At the halfway point on the long journey back to consciousness. After partying to epic proportions at the Philadelphia Music Conference. Not sure where I was. Judging by the excruciating shards of cranial pain, I guessed that it must be a hospital.
It was all I could do to pry one eyelid open. And as I did, I realized I was in a hotel room with the guys from Weapons For Peace. Although there were no nurses in my immediate future, there was this one angel, Crystal McClellan, who in my fuzzy recollection had come to my rescue, helping my wrecked frame out of the club and into the Weapons car.
I want to thank the Spinebelt guys for handling the U-Hero booth at the con, and the Weapons for Peace guys for not leaving me passed out and stranded on some random corner in Philly, and for reminding me why it’s a bad idea to mix tequila, vodka and greasy chicken wings. THANKS.
PULLING A HARVEY KIETEL
I was in the middle of a sentence when through the bar comes Rebel Amish Radio’s George Bold and Che Lemmon, Lemmon completely naked and encouraging others to join him. I don't think it was shock appeal that drove him to this. I think he just wanted to get naked... Like it or not, George and Che are fun to "hang out" with...
THE HANK III SHOW
My theory is simple: Driving down route 66, Metallica and Lynyrd Skynyrd split a bottle of Jim Beam and a couple of grams of Bolivian marching powder. Hank Williams III was the illegitimate love child spawned from that one-night stand. That’s about what it was like to see his band play a U-Hero show at The Recher. The punk country boy performed two very different sets. The first set consisted of original and standard country tunes, including songs from his grandfather and father. The other set was pancreas-splitting metal.
It was quite amazing to see the similarities to Hank I in Hank III’s looks and his voice, but once the cowboy hat came off and the hair fell around his waist, the honky tonk got kicked directly to the curb. My hats off to the fiddle and steel player. I have never seen those instruments used in a hardcore band. WOW. After the shock of the show wore off, it was still hard to find strong enough adjectives to describe the power of the show. Funny note: older country music fans made a beeline for the door once the heavy set started. Once again, the Williams family has defied all rules pertaining to the industry and the public. I admire his inherent stubbornness. RIGHT ON, HANK!
COOL SHIZ-NIT
Hot Honey Magnet recently joined the top 5 bands Pantene Pro Voice contest semi-finalists, beating out 10,000 bands for an opportunity to compete in the finals. They will get to open for Jewel and Willa Ford in NYC’s Central Park, July 19. Among the judges who picked HHM were Atlantic Records’ Lee Stimmel, Lava Records Senior Director Andy Shane, Sandra Bernhard, Baby Phat Jeans President Kimora Lee Simmons and Seventeen Associate Entertainment’s Laura Morgan. These guys are about to be large, and they are from right here in B-more.
Coming to you from the B-More suburb of Crownsville, The Sururban Super Group played a showcase at the Philadelphia Music Conference Friday, June 15, at Philly’s Grape Street Pub. According to the Almighty King of Suburbia, SSG are under consideration to be included on a compilation CD that will go to 1000 college radio stations across the country. SSG are currently in the studio, and new material will be out in a few weeks. Keep posted at www.thesuburbansupergroup.com.
Mary Prankster will be in Rome with Lake Trout for a jazz festival this summer. She will also play a buncho dates in cafes around the region ... Bella de punkchicky acoustica UXB has been selected to play Warped Tour July 31, at the Nissan Pavilion. Ernie Ball picked them to represent the B-more/Washington area. UXB are scheduled to go on around noon.
The Crown Sayers have two songs picked for a movie directed by Vin Diesel (Pitch Black, Boiler Room). No release date is set for the film, but the original version, Strays, was a big hit at the Sundance Film Festival. This film got Diesel a part in Saving Private Ryan. For more info, check out www.strays.net.
LIVE SHOWS YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS
Gargantua Soul. Well, excuse me. The orange and blue guy is trying to get to the stage. Yes, orange and blue. Over the top, loud and strong. Give these guys a chance and they will blow your head clean off. Capitol Air. I was checking these guys out at The Chameleon in Lancaster. Very different. That’s a compliment.
NEW CDS
Dark, tight & heavy, Downpour’s full-length debut, ‘Source’, is now available. The band just had their CD release party at Fletcher's. Imbue, Spinfire and Hedspace opened the gig, and the $10 admission included a copy of Downpour’s disc—how cool is that? The fast-rising post-metal stars will join Unsung Hero July 28th at Fat Daddy's in York, PA. Former Dead City Radio singer Paul Lewis has a new CD coming out called ‘Get On With It’, on Realize Records. He will return to the East Coast to support the new CD, so look for him in the region... Jah Works is finishing up a new thing, untitled so far. These guys have been around forever. They are completely self-supported and put on a good show. This will be their fourth CD, and they grow more popular by the day... Drip has a CD out—finally. Very cool heavy band... Jimmi Wilson's new CD, ‘Future History’, is a jazz-minded effort just loaded with guest including by Dennis Chambers, Chester Thompson, Gary Grainger, N'dinga Gaba, Scott Ambush and a whole list of others. The whole CD flows like it’s breathing and exhaling. Very nice.
ART
Here is a guy that has definitely twisted the stem of his brain and dipped it in hash oil. Donnie Green, www.donniegreen.com, has taken a leap of faith into the deep end of a jar of LSD. I haven't seen art like this before. This self-taught artist’s work is an experience to be witnessed. His attention to detail is only outweighed by his willingness to step beyond of the norm. I have become a fan of his blurred reality, and trying to describe his work would only water down his vision. Go to his website and explore the things that you can only hope to see in your peripheral vision between blinks.
MHZ LAND
Fidel’s Jerome Maffeo was nominated for an Emmy award along with several others for the crew of Megahertz T.V. Karen Palting, Steve Gibson, Gus Sauda, Shelby Lynn, Peter Marshall and Jason Connelly were also nominated for their parts in this amazing show. They deserve to win they whole thing for their tireless efforts and support.
MHZ has also recently hooked up with The Washington Post. The result is a phat collection of online live video clips and mp3s from local bands. You can upload mp3s of your band or download the songs you heard at the club last weekend. With the addition of MHZ video archives, you can direct your people to check you out anytime they want. www.washingtonpost.com/mp3.
Remember, if you want MHZ in B-more, you can start by requesting it from Comcast, by e-mailing it directly to Sheree Riley , sheree_riley@cable.comcast.com. Request T.V. station WNVT, MHZ's parent independent public television, from Falls Church, VA. If you do this, it could absolutely make the difference, so petition away. This show needs to be up here in B-more. YEAH!!
WHAT THE HELL IS XM RADIO ???
www.xmradio.com
Internet radio was the first step in revolutionizing modern radio, and XM Satellite Radio is the next step. Internet radio’s great, but you can’t take your computer with you in the car. But soon, car stereos and other radios will be equipped with a chip which receives a signal from XM radio, a subscriber radio company that delivers 100 channels of commercial- free radio, 24/7. Ex-HFS DJ Billy Zero and Smithereens singer/ songwriter Pat Dinizio are heading up an unsigned-band channel. So if you’re a local or indie band, go to this web addy and submit your stuff, care of Billy Zero.
COVER YOUR ASS:
In a conversation about bands and trust, Mary Prankster said "Bands are like gangs with guitars—Once you blow it, you can't be in the gang.” I believe her band/gang theory. Bands are small tribes of people with a common bond. Break the bond and you break the one thing that most bands survive by. The next instinctive thing to do is get rid of the band member before it kills the band. I have witnessed new bands that are green to the way a band should be treated. If you suspect that you are being treated like shit, you probably are. Don't let your desperation to play affect your dignity. I love the music part of the music biz, not necessarily the biz itself. On every level, there is an amazing level of corruption and bullshit. This is the last bastion of corrupt monopolies. Keep both eyes open, especially if the club owner is smiling. Put everything on paper and read it twice. Ask every question you can think of and be the pro you want to become. Be afraid!!
LIZBIZ OUT...
