01/04 - RAG Magazine

PUBLISHERSean McCloskey - sean.mccloskey@ragmagazine.comEDITOR IN CHIEFCrystal Clark - crystal.clark@ragmagazine.comMANAGING EDITORJuliett Rowe - juliett.rowe@ragmagazine.comCONTRIBUTING EDITORSMonica Cady - monica.cady@ragmagazine.comMarc Suriol - marc.suriol@ragmagazine.comWRITERSMonica Cady - monica.cady@ragmagazine.comCrystal Clark - crystal.clark@ragmagazine.comPaul Evans - paul.evans@ragmagazine.comLauren Lester - lauren.lester@ragmagazine.comScott Josephson - scott.josephson@ragmagazine.comKelly Morrissey - kelly.morrissey@ragmagazine.comBill Potter - bill.potter@ragmagazine.comJuliett Rowe - juliett.rowe@ragmagazine.comJoseph Vilane - joseph.vilane@ragmagazine.comPHOTOGRAPHERSCrystal Clark - crystal.clark@ragmagazine.comTom Craig - tom.craig@ragmagazine.comSean McCloskey - sean.mccloskey@ragmagazine.comJason Valhuerdi - jason.valhuerdi@ragmagazine.comRAG Magazine, Inc.8930 State Road 84 # 322Davie, Florida 33324954-475-8065954-473-4551 faxgeneral info - info@ragmagazine.comsubmit concert info - shows@ragmagazine.comadvertising info - advertising@ragmagazine.comwww.ragmagazine.comRAG MAGAZINE, INC.is published monthly in Davie, Florida. All contents are copyright 2003 andmay not be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed herein donot necessarily reflect those of the editors, publishers, advertisers or distributers. RAG reserves theright to edit or reject advertising which may result in legal action or is in poor taste. Liability fortypographical error is limited to reprinting that part which is in error.

CONTENTS06...Upcoming12...Y-100 Jingle Ball14...Photo Pass16...Deepset18...CD Rewiews26...Simplekill30...DC334...Higher Zenith36...Buzz Bake Sale39...Cinema43...ClassifiedsJANUARY 2004#45Cover Photo: Meghan SchaderC

Jan 16 & 17The Radiators, one of New Orleans’ finest, will be in town for a two night stand at theKelsey Club. This band is in their 26th year, and they boast arepertoire of 1300 songs. Their sound falls somewhere betweenjazz, blues, rock, zydeco, funk, soul, country, and Swedish deathmetal—just kidding. Actually the band calls it fish head music,so we’ll just go with that. Highly recommended. Friday andSaturday, January 16 th , and 17 th . The Kelsey Club, Lake Park.Jan 23Suicidegirls.com is taking thewebsite on the road for what’ssure to be a decadent and deliciousvisual feast. This is goingto be one hot burlesque show,and I for one can’t wait. Thereare several bands on the bill torock your socks off, and whateverelse you may be wearing atthe time. Represent. Friday January23 rd . I/O, Miami.Jan 23Jan 23 & 24The tattooed and muscled Henry Rollins is back on what hecalls his “talking tour”. Hank always seems to be able to getunder your skin with his blunt opinionsand frank observations, and he’s apretty funny guy too. Rollins said in aninterview in 2002, “I’ve learned how toplay really well in a live band and howto be on my own in front of bunch ofpeople, like with the talking shows, havingdone that a long time. And I’velearned that even when I’m in traffic andI want to kill all the idiots in front of me,at the end of the day as misanthropic asI am, I am a people person. I really dolike them, and I want good things forpeople. I’m really not into destroyingthe human race.” Friday January 23 rd .Carefree Theater, West Palm Beach.“I’ve been thinking aboutmusicians a lot,” Sting sayson his website. “Musiciansare basically the lowest ofthe low, philandering, wifebeating,drug takingscumbags. But there’ssomething at the heart ofour work which is close toGod. The more you go intomusic, the more deeplyspiritual it becomes.” Stingkicks off his North Americantour here in Miami insupport of his latest, Sacred Love. Friday January 23 rd , JamesL. Knight Center, Miami.Jan 24If you like it heavy, hard,and fast, then you’ll likeSworn Enemy, the NewYork group that’s been onthe road for like, forever, issupporting their 2003 releaseAs Real As It Gets. Thequintet mixes old New Yorkhardcore with plenty ofmetal riffs for aggressiveand brutal tuneage. Thisband definitely keeps it real,and they have worked theircollective ass off to do so.Other bands playing are AsI lay Dying, Himsa, WithAutumn, and The HonorOffering. Saturday January24 th . Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale.

FRIDAYSATURDTURDAYSUNDAYMONDAYWEDNESDAYTHURSDAYFRIDAYSATURDTURDAYJANUANUARARY 2CULTURE ROOM – Higher Zenith, January, Osiris RisingHOUSE OF BLUES – Adult PartyWILLS PUB – Amy Steinberg, The Mission DollsTHE SOCIAL – Donna the BuffaloGASOLINE ALLEY – Atomic TangerineMASQUERADE - SevendustJANUANUARARY 3CULTURE ROOM – Big Sky, Nothing Rhymes with Orange,StereononeHARD ROCK LIVE – Rico Monaco & Sol Sons, Turnpike,Lucid FlyHOUSE OF BLUES – Collective Soul, Soundevice, FiveStar IrisTHE SOCIAL – Holiday Hangover, Dialect, SymbioticINDIGO ROOM – Atomic TangerineSURF CAFÉ – Higher ZenithGULFSTREAM PARK - BlondieCAREFREE THEATER – Cheap TrickJANUANUARARY 4CULTURE ROOM – Peter Rowan & Crucial Reggaw, BillNershi & Liza OxnardTHE SOCIAL – Spitvalves, Supervillains, Skif DankGULFSTREAM PARK – Blood Sweat & TearsJANUANUARARY 5CULTURE ROOM – Karl Denson’s Tiny UniverseCLUB SILKS - Radio DayJANUANUARARY 7JANUANUARARY 8HOUSE OF BLUES – Adamas, Sol Season, Runnin’ Blind,Linda Nunez BandWILLS PUB – Ground Swell, Finned Pilot, The Horror,Our Given DayBAMBOO ROOM – Marcia BallJANUANUARARY 9CULTURE ROOM – Donna the BuffaloHOUSE OF BLUES – Steven LynchWILLS PUB – Kaiser Soze, Doorway 27, AudiophileBROADWAY BILLIARDS – Radio Day, Bitterdoji, Mug,Broken LogicBAMBOO ROOM – Renee AustinCULTURE ROOM – Umphrey’s McgeeHARD ROCK LIVE – Social DistortionJANUANUARARY Y 10THE FACTORY – Where Fear and Weapons Meet, Untilthe End, All Hell Breaks Loose, Get the Ammo, 24 Houseto LiveWILLS PUB – Dead MeadowGULFSTREAM PARK – WarBAMBOO ROOM – Sonny LandrethSUNDAYWILLS PUB – KyndaTHE SOCIAL – Billy & LizaMONDAYTUESDAYJANUANUARARY 11JANUANUARARY 12THE SOCIAL – Guilded by Voices w/ Brian JonestownMassacreJANUANUARARY 13CULTURE ROOM – Diffuser, Spitalfield, Silverstein, SetTrigger, FievelWEDNESDAYTHE SOCIAL – Ruby JamesST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY – Radio DayTHURSDAYCULTURE ROOM – GalacticWILLS PUB – Diffuser, Spitafield, Silverstien, Rory,SnmnmnmTHE SOCIAL – Rebirth Brass BandTOBACCO ROAD – New MonsoonFRIDAYJANUANUARARY 16CULTURE ROOM – Disco BiscuitsHARD ROCK LIVE – Gargamel, Indorphine, Loss forWordsHOUSE OF BLUES – Tego CalderonCITY OF SURFSIDE – Surfside Rocks IV: Unsung Zeros,Jacobs Ladder, The Know How, Lasso the Moon, CarryMe to Safety, Carter Beats the DevilWILLS PUB - BlueBirdTHE SOCIAL – New Monsoon, FlorganismLIQUID CELLAR – Atomic TangerineOFFICE DEPOT CENTER – Sarah BrightmanSATURDTURDAYJANUANUARARY 17CULTURE ROOM – Disco BiscuitsHOUSE OF BLUES – GalacticWILLS PUB - WellvilleTHE SOCIAL – John Frank, Rhino, CiderGULFSTREAM PARK – Eric Burdon & the AnimalsLAKELAND CENTER – Sarah BrightmanSUNDAYJANUANUARARY 14JANUANUARARY 15JANUANUARARY 18

HOUSE OF BLUES – Magic MikeGULFSTREAM PARK – Christopher CrossMONDAYHARD ROCK LIVE – Clint Black, Trick Pony, Joe Dieffie,Tracy Lawrence, Sara Evans, Chad Brock, Craig Morgan,PinmonkeyTHE SOCIAL – MosquitosTUESDAYTHE SOCIAL – Dwele, Scratch, BMF, SlackWEDNESDAYTHURSDAYFRIDAYSATURDTURDAYSUNDAYMONDAYTUESDAYJANUANUARARY 21THE SOCIAL – Matt Mackelcan, Kris NicholsJANUANUARARY 22WILLS PUB – StrutTHE SOCIAL – Nu Ridians, Andromeda, Paradox UnitJANUANUARARY 23CLUB OVATION – Pennywise, The Mad Caddies, StretchArmstrong, Bleed the DreamTHE SOCIAL – Iron & Wine, HolopawJAMES L. KNIGHT CENTER – StingTHE STATION – Atomic TangerineCAREFREE THEATER – Henry RollinsSOUND ADVICE AMPHITHEATER – Village PeopleTECO ARENA – Alan JacksonJANUANUARARY 24CULTURE ROOM – Col. Bruce Hampton & the CodetalkersHOUSE OF BLUES – Henry Rollins: Spoken WordTOBACCO ROAD – Medical Marijuana Benefit: 25 bands!WILLS PUB – The Standard, The Rosebuds, Ben DavisTHE SOCIAL – Some Other Life, Curve, Monroe BrownJAMES L. KNIGHT CENTER - StingGULFSTREAM PARK – REO SpeedwagonJANUANUARARY 25CULTURE ROOM – Clutch, Mastodon, Nebula, SuplecsHOUSE OF BLUES – Pennywise, Mad Caddies, StretchArmstrong, Bleed the Dream (6:30pm)HOUSE OF BLUES – Sandra Collins (11pm)THE SOCIAL – Sworn Enemy, As I Lay Dying, Hisma, TheAutumn OfferingTAMPA PAC - StingJANUANUARARY 19JANUANUARARY 20JANUANUARARY Y 26JANUANUARARY Y 27HARD ROCK LIVE – Steven WrightWEDNESDAYTHE SOCIAL – Dame, Backhouse SecretsTHURSDAYHOUSE OF BLUES – Keller WilliamsTHE SOCIAL - SupervilliansFRIDAYWILLS PUB – Josh MartinezSATURDTURDAYJANUANUARARY 28JANUANUARARY 29JANUANUARARY 30JANUANUARARY 31HOUSE OF BLUES – John Bell of Widespread Panic, NorthMississippi Allstars, Michael Nichol, Jerry JosephTHE SOCIAL – The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players(7pm)THE SOCIAL – Mr. Len, Roosevelt Franklin and Kice (10pm)GULFSTREAM PARK – Pat BenatarVENUELISTINGSALLIGATOR ALLEY - 5501 NE 2nd Ave, Miami 305-757-1807AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA - 601 Biscayne Blvd, Miami 786-777-1000BAYFRONT PARK AMPH - 301 N. Biscayne Blve, MiamiBORDERS - 12171 West Sunrise Boulevard, Plantation 954-723-9595CHURCHILLS - 5501 NW 2 Ave, Miami 305-757-1807CLUB M - 2037 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 954-925-8396CULTURE ROOM - 3045 N. Federal Highway, Hollywood 954-564-1074DADA - 52 N. Swinton Ave, Delray Beach 561-330-3232GOTHAM HALL - 1502 Hendry Street, Ft. Myers 239-337-4662HOUSE OF BLUES - 1490 E. Buena Vista Dr.,Lake Buena Vista 407-934-BLUEJACKIE GLEASON - 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach 305-673-7300JAMES L. KNIGHT CTR - 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami 305.372.4634LOST & FOUND – 664 South Highway 17-92, OrlandoMIZNER PARK AMPH. – 433 Plaza Real Boca RatonO’ SHEAS IRISH PUB - 531 Clematis St. WPBOVATION - 3637 South Federal Highway, Boynton 561-740-7076POMPANO BEACH AMPH. - 1806 NE 6th Street Pompano 954-946-2402POORHOUSE - 110 SW 3 Ave, Ft. Lauderdale 954-522-5145RESPECTABLE STREET - 518 Clematis St., WPB 561-832-9999SEA MONSTER - 2 New South River Dr. W, Ft. Lauderdale 954-463-4641SOUND ADVICE AMPH. - 601-7 Sansbury’s Way, WPB 561-795-8883THE FACTORY - 2674 Oakland Park Blvd Ft. Lauderdale 954-566-6631THE ORPHEUM - 8th & 14th Tampa 813-248-9500THE SOCIAL - 54 N. Orange Ave, Orlando 407-246-1419THE STATION - 843 Lee Road, Orlando 407-645-4558TWILIGHT - 1507 East 7th Ave., Tampa 813-247-4225UM CONVOCATION CTR - 1245 Walsh Ave Coral GablesVENU - 100 SW 3rd Ave. Ft. Lauderdale 954-766-8477WALLFLOWER GALLERY - 10 NE 3rd St., Miami 305-579-0069WILLS PUB - 1815 N. Mills Ave Orlando 407-898-5070WOODPECKER RECORDS - 3615 S. Fl. Ave., Lakeland 863-647-9872VENUELISTINGS8 • RAG MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2004

www.glitzychix.com

Y-100 JINGLE BALLOFFICE DEPOT CENTERDECEMBER 14, 2003Photos: Sean McCloskeyJASON MRAZJC CHASEZMICHELLE BRANCHENRIQUE IGLESIAS

ROONEYCULTURE ROOMPHOTO: JASON VALHUERDITHE SOUNDSCULTURE ROOMPHOTO: JASON VALHUERDIFOUNTAINS OF WAYNESOUND ADVICE AMPHITHEATERPHOTO: SEAN MCCLOSKEYSUICIDE MACHINESCULTURE ROOMPHOTO: JASON VALHUERDIMATCHBOX TWENTYSOUND ADVICE AMPHITHEATERPHOTO: SEAN MCCLOSKEY

MERCY FALLSTHE FACTORYPHOTO: SEAN MCCLOSKEYPIGFACECULTURE ROOMPHOTO: JASON VALHUERDITHE UNSEENCULTURE ROOMPHOTO: JASON VALHUERDI

Story: Joseph VilaneWhat makes a good band? No, what makes a great band? Ithink it’s really about work ethic, not necessarily when everyoneis on the same page, but when they feel that they want toimprove the project and make it the best it can possibly be. Asa whole, it’s important when everyone believes in each other,when you know what sounds good, and you can just feel thatreputation for themselves since forming in early 2003. Jonathan Murphy, his highvocal range is something that surely stands out in this project. It’s about time moremusicians started to treat their voice as an instrument once again. With a veryunique approach to making music, you can’t help but take notice. “The name Deepsetwas a scavenger hunt in the dictionary, we needed a name that no one else had,”explains guitarist Rick. “It’s an original name and we’re proud to say it’s ours.” Withthe name Deepset, you might think that it would throw people off at first glance,where they don’t know what to expect on stage, “I don’t know what the nameenvokes,” says Rick, “it wasn’t put in place for that, it just sounded cool. But I thinkthe band makes the name, the name doesn’t make the band.”there’s something there, something almost indescribable. Interms of dedication, Deepset (Jonathan Murphy vocals, RickBaum guitar, Jeremy Slusher bass, Marcus Suarez drums)represents integrity in how they go about presenting theirmusic. This is a band that truly goes out there to play the musicthat they love.16 • JANUARY 2004 • RAG MAGAZINEPAPA ROACHDeepset, the South Florida hard rock band has gained a goodWhen you think of a band, you shouldn’t necessarily rely on your immediate reaction,but a lot of people do. I asked Rick what he thinks of how people think in termsof music today. “Deepset sounds like a strong name to me, and hopefully it envokesthe image of something heavy and meaningful. Some of the songs that we wroteon this cd, I just love. And I said to myself if I heard that song on the radio and didn’tknow the band, I would want to know more and who the band is.” I think it’s reallygreat how this band trusts their instincts, where if they feel a song is very special,there should be a vast majority of listeners who would feel the same way.I can see that Jonathan has the long hair rockstar image. Unfortunately, there a lotof musicians these days who look like they just got done your pumping gas, I askedJonathan what’s his take on image in the music industry. “I think commercially, it’sobviously very important, there aren’t too many ugly bands that are very successful.Everybody is like, they’re breaking away from the long hair and all that kind ofstuff so we’re all gonna have short hair, and we’re all gonna wear certain types ofclothes. Just because it’s a different trend or different image doesn’t mean it’s anyless a cliche. As far as anything else goes this is just how we are, this is the waywe look all the time, so it works out well for us that it just happens to fit into thatmold.”A lot of bands these days are afraid to be themselves, Jonathan elaborated on thissubject, “You get caught up, and you start to worry about what people want youto sound like. I can see how it would be easy to fall into that trap, and start changingwhat you’re gonna play to fit what you think people want to hear from you. But sofar we’ve been pretty successful in keeping true to what we want to do, luckily sofar people seem to be responding to it which is good. And hopefully if we keepdown that road, and keep playing the stuff that we want to play we’ll find anaudience that wants to listen to it. And that’s all we can hope for.”In the song “Let’s fly Away,” Jonathan sings “Love Ain’t easy but it can’t be thishard,” I asked Jonathan what this song means to him, “A lot of the writing processfor this song, it’s about a lot of the things I’ve experienced. It was something whereyou can be in a relationship with someone and make it more difficult than it has tobe. Some people strive on the struggle, but that’s not what I’m all about. It’s not thatI think things should be simple, but it shouldn’t be so painful. That song is aboutgetting rid of all that stuff, you’ve been through the ringer, get away from it.” Thereare a lot of personal references on Deepset’s new CD, Jonathan has writtenpoetry for a long time and it’s all based on emotional experiences, most of the lyricson their cd are related from his life or they reflect an emotion that he’s had a lot ofexperience with.

The opening track on their cd, “Change the Game,” it really grabs yourattention! “It’s interesting, it’s one of the heavier songs that we do, but it’scool. It’s a great opener for the set, we try to open with that and getpeople jived up. This song is about when sometimes you’re trying to fitinto a certain mold, wearing a mask that people think you should wear. Ithink you should step out of that.” Deepset takes their position veryseriously, I asked Jonathan what he thinks about why so many othermusicians today think otherwise, “I think you have to take it seriously ifyou want to be the best that you can be. I’m not satisfied with being amediocre singer, or a good singer, I want to be a great singer. As alistener, I want to hear something that you put some time into, that’s howwe treat everything we do.”Some bands create a defensive reaction for abilities they don’t have, butDeepset tries to give 100 percent. With songwriting it’s important to challengeyourself, Jonathan discussed the bands writing process, “A lot ofthe stuff I come up with first or second is good, but when I’m bouncingideas off Rick (guitarist), he’ll tell me if something sucks. It’s a real goodteam that way, he’s not afraid to tell me if something’s no good and wework well together that way.” Honesty is very important, and if you don’thave that in a band then you’ll end up going in circles. “I know that yourinstincts are good, but sometimes you really need to work on it and findthe right spots, “ says Jonathan. “We don’t just want something thatsounds just good enough, we want something that sounds great!”I write all of my songs first on acoustic guitar, I asked guitarist Rick if heshares the same methods, “I’ve written most of my songs on acousticguitar, until I start to feel a certain riff is developing into a possibility for apiece for a song then I’ll take it much further and present it to the band.Something’s really gotta strike me in my head, it’s really gotta speak to meinside and say this is going somewhere. If I don’t feel challenged, then I’mnot happy.” There are so many labels in the industry today, Jonathanexplains “It’s all marketing, it’s something for the consumer so they canhave a grasp onto what kind of music it is. When you say you’re a rockand roll band no one knows what that means anymore. For some peoplethat’s enough for them, where if they like one band they’re gonna like allbands in that category. And it’s sad because you stop giving other bandsa chance because they don’t fall into that specific range that you’recomfortable with.”got in the band I realized that I love music and this is the perfectvehicle, this is an opportunity to make a living as a musician. Rightnow my goal is to see where this band can go.Rick: Professionally, the long term goal is to be a huge band, andultimately where I would to be writing an article in a guitar magazine,and have my face in the corner writing my own licks forpeople to follow. To be recognized later down the line as a goodmusician is my long term goal. I want to do that with Deepset andpersonally, just to have some type of recognition that I worked hardand it’s recognized. I’ve got two kids, just for them to be happy andsecure and to grow up and be self sufficient, those are my personalgoals.Jeremy: The ultimate goal is to make a living doing what you love.I’d love people to know I’m a good musician, I would love to getrecognized as being a good musician like Rick said, but for me I’mthe bass player, I’m the rhythm section, it’s much more about a goodsong. And my personal goal is to be a better human being everyday.Marcus: Professionally I want to succeed in the band, and just gowhere ever it goes. Personally, I want to go back to school andstudy something outside of music.Jeremy: “You can’t speculate as to where you’re going to be as amusician in ten years, the music industry is such a difficult nut tocrack, and even if you crack it, it’s a difficult nut to stay in the shell.”I’ve been very impressed with the local scene here in South Florida,but some musicians lose focus of where they should be comparedto where they want to be. “I think you can tell the difference betweenthe bands who are really doing what they want to do versuswhat they think they should do” says Jonathan. “Local bands like‘One’ and ‘Curse Icon’ are doing their thing and sounding great andpeople are reacting to it, they’re getting bigger. And bands like us,we do our own thing and we’re really having fun with what we’replaying and we’re playing the music that we love. And you see theresponses, and you get the return that you want.” It really doesshow, when you have a great attitude on stage it has a way ofspreading throughout the crowd.Deepset’s live shows are where it’s all at, you can catch some oftheir next shows in Tampa and also in Ft Lauderdale. Naturally ashuman beings, we set goals for ourselves, it’s a part of life. Beforewe wrapped things up, I asked the band what their goals are bothprofessionally and personally.Jonathan: As far as Deepset goes, I want to take it as far as I cantake it. I would hate to see us stop playing to together for a reasonthat’s not really powerful. As long as we can keep making musictogether, it’s fun, we’re all doing stuff that we want to do and wedon’t lose sight, I think we can keep taking the next step. Personally,I thought I knew what I wanted to do until I joined the band. When IRAG MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2004 • 17

Royal AnguishMysterionSotD RecordsImagine an opera for the dead. That’s the best way to describe this album, and I don’tmean that in a bad way. If I was categorizing all of my CDs, I would put Mysterion withmy favorites of yesteryear: all of my Metallica albums prior to 1991 and Megadeth’s SoFar, So Good… So What! Matt Knowles is the lead singer and lyricist of Royal Anguish.His “Atmosphere” is somewhat reminiscent of Dave Mustaine’s, “In My Darkest Hour.”The Royal Anguish songs definitely have that hard-edge quality typical of 80s metal:deep, heavy vocals, dark lyrics, and pounding guitars that make you want to put upthose devil horns and bang your head. Now mix in reverent keyboards, violin, andsome truly beautiful supporting vocals by female sopranos with apparent classicaltraining. This is the sound of Royal Anguish. My only question: how did this musiccome out of Ocala, Florida? www.sotdrecords.com – Kelly MorrisseyFefe DobsonFefe DobsonIsland RecordsThere has been a lot of hoopla surrounding Fefe’s debut. She has an MTV “buzzworthy”video with her single, “Take Me Away” and comparisons to Joan Jett, Pink, ChristinaAguilera, and Avril Lavigne in the media. Fefe’s “Stupid Little Love Song” is the answerto Avril’s “Sk8Rboi”—a three-chord punk riff with vapid, yet catchy lyrics. “Bye ByeBoyfriend” is a pretty ballad with a brash, heavy chorus. Then, if you’ve ever wonderedwhat happened to Tone Loc, have a listen to “Rock It Till You Drop It”. This is a definitethrowback to 80s graffiti pop and Tone adds the title rap. This song makes me wish Ihad an eighth-grade dance to attend. Fefe’s songs are fun, but her age and imagemake me question the marketing involved with this debut. So, in the big musicalmenagerie, how does Fefe measure up to the aforementioned singers? Joan, Pink,Christina, and Avril are pussy powerhouses. Fefe is a pop kitten. – Kelly MorrisseyAtomizerInexorabiliaGetBombed Music, Inc.Like a good book that you can’t put down, Inexorabilia had my undivided attention frombeginning to end. While not as heavy (or Satanic) as Danzig, vocalist and lyricist MattLitton captures a dark, sultry ferocity that warrants the comparison. When listening tothe songs, I got the feeling many were recorded while smoking peyote in a Shaman’sdesert tent (think Godsmack’s “Voodoo” or anything by Jim Morrisson). One of thestandout tracks is “Fracture”. This is a good song to have in the background for a nightof dirty sex. Although some of the lyrics reveal a vengeance theme, when Litton sings,“Now goddam this passion / I want to fuck you,” I want to answer, “Okay”. – KellyMorrisseyAerial TribeAerial TribeSelf-releaseThe definition of tribe is: a social group comprising numerous families, clans, andgenerations together. This Jacksonville quintet is aptly named because their musichas a familial, yet worldly quality. I relaxed with a glass of wine while listening to thefirst track, “Hello”. If you are curled up on the couch with a glass of wine, I highlyrecommend this. Then, the next track, “Umm Baby” is smooth, grooving funk with abaritone voice and rocking guitar hooks. This track encourages you to move aroundand groove along with Patrick Evan’s velvet vocals as he sings: “If you ask me if I loveyou, I say, umm baby, umm yeah, umm yeah, umm yeah, umm baby, umm yeah, ummyeah, umm yeah”. On “Never Knew” the percussion and supporting vocals really standout. The sound warmly envelops you. This is positive, soulful music that you can enjoyover a glass of wine, on the dance floor, or in the bedroom. www.aerialtribe.com –Kelly Morrissey

SIMPLEKILLStory: Juliett RoweRag: Heavy music deals with a lot of things that people inPhotos: Jason Valhuerdinormal society don’t want to talk about. If the parents wouldactually listen to what their kid is listening to.Panjo: I know a lot of our fans–they have parental problems andthey have girlfriend problems, or boyfriend problems–just problemsin general that people write off and don’t want to see. Ithink by having negativity in your life, and creating something,and turning that negativity into positivity is something that I absolutelylove. I think it’s amazing that people with art, and music,and writing [can do that]–it’s just amazing.Since forming in 1998, Simplekill has firmly planted themselvesin the higher echelon of the South Florida music scene. VocalistPanjo, guitarists Jeff Martin and Kerry Smith, bassist Matt Pickton,and drummer Jon Sperry, have developed a sound over the lastfive years that showcases their tremendous talent as musicians,as well Panjo’s ability to write intelligent and complex emotionalsongs. The quintet’s sound falls somewhere between hardcore,screamo, and metal, and as the band blazes through such intenseand personal songs such as “Shear Confidence”, whichis about the absence of Panjo’s father, or “Rescue from a Silhouette”,which deals with an eating disorder, the band proudlyand sincerely wears their art on their sleeve.Simplekill’s first official release, 2002’s Shear Confidence, sawa band that was just developing their sound and flexing theirmusical muscle. The band has grown by leaps and boundsover the past three years, and their sound has become a freneticmix of blazing guitar riffs from the duo of Martin and Smith, powerfuldrumming from Jon Sperry, and melodic and aggressivevocals from Panjo. The band is set to release their currentlyuntitled follow up to Shear Confidence next month, and the groupis ecstatic over the new material. Rag Magazine caught up withPanjo and Jeff on a recent Tuesday afternoon to talk about allthings Simplekill.Rag: What kind of writing have you done?Panjo: First it was poetry. All our lyrics are poems. I’ll write poetryto a song. I’ll listen to a song and get a vibe, and I’ll start writing.I don’t believe that you should sit there with a pen and paper andthink about what you’re writing; I think it just needs to be somethingthat flows. That’s how it’s always been for meRag: What were some of your issues growing up?Panjo: My issues when I was younger were more like my parentssplitting up, and my grandparents passed away at an earlyage. I didn’t have a relationship with my father or my father’sparents. The only people I had in my life were my mother andsister, and no father figure at all–it was hard. I never knew thatother kids were going through this kind of stuff, until I startedlistening to Korn and Limp Bizkit. I think we all went through ourKorn and Limp Bizkit phases, besides Jeff.Jeff: No I did actually.Panjo: Oh really? I thought you just listened to Slayer since youwere born. [Laughs]Panjo: I realized that I wasn’t alone, and I was inspired by JonathanDavis, because the way he wrote, and the emotion. So I thoughtthat I’d try to write. That’s what really got me started writing. Overthe years my issues with girls, and eating disorders, and stufflike that–the issues evolved into something a lot more seriousthan my dad leaving me and I just want to cut myself.Rag: It does seem like that you guys moved to the top of theheap almost immediately after you started playing.Jeff: Well we’ve been doing it for three years. We started with tenkids coming to our shows, and we just kept promoting. There’sa lot of good bands out there, but a lot of the bands just don’tpromote, they don’t do anything, they don’t go anywhere. You’vegot to do that. You’ve got to put your name out there, even ifpeople don’t like us, at least people know our name enough toknow that we suck. At least people know who we are, and that’scool to me. People I don’t even know, know who Simplekill is.They might not like us, but they know who we are.Panjo: When we played with God Forbid, a long time ago, andwe were together for not even a year. We weren’t ready for that,but we still went out and did it. And we fucking sucked, but at thetime we were doing our best, and kids notice that. They see that,they see that you’re motivated, and that you do it because youlove it, not because it’s something to do.Jeff: I believe that even if people don’t like you, you’ve got to staythere so at least they can’t get away from you.Rag: So Shear Confidence is your first official release–whathave you learned since then?Panjo: We’ve learned so much from the last cd. Musically, andeven the business–we’ve learned a lot. We know what we want,we know what we don’t want.Rag: So listening to that cd, and where you’re at now, do youfeel like you’re in two different places?Jeff: I don’t think that on Shear Confidence we got the cd that wewanted, but I think that we’ve learned what you need to learn inorder to make a cd that you want. The experience was definitelywell worth it. I think we were still searching for a sound then.Phil Plaskon engineered it, and a lot of his experience definitelyhelped us a lot. Now I have my own recorder and we do our owndemos here just to demo them out, and that helps a lot.Panjo: We had no idea about pre-production. We were completelyclueless, and we wanted that professionalism. Our opinionis obviously biased. We wanted to bring someone in to giveus an unbiased opinion and help us create something thatmakes sense. For this new album we did our own pre-production,and we demoed our own songs.Simpljust fiOther26 • RAG MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2004

Rag: What have you learned from the business perspective?Panjo: It’s shady. It sounds cliche, but it’s shady. No matter what you say, you’rein it for yourself. We do it because we want to make this our career. We don’t wantto have a 9 to 5. We don’t want to have to wake up in South Florida everyday for thenext five years of our life. We want to wake up in a new city everyday–we’re atouring band. I wish no one has to go through what we’ve gone through, becauseit’s really hard, and it’s going to get a lot worse. It’s shady, but this is what you haveto deal with if you want your art out there. This is the price you have to pay.Rag: So you’re shows are getting bigger and better. You guys had a greatresponse at the Bake Sale.Panjo: I can’t even express how much I love these kids that come out to ourshows.Jeff: The West Palm crowd is really cool.Panjo: The West Palm crowd is insane–I can’t even explain it. The love they give,and the energy...every show we play I get really emotional. They just got me–theyoverwhelmed me. Before we played our last song I had to stop, and was just like,“Wow”. Our shows are what we’re about. Our live shows is what it’s about. Wewrite these songs not only for our own selfish reasons, which is to be creative andto express ourselves, but to also give something to the kids. They are the onesbuying our cd’s. They are the ones coming to our shows. These kids are theones that will email me, or IM me, and I’ll talk to them for hours and hours on end.They’re the ones that give us everything.Jeff: I think playing shows like that are really important to like keep up–like ifsomeone hasn’t seen you in two years, and they’re at the Bake Sale, and theywalk in the tent and see you and you sound different. Then you get people toremember that you’re still around.ekill, winner of RAGFEST’s band compeitionnished recording their upcoming release atworld Studios. www.otherworldav.comRag: Let’s talk about when you’re on stage, and it’s noisy, and sweaty, andyou’re having that total connection with the audience.Panjo: It’s better than sex. There’s no words that I can express how it feels to havethat kid look me in the eye and start singing the lyrics that I wrote, and be jammingto the music that we all wrote together, or the riff that Jeff wrote. That connection isjust impossible to explain. It’s just the most amazing feeling that I will ever feel therest of my life. This kid Eddie was at the front at the Buzz Bake Sale, and we wereplaying one of our new songs, “Rescue From A Silhouette”, and I don’t know howhe got it, but he got it...he looked at me and he just started singing and tearing,and I didn’t know what to do, so I just grabbed his head and we just sang together.That’s the kind of connection that every show we play we have with at least oneperson. It’s just something you can’t explain–it’s just another level.Jeff: We always try to put on the best show we can so people can enjoy it and havefun–and that’s what we’re always about. I think that no matter what it’s just alwayswhat we want to do–we’re always going to put out our best if there’s like tenpeople there or 500 people.Panjo: It’s going to be the same show.Rag: Some performers say that they’re in another realm, that they don’t evenremember what just happened on stage.Jeff: For me, I’ve done a lot of shows, and after so many times you start to knowwhat’s going on.Panjo: I think as a guitarist you kind of have to.Jeff: I’m kind of like the ring leader of the band, I make sure everything goes right.Panjo: Jeff keeps everything in tact.Jeff: There wouldn’t be any order.Panjo: There wouldn’t be any order. [Laughs] Let’s say that Jon gets off a fill orsomething, he’ll turn around and he’ll make sure that John gets back on it. Or ifMatt gets off, or if Kerry gets off, or even if I get off, he’ll turn around and be like,“Dude what are you doing?” Now with me, and my point of view, it is that it’s awhole other level. I will go absolutely insane, and I will be the meanest motherfucker ever, or be the most emotional mother fucker ever while we’re playing, andthen when we get off–I’m pretty shy. I have social anxiety, which I think is kind ofironic to be in a band...and kids come up to me, and they seem to be weirded outthat I’m not a cocky rock star. I appreciate what they do for us, and we have that

connection. I’m totally two different people from on stage and offstage. I’ll fucking swing my microphone as far as I can, then I’llget off stage and be in the corner watching the other bands.Rag: You guys have a pretty good dynamic with each other onstage as well. When I interviewed Nonpoint, Elias said, “Ihave the best band in the world, and I want to be the bestsinger that I can be.” He was completely motivated by hisband, and I just thought that was really cool.Panjo: This band is so talented at what they do–it just makesme want to be better. Because I know that they’re going toprogress. I know, and I want to keep up, and I want it to be agreat singer, great guitarists, a great bassist, and a great drummer.They motivate me, even just by hanging out with them,they’re great people. Not only are we bandmates, but we’re bestfriends and we hang out all the time. We always have fun. Iwouldn’t do this if we weren’t having fun, because I don’t getpaid.Jeff: You definitely have to have heart. You’ll break up if you don’t.That’s why so many bands break up, and that’s why certainpeople in bands keep with it. You’ll see a band break up, andyou’ll see one guy in the band doing something different–somepeople just have the dedication and the heart to make it. Somepeople don’t–and there’s way too many bands out there to nothave it.Rag: When did you start writing new material?Panjo: We started writing right after Shear Confidence. We’vebeen dying to get new stuff out. Shear Confidence showedwhere we were at the time.Jeff: It’s not really a good representation of us.Panjo: We appreciate people that enjoy the cd, but this new cd isgoing to blow you away.Jeff: Every band is going to like their new stuff better than theirold stuff. We found our voice.Panjo: I know on a vocal level, and a lyrical level, I’ve found myvoice, and I think I’ve grown as a writer. I didn’t know anythingabout notes and octaves and that stuff when we did Shear Confidence.It was really tough being in the studio with a professionalproducer and not knowing any of this–it took a lot. Nowthat I know about the octaves and what keys we’re playing in,and what I can do with my voice; now I know my range better–itmakes us a better band.Jeff: I think we definitely developed our style. I think it definitelyshows what we are a lot more now.Rag: Are you writing for yourself, so you can go back in sixmonths, or a year or two and see where you were?Panjo: Definitely. I write selfishly. I don’t write for people to understandwhat I’m saying. I don’t write so that it can be put on theradio–that’s not how I write. I write how I feel. If that’s not whatpeople want to hear, or it doesn’t make sense to them–then I’msorry. Take what I write as what it is. It’s totally like a journal onthe way that I feel and what I’ve been going through.

play with enthusiasm and energy. They perform great, honest music.Right after the show, I bought a CD and it has regular rotation in my CDplayer. I also introduced myself to the guys (who are the most wonderful,down-to-earth guys you’ll ever meet) and asked for an interview. This ishow it went down with Derek…Interview: Kelly MorrisseyOne night, I went to Tobacco Road to see a Gainesville band called BigSky. My friends and I got there fairly early—in time to see the openingband setting up their equipment on stage. I found out these guys wereDC-3. I was thinking, “These guys look interesting.” First, I noticedguitarist Tony Medina. He looks like a latino Jack White. Then I noticedbassist Fernando Perdomo. He looks like Krist Novoselic during a fullmoon. Then I noticed singer and drummer Derek Cintron. I noticed himlast because he’s small in stature. I thought to myself, “Lead singer anddrummer? I haven’t seen this since Night Ranger. This ought to beinteresting.” Admittedly, I was skeptical. Then, they began to play and itbecame more interesting… Derek stands while playing drums. I wonderedif this had anything to do with his stature. I have since come to find outthat this was an active choice. Allow me to give you some background…Derek had been recording music on his own. He recorded the album,Oh…The Drama three years ago. When his friends Tony and Fernandoheard it, they told Derek they wanted to play the songs live. So, theydecided to audition drummers, but they couldn’t find the right person forthe job. Fernando and Tony encouraged Derek to play drums and singlead. Derek replied, “OK—I’ll play drums, but if I’m singing lead, I wannastand up and sing like a lead singer.” So, he’s been playing drums andsinging lead whilst standing ever since.Now, a DC-3 show is not just interesting. It’s impressive. These guysare amazingly talented. The songs are dynamic and catchy. Derek wailson drums and his voice is full of passion and sincerity. Tony and FernandoRAG: How would you describe your brand of music? And howdo you feel about labels?DEREK: Our brand of music? Chris Lee from DBY (Death Becomes You)said it best: “You guys are like a melodic, punked-out Led Zeppelin!” Thetruth is, labels get a little messy for us. We have a wide range of peoplein our audience; we can’t just say DC-3 is a hard rock band, or a poppunkband, or a jam band, etc. We make rock music, and we’ve alwaysseen rock music as something that brings people together. All these littlesub-genres don’t do it for me. Overly-specific labels segregate people,and they do the same to music. They put limits on creativity. They putlimits on what a band can accomplish. Imagine if Led Zeppelin hadstayed a blues rock outfit… No “Fool in the Rain,” no “Kashmir”, no“Stairway to Heaven”… Imagine if the Beatles had stayed strictly a popband! I don’t think people really listen to music and immediately try tocategorize it. They either like it or they don’t. I guess if I had to get realparticular, I’d say we’re an old-school rock band with some new twists.RAG: In your bio, I read a comparison to Jeff Buckley? What doyou think about that comparison? What other comparisonshave you heard?DEREK: Oh yeah—that was from one of the reviews of the last album. Iwas totally flattered by the Buckley comparison. It was a vocal comparison,and I think it was more about the tone than the style.RAG: What other comparisons have you heard?Well, there’s Chris Lee’s comparison. We also get a lot of English classicrock references: The Who, Beatles, Queen. We love that stuff, and Iguess it shows. We get some punk references, mostly for the energywe put out.RAG: Who are your musical influences? And who is, in youropinion, the greatest band or musician of all-time?DEREK: Aw, you can’t do that to us! How can we pick from so many???I’ll just give you a background: We’re all old-schoolers: All three ofYou can catch dc-3 at the Culture Room on Jan 23rd.

us love music that was made before our time or when we werevery young. I love classic rock like Pink Floyd and Rush, old-schoolpunk and early, pre-hairspray metal. Tony is a Zep-head and ametal-head rolled into one, with a dash of early Van Halen for goodmeasure. Fernando grew up on the Beatles, Todd Rundgren and alot of power-pop and progressive-rock. We all love ‘70s pop likeEarth, Wind & Fire, Wings and The Bee Gees. HERE’S A TIP FORANY TRUE MUSIC LOVER: GET A TURNTABLE! I found one last yearat a pawn shop for next to nothing. You can get some of the bestmusic ever made for a dollar an album at almost any thrift store.RAG: What drew you to music— particularly your uniquestyle? Was there an incident or moment when you realizedyou wanted to be musicians?DEREK: I think none of us had much of a choice; the music was inour heads and it wouldn’t get out! Tony really had no choice. Hisdad was a professional musician, and he made Tony work with himfor years! I think our uniqueness comes from the fact that all of uslisten to a wide range of music. Another thing is that we’re not allinto the exact same things, yet we’re able to find common groundwhen we come together as a band. There’s an odd blend here thatkeeps things interesting. I think that’s a problem bands fall into—they find four or five guys who are into exactly the same thing andmake a band. Who’s gonna bring the fresh idea to the rehearsalroom? Who’s gonna say, “That isn’t a good idea”?RAG: Who would you most like toshare a stage with in thefuture?DEREK:and why?DEREK: Well, I’m kinda biased; I mean, I like them all! I don’t knowwhich ones are my favorites. I never want to release an album witha filler track on there, and so far, I feel I’ve stayed true to that.RAG: What inspired the cover photo for Oh… The Drama(Derek is standing on the driveway in his white undies,holding a hose and a glass of scotch)?DEREK: Oh yeah, the misunderstood cover… The guys think itlooks gay, the girls think I was trying to be hot but that I failedmiserably. The cover wasn’t supposed to be sexual in ANY way!It was supposed to represent the frustration of life in suburbia.It was inspired by the title, which was poking fun at the music. Imean, I was this twenty-something guy who grew up in thesuburbs, never really going through anything I would define astruly traumatic, yet there was all this dramatic music on the album.I told my photographer friend, “God— I should call thisalbum “Ohhhhhh… The Drama.” And we laughed, and then I waslike, “Wait— that’s it! That’s the title!” We brainstormed theconcept, and we came up with a 1970’s movie soundtrack motif,with most of the shots looking like movie stills. We wanted theshots to look like something might be happening when in factthere was no real action taking place—just like life in suburbia. Itwas an embarrassing shoot; in the middle of it, while Iwas standing in this guy’s front yard in my underwear,his parents pulled up to visit. What a nice greeting—some long-haired guy in his underwear with adrink in his hand standing in the middle of their son’sdriveway…RAG: Who are some of your favorite localbands?DEREK: DBY, Burner, Waxburn, Zach Ziskin, Stereo9; I know I’m forgetting a bunch here… A lot ofmy faves broke up, unfortunately: Plutonium Pie,Wallop, Humbert…ChristinaAguilera. She is very talentedand very passionate, and I hearshe likes Puerto Ricans… I happen to be PuertoRican… See where I’m going here?RAG: Tell us about Oh… The Drama.DEREK: I still find myself listening to the album, and it’s been aroundthree years since it came out. That’s always a good sign. I recordedit before the band was together. Tony engineered half of it,actually. The hardest part was the mixing. I recorded it at For TheRecord Studios up in Delray Beach, which was an analog studio atthe time with no automation for mixdown. Everything you hear onthat album was done manually. You could barely punch in on thosetape machines, and I loved them for that! They kept the performancesreal, and we still adhere to that ethic when recording. Icouldn’t have done that album without the help of Sosio, the engineerup there who also happens to be a great friend of mine. Speakingof recordings, we officially started working on a new album lastmonth. It should be finished by spring.RAG: What are some of your favorite songs on the albumRAG: Do you guys have any pre-performancerituals? Also, do you get nervousbefore performances?DEREK: I have a ritual; I do a stretch routineand warm up before every performance. Then,when we walk on stage, we don’t start upuntil we’ve given each other that certain lookthat says, “Let’s do this!” We don’t really need more thanthat. I get butterflies sometimes in a good way, but I got realnervous once…we opened for O-Town… yes, the boy band. Itwas one of our first big gigs. There were hundreds of screaming14-year-old girls in the audience—scary when you considerwe’re not that cute and we don’t dance. I thought we weregonna get booed off the stage! I still can’t believe we made itthrough our set without being hit with empty CK1 bottles.RAG: Derek, why do you take your clothes off while playing?DEREK: Because it gets stupid-hot! There are certain venues whereit feels like 12,000 degrees up there! If you were on stage in anaggressive rock band singing lead and playing drums standing up atthe same time, with stage lights hitting you from every angle, you’dtake off your clothes too, believe me! It’s either that or play in asoaking wet, smelly shirt for two-thirds of the set. I’ve tried it; itdoesn’t feel too good.RAG: What’s the coolest thing you’ve seen from the stage;anything exciting or unusual in the audience or at the venue?DEREK: The coolest thing I’ve seen from on-stage is people singingour songs and/or really listening to the band. The most excitingthing I’ve seen from onstage is a fully-exposed pair of breasts! Tiedwith that is the excitement of watching the crowd gather and focus32 • RAG MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2004

on the stage duringthe openingsong. Actually,you can seebreasts anywhere;seeing thecrowd gather onlyhappens whenyou’re on stage,which makes itmore special.RAG: How doyou approachsong-writing?Is there a process?DEREK: I’ll hear themusic in my head,sometimes with akey phrase ors e v e r a lphrases... If theidea is strongenough, it will motivate me to grab a guitar and figure out the chords.If I really like it when I play and sing it, I’ll figure out what the songmakes me feel and/or think about and write some more lyrics. SometimesI’ll just write lyrics and put music to them after the fact, butthat’s not the norm.RAG: What are the themes within your lyrics? Can you highlighta few for me and tell me what inspired you to touch onthose subjects?DEREK: Lots of interpersonal stuff, introspective stuff or philosophicalstuff. Thoughts and feelings… what more can you write about?I try to cover a lot of ground lyrically. “Quitter” is about sex addiction.“Reborn” is a post-break-up song I wrote in a jet liner halfwayover the Atlantic. “Everybody’s Going Down To The Rave” is aboutnot being able to fit in. That’s a recurrent theme too—not fitting in.“Athena” is about choosing between two girlfriends. “Dumb MeDown” is about the degradation of western culture. I even wrotesome about space travel!RAG: Do you guys have any guilty pleasures? Tell us somethingpeople might not know about you?DEREK: Well, Fernando visits some pretty interesting Web sites (oneof them sends him an email every time a famous person dies), Tonycan do two-handed finger-tapping on the guitar and I have had atleast 13 speeding tickets in the past ten years.RAG: What are your interests outside of music?DEREK: Space travel, politics, snow-skiing and driving fast all thetime. Tony likes watching sports and fishing, and Fernando likes E-bay and bad movies. In other words, we’re all at the very least partgeek.RAG: Where do you guys go from here? What does the futurehold forDC-3?DEREK: We’ll always be doing the same thing; we’ll just be doing iton a bigger scale. In the future we’ll be writing music, makingrecords, touring, etc. It’s just that hopefully, instead of playing a100-seat venue, we’ll be playing a 10,000-seat venue. And insteadof playing live on cable access, we’ll be live on Conan O’Brien. Andmaybe I’ll perform a duet with Christina Aguilera. But don’t worry—I’ll still grant you interviews, Kelly!RAG: Any other messages to your fans? And anything youwant to say?DEREK: Christina Aguilera: you are postponing the inevitable. Justcall me already so I can give you directions to my apartment.

Being in a local rock band is no easy endeavor. More often than not, itinvolves having a less-than-glamorous day job while saving every pennyto make demos and tour - playing as many gigs as possible – even if theaudience sometimes consists of only a venue’s bouncer and bartender,and on the same night you give an exhausting performance in Austin,you must immediately drive to Atlanta for tomorrow’s show. On theseband-in-a-van-style tours, there are no roadies to set up and breakdownthe gear. The pay sucks, and sleep is irrelevant. But everyoneknows these experiences are considered a rite-of-passage for all majorartists, and an indie band can simply hope that someday their story mightbe a great “Behind the Music” episode.While music critics attempt to finger point the creativity of new artists asmerely echoes of their predecessors, and the super-saturated recordindustry becomes increasingly difficult to impress - local musicians areforced to prove – how and if their sound fits the desired mold. Consideringall the incredible sacrifices and tests of will, just what is it thatencourages these performers to maintain an “I get knocked down, but Iget up again” mentality?Christian Ibarra, lead vocalist for South Florida-based Higher Zenith,offers insights to his band’s greatest challenges and motivations, andhow they are making a mark in the music world. A wild, animatedmachine on stage, Ibarra describes himself as a quiet thinker, who usesmusic as an emotional outlet. “I’m not a comedian,” he quickly states.“Some people have that in them; they can make jokes. But I’m not likethat,” he says, adding that he doesn’t know how he came to realize hisentertainer within. “All I know is that the first time I wason stage singing, I thought ‘Whoa, thisfeels really natural.’ Iwasn’t nervous.” A longtimeMetallica fan, Ibarrasays he’s most comfortablewith big crowds, andfinds it more difficult toperform or even carry onconversations in intimatesettings.Formed in 2001, Higher Zenithare Pachi Rasco (guitar),Igor Churkovic (guitar),Bryan Thorpe (bass),Giovanni Soto (drums) andIbarra (vocals). The band’s2002 debut So Called Reality, iscoated with a thick melodic glazethat varies from track-to-track,invading the ears with a punchor staggering in like a stony-eyedbellow, melted with dreariness.The sound conjures up all thepumped-up heartiness and gutsyroars of rock radio’s bands-of-themoment.But Ibarra cautions not to get too comfortable with this debut as adefining sound for Higher Zenith. He explains that the band is currentlyworking on a second release (due out next month) that promises aninteresting, new direction. “I think this [album] is going to show a lot ofgrowth, a deflection into a different path.” Ibarra says the album’s constructionwas not a deliberate movement from the first, but rather thealtered sounds came naturally. “From the time that we finished the firstCD, we have been writing new music that is more edgy, complex anddiverse.”Is it difficult for you to write music that sounds different andunique?In the first album, we never really thought, ‘Oh, maybe we shouldn’t do itlike that because it soundstoo much like [somethingelse].’ We weren’t thinkinglike that. When we startedwriting new material, wewere more aware. We’dsay ‘Hey let’s not do it likethat because it sounds likesomething else.’ In my mind,we’ve come to build our reallyunique style. It’s rock,and very melodic. I thinkwhat we’re doing now is really differentthan what people have heard.HIGWhat influences your lyrics and vocal sound? Is there onevocalist that you really admire?The guitar chords and melodies take me to a certain place – they makeme feel sad or whatnot. I don’t have topics [in mind before I start writing].I can’t just sit down and decide to write something. I go blank. It alwayshappens when I’m driving in the car or humming to a particular song.Everywhere I go I have a tape recorder. The meanings of the songs arealways really related to me. One of the things I’ve found is that if I writesomething that I don’t relate to, it’s hard for me to fake it on stage. I don’tscream by nature. I don’t thinkit would go well with my voice.I’ve never really tried to developthat style. I’m a verymelodic singer.I think that all vocalistsshould be admired becauseyou don’t know how hard itis to sing onstage until youdo it. One of the hardestthings for singers – especiallywhen [your band]has more than one guitarand the sound is reallyhard – is to sing onstage. A lot of peoplecan sing, but performingon stage is moredifficult because of allthe noise. You haveto go through a processto find whatworks. As far as likehaving an idol, Inever really didthat. I try not to focuson any one person like thatbecause I want to develop my own thing.Did you ever take vocal lessons?I took lessons out of curiosity for about a month. But the techniques andexercises they taught weren’t really for our style of music. I guess I justwanted this more rock, unorthodox sound, and the lessons didn’t reallyhelp in that way.What do you do to prepare for a live show?It’s interesting that you ask that. After we came back from our first tourI started straining my voice a lot. It was mainly because I had allergiesand was taking a lot of medication, which dried out my throat. I damagedmy vocal chords for a while. And since then, I warm up. [laughs] Beforethat I would just go and sing. I never did anything [to prepare].Were you worried that you had permanently damaged yourvocal chords?Story: Moni34 • RAG MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2004

HER ZENITHca CadyI wasn’t worried about that. I was justworried that it wasn’t healing fast enough. I had burst ablood vessel in my throat from straining too much. I was just uncomfortablethat it wasn’t healing soon enough because we wanted to recordour album – and I couldn’t, and we were preparing for a tour. I was justfreaking out about that.Describe your performance.Our show is just good music, hard, in-your-face, a lot of action. It’s a lotof fun for the audience.How does playing other places on tour compare with SouthFlorida? Describe the audiences and overall vibes.We’ve gone all the way to California – when I say that I don’t just meanthere and back – we perform in [tons of cities] along the way. We did anEast Coast tour all the way to Philadelphia and back. And it’s really toughwhen you’re an indie band doing everything on your own. I meaneverything. No one is putting any money into this band other than themembers and our families. I think it’s pretty cool that we’re doing this.The only place that really struck me as having a really different, educatedaudience, in terms of local music, was L.A. We played on aMonday night at Troubadour, which is one of the best places (Guns ‘nRoses, Aerosmith, etc. have played there). I thought, ‘This place isgonna be empty on a Monday night at 11:30 p.m.,’ but it was packed. Allthe bands that played there seemed to be from around town, and yet thecrowd was there. I might be wrong, but I don’t think stuff like that reallyhappens around [South Florida]. But something [good] is starting to happento the scene down here.How do you stay motivated with music when you are working aday job, too?Everyone in the band works a day job – different kinds of places - fromoffices to studios, hotels, Publix [laughs]. As far as staying motivated, Imean when you’ve gone through two tours – outside your city and state– not playing in front of your friends, or even your friends’ friends (Imean we all know that locals bands’ majority of their fan base is made upof friends and family.) – but you’re playing for an audience that hasnever even remotely heard of you – and you are able to sell a box of CD’sand people love it – then you must be doing something right. I mean ifnone of that stuff is happening, then you’d say ‘maybe we’re not thatgood.’ But when you are received really well – that says a lot.Aside from that, we’ve played local bars and people are just shootingpool or whatnot – not your average music fan. Those people will say,‘Ya know, my favorite band is Hootie and the Blowfish, but you guys kickass’ or this 40-year-old guy buys a CD, and the next night some kidwearing a Marilyn Manson shirt buys a CD. If we weren’t getting thatkind of response, then the motivation level would drop.It sounds like touring really opens your eyes to what else isgoing on. Would you say touring is a huge motivator?Yes, it’s very exhausting though. It’s just the five of us. There’s no driveror anything.I’ll give an examplefrom our first tour. We were scheduled to playin a town north of Austin, Texas. We were in a town south ofAustin when our van had a problem and we had to take it to the shop.After the van was fixed we had to drive three hours to get to the gig. Wemade it there, played the show, and put everything in the trailer. It waslike 2 a.m. That same day we were supposed to be in Atlanta. So wedrove nonstop. We made it to Atlanta an hour before our show. Weplayed, got back in the van, and drove to another gig. And that’s how itis. I mean if you want to make the most of the trip, and not just make it avacation, then you have to do that. We sometimes drive for 20 hoursstraight. That kind of stuff is really a good factor for any band. I guessit kind of brings you down to reality. It makes you humble.Did touring bring you closer as a band, or were there difficultmoments when you had arguments?We pretty much get along. We’re five guys, who have one thing incommon – music. So we try to make that the main factor of our trip.We have a good time. It’s really cool because we get to meet a lot ofpeople. There are so many nice people. We’ve had several occasionswhere people invited us to their house to crash for the night.I mean these are people who don’t know us. They’ve never seen usbefore, and here we are sleeping at their house. Touring is just areally cool experience.Will you continue to do this even if you don’t get signed inthe next few years? Is it more important to get signed, or isperforming and creating music enough?Yea, I mean how do you tell somebody who’s a writer not to writejust because they never make any money? I mean that’s what theydo. It’s what they’re meant to do. Now, I do think the music businessis going through some tough times, but hopefully things will getbetter for everybody. Having a different way to express yourself isimportant. Touring and playing in front of audiences – from teenagersto adults, who have no idea who we are, and having themappreciate our music - is what it’s about. At that point, I guess youknow you are doing the right thing, and it really doesn’t matter whatanybody else thinks. That’s what comes through on stage. It doesn’tmatter if you are playing for the sound guy, or a few thousandpeople.What is one of the most memorable things someone hassaid about your music?We were in Philadelphia at a really small bar, and there was this girlwearing a Marilyn Manson T-shirt. She came up after the show, gota CD, and asked me, “What was the name of that fourth song?When you said that line, it touched me so much. It almost broke myheart.’ And you know she felt it. If you can reach people like that,that’s what it’s all about.

Backstage at theBUZZ BAKE SALEStory: Monica CadyPhotos: Sean McCloskey“This isn’t fucking rock’n’roll, I mean let’s face it,” Chris Cester, drummer ofJet, grumbled, almost to himself, in a thick Aussie accent. He was referringto The Ataris, who had just begun their performance. “Hey, do you have acigarette?” He asked, turning to me. I was still trying to grasp a sense ofreality standing backstage at the Buzz Bake Sale at Sound Advice Amphitheater.It hadn’t been two minutes since four of my girlfriends and Idecided to try to get backstage, just for kicks. To our surprise we easilyconvinced a roadie from Eve 6 to escort us through multi-levels of stagesecurity (uh, no we didn’t flash our boobs or anything like that). And now,here we were, watching the Ataris perform from the wings. By this time,most of the bands had played. It was close to 11 p.m., and the coldestSouth Florida night this season. Four more bands were scheduled, and wewere going to be backstage for the show. Hell yea!JETAs soon as we walked through the stage doors, I recognized the silhouette ofa glossy vintage motorcycle cap. It was the cap that Cester proudly dons in the“Are You Gonna Be My Girl” video. Feeling confident, I made my way to “casually”meet his acquaintance, at which time I overheard his bashing remarks ofthe current act, and he was now trying to bum a cigarette from me.“No, sorry,” I said to him. He seemed aware of his abruptness, and asked,“What’s your name by the way?” I answered, adding that I am a fan of Jet. Hepreceded our conversation with the notion that we swap jackets for “just fiveminutes.” Okay, I thought, strange request, but what the hell? He slithered hisarms into my petite knee-length brown leather coat with white fluffy fur cuffsand collar - quite an interesting site on this burly, lanky guy. I sported his shinyblack jacket. “You have to zip it,” he instructed, then helped me to adjust theexaggerated, up-turned collar. He offered to share his plastic cup of cranberryjuice and vodka, of which I took a tiny sip - out of politeness more than want.The drink was room temperature and syrupy sweet. Cester appeared totallybored with the Ataris set. Over the noisy performance, he rambled to me abouthow he likes the United States a lot and hopes to move to L.A. because that’swhere his fiancé lives. “I feel like too much of a rock star in this coat,” hechuckled. Funny, I feel the same way. “I’ve got to find a cigarette,” he mumbledagain. We re-exchanged coats, and he staggered into another cluster of facesin the dimly lit backstage.I began to sift through the other shadows around me. There were severalbands performing, so I knew musicians were swarming all around. I asked oneof the backstage staff if they had seen Hoobastank. “Nah, they got somestrippers. No one’s been allowed in their dressing room for a long time,” hereplied.A few minutes later, I spotted Doug Robb, Hoobastank lead vocalist, who I havehad the opportunity to interview twice and meet on a few occasions. Robb wasmilling around, not looking too involved with anything. I have to say hi to Doug.As expected, this encounter was a total diverge from Cester’s disconnectedcharacter. After a quick reacquaintance, Robb was chatty and attentive. Hehas this undeniable California style, and boy-next-door appeal that makes himextremely approachable. As we spoke, Robb tightly secured his orange coatand pulled the fur-trimmed hood snug around his face. “I have to be reallycareful not to get sick,” he explained. “If I don’t feel well, and can’t perform, thenthe whole band is screwed. This is still a job, you know.” He described thedemanding schedule Hoobastank have been undergoing in recent months, andhow the band filmed the “Out of Control” video in a single day. As we spoke, Isensed from him an underlying exhaustion - not just from today’s show - but themusic lifestyle. He remained polite, and expressed his appreciation for the RagSWITWITCHFHFOOOOT36 • RAG MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2004

December cover story, and said nice hellos to all my girlfriends. As we returnedto our own dialogue, Robb looked at Cester and shook his head with slightdisdain. “Isn’t it funny how you can tell some people are in bands just bylooking at them?” And as timing would have it, Cester walked past us.“Hey, Monica,” he called. He actually remembered my name? “Do youknow where I can get a cigarette?” “Sorry,” I said again.By that time, the performers were in transition; roadies were pushing equipmentand shouting to clear the area. We five girls decided to avoid thepossibility of a security badge check (which we, of course, didn’t have)and headed to the rows of dressing rooms lining the walkways outside.The same Eve 6 roadie showed his generosity by inviting us to hang in theband’s room. Crammed inside the smoky, small area were members of Eve6, more roadies and another face I immediately recognized – CameronMuncey, Jet guitarist. We filed in the room and blended into the mix ofconversations. Tony Fagenson, Eve 6 drummer, showed us pictures of hisbaby daughter and “amused” us by opening bottles of Heineken with alighter.ONEI was standing near Muncey. He was having a conversation with a painfullydense or stupidly drunk chick, who kept making comments like, “Uh, soyou’re in a band? So, that’s lots of fun, huh?” Munsey turned and said tome, “Hey, our shoes are the same color.” I looked down at our matchingbrown boots. He was still wearing his striped tee and rugged jeans fromJet’s performance, except now he was swallowed in a navy pea coat.“Yea, pretty cool, huh?” I replied, hoping the conversation would blossomfrom there. What is it with these Jet guys and fashion focus?Muncey was an agreeable guy of few words - mostly smiling and laughinga lot. I thought maybe he was just not in the mood for chatting, so I tried toexcuse myself. “No, no,” he said adamantly, “I’d rather talk to someone Ican actually have a conversation with.” Somehow he then loosened up andbegan asking questions, with a genuine interest in guitars, his band andmusic journalism. “So many journalists already know their slant beforethey even talk to you, like it doesn’t even matter what you say,” he saidsincerely. Even when making strong statements, he would end sentenceswith a cutesy Aussie, “Ya know?” He said he was grateful to have hisband compared to the sounds of the Stones and the Beatles. As if suddenlyremembering something, his eyes lit up, and he told me that Jet would be onnext week’s Saturday Night Live. Our party was interrupted when the Eve6 manager thundered into the doorway, demanding his band get on theirbus – now!Without delay, Muncey said to me, “Come on, let’s go to the bus.” Whatbus? Where? As the room cleared, I looked for my friends, who werescattered somewhere. I decided I was better off following Muncey thansticking around to find some security guard asking ‘what the hell did I thinkI was doing?.’ Before these thoughts could even process, I was halfwayto the Jet tour bus, following an insistent Muncey.EVE 6“That piece of shit’s ours,” he pointed to the bus. Looks like all the others to me.He and I walked onto the bus to find his manager, Ricky. The three of us chattedfor a while about band’s upcoming trip to Atlanta. Then my phone rang. It was myfriends. I asked Muncey if we could bring them back to the bus, otherwise I hadto leave. Without hesitation, he said “Sure, let’s go.” En route, he and I passedthrough the venue’s community kitchen. The fridge still had a few items. “On ourway back, we have to get this food,” he said. We paraded my friends back tothe bus, and as planned, Muncey and I grabbed arms-full of snippets from thekitchen – a few containers of grapefruit juice and yogurts, which he made aspecial effort to get.Back on the bus, bassist Mark Wilson was puffing on a pipe and gripingabout how he didn’t have cigarettes. We threw the food in the fridge.Muncey started making cranberry vodkas for everyone – constantly asking,“Can I get you anything? Are you comfortable?” What a host! He ranout of cups before he could even make himself a cocktail. Then Munceyturned to us and said, “Has anyone ever seen the Australian flag?” Notwaiting for reply, he quickly pulled down his jeans to reveal tight shortundies, that when legs together, made a complete replica of the AustralianJANUARY 2004 • RAG MAGAZINE • 37

flag. He just stood there with his nonstop smile.SOMETHING“What’s the Windex for?” one of my friends asked, “I can’t imagine you guys domuch cleaning.” She was referring to a bottle of glass cleaner that wasstrangely intermixed on the table with vodka, fruit juice, and DVDs of theClash and Alan Partridge. I had to agree, the place didn’t seem like it wascleaned regularly. It wasn’t awfully dirty or disgusting. It just had thisreally simplistic vibe - dark panel walls, and ‘80s dark green and burgundydécor. A small CD player, similar to those that plug into a cigarette lighter,served as the source for the bus sound system. “It’s for cuts and bruisesand things like that,” Muncey replied to the Windex question.CORPORAORPORATEWe discussed music, touring and books. I must admit, maybe it was theshaggy ‘70s hairstyles, but it felt like we were hanging with a true rock’n’rollband, instead of the typical rock-rap pretty boys inundating mass radio andvideo. These guys with their vintage garb and faraway accents reeked ofrock spirit, or at least a strong respect for it.I decided to grab a beer (which had a music note design on the lid) andperuse the band’s album of CD’s to select some tunes. Just as I imagined,the collection was stockpiled with timeless classics (i.e. the Beatles, theStones, the Who) and a lot of newer Euro bands. I went with Oasis(What’s The Story) Morning Glory. “Great choice,” Muncey praised.My friends continued with their banter and questions for Muncey. “Areyou married? Why are you wearing a wedding ring on your right hand?”He explained that his father died when he was younger, and he likes towear his ring. “I don’t like telling people that,” he said. “It makes them feelsad or uncomfortable when I have to answer.” My friend explained thather mom died, and she does the same thing. “Maybe my dad and your momare fucking in heaven,” he said with a laugh, “That is … if she’s hot.” Myfriend found Muncey’s remarks amusing, and the two did a sort of “cheers,”YELLOWCARDclicking their parents’ wedding rings together. About then, Cester emergedfrom the sleeping cubbies, looking red-eyed and totally disheveled. “Doesanyone have a cigarette?” He moaned, seemingly in dyer need. No onehad one. He stumbled into the bathroom, and then back to bed.ARDIt was close to 2 a.m. and the Jet tour bus was leaving town in half an hour.Muncey gave us parting gifts of Red Bull. (Being the hospitable host, heinsisted that we take the entire case of Red Bull.) Muncey proved to be amost outgoing, carefree spirit with a - dare I say - innocent kindness andendearing character.From this experience, it’s accurate to say these guys from Down Underknow how to rock the stage and the party. And if Jet is the band that musicmedia is labeling as “rock’s revival,” I’d say we can be confident with thattheory. Should you get the opportunity to see Jet perform or hang with theband – you will feel a refreshing rock’n’roll energy that’s missing from a lotof today’s radio world. Oh yea, and be sure to bring cigarettes. I canassure you it’s an instant way to win over Chris Cester, who’s probablyLESS THAN JAKEcraving one right now.

By: Crystal ClarkCOLD MOUNTAINNicole Kidman, Jude Law, Renee ZellwegerDirected by: Anthony MinghellaMiramax, R, 155 minWhether or not you’ve read the bestseller by Charles Frazier, one thing is forcertain as you walk into the theater: the Anthony Minghella-directed Cold Mountainis going to look absolutely amazing, and it does. Minghella, a graduate ofThe English Patient and The Talented Mr. Ripley, has a cinematic gift so innatethat it’s emotionally mind-blowing, and his penchant for visual storytelling isbreathtaking. The rumors are true, Cold Mountain is one of the best movies to bereleased this year; therefore its destiny to invade the Oscars seems par for thecourse. As expected, Jude Law’s Inman is phenomenal in every inch of hisbeing and Renee Zellweger as Ruby is a spitfire to be reckoned with. And whileI’m walking down the path of obvious, a nomination for Kidman would notsurprise me, though most of me feels that it should be someone else’s turn inthe spotlight. Year-after-year, there are so many brilliant performances embeddedon film that ultimately find themselves over-looked in a shallow search ofmarquee names and studios. This is not to discount Kidman’s presentation ofAda in this epic tale of love and commitment, but sometimes entertainers needto go away for awhile in order for us to appreciate them and their artistic craft.Then again, maybe I’m still just pissed-off that Kidman won the Oscar for herwork in The Hours over the more deserving Zellweger in Chicago. Regardless,I’m on Kidman overload and I need a break, but that seems unlikely because shehas not one, but six more movies lined up for release. Which makes me wonder, if I’m this sick of seeing her everywhere I turn,I can’t imagine what Tom Cruise has been going through. It’s no wonder he went to Japan for two years; at the rate Kidman’scareer is going, it looks like I just might be headed that way myself. With my luck, she’ll probably be there filming on location.LORD OF THE RINGS:THE RETURN OF THE KINGElijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellenDirected by: Peter JacksonNew Line Cinema, PG-13, 201 minBy now, everyone in the world has read, heard, or spoken the perenniallexicons that have become synonymous with the cinematic trilogy known asThe Lord of the Rings: epic, masterpiece, classic, magnificent, stunning, breathtaking,monumental, adventure, visionary, greatness, spectacle, achievement,vast, immense, fairytale, fantasy, storybook, saga, journey, legendary... Infact, I’ve just checked my thesaurus and noted that there are approximatelysixty-five more words that I could have chosen to print that would have essentiallydescribed The Return of the King, and for that matter, the entire 631-minute marathon of The Lord of the Rings. But to be totally honest, I don’t reallycare for any of these words right here, right now. Yes, the words themselvesare lucid, staggering illustrations of how truly beautiful grammar can be andhow essential it is to move people with whimsical words of wisdom. And aquick thumb-through my last ten years of tear sheets exemplifies that not onlydo I admire these words, but I’ve also used every single one of them in print.But not here, not now, and not ever to describe the Lord of the Rings trilogy.There are no words that exist that could capture the essence of its greatness.I mean, his greatness: Mr. Peter Jackson. After the J. R. R. Tolkien / Jacksontrilogy came to an end with the release of part three: The Return of the King, I among others, walked out of the theatre speechless;quite in just the same manor as I did last year after viewing, The Two Towers, and the year before after witnessing the one thatstarted it all, The Fellowship of the Ring. Mere logistics prevented me from reviewing part one and two of this unprecedentedcinematic undertaking, but in hindsight, I’m relieved that I was never available to document my feelings regarding “the precious,”because that would have required me to define the who, what, where, how, and why of this sheer piece of art that is far betterand beyond anything our imaginations could have ever conjured up on our own. Amount that New Line Cinema boldly invested intomaking The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King: 300 million dollars. Global profit made by thestudio from the first two movies as of Dec 2003: 1.6 billion dollars. Estimated profit to be generated by the third installment alone:1 billion dollars. Acknowledging the sheer fact that we not only got our money’s worth, but also experienced the best cinematictrilogy ever created: priceless.RAG MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2004 • 39

STUCK ON YOUMatt Damon, Greg Kinnear, CherDirected by: Peter & Bobby Farrelly20th Century Fox, PG-13, 118 minIn order for Matt Damon to play Greg Kinnear’s conjoined brother, he first had to have Ben Afflecksurgically removed from his “hetero” hip, a once complicated task that came surprisingly easy eversince a Ms. Lopez entered the picture. C’mon, is it just me or have the inseparable, self-described“life partners,” even been seen within a state of one another since girlfriend arrived? There seemsto be some significant love lost between the A-list twosome, so what better way for Matt to cheerup than to dive straight into a kooky, off-the-wall Farrelly brothers comedy? That being said, I wasa bit apprehensive when I first heard mention that Matt was cast as one of the twins, if only for thenotion that Damon is not exactly on the top of anyone’s go-to list when it comes to comedies. But thisis not just any comedy, it’s a Farrelly brothers comedy and that simply changes e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.Well skeptics be damned, Damon is down-right hysterical and Kinnear is an absolute riot. I just wantto add my two cents here —I touted Kinnear as a breakout star the first week he started hosting TalkSoup on E!, thank you very much. Of the two, Kinnear owns the juicier character Walt, who in-turn,finds himself rooted in most of the this-and-that situations and dialogue, except for a few bonesthrown to Damon’s Bob. But I know, I know, that’s enough about the big-time male movie stars andyes I agree that Eva Mendes is hot, but let’s get to why I’m writing the review and why you’re readingit: Cher. Yes, that Cher. The movie’s plot centers on Cher as herself (who else?), a low-budget (haha) TV star who singles out Walt (a budding actor) for a part on her new show, hoping it will bomb. It doesn’t and neither does Cher, whoseglorious, scene-chewing, self-deprecating humor makes you long for her to stop touring —damn it— and make more movies. “This is Cher’smovie,” my Cher-fanatic mother exclaimed to me as we walked out of the theater together (a promise of mine she etched in stone when she gotwind of the filming back in February 03) I reminded her that Cher was merely a co-star in the farce. To which she aggressively replied, “Is Cherin the movie? Yes! Then it’s her movie!” Point taken mom, but potential viewers take note, Cher’s only in a handful of scenes, but she owns thosescenes and everyone around her knows it, including her. Her deadpan-mockery and divaesque antics make this screwball of a comedy evenmoreworth seeing. So when all is said and done, it’s not Cher’s movie, but don’t tell her that, and for the love of god, don’t tell my mother that either.Believe it or not, Cheaper by the Dozen is a comedic family film loosely based on a 1940s bestseller writtenby the Gilbreth family. In movie-land, Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt cinematically define the perfect parentsthat we secretly wish we had growing up. As Tom and Kate Baker, they’re easy-going but set rules, theycare enough to be nosy yet are respectful of privacy, they’ve been head-over-heels in love before,during, and after the kids were born, and even though they may get their kids names wrong from time-totime,it’s apparent to everyone that their children are their life. Martin and Hunt’s chemistry as the proudparents represents sheer perfection, with Hunt managing to sneak in a large dose of her own signaturespark. There are, well, um, a dozen kids to keep track of, and therefore, a lot of actors to keep track of too.It’s a bit overwhelming character-wise, but duh, that is precisely the point and intention of this chaoticlaugh-out-loud comedy. But if you are able to control your giggles at various intervals, you’ll appreciate thestand-out roles of spitfire Alyson Stoner (Sarah), Jacob Smith (Jake), Forrest Landis (Mark), and the “Isteal every scene I’m in” Ashton Kutcher, whose character Hank is thisclose to echoing his real life megapersona,and it’s obvious that Kutcher has a field day with this and punches it up with some of the bestdialogue in the movie. Of course, the fact that I mentioned the term “family film” in the first sentence shouldclue you in to the fact that the humor is G rated, and yes-oh-yes, there are life-lessons to be learned by all. If only we could find a way to laugh thismuch when dealing with our own growing pains.AVRIL LAVIGNEMY WORLD - DVD & CDCHEAPER BY THE DOZENSteve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Ashton KutcherDirected by: Shawn Levy20th Century Fox, PG, 98 minWith a new visual release entitled My World, once Canadian now American pop star Avril Lavigne visits your DVD playerby way of a sold-out show filmed in Buffalo, New York. The disc is refreshing if only for the mere premise that you’ll notonly see Avril actually singing her chart-topping tunes, but singing them l-i-v-e. Though it may sound like I’m beingsarcastic—I’m not—because as far as the current music industry is concerned, what I discovered could be describedas an endangered species. Lavigne’s delivery is remarkably raw, straight-forward and down to earth. And thoughLavigne ultimately reveals that she could never hold a tune with the likes of Kelly Clarkson or Faith Hill, she no doubtproves that she’s definitely the real deal —and that’s so much more than what you’ll find within the majority of thenames currently making the rounds on the radio or MTV.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: The Curse of the Black PearlJohnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira KnightleyDirected by: Gore VerbinskiDVDBuena Vista Home VideoJust in case you are still nursing that recent bout of amnesia, we just wanted to take this moment to remind you that Disney has released anotherDVD for the masses (otherwise known as Johnny Depp fans):The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. A quick peek at 2003’s boxofficegame of numbers reveals that most of us have already seen this smartass, swashbuckling masterpiece (and some have seen it more thanonce or twice (um, guilty). Alas! Fellow pirates! We now have the power to place Depp and Bloom on continuous loop in every room of our homes.As I declared in my summer review, this is a pirate movie that has finally defeated the pirate movie curse and to go a step further, one of the mostperfectly cast movies to grace a movie screen in ages. Orlando Bloom as Will Turner is nothing short of fantastic; Geoffrey Rush is simplyastonishing as Captain Barbossa and Keira Knightley slips in perfectly as the fiercely independent Elizabeth Swann. But let’s call a spade a spade,or say a pirate a pirate: no actor, period, could have played the eccentric Sparrow with more believable conviction and zany looneyness, than Mr.Depp. In all his perfectly smudged eyeliner glory, Depp is so utterly outstanding and so earnestly convincing in his role of quirky pirate Jack Sparrow,that not only did he deserve a major award nomination, he got one: a golden globe. So while we wait for Depp’s high-seas adventures to continueon in the scheduled sequel, let’s all hope the Oscar voters see him the same way we do: as the deserving captain of his own golden statue.THE BATTLE OF SHAKER HEIGHTS - DVDHOUSE OF SAND & FOGJennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron EldardDirected by: Vadim PerelmanDreamworks, R, 126 minAuthor Andre Dubus’ emotional exploration, House of Sandand Fog, began as a riveting and powerful piece of literarygenius and now it’s been reborn as an even-more rivetingand powerful motion picture. House of Sand and Fog demonstrateswhat striking organic art Hollywood can producewhen the right ingredients are selected. This is moviemakingglee in its highest form, with not one missing link tobe unearthed. This is also what happens when you takeone part superb material and add three equally essentialparts of complex characters (collectively embodied by BenKingsley, Jennifer Connelly, and Shohreh Aghdashloo) andthen top it off with the outstanding direction by VadimPerelman. If this last name sounds unfamiliar to the moviegoingpublic, there’s a good reason, it’s his motion picturedebut. Yes, his d-e-b-u-t. It’s a glorious premiere that hasgot to be one of, if not the most, articulated introductionsever created in cinema. Without a doubt, I see Kingsleymost-definitely accepting an armload of accolades for hisexceptionally magnificent portrayal of Behrani. Kudos aremost certainly in order for Jennifer Connelly, especiallysince she could have taken the easy way out and goneShia LaBeouf, Elden Henson, Amy SmartDirected by: Kyle Rankin & Efrom PotelleBuena Vista Home VideoWhile the future of Miramax’s Project Greenlight may be up in the air, there are three individual destinies thatI can most certainly report on. For starters, everything that has been said and printed about Shia LaBeoufhas been an understatement: this kid is going to be a movie star. What LaBeouf was able to accomplish withhis role of Kelly (the antagonistic focal point of The Battle of Shaker Heights) is nothing short of a miracle,especially if the viewer is consciously aware of what personal battles LaBeouf, himself, had to deal with:Chris Moore, the bumbling directors, minimal budget, zero prep time, scheduling difficulties, no costars castuntil 5 minutes before filming. Exactly how Shia still manages to come out smelling like the blossoming rosethat he is, is beyond me. Up and comer Amy Smart is particularly effective as Tabby, Kelly’s undying crush.And since Smart has built a career out of being extremely good in bit parts, here’s to hoping that January’srelease of The Butterfly Effect will see her star finally vault to the next level. And that leaves us with onelast stand-out performance: Elden Henson as the Ivy-leaguer-in-the-making Bart. Henson essentially providesLaBeouf with a fantastic avenue in which to bounce off of, and his execution is so brilliantly subtleyou almost fail to realize he’s that good. Therefore, The Battle of Shaker Heights concludes with more thanone winner in its acting category; but the amateurish editing, however, proves to be a casualty of war.over-the-top so many times and she doesn’t. In fact, her performance isso wrought with emotion (both internal and external) that as a viewer,you begin to expect her to be so genuinely good in every scene she’s in—and she is –to the point that her delivery is almost taken for granted;though the same could be said about Aghdashloo’s elocution (Kingsley’son-screen wife Nadi) in this stirring example of intersecting lives.Perelman has created an event that takesits shape within the beginning innocenceof a new day, and eloquently translates itfrom sheer moment to moment, into a pulseracing,breath-by-breath, life-changingset of events. As if this wasn’t enoughcheerleading on my part, Roger Deakins’cinematography could be categorized assome of the most imaginative and movingI’ve seen on screen in years. There’sbeauty at its core that is both soothingand devastating at the same time. Ultimately,House of Sand and Fog has itscharacters addressing their personal,once unrelated, chain of events which thenbrutally come together to reveal a story ofunrelenting human tragedies; and if thisfilm doesn’t sum up how real people’sreal-life coexists within the real world,then I don’t know what could. All I know isthat whoever first uttered the metaphor,“your home is your castle,” could not everhave imagined it would come to this.

THE LAST SAMURAITom Cruise, Ken WatanabeDirected by: Edward ZwickWarner Brothers, R, 144 minEdward Zwick has long been known in Hollywood as a gifted writer and director (Glory). ScreenwriterJohn Logan’s star has been on the rise since his red-hot success with Gladiator. And up and comerthespian, Tom Cruise, could quite possibly be known simply as Hollywood. But his costar, Ken Watanabe,may not be known to Hollywood audiences; but with 15+ flicks under his belt, he’s Cruise’s equivalentin Japan. Now all of that is about to change. Why? As Katsumoto, a leader in a fading-generation ofsamurais, Watanabe has eloquently and single-handedly stolen a movie out from under the biggestmovie star in the entire world. Yes, you read that correctly: Watanabe is that good. But he does have oneunique element going for him that no one, including myself, would have ever expected: Cruise is not onlymiscast as Civil War Captain Nathan Algren—but his ordinarily keen acting chops—are horribly out ofwhack. He’s just off—off key, off kilter, off his mark, off his rocker—whatever it is, it’s really, really bad.And I must say that after having replayed the magnificently photographed and artistically crafted culturepiece over and over again in my mind, I still can’t quite put my finger on what Cruise is doing so wrong,or more importantly, why he’s so awful. Let it be known that I am a serious champion of Cruise and hisproven ability to act the socks off of anyone in an audience, especially those who have viewed JerryMaguire and / or Born on the Fourth of July (and I’m not even going to get into a discussion on howblatantly he’s been snubbed by award shows). But here, Cruise is all wrong, all the time. I feel bad saying this about a guy that spent the better partof two consecutive years using all of his collective clout to get this movie made, and made really well. For Pete’s sake, he learned to articulate basicJapanese phrases, took-up sword-fighting, buffed himself into tip-top shape, and yet he still falls flat on his beautiful face. An event that, given hismonstrous success, was eventually bound to happen, but is surprising nonetheless. Also knocking the wind out of this dramatic tale of old and new,is the film’s excessive running length of 150 minutes, which in of itself, is not necessarily a downfall (see: Lord of the Rings). But when a movie isteetering along at a snail’s pace, and its lead character is being portrayed by one of the biggest names in the biz and even he can’t muster up enoughchutzpah to keep us interested, it’s hard for me to say anything that would justify your time sitting in its darkened theater, especially with so manystellar movies to choose from during this Oscar-bait season. But truth be told, even though The Last Samurai is way too long even at the half-waymark –and that’s way before any of the battles essentially begin— its spiritual journey is innately palpable and its absolute determination toshowcase true honor in the face of insurmountable odds is truly mesmerizing. So for Ken Watanabe’s sake, convince yourself to sit through theentire film, if you do, then I declare you the winner of their ultimate battle.IN AMERICAPaddy Considine, Samantha Morton, Djimon HounsouDirected by: Jim Sheridan20th Century Fox, PG-13, 107 minWith the help of his two real-life daughters, Naomi and Kirsten, notoriouslyIreland-minded director Jim Sheridan returns to the screen withthe loosely autobiographical tale, In America, which beautifully featuresan Irish couple and their “two of three” children leaving their once tragiclife in Ireland behind while making their way to New York in pursuit of theAmerican Dream. The ups and downs the family faces are revealed inan almost real-time effect through the eyes, ears, and mouth of thewise-beyond-her-years,10-year-old daughter, Christy (an effectiveSarah Bolger). Constantly equipped with a camcorder, Christy chroniclesher unfolding adventures while also verbalizing her hardened thoughtsas a soundtrack of sorts for the audience (and herself). At variousintervals, the family members take center stage –with Morton’s role asmom Sarah portrayed with breathtaking subtly, and Bolger’s real-lifesister Emma smirking her way into our hearts as the adorable little sis,Ariel. Her scenes alone will have you both giggling hysterically andwanting to pinch her teeny-tiny cheeks in awe. Even without thecamcorder’s suggestion, we continue to live vicariously through Christy’seyes as they fix and focus on the comings and goings within her newlyappointed New York life: we’re made privy to the struggles the familymembers encounter on a daily basis, and the lingering grief the parentshave yet to deal with concerning their previous life in Ireland. Conversely,we find ourself taking part in the discovery of the true meaningof friendship when Mateo (a stellar Djimon Hounsou) unexpectedly enterstheir life, and we also celebrate in the genuine, bubbling joy ofexperiencing life through a child’s eyes. But most importantly, we delveinto the fundamental sense of how a family is ultimately defined. InAmerica, is actually much less about living in America, and much moreabout living as a family within its grasp.

Looking for male or female vocalistto join existing duo/trio and sing tobackground tracks. Mostly 50’s,60’s, 70’s, 80’s, pop, rock, country& disco. Playing of keyboard orguitar helpful but not necessary.Travel occasionally. Mostly weekends.No egos. Must be dependable.Call Frank 772-336-7347House band @ Diplomat. Pros.Salary. Singers, Keyboard,Bass, Guitar. R&B, Pop, Dance.Package + picture + CV to:XALTA, 17760 Maplewood Dr,Boca Raton FL 33487.bachmail@bellsouth.netBlack female vocalist singsMotown, top 40, disco. Band experience,car. Steady weekends.No agents , no parents. 19-35years old. Nat 954-472-6416Guitarist older needed. Leads Hawaiianold standards, classic rock,R&B. pop, country. Tunes for condos,clubs private parties. I’m onpedal steel lap steel guitar.waynwb@juno.comLead singer wanted. Miami/Kendallarea, for part time rock n roll coverband. We have gigs and needmissing piece to complete solidlineup. Call Mike 305-546-7786 ore-mail mrcairo@bellsouth.comSingers & Rappers Needed: TheSouth Florida Entertainment Allianceis looking for vocalists (age14-35) for a compilation CD thatwill be shopped to various prospectsin the industry. Many stylesneeded: Pop, Rock, Country, Folk,Alternative, R&B, Hip Hop and Rap.Contact John at 561-868-5940 orSoFlaAlliance@aol.comDual lead guitarists in Ft. Myers, FLarea looking for vocalist / frontmanto form 80s metal tribute band. Wehave all pro gear and attitude (noclassic rock). Must have rangeand ability to cover variety of material.We have extensive 80s listcovering mist of the 80s hair/metalbands from accept to V&T, etc.Management and gigs available (NoAttitudes of Drugs) We are veryserious! Contact Mike at 239-549-0270 or 239-699-7466 or Frank at239-437-7150 E-Mail:mshred8699@webtv.netmesa8699@aol.commesa8699@swfla.rr.comororProfessional hardcore/ metal/electronica band in search ofdrummer and 2 nd guitaristmust have gear know your instrumentand the determinationto make it. (no drugs)project has label interest a festivaltour already booked. Ifinterested call George at 561-716-3968 or emailevilonek@hotmail.comSolid Pro Drummer forming uptemposhow band. For LateHarrison and Petty and Rubber soulstyle Beatles. Rhythm and lead/slide guitars. Bass and keyboards.Paul 561-262-4216 or 561-745-7523Classic rock/ blues gigging band.Needs lead guitar/ vocal player call561-436-3341Serious 2 female singers keyboardand rhythm guitarist for live band.R&B – Pop No egos or attitudesplease. Hardworkers wanted.786-399-2917Guitar & Bass w/ backing vocals:Seeks other musicians or establishedgroup for cover and/or originalproject. Have rehearsal, recording,PA. Deerfield Beach. Prosonly please. Jimmy 954-571-2202Lead guitarist wanted. Pro Bandis looking for the following: Loud,rude, flashy, pro, experienced, oldschool, les paul, under 40. No fatboys. Only guys looking to give ittheir all. Call 305-971-8113 or 954-572-5422 after 6pmGuitar and/or bass player, 40s lookingfor band or musicians blues,classic rock, originals. Frank 954-410-5931 days or 561-347-0286evesCain and Abel records is currentlyseeking a bassist to join“Caveat Emptor.” Must be ableto tour continental US and dedicate100% to the band. Mustbe able to play rock/hardcorein standard and drop tuning(C#& drop B). All original materialwaiting for the perfect lowend. If you have the talent anda confident yet humble attitude,please call Cain and AbelRecords 866-582-5381 or CaveatEmptor – Justin 754-245-4908Drummer Needed. 6 day creationlooking for drummer tocomplete lineup. Must be between21-35, solid, dedicated,equipped and have transportation.Style resembles Staind,Trust Company, Disturbed,Apex Theory, Tool. Rehearsein Ft. Lauderdale. If interestedemail 6daycreation@comcast.net or call 561-376-3738Female singer / songwriterwanted to collaborate on originalmusic. I play guitar andkeyboards and have a homestudio and a lot of tunes. CallJR 954-491-1813 Hollywood$$ WE BUY $$• GUITARS• AMPS• EFFECTSTOP DOLLAR!CALL US!954-772-6900

Bassist and Drummer needed fororiginal three piece. Style: Sublime,Hendrix, Puddle of Mud. Ifyou are a lazy piece of sh*t lookingfor money and that “perfect”situation, keep looking. I have materialand need pro’s with a workethic who will help develop a perfectsituation. If you just want aside project I am open to that. ContactChris @954-895-1538 orchrisdupre2k@hotmail.comPro female drummer neededfor established, original, allfemale rock/ pop band. Mustbe solid, dedicated and haveimage. Call Mabel 561-601-8934Working country Southern rock &rock band looking for pro keyboardplayer with vocals. Plenty of work.Must be able to travel from VeroBeach to Miami. Call 561-723-8677or 954-647-3385Songwriter, Guitarist, Vocalist lookingfor partner for acoustic gigs orother musicians for full band. Originals& covers. Many influencesinclude Sublime, Peppers, JackJohnson, Hendrix, Inclubus, Beck,Beatles, Marley. E-mailrockoffyoursocks@aol.com or561-317-5180Creative fretless bass, sax (beginner)player looking for band orpeople to jam with. Browardcounty. Late 30s. Most music typesexcluding very loud. Blues, SoftRock, British influence.gjtpowell@earthlink.netI play Bass & Guitar w/backingvocals: Seeks working or soon toworking situation. Available forrecording, gigs and showcases.Broward county. Glenn 954-571-2202 or glennbraver@aol.comGuitarist available, 40, forworking or near working experience.My forte is Jazz butwill play Rock, Pop, R&B, etc.Pros only please. 561-364-8847Boynton BeachExperienced drummer, very seriouslooking for full time or part timeworking band or band just aboutready to work have great equipmentready to rock. Call Tony Diamond772-340-1692Gigging drummer looking to gigmore. Classic rock/ blues new –will sit in , moments notice. 561-436-3341Experienced drummer, very seriouslooking for full time or part timeworking band or band just aboutready to work have great equipment.Ready to rock. Call TonyDiamond 772-340-1692Pro drummer looking for full timework. Pro’s only, no Bullsh*t. Havebig name experience. All styles,also vocals if needed. Call 561-966-13342000 Taylor 414-CE w/HSC, mintcondition white binding, FishmanPrefix electronics. Plays andsounds incredible, hardly used.$1000 firm. Call Ed 954-401-9302Gibson 1962 Firebird VII. Needsrewire and refinish. Great neck! 3pickup. David 954-922-9251 $1500Peavey 50 watt classic guitar amp2-12” speakers $280 954-962-6757PA System less than 5 years young– original owner. Euroack 20 channelmixing/recording console.Alesis Microverb 4 effects.Yamaha 200 watt monitor amp.QSC 900 stereo power head (450per side) Two fifty foot cables included.Two Fender 2900 15 inchspeakers – 10” horn (poles included)Raxess felt rack mountcase (Manuals included) $1200cash or cert check. 954-340-7550SCSI digital backup CD burner. Que.Also works with Roland VS studios.$425 o.b.o 305-787-7328Soundcraft DC 2000 Pro recordingconsole, digital controlnew $34,000. Perfect condition- must sell $9000. $8000 worthof patch bays and wiring included.Must See! 954-298-0814Bass gear for sale. 5-String FenderAmerican Jazz Bass w/HSC. Sunburst,rosewood neck. Mint condition$800. Carvin 1x15 $100 and4x10 $100, good cond. Ed 954-401-9302

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