Tampa Calling

Local band Next Exit (all the members are in their early teens) performing at the video workshop.

It could have been bigger and better but as far as debuts go, the first annual Homemade music symposium proved successful. The event took place Saturday at the Performing Arts Building on the Hillsborough Community College Ybor City Campus. I arrived at 1 p.m. to catch Tampa resident Scott Leonard, of the famed vocal group Rockapella, give a 30 minute lecture on “The New Musical Democracy.” The 246-seat capacity, newly renovated Main Stage appeared about three-fourths full.

“In 20 years in the business I’ve seen a lot of change,” Leonard said. “The gatekeepers are still there for radio but not for reaching your fanbase [via the Internet]. I think it’s pretty viable to make a living on your own without a studio or record company.”

Leonard had his laptop screen displayed on a projector and showed us how he was using Pro Tools to make a one-man solo record. He also explained how he sells music directly through his website using PayPal. “When we had a deal with [major label] BMG we made maybe $1 per record,” Leonard said. “Now I make $.65-70 per-song off iTunes.”

Next came Media Panel: Getting the Word, which ran from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. WMNF personality/BAAMO organizer Lee “Flee” Courtney moderated. I was joined on stage by fellow Creative Loafer Megan Voeller (CL art critic), WMNF program director Randy Wynne Curtis Ross (Tampa Tribune pop music critic), Julie Garisto (tbt*-St. Petersburg Times music contributor), and Bob Ross (former Trib movie critic, Sticks of Fire contributor). I thought being on stage for an hour would be a drag but the time flew by, probably because I love the sound of my own voice and it was Curtis, Julie and I doing the majority of the talking.

Plus, Flee did an excellent job of keeping things moving and the audience asked good questions like, “What should be on a press release?” To which I responded, “check out the Southeast Music Alliance site (click on “How Can I Be Involved”); and/or peruse Big Hassle. Among those in attendance at the Media Panel were Ronny Elliott (in the front row making sure I didn’t pass out or say something incriminating), Jade Dellinger (art curator/author), Brett Steele (Steele Management), Christie Lenee, Tim Walker, Daniel Davidson (Big Island Records) and a rep for local indie rockers Radio Reset.

After the media discussion ended, I passed on the music video making/singing/writing comedy songs workshops and hunkered down at the Tampa Bay Brewing Company’s outside bar. Shortly after ordering my first Elephant Foot pint, I was joined by Dellinger, who penned the definitive Devo tome Are We Not Men? We Are Devo! (SAF). Published in 2003, the book is currently out-of-print (used copies are going for $62 on Amazon.com) but Dellinger broke the news to me that a paperback edition is finally in the works. Before it hits your local bookstore, look for a feature story about Dellinger and his Devo adventures here in the Loaf.

I would later see Dellinger at New World Brewery, where Elliott, folk/blues talent Maggie Council, folkies Judy Tampa and Bunko Squad as well as teenage rockers Next Exit performed during the 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. showcase. The day concluded with Elliott and other playing at Tre Amici@The Bunker. There, I was particularly impressed by a Roy Orbison/Ricky Nelson style number by Jules Dobrowolski, who told me it had been recorded (but not yet released) by Chris Isaak.

On balance, it was a fun and productive day. Next year, though, Homemade would benefit from less workshops like “Instruments: History and Use of the Bouzouki and Concertina” and more lectures by local hip-hop producers/organizers (DJ Sandman), local talent agency/venue owners (Tom White), rock musicians/producers (Steve Connelly/Zen Recordings) and testimonials from local artists like Elliott and Matt Burke (The Chase Theory; Have Gun, Will Travel) who have enjoyed national attention in recent years.

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