St. Patrick's Days in the Altoona area are often droll affairs musically - unless they fall on a weekend, like this year. With the holiday falling on a Sunday, there was live music to be enjoyed, and green beer, Killian's Red and Irish whiskey to be consumed (I only had the Killian's).
Zupe already had a good party going as I arrived at Uriah's Pub, with the mid-sized audience of green-clad merrimakers shouting out song titles. Zupe's show mixes a variety of sounds - rock, pop, standards, oldies, ballads and even occasional jazz and polkas. From an original tune called "We've Got Tonight," Zupe soon had several women doing the line-dance thing with his version of "It's Electric," and (he admits, reluctantly) the Village People's "YMCA."
Zupe does do original songs, and one that has brought him attention on a national scale is "The Light," a song he recorded last year for the American Red Cross' "Be The Light" campaign. The song has recently received radio airplay in New England and the Dakotas as various Red Cross chapters have requested the song and video for their individual campaigns. Obviously, folks locally have heard of the song, for several Uriah's celebrants called out requests for "The Light," and Zupe did a solid one-man version of it (the recorded version has accompaniment from the Hollidaysburg Alumni Chorus, resulting in a "We Are The World"- like feel). Then one of several "Uriah's Flashbacks," as Zupe did songs that made him popular at earlier shows there ... this time it was two Elton John songs, "Bennie and the Jets" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" to end the set.
Following the intermission (during which Zupe told me he's doing theme music for the Johnstown Chiefs hockey games, and that the team has mysteriously started winning since his music has started being used), Zupe resumed the party, starting the set with Buffalo Springfield's classic "For What it's Worth." After the Beatles "Let It Be," a humorous exchange between Zupe and a fan wanting to see him break out the trumpet ... The fan promised Zupe his firstborn if Zupe would break out the trumpet, to which Zupe replied "I thought the Smithsonian got it first..." Zupe did break out the trumpet, and led partiers Pied-Piper style around Uriah's on a dance number (with the computer running things onstage), and kept the trumpet out to appease the polka god on "Too Fat Polka." The party continued with tunes from George Michael, En Vogue, The Knack, Fine Young Cannibals, and an original ballad. The show was supposed to be winding down (Zupe was originally slated to play until 9), but the Uriah's revellers would have no part of that - they passed the green Killian's derby hat around, and returned it, filled with cash, to the stage to a grinning Zupe. Zupe then launched into a frolicking original number called "D.J. Blues," his ode to a frequently-occurring dilemma where folks think he is a deejay onstage.
Let's make that distinction ... Zupe is NOT a deejay, and he is NOT karaoke! Folks have often argued over the years about the merits of computerized music onstage; once you study how Zupe puts this show together, you realize that this is LIVE music, albeit organized a little differently. Zupe diagrams and programs each song part, in detail, beforehand - except for those parts he plays live onstage; keyboards, vocals, and occasional trumpet. To be able to coordinate all of the programming into individual diskettes (for each song), and then be able to execute the live parts along the programmed backdrop requires precision timing and skill. Zupe does all of the above and makes a party out of it ... truly a unique entertainer.
Back to the show ... Aerosmith, the Stones, Led Zeppelin ("Rock and Roll"), an audience request for Billy Joel's "Piano Man," Billy Ocean, another humorous exchange (AUDIENCE MEMBER - "Zupe, you're the best!" ZUPE - "Thanks but no, you're not getting my Southern Comfort!"), Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman," INXS, Roxette, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis, "Hey Bartender," "Soul Man," and the Peanuts theme ... By this time, the hat was making another go-round, and it was apparent Uriah's wasn't nearly ready to let this party end!
It wasn't the bandorama (5 bands at each bar) you get in State College, or the ethnic flavor you get in Johnstown ... but for this year, Altoona at least had something to do for St. Patrick's Day, and this party made this St. Patty's Day one I'll remember.
Jim Price - Pennsylvania Musician Magazine
Passenger Profile
Zupe,
Performing Musician + Composer
Zupe had to find out the hard way what the word "unsolicited" meant. When he finally began to take his music and songwriting seriously, he discovered that he was totally lost in a sea of industry executives who wouldn't give him anything more than a friendly rejection via a form letter.
Although he had written a song called "The Light" in 1995 that the Red Cross used in their disaster relief awareness ad campaign, it seemed to mean nothing at all to publishers and music supervisors across the country. That he had achieved a modicum of success on his own was worthless to the industry Movers and Shakers. Zupe had hit a brick wall. Frustration had set in.
Out of sheer desperation, he reached for a TAXI ad that he had seen over and over. He had nowhere else to turn. After becoming a member in 1998, Zupe's second submission was forwarded and hope sprang eternal. To date, our esteemed Passenger has accumulated a neat package of 49 forwards and six deals. Check this out: A song placed in the hit TV series Malcolm in the Middle, an indie film called Mr. Id, three single-song deals with Ren Music and a song placed with country artist Anthony Rivera.
Zupe began playing trumpet and piano when he was about eight years old and by high school was performing with some local rock bands despite being taught big band music by his teachers. "Right about that time I thought I'd start taking music seriously. However, I didn't look at the big picture until I was with another rock band while stationed in Germany with the Air Force. We played the bar scene there. I wrote some songs and then decided to start pitching them. I had no success. I learned the hard way what 'unsolicited' meant. I picked up a couple of those songwriter market books and started to randomly pitch my music to record companies and publishers wherever I could. And that never worked out well either. I was pretty much doing things on my own and learning the hard way.
