Tampa Calling

@autopsy4: Made it to Ybor. Have I mentioned how much I hate driving to Tampa?

I arrived to Ybor late and famished due to the traffic jam the rest of the world refers to as Tampa. After getting my access secured and a whiskey inside of me I started to settle down and headed to the Cantina for some of the Southern rock sounds of Mojo Gurus. I only managed to catch their last 3 songs but that was all I needed. The blistering rock mixed with the whiskey were getting me where I need it to be and all I needed at this point was a hot dog and I was gonna be fixed.

On my way out of the Cantina I bumped into some old friends and decided a double whiskey and catching up was gonna have to suffice as food. While the double put a beating on my wallet, it was exactly what the head was wanting and I was exactly where I needed to be as Thomas Wynn & The Believers took the stage. Read the rest of this entry »

So — right off the bat I wasn’t there on time to see the Mojo Gurus. Sorry gurus. Then, as the rain poured down, the next band went on. That band was Thomas Wynn & the Believers, and they had a real good time at Tropical Heatwave. I didn’t get to see them have that good time because the fire Marshall wouldn’t let me in.

Sigh. But Mr. Wynn said the folks at WMNF were nothing but nice, the crowd was responsive & “wonderful”, and that it was really great to be able to play in an environment that was so supportive of the occassional 7-minute-long version of a regularly 3-minute song. Sure wish I would have caught ‘em. Actually, this is the second time in as many months that I have accidentally missed them. Lucky for me they’ll be back on June 5 at New World Brewery with the Beauvilles & Shawn Fisher. Read the rest of this entry »

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:

Raton Perez (Screamo Heavy Metal)

Little Thief (Pop Punk ala Arctic Monkeys)

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“What a diff’rence a day makes” – María Méndez Grever

The music portion of SXSW has begun and Austin is infested with indie rockers, scenesters, hipsters and musicians from all over the world. The snarky t-shirts and iPhones of the interactive and film portion have been replaced with leather, tight pants and guitar cases. And they’re everywhere.

Try to imagine if every bar, club and art gallery in Tampa and St. Pete tented their parking lots and had full concert lineups on indoor and outdoor stages for 6 straight days. It’s a lot to take in. Not to mention, the stimulation of the local economy here – from stage and equipment rental to groceries and clothing – is staggering.

These Arms Are Snakes at Red Eye Fly. More photos after the jump.

There are many methods of navigating the music portion of “South by.” You can meticulously plot your path, you can wander from bar to bar (if you have a wristband or a badge) or you can do a combination of both. Modes of transport can include car (shout out to Monica Armendazzle), cab, bus, shuttle, bike (they ought to rent these), rickshaw, horse-and-buggy, and finally your own two feet. 

Ivan is in town now, as well as some folks from Creative Loafing Atlanta, so we’ve been coordinating via text. This has worked to avoid overlap and to catch wind of “secret” parties such as last night’s Playboy Party held in a warehouse on E. 12th in which Jane’s Addiction played a surprise hour-long set. Word on the street is that Metallica will be doing a similar stunt tonight to promote their new Guitar Hero game. We’ll see.

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Way back in the beginning of ninebullets.net, I wrote a piece about the band Roxx Gang. There was a period in the late ’80s when I thought they were quite simply the bees knees.

Flash forward 20 years or so to former Roxx Gang frontman Kevin Steele’s newish band, Mojo Gurus, which is celebrating the release of their new disc, Let’s Get Lit With, this Friday. The Mojo Guru’s are Kevin Steele, Vinnie Granese, Doc Lovett and Mark Busto, and they’ve just signed a multi-album deal with True North Records. Along with Let’s Get Lit, True North will be reissuing the Guru’s first two cd’s, Hot Damn and Shakin’ the Barn, on March 24. To celebrate the occasion, the Mojo Gurus are throwing a big ol’ party at Dave’s Aqua Lounge and you’re all invited. Joining the Gurus will be another one of Tampa’s shining lights, Tailgunner Joe and The Earls of Slander. Read the rest of this entry »

This just in from Brett Steele, manager of the Bay area’s Mojo Gurus, about the band signing with the Canadian label True North:

True North Records and The Mojo Gurus announce the signing of a multi-album deal. The first album, entitled “Let’s Get Lit With…The Mojo Gurus,” will be released in March, 2009 with tour dates in the US and Canada to follow. Said Geoff Kulawick, True North’s President, “We are very excited to have The Mojo Gurus join the True North roster. The band is fantastic and will certainly fit in well with the True North brand.”

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Editor’s note: This just in from our man Autopsy IV — see his pic/bio after the jump — via ninebullets.net.

WHO: Black Diamond Heavies, The Mojo Gurus and The Beauvilles

WHAT: Concert

WHERE: Dave’s Aqua Lounge 10820 Gandy Blvd. St. Petersburg (727) 576-1091

WHEN: Tuesday November 18, 2008

DETAILS: Showtime 9:00pm, tickets $7. Doors are at 8PM, Beauvilles 9:00-9:45PM, Black Diamond Heavies 10:15-11:00PM, Mojo Gurus 11:30-12:15PM

This is a ninebullets.net sponsored show. We’re sponsoring this show cause we believe that The Black Diamond Heavies are an unstoppable force and we just wanna get on the fame train. Here’s what I said about these cats when I saw them at The Deep Blues Festival:

I was worried that I might have over-romanticized what actually getting to see the force that is The Black Diamond Heavies was going to be like, but the truth is I sold them short. I’d heard the hype, I believed the hype…I just didn’t understand the hype. Now I’ve witnessed the hype and I am a believer. BDH get down like no others, never miss a chance to see them live. They’ll rock the panties off your granny, believe that.

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