Down the street from The Hold Steady at The Ritz on July 2, 2009, New Granada presented a night of local Florida musicians at New World Brewery including King of Spain, Will Quinlan & The Diviners, and Mike Dunn & The Kings of New England.
King of Spain
Alas, I only caught the last two songs but they were the artfully crafted electro-folk songs that are now synonymous with Matt Slate.
Pontiak galloped into New World Brewery this past Thursday, June 11, the exceptional headliner of History’s last show in Tampa supported by King of Spain and Glasgow. Another splendid Thx Mgmt show – thanks Joe.
Pontiak
To get the downlow on Pontiak, check out Eric Snider’s interview with the brothers who make up this band. Live, Pontiak delivers a constantly evolving performance, its members switching instruments (who doesn’t love the impact of double drum sets?) and keeping even the most jaded scenester interested. These mistral brothers are a talented family garnering positive media attention from sources as diverse as Pitchfork and Wired. Read the rest of this entry »
City of Ships sailed into Ybor City last Friday, May 29, and headlined a New Granada Show at New World Brewery with Tampa favorites Guiltmaker and Gainesville-based Liquid Limbs.
Currently hailing from Richmond, Va., City of Ships produces a unique brand of heavy yet clever post-hardcore rock. Live, the band delivers a mega sound that is LOUD … the last time my ears felt like this (i.e., as if they were bleeding) was after a Deadguy/108 show in the mid-’90s. With long hair, and some strategic fan placement, the headbanging was ON. But to call City of Ships a headbanging rock band means you are missing the point. Their music is complex and incorporates a variety of musical influences all rolled up in a unique package. They are one of the few bands that you love listening to both on disc and live. City of Ships has a new record due out on July 21, 2009, Look What God Did To Us (Translation Loss Records), and they are touring extensively this summer across the US and Europe. In the meantime, check out their myspace page for teaser songs. Read the rest of this entry »
Austin-by-way-of-Orlando’s New Roman Times were on their best game this past Saturday, April 18, at New World Brewery as they celebrated the release of their full-length, On The Sleeve, on New Granada Records. Frequently compared with indie greats like The Pixies, Versus and Sonic Youth, NRT successfully fuses quality songwriting with dance-worthy guitar-driven rock ‘n’ roll.
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.
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.
Around 3 p.m. yesterday, I caught Rec Center and King of Spain at the New Granada showcase at Ginger Man Pub. I grabbed a bite with Flee, Laura, John McNicholas as well as Scott Harrell and Mike Delach from the REAX crew. So awesome that the conference was bookended by Tampa-centric showcases. Maybe we can add a Mohawk Bomb showcase to the roster next year?
Unfortunately, I had to jet before Hankshaw took the stage in order to catch Flatstock by 6 p.m. Flatstock is a quarterly exhibit that features artists, concert posters and prints for sale. I got to meet Jared from Mexican Chocolate. I’m a big fan of this guy’s work for the Mars Volta and I picked up a couple more prints for my collection.
Now here’s where my heart starts beating. I left an hour early to ensure I got a good spot for PJ Harvey and John Parrish’s set at Stubbs. I got there in plenty of time - the Indigo Girls and Third Eye Blind fans had no interest whatsoever, so I was able to wriggle my way down front. The only downside – enduring an entire set by Razorlight. Wow.
PJ Harvey on stage at Stubb’s. Photo courtesy of Carol Copfer.
In a rare US appearance, Polly Jean Harvey took the stage looking like a straight-jacketed geisha, and delivered a set of mostly new material - at turns crying, laughing and screaming - one minute delivering lines like “there’s no more laughter in the garden,” with a tiny, childlike voice and the next, snarling “stick it up your fucking ass,” with an empowered roar. The crowd responded with riotous screams and applause, and she humbly, quietly thanked them each time. When she announced that the next song would be their last, the audience loudly protested, and she tried to explain that everyone was being kept to strict time slots. To the chants of “come back soon,” she had no reply.
Afterward, I ran into John Barker and Jennie from MerchGirl. They were headed down an alleyway to catch the DJ duo L.A. Riots. They asked if I’d like to tag along, but I was still a bit shellshocked from the whole PJ Harvey thing and needed to walk it off in the night air for a bit.
Lucero played a long, raucous set Friday night at New World Brewery, plowing steadfastly through their extensive catalog while managing to thoroughly engage a sold-out audience. Lucero’s regular band members are Roy Berry (drums), Ben Nichols (vocals/guitar), John C. Stubblefield (bass) and Brian Venable (guitar). On this tour, they are joined by Todd Beene (pedal steel) and Rick Steff (keyboard/accordion).
Hankshaw & Friends
The annual New Granada Christmas Show at New World Brewery featuring King of Spain, Davey von Bohlen, Hankshaw and Jarvik 7 was a splendid night of reunions with a grand soundtrack. The show has a reputation for unique elements (including in past years the reunions of Scrog, Pohgoh and appearances by elusive bands like The Blackwoods Orchestra) and it’s a place to meet up with friends from near and far.
King of Spain… Read the rest of this entry »
