" t 'Capital 'Times
Vol. 22, No. 5
Young Rumbler Advises New Bands: "Don't Give Up"
By Denise Reinas
Tommy Conwell and The
Young Rumblers rocked the CUB
Building on Saturday, October 24. The
opening act was by The Innocence
Mission, and when the band was fin
ished, Tommy Conwell and The Young
Rumblers opened for approximately 400
fans with the song "Rumble." Some of
the more popular songs were "Walkin'
on the Water," "Still Believe Me," and
"I'm Not Your Man."
The band, which is well known
in the Philadelphia area, also plays in
Harrisburg at The Metron and in Leba
non at On Stage. Tommy Conwell and
The Young Rumblers are now in the
process of signing with Columbia Rec
ords for their first national album, which
will be out in March of 1988.
Conwell, who has been in
bands since he was .16 years old, is
presently 25 years of age. Conwell had
many inspirations, he said, "Probably
the most important musician to me, and
it doesn't show that much in what I'm
doing now, but the most important mu
sician to my life is Charlie Parker."
Currently Conwell listens to The
Pretenders, Stevie Ray Vaughn, George
Penn State at Harrisburg
PSPEC Visits Pittsburgh
By Marie L. Hawkins
On October 13-14 the student
chapter of Professional Engineers and
Contractors went on a two-day field trip
to Pittsburgh. The trip was centered
around highway/heavy construction job
sites. The Contractor's Assocation of
Western Pennsylvania (C.A.W.P.) co
sponsored this trip. This association
represents the highway construction
industry and serves one half of
Pennsylvania contractors. The
C.A.W.P. is one of the sponsoring
organizations of PSPEC.
Arriving in Pittsburgh, 36
students and two instructors, Joseph
Cecere and Gerry Brey, were hosted to
lunch by the C.A.W.P. Afterward,
James Pecora, head engineer for the East
Street Valley Expressway Project,
reviewed the construction in progress at
the various sites. The East Street Valley
Expressway project, valued at over one
half billion dollars, is a six-lane
Reims
Thorogood, and The Hooters.
When asked how he comes up
with his song ideas, Conwell said, "Gen
erally what it is . . . it's like something
that you're feeling. You may hear it in a
song, or a lot of times there will be a
phrase that will trigger it. A lot of times
the first thing that comes out is what
you go with." Conwell stated that writ
ing is not his favorite thing. He enjoys
playing the guitar the most, then
performing, then singing, and last,
writing. "Writing is down on my list
but it's something that I can do, and I
feel good once it's done."
Conwell's advice to bands that
are just getting started is, "First of all,
don't give up. But as far as strategies for
getting somewhere, I really think that
initially your first impression on people
is important. And I do think that you
should be able to rock a party . . . and
that's a good way to start." He said that
the hardest thing to do is keep going
when the boredom and frustration set in,
but those mundane moments are what
make those great moments possible.
After the concert, Conwell
stated, "I thought it went great; I had a
really good time. I really want to come
back again."
highway from downtown Pittsburgh to
the Northside and northern suburbs.
The 13 1/2 mile stretch of
roadway has been designed to alleviate
the heavy traffic congestion in
Pittsburgh. The project additionally
encompasses two High Occupancy
Vehicle (HOV) lanes which will benefit
the Civic Arena and Three Rivers
Stadium. HOV lanes are designed for
short term heavy traffic and vehicles
carrying groups of people.
During the introduction and
throughout the tour, guided by Pecora,
the most fascinating aspects of the job
were brought to light. During the
course of construction, the contractors
encountered an old canal, originally part
of the Erie Canal, of which nearly 100
feet had to be removed. At one point,
what was thought to be simply an old
November 18, 1987
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