Tampa Calling

The Jack White-penned theme to the latest James Bond flick, Quantum of the Solace, has been released for download at iTunes, but not in North America, where it will be available October 23. “Another Way to Die” is, however, receiving airplay over the radio.

After giving the highly anticipated Jack White/Alicia Keys duet (the first in Bond history) a few listens, my reaction has remained consistent: This will go down as among the least of the Bond title songs. And I’m not the only one who feels White’s effort is rather underwhelming. Or that it’s just a pretty bad song.

While its angular, menacing sound may be appropriate to the harder edge Daniel Craig and Bond’s producers have crafted for their hero, it is by no means worthy of a James Bond film, and it’s totally outclassed by the the classic Bond songs performed by Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones and Paul McCartney. Melody, which should set a compelling mood, is virtually nonexistent, while the featherweight lyrics fail to either tell a story or capture the essence of the iconic super spy.

Bond, you deserve better.

Update: The original YouTube link to the song has been taken down, but you can hear the song in its entirety at theboombox.com.

Bookmark to:

It’s Friday and I’m still recovering from our Best of the Bay soiree. Yeah, the hangovers hurt more than they used to — and the recovery time is twice what it was in my early 20s.

Anyway, time to prep for the weekend.What show will you be attending? Soulfound? Black Kids? The Dark Romantics? Brad Paisley? How about the Shackeltons (pictured) tonight at the Skipperdome? Or John Prine? Here’s what’s shaking:

• Read my interview with alternarockers Soulfound, which are gearing up for a Saturday CD release bash at Gasoline Alley.

• The Dark Romantics sex up New World Brewery.

• Black Kids, Brad Paisley, Shackeltons, John Prine, Donna the Buffalo and more in Music Week.

Bookmark to:

My Bar Tab column has moved from CL’s Food & Drink section to Bad Habits (Hollis Gillespie, Savage Love). It seems more appropriate, eh?

Here’s a snippet from my latest column, “For Pete’s Sake: Bartending as a lesson in late-night entertainment:”

“Pete proceeded to waltz over to the other side of the bar and do his panties routine. It was very popular on Thursday night. Pete would grab a cotton thong and wear it like a surgical mask with the woo-hoo cover over his nose and the straps tucked behind his ears. There wasn’t really much else to the act, but it earned rave reviews.”

Read entire column.

Bookmark to:

Yesterday I became the proud owner of a Pro-Ject Debut III turntable. It’s the first turntable I’ve had and used since, oh, probably the early ’90s.

Why a turntable? First there’s the matter of all that vinyl I still own, about a dozen Peaches crates full. I had gotten literally dozens per week as a music writer in the ’80s until they were fully replaced by CDs. My LPs have been sitting in a closet year after year untouched. I’ve replaced most of my LPs with CDs, but not all. Labels are starting to release new titles on vinyl again, and certain specialty companies are issuing old titles on super high grade vinyl. 

Another reason: I took part in an audiophile symposium a while back, and while I would in no way classify myself as a fellow traveler with these obsessives, I did fall under their thrall a little. One of the biggest arguments in the audiophile community is the superiority (or not) of vinyl. A guy on the panel who writes for an audiophile magazine made a very persuasive case that LPs sound warmer and more authentic than their digital counterparts. I’ve been wanting to find out. 

This same writer owns a turntable that retails for – and I made him swear to this — $120,000. I failed to ask the follow-up question: Did he actually purchase it? I’m guessing he got some sort of massive price break; either that or he’s a jewel thief on the side, because audiophile magazine writers simply cannot make the kind of cash that allows them to spend six figures on one stereo component. (At least I hope not; if they do, I’m in the wrong business.) 

My Project Debut III, which I bought at Audio Visions South in Tampa, cost me about $250. It’ll do for now. I have yet to do a strict comparison between vinyl and CD, but that’ll come soon. In the meantime, a couple of quick observations: 

(more…)

Bookmark to:

I run down my favorite songs inspired by the wretched Bush administration in the music feature running Wed., Sept. 24. It feels like the right thing to do considering everyone from Norah Jones to Young Jeezy has taken a whack at Dubya. No matter how much you agree with the message, though, a bad tune is still a bad tune.

Bright Eyes, Randy Newman, Pearl Jam and Eminem — in no specific order — are among the acts whose songs made my Top 10.

What anti-Bush tunes have helped you get through the hard times of the past eight years?

Randy Newman performing “A Few Words in Defense of My Country.”

Bookmark to:

It’s a quiet day in the office. Half the crew is at home, Sal is passed out at his desk and the rest of us are seriously fuzzy-headed. The hangovers, though, were well worth it.

Around 800 people showed up at Tampa Theatre last night for Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay Awards Show: The Loafies.

Attendees collected hardware, enjoyed live music performances by some of the region’s top acts (pictured after the jump), the jokes of host Brendan McLaughlin and the spectacle of me draining half a flask of Canadian Mist on stage. Yeah, I’m feeling that one today. And the after party, where my coworker Lyndsay Tubbs danced with “The Senator.” The unofficial, after after party took place at The Hub, and we’re not even going to discuss the debauchery and silliness that went down there.

Here’s a list of all the music winners (scroll down to “staff picks,” music starts with Best New Band”). Click here for readers’ poll winners and here for more Best of the Bay coverage.

(more…)

Bookmark to:

We’re all giddy over here at Creative Loafing Headquarters, prepping for our Best of the Bay Awards Show: The Loafies, which takes place tonight at Tampa Theatre. The festivities kick off with a red carpet shindig at 7 p.m. The awards presentation starts at 8 p.m. The Best of the Bay issue — which includes all of the editors’ picks and readers’ poll winners — will be available at the after party, 10 p.m., 514 Franklin Street, corner of Tampa and Franklin (in a space we rented above Indigo Coffee). Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door. They include two free drinks at the after party, which is open to all ticket holders.

The Best of the Bay show includes music performances by Have Gun, Will Travel, Damon Fowler Group, Daylight District and Basic Rock Outfit. In between hunkering down in the green room, I’ll be getting on stage to present the award for Best Dive Bar, induct a newcomer to the Best of the Bay Hall of Fame and introduce a special performance by Have Gun, Will Travel. The band will be joined by a pair of local luminaries on a show stopping, folk classic. Brendan McLaughlin, of ABC Action News, hosts the event. Be there. We had it at Tampa Theatre for the first time last year and it was a blast.

Bookmark to:

After leading his punk band Against Me! to a banner year marked by the acclaimed album New Wave, its smash single “Thrash Unreal” and mad gigging that included headlining Warped Tour, Tom Gabel (pictured, photo by me) has decided to dial it down a bit. His upcoming seven-song solo EP, Heart Burns, will be released on CD, digitally and on vinyl by Sire Records Oct. 28.

Against Me! performs Fri., Oct. 3, Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg.

• Interview/cover story I did with Tom Gabel.

• Pics/review of Against Me! performing at Vinoy Park during Warped Tour this summer.

Bookmark to:

Remember that obnoxious 1990s Van Halen hit “Right Now”? You know, the one with the annoying hook and horrible lyrics? The one with the equally grating video (see below)? Yeah, well, presidential hopeful John McCain’s team (I doubt McCain would know Eddie Van Halen from Eddie Haskell) used the song at a rally in Ohio. Co-writer Sammy Hagar’s reaction? He got a chub.

From RollingStone.com:

“I got goosebumps from it — my fur went up,” says the band’s ex-frontman, Sammy Hagar, who co-wrote and sang the song — and said he’d be “just as happy” if Obama played it. “I was honored that a potential president of the United States used those words in a positive sense, like, ‘We gotta act now!’ ”

Hagar, you’re a moron.

Bookmark to:

OK, I lied. The King has not returned from the grave to endorse the senator from Illinois. But it seems every other artist selling records has pledged support for Barack Obama.

The list is varied and impressive.

We’re talking everyone from bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley (and McCain thought he had the 80-year-old vote wrapped up) to coke rapper Young Jeezy. I’m glad to see all these popular musicians getting behind the “change” candidate but, really, does an endorsement from Pete Wentz, or even Bob Dylan, mean shit?

“The polls always bear it out: It’s nice when musicians get involved, but they don’t sway elections,” commented Bill Maher at a Democratic National Convention bash thrown by Rolling Stone magazine. “Puff Daddy said, ‘Vote or die’ — and Puff Daddy might actually kill you – but people still didn’t vote.”

I hate to be such a cynic, but I think Maher has a point. That said, I hope to be proved wrong.

Bookmark to:

On her 2006 solo debut Rabbit Fur Coat, Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis  glided through an Appalachian dream world and convinced us to follow. On her new disc, Acid Tongue, the singer/songwriter periodically stomps her boots while exploring similar terrain. The journey just got a lot more interesting.

Acid Tongue includes plenty of quirky meditations on lost love that recall her previous adventure: the indie folk title track; the strings-laden torch song “Trying My Best to Love You;” the white soul album closer “Sing a Song For Them.” But then there’s the guitar fury of the nearly 9-minute “The Next Messiah,” the heavy blues blowout “Fernando”and the twang rocker “Carpetbaggers,” a duet with Elvis Costello.

These well-placed jolts give Acid Tongue greater balance — a component that’s lacking on Rabbit Fur Coat.  Lewis shows that her delicately seductive vocals are more versatile than her debut suggested. But in doing so, she never loses the innocent charm that wooed listeners the first time around.

Acid Tongue, will be released via Warner Bros. on Sept. 23 but has been available for streaming via Lewis’ MySpace site since Sept. 9.

Bookmark to:

The Beauvilles debuted their new album, Whispering Sin, Thursday night with a show at Crowbar.

Tampa’s Lush Progress, Lakeland’s Mousefire and DJn8 warmed up a very healthy weeknight crowd.

A pack of wild youths, including CL streetteamers Emma Salz and Kelly Brophy, Kelvin Ma, the Beauvilles’  Chris Tolan, Joran Oppelt and an unknown dude, jumped a lot. Tell us who you are, unknown jumping dude…

Photo courtesy of Kelvin Ma. Check out his Web site.

Here’s the interview CL music critic Wade Tatangelo did with Shawn Kyle Beauville. 

Bookmark to: