July 2004
The Professor Speaks
RetroActive farewell and John & Ken · By Jim Price
Archive note: Retro Active was an all 80’s band we were in.
The wildest party I witnessed last month was RetroActive’s farewell blowout, in front of a jam-packed house at Ebensburg’s Castle Pub. Singer Dean Gittings, guitarists/singers John Solinski and Ken Karlheim, keyboardist/guitarist Keith Little and drummer Red Solinski capped their successful 6-year run as one of this area’s top 80’s music parties with a wild and freewheeling show complete with all the 80’s music you could handle from new wave to pop to hair band; supersoakers, giveaways (including John’s trademark Kiss moon slippers), John trashing a guitar Pete Townshend-style at night’s end and more. Several special guests helped send RetroActive off to retirement this night, including founding members Kent and Kirk Tonkin (who left the group to form what eventually became The Grimm), and singer Victor Synn and guitarist Jimi Hatt of Hair Force One. After RetroActive, Dean is expanding his family and businesses (including the Castle Pub); Keith is venturing into creating music for video games; John and Ken will continue to perform as an acoustic duo and as members of the original band project Right Side Thief; and Red will continue to be the house soundman and deejay at the Castle Pub, but hopes to join another band soon. We wish all five musicians good luck, and thanks for six great years!
I also caught John and Ken’s acoustic duo recently during their monthly visit to Altoona’s Hitching Post. Joined this night by new Bad Daze drummer Kevin Siegel on percussion, John and Ken offered a playful mix of unplugged classic and recent hits from CCR, Jimmy Buffett, Nirvana, Doors, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sublime and more. The performance was bright, upbeat and often humorous, with unpredictable twists and turns, audience requests and more. John and Ken play a busy schedule throughout this month, before heading south for a working vacation at Sloppy Joe’s in Key West, Florida July 27-31.
