Mon Valley musicians return with new band, Illsyde Blooz

By ERIC SEIVERLING

eseiverling@yourmvi.com For many musicians, performing is an addiction that can only be cured by plugging in and rocking out.
Mon Valley music fans need to look no further than Fallowfield Township’s Tap Factory tomorrow night for proof of the power of music when local band Illsyde Blooz takes the stage along with special guest and SuperMonkey Recording Company artist Brian Genovesi.
With a lineup that consists of veteran musicians eager to entertain with a mix of rock, blues, ska and even hip-hop, the band is just as excited to perform as audiences are to return to their favorite venues.
“I’m super excited to be back in the game,” drummer Jeremy Wingo said. “Playing in a band took a back seat to raising a family and pursuing a career at U.S. Steel. I didn’t have time to play in a band.”
Along with Wingo, Illsyde Blooz consists of vocalist Blaine Zentek, guitarist and backing vocalist Jimmy Gamble and bassist and backing vocalist Corey Hillman.
Local music fans might remember Wingo and Gamble from the band Orlean Gypsy, which gigged throughout the tri-state area in the late 1990s.
Orlean Gypsy disbanded in 2005, and Wingo and Gamble put their music ambitions on hold.
“I was raising a family and Jimmy was raising a family,” Wingo said. “It just wasn’t lining up right.”
In the summer of 2020, Wingo and Gamble began jamming with Hillman, who also spent nearly 10 years away from music to raise a family and pursue a career in heating and air conditioning.
“I felt right back at home as soon as we started jamming,” Hillman said of the band’s early rehearsals. “I knew we were doing something pretty good.”
The trio soon asked Zentek to bring his hip-hop influence into the band.
“We had a good chemistry from the get-go,” Zentek said. “We had a chemistry that was undeniable. I’ve been doing hip-hop for 10 years. This is the first rock band I’ve been in. We’re ready to attack this gig Friday night.”
Wingo said the band aims for an eclectic sound with a setlist that includes songs from the Steve Miller Band, the Allman Brothers Band, Sublime, 311, Matchbox 20 and the Grateful Dead.
“That’s what’s great about this band, it’s like a melting pot,” Wingo said. “We took a hip hop artist and put him in a rock and roll band. Blaine picks his spots to throw in a hip-hop twist without being ignorant to the original song. I think people in the Valley are going to like it.”
For Wingo and Hillman, the band is a family affair. Hillman said his wife Tiffani supports his decision to return to music by taking care of their two kids while Illsyde Blooz rehearses, and Wingo said his wife Angela oversees the band’s merchandise table that features the band’s shirts, hats and pins.
The band also has gigs scheduled on June 4 at Dale’s Place in Smithton and June 27 at the Slovak Club in Monongahela.
“Once music is in your blood, it’s in your blood,” Wingo said. “It’s like an addiction. There’s not a better feeling than being on stage and letting your emotions out.”
If you’re going
Illsyde Blooz will perform with special guest Brian Genovesi at 7 p.m. Friday at the Tap Factory, 164 Coyle Curtin Road, in Fallowfield Township.
Admission is free.