Capital City Villager :: Volume 1, Issue 9 :: Wed. June 22, 2012 by Capital City Villager

Making Tallahassee more like Tallahassee.

FREE! every two weeks

Got Events? Page 20

Volume 1, Issue 9. June 22-July 5, 2012

Adventures in Racing Page 6

Local Music Page 19

Meet Our New Mascot!!! Page 17

Local Stand-Up Comedy Makes a Comeback

Summer of 1,000 Happy Funs

TWO ALARMS: Fire Destroys “Adrien’s Station “

Adrien Mariner, a community staple in the All Saints community for years, has been spending the last two years (or more) developing the property at 1010 Railroad Ave – just over the railroad tracks but before the entrance to Railroad Square, on the right – into his vision for a community lounge, restaurant, and musical venue already known to friends and neighbors as “Adrien’s Station”. And at about 2am on the morning of Sunday, June 9 – while out of town on a trip – Adrien received a call that his property was burning to the ground. “I got a call. Dude! The station is burning down,” Adrien recalled with his trademark ease and chuckle, sipping a beer days later while standing next to the rubble. “I clicked back over and said, ‘hey, I’m gonna have to call you back.” The building and its contents – which were uninsured -- were declared a total loss by the fire department, which spent an hour battling the blaze and had to call in a second alarm before it was extinguished. (The cause, according to the fire department, was either an electrical failure or lightning.) Inside, Adrien had collected everything from vintage circus and entertainment memorabilia, to furniture and

industrial food equipment – everything he would need to operate a full scale complex when he got to the permitting stage of development. Outside, Adrien had developed the large and tucked away property into a sort of garden wonderland – a lounging area, a garden path, a stage, and an extension collection of nick-knacks and modern sculpture oddities (most of the outside was not harmed by the fire.) Over the years, Adrien had used the property to throw his own private parties for friends – inviting musicians to play at a First Friday barbecue, or gathering folks for some burgers to raise funds for local charities. Now, the inside of the building stands burnt and melted – I-beams are twisted like licorice sticks, glass windows are melted, corrugated sheet metal from the roof warps in all directions – and Adrien has decided to pick it all up and start again. Response to the fire was rapid in the community – within hours a community page was posted on Facebook (search for “Rebuild Adrien’s Station”), and offers to help were pouring in – and an ad hoc committee of his friends had formed to help organize fundraisers. (As of this writing, the Facebook com-

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munity page has 465 members, and is growing.) Friend and community member Michael Strivelli – former owner of Star Seas Café in Railroad Square – has taken on the task of organizing the community effort, and a meeting of eight core organizers was held a week after the fire to plan and organize a series of benefits in the community. That planning work is ongoing – as Adrien and friends remove the charred rubble from the building’s interior and chuck it into construction dumpsters – and an online donation page has been posted at RebuildTheStation.com. That page – for the moment – consists of only a donation button and one line of text, a quote from Adrien: “Dude, quitting is for people who are like, dead.” As of this writing, one fundraiser has been set in stone – a “drinking socially” fundraiser at Fermentation Lounge on Sunday, July 1, when a portion of beer sales will be donated to the cause. Other concerts and benefits are being developed. Please join the Facebook group for updates or to offer assistance, and stay tuned to Villager as we follow the progress of the reconstruction effort. Sorry, Adrien. Total bummer.

I got a call. “Dude! The station is burning down,” Adrien recalled with his trademark ease and chuckle, sipping a beer days later while standing next to the rubble.

HELP OUT: RebuildTheStation.com (to donate) Facebook.com (Search “Rebuild Adrien’s Station”) Sun. July 1 at Fermentation Lounge (“Drinking Socially” fundraiser)

“Atlanta-based Takenobu lifts cello out of its classical moorings and plunges it knee-deep in blues, pop and world melodies.”

LISTEN:

modern. electric. cello. music.

Sat. June 30 | $5. Show at 9:00. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Special screening, with dinner and collectible chalice, of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” TICKET INCLUDES: 1 dinner of Killer (chicken) Rabbit, 1 Grail replica chalice to keep, and 2 fills of Holy Grail Premium Ale. Tickets Available at Fermentation Lounge.

ON DECK: Food Truck Fridays/Live music, beer, wine, and

loads of food trucks/ 7-11p with music 8-10p. (June 29: Forrest Lee. July 6: Maharajah Flamenco Trio.)

Sat. 6/23: Wailin Wolves Band/$5 Thu. 6/28: Villager wtf? revue/

A burlesque, musical, comedy, poetry slam variety show of the bizarre! Benefits Villager. Curtain at 8pm.

Sat. 7/7: CASABLANCA night/

Film screening, Morrocan Food, Palm Readings, Belly dancers. $4 cover

Sat. 7/14: KINO KOLA/Classic Horror films on the big screen. 8:30pm.

. craft beer and artisan wine

Tallahassee’s newest outdoor music venue. Behind the historic Coca-Cola building on All Saints Street. AllSaintsHopYard.com.

BUY LOCAL!/June 22, 2012/ vol. 1 iss. 9/ CapitalCityVillager/

Why the Feds Are Suing Florida for Allegedly Purging Voters By SuevonLee, ProPublica On Tuesday June 12, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Florida over its voter purge program aimed at removing non-citizens from voter rolls. We’ve taken a closer look at the controversy surrounding the program and why the federal government has gotten involved:

So what is Florida doing and why is it so controversial?

Florida has compiled a list of potential non-citizen registered voters using data provided by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. It has sent the list to county election supervisors and requested that the supervisors contact flagged voters to verify their citizenship. In its suit, the Justice department has claimed the data is “outdated and inaccurate” and may mistakenly identify registered voters who are U.S. citizens, depriving them of their right to vote. In response, Florida Gov. Rick Scott has reiterated his support for the initiative, which he says is necessary to preserve the integrity of voting rolls.

Isn’t it important to perform such voter roll purges to make sure voter lists are up-to-date?

Yes, every state must go through its voter rolls in order to account for death, relocation out of state, or change in eligibility due to a criminal conviction or mental incapacitation. And of course, only U.S. citizens are eligible to vote in this country. Florida is not the first state to flag the issue of non-citizen voting: both New Mexico and Colorado have taken similar steps. But Florida’s efforts—direct-

ing county officials to purge suspected non-citizens from the voter rolls—are getting extra attention because it’s happening so close to a presidential election. Florida officials say they’re ordering the purge because of concerns about voter fraud. Such voting fraud appears to be quite rare, perhaps because the penalties are strict—it’s a felony in Florida and many other states—and the payoff relatively modest (a single vote). A 2007 report by the Brennan Center for Justice found very few cases. The report suggested that what was thought to be fraud was more often a result of registration error or other mistakes.

How many non-citizen voters has Florida found?

One hundred and five, according to Chris Cate, spokesman for the Florida Department of State. Those are non-citizens who are registered to vote. Fifty six of them have “a voting history,” said Cate. He could not provide the number of times these people cast a ballot. Florida has 11 million registered voters.

How many U.S. citizens are at risk of being purged from the voter roll?

It’s not clear. Some news reports place the number at 500. Election supervisors in every county have been instructed to send a form letter notifying a person that he or she has been flagged by state driver’s license records for suspect eligibility and must send in proof of citizenship (a U.S. passport, birth certificate or naturalization papers). If a person fails to respond within 30 days, a public notice is published in the newspaper. If another 30 days pass with no response, election

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supervisors can remove that person from the voting rolls.

That gives flagged voters a total of 60 days to object. And isn’t this all happening pretty close to the elections?

Yes, it’s a tight timeframe and that’s why the Justice Department says it’s suing. The federal National Voter Registration Act of 1993 prohibits any action designed to adjust voter registration status 90 days before any federal election. As the government has pointed out, Florida holds its primary election for both parties on August 14 — less than 90 days away. One provision of the law is meant to safeguard against potential error and give residents ample opportunity to challenge any false registration claims well before they head to the polls. That required 90-day window has appeared in litigation between other states and advocacy groups in previous years.

Are county officials following through on the purge?

No, only a few are. Most of the election supervisors in Florida are opposed to the state’s voter purge initiative and have said they won’t follow through on it. Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher, for instance, has refused to contact any of the 115 suspected non-citizens in her county after observing that some of their interactions with the DMV dated as far back as 12 years. “We knew the information was old,” Bucher told ProPublica. Earl Lennard, an election supervisor in Hillsborough County, said his office

won’t contact any more flagged residents “without any corroboration or additional information.” Moreover, the general counsel for the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections has recommended supervisors refrain from taking any further action until the government’s lawsuit is resolved.

If Florida is being too rushed, is there a better way to do it?

It depends whom you ask. The problem with state driver’s license records is that citizenship status can change without the DMV’s knowledge. A noncitizen who obtains a driver’s license and happens to register to vote at that time can become naturalized down the road. This new information won’t be reflected in DMV records unless that person later returned to renew their license. The Florida Department of State acknowledges these potential limitations and has therefore sought to gain access to a federal database known as SAVE, for Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements. That database provides immigration status information to federal, state and local agencies to determine eligibility for public benefits and licenses. The Department of Homeland Security, which maintains the database, has refused to turn over the data; a June 11 Justice Department letter to Florida officials claims they must first give DHS more information about residents. Florida actually sued the federal government on Monday to get the data. In interviews, Gov. Scott has accused the federal government of stonewalling his request, first made in September 2011. That raises the question of why Gov. Scott’s administration has chosen to focus on this initiative now. Florida has

been a key swing state, if not the decider, of past presidential elections. According to the Miami Herald, many of the voters flagged during the process have been registered independent. The Herald also reports that the voter purge was on Scott’s mind ever since early last year. Then-Secretary of State Kurt Browning told the paper he was reluctant to implement the initiative because “we didn’t have our I’s dotted and T’s crossed when I was there.” “I wanted to make sure the data was good if it went out under my name,” Browning told the Herald.

Hasn’t there also been controversy over voter suppression in Florida?

Some critics of the voter-purge initiative say this is just one of a series of steps Gov. Rick Scott has taken to curtail voting rights. Within the last year, Florida Revision 1 has shortened the time frame for early voting, imposed tougher restrictions on Creative Proofer 1: voter registration drives and made Creative Proofer 2: it more difficult for released felons

Such voting CASH MOB: Gaines on June 23 fraud appears With all the constant construction on which will have raffle tickets and other Street it’s easy to see why the swag inside. Through the raffles shopto be quite rare, Gaines local businesses in the area are sufferpers have the opportunity to win hunperhaps because ing. To help out, The City of Tallahassee dreds of dollars in prizes from the local hosting the Gaines Street Cash Mob businesses, such as gift cards good tothe penalties are isfrom noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday June wards clothes, jewelry, food, and more. strict ... and the 23rd. City Commissioner Nancy Miller, For each participating shop, the City will take part in the shopping acwill also contribute to the prize by givpayoff relatively who tivities at the event, said “the City Coming the winner a $25 credit toward his mission believes in the vision for Gaines or her City utility bill. There will be one modest (a single as a revitalization to commercial prize-winner per participating store, vote). Street activity along the corridor and wants but you can win more than once! Error!

to regain the right to vote. One Florida senator has compared the latest initiative with the state’s improper removal of 1,100 eligible felons from voter rolls prior to the 2000 election. The more stringent voting requirements are part of a national trend. Since early 2011, 41 states have introRevision 2 Revision 3 Revision 4 duced bills outlining more restrictive AS Proofer 1: measures on voting procedures. AS Proofer 2:

to support the businesses that are currently located there. This event is designed to bring focus and assistance to these businesses that are affected by construction.” There will be live entertainment from 1-5Date: p.m.3/21 Several of the shops are Insertion Client:sidewalk Keiser-Tallahassee organizing sales, specials, Job Number: 231-1322-CCV-pursue-mba-10x6 and demonstrations. Also the first 250 Product/Pub: Capital City Villager shoppersSize: to stop by the information 10.25 x 5.5 Production: JM table near the stage can grab an official Work Date: 3/12 reusable Gaines Street shopping bag

Hyperlink reference not valid. The Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center lot will be open for public parking during the eventand StarMetro will provide a shuttle from the Civic Center lot to Gaines Street and back between 1 and 3 p.m. For more information you can visit Talgov.com/Gaines , or Facebook.com/ GainesStreet.

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ABANDONED FIELDS RACE: Underestimate at your own risk By Scott Hall I judged a book by its cover last weekend. Twice. And I was wrong both times. The book that I judged was called the Abandoned Fields Adventure Race here in Tallahassee. If you aren’t familiar with this emerging genre, adventure races generally combine one or more endurance events with a series of obstacles or challenges. This can be as easy as a 5K with a few walls to scale or as challenging as, say, the Spartan Death Race (www.youmaydie.com). Adventure racing is growing in popularity fairly rapidly, and that has lead to the unfortunate byproduct of some slapped together races that were either looking to cash in on the trend or simply didn’t have the organizational skills to produce a complicated race. My last experience adventure racing was fairly underwhelming, disorganized, and not challenging, so I paid almost no attention to Abandoned Fields as the date approached on my calendar. Not only did I not increase my training, but I actually decreased it as I was in the middle of a move to a new house. A few days before the race, I finally looked at the website, and realized that I had judged this race wrong. It had a good 8 kilometers of trekking, 15 kilometers of biking, 3 kilometers of paddling, and promised mystery challenges along the way. This was going to be tough and I wasn’t ready for tough. Misjudgment number one in the bag. My teammate, Melissa, and I showed up at Tom Brown Park Sunday morning on June 8 for the start of the race. None of the volunteers seemed to know where to send people, where to go, or what to do. It took us thirty minutes to stash our bikes and then we spent some time staring blankly as convoluted rules were announced through an inaudible PA system. I decided that the whole course was going to be a mess of confusion. And that was my second and final misjudgment. As I silently judged

Courtesy of Endurance Imaging the race, thunder crashed and the skies opened up. Thor himself admonished me for being judgmental. As the rain began to pour, the race had an awesome start and I never once looked back. We began by hunting for a flower with our team number on it. The flower was brought to a race official who then gave us a map and a series of clues for the first of three legs of the course. Each leg of the race had a set number of checkpoints that were either hidden in the woods or guarded by an obstacle. The obstacles were cleverly made and relied on different skills to complete: some were strength based, some balance oriented, and others could easily be solved with the application of some intelligent thought. The rain continued to pour down and before long all of the obstacles were coated in slick red clay. On the final obstacle of the first leg, we were required to walk across three balance beams that got progressively narrower and trickier. I had cleared the first two, but the third was on the verge of defeating me. I was two thirds of the way across

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and getting increasingly wobblier. I wasn’t going to make it, so I looked up at the end of the beam and leaped forward. I came crashing down in the mud beside the beam, with my arm outstretched past the edge of the finish. I looked up at the official and simply said “That counts.” I wasn’t waiting for her to make a ruling. After that, Melissa and I sort of took it easy. Abandoned Fields is great because it is as hard or as easy as you want it to be. You can skip obstacles if you choose. And we chose to enjoy our time together in the woods, goofing around in the rain and the mud, and assisting other racers as they looked for obstacles. There was a great sense of camaraderie amongst everyone competing. Help, assistance, tips, and compliments were all generously shared. We walked down and grabbed our bikes and the volunteer asked us which leg we had next. Melissa answered simply “Lunch.” This race is a gem in the Tallahassee adventure racing circuit. It’s a little pricey, as all adventure races are, but you can easily spend three hours on the

I came crashing down in the mud beside the beam, with my arm outstretched past the edge of the finish. I looked up at the official and simply said “That counts.” I wasn’t waiting for her to make a ruling. course doing innovative tasks on terrain that you probably thought you already knew inside and out. Abandoned Fields is adaptable to all skill levels and I very highly recommend it.

CINEMA

UNDER THE STARS ooo

Food Truck

NOT YOUR MOMMA’S GRILLED CHEESE: 4 Cheeses, Tomato & Fresh Basil

WEDNESDAY LUNCH: 11-1 at Department of Ed. HQ (Turlington Building.)

food that’s fast, not fast food!

friday LUNCH:

11-1 Downtown (College Ave. & Adams St.)

casablanca Sat. July 7, 9pm

● A screening of the classic 1942 love story on the big screen at All Saints Hop Yard. ● Belly Dancers ● Palm & Tarot Readings ● $4 cover to support Capital City Villager

Find our full schedule and menu: StreetChefs.com Perry Bible Fellowship

By Nicholas Gurewitch | PBFComics.com

Great American Sandwich Truck will be serving: ● Morrocan chicken or steak kabobs on pita ● Morrocan Pasta salad ● Couscous fruit salad

Presented by:

PROOFREADING Pay-what-you-like (or don’t) proofreading!

“I just love proofreading. Really.” - Adam Bois Behind the historic Coca Cola Building on all Saints Street, one block from Fermentation Lounge. AllSaintsHopYard.com

Have your papers reviewed at BOISproofreading.com BOISproofreading@gmail.com *Highly recommended by Capital City Villager. BUY LOCAL!/June 22, 2012/ vol. 1 iss. 9/ CapitalCityVillager/

Feature

Inside the local stand-up resurgence

Meet Chief Offense, our new mascot, on page 17.

uch like hardcore pornography (if you go by former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s famous standard), it can be nearly impossible to define what is and what is not funny… “But I know it when I see it.” And this is especially true of stand-up comedy, probably because there are so many factors that go into a good performance -- from the temperature of a room, to the crowd’s mood and personality, to the number of drinks they’ve

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had. And none of these factors is as important as the performer’s poise and confidence, or -- most of all -- material. One thing is certain: stand-up comedy is hard work, and it takes lots of guts and practice. And in the end, months of work and effort alone may not earn you a pay off. With a recent resurgence of stand-up in Tallahassee (which always seems to be on-again, offagain), we thought it was a good time to explore all that goes into a standup act. And local troupe

THE HOWLER MONKEYS were gracious enough to allow our writers Marlene Baldeweg-Rau and Andy Francis to embed themselves in the group’s most intimate moments. We wanted to understand what effort goes into a joke – from concept and work shopping to performance – and learn what it feels like to be up on stage for five hazardous, unpredictable minutes. We definitely came away with a deeper appreciation for stand-up.

By Andy Francis and Marlene Baldeweg-Rau

Waiting in the Shadows

It’s a Monday night, and you are standing in offstage shadows at The Warehouse on Gaines Street, tapping your foot and adjusting your clothing. The MC is making a few jokes at your expense to the general amusement of the crowd as you take one long, frantic last puff on a cigarette. You’re hoping he won’t build you up too much. He yells your name, and it’s go time. You walk onstage, assuming your comic character and trying not to trip on the stairs, as you and the MC awkwardly miss each other’s high five. You exaggerate the miss and the crowd eats it up. You breathe a little and grab the microphone with sweaty hands. And the room falls silent. You did not approach this microphone unprepared. Being relatively fresh, you have only been working on this particular set for, say, six months. A notebook constantly occupied your back pocket once you got serious about being funny. And throughout each day you jotted down little observations and ideas, anything you thought might work its way into your routine. You’ve selected five, worked them and reworked them, tested them in front of people, and now you will find out if all of that effort was worthwhile. ****

It was a year ago on June 12 when Scott Peavy stood on stage for the first time at the ominously-named (for a comedian) Bomb Shelter. Scott, like many of us, has always loved stand-up comedy. But he had never considered giving it a try until he saw a friend perform stand-up a month earlier. Inspired, Peavy decided to take the plunge, and it was later, at Bird’s Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack, where he first – and then frequently – saw a group of local male comedians in their twenties who were positive and welcoming at every show. Peavy was inspired by the communal feel of this group, and he introduced

himself. And in late August, with a collection of seven aspiring comics, Howler Monkeys Comedy Troupe was born. Now, almost a year later, the group has twelve members, a growing following, a logo and merchandise, and regular weekly gigs. ***

Each comic has his or her own process for developing jokes, and for the Howler Monkeys, communal development is an ethos. Their process – more of a loop than a tangent – always starts or comes back to work shopping, a time to create new jokes or comb over material that might need fixing. On a specific Sunday in May when Villager was invited into the group, the Monkeys were meeting at the Chi Phi fraternity house at FSU. First, the members have an opportunity to ask the group for critiques of recent performances. And some jump at the chance, while others go out for a smoke or mill about. The reviews are generally balanced and honest. In one case, the group feels that one Monkey has an innocent enough stage persona to pull off the dirty jokes he had been trying out. Another Monkey – who had been previously encouraged to step out of his comfort zone – was now being cautioned not to stretch the limit too far. And yet another is being encouraged to stop asking the crowd for approval to be funny – to just know that he is. All of this with intermittent comical asides and completely divergent trains of thought. After the critiques – and later into this three hour session of work, distracting laughs, and camaraderie – the topic shifts seamlessly into the development of future material. Members that feel so inclined use this time to throw out some new jokes or ideas they have been working on, and the group offers its feedback. Maybe “this word is funnier than that word,” or “that’s a long way to go for a short punch line.” (Discussion also involved whether or not political humor would be more topical in the coming election season, especial-

ly among the troupe’s somteimes collegiate audience.) And throughout the meeting, there is a strong sense of comedic competition – each comedian trying to make the others laugh the hardest. After the workshops, there are a series of public performance option that escalate in severity. On Tuesdays, the group tends to meet informally at Bird’s to gain some extra comfort in the setting, and mostly to tell jokes around a table. The following night, on Wednesdays – their signature weekly event – they perform at Bird’s in front of friends and the fans they have cultivated over the last year. This tends to be a safer show – still stressful, but with a little less vulnerability and a little more latitude from the audience. A joke that falls flat is likely to be supported by the audience, as are the performers in general. And then on every other Monday night, they perform at The Warehouse -- to the least predictable audience. From time to time, they will be invited on to guest stages (like at the Mickee Faust Club House or the Villaget WTF? Revue), or to open for a musical act – all with uniquely challenging audiences. So in this whole process the joke can be conceived, contributed to, tried in a safe space, honed and crafted in front of the fans, tried in front of a general audience, and brought back to the group for feedback. And since each joke has a relatively limited lifespan (you can’t keep doing the same joke in front of the same people, after all), this support mechanism helps the performers hone their craft more rapidly.

Out of the Gate

By being up on stage at this exact moment, you are saying that you deserve the audience’s attention, and that you will reward it with humor. But in fact, you only have so much control over whether that will happen at this particular moment. For example, when people are hot or uncomfortable, they are less likely to laugh … and Tallahassee isn’t exactly known for its cool summers. Sometimes an audience really digs

In one case, the group feels that one Monkey has an innocent enough stage persona to pull off the dirty jokes he had been trying out. your jokes, but they just don’t show it out loud. Or it also might be an unfavorable space. (Buddy Hackett once explained to Roger Ebert how some stages are bad for comics, depending on whether or not the stage is above or below the audience’s sight lines: “Everybody in the business knows: Up for singers, down for comics,” he told Ebert. “The people want to idealize a singer. They want to feel superior to a comic.”) And sometimes, for various or unknown reasons, a crowd might just be in a bad mood. But regardless, the pressure is on you to entertain. And you must prove to the audience out of the gate that their attention is deserved. ****

There are a variety of ways to plan out the menu of jokes for a show. Some comedians, like Peavy, like to start with their second best joke, aim for funny throughout the set, and end strong with their best joke. And somewhere in there are opportunities to try out some new material. But for others, a different approach. Howler Monkey Connor Simmons prefers to start with an easy joke – maybe 15 to 30 seconds – and “try to prove to them quickly that I can make them laugh.” And choosing this type of comfortable joke, he says, helps to dissolve

>>>>

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Howler Monkeys One-Liners “Where do we keep finding people that will do anything for a Klondike bar?” -Ryan Harris

“I wish I wrote more self-deprecating humor but, I don’t know. Maybe I’m just too stupid.” -Scott Peavy

“If I had a dollar for every time I had to reinstall Windows after a porn-related virus, I could buy a Mac.” -Sam Owens

“I really hope the movie ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’ is a hit so my novel ‘Benjamin Franklin: Werewolf Lover’ can finally be published.” -Will Newton

“I choose my battles carefully. They are usually with defenseless children.” -Will Newton

stage nerves up front, and gives him a chance to size the audience up quickly. It has also been said that as a comedian, you are either following a crowd, or a crowd is following you. Being part of a troupe can help bring the crowd to you, but the audience is still less likely to have a strong attachment with you as

a comedian then they would if, say, you were a nationally recognized comedian. And that means you don’t get as much leeway for the rant, or the monologue, or the long narrative story. So there is more pressure on short humor, or oneliners, and it wouldn’t be hard to burn through your entire joke book in one five minute set if you don’t have something else to entertain with. Some comedians, like Monkey Chuck Rhoads, embrace the awkward pause, for example. He gives a stuttering grunt, or reacts coyly when a joke is softly received – mumbling under his breath or acting exasperated -- and sometimes the awkward moment is better received than a joke he is trying out. This can work to endear him to the audience, and it also helps to make the pace more manageable and the space a little safer for experimentation. Others fill with energy – bouncing around wildly, gesticulating for the crowd, or maybe even yelling. (This approach can have mixed results, but energy never hurts.)

First and Second Joke

The first joke flowed easily, and you quickly established your rhythm, your voice. You act out physical motions as you describe them, take on different characters and viewpoints. You get through the first topic with the crowd firmly on your side. Now it is time to move into some newer material. Despite your obsessive tweaking, you were careful not to over plan exactly how the set would progress: over planning can make you think too much as you try carefully to follow a script, leading to stilted delivery and flow. The first of your new jokes inspires a tepid reaction amongst the audience members; later, you will comb over the material relentlessly in your mind, scanning for weaknesses, tinkering with the sentence structures, the images you used to illustrate your ideas. Looking into the crowd’s now-blank faces, you begin to think that it might just be easier to scrap the whole thing entirely. And as the crowd blinks quietly at

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The Howler Monkeys show the evolution of monkey into comic. you – wondering what you are doing on the stage – you instantly wonder where you had gone wrong. *****

There is no singular formula to jokewriting, and the approaches are as varied as comedic styles. The most memorable comedians deliver jokes in a way that no one else could. And most styles can be grouped in to classifications: observation humor, the shtick, the stereotype, slapstick, literal humor, prop humor, the rant, the story teller. And the styles of the Monkeys are as varied as the members. For example, Rhoads has a stage alter-ego named “Pickles the Clown” that makes an occasional appearance – a belligerent, obnoxious, drunken, yelling clown that “used to play birthday parties, and bat mitzvahs, and boy scout car wash fundraisers” until he “became a registered sex offender.” (The joke there is in the delivery, when Pickles takes screaming umbrage to the act of becoming registered as a sex offender, not the perversion itself.) Others develop their observational humor, or aim for the illusive comic narrative.

Might Lose The Crowd

You opened strong, but the second joke faltered, and your grip on the audience’s attention has loosened. The fear of “bombing” is always planted firmly in the back of your mind -- a lingering little voice. And that internal voice is becoming rapidly louder. Some people have become disengaged and a conversation in the crowd distracts you. You pause for just a moment too long, throwing off the fragile comedic timing you worked hard to earn. But you cannot let these people sense your anxiety. Slowing your breath, you steady your hand. It’s time to get back on track. But then it happens….cutting through the quiet static of the speakers, and over the clank of beer glasses on tables, a voice from the back yells “You Suck!” And you can only pray someone is yelling at the server and not you. ***

A heckle is a challenge of the wits, as one Monkey put it, when an audience member declares to the watchful audience – perhaps drunkenly -- that they are better than you. (And several Monkeys said they have only had respectful and supportive audiences – maybe be-

cause anonymity evaporates in a small town.) This is a time to act -- with suave, wit, and poise – as the comic has only one fast shot to turn a heckle to their advantage. (These things are never a draw.) In one scenario, Peavy was performing when a loud, drunk man started to interrupt the show. Quick on his toes, Peavy responded, “Dad you’re drunk. Go home. Mom’s worried.” The challenge became a victory, and the audience erupted in laughter, giving Peavy all the more respect to continue the show. Still, just as quickly, the anger or insult of the gesture can push you in the wrong direction if you aren’t composed, and once you go down that path it’s not likely you will return. It can even become a career killer. (See: Michael Richards.) All of these skills are honed and crafted, and constant self-analysis can only help – perhaps why many of the great comics are neurotic by nature. And this perpetual development is a mantra for the Howler Monkeys – through constant experimentation, group feedback, and further development. Simmons, for example, stated bluntly of his skill level: “I need to improve my on-stage awareness. I need to break it down and study it. I want to become good enough to read the audience in an instance.”

Classic Tricks/joke organization

The audience loved the way your handled the heckler, but it’s still on the fence and people might just start tuning you out to have their own conversations. Into the emergency kit you go, and you throw out a cheap, dirty joke, which predictably gets a lot of shock value laughs. You move quickly into a joke about a semi-obscure 90’s pop cultural reference, which delights those members of the crowd who are “in” on the joke. This is an old comedian’s trick. *** Everyone has a different ritual to

prepare themselves for their set. Most of the Howler Monkeys will write out the order of their set on a small piece of paper with key words reminding them what joke is next. And many of them will bring a glass of beer on stage, and place it next to the paper on a stool. That way, in between jokes they can casually take a sip and look at the next joke without the audience noticing. For the Howler Monkeys, there are constantly perfecting new jokes and storing them away in a data bank for easy reference, perhaps mentally grouped by category. “This crowd likes crude humor, so cue the dirty joke reel.” Or “This crowd likes the smart jokes, so cue the ironic reel.” And they know which of their jokes always kills, and which ones need more work – an important distinction to know when you are rapidly pulling jokes from storage while on stage.

The finish Line

You start your last joke, a tried-andtrue knockout that you have worked on for months. The rhythm, the descriptions, the carefully placed phrases all lead to the punch-line, which you nail with absolute confidence. Big laughs all around as the crowd rewards you for outsmarting it, and a great note to end on. You thank the crowd for their time (which was only five hour-long minutes) and leave the stage to raucous applause; the MC shakes your hand and gives you a grin as he heads for the microphone. Offstage you shake hands with audience members and receive back-slaps from the fellow comedians in attendance. No one seems to notice that your hands are shaking a little from the adrenaline withdraw, and for a moment you are wondering what exactly you just said. Someone hands you a beer to calm you down. Your heart is soaring and the laughter from the audience will ring in your ears all night. And one week later you will again be standing in those offstage shadows -- anxious, insecure -- and trying to remember this moment and why, exactly, you do this to yourself.

In one scenario, Peavy was performing when a loud, drunk man started to interrupt the show. Quick on his toes, Peavy responded, “Dad, you’re drunk. Go home! Mom’s worried.” The challenge became a victory, and the audience erupted in laughter. TIME MACHINE

CHECK IT OUT Howler Monkeys

howlermonkeys.wordpress.com

Every Wednesday, 9pm Bird’s Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack 325 N. Bronough Street, 32301 Every Other Monday: The Warehouse 706 W. Gaines Street, 32304

Capital City Comedy

10 Years Old Or Older SAT. 10a - 2p

ALL-REQUEST You Call The Shots FRI. 11p - 2a

WORLD MUSIC From Around The Globe SUN. 4p - 6p

SUNDAY JAZZ New & Traditional SUN. 6p - 8p

Traveling acts, on special shows CapitalCityComedy.com Next show: June 29 Caroline Picard & Carolyn Agnew $15 general admission University Bar & Grill 1921 W. Tennessee Street

WVFS Tallahassee 89.7 FM The Voice of Florida State

BUY LOCAL!/June 22, 2012/ vol. 1 iss. 9/ CapitalCityVillager/11

DIABESITY? Elizabeth Markovich, ARNP Owner and Practitioner

30% discount on out of pocket payment.

NOTES FROM

These listings are a small sampling from COCA’s Weekly E-Mail Blast, a free e-mail newsletter for cultural organizations and amateur and professional artists, musicians, writers, dancers, actors, and creative people in all disciplines. To receive the complete COCA weekly e-mail, sign up at www.cocanet. org. COCA’s mission is to serve as a catalyst for development and support of arts and culture in Florida’s capital region.”

Drawing and Painting Instructor for the Gadsden Arts Center

Tallahassee Little Theatre Workshops for Actors (June 16, 23, & 30)

Primary Care for THE WHOLE person with personal attention • Natural alternatives to the traditional medical approach • We provide special testing, and individual treatment • Hormone balancing and Bio-identical hormone therapy • Heart and blood sugar problems, chronic digestive problems, & chronic infections. We help you take charge of your health and body!

INTEGRATIVE HEALTHCARE

850.878.4434

2016 Delta Blvd, Ste 100, 32303 | IHCFL.com

In-network Provider for: Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross/PCP, United, Aetna, Secure Horizons, etc.

Albums • Cassettes • CDs • 8-Tracks Turntables• Speakers • Receivers Minor Turntable Repairs, Belts, & Needles The area’s largest locally owned vintage vinyl selection! 1042 Commercial Drive, 32310 (in Railroad SQ) | 850.574.3300

Instructor wanted for weekly beginner and intermediate/advanced drawing and painting classes at the Gadsden Arts Center. Candidate must have advanced drawing, watercolor, and acrylic painting skills, and studio art teaching experience. Classes are discipline-based with emphasis on individual student development and finding one’s artistic voice. References and portfolio required to apply. Contact: grace@gadsdenarts.org or call850-627-5020.

THE

GREEN DOOR STUDIO presents...

The Perils of Plein Aire Painting

The Tallahassee Little Theatre is offering one day courses for actors. Stage Fighting will be held June 16 and June 30 from 12:30 - 3:30 pm. Warm Up Techniques/Improv will be held June 23 from 12:30 - 3:30 pm. Courses are $25 per person. For more info call (850) 224-8474.

The Bookshelf Midtown Seeking Volunteers

The Bookshelf Midtown is seeking book-loving volunteers to help lead story times, assist with author’s events, and lead book clubs. Volunteers will earn discounts on books and tickets for events. Contact Betsy Jones at contactus@bookshelfandgallery.com or (850) 765-0378 if interested or stop by in person at 1123 Thomasville Road, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am- 6 pm.

Jewelers Wanted for Hot Glass and Jewelry Show (Deadline: August 31)

Fine Arts on commission (850) 878-0412

Senior citizens, check out art opportunities at the Tallahassee Senior Center

12/ CapitalCityVillager/ June 22, 2012/ vol. 1 iss. 9/ BUY LOCAL!

LeMoyne Center for the Visual Arts is seeking entries for its bi-annual Hot Glass and Jewelry Show, “Fabulous, Funky, and Fashionable.” Each jeweler is required to submit one showpiece. Showpiece entries are expected to be “out of the ordinary.” In addition to the showpiece, artists can enter works of functional and wearable pieces. There is no limitation on the number of entries. Call (850) 222-8800 for more information.

J u n e 22-23 , 29 -30 | All shows stArt At 9pm $15 g e n e r Al Adm ission , $10 for stu de nts, se niors , And people with disAbilities 6 2 3 m c d o n n e l l d r i v e , r A i l r oA d s q u A r e

TickeTs available online aT mickeefausT.com or aT The door on show nighTs aT 7:30pm

CapitalCityVillager.indd 1

6/7/12 4:26 PM

BUY LOCAL!/June 22, 2012/ vol. 1 iss. 9/ CapitalCityVillager/13

A Little Bit About What You Are Reading... (850) 320-7806 Tallahassy@Gmail.com TallyVillager.com Joe Berg Publisher

Natalie Minish Associate Publisher

Marlene Baldeweg-Rau Stacey Bosch Catalina Quintana Julia Welling Interns

Contributors In This Issue: Adam Bois, Nora Bonner, Agnes Furey, Tracy Horenbein, Louise Reid Ritchie, Allie Marini, Natalie Minish, Dr. Andy Opel, Jennifer Wells, Matt Willey, and all of our advertisers and the hundreds of businesses who distribute Villager.

illager is an independent and mission-driven publication like no other in Tallahassee. We exist to:

• Bring the community together • Fight for local small business • Encourage local dialogue, shopping, and engagement • Fill gaps left by other media • Chronicle our unique local arts and culture • Cover communities and issues often ignored • Provide education about the issues of the day • And showcase all that Tallahassee has to offer.

In A Perfect World

We are a proud local booster for a stronger, more vibrant and unified Tallahasseee. And our publication is geared towards those who are actively engaged in the community -- through artistic, cultural, civic, or social activities -while we encourage others to become more involved.

CIRCULATION/ DISTRIBUTION:

• 5,000 free copies at 250+ locations, every other Friday. • Saturated distribution: Railroad Square/Gaines Street, Downtown, Midtown, the Monroe Corridor to I-10, and

Market Square. We are also distributed at all area hotels, on all sides of town. • Targeted distribution: Everywhere else.

• View our LOCATION FINDER online at TallyVillager.com, as well as all of our back issues. • And send us your thoughts on how we are doing to Tallahassy@ Gmail.com

By Jerrod Landon Porter | IHeartJLP.com

About Us:

Villager is a free, independent and locally owned publication for arts, culture and news in Tallahassee. We publish every other Wedsnesday and are free to readers and distributors, supported solely by our advertisers -- many of whom are small, local businesses. Our goal is to bring all of Tallahassee together in one place. You can learn more about our mission and history online at TallyVillager.com

Copyright, 2012 Views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of Villager. Advertising Inquiries: Joe Berg at Tallahassy@gmail.com or 850.320.7806 Letters to the Editor: Letters of relevance to Villager content should be addressed to Tallahhassy@Gmail.com, and must include your full name and phone number for confirmation (although this information will not be published.)

14/ CapitalCityVillager/ June 22, 2012/ vol. 1 iss. 9/ BUY LOCAL!

We are only one force for progress in Tallahassee, but we are proud to be the force that advocates...

BUY LOCAL!/June 22, 2012/ vol. 1 iss. 9/ CapitalCityVillager/15

A Community Coffee House With A...

WEDNESDAY

FARMER’S MARKET

3-6p.m. every Wednesday. Amazing locally grown produce and goods. It doesn’t get fresher that this!

229 Lake Ella Dr., 32303. (850) 224.2518

16/ CapitalCityVillager/ June 22, 2012/ vol. 1 iss. 9/ BUY LOCAL!

The following is a submission to our Fiction in 500 Words Challenge, an ongoing series. However, we are now tranisitioing the series to non-fiction for future submissions. Learn more at TallyVillager.com, and email you submissions to Tallahassy@Gmail.com (subject line: “500 Word Challenge.”)

By Carla Jerez I wonder if women past a certain age are loveable. I wonder this every time I see a lonely middle-aged woman, and I almost always come to the conclusion that there’s an expiration date on lovability. Mom might be there soon — I know she just looks tired because she probably spent the morning crying, but the black droop beneath her eyes is very telling. “I don’t know where you find the time to listen to all of this crap,” she huffs as she carries a cardboard box filled with my records away from the trunk of the SUV. “I guess you have a lot of time when you’re unemployed.” I don’t say anything because I know it’s just a show for Dad. Her smile will pop out of her needled lips once he’s gone, and she’ll ask me to tell her about the trip, to play a James Taylor record for her while she fiddles with the coffeemaker. “Play that Carly one,” she’ll hum the tune. Then she’ll compliment me for wearing the ugly brown sweater she got me after the divorce because it, “smoothes out your broad shoulders. Makes you look petite.” If it actually did she might call me a slut like Dad’s pint-sized girlfriend, so I’m glad it just makes me look unthreatening, like bad carpet. Dad is taking his time, rummaging through my stuff with a small smile, as if he were looking through his little box of influence. “R-a-g-g M-o-p-p,” he sings while

looking at the back of the 50s Greatest Hits. “This one was mine,” he gives me a sly smile, as if this is some kind of inside joke. I snatch it out of his hand and shove it back into the box. “Are you okay, Hon?” I want to yell. I want to tell his stupid, ageless face that I was the only one who used that record player anyway, and that he shouldn’t have sold it because I could have easily replaced the needle. I want to grab at the dark curls on top of his head and tell him that he doesn’t deserve that much hair and that the real gem on that record is “Rock And Roll Waltz,” not “Rag Mop.” “I just don’t want them out of order,” I say. Dad hesitates. Then he nods and hands me the box, placing a neat, smacking kiss on my forehead. “You be a good young lady, alright?” I cringe and smile, because I hate it when he calls me that. “Bye Dad.” He waves at Mom, who gives him a sort of head tilt, and he hugs me one last time. The box is still between us, awkwardly pressing against my stomach. “Lady,” I think as his car pulls back out onto the street and the rosemary hanging from the rear-view mirror waves at me. A pissed off rodent is scratching at the inside of my stomach, and I know that I’m going to have the shits for days.

A Letter From Our Mascot: YOOOOO Tallahassee! I’m so thrilled to have been chosen as the official mascot for Capital City Villager! This is, like, totally rock awesome! Although, bros, if I can be totally honest… I’m not surprised. After all, I am not just any old FSU Football fan. I am THE FSU FOOTBALL FAN. Like, footballs to the wall fandom. I think if you knew a little bit about me, you would have to agree: First off, my name – and I officially changed my name to this with the government – is Chief Offense. (That’s “OFF-ense”, as in offense and defense. Not “of-FENSE”, as in offensive. People get that wrong all the time, and it really burns my feathers.) And I am always – I mean ALWAYS – in my FSU football get-up. It doesn’t matter where. Class. The bar. Job interviews. Family gatherings. I live and breathe FSU football, and if some potential “employer” can’t handle that fact, or thinks “this will really bother my customers,” than it’s no place I want to work anyway. (… Actually, I haven’t found any place that I want

to work, so if anyone out there is hiring, Twitter me up at ChiefOffenseFSU. See my qualifications below.) I am now in year 9 of awesome FSU glory, and while I haven’t picked a major yet, I have dabbled in sports observation (not an actual class yet, but something I hope to teach one day), sports management, home economics (I think), and molecular biology (briefly.) And while my parents, and the school, and my probation officer, and all of my friends think I should make a decision and get on with life, I say “HEY! Dudes. What’s the rush?” They just aren’t crazy about FSU like I am. Anyway, I’m thrilled to finally be getting the recognition I deserve for defending the school’s name and pulling us through to some tough victories. And I totally look forward to being a regular fixture in Villager.

“A treasure trove of awesome...this is my favorite shop to buy dresses, jewelry, ... decor, and cute stuff!” - Hanaka A. on Yelp

You WILL find the gift she loves... In the Cottages at Lake Ella. QuarterMoonImports.com

Spears and Beers! Chief Offense

BUY LOCAL!/June 22, 2012/ vol. 1 iss. 9/ CapitalCityVillager/17

Real Cinema Rescue 3D

The Challenger Learning Center’s newest 3D IMAX-format film, Rescue 3D is a journey of real-world disaster and emergency response captured with unprecedented scale and impact for the giant screen of the IMAX theater. The film follows a Canadian naval commander, two pilots, and a volunteer rescue technician as they train for action. When an earthquake strikes Haiti, creating one of the biggest humanitarian disasters of the century, the audience is swept along, joining with the massive effort that brings military and civilian responders and hardware from around the world. Now Showing Challenger Learning Center 200 South Duval Street www. challengertlh.com

Ballets Russes

“Fame, glamour, ego, politics, money, war , love... and dance.” Oh and also a fundraiser in celebration of Pas de Vie’s 25th anniversary. Admission includes two mimosas or premium sparkling fruit beverages with treats and sweets from Au Peche Mignon. There will also be a silent auction with items and services from local artisans and merchants. Saturday, June 23rd, 8:00 PM All Saints Cinema 918 1/2 Railroad Avenue rethinkenergyflorida.org 850.386.4404

To Kill A Mockingbird

This special 50th anniversary showing will include special guest speaker Diane K. Roberts, who is an essayist, author, and professor of creative writing at Florida State University. This is a film adaptation of Harper Lee’s bestselling novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, which tells the story of a lawyer who agrees to defend a black man in a racially divided, Alabama town in the 1930’s. Sunday, June 24th, 5:00 PM

Classic or not-so-mainstream films playing in June & July. All Saints Cinema 918- ½ Railroad Avenue www.tallahasseefilms.com 850.386.4404

The Salt of Life

An Italian foreign film with English subtitles, The Salt of Life features Gianni, a retiree who has become invisible to almost everyone around him. In response, he attempts to generate some kind of extracurricular love life. Friday June 29, 6 PM Saturday June 30, 5 PM Sunday July 1, 5 PM All Saints Cinema 918- ½ Railroad Avenue www.tallahasseefilms.com 850.386.4404

Casablanca

Not much needs to be said here. It's Casablanca. If you've seen it, you know why it's great – impeccable story structure, compelling love-story arch, tightly crafted production, and spot on passive-aggressive Nazi hating. If you haven't seen it, here's your chance. Showing on the outdoor screen once the sun goes down. The event also features a palm reader, bellydancers, and a special Morrocan menu provided by the Great American Sandwich Food Truck. $4 cover, which benefits Capital City Villager. Of all the early-20th-centurysoda-distributor-warehouses-madeoutdoor-craft-beer-and-wine-venues in the world, you should probably walk into this one. Saturday, July 7, 8:30 (or sundown) All Saints Hop Yard 453 All Saints Street AllSaintsHopYard.com

Trash Cinema Night Double Feature!

Trash Cinema Night’s Double Feature will include the 1988 blood soaked fright fest, “Night of the Demons” followed by the legendary misogynistic slice of slasher schlock, 1982’s “Pieces”!

18/ CapitalCityVillager/ June 22, 2012/ vol. 1 iss. 9/ BUY LOCAL!

All Saints Cinema in the historic Amtrak Station next to Railroad Square: The largest film society of its kind in the Southeast. It’ll be a night to remember... in the middle of the night, when it’s dark, and you’re walking to the kitchen for a glass of water, or as the trashy host of the Cinema puts it “a night to dismember as your senses are bombarded with blood, breasts and beasts”. Showing at Bird’s Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack home of some damn good burgers. So come check out these two classics, brace yourself and grab a juicy comfort burger, see if you can keep it down and enjoy the show. Saturday, July 7th, 9:00pm Bird’s Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack 325 N Bronough St search facebook: Trach Cinema Night

The Street Fighter and Sister Street Fighter, (1974)

The Kino-Kola double feature at the Hop Yard will have a little something for him and her this month. The Street Fighter—first film to receive an X-rating in the United Sates... for violence that is—has plenty of stomach turning ultra-violent fighting action. Ruthless martial-arts fighter Tokuma Tsurugi

is a high priced, half breed mercenary hired by the Yakuza to kidnap a Japanese billionaire’s daughter in an effort to seize her deceased father’s assets. And of course, tragedy ensues—a loved one dies, a sister is sold into prostitution, and revenge becomes the hunter. As the ass-kicking anti-hero—realizing he can be a good killing machine—turns hero, wrongs are brutally righted. Sister Street Fighter is the spin-off of Street Fighter with Sue Shiomi, who delivers plenty of girl-power kickass and just as many memorable gory scenes. Koryu Lee is the favorite daughter of the virtuous Shorinji Kempo School of Karate. Her brother, Mansei, has gone missing, presumably uncovered as an agent working to bring down a Yokohama drug baron named Kakuzaki. She flies to Yokohama and starts digging into the underworld to find her brothers whereabouts. Cue the violence, and blood. Saturday, July 14th, Dusk All Saints Hop Yard 453 All Saints St AllSaintsHopYard.com Compiled by Natalie Minish

CARROUSEL: Local, Original, and Ascending “Tallahassee is a great city to make records in,” Piedt explained. “There are fantastic musicians here that aren’t up on pedestals.“

By Tracy Horenbein Joel Piedt’s destiny was probably determined at birth. Growing up with musical siblings in Memphis, Tennessee, the odds of him becoming a musician were probably pretty good. After graduating from Covenant College in Chattanooga, he headed south to Tallahassee with a plan; Piedt was going to spend three months recording songs with a friend and musical partner. Three years later, he was calling Tallahassee home, and had created a beautiful album. While some of us were figuring out how to suppress voters and re-route traffic, an artistic storm was brewing in Piedt’s house and in his head. He explained the process that he and friend Brad Fant created for their musical project Carrousel. “My friend Brad had all this recording gear, and we just moved it into our living room,” said Piedt. “I had about 85 percent of the songs written, and Brad was a great compliment part writer.” It turned out to be a very productive partnership. Piedt and Fant wrote, performed, engineered, and mixed everything themselves, recruiting members

of the FSU symphonic group to add strings. “The initial goal was to set aside 3 months in the Summer of 2009,” said Piedt. “I’m so glad that it didn’t happen that way because the songs would have been premature. “We began recording and this world of sound started unfolding. It became a process of chasing that sound.” The sound they created turned out to be a lush tapestry of musical textures. It ended up being the perfect backdrop for the romantic and emotional stories that inspired the songs. “Chris Coady (Beach House, Grizzly Bear) was going to mix our album, and he’s a fantastic producer and engineer, but we realized that our vision was so specific. We knew that nobody but us could finish this album,” said Piedt. During the process, he began going through his own personal cultural renaissance. A close friend gave him some good advice. He was told there are two ways to go about becoming a good writer: One way is to study theory, and the other is to listen to everything under the sun and come up with your own synthesized style. Piedt thought the

second way sounded a lot more fun. “I started listening to everything,” he said. “Particularly lots of romantic era classical, jazz, and classic rock.” The crate digging led to an important moment of clarity for Piedt. “I’ll never forget,” said Piedt. “I was in Tallahassee, alone in this apartment, and I picked up the classical guitar and started working on a song. All of a sudden this voice came out that I had never heard before, and I realized that this was it. That was the way I needed to sing.” Piedt began utilizing his falsetto ability, and started re-crafting his songs around the modern romanticism that he was hearing in his head. The story unfolded. “The album is about a girl named Mi’chelle,” he explained. The girl went to France, and Piedt began immersing himself in the art and literature of 1920’s France. He read Hemingway’s A Movable Feast, Gertrude Stein, and listened to French composers. “Yes, in a sense, it’s a breakup album,” said Piedt. “But the underlying story is about letting go.”

Carrousel’s album is titled 27 Rue De Mi’chelle, and was released in May of 2012. Piedt and a varying cast of supporting players have performed a limited number of shows supporting the album, and also have several amazing videos on YouTube and Vimeo. The album is available for free on bandcamp (carrousel.bandcamp.com), and for purchase on iTunes. Before calling Tallahassee home, Piedt considered moving to Portland, Nashville, or Los Angeles to make music. Not only was his decision a great addition to our city’s music scene, but it demonstrates how going against the grain can work for people with vision. While so many musicians are moving out of Tallahassee to follow their musical path, Piedt backwards engineered his own map. “Tallahassee is a great city to make records in,” Piedt explained. “There are fantastic musicians here that aren’t up on pedestals. In any other city, the quality of musicians that we have here would be unattainable for me.” Piedt has already started working on his next musical narrative, which he also plans to record in Tallahassee. “The first album took place in France,” said Piedt. “The next one is going to take place in Memphis, emotionally speaking. There’s going to be a lot more soul on the next record.”

BUY LOCAL!/June 22, 2012/ vol. 1 iss. 9/ CapitalCityVillager/19

NIGHTLIFE EVENTS Date

Thru

Starts

Title

Venue

09:00 PM

Karaoke

010:30 PM

Submit free event listings online at TALLYVILLAGER.COM Info

Street

Episodes

find us on facebook

2122 W Pensacola St

Booze and Brains Trivia with Hank

Mockingbird Cafe

www.mockingbirdtallahassee.com

1225 N Monroe St

Live Trivia with Jonny Ray

Pockets Pool and Pub

www.pocketspoolandpub.com

2810 Sharer Rd

08:00 PM

Open Mic

Tally Peace Market (in RRSQ)

find us on facebook

1007 Commercial Dr

05:00 PM

Hospitality Night

Waterworks

www.waterworkstallahassee.com

1133 Thomasville Rd

07:30 PM

Trivia Night with John France and his Orchestra

Bird’s Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack

www.birdsoystershack.com

325 N Bronough St

09:00 PM

Throwback Tuesdays! 50’s to Present Day

Episodes

find us on facebook

2122 W Pensacola St

09:00 PM

Karaoke Night

Midtown Pass

www.midtownpass.com

1019 N Monroe St

Karaoke

Pockets Pool and Pub

www.pocketspoolandpub.com

2810 Sharer Rd

010:00 PM

All You Can Smoke Tuesdays

Caffe Shisha & Hookah Lounge

www.cafeshisha.us

1416 W Tennessee St

010:30 PM

Big Contest Wednesday

AJ Sports Bar and Grill

www.ajsportsbar.net

1800 W Tennessee St

08:00 PM

Jam Sessions by Joe Goldberg

B Sharp’s Jazz Club

www.b-sharps.com

648 W Brevard St

09:00 PM

Comedy Night

Bird’s Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack

www.birdsoystershack.com

325 N Bronough St

Bomber Babe Night

Bomb Shelter

www.barnaclebills.com

1830 North Monroe St

09:00 PM

Little Black Dress Night @ L8

Hotel Duval Level 8

www.hotelduval.com/

415 N Monroe St

08:00 PM

DJ and Free Bowling

Pockets Pool and Pub

www.pocketspoolandpub.com

2810 Sharer Rd

05:00 PM

Happy Hour Open Mic Night

Tasty Eats Beer Garden

find us on facebook

602 Industrial Dr

08:00 PM

Open Mic

The Warehouse

www.openmikes.org

706 W Gaines St

08:00 PM

The BOOC Band

B Sharp’s Jazz Club

www.b-sharps.com

648 W Brevard St

09:30 PM

Karaoke with DJ Shower

Bird’s Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack

www.birdsoystershack.com

325 N Bronough St

06:00 PM

Food Truck Thursday with Live Music!

Food Truck Hub

www.streetchefs.com

300 W Tharpe St.

09:00 PM

Live Jazz!

Hifi Jazz Cafe

www.hifijazzcafe.com

1617 S Adams St

010:00 PM

Open House Conspiracy

The Warehouse

(850) 222-6188

706 W Gaines St

09:00 PM

Science Salon

Waterworks

www.waterworkstallahassee.com

1133 Thomasville Rd

09:00 PM

Open Mic Night!

What ? Cafe

www.whatcafe.com

1940 N Monroe St #76

08:00 PM

Karaoke Night

Po’ Boys Creole Cafe

www.poboys.com

1425 Village Square Blvd

07:00 PM

Food Truck Round Up: with live music

All Saints Hop Yard

www.allsaintshopyard.com

453 All Saints St

08:00 PM

Friday Night Jazz

B Sharp’s Jazz Club

www.b-sharps.com

648 W Brevard St

08:00 PM

Scrabble Night

Black Dog Cafe

find us on facebook

229 Lake Ella Dr

98145.452

05:00 PM

Gay Night

Club Rehab

find us on facebook

926 W Tharpe

09:00 PM

Live Jazz!

Hifi Jazz Cafe

www.hifijazzcafe.com

1617 S Adams St

06:00 PM

Throwback Fridays

Hotel Duval Level 8

www.hotelduval.com/

415 N Monroe St

010:00 PM

Stetsons On The Moon

The Moon

www.222moon.com

E Lafayette St

010:00 PM

DJ and Dancing

Waterworks

www.waterworkstallahassee.com

1133 Thomasville Rd

08:00 PM

Sing Sing Karaoke

What ? Cafe

www.whatcafe.com

1940 N Monroe St #76

010:00 PM

Karaoke Dance Party

AJ Sports Bar and Grill

www.ajsportsbar.net

1800 W Tennessee St

09:00 PM

Live Jazz!

Hifi Jazz Cafe

www.hifijazzcafe.com

1617 S Adams St

08:00 PM

DJ Gummy Bear

Midtown Pass

www.midtownpass.com

1019 N Monroe St

010:00 PM

Out & Out LGBTQA Party

Paradigm

find us on facebook

115 W College Ave

RECURRING EVENTS Mon.

Tue.

Wed. Summer

Thur.

Fri. Summer & Sat.

& Sat. Sat.

20/ CapitalCityVillager/ June 22, 2012/ vol. 1 iss. 9/ BUY LOCAL!

010:00 PM

Grown Folks Night

The Moon

www.222moon.com

E Lafayette St

06:30 PM

Live Acoustic Music

The Marinated Mushroom

www.themarinatedmushroom.com

2746 Capital Circle

Walker Paramore

Black Dog Cafe

find us on facebook

229 Lake Ella Dr

Jungo! a bingo type game

Waterworks

www.waterworkstallahassee.com

1133 Thomasville Rd

08:00 PM

King Cotton

5th Ave Taproom

find us on facebook

234 E Seventh Ave

7: 00 pm

Moonshine Dirt Reunion

All Saints Hop Yard

www.allsaintshopyard.com

453 All Saints St

08:30 PM

Sarah Mac Band

The Warehouse

(850) 222-6188

706 W Gaines St

09:00 PM

Truett Lollis

5th Ave Taproom

find us on facebook

234 E Seventh Ave

08:00 PM

Wailin Wolves Band

All Saints Hop Yard

www.allsaintshopyard.com

453 All Saints St

08:00 PM

The Family Tree’s Disco Dance

American Legion

www.floridalegionpost13.org

229 Lake Ella Dr

08:00 PM

Bryan Lee “Braille Blues Daddy”

Bradfordville Blues Club

www.bradfordvilleblues.com

7152 Moses Lane

06:00 PM

Scots on the Rock

Kleman Plaza

www.talgov.com/parks/sizzlin.cfm

300 S Duval Street

07:00 PM

Moonpie Fever then Wanderfoot w/BAET

Mockingbird Cafe

www.mockingbirdtallahassee.com

1225 N Monroe St

06:30 PM

Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers

The Moon

www.222moon.com

E Lafayette St

08:00 PM

Zack Michael and Nora Bonner Live

RedEye Coffee in Midtown

www.tothevillagesquare.org

1122 Thomasville Rd

07:30 PM

Deja Blu

Po’ Boys Creole Cafe

www.poboys.com

1425 Village Square Blvd

Sun. FRI. JUNE 22

SAT. JUNE 23

SUN. JUNE 24 - SAT. JULY 7 24-Jun

06:00 PM

Live Talk Show Taping/ Drag Show

Bomb Shelter

www.barnaclebills.com

1830 North Monroe St

26-Jun

07:00 PM

Americana Jam: hosted by Mimi and Hearndogs

Mockingbird Cafe

www.mockingbirdtallahassee.com

1225 N Monroe St

27-Jun

07:00 PM

Deja Blu

Mockingbird Cafe

www.mockingbirdtallahassee.com

1225 N Monroe St

28-Jun

Monthly

08:00 PM

Villager WTF? Revue

All Saints Hop Yard

www.allsaintshopyard.com

453 All Saints St

28-Jun

6/29/12

011:00 PM

John Sutton Band

Bullwinkles

www.bullwinklessaloon.net

620 W Tennessee St

28-Jun

07:00 PM

Houston Deese - Trent Tomlinson and Tobacco Rd Krewe de Gras

find us on facebook

1304-B N Monroe St

28-Jun

07:00 PM

Cheap and Easy then For The Hell Of It

Mockingbird Cafe

www.mockingbirdtallahassee.com

1225 N Monroe St

28-Jun

09:00 PM

Crashing Broadway/ Robbin Thieves

Episodes

find us on facebook

2122 W Pensacola St

29-Jun

08:30 PM

Debbie Davies

Bradfordville Blues Club

www.bradfordvilleblues.com

7152 Moses Lane

29-Jun

08:00 PM

Drew Tillman Live

Midtown Pass

www.midtownpass.com

1019 N Monroe St

29-Jun

08:30 PM

Live Jazz, Funk, R&B

Nefetari’s (Amen-Ra)

www.kingpent.com

812 S Macomb St

29-Jun

08:30 PM

Capital City Comedy ~ “Comedy Zone Returns”

Varsity Grill & Bar

capitalcitycomedy.com

1921 W Tennessee St

30-Jun

07:30 PM

Takenobu: Live on Stage

All Saints Hop Yard

www.allsaintshopyard.com

453 All Saints St

30-Jun

08:30 PM

The Legendary JC’s

Bradfordville Blues Club

www.bradfordvilleblues.com

7152 Moses Lane

30-Jun

06:00 PM

Wandering Dogs / Kangaroo Court

Kleman Plaza

www.talgov.com/parks/sizzlin.cfm

300 S Duval Street

30-Jun

07:00 PM

The New 76ers

Mockingbird Cafe

www.mockingbirdtallahassee.com

1225 N Monroe St

1-Jul

07:00 PM

Drinking Socially (Adrien’s Station)

Fermentation Lounge

www.fermentationlounge.com

113 All Saints St

5-Jul

05:00 PM

10 Years plus Fair To Midland / Kyng

Coliseum

find us on facebook

1833 W Tennessee St

5-Jul

07:30 PM

Sol Driven Train - Tab Benoit

The Moon

www.222moon.com

E Lafayette St

05:00 PM

First Friday At the Lounge

Fermentation Lounge

www.fermentationlounge.com

113 All Saints St

6-Jul

07:00 PM

Sharla June & The Mayhaws

Mockingbird Cafe

www.mockingbirdtallahassee.com

1225 N Monroe St

6-Jul

06:00 PM

Coop Cafe Night

New Leaf Market

www.newleafmarket.coop

1235 Apalachee Pkwy

7-Jul

09:00 PM

Casablanca night

All Saints Hop Yard

www.allsaintshopyard.com

453 All Saints St

010:00 PM

Live Music and Trash Cinema Night

Bird’s Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack

www.birdsoystershack.com

325 N Bronough St

The Scott Holt Band

Bradfordville Blues Club

www.bradfordvilleblues.com

7152 Moses Lane

6-Jul

7-Jul 7-Jul

Ea. 1st Fri

Ea. 1st Sat

BUY LOCAL!/June 22, 2012/ vol. 1 iss. 9/ CapitalCityVillager/21

Hodge Podge Date

Thru

Submit free event listings online at TALLYVILLAGER.COM

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