Scottie Sharpe, Drummer
Between 88 and 94, I employed myself as a drummer. Since I was doing it for money most of the time, I focused on playing gigs. My great regret from that era of my life is that I focused too much on gigs and did not do more studio projects. (But they were very expensive - and even paying for gas to get to the studio was a problem sometimes!)

Anyway, I am still a drummer. I would very much like to start playing again with the right players.

All the music here is copyrighted. Please enjoy it but don't copy it for a profit.

Repeating B'Kee-Tuh (1989)

This was my first real band. It started when I met Rizzer and played in a band with him called Non-Slip Sole (still a great band name!). After that band broke up, I brought in my new pal Stuart Stein on bass and Greg brought in Mike Westwood on vocals. We found Jim roaming the streets somewhere and got him into the band. Jim provided just the right "polished" sound we needed. The sound gelled as Jim took over musical leadership. With Greg writing licks, and me penning lyrics, we started knocking off songs like clockwork. Most of them actually never got recorded and are lost forever. We had started as an all-original band (which I was very happy with) and Jim was very focused on learning cover tunes (we needed the money) and I frankly I wasn't very excited about playing them like on the CD. (I was very focused on being "jazzy" and "unique" as opposed to what Jim was asking for - strong drum sounds and time-keeping. Although Jim and I got along very well, he was steadily growing more upset at me because I did not take his musical leadership seriously enough. Eventually Jim kicked me out of the band. My very good friend (like a brother), Stu, thought this was unacceptable and he left the band voluntarily. (I will never forget that Stu - you are the best!) The band took on some new members to replace us and then eventually broke up.

Mike Westwood, Vocals
Jim Cochran, Guitar
Greg Rizzer, Guitar
Stuart Stein, Bass
Scottie Sharpe, drums

Recorded at Filmspace Studios by Michael Knight.
Links courtesy of Mike Westwood

Save Face (1991)

Save Face was a pay-the-bills bar band. It was me, my new housemate and friend, Ted McCloskey, and our friend and drinking buddy, Peter Jogo, on bass. Ted McCloskey and Peter Jogo were in other bands. I thought Ted and Peter were god-like musicians (they really were) and I wanted to play with them REAL bad. I really pushed myself to the limit to master my drums, sometimes practicing all day and all night. After about 1 year, I had myself up to speed (I had greatly improved as a drummer since the R.B. days) and convinced Ted and Peter to play in a trio. Well, we had this band together for a number of years playing mostly fraternities, working almost nightly.  As time wore on, our trio also provided the core band for a number of other local bar bands: The Norma Jeans, J.R. Mangan, Side Show Bob, and maybe a few others that I've forgotten about. After a few years, we were like a Central PA institution. No matter which bar you went to, you would see Ted, Peter and Scottie playing!! Sometimes we had two gigs on the same day! Hey, I told you it was a pay-the-bills band!

I always derived great pleasure from the quality of both Peter and Ted's playing. I was always very proud to play with them. Another thing...we had a great time playing together. I have a tape of the Save Face trio playing at a bar called "the Saloon" in State College, PA. It was on Thanksgiving night. All the students were home and it was raining and snowing and slushy out. No one went out that night. There was NOT ONE PERSON in the bar except for us and the bartender!  I kid you not!  We waited for about 30 minutes to see if anyone would show up. No one did, so you know what we did? We setup our gear and played anyway!  I miss playing with you guys a lot.

All songs written & performed by Scottie Sharpe and Ted McCloskey
Ted on guitars, keyboards, bass and vocals
Scottie Sharpe on drums/percussion and vocals

Production notes: These songs were recorded in the winter of 91 in the basement of the Prospect Avenue, State College, PA house (dubbed Cesspool Studios because the room smelled like dog piss.) on a 4 track cassette recorder. These recording were made when Ted and I had no money. We had to think of a way to get good drum sounds without having a mixing console or good microphones. Our microphone selection consisted of an SM57 and a very pleasant sounding Sony self-powered unit. We put the SM57 on the snare and the Sony about 6' away on a boom stand.  This was mixed in with sound produced by an Alesis D4. The drums had Kat triggers on them. I also had some homemade trigger pads -- Remo practice pads with Kat triggers -- hence the "Timbale" and other odd percussion sounds. The D4 drum sounds were mixed down in the Alesis prior to playing the song, then recorded to a single track. The two mics were mixed together and recorded to their own track. Bass and drums were recorded together in one take, hence three tracks. Then the three bass and drums tracks were mixed down into a single track. This left three tracks left over for guitars and vocals.  I wish I still had the 4 track masters. 

delGattos (1998)

My friends Paul and David asked me to play drums in their band. Paul is a very good songwriter. His vocals and guitar ideas are fantastic, although the execution is somewhat lacking at times. Sorry, about the mixdown - not the greatest. This is really a sin since the original multi-track recording quality by Bill Filer was absolutely outstanding.  Anyway, I like this album because I love Paul's songwriting. Very, very nice songs.

All songs written and performed by Paul Berkobin
David McCormick on bass and vocals
Scottie Sharpe on drums/percussion (Acoustic Drums)

Recorded at Bill Filer Studios on two Alesis ADAT units. Mastered by Bob Klotz.

The del Gattos
From "Voices" Pennsylvania Gazette 7/00

By Amy Shawley

   The musical group the del Gattos, originally an acoustic duo featuring the stylings of vocalist/guitarist Paul Berkobin and bassist/vocalist David McCormick, have grown into a full fledged rock band in a short time. With two full length albums, gigs reaching as far west as Michigan, Wyoming, and Utah, national reviews, and an award from a major North American music competition, the band has grown in both scope and sound to become national rockers known throughout North America.
   The del Gattos started out playing small gigs as an acoustic duo in local Boalsburg six years ago. "Our sound was more folky," Paul Berkobin says. "It was just Dave (McCormick) and I performing as acoustic songwriters." At the time, both Berkobin and McCormick held other jobs (Berkobin owned a mortgage business in Boalsburg and McCormick worked at Penn State), and practiced music only part time. They got the name del Gattos (which is both Italian and Spanish and means, roughly, "the cats") from a former coffee shop in Boalsburg.
   The group’s success grew quickly and eventually, Berkobin and McCormick left their jobs to pursue music full time. "It (the band) grew regionally early on and we didn’t have time for anything else, so we were like ‘this is cool,’" says Berkobin. "It’s really all we wanted to do-it’s a passion." Now with more free time to devote to their music, they could expand on their sound, adding more pop rock elements, and becoming more of a band with the addition of drummer Scottie Sharpe.
   Early last fall, the band released its second full-length album entitled "Magic Dreams." The release has been recognized nationally, and is hailed for its "sweet vocals" and "driving acoustics" by publications such as The Boulder Planet in Colorado and the Desert News in Salt Lake City, Utah. The dreamy quality of the album is inspired by the dreams of principal songwriter Paul Berkobin. "The songs were written from dreams I had. The album is more folky–atmospheric and ethereal. It’s basically a musical dreamscape." The album won a national award from the Crossroads Music Awards 2000 as one of the best albums of 1999. "That was a pretty big deal. Bands from all over North America competed to win this award. We were like ‘Wow!’ when we found out we had won. It was unbelievable."
   The music described on "Magic Dreams," the "swirling guitars, unforgettable vocals and fanciful tone" most resemble the del Gattos’ early work as an acoustic duo, as explained by Berkobin. Now the band plays more of a mix, incorporating the dreamy style with what Paul Berkobin calls "new rock." "New rock is a mixture of things. It’s playing around with different sounds. It’s totally taking things–classic rock, pop styles–and using them in new ways. New rock describes the arrangement of the tunes, doing unusual things with the vocal lines." Berkobin claims the greatest inspiration for any style of del Gattos music is its emphasis on great songwriting. The words and the feelings drawn from the lyrics are what the del Gattos express most.
   During the summer, the band plays a lot of outdoor festivals. "Music outdoors is magical," Berkobin says. "It totally adds to the music. It’s great to see people enjoying themselves outdoors. Outdoor shows are the best." The rest of the year the band plays college bars and travels. But in spite of their time on the road, the del Gattos love to play here at their home base in Central Pennsylvania. Berkobin says, "I hope we get to do more and more around here." No matter how big they get, the band won’t forget its roots and the little cafe in Boalsburg that gave them the name the rest of the world won’t soon forget. Be sure to catch the del Gattos live at the People’s Choice Festival July 15 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the new stage at the Military Museum in Boalsburg for a purely "magical mix."