REAX #23

Honda Civic Tour presents

Panic at the Disco

with Motion City Soundtrack, The Hush Sound & Phantom Planet

Tue., Apr. 22 • 7PM

Go Diego Go!

Tue., June 10 • 6PM Wed., June 11 • 11AM & 6PM

Sheryl Crow Tue., Apr. 29 •8PM

Melissa Etheridge Sun., June 15 • 7:30PM

B.B. King Fri., May 2 • 8PM

True Colors Tour

Lisa Lampanelli Sat., May 3 • 7PM

Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band

Bill Maher Sat., May 10 • 8PM

Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo Mon., July 7 • 8PM

Larry the Cable Guy

Mark Knopfler Wed., July 30 • 8PM

Fri., May 16 • 8PM

The Kids In The Hall Fri., May 23 • 8PM Dream Theater Sun., June 1 • 7PM Steely Dan Mon., June 9 • 8PM Tickets: 727.791.7400

1111 McMullen Booth Rd. • Clearwater

Including Billy Squier, Gary Wright, Edgar Winter, Hamish Stuart & Colin Hay

Wed., July 2 • 8PM

Return to Forever

Chick Corea, Al Di Meola , Stanley Clarke & Lenny White

Thu., July 31 • 8PM

Hippiefest Sat., Aug. 9 • 7PM Jim Gaffigan Sat., Aug. 16 • 7PM

Comedy Central Presents

Thu., May 15 • 7:30PM Sat., May 17 • 5 & 8PM

Cyndi Lauper, B-52’s, Rosie O’Donnell & more!

Wed., June 18 • 7PM

Ticket Office Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10AM-6PM One Hour Prior to Showtime Groups of 15+ Save! Call 727.712.2717 REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE 4

08

CONTENTS

CONTRIBUTORS

ISSUE: 23

INSIDE:

CREDITS:

SOUNDCHECK

Publisher Joel Cook jcook@reaxmusic.com

Head Photographer James Kilby kilbyphoto.com

SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING

Queen Finnie Cook finniec@reaxmusic.com

Photography Jana Miller myspace.com/ janamillerphotography

10 INTRODUCTION

12 12 13 14 15 16

READER MAIL CLASSIC CONCERT: PETER MURPHY NEW RELEASES DEAR GLOFFY I WANNA TURN YOU ON TO: STEEL TRAIN DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE

LIVE LIKE NO ONE IS WATCHING: LOCAL MUSIC 18 19 20 21

DUKES OF HILLSBOROUGH THE SUPERVILLAINS MUMPSY SUBURBAN TRAGEDY

AVANT-GARDE IN THE NOW 22 22 23 24

STAINBOY ARTPOOL ETSY FRANK STRUNK III

NATIONAL FEATURES 26 27 28 29 30 32 33

CIRCA SURVIVE FUTUREMAN MURDER BY DEATH TAPES ‘N TAPES THE ETTES IDA SXSW 2008

COVER FEATURE 36 THE ROOTS

THE SCENE

38 SCENE STEALERS 40 HOT SPOTS 42 EVENTS GUIDE

SOAPBOX 54 56 58 60

HANDS ON MUSIC REVIEWS CLASSICS: FOLK JUXTAPOSED VIDEO GAME REVIEWS

Editor In Chief Michael Spadoni michael@reaxmusic.com

Marina Williams marinawilliams.com

TONY LANDA

General Manager Marshall Dickson marshall@reaxmusic.com

Sales Associates Emily LaDuca emily@reaxmusic.com

Head Writer Michael Rabinowitz miker@reaxmusic.com

Shawn Kyle shawn@reaxmusic.com

Tony is considered an enigma of sorts. Don’t believe it? Check this out: it seems that Tony’s Arrival by way of Gardena, CA (Google map it!) created seismic activity the likes of which freaked his dear mother out. The Quake of ’72 they called it, and he slept through the whole thing. Grant it, he was but a toddler – but STILL! Wake up, kid! A quick Escape to Florida was in order. The 80’s would find Tony traipsing casually in a Spicoli-like haze, searching for “some tasty waves and a cool buzz.” He was fine. Tony soon Captured the dream with the advent of MTV and (gasp!) hair metal. Oh yes, metal. By the early 90’s metal was dead. Way dead. For some it proved to be tragic but Tony was soon lead through the desert by folks like Patton, Kiedis, Claypool and Cobain. Yes! Our boy was saved! His Evolution was complete.

Today, Tony ekes out a modest living as a music & video buyer for a major one-stop music distributor, plays bass (“for the chicks”) in seminal Miami band HUMBERT and has a pretty awesome girlfriend. He loves to attend 3-day-ball-sweatin’ music festivals, spend time with his cat and yes, still listens to Journey.

Contributing Editor Christian Crider christian@reaxmusic.com Arts Editor Aubrey Bramble aubrey@reaxmusic.com Local Music Editor James Ferreira jamesf@reaxmusic.com

Jessica Grafton jgrafton@reaxmusic.com Design Noah Deledda noah.deledda@gmail.com Circulation Manager Scott Jenson scottj@reaxmusic.com Intern Julia Stewart julia@reaxmusic.com

Art Director Mike Delach delach@cookwaremedia.com Contributors Christopher Kelly, Morgan Staff Writers Morillo, Kristin Beck, Bryan Stephanie Bolling Childs, Jason Ferguson, stephanie@reaxmusic.com Jeremy Gloff, John Prinzo, David Saunders, Susie Ulrey, Scott Harrell Justine Griffin, Ranmecca, scott@reaxmusic.com Karleen Clark, LJ Becca Nelson becca@reaxmusic.com MacKenzie Pause kenzie@reaxmusic.com Ashley Marie Sansotta ashley@reaxmusic.com

Reax Magazine is published monthly and is available through Florida businesses, music venues, restaurants, independent record stores, and hotels.

Music Submissions, Letters, Coffee, Questions, and Comments can be sent to our main office: Reax Headquarters 1614 N. 17th St., Suite B Tampa, FL 33605 Phone: 813-247-6975 Fax: 813-247-4792

JUSTINE GRIFFIN Advertisers warrant and represent the descriptions of their products advertised are true in all respects. Reax Magazine assumes no responsibility for claims made by advertisers. All letters and their contents sent to Reax Magazine become the sole property of Cookware Media, LLC. Use or duplication of material used in this publication is prohibited without approved written consent from Cookware Media, LLC.

Salutations! My name is Justine Griffin, and I’m a journalism student at the University of Central Florida. I’m originally from Tampa, and I really dig going to shows. The two I’m really looking forward to this year are Coachella, and of course, Radiohead. I love Hitchcock films, and a nice glass of iced tea. I enjoy horseback riding, and sometimes I wish I was a unicorn.

BOOKS. CDS. books & music DVDS. NEW & USED BUY. SELL. TRADE.

VINYL

SAVE THE AIRSTREAM RANCH

www.mojotampa.com | 813.971.9717

2558 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa

Located next to the University Mall, in the same plaza as Chipotle Mexican Grill & Quiznos

myspace.com/mojobooksandmusic

WE HAVE COLOR DOWN TO A SCIENCE

Photo: BAPG.net Fashion: Marina Williams

TYRO LEVEL STYLIST CUTS START AT $15

REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE 9

10

SOUNDCHECK ISSUE: 23

don’t cha wish you bought

something else...

...we pay top dollar for used cds, dvds or games or get 25% more credit Sunshine has the flowers in full bloom, and love is in the air in more ways than you might think.

Within our budding pages you will find our local section brimming with talented Florida musicians. Featured interviews this month include the ever-tenacious Dukes of Hillsborough, Orlando indie-pop outfit Mumpsy, and the sativa-savvy Supervillains.

We also get a sneak peek at Tampa rock veterans Suburban Tragedy’s new album.

What would spring be without the brilliant works of Florida’s talented artisans?

Spanning the spectrum we report on the revolutionary gallery space of St. Petersburg’s ARTpool to the concert poster art of Orlando madman Stainboy. Aiding and educating you in experiencing the liberating sensation of purchasing a handmade work of art, our Avant-Garde In The Now section sheds light on colorful works of art and the people whose creativity cultivates culture.

This month a plethora of fine bands allowed us to delve into their minds for a little one on one special time. Feature interviews with The Roots, Circa Survive, Tapes ‘n Tapes, Futureman, Tokyo Police Club, Phantom Planet, Murder By Death, Ida, and The Ettes fill our pages to the rim. Additionally, our ever-intrepid Marshall Dickson and seasoned music festival Sherpa Tony Landa ventured to Austin, Texas, returning with a bounty of photographic coverage of South by Southwest, otherwise known as SXSW. They shot 105 shows in five days. Really.

Finally, REAX will be celebrating our second birthday with a multi-city concert extravaganza featuring simultaneously staged performances in Tampa, Gainesville and Orlando on May 31st, 2008. We are looking for Florida musicians and bands to participate, so if you know you have what it takes, head over to page twelve for more details on how you can get involved.

40

% off

any one used dvd or cd

Expires 4/30/08. Must present coupon. One transaction per visit, not to include video game hardware or software, electronics, sale items, CD singles, gift cards, tickets, or special orders. Not valid with any other offer or on prior purchases. Photocopies or other mechanical reproductions of this coupon will not be accepted. NEW REGISTER INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Scan item 2. Press F3 - Modify Price menu 3. Press F2 - Item % Discount 4. Highlight TWEC Coupon %. Enter discount amount 40. 5. Enter Coupon Code REAXAP

over 40 convenient locations in central and south florida visit fye.com for a location near you

charge it © 2008 Trans World Entertainment. We reserve the right to refuse Used DVDs, CDs or Games not found in our database. All trades are subject to stores manager’s approval. All Used products are priced on an individual basis based on condition and supply and demand. No dealers please. Promotion items not accepted.

Quantities are not limited. A State Driver’s License, State I.D. and other valid photo I.D. is required for the each person trading the used products. Trade-in offers are not valid online. Not responsible for typographical errors. Void where prohibited by law.

REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE 10

TATTOOS & PIERCING

MUCCA

Yo! I am The Mucca. There isn't any other!

I am The Mucca! Hear me Roar!

RAWWWRRR! Yeah, so I am into all kinds of tattoo styles, I mostly like to do fairies, flowers, and realism like fruits and other setups. I spend a lot of my free time shaving designs into my hair face. See the photo to the left - that was supposed to be an M, for Mucca, but I can't grow hair that far up on my face so it just looks like I got hit by Zorro's sword. Yeah, so that guy Zorro is cool though, so don't you mess with him, or you’ll be messing with The Mucca!

*8;3 2+99549

SUN - MON: CLOSED TUES - FRI: 11AM - 7PM SAT: 10AM - 5PM

YKX\OTM JX[SSKXY UL GRR RK\KRY

Studio #1 9043 Ulmerton Rd Largo, FL 33771 727.581.4444 Studio #2 30137 US Hwy 19 N Palm Harbor, FL 33761 727.787.4444 Studio #3 112 N. Dale Mabry Tampa, FL 33609 813.875.4440

Studio #4 210 South Kings Ave. Brandon, FL 33511 813.654.9990 Studio #5 1118 34th St N St. Pete, FL 33713 727.322.9999 Studio #6 1512-B Fowler Ave. Tampa, FL 33612 813.910.7777 Studio #7 8238 W. Waters Ave. Tampa, FL 33615 813.884.4445

Studio #8 2405 Florida Ave. S Lakeland, FL 33803 863.687.6900 Studio #9 7429 US Hwy 19 N.Port Richey, FL 34652 727.845.7900 Studio #10 20178 Cortez Blvd Brooksville, FL 34601 352.796.3875

www.atomictattoos.com

ROLAND

(XGTJUT )XUYYOTMY 9NUVVOTM )KTZKX

=== '226856+8);99/54 )53 REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE 11

12

SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING ISSUE: 23

REAX TURNS 2

So, we’ve been around for two years now.

Is it worth killing trees over our coverage of Florida’s music scene? Has anything changed?

Does anyone care?

We’re going to show the world that Florida does care about its music scene. REAX is holding a multi-city music explosion on May 31st, 2008.

We are looking for local bands to play shows in Tampa, Orlando, and Gainesville on that night. Please contact us at reaxfest@reaxmusic. com and let us know if you want to play one of these shows, if you think what we do is good for the community, or if you just want to say that we suck. We would love to hear it all.

Deadline for submissions is April 18, 2008. Here are a few of the responses that we’ve received so far:

We would love to play!!!!

Thomas Wynn & the Believers myspace.com/ thomaswynnandthebelievers I think what u do is worth killing trees over. I appreciate the coverage of interesting artists of different genres.

After all, we don’t get it anywhere else.

ACHO BROTHER would love to play your show and call it a celebration. The kind of people that enjoy your magazine are people that would enjoy planting trees to replenish and do that karma thing anyway; I think.

Acho Brother myspace.com/achobrother

Hello, my band FATAL would be down for playing a metal/thrash show.

Let me know!

FATAL myspace.com/fatalrules

Hello REAX and esteemed associates!

We would be SO excited to play for you guys in Tampa!! We have been reppin’ REAX to all of our friends and family since day one, and would be honored to be a part of this!! You guys are doing great things for the scene!!

Please consider us! It’s def worth killlin’ trees. Furthermore, we promise the best performance of our lives, and we’ll bring our rabid fan base!!!

Variety Workshop myspace.com/varietyworkshop

for us at one of your shows. On the MySpace link is some of our original material. These are rough mixes of tracks which will be on our first album, due to release in May or June 2008.

Thanks, keep up the hard work.

The Bird Street Players myspace.com/worldjeff birdstreetplayers.com

We would love to play the fest!

Proval myspace.com/provalsbeautifulnoise

Hey guys. I think what you are doing is great, super colorful, high quality magazine with nice write ups and wicked photos, it’s a beautiful thing. I am Jeff, front man of The Bird Street Players.

Curious to know if you would have room

I fully support your rag... and would love to represent Gainesville’s LIVE electronic music community.

Oddknock myspace.com/oddknock Mini-tour? I’m in.

DJ Mega myspace.com/discjockeymega

Fellers, GreyMarket would be honored to throw down for your Fest.

Kind Regards, GreyMarket GreyMarketBand.com On behalf of the kids in Tallahassee, I want to offer Charlie Hood (from Sarasota) & Bla Ha to play Gainesville for May 31, as we will already be on tour!

Also, the music scene in Tallahassee is ridiculous, with every FSU student getting free admission to almost every show, and local venues backing the rest.

Just look at what my school week is like: www.cdu.unionproductions.org.

Please distribute in Tallahassee!

Greg Ferris

I read your bulletin about looking for bands to play the Tampa REAX Fest.

I am part of an indie-acoustic duo with nearly four dozen originals. We would definitely be interested in playing, even if it is for a short time. I really enjoy REAX magazine, and think that this would be great. Please check out some websites and give us a listen. Hopefully you like what you hear and will consider us for your Tampa event.

Brandon myspace.com/brandonkmusic myspace.com/wolftracksfl

APPEARED: AUGUST 30TH, 1988 TBPAC, TAMPA

With Bauhaus recently releasing their first (and last) album in 25 years, Go Away White, I dug deep into my archive for this image of lead singer Peter Murphy closing his set. He was promoting his second solo album, Love Hysteria, and opening for Australian neo-psychedelic rockers The Church on their Starfish tour. Nearly two thirds of the hall emptied after Murphy’s performance and did not return for the headliners, further entombing Tampa’s legacy as a “black hole” home to gothic music fans.

REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE 1212

13 13 ARTIST

ALBUM

LABEL

04/01/08 THE SWORD GODS OF THE EARTH KEMADO Apples In Stereo Black Keys Colour Revolt Experimental Dental School

Frightened Rabbit Make Believe Moby Nadja Pattern is Movement R.E.M. Sandrine Sun Kil Moon Yelle

Electronic Projects for Musicians Attack & Release Plunder, Beg and Curse Jane Doe Loves Me Midnight Organ Fight Going to the Bone Church Last Night Skin Turns To Glass All Together Accelerate Dark Fades Into Light April POP-UP

Yep Roc Nonesuch Fat Possum Cochon FatCat Flameshovel Mute The End Hometapes Warner Bros.

Nettwerk Caldo Verde Caroline

04/08/08 FOALS ANTIDOTES SUB POP Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. Bad Religion Boredoms Breeders Cavity Clinic Cloud Cult Colin Meloy Cut Copy Dark Meat Dead Child Drift Eliot Lipp Envy Eric Avery Jim Noir Jonathan Richman Man Man Microphones MSTRKRFT Nadja Neva Dinova New Bloods Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Rollins Band Shout Out Louds Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin Tapes ‘N Tapes Thee Oh Sees Torche Wye Oak

Recurring Dream and Apocalypse of Darkness New Maps of Hell (Deluxe) Super Roots 9 Mountain Battles Laid Insignificant Do It Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes) Colin Meloy Sings Live Ghost Colours Universal Indians (Expanded Edition)

Attack Memory Drawings The Outside Transfovista DVD Help Wanted Jim Noir Because Her Beauty Is Raw and Wild

Rabbit Habits The Glow Pt. 2 (Reissue) Remixes Vol. 1 Desire in Uneasiness You May Already Be Dreaming The Secret Life Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

Life Time Impossible EP Pershing Walk It Off The Master’s Bedroom Is Worth Spending a Night In Meanderthal If Children

Important Epitaph Thrill Jockey 4AD Hydra Head Domino Rebel Group Kill Rock Stars Modular Vice Quarterstick Temporary Residence

Mush Temporary Residence

Dangerbird Barsuk Vapor AntiK Last Gang Crucial Blast Saddle Creek Kill Rock Stars Anti2.13.61 Merge Polyvinyl XL Tomlab Hydra Head Merge

REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE 13

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SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING ISSUE: 23

ARTIST

ALBUM

LABEL

04/15/08 BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE MY BLOODY UNDERGROUND COMMITEE TO KEEP MUSIC EVIL Autumns Belphegor Children Of Bodom Christopher Bissonnette Jealous Girlfriends Little Ones M83 O’luge Opeth Plastic Constellations Supergrass

Fake Noise From A Box of Toys Bondage Goat Zombie Blooddrunk In Between Worlds The Jealous Girlfriends Morning Tide Saturday = Youth Movements Still Life 5.1 We Appreciate You Diamond Hoo Ha

Bella Union Nuclear Blast America

Fontana Int. Kranky Last Gang Astralwerks Mute Last Gang Peaceville Frenchkiss Astralwerks

04/22/08 NEGATIVE FORMAT GRADIENTS METROPOLIS Atmosphere Billy Bragg Cinematic Orchestra Daft Punk Death Set Doors Dr. Dog Ersi Arvizu Flight of the Conchords Monotronix Night Marchers Pyramids Thalia Zadek Band Tokyo Police Club

When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold Mr. Love & Justice Live at the Royal Albert Hall Daft Punk’s Electroma OST Worldwide The Doors Vinyl Box (7xLP) Easy Beat 12” Friend For Life Flight of the Conchords Body Language See You In Magic Pyramids Liars and Prayers Elephant Shell

Rhymesayers AntiDomino Vice Counter Records Rhino Park The Van AntiSub Pop Drag City Swami/ Vagrant Hydra Head Thrill Jockey Saddle Creek

04/29/08 BORIS SMILE SOUTHERN LORD Awesome Color Cloudland Canyon Constantines Dizzee Rascal Jamie Lidell Jesu Portishead Tickley Feather

Electric Aborigines Lie in Light Kensington Heights Maths+English Jim TBD EP Third Tickley Feather

Ecstatic Peace Kranky Arts & Crafts Def Jux Warp Caldo Verde Mercury Paw Tracks

CREDITS: WORDS: JEREMY GLOFF PHOTO: EMILIA LUCIANO

Hello Gloffy!

I love your column! Ok here’s my problem...I dated this person and they pissed my bed twice. Should I have them pay for a new mattress or have them cover half the cost at least?

Love, Pissed Dear Pissed, I’d be pissed too (no pun intended!)

Regardless if you guys were dating casually, still dating, or broken up I’d definitely approach the subject. The thought of sleeping on a bed that smells like urine is nauseating. (We may all go through experimental phases but keep that in the shower honaaay!!!) Had I found myself in your predicament I would not have requested a new mattress but you know I would have asked Mr. Bedwetter to go straight to the store and rent a steam cleaner. Sure, “Rain” is one of my favorite Madonna songs from the Erotica album…but when Madge sang of her man’s “love coming down on her like rain” I don’t quite think that’s what she had in mind. Gee whiz (pun intended!)

Dear Gloffy, I am buying a used car. It is a great car: it looks nice, runs well and gets great mileage. The problem is that it has not got its own personality. All the cars that I have ever driven, I have had a personal relationship with, some I have loved more deeply than a lover. Each one has had a personality and a formal name that fits the vehicle just right and I have been on a first name basis with every

car I drive. This car seems somewhat soulless, a well-oiled machine that hums and whirs, but does not speak to me.

What do I do if the car does not give me a name to call it? Do I just use a car without even knowing its name? Do I make up a name and pretend I have the power of naming or do I stop driving my car around?

Signed, A Nameless Ride Dear Nameless Ride, Honaay you are in need of some serious Paula Abdul talk. Like your new car, Paula’s career has been a welloiled machine that hums and whirs, but doesn’t really speak to many. Like your car, she’s somewhat soul-less. But we all learned to love Paula, didn’t we? You need to learn to love your car too. Remember Paula’s hot 1987 track “It’s Just The Way That You Love Me”? Paula passionately states, “It ain’t the car that you drive.” She was right…it ain’t the car that you drive…it’s the love you put into it. LOVE YOUR CAR. And more importantly, love Paula Abdul.

You can now write to DearGloffy anonymously!!!! Go to www.jeremygloff. com and follow the link to the Dear Gloffy page! Tell me all your problems without the embarrassment of me knowing who you are! And while you are at it go to MySpace and check out my new vid!

Love you all!!!

REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE 14

SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING

15

I WANNA TURN YOU ON TO...

STEEL TRAIN Words: Ashley Marie Sansotta

Photo: Bryan Sheffield

WHO THEY ARE...

Jack Antonoff, Scott Irby-Ranniar, Evan Winiker, Daniel Silbert, and Jon Shiffman.

WHAT’S THEIR STORY...

Jack and Scott started the band back in 1999, when they began playing the subways of New York. They’ve come a very long way since then. After signing with DriveThru, they came out with a few phenomenal records – fine-tuning their remarkable musicianship with each release. On their most recent album, Trampoline (released October 2007), Jack put his heart out on the table and wrote lyrics stemmed from serious personal loss. The result is a beautiful rendition of a not-so beautiful time.

SOUNDS LIKE...

Jack Antonoff has often said the band is “30 years too late.”

WHY I WANT TO TURN YOU ON TO IT...

They are amazing musicians who have completely mastered their art and you can see it for yourself when they come through Florida this month!

I got a chance to talk with Jack Antonoff about their latest release and the current tour.

REAX: I’ve read about all of the cameos in Trampoline, including Hannah Montana’s brief cameo. I know your sister sings on the new album, and doesn’t your father play on the end of the album, too?

Jack Antonoff: Oh yeah, and that’s actually a really cool story. That song at the very end is a demo that my dad made in 1973. Everyone thinks that it’s an acoustic song that I did, which I think is pretty interesting.

REAX: I know this album is much more than just songs to you. You lyrically opened your heart to express the loss you’ve recently gone through. What made you decide to express yourself with Trampoline?

JA: Well, in the context of writing lyrics, if you’re not going to go for it all of the way, it’s kind of like: what’s the point?

The only way it’s going to be interesting is if you tell your own story, because it’s the only story that no one else has.

When I started working on this record, I didn’t want to be worrying that the record was going to be generic or sounded like whatever. I just got really into it and decided that if I was going to do this, the only way to do it great was to do it 100% and not hold anything back.

REAX: And when you sing about this when you’re performing every night, what’s going through your mind? Do you think about where the lyrics are coming from?

JA: Yeah, I do a lot. And it’s a really tough thing, too. I mean, when you put that much into it, it complicates things.

It’s really important to me. If we’re going to play the songs and I’m going to sing the lyrics, it has to come from within every night. Yeah, it’s weird, and it definitely makes it hard. Every night is really intense for me, based on the content of these songs.

REAX: So obviously, Scott doesn’t have any lead vocal parts on the new record, because you are the one doing the storytelling. Was it easy for you guys to change rolls like this? Will this be the case for future albums?

JA: Actually, it was a pretty natural thing. We just figured it out, and it kind of happened. And if it will be the case for future albums, that kind of proves the point that anything could happen. You know, that was just the process for this record. I was the one coming up with a lot of it, so that’s just how it was.

REAX: You recently shot your first music

video for the song “I Feel Weird” while you guys were in Austin for SXSW. Can you tell us a little bit about the video?

JA: We were trying to think of ideas for the video and nothing really made sense, because that song specifically was very personal. So, we ended up just deciding to do more of a performance video. The more we thought about it, we just came to the conclusion that the way we play that song live is the most important element. So, it’s a pretty basic performance video with all of this crazy lightening stuff in the background. It kind of looks like it could be a U2 video or something.

REAX: Is it completely finished? When does it come out?

JA: Yeah, it’s completely done. I think it’s coming out sometime in April.

REAX: The 1969 EP was made up of covers of songs from the year 1969 that inspired you guys and your sound. Have you ever talked about doing another cover album?

JA: We’ve been talking about it a lot, actually. The original concept for that CD was to do one every year. And then it turned out pretty quickly...it was what it was. But yeah, I could definitely see us

doing something like that again. Back then, we were just doing a lot of covers, and it got to the point where it was taking away from our music - and we had to get away from that. But, it’s really fun.

I think it would be interesting to cover some of the more modern stuff that’s coming out now.

REAX: For this tour, are you playing most of the songs from Trampoline?

JA: Well, right now we’re doing this support tour, so our job is to get up there and show people what we’re all about in 30 minutes. We’re doing most of the stuff from Trampoline. And with “A Magazine” [a song from the Trampoline album], we chopped it up, and we’re only doing the middle part. We want to give people a good idea of who we are with that time frame.

REAX: And are there any other projects coming up that you’re excited about?

JA: Yeah, there sure is! I mean, it’s nothing I can really talk about, of course. (laughs) All I can say, is that there will be a lot of different things coming from us in the near future. steeltrain.net

REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE 1515

16

SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING ISSUE: 23

Obviously, there’s no mystique left in rock stardom.

When you can wake up Monday morning and find the results of Amy Winehouse’s Friday afternoon court-mandated urinalysis, it’s pretty much official: that gulf of mystery that once existed between superhuman pop icon and just-regular-human pop fan is either completely gone, or has been so successfully bridged by emerging technology that it might as well be. And that’s where we’re at. You might have to wait out the bullshit, or dig a little deeper than the initial posts on your favorite Project Celebrity Watch sites and blogs, but if you really want to, you can know more about somebody whose song you like than you know about your parents, your sister, or your lover.

Once upon a time, rock stars could be anything they wanted. Perfectly adjusted womanizers, or stylish, intellectual drug addicts who worshipped a devil that always had ample supplies of hot bodies and blow. Even – if you can believe it – a Starman, a Bat Devil, another Starman Who Was Also A Playing Card, and a Curiously Incurious Cat-Man. And fans ate up the fantasy as easily as they devoured the attendant music.

As a musician and writer, I was let behind the curtain before the computer-literate masses. Not too long before, mind you. But just early enough to be granted a rude awakening with regard to the differences between the ideas and realities of the musicians that so heavily influenced me. I opened for bands I’d waited years to meet, only to find out they were dicks. I interviewed people to whom I couldn’t wait to speak, only to find out they were dicks too.

And I began to wonder exactly how much my personal knowledge of the artist influenced my opinion of that artist’s work.

One of my old bands played with Seaweed. They booted us out of the backstage area and didn’t remember us when we drove to Orlando to see them the next night!

But it didn’t really affect my love for their music. I did a horrible phone interview with The Melvins’ Buzz Osborne, one I swear he timed so he could mutter garbled quotes through the gristle of his dinner, and I never listened to the band the same way again – maybe he made the cagey distinction between “press” and “fan,” but I didn’t. I can’t hear Stoner Witch without thinking, “God, Buzz Osborne is a tub of cocks.”

Now every fan knows everything about every artist he or she might be considering for the soundtrack of his or her life. Not only that, but they’ve got to sift through all manner of half-truths and outright lies – none of which are exactly endearing – on their way to forming a picture of said artist that isn’t – um – roughly as accurate as a blind Argentinean’s charcoal sketch of a polar bear in a snowstorm.

So how much does this onslaught of “information” about the human beings who create this music influence our opinion of the music itself?

I’m not sure, but I’d wager it’s too much. I’ve loved The Frames for years, and I’m perfectly willing to admit that the attention attracted by Glen Hansard’s recent Oscar win makes me nervous. It might not affect his songwriting at all – it probably won’t – but the idea of paparazzi suddenly taking interest in a brilliant and heretofore obscure artist curdles my stool. Not because one of my favorite unknown acts has suddenly been shoved into the spotlight, but because of the ripple effect notoriety has in the pop culture pond.

Twenty years ago, I just thought Tommy Lee was the skinniest, craziest guy in Mötley Crüe. Now I know he’s aggressive, pathetic and almost clinically retarded.

None of that has much to do with the soundtrack of my life. So let me ask you, was I better off not knowing?

REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL2008 2008• PAGE • PAGE1616 REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • MARCH

18

LIVE LIKE NO ONE IS WATCHING ISSUE: 23

LOCAL FEATURE

devil-may-care attitude towards the music industry.

Old habits die hard. These boundaries of ritual and tradition can sometimes force our minds to become too comfortable, falling prey to the illusion of safety. The Dukes of Hillsborough – the sentimental heroes of Tampa’s punk scene – have avoided this dubious distinction by making honest music, playing their guts out, and never taking themselves too seriously. About six years ago, it seemed like the Duke boys were shredding New World Brewery almost every weekend.

Recently, they have been a lot more selective about playing shows. One big reason is that their drummer, Phil Stanwick, currently resides in Atlanta.

“Phil living in Atlanta now is part of the reason we don’t play many shows around here, but outside of the first couple of years, we never really played constant shows. I think it’s tiresome and stale for us and everyone else to play constantly in the same town,” singer/ guitarist Jeff Brawer explained.

“And New World stopped giving bands open tabs for a while. That slowed us down,” bassist Travis Malloy quipped.

As their name suggests, the band has become a large part of central Florida punk lore.

“We figured the name would make us try harder to take over Tampa. We needed to earn it. Like Phil earning the ‘Bus’ nickname by trying to carry Jeff and me

on his back for a block. But we’ve realized we’ll never be top dogs, so now we’re just Dukes of Hillsborough. No The,” Travis recalled.

While their conquest of the Bay area’s scene might not have come to fruition, the band has plenty of accomplishments that make them one of the most intriguing presences in Florida’s independent music culture. The Dukes have become mainstays at The Fest, the annual punk rock destination for debauchery on a legendary scale.

“We’ve been in the lineup since Fest II. The Fest has become the best weekend of my life. I start getting the itch around the beginning of summer. I have tried to explain it to people and it sounds insane to me while I’m saying it. It’s amazing to what a grand scale this thing has grown. People are coming from all over the world. I forget who said it, but the quote that comes to mind is, ‘Playing at Fest is great because there are a few people scattered all over who like our music. And every one of them is there at Fest.’ And I’m pretty sure most people you ask would reply, “Who? They played Fest? Really? Huh, how about that?;” Phil told me.

Nowadays, the Dukes mostly play the Punk House in Tampa, and Transitions at the SPOT. While they might not fit the traditional definition of a straight up punk band, the guys seem to relate the most with this genre, due in large part to their

“We get along with bands that don’t take themselves so seriously. With the way the industry’s going, a lot more bands in different genres will probably start giving up on making it, and relax and play the Punk House just because it’s fun,” Travis said.

“Yeah, that sums it up pretty well. We listen to all types of stuff and our music isn’t straight up punk, but we get along best with punk bands and share a lot of the same ethics,” Jeff added.

“I think of it like this: our scene is like an adult softball league. We are a bunch of people (the whole music scene we are involved with) who get together and have a good time. We got jobs, and some of us have kids, and some of us have mortgages but you always make time for softball,” Phil explained.

The Dukes may not be as visible as they once were, but rest assured, they still know how to shred and always have a seemingly good time. As icons of Tampa’s independent music scene, they are wellrespected and do a great job of keeping their fingers on the pulse.

“Things seem to be going well. There are great bands in Tampa. And the right people are in the right places. Matt and Transitions are doing a great service to Tampa and I hope people understand. Do you know he cleans up the parking lot after a show? At three in the morning, when I’m sure he wants to go home, he is out there with a trash can picking up people’s food wrappers and beer cans. Come on, people:

let’s throw our own stuff away. I like Tampa, but what is really great about it is when you talk to bands from other parts of the country and they like it too, then you think we are doing it right,” Phil told me.

“Florida has too many great bands to mention. There are a lot of great younger bands coming out and a lot of old fucks like us that won’t stop playing. We also have one of the best venues in the U.S. at Transitions,” Jeff said.

Only rapidly aging punk fans like me would ever describe the Dukes’ ideals as refreshing, but that’s exactly the sensation that ran through my veins after talking with these guys about our music scene (which is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time).

“We started about seven years ago. We were all just basically good friends who had played in different bands together in the past. We really wanted to have something with just the three of us that was laid back with no pressure or stress. We never even discussed what kind of stuff we were going to do musically. We talked more about how much we were gonna drink and try to tour with no preconceived notions of ‘making it’ in any way,” Jeff recalled about the band’s humble beginnings.

Dukes of Hillsborough have been signed to Tampa’s ADD record label for years and have released three full length albums.

They are working on a fourth, which they hope to have released by next year, but I think I like Phil’s plans for the future best: “Finish these beers and go to bed.”

MYSPACE.COM/ DUKESOFHILLSBOROUGH

REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE 18

19

LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

THE SUPERVILLAINS They’re potheads, not alcoholics. Unless it comes to Jägermeister Stuck in a time where screamo and pop punk have literally taken over, The Supervillains strive to bring something different to the table. This Orlando grown ska act has been taken under the wing of Hawaii’s own Pepper, and signed to their label, Law Records, in 2006. They released their first album off of Law Records, Grow Yer Own, in April ‘06, and plan a sophomore release with Law and Controlled Substance Sound Labs (Slightly Stoopid, Pepper, The Expendables, The Beautiful Girls), a new label created by the Phillip brothers originally from Silverback Management.

So aside from sitting around smoking weed and watching Spike’s Most Extreme Videos during interviews, the guys of The Supervillains are pretty busy. I was lucky enough to catch them right after a short tour in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, and right before they begin their first headlining tour across the U.S. next month.

Dom (drums), Skart (guitar/vocals), and Smally (sax/vocals), were very anxious to talk about their new album, right after taking a few rips from a bong, of course.

“We began recording in late February, and we plan to hopefully have it out in the fall of this year,” Dom said.

According to the guys, we can expect some guest appearances on the new album from artists such as Slightly Stoopid and Orlando’s own Junkie Rush.

“The album will have a mix of some tracks from old records and some new ones,” Skart said. “And a cool ass Billie Joel song,” Dom added.

Working with Pepper has opened many doors for The Supervillains, like playing shows with other reggae and ska acts such as The Expendables and Fishbone. But The Supervillains haven’t forgotten where they come from. They still play many shows in the Orlando area, and The Social is still their favorite venue. They wish they just moved along a lot sooner, and left the Orlando area earlier.

“There’s just a lot more aggression out there nowadays. Like all the emo kids who are just staring at the floor all depressed, wearing their sister’s pants and girly shirts,” Skart joked. “Are you guys in The Cure or are you at a ska show?”

I think it’s safe to say that no matter what genre is popular today, The Supervillains have proved that they are here for good.

“We plan to keep doing what we’re doing,” Dom says. “We’ll be on the road playing shows for a long time.”

Be sure to catch them in Orlando at the Social April 11th as they start their first headlining tour.

“And don’t bother trying to smoke us out with bad weed,” Skart added. “It’s just a waste of time.”

THESUPERVILLAINS.NET REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE 19

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LIVE LIKE NO ONE IS WATCHING ISSUE: 23

REAX: What do you want people to walk away from this album with?

KA: I want the songs to get stuck in the listener’s head.

REAX: How has Post Records helped Mumpsy?

JI: It’s really like a gigantic family. I can’t tell you how many times we called Chris Cucci (owner of Post) while on tour to complain about something, like a tearyeyed child calling his papa, and Chris just listened to everything we had to say.

He really does care about Orlando and local music, and he helps out bands all the time, regardless of them being on his label or not.

REAX: Please comment on this John Frusciante business! Also, I read something about Sufjan Stevens. Can you tell me about that?

JI: I doubt we will ever meet the man, but, yeah, he totally name-dropped us in an interview (it’s on our MySpace), and it ruled.

Orlando’s Mumpsy demonstrates what it is to be a hard working band in this town. Their travels brought them across the country to the infamous SXSW festival, but not without obstacles. Transmission troubles and even homework created hindrances, but Mumpsy perseveres with the highly anticipated release of Cat & Canary with Post Records due out this fall. Orlando will get a chance to purchase the album early at the soon to be announced CD release show in May. Upward momentum seems to continue as Mumpsy was just announced winner of the CMJ Collegiate Nationals Music championship and will be flying to San Diego to play April 19th.

The six piece consists of local musicians Jeff Ilgenfrizt (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Phil Longo (bass, vocals), Kristen Andre (keyboards, tambourine, vocals), Chris Rae (lead guitar, percussion, synthesizers, vocals), Waylon Thornton (drums, vocals) and Sean Moore (violin, trumpet, vocals). Ilgenfritz and Andre took some time to tell us about touring, the new release and even John Frusciante.

REAX: Most recently, you headed out west leading to the SXSW festival. How was the festival? Any tour stories?

Jeff Ilgenfrizt: We played a nice little show with other Florida bands, and the people were diggin’ it. Later on, Chris, Waylon and I wrote a new song in the hotel room, completely drunk.

As far as tour stories go, there are too many to count. I must have bumped my head a thousand times in the trailer loading out gear; we filmed another music video (“As a Matter of Fact”) at a rest stop in Florida; Waylon was constantly surprising everyone with his witty banter; Chris Rae was eating honey out of a bottle, looking even more like a grizzly bear; I saw snow for the first time in Pittsburgh; our show at DC9 in Washington D.C. was the best show we’ve ever played. I could go on and on, but nothing too extreme or wild on this one.

REAX: How is the van and its transmission holding up?

JI: Thankfully, my dad is a mechanic. As soon as the van’s transmission went out, we drove it from Gainesville in second gear the entire way on 441, back to Orlando, and he fixed it. There were a couple of days in a row where we were seriously freaking out,

wondering if the tour was going to happen or not. Luckily, my dad rules.

REAX: The new album, Cat & Canary, will be available for the first time at the CD release party, but the official release is this fall?

Kristen Andre: Yeah, having the official release months after a CD release party, which more or less signifies a local release, is a good way of establishing local support in order to gain enough momentum so that the national release is more of a success.

REAX: Can you tell me about the recording experience, how it may have differed from past experiences and how this album differs from past efforts?

JI: This one, more so than the others, feels more confronted by external pressures because each song deals with two opposing forces, lyrically, at least. We recorded it in my studio, and worked on it harder than anything we’ve done so far. It was still a group effort, with a lot of my friends helping out with recording different parts to it.

Sufjan Stevens did a Christmas song contest, and we wrote and recorded a song for it. We were shocked when we found out that he picked our song among 600 entries, and that it won the “Best Garage Pop” category. Really, praise from celebrities like that is great and amazing, and you can definitely put them on your résumé, but they don’t go beyond that. It’s nice when people ask us about them, like we know them, and we just nod and say stupid things like, “I know, right?” Then we usually act like little kids talking about Superman.

REAX: Kristen, how has your experience been being the only female in a group of dudes?

KA: Sometimes, I hardly feel like I’m the only girl in the band. However, there are those rare times when boys will be boys.

A few months ago, we were on board the “Sweet Dick Dude Tour” with the fine lads of Trés Bien and Win Win Winter.

Obviously during that tour, the penis jokes never got old. Not having a penis, I found myself feeling a little left out, but what ya gonna do? As far as touring, I have kind of taken on the roll as “Mama” which is my attempt to look after everyone: making sure Jeff brought a jacket, Chris is taking his vitamins, and Phil and Waylon are behaving themselves.

REAX: What can 2008 expect from Mumpsy?

KA: New album. More touring. Watch yo’ self!

JI: I think Kristen summed it up perfectly.

MYSPACE.COM/MUMPSY

REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE 20

21

Sherry’s

VINTAGE CLOTHING & ANTIQUES

LOCAL ALBUM REVIEW

...WHERE VINTAGE STILL MEANS ONE OF A KIND!

TUES - SAT: 11AM TO 6PM SUNDAY: 12 NOON TO 6PM

With their latest release, the Palm Harbor based power-pop alternative five-piece Suburban Tragedy is showing some signs of life. The album features thoughtful insights dealing with the complicated nature of human relationships. The CD is wellproduced and it is clear that this band has spent a great deal of time honing their craft. What the disc lacks in variety and originality, it more than makes up for with a genuine sense of feeling, not present on a great deal of similar offerings from other bands in the genre, both nationally and in Florida.

Ideas are bulletproof, and it’s obvious that a great deal of focus went into crafting Lies, Lust and Luxury. Perhaps best known for their appearances at the Next Big Thing music showcase and composing the theme song (“Wake Up”) for 97X’s Fisher and Boy morning show, Suburban Tragedy clearly has bigger plans on the horizon. The band is currently signed to Indegoot Entertainment, but as with their previous records this album has been independently released.

You can check out some tracks from the new album at

MYSPACE.COM/SUBURBANTRAGEDY REAX REAXMUSIC MUSICMAgAzInE MAgAzInE• APRIL • APRIL2008 2008• •PAgE PAgE2121

22

AVANT-GARDE IN THE NOW ISSUE: 23

STAINBOY REAX: What does a Stainboy poster say about the man who makes them?

Stainboy: On the surface, they say I’m a violent, crass, lecherous bastard who takes nothing seriously. Obviously, that’s not the case. My posters just give away the high-octane version of myself. The images are things we’d all like to do in real life if we could: high-speed car chases, busty gun-wielding vixens, making fun of authority figures. Putting across a sense of humor and attitude while representing the band is the most important thing to me.

REAX: From your newly published, and may I say beautifully printed retrospective, I see you’ve drawn multiple posters for Nashville Pussy, Flogging Molly, Motorhead, Mastodon, Pennywise & Sevendust. Are these bands favorites of yours, and who are some of the up and coming artists you find interesting?

Stainboy: Most of the time I pick the bands or shows that I like doing. Over time I’ve developed good relationships with several bands like Flogging Molly or Nashville Pussy, which has led me to doing more work for them. There’s so much stuff I listen to, new and old. That list could get long, too long. When I’m working I like to listen to soul or film scores. Sometimes I just play movies in the background: anything that puts me into a groove or the zone. My all-time favorite “desert island” bands are still the Sex Pistols and Cheap Trick.

REAX: You’ve had a taste of the Rock Star life touring the world in Nutrajet with friend and legendary Tampa drummer Jeff Wood, who passed away last year. Do you fancy getting back in the limelight and playing music, or does your art now satisfy that need?

Stainboy: Well, I definitely don’t have time for a band anymore and I’m an all-ornothing kind of person. I could never be in a weekend band as a hobby. I really miss Jeff a lot. We had a perfect chemistry that I know will never happen again and we were also best friends. The art definitely keeps me busy enough and I still get to travel a lot and show my work. I probably travel more now than when I was touring with Nutrajet, and believe me, touring my art all over the country is every bit as crazy as being in a band! As long as I’m making my living in art or music, I’m fine. Everyone needs a reason to live, to get out of bed everyday... something to look forward to. My work keeps me pushing ahead and reminds me that it’s great to be alive.

REAX: If a band or venue wants Stainboy to create a poster for a show or tour, how would they go about doing so?

Stainboy: Just contact me through my website, www.stainboyreinel.com. Oh, and give me money.

REAX: With twenty years of creative experience under your studded belt, what advice can you give to aspiring artists who want to make a career out of the rock and roll poster game?

Stainboy: Just go out and do it. Don’t wait for anything to come your way. It’s all about hustling. Make posters and merch designs for your favorite local bands or your own band and keep at it. The best advertisement for your work is having it posted up all over town. If you’re passionate about what you’re doing, it will show and most of the time you won’t have to look for work. It will find you. stainboyreinel.com

This month I’m going to be a little self-indulgent and take some space to tell you about the brand new gallery/studio/event space in downtown St. Petersburg that I’m opening with local photographer/fashion designer extraordinaire Marina Williams.

Myself a filmmaker and Marina an artist, we want to truly create a space that supports local art as opposed to simply promoting or profiting from it. In our opinion, supporting art means cultivating successful artists. And successful artists are those who directly profit from their work; an artist who has to struggle financially to create work because of high gallery commissions cannot achieve an optimum level of success. An artist needs community support and the means to benefit from the fruits of his or her respective labor. With the goal of creating a true community space - one that is a collective effort and not an individual one - the two of us girls (along with a little help from our friends) set out to forge new ground, and thus came up with the idea of ARTpool, which opens its doors officially on Saturday April 19th with the first of what is certain to be many monthly art parties - Speedos welcome!

Our vision is pretty simple: we want to partner with the community to form an organic, evolving cooperative of artists that will work together to build a sustainable and a mutually beneficial artistic environment that promotes creativity, originality, and forward thought. What does that mean exactly? Well, for example, an artist may rent space on our walls for a low monthly fee (to cover utilities/contribute to the operation of the space) and then keep 100% of the profit from any sales he or she may make, with no commission going to ARTpool. In addition to the gallery space, there are three working studios - one for myself, one for Marina, and one for an artist-in-residence. We will be having monthly art/music/fashion events, film nights, art workshops and much more.

We want everyone to be a part of ARTpool, so get involved! Hang your art on our walls, come to one of our events, or just come hang out. We are located at 919 1st Avenue North, just a stone’s throw from the Arts Center and the State Theatre. If you’re in the neighborhood, come check out work from local artists Scott Lukacs, Matt Moore, Christopher Costabile, James Douglas, Matt Sunderman and others as artists and works are being displayed daily.

Visit our website at artpoolrules.com for more information about our upcoming grand Opening, how to get your art on our walls, how to volunteer, and much more. And don’t forget to be our friend on MySpace - myspace.com/artpoolrules. ARTpool is gearing up for a swimmingly great season; see you on April 19th!

ARTPOOLRULES.COM REAX REAXMUSIC MUSICMAgAzInE MAgAzInE••APRIL APRIL2008 2008••PAgE PAgE22 22

ETSY

23

Words: MacKenzie Pause

I PLEDGE TO BUY HANDMADE: WATCH OUT WALLY WORLD

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In the age of corporate layoffs and outsourcing, the idea of banning these greedy monopolies sounds more appealing by the second. I’ll admit that I’ve been bitching about many of these companies for years, but then out of convenience (or utter lack of options), I’ve found myself in the checkout lane of my archenemy.

As I’ve been known to say before, there is only one thing I hate more than Jimmy Buffet. I won’t name any names, but let’s just say it rhymes with Small-Fart. They may stink, but they are anything but small, and these conglomerates control the masses. We are brainwashed by sales and extremely clever consumer marketing.

How many times have you gone to one of said superstores and walked out with bags of things you never thought you needed? “But they were on sale,� you say to excuse yourself, or “I may need this someday.� That super-sale just made that pile in the back of your closet grow to a mound.

As the years add on, and my wisdom grows (insert smirk here), I find myself caring about the conditions in which my products are made. I want a guarantee that the shirt on my back wasn’t made by a minor working a fourteen-hour shift for three cents an hour.

However, I recently discovered the world of handmade products. Etsy.com has allowed artists and craftsters to make and sell everything handmade from clothing, jewelry, bath products and stationary, to furniture, geekery (everything under the sun, even pirate-themed products), plants, edibles and wedding accessories. The list doesn’t end there. You name it, and someone on Etsy makes it.

Purchases made in recent years would have made my teen punk rock, DIY way of thinking cringe. What made it okay to buy that dress from Target in my twenties?

When I was fifteen I would have spent a day thrift store shopping to find that perfect, completely unique dress. Did the corporate marketing get to me? Did I fall for advertising campaigns, and promises of the best prices? I think most of our culture has succumbed to this consumerism, and with these stores sprouting up in every small town and major metropolis, it’s hard not to.

In the age of this corporate saturation, who wouldn’t want to support independent artists? Your money goes directly to the creator, who most likely made the item with TLC. A handmade product is one-of-a-kind, something completely unique. That individualism doesn’t exist in department stores that just contribute to a society of clones.

Very importantly – and not always thought of – buying handmade helps the environment. Mass production is one of the major causes of global warming and air pollution, not to mention the slew of environmental abuses that come with the existence of these super stores. Lush farmland and natural habitats are destroyed while local water becomes polluted from rapid building, improper cleaning of construction sites and handling of pesticides and fertilizers sold on premises.

Recycled or environmentally conscious products are frequently used in the making of handmade goods. Each purchase through something like Etsy.com is a small blow to large scale manufacturing and a step in the right direction.

Each month, I will feature an artist, giving REAX readers an alternative to the big box. Local craft events that promote this consumer lifestyle will also be featured.

Stop being fooled by the supposed “sales.� Support artists and join me in my Handmade Crusade! buyhandmade.org

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etsy.com REAXMUSIC MUSICMAgAzInE MAgAzInE••APRIL APRIL2008 2008••PAgE PAgE23 23 REAX

24

AVANT-GARDE IN THE NOW ISSUE: 23

Frank Strunk III conveys through an “industrial aesthetic” resistance to societal norms that have become overwhelmingly oppressive. His tools for raising this consciousness include galvanized steel, sheet metal, and mechanical contraptions. The methods for conveying his message are incredibly diverse - from fine art to functional art, commercial to kinetic, architectural to wearable metal couture. He is an amazing artist, a gifted craftsman, and also an inspiring philosopher with a message.

According to his website, Frank Strunk III’s philosophy is the belief "that as a society, our careers have taken precedence over our 'selves,' making our lives little more than a mechanism of a larger, thoughtless, cold 'machine.' By dissecting this culture, [my] art reveals the ways we have stifled self-expression and how our lives have become disconnected.” Frank says, “I try to take the functions of these machines and pose them against the functions of our lives. I feel, as a byproduct of our culture, we spend far too much time as willing participants in this machine, and as a result we miss out on richer, fuller lives.”

conversation shifts to a discussion about how young females have come to not only accept these stereotypical characterizations, but to accept the idea that their true worth rests between their thighs. As Frank Strunk III puts it so eloquently, “We live in a world where nipples sell mulch!”

He views this phenomenon as a huge cultural struggle and believes that commerce and advertising in our culture have managed to “sell women down the river.” He stresses the “inappropriateness” of measuring the worth of women in these demeaning ways. This then brings up the overt use of gas pumps in one of his metal couture fashion pieces and the metaphor that society has figuratively (and literally) pumped and sucked the essence and worth out of women. "Society has bled the nurturer dry of dignity and subsequently demonized her," continues Frank. "Furthermore, I cringe at being labeled a fashion designer." He doesn’t want to be identified, unpretentiously and not via connotation or by association, as a perpetrator in the degradation of women. He is not the type of person who adheres to the accepted norms of beauty and consumption.

I asked Frank Strunk III if he believed he has been successful in accomplishing this goal. He immediately brought up his piece, Synthetic Messiah. Synthetic Messiah is an ingenious mix of kinetic function and video that engulfs the observer in an interactive experience. As the observer stands before the piece watching a televangelist sermon he becomes compelled to insert money into a large box with “gIVE” written boldly across it with two hands, fingers pointed, directing you to the slot. If you happen to put a dollar in the allotted slot you can watch as the shredded remains fall from the bottom of the box into a pile; this shredded pile of money then becomes a part of the piece itself.

He explains how the observers become themselves “willing participants" and "part of the piece.” I find this compelling because the observers are forced to identify with the message as they sacrifice their own money for the piece, implying that redemption cannot be gained monetarily.

Find below an excerpt from our further conversation on his artistic vision and style.

Frank directs me next to Come Hither, a mixed media, collaborative effort with fellow artist Dave Williams. The piece depicts a woman in a negligee with curlers in her hair. Her face is smudged by blotted paint. A gas pump, used as her limb, moves in a suggestively seductive gesture to “come hither”. He explains that the concept behind this piece was a protest against the culturally accepted norms concerning women and beauty. According to Frank, beauty is developed over time and involves maturity and the acquisition of knowledge. "True beauty, the power of beauty, lies in wisdom." This is in fact a stark diversion from culturally accepted norms of beauty that suggest beauty is purely physical and fades away over time.

REAX: Where can we see your artwork locally?

FS: I will be exhibiting a few of my fine art pieces in April, at C. Emerson Fine Art gallery for the REACT exhibition.

Frank then moves on to Come Hither's companion piece, Hey There, which depicts an attractive young female with long, flowing hair, luscious plump lips, carefully drawn doe eyes, and dressed in the trendy, revealing clothing that young women today so often wear. Her hand, a paintbrush, moves frantically, waving from side to side, suggesting the vehement attempts made by these women to display their assets. At this point, our

The REACT exhibition at C. Emerson Fine Art gallery runs April 4-26, with an opening reception on April 4 from 6-9pm. C. Emerson Fine Art gallery is located at 909 Central Avenue North in downtown St. Petersburg. Call (727) 898-6068 for more information on this show.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ARTIST, VISIT WWW.FRANKSTRUNK.COM.

REAX: Where do you glean the inspiration for your pieces?

Frank Strunk III: It is hard to take credit for the genesis of an idea.

REAX: How or in what ways has your art progressed over time?

FS: Creativity is connection to the universe. Realizing the conduit is huge and open to the universe. Not being afraid to try anything - conceptually, personally, creatively.

Persistence of vision.

REAX: Where do you see yourself heading in the future?

FS: [I’d like to] be conceptually viable, relevant.

REAX: Any other upcoming exhibits?

FS: In October I will be having a solo exhibition at C. Emerson Fine Art gallery. I am really looking forward to that! I will be showing sculptural, kinetic, and video installations.

Apparently, he is a “closet video editor from hell.”

REAX REAX MUSIC MUSIC MAgAzInE MAgAzInE •• APRIL APRIL 2008 2008 •• PAgE PAgE 24 24

REAX MUSIC Magazine • APRIL 2008 • Page 25

REAX: Tell us about the Invisible Children Organization, and what do you hope to accomplish by bringing them along on your upcoming tour?

BE: Thrice is very involved with them, so I think they’re the ones who organized the whole thing. But we met The Invisible Children on Warped Tour, and some of the guys reached out and talked about working with us at some point. And we are going to be, hopefully, auctioning off a guitar at some point on the tour, selling tickets. Anthony and Colin will probably paint the guitar and try to raise some money. The organization is really amazing, and they’ve accomplished a lot of things for the war that’s happening in Africa right now [Darfur].

It’s pretty amazing, I was just talking to them the other day and it seems like they’ve really helped take it in a positive direction through just a small organization. So it’s really cool to be a part of something like that. To me, it’s really important to be involved with anything like that that I can, being in a band. Because sometimes I wake up and I’m like, “What the hell am I doing with my life?” I’m almost thirty, and I play guitar and live this lifestyle that is basically like I’m still a teenager. It’s ridiculous, you know? So it’s important for me to be able to feel like I’m actually having a positive effect on the world through what we do. It’s really cool that we can do that.

Otherwise, I would feel like I was wasting my time, a lot of the time.

REAX: The band keeps an online journal, how does this factor into your overall mood on the road?

BE: The journal seems to be updated as soon as somebody has any kind of inspiration, really. It’s really just a good outlet, and a good way of keeping in touch with the fans, and what the fans are thinking. And I think a lot of bands are really missing out on how important it is to have that contact with their fans. And it’s such a simple way to do it, you know?

Like, take ten minutes out of your day, and go up there and write a couple things, and then the fans immediately feel more connected to the band. I think it’s really powerful in that sense. It’s usually Colin [Frangicetto], and Anthony, and I that write on there, but we all love to write, so it’s really an outlet for us, you know?

REAX: Are there plans to enter the studio any time soon?

BE: Yeah, we’ve been talking about writing this summer. Like actually

REAX: There seems to be a thematic structure linking the songs together throughout both albums.

How does this come about?

Brendan Ekstrom: I think in general there’s a lot of concepts of letting go and us dealing with some of our inner and outer struggles as people. I think that we’re all in this space…in our mid-twenties where you’re kind of between being a young adult and being an adult, and trying to figure out where you actually fit in to the world right now. So I think a lot of it is trying to figure out who we are, and a lot of that comes through in Anthony [green’s] lyrics. We all live together, and work together, and eat together all the time, so I guess it’s similar because of that. It’s hard to say, really. There are times I wish we would have gone a little bit more astray from that, but I don’t feel too bad about it. I think we have a lot more time and a lot more room to grow, so it’s kind of exciting.

REAX: How does cinema influence Circa Survive’s creative process?

BE: It’s definitely a big part for me because I love going to the movies. We have a huge movie collection. When we were writing the first album, we became obsessed with trying to synch movies up with albums. We did all the obvious old stuff like Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. And then we would just do really ridiculous stuff. Anything that had a certain mood to it we would try to fit with something else. We did this Dredg record with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and it synched up almost perfectly. So we see a lot of similarities in visuals and try to take that into our music, I suppose.

taking a good amount of time off to write a record. So, it’s possible that we could get into the studio by the end of the year, but that depends on a lot of things. Pearl Jam might come along and ask us to do a tour, or something. That’s pretty unlikely, but hey, it’s as good an example as any.

We’re all ready to write a new record, you know? We had fun doing the last one, and the one before that. For me, the creation is the most exciting part. I like playing shows, but I would spend all my time in a studio if I could. I mean, it’s like the ultimate goal for us, to be a band like Radiohead that can do one tour on an album, and then afford to be off writing for the next two years, or something like that. It’s crazy.

I think that everybody has a thousand things that they would like to try.

We keep telling each other that we don’t feel like we’ve scratched the surface of our potential. And after a while of telling each other that, we’re like, “Why the hell haven’t we?” So I feel like it’s time for us to do that, and I don’t think our next album will come out until we’re one hundred percent certain that it’s the next level. I’ve been listening to a lot more grunge, so I’d like for it to be a little more raw, a little more in your face. But who knows what the hell that means, anyway?

Words: Shawn Kyle Photo: Maria grazia Facciola Roy Wooten – better known by his stage name, Futureman – is a musician, inventor and composer. While he is best known as a 4 time grammy Award winning member of genre defying jazz group, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, his recent opus, The Black Mozart Ensemble, finds him taking the helm as the composer and conductor of orchestral instruments and spoken word urban artists.

The Black Mozart composition is dedicated to Joseph Boulogne, Le Chevalier Saint georges, also known as “Le Mozart Noir.” He was a towering figure in 1700s French history, renowned for being the first orchestral composer, conductor and violin virtuoso of mixed race African decent. As if those achievements aren’t impressive enough, he was also the country’s first black military colonel and was widely regarded as its finest swordsman.

Equally enigmatic and experimental, this recent work incorporates classical music, history, and modern urban lyricism. It even expands the boundaries of musical notes and instruments, as we know them.

“Somebody said people don’t make instruments anymore, but I didn’t get that memo,” Futureman chuckles. He just picked up one of the featured performers in The Black Mozart Ensemble fresh off the plane from Bombay, and is cheerfully preparing for the upcoming tour.

“The instrument that people see me playing with Bela Fleck is the drumitar. It’s a cross between a drum and a guitar, I didn’t really

care for that name but it stuck. It’s basically an experiment to see if I could use my fingers like drumsticks. It allows those patterns to go through multiple phases. You become melodic really fast. It allows you to think of it in multiple layers.”

“With these ideas it forced me to create instruments to get me to the point that I was thinking of. An instrument is so personal when you get to this depth.”

Futureman’s music does indeed run deep. As one of the Wooten brothers, he is a member of one of the most renowned and virtuosic music families now residing in Nashville. As children in the 1960s, their parents encouraged them to play and perform. The youngest, Victor Wooten, is an internationally known Bass virtuoso, and also a member of the Flecktones.

“The secret was that our parents supported us, and allowed us to play clubs way before we were allowed to be in those clubs.

Vic, for example, was five years old. By the time he was seven he was a pro. With that support there is confidence to try what it is you seek even if it is a path that you don’t know…”

This path has now led Futureman to not only create a new system of drumming, but also a new form of a piano, and even a new musical scale. His invention, known as the RoyEl, operates to give you four different notes per note you would normally play, depending on how hard you strike the keys. These notes are based on the golden ratio – the same mathematic formula used

by Leonardo da Vinci, Plato, and architects of the Renaissance.

It is a naturally occurring formula found in examples such as shells, the leaves and branches of trees, and the human body.

Futureman believes that these equations are found naturally in music as well.

“When you hear jazz musicians hitting these notes, they hit two notes together trying to get the sounds in between. When I hear indigenous music around the world, I hear pitches that go off the normal scale. With The Black Mozart Ensemble, it represents the first really adventurous symphonic work that I have composed on my RoyEl piano and it has this edge of revolution. We go from the ballroom, courtly music all the way to the rhythm of the fields.”

FUTUREMANMUSIC.COM REAX REAXMUSIC MUSICMAgAzInE MAgAzInE• APRIL • APRIL2008 2008• •PAgE PAgE2727

Everything happens for a reason. This cliché is uttered almost instantaneously when people are forced to deal with unexpected or unwanted changes. For Indiana post-punk alt-rockers, Murder by Death, change isn’t something that must be dealt with; it’s a way of life. From their inception at the turn of the millennium, they’ve explored numerous musical avenues that get their message across. From majestically crafted instrumental ballads present on their first record (Like the Exorcist, but More Breakdancing) to their hauntingly droning alt-country melodies on their latest release (Red of Tooth and Claw), MBD has exhibited an amazing propensity to seamlessly shift genres while maintaining a constant fan base nationally. I asked singer Adam Turla about the highly conceptual nature of the band’s previous records as compared to the latest album.

“With this one, I was trying to write a linear narrative that is also somewhat obscure in that there is a lot going on in there, but I wanted it to be sort of hidden. I wanted people to really have to look to find the story. It’s kind of a fun way to write, where I like to have every song have to fit into the whole picture. So, with this one I think it follows more of the style that Who Will Survive and What will be Left of Them? (2003) had, more of a linear story, whereas with In Bocca al Lupo (2006) there were a bunch of short stories,” he explained.

With the release of their new record and their relatively recent signing with Vagrant Records, MBD is making great strides towards stepping into the musical foreground.

Having toured with numerous legendary acts over the past decade (Against Me!, Cursive, Interpol, The Weakerthans, and Lucero to name a few), I inquired about the band’s intentions on becoming more of a presence on the indie scene.

“We’ve made a lot of friends on those tours. Some of those bands have become more successful than others, or had their moment in the sun so to speak. I really enjoy the music of most of those bands, and I like that you can do something that’s not just really obvious or scene oriented and actually be somewhat successful. That’s sort of the hope with our band, we know that we’re not going to get a huge pop sort of fame because it’s just not the sort of music that appeals to an enormous audience of casual listeners. But then you hear some of the lyrics that the Weakerthans have which are just really obscure and literate, and you think that there is an audience for some of this because these guys are doing pretty well (in Canada they do really well), and you realize that there is a home for more unique bands out there that are doing things that aren’t as predictable. And I like that, it gives us hope that we can continue to grow and have a bigger fan base,” Turla said.

Currently, MBD is headlining their own international tour in support of their latest album.

I was curious how they might view this course as a means to step out of the shadow of some of the aforementioned acts.

“We would not be upset if we were more successful. Mostly, what I want is to know that there is going to be people there at the live show. That’s what we spend most of our time doing, is touring. Knowing that there are going to be people there to play in front of not only makes the show more exciting, but keeps us out of the poor house. Having a new record out really helps. Right now, we’re just really excited to have this headlining tour with 55 shows or something, then we take three weeks off and go to Europe to headline over there, and after that it’s on to Canada in the fall. It’s good to have some momentum and be able to go out and do this. I’d love to be able to say that most of the clubs are full,” he told me.

One of the band’s greatest strengths is their versatility. MBD is able to transition between punk, alt-country, and ethereal instrumental ballads almost seamlessly. I asked Adam if the common themes and concepts behind their music help in creating such a harmonious balance.

“I’m trying to make it work, yeah. I don’t like to think a band has to have an identity. I feel like too many bands think that, ‘Oh, we’re a punk band, so we need to make sure that we do this sing along chorus here.’ Or, ‘Oh, we’re an alt-country band, so we need to go bombom-bom here.’ I think that mood can get across a lot more than just doing those standard things. We try to tell a story in a way that is as unique to that story as possible. If the story is about something that is very dark and foreboding, then we try and make a song that is dark and foreboding. If it’s a shit-talking, aggressive lyrics type song, we try to make the song hit hard and sound mean. I’ve been very interested in covering a lot of ground, and with each album we’ve tried to do something a little different musically. That’s been part of the fun challenge, and hoping that people will like it,” he expounded.

Murder by Death will be making four stops in Florida this month. If anything Adam and I discussed sounded remotely interesting to you, I highly suggest you catch their live show. murderbydeath.com REAX REAXMUSIC MUSICMagazine Magazine• APRIL • APRIL2008 2008• Page • Page2828

REAX: I was seriously obsessed with The Loon, and wondered how your next album could measure up. But you guys really did a fantastic job. Did you ever feel pressure when you were putting Walk It Off together?

Josh Grier: Not too much, really. I mean, I think that the pressure we felt was selfimposed. We wanted to make an album that we were all happy about. That has always been our focus. Even with our first EP, when it was only us messing around, we just wanted to make something that we all enjoyed. We try to have that mindset every time we record. Because, in the long run, that’s what matters the most: if we like it.

kind of...umm....it’s kind of a big, long song. I think it’s just one of those things where I think it would be weird for people hearing it live for the first time, as opposed to hearing it recorded, you know?

REAX: When you signed with XL Recordings, one of the reasons you said you went with them was because it was important to you to have creative control. How did this impact you with Walk It Off - coming from recording in a cabin with such a limited budget?

JG: They really did let us have total creative control on it. We sent them like 6 or 7 demos before we recorded - and they were pretty rough demos. But XL assured us, “We have faith – you guys just do what you want – it’s your record and we believe in you.” So, we went out and made the record. It was pretty awesome. I kind of expected what you hear stories about, the label saying, “Sure, it’s your single...but, you need to change all this stuff.” Instead, they just wanted us to keep the record however we wanted to keep it. It’s like we’re operating the same way we were operating before; but this time, we’re working with a really amazing producer in a big, fancy studio, you know? (laughs)

REAX: I know. You’re probably sick of playing the songs from The Loon, but everybody loves them. I’m hoping you guys play some of your old stuff on this tour, too.

JG: I think we’re playing a pretty healthy mixture. It’s still fun to play the stuff from the old album, we aren’t too tired of playing them. And it’s good to get some new stuff in there, too.

Mix it up a little bit and keep it fresh.

REAX: What made you guys decide to wet our Tapes ‘n Tapes taste buds and stream Walk It Off on the internet?

JG: Honestly, part of it was impatience. We’ve been done with this record since the end of October, and have been sitting on it for so long that we just wanted people to hear it. So, we thought, let’s stream it for a day and let them hear it! And, at some point – in this day and age – it’s going to leak, you know what I mean? So, we decided that we can be the ones to leak it, as opposed to somebody else.

REAX: I saw your recent interview with Spin, where you briefly spoke of possibly putting together a little album with one of the songs you had left over from Walk It Off, called “Wired.” Are you playing “Wired” on this tour?

JG: I don’t know whether or not we’ll play it on tour. I mean, nobody’s heard it, and it’s

REAX: No way!!! You should definitely play it!

JG: (laughs) Well, I mean, we’ll see. (laughs) But, we have twice as many songs on our set list now, anyway. Which is a great thing for us. Because back then, we were pretty much like...I don’t know. I mean, there’s only a few ways you can arrange like 17 songs.

REAX: I also read about your scheduled appearance on Conan O’Brien the day after your album comes out. Will you be playing “Hang Them All?” JG: Probably, yeah. Since it is the single, that’s probably the wise thing to do, huh? I guess that’s what we’re supposed to do. (laughs) REAX: How did you guys pick that to be your first single from the new album?

JG: The label thought it would be a good choice. And, I guess it’s up-tempo. So, it seems like a good first single. It’s weird to be like, okay, what’s the best first impression we can draw of the record, so that people who have heard The Loon will see that there’s some type of bridge between the two? It has to fill the gap. And, you know what? It’s fun to play!

REAX: I’ve read that one of your favorite songs to play live from The Loon is “Jakov’s Suite.”

Do you have a favorite song you play from Walk It Off yet?

JG: Oh, I don’t know... I think that all of the songs are great to play, just because it’s all new.

Rocking out and having a good time. “Demon Apple” is a lot of fun to play.

REAX: I love that song! And I can’t wait to see you guys play in Orlando!

JG: Sweet! Yeah, it should be awesome, for sure! The last time we played at the Social, it was a lot of fun. So, it should be a good time.

REAX MUSIC Magazine • APRIL 2008 • Page 29

Words: Michael Rabinowitz Photo: Duffy-Marie Arnoult She may sing with a Nancy Sinatra purr and crank her axe as quickly as Joe Strummer, but Lindsay “Coco” Hames is as sweet and energetic as a Homecoming Parade cheerleader. Along with drummer Maria “Poni” Silver and Jeremy “Jem” Cohen (see a pattern with their nicknames?), The Ettes present a quick-jabbing pop rock, and are an excellent addition to the neo-garage low-fi sound made so prominent by The White Stripes and The Kills. Now the Los Angeles trio, by way of Winter Park, are coming back home to release their second LP, Look At Life Again Soon. Before the band’s Park Ave CD release show, Coco discussed working on the new album with legendary producer Liam Watson, becoming a free agent, and how to tell if your favorite rock star is on drugs or just suffering from over exhaustion.

REAX: Was there any question you were not going to record with Liam Watson again?

Lindsay “Coco” Hames: None at all. We had been talking about doing the second album when we were there finishing the first! We have a very responsive relationship with Liam and didn’t even think of working with anyone else for this one.

REAX: Was the process any different having gone through the exercise with Liam before? More confidence on your part?

LH: There was more confidence, but also more curiosity. Since we’d worked together before, there were things we just knew about each other and the way we all worked. So this time it was more about finding out what else we could do together. It was a tougher session because we brought songs that were just written on the road, not songs that had been around and fleshed out. So there was more active creativity every day. Plus, we recorded on 4-track, which meant absolute ninja precision every take, all at once. It was stressful, but you can definitely hear the elastic tension in the recordings.

REAX: It seemed like you guys toured your asses off in 2007. Any lessons learned?

LH: Plenty of lessons! And here’s one for people who go to shows: musicians love their drugs, but when you encounter one who looks stoned and bleary eyed and like they might keel over any minute, and they don’t respond to their name being called, and they just seem confused – it is possible that they’re not arrogant drug addicts, but that they have been on the road. So, you know, don’t jump to conclusions! We love touring, it just stretches all of your mental and physical limits to the point where you actually become superhuman. It’s exhausting, but exhilarating too. The freedom is addictive.

REAX: Are you guys officially free-agents? Why are you no longer with Sympathy For the Record Industry?

LH: Sympathy has put out an amazing amount of records and done incredible things, but they’ve been doing it for a long time, and I think they’re just enjoying being Sympathy. It’s more of a catalog label now. We are free agents and will be looking for some new friends at SXSW this year. We did a limited edition pressing of a yellow vinyl LP for the tour out there, which we’ll be releasing on March 5th at Park Ave CDs in Orlando and it’ll be available online on March 11th.

REAX: I saw a Youtube interview where Jem describes The Ettes as a “gang.” Is that how you guys are when together?

LH: I think that was the video from Berlin. We played a show in London for VICE the night before, then flew from London to Berlin to play an in-store, and after that we were at the Magnet Club in Berlin. An Austrian TV station did that interview video, and I don’t think any of us has ever looked so busted! This is what I’m talking about, kids.

Are The Ettes stoned out of their minds or just operating on no sleep, traveling and/or performing for 36 hours straight? But yes, what Jem said is true. We’re a gang. It’s just something we all do and are together. We know each other very well and take care of each other. And that definitely helps on twelve-hour hauls through Idaho, or stressful multi-language travel in Europe. It’s the most fun in the world, and made even more so by how close we all are. It’s a demanding life, but we love it. We demand a great deal from life, so we demand a lot from each other. Not that we don’t attack each other now and again. I mean, all families do. Sometimes nothing clears the air like a good wrastlin’ punch-up. All in love, of course. Tough love.

Theettes.com

REAX MUSIC Magazine • APRIL 2008 • Page 30

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REAX MUSIC MAgAzInE • APRIL 2008 • PAgE 31

Words: Susie Ulrey Photo: Anna Vaquera Vasquez Trying to explain my affection for Ida is like trying to explain why I love my husband – I have loved him for so long, I just do – the reasons have settled deep into the wrinkles of my brain and are a part of how I define myself. Various incarnations of Ida have, over the years, mended my heart and pushed me deeper into inklings of emotions I felt but hadn’t completely tapped into.

Each album is a soundtrack to what was happening in my life the first time I heard it.

Ida is the kind of band that creates music you carry with you- the investment they put into each song resonates and allows the listener to connect with the band in the best way possible.

Since forming in 1992 as a duo, Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton have etched their band into a permanent place in indie/folk rock history with a firm grasp on emotionally dense songwriting and poignant delivery. Dan was a member of 80s punk band The Hated and Liz began her career in the early 90s playing in Liz and Lisa with friend Lisa Loeb. During more than fifteen years and 7 albums (not to mention EPs, 7-inches, live albums and side projects), Ida has continued to bloom.

The conviction is still there – and what

seemed more emotionally urgent in their earlier releases has been condensed to a soothing brew of quieter revelations. Their newest release Lovers Prayers (Polyvinyl) is the perfect example of what they do best as a band – and as a family (Dan and Liz were married 8 years ago and some of Daniel’s siblings have joined the band at one point or another throughout the years).

REAX: Tell me how the band has evolved since it formed.

Dan Littleton: Hopefully in a good way – from an experiential perspective, the only way I can address it is that I’ve really loved being in this band with all of its different incarnations. I feel the best and most excited about what the band is now and I love that we aren’t contingent on a static line up. It’s great to re-interpret old songs and figure out what they mean again. Everyone who’s played in the band resurfaces as their lives allow it – we have an open door policy and we’re lucky to collaborate with so many talented people.

Because the band has such a porous, malleable structure we take whatever comes, whenever it comes.

REAX: How has your marriage changed

the dynamic of the band?

DL: We’re very open creatively - it hasn’t altered the way we interact in the band.

A marriage is intense but so is being in a band and when you put those things together they can be combustible or really wonderful. It’s as complicated as anything else, forged out of history and habit and all kinds of weird shit but at the end of the day there’s nobody I’d rather play music with – when it’s good, nothing feels better than that.

REAX: What are your songs about?

DL: It’s a combination of personal and abstract subjects. For me, songs are never really a literal experience whether lyrically, emotionally or musically. We do write songs that sometimes feel like they’re literal as a one on one correspondence or as some event that’s narrated. Time isn’t linear; the connections between events in a song aren’t linear. As a songwriter sometimes you have to step back from an experience to be able to write about it-that’s the mystery of writing.

REAX: I noticed that you wrote the majority of songs on the record- any reason in particular?

DL: Liz has definitely slowed down with writing but she’s doing so much with the children’s music (Liz has released four children’s records, most recently on Smithsonian Folkways) which is so inspiring. I’m more obsessive about it. I’d been on a writing jag and started bringing all these songs to the table and before we knew it we had an album.

REAX: Any plans to tour?

DL: We definitely want to do some touring in the summer and the fall, both in the states and out of the country.

REAX: Lovers Prayers was recorded at Levon Helm Studios and at home. What was it like working with Levon Helm (The Band)?

DL: Everyone who plays there feels the wonder of that studio. It’s such a thrill. I was in a state of shock the first couple of times when I turned around and saw Levon behind his drum kit. He is such a great and personable man who understands the physics of how music makes people feel good – it’s immediate and infectious.

Playing with him is something I will take with me when I go.

Idamusic.com

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SXSW Wednesday 3/12 1- A Place to Bury Strangers @ Austin Convention Center 2- R.E.M. @ Stubb’s 3- Lemonheads @ Emo’s Annex 4- Black Keys @ Emo’s

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5- Los Campesinos! @ Emo’s Backroom 6- The Donnas @ Dirty Dog 7- Spoon @ Auditorium Shores 8- Enter Shikari @ La Zona Rosa 9- My Morning Jacket @ Austin Music Hall 10- Old 97’s @ Stubb’s 11- High On Fire @ Emo’s Annex 12- Octopus Project @ Emo’s

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13- Liam Finn @ Dirty Dog 14- She & Him @ Free Your Radio Corner 15- The Little Ones @ Red Eyed Fly 16- Vampire Weekend @ Stubb’s 17- Sera Cahoon @ Bourbon Rocks 18- MGMT @ Stubb’s 19- DJ Dojo @ on 6th Ave 20- Grand Archives @ Bourbon Rocks 21- Handsome Furs @ Bourbon Rocks Patio 22- The Helio Sequence @ Bourbon Rocks Patio 23- She and Him @ Parish 24- Destroyer @ Parish 25- Tilly and the Wall @ Habana 6 Patio

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26- Flatstock: Poster Art Show @ Austin Convention Center 27- Mr. Free and the Satellite Freakout @ their bus outside Waterloo Park 28- Carbon:Silicon @ In-store at Waterloo Records 29- Islands @ Waterloo Park 30- Matt & Kim @ Waterloo Park 31- Lucero @ Waterloo Park 32- The Breeders @ Waterloo Park 33- NOFX @ Waterloo Park 34- Think About Life @ Beauty Bar Patio 35- Horrorpops @ Red 7 Patio 36- Gil Mantera’s Party Dream @ Bourbon Rocks Patio 37- White Denim @ Habana 6 Patio

SXSW Sunday 3/16 38- Maps and Atlases @ Red 7 39- Tragedy @ Emo’s 40- Russian Circles @ Red 7 REAX MUSIC MAgAzInE • APRIL 2008 • PAgE 35 35 REAX MUSIC MAgAzInE • APRIL 2008 • PAgE

INTERVIEW WITH AHMIR “?UESTLOVE” THOMPSON Philly hip-hop/live-music hybrid The Roots has presented a true alternative to rap’s increasingly postured confines for 20 years now, and not just because they’re a hell of a live band. As the group’s ninth (or tenth, depending on who you ask) album, the galvanizing, personally political Rising Down goes to the presses, Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson posits that the real secret to The Roots’ substantial originality comes from their commitment to reflecting both themselves and the world around them.

REAX: When your press guys sent me the album, they were very, very concerned about leaks, like most industry people. How concerned about it are you personally? ?uestlove: Um, I know it’s an eventual thing, but you know, the only thing that concerns me about it is, I think most people in their heads, especially black artists, think you’re bootlegging it. My own concern is the fanbase will feel like there’s nothing to look forward to on April 29, 2008, you know? [laughs] And being that all we have is our first-week sales and our critical acclaim [laughs], we need everything possible. The idea of Gnarls Barkley putting their album out early on iTunes, it’s sort of a head-scratcher, because if they’d just waited ‘til today, I’m sure they would’ve seen more than 36,000 units. But I understand it’s the technological age.

REAX: Have you gone online and looked for torrents of your own stuff before it was released? ?uestlove: Yeah. I was the one that discovered the [new song] “Birthday Girl” got released. I was like, OK, whoever did it, you would’ve thought they would’ve released the whole record. If they’ve got that, they’ve got the whole thing.

But all that was for naught, now that it’s not even on the record. Ha Ha! REAX: Is that the main reason why you took the song off the record, or was it more because it just didn’t fit the mood and theme of the whole thing? ?uestlove: Really, that’s the thing that kind of bothered me from the beginning. We’ve had that song since The Tipping Point, in some sort of incomplete form. And then I guess when it was time to find a home for it on the record, in some sort of feng shui, it just wouldn’t go anywhere. It’s like, you know, we’ve got songs about high school shootings and Unabombers, and all these songs about more thorny political issues, and then here comes “Birthday Girl.” We tried every combination possible. We had a funny presentation we were gonna do in which it was gonna appear like it was a commercial break. Do you remember Weezer’s video for “Buddy Holly,” how they went to commercial break in the middle? I was actually thinking of interrupting one of the songs, having part of it, then having a voice say we’d be right back after these messages, and “Birthday Girl” would be like the commercial break. But as funny as it sounded, it would’ve taken the urgency and edge off the record. Even as a hidden track, it couldn’t find a home. So in the age of digital technology, give it to iTunes, make it an exclusive, and it’ll be on the international record.

But at the end of the day, I want this record to have the bookends of “Rising Down” and “Rising Up”.

REAX: But the record is kind of eclectic, especially compared to the flow of Game Theory.

Against Game Theory, Rising Down almost sounds like a mixtape. ?uestlove: Game Theory was

Words: Scott Harrell Photos: Chago Akii-bua and Brian Jones

the sound of sadness. I think sadness is an emotion that hip-hoppers really aren’t allowed to show. They can show love, hatred, they can show all points in between. But sadness is probably the one emotion that can turn the hip-hop nation into a more three-dimensional thing.

That’s the thing that’s more important to me. You can use your dimensions in a political record. My whole point is, can we look in, can we be more three dimensional? ‘Cause there’s really no dimension behind some lyrics. It shows a person’s cleverness, their agility and their speed for thinking. Just in terms of how we’re perceived, Game Theory is just a record where we sort of turned it inwards, and looked in. Game Theory’s not as political as it is observational, where this album’s very about political issues, and not coming from a third person, Save The Whales type of angle.

In “Singing Man” [from the new album], one could easily misconstrue [vocalist] Porn as the campus shooter, as a person who advocated campus shootings, or at least as playing devil’s advocate. So we really had to concentrate. That’s the challenge, so you know the perspective of where we’re taking it. It’s much more interesting when you’re speaking from the angle of the person, you know? You go into the mindset of the person that does it; it’s a much more interesting narrative. But you also have to be careful, especially with the Virginia Tech tragedy being so fresh. It’s a thin line to play on. And I thought we were successful in executing the story about having people scratch their heads as to why people do that.

REAX: It’s funny that you talk so much about concentrating and taking responsibility for the perspective of the music. Because it seems to me that, while themes of paranoia surface again, Rising Down itself actually deals a little more with the idea of personal responsibility, looking at the way people act and justify their actions, and how that bodes for the future. ?uestlove: Yeah. It’s us taking half the national approach, and half the local approach. It’s a double whammy of an album, because we’re mired in political controversy as a nation, but then it’s like one of those kung fu movies, where there’s a panorama of the whole city or the whole world and then it just zooms into the eye of Bruce Lee, you know? We live in Philadelphia, which, paraphrased, is the murder capital of the United States of America. Which is just the murder capital. Imagine the muggings that go unreported, and the other things, fights, on all levels. So, I feel it, that is, how bad it is. I feel it. It’s almost to the point now where - I’ll say in the last six months, but really I’ve only been home maybe for three weeks during that time, so let’s say I’ve been stopped by the cops in that three-week period over six months. There’s a one out of three chance that if I get in my car tonight, should I decide I wanna get a fish sandwich at one in the morning, that a cop might think that I stole my car from a college student, or “this is a routine check,” that’s their thing now, sobriety checkpoints. That’s just unfortunately normal now in 2008.

Not to mention just the situations we go through. People we know that died, that got knocked up, people you’ve gotta bail out, people that are asking you REAX MUSIC Magazine • APRIL 2008 • Page 36

THE ROOTS RISING DOWN DEF JAM RECORDINGS RELEASE DATE: APRIL 29, 2008

for financial help because their lives depend on it. Making sure the people that you care about are not in harm’s way – that’s all I want. All that adds to the approach. Yeah. This album’s coming from people that see what’s going on in the world, and also live in the most fucked-up city in the United States.

REAX: That’s a pretty big boast. It seems like things are fucked up everywhere. ?uestlove: Yeah, but Philly makes The Wire look like Friends. [laughs] I’m serious. At least Baltimore has jovial music behind its violence, you know?

REAX: Songs on the album deal with everything from mainstream pop’s willingness to indulge in gangsta stereotypes to the Bush administration’s irresponsible handling of the war. Do you think that all of these things are to blame for influencing our culture and even individual thought in a negative, ends-justify-the-means way? ?uestlove: It’s the chickens coming home to roost, I think. I think there’s a level of pathological nihilism that’s really just based on – I don’t want to harp on the Bush administration, but ... it’s to the point now where some people are like “Damn, this motherfucker took the leadership position on some coup de tat shit.” And the quote we always remember, and I always say that, because I can name 12 black comedians that have joked about this, they talk about how “Bush is gangsta, because he said you don’t have to vote for me, I’m still going to be your president – damn, that’s gangsta.” Even though it was said in a humorous way, that speaks in some underhanded, Enemy of the State type way. That’s a movie we’ve all seen - how can a man so innocent have his life so completely fucked up by the government? That’s some shit [black people] can relate to, not in terms of the technological aspect, but just the whole idea of rockin’ the boat.

I just think that, even though it’s not said directly, that’s probably why we haven’t heard from more conscious artists speaking on what happened. Because it was really some fucked up shit. But it’s like nobody, not even Al Gore talks about it. He’s like, “Oh, I lost.”

The only person I saw mad at the situation was in the first twenty minutes of Fahrenheit 9/11. The congressional hearings about Florida’s vote count, a lot of the black house committee people were visibly angry, even more angry than Gore. That was the only time I saw it.

There was this silence that you really couldn’t put your finger on. I did this interview for The Believer in 2002, and I said that the greatest thing about the Bush administration is that I know the music’s gonna be incredible, because in the worst political times, the black people, even back to jazz during the Depression, we find a way to find our happiness in the art of music. But no, shit didn’t swing our way. We got more apolitical, more nihilistic, more in denial, and it sort of makes us look like paranoid fools. Meanwhile, I’m like OK, D’Angelo, Lauren, is anyone gonna step up to the plate? We sort of felt like that scene in

The Three Stooges when they’re all in the army, and they ask who wants to go to the front lines, and everybody but them steps backwards.

I don’t think it’s some conscious decision to become anarchists and fuck shit up, I just think that there’s such a fear, an unspoken fear out there, that just puts someone in a position of silence, and that silence turns into denial. You have to create an alternative reality for yourself.

If you look at the music black people produced between 2000 and 2008, you wouldn’t have any idea whatsoever that this is one of the worst political times since The Great Depression, or since the Jim Crow laws.

REAX: The album ends on a comparatively inspirational note, though, with “The Show” and “Rising Up.” Was the sequence meant to inspire hope? ?uestlove: That’s absolutely why. That was the biggest challenge.

To tell you the truth, I think this album backwards is exactly how I would’ve initially executed it. In my head, “The Show” almost sounds like a mission statement. And I think that if it were to be first, it would almost sound defiant, as opposed to hopeful or optimistic.

And “Rising Up” would’ve almost sounded like complaining. [Had those songs been] at the beginning, it would have made us targets for people pointing their fingers, saying we’re whining about the way it used to be. But at the end, it’s hopeful. I don’t know why, but that’s what I think.

REAX: That it ended up the other way around, with the songs at the end, does that mean you found some optimism yourself, some hope you maybe didn’t know was there? ?uestlove: It’s always been there, really. It’s kind of hard, representing your ideology, and then representing yourself. Anybody that knows me knows that I’m goofy. I’m serious when it’s time to be serious, but my shit is goofy, which is just – I think because we had had such a downer moment the last album, we were really careful about tugging the heartstrings.

Really, that’s probably why “Birthday Girl” was on there in the first place. Despite the whole blog-flogging thing bloggers did about “Birthday Girl,” probably in our heads we wanted to show people we don’t take ourselves that goddamn seriously. If anything, I guess people think our agenda is about how serious we are, but my primary concern is that we have to show people we’re three-dimensional, because being a caricature in hip-hop is almost the norm. theroots.com

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REAX: What prompted the decision to sign with Fueled By Ramen?

JC: Well, we left our old label a while ago and were strongly considering just putting out the record on our own; it just seems like that’s the way things are going. We had been so frustrated at our old label, having to make a lot of compromises and waiting around for things to happen. We were envisioning this Utopia of releasing songs on iTunes whenever we wanted and that was very appealing. But we met with a few other labels and then we met with Fueled By Ramen. Something that we heard very early on was that the label does not interfere much with the making of a record. They have their bands make their record and if the band is happy then the label is happy.

That has not been our experience in the past. So we’re very happy so far and really looking forward to seeing what happens with the record.

REAX: Well, I wish you guys a lot of success. Can you tell me a little about the new record?

JC: Yeah. We made it over the last year or so, mostly in Los Angeles, at a couple different places with this guy named Tony Berg and this crazy Canadian engineer named Shawn Everett who is a genius. Our singer did a lot of research into cults and cult music, mostly Jim Jones and Charles Manson. He thought that there was just something fascinating about people following a charismatic leader. He was interested in the music they made - how it was extremely hopeful - and then knowing what happened to these cults puts this dark undercurrent beneath it. So he was striving to achieve something like that where on the surface it was very bright and catchy and happy, and then underneath there’s something else going on. So there’s kind of a loose concept going through the record. If you’re looking for something deeper on the album you might find it. myspace.com/phantomplanet

INTERVIEW WITH JEFF CONRAD

PHANTOM PLANET Words: Aubrey Bramble Photo: Mike Myerburg Phantom Planet is probably best known for the hit song “California”, which opened every episode of FOX drama The O.C. over the course of its entire four season run.

Jason Schwartzman was also the original drummer for the band; he left after the release of their second album to focus on his acting career. All teen drama and indie movie star cred aside, Phantom Planet is a pretty great, extremely solid pop band.

On April 15th the foursome will release its fourth studio album, Raise the Dead, on the Florida-based Fueled By Ramen records. To support the new release and recent label swap, the boys will be hitting the road with Panic at the Disco, Motion City Soundtrack and The Hush Sound on the upcoming 2008 Honda Civic Tour, which will be making stops in Tampa, Orlando, and Miami on the 22-25 of this month.

Drummer Jeff Conrad was a great sport despite extremely terrible cell phone reception and took a few minutes to chat with me about all things Planet while the band was on the road.

REAX: Alright, so what are you guys looking forward to on the Honda Civic Tour?

Jeff Conrad: We’ve been doing the last couple weeks since SXSW just in a van with the four of us and it’s been cool, but it’s also been pretty much 8 to 10 to 12 hours of driving a day to make a show the next day, and it’s definitely taking its toll on us. Getting on that tour we’re gonna share a bus with The Hush Sound so we’re looking forward to not driving the long, long distances. Other than that we’re just looking forward to playing for as many people as possible and hopefully gaining some new fans.

HOW DARE YOU APPEARING: APRIL 11, 2008 CROWBAR, YBOR CITY

Words: zak White

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to school you with a glimpse at one of the greatest upcoming bands in its class. Coming straight out of Orlando is a solid four piece band concocting rock and roll with a punk rock feel to it. The band name is How Dare You and they bring it to the table with a Florida-style sound reminiscent of some of the best bands to come from our state. How Dare You is comprised of two guitar player singers, Justin Goldman and Elliot Meyer; as well as bassist Mike Thornhill and drummer zak Swain, who formerly played in such bands as Carlisle and As Friends Rust. With every intention of widening their fan base, How Dare You has planned upcoming shows in Tampa, Orlando and Gainesville, as well as plans to record 11 songs in July, and prospects of a northeastern U.S. tour this summer. There is new life on the horizon but don’t take my word for it, let the music of How Dare You speak for itself, check them out at www.myspace.com/howdareyoufl.

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sixteen minutes long. It was short, but it was an EP. They are supposed to be short.

Now we are releasing a full length that is twenty-eight minutes long. Albums are supposed to be long, so if anything the criticism – if there are any criticisms – will get more vocal. But, I’ve never really seen it in the criticisms that our songs are too short.

It’s just that people want to hear more of our songs.

REAX: So I take it the band is not going to turn prog anytime soon?

GW: If I say that we will never write a song that is over three minutes long, I guarantee the next song we write is six minutes long. Our thing is to do what we do and just follow the music. We never at the beginning say we will write short songs.

The song writing process is a very isolated thing. When writing, we are not thinking of the TPC catalog or the album. We’re just thinking of the song and what serves it. tokyopoliceclub.com

INTERVIEW WITH GRAHAM WRIGHT

TOKYO POLICE CLUB Words: Michael Rabinowitz Photo: Jimmy Fontaine Canadian and politeness go together like Canadian and maple syrup, or Canadian and malt beer, or Canadian and earmuffs, or Canadian and prog rock (see the global phenomenon that is Rush). So, it’s no surprise to find Tokyo Police Club vocalist/ keyboardist Graham Wright to be the most humble of rock stars. His Toronto band mixes up dense prog orchestrations into lightening post punk two-minute jabs that are gobbled up over and over again. On the heels of the release of their second LP, Elephant Shell, the self-effacing Wright spoke with me about the role of nostalgia in defining great albums and dealing with the criticism of TPC’s songs being too “short.”

REAX: On your blog, you describe the new LP as an album to play after a night of partying, as you ride home with the girl you’ve been eyeing all night. Is TPC becoming a band of romantics?

Graham Wright: All four of us are in serious long-term relationships, so we’ve been romantics for a long time. I think we are just getting more comfortable with it. But that’s not to say that is what the album is about. It’s really not all. They are not songs about driving home with your girl at the end of the night. It’s just that to me, it feels like that. It feels like one of those records when I was sixteen/seventeen years old that would soundtrack my summer, that I would have nostalgic memories through now. Listening to the record, it almost feels like that to me. I feel nostalgic despite the fact that we just made it.

REAX: What are some of those “nostalgia” records?

GW: As someone who is just a huge music fan, any music that I am listening to and anything I love inexorably becomes tied to whatever events are going on at that point. As I look back on my life—and here I sound like a ripe old man and I’m still 21 [Laughs]—whatever happened stayed in context to whatever record I was listening to at the time. A big one for me, I was just thinking of this the other day, when I was in 8th grade I got Kid A by Radiohead. Up to that point I didn’t really listen to music that I am very proud of listening to. First, it was a huge turning point for me in terms of learning to listen to music that was good. Also, you’re in grade eight, you’re going to high school, puberty and all that crap. It’s a big time in anyone’s life.

REAX: “Your English Is Good,” on the new album, has been out a while now, but it contains great choral elements. Is that the direction of the new album?

GW: To a degree. Not a ton of it. The group vocal thing was something we were really into when we first started to write music. It was one of our go-to devices.

When we were writing that song, we were thinking, “This song is good but it needs something. Let’s just all shout.” [Laughs] And, then we just did that. I really do think it added to the song, but we’ve become a little more even handed with our distribution of those kinds of devices, with the way we use them. I hope we’ve learned to appreciate subtlety a bit more. So, those elements are still in the new songs but not in such a blatant way.

REAX: Do you think with this new album you will shake the ridiculous criticism that your music is too short?

GW: No. We definitely won’t. Before, we got away with it by making an EP that was

APPEARING: EVERY WEDNESDAY PEGASUS LOUNGE, TAMPA

Words: Shawn Kyle

“With this stuff playing to the left of me... I try not to look...”

Lazer Ray has 14 thousand songs at his disposal to let you sing and has been a veteran Karaoke DJ for 18 years in bars ranging from high class to the worst country dive imaginable, but he is still a little squeamish talking and thinking about his Wednesday night gig.

Every Wednesday night it is Pornaoke at the Pegasus Lounge, and the Jager shots flow freely.

Karaoke means “empty orchestra” and was originated in Japan in the 1970s, and is still extremely popular there. By the 1990s, it had spread across the world as a form of entertainment. But nowhere else in the world will you find Pornaoke, but in Tampa.

In recent years the Pegasus was changed from a biker bar to a haven for up and coming rock, metal and punk acts that needed a place to cut their teeth and chops.

A younger crowd began to frequent the place. But the Karaoke night was kept on Wednesdays and at first it was not a hit.

“When I first started working there it was slow. I had a few people that would come out that were regulars. The big TV screen behind the stage can have anything projected on there…it is old as sin, the projector is broken and only projects in red.

“One night, someone messed with the TV and put Cinemax on there. Late night cable, it has that soft porn on there.... and since in Karaoke you can show what you want on the TV’s.... people thought it was hilarious, and then next week more and more people started coming.”

Lazer Ray wants to make one thing clear… “This was not my idea.”

Yet, every week it became more popular because of word of mouth. When a few months later the bar had stopped paying for the movie channels on cable, the fans of the night became angry, what had become a mixed crowd of regulars of all sorts, from young punks to scenesters to metal heads, college students and Karaoke diehards all wanted one thing: surreal XXX images that almost become Warholesque when shot through a vintage projector that only shows red on a big screen as they belt out a heartfelt version of “Don’t Stop Believing”. The Pegasus had invented Pornaoke.

“Most of the people aren’t even watching it. If they haven’t been there before the first thing they do is point and laugh when they realize what is playing up there on the big screen. Some nights we would have between 400 and 500 people jammed in and out of that place.”

“It has become sort of a cult thing... everyone in this town knows about it.“ REAXMUSIC MUSICMAgAzInE MAgAzInE• APRIL • APRIL2008 2008• •PAgE PAgE3939 REAX

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HOT SPOTS FT. LAUDERDALE Culture Room 3045 N Federal Hwy Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306 954-564-1074 Revolution 300 Himmarshee St # 2 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33312 954-356-8149 Uncle Sam’s Music 4580 N. University Drive Lauderhill, FL 33351 954-742-2466

GAINESVILLE American Apparel 15 S.W. 1st Ave. Gainesville, FL 32601 352-372-2262 The Atlantic 15 N. Main St. Gainesville, FL 32601 352-264-9866 Common Grounds 210 SW 2nd Ave., Ste. A Gainesville, FL 32601 352-372-7320

ORLANDO Club Firestone 578 N. Orange Ave. Orlando, FL 32801 Drums2Go 204 South Semoran Blvd Orlando FL 32807 407-306-0611 Father Natures 5814 Makoma Dr. Orlando, FL 32839 407-850-5911 FL Inst. of Recording, Sound & Tech.

3315 Maggie Blvd., Suite 100 Orlando, FL 32811 407-316-8310 Hard Rock Live 6050 Universal Blvd.

Orlando, FL 32819 407-351-7625 Park Ave. CDs 2916 Corrine Dr. Orlando, FL 32803 407-447-PARK Park Ave. CDs Jr. UCF Student Union #102A Orlando, FL 32816 407-282-1616

JACKSONVILLE

Red Light, Red Light 535 W. New England Rd. Winter Park, FL 32789 407-539-1711

Club TSI 333 East Bay St. Jacksonville, FL 32290 904-424-3531

Rock N’ Roll Heaven 1814 N. Orange Ave. Orlando, FL 32804 407-896-1952

Freebird Live 200 north 1st Street Jacksonville, FL 32250 904-246-BIRD

LAKELAND 210 City Club 210 E. Pine Street Lakeland, FL 33801 863-413-1216

MIAMI Studio A 60 NE. 11th St. Miami, FL 33132 305-358-7625 Uncle Sam’s Music 1141 Washington Ave. Miami Beach, FL 33139 305-532-0973

TAMPA BAY All Pro Percussion 10101 E. Adamo Dr. Tampa, FL 33619 813-341-DRUM

Nova Art Lounge 535 535 Dr ML King Jr. St. N. St. Petersburg, FL 727-821-6682

Atomic Tattoos Multiple Locations www.atomictattoos.com

The Orpheum 1902 N. Avenida Republica De Cuba Ybor City, FL 33605 813-248-9500

AOE Art Supply 12908 N. 56th St. Tampa, FL 33617 813 989-0302

Pegasus Lounge 10008 N. 30th St. Tampa, FL 33612 813-971-1679

ARTpool 919 1st Ave. N. St. Petersburg, FL 33705 www.artpoolrules.com Boomerz Concert Hall & Sports Cafe 6990 Seminole Blvd.

Seminole, FL 33772 727-329-9299 The Castle 2004 N. 16th St. Tampa, FL 33605 813-247-7547 Crowbar 1812 N. 17th St. Tampa, FL 33605 813-241-8600 Daddy Kool Records 538 Central Ave. St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-822-5665 The Hub 719 N. Franklin St. Tampa, FL 33602 813-229-1553 IADT Tampa 5104 Eisenhower Blvd.

Tampa, FL 33634 888-315-6111

PUSH Ultra Lounge 128 3rd. St. S. St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-895-6400 RedLetter1 1510 E. 8th Ave. Tampa, FL 33605 813-241-2435 Revolve Clothing Exchange 1510 E. 8th Ave. Ybor City, FL 33605 813-241-2435 Seminole Music & Sound 10720 74th Ave. N., Ste. F Seminole, FL 33772 727-391-3892 Sherry’s Yesterdaze Vintage 5207 N. Florida Ave. Tampa, FL 33603 813-231-2020 Skatepark of Tampa 4215 E. Columbus Dr. Tampa, FL 33605 813-621-6793 Skipper’s Smokehouse 910 Skipper Road Tampa, FL 33613

Independent Bar 29 3rd St. N. St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-820-9514

State Theatre 687 Central Ave. St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-895-3045

Kelly’s Pub 206 N. Morgan St. Tampa, FL 33602 813-228-0870

Stevie B’s Total Guitar 30111 US 19 N. Clearwater, FL 33761 727-785-9106

ST. AUGUSTINE

Local Coffee + Tea 330 1st Ave. S. Saint Petersburg, FL 33701 727-551-0201

Café Eleven 501 A1A Beach Blvd.

St. Augustine, FL 32080 904-460-9311

Stevie B’s Total Guitar 650 Central Ave. St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-822-3304

Mabuhay Hair Salon 10022 N. 30th St. Tampa, FL 33612 813-972-0880

Tampa Guitar School 15349 Amberly Dr. Tampa, FL 33647 813.558.NOTE

Mema’s Alaskan Tacos 1724 E. 8th Ave. Tampa, FL 33605 813-247-TACO

Tribeca Salon 920 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Tampa, FL 33606 813-250-0208

Mojo Books and Music 2558 E. Fowler Ave. Tampa, FL 33612 813-971-9717

Vinyl Fever 4110 Henderson Blvd.

Tampa, FL 33629 813-289-8399

TALLAHASSEE Beta Bar 809 Railroad Ave Tallahassee, FL 32310 850-425-2697

Nekton Surf Shop 1313 Gulf Blvd.

Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785 727-593-8292

REAXMUSIC MUSICMAgAzInE MAgAzInE• •APRIL APRIL2008 2008• •PAgE PAgE40 40 REAX

DUNEDIN RED HEAD, YUENGLING, TROIS PISTOLES, GUINNESS, TETLEY’S PUB ALE, STELLA ARTOIS, BROOKLYN LAGER, BLUE MOON

NOW MORE BEERS ON DRAUGHT!

PLUS A

OF IMPORTED AND HUGE SELECTION DOMESTIC BOTTLES!

UPCOMING SHOWS:

APRIL 04: EARTH BOMBS MARS FEATURING RICH WHITELEY OF UNCLE JOHN’S BAND APRIL 05: WORLDWIDE ZOO APRIL 10: SMOKESTACK AND THE FOOTHILL FURY + TE COOL APRIL 11: BLIND BUDDY MOODY + BRENT RADEMAKER APRIL 18: THE SEMIS APRIL 19: ZAVALA LOPEZ + JOHN Q APRIL 25: BOB ANTHONY + ACHO BROTHER APRIL 26: BUSINESS CASUAL FEATURING MR. ATTENTION + JESSE P + OPEN MIC NIGHT EVERY WEDNESDAY

SEE OUR MYSPACE PAGE FOR OUR FULL CALENDAR

MON-FRI: 11AM -'TIL, SATURDAY: 5PM -'TIL, SUNDAY: 3PM -'TIL

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Big City Bombers, Teenage Bottlerocket, The Attack, The Copywrites, Larf, Virgins Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $6/$8 Time: 6pm DubConscious, Duppies Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $8 Time: 9pm

Legacy, Green Sunshine Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 10pm

Lost Bayou Ramblers Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $10/$13 Time: 8pm

August In The Fall, Tristan Keating, Triangle Shirt Factory, John Gold, Jessie Brosch Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $6 Time: 7pm

Supervillains, Skif Dank, The Uprise, Drunk Pilot The Social, Orlando Cost: $12/$15 Time: 5pm

FRI

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WMP, Full Flight, Red Seven Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: $5 Time: 8pm Joan Baez Tampa Theatre, Tampa Cost: $42.50/$49.50 Time: 7:30pm Battle!, A Show Below The Belt, Worse And Worse Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $10 Time: 7pm

THU

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10

KAP

CD Release

Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 10pm Mayday Parade, My American Heart, The Graduate, Dear Dakota Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $12 Time: 7pm Teenage Bottlerocket, The Copyrights, Elysium, Big City Bombers, The Long Johns Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: $8 Time: 8pm Smokestack And The Foothill Fury, Te Cool Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9pm

APRIL

Gigan, Generichrist, Endunseen, Ares Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Cost: $5/$7 Time: 8:30pm

12

DJ OB-One PUSH Ultra Lounge, St. Petersburg Time: 9pm Iron and Wine, Califone Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale Time: 8pm DubConscious Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $7/$10 Time: 8pm

+ The Dead Popes, The Redliners, The Scurvy, How Dare You, DJ Nemesis Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: $10 Time: 8pm

Todd Rundgren Tampa Theatre, Tampa Cost: $33.50/$41 Time: 7:30pm

THE CAPTIVES

Spam Allstars The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 9pm

+ Johnny Cakes & The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypso Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $6 Time: 9pm

Karrigan (CD Release), A Cover Story, My Complex Island Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $8/$10 Time: 7pm

Va Va Va Voom Revue 210 City Club, Lakeland Time: 8pm

Blind Buddy Moody, Brent Rademaker Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9pm

Watson, Anchor Arms, Vincent Valentine 1982, Gainesville Cost: $5/$6 Time: 9pm

The Vera Violets, Morningbell, Triangle Shirt Factory New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $6 Time: 9pm

Surfers On Acid, Hours Eastly, Snow Child, Greenland Is Melting, The Company The Atlantic, Gainesville Cost: $6 Time: 9pm

DJ Jask PUSH Ultra Lounge, St. Petersburg Time: 9pm

The Supervillains, Skuffd Shoes, Variety Workshop Market Street Pub, Gainesville Cost: $7 Time: 9pm

Evinrude, The Acclaim, First Crush Kid, Villa Serena, Tailgunner Joe And The Earls Of Slander, The Laysan Rail Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $7 Time: 7pm

THE INDEPENDENTS

Hammerslug, The Unitards Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Cost: $5/$7 Time: 8:30pm

DJ Julie G Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9pm

Supervillains, Hor!zen, B Liminal The Social, Orlando Cost: $12/$15 Time: 9pm

SAT

Tony Corbitt Artist Reception – Icons and Legends 210 City Club, Lakeland Time: 6pm

Eight Fingered Larry, Knowing Stu, In Violent Sleep, Naturaleza Muerta, Grex Crowbar, Ybor City Time: 8pm

Weather Machine, The Dropa Stone, 7 Blue Skies Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Cost: $5 Time: 10pm

New Mexican Disaster Squad, New Bruises, Cutman, Monikers, Safety, TransFM Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $7 Time: 7pm

SUN

APRIL

13

Iron and Wine, Califone Freebird Live, Jacksonville Cost: $22/$24 Time: 8pm The Independents, Knickers Down, The Sweet Kings, The 4th Stooge, Bear Lake The Haven, Winter Park Cost: $5 Time: 6pm d’Visitors, The Rukus, Breakdown, DJ Blenda New World Brewery, Ybor City Time: 7pm CSRaverage, The Hero The Villain, Fletcher, Broken Self, Flawless Effect Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Cost: $5/$7 Time: 6:15pm

REAX MUSIC MUSIC MAGAZINE MAGAZINE ••APRIL APRIL2008 2008 •• PAGE PAGE 42 42 REAX

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44 SUN

THE SCENE ISSUE: 23

APRIL

13

Will Hoge, Have Gun Will Travel Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $10/$15 Time: 6pm Streetlight Manifesto, Zox, Dan Potthast State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $16 Time: 7pm

MON

APRIL

14

Eisley, The Myriad, Vedera, The Envy Corps 1982, Gainesville Cost: $12 Time: 7pm Murder By Death, Kiss Kiss, O’Death Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $12 Time: 6:30pm Rock Star Karaoke Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: FREE! Time: 9pm Streetlight Manifesto, Zox, Dan Potthast Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale Cost: $14.99 Time: 7:30pm The Starting Line, Bayside, Four Year Strong Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale Time: 6pm

TUE

APRIL

15

Edison Project, Baumer, Less Than A Second 210 City Club, Lakeland Time: 7pm Streetlight Manifesto Club Firestone, Orlando Cost: $15 Time: 6pm VHS Or Beta, Tigercity Club TSI, Jacksonville Cost: $9 Time: 9pm Ra Ra Riot, The Little Ones Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $8 Time: 8pm

The Starting Line, Bayside, Steel Train, Four Year Strong Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $15/$17 Time: 6:30pm

THU

APRIL

17

New World Brewery’s 13th Anniversary Party DJ Cub, Brian Oblivion, Splitfoot, more TBA New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: FREE! Time: 9pm

THE SEMIS

Dead To Fall, Katsumoto The Orpheum, Ybor City Time: 6pm

Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9pm

Saves The Day, Armor For Sleep, Set Your Goals, Metro Station, Lydia Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale Time: 5:30pm Murder By Death, O’Death, Kiss Kiss Studio A, Miami Cost: $12 Time: 6:30pm

WED

APRIL

16

Jet Lag Gemini, Farewell, Kenotia, The Morning Of, The Closeout, Sound We Sleep Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $8/$10 Time: 6pm Johnny Cakes And The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypso, Strut Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: $5 Time: 8pm Doro, Here’s To You Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale Cost: $14.99 Time: 7:30pm Voodoo Organist, Worldwide Zoo, Super Secret Best Friends New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $6 Time: 9pm Murder By Death, Kiss Kiss The Orpheum, Ybor City Time: 7pm Spoon, Walkmen, White Rabbits Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale Time: 7pm Saves The Day, Armor For Sleep, Metro Station, Set Your Goals State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $17/$20 Time: 6pm

VHS OR BETA

Murder By Death, O’Death, Kiss Kiss Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $12 Time: 9pm

+ Tigercity, Stavros Crowbar, Ybor City Time: 9pm

VHS Or Beta, Tigercity, The Mission Veo Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale Cost: $12 Time: 8pm

Streetlight Manifesto, Zox, Dan Potthast Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $14 Time: 7pm

Joe Buck from Hank III, Tailgunner Joe And The Earls Of Slander, Blind Buddy Moody Dave’s Aqua Lounge, St. Petersburg Cost: $7 Time: 9:30pm

Eisley, The Myriad, Vedera, The Envy Corps Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale Cost: $12 Time: 7:30pm

The Rochevanies, Freightline, Three Legged Dawg The Kickstand, Gainesville Cost: $5 Time: 10pm

Strange Design, Seepeoples Freebird Live, Jacksonville Cost: $10 Time: 8pm Noah Woods, Katie Grace Helow Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9pm Abiku, DJ Migraine, Liquid Limbs, Raise The Rusty Blade, Sidecar Racer The Kickstand, Gainesville Cost: $5 Time: 8pm

APRIL

Gonzo Boccio Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Cost: $5/$7 Time: 8:30pm The Sauce Boss Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $10/$13 Time: 8pm

Down With Paul Riser And The Renegade Thugs Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 8:30pm

FRI

The Mayhaws, Leigh Humes And The Cold Harbor Band New World Brewery, Ybor City Time: 9pm

18

Eisley, The Myriad, Vedera, The Envy Corps State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $11.50/$13 Time: 7pm

The Ones To Blame, The Oaks, The Northerness The Atlantic, Gainesville Cost: $6 Time: 10pm Win Win Winter, History, The Collective, With Hatchet Pike And Gun BackBooth, Orlando Time: 8pm REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE 44

REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE 45

46 SAT

THE SCENE ISSUE: 23

APRIL

19

Sublime Tribute

by Wild Wes And The All Stars Market Street Pub, Gainesville Cost: $7 Time: 9pm Grex Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Cost: $5/$7 Time: 8:30pm All Time Low, The Rocket Summer, The Matches, Sonny, Forever The Sickest Kids Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale Time: 6pm

AUTO!AUTOMATIC!! + History, With Hatchet Pike And Gun New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $6 Time: 9pm

ARTpool Grand Opening ARTpool, St. Petersburg Visit www.artpoolrules.com for more information.

Joe Buck from Hank III, Sultans Of Sin, Ghostwitch, Empty Fifth 1982, Gainesville Cost: $10 Time: 9pm Velveteen Pink, Oh No! And The Tiger Pit, Oh Sanders The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 10pm Fixed Fight 2008 Café Alma, St. Petersburg Cost: $5 Time: 1pm Visit: www.horroh.com for more information.

Vicious Intent: The Rock ‘N’ Roll Art and Exploitation of Stainboy Reinel Book Signing and Rock Poster Exhibit Club Firestone, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 7pm Umoja Orchestra Common Grounds, Gainesville Time: 8pm Zavala Lopez, John Q Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9pm Puddle JuMP3r, Sarcastic, Cortez The Killer The Kickstand, Gainesville Cost: $5 Time: 10pm

Mumpsy (CD Release), Thomas Wynn & The Believers, A Scissors, Poverty Branch, Hugs and Kisses The Social, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: 9pm

SUN

APRIL

20

Insecticide Lobotomy, M31, Clang Quartet, Jesi Langdale vs.

Gradius Cat, Boy + Girl, Annabelle Lee, Robots Go Beep, Beating A Horse To Death, Ghosts Of Annunaki Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $8 Time: 1pm Punkin Pie, The Future Virgins, The Jammy Dodgers, La Cara Oculta Wayward Council, Gainesville Cost: $4.20 Time: 10pm

MON

APRIL

Bang Bang The Band, The Adjective Noun, Baccolith, Praew Jik, The Power Of The Lion, Mad Holy Cow Disease, God’s Porno Theatre, Jamison Williams, The Group Hug Noose Collective, Mobile Sonic Warfare, Disembodiment,

24

ZILLIONAIRE

Kingston Falls, Remove The Veil, The Messenger, Until Eternity Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $8 Time: 7pm

Damon Fowler Group, Christie Lenee, Funk Grass Grove, Kettle Of Fish Skippers Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $7/$10 Time: 5pm

APRIL

Rock Star Karaoke Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: FREE! Time: 9pm

Mae, The Honorary Title, Between The Trees, Far-Less Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale Cost: $14.99 Time: 7pm

Finally Set Fire, Set The Sights, Night At The Altar, I Am Brazil, Sarcophagus, Tomorrow Is Not A Promise Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Cost: $5/$7 Time: 6:15pm

THU

Automatic Loveletter, InPassing Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $8/$10 Time: 6pm

Kamillie Ahne, The School Nurse, more TBA The Haven, Winter Park Cost: FREE! Time: 8pm

Pickford Sundries New World Brewery, Ybor City Time: 4pm

Pepper, Red Eye Empire, Iration The Venue, Gainesville Cost: $17 Time: 8pm

21

Wrath Of The Inquisition, No Days Off, In My Demise Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: $6 Time: 7pm

All Time Low, The Matches, Sonny, Forever The Sickest Kids Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $14/$16 Time: 6pm

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (Acoustic), Between The Trees The Orpheum, Ybor City Cost: $13 Time: 7pm

TUE

APRIL

22

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (Acoustic), Amaru Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $11 Time: 8pm Jake Shimaburkuro, Futureman and The Black Mozart Ensemble Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $12/$15 Time: 8pm

WED

APRIL

23

Aaron Karo Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $15 Time: 8

+ Guiltmaker, Building The State PUSH Ultra Lounge, St. Petersburg Cost: $7 Time: 9pm

DJ Fuego Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9pm Woodsboss, Mario Mateoli New World Brewery, Ybor City Time: 9pm Legacy, Green Sunshine Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Cost: $5/$7 Time: 8:30pm Strangers, The Future On Films In Space, Vera Violets The Social, Orlando Cost: $7 Time: 9pm Clutch, Kamchatka State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $21/$23 Time: 7pm Bonde Do Role, The Down Home Southernaires, DJ Mike Deuce Studio A, Miami Cost: $15/$21 Time: 8pm

Ministry, Meshuggah, Hemlock Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $34/$100 Time: 6pm REAXMUSIC MUSICMAGAZINE MAGAZINE• •APRIL APRIL2008 2008• •PAGE PAGE46 46 REAX

*Contest sign-up from 10am-12pm*

*additional details available by calling or visiting the Finest Skateshop*

Ages 5-16 • No Shop Sponsored Kids! Entry fee: $1.00 (goes in the prize pot for Best Trick) Sponsored in part by:

Skatepark of Tampa, Forest Skateboards, Ergophobia, Crimson, Alphanumeric, Plan B, Silver Trucks, FKD Bearings,Black Label, Hungry Howie’s & more...

For more information: The Finest Skateshop (727) 343-4124 or The City of St. Pete Beach Community Center (727) 363-9245 The St. Pete Beach Community Center has a public skate-park, work-out room, indoor gymnasium, Junior Olympic swimming pool and tons of classes, programs and special events. Call us for information, drop-in and check out the center or visit us online at www.stpetebeach.com

REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE 47

48 FRI

THE SCENE ISSUE: 23

APRIL

25

Tubers, Landlord, …Who Calls So Loud, Inertia!, My [Left] Uterus Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $6 Time: 7pm

SAT

HATCHETFACE

APRIL

26

+ Funeral Dazies, Tug, Face Down In The Blood Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Cost: $5/$7 Time: 8:30pm

Pseudo Heroes Punk Rock Karaoke Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: $5 Time: 8pm

MICHALE GRAVES + Twisted In Graves, Voo Doo Hodown, Knickers Down The Haven, Winter Park Cost: $10 Time: 8:30pm

Building The State, Young Livers, Cinemechanica, Erhabl Drift The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 10pm

Darryl Worley, Jennifer Hanson Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $18/$22 Time: 7pm

Diabolic The Brass Mug, Tampa Time: 9pm

Bob Anthony, Acho Brother Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9pm

Lush Progress (CD Release and Art Show) Crowbar, Ybor City Time: 8pm

Starkillers PUSH Ultra Lounge, St. Petersburg Time: 9pm Tribal Style, Magadog, The Long Johns Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Time: 8pm

Dirty Shannon (CD Release) The Social, Orlando Cost: $7 Time: 9pm

Ozomatli Freebird Live, Jacksonville Cost: $15/$20 Time: 8pm

Converge, The Red Chord, Coliseum, Genghis Tron State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $14/$16 Time: 7pm

APRIL

TUE

27

Alesana, The Chariot, Skyeatsairplane, Lovehatehero, Our Last Night Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale Cost: $12 Time: 7pm Business Casual Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9pm The Shoddy Beatles, Inuit Jargon Market Street Pub, Gainesville Cost: $6 Time: 9pm

WED

Alesana, Skyeatsairplane, Lovehatehero, Our Last Night The Orpheum, Ybor City Cost: $12 Time: 6:30pm The Downtown Bonanza, The Velvetones, The Chasing Thrill, The Hero The Villain, Fighting For Shotgun, First We Take Manhattan Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Cost: $5/$7 Time: 6:15pm Soulfound Sextet, Acho Brother, Katherine Kelly Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $8 Time: 2pm

28

Driving The Fall Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Cost: $5/$7 Time: 8:30pm

Converge, The Red Chord, Genghis Tron, Coliseum Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $14 Time: 7pm

The Dwarves, The Obscene, Boy Prostitute, Mad Martigan Studio A, Miami Cost: $17/$20 Time: 6pm

Anti-Flag, Street Dogs, The Briggs, Fake Problems Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale Time: 7pm

Rock Star Karaoke Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: FREE! Time: 9pm

APRIL

30

Today Is The Day, Rwake, Complete Failure, S.W.W.A.A.T.S., Left In Ashes, Light Yourself On Fire, Mountain Ov Dawn, Khann The Brass Mug, Ybor City Time: 8pm Dimmu Borgir, Behemoth Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale Cost: $29.99 Time: 7pm

Jeffree Star Studio A, Miami Time: 5pm

Anti-Flag, Street Dogs, The Briggs, Fake Problems State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $18 Time: 6:30pm

Tapes ‘N Tapes, White Denim Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $10/$12 Time: 9pm

Thrice, Circa Survive, Pelican Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale Time: 6pm

Chroma, Bunco Squad New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $5 Time: 7pm

APRIL

29

Today Is The Day, Rwake, Complete Failure, S.W.W.A.A.T.S. The Haven, Winter Haven Time: 8pm

Motorbone, Ada Vera, Starcrossed Killers Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: $5 Time: 6:30pm

MON

APRIL

Symphony X, Epica, Into Eternity Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale Cost: $19.99 Time: 7:30pm

Emery, Showmotion Skyrocket, Breath The Sky Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $14 Time: 6pm

Clutch, Kamchatka Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale Cost: $19.99 Time: 8pm

Zanesville, Redliners, Johnny Zoom Cheerleader Squad New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $6 Time: 9pm

Otep, Creature Feature, Eyes Set To Kill, A New Revolution Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale Cost: $14.99 Time: 7:30pm

SUN

CD Release

By The Horns, Trial By Torment, Breach Of Peace, Blood By Dawn The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 10pm

Charlie Musselwhite, Sack O Woe, Suncoast Blues Society Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $12/$15 Time: 8pm

Thrice, Circa Survive, Pelican Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $18/$20 Time: 6pm Mum, The Postmarks The Plaza Theatre, Orlando Cost: $16/$18 Time: 7:30pm Meat Beat Manifesto The Social, Orlando Cost: $15 Time: 8pm

REAX REAXMUSIC MUSICMAGAZINE MAGAZINE••APRIL APRIL2008 2008••PAGE PAGE48 48

6990 SEMINOLE BLVD. SEMINOLE, FL PHONE (727) 329-9299 FAX (727) 329-9297

REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE 49

50 thu

THE SCENE ISSUE: 23

may

01

Earth Bombs Mars Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9pm As Blood Runs Black, Stick To Your Guns, Winds Of Plague, Veils Of Maya, Belay My Last The Orpheum, Ybor City Cost: $12/$15 Time: 5:30pm

SAT

MAY

03

VOLTAIRE + Ego Likeness Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 9pm George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic Freebird Live, Jacksonville Cost: $25/$30 Time: 8pm Dimmu Borgir, Behemoth, Keep Of Kalessin Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $22/$24 Time: 6:30pm

FRI

MAY

02

CHRIS MCCARTY BAND Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $7/$10 Time: 8pm

Hot Tuna, Little Feat Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $29.99/$35 Time: 7pm New Paintings and Installations by Theo Wujcik and Jay Giroux Nova Art Lounge 535, St. Petersburg Time: 7pm The Beautiful Girls, Virginia Coalition, Matt Jennings The Orpheum, Ybor City Cost: $12 Time: 7pm

OH ROMEO! + Chasing Thrill, A March For Dawn, Fillmore East, Modern Day Escape, The Downtown Bonanza, First We Take Manhattan Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $6 Time: 6pm Umoja Orchestra, Morningbell The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 10pm Doombot, IndigoVox, Duppies, Girls On Film Common Grounds, Gainesville Time: 8pm

Downside, Chronic Acid Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Cost: $5/$7 Time: 8:30pm The Bad Plus The Social, Orlando Cost: $15/$17 Time: 9pm Stab The Sky, Three Foot Fall, Villa Serena, Of Angeline, Division H, A Breath Beneath Us, Finally Setting Fire Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $7 Time: 5pm

REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • APRIL 2008 • PAGE 50

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54

SOAPBOX ISSUE: 23

PRODUCT

REVIEW

WITH SHAWN KYLE

Street Price: $299 It’s lightweight, about the size of a pack of cigarettes and records audio at up to 24-bit/96khz. It indeed does provide crystal clear audio and records to compact flash or micro drives, which allows you unlimited audio until the lithium-ion batteries run out (but it includes an AC adapter as well if you have a place to plug in). For the music fan and concert-goer, the MicroTrack II makes bootlegging concerts easy. Simply hook up the attached mic or if you have a friend running the soundboard you can patch in there. For DJ’s that want to record their set and then upload to podcast; you can do it instantly. The big selling point on this is the ability to instantly patch into your computer via its USB 2.0 port and transfer files as WAV or MP3, making this the easiest field recorder to use on the market.

Perfect for spies as well.

Tested at a corporate giant that doesn’t need more press.

M-audio.com

Street Price: $2300 What! Did Gibson read my threat / review of their Robot Les Paul last month and just want to piss me off? Whatever. This one is easy. They took a cheap $500 guitar, stuck a useless gadget in it that supposedly tunes itself (poorly), painted it the color of your grandma’s prune juice and called it a “limited edition” so they think that they can get away with charging $2300 for it. Angus Young would kick someone mercilessly in the shins for this blasphemy of a guitar. www.Gibson.com

Street Price: $225 This guitar pedal melted my face.

The finest components used in the industry and indestructible USA construction is standard. This pedal will turn even the wimpiest of practice amps into a fire breathing metal death stack, or with the turn of a knob and a switch take you to 70’s Hendrix Fuzz, Eric Claptonesqe crunch, or compressed blues overdrive.

This was originally a personal pedal made

by Fulltone’s Mike Fuller for his own use.

Coaxing from many that heard it convinced him to put it into production. Hi-Fi gain distortion and a separate overdrive in the same pedal.

Tested at Stevie B’s Total guitar StevieBs.com

From time to time I turn to Fox news to see exactly how dumb and naive the mainstream media thinks America really is. Are we really supposed to believe that the biggest news that happened today is a cat stuck up a tree, a school teacher that supposedly had an affair with a student, Britney Spears getting a parking ticket and a new webpage with fashion for dogs?

Thank goodness that two channels over you can watch the BBC news straight from the swinging United Kingdom and find out what’s really going on in the USA. Hmmm...

Does that seem strange to anyone else? news.bbc.co.uk FoxNews.com

Sweden. Home of Vikings.

Saviors of psych folk, and rock and roll. Life On Earth is a solo-collaborative venture of Dungen member and multi-instrumentalist Mattias gustavsson. Unlike Dungen’s records, Life on Earth thankfully sings their vocals in English. Songs range from freewheeling acoustic folk explosions into bongo, flute, and orchestrated fuzz guitar jam sessions. This is the record that makes girls dance around your flat in their undies.

The summer of love feel is here without the hangover, orchestral pop that sounds blissful and free. Limited to 500 copies on vinyl. Have your local record shop order yours before they are sold out.

Found at Mojo Books and Music MojoTampa.com

Something about drinking beer from cans makes you feel tough.

Even if the beer is a delicate white Belgian beer with a hint of citrus and reasonable potency (only 5% alcohol). This is nothing like most import beers that have “character”; Wittekerke is smooth with a pleasant aftertaste, and possibly a gateway beer to get your girlfriend to stop drinking all the awful stuff you can’t stand to see in your refrigerator. And if you don’t want to feel like a Euro trash version of Burt Reynolds drinking canned beer (which is a major selling point to yours truly, but to each their own), this is also available in a bottle or keg.

Tested at the New World Brewery, Ybor City. myspace.com/newworldbrewery REAX REAXMUSIC MUSICMAgAzInE MAgAzInE• •APRIL APRIL2008 2008• •PAgE PAgE54 54

56

SOAPBOX ISSUE: ISSUE 21 23

THE BLACK KEYS ATTACK AND RELEASE NONESUCH

The Black Keys have always been fans of minimalism and eccentric recording methods. Acidic guitar licks, bluesy vocals and tantalizing off-kilter drum beats are the tools with which they’ve plied their trade since 2002’s The Big Come Up. Attack and Release represents a slight shift in their direction, but retains The Black Keys’ signature sounds nevertheless. This is largely due to the groovy influence of Danger Mouse, the Keys’ shiny new producer. A series of subtle tweaks supplement the Keys’ sound without diminishing what they’ve cultivated over the years: from the churchy organ at the end of “All You Ever Wanted,” to the snippets of banjo, ghostly background chorus and head-bobbing bass line of “Psychotic girl.” If subtlety isn’t enough, wait until the charming electronic bubble-beats of “Remember When (Side A).” Don’t fret, though, because The Black Keys’ blues-rock chops are largely intact – and wonderfully showcased – in the upbeat tracks “I got Mine” and “Strange Times.” As with any release from this talented duo: expect much, receive more. – Christian Crider

THE BREEDERS MOUNTAIN BATTLES 4AD

Everybody loves to remember how much fun “Cannonball” and parts of Pod were. nobody, however, is going to love being reminded that at least half of The Breeders’ back catalog (and pretty much everything its principles did outside Pixies and Belly) is mediocre at best, and unfortunately, that’s what Mountain Battles does. The lightly clamoring opener “Overglazed” sounds interesting, and builds a sweet tension that releases nicely into the bouncing, quintessentially Breeders-esque “Bang On.” Too much of what follows, though, is strangely unenthusiastic and unexpectedly quiet. The group has always had a loose, fuck-it-that’s-cool-

MUSIC REVIEWS

let’s-use-it vibe, that here collapses into a sense that they’re just trying to fill up the CD. “german Studies” and “It’s the Love” manage to reclaim not only a bit of their earlier glee, but also what good lo-fi indie-rock sounded and felt like back in the day. And then that’s it; the title track closes things out not with a bang, but a whimper. Maybe it’s meant to sum up The Breeders perfectly: a handful of great songs, a whole bunch of not-so-great songs that only inspire you to go back and listen to the great ones repeatedly, and an uncertain ending. – Scott Harrell

THE RACONTEURS CONSOLERS OF THE LONELY THIRD MAN RECORDS On the track “Hold On” of The Raconteurs sophomore LP, Jack White sings—rather, he screams—“I’ve had enough of these modern times, going to drive me out of my mind, and you know this too well, I’m holed up in my little cell.” In this anachronistic cell (surrounded by a mountain of a vinyl, I assume), White once again starts off on one genre as a home base to explore—or, rather recycle—other genres. With the White Stripes he used garage rock to reformulate blues, folk, rockabilly, country, and rhythm and blues. now, with The Raconteurs, and a full repertoire of musicians at his disposal, the Rag and bone man uses ‘70s psychedelic rock to ape nazareth, Black Sabbath, MC5, KISS, Aerosmith, Parliament Funkadelic, Yes, and Emerson, Lake and Palmer (especially the organs). While it is hard to pin down on Consolers that one summer hit like “Steady As She goes,” there are burners that exceed the Broken Boy Soldier highlights, piling up with “Salute Your Solution” (a Bush metaphor in the vein of Icky Thump’s “Cause and Effect”), the aforementioned “Hold Up,” and “Attention.” With his vocal, and more harmonious, twin Brendan Benson, the group is a much more comfortable, intuitive unit this time out.

They’ve obviously continued to write music together since Broken Boy’s release, evident with “Five On The Five,” a track first introduced on tour back in 2006. The gamut is a lot wider here, albeit with a narrow window, riding the razor’s edge between psychedelic blues and prog rock, which admittedly can be jarring for some.

But, the range they pull with “These Stones Will Shout,” beginning with a Bron-Y-Aur Stomp accoustic collective, Jack Lawrence’s bass punching up the lows, Patrick Keeler kicking down the

folk curtain, and then Jack finishing it off in a galactic cascade of guitar riffs is a pure clinic on band dynamics; everyone allowed a chance to shine without a gratuitous part in sight. never one to embrace mp3’s, or as he condescendingly refers to as “invisible music,” Jack’s always been the time travelling rockstar, never turning the dial past 1976. Yet with all his simpleton declarations, The Raconteurs reveal he is a true gearhead at heart,

honoring the guitar gods who ruled upon high from their arena temples. In the end, you can spend all day playing “Memory,” matching the song with its influence, showing off your extensive knowledge of pop history, or you can just sit back in your 1972 Valiant Charger and bop one’s head to a masterful piece of American rock. Me? I’ll take The Raconteurs and a hemi any day. – Michael Rabinowitz

DOWNLOAD NINE INCH NAILS GHOSTS I-IV THE NULL CORPORATION

Trent Reznor is a man of considerable talent, and his struggle to find his sound after quitting drugs has been interesting to say the least. However, nine Inch nails has released quite a bit of material over the last few years, which leads one to wonder how such a prolific musician could lack a comfort zone.

Perhaps this constant drive to change is Reznor’s greatest asset. His newest creation, Ghosts I-IV, is a vast collection of “instrumTental” electronic tunes that capture Reznor’s signature style in ways that no nIn release has managed since The Fragile.

This album was somewhat of a surprise.

That is to say, it was a complete surprise unless Reznor’s cryptic “two weeks” website post caused the proverbial light bulb to flicker on above your head. What’s even more exciting is that the first nine tracks are free via digital download, and the entirety of the collection is available online for a measly five bucks. A limited release of a three hundred dollar vinyl set was available as well, but those sold faster than Hannah Montana tickets, and are no longer available.

The good news is that Mr. Reznor is an advocate of file sharing, and so the whole package is also free to pirate with Reznor’s full consent. But if you thought all this free music nonsense would hurt sales, think again. In the first week, Ghosts I-IV moved 781,917 copies all together, taking in $1,619,420 U.S. Dollars. Without the greedy record executives to divvy up his share, Trent is probably rolling around in piles of cash and laughing maniacally at the lack of ingenuity displayed by the record companies.

But enough about money; let’s get on to the music. Is Ghosts I-IV really worth your time spent clicking away on the Internet? Damn skippy! Reznor spent ten weeks last year recording this collection, and his bountiful songwriting abilities are on full display. Ghosts is divided into four sections, and in a leap of trite artistic expression, none of the songs have names. All pretension aside, it’s just as easy to refer to them by numbers in consecutive order.

Ghosts I starts out with a bit of electronic lethargy in “Track 1,” but really picks up the pace in “Track 3” where the tempo and direction takes on a different tone alltogether. By “Track 8,” Trent has reverted back to the fuzzy, crunchy guitar effects of The Fragile – definitely the hardest, most industrial track on the first “disc.” Ghosts II manages to scale back the momentum for a bit with a microcosm of piano-induced ambience.

But by “Track 14” the momentum begins to pick up with what sounds like a loosely tuned slide guitar. Ghosts III reaches back to the grungy, carbonated fizz glimpsed earlier in the set, with “Track 19,” and the rave-inducing “Track 24.” Ghosts IV takes on acid rock elements as it builds on the velocity of the previous sets with “Track 31.” It is notable that tracks on Ghosts IV are the longest out of the series as “Track 33’s” insectoid buzz runs just over four minutes.

The whole collection is really quite astounding, and with more Ghosts collections due in the future, this is an exciting time for fans of nine Inch nails.

– Christian Crider

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SOAPBOX PORTISHEAD THIRD ISLAND RECORDS

Underwater gargles, eerie apprehension, haunting melodies overlaid with synthesizers.... why yes indeed, Portishead is back! After a decade without a release, the Bristol trio has stitched together their standard 11 tracks and 50 minutes of intense yet somber sounds for the best comeback record in years. Most of the classic Portishead elements make their appearances: trip-hop, trepidation, and distinct drumming, but not without the various additions of folk, psychrock and swimming vocals. The album opens with a Portuguese sampling about the rule of thirds translated to, “Be alert to the rules of three. What you give, will return to you. That lesson, you have to learn. You only earn what you deserve.” The fusion of slow burning up-tempos resonates ghostly soundscapes heightened by Beth’s tender falsettos. Dramatic transitions showcase the stark instrumental flairs while the tracks flow in and out of atmospheric moodiness. “Plastic” is

vintage Portishead while “Hunter,” “The Rip” and “Deep Water” give way to a more subdued Beth. “Magic Doors,” “Machine gun,” and “Threads” are instant favorites alongside “Small,” a novelty alone. Third is less danceable, less sexy, and more experimental, but echoes a languished familiarity. In the rule of thirds, fans are getting what they deserve. – Stephanie Bolling

R.E.M. ACCELERATE WARNER BROS.

There is a misconception about this album. To categorize Accelerate as a “return to their roots” album for R.E.M. is a fallacy. The fuzz heavy guitar Peter Buck wields like a dripping Mont Blanc pen, slapping ink everywhere, is not early ‘80s R.E.M. It’s not even early ‘90s R.E.M. The “hardcore” edge you hear on the title track and hook laden single “Supernatural Superserious,” can only be traced back to 1996’s Monster, a fuzzed out ironic effort in response to their grungier rivals of the day. The original Athens quartet

revolved around the proto and then post punk movement: glass shattering guitars, bouncing, speedball bass lines, staccato drum rhythms. Above it all were the sharp—and feminine— vocals of Michael Stipe that would naturally evolve the music into the alterna-pop and folk renditions that turned the band into the multi-platinum juggernaut of the CD era. Stipe’s passion was what made R.E.M. much smarter than new wave, and gave the band the gravitas in its lyrics to compete with the likes of U2 and Pearl Jam. Here, among the sprayed distortions, Stipe is as passionate as an automated answering service. On the opener, “Living Well is the Best Revenge,” his words spit fire at “all of your sad and lost apostles” (the religious right being an easy and predictable target), but he recites them as if reading a grocery list. It’s as if Mills and Buck want to impress us with their studio dubbed double tracks and pedal effect skills while Stipe is scratching his head in the corner offering himself as the “Hollow Man”— “corner me and make me something, I’ve become the hollow man.” And that is R.E.M.’s misconception: to think that making it louder makes you angrier, when all it does is just make you crankier. – Michael Rabinowitz

57

RAHIM SAMAD TRAVEL PROPERTY VAULT CLASSIC

Tampa is a wealth of talent in all areas, especially music and art. With the rise of double and triple threat artists being the norm, MC/DJ/Producer Rahim Samad is a prime example. Born in the Bronx nY, Rahim was practically born where Hip Hop was born. Samad’s first release, Travel Properly, is a Hip Hop survival guide. This is a well-balanced LP with tales of life, love and protecting your neck, mixed with clever wordplay tracks like “Tampa Psalm,” a full fledged city anthem. Over half of the album is self-produced, with rich bassheavy soul beats with veteran producer Funkghost’s signature sped-up vocal samples. The album also includes a few solid kick/clap bangers that portray an overall message of struggle and perseverance. Travel Properly is definitely a vault classic. Visit myspace. com/vaultclassic for some free downloads. – Ranmecca

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SOAPBOX ISSUE: 23

CLASSICS:

FOLK JUXTAPOSED Words: Christian Crider

Folk music has been around in one form or another since the dawn of civilization.

However, music made in America over the last sixty years is of particular interest to the contemporary listener. It’s safe to say that counter-culture has been around just as long, and so it’s also fairly sound to assume that there is a cultural yin to modern folk’s yang. The sub-genres of psychedelic folk and anti-folk come to mind.

In the politically polarized musical terrain of the late 1900s, these genres emerged at different points in time, but with values similar enough to share beers at the pub.

Psychedelic folk bands like Akron/Family or Devandra Banhart, and anti-folk acts like Beck and The Moldy Peaches, all share common origins in the folk genre. But what sets them apart from the mainstream deserves closer inspection.

REGINA

SPEKTOR PEARLS BEFORE SWINE ONE NATION UNDERGROUND ESP-DISK 1967 Hailing from Melbourne, Florida, Thomas Rapp and his posse set out to do something entirely different with folk music. Taking cues from psychedelic rock, Rapp composed folk songs culled from the surrealist imagery that became so popular in the 60s. One Nation Underground starts with the beautiful trek, “Another Time,” featuring crystal swans and velvet ponds. And if trippy lyrics aren’t enough, “(Oh Dear) Miss Morse” manages to spell out F-U-C-K in Morse code in a wry, yet seemingly innocent, banjo/organ tune that caused a small amount of controversy once the moral enforcers caught wind. “Drop Out!” cultivates urgency against the forces of society pushing and pulling at the individual, while also placing an emphasis on living life unhindered. Perhaps the best song on the album is “Uncle John,” which is an upbeat – yet scathing –indictment of the hateful religious extremists advocating violence in the name of god, which is unsurprisingly still relevant in 2008. Pearls Before Swine’s early contributions to the genre of psychedelic folk helped cement the genre in the minds of the counterculture as a viable alternative to the popular folk of the turbulent period of the Vietnam War. The tradition of psych-folk lives on today, and remains a platform for the conscientious objector in a new time of war and strife.

REGINA SPEKTOR SONGS SELF-RELEASED 2002

LEE MEET LEE THE SQUARE EGG

Meet Lee is reminiscent of early ‘90s rap with the simplicity and passion of the up and coming. On a solo effort from The Square Egg, it’s obvious Lee has made this album a dedication to himself—his soul efforts. Standout tracks include, “Sometimes,” “Liberate Me,” and “Ol’ School Love (Reminisces).” His songs carry progressive messages, “now I know you see injustice when it flashes on TV/And I know you’re outraged at crimes against humanity…We all lookin’ for the ladder/ Don’t nobody wanna climb/ Window’s closing every moment, ya’ll, we runnin’ out of time.” However, it all eventually relates back to Lee. His self-indulgence is uncanny, unmerited and overdone. Four tracks are devoted to answering machine messages of his friend’s commentary on his persona and music. His style lacks the distinctive edge to set him apart from other aspiring emcees. Ridden with vocal monotony, impudence and a dream, Lee will need to find that ladder with rapid speed. – Stephanie Bolling

WYE OAK IF CHILDREN MERGE

Anti-folk emerged in the 80s in new York, and has spawned some very popular acts in its time. While anti-folk takes into account its predecessors, the genre offers its own subtle twists on American folk music. In Regina Spektor’s case, this Soviet-born prodigy laces her music with quirky intellectualism and off-kilter vocal techniques including such oddities as the vibrating lip trumpet on “Lounge.”

Songs was Spektor’s second foray into her incredibly weird imagination, and perhaps her best release to date.

“Reading Time With Pickle” captures a fictitious relationship with a pickle, while “Consequence of Sounds” showcases Regina’s mad skills in spoken-word poetry set to piano. While Regina has recently become somewhat of a sensational pop act, her roots in the anti-folk scene are nevertheless present on her most recent release, Begin to Hope.

The kids in Wye Oak sure are tricky.

I read their bio (2 piece guitar/drum duo from Baltimore) and expected sparse, quirky arrangements and a lo-fi presentation. But upon first listen of their debut full length, If Children, I was hit with an onslaught of guitars, a smooth undercurrent of bass lines and big drum sounds. The best part is that it all translates effortlessly in a live setting – with Jenn Wasner on guitar and vocals and Andy Stack on drums and bass (with a keyboard nestled on the side of his kit he smashes at his drums with his right hand and plunks out bass lines with his left). The songs are a combination of melancholy and sublime pop – complete with harmonies and verse/chorus/verse construction. It’s no surprise that Mac McCaughan snatched them up – they are a perfect fit with his label’s aesthetic (pop savants masquerading with indie nonchalance). There are echoes of mid-90s indie rock- think early Velocity Girl or The Spinanesbut the intelligence embedded in Wye Oak’s song construction supercedes any assumption of simplicity attached to those references. In short: get this album. – Susie Ulrey

THE BLACK FOREST OF OPIUM

THE BLACK FOREST OF OPIUM

SELF-RELEASED

This Boston-based group is headed up by a young lady who goes by the name of Ajda the Turkish Queen. The band name is a translation of the name of a town in Turkey that, until the ‘60s, produced copious amounts of opium.

This debut album, however, has little to do with the musical traditions of the Ottoman Empire. While one may be able to detect some vaguely “ethnic” instrumentation (as on “Crack and Pool”) and the occasional unusual scale, this is much more of a gothic folk record that occasionally aims for some worldliness. Ajda may be the guiding creative force here, but her voice stands as the weakest part of the equation; the soaring expressions she often attempts are derailed by her limited range, and her flat singing makes the more intimate moments jarringly uncomfortable. That’s not to say that Black Fortress is not without its pleasures; in fact, it has many. The well-constructed instrumental passages are dynamic and emotional without being overbearing, and the ethereal gloominess is rendered in such an elegant way that it seems neither silly nor pointlessly dark.

- Jason Ferguson

CRASH ROMEO GAVE ME THE CLAP TRUSTKILL

Here’s what it comes down to: why do I need to listen to Crash Romeo when I can listen to Descendents or Parasites or Jawbreaker – bands that Crash Romeo should’ve cut their teeth on. But, they probably cut their teeth on the likes of Sum 41 and Fall Out Boy, which isn’t altogether horrible, but see my first argument. It’s radio ready pop-punk/emo in all its hyperbol(ied) glory. The rough edges have been sanded off and the result is slick and glossy – all of the catchiness with none of the grit and energy that came out of gilman Street or similar (insert college town crusty punk rock venue here).

This CD is mallternative at its finest and I can guarantee that if you drop by Hot Topic for an AC/DC shirt you will hear it coming out of the speakers. They get one “REAX” for barely carrying the torch in an oversaturated genre – and that’s pushing it. – Susie Ulrey

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LITTLE BEIRUT HIGH DIVE SELF-RELEASED

Portland, Oregonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Little Beirut would be cool even if their music sucked, simply because they proudly took an epithet george Bush, Sr. once hurled at their city after receiving a less-thanwarm welcome there, and made it their moniker. Ballsy, smart and, hell, a pretty damn ďŹ ne band name anyway. But High Dive, the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ rst proper fulllength since upgrading from â&#x20AC;&#x153;projectâ&#x20AC;? to â&#x20AC;&#x153;actual band,â&#x20AC;? is an excellent slice of evocative indie-rock that manages to perfectly split the difference between subtlety and bombast. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a little bit of everything, from nervy, angular math-rock to soaring anthem to atmospheric pop in every track; this CD showcases a band that could play with Retisonic or Coldplay, yet sounds like neither. Singer-guitarists Hamilton Sims and Edwin Paroissien craft passionate airtight harmonies for lyrics that can be sophisticated but never pretentious, always buoyed by tight, nicely layered instrumentation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Martyrâ&#x20AC;? and the building, dynamic â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Lotteryâ&#x20AC;? are highlights if highlights are needed, but all 12 tracks deliver. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Scott Harrell

POMEGRANATES EVERYTHING IS ALIVE LUJO

Emo: the word rolls off my tongue like a virus. Emo: the self-loathing, heartbroken, nebulous genre that left its tear-stained tracks upon the posthardcore, post-punk music scene.

Perhaps the wound is still too fresh to be examined properly, but it beckons me to wonder what inďŹ&#x201A;uence this genre has had on contemporary indierock. Pomegranates are Exhibit A. While Everything Is Alive showcases numerous inďŹ&#x201A;uences, I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help but hear the vulnerability present in these lyrics hearkening back to that dreaded household word. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Late night Televisionâ&#x20AC;? depicts a broken-hearted young man waiting up late for his philandering lady friend whose exploits leave him crying in the dark. If crying in the dark isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t emo, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what is. Transversely, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Appreciationsâ&#x20AC;? pulls from an inner fortitude that showcases a clear dichotomy between the worldviews of the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two vocalists, Joey Cook and Isaac Kaarns. Everything Is Alive is a creative foray into normally quickly dismissible teenage angst, but stands out due to its strong musical backbone. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Christian Crider

SOAPBOX ADAM GREEN SIXES & SEVENS ROUGH TRADE

59

MIDDLE DISTANCE RUNNER EP SELF-RELEASED

Adam greenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s umpteenth solo album of meandering anti-folk is perfectly timed to cash in on his duo Moldy Peachesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Juno associations. Which means there are gonna be a lot of copies of Sixes & Sevens in the bins of whatever used CD stores still remain in business a couple of months from now, because not too many 20-year-old mainstream music fans are gonna make it through 20 tracks of his strummy, self-satisďŹ ed hipster-centric poesy. Swinging from cheesy faux disco-soul (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Twee Twee Deeâ&#x20AC;?) to doo-wop (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Broadcast Beachâ&#x20AC;?) and back to acoustic guitar-driven journal jottings, Sixes & Sevens is a bit more musically ambitious than some of greenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s earlier work, and occasionally, when the lyrics quit trying too hard not to care, it can be a momentarily engaging listen. But it still relies on the songwriterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s irritating, ainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t-I-clever brand of (supposed) art masquerading as (apparently) tossedoff meaninglessness, and that shit gets old quick. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Scott Harrell

Washington, D.C. has given birth to more than a handful of groundbreaking musical outďŹ ts over the years, and Middle Distance Runner does a scene proud with its refreshingly melodic, gently fuzzed out, and dreamy, almost psychedelic tunes. Hot on the heels of the 2007 full-length, Plane in Flames, MDR is back with a self-titled EP that, albeit somewhat of a tease, pumps out six stellar tracks comprised of effortlessly catchy choruses and an immensely developed and at times unclassiďŹ able sound. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With Swordsâ&#x20AC;? is by far the best track, with its goodnatured, sassy chorus of, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d you cut your hair?/Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get me wrong/Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cuteâ&#x20AC;? and hand-clapping, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;70s FM radio parallels. Sure to be a big hit with the college set and beyond, Middle Distance Runner is a brilliant collection of noise. - Aubrey Bramble

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60

SOAPBOX ISSUE: 23

CONDEMNED 2: BLOODSHOT SURVIVAL HORROR XBOX 360, PS3 MONLITH

This game is scary. Perhaps that’s an understatement. This game is f@#king scary. There, that’s better. Condemned 2: Bloodshot is the sequel to 2005’s Condemned: Criminal Origins, and follows the main character from the previous game, Ethan Thomas, as he continues his hunt for the deranged psychopath, Serial Killer X (I know, what a dumb name. Right?).

Since the events of the first game, Mr. Thomas left the Serial Crimes Unit (SCU) to pursue a career in professional alcoholism.

This glamorous lifestyle has taken its toll on poor Ethan, and his fashionable appearance rates somewhere in between deadbeat hobo and something out of a Rob Zombie flick.

Thomas’ alcohol “problem” manifests itself in a series of vivid hallucinations in which he is forced to fight off legions of black-goo monsters whilst trudging through filthy, opaque muck as he tries to escape his waking nightmares. Quitting would be much easier for the guy if there weren’t so much damned alcohol lying about, or if drinking didn’t steady his aim (can someone please explain that one to me?). There’s also the matter of his inner demon – a masked version of himself – who somehow reveals information related to the real world chaos surrounding him.

VIDEO GAME

REVIEW Words: Christian Crider

Rating: Serial Killer Ecstatic! most disgusting settings in search of clues. From fending off meth addicts with baseball bats in the dingy apartment buildings of Metro City, kicking exploding baby dolls in a burning doll factory, and running from a human-munching polar bear in the icy north, Ethan seems to be a gigantic shit magnet of epic proportions.

Ethan’s efforts would be for naught without the myriad of tools available to him throughout the game. His forensics kit allows him to detect clues at murder scenes, and locate randomly placed sonic thingamabobs that are at the center of the murderous rage experienced by the rioting citizenry of a city in turmoil.

Even though the game isn’t focused on combat as much as Monolith’s other horror game, F.E.A.R, there is a significant amount of bloodletting to be meted out. guns are in short supply and ammo is rare, therefore Ethan is compelled to use various weapons taken from the environment. Prosthetic arms, bowling balls, baby grenades and brass knuckles are just a minute sampling of the strange arsenal available throughout the game.

Although the controls are a little wonky, there is much to love about this seriously demented horror game. The atmosphere When Ethan isn’t off in la-la land, he is undeniably grotesque, and there are is continuously forced to investigate a several edge-of-your-seat moments as sequence of crimes related to the mysterious you wheeze your way through the dim, reappearance of his aforementioned, poorly trash-filled corridors of Metro City. If this named nemesis. Aided by his trusty internet game doesn’t make your skin crawl, then sidekick, Rosa, Thomas skulks the darkest, please see a psychologist.

COMMAND & CONQUER VIDEO GAME RED ALERT 3 REAL-TIME STRATEGY PC, XBOX 360, PS3 EA GAMES

PREVIEW Words: Christian Crider

Release Date: TBA

The first time I ever bought a RAM upgrade for a PC was to play the original Command & Conquer. The second time, it was for Red Alert. To say I have a soft spot for this series is an understatement; that’s why I’m stoked that Red Alert 3 is on the way. given, the Command & Conquer series – formerly a property of Westwood Studios – is now owned by ginormous gaming giant (redundancy intended), EA games, but they’ve managed the series pretty well thus far. Red Alert 3 takes place in an alternate timeline’s WWIII as three factions – the Allies, Soviets, and The Empire of the Rising Sun – duke it out for territorial dominance.

Red Alert’s retro-sci-fi style is a significant and welcome shift in theme when compared to the Tiberium series, Command & Conquer’s flagship. EA has announced that anyone who buys Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath will automatically be entered into a “queue” for their beta testing program, which sounds pretty shady if you ask me.

Regardless of EA’s unhealthy love for money, Red Alert 3 should be a heaping pile of real-time strategy goodness.

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