Band Vision to None returns after 4-year hiatus
Vision to None band members (from left): Chris Welker, Jesse Husted, Keenan Hall and Katlyn Reitz. — Courtesy photo
By Andy Stine
astine@altoonamirror.com
From the summer of 2008 until New Years Eve of 2021, the band Vision to None, made primarily of residents of the Morrisdale area, was one of the premier bands of 80s, 90s, and early 2000s music.
After 13 years, the band hung up the microphones and the sound systems were put away after their final show on New Years Eve of 2021.
Until recently.
Vision to None recently announced on their Facebook that they are back after a four-plus year hiatus. They will do their first comeback show on Aug. 29 at The Snake Hole in Morrisdale.
The band originally consisted of Chris Welker, Jesse Husted, Travis McCoy and Katlyn Reitz. Eric McCrum later joined the group to replace McCoy, but McCrum decided that 2021 would be his last with the band, and the group recently added Keenan Hall to the mix for the return.
Welker, Husted and Reitz are all from the West Branch area, while Hall is originally from State College.
Reitz, the band’s drummer, said a return wasn’t being planned until the head of The Snake Hole’s Mega Bash reached out to the band in the spring of 2025.
“It wasn’t like we sat around one day and said, ‘Let’s start playing again,'” Reitz said. “They said, ‘Hey, we know you guys haven’t played in a while, but would you be open to playing sometime in 2026?'”
The group discussed their options and asked if it was going to be a one-time thing, or if they would be back for a full return. The group thought that it would be too much work to come back for just one show, but settled on doing a show about once a month somewhere in central Pennsylvania.
The time factor was the main reason Vision to None hung it up in 2021.
“Chris and I are new fathers,” Reitz said. “Jesse already had kids before we hung it up. The time is just not as available as it used to be. So we said, ‘Let’s do one a month.'”
Ironically enough, The Snake Hole, a wedding venue in Morrisdale, was the first venue that Vision to None played in the summer of 2008. The venue had only a pavilion area with picnic tables then, but now has a stage for bands.
Reitz estimated there may have been about 20 people for the band’s first show.
“The fact that we started there, and now we’re coming back and starting there … We thought that was kind of hilarious,” Reitz said.
The group has no way of knowing how long the return to the stage will last, but the plan is for at least a couple years. Before 2021, they originally had no plans of stopping. But McCrum, their former bassist from the Altoona area, said it was time for him to step away. Reitz noted McCrum’s incredible talent, and said they couldn’t replace him.
“When he stepped away, it was kind of like if the Pirates had Paul Skenes step away,” Reitz said. “Guys like him don’t just grow on trees. We said, ‘It might be time for us to step away for a little bit.'”
When Welker, Husted and Reitz decided that it was time to think about a return, they decided to look for a fourth member to the group. They had originally known Hall on his musical career in State College, and they recently discovered that he also had just moved to the Morrisdale area.
They decided to see if Hall was the right guy for the group.
“We always knew he was a great musician,” Reitz said. “It was just a matter of if he wanted to play with us and did we all blend as a group.”
The answer turned out to be a resounding “yes” for the group. After four years of not playing together following a 13-year run as a local band, it was time to start thinking about a show again. Their friends would tell them to come back, but life was happening for every member.
And now, here they are with a return show at the same venue as their first performance .They have another show planned on Sept. 12 at Clearfield’s new Rock on the River.
“It’s really fun how the stars aligned on this,” Reitz said.
Visit the band’s Facebook page at Vision to None for more information on upcoming performances.