TABLE OF CONTENTS
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MAGAZINE
Volume 7 • Issue 11 • November 2017 WRITERS: Scottie Brown • Terry Canter Bob Cheesman • Corrina Drost Rachael Lamb • Dawn Lemay Shobha N. Lizaso • Diane Nachman Marissa Puckett • Liz Stokes PHOTOGRAPHERS: Jordan Kruger • Neal Nachman
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Music News.............................3 November Scrapbook..........13 Album Reviews....................19 Club Calendar........................22 Event Calendar......................23 PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Neal Nachman
DIRECTOR OF SALES & PROMOTIONS: Liz Stokes GRAPHIC ARTIST: Neal Nachman
DIRECTOR OF MULTI-MEDIA PRODUCTIONS: Kenny Moore ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Liz Stokes LEGAL COUNSEL: Shobha N. Lizaso
EDITORIAL INQUIRIES: editorial@fullaccessmagazine.com
PUBLISHED BY: Full Access Magazine • 9713 Takomah Trail • Tampa, FL 33617 813.400.3110 (Office) • 813.200.3916 (Fax)
© 2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED • No part of Full Access Magazine may be reproduced in any form by any means without prior written consent from Full Access Magazine.
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Merle Haggard Museum Planned for Downtown Nashville Merle Haggard's legacy as an icon of country music and his longtime friendship with the late Johnny Cash are both soon to be celebrated with the opening of the Merle Haggard Museum in downtown Nashville. Bill and Shannon Miller, founders of Icon Entertainment Group, and the owners of the flourishing Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline museums on Third Avenue have worked with the late singer's family, including his widow, Theresa Haggard, to curate performance outfits and musical instruments, along with professional and personal possessions from the entertainer, who died on his 79th birthday, Gospel group the McCrary Sisters joined Rolling Stones guitarist during Nashville tribute concert honoring late country legend The Haggard-centric museum, which will feature interactive exhibits, will open right next door to Cash's, which is just below the space dedicated to Cline and her career. As a bonus attraction, the site will also be home to Merle's Meat + 3 Saloon, a Hag-themed restaurant and bar featuring Southern home-cooking and potent potables. The restaurant will be operated by longtime Nashville restaurateur David Swett. The Swett family first opened their famed Swett's restaurant in Music City in 1954. Today's announcement coincides with the 50th anniversary of Haggard's "Sing Me Back Home," the autobiographical single that became the former San Quentin Penitentiary inmate's third chart-topping single after its release on this day in 1967. Located at 121 Third Avenue South, Merle’s Meat + 3 Saloon will be on the ground level with the Merle Haggard Museum on an upper floor. The projected opening for both is the summer of 2018. Blake Shelton Summons 'Country Music Freaks' for Headlining 2018 Tour Blake Shelton may enjoy the comforts of 3
home on his upcoming LP Texoma Shore, but with that album due to be released this Friday, the Voice coach has announced new plans to hit the road early in 2018. The 14-date Country Music Freaks Tour kicks off in February with support from Brett Eldredge, Carly Pearce and Trace Adkins. Ahead of the NBC singing competition's 13th season, here are the performances that made coaches spin around Last winter, Shelton made a similar monthlong run of shows called the Doing It to Country Songs Tour, but while that trek focused on the West Coast this one will predominantly take place in the Midwest and Southeast. Kicking off February 15th with a show at Tulsa's BOK Center in Shelton's home state of Oklahoma, it will stop twice in Texas and once in LA, before wrapping up March 17th at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Shelton also debuted the new song "At the House" from Texoma Shore early this morning. A not-so-subtle ode to enjoying a night in and "losing something black and lacy in the couch" rather than partying with the boys, it's another breezy slice of domesticity from Shelton to accompany the album's lead single, "I'll Name the Dogs," which was released last month. The pull of home is an appropriate theme for an album that was recorded at Lake Texoma on the Texas-Oklahoma border, not far from the singer's hometown of Ada. Hear "At the House" below. Texoma Shore is the follow-up to If I'm Honest and will be released November 3rd on Warner Bros. Nashville.
Niall Horan Becomes Third One Direction Member With Number One Album Niall Horan became the third member of One Direction to score a Number One album in America as the singer's solo debut Flicker debuted atop the Billboard 200. Flicker sold 152,000 total copies in its first week of release – a number assisted in part
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by a deal that coupled physical albums with concert ticket purchases – to allow Horan to join Harry Styles and ex-band mate Zayn Malik as One Direction singers with solo Number Ones. One Direction match only the Beatles as non-supergroup bands that have produced three chart-topping solo members, as the Fab Four's John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney all landed at Number One with solo LPs, Billboard reports. Ringo Starr peaked at Number Two with Ringo in 1973, while One Direction's Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson have yet to release solo albums. "My mind is completely blown. An album that I wrote has gone to #1 in the United States and I cannot thank you guys enough for supporting it," Horan wrote in a statement after Flicker's big week. "It's been a crazy couple of years for me between writing, recording and promoting this record. Today it really feels like all the hard work has paid off."
Marilyn Manson Splits With Twiggy Ramirez After Rape Allegations Marilyn Manson has split with his longtime bassist and guitarist Jeordie White after the musician, also known as Twiggy Ramirez, was accused of rape. "It definitely could have crushed my skull and my ribs," singer said of concert mishap, which resulted in nine canceled tour dates "I have decided to part ways with Jeordie White as a member of Marilyn Manson," Manson wrote on Twitter. "He will be replaced for the upcoming tour. I wish him well." On Instagram, Manson added, "This is a sad day." White's departure from the band comes after Jessicka Addams, singer of the band Jack Off Jill, accused him of rape and abuse in an October 20th Facebook post. Addams detailed what she claims was a
tumultuous relationship with White, which began in the early Nineties when she was 18. Over time, according to Addams, White's temper grew worse and his violence towards her escalated from emotional abuse and fat-shaming into physical attacks. Addams claimed that White raped her when he returned home on a break from tour while Manson was opening for Nine Inch Nails. "I knew at that point that Jeordie had not been faithful on tour, including being with women whom I to this day respect and considered my musical contemporaries," Addams said. "All this led to an argument I never saw coming. He forced me on to the floor with his hand around my neck. I said NO. I said NO. I said it so loud enough, that [Addams' roommate] Pete came rushing in from the other room to get him off of me. But I had been raped. I had been raped by somebody I thought I loved." In her post, Addams spoke about the feelings of "guilt and shame" that followed her in the aftermath of the alleged attack, especially as she continued to move in the same circles as White (Jack Off Jill toured with Manson in 1999). She said these feelings were exacerbated when her record label warned her not to go public with her story because Jack Off Jill could be "blackballed by concert promoters, radio programmers, and other bands and their managers… The label blatantly feared the big machine behind Marilyn Manson would use their power to destroy not only Jack Off Jill, but my name, Jessicka, as well. The pressure and guilt of the inevitable repercussions of my rape story affecting my band's livelihood, happiness and success kept me silent for years." Addams did not immediately return a request for comment. White has yet to publicly respond to Addams' allegations and attempts to reach him were unsuccessful.
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Most bands or artists have a specific genre that they fall into, but there is a certain artist that is so unique; there really is no-one like him. He is a little bit Rock n’ Roll, a little swing with some blues, and punk all mixed in. It's called Rockabilly. And I had the pleasure of talking with 3-time Grammy award winner Brian Setzer. He also is the founder and lead singer of the Stray Cats and of his 19-piece Brian Setzer Orchestra as a solo artist.
I spoke with Brian about his upcoming Christmas Rocks Tour, which has been a sell out for the last 13 tours. Finally, he is coming to Florida for 3 dates! Brian tells me that this all came about when he was asked to do a rock n’ roll version of a classic Christmas song Jingle All The Way for the movie,"Jingle All the Way," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. He says, It sounds easy to take a classic Christmas song and make it Rock, but it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. People would ask me all the time if I was going to take these songs on the road and with 19 people in the Orchestra, it was a challenge. But we ended up doing it and every year it snowballs and keeps getting bigger and bigger. And we keep it fresh by adding new things like some Stray Cat songs, which people always want to hear. And I do the hits and then break it down to a trio section. So every year it's a little
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by Liz Stokes
different and I just love doing it. I love playing with a big band."
Brian says his secret to success is that he plays the music that he loves. He says, "I'm basically a rockabilly guitar player. You take what I do, which I love all styles of music, so I basically make a big bowl of chili when I play guitar, I throw in everything and at the end of the day, I think people really like that. They can tell if someone is playing something he loves and stays true to what he does. I've been lucky enough that I've dragged people along with me all these years that like what I do."
Brian has performed with many artists over his career and tells me about some of them that have stood out. He said, "I really enjoyed playing with Robert Plant, besides him being one of the nicest people you've ever met. It was really nice for me to be the Scotty Moore and play guitar and let Elvis sing cause Robert Plant is the Elvis of the modern era. So it was nice to not have to sing and have someone as fantastic as Robert take the reins. That was when I played with The Honeydrippers and that was a really fantastic time!"
The Smithsonian Institute called Brian and said, "We would like to collect your 1959 Gretsch "Stray Cat" guitar." Brian says,
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"They said those exact words and I guess if the Smithsonian wants to find you, they will! So I took it down there and played a couple of songs and than they took it away with white gloves and that gave me goosebumps. It was pretty amazing and will be there long after I am gone. And it's next to Lincoln's hat and Elvis's hot rod, they have everything there. It's a pretty amazing place!"
Brian was asked personally to induct Chet Aikens into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Brian said, "Chet was one of the great guitar players of the 20th century, and his son had asked me to induct him. At the end of it, his son gave me Chets thumb pick that he used, so that put me up on that kind of level, pretty high standards." Brian had met Chet in Nashville and Chet gave him a riff on a song called, "Let's Live It Up."
Brian has achieved much success so far in his career, along with being a 3-time Grammy award winner, he has also received the Orville H. Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award and has been cited as one of the world's greatest living guitarists; and has a best selling extensive line of Gretsch signature model guitars. Brian has also appeared in the 1987 film, LaBamba portraying rockabilly pioneer Eddie Cochran.
I asked Brian what his greatest musical accomplishment is to date and he said, "I think it was when I took the music that I love, which is Rockabilly music that nobody knew what it was. I was able to take that music and kinda dust it off and give it a fresh coat of paint, then all of a sudden it was a hit, everybody got it. When you see something and no-one else see's it and then you take that and make that into something special, that's what it's all about."
Check out Brian Setzer when he comes through Florida with The Brian Setzer Orchestra. They will be performing at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater on November 28th and at Hard Rock Live in Orlando on November 30th. It will be a show that you won't want to miss for the holidays!
is currently seeking experienced writers for interviews, album reviews and concert reviews. Please call 813-400-3110.
The Brian Setzer Orchestra will be performing at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater on November 28th and at Hard Rock Live in Orlando on November 30th. Tickets are still available for this show. Full Access Magazine
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American Idol has long been known as being launching pad for young superstars over the years, giving artists the opportunity to shine and to start their careers. Nick Fradiani is no exception. After winning the show, Fradiani’s career continues to shine as he grows as an artist in the pop genre. We had the chance to speak with Fradiani about his new EP, American Idol and his upcoming tour. Most of you know Fradiani from being on the hit show, American Idol. However, what you might not know is, his first taste of success came from being on the reality talent show, America’s Got Talent. Fradiani had a 3 piece band in which they performed on America’s Got Talent’s 9th season. On the show, they performed one of their original songs, “Coming Your Way,” which went on to sell 6,000 copies in just the first week after the show aired. The song reached #53 on the iTunes Pop Singles chart and sold over 10,000 copies. Fradiani later decided to continue as a solo artist auditioning for American Idol and the rest is history after winning thecompetition. Fradiani, who was the winner of American Idol’s 14th Season, began his successful journey signing with Big Machine Label Group and releasing his debut album, “Hurricane,” in August 2016. His debut album received major accolades as the
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release debuted at the #1 spot on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. His winning song from American Idol, “Beautiful Life,” became FIFA’s 2015 Women’s World Cup official anthem. After the experience Fradiani gained with recording his debut album on his major label deal, Fradiani decided to take the next step. He left his label and decided to pursue his career as an indie artist. He just released his latest EP, “Where We Left Off,” in which he not only recorded, he also helped produce the album. Fradiani states, “I'm a little excited about this album. This is mostly a lot of me here doing this. It was a fulfilling kind of venture. It wasn’t easy, but it was definitely a learning experience. It felt really good once it was all finished up. I kind of got to do it the way I wanted to do it. It was a really good experience. The overall message is, where we left off. We wanted to get back to my roots of where I came from. It was nice to make this album because I finally had creative control over it and you can finally hear my voice on the album.” Fradiani continues, “My last album was done with a major label and then this one was not. So I think I learned a ton from that, which in turn helped me a lot with what I'm doing right now. It's gone really well and I'm excited to see where we get
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take it from here.” On his music video, “I’ll Wait For You,” Fradiani decided to film a simple, stripped down version for this song, which you don’t see that much anymore. Fradiani states, “Basically, this was my first independent music video, so I had to think of ideas where I wouldn’t drop a bunch of money on a video. I didn’t want to do the typical guy leaves girl or girl leaves guy thing, but instead a dog and a soldier and the soldier coming back to his dog after being deployed. It took us two days to film. I had so much more control over this video versus what type of control over videos I had in the past.” When we asked about his favorite song off the new album, Nick replied. “It changes a lot. “I Wait For You,” it felt really good when we wrote it. My band and I think that “Outlaw” is the best song to perform live. Those two are my personal favorites. As a previous winner of American Idol, and being the winner of what was supposed to be the final season of the show, we asked Fradiani about his thoughts of the show returning. “When we were at the finale, the producers kind of told everyone don’t say goodbye and it made us think that it would come back in maybe ten years, after it had a break and time to breathe. When they announced that only after a year of being off air, I was surprised by how quickly they announced, but I am excited to see how it will be different and how the new judges will work together. Fradiani cites the coolest moments for him since winning American Idol is performing with One Republic, getting to meet Steven Tyler and getting to perform with Rob Thomas. “There have been so many experiences that I couldn’t write them down if I had time to.” When we asked about the journey the latest album took them on while writing and producing, Fradiani states, “It just sort of
happened. Nick had a studio at his house, and he wrote and produced “Hurricane,” which was written with Jason Mraz. He was involved with my last one but not as much as I would have liked him to be. When I came back home, he was obviously still in Connecticut. We had been in a band together. He was in ‘America’s Got Talent’ with me and been through a lot. We always sort of felt like we had a lot to prove in writing. That’s ‘Where We Left Off’ came from. Me and him were saying “This is where we left off before I did ‘American Idol.’” This is what the songs might have been. That’s where the idea of the title of the EP came from. All of a sudden, we had 10 or 11 songs. It started to sound like a sound I wanted to go with.” “It’s been a cool year for me,” Fradiani reflected, “To create all this, not even knowing I was going to create an EP. After I left Nashville and I was off Big Machine Records, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I needed to start writing again, whether it was for me or whatever, and I’m glad that I was able to get back and get this out relatively quick and have people hopefully enjoy it.”
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by Diane Nachman
In the 80's and 90's, Exile was a well-known country band. The group started out in the early 60's as a rock and roll group known as the Exiles. They had one major hit called "Kiss You All Over." In 1973, they shortened their name just to "Exile."
Early in the 80's, the group returned to the clubs of Kentucky and completely changed their sound. When Les Taylor joined the group, they became a country band with a strong Southern Rock flavor. Over the years, band members came and went (35 all together), and the group had a large streak of charttopping hits. The group disbanded in 1993, playing a farewell concert in Lexington with numerous past members rejoining.
In 2008, Sonny LeMaire asked the band members to get together for one show as a fundraiser for their tour manager who had been injured in an accident. Something clicked at this fundraising event, and the group then decided that they wanted to do more shows together. The current members of the group are J.P. Pennington, Les Taylor, Sonny LeMaire, Marlon Hargis, and Steve Goetzman.
In a recent interview with Marlon Hargis, I asked him how he got started in the business. He replied, "My parents made me take piano lessons at age five, which I hated for years. At age 14, I discovered the Beatles. 9
And actually some friends invited me to join in a band, and I was hooked. Throughout high school, I played in bands. I was a music major in college. I actually changed to another major because I didn’t want to be a band director or study classical music. I was actually making a living playing rock and roll on weekends, so I changed my major to journalism. That was kind of useless to me because I’ve been playing music ever since basically."
He continued by saying, "My major influences were Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard. I was also influenced by the British invasion, primarily by the Beatles. Some of my other influences included early R&B, the Temptations and the Four Tops. I think you’ll find that a lot in our music. And actually, even, gospel music."
In reply to why he decided to leave Exile originally, he stated, "I think basically we were tired of each other, and I was burned out. We all worked so hard for so many years. In retrospect, if I thought about it, things might have worked out differently. It was pretty much a mutual thing; I don’t think anyone begged me to stay. In looking back 27 years later, things that were a problem then, you wouldn’t even look at now. There was a lot of little stuff."
Since leaving Exile, he worked for Jerry Reed for a couple of years, out touring with him. He got married, had a daughter, and decided he didn't want to tour. He then moved to Nashville about a year after he left the band. He worked around Nashville for about ten years or so, played in Nashville with several local club groups, did session work, ran a music store, was a property manager for some condos, and worked in music management with Steve Goetzman. During this time, he actually played music for all those years. He said, "There was virtually no contact between me
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and any of the other Exile band members. I ran into some of the members here and there, but until Sonny contacted us in 2008 about, what I thought was to be, a one-time reunion, we really didn’t stay in touch."
Currently, Exile is on the road most weekends, staying in town for two-three days during the week. They are doing a lot of touring, 40 some dates this year so far, and may do up to 50-60. They have a website, and are selling merchandise on the website, including their new EP, which contains five new songs never previously released.
The types of venues where they have been touring range from casinos, smaller theaters, festivals, and a few outdoor shows, including an upcoming concert with Kenny Loggins. Most of the venues are generally between 400-500 seats. He enjoys the smaller venues more, because it is more intimate and they have a chance to interact with their fans. It amazes him how many fans remember the group and have remained loyal over the years.
I asked Marlon what types of activities he and the other band members enjoy doing when they are not on the road. He replied, "I enjoy working in the yard and doing landscaping, which is what I did today. I do some session work. My wife is a dog groomer and has her own business. She is very into dog rescue, and I enjoy helping her with that. We have some rescue dogs at home, two Siberian Huskies and a Chihuahua. Sonny does some writing. Steve does some work as our business manager. Les and J.P. still live in Lexington, Kentucky. They have their own projects, but I really don’t know what they do. We keep in touch mostly by email to discuss band business."
Since they do not all live in the same town (Steve, Marlon and Sonny in Nashville, and J.P. and Les in Lexington), it makes it difficult to rehearse when they are not on the road. They get together at the beginning of the year for a couple of days to discuss what they will be doing during the year. Marlon said they basically have two hours worth of material to do at their various concerts, and they adjust it depending on how long a concert they will be doing.
When asked how Exile's music has evolved since the band was originally together, Marlon replied, "The recording technology has improved so much.
I don't think there is a huge difference in the sound, just a little more updated. Our new stuff is a little more R&B oriented."
As far as the biggest challenge Exile has faced as a band, Marlon stated, "There have not been huge challenges. Logistics is certainly a challenge since we live in different areas, but overall we realize that we want to do this. The first year, we were not sure if there was enough interest by the public to get back into this, but we found there was. It is something we love to do, and Exile is the band's main focus. Our getting back together has been surprisingly smooth."
When asked about Exile's plans for the future, he replied, "At this time, we are just taking a year or two at a time. Interestingly enough, 2013 is the 50th anniversary of the band. We will probably do something to celebrate that. We want to keep touring, and we would like to get some radio play for our material. We would love to have a major label contract at some point, but that probably won’t happen. Right now we are recording on our own label. We want to record more new material, which we will probably do this winter or the later part of this year. We want to keep our name out there and keep spreading the word. Everything changes so quickly, so we can’t really have a five year plan."
When asked about Exile's plans for the future, he When replying to the question of whether he had any advice for people who want to form their own bands, he laughed and said, "Forget it! No, really, they should do it because they want to do it, not for any monetary gain. In all honesty, the odds are against you. Only about 5% of the bands have some success. It is important for them to find band members who play not only good music, but who get along with each other. You have to put the band ahead of your personal goals. You have to do what you love; you should be happy with that. You have to have a lot of patience. You have to be willing to sacrifice. You need to come up with a five year plan with your own goals. And above all, don't get discouraged."
When asked about Exile's plans for the future, for his ending comments, he said, "I am looking forward to coming back to Florida. We look forward to seeing the fans. We have a lot of new fans among the kids. Even my 27 year old daughter and her friends are fans. It's good to be appreciated and still around." Florida’s Largest Music/Entertainment Magazine
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Greg Billings Band
It’s a beautiful day on this Wednesday when I meet up with one of the coolest front men I have ever witnessed on stage. A long time Florida rocker, with bands like Stranger, Damn the Torpedo’s and now The Greg Billings Band (GBB). I finally get to sit down with Greg Billings himself. This incredible singer and entertainer, who has inspired many to grab a Budweiser and have a kick ass time no matter which band he was or is in. The Greg Billings Band is a longtime favorite among the local scenes in Central Florida, and especially in the Tampa Bay area, where the huge success of Stranger is still talked about today. So let’s find out what’s up with Greg, and GBB now! Greg B: Well I was doing Damn the Torpedo’s and I got a little burnt out on it, and wanted to get my own thing together, always wanted my own band, so I got my buddies together, a couple other players in the early days, but ended up with George Harris, Leroy, Tom and Myself. We were together for about two years then, Rob Stoney played with us opening up for Whitesnake at Ruth Eckerd Hall, and he never left. He did one gig, and he was in the band, and that was it. We decide to do a CD called Do Overs, which is a few new songs, 2 songs from Damn the Torpedos, and some Stranger songs, which I wanted to re-do, because I didn’t like the way I sang ‘em. I wanted to change some lyrics and get a little soulful, and sing them better. Rob started on that project, and we brought in Ronnie Dee too. He did some horn and harmony work on a couple 15
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of songs, and I loved this guy. I had never worked with him before, there was a little bit of an age difference. He was playing with the Black Honkeys, and so I asked him if he ever wanted to sit in with us and play when he wasn’t playing, that would be great. We talked, he played with us at The Bret Michaels show, and I said I had to have him. I asked him if he ever wanted to join the band if he wasn’t in The Black Honkeys; we’d love to have him. Black honkeys were also friends of mine. So eventually he did join. Ronnie Dee had many commitments he had to fulfill before making it to GBB. It’s been now about 2 years, and it’s worked out great. He’s really good on stage because he’s also a front man, to actually play horn, sing, and jump around, also to sit back and watch me, while I sing, and do my thing, it must be tough for him. We learn from each other. We’re all now writing tunes together. Leroy’s writing tunes; all of us. I’m getting ready to record a new album about 6 songs in. The new record will probably end up with 10 songs. All new music and maybe an old Stranger song, but I can’t tell ya which one. I forgot about it, heard it, and decided I want to re-do it. I’m also writing some tunes with Robin Zander now, from Cheap Trick. There’s one I’m really excited about. He gave me a ton of ideas, and I run them by him when I put the GBB twist on it. I also did one of his songs on Do Overs called Walking Shoes, which he makes a guest vocal appearance on a verse. He is always welcome to sing on the new one too. Robin
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gave me a song he always wanted to record, but Cheap Trick had not yet recorded. He’s always liked it, and so I said I’ll record it. I’ll take it! It’s gonna be a really cool song. Also Brian Johnson from AC/DC may get together with me on this, he gave me the thumbs up, we haven’t yet done anything, but he is in my back hip pocket. He was also on Do Overs. These guys are really good friends who actually can come over to my house and I feel comfortable getting creative with. It’s working out great. We are sponsored by Budweiser right now. We do all their gigs, Oldsmar, Dunedin, and Hooters, all size venues. The Leesburg Bikefest was an event that requested our band. I play now about 6 to 8 gigs a month. We play the Daquiri Deck on the last Wednesday of every month, and at the L.A. Hangout every 3rd Thursday. It keeps us fresh a bit. We have the kind of band that has many people come and sit in, like Kyle Ashley will be playing with us on an upcoming Wednesday at the Daquiri Deck. I’ll be playing at Hooters for Cinco De’Mayo on May 5th. It’s different on the weekends, we do a lot of biker events. Sometimes we do 10 dates a month, but I try to keep it down. We’re doing a fundraiser tonight at Ringside with Wendy and the Soulshakers. We do a lot of fund raisers. I always thought that at 54 yrs. old, I would be playing acoustic guitar at a Palm Pavilion. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I wouldn’t want to do that. It’s incredible to me that the gigs keep coming; I actually have gigs all the way into next year. So I can actually say that I will have a gig when I’m 55, because I have a gig already booked. It’s incredible to me. I’m still hitting the notes. I’m excited about what’s ahead especially about the new record. Who is your favorite singer? Greg B: Paul Rogers of Bad Company. We don’t do a lot of Bad Co. songs, but a few. We did open for them recently and saw them during soundcheck. I would never say hey you’re my favorite singer. My favorite chick singer is Bonnie Raitt. I froze when I met her, all this time I wanted to meet her, but I did make up for it and told her she looked really great. We talked for a little bit, small talk. That was the highlight of my life, I got to see her in the 10th row. I’m so fortunate to have gotten together with these talented guys in my band now. So far we haven’t had a fight. It has taken a long time to actually get this group together. It didn’t just happen overnight.
We do our recording at Panda Records, and we call our label St. Road 84 Records, that’s Alligator Alley. I get lots of orders all over the world for our music. I never give up hope that a rock or country artist would want to record one of our songs. That would be great! You can purchase our Do Overs CD at digstation.com. Right now, we’re just going to continue writing, and playing. It’s a good place to be in. Who’s the most favorite band you ever played with? Greg B: Cheap Trick at Ribfest was really great!!! I love his voice. You know when we write songs together and for Robin to be there in front of me singing, it’s like Wow!!! It would be great to open for AC/DC. I’d like that too. Thank you Greg, thanks so much anything else you want your fans to know? Greg B: I just want to stress this band didn’t happen overnight. This is a real close relationship, and we all really care about each other, and everyone’s family. I love the gigs when everyone brings their family and friends. Now it’s more about the music, and my family. I’m a front man, a singer. The others are five great musicians. We are all now in a good place.
Greg Billings Performs at the Leesburg Bikefest.
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Imagine Dragons Evolve Interscope Records gggdf by Alex Flood
If success is determined by numbers, then Imagine Dragons are bathing in riches. ‘Night Visions’, their 2012 debut album, has racked up over 7 million worldwide sales to date, while mammoth single ‘Radioactive’ has shifted over 10 million. But despite these stats, they’re still tough to pick out in a crowd. It’s definitely not for a lack of universally minded hits. ‘Evolve’, the band’s third fulllength record in five years, is an ’80s-flecked, power-rock pumping station fit to burst with huge choruses. Lead single ‘Believer’ is a chart-botherer in waiting, while standout track ‘Mouth Of The River’ channels The Killers. But the four-piece’s bravado is often overdone and it all tends to blur into one. It has the effect of a band throwing everything at a wall and seeing what sticks. Occasionally they embrace a darker, more introspective side (doomy opener ‘I Don’t Know Why’; the vibey trip-hop of ‘Dancing In The Dark’), but they’re mostly unwilling to change the format. This latest effort might represent a small progression, but it’s far from an evolution. Vince Staples Big Fish Theory Def Jam Records ggggd by Joe Madden
While it’s a touch reductive to lump them both together, parallels between the careers of Vince Staples and fellow Californian Kendrick Lamar are uncanny and numerous.
Both have found success despite swimming against the musical flow, performing dense, politically charged lyrics in an era more enamoured with the simplistic sing-song decadence of Migos, Rae Sremmurd and Lil Yachty. Both have cultivated on-record personas that are part bolshy street kid, part world-weary philosopher. Both are astonishingly technically gifted, to the degree that they’re actively evolving the art of MCing. And both have an affinity for rapping over oddball, square-peg beats that sound like nothing else out there. Staples has long operated in Lamar’s shadow. He more than does alright for himself – critical acclaim, decent sales, Gorillaz guest spots – but it’s King Kendrick who’s bagged the Obama endorsement, the album-of-the-year accolades and the reverent fanbase. On Staples’ second album, however, he comes close to drawing level with his West Coast rival. Because ‘Big Fish Theory’ is one of the most ambitious, dazzling hiphop albums of 2017 so far – neck-and-neck with Kendrick’s ‘DAMN.’ Right from fiery opener ‘Crabs In A Bucket’, Staples’ propulsive, hypnotic flow has never sounded stronger. His lyrics, meanwhile, are emotionally calibrated for 2017: antsy, alienated and occasionally overcome with nihilistic despair at the state of the world. And his bleak lyrical brilliance is perfectly matched by ‘Big Fish Theory’’s experimental production. He’s always had a taste for harsh electronic funk, and he embraces that creative urge more eagerly than ever. There’s slo-mo techno, dystopian G-funk, field recordings, growling industrialism; abstract, icy grooves more indebted to Berlin than Atlanta. “We making future music,” announced Staples in the run-up to ‘Big Fish Theory’’s release. “This is my Afro-futurism.”
Florida’s Largest Music/Entertainment Magazine 19
Full Access Magazine
Whatever this is, it’s jaw-dropping. Over to you, Kendrick. Sza Ctrl Top Dawg Records ggggz by Jamie Milton
Debut albums will often claim to be fullyformed statements of intent, or the sound of growing pains and self-discovery. SZA’s ‘Ctrl’ is neither of these. That might be because she’s been introduced a couple of times before – on misty-eyed self-released tapes ‘See.SZA.Run’ (2012) and ’S’ (2013), and then again on album-length EP ‘Z’, which announced her as Top Dawg Entertainment’s first female signing, sharing the spotlight with Isaiah Rashad and one Kendrick Lamar. Oh, and she also starred with Rihanna on last year’s ‘Consideration.’ ‘Ctrl’ skips the friendly hello and dives straight into SZA’s world. Across 45 minutes, she breathlessly leaps between genres, and laments on tired and broken relationships in a stream-of-consciousness style that fans of Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’ will adore. For anyone completely new to the 26-yearold (whose moniker stands for “Self-savior, Zig-zag-zig, Allah”), it won’t take long to feel familiar. Opener ‘Supermodel’ is a real-life break-up letter translated into song. “Let me tell you a secret,” she begins, “I been secretly banging your homeboy. Why you in Vegas all up on Valentine’s Day? Why am I so easy to forget like that?” None of this is fiction. In a 2014 interview with The Breakfast Club, SZA revealed she got a call from one of her boyfriend’s friends, who let slip he’d had an orgy in Vegas. She instantly got her revenge, and then she wrote about it. SZA isn’t afraid to include all the gory details. She’s similarly at ease with exploring her own strengths and perceived
shortcomings. ‘Normal Girl’ is all bedroom bravado, but she admits she wants to be “the type of girl you take over to mama.” And ‘Broken Clocks’ is a time-stopping story of her time working in a strip club, and the sudden epiphany she had when realising she wanted to make music. Best of all is how loosely these stark portrayals thread together. Standout ’Prom’ is an out-and-out pop triumph, built from The Police-like muted guitars and teen angst. It’s surrounded by the sluggish R&B stylings of ‘Drew Barrymore’ and ‘The Weekend’’s glossy introspection. But somehow nothing sounds out of place. ‘Ctrl’’s strength is how it doesn’t strive to be one thing over the other. It effortlessly winds between narratives and genres like it’s child’s play. This isn’t a star in the making, it’s a fully-fledged talent who’s practically showing off. Halsey Hopeless Fountain Kingdom Astralwerks Records ggggz by Rhian Daly
Halsey’s 2015 debut ‘Badlands’ made her a cult popstar. ‘Closer’ made her a household name. ‘Closer’ has a trace of blandness Halsey stampedes past when working on her own. ‘Hopeless Fountain Kingdom’ gets by on a universal quality, but there’s a personal touch you don’t find on everyday pop full-lengths. It’s a break-up album, placed in the context of a Romeo And Juliet-inspired world. The record even begins with the prologue to the Shakespearean tragedy, while the video for ‘Now Or Never’ is like her own take on Baz Luhrmann’s iconic 1996 film. The only time a guest threatens to overshadow her is on ‘Eyes Closed,’ co-written by The Weeknd. But it’s far from the best song on the record, proving Halsey’s fast moving from cult hero to global superstar.
Full Access Magazine
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Bottle House Bar • 813-623-5700
5902 S Gornto Lake Rd, Riverview, FL 33578 ______________________________________
Nov 22 Soul Circus Cowboys
Ferg’s Live • 727-822-4562
490 Channelside Drive, Tampa, FL 33602 ______________________________________
Nov 8 IOH & King Complex Nov 17 Dbmk, Wd-Han & Kerry Courtney Nov 24 Natalie Claro, Glass House Point & Infinite Eights Nov 30 The Night Market
O’Briens • 813-661-9688
701 W. Lumsden Road, Brandon, FL 33511 ______________________________________
Nov 25 Soul Circus Cowboys Dec 13 Soul Circus Cowboys
O’Briens • 813-661-9688
15435 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33618 ______________________________________
Dec 8
Soul Circus Cowboys
Nov 1 Nov 2 Nov 3 Nov 4 Nov 5 Nov 7 Nov 8 Nov 9 Nov 10 Nov 11 Nov 12 Nov 14 Nov 15 Nov 16 Nov 17 Nov 18 Nov 19 Nov 21 Nov 22 Nov 23 Nov 24 Nov 25 Nov 26 Nov 28 Nov 29
Tropico Blvd. Sonic Stew Fencewalk Rev. Barry & Funktastic Soul Juanjamon Reggae Jam Legacy Barefoot Bob Duo Holey Miss Moley Black Honkeys Displace Juanjamon Reggae Jam Olivia Romano Tropico Blvd. EL & The Real Clash Cultura & Cordadito Sara Rose Band Juanjamon Reggae Jam Domenic Haynes Holey Miss Moley Juanjamon and Friends No Filter Tampa Bay Rhythm Section Juanjamon Reggae Jam Tyler Costanzo Tropico Blvd.
Ringside Cafe • 727-894-8465
16 2nd Street North, St. Petersburg, FL 33704 ______________________________________
Nov 30 Tony Tyler Band
Skipper’s Smokehouse • 813-971-0666
910 Skipper Road, Tampa, FL 33613 ______________________________________
Nov 2 Nov 3 Nov 5 Nov 10 Nov 11 Nov 12 Nov 16 Nov 17 Nov 18 Nov 19 Nov 22 Nov 24 Nov 25 Nov 26 Dec 1 Dec 2 Dec 7 Dec 8
Uncle John’s Band Jah Movement Roger “Hurricane” Wilson Cigar City Blues Band Reckless Kelly Lauren Mitchell & Joe Moss Uncle John’s Band Bryan Lee & Brailles Blus Daddy Broccoli Samurai & Displace Tommy Z Band Impulse Come Back Alice Betty Fox Band Ellie Lee Band Chubby Carrier & Gumbo Boogle Halcyon Toy Drive Uncle John’s Band Peace of Woodstock
The Hideaway Cafe • 727-644-7895
1756 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL 33704 ______________________________________
Nov 1 Nov 3 Nov 4 Nov 5 Nov 6 Nov 7
Nov 8 Nov 10 Nov 11 Nov 13 Nov 14 Nov 15 Nov 16 Nov 20 Nov 21
Nov 22 Nov 24 Nov 27 Nov 28 Nov 29 Dec 1 Dec 6
TC Carr & The Bolts of Blue Jimmie Fadden Simian Theory Mama’s Batch Kaleigh Baker Justino Lee Walker & LaRue Nickelson Betty Fox Band Mountain Hollar & Will Quinlan Mahray Kaleigh Baker Kirk Adams Band TC Carr & The Bolts of Blue Jean-Eb & Guianna Kaleigh Baker Justino Lee Walker & LaRue Nickelson Betty Fox Band Antipodeans & ESC Kaleigh Baker Kirk Adams Band Betty Fox Band Dean Johanesen’s Speakeasy TC Carr & The Bolts of Blue
Attention Bands & Venues: Want to be listed here, Contact Liz Stokes at (727) 485-4624 Full Access Magazine
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NOVEMBER
André Rieu
Amalie Arena, Tampa
Soulfly
The Orpheum, Ybor City
Johnnyswim
State Theatre, St. Petersburg
Sister Hazel
The Attic, Tampa
Citizen
The Social, Orlando
André Rieu
Amway Center, Orlando
Ludacris, Lecrae, Migos & Chance The Rapper
Amalie Arena, Tampa
Sister Hazel
The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City
So You Think You Can Dance
Van Wezel Perf. Arts, Sarasota
Knuckle Puck
The Crowbar, Ybor City
Gavin DeGraw
Capitol Theatre, Clearwater
Chris Janson & Colt Ford Bill Breeze Park, Ocoee
Shenandoah, Dwight Yoakam, Craig Campbell & Love & Theft Bill Breeze Park, Ocoee
311
Cuban Club, Ybor City
Citizen
The Crowbar, Ybor City
Lil Peep
The Orpheum, Ybor City
Chris Tomlin
USF Sun Dome, Tampa
Lynyrd Skynyrd
RP Funding Center, Lakeland
Fallout Boy & Blackbear Amalie Arena, Tampa
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10 10 10 10
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I Prevail & Escape The Fate
The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City
HIM
House of Blues, Orlando
Lindsey Buckingham & Christine McVie Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando
Ian Anderson
Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg
Lindsey Buckingham & Christine McVie
Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
Niall Horan
House of Blues, Orlando
The Wrecks
The Crowbar, Ybor City
Imagine Dragons
Amway Center, Orlando
Chris Stapleton & Marty Stuart
MidFlorida Credit Union Amp, Tampa
ZZ Top
Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg
Iration
Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Thrice & Circa Survive
House of Blues, Orlando
Primus
Hard Rock Live, Orlando
Genitorturers
Kelly’s Live, Sarasota
Ben Folds
The Straz Center, Tampa
Orleans, Dennis DeYoung, Ambrosia & Tropics Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg
Whitechapel & Carnifex
State Theatre, St. Petersburg
Tone Loc, Rob Base & C&C Music Factory
Silver Spurs Arena, Kissimmee Full Access Magazine
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12 12 14 15 15 15 16 16 16 16 17 17 17 17 17 17
Primus
Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
Jay-Z
Amway Center, Orlando
Iration
Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Michael Tolcher
The Attic, Tampa
Rodney Atkins, Granger Smith & Charlie Daniels
Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg
Mewithoutyou
State Theatre, St. Petersburg
Mewithoutyou
The Social, Orlando
Mannheim Steamroller
Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg
Joe Nichols, Chris Janson, Big & Rich & Jon Pardi The Straz Center, Tampa
Grizzly Bear
House of Blues, Orlando
Vince Neil
Tradewinds Island Grand, St. Pete.
Wizards of Winter
Capitol Theatre, Clearwater
Tim Allen
Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
Straight No Chaser
Van Wezel Perf. Arts, Sarasota
Colt Ford
Tradewinds Island Grand, St. Pete.
Celtic Thunder
Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
Collin Raye
The Attic, Tampa
Decades Rewind
Van Wezel Perf. Arts, Sarasota
Keyshia Cole
House of Blues, Orlando
Borgore
The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City
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Queensryche
Tradewinds Island Grand, St. Pete.
Straight No Chaser The Straz Center, Tampa Three Dog Night
Van Wezel Perf. Arts, Sarasota
Marc Anthony
Amway Center, Orlando
Australian Bee Gees Show
Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg
Randy Newman
Capitol Theatre, Clearwater
The Front Bottoms
House of Blues, Orlando
Irma Thomas & The Blind Boys Of Alabama
Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg
The Original Wailers House of Blues, Orlando
Resinated, Badda Skat, No Need & Sowflo Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Lindsey Stirling The Straz Center, Tampa Alter Bridge & All That Remains House of Blues, Orlando
Greg Billings Band & Black Honkeys
Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Michael Ray
The Stockyard, Holiday
John McLaughlin
Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
Michael Ray
House of Blues, Orlando
Alter Bridge & All That Remains
Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Michael W. Smith & Amy Grant Amalie Arena, Tampa
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21 Savage & NBA Youngboy The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City
Brian Setzer Orchestra
Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
All Time Low
House of Blues, Orlando
Hatebreed
State Theatre, St. Petersburg
Dave Koz & Friends
Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
Fit For A King
Backbooth, Orlando
Adam Crabb
RP Funding Center, Lakeland
Brian Setzer Orchestra Hard Rock Live, Orlando
The Drums & Hoops The Social, Orlando
The Mavericks
Plaza Live, Orlando
DECEMBER
Lady Gaga
Amalie Arena, Tampa
Seven Kingdoms
The Crowbar, Ybor City
The Mavericks
Capitol Theatre, Clearwater
Keller Williams
Plaza Live, Orlando
Clutch & The Obsessed Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
X Ambassadors, The Aces & The Lumineers
MidFlorida Credit Union Amp, Tampa
J.J. Grey
The Attic, Tampa
The Drum & Hoops
The Crowbar, Ybor City
Gabriel Iglesias
Amway Center, Orlando
Full Access Magazine
2 2 3 3 3 3 3 5 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 9 9 9
Michael Carbonaro
Hard Rock Live, Orlando
Seven Kingdoms
The Haven, Winter Park
The Mavericks
Capitol Theatre, Clearwater
J.J. Grey
The Attic, Tampa
‘68
Backbooth, Orlando
LeAnn Rimes
Van Wezel Perf. Arts, Sarasota
Portugal The Man, Joywave, Paramore, Walk The Moon & Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness
MidFlorida Credit Union Amp, Tampa
Paramore
Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando
Gwar & He Is Legend
The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City
Danielle Nicole
The Attic, Tampa
Dead & Company
Amway Center, Orlando
Passafire & The Werks
Plaza Live, Orlando
98 Degrees
Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg
Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
Cannibal Corpse
The Orpheum, Ybor City
Passafire & The Werks
Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Backbooth, Orlando
David Crosby
Capitol Theatre, Clearwater
Squirrel Nut Zippers
State Theatre, St. Petersburg
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