QUOTES ON CARL'S BAD TAVERN
Carl's Bad Tavern closed later in 1991.
The following excerpt comes from a 2000 edition of Centre Daily Times:
" Former Spring Township Officer Ron Schall , who first investigated the case, said investigators were left with several clues at the scene.
'The bar owner (Carl Easterling) said nothing was taken, so it wasn’t a theft, “Schall remembered. “There was a lot of speculation ... there was nothing really to go on.”
Easterling could not be reached for comment."
The following excerpt comes from the February 27, 2001 edition of Centre Daily Times:
"Carl Easterling, owner of Carl’s Bad Tavern 10 years ago, said in an interview Monday that he was not at the tavern the night Condon disappeared.
He refused to comment further on the case."
Carl's Bad Tavern closed later in 1991.
The following excerpt comes from a 2000 edition of Centre Daily Times:
" Former Spring Township Officer Ron Schall , who first investigated the case, said investigators were left with several clues at the scene.
'The bar owner (Carl Easterling) said nothing was taken, so it wasn’t a theft, “Schall remembered. “There was a lot of speculation ... there was nothing really to go on.”
Easterling could not be reached for comment."
The following excerpt comes from the February 27, 2001 edition of Centre Daily Times:
"Carl Easterling, owner of Carl’s Bad Tavern 10 years ago, said in an interview Monday that he was not at the tavern the night Condon disappeared.
He refused to comment further on the case."
articles
Daily Collegian
Crazy Carl's new bar a bigger, badder tavern in Bellefonte
By Kieran M. Taylor Jul 31, 1990
The smoke-filled bar was packed with close to 500 screaming women clutching small crumpled bills, jockeying for the chance to slip the currency into the waiting g-strings of the well-oiled and muscled male dancers. The bodies hovered in front of the women, gyrating to a heavy bass beat that drew the women up from their chairs until they pressed against the stage.
This ain't no Brickhouse.
Far from the rubble of his demolished Brickhouse, "Crazy" Carl Easterling has taken over Foggy's Notion in nearby Bellefonte and christened it Carl's Bad Tavern.
Bodies aren't the only things that are rockin' and rollin' at the new tavern either.
Billed by Easterling as the "Hard Rock Capital of Central Pennsylvania," the new club gives him the opportunity to bring in the bands that the Brickhouse couldn't hold.
"What I'm doing at Carl's Bad Tavern is what I didn't have room or space and facilities to do in town," Easterling said.
The new tavern, with a capacity of 500, will allow Easterling to book the larger national touring acts that couldn't have been accommodated in the Brickhouse, which held only 80.
The larger capacity also means savings for area concert-goers.
"Now that I've got a bigger and better bar, I can charge less for better entertainment," Easterling said. "Entertaining as many people as possible has always been my mission. My main interest is to have fun first and then maybe make some money."
When Leon Russell played to a cramped audience of 80 in the Brickhouse last semester tickets were $25, but tickets for a recent performance by Russell at Easterling's new tavern cost $15.
Brickhouse veterans are in for a surprise if they expect Carl's Bad Tavern to have the same unadorned rustic quality that made the Brickhouse famous.
"I expected something along the lines of the Brickhouse, a dive type bar, nothing like this. This place actually has carpeting," State College resident Christopher Kirby said.
Carpeting isn't the only difference between Carl's Bad Tavern and the old Brickhouse.
Dance room makes the difference for Lori Haberstroh (junior-agriculture).
"When I see live music, I have to dance," she said.
State College resident Dennis Bolger enjoys the bar but thinks it's location, about 10 minutes from town, will prevent many from enjoying it.
"Lack of access. The average college student doesn't have a car, so they simply can't get there," he said.
Carl's Bad Tavern's mainstay is live music and it seems that the new nightclub was designed with that specific purpose in mind. With 12-foot ceilings, carpeting and a sloping floor, the bar allows all a great view of the stage and quality sound as well.
"It all fits together just right. I couldn't have planned or built a better bar," Easterling said.
"The acoustics of the place are definitely better than any room in town," said Anthony Beecher, lead guitarist of Crazy Daze. "The place has four to five times the space and higher ceilings than the old Brickhouse. The larger size and box shape of the room create a sound quality that complements the musician and pleases the audience."
Easterling said that the new bar will fill some of the openings for live music created with last year's closings of the Scorpion and Gatsby's.
"There just aren't any outlets in State College for the larger East Coast touring bands anymore. The old Scorpion was a nice stop for acts touring the East Coast, but without a venue large enough, the Centre Region doesn't get to enjoy the music that's out there," Easterling said.
Easterling, who claims he had to buy the new club because he's "been kicked out of every other bar," plans to bring some big names to the tavern. Arlo Guthrie, David Bromberg and John Prine are some of the artists that Easterling plans to book for the upcoming semester.
Easterling will not be left without an outlet for music in town, either; he still plans to take over the Brewery. While Easterling would not give a specific date for the completion of the takeover, he said that State College bar-goers would be seeing Crazy Carl's Brewery "soon."
Easterling added that while the Brewery will host some smaller touring acts in the future, it will continue to offer the local music that it is currently known for.
https://www.collegian.psu.edu/arts_and_entertainment/article_40058f2d-2752-5c4e-93b1-34ee0311dfdc.html
Crazy Carl's new bar a bigger, badder tavern in Bellefonte
By Kieran M. Taylor Jul 31, 1990
The smoke-filled bar was packed with close to 500 screaming women clutching small crumpled bills, jockeying for the chance to slip the currency into the waiting g-strings of the well-oiled and muscled male dancers. The bodies hovered in front of the women, gyrating to a heavy bass beat that drew the women up from their chairs until they pressed against the stage.
This ain't no Brickhouse.
Far from the rubble of his demolished Brickhouse, "Crazy" Carl Easterling has taken over Foggy's Notion in nearby Bellefonte and christened it Carl's Bad Tavern.
Bodies aren't the only things that are rockin' and rollin' at the new tavern either.
Billed by Easterling as the "Hard Rock Capital of Central Pennsylvania," the new club gives him the opportunity to bring in the bands that the Brickhouse couldn't hold.
"What I'm doing at Carl's Bad Tavern is what I didn't have room or space and facilities to do in town," Easterling said.
The new tavern, with a capacity of 500, will allow Easterling to book the larger national touring acts that couldn't have been accommodated in the Brickhouse, which held only 80.
The larger capacity also means savings for area concert-goers.
"Now that I've got a bigger and better bar, I can charge less for better entertainment," Easterling said. "Entertaining as many people as possible has always been my mission. My main interest is to have fun first and then maybe make some money."
When Leon Russell played to a cramped audience of 80 in the Brickhouse last semester tickets were $25, but tickets for a recent performance by Russell at Easterling's new tavern cost $15.
Brickhouse veterans are in for a surprise if they expect Carl's Bad Tavern to have the same unadorned rustic quality that made the Brickhouse famous.
"I expected something along the lines of the Brickhouse, a dive type bar, nothing like this. This place actually has carpeting," State College resident Christopher Kirby said.
Carpeting isn't the only difference between Carl's Bad Tavern and the old Brickhouse.
Dance room makes the difference for Lori Haberstroh (junior-agriculture).
"When I see live music, I have to dance," she said.
State College resident Dennis Bolger enjoys the bar but thinks it's location, about 10 minutes from town, will prevent many from enjoying it.
"Lack of access. The average college student doesn't have a car, so they simply can't get there," he said.
Carl's Bad Tavern's mainstay is live music and it seems that the new nightclub was designed with that specific purpose in mind. With 12-foot ceilings, carpeting and a sloping floor, the bar allows all a great view of the stage and quality sound as well.
"It all fits together just right. I couldn't have planned or built a better bar," Easterling said.
"The acoustics of the place are definitely better than any room in town," said Anthony Beecher, lead guitarist of Crazy Daze. "The place has four to five times the space and higher ceilings than the old Brickhouse. The larger size and box shape of the room create a sound quality that complements the musician and pleases the audience."
Easterling said that the new bar will fill some of the openings for live music created with last year's closings of the Scorpion and Gatsby's.
"There just aren't any outlets in State College for the larger East Coast touring bands anymore. The old Scorpion was a nice stop for acts touring the East Coast, but without a venue large enough, the Centre Region doesn't get to enjoy the music that's out there," Easterling said.
Easterling, who claims he had to buy the new club because he's "been kicked out of every other bar," plans to bring some big names to the tavern. Arlo Guthrie, David Bromberg and John Prine are some of the artists that Easterling plans to book for the upcoming semester.
Easterling will not be left without an outlet for music in town, either; he still plans to take over the Brewery. While Easterling would not give a specific date for the completion of the takeover, he said that State College bar-goers would be seeing Crazy Carl's Brewery "soon."
Easterling added that while the Brewery will host some smaller touring acts in the future, it will continue to offer the local music that it is currently known for.
https://www.collegian.psu.edu/arts_and_entertainment/article_40058f2d-2752-5c4e-93b1-34ee0311dfdc.html
"Crazy" Carl Easterling
Daily Collegian
Crazy Carl
By Joshua Kaderlan Dec 6, 1994
Local bar owner works by his own wild rhythms
Trying to get Carl Easterling to tell you his age is not easy. I asked him his age matter-of-factly, not knowing what I was getting into.
He asked me how old I thought he was. I suggested somewhere between 47 and 49. Maybe I goofed, over-estimated my psychic power, but he just seemed surprised -- and kept telling me how surprised he was for the next five minutes or so. It was not a mean thing -- he was clearly joking. I never did get his age.
Easterling is more than just a bar owner with a sense of humor. He is a person who has lived a diverse life, one that at times seems at odds with his demeanor and possibly his true age.
Dressed in a print shirt and jeans, a black hat perched on top of his mop of curly black hair, Easterling, owner and manager of Posthouse Tavern of State College, Inc., which includes Stoney's Posthouse Tavern, 146 N. Atherton St., and The Hard Rack Cafe, 445 Railroad Ave., detailed his roots from the comfortable mess of an office.
Inflatable beer toys deck the walls along with a Super Bowl banner. A mini-fridge sits on the floor next to a small television and VCR that make up the jumble. There is even a bed stuck in the corner, which Easterling uses as a couch.
The path that brought Easterling to his office started back in high school. During his teen years, he joined the Naval Reserves, and was eventually assigned to Naval Intelligence, he said.
While in the Navy, he originally planned to go to officer training but decided instead to leave the service and go to college.
"It's an adventure, but I'm not into regulations," Easterling explained.
Finally arriving at Penn State, he sought a little de-regulation of his own. He came to Penn State because he had heard the University had a veterans' organization and good parties. But when he got here, he discovered that the parties at the Penn State University Veterans Organization house were not as great as he had expected.
So he decided to start throwing his own parties by gathering friends and local bands to block parties on Nittany Avenue --the beginning of his career as a player in the local music scene.
But while he was in school, Easterling did not just put on parties --he also ran for Undergraduate Student Government president on an "entertainment platform," coming in second, he said.
After he finished his degree, Easterling stuck around State College and said he will not leave just on the basis of a job.
"I like the town a lot," he said. "I don't know if it's far enough away from Three Mile Island, but it's far enough away from a city," he added.
Having decided to stick in State College, Easterling began working in the area. He was a counselor under the Comprehensive Employment Training Act for six years, he said. Then he bought a bar.
Easterling got into the bar scene as an owner in 1981, when he bought the Brickhouse Tavern, formerly located at 123 Humes Alley, which he promptly renamed Crazy Carl's Brickhouse Tavern.
"I got tired of getting kicked out of the bars," Easterling said. "So I bought one."
And this also marked his entrance into the local music scene, where, as a bar owner, he helped introduce such local favorites as Queen Bee and the Blue Hornet Band and the Screaming Ducks.
Picking new bands to play in his bars is simple for Easterling -- he asks them how many friends they have.
"I've always done that," he said.
When he gave Queen Bee and Screaming Ducks their start, he already knew members of the band.
Queen Bee guitarist Mark Ross has known Easterling since the early 1980s when they met at a Christmas party at the All-American Rathskeller, 108 S. Pugh St.
"(He's) insanely flamboyant," Ross said, decribing Easterling. He added that Easterling is "unpredictable and always out for a good time. He can make things fun."
-- -- --
Easterling's most recent creation, The Hard Rack Cafe, is a bit of a contrast to Easterling's office -- it's very utilitarian, with little decoration. The room is taken up by several pool tables and a jukebox. Throughout the night, the sounds of classic rock permeate the room. It's not one of those yuppie pool bars -- the Hard Rack seems like something out of The Color of Money .
But Easterling is not content to have just a pool hall. He's also in the process of creating Carl's Cadillac Alley, which will integrate Stoney's with the space under the Hard Rack. As Easterling sees it, there will be several outdoor pool tables and even a hot tub.
The way Easterling describes it, it's no problem to visualize the place -- the idea of having a hot tub in a bar seems a little odd, thinking about it later (alcohol and Jacuzzis do not seem to be a great mix), but listening to Easterling talk about it, it makes perfect sense.
He would make a great salesman -- talking about the Alley, he makes his vision crystal clear.
But not everyone sees the vision.
"(Easterling is) eccentric and self-serving. He's looking out for himself first," like a lot of people, says John Cunningham, singer and guitarist with the Screaming Ducks.
Tonight, Easterling shows his humanitarian side. When his musician friend, Ben Andrews, a bony guy in a cowboy hat, walks in, Easterling promptly offers him a place to stay.
-- -- --
Easterling may be providing a place for a friend to crash now, but back when he had the Brickhouse, he provided a common place for the bands of State College.
Every band in town at the time played at the Brickhouse, said Cunningham, who had been playing at the Brickhouse for a couple of years before the Ducks played there.
"It was a really loose atmosphere," he said.
The Ducks stopped playing at the Brickhouse because the place was too small, Cunningham said, and the band now has two regular gigs a week and does not want to do more.
The Ducks may not play at Stoney's, but Easterling has done a lot there. He has brought sounds as varied as the folky Arlo Guthrie and the country punk of Uncle Tupelo to the small stage.
But Easterling's influence on the local music scene can be hard to judge.
"I don't know if he has influenced the (local music) scene," said Greg Gabbard, owner of City Lights Records, 316 E. College Ave., and Modern Times Compact Discs, 318 E. College Ave., adding that Easterling has tried.
"He's brought an awful lot of (performers) into town," Gabbard said. "He's brought some big names into a small venue."
Easterling sees his job as providing a place for people to be happy -- a place for all kinds of people to come in and listen to quality music.
"I think that's the coolest part of what I do," he says.
But owning a bar is not all fun to Easterling --working through the off-months can be difficult and working with people has its drawbacks.
"People that take advantage of you and assholes that come in your bar" are some drawbacks to running a bar, Easterling said.
But the job has its rewards -- even though he is "nobody from nowhere," Easterling is a fixture in the local music scene.
"I think that people notice that whatever I am is self-made," he said.
https://www.collegian.psu.edu/arts_and_entertainment/article_ed388a3f-42fc-51c0-8a87-49290b2498a2.html
Crazy Carl
By Joshua Kaderlan Dec 6, 1994
Local bar owner works by his own wild rhythms
Trying to get Carl Easterling to tell you his age is not easy. I asked him his age matter-of-factly, not knowing what I was getting into.
He asked me how old I thought he was. I suggested somewhere between 47 and 49. Maybe I goofed, over-estimated my psychic power, but he just seemed surprised -- and kept telling me how surprised he was for the next five minutes or so. It was not a mean thing -- he was clearly joking. I never did get his age.
Easterling is more than just a bar owner with a sense of humor. He is a person who has lived a diverse life, one that at times seems at odds with his demeanor and possibly his true age.
Dressed in a print shirt and jeans, a black hat perched on top of his mop of curly black hair, Easterling, owner and manager of Posthouse Tavern of State College, Inc., which includes Stoney's Posthouse Tavern, 146 N. Atherton St., and The Hard Rack Cafe, 445 Railroad Ave., detailed his roots from the comfortable mess of an office.
Inflatable beer toys deck the walls along with a Super Bowl banner. A mini-fridge sits on the floor next to a small television and VCR that make up the jumble. There is even a bed stuck in the corner, which Easterling uses as a couch.
The path that brought Easterling to his office started back in high school. During his teen years, he joined the Naval Reserves, and was eventually assigned to Naval Intelligence, he said.
While in the Navy, he originally planned to go to officer training but decided instead to leave the service and go to college.
"It's an adventure, but I'm not into regulations," Easterling explained.
Finally arriving at Penn State, he sought a little de-regulation of his own. He came to Penn State because he had heard the University had a veterans' organization and good parties. But when he got here, he discovered that the parties at the Penn State University Veterans Organization house were not as great as he had expected.
So he decided to start throwing his own parties by gathering friends and local bands to block parties on Nittany Avenue --the beginning of his career as a player in the local music scene.
But while he was in school, Easterling did not just put on parties --he also ran for Undergraduate Student Government president on an "entertainment platform," coming in second, he said.
After he finished his degree, Easterling stuck around State College and said he will not leave just on the basis of a job.
"I like the town a lot," he said. "I don't know if it's far enough away from Three Mile Island, but it's far enough away from a city," he added.
Having decided to stick in State College, Easterling began working in the area. He was a counselor under the Comprehensive Employment Training Act for six years, he said. Then he bought a bar.
Easterling got into the bar scene as an owner in 1981, when he bought the Brickhouse Tavern, formerly located at 123 Humes Alley, which he promptly renamed Crazy Carl's Brickhouse Tavern.
"I got tired of getting kicked out of the bars," Easterling said. "So I bought one."
And this also marked his entrance into the local music scene, where, as a bar owner, he helped introduce such local favorites as Queen Bee and the Blue Hornet Band and the Screaming Ducks.
Picking new bands to play in his bars is simple for Easterling -- he asks them how many friends they have.
"I've always done that," he said.
When he gave Queen Bee and Screaming Ducks their start, he already knew members of the band.
Queen Bee guitarist Mark Ross has known Easterling since the early 1980s when they met at a Christmas party at the All-American Rathskeller, 108 S. Pugh St.
"(He's) insanely flamboyant," Ross said, decribing Easterling. He added that Easterling is "unpredictable and always out for a good time. He can make things fun."
-- -- --
Easterling's most recent creation, The Hard Rack Cafe, is a bit of a contrast to Easterling's office -- it's very utilitarian, with little decoration. The room is taken up by several pool tables and a jukebox. Throughout the night, the sounds of classic rock permeate the room. It's not one of those yuppie pool bars -- the Hard Rack seems like something out of The Color of Money .
But Easterling is not content to have just a pool hall. He's also in the process of creating Carl's Cadillac Alley, which will integrate Stoney's with the space under the Hard Rack. As Easterling sees it, there will be several outdoor pool tables and even a hot tub.
The way Easterling describes it, it's no problem to visualize the place -- the idea of having a hot tub in a bar seems a little odd, thinking about it later (alcohol and Jacuzzis do not seem to be a great mix), but listening to Easterling talk about it, it makes perfect sense.
He would make a great salesman -- talking about the Alley, he makes his vision crystal clear.
But not everyone sees the vision.
"(Easterling is) eccentric and self-serving. He's looking out for himself first," like a lot of people, says John Cunningham, singer and guitarist with the Screaming Ducks.
Tonight, Easterling shows his humanitarian side. When his musician friend, Ben Andrews, a bony guy in a cowboy hat, walks in, Easterling promptly offers him a place to stay.
-- -- --
Easterling may be providing a place for a friend to crash now, but back when he had the Brickhouse, he provided a common place for the bands of State College.
Every band in town at the time played at the Brickhouse, said Cunningham, who had been playing at the Brickhouse for a couple of years before the Ducks played there.
"It was a really loose atmosphere," he said.
The Ducks stopped playing at the Brickhouse because the place was too small, Cunningham said, and the band now has two regular gigs a week and does not want to do more.
The Ducks may not play at Stoney's, but Easterling has done a lot there. He has brought sounds as varied as the folky Arlo Guthrie and the country punk of Uncle Tupelo to the small stage.
But Easterling's influence on the local music scene can be hard to judge.
"I don't know if he has influenced the (local music) scene," said Greg Gabbard, owner of City Lights Records, 316 E. College Ave., and Modern Times Compact Discs, 318 E. College Ave., adding that Easterling has tried.
"He's brought an awful lot of (performers) into town," Gabbard said. "He's brought some big names into a small venue."
Easterling sees his job as providing a place for people to be happy -- a place for all kinds of people to come in and listen to quality music.
"I think that's the coolest part of what I do," he says.
But owning a bar is not all fun to Easterling --working through the off-months can be difficult and working with people has its drawbacks.
"People that take advantage of you and assholes that come in your bar" are some drawbacks to running a bar, Easterling said.
But the job has its rewards -- even though he is "nobody from nowhere," Easterling is a fixture in the local music scene.
"I think that people notice that whatever I am is self-made," he said.
https://www.collegian.psu.edu/arts_and_entertainment/article_ed388a3f-42fc-51c0-8a87-49290b2498a2.html
