CRANBERRY TWP - The first rock 'n' roll CD from Cranberry Township resident Gary Schweiger's band Hy Winz has been more than 11 years in the making and is a dream come true for him.

Hy Winz is made up of Schweiger, who is the lead vocalist and guitar player and two Beaver County residents, Doug Carney of New Brighton on bass guitar and Ron Macklin of Freedom on drums.

Schweiger formed his band in 1985.

The band was named after the time when tornadoes went through the Zelienople area during the mid-1980s while the title of the disc, "Heavy Reign," also came from bad weather the Western Pennsylvania area experienced last September from the remnants of Hurricane Ivan.

The release party for the self-produced CD was held Sept. 24 at the Cameleon Junction in Rochester Township, Beaver County, where the band played to more than 300 people. Several special guests appeared at the party including local musicians Hermie and David Granati, who both have guest appearances on the CD, and musicians Don Cameron and Dan "Moby Stick"Armstrong.

Schweiger grew up in the Bloomfield section of Pittsburgh, but moved to Cranberry Township in 1971 and graduated from Seneca Valley High School in 1976.

He formed the band Hy Winz in 1985 and played in local clubs until 1989, when he moved to Germany to pursue other band opportunities. There he worked with bands such as Ninety-Nine and White Lace, before reforming Hy Winz in 1994.Schweiger said the CD is dedicated to all the victims of daily tragedies, natural disasters and terrorists. He also dedicated the songs to all the veterans, prisons of war, those still listed as missing in action and all those currently serving in the U.S. armed forces.There are 10 tracks on the CD with titles including: "Hy-Ja," "Why Now," "The Tempt," "The Pin Droppin' Blues" and "The Passin' Through."Another of the tracks on the CD, "Dear Angel Son," is dedicated to brother Randy, who passed away, and also to his mother.Schweiger was recording songs back in 1994, but the final product wasn't completed until this year at Dave's World Productions studio in Pittsburgh. All the songs on the first disc are written by Schweiger."This wasn't an album that we just threw together. It has taken a long time to put together," said Schweiger.

He described the CD as a rock 'n' roll album with some blues influences. He credits contemporary rock 'n' roll artists Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd and Aerosmith as some of his musical influences."The album is classic rock at its best. I've only heard one other local guitar player that is better than Gary," said Jon Gonzalez of Jon R. Gonzalez Productions, who is promoting the new Hy Winz CD. "When you see him and the band on stage, he reminds me a lot of the Rolling Stones."The CD will be sold at Hy Winz performances.