Posted by Leilani Polk on Mar. 31, 2009, at 3:08 pm
In 2000, with the last embers of his namesake punk-rock band finally extinguished, Joe Popp left Tampa Bay for New York City’s greener creative pastures. Joe Popp, the band — which included bassist Martin Rice and late drummer Jeff Wood — was perhaps the last local rock group to pack ’em in at venues like the State Theatre.
Popp (his real name, he swears), who has maintained solid ties to Tampa Bay, returns for a couple of acoustic gigs this weekend.
He’s currently the technical director for the Sonic Arts Center program at City College of New York, where he designs studios, builds amplifiers and oversees the center’s facilities. He enjoys educational benefits, a light schedule and a one-year paid sabbatical coming up this fall. It is, he says, “a great job.” Popp has continued to make music on the side, be it a band gig with friends in New York or a rock musical, Maxwell, which he wrote and produced with Jobsite Theater in 2002. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Leilani Polk on Mar. 31, 2009, at 12:27 pm
Digable Planetshas canceled their U.S. tour, which includes their April 17 stop at Crowbar. The trio has broken up again for the same reasons they broke up before — irreconcilable differences. Here’s are some key quotes from the all-caps letter the band sent to fans via MySpace (I’ve de-capped it for your reading convenience): “…The 3 insects from outer space have been infected like every other great group in hip hop history by irreconcilable differences between the principle members … Mary Ann Viera formerly known as Ladybug has decided at the last minute that she wants to talk away from the group and not honor this tour … The other two members have no choice but to cancel this tour and regroup … The group members will go their separate ways but group creator and producer Butterfly along with Doodlebug will continue to collaborate on music and in the near future will announce the introduction of a new music collective that they are putting together … This does not take away from the legacy created by the Digable Planets in 1993 … but it does bring us to the end of an era …”
Another sign the economy is in the can: ticket discounts at the big name shows. Amway Arena is offering $35 tickets to Fleetwood Mac’s April 20, and Ford Amphitheatre is offering a special weekend sale for the April 26 Nickelback concert ($25 reserved, $15 lawn if purchased between 10 a.m. April 3 to 10 p.m. April 5). Both are Live Nation venues. I think we’re going to start to see alot more of this as the months progress and sales get slower and slower.Read the rest of this entry »
I admit it that I start too many blogs lamenting about why it is that there are no shows (that I want to see, at least) for days/week/months and then there are several competing shows the same night …
It’s not every day we’re lucky enough to see a veritable folk legend at New World Brewery — especially not one with a career as illustrious as Country Hall of Famer Charlie Louvin. On Friday, Mr. Louvin and his band graced New World Brewery with a special performance. At 82, Mr. Louvin tours regularly, releases new records and continues to inspire a new generation of musicians. He effortlessly connects with an all-ages audience by weaving stories and running commentary in between songs in a manner that most musicians can’t even dream of pulling off. Most of us can only dream of being this cool at any point in our lives — let alone at 82.
Posted by Eric Snider on Mar. 31, 2009, at 8:54 am
Our guy Woody at Live Nation sent us this fresh info:
Tickets are $253.50, $98.50, $58.50 & $33.50, and go on sale Monday April 6 at 10 a.m. through livenation.com, 877-598-8698 (the toll free Live Nation ticketing phone number), and all TicketMaster outlets.
Long-time U2 Show Director Willie Williams has worked again with architect Mark Fisher (ZooTV, PopMart, Elevation and Vertigo), to create an innovative 360? design which affords an unobstructed view for the audience. U2 360° also marks the first time a band has toured in stadiums with such a unique and original structure (which can be viewed at U2.com).
“U2 has always been at their best when surrounded by their audience, this staging takes a giant leap forward. With 85 percent of the tickets priced at less than $95.00, general admission floor tickets priced at $55.00 and at least 10,000 tickets at every venue priced at the $30.00 price range, we have worked very hard to ensure that U2 fans can purchase a great priced ticket with a guaranteed great view” says U2’s manager Paul McGuinness.
Here’s a press release from the kings of Prog rock themselves, Dream Theater:
Progressive metal veterans DREAM THEATER have announced BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS as the title of their tenth studio album. The band commenced work on the album their second for Roadrunner Records, following up 2007’s Systematic Chaos – in October of last year.
Roadrunner will release the record on June 23. In addition to the standard version CD, the album will also be available on vinyl LP, as well as a 3-disc Special Edition CD that will include the full album, a CD of instrumental mixes of the album and a CD of six cover songs, the titles of which will be revealed at a later date.
Six weeks prior to the June 23 street date, Roadrunner will release one cover song per week through digital retailers.
Drummer Mike Portnoy and guitarist John Petrucci are once again at the helm as producers, while Paul Northfield mixed the record.
The band will embark on a world tour in support of the album beginning in Europe throughout June which will be followed by the second edition of the band’s PROGRESSIVE NATION tour featuring Zappa Plays Zappa, Pain Of Salvation and Beardfish throughout North America in July/August.
A video for the first single, “A Rite of Passage” will be shot in late March.
The track listing for BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS is as follows:
1. A Nightmare to Remember
2. A Rite of Passage
3. Wither
4. The Shattered Fortress
5. The Best of Times
6. The Count of Tuscany
Posted by Eric Snider on Mar. 30, 2009, at 3:27 pm
Pearl Jam Ten [Deluxe Edition]
Over 18 years and eight studio albums, Pearl Jam has proven itself to be far and away the most durable band to come from the original grunge movement. (Also the best, I would argue.) Nirvana trumps them on mystique and cultural impact, mostly because Kurt Cobain blew his brains out, but Pearl Jam had the courage to experiment, to risk failure, to grow up and shed the voice-of-a-generation pressure, to persevere.
And now for the just desserts: A sprawling reissue program that leads up to their 20th anniversary in 2011, kicked off by an expanded re-release of the band’s mega-hit debut.
Ten [Deluxe Edition] includes the original album, plus another CD showcasing a remix by producer Brendan O’Brien that additionally includes previously unissued bonus tracks. Also part of the package is a DVD of PJ’s 1992 set on MTV Unplugged.
Pearl Jam has made plenty of terrific recorded music during its tenure, but no cluster is as perfect as the first six songs of their debut album, a visceral, revelatory sequence: “Once,” “Even Flow,” “Alive,” “Why Go,” “Black” and “Jeremy.” If Nirvana’s Nevermind told us that hair-band rock was on its last legs, the first half of Ten threw dirt on its grave. The album’s ensuing tracks are solid, but to these ears they represent a noticeable drop-off in songcraft.
I was just introduced to Jacksonville-based singer/songwriter Shawn Lightfoot, and I am thrilled that he is coming to our neck of the woods in a couple of weeks. He describes his sound as “indie/ acoustic/ glam” and I would say that’s pretty accurate. I’m on this kick right now where I only like to listen to music I can cook to, and these are some good cooking tunes, my friends. In fact, as a result of discovering Shawn, I’ve been cooking a little too much lately. Let’s all go make him feel welcome at The Bunker on April 10th.
Take a listen to Shawn’s tunes here. I recommend the song Get Sexy With Me because I’m sort of a pervert like that.
Growing up in and around the Tampa Bay music scene I would hear occasional murmurings about a time in the not-so-distant past when a handfull of local rags championed Tampa Bay’s local music community. As I listened to such tales, my teenage imagination would conjure up images of chain smoking, black denim clad musicians hanging out on street corners reading these magazines as stegosauruses grazed behind them and terradactlys circled above their shaggy heads. In other words, music magazines devoted solely to covering the Tampa Bay music scene seemed outmoded and preposterous. Fortunately not everyone in Tampa Bay is as myopic and shortsighted as I tend to be…
Tampa Bay music scene stalwarts Jeannette Goldman (owner of Pro Star Recording Studio), Ken Thomas (webmaster of Tampabaymusicscene.com) and Thomas Garcia (local producer, songwriter and promoter) have banded together to publish Bay Area Beat: a magazine for the local scene and the local scene only.
Here’s how their press release describes the mag’s mission: “Bay Area Beat is all about promoting LOCAL artists and musicians. Period. No priority coverage for national acts.” Here’s how Goldman rather emphatically put it to me during a recent phone interview, “We don’t care who is playing at the St. Pete Times Forum! We’re trying to support the musicians in the area that are working and making a living with their music.” Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Eric Snider on Mar. 30, 2009, at 11:07 am
That’s how Flee, music director at the station, headlined an e-mail he sent this morning. He continued:
Doubtful — but it looks like the amount of music is going to be reduced. During our current pledge drive, news and public affairs has been frequently out performing music. Especially vulnerable are the drive time shows (M-F 6-9a and 4-5p).
If you like to hear music in the afternoon, we need to hear from you today (Monday 3/30) between 4 and 6pm. Every pledge is a vote for MUSIC! A $5 pledge is a vote, a $1000 pledge is a vote.
Keep fresh un-boring music alive at 88.5.
Thanks,
Flee
If you can’t call or e-mail in between 4 and 6 today, you can pledge for this time slot on line.
Posted by Eric Snider on Mar. 30, 2009, at 8:22 am
This concert review was written by CL intern Michelle Stark; photos by Nicole Kibert.
Adding to a slew of sold-out shows across Europe and the United States, British duo the Ting Tings played to a packed Orpheum on Sunday night.
Lead singer Katie White, decked out in sparkly tights and red ankle boots, pounced energetically onto the stage and launched into the band’s first song, “We Walk.” She and her partner, drummer/singer/guitarist Jules De Martino — who was equally fashionable in neon green sunglasses that matched his T-shirt —filled the next hour with lovely vocals and some serious jamming. Read the rest of this entry »
Trevor Hall is a singer/songwriter from South Carolina, but there’s not a hint of country twang in his speech or his songs. In fact, he sounds like he is from Jamaica, or Africa, or … India … or anywhere but South Carolina.
Trevor says that Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, Ben Harper, and Bjork influence him, and his appreciation for diverse artists comes through in his songs. For example, “The Lime Tree” has a slow acoustic feel, whereas “A Sunny Sky” reminds me more of bluegrass, and “31 Flavors” screams “BOB MARLEEEYY!”
This just in! Submit for your chance to play The “Kia Kevin Says” Stage on the 2009 Vans Warped Tour. This is an opportunity for a Tampa band to get noticed and maybe even sell a few CDs.
Sonicbids has partnered with Warped Tour to bring bands this opportunity. The Kia Kevin Says Stage is a stage on the Warped Tour that features hand-picked local, regional, and independent bands in every market. There is one performance slot in each market reserved for a Sonicbids artist.
Confirmed bands for the 2009 Warped Tour include: Thrice, 3OH!3, The Ataris, Chiodos, The Devil Wears Prada, Bad Religion, Flogging Molly, Less Than Jake, NOFX, Anti-Flag, Bouncing Souls, Silverstein, Underoath and many more.
What is the Red Bull Music Academy? That is what I first asked myself when I heard about it. The multi-faceted energy drink brand has branched out into the realm of DJ culture and music conferences with its “yearly celebration of all the journeys and breakthroughs, all the dreams and intricacies that go into the music we love.”
The Academy shifts location to zoom in on micro-cultures and new musical hybrids that are springing up all over the world. The next major RBMA event will hit London in the Spring 2010. Having just returned from SXSW, I believe that music conferences are where ideas go to be incubated. There is an immeasurable value in spending time with fellow creatives, talking about creative things and hoping to fulfill creative dreams.
For two weeks, attendees get to attend lectures from today’s most relevant names in electronic music (for example, ?uestlove from the Roots in video below), create and share with other like minded folks and party their ass off.
Posted by Eric Snider on Mar. 27, 2009, at 11:40 am
Tonight’s Todd Rundgren concert was supposed to be the grand unveiling of the new Capitol Theatre in downtown Clearwater, Ruth Eckerd Hall and the city of Clearwater joined forces to renovate the old Royalty Theatre and turn it into an intimate, 451-seat concert venue — but the overhaul is not sufficiently completed to host a show.
As a result, Rundgren and his four-piece backing band — guitarist Jesse Gress, drummer Prairie Prince, bassist Rachel Haden and keyboardist Kasim Sulton — will perform on a stage set up directly in front of the theater. The reserved-seating configuration will be adpated for outdoors, essentially set up right on Cleveland Street.
Rundgren is touring to support his latest album, Arena, his first patently rock record in many a year, and a pretty heavy one at that.
Who: Rise of Saturn, Drew Street Mary, Ascending to Avalon with special guests Stalling Dawn.
Rise of Saturn: Formed by members of Soulfound and WeakSauce, this Incubus-meets-Gnarls Barkely funky sextet is playing their first show. Demo recording coming soon.
Drew Street Mary: A sing-along, power pop band from Satefy Harbor, DSM’s Beatles-meet-Seville sound is sure to keep you humming the songs for days. Their song “Barfly” was recently featured on the No Lip Vol. 2 compilation.
Ascending to Avalon: This new post-grunge quartet is sure to fly with fans of Open Hand, Foo Fighters and Led Zeppelin. Their song “Salvation” was featured on the No Lip Vol. 2 compilation.
Stalling Dawn: This Tampa-based rock band has a new record out and is opening for Third Eye Blind this weekend. They are a head-banging blend of Thrice and Killswitch Engage.
What: Mohawk Bomb Records Showcase. Mohawk Bomb Records is a Clearwater-based music label, production house and ad agency, focused on sharing new music with the World, finding new ways to make our artists known. and adopting technology advances to provide better distribution.
Posted by Leilani Polk on Mar. 26, 2009, at 12:16 pm
A compendium to this week’s Urban Explorer’s Handbook, in which Creative Loafing maps out the best of the best of the Bay area-based Internet sites. Here is the next featured music site; to see the complete list, click here.
New Granada Presents/New Granada Records
Who runs it: Keith Ulrey, a musician and local and regional music supporter and promoter.
Why you need it: New Granada stages pretty much any local indie show you’ll find in Tampa, and helps the bands to get the word out. New Granada also records anywhere from two to four DIY-style albums for these bands each year, and brings bigger acts to town to give the bands some additional exposure.
For every hundred people excited about U2’s impending U.S. tour, I imagine there’s a couple of folks like me – absolutely over-the-moon ecstatic that my favorite band snagged the support slot.
We are pleased to confirm that Muse will be touring in the UK, Europe and North America this autumn. Full details on the UK and European dates will be announced soon, but for now we can confirm that the band will be special guests to U2 at a number of their North American shows this September including New York on September 24th. The remaining U2 dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Granted, the post is vague on exact details, but my hopes are totally up. Muse are one of the biggest rock bands in the world – certainly not on U2’s level, but popular enough to headline arenas in Europe and Asia. Large-scale success has eluded Muse in much of America, confining them to clubs and theaters or opening for bigger bands. I’ve been fortunate enough to see them three times, with each performance further cementing them as my all-time favorite live band. There are a lot of ifs – if people show up early enough to the show, if people give the opener a chance, if stadium sound doesn’t suck – but this is a huge opportunity for one of the most criminally underrated bands in the world. Videos and progress on their new album after the jump.
What’s up Loafers!?! Real quick, before we get to the content … just wanted to say hi!!! Y’know, introduce myself, all that jazz, as I’m finally gonna start contributing here on Tampa Calling. I’m Jack. I promote shows and select tunes (w/ my boy DJ Archaea) and I’ve actually been heading up my own blog as well for a minute now. Anyway, here it is: my first post, copied directly from the aestheticized >>> blog and focused squarely on the out-of-towners playing this Saturday night at Creative Loafing’s Sensory Overload 4 point 0.
ELIOT LIPP = Over the last 5+ years, Mr. Lipp has consistently produced some of the world’s finest Electro / Glitch-Hop, for a handful of the hottest labels in the game (Eastern Developments, Hefty, Mush, etc.). His music is marked by an obsessive exploration of the place where analog synths and software-based composition meet, his sound almost immediately recognizable (a quality all-too-rare in Electronic Music) — rich and relentlessly melodic lines laced over funky breaks and broken beats. He just released Peace Love Weed 3D on his own Old Tacoma imprint; highly recommended for fans of PREFUSE 73, DABRYE, DJ SHADOW, Golden-Era Hip Hop, etc.
Sign o’ the times: Band records album, band plots April 13 release date, album leaks, band quickly unleashes album digitally, band moves physical release date up to March 31. Such is life for a hot young rock group these days, and even the artists can’t get too worked up about it.
“We wanted to build toward a date, get excitement up and release it so everyone had it at once,” Yeah Yeah Yeahs lead singer Karen O told Pitchfork two weeks ago, discussing the file-sharing-induced rush release of her band’s third LP, It’s Blitz! ”But I guess that doesn’t really happen anymore. We’re still kinda stuck in 2003. I mean, even 2006 was a totally different time to release a record than 2009. It’s insane how quickly everything’s changed.”
The YYYs have, in a sense, been lapped. After all, the band was one of the first Internet-darling indie groups. They earned their early rep thanks to a mere 13 minutes of music on their 2001 self-titled debut EP. (A reputation for hellacious live shows, punctuated by O pouring beer all over herself certainly didn’t hurt.) By the time they released their first full-length, they’d already made the jump to a major label, Interscope, and ran into a distinctly ’00s trend: backlash that emerges even before a band has broken out. (For the most virulent example of this trend yet, please “read” thesetwo Black Kids reviews, both from the same outlet.) Read the rest of this entry »
Since Drag The River “broke up,” it stood to reason that guitarist/singer Jon Snodgrass and singer Chad Price would be releasing solo efforts. Chad is supposed to have one coming out by the end of 2009, and while I wouldn’t put the notion of another Drag The River album completely to bed, Mr. Snodgrass was the first to strike with Visitor’s Band.
Over the course of 2008, Jon managed to book studio time on both coasts and places in between to record Visitor’s Band. He also managed to pull in a few collaborators like Chad Rex, Joey Erg, Chris Pierce and ninebullets.net faves, Two Cow Garage. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Leilani Polk on Mar. 25, 2009, at 1:13 pm
Now in its 24th years, the Winter Music Conference brings industry professionals and electro acts from around the world to Miami for all manner of networking, panels and performance opportunities, from private parties to slots at WMC’s Ultra Music Festival. Ultra continues with its usual roster of traditional DJs, producers and electronica acts — The Prodigy, Paul Van Dyk, Booka Shade, Moby, Tiësto, Carl Cox and the like — but expands upon the definition of electro music with offerings that include newer groups like Cut Copy, MSTRKRFT, Simian Mobile Disco, Crystal Castles and The Whip, and groups that aren’t necessarily electro, but include electro elements in their music: The Ting Tings, Bloc Party, Black Eyed Peas, Santigold and Hercules and Love Affair. Luckily for Tampa folks, the state is so oversaturated with this influx of artists that we get much of the runoff as many stop in or around town to play a show while on their way to or from the fest. The following is a breakdown of electro shows within a 2 1/2-hour radius that are worthy of your attention.
Friday, March 27 WMNF presents Synthetic Pleasures w/Girls on Film/Genre Baptist/I Kill Pxls/DJ Curse Mackey. ’MNF has joined the electro bandwagon with its own Florida-grown bill headed up by all-female Tallahassee fourtet Girls on Film (pictured), who do the glam ’80s thing complete with computer drums and programming, shrill vocals, teased hair and cakey make-up, and retro prom outfits. 9 p.m., Orpheum, Ybor City, $7.
Kraak and Smaak w/Special Guest DJs Mighty White and Willyvegas Kraak and Smaak (direct translation: “crunchy and tasty”) are a new but rather well-regarded Netherlands electro trio that combines pimplicious funk grooves with breakbeats and loungey house.9 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, $12 in advance/$15 day of show.
Cut Copy w/Matt & Kim The Melbourne, Australia trio marry Dark Wave punk (affected vocals, theatric synths) with a healthy dose of digi-electro dance fun. Definitely worth the drive.7 p.m., Club Firestone, Orlando, $19.99 in advance/$22 DOS.Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Leilani Polk on Mar. 25, 2009, at 8:00 am
A compendium to this week’s Urban Explorer’s Handbook, in which Creative Loafing maps out the best of the best of the Bay area-based Internet sites. Here is the next featured music site; to see the complete list, click here.
Something Planet
Who runs it: Three offbeat local dudes — David the Day, John J (John Murray) and Stuey B (Stuart Best) — record a weekly 90-minute talk radio-style podcast of “the latest and greatest about Something.” Jokes, trivia and other nonsense is scattered amidst music and interviews.
Why you need it: The site tends to feature local and regional bands and offers interesting and witty blog commentary in between the weekly podcasts. Something Planet is gearing up to celebrate its first anniversary this May with a rock show at Gasoline Alley, the “Something Planet Birthday Extravaganza #1,” with local acts Rise of Saturn (featuring members of Soulfound and Weaksauce), Badda Skat and Geri X, as well as contests, prizes and a free compilation CD of acoustic performances by local artists who’ve been featured in their podcasts.
Posted by Leilani Polk on Mar. 25, 2009, at 4:20 am
For this week’s forthcoming Urban Explorer’s Handbook, Creative Loafing maps out the best of the best of the Bay area’s Internet community. Here is one of our featured music sites; to see the rest, click here.
Aestheticized Presents, State Media, THX MGMT
Who runs them: Aestheticized is owned and operated by longtime indie scene promoter and stalwart Jack Spatafora, who books shows at Crowbar but also works with State Theatre, Czar and New World Brewery. State Media (aka No Clubs Productions) is managed by area show-promo veterans Tony Rifugiato and Dave Hundley; State Media promotes and stages shows at State Theatre, Orpheum, The Ritz Ybor and, less frequently, Jannus Landing. And the newest to the scene, Joe D’Acunto and THX MGMT, has been bringing some noteworthy, taste-of-the-moment acts to Tampa venues like Crowbar, New World Brewery and Orpheum.
Why you need them: These three are powerhouses when it comes to bringing the hottest up-and-coming Pitchfork.com-beloved indie and major label pop and rock acts to the Bay area’s smaller (1,500 or less) venues. Anyone who considers themselves music followers should probably check their sites on a regular basis. As added bonuses, Aestheticized bills certain shows as “essential” and usually offers details as to why these shows should not be missed, while State Media hosts MP3s by all of its upcoming acts on its website.
On Thursday, March 19, legendary music/film producer and arranger Quincy Jones spoke for 2-and-a-half hours to a packed house at the Austin Convention Center about the state of the music industry, the future of the music business, his first encounters with Michael Jackson, brain science, nanotechnology and the success he has enjoyed around the globe by being a ”Ghetto Gump,” happening to be in the right place at the right time. He also shared some personal anecdotes from his years in the industry.
Jones recounted how he discovered Oprah Winfrey, having cast her in The Color Purple, a film adapted from Alice Walker’s novel and directed by Steven Spielberg. Walker was apparently hesitant to have such a young (not to mention Jewish) director at the helm, who until then was best known for the sci-fi/action blockbusters Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Raiders of the Lost Ark, but Quincy was able to convince her that this was the man for the job. Executives even doubted that they could get Spielberg to commit to Color Purple “before Schindler’s List was made.” Spielberg himself asked Jones, “Don’t you want a black director to make this film?” Jones’ reply: “Did you have to go to Mars to film E.T.?”
During one especially tender moment, during a screening of Ray Charles performing “My Buddy (Quincy)” at Montreaux, the producer teared up and turned away from the crowd.
On the future of the music business, Jones was at a loss. He cited Napster, iPods and other technology for the decline in sales and said there would never be another multi-million-selling record, stating “I got mine,” and that it’s now up to future generations to figure their way out of the box. Yet, he sympathized with up-and-coming artists that find themselves surrounded by ”an entire generation that does not know people ever paid for music.” At one point, he even said he was “open to any ideas” for solutions to new revenue streams and suggested music could monetize itself through advertising similar to television.
Jones has put forth a new idea, however. This year, he started a petition and at last count has aquired over 240,000 signatures in an effort to lobby President Obama to create a cabinet-level position entitled Secretary of Culture (or Minister of the Arts) - which most other countries already have – a postion that would be tasked with music education and artists’ rights.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS from Jones’ address in five parts after the jump.
Friday, March 20: Day 3 of this madness. Yesterday, Joran and I must have walked at least 5 miles trying to catch as many bands as we could, so my calves were a bit sore. Regardless of the bodily pain, today was the best day.
Taking advantage of all the free stuff you could get, I moseyed over to the Natural American Spirit cig table and got 2 free packs of smokes. I don’t usually smoke, but today I felt like it. While I was lighting up, I met two French filmmakers, in town to make a documentary for the French Government (so they said). I thought they were cool enough, so I did a quick interview with them.
Afterwards, I went to a panel discussion about how to survive as a musician in the current economic recession. The panel featured big wigs from Sub Pop Records, Jive Records and Atlantic Records. Also, Ian Montone of Monotone Inc. was on the panel. He is the manager for bands like The White Stripes, Cold Ward Kids and Dredg. The discussions themselves were standard: times are tough, the internet killed the biz and everyone has to work hard to make it.
The highlight for me was when I offered up an idea for a federated, regional music business model. After my statement and a follow up question, Montone and the guy from Atlantic looked at each other and I could read their lips, “That’s a good idea.” I hope they don’t steal it, but oh well. After the panel I met Montone and an old friend of Soulfound’s, producer David Eaton. I gave Montone props for sticking with Prog band Dredg through all these years and he invited me out to the show that night at Buffalo Billiards.
Thursday, March 19: Day 2 began well. I was refreshed and ready to go to some sessions. SXSW is not only a music showcase, but it is also a conference and has a trade show floor. The sessions were geared towards music business professionals, offering panel discussions on topics from songwriting, using the Web to promote music, bands and brands and how to survive in the current economic climate. Every panelist was an accomplished professional with an impressive resume.
The first session I went to featured Todd and Jeff Brabec, twin brothers that have some helpful advice about how to make money through music publishing and songwriting. Jeff works in publishing for Chrysalis and Todd is a VP at ASCAP, so these guys know what they are talking about.
Wednesday, March 18: I arrived to Austin by 9:30am, exhausted from the previous night’s St. Patty’s Day festivities. On the plane Flee and Jo Ellen (from WMNF and The Globe respectively) had the privilege to watch me zonk out with mouth agape for most of the 2 hour flight.
Excitement was high as soon as I deplaned. Dozens of people carrying guitar cases were scurrying about the terminal as if late for a very important meeting. I took a shuttle to the “Little” Ramada on the far ass north of town, where I would be staying during my visit. The driver ran me down the key places to visit in Austin (Bat Country, The Capitol), the great restaurants to visit (Guero’s) and that I shouldn’t walk the streets around my hotel alone at night. At first impression Austin seemed tired and run down, with haggard bums adorning every street corner.
Upon arriving to the hotel, I met two bands off the bat: Colombia’s Raton Perez and London’s Little Thief. I took advantage of my “journalist status” and did a quick interview with each:
Posted by Leilani Polk on Mar. 24, 2009, at 2:36 pm
For this week’s forthcoming Urban Explorer’s Handbook, Creative Loafing is mapping out the Bay area’s Internet community. Here is one of our featured music sites:
The Merry Andrews
Who runs it: A 20-something trio of passionate but playful Bay area indie rock aficionados: Aly Carr (whom we’ve recruited as a contributor to our own music blog, Tampa Calling), Ashley Renee and Marc Karimi. They co-host a weekly internet radio show and a website that spotlights underground and indie bands with interviews, tour info, in-studio performances and MP3s. (Proof they don’t take themselves too seriously: A “Merry Andrew” is an Old English synonym for clown.)
Why you need it: If you want to know anything about up-and-coming indie rock and pop groups, this is the site for you. Though Aly, Ashley and Marc don’t limit themselves to acts that are coming through town, you can count on finding something about said acts (and music clips) on the Merry Andrews site. (Pictured below: Ashley, Marc and Aly; photo by Kenzie Shores.)
I’ve had a long time to muse over the Phish reunion shows, to listen to the live downloads over and over again, to read the reviews and see the pictures and laugh at the outrageous (and in some cases, sad and amazing) stories on the message boards, and to plan out all the ways I can scrimp and save so I can hit some more shows on the second leg of their summer tour in addition to the three (or four, or maybe five) I’ll be hitting up on the first leg.
I had my soul cleansed in Hampton and now I’m ready and hungry for more.
But before I can set my sights on the shows that are to come, I thought I’d share some pics and other odds and ends from the Hampton shows — my observations a few weeks later, having stewed on things a bit.
It was my first time in Hampton, Va. I was underwhelmed by the town itself, though it held a certain charm I equated with its place in Phishtory. We had a prime spot at the Ramada Inn, likely the cheapest and closest hotel to the venue. In fact, our main room (we had two split between a party of four) afforded us a perfect view of the Hampton Coliseum. Read the rest of this entry »
For all intents and purposes, the Condo Fucks’ Fuckbook is the 13th studio LP from Yo La Tengo, even if the Matador Records website for the “band” never mentions the words “Yo,” “La” or “Tengo.”
There are plenty of clues to go around. One: The name “Condo Fucks” comes from a fake promo card Matador printed up and inserted in Yo La Tengo’s 1997 classic, I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One. Two: In 1990, Yo La Tengo released a covers disc titled Fakebook (the name comes from musical sheets that outline the bare essentials of a tune — melody, chords, lyrics — and allow performers to learn new songs on the fly). Three: The Fucks website lists the band’s members as “Georgia Condo (drums), Kid Condo (guitar) and James McNew (bass)”; the members of Yo La Tengo happen to be Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan and James McNew.
And, four (as if you needed it): Recording a half-hour’s worth of fuzzy, Nuggets-like garage rock covers under an in-joke assumed name and then making a short “documentary” about the impact of the fake band on the music scene of southern Connecticut, well, that just seems like the kind of thing Yo La Tengo would do.
“I have no intention of explaining things more fully,” Yo La Tengo guitarist/singer Ira Kaplan told me in an interview two years ago, and that sentiment runs all through the band’s history: the Spanish-language group name (”I have it”), the beguiling album titles (I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass), the jokey songs (”Georgia Vs. Yo La Tengo,” “The Story of Yo La Tango”). This is a group unafraid to leave its audience guessing, and they never seem interested in clearing things up for definitive interpretation.
It took me a minute to readjust to driving on once-familiar roads and to which drawer the silverware was in, but I’m home. It’s my first day back at work, and I’ve re-told the stories countless times and am looking forward to doing it again next year. Plus, who knows, there’s always CMJ in October.
If you haven’t been following along, I suggest you read these posts in reverse order (1 – 9) and I’ll also be spending this week editing a ton of video from the bands and from Quincy Jones’ emotional keynote address. One especially tender moment I did not capture was a video tribute to Jones’ good friend Ray Charles that forced the legendary producer to turn away from the podium in tears.
If there’s anything I learned from covering the entire week of South by, it’s a sentiment that was expressed by Mr. Jones (”Q” to his friends) and that is, “You’ve gotta go to know.”
I used to scoff at industry panels and workshops, but I’ve learned (and forgive me if I’m a little late to this party) that if you open yourself and participate, it’s not the panel that presents any new idea, it’s that you can have new ideas by participating in focused and elevated dialogue. Innovation is not handed to you at an industry conference, but it is born there.
The 2009 Interactive Keynote with Virginia Heffernan and James Powderly.
And to the detractors at the NY Times that implied that marketing competed for attention with the music, I say, “that’s the point.” The parties would not exist without them. The bands themselves will soon be indebted to individual sponsors and be forced to sell ads around their liner notes.
And, finally, a shout out to all my new friends that I made in Austin: Travis McGuire (T. McG), Dave Schacherl, Monica Armmendariz, Sheppa, Iggy, Starsailor, Hannah (Montana), Logan Youree and Michael Bartnett at the Austin Chronicle, Amy Wanke at SXSW and to my old friends Chris Ledwith and Brian Austin (of Ivison). Thanks for everything guys. See you next time!
Posted by Leilani Polk on Mar. 23, 2009, at 2:34 pm
Swede pop trio Peter Bjorn and John is currently streaming their forthcoming release, Living Things, on MySpace. I’m only two songs deep and I’m already digging on it, though it’s not really at all what I expected nor does it remind me of 2006’s blissfully sublime Writer’s Block or 2008’s quirky Seaside Rock. It’s got more of a dark, minimal, dance music feel. The first track, “The Feeling,” has few lyrics, its vocals set against clap-clomp beats and out-there samples that create their own additional textures and percussive flourishes, while track two, “It Don’t Move Me,” continues with the clapping, but pairs it with heavy keyboard strokes and ’80s-style skating rink rhythms. To listen for yourself, click here.
Chris Botti, Chris Botti in Boston (Sony)
John Parish and PJ Harvey, A Woman A Man Walked By (Island Records)
This just in! Submit for your chance to play The “Kia Kevin Says” Stage on the 2009 Vans Warped Tour. This is an opportunity for a Tampa band to get noticed and maybe even sell a few CDs.
What is the Red Bull Music Academy? That is what I first asked myself when I heard about it. The multi-faceted energy drink brand has branched out into the realm of DJ culture and music conferences with its “yearly celebration of all the journeys and breakthroughs, all the dreams and intricacies that go into the music we love.”
For every hundred people excited about 
