GNP returning to rock Waynesburg
WAYNESBURG — When Bill Molzon came to Waynesburg University in the fall of 1969 as a freshman from central New Jersey, he discovered he missed the high school rock band he formed in 1967 called GNP, short for Gross National Product. As luck or fate would have it, he eventually found a way to reunite with the band — if only for a day.
While still in high school back in New Jersey, where rock bands abounded and the competition was stiff, Molzon looked for a way to distinguish his group from the others and found it by adding a female singer at a time when they were fewer and farther between than now. He also tapped into the experience of his drummer, who’d just returned from California and told him about a new genre called psychedelic rock as well as art developments like poster art and lighting artists who visually enhanced the rock concert experience.
Before Molzon headed West to Waynesburg from New Jersey, GNP added psychedelic rock songs to its repertoire as well as an innovative light show. The latter was the feature that got the band back for a reunion concert in Waynesburg and launched a local tradition at the same time.
“In 1970, I discovered that an art group on campus called Creative Idea was looking to bring a light show to the university,” said Molzon. “I jumped in and told them not only would I bring them a light show but a rock band as well.
The original band members Scott Buttfield, Tom Minson, Bob Christian and Jeannie Fisher joined Molzon in the spring of 1970 for a concert at Waynesburg University that was so well received the band has returned annually ever since.
However, in August 1973, after Molzon had graduated and found himself working at his Alma mater as director of audio-visual services, a new chapter on the annual GNP concert opened when other Waynesburg students got involved in the event as musicians, stage hands and techies.
As the years progressed, these GNP concert alumni kept coming back on an annual basis, some as much as 20 or 30 years. Now celebrating its 42nd anniversary, the GNP concert scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on April 14 at the university’s Goodwin Performing Arts Center is certain to draw back many who’ve helped out in past concerts, including an excess of 40 musicians and a loyal and ardent audience.
“Because the concert has grown so much over the years, we’ll be playing a variety of music over a four-hour period,” said Molzon, who performs as a rhythm guitarist and sometime vocalist. “The opening song usually features 18 musicians, including lead and back up singers, and the concert will be well-paced and multi-faceted in that it will include different musical styles such as contemporary and classic rock, jazz, country, bluegrass and more.”
GNP’s original female vocalist, Jeannie Fisher, will fly in from Dallas for the concert to perform some Jefferson Airplane hits such as “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love.” Because Fisher is a songwriter in her own right (she also sings in the Dallas Opera Chorus), she’ll also sing some of her self-composed songs.
“The treat for me is to be able to perform with the same friends I had in high school,” said Molzon. “The concert is like an annual living yearbook.”
Area musicians scheduled to perform inn the 2012 GNP concert include a mini-reunion of the Harding Brothers Band, which formed in Bobtown in 1975 and performed for five years. Bob Harding (bass) and Beeb Harding (guitar) will be performing with their brother Bill, one of the GNP drummers for 34 years. Two other local musicians, Kim Ramsey and Kim Wagner were members of the band.
Other area musicians performing in the show are Billy and Andrew Harding, Paul Burger, Buzzy Walters, Lisa Pazzynski, Rachel Eisenstat, Wayne Knisely and Randy, Daria, and Dylan Jones. The show’s jazz musicians include Jim DePriest (bass) and Dan Baker (guitar), and GNP’s featured saxophonist, Lee Robinson, will perform with singer/song writer Tom Reilly.
During show week, most of the out-of-towners will arrive in Waynesburg from different parts of the country. Rehearsals begin on Thursday morning and continue all day long and into Friday. The sound checks start on Saturday morning, followed by even more rehearsal time. At 7 p.m. the doors open, and the concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
“We’re a very dedicated group based on friendship, and everyone performs for free,” said Molzon. “The musicians look forward to seeing each other each year and performing for such a loyal audience. It’s a big show in a small town.”
The 42nd Annual GNP concert is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 14 at the Goodwin Performing Arts Center on the campus of Waynesburg University. Admission is free and the doors open at 7 p.m. For more information, call 724-852-3270.