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Archive for the 'Interview' Category

16
May
13

* In This Moment @ Vinyl Music Hall. 10/24/12 + INTERVIEW W/ CHRIS HOWORTH

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Categories: Interview, Show Pics and Show Write-Ups

There is no choice. When your manager says you won’t make it and you lose two of your bandmates to an “American Idol”, you either keep rocking or give up the dream.

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In This Moment not only kept rocking, they got harder. In a month where Vinyl Music Hall had a show for almost every night of the week, the LA band touring with their new release “Blood”, lit up the calendar and everyone in the downtown Pensacola venue. One week before their show, guitarist Chris Howorth answered a few questions about their music, meeting Maria Brink and more for my weekly “Music Matters” column in the Pensacola News Journal.

-Full interview with Chris Howorth

MS: Congratulations on “Blood”. That is a brutally amazing album. You guys faced some incredible odds before that album was even created.  (lost two band members and a manager) What pushed you to overcome those events and make such an amazing album?

CH: It wasn’t something we planned, “This is how we’re going to overcome it.” With everything that happened, what it did to us mentally, why it turned out the way it did. Maria and I were both determined more than ever, we want to do this and show everyone that we deserve to be here and we need to make an album that’s going to show everyone that’s doubting us, ‘oh, they’re good.’ That was our main driving force and we just worked like that. And also our producer Kevin (Churko), he’s been believing in the band since 2008 and the first album we did with him. He’s always thought that we should be fuller than we are and we haven’t got quite the right chance that some people we were working with before the split were questioning whether we should work with Kevin and I explained that to him and he was all pumped up and doing the same, “I’m going to show everybody” and the three of us having that vibe came through in the record.

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MS: Hell yeah and it shows.

CH: Thanks man.

MS: What gets you off the most about playing live?

CH: One of the best things…what made me want do music was seeing my favorite band in concert, seeing the videos on Headbangers’ Ball on MTV back in the day. The “live” thing, you know. It’s always been (the) pre-live show feeling of “We’re doing this. This is going to be great.” And then we get onstage and have a great crowd that knows the words and gives it back to you, it makes it so easy for you to give it them. When it all comes together to have a great show, it’s hard to top that.

MS: Was there ever a moment when you were like, “This is it! God, I’m doing what I wanted to do since I was a kid.”

CH: Yeah. It happens all the time. You’re going from one great awesome moment through a little peak and valley to the next big moment. Part of it’s just kind of realizing when you’re in those moments that are so epic and appreciating it. Because it doesn’t last forever, everyone knows when you’re really stoked, it’s not like you’re stoked for the rest of your life; you go through pits and valleys your whole life. I guess, you know, having those moments when we did the Ozzy Osborne tour; it was us, Rob Zombie and Ozzy. I’ve been a fan of Ozzy since I was a kid; you see him on the side of the stage watching Ozzy play “Crazy Train” or “Mama, I’m Coming Home” and you’re part of the tour. I was a kid watching him from the outside and now I’m part of the tour. It’s like that moment where you’re thinking, “Wow. I can’t believe I’m really standing here right now. This is the most amazing feeling I’ve ever had.” Those happened throughout our career and those are the moments that you hang onto forever the most.

MS: Speaking of live, what’s the craziest thing you’ve seen at one of your shows?

CH: We don’t have the craziest Motley Crue type fans, but one of the best things was Mayhem Fest 2010, San Bernadino. The amazingly huge massive pit, like savage pit-dust flying up and there’s this huge circle and in the middle of the circle there’s four or five metal dudes going all nuts and they start burning stuff and burning shirts and flags in the middle of this huge circle pit with dust in the air…it was just insanely epic…from our vantage point anyways.

MS: You’ve got the album, you’ve got the tour, you’re joining Halestorm soon; what’s the next big goal?

CH: The CD’s selling awesome and we’re on the charts, we’re #11 on the Active Rock Chart and getting in the top 10 will be a huge thing for us-that’s really close. We’re also, we’ve been a band since 2006 and we’ve never managed to break that 100,000 sales mark and the album is selling like crazy right now and we’re rapidly approaching that, that will be a huge milestone for us too. And since we’ve been together and we’ve never really gotten to that next level, this album is getting us to that next level so all the things that come along with that is what we’re looking forward to and what we’re going to be seeing this year and the next year and we’re looking forward to our guarantees increasing and actually making a little bit of money from all of this…because Maria and I have been doing this out of love. We haven’t made money until just recently, we’re now sort of turning the corner where we actually put money in our pockets personally. We’re paying everybody else that works for us, but not ourselves and there’s a lot of great things we’re looking forward to like that.

MS: How did you meet Maria? You have such an amazing dynamic.

CH: We kind of met by chance out here in L.A. I was in a band and one of the guys in my band had met Maria and found out that she was looking for a band. He thought she was awesome-I’d never heard her-he brought her over and she was trying to get us to try her out and I never really wanted to be in a band with a girl-I support girls and everything, but I just never really was giving it a lot credibility and I was going like, “Ah, whatever” and never tried her out and then a couple of weeks later, she came again and forced herself into the band session we were having and sang. And right when she sang, I was like, “Oh! I dig this.” And right from that moment on, her and I just started working on getting a band going and we’ve been in a couple of different things, but we just stuck together ever since then.

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-MS: What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

CH: That’s a good one. I’m trying to think. The funniest advice I’ve ever been given was our first manager-I think it was like…we were still in a band touring in a van trailer and we were all in one hotel room, our first album had come out, we were all really excited, everything was going so good, we were thinking big and we told him, “We’re going to sell a million albums” and he was like, “I don’t want to be the first one to tell you ‘You’re not going to sell a million albums’, but you’re not going to sell a million albums. (Laughs) And we were devastated, man. We were like, “What? We can’t think like that.” We all sat there like, “That was fucked up!” We’re going to call him back and just like, “I just want you to know that that is unacceptable. We need people that are positive working for us; people that believe!” We’ve been given some pretty weird advice and different things because some people are believers and some people are practical, you know, in the business. So you gotta’ deal with the bad, but we’re believers and so we always shift from that and just, it’s all about being practical, it’s about what you can do when you’re dreaming in your head and working towards that and wanting to keep believing it and seeing it and working to make it happen; it can happen. That’s how things happen, man! So, sorry it wasn’t good advice. Advice I have for anyone is, “Don’t give up.” Because Maria and I-before we met, we’d both been trying to do this for a long time, ups and downs and thinking “oh, this one is going to do something” and doesn’t do anything. The only way to really make it happen for yourself-and this can be for anything in life-is not giving up. That’s the first key thing. Is to just not give up on something, because once you stop trying for something, you’re never going to get it. That’s my advice.

MS: Let me backtrack, I have another question; you guys toured with Rob Zombie and Ozzy Osbourne…are there any other great artists that you would love to tour with or work with in the studio?

CH: Yes, man. Maria’s a huge Deftones fan and we’ve been trying to play with the Deftones or get with Chino on something…anything that we can do with them. And that’s one band that it has never happened, they’ve never invited us and our paths have never really crossed where we have been on tour with them or anything. So that’s a huge one and I’ve always said Metallica. We’ve got to tour with Ozzy, why not tour with Metallica? For me it’s like-I know it’s a little heavy, but I think we’d do good. There’s a few that are really good ones that we’ve always kind of wanted, but it hasn’t happened yet. You never know. We’re not saying anything is impossible.

MS: Chris, I have to ask you, this question is a crazy one; do you prefer crunchy or creamy peanut butter?

CH: Oh, crunchy, man! Crunchy. Put a whole peanut in there and I’m fine with it.

MS: This is my last question for you, Chris; is there anything you want the Pensacola fan to knows about the show, the tour before you hit Vinyl Music Hall?

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CH: Well, we’ve never been there, so I’m really excited to see who shows up and what’s going on. If you haven’t seen us, come see us because we’re better than ever, we’re pretty much a theatrical production. You’re going to see more than just us standing up there in our shorts. You’re going to see a full production as much as we can do in that club. And we’re also learning a bunch of new songs at practice, so we’re going to be playing some brand new stuff that no one’s ever heard live. It’ll be really cool, man.

MS: Is there a chance you’ll have a new album out soon? I know that “Blood” just came out not too long ago, is there a chance for a new album soon within the next year maybe?

CH: Not soon, but I guarantee you, man, by the end of next year everyone’s going to be going, “Alright, well, I guess you’re going to start working on something else.” It depends on where we’re at. If this album’s blowing up even more next year, we might ride it a little longer. But it seems to be a good year and a half is how long an album’s success usually goes. We’ll start working on other stuff, because you know, they’re immediately going to want a follow-up right when we end the tour. Nothing too soon though. Come say hi, introduce yourself.

- Michael L. Smith

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25
Apr
13

* Cursive, Elyse Therose, Pioneers! O Pioneers! @ Vinyl Music Hall + INTERVIEW W/ TIM KASHER 10/20/2012

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Categories: Interview, Show Pics and Show Write-Ups
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It’s all about momentum for Tim Kasher. Through books, through music, the Cursive frontman is constantly moving.

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One week before Cursive’s show at Vinyl Music Hall with Elyse Therose and Pioneers! O Pioneers!, Kasher talked about their mini-tour, music, politics, favorite authors and more.

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Here is a link to the Pensacola News Journal “Music Matters: Live concert crowd connection thrills musicians.”

The full interview follows below.

Tim Kasher Interview

MS: My goddaughter is a big Cursive fan. Weird coincidence, but she is a sophomore attending the University of Nebraska (Kasher’s home state), graduated high school from Springfield, Missouri, where you are playing next week, and she was born in Pensacola, Florida where you guys are playing a few days after the Springfield show.

TK: It’s fairly sensible that we get as many first show starts before Gainesville and our set up in Omaha , so that’s just kind of weird that we’re playing Springfield and Pensacola on the way.

MS: How is the tour with Minus the Bear going?

TK: It’s great. They’re just great and they’re old friends of ours. It’s time well spent, very positive.

MS: What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen on this tour?

TK: The craziest thing…huge new restaurant that was across the street from the Best Buy Theater we played in Times Square in Manhattan. Kind of joking that we’d seen Guy Fieri’s huge new American Roadhouse restaurant across from the Best Buy Theater, we played in Manhattan in Times Square.

MS: What gets you off the most about playing live?

TK: Mostly when you can…what I’m after the most when I’m playing, there’s a momentum that you can build where you and the crowd are building together and you’re able to keep that momentum and build it into a great show, but it’s not always easy to do. It’s great, but you have to get off stage and you really feel like you did something that night.

MS: Let me ask you about politics. As powerful as “Happy Hollow” was when you released it, it really is resonating now. How is the 2012 political climate influencing your art or your songwriting now?

TK: I don’t know that it is so much; I’m kind of just impatiently waiting to get through it. In a lot of ways it just seems like we’re, as we get older, we get used to the political process and you recognize that it’s just a lot of posturing, going through a lot of similar motions that we’re familiar with at this point. For the most part, I feel like the political climate is terribly…last week was upsetting (first Presidential debate between President Obama and Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney) but I don’t think  it’s going to, any way, ultimately shape the outcome. In my opinion, the only true negative politician out there right now is Paul Ryan. I’m not a fan of Romney, but I also don’t think he means much harm.

MS: “I am Gemini” came out in February, are you guys working on a new album?

TK: No. We’ve been pretty steadily touring that album since it came out. Usually after a Cursive album comes out we turn to other projects. Ted (Stevens) is working on a solo record.

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MS: Are there any artists that you haven’t worked with that you’d love to work with?

TK: Oh yeah. Sure. I’m sure the list is bountiful. I don’t know…like David Bowie.

MS: What kind of music was playing in the Kasher household when you were a kid?

TK: It was pretty good. I guess I grew up-to be young is a lot of fun-a lot of older brothers and sisters listening to Michael Jackson and the Go-Go’s.

MS: What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

TK: Well, you know, I’ve been offered advice a lot about (the) music industry…I see a lot of bands that have this one-and-done attitude with albums where if it doesn’t catch on then, they break up. I think we’ve all seen that’s just not the way it works. There’s always bands out there where their debut album is a big smashing success and that’s great for them, but it’s not the case for most artists. You got to want to be in the business and get like a 15 year plan. Put your own money into it; you know you’re not going to get it back and get out on the road, play out in front of people.

MS: What other creative outlets do you have, aside from music?

TK: I write quite a bit. When I’m not writing songs, I also write short stories.

MS: Who are some of your favorite writers?

TK: I’m a big fan of Philip Roth.

MS: What would Tim Kasher of today tell a younger Tim who is just starting out?

TK: I don’t know, I guess I would…probably just… “Don’t make such hasty decisions.”

MS: Do you prefer crunchy or creamy peanut butter?

TK: Crunchy. A lot better.

MS: Is there anything you’d like to add for the fans that are coming out to Pensacola, Florida next week?

TK: Just that we’re playing a lot of pretty complete mix of the catalog.

- Michael L. Smith

17
Apr
13

* Melvins Lite @ Vinyl Music Hall + INTERVIEWS W/ BUZZ OSBORNE & KEVIN BURKETT. 10/15/2012

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Categories: Interview, Show Pics and Show Write-Ups
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Friday October 5th, 2012. 9:59 am.

Nervous? In one minute I’m going to call Buzz Osborne.

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What Jimmy Page and Tony Iommi did for musicians of their generation, Buzz Osborne has done for mine. Teenage years of reading guitar magazines and music interviews of “King Buzzo” was minor preparation for the “Do’s and Don’ts” of interviewing the leader of the Melvins.

DON’T ask about Kurt Cobain. Obviously, he has said all that needs to be said about their friendship, but I had to ask about Mike Patton, frontman for Mr. Bungle, Faith No More and countless projects including Fantomas with Osborne.

DO Ask about the music; A complex and crushing sound that has inspired countless bands. Ask about their Guinness World Record attempt; touring the country, playing every state (the Pensacola show at Vinyl Music Hall was the Florida show) as well as Washington DC in 51 days.  Keeping with tradition, I also have to ask Osborne the question that triggers the answer he’s given every time he’s asked how the tour is going.

I sat down to coffee on the table and Escambia Bay outside my window. Fingers resting on the laptop, my left shoulder shivering in sync to the thoughts of “What in the hell did I get myself into?” I dialed Buzz’s number as soon as the clock hit 10:00 and said “Hello…”

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Buzz Osborne Interview

MS: Exactly one month ago, you embarked on this record breaking tour of 50 states (and Washington D.C.)in 51 days with no days off. How are you holding up?

BO: Good. We just played our 30th show last night so…so far so good. We haven’t killed ourselves.  The police haven’t caught up with us yet, so. It’s all good.

MS: What made you want to attempt this Guinness record breaking event?

BO: Mmm. Thought it would be a good idea for some reason. I don’t know exactly.

MS: I know a few years ago Mike Watt attempted it; he did 50 and he had a day off or so, but you guys are going non-stop…

BO: Yes.

MS: What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen so far?

BO: Oh god, I don’t know. Some coked up club owner who doesn’t give a shit, maybe. Nothing too crazy. We’re pretty much business out here. That’s it. We’re not having coke parties with teenagers or anything.

MS: I know Jared and Coady are playing here Saturday, how do you decide when to tour as the Melvins and when to tour as Melvins Lite?

BO: Well, the Melvins Lite thing is a new thing, so we haven’t had that be much of a problem. We plan this stuff out well in advance so we never meet any trouble. Those guys have their own thing going on which gives them an opportunity to do whatever they want to, it’s good. No bad side to it.

MS: How did you hook up with Kevin and the Electrical Guitar Company? Your model, the King Buzzo is pretty popular.

BO: We rehearsed in the same place as the guys in Isis and they have his guitars-I don’t know how they found those-they eat…they somehow got in contact with him, so I tried one of them and I thought it was amazing and I just called him up (and) that was it. That was a few years ago; I started using his guitars pretty much exclusively. It’s all good.

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MS: With your experience and your history, you’ve outlasted bands that have been influenced by you. What keeps you going?

BO: We still like a lot of stuff that we’re doing. If we don’t like it, we’ll change it. That’s pretty much it. I’m not ready to quit just yet. I don’t know when I will be. I have some plans. There’s not much we do that’s not planned out totally, every angle.

MS: Do you have anything else coming up with Mike Patton?

BO: No. We have absolutely nothing coming up with Mike Patton. The last time we played a gig with him was in 2008. The last time we were in the studio was in 2003. So it’s clear that this is not a big deal for Mike. Fortunately, I have my own things going on and if Fantomas wants to do something…but I’m not going to hold my breath.

MS: As far as now, any plans to do anymore studio work with the Melvins?

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BO: Of course, we never take too long between records. We have all kinds of things planned. None of which we can talk about now, recording-wise.

MS: What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

BO: You mean just in general?

MS: By anybody, in life, in general.

BO: Stay out of debt. That’s the best advice, definitely. A very good piece of advice is, “Never go into business with someone who cheats on their wife.”

MS: I’ve experienced that.

BO: What was that?

MS: I’ve experienced that. That’s very true.

BO: Very true.

MS: What would Buzz of today tell a younger Buzz just starting out?

BO: “Don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine.”

MS: With the recording, the touring, the performing, what’s the coolest part of the entire Melvin’s experience for you?

BO: Well, they’re vastly different. So, I don’t know, maybe playing live. Recording, it’s such a different kind of thing. I can’t really compare the two. I really try to keep the two completely separated if at all possible. Don’t feel like they’re the same animal and all.

MS: On this tour, as far as the music how do you keep it fresh? Do you guys mix it up?

BO: What do you mean?

MS: As far as setlists.

BO: How do I keep it fresh? Well, it’s always fresh, no matter what we do. We play pretty much the same set every single night. And we have it planned out from the beginning. And people get a better show that way. Because what we do is not normal rock. We’re not playing, “Here’s a song for you, here’s another song for you.” It’s performance art from top to bottom. It’s an hour and a half performance that has little or nothing to do with what songs we’re playing. That’s it. Now, if people want to paint us with a traditional rock n’ roll brush, then they’re already losing. I don’t view us that way. So, I’m just not going to compare myself to any other bands that think along those lines. I don’t feel comfortable doing that.

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MS: Any chance that you guys could work with an orchestra?

BO: Nah. That’d be a pain in the ass. The orchestra thing, it’s all well and good, but pretty much musicians’ union hasn’t really isn’t a chance of any of that really working. I really have no time for that kind of bullshit. Dealing with that horseshit; no, thanks.

MS: Do you prefer crunchy or creamy peanut butter?

BO: I don’t even really care; it all tastes the same to me.

MS: Is there anything you’d like to add for the fans coming out in Pensacola next week?

BO: I don’t know when we’ll be back to Pensacola. So if you have any idea that you want to see us, maybe you should.

Email Q & A with Kevin Burkett of Electrical Guitar Company

Hey Kevin,

How did you hook up with Buzz, create his model and what does the Melvins music mean to you? And if you could throw in a your top 10 albums, I’d appreciate it. Thanks!

Kevin’s reply

We met through Mike Gallagher of ISIS. ISIS and Melvins practiced in the same place in LA. Mike was a huge fan and decided to go show Buzz his new metal guitar and he loved it. We basically took my Standard model and added Gibson 498T (which is the pick up that he played in all of his LPs). We have made acrylic versions and a few other models for him.

Melvins are the beginning of everything cool. Everything I love can be traced back to them. They also have stayed relevant and ahead of the curve for over 20 years. Pretty bad ass.

Top albums…not really in any order.

1.Peter Gabriel, UP
2.Nirvana, In Utero
3.That Dog, Retreat From The Sun
4. Sunny Day Real Estate, Diary
5. Shellac, At Action Park
6. Melvins, Houdini
7.Foo Fighters, Color And The Shape
8.Tegan and Sara, Sainthood
9.ISIS, Wavering Radiant
10. Hem, Funnel Cloud

Here is a link to my Pensacola News Journal column “World Record Attempt brings the Melvins to Vinyl Music Hall”.

- Michael L. Smith

 

15
Apr
13

* Pensacola Beach Songwriters’ Festival 2012 + INTERVIEW W/ RENEDA CROSS 10/03/2012

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Categories: Interview, Show Pics and Show Write-Ups
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The Pensacola Beach Songwriters’ Festival has enjoyed a lot of history in just four years. Co-founders Reneda Cross and Jim Pasquale have witnessed it all.

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One week before the artists, organizers, volunteers and music lovers kicked off festival’s 2012 event, I interviewed Cross for the Pensacola News Journal’s “Music Matters” column.

Cross shared her memories of the festival and the people who’ve made it a special part of Pensacola music history. Here is a link to the PNJ article “Songwriters’ Festival has a mission to entertain and educate.” The full interview with Reneda Cross follows below.

MS: What has been the most memorable moment of all the Pensacola Beach Songwriters’ Festivals for you and why was that moment so special?

RC: Now Michael, it’s really tough for me to pinpoint one special moment because it just ranges through so many things from the midnight guitar pulls, to hearing the new creations that have evolved from being at the festival, to hearing the songs that I love everyday on the radio or in hearing them by performers that are actually writing these songs and hearing the words and stories behind them. It’s so difficult to pinpoint one special moment that’s any more special than the other ones.

There are just so many different events; I could say the sunset cruise last year was just unbelievable. It was our first year with that and it had that magic moment going on. But then, I can’t say that would over shine the wonderful listening rooms that you go to and you’ll really be able to hear these stories because it’s kind of a quiet atmosphere and they’re getting to talk and actually talk to the people in the audience. It’s just a warming feeling with all that. So that’s what makes it so difficult to highlight any one particular thing being more special than the other.

MS: What can music lovers expect this year?

RC: Wow. This is going to be totally amazing, the talent we have coming in. It’s just overwhelming to me, the fact that I’m getting bombarded with so many wonderful artists and when I say artists-I refer to writers as artists sometimes-but they’re not always artists, some of them write and they don’t perform out a lot. We do have some artists coming that are actually writers.

This year we have Beth Nielsen Chapman coming in, which is just phenomenal. We’ve got Chas Sandford, Jim Brown’s coming in. These guys have written for so many wonderful people and “Moose” of course, Jim Brown, not only did the “It’s Five O’ clock Somewhere”, but he’s also Bob Seger’s lead guitar player. So it’s kind of hard to pinpoint anything with them as well because they’re all so engrossed with everything that they do.

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MS: This is an amazing gem for our area. How did the Pensacola Beach Songwriters’ Festival come into creation?

RC: Actually, Paradise Renee Mack at Paradise (Inn) contacted me and asked me if I would consider-I ran another festival for 14 years, so my experience with that-Renee was familiar with it because I’d put some writers in Paradise many years prior to…so that was kind of stopped…when I was gone from the other festival, she called me in the middle of all that and said, “Can you please come over here and do something?” and I thought, “Well, this is the perfect time we can do something the first of October, which would be not right on top of the other festival and everybody could just join together and make this one big Gulf Coast Community Songwriters Festival.” I think it’s a really awesome thing that the coast has down here with the music scene and we decided to go for it and we’re in our fourth year.

MS: I’m glad you did.

RC: I’ve gotten that from a lot of people. Everybody’s like “Oh my gosh. We had no clue.” because they hadn’t heard of the other festivals. There are festivals on both sides of us. There’s festivals in Orange Beach, Perdido, there’s festivals in Destin now, Port St. Joe and Panama City and I’m talking about songwriting festivals; they’re just going down the coast. I think it’s just a wonderful thing that these writers are getting acknowledged.

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MS: What is the main goal of the Pensacola Beach Songwriter’s Festival?

RC: That’s another thing, Michael. Sometimes I feel like that “festival” is not the correct word for what we do because it’s such an educational process for what we do as well. We go to schools and we talk to the kids about their songwriting, they write lyrics, they send them to Nashville; some of the writers up there that are participating in the festival they put melodies with their lyrics and they come down and perform for the kids. It’s just amazingly awesome and one of our writers from Nashville joined up with Ross Orenstein, a writer down here who is also on the board with the festival and they have created the most amazing Team Green, Save the World. It’s just amazing and you’re probably familiar with what Ross does with that, but I saw a performance at the Seafood Festival on Saturday yesterday and they blew me away. It was just amazing and that’s with the songwriters. The songwriters are doing this and it’s bringing everything together.

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MS: Let me ask you, you have so much experience in the music business, what is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given.

RC: That’s a really hard question. “Get out of the business” (laughs), “Are you crazy?”(laughs). Oh, no. Somebody told me one time, it was a guy at ASCAP which is…I don’t even remember what his title was; I think he was vice-chair or something like that. He’s with ASCAP which is one of the P/R’s for the music industry business and he made a statement to me one time; he said, “For someone to actually do a songwriting festival, it has to be done from the heart, and I see that in you.” It kind of stuck with me. It is my heart and you can tell that, of course, by talking to me and me wanting to go on-and-on about it.

It is very dear to me and it’s dear to me because I do want everybody to know about the songwriters because, I tell you Michael, music is the one thing in this world we’ve got and I feel that music is the only thing that really joins people together. It’s everywhere-you don’t realize-but it’s everywhere you go. Whether it’s an elevator, or whatever, there’s going to be music somewhere in the background, in a commercial. And I just feel like that the recognition with these writers; whether it’s the lyrics or melodies it just needs to be out there. I guess him telling me that was just something that stuck with me. I don’t know that you would say that’s advice, but to me, it was. It helped me keep believing in what I was doing.

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MS: Is there anything else you’d love for the readers to know about the festival?

RC: We’ve got so much going on. We’ve got the seminars, Beth Nielsen Chapman’s got one…when is this coming out, is it coming out Tuesday? She’s going to do a concert after the seminar. Wednesday night we also have a kickoff party, a meet n’ greet at Sabine Sandbar and the music really unfolds on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We’re having a gospel on Sunday at the Paradise Inn, we’re having another boat cruise on Friday night, which is going to be just incredible. Oh gosh, there are so many things. A big luau on Saturday, everybody’s invited to this. This is a big luau at Aloha Wine & Liquors. We’ve got a pit going on, the whole nine yards, so it should be a fun afternoon from 12-2pm with pig roast and meet n’ greet songwriters, just a fun day and the shows, that the most important thing, so please come out and see the shows and support these guys. Give them your love, show them your love and let them know they’re appreciated.

- Michael L. Smith

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09
Apr
13

* White Tie Rock Ensemble Encore Performance of Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” @ The Pensacola Little Theatre + INTERVIEW W/ JONATHAN CLARK. 09/29/12

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Categories: Interview, Show Pics and Show Write-Ups
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Jerry Dawson isn’t human.

Standing in the spotlight inches from the edge of the stage, Dawson kicked the solo into overdrive.

“That’s not how it is sounds on the record.” I thought to myself. “This is…explosive.”

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Falling into a fury of notes, Dawson pushed his guitar and the audience over the edge. This wasn’t Pink Floyd anymore, this was the White Tie Rock Ensemble.

It was supposed to be a re-creation of a rock classic, but this encore performance became much more. From their final preparations before showtime, to the last (and surprise) encore of Mark Ellis leading the group through Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir”, the cast of local musicians and students rocked the Pensacola Little Theatre.

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One week before the White Tie Ensemble’s encore performance of Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon”, I interviewed Jonathan Clark for the weekly Music Matters column of the Pensacola News Journal.

“Why attempt the performance again?” I wondered. It would be difficult nearly impossible to match the group’s first performance. There were so many questions to be asked and Clark was willing to answer them all.

There was only one caveat for my column in the PNJ; keep the surprise ending a secret.

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Here is a link to my Pensacola News Journal Music Matters column “White Tie Rock Ensemble revisits “The Dark Side”.

The full interview with Jonathan Clark follows below.

 

JONATHAN CLARK INTERVIEW

 

MS: The first White Tie Rock Ensemble was amazing, how do you plan on topping the previous Pink Floyd performance with the encore performance?

JC: We all felt that it actually went much better than any of us had hoped and we just sat down and made a list of things that we could have done better. One was the video; the actual projector was locked in a position and we did not have the tool to get it fixed and that now has been fixed. So the video will play a much larger part this time. Some people missed what was going on, because some people said, “I looked up halfway through and was like ‘Oh! Wizard of Oz was on.’ We want it to be more of a focal point to be part of the show. The lights are going to be set up so that the video can be more of a focal point. We’re going to bring the orchestra closer in and use some risers to get the band sort of on the backline and have the orchestra more of another focal point when we’re there to have the orchestra a little more present in what we’re doing. It is a lot of work, I’ll tell you that much. It’s a little easier the second time around here.

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We’ve been going through rehearsals, we’ve got a new singer, Jocelyn moved to Philadelphia. We have Charlyne Kilpatrick singing with us this time. She’s an old-school Pensacola rockstar in her genre. My father and she played together way back in the 70’s and 80’s. That should bring some more experience to what we’re doing here and some more soul.

We had some sound issues that we plan to take care of. We’ve got a new sound system that we’re going to use also, so we’ve got new towers on both sides. There’s a VIP section, where we’re going to rope that off and have it where you have to have the VIP tickets to get in there and I think I’m going to put a couple of “Hammer” bouncers at the front of that, rag on the people as they walk by and yell at them to sit down. We want to get some more of the theatre aspect involved.

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MS: The first time, what was going through your mind on that stage in May?

JC: I told one of my students today-I teach 10 years olds how to play violin-one of my students asked if I got nervous when I play anymore and I said, “Truthfully, I’m very nervous until the downbeat.” And I said, “Once the show starts, my mind just goes into performance mode; it’s just always the way that I’ve done it. The jitters keep me focused, but once we start, a lot of it, you could say, moves very slowly, almost slow motion. But at the same time, it’s over before you know it and you can’t remember what happened. (laughs)

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In my life, I’ve been with my wife for 21 years (and) more often than not, I come off and I say, “How was it?” That’ the best I can get. I know she’s going to be honest with me. Or my dad, my dad was in the audience, so you know, I can go up to somebody and ask. Really, a lot of it is the equivalent of me jumping out of an airplane and hoping everything works on the way down. I was lucky enough that we had a fantastic crew. It’s all the same guys coming back to work the crew stuff. And when you put people in place, in positions that you know they can succeed in, then you don’t really have to worry about a lot of stuff. I told one of the guys that was back, Dana Daniels, “You know, those guys have been doing it for so long that, I need somebody to where, if a fire breaks out, normally everybody runs the opposite direction. I need guys that run toward it. And Dana’s that type of guy. I don’t have to really worry about things going wrong and that type of stuff.

What was going through my mind? “Be as defected as Roger Waters sounds on the CD.” (laughs) Try to sound as something really bad has happened in your life. Which if anybody knows me, I probably have the easiest life in the world, so it’s kind of hard for me to dig up that stuff you know, you’ve got to play the part.

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MS: I know that the last time we talked, you mentioned doing other albums. What made you decide to do an encore as opposed to doing another album?

JC: We had so many people afterwards, like apparently I was inside all day setting up gear, apparently there was a big storm that came through while we were playing. We had some people, even some kids in the back, playing in the orchestra that said they were getting dripped on. So it was bad enough to be coming through the ceiling of the Little Theatre. They were getting mists and all that kind of stuff in the back. But we had so many people that didn’t come and immediately afterward, “We missed this.”, “We want to come to this.”, “When are you going to do it again?” That was the biggest question I had. “When are you going to do it again?” So we thought about trying to get a different venue and do it pretty quickly, like say June or July, but it was very difficult to find a place that would be open that short of a notice, so I got this thing, my ECHO orchestra, Emerald Coast Honors Orchestra starts rehearsals back in September, so it just worked out well that we can use this as one of our concerts at the end of September. The band knows it.

The first one felt so much just like, not an experiment. That’s the best word I could come up with. Can we do this? Will it work? Will it be successful? We went into this and it came off so well, to where I think now, we kind of feel like that was preseason and now the season’s starting. We all wanted one more shot at it and the next one is going to be a different album.

We’re going to do Led Zeppelin IV, which, I don’t know if you want to put it out there yet because we’re going to do “Kashmir” as the encore-encore. We’re going to take our armbands off and say, “February, Led Zeppelin IV, here’s a taste of it.” I don’t want people to know that beforehand. We’re going to try to do that in February.

MS: Which one is more pressure to you; the first time or the second.

JC: I was just talking to somebody right before I called you…the first time, it was like waterskiing. You’re being pulled behind this boat and it’s going very fast. You have to really think and concentrate. This time, it’s more like we’re driving the boat. So you have a little less of that adrenaline, that total rush of excitement and that kind of stuff. We’re more in control. With this show, it will be more steady.

We’ve added two songs. We’ve added “Is There Anybody Out There” which has a beautiful acoustic guitar solo and a violin that plays. And we incorporate that with the orchestra and we’re also adding “Nobody Home” which is a huge staple from “The Wall”.

Down the road, we’re planning on doing “The Wall”, so we’re sort of preparing ourselves now by getting-I think I did the math the other day- We’re about 40% of this side of “The Wall”. We’ve learned enough about that now where we can put that together, and it repeats itself a little bit. That’s on the horizon, but I’m trying to get my friend Billy to figure out how we can build a wall on that stage. Roger Waters is out there doing it right now with a ten million dollar production. We’re certainly up against somebody that’s had a little more funding than we do, but it’s still fun and it’s just exciting trying to do this on a local scale.

MS: As far as supporting the White Tie Rock Ensemble, what can readers and fans do, aside from buying tickets to support your organization?

JC: We would love to get to the point where-what would be fantastic would be to do a Friday and a Saturday night at these things. We’ve got a pretty good Facebook page up and people come on there and send messages and stuff. A lot like that, we still have to figure out how we can market the whole Album Preservation Society thing. If we can turn this into a four or five concerts a year event, then we can do these different albums because you can do Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin IV, like I said, I want to do The Police. You could do “The Wall”, “The Darkside of the Moon.”

The other day, I said, “What Pink Floyd songs would you like to hear?” on the Facebook page and people came back with all kinds of great suggestions. We could put up a poll and say, “What album do you really want to hear?” We were probably 80 seats away from a sell-out last time, and that was just fantastic, so I really hope everything works well this time. The Seafood Fest is going on that weekend, but I think a lot of people will go to the Seafood Fest and then come over to see a show, so it works out pretty well that way.

MS: This is my last question for you, Jonathan; is there anything else you would like the readers to know?

JC: Probably the number one thing-I’ve been in coverbands nearly all my life, I’ve also played in original bands with WAVE and all that kind of stuff-before we started doing this, I always thought how difficult it was to come up with quality, original music and that a lot of times it was easier to pick out these other tunes, but when you start really looking at recreating an album and doing all the little things that are in that, the nuances and the tones even-I got to have a bass this time, Michael, the black bass with the maple neck just like Roger Waters plays. In trying to find all the tones and all these sound effects that we had to locate for Pink Floyd, that was one thing, I looked up other bands that do tributes to Pink Floyd and a lot of them leave out these sound effects and that was the number one thing I wanted to do.

I went back and found some of the original interviews that Roger Waters did on “The Dark Side of the Moon” where he took the vocals from and used it, where the guys would say, “I’ve been mad for years.” or those types of things. I found entire interviews and I’d have to find where he said that, cut it out and put it in, because there was no music behind it.

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The scope of what Jerry’s done to learn all the guitar parts and Joel’s learned all the keyboards and even the inflection that Mark Ellis has to use to sound like David Gilmour and we discussed “Well, are we going to sound like a 1971 David Gilmour or are we doing the 1994 David Gilmour?” and the differences between that kind of stuff. I would hope that that is what is appreciated. And when we did the first one, I’d have to say that it was, because when the kids did their part when we did “They Don’t Need No Education” or the sound effects that happened here or there, you heard the crowd response and that’s when you go, “Ok, these people know this album as well as I do. And you asked me earlier, “What can people do to support what we do?”… listen to these albums and come and put us up to that threshold of what you know in your head and see how well we do. And that’s when somebody really knows their stuff and says, “Man, I’ve been listening to Pink Floyd for 30 years and you guys nailed it.” That’s what really makes it worth the time that we put into it.

-Michael L. Smith

05
Apr
13

* DELUNA FEST 2012-The End? + Local artists’ favorite concerts…in Pensacola.

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Categories: Interview, Show Pics and Show Write-Ups
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As of April 4th, 2013, the future of DeLuna Fest is unknown. There are plenty of questions and the biggest one has yet to be answered.

Will there be another DeLuna Fest?

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If 2012 was the last year of DeLuna, then the festival ended with the biggest bang possible. It was the diverse, rock-solid lineup that made it special.

PEAL JAM, FOO FIGHTERS, ZAC BROWN BAND, FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE, BAND OF HORSES, JIMMY CLIFF, DWIGHT YOAKAM, FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS, BEN FOLDS FIVE, JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS, DJ JAZZY JEFF, THE JOY FORMIDABLE, THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM, THE WALLFLOWERS, SUPERCHUNK, DIPLO, GUIDED BY VOICES, BAD BRAINS, TRAMPLED BY TURTLES, BOB MOULD PLAYS COPPER BLUE, CITY AND COLOUR, BAND OF SKULLS, 12 PLANET, OFF!, PAPER DIAMOND, THE WOOD BROTHERS, WALKER HAYES, KERMIT RUFFINS AND THE BARBEQUE SWINGERS, MIKE DOUGHTY, THE CORIN TUCKER BAND, REBIRTH BRASS BAND, FISHBONE, REDD KROSS, BLACKBERRY SMOKE, THE SILOS, MOTOPONY, IVAN NEVILLES’ DUMPSTAPHUNK, AC SLATER, ANDERS OSBORNE, TWOTHIRTYEIGHT, BONERAMA, THE PARLOTONES, BEN SOLLEE, HONEY ISLAND SWAMP BAND, WASHBOARD CHAZ W/ TIN MEN, ERIC LINDELL, MISHKA, CHARMAINE NEVILLE, LIGHTS RESOLVE, CHRIS THOMAS KING, THE LEGENDARY JC’S, ANTOINE KNIGHT, ASTRONAUTALIS, THE VILLIANS, THE CANVAS WAITING, KITT LOUGH, HIP KITTY, DEADLY FISTS OF KUNG-FU, BRASS-A-HOLICS, PALOMA, DLP, PIONEERS! O PIONEERS!

Comparisons were always made between The Hangout Music Festival, DeLuna (both started in 2010) and Mobile’s long-running Bayfest. The Hangout (which began the same year as DeLuna) had the top lineup its first two years, but DeLuna edged everyone in 2012. No festival could touch what happened for those three days on Pensacola Beach.

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It was pure Pensacola in every way (positive and negative). A city that dreams a little bigger and fights a little harder than the rest of the world thinks we should.

Will there be another DeLuna Festival? Has the festival on Pensacola Beach gone the way of Springfest? Will there ever be another music event to match what happened here in 2012?

As long as there are people in this town that are willing to play, pay, book, and listen to live music…there is always hope.

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While interviewing bands for the Pensacola News Journal and GoPensacola.com’s coverage of DeLuna Fest, I included a game of word association for the local artists and one extra question; What’s your all-time favorite concert…in Pensacola?

Zac Hobbs and Jason Hurt of Deadly Fists of Kung Fu

ZH: Aw man, well there was that GodSmack show. (chuckles) Best show in Pensacola, Florida is…the Archers of Loaves shows where, what’s his name from Man or Astroman, played with the Archers. That was a really good show.

JH: I’m going to go with the Flaming Lips at Sluggo’s when they filled the entire building with fog machine smoke and they were so loud you couldn’t hear them.

WORD ASSOCIATION

MS: Deadly Fists of Kung Fu.

ZH: Taller.

JH: Taller?

ZH: We’re all taller except for you.

JH: No, I wish I was taller.

ZH: That makes a lot of sense.

MS: Pensacola, Florida.

ZH: You can’t say taller again.

JH: Actually, my first thought was “Broken-in shoes.”

ZH: Comfy couch.

JH: It’s got that big ol’ butt dip right…

ZH: It sure does. It’s got the remote for the TV that doesn’t work anymore.

MS: And the last one…DeLuna Fest.

JH: Kick Ass! Guided by Voices!

ZH: Bob Mould!

JH: Bob Mould!

ZH: Superchunk!

JH: At this point, I don’t even care that we’re playing. I just want to see Bob Mould.

ZH: Yeah, I’m pretty sure we get in for free now (laughs). That’s pretty exciting.

GIO LUGO OF PALOMA

MS:  I’m glad you mentioned shows, let me ask you, What is your favorite concert of all time in Pensacola, Florida?

GL: Man, in Pensacola, I’m still a really big fan of the Torche’ show at Sluggo’s on Cervantes Street. That was probably one of the most epic, most powerful guitar onslaughts I have seen. And one the shows that struck me as far as bands playing to their peak was the Sharon Jones and Dap Kings show.  It was just like putting on a vinyl and traveling back in time. You don’t hear bands play their instruments like that. That’s like a whole other level. They whispered, they screamed, they jumped, it was like every aspect of dynamic sound that could be covered by instruments, they were in it. It was totally a pocket situation. I was really impressed with that show.

WORD ASSOCIATION

MS: Pensacola, Florida

GL: Really, immediately, it’s just…it literally is…it’s just…Home. Man, I’m probably thinking about this too much. Just “Home”. I wasn’t born here, but I’ve most of my life.

MS: DeLuna Fest

GL: Epic.

MS: Paloma

GL: (Laughs) Momentum.

MS: Raw Panda

GL: (Laughs) Family

MS: Anything else you would like the readers to know?

GL: Yeah, like I said, we’ve been trying in so many ways to-as far as our friends, as far as what the Raw Panda Showcase is- these are all our friends all bands that we enjoy, are proud of and it’s a the best way to come out to listen to Pensacola original music. It’s all about originality and you also listen to a lot of friends making music all on one stage. It’s all good. It’s a family. It’s a good collection of musicians.

MS: It’s seems like it’s an awesome time for Pensacola music. You’ve seen the crazy times, you’ve seen the dead periods and stuff.

GL: Even the dead days brought out some pretty good folk music and it’s temperamental, but I don’t know. You always got to write and you always got to listen and be prepared for anything.

CHRIS STAPLES

MS: What’s your favorite concert of all-time in Pensacola, Florida?

CS: I have to think. I’ve seen so many good shows. I used to go to the old Sluggo’s on Palafox when I was in high school. Probably, there was a band called Weston, they were a fun pop punk band, they were really tight, but really funny dudes. That was one of the funnest…I’ve seen them twice. Weston and probably Hot Water Music. I saw Hot Water Music, probably one of my favorite shows, I saw them at the Nite Owl, that was in probably 97, 98. It was really exciting. Awesome show. I think the Nite Owl closed pretty soon after that too.

WORD ASSOCIATION

Pensacola, Florida

CS:  I just thought of the beach, which is like really obvious.

MS: No. that’s awesome. That’s how you feel. You’re coming from your heart.

CS: Actually Cordova Mall. I’ll just put Cordova Mall. (laughs)

MS: DeLuna Fest

CS:  Beach Ball.

MS: Twothirtyeight

CS: I don’t know, man. Can we pass that one?

MS: Discover America

CS: Columbus

MS: Christian Metalcore

CS: Stryper

- Michael L. Smith

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12
Feb
13

* DeLuna Fest 2012: Day ii Part i: INTERVIEWS W/ MAGGIE ROSE & CHRIS STAPLES 09/22/2012

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Categories: Interview, Show Pics and Show Write-Ups
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How do you top three hours of Pearl Jam on Pensacola Beach?

Nothing else that weekend could possibly outdo that performance. It would be impossible. Right?

DeLuna Fest: Day Two

The afternoon began with local groups Paloma, The Real Hooks and Kitt Lough building the momentum for a promising sequel to Day One.

Leading up to an evening that would feature Foo Fighters, Bad Brains, Jimmy Cliff and The Joy Formidable,two of my favorite surprises of the afternoon lineup were sets by Maggie Rose and Chris Staples.

While writing artist intros for the PNJ’s coverage of the festival, I was stumped by two words.

Maggie Rose

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The name sounded familiar. Too familiar. When I searched for more information, I discovered a true Hollywood story.

Young lady starts out in a Bruce Springsteen coverband, drops out of a prestigious music program, catches the eye of music mogul Tommy Mattola, but parts ways to make her name in country music with legendary producer James Stroud.

Then, I clicked on the link to her song “I Ain’t Your Momma”.

MAGGIE ROSE INTERVIEW

MS: You rocked at DeLuna Fest. How did you enjoy the festival and Pensacola Beach?

MR: I would love to come back and play. The beach and the weather was perfect and the crowd was (phone cuts out). I would love to do that again. That was one of my favorite shows this year.

MS: That leads to my next question. You mentioned shows this year; you recently played the (Grand Ole) Opry, you just came off the Country Throwdown Tour and you’re about to join the Blake Shelton Cruise. With all these amazing things going on in your life, what is the most amazing part of being Maggie Rose?

MR: I would say, especially at this stage of my career, it would be getting out there and playing for fans and meeting people and making new fans because I’m just beginning my journey and getting my music out there. So to see the reaction from people that have never heard the music before and see that they’re relating to it and it’s reaching them, it’s just one of the most exciting parts about what I’m doing.

MS: What is the craziest thing you’ve seen at one of your shows?

MR: Well, (laughs) I’ve definitely paid my dues in some respects. My guitar player and I played at a county fair a couple of years ago and while we were playing, right in front of our stage, there was a rodeo arena and then the fans were behind that and during our show, there was- I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of mutton busting, because I’ve never heard of it until that day-and there is a little kid trying to ride on sheep while we were playing. That was probably the most odd activity and show environment I’ve ever played in, but if you’ve done that, I guess you’ve seen it all. I don’t know. I hope that doesn’t happen again, but it was an interesting experience. Because you have sheep crying in front of you while you’re playing and the audience is a hundred yards away. Little kids are falling off on the ground, so it was interesting. And I bet you weren’t expecting me to say that, where you?

MS: No, not at all. That’s the first time I’ve heard that.

MR: I’m sorry, Michael.  I don’t know how you’re going to relay that. I’m telling the truth.

MS: Your sound and when I listen to you live, you’ve got soul, rhythm. I even noticed a little hard rock there. What kind of music did you listen growing up?

MR: Well, I grew up in the D.C. area, so it’s not really a specific area. I got to hear a little bit of everything and I would credit my influences to what my mom played and Mary Chapin Carpenter was one of her favorites. I love Bonnie Raitt. I love Fleetwood Mac. I do love classic rock; I mean AC/DC’s great turn-it-up music. Just a little bit of everything and I wanted to preserve that Southern rock feel, but I love the storytelling aspect of country music so that’s why I gravitated as a writer towards country.

MS: When did you know that this was what you wanted to do for your career?

MR: I knew I wanted to be a performer from a very early age. My parents were very supportive of me as a singer, they would drive me to choir practice and drive me to parties and weddings that I’d sing at and they loved hearing me so it just really nurtured my talents and I think it was the first gig that I got paid for. I was just totally stunned that I would get paid to do something that I loved so much. I was like, “I should make a living doing this. Ok.” I think I figured out what I want to be and I studied (phone cut out) I’m sitting here in my hotel room in California and my service is inconsistent.

MS: No problem. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to face so far in your career?

MR: If you want to be an entertainer and if you want to break into the music industry, you have to be really hard working, you have to know that the door is going to get shut in your face a bunch of times and I had one meeting that broke through with Tommy Mottola. He’s the director of Sony and he saw a lot of potential in me, but obviously my heart was country music and I wanted to be a country artist and he’s more involved with pop. So he introduced me to my producer James Stroud. He knew James through his wife while they were working with the Dixie Chicks. So it was really that chance meeting like luck meeting preparation. It was just hard to have those two things line up. It was a world wind because I was right in the middle of my sophomore year and I knew it was what I wanted to do, but having the rubber meet the road and actually going and taking myself out of college life and moving to Nashville just seemed like too extreme. But once I did it, it was absolutely natural. It felt like that was the place I should have been all along.

MS: Well, I’m glad you didn’t go back to school. So thank you, because you rock.

MR: What? What did you say?

MS: I’m glad you didn’t go back to school because you rock.

MR: You know what? Me too, Michael. I feel like my education actually started once I got to Nashville.

MS: With all these amazing people you’ve met, Maggie, what is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

MR: I think you have to-I’m surrounded by really great people-and I’m really grateful for that, but at the end of the day, I just have to make sure that my own voice is strong and that I follow my gut because everyone has an opinion, especially with something as subjective as music and the only thing that sets me apart from any other artist out there is that they’re not me and I’m not them.

MS: What’s the ultimate dream for you?

MR: I want to be a live touring act. My goal is-obviously I want-I think country radio is such an important part of breaking an artist in country music, but I really want to just be traveling the world and touring for big audiences and reaching people with my music through live performances.

MS: Hell yeah. I see it. Is there anybody that you haven’t worked with that you’d love to work with?

MR: There’s so many writers out there that I’d love to collaborate with and a lot of them I’ve met in Nashville, but I feel I just barely scratched the surface of people I’d love to co-write with.

MS: Do you prefer crunchy or creamy peanut butter?

MR: Chunky absolutely, all the way. I would just put straight peanuts on a piece of bread; the crunchier the better.

MS: Is there anything you want to add for your fans or anyone coming to see you in the near future?

MR: I would say I’m very acceptable in person and on my social media. I want my fans to reach out to me because I check my Facebook page everyday and I do see a comment and I hear what you’re saying and my fans influence me as much, if not more than I influence them with my music, so I love having open communication with my listeners.

MS: That’s awesome because some artists don’t do that.

MR: Music is, you’re starting a conversation with your listeners and it just becomes even more relatable if the listener has a little bit of a sense of the person that’s singing a song to them.

MS: That’s beautiful. Before I ask you this last question, I have to share a quick story with you; for the paper, I was writing artist bios for our festival guide and I saw that you were playing. I wrote a little short bio and I sent it to my editor and he emailed me back and said, “Michael, make sure this is the Maggie Rose that’s playing at DeLuna Fest” and I said, “I’ll check.” And that’s when I called Karen (Maggie’s manager) and she confirmed, I said, “Yeah, Julio (PNJ Entertainment Editor)” so actually, you met him also, you took a photo with him. Everyone was like, “Why is Maggie Rose playing this stage?” She needs to be on a bigger stage. (She laughs)

MR: It was a cool environment though. It was so hot outside, I thought, “OK, maybe (phone cuts out), but I think it was actually hotter in The Dock because so many people had come. It was really cool to just see I was pulling people off the streets and the audience was really focused, which I wasn’t anticipating for a bar setting, especially a bar on the beach. I thought it would be more of a rowdy crowd, but they were great. They were very focused on every song and it was easy to play for that kind of audience. Maybe if I come back next year for the DeLuna Fest, we’ll be on a different stage. And I’m glad your girlfriend liked the show, tell her I said “Hi” and thank her.

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MS: I will. As a matter of fact, we fell in love with the song, “I Ain’t Your Mama”. When can we expect a follow up to that single?

MR: The album, we’re shooting for a Valentine’s Day release. Like the week of Valentine’s Day. So I have actually a lot of work to do. It seems far away, but when I’m on the road as often as I am, the only time, when I’m in Nashville, is all dedicated to finishing the album in the studio. I’m excited. It’s getting very close. You’re going to hear some music you haven’t heard yet and a lot of the songs that we played at the show in Pensacola are going to be on the album as well. I’m excited.

MS: It would be a great Valentine’s Day present because I’m in the dog house right now, Maggie.

MR: It would be. Tell her not to take any of the songs where people die personally. Some people die on the album and if you’re giving it to her as a Valentine’s Day present, tell her to not take those songs personally. There’s no meaning behind them. They may not be the most romantic of songs, but they’re good stories.

CHRIS STAPLES INTERVIEW

In 2012, I asked local rock group Paloma to name their favorite local band of all time. “Twothirtyeight” was the band identified by most of the members.

A decade after their breakup, Staples announced that the band were reuniting to play DeLuna Fest. Staples also played a set with drummer Tim Very during DeLuna Fest. I interviewed Staples as part of PNJ/GoPensacola.com’s festival coverage.

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The Full interview follows below:

“On April 17th, Founding member Chris Staples posted this announcement on his Facebook page. ‘Twothirtyeight (my old band) broke up 10 years ago. We are reuniting in September to play DeLuna Fest in Pensacola Fl. Come hang on the beach for a few days!’”

 As his band prepares for to play again, Staples talked about the reunion, DeLuna Fest and why this could be your last chance to see the power that is Twothirtyeight. 

MS: Last year about this time, I asked the members of Paloma to name their all-time favorite Pensacola band and pretty much all of them said Twothirtyeight. How did the reunion come about?

CS:  Tim, who is playing drums for the Twothirtyeight reunion, he’s a good friend of mine, I do solo music and stuff and Tim plays with me, he tried talking to Clint All, he’s one of the bookers for DeLuna Fest and Tim sort of had the idea we should do a reunion. It was so hard to get a reunion because a couple of the guys-one of the guys lives in Seattle and one lives in St. Louis- so it takes money and none of us could really have afforded to take off work and do it, but basically DeLuna Fest is making it possible for this to actually happen. And that’s kind of how…it was only a couple months ago that we started talking about it and we called Clint and came together really fast.

MS: With your solo work and Discover America, you’re very busy. Is there any pressure to live up to those high expectations from your past with Twothirtyeight?

CS: I don’t feel like I’m getting a lot of pressure from people, but I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself. It’s a whole lot of material to learn. (Music) that I haven’t played in over ten years and a lot of it is kind of complex guitar stuff and we don’t have a lot of time to pull it together. I’m working really hard to try to get really tight with it. So, yeah, there is a little bit of like, “We want to pull it off and it be good.” There is some degree of pressure involved.

MS: Are you getting enough sleep, Chris? You’re a busy man.

CS: Yeah, I’m getting plenty of sleep. Actually, yeah, it’s fine. I’m kind of doing freelance work so I have a lot time to devote to other stuff. It’s not too bad.

MS: What can the DeLuna Fest crowd look forward to when Twothirtyeight hits that stage?

CS: One thing we wanted to do was play songs from all throughout the band’s history because we we’re a band for seven years and we put out a lot of stuff. We wanted to play music from the early days all the way up to the very last record we put out. A variety of stuff.

MS: Is there a chance that you could record another album with Twothirtyeight or tour after DeLuna Fest?

CS: We’ve definitely talked about how fun it would be to get back together and make a record. It would be really fun. That’s actually sounds really exciting to me, but the reality of it is, we’re all grown up and then Kevin (Woener) our guitar player has a family and he lives in Seattle and he has a career and (bassist) Ben (May) lives in St. Louis and has a family. It really is hard to make that kind of time you need to do that. So I would say, probably, most likely, “No, we’re never going to record or write again.” We’re playing Atlanta and DeLuna Fest and those are our last, those two reunion shows are our only shows and that will be it.

MS: What bands are you’re excited about seeing at DeLuna Fest?

CS: I really wanted to see Pearl Jam. I was a big fan when I was a kid and stuff, but I’m actually going to miss them. I’ll be busy. I won’t be able to see them. I was kind of bummed about that. And Foo Fighters, I’m kind of excited about seeing them obviously. But mostly Dwight Yoakam. I’m really excited to see him. It’s going to be a good show. It’s going to be cool. I’ve never been to a music festival on the beach before. I think it’s a cool setting for a live festival setting. I love the beach.

MS: What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome?

CS: Wow. Like music related?

MS: Anything you’d like to discuss. Music or personal, whatever you feel comfortable with.

CS: I got Type I three years ago. My pancreas basically died. It was kind of like a really big out-of-nowhere kind of shock. And then I had to learn a whole lot about something that I didn’t know anything about. That was a pretty big process. That was probably the biggest hurdle I’ve had to jump over. Does that qualify?

MS: Oh yeah. I’ve seen it through my mom. Are you taking shots.

CS: I was doing that for awhile. I’m on an insulin pump now. It’s really made things a lot easier and I have a lot better control over my blood sugar now with that thing. It’s kind of one that technology has improved the lives of people. It’s pretty high tech. I don’t have to poke myself, but once every three days. She has to take shots and stuff?

MS: Yeah, before she eats. That is a big obstacle. My hats off to you.

CS: How long has she had it?

MS: About eight years. Does it affect your performing at all?

CS: Not really. I just have to test myself regularly and be sure not to eat too many carbs. It hasn’t kept me from playing yet. I have a really, really good doctor who’s helped me a lot actually. She has gone to bat for me with my insurance company to make sure I get the stuff that I need. Like they weren’t going to pay for this pump and she called them and fought with them for me. It’s pretty sweet to have someone in the medical field going to bat for you. It hasn’t affected me being able to perform.

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MS: What’s your favorite concert of all-time in Pensacola, Florida?

CS: I have to think. I’ve seen so many good shows. I used to go to the old Sluggo’s on Palafox when I was in high school. Probably, there was a band called Weston, they were a fun pop punk band, they were really tight, but really funny dudes. That was one of the funnest…I’ve seen them twice. Weston and probably Hot Water Music. I saw Hot Water Music, probably one of my favorite shows, I saw them at the Nite Owl, that was in probably 97, 98. It was really exciting. Awesome show. I think the Nite Owl closed pretty soon after that too.

MS: That’s a sad thing too. All of those awesome shows that were there too.

CS: I think Nirvana actually played there. I didn’t go to that show, probably about a year earlier. It was before “Nevermind” came out, but Nirvana played at the Nite Owl. I thought that was pretty crazy.

MS: So much history in Pensacola, it’s crazy. With all of your years, what’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

CS: Geez. (laughs) Man you ask me some tough questions. Can I like email you this question. Let me think about it.

MS: Sure. What would Chris Staples of today tell a young Chris who was just starting out?

CS: I would say, I was really super eager and driven to the point of burning of just burning myself out. I would probably say to just like “Take it easy, take it as it comes. Chill out. Slow and steady wins the race.” I was really, really eager. I just basically burned myself out and I’m not really like that anymore. I’m way more like persistent but in a calm way.

MS: In return, what would the young Chris say to Chris now?

CS: Probably get off your ass more (laughs).

MS: I want to do a word association with you. I’m going to ask you a word and if you could just tell me what each word means to you?.

CS: Sounds fun. I’m excited about this.

MS: Pensacola, Florida

CS:  I just thought of the beach, which is like really obvious.

MS: No. that’s awesome. That’s how you feel. You’re coming from your heart.

CS: Actually Cordova Mall. I’ll just put Cordova Mall. (laughs)

MS: DeLuna Fest

CS:  Beach Ball.

MS: TwoThirtyEight

CS: I don’t know, man. Can we pass that one.

MS: Discover America

CS: Columbus

MS: Christian Metalcore

CS: Stryper

MS: Do you prefer crunchy or creamy peanut butter?

CS: Crunchy all the way.

MS: When it’s all said and done, how do you want Chris Staples and his music to be remembered?

CS: Geez. I don’t know. Just honest I guess.

MS: Anything else you’d like to add?

CS: No, just excited about DeLuna Fest. Excited to see old friends I haven’t seen in awhile. Should be a fun time. Looking forward to it.

MS: Are you playing any shows in town before DeLuna Fest?

CS: Not in Pensacola. Nothing right now. That’s the only thing I have in Pensacola right now. We’re also playing the Masquerade on the 21st of September in Atlanta. Those are the two Twothirtyeight reunion shows, Atlanta and DeLuna. I’m playing some solo Florida shows with Manchester Orchestra in August, like Gainesville, Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale and St. Petersburg.

- Michael L. Smith

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29
Dec
12

* Supersuckers, Nik Flagstar and his Dirty Mangy Dogs, Scott Chism & The Better Half @ Vinyl Music Hall + INTERVIEW W/ EDDIE SPAGHETTI 09/17/12

By Take Cover and Shoot! Leave a Comment
Categories: Interview, Show Pics and Show Write-Ups
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Calling yourself “The Greatest Rock N’ Roll Band in the World” will get your band noticed. If you back it up for over two decades-on the road and in the studio-your band will also get respect.

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One week before the Supersuckers hit Vinyl Music Hall with Ft. Walton heroes  Nik Flagstar and his Dirty Mangy Dogs and Memphis duo Scott Chism & the Better Half opening, Eddie Spaghetti discussed their upcoming album, the artists who’ve blown his mind and how he juggles being a family man and leader of “The Greatest Rock N’ Roll Band in the World.”

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Here is a link to my Pensacola News Journal article “Supersuckers showcase ‘The Evil Powers of Rock n Roll’ and the full interview follows below.

***Eddie Spaghetti Interview***

MS: With everything you do; the touring, recording, collaborations, and meeting the fans, what gets you off the most about being Eddie Spaghetti?

ES: I guess it’s just, you know, people respond to the songs. That’s the work that we do, making up these songs, seeing people react to them, that’s always a buzz. That’s a high you can’t really get anywhere else.

MS: With all the craziness, what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen at one of your shows?

ES: (laughs) That’s kind of impossible to answer, I’ve seen so many crazy things happen; everything from people getting onstage and getting naked to people getting kicked in the teeth and getting knocked out at the show, I don’t know, I mean, too numerous to mention.

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MS: You’re a husband and a father, how do you make family work in this crazy business?

ES: I’ve got an awesome wife; she totally supports me doing what I do for a living, she loves the lifestyle too. I couldn’t do it without a support system like that at home. She makes it possible.

MS: I know you’ve got your solo work, but can we expect another Supersuckers album soon?

ES: Yeah, we’re trying to get one out right away. We thought we’d have it out by the end of this year, but it’s looking more like it’s going to be early next year, but we have the material, we’re just trying to work out the details and get it recorded. We’re playing a lot of the new songs live, they’ve been well received and we’re anxious to get them laid down.

MS: With all of the amazing artists you’ve worked with, which one blew your mind the most?

ES: It’s pretty mind blowing to have worked with Willie Nelson, but to be honest, the guy that’s blown my mind the most is Steve Earle. The guy’s work ethic is just phenomenal and we learned more about recording in the three days that we recorded with him than we did in our entire career up to that point.So, yeah, I’d say my mind was blown by Steve.

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MS:  What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

ES: That there’s no “demo” button on the recording console; it says “record” (pronounces it like the noun as opposed to the verb). It doesn’t say “demo”. It’s been good advice ever since then.

MS: What advice would you give to someone who wants to be where you are?

ES: (laughs) Have a backup plan! Have a Plan B.

MS: What would Eddie Spaghetti of today tell a younger Eddie Spaghetti just starting out?

ES: (laughs) Save some money kid, cause you’re going to need it when you get older.

MS: This is my crazy question for you; do you prefer Crunchy or creamy peanut butter?

ES: Oh, I’m a crunchy man, all the way. Super crunch, super chunk. The crunchier the better.

MS: Anything you’d like to add for the die hard fans coming out to Vinyl next week?

ES: I’d just tell people to wear their clean underwear because we’re going to rock their pants right off of them. They don’t want to be caught with their dirty joneys on.

- Michael L. Smith

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28
Dec
12

* Slippery When Wet: The Ultimate BON JOVI Tribute Band @ Vinyl Music Hall 09/14/12

By Take Cover and Shoot! 2 Comments
Categories: Interview, Show Pics and Show Write-Ups
Tags: , , , , , ,

One late night at Sir Richards Lounge, my friends and I encountered a gentleman. A man who-for the sake of anonymity- will be identified as “Carlos”.

Affable beyond belief, his confidence/friendliness exceeded the most polished Southern charm. Carlos bounced from bar to booth effortlessly buying drinks, shots and enthralling us with stories of life around the world. His past was written in entertainment; security guard, concierge and often protector of secrets.

When the talk made its way to music-as I always love conversations to do-Carlos drew us in with stories of concerts and rockstars. We listened as the drama of entering a secret world was impossible to resist.

Sitting around the table, the clanking of glasses had stopped, drinks went silent and cigarettes burned indifferent. We could only listen and imagine what Carlos saw.

That’s when I said it. I couldn’t avoid it. I had to ask, I had to know; what was the greatest concert he’d ever seen…in Pensacola? Not necessarily the best concert he’d ever witnessed (That would be too difficult or maybe too easy). I wanted to know who blew his mind in the city where we (or at least I) grew up.

I asked if I could interview him for an upcoming article. Carlos smiled, said “Yes” nodded and then started his story.

“The best concert I ever heard was Conway Twitty. And here’s why.” Carlos paused while the silence prompted his cue. (WARNING: slippery, rough language ahead)

“When the lights went out and the curtain dropped, his band came out and they were playing some kickin’ fuckin’ jazz! I mean jazz, real jazz. It wasn’t this bullshit that people play. It was real jazz and the drummer was looking at his baby that he picked out right before the stage and had her sitting down in the third row and he would take a stick and point it right at her while he was playing and he never missed a beat.” Carlos beat the table in rhythm.

“So then Conway Twitty came out, everybody was screaming-they’re still playing this jazz-so Conway Twitty grabs the microphone.” Carlos paused, “He goes up to a woman in the front row who was giving him roses and the band stops. BOOM! He looks down at this woman giving flowers and he goes,‘Hello, Darling…been a long time since I seen you!’ and the crowd went wild. The band starts playing after him. Panties were flying everywhere, man!  And after that, it was just over. And that’s why that was the best concert I’ve ever seen in Pensacola. Because he fucking blew it out. He had the crowd like this in his hand.” Carlos opened his hand and then squeezed a fist.

“He could do whatever the fuck he wanted to do with the crowd at that point. This was 1999. He died shortly after that but, I mean, I’ve seen a bunch of concerts here, because I was working at the Civic Center as the security guy, here’s and interesting story…” Ever the storyteller, Carlos dropped the slightest pause and continued,

“Bon Jovi comes out and they’re playing at the Civic Center right. The first band comes out which is…I forget the name of the band, but it’s a guy that was…he was always talking about how great he was and he was a big singer and shit..i forget his name, but they were opening for them, right, so Bon Jovi-all these women are offering sex just to get backstage, their offering all this to get back and see Bon Jovi right, so Bon Jovi comes out to see the first band and he’s right next to me, I mean he’s standing right next to me, looking at the band and nobody notices him. All these women that are offering sex and their first babies and all this, he’s standing right there and nobody notices. He’s checking out the first act, man. And he sat there for maybe 20 minutes, nobody fucking notices him, they thought he was a stage hand or something , then he goes backstage to get ready for his show and these women are like I’ll give you a (I’ll leave this entertaining, but very graphic part of what Carlos said to your imagination) . It was crazy and there were women plastered up to the front and they were passing out and we had to grab them and pull them out of the crowd because they were falling and the crowd was just everywhere and then we’d have to take them backstage and the EMT were back there doing whatever they do and they’d let them out the back and they’d come back around and they’d let them go into the Civic Center.” Carlos stopped to smile and continued.

“It was crazy man. After the concert there were no seats, so people crowded in. After the concert, it looked like a fucking warzone in there. There were shoes, panty hose there was shit everywhere it was like somebody came in and had a war and then they left. It was crazy!”

The stories continued, but eventually closing time came to end it all. As I tucked the recorder in my pocket and drove home, I imagined a morning of typing, listening and laughing.

“Expect to spend four hours transcribing for every hour of the interview” The golden rule that will measure my morning, but every second will be worth it when I finally see Carlos’ story in print.

By noon, the conversation was typed and ready for research. Although I have never seen Bon Jovi in concert, I grew up watching the man and his band take over the world. As a child, I remembered the excitement of Bon Jovi coming to town, but I had to check the date to be sure…

February 4, 1989, Bon Jovi played the Pensacola Civic Center as part of their New Jersey Syndicate Tour. Sandwiched between Baton Rouge and Tallahassee, Bon Jovi played Pensacola, Florida.

I laughed when I discovered the name of the opening act. None other than Skid Row, led by the most vocal of vocalists, Sebastian Bach.

As for Conway Twitty, I searched for hours. Conway Twitty died on June 5th, 1993 and I could not find any evidence of the Mississippi born musician’s concert in Pensacola.

It would make since that Twitty performed in the area during his career because of his friendship with legendary country musician/producer Larry Butler who was born in Pensacola.

I want to believe that the country superstar performed that amazing Civic Center show that Carlos described, but without evidence, I am not going to take that gamble.

So Carlos’ story will stay here. And until Bon Jovi returns to Pensacola, I’ll have the memory of seeing the Ultimate Bon Jovi Tribute band Slippery When Wet playing Vinyl Music Hall.

There were no panties flying or people passing out, but the band put on a hell of a show. And in 2007-according to their website-they were even endorsed by Jon Bon Jovi as the official Bon Jovi Tribute band.

-Michael L. Smith

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27
Dec
12

* Strung Out, The Swellers @ Vinyl Music Hall + INTERVIEW W/ JASON CRUZ 09/11/12

By Take Cover and Shoot! Leave a Comment
Categories: Interview, Show Pics and Show Write-Ups
Tags: , , , , ,

“If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.” – Jason Cruz of Strung Out

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Jason Cruz was either confident or crazy. Turning his back on school and a scholarship, Cruz rolled the dice on a dream. Strung Out was the gamble that became the education of a lifetime.

Nearly a year after their “lights out” show at Vinyl Music Hall as supporting act for Face to Face, Strung Out returned to town as headliners of their tour with The Swellers. One week before their show, Cruz talked about his art, his music and his life with Strung Out for the Pensacola News Journal’s weekly music column Music Matters.

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Here is a link to the article “Strung Out’s Cruz is still living the dream” and the full interview follows below.

***Jason Cruz interview***

MS: How is the new album coming along?

JC: The new Strung Out record?

MS: Yes.

JC: We haven’t even…I think we’re all just going to go home. I think that’s the reason the intensity of this tour is so we can hit it hard and then be done with it and get home and then concentrate on what the next records going to be like.

MS: You’ve got your solo work too. Do you have any material coming out from that?

JC: Yeah, I’m going to do that when I get home too. I have my little thing for sure.

MS: Man, Jason you’re a busy man.

JC: That’s what we do, you know. What else is there? There’s music and there’s family; not necessarily in that order, but that’s life.

MS: You give so much in your shows, is it overwhelming sometimes? Your shows are pretty intense. How do you juggle it all?

JC: I’m not a doctor, I’m not a paramedic or a cop or a somebody…it’s rock n’ roll, man. It’s an incredible opportunity to just be able to do it for this long and I just appreciate the fact that I get to do it. I know they’re a lot of people out there that have it a lot harder than me, so I try to think about that.

MS: When did you know that this is what you wanted to do?

JC: I can probably remember the exact moment that I wanted to make music and art my life. I dropped out of high school to do this; to get on a plane and travel the world. I had a scholarship that I bailed on because I knew that what I really wanted to do wasn’t anything that could be taught in school. I’m still learning every day, man. Every day of my life, I try really hard.

MS: With everything you do; your art, your life, family, touring, recording, what’s the coolest part of this entire ride for you?

JC: Like I said, it’s funny. I want to pass on all of the beautiful things that I’ve learned. The experiences that will lead her. For as long, hopefully…I don’t know how much longer it can go on, but I’m surrounded with art and music and that’s my life and that’s her life right now and I really am proud of that.

MS: The last time I saw you in Pensacola, things got wild, lights went black, something happened with security; what’s the craziest thing you’ve seen at one of your shows?

JC: Oh man, Jesus! I don’t know. I think every night there’s something fucking crazy. It’s hard to think of right now. I have to think about that; there’s so many things that are competing in my mind right now. Mostly its…one of my favorite things is watching kids sing the words, especially when they don’t really know the words (laughs). I’ve seen some broken necks, I’ve seen some great fights, I’ve seen people get stabbed, I’ve seen fights on stage, a kid got electrocuted on stage really bad, that was really fucking crazy. I’ve had a drummer fall off stage because he was having a nervous breakdown.  Shrooming onstage and having a bad trip in the middle of a show and running away in the middle of a show.

MS: You survived all this, what would you tell someone that wants to do this? What would you tell someone who wants to be where you are?

JC: I say start young and have nothing to absolutely lose. With this kind of life you have to start out young and dive into it 100% and hopefully you’ll get lucky. I got lucky in the fact that I still get to do this and I don’t take it for granted for a second. You just got to do it and give it an honest go with everything you got and at least you can say that you did it. You can’t have one foot in a safe placeand try to…it’s not going to work.

MS: On that same note, what advice would Jason Cruz of today tell a younger Jason Cruz just starting out?

JC: Oh my God! Become an architect. (laughs)

MS: Crazy question. Crunchy or creamy peanut butter? What do you prefer?

JC: Crunchy.

MS: What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

JC: If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.

MS: Is there anything you want to add for the die hard fans that are coming out Sept. 11 to Vinyl Music Hall in Pensacola, Florida?

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JC: Expect a really long show and don’t get too buzzed too quick; pace yourself throughout the course of the night. It’s going to be a really long show. And we look forward to you guys coming out and it’s going to be good.

MS: I’ll be there. I’m looking forward to it. The last time I saw you, I got in the pit while you guys were playing and a dude hit me in the back of the head and knocked my glasses off, but it was worth it.

JC: Well, we’ll see what we can do for you this time.

- Michael L. Smith

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