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These Musicians Bring Fun, Laughter

Duo gets the whole audience involved

By Patt Keith 5 min read

PletchVello features two friends -- Matt Pletcher on acoustic guitar and Randy Servello on drums -- who thrive on audience interaction and cracking each other up all while delivering cover tunes with musicianship.

The band's name is a mash up of their last names and a sign of their entertainment style born of a dozen years of friendship. When gigs faded from the live music scene during Covid, Servello, 58, started doing solo gigs. When the pandemic eased, he added Pletcher.

"We are booked solid the rest of the year and are playing between Claysburg and Bellwood," Servello said. They entertain at a lot of private parties and events -- the usual graduation and birthday parties as well as the more unusual such as a floating pontoon boat party on Raystown Lake and Penn State tailgates before football games.

They play a variety of covers from different genres. They don't play from a set list. Instead they see what songs a particular audience responds to and plays songs that will keep it going.

Servello is a 22-year Army veteran who then worked for the commonwealth as a welfare case worker for an additional 13 years before retiring at age 55. He played all through elementary and secondary school before graduating from Altoona Area High School in 1984. He then joined the Pennsylvania National Guard for a year before going on active duty in the Army with a variety of army bands who toured all over the world.

One of his career highlights was bringing an Army band to the Altoona High school in 1995 and playing two nights to sell out crowds.

Pletcher started to play guitar about age eight and started writing songs. A 2002 graduate of Central High School, he joined his first band in high school.

Both musicians have played with local musician Ricky Lee. Pletcher has recorded a solo album in Nashville.

"I've been writing the whole time so I had a bunch of my own songs just for me. So I went down and recorded and put it out," he said. Some of his songs have garnered interest from Nashville artists but none have hit "yet," he said.

Servello is on speed dial with many local bands as a fill-in drummer. He's played with Felix and the Hurricanes, Shallow 9, This Albatross, Autumn Rising and others. He also had his own band Seventh Gear from 2008-2013. He's also played for Harrisburg musician Rhyne McCormick and country artist Josh Gracin, a fourth place finalist on American Idol.

Asked what makes this duo unique, Servello said. "Most people you go to see do the same show every time --the same songs in the same order. And, there's no real interaction between the people on stage and the audience. We are constantly talking to each other and back and forth. We sometimes even forget there is an audience. We are just having fun with ourselves and joking. Then that gets the whole audience involved."

Pletcher agrees."I tell people we just try and screw each other up all night. We have fun messing with each other."

"We have the same stupid sense of humor," Servello agrees. "I mean we show up with Muppet shirts on."

The bantering and fun teasing is part of their 12-year-friendship.

"A lot of these songs are love songs, especially the country ones," Servello said, recalling how Pletcher said his name at the start of one love song. "When he said it, I couldn't even sing. I was laughing too hard. The more he sang, the creepier the song was."

For Pletcher, moving an audience emotionally is his goal.

"If you can get tears, then you're doing it right. Whether they are happy or sad tears doesn't matter. You're doing something good if you can make somebody cry. I made him cry, well, cry laughing. So it worked. Mission accomplished."

They never practice and learn requested songs on the fly.

"We just try to have fun. My thing has always been if you're not having fun then no one else is going to have fun, either," Pletcher said. "

Staff Writer Patt Keith is at 814-949-7030.

If you go

7-10 p.m. Aug. 15 at The Bullpen,

207 Jefferson Ave., Tyrone

9 p.m. to 12 a.m. Aug. 16 at the Bellwood Eagles, 432 S 1st St., Bellwood

7-10 p.m. Aug. 22 at The Bavarian Aid Society, 112 S 13th St, Altoona

7-10 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Blue Knob Club House, 8170 Village Ln, Claysburg

7 -10 p.m. Aug. 30 at Spring Dam Brewing Co., 269 E Main St, Roaring Spring

7-10 p.m. Sept. 6 Shenanigans,

845 Bedford St., Claysburg

7:30-10:30 p.m. Sept. 12, The Bullpen, 207 Jefferson Ave., Tyrone

6-9 p.m. Sept. 19 Park Hills Golf and Grille, 219 Highland Terrace, Altoona

7-10 p.m. Sept. 20 Spring Dam Brewing Co., 269 E Main St, Roaring Spring

Starting at /week.