MARCH-APRIL 2017

March/April 2017 

Is Your 

Band 

Breaking 

Up? 

Magazine 

BUZZ 

FEST 

2017 

The 

Hamiltones 

Tailspin 

Comeback

2 BUZZ MAGAZINE_MARCH/APRIL 2017

BUZZ MAGAZINE_MARCH/APRIL 2017 3

Record Store Day 2017 

April 22nd 

J 

666 Central Avenue 

St. Petersburg, FL 33701 


CONTENTS 

March/April 

2017 

COVER STORIES 

10 Kayla Korpics 

“Best of the Buzz” 

16 Tailspin 

19 BUZZ FEST 

“The Building of a 

Festival” 

20 BUZZ FEST 2017 

Scrapbook 

34 The Hamiltons 

Interview with Jim 

Hamilton 

36 The Hamiltons 

Live Concert Review 

In Every Issue 

06 Letter from the Editor 

38 Music History 

“The Golden Age” 

45 On My Mind 

“Sometimes You Gotta 

Try” 

MORE STORIES 

30 Chicagovich: Leonid 

& Friends - CD Review 

40 Easter Dinner from the 

Mouse’s Kitchen 

46 10 Signs Your Band is 

Ending 


Hey Tampa Bay! 

Needless to say, the last few months have 

been a whirlwind of events set in motion. Buzz Fest 

was an amazing day and I have to thank so many 

people for a wonderful festival. 

First I must thank the Bay Buzz team for their 

dedication, support, hard work and long hours as we 

planned every detail of the festival. Pam Wills and 

Selena Clingan showed thier community spirit and 

awesomeness as we worked towards a successful 

event. It is very touching to know they believe in the 

cause of Bay Buzz Music and work towards bringing 

it to the next level of professionalism. 

Thank you to all the volunteers who dedicated 

thier day to Buzz Fest. Whether it be watching over 

the raffle table, ticket booth to they guys who 

volunteered thier drums, sound systems and helped 

set up each stage. 

Thank you to all the bands and musicians who 

performed. You truly are the heart and soul of the 

Tampa Bay community! 

Thank you to all our sponsors who showed 

their community spirit and supported us! 

Thank you to everyone who donated an item 

for our raffles! 

I’d like to congratulate Kayla Korpics on 

winning the very first “Best of the Buzz” contest and 

to Seminole Music for donating a generous gift card 

to her! 

It really is amazing when a plan comes 

together and the community comes together to be 

there for one another! 

With all the love in my heart, 

Constance 

6 BAY BUZZ MAGAZNG _ MARCH/APRIL 2017


Magazine 

Publisher ... Constance Hilton 

constance@baybuzz.org 

Sales ...Pam Wills 

sales@baybuzz.org 

Assistance ... Selena Clingan 

selena@baybuzz.org 

Editors: 

Bob Fecker 

Stephen Farrenkoph 

Contributing Writers: 

Fred Fulford 

Randall Owen 

Phil Traynor 

Keith Wilkins 

Contributing Photographers: 

Johnny DiGrigolio 

Melanie DiGriglio 

Dominic DiGriiglio 

baybuzz.org 

8


10 BUZZ MAGAZINE_ MARCH/APRIL 2017 

BEST OF 

THE BUZZ 

2016

BUZZ MAGAZINE_MARCH/APRIL 2017 11 

BB: Hi Kayla. How are you today? 

Thank you for taking the time to 

chat with Bay Buzz Music. We’re 

so excited to have you perform at 

this years, BUZZ FEST and also to 

make a special announcement 

during the festivities: You won 

Best of the Buzz for 2016. 

Congratulations! 

KK: Hi guys! I’m doing super well! I 

am unbelievably excited for BUZZ 

FEST and can’t wait to perform and 

share the stage with some other 

extremely talented musicians. 

It was an honor to be in the running 

with so many amazing local artists, 

many of which I have had the pleasure 

of knowing and getting really close 

with through performing out locally 

and even a bigger honor to have 

gotten the most votes. 

BB: So, let’s start at the beginning 

of your music career. You’re only 

18 years old and you come from a 

musical family. How did start 

getting involved with music? 

KK: I do come from a musical family. 

My dad is actually a drummer and 

played in hair-metal bands when he 

was younger and my mom was a 

singer. So growing up, my brother and 

I were surrounded by all styles of 

music and we developed a passion for 

it as kids. My brother started playing 

bass in the 6th grade and then moved 

to classical guitar. Listening to music 

as a kid was what introduced me to 

my interest in music, however I didn’t 

really play and write music until I 

started getting bullied in middle 

school. I didn’t have a lot of friends. I 

was made fun of for the way I dressed, 

my weight, interests I had... So when 

I realized that I didn’t have someone 

to talk to about the things that were 

bothering me, I found music. I’d 

come home and sing along to some of 

my favorite songs that would connect 

with the emotion I was feeling before 

I realized that I had the ability to write 

my own songs and channel my 

emotions to make songs powerful and 

meaningful. I love singing other 

people’s songs, but nothing compares 

to the feeling you get when you’re 

singing your own songs and making 

connections with the reasons you 

wrote it. Writing and performing 

music was my coping mechanism, 

however it wasn’t something that I 

could easily share with others. 

I was never comfortable to sing in 

front of people, let alone sing my own 

songs. My mother convinced me to 

join choir in the 7th grade and it was 

one of my best decisions. Even 

though in that scenario, I would not 

sing alone in front of anyone. 

My brother, being a guitarist, 

eventually started teaming up with me 

and playing chords on guitar so I was 

able to put my lyrics to a melody. It 

wasn’t until about 2 ½ - 3 years ago 

that I started to teach myself piano. I 

never took any lessons and am 

probably doing everything wrong. But 

I’m still learning and growing. 

I picked up a ukulele in August just to 

take a little break from piano and I 

did not realize how much I would fall 

in love with it. Music is definitely 

something that is around me all the 

time. I catch myself singing and 

playing throughout each day. It’s the 

thing that keeps me sane. 

KK: Well, I wasn’t the skinniest and I 

always preferred to wear clothes 

from the boys’ section. Some people 

saw that as an easy thing target me 

for. I was told I was worthless 

because I had no friends. Once 

you’re in that situation and everyone 

already hates you, you don’t want to 

tell an adult to try to make the 

situation better - ...you don’t want 

anyone else hating you. There were

time I contemplated suicide and thought that 

was my only way out. That was until I found my 

passion for performing and writing music. 

BB: Do you ever think of yourself as an 

advocate for kids who are bullied? 

KK: Most definitely. Being bullied shaped me 

into the person that I am today and if I could go 

back and change it all, I wouldn’t. I was able to 

gain courage and strength from that experience 

and I value those qualities for the rest of my life. 

I look back now and see how many life lessons I 

have learned and can use those to help shape my 

future and possibly the future of others. 

BB: Your music has a slow jazzy feel to it. 

What influences have you had to create this 

sultry sound? 

KK: Amy Winehouse has always been a 

huge influence. “Love is a Losing Game” 

was the first song that I heard by her 

and not only could I hear what she was 

singing about, but I could feel it and 

that was really inspiring to me. It’s easy 

to be a good singer - singing words 

with proper tone and in the right key, 

but being able to give each word feeling 

and to be able to convey the message of 

the song with that feeling makes an artist - 

and that is always what Amy did. 

Another thing that really drew my attention to her 

was her live performances. No two sounded the 

same, but they were all still individually amazing. 

With popular songs being repetitive now-a-days 

(...and I am guilty of this too), it is easy to sing live 

performances all the same way. However, Amy in 

the studio sounds just like Amy live. There wasn’t 

auto-tune correcting her every pitch. It was 

obvious that the notes she was hitting in the 

studio, she was capable of hitting anywhere. 

BB: Let’s talk about your accomplishments 

so far. You won a singing contest through 

StarMaker, which is as technology driven 

media company that focuses on undiscovered 

talent. How did that come about? 

KK: I was planning to attend an event in Orlando 

called, PlayList Live with some friends and the 

StarMaker platform was hosting a contest, where 

if you used thier app and covered one of the given 

“I catch myself 

singing and playing 

throughout each day. 

It’s the thing that 

Keeps me sane” 

three songs, you could win a chance to perform 

that song on the main stage at the event with 

the artist who wrote/performs it. My friends 

kept pushing me to try out, because they knew 

how much I loved singing and how great of an 

experience it would be - whether I won or not. 

I took a couple of days to think about it, but in 

the end I decided to enter. However, my 

thought process was that it would help me 

overcome the stage fright that I struggle with. I 

didn’t have any hopes of winning, but I knew 

how passionate I was about music and that was 

what drove me to enter. It’s still so surreal to 

me ...the contest ended and I received the most 

votes and ranked #1 with over 800,000 views. 

It is such a cool platform that provided me with 

so many amazing opportunities as an artist and 

for that I will be eternally grateful. 

BB: Later you collaborated with 

StarMaker to create a music video. 

Tell us about that experience! 

KK: After the contest, StarMaker 

reached out to me saying how much 

they enjoyed working with me and 

how the reaction of the audience was 

insane. They were planning to do a 

couple collaboration-cover music 

videos between an undiscovered artist and 

a YouTube artist and they asked if I was 

interested. Of course, I completely freaked out 

and screamed yes a couple thousand times! I 

got to fly out to Los Angeles and spend that 

time in my first actual recording studio. I 

worked on arrangements for a mash-up cover 

that I would be shooting for the video. It was 

such a different experience from just recording 

a YouTube video at home in my bedroom. 

There were multiple cameras that were bigger 

than me! And make-up artists touching up my 

make-up. 

Huge production crew! Props! It was so 

professional that it was a little scary at first. My 

initial thought was, “what if I mess up?” I had no 

idea what I thought I would mess up on, but 

that was the main thought that was in my head. 

It was really cool to be working with people 

who have done similar things before because 

they made it seem a little less scary. It was also

a little difficult because I do struggle with selfimage 

ever since I was bullied. Therefore, the 

thought of this professional video with me as “one 

of the stars” was nerve wracking. 

I got to work with director, Isaac Ravishankara, 

who actually directed Hozier’s “Work Song” - 

which was so surreal - because Hozier is actually 

one of my favorite artists! 

BB: Since last year, you’ve been playing out a 

lot! And I have to say, you are creating a stir 

in Tampa Bay with your music. Where do you 

plat out at? And do you have any projects 

coming up? 

KK: I really got started in the local music scene 

back in April when I started with open mics. That 

really opened up so many opportunities for me. 

Whether its playing a two or four hour show in a 

bar or at a festival, I always look to gain 

experience with performing and to get more 

comfortable with my voice and in front of an 

audience. 

You can catch me at a few open mics throughout 

the week or on the weekends! Some of my 

favorites are Yeoman’s on Tuesday night, Green 

Iguana on Monday nights and Brewers Tasting 

Room on Saturday nights. 

BB: Besides music, what else do you like to 

do? 

KK: Music is always incorporated into my day, 

one way or another! Since I just started my first 

semester of school, I’m probably doing 

homework! Although I love to longboard and 

shop more than I probably should. 

BB: Thank you Kayla for chatting with us. 

And congratulations on winning Best of the 

Buzz for the year 2016. 

KK: Thank you for putting this all together! And 

the awesome event! Thank you to those who took 

the time to vote for me and to Seminole Music & 

Sound for the gift card! 

Visit Kayla Korpics at 

www.kaylakorpics.com/ 

Facebook 

Twitter 

YouTube 

Soundcloud

Birthday Rock Stars 

Randy Wright 

Colin Ward 

Johnny Nicol 

Jayne Kelli 

Dean Johanesen 

Matthew Bistock 

Chris Brown 

Este Loves 

Rob Pastore 

Carl Stephen Holt 

Zed Maestro 

Tanisha Wade 

Bob Feckner 

John Spinelli 

John Kelly 

Brian Theozman 

Kyle Pennington 

Christopher Joe Pack 

Robyn Alleman 

Ronnie Elliot 

Iris Calling 

April Davis 

Rebekah Pulley


Keith MacBay formed Tailspin six years ago. Then 

it was fronted by Erika Sparks. The band found 

themselves in a bind when Erika left the band to 

start a family and were unable to replace her. 

Eventually, the band split up and the guys took up 

with other bands. But like a force of nature, they 

brought the band back, reinvented themselves and 

is playing out at popular venues like Biff Burger 

and Red Tiki. 

Charlie Boice is your main vocalist and guitar 

player along with Keith MacBay on drums, Ted 

Feinman on keyboards and John Baccoli who 

plays bass. And yes, they all sing! 

Tailspin plays your favorite 60’s and 70’s rock and 

roll music and prides themselves on their harmonies. 

“Our music is quality music and we put a lot 

into our sound,” Charlie tells us. 

They all have dreams for the band, but the number 

one goal is play at more venues. 

Be sure to catch Tailspin at one of their upcoming 

shows and visit them at www.tailspinband.rocks 

Tailspin’s Upcoming Shows! 

March 25th 

The Tides Golf Club 

Seminole 

March 28th 

Red Tiki Bar 

St. Petersburg 

March 31st 

Biff Burger 


April 12th 

Biff Burger 


April 14th 

American Legion Riders Post 138 

Tampa 


For Musicians 

Bay Buzz wants to know more about your band! 

Now musicians can fill out a 

simple profile questionaire on our 

website and tell us more about 

your band, the music and where 

we can see you perform or buy 

and/or download your latest 

tunes! 

Please visit www.baybuzz.org 

and go to Musician's Profile and 

fill out the questions and then hit 

SEND. It's that easy! 

Each month Bay Buzz will 

choose a band at random and 

showcase them on our Home 

Page and of course in BUZZ 

Magazine.

BUZZ FEST: 

The Building of a Festival 

Local music celebrations can bring the community 

together, draw out fans and generate an exciting vibe. 

With festivals there always come challenges; and Buzz 

Fest 2017 which took place at Gators Café & Saloon 

on March 5th was no exception. A domino effect of 

difficulties presented to us, but we persevered through 

all of it and managed to put together a successful and 

fun Buzz Fest! 

Our first test was given to us by no less than the hand 

of God. Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Nicole had 

hit the sunshine state and both caused damage to the 

docks at Gators Café, causing them to be unsafe. 

Because of the repairs that were needed, Gators decided 

to renovate other items in their bar while the repairs 

were being made. This caused them to have to either 

move original date that Buzz Fest was to be held on or 

to have no festival at all. 

The decision was difficult because we already had all 

the bands in place, vendors on board, flyers made up 

and tickets being sold. What do we do? I asked my 

partner, and she said we should move the date, so 

move the date we did! 

One of the hardest things I have ever had to do was go 

back to all of the bands and explain what happened, 

with hopes that they understood that this obstacle was 

out of our control. Fortunately, the bands understood 

and we moved the date, refunded tickets, made new 

flyers and everything seemed to be back on track. 

musicians and their instruments came first, and that 

meant that we again had no choice. 

This time, telling the bands scared the hell out of me. 

How could this be happening again? I wanted to run to 

a corner and hide. These bands are going to not like me or Bay 

Buzz Music anymore! Most of the bands did understand. 

While some had to back out of the festival because they 

were not available on the newest date, we were fortunate 

enough to be able to find other bands who were 

eager to perform! 

The new date was set! Flyers again were made, tickets 

were being sold, and everything was going smoothly 

for a change. Once again the Bay Buzz team visited 

Gators in late February to check on the construction 

progress. This time we were happy because the bar and 

restaurant looked amazing and it was ready for us to 

hold our festival! 

The weekend of the festival came with “breezy” weather 

conditions. Breezy is an understatement when your 

venue sits on the water; but as the saying goes, the 

show must go on, so we did our best to make it work! 

Fans didn’t let their favorite local music bands down; 

they came out for the great time! Musicians showed 

professionalism and excitement; and performed with 

great energy. Even though at times the wind showed its 

fury, it was a wonderful festival! 

As the date of the festival loomed, the Bay Buzz team 

visited Gators to check on the progress of the construction. 

We were surprised and disappointed to discover 

that even though repairs were in progress, Gators 

was a victim of more damage than first realized. When 

crews began working on one problem, they discovered 

more problems that were attributed not only to the age 

of the building (Gators was built in 1940), but also the 

fact that it sits on the edge of the salty intracoastal 

waters and under the extreme heat of the Florida sun. 

The unfortunate effect of all of this was that a lot of 

space at Gators was still unusable. There were construction 

guys coming and going, cords on the floor, 

and temporary walls had been up to direct public 

traffic. I closed my eyes, shook my head, and part of my 

heart seeped into my stomach. “We’re going to have to 

move the date again.” I hated it. So did the Bay Buzz 

team. But the safety of the audience, the fans, the 

Bay Buzz Music would like to thank all the bands, the 

volunteers, and the staff at Gators for all the hard work, 

perseverance and professionalism. We could not have 

pulled off a great festival like this without you! 

With every festival, you learn what works and what 

doesn’t work; and we strive to make each year better 

than the last before. With that in mind, we’re already 

planning next year’s festival. What would you like to 

see? 


Laura Shepherd & Lucy Flute 



AMERICAN 

SONG BOX 

BLACK SUN 

CIRCUS 

PORKUPINE 



TROPICAL DISTURBANCE 




HOLEY MISS MOLEY

KAYLA KORPICS 

Thank you to all the bands who performed at this year’s Buzz Fest! 

Laura Shepherd & Lucy Flute 

JD & Zetha Lewis 

Daisy & The Drivers 

Black Sun Circus 

Steve Vacklavik 

JCT 27 

American Song Box 

Tropical Disturbance 

Porkupine 

Kayla Korpics & Ricky Robie 

Holey Miss Moley

Not so with Leonid & Friends; their mission is 

simple: fidelity to the original essence and the 

original sound. As such, I’m pleased to point out 

the Vorobyev spent what must have been countless 

hours painstakingly transcribing each of the 

parts from every song they perform. His accuracy 

is astonishing; for each player in the band executes 

what is essentially a note for note re-creation 

of the original studio album parts. If you are a long 

time and devoted fan, you will hear the utter craftsmanship 

in each and every part; you will recognize 

every signature riff, you will delight in breathtakingly 

accurate vocal parts. 

By Phil Traynor 

I haven’t been this happy about an album in a 

VERY long time. Leonid Vorobyev and his 

mighty intrepid band of friends have released 

what is perhaps the best tribute album in the 

history of rock and roll. Superlative? Perhaps. 

But I wouldn’t toss about such a platitude lightly. 

In short, if you’re a fan of Chicago; you’re going 

to believe me when you hear this record. 

Most of the players hail from the Moscow area, 

others are from Kiev, in the Ukraine. They collaborate 

both physically and virtually in producing 

the most faithful and accurate covers of 

classic Chicago hits you are likely to hear. And 

you know what? Right now, in 2017, Leonid and 

Friends is performing Chicago tunes better than 

the real Chicago is performing them. Why do I 

say that? Well, it’s simple; the real Chicago has 

changed lineup pretty substantially over the 

years, through various means, and the new 

members have been contributing their own voices 

to the collective sound. And while they are all 

indeed world class, that collective influence has 

moved Chicago away from the sound that made 

them great. 

One place where the Friends deviate from stock 

just slightly in their sound is the one place where 

they have the least potential control; their accents. 

Clearly, everyone in the ensemble is an English 

speaker, or else they would not be able to sing 

these complex pieces so well. That said, their 

Russian accents creep through in many cases, but 

you know what? I find those accents incredibly 

charming. It is their way of making the performances 

uniquely their own, and it is clear that each and 

every member brings their love for and passion 

about Chicago’s music to their take on these timeless 

hits. I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

MAKE ME SMILE 

This one is actually my favorite cut on the album, 

and was my first exposure to the group. I love the 

split vocal duties between Vorobyev, who might be 

your tax accountant to look at him, and Vasily 

Akimov, whose more rugged countenance would 

fit in easily with any heavy metal band in the world. 

His gravelly tenor is a joy. The brass section 

OWNS this piece as well, with a micrometered 

solo section and taut crispness throughout the 

piece. Vorobyev plays the piano here, but is the 

bassist on most of the rest of the tracks. 

25 OR 6 TO 4 

Highlights of this energetic track are the soaring 

lead vocal of Kiev, Ukraine-based guitarist and 

singer Serge Tiagniryadno, and the note for note 

extended guitar solo from Sergey Kashirin, who on 

all these tracks looks like he’s having WAY too 

much fun, his joy is infectious. 


WISHING YOU WERE HERE 

This track shows the fearlessness of the band; this 

is a difficult chart to get right, and no effort is 

spared. Highlights here are the acoustic guitar 

work and the AMAZING backup harmonies; with 

added members Vladimir Popov (who adds flute to 

other tracks as well) and the truly luminous Ksenona. 

Special props to Vorobyev for nailing the 

difficult bass lick in the middle of the second verse! 

Lead vocals again split between Vorobyev and 

Akimov, to great effect. 

SATURDAY IN THE PARK 

Guitarist Sergey Kashirin is tapped for the lead 

vocal on this one, and he delivers an exuberant 

and playful performance. The inherent goodness 

of this track is best described by the fact that they 

got the groove right; this is a very specific pocket, 

and one in which it is difficult to land, and indeed 

the group lands it perfectly. A slight arranging twist 

on the ending from the original; a little callout to the 

Beatles, and it totally works. 

WHAT’S THIS WORLD COMING TO? 

Vocals on this indelibly funky track bounce between 

Kashirin, Akimov, and Serge Tiagniryadno. 

Incredible energy, and did I mention FUNK?? I 

need to mention drummer Igor Javad-Zade here. 

The aforementioned funk groove is largely his 

doing on this track, and he is a mighty, stalwart 

presence on every track. His rudiments are meticulous, 

and he is clearly a student of this music, 

because his playing serves it at the highest levels. 

A big shout out goes to keyboard player Vlad 

Senchillo here as well; he rips out a scorching 

organ solo that drives the piece hard. 

BRAND NEW LOVE AFFAIR (PARTS 1 AND 2) 

Vorobyev is back on keys and lead vocal on part 1 

this piece. Vorobyev’s gentle baritone is pleasing 

and perfectly suited to this soulful section of the 

tune. As it shifts to the more bombastic part 2; 

Vasily Akimov’s guttural power takes the lead. I 

love this guy’s voice, and his presence. As before, 

it’s a great pairing. Shout out to bassist Dmitry 

Maximov. 

DOES ANYBODY REALLY KNOW WHAT TIME 

IT IS? 

This familiar favorite is rendered faithfully by 

Sergey Kashirin on lead vocals, and the brass 

section (Alexey Batychenko on trumpet, Alexander 

Michurin on trombone and Konstantin Gorshkov 

on tenor sax) speaks with breathtaking clarity. 

One of my favorite Chicago songs is brought to life 

with boundless energy. They even had the spoken 

word breaking into the 3rd verse courtesy of Robby 

Hicks (billed as “Phone a Friend”)! 

WOMAN DON’T WANT TO LOVE ME 

Another trip DEEP into Funkytown with the sounds 

of clavinet, wah-wah guitar and blistering brass 

hits. Serge Tiagniryadno once again glides 

through the stratosphere vocally. Dmitry Maximov 

on bass again, he has intricate and complex chops 

and a fantastic groove. Really cool enveloped 

guitar solo from Sergey Kashirin. Odd meter craziness 

is absolutely planted. 

COLOR MY WORLD 

I thought this was an unusual cut to include on an 

album like this because of the original’s spare and 

sparse arrangement; but Vorobyev has a spectacular 

surprise in store:–a charming full brass section 

arrangement, and a luscious, romantic, 

obscenely beautiful orchestration that in fact 

choked me up at its climax. Leonid Vorobyev is a 

truly gifted arranger, and his embellishment of this 

piece is nothing but glorious addition; it takes the 

relentless accuracy a step further and adds originality 

and beauty that did not previously exist. 

Vladimir Popov’s flute is smooth and glorious. 

HOT STREETS 

This underrated and complex piece seems to be a 

place of special comfort for Vorobyev and his 

crew; the odd meters and syncopation pass with 

casual elegance and calculated precision. Popov’s 

flute solo is frenetic and atmospheric. The brass 

gets a superb break in the middle and Igor Javad- 

Zade’s drums are a special treat on this track. 

OLD DAYS 

What a way to close this amazing album out. We 

get one more taste of the towering vocal of Serge 


Tiagniryadno, the signature brass break, a full 

string section that made my breath catch in my 

throat when they entered (big shout out to members 

of the Caro-Bass Orchestra, and Chamber 

Orchestra Kremlin), tight and silky vocal harmonies, 

and the sheer beauty of hearing this tune 

brought once again to light by musicians of the 

highest order. 

 

CHICAGOVICH is an absolute triumph. Leonid 

Vorobyev and the group of people he assembled 

have given the world a work of breathless beauty, 

incendiary power, and a powerful nostalgic trigger 

that will make any fan of Chicago ecstatic, and 

fans of most any genre excited to hear such a 

pitch-perfect tribute. It is important to note the love 

with which this album is executed; there are really 

no boundaries in the world. Music transcends 

borders, political and social ideologies, and geographies. 

I’m proud to live in a world that has Leonid 

Vorobyev and Friends in it. 

Buy this great album here!

The Hamiltones 

Interview with Jim Hamilton 

By Fred Fulford 

The Hamiltones is a good Time Rock-A-Silly, 

Swang Like, Bluesy Floozy Fun! Music you can 

sink your teeth into! Or, you can gum it to 

death....the choice is yours...depending on 

your dental plan! 

BB: Hey Jim, are you originally from the 

Tampa Bay area? 

JH: Born and raised! 

JH: Really good! He's been practicing with us 

and is going to make an appearance at the 

Sacred Heart Spring Festival with our band. He 

plays like a bat outta hell. He's also been trying 

to teach me (eyes roll) constantly showing me 

what I've been doing wrong all these years. And 

he's right, damnit! 

BB: Is there anyone else in your family that 

carries the music tradition? 

JH: My mom played the organ. My dad played 

the trumpet and bugle during World War II. He 

also played around with the harmonical a bit. 

Dad is now going on 93 years old and still likes 

BB: How did you get started in music? 

JH: I started as a drummer when I was six years 

old. I played recitals adn general stuff like that. 

After high school I bought a bass guitar and got 

into a Roots-Rock type of band and it carried on 

from there. 

BB: Were you and Ritch Michael playing 

together after high school? 

JH: We played in a band called Likewise 

together from 1987 to 1989. Wolf Schueber, 

Ritch and I hooked up in 1996 and played in 

several bands together. 'Telegraph Road' from 

1996 until 2002. 'Wolfpack' from 2004 until 

2006, just to name a couple. In 2009 the three 

of us got together and formed "The Hamiltones". 

to playa tune on the "old mouth harp" now and 

then. Jimmie, my son, picked up a little from 

them and I picked up none of it. I just had to go 

with it on my own. 

BB: Your son, Jimmie, also plays. How is he 

doing? 


BB: The Hamiltones are always out 

performing. Do you have anything special 

coming up? 

JH: Oh yea! The Sacred Heart Spring Festival is 

on the calendar. That's always fun. Then this 

summer we are hoping to finally get into the 

recording studio and put out a CD. We've got 

nine original songs and probably will throw in a 

couple oldies we like - some 1938 stuff. 

The challenge has always been for the time and 

cash to come together at the same moment to 

make it work. It's really about getting something 

on a record before we die. 

Be sure to catch their upcoming show at The 

Sacred Heart Spring Festival on March 31st. 

They will be performing on the East stage 

corner of 0th Avenue and 46th Street. The 

music starts at 6pm. 

Visit The Hamiltones on 

ReverNation: 

www.reverbnation.com/thehamiltones 

BB: Why? You've got plans to die soon? 

JH: Ha! No ...no plans, not really. If something 

good comes along I'm always loooking for a 

sweet deal. You know, something quick and 

painless is always a bargain. 

BB: How is The Hamiltone's progress to 

success? 

JH: We aren't a full time band. Wolf, Ritch and I 

have families and a life outside of the band. 

Every gig is an event and always a good time. It 

puts a few extra bucks in our pockets and we 

really enjoy what we do or else we wouldn't do 

it. We keep getting calls from new places asking 

us to come and perform. That's aways a good 

thing! We're just going to keep going and have 

some fun. 


The Hamiltones 

Live Concert Review 

By Fred Fulford 

On January 29 th I had the pleasure of 

seeing one of my all time favorite local 

bands, The Hamiltones, at the Ka’ Tiki 

Beach Bar on Sunset Beach. Front man 

Jim Hamilton was at the wheel, boogieing 

the bass and leading vocals. Ritch Michael 

was keeping the beat on drums and backup 

vocals while Wolf Schueder was strokin’ 

the lead guitar like a velvet hammer. They 

have their own brand of “feel REALLY 

good” music they call “Rock-a-Silly.” With 

their staples of ZZ Top and Stevie Ray 

Vaughan they also play some great, off the 

wall stuff from The Red Elvises and The 

Reverend Horton Heat. These rare bands 

mix roots rock, rockabilly and Texas swing 

with a Spike Jones attitude. 

The first thing I noticed was the large 

Gretsch geetar while Ritchie kept the beat 

and Jim knocked out the verses. 

By the third song of the first set it was 

standing room only. The crowd was rowdy 

and happy, applause and whistles roared 

out like B.B. King just strummed the intro 

to “The Thrill Is Gone.” They continued on 

with some of their own original music, “Killer 

Klowns,” “Big Orange Guitar,” then a 

crowd favorite “Baby I’m Drunk” by The 

Reverend Horton Heat. The wanna be 

swing dancers hit the floor and that was all 

she wrote, the place turned into the dancers 

party scene from Dirty Dancing. 

The Hamiltones are definitely a local band 

you have to see. Look for their gigs on 

Facebook. I know they will be playing at 

the Sacred Heart Festival in Pinellas Park, 

FL on March 31 st . Show up, get a few cold 

ones in ya and have a “Rock-a-Silly” great 

time! 

crowd of people there. When The Hamiltones 

hit the somewhat small stage, they lit 

the place up… and more people came in. 

When you hear them banging out ZZ Top’s 

“I Got the Six” from the street, you have to 

check out what the hell is going on! They 

ripped into SRV’s “Look at Little Sister” and 

Wolf killed the blues solo on his big, orange 


WRITE FOR BUZZ 

MAGAZINE 

We are currently looking for music 

lovers who want to write about the 

local music scene in Tampa Bay. 

This is an excellent opportunity to 

expose your creativity and knowledge 

in any area of the music scene 

here in our community. 

Topics may include (but not limited 

to): 

●CD Reviews 

●Live Music Reviews 

●Interviews with Musicians, venues 

that support local music 

●Coverage of music festivals 

●Local Dining 

●Art 

●Articles on Instruments 

We ask that you submit a sample of 

your work on any of the topics mentioned. 

Please create your article in a word 

processor such as Microsoft Word. 

Articles must be between 500 and 

2000 words. 

Please submit the article to 

info@baybuzz.org 

We will review the article and get in 

touch with you. 

Please include your name, county 

that you reside in, telephone number 

and email address.

38 BUZZ MAGAZINE_MARCH/APRIL 2017 

When the national music scene became entranced 

by the sounds of the "British Invasion" in the mid- 

1960's, the Tampa Bay area music scene fired back 

with an explosion of bands themselves. In all 

actuality, the 1960's could arguably be considered 

the golden age of the Tampa Bay music scene. After 

all, it was the 2nd largest boom of the Tampa Bay 

music scene, the largest boom occurring roughly 20 

years later during the mid-1980's - mid-1990's. 

There were several contributing factors that lead to 

the “boom” of the music scene during the 1960's. 

One of those factors was a hugely successful concert 

series that was started in Clearwater called the "Star 

Spectacular." The “Star Spectacular” became a 

monthly (and occasionally weekly) concert series, 

showcasing both national acts and local Tampa Bay 

acts as well. The event was originally conceived and 

organized by music legend Paul Cochran in 

conjunction with WLCY Radio and the Clearwater 

Recreation Department. The first “Star Spectacular” 

concert was held on Wednesday, August 16th, 1961 

at the Clearwater Municipal Auditorium. The 

headliners for the show were Dion, Bobby Vee, Jack 

Scott, Jo Ann Campbell and Curtis Lee. Following the 

success of this show, plans were immediately made 

for future shows. Many local Tampa Bay bands 

would get their start at the “Star Spectacular” 

including Terry & The Pirates, The Fabulous Rockers, 

The Impacs, Rodney & The Mystics, The Roemans, 

The Tropics, Vic Waters & The Entertainers, The 

Tempests, and several others. 

Another contributing factor that lead to the boom 

was a music venue located in Madeira Beach 

called The Surfer’s Club. Owned and operated by 

Margie & Dick Sexton, The Surfers Club became the 

launching pad for countless bands in the area who 

would eventually move onto bigger and better things 

both locally & nationally. 

One of the bands who got their start at The Surfer's 

Club was The Tropics, who were managed by Margie 

& Dick Sexton. The Tropics were formed in Tampa 

by Buddy Pendergrass as a seven piece horn band 

which included Wayne Guida on trumpet, Ronnie 

Ferer on tenor sax and Spencer Hinkle on drums. 

After taken under the wing of Margie & Dick Sexton, 

they convinced the band to drop the horns, change 

the line-up, and go for a more modern Rock n’ Roll 

sound. The new Tropics lineup would include Buddy 

Pendergrass on guitar & keys, Eric Turner on guitar 

& vocals, Mel Dryer on lead vocals, Charlie Souza on 

bass, and Bobby Shea on drums. The Tropics not 

only become the house band at The Surfer’s Club, 

but quickly started touring all over Florida. The 

Tropics biggest break happened on July 30th, 1966 

when they beat over 441 other bands from around 

the country by winning the “International Battle of 

the Bands” competition that took place in Chicago

Illinois. The Tropics victory landed the band a 

recording contract with Columbia Records. 

Another popular band at the time was a St. 

Petersburg band called The Tempests. At the time 

the band formed in 1963, the members were only 

13 years old. The original band members included 

Tommy Angarano on lead vocals, Charlie Bailey on 

lead guitar, Doug Palmer on rhythm guitar, Bobby 

Allen on drums, and Bill Hickman on bass. 

Another popular band in the area at the time was 

Providence Records artists, The Soul Trippers. 

Originally formed in 1964 as The Outsiders, the 

band changed their name to The Soul Trippers after 

signing with Providence Records in 1966. Much like 

what happened to Elvis Presley in the 1950's, The 

Soul Trippers had one of their songs pulled from 

several local and national radio stations after it was 

discovered that the band consisted of 5 white men 

instead of 5 black men, even though the single sold 

20,000 copies. 

Other notable Tampa Bay acts of the 1960's 

included The Rovin' Flames, The Surprize, Blues 

Image, The Blues Cycle, The Night Beats, and 

countless others. 

Tampa Bay bands were receiving Nation-wide 

attention on television as well. On December 11th, 

1965, Tampa Bay bands The Tropics, The Outsiders, 

and Those Five appeared on the traveling music 

variety tv show, "Where The Action Is", hosted by 

Dick Clark. The show was filmed at the Bayfront 

Center Arena in St. Petersburg. 

One of the biggest news events that took place in 

the 1960's Tampa Bay music scene didn't involve 

the Rock n’ Roll genre, it involved the classical 

music genre. On November 23rd, 1966, The St. 

Petersburg Symphony and the Tampa Philharmonic 

agreed to merge and form the Florida Gulf Coast 

Symphony. In symbolic show of unification, 

representatives from both the St. Petersburg 

Symphony and the Tampa Philharmonic traveled 

by boat to the center of Tampa Bay, where they 

married the two institutions in a symbolic union. 

The new, unified Florida Gulf Coast Symphony 

would have its first session two years later on 

November 14th, 1968. 43-year-old Irwin Hoffman 

was the music director. 

The 1970's had ushered in a new style of rock n' roll 

both nationally and locally. Due to this, most of the 

bands that had gained prominence in Tampa Bay 

area during the 1960's eventually disbanded by the 

time the 70's had arrived. However, the 1970's 

would see its fair share of popular Tampa Bay 

bands as well. Bands like Southern Mother Trucking 

Company, The Hats, Rich Rag$, and The Sugar 

Beats all had a huge fan base. Another popular 

Tampa Bay band during this time was called Koco, 

a band that featured a young bass guitar player 

who would later be known to the world as Hulk 

Hogan. As big as the previously mentioned bands 

were though, none of them seamed to become 

quite as well known as The Outlaws... arguably one 

of the biggest bands to come out of Tampa Bay 

during this time. 

The late 1970's had also seen the birth of a hard 

rock band called Avatar as well. However, Due to 

legal reasons, Avatar would eventually change their 

name. The new band name that Avatar would settle 

on as Savatage... and they would eventually go on 

to take the Tampa Bay area by storm in the 1980's. 

The Tropics 

Photo courtesy of The Tampa Bay Music Scene Historical Society

40 BUZZ MAGAZINE_MARCH/APRIL 2017 

From 

Mouse’s Kitchen

· Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

· Score the ham into a criss-cross pattern. Insert whole 

cloves into the corners of the criss-cross sections. Place 

the ham cut side down into a baking dish or a disposable 

tin foil pan. 

· To make the glaze, mix 1 cup of the brown sugar and mustard 

together to form a thick paste and smear it all over 

the ham. If you like it sweeter, use 2 cups of brown sugar. 

· Drain the can of sliced pineapple, save the juice. Pin the 

pineapple rings to the ham using toothpicks. 

· If using fresh cherries, slice the cherry in half and remove 

the seed and the stem. Pin the halved cherries to the ham 

using toothpicks. 

· Mix the juice from the sliced pineapples and the can of coca 

cola and pour over and around the ham. Loosely cover 

the ham with aluminum foil. You’ll need it lose so you can 

remove it to baste the ham during cooking. Baste every 

30 minutes. 

· Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 18 minutes 

per pound if you are using fruit on your 

ham. Your cook time should be 2 hrs and 30 

minutes. (If no fruit, it’ll be approximately 15 

minutes per pound. Minutes per pound may vary 

on ham brands so be sure to read the instructions 

first.) Remove aluminum foil and bake for 

an additional 10 minutes to brown the ham. 

NOTE: Using an instant read thermometer, the center 

of the ham should be approximately 140 degrees 

when done. 

· Once the ham is done, remove and put on a cutting 

board for proper carving. To make the ham 

sauce, transfer the ham juices to a pan and bring 

to a boil. Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter to 

add richness and let it reduce and thicken slightly. 

If you desire a thicker sauce, you can use 

*flour. Be sure to whisk the flour in water and 

blend it thoroughly before adding it to the ham 

sauce.

1 ½ to 2 lbs of baby carrots 

1 ½ tsp salt 

4 tbsp butter 

4 tbsp honey 

3 tbsp dark brown sugar, packed 

Juice of ½ a lemon 

Salt and Pepper to taste 

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (Optional) 

· Rinse baby carrots and put them in a saucepan. 

Cover carrots with water and add 1 ½ tsp’s of salt 

and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, 

cover, and continue cooking for approximately 15 

minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside. 

· Melt butter, then sauté honey and brown sugar, 

stirring continuously until sugar is dissolved. 

· Add lemon juice and gently stir in carrots. Be sure 

to coat the carrots well with the sauce. 

· Garnish with chopped parsley and chives. 

· Add salt and pepper to taste.

· Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 3 quart 

shallow baking dish with aluminum foil for easy 

clean up. 

· Sauté celery and onion in melted butter until tender. 

Stir in the broth, apples, cranberries, and 

sliced almonds, bring to a boil. Then remove the 

saucepan from the heat. 

· Add the stuffing and mix lightly with a fork. 

Spoon the stuffing mixture into the lined baking 

dish. 

· Bake for 35 minutes or until the stuffing mixture 

is hot.

· Drain cans of corn and put into a sizable baking 

dish. 

· Melt butter and sauté diced red and green peppers 

until softened. Add milk and cream cheese, 

stirring continuously until melted. Add diced jalapeno's, 

fresh parsley, and chives to the mixture. 

· Pour cream cheese mixture into the corn baking 

dish and mix well. Bake for 20 minutes or until 

warm and creamy, stir occasionally. 

· Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mick Jagger sang, “You can’t 

always get what you want. But if 

you try sometimes - you just 

might find: You Get What You 

Need.” 

It was fifty years ago when I picked 

up my best friends’s six string guitar 

and learned to strum an A, an E and 

a D progression and yodeled out the 

words to CCR’s Bad Moon Rising. 

(My first song and I still play it today.) 

I was sure right then that what I 

really wanted to do was entertain 

people. The spotlight, if only for a 

moment, was what I wanted to be in. 

But life occurs, goals and directions 

change and one day we wake up ten 

years down the road and the dream 

has dimmed a bit and hope has 

diminished. Yet, that little taste of 

the day you sang at the backyard 

BBQ keeps nagging your conscience. 

“...see what you missed” it 

whisphers. But reality sets in and 

you’re in your sixties - a closet hippie 

and maybe we just don’t have it 

anymore. Or maybe we really never 

tried hard enough. Suddenly, the 

voice of Mick Jagger comes back to 

you.... “If you try sometimes....”. 

Maybe we need to try again! 

Last June, I was looking for 

something to do with my life. At 62 

years old, I took an early retirement 

and found myself with a lot of time 

on my hands. Yes, I still needed to 

work, but now I also had ‘my time’. 

Divorced, kids moved out and 

nobody to hang out, I was that 

scared little kid again...but with a 

wrinkled forehead. Boredom got to 

me. Even though I was in total fear 

of rejection, I dragged myself to an 

open mic Downtown, St. Petersburg. 

I had a blast! 

There is a thriving entertainment 

district in the mid town section on 

Central Avenue. I began to go to 

Punky’s for Monday Open Mic, 

hosted by Delaren Withers. I also 

attend the Wedndesday night jam at 

Cage Brewing which is hosted by 

Barry Ertel. On Thursday nights you 

can find me at The Queens Head 

with Steve Isaac and so on. 

Experince is a great teacher. And 

practice makes perfect. However, I 

found my ability was limited. I had 

figured out many songs and the 

progressions to those and my 

confidence was better. But I wasn’t 

feeling like I was growing - just 

getting better at what I already knew. 

I wanted to make the leap to the next 

level. 

St. Petersburg College has a music 

education program that gives artists, 

musicians, singers, producers and 

others in the music industry field 

instructions for whatever level of 

experience a person aspires to. 

MIRA: the Music Industry and 

Recording Arts program has 

specialized areas of study. They also 

offer an Associate of Arts 

preparation course for those wanting 

to obtain a Bachelors degree in 

music. 

I started taking classes there last fall 

and it has turned into a fantastic 

opportunity to learn music theory, 

explore many possibilities and meet 

(and mix) with other students who 

are seeking the same thing as I am: a 

chance to perform live for the joy of 

music. 

Quick Tips 

For a Stress 

Free Life… 

SHARE BEAUTIFL THINGS! 

Write down deligfhtful moments 

you notice today! This quick 

exercise can enhance happiness 

for a long time! 

LET GO OF YESTERDAY 

Forget the person you were in 

high school or college and who 

you might like to be tomorrow. 

Embrace who are are today! 

GO TO A CONCERT 

Listening to music with friends 

can reduce stress. One possible 

reason: Toe Tapping, head 

bobbing and singing, all which 

happens with out planning to do , 

leads to feelings of togetherness, 

which contribute to feelings of 

happiness. 

LAUGH MORE 

Before you go to bed, think of 

funny things that happened during 

your day. Doing this can boost 

your happiness for almost half a 

year. 

GROW WORTHY FEELINGS 

A nice desk plant, a small 

arrangement of flowers or even a 

screen saver of kittens may have 

the power to improve your mood. 

DREAM SWEETER 

Lavendar oil on pluse points and 

under your nose increases your 

level of a deep sleep. It can even 

boost your energy for the next 

day. 


10) The people who decide on what music is played on the elevator fell asleep 

at your show. 

9) The last song you wrote together was covered by Mantovani. 

8) The Yeehaw Junction Left Nostril Inhaler Convention had more attendees 

than your last show. 

7) After your 2 nd gig, VH1 does a “Where are they now?” Retrospective. 

6) Your band groupies start dating each other instead of you. 

5) “Creative differences” start to involve power tools. 

4) Somebody painted over the “Property of” message on your gear case to 

“Who Cares?” 

3) Your lead singer starts showing up for gigs in the middle of the 3 rd set. 

2) Your biggest song gets licensed for a diaper commercial. 

1) Your lead guitarist starts dating your drummer’s wife.

Call Us! 

727-422-2427 

727-320-2424 

Email Us! 

info@baybuzz.org 

sales@baybuzz.org 

Bay Buzz Music, Inc.

MARCH-APRIL 2017

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?