Daily Loaf

The drums. The spine and pulse of a band. A bad drummer loses an audience. A good drummer keeps the flow going in unison. A great drummer owns the stage. Being a bass player, I have always been intrinsically tied to drummers as we both have the duty of keeping things “in the pocket.”

It is out of love that I share with you my Top 10 Drummers of All Time.

10. Josh Freese (The Vandals, A Perfect Circle, Devo, Nine Inch Nails, all over modern rock radio) — One of the most sought-out studio drummers in rock music, Freese — a Florida native — cut his teeth in a Disneyworld band when he was 12. At 15, he was already touring with the seminal/joke/genius punk band, The Vandals. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records.

Read the rest of this entry »

Last Friday, Pitchfork.com revealed the first batch of hip-as-shit bands that will be performing at the 2010 edition of the Pitchfork Music Festival, to be held July 16-18 at Chicago’s Union Park. Modest Mouse headlines on Friday, LCD Soundsystem and Raekwon appear on Saturday, and Sunday’s bill features Pavement as well as St. Vincent, Lightning Bolt, Cass McCombs, Here We Go Magic and Sleigh Bells. More bands will be added in the coming weeks; to get your tickets now ($40 single-day tickets, $90 three-day passes), click here.

And today, organizers have announced the first batch of confirmed artists for the ninth annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, which is held June 10-13 on a big old plot of land in Manchester, Tenn. Among the current highlights are The Flaming Lips covering Dark Side of the Moon (likely with Stardeath and White Dwarfs, the band that originally collaborated with the Lips on the album), Phoenix, Weezer, OK Go (pictured, and in my humble but well-informed opinion, responsible for the best album of 2010 so far), Jeff Beck, John Fogerty, Norah Jones, Medeski Martin & Wood, Chromeo with guest Daryl Hall (re-living their Live from Daryl’s House episode on stage), Regina Spektor, Isis, Mayer Hawthorne and the County, The Black Keys, The Constellations and some others. More will be announced as the fest date nears. General admission tickets at $209.50 and $224.50 have already sold out; the remaining tickets are priced at $234.50, then $249.50 once the batch at the former price sells out. There’s also other ticket packages available as well as payment plans for the economically strapped. Click here to secure your tickets.

I gotta be honest, I go to a lot of shows. Anyone who pays any attention to the calendar page of my site knows this. An unfortunate side-effect is that I’ve become slightly de-sensitized to the excitement of seeing a concert, so I’m rarely genuinely excited about seeing a show. Friday night’s Todd Snider show at Skipper’s Smokehouse, however, was one of those rare occasions.

Todd Snider brought his brand of politically-charged jingle-jangle with a little folk-soul-country wit to Tampa for a sit down performance at the always amicable Skipper’s. Mother Nature even seemed to be in a good mood, giving us a break in the rains long enough for the entire show to take place sans dripping trees. The show started out somewhat clunky. First was a full-band that opened things up (I apologize, I came in during their set and never caught their name) very well. They played a crackling ‘78 version of Americana well enough, so I was sad that I only managed to catch three songs. Read the rest of this entry »

They don’t say “party like a rockstar” for nothing because the business is all about excess. The environmental impact of touring shows and music festivals can be huge- using tons of fuel and resources and creating mass amounts of waste. But one musician decided to make a difference. In 2004, Adam Gardner, Guster guitarist/vocalist, and his environmentalist wife, Lauren Sullivan, launched the non-profit organization, Reverb, that was designed to ‘green’ music tours.

Reverb helps make touring shows more sustainable by providing turn-key greening programs and fostering educational grassroots outreach programs for the fans. For the touring band they provide an on-site coordinator to oversee the event, create a custom rider which includes green requests sent in advance to each venue, arrange biodiesel fueling for tour vehicles, arrange large-scale waste reduction and recycling initiatives, oversee eco-friendly practices with the hospitality and catering staff (i.e.: locally sourced organic food and the use of green cleaning products), calculate the carbon footprint of the tour and arrange appropriate carbon offsets. Reverb gets the fans involved by setting up an Eco-Village where they can get a green education through environmental displays and activities. These Eco-Villages host other environmental organizations, offer a carbon offset program for fans, and provide an online carpooling site where fans can meet up to arrange group travel to the shows.
Read the rest of this entry »

“Give the people what they want/
You gotta give the people what they want/
The more they get, the more they need/
And every time they get harder and harder to please…”

…so says the title track of Give The People What They Want, the 1981 album by legendary British rock ‘n’ roll band The Kinks. Lead singer and lyricist of the group, Ray Davies, might have been alluding to the inevitably unsatisfiable nature of most human beings when he wrote those words three decades ago. Then again, he might have been foreshadowing to the present-day bashing and trashing that most spectators who watched Super Bowl XLIV are unceremoniously doling out towards his peers and contemporaries, The Who. Read the rest of this entry »

This week’s new music releases; for a complete breakdown of upcoming releases due out in the next several months, click here.

Fear Factory, Mechanize (Candlelight)

Ernest Gonzales, Been Meaning To Tell You (FoF Music)

HIM, Screamworks: Love In Theory And Practice (Sire/ London/Rhino)

Hot Chip, One Left Stand (Astralwerks)

Jaheim, Another Round (Atlantic)

Lionel Loueke, Mwaliko (Blue Note)

Massive Attack, Heligoland (Virgin)

Dave Matthews Band, Live in Las Vegas (RCA)

Mimicking Birds, Mimicking Birds (Glacial Pace)

The Murder of My Sweet, Divanity (Frontier) Read the rest of this entry »

So I had two songs on constant replay in my head all weekend – Prince’s “Purple Rain” and “Sacrifice” by The Expendables – one of the direct side effects of my musical adventures Friday night in Ybor.

My boyfriend (bf) and I had tickets to see The Expendables at The Ritz and doors were at 7 p.m., but I have to admit, the night got started a little late because of a surprise visit from my boyfriend’s older bro. However, we kept the party going far beyond the end of the show.

It was about 9 p.m. when the three of us stopped at The Dirty Shame to grab a beer before the show. The melodic vibes began early as the bar’s speakers blared “When You Were Young” by The Killers and “Lazy Eye” by Silversun Pickups.

My impatient pestering a little while later finally convinced the guys we needed to go, so we downed our beers and headed straight down 7th Avenue to the venue. And, perhaps we would have made it to the show by 9:30 p.m. or so, had I not heard a familiar laugh coming from The Boneyard as we strolled past. But I did, and inside having cocktails were two of my close Tampa girlfriends and their significant others, who I haven’t seen in months. Nothing makes a night on the town better than randomly running into your favorite people. Read the rest of this entry »

B.B. King and Buddy Guy paid Ruth Eckerd Hall a visit this past Friday night and put on an epic performance for an audience of fans ranging in age from 9 to 90, all waiting in eager anticipation for the legendary blues artists to take the stage. [All photos by Fernando Garcia.]

Buddy Guy made his entrance in a shiny track suit, sneakers and leather Newsboy cap, and instantly began wailing on his electric guitar. His four-piece band backed him up on piano, drums, guitar and bass, moved side to side in unison as Guy moved and gyrated with every note played. He was extremely keyed into the crowd and their participation in and appreciation of the tunes. He was also an incredible showman, playing guitar backwards, on his shoulder, positioning it just right to hit notes with certain key body movements, and even plucked the strings with his teeth at one point.

The music was constant and fluid, like one big blues jam session. In the midst of all that crazy musicianship, he still took the time to tell a few stories, discuss a few songs and make a few jokes. He claimed blues musicians weren’t allowed to be profane until the invention of hip-hop. He also said there was no British invasion, “We had it all the time, we just didn’t know what we had.” He followed this claim with a tribute and comparison of Johnny Hooker and Cream.

Guy brought much soulful emotion to his vocals, and encouraged the audience sing to sing along to numbers like “I Just Wanna Make Love to You,” among many other. He segued smoothly from one song into the next, making it feel like one long number, seeming never really finishing any single song until he performed the title track of his last album, “Skin Deep,” seemingly one of the only songs he completed from start to finish.

Buddy Guy is a true bluesman and his set was amazing. He performed all his solos with incredible precision, demonstrated great control of his voice, closed everything out with a big finale, and got the crowed amped up and ready for more blues from co-headliner B.B King. [More pics + photo gallery after the jump.] Read the rest of this entry »

[All photos by Mike Wilson.]

There is something that comes over women as soon as John Mayer straps on a guitar. I have no idea what it is, as I am not a scientist or a psychiatrist, but I do know that it is nothing short of magical. When my mother realized she was not able to attend the concert she literally almost burst into tears. John Mayer’s voice knows no bounds when it comes to captivating the female eardrums. Personally, I have been mesmerized by John Mayer and his musical stylings for the better part of my adult life (minus that whole Trio B.S. he pulled a few years back), so to say that I was excited to see the “Battle Studies Tour” at the St. Pete Times Forum this past Friday night, is an understatement of epic proportions. Let’s talk about it, shall we?

Michael Franti  and Spearhead opened the show, and I apologize in advance to all you hackey-sacking hippies, but I missed his set… a little due to rain-delay on the roads and a little due to personal choice. After hearing what a mess his collaboration with the Counting Crows was on their last tour (I know that this CL contributor liked it, but I didn’t hear many/any other good things about that circus, sorry guys), I felt that the 10 minutes I could have spent watching him play that one song I kinda know*, would be better spent consuming overpriced beer. I cannot say whether or not I made the right decision but I am certain that there is a rabid Franti fan just waiting to tear me apart in the comments.**

The arena was a abuzz with estrogen and excitement. Some of these estrogen-having people brought signs, like posterboard, homemade, outside the TRL studios back in 1999 kind of signs. Some of them dragged their poor, sad and out-of-place, testosterone-filled significant others. Others just put on their best heels and sequined tops, got their sangria on pre-show and were ready to do some sca-ream-ing.

Read the rest of this entry »

On his new album, There Is Love in You, Kieran Hebden (the artist otherwise known as Four Tet) incorporates electro melodies and samples into a sound very similar to the free-form yet structured vibe of jazz.

Rather than a tenor sax or trumpet, Hebden’s instrument of choice is his computer. The overall effect of There is Love in You’s looped soundbites is hypnotic and intriguing, though it can also can be a bit too much on the tracks that stretch longer than seven minutes.

“Sing” is one of the shorter, more mesmerizing numbers. What gives this particular song and most of the album its appeal is the array of intriguing sounds. Pings and dings and the clink of a quarter into a slot are scattered throughout the danceable track. The overall effect of the sonic arrangement is like a rave going on inside a pinball machine. Read the rest of this entry »

Faced with a jam-packed, sold-out venue this past Wednesday night at the Owl City show, I had no other choice but to tunnel through the crowd of milling teeny-boppers, some accompanied by their long-suffering parents. It was a virtual underage circus.

[Pictured: Adam Young of Owl City]

This is how my night started.

First up was Deas Vail. A few years ago I fell in love with their first album, All The Houses Look The Same, when a couple of hot girls came over to my house and gave me the group’s disc. I figured they’d play the majority of songs from their new album, White Lights, but I wasn’t anticipating an entire sets-worth. I have nothing against a band promoting their new album, but I was let down that none of the earlier songs got a nod.

An entertaining incident in the crowd caught my eye just before the second act was getting ready to start. The boiling intensity of the underagers who love Owl City had reached a bottleneck and right at the stage, a young guy was pushing back a younger girl because he wanted a front-row spot. I mean, come on dude, Owl City is like Kid’s Bop on crack … but I guess everyone has their own guilty pleasure. Anyway, there was another girl in the front who kept trying to get the security guard’s attention because she claimed said dude was “abusing” women. Read the rest of this entry »

Any preconceived notions you might have about your favorite bands can be immediately shot down once you’ve gotten to know them. In this world of the “rock star,” rarely does anyone get that chance. I’ve been fortunate enough to call Mr. Deon Rexroat [pictured below, courtesy of the band's Myspace] my friend. Oh, and he happens to play bass in a band called Anberlin. I had the opportunity to sit and talk with Deon about the band’s recent release, New Surrender, as well as his influences and Anberlin’s outlook on the upcoming year. In between the beer and friendly banter, I came to realize that Deon is a musician who knows where he stands and he speaks with conviction. He is a solid bass player as well as a friend, and I hope you find this interview as entertaining as I did conducting it.

I noticed on www.anberlin.com that all of the major sites where you can buy the new record were mentioned, including WalMart, and in parentheses, indie record shops were marked as being important. Is this the collective thought of Anberlin, to mention the big stores where you can find the New Surrender album rather than keep it indie?

Deon Rexroat: We use our splash pages as up front news and one of them is a list of all local record stores that the new album is available. We do a lot of work with indie stores because we think they are very important. I found out about a lot of the music I listen to through the “cooler than me” clerks that worked at a lot of those stores. Places like Woodpecker Records in Lakeland, FL., Newbury Comics in Boston, MA, and Relapse Records in Philadelphia, PA. before they became an on-line store. Vinyl has made a comeback. The album is an important thing as much as it gets dissected by sites like iTunes. Independent record stores offer a little more niche stuff like Rhino Records in Pomona, CA. Every time we have an album come out we do in-stores at independent record shops. We play acoustic and all of us are there signing albums. Park Avenue in Orlando, FL. have always been huge supporters of us as well as Uncle Sam’s in South Florida and Vinyl Fever in Tampa, Florida. Read the rest of this entry »

According to Suburban Home Records founder, Virgil Dickerson, he was inspired by a documentary he saw about mix tape culture in hip-hop and decided to put one together himself. It features bands from the Suburban Home Records roster as well as artists that he’s a big fan of. And as he says on the CD cover:

Burn it, share it, post it on your blog or send it out through Sendspace or Yousendit. If you find an artist you like please find their releases, check out their shows and tell others about them. Most of these artists are on small labels and need word of mouth to help spread the word about what they’re doing.

I can get behind that. So, here is a link to the entire CD for you to download, link to … whatever.

Track listing and more below the cut:

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re not familiar with Brandi Carlile, then perhaps you haven’t been paying attention. Granted, her 2009 release, Give Up The Ghost, is only her third, but in the course of a few short years, the rootsy, sweet-drawlin’ Seattle-based artist has enjoyed an amazing start. Building on the success of 2005’s The Story and its popular title track, Ghost offers remarkable insight into one of the most extraordinary singer-songwriters to emerge in recent years. Legendary starmaker Rick Rubin produced the exceptional recording, an eclectic collection of songs that draw you in, from the unadorned intimacy of “If There Was No You,” to the lush, Beatles-flavored harmonies of “Oh Dear,” and right through to the final string crescendo of “Pride and Joy.”

Carlile offered some insight into her new album, among other things, when I spoke with her by phone several weeks back.

Tell me about Give Up The Ghost.
It’s our third record, but to us, it kind of feels like our second because our first one was supposed to be a demo. It’s out on Columbia and we made the record with Rick Rubin. It took us about a year to record. As a band, we really prefer analog recording so we recorded to tape and we recorded all of the tracks live, then we built on each track. Some of the songs are massive, huge, like something off Night at the Opera by Queen, but some of them are so stripped down and so quiet, like a Johnny Cash song from American Recordings, that it makes you almost uncomfortable as a listener because it’s such an intimate, voyeuristic thing.

You once said that you felt “like a caged animal” in the studio.
There is a constant search for energy for me. I’m a live artist, you know, since I was a very little kid, since I was seven or eight years old, my whole life has been consumed with being an entertainer. It’s not that I can’t be introspective on stage in front of a couple of thousand people because I can, but it’s hard for me to be outward and really expressive in the studio because sometimes I need that audience. So I have to find energy from other places and that can be very limiting and stressful. Read the rest of this entry »

Now for something completely different, which is what you should expect from by every  Joan of Arc album; but especially Don’t Mind Control, an 18-track compilation featuring the current projects from the vast rotating cast of musicians who’ve performed with Tim Kinsella in Joan of Arc.

And yes, like every new Joan of Arc release, this one seems to be a satisfying introduction to the collective, even while it spotlights bands referred to as their “extended family.” In fact, there are no Joan of Arc songs on the album and Kinsella’s voice is absent from his own contribution, a disorienting guitar track that fizzles into tambourines and paranoid feedback, and akin to recent instrumentals from Joan of Arc’s Boo Human and Flowers. But Kinsella does sing hysterical on Euphone’s “Friend in Common,” shouting “I can not be a party member!” over keyboards and percussion that tease at the psychedelic scope of future Euphone releases.

For fans of Joan of Arc’s “extended family,” this compilation also contains a new song by the guitar insanity cascade known as Ghosts And Vodka (ex-Owls with too many to name), the only official release since the band reformed momentarily this past winter; and a new song by Birthmark, Nate Kinsella’s (ex-Make Believe) solo project, that defies explanation since it perfectly captures the atmosphere of a dream. Read the rest of this entry »

A quick breakdown of this weekend’s most worthy concerts beginning with Thursday, ’cause that’s when the weekend really starts, right? For a more comprehensive schedule, check out our Upcoming Concerts page.

THURSYDAY, FEBRUARY 4
Have Gun Will Travel w/The Whiskey Gentry [pictured]/Josh Roberts & the Hinges Bay area purveyors of fiery Americana HGWT caught the attention of Suburban Home Records and were brought into the distribution fold with their latest full-length, Postcards from the Friendly City. This show is part of a Southeast regional tour with The Whiskey Gentry, an Atlanta six-piece that makes old timey alt country with banjo, accordion, fiddle, harmonica and the sweet-drawling vocals of frontwoman Lauren Staley; and Columbia, S.C.’s Josh Roberts, who brings a harder Southern rock feel to his band’s freewheeling roots music. 9 p.m., New World Brewery, Ybor City, $8.

SPC Jazz Festival w/Helios Jazz Orchestra/Guisando Caliente/John Lindberg & The Powell Brothers Quintet SPC hosts its second annual three-day fest beginning on Thursday with “Big Band Big Bang” by resident ensemble Helios Jazz Orchestra and guest vocalists Dale Williams and Sasha Tuck. On Friday, Guisando Caliente performs a concert of “Hot Latin Jazz.” And the Saturday night finale, “Jazz on the Edge,” features a one-two punch of music headlined by composer/bassist John Lindberg and featuring the Powell Brothers Quintet, a quintet that includes horn-playing Powell brothers Jonathan (trumpet) and Jeremy (saxophones) as well as guitarist LaRue Nickelson. 7:30 p.m. (all three nights), SPC Music Center, St. Petersburg, $10 per night. Read the rest of this entry »

Neither of these are particularly new news but I thought I’d post about them here anyway…

ninebullets faves, The Legendary Shackshakers [pictured], are ramping up to release the politically charged Agridustrial, which aims to tell the tale “of an American band fighting back against a society gone mad with greed and the usurpation of basic human dignities.”

The album is set to be released on April 13th but the impatient can head over to LSS’s site and get the track “Sin Eater” for the mere cost of giving up your email address. If this track is indicative of the rest of the album, we’re looking at another GREAT release from Wilkes and Co.

The Drive-By Truckers are also readying their new (and dare I say, glorious return to ROCK) album, The Big To-Do, out on March 16th. Anyone who has been paying any attention has already heard the album’s first single, “This Fucking Job,” but those that may have missed out can check out my January podcast. It’s the opening track. Earlier this week they also decided to offer one of Cooley’s songs, “Birthday Boy,” up for “free” download (after you offer up you’re email address).

You can get it here.

A mere 40 years ago, The Doors recorded a series of four concerts in New York City. The idea was to capture enough material to edit into a live album. The resulting record, disingenuously titled Absolutely Live, was ultimately drawn from a far wider selection of recordings. Now we get to hear something considerably more absolute. Every note of all four concerts, plus virtually all between-song banter and crowd chatter, is included in the Live in New York six-CD box set. You might think so much live Doors would be an overdose of reality. In fact, it is a revelation to witness this spectacle in its entirety.

You see, besides being a professional band of hit-making stars, the Doors were also an outfit that played what they felt at each moment, results be damned. They could be jammy, tight, faithful to the hits, or downright dismissive of them. Most of this diversity can be credited to one Mr. Jim Morrison — that sometimes loved, sometimes loathed representative of rock music excess. Lots of people probably believe he simply pictured himself as some kind of Serious Rock God. This is clearly untrue once you hear these recordings. Morrison is by turns funny, maniacal, irreverent, menacing, contrite and nearly always entertaining. At the mere age of 26, he is a master of leading the band and controlling the crowd, but he is also transparently human and therefore fallible. He is the flawed American frontman for the ages. Elvis was The King, but Jim was The Lizard King. Which would you rather be? Eddie Vedder knows the answer. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, I enjoyed a series of fun and rewarding musical experiences on three consecutive nights (January 27-29) in Ybor City. [All photos by Phil Bardi.]

On Wednesday at Tre Amici, Joran Oppelt and I along with a few music interns and contributors took part in a Demo Listening Party, a soon-to-be-monthly public event staged by the Homemade Music Symposium at which developing musicians get counsel, critique and encouragement on their creative output. Each participant offered up a single song for analysis, then performed acoustic renditions of some originals live for the quaint audience of friends, family and the odd Tre Amici regulars, among a few others. The inaugural party featured Brahm Bones, Aleshea Harris, and The Sepia Sound.

Brahm Bones kicked things off with “Old Mobly,” a dark and gritty Southern rockin’ blues tune with swells of organ and twangy pained vocals. Both Joran and I could hear the Neil Young influence; Joran suggested more pain and aggression in the vocals, I suggested a few more organ swells, but overall, our interest was piqued about what else the band had to offer. Second up was The Sepia Sound, the solo musical project of 17-year-old St. Pete High junior Dominique Pecchio [pictured above], who’d only recorded her song, “I Can Read You Like a Book,” a mere week before on her Garageband midi-keyboard. Her clear soprano was laid overtop fresh and bouncy synth pop. While the vocals were once again the focus of our analysis (she could hit all her notes very prettily but needed to be more assertive in her delivery), the song was a rather catchy effort with appealing breakdowns and quirky electro sonics. (My other suggestion was for her to throw some more bleeps into the mix.) Aleshea Harris closed out the demo listening with “Back Roads.” A spoken word and performance artist who’s been putting her words to music of late, Aleshea’s lyricism was her biggest strength (one lyric, “I got a gun where my right arm used to be,” is still ringing in my head) as was her throaty singing, which was set against a minimalist beat made up of laptop percussion and bass. Aleshea was trying to get herself out there and we recommended that she get comfortable playing live (she was relatively green on guitar), and try experimenting with other musicians to figure out how exactly she wanted to evolve her sound. Read the rest of this entry »

This week’s new music releases; for a complete breakdown of hot new releases due out in the next several months, click here.

The Album Leaf, A Chorus of Storytellers (Sub Pop)
To read Evan’s review of the album, click here.

ALO, Man Of The World (Brushfire)

BT, These Hopeful Machines (Nettwerk)

Creature with the Atom Brain, Transylvania (The End)

Disco Biscuits, Planet Anthem (Diamond Riggs)

Dommin, Love is Gone (Roadrunner)

Nick Jonas & Administration, Who I Am (Hollywood Records)

Dave King, Indelicate (Sunny Side)
Bad Plus drummer Dave King does the solo thing.

Bruce Kulick, BK3 (Twenty4 / Rocket Science)
The guitarist of Grand Funk Railroad (and previously of KISS) rocks it hard. Read the rest of this entry »

Downtown Tampa’s newly completed Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park played host to its first music event this past Saturday, January 30, capping the 2010 Gasparilla Festival with a concert by alternative rock band Collective Soul. Thousands packed the park, as well as the surrounding streets and sidewalks, seemingly oblivious to the constant downpour that had drenched much of the day’s activities.

Taking the rain-soaked stage at approximately 8:10 p.m., lead singer Ed Roland apologized for the weather, which seemed to cue a slight reprieve as the rain diminished to a heavy drizzle. Only bassist Will Turpin seemed somewhat bothered by the rain, donning a baseball cap and hooded rain jacket. The rest of the band appeared unaffected, only occasionally shaking the water from their hair or reaching for a towel to wipe themselves off. Read the rest of this entry »

As the cold fronts taper off and temperatures rise to a pleasant degree, Floridian music lovers and those out-of-towners looking for a reason to escape from their less temperate locales begin gearing up for another season of outdoor (or partially outdoor) music festivals. The following is a breakdown of Florida’s worthiest. Mark your calendars.

17th Annual Bob Marley Movement Caribbean Festival
When: February 27
Where: Bayfront Park, downtown Miami
Artists of note: Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley [pictured], Stephen “Ragga” Marley, Julian “Royal” Marley, Shaggy, Tarrus Riley, Capleton and Spragga Benz
Tickets: $50 general, $155 VIP
Details: Three of Bob Marley’s five music-making sons join several other well-regarded reggae artists for the 17th edition of an event that’s one part music festival, one part food drive where attendees are encouraged to donate nonperishable foodstuffs. So far, the fest has collected more than 1 million canned goods to benefit hunger and malnutrition organizations in Florida. The 2010 recipient is Curley’s House, which provides bulk food to individuals and families in need.

2010 Harvest of Hope Fest
When: March 12-14
Where: St. Johns County Fairgrounds, St. Augustine
Artists of note: Billy Bragg, Dr. Dog, The Mountain Goats [pictured], Rogue Wave, Delta Spirit, Senses Fail, Anti-Flag, Man Man, Dead Prez, 7 Seconds, Kimya Dawson, Torche, Anvil, Strike Anywhere, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Sea Wolf, Dr. Octagon AKA Kool Keith, Dead Confederate, A Wilhelm Scream, Portugal. the Man, Crime in Stereo, Matt Pond PA, Fruit Bats, Bear in Heaven, Cobra Skulls, Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, of Montreal’s James Husband, Signals, Broadway Calls, Japanther, Smoke or Fire, Mercury Program, Chris Wollard & the Ship Thieves, Dead to Me, Freelance Whales, Small Brown Bike, Glint, Stars of Track and Field, Danielson, Twin Tigers, Black Sheep, Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Ortolan, Off With Their Heads, The Loved Ones, Past Lives, Andrew Jackson Jihad, Assholeparade, Defiance Ohio, Bomb the Music Industry!, Dear Landlord, Angelo Spencer, Your Heart Breaks, Fin Fang Foom, Jon Snodgrass, Cheap Girls, and many others.
Tickets: $25 single-day passes now through Feb. 11, $35 weekend of event; $39.50 three-day pass now through Feb. 11, $49.50 Feb. 12-March 11, $60 weekend of event; $19.50 per person camping passes (available to three-day pass holders only); $99.50 VIP. Children admitted for free.
Details: The three-day multi-stage music and arts fest benefits and raises awareness of the Harvest of Hope Foundation, a nonprofit that provides aid to migrant farm workers and their families. The bill for the second annual event features more than 100 über-hip local and national acts encompassing indie rock, folk, punk, metal, blues, hip-hop electro, pop and various other genres. And with the demise of Langerado, there’s no other festival to compete for the crowds. Read the rest of this entry »

Richard Smith performs alongside Julie Adams at the UU Dome this past Friday, January 29.

If not for my years working as a nanny, an amazing singer and songwriter like Paul Anka may have slipped under my radar. But thanks to my former employer, Jim, I was exposed to Paul Anka’s Rock Swings album one morning upon arriving to work. As I heard Van Halen’s “Jump” being delivered in a classic, Sinatra-esque style, I couldn’t help but turn to the eldest child and comment, “Your parents have awesome taste in music.” I was in love at first sound and I borrowed the CD immediately, which essentially influenced my desire to go see Paul Anka perform this past Friday night at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. [Photo courtesy of Paul Anka's Myspace.]

The January 29 date was Anka’s final show of his tour and his faithful fans filled out the hall. I was outnumbered by audience members twice my age or even older, and watching the crowd was half of the fun. With no opening act, Anka started promptly at 8 p.m. and entered the auditorium from the very back of the room, walking down the stairs to greet the crowd. The ladies went wild, pushing husbands out of the way, arms outstretched to get a piece of him.

Anka started off the show with a bang and an incredible amount of energy, his back up band made up of percussion, drums, guitar, bass, horns, piano and even a synthesizer. Outfitted in a swingin’ black suit, white shirt and white tie, he sauntered sporadically from stage to crowd and back while serenading the masses with their favorite tunes, and encouraging them all to sing along. After 53 years of touring, it’s safe to say the man knows what he’s doing and he was incredibly keyed in to every single beat of each tune. Read the rest of this entry »

In baseball, there’s a person who’s known as a “utility player“: a rare athlete who can fit many different roles in a pinch. A player who has the speed to play in the outfield, the agility and instincts to play the infield, the bat strength to knock one out of the park on occasion, and the drive and enthusiasm to show up to play every day. If one were to look for a viable counterpart to this type of multi-tasker in the world of music, one name would surely be at the top of that short list: Vince Gill. [All photos by Tracy May.]

Country music journeyman Vince Gill boasts an impressive list of assets on his resume: in his genre, he’s at the head of his class in many areas. He’s a terrific songwriter, he sings like a bird and he plays a mean guitar. Add to that already impressive list his “gift of the gab.” This past Thursday night, Gill enchanted and delighted his near-sell out crowd at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater with what undoubtedly was some of the most entertaining and amusing between-song banter those of us in attendance had ever been exposed to. From downright hilarious accounts of some of his experiences from his 35-year career as a musician, to gut-wrenching tales of personal tragedies and woes, the evening’s spoken portions were almost as entertaining as Vince’s amazing musical performances. [Photo gallery after the jump.] Read the rest of this entry »

Coffee Project members Jake Crown (guitar) and Buddy Schuab (trombone) performing at New World Brewery in Ybor City on Thursday, January 21.

Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights can rock. And not only that, they’re also super down to earth. [Photo by Fernando Garcia; complete gallery after the jump]

Sitting at the bar with them before the show, enjoying the wide selection of beer that New World offers, we discussed their influences (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones) and history. The Dallas outfit got together back in 2007, recorded their debut, Hot Trottin’, shortly after, and were signed to Atlantic Records last year to record a follow-up, Pardon Me, which is due out in March. Their music combines infectious rock n’ roll with some in-your-face Southern blues rock. There are even hints of R&B thrown into the mix. Jonathan Tyler’s voice is perfect: grungy but sweet, loud and confident.  Read the rest of this entry »

I wasn’t too sure this podcast was even gonna happen. The beginning of the month was all holidays, the middle was spent vacationing in the mountains and the end was spent prepping for, and then undergoing, some medical tests. All of this failed to allow me to do one thing: prep for the ninebullets.net January podcast. While making the podcast I thought it was too mellow, but after listening to it in the car I think I was wrong, and it not only turned out to be one of the best podcasts I’ve done quality wise, but it very well may be one of the best I’ve done, period. On a final note, I tried something a little new on this podcast and mixed in music underneath me while I was talking. I’d love to hear how you guys think it turned out and if I should make it a regular thing.

Since it’s a new year I tried to focus on new music. All of these songs were released in the past month or will be released in the coming month. So enjoy the hell out of it, lemme know what you think and, as always, please tell your friends and Facebook/Twitter followers about it, I’ll greatly appreciate it.
~ Autopsy IV (twitter/facebook/myspace) Read the rest of this entry »

Alright ganja lovers, grab your rolling papers and Bob Marley t-shirts because several reggae rock outfits will soon be bringing their funky beats to The Ritz Ybor in the months to come.

First up are The Expendables, a California-based band that mixes laid back reggae with punk rock aggression and heavy metal guitar riffs to create summer-time classics like “Sacrifice,” “Bowl for Two” and “Down, Down, Down.”

The Expendables have been together for more than a decade and spent the summer of ‘09 touring with 311. In August they returned to the studio to record their fifth album with the help of the Butthole Surfers’ Paul Leary, who has also produced music by other reggae rock outfits — Sublime, Pepper and Slightly Stoopid.

The foursome fully embraces a surf, skate and party mentality, and will be bringing their fun to the Ritz on Fri., Feb. 5, as headliners of the Ladera Skateboards Winter Blackout 2010 tour. The lineup also includes Passafire, Iration, Pour Habit and Roots Down Below. The show starts at 7 p.m.; tickets are $17 in advance and $19 at the door. (Video and more shows after the jump.) Read the rest of this entry »

Some music listeners complain about bands that rehash the same style over and over again. The Album Leaf is guilty of this, granted, but in their case it’s not an issue since their songs all sound similarly fantastic. So, thankfully, on their fifth studio album and first release of the new decade, instead of trying their hand at East European folk music or a “Hey y’all, we’re ironic” country album, the group sticks to their signature chilled-out, Moog-y ambience.

A Chorus of Storytellers is a peach. The only snag is a mild one: the music loses some of its resonance in songs like “Falling from the Sun,” where lead Leaf Jimmy LaValle brings his vocals into the mix. The previous two studio records also incorporated some subdued singing, but The Album Leaf was originally an all-instrumental outfit and the strongest songs on Storytellers are the ones without words. Driving down I-275 while listening to a soundtrack of Album Leaf instrumentals brings no greater peace and makes petty matters like traffic seem insignificant. Read the rest of this entry »

Anglo-French actress/chanteuse Charlotte Gainsbourg — who recruited idiosyncratic musical genius and good friend Beck to produce and appear on her third and latest album, IRM — made a special appearance with Beck at KCRW studios’ Morning Becomes Eclectic program this week. Check out the video from their performance after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

A quick breakdown of this weekend’s most worthy concerts beginning with Thursday, ’cause that’s when the weekend really starts, right? For a more comprehensive schedule, check out our Upcoming Concerts page.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28
The Givers [pictured] w/The Semi’s Fresh Louisiana five-piece The Givers bring a genuine sense of happiness to their music, sticky electro pop with sparkling melodies, bouncy African rhythms, heart-squeezing boy-girl harmonies, bright washes of synthesized sound, hard rockin’ moments to break up all the good time dance music, and even some flute and hand claps thrown in for good measure. For fans of Talking Heads, Vampire Weekend and Afro-tinged pop in general. 9 p.m., New World Brewery, Ybor City, $6.

Vince Gill Much-loved country singer and multi-instrumentalist Vince Gill made a career for himself in the ’80s as part of the neo traditionalist movement, got mainstream fame in the ’90s beginning with “When I Call Your Name” and without losing his songwriting cred, and celebrated his broad palette while producing 43 new recordings for 2006’s four-disc box set, These Days, which incorporates rock, bluegrass, pop, jazz and traditional country. Along the way, he’s won more CMA Awards than any performer in history (18) in addition to 20 Grammys – the most ever for a male country music artist. The Country Music Hall of Fame inductee’s band features guitarists Tom Britt, keyboardists John Hobbs and Pete Wasner, bassist David Hungate, steel guitar player Russ Pahl, drummer Billy Thomas, and guitarist/vocalist Jeff White. 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, $42.50-$82.50.

Ninebullets.net presents .357 String Band w/Bob Wayne/Dear Old Liar The St. Pete-based music site owned and operated by Bryan Childs (aka Autopsy IV, also a CL music contributor) hosts a concert headlined by Milwaukee’s .357 String Band. The high-spirited four-piece purveys a dark, self-styled brand of “Streetgrass,” three parts outlaw fast and nasty, one part bluegrass leisurely and gospel-tinged sweet. The band parted ways with longtime member Jayke Orvis in July; multi-instrumentalist Billy Cook has taken his place and brings color and nuance to the band’s string-flinging sound with mandolin, guitar, dobro and clawhammer banjo. 8:30 p.m., Emerald Bar, St. Petersburg, $5. Read the rest of this entry »

In the infamous year of 2000, Karen O (vocals, piano), Nick Zinner (guitars, keyboard) and Brian Chase (drums) formed the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in NYC. Karen and Brian originally met at Ohio’s Oberlin College; she met Nick at a bar after transferring to NYU. Originally, Karen O and Nick were a folk duo called Unitard, but found themselves more inspired by the punk scene. Soon after, Brian joined the lineup and the new wave/art punk/garage rock Yeah Yeah Yeahs were born.

In 2003, after supporting The Strokes, The White Stripes, Björk, Sleater-Kinney, Girls Against Boys and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, the foursome released Fever to Tell, their first LP, which NME recently placed at number 5 on their list of the “Best Albums of the Decade.”  Their 2006 release, Show Your Bones, is, according to Karen O, “what happens when you put your finger in a light socket” and was rated the second best album of 2006 by NME. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s a shot of White Wizzard from the metal show last Tuesday, January 19, at Czar Bar in Ybor City.

While many first-time indie releases by local artists are pedestrian at best, Tampa songwriter Colleen Hart’s debut, The Rest of Me, isn’t one of them. This CD contains 12 well-written and extremely well-produced tracks delicately presented via Hart’s smooth, soulful voice. Stand out tracks include the flowing jazz number, “I’ll Wait” and the stripped-down “Overflow.” Read the rest of this entry »