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Photo review
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Photo Review: Green Day at St. Pete Times Forum
Posted by Tracy May on Tue, Aug 4, 2009 at 4:53 PM
Some shots from last night's Green Day show at the forum. More will be featured in a follow-up review of the show that will be posted by tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Billie Joe Armstrong and 12-year-old fan Giovanni Sosto, from Costa Rica, share some stage time during "Know Your Enemy."
Photo Review: Torche, House of Lightning and Averikou at Czar
Posted by elawgrrl on Tue, Aug 4, 2009 at 3:18 PM
Metal Monday came early this week with Sunday evening's show, August 2, at Czar's Imperial Palace featuring Torche, House of Lightning and Averkiou. Death Metal, one of Tampa's more unqiue claims to fame, has influenced a plethora of subgenres including the hardcore scene I grew up in. It was awesome to see how many old school hardcore kids made it out along with a whole new group of metal afficiandos on a Sunday night.
Torche
Hailing from Miami, Torche has a rabid fan base hooked on their unique sound - it's part thrash with a twist of melodic hardcore, and dare I say a bit of twang, all on a solid metal base. Decibel Magazine called Torche's music a "whole new beast built from the DNA up." Since Torche's Meanderthal (Hydrahead Records) took the #1 spot on Decibel's 2008 Top 40 Extreme Albums list, their fan base is rapidly expanding but thankfully their intensity remains intact.
Live the band exceeds expectations drawing in the audience until everyone is at least nodding along if not full on head banging. You can see that these musicians love what they do and are having a party on stage to which the whole crowd is invited. As a gift to the fans from back in the Floor days, the crowd went nuts when Scimitar was played. When the audience demanded an encore, the band requested a bit of patience while Rick reassembled his drums that had come undone in the intensity of their last song and the audience happily waited late on a Sunday night to squeeze in just a couple more songs.
Their energetic stage presence had me capturing Steve and Jonathan nonchalantly hanging out in mid-air repetitively:
To really experience the mid-air nonchalance, click on the photo to view them in a larger size.
Torche's 2009 EP (with DVD) Healer / Across the Shields (Hydrahead Records) is out now for your home enjoyment.
Torche is Steve Brooks (Guitars/Vocals), Jonathan Nuñez (Bass), and Rick Smith (Drums)
House of Lightning
The elusive and mysterious House of Lightning (ex-Dove) made one of their too rare appearances opening up for Torche. The crowd reveled as the waves of thrash crashed down upon them.
As a music photographer, few things are as entertaining to capture as the myriad faces of metal framed by hair swirling around in awful red lighting. As you can see during House of Lightning's set, the opportunities for capture were endless.
Word on the street is that House of Lightning has been recording so hopefully a record will be coming soon!
Averkiou
In spite of being the only non-metal band of the evening, Gainesville's Averikou did a good job of holding the attention of the mostly metal mania audience. Averkiou is on the one hand a prototypical shoegazer band (frequent comparisons to Swervedriver, Guided By Voices and, of course, My Bloody Valentine) producing a delicious sound that is nearly tactile and on the other hand is a straight up indie pop band. Check out their new album, Throwing Sparks (Clairecords/Barracuda Sound) which has received universal praise with the most common complaint from reviewers being that it is too short!
Averikou is Matt Brink, David Quarles, Chad Darby, James Hernandez and Jason Shusterman
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Photo review: Maxwell at Ruth Eckerd Hall
Posted by Tracy May on Sun, Aug 2, 2009 at 7:01 PM
Check out my shots from the Maxwell show at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater this past Thursday, July 30. Apparently the neo-soul singer is bashful; the handful of photographers were granted access to shoot the first three songs, but only from the very back of the auditorium.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Photo review: Reel Big Fish and the English Beat at The Ritz Ybor
Posted by Tracy May on Fri, Jul 24, 2009 at 12:40 PM
A series of shots from the Wednesday, July 22 show featuring Reel Big Fish, the English Beat and The Supervillains at The Ritz Theater in Ybor City.
Reel Big Fish
(More pics after the jump)
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Photo Review: Pedals on our Pirate Ships, The Wild, Regular Size People Fight
Posted by elawgrrl on Thu, Jul 23, 2009 at 12:30 PM
Pedals on our Pirate Ships finally sailed into Tampa on July 21, 2009! Which explains how I found myself out late on a Tuesday work night at Transitions Art Gallery to see Pedals on our Pirate Ships (Richmond), The Wild (Atlanta) and Regular Size People Fight (Tampa).
Pedals on our Pirate Ships
My friend Jeff made me some mix CDs last winter and immediately catching my attention was a song, "Peter Pan Syndrome", with this chorus "Will you be my Wendy? Will you be my Tinkerbell? / Don't be silly you can be my Tiger Lily still" and lines such as "We don't have goals but we have lots of fun" and "but secretly we all miss our mothers, we seek security in the arms of lovers." When I couldn't get the song out of my head, I looked up the band with a peculiar name, Pedals on our Pirate Ships, and listened to the rest of the songs posted on their myspace page and was hooked.
Hailing from Richmond, VA, these folk punk rockers play extremely fun and catchy folk punk tunes with just a tinge of introspection. In "reinventing Bryan Adams" Matt belts out "Why do they call it goodbye, doesn't feel so good to me, why don't we call a spade a spade, say what we really mean... look me in the eye and say loving you is fucking killing me" At the show, a small but enthusiastic crowd sang along at the top of their lungs to the crowd favorites including "Peter Pan Syndrome" and "Night of the Living Wage."
Originally, Pedals on our Pirate Ships was Matt Seymour's solo acoustic project featuring an extensive guest and former member list including the following musicians: Michael Otley, Jameson Price, Tim Baker, Casey Martin, Lindsay Sisk, Tim Barry, Nick Bergheimer, Tim Carroll, Ian Cassidy, David Donaldson, Lindsey Driscoll, David Hughes, Joe Hunt, Joe Mager, Josh Small, Daniel Rickey, and Adam Thompson. It's amazing how much more fun a show is when the band is having as much fun as the audience and that was certainly true at this show. Adding to the visual joy of Pedals on our Pirate Ships, the drummer uses a steamer trunk as a bass drum.
Pedals on our Pirate Ships currently are Matt Seymour (vocals/guitar) with Adrienne Brown (vocals/melodica/tambourine) and Louis Cyrtmus (drummer)
The Wild
We arrived during The Wild's set. I liked them immediately and not just because they had a banjo in their punk rock band. Hailing from Atlanta, The Wild also plays music in the folk punk genre. Like Pedals on our Pirate Ships, they had a great time playing and as a consequence the audience had a great time listening. I look forward to checking out their recorded material.
The Wild is Kylee (drums), Ben (Bass), Dianna (Tambourine and vocals and more!) and Witt (guitar and vocals)
Regular Size People Fight
Regular Size People Fight features a group of talented Tampa musicians from Dukes of Hillsborough, Watson and The Tim Version playing post-punk. It was fun to see these guys playing something a bit different... I haven't heard their record "Yowza!" (Fast Crowd Records) yet but No Idea Records describes it as "Smart lyrics and clever guitar riffs that will make you want to crack open a cold one and sing along."
For more photos, please check out the following links:
Monday, July 13, 2009
Photo Review: WMNF's Americana Fest at Skipper's Smokehouse
Posted by elawgrrl on Mon, Jul 13, 2009 at 4:35 PM
WMNF's 4th Annual Americana Fest at Skipper's Smokehouse went off without a hitch on Saturday, July 11, 2009 creating a hand clappin', boot stompin' good time showcasing the vast array of talent in the Florida Americana scene.
Have Gun, Will Travel
Originally masterminded by Ted Lukas, Americana Fest is all grown up. This year featured ten outstanding Florida Americana bands: Ted Lukas & the Misled, Will Quinlan & the Diviners, Have Gun, Will Travel, Thomas Wynn & the Believers, Nervous Turkey, Black Finger, Roppongi's Ace, Mike Dunn & the Kings of New England, Matt Butcher and The Nine Volts plus a national headliner: Blue Mountain.
Thomas Wynn & The Believers
As typical on summer days in the lighting capital of the world (Tampa really does mean sticks of fire), downpours threatened throughout the day. In spite of inclement weather, Americana Fest was packed to see the array of homegrown talent with music lovers of all ages in attendance.
Building sandcastles at Skipper's smokehouse
According to Wikipedia, Americana is the "amalgam of roots music fused by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, rhythm & blues, rock & roll and other external influential styles." In the absence of individual set reviews, suffice to say that each of these alt country bands delivered inspired performances tapping into the full range of musical influences of the Americana genre. It was common to see band members making guest appearances during other sets to add a harmony here and there or add some need instrumentation. The sense of community among these musicians is inspiring.
Missed out on this show? Next up for Americana fans in Tampa: WMNF presents The Avett Brothers (with Matt Butcher and The Revolvers) at The Cuban Club on Saturday, July 18th.
The Nine Volts
The Nine Volts are Larry Fulford (drums), James Mitchell (guitar/ mandolin), Adam Wheeler (bass) and Conrad Wilson (vocals/ guitar).
Matt Butcher
Black Finger
Black Finger is Greg Lovell, Andy McAusland, Sean Fernandez, and Jesse Dalton.
Mike Dunn & The Kings of New England
Mike Dunn and The Kings of New England is Mike Dunn (Vocals, Guitar, Piano) and depending on the performace an assortment of the following regal players: Jacob Kaplan (Bass Guitar), Joey Bradshaw (Rhythm Guitar, Vocals), Cannon Lee (Drums), Kyle Pierce (Guitar, Pedal Steel), Andy Simmonds (B3 Organ, Vocals), Chris Martin (Drums, Bass Guitar, Vocals), Daniel "Bones" Anderson (Drums, Smiles), C.J. Mask (Lead Guitar, Vocals), Jeff Snow (Drums, Metal History), Dean Lorenz (Shred) and Susan "Soon to be" Snow (Violin).
Roppongi's Ace
Roppongi's Ace is Alex Spoto (Vocals, Guitar, Fiddle), Max Norton (Drums, Hootin'), Jesse Norton (Bass, Harmonica, Hollerin'), and Rob Pastore (Pedal Steel).
Nervous Turkey
Nervous Turkey is Ernie Locke (Vocals, Harp, Guitar), Aaron Fowler (Drums), and Mark Cunningham (Organ).
Thomas Wynn & The Believers
Thomas Wynn & The Believers is Thomas Wynn (lead vocals/guitar), Olivia Wynn (vocals/organ-piano/tambo), Justin Beckler (guitar), John Hembree (bass), Thom Damon (drums) and Chris Bell (harmonica).
Have Gun, Will Travel
Have Gun, Will Travel is Scott Anderson (elec. guitar, lap steel), Jean-Paul Beaubien (drums), Matthew Burke (voice, accoustic guitar), Daniel Burke (bass guitar, voice) and Joshua Hernandez (viola)
Will Quinlan & The Diviners
For this performance, Will Quinlan & The Diviners was Will Quinlan (Vox/Guitar), Soraya Zaumeyer (vox/keys), Daniel Burke (upright bass), Scott Anderson (electric & lap steel guitars), Alex Spoto (Fiddle) and Jesse Martin (drums).
Ted Lukas & The Misled
Ted Lukas & The Misled is Ted Lukas (guitar/vocals), Mark Tinker (bass), Sonny John Sundstrom (guitar/vocals), and Sean Doyle (drums/vocals)
Blue Mountain
Blue Mountain is Cary Hudson (Guitar, vox), Laurie Stirratt (bass, vox) and Frank Coutch (drums,vox).
For more photos, please visit the following links:
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Photo Review: Sunbears! and Shunda K at the Hot Dog Show
Posted by elawgrrl on Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 2:40 PM
In three short years, the Reax/ThxMgmt Hot Dog Show is established as a must attend event of the summer providing a great opportunity to see a diverse group of bands, catch up with old friends, make some new ones, and of course, witness a hot dog eating contest. This year the Hot Dog show took place on Friday, July 3rd at Crowbar. I arrived just in time to see the first female victory in the hot dog eating contest (sorry - I didn't catch her name!) which was followed by an animated performance by Bealsville/Plant City-based Shunda K of Yo Majesty! Bringing the evening to a dance party conclusion was the Sunbears! (Jacksonville).
Sunbears!
The last time I saw Sunbears! in November 2008, I was impressed by their ability to deliver a complete visual experience to go along with their sugar pop even outside at New World Brewery. Sunbears! has enhanced their candyland act to be even more dayglo with a variety of props including a giant red balloon, bubbles and confetti, oh my! Recorded last fall, the Sunbears! cover of Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" now adds a bit of unintentional poignancy to their act... at least until the shock of Michael Jackson's death wears off. The audience danced up a storm to the Sunbears! happy go lucky pop tunes while throwing confetti to the beat. Sunbears! is also fun to listen to live and their current EP, Dream Happy Dreams, is a perfect summer dance soundtrack. Really, who couldn't use a little auditory uplifting given the state of the world? I look forward to hearing and seeing what is next for this talented duo!
Sunbears! is Jonathan Berlin (keys, guitar and vox) and Jared Bowser (drums/vox)
Shunda K!
Shunda K, moniker of Lashunda Flowers, is a talented local hip hop artist who defies expectations by incorporating both spirituality and sexuality into her lightning fast rhymes. She is currently allowing fans to download her music for free so head over and check her out!
For more photos, please visit the following links:
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Photo review: The Hold Steady at The Ritz, Ybor City
Posted by elawgrrl on Sun, Jul 5, 2009 at 10:05 PM
"There's so much joy in what we do up here..." Craig Finn of The Hold Steady exclaimed to fans near the end of their set at The Ritz on July 2, 2009, "...we are all the Hold Steady!"
The joy rang loud and proud throughout their set. Fans of The Hold Steady don't just come and watch the band — they participate and follow along with the band antics.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Photo review: Light Yourself on Fire and Wetnurse @ Brass Mug
Posted by elawgrrl on Sat, Jul 4, 2009 at 3:49 PM
A rainy evening in Tampa couldn't put out the metal fire at the Brass Mug on July 1, 2009. I caught the last two bands of the evening, Seventh Rule Records labelmates Light Yourself on Fire (Tampa) and Wetnurse (NYC).
Light Yourself on Fire
Sadly Scrog decided not to play a reunion show this evening. Luckily, Light Yourself on Fire, Tampa's metalcore darlings, stepped in. Please click here for more LYOF commentary from their recent show at New World Brewery.
Light Yourself on Fire are John Allen (guitar), Robert Winslow (bass), Ken Karg (drums), and Matt Coplon (vocals).
Wetnurse
What I like best about hardcore shows is the energy that eminates from the band permeating through to the audience. The audience participation becomes a critical component of the show. Wetnurse's set was a perfect example with an explosive set delivering their special sauce of death metal, hardcore, grindcore and classic rock tied up just right in some razorwire. If you don't already own Invisible City, which was on a plethora of must have 2008 music mag lists, there is still time to see the light.
Wetnurse is Gene Fowler (vox), Greg Kramer (guitar), Garett Bussanick (guitar), Ryan Jones (bass) and Curran Reynolds (drums).
For more photos please visit the links below:
Monday, June 29, 2009
Review: Citrus Circuit Feat. Have Gun, Will Travel, Takers, Truckstop Coffee & Lauris Vidal
Posted by elawgrrl on Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 12:04 PM
A band of Florida traveling bards and minstrels aka the Citrus Circuit Tour made a stop at New World Brewery on Saturday, June 27, 2009 featuring Lake Worth's Truckstop Coffee, Daytona's own Lauris Vidal, Gainesville's The Takers and Bradenton based Have Gun, Will Travel.
Have Gun, Will Travel
With three new songs and a Tom Petty cover, Have Gun, Will Travel (HGWT) continues to innovate at each show. Accordingly, HGWT's set had New World Brewery dancing up a storm to new tunes and singing their hearts out to old favorites like "When We Were Kings" and "Blessing and a Curse" (affectionately know by fans as Bop Ba Da after the chorus that stays in your head all the way home). I am really looking forward to hearing the recorded versions of these new songs, particularly "Salad Days". I wonder if Salad Days is a nod to Minor Threat's Salad Days given the band's hardcore roots or the more common reference to Shakespeare?
Have Gun, Will Travel is Scott Anderson (elec. guitar, lap steel), Jean-Paul Beaubien (drums), Matthew Burke (voice, accoustic guitar), Daniel Burke (bass guitar, voice) and Joshua Hernandez (viola)
The Takers
Gainesville's The Takers bring a wholly hogtown porch based twist to americana that gets the audience tapping their toes in a hot second. Taker Easy (Suburban Home Records) is out now so you can take a bit of hogtown honky tonk home with you.
The Takers are Devon Stuart Vlasin, Chad Smith, Ronnie Holmes, Jerome "Romy" Goodman, Jon "P-Nut" Reinertsen and Mike Collins
Lauris Vidal
This was my first time seeing Lauris Vidal and I have definitely been missing out! From the first note, Lauris Vidal and his bandmates had the audience foot tapping and head bobbing, unable to sit still while listening to his swampy, bluesy slice of auditory heaven. For more on Mr. Vidal take a peek at Leilani Polk's interview.
Truckstop Coffee
I first saw Trucktop Coffee at NWB about a year ago and was taken by their modern yet authentic take on alt-county. Though missing the stomp box at this show, these boys from the Space Coast managed to take the audience to new heights setting the tone for a night of amazing americana/roots rock. I look forward to hearing more in the future!
Truckstop Coffee is Pete Stein (Guitar/Vocals), Caleb James (Guitar/Vocals), Larry Fulford (Drums/Vocals) and Bob Hershberger (Bass)
Thanks to Joe and Thx Mgmt for bringing another amazing americana show to Tampa! Also a shout out to Autopsy IV, a fellow CL blogger who is behind the splendid music blog http://ninebullets.net/ for being sweet enough to let me stand in front of him to snap a few of these shots.
In summary, if you missed this show and call yourself a fan of americana and/or local music, shame on you. Don't worry... you have a chance at redemption by attending WMNF's 4th Annual Americana Fest at Skipper's Smokehouse on July 11th to see an amazing array of Florida americana/folk acts including Nine Volts (Cape Canaveral), Matt Butcher (Orlando), Roppongi's Ace (Tampa), Mike Dunn & the Kings of New England (Winter Park), Black Finger (Lake Worth), Nervous Turkey (Tampa), Thomas Wynn & the Believers (Orlando), Have Gun, Will Travel (Bradenton), Will Quinlan & the Diviners (Tampa), Ted Lukas & the Misled (Tampa), along with Oxford, MS based headliner, Blue Mountain.
For more photos, please visit the following links:
