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MAY 2009 • REAX MUSIC Magazine • PAGE 3
06
CONTENTS ISSUE 36
GUILTY Publisher: Joel Cook jcook@reaxmusic.com
SOUNDCHECK 08
INTRODUCTION
CALL & RESPONSE 10
READER MAIL / CONTRIBUTORS
SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING 11 12 13 14
DEAR GLOFFY YOUR BAND BLOWS STEP BY STEP ARTBEAT
Photography: Tony Landa landa@reaxmusic.com
Emily LaDuca emily@reaxmusic.com
JOHN VANDERSLICE S.W.W.A.A.T.S. DAVID DONDERO
Shawn Kyle shawn@reaxmusic.com
REAX SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW
REAX INTERVIEWS 26 28 30 32
Art Director: Mike Delach delach@cookwaremedia.com
Sales Associates:
SPECIAL FEATURE 20
Editor: Scott Harrell scott@reaxmusic.com
Circulation Manager: Scott Jenson scottj@reaxmusic.com
SOUNDBITES 16 17 18
Queen: Finnie Cook finniec@reaxmusic.com
ALKALINE TRIO MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA THE SOUNDS ISIS
Marshall Dickson marshall@reaxmusic.com Tommy Barrett tommy@reaxmusic.com Chris Anderson (Orlando) chris.anderson@reaxmusic.com
Contributors: Timothy Asher Joe D’Acunto Mike DeLancett Jason Ferguson Chris Gaughan Jeremy Gloff Jack Gregory Justine Griffin Robert J. Hilson Colin Kincaid Joel Mora Becca Nelson Susie Orr Ryan Patrick Hooper Cole Porterhouse Matt Powell John Prinzo Michael Rabinowitz Lance Robson Trevor Roppolo Evan Tokarz Nick Truden Susie Ulrey Amy Vanschaik Carrie Waite Jessica Whittington Interns: Alexis Quinn Chamberlin Andrew Pellegrino
Brad Register (Orlando) brad@reaxmusic.com Ryan McLaughlin (Gainesville) ryanm@reaxmusic.com
SOAPBOX 34 36 38 39 42 43
UPCOMING RELEASES PRODUCT PLACEMENT BOOK REVIEW MUSIC REVIEWS VIDEO GAME REVIEW HANDS ON w/ SHAWN KYLE
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A LOCAL GUIDE
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PAGE 6 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • MAY 2009
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08
SOUNDCHECK INTRODUCTION ISSUE 36
Riverboat Gamblers on a Riverboat in Jacksonville! Yeah, that is crazy!
I
was just thinking to myself that it was either over, or just about ready to happen again.
What? The music side of the whole “Florida as the butt of America’s cultural jokes” thing. Sure, there are always gonna be newspaper stories about glazed-eyed miscreants getting eaten by alligators as they jump naked from a dock to escape the police, or shooting their neighbors over ... something, or mistakenly tossing their babies into Dumpsters while cleaning out their cars high on toad-sweat. This is Florida, after all, home to every thirdgeneration illiterate whose thought process idles in the gray area between “southern” and “developmentally disabled,” and final promised-land destination of every freak or felon too mean-tempered for Asheville, North Carolina and too lazy to try to make it to Texas or California. But it’s been a while since we’ve been embarrassed by some seriously lowestcommon-denominator band or solo act PAGE 8 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • MAY 2009
making it really big. Sure, we’ve got our share of flashy yet insubstantial rap out there, but who the hell doesn’t these days? We’re just not cranking out the really bad, plodding, one-dimensional arena-ready modern rock like we used to; apparently, that’s Canada’s job now. And that’s a good thing for Florida. I’ll bitch and make fun, but I’m a Floridian, and I love it here. We’ve got tons of great Gainesville bands on tour, we’ve got thoughtful hip-hop and daring noise coming out of Jacksonville, and tons of quality Central Florida Americana and art-rock acts. Things are percolating. I thought maybe we were out of the woods for good. Then Limp Bizkit announced a reunion. Then, just yesterday, so did Creed. Apparently, we can’t even come up with new bad rock to serve up to the rest of the nation for mockery; all we can do is recycle our most successful old bad rock. Get on it, good bands. - Scott Harrell
813-250-0208 920 W. KENNEDY BLVD. TAMPA
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MAY 2009 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 9
10
CALL & RESPONSE READER MAIL ISSUE 36
CONTRIBUTORS
FROM THE MAILBAG RE: Jack Gregory’s review of No Bunny’s Love Visions in Issue 33 Subject: What the fuck does Jack Gregory Know? F.Y.I. Jack Gregory is a total douchebag. His review of No Bunny’s Love Visions LP is complete shit. I’m sure Justin would shit right in his mouth if he ever met him! - Steve
FROM REAXMUSIC.COM RE: “Live Review: Matt Kim, Ybor City, 03/29” by Matthew Powell: “Awesome” - Posted by Dave, April 5 RE: “Black Lips, Wavves, More Added to Pitchfork Fest” by Scott Harrell: “This one might be worth the trip. Carpool or jet plane?” Posted by Matt, April 14 RE: “Jax MC Mr. Al Pete Announces Video, Shows” by Scott Harrell: “Al Pete has brought back that old ‘feelin’ when you listen to the Talk About It CD!! Reminds me of the times when I use to walk to school in Harlem and pass the basketball courts and hear that raw old school hip-hop ... the kind of music that I thought came only from NY and never thought I would run back into in the South!! Big Ups to DDUUUVVAAALLL from creating such an artist ... ‘who is this?” ... Mr. Al Pete - ‘you Da SHHHHHHHHHHH’ ...” Posted by Ms. L. Jay, April 14
“Mr. Al Pete’s album Talk About It is truly a hip-hop classic. He is
bringing ‘real’ hip-hop back on the scene. If you do not have this album then you need to get up, get out, and go get it!!! Much love to Mr. Al Pete, Shirl Dee Capital, and the whole GrownFolk Entertainment Family!!! They are making major moves and Talk About It is a true example of that. The album is true hip-hop at its finest. Believe that ladies and gentlemen!!! How you love that?!?” Posted by $teeley $teele, April 16 RE: “Step by Step: How to Roll Your Own Smokes” by Scott Harrell: “Great article. I smoke American Spirit shag and like Scott said, it tends to get dry. American Spirit offer little clay humidifiers, but those can be really hard to find. If you’re on a budget like me, you can take a slice of apple and put it in your pouch over night. It’ll be just as moist as when you bought it.” Posted by Roberto Aguilar, April 15
FROM THE VOICE MAIL Hi, uh, I’m calling, uh, concerning your, your uh, April REAX Issue and the article written by Scott Jenson... uh... I don’t like how he cuts down Seether, I don’t particularly like that band either. But I’m almost 60 years old and I grew up in Detroit listening to MoTown and uh, this guy doesn’t seem to know shit about music. And, uh... What is he doing to try to make it in the music business?... he’s lucky if he’s probably making a quarter of the money they’re making. And, uh... how come he isn’t out there making it in the music business? He’s writing for some free rag... uh... And I’d like to know why you don’t have a response column. My number is xxx-xxxx, uh... Area code xxx. Thank you. Left by Anonymous, Tuesday We’d like to remind our anonymous caller that yes, we do have a response column (you’re reading it, duh) where our readers can complain and critique to their hearts content.
PAGE 10 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • MAY 2009
Jenson responds: I uh, just wanted to, uh, respond to your, uh, response. Thanks for being so, uh, passionate about, uh, my column to take the, uh, time to call the office. To uh, clarify a few things, uh, the last time I checked, uh, the amount of money that you make, doesn’t, uh, validate anything about what you do. If it did, uh, then I’m sure music teachers wouldn’t be struggling to pay their bills, uh, while shitty bands like Seether make millions of dollars by rehashing terrible songs from the 80’s that should’ve been buried decades ago. I uh, work in music because I’m, uh, passionate about it, otherwise I’d, uh, be a doctor or a lawyer like most of my relatives. One of the, uh, beautiful things about music, uh, is that it’s an art form and so is therefore subjective in, uh, nature. So what you observe a, uh, “not knowing shit about music, uh” is just a different, uh, opinion. But thank you, uh, for expressing yours. Hi, this Bill Summer from the band the Semis and I’m just calling to tell you that we’re the baddest motherfuckers in the Bay Area and just give us a call when you get back from TEXAS!
ALEXIS QUINN CHAMBERLIN
Born on the 29th day of August, 1987, I’ve enjoyed movies; music; making films; writing; and my chihuahua, Brody. I don’t eat animals, and I graduate from USF next spring.
MIKE DELACH
Delach doesn’t have time to write an insightful and witty description of himself. He’s too busy putting this issue together. Catch him on a good day and he’ll tell you that he’s a designer with zero art education, a full-time insomniac, and a pointless conversationalist. He’ll offer to design your band’s next gigposter, but please don’t take him up on it because he already spreads himself out way too thin as it is. Catch him on a bad day, and you better watch out.
Left by Bill Summer, Thursday Got something to say? Give us a call and let us know what’s on your mind. 813.247.6975
CORRECTIONS In our review of Sons of Hippies’ CD Warriors of the Light (Issue 34), we credited David Byrd as the engineer. Byrd engineers the group’s live sound; the CD was helmed by Tom Klimchuck (Pro-Pain). The photograph of Funkghost that appeared in Issue 35 was taken by Joseph Correa.
The live photograph of Select Start that appeared in Issue 35 was taken by Vadim Omeltchenko. You can check out more of Vadim’s work at vadimphoto.com.
BECCA NELSON After 28 years of research, I’ve narrowed my goals in life down to the pursuit of proper ambiance, the struggle for le mot juste, creating the perfect road-trip mix, and the constant company of interesting people. Oh, and always being the smartest girl at the cocktail party. When I was four years old, I declared: “Oh, how I do love a party with music and champagne.” Not much has changed since then.
WANNA CONTRIBUTE?
LET US KNOW! REAX@REAXMUSIC.COM
DEAR GLOFFY SEE SOMETHING... ISSUE 36
11
Words: Jeremy Gloff Photo: Blake Coleman
DEAR GLOFFY, I have a friend who is going
through a rough patch in her life and she constantly moans and groans. It’s come to a point where I don’t want to hang out with her anymore, because if I wanted to be a babysitter I’d at least get paid for it. I feel bad because I don’t want to be a bad friend, but enough is enough. The crying and tantrums are getting out of hand. What should I do? Sincerely, Friend of a Friend
DEAR FRIEND, Hang in there my dear. Sometimes
it is a chore being someone’s friend, but there must be something redeemable about this person if you’ve developed a friendship. Also remember though, that when you are someone’s friend it’s OK to be honest. If you feel your friend is being excessively whiney and negative, you have a right to tell her so. Don’t drop the friendship, just drop the idea that you can’t tell your friend the truth. If she gets pouty after you are honest with her, at least your time apart will be on account of her actions, and not yours. The best ode to friendship was released by Janet Jackson back when she was popular: “Alright.” Take it away Janet: “Friends come and friends may go/my friend, you’re real I know/true self you have shown/ you’re alright with me.”
DEAR GLOFFY, Recently my ex and I broke up after almost a year of living together. The thing is that since I kicked him out, we talk nightly about getting together in the future. As time progressed, I’ve gotten a bit over him, but enjoy knowing that I have him on the back burner. I try to end our “friendship,” but start to feel
bad, especially after one drunken night I told him that no matter how mean I am to him deep down I still love him. So now being mean won’t drive him away. How do I rid myself of the past and stop breaking his heart time after time? If possible, answer my question with the aid of the lyrics of Heart. Thanks, Miserable Meanie
DEAR MEANIE, You are being naughty naughty!
Mixed nuts: delicious. Mixed drinks: tasty. Mixed signals: oh hell no!!! Do yourself and your ex a favor and keep your cell phone under lock and key after you’ve had a few drinks. Relationships are like sex either you are in or you are out! It goes without saying that halfway in is a waste of time on all accounts. Eventually your ex is going to get fed up with you and you will lose a potential friend. Or even worse, he could show up on your doorstep singing the meanest song that Heart ever recorded: “If Looks Could Kill.” You’d deserve it! Take it away Anne Wilson: “If looks could kill/you’d be lying on the floor/you’d be begging me please please baby don’t hurt me no more.”
Write to deargloffy@gmail.com or just go to jeremygloff.com and write to me anonymously.
MAY 2009 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 11
12
SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING YOUR BAND BLOWS ISSUE 36
THE DECEMBERISTS: DO THE MATH
Right off the bat, you can personally deliver any death threats to the new REAX Space if you’re in the Tampa area. There’s a good chance that I’ll be there during the afternoon most days, so you may get to tell me to go to hell to my face. However, if I happen to be out on an errand or just hiding at one of Ybor City’s fine watering holes there will be someone there to take a message, and you may just find an awesome graphic tee or print from one of our hand-picked artists. I’m letting you know this not because I want to wheedle you into checking out our gallery, but am in fact so sure that talking badly about The Decemberists is going to make me music journalism’s first martyr, and I want to speed up the process. Like many fine men before me such as Malcolm X, Gandhi and Jesus, I’m aware that my views will most likely result in my death at the hands of some unenlightened fool. But I don’t want to wait for a hipster who most likely is partial to wearing empty horn-rimmed frames and espousing the merits of Animal Collective as a musical “movement” and not just a band to jump out from behind the bushes at New World Brewery and stab me in the heart with his iPhone knife app. I’d rather get it over with quickly … so come see me.
I
f you were to take a survey about what makes a good band among people who study music, particularly rock and roll, you would invariably get a somewhat homogenous list citing technical proficiency, storytelling or lyrical ability, connection to an audience and a compelling live show as being essential. All of these things are great, and most bands that have success in music will display some of these traits, if not all. But the question that I’m positing today is, what happens when you have a band that fulfills all of the above qualifications, but they still suck? How are positive traits outweighed by negatives? I would like to introduce everyone to my patented method of measuring band suckage or ruleage: the Active Dynamics In Creativity and Kocknballz as It Applies to Music scale, or A.D.I.C.K.I.A.M. For the purpose of this demonstration I will be assessing my most hated purveyors of twee, pseudointellectual folk trash, the Decemberists. Let’s talk technical proficiency. It’s very easy to see, even on a low-grade YouTube vid, that the musicianship of The Decemberists is for the most part solid. Lead twit Colin Meloy is an apt guitar player, and manages to hit his notes while singing, and the back-up “whatever the hell he’s playing at the time” guy Chris Funk is good with whatever kitschy little noisemaker he has in his hand. But the rest of the band is pretty much average
at what they do, and incredibly boring to watch. All of this adds up to a technical level of skill that is adequate enough to be considered “good.” However, when applied to the A.D.I.C.K.I.A.M. scale, there are a few major issues that outweigh the Decemberists’ level of playing ability. This equation can be expressed in the following scientifical formula:
“MM+NGD/FBA+BUB = R-WLC” In layman’s terms, what I’ve just described is that “Mediocre Musicianship plus No Guitar Dance divided by Fake British Accent and Butt Ugly Band equals Really? Who Likes this Crap?” It’s been well addressed that the Decemberists are good storytellers. The almighty Pitchfork itself has been a huge proponent of the weaving of whatever obscure literary pap Colin Meloy is reading Cliff’s Notes for at the time into the band’s albums. And even I’ll be the first to admit the majority of their music is very conceptual, and lyrically addresses the content in a manner that expresses their meme. However, there is a unique paradox created when the subject matter of music is such that no matter what lyrical devices are used to advance the topic, the topic itself is so ridiculously boring that there is no point in writing about it. The latest outing from The Decemberists is based on “a woman named Margaret
PAGE 12 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • MAY 2009
who is ravaged by a shape-shifting animal; her lover, William; a forest queen; and a cold-blooded, lascivious rake.” (Artist Bio Page, 4/20/08). What I can take from that is, it’s a concept album about a gangbang. That would make for an interesting video directed by the same guy who did Manorgy #17, but really doesn’t show the depth that a concept album requires. At least when Mastodon does a concept piece it’s about a paraplegic who travels through time and has his spirit sucked into the body of Rasputin, the immortal Russian tyrant. The A.D.I.C.K.I.A.M. formula for the storytelling/lyrical category as applied to the Decemberists is as thus:
“WCxGS = RLPR” Of course this means “Weak Concept times Good Storytelling equals Rather Listen to Papa Roach.” Finally, let’s talk connection to an audience and a compelling live show. This is a fairly simple category to define and chart via the A.D.I.C.K.I.A.M. scale. Basically, what we’re talking about here is that connection with people, and the wow factor at a live show. Somehow, The Decemberists have managed to connect with an audience. I don’t see how, considering the fact that the band is a foppish group of throwbacks
fronted by a trilling, pseudo-English Stephen King lookalike who appears to be trapped somewhere in the late 1800s. If you’re connecting with that, you seriously need to pull yourself out of the library and have a few shots of whiskey, get laid, dance to bad techno, jump out of a plane, take a drive in a foreign country, ride a bull … do SOMETHING!!! I haven’t seen a group with less to say, and less balls, since ABBA. At least ABBA was a bunch of raging cocaine abusers who wrote about club whores. And a quick mention of The Decemberists live: if they’re not backed up by a full orchestra, it’s about as much fun as watching the line at the DMV. Scratch that, at least there’s always one drooling freak at the DMV who can hold your interest for more than five minutes. One final equation:
“IYLD+STTL = PSV” One of the amazing qualities of the A.D.I.C.K.I.A.M. scale is its ability to sum musical capabilities as it applies to fans as well. As you can see from the above statisticalogical formula, “If You Listen to the Decemberists plus can Sit Through Them Live it means that you’re Probably Still a Virgin.” See you at the Space!
STEP BY STEP SEE SOMETHING...
STEP
ISSUE 36
13
BY STEP
T
he rise of the Internet has
been a mixed blessing for the revolutionaries, inciters, conspiracy theorists and crackpots. On one hand, a decently made website offers a lot more opportunity for exposure than a badly photocopied manifesto that reads like a six-year-old’s adaptation of John Carpenter’s They Live!. But on the other, well, there’s just a lot more competition out there. So many crazy calls to arms are competing for the gullible reader’s focused panic, it’s tough to make one’s hoarsely hollering voice heard in the general roar of hysteria. For the committed provocateur, the goal is obvious: to make more noise, to be seen and heard via more media. Get the big news sites writing about you, maybe get on a cable news program at 3 a.m., make a splash, and edge your way into a prime-time guest slot with one of the more faithfully watched shouting heads. But how do you make the jump? You’ve gotta separate yourself from the obvious nuts. You’ve gotta have a plan, and not blow it when some snide reporter starts pushing your buttons. No, to really get noticed, to get the armchair pundits out in the mainstream public talking about you around the break-room fridge and wondering if maybe they should be seriously concerned about some of the topics you’re raising, you’ve gotta:
Appear sane. Inside, you’re welcome to be a hissing pile of paranoia, self-loathing, and barely repressed sexual aberration. On the outside, though, you’ve gotta be calm, composed, slightly stressed by the weight of the knowledge you carry but charming nonetheless. Never let ‘em see you sweat - or chase a freelance cameraman 30 blocks with a letter opener because you’re sure he’s in the employ of a secret subsect of the Treasury Department. Be eloquent and attractive. You’re not running for office - yet - but you’ve gotta think like a candidate when it comes to being in the public eye. Your stutter and Hawaiian shirt don’t make you seem more endearingly down-to-earth; they make you seem like a guy who just got pulled over with 40 kilograms of Peruvian flake in your trunk. Look good. Speak confidently. Align yourself more to the right than the left. Sure, the extreme
conservative stereotype is an out-oftouch control freak who bends the word of God to fit their ends, and doesn’t want the government getting their money. But that’s a hell of a lot more relatable than the extreme liberal stereotype, which is basically a human version of R. Crumb’s Fritz The Cat. Talk a lot about how good things used to be. Wasn’t it great back when every family had a house and a car, and kids didn’t have sex and you could drink all day at work and beat your wife and nobody said anything about it? It can totally be like that again. People always forget that “a simpler time” was just a time when it didn’t get out that people were wantonly racist and molesting their kids. Couch your craziest ideas in less crazy terms. They’re not lizardpeople from a city inside Venus, they’re “insidious foreign elements gaining influence in Washington.” You don’t want to burn down the Capitol and put every politician’s eye-plucked head on the spikes of the fence surrounding the White House, you want to “investigate a radical restructuring of governmental heirarchy, and return to an environment of leading by example and personal responsibility.” You’re not following the instructions that Oorpth, Overlord of Morplogth is beaming into your brain through reruns of Lost, you’re “answering to a higher authority.” Oh, and everybody who opposes you isn’t an underling of the Masons - just a “terrorist.” Nod sympathetically while the other nuts do their thing. Let the message-board freaks freak out; let the white power mouthpieces bury themselves; let the hawks urge preemptive military action; let your own denouncers call you a closet psycho. Then say something about how it’s great that we live in a country where everyone is entitled to his opinion, then go to an animal shelter and de-louse a puppy on camera. (Don’t. Eat. The. Puppy.) All right. You’re a shoo-in for some CNN and Gawker coverage. And if not, screw it ... Get your own Fox News program. You’ll never get to run the country or defeat the evil menace from beyond the stars, but apparently you get to say whatever the hell you want about that special reality that only you can see. MAY 2009 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 13
14
SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING ARTBEAT ISSUE 36
an even mix of new and old.
REAX: How are artists selected? You guys just talk about who you like, who you’d like to have? CP: Yeah. Hand-selected. Josh and I talk about people we think would fit nicely with the show. We also got some of the artists contacting us from last time, saying they’d like to be involved again. REAX: What facilitated the move to new venue? CP: We just wanted to be able to do it on a bigger scale. Czar holds about 2000 people, and we wanted to do an after-party along with it. So doing it there opened it up to make it a big event, and get as many people as we could into the show. REAX: How limited are the designs? CP: They are available for one month, two weeks before and two weeks after the event, then they’re gone forever. The artists retain the rights, and they let us use ‘em for a month, and then when the orders have gone out May 31, they’re gone forever. No number limitation, but it’s one month only. And all the shirts are made to order, there’s no stockpile or a bunch left over. They’re made there for the show, and that‘s it.
Words: Scott Harrell • Photo: Krista Shay
LAST NOVEMBER, PALE HORSE DESIGN’S CHRIS PARKS AND HYDRO74’S JOSHUA SMITH CALLED TOGETHER AN ESTEEMED GROUP OF SOME OF THE MOST CREATIVE NAMES IN T-SHIRT AND SILKSCREEN DESIGN FOR BACK IN BLACK, A UNIQUE EXHIBITION FROM WHICH FANS COULD WEAR HOME THEIR FAVORITE WORKS IN THE FORM OF LIMITED-EDITION TS.
I
t went so well that Parks and Smith decided to make it a series. On May 16, Ybor City nightspot Czar will host Back in Black 2, a bigger, badder show featuring even more artists - including Maxx242, Munk One, ISO50, 123Klan, OG Abel, Ecko Unitd, Tribal Gear, Element, Famous Stars & Straps, and Osiris, among many others - as well as musical accompaniment by DJ Muggles and Tycho, and the requisite smokin’ after-party.
REAX: How did the idea of the first Back in Black come about? CHRIS PARKS: Joshua Smith of
Hydro74 came up with the idea while we were both at a show, and we took it and ran with it. We’re both apparel artists, we do it every day, and we thought it would be a good idea to gather up the artists we like, and put these shows together to celebrate the unsung heroes behind these apparel designs that people see and wear all the time, but maybe don’t know who does the art.
REAX: How did the first one go? CP: It went really well. It was kind of a
PAGE 14 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • MAY 2009
test, we wanted to see if we could print the shirts in a good amount of time that people were willing to wait. We had an amazing response online as well as locally, a great turnout, tons of buzz. It worked out really well with getting sponsors for the first time, and it snowballed into this time. So we were able to ask even more artists to participate.
REAX: So it’s a mix of new and returning artists this time around? CP: Yeah. We’ve got a lot of guys that were in it last time, and then we added about seven new guys that weren’t in the last show to about ten from the last one. It’s
REAX: And can you buy the original design itself, like last time around? CP: No. We might have ‘em for sale if people ask for them specifically, but they‘ll probably be sent back to the artist, or maybe we’ll do some limited screenprinted posters available on the site. But we’re not really advertising selling the prints this time. We’ll be building a hanging display system, so they’re all hanging from the ceiling in the middle over the dance floor, and you can just select your piece from there and have it printed. Back in Black 2 takes place Saturday, May 16 at Czar in Ybor. Doors open at 6 p.m. There is no cover for the show; T-shirts printed on the premises will cost $20. The after-party begins at midnight. Cover is $5, or free with the purchase of a t-shirt. For more information, check out
PALEHORSEDESIGN.COM OR HYDRO74.COM Hell, check ‘em out anyway.
MAY 2009 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 15
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SOUNDBITES ISSUE 36
is a lot for me because I don’t work super fast. It was a disciplined, work-week kind of thing. I would be down in my basement room where I have a few pieces of recording gear. There were many days that I didn’t want to be down there and there were days that I felt really lucky to be down there and have the time to work.
REAX: You recorded the demos at home but you recorded the album in a studio? JV: Actually, I recorded about, maybe, one third of the record at home, and then I brought it into the studio I own, Tiny Telephone, and made the record with Scott Solter, who’s been my producer/engineer for six albums in a row. REAX: Analog vs. digital? JV: I know it sounds really pompous and pretentious but analog just sounds more handmade. It’s a craftier kind of medium. They haven’t really sussed out digital converters yet, and I say this as a guy who’s spent an enormous amount of money on digital recording gear, so I’m not just Monday-morning quarterbacking.
REAX: When you were writing Romanian Names did you approach it with a theme?
JV: I didn’t think about any overarching
JOHN VANDERSLICE AN INTERVIEW WITH Words: Susie Ulrey • Photo: Courtesy of Billions
YES, MR. VANDERSLICE IS NICE - BUT THAT WORD ALONE CAN’T POSSIBLY ENCOMPASS HIS OFFERINGS TO MUSIC AND RECORDING. TALKING TO HIM WAS LESS LIKE AN INTERVIEW AND MORE LIKE A LAID-BACK CHAT WITH SOMEONE I’VE KNOWN FOR YEARS.
REAX: The biggest upside to being a one-man show is that you have creative control over everything that you’re doing, but when you want to go out and tour as a full band then you have to piece a band together. JOHN VANDERSLICE: Oh yeah, it’s like being a swinger as opposed to being married. [Laughs] There are all kinds of unintended and sometimes depressing consequences. Sometimes you really connect with someone musically, and they’re too busy for you to hold them. REAX: It’s funny that you talk about being a swinger, because playing in a band is a lot like being in a relationship. But sometimes it’s way more complicated because there are more people involved. JV: It’s a fake democracy. I’ve been around a lot of bands and sometimes they wear it well - it’s an elegant power structure - and other times it’s really unpleasant
because there are a couple of strong-arm people.
REAX: You also have a power struggle if there’s more than one songwriter, so, the appeal of being a solo artist - was that a conscious decision? JV: Yeah, it was conscious. I was in a band for five years and I really loved my bandmates. But the whole situation is so difficult to navigate because you really don’t have the freedom to make a decision. Literally everything goes to committee and it’s so boring and slow-moving. I delegate a lot now. There’s tons of stuff that just happens and I don’t even worry about it. I think that I just needed more control. The band would meet and talk about stuff as much as we played music. REAX: The flip side to that, don’t you think, is that you have to have a lot of motivation to get things done yourself?
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Otherwise, you can get really complacent about writing songs and recording. JV: Well the best way to fight that complacency is to buy a house in San Francisco, and then you will be so desperate to make money all the time you will stay up nights thinking about how to make things work. [Laughs] There’s always a way to be in a terrible predicament, to force yourself to work extraordinarily hard and unfortunately I’m living in a city where the overhead is just ridiculous.
REAX: When you write do you sit down and say, ‘OK, I’m writing songs for my next album,’ or is it more of an organic process? JV: There might as well be a time clock. Not to say that there’s no inspiration, because there has to be, or there’s no song. But I have to sit in front of my desk with a stack of blank paper for four or five hours a day for months on end. I wrote a lot of songs last year - like, 27 songs, which
themes or narratives. I’ve done that with many records in the past, and I tried to look at [this one] as each song standing on its own. If there were any thematic connections it would have to do with key signatures or melodies or approaches to background vocals. To me, that was the thing that started to unify the songs. Also, a tremendous amount of vocal processing and really tight, compressed song structures - the songs in general are very short. I guess I shifted my focus more toward melody and singing and music and away from lyrics.
REAX: How do you feel when people describe you with terms like “indie innovator” or “sonic technician”? JV: Well I don’t really pay attention to any of that. It sounds really disingenuous when anyone says anything like this, but they could be talking about someone else. I just don’t have that kind of stake in the game in that way. I guess I just don’t care. [Laughs] I mean, this is my seventh record. At some point you just do your own thing, and sometimes people slam you. Also, I gotta say that getting slammed is so much more exciting to me. There’s something exciting about being threatened that way. People don’t slam stuff that doesn’t mean something to them. I don’t know; I find it exhilarating. Romanian Names comes out May 19 on Dead Oceans. John Vanderslice will be on tour in the U.S. throughout the summer.
JOHNVANDERSLICE.COM
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were very influenced by the doom and stoner bands as well. We’ve kind of put all of that together, and come up with what we have right now, which I think has mixed pretty well.
REAX: It seems like this band is much more firmly rooted in metal than some of the bands that spawned it, like Bodies. How do you feel about the lines being so blurred between genres like hardcore, metalcore and metal? JC: I’m gonna be honest, I’m really not a fan of these different classifications. It’s just metal. I wish people would just accept that fact. There are some separating factors between the different styles, but what it boils down to is, it’s metal, in my opinion. It’s pretty much the same thing. Bodies was a grindcore band, and this band is definitely a combination of grind and death metal if you want to use those terms. But I’ll always stick by we’re just a metal band.
SUCCESS WILL WRITE
APOCALYPSE ACROSS THE SKY GRINDING TOWARDS SUPREMACY
Words: Scott Harrell Photo: Courtesy of Nuclear Blast Records
WHEN THEIR DEBUT FULL-LENGTH, THE GRANT PARTITION, AND THE ABROGATION OF IDOLATRY, DROPS IN THE U.S. ON LEGENDARY LABEL NUCLEAR BLAST MAY 5, TAMPA’S SUCCESS WILL WRITE APOCALYPSE ACROSS THE SKY (OR S.W.W.A.A.T.S. FOR SHORT) WILL BEGIN A NEW CHAPTER IN THE LONG, ILLUSTRIOUS HISTORY OF ENVELOPE-PUSHING EXTREME METAL IN THEIR HOMETOWN.
V
ocalist John Collett recently spoke to REAX about what it means to be a part of that tradition.
REAX: So where did the name come from?
JOHN COLLETT: It’s actually a line from a William Burroughs short story called “Apocalypse.” What it entails is art actually jumping off of its canvas and turning into a living, breathing form, and overthrowing society in a sense, taking on its own entity and becoming a strong and powerful force. We thought that was pretty interesting, we took that and ran with it because it touches on some of the things we talk about lyrically.
REAX: Were you very conscious of not wanting to go with a clichéd death metal name?
JC: The guys were bouncing names around before I came in, and Aaron [Haines, guitar] was in a band called Bodies In The Gears of The Apparatus, so it was kind of the next step of him having a lot of success with that band. Having such a long name, it was very eye-catching. You’re either gonna love it or hate it, but you’re gonna check it out. It’s a freakin’ paragraph. And it’s cool in the sense of, I know we didn’t just make this thing up out of thin air, it actually stands for something. And the acronym is cool.
REAX: Do you guys feel like part of a Florida heavy-music tradition? JC: Without a doubt, man. Growing up in the northeast, Cannibal Corpse was a prime example of a band that kicked me off in this scene. I truly believe that anybody who is playing this style of music that denies that they’re influenced by the the
Tampa scene is kidding themselves, for sure. Obituary and Death, the list goes on and on. Years and years of putting out killer music. Morbid Angel. It’s instilled in this area, and the fact that we get to be a piece of that is awesome. That’s just icing on the cake.
REAX: I hear a lot of non-Floridian influences in your music too, from Napalm and Carcass to groovecore stuff like Prong. JC: That stems from every member of this band growing up in different parts of the country, and being touched by a lot of different music scenes, you know? I’m from New York and Aaron’s from the Jersey/ Philly area, so we grew up in a bit of an old-school hardcore scene that turned into a metal scene. We got to watch that transform, and there was something very inspiring about that. We can’t escape the Relapse Records influence, for sure. We
REAX: Is it tough to find places to play or other bands to play with locally or around the state? JC: We’re blessed in this day and age to have the Internet, there’s a lot of ways to get exposure, and meet new people and bands to hook up with. That’s pretty much how we’ve been rolling, and it’s been great. We’ve made a lot of friends. REAX: How stoked are you to be headed out to Europe for the first time? JC: It’s a dream come true. It really is. I have really deep-seated English roots, and for me to even be able to travel there in the first place is a dream, but to go out there and play music and work and do what I love, it’s a whole other ball game. We’re more than excited to finally make this trip, because nobody in the band has been overseas. There are a couple of people who haven’t even been on a plane before. We’re thrilled to death. REAX: It seems like a really eclectic bill, lots of different heavy styles. JC: That’s totally what we were shooting for. And for that to get tossed at us as our first major tour on Nuclear Blast is spectacular. The diversity, the different forms of metal, it’s bound to bring people of different ages, colors and creeds, you know? It’s gonna be interesting to see the audiences we’ll encounter. But that’s been a goal of ours from day one, to play to as many different crowds as possible. So for our first tour to be on such a high-profile package, it’s killer. S.W.W.A.A.T.S. is on the Thrash & Burn tour with Darkest Hour, Bleeding Through, Beneath The Massacre, Carnifex and more in Europe through mid-May. Look for a Tampa CD release party for The Grand Partition, And The Abrogation of Idolatry shortly after.
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MAY 2009 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 17
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SOUNDBITES ISSUE 36
clichéd as possible, I guess, if that makes any sense.” Dondero’s interest in avoiding the usual, comfortable Americana characterizations extends into his choice of voice and subject matter, as well. While many singersongwriters tend to specialize in firstperson laments, classic murder ballads or any number of other safety zones, he deliberately challenges himself with different themes, approaches and even genres; often, an exercise in educating himself in other artists’ material leads to some of his own most original tunes. “I would say yeah, to try to jump into a different style of song is to challenge myself, see if I could do it,” he says. “Like a jazz song - ‘Pied Piper of the Flying Rats’ [from ‘01’s Shooting at the Sun with a Water Gun] was me trying to do Dave Brubeck’s ‘Take Five,’ screwing it up and making it my own. ‘Michael Raines’ [from 2000’s Spider West Myshkin and a City Bus] was me trying to play Springsteen, and I messed it up. “A lot of that comes from me messing up some other style of music that I can’t play. My own messed-up version. I still don’t know how to play ‘Take Five,’ and I’m still trying.”
DAVID
DONDERO JOURNEYMAN
Words: Scott Harrell Photo: David Dondero
JUST WHO THE HELL IS THIS DAVID DONDERO, EXACTLY, ANYWAY?
H
e’s the guy who put out
a couple of records with a South Carolina band called Sunbrain in the mid-’90s, then played drums for Pensacola, Florida folkpunks This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb for a while before heading out on his own. He’s the guy who’s released music on pretty much every label that you vaguely remember liking for that one artist a few years ago. (Hell, he’s probably that one artist you vaguely remember liking.) He’s the guy you heard opening for Lucero or Drag The River or Cory Branan a bunch of times while you were at the bar shooting the shit, the guy who acted a little awkward later when you paid him a compliment as
you were waiting for another beer. But mostly, he’s the guy who’s always, always always on the road, playing his original, alternately quirky, funny, touching and brilliant tunes, and winning new fans and comparisons to esteemed forbears like Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and Townes Van Zandt - one at a time. “It’s flattering,” says Dondero of the high praise. “I’m not sure I agree with it, I can be pretty self-deprecating. But I would love to be associated with those kinds of characters, I have a tremendous amount of respect for them, and have been influenced by them. It’s awesome.” The high praise and loyal fandom afforded Dondero undoubtedly come in part due to his unique ability to approach timeless
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singer-songwriter tropes - love, loss, travel - from an utterly unexpected angle. A David Dondero love song isn’t likely to rhyme “girl” with “world” in any context the listener is predisposed to expect; a David Dondero story-song is gonna focus on the little details that nobody else would’ve, perhaps could’ve, noticed. Such an individual perspective is built into his nature, but Dondero adds that he is to some extent conscious of trying to avoid the more obvious beaten-horse trappings of folk, rock and country. “I prefer to avoid clichés - which is impossible, because the whole process is pretty much a cliche in its own right, you know?” he says with a laugh. “The whole thing is kind of tired, the format, the guy with the guitar. I’m a walkin’, talkin’ cliché, right here. So you try to make it as non-
One singer-songwriter cliche he wholly embraces, however, is that old one about the lure of the highway - Dondero is an inveterate traveler, a performer who over years earned a reputation as a man truly without a home. He’s currently based out of San Francisco, but is already considering giving up his apartment for another endless round of touring. First, though, he’s got an actual destination to reach: Omaha, Nebraska, where he’ll be working with noted Saddle Creek Records engineer/collaborator A.J. Mogis on the follow-up to ‘07’s Simple Love, which will also be released on Omaha scene icon (and devoted Dondero supporter) Conor Oberst’s Team Love imprint. “It might be a bit more kind of tweakedout, high-lonesome, spaghetti-western [sounding],” he says, laughing. “With psychedelic undertones.” Or whatever messed-up version of his own he comes up with while trying? “Right, yeah. Not sure yet, but we’ll see. It’ll be fun to get some sounds down, I’m excited.” David Dondero plays WMNF 88.5 FM’s 28th Annual Tropical Heatwave at Ybor City’s Cuban Club on May 16.
MYSPACE.COM/ DAVEDONDERO
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MAY 2009 • REAX MUSIC Magazine • PAGE 25
REAX INTERVIEWS
ALKALINE TRIO Words: Ryan Patrick Hooper • Photos: Courtesy of Alkaline Trio
MATT SKIBA IS STATIONED IN A COLD, WHIMPERING VERSION OF DOWNTOWN CHICAGO AS THE FOOD NETWORK BLASTS FROM A HOLIDAY INN HOTEL ROOM. HIS FINGERNAILS ARE FRESHLY CLIPPED, AND WHILE THE ALKALINE TRIO FRONT MAN IS ONLY FOUR DAYS INTO THE BAND’S NEARLY TWO-MONTH TOUR, THE CHANCE TO RELAX IN A MAKESHIFT DAYROOM IS A WELCOMED PRIVILEGE.
T
hat sounds like depression,” coolly states Skiba, his sleepy tone and deep delivery a sharp fit for late-night jazz radio. “When I was 20, I chewed my fingernails off.” And in an instantly reflective reflex, Skiba continues, “when I was 20, I thought I had it all figured out. I thought I was a man, and I was so far from it. I’m 33 now, and it’s like Einstein said, ‘true wisdom is admitting that you don’t know anything.’” At the age of 20, Skiba formed Alkaline Trio just north of the same windy, rainy Chicago he finds himself touring through
now. While the faces of Alkaline Trio have changed over the years, the potent streak of dark, catacomb-creeping undertones that runs throughout the power-punk band’s catalog has remained intact - spawning a tremendous cult following of young and old fans who commonly use the anatomically correct “clavicle” when trying to be smooth and romantic. Throughout the trio’s 12-plus year run of living within the punk corridor while reaching to ears not prone to the genre, Skiba has witnessed (with great pleasure) the ups and downs of Alkaline Trio - from 2001’s From Here To Infirmary single “Stupid Kid” enjoying regular rotation
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on MTV2 to Skiba wandering the streets of London with liquor, along with an array of “other vices,” coursing through his veins. “The party had become more important than the show,” recollects Skiba. “I was always looking ahead rather than living in the moment. It wasn’t ever about cars or houses or fame or anything like that, but it was more about … if we were traveling in a van or a bus, flying coach or business - just dumb shit like that. I would be places and forget about it. I had come so far and I was blowing it - losing my voice from staying up all night and drinking, sucking during
shows because I felt horrible. It becomes a problem when it turns from going to a party and having a good time to a dark period in my life.” When asked to explore his “dark period” further, Skiba shyly responds, “It’s some scandalous shit. I’ve gone down some pretty dark roads - things my mother should never read. For me, I’m happy to have survived some things. I still love having a good time and I still love to party. It’s just that we all have clear heads now and a stronger understanding of who we are as people, where we’re going and where we’ve been. With age comes perspective.” Once Skiba reached his overseas epiphany, he began reaching out to those who mattered - family, friends and a 95-year-old woman who Skiba now calls one of his best friends. “My friend Nancy,” says Skiba, “is a meditation teacher. I met her through that, and we’ve remained friends for a long time.” According to Skiba, Nancy is the same woman who brought the Beatles to India and wrestled with filmmaker David Lynch’s inner psyche until he was able to properly meditate. “She is a fascinating, rad lady. She taught me to meditate,” but beyond that, she welcomed Skiba into a world of being an adult while still being able to maintain a certain level of carefree flare. “You’ve got to be an adult about certain things, certain decisions and you’ve got to take responsibility,” he explains. “But having
fun is just as important. You have to be able to laugh at yourself and laugh at the cruelty of life.” But did the stumbling, sloppy and belligerent twentysomething Skiba ever imagine that the 33-year-old version of himself would be not only living in freakishly star-struck Los Angeles, but surfing every day, hitting the gym and unrolling the yoga mat to meditate the afternoon away? “To be honest, I didn’t see myself living to 30 and I didn’t really care. I wasn’t unhappy or suicidal, I just couldn’t imagine it. “Now, I think back to when I was twenty and wonder who that guy was,” he continues with a laugh. “I’m a really different person now. That old version of me would say, ‘What, dude? You surf every day and live in Los Angeles of all places?’ But now, it makes sense. ‘Oh, you’re going to be stoked on life and still be in your band? Because of these healthy and positive elements in your life, you can still hit the road like you do?’ That old version of me would be pretty excited.” Skiba’s tone and focus is one of clarity and mature perspective, a result of making it through the best of times and living through the worst, of finding success in happiness and being content with his own being. Since his tricky transition from boyhood to manhood - only two decades old and fronting a wildly successful band - Skiba has known no life but the one he has pursued throughout the years with great artistic persistence. And, when exploring the musical core of all the nonsensical, binge-drinking repercussions in between, Skiba can hear the maturity in Alkaline Trio’s sound, not only on last fall’s Agony & Irony, but also on the new material the band is currently preparing for recording sessions this summer. “We’re not only evolving as people, but we’re evolving as a band,” he says. “People will say, ‘Your new record doesn’t sound anything like your first record.’ Of course not! We’re different people now… although we still go about things the same way. We still have certain things in mind when we write lyrics. We still write songs the same way. We still get the same sort of accomplishment from [recording an album] and making music with your best friends. There are people who refuse to play their old stuff because they are changed men. That’s understandable, but those are songs people want to hear, that people appreciate … and so should you.” Alkaline Trio in Florida: May 9 - House of Blues, Orlando May 10 - Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale May 12 - Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg
ALKALINETRIO.COM
WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW “People are smarter than you think, and they can see through bullshit. Even if you’re singing about pepperoni pizza or whatever, make sure what you’re singing about is the truth. We’ve been successful because people see an element of honesty in our songs.”
WATER IS A GOOD THING “Don’t drink too much, and make sure you drink a lot of water. Have fun, but be careful out there. There has been a plethora of people not as fortunate as me who have gone down the dark road of drugs and alcohol never to return.”
ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEATBELT “When you’re on tour, always wear your seatbelt and always have a sober driver … always. Make sure you gear is packed securely. You want to make sure you and your equipment is safe if the van were ever to take a tumble down a highway ditch.”
MAMA KNOWS BEST “When you’re on the road, it’s really easy to lose track of the days, but always remember to call your mom! Don’t ever forget your mom’s birthday. I forgot her birthday once, and it still wakes me up in the middle of the night.”
LAUGHTER IS MEDICINE “Don’t ever forget to laugh at yourself. Don’t take yourself too seriously because if you do, you are absolutely screwed.”
MAY 2009 • REAX MUSIC MAgAzInE • PAGE 27
REAX INTERVIEWS Edmond says the aim of the new album was to make a record that the band members liked, and not necessarily an album that the public would. “Our band goal is always to make an album we are proud and happy with,” says the drummer. “We’ve never really put all our worth in selling records or being signed, so we made a big point to not worry about that kind of stuff when making the record.” Rainn Wilson, also known as Dwight Schrute from the NBC comedy The Office, is a big fan of the band. On March 30th, Wilson wrote on twitter.com “u guys know MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA!? u should & u will b/c they ROCK!! (and they’re doing an 11 part concept video.)” Edmond says he thought that it was great for Wilson to recognize the band, since the band members are also big fans of his work.
ALLUSIONS & ASSOCIATIONS
MANCHESTER
ORCHESTRA Words: Evan Tokarz • Photo: James Minchin III
MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA IS NOT AN ORCHESTRA. DESPITE THE NAME, MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA IS, IN FACT, AN INDIE-ROCK BAND FROM ATLANTA. ONE OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE LIKES OF BRAND NEW AND KEVIN DEVINE, AS ALL THREE ACTS HAVE TOURED TOGETHER.
S
imilar to Brand New, M.O.’s
lyrics have a brutal honesty at times. Lead singer and songwriter Andy Hull gives a handy introduction to his psyche in the first lines of new album Mean Everything to Nothing when he sings, “I am the only one who thinks I’m going crazy/and I don’t know what to do/I am the only son of a pastor I know/who does the things I do.” Hull, whose father is a pastor, explained the origins of the band’s name in an interview with Cleveland, Ohio alternative newsweekly CleveScene: “I was listening to a lot of Morrissey and the Smiths,” Hull said. “So the city of Manchester really fascinated me, as did the idea of being the leader of an orchestra and having all my friends come in to play.”
In a way, the drummer for the band, Jeremiah Edmond, belongs to Hull’s idea of an orchestra of friends.
“Often what you’re really proud of doesn’t line up with what everyone else thinks,” says Edmond.
Edmond, who has his own producing company, Fifth Story Music, helped found Manchester Orchestra’s label Favorite Gentlemen Recordings with other members of the band. The imprint has gone on to put out more than ten records in the last year, including Mean Everything to Nothing.
However, critics seem to like Mean Everything to Nothing: Absolutepunk. net gave it a 93% rating, and the glossy monthly Alternative Press (AP) gave it five stars.
Edmond says the record is definitely different from the last album, I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child, explaining that the band sought to explore new sounds that they might have been hesitant to play on previous records. Even if some fans and critics may not completely like the result, artistic vision is something worth putting up a fight for.
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Edmond lists Nirvana’s In Utero, Foo Fighters’ The Colour and the Shape, and Weezer’s Pinkerton as albums that inspired the band during the making of the record. The band’s goal was not to make their record sound technically like these albums, which they consider classics; instead, they thought it would be nice if the album could affect the listener in the same way the albums affected them when they first listened to them.
The Emmy-award winning team of Clay Lipsky and Jason Bognacki from Destroy Rock Music, Inc. direct the 11-part concept video that Wilson references. The directors made a music video for Manchester Orchestra’s track “I Can Barely Breathe” from the band’s last album, I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child, and the band liked it so much, they hired the team to make videos for each song on the new album. Every two weeks, the band will release a video in consecutive order from the album. “There’s one character that goes through each one - there’s not a full-on story, but they’re all connected in a way,” Edmond says. “It’s very cool to make something ourselves and then hand it off to them and see what it inspires them to create.” The members of Manchester Orchestra enjoy Florida. According to Edmond, they want to make sure to have more shows down here, since they always have a good time: “There was a long spell where we weren’t able to make it to Florida, but we’ve been lucky to have a lot of great fans who stuck with us through that,” he says. Specifically, Edmond is partial to Orlando’s semi-legendary club The Social, formerly known as the Sapphire Supper Club. He says that despite the small stage, which can make playing difficult, they always have a great time at that venue. “We like to get out and do what we do best: play live,” he says. Manchester Orchestra in Florida: June 2 - State Theatre, St. Petersburg June 3 -The Social, Orlando June 4 - The Social, Orlando
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REAX INTERVIEWS
great tour, an amazing package.” And hopefully the jump-off for a new echelon of success for the Swedes. Crossing the Rubicon was recorded in L.A, New York City, and Malma, Sweden, and boasts a swaggering list of production credits, including James Iha, Tim Anderson and Matt Mahaffey. While the record maintains what Rodriguez terms “The Sounds energetic vibe,” Crossing The Rubicon trades the simple and fun-loving electro-dance-pop of past releases for a more polished sound, one which takes its influence from a broader range of genres. Aforementioned single “No One Sleeps When I’m Awake” offers an easy introduction to the record, showcasing the signature fans expect. But the record quickly proves a deftly crafted experiment in different genres, including the ‘80s rapinfluenced “Beatbox” and the intricately layered and darkly melodic title track.
INDEPENDENTLY MAINSTREAM
THE SOUNDS Words: Becca Nelson • Photo: Birte Filmer
THE SOUNDS HAVE A BUSY SUMMER AHEAD OF THEM, AND THEY LIKE IT THAT WAY.
T
he Swedish indie rockers
are set to release their third full-length album, Crossing the Rubicon, on June 2, followed immediately by a high-profile US tour as support for No Doubt and Paramore. The record has already received thorough praise, and the band performed the first single, “No One Sleeps When I’m Awake,” to positive response from over 4,000 fans at a recent Hollywood Palladium show. I spoke with guitarist and founding member Felix Rodriguez, back Stateside after finishing a three-week European tour with Fall Out Boy.
popularity. While the bandmates don’t think of themselves as going mainstream, they welcome the chance to play to a new audience. “I don’t know that we’re moving in that direction,” says Rodriguez. “We write what comes from our heart, and it’s not like we think about being more mainstream when we do that. In the United States, we have a more indie following, but I think if we play in front of a broader audience, we’ll gain some new fans.”
“That was a lot of fun,” he blithely remarks of their spring jaunt with the wildly popular pop-punk quartet. “The shows were amazing, but it’s really different playing for Fall Out Boy fans, they are very different than our own. You have to put on a really good show. And we did.”
Not that their fanbase isn’t impressive as is. The band has an eclectic group of celebrity admirers, including Quentin Tarantino, Pharrell, Britney Spears and Bam Margera. Dave Grohl proudly sported a Sounds t-shirt in the video for the Foo Fighters’ “Times Like These.” And while the band just keeps getting bigger and better, they maintain humble ideals about their place in pop culture.
Their success in Europe seems an auspicious start to their summer schedule, and one that signals a new direction for the band. Originally lauded as an indie “new New Wave” success, The Sounds now find themselves on the brink of mainstream
“In the States, a lot of people like to discover bands by themselves,” Rodriguez says. “I think that’s how we got discovered really, by word of mouth. You do a little show, someone talks about you, and when we play the next time they come out, even
PAGE 30 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • MAY 2009
if they haven’t really listened to us.” In the current industry climate of failing major labels and dwindling record sales, having a loyal live following is integral to a band’s success, and The Sounds know it. “It’s a live culture here in the states,” the guitarist acknowledges. “It’s good for us. Shows have become very important, that’s the key to spreading your music. We’ve always toured a lot, and we’re gonna keep doing it.” He isn’t kidding. Since the release of their ‘02 debut Living in America, the band has played over 800 shows in 25 countries. From small rooms across the U.S., to headlining slots on Warped and other summer tours, to stints with such indierock big dogs as The Strokes, Panic at the Disco, and aforementioned groupies Foo Fighters, The Sounds have gained an exceptional reputation for their energetic and compelling live show. But this summer will be their biggest tour yet. “We’re very excited,” Rodriguez affirms. “No Doubt is a great band. And we’re gonna go to places and play for people that have never heard us before. It’s a really
“It’s an intermission,” Rodriguez explains of “Crossing the Rubicon,” which offers the most complete departure from earlier recordings. “It’s a little bit dark, mysterious and it reflects the whole album with the title. It’s about where we’ve been for the past year. We’ve made important decisions in our career, and we’ve crossed a point where we can’t turn back.” Not that turning back is on any of their minds. Crossing the Rubicon is being released as a collaborative project by indie label Original Signal Recordings and Arnioki Records, the band’s own recently launched imprint. “That’s what we’ve always wanted to do,” says Rodriguez of the collaboration, and the artistic freedom it allows. “We didn’t have that on the last album because we were on [New Line], and once we were able to break free from that, the whole process came very naturally. It’s really good, it’s totally right for us to do. We have more fun when we are more involved and have more creative control. It’s extremely important to us.” While no plans are in the works to sign other artists, Rodriguez says it’s definitely a possibility that they may pick up another act: “It may be fun, if there’s a good band out there. But right now, we are focused on The Sounds.” And if this ambitious band has its way, a lot of others may find themselves focused on The Sound, too. The Sounds in Florida: June 2 - Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa (supporting No Doubt) June 3 - Cruzan Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach (supporting No Doubt) June 4 - Club Firestone, Orlando
MYSPACE.COM/THESOUNDS
thxmgmt
www.thxmgmtlive.com
upcomingevents
may, june, july ‘09
WEDNESDAY - MAY 6, 2009
SATURDAY - JUNE 27, 2009
* Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit
* Have Gun, Will Travel
w/ Red Cortez
9pm | $12/14 | 18 & Up
@ Crowbar
THURSDAY - JUNE 11, 2009
* Pontiak
w/ The Takers, Lauris Vidal, Truckstop Coffee 9pm | $7 | 21&Up
@ New World Brewery
w/ Headress, History 9pm | $8 | 18&Up
@ Crowbar
SATURDAY - MAY 9, 2009
* The Royal
w/ Proud Iron Lion, Olive Juice, & Special Guests TBA
FRIDAY - JULY 3, 2009
* The 3rd Annual Hot Dog Show
9pm | $6 | 21&Up
@ New World Brewery
7pm | $7 | 18&Up
@ Crowbar
FRIDAY - JUNE 19, 2009
Thx Mgmt & Transitions Art Gallery present
* Anthony Raneri of Bayside
w/ Andy Jackson of Hot Rod Circuit
SATURDAY - MAY 23, 2009
* Mother/Father
w/ The Jean Marie, Relo, Marian + DJ Colonic
Travis Adams (Inkwell) 7pm | $10/12 | ALL AGES!
@ Crowbar
FRIDAY - JULY 17, 2009
* Dignan
w/ The Dark Romantics
9pm | $6 | 18&Up
@ Crowbar
& Special Guests TBA 9pm | $7 | 18&Up
@ Crowbar
every wednesday Da Cypher Hosted By Aych
FRIDAY - JUNE 5, 2009
SATURDAY - JUNE 20, 2009
w/ Thomas Wynn & The Believers, The Beauvilles, The Junkyard Kings
w/ JunkieRush, Johnny Cakes & the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso
* Shawn Fisher & The JGs 9pm | $7 | 21 & Up
@ New World Brewery
* The Spam Allstars 9pm | $12/15 | 18&Up
@ Crowbar
Open Mic, Live Performances & MC Battles 10pm | $5 | 18&Up
@ Crowbar Crowbar
1812 N 17th Street - Ybor City - 813.241.8600
New World Brewery
1313 8th Ave E - Ybor City - 813.248.4969
website & pre-sale tickets: thxmgmtlive.com • myspace: myspace.com/thxmgmtlive twitter: twitter.com/thxmgmt • booking: joe@thxmgmtlive.com
REAX INTERVIEWS
new album? Did he just come in and tear off some stuff, or did he go home and work and write his own parts? MG: He did, actually. My perception of him as a player is that he’s definitely a focused individual who wants to sit down and construct something that fits. And to my knowledge, that’s what he did. He recorded it all and sent it to the producer, and we mixed it in so it fit.
REAX: Do you approach all the different collaborative situations the band finds itself in any differently than you approach Isis itself? MG: No, not really. There’s some degree of discussion with the individual in question, but generally it’s up to them to do whatever they want. And depending upon how it goes, it gets mixed accordingly. [Laughs] But we’ve been fortunate that we’ve enjoyed what anyone has ever put on our record. REAX: So you’ve never mixed something with no volume, so you could at least tell ‘em that it got on the record? MG: If you can get $10,000 headphones, you’ll be able to hear it. [Laughs]
ISIS
CRUSHING
BEAUTY
OVER THE COURSE OF A DOZEN YEARS, BOSTON’S ISIS HAS CONSISTENTLY STRETCHED THE BOUNDARIES OF HEAVY MUSIC BY INCORPORATING BOTH PUNK-SCENE ETHOS AND AVANT GARDE ADVENTUROUSNESS.
W
hile the band packed
up to hit the road and tour the magnificent new album Wavering Radiant, guitarist Michael Gallagher took some time to speak with REAX about the evolution of the group’s creative process.
wants his sound to be. It’s changed over the years a bit, but it’s always been there, so to speak. I think his sound is very clear, you can hear everything very well. Yes, part of that is mixing, but it’s also him knowing [from experience]. As far as the vocals, and them not being
REAX: You’re leaving for Japan on Friday. the primary thing, we’ve always looked at Having toured so much, do you have a set list of things to get and do that’s the same every time the week before you head out? MICHAEL GALLAGHER: Yeah, for the most part. There’s always some last-minute running around when you realize you don’t have this or that little thing, but the general list is intact and unfaltering, basically. It’s just a matter of whether you have time to get through it all.
REAX: One of the things I’ve always really liked about Isis is the mix, how the rhythms are right up front, and the guitars and vocals aren’t automatically pumped to drive everything. Has that always been a deliberate aesthetic of the band’s? MG: Yeah, it has. Also, [drummer] Aaron Harris is always very focused on how he
them as being another instrument, rather than being mixed out front for radio, or whatever. That’s kind of always been our aesthetic with that.
REAX: Are you very conscious of the subtle shifts and refinements of the band’s sound? Like, when you’re writing the next album, do you go, ‘this one needs a little more or less of certain elements?’ MG: We try not to repeat ourselves. There’s only so much you can do as a human being, because one, everything’s been done, and two, you spend a lot of time as an artist refining exactly what it is you do. So it’s difficult to break out entirely, but if we hear something that sounds like another band, or too close to something we’ve done in the past, we’ll abandon it, or
PAGE 32 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • MAY 2009
try to modify it.
REAX: How do you handle the related musical themes when writing or recording are you always thinking of the whole album, or do you find ways to connect the songs later in the process? MG: Generally, that’s handled by [guitarist/ vocalist] Aaron Turner. His approach thus far has been to wait until two thirds or three quarters of the record is done before he even starts talking about it, until he knows where the music is taking him, and sees where we are as individuals, and we try to incorporate whatever’s inspiring us at the time, throw it in a pot and stir it around until something comes. We’re all very much part of the process, but the embryo is definitely brought on by Aaron. REAX: Do you feel any particular obligation to the heavy-music scene, to the point of, ‘oh, maybe there’s too much mellow stuff on here?’ MG: Those feelings come - but whether or not it’s because we want to be aligned with a particular scene isn’t really the case. We’ve always been kind of the odd men out, as far as, ‘I don’t like them because they’re too mellow, or too heavy.’ I’m not saying we’re breaking all this new ground, but we had written all but two of the songs on this record, and we said among ourselves that it lacked some kind of heaviness, so basically the next two songs were two of the heaviest songs on the record. It’s more making it to our vision rather than someone else’s liking. REAX: How did the collaboration with [Tool guitarist] Adam Jones go down for the
REAX: Are you ever surprised by the groups and sounds people come up with to compare Isis to? MG: That does surprise me sometimes, but it’s almost always a compliment. This 60-year-old guy came up to us after a show somewhere out west and was like, ‘that was awesome, you guys are like [‘70s psych-rock act] Hawkwind.’ I don’t think that’s the biggest stretch necessarily, but it was still surprising for someone to pull that from a live experience. Yeah, it’s surprising what people come up with, and it has more to do with their musical background than anything else. REAX: I’ve seen the band several times, and I’ve occasionally seen that look on members’ faces, like the mix isn’t right. How important is perfect live sound to you guys? MG: Perfect is obviously never gonna happen, but … the Tool tour was wonderful, because they have obviously top-shelf equipment, and a monitor guy paying really close attention every night. Those shows were some of the more exciting ones to play for us, just sonically speaking. We’ve played really small clubs with horrible systems, and still had wonderful nights, some very inspiring nights, actually. It doesn’t always need to be the case, but it will certainly help you if you can get by, and it sounds good. You’re just more likely to enjoy your night, and give more to the audience. Isis plays Orlando’s Social May 25, Gainesville’s Common Grounds May 26, and Jacksonville’s Jack Rabbits May 27 with Pelican, no less. Wavering Radiant is out now on Ipecac.
MYSPACE.COM/SGN105
34
SOAPBOX UPCOMING RELEASES ISSUE 36
UPCOMING RELEASES ARTIST
ARTIST
BIKE FOR THREE! MORE HEART
Alasdair Roberts British Sea Power Cam’ron Christopher Tignor Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band Cracker Deradoorian Double Dagger El Grupo Nuevo de Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Electric Owls Fischerspooner Hopewell Isis Jon Hopkins Jon Mueller Kiila Kiki Magik Markers Mastodon Mika Miko New York Dolls Niobe Our Brother The Native Peaches Pink Mountaintops Rodriguez Shout Out Out Out St. Vincent Tara Jane O’Neil The Vaselines
COMPANY FLOW FUNCRUSHER PLUS (REISSUE) DEF JUX
Spoils Man of Aran Crime Pays Core Memory
Drag City Rough Trade Asylum Western Vinyl
Outer South Sunrise in the Land of Milk & Honey Minde Raft EP More
Merge 429 Lovepump United Thrill Jockey
Cryptomnesia Ain’t Too Bright Entertainment Good Good Desperation Wavering Radiant Insides Physical Changes Tuota Tuota Kaiku Balf Quarry Crack The Skye (vinyl) We Be Xuxa Cause I Sez So Blackbird’s Echo Sacred Psalms I Feel Cream Outside Love Coming From Reality (reissue) Reintegration Time Actor A Ways Away Enter The Vaselines
Rodriguez-Lopez Vagrant FS Studios Tee Pee Ipecac Domino Table of Elements Fona Bpitch Control Drag City Reprise PPM Atco Tomlab FatCat XL Recordings Jagjaguwar Light in the Attic Normals Welcome 4AD K Sub Pop
MAY 12
BIG BUSINESS MIND THE DRIFT HYDRA HEAD
THAN BRAINS ANTICON.
LABEL
MAY 05
SET ‘EM FREE DEAD OCEANS
LABEL
MAY 19
ALBUM
AKRON/FAMILY SET ‘EM WILD,
ALBUM
SAVATH Y SAVALAS LA LLAMA STONES THROW
A Hawk and a Handsaw Clues The Curious Mystery Current 93 Desolation Wilderness Elfin Saddle The Field Hockey Intelligence Iron & Wine James Blackshaw Jarvis Cocker Jason Lytle Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard John Vanderslice Liechtenstein The Monahans Tara Jane Tune-Yards The Warlocks
IRON & WINE AROUND THE WELL SUB POP
Delivrance Clues Rotting Slowly Aleph at Allucinatory Mountain No Tomorrow b/w Pacific Palisa Ringing for The Begin Again Yesterday and Today Mind Chaos Fake Surfers Around the Well The Glass Bead Game Further Complications Yours Truly, the Commuter
Leaf Constellation K Coptic Cat K Constellation AntiCapitol In The Red Sub Pop Young God Rough Trade Anti-
Em Are I Romanian Names Survival Strategies In a Modern World Low Pining O’Neil A Ways Away Bird Brains The Mirror Explodes
Rough Trade Dead Oceans Slumberland Misra K Marriage Records Tee Pee
MAY 26
BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW EATING US GRAVEFACE
Bachelorette Bardo Pond The Brian Jonestown Massacre Cave City Center Gay Beast Grizzly Bear James Blackshaw Khanate The Lava Children Lindstrom & Prins Thomas Phoenix Sharon Van Etten Sir Richard Bishop Viva Voce Xasthur
SUN O ))) MONOLITHS AND
DIMENSIONS SOUTHERN LORD
My Electric Family Gazing At Shilla
Drag City Important
Smoking Acid EP Psychic Psummer City Center Second Wave Veckatimest The Glass Bead Game Clean Hands Go Foul The Lava Children II Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix Because I Was in Love The Freak of Araby Rose City All Reflections Drained
A Records Important Type1 Skin Graft Warp Young God Hydra Head Graveface Eskimo Glassnote Language of Stone Drag City Barsuk Hydra Head
JUNE 02-09 Art Brut Caethua Children The Church The Crystal Method The Durutti Column Hanne Hukkelberg Jeremy Enigk Mark Kozelek Mäximo Park Meanderthals Mike Watt Passion Pit Phoenix SND Steve Earle Torngat Trainwreck Riders Weinland The Wooden Birds
Art Brut vs. Satan Village of the Damned Hard Times Hanging At the End of the World Untitled #23 Divided by Night Love in the Time of Recession Blood From a Stone Ok Bear Lost Verses Live Quicken the Heat Desire Lines Funland Manners Kitsune Tabloid Atavism Townes La Petite Nicole The Perch Breaks in the Sun Magnolia
PAGE 34 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • MAY 2009
Downtown Blue Sanct Kemado Second Motion Tiny e Fulfill Nettwerk Lewis Hollow Caldo Verde Warp Smalltown Smog Veil Records Frenchkiss Kitsune Raster-Norton New West Alien8 Alive Jealous Butcher Barsuk
BUSDRIVER JHELLI BEAM ANTI-
Anti-Flag Cosmos Eels Greg Kowalsky Headdress Joan of Arc Mike Snow Mos Def Quest For Fire Sonic Youth Spinnerette Tartufi White Hills
The People or the Gun Jar of Jam Ton of Bricks Hombre Lobo Tape Chants Lunes Flowers Mike Snow The Ecstatic Quest For Fire The Eternal Spinnerette Nests Of Waves and Wire Heads on Fire
DIRTY PROJECTORS BITTE ORCA DOMINO
Side One Dummy Happy Jack Rock Vagrant Kranky No Quarter Polyvinyl Downtown Downtown Tee Pee Matador Anthem/RED Southern Thrill Jockey
36
SOAPBOX PRODUCT PLACEMENT ISSUE 36
PRODUCT PLACEMENT BRUCE CAMPBELL COLLECTION DVD There’s a better version already floating around the U.K. that also includes the beloved Bubba Ho-Tep and the truly, truly awful My Name Is Bruce, but here in the States, BC aficionados will at least be able to get some twofer Campbell B-movie action come May 12. This new combo pack pairs a couple of Campbell culties from ‘05, Alien Apocalypse and The Man with the Screaming Brain.
$14.98, AMAZON.COM
SMOKER Smoked meat and fish taste excellent, mostly because it’s a traditional, old-school, pain-in-theass process most people don’t understand; it’s exotic, and therefore better. Screw that. Stick some wood chips in this relatively small (like, dormfridge small) stainless steel beauty along with up to nearly 40 pounds of ... whatever you want to taste smoky, and let it do its thing. How do we know it’ll taste as good as those awesome recipes at finer southwestern restaurants? Because it’s freakin’ expensive, that’s how.
$799.95, SURLATABLE.COM
PAGE 36 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • MAY 2009
KEYCHAIN DRIVE THAT LOOKS LIKE A KEY Every week, there’s a cool new USB drive design that’s generally only cool until the next cool USB drive gets out there. But LaCie’s stylish iamaKey drive is both clever and timeless simply because it doesn’t look cheesily out of place where most thumbers end up. Also, for small devices, metal almost always looks cooler than plastic. Its “gold SIP technology” keeps the contact end scratchand water-resistant, and it comes in both 4 and 8 GB sizes.
$26.99/36.99, LACIE.COM
SHOTCARVER
Transform any ol’ piece of useless, unhealthy fruit into a decanter for drams of wholesome, nourishing booze. In seconds! Turn a bushel of apples in interesting, conversationstarting shot glasses for your next “go to hell, vitamins and fiber” party. It also easily gouges a nice bottleneck hole out of a watermelon for some vodkainfusing action.
$11.99, COOLSTUFFEXPRESS.COM
IDEAPAINT
An absolutely genius, um, idea. Turn an office wall or the whole kid’s bedroom into a dry-erase board. Never be without a space for jotting ideas or appointments, or just indulging artistic inspiration. Of course, if it ever stops being used that glaring white space is going to start putting some pretty weird ideas into the old noggin, but hopefully such a blank canvas won’t ever stop providing the inclination to write or draw or just remind one that one has a drug test at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
ABOUT $4/SQ. FT., IDEAPAINT.COM
PRODUCT PLACEMENT SOAPBOX ISSUE 36
SPACE INVADERS COASTERS
These killer retro-themed drink-ring-martyrs are immaculatedly crafted out of hundreds of teensy squares of wood, making them much more stylish than some rubber beer mats with hip jokey text added to photos from a garage-sale album that somebody picked up at Metropolitan House. Also, invaders from space!
$50, ETSY.COM
37
RIFLE BBQ LIGHTER
You’ve got your apron with the clever sex pun on. You’ve got huge slabs of dead animal that you might as well have hunted and killed yourself. You’ve probably got at least seven beers in you, and you’re about to show the world your mastery of fire, one of nature’s most powerful forces. But if all that still doesn’t make you feel quite masculine enough, well then, here, get the whole thing rolling with this 14-inch fake gun. That throw it over the top for ya, Conan?
$9.99, BASSPROSHOPS.COM
GUITAR HANGER CLASSIC GAMING T Faux Sure only prints all of its cool, kitschy, often endearingly retro designs (like this one) on American Apparel shirts. And if you don’t like this one - well, if you don’t like this one then you probably got laid in high school, but that’s beside the point - there are a ton of other worthwhile graphics to browse. But how could you not like this one? It’s OK to like video games and computers in the new millennium, you know. Sometimes it even gets you laid.
Got so many guitars you’ve actually wished for an extra empty closet to hang ‘em all in? Now you’re halfway there; this ingenious little gadget takes up pretty much zero space, and provides the kind of neck-dangling aesthetic used by many of the world’s finest retailers. And who needs a whole extra closet? Just run a bar along the wall or ceiling in your rec room or jam space, and you’ve got both accessible storage and eye candy for as many or few guitars as you’ve got.
PRICE UNKNOWN, THEGUITARHANGER.COM
$21.50, ETSY.COM
SUSHI TUBE
The coolest, most modern and helpful specialty shortcut kitchen device ever made, or a horrible, nightmarish perversion of reality? You decide, depending on how long you’re willing to wait for homemade sushi.
$19.98, LIGHTERSIDE.COM
MINI-GOLF RUG This is pretty much the ultimate decorative middle finger to anyone who might wonder if you’re spending your time in the office wisely - “work? I’m so successful I don’t even really need this space, one idea and I’m done for the day, I’m only here so they’ll see me in the hall from time to time.” The Putt Up Or Shut Up Rug comes with several swatches of “rough,” so you can configure your own indoor mini-golf holes. Smug sense of self-entitlement masking childlike insecurity not included.
$139.99, FLOR.COM
MAY 2009 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 37
38
SOAPBOX BOOK REVIEW / DVD REVIEW ISSUE 36
BOOK REVIEW
THIS BOOK IS BROKEN: A BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE STORY BY STUART BERMAN
ABRAHAM LINCOLN THOMAS JEFFERSON BILL CLINTON RICHARD NIXON GEORGE W. BUSH
BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW EATING US
I
’ve got to take a cue from
author Berman - who states at the beginning of This Book Is Broken that his personal relationship with his subjects automatically makes the book something other than a wholly objective journalistic endeavor - and tear down the whole “detached observer” firewall for a minute, for the sake of context: I’ve never really liked Broken Social Scene. When it comes to Toronto’s biggest little pop-music commune, I don’t “get it;” I just don’t like most of the music. When I’d admit this to any member of the BSS faithful, they’d invariably roll their eyes, and try to tell me that it’s not just about the music, that if I knew the story, the friendships and romantic relationships and independence and band-incest and inspiration and scene-shaping and reliance on one another, I’d “get it.” And I’d nod thoughtfully and appear to consider the point, and think, bullshit. All that stuff might make me respect them more as individuals and musicians, or suspect that I might like to hang out and have a beer with ‘em, but it’s not going to change my mind about liking the band. Because you like a band because you like the songs, right? Right? This Book Is Broken is that story - the friendships and romantic relationships and independence and band-incest and inspiration and scene-shaping and reliance on one another of Broken Social Scene - told largely in an oral-history format. And it’s totally enthralling. Divided into chapters that chronicle vaguely defined eras of the band’s existence against the backdrop of Toronto’s evolving indie/ alternative music scene, Broken sets the stage for key periods and occurrences via Berman’s insightful, impassioned introductions, then lets the folks involved - both directly and peripherally - tell their tale.
when it comes to BSS) Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. The chance meetings and friendships made. The impossible-to-overestimate influence of “brother band” Do Make Say Think. The magically serendipitous basement recording sessions for Feel Good Lost; the magically collaborative studio recording sessions for You Forgot It In People; the bizarrely splintered recording sessions for Broken Social Scene. The concurrent careers of Feist, Metric and Sparks, as well as other well-known Canadian indie acts whose members passed through along the way. The founding of Arts & Crafts Records by Drew and friend/ former Virgin Music employee Jeffrey Remedios. The life-changing South by Southwest showcases. The reputationchanging fake “last gigs.” The long, long list of voices represented here does an excellent job of evoking that sort of barely restrained chaos that defines BSS’ process (if the band can even be said to have one), and if a certain entitled sense of “we know we’re a part of something really special” starts to waft off the pages, it’s obviously more because these people really believe it than out of some subconscious arrogance. It’s an endlessly interesting story, an original one amid the usual rock-bio cliches, and told here in an honest, inventive and consistently engaging way. Reading This Book Is Broken did make me respect the folks involved with Broken Social Scene more as individuals with musicians, and it did lead me to suspect that I might like to hang out and have a beer with several of ‘em. I “get it” now, I suppose. But has “getting it” changed the way I feel about Broken Social Scene, the band? Well ... it did make me want to go back and take another couple of passes through their catalog. Damn, that’s a good book.
It’s all covered. The respective artschool and scene-guy backgrounds of nominal “founders” (you soon find that nothing is exactly by-the-band-book
HOUSE OF ANANSI PRESS - Scott Harrell
PAGE 38 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • MAY 2009
Taking aside the annoying preciousness of the BMSR concept - the crunchy-granola pseudonyms, the flowers-in-the-glen mythology, the ridiculously limited releases - the group’s music provides quite a bit to chew on. The spacious soundscapes, the seamless blending of seemingly incompatible instrumentation (banjoes and synths? Sure!), the sense that this is the sound of the future of psychedelia ... all of it makes for a compelling listen. When you put the music and the imagery together, though, you end up with some sort of Upper Appalachian rendition of a collision between Mercury Rev and Air. Thankfully, on the group’s fourth full-length album, BMSR has put the music front and center. Entering a fullfledged modern recording studio for the first time and, as part of the process, employing a full-fledged producer/engineer (Dave Fridmann) to assist Tobacco and crew with bringing their quirky musical visions to life, Eating Us winds up being the most intoxicating release from this lysergic band yet. The drippy, dreamy electronic flourishes of songs past are amplified and, although the vocoder is still in full effect, the lilting melodicism of the vocals invigorates songs like “Dark Bubbles” and “Tooth Decay” with a crispness and catchiness that, though certainly quirky, winds up making for an exceptional and substantial listening experience. (GRAVEFACE) - Jason Ferguson
BOB MOULD
LIFE AND TIMES Bob Mould has fast become my arthritic golden retriever, and this album is his attempt at climbing the sofa. Like longgone days of tennis ball chasing, those glorious Minneapolis nights of shattering land speed records, pumping out sweat-soaked hardcore to the hardcore Hüsker faithful now only exist in shoddy home vids and nostalgic childhood memories. And while nobody expects rowdy guitar rock from this guy 15 years clear of Sugar, we should ask more of our punk heroes than vanilla AOR and ruminations on middle-aged relational turmoil. “MM17” and follow-up “Argos” rock like 1995, but these occasional signs of life prove only a pair of ominous beeps portending flatline. Life and Times’ opening title track better represents
the space Mould fills at this stage of the game in that it’s only a few f-bomb edits away from scoring the new American Idol theme. Likewise, “I’m Sorry, Baby, But You Can’t Stand In My Light Anymore,” in addition to being an inappropriately named single, sips from the decaffeinated latte of Adult Contemporary. It’s hard to swallow, for sure - a gaping limp in song. We put our dog down a day after her thirteenth birthday. With this kind of suffering, there’s no end in sight. (ANTI-) - Robert J. Hilson
THE DECEMBERISTS
THE HAZARDS OF LOVE Jumping the indie ship for a major label can either make or break a band nowadays. Groups such as Death Cab For Cutie, The Shins, and Rilo Kiley all ran the risk of losing their indie sensibility and poise when they signed on with the bigwigs of the industry. Fortunately, while the dollar signs got bigger, the offerings never faltered (except for Rilo’s last release). Portland, Oregon’s The Decemberists also followed in the same footsteps with 2006’s The Crane Wife, and now return with their second major-label release, the rock-opera concept album The Hazards of Love. The album tells the tale of Margaret, and the foray into misadventure that eventually leads to her death. Songwriter Colin Meloy serves up a variety of styles ranging from the lowly and swaying ballads his band have always been known for to the previously undiscovered territory of bang-your-head rock riffs. They are joined by the alluring and commanding voices of Lavender Diamond’s Becky Stark (Margaret) and My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden (the Forest Queen). The narrative is difficult to follow at times unless you have the lyric sheet right in front of you; yet, for the most part, the music of the 17-song opus is rightfully presented with little or no convention. Highlights include the tender and sweet “Isn’t It a Loving Night” and the account of the villain of the story’s childmurdering ways in “The Rake Song.” Major label status has served The Decemberists well so far. They have rightfully gained more than they have lost. However, with such a bookish album like Hazards, one cannot deny that they are aiming a bit too high. Being on a bigger label means reaching a bigger audience; but what about the loyal fans who miss the days of the simplistic Castaways & Cutouts or the considerably more mild literary musings of Picaresque? Do we get more overdone theatric ambiance a la Hazards next time around? Or can we rest a little easier with something similar to their Always a Bridesmaid series? (CAPITOL) - Nick Truden
MUSIC REVIEWS SOAPBOX ISSUE 36
AKRON/FAMILY
SET ‘EM WILD, SET ‘EM FREE The art of album sequencing may very well have all but faded away like audio tape, Jiffy Pop and 30-second commercial breaks. Some believe great albums often have great sequences, but in this age of “free” music mis-labeling, truncated downloading sessions and ripped CDs, not having sufficient meta-data often leads to spoiling the intended presentation of any given full-length. However, audiophiles, independent producers, and songwriters have been known to pay attention to the order songs are placed on an album. The best sequences arrange the songs in a way that makes one feel like a live set, like the music doesn’t stop, like it flows, even when there are breaks and silences. Set ‘em Free is Akron/Family’s fourth album, and a welcome return to the dedication to time and creativity put into their superb selftitled album. You know, that album Michael Gira assisted the world in hearing with relative ease. Having read of the derision among Akron/Family’s fanbase about their ensuing catalog, I expect those that bother to tune in this time around will find satisfaction. Set ‘em Free is a kind of return to what hooked fans initially: variety. The cut “Everyone Is Guilty” begins with what seem to be rhythms inspired by the greats of modern African music alongside simple percussion, before morphing into what could only be described as vintage Chili Pepper-isms (a.k.a. “cracker funk” - credit: me). From what might seem like a poor beginning for the album-opening cut, familiar soft refrains build up, giving way to slightly more rock-inspired chants. The track then detours through a drunken garage version of a classic Yes breakdown before a quick return to Chili Town, mixed with horn, string and vocal flourishes. “What?!” is right. Only a few aside from Akron/Family could mix so many seemingly disparate styles into one track and have it sound like something other than total pig slop. Tracking perceived influences is a normally endless source of review content, and often tiresome, but in the past it has worked for this reviewer, so on with the hack. The tiitle track is a great feel-good acoustic cut that sounds like Mercury Rev taking a ride down a California highway in a convertible. Take “Creatures” and “Many Ghosts,” add 3D, Tricky and dub it out, and you have something that might pass as new Massive Attack tracks. “Gravelly Mountains Of The Moon” bears a minuscule resemblance to “Italy” from the band’s great first album, but is a more ramped-up freefor-all once the rock actually rolls. “MBF” is a great, unexpected skronky noise-inspired track, and a much-welcomed addition to a largely non-threatening record. “The Alps & Their Orange Evergreen” will work on the chicks and wuss-rock fans. With infinitely less sap or self-centered melodrama than Iron & Wine’s Postal Service cover, “Alps” delivers the heartfelt, feet-up on an international frontporch swing. Set ‘em Free is a hands down five-star album made all the more sweet by the fact that Akron/Family hails from my own hometown in Western Penn State. Self-
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referential-isms aside, think of it as an Afro-pop-inspired hippie version of current independent rock: of the moment and future primitive. (And by the way, the album sequence is spot-on.) (DEAD OCEANS) - Lance Robson
WOODS
SONGS OF SHAME Where have these guys been? Where have I been? This is their fourth release. Where have you been? This whole album explodes in glitters and fireworks. The perfect soundtrack for cruising back from the beach. It’s grounded in folk elements and the better portions of acoustic Cobain; but the ballads maintain a remarkable contemplative edge due to the glow of sober-Nico vocals. It’s like the sounds of a cult I want to join. And jangles abound, and everything swerves lo-fi into pastures that conjure the forlornness of sunset while the harmonies rise and sliding guitars glide longer and longer and sometimes shriek amid coquettish vocals. (SHRIMPER) - Shawn Goldberg
BOOKER T.
POTATO HOLE At a glance, Potato Hole looks to place on the rock ‘n’ roll bucket list somewhere in between Brian Wilson’s Smile and Little Richard’s cameo on The Young and the Restless. Booker T. Jones, flanked by young pups Drive-By Truckers, dusts off the trusty Hammond B-3 and coaxes cranky collaborator Neil Young out of his ecogarage long enough to kick out a few jams, for old times’ sake. That’s how it reads on paper, anyway. But paper doesn’t account for synergy or ragged glory, and from the sawtoothed crash of opener “Pound It Out,” it’s pretty freakin’ clear that these are the forces at work. In fact, the resulting instrumentals are so crisp, so heavy, that it makes you wonder if crusty accomplice Young gave Jones more than he’d bargained for - like T. placed a call to Harvest’s old man and in his stead turned up Cortez the Killer himself. If so, one man’s miscalculation is the same man’s career revival. In the crunching originals, Jones, content to dodge and weave with ice-cold organ grooves, plays a glass-meets-brick foil to young Neil, who at 63, seems dead set on reenacting the Invasion of Normandy one riff at a time. On “Native New Yorker” and “Warped Sister,” good-time organ lines clear the decks for a Gibson Les Paul tuned to seek and destroy. Not to be outdone, Jones steals back his own show on the nostalgically soulful “Space City,” and with a raving-mad cover of Outkast’s “Hey Ya,” the steely vets together turn a glinting eye on a jaded generation - hold off kiddies: this ain’t no requiem. (ANTI-) - Robert J. Hilson
MAY 2009 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 39
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SOAPBOX MUSIC REVIEWS ISSUE 36
CAMERA OBSCURA
MY MAUDLIN CAREER Indie-pop veterans Camera Obscura can still get their fans excited when it comes time to release a new album. That time has come again with the Scottish sextet’s fourth studio album. CO has been that one band throughout the years with songs that are OK to have stuck in your head for a long period of time. Even though they’ve stuck to the same trademark dream-pop-meets-doowop sound that has defined them for so long, it’s impossible to hate them. The word maudlin translates to being foolishly sentimental, a theme that has been consistent with each CO album, but has never been blatantly touched upon until now. While 2006’s Let’s Get Out Of This Country allowed us to sample a slice of that emotive pie, My Maudlin Career allows us to indulge ourselves in the misery. The album follows the storyline of a fleeting romance slipping through the cracks, with opening track “French Navy” setting the stage for a bitter break-up. It then begins to explore the attitude and sentiment of letting someone go through singer Tracyanne Campbell’s lyrics in “The Sweetest Thing” when she intones, “I’m going on a date tonight to try to fall out of love with you.” This theme continues right through the meat of the album before it ends on an uplifting and heartening high note with “Honey In The Sun,” which gives the listener a late, but much-needed reprieve from the bleak mood of the ten previous tracks. Every album has been one solid work of art after another; mostly due to CO’s “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” songwriting code. Leave it to Campbell to craft flawless prose to match the swinging and fluttering melodies the rest of the band brings to form one neat little package that makes them so irresistible, and never easy to dismiss. (4AD) - Nick Truden
HEAVYWEIGHT DUB CHAMPION
RISE OF THE CHAMPION NATION I guess that, because we now call things “rock” that have the barest elements in common with rock, and we now call things “punk” that actually have nothing at all in common with punk, it’s OK that HDC’s Rise of the Champion Nation sort of, kind of slides into sounding a little like “dub” every once in a while, in the sense that there are some interesting syncopations and low-end manipulations. Like other contemporary releases by contributors like Dr. Israel and peers like Dub Gabriel, what Rise is, really, is globally, socially and spiritually aware hip-hop that looks far beyond the sonic boundaries of most rap, incorporating everything from rhythms of the Islands and melodies of the Middle East to layered trance-informed
structures and hard-edged verses by guest MCs such as KRS ONE (who’s featured here in top form). It’s an interesting and overall above-average listen, but could’ve been dirtied up a touch more. (CHAMPION.NATION) - Scott Harrell
CRACKER
SUNRISE IN THE LAND OF MILK & HONEY See, this is why you shouldn’t abandon a band every time you suddenly realize that the one song they did that you like is, what, 17 years old: because maybe, just maybe, in the face of overwhelming odds against, that band will finally release another album with songs that great on it. Will these sardonic twang-masters of old rise once again to coolmusic prominence? Erm, probably not, but that doesn’t mean that this album isn’t almost shocking in its consistency and excellence. No, seriously, it’s like a tiny time machine that hides in your headphones - and comes with its own song called “Time Machine.” Which, along with the likes of “Yalla Yalla,” “Show Me How This Thing Works,” “We All Shine A Light,” “Friends,” the title track and more, is as good as everything on Cracker or Kerosene Hat. No shit. (429 RECORDS) - Colin Kincaid
MxPx
ON THE COVERS II There is nothing wrong with covers. Sprinkling them into your set or tossing one into an album of original material is a great way of showing influences or pointing out a righteous tune. But unless you’re Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, releasing a full album of covers reeks of commercialism and/ or contractual obligation. Yes, it’s cool that MxPx got Matt Hensley of Flogging Molly to add an accordion solo to the Dead Milkmen’s already quirky “Punk Rock Girl.” It was great to hear former Tsunami Bomb singer Agent M belt the lead better than Belinda Carlisle on “Heaven Is A Place On Earth.” And they deserve kudos for their renditions of The Blue Hearts’ “Linda Linda” and Kim Wilde’s “Kids In America.” But at times it seems like they’re dialing it in - we’ve heard the Proclaimers “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” into Cheap Trick’s “Surrender” and back countless times. The Go-Gos’ “Vacation” and the most radio-friendly song The Clash ever wrote are being played by at least 14 bands as you read this. Why not just do “Add It Up” or a Poison tune (oh, look, “Fallen Angel”)? This could be acceptable, even exciting, if it sounded like MxPx were having fun. For a cover to truly come into its own, the band needs to be as passionate as their audience. Sadly, there is a distinct lack of energy in this recording, leaving it lackluster at best. (TOOTH AND NAIL) - Timothy Asher
PAGE 40 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • MAY 2009
WAVVES
WAVVVES Um … what? Interesting noise is interesting noise, but this heavily hyped disc by experimental sound alchemist Nathan Williams rarely gels into anything more impressive or listenable than a few catchy fuzz-punk tracks. When it’s not bouncing and grinding along in the vein of “Beach Demon” or “No Hope Kids,” Wavvves seems insistent upon bogging itself down in a series of blown-out keyboard sounds designed to start arguments about what constitutes music, and what good genius might be when it produces something so, you know, fucking irritating. (FAT POSSUM) - Scott Harrell
ST. VINCENT ACTOR
A songwriter has his or her entire life to write their first album, yet only a few years to provide the more difficult followup. The second album can usually either be labeled as a masterpiece, or a complete and utter failure. Annie Clark, a.k.a. St. Vincent, seems to have achieved middle ground with her sophomore effort. While the lyrics and music seem to follow Clark’s penchant for writing pitch-dark lyrics and layering them on top of lavish string and wind arrangements, the album lacks the focus and grace found on her debut. Almost every song seems to be a failed attempt at achieving the same quirky experimentation Clark’s music has previously been known for. Songs like “Actor Out Of Work” and first single “The Strangers” sound like rejects from a go at making a dance record, while “Black Rainbow” and “Marrow” offer an industrial edge that appears to be stolen from one of Trent Reznor’s notebooks. Still, isn’t without its shining moments, most of which are found near the end of the album on tracks “The Bed” and “The Party,” which are more akin to Marry Me - the good St. Vincent album. (4AD) - Nick Truden
JOAN OF ARC FLOWERS
Another year, another solid record of rock insanity. Drunken lamentations, with only a piano … then, suddenly, five guitars dip dart dazzling and ascend into celestial heights. Interspersed throughout, as always on a Joan of Arc record, are noise loops (this time sounding like sharpening knives and the hollow drone of entering a vortex) and the occasional playful sound collage/ experiment. At the end of track six, a variety
of frontman voices count “1,2,3,4,” preparing to begin. Strangely tuned guitars join howls and moans of confusion, as patented sloppy plucks overlap into a jamboree. A cabaret for chameleons. One thing that’s different, compared to previous Joan of Arc releases, comes in the form of multiple instrumentals, akin to the best parts of their (ridiculously underrated) Guitar Duets album a few years back, and these sections of ecstatic mood will probably be a favorite among passive fans due to the spontaneous ruptures of focused vigor. (POLYVINYL) - Shawn Goldberg
DEPECHE MODE
SOUNDS OF THE UNIVERSE After 28 years and 14 releases, Depeche Mode is sticking with what works best. Over the years they’ve honed their own blend of sinister, slinky dance synth-pop, moving away from the sound of their earlier years (i.e. the bouncy “Just Can’t Get Enough”) and carved out a place in the “sexy but kinda creepy and dirty” niche not occupied by many others. The trademark combo of guitarist Martin Gore’s ghostly vibrato and singer Dave Gahan’s effeminate swagger is sure to bring back memories of whatever you were doing when you first heard this band. (My memory: the summer between fourth and fifth grades, when my cousin Heather babysat me and brought over a copy of Music for the Masses. Heather is the coolest cousin.). Take that classic sound and mix it with updated nuances you get Sounds of the Universe. (CAPITOL) - Susie Ulrey
RODRIGUEZ
COMING FROM REALITY If you’re not aware of the Rodriguez story, here’s a quick primer: Sixto Rodriguez, a Detroit native, put out a couple albums in ’70 and ’71, did some touring and then all but faded into obscurity (ala Emmitt Rhodes). He raised two daughters, worked random jobs (teacher, construction worker) and ran for office a few times in his home city. He gained a huge following in Australia, New Zealand and most notably South Africa, where his debut album of socially conscious psychedelic folk, Cold Fact, became a soundtrack for the apartheid movement. With the re-release of his second album Coming from Reality, you can hear a movement towards the mellow singer-songwriter pop that ushered in the 1970s - with lush string arrangements and thoughtful, less obvious lyrical constructs. In the late ‘90s, an Internet campaign titled “The Great Rodriguez Hunt” was rolled out in an effort to track him down. The result? Two rereleases of excellent music from a man, now in his mid-60s, embarking on new tours to the delight of hipsters everywhere. (SUSSEX) - Susie Ulrey
MUSIC REVIEWS SOAPBOX ISSUE 36
PEACHES
I FEEL CREAM Peaches: the reigning queen of in-your-face sexpositivism, or just a button-pushing, occasionally disturbing provocateur? It doesn’t really matter at this point, because her beats, hooks and delivery are finally hot enough to be on a par with her lyrics. The hard, sinewy edgeof-industrial production is tighter than ever, dark, dance-y, and stylishly minimalist, and her voice is clear, clipped and intent. What’s new - aside from a generally more focused and thoughtful approach - are the engaging and surprisingly soulful vocal melodies of tunes like “Talk to Me” and guaranteed danceclub-hit title track, as well as the damn-near gangsta-rap weight of “Billionaire.” Longtime fans of the nasty still have plenty to get, er, excited about, naturally, as “Serpentine,” “More” and “Trick or Treat” raise her original shtick to artfully gristly new heights. (XL) - Scott Harrell
BLOTTO/ CONNIPTION FITS SASS DRAGONS/PROHIBITION COME AND TAKE IT
From the classy title right down to the separation of Speed and Weed (instead of side A & side B), this split seven-inch promises nothing except the fact that four different bands with similar sounds will entertain you for about five minutes. I have to say that the art of the seven-inch has been lost on this generation, and its trip and fall into punk rock’s many subgenres. With that being said, it’s nice to see some folks (who are most likely a touch older) keeping it alive. Realistically, there wasn’t one song out of the four that gave me that climbing-the-ropes-in-gym-class kind of feeling. But I wouldn’t say any of it was bad, and I did get a kick out of the subtle poetry of the Sass Dragons tune entitled “Young Professionals Can Suck My Fucking Dick.” Who said rock ‘n’ rollers can’t be gentlemanly? Three stars and an “E” for effort. (ADD) - Jack Gregory
SCOTT H. BIRAM
SOMETHING’S WRONG/LOST FOREVER Blues/country/ proto-punk wailer Biram’s third Bloodshot album is, um, a pretty serious downer of a time. Oddly out-of-place Black Diamond Heavies-assisted rager “I Feel So Good” aside, he spends this one ruminating all on his lonesome, and
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you can definitely feel his pain. Song titles like “Still Drunk, Still Crazy & Still Blue,” “Judgement Day,” “Draggin’ Down The Line” and “Hard Time” say it all, but if they don’t, Biram’s evocative strumming and fingerpicking and his plaintive wail surely spell it out - even the higher-tempo solo songs on the CD’s backside come off as emotionally heavy. And that ain’t a bad thing if you’re in the mood for some serious she’s-done-gone-away soul searching; if you’re not, however, this doubletitled disc can come off as a little one-sided. (BLOODSHOT) - Colin Kincaid
PRETTY BOY THORSON & FRIENDS HOWLING
Country roots with rocking undertones can be overrated and, as of late, overused. However, Mr. Thorson, in a simple, even-keeled kind of way, makes his tunes bite-size and easy to chew. The first side is a rockabilly sort of romp with themes of self-loathing and heartbreak; it’s hard to imagine what his sound actually is, because two of the four songs on this vinyl EP are covers. Granted, his approach is not really new, but he does do a nice version of “Old Red Wine.” On the other hand, I could have done without a Hank Williams cover. I am of the belief that some things should not be altered from their original form. (ADD) - Jack Gregory
WAYNE HANCOCK VIPER OF MELODY
On his seventh full-length, retrocountry-swing maestro Hancock continues to craft dated yet timeless songs that make even the punkest insurgent-country updates seem overly stylized by comparison. You won’t hear better, clearer, more invigorating old-school guitar and stand-up bass tones anywhere, and Hancock’s tenor conveys the party and the heartbreak and the long and lonely road with equally wistful success. The first couple of listens may lend the mistaken impression of sameness, but repeated exposures tease out the humor and the various styles and tempos embedded in Hancock’s own prairie-swing sound. (BLOODSHOT) - Scott Harrell
MORE REVIEWS AT REAXMUSIC.COM
www.mojotampa.com | 813.971.9717
2558 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa
Located next to the Miles Davis: Bitches Brew University Mall, in the same plaza as Records) Chipotle Mexican Grill & Quiznos (Columbia
While psychedelic music was driving the creative impulses of rock music, in myspace.com/mojobooksandmusic late 1969, Miles Davis reexamined his cool and modal techniques, creating a groundbreaking monstrosity that has surprisingly, for all its maddening experimentation, become one of the highest selling jazz records of all time. Mount Eerie: Live in Copenhagen 2003 (Burnt Toast Vinyl) Finally repressed. Phil Elverum spans his early catalogue and most notable tunes from his projects The Microphones and Mount Eerie in 36 tracks. Acoustic and intimate; he’s across the room strumming away, singing about enormous nature metaphors, while you eat a late dinner. Clues: s/t (Constellation Records) Although a half dozen or so Montreal musicians perform, everyone seems to only pay attention to the fact that (an ex Arcade Fire member and) an ex Unicorn (the forgotten third Alden Penner, never a member of the Islands) started this rock outfit. No one mentions that it is one of the best albums of the year and will most likely melt your face right off your skull. Primus: Sailing the Seas of Cheese (Plain Recordings) The third album from Les Claypool & Co, a twisted mix of prog rock, funk and punk, with a taste for Frank Zappa’s humor and Captain Beefheart’s guttural growl. One of the few bands to have the bass as the prominent instrument, w/ Claypool alternating from funky slaps to throbbing power chords to lead solos, the guitar providing almost dissonant texturing beneath a shredding bass. Gong: Zero to Infinity (Vinyl Lovers Records) Part 5 in the thirty year old “Radio Gnome” saga which first surfaced way back in 1971 on the classic Camembert Electrique album. Three decades may have passed, but pop visionary Daevid Allen still looms large on the horizon with music that masterfully inhabits its own creative plane, coasting blissfully just below the radar. Now on double picture disc with 7 bonus tracks taken from “Live 2 Infinitea,” recorded live during their 2000 European Tour.
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
MAY 2009 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 41
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SOAPBOX VIDEO GAME REVIEW ISSUE 36
GAME REVIEW RESIDENT EVIL 5 ZOMBILICIOUS
C
apcom really knows zombies.
I suppose that they should, given that they have been making survival horror games - the genre they pretty much invented - for over a decade. But I wonder if, in their cramped Japanese headquarters, those weird bastards actually have infected zombie consultants chained up living in cubicles. They must. Because like Capcom’s first zombie celebration for the Xbox 360, Dead Rising, Resident Evil 5 nails it. The first Resident Evil game to grace an Xbox console brings you full circle, and puts you in the shoes of RE’s original hero from Raccoon City, Chris Redfield. He is now a member of the B.S.A.A. - an international anti-bio-terror group that traverses the globe to obliterate pharmaceutical company Umbrella’s toxic creations - and a badass. Chris is joined by fellow B.S.A.A. agent and supremely sexy sidekick Sheva Alomar - who is playable by a friend, via split-screen or over Xbox Live, throughout the entire campaign. During Chris and Sheva’s adventure through Kijuju, Africa, you’re faced with infected natives, dogs, hyenas, blobby-tendril-masses, and various other big nasties all trying to kill you before you can uncover the mystery of the deadly Uroboros Virus. The core game mechanics will be familiar to players of previous Resident Evil titles. There is more action afoot this time around, but the same deliberately slow-paced movement and aiming that returns may scare away some Xbox owners who are more accustomed to run-and-gun style shooters like Left 4 Dead. RE’s controls do feel a little dated, and Capcom really needs
to get away from the stand-still-and-shoot thing, but it never really ruins the party. If anything, in the absence of traditional dark hallways and clichéd survival-horror locations, it helps add to the tension. The feeling of desperation, while the blitz of armed infected scuttle towards you and all you can do is stand your ground and shoot, is unmatched. Resident Evil 5’s production values are crazy-high. If it was a movie, it would be Titanic … but the Heart of the Ocean pendant would have turned everyone on the boat into flesh-eating zombies … and Leo would have had to destroy it to save the world from total enslavement (Warner Bros., have your people call my people). Anyway … graphically, RE is easily the prettiest game I have ever played. The lighting and textures are stunning and some of the outdoor locations blew me away. An impressive orchestral soundtrack, topnotch cutscenes and some competent voice acting round out the experience. Capcom has put together the whole package here. RE 5 is one of the very few games that I have immediately fired up again for a second play-through. Besides Resident Evil 5 being one of the best co-op experiences on the market, finishing the twelve-or-so-hour-long campaign unlocks some bonus goodies that give you a reason to keep going - not that you’ll need one. So, with Capcom being arguably at the top of their game, and Dead Rising 2 not scheduled for release until 2010, this is likely your best bet to satisfy your zombie bloodlust for awhile.
REVIEWED ON XBOX 360 - Trevor Roppolo
PAGE 42 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • MAY 2009
HANDS ON PRODUCT REVIEW SOAPBOX ISSUE 36
The Hoagland 18w guitar amp is a classic (NOT PICTURED) improvement on the now extremely collectible Marshall 18-watt all-tube amps pioneered in England in 1965, they themselves being copies of the very rare Watkins Dominator. While Marshall offers an 18-watt vintage reissue model for over $2400, the Hoagland is truly handmade, with all the components assembled in Florida by Dan Hoagland himself. Additionally, the Hoagland has better components, making it a winner. Worth checking out. Tested at Legends Guitars - Tampa, FL
www.hoaglandamps.com
Limited to a numbered amount of 1,965 in commemoration of the year that the Beatles recorded Revolver and John, George and Paul all went to the store and bought matching ones. The John Lennon replica is exact in detail to his personal guitar in every way right down to the serial number, and all things considered, (and since a real 1965 Epiphone Casino will cost you about $5,000) these are an affordable option for a clone of a vintage guitar to gig and record with, and get that real 1960s sound. This is also the guitar that Lennon stripped down to the bare wood and used on the last and famous “Rooftop Concert.” I bought one, and instead of having it as a “collectible” - which is lame - I plan on beating the Yoko clean out of it. Tested at a couple music stores that are too big to deserve any extra press.
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A now very popular cartoon series airing during Cartoon Network’s R-rated Adult Swim block, the Venture Bros. cartoons feature so much ironic failure, perfect violence and scathing wit that it is almost a reinvention of the superhero-satire genre. Loosely based on a corruption of the classic Johnny Quest adventure cartoons that originated in the 1960s and then censored into oblivion due to the obvious violence and racial overtones, these new cartoons are what you always wish TV would be like when you were a kid: bloody, adventurous, hilarious on multiple levels and completely entertaining in every way. Worth every penny. Buy it. Tested while under the influence at various peoples houses and I am still laughing like a hyena from it. www.adultswim.com
The argument continues. It’s illegal! No it isn’t! It’s illegal and poisonous! No it isn’t, it provided inspiration to the Impressionist painters! No it didn’t, French prostitutes and blurry eyes influenced the Impressionist painters! Exactly, it inspired the Impressionist painters! Please stop arguing and just drink the stuff please, you are giving me a headache, or maybe that’s just the hangover. In any case the “green fairy” became a scapegoat for many years due to people and poets being wasted on the high-proof liquor. Now that it is legal again, the experience of “La Louche” is worth it for those who are curious, and the flaming spoon of sugar is once again available to those who have always wondered what the hell Oscar Wilde was high on when he wrote The Picture of Dorian Grey, which I am sure is all of you ... www.absinthefever.com
www.gibson.com
After a solid five years of vicious and stovepipe hatworthy immigrant sideburns bossing the sides of my face around, I had a strange dream about being a hobo and, before I realized I was awake, shaved them clean off. I now feel somehow less mighty, and I got carded for alcohol yesterday. What the hell this has to do with a product review I don’t know but, sideburns, I miss you; I am sorry for what I did to you with that cheap Norelco razor. But then again, sideburns are a product of your face growing hair, be you a strapping young dude in a metal band, a poser that wants to look like that guy from the X-Men or someone getting in touch with their gypsy roots. They also prevent your cheeks from getting sunburned, add a little extra padding to your jawline in a brawl and, if you shave your head into a mohawk, it looks like you are wearing a trojan helmet, and that’s sort of badass. Basically what I am saying is that sideburns are a good thing. Notice that when the Beatles grew sideburns, they became exponentially more badass. Product thoroughly tested over the course of the last decade. www.perfectsideburns.com
Wait, you mean to tell me that Evo’s named a “burger” the “American Champion” and there is no meat in it?! HAHAHAHAHA! The subversive nature of this gives me pure joy, because I know for a fact that a bunch of dudes go in there with their health-conscious girlfriend and order this, eat it and never even realize that it was made from things that don’t have faces. And yes, it is tasty. Thank you, Evo’s. Tested at various Evos locations on friends of mine that still don’t know it isn’t made from an animal. www.evos.com
EMAIL SHAWN WITH THINGS TO DO AND ABUSE AT SHAWN@REAXMUSIC.COM
MAY 2009 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 43
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YOU ARE HERE ISSUE 36
A GUIDE TO TAMPA BAY
HOTSPOTS: VENUES/BARS ARTPOOL A unique take on the gallery space that
JANNUS LANDING Consistently voted one of the best places
includes a boutique along with regular shows and events with which the entire community can get involved. 919 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg artpoolrules.com
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
THE BRASS MUG Where just about every band in town cut
KELLY’S PUB A comparatively new hangout that helps
its teeth, this North Tampa strip-mall 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 well-known touring indie-rock acts to local metal legends. 1812 N. 17th St., Ybor crowbarlive.com
CZAR Home to some of the best parties of
2008, CZAR’s three rooms of goodness have a lot to offer music and vodka lovers alike. PULP on Friday night is a must, see hipsters dance the night away in style. Don’t forget the ice shots! 1420 E. 70th Ave., Tampa czarybor.com
EMERALD BAR 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
FUMA BELLA The smallest bar in America, so it
has been said by the locals. Friendly bartenders that know how to make a damn good drink. This place is perfect for a small group who wants to sit and chat, or someone traveling solo who wants to meet some legitimately cool Tampa folk. 1318 E Eighth Ave., Tampa 813-248-6130
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
GASPAR’S GROTTO Gaspar’s is for the everyday pirate
looking for a good time. You can find live music, food, and tons of booty. 1805 E. 7th Ave., Tampa gasparsgrotto.com
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 myspace.com/newworldbrewery
ORPHEUM A long-running favorite for national and
local indie shows, as well as hipster-filled dance nights. 1902 Ave. Republica De Cuba, Ybor 813-248-9500
HOTSPOTS: RETAIL ALL PRO PERCUSSION Everything from wood blocks to the new
Roland V-Drum electric kits, without the annoying 8th-graders butchering Avenged Sevenfold over in the guitar section. 10101 E. Adamo Dr., Tampa 813-341-DRUM allpropercussion.com
THE DISC EXCHANGE Open 25 Years. BUY-SELL-TRADE
CDS-VINYL-MEMORABILIA Lots of NEW and USED ALL STYLES OF MUSIC from PUNK to GOSPEL 6712 Central Ave. St.Pete FL Mon-Fri 11 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. Sat 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
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
SEMINOLE MUSIC & SOUND 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 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
THE PEGASUS LOUNGE Another close-to-USF live-music watering hole that often caters to heavier sounds. 10008 N. 30th St., Tampa pegasusniteclub.com
RESERVOIR BAR The Finest Hole-in-the-Wall in Town! 1518 E. 7th Ave., Ybor resbar.com
THE RITZ The venue formerly known as The
Masquerade (and before that, er, The Ritz) is back in action. Live music is only part of what’s going on there these days. 1503 Seventh Ave., Ybor theritzybor.com
HOTSPOTS: LIFESTYLE RED LETTER 1 BENTLEY SALON RedLetter1 is a flash-free, 100% custom Redken-authorized, forward-thinking salon that emphasizes education for aspiring stylists. 3228 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa 813-877-9801 myspace.com/bentleysalon
CANOE ESCAPE, INC. Not really feeling all of the hustle and
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
bustle? Forget about traffic and drunk football fans for a moment and think about canoeing or kayaking down the Hillsborough River - but you need to reserve your spot early so call in advance. Oh, and yes you will see alligators. Have fun kids! 9335 E. Fowler Ave., Thonotosassa 813-986-2067 canoeescape.com
TRANSITIONS ART GALLERY It’s the SPoT’s edgy, all-ages-friendly
FLYING FISH BIKES A full-service shop for both recreational and
exhibition/performance space. 4215 E. Columbus Dr., Tampa transitionsartgallery.com
serious riders. 2409 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa 813-839-0410
UPTOWN BAR Amiable little dive that features an
MAD PADDLERS KAYAK & SURF SHOP Equipment and lessons for beginners and
THE STATE THEATRE A longtime tour stop for rising punk, rock
always-eclectic lineup of local shows, from DJs to hardcore. 658 Central Ave., St. Petersburg 727-463-0567
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die-hards alike. 8808 Rocky Creek Dr., Tampa 813-243-5737 ospreybay.com
tattoo studio and art gallery located in historic Ybor City. Tattoos are currently made by Lucky Mathews, Jeff Srsic, Angelo Nales and Phil Holt. Hours are noon to 7, Tuesday through Saturday...other hours available by appointment only. 1818 N 15th Street. Ybor City 813-241-2435
SKATEPARK OF TAMPA The legendary home of the Tampa Pro and Am comps. 4215 E. Columbus Dr., Tampa 813-621-6793 skateparkoftampa.com
TRIBECA COLOR SALON Keeping Tampa beautiful, one head at a time. 920 W Kennedy Blvd 813.250.0208 www.tribecasalon.com
WATTS TUBE AUDIO Musicians, stereo hobbyists and do-it-
yourself amplifier builders will all find something interesting. 2323 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg wattstubeaudio.com
A GUIDE TO TAMPA BAY YOU ARE HERE ISSUE 36
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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT honestly we were so surprised with the way it came out we didn’t know what to do with it. We knew we’d drop the ball on distro, so we chose not to, so we sat on it until the fall of ‘08 when we started talking to Bryon from Kiss of Death. We’ve had a couple loose ends to tie up, but now it’s finally out to press.
REAX: There’s a bit of studio trickery on the new record, but for the most part it doesn’t seem like you were trying to beef up the songs in a way that sounds great recorded but might be impossible to emulate live. It can’t be entirely effortless, so how much of that was a conscious effort? DR: We’re a bit obsessive about this, especially Shaun. We struggled with parts of the album because as we added things in the studio to compliment the song, our first thought was, “How are we going to pull this off live?” We were very conscious of the added extra layers and just how much of it we were going to add.
GUILTMAKER THE DILEMMAS OF CHANGE
Words: Mike Delach • Photo: Nicole Kibert
REAX: Ok ... let’s go ... Guiltmaker seems to be the collective product of a decade of evolving musical tastes and influences. I can still hear minute traces of that old hardcore influence within the new recording, but it mostly takes a back seat to a more polished, melodic soundtrack. That being said, how do you think your past involvement in the DIY hardcore scene has influenced the way you play music today? DAN RADDE: Good question, and I think the answer is two-fold. I think all of us having a DIY/hardcore/punk upbringing helps in a lot of ways. First, our perspective - we’re not confused about who we are as musicians and we’re not unrealistic about where we want to go with this band. Secondly, I think having been a part of the DIY scene affects our approach to songwriting. We actually listen to and enjoy music. It strikes a nerve within us; so much so that we need to have this creative outlet. Conversely, looking back at DIY music versus what we’re trying to accomplish today I see that I probably could have learned a little more about [playing] guitar, writing music and singing before getting on a stage. Back then, you started a band because you had some shit to say, not because you were an amazing player. I feel that over the years I’ve grown into my
playing abilities. So, looking back at my life as a DIY/self-taught “musician,” I kinda put the cart before the horse.
REAX: Guiltmaker tends to stick out from the KoD roster because you guys sound so different than the majority of the other bands on the label. Do you feel like this is, or could be, a disadvantage when it comes to straying so far from the Kiss of Death “sound?” DR: Honestly, on our first EP we were a little worried about that but were pleasantly surprised when we received emails for kids who checked us out because of the label itself. So, in a way it kind of paid off sticking out from the rest of the bands on the label because we were noticed by people who normally wouldn’t check us out. But yeah, us and Light Yourself on Fire - we’re sort of the odd men out in terms of the KoD sound. Bryon was always so rad to us and willing to put in the effort, as long as we did. I think that’s what we appreciate so much about him - that his approach is very realistic. Looking now at how his label has grown, we’re finding that he’s doing more diverse bands and drawing a more diverse audience. We love and appreciate Bryon’s approach to his label and how he supports Tampa bands. After going back
and forth with what to do with Dilemmas, we ultimately decided to approach KoD again because we knew if there was any “disadvantage” in going with KoD, it would only be the result of our own lack of effort.
REAX: Dilemmas has taken quite a while to come together, considering that you guys started writing and recording it not too long after your first release, the Driven By Arms EP. That was over three years ago. Seriously, why the wait? DR: You know ... I could give you a lot of reasons why, but it’s mostly because we’re indecisive and sometimes lazy. We did run into quite a few snags after recording the album, though. To give you a little history - we recorded the album in spring of ‘07 at Glow in the Dark studios in Atlanta with our great friend Jeremy Griffith. We couldn’t afford to take a couple weeks off work to record and tour that year so we commuted back and forth to Altanta over the weekends for five or six weeks. After that, we toured for ten days during the summer when gas was $4.00/gallon and came home extremely broke. We couldn’t afford to master [Dilemmas] for a while, so we just sat on it. We recovered that following spring and finally finished it. For a while we talked about releasing the album ourselves, but
REAX: I want to talk about touring for a bit. 10 years ago it was easier to go on lengthy, cross-country tours, but I know it’s a bit more difficult nowadays. Is there a possibility of a Guiltmaker tour in the near future, especially with the release of Dilemmas right around the corner? DR: Actually, we have done two short tours up the East Coast in both ‘06 and ‘07. Music has changed so much (and so have we) and it’s an entirely different world out there than it used to be. We found that out the hard way in ‘06 and I guess we didn’t learn our lesson so we did it again in ‘07 and took a beating. After that we decided to focus more on the Southeast rather than trying to get so far out of Florida on every tour. We’re hoping to build more of an audience that way and then branch out to the bigger tours once people are vaguely familiar with who we are. It’s funny because we recorded Dilemmas almost two years ago now so some of those songs are close to three years old. So, in a way, we did tour on Dilemmas. But now that it’s actually going to be released we’re struggling to find time to tour because of new jobs and such. We’ve committed to playing more regularly these days, but no continuous tours in the pipeline as of now. REAX: Anything else you might want to add about the ever-evolving climate of music?, and how its changes/effects make it a different experience today than when you were younger? DR: I could go on forever about this. I’ve had so many discussions with old friends about this particular topic and have thrown around a lot of theories about why/how Continued on page 46
MAY 2009 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 45
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YOU ARE HERE A GUIDE TO TAMPA BAY ISSUE 36
HOTSPOTS: EATS AGUILA SANDWICH SHOP We’re not gonna get into any beefs by
GLOBE COFFEE LOUNGE Shows, local art, coffee and some of
BURRITO BOARDER Healthy burritos, fish tacos and other
GRASSROOT ORGANIC Reviewers call its vegan- and vegetarian-
calling it the best Cuban sandwich in town - but it might be the best Cuban sandwich in town. 3200 W. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa 813-876-4022
Cali-Mex fusionables with a skaterfriendly vibe. 17 3rd St. North, St. Petersburg 727-209-0202
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 Ave., Tampa 813-238-1516 3200 W. Bay to Bay Blvd., Tampa 813-835-0785 2900 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg 727-321-3020
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
proprietor JoEllen’s famous recipes for healthy entrees and tasty desserts. 532 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg 727-898-5282
friendly menu “creative” and “tasty.” 2702 N. Florida Ave., Tampa 813-221-7668
LA CREPERIA CAFE A menu that boasts perfect options for
breakfast, lunch or dinner. Best known for their extensive list of crepes of which you may want to consider something on the sweet side with nutella and a rich cup of european coffee. Bonjour! 1729 E. 7th Ave., Ybor 813-248-9700
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
ELWeird, TACONAZO (TACO BUS) mostly lunch-only hours, but
NICKO’S The last classic steel-exterior diner in the
FRANKIES Started in Connecticut in 1933, these
SMOKE BARBECUE AND GRILL Some of the best ribs in Tampa and the
indisputably awesome cheap and authentic eats. 913 E. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa 813-232-5889
are some pretty swell cheeseburgers and dogs - think old fashioned fast food. Some of the fried delectables include onion rings, sweet potato fries and fried cauliflower or broccoli. 909 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa (813) 425-3647
area, with the classic eclectic breakfast, lunch and dinner menu to match 4603 N. Florida Ave., Tampa 813-234-9301
side dishes to along with ‘em. Do not leave without trying the mac ‘n’ cheese. 901 W. Platt St., Tampa 813-254-7070
quirky/vintage fashions, particularly for the ladies. 4336 4th St. N., St. Petersburg 727-528-9490
SUNSHINE THRIFT 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
SQUARESVILLE URBAN OUTFITTERS A longtime local favorite for vintage clothes, You know the deal. not to mention kitschy home furnishings. 508 S. Howard Ave., Tampa 813-259-9944
music and the scene itself have changed ... Let me say, first and foremost, that I recognize that if anything has changed over time, it’s me. Like everyone else, as I get older, my perspective continues to change. With that being said, I think it’s mostly attributed to convenience. When we (you & I, Mikey) were younger, a stronger and more tangible social network existed - all without the Internet. We went out to shows (at a record store) to check out bands because they had driven all the way from California. We couldn’t check out their Myspace page ahead of time and decide by listening to a 30-second clip that they suck and then find something else to do. We
also bought records because we couldn’t conveniently find them online, for free. I think now, DIY/punk/indie music has kind of lost its adventure, now that everything is within that overly convenient reach. (Damn, I’m jaded.) Read the interview in its entirety at reaxmusic.com Guiltmaker performs with City of Ships and Liquid Limbs at New World Brewery on May 29th. Dilemmas is scheduled for release in the near future.
MYSPACE.COM/GUILTMAKER
ALBUM SPOTLIGHT GUILTMAKER DILEMMAS (KISS OF DEATH)
It’s about time. After three years of off-and-on recording, re-recording and tweaking, there’s finally a new Guiltmaker full-length on the horizon. And to tell you the truth, I’m a little uncertain on how to review this thing. I’d hate to simply toss this record into that all-encompassing umbrella genre of post-hardcore like some people inevitably will, because it seems to me that to classify it as such would be an injustice. Hmmm … let’s put it this way … Dilemmas is an eye-opener. Seriously, it’s volatile and pretty all at the same time, with that satisfying combination of a relentless bass and pummeling drums, coupled with haunting, delay-pedalinduced guitar intricacies and vocals that actually compliment the music instead of just interfering. In addition, there are layers upon layers of intertwining auditory fragments that add to the recording in subtle, yet startling, ways. Luckily, Guiltmaker’s live performances are on par with its studio efforts, because the sound engineer on Dilemmas did an absolutely bang-up job. “Battle Mountain” and “Lost Ship” are only two of the many stand-outs, but it’s hard to pick a favorite. As a whole, Dilemmas has an orchestral quality to it – the songs are drawn out and structured around shifting movements rather than interchangeable verses and choruses. The album is beautiful and epic at times, the way a really, really good posthardcore album should be, if I were to consider this thing a post-hardcore album. Which I don’t. - Mike Delach
ALBUM SPOTLIGHT
HOTSPOTS: WEARABLES IFThis&hipONLY IF St. Pete boutique has some cool/
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
1600 E. 8th Ave., Centro Ybor, Ybor 813-242-8472 urbanoutfitters.com
PAGE 46 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • MAY 2009
VAGINASORE JR. THIS HERE PENINSULA (ADD RECORDS)
Finally hearing this Tampa punk act made up of bits of other Tampa punk acts (Clairmel, The Tim Version, Watson) in recorded form, the first thing that’s readily apparent is the fact that quite a bit of their songwriting subtlety gets a bit lost in their loud, loud, LOUDLOUDITSFUCKINGLOUD live set. The ringing, anthemic guitar hook of “Wired and Whiskered,” for instance, or the octave interplay and lyrical hilarity of “Drunk Therapist” and just about everything else here. This ain’t no one-note one-off, all beery volume and soundalike blast. Quality, dare I say textured and dynamic punk songs lurk just beneath that wall of distortion, and fans that look beyond the show and actually pick up this disc are gonna be both satisfied and impressed. - Cole Porterhouse
A GUIDE TO TAMPA BAY YOU ARE HERE ISSUE 36
TAMPA BAY EVENTS FRI MAY 01 A Benefit for Guardian Ad Litem Feat. Denounce The Betrayer, Alvira, Twisted Affliction, Second Thief, Set the Sights Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $8 Time: 7 p.m. Down By Law, The Spears, The Nerve Scheme Emerald Bar, St. Petersburg Cost: $6 Time: 8 p.m. Hymn for Her, Scone Train Globe Coffee Lounge, St. Petersburg Time: 9 p.m. Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers, Rev. Billy C. Wirtz Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $12/15 Time: 8 p.m. The Semis, November Foxtrot Whiskey, Zanesville New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $6 Time: 9 p.m. The Veronicas, Pretty Reckless, The Love Willows State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $18 Time: 7 p.m. Ulcer, Contorted, Orange Sky, Thrash Attack Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. XOXO, Geri X, Blair Crimmons and the Hookers, Relondondo Crowbar, Ybor City Time: 9 p.m.
SAT MAY 02 Blood In The Water, Dust Up, End Unseen, Burned Beyond Recognition, This Endless War Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. Gaslight Anthem, Heartless Bastards, A Death in the Family State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $14 Time: 7 p.m. Liferuiner, The World We Know, Strengthen What Remains, With Increase, Of Heroes and Legends Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $9 Time: 6 p.m. Pennywise, Pepper, Expendables, Alukard, Big B Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $31 Time: 6:30 p.m. TBT Ultimate Showcase Feat. Tailgunner Joe & The Earls of Slander, Will Quinlan & The Diviners, Geri X, Have Gun, Will Travel, Triptico, The Beauvilles Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $5/10 Time: 6 p.m. The Independents, Therapeutic Chokehold, Mistletoe Beltbuckle Crowbar, Ybor City Time: 8 p.m. Tribal Style, Swamp Logic New World Brewery, Ybor City Time: 9 p.m.
SUN MAY 03 The Absence, Goat Whore, Kalakai, Skeletonwitch, Afterdeath, Maruta Crowbar, Ybor City Time: 6:30 p.m. UB40 Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $29.99/38 Time: 8 p.m.
Wildlife Refugees, Pickford Sundries Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $7 Time: 8 p.m.
MON MAY 04 The Crimson Armada, Settle the Sky, I Am Abomination, Averra, Weight of the World Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $7 Time: 7 p.m.
TUE MAY 05 Hymn for Her Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $7 Time: 8 p.m. Kevin Devine, Sarah Jaffe, Miniature Tigers, Brian Bonz Orpheum, Ybor City Cost: $11/13 Time: 6:30 p.m.
WED MAY 06 American Aquarium New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: Free Time: 9 p.m. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Red Cortez Crowbar, Ybor City Time: 8 p.m. People in Planes Orpheum, Ybor City Cost: $5 Time: 7 p.m. Protest the Hero, Misery Signals, The Number Twelve Looks Like You, Fall From Grace State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $14/15 Time: 6 p.m.
THU MAY 07 Horrorpops, Longway, 7 Shot Screamers State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $14/16 Time: 7 p.m. Sworn Enemy, For the Fallen Dreams, ABACABB, Suffocate, Thick as Blood Orpheum, Ybor City Time: 6 p.m.
FRI MAY 08 Bang Bang Boom Crowbar, Ybor City Time: 8 p.m. El Ten Eleven, Surly, The Tape Delay, Ghost of Gloria Orpheum, Ybor City Cost: $8/10 Time: 7 p.m. Enter The Haggis, The Beauvilles Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $12/15 Time: 8 p.m. Gavin DeGraw, Honey Honey State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $25 Time: 7 p.m. Hankshaw, Zillionaire, King of Spain, Rec Center New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $7 Time: 9 p.m. Kings of Leon, The Walkmen USF Sun Dome, Tampa Night Nurses from Jersey, Situation Mine Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m.
SAT MAY 09 Cope, Skull & Bone Band Crowbar, Ybor City Time: 8 p.m.
Vilma Palma E Vampiros West Tampa Convention Center, Tampa
Corey Smith Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $12/22 Time: 7 p.m.
Wake Up Dead Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m.
Deadnet Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $10 Time: 5 p.m.
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MC Chris, Whole Wheat Bread, I am The Dream, Cracker Jackson Orpheum, Ybor City Cost: $11 Time: 6 p.m. Nine Inch Nails, Jane’s Addiction Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa How to Leave Your Body: An Exhibit of New Works from Timothy Hoyer and Daniel Albrigo Redletter1, Ybor City Time: 7 p.m. Old Skool Tampa reUNION Czar, Ybor City Time: 9 p.m. The Royal, Proud Iron Lion, Navegante, Olve Juice New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost $6 Time: 9 p.m.
SUN MAY 10 Gwen Stacy, Eyes Set to Kill, Motionless in White, Belle Epoque Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $10/12 Time: 6 p.m. Hinder, Cavo, Mr. Bella The Ritz Theatre, Ybor City Cost: $20/23 Time: 7 p.m. Sweet Corn Grits Crowbar, Ybor City Time: 7 p.m. Take Back The Night: 14th Annual Mother’s Day Benefit Feat. Sugar & Spice, Women’s Blues Revue, George Pappas, Linda Faust, Tammy Hatch Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $7/10 Time: 5 p.m.
MON MAY 11 Kreator, Exodus, Belphegor, Warbringer The Garage, St. Petersburg Time: 8 p.m.
TUE MAY 12 Alkaline Trio, Saves the Day Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $19 Time: 6:30 p.m.
WED MAY 13 Amber Pacific, Houston Calls, Farewell, Fight Fair Orpheum, Ybor City Cost: $13 Time: 6 p.m. Contagium, Civilization, Vicious Fishers, Helldistort, Unholy Water Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $7 Time: 7 p.m.
THU MAY 14 Bombadil, Win Win Winter New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $7 Time: 9 p.m. Down with Paul Riser & The Renegade Thugs, Nicole The Nihilist, Mr. Davis, Jeff Brawer, Jeremy Gloff Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. Mobile Deathcamp Crowbar, Ybor City Time: 8 p.m. The Vibrators, Car Bomb Driver, The Plastic Stars, Pig Pen The Garage, St. Petersburg Cost: $10/15 Time: 8 p.m.
FRI MAY 15 Afton Live Orpheum, Ybor City Cost: $9/10 Time: 6 p.m. Buffalo Strange, The Hip Abduction Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $8 Time: 8 p.m. Fake Problems, Bomb the Music Industry, Safety, Inertia! Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $8 Time: 7 p.m.
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YOU ARE HERE A GUIDE TO TAMPA BAY ISSUE 36
TAMPA BAY EVENTS FRI MAY 15 Geri X, Dear Old Liar Globe Coffee Lounge, St. Petersburg Time: 9 p.m. Rootstock 5: Tribal Style, d’Visitors, Hipabduction New World Brewery, Ybor City Time: 9 p.m. School for Soul, Blondes Not Bombs Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. War, Derek Jive and the Funky Five, Soul Purpose State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $26 Time: 7 p.m.
SAT MAY 16 Back in Black 2 An Exhibit of T-Shirt Art Czar, Ybor City Cost: FREE!/$5 Afterparty Time: 6 p.m./Midnight Chris McCarty, Buffalo Strange State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $12 Time: 8 p.m. Halcyon, Sunset Bridge Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $12 Time: 8 p.m. Stages and Stereos, Honor Bright, Count Your Blessings, My Summer Semester, The Woodwork Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $10 Time: 7 p.m. The Suicide Clubs, The Sweet Kings, Rude Squad, Unmotivated Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. Tropical Heatwave 2009 James Intveld, The Vodkanauts, Blair Carman and the Belleview Boys, Cold Joon, Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso Cuban Club Ballroom, Ybor City Cost: $30 Adv / $35 DoS Tropical Heatwave 2009 Magadog, Chuck Prophet and Mission Express, Micahel Burks, Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles, Johumames Posse Cuban Club Bandshell, Ybor City Cost: $30 Adv / $35 DoS Tropical Heatwave 2009 The Beauvilles, Pack A.D., Kinobe and Soul Beat Africa, Eilen Jewell Band, Thomas Wynn & The Believers, The Mojo Gurus Cuban Club Cantina, Ybor City Cost: $30 Adv / $35 DoS Tropical Heatwave 2009 Bonerama, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, BeauSoleil ave Michael Doucet, Big Sam’s Funky Nation El Pasaje Plaza, Ybor City Cost: $30 Adv / $35 DoS Tropical Heatwave 2009 The Sheaks, GreyMarket, Will Quinlan & The Diviners, Ted Lukas & The Misled, Roppongi’s Ace, Lauris Vidal, Birdstreet Players New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $30 Adv / $35 DoS Tropical Heatwave 2009 The Visitations, Modern Skirts, David Dondero, Poetry Showcase: Sandbloom, Stolen Idols The Orpheum, Ybor City Cost: $30 Adv / $35 DoS
SUN MAY 17 Curbside Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m.
Rachel Goodrich, Tim Easton New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $8 Time: 8 p.m.
MON MAY 18 Gavin Rossdale Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $19.99/25 Time: 8 p.m.
TUE MAY 19 Eric Hutchinson, Serena Ryder, Matt Hires Orpheum, Ybor City Cost: $12.50 Time: 7 p.m.
THU MAY 21 Boring Kind of Guy, Wreckoning, Holly Maddux Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m.
FRI MAY 22 A Loss for Words, The Status, The Prospect, First Crush Kid, One Way Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $12 Time: 7 p.m. King Bee, Double Bind Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m.
THU MAY 28 Green Sunshine Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. The Handshake Murders, The Demonstration, We Were Gentlemen Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $10 Time: 7 p.m. Stanton Moore Trio Crowbar, Ybor City Time: 8 p.m.
FRI MAY 29 City of Ships, Liquid Limbs, Guiltmaker New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $7 Time: 9 p.m. Damon Fowler Group, Shawn Kellerman Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $7/10 Time: 8 p.m.
SAT MAY 30 Johnny Cakes Going Away Party Feat. Pigpen, CIO Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. Magadog, Light Yourself on Fire, The Boozers New World Brewery, Ybor City Time: 9 p.m.
Locos Por Juana Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $7/10 Time: 8 p.m.
Pushmower, Animus, Suggestion State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $10 Time: 7 p.m.
SAT MAY 23
The Dead Popes Kelly’s Pub, Tampa Time: 9 p.m.
Dirty Black Halo, Thrash Jazz State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $10 Time: 7 p.m. Elysian Sex Drive, HuDOST Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $7/10 Time: 8 p.m. La Di Da: A Square One Creative Event The Ritz Theatre, Ybor City Time: 7 p.m. Lush Progress, Butch Ryan Band, Glasgow New World Brewery, Ybor City Time: 9 p.m. The Dood, Falling Awake, Deal With The Devil Pegasus Lounge, Tampa Time: 9 p.m. Mother/Father, The JeanMarie Crowbar, Ybor City Time: 9 p.m. Yip-Yip, Mixel Pixel, Hippodrome Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $7 Time: 7 p.m. Young Love, Paper Route Orpheum, Ybor City Cost: $10 Time: 7 p.m.
SUN MAY 24 ZOSO The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience) Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $15/18 Time: 7 p.m.
MON MAY 25 Dean Johanesen, Mark Pezzo, Steve Connelly, George Fuller III Globe Coffee Lounge, St. Petersburg Time: 9 p.m.
WED MAY 27 Tides of Man, Lorien, Farewell Flight New World Brewery, Ybor City Cost: $7 Time: 9 p.m.
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The Legendary JC’s, The 3rd Stone Band Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $7/10 Time: 8 p.m.
SUN MAY 31 Know the Score, Steel Nation, Unreal City, Meantime, Losing Vision, Strengthen What Remains Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $10 Time: 4 p.m. WMNF’s First Annual Jazz Jam Feat. Sam Rivers, The Infinite Groove Orchestra, PBS, World Afro-Cuban Ensemble + More Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa Cost: $12/15 Time: 4 p.m.
MON JUNE 01 Matisyahu, Les Claypool Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg Cost: $35/40 Time: 7 p.m.
TUE JUNE 02 Manchester Orchestra, Fun, Audrye Sessions, Winston Audio State Theatre, St. Petersburg Cost: $11/14 Time: 6 p.m. No Doubt, Paramore, The Sounds Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa
WED JUNE 03 1997, In:Aviate, That Was Something Transitions Art Gallery, Tampa Cost: $8 Time: 7 p.m.
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YOU ARE HERE ISSUE 36
AND FL A GUIDE TO ORLANDO CENTRAL
HOTSPOTS: VENUES/BARS 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
BACKBOOTH 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
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
HARD ROCK LIVE Big, stylish room where you’ll see up-andcoming 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
INDEPENDENT BAR 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
THE PLAZA THEATRE An eclectic community venue that’s been consistently ramping up its cool-show quotient over the last year. 435 N. Bumby Ave., Orlando theplazatheatre.com
THE SOCIAL Pretty much Orlando’s default live indierock room, but they do more, too. 54 North Orange Ave., Orlando thesocial.org
REDLIGHT REDLIGHT
The favored killer-beer purveyor is now open at its new location. 745 Bennett Rd., Winter Park myspace.com/theredlightredlight
WILL’S PUB One of O-Town’s favorite venues/hang-
outs. The new location opened up back in November, and is already making up for lost time. Good beer, good friends and good entertainment are the house rules. 1040 N. Mills Ave., Orlando 407-898-5070 myspace.com/willspub
HOTSPOTS: RETAIL DISCOUNT MUSIC CENTER DMC continues to hold off the big-box
PARK AVE. CDS They support the local scene, promote
EAST WEST RECORDS This business originally opened in Winter
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL HEAVEN Your place for vinyl - the round kind that
music-store chains, maybe because it’s so big its damn self. 3301 Gardenia Ave., Orlando 407-423-4171 discountmusic.com
Park in 1971, and continues to be a destination spot for collectors and casual music fans alike. 4895 South Orange Ave., Orlando 407-859-8991
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 walk-around. 4092 Eastgate Dr., Orlando ikea-usa.com
shows and even host in-stores. 2916 Corrine Dr., Orlando 407-447-PARK UCF Student Union, Orlando 407-282-1616 parkavecds.com
makes noises. 1814 North Orange Ave., Orlando 407-896-1952 rock-n-rollheaven.com
ÜBERBOT An awesome collectible-design shop - art,
figures, designer toys, basically Cool Geek Utopia. 480 N. Orlando Ave., Winter Park 407-788-UBER uberbotonline.com
HOTSPOTS: LIFESTYLE BOOM-ART BY ROGERS STUDIO Custom pop illustrations that are
REDEFINE A combination art gallery/clothing boutique
DRUMS2GO Everything percussion, and indie to boot.
RON JON SURF SHOP Sure, the original location long ago
simultaneously modern and nostalgic; yes, they’ll paint anything - a chair, a door, a bench, whatever. 1821 North Orange Ave., Orlando 407-895-0280
204 S. Semoran Blvd., Orlando 407-306-0611 drums2go.com
that’s a new part of the emerging arts district in downtown Orlando. 213 N. Magnolia Ave., Orlando www.myspace.com/redefineboutique
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 ronjons.com
FULL SAIL ACADEMY Probably still best known as the place to get VANS SKATEPARK schooled in sound/engineering/recording, A sick concrete bowl, along with all but Full Sail also offers intensive degree programs in everything from Entertainment Business to Game Development. 3300 University Blvd., Winter Park 407-679-6333
the vert, mini-ramps and street-course obstacles you’d expect. 5220 International Dr., Orlando 407-351-3881 vans.com/vans/skateparks
HOTSPOTS: WEARABLES DEJA VU VINTAGE CLOTHING Deja Vu Vintage Clothing
Specializes in vintage looks. 1825 North Orange Ave., Orlando 407-898-3609
HIPKAT 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
PINK HEART BOUTIQUE Recently featured in Lucky Magazine, this
shop offers scads of accessories as well as image consulting. 4825 New Broad St., Orlando 407-228-6013
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
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HOTSPOTS: EATS AUSTIN’S ORGANICS Organic Fairtrade beans, a surprising
array of light and/or vegetarian-friendly fare, and regular nighttime entertainment. 929 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park
FALAFEL CAFÉ Inexpensive Mediterranean radness. 12140 Collegiate Way, Orlando
JAX 5TH AVE. DELI & ALE Most older patrons are here for the beer,
but the sandwiches are hard to beat, too. 3400 Edgewater Dr., Orlando
LAZY MOON PIZZA Pizza by the slice. Beer. Cheap combos of beer and pizza by the slice. 12269 University Blvd., Orlando 407-658-2396
A GUIDE TO ORLANDO & CENTRAL FLORIDA YOU ARE HERE ISSUE 36
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EVENT SPOTLIGHT creating more complex but listenable songs much in the vein of labelmates The Avett Brothers. Notorious for their live onstage energy and use of hundreds of instruments, Bombadil communicates organically every time they perform. myspace.com/bombadil
RACHEL GOODRICH
Driving up from Miami Beach, Rachel Goodrich makes cute music. She sounds like Nora Jones if Nora Jones was cool and played banjo, mandolin, uke, and harmonica. myspace.com/rachelgoodrich
SLOW CLAW
The community-minded Slow Claw mixes elements of Grand Funk and Wilco with their own special style of pop. Moody without being showy, their latest, self-released Grandfather Clocks finds the band working with Joel Hamilton of The Working Title. Recently partnering with Tom’s Shoes (tomsshoes.com), Slow Claw fans are welcome to use the promo code SLOWCLAW to receive $5 off a pair at the site. myspace.com/slowclaw
LIQUID LIMBS
Words: Chris Anderson & Scott Harrell
A
n alternative to the Florida Music Festival that focuses on the quality of live music - and,
Gainesville two-piece Liquid limbs might blow your ears off with their loud and heavy guitar rock. Naturally compared to bands like Torche, these guys also pride themselves on memorable melodies. myspace.com/liquidlimbs
VIERNES
more importantly, brings together the creative community in all shapes and forms - the Orange You Glad Music Festival promises to deliver some of the best national, regional, and local music the organizers could get their hands on.
Orlando’s Viernes is primarily the electronic brainchild of Sean Moore and Alberto Hernandez. For anyone excited about shoegaze and the new wave of good Orlando bands, don’t miss them! myspace.com/viernesviernes
Music lovers will be able to purchase $8 wristbands to get into all venues each night, or a weekend pass is available for all shows for the low price of $25. PBR is even providing golf carts to take people back and forth from venues. Orange you glad for good music?
THOMAS & OLIVIA WYNN
The opening party goes down at Will’s Pub on Thursday, May 14, starting at 8 p.m. and featuring live sets by The Modern Skirts, The Pauses, Viernes, Antarctic and DJ Adam Smith. The one-time cover is seven bucks, and it’s open to ages 18 and up. Way over at the other end of the festivities, Redlight Redlight shuts things down with barbecue (regular and vegan) and DJ Kittybat starting at 4 p.m., with live music from Richard Sherfey, Mike Dunn, Keith Michaud and Damion Suomi, as well as stand-up courtesy of TJ Young. That one is also 18 & up, and will cost you $8 without a wristband.
AND HERE’S A SAMPLING OF WHAT YOU’RE IN FOR BETWEEN THE TWO:
TIM EASTON
Hailing from Joshua Tree, California via Akron, Ohio, Tim Easton brings his alt/country campfire anthems to Orlando. Accessible to many, Easton will especially appeal to fans of Ryan Adams’ jangly work, incorporating moody/bluesy guitars with insightful vocals. His fifth effort Porcupine (New West Records) is evidence of Easton’s maturity and ability as a solo writer. With over five years of touring experience, Easton is always impressive live, and this show should be no exception, as a full band will accompany him for the first time in Orlando. myspace.com/timeaston
MODERN SKIRTS (1)
A hardworking quartet from Athens, GA, Modern Skirts are quickly becoming one of indie rock’s favorite bands. Mixing piano-driven pop with intricately structured chord directions, they have created two albums’ worth of unforgettable gems. Often compared to Sloan, the young Modern Skirts fill each song of their sophomore release All
of Us in Our Night with irresistible versus coupled with sonic choruses. myspace.com/modernskirts
ASTRONAUTALIS (2)
Always an Orlando favorite, Astronautalis (Andy Bothwell) is coming back to visit us from Seattle. Although primarily hip-hop, Bothwell’s music tends to market itself more to fans of Modest Mouse and (MAYBE) Pavement, with more words. Known for his engaging live performances, Astronautalis seems effortless in his ability to involve everyone in the room, which should be especially intimate at Will’s Pub. myspace.com/astronautalis
You already know who these guys are, but for those of you who don’t, there are few artists who get the soul of southern rock right anymore. Think Tom Petty with a heart for music, community, and faith; you’d have a hard time finding a replacement for the Wynns. myspace.com/thomaswynnandthebelievers
X.O.X.O.
Orlando’s XOXO (pronounced Hugs and Kisses) get a lot of heat for their all-too-adorable name. Moniker aside, they are a great pop band reminiscent of Weezer or Ben Folds (before they got old), and maybe even some of the things we used to love about Dismemberment Plan (yeah, it’s a big compliment, we know).
myspace.com/hugsandkisseshatesyou
ANTARTIC
Prog-rockers Antartic are on the verge of releasing their debut on Athens, Georgia’s credible Hello Sir Records. Loud guitars and interesting changes. This band will impress fans of Mogwai and Fin Fang Foom. myspace.com/antarcticsounds
ONLY THIEVES
Tallahassee’s Only Thieves are a nice marriage of fuzz and pop. It’s hard not to compare these guys with legendary Elephant Six greats like Elf Power and Beulah. myspace.com/onlythievesfla
AND, HOLY CRAP, SO MANY MORE:
Bleubird, Great Deceivers, Matt Butcher, Andy Matchett, Lauris Vidal, Mike Dunn, The Dark Romantics, Richard Sherfey, The Pauses, Khann, Time to Die, History, Northvia, Spirit Bomb, Jason Choi, Ariel Bui, The Still Voice, Dark Sea of Awareness, The Defilers, The Empyres, Joshua Nye, Moor Hound, James Dreffen, Big City Bombers, Murdock, The New Threat, Mr. Transylvania, Pandora’s Talk Box, BTH, Happy Valley, Watch Me Disappear, Tele V. Cheeseburger, DJ Adam S, Hannah & the Halfway House, Keith Michaud, Lighthouse Music, Reptile Theater, Dangerous Animals, Fireflies, Cracker Jackson, Kingsbury, Damion Suomi, The New Lows, TJ Young (comedian), The Belltowers, Strangers Family Band, Clown Car Commute, Hurrah, An Introduction to Sunshine, Overdale and more to be announced …
VENUES
Park Ave CDs 2916 Corrine Drive - parkavecds.com Peacock Room 1321 N. Mills Avenue - thepeacockroom.com Redlight Redlight 745 Bennett Rd - myspace.com/theredlightredlight Stardust Coffee & Video 1842 E. Winter Park Rd. myspace.com/stardustvideoandcoffee Uncle Lou’s 1016 N. Mills Avenue Will’s Pub 1042 N. Mills Avenue - myspace.com/willspub For more information, check out www.orangeyougladfest.com. Buy tickets at Park Ave CDs or brownpapertickets.com.
WWW.ORANGEYOUGLADFEST.COM
BOMBADIL
Hailing from Durham, North Carolina, the folksy Bombadil’s first members met years ago in Boliva. Their wide range of influences draws from everything, psychedelia to classical, creating an interesting listening experience. Bombadil’s newest release on Ramseur Records finds them
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YOU ARE HERE A GUIDE TO ORLANDO & CENTRAL FLORIDA ISSUE 36
ORLANDO EVENTS FRI MAY 01 Big Business, Tweak Bird, Sole (Late Show) The Social, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 9:30 p.m. Cure for Caska, The Darling Cavaliers Will’s Pub, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 9 p.m. Open Windows, Bop Gun, Nasta, Amy White Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $7 Time: 7 p.m. The Birthday Massacre, I am Ghost, Dommin (Early Show) The Social, Orlando Cost: $12 Time: 5 p.m.
The Horrorpops, Longway, 7 Shot Screamers The Social, Orlando Cost: $13-$15 Time: 7 p.m.
THU MAY 07 Death Cab for Cutie, Matt Costa, Ra Ra Riot (SOLD OUT) Hard Rock Live, Orlando Cost: Sold Out Time: 7 p.m. Enter the Haggis, The Beauvilles The Social, Orlando Cost: $10-$13 Time: 8 p.m. Jason Isbell, Red Cortez Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $12-$14 Time: 8 p.m.
UB40, Scholar’s Word House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $32.25 - $80.50 Time: 7:30 p.m.
FRI MAY 08
SAT MAY 02
Dinger Does It Rock Bar, Orlando Cost: $5-$7 Time: 10:30 p.m.
A Palace in Persia, Without Amusia, Mirror Pal, Johhny Plastic & the Rubberband, Made of Hemp, Through the Wishing Well Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 5 p.m.
Human Abstract, Oh Sleeper, iwrestledabearonce, Vanna (Early Show) The Social, Orlando Cost: $12-$14 Time: 3 p.m.
B-Liminal The Plaza Theatre, Orlando
Jars of Clay, Sea Bird House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $24.50 - $41.25 Time: 6:30 p.m.
Lee Anna James, Scott Morris, Sterling Y The Social, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 9 p.m. Perfect Existence, The Greatest of These, With Seconds to Spare (Early Show) Rock Bar, Orlando Cost: $5-$7 Time: 5:30 p.m. Shak Nasti, Murph Will’s Pub, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: 9 p.m.
Kow, Guests Will’s Pub, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 9 p.m. Mice Parade, Tom Brosseau, attachedhands (Late Show) The Social, Orlando Cost: $12 Time: 9:30 p.m. Ra Ra Riot In-Store Park Ave. CDs, Orlando Time: 6 p.m.
The Vanity Plan, Your Best Friend, In My Words (Late Show) Rock Bar, Orlando Cost: $5-$7 Time: 9:30 p.m.
Steven Lynch Hard Rock Live, Orlando Cost: $28-$32 Time: 8 p.m.
The Veronicas, Mark & James House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $15 - $18 Time: 7 p.m.
The Dealers, The Delaneys, Lost Time Accident Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $5-$6 Time: 7 p.m.
SUN MAY 03
SAT MAY 09
Face Down In Blood, Contest of Arms, Repressed Dreams Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $6-$8 Time: 7 p.m. Steve Patterson, Phreddie GI, Deviance, Vestis, The Know, Jared Orlando, Ivan J (Early Show) Rock Bar, Orlando Cost: $8-$10 Time: 4:15 p.m. The Gaslight Anthem, Heartless Bastards, A Death in the Family The Social, Orlando Cost: $15 Time: 8 p.m. The Supervillains Will’s Pub, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 9 p.m.
MON MAY 04 Kevin Devine, Miniature Tigers, Emma Jean Branch, Brian Bonz The Social, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 6:30 p.m.
TUE MAY 05 Bughead, Arrythmia, Not Them, Moonlight After Midnight Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 8 p.m. Protest the Hero, Misery Signals, The Number Twelve Looks Like You, Fall From Grace The Social, Orlando
WED MAY 06 Rouse, Laiza Rodriguez, Pretty & Nice, Alexander & the Grapes Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 8 p.m.
Alkaline Trio, Saves the Day, Nightmare of You House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $17.25 - $20.25 Time: 7 p.m. Heroes Will Fall, Paris Is Burning, Forever Silenced, Cethkyn Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $5-$7 Time: 7 p.m. Matt Butcher, The Legendary JCs The Plaza Theatre, Orlando The Rondos, Knock Down Drag Out The Social, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 9 p.m.
SUN MAY 10 Amos Lee, Guests The Plaza Theatre, Orlando Karrigan, The Scenic, The Sophomore Attempt, A Cover Story Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $8-$10 Time: 7 p.m. MC Chris, Whole Wheat Bread, I Am The Dream, Cracker Jackson The Social, Orlando Cost: $12 Time: 7 p.m. Saving Abel, Taddy Porter House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $16.25 - $33.25 Time: 6:30 p.m.
TUE MAY 12 Papa Roach, Red House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $23.25 - $62.50 Time: 7 p.m. The Pack A.D., Guests Will’s Pub, Orlando Cost: $7 Doors: 9 p.m.
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Tooth & the Enamels, Fist of the North Star, No Revolution, The Products Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 9 p.m. Without Amusia, Guests The Plaza Theatre, Orlando
WED MAY 13 Dirty Shannon, Swansinger, Irrational AKA Lounge, Orlando Time: 7 p.m. Christian Wilson & The Waywards, Project H, In Violent Times, Exit the Ride, Everyday I, Amie Stapp, Traverser Backbooth, Orlando Time: 5:30 p.m.
THU MAY 14 Asher Roth, Tiffany Martin, Hightide Blues, Toy Horses, James Boyd Band, Dub T, Shawn Fisher & the Jukebox Gypsies, Inpassing, State of Man, My Getaway, Project H, The Well Reds, The Black Rabbits Wall St. Plaza, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 4:30 p.m. Awestruck, The Royal, So Help Me Rifle, Relo, The Still Voice, Quiet Science, Camerae Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 5:30 p.m.
Soldier City Legends, In Violent Times, Munk Tung, Wizardry, We Are They, Fall to Ruin, Rabbits with Glasses AKA Lounge, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 6 p.m. Suckerpunch, Victims of Circumstance, Wait for Green, Crisis in Hollywood, Tooth & the Enamels, Ghost of Gloria, Sound Cannon Rock Bar, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 5:30 p.m. Thomas Wynn & the Believers, Sugarfreemusic, The Beauvilles, Rouse, Public Radio, The Giving Tree Band, Have Gun Will Travel Cheyenne Saloon, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 5 p.m. The Crystal Method House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $20.25 - $56.50 Time: 8:30 p.m. The Dark Romantics, The New Lows, The Still Voice Redlight Redlight, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: 9 p.m. Watch Me Disappear, Liquid Limbs, Happy Valley, Kingsbury Peacock Room, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: 9 p.m.
SAT MAY 16
Bryan Malpass, Chris Burns, Elisa Victoria, Emma Jean Branch, Robbie Hazen, Leticia Wolf, Kailey Billings, Kelly Murray Cafe Annies, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 5 p.m.
Adeste, An Early Ending, Save Huck, Vega Under Fire, Junior Doctor, Karrigan, Of Sharks and Men AKA Lounge, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 1 p.m.
Gerry Willams Band, Bop Gun LB Trev & Ricky Diamond, Khamelien, Art Official, The Dude AKA Lounge, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 5 p.m.
Clourslide, Lindsay Mac, Relief, Sofia Talvik, Leone, Mission Hill, Kimberly Baron, South Jordan, A Cover Story, Leticia Wolf, 10 West, Mel Martinez The Social, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 12 p.m.
Mirror Pal, Battle Sigh, Break & Repair Method, Christina Martin, Cindy Santini, Rise of Science, Sarah Peacock The Social, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 5 p.m. Modern Skirts, The Pauses, Antarctic, Viernes, DJ Adam S Will’s Pub, Orlando Cost: $7 Time: 8 p.m. Shak Nasti, Soulswitch, Nanna Larson, Joel Dobbins, Skinteeth, Patrick Alcine Tanquerays, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 7 p.m.
FRI MAY 15 Andy Matchett, Jason Choi, Joshua Nye, Hannah & the Halfway House, James Dreffen Stardust, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: 9 p.m. An Introduction to Sunshine, Bombadil, Rachel Goodrich, Lauris Vidal Will’s Pub, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: 8 p.m. Beausoleil Avec Michael Doucet The Plaza Theatre, Orlando
History, Hurrah, Northvia, DJ Adam S Redlight Redlight, Orlando Johnny Buford, Sterling Shroeder & Chosen Ones, The Wedding Party, Big Jef Special, Jonathan Appleseed, Saltwater Grass, Judy Wright Cheyenne Saloon, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 5 p.m. Mr. Transylvania, Dark Sea of Awareness, Tele V. Cheeseburger, Pandora’s Talk Box Stardust, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: 9 p.m. Pete Yorn House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $22.50-$61.00 Time: 7:30 p.m. Richard Love & the Mixtape Club, Joon, Wheels Above, Love Like Pi, Danger is My Middle Name, There for Tomorrow, Parachute, Otenki, Pathway to Providence, Marielle Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 1 p.m. Slow Claw, XOXO, Dangerous Animals, Guest Peacock Room, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: 9 p.m.
Big 10-4, Plain Jane Automobile, Jimmy Gnecco, Liam & Me, Modern Skirts, Shawn Fisher & the Jukebox Gypsies, Calling All Stars The Social, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 5 p.m.
SMB Project, V Sparks, Gargamel!, Loomis and the Lust, The Mission Veo, King Bee, Backseat Goodbye, Midnight Matinee, Shadow the Kid, Anavie Rock Bar, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 1 p.m.
Clayton Senne, Kevin So, Steve Foxbury/Paul Doucette, Kevn Kinney, Richard Duke, Mary Scholz, Hanna Bethel, Wayne Hall Cafe Annies, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 5 p.m.
The New Threat, Big City Bombers, Murdock, MachineGunHaircut, BTH Uncle Lou’s, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: 9 p.m.
Diocious, Swampnoise, Will Quinlan & the Diviner, David Anthony Tanquerays, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 7:30 p.m. Filter, Million Year Echo, Soulswitch, Status Green, Exit the Ride, Senate, Last November, Hydrosonic, Ladyfair, Maisie, Radio Reset Wall St. Plaza, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 5 p.m. Kevin Maines Band, Manna and Quail, We Landed on the Moon!, One Less Reason, GreyMarket Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 6 p.m.
Tim Easton, Great Decievers, Thomas & Olivia Wynn, Matt Butcher Will’s Pub, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: 8 p.m. Tim Serdynski, Jon Robert, Nancy Harmon, Brandon Perry Cafe Annie’s, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 6 p.m. Yellowman, Aaron Barnhart, Union Made, T13C!, The Schmeltz, Shady People, Ladyfish, 7 Months Later, Red Tide, Chris Via, Clayton Senne, B Liminal, Raging Geisha, MAYday!, Mark Gaignard and the Also Ran, JAcob Jeffries Band, Captain Kid, The Shoreline, Amely, Shutup & Dance Wall St. Plaza, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 12 p.m.
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ORLANDO EVENTS SUN MAY 17
SUN MAY 24
Ameris Clark, Tony Hood & Alize, Kev Peas, Detek, Young Stunnaz, Nutt Rock Bar, Orlando Cost: $8-$10 Time: 4:15 p.m.
Janis Ian The Plaza Theatre, Orlando
Astronautalis, Bleubird, Cracker Jackson Will’s Pub, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: 9 p.m. Khann, Overdale, Time to Die Uncle Lou’s, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: 9 p.m. Strangers Family Band, The Belltowers, The Empyres Peacock Room, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: 9 p.m. The Defilers, Ariel Bui, Fireflies, Moor Hound Stardust, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: $9 p.m.
MON MAY 18 The Vibrators, Libyan Hitsquad, SuperAids, Virgins, The Rondos Will’s Pub, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: 8 p.m.
TUE MAY 19 The James Boyd Band, Tiffany Martin, Poverty Branch Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 7 p.m.
WED MAY 20 Eric Hutchinson, Serena Ryder, Matt Hires The Social, Orlando Cost: $12-$14 Time: 8 p.m. Mother/Father, Awestruck, Guest Will’s Pub, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 9 p.m. Queensryche House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $28.25 - $72.50 Time: 7 p.m.
THU MAY 21 Empyrean, Last Human Alive, Larf, Green Hell Backbooth, Orlando cost: $5-$6 Time: 9 p.m. Yip Yip, Mixel PIxel The Social, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 9 p.m.
FRI MAY 22 Kate Voegele, Angel Taylor The Social, Orlando Cost: $15 Time: 7 p.m. Make the Story, From Tomorrows, Doubting Benefit, The Rise of Science, Say You Will, I Rival Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $8-$10 Time: 6 p.m. The Ataris, The Makeshift Gentlemen Will’s Pub, Orlando Cost: $8-$10 Time: 9 p.m.
Sugarfreemusic, Kevin Maines Band, King Bee, The Regiment Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 7 p.m. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Fit for Rivals, Go Radio House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $13.25 - $16.25 Time: 6 p.m. Young Love, Paper Route, Funeral Party, Tiger City The Social, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 6 p.m.
MON MAY 25 Isis, Pelican, Tombs The Social, Orlando Cost: $12-$14 Time: 8 p.m.
TUE MAY 26 Hand to Hand In-Store/Record Release Party Park Ave. CDs, Orlando Time: 7 p.m. Mr. Lif, Statik, Grieves The Social, Orlando Cost: $12 Time: 9 p.m.
WED MAY 27 The Business, Flatfoot 69, The Attack, The Angst Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $12-$14 Time: 7 p.m. The Secret Handshake, The Morning Of, The Dangerous Summer, The Bigger Lights Will’s Pub, Orlando Cost: $12 Time: 7 p.m.
THU MAY 28 Bad Actor, Lydia Cant Breathe, Liquid Limbs, City of Ships, Death Before Redemption Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $6 Time: 6:30 p.m. Fayuka Rock Bar, Orlando Cost: $5-$7 Time: 10 p.m. Tony Lucca, Joey DeGraw, Andrew Hoover The Social, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 8 p.m.
FRI MAY 29 DJ Rekha, DJ Phil Money The Social, Orlando Cost: $10 Time: 9 p.m. In Violent Times, The Dropa Stone, Not Tonight Josephine, Spinlight City Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 7 p.m.
SAT MAY 30
SAT MAY 23
ASG, Guests Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $6-$8 Time: 7 p.m.
22 Blaac, Balien Grey, guest Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $6 Time: 7 p.m.
Matt Mackelcan, Scott Morris Band The Plaza Theatre, Orlando
Bob Log III, Willem Maker, Hex Tremors Will’s Pub, Orlando Cost: $10-$12 Time: 9 p.m. Fall of Envy, Social Ghost, Afterglow Radio, Transmit Now House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 7 p.m. Gasoline Heart, Poverty Branch, John Ralston, Damion Suomi The Social, Orlando Cost: $8 Time: 9 p.m.
Reik House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $30 - $51.25 Time: 7 p.m.
SUN MAY 31 Matisyahu, Les Claypool House of Blues, Orlando Cost: $29.25 - $48 Time: 5 p.m. Zoroaster, Mouth of the Architect, Junior Bruce, Dark Castle Backbooth, Orlando Cost: $5 Time: 7 p.m.
MAY 2009 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 55
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YOU ARE HERE ISSUE 36
A GUIDE TO GAINESVILLE
HOTSPOTS: VENUES/BARS 1982 All-ages friendly live-music hangout.
COMMON GROUNDS G-ville’s premier punk/indie-rock club.
919 W. University Ave., Gainesville myspace.com/1982_bar
210 S.W. 2nd Ave., Ste. A, G-ville commongroundslive.com
THE ATLANTIC Cozy, eclectic bar and performance
THE KICKSTAND This altruistic endeavor - more formally
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
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
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
805 W. University Ave., Gainesville 352-372-4890
BODYTECH TATTOO One of Gainesville’s biggest and most
MOTHER EARTH MARKET Organic groceries, holistic supplements,
FREERIDE SURF SHOP Named after the classic wave flick.
MODERN AGE TOBACCO & GIFT SHOP Your one-stop shop for things with dancing
community-conscious body-art enterprises for a decade. 306 W. University Ave., Gainesville 352-376-4090 bodytechtattoo.com
420 N.W. 13th St., Gainesville freeridesurfshop.com
and a schedule of events and lectures held right on the premises. 521 N.W. 13th St., Gainesville 352-378-5244
teddy bears on them. 1035 N.W. 76th Blvd., Gainesville 352-332-5100
HOTSPOTS: EATS
HOTSPOTS: RETAIL RECYCLED BIKES Rent and roll.
HOTSPOTS: LIFESTYLE
HEAR AGAIN CDS AND DVDS The sign says “Gainesville’s largest home of music and movies,” and that is correct. 818 W. University Ave., Gainesville 352-373-1800
DRAGONFLY SUSHI Award-winning sushi. Their website
MAUDE’S CLASSIC CAFE Opinions vary wildly, but if you want
ELWeINDIO think yelp.com commenter Kasey S.
REGGAE SHACK Yup, just what you’d expect - everything
alone looks good enough to eat. 201 SE 2nd Ave., Gainesville 352-371-3359 dragonflysushi.com
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
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
to see/overhear what the hippies and hipsters in town are wearing/doing, this is the place. 101 S.E. 2nd Pl., Gainesville 352-336-9646
from jerk chicken and beef patties to curry, Caribbean salads and hell-yes passion fruit smoothies. 619 W. University Ave., Gainesville 352-377-5464
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
HOTSPOTS: WEARABLES AMERICAN APPAREL Derf. Aside from the newly opened
Orlando 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 picked over, but this is FL unintentionally ironic t-shirt heaven. 3520 S.W. 34th St., Gainesville 352-376-9041
PAGE 56 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • MAY 2009
PERSONA VINTAGE CLOTHING & COSTUMES This joint has a reputation for great
threads and kitschy or unusual gifts. 201 S.E. 2nd Pl., Gainesville 352-372-0455
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
A GUIDE TO GAINESVILLE YOU ARE HERE ISSUE 36
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
TOWERS OF HANOI
Words: Cole Porterhouse • Photo: Marisol Amador
REAX: So, how long does somebody have to hang around town after college to be unofficially adopted as a true Gainesvillian? RACHEL RYDER: There’s no exact formula, but if you have a Bachelor’s in English and balance your schedule between a restaurant job and sipping coronas by the pool, you’re making progress. REAX: To outsiders, some scenes seem really tight-knit, like they envision all the bands meeting for brunch every Sunday and everybody’s always hanging out together, sharing the same practice space. How true is that of Gainesville? RR: It’s pretty true. If you hang around here for very long, you’ll realize that Gainesville is a small place. The music keeps going because of a small group of very dedicated bands. As for sharing warehouses, ours has been home to Whiskey & Co, The Takers, Averkiou, Army of Ponch, Hometeam, and a few other bands so consider that rumor confirmed.
REAX: I can think of at least a handful of Gainesville bands that have women as members. Do you think there’s a more open-minded vibe toward that there, or is it just because it’s a college town that attracts a larger percentage of creative, artistic women? RR: I don’t think there’s a single reason but probably a variety of factors. People are open here as long as the music is good. Nobody is going to go see your band just because you’re a woman. Luckily, there are a bunch of talented gals around here, so that’s not an issue, but the bottom line is
that if you’re in a band and doing something worthwhile, Gainesville is a great place to be. It’s not particularly strange to me that there are a decent amount of female artists. I mean, us ladies comprise 50% of the population, right?
57
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
YOU’D PREFER AN ASTRONAUTALIS
A
ll you Gainesville indie hip-hop
heads are in for a real treat right around the middle of the month, when supremely talented song architect Andy “Astronautalis” Bothwell drops into 1982 for a set. Astronautalis has evolved from a quirky backpack rhymesmith and offbeat battle MC into something more akin to a next-generation Beck; his latest full-length, last year’s jaw-dropping Pomegranate, showcases his eclectic
approach to original songcraft to stunning effect. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE: Eccentric rapper Bleubird - whom, we believe, originally got rolling somewhere down in South Florida before spending several years consistently blowing minds on the Warped Tour - is also in the mix, along with hometown angry-Steve-O lookalike DP and Just A Scientist. Friday, May 15 @ 1982. Show @ 9 p.m.
REAX: Are you at all aware of being in a position of role model, or acting as inspiration to other women? RR: That’s not something I really think about on a daily basis, but if I inadvertently inspire some girls to want to get out and rock then fuck yeah!
REAX: The female vocals automatically serve to set Towers apart from the quoteunquote Gainesville sound, but the band really sounds different at its core. Did you guys consciously set out to do a sound that was aggressive, but not at all in the same vein as some bigger and highly influential bands from the area? RR: From the start, we’ve never had a roadmap for our band. We’ve gone through different stages with our sound, but they were never really intentional. We like to share a lot of music, and we’ll collectively get caught up in listening to a handful of bands, which probably has an impact on what we’re doing in some fashion, but most of our songs are written at practice and spontaneity is almost always a part of the process. REAX: Is the soul vibe from direct influence? Are you guys fans of old soul, or is it more from garage rock or other styles that happened to have that groove in there? RR: I love classic soul. Otis Redding and Al Green had it figured out a long time ago,
ALBUM SPOTLIGHT LASERHEAD RIDE YOUR STATIC (BARRACUDA SOUND)
Oh, hell yes. I’m not even sure when this full-length first came out, but thanks to the band and whoever sent it our way, because it’s exactly the kind of amped-up college-rock tonic my neo-punk- and art-rock-agitated nerves needed. Raw yet ambitious distort-o-rock that calls to mind the likes of Sugar, Dino Jr. and Five Eight but still sounds fresh and immediate, and even a bit arty at times (“Who’s There?!”, “Deadlight”) without cutting away any direct emotional impact. By getting away from current punk trends and tropes, Laserhead manages to look both forward and back, using eternally great influences to concoct something that sounds like a refreshingly cutting-edge alternative to the underground conveyor belt. - Colin Kincaid
but that’s not the end of the story. There’s soul in lots of places you wouldn’t expect it. You just gotta listen for it. Honestly, a lot of what we do is just about capturing a moment musically and being able to reproduce it. I don’t really understand the point of playing if there isn’t some feeling behind it, so I like to express that vocally.
RR: Well, we have a seven-inch coming
REAX: All right, self-promotion time - what have you got coming up?
MYSPACE.COM/TOWERSOFHANOI
out in the very near future, which we’ll be shopping around. If things go as planned, it’ll include a digital download of an unreleased song. We’ll be doing regional shows around the southeast over the summer, and hopefully at least one more release later this year.
MAY 2009 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 57
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YOU ARE HERE A GUIDE TO GAINESVILLE ISSUE 36
GAINESVILLE EVENTS FRI MAY 01
TUE MAY 12
Coming Undone, High Life Backstage Lounge, Gainesville
Stephen Steinbrink, French Quarter, Hell-Kite, The Mystery Books, Dirty Fist Wayward Council, Gainesville Cost: $5 Time: 9 p.m.
David Cook, Ryan Star Common Grounds, Gainesville Time: 8 p.m. Giuseppe (final show), Liquid Limbs, Seagrapes The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m. MaYDAY/CMC Benefit feat. Chupaskabra, No More, Victory Blvd 1982, Gainesville
SAT MAY 02 Funkatron, The Rooze, Blue Caimans Market Street Pub, Gainesville Cost: $6 Time: 10 p.m. Micah Shalom and the Babylonians The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m. Orange Sky, Point Blank, Deimos Backstage Lounge, Gainesville
SUN MAY 03 Mannequin Made, Paxico Via Mexico, Your Best Friend, Love Always, Benny C 1982, Gainesville Time: 6 p.m.
TUE MAY 05 Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Red Cortez Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $12 Time: 9 p.m.
WED MAY 06 Cain’s Fury, Afterglow Radio Backstage Lounge, Gainesville
The Scenic, The Sophomore Attempt, Karrigan, My Summer Semester 1982, Gainesville
WED MAY 13 Trumpswig, Orange Tulip Conspiracy Backstage Lounge, Gainesville
THU MAY 14 Cory Lamb, Something Universal Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m. Fake Problems, Bomb the Music Industry, Liquid Limbs, Douglas Shields and the X Factors 1982, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.
FRI MAY 15 Astronautalis, Bluebird, DP, Just a Scientist 1982, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m. Philley Wete, Honey Henny Lime Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Quadrophones, Oh Sanders, Gerald M. PerezThe Atlantic, Gainesville The Visitations, Savages, The Invisible Dolphin, Wayward Council, Gainesville Cost: $5 Time: 9 p.m.
SAT MAY 16
THU MAY 07
Sinister Nasty, Mannequin Made Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m.
Mice Parade, Gregory and the Hawk Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $10 Time: 9 p.m.
Stella, Moscows on Fire (reunion show) 1982, Gainesville Time: 8 p.m.
Southern Fried Funk, Senate, Shut Up and Dance Backstage Lounge, Gainesville
FRI MAY 08 New Bruises, Anchor Arms, Assassinate the Scientist, Homemade Handgrenades, D$ The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 9:30 p.m. The Butterfly Theory, Nomenclature, Suffers on Acid 1982, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m. The Leeside, Paint Me Irrational, Bird Street Players Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m. Will Quinlan and the Diviners, Lauris Vidal, The Takers Durty Nelly’s, Gainesville Cost: $5 Time: 8:30 p.m.
SAT MAY 09 5 Day Beginning, Synapse Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m. By the Horns, Impurity, Echoes of Violence, With My Bear Hands The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 9:30 p.m. Night Nurses from Jersey, The M-1’s 1982, Gainesville Time: 8 p.m.
MON MAY 11 Otenki, The Beretter Backstage Lounge, Gainesville
The Legendary JC’s Market Street Pub, Gainesville Cost: $7 Time: 10 p.m.
SUN MAY 17 Michael Burks Common Grounds, Gainesville
MON MAY 18 Willie Heath Neal, Hollowbody Hellraisers Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.
TUE MAY 19 Mother/Father (ex-Salem/Currents), Ars Phoenix, Turn Thieves (CD Release) 1982, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.
WED MAY 20 Dead Flesh, Toe in the Trigger Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Feed the Bears, Say When, Bo Coker, Call It Conflict, Crisis in Hollywood 1982, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.
THU MAY 21 Penny for your Thought, Untold, Faster Faster Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m. The Ataris, Parting Jets for Jazz Men, Have You Heard 1982, Gainesville Time: 8 p.m.
PAGE 58 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • MAY 2009
THU MAY 28 FRI MAY 22 Morningbell, Soft Targets, Wait Wait The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m. Ricky Kendall from Paxico Via Mexico, Sarah Mac Band, Dustin Pence 1982, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.
Big Blue House, 3rd Stone, Dave Gallo Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m.
FRI MAY 29 Moodhosa, Paxico Via Mexico, The Footlights Common Grounds, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m. Mouth of the Architect, Zoroaster, Maruta, Coffin Dancer The Atlantic, Gainesville
SAT MAY 23
Used Blues, Long Strange Day, Marion Crane Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m.
Bend the Line Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 10 p.m.
SAT MAY 30
HOMEVan Benefit Show Feat. Averkiou, Cyne, Scum of the Earth, Cassette The Atlantic, Gainesville
TUE MAY 26 Isis, Pelican Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $12/14 Time: 9 p.m.
WED MAY 27 Clayton Bush, 1987 Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m. Mr. Lif Common Grounds, Gainesville Cost: $10 Time: 9 p.m. Stanton Moore Trio (from Galactic) Market Street Pub, Gainesville Cost: $12/14
Liquid Limbs, City of Ships, So Pastel, Worryship The Atlantic, Gainesville Time: 9:30 p.m. The Ones to Blame, The Wooden, Have Gun Will Travel Common Grounds, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m. ZZ Not, Texas Flood, Ted Nugent Tribute Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.
SUN MAY 31 You Vandal, Vincent Valentine, Assassinate The Scientist, Last 1982, Gainesville Time: 7 p.m.
WED JUNE 03 Lux Astra Backstage Lounge, Gainesville Time: 9 p.m.
MAY 2009 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 59
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YOU ARE HERE ISSUE 36
A GUIDE TO NE FLORIDA
HOTSPOTS: VENUES/BARS CLUB TSI Hipsteriffic “indie disco” and venue
that hosts hip-hop, touring bands, art exhibitions, and cool stuff in between. 333 East Bay St., Jacksonville clubtsi.com
FREEBIRD LIVE The area’s most well-known concert
venue. Lots of touring acts and bigger local stuff. 200 North 1st St., Jacksonville Beach freebirdlive.com
JACK RABBITS Another local legend of a spot geared
toward original music, with an alwayseclectic slate featuring both local and national acts. 1528 Hendricks Ave., Jacksonville jackrabbitsonline.com
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
THE PEARL Very cool bar/venue complete with oak trees and an old-time phone booth. Being inside kind of makes you feel like you’re outside. We hosted our first Jacksonville show there and fun times were had. 1101 N. Main St., Jacksonville myspace.com/thepearlofspringfield
SHANTY TOWN PUB Bar, live music and themed DJ nights,
along w/ a cool outdoor area for hangin’. 22 W. 6th St., Jacksonville myspace.com/shantytownpub
ST. AUGUSTINE AMPHITHEATRE This large outdoor shed hosts everything from new jam and indie sounds to classic country and rock. 1340 A1A South, St. Augustine staugamphitheatre.com
HOTSPOTS: RETAIL CARRIBBEAN CONNECTION One-stop shopping for music-culture
peripherals - shoes, shirts, tickets, tats and more. 1034 Park St., Jacksonville 777 S. 3 rd St., Jacksonville myspace.com/carribbeanconnectionjax
enthusiasts. Find unique bikes for sale or even have your perfect dream bike built out for you. Funded completely by donations. 1520 N. Main St., Jacksonville zombiecoop.blogspot.com
HOTSPOTS: LIFESTYLE KONA SKATEPARK Did you know Jax is home to America’s
longest-surviving skatepark? Kona’s been around since ‘77. 8739 Kona Ave., Jacksonville konaskatepark.com
MS. DEBORAH’S FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH Well-known tattoo studio with a very talented staff. 78 Lemon Street, St. Augustine 904-825-0108 msdeborahtattoo.com
HOTSPOTS: EATS BURRITO GALLERY So much more than a burrito joint -
seafood, salads, live music, full liquor. 21 East Adams St., Jacksonville 904-598-2922
CAFÉ ELEVEN Outstanding eats. Impressive beer/wine
selection. Extraordinary music calendar. What else could you possibly ask for? 501 A1A Bch Blvd., St. Aug. Beach
HOTSPOTS: WEARABLES ANOMALY Hip Five Points clothing store specializing
in introducing indie designers to the world. 1012 Park St., Jacksonville anomalyfivepoints.com
TO MARKET
ZOMBIE BIKES A bike co-op run by a group of volunteer
WOLFGANG A stylish boutique offering affordable
name-brand fashion action for both sexes. 1038 Park St., Jacksonville myspace.com/wolfgangboutique
PAGE 60 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • MAY 2009
Words: Scott Harrell • Photo:Tom Pennington
S
ince opening its April-to-December
run of Saturdays last month, Jacksonville’s Riverside Arts Market has already drawn tens of thousands of art buffs, sidewalk shoppers, music fans and general hangers-about. Held on Riverside Avenue where it passes under the Fuller Warren Bridge from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., RAM offers something for just about anybody willing to get out of the house and into the crowd for a couple of hours on the weekend. This ain’t your parents’ art walk. Well, it is and it isn’t; sometimes the music skews a little quiet or classic or folky, and the art on display runs the gamut from cheesy to mind-bending. But there’s
also bike valet parking, roving performers, intriguing snackage, a Children’s Creativity Center for the young ‘uns, locally grown produce - in fact, the “buy local” angle is one of the Market’s main focii. And did we mention free parking? There goes your final grumpy argument against getting some fresh air and homegrown vittles while checking out the community art scene. Riverside Arts Market is free, and runs from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. every Saturday from April through December. Check out riversideartsmarket.com for more information, and a schedule of performers.
ALBUM SPOTLIGHT SUNBEARS! DREAM HAPPY DREAMS (SELF-RELEASED)
It’s no secret that most of us here at REAX are big fans of SUNBEARS!, and their big, beautiful rays-breaking-through-the-clouds-like-God-just-wanted-to-say-hello pop sound. And hey, guess what? We love their latest. Soaring melodies, wetly crashing cymbals, celebratory brass lines - it all comes together in an endearing, resonant and at the same time utterly professional-sounding whole. Not that this is some one-dimensional pastiche of feel-good Flaming Lips-isms, by a long shot; under the deceptively simple sheen, tunes like the title track are as rich with emotional complexity as they are layers of instantly engaging, ear-friendly sound. Nobody mixes earphone-centric nuances, inner-child sophistication and simple dance-party grooves quite like this Jax duo, and we love ‘em for it. - Scott Harrell
A GUIDE TO JACKSONVILLE & NORTHEAST FLORIDA YOU ARE HERE ISSUE 36
NE FLA EVENTS FRI MAY 01 Citizen Cope Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach Cost: $25 Time: 8 p.m. Bury Your Bike 2 Feat. Jeff The Brotherhood, Talk Sick Earth, Unholy War Shantytown Pub, Jacksonville Eugene Club TSI, Jacksonville Time: 9 p.m. Evolucid, Here to Stay, South Facing Horse, Routine Scheme, Elysium Doozer’s Pub, Jacksonville Time: 9 p.m. Killer on the Way, GreyMarket, Driving The Fall Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $8/10 Time: 8 p.m.
SAT MAY 02 Big Business, Tweak Bird Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $10/15 Time: 8 p.m. Bury Your Bike 2 Feat. Heavy Flow, The Biking Viking BBB Warehouse, Jacksonville Diplo Club TSI, Jacksonville Cost: $15/17 Laurel Lee & The Escapees, The Red Swell Shantytown Pub, Jacksonville Time: 9 p.m. Black Kids, SUNBEARS! Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach Cost: $13/15 Time: 8 p.m. The Present Video Premiere Landshark Cafe, Jacksonville Beach Time: 11 p.m. Unit Shifters, Flood The City, The Rock & Roll Chrome, Unlicensed Doozer’s Pub, Jacksonville Time: 9 p.m.
SUN MAY 03 MasAppeal Going Away BBQ Shantytown Pub, Jacksonville Paul Lundgren Band Landshark Cafe, Jacksonville Beach Sybris, Wudun, Buff Clout Eclipse, Jacksonville Time: 9 p.m. The Hometown Heroes, Young City, Rob Francis,The Family, T-Shine, H2-O Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $7/10 Time: 8 p.m.
MON MAY 04 Kings of Leon, The Walkmen St. Augustine Amphitheatre, St. Augustine Cost: $35/45 Time: 6:30 p.m. Unwigged & Unplugged: An Evening with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean & Harry Shearer Florida Theatre, Jacksonville Cost: $35/50 Time: 8 p.m.
WED MAY 13
THU MAY 07 Gavin DeGraw Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $20 Time: 8 p.m. The Sophomore Atttempt, Karrigan, Captain Kid, Say Goodnight Mean Goodbye Brewster’s Pit, Jacksonville Time: 6 p.m.
FRI MAY 08 A Fall to Rise, Penny 4 Your Thought, Marion Crane, Sumthin Else Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach Cost: $8/10 Time: 8 p.m. Ancient City Crawfish Boil Feat. 3 Doors Down, Snoop Dogg, G. Love, Hinder, Flyleaf, Candlebox, more Francis Field, St. Augustine Cost: $29.50/49.50 2-day pass Danny Feedback’s Crack Rock Opera, Afterglow Radio, Prison Orange Doozer’s Pub, Jacksonville Time: 9 p.m.
THU MAY 14
Groovie Dog Landshark Cafe, Jacksonville Beach
The Beauvilles, Thomas Wynn & The Believers Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville
Ladyfingers, Special Guests Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville
FRI MAY 15
MON MAY 25
Locust Grove Shantytown Pub, Jacksonville
Mr. Lif, Willie Evans Jr. Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cot: $10/15 Time: 8 p.m.
Urgent Revolt, The Wastedest, Sadly Mistaken, SPP Doozer’s Pub, Jacksonville Time: 9 p.m.
TUE MAY 26 Jacksonville Beardsmith Society Pub Night Steamworks, Jacksonville
SAT MAY 16 Astronautalis, Bleubird, Rachel Goodrich Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $8/10 Time: 8 p.m.
To Be Hated, Wizardry, Three Count, Rottred, Lobotomized Doozer’s Pub, Jacksonville
Mr. Al Pete CD Release Party Feat. The Famili, Elevated Hip-Hop Experience, Monica Monet, Dr. Sam Beckett Club TSI, Jacksonville Cost: $10 (includes CD) Time: 10 p.m. The Horrorpops, Long Way, 7 Shot Screamers Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $12/15 Time: 8 p.m.
The Secret Handshake, The Morning Of, My Favorite Highway, The Bigger Lights Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $10/13 Time: 7 p.m.
WED MAY 27
Dirty Gringos Landshark Cafe, Jacksonville Beach Time: 10 p.m.
Gwen Stacy, Eyes Set To Kill, Motionless in White, Bell Epoch Brewster’s Pit, Jacksonville Time: 6 p.m.
Isis, Pelican, Tombs Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $13/15 Time: 8 p.m.
THU MAY 28 Frontier Ruckus, Tobacco Pat, That Kid Art, Goldcure Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville
Von Barlow’s Jazz Journey Shantytown Pub, Jacksonville
FRI MAY 29
SUN MAY 17
Architect Sound, Dirty Shannon, Blue Caimans, 10 West, Locust Grove Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach Cost: $8/10 Time: 8 p.m.
Dirty Gringos, Dial 9 Landshark Cafe, Jacksonville Beach Willie Heath Neal Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $10/13 Time: 8 p.m.
FSOD, Blacklist Royals, Constant Throw Doozer’s Pub, Jacksonville Time: 9 p.m.
SAT MAY 09
MON MAY 18
Ancient City Crawfish Boil Feat. 3 Doors Down, Snoop Dogg, G. Love, Hinder, Flyleaf, Candlebox, + more Francis Field, St. Augustine Cost: $29.50/49.50 2-day pass
The Malah, Greenhouse Lounge Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $8/10 Time: 8 p.m.
Ghostwitch Family Band, Joeceaphus & the Georgetown Massacre Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $8/10 Time: 8 p.m.
TUE MAY 19
Sound & Shape, The Blues Moon Shantytown Pub, Jacksonville
Orange Crush, City Lights Bloom, Van Gloria Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville
Soundclash 74 Soundsystem vs. The Big Bucks Burrito Gallery, Jacksonville
Junior Brown Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach Cost: $15/20 Time: 8 p.m. Kings of Hell, Whiskey Romance Landshark Cafe, Jacksonville Beach Time: 10 p.m. Low Country Destroyer, Inner Demons Doozer’s Pub, Jacksonville Time: 9 p.m. Philler, My Own Sin, A Fall to Rise Brewster’s Pit, Jacksonville Time: 8 p.m. Prick Magazine Presents The Rock ‘N’ Roll Burlesque Show Feat. The Suicide Girls Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $10/12 Time: 8 p.m. TrapBomb, The N Word Shantytown Pub, Jacksonville
SUN MAY 10 BobaFlex, 5 Day Beginning, Prologic 13, Asylum’s Symphony Brewster’s Pit, Jacksonville Time: 5 p.m.
Enter The Haggis, Gunga Din Cafe Eleven, St. Augustine Cost: $10
Chicken & Whiskey, Lighthouse Music Shantytown Pub, Jacksonville
Fullstop, The Night Lite Shantytown Pub, Jacksonville
The Supervillains, Bubbly Joe Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $10/13 Time: 8 p.m.
BloodFest Feat. Shreddenger, Dammure Eyes, Kill Clauseau, Dissonant, Bloodcraft Brewster’s Pit, Jacksonville Cost: $10 Time: 7 p.m.
SUN MAY 24
The Vibrators, Grab Bag, Poncho Villa & The Banditos, Endangered Feces Doozer’s Pub, Jacksonville Cost: $5/8 Time: 9 p.m.
Tempest Reign, Ten Ton Wrecking Ball, Fast Taker Brewster’s Pit, Jacksonville Time: 6 p.m.
TUE MAY 05 WED MAY 06
The Nerve Scheme, Middle Class Trash, Johnny Sexfuk & The Fleshrockets Doozer’s Pub, Jacksonville Time: 9 p.m.
Greenhouse Lounge Shantytown Pub, Jacksonville
The Sleeping, Closure in Moscow Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $12/15 Time: 7 p.m.
El Ten Eleven, Amy Hendrickson, Matt James Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville
MON MAY 11 MC Chris, Whole Wheat Bread, I Am The Dream, Cracker Jackson Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $10/15 Time: 8 p.m.
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THU MAY 21
Tony Furtado Cafe Eleven, St. Augustine Cost: $12
Exodus, Warbringer Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $10/15 Time: 8 p.m.
SAT MAY 30
FRI MAY 22 HipHopHell Records Pre-Summer Showcase Feat. P. Locke, Blakhart Ocean Club, Jacksonville Beach Cost: $5/7 Time: 10 p.m.
Carnivorous Carnival, Twisted Affliction, Circle of Strife, Minor Infection, Last Chance Stand Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $8/10 Time: 8 p.m. DJ Caulder, DJ Nolan Shantytown Pub, Jacksonville
Mixel Pixel, Yip-Yip Club TSI, Jacksonville Time: 9 p.m.
Foxfire, 1987, South Facing Horse Doozer’s Pub, Jacksonville Time: 9 p.m.
Nick Costanzo Shantytown Pub, Jacksonville
SAT MAY 23
The Business Brewster’s Pit, Jacksonville Time: 8 p.m.
HipHopHeaven Feat. Omo Tayo Shantytown Pub, Jacksonville
TUE JUNE 02
Kate Voegele Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $15 Time: 8 p.m.
Zoroaster, Dark Castle, Hollow Leg, Locust Grove Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville Cost: $8/10 Time: 8 p.m.
Passafire Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach Cost: $15/20 Time: 8 p.m. Pig Roast Landshark Style Feat. ASG, Destin for Florida, Stressface, Coyote Throat Landshark Cafe, Jacksonville Beach
WED JUNE 03 Johnny Sexfuk & the Fleshrockets, Simplex 1 Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville
MAY 2009 • REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE • PAGE 61