In 2008, I tried to take pictures at almost every show I attended. It’s a daunting task. Sometimes the lighting sucks, you may get stuck far from the stage or some venues may not let you bring a camera in at all. But when all goes right, you can go home with some swell shots of the bands.
These are my photo highlights of the year. Click on any image to view as full size.
(For my favorite albums of 2008, just click here)
Neptune 3/19/08 @ New World Brewery
Last night, Manchester Orchestra sold out the Orpheum (this reporter only made it in thanks to the door work of CL Marketing + Promotions Director Joran Oppelt). Lead singer Andy Hull (looking every bit Grandaddy frontman Jason Lytle’s little brother) impressed with his vocal chops, mixing in a good deal of Ben Gibbard-influence to go with the band’s loud/quiet sing-a-long numbers, some which have been featured in the Gossip Girl TV show.
Kevin Devine, Dead Confederate and All Get Out opened. Some grainy pictures of MO below:
Here are some shots from last nights show at New World Brewery. Despite the colder temperatures, about 100 folks came out to see the biggest full moon in 15 years and some good bands: Pielos, Super Secret Best Friends, Inertia! and the Unitards.
Lily of Inertia! welcomed Ryann Slauson and Nikki Navarro of Giddy-Up Helicopter!,for her set. I then found out Giddy-Up are calling it quits in the spring when Nikki plans to leave for Chicago.
Super Secret Best Friends played their first show at New World since their first-ever show early this year. SSBF drummer Alex told me it’s their favorite venue. Agreed.
Inertia!
More pics below: Read the rest of this entry »
An otherwise ordinary Monday evening was transformed into a fantastic inferno of colors, costumes and characters at The Ritz featuring Of Montreal, Fiery Furnaces, and Fire Zuave. It was impressive how many people were in attendance given the competition with the Bucs game and it being a Monday. Proof positive that the Tampa area has a plethora of indie music fans.
See photos after the break. Click here for Leilani’s in-depth review and killer video.
Read the rest of this entry »
On Saturday night at Czar, No Age (pictured left) and Les Savy Fav took the stage to help the Skatepark Of Tampa celebrate 16 years of ollies, kick flips, face plants and punk rock. The free PBR was flowing, the kids were ready to explode and the bands were melting faces. How could you not have a good time?
Well, you could get stuck next to the asshole who forced his way up front and elbowed you in the ribs for the first 30 minutes of No Age’s set before he passed out on the stage. No Age’s vocal mics could completely crap out halfway through their set, resulting in the misuse and abuse of many microphones. You could be one of the folks who were accosted by Les Savy Fav’s very sweaty and very beardy Tim Harrington. You also could have thought that stage diving was still a good idea only to find out that no one wants to catch you if you’re not in the band (I wish I got a picture of that). All in all I would say that a good time was, in fact, had by all.
To read Chris Nadeau’s review of the show, click here.
If you and words aren’t good friends, keep scrolling down for my pictures.
Click on any picture for the full size version.
Friday night, Orlando’s Matt Butcher debuted his new album, Me and My Friends, with a perfomance at Ybor’s New World Brewery with support from Will Quinlin and the Diviners and North Carolina-based Bombadil.
The diminutive troubadour Butcher (who sounds more like a young Neil Young with each listen) and crew of six knocked out some great harmonies, especially on the title track. Lead guitar and pedal steel work filled things out nicely. As a friend commented, “it’s just enough country, but never too much country.”
Bombadil overcame some questionable wardobe choices to knock out really tight set of twee pop/Indie/Irish sea chanties for children.
Matt Butcher:
After several days of family togetherness and gorging on Thanksgiving leftovers, Saturday evening at New World Brewery was a welcome respite brought to us by THX Mgmt. The show featured a diverse group of Florida bands: Beardsley, Incredible Crisis, Zillionaire, and Sunbears! I got there a bit late after being distracted playing trucks with my friend’s three year old so I missed Beardsley… but I did manage to capture the rest of the bands.
Incredible Crisis
This was my first time seeing this band and I look forward to seeing them again in the future.
Dumbwaiters, Woven and Kingsbury @ New World Brewery 11/22/08
On a rather chilly Saturday night, Tampa’s New Granada Presents put together a show like only they can. Orlando’s Kingsbury drove over to serve up a most excellent set of atmospheric rock. Woven, from Los Angeles, brought more effect pedals on tour than most bands would know what to do with. And last but not least, Tampa’s long-running and highly reclusive Dumbwaiters came out of hiding just long enough to remind us why they are (and have been) one of the area’s best bands.
Let’s face it – Gainesville always does things a bit differently. So it is no wonder that the celebration of Festivus (aka Fest 7) Gainesville style is actually the amalgamation of more than 250 bands over 3 days in 8 venues throughout Hogtown wrangled by Tony Weinbender (of No Idea Records) and friends. In its seventh year, Fest has grown up to become a destination for people from all over the world to see the best in independent music. Special thanks to Tony for continuing to put this event together each year.
Over the weekend (10.31.08 – 11.2.08), I managed to see a myriad of music genres and capture no less than 26 bands: A Wilhelm Scream, American Cheeseburger, Ampere, Asshole Parade, Atom & His Package, Bouncing Souls (pictured above), Bridge and Tunnel, Building The State, Chris Wollard & The Ship Thieves, City of Ships, Coalesce, Dillinger Four, Foundation, Have Gun, Will Travel, Japanther, The Menzingers, Paint it Black, Red Clay River, Rehasher, Strike Anywhere, The Takers, Tim Version, Triclops!, The Wading Girl, Whiskey & Co and Young Widows. Tampa Bay was well represented with lots of hometown heroes making it on the Fest schedule especially the Kiss of Death Records and ADD Records bands.
Thursday was a busy night for the Tampa music scene with pre-Gainesville Fest shows taking place at New World Brewery, Crowbar, Transitions Art Gallery at SPOT and The Springs Theater… it was tough to choose just one show but Drag The River, Two Cow Garage, Nessie and Brahm Bones at New World Brewery won out.
Drag the River
Two Cow Garage
Editor’s note: Pictures and text by Nicole Kibert.
Palantine’s Melee CD release party at New World Brewery in Ybor City on Sat., Oct. 18, proved a bit frightening (see haunting Halloween decorations). Luckily, the evening did not turn into an actual melee, affray or fracas. Rather, it was a night filled with some of the best rock Tampa Bay has to offer.
The Gleaming Amoebas opened the show (sadly I missed their set – I heard they were good and really how could a band that mixes flamenco and indie rock not be?).
Next up, The Semis (Billy Summer, Matt Simmons, Don Butler and Cristian). The foursome delivered a high-energy set of rad hair metal and winningly dirty power pop!
As Palantine (live: Vinnie Cosentino, Brian Johnson and Jeff Fox) took the stage, people gathered around in expectation of a catchy, melodic-yet-guitar-heavy set. As their MySpace suggests, the band is best enjoyed at full volume, and this act showed they were well worth the effort to make it out on a drizzling Saturday evening, even while the Tampa Bay Rays battled in the playoffs.
A unique collaborative event transpired at the Orpheum to ring out September in style – an honest to goodness full on revival awakening the masses to the not so secret Americana wave. The Revival Tour featuring Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music), Ben Nichols (Lucero) and Tim Barry (Avail; pictured left) along with friends Todd Beene (Glossary), Jon Gaunt (Whiskey & Co), Austin Lucas, Bob Lucas (Austin’s dad), and Digger Barnes proves that hardcore kids can evolve while staying true to hardcore ideals. Back in the 90s going to shows at The Stone Lounge, and later 403 Chaos, along with the Hardback in Gainesville and many other venues up and down the eastern seaboard, I often wondered what would happen to all us hardcore kids as we got older. Local music fans already knew it was possible having witnessed the successful evolution of The Chase Theory to Have Gun, Will Travel. The Revival Tour reaffirms that transition while enabling us to hear new music discussing the issues of our day – war, economic crisis, etc. from a critical vantage. In traditional revival fashion, once the music started it kept on rolling as the musicians tag teamed in and out through each others sets until the final farewells rang out.
During Tim Barry’s set, a microphone outage, provided a glimpse back to the hardcore days:
Finale of Jeremy Gloff’s Rockopera for the release of “1987″
SoundFX: Live occurred Saturday evening at Crowbar featuring Jeremy Gloff, Giddy-Up, Helicopter! and Venus in Furs with inimitable sounds of the Crate Brothers and DJ Brian Oblivion. Jeremy Gloff celebrated the release of 1987 in what can only be accurately described as pop operatic format depicting the import of the 1980s on young Jeremy. For more sound stills of an all around pretty furry weekend, click to see the SoundFX Weekend Photo Collection.
Giddy-Up, Helicopter!
Venus in Furs
