10 B <strong>November</strong> 6, <strong>2009</strong> Smoke SignalsFair, Ice rink open this weekBy Kelsey CalderoneStaff ReporterSome of this year's fun includes aCircus, Globe of Death, StrollingMagician & Balloon Art Clownfrom Rhubar's Magic, The ArmyRangers Snake Exhibition, 4-HExhibits, Local Exhibits, LocalEntertainment, and A Fancy FeetContest.The <strong>2009</strong> Northwest Florida Fairis in town Nov. 3 -8. This will beThe Adventures of Tom A. Hawkthe 40th anniversary of theNWF Fair.The fair is held at the fairgroundson Lewis Turner Blvd.Wrist band prices range from$15- $20, and they allow unlimitedacess to rides from open toclose.The annual ice skating rinkhas opened again in the Villageof Baytowne Wharf inSandestin. This is the FloridaPanhandle’s only outdoor icerink. It costs $8 to get in and $2to rent skates.The rink is open Mon.-Fri.4-10 p.m.; Sat. 11am-10pm;and Sun. 12-6pm. There willbe extended hours once schoolreleases for the holidays,according ot the BaytowneWharf Web site.The rink will be open fromnow un til Jan. 31, 2010.One of the most popular ridesat the fair is the ferris wheel.For over 40 years the NW FLFair has been a major fallattraction in the area.115 Racetrack Rd., NWAcross from Choctaw <strong>High</strong> in Choctaw Plaza863-3177We have Choctawjewelryand apparel!Start your holiday shopping with us!206 Racetrack Road NW, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547244-4438FREECRAZYCOMBOWITH PURCHASE OF ANY HOT-N-READY PIZZANo Indian should be caught without a TomahawkNot that Tomahawk-A Tomahawk yearbook!Tomahawk yearbooks onsale now! Purchase fromMrs.Griggs in 2D07 for$85.Yearbooks also available online atwww.myyear.com for $85, plus a service charge.See a staff member for details on discounts onyearbooks with the purchase of a business orsponsor ad.
Artist Profile:Smoke Signals <strong>November</strong> 6, <strong>2009</strong> 11BThe Rocket SummerBy Emily ColeStudent Life EditorUsed by permission of www.therocketsummer.comUpon hearing a namelike The Rocket Summer,one would think it's agroup of young artistsrecounting their youthfuldays.But this band, however,isn't a band at all. It'sBryce Avary's, 26, rocksolo-project. Avary producesand plays everyinstrument, ranging frompiano to percussion, thatis recorded on his CDs,all while being the frontmanvocalist.Born in theDallas/Fort Worth area ofTexas, Avary first venturedinto music when hisfather bought him apawnshop guitar at age11. He then picked up thedrums and serval otherinstruments.Avary began playinglocal acoustic shows as ateenager in Dallas, FortWorth and Denton afterbeing in "indie rockpunk" band in highschool.From there his fan basegrew and he recorded hisfirst EP under the titleThe Rocket Summer - aname which was inspiredby Ray Bradbury's shortstory - at 16. He distributedthe albums himselfto local stores to be soldon consignment.The music world firstbegan to take notice ofAvary when some of hissongs appeared on TheAdventure Club segmentof the KDGE radio station.Soon afterwards, hebecame one of the mostrequested local bands onthat program.After sellinghis EP sold in 5continents, Avaryrecorded and producedhis debutalbum, CalendarDays, in 2003 inKansas on thelabel The MilitiaGroup on a$15,000 budget.The album tookhold in the US andJapan with its variedand upliftingsongs.Touring the US andJapan extensively andpooling an even largerfan base, Avary thenbegan working on his secondalbum, Hello GoodFriend, in 2004. In contrastto his previous CD,this time he focused onmore piano central songs.Avary lets his beliefs asa Christian and his experiencesto shine through hislyrics, but also allowedthe listener to form theirown meanings behind hiswords. The RocketSummer hasn't evermoved toward being aChristian band becauseAvary insists that hismusic is meant to be foreveryone.Avary's third record,Do You Feel, released onJuly 17th, 2007, with thefirst single being SoMuch Love, when hesigned with Island DefJam Records.The Rocket Summerhas toured the US, Japan,The UK, and Canadaseveral times, often headliningsold out tours.Avary has played inseveral prestigious placesincluding the GlastonburyFestival in England andthe Summer SonicFestival in Japan. Duringthese times Avary willoften play with oldfriends from high schoolto make his sound complete,because one mancan't do everything all thetime.The Rocket Summer isresponsible for helpingnow popular bands, likeThe Plain White T'sand Paramore, debut onthe music scene aftertaking them on as supportingacts.His fourth CD, OfMen and Angels, wasrecorded the newalbum at Ocean Studiosin Burbank, CA fromFebruary-April and coproducedwith CJEiriksson.The release date is setin early 2010, butAvary will be releasinghis fourth EP, You GottaBelieve, on October 27 tohelp fans wait for the newalbum."Most importantly Iwanna do somethingimportant," says Avary. "Idon’t wanna look backwhen I’m old and greyand look back and say“wow I had a lot of funbeing a rock star.” Everyyear, and every record ICarrie Underwood’s back withPlay On, Nov. 3By Emily ColeStudent Life EditorThis American Idol fromthe fourth season is crankingout her fourth CD,entitled "Play On".Underwood’s album willrelease Nov. 3, the weekbefore she co-hosts theCountry MusicAssociation Awards withBrad Paisley.Underwood will be producingwith Mark Bright,who also did her previousalbums Carnival Ride andSome Hearts.While becoming morecomfortable with her writingabilities, Underwoodis still not quite ready towrite all of her material.She will be working withMax Martin, Idol judgeKara DioGuardi, and evenR&B songwriter/producer/singerNe-Yo.Judging by her choicesfor songwriters, it seemsthat Underwood wouldlike to move into the mainstream.Maybe we can expectsome new, unexpectedmaterial from this countrysweetheart on the mainstreamradio, perhapsanother smash hit like"Before He Cheats."A new track from thealbum will be released forpurchase and download oniTunes every week forthree weeks. Each newsong will also be availableas a free 60-secondpreview on Billboard.com.The songs begin with“Mama’s Song,” (availablenow), and continuealong with “TemporaryHome” (available 10/20)and “Undo It” (available10/27).Underwood's first singlefrom the CD, "CowboyCassanova", hit 110,236copies during the firstweek of sales and is currently#11 on the countryradio.Between her first twoalbums, the combinedsales are 10 million copiesin the U.S. which makesUnderwood the best sellingIdol winner stateside.Play List:1. CowboyCassanova2. Quitter3. Mama's Song4. Change5. Undo It6. Someday WhenI Stop LovingYou7. Songs Like This8. TemporaryUsed by permission of www.carrieunderwoodofficial.comHome9. This Time10. Look at Me11. Unapologize12. What Can I Say13. Play OnJohn Mayer’s fourth, BattleStudies, releases Nov. 17Used by permission of www.johnmayer.comPlay List:1. HeartbreakWarfare2. All We EverDo Is SayGoodbye3. Half of MyHeart4. Who Says5. Perfectly Lonely6. Assassin7. Crossroads8. War of My Life9. Edge of Desire10. Do You KnowMe11. Friends, Loversor NothingBy Emily ColeLifestyles EditorThe seven-time GrammyAward winner comes backwith his fourth album,Battle Studies, releasingthree years after his criticallyacclaimed album,Continuum.John Mayer has promotedthe cd as being somewhatof a side-step fromContinuum with "observationsand a little bit ofadviceonrelationships...[it's] kindof like a heartbreak handbook".Co-produced by SteveJordan and Mayer himself,this new album willfeature the warm and simplisticmelodies found in70's and 80's Californiarock/pop, and sets forth aconfessional vibe."I approach music likea director doing a periodpiece," says Mayer."Where Continuum wasR&B and Soul, BattleStudies was written withthe timelessness of TomPetty, Fleetwood Mac andNeil Young in mind. Themelodies and message areconcise and from-the-gutwith the efficiency of simplicity."The album was recordedin Mayer's private homein California where heworked over the course ofsix months until wrappingat Capitol Studios in LosAngeles.The album's first single,"Who Says", asksexactly that question as itchallenges the societalstandards of what one canachieve and was releasedon September 25."Heartbreak Warfare,""Assassin," and "War ofMy Life," feature universalthemes as well. On"Half of My Heart,"Mayer collaborated withone of today's most popularnew talents, TaylorSwift.Mayer's North Americantour is currently planned tofollow the release of BattleStudies in early 2010 butthe John Mayer Trio(John Mayer, SteveJordan, Pino Palladino)will be playing two exclusiveshows in San Diego atthe Copley SymphonyHall on Dec. 29tand aNew Year's Eve show inLas Vegas at The Joint atthe Hard Rock Hotel &Casino on on Dec.31.
Change language