Tampa Calling

Okay, Elvis Perkins in Dearland is probably a good choice musically to open for Bon Iver. The band is low key, but not low energy, and they built the show up well, especially having Bon Iver come on stage for the last song. That really hyped up the crowd. They started off slowly, though, and I wasn’t sure I was going to catch on. My notes through the first three songs read like strange musings: “Elvis can somehow pull off white jeans & a jingle bell necklace…” “Trombone guy has played like 4 instruments already, is hot, but has a huge hole in the crotch of his jeans…” Song number four picked up the pace and I got more involved. This is another really talented group of musicians, several multi-instrumentalists, and one local guy named David who was someone’s uncle and did a nice job even though he stuck out like a sore thumb (well, he was older and not dressed like he was from 1974). Anyway, they were a good time. When they successfully threw in a gospel tune that led into a sort of doo-wopish buddy holly kind of jam, things really got interesting. I enjoyed Elvis Perkins in Dearland, and they really seemed to be having fun, and it was sort of a love fest with Bon Iver (who said they were all now the best of friends). Happily ever after at The State. (Sigh.) (Photo of Perkins by Sam Goresh)

All photos by Sam Goresh.

To be totally honest, I went to this showing knowing only one Bon Iver song and a short version of a story about a guy who went into a cabin for the winter with a broken heart and came out in the spring as a rock star — kind of an indie Eric Carle tale. Maybe I was showing bad music journalism manners, setting out to review a rock show with no idea what I was about to get myself into (and I probably shouldn’t have admitted to it just now). I thought seriously for days about doing some homework in advance, but I really didn’t want to. The thing is, I love to hear something for the first time live, at the show, before I’ve ever laid ears on the album. So, if you tell me I just have to hear someone, I’ll Google them first to see if they’re coming to town. I’ve fallen in love with some great music that way, and here I am again, head over heels for Bon Iver. (Pictured: Justin Vernon)

The set-up between bands took a while. Maybe it just seemed like half my life because I was sweating it out on the railing at the back of the room downstairs. (Is there any club in town with really great A/C, even in summer?) When Elvis Perkins in Dearland performed (more on them in another post), there was this huge mass of band in the middle of the stage. After Bon Iver’s instruments were finally put in order, it looked like there were four separate stations. Almost as if four one-man-bands were going to play. Okay, I thought, this should be interesting. (More pics after the jump) Read the rest of this entry »

Willie Heath Neal plays country music. That’s what I’d call it, that’s what he calls it. But if you listen to popular country radio, you’d disagree. You’d call his songs “alt-country rockabilly” or “cowpunk” or “outlaw country” or “hillbilly” or “psychobilly.” Really, there seem to be endless ways to describe the man’s music by tacking “billy” onto the end of a word. But what really matters as we hash it all out is that he knows how to write a good song. That’s all I care about, and that is exactly what matters when you’re in Ybor City on a rainy Tuesday night at Crowbar to see Willie and his gang play. I don’t ordinarily listen to country music (I adore The Old 97’s, but here again, they don’t seem to count), so I had no idea what I was getting into, but I loved every minute of it. Read the rest of this entry »

The Pack A.D. (yes, the A.D. is for After Death) is not a blues band. Sure, they probably listen to blues music (don’t a lot of people?), and they met at a gas station, but they are not a blues band. How do I know? Because I hear them rocking out my iPod right now. I think I am supposed to call them garage rock. I wish I had a garage and some money because they are coming to Tropical Heatwave and I would pay whatever for them to show up the day before, plug their equipment into my washer/dryer outlet, and play a while.

They are a duo, just guitar and drums, which I know is becoming more common now. It seems like a good idea, good band mates are hard to find. Plus reduce the number of people in the band and you can reduce some of the drama, and split the gig money in two instead of three or four. So why don’t more bands do it? Because it’s freakin’ hard! Do it wrong and you’ll just sound like you are overplaying and trying to fill empty space. Do it like The Pack A.D. and you sound like you don’t need no stinkin’ bass player. (Video and interview after the jump)

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What do you really know about Geri-X?

She is a singer/songwriter whose band is also named Geri X. They’re based in St. Petersburg. Why am I asking her nine questions? Well, primarily because I’ve had her CD playing in my car for a couple of months now and I think you should know more about her & it. This is a local group that doesn’t sound local, they sound beyond this place, and beyond all the places of their past. Their latest album is called “Anthems of a Mended Heart.”

I imagine that for Geri, this album is something of a destination. The exhalation of a breath held too long, the sigh of relief at the end of a storm. It seems like she has landed in a place both personally and musically where she has made some decisions and settled herself into a more peaceful bed.

I’m not saying it’s entirely angst-free, but those of you who search out singer/songwriter types to get your angst on will not be disappointed. I guess I could try to compare her to another artist that you’ve already heard of, but I won’t. First of all, I personally find that to be bad music manners. (Stop asking musicians who they sound like — stop today!)

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