The
Alligators formed in 1993 when two high school friends decided to take
a crack at playing blues. The main goal of playing at a local blues
bar: The E-burg Inn. The two friends, Bob Palladino and Gene Sweeney, knew their first
step would be to find a good drummer and, if they were lucky, a sax
player. Doing what any musician would do, they raided bands they were
in or soon to be in. First, Bob asked drummer John Collevechio come by
and jam. Next, Gene was asked to play with a band who happened to have a
sax player, Jeremy Fox. By early 1994, the Alligators Blues Band was
formed and getting ready to gig.
March, 1994 was the debut show for the Alligators at the 10th and Green Bar in Reading, PA. The bar was filled with drinkers, druggies and thier fans - basically thier parents. The show went well and the band made almost as much as the sound guys they had to hire. Many gigs at various bars soon followed mostly in Reading, Philadelphia or point in between. An occasional show in State College, PA allowed the band to perform for people who were close their age.
Through the years, the Alligators played steady at some of the great (and not so great) drinking establishments in the Philly area: Maggie's (Philly), The Depot (Philly), Casa Mexicana (Philly - not so great!), Binni and Flynn's (Wayne), Barto Hotel (Barto), Hannah's Hanover Inn (East Greenville), along with many, many others. While the band would like to brag about all of the great blues men they shared the stage with, they won't...they can't. They did open for the Rebirth Brass Band on a trip to New Orleans and once had someone who said he played guitar for Jay and the Techniques sit in, but there really hasn't been any other shoulder rubbing with stars. They're all about dropping names, there just aren't any names!
Although Jeremy Fox and Bob Palladino are no longer with the band, the Alligators still play today. Today, Steve Heyser plays bass and Chris Crandall is on harmonica. The sound is a little more focused Chicago Blues with a mix of other roots music: swing, rock and roll, and rockabilly. As of 2009, the shows aren't as frequent, but heck - there is a recession going on. Two the bands best steady gigs are The Flying Dog and the Reading Phillies. The band hopes to expand their steady venues and still promises to record!
March, 1994 was the debut show for the Alligators at the 10th and Green Bar in Reading, PA. The bar was filled with drinkers, druggies and thier fans - basically thier parents. The show went well and the band made almost as much as the sound guys they had to hire. Many gigs at various bars soon followed mostly in Reading, Philadelphia or point in between. An occasional show in State College, PA allowed the band to perform for people who were close their age.
Through the years, the Alligators played steady at some of the great (and not so great) drinking establishments in the Philly area: Maggie's (Philly), The Depot (Philly), Casa Mexicana (Philly - not so great!), Binni and Flynn's (Wayne), Barto Hotel (Barto), Hannah's Hanover Inn (East Greenville), along with many, many others. While the band would like to brag about all of the great blues men they shared the stage with, they won't...they can't. They did open for the Rebirth Brass Band on a trip to New Orleans and once had someone who said he played guitar for Jay and the Techniques sit in, but there really hasn't been any other shoulder rubbing with stars. They're all about dropping names, there just aren't any names!
Although Jeremy Fox and Bob Palladino are no longer with the band, the Alligators still play today. Today, Steve Heyser plays bass and Chris Crandall is on harmonica. The sound is a little more focused Chicago Blues with a mix of other roots music: swing, rock and roll, and rockabilly. As of 2009, the shows aren't as frequent, but heck - there is a recession going on. Two the bands best steady gigs are The Flying Dog and the Reading Phillies. The band hopes to expand their steady venues and still promises to record!
