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JULY AUGUST 2017 BUZZ Magazine

Happy 4th of July! We had an exciting last two months discovering how music is used as a force for healing and good times. We attended events, lots of CD reviews, and so much more!

Happy 4th of July! We had an exciting last two months discovering how music is used as a force for healing and good times. We attended events, lots of CD reviews, and so much more!

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<strong>JULY</strong>/<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

<strong>Magazine</strong><br />

A PUBLICATION OF BAY <strong>BUZZ</strong> MUSIC, INC.<br />

Healing<br />

Through<br />

Music<br />

Rocks The Cure @<br />

Jannus Live<br />

Orange<br />

Blossom<br />

Jamboree<br />

Alex<br />

Wald


2 <strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong>


<strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 3


4 <strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong>


<strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 5


6 <strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong>


INTERVIEWS BY PAMELA WILLS<br />

PHOTOS BY COLIN WARDS<br />

ARTICLE BY CONSTANCE HILTON<br />

BY PHIL TRAYNOR<br />

BY COLIN WARD<br />

PHOTOS BY PAMELA WILLS<br />

ARTICLE BY CONSTANCE HILTON<br />

BY COLIN WARD<br />

BY COLIN WARD<br />

BY ANDREA JAMES<br />

PHOTOS BY ANDREA JAMES<br />

BY CONSTANCE HILTON<br />

BY ANDREA JAMES<br />

PHOTOS BY ANDREA JAMES<br />

BY CONSTANCE HILTON<br />

PHOTOS BY PAMELA WILLS<br />

<strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 7


Letter From The Publisher<br />

Dear Readers,<br />

YOUR CONNECTION TO<br />

LOCAL TAMPA BAY MUSIC<br />

Welcome to the 12th issue of <strong>BUZZ</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>. We<br />

are very excited as we are getting more and more<br />

involved with the community every day!<br />

In our last issue we told you about the musicians who<br />

performed at The Safety Harbor Song Fest and this<br />

month we are giving you an glimpse at one of the<br />

great acts that played there; The Accidentals and their CD “Parking Lot”. The<br />

SHSF was a very fun event and a great opportunity for us! So to keep up with<br />

what we love to do, we found even more events to check out and tell you about.<br />

This month you’ll read about Rocks The Cure, a concert and fund raiser for a<br />

charity that raises funds for pediatric cancer; and Orange Blossom Jamboree, a<br />

four day live music festival in Brooksville. Plus, we are giving you a nice selection<br />

of CD reviews of some Tampa Bay artists.<br />

On a personal note, I’d like to say it’s been quite the journey from our very first<br />

issue that was published in April of 2016 to where we are now. We’d like to thank<br />

you, the community, for being a big part of our adventures. We hope you had a<br />

Happy 4th of July and spent it with family and friends while listening to local<br />

music.<br />

Constance<br />

Constance Hilton<br />

Publisher<br />

constance@baybuzz.org<br />

Click Here to Fill out our<br />

Survey!<br />

CORRECTION: While we always strive to bring you accurate news, we do need to inform<br />

you that we need to issue a couple of corrections to last month's story about Steve Galvin. In<br />

the article National Bike Month with Purple Machine’s very own Steve Galvin (published on<br />

May 1, <strong>2017</strong>), there are two corrections from contributing writer Selena M. Clingan. It was<br />

originally reported during this interview that Steve previously worked for Harley Davidson<br />

in Los Angeles. After reviewing digital recordings and speaking with Steve, we discovered<br />

that Steve actually worked for a dealership, Bartel’s Harley in Los Angeles. Additionally, it<br />

was originally reported that Steve had been playing guitar with Purple Machine for approximately<br />

10 years when in fact he has been with the band presently for about a year. We<br />

apologize for any confusion these errors may have caused.<br />

8 <strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong>


<strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 9


What’s Your Favorite<br />

Venue to Perform at?<br />

Bay Buzz Music asked musicians where they enjoy playing?<br />

Here is what we learned!<br />

Christopher Joel Pack<br />

658 Central Avenue<br />

St. Petersburg, FL 33701<br />

“There is something that always settles so perfectly when I am on<br />

stage at Fubar in St. Petersburg. I feel comfortable really letting<br />

loose. When I am dressed as a silly string-shooting dinosaur<br />

drumming for Nerds Raging, there's a pretty solid chance that you<br />

will see some really crazy things on stage that I could NEVER get<br />

away with anywhere else, and they always provide us with<br />

YooHoo. When Twisty Chris plays there, everyone in the venue<br />

joins in for a crazy Twist party and I can always count on the<br />

audience to catch me when I jump off the stage onto their heads.<br />

Oh, and they have air conditioning!” us. Sed vulputate. Morbi massa nunc, convallis a,<br />

commodo gravida, tincidunt sed, turpis. Aenean ornare viverra est. Maecenas lorem. Aenean euismod iaculis dui. Cum<br />

sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Nulla quam. Aenean fermentum,<br />

Scott Fletcher<br />

“Outdoors, Skippers Smokehouse in Tampa! Hands down.<br />

Actually not that hot performing there. Indoors I would say The<br />

Hideaway. Big reason being that people actually are there to see<br />

you and you're not just background music, plus they have the best<br />

sound system around.”<br />

us. Sed vulputate. Morbi massa nunc, convallis a, commodo gravida, tincidunt sed, turpis. Aenean ornare viverra<br />

est. Maecenas lorem. Aenean euismod iaculis dui. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes,<br />

910 Skipper Road<br />

Tampa, FL 33616<br />

1756 Central Avenue<br />

St. Petersburg,, FL 33712<br />

10 <strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong>


Robyn Alleman<br />

“The Ringside Cafe, in St. Petersburg. The a/c is always<br />

pumping, there are plenty of stalls in the restrooms, parking isn't<br />

a problem, nextdoor to Jannus (which can be a great audience<br />

feed), Mitch and his staff are great to work with, attentive sound<br />

16 2 nd Street North<br />

St. Petersburg, FL 33701<br />

11433 Park Blvd. North<br />

Seminole, FL 33772<br />

10 Bay Esplancide<br />

Clearwater, FL 33767<br />

Carl Vee<br />

guy.”n euismod iaculis dui. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur<br />

“The American<br />

Legion in<br />

Seminole. Great<br />

pool and tiki<br />

bar!”urpis. Aenean<br />

Harvey Myers<br />

“I like playing outside,<br />

I guess growing up<br />

near pier 60 made me<br />

that way. Favorite<br />

place is the Palm<br />

Pavilion in<br />

Clearwater, a place<br />

I've frequented since I<br />

was little.”<br />

5519 Shore Blvd. South<br />

Gulfport, FL 337107<br />

937 Douglas Avenue<br />

Dunedin, FL 34698<br />

Laura Shepherd<br />

“Little Tommies Tiki in<br />

Gulfport! On Wednesday<br />

nights, it’s like church!” s.<br />

Greg Morris<br />

“ I enjoy performing at<br />

The Dunedin<br />

Brewery and The Ale<br />

and the Witch. The<br />

patrons that go there<br />

go for good beer and<br />

good live music,<br />

always nice people.”<br />

111 2 nd Avenue NE<br />

St. Petersburg, FL 33701<br />

3063 Central Avenue<br />

St. Petersburg, FL 33713<br />

Randall Owen<br />

“My favorite is with DeLaran Withers at<br />

Punky's, in St. Petersburg on Magic<br />

Monday Open Mic. It has the best listeners.<br />

I also like Barry Ertel’s open mic on<br />

Wednesdays at Cage Brewing also in St.<br />

Petersburg, for the venue size and setup.<br />

Barry has it all.”<br />

2001 1 st Avenue South<br />

St. Petersburg, FL 33712<br />

<strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 11


Orange Blossom Jamboree<br />

By Andrea James<br />

Florida has many music<br />

festivals to offer, but<br />

one in particular holds<br />

a special place in my heart<br />

and it is fondly known as<br />

OBJ. This is short for<br />

Orange Blossom Jamboree,<br />

which held its eighth annual<br />

festival in May of <strong>2017</strong> at the<br />

Sertoma Youth Ranch.<br />

Located in the rolling hills of<br />

Brooksville, surrounded by orange trees, is<br />

the most wonderful, family-oriented music<br />

festival you will probably ever find. It quickly<br />

becomes an event that you countdown to<br />

every year. You smile giddily and do a happy<br />

dance in your car as pull up to the<br />

Sertoma sign that says, “Welcome to the<br />

Orange Blossom Jamboree”. My children<br />

are always in the backseat cheering and<br />

saying something along the lines of: “Can<br />

we just get out here and go find our<br />

friends?” I hate saying ‘no’ because I want<br />

to do the same thing! You know that you are<br />

in your happy place. Your friends are there,<br />

your festival family. You have a sense of<br />

peace because you know that nothing but<br />

love, music, and togetherness awaits you!<br />

Photos by Andrea James<br />

So, check in, set up camp,<br />

and get ready for four days<br />

of peace, love, and music!<br />

This year marked my<br />

third year attending OBJ<br />

and I must say it was even<br />

more magical than the previous<br />

years. Three stages<br />

were set up so that the music<br />

was flowing constantly.<br />

The two main stages near<br />

the vendors pumped out<br />

some of the main acts such as Come Back<br />

Alice, Thomas Wynn and the Believers, and<br />

the Heavy Pets. The Zombie stage played<br />

music until the wee hours featuring bands<br />

such as The Bathsalt Zombies, Future Vintage,<br />

and Joose. Take note: Do not miss the<br />

Zombie stage! It’s lit with black lights and<br />

decorated to the hilt with neon painted creatures<br />

and signs. This is the place to be once<br />

the Main Stage has shut down. With such a<br />

huge lineup this year, and so much to do,<br />

you truly had to make some tough decisions.<br />

Where do I go? Main stage? Zombie stage?<br />

Workshops? Food? Creek? Life is just so<br />

rough. I’ve learned that it’s best to make<br />

sure you don’t miss your favorite bands or<br />

workshops but in between, enjoy meandering<br />

around. Some of the best times are had<br />

when wandering aimlessly around at OBJ.<br />

You never know what you will find! Some<br />

examples from my experiences: paths<br />

through the woods lined entirely with glow<br />

sticks, campfire jams, drum circles, serenades<br />

from golf cart drivers, and meeting<br />

some pretty darn kind people. Everyone’s<br />

journey is different but most definitely unforgettable!<br />

12 <strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong>


dancing until the end of the set. There is so<br />

much more where that came from! OBJ had<br />

over fifty live bands this year. Four days,<br />

over fifty bands? You cannot beat that! Not<br />

to mention, you are supporting local musicians<br />

by attending. It’s incredibly important<br />

to them to get their music out there and get<br />

you groovin’! With an overall jam band feel<br />

to the festival, it’s not hard to do!<br />

I know that when going to a music<br />

festival you hope for a killer lineup. Well,<br />

don’t let the fact that the Orange Blossom<br />

Jamboree is a relatively small festival fool<br />

you into thinking that the lineup will be<br />

lame. If you attend OBJ, I can guarantee that<br />

you will see some of the best local musicians<br />

the state of Florida has to offer. It really<br />

amazes me how many people miss the talent<br />

that is right in their backyard! One of my<br />

favorite acts at this year’s OBJ was Joose.<br />

Joose is made up of six musicians from<br />

other local bands that have gotten together<br />

to create a unique, eclectic sound. The talent<br />

oozing from these guys is unreal! Self-described<br />

as “cinematic jazz fusion”, the band<br />

has a blend of jazz and funk that keeps you<br />

The Orange Blossom Jamboree has a<br />

lot to offer besides amazing music. You will<br />

not be bored. Trust me. With a playground<br />

for the children as well as a supervised activity<br />

area called Kid Row, sponsored by the<br />

Blueberry Patch, the kids will never be<br />

bored either! Also, new this year is a lounge<br />

area for teens that may feel they are too old<br />

Tony Tyler of Come Back Alice<br />

<strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 13


to hang with the kids. Something for everyone!<br />

There are rows of vendors selling<br />

anything from soap to tie dye to wooden<br />

flutes. Shopping is inevitable with these talented<br />

folks lined up. Then you’ve got the<br />

food. It’s hard to resist the smells coming<br />

from those food trucks! You can find something<br />

great to munch on no matter what<br />

your preferences. Vegan and vegetarian options<br />

are available. And tasty. Looking for<br />

an activity? There are great workshops offered<br />

by Rising Light, a non-profit made up<br />

of volunteers that brings interactive Playshops<br />

to the community! I attended a few of<br />

the workshops at OBJ and was not disappointed.<br />

The workshops are free and include<br />

things such as photography, yoga,<br />

jewelry making, an instrument “petting<br />

zoo”, and an edible plant walk. The information<br />

you gain is invaluable and the workshops<br />

are a blast! With so much going on<br />

you may need time out. If you feel the need<br />

to take a break the creek that runs through<br />

the ranch is the spot to be. The cool, shaded<br />

water provides just what you need to recuperate.<br />

Overall, this year’s Orange Blossom<br />

Jamboree was perfect. A blend of music,<br />

friends, education, good eats, and the outdoors<br />

that is impossible to resist! If you<br />

haven’t gone to this festival, please give it a<br />

try. The feeling you get when sitting there<br />

among the trees listening to live music with<br />

your friends is hard to describe. And one<br />

thing I know….at OBJ things are different.<br />

You are welcomed with open arms and free<br />

to be yourself. That’s what makes this festival<br />

unique. It’s a small, family-oriented<br />

gathering of like-minded people that know<br />

how to have a good time. The reason the<br />

Orange Blossom Jamboree has this feel is<br />

that it was begun with those things in mind.<br />

In 2009, Russ and Toby Bowers wanted to<br />

host a local music festival featuring only<br />

Florida bands that kept things small and<br />

that’s exactly what they did. Small crowd,<br />

huge music lineup. Mix it all up and you get<br />

that family feel year after year!<br />

If you are interested in attending the<br />

Orange Blossom Jamboree next year, the<br />

festival is planned for May 17-20 of 2018 at<br />

the Sertoma Youth Ranch in Brooksville,<br />

Florida. For more information visit<br />

www.orangeblossomjamboree.com .<br />

14 <strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong>


<strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 15


16 <strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong>


ROCKS THE CURE: HEALING WITH MUSIC<br />

By Pam Wills and Constance Hilton<br />

Photos by Colin Ward<br />

Rocks The Cure, a charity that uses music therapy to benefit<br />

pediatric cancer patients and their families, held a<br />

fundraising concert at downtown St. Petersburg’s Jannus<br />

Live on June 9th. Supporters turned out in droves to enjoy<br />

great music and to help this worthy cause.<br />

Ken Jewell, founder of Rocks The Cure and lead vocalist of the<br />

band The Outpatients, saw a way to help after the band<br />

performed at a charity event for breast cancer research. “We<br />

thought it was very cool that we were helping to raise money<br />

to fight cancer and we were doing it through music and having<br />

fun and we were doing it for a good cause.”, Jewell explains. “I<br />

knew I wanted to start an organization that fought cancer and<br />

after doing research of the different kinds of cancer it came to<br />

down to the kids.” Jewell further explained that pediatric<br />

cancer receives the least amount of funding for research;<br />

indeed only 4% of the total dollars raised for cancer research<br />

goes toward pediatric cancer.<br />

“Everyone in the band is very supportive of this cause and we<br />

like that we are the ‘music face’ of Rocks The Cure!”, Ken said<br />

as his band was preparing to headline the Jannus Live event<br />

after opening act Yacht Rock Revue.<br />

Rocks The Cure plans to host similar events every three to four<br />

months to raise awareness in many different communities.<br />

Families who need their services can contact Rocks The Cure<br />

directly through their website at https://rocksthecure.org/<br />

or their Facebook page at<br />

https://www.facebook.com/rocksthecure/<br />

Rocks the Cure is two years old and is already making a<br />

difference. With money raised through events like this one at<br />

Jannus Live, they have donated to pediatric cancer research<br />

concerns and have provided families with both financial assistance<br />

and the emotional support they need in difficult times.<br />

Says Jewell, “The community is amazing! Many people come<br />

to us as volunteers and a have lot of great ideas!”<br />

Even though Rocks The Cure doesn’t work side by side with<br />

any particular hospital, they are open to working with many.<br />

“We’ve been in touch with [Johns Hopkins] All Children’s<br />

Hospital and United Healthcare.” Jewell said.<br />

For Ken Jewell and the other members of The Outpatients,<br />

music is their passion. As such, they knew going in that the<br />

focus of the organization would be music therapy. “We offer<br />

group therapy and play music. Plus we sometimes have<br />

national acts come and play, such as Sister Hazel.”<br />

<strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 17


YACHT ROCK REVUE<br />

From Atlanta, Georgia, this seven<br />

piece band is cover band that plays<br />

music from the 70s and 80s. You<br />

will be sure to know every song<br />

they perform.<br />

“If you love Hall and Oats or even<br />

Stevie Nicks, you’re going to like<br />

us!” Nicholas Niespodziani tells us.<br />

When Rocks The Cure reached out<br />

to become the opening act at this<br />

fundraiser, they didn’t hesitate to<br />

say yes. After this event, they are<br />

on their way to Orlando to play at<br />

The House of Blues followed by<br />

shows in Alabama, North Dakota<br />

and Kentucky.<br />

enjoy their fun, entertaining performance. Take a<br />

moment to visit their website.<br />

http://yachtrockrevue.com<br />

They consider themselves to be on<br />

tour a lot, but they also spend a lot<br />

of time at home with their families.<br />

If you get a chance to catch one of<br />

their shows, you will be sure to<br />

18 <strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong>


<strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 19


CD REVIEW<br />

The Accidentals - Parking Lot (EP)<br />

By Phil Traynor<br />

The group’s 2016 EP Parking Lot is a brief but delightful<br />

collection of six original songs (plus a bonus reimagined<br />

reprise/remix of the title track) that showcases<br />

not only exceptional musicianship and innovation, but<br />

some truly inspired songwriting and arrangement skill.<br />

Savannah Buist and Katie Larson split the songwriting<br />

duties, and each has her own unique compositional<br />

voice. There is an intelligence, a passion, and an intensity<br />

to their writing that belies their tender ages. Both<br />

are graduates of the Interlochen Center for the Arts in<br />

Michigan (where they met), and that pedigree is clearly<br />

evident in the exquisite crafting of their songs. It also<br />

shows in the versatility of their instrumentation and<br />

the virtuosic levels with which they both play. Buist can<br />

be found playing violin, viola, electric and upright basses,<br />

mandolin, bowed banjo, and singing; while Larson<br />

plays cello, acoustic and electric guitars, and sings. The<br />

added presence of Michael Dause on guitar, backing<br />

vocals, and all things percussion gives the trio a full and<br />

formidable sound.<br />

Parking Lot – This Katie Larson-penned piece has a<br />

sparse, rhythmic lyric treatment, and relies on space to<br />

punctuate its pleading message. The lead vocal has a<br />

slight indie affectation that brought to mind the stylized<br />

sound of Anäis Mitchell, heady company to be<br />

sure. If you didn’t think orchestral instruments could<br />

rock; well, this song will most certainly convince you<br />

otherwise. Gritty but rich harmonies drive above a<br />

pressing, relentless groove of violin, viola, and cello.<br />

The Accidentals is an extraordinarily talented band<br />

that fearlessly vaults from genre to genre with reckless,<br />

joyful abandon. Straddling (in turns or all at once)<br />

contemporary folk, bluegrass, Americana, indie, and<br />

even disparate sounds like jazz and classical, The Accidentals<br />

mix all those ingredients together into a deliciously<br />

original sound that promises new interests<br />

lurking around every corner.<br />

Sixth Street – Sav Buist’s lyrical style is denser, more<br />

richly descriptive, with complex metaphor and subtle<br />

but powerful imagery. A dark and powerful sense of<br />

yearning flows through this aching and lovely piece.<br />

Buist’s vocal is a little bit lighter, slightly gentler than<br />

Larson’s. Both are superbly effective, and they blend<br />

with impeccable, tailored precision.<br />

Epitaphs (Buist) – Lurching suddenly into light and<br />

lilting acoustic indie-pop, Epitaphs harkens a young<br />

Sheryl Crow, and has one of the most interesting structural<br />

devices I’ve encountered in a while – a lyric-less<br />

chorus. The verses (or “A section”) all follow a particular<br />

structure, and then there’s a longer B section that<br />

serves as a pre-chorus that has a different progression<br />

and feel (as it should). Then comes the “chorus”, which<br />

is just a beautifully harmonized “oooh”, over the<br />

verse’s chord progression. It’s unexpected, and REALLY<br />

effective and catchy. Nice curveball.<br />

The End (Larson) – Bam, another mood! An affectionate,<br />

uptempo bluegrass-infused gypsy jazz bounce this<br />

time. The End seeks a returned call, and laments the<br />

passage of time during that endeavor. I was reminded<br />

of Les Paul and Mary Ford - not only in the delightful<br />

harmonies, but in the superb four-to-the-bar rhythm<br />

guitar. Buist’s athletic yet thoroughly accessible and<br />

melodic fiddle solo accents this pleasing (if abbreviated)<br />

jaunt.<br />

20 <strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong>


Turn the Wheel (Buist/Larson) – The only co-write in<br />

the collection; Turn the Wheel is a well forged alloy of<br />

the strengths of both writing approaches – some robust<br />

imagery, open spaces, applied rhythmic repetition,<br />

and a realistic stance combine to make for an<br />

engaging sonic journey. Lush strings give some needed<br />

contrasting weight. This feels like the “radio” song to<br />

me. It has broad appeal and a very strong hook.<br />

Michigan (Buist) – A gorgeous homage to their beautiful<br />

home state, Michigan jumps to Americana with a<br />

romantic 6/8 lilt, and some of the best vocal harmony<br />

on the record. The chorus’ clever yet utterly simple<br />

wordplay and beautiful harmonic treatment took my<br />

breath away. This is the high water mark on the album<br />

for me; it made me want to book a vacation there. In<br />

all seriousness, I hope they have sent this to Michigan’s<br />

state government, as this song is powerful<br />

enough to be an official state song; or at the very least,<br />

the theme for the<br />

state’s tourism bureau.<br />

Never have I<br />

heard a more<br />

beautiful piece<br />

about going home.<br />

Leaving the final<br />

cadence unresolved<br />

is a wry<br />

touch that I appreciate<br />

highly, and<br />

would have<br />

marked the perfect ending to this body of work; which<br />

brings me to…<br />

Parking Lot (remix) – If there is a flaw in this fine piece<br />

of craftsmanship, it’s the remixed title cut. The song’s<br />

message was well-served with the original treatment.<br />

Adding a rap (Rick Chyme) to an extended middle<br />

section came across as self-serving, and a little bit<br />

tacked-on. It felt like they were desperately trying to<br />

find a place to use Chyme’s admittedly considerable<br />

rapping talents, and stretched a song just to shoehorn<br />

him in; but for me it fell short of the mark. It jarred me<br />

out of the beautiful reverie that Michigan had created,<br />

and disrupted the otherwise fantastic flow of the album.<br />

It’s a “bonus track”; and I think they probably<br />

should have left this one in the studio.<br />

That minor foible aside, this album is a considerable<br />

accomplishment. It is packed with beauty and talent<br />

and musicianship from beginning to end. The Accidentals<br />

are not their name. They are most certainly deliberate,<br />

and they are absolutely wonderful. I can only<br />

imagine how powerful and enjoyable a live show of<br />

theirs must be. In any event, this EP is a must-add for<br />

your music collection; almost regardless of your particular<br />

taste. Because they span so many genres (each<br />

with equal dexterity), there is something for almost<br />

everyone.<br />

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go listen to Michigan.<br />

And again. And again.<br />

http://www.moreaccidentals.com<br />

<strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 21


CD REVIEW<br />

Swearingen and<br />

Kelli are about to<br />

release their second<br />

CD, “the marrying<br />

kind”, four<br />

years after their<br />

self-titled debut album.<br />

It’s been a<br />

long time coming<br />

and represents a<br />

lot of hard work<br />

and creativity.<br />

Jayne Kelli and AJ Swearingen met in St. Petersburg<br />

eight years ago and soon formed the duo that they<br />

named Swearingen and Kelli. After years of playing<br />

solo, there was unmistakable synergy when they sang<br />

together. Since then, they have matured into one of the<br />

best musical acts in North America. They have toured<br />

all over the USA and Canada to bring their music to<br />

sold-out audiences in theaters and listening rooms.<br />

They also have played their songs on stages with a full<br />

symphony orchestra as their backing “band”. So it is no<br />

surprise that their long awaited new CD is outstanding.<br />

There are twelve beautifully crafted songs on “the marrying<br />

kind”. The songs are all original with roughly half<br />

written by Kelli and half by Swearingen and at least one<br />

written together. The genre is folk with a bit of country<br />

stirred in – Americana perhaps. Swearingen and Kelli is<br />

heavily influenced by the folk artists of the seventies,<br />

plus they have some similarities to more current artists<br />

like The Civil Wars or Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.<br />

Both are incredible vocalists with voices that can move<br />

from soft and sweet to edgy all in the same song. A<br />

huge benefit of a duo is the ability to add the harmonies<br />

which are missing from a solo performance. Both Jayne<br />

and AJ sing perfect harmonies in a class with Simon and<br />

Garfunkel and the Everly Brothers. AJ is also an excellent<br />

guitarist and plays really interesting lap steel guitar<br />

licks on almost every song. Add Jayne’s smooth acoustic<br />

guitar and piano skills and you have dynamite.<br />

The CD opens with the title song, a piano-based ballad<br />

that describes an internal debate that many will relate<br />

to – am I “the marrying kind”? (the answer evidently<br />

was yes, since Swearingen and Kelli were married<br />

three years ago). The song is timeless and would be a<br />

fit in numerous modern TV shows. Then they switch<br />

gears and perform an upbeat wistful song about “Annalise”,<br />

sounding like a slightly countrified Simon and<br />

Garfunkel. “Don’t tell me that she’s gone” by AJ has<br />

an island feel – not reggae, but perhaps calypso.<br />

Lyrically, the album is heavily slanted towards introspection<br />

and relationships, past and present. A couple<br />

of songs however stray into different territory –<br />

“Let Your Freedom Ring” is one of those - a haunting,<br />

swampy, reverb-drenched sound with lyrics that stir<br />

the imagination. “I’ve grown tired of all these smalltown<br />

politics” is the first line of “Satellite Friends”, an<br />

ode to moving away and finding a place to be yourself<br />

when you no longer have anything to say to your<br />

satellite friends. Every song on the CD can stand<br />

firmly on its own. There are no fillers or B-sides here.<br />

“the marrying kind” was lovingly and painstakingly<br />

recorded and produced by Swearingen and Kelli in<br />

their own studio. There is a lot of space behind the<br />

vocals most of the time, allowing their solo and harmony<br />

voices to shine through…..until all of a sudden<br />

you are blind sided by a perfect guitar solo or lick! The<br />

melodies and arrangements are all catchy and fresh<br />

and they will stick in your head long after you have<br />

listened to the recordings.<br />

Swearingen and Keilli’s website is<br />

https://www.swearingenandkelli.com/ The CD release<br />

party is at the Hideaway Cafe, St. Petersburg, on<br />

July 28 and you can pre-order the CD at<br />

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/swearingena<br />

ndkelli-themarryingkind<br />

You will not be disappointed!<br />

22 <strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong>


CD REVIEW<br />

By Colin Ward<br />

Many of you read the article in the last issue about the<br />

Backtrack Blues Band so you may know that their CD, “Way<br />

Back Home”, was released in September of 2016 and has<br />

already met with success. The CD charted at #8 on the<br />

Roots Music Radio Charts and was selected as one of the<br />

top 50 blues albums in the world for 2016.<br />

In addition to leader and vocalist/harp player Sonny<br />

Charles, the band is comprised of Kid Royal on lead guitar,<br />

Little Johnny Walter on rhythm guitar, Joe Bencomo on<br />

drums and Stick Davis on bass. While the vocals, harmonica<br />

and lead guitar stand out, the rhythm section is solid<br />

and lays down the kind of groove that inspires a soloist.<br />

Sonny wrote six of the songs on the CD and the balance are<br />

covers by Chicago bluesmen, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy<br />

Williamson II and Little Walter. So let’s take a listen!<br />

hotbed of the blues, but maybe that will change now that<br />

this song has been released!<br />

“Tell Your Daddy” switches from a rhumba to a shuffle and<br />

back mid-song. Some strong playing by Kid Royal and<br />

Sonny makes this original song a standout. The most<br />

familiar song on the album is “Baby Please Don’t Go”, a<br />

standard that dates back to the 30s and has been recorded<br />

by dozens of artists. The remaining songs on the CD are all<br />

up to the same standard and provide a cross section of<br />

Chicago Blues. Everything about “Way Back Home” is top<br />

shelf including the recording and mixing. Speaking of<br />

mixes, the band sounds consistent throughout the CD as if<br />

they set up in a great studio and ripped through the songs<br />

live. The lead guitar is in your face and the harp is softened<br />

with reverb. Sonny’s vocals are soulful and his lyrics are<br />

authentic. The songs are either straight 12-bar blues or<br />

close relatives. The late Chicago harmonica player Little<br />

Walter has influenced Sonny and the band, although Kid<br />

Royal’s guitar adds a little Texas spice into the mix.<br />

The Backtrack Blues Band has a CD to be proud of. They<br />

are off to Quebec shortly to spread their take on the blues<br />

around Canada, but they play around central Florida regularly.<br />

If you like traditional blues, you will definitely like<br />

“Way Back Home”.<br />

Click Here to purchase Way Back Home by The<br />

Backtrack Blues Band.<br />

Bandleader Sonny Charles penned the first track called<br />

“Goin’ To Eleuthera”. It’s an upbeat shuffle that sets the<br />

stage for the rest of the CD with hot harmonica and lead<br />

guitar opening the song. By the time the song gets to the<br />

chorus the full band with backup singers is in full flight.<br />

Sonny sings all of the lead vocals on the CD and his harp<br />

screams with tasty licks. Backup singers Latonya Oliver<br />

and Dana Merriweather add soulful harmonies while guest<br />

Victor Wainwright plays great piano on Goin’ To Eleuthera.<br />

The island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas is not noted as a<br />

<strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 23


CD REVIEW<br />

Michael J. Weiss - Bulbs of Daylight<br />

By Colin Ward<br />

Joining Michael on the CD are John Kelly on bass, guitar<br />

and harmony vocals, plus Jesse Rojas on drums and Christopher<br />

Barbosa on viola. That’s a formidable team of<br />

excellent musicians, plus the Hideaway studio puts out top<br />

quality recordings. Michael ‘s high tenor voice is easy on<br />

the ears and his lyrics are easy to understand. The songs<br />

are melodic and well-structured and have a traditional<br />

rather than ultra-modern ring to them. John Kelly’s studio<br />

is top-notch and its focus is on singer/songwriters. There<br />

are no extra bells and whistles, sound effects, auto-tune,<br />

MIDI or “beats” on this CD……just four authentic musicians<br />

singing and playing real instruments. John is a multi-talented<br />

musician himself and his Knopfler/Clapton influenced<br />

electric guitar (a 335 and probably a Strat) is an<br />

important part of the sound.<br />

Michael is hosting a CD release party at the Hideaway Café<br />

(1756 Central Avenue, St. Pete) on July 21, <strong>2017</strong>. It would<br />

be great opportunity to meet him and hear him in action<br />

and pick up a copy of “bulbs of daylight”.<br />

Michael Weiss is a singer/songwriter who now lives in Sarasota.<br />

He has been part of the Tampa Bay Music scene for<br />

several years and is currently releasing his newest CD,<br />

“bulbs of daylight”, his first studio album in four years.<br />

Michael recorded bulbs of daylight at John Kelly’s Hideaway<br />

Café and Recording Studio in St. Petersburg earlier this year.<br />

Click here to purchase Bulbs of Daylight by Michael J.<br />

Weiss.<br />

Michael enjoyed some success playing for trop rock crowds<br />

a couple of years ago but bulbs of daylight bears no resemblanceto<br />

Jimmy Buffett. Despite having a full band behind<br />

him, Michael’s songs are firmly entrenched in the<br />

singer/songwriter camp where lyrics, stories, feelings, and<br />

good vocals are paramount. Overall, Michael’s songs strike<br />

you as encouraging and motivational. He has no doubt felt<br />

some angst about life and felt the need to motivate either<br />

himself or others to move forward and take some risks. A<br />

favorite line - “There’s no net where the best things are<br />

found “ (from Best Things). In Monsters, Michael mentions<br />

demons but the demons he describes sound reasonably<br />

friendly and certainly manageable. Quite a Mess is a memorable<br />

catchy song but he doesn’t reveal what made the<br />

mess or what he is doing about it. The theme of grabbing<br />

life by the horns and moving forward is introduced in Moving<br />

On, the first song, continues in Here with the Sun, and<br />

reappears on and off in the others.<br />

24 <strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong>


CD REVIEW<br />

I Heart Cats Band<br />

By Constance Hilton<br />

This CD has nine original<br />

songs written by lead<br />

vocalist Alex Wald. It has<br />

the grassroots realism of<br />

a demo, and is something<br />

nice to hold onto while<br />

the band continues its<br />

work toward greatness.<br />

The recording was done<br />

“mostly” live and the<br />

cover makes a point of telling us that it is all real<br />

instruments. That immediacy translates into a rich<br />

organic feel. It is a little difficult for me to pin the I<br />

Heart Cats Band to one genre; I hear many in their<br />

performance. So here are my “must hears”:<br />

The CD opens with Make It Good – First thing I would<br />

have to say that caught my ear was the lyrics. “If you<br />

use me, make it good…” Most of us have felt that<br />

familiar pain in one way or another, and the lyric<br />

poignantly pointed it out…. The next thing that got me<br />

was Alex’s voice. Very smooth, calm and easy. Don’t<br />

get me wrong, this guy can belt it out, but he has great<br />

control of his voice and charm in his style of singing.<br />

But don’t let the lyrics fool you! It’s a dancing song!<br />

Pouring Rain – This one has a jazzy swing about it.<br />

There’s a certain mystery with this song, but it’s also<br />

uplifting with lovely harmonies in the background.<br />

And while Alex sings about the pleasure and pain, this<br />

is a catchy song nevertheless.<br />

feeling, and then brings you back to rock and roll.<br />

Guitar leads and vocals are showcased in this song<br />

with rolls and a marching beat that drives it to an<br />

amazing, lead-driven exclamation.<br />

Letter To God - What I love about Alex’s music is that<br />

his lyrics are honest. This song is about a personal<br />

experience he went through; and as any great<br />

songwriter does, he shared it and made it relatable to<br />

what we all go through. Yes, it’s a sad song. But more<br />

than that, there is a transition of feelings as you go<br />

through the song. “It’s an open letter, it’s an angry<br />

letter, it’s a pleading letter...” My applause for such a<br />

great turn of phrase! The music that the band<br />

provides is just as emotional as the guitar sweeps you<br />

up, and the drums give you a sense of hope.<br />

Free - Like I said, this band has many sounds... You<br />

can’t hold them to one genre. In this song they<br />

demonstrate a surf rock sound, with a great beat that<br />

will get you moving your feet.<br />

Horse Latitudes - Here is a melodic, acoustic tune<br />

that speaks volumes in love. Kind of beachy, too.<br />

Another example of Alex’s grasp on many genres of<br />

music to not only write to, but to personalize with his<br />

lyrics.<br />

Please visit them and check out one of their shows!<br />

Easy For Me - I think this is my favorite on the CD. As<br />

soon as I listened, I found myself singing backups to<br />

the chorus. Plus I can relate to what he’s singing<br />

about - letting go, and then having your heart broken<br />

by the other person letting go so easily. The lyrics in<br />

this song and the music that sets the scene are movie<br />

soundtrack-worthy. And yes, I want to sing this song!<br />

On The Ground - This song begins with a heavy rock<br />

beat, then surprises you by shifting into a reggae/ska<br />

<strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 25


ON THE COVER<br />

Hey Alex. How are you doing these<br />

days? (What’s been going on?) Hi<br />

Constance! I’m good. I am currently<br />

up in the Blue Ridge Mountains for<br />

some r and r. I got to plays some<br />

new songs for the folks up here, so<br />

that was cool.<br />

So I’m sure you get this a lot, but I<br />

have to ask: What is the story behind<br />

the name of the band? Are<br />

you all kitty lovers, tiger fans? Haha,<br />

well, it goes like this; when we<br />

first all got back together playing<br />

music again, we were playing at a<br />

house party. I was wearing a t-shirt<br />

that read, “I Heart Cats.” No particular<br />

reason, I just put it on. Well,<br />

throughout the night, someone was<br />

yelling “I Heart Cats” after songs. It<br />

was funny. And we like funny, so it<br />

stuck.<br />

What inspired you to play music? I<br />

grew up in a house full of music. My<br />

mom used to crank Pink Floyd, I<br />

remember. I have three older<br />

brothers and they all are guitar<br />

players. It was just something you<br />

did.<br />

So how do you all know each other?<br />

It’s a cool story. Scot, Jack and I<br />

all went to high school together,<br />

and played in bands together back<br />

then. But, of course, time and circumstance<br />

caused us all to drift<br />

apart. Families, jobs, all that. Then,<br />

haha, fate intervened. A few years<br />

ago, we basically ran into each other<br />

again. And it slowly took shape.<br />

Though I had been writing and playing<br />

my acoustically based songs all<br />

along, I hadn't picked up an electric<br />

guitar in about fifteen years! I still<br />

had a few, just hadn’t played them<br />

at all. It was kind of humorous trying<br />

to get that feel back. I’m still<br />

pretty terrible, my fingers are not<br />

nearly as nimble as they were. Anyway,<br />

we just started jamming, I<br />

brought in some songs of mine, and<br />

it went on from there. Thirty years<br />

later.<br />

What other projects were you all<br />

involved in before forming this<br />

band? Well, as I said, I had been<br />

doing my solo stuff, mostly on the<br />

beaches, and just a lot of songwriting.<br />

I write a LOT of songs, haha!<br />

Jack has been in many area bands,<br />

and is currently in Tickle, a kickass<br />

metal band that has been around<br />

for about twenty years, I think.<br />

Scott the drummer had been kind<br />

of inactive, I think haha. He had<br />

been in bands years ago like all of<br />

us, but not too much recently, until<br />

now. Scot (different spelling) has<br />

been musical the whole time.<br />

So I read on your website that you<br />

enjoy performing songs from the<br />

early 50s all the way to modern<br />

music. So what musicians over the<br />

years have inspired the band? Can<br />

you name a few songs that you<br />

enjoy to perform the most? It all<br />

starts with the Beatles! Doesn’t it<br />

always, haha? We love good, melodic<br />

songs. Scot has a really amazing<br />

voice, and the other guys are<br />

good singers so we love to do harmonies.<br />

But we are all old metal<br />

heads, too, so we sneak some of<br />

that in there as well. We’ve not<br />

been quite bold enough to do a<br />

Slayer song, which would be my<br />

dream, but we have leaked in a<br />

little Sabbath! A couple of favorite<br />

cover songs would be Freedom by<br />

George Michael, who was an unbelievable<br />

songwriter, and U B Illin’ by<br />

RUN DMC. Good, fun stuff.<br />

You also perform original music.<br />

Who is the writer in the band? Or<br />

do you write as a team? I write the<br />

songs, for the most part. Though<br />

we have just added one from Jack.<br />

I’ll bring it in pretty much complete,<br />

usually on a quick demo. We might<br />

add some harmonies or some other<br />

element or texture, but I don’t feel<br />

that it works for me if I don't have a<br />

complete song for the guys.<br />

How would you describe your original<br />

music to somebody who<br />

hasn’t heard it yet? I Heart Cats<br />

Band is straight up guitar rock and<br />

roll with an emphasis on catchy,<br />

melodic song structure. Nothing<br />

fancy. Turn up the guitars and rock.<br />

My solo stuff, Alex Wald Music, is<br />

much folksier, mostly acoustic, ob-<br />

26 <strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong>


servations on the world. And a whole lot of salt water<br />

references haha!<br />

But we want to hear the music! And so you have a CD<br />

of your music for sale these days! So, where did you<br />

record at? What year was it released? How long did<br />

it take and how did the process go? We recorded our<br />

album at my home studio, named Beach House<br />

Sound. It’s a nice big room, and it’s set up for full band<br />

recording. The basic tracks were recorded quickly, in<br />

about a week's time. Any vocal overdubs and a few<br />

solos were finished next, and then mixing and mastering<br />

took about a month, I guess. It was released in<br />

early March of this year. It was pretty simple because<br />

the basic tracks were all live. We wanted the sound of<br />

us, a real band playing together, rather than building<br />

one track at a time. It’s rock and roll. There is a link to<br />

the whole album on or FB page. Everybody go listen!<br />

So, is music a full time profession for you? Nope. My<br />

family is the most important thing for me, and the<br />

guys in the band as well. I don’t know very many<br />

people that have not struggled mightily trying to<br />

maintain a family as a full time musician.<br />

Where can we find you playing out at? Any upcoming<br />

shows? We have several shows coming up, the next<br />

being the Daiquiri Shack in Madeira Beach on July 8.<br />

Then I think we are at the Brass Mug in Tampa two<br />

weeks later. All of our shows are listed on our Facebook<br />

Page.<br />

Any upcoming projects? Yep. I am currently recording<br />

my next Alex Wald Music solo project. Some songs are<br />

already up on my Facebook page.<br />

Thank you Alex for taking the time to chat with Bay<br />

Buzz Music. Is there anything else you’d like our<br />

readers to know about before we end our talk? Sure,<br />

come out and see us if you can. We like to have wild,<br />

upbeat shows with audience interaction. Sometimes<br />

we do games, giveaways, and if somebody has a good<br />

joke or something, get up onstage and rock it. We<br />

place an emphasis on FUN!<br />

We hope the best for you and the “I Heart Cats<br />

Band”. Thank you, Alex!<br />

Besides music, what other things in life do you enjoy?<br />

Family. I have the most wonderful wife and son.<br />

And we do a lot together. Sailing, paddle boarding,<br />

and as much relaxing as life permits. Charles Bukowski<br />

said that one of the most important things in life is to<br />

have the time to do nothing, and doing exactly that. I<br />

agree.<br />

Photo by Cathy Bach<br />

<strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 27


FOOD AND DINING<br />

By Constance Hilton<br />

Photos by Pam Wills<br />

Sean Ford, idealist and owner of this late<br />

night bar, has created a treat for hospitality<br />

employees and night owls alike. In the heart<br />

of downtown St. Pete, across from the Tropicana<br />

Field, The Grateful Fed Pub is a venue<br />

like no other.<br />

Ford has been cooking since he was a kid and acquired<br />

his skills at Culinary Institute of America in New York.<br />

He saw a void for healthy late night food and drinks for<br />

those that work late and are looking for a place to<br />

unwind before calling it a night; and wanted to create<br />

a menu and atmosphere that pleased that market.<br />

After helping The Chic a Boom Room in Dunedin create<br />

their menu and working at Tryst Gastro Lounge for<br />

over five years, he was approached by many different<br />

people to open his own place. So he made the decision,<br />

and now St. Petersburg has its very first late night<br />

restaurant.<br />

“A lot of people work late and there is really no place<br />

to go to eat after 10pm… unless it’s frozen food,” Sean<br />

tells us, “That when I decided to create a “from<br />

scratch” late night menu that goes till 5am. We serve<br />

alcohol till 2:30am.”<br />

Wednesday is $5 Cubans, Thursday is Hot Dog Night,<br />

Friday is Fish-n-Chips Night and over the weekend we<br />

serve brunch and lunch.”<br />

Since the heart of this late night restaurant is<br />

the food, we talked about the menu. Each<br />

item is named after famous songs. When<br />

asked what a best seller is, Sean proudly<br />

told us The Endless Love is a show-stopper.<br />

It’s a unique burger made up of a<br />

prime beef patty, five strips of bacon, red<br />

onions, alpine cheddar and the whole thing<br />

is stuffed between two Krispy Kreme doughnuts.<br />

As mentioned, Ford is a Dead Head and saw his first<br />

Dead concert in Philadelphia back in 1987. So we had<br />

to ask what made him open a Grateful Dead-themed<br />

bar. “It’s really a metamorphosis of things. We were<br />

looking for a theme for the late night restaurant kind<br />

of spot. I wouldn’t say we were going for a Grateful<br />

Dead-themed restaurant so much; we wanted it more<br />

like a Grateful Dead tour stop. Instead of saying we’re<br />

themed after the Dead, which has caused some confusion<br />

because people come in expecting to see more<br />

Grateful Dead stuff, we really consider it a more of a<br />

music venue.” Sean explains. “However, locals have<br />

donated Grateful Dead items that you’ll find on our<br />

walls.”<br />

The Grateful Fed also showcases live music! Ford also<br />

plays guitar and labels himself as a Dead Head; so he<br />

knew music had to be included in this vision. On<br />

Wednesday nights there are acoustic acts by various<br />

artists; on the weekends you’ll find live bands playing<br />

till 1am, and they host an open mic on Sunday nights<br />

from 7pm to 11pm.<br />

There is plenty of comfy seating and various artwork to<br />

enjoy. Along with board games such as an oversized<br />

Jenga and Connect Four, they occasionally have<br />

themed nights. “We have a ‘Grateful Dead Trivia Night’<br />

that is hosted by Ed Green from WMNF’s Freak Show<br />

once a month.” Sean tells us. But the food has brought<br />

a theme to each night in itself. “Monday is 75-cent<br />

Wings, Tuesday is $2 Tacos and $3 Margaritas,<br />

28 <strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

“The Endless Love” Burger<br />

Photo by Angelina Bruno


The Grateful Fed is a place where friends hang out and<br />

make new friends. This isn’t a venue you will hear Top<br />

40 or radio shows. “We always play live shows on our<br />

sound system and different kind of jam band music.”<br />

Ford, who is a new dad himself, describes his restaurant<br />

as being very family oriented. “I wanted to create<br />

a place where families can come hang out, listen to<br />

some music, and play games. We also welcome dogs!”,<br />

he laughs.<br />

“Our idea of this when we started was that it would be<br />

a music/artist hangout. Our concept is ‘Art in Motion’;<br />

so you will see things change each time you come in.<br />

Such as the mural we have will change because artists<br />

keep adding to it. Also the artwork will constantly<br />

change.” Sean explains. And when asked about plans<br />

for the future, he tells us “There will be live music<br />

outside in the back area, next to the volley ball court<br />

and pool. Plus we have frozen drinks coming along for<br />

the customers who want to hang out poolside. And<br />

yes, patrons are welcomed to enjoy the pool and play<br />

some volleyball!”<br />

The Matt Weis Band<br />

The Grateful Fed brings it all together with delicious<br />

food, live local music and late night get-togethers. It’s<br />

the place we’ve all been waiting for!<br />

The Grateful Fed is located at 300 10 th Street South<br />

(across from Tropicana Field).<br />

Hours: Monday & Tuesday 4pm - 5am<br />

Wednesday - Sunday 12pm - 5am<br />

<strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 29


Paul McCartney Tribute<br />

By Colin Ward<br />

Photos by Colin Ward<br />

At 7pm, the chronology began and the<br />

WMNF team led by Flee (Lee Courtney)<br />

admirably shuttled the bands on and off<br />

the stage, staying right on schedule. All<br />

of the bands had obviously done their<br />

homework and did a wonderful job. The<br />

complete list is below, but a few stood<br />

out for various reasons…..<br />

Youngest Up and Coming Group<br />

Sugar Rush<br />

Most Ukuleles<br />

Junction 27<br />

Closest Approximation of Originals<br />

Rosewood Creek<br />

Most Creative Interpretations<br />

AB Positive<br />

Hardest Rocking Set<br />

June 18 was the 75 th birthday of former Beatle, Sir<br />

Paul McCartney. To celebrate, WMNF Radio organized<br />

a terrific tribute show, Maybe I’m Amazed,<br />

which was held at Skipper’s Smokehouse in Tampa on<br />

June 17. The format was simple. Sixteen local bands<br />

performed songs written by Sir Paul in chronological<br />

order, starting with Beatle songs from 1963 and continuing<br />

through 1976 when Sir Paul was a solo artist<br />

and a member of Wings. The three opening student<br />

bands chose his songs from any period.<br />

Cottondale Swamp<br />

Best Female Harmonies<br />

Flow Sisters<br />

Gutsiest Loneliest Performer<br />

Olivia Romano (solo)<br />

Biggest Hey Jude Finale<br />

Talk to Mark<br />

American Song Box<br />

Local bands ranging from 12 years old to Sir Paul’s<br />

contemporaries assembled 12 minute sets, some<br />

playing the songs as originally performed and some<br />

twisting and shouting the songs in their own styles.<br />

The opening bands were students from the St. Pete<br />

Music Factory (Sugar Rush and Wizards) and from the<br />

St. Pete College MIRA program (Sasha Tuck and<br />

friends).<br />

30 <strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong>


The event drew a huge crowd to Skipper’s Smokehouse.<br />

A little rain did not dampen the spirits and<br />

there was standing room only for much of the<br />

evening. The event was in part a fundraiser for<br />

public radio station WMNF and was a huge success<br />

for the station, the audience and the bands.<br />

Look for more WMNF events at Skipper’s coming<br />

soon!<br />

Look for more news and personal interviews with<br />

the bands that performed at this event on our<br />

website in a couple of weeks!<br />

<strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 31


IN MY OWN WORDS<br />

You’re Either Living or You’re Dying...<br />

By Randall Owen<br />

Sometimes my music seems dead. I don't see progress<br />

in my writing; I feel stuck in the “same old same<br />

old”, playing the same songs over and over again.<br />

The truth is that all of us struggling musicians have<br />

those moments when the sound doesn't seem right<br />

and we get discouraged. We’ll put the guitar back in<br />

its case and hide it in the closet for a season or two.<br />

Nails get rusty, fingers get stiff, and life gets in the<br />

way. Somehow my guitar never quits, it's just waiting<br />

for me to pick it up again. It's all up to me how<br />

long it sits in the closet, and it’s all up to you, too.<br />

Like the line in the movie Shawshank Redemption,<br />

where Red says, “You can either get busy living or<br />

get busy dying!” Hmmm... Strong words. Never put<br />

the guitar in a closet! I keep mine in the corner<br />

sitting in its stand waiting for me to strum it again.<br />

Every year we live through spring, summer, fall, and<br />

winter. Life has seasons, too. Even our days have<br />

cycles, so it's not surprising that we have our own<br />

cycles in music too. It's great to have that occasional<br />

burst of energy and find the tune we've been looking<br />

for. But just as important is the time we let things<br />

rest for a while. I like to think it's healing to take a<br />

break from time to time. Like most of us in the music<br />

industry, we tend to be perfectionists, and if a song<br />

isn't perfect we’re not comfortable displaying it. So<br />

we hide it, tuck it some secret place and wait for...<br />

what? Nothing can grow where the sun doesn't<br />

shine, there has to be light. Songs have that same<br />

struggle; they have to grow. We can't put 'em in the<br />

closet with the guitar and expect them to get better.<br />

While it’s OK to let them rest sometimes, you have<br />

to eventually shine light on them. Go back to your<br />

old songs once in awhile and see how much better<br />

they can be after that rest. It never fails that somehow<br />

I find something new to add to a song after I<br />

have let it rest for a while.<br />

Finally, don't sit at home waiting for something to<br />

happen. Those songs stuck in our heads have to get<br />

out and be sung or they aren't really songs; they are<br />

just notes and words stuck in our mind. There are<br />

plenty of open mic opportunities in the area - if you<br />

are not getting out and giving your songs to others<br />

you end up being dead inside. Eventually an unsung<br />

song will die and no one will remember it. So I<br />

encourage all of us with a song to sing to get out and<br />

share it others.<br />

32 <strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong>


40 Years of Peace, Love and Blueberries….<br />

What amazes me most is that The<br />

Blueberry Patch is still, to this day, a<br />

kind of underground thing. It was never<br />

commercially advertised when Dallas<br />

Bohrer began it on July 7 th , of 1977<br />

(which was a Thursday). I was only six<br />

years old at the time and growing up<br />

in Jersey, so I knew nothing about this.<br />

And little did I know I would be led<br />

there to share, to give and become<br />

part of it. But by harmony, Dallas’s<br />

message got out and I am proud to say<br />

that on Friday, July 7 th The Patch is<br />

celebrating 40 years of this amazing<br />

venue. Because this underground<br />

world – a wizard of oz dream – happens<br />

when you walk through the<br />

gates, you get a surprised reaction<br />

and if it is your very first time, you’re<br />

asked to ring the bell. And yes, we’ll<br />

clap and yahoo for you!<br />

I like to say that the Blueberry Patch is<br />

Heaven on Earth and inside is a bunch<br />

of angels. For me personally, this<br />

place has become a more than a<br />

place. It’s another kind of home.<br />

I was introduced to the patch by a<br />

friend fourteen years ago and when I<br />

arrived I had no idea – NO IDEA AT ALL<br />

– that the people I was about to meet<br />

would be my friends for a lifetime.<br />

Upon entering, after meeting up with<br />

my friend, I was introduced to Dallas.<br />

Immediately, Dallas said I had to give<br />

him a hug; something I later found out<br />

that hugs were something Dallas encouraged.<br />

(Especially with the ladies.)<br />

Dallas had another rule… He discouraged<br />

the word. If you didn’t like<br />

something or someone, Dallas would<br />

correct you if you said the word. I<br />

hope you can guess what that word is,<br />

as out of respect for Dallas, I don’t<br />

even want to type it.<br />

Dallas had a vision as a boy sitting in a<br />

blueberry patch and because of that<br />

vision so much love, many friendships,<br />

relationships, music, art projects, tiedye<br />

shirts, laughter, silliness and good<br />

times have happened. And it’s happened<br />

for 40 years. I’m glad that I can<br />

say I’ve been a part of it for the last 14<br />

years.<br />

My daughters grew up knowing the<br />

patch, as we short-hand call it. Each<br />

of my daughters have musically grown<br />

and I know this place is a factor in<br />

their artistic growth. It truly is a place<br />

like no other and it’s kind of sad that<br />

the other 49 states don’t have a The<br />

Blueberry Patch.<br />

To celebrate, The Blueberry Patch has<br />

quite the night lined up. The doors<br />

open at 6pm with Dylan Cowles, who<br />

penned The Blueberry Patch song and<br />

will be taking the stage at 7pm.<br />

Following will be The Rosewoods as<br />

the headline for the evening. It should<br />

be noted that the 40 th anniversary is a<br />

Rose theme so everyone is encouraged<br />

to bring roses! Also it will be a<br />

pot luck night, so bring a dish to share!<br />

There will be painting with Hal and<br />

Liza at the stage and also a museum of<br />

memorabilia; a walk down 40 years of<br />

memories such as posters, old flyers<br />

and newsletters, videos, artwork, pictures<br />

and more.<br />

The final act will be Constance Hilton<br />

as she sings her Blueberry Patch song,<br />

“It’s Time To Leave”.<br />

At 11:11pm, the om circle will take<br />

place at the labryinth.<br />

This will be a night to remember and<br />

one you do not want to miss.<br />

<strong>BUZZ</strong> MAGAZINE <strong>JULY</strong>-<strong>AUGUST</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 33


www.baybuzz.org<br />

Your Connection<br />

To Local Music in<br />

Tampa Bay!

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