REAX #30 by Joel

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CONTENTS ISSUE 30

GUILTY SOUNDCHECK 08 INTRODUCTION

CALL & RESPONSE 10

READER MAIL

SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING 11 12 14 14

DEAR GLOFFY OPEN MIC YOUR BAND BLOWS STEP BY STEP

SOUNDBITES 16 17 18

MATT BUTCHER & THE REVOLVERS MIKE FARRIS BLACK DIAMOND HEAVIES

SPECIAL FEATURE 20 DRINK OF THE MONTH AT FEST 7

YOU ARE HERE LOCAL MUSIC TAMPA BAY

26 HOT SPOTS 28 SPOTLIGHTS 29 UPCOMING EVENTS

ORLANDO + CENTRAL FLA

34 HOT SPOTS 35 SPOTLIGHTS 36 UPCOMING EVENTS

GAINESVILLE + NORTH FLA

Publisher Joel Cook jcook@reaxmusic.com

Circulation Manager Scott Jensen scottj@reaxmusic.com

Queen Finnie Cook ﬁnniec@reaxmusic.com

Sales Associates Emily LaDuca emily@reaxmusic.com

Editor Scott Harrell scott@reaxmusic.com

Shawn Kyle shawn@reaxmusic.com

Head Writer Michael Rabinowitz miker@reaxmusic.com Columnist Jeremy Gloff deargloffy@gmail.com Art Director Mike Delach delach@cookwaremedia.com Illustration Noah Deledda noah.deledda@gmail.com Photography Tony Landa landa@reaxmusic.com General Manager Marshall Dickson marshall@reaxmusic.com

Interns Amy Beeman abeeman@reaxmusic.com Molly Hays molly@reaxmusic.com Andrew Pellegrino Contributors Justin Lee Amidon Timothy Asher Joe D’Acunto Mike DeLancett Jason Ferguson Jack Gregory Justine Grifﬁn Ryan Patrick Hooper Sean Kantrowitz Becca Nelson Susie Orr Lance Robson Trevor Roppolo Susie Ulrey Carrie Waite

Cover photo: Eric Landmark (deconstructed by Delach)

REAX Music Magazine P.O. Box 5809 Tampa, FL 33675

Phone: 813.247.6975 www.reaxmusic.com www.myspace.com/reax

Reax Magazine is published monthly and is available through Florida businesses, music venues, restaurants, independent record stores, outdoor boxes, and F.Y.E. stores. Reax is also available nationally at over 160 record stores. Go to reaxmusic.com for a full list.

38 HOT SPOTS 39 SPOTLIGHTS 40 UPCOMING EVENTS

FEATURE 42 DEERHOOF

REAX INTERVIEWS 44 UNDEROATH 46 DENISON WITMER 48 JOHNNY FOREIGNER

SOAPBOX

50 NEW RELEASES 52 PRODUCT PLACEMENT 53 BOOK REVIEW PAGE 6 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2008

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.

SOAPBOX CONTINUED

54 MUSIC REVIEWS 58 VIDEO GAME REVIEWS 59 HANDS ON PRODUCT REVIEW

NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC Magazine • PAGE 7

SOUNDCHECK INTRODUCTION ISSUE 30

DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER

... BUT EXHAUSTION IS CERTAINLY APPROPRIATE

y the time you read this, we’ll be well into the month best known as a time for giving thanks.

(Well, OK, it’s the month best known for the ofﬁcial kickoff of the Christmas shopping season, but you know what we’re getting at.) And we’ll have a brand new president not that, either way, everybody’s gonna have something to be thankful for. In fact, even beyond the election, there’s a whole lot of stuff for the half-empty-glass crowd to grouse about. The economy’s in a downward spiral, and not even the announcement of the new leader of the free world is going to change that immediately. PAGE 8 • REAX MUSIC MAgAzInE • NOVEMBER 2008

Florida baseball fans are happy the Rays made such a spectacular club turnaround, but to get all the way to the Series and not win - that’s gotta sting. So I guess what we’re saying is, as the month wears on, and you just don’t feel your bosom swelling with gratitude, and it seems like your cockles just can’t really be bothered with giving a damn about the holiday spirit, just look back at events like the Series and the election. You can always be thankful that at the very least, all that shit’s over with. - Scott Harrell

TATTOOS & PIERCING

TATTOO

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

www.atomictattoos.com

Studio #4 210 South Kings Av 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

www.atomictat NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC MAgAzInE • PAGE 9

CALL & RESPONSE READER MAIL ISSUE 30

CONTRIBUTORS

SEND FEEDBACK TO REAX@REAXMUSIC.COM FROM THE DIGITAL MAILBAG RE: The review of Fairmont’s Transcendence in the October issue We thoroughly enjoyed the scathing review. Just wondering how come the person who reviewed the CD - Jack Gregory doesn’t seem to be a member of your staff? We at least would like to check out other reviews by the person who called our album “the most boring album of 2008.” Thanks for the raping, N. [Ed note - that’s Neil, Fairmont’s singer. And Jack’s a contributor, he’s just not listed on the site yet. Learn more about him over there to your right.] Thanks for the review of the modern skirts show. I played drums for Beardsley that night. Cool magazine to say the least. I was slightly scared when I moved here from Boston that the only scene would be for metal and cover bands. Nice to see names I know like Ben Kweller, Juliana Hatﬁeld, Kings of Leon and even a slap in the face for Vampire Weekend although I have to admit I do like a couple of the songs whether I want to or not. In any case, thanks again and keep up the good work. Ben Hedlund

FROM REAXMUSIC.COM COMMENTS ON “REAX WEB EXCLUSIVE: KAMELOT” BY SCOTT HARRELL “Thanks for the great interview. By far, Kamelot is one of the most underrated bands of our lifetime. Great albums and great live shows. Check them out if you can. Thank you REAX!” Posted by LeRoy, Oct. 9 “I am 44 years old and have been a metal fan for over 30 of those years. I learned of the band after the release of Ghost Opera just over a year ago and I must state that I have never in all those 30 years been more impressed with

a band as I am with Kamelot. I have since purchased their entire collection and turned on several friends to their music. They are intelligent, articulate, and most importantly serious musicians. They are the total package. I wish them all the success they deserve and the best of luck on their new tour. I look forward to seeing them soon. Thanks Thomas and REAX!” Posted by Marty, Oct. 9 “Thanks for the great interview. It’s nice to hear some original questions asked. I am 17 and have been listening to Kamelot for over two years now, they are my favourite band. They’re amazing on CD and live and I wish I had heard of them earlier in my life. I don’t think they should change their name though as the fans are used to it now! Although I can see the hurdles, I’ve tried to get people listening to Kamelot and some refuse just after hearing the name and assuming what they sound like. Anyway, amazing, friendly and most underrated band. Thanks again for the interview.” Posted by Luna, Oct. 10 “I had a talk with Casey Grillo after the show last year in New Port Richey, FL. I confessed to him that I never even heard of Kamelot here in the States till I was introduced to them through file sharing. I have been hooked ever since and I do support them by buying their CDs and DVD. I even asked if they were getting more support out of the US than before, and he said yes.I would think that thanks to file sharing, a lot of unknown bands are getting noticed here in the States and are gaining popularity. The only bands that are hurting because of file sharing are the ones that are not album based. They put out a couple of hits and the rest of the album is like B-side music. People who try before they buy think the album sucks and refuse to buy.” Posted by Jeff, Oct. 12 COMMENT ON “VAMPIRE WEEKEND: ALMOST DONE SUCKING” BY SCOTT JENSON “Agreed on all things VW. I’d like to defend Arctic Monkeys a little though. Their first album was definitely overrated. London

PAGE 10 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2008

hipsters with a dozen identical songs about clubbing - who gives a shit. But their second album was kind of decent - more diverse musically, less compression so it’s not as painful to sit through.” Posted by Joel, Oct. 8 COMMENT ON “LIVE REVIEW: WIN WIN WINTER, NEW WORLD BREWERY, OCT. 11” BY MATT POWELL “I saw Win Win Winter at New World too, and they were amazing amazing ... but have never been underwhelmed by them. Some of the other acts were really also good, but something about Win Win Winter just steals the show and keeps me coming back and keeps their EP in my car player.” Posted by Alice, Oct. 19 COMMENTS ON “LIVE REVIEW: MODERN SKIRTS CD RELEASE, CROWBAR” BY MATT POWELL “Why do so many local ‘journalists’ write their ‘reviews’ from the narrative voice of a ﬁve-year-old? It’s not entertaining. Please stop.” Posted by Chris Costabile, Oct. 21 “The same reason people post their critical treatment of Endgame online thinking anybody gives a shit? At least this guy didn’t put up a Paypal donation button. Hopefully your writing skills will come in handy with that cardboard sign you’re going to need once you realize your music sucks.” Posted by Asshats Everywhere, Oct. 22 COMMENT ON “LIVE REVIEW: NINE INCH NAILS, UCF ARENA, ORLANDO” BY SUSIE ORR “Actually, ‘Letting You’ and ‘Discipline’ were both in the ﬁrst act - ‘Echoplex’ was the Vanna drum machine ... reporters should know facts ... “ Posted by A Fan, Oct. 29

FROM ISSUU.COM “Very nice layout. I really like the artwork. Good job” Posted by rperazaquintero, Oct. 30 “Excellent work dude!” Posted by Herry October 31

A creature of habit, and that voice in the back of the bar that says something wildly embarrassing about someone in the band just in time for them to stop playing so everyone can hear. Jack is also the guy who goes out once a year and boots on a stranger in the bathroom after one too many whiskey rocks. However, if your band sounds like any of the following, this is the guy you might want to write your review: Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, any ‘60s or ‘70s R&B. Mr. Gregory enjoys pesto, porno, a stiff drink, and anything that was released before 1978.

JACK GREGORY

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. Some shows I’m really looking forward to in the next month are Dredg, Broken Social Scene and Of Montreal. I love Hitchcock ﬁlms and a tall glass of iced tea. I also enjoy horseback riding. Sometimes I wish I was a unicorn.

JUSTINE GRIFFIN

By the time you read this, Harrell will be a married man. Guy can’t hold down a job for any length of time - he’s only been here, really been here, six months, and everybody already wants to kill him - but he thinks he can keep his girl happy forever? Scratch a cynic, uncover a bruised idealist. Anyway, Harrell’s written for Radar, The Bradenton Herald and Creative Loaﬁng, among others. He likes candy, and pills whose commercial names begin with the letter “V.” You know the ones.

SCOTT HARRELL

DEAR GLOFFY SEE SOMETHING... ISSUE 30

Words: Jeremy Gloff Photo: Jeremy can’t remember

I WENT ON WMNF’s

“Sonic Detour” with Flee to promote my new album. As part of the show, people called in to ask Dear Gloffy questions. In this column I am answering a couple of the questions I didn’t get a chance to answer on air. Enjoy!

DEAR GLOFFY,

I found women’s clothing in the bottom of my husband’s sock drawer. Should I tell him I found them and risk him knowing I was a snoop? Hell, should I just go out shopping for him and surprise him with a bra? Signed, Girl Caught Off Guard

DEAR CAUGHT,

In the ‘50s society told a woman that her place was in the kitchen. Now in the ‘00s, Gloffy is here to tell you that a man’s place is in the lingerie department! Society has a strong expectation of how a man should behave and act. Hell, even in 2008 my gay men are scrambling to prove to each other how “masculine” they are. Everyone needs to stop it! We should all be in touch with our feminine and masculine sides - we are complete beings. I say encourage your man to explore all aspects of himself. He isn’t cheating on you! What’s the harm? This could turn out to be rather fun for both of you if you have an open mind. An old rumor has it that in 1987 Steven Tyler of Aerosmith wrote the classic “Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” about Vince Neil. Maybe it was really written about your boyfriend?

DEAR GLOFFY,

How would a cougar ﬁnd a hot young man? Signed, WMNF Lovin’ Mama

DEAR WMNF,

I’m so thrilled by the whole cougar phenomenon. It’s high time society found beauty in women past their college years. Beware, though! It’s hard to ﬁnd a good grown man who doesn’t act like a child. If you are looking to spend some time with a guy in his early 20s, be prepared for all the age-appropriate issues that will come with it! All that aside, if you are just looking for a hot time with a young stud, put yourself out there and someone will take the bait. Craigslist it, baby! And if all else fails, I must once again reference my favorite cougar of all time: Madonna. Wouldn’t her new album have been so much more thrilling had she titled it Cougar Anthems? Still, at 50 years old, Madonna claims that “her sugar is raw”. Please write me back and let me know if you ﬁnd a young stallion to get a taste of your raw cougar sugar!!

WE HAVE COLOR Photos: Brian Adams DOWN TO A SCIENCE Models:The Benz Agency TYRO LEVEL STYLIST CUTS START AT $15

Go to www.jeremygloff.com and follow the “Dear Gloffy” link to write to me anonymously!

NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 11

12 OPEN

SEE SOMETHING... OPEN MIC ISSUE 30

MIC

FRAGMENTS

OF EXPERIENCE,

STITCHED

TOGETHER [Ed note: What follows is a series of e-mails sent by Reynolds to friends during his band Wetnurse’s recent four-week tour.]

10/2/08 Curran Reynolds wrote: We just arrived and I’m setting up drums. Some very cool lights in downtown Philly on our way in. Lots of pinks, reds, blues. And did you see the moon?

10/3/08: Good night with the strippers, I hope. Any outstanding tits? In Baltimore now, getting ready to play. 10/4/08: I hear you on the strip club.

There can be a lot of desperation in those places, on both sides of the fence. In Richmond now, eating free sushi. Tour’s been good so far. Good people, good bands. Everyone’s getting along and we’re playing well. Word is, Municipal Waste is playing a surprise set at the end of the night.

10/6/08: Black mosquitoes in WiIm-

ington. I did this marathon drive last night and the thing that kept me going through it all was your mix. It was this deserted road through rural North Carolina, total 3 a.m. isolation, pitch black, lots of fog. Your tunes were the perfect soundtrack. I played it twice through, really, really loud. So, thanks. We’re in Charlotte now. A bit delirious from the overnight drive. Skeletonwitch tonight. Hope all’s great with you.

10/6/08: Maria Schneider is way

hotter in The Passenger than Last Tango. Good to hear about all the good things.

dinner. Miami was electric. I love that town. Late night outdoor Cuban feast with Mitch from Maruta.

10/11/08: Tampa always rules. Played

the skatepark then went to bars with Alanna. Stayed with Robert from Light Yourself On Fire.

10/12/08: There was this 13-year-old kid at the Tallahassee show and it was his ﬁrst show ever. He’ll never forget it! Next is Athens, GA. I’m excited for this one, having been an R.E.M. fan as a kid. Hope you’re having a good Sunday. 10/16/08: Sent you a text recently and didn’t hear back. Will you send me a note to let me know you’re alive and well? 10/16/08: Oh it’s great to hear from you. It’s a roller coaster out here. Khann bailed on the tour. Everyone in my band has gotten sick except me. Stayed with Steve Austin in Nashville. We’re in a basement in Indianapolis now. Great to know you’re making good use of the New Balances. Tell me about Sartre sometime. 10/17/08: Similar thing, we saw the moon come out in the afternoon the other day. Chicago with Plague Bringer tonight. 10/20/08: Great autumn pics,

thanks. We’ve seen some nice fall foliage too, especially today on our drive through PA. My subletter just called to say she wants a refund.

New Hampshire today. How are those LED lights you told me about?

10/23/08: You’re talking about

those lights they would put on the bottom of the cars that would light up the ground underneath, like in Miami? Just had dinner with my mom. Got a couple old high school friends here. One guy was my bandmate in 1992. He was the best slap bassist in the state of Maine. It’s cold on the east coast.

10/24/08: Real lights with photos,

yeah we’ve talked about that. I love the idea. Can’t believe we’re almost home. It’s been good. It’s a game of trying to stay strong and relaxed amidst everything. There’s no privacy and everyone’s sick and depressed around you and you have to drive all day and get places on time and lift heavy objects back and forth and ﬁnd a different ﬂoor to sleep on every night. And on top of that you try to play great music every night. And the people and places you see along the way, it’s like a dream. Fragments of experience, stitched together. Wildly different scenes in rapid succession, sparking emotions you forgot you had in you.

10/25/08: Always a good end-ofthe-world vibe in Worcester. Last night’s show was in a big old house on the fucking steepest hill this side of San Francisco. We played right after a saxophonist in a goat mask. Flying down 95 now toward home. Hey, if you want to check out our show tonight I have guestlist for you. 10/25/08: Of course, I understand.

Enjoy the ballet.

10/7/08: We killed it last night but not too many people witnessed it. Monday in the south, I guess. We signed an autograph. It’s a legendary venue, like the CB’s of the south. The Sex Pistols played there.

10/21/08: Yeah, colder weather out here too. Edward Hopper, count me in for that.

In addition to drumming for Wetnurse, Reynolds handles PR for Today Is The Day, Total Fucking Destruction, Light Yourself on Fire and other artists.

10/10/08: Have a great birthday

10/23/08: Full fall glory out here in

MYSPACE.COM/WETNURSENYC

PAGE 12 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2008

NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC Magazine • PAGE 13

SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING YOUR BAND BLOWS / STEP BY STEP ISSUE 30

STEP HOW TO BY STEP

METALLICA: TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE

When I started writing this column I really wanted to focus on emergent acts that have little or no artistic, emotional or just straight rockin’ value. I saw a hole in music reporting where, once an act had received a little bit of street cred via blogs or Falling Gravel (you might know it as Rolling Stone), nearly every media outlet was on board and sucking the band off like an 18year-old ecstasy-addicted porn star with an abusive past family life. I find trends like this in the industry to be abhorrent, and the acts, the majority of whom have nothing to offer besides a repackaging of things that have already been done and which need not bear repeating, largely undeserving. Unfortunately, I recently wasted 74 minutes and 41 seconds of my life listening to one of the worst aural shit-storms ever perpetrated by biped mammals since the early days of rock and roll. And by the early days of rock and roll, I mean thousands of years ago, when what humans considered to be music was pounding on rocks with other rocks and screaming in a guttural non-language. I wanted this month’s column to be about Crystal Castles, but after hearing Metallica’s Death Magnetic and managing to resist the urge to gouge out my own ears with a melon baller for an hour and 15, I feel the need to warn the world. Do not buy this album. Do not download it (legally or illegally); do not order it at a discounted rate from Amazon.com; do not add it on Imeem or Rhapsody; do not let your friend burn it for you; do not accept any sort of mix that has any song from this album on it; do not listen to radio stations that playlist it on the off chance that you may hear their single; do not walk into any store that might be playing it over the loudspeaker; and (this one may hurt) do not play Death Magnetic on Guitar Hero. It’s really that bad. Once upon a time that only exists in VH1 specials, Metallica was a proud group of alcoholics who managed to play harder, faster and more intensely than the majority of their peers. This earned them enough fame to make a crossover record that firmly implanted the band in American culture, and filled their bank accounts with enough looch to keep that self-absorbed little prick of a leprechaun drummer in

Basquiat paintings and models twice his height for the rest of eternity. But this is where their journey as musicians should have stopped. Metallica could have walked away after their huge commercial success and subsequent release of a decent covers album, but they chose to soldier on and attempt to maintain relevancy even though they were clearly far removed from what made them a decent band in the ‘80s, and carrying egos the size of Boeing’s Everett Factory. This is the point in a band’s career where you should either A) start the cycle of retirement/reunion tours where you play your old songs and make unhealthy amounts of money, or B) buy a castle somewhere, become a hermit and get really weird. The worst thing that you can do at this juncture is try to make music out of some sick need to relive the times when what you did was fresh and exciting. Metallica has done it for seven years and two horrible albums. The worst part about Death Magnetic is not the production values, which brought it to the top of a Worst Offenders List compiled by audio engineers, and sparked a petition among fans demanding a remix. The more saddening and pathetic aspect of a release that’s the auditory equivalent of Beverly Hills Chihuahua is that Metallica just doesn’t seem to get it. It’s over, guys. You had a good run. Stop living on past accolades and trying to go harder, faster and more intense, because your bones are probably getting brittle and there’s now a band built around a cartoon that makes better metal than you. It’s disheartening to see a once-strong band come to the point that Metallica has reached. It’s one thing to suck coming out of the gates, to have one semi-popular hit and then fade into obscurity; at least there is a sense of dignity when you try, fail and accept it. But Metallica seems like that 40-year-old man who still hangs out at his alma mater’s football games in his old jersey, talking to the new quarterback about his glory days. Yeah, they may be physically there, and everyone knows about them because they’ve been there so long. But it’s creepy, and deeply depressing, and no one in the game today really gives a shit if they can still hurl a wobbly spiral.

PAGE 14 • REAX MUSIC MAgAzInE • NOVEMBER 2008

TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS AFTER THEIR CRAPPY BAND’S CRAPPY SET

ll of us have friends who are in bands we don’t like, and all of us who are musicians have friends who think our bands are shite. (Yes, even you.) It’s no big deal, really; you don’t want all of your close friends to be sycophantic yes men, do you?

under no obligation to offer unsolicited compliments. Some bands don’t care what you think. Try not to get all suicidal over the fact.

Some people think that honesty with regard to all things is the best policy among friends. These people are, of course, idiots. No one wants to hear that their boyfriend is a total knob, or that their hairstyle makes them look like Donald Trump, or that their band sucks - especially from a close friend. You can clue ‘em in to the fact that they’re a shitty tipper, sure, but when it comes to the things upon which your friends hang their very identities, a respectful distance from reality is to be kept at all times. It’s the job of real friends to keep their damn mouths shut, patiently waiting for their own real friends to wake the fuck up to the way things really are.

If they do ask, don’t try to change or avoid the subject. Don’t offer to buy beers before you “talk about it.” Grown-ups know that lollipops usually come with needles.

So, when you ﬁnally run out of excuses for not seeing your buddy’s band that you hate - or when they’re ﬁnally opening for someone you absolutely have to check out - here’s how to get through the evening without revealing the transparent nature of the Emperor’s reputedly stylish duds.

STEP 1 Preparation is the key to the post-show palaver. It’s also the hardest part, because it demands that you actually endure at least some of band’s set. You don’t have to pay attention to the whole thing, but you absolutely must watch until they play a song you know - its title, and how it sounds on the band’s terrible homespun CD-R. After that, you can either hang around and wait for another familiar tune and hedge your bets, or make taking a leak and buying another beer last 36 minutes.

STEP 2 Don’t run up to the members while they’re loading out and start spewing obvious lies about their prowess; at least half of the folks in that outﬁt already suspect that they’re mediocre at best, and your blatant bullshit will only make you look like a disingenuous asshole, which your aren’t ... quite. But don’t run and hide in an effort to avoid the inevitable conversation, either. Let the situation present itself naturally.

STEP 3 Remember, if they don’t ask, you’re

STEP 4

STEP 5 Focus on that one song you saw, the one you actually know. Mention how they did it a little faster/slower/looser/more aggressively; maybe the solo was different. Once they’re under the impression you were actually paying attention, it’s not about good or bad - you’re having a discussion about the nuances of performance, in which constructive criticism is wholly welcome.

STEP 6 If one of the members has a new guitar or ampliﬁer, ask about it. But don’t go for the generic comment about great equipment - these days, even cover bands know that “nice gear” means “you suck.” Steering a conversation about the band’s set toward their awesome new merch is also going to make you look like the world’s worst politician.

STEP 7 Always remember that you don’t need to lie outright. Focus on the positive - good sound, a funny piece of stage banter, how they ﬁnally mixed up that set list they’ve been using for six months. Pepper these observations with a few more about how one song or other “doesn’t really do it” for you and how it’s “not really” your “style,” and everybody wins.

STEP 8 One caveat: If they keep returning to the subject of their performance after the fact, like, say, asking you obsessively about it for the ﬁfth time two hours later at the afterparty, it’s perfectly OK to become a little more harsh in your criticisms. You put in the time, you tried to be a friend, but it’s 4 a.m. and you’re drunk and tired of freaking talking about it. Inject a healthy dose of black-and-white truth into the conversation at your own discretion ... and peril.

SOUNDBITES ISSUE 30

At a Tampa show a few months back, Butcher famously disclosed a recent and unfortunate crap-food binge. But he’s actually into much healthier fare: “That night was just a moment of weakness,” he says. “You saw the results, it wasn’t pretty.”

MATT BUTCHER & THE REVOLVERS

TRAIL MIX

“That trail mix that has M&Ms and raisins, I really like that a lot.”

A COSMIC SORT OF THING

BACK IN ‘06, AFTER HIS BAND THE HEATHENS SPLIT UP, MATT BUTCHER DIDN’T EXACTLY BURN UP THE PHONE LINES HITTING UP FRIENDS AND PEERS TO JOIN HIM IN A NEW ACT. IN FACT, PUTTING TOGETHER A NEW FULL BAND WAS ABOUT THE FARTHEST THING FROM THE SLIGHT, GENIAL ORLANDO-BASED SINGER-SONGWRITER’S MIND. “ABSOLUTELY,” HE SAYS. “I KNEW THAT FOR A WHILE THERE, I JUST WANTED TO GET BACK TO PLAYING SONGS FOR PEOPLE BY MYSELF, JUST GUITAR AND HARMONICA. LOGISTICALLY, IT’S A LOT EASIER. AND ALSO, BEING IN A BAND FOR A WHILE, SOMETIMES IT CAN BE A LITTLE ... “ HE PAUSES, SEARCHING FOR THE MOST GRACIOUS WAY TO PUT IT, FINALLY FINISHING, “YOU CAN GET WORN OUT PLAYING WITH OTHER FOLKS.”

o Butcher began gigging around Central Florida as a solo act, honing new material and trying to ﬁgure out exactly how the next stage of his musical life was going to shape up. Eventually, gifted pedal steel player and multi-instrumentalist Tom Cooper started accompanying Butcher live; before long, bassist Gus Ramage found his way into the mix, rounding out a contemporary countryrock version of the classic drum-less bluegrass trio. But it wasn’t until February of this year, as he was taking stock of things while camping atop Oregon’s Mount Hood, that Butcher realized he’d been prepping for a new record all along, and that he wanted it to be a full-band affair. By May, he had the main pieces of his new group, The Revolvers, in place. “We were a three-piece for a while, and as I sort of in my mind got more of an idea of the sound I wanted for the record, the right people just sort of showed up at the right time,” he marvels. “It was a cosmic sort of thing - there was very little work on my part, which was really nice.”

The new act headed straight into the studio, and a process that proved to be the antithesis of the usual bang-it-outbefore-you-run-out-of-money unsignedband methodology. Butcher and his co-conspirators - including vocalist Olivia Wynn of Orlando’s Thomas Wynn & The Believers, and the horn section for soulful, superlative fellow hometowners The Legendary JC’s - fell into a schedule of doing a few songs at a time, then taking a week or so off to gain a little perspective on the material, and rest their ears. They also took the extra step of enlisting an outside producer, in this case Justin Beckler, a multi-talented musician and rising singersongwriter in his own right. “Justin was really important in that process,” says Butcher. “It was nice as a songwriter to have someone outside the creative force who was offering opinions. He was able to be really unbiased about things. The resulting CD, Me and My Friends, is a gorgeous, organic set of 11 tunes that range from the hopeful to the melancholy,

PAGE 16 • REAX MUSIC MAgAzInE • NOVEMBER 2008

DATES

“I really like dates right now. It’s kind of like eating a sweet cockroach, which probably grosses a lot of people out, but I’m into it.”

and deftly balance country, pop and traditional singer-songwriter influences. The disc slides nicely into the ever-popular area where folk and present-day insurgent country meet - that crowded territory called Americana, where mellowing punks and Appalachian enthusiasts meet. And Butcher says that’s fine with him. “That’s cool - you’ve gotta give people an idea of what you’re doing, and it definitely fits into those categories,” he says. “Whatever gets people to come out, and buy the record.

NACHOS

“Up here at The Dandelion [Cafe, where Butcher works], the vegan nachos are pretty awesome.”

“I certainly don’t think I’m reinventing the wheel. I’m just trying to keep it spinning, throw in some new ideas and share some things from my life. If people can relate to it, that’s cool.” Matt Butcher & The Revolvers celebrate the release of their new CD with shows at Ybor City’s New World Brewery December 5, and Orlando’s The Social December 6.

MYSPACE.COM/MATTBUTCHERMUSIC

CARROT CAKE “Any carrot cake - literally. It could have broccoli in it, and I would still like it.”

SOUNDBITES ISSUE 30

BACK TO THE OCEAN

MIKE FARRIS FAITH IN THE SOUND

A BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY AFTERNOON, PERFECT FOR PRAISING JESUS, AND MIKE FARRIS WAS GEARING UP TO PLAY FOR A CROWD OF THOUSANDS OUT IN THE OPEN SPACE OF AUSTIN’S ZILKER PARK. Although this was the ﬁrst time for Farris and his band to make the Austin City Limits lineup, they are no strangers to Texas’ “Live Music Capital of The World.” The band played Austin’s infamous South By Southwest festival/conference/new-music rollout a few years back. Mike Farris draws on many of the inspirations to have made an impact on his life in making the soulful sound that the band is famous for today. Farris isn’t ashamed to admit his near-death experience from overdosing on pills and alcohol; in fact, he seems to imply that his past experiences have served as eyeopening reminders of how beautiful life truly is. The band’s music has an undeniable ﬂare of funk, making for a slight contrast between the sound and the lyrics. If churches played gospel music like this, perhaps more people would be compelled to get up a little earlier on Sundays and head out to their nearest place of worship, if not for the spiritual cleansing then certainly for the powerful sounds. It looks as though Farris has long since surpassed the level of local churches, though. The band recently received the American Music Award for Best New Emerging Artist. Unfortunately, with the many members that perform in the band, it’s hard for the group to get their schedules lined up to do any extensive touring. If the opportunity arises, however, taking advantage of it and checking out the live show is strongly encouraged - the band

makes it a point to get the crowd involved. When asked how he’d ideally like for an audience to receive and be affected by an in-concert set, Farris’ desire to inspire a transcendent experience is obvious. “I want them to walk away feeling excited, delighted, and loved,” he says simply. This gospel band certainly takes joy in spreading their positive word in a way that makes people want to celebrate. Their performance, both recorded and live, seems to welcome the audience into this band’s funky family. After Austin, the band is heading back to Memphis to keep working on their new album. Mike explained that they are still going with the same general style, never your typical gospel. “When it comes to being creative, I never want to have fences,” says Mike. The band seems to be trying to avoid the stereotypical labels that may be associated with gospel bands, and to spread out to a wider audience that will simply appreciate good music when they hear it. And they’re certainly making strides in that direction. Their sound has been described by multiple listeners as having a touch of James Brown, and new fans both spiritual and secular have been drawn in through the band’s online presence at Myspace, YouTube and their own homepage.

MYSPACE.COM/MIKEFARRISMUSIC NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC MAgAzInE • PAGE 17

SOUNDBITES ISSUE 30

professional ass and play in Paris as a twopiece. It was a sold out show of over 400 people, and we ended up performing three encores. We knew if we could do it here, why not do it everywhere?” Although the initial reaction to Black Diamond Heavies’ reconstruction was anything but lighthearted and wholesome, the strategic move down to a two-piece tour de force proved indisputably fruitful. “At the time, it seemed like it was really against our will. It felt like a real heavy thing - our band was falling apart - but in fact, everything turned on within a month of us going forward as a two-piece. We made another record, signed our ﬁrst record deal and really started touring internationally, all within a six-month period.”

BLACK DIAMOND SOUNDS LIKE WHISKEY HEAVIES BLACK DIAMOND HEAVIES SOUND LIKE WHISKEY SLIDING DOWN THE PULSATING HUMAN HATCH, AND HITTING AN EMPTY STOMACH WITH A DISCOMFORTING THUD. A SHOT OF DETROIT RIVER WATER SLIPPING DOWN YOUR THROAT AND SOAKING INTO A SLOWLY DIGESTING MEAL - THE TYPE OF MEAL THAT PREPARES YOU FOR A LONG NIGHT OF SLAMMING EMPTY GLASSES ON A WAXED COUNTERTOP - IS A BIT MORE KINDLY, BUT THE BLUES DON’T REALLY GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THAT.

he blues - especially after doing several lines of cocaine off of rock ‘n’ roll’s cock in a dingy and dimly lit bar bathroom - taste a lot like the type of puke-bucket magic that Black Diamond Heavies conjure up with nothing more than your basic set of skins and some smoothly played organ. And, if Black Diamond Heavies were the jukebox that rests in the corner of our barstool scenery, the 45s within that vintage machine would crackle and pop as they turned out Southern anthems of energy and sorrow played night after night through a distorted speaker that the barkeep never bothers to ﬁx because it just sounds so damn good.

“It started about seven years ago,” recalls John Wesley Myers, the viciously scratchy vocalist and organ maestro of Black Diamond Heavies, as he relaxes at his Wildwood, Georgia cabin and takes in the typical front yard scenery of hang gliders landing in the distance. “Back then, we were straight up blues, man. There was not too much rock ‘n’ roll involved. Maybe that’s because we were livin’ in Chattanooga at the time …” Myers and his slide-guitar counterpart, Mark “Pork Chop” Handler, would eventually trade in life in Chattanooga for the vivacious musical scene of Nashville in hopes of ﬁnding a drummer to ﬁll out their Southern soaked sound. Within an Alabama

minute, Van Campbell came strutting into their lives to bring what Myers calls a “thunderous, rock ‘n’ roll element to the band.” A dangerous blend of musicianship was concocted between holding down day jobs as piano movers, but the seemingly perfect trio would only survive two years in heavy rotation on the road before Pork Chop’s health issues and desire to marry would bring strife to the group. “[Pork Chop] just didn’t want to do it anymore,” explains Myers. After canceling a run of Northeast shows, Campbell and Myers were faced with the prospect of missing out on their ﬁrst trip abroad to the sweetly bohemian streets of Paris, France. “We basically decided to go cover our own

While Black Diamond Heavies remain in the rough and relatively overlooked in the United States, the United Kingdom and mainland Europe have not only provided a lucrative living for the southern boys, but has also offered up a loyal fan base to the group in a relatively short period of time. By conquering Europe with relative ease, the band has been able to hit the asphalt a bit harder Stateside, and they’ll be making ventures over to Australia and New Zealand this December. “As unpopular as America is and Americans are, the Europeans cannot help themselves but love American music,” laughs Myers. “For us, it’s deﬁnitely evolved into a more rock ‘n’ roll thing that’s dipped in blues and southern American music, and they’ve eatin it up. [Europeans] are able to hear the roots and evolution of where it’s coming from, even more so than Americans. It’s kind of like that verse from the Bible - a prophet in his own land is not well received. To really be worth something, you’ve got to take it somewhere they really don’t have much of it, you know?” Black Diamond Heavies play back-to-back dates in Daytona Beach - at Frank’s Front Row and Robbie O’Connel’s, respectively - on November 16 and 17, Dave’s Aqua Lounge in St. Petersburg on November 18, and Orlando’s Social November 19.

MYSPACE.COM/BLACKDIAMONDHEAVIES

JOHN WESLEY MYERS’ TOP 5 WHISKIES

JAMESON

“This would make Van cringe a little bit because he’s a ﬁrm believer in Kentucky bourbon, but I can’t get enough of that sweet Irish whiskey. It seems like every time I’ve been to jail, I was drinking Jameson. Now, not every time I drink Jameson I go to jail, but it’s real good either way …”

OLD RIP

“One of the smoothest American bourbons out there! The ﬁrst time I ever tried that, I had been sober for about ﬁve years, but I had been struggling with it again. I was up at some kind of family reunion of Van’s in Louisville, and his uncle brought over some of the oldest, best bottles of bourbon in the world and I just couldn’t pass that up.”

PAGE 18 • REAX MUSIC MAgAzInE • NOVEMBER 2008

WILD TURKEY & MAKER’S MARK

“If I’m going to drink American bourbon, it’s going to be Kentucky bourbon. I know Tennessee and Kentucky always argue over who has the sweetest bourbon, but I think Kentucky wins that easily. Must be something in the water …”

FIGHTING COCK

“That’s a rough whiskey, but Keith Richards cites it as his favorite, so I can’t argue.”

BEHINDTHELENS

DAY ONE: FRIDAY THE 31ST

ISSUE 30

1 2

1. ELLIOT: “Watching a Spanish band sing songs about taking your shirt off. I was bummed that only dudes took part in that.”

2. JUSTIN: “Chillin’ at the Holiday Inn and having ﬁrst drink of the night.”

3. REAX: Umoja Orchestra supplied the pre-party music on the Holiday Inn Rooftop. 4. ELLIOT: “I found out that guitar pics ﬂoat in beer.”

DRINK OF THE MONTH

AND FEST 7 PHOTO DIARY

PBR & RED BULL:

STARRING: ELLIOT AND JUSTIN FROM HOW DARE YOU & RANDOM REAXERS We've been trying to get a regular Drink Of The Month feature into the mag for a while now, just documenting what happens when the mag's staff, readers and friends get together in one place at one time in the name of quafﬁng a speciﬁc beverage of choice and that beverage only - for posterity.

5. REAX: Dude with red circle kept taking all the Red Bull and stufﬁng them in his bag. Come on bro, one per customer. We couldn’t get rid of him all weekend. 6. ELLIOT: “Trying to keep track, but beer is good.”

Who knew it would be so hard to get a bunch of willful degenerates together, much less to get them to agree on what to imbibe? Well, since most of us (and a buttload of you as well) were planning on heading to Gainesville for Fest 7 anyway, it was decided that the three-day punk-and-debauchery juggernaut would make the perfect setting for the project's inaugural installment. We chose an obvious and ﬁtting chuggable for the occasion: PBR, the ofﬁcial beer of poor, bearded venue-rats everywhere. And since it was gonna stretch beyond a few hours at the bar into an entire lost weekend, we allowed Red Bull in as an alternate. Then, we hit up various writers, photogs, street teamers, buddies, readers, and even a few of the bands to participate. Participate they did, from the REAX-sponsored rooftop pool party at the Holiday Inn Friday afternoon to Japanther's Sunday-night set at The Kickstand. They remember very little, and they wrote down even less, but everybody agrees it was a session for the ages. Check out the following photos and decide for yourself - hell, you're probably in some of 'em. Thanks.

7. REAX: Bikes are key at FEST! This is pre-any sort of accidents. PBR and Cruisers, nice... Now off to ﬁnd music.

BEHINDTHELENS

DAY ONE: FRIDAY THE 31ST

8. REAX: Ninja Gun destroyed the Common Grounds. It was tough to grab a drink, but we managed to ﬁnd some PBR before too long.

ISSUE 30

9. REAX: We found Justin had snuck away from the Common Grounds to ﬁnd some comfort food. Five hours of PBR and Red Bull obviously make you hungry. 10. ELLIOT: “Two slices of cheese at Five Star Pizza.”

11. REAX: LaSalle ,formerly Small Brown Bike, melted our faces off. The whole No Idea Crew was out for this one too. They must be good.

13. ELLIOT: “Annoying nipple irritation and blueberry bombs at the Atlantic.” 14. REAX: Team REAX trying to build towers from used PBR cups. Thank God

that’s the only responsibility Scott has for the rest of the evening.

NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 21

BEHINDTHELENS

DAY ONE: FRIDAY THE 31ST

ISSUE 30

15. REAX: The Bouncing Souls kept the Halloween spirit alive with a monster set of pre-1996 tunes. Unfortunately, the band didn’t get the memo about the Drink of the Month being PBR. With the band’s closing song, the curtain closed for the ﬁrst night of FEST. ELLIOT: “Ripped off by a Gainesville cab driver.”

DAY TWO: SATURDAY THE 1ST

16. REAX: HUNG OVER! However, the troops rallied in the back of Nate’s truck, as usual. Where in the hell are the How Dare You dudes?

PAGE 22 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2008

17. REAX: Look Mexico never disappoints. The Market Street Pub crawled with mohawks and holey shirts ready for an early afternoon of FEST goodness. Does someone smell vomit?

NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 23

BEHINDTHELENS ISSUE 30

DAY TWO: SATURDAY THE 1ST

18. REAX: Broadway Calls were the surprise of the afternoon. They killed the crowd, and we almost didn’t leave in time to make it back to the Venue. 19. ELLIOT: “Are we still keeping track of drinks?”

20. REAX: Lawrence Arms at the Venue... What else can you say? PAGE 24 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2008

BEHINDTHELENS

DAY TWO: SATURDAY THE 1ST

ISSUE 30

21. REAX: Quick stop at Store 101 to check out an art show. Do you guys have a bathroom?

23. REAX: Polar Bear Club was a weekend favorite. We never saw Elliot and Justin again until How Dare You played on Sunday morning.

DAY THREE: SUNDAY THE 2ND

22. REAX: Our friends Hometeam at the Market Street Pub.

24. REAX: We found Justin on stage at 1982 Sunday morning with How Dare You.

TO SEE ALL OF DAY THREE AND MORE PICS FROM FEST 7 GO TO REAXMUSIC.COM NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 25

YOU ARE HERE A GUIDE TO TAMPA BAY ISSUE 30

A LOCAL GUIDE TO TAMPA BAY HOTSPOTS: VENUES ARTPOOL ORPHEUM A unique take on the gallery space that includes a boutique along with regular shows and events with which the entire community can get involved. 919 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg 727-324-3878 artpoolrules.com

THE BRASS MUG

Where just about every band in town cut its teeth, this North Tampa stripmall bar is near USF, and specializes in punk and metal. 1441 E. Fletcher Ave. #101, Tampa myspace.com/brassmug

CROWBAR

A live room with excellent sound and a fully stocked beer garden stand out amid Ybor’s dance clubs and hipster retail, attracting everything from wellknown touring indie-rock acts to local metal legends. 1812 N. 17th St., Ybor City crowbarlive.com

EMERALD BAR

A long-running favorite for national and local indie shows, as well as hipsterﬁlled dance nights. 1902 Avenida Republica De Cuba (14th Street), Ybor City 813-248-9500

THE GARAGE

Formerly heavy on the metal and industrial, this medium-sized venue is gaining new respect amid the scene for everything from movie nights to a wider variety of shows and its Skateboard Industry Night parties. 662 Central Ave., St. Petersburg myspace.com/garagepromotions

THE PEGASUS LOUNGE

Another close-to-USF live-music watering hole that often caters to heavier sounds. 10008 N. 30th St., Tampa 813-971-1679 pegasusniteclub.com

THE RITZ

Cross the bay to St. Pete and visit the local music scene’s favorite dive, where original art adorns the walls and any sort of band or DJ imaginable might take the non-stage. 550 Central Ave., St. Petersburg myspace.com/emeraldbar

The venue formerly known as The Masquerade (and before that, er, The Ritz) is back in action. And live music is only part of what’s going on there these days. 1503 Seventh Ave., Ybor City 813-247-2555 theritzybor.com

JANNUS LANDING

THE STATE THEATRE

Consistently voted one of the best places in the Bay area to see a show, it’s an open-air concert hall housed within an historic city block. 16 2nd St. N., St. Petersburg jannuslandingconcerts.com

KELLY’S PUB

A comparatively new hangout that helps legendary Tampa bar The Hub keep downtown Tampa happening after dark. 206 N. Morgan St., Tampa myspace.com/kellyspubtampa

NEW WORLD BREWERY

A killer beer selection and eclectic, culture-friendly musical slate make this Ybor City bar-and-patio a local-scene favorite. 1313 E. 8th Ave., Ybor City myspace.com/newworldbrewery

A longtime tour stop for rising punk, rock and alt-country bands, you can catch acts as disparate as Shooter Jennings and The Hush Sound in this converted movie palace. 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg statetheatreconcerts.com

TRANSITIONS ART GALLERY

It’s the Skatepark of Tampa’s edgy, extremely all-ages-friendly exhibition and performance space. 4215 E. Columbus Dr., Tampa 813-382-3477 transitionsartgallery.com

UPTOWN BAR

Amiable little dive that features an always-eclectic lineup of local shows, from DJs to hardcore. 658 Central Ave., St. Petersburg 727-463-0567

PAGE 26 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2008

HOTSPOTS: EATS AGUILA SANDWICH SHOP EL TACONAZO (TACO BUS) We’re not gonna get into any beefs by calling it the best Cuban sandwich in town - but it might be the best Cuban sandwich in town. 3200 W. Hillsborough Ave. 813-876-4022

BURRITO BOARDER

Healthy burritos, ﬁsh tacos and other Cali-Mex fusionables with a skaterfriendly vibe. 17 3rd St. North, St. Petersburg 727-209-0202 burritoboarder.com

CAPPY’S PIZZA

Arguably the best pizza on either side of the bay. Casual, and as cheap as a lot of the delivery chains to boot. 4910 N. Florida Avenue, Tampa 813-238-1516 3200 W. Bay to Bay Blvd., Tampa 813-835-0785 2900 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg 727-321-3020 cappyspizzaonline.com

DAVE’S

Where the St. Pete scene meets the morning after for big, cheap breakfasts. Cash only. 2339 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg 727-895-6057

Weird, mostly lunch-only hours, but indisputably awesome cheap and authentic eats. 913 E. Hillsborough Ave. 813-232-5889

GLOBE COFFEE LOUNGE

Shows, local art, coffee and some of proprietor JoEllen’s famous recipes for healthy entrees and tasty desserts. 532 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg 727-898-5282

GRASSROOT ORGANIC

Reviewers call its vegan- and vegetarian-friendly menu “creative” and “tasty.” 2702 N. Florida Ave., Tampa 813-221-7668

MELLOW MUSHROOM

One of the most heavily praised pizza chains in existence anywhere. And did we mention the plethora of awesome beers? 11955 Sheldon Road, Tampa 813-926-3600 10959 Causeway Blvd., Brandon 813-685-1122 mellowmushroom.com

NICKO’S

The last classic steel-exterior diner in the area, with the classic eclectic breakfast, lunch and dinner menu to match 4603 N. Florida Ave., Tampa 813-234-9301

HOTSPOTS: WEARABLES IF & ONLY IF

SUNSHINE THRIFT

SQUARESVILLE

URBAN OUTFITTERS

This hip St. Pete boutique has some cool/quirky/vintage fashions, particularly for the ladies. 4336 4th St. N., St. Petersburg 727-528-9490

A longtime local favorite for vintage clothes, not to mention kitschy home furnishings. 508 S. Howard Ave., Tampa 813-259-9944

You can generally always ﬁnd something cool here, even when the other thrifts in the area are picked clean. 4304 S. Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa 813-831-4377

You know the deal. 1600 E. 8th Ave., Centro Ybor, Ybor 813-242-8472 urbanoutﬁtters.com

A GUIDE TO TAMPA BAY YOU ARE HERE ISSUE 30

HOTSPOTS: LIFESTYLE MAD PADDLERS 688 SKATEPARK KAYAK & SURF SHOP Nice, big indoor park on the Pinellas side of things. 6140 Ulmerton Rd., Clearwater 727-523-0785

BENTLEY SALON

Redken-authorized, forward-thinking salon that emphasizes education for aspiring stylists. 3228 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa 813-877-9801 myspace.com/bentleysalon

ATOMIC TATTOOS

There are, seriously, too many great tattoo shops (including Monique’s and Mean Machine, to name a couple more) and artists in the area to list, but Atomic has long been reputable in the area, and has locations in just about every Tampa Bay neighborhood, so there you go. atomictattoos.com

FLYING FISH BIKES

A full-service shop for both recreational and serious riders. 2409 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa 813-839-0410

Equipment and lessons for beginners and die-hards alike. 8808 Rocky Creek Dr., Tampa 813-243-5737 ospreybay.com

SHARP HAIR

Think you can’t get a hip coif north of Central Avenue or, um, west of SoHo? Think again. 3701 State Road 580, Suite G, Oldsmar 813-855-2422

SKATEPARK OF TAMPA

The legendary home of the Tampa Pro and Am comps. 4215 E. Columbus Dr., Tampa 813-382-3477 skateparkoftampa.com

WATTS TUBE AUDIO

Musicians, stereo hobbyists and do-ityourself ampliﬁer builders will all ﬁnd something interesting. 2323 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg 727-388-3309 wattstubeaudio.com

HOTSPOTS: RETAIL ALL PRO PERCUSSION SEMINOLE MUSIC & SOUND Everything from wood blocks to the new Roland V-Drum electric kits, without the annoying eighth graders butchering Avenged Sevenfold over in the guitar section. 10101 E. Adamo Dr., Tampa 813-341-DRUM allpropercussion.com

HASLAM’S BOOK STORE

Florida’s largest new-and-used book joint. Make the drive, and plan to spend at least half the day browsing. 2025 Central Ave., St. Petersburg 727-822-8616 haslams.com

MOJO BOOKS & MUSIC

This place has it all when it comes to music retail. Used CDs and Vinyl of course, but don’t forget about the huge selection of used books. Located in the heart of USF country. Hit it up son. 2558 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa 813-971-9717 mojotampa.com

Another one of the few music-gear independents still in operation. And they’ve been at it for 25 years. 10720 74th Ave. N., Suite F, Seminole 727-391-3892 seminolemusic.com

STEVIE B’S TOTAL GUITAR

Let’s just say they know their shit, from vintage instruments to the latest tech. 650 Central Ave., St. Petersburg 727-822-3304 30111 U.S. HWY 19 N., Clearwater 727-785-9106

VINYL FEVER

NOW OPEN 7 DAYS!

Again, there are plenty of great indie record/CD shops in the area, but Vinyl Fever has been the gold standard for years. 4110 Henderson Blvd., Tampa 813-289-8399 vinylfevertampa.com

NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 27

YOU ARE HERE A GUIDE TO TAMPA BAY ISSUE 30

SPOTLIGHT

ALBUM SPOTLIGHT: REBEKAH PULLEY

& THE RELUCTANT PROPHETS BACK TO BOOGALOO LUCKY BIRD

There’s a reason why everybody loves Rebekah Pulley and her Reluctant Prophets. Or, rather, it’s easy for just about every music fan to find a reason to love ‘em. It could be her almost preternaturally evocative vocals; it could be the band’s impeccably subtle chops; it could be the way that, together, they manage to blend folk, pop, country and Americana without ever sounding rote, or too bland. On their best-sounding and most eclectic effort to date, the potential hinted at on Pulley’s earlier solo recordings and consistently delivered live is finally captured. Boogaloo could’ve used even more diversity - it would be great to hear her and the band really cut loose on a high-octane rave-up, or maybe some confidently swaggering rockabilly - but from the quietly Santanareminscent opener “Not Your Girlfriend Anymore” through the organ-assisted highlight “New Mexico” and quirky what-instrument-haven’t-we-used-yet closer “Watching You Go,” this is simply a pleasure to hear. - Scott Harrell

BEG, BARTER, DON’T STEAL:

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

SWAP MEET Words: Amy Beeman

y popular demand, St. Petersburg’s annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Swap Meet is back.

On Sunday, November 23, at downtown venue Jannus Landing, friends, music lovers, and bargain shoppers will come together for an afternoon of live music and the opportunity to buy other peoples’ old stuff.

These days, he occasionally ﬁnds himself going through intermediaries. “It’s kind of weird to have to go through a booking agent,” Peterson says. “I guess I’m not used to it. If I were doing the show to make money, then it would be a little more cutthroat. But everybody I’ve dealt with has been good. They understand that it’s a music community kind of thing.”

Since its inception in ‘03, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Swap Meet has evolved into a favorite annual event amongst scenesters. Event organizer Roger Peterson came up with the idea when he realized the original location for the swap meets, the ACL restaurant (now closed) would be a perfect venue for hosting bands. At the same time, Peterson’s ex-wife and a friend were looking for a spot to have a swap meet, where people could buy and trade wares. Like Hall & Oates, the combination just made sense, and the ﬁrst Rock ‘n’ Roll swap meet was born.

This year’s bill includes The Beauvilles, Rebekah Pulley & The Reluctant Prophets, Doll Parts, and The Bastard Squad, among others.

The idea was simple: seven bands would alternate playing on two different stages - one inside, one outside - for a half-hour each. No band could play the swap meet twice; Peterson wants the emphasis on giving exposure to new bands.

“It’s going to be the middle of November ... nice weather,” says the host. “It’s a Sunday afternoon. You hang out with the people you hang out with when you go to clubs at night, except it’s an outdoor day thing. Everybody gets to kick back and have a beer and walk around.”

“Some of these bands come in and just blow people away,” he says. Now in its sixth year, and after hosting 34 bands, Peterson says it’s a bit more of a challenge to ﬁnd and book fresh local acts. “The ﬁrst year was easy because I’d just call up my friends’ bands,” he says. “There was no management, really.”

SPOTLIGHT

Peterson doesn’t do it for a proﬁt, he does it simply because it’s a fun event. The $5 entry fee is used to pay for any promotional materials, which have pretty much been ﬂiers made at Kinkos, and the rest is split and given to the bands. Friends volunteer to help out with sound, the door, and other odds and ends, and Peterson buys them beer.

Not to mention the potential for ﬁnding really cool Christmas presents ... The Rock ‘n’ Roll Swap Meet takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 23 at Jannus Landing in downtown St. Petersburg. For info about renting a sales table, email rwp67@hotmail.com.

PAGE 28 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2008

TORSO ART BACK IN BLACK SAT. NOV. 22

f you’re passionate about stuff like music or surﬁng or motorcycles or tattoos or grafﬁti, then you don’t need to be convinced that t-shirt graphics can be art. You already know that shit. St. Petersburg’s Pale Horse Gallery, insurgent graphic design concern Hydro Seventy-Four and THX MGMT will celebrate the fact with a unique onenight-only art show titled Back in Black on Saturday, November 22. Twenty artists - including Horse Bites, Munk One, Julie West, Dan Mumford, God Machine, Jimyo, Noah Deledda, along with a host of others - will be contributing designs that will be printed on wood and exhibited at the gig. Attendees can check out all the art and, for $15, have the work of their choice screened

onto the shirt of their choice right there at the gallery. (Note: Don’t be the douche who waits until two minutes before the show’s over to pick the design the fewest other people went with. Just get what you like, prima donna.) The original wood screens will also be available for purchase, and bevvies and desserts will be provided. Best of all, it’s free to look. Back in Black runs from 4 until 10 p.m. on Saturday, November 22. All ages are welcome. Pale Horse is located at 19 Martin Luther King Jr. St. South in St. Petersburg. For more information, check out palehorsedesign.com

A GUIDE TO TAMPA BAY YOU ARE HERE ISSUE 30

TAMPA BAY EVENTS FRI NOVEMBER 07 .357 String Band, Skull and Bone Band, Blind Buddy Moody Dave’s Aqua Lounge, St. Petersburg Cost: $6 Time: 9:30 p.m. Ascending to Avalon, Ruthless Design, Reflecting on Shakespeare, Radio Therapy Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $15/18 Time: 7 p.m. Basic Rock Outfit Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $5 Time: 8 p.m. Five Finger Death Punch, In This Moment, Bury Your Dead, Another Black Day The Ritz, Ybor City Cost: $16.50/19 Time: 6:30 p.m. Giddy-Up, Helicopter!, Northvia, Springfield Cubs New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $6 Time: 9 p.m. Phish Concert Re-Creation Feat. Christie Lenee & Funkgrass Groove, Strange Design Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: $7 Time: 8 p.m. Stab The Sky, Malison, Of Angeline, The Year Ends In Arson, Denounce The Betrayer, All Eyes Before Us Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $10 Time: 7 p.m. Talk to Mark CD Release Feat. Acho Brother Cafe Alma, St. Petersburg Time: 7:30 p.m. The Toasters, Flatfoot 56 State Theatre, St. Petersburg Time: 7 p.m.

SAT NOVEMBER 08 A.D.D. Records presents Leatherface, Former Cell Mates, Tiltwheel, The Tim Version, Too Many Daves Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $10 Time: 8 p.m. Bang Bang Boom, Sons of Hippies, The Black Rabbits New World Brewery, Ybor City Time: 9 p.m. Buffalo Strange, Cope Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $7 Time: 8 p.m. Crowbar Two-Year Anniversary Feat. Doug Stanhope Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: $20 Time: 9 p.m. George Fuller III, Lance Rowland, Scott Neal Cummings Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. Hate Eternal, Order of Ennead State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $12 Time: 7 p.m. Push Play Orpheum, Ybor City Cost: $8 Time: 6:30 p.m. Red Seven, Cronipios, Fermata, Triptico Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. The Presidents of the United States of America, Jeffrey Lewis Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $14.99/18 Time: 7 p.m.

SUN NOVEMBER 09 Ammo Nation, Atlanta Burns, Ago Decorus, Atavan, Forever in a Day, Limit 57 Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s, Wild Sweet Orange Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: $9/11 Time: 9 p.m.

Thanks, Frank!: A Salute to Frank Sargeant Feat. De Lei’d Parrots Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $10 Time: 5 p.m. The Classic Struggle, Heal These Wounds, Surrounded By Teeth, Charlatan, Unkempt, Amor The Liar Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $8/10 Time: 6 p.m. The Pink Spiders, Cruiserweight, Mondo Primo Orpheum, Ybor City Cost: $10/12 Time: 7 p.m.

MON NOVEMBER 10 Sisters of Mercy, Hypernova Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $19.99/25 Time: 7 p.m. The Black Crowes, Buffalo Killers Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater Cost: $37.50/45 Time: 8 p.m. Unwed Sailor, Petrograd in Transit, Look Mexico New World Brewery, Ybor City Time: 9 p.m.

TUE NOVEMBER 11 All Good Tuesdays Feat. The Howlies, Mogul Street Reserve, Soft Rock Renegades Crowbar, Ybor City Time: 8 p.m. Bring Me The Horizon, Misery Signals, The Ghost Inside, Johnny Truant State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $13/15 Time: 6 p.m. Cobra Starship, Sing It Loud, Hit The Lights, Forever The Sickest Kids Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $15 Time: 6 p.m. Hoots & Hellmouth, Have Gun, Will Travel Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $10/15 Time: 8 p.m.

WED NOVEMBER 12 As Eden Burns, Aurora Black, Harvest The Deceased, The Cryptic Autopsy, Illithid Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $7 Time: 7 p.m. Maylene & The Sons of Disaster, A Static Lullaby, Showbread, Conﬁde, Attack Attack State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $12 Time: 6 p.m. Phosphorescent, Virgin Forest, King of Spain, Attachedhands New World Brewery, Ybor City Time: 9 p.m. Rehab, Heavy Mojo Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $17/20 Time: 7 p.m. The Blood Fire Death Across America Tour Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: $15 Time: 7 p.m.

THU NOVEMBER 13 Agent Orange, Pseudo Heroes, Crooked Edge The Garage, St. Petersburg Cost: $12 Time: 8 p.m. Aquabats, Suburban Legends, Johnny Unite Us State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $16 Time: 7 p.m. Hill Country Revue, Uncle John’s Band Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $10 Time: 8 p.m. Kids Like Us, The Mongoloids, Years Spent Cold, Furious Styles, Thick As Blood, Know The Score, Strengthen What Remains,A Hand To The Fallen Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $12 Time: 6 p.m. Parts & Labor, Flexxehawk, Lush Progress, Averkiou Crowbary, Ybor City Cost: $8/10 Time: 8 p.m.

Pelican, Kayo Dot, Stephen Brodsky Orpheum, Ybor City Cost: $12/14 Time: 7 p.m. Roadside, Ami Dub Squad Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. The Elms, Mike Dunn & The Kings of New England, Tailgunner Joe & The Earls of Slander New World Brewery, Ybor City Time: 9 p.m.

FRI NOVEMBER 14 Genitorturers Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $17/20 Time: 7 p.m. Smite, Ghost of a Tragedy, Gnarly Deathskull, Thrash Attack Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. Javalina, House Of Lightning, Six Dead Horses, Cellgraft Star Booty, St. Petersburg Cost: $6 Time: 8 p.m. Lorna Bracewell Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater Cost: $17/12 for students Time: 7:30 p.m. Moodhosa Crowbar, Ybor City Select Start, Asteria, One For The Team, Inertia!, Cassady Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $8 Time: 7 p.m. Tim Reynolds, TR3 w/Shaun Hopper Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $15/20 Time: 8 p.m. Trans-Siberian Orchestra St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa Cost: $35/45 Time: 8 p.m. Wil Seabrook, John Q Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. ZKG, Aldo Nova, Hammerslug, Via Segovia, Moneyshot, Rescue 22 State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $10 Time: 7 p.m.

SAT NOVEMBER 15 Battlestar, Actions Speak Louder Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. Beenie Man, Versatile, Poison Dart Sound Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $30/35 Time: 7 p.m. Fatal, Something Like Hell, Blood For Lube, Machete Attack, Eating Machine Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $5 Time: 8 p.m. Halcyon, Jenn Grinels Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $12 Time: 8 p.m. Needtobreathe, Third Day Bell Shoals Baptist Center, Brandon Soulfound, Life of Pi, Holiday, Blast and the Detergents, Auditorium State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $8/5 with voter I.D. Time: 8 p.m. Vince Gill Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater Cost: $42.50-79.50 Time: 8 p.m.

SUN NOVEMBER 16 Desolate Manhattan, Apocalyptic Prophecy, The Radiance Effect, Pilgrims Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Sarah Brightman St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa Cost: $57.75-147.75 Time: 8 p.m.

TUE NOVEMBER 18 Bob Weir & Ratdog Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater Cost: $37 Time: 7:30 p.m. Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcom Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $8 Time: 8 p.m.

NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 29

YOU ARE HERE A GUIDE TO TAMPA BAY ISSUE 30

TAMPA BAY EVENTS WED NOVEMBER 19 Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band, Rig 1, The Felice Brothers Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $22/25 Time: 7 p.m. Wax On Wednesdays Feat. DJ Craig, Conscious Sound System Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: FREE Time: 8 p.m.

THU NOVEMBER 20 Down With Paul Riser & The Renegade Thugs, Mortimer Nova Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. End Of A Year, Defeater, Aim At The Kid Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $7 Time: 7 p.m. Toadies, People in Planes, Mr. Bella State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $15 Time: 7 p.m.

FRI NOVEMBER 21 Broken Social Scene, Land of Talk Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $21/25 Time: 7 p.m. Copeland, Lovedrug, Lydia, Lights State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost:$13/15 Damon Fowler Group Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $7/10 Time: 8 p.m. Four Gone, Four Souls Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. Knock ‘Em Dead, Until Eternity, Of Angeline, Patriarchs Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $8 Time: 7 p.m. Pemberley CD Release Party Feat. The Dark Romantics, The Winter Sounds New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $7 Time: 9 p.m. The Prospect, Karrigan, The Woodwork, Stalling Dawn Crowbar, Ybor City Time: 9 p.m.

SAT NOVEMBER 22 9th Evolution, Liverbaby, Fatal Trip Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. Dumbwaiters, Woven, Kingsbury New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $7 Time: 9 p.m. Jimmie’s Chicken Shack, Junkie Rush, Hat Trick Heroes, Social Ghost, Falling Awake State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $12 Time: 7 p.m. Johnny Winter Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $19.99/25 Time: 7 p.m. Parkway, Driving The Fall, Dust Up, Initial Doubt, Stuk, The Hundred Handed, Dreadful Memories Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $8 Time: 7 p.m. WMNF Presents The White Album 40th Anniversary Re-Creation Feat. The Ditchﬂowers, Rebekah Pulley & The Reluctant Prophets, Four Star Riot, The Vodkanauts, + More Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $12/15 The Hip Abduction, Conscious Sound System Crowbar, Ybor City Time: 9 p.m.

SUN NOVEMBER 23 All Eyes Before Us, Alyvine, The Avery Machine, Maybe Athena, Whiteout Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m.

Kinder, Gentler Sundays Feat. Matt Burke, George Daher, + More Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: FREE Time: 6 p.m. Shane Mead & The Sound, Christie Lenee & The Funkgrass Groove, Friends of Fil Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $8 Time: 5 p.m.

MON NOVEMBER 24 Hellbound Hayride Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9 p.m.

TUE NOVEMBER 25 Freight Train Annie’s Girlie Show Feat. The Marys, Stephanie Anderson, Morgan & Wildﬂower Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $7 Time: 8 p.m. Green Sunshine Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. Nonpoint, 12 Stones, Anew Revolution, Midnight to 12 State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $15/18 Time: 6 p.m. Underoath, Saosin, The Devil Wears Prada, The Famine The Ritz, Ybor City Cost: $20/24 Time: 6 p.m.

WED NOVEMBER 26 Mystery Academy, Frantic Days, Set And Setting Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $6 Time: 7 p.m. Pat Travers, Rebel Pride, Southside Serenade State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $10 Time: 7 p.m. REAX Magazine’s Pre-Turkey Day Throwdown Crowbar, Ybor City Time: 8 p.m. The Unit Shifters Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9 p.m.

THU NOVEMBER 27 Flat Stanley, Mega Smegma, Crash Mitchell New World Brewery, Ybor City Time: 9 p.m. Green Sunshine Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m.

FRI NOVEMBER 28 Derby Darlins Fundraiser Crowbar, Ybor City Earth Bombs Mars Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. Girlhouse, Still Life, Carga, Pinehill Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. The Legendary JC’s, Thomas Wynn & The Believers Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $7/10 Time: 8 p.m. Quintron & Miss Pussycat, GreyMarket New World Brewery, Ybor City Time: 9 p.m.

SAT NOVEMBER 29 DJs Business Casual Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9 p.m.

PAGE 30 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2008

Eric Lindell Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $10/13 Time: 8 p.m. HR (of Bad Brains), Supervillains, Outlaw Nation, Lionize, Dirty Heads State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $15/16 Time: 6 p.m. Sunbears!, Zillionaire, Beardsley, Incredible Crisis New World Brewery, Ybor City Time: 9 p.m. The New Threat, The Scurvy, Hatchetface, The Angst, Americanscare, Victims of Circumstance Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Toys for Tots Fundraiser Feat. 9th Evolution, My Evil Side, Liverbaby, Cowboy Maﬁa, Foreshadow Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: $8 or a toy Time: 8 p.m.

SUN NOVEMBER 30 Blueground Undergrass Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $12/15 Time: 5 p.m. Justin Weatherbee, Desolate Manhattan, Aeralene Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m.

THU DECEMBER 04 Jason Mraz, Anya Marina Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater Cost: $35-49.50 Time: 7 p.m. Perpetual Groove State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $17/20 Time: 8 p.m. X.O., Smile Smile, Shanti & Paper Mache New World Brewery, Tampa Time: 9 p.m.

NATURALLY-RAISED, HORMONE FREE MEATS

ZERO TRANS FATS * FRESH BURRITOS

GRILLED MAHI TACOS * NAK'D BOWLS QUESADILLAS * NACHOS * SALADS * SOUPS

VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY * ECO-FRIENDLY

YOU ARE HERE A GUIDE TO ORLANDO & CENTRAL FLORIDA ISSUE 30

A LOCAL GUIDE TO ORLANDO & CENTRAL FL HOTSPOTS: VENUES BACKBOOTH INDEPENDENT BAR Great room and beer selection, a favorite scene hangout with an eclectic lineup of local and touring acts. 37 West Pine St., Orlando backbooth.com

BAR-B-Q BAR

Not really a venue, per se, but it’s a great bar and it’s jammed between The Social and the Independent, so you’re gonna end up taking your business out in the old-school photo booth at some point. 64 N. Orange Ave., Orlando

BLACK BOX COLLECTIVE

It’s like a community center for cool kids, activists, anarchists and free thinkers - live music, workshops, art shows, etc. 630 W. Central Blvd., Orlando myspace.com/ theblackboxcollective

CLUB FIRESTONE

It’s actually a converted Firestone building. Great club, heavy on DJ/ dance stuff but hosts trendy-cool touring bands as well. 578 North Orange Ave., Orlando clubﬁrestone.com

COPPER ROCKET PUB

Out toward Maitland, a cool little beerand-wine bar that hosts a lot of roots, singer-songwriter and rock/punk-abilly shows. 106 Lake Ave., Orlando copperrocketpub.com

HARD ROCK LIVE

Big, stylish room where you’ll see up-and-coming nationals for the last time before they hit arenas opening for someone even bigger, and the area’s top-drawing regional acts. 6050 Universal Blvd., Orlando hardrock.com

HOUSE OF BLUES

Lots of perennially cool nationals and big local draws. 1490 East Buena Vista Dr., Orlando hob.com

All sorts of hipsteriﬁc DJ and dance nights - Wave Pop Wednesdays seem to be a particular favorite - and occasional shows in the downtown space that used to house Barbarella. 70 N. Orange Ave., Orlando independentbar.com

REDLIGHT REDLIGHT

The favored killer-beer purveyor is now open at its new location. 745 Bennett Rd., Winter Park myspace.com/theredlightredlight

THE AKA LOUNGE

A nightlife chameleon, where hip-hop, funk DJs and ‘80s nights rage alongside local-band lineups. 68 East Pine St., Orlando myspace.com/akalounge

THE DUNGEON

Often unknown to out-of-towners, this warehouse space caters to the extreme metal underground. 6440 North Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando myspace.com/dungeonorlando

THE HAVEN

Another Winter Park destination, this one specializing in metal and the heavier end of the alternative spectrum. 6700 Aloma Ave., Winter Park 407-673-2712 thehavenrocks.com

THE PEACOCK ROOM

HOTSPOTS: EATS AUSTIN’S ORGANICS JAX 5TH AVE. DELI & ALE Organic Fairtrade beans, a surprising array of light and/or vegetarianfriendly fare, and regular nighttime entertainment. 929 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park 407-975-3364

DRUNKEN MONKEY COFFEE

Emily sez “free wi-ﬁ, homemade soups, Panini, wraps, quiche, vegan & vegetarian available, live art on Mondays, movie night on Sunday, music movie night on Tues.” Whew 444 N. Bumby Ave., Orlando

ETHOS VEGAN KITCHEN

Orlando Weekly’s Best Vegan Restaurant of ‘08 sports an insanely deep menu, including pizza and brunch offerings. 1235 N. Orange Ave., Orlando

FIDDLER’S GREEN

One of Winter Park’s favorite hangouts, with traditional Irish pub fare and live entertainment to match. 544 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park

FALAFEL CAFE

Relatively inexpensive Mediterranean radness. 12140 Collegiate Way, Orlando

Deja Vu Vintage Clothing Specializes in vintage looks. 1825 North Orange Ave., Orlando 407-898-3609

THE SOCIAL

HIPKAT

WILL’S PUB

Well, is it fucking open yet or not? 1040 N. Mills Ave., Orlando 407-898-5070 myspace.com/willspub

PAGE 34 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2008

LAZY MOON PIZZA

Pizza by the slice. Cold beer. Cheap combinations of cold beer and pizza by the slice. 12269 University Blvd., Orlando 407-658-2396

STARDUST VIDEO & COFFEE

So much more than a coffee shop. Full menu for vegetarians and carnivores alike. 1842 E. Winter Park Rd., Orlando 407-623-3393

TASTE

Healthy, fusion-y California-style tapas and sometimes live music in College Pk. 717 W. Smith St., Orlando 407-835-0646

THE PITA PIT

Bridges the gap between fast and healthy. Also, they’re open late. 1 South Orange Ave., Orlando 12040 Collegiate Way, Orlando

HOTSPOTS: WEARABLES DEJA VU VINTAGE CLOTHING PINK HEART BOUTIQUE

Downtown party spot that does a lot of DJ stuff as well as live bands. 1321 North Mills Avenue, Orlando thepeacockroom.com

Pretty much Orlando’s default live indie-rock room, but they do more, too. 54 North Orange Ave., Orlando thesocial.org

Most older patrons are here for the beer selection, but the sandwiches are hard to beat, too. 3400 Edgewater Dr., Orlando 407-999-8934

This boutique carries some hard-to-ﬁnd brands, and wholeheartedly supports local music. Check their Myspace page for deals and discounts. Orlando Fashion Square Mall 3201 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando 407-897-7035 myspace.com/hipkatapparel

Recently featured in Lucky Magazine, this shop offers scads of accessories as well as image consulting. 4825 New Broad St., Orlando 407-228-6013 pinkheartboutique.com

STATIC

Rock ‘n’ roll fashion covering pretty much every inch of the territory that implies. 240 N. Orlando Ave., Winter Park 407-478-1083 myspace.com/staticwinterpark

A GUIDE TO ORLANDO & CENTRAL FLORIDA YOU ARE HERE ISSUE 30

SPOTLIGHT

ALBUM SPOTLIGHT: BIG JEF SPECIAL BIG JEF SPECIAL (SELF RELEASED)

ROCK FOR

HUNGER FEST 3 Words: Justine Grifﬁn

he third annual Rock for Hunger Fest will grace Orlando once again this year, on November 15, to help end poverty through music and peace. “This year we’re trying to spread awareness and get people involved in the program,” says executive director of Rock for Hunger, Chris Goyzueta. “Acting locally effects globally.” The Rock for Hunger Fest is an all-ages concert held at the Plaza Theatre featuring a blend of local and out-of-state bands. This year’s lineup includes Kardinal Offishall, a reggae hip-hop styled musician from Canada; Passafire, a reggae act from Savannah; and a variety of local acts, such as Orlando’s own reggae-rock band Junkie Rush. Some bands were invited by Rock for Hunger to play, while another won its spot on the bill through competing in the first annual iRock for Hunger Battle of the Bands. The winner of the battle, a pop-punk group called Black Ship Sky, was determined not only by their live performance, but also by the amount of fundraising and volunteer work they did for the organization. Last year, the event attracted over 1,000 people and brought in about $13,000. This time around, Goyzueta says the goal is to bring in at least 1,500 people, and $30,000. Inside, vendors like Pom Pom’s Tea House and Sandwicheria, Planet Smoothie, Whole Foods Market, Bud Light and Monster will be providing food and drinks. Rock for Hunger t-shirts and other band merchandise will also be for sale. “We’re trying to raise money to build our own facility in Orlando,” Goyzueta says.

“We’re also working on providing job training for the local homeless to get back on their feet.”

This Orlando act hews closer to the traditions than most bands that might fit under the alt-country umbrella these days, and it’s to its benefit - Big Jef Special has a sound that’s more timeless than trendy. This CD is gritty, super-twangy and absolutely rife with old-school country/rockabilly cliches, and I mean that in best possible way. It takes chutzpah to try and make lyrics like “those were the days of wine and roses” and “if wishes were horses/then dreamers could ride” sound fresh, and talent to actually pull it off. Dragstrip and flame-graphic aficionados will love the accents and shuffling rhythms, and the guitar tones and work here are nothing short of perfect. A little more originality would’ve gone a long way, but these guys know what they like in roots-twang staples, and they do it exceedingly well. - Colin Kincaid

SPOTLIGHT

Greg Rollett, marketing director for Rock for Hunger, will be hosting the fest as well as playing on stage with his band, G-Ro & The Skateboard Sneakers. “We really just want to stress the importance of getting involved,” says Rollett. “It’s great that people are coming out for the music, but they also need to understand that this is a problem, and we can be part of the solution.” Passafire, one of the headlining bands for this year’s fest, is excited to be back in Orlando for the event, according to keyboardist Adam Willis. “We have definitely done benefit shows before, and love the fact that people can get together with the help of live music and truly try to help others,” Willis says. “And as a rising act, it allows us to relax and feel relaxed with the crowd because ultimately the cause of the benefit is positive.” (Signed to LAW Records, Passafire is currently on a national tour with Pepper and an Orlando act, The Supervillains.) Tickets for the 2008 Rock for Hunger Fest are on sale for $20. VIP tickets - which include balcony seating, a private bar, free food and a free t-shirt are - available for $40. All tickets can be purchased at The Plaza Theatre or online at ticketmaster.com or eventbrite.com. Rock for Hunger Fest takes place at Orlando’s Plaza Theatre November 15.

ROCKFORHUNGERFEST.ORG

ANTI*POP Words: Susie Orr

rlando residents are preparing for their biggest music festival of the year, Anti*Pop. This year’s lineup is bigger than last year’s, including Conor Oberst, Pelican, The Watson Twins, The Aquabats and MURS.

Pavilion (sponsored by one of their favorite liquors, Jagermeister); The Watson Twins (with Miami’s own indie darling Rachel Goodrich opening) at the Social; and Mark Kozelek at the Gibson Showroom, located on Central Boulevard off of Orange Avenue.

The fourth year of the festival will be hitting every region of downtown Orlando, including the Orange Avenue area’s The Social, AKA Lounge, Club Firestone and BackBooth, as well as up-and-coming venue The Plaza Theatre nearby on Bumby Avenue. The difﬁcult part of this year’s festival will be choosing between each night’s headliners.

More shows are being scheduled, to feature local bands and other national rising artists.

Thursday night, November 13, kicks off the weekend with Matt Costa at the Plaza Theatre, the Black Lips at The Social and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster at BackBooth. Friday night features MURS and Kidz in the Hall at Backbooth, Pelican at The Social and Owen at AKA Lounge. And Saturday proves to be the most difﬁcult, with a choice between The Aquabats and Suburban Legends at Club Firestone; The Supervillains at the Social

Festival passes cost $45, making it a very economical investment. Each individual show costs between $10 and $15, so those planning on going to more than one night might consider purchasing the pass through Ticketmaster or at The Social’s box ofﬁce. The pass will be available for purchase up until Friday, Nov. 14. Last year there were over 10,000 in attendance, with many shows selling out. If you plan on attending this year, expect the same large crowd and try to arrive early in order to ensure a spot in the crowd. For more information, check out antipopmusicfest.com

NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 35

YOU ARE HERE A GUIDE TO ORLANDO & CENTRAL FLORIDA ISSUE 30

HOTSPOTS: LIFESTYLE BOOM-ART BY ROGERS STUDIO RON JON SURF SHOP Custom pop illustrations that are simultaneously modern and nostalgic; yes, they’ll paint anything - a chair, a door, a bench, whatever. 1821 North Orange Ave., Orlando 407-895-0280 rainfall.com/crafts/boom-art/

DRUMS2GO

Everything percussion, and indie to boot. 204 S. Semoran Blvd., Orlando 407-306-0611 drums2go.com

GALACTIC G SKATE SHOP

This downtown skate shop has been around for nearly 12 years, and boasts one of the biggest inventories of gear and peripherals around. 334 E. Harvard St., Orlando 407-895-0410 myspace.com/galacticg

REDEFINE

Sure, the original location long ago graduated from surf touchstone to tourist trap. But at least you know where to get stuff to send to your friends back home. 5160 International Dr., Orlando 407-481-2555 ronjons.com

THE F.I.R.S.T. SCHOOL

The Florida Institute of Recording, Sound and Technology. There you go: educations in recording, ﬁlm/video, digital media. 3315 Maggie Blvd., Suite 100, Orlando 407-316-8310

VANS SKATEPARK

A sick concrete bowl, along with all the vert, mini-ramps and street-course obstacles you’d expect. 5220 International Dr., Orlando 407-351-3881 vans.com/vans/skateparks

HOTSPOTS: RETAIL DISCOUNT MUSIC CENTER ROCK ‘N’ ROLL HEAVEN

IKEA

Yes, those of us over on the west coast are dying of jealousy. Cheap, neat-looking furniture and a food court? It’s worth it just for the walkaround. 4092 Eastgate Dr., Orlando ikea-usa.com

PARK AVE. CDS

They support the local scene, promote shows and even host in-stores. 2916 Corrine Dr., Orlando 407-447-PARK UCF Student Union, Orlando 407-282-1616 parkavecds.com

FRI NOVEMBER 07 A Hero’s Fate, Sound Cannon, Stricca, Contest of Arms The Copper Rocket, Maitland Time: 10 p.m. All American Rejects, Jet Lag Gemini, City Lights The Social, Orlando Cost: $22.50 Time: 8 p.m.

Your place for vinyl - the round kind that makes noises. 1814 North Orange Ave., Orlando 407-896-1952 rock-n-rollheaven.com

THE GUITAR DEN

This place specializes in used and vintage guitars, amps and replacement parts. An impersonal bigbox retailer it ain’t; just check out the info and disclaimers on their website, and you’ll know they’re on it. 5515 S. Orange Ave., Orlando 407-855-1333

UBERBOT

An awesome collectible-design shop - art, ﬁgures, designer toys, basically Cool Geek Utopia. 480 N. Orlando Ave., Winter Park 407-788-UBER uberbotonline.com

The Black Crowes, Buffalo Killers House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $38.50 Time: 7 p.m. Unwed Sailor, History, Look Mexico, The Railway Collective Redlight Redlight, Winter Park Time: 8 p.m.

WED NOVEMBER 12

Bobaﬂex, Hydrovibe The AKA Lounge, Orlando Time: 9 p.m.

Bring Me The Horizon, Misery Signals, The Ghost Inside, Johnny Truant The Social, Orlando Cost: $12/15 Time: 6 p.m.

Dir En Grey Club Firestone, Orlando The Pink Spiders, Cruiserweight, Mondo Primo, Inkwell, The Shoreline Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $10/12 Time: 6:30 p.m.

SAT NOVEMBER 08 Badﬁsh: A Tribute To Sublime House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $15.25-18.25 Time: 9 p.m. Canned Food Drive Feat. Madd Illz Black Box Collective, Orlando Time: 8 p.m. Jean CD Release Party BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 7 p.m.

Sugar Free Music CD Release Party Feat. Gift Horse, Thomas Wynn The AKA Lounge, Orlando Time: 9 p.m. The Crystal Method Club Firestone, Orlando Cost: $15/20 Time: 10 p.m. Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers, Pine Hill Haints The Social, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 9 p.m. Thomas Hooker Redlight Redlight, Winter Park Time: 8 p.m.

SUN NOVEMBER 09 JRRBQ Feat. Hinder, Sevendust, Puddle of Mudd, Five Finger Death Punch Hard Rock Live, Orlando Cost: $39-127 Time: 4 p.m. Leatherface, Tiltwheel, Former Cell Mates, Monikers Redlight Redlight, Winter Park Time: 7 p.m. Push Play, Katelyn Tarver BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $12/14 Time: 6 p.m. Sisters of Mercy, Hypernova House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $22.50 Time: 6:30 p.m. The Toasters, Flatfoot 56, The New Threat, The Kidney Stones The Social, Orlando Cost: $14 Time: 7 p.m.

MON NOVEMBER 10 Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s, Wild Sweet Orange, Giddy Up, Helicopter! The Social, Orlando Cost: $12 Time: 8 p.m.

TUE NOVEMBER 11 New Tomorrow, Recycled Ruins, The Hamiltons, In My Words Black Box Collective, Orlando Time: 8 p.m.

PAGE 36 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2008

Project: Darfur Fundraiser Feat. Last Human Alive, Yogurt Smoothness, Awestruck BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 7 p.m.

Anberlin, Straylight Run, There for Tomorrow (EARLY SHOW) House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $15/17.50 Time: 6:30 p.m.

Metro Station, Tyga, Cash Cash, The White Tie Affair (EARLY SHOW) House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $13.25 Time: 4 p.m.

A combination art gallery/clothing boutique that’s a new part of the emerging arts district on downtown Magnolia Ave.

DMC continues to hold off the big-box music-store chains, maybe because it’s so big its damn self. 3301 Gardenia Ave., Orlando 407-423-4171 discountmusic.com

ORLANDO EVENTS

Secondhand Serenade, Cute Is What We Aim For, Automatic Loveletter, A Rocket to the Moon House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $16.25 Time: 6 p.m. Thomas Wynn & The Believers, Hoots & Hellmouth BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: 8 p.m.

THU NOVEMBER 13 Anti*Pop Presents Jay Brannan The Gibson Showroom, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 8 p.m. Anti*Pop Presents Matt Costa, Mike Doughty Plaza Theatre, Orlando Cost: $20 Time: 7 p.m. Anti*Pop Presents Maylene & The Sons of Disaster, A Static Lullaby, Showbread BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $12 Time: 6 p.m. Anti*Pop Presents Phosphorescent, Antartic, Attachedhands, Dangerous Animals, Basements of Florida The AKA Lounge, Orlando Cost: $7 Time: 8 p.m. Anti*Pop Presents The Black Lips, The Little Debbies, Mumpsy The Social, Orlando Cost: $15 Time: 8 p.m. Cobra Starship, Forever The Sickest Kids, Sing It Loud House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $13.25 Time: 5 p.m.

FRI NOVEMBER 14 Anti*Pop Presents MURS, Kidz In The Hall, Rapper Big Pooh, Isaiah BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $12 Time: 8 p.m. Anti*Pop Presents Owen, Caithlin De Marrais (ex-Rainer Maria) The AKA Lounge, Orlando Cost: $12 Time: 9 p.m. Anti*Pop Presents Pelican, Kayo Dot, Stephen Brodsky The Social, Orlando Cost: $12 Time: 9 p.m. Anti*Pop Presents Steven Foxbury, The Dark Romantics, Have Gun, Will Travel The Gibson Showroom, Orlando Cost: $7 Time: 9 p.m. Teague Stefan The Copper Rocket, Maitland Time: 10 p.m.

SAT NOVEMBER 15 Anti*Pop Presents Aquabats, Suburban Legends Club Firestone, Orlando Cost: $15/17 Time: 7 p.m. Anti*Pop Presents Au Revoir Simone, The Postmarks, Rachel Goodrich The Social, Orlando Cost: $15 Time: 8 p.m. Anti*Pop Presents Ben Prestage, Rafter, Stranger, So Help Me Riﬂe, Tele V. Cheesburger Tanqueray’s, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 9 p.m.

A GUIDE TO ORLANDO... YOU ARE HERE ISSUE 30

Anti*Pop Presents Christian Wilson & The Wayward Sons, Mike Dunn & The Kings of New England, The Elms BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 8 p.m.

SAT NOVEMBER 22

Anti*Pop Presents Mark Kozelek The Gibson Showroom, Orlando Cost: $15 Time: 8 p.m.

Devin The Dude, Coughee Brothaz, Kap Kallous & Redd Simpkins BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $15 Time: 7 p.m.

Anti*Pop Presents The Supervillains, Thomas Wynn & The Believers The Jager Stage @ The Social Pavilion, Orlando Cost: $12 Time: 8 p.m.

Copeland, Lovedrug, Lydia, Lights The Social, Orlando Cost: $15 Time: 7 p.m.

Dragonforce, Turisas, Powerglove House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $23.50 Time: 7 p.m.

SUN NOVEMBER 16

SUN NOVEMBER 23

Agent Orange, The Angst, The New Threat, Big City Bombers BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $10/12 Time: 7 p.m.

Copeland, Lovedrug, Lydia, Lights The Social, Orlando Cost: $15 Time: 6 p.m.

Anti*Pop Presents Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band, Rig 1, The Felice Brothers Club Firestone, Orlando Cost: $20 Time: 5 p.m. Anti*Pop Presents The Ofﬁcial Closing Party Feat. Summerbirds in the Cellar, Averkiou The Social, Orlando Cost: $7 Time: 9:30 p.m. Art Fusion V Plaza Theatre, Orlando Cost: $7 Fed Up Fest Black Box Collective, Orlando Time: 3 p.m. Robin Thicke House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $31.25 Time: 6:30 p.m.

MON NOVEMBER 17 Jedi Mind Tricks, Outerspace Reef the Lost Cause The Social, Orlando Cost: $13/15 Time: 8 p.m.

TUE NOVEMBER 18 Jucifer, Six Dead Horses, JR Bruce BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 9 p.m.

OneRepublic, Augustana, The Spill Canvas, The Hush Sound House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $27.75 Time: 5 p.m.

TUE NOVEMBER 25 Torche, Clouds, House of Lightning BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $10/12 Time: 9 p.m.

WED NOVEMBER 26 A Palace in Persia BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 7 p.m. Nonpoint House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $15 Time: 7 p.m.

FRI NOVEMBER 28 Peter Baldwin, DJ Dirty Sneakers, Unique Assassins, + More BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 7 p.m. Spam Allstars The Social, Orlando Cost: $10/12 Time: 9 p.m. The Kings of Hell, Hellbound Hayride, Whiskey Romance The Copper Rocket, Maitland Time: 10 p.m.

WED NOVEMBER 19

SAT NOVEMBER 29

44 Down, Theory of Disorder, Arrythmia BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 7 p.m.

3oh!3, InnerPartySystem, Chain Gang of 1974 The Social, Orlando Cost: $12 Time: 7:30 p.m.

Bob Weir & Ratdog Hard Rock Live, Orlando Cost: $39 Time: 8 p.m. Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm, Black Diamond Heavies The Social, Orlando Cost: $8/10 Time: 8 p.m.

THU NOVEMBER 20 The Gay Blades, Young Coyotes, Made of Hemp, The Still Voice BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $8/10 Time: 7:30 p.m.

FRI NOVEMBER 21 Female Acoustic Appreciation Night Black Box Collective, Orlando Time: 6 p.m. In Violent Times CD Release Party BackBooth, Orlando Time: 7 p.m. Jimmie’s Chicken Shack, Junkie Rush, Hat Trick Heroes, 69 Fingers The AKA Lounge, Orlando Time: 9 p.m. Roomful of Strangers, Awesome & The Asskickers, The Unit Shifters The Copper Rocket, Maitland Time: 10 p.m. Social Ghost, Megaphone, Transmit Now The Social, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: 9 p.m. Toadies, People in Planes House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $13.25 Time: 7 p.m.

Mumpsy, Yip!-Yip!, Attachedhands, So Help Me Riﬂe BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $4 Time: 7 p.m. Orlando Rocks! Feat. Rising Up Angry, Lost in Chaos, Irrational, Mulligan Project, Black in the Mind House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 7 p.m.

SUN NOVEMBER 30 HR (of Bad Brains), Outlaw Nation, Lionize The Social, Orlando Cost: $13/15 Time: 8 p.m. Ray Davies Hard Rock Live, Orlando Cost: $40/45 Time: 8 p.m. Tooth & The Enamels, Superaids, Bear Lake, Tele V. Cheeseburger BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 7 p.m.

TUE DECEMBER 02 In Flames Hard Rock Live, Orlando Cost: $18-23 Time: 7 p.m. I Set My Friends on Fire, Karate High School, You Me And Everyone We Know, Hand to Hand, The Starlight Getaway BackBooth, Orlando Cost: $10/12 Time: 5:30 p.m.

WED DECEMBER 03 Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold UCF Arena, Orlando

NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 37

YOU ARE HERE A GUIDE TO GAINESVILLE & NORTHEAST FLORIDA ISSUE 30

A LOCAL GUIDE TO GAINESVILLE & NORTH FL HOTSPOTS: VENUES 1982 COMMON GROUNDS All-ages friendly live-music hangout. 919 W. University Ave., Gainesville myspace.com/1982_bar

G-ville’s premier punk/indie-rock club. 210 S.W. 2nd Ave., Ste. A, G-ville commongroundslive.com

THE ATLANTIC

FREEBIRD LIVE

Cozy, eclectic bar and performance space that usually does live music four nights a week. 15 N. Main St., Gainesville myspace.com/atlanticnights

BACKSTAGE LOUNGE

Formerly Eddie C’s, the Backstage caters to more mainstream rock and alt-rock tastes than some of the area’s more indie-centric nightspots. 1315 S. Main St., Gainesville myspace.com/backstagelounge

A bit of a drive, but it hosts many touring shows that don’t hit G-ville. 200 N. 1st St., Jacksonville Beach freebirdlive.com

THE KICKSTAND

This altruistic endeavor - more formally known as The Gainesville Community Bicycle Project - promotes responsible bicycle use and ownership when not hosting the shows that help raise operating funds. 722 S. Main St., Gainesville thekickstand.org

HOTSPOTS: EATS DRAGONFLY SUSHI MAUDE’S CLASSIC CAFE Award-winning sushi. Their website alone looks good enough to eat. 201 SE 2nd Ave., Gainesville 352-371-3359 dragonﬂysushi.com

EL INDIO

We think yelp.com commenter Kasey S. says all that needs to be said about this G-ville standby: “Burritos are good, food is cheap, sauce is a must.” 407 NW 13th St., Gainesville 352-377-5828

FLACO’S CUBAN BAKERY

More of a diner than bakery. Popular with vegetarians, and drunk folks who really want a meaty sandwich after hitting the bars. 200 W. University Ave., Gainesville 352-371-2000

Opinions vary wildly, but if you want to see/overhear when the hippies and hipsters in town are wearing/doing, this is the place. 101 S.E. 2nd Pl., Gainesville 352-336-9646

SAIGON LEGEND

Casual atmosphere, fairly cheap Asian food. People rave about their pho, a Vietnamese soup/staple. 1228 W. University Ave., Gainesville 352-374-0934

THE TOP

It’s been called the best restaurant in town. Folks are critical of the service, but the full bar seems to help. Another hot brunch spot, as well. 30 N. Main St., Gainesville 352-337-1188

LEONARDO’S 706

This meeting-and-eating spot is well known for its gourmet pizzas and Sunday brunch. 706 W. University Ave., Gainesville (352) 378-2001 leonardos706.com

PAGE 38 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2008

HOTSPOTS: WEARABLES AMERICAN APPAREL PERSONA VINTAGE CLOTHING & COSTUMES Derf. Until this hipster favorite opens its Orlando outlet store, Gainesville is the only place in Florida north of the Miami area to get all the stuff you’ve seen on all the cool kids lately. 15 S.W. 1st Ave., Gainesville 352-372-2262 americanapparel.net

GOODWILL INDUSTRIES

The thrifts in most college towns are usually pretty well picked over, but this is Florida - unintentionally ironic t-shirt heaven. 3520 S.W. 34th St., Gainesville 352-376-9041

This joint has a reputation for great threads and kitschy or unusual gifts. 201 S.E. 2nd Pl., Gainesville 352-372-0455

STORE 101

Clothes. Art. Books. Comics. Cool. 101 N. Main St., Gainesville 352-377-7044 store101.net

WOLFGANG

A more upscale place that carries the kinds of designers not usually found outside of bigger cities. 1127 W. University Ave., Gainesville 352-505-8123

HOTSPOTS: RETAIL RECYCLED BIKES HEAR AGAIN CDS AND DVDS Rent and roll. 805 W. University Ave., Gainesville 352-372-4890

The sign says “Gainesville’s largest home of music and movies,” and that sounds about right. 818 W. University Ave., Gainesville 352-373-1800

HOTSPOTS: LIFESTYLE BODYTECH TATTOO MOTHER EARTH MARKET One of Gainesville’s biggest and most community-conscious body-art enterprises for a decade. 306 W. University Ave., Gainesville 352-376-4090 bodytechtattoo.com

Organic groceries, holistic supplements, and a schedule of events and lectures held right on the premises. 521 N.W. 13th St., Gainesville 352-378-5244

FREERIDE SURF SHOP

MODERN AGE TOBACCO & GIFT SHOP

Named after the classic wave ﬂick. 420 N.W. 13th St., Gainesville 352-373-SURF freeridesurfshop.com

Your one-stop shop for things with dancing teddy bears on them. 1035 N.W. 76th Blvd., Gainesville 352-332-5100

A GUIDE TO GAINESVILLE & NORTHEAST FLORIDA YOU ARE HERE ISSUE 30

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

ALBUM SPOTLIGHT: BY THE HORNS DESTROY THE HORIZON (SATANIK RECORDINGS)

AVERKIOU

WHAT’S IN A NAME

Words: Scott Harrell

pon becoming familiar with Averkiou’s densely layered, harmonic take on indie rock, one might be led to wonder exactly what the hell the band’s name means, as well as exactly what it has to do with the band’s sound or philosophy.

stand), one listen to wonderful forthcoming CD Throwing Stars proves that Averkiou is using the format to its fullest extent. There’s no doubling up on simple barrechord passages here; each guitarist provides separate yet essential melodies, countermelodies and aural foundations.

And after examining the options proffered by a Google search, one might come to the conclusion that the group must be named after a certain Michalakis A. Averkiou, a researcher and inventor specializing in, among other things, the potential applications of ultrasonics to imaging technologies.

“It’s very important, at this point,” agrees Brink. “Jay actually left the band for about six months to work on something else. He wasn’t ever terribly happy playing drums - he’s crazy talented, he can pick up any instrument, and I think he was bored. At ﬁrst, we had to ﬁgure out where to put the extra guitar. But since then, we’ve been rewriting the songs with these parts that are indispensable.”

One would be, uh, wrong. “Are you kidding me?” responds Matt Brink, the band’s singer/guitarist. “I had no idea. That would be pretty cool, if that was the case. It’s news to me.” The band is actually named after a brother and sister who are local Gainesville chefs; Brink, a sous chef, and Averkiou drummerturned-guitarist Jay Shusterman once heard a co-worker hollering the name in the kitchen, and when their noisy, twoman outfit had practiced enough times to deserve a moniker, it stuck. “It was just kind of a fluke,” Brink says. In the two-and-a-half years since being christened, Averkiou has evolved into a five-man, three-guitar juggernaut specializing in a visceral yet melodic blend of classic shoegaze-scene textures and more catchy, uptempo rock elements. Where some groups go the three-guitar route to stand out (or to give their singer something to hold on to besides a mic

Many new fans might ﬁrst assume that Averkiou is the latest in a long line of bands to obsess over progenitors like The Jesus & Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, and Ride. But the die-hard shoegaze scene is a fairly insular one; Brink says the group is more inﬂuenced by the wider spectrum of alternative and college rock at large, and hints of adventurous predecessors like Husker Du and Guided by Voices crop up often enough in Averkiou’s thick, ambitious and expressive material. “We’re all really into tricked-out, noisy pop,” says the frontman. “That’s what I grew up on - nerdy indie-rock.” Averkiou plays the East Atlanta Ice House in Atlanta November 7, and opens for Parts & Labor at Ybor City’s Crowbar on November 13. The CD release party for their Clairecords debut Throwing Sparks is at Miami’s POPLIFE on November 15.

MYSPACE.COM/AVERKIOU

It’s always great to hear a death metal band that can balance its controlled chaos with old-school thrash riffs and even some moody melodic passages, and By The Horns does it right. These seven tunes aren’t shockingly original, but they’re extremely well-played and provide a cool stylistic variety over the course of the CD. The relentless, thrashy “Hosanna in the Highest” and “Fade to Black”reminiscent “Epiphany” stand out, but pretty much everything brings the pummel, and “Listen to the Void” also deserves special mention for cleverly highlighting Dustin and Casey’s differing guitar tones, an element that more metal bands should employ - why have two guitars if they’re both gonna sound like the same brand of aluminum foil smoldering in the microwave? - Scott Harrell

SPOTLIGHT

JANDEK

o you think you’re the ultimate music snob? That you’re the guy or girl in your group who’s always ﬁrst to see the newest, the weirdest, the most obscure artists? So then you’ve seen Jandek live, right? Yeah, that’s what we thought. The reclusive, wildly eclectic songwriter from Texas has released an astounding 50-plus self-produced records (under the aegis of Houston’s Corwood Industries imprint) over the course of the last three decades - albums jammed with his individual take on all sorts of styles, from folk to rock to neo-classical - yet very few beyond the hobbyists obsessed with him have ever heard of the guy. He never does press, and performs only extremely rarely.

Back in ‘04, Jandek appeared live for the first time at a festival in Scotland, confirming that he was indeed the man pictured on many of his album covers. Since then, the artist has played in public sporadically. But an upcoming show at Gainesville’s Hippodrome will mark his first-ever Florida appearance (and only his second southeast appearance - ever). And if you’re tired of everything pop-culture has done to music, and vice versa, or you just have to be the fan who can say they were there, this show is pretty much the Holy Grail of obscure-tunes one-upsmanship. Jandek plays Gainesville’s Hippodrome on Monday, December 1. Tickets are available through ticketalternative.com.

NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 39

YOU ARE HERE A GUIDE TO GAINESVILLE & NORTHEAST FLORIDA ISSUE 30

GAINESVILLE / NE FL EVENTS FRI NOVEMBER 07

THU NOVEMBER 13

FRI NOVEMBER 21

DJ Migraine, Ouderland, Bese Mi Culo, Cheeseface, Max Fader (LATE SHOW) 1982, Gainesville Time: 9:30 p.m.

Tim Corbett, New Tomorrow, The Early Twenties Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.

Afro Enjahnears, 3rd Stone Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $6 Time: 9 p.m.

Holiday Parade, My Favorite Highway, Junior Doctor (EARLY SHOW) 1982, Gainesville Time: 5 p.m.

UF Rock For The Hungry Beneﬁt Feat. The Sevilles 1982, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.

Moodhosa, Funkatron, Ampersand Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $7 Time: 7 p.m. Pop Evil, Vaeda, Picture Show Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach Cost: $8/10 Time: 8 p.m. The Manor, Bang Bang Boom, The Bluebird Suitcase, Last Minute Stars Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m.

SAT NOVEMBER 08 Blue Smoke Band, Fast Lane Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m. Micah Shalom & The Babylonians Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $5 Time: 9 p.m. Ones to Blame, Laserhead, The Great Plains The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m. Outformation, Fifth South, Sons of Bill Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach Cost: $10/15 Time: 8 p.m. White Elephant Gift Exchange, Andrea Friedlander, For Him Who Hung The Moon 1982, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.

SUN NOVEMBER 09 Giallo (EARLY SHOW) 1982, Gainesville Time: 5 p.m. Passaﬁre, Wait for Green Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach Cost: $10/15 Time: 8 p.m.

MON NOVEMBER 10 Sevendust Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $20 Time: 9 p.m. Soulﬂy, Bleed The Sky, Incite, Locust Grove Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach Cost: $15/20 Time: 7 p.m.

TUE NOVEMBER 11 Cutman, The Classic Struggle, Heal These Wounds, Surrounded by Teeth 1982, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m. Lotus, Seepeoples Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach Cost: $12/15 Time: 8 p.m. Pelican, Kayo Dot, Stephen Brodsky Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $10/12 Time: 9 p.m. Virgin Forest, Phosphorescent, The Deep And Holy Sea The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.

WED NOVEMBER 12 Last Will Illuminate, Say When 1982, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m. Madison Fadeout, Healing Through Hate Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.

PAGE 40 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2008

Validus, Terror in Tiny Town, Last Will Illuminate Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $5 Time: 9 p.m.

FRI NOVEMBER 14 Chris McCarty Common Grounds, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m. Greenland Is Melting, The French Paradox, Renee Arozqueta, Just A Scientist 1982, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m. Morningbell, Owl of Minerva, The Righteous Kind The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m.

Aleutian Low, Seward’s Folly, Captain Fresh, We Once Were Soldiers 1982, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m. Beneﬁt For Another Way Domestic Violence Shelter Feat. Ars Phoenix Brophy’s Pub, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m. The Shaking Hands CD Release Party Feat. Virgins, Anchor Arms The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 9:30 p.m.

SAT NOVEMBER 22 Dear Dakota, Pathway to Providence, Poloroid, The Sophomore Attempt 1982, Gainesville Time: 8 p.m. Recycle to the Soil, Atom Smash, Instinct Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m.

Weszt, Wait Wait, Badge, Shades of Grey Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m.

So Pastel, Worry Ship, Former Humans The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m.

SAT NOVEMBER 15

MON NOVEMBER 24

CMC Beneﬁt Feat. Building Rockets, The Rochevanies, Sweet City Action, Vincent Valentine 1982, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.

Nazareth, Texas Hippie Coalition Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach Cost: $25/30 Time: 8 p.m.

Impurity, Putrid Pile, The Leviathan’s Mandible, Queef Huffer, Baby Basher Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m.

Torche, Black Cobra, Clouds The Atlantic, Gainesville Cost: $10 Time: 9 p.m.

WED NOVEMBER 26

Chiptune/8-Bit Fest Feat. c-c, Collaboration With Sounds, Diamonds Guns Gold, Goatslacker, I KILL PXLS, Kid Monsters, Lissajou, Oddknock, Shifted Grimm George’s Meet & Produce, Gainesville Cost: $8 Time: 8 p.m.

Soulcry, Dose of Reality Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.

SUN NOVEMBER 16

Sarcastic, Justin Weatherbee Band Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.

MURS, Kidz in the Hall, Rapper Big Pooh, Isaiah Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $10/12 Time: 9 p.m.

MON NOVEMBER 17

THU NOVEMBER 27 FRI NOVEMBER 28 Blueground Undergrass Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach Cost: $10 Time: 8 p.m.

The Early Twenties, Tanks In Series, Von Iva, Rouse 1982, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.

Demiricious, The Gates of Slumber, Scum of the Earth, Hot Graves The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 9:30 p.m.

TUE NOVEMBER 18

Long Strange Day Backstage Lounge, Gainesville 10 p.m.

Oh Sanders, Cars Can Be Blue 1982, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.

WED NOVEMBER 19 Hunger Circus 1982, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m. Mates of State, Brother Meade Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach Cost: $13/15 Time: 8 p.m. Stonefox, Still Life, Burning in Silence Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.

SAT NOVEMBER 29 None Like Us, Flexplate, Drip Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m. Oh Sanders, Quadrophones, Badge, Doombot The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 9:30 p.m.

WED DECEMBER 03 Deado, Stryke, The Chase Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.

THU NOVEMBER 20

THU DECEMBER 04

Johnny Winter, Flat Black Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach Cost: $20 Time: 8 p.m.

Toubab Krewe Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach Cost: $10/15 Time: 8 p.m.

Kezia, Lydia Can’t Breathe, Bad Actor Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.

Unknown Avenger, Chaotic Theorem Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.

NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC MAgAzInE • PAGE 41

REAX FEATURE

ock ‘n’ roll rarely sways from the idea of continuous reinvention. And, when it comes down to it, rock ‘n’ roll really doesn’t have a say in the matter. Rock ‘n’ roll has no voice, but plays den mother to thousands upon thousands of six-string vessels that attach themselves to the genre - speaking, screaming and screeching for it in a massive clusterfuck of various forms. And when it comes to San Francisco’s Deerhoof, you might wonder how a phrase like rock ‘n’ roll can even be applied to a band with so many polarizing faces that it’s hard to pin them to one speciﬁc class of musicianship or genus. But, as we all know, there is a big difference between the sound, atmosphere, and associated feeling of a record and the vibe, energy and vivid memory of attending a live performance. For Deerhoof, the former is always an array of tracks that spans from quiet,

melodic and experimental whisperings to brash time-signature eruptions of ﬁerce, audible lava that demolish any preconceived notion of what you would expect from the group. And while Deerhoof collectively qualify as a mad scientist when it comes to smashing the test tubes of song structure and shredding the envelope of musical boundaries throughout their deep catalog of recorded work (13 releases and counting), their live show is a completely different beast - one characterized by interaction and straightforward rock ‘n’ roll debauchery. “Ultimately, when we’re playing live, it’s our goal to communicate as clearly as possible,” explains John Dieterich, the guitar-strumming multi-instrumentalist whose unique technique and form give Deerhoof its distinct swagger. “As far

PAGE 42 • REAX MUSIC MAgAzInE • NOVEMBER 2008

as experimentation goes, it depends what you mean when it comes to experimentation. We don’t mess around a lot on our tours because we travel in a mini-van and we don’t have room to bring along boxes of weird sounds. We’ve made a point of trying to keep our live setup as simple as possible. Whatever amount of experimentation we have on the albums, our live show remains about interaction with the audience and with each other as we try to make something with the audience.” It’s fair to say that Dieterich’s concentration on interaction is relatively forced by the sporadic nature of Deerhoof. “There is an element to our show that is very scripted, in the sense that we know what songs we’ll be playing and what parts we’ll be playing,” he says. “But there

is another aspect where we have no idea what is going to happen, and we try to make sure that we can listen to each other and feed off whatever is happening in the room. You can play a song in your backyard at midnight, and play it the exact same way in front of a bunch of people at a concert, but it won’t mean the same thing. I enjoy trying to bridge that gap, and ﬁguring out how to turn it into an experience where our music is just as much for the audience as the audience is for us. We’re doing something together, you know?” Dieterich’s development into the guitar player he is today can be attributed to isolated, late night sessions spent in bed strumming on an old acoustic guitar his grandfather gave him. Dieterich didn’t feel a drive to learn other musicians’ music, choosing instead to focus on building strange, twisted compositions off of

“IN A WAY, PEOPLE, INCLUDING EVERYONE IN OUR BAND, NEED TO BE AWAKENED AT SOME TIME, AND WE NEED TO BE REMINDED THAT HUMAN BEINGS, OFTEN BY NATURE, TEND TOWARDS COMPLACENCY” simple, poppy structures - the only type of structure readily available to a 12-year-old without much exposure to the sprawling world of innovative, creative music that rarely makes it to the radio. “[My grandpa’s acoustic guitar] was really kind of shot, but it gave me an opportunity to play something,” recalls Dieterich. “That was when I started playing basically the exact same way I play now. I would turn off the light, lie down and play until I was asleep. That really introduced me to the idea of improvising. I would discover what sort of sounds that instrument made, and ultimately discovered the real joy of playing music.” While Deerhoof’s core remains uncomplicated rhythmically, it is the branches and growth of varying frequencies and intricate layers spurring from their simple structure that warrant

applause and praise. Although, such quick and jaunting transitions leave one to ponder if it’s a natural progression, or a deliberate venture into being weird for the sake of being weird (read: guy in college who sat down to piss in the name of feminism). “In a way, people, including everyone in our band, need to be awakened at some time, and we need to be reminded that human beings, often by nature, tend towards complacency,” says Dieterich, who, upon being asked about such deliberate shifts in sound and texture, swiftly jumps into the philosophical realm. “It’s easy to convince yourself that you’re getting things done, or that we’re heading for some golden future, but it’s something we need to constantly be shaken up about, and that’s something we constantly aim for in our music.”

Oddly enough, Deerhoof’s latest release, Offend Maggie, is moderately tame and as potentially digestible for the mainstream as milky puddings. With a heavy dosage of layered acoustic guitars, and time signatures that are more like acupuncture - as opposed to having your spine surgically removed in a back alley - Deerhoof has managed to capture such catchy and conventional songs by practicing what they preach.

Maggie] about the four of us interacting and playing together, you know? Which, to me, seems like what all albums should be like, but not all of ours are.

“I’m happy that this would be the album you would show someone else,” replies Dieterich after being asked about the poppier nature of their most recent effort, “because I feel that this is the one that I would want to show people as well. There is an element to it that feels like us playing together that is not accounted for on every album, and ends up getting replaced … and that element I truly adore. We really tried to make [Offend

Deerhoof is wrapping up a U.S. tour before heading to Europe in midNovember. Offend Maggie is out now on Kill Rock Stars.

“It’s an incredibly exciting time because, in a way, getting the music out there and starting to warrant response, it helps us understand the album a little more. The interaction is what deﬁnes the experience, after all.”

MYSPACE.COM/DEERHOOF

NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC MAgAzInE • PAGE 43

REAX INTERVIEWS

UNDEROATH T

he summer of 2006 was not a sunny time for the six members of Underoath. The Lakeland metalcore band had to deal with Warped Tour veteran Fat Mike of NOFX, heckling the band about their Christian beliefs from the stage on a daily basis, not to mention dealing with their own inner disputes between members. Less than halfway through the tour, singer Dallas Taylor left the band, and Underoath dropped off of Warped. It is now 2008. Underoath has just dropped their seventh album, Lost in The Sound of Separation, their third with “new” vocalist Spencer Chamberlain at the helm. Needless to say, Underoath is a different band these days, a band still coming into their own. They have made it through the storm, and it appears to be smooth sailing from here on out, or one would think. But as Chamberlain explains, “I don’t think anyone is ever 100 percent stress-free. Anyone who tells you that their life is perfect is lying to your face.” “You just have to learn how to deal with those issues and deal with your problems,” he adds. Underoath may be one of most

misunderstood bands out there, but we’ll let Chamberlain clear things up. REAX: How much different of a band is the Underoath now, from the Underoath of 2006? Spencer Chamberlain: I would say a lot different from the beginning of 2006. I think we’re a way better band. We’re a lot better friends then we were. I just think that we are all around better. REAX: Do you feel that the inner squabbles that you guys have had were any different then what most bands go through? SC: No, I wouldn’t say they were much different then what most bands have to go through. When there’s a big turning point in your life, or your band’s life, you either make the right decision or the wrong decision, and your band either survives or it doesn’t. It’s the same as any other relationship, marriage or family. REAX: It seems like everything that I read about Underoath these days has to mention your past substance abuse problem, are you tired of reading about that? SC: I don’t know, I mean, I don’t really read anything that people print about us.

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It’s one of those things where people are going to talk about what they want to talk about, whether the rumors are true or not. Whatever, you know? It gets a little annoying sometimes, but I don’t really mind. If anyone knows me or has met me they’ll know if it’s true or not, because they know what kind of person I am. Whatever people say about me, I’m not too worried about. If they meet me I’m pretty sure I come across as a pretty nice guy. REAX: How important do you feel this record is considering it’s the follow-up to Define The Great Line? SC: Well, I would hope every record we do is the most important record that we ever do. Every record is more important than the last. It’s not like it’s just another record. Or the last one [Define The Great Line] was the big one. I just feel that every record is more important than the last. The next record we do will be more important than this one. REAX: In the Alternative Press review of Sound of Separation, it says “Underoath is officially Spencer Chamberlain’s band ... ” How do you feel about that? SC: I don’t know, really. I mean, it’s all our

INTO THEIR OWN

band. To be honest with you, I don’t know what that means. So, I just don’t know how I feel about that. REAX: Do you ever feel like you are still walking in Dallas Taylor’s shadow? SC: No, not at all. Him and I are really good friends. We are two opposites in our vocal style. The first record that I was on [They’re Only Chasing Safety], where I was trying to fit a mold or try to do what was safe. It was just a weird time, but if you take Define The Great Line and Sound of Separation, I don’t think that there are any similarities between us. If you listen to Sound of Separation and The Changing of the Times and tell me that they are the same songs vocally I think you’re crazy. I don’t really think that there is any comparison other than the fact we were both in the same band at one point. Underoath is currently on tour in the U.S. They’ll play a one-off hometown Tampa show at Ybor City’s Ritz Theatre on November 25 before heading down to South America.

MYSPACE.COM/UNDEROATH

REAX INTERVIEWS neo-folk thing, which I don’t think even he completely understands. I don’t really think he’s neo-folk either. I don’t even know what neo-folk really is … I’m deﬁnitely miscategorized, and I think some people have picked up on that.” Over the years, Witmer has also found himself lumped into a small but strong sub-sub-genre: Christian/Indie/Folk. Along with the aforementioned Stevens, Witmer’s close friendship with whispery, sentimental chanteuse Rosie Thomas has created an unintentional trinity of undeniable talent. “All three of us have known each other for years,” Witmer says. “We were pretty good friends long before any of us saw any type of popularity with our music. We never really set out to create any type of musical community. We just played music, and then when it came time to make records, said, ‘these are the people that we know so let’s work together.’ It was a pretty natural progression.”

DENISON SORTING IT OUT IN SONG WITMER T

his month singer-songwriter Denison Witmer releases his sixth full-length, Carry the Weight (The Militia Group). It’s an album anchored in reality – a stark contrast to his previous album. 2005’s shimmering, lovely Are You a Dreamer?, produced by The Innocence Mission’s Don Peris, explored themes “about finding hope in hopeless situations,” Witmer explains. He needed to work a few things out. Carry the Weight, “is kind of an argument with myself about whether or not I believe that the hope that I adhere to in my life is a real thing, or whether it’s some kind of idealistic, naïve thought process,” says the songwriter. “I felt pretty hopeless over some of things that had happened to me over the last couple of years. The lyrics on this record are about me trying to figure out whether or not I was going to let all of that stuff really take me to a dark place, or whether I was going to fight through it.”

On the third track, “From Here on Out,” he sings: I am a child. I’ve lost my mother. My sense of home is gone.

I think can capture that particular group of songs the best. I wanted to try my friend Blake [Wescott] because I felt these songs were better suited for a bigger studio and a full-band arrangement.”

From here on out it looks like you and me. From here on out it all sounds like a song.

What makes it work without sounding trite is the delivery – no frills, plaintive and totally relatable. The execution brings to mind certain mainstays from the troubadourheavy 1970s, an inﬂuence that Witmer is quick to acknowledge while simultaneously quelling the “neo-folk” tag that’s mistakenly been assigned to him, an assignation that could be seen as an obvious link to his collaborative friendship with indie golden child Sufjan Stevens.

So he goes to that dark place, but in the end, he finds the hope he thought he’d lost. In working through his loss, he burned himself out but still didn’t to turn his back on the idea of possibility. The album is full of sadness, yet still feels wistful about the things he used to hold on to so tightly. “Every record that I make is different,” Witmer says In response to questions about the audible difference between Carry The Weight and Are You A Dreamer? “When I write songs I say to myself, ‘which of these songs fit together’ because I like my albums to feel coherent. Once I determine that, I try to find a producer that

PAGE 46 • REAX MUSIC MAgAzInE • NOVEMBER 2008

“When he became so popular, I kind of got tugged along with him,” says Witmer. “I don’t really think there’s anything ‘neo’ about what I’m doing. I’ve never really understood that. “Sufjan’s been pushed more into this

Honesty is Witmer’s ultimate goal. And talking to him doesn’t involve trying to crack a thick veneer. He explains, “I don’t really care if people do or don’t like my music. It’s never been a concern of mine. My biggest concern is whether or not people feel like I’m being honest with them. I just want to make music that’s honest.” Denison Witmer is on tour in the U.S. through November. Carry The Weight will be released November 11.

MYSPACE.COM/DENISONWITMER

DENISON WITMER

CARRY THE WEIGHT THE MILITIA GROUP

With Seattle producer Blake Wescott (Pedro the Lion, Seldom, Sarah Shannon) at the helm, Carry The Weight is indeed weighted down - with sadness, with loss, with realizations that are intertwined with the experiences of living. It’s almost as though the title is a warning for the listener prior to pressing Play - this is a very different journey than the one undertaken on the twinkling, lighter-than-air Are You A Dreamer?, Witmer’s 2005 full-length. But the bitterness is balanced out by the sugary folk it is paired with, so it goes down nice and easy. Witmer succeeds effortlessly in communicating the heaviness of what he’s been saddled with, yet the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel hasn’t burnt out just yet. - Susie Ulrey

REAX INTERVIEWS 16, 17 and starting to fall in love with the music that owns me now,” he says. “If I could have e-mail conversations with the people making those albums, it would have been the most rad thing ever, so if we’re doing that for the next generation of us it’s a privilege we shouldn’t ignore.” Having dropped Stateside in October, Johnny Foreigner’s first proper full-length Waited Up Til It Was Light can now do its share of talking for the group, by way of catchy skronk-guitar lines, call-andresponse vocals, upbeat rhythms and a crackling, almost joyful sense of controlled chaos. The accents might be British, and some of the musical influences are certainly straight from the CMJ stages the group played in New York a few weeks ago during their first big Stateside hurrah, but the sum is something all its own - who cares where the hell it comes from?

JOHNNY

“We don’t particularly want to come from England, if that makes sense,” says Berrow. We’re not exactly proud of our country and we didn’t have a say where we were born. We sort of feel like it’s nothing to do with us.”

THINKING GLOBALLY

FOREIGNER M

any Americans know what they want out of British rock. They may want it soaring and anthemic, or they may want it maudlin and regretful, but they want it straightforward and accented and melodic in a way that can be traced directly back to the Beatles. They want Britpop, and all that implies, the way that an Asian horror ﬂick damn well better have a young, dead woman with long, dirty black hair and a kid that sounds like a cat when he opens his mouth in it. Those Americans will hear Johnny Foreigner, and undoubtedly assume that they’re from Lawrence, Kansas or Portland, Oregon. Despite the obvious vocal giveaways - and, really, I think we can all recall a few American bands whose singers fooled us the other way ‘round - there’s so much about this Birmingham, England coed trio’s boisterous, spazzy indie-pop sound that just plain doesn’t sound British. “I don’t think there’s any reason for bands to sound ‘native’ anymore,” says singer/ guitarist Alexei Berrow, during a lengthy e-mail exchange. “It’s so easy to lose yourself in a world of new and different

sounds. It is odd how we relate way more to Pavement or [Chicago indie-rock brothers] The Kinsellas or Yo La Tengo than, say, [Oasis’] the Gallaghers or The View or Band X from down the road, but it’s how we’ve always been and it feels pretty natural.” Berrow’s comments are peppered with references to U.S. artists well-known (Sonic Youth) and obscure (Q And Not U). The interview charts like a path through his education in American hipster rock. It’s easy to understand why Johnny Foreigner sounds more like an ambitious and original Stateside outﬁt with a spiritual afﬁnity for Japan’s kitschy, frenetic pop energy than the latest U.K. sensation to try and storm our musical shores. It’s also easy to understand why the threesome - rounded out by bassist/vocalist Kelly Southern and drummer Junior Elvis Washington Laidley, no, seriously - has become the talk of the blogosphere via electro-tinged single “Salt, Peppa and Spinderella” and its accompanying video. If there’s anything the Pitchfork Nation likes better than trumpeting a new imported rock act that plays havoc with the aural cliches

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of its homeland (and all the better if it validates the inﬂuence of beloved American fringe acts), though, it’s quickly moving on in search of the next one. Berrow is aware of the double-edged sword of advance digital-age hype, but he’s not too worried; after all, the British music press long ago perfected the art of discovering and discarding next big things. “The problem is way worse in England, and ‘cause it’s what we’re weaned on, we’re kinda hardened to it,” he writes. “I have this image of the British taste-making department, 40 people in a room all with headphones plugged into the interweb shouting, ‘I really like this! Now I hate it! But THIS is amazing!’” In any case, the band has also made the web’s populism work in its favor beyond music-blog buzz. The band tries to answer all of its various Myspace and message board mail personally; Berrow praises the “punk” aspect of the online community, calling acts that ignore its inherent opportunity to commune with fans “stupid and not to be trusted.” “I always think of how I’d feel when I was

Johnny Foreigner plays the SWN Festival in Cardiff, England November 14. Waited Up Til It Was Light is out now on Best Before/ Nettwerk. The entire transcript of Colin’s e-mail interview with Alexei Berrow is up at reaxmusic.com.

MYSPACE.COM/JOHNNYFOREIGNER

JOHNNY FOREIGNER

WAITED UP TIL IT WAS LIGHT BEST BEFORE/NETTWERK

Two guys and a girl from Birmingham create an original and nearly perfect balance of volatile energy and razor-sharp hooks on this, the trio’s ﬁrst full-length. Don’t be fooled by the throbby dance vibe of noted single “Salt, Peppa and Spinderella” - this is a rock record, albeit one with more spastic, almost childlike energy and inventive execution than you may have heard in a while. Noisy, melodic single-note guitar and organ ﬁgures underpin tag-team vocals that range from shouted hip-hop urgency to casual semi-sung conversation; primal birth-of-punk drums keep the whole thing rushing toward the peak and crash that seem inevitable, but never arrive. Here is the opposite of the restrained, studied, theatrical performances that dominate mainstream Britpop, all edgy and club-buzzed and darkly fun.

NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC Magazine • PAGE 49

ISSUE 30

K-THE-I???

YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW MUSH

All The Saints Black Moth Super Rainbow Cale Parks Castanets Vs. Ero Crystal Antlers CSS Danielson Decemberists

NOV 11

Desolation Wilderness Doug Paisley Drew Andrews Free Blood Frida Hyvonen Grampall Jookabox Hushpuppies James Yorkston Johann Johannsson Little Joy Lukestar Mahjongg Matt Alber Megapuss Micah Blue Smaldone No Age Past Lives Polvo Prototypes Scott Walker Skeletons Smashing Pumpkins The Magnetic Fields Thunder Power Thursday / Envy Tim Barry Ulaan Khol Wallpaper Wild Beasts Wino

Black Keys Black Lips Boggs Buffalo Killers Chinese Stars Deer Tick Denison Witmer Helios Holy Hail Jean on Jean Larsen Love Is All Nada Surf Ocean Pig Destroyer Postmarks Secret Dakota Ring The Flaming Lips The Nerves The Smiths Thomas Function Wheat

LABEL

WILDERNESS

(K)NO(W)HERE JAGJAGUWAR

Fire On Corridor X (vinyl) Drippers EP Sparkface Dub Refuge 12” EP (vinyl) Move 7” Trying Hartz Always the Bridesmaid: A Singles Series - Volume 2 White Light Strobing Doug Paisley (vinyl) Only Mirrors The Singles Silence Is Wild Rope Chain Silence Is Golden When The Haar Rolls In Fordlandia Little Joy Lake Toba Free Groove Rider 7” Hide Nothing Surﬁng The Red River Teen Creeps 7” Strange Symmetry Celebrate The New Dark Age (vinyl) Synthetique (vinyl) Tilt (vinyl reissue) Money If It All Goes Wrong DVD Get Lost (vinyl reissue) Love Yourself Split 12” Manchester II On The Chewing Gum Ground Limbo, Panto A Bottle of Pills With A Bullet Chaser

EDIE SEDGWICK

THINGS ARE GETTING SINISTER & SINISTERER

DISCHORD

Touch & Go self-released Polyvinyl Asthmatic Kitty Touch & Go Sub Pop Secretly Canadian Jealous Butcher K No Quarter Minty Fresh Rong/ DFA Secretly Canadian Asthmatic Kitty Minty Fresh Domino 4AD Rough Trade Flameshovel K Tommy Boy Vapor Immune Sup Pop Suicide Squeeze Merge Minty Fresh Drag City Tomlab

Coming Home Media

Merge Slumber Party

Temporary Residence

Suburban Home Soft Abuse K Domino

Temporary Residence

LOS CAMPESINOS! WE ARE BEAUTIFUL, WE ARE DOOMED ARTS & CRAFTS

The Big Come Up (vinyl) Black Lips (vinyl) Forts Let It Ride (vinyl) TV Grows Arms/ The Drowning War Elephant Carry The Weight Caesura Independent Pleasure Club Jean on Jean La Fever Lit A Hundred Things Keep Me up at Night Karmic EP Pantheon of the Lesser Natasha By the Numbers Cantarell Christmas On Mars DVD The Nerves The Sound of the Smiths Celebration (vinyl) TBA

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Bomp! Records Bomp! Records Arena Rock Alive Skin Graft Partisan The Militia Group Type Kanine Kanine Important What’s Your Rupture?

HI-Speed Soul Important Relapse Unﬁltered Serious Business Warner Bros. Alive Rhino Bomp! Records Empyrean

ARTIST

NOV 18

ALBUM

ANATHALLO CANOPY ANTICON.

Alaska in Winter Asobi Seksu Barbara Morgenstern Belle and Sebastian Chris Cornell Foo Fighters Gentleman Auction House Husker Du Ida Ida Ida Joan of Arc Max Tundra Pavement Public Image Ltd Scott Weiland Senior Coconut

NOV 25

NOV 04

ARTIST

Fennesz Killers Nada Surf R.E.M. Raveonettes The (International) Noise Conspiracy Weirdos

Blackout Beach Decemberists

Holiday Me & Mary b/w Breathe Into Glass 7” BM The BBC Sessions Scream Live at Wembly Stadium Christmas In Love Candy Apple Grey (vinyl reissue) I Know About You (vinyl reissue) Tales of Brave Ida (vinyl reissue) Ten Spall Paces (vinyl reissue) My Summer-Long High Wipeout 7” Parallax Error Beheads You Brighten The Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition Public Image (vinyl reissue) Happy in Galoshes Around The World

KID SISTER

DREAM DATE DOWNTOWN

Asobi Seksu Bjork Brian Jonestown Massacre David Byrne & Brian Eno

DEC 02/09

SOAPBOX NEW RELEASES LABEL

BRING ME THE HORIZON

SUICIDE SEASON EPITAPH

Milan Polyvinyl Monika Enterprise Matador Interscope RCA Emergency Umbrella Rhino Polyvinyl Polyvinyl Polyvinyl Polyvinyl Domino Matador Rhino New West Nacional

THE RAPTURE

TAPES (DJ MIX) !K7

Citrus (vinyl version) Medulla DVD The Spacegirl (vinyl reissue) Everything That Happens Will Happen Today Black Sea Day & Age Vinyl Box Set: 1994 - 2008 Murmer (Deluxe Reissue) Christmas EP

Friendly Fire One Little Indian A Records

Cross of My Calling Destroy All Music (vinyl)

Vagrant Bomp! Records

CAT POWER

DARK END OF THE STREET EP MATADOR

Skin of Evil Always the Bridesmaid: A Singles Series - Voume 3 Black Lips We Did Not Know The Forest Spirit Made The Flowers (vinyl) Damned So, Who’s Paranoid? DM Stith Curtain Speeches Fennesz June Get Up Kids Four Minute Mile (vinyl reissue) Headlights Remixes Keak Da Sneak & San Quinn Welcome To Scotland Paul Weller Weller at the BBC Pavement Brighten The Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition Sigur Ros Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Edalaust (vinyl) Simon Bookish Everything/ Everything (vinyl) Stephen O’Malley Keep An Eye Out Thomas Function Nomad + 2 Welcome Wagon Welcome To The Welcome Wagon

Todo Mundo Touch Island Barsuk I.R.S. / UME Vice

THE MAGNIFICENTS YEAR OF EXPLORERS MUSH

Soft Abuse Jealous Butcher Bomp! Records The English Channel Asthmatic Kitty Table of the Elements Doghouse Polyvinyl Ehustl Yep Rock Matador XL Tomlab Table of the Elements Alive Asthmatic Kitty

NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 51

SOAPBOX PRODUCT PLACEMENT ISSUE 30

PRODUCT PLACEMENT Look, this is about as cool as you’re ever gonna look wearing a helmet while getting rad. Because mostly, nobody looks good wearing a helmet while getting rad. But you should listen to your parents when they tell you to wear a helmet. Because they’re not dumb. Because they never cracked their skulls and wounded their brains. Because they wore a helmet while doing whatever qualiﬁed as getting rad back then. It’s lightweight, it’s got all the latest goggleand-strap comfort accoutrements, and Shaun freakin’ White wears it. $100-110, redprotection.com

The facial images that graced the four “solo albums” released by the Knights in Satan’s Service in ‘78, emblazoned on what will forever be known as the high-top that deﬁned skate-shoe style. (Chucks don’t count.) Peter Criss and Ace Frehley on the insides, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons on the more prominently displayed outsides - do you think they even bothered to ﬁght about it, or was it a foregone conclusion? The joke’s on Starman and the Bat Devil - the folks that actually wear these shoes outside their hermetically sealed KISS Army shrines will undoubtedly subject Paul and Gene to more wear, tear and fade then the dudes hovering protected above the insole. $65, vans.com

It’s been seven years since the ball got rolling, and fans have been clamoring for it for nearly that long. Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne’s feature directorial debut, featuring the band members and many of their friends and associates in various roles, ﬁnally becomes ofﬁcially available on November 11. What’s it about? Some shit concerning Christmas on Mars. Who cares? It’s gonna be 86 minutes of freaky, and the soundtrack alone will likely be worth the price of admission.

We’re gonna go out on a limb and assume that about 97 percent of the folks over the age of 18 who read this magazine have gotten up some Sunday afternoon, checked their e-mail, and been horriﬁed to receive a reply to some overly impulsive/honest/stalky little note they didn’t even remember sending off in a burst of foggy, self-righteous post-midnight fury. Well, it’s sadly telling, but the Google folks have come up with a little something to help keep Gmail users from ruining their lives via the ol’ blackout blast. Just enable Mail Goggles in the “Labs” section of the home page, and after a certain late hour on weekend nights, the program will make you answer a couple of easy math problems within a set time limit; if you don’t get ‘em, you don’t get to make an ass of your digital self. Sleep it off, bro. Also, don’t be stalky.

$17.99, insound.com

Free to Gmail users

Anheuser-Busch picked up this Midwestern regional favorite, made with blueberries and both American and German hops, earlier this year, and began distributing it nationally; Harrell stumbled across it at a weird but cool bar on the edge of Kenwood in St. Pete. He came for the eightpercent ABV, but stayed for the nearly soda-like crispness. Over ice with a juicy wedge of lemon seems to be a popular and tasty way to enjoy the Wild Blue. Don’t go crazy, though; if the sweet, fruity ﬂavor doesn’t get to you after a while, the serious potency underneath it certainly will. Around $8 a six-pack at various retailers, wildbluelager.com

Not to get all “catalog” on you guys, but these really are a beautiful balance of classic and contemporary style. A little sharp edge, a little soft contour, a lot of attention to detail - there’s a reason why some shades cost a buck, and some cost upwards of a hundred. The Cookies come in several different colors, but the white ones just totally scream “look at me and notice how I’m so self-conﬁdent I don’t even care that you’re looking at me,” don’t they? $85, vonzipper.com

PAGE 52 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2008

PRODUCT PLACEMENT/BOOK REVIEW SOAPBOX ISSUE 30

BOOK REVIEW THE ROCK BIBLE: UNHOLY SCRIPTURE FOR FANS AND BANDS

BY HENRY OWINGS

Online torso covering purveyor Neighborhoodies has come up with a pretty cool idea. Each week, they feature a new pop culture-referential t-shirt/hoodie design by a writer, or an artist, or an “all-around cool person” - basically, folks and institutions who are hip and inﬂuential these days - for sale. For instance, back in mid-October, they featured this design from REAX’s favorite musicnews site that isn’t reaxmusic.com, Idolator; it’s perfect for both starting and providing the ﬁnal word in arguments. And best of all, proceeds from sales of the shirts will go to a charity of the designer’s choosing. Everybody wins, especially those of us who are made inexplicably and extremely uncomfortable by bare male chests in social situations. $24.99, neighborhoodies.com

People who don’t like candy, but aren’t diabetic, make us suspicious. Now that Halloween is over, it’s time to sate your own adult-sized lust for sweets. Go straight for the new Wonka Giant Chewy Nerds. Hard, tart outer shell. Chewy jelly bean innards. They’re the best of both delicious candy worlds! Plus, you jelly bean fans out there don’t have to throw away half the bag because of ﬂavors like “hot buttered popcorn” and “ass.” A buck-ﬁfty or so, wherever goodness is sold, wonka.com

ong before blogs claimed ownership of clever, casually devastating snark, Grammynominated art director/D.I.Y. show promoter/friend to David Cross and Patton Oswalt Henry Owings’ magazine Chunklet set the standard for the dismissive and the devastating. Owings and Chunklet have been kneecapping rock’s excesses, cliches and lowestcommon-denominator redundancy at irregular intervals for a decade and a half, and screeds like the nowlegendary “100 Biggest Assholes in Rock” issue provided the blueprint for today’s online piss-taking.

light guy (“The difference between the sound guy and the light tech is that a sound guy can do lights”), CD art design (“The amount you’ll get paid for a project is inversely proportional to how rewarding the project actually is”), gear (“At no time should Peavey ampliﬁers be used as anything but a place to put drinks or guitar picks”), and more. It’s like a more detailed literary companion to This Is Spinal Tap - if you’re a part of this world, you’ll get it, and if you’re offended, you might be in it for the wrong reasons.

Egalitarian scenesters who think the greatest thing about local music is With its second book, the Chunklet the fact that anyone can do it (not crew (along with help from a cast true, sorry) will definitely be put off of seeming hundreds) aspires to by the book’s scorching, gleefully pronouncing nothing less than the button-pushing tone. And to be fair, a final word on what does, and does considerable amount of the material not, rock. It posits rock ‘n’ roll as has already been beaten close to religion, and that like all religions, death via countless band jokes and it’s become bloated and hypocritical tour-story swap sessions. But it’s all because it has forgotten the simple, impeccably presented, and those unquestionable rules originally laid musicians who don’t take themselves down for everyone’s benefit. The too seriously will be overjoyed to find slim, beautifully designed tome so many of their thoughts expressed mirrors that other Bible as closely in such gut-busting form. On the as it can, breaking The Word down strength of its thoroughness and into Genesis (innumerable “begats” execution, this Bible should earn itself included), the Gospels - according a place on the cocktail table or toilet to The Drummer, The Guitar & Bass tank of every player, fan and club Players, The Singer, The Keyboardist, employee who can laugh at their own The Band, The Crew, and The Fan bullshit rock-life foibles as readily as - and a Book of Revelation. Each is they can point out those of others. comprised of short, pithy verses. The Rock Bible is, in short, smart, blistering and hilarious. It naturally covers all of the time-honored hallmarks - drummers are dumb/ crazy, singers will never load gear, if your guitar covers your nipples rather than your junk you don’t rock, etc. - in considerable depth, and at times can seem overly familiar. But the book goes much further, skewering not just the obvious and tired elements of rockdom, but also peripherals like the

(CHUNKLET/QUIRK BOOKS) QUIRKBOOKS.COM / CHUNKLET.COM

NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 53

SOAPBOX MUSIC REVIEWS ISSUE 30

DELICIOUS PRETTY GOOD OK AT BEST UGH INEDIBLE

THE STREETS

EVERYTHING IS BORROWED Mike Skinner and his inimitable accent are back with a surprisingly upbeat and philosophical collection, given his recent track record and subject matter. Without the cohesive storyline of A Grand Don’t Come for Free or unifying themes of The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living, however, Everything Is Borrowed is surprisingly uneven. After the buoyant title track and infectious second cut “Heaven for the Weather,” the CD tends to meander with occasionally unsatisfying results - while Skinner’s delivery is always entertaining, his tone is less cutting, his wordplay less intricate of clever; it’s almost as if he’s trying to make his ruminations on life as clear as possible, but that clarity comes at the expense of the listener not being blown away by every sixth or seventh line. Still, while some vocal and production choices seem questionable, and it can’t quite match the heights of any of the three previous Streets albums, Everything Is Borrowed is never less than interesting, and sometimes genuinely thought-provoking. (VICE) - Scott Harrell

BEN FOLDS

WAY TO NORMAL Oh Ben, you’re all growed up with kids and whatnot - can you please stop relying on your funny-song shtick to ﬁll out a twelvetrack album? You’re a super talented musician with a knack for raucous pop songs and ballads that make the chin a-tremble. You don’t need to fall back on old tricks (ala “Song For The Dumped” and “Rockin’ The Suburbs”). The lead track, for example - “Hiroshima (b b b benny hits head)” is a great tune, but the goofball story will surely only appeal to 12year-olds. There are a good handful of quality tracks that rely solely on the strength of the songs, and not on any pop culture references and/or silliness: the bouncy “You Don’t Know Me” (featuring Regina Spektor), the mellow “Cologne” and the upbeat “Brainwascht.” The latter gets points deducted on its quirkily spelled title alone, which is a shame because it’s a damn good song. And ﬁnally, Ben, did you really have to use the “c” word? With all of the amazing curse words in the world, couldn’t you think of something else other than the ugliest, dirtiest word used to describe the place from which all life originates? (EPIC) - Susie Ulrey

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BELLE AND SEBASTIAN THE BBC SESSIONS

This two-disc set of favored Scotland pop-meisters Belle and Sebastian is comprised of BBC Radio sessions and a live set in Belfast. To quote Jack Black as Barry - the wired, loud-mouthed, stocky-yet-surprisingly-lithe record store clerk in High Fidelity - Belle and Sebastian is “sad bastard music.” It’s half-awake, half-assed twee pop, just rough enough around the edges to land on the radar of music snobs worldwide. I like to think I have an indie pedigree, but I cannot get into lead singer Stuart Murdoch’s “I sound bored enough to convince you that I could be doing something much more interesting” tone and his tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Fans of B&S will ﬁnd this to be an essential as part of their discography. I’m not a fan, so I don’t. (MATADOR RECORDS) - Susie Ulrey

YO MAJESTY

FUTURISTICALLY SPEAKING... NEVER BE AFRAID Can this even be the same female duo who broke into the indie consciousness a couple of years ago with provocative, sex-positive hip-hop wordplay grafted onto gritty, lowbudget beats? The ﬁrst proper full-length release from Central Florida funk prophets Shunda K and Jewel B is wildly, crazily experimental, and only occasionally hits on what might be considered true hip-hop. After opening with the diamond-hard quasiindustrial rage of abusive-relationship tale “Fucked Up,” Futuristically Speaking careens through speeded-out club rhythms (“Night Riders”), mutated funk-pop that purloins from Milli Vanilli (“Blame It On The Change”), an offbeat manifesto with shifting time signatures (“Never Be Afraid”), and Dee-Lite-referencing disco (“Don’t Let Go”) before it even thinks about screwing around with a single ... and when it does, it’s in the form of a spastic ode to self-smacking asses called “Booty Klap.” Sometimes, the disc’s fearless free-form fusions hit; most of the aforementioned tunes are at least stylistically intriguing enough to warrant respect and repeated listens, and later, “Leather Jacket” is so bizarre it borders on genius. On the other hand, many songs, like mainstream ballad “Buy Love,” “Grindin’ & Shakin’” and the throwaway “Party Hardy” are D.O.A. These ladies deﬁnitely score some extra points for their ambition, but every successful track here is mirrored by a misstep. (DOMINO) - Scott Harrell

MUSIC REVIEWS SOAPBOX ISSUE 30

JĂ&#x201C;HANN JĂ&#x201C;HANNSSON FORDLANDIA

Arm hairs involuntarily shimmy as the 2:17 mark of the nearly 14-minute lead track from Fordlandia, JĂłhann JĂłhannssonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest work, quickly passes. The opening piece builds from silence with a string arrangement that seems to stretch across the horizon - somewhat reminiscent of Brian Enoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Discreet Music album, but far more to the point than that meandering part-electronic, part-orchestral piece from the mid-â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s. As the track continues, effected guitars drift up through the concert of violins, violas and cellos much like a person toppling end over end through zero gravity; one has to applaud a tasteful touch of psychedelia in the often humorless world of neo-classical music. At once very much like, and different from, Gavin Bryarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sinking of the Titanic, the parallels between the two albums are apt. Both are classical pieces whose inspiration was drawn from research and speculation about historical events, although the results on Fordlandia are more stylistically akin to Sigur Ros & Hilmar Ă&#x2013;rn Hilmarssonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Angels of the Universe soundtrack, which thrives on heavy, melancholic string arrangements and a lack of spacial sound references. The title is taken from a colonial town founded by Henry Ford in the jungles of the Amazon during the mid-1920s. Prohibition was but one of the many factors that brought about an implosion of that far-ďŹ&#x201A;ung entrepreneurial effort, but what seems to have interested JĂłhannsson is not the failed colonial effort, but rather natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reclamation of lands seized by human endeavor. Given a little imagination, JĂłhannsson and the 50-piece orchestra playing the Fordlandia pieces somehow manage to grandiosely conjure up imagery of the Amazonian ghost town slowly being overgrown by aggressive vegetation - a primitivistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dream if there ever was one. If a ďŹ lm hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been made about Fordlandia, JĂłhann JĂłhannssonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s imaginary soundtrack all but demands that one begin production. (4AD) - Lance Robson

MERCURY REV

SNOWFLAKE MIDNIGHT Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a place in the market for passive background music and nobody knows this better than Mercury Rev. With SnowďŹ&#x201A;ake Midnight, the veteran space-rockers have pieced together an orthopedic pillow of an album thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not only as serenely unexciting as its name suggests, but could likely accompany â&#x20AC;&#x153;trickling streamâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;rainforest animalsâ&#x20AC;? as the third setting on a Sleep Mate sound machine. â&#x20AC;&#x153;ButterďŹ&#x201A;yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wings,â&#x20AC;? a surprisingly literal interpretation of insectile ďŹ&#x201A;apping, captures this recordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s virtues and shortcomings. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very pleasant, very tuneful - Ben Gibbard on helium - and very much a waste of your attention. Each of the few

engaging moments scattered throughout SnowďŹ&#x201A;ake - the soft-loud dynamic in â&#x20AC;&#x153;People Are So Unpredictable,â&#x20AC;? the Little-DrummerBoy-learns-techno choral passage of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dream of a Young Girl as a Flowerâ&#x20AC;? - is promptly smothered to death by an extended ambient interlude. This is the sonic equivalent of turkey: itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty bland by itself, and after consumption, all you want to do is take a nap. (V2) - Robert J. Hinson

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TIM BARRY

MANCHESTER Availâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s frontman returns with 12 stripped-down songs about life in this tumultuous world. Manchester is acoustic cowpunk with violins, alternately ďŹ lled with rambunctious escapades (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Texas Copsâ&#x20AC;?) and tales of sorrow (â&#x20AC;&#x153;222â&#x20AC;?) and occasional forays into jazzier (â&#x20AC;&#x153;On and Onâ&#x20AC;?) and more dirge-like (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ronnie Songâ&#x20AC;?) numbers. What makes Manchester so important, however, is Barry doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t so much write lyrics as he sings stories, wrapping vivid images around his bluesy, raspy delivery. Over the years, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seen and heard a lot, and feels the need to open some wounds while sharing these experiences. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s this raw emotion that makes Manchester sound exactly like what it is - Barry sitting down with friends and family and passing down an oral history of the time heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lived. These arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Aesopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fables or the Native American mythos, but they are sly morality tales, honest commentary on our current way of life and the stuff of legend all the same. (SUBURBAN HOME) - Timothy Asher

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DILLINGER FOUR CIVILWAR

Minneapolisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; best dancers have returned with their best album to date. C I V I L W A R, Dillinger Fourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fourth full-length (and second on Fat Wreck), is more melodic than previous releases, but that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t detract from the power or raw energy of the album. If anything, it adds an extra jolt to already adrenalized songs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parishiltonisametaphorâ&#x20AC;? is worth it for the title alone, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Minimum Wage is a Gateway Drugâ&#x20AC;? is destined to be a ďŹ st-in-the-air crowd favorite, while â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gainesvilleâ&#x20AC;? is a wonderful ode to the Florida town. The trade-off vocals between guitarist Eric Funk and bassist Paddy Costello remain, most notably on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Like Eye Contact In An Elevator,â&#x20AC;? in which Costelloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gruffer voice plays perfect counterpoint to Funkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;whisper while screamingâ&#x20AC;? style. Even though itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been six years since their last record, Dillinger Four have managed to surpass all expectations and become, arguably, the most inďŹ&#x201A;uential band to hail from the Midwest. (FAT WRECK CHORDS) - Timothy Asher

NOVEMBER 2008 â&#x20AC;˘ REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE â&#x20AC;˘ PAGE 55

SOAPBOX REVIEWS ISSUE 30

TRIVIUM SHOGUN

Metalli-who? With its fourth album, this Central Florida outfit continues to seamlessly mesh thrash, death metal and radio-ready anthemics without spreading itself to thin, or worse, coming off as a cheesy attempt at cred disguised as fake heaviness. Sure, there are a few more overtly melodic vocal passages here than before - which means a few more moments for die-hards to grouse about - and the still-lengthy song structures aren’t as ADD’ed out as they once were. But this is still an exciting and talented metal outfit intent on blurring the lines, and it deserves more praise of the sort currently being heaped on its most conspicuous influence. (ROADRUNNER) - Scott Harrell

LAND OF TALK

SOME ARE LAKES Some Are Lakes, Land of Talk’s debut release on Saddle Creek Records, is an obvious nod to mid-’90s indie rock, with quirky melodies tied down to sturdy song structures. This album is faintly reminiscent of Tsunami (of the legendary Simple Machines imprint), but with a few tweaks. Singer/guitarist Elizabeth Powell scratches out her vocals with an unpolished whine - like a little girl trying to get her point across. And that earnestness makes up for any technical imperfections. Peel away all of the rough layers and at its core, Some Are Lakes is great pop music. This Canadian trio, with ties to the Broken Social Scene family, is working itself into my memory with one of the more memorable albums of this year. (SADDLE CREEK) - Susie Ulrey

JEAN GRAE JEANIUS

This one’s been out for a little while now, but demands attention if for no other reason than the sad fact that not too many women are making quality hip-hop these days. If canny spitﬁre Jean Grae has made any concessions to urban commerciality, they’re only in 9th Wonder’s production, which veers toward the breezy, bumping and block partyesque here. Yet other than on “The Time Is Now,” the relatively unencumbered tracks never come off as lightweight but rather just a little on the sunnier, funkier side, and are always given an edge by Grae’s ever-sharp wordplay and that of guests like Median. The result is a mostly enjoyable, almost Commonlike balance of starkness and warmth. (BLACKSMITH MUSIC) - Scott Harrell

PARTS & LABOR RECEIVERS

I’ll be honest - up until now, I’ve ignored Brooklyn’s Parts & Labor simply because I’m pretty sure every town in America boasts a cover band with that same name. And I have been remiss, because the band’s comforter-thick amalgam of guitars, harmonies, surging rhythms and electro art-noise is great. It’s somewhat familiar, with quite a bit of Husker Du’s dynamic freneticism and vocal hallmarks, but it’s also endlessly inventive in the way it repurposes so many elements of rock both catchy and arty to create its original, ear-friendly whole. I suspect a recently expanded lineup and the use of found sounds submitted by fans via the band’s website inspired several new layers of creativity for these guys (and girl) this time around, but like I said, I never listened to ‘em before due to the immediate “Foxy Lady”-atthe-Green Iguana conjurings. My loss. This is awesome. (JAGJAGUWAR) - Colin Kincaid

CELLPAN

3RD IMPRESSION Ocean waves crashing to the shore; the annoying caw of seagulls looking for a target; faint wails of screaming victims being introduced to death - Florida, the greatest place on earth. Cellpan tries to keep the memory of the Sunshine State’s metal past alive on a poorly planned collection of overused riffs, inaudible vocal ridiculousness, and a wish that this nightmare were over. Costumes, face paint, blood, and a hallowed month of October release - come on, seriously, I get it. We are all a product of inﬂuence, but the idea is to take the inﬂuence and ear-fuck the people with something they haven’t heard before. Unfortunately, there are no redeeming qualities to this album. After taking a good look at the creepy and haunting picture of a blood-soaked plantation home on the cover, I was hoping for a good old-fashioned death ride, but such was not the case. (VITRUVIAN) - Jack Gregory

ESCAPE THE FATE THIS WAR IS OURS

Remember when you had to decide between hearing a CD’s worth of really poppy emo angst, and one of savage shred? Yeah, those days are long gone. On their second disc - and ﬁrst with new vocalist Craig Mabbit - Las Vegas’ Escape The Fate do

PAGE 56 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2008

the melodic/screamo thing better than most, with a swaggering personality that sets them apart and impressive instrumental chops that raise tuneage like the title track to the level of true-metal cred. Obvious New Millennium single “Something” is another standout, as is the sarcastic, shufﬂing “10 Miles Wide,” which is almost - almost - good enough to qualify as a freakin’ Skid Row tune. Elsewhere, the band occasionally stoops to the generic viscera of most of its peers, and “Harder Than You Know” proves conclusively that power ballads are best left to nostalgic arena-rock compilations and Irony Night down at the Goth club. But overall, this is above average for its milieu. (EPITAPH) - Scott Harrell

STATIC THOUGHT

THE MOTIVE FOR MOVEMENT Continuing the grand tradition of East Bay punk, Hellcat Records gives us the second release from Static Thought. And it’s exactly what one expects from a sentence like that - earnest, politically inspired street punk with lyrics more yelled/chanted than sang. Think The Unseen and early-era Rancid, with the proper dabbling of ‘70s Oi! and hardcore. Still, that isn’t a bad thing - there is some quality musicianship gong on here. Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, Static Thought write a decent hook. From the opening riff of “Faces” to the guaranteed pit favorite “Suburban Life,” Static Thought isn’t afraid to (slightly) experiment with their sound. It’s not overly original, but it is interesting. The Motive For Movement isn’t a life-changing or even a great record, but there’s something to be said when it makes you curious about their earlier work and hopeful for things to come. (HELLCAT) - Timothy Asher

MY RUIN

ALIVE ON THE OTHER SIDE Live albums used to be heavy-rock staples. But then again, heavy-rock musicians used to have big chops and even bigger ideas, and used to kill it live with epic, sweeping mega-productions. In today’s post-nu-metal scene, where even death metal tunes have hooks and most acts are one-dimensional images packaged for maximum ease of branding, live readings of solo-less, singlegroove tracks are unnecessarily redundant. Such is the case with this in-concert document from female-fronted California outﬁt My Ruin. The band certainly isn’t bad, but My Ruin’s “thing” - big, down-tuned riffs overlaid with Tairrie B.’s attitude-laden, often amelodic vocals - isn’t made any more exciting here than it is on the group’s studio efforts, and in fact the whole package evokes the kind of concert during which you ﬁnd yourself spending more time at the bar than in the pit. (ROVENA) - Scott Harrell

MOJOMATICS

DON’T PRETEND THAT YOU DON’T KNOW ME A blues-driven, ass-shakin’ set of rocking grooves. The Mojomatcis bring a simple poprock song structure ala pre-heroin Stones,“mop top” Beatles, and Johnny Cash just for fun. There is no hidden agenda here, these two fellas wanna do the chacha twist with your mom and leave the hop. Keeping it simple is something we have gotten so far away from in rock music; anymore, everything seems like a copycat of what was hip last week. Note to upcoming bands: If you are going emulate your heroes, do it tastefully and inject your own ﬂavor - that, friend, is how rock music evolves. Let’s not forget that everything in music has been done before, so adding new spices to an old recipe is crucial. Thank you, Mojomatics, for doing that voodoo that you do so well. (GHOST) - Jack Gregory

POLYSICS

WE ATE THE MACHINE Let’s list the clichés regarding Japanese pop culture. It’s weird. It’s unabashedly kitschy. It’s fun. Check, check and check for Polysics, a group that’s been ﬁltering the smart quirk of bands from Devo to Datarock through the prism of their own sensibilities for a decade now. We Ate The Machine, the band’s ﬁrst full-length of new music to be released since it inked with Myspace Records, is ... well, it’s nuts, really. Listening to it is like being trapped in a pinball machine during a multiball, where every bumper struck triggers a cheeseball synthesizer bloop or gnarly punk-guitar buzz or schizoid sequencer loop. But this fractured, ADD’ed-out new wave has hooks, melodic and catchy and overlaid with bilingual guygirl vocals that recall an Oriental Rentals on speed-laced nitrous oxide. And it’s a hell of a lot more crazy fun than most everything else out there. (MYSPACE RECORDS) - Scott Harrell

RYAN ADAMS & THE CARDINALS CARDINOLOGY

Adams’ swaggering upstart rocker persona is largely absent here - only “Magick” matches the rollicking intensity of previous efforts like Rock N Roll or parts of Gold - but what Cardinology lacks in overdriven oomph, it makes up for in the quality of its songcraft. “Go

REVIEWS SOAPBOX ISSUE 30

Easy,” “Cobwebs” and “Crossed Out Name” prove the singer-songwriter hasn’t completely abandoned his occasional knack for soaring pop, but this CD is largely made up of the groovy, Band-and Dead-informed blowntumbleweed fare that generally makes up the bulk of Cardinals live sets (and more and more of their recorded output) these days. All of it is solidly wrought and nicely emotional, though, and if it’s a bit mellower than fans were hoping for this time around, they should still ﬁnd it an immensely satisfying listen. (LOST HIGHWAY) - Scott Harrell

I AM GHOST

THOSE WE LEAVE BEHIND Do we really need another review that says a record is competently wrought, but too much like the however many other bands doing the same thing? Maybe about as much as we need another record that does that. Sufﬁce it to say that I Am Ghost have sacriﬁced too much of their original creepy persona for an overly familiar mix of emo-pop and screamo thrash, and that only “Interlude: Remember This Face, Baby” and the breakdown in “Burn The Bodies to the Ground” provide any originality or chills. (EPITAPH) - Colin Kincaid

STAR FUCKING HIPSTERS UNTIL WE’RE DEAD

Political, obnoxious, and altogether kooky. The confusion sets in early on this disorganized collection of punkmeets-death Metal with ridiculously obscure genres thrown in for fun. The vocals sound like they were recorded in a completely separate room during the same session as the music. Mastering - or lack thereof - aside, Star Fucking Hipsters should have conquered one style of music instead of creating 13 tracks of different melodies to the same old conspiracies and “damn the man” ditties. Frankly, I am ﬂabbergasted that the label that brought us such legendary acts as NOFX and Lagwagon would rob fans of the straight-up rock ‘n’ roll we’ve come to love, and replace it with such an exercise in mediocrity. When it all comes down and the “gods of thunder” have spoken, every album will fall short of someone’s “glory.” We can go home again, if only in glue-snifﬁng dreams of punk rock yesterdays. (FAT WRECK CHORDS) - Jack Gregory

www.mojotampa.com | 813.971.9717 MORE REVIEWS AT REAXMUSIC.COM

2558 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa

Located next to the University Mall, in the Bruce Springsteen/Suicide: Dream Baby Dream same plaza as Petite Chipotle Mexican Grill & Quiznos Blast First

Celebrate Alan Vega’s 70th birthday with this extremely limited 10” vinyl-only myspace.com/mojobooksandmusic EP. Strangely enough, the first release (in a planned year-long series) has the Boss covering the legendary noise/punk outfit Suicide’s early single “Dream Baby Dream” during his 2006 Dust Devils tour. The B-side features Suicide performing that song on the Midnight Special tv program in 1978. Silver Apples: s/t Phoenix Records In 1968, this was unlike anything anyone had previously heard. Interstellar drones and hums, pulsing rhythms, and electronically-generated melodies created a surreal and tribal collage of sounds recorded in outer space and transmitted back to earth for your listening pleasure. No guitars on this record; instead it’s layered with nine audio oscillators and eighty-six manual controls. Tortoise: It’s All Around You Thrill Jockey Harvesting music of great detail, building and rebuilding upon melodies and rhythms, Chicago’s most distinctive collection of musicians consistently release remarkable mostly-instrumental albums, emphasizing and incorporating a variety of left-field music genres from the past 20 years, including Krautrock, dub, avant-garde jazz, classical minimalism, and ambient landscapes. Of Montreal: Skeletal Lamping Polyvinyl Records (from Allmusic.com) Of Montreal’s ascends into the psychedelic clouds where Ziggy Stardust once flew, only this time, the listener catches a ride on the back of a transgendered Prince fanatic whose songs are fragmented and confusing, yet still peppered with irresistible hooks. The music is extravagant and elaborate; each song is comprised of multiple vignettes, and each track spills into the next. Ya Ho Wah 13: To the Principles, For the Children Swordfish Records In the mid 1970s, California cult leader Father Yod sold his popular organic vegetarian restaurant and moved with his 13 wives to Hawaii, but before he died in a hang gliding accident, they recorded this psychedelic insanity in the garage and farmhouse at their commune. Cosmic chants, experimental jams, off-key children choirs, with portions in between sounding like early Beefheart.

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

NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 57

SOAPBOX VIDEO GAME REVIEWS ISSUE 30

GAME REVIEW

SPYRO :

DRAGON ON DRAGON ACTION It has been more than a decade since the lovable purple dragon known as Spyro ﬁrst appeared on the original PlayStation. Although many games have carried the Spyro name, the latest episode - The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon - is the ﬁnal episode in the epic trilogy that began in 2006. It’s a tale about overcoming evil and realizing your own potential. Ironically, the game rarely seems to realize its own. Spyro is joined in this adventure by former enemy, Cynder, as whom you can play at anytime or, if you have any friends, have them drop in for some co-op action. Fighting alongside a friend can get confusing in this game, but it’s still a welcome addition to the series. The combat is pretty straightforward - mash X for a light attack and Y for a heavy attack - but it sometimes feels a little wonky. Each dragon also has their own unique elemental powers that are used as powerful attacks, or to solve some of the game’s many puzzles. These powers are

upgradeable and come in handy later in the game as the baddies get tougher. The partially ﬁxed point of view can make things awkward at times, and some areas become tedious with button tapping exercises and wash-rinse-repeat game mechanics. Also, for a game geared for “the whole family,” some things aren’t explained that well, and would be hard for a child to ﬁgure out. Kids might get frustrated early on with this game and bash in their skulls with the controller - I know I almost did. Spyro sports some pretty high production values, with ridiculously bright visuals capable of incinerating your eyeballs and sound that would make Peter Jackson cry. The story is pretty good, and features great voice acting by Elijah Wood, Mark Hamill, Christina Ricci, Gary Oldman, Blair Underwood and Wayne “choke a bitch” Brady. But even with all of these things going for it, Dawn of the Dragon still falls a bit short.

REVIEWED ON XBOX 360

GAME REVIEW

SAINTS ROW 2 :

ZOMBIES & NINJAS & PIMPS, OH MY! “Sandbox” gameplay is a term that gets thrown around pretty liberally these days. The style of play that Grand Theft Auto made famous has been imitated for years - but no game has ever removed itself from the enormous shadow cast by Rockstar. Yet Volition’s Saints Row 2 somehow seems to separate itself from the pack - not by changing the formula, but by injecting copious amounts of fun back in to the genre. Forget Liberty City, Saints Row 2’s Stilwater is the only real sandbox - and the only one that I want to play in. If you played the ﬁrst game, you know the drill. Your gang is the 3rd Street Saints, and your job is to exterminate all who come between you and citywide domination. The story is completely outlandish, and the voicework by Eliza Dushku, Daniel Dae Kim, and Neil Patrick Harris doesn’t disappoint. The missions are varied and challenging, and the addition of mid-mission checkpoints makes having to retry them much less painful than before. But the missions are only a small portion of the fun. A myriad of over-the-top mini-games from ﬁght club (I’m not supposed to talk about it) to insurance

fraud (where you hurl yourself into oncoming trafﬁc for cash) will keep you busy for weeks. This time around, you can also ﬂy in planes and helicopters and - unlike in GTA IV - you can parachute out of them. The cherry on the top of all of this is the ability to play the entire game with a friend over Xbox Live. Although Stilwater is the ultimate playground, it’s far from a perfect city. From irritating glitches and graphic pop-ins to complete system freeze-ups, Saints could have used a little more time in debugging. But even though there are some technical issues here, you really won’t care; Saints Row 2 is just too fun to worry about those kinds of things - plus, the glitches are sometimes funny, and seem to add to the utter ridiculousness of the game. The truth is that Saints Row 2 deserves its own identity, out from under the GTA shadow. And while this might get more than a few snarls from GTA fanboys, Saints Row 2 is simply a better game than GTA IV. Sure, it may lack some of the polish of the GTA franchise, but it makes up for it in pure fun.

REVIEWED ON XBOX 360

PAGE 58 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2008

HANDS ON PRODUCT REVIEW SOAPBOX ISSUE 30

The Stock Market: NYSE, NASDAQ

Indie and punk bands live on them. College students eat them until they are sick. Even your boyfriend knows how to make them. All things considered, while they are ﬁlling, it’s basically bleached noodles that have lots of carbohydrates and salt - along with the savory chemical MSG in abundance. If you are trying to curb a hangover with carbs and salt, you are in for an unpleasant surprise. Here’s to betting that the folks over at the now multi-platinum record label Fueled by Ramen don’t have to eat them anymore, unless they are feeling nostalgic. Product tested somewhere near Nashville, sitting in the tour van at a truck stop. nissinfoods.com

Not too sweet, and not too strong, this is a great ale to get fresh out of the tap. It’s a light golden ale that is brewed with “natural apricot puree harvested in the Willamette Valley of North Western Oregon.” They must get a good deal on peaches from Oregon to ship them all the way to Dunedin, FL from there. In any case, I recommend half-and-halving this with Guinness. That way, you get the sense of drinking dinner and then drinking dessert. Tested at Kelly’s Pub in Downtown Tampa myspace.com/kellyspubtampa dunedinbrewery.com

TMobile / Google: G-1 Phone with Android It’s not an iPhone, but it’s not “Chad” either, thank God. t-mobileg1.com

I have been trying to get educated on this one, in preparation for when I get famous and make millions of dollars and resist the urge of having it all in $1 bills in a room that I swim in, and have to put them all somewhere safe. I have this idea that Wall Street is a stuffy arena with a 360-degree Jumbotron in the middle, packed with sweaty men and women in ill-ﬁtting power suits with handheld computers, microchips in their brains and, just in case of emergency, a razor-sharp hunting knife to commit hara-kiri with at any moment. In fact, I have found all of the former to be just about true, with the addition of billions of dollars of other people’s money at stake, and standard-issue personal cyanide pills for the stock brokers as well. I suppose I’ll invest in something safer instead, like real estate … oh wait, scratch that … maybe I’ll just keep my wadded cash in a hole in the ground, or maybe a fanny pack. I hear they are coming back in style. nasdaq.com nyse.com

Tech 21 Guitar & Bass Pedals: The “Character” Series The press release says that these itty bitty guitar pedals have the “DNA” of the legendary amps they are supposed to sound like. I was immediately suspect, because the amp Jimi Hendrix used weighed well over 100 lbs with the speakers, and was much taller than he was. At $200 retail apiece, you could decide to not buy any of these five effects pedals, and actually buy a good amplifier, or 4,000 guitar picks, with the money. My presumptions were correct. These pedals sound and work nothing like the amplifiers they claim to make you sound like you are using … with the exception of the “VT Bass” model that copied the notoriously unreliable vintage Ampeg tube bass amp, but only because it stopped working halfway through the demo. I have an idea for a guitar gadget, I am going to call it the FAIL BOX, you plug your guitar or bass or microphone into it, and it makes no sound, and therefore you FAIL at trying to make music. Seriously, I am registering the domain name right now. *Note- Other Tech 21 products are great, just not these! Tech21.com

NOVEMBER 2008 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 59

thxmgmt www.thxmgmtlive.com

upcomingevents

Wednesday, November 12

* Phosphorescent

Virgin Forest, King of Spain & Attachedhands New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $7 Time: 9 p.m.

Friday, November 21

* The Prospect

Stalling Dawn, Awestruck, First Crush Kid & Saint Sweetheart Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: $7 Time: 8 p.m.

Saturday, November 22

* Devin the Dude

Coughee Brothaz, Kap Kallous & Redd Simpkins Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $15 Time: 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 29

Post-Thanksgiving Throwdown

* Sunbears!

Zillionaire, Incredible Crisis & Beardsley New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $7 Time: 9 p.m.

Friday, December 20

Skatepark of Tampa – REAX – ThxMgmt Present

* Ghetto Xmas Party ‘08

CRATE BROTHERS & DJ MEGA Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: $Free Time: 8 p.m.

Thursday, November 13

* Parts & Labor

Averkiou, Flexxehawk, Lush Progress & DJ Scott Imrich Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: $8/$10 Time: 8 p.m. Friday, December 26

* Geri X

Wednesday, November 26 Friday, November 14

* Moodhosa

Sarge & The Aeromen, Meteoreyes, & Special Guests Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: $6 Time: 9 p.m.

Rec Center, The Actomatics, & Sons of Hippies New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $6 Time: 9 p.m.

REAX Pre-Thanksgiving Throwdown

* Dish

Fantome, Strangers Family Band, Conscious Sound System & Special Guests Crowbar, Ybor City Cost: $TBD Time: 8 p.m.

thedigits website & pre-sale tickets: thxmgmtlive.com myspace: myspace.com/thxmgmtlive booking: joe@thxmgmtlive.com

S U N D AY, N OV. 2 3 • 7 P. M . T I B A M P I T H E AT E R I S L A M O R A D A F O U N D E R S PA R K M M 8 7 One of the best new bands (10 Artists to Watch in 2008) – Rolling Stone Magazine

Special Appearances by:

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FREE SKATE JAM & PRO RIDER EXPO Starts at 2 p.m. Founders Park Skate Park FOUR GREAT BANDS PLAY:

Favella, Cabin Affair, Dissever, Methods of Doubt

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