Feb. 2013 - Edition 8 by Matthew McGuire

Feb/13

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Hobo Knife 2.0 at the Hangar 9

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Carbondale, Ill â&#x20AC;&#x201D; A music tradition rides on in the southern section of Illinois with the supergroup known as Hobo Knife 2.0 performing at various venues. On 02/08/13 the band rolled into the Hangar 9 with The Mudsills opening the show. It was an aligning of southern Illinois music stars from bring-

ing together musicians in the Woodbox Gang, Bourbon Knights, The Whistle Pigs and variety of other groups on stage during one night. Mortimer Bustos and Hugh DeNeal provide most of the lead vocals and songwriting to the group. Benjamin West and James Ricks bring a solid support system

with a plethora of acoustic instruments. Greg Edwards provides the distant sound to the bass guitar. During an interview with Greg I thanked him for giving Southern Illinois a style of bass that is unique in good and gritty kind of way. John McCall may or may not want to be known as Dr. Satan, so we can move on to Even Sims on the soprano ukulele. The ukulele layers well on certain tracks that have a southern, swampy feel to them. Alex Pape lights up the world with the accordion in the group as well. Overall the group is some of the wildest musicians in the Midwest. They strike audiences with a communally vibe that brings people back for more. Their show with The Mudsills was another example of two bands that love producing music.

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Jerry’s 49th Valentine’s Day p. 4

Carbondale, Ill — Jerry’s Flowers in the downtown shopping center has been in operation since 1964. They are located in between Quatro’s Deep Pan Pizza and a new hair stylist. During the month of February there is a large demand for flowers in general. Valentine’s Day creates one of the largest demands for floral presentations. In order to help express the mood of this event we stopped by Jerry’s shop to see what his shop is all about. The front room is a beautiful showroom of flowers setup to show customers what can be created in the back room. I found out that there is an art and science in floral decoration on Tuesday, February 12. It was inspiring to watch Jerry create pieces of art with different flowers requested by the customer. He works with around a half dozen employees, and incorporates a collaborative approach to providing a service. The shop has been open for over 49 years, and continues to strive in Spring 2013.

Chicago Farmer & Hugh DeNeal Live at The Hangar 9 on 02/14/13

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SCI Fidelity — The title “Build” reflects a descriptive element about the style of music that Lotus consistently produces on and offstage. There has been a steady building of growth in the quality of

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production that the band has been apart of recently. Crowds nationwide are continuing to buzz about the progressiveness that surrounds the group. Lotus has built a strong fan base over the past five

years, and they continue to push new boundaries and audio landscapes with this album. In comparison to their last two albums; “Build” delivers a record that creates the energy of a large venue performance

Album Review: Build Written and Produced by Jesse & Luke Miller can entail. Luke Miller from Lotus discussed the vibe of “Build”. Luke and Jesse Miller produced the album on the SCI Fidel-

ity record label. It marks the band’s tenth album together, and the ten track package is available at: http://lotusvibes.bandcamp.com/album/build

“This album was

recorded live to analog tape in studios in Philadelphia and St. Louis. We used live drums, guitar, bass, Hammond organ, upright piano, analog synths, live percussion, and live horns from the group Rubblebucket, then peppered in electronic elements. The project was mixed through an analog process to give it a deep richness. These songs were written over the course of the past 2 years and road-tested across the country. I think this is our tightest and best sounding album yet. The songs have a largeness that match Lotus move from clubs into premier venues around the country,” Miller said. ‘Break Build Burn’ is the opening song that lays out a contrastive piano with their post-rock edge in their rhythm section. Alex Toth and Kalmia Traver of Rubblebucket add horns to the introductory track to the album. The song has parallels

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that play into the title of the song and the title of the album. I remember interviewing the Miller brothers in 2012 when they were working on this album. This was almost a year ago, and they continued progress on the album for months following. They layered tracks, remastered them in the studio, and eventually built an audio structured masterpiece. Lotus engages listeners and fans in a variety of formats. Before the release of this album

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I read a fan talking about which songs from “Build” that they had heard live in concert. This displays that fans are picking up and sharing new songs faster and faster in the live performance setting. It also shows that Lotus fans are listening in for new music with awaited ears. A piece to some of the best art movements depended on the audiences that supported them over time. The Lotus crowds are diverse, intelligent and willing to support a band that produces music out of love.

That can be seen in other crowds, but it is a growing trend in audiences at Lotus shows nationwide. ‘Uffi’ breaks out the horns for a special mix of electronic gold on the forth track of the album. After hearing a few of these tracks with the added layers of horns, I would like to see a tour with Rubblebucket and Lotus setup in the near future to get this raw energy live on a stage. Luke Miller uses some of these spirited rhythms in his side project Luke the Knife. He will be touring with Future Rock at the end of April. It should be a good tour aside from gearing up for another large summer tour. The album ends with a two punch combo titled ‘Neon Tubes Part 1’ & ‘Neon Tubes Part 2’. The highlight of the record for me was building up my anticipation for these last two tracks, as I would be excited to experience an encore during a live performance. Neon Tubes Part 1 & 2 reminds listeners that Lotus is a metaphorical machine pumping on all cylinders.

Carbondale, Ill â&#x20AC;&#x201D; BoomBox drafted up a hot 2013 Winter Tour with stops throughout the Midwest during the colder months of the year. The duo took to the road to spread their blend of dance music that has people buzzing about it worldwide. This March they are making stops in Atlanta, Ann Arbor, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. as well as many other performances across the country. On Friday, Feb-

ruary 22 BoomBox and Signal Path rolled into Carbondale, Ill for two intimate sets of high energy music. Russ Randolph and Zion Godchaux are from Muscle Shoals, Alabama and find their second home on the road. They were dialed in by phone

for an interview to go over future plans for the band. Q. The band is on an impressive nationwide Spring tour that looks like a lot of hard work. What is your favorite/ least favorite part about Spring touring?

BoomBox at Hangar 9 - 02/22

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A. (Russ) We are not feeling any pressure to sound a certain way. The fact that our only job is to sound like us, you know I think ultimately does make it easier. We are not trying to sound like anybody but ourselves.

Signal Path at Hangar 9 - 02/22

A. (Zion) We pretty much tour all year. The first part of the year we are excited about getting back on the road, but this has been a pretty busy 2013 already for us. I’d say the worst part is, it’s been cold everywhere we are going. A. (Russ) Yeah, the weather is the only issue. Q. Single Path is top notch band to be able to share a piece of a tour with. Do

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you get along well with the guys in Single Path? A. (Zion) No. Those guys are assholes (laughs). No, we love those guys. They are good friends of ours, and they are out with us for another week or so. Q. BoomBox steps outside the box in each genre of music. Does being innovative ever become a problem or do you use it to your advantage?

Q. Are you currently developing a new album? A. (Zion) We are working on a new record right now. I would say it’s %85 done. It will be out within the next few months. Before the show Nick Hess, a photographer and I captured some of the moments as the bands were loading in their gear. During sound check the bass and reverb was rattling everything in the building. I noticed the wires connected to the amplifiers were shaking, the door handles were vibrating, and Nick’s tripod was pulsating from beats by BoomBox. Signal Path and BoomBox brought in additional sound equipment, and one could hear Signal Path tuning up two blocks away. Both sound checks

were impressive and exciting. Signal Path cracked opened the music for the evening with a power packed set of polished electronica. The band is from the mile high state, and brings a powder keg of music for each set. This would be my second time seeing the band. They have performed live at the Summer Camp Music Festival before, and brought the same high energy style of music to the Hangar 9. After the rocked and awed the crowd, BoomBox started to setup their gear for a highly anticipated performance. The Hangar 9 crowd is known for being a music lovers paradise in Southern Illinois. It brings in some of the biggest talent for being one of the tightest venues to fit people inside. The additional sound equipment had the crowd spilling all over the venue. Girls dressed up, and went wild during the starting moments of the BoomBox set. BoomBox per-

BoomBox at Hangar 9 - 02/22

formed at the Copper Dragon in the Spring of 2012, and the Carbondale crowd has been buzzing about it since the set wrapped. There was an even larger buzz for the Hangar 9 set. The band has a unique way of arranging their performances, and it has a way of pulling audiences back for more and more new organic music from the duo. The Friday night set at the Hangar was another solid performance. It was my third time seeing BoomBox perform live on stage. They may have been test driving some new tracks out for the

crowd. In order to find out more on the tracks that were performed I talked with Russ after the show about going over the setlist. He mentioned that the setlist created live on stage. The spontaneous nature in the band is felt when you watching their show live. Anything seems possible, peace of mind and dancing comes easily. Their music is reminiscent of dance therapy in a way. To find out more on the band check out the link at: http://thisisboombox.com

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Delta Sigma Theta Red Extravaganza

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Carbondale, Ill — The 35th Annual Big Muddy Film Festival took place this year from February 20-24. There was screenings in the Student Center Auditorium at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. One of the big delights to attending SIUC is the ability to be in class one moment learning about film and cinema, and the next moment be able to watch pieces of art by award winning filmmakers and produces on campus. On Wednesday, Future Weather was screened at the Student Center midday. Jenny Deller, filmmaker for Future Weather, attended the screening and filled questions from guests. There was a reception following the event that night. The events for Thursday were postponed due to a mild winter storm that hit the area. Film screenings were scheduled for later times. My biggest thrill of the weekend was being able to watch Tremors at Pagliai’s Pizza and Pasta on the strip in Carbondale. It is a classic and may not

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Big Muddy Film Festival

get a chance to be screened in front of festival sized audiences. Sunday was the last day of the festival, and I talked with Silvia Dadian, an executive director for the Big Muddy Film Festival. I asked her what

should people know about this festival. “The films are really good. They are very diverse, and I think that provides diverse audiences a chance to find something they all can enjoy,” Dadian said.

Furthur, Pretty Lights Primus, STS9, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals Keller Williams with the Travelin Mccourys,

Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue,

North Mississippi Allstars, John Scofield Uber Jam Band, The Infamous Stringdusters, Trevor Hall and many more.

NCAA Men’s & Women’s Basketball is gearing up for another big March. The SIUC teams will have a chance to play at the MVC Tournamement Tournament in early March. On Wednesday, February 27 the SIUC Men’s Basketball team beat the University of Northern Iowa (63-57) during their 2013 senior night. Barry Hinson has lead the Salukis to their first five home game win streak at the end of his first turbulent year as head coach. This would be the last time the mens team would play at home for the season. They still have a chance on Thurs-

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day, March 7 to pick up a string of tough wins at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The team should continue to improve over the next three to four years. Their 2013 season

has them currently with less seniors then their juniors and sophomores athletes. It will be interesting to see their performance in the upcoming tournament, and next season.