Matthew Zagorski
TWEN Somehow and somewhere between two major cities, four musicians have managed to assemble themselves into an outfit that could live in either place (or not), independent (or not) and representative (or not) of each. They might even be named after a long-gone but trailblazing magazine that, for a brief moment in time, united people across one of history’s greatest divides.
Or not. It’s hard to tell with Twen. Originating in Boston, now residing in Nashville, this band enacts jangle and acid pop dramas inside a psych-garage space. In a way minimalist, or rather, economical TWEN in sound, Twen is airy and ethereal but also rocks out and drives it to you. Or not. There is such a delicious duality to everything that one can’t help but to close one’s eyes and just let the soundscapes grow. Propelled by a golden-voiced singer and guitarist, Jane Fitzsimmons, Twen is rounded out by Ian Jones on guitar, Cory Best on drums and Jim Connolly on bass. Instant darlings of the Nashville indie scene, Twen share their name with a Cold War-era West German monthly that also circulated beyond the Berlin Wall. Their calling card is a 2016 live EP recorded at Boston’s Track Shack on the eve of their first show, and which they credit for their successes since. If Boston was college, Twen’s “free year” has been the road and the finding of a new home in Nashville. Jones told The Deli magazine that re-constituting there “was serendipitous, but you could also feel the gravity of the thing forming before it actually bore any fruit.” The next step, a debut full-length, will surely take the diffuse beauty of “Twen (Live)” to another level. But will the band use it to make a play for a more focused and definitive kind of musical energy? God, we hope not; they sound beautiful in the uncertainty of a dream. In the meantime, there will be a special edition tour split tape with Saint Augustine’s REELS released by Fuzz Baby Records, which should hold fans over until the album’s proper release. Or not. Twen, with REELS, The Holifields, Fat Sun, Matchstick Johnny, OMB, The Grumps and AnastasiaMax performs January 24 at Voltaire.org ~Abel Folgar
PLEASURES Katherine Kelly, Morgan Soltes and Roger Lanfranchi may have transcended their physical selves. Jointly known as PLEASURES, they now take the collective form of a psych-heavy, stonerrock A.I., routed and scattered through the electrical synapses of high-speed data transference, and borne along the southwesterly blowing winds of Florida’s Gulf Coast (their earthly home).
funky buddha lounge & brewery
DECEMBER 2017 EVENTS
FRI 12.1 ...................... THE LARK AND THE LOON, FERN STREET, & SOUNDS OF NILO SAT 12.2 ............................SHAW DAVIS AND THE BLACK TIES & JAKE WALDEN BAND THUR 12.7 ................................THE MIGHTY MYSTIC, THE VIBES FARM, & NOT SPICES FRI 12.8 ...........................................................FRANK FOIS BAND & TAME THE LYONS SAT 12.9 ...................................................................................33 YEARS & 807 BAND SUN 12.10 .................................................PSYCHIC GHOST & JOHN HARDIN PROJECT FRI 12.15 ..........................................................GIRL JERRY: GRATEFUL DEAD TRIBUTE SAT 12.16 ....................................COFFIN VARNISH, BITTER BLUE JAYS, & CALM BOMB TUE 12.19 ...................................................................FOR THE RECORDS: VINYL SWAP THUR 12.21 ................................................................FOUNT & LOCHNESS MONTSTER FRI 12.22 ..............................................................................EL DUB WITH XOTIC YEYO SAT 12.23 ........................................................FUNKY BUDDHA WINTER COMEDY SHOW THUR 12.28 RIO PETERSON, VIRGINA ENGLISH, NATHALIE NESH, JENNINGS & KELLER FRI 12.29 .......................................................LOVE POTION PRODUCTIONS 2017 BASH SAT 12.30 .......................................................... TCHAA, & THE RALEIGH JAZZ QUARET SUN 12.31 FUNKY BUDDHA NYE BASH W/ FIRESIDE PROPHETS, MONTY MUSIC, & MORE
WEEKLY EVENTS
OPEN JAM | EVERY MONDAY | 8PM-1AM ALL ARTS OPEN MIC | EVERY WEDNESDAY | 8PM-2AM
2621 N FEDERAL HWY, BOCA RATON | 561-368-4643 | WWW.THEFUNKYBUDDHA.COM
PLEASURES
Their gift is their ability to absorb stimuli and process it into something all their own. The “bands we like” section of their Facebook page sprawls from Hiatus Kaiyote to Radiohead. Kelly told The Reader that her favorite album is Fugazi’s “13 Songs”
This is no mashup, no fusion, no “post-” anything. Their recorded work since 2015 charts an evolution of something that first crawled out of a uniquely Floridian primordial soup. There is electronica, there is noise, there is shoegaze, there is dark wave, there is classical and psychedelic. It’s all in there, almost like a Borgesian aleph. But it’s never mud — no; it’s clean and antiseptic like long white hallways in sci-fi movies. Kelly, formerly of Sarasota’s Sons of Hippies, is the vocal presence that ties it all together. Her weirdly, but appropriately, undulated and inflected singing recalls Acid King’s Lori S. Their 2016 album, “Fucked Up Dreams Come True,” is a slicker imagining of work first offered on a pair of demos. PLEASURES would also be perfect and wholly at home scoring space operas or experimental reels. You could picture them tackling a foundational silent, like Air did with Georges Méliès’ “A Trip to the Moon.” They made one of their own, in fact: “You’re Gonna Get It,” a 10-minute, black-and-white horror film that they screened on tour in 2016 while performing its score live. That experiment preceded a lineup shuffle that saw the exit of keyboard player (and “You’re Gonna Get It” filmmaker) Greg Ferris, and a more permanent role for Lanfranchi, who had first signed on as a touring musician. In any iteration, the techno-surrealist pleasure of PLEASURES is devoid of conspiracy and is a willfully accepted invitation into a new flesh. May it devour us all. PLEASURES,with Zigtebra and Timothy Eerie, performs on January 19 at Voltaire. ~ Abel Folgar
Vojta Florian
U.S. BOMBS When you’re a selfproclaimed “Master of Disaster,” disaster sometimes masters you. For Duane Peters, this was increasingly the case. A skateboarding pioneer who invented numerous tricks and techniques, Peters was one of the first recognizable skaters to embrace punk rock. He helped push skate culture from its sunny, surfy origins into a more antagonistic stance.
As a musician, he is best U.S. Bombs known for U.S. Bombs, which he formed with longtime friend Kerry Martinez in 1993. Embodying a ’77 style with street punk leanings, U.S. Bombs developed a rock ’n’ roll sound containing flourishes of Southern California melodic punk. A sizable catalog of albums, singles and EPs followed, while Peters also tended to his professional skateboarding career and musical side projects including Die’ Hunns and the DP Gunfight. But roadblocks cropped up to disrupt Peters’ aggressive schedule of touring, performing and skating, and his life of late is in sharp contrast to his SoCal skater boy idylls. In 2007, his 21-year-old son Chelsea Peters was killed in a car accident. Peters and U.S. Bombs carried on, but evolving personal and professional differences, and the scattering of bandmates across the country, prompted them to call it quits in 2013. In 2014, Peters was sentenced to five years’ probation and counseling for domestic violence. What followed were health crises, financial hardship, reports of drug abuse, strings of bizarre and accusatory social media posts, and doubts about Peters’ mental stability. “Duane Peters is Going Bat Shit Crazy on Instagram … and Probably IRL” is how one hometown paper, OC Weekly, put it in 2016. This past spring, after ostensibly getting his affairs in order, Peters announced a new U.S. Bombs lineup — the first without Martinez — and a tour in support of new material. His Instagram remains bizarre (“Check’n Out Cathy O’Brien Ratt’n out Hildabeast Clinton along with Aid’s Ridden Hubby ‘Billy da berg’ FagLands of the Nowaday’s Millineul Deranged!”) but the hope is that the Master of Disaster has figured himself out enough to uphold his musical legacy. U.S. Bombs with F!, Union and DJ Skidmark perform on January 11 at Churchill’s in Miami, and with Armageddon Man on January 14 at Respectable Street. ~ Abel Folgar
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28
VOLTAIRE: Manmade Weather & Friends
FUNKY BUDDHA: Singer Songwriter Showcase- Rio Peterson, Virginia English, Nathalie Nesh, Jennings & Keller DADA: Matchstick Johnny KILL YOUR IDOL: Karaoke w/ Shelley Novak
KELSEY THEATER: “Till Death Do Us Part… You First!” DADA: Jonathan Auerbach Trio SUBCULTURE DELRAY: Coral Canyons FUNKY BUDDHA: The Roast of Leon ARP
RESPECTABLE STREET: Dark Water Rebellion CWS: The Dog Hearts
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29
VOLTAIRE: Hell & Hollar Reunion, Franscene RESPECTABLE STREET: Litmas 2: Ugly Sweater Party PURE SALEM GUITARS: Borri, In His Head DADA: Public Sounds KILL YOUR IDOL: Shameless Burlesque SUBCULTURE DELRAY: Matchstick Johnny FUNKY BUDDHA: Yasmeen Matri TWO&: Del Pelson STACHE: Uproot Hootenanny BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Josh Miles CWS: Soundproof
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30
RESPECTABLE STREET: Emo Night Brooklyn 301 N ANDREW FTL: Open Canvas Project Phase 3 FUNKY BUDDHA: Tchaa, The Raleigh Jazz Quartet DADA: Southern Tier KILL YOUR IDOL: The Wire CWS: Mike Mineo BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Jedi Magic Carousel KELSEY THEATER: Hellzapoppin Circus SideShow
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31
VOLTAIRE: NEW YEARS EVE!
Sick and tired of the same old NEW YEAR drudgery? Experience something different at VOLTAIRE! YELLOW JACK SUSHI, Party Favors, Champagne toast at Midnight whilst RAY’S DOWNTOWN and the gang present MANZINO’S BOWL OF FIRE (Six piece New Orleans Jazz plus Sinatra w. Horns), TCHAA! (Jazz/Hip Hop: Robert Glasper straight up chilling with Duke Ellington and getting down on the good good) and JOEY GEORGE (Blues & More). ONLY $10
SATURDAY, JANUARY 6
COCONUT CREEK CASINO: Del Pelson CWS: Public Sound Collective BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Duoplicity KELSEY THEATER: “Till Death Do Us Part… You First!” DADA: Tchaa FUNKY BUDDHA: Nathan Skinner, The Ricca Project KILL YOUR IDOL: Immersed
SUNDAY, JANUARY 7
VOLTAIRE: Ray’s Downtown presents JM & the Sweets KILL YOUR IDOL: BassLine Miami
MONDAY, JANUARY 8
VOLTAIRE: Fuzz Baby presents Trunkweed, Matchstick Johnny, The Holifields, The Grumps DADA: Open Mic
TUESDAY, JANUARY 9
DADA: Comedy Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Trunkweed, Seafoam Walls NAKAVA: Chaser, Flight Club
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10
CWS: Crazy Fingers DADA: Rewind Wednesday REVOLUTION LIVE: 40oz to NYE w. Badfish, Sun Dried Vibes KILL YOUR IDOL: Electric Mud FUNKY BUDDHA: Fireside Prophets, Del Pelson, Monty THURSDAY, JANUARY 11 Music, Toledo VOLTAIRE: Lather Up feat. Shawn Qaissaunee STACHE: A Funkin’ Great New Years Eve w/ Fusik DADA: Aaron Lebos CWS: The Flyers FUNKY BUDDHA: Ba Roos KILL YOUR IDOL: Karaoke with Shelley Novak MONDAY, JANUARY 1 RESPECTABLE STREET: ne0n DADA: Open Mic
RESPECTABLE STREET: NYE Trip thru Time w Sweet Bronco & Friends
TUESDAY, JANUARY 2
FRIDAY, JANUARY 12
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3
RESPECTABLE STREET: Lee “Scratch” Perry + Subatomic Sound System
DADA: Spoken Word Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Open Mic DADA: Rewinds Wednesdays KILL YOUR IDOL: The Welzeins
THURSDAY, JANUARY 4
VOLTAIRE: Church of Dub w. Mick Rude
DADA: Citizen Badger KILL YOUR IDOL: Karaoke with Shelley Novak CWS: Marijah and the Reggae All Stars
FRIDAY, JANUARY 5
STACHE: Aaron Lebos BREWHOUSE GALLERY: String Assassins
DADA: Big Chief KILL YOUR IDOL: South Beach Rock Fest
SUBCULTURE DELRAY: Mona Lisa Tribe FUNKY BUDDHA: Mr Do It & the Downtown Boyz, Power Plant REVOLUTION LIVE: Nirvana & Alice in Chains Tribute CWS: JL Fulks Band STACHE: Marcus Amaya BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Austin Miller KELSEY THEATER: Graham Bonnet Band
SATURDAY, JANUARY 13
DADA: HVY CRM KILL YOUR IDOL: Keep It Deep
RESPECTABLE STREET: Old Habits, Nemesis,
Church Girls, Ether, Waste my Hate
REVOLUTION LIVE: Tom Petty Tribute w/ The Petty Hearts BREWHOUSE GALLERY: B-Side FUNKY BUDDHA: Funky Winter Comedy Bash
THE GROUND AT CLUB SPACE: Lee “Scratch” Perry + Subatomic Sound System
SUNDAY, JANUARY 14
VOLTAIRE: Ray’s Downtown presents Medicine Hat KILL YOUR IDOL: Game Show Night
RESPECTABLE STREET: U.S. Bombs, Armageddon Man, Killed by Florida, Death Lottery BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Citizen Badger
MONDAY, JANUARY 15 DADA: Open Mic
TUESDAY, JANUARY 16
DADA: Comedy Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Open Mic
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17
DADA: Rewind Wednesday
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18
DADA: Joey Tenuto Band FUNKY BUDDHA: Of Good Nature, Tame the Lyons, Coral Canyons KILL YOUR IDOL: Karaoke with Shelley Novak CWS: Marcus Amaya
FRIDAY, JANUARY 19
VOLTAIRE: PLEASURES, Zigtebra, Timothy Eerie
DADA: Holy Dances KILL YOUR IDOL: American Grime’s Proper SUBCULTURE DELRAY: Dirtbike FUNKY BUDDHA: Observatory, Derik Fien STACHE: Tasty Vibrations CWS: Spred the Dub BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Medicated Sunfish KELSEY THEATER: Ordinary Boys: Smith’s / Morrissey Trib
DADA: Open Mic
TUESDAY, JANUARY 23
DADA: Comedy Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Open Mic
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24
VOLTAIRE: Fuzz Baby presents TWEN, REELS, Fat Sun, Anastasia Max REVOLUTION LIVE: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club DADA: Rewind Wednesday KILL YOUR IDOL: The Hoy Polloy
THURSDAY, JANUARY 25
CWS: Necessities REVOLUTION LIVE: Brokchampton FUNKY BUDDHA: Preservation Road
RESPECTABLE STREET: DirtBike
FRIDAY, JANUARY 26
HARD ROCK: Trevor Noah DADA: Steve Pomeramz Band KILL YOUR IDOL: Shameless Burlesque
RESPECTABLE STREET: The World Inferno Friendship Society, Everymen, Zoo Peculiar
SUBCULTURE DELRAY: Deaf Poets REVOLUTION LIVE: In This Moment. New Years Day, POD BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Nolan & Parker FUNKY BUDDHA: Tasty Vibrations, The Copper Tones KELSEY THEATER: Mutts Gone Nuts
SATURDAY, JANUARY 27
SUNSET COVE AMP: Florida Jazz and Blues Jam ft.Dr. John, The Devon Allman Project w. Guests Duane Betts and Peter Levin, Walter Trout, Kenny Neal and Marcia Ball STACHE: Guavatron DADA: No Name Ska Band KILL YOUR IDOL: The Wire Hip-Hop Party FUNKY BUDDHA: Altered Roots, The Vibe BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Jedi Magic Carousel KELSEY THEATER: Burtonlesque
SUNDAY, JANUARY 28
VOLTAIRE: Ray’s Downtown presents Mardis Gras w Rockin’ Jake KILL YOUR IDOL: Bump BREWHOUSE GALLERY: SloFunk Pump KELSEY THEATER: Marc “Skippy” Price & Viet Huynh
MONDAY, JANUARY 29 DADA: Open Mic
TUESDAY, JANUARY 30
DADA: Comedy Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Open Mic
SATURDAY, JANUARY 20
DADA: Zigtebra, Boston Marriage KILL YOUR IDOL: Breaks Yo FUNKY BUDDHA: Girl Jerry Dead Trib STACHE: Ritz Glitz Burlesque Revue CWS: Tasty Vibrations BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Josh Miles
SUNDAY, JANUARY 21
VOLTAIRE: JP Soars & the Red Hots BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Nip & Tuck
MONDAY, JANUARY 22
REVOLUTION LIVE: Jam Cruise Post Party w/ Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Ivan Neville & DJ Logic
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31
DADA: Rewind Wednesday KILL YOUR IDOL: Puppet Zoo
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1
VOLTAIRE: Ben Prestage Duo, Firewater Tent Revival
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5
VOLTAIRE: Salon presents BOYTOY!
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8
VOLTAIRE: The Cravens, Buddha Cats, SoulXpres, Tricerapop
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9
VOLTAIRE: Southern Tier, Solemark, Guavatron
LEE SCRATCH PERRY Volker Schan
The world needs magic. We need some sort of enigmatic thing to aspire to in this time of dire seriousness. It used to be that artistic people, the creators, were like aliens who came from a different place in order to show us new and exciting things, and it sometimes feels like the magic has been sucked right out of art. What we need is people with flair and flamboyance who sail their freak flags as high as possible with no shits given. In this sour time devoid of Bowies, Princes and Michael Jacksons, we still have Lee “Scratch” Perry.
Perry is the original “Upsetter,” a man who invented reggae at Studio One in Kingston, Jamaica Lee Scratch Perry and has squeezed every drop of adventure out of his life. He was once quoted as saying that he “gave Bob Marley reggae as a Christmas Present.” A tall tale for anyone except for him. Perry at this point in his career transcends music and today is often viewed more as performance artist than as his first incarnation as musician/producer. Maybe the cocoon has opened and the being inside has emerged in completed form, less a music maker and more of an energy that inhabits music? Who knows; there are no answers to the question that is Lee “Scratch” Perry that can be properly given by anyone other than the subject. Here he is describing himself: “Im an artist, a musician, a magician, a writer, a singer; Im everything. My name is Lee from the African jungle, originally from West Africa. Im a man from somewhere else, but my origin is from Africa, straight to Jamaica through reincarnation; reborn in Jamaica ...”
Mindy Tucker
But in reality — a place we don’t see much of when Perry is around — who wants answers when the questions are asked in rhyme, and every word spoken is poetry? Perhaps we should stop and just appreciate the beauty of an existence steeped in enigmatic entertainment. Maybe having answers negates the turning of a phrase and the transmutation of language into song? Most contemporary musicians feel obliged to play the hits. Not Lee Scratch Perry Perry. Where most acts do what is expected of them, Perry has trained people to not expect anything from him that isn’t seemingly spur of the moment art. He is unpredictability personified. “People Funny Boy,” his groundbreaking track from 1968, was written as a diss to his former record label boss, and is notable not just for its sample of a crying baby (possibly the first usage of sampling ever), and the stutter-strummed guitar that would become synonymous with the reggae sound. Perry would go on to become a Mecca of music production for his work with everyone from Marley and the Wailers and Junior Marvin to the Beastie Boys and Ari Up of The Slits. His studio prowess has been utilized by musicians across genres and was critical to the development of instrumental dub in the 1970’s. So what comes next for a man that invented a genre, re-invented it and became his own production team? The onetime ragamuffin has given up his rasta ways, embraced Christianity and resettled in Switzerland, which may be the one of the strangest parts of his extraterrestrial saga, although religious fervor and biblical interpretation have animated him for as long as he’s been making and explaining his music.
Fan Art by Jesse Kunerth
It’s sometimes easier (for interviewers) to let others talk on his behalf, like Jamaican actordirector Carl Bradshaw did in “The Upsetter,” a 2008 Perry documentary: “Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry is a person who is little understood. If you don’t know the man you might say he’s off the wall.”
Perry’s new album, “Super Ape Returns to Conquer,” with Subatomic Sound System uses all of the instrumentation and experimentation at Perry’s disposal. The record is bright, fresh and fun, but also sort of sounds like it was made in a tiny studio somewhere in Jamaica. It’s been hailed by some as Perry’s best work in 40 years. Whether that’s true or not is entirely a matter of opinion, but it surely does find Perry tapping into some timeless and possibly ethereal energy that exists beyond genre; the record is just a spacey good time. Perhaps the man who once dubbed himself “Pipecock Jackson” will re-invent his invention once more, or perhaps he’ll ascend to space to join his waiting contemporaries. Whatever happens, strap in and trust in The Upsetter. He knows what he’s doing. Lee “Scratch” Perry + Subatomic Sound System play January 12 at Respectable Street in West Palm Beach and January 13 at The Ground at Club Space in Miami. subatomicsound.com/events ~ Tim Moffatt
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WORLD INFERNO friendship SOCIETY “‘Perhaps, Jack, you should tone down your rhetoric a bit,’” Jack Terricloth of The World/Inferno Friendship Society said once in an onstage internal dialogue. “‘Perhaps the stuff you say in between songs might be construed as, well, not very patriotic. Well, actually, Jack, you might get yourself in some big trouble.’ “And I say to myself, ‘Oh! Trouble is my business, friend.’” The banter served as intro to “I Shot President Reagan, and I’m Gonna Do It Again and Again and Again and Again!” a song aimed at a The World Inferno Friendship Society previous political era but which also reflects Terricloth’s feelings towards the politics of today. The World/Inferno Friendship Society, with Terricloth as its only constant and guiding light, is teeth-bared punk rock informed by early aggro-political hardcore even as it sounds like a burlesque cacophony on acid. In the 20 years-plus since forming in Brooklyn, World/Inferno has carved out a gene-splicing musical niche largely on the strength of Terricloth’s unsinkable punk rock attitude. A child and teen of those Reagan ’80s (which fueled a lot of oppositional music), Terricloth credits his belief in the ethos of punk for his love of touring and ability to perform live with the energy of someone half his age. Describing World/Inferno inevitably means pulling “circus” and its variants from your dog-eared Thesaurus to capture the amalgam of jazz, soul, klezmer and theater that undergirds Terricloth’s vision of punk. But it’s not wrong to argue that this zeal for diversity is one reason World/Inferno stays fresh and relevant. Being versatile also has allowed for changing band lineups and the cultivation over years of an honest-to-goodness “Society,” just like the name says, of musicians and performers who support Terricloth’s irascible criticism of politics and the wrongs he sees. There’s no cheekiness in proclaiming “trouble” as his business. It’s actionably de rigueur, it’s punk, and it keeps him and the band going. Most guys nearing 50 might have different plans; for Terricloth and his Inferno, the curtains’ nightly rise signifies a new opportunity to raise hell. The World/Inferno Friendship Society, with Everymen and The Zoo Particular, performs January 26 at Respectable Street in West Palm Beach. ~ Abel Folgar
Salt Witch Studios
SALT WITCH STUDIO Salt Witch Studio is the brainchild of Lindsey Mills, Aly Gore and Liam Milano, and a concept that grew out of the trio filming live sessions of local bands at Delray Beach’s Kismet Vintage store beginning in 2015. No strangers to homegrown music themselves, all three have a hand in the South Florida scene, and through their experience at Kismet resolved to create a space for the kinds of performances they had been documenting.
Thus, Salt Witch Studio was born, first as “a more centralized way to present the work,” Mills explained in an email to PureHoney. From there, it has evolved into a multi-media production house for hire as well as for projects undertaken by its founders. “Music, Video, Photography, Art, Film, Production, Events,” says the Salt Witch Studios studio’s Facebook page. A new offshoot is a record label whose first release will be Mill’s next full-length album, “Ecotones,” due in March. Mills has been recording and releasing music on her own since her teens. “I’m a West Palm Beach native, went to Dreyfoos [School of the Arts] for high school (where I met my future bandmates in Surfer Blood), and spent my youth playing DIY shows around town,” she wrote. In addition to gigging with her band, Lindsey Mills and the Lazy Lovers, she curates Salon, a monthly “Ladies Night” of music and art at Voltaire in West Palm Beach. Forming Salt Witch in her hometown with friends seems to be a culmination of her DIY mandate. Being immersed in South Florida music and arts does not always constitute being a part of a community; there are professional “appreciators” everywhere. Having a production house when all of your friends are somehow involved with art and music might look like a no-brainer. But few artists are motivated beyond their own vision to help others realize theirs. Artists also embracing the means of production is a long time coming in West Palm. It’s been said that staying power in the arts is less about making oneself look good and more about eliciting the best from the surrounding talent. Salt Witch Studio seems to be a product of that credo. Here’s to those that do. Contact Salt Witch Studios at http://www.saltwitchstudio.com ~ Tim Moffatt
CHRIS BARROWS 24 Hour Service Station
The Pink Lincolns are an enigma. What’s happening with them? Are they still a band? No matter — they released “Back From The Pink Room” in 1986 and punk took notice. “Miami,” the first track, captures the seething mood of the city in the ’80s like few ever have. And these guys were from Tampa.
Lincolns vocalist Chris Barrows would go on to front the Jackie Papers, the Spears and, ever since, the Chris Barrows Band. Long known for being snotty and confrontational, the Barrows of today is still all that, with the added spark of age to light the fuse of aggravation. Chris Barrows
Barrows keeps himself busy. After a solo record in 2014, he released a series of split 7”s this year with Rikk Agnew, formerly of the Adolescents, Social Distortion and Christian Death, and a 4-way Florida split on Ohio’s Rad Girlfriend label with F, No Fraud and Armageddon Man. The Barrows entry in that quartet, “Born Old,” is anything but tired, clocking in at 1:52 of vitriol and venom. Some listeners identify (or dismiss) Barrows’ brand of punk as “poppy.” But who else can boast records produced by a pair of Descendents (Bill Stevenson and Stephen Egerton), guested on by one of the Dwarves (He Who Cannot be Named) and inspired in part by velvet paintings of Elvis? And Barrows on a stage isn’t “pop.” He’s like a live wire thrashing: If you get too close you’re probably going to get hurt. For some, creativity comes in spurts and false starts. The Chris Barrows Band appears to be constantly playing, recording and making its presence known. Some would call that moving and shaking; others would say its scene politics. When you’ve been part of the community as long as Barrows, it’s called life. “Kids aren’t sufficiently old enough to be properly pissed off,” he told Tuffgnarl. com in 2015, adding, “Just wait … you’ll be suitable for punk rock when you are sufficiently used and start realizing what life is about. I was 27 when the Lincolns started if I remember correctly. Before that I played guitar in shitty rock bands.” Chris Barrows Band, with Milk Spot and Armageddon Man, plays January 6 at the Poorhouse in Fort Lauderdale. ~ Tim Moffatt
Autumn Casey
LIMINAL ENCOUNTERS at fritz “Liminality seems to depend on transience; that is, if you mentally pause mid-action during an otherwise ‘normal’ transaction, a healthy skepticism can emerge about the legitimacy of that action,” artist and educator Amber Tutwiler tells PureHoney, illuminating the keyword in her first-ever curated show, Liminal Encounters, at the Fritz Gallery in West Palm Beach. “We can begin to ask questions about our interactions with our environment — interactions that we otherwise take for granted, especially as it pertains to ritual, language, space, technology, and so many other aspects of our daily lives.”
Choosing artists who either work in or are from South Florida, Tutwiler has created a narrative that fosters liminality while allowing for each piece to exist and be appreciated on its own. In addition to the abstract Autumn Casey’s “Birds in Space” aims well articulated by Tutwiler, the show addresses the current political climate, the peculiar transience of South Florida as a U.S. port of entry, and the cycles of change an individual undergoes as she evolves. “Transition can be brutal and challenging if not adequately prepared with support systems,” says Liminal Encounters artist Autumn Casey. “At the same time it can open new realms of possibility previously out of reach.” Casey, who now lives in Philadelphia, might have had her own brush with the liminal when a shipping mishap resulted in her piece for the exhibition, an ascending mixed-media creation called “Birds in Space,” having to be rebuilt. The show also features works by Katelyn Spinelli, Mumbi O’Brien, Sammi McLean, Michael Dillow, Brendan Sullivan and others. Many are alumni of the Dreyfoos School of the Arts, and this same circle of Tutwiler friends represented in the exhibition also helped her adapt her ideas to the display space maintained by gallery owner Wendy Fritz — a serendipitous pairing that grew out of a casual conversation that Tutwiler had with a mutual friend of the gallerist. “I also hope, in a simple way, that a sense of wonder about our environment is inspired in each viewer,” Tutwiler says of her inaugural show. “Wonder can put us in a place to feel vulnerable to our surroundings; vulnerability is a catalyst for seeing our world from an alternative perspective.” Liminal Encounters is on view through January 18. fritzgallery.com ~ Abel Folgar
KILL YOUR IDOL RAD SHOWS, ALCOHOL, ETC. OPEN TIL 5AM DAILY
222 ESPANOLA WAY MIAMI BEACH
The West Palm Beach A&E District is a centralized collection of inspiring arts and entertainment venues; art and history museums; galleries; libraries; performing arts companies; and art education institutions. Situated in the heart of South Florida’s most progressive city, the District includes more than 20 distinct and distinguished cultural destinations that form a defining industry cluster. The A&E District enhances the appeal of West Palm Beach as a visitor destination, drawing attention to its status as a vibrant city illuminated by its beauty and range of creative expression.
PROMOTING OUR DIVERSE ARTS, CULTURE AND ENTERTAINMENT DESTINATIONS
AS SEEN IN THE SCOUT GUIDE - PALM BEACH
DISCOVER WHAT
INSPIRES
YOU
Opera @ The Waterfront December 9 Meyer Amphitheatre 105 Evernia Street
Distinguished Lecture Series: Peter Leo — The Jupiter Wreck January 10 Historical Society of Palm Beach County 300 North Dixie Highway
98 Degrees at Christmas December 10 Kravis Center for the Performing Arts 701 Okeechobee Boulevard
23rd Annual FOTOfusion January 23–27 Palm Beach Photographic Centre 415 Clematis Street
Tesla Quartet January 9 Flagler Museum One Whitehall Way
Brought to you by the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority
FOTOvision January 26 Downtown Waterfront 101 N. Clematis Street
Urban Short Stories January 27 – 28 Downtown West Palm Beach (Various Locations)
Alfred Hitchcock: A Brief Life February 6 The Society of The Four Arts 2 Four Arts Plaza
HARMONY: An Exhibition of the Arts February 25 Meyer Amphitheatre 105 Evernia Street
For a listing of our cultural partners and activities, visit DOWNTOWNWPBARTS.COM. Keep an eye out for more upcoming events #wpbARTS The West Palm Beach Arts & Entertainment District is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.