Johnstown native and drummer Bernie Oravec, who now lives in State College, formed the band in 2022. The current lineup of Oravec, lead vocalist Stefanie Daratany, guitarist Nash Turley and bassist Martin Sheridan has been together since 2023.

Oravec describes their sound as “power cord driven Rock, Pop and Glam.” All members add in vocals but Daratany takes most of the leads and also provides additional percussion to fill out their sound.

With Daratany and Turley residing in Altoona, Sheridan of Pleasant Gap and Oravec in State College, the band plays a roughly two-hour radius that stretches throughout Central Pennsylvania. They’ve been nominated as “Best Local Band” in the Mirror’s Hometown Favorites Contest in 2023, 2024 and 2025 as well as in the 2025 Lewistown Sentinel’s Reader’s Choice Awards and The 2025 Lock Haven Express Reader’s Choice Awards.

Sheridan, the newest member, responded to an advertisement for a bass player on Craig’s List not knowing it had been placed by Oravec, whom he had played with in a previous band.

Rocket Blasters members from left to right: Martin Sheridan, Stefanie Daratany and Nash Turley. Courtesy photo

“Everybody gets along really well,” Sheridan said. His favorite part of this band, he said, is how they improvise a lot on songs like ZZ Tops “Sharp Dressed Man” and Creedence Clearwater Revivals “Suzy Q.”

Sheridan, originally from England, comes from a traditional and classical jazz background and previously played English folk music.

The improvisation happens organically but is most often led by Sheridan.

“I don’t like things to stay still. I like to change things and have things evolve,,” Sheridan said.

Self-taught guitarist Turley, who by day is a research biologist with the Department of Entomology at Penn State University, said the band rehearses a “a bare minimum” which adds to their uniqueness.

“It’s about having attitude,” Turley said. “Our shows are not the same twice.”

The band likes audiences who get up and dance and like to watch them play outside the lines.

Daratany credits Turley, who “just explodes on stage. … The great thing about playing covers is that people do get to enjoy a different taste of it. If they’ve seen another band do it, they’re not going to see it like we’ve done it.”

Daratany attended high school in the Poconos area where her family moved after living in Brooklyn, N.Y. She credits having a great chorus teacher for helping her make the most of her natural gift of singing.

Her involvement with the Rocket Blasters also happened serendipitously. She was late to hear a friend perform at an open mic night at a Bellwood social club. When she joined the friend afterward, he was talking her up to Oravec.

“And, her life has been changed forever,” Oravec said laughing. Daratany hasn’t played with any other bands and except for karaoke for fun hasn’t been actively singing.

“I was never really interested in being in the spotlight,” said Daratany, who is the general manager at the Northern Blair Recreation Center in Tipton. She also DJs at the Bullpen in Tyrone every Thursday.

Like Daratany, Oravec’s love for music began in elementary school while growing up in Johnstown. He played in different types of bands throughout high school from rock and roll to polka.

Oravec has 30 years experience in the newspaper business, including a tenure with Ogden Newspapers, owner of the Mirror. That’s what brought him to Altoona where he served as advertising manager. Later he was the publisher of the Centre County publication “Town and Gown.”

“There was a period when I was in higher management at newspapers that I gave up music altogether because it was a 24-hour job. So for about 24 years, I didn’t do anything musically,” he said.

After leaving the newspaper business, he’s pursued “other things and is doing some independent stuff. I do a little bit of event planning and things like that.”

After the pandemic, he started playing again with different bands and then decided to start the Rocket Blasters.

“We not only love the music,” Daratany said, “but we have a lot of fun. We don’t take each other very seriously so the fun moments definitely happen. … We do take (performing) seriously but we have so much fun.”

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

Where to listen:

6-9 p.m. Sept. 3 at Old Canal Inn, 1004 Blair St., Hollidaysburg

8-11 p.m. Sept. 5 at The Bierhaus, 10141 U.S. 522 S, Lewistown, PA 17044

9-11 p.m. Sept. 12 at The Bar, 306 Boal Ave, Boalsburg, PA 16827

8-11 p.m. Sept. 20 at Hookies Fire Company, 1216 Blair Ave, Tyrone, PA 16686