The Morning Call from Allentown, Pennsylvania • 64

Drummer digs his own groove with the Geologic Orchestra PLAN AHEAD STEVE EARLE STILL SPEAKING HIS MIND Ever since Merle Haggard's reactionary redneck anthem, "Okie From Muskogee," political openmindedness has gone with country music about as well as grits does with champagne. But that hasn't stopped Steve Earle from using the form as an effective jumping-off point for his iconoclastic views. A maverick if ever there was one, Earle began as a Nashville songwriter before hitting it big in the late 1980s with a roots-rock tinged sound and a populist, Springsteen-like sensibility. A bout with hard drugs and prison nearly silenced him in the early '90s, but since then Earle has come back with a vengeance, gaining critical acclaim and at the same time making his politics more explicit and extreme. This trend culminated in a track from the artist's latest disc, "Jerusalem" (Artemis), "John Walker Blues," which dared to speculate about the motives of the 20-year-old American who went to fight with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Though reaction to the song was predictable, Earle seems mainly concerned with speaking his mind through song, a rare quality these days, and one that will be in ample evidence when he performs with Garrison Starr Nov. 23 at Philadelphia's Theatre of Living Arts (334 South Philadelphia, 215-922-1011; tickets: $28, $30 day of show). GEORGE HRAB, a drummer with the Philadelphia Funk Authority, is giving a free concert of his own compositions Friday at Bethlehem's Ice House. Photo by John Sterling Ruth ByJohnTerlesky Special to The Morning Call George Hrab has played more than his share of other people's music. As a one-time drummer for the Eric Mintel Quintet he got to do gigs at the White House and the Kennedy Center, and lately he has been keeping the time tight for busy party-band Philadelphia Funk Authority.

But the 31-year-old Moravian College graduate has spent precious little time performing his own music, a situation he is looking to remedy when Hrab and his Geologic Orchestra play a free concert Friday night at Bethlehem's Ice House. The seven-piece band Hrab has put together, which includes members of the Funk Authority's horn section, is a large part of the reason he decided to organize the show. "I never have had a chance to find guys to play my stuff," explains Hrab. "I want do it right. I want to have guys that are into it.

So basically it was a question of finding musicians that are good enough and that are willing to be under the maniacal thumb of this crazy drummer. And the peo- pie in this band have been very generous with their time." Hrab's music, as heard on his latest recorded effort, "Vitriol" (Geologic), demands more than a cursory, garage-band run-through to master. The disc alternates from damaged funk to straight-ahead rock, to jazz and beyond, with a pronounced Frank Zappa influence. In fact, Hrab and his band plan to cover one of Zappa's always challenging compositions, alongside a funked-up take on the first movement of Mozart's Symphony 25 in minor at the Ice House show. "That's the kind of audience I want," affirms Hrab, "someone that's going to look at a poster and see Mozart and Zappa in a single show and say, 'That's The offbeat nature of his work is another reason Hrab has found it difficult to play out, especially considering the cover-band, dominated local club scene, prompting him to put on the show himself.

"I couldn't book a 10-piece band in some local bar here to play original music, so I just figured, 'Let's get some venue and I'll foot the bill, and at least I'll get my stuff played. That's not to say Hrab wouldn't like to play his music on a more regular basis, if the opportunity presents itself. "I would love to. I'm not sure how or where, but there's been too much time invested to just do this as a one-off concert." Of course that will depend largely on how well the concert goes over, but unlike the kind of playing Hrab does for a living, the real measure of success for Hrab is personal. "Like with my CD," he sums up, "the way I approach it is, I do this because I want to hear it.

And if anyone else likes it, hey, that's fabulous." George Hrab and the Geologic Orchestra, Friday, 8 p.m., all-ages show, the Ice House, 56 River Sand Island, Bethlehem, 610-866-5190. Admission: free. BANJO MAGIC IN EAST0N Comedian Steve Martin once famously observed that it is impossible to sound sad while playing a banjo, but Michael J. Miles wrings any number of emotions, including sorrow, from the venerable American folk instrument. An actor and writer as well as a musician, Miles has used its undervalued expressive powers in various musical productions, including his one-man show, "The Magic Banjo," which played to rave reviews at the Smithsonian Institution and New York's Kennedy Center.

tim GROOVE PAGE 18 November 15 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, November 169 a.m.-2 p.m. The Lutheran Home at Topton Holiday Craft Bazaar Get a head start on your holiday shopping. Food will also be available for purchase. For more information, call 610.682.1425.

I MCS GALLERY 3rd Annual River Show 2nd Annual 'A ft. 1 4 Calendar Show One South Home Ave. Topton, PA tvww.diulion.org THE LUTHERAN HOME AT TOPTON Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries Nov. 20th- 2002 to ail, 1110 Northampton Eatton, PA fl DlU-itaj-ZJJ2 HI. U6 i Sponsored in part by ltEast Refill Bank.