erie (e.g., X-Whites, Generic Beat, Wig...
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Season 8
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Episode 79
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1:05:04
078: Dave VanAmburg
After learning to play guitar at age 17 in the mid 1960s, Dave Van Amburg would spend the next 11 years playing solo and in bands such as Back Country Jam and Calico. Then he took a 40-year break from music. In 2013, he began playing again in b...
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Season 8
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Episode 78
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1:02:02
077: Bill Miller
As the bass player for The Snowmen back in the 70s, Bill Miller experienced the rise of that band's popularity in Erie and their subsequent move to California where they played famous venues like the Whisky a Go Go and recorded their
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Season 8
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Episode 77
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50:44
076: Dale Meyer
Since graduating from Academy in 1976, Dale Meyer has almost continually been drumming locally, mostly in country bands for the likes of Tulsa, The Rudler Brothers, Southwind, and Nighthawk. He even once played a Kenny Rogers at the request of ...
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Season 8
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Episode 76
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52:27
075: Reprise - Ron Seggi
In his day job, Ron Seggi interviews some of the biggest stars in showbiz on his syndicated radio show. But since the early 1970s when he was "Ronnie Gee" ...
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Season 8
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Episode 75
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58:54
074: Pat Ross
If you’re a drummer in Erie, it’s likely you’ve encountered Pat Ross. He’s the owner of Let There Be Drums, and he’s been actively playing in bands since the 1970s, including Endless Summer, Briton, Lake Effect, Encore, and many more. He talks ...
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Season 8
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Episode 74
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55:11
073: Reprise - Paula Holmes
Vocalist Paula Holmes talks about her early bands while still in school and then joining the Ruby Port Band in 1971 right after graduating from Strong Vincent. Ruby Port became the house band at the Calabrese Club in Little Italy. L...
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Season 8
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Episode 73
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47:48
072: Chuck Leone
Not only did Chuck Leone play keyboards in many local bands like Anacrusis, Silverlight, Wave, The Cows, and Mr. Gone, he also traveled up and down the East Coast in a Tampa, FL-based band called Powerglide. In this episode, he talks about play...
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Season 8
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Episode 72
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1:08:41
071: Rick Krasinski
Rick Krasinski has played in many bands, some of which include the Monarchs, Aura, Pluto, Tite Endz, The Breeze, Nightshift, The Return, Heartless, and the Lone Rider Band. At 69, he continues to play steady gigs as the drummer and one...
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Season 8
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Episode 71
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55:12
070: Denny Fabrizi
After he was an Avenger, Denny Fabrizi was ... a Cow? Yes, the long-time Erie accordion player and keyboardist once played in a band called the Avengers in 1966, and then in 1974 he joined the popular Erie band The Cows. He played in various ot...
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Season 8
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Episode 70
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37:46
069: Harry Parker
He's nearly 72, and there has hardly been a time since he was a teenager when Harry Parker wasn't in a band. Today, he plays in three bands: Acoustic Ear Candy, Jack Stevenson's Buried Treasure Band, and a duo with his wife Donna called Parker ...
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Season 8
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Episode 69
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57:07
068: Reprise - Tom Weber
He was a part-time journalist, he ran his own recording studio, he’s a filmmaker, and of course, Tom Weber was a guitarist in one of Erie’s most popular and iconic bands from the 1980s, The Dogs. Tom shares how he got started in music and film ...
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1:10:05
067: Reprise - Barry King
This episode originally went live on July 1, 2022.When Barry King moved to Erie in the early 1970s, he almost immediately starting playing in bands like Sky’s The Limit and any others he could get involved with. He loves the Blue...
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Season 3
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Episode 29
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49:13
066: Dave McMillin
Dave McMillin is not from Erie originally, he’s from Pittsburgh, and he now lives in Meadville. But he played plenty of gigs in Erie and all over the country in the 1970s and 80s with his band McMillin & Life, which is a spoof of the name o...
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Season 7
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Episode 66
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44:47
065: Joe Dorris
Joe Dorris played in Erie in the early 1970s in bands like Zeus and Antia. He would later play in the Dorris Brothers band for many years, spend some time playing in Boston (including a very funny gig at a bar ON a bar), and eventually would go...
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Season 7
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Episode 65
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48:33
064: Jim Buman
A lot of Erie music fans remember Jim Buman as the guitarist in the 70s rock band "Guardian" when he even used to wear a cape! But after injuring his arm in a skiing accident, it took him years to get back to playing again. But once he got bett...
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Season 7
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Episode 64
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56:49
063: Boyd Baker
Before he was a "Dock Boy" or a full-time musician living in Florida playing almost every day of the week at some of the nicest resorts, Boyd Baker was a rocker! He's still a rocker at heart, and he talks about his high school band Polaris and ...
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Season 7
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Episode 63
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41:41
062: Dave Richards
Dave Richards may not be a musician, but he did have a transformative effect on the Erie music scene for about 31 years. Of course, that effect came primarily through the words he wrote in the Erie newspaper about Erie musicians, but also it ca...
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Season 7
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Episode 62
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1:26:46
061: Scott Kuhn
In recent years, Scott Kuhn has played in bands such as Gypsy Heart, Guru, Lake Effect, Stilleto, Blonde Faith, and Division Street machine. But he started playing in bands like Crossroads and Mercy Sakes in the early 1970s, and his name ...
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Season 7
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Episode 61
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39:50
060: Mark Gorczycki
A lot of Erie folks remember Mark Gorczycki as the teenage guitar player in the popular southern rock band "Easy" from 1978-1981. But he played in plenty of other successful bands over the years, including "Rhythm Method," which was one o...
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Season 7
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Episode 60
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1:00:22