CrankIt Entertainment Mag April
32
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Music, Entertainment, Interviews, Reviews
Transcript of CrankIt Entertainment Mag April
April 2009 • CrankIt Mag • �
Interviews 8 AfterAugust Purveyorsof
SouthernPop...
9 Doublethink SouthernBound...
10 TKO TrendKillers...
Reviews24 CDReviews EntertheHaggis,etc...
26 MovieReviews ILoveYou,Man...
27 ConcertLists CarolinasListings...
28 Festivals N.C.andS.C.forApril....
29 TownMountain UpCloseandAcoustic....
Special Articles20 BeAHero: CommunityComicBook
21 EvolveMale MensandBoys
ApparelStore
Extra Articles 5 SpreadingNews CrawfishBoil...
6 HighwayVoyeur CrapOrdinances...
23 BenRobinson30 JokeTime Jokes,Puzzles...
Under the Radar19 GrooveCollector CoverMusicorOriginal...
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Feature Ar tists
THE AFROMOTIVERootedinWestAfricanRhythms
THE BLACK RABBITSTalentedThreesomewitha60’sSound
TOWN MOUNTAINPickingtheSceneApart
view virtual magazine online at:
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16 No Mercy in DeLuca’s Dobro Playing
cover story
Getting geared back up for another tour, Long Beach, Calif. soul/blues/rock sing-er Rocko DeLuca says he’s getting “ac-climated” to the experience again, this time without a three-piece backup group on stage with him... < more inside >
Rocco DeLuca
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4•CrankItMag•April 2009
DearReaders,
Aprilishereandweareofftoseethewizard.Nonotreally,butwearegoingtogiveyouplentytodothisspring.Wewantyoutojoinusatthe2009BikeNightsheldatHarleyDavidsoninGreenville.Itissponsoredbyus,CrankIt Mag,andisheldthelastFridayofeachmonth,allthewaytoSeptember.Checkoutouradinsidefordatesandartists.
Wehavecomeinlikealion,notliketheWizard of Oz lion, butonethatisreadytoworkwithpride.WewillworkhardtomakethisTHEmagazineforentertainmentinyourarea.
Asusual,rockon!
Sincerely,
A Letter From The Editor
s LOVE
We are always looking to make ourselves better, so we look to the readers to give us helpful feedback. Tell us what you like, don’t like, or just send us a cool note to let us know you are out there. We ap-preciate the input. Our readers are what keeps this magazine going.
Contact us: [email protected]
Give Us Some Feedback
EDITOR’S CORNER
Sometimes you have to travel far and wide to find love. She shouldn’t have to travel far looking like she does. She even has a guitar–talent.
Pic of the Month
April 2009 •CrankItMag•5
Send us news of an event, or something you have heard, and we might just post it. Send to [email protected] NEWS
(from left to right )Ashante , Jamie & Jamie. Hooters Spartanburg Bikini Contest. Ashante (3rd place), Jamie in the middle (1st place),
Jamie to the right (2nd place). See more at the online gallery.
The inauguralGreenville Crawfish Boil, atwodayfestivalofmu-sicandfood,willbeheldatBI-LOCenter.Itisan
outdoor event with mouthwatering, hot and spicey boiled crawfish and averygoodlineupofmusic.
Morethan20,000poundswillbedeliveredfromLouisianaandreadyforyoutoeat.Therewillbeplentyofothervendorson-site.
Snoop Dogg, Gavin Rossdale, Hinder, 3 Doors Down, Shine-downwillperform,aswellasCandlebox,TheoryofaDeadman,Sav-ing Abel, Filter and newcomer K’Naan.
The day line-up is as follows:May 15 : K’Naan, Hurt, Saving Abel, Gavin Rossdale, Shine-
downandSnoopDogg.May 16 : Parmalee, Filter,Theory of a Deadman, Candlebox,
Hinderand3DoorsDown.Advance Tickets:Advancegeneraladmissionticketsareonly$29.50perdayand
$49.50foraweekendpass.Showtimeis3:30pmbothdays,withgatesopeningat3:00pm.
Advance Crown Nissan VIP tickets, which include free crawfish, privaterestroomsandbeveragestations,andaprivate,raisedviewingdeck,are$75perdayor$140foraweekendpass.
Tickets canbepurchasedbeginning10a.m.Friday,March27atwww.Ticketmaster.com,atallTicketmasterlocations,attheCrownNissan Ticket Office at the BI-LO Center, or by calling 800-745-3000.
Snoop Dogg, 3 Doors Down, Candlebox and More, Oh My!
FRONTIERS - A Tribute To Journey Frontiers, the country’s premiere tribute to Journey, has been
impressinglargecrowdsacrossthecountrywithboththeirmusicandtheironeofakindstory.
Formedin2002,Frontiersspentyearsmakinganameforthem-selvesasoneofthehottestticketsinthetributebandscene. What started as a local side project, led toa fortuitous turn of events for lead singer Jeremey Hunsickerwhichhasnowspurredonhugedemand.
In the summer of 2007, Hunsicker was ap-proached by Journey’s keyboardist Jonathan Cain, andaskedtoassumetheleadvocalpositionfortheband. The band’s co-founder Neal Schon and Cain traveled to Charlotte, NC in May of 2007 to takein a Frontiers performance, and, within weeks,Hunsicker was locked away at Journey’s Northern Californiacompound,rehearsingandwritingtracksfortheupcomingCD. After accepting the offer, Jeremey returned to Virginia to prepare fortheupcomingtour.
With the birth of his first child only months away, Hunsicker decidedtowithdrawhisnamefromconsiderationtofocusonspend-ing time with his new family. Journey ultimately hired vocalist Ar-nel Pineda; however, Jeremey’s time spent with the band was not for
naught. Journey’s new CD Revelation features theleadsingle“NeverWalkAway,”whichwasco-writ-ten by Jeremey.
This turn of events and Jeremey’s fame within the Journey community have led to a sudden explo-sioninpopularityforFrontiers.Theynowroutinelyplay to sold-out crowds, including venues like the1200capacityHouseofBluesinCleveland,OH.Theband is quicklybuilding a substantial following insome of the nation’s largest markets.
For all inquiries, please contact Dan Balas-sone at On That Note Entertainment by calling (973)-486-0867, or via [email protected],pleasevisitwww.journeytributeband.comorwww.onthatnote.net
New Album - ‘Sandwich’ Hit Streets May 5PSYCHOSTICK’s cam-
paignfortheirupcomingalbum,Sandwich, is really heating up,withthebandmovingupontheFMQBMetalDetectorchartfrom#52to#21!PSYCHOSTICKhas
also climbed the CMJ Loud Rock Select Albums chart from #56 to #28, doubling in spins. The band remains in the Top Ten on the CMJ
Loud Rock chart, and PSYCHOSTICK’s first single, “Passive Ven-geance,” debuted at #38 on the CMJ Loud Rock Select Singles chart.
Currently streaming on PSYCHOSTICK’s official MySpace pagearethreenewtracksfromSandwich – “This Is Not a Song, It’s a Sandwich,” “Girl Directions,” and “You’ve Got Mail Enhancement” -andfanresponsehasbeenoverwhelminglyfavorable.Thebandisalsotakingpre-ordersforSandwich.
Sandwich,whichhits streetsMay5onRockRidgeMusic, is
the full-length follow-up to 2006’s We Couldn’t Think Of A Title.Thealbum was recorded by guitarist Josh Key at Toxic Recording in Gil-bert, Arizona, and features new members Jake McReynolds on second guitar and former Indorphine vocalist Jimmy Grant on bass. Rounding outthebandrosterareAlexPreiss(drums),andRobKersey(vocals).
Check them out here: www.psychostick.com, www.myspace.com/psychostickorwww.youtube.com/robofpsychostick.
Hot Hooters Bikini Contest
the
6 • The Idiot Mag • April 2009
COLUMNCOLUMN
say this enough - “Loud pipes save lives.” There are still
many huge, gas-guzzling SUVs on the road, and we fi t all too neatly into the blind spots, regardless how long your bike stretches. I have no problem making sure you hear me if you canʼt see me. And I will pull in my clutch and open the throttle wide just to make sure that you do. Now, I do not do this exces-sively just to be obnoxious - but I will crank
it hard as a warning that you are coming into my space while Iʼm still in it. So dammit – quit texting & driving already, and pay at-tention to the bikers!
How to Boycott the City of Myrtle Beach and Still Enjoy Bike Week…
Wow, my email inbox has been jammed full of emails from folks concerned about ex-actly what is considered the city limits, and how to get around it all-together. Many think they can do this just by getting on 17Bypass, but sorry folks, this is not true. The Bypass weaves in and out of the city limits and, from what Iʼm hearing, there will be checkpoints set up to bust anyone on the Bypass without a helmet.
The folks at the City Hall in Myrtle Beach werenʼt very helpful (imagine that) when I called asking for the streets that bor-der the city – I was transferred a total of six times because they claimed they had no idea. Nice – try to ruin a rally thatʼs been going on for years, come up with all kinds of annoy-ing “ordinances” that go against established state laws, and then not post any information of how to actually avoid the city.
Silly me – trying to call city offi cials for
information on the city! I then called Randi Terhune, the general
manager of Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson – who was incredibly helpful. The city limits extend north to where 17Bypass and Hwy 17 come together (Dog House North is just north of that…thank god). In the south, itʼs Farrow Parkway (the windy road that used to be the backgate for the old AirForce Base). Now, how to go north and south AND avoid the city? From the north, jump on Rt.22 (just past Dog House North) and get on Rt. 31 head-ing south. You can get off on Rt 544, which will bring you out on Hwy 17, just south of Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson. Randi also mentioned that they will s t i l l have vendors there, but the county is restricting just how many…and even the Harley shop is still waiting to see how thatʼs going to play out.
So we lose Broad-way at the Beach and the Convention Center. Oh wow – AND Masterʼs. How many guys did I just make shed a tear on that one? And, on an even sadder note, got a call from Donnie Emery the other day – he just sold Dog House South which, of course, is dead center in the city. He said the
new owner plans to keep the name and run it “business as usual” – so weʼll see how that one pans out. The new Hard Rock theme park tanked last sum-mer – so you can for-get that one, too.
BUT things defi -nitely WILL be crank-ing at Dog House North, The Rat Hole, Suck Bang Blow (both original and 4-Cor-ners), the Iron Gate Saloon, Broken Spoke and HB Spokes, just to name a few of the big ones. Another pretty cool place to check out – if you havenʼt already been there–is Capt Pooʼs. If you leave out of Dog House North and con-tinue heading north on 17, take the Cherry Grove exit. Itʼs neatly tucked away under the bridge, but, very cool little bar, biker-friendly, and a popu-lar hangout with the locals.
The Migration North…So there go all the cheapie little motels
along Ocean Blvd. now. If you canʼt afford to rent a house, or just arenʼt planning on coming for the entire week – where can you crash? Many of us are heading back to the Beach Cove Resort – really nice place, right on the ocean, and right across from Barefoot Landing. The guys at Xtreme turned me onto the place last year, and itʼs right down the street from where a lot of my out-of-town friends stay. They have two huge pools outside, 2 hot tubs, a great tiki bar, security guards watching over bike parking, and plen-ty of trailer parking if needed. Oh – and canʼt forget, minutes from Dog House North – our favorite watering hole.
Now, lots of folks are giving up on Myrtle Beach and heading to the spring rally in Panama City instead. Heard great things about it, but, that week, Iʼll be gambling at MGM Grandʼs new casino in Mississippi be-fore heading to Myrtle Beach the next week. But giving serious thought to checking out Panama City for the fall rally.
More Bang for the Buck?
Now, Spring also means special rebates on motorcycles, the release of fancy new gadgets for your bike, and all kinds of ways to blow your tax return wad into your favorite money pit. You can
just feel Uncle Samʼs check burning a hole in your Lucky Brandʼs, huh? Well, far be it from me to not help someone spend their money – but I do have some information to at least help you spend it wisely.
Stimulus Bill Passes House and Senate
Yup, itʼs true. Straight from Obama-land, if you buy a brand new motorscooter from now until the end of 2009 – you can deduct all the state and local taxes from your purchase. As long as you make less than $125K a year, and Iʼm sure that covers most of us, you can buy any bike up to $49,500. Itʼs known as an “above the line deduction,” which means you can claim this on your taxes for next year, whether you itemize or not.
So where to buy the new toys?
Greenville Harley-DavidsonStacey Major, the GM at the shop, was
happy to zap me a list of all kinds of goodies and she even priced ʻem out for me….
Harley-Davidson Blue Tooth - Listen to music or talk on a cellular phone hands-free while wearing a helmet. Works with all helmet styles: Half, 3/4, Modular, or Full-Face. Compatible with most Bluetooth devices such as MP3 players and cellular phones. $200.00
Harley-Davidson Garmin GPS -
Glove-friendly touch screen, water proof and UV resistant, touch screen display. All of the Harley-Davidson dealers are programmed into the GPS. $799.95
Now, lots of folks are giving up on Myrtle Beach and heading to the spring rally in Panama City.
””I canI can
by Dawn Glencer
Continued On Next Page
Crap Ordinances, Stimulus Passing & Throttle Goblins Awaken…
““
April 2009 •CrankItMag•7
Radar and Laser Detector - forElec-
traGlideandRoadGlideModels$249.95Heated Hand Grips -aMUSTHAVE
inthewintermonths.Keepyourhandswarmwithmultipletempsettings.$219.00
LoJack - Protect your motorcycle
againsttheft.ThisistheONLYdevicerecog-nizedby lawenforcement. Harley-Davidsonof Greenville is your authorized LoJack dealer. $695
LED Tail Lights - Available for all
models.Fivetimesbrighterthanstock.Helpsyoube seen better during theday andnight.$134.95
XM Radio - Allowsyoutolistentomu-
sicthatyouenjoywhileyoucrossthecountywithout channel surfing. $499 (XM Service fees not included after first 3 months)
Pop-Up LED Fuel Gages - Flushmountgages.TheLEDlightsshinesthroughamirrorcoatedglassthatglowswhentheigni-tionswitchison. Brightnesschangesduringthe daylight. $189.95
Sportie SaleNow,theHarleyshophasagreatselec-
tion of Sporties, and, if you buy a new 08, you canstillqualifyfortheStimulusDeal.MakesuretostopinandseeTommyorDonna–orcall them directly at 864-234-1340.
Xtreme Cycles & Customs - Simp-sonville
Chatted with Joe Lake, who’s the head of salesforXtremeandtheyhavesomeawesomerebatesupto$4000onallmodelsofBigDogs.MyboyfriendliterallyjustSTOLEanewBigDogK9fromXtreme,withacompletechromepackageandpipesforwayyyylessthanIpaidformyTexasChopper3yearsago.Andyes,Iwascompletelydisgusted,butitisasweetassbikeandhelooksdamngoodridingit,too.
Xtreme is also an authorized dealer forLoJack – they put a new system on my bike last year,andIloveit.Ifsomeoneevensitsonmybikewithouthavingthekeyfobwithintenfeetofmybike,Igetaphonecall,anemail,ANDa text message letting me know my bike’s in motion. So, if you’ve put all this time and ef-fort into your bike, it’s kinda silly not to have this,too.Andmostbikeinsurancegivesyouanicelittlediscountforhavingit.(Bytheway,if you’re not happy with the premiums you’re payingforbikeinsurance,callGailMcCauleyat 864-234-7118 and tell her Dawn sent you – I’ll bet she can get you a better deal).
Joe was also telling me about some wick-ednewpipescomingoutbyHookerHeaders,an insane 4-into-one set up called Four-Bid-den.TheyjustorderedthemtoputonanewBigDog. Youcanvisit theHookerHeaderswebsite to check ‘em out.
Xtreme will also have the new ’09 Viper Motorcyclesintheshopanydaynow,152cu-bicinchmotors–justinsane.Xtremeonlineiswww.xtremecustomsandcycles.comorcalltheshop if you need directions at 864-963-7600 or toll-free at 1-877-900-BIKE.
BKP PaintingIf you’re not in the market for a new ride
butdowanttochangethelookoftheoneyouhave,IhighlyrecommendBKPArtinEasley
just off Rt. 123. Brian Morgan and DannyRobledohavepaintedbikes thathavegracedthe covers of Easyriders, V-Twin, Hot Bike,Barnett’s, American Iron – need I say more? If you’ve seen some wicked paint jobs on bikes, crazy skulls&nightmarish sceneswith suchdetail– Icanguarantee itwasdonebyDan-ny. Majormotorcyclecompanieshavetakenpictures of Danny’s work and now offer it as “their”custompaint…thebastards!Butimita-tion is the highest form of flattery – but still, theguysshouldhavegottensomethingtolinetheirpocketsonthatone.
Brian first opened the shop in Decem-berof2003. HemetDanny throughmutualfriendsand,afterviewingsomeofhisamazingartwork, they’ve been partners ever since. Not onlydotheydoincrediblepaint jobsonmo-torcycles, they’ve done everything from race cars, custom helmets, surf boards and golfcarts. Brian said they’ve also done some pret-tyintensemuralsforlocalbusinessesaswell–so,whateveryoucandreamup,theguyscando. Visit them online at www.-bkp-art.comoronmyspaceatmyspace.com/bkp_art.Theshop number is 864-906-7811.
Now, most painters will hold your bikehostageformonthsonendforpaintjobs,butBrian said he can pretty much knock ‘em out in about two weeks. Now, don’t just ride in andthinkyoucandropthebikeoff.Headtoyourbikeguy,havehimbreakthebikedown,andbringinyourtins(yourtankandfenders).Ifyouwanttheentireframepaintedaswell,itmaytakeanextraweekortwo.Now,yougetwhatyoupayfor–butthetalentofthesetwoarewellworththeeffort.
Getting Old & Going Blind?Shit…yeah,me,too.First,itwasjustthe
streetsignsgoingfuzzyonme…andthenmyarms weren’t long enough to hold the menus awayfrommyface.SadrealizationthatLasikEye Surgery does expire, and I had to lookinto getting some corrective lenses. Now, I’ve triedandtestedseveralbrandsovertheyears,and my favorite is still Wiley X. They’ve got a new frame called Jake, which I love. The lensesarescratch-resistant,andthefoambor-deringeachlensreallyhelpskeepoutthewindanddust.Now,myboyfriendwearscontacts,andhelovesthefactthatithelpskeephislens-esfromdryingout.Ithinkmostoftheworldlooks a little better fuzzy, so I’m fine with my new prescription Jakes, which I just got via Fedex today. Visit www.wileyx.com and fill outtheonlineprescriptionrequestsheetwithinfofromyourprescriptionfromyoureyedoc,andfaxittothem.Ittookalittlelessthantwoweekstogetmyglasses.
Don’t have an eye doctor? Go see my friend, Dr. Mark Roemmich, at West GateMall in Spartanburg. His office number is 864-574-8454. His office is right inside the Lenscrafters there, just next to Dillard’s in the mall.MentionthatyoureadabouthiminmycolumnintheIdiot, and he’ll do a regular eye examforonly$50andexamsforcontactlens-es for $100. That’s FAR below anyone else in town–sogivehimacalltodayandbookyourappointmentnow.Hiswebsiteiswww.roem-michvision.com.
Well, folks – it’s sunny out, and I do have to road test my new Wiley X’s…see ya on the road.
LOVEHUGS&THROTTLEDawn
Email Dawn at [email protected].
COLUMN cont.Continued From Previous Page
8•CrankItMag•April 2009
INTERVIEWS Doublethink... Page 9TKO... Page 10
fterAugust is a country, pop andsouthern rock-inspired Spartan-burg, S.C. outfit who describe themselvesaspurveyorsof“south-ernpop.”
“That’s our genre. We’re not exactly hard enough tojustbesouthernrock.Butwe’re not light enough to be pop, so we’re south-ern pop,” explainedbassist Josh Bradley, as band mates Darin Wor-ley (drums), AndrewFox(leadvocals/rhythmguitar), John Labanick (vocals/keys/guitar) ,andhecruisedaroundintheirTahoebeforealateMarchgig.
While catchin’ some of their tunes via Myspace,like“CigsandCheapSunglasses,”with its cheeky humor toward an old flame, or “Brianna,”aclassycroonerwithsomepianokeysthrowninforgoodmeasure,thisquartethas a varied, pleasing sound you’d want to spendpartofyoureveningwith.
Labanick saidWorley,Bradley andhehave been together with Fox for around a
year, and that the format change that wentwithithasworkedoutwellforthem.Whiletheir last singer was geared more toward arock sound, Fox’s sound suits their newer pop sensibilities easier, Labanick said. “Idon’t know how in the hell that happened, buteverythingIwriteendsuppop.Ournewsinger, he’s really built for that,” he added.
Althoughthebandhad slowed down itslive tour recently, La-banick said they aregoingout formore livedates, partially to helppull together their newfull-length EP, due outoverthesummer.
“....We needed towork on new material.The stuff we’ve been playing, we’ve been
playing for five years, and, honestly, it gets a little boring. We’re just trying to get some new stuff going, especially so our fans won’t gettiredofit.
“It’s been about two years since we put out a full-length, so we’re going to do it. We’re going to put 15 songs on that mofo ... especiallywhenotherpeoplecharge$10for their EP. Hey, we’re in a recession, man, so we’re trying to give everybody a budget-
mindedCD,”Labanicksaid,evermindfulofthe fans’ wallets.
CrankIt Mag didn’t part with After Au-gust beforegetting a littlemore insight be-hindthemethodtotheirmadness...
CrankIt Mag: Y’all have a five-track EP out now. What are you all doing with your last full-length album, released in 2006?
John Labanick - It did great. I can’t think ofanylocalbandwiththelocalnumbersofthatCD.Butwestoppedsellingitcompletelynow, because we don’t want our fans to feel jipped. Because it’s two completely differ-ent styles of singing. Vocals change every-thing.Westillhaveabout300of themleft.We don’t want people to buy them and feel cheated. People who worked with EdwinMcCain(workedonitwithus).WegotSter-lingSound inNewYork toworkon it.Wespent some big dollars on that CD. We don’t want people to buy it unexpectedly and bedisappointed.Iwantthemtoleavewiththeirfacemeltedoff.
cM: How’s the time off been for you guys?
Josh Bradley: We’re trying to write some
new songs for our new album coming outlater this year. We’re shooting for mid-year, May, June, somewhere around there. We’ll kindofwingthatasitgoes.
Darin Worley: We’ve got a bunch of rough ideas, so we’ll just see how it goes.
Bradley: We try to just have fun with it.We’ve got to do some tearjerkers, and then we’ve got to talk about some wild women.
Worley: We can’t afford to be boring.
cM: Got any funky or crazy stories from out on the road?
Labanick: I about ran into a Land Rover(that)pulledout infrontofme.This is justwhile the interviewis takingplace.WehadanAfterAugust, all-expense-paid weekendat Sugar Mountain (recently). And we’re all proficient skiers, except Andrew. He canned itaboutsixorseventimes.Boy,hejustfell,fell, fell the entire time. To get our mindsaway from Spartanburg, when we’re all bored, we ski. We gave him hell. He’s been with us a year, so he’s out of the new guy thing. Sometimes we bash on each other alittletoomuch.Yougottopassthetimeonthe road somehow. I wish we’d had this on video...
Bradley:WewereridingtoCharleston,S.C....Darinisknockedoutasleep.Wewereslow-ingdown,weslammedourbrakes,andDarinwent“AHHHHH,”inadamnneardive.Hewas so mad all weekend. You guys’ve never seen this look in someone’s eyes. He really thoughthewasgoingtodie.
To catch After August live, they’re playing two shows in Spartanburg this month, anacousticsetwithFoxandLabanickonApril16 at Delaney’s, and April 17 at Converse College. In May, they’ll be playing at P.J.’s in Spartanburg on the 1st, at Sonny’s in Spar-tanburg on the 8th, the 23rd at The Handlebar in Greenville, and the 29th at Gaffney’s Visi-torsCenterinGaffney.Tocheckoutalltheirupcomingshowdates,the tracks on their current five-track EP, as well as Andrew’s wipeout on the ski slopes, headovertotheirMyspaceatwww.myspace.com/afteraugust1.
And,asalways,keepthoseeyesgluedtoCrankIt Mag for all the infoon regionalmusicactsthatareworthyourattention,likeAfterAugust!
Purveyors of “Southern Pop”
A
cM
by TJ Royal
Upcoming ShowsApr 16 2009 10:00 PMDelaney’s (FOX & JOHN ACOUSTIC) Spartanburg, South Carolina
Apr 17 2009 10:00 PMConverse College Spartanburg, South Carolina
Apr 27 2009 1:00 PMRocketown Nashville, Tennessee
May 1 2009 10:00 PMP.J.’s Spartanburg, South Carolina
May 8 2009 10:00 PMSonny’s Spartanburg, South Carolina
May 23 2009 8:00 PMThe Handlebar w/ Sequoyah Prep School, Magnolia Sons, and Hot Spur Greenville, South Carolina
May 29 2009 6:00 PMGaffney Visitors Center Gaffney, South Carolina
April 2009 •CrankItMag•9
INTERVIEWS
veryonehasafavoritebandthatiscapti-vatingonstage,thatseemstobeabletoperform their favoritesongsalongwithincredibleimprovisationscompletewithsurprisesineachcomplexset.Yet,some-timesbandswithagiftforliveshowsare
cursed with a difficult transition from play-inginfrontofanaudiencetorecordinginastudio.
The members of DoubleThink haverecently encountered this seemingly unfair“catch 22,” after releasing their first EP, en-titledSeeing Red.
“We’ve gotten good reviews, but not nearlyasgoodaswewerehopingfor,”leadguitaristand lyricistScottBrownsaid.“Ev-erysinglepersonwhohashearduslive,andthenheardourCDhassaid,acrosstheboard,wearebetterlivethanrecorded.”
Oneofthereasonsforthisphenomenon,at least in the case of DoubleThink, is theband’s ability to infuse a great deal of variety into their sound. With the four Connecticutnatives,nooneperformanceisaduplicateofthelast.
“We started the band without a specific focusofwhatweweregoingtosoundlike,”Brownsaid.“So,sometimes,thatisgoodbe-cause people are like, ‘you never know what you are going to get with them.’ And some peopleliketheirbandstosoundthesameallthe time,Coldplay sounds likeColdplay allof the time,but it canbe agoodandabadthing.”
At their very core, DoubleThink staystruetorockerroots,drawinginspirationfromearly 90’s rock bands and classic rock groups includingTheSmashingPumpkins,Temple,MuseandOasis.
“Wecameatitalmostlikeavisualaes-thetic.We just kindof play rockmusic,wedon’t have a definite sound,” Brown explains. “I think people often get together and thendecidewhattheywanttosoundlike.Theytryto pigeon-hole themselves immediately. We
reallyjustplay.”The individuals’ unique tastes also aid in
theoriginalblendofsound.Eachmemberen-joys a different genre aside from the group’s joint compilation. Drummer Jeff Callahan is known for his affinity for hip-hop, while gui-taristEricLibbyisdrawntomorepunkandemovarieties.
“Our bassist (Johnny Kobierowski) lis-tenstosomereallyavant-gardestuff,”Brownlaughs. “He can listen to some weird noisebeat and totally sit back and reflect on it.”
Thus far, the group’s stage presence and varietyhavehelped themgarner adeservedpopularity at home and a fairly successfulmaidenvoyagedowntheEastCoast.
HavingneverplayedineitherNorthorSouth Carolina, the musicians of Double-Think booked two gigs in both southernstates.
“We had the best time in South Caro-lina,” Brown said. “We played those twoshows,and theywere inallseriousness, thebest shows in the whole tour. We can’t wait to come back, and, as luck would have it,Calhoun’s Calling (the headliner of the Oasis whentheyplayedbackinFebruary)wasto-tallyenamoredwithusandactuallyfollowedthroughandgotusshowstocomebackdownandplayagain.”
DoubleThink will be playing in James IslandatOasisonApril16and19,alongwithlocal favorites Calhoun’s Calling.
Yet, the generosity with gig bookingwas not DoubleThink’s only encounter with southern hospitality. During a show at TheBrooklynTavern inColumbia,SC,Double-ThinkstruckconversationwiththeheadlinersOneWayOut,apianopop-rockband.
“Westartedtalkingand[OneWayOut]said, ‘that is really cool what you are doing, traveling down here in a van, this big thing,’ andtheyaskedareyougettingpaidtonight?When we said no they told us, ‘well we are the headlining act and we are getting paid
and we are just going to give it to you’.” Brown said. “It is like dog eat dog up hereinthenorth,anddowninthesouth,theyarecompletely supportiveofyouandwantyouto succeed; we couldn’t believe they just gave ustheirmoney.”
DoubleThinkalsowillbeplayingatIs-land Bar and Grill as part of a benefit show on April 18, during their upcoming five-day stayinSouthCarolina,andatDoughReMiinMountPleasantonthe17th.
To learn more about upcoming showsandinformationabouttheband,visitwww.doublethinkonline.com. cM
doublethinkby Cara Kelly
Southern Bound
E
Upcoming ShowsApr 9 2009 8:00PMJoe Squared - doublethink w/ Make Love and War Baltimore, Maryland
Apr 16 2009 8:00PMOasis Bar and Grill • James Island, South Carolina
Apr 17 2009 9:00PMDough Re Mi • Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Apr 18 2009 12:00PMIsland Bar and Grill - benefit show - James Island, S C
Apr 19 2009 8:00PMOasis Bar and Grill • James Island, South Carolina
10•CrankItMag•April 2009
INTERVIEWS
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ometimesyoujusthavetohaveapas-sion, todowhatyou love todo,andfounders Arron Wokal and TommyStatesetouttoaccomplishthatdream
–thedreamofmakingfanshappybyplayingtheirownuniquestyleofmusic.Astylethatdoesnotfollowanykindofsettrend.HencethenameTrendKillOmega.
TKO consists of Andrew Wright (vo-cals); Arron Wokal (guitar); Aaron Under-wood(bass);andTommyState(drums)Theystartedjustlikemostbandsbackintheday,inthebasementorgarage,anddecidedtomakethis dream a reality. With influences ranging from Metallica to Nickelback, these Green-
ville,SCnativeshavecreatedquiteafollow-ing,andcontinuetorisetothetop.Theyarenowexploringwaysofreachingouttovenuesacross NC and SC. Wokal says, “We’re going tofocusonacertainmarketandmakesurewedrawacrowd.”Acrowdrightnowthatcon-sistsofroughly150-200pergiginandaroundGreenville.Soundslikeatrendtheydowanttokeepandone theywant toexpandon forthefuture.
ArronWokalwaskindenoughto inter-view with CrankIt Mag and share some in-sightintothebandTrendKillOmega.
cM: When did you start this?
Arron Wokal: With everybody together, itwas October of 2008.
cM: Did you and Tommy State originally start playing together acoustically?
Wokal:No,weoriginallystartedplayingoutof our basement. We pretty much made allthesongsTrendKillOmegahas,ormostofthem. I had been looking for a bassist andvocalist, and tried out several for the pastcoupleofyears.Finally,afriendofoursgotin touch with us, brought these guys to ourattention, and, from the first day of practice, it just kind of clicked. Drew put the lyricstoeverythingthatTommyand I had written for thepasttwoyears.Thebass-ist just went with it, andit just clicked. We werereally pleased with thoseguys, and it just kind offell together–likeitwasjustmeanttobe,and,eversince we got together, it’s beennothingbutgood.
cM: What’s your primary focus in your songs/lyrics?
Wokal: Everything.Wewant to take experiencesthat everyone can relateto, and our main goal istonotfollowatrend.Ourname isTrendKillOme-ga,orTKO. Wewant tobe known as TKO. Ournamecameaboutbecausewe are trend killers. Wedon’t follow trends; we make our own trends. Ourownstyle,andeverythingwedo,iswhatwewant to do. Alpha is thebeginning andOmegaistheend. Endofthetrend…TrendKillOmega.
cM: What do you guys enjoy in your down-time?
Wokal: We’re big fight fans. We love UFC andstufflikethat.Thedrummerandmyself,wetraininmixedmartialarts.
cM: So you guys do that?
Wokal: Yeah. We’re not doing it profession-ally, or anything. We’re not going out and do-ingitactively,likeweareintheband,butwetraintostayfreshonit.
cM: Do you have any formal train-ing?
Wokal: Yeah, in the military. A lot of Jujitsu intheArmy,andstufflikethat.
cM: You were in the Army?
Wokal:Iwas,foreightyears.IhadtogetoutbecauseIhadcancer.Itwasahardstruggle,butImadeitthrough.Armygavemethelastthree years served for it, and an HonorableDischarge.
CM: I’m happy for you, man. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.
cM: What’s your style, or what genre do you lean toward in your guitar playing?
Wokal: Rock,metal.IgrewupwithMetal-lica. That’s my main influence. As soon as I pickedupaguitar,IlearnedeveryMetallicasong.IstartedplayingguitarwhenIwas14,and I am 25 now. Metallica is my main influ-ence, but I bring my own style. I call it ‘Me-tallica meets Nickelback.’ I try to make fresh licksandkeepuptodate.
cM: What’s your goal as a band?
Wokal: Ourmaingoalisvariety. Wewanteverybodytolistentoourmusic.Wegofromlightrocktoheavymetal.Ev-erygenre. Onethingweare doing right now istesting out garageband.comwhereweareairingourmusicindifferentcat-egories, to see how theyplay out. They’re actu-allydoingprettygood.
cM: Are you con-fined to the Green-ville, SC market, or are you trying to reach out a little bit?
Wokal: We’re done with the Greenville market.We’ve claimed Green-ville. We’ve done a pretty goodjob.Ournextmar-ket isCharlotte,Raleigh,Greenville, Greensboro,
andAsheville.
cM: What do you expect in three to five years?
Wokal: I’m hoping we’re going to meet our goals. We’re going to focus on a certain marketandmakesurewedrawacrowd.Ournumberonegoalistogetintothestudioandgetsomemasteredmusicoutthere.
cM: What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to while playing, en route, or whatever?
Wokal:Iwouldsayifyougotoourwebsiteand lookat thepicture…..Iwillkeep itPG.Sheaskedustosignherback. WeallputabigTKOorTrendKillOmegaonthere,andwesignedheronherback.
You can follow these guys online atwww.myspace.com/trendkillomegaorjustbeafanandgooutandseethemlive.Asusual,heckbackwithCrankItMagtoseeifwehaveanynewinformationonyourbandorevent.
by Rob Moore
S
Trend Kill Omega
cM
Band Members: (Vocals) Andrew Wright, (Guitar) Arron Wokal, (Bass) Aaron Underwood, (Drums) Tommy State
Upcoming ShowsApr 3 2009 8:00PMHEADLINERS w/Decadence! Columbia, South Carolina
Apr 9 2009 8:00PMAmos on the southend Charlotte, North Carolina
May 2 2009 8:00PMTRENTMONT w/Last confession! Charlotte, North Carolina
Arron Wokal - Photo provided by band.
April 2009 •CrankItMag•11
hythm is considered to be thebackbone of musical composi-tion.Itisasymbolofstrengthandpower, a reliable constant. Sinceitscreation,rhythmhasbeenused
predominantlyinmusicasacommunicationtool.Africantribesuseddjembes,congasandother tribal drums during healing ceremo-nies,ancestorworship,ritesofpassage,andwarriorritualsasanauditorystatementofre-morse,celebrationorwarning.
Out of Africa’s rhythm-filled tradition, rose a tribal-based blend of funk and jazzcalled Afrobeat. The Afrobeat movement,startedbyFelaKuti,wasamixtureofAfri-can dance beats with contemporaryAmeri-can Jazz. Kuti, the strength and rhythm of themovement,stoodasaninspirationtoTheAfromotive in theirsearchfor theiroriginalsound.
These Asheville-based groundbreakershave merged traditional WestAfrican beatswithAmericanfunktoformanupbeatfusionofdancemusic.UnlikeKuti,theirsongsarenotbasedonapoliticalmovement.
“Our take on afrobeat music is stillrooted in WestAfrican rhythms. Comparedto traditionalafrobeat,weareplayingmoreup-tempoandenergizeddancemusic ratherthan a mid-tempo, hypnotic jazz-influenced style,”RyanReardon,bassplayerandvocal-ist, said. “For us, it’s more of a social thing. Wefocusonhowpeopleareaffectedbytheirgovernment,theirsurroundings,andthecur-rentpoliticalclimate.”
Thebandismoreofacollaborativeef-fort between six main musicians, but theyoftenhaveguestmusicianstravelandrecordwith them. What use to be a nine-memberband dissolved over the years to make thegroupmorecompactfortravelingpurposes.
“It’s going to give us the opportunity to tourmorethisyearand,inturn,reachmorepeople,” Reardon said. “It’s a lot more fea-sibletomakethebandsmaller,bothforsus-tainabilityontheroadandoverallorganiza-tion.”
MembersofthebandincludeReardon;Ryan Knowles, saxophone and vocals; Ty-ler Cates, guitar; Brian Jones, drums; Sean Smith on trumpet; andAdama Dembele on
djembes, timbales, congasandvocals.
KevinMeyame,for-mervocalistanddjembesplayer, decided to leavethe band and moveback to his hometownin West Africa. Dem-bele,whoisalsofromthe Ivory Coast ofWest Africa, recentlybecame his replacement.Dembele comes from thirty-three genera-tionsofdjembesplayers.
“Heknows thedjembes; he lives that;heisthatdjembesrhythm,”Reardonsaid.
And the band brings more rhythm onstage than James Brown and the J.B.’s. Get-tingpeopleontheirfeetistheheartandmis-sion of theirmusic. Reardon explained thatwatchingpeopledanceisaninspirationandencouragement to them because it’s their mo-tivation.
“It’s inspiring to watch the relationship betweeneachinstrumentandtherelationshipbetweenthemusicandthedance,”hesaid.
What startedout as a traditionalAfro-beatbandhasevolved,overfouryears,intoa prevailing force breaking away from Kuti’s jazz-afrobeatcoalition.Withthisbreakaway,they have created a highly energetic soundthat injects zeal and zest into the audience’s blood stream, rendering them incapable ofstandingstill.
“Inthebeginning,westartedoutreallydivingintothetraditionalAfrobeatstyle.Welearnedalotfromrestrictingourselvestothatcertainstyle,butnowwearedevelopingourownwaytoplaythismusicandmakeitourown, while still staying true to the originalinspiration-Africanrhythmsandmakingpeo-pledance,”Reardonsaid.
Other influences besides Kuti include Joe Zawinul, key-boardistfor theseventiesfusionband, The Weather Report andRock and Roll Hall of Famer,Prince.
“Dance,music,sex,romance,how can you not love Prince,” hesaid.
These artists have guided theAfromotive in their quest to find theirdistinctivesound,whichisnowmovingtowardsanupbeatfunkadelic
sound.Their nine-track album, Scare Tactics,
stands as their milestone of transformation.StickingtotheoriginalstyleofKuti,thisal-bum represents the Afromotive’s old sound . However,ReardonsaidtheyhopetohaveanewEPcomingoutinthenearfuture.
“There’s a lot of new music that we have been working on lately,” he said. “Ithinknowwehaveprogressedandopenedupeven more. There’s more breathing room in thisalbumanditismoredance-friendly.Wewillhavemoreupbeatandlessdarkandseri-ous tracks than the first album.”
The band will be hitting the studio inMarch,andhopetohavesomethingreadybytheendofsummer.
Afromotive
Rooted in West African Rhythms
cM
The
Afrobeat Music
R
The Lowdown: Thirty-third generation djembe player Adama Dembele from Cote d‘Ivoire, West Africa brings his vast musical knowledge and touring experience to the Afromotive. These traditional West African rhythms combined with a mentality for upbeat funk music is what the Afromotive brings to its audiences. Hails From: Asheville, NCTotal Sound: Bringing funk music back to its African roots is precisely what the Afromotive is doing with their style of afrobeat music.Band Members: Adama Dembele- djembe, congas, vocals; Jesse Howerton- keyboards, percussion; Tyler Kittle- tenor saxophone; Ryan Knowles- baritone and alto saxophones, vocals; Ryan Reardon- bass, vocals; Sean Smith- trumpet; Curtis Wingfield- drumset. Fre-quent guests include Tyler Cates, Jacob Keller, and our new friend Brian JonesBand Website: http://www.theafromotive.com/
by Tiffany Allison
Upcoming Shows
Photo by Rob Moore
Town Mountain... Page 12 The Black Rabbits... Page 14
Rocco DeLuca... Page 16-17Chimaira... Page 18FEATURES
4.03.09 - The Orange Peel Asheville, NC
8:30pm. With Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk. Ages 18+
4.10.09 - Odin’s Den Winter Park, FL 10:00pm. Ages 18+
4.11.09 - Tobacco Road Miami, FL 10:30pm. 3 sets! Ages 21+
4.12.09 - Engine Room Tallahassee, FL 10:00pm. All ages
4.16.09 - Visulite Theatre Charlotte, NC 9:00pm. With Laura Reed & Deep Pocket. Ages 18+
4.17.09 - Dragonfly The-atre Boone, NC 10:00pm. Boone’s newest venue. All ages.
4.18.09 - Horizon RecordsGottrocksGreenville, SCFree in-store performance. National Record Store Day! Time tba Show 10:00pm. 21+
12•CrankItMag•April 2009
luegrass fans have something to hoot and hollerabout now that Asheville born Town Mountain istouring.TheyhavebeenoutontheroadpromotingtheirnewCDcalledHeroes and Hereticswhichisupto#22ontheBluegrasscharts.ThecurrentCDhasevenbeennamedtopBluegrassalbumoftheyearonDavid Smith’s list from WDUR Radio.
TownMountainconsistsofRobertGreer(vo-calist, guitarist, and songwriter); Jesse Langlais
(banjo, writes a large part of Town Mountain’s original mate-rialandsingstenorandbaritone);BarrettSmith(bass,guitar,vocals); Phil Barker (mandolin, vocals); and the fiddle players include Josh Goforth, John Garris, Steve Trisman, Don Lew-is, Justin Hoffenberg, Bobby Britt, Merl Johnson and Megan Gregory. The fiddle players alternate shows, each adding his/her own unique flavor and style to make the sound interesting, yetcomplete.
This band really fits in between traditional and pure old time mountain music, but will insist they are firmly rooted inthetraditionofBillMonroe.Theyaremakingheadway in theareaofAmeri-canstringmusic,anddoingitwell.Theyrank up there with the Steep CanyonRangers and Chatham County Line, inmybook,andhavethepotentialtoturnalotofheadsinthefuture.
Their live sets really are a treat.Theyhavegreatoriginalharmonies,cleansound,andasenseofhumor.Theyhaveanenergyaroundthemthatwillgetyourfoot stomping andyouhooting andhol-lering.Withthisenergy, theyhavecreated,andwonover,afanbasethatspansfromthewestcoasttotheeastcoast,northandsouth.Intheend,theirrootsarehereintheCarolinasandinthepickingscene.
Ihadtheopportunitytositdown,haveabeer,joke,andinterview a very nice fellow by the name of Jesse Langlais, whoisthebanjoplayeroftheband.HewaskindenoughtolendanearandgivethefansofCrankIt MagsomeinsightintoTownMountain.
cM: How long have you been together as a band?
Jesse Langlais:Bandforapproximatelythreetofouryears,andthebandhasprettymuchremainedthesameduringthattime, but we always have a revolving fiddle player. It’s a four-
membersolidband,andthenitchanges.
cM: How did you come up with the name Town Mountain?
Langlais: Well, there’s actually a ridge called Beaucatcher Mountain, and the road that runsupBeaucatcherMountainisTownMountainRoad.Allthedoctorsandlawyersandaf-fluent people live up there. We figured…what better way to describeabluegrassbandthanwithdoctors,lawyers,andallthepeoplemakingmoney.
cM: Fits right in.
Langlais: Yeah, fits right in. But, also, if you’ve ever been to Asheville or lived in Asheville, you’ve probably seen the nameTownMountain.
cM: How’d you come together? Who’s the founder?
Langlais: Thepickingscene inAshe-villeisgoingreallysteady,buttheblue-grass and old time scene is flourishing. PeoplefromeverywherecometoAshe-villetolearnandtostartbands,andbebasedoutofAsheville. Thebandwasborn from the picking scene. There’re jams in town, like at Jack of the Wood, and that’s where we all met. Robert and
I,andouroldmandolinplayerwerethethreethatputthebandtogether. Weputa tour togetherandhiredBarrett; foundafiddle player and did a five-week tour out west; went through Montana and Colorado; and ended up at Rockygrass, bigfestival outside of Boulder, Colorado. That’s how the band started.
cM: You won that, didn’t you, the Rockygrass Band Competition?
Langlais: Yes, we won that back in ’06 or ’05. We intended onkeepingthebandgoing,ifwecouldwinthatcompetition.
cM: What are some of the things you guys do when you are not involved in music? Hiking, mountain climbing, fishing?
Langlais: We’re all kind of into a lot of that, by living in the mountainsofwesternNorthCarolina.Wealltakeadvantageof that. We are also all musicians at heart, and have otherprojects going on, and it’s definitely a big part of our life.
cM: Have you played with any bigger names? Have any bigger names asked you to come on stage to play?
Langlais: Yes. We do a lot with Larry Keel. I’d say we’ve playedacoupleofshowswithhim.TheShannonWhitworthBand – we’ll do stuff with her. Pretty much, any festival that we have with some good friends at, we’ll go up and play a coupleofsongs.cM: Are you going to play Merlefest one year?
Langlais:WewouldlovetoplayMerlefest.Thatseemstobethehardestonetogetinto.
cM: Wonder why?
Langlais: Because it is the ONE. It’s the mark for festivals. Ifyouget toMerlefest,youarecertainlywellonyourway,if you’re not there already. This album, and where it is on the charts, is a good start for us. Our first album was a good project, and it came out good, but it didn’t get the airplay or distribution this one has. We’re number 18 on the charts now. It’s getting played all over the country, Europe, and Canada. Hopefully,inanotherfourtosixmonths,theorganizerswillseethatTownMountainhassomepotential.
cM: What’s the smallest venue you’ve played; what’s the largest; and which one was better?
Langlais: Smallest venue we’ve played? Well, I’d have to say we’ve played some bigger venues with some really small audiences.Hardtosay.Wedoalotofhouseconcertsalloverthecountry,fromtheEastCoasttotheWestCoast.Itmightbe any one of these house concerts, from 20 to 60 people.Size doesn’t really matter. It’s about how much fun you can have.OnceyouwinRockygrass,youareinvitedbacktoplay,so we’ve played the festival again.
cM: What’s one of the craziest things that’s ever happened to you as a band?
Langlais: Every time we get out on the road, somethinghappens. Then they start piling up, and it’s just like another story.
cM: Okay, onstage.
Langlais:WeplayedaSwansboro,GAvenue.Theyhadmu-sicthereacoupletimesamonth,andtheyhavealotofplays.They have their backdrops set up. We’re in the middle of a song,gettingafterit,and,thenextthingIknow,oneofthese6X12-footbackdropsissmashingdownontopofourbassplayer’s head. It didn’t weigh enough to crush his head, but thingscametoascreechinghalt.
Ifyouwanttoseethebandlive,youcanyoucancatchthemonline at: www.townmountain.net / or www.myspace.com/townmountain.ThebandisgoingtobeplayingtheBassMtn.Bluegrass Festival , Pickathon, Red, White and BluegrassFestival,andShakoriHillsfestivalfor2009somakeplanstoseethemsoon. cM
Bby Rob Moore
T O W N M O U N TA I NPicking The Scene Apart
The picking scene in Asheville is going really steady, but the bluegrass and old time scene is flourishing.
“”
Upcoming ShowsSaturday, April 4, 2009 - The Pit Bluegrass festival @ The Pit328 W. Davie Street, Raleigh, NC 27601 (United States) - Map919-890-4500 Set: 8:00 PM. All Ages - Tickets: TBD
Sunday, April 19, 2009 - Shakori Hill Grassroots Festival @ Shakori Hills Farm1439 Henderson Tanyard Rd, Pittsboro, NC 27312 - 919.542.8142 - Set: 3:30 PM Saturday, May 2, 2009 - French Broad River Festival @ Hot Springs Campground & Spa, 315 Bridge Street, Hot Springs, NC (United States) - Map - 828-622-7676
F E A T U R E
14•CrankItMag•April 2009
F E A T U R E
heOrlando,Fla.trioTheBlackRabbits,madeupof brothers Jetson (vocals/guitar/lyrics) and Sky-ler Black (percussion), along with Reah Smith
onbass,areinthemidstofproductionontheirself-titledfull-length album, the group’s first after releasing the four-trackFor Way Too LongNowaroundayearago.
Though all three have beenplaying together for around 18 months, they already have industryveteran Stan Lynch, who’s worked with Bob Dylan and was the long-timedrummerforTomPettyandTheHeartbreakers, working with themand singing theirpraises.Skyler saidthathavingLynch,alongwithproduc-erBillyChapinwiththeChapinMusicGroup, work with them so early in their music life is “defi-nitely reassuring” about the direction they’re heading.
Jetson added that it makes him believe more in the group’s music, with “Stan Lynch saying ‘you guys are great.’ That’s mind-blowing to us, (and) he’s really bring-ingoutthebestinallofus.”
But even with the big-time talent backing them, Jet-
sonsaidtheirfull-lengthalbumisonlyhalfdone,andthatthey’re “trying to get it picked up (by a label) so we can finish the other half.”
They’re set to have a golden opportunity to do just that, as they’ll showcase their ‘60s pop-inspired brand of rockatthemainstageattheFloridaMusicFestivalinOr-lando,heldMay13-16,throughaninvitefromrecordlabel
BMI.Though The Black Rabbits are
sort of young, Jetson age 23, Skyler age 21 and Reah all of 16, they takepride in using vintage gear to recordtheir album and perform their liveshows. “(It’s) a dream come true,” Skylersaid,addingthathegetstousean“amazing”soundingLudwigsnare
fortherecordingsessionsandattheliveshows.“There-cording equipment is vintage, too (at Retrophonics Re-cording Studios in St. Augustine, Fla.). It’s like a modern vintagesound.WeusedarealmikeTheBeatlesused,andwe were like, ‘Oh my God.’”
BeforeThe Black Rabbits resumed living out theirmusic fantasies, CrankIt Mag was filled in a bit more
abouttheband.
CrankIt Mag: So far, where are some of your all’s favorite places to play?
Skyler Black: It’s usually the odd gigs. Like at the movie theater, we’ll get more people (paying attention) walk-ing by than at the actual venues.And festivals are coolaswell.
Jetson Black:WeplayedthemoviepremiereofTwilight,whichwasprettycool.IhadneverevenheardofTwilightbeforeweplayedtheshow.Forsomereason,inFlorida,it’s tough to get the people out to the music venues, I guess because there’s so much to do. Orlando’s hard to navigate, aswell.
Skyler:Iguessthekidsarejaded.
cM: Anything crazy or exciting happen to you all out on the road lately?
Talented Threesome Showcases A 60’s Soundby T.J. Royal
Jetson Black (guitar, vocals, lyrics), Skyler Black (percussion), and Reah Smith (bass)
We used a real mike The Beatles used, and we are like ‘Oh my God.’
“”
Black Rabbits
Continued On Next Page
T
TH
E
April 2009 •CrankItMag•15
FEATURE cont.Skyler:Weweredrivinghome(toOrlandolate one night) from Palm Coast, not farfromourhouse,butabitofadrive.
Jetson: Previously, my friend and I hadbeen talkingaboutwatchingout fordeer.And then, suddenlywesee these two redeyes, and we were going so fast I couldn’t slowdown. It ran into thesideof thecarandleftabigdent.
Skyler:Thedeerhitus.Nobodywashurt.
Jetson: I don’t think the deer was hurt be-causeittookoffrunningintotheforest.
Steve Black (The Black Rabbits’ man-ager): Are you sure it wasn’t a big black rabbit?
cM: Where the hell did you all get your band name?
Skyler: There’s a few stories.
Jetson:Wealwayswantedtouseourlastnameinourbandname.ThenovelWater-shipDownhadblackrabbitsinit.Andwehad a black rabbit (as a pet). They’re just cute things. That’s pretty much the reason.
Jetson, Skyler and Reah said they plan to movetoWaynesville,N.C.,overthesum-mer,tobemorecentrallylocatedalongtheEast Coast as they try to get their nameand their music out there. So it shouldn’t bemuchlongerbeforeCarolinamusicfanswill get to check out The Black Rabbitslive.Tocheckouttheirmusicinthemean-time, hit up theirMyspacepage atwww.
myspace.com/theblackrab-bits.
Keep checking backwith CrankIt Mag eachmonth for more info on re-gional acts, like The BlackRabbits, you’ll wanna keep aneyeandanearoutfor!
And yes, Jetson is his real name. “I get asked thata lot,” whether it’s a stage nameornot,hesaid.
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iel
Lano
is,
the
prod
ucer
of
his
late
st a
lbum
Mer
cy, w
hich
dro
pped
Mar
ch 1
0.
DeL
uca
said
that
Lan
ois h
ad to
fini
sh U
2’s l
ates
t al
bum
No
Line
On
The
Hor
izon
bef
ore
putti
ng
the
finis
hing
touc
hes o
n hi
s lat
est.
DeL
uca
said
tha
t “i
t’s s
uch
a pr
ivile
ge t
o be
with
som
eone
(lik
e La
nois
) w
hose
min
d is
ju
st p
robl
em-s
olvi
ng a
ll th
e tim
e, b
ringi
ng b
ack
wha
teve
r ene
rgy
he h
as fr
om th
ose
sess
ions
, it’s
re
ally
coo
l. I
thin
k w
e ga
ve e
ach
othe
r ou
r fir
e a
little
bit,
” th
at a
n al
bum
like
Mer
cy n
eede
d to
ha
ve, e
spec
ially
to fi
nish
reco
rdin
g it
in le
ss th
an
thre
e w
eeks
.In
the
lyric
s “L
ike
a na
me
you
soon
forg
et,
like
the
ashe
s fro
m y
our c
igar
ette
, lik
e th
e ni
ghts
th
at c
ome
and
go...
” to
the
albu
m’s
firs
t sin
gle
“Sav
e Yo
urse
lf,”
DeL
uca
said
he
thou
ght m
ost
peop
le c
ould
rel
ate
to f
eelin
gs o
f “n
ot b
eing
a
mem
ber o
f a p
erm
anen
t pla
ce.”
“I th
ink
ever
yone
has
a m
omen
t, th
at th
ey’r
e re
mov
able
, exp
enda
ble.
If y
ou c
an k
ind
of w
ork
thro
ugh
that
, it c
an b
e a
nice
thin
g, to
o, b
ecau
se
it co
uld
teac
h yo
u so
met
hing
.”If
the
lyric
s don
’t pu
t one
into
that
spot
, De-
Luca
’s in
tens
e vo
caliz
atio
n, in
spire
d by
sin
gers
lik
e M
ahal
ia J
acks
on, B
illie
Hol
iday
and
Nin
a Si
mon
e, a
long
with
his
trad
emar
k do
bro
will
do
the
trick
. The
twan
g of
DeL
uca’
s do
bro,
like
on
“Any
Man
,” o
r the
bel
ls a
nd so
mna
mbu
lant
gui
-ta
r rif
f in
“N
ight
inga
le”
easi
ly p
ut t
he l
iste
ner
wel
l out
side
the
confi
nes o
f the
ir pa
d’s c
ouch
, or
thei
r slu
ggis
h m
orni
ng c
omm
ute.
And
the
n a
song
lik
e “S
ave
Your
self”
hits
st
raig
ht o
n, l
ike
losi
ng i
n a
gam
e of
mer
cy,
a ha
ndy
insp
iratio
n fo
r DeL
uca.
“I
saw
two
child
ren
play
ing
this
gam
e I r
e-m
embe
red
as a
kid,
(and
) I ju
st re
cent
ly sa
w it
. ...
Wha
t a b
eaut
iful e
xam
ple
of li
fe,
this
chi
ld’s
gam
e. I
t m
ade
a lo
t of
sens
e to
me.
It’s
a
cont
radi
ctio
n of
a p
layf
ul
activ
ity th
at h
as th
e si
gnifi
-ca
nce
of p
ain.
Tha
t pr
etty
m
uch
mak
es u
p ev
eryt
hing
I’
ve tr
ied
in m
y lif
e, (w
hich
) be
gan
as p
layf
ul a
nd th
en b
i-za
rrel
y en
ded
up a
s pai
n.”
And
the
man
isn’
t shy
ing
away
fro
m th
e sp
otlig
ht o
f a
two-
piec
e se
t ei
ther
, in
stea
d ta
king
the
fre
edom
and
the
ch
alle
nge
and
mak
ing
each
so
ul-in
fuse
d sh
ow g
o in
the
di-
rect
ion
he fe
els i
t nee
ds to
.“I
t’s a
nice
free
dom
, the
re’s
a
lot
of a
tmos
pher
e. T
here
’s a
lo
t of e
xtre
mes
, but
it’s
ver
y ni
ce. .
.. Yo
u ki
nd o
f go
whe
re y
ou w
ant t
o, if
you
see
thin
gs n
eed
to
chan
ge in
the
room
, you
can
cha
nge
it,”
DeL
uca
said
. Bef
ore
letti
ng D
eLuc
a ge
t on
with
a s
how
at
The
Hou
se o
f B
lues
in
Hou
ston
, Tex
as l
ast
mon
th,C
rank
It M
ag c
augh
t a
few
mor
e qu
es-
tions
with
the
man
, in
clud
ing
how
his
exp
eri-
ence
at t
he 2
009
Sout
h by
Sou
thw
est m
usic
and
fil
m fe
stiv
al in
Aus
tin, T
exas
wen
t.
Cra
nkIt
Mag
: L
il J
on
, To
ri A
mo
s a
nd
yo
u
pla
yed
on
th
e s
am
e b
ill a
t S
XS
W ‘0
9. H
ow
ab
ou
t th
at?
Roc
co D
eLuc
a: W
e go
t pa
rtner
ed u
p (w
ith
Uni
vers
al)
for
my
reco
rd,
so I
(w
as)
invo
lved
with
that
in m
y sh
ow.
The
grea
t thi
ng a
bout
w
hen
I to
ur, o
r w
hen
we
play
, we
can
kind
of
go
out
with
any
one.
We
seem
to
fit a
lmos
t an
y bi
ll, a
nd it
’s g
reat
bec
ause
we’
ve g
one
out
with
sou
l ar
tsis
ts, a
nd h
eavy
met
al a
rtist
s, an
d it
seem
s to
go
OK
. We’
re k
ind
of O
K w
ith it
. I
thin
k it’
s m
ore
abou
t int
ensi
ty th
an s
tyle
(whe
n pl
ayin
g liv
e).
We’
re s
uper
int
imat
e, a
nd t
hen
we’
re s
uper
agg
ress
ive.
To
me,
the
inte
nsity
is
alm
ost t
he sa
me.
cM
: Were
ya a
ble
to g
et o
ut a
nd
see s
om
e
of
the s
igh
ts b
etw
een
perf
orm
an
ces?
DeL
uca:
We
had
a lo
t of f
un, p
laye
d a
coup
le o
f sh
ows.
Did
a fe
w in
terv
iew
s, a
coup
le (f
or) r
adio
st
atio
ns, (
but w
e) p
ulle
d ou
t jus
t in
time
befo
re
we
fell
into
the
heat
hen,
Sod
om a
nd G
omor
rah
that
was
goi
ng o
n in
Aus
tin. W
e di
dn’t
see
as
muc
h (o
f the
fest
ival
) as
I wou
ld’v
e lik
ed. A
ny
time
I had
a sh
ot to
go
to se
e so
met
hing
, we
had
to e
nd u
p fin
ding
som
e fo
od, o
r (ha
d) th
is q
uick
th
ing
to d
o ov
er h
ere.
I di
d se
e on
e ac
t, be
caus
e m
y fr
iend
Gar
y B
riggs
was
thro
win
g a
gig,
and
Th
e Ja
yhaw
ks w
ere
play
ing.
cM
: D
o t
here
need
to
be m
ore
do
bro
an
d
ste
el
gu
itar-
pla
yin
g c
roo
ners
on
th
e m
u-
sic
scen
e?
Or
are
yo
u p
rett
y h
ap
py w
ith
th
e s
et
up
rig
ht
no
w?
DeL
uca:
(Lau
ghte
r) I
just
do
it be
caus
e I d
o it.
I
wou
ld l
ike
to s
ee p
eopl
e be
mor
e pr
oact
ive,
ta
ke s
ome
mor
e ris
ks in
stea
d of
bei
ng r
eact
ive
to w
hat’s
goi
ng o
n. T
hat w
ould
be
a ni
ce th
ing,
no
mat
ter
wha
t ins
trum
ent t
hey
play
, no
mat
ter
wha
t the
ir vo
ice
is. W
e’re
in n
eed
of s
ome
lead
-er
s ins
tead
of f
ollo
wer
s. I c
onsi
der m
ysel
f an
ob-
serv
er (i
nste
ad o
f a le
ader
or a
follo
wer
).
cM
: W
hat’
s s
om
eth
ing
cra
zy t
hat’
s h
ap
-p
en
ed
ou
t o
n t
he r
oad
late
ly?
DeL
uca:
It’s
such
a c
ircus
to b
egin
with
, the
ab-
surd
ity o
f tra
velin
g. Y
ou p
roba
bly
forg
ive
and
forg
et a
bout
the
thin
gs th
at w
ould
sho
ck s
ome-
one
at h
ome.
(pa
use)
Bei
ng s
o tir
ed t
hat
you
forg
et t
he g
ig,
you
didn
’t sh
ow u
p to
the
gig
, pr
obab
ly th
e fu
nnie
st. A
nd it
was
the
next
day
. It
was
the
(Uni
ted
Kin
gdom
). I m
ade
up fo
r it,
we
resc
hedu
led
with
in th
e ne
xt c
oupl
e of
wee
ks.
DeL
uca
will
be
brin
ging
his
liv
e sh
ow t
o th
e C
arol
inas
for
two
date
s th
is m
onth
, Apr
il 3
at A
mos
’ Sou
then
d in
Cha
rlotte
, and
Apr
il 4
at
Cat
’s C
radl
e in
Car
rbor
o, N
.C.
Cat
ch al
l of h
is la
test
albu
m v
ia h
is M
yspa
ce
page
, ww
w.m
yspa
ce.c
om/ro
ccod
eluc
a, b
y cl
ick-
ing
on a
lbum
s, an
d vi
sit w
ww
.rocc
odel
uca.
com
fo
r mor
e in
sigh
t stra
ight
from
the
artis
t. M
ercy
is
also
ava
ilabl
e on
iTun
es.
Kee
pC
rank
It M
ag h
andy
to c
atch
up
on a
ll th
e ar
tists
, lik
e R
occo
DeL
uca
and
The
Bur
den,
yo
u’ll
wan
na se
e in
The
Car
olin
as!
Ap
ril 2
009
•C
ran
kIt
Mag
• �
7
Ap
ril 2
009
•C
ran
kIt
Mag
• �
6
Band
mem
bers
: •
Roc
co D
eLuc
a - g
uita
r (D
obro
), vo
calis
t, ly
rici
st, a
nd s
ongw
rite
r
• Rya
n C
arm
an -
drum
mer
•
Dav
e Be
ste
- bas
s
• Gre
g Ve
lasq
uez
- per
cuss
ioni
st
• Br
ett B
ixby
- K
eybo
ard,
rhyt
hm g
uita
r, si
tar
G
Merc
y is
aw
eso
me. A
lbum
Out N
ow
!
No
Mer
cy
In D
eLuc
a’s
Dobr
o Pl
ayin
g
By T
.J. R
oyal
Photo by Doug Seymour
”ettin
g ge
ared
bac
k up
for a
noth
er to
ur,
Long
B
each
, C
alif.
so
ul/b
lues
/rock
si
nger
Roc
ko D
eLuc
a sa
ys h
e’s
get-
ting
“acc
limat
ed”
to t
he e
xper
ienc
e ag
ain,
this
tim
e w
ithou
t a th
ree-
piec
e ba
ckup
gro
up o
n st
age
with
him
.W
hile
he’
s st
icki
ng w
ith th
e m
onik
er ‘R
oc-
co D
eLuc
a an
d Th
e B
urde
n’ fo
r his
cur
rent
tour
, it’
s ju
st h
im,
drum
mer
Rya
n C
arm
an a
nd,
oc-
casi
onal
ly,
Dan
iel
Lano
is,
the
prod
ucer
of
his
late
st a
lbum
Mer
cy, w
hich
dro
pped
Mar
ch 1
0.
DeL
uca
said
that
Lan
ois h
ad to
fini
sh U
2’s l
ates
t al
bum
No
Line
On
The
Hor
izon
bef
ore
putti
ng
the
finis
hing
touc
hes
on h
is la
test
.D
eLuc
a sa
id t
hat
“it’s
suc
h a
priv
ilege
to
be w
ith s
omeo
ne (
like
Lano
is)
who
se m
ind
is
just
pro
blem
-sol
ving
all
the
time,
brin
ging
bac
k w
hate
ver e
nerg
y he
has
from
thos
e se
ssio
ns, i
t’s
real
ly c
ool.
I th
ink
we
gave
eac
h ot
her
our
fire
a lit
tle b
it,”
that
an
albu
m li
ke M
ercy
nee
ded
to
have
, esp
ecia
lly to
fini
sh re
cord
ing
it in
less
than
th
ree
wee
ks.
In th
e ly
rics
“Lik
e a
nam
e yo
u so
on fo
rget
, lik
e th
e as
hes f
rom
you
r cig
aret
te, l
ike
the
nigh
ts
that
com
e an
d go
...”
to t
he a
lbum
’s fi
rst
sing
le
“Sav
e Yo
urse
lf,”
DeL
uca
said
he
thou
ght m
ost
peop
le c
ould
rel
ate
to f
eelin
gs o
f “n
ot b
eing
a
mem
ber o
f a p
erm
anen
t pla
ce.”
“I th
ink
ever
yone
has
a m
omen
t, th
at th
ey’r
e re
mov
able
, exp
enda
ble.
If y
ou c
an k
ind
of w
ork
thro
ugh
that
, it c
an b
e a
nice
thin
g, to
o, b
ecau
se
it co
uld
teac
h yo
u so
met
hing
.”If
the
lyric
s don
’t pu
t one
into
that
spot
, De-
Luca
’s in
tens
e vo
caliz
atio
n, in
spire
d by
sin
gers
lik
e M
ahal
ia J
acks
on, B
illie
Hol
iday
and
Nin
a Si
mon
e, a
long
with
his
trad
emar
k do
bro
will
do
the
trick
. The
twan
g of
DeL
uca’
s do
bro,
like
on
“Any
Man
,” o
r the
bel
ls a
nd so
mna
mbu
lant
gui
-ta
r rif
f in
“N
ight
inga
le”
easi
ly p
ut t
he l
iste
ner
wel
l out
side
the
confi
nes o
f the
ir pa
d’s c
ouch
, or
thei
r slu
ggis
h m
orni
ng c
omm
ute.
And
the
n a
song
lik
e “S
ave
Your
self”
hits
st
raig
ht o
n, l
ike
losi
ng i
n a
gam
e of
mer
cy,
a ha
ndy
insp
iratio
n fo
r DeL
uca.
“I
saw
two
child
ren
play
ing
this
gam
e I
re-
mem
bere
d as
a k
id, (
and)
I ju
st re
cent
ly sa
w it
. ...
Wha
t a b
eaut
iful e
xam
ple
of li
fe,
this
chi
ld’s
gam
e. I
t m
ade
a lo
t of
sen
se t
o m
e. I
t’s a
co
ntra
dict
ion
of a
pla
yful
ac
tivity
that
has
the
sign
ifi-
canc
e of
pai
n. T
hat
pret
ty
muc
h m
akes
up
ever
ythi
ng
I’ve
trie
d in
my
life,
(whi
ch)
bega
n as
pla
yful
and
then
bi-
zarr
ely
ende
d up
as
pain
.”A
nd th
e m
an is
n’t s
hyin
g aw
ay f
rom
the
spo
tligh
t of
a
two-
piec
e se
t ei
ther
, in
stea
d ta
king
the
fre
edom
and
the
ch
alle
nge
and
mak
ing
each
so
ul-in
fuse
d sh
ow g
o in
the
di-
rect
ion
he fe
els
it ne
eds
to.
“It’s
a ni
ce fr
eedo
m, t
here
’s
a lo
t of
atm
osph
ere.
The
re’s
a
lot o
f ext
rem
es, b
ut it
’s v
ery
nice
. ...
You
kind
of
go w
here
you
wan
t to,
if y
ou s
ee th
ings
nee
d to
ch
ange
in th
e ro
om, y
ou c
an c
hang
e it,
” D
eLuc
a sa
id. B
efor
e le
tting
DeL
uca
get
on w
ith a
sho
w
at T
he H
ouse
of
Blu
es i
n H
oust
on,
Texa
s la
st
mon
th,C
rank
It M
ag c
augh
t a
few
mor
e qu
es-
tions
with
the
man
, in
clud
ing
how
his
exp
eri-
ence
at t
he 2
009
Sout
h by
Sou
thw
est m
usic
and
fil
m fe
stiv
al in
Aus
tin, T
exas
wen
t.
Cra
nkIt
Mag
: L
il J
on
, To
ri A
mo
s a
nd
yo
u
pla
yed
on
th
e s
am
e b
ill a
t S
XS
W ‘0
9. H
ow
ab
ou
t th
at?
Roc
co D
eLuc
a: W
e go
t pa
rtner
ed u
p (w
ith
Uni
vers
al)
for
my
reco
rd,
so I
(w
as)
invo
lved
with
that
in m
y sh
ow.
The
grea
t thi
ng a
bout
w
hen
I to
ur, o
r w
hen
we
play
, we
can
kind
of
go
out
with
any
one.
We
seem
to
fit a
lmos
t an
y bi
ll, a
nd it
’s g
reat
bec
ause
we’
ve g
one
out
with
sou
l ar
tsis
ts, a
nd h
eavy
met
al a
rtist
s, a
nd
it se
ems
to g
o O
K. W
e’re
kin
d of
OK
with
it. I
th
ink
it’s
mor
e ab
out i
nten
sity
than
sty
le (
whe
n pl
ayin
g liv
e).
We’
re s
uper
int
imat
e, a
nd t
hen
we’
re s
uper
agg
ress
ive.
To
me,
the
int
ensi
ty i
s al
mos
t the
sam
e.
cM
: W
ere
ya a
ble
to
get o
ut an
d s
ee s
om
e
of
the s
igh
ts b
etw
een
perf
orm
an
ces?
DeL
uca:
We
had
a lo
t of f
un, p
laye
d a
coup
le o
f sh
ows.
Did
a fe
w in
terv
iew
s, a
cou
ple
(for
) rad
io
stat
ions
, (bu
t we)
pul
led
out j
ust i
n tim
e be
fore
w
e fe
ll in
to th
e he
athe
n, S
odom
and
Gom
orra
h th
at w
as g
oing
on
in A
ustin
. We
didn
’t se
e as
m
uch
(of
the
fest
ival
) as
I w
ould
’ve
liked
. Any
time
I had
a s
hot t
o go
to s
ee s
omet
hing
, we
had
to e
nd u
p fin
ding
som
e fo
od, o
r (ha
d) th
is q
uick
th
ing
to d
o ov
er h
ere.
I di
d se
e on
e ac
t, be
caus
e m
y fr
iend
Gar
y B
riggs
was
thro
win
g a
gig,
and
Th
e Ja
yhaw
ks w
ere
play
ing.
cM
: D
o t
here
need
to
be m
ore
do
bro
an
d
ste
el
gu
itar-
pla
yin
g c
roo
ners
on
th
e m
u-
sic
scen
e?
Or
are
yo
u p
rett
y h
ap
py w
ith
th
e s
et
up
rig
ht
no
w?
DeL
uca:
(Lau
ghte
r) I
just
do
it be
caus
e I d
o it.
I
wou
ld l
ike
to s
ee p
eopl
e be
mor
e pr
oact
ive,
ta
ke s
ome
mor
e ris
ks i
nste
ad o
f be
ing
reac
tive
to w
hat’s
goi
ng o
n. T
hat w
ould
be
a ni
ce th
ing,
no
mat
ter
wha
t ins
trum
ent t
hey
play
, no
mat
ter
wha
t the
ir vo
ice
is. W
e’re
in n
eed
of s
ome
lead
-er
s ins
tead
of f
ollo
wer
s. I
cons
ider
mys
elf a
n ob
-se
rver
(ins
tead
of a
lead
er o
r a fo
llow
er).
cM
: W
hat’
s s
om
eth
ing
cra
zy t
hat’
s h
ap
-p
en
ed
ou
t o
n t
he r
oad
late
ly?
DeL
uca:
It’s
such
a c
ircus
to b
egin
with
, the
ab-
surd
ity o
f tra
velin
g. Y
ou p
roba
bly
forg
ive
and
forg
et a
bout
the
thin
gs th
at w
ould
sho
ck s
ome-
one
at h
ome.
(pa
use)
Bei
ng s
o tir
ed t
hat
you
forg
et t
he g
ig,
you
didn
’t sh
ow u
p to
the
gig
, pr
obab
ly th
e fu
nnie
st. A
nd it
was
the
next
day
. It
was
the
(Uni
ted
Kin
gdom
). I m
ade
up fo
r it,
we
resc
hedu
led
with
in th
e ne
xt c
oupl
e of
wee
ks.
DeL
uca
will
be
brin
ging
his
liv
e sh
ow t
o th
e C
arol
inas
for
two
date
s th
is m
onth
, Apr
il 3
at A
mos
’ Sou
then
d in
Cha
rlotte
, and
Apr
il 4
at
Cat
’s C
radl
e in
Car
rbor
o, N
.C.
Cat
ch a
ll of
his
late
st a
lbum
via
his
Mys
pace
pa
ge, w
ww
.mys
pace
.com
/rocc
odel
uca,
by
clic
k-in
g on
alb
ums,
and
vis
it w
ww
.rocc
odel
uca.
com
fo
r mor
e in
sigh
t stra
ight
from
the
artis
t. M
ercy
is
also
ava
ilabl
e on
iTun
es.
Kee
pC
rank
It M
ag h
andy
to c
atch
up
on a
ll th
e ar
tists
, lik
e R
occo
DeL
uca
and
The
Bur
den,
yo
u’ll
wan
na s
ee in
The
Car
olin
as!
Ap
ril 2
009
•C
ran
kIt
Mag
• �
7
Ap
ril 2
009
•C
ran
kIt
Mag
• �
6
Band
mem
bers
: •
Roc
co D
eLuc
a - g
uita
r (D
obro
), vo
calis
t, ly
rici
st, a
nd s
ongw
rite
r
• Rya
n C
arm
an -
drum
mer
•
Dav
e Be
ste
- bas
s
• Gre
g Ve
lasq
uez
- per
cuss
ioni
st
• Br
ett B
ixby
- K
eybo
ard,
rhy
thm
gui
tar,
sita
r
G
Merc
y is
aw
eso
me. A
lbum
Out N
ow
!
No
Mer
cy
In D
eLuc
a’s
Do
bro
Pla
ying
By T
.J. R
oyal
Photo by Doug Seymour
18•CrankItMag•April 2009
himairahascometothefrontofthe pack, sounding better thanever,withanewCDandtourintheworks.TheClevelandbasedheavy metal band has again
unleashed another of its beasts called The Infection.They are set to releaseApril 21,2009withthehopesthatitwill“Blowtheirlastoneoutofthewater,”accordingtoRobArnold. They will also be on their MusicasaWeaponTourwhichwillcoverseveralstates and feature heavy hitters KillswitchEngage, Disturbed and Lacuna Coil. Thisshouldbeonehell-of-a-show.
Current members of the band, whichwas formed August 8, 1998, are Mark Hunt-er (vocals, founder of band); Matt DeVr-ies (rhythm guitar); RobArnold (lead gui-tar); Jim LaMarca (bass); Andols Herrick (drums); and Chris Spicuzza (keyboards,samples, backing vocals). Their first full-lengthalbumwasThe Impossibility of Rea-son (2003-RoadrunnerRecords)andtheirsecond,underthesamelabel,wasChimaira(2005).The band then switched labels andproducedRessurrection(2007-Ferret)andthe current release of The Infection, alsounderFerret.This isaveteranbandwithatop-notchmetalsoundthatmetal-headslovetohear.
This chapter in Chimaira’s saga takes ustoCleveland,whereMarkHunter(vocal-ist)placedachallenge in frontof thebandtopullemotionsandfeelingsfromthecold,wet, dark and depressing Ohio winters oftheirhometown. It tooksome thinkingandcreativity, and the band pulled all the ele-mentstogethertoformasolidrepresentationof Hunter’s idea. The whole picture was put togetherwiththehelpofBenSchigel,theirproducer, and mixed by Zeuss.
Recently, the band released their first single entitled “Secrets of the Dead.” Chi-mairahasalsocreatedanewwebpagetitledwww.spread-the-infection.com with waysthe fans can get involved and spread the ‘in-fection.’
cM: I know you are on tour, or fixing to go on tour. Spread the Infection tour?
Arnold: It’s actually the Music as a Weapon Tour,and“SpreadtheInfection”isourmar-ketingcampaignatwww.spreadtheinfection.comforournewrecordTheInfection.
cM: How’s the new record going for you? Are you excited?
Arnold: Yes, we are definitely excited. It comes out April 21, and we’re getting a lot of hype so far. People have been diggingwhat they’re hearing, and we have real high hopes.
cM: You kick off your tour with Killswitch Engage, Disturbed, and Lacuna Coil on April 21, and the full tour starts March 20, correct?
Arnold:Thatsoundsaboutright.
cM: Compared to the first record with Ferret, how’s this second one going to match up to Resur-rection?
Arnold: I hope that it blows it out of thewater.Allyoucandoishope.
cM: I know you play some pretty deep and heavy metal. I noticed that you have some haunting riffs in your music, especially with your guitar playing. How do you switch it up, or keep the flow go-ing, from album to album? What’s your thinking process?
Arnold: We just play whatever soundsgood. I’m not a dark and evil guy, by any means,buttheriffsIplay,perhaps,are,andthat’s just the music that sounds good to me. Thebands I likeareCannibalCorpseandMorbidAngel.Bandslikethat,Idrawa lot of influence from. The way they put theirsongs together,andput theirriffsout,surely appeals to me. As for our sound, it’s
just us. It’s two years later, different time pe-riod, and everybody has different influences. Thewayofthinkingrightnow,andplayingtogether,hashad us jellingbetterover thepast two years. Everyone is getting betterwiththeirinstruments,andeachrecordpro-gressesalittlemorethantheonebefore.Wetrytoexpand,musically,ineverywaypos-sible,andwhetherpeoplelikethat,ornot,isuptothem.
cM: From what I understand, you took particular interest in your home city with some of the songs you created. Can you go a little more in detail on that?
Arnold:Yeah.Ourinstrumentalonthisre-cord iscalled“TheHeartof ItAll,”whichisanicknameforCleveland,oraClevelandslogan.Beforewewrotethatinstrumental,Markwastellingus,“Whenyouaredrivingaround, look at the Cleveland landscape-- gloomy, depressing, cold, snow-covereddowntownarea--andtrytothinkabouthowthatmakesyoufeel,likeintermsofyourrip-pingandthingslikethat.”So,wedidthat,andput“TheHeartofItAll”together. Hewasoriginallygoingtocall it“Cleveland,”but he wanted to be a little more ambigu-ous with it, and decided on “The Heart ofItAll.”
cM: When you have your down-
time, do you think about what your next project will be, or do you just leave that in the studio?
Arnold: My mind is around the band 24hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s what I think aboutbeforeIgo tobed,andwhenIwakeup in the morning. There’s always some facet of the business that needs attention.So,yeah,thebandisa24/7gig.Especiallyin our realm of metal, where it’s so hard to market,andveryhard tobesuccessful,es-pecially financially. You have to be on your toes,andneverallowanyslack.
cM: What are the fans like down here in North Carolina/South Car-olina, versus, say, Cleveland?
Arnold: No noticeable differences—justkidsanddudesthatlovemetalandhavefunseeingthebandstheywanttosee.Thekidsdown there enjoy a nice sunny day ratherthan a winter day. That’s the only thing I canthinkof.
cM: Anything onstage, on this tour, that’s remarkably different from last tour?
Arnold:No,justpassion.Nothing,intermsofproduction.Wejusttrytobringitashardaswecan.Webringthebestsoundengineerwecanafford,thebestlightengineerwecanafford. There’s really no way to compete when you’re out with a band like Disturbed, whospendsmillionsonproduction,andhaseverythingyoucanthinkoftoputonanare-narockconcert.Theonlythingwecandoistogooutandjustkillit.Wejusthopetobringit,andthatpeoplerememberusbytheendofthenight.
cM: Any one ritual you do/per-form before you play?
Arnold: No, not really. Everybody’s doing their thing, and getting ready in their ownway. Everyone prepares mentally, physi-cally,andthenwemeetupacoupleofmin-utesbeforewegoon,andwhilethelightsaredown. Tellacoupleof jokes,andthenwehitthestage.Afterward,everyonedispersesanddoestheirownthing.
cM: Any message you’d like us to put out for you?
Arnold: Thanks to everybody in North/South Carolina, and the south in general.Thanksforyourpatienceandlove.Remem-bertotellyourfriendsaboutus.Tellthemtotelltheirfriendsaboutus.CheckoutChim-aira at www.spreadtheinfection.com. Can’t thankyouenough,andhopetoseeeveryonesoon.
Spreading the Infection
cM
by Rob Moore
C H I M A I R A
The Lowdown: Will release their new CD “The Infection,” and is currently on tour in the U.S.
Hails From: Cleveland, OH
Total Sound: Metal
Band Members: Mark Hunter (vocals), Matt DeVries (rhythm guitar), Rob Arnold (lead giutar), Jim LaMarca (bass), Andols Herrick (drums) and Chris Spicuzza (keyboards)
Band Website: Visit www.chimaira.com for playdates in your area.
C
F E A T U R E
April 2009 •CrankItMag•19
UNDER the RADAR
he Scope: This column highlightslocal artists in North Carolina andSouth Carolina who are currentlymaking waves in the music indus-
try. Anyone interested in finding fresh under-ground music should check out this columnevery month in The Idiot to see what thesouthernmusicscenehastooffer.
Featured Artist:GrooveCollectorCoverbandsnevergetanyrespect.Mu-
sicians often discredit cover bands as beingtalentlessrockstar“wanna-bes”incapableofwriting any original material. However, notmany see covering songs as a way to get alegupinthemusicindustryorgetyourbandbookedinavenue.
Asheville-based Groove Collector sawthetitle“coverband”asanopportunityinsteadof a failure. Christian Justus, bass player, and EricCongdon,guitaristandvocalist, formedthebandthreeyearsago,inhopestopursuingtheir passion of song writing. The band puta lot of timeandeffort intowritingoriginal
music,butdiscoveredthetruestruggleforris-ing musicians- getting on a lineup. So, theyswitchedtocoversongs.
“I just found itwasvery,very tough togetyourfootinthedoor,”Congdonsaid.“Sowedecidedtodocoversandgointhereverseway.Getourselves established, andwork intheoriginalsaswewentalong.”
Musiciansmayscoffatthisintuitiveideaof sliding in thebackdoorwithothermusi-cians’ songs. But talent is talent, and, some-times, all it takes to build a fan base is oneshot on stage, covering someone else’s songs.
Peopleunderestimatethegeniusconceptbehind cover bands. Picture ... this, you’re waitinginlineatabarpackedthreedeepwithmen and women anxious to wave down thebartendertogetadrink.Bythetimeyoumakeittothebartorequestyourorder,thedrunkengentleman you’ve been avoiding the whole nightmanagestoweaselhiswaybyyourside.Suddenly,acoverbandstartstoplayapopu-larsongandeveryonestartstosing.Youmakeyourorder,singorscreamwiththerestofthecrowd,whichdistractsthehighlyintoxicatedloafbyyourside,andallowsyoutoslipawayunnoticed.
Besidesthepracticalityofacoverbandatthebar,anotherpositiveofattributeisthecommonknowledgethatpeoplelovetoplaytheir idolized musicians’ songs.
“WhenyouseeabandlikePhish, theywillalwaysthrow in a cover,” Cong-donsaid.“Thatcanbeare-ally good approach. I thinkpeople appreciate that. It’s taken more time for us toget our name out, but, youknow, I’m finding it is kind ofworkingforus.”
Groove Collector hasalso made a few memberchanges throughout theyears, which has causedsome setbacks. With therecent addition of drummer Micah ThomasandkeyboardistGeoffWeeks,Congdon andJustus decided it would be more profitable for theirgrouptoplaycoversuntilthenewmem-berssettleintotheirgroove.WithWeeksandThomas’s jazz background, Groove Collector hasevolvedintoanewsoundofrock.
“I think it’s apparent that all of us just lovemusic.Welove toplay,andwelove tocreate,”Congdonsaid.“Wecreatehigh-qual-itymusicthatpeoplecanreallyjustenjoyandappreciate for the musicianship and for thesongswearewriting.Andwith theadditionofWeeksandThomas,wenowrockoutwithenergybymixingsloppyrockwithakindofsmootherjazzphilosophy.”
“Our main goal is to create songs thatpeople are going to remember,” Justus said. “We want to let people know that ideas arecooking, that we are writing our own stuff,andthatweplanonreleasingafull-lengthal-buminthenearfuture.”
GrooveCollectorisanexampleofmod-esty. They were not afraid to fight through the trenches and play cover songs at a crowdedbarbecausetheyunderstoodthatitwouldpayoffintheend.
For more information about GrooveCollector,checkouttheirMySpaceathttp://www.myspace.com/groovecollectorband.
Hay
woo
d Rd.
Woodruff
Rd.
Verd
ae
Roper
Mtn
.
Interstate 385
Laurens
Transit Dr.
GreenvilleDowntownAirport
Groove Collectorby Tiffany Allison
T
cM
Photo Provided by Band
20•CrankItMag•April 2009
Evolve Male...Page 21SPECIAL articles
Haveyoueverwantedtobeinacomicbook?Nowyou can, at theBooneComicon, a one-day
comic-bookconventionthatwillbeheldattheNationalGuardArmoryinBoonenextmonth.Theshowwillfea-ture comic books, collectible toysand action figures, books, gaming, non-sportcardsandart.Tenregionalcomic-book artists and illustratorswill be exhibiting their work, andthey’re also helping with a unique project to put show attendees in arealcomicbook.
Scott Nicholson started theDreambookproject after oneof hisshort fiction works was published in England,featuringdrawingsbyhim,hisstepsonanddaughter.Hisdaugh-ter was so thrilled to be in a “realbook” that Nicholson figured every-oneshouldhavetheopportunity.
“The Boone Comicon Dream-bookisatruedo-it-yourself,on-the-spot community art experiment,”Nicholson said. “With budgets fortheartsbeingcutandeveryonede-pressed because they’re worried about the economy, many peoplehave forgotten how to find joy through creativity. With this book,you can turn yourself into a super-heroandhelpdefeattheinsidiousforcesofboredom.”
TheideainthebookisthatDr.dULLhasshownupattheBooneComiconwithhisbandofCrustyCrum-mies,determinedtostealtheDreambookandstampoutwords, art, and fun forever. But the attendees of theBooneComiconusethepowerofimagination,dreams,and creativity, and the occasional flying scissors-kick and mind-melting ray, to rescue the Dreambook andsend Dr. dULL back to wherever boring people hangout.
“All attendees at the comic show are invited tocontribute apanelof artwork to the story,”Nicholsonsaid. “You’re welcome to draw yourself as a hero, or make up any hero, or just be yourself.You can evendrawDr.dULLand theCrustyCrummies ifyou like.And it’s not just for kids. I don’t think grown-ups are as bored and boring as they usually act, and it’s something familiescandotogether.”
Those who can’t attend can still be in the Dream-bookandtheartcontestbymailingacolorpanelontheidea to Scott Nicholson, 188AA Bernard Bledsoe Lane, Todd NC 28684. The panels must be 3 inches wide and 3and1/2inchestall,withyournameandage(ifunder17)onthebottomofthepanel.Nomaterialswillbere-turned, so don’t send your only copy if you want to keep it. Existing characters like Batman and Spiderman aren’t allowed,either,becauseonlyyouarepowerfulenoughtobeatDr.dULL.
Theprofessionalartistsattheshowwillbejudgingwinners in four age categories to receive prizes: 8 and
under,9to12,13to16,and17andup.Nopurchaseisnecessarytoenterthecontest.Theoverallwinnerwillbethecoverartistforthecomicbook.
ParticipatingartistswhowillhelpattendeeswithcomicpanelsareThom-as Boatwright of CemeteryBlues, Post Mortem ComicStudios,BillyFowler,EvanDahm, BitterTea Studios,Bradd Parton, HardwayStudios, Jester Press, John Hairston Jr. and BobbyNash.
Thebookwillbepublished about sixweeksaftertheshow,with the title “HowWe Saved TheWorldofImagina-tion.” Copies ofthe communitycomic book canbe ordered in advanceor at the show, for $3.50 eachand $1 shipping and handling.Thenumberofadvanceorderswilldeterminehowmanyareprinted.
“This idea is soweird that itjust has to work,” Nicholson said.“I think if any community is cool
enough to pull it off, it’s ours.”Show sponsors are theArtMart&Academy,
ElklandArtCenter,TheMountainTimes,Plan9Comics of Boone andMcFarland Publishersof West Jefferson.
The BooneComiconwillbefrom10 a.m. to 5 p.m. onApril 18. The Na-tional GuardArmoryis at 274 HuntingHills Lane, besidetheWataugaCountyParks & Recre-ation Complex onState farm Road inBoone. Show ad-missionis$2,with8 and under free.
Informationon the show andthe Dreambookare available atwww.haunted-computer.com/BooneComicon.htm.
by Scott Nicholson
Community Comic BookBe A Hero:
Dirt #1, written by Scott Nicholson, art by Kewber Scott
Art by Thomas Boatwright, Cemetery Blues.
Domino Lady, from a new series by Bobby NashFever #1 by John Parker, art by David Magitis
April 2009 •CrankItMag•21
Evolve Male A Men’s and Boy’s Apparel Storeven with having the doors open forbarely 8 months, Evolve Male has al-readycreatedabuzzforrockingimag-es! Evolve Male is a men’s and boy’s
designerapparel,andaccessoriesstore,andisbestdescribedassophisticatedmeetsag-gressive with a rock flair. The style is noth-ing like Greenville has seen before. It hasthelookandfeelofastorestraightfromLasVegasorNYC;thesamecitiesinwhichtheowners, Geoff and Kelly Lester, shop andfind inspiration for Evolve Male.
Evolve Male has setout to do just that–evolvethe way men view fashion.“It’s not about screen print-ingabrandname,wearingashort lived fad, or even thenumberonapricetag,”saysGeoff and Kelly. “It’s about developing your own indi-vidual style, feeling com-fortable and confident, and wearingsomethingunique.”Evolve Male has a philosophy that is hardto find in today’s retail stores, especially bigchainstores,andthatisbeingexclusive.“Iused tohateseeing thesameshirt Iwaswearing on five other guys and then in the storewindow,”saysGeoff.“There isnoth-inguniqueabout abig stackof shirts on atable,andIalwaysfeltfrustratedthat thereareveryfewoptionsforguys.”
To ensure their apparel is exclusive,Evolve Male will only buy a few items ofeachstyle, andwillnever re-orderonceanitem is sold out. In addition, Evolve Maleoffersapersonalshoppingservice.Thisser-vice allows the customer to pick out theirownstylesandcolorsfromselectdesigners,even if it is not stocked in the store. Rockyourimage,accordingtotheowners,“isnomore complicated than representing on theoutside,whoyouareontheinside.Thiscanonly be defined by each individual.”
Some of the top de-signers can be found atEvolve Male, including 7Diamonds, Mark Nason,Monarchy, Hudson jeans,French Connection, andarriving this spring, BenSherman, Hause of HoweandTrueReligion.EvolveMalealsocarriesnewandlesser-known brands suchas J Steger, Ranghart, Dom
Rebel,StoneRose,andTavernitiSO.Theyalsoplantointroducenewlinesin2009fromScottWeilandofSTPdesigningforEnglishLaundryandtheMarkNasonloungeline.
EvolveMalehasalsohadseveralhig-profile artists and guests shop in the store, including Mike Mushock and Jon Wysocki fromStaind,thecomedianRobinWilliams,Big John from Rock of Love, and Mark King
fromHinder.Theyalsoproudlyendorsethesounds of Benton Blount, Decadence, Par-malee,Trend Kill Omega,TheVessel, andTheWilliamsRileyBand.
WhenEvolveMaleisnotinthestore,you will definitely find them at the next live show. Join Evolve Male at The Handlebar on Thursday,April16,fortheTrapt,Red,Hail-
storm,&Ineptconcert.Evolve Male is located at 24 West
Washington St, downtown Greenville, SCacross from Wild Wings and Barley’s. The store is openTues-Fri from12-7,Saturday12-5,orbyappointment.Youcanalsoshoponlineatwww.evolvemale.co.by Jack Mor-ton
E
S P E C I A L
April 2009 • CrankIt Mag • 2�
CD Reviews... Page 24 Movie Reviews... Page 26
Concert Listings... Page 27
opmusicisaliberalandvaguecategoryofmodernmusicnotmarkedbyartisticconsiderations but by its promising au-dience or future market. Pop is music
composed with calculated objective to influence themajorityofitscontemporaries.
Incontrasttomusicthatcallsforeducationorarrangementtoappreciate,asignificant characteristic of pop musicis thatanyoneisabletoenjoyit.Artisticconceptssuchas complex musical form andaestheticsarenotamatterinthewriting of pop songs, the keyaim being audience satisfac-tion and commercial triumph.Althoughtheaimofpopmusicis tosell recordsanddoreallywell in the charts, it does notrequire wide acclaim or com-mercialsuccess.Therearebadorunsuccessfulpopsongs.
Originally the term wasan abbreviation of, and syn-onymous to, popular music,but developed around 1954 toexpress a particular musical category. The sty-listicoriginsofpopmusic is folk,jazz,R&B,rockand roll,traditionalpopmusic.The typical instru-mentsareelectricguitar,bassguitar,drumkitandkeyboard.The cultural origins date back to 1950’s intheUnitedStates.Itispopularworldwidesince1960s.
The standard format of pop music is the
song, usually less than five minutes in length. The instrumentationcanrangefromanorchestra toalone singer. In spite of this wide choice, a stan-dardlineupinapopbandincludesaleadguitar-ist, a bassist, a drummer (or an electronic drummachine),akeyboardistandoneormoresingers,generallynotthemselvesinstumentalists.
Pop songs are generallyconspicuousbyaheavyrhyth-mic element, a mainstreamstyleand traditional structure.The most common modifica-tion is strophic in form andfocuses on memorable melo-dies,catchyhooksandtheap-pealoftheverse-chorus-versearrangement, with the chorussharply contrasting the versemelodically, rhythmically andharmonically.
Lyrics in pop composi-tions are usually simple andspeak of universal experi-ences and feelings, movingaway from incomprehensibleor debatable issues.The in-
ternationalappealofpopwasevidentinthenewmillennium, with artists from around the worldinfluencing the genre and local variants merging with the mainstream. As of 2008, pop music is nowcurrentlythemostpopularstyleofmusicofyouthculture,makingcompetitionwithhiphop,danceandcountry.
by Mary RosePop MusicP
he world of high technology and end-less innovations made its way to musicconsumersfromallovertheworld.Thisdefinitely opened new ways in enjoying
music, whether it is through legal ways or theother way around. With the bad smell of piracyspreading the stink globally, its time for musiccompanies to fight against it, in order to save the musicbusinesstoday.
Musicgiantsareonceagainatoddswiththeconsumerelectronicmanufacturers.Thistime,itisverymuchrelatedtopiracy—thecontroversyoverspecific information technology products that en-ablesconsumerstocopydigitalmusicandtransferthemintodifferentformats,orexchangethemoverthe Internet. This has been going on ever sincepeopleknewaboutit,andthisalonegreatlyaffectsthemusicbusinesstoday.
Over the last fewyears, themusic industryhasfedthemediastatisticsaboutpiracy,ortheactofcopyingdigitalmusiccontenttoablankCD,oruploadingordownloadingitfromtheInternet.Ac-cordingtoarticles,anestimated3.6billionsongsare illegally downloaded each month in the US.In1999,themusicindustryestimatedthatoneinfourCDsofnewmusicwasactuallyanunauthor-izedcopy.Byendof2001, itwasestimated thatas many CDs were burned and copied as werebought. Since 1999, CD burner ownership hasnearlytripled.Thistrendisattributabletothesloweconomy, among many other factors. However,themusicbusinesstodayseemstobelievethatthe
culpritinthistrendistheriseofdigitalmusic—freeonlinesharing,andthegrowingnumberofCDburners.
For self-defense, big music record compa-nies are developing technology for anti-piracy,toprotecttheircopyrightedmusicagainstthein-formation technology’s movement towards user-friendlydigitalsoftwareandhardware.Fewofthebiggestmusiclabelsareexperimentingonanti-pi-racy technologies designed to fight the online file sharing.BothSonyandBMGhavealreadyimple-mented copy-protection systems, which preventstheirCDsfrombeingplayedonanydevicethatisnotasimpleCDplayer.Anothermusiclabelisalsolicensinganotheranti-piracytechnology,whereitpreventsconsumersfromreformattingsongsintoMP3 format files and burning copies, or making them available for file sharing systems. This anti-piracytechnologycalledCactuswillpreventmu-sicfromplayingonthePlaystation2,anumberofcar stereos and DVD players, even on PCs, andalsodisablesstandaloneCDburners.
Therewillcomeapointwhereprogressmayfeel more like loss than gain, especially when atechnology that an industry has developed be-comesoutdated.Whilethismayseemfrustrating,theproper solution is not tohinderprogress; in-stead, adapt accordingly. Both the congress andthemusic industrygiantsshouldmakenecessarychangesinthelegislationtomakeitmoreeffectiveforthenextgeneration.
by Mary Rose
Free Music Hurts Music Giants
T
EXTRA articles
24 • CrankIt Mag • April 2009
CDREVIEWS by TwistedTodd
The BelieversLucky You
Lucky Youisthenewestcreationbyguitarists/
vocalistsCraigAspenandCydFrazzini.Theyhavea sound that gives you indie rock and alternativecountryallwrappedupintoone.SortoflikeGramParsons, Emmylou Harris and Heart meets Johnny Cash.ThislatestCDreallytakesittoanotherlevelfor these artists, and it continues to gather praisefromeverycornerofthemusicworld.
CraigandCydhavetakentheireclecticsoundandmixeditintoapart-country,part-rock,part-folksoundthatistrulytheirown.Everytunewithaverydeepfeelingattachedtoit.Thetitletrack,“HigherGround,”givesyouthefeelingofjusthowluckyweareaspeople.Itissortofalessonoflife.ItisoneofmyfavoritesonthisCD.
Everyone remembers Katrina and all thedevastationthathitthatareaofthecountry.“Ring,Ring,Ring”isasongthatdeeplyparallelsthiseventbecauseCraigandCydreturnedtoviewthedevas-tationandsawdirtywaterringsaroundthehomes,anddecidedtobringtheirfeelingstomusic.Averynicesonginremembrance.
Other favorites are “Read It & Weep” and“LuckyYou.” “Read It &Weep” is a tribute to afriendandtobrokenpeopleintheworld.
TheBelieversarepreparingtotakeLucky Youto luckyaudiencesaround thecountry.Theyhopetomakeinstantbelieversoutoftheiroldfansand,hopefully, some new fans. Check out the CD andfind out for yourself. It is truly inspiring. by Victor Hudson
ChimairaThe Infection
Heavy metal fans, it is here! Cleveland hasunleashedthebeast,onceagain,withthenewCDcalledThe Infection.This is thesecondalbumforChimaira under Ferret.They have created this al-bumbasedonthewinters inCleveland–cold,wet,darkanddepressing.ThisCDisexactlywhattheysayitis–infectious.
Thismusicisverydeepandgloomy,theriffsandvocalshaunting,andthecombinationhaspro-duced some awesome sounds. Rob Arnold, onceagain,hastakenhisguitarandcreatedsomekick-asssoundsthatmakeyouwantmore.MarkHunter(vocalist)has theraspyvoice that reallycrawls inyourskin.
The first tune starts out sounding like the Iron Maidenofoldwhentheyleadyouintotheirmindrocking, non-stop tunes, but it doesn’t last long, and Chimairatakesthehelmandbrings“TheVenomIn-side.” Once you are ‘infected,’ you just keep going withsongslike“FrozenInTime,”“SecretsOfTheDead,”and“DestroyandDominate.”
Onetunethatstruckmehard,andisoneofthebestontheCD,is“ImpendingDoom.”Thisis, tome,thebestontheCD,andspeaksvolumesforallthewarriorsthathavefacedimpendingdoom.
The Infection is a must for the heavy metalfan,andwillbeavailablelateApril,solookforit,andspreadtheinfection.by Rob Moore
KreatorHordes of Chaos
AlthoughKREATORhasremainedoneofthe
few thrash metal bands that refuses to give up orcompromisetheirstyleinlightoftheever-changingmusicindustry(afactItrulypraisethemfor),theirnewcdHordes of Chaos is actually the first album of theirs I have heard since 1989’s Extreme Aggres-sion,soIhadnoideawhattoexpect.Thediscopenswiththetitletrack,whichbeginswithagreatnon-metalguitarlickthatservesmoreasanatmosphericintroductiontothediscasopposedtoabuild-uptothe album’s relentless metal onslaught. Consider-ing this is the band’s twelfth studio album since their debut in 1985, the songs are very energetic and chock-full of killer riffs, and doesn’t sound like a tired,wornoutmetalbandnearly25yearsintotheircareer(somethingveryfewbandsinanygenrecanproclaim).Asgreatastheentirecdis,“Warcurse”is,byfar,thestrongesttrackontherecord,leadingme to add it to our metal show, Planet X. If you’ve losttouchwiththisbandoverthepasttwentyyears,it’s time to revisit!. by Twisted Todd
Enter The HaggisGutter Anthems
Toronto’s Celtic/Rock band, Enter The Hag-gishasjustreleasedanotherCDcalledGutter An-thems with the main emphasis on their homelandof Canada. They are well-known for their Celticstyle of rock with bagpipes, fiddle, banjo, and piano mixedinwiththerock.VocalistandguitaristTrevorLewingtonreallypushestheenvelopeforthebandinthisone,andtheCDasawholeseemstobethemostcomplete.
ThroughouttheCD,youwillgetupbeattem-pos that are cool and make you want to do a jig.“Murphy’s Ashes,” in the middle of the album, is onesuchtrack.
Songslikeopeningtrack“TheLitterAndTheLeaves,” with its upbeat tempo and rousing an-themicchorus, see thebandembracinga jig-punkdirectionalaTheDropkickMurphys,whiletrackslike“RealLife”embracethemoretraditionalfeeloftin whistle and fiddle throughout. “Noseworthy and Piercy” and “The Death of Johnny Mooring” find thebandembracingitsCanadianrootsintruetalesfrom the homeland. There’s also a marked “little guyvs.theworld”theme,derivedfromthetrialsofbeinganindiebandtryingtomakeitinthecurrentmusicindustryclimate.
“SuburbanPlains”bringsinsomenewsoundsby using an African drumbeats. There’s also a cool fiddle solo in “The Death of Johnny Mooring.”
Enter The Haggis is definitely in a niche all their own. The music is very pleasing to the ear.Gutter Anthems is done well and and worth get-ting–akeeper.by Rob Moore
REDInnocence & Instinct
Christian rockers RED are back with theirsophomore album Innocence & Instinct, which isanything but sophomoric. The first track is actu-allyaneerieintrotothealbumandgoesrightintothe first song “Fight Inside,” which starts slow but quickly becomes one of the disc’s heavier numbers. The next song is the album’s first single, “Death of Me,”whichishard-hitting,yetmaintainsitscatchi-ness.OnethingthatsurprisedmewaswhenIheardvocalistMikeBarnesbegintosingwordsIrecog-nizedasbeingthatofaDURANDURANsong.Igrabbed thecdcaseandsawthewords“OrdinaryWorld”inthetracklisting!AndREDcoveredthesongverywell!Iwasquiteimpressed!Fansofthefirst RED record End of Silencewillnotbedisap-pointed! by Twisted Todd
Black Water RisingSelf Titled
Black Water Rising’s debut CD has just graced mydesk,andwhataCDitis.Itreallytookmebackto my younger days of listening to the southernrockofold.Theheavyriffsandthebighooksbringyou right into the music and won’t let you go. Rob
Traynor’s voice injects southern rock soul into his songs,anditisjusttherightbalancewiththeguitarplaying of Johnny Fattoruso.
This11songCDhasalreadyhadsomemajorplay. The first tune “The Mirror” takes you immedi-atelyintothedeepriffsandgrowlingguitarplayingofFattoruso.Thistuneisjustkick-ass.Itisimmedi-atelyfollowed-upwith“BrotherGoOn,”whichisrisingfastasacrowdfavorite.Thissonghasevery-thingasongneedstogotothetop.
“Hate Machine” had me going right off thebat with the heavy hook, but I wasn’t ready for the “pop rock” plugged into the music right afterIwashooked.Itdoescreateadifferentsoundandapproachonthisalbumwhichiswelcome.Theydogetrightbacktotheirbad-assstyle,andanotherofmyfavorites,called“BlackBleedsThrough.”
Thisisakeeper,forsure,forrockfans.Theyhaveasolidsound,andtheyhavetheballs,theriffsandmelodytoproveit.by Victor Hudson
Jason Heath & The Greedy SoulsThe Vain Hope of Horse
Jason Heath is truly a guitar player/singer with amessagetotell,andthisCDshowcaseshistalent.Withthebackupofhisband,TheGreedySouls,The Vain of HopeisaverygoodCD;itbringsyouintotheheartsandmindsofthesemusicians.Thisisal-ternativecountryatitsbest.
The first tune, “American Jesus,” is a catchy tunethathasthepotentialtobeasolidhit.Withhisguitarplayingandthecoolharmonica,itis,byfar,thecatchiesttuneontheCDandisafarcryfromthesadnessofsomeoftheothertunesonthisalbum.
“Kerosene Dreams” really gives you someinsight into Heath’s struggles. It is lined with hope, sadness anddesperation, butnot all the songs arebased on his struggles. “Kerosene Dreams” couldbebasedonthepeopleofourgreatcountrywhoarepooranddisplacesfromdevastationandgreed.
“NowherePlace,”whichsoundslikealulla-by,and“TownWithoutPity”areacoupleofsongsthat define what he’s trying to say.
There is an interesting remake of an old hitcalled “Crazy Train.” Ozzy Osborne would beproud. “Parkinglot Prophet” is a catchy tune thatspeaks of finding one’s way in life.
The songs are clear creations of a uniquelygenerousandgiftedsoul.Hereallyisagiftedmusi-cianthatcangetacrosshismessage.Checkhimout.by Rob Moore
CD Reviews OnlineSee them online at www-the-idiot.com.If you’d like your CD reviewed please
send it to: CrankIt Mag Magazine,
549 Sugar Load Rd., Boone, NC 28607
We can’t promise that your CD will be reviewed but we definitely try. Thanks!
m o n t h l y
April 2009 •CrankItMag•25
April 7
Rascal Flatts - Unstoppable
Ciara - Fantasy Ride
MercyMe - 10
Jason Aldean - Wide Open
Jadakiss - The Last Kiss
Lady Sovereign - Jigsaw
LeToya - Lady Love
James Taylor - Other Covers
Doves - Kingdom of Rust
Neil Young - Fork In The Road
Bob Mould - Life And Times
Ben Folds - University A Capella!
Libera - Eternal: The Best Of Libera
Vienna Teng - Inland Territory
April 9
Lady Sovereign - Jigsaw
April 14
Day26 - Forever In A Day
Death Cab For Cutie -
The Open Door [EP]
Metric - Fantasies
Ida Maria - Fortress Round My Heart
Silversun Pickups - Swoon
Fastball - Little White Lies
Simon & Garfunkel - Live 1969
Bernie Williams - Moving Forward
April 20
Art Brut Art - Brut vs. Satan
April 21
Depeche Mode -
Sounds Of
The Universe
Pet Shop Boys
- Yes
Tinted Windows - Tinted Windows
Lacuna Coil - Shallow Life
Jane’s Addiction -
Cabinet Of Curiosities [Box Set]
Booker T. Jones - Potato Hole
April 28
Disciplines - Smoking Kills
Heaven & Hell - The Devil You Know
So Many Dynamos - The Loud
WarsAcross
Melody Gardot -
My One And Only Thrill
Various Artists -
Playing For A Change
A Camp - Colonia
CD
RE
LE
AS
ES
pril is not so fierce as far as releases.
The one major re-lease is with Rascal
Flatts. Death Cab for Cutie pumps out a new one and some other notables like Metal gods Lacuna Coil, 80’s wonder Depeche Mode and even The Pet Shop Boys make the scene. Flaskback from hell right there! Any-way, enjoy and rock on!
A
A p r i l
Out April 21
RELEASES
26•CrankItMag•April 2009
Watchmen - Jesters: 8 Starring: Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Matthew GoodeDirected by: Zack Snyder
“Like turning air into gold.”Though its running time gave Watchmen enough space to be-
come confusing, this live-action adaptation of the Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons and John Higgins graphic novel is something special.
The wild ride starts off with the murder of The Comedian (Jef-frey Dean Morgan), the most cynical of the Watchmen who works
as a means for President Nixon’s military goals. He thinks nothing about who he kills or why, as he sees the world and those living in it as cannon fodder for cosmic jokes. But even The Comedian reaches a breaking point, and he pays for it in the end.
After he’s thrown out of his high-rise penthouse window, ink blot-masked Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) gets on the case and enlists the help of mild-mannered Dan Dreiberg (Patrick Wilson), who once fought crime as Nite Owl. When they dig deeper into Comedian’s murder, they bring in super-being Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) and try to use his world-crushing powers and omniscience to help solve the mystery.
But that’s an oversimplification of the plot, as questions of “why bother to exist?” and “what’s a just cost for world peace?” come into play before it’s all over with.
Both the gravitas of the comic’s storytelling and its art style are preserved, with a few tweaks here and there. Watchmen drops a few plot strains from the comic, but none of the characterization from the source material is sacrificed. Haley played Rorschach absolutely perfectly, as a man whose crime-fighting career makes him disturbed and uncompromising to the end. When he’s in the movie, he’s a captivating presence who flawlessly anchors viewers through the developing narrative. Wilson did an admirable job playing a “flat” character and making his side of the story interesting, and Morgan owned his role as The Comedian.
However, I was confused about why Comedian was killed in the first place until I actually finished reading the graphic novel. I got halfway through the novel before watching the movie.
The part that I thought was the best realization of the novel’s spirit was the opening montage set to Bob Dylan’s “The Times, They Are A Changin’.” The lesbian super-hero Silhouette’s riff on the famous World War II kissing photo, JFK’s assassination and Silk Spectre (Carla Gugino) radiating as she holds a newspaper with her name on the headline were stirring, the best way to thrust viewers into Watchmen’s view of history.
This is a densely packed motion picture, a superb achievement and engaging entertainment, only weighed down by some spotty plotting. Review by T.J. Royal
What A Wild Ride
Want to comment on a review or make a request? Contact T.J. Royal at [email protected].
I Love You, Man - Jesters: 8.5 Starring: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Jon Favreau, Andy Samberg, Jaime Pressley, Lou FerrignoDirected by: John Hamburg
I Love You, Man is a rewarding comedy that gets so much right about the strug-
gle for guys to find best friends and maintain those relationships in adulthood.Pete Klaven (Paul Rudd) is a real estate salesman (hold the jeers, please) who
has proposed to his girl Zooey (Rashida Jones), a gal with a team of friends just waiting to be her bridesmaids. For Pete, though, Zooey put it best: “I think his mom is his best friend.”
So begins his journey for a “mate” of sorts, which Zooey and Pete’s gay brother Robbie help to put him through. When a dinner “date” goes awry and another fella doesn’t match his profile picture, Pete’s at wits end to get a best man for his wedding, just months away.
But during his open house for Lou Ferrigno’s hill-top property, in walks Sydney Fife (Jason Segel), the friend each man deserves to have. He’s uninhibited, gets chicks all the time, is a good talker (and listener) and absolutely wants to hang out all the time. And lucky for Pete, he enjoys Rush just as much as he does.
He even stands up to Lou Ferrigno, man to man! And he won’t pick up his dog’s poo for anything. Whatta guy. By the time their air guitar sessions and boyhood-idol concert is over, Pete and Sydney more or less know they were “made for each other.”
To me, I Love You, Man has a rewatchable quality that reminds me of Friday, in a good way. It’s filled with memorable characters and myriad one-liners, and just plain strikes a chord in the male-bonding department.
It doesn’t have Friday’s “moral” at the end, but it does have a full-circle quality to its plot that’s nice, if not surprising. Sure, there are rough patches between the three main characters, but you don’t know quite how it’s gonna shake out or when it will.
Even if you’re averse to seeing any of the recent crop of “guy humor” movies that have popped up, give I Love You, Man a shot. It’s got 40 Year Old Virgin’s sincerity and a hot handful of laughs. Review by T.J. Royal
Silly Fun For Everyone
Photos by Scott Garfield/Paramount Pictures
Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl, Malin Akerman as Silk Spectre II and Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach in Warner Bros. Pictures’ Watchmen - 2009
MOVIE picks
April 2009 •CrankItMag•27
the CONCERTS
AshevilleSouthwest N.C.
Thu 04/02/09 Cannibal Corpse The Orange Peel Matt & Kim Emerald Lounge Fri 04/03/09 The Afromotive The Orange Peel Andy Narell UNC Gringo Star New French Bar Papa Mali Stella Blue Sat 04/04/09 Louis C.K. The Orange Peel J Sketch & Dirty Notes Stella Blue Mon 04/06/09 Dan Deacon The Orange Peel Wed 04/08/09 Indigo Girls Thomas Wolfe Aud Brian Jonestown Mass The Orange Peel Thu 04/09/09 Digable Planets The Orange Peel Due Panic Emerald Lounge Fri 04/10/09 Cara Dillon Warren Wilson College Pnuma Trio Nashwa Dubconscious Grey Eagle Sat 04/11/09 DJ Rootz Nashwa Great Lake Swimmers Grey Eagle Mon 04/13/09 Framing Hanley The Orange Peel Tue 04/14/09 Ratatat The Orange Peel The Life And Times Rocket Club Thu 04/16/09 Susan Tedeschi The Orange Peel Mamadou Diabate UNC Amy LaVere Grey Eagle Against Me! Stella Blue Fri 04/17/09 Ladytron The Orange Peel The Voodoo Organist Rocket Club Two Man Gentleman Jack Of The Wood Pub Sat 04/18/09 Orchard Lounge Nashwa “Asheville Earth Day” Martin L King Park Sun 04/19/09 Dengue Fever The Orange Peel The Claire Lynch Band Grey Eagle Mon 04/20/09 Mad Happy Emerald Lounge Tue 04/21/09 Wilco Thomas Wolfe Aud All That Remains The Orange Peel Damien Jurado Grey Eagle Wed 04/22/09 Anal Cunt (A.C.) Rocket Club The New Mastersounds Grey Eagle Thu 04/23/09 Rodney Carrington Thomas Wolfe Aud Mogwai The Orange Peel Mason Jennings Grey Eagle Fri 04/24/09 Ray LaMontagne Thomas Wolfe Aud Toubab Krewe The Orange Peel Scott Miller Grey Eagle Sat 04/25/09 Disco Biscuits Thomas Wolfe Aud Pretty Lights The Orange Peel Stephanie’s Id Grey Eagle Randy Tuesday New French Bar Sun 04/26/09 Dinosaur Jr. The Orange Peel Tue 04/28/09 Dragonforce The Orange Peel
CharlotteSouth Piedmont of N.C.
Wed 04/01/09 Like Trains & Taxis Evening Muse Thu 04/02/09 Cheech & Chong Ovens Auditorium Jimmy Brown Evening Muse Cheech & Chong Ovens Auditorium The Whigs Visulite Theatre Carolina Chocolate Drps Private Function Bloodkin Double Door Inn Chris Tomlin Bojangles’ Coliseum Erika Blatnik Evening Muse Fri 04/03/09 Mad Tea Party Puckett’s Farm Equip Matt Wertz Neighborhood Theatre Gary Pfaff Wild Wing Cafe Simplified Visulite Theatre Johnny Sketch Double Door Inn Rocco DeLuca Amos’ Southend Galen Kipar Evening Muse Sat 04/04/09 Rodney Carrington Ovens Auditorium Gringo Star Snug Harbor S.O.Stereo Evening Muse Firehouse Amos’ Southend Alice Peacock Evening Muse Sun 04/05/09 “Playhouse Disney!” TWarner Cable Arena John Edward Sheraton Airport Simplified Mac’s Speed Shop Tue 04/07/09 Eric Sardinas Double Door Inn Wed 04/08/09 k.d. lang Ovens Auditorium Robin Rogers Providence Cafe Marcy Playground Amos’ Southend Megan Jean Evening Muse Thu 04/09/09 Elsinore Evening Muse Pnuma Trio Visulite Theatre Chris Wabich Evening Muse
Fri 04/10/09 Cherryholmes McGlohon Theatre Boulder Acoustic Soc Neighborhood Theatre The Corduroy Road Puckett’s Farm Equip Vertigo Double Door Inn Patrick Davis Evening Muse Sat 04/11/09 The War Evening Muse Wicked Jones Milestone Club Dubconscious Neighborhood Theatre Jason Aldean Coyote Joe’s Mark Mathis Evening Muse Mon 04/13/09 “Music As A Weapon Tr” Bojangles’ Coliseum Tue 04/14/09 Robin Rogers Fairview Grill Hoots & Hellmouth Evening Muse Wed 04/15/09 Big John Bates Visulite Theatre The Life And Times Milestone Club Thu 04/16/09 Kevin Gordon Evening Muse Stanton Warriors The Forum The Afromotive Visulite Theatre New Found Glory Amos’ Southend The Bridge Double Door Inn Jeffrey Gaines Evening Muse Fri 04/17/09 Jennifer Hudson Ovens Auditorium Susan Tedeschi Neighborhood Theatre Silverstein Tremont Music Hall Simplified Tavern On The Park Adrianne Evening Muse Eric Church Coyote Joe’s Kyler Evening Muse Sat 04/18/09 Austin Hillbilly Exp Evening Muse Tower Of Power Neighborhood Theatre Todd Snider Visulite Theatre The Brilliant Inventions Evening Muse “Two Wheel Frenz Fest” Dixie’s Tavern The Nighthawks Double Door Inn Joshua Panda Evening Muse Sun 04/19/09 John Scofield Neighborhood Theatre Simplified Mac’s Speed Shop Anal Cunt (A.C.) Milestone Club Tue 04/21/09 Fonseca Neighborhood Theatre Jimmy Buffett Verizon Wireless Amp The Corduroy Road Double Door Inn Robin Rogers Fairview Grill Wed 04/22/09 Marc Douglas Berardo Evening Muse Steve Kimock Crazy Eng Visulite Theatre Scoot Pittman Trio Evening Muse Thu 04/23/09 A Skylit Drive Tremont Music Hall Will Hoge Evening Muse Fri 04/24/09 Sleeperstar UNC Dave Matthews Band Verizon Wireless Amp SCulture On The Skids Visulite Theatre Naked Blue Evening Muse Fall Out Boy Bojangles’ Coliseum Jennifer Daniels Evening Muse Sat 04/25/09 Due Panic Jeff’s Bucket Shop Paleface Evening Muse Outformation Visulite Theatre Fleetwood Mac TWarner Cable Arena John Anderson Bojangles’ Coliseum Blue October Amos’ Southend Old School Freight Train Evening Muse Jimmy Thackery Double Door InnSun 04/26/09 Sing It Loud Tremont Music Hall Simplified Mac’s Speed Shop Wed 04/29/09 Enter the Haggis Visulite Theatre Dinosaur Jr. Neighborhood Theatre David Mead Evening Muse Thu 04/30/09 Chris Botti NC Blum Per Arts Ctr. Telepath Neighborhood Theatre DJ Franki Chan The Forum Buddy Guy Halton Arena Kings Of Leon Bojangles’ Coliseum David Allan Coe Buckhead Saloon South Memp String Bnd Evening Muse
Greenville, S.C.Upstate of S.C.
Wed 04/01/09 N Mississippi Allstars The Handlebar Thu 04/02/09 Matt MacKelcan Downtown Alive Fri 04/03/09 The Explorers Club The Channel The Benjy Davis Project The Handlebar The Mantras Gottrock’s Hot Lava Monster Medusa’s Sat 04/04/09 Mad Tea Party Gottrock’s Wed 04/08/09 Chris Tomlin Timmons Arena Thu 04/09/09 Trapt The Handlebar k.d. lang Peace Cntr Con Hall Sat 04/11/09 Yo Mama’s Big Fat Bty Gottrock’s Tue 04/14/09 Against Me! The Handlebar David Sedaris Peace Cntr Con Hall
Wed 04/15/09 Hoots & Hellmouth The HandlebarThu 04/16/09 Lipbone Redding Downtown Alive Fri 04/17/09 John Scofield The Handlebar Koko Taylor & Her Blues Peace Center Con Hall Sat 04/18/09 The Afromotive Gottrock’s The Afromotive Horizon Records Larry The Cable Guy Bi-Lo Center Eric Church Blind Horse Saloon Tue 04/21/09 Mad Happy R3V3RB “Yanni Voices: Live” Bi-Lo Center Thu 04/23/09 Randy Houser The Handlebar Fri 04/24/09 Bill Gaither & Friends Bi-Lo Center Sat 04/25/09 SCulture On The Skids The Handlebar Tue 04/28/09 John Tesh McAlister Auditorium
Thu 04/30/09 Enter the Haggis The Handlebar
Spartanburg, S.C.Upstate of S.C.
Fri 04/03/09 Stephanie’s Id Hub Bub Sat 04/04/09 “Playhouse Disney!” Spartanburg Mem AudThu 04/09/09 Old Crow Medicine Shw Spartanburg Mem Aud Sat 04/11/09 Due Panic The Cellar Thu 04/16/09 Zac Brown Band Converse College Mon 04/20/09 Anal Cunt (A.C.) Ground Zero Wed 04/22/09 Napalm Death Ground Zero
Wed 04/29/09 Rory Block Wofford College
Columbia, S.C.Capitol of S.C.
Thu 04/02/09 Benjy Davis Project USCarolina / Columbia Rodney Carrington Township Auditorium Sat 04/04/09 Betwn The Buried & Me New Brookland Tavern Ambrosia USCarolina / Columbia Simplified 5 Points Pub D. B. Bryant Corner Pocket Sun 04/05/09 The Chariot New Brookland Tavern Tue 04/07/09 David Cook Private Function Wed 04/08/09 Trapt Headliners Mainstage
Sat 04/11/09 The Movement Five Points Tue 04/14/09 Big John Bates New Brookland Tavern Sat 04/18/09 Tyler Reeve Wild Wing Cafe Tue 04/21/09 Farewell Sudworks A Skylit Drive New Brookland Tavern Wed 04/22/09 Due Panic New Brookland Tavern Sat 04/25/09 Brantley Gilbert Headliners Mainstage D. B. Bryant Corner Pocket Sun 04/26/09 Sleepytime Gorilla Mus 5 Points Pub
Wed 04/29/09 Telepath Sudworks
North Myrtle Beach, S.C.Coast of S.C.
Fri 04/10/09 Killswitch Engage House Of Blues Sat 04/11/09 Big John Bates Pirates Cove Lounge Katy Perry House Of Blues Wed 04/15/09 New Found Glory House Of Blues Fri 04/17/09 Black Label Society House Of Blues Sat 04/18/09 George Jones Alabama Theatre Wed 04/22/09 311 House Of Blues Fri 04/24/09 Blue October House Of Blues Sat 04/25/09 George Clinton & PFunk House Of Blues Sun 04/26/09 Kevin Rudolf House Of Blues Tue 04/28/09 “Jagermeister Mus Tr” House Of Blues
MONTHLY CONCERT LISTINGS for North and South Carolina Select Cities
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28•CrankItMag•April 2009
FEST IVALSNorth Carolina
April 03 -April 05, 2009 Craftsmen’s Classic Arts & CraftsGreensboro, North Carolina. See the creative process in action as many exhibitors demon-strate their art/craft throughout the weekend. ��6-282-5550April 03 -April 05, 2009 Spring Art & Craft Show - Salisbury, North Carolina. 2nd Annual -Held indoors at newly refurbished Salisbury Mall 828-4�7-5002April 04, 2009 African American Cultural FestOxford, North Carolina. Parade, food, art, mu-sic, vendors celebrating African American cul-ture 866-6�0-�796April 17 -April 26, 2009 HerbFest - Wake Forest, North Carolina. Herbs, perennials for sale, free entertainment, vendors, foods, free education seminars. 800-
9�7-�99�April 18, 2009 Festival of FunNew Bern, North Carolina - Eastern Carolina’s premier children’s festival. Inflatable rides, en-tertainment, kite flying demo, petting.252-639-2902April 18, 2009 NC Turkish Festival - Raleigh, North CarolinaCultural activities, Entertainment for adults and kids.Turkish Cuisine , Marbling, Live perfor-mances, 919-�86-�464April 18, 2009 Native Plant FestivalOcean, North Carolina - Native plants, demon-strations, artists, and ent. 252-�9�-8185April 25 -April 26, 2009 Storytelling Festival of Carolina - Laurinburg, North Carolina. Nationally known, local/region-al and youth storytellers on the grounds of the historic John Blue House. 910-277-�599April 25, 2009 Spring Daze Arts and Crafts Festival - Cary,
North Carolina. Popular one day outdoor event. 919-�19-4560April 25 -April 26, 2009 Art & Soul of South End - Charlotte, North Carolina. Art festival which will showcase artists from around the region, music and a children’s art festival. 704-��2-2227April 30 -May 02, 2009 Festival on the Neuse - Kinston, North Carolina. Wil King Hog Hap-penin’ Cooking Contest, music, an-tique car show, food and fun to be had by all252-527-11�1
South Carolina
April 03 -April 05, 2009 International Festival - Columbia, South Caro-lina. See the artifacts, curios, costumes and souvenirs of more than 60 countries! 803-799-�452April 04 -April 05, 2009 Revolutionary War Days - Ninety Six, South Carolina. See history come to life through an authentic encampment of the Revolutionary War era. 864-54�-4068April 04, 2009 Spring Festival - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Inflatables, Trackless Train, Barbe-cue Plates, Hot Dogs, Make-n-Take workshops with Home Depot, Vendors 84�-249-0�99April 04 -April 05, 2009 Pee Dee Indian Tribe of SC Pow-WowMcColl, South Carolina. Inter-tribal Gather-ing that consists of traditional dancing, crafts, foods, demonstrations, socializing. 84�-862-�566April 04 -April 05, 2009 Spring Jubilee - Pendleton, South CarolinaJuried arts and crafts, live entertainment, his-toric tours, bicycle ride, delicious food in his-toric town864-646-�782April 04 -April 04, 2010 Turkey Strut & Chicken Pickin’ Fest - Cross Keys, South Carolina. This festival will not be held in 2009 864-684-7166April 11, 2009 April in Meggett Arts & Crafts Festi - Meggett, South Carolina. Festival features lowcountry
artists & crafters, antique cars & tractors, silent auction, raffles, food. 843-889-3622April 17 -April 18, 2009 Iron City Festival - Blacksburg, South Carolinaa real fun festival for adults and kids...great en-tertainment...lots of vendors 864-8�9-2400April 17 -April 18, 2009 Pickens Azalea Festival - Pickens, South Caro-lina. Azalea Festival is a family event, classic car cruise in, arts /crafts, food,music & amsue-ment rides. 866-615-660�April 18 -April 19, 2009 Art in the Park - Myrtle Beach, South CarolinaAll new all jewelry show is brand new upscale urban environment in the city of Myrtle Beach, SC84�-448-7690April 18, 2009 Community Yard Sale - Isle of Palms, South Carolina. Over 50 locals selling like new house goods. No business vendors allowed. Refresh-ments available. 84�-886-8294April 25 -April 26, 2009 Art in the Park - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina�7 years in a treed park near the ocean. 84�-448-7690April 25, 2009 Mead Hall’s Strawberry Festival - Aiken, South Carolina. Fun-filled event, amusement rides, games, vendor booths, strawberry delights, and much more! 803-439-4833
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April 2009 •CrankItMag•29
ince CrankIt Mag featured talentedrock/bluesguitaristBenRobinsoninNovember,afewthingshavedevel-
opedforthe23-year-old,suchasthereadyingofhisdebutalbumandmoreexposurefromhisliveshows.
With the album’s sound mastered in the pastmonth,anextrasheenofpolishhasbeenadded to Robinson’s virtuoso guitar playing that he says he’s proud of. Earlier, he told CrankItMagthatheisproudofhowtheun-finished songs sounded, and how free-flowing therecordingprocesswasforhim.Sincehebeganplayingprofessionally at the age of10,Robinsonpreviouslysaidhe didn’t know how record-ing his first “adult” album would go, but that he hasbeenhappywiththeresult.
Since the songs werecompleted, Robinson said“the changes happened justas free-flowing as the origi-nal process happened,” add-ing that he liked “all” thechanges to the songs that re-sulted.Theresultsareverynoticeable.
While a song like “Armageddon Ex-press”or“HeartofStone”previouslyhadadefinite live album sound, the new mastering adds an exciting sound layerwithout takinganyintegrityawayfromtheoriginaleffect.
Before his album’s sound was complet-ed, Robinson also got to perform for the first time at Daytona’s Bike Week, from Feb. 27 through March 8. After playing a show with hugely successful country artist Aaron Tip-pin, Robinson said he and his band “endedupdoinganimpromptushowatDaytonathenightafter(theTippinshow),anditwasawe-some.Wejustshowedup,setup,thecrowd
wasgreat,itwasawesome.Andthenwewentandsleptforawhile.”
The positive experience from DaytonalefthimwantingaHarley,butafterhethoughtabout it a bit, he felt “I’d probably (just) end uphurtingmyself.”
Also, Robinson and producer RobertWillis were featured on Fox 35 Orlando’s morningshow,wherehesaidthepeoplewere“genuinely interested” in his face-meltingguitar riffs and brand of blues-infused rockmusic. He admitted that he doesn’t “normally
liketogetupthatearly,”butthat, because it was such apositive experience, he’d “go back there and do thatshowagainanytime.”
ForCarolinamusicfansheadingtoFlorida,BenandhisbandwillbeperformingMay 1 at Sunfest 2009 inWest Palm Beach. It’s part of Ben’s preparation to let musicfansknowmoreabouthimandhismusic.
“Now that I have theband, and we’re extremely
well-rehearsed, I’m ready. I have the record out, and I’m ready to tour. Ready to start rocking out on a nightly basis. (It’s been) a year and a half in the making, and it’s finally time.”
To catch all of Ben’s songs in their fin-ished form, head over to his Myspace pageat www.myspace.com/thebenrobinsonband.Youcanalsocatchupwithhimonwww.ben-robinsonmusic.com.
KeepthoseeyespeeledtoCrankIt MagformoreinfoonhotactslikeBenRobinson,so you can be in the know before anyoneelse!
ownMountaincametoTheDragon-Fly in Boone on March 21st, 2009andreallyshowedtheaudiencewhata Bluegrass band is all about. Yes,
there are some bands that have been thereanddonethat,buttheseguyshavethewholepackageandreallyshined.That“wholepack-age”beingmadeupoffouroriginalmembers:Robert Greer (vocals, guitar); Jesse Langlais (banjo,vocals);BarrettSmith (bass, guitar);and Phil Barker (mandolin, vocals). Thefiddle player is sort of plugged in, but they have a choice of Josh Go-forth, John Garris, Steve Trisman, Don Lewis, Justin Hoffen-berg, Bobby Britt, Merl Johnson and Megan Gregory.Eachhasastyleofhis/herown,butareequallygood.
TheDragonFlyisalaid-backvenuethatreally lets the the audience relax and enjoy.TownMountain tookadvantageof that, andwent acoustic for the first set. I would de-
scribe it was “up close and acoustic.” Theweird light set-up even added to the feelingwiththe3-Dcolorsofred,yellowandgreen.Thebackdrophadacoolshadoweffectthat,at times, looked like it was dancing. It wasa fitting scene with a group of guys who can alsotellajokeortwo.
This night would start right off the batwith Greer making the comment, “Loungemusic with a bluegrass band. Really weird,butcool.”Ithoughtso,myself,andtheaudi-encegotalaughoutofhissenseofhumor.
The first set really showed that they do not havetoplaywithmikes,andcanstillgetthesound out. Greer’s distinctive voice was, rem-iniscentoflisteningtomygrandparentsmusicandthewaytheyusetosingtobluegrass.Hereally has a voice that fits in and adds flavor to thesongs.Theyplayedsongs like“Ruin-ationLine,”“LeavingMontana,”“Irene”and“BlackEyedSusan,”eachwiththecrispness
of the coolmountain airin the morn-ing. Thesemusicians areexcellentandplayverywelltogether.
Their stage presence is neat to watch.Theyhaveonemikethateveryonesharesonstage.Theytaketurnsbobbingandweavingaround each other, to and from the micro-phone, in order to put the show together ina rather tactical way.The result is a naturalchoreography,anexcitingvisualperformancethatmakesthebandalmostasfuntowatchasitistolistento.
Duringthisshow,itwasnicetoseethetraditional fiddle and banjo duel that gets thecrowdintothemusicandwantingmore.There were also some nice instrumentals.“PicketRick,”writtenbyBarker,wasanex-ceptional piece that got my blood flowing and
myfoottapping.Towardtheendofthenight,intheirsec-
ondset(notacoustic)theyreallyshowedofftheir talent throughmoresound.Theyreally“clickwitheverypick,”asIwouldsay.Greerandhisbandevenplayedsomehitsfromgreatlegends, like Hank Williams Jr.’s “I Don’t WantaCheapLoveAffair”and“AllYouDe-spise”fromWoodyWood.
Ifyouhavenothadtheopportunitytoseethese guys and you love bluegrass, I wouldtakethetimetogettoknowthem.Ifeeltheywillbearound for a long timeandworkupinto theranksofSteepCanyonRangersandChatham County Line bluegrass stars fromourneckofthewoods.
by Rob Moore
Town Mountain - Up Close and Acoustic
TThe DragonFly Theater and Pub on March 21, 2009.
W h a t ’ s B e n R o b i n s o n U p T o ?Florida Native Has Been Busy Since Our Last Interviewby T.J. Royal
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30•CrankItMag•April 2009
Choked Up
A highly timid little man, ventured into a biker bar in the Bronx and clearing his throat asked, “Um, err, which of you gentlemen owns the Dober-man tied outside to the park-ing meter?” A giant of a man, wearing biker leathers, his body hair growing out through the seams, turned slowly on his stool, looked down at the quivering little man and said, “It’s my dog. Why?”
“Well,” squeaked the little man, obviously very nervous, “I believe my dog just killed it, sir.” “What?” roared the big man in disbelief. “What in the hell kind of dog do you have?” “Sir,” answered the little man, “it’s a little four week old fe-male puppy.” “Bull!” roared the biker, “how could your puppy kill my Doberman?” “It appears that your dog choked on her, sir.”
Little Johnny
Little Johnny’s kindergar-ten class was on a field trip to their local police station where they saw pictures, tacked to a bulletin board, of the 10 most wanted criminals. One of the youngsters pointed to a pic-ture and asked if it really was the photo of a wanted person. “Yes,” said the policeman. “The detectives want very badly to capture him.” Little Johnny asked, “Why didn’t you keep him when you took his picture?”
Friday the 13th
A man in his 40’s bought a new BMW and was out on the interstate for a nice evening drive. The top was down, the breeze was blowing through what was left of his hair, and he decided to open her up. As the needle jumped up to 80 mph, he suddenly saw flash-ing red and blue lights behind
Jokes
Ninja Kitty
Top 10 Pop SinglesThis Week Last Week1. Flo Rida No. 1 “Right Round” (Poe Boy)2. T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake No. 2
“Dead and Gone” (Grand Hustle)�. Lady GaGa No. � “Poker Face”
(Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree)4. Soulja Boy Tell ‘em feat. Sammie
No. 4 “Kiss Me Thru the Phone” (ColliPark)
5. The All-American Rejects No. 5 “Gives You Hell” (Doghouse/DGC)
6. Miley Cyrus new entry “The Climb” (Walt Disney)
7. Lady GaGa feat. Colby O’Donis No. 7 “Just Dance” (Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree)
8. Kanye West No. 6 “Heartless” (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
9. Kelly Clarkson No. 10 “My Life Would Suck Without You” (RCA)
10. Jamie Foxx feat. T-Pain No. 12 “Blame It” (J)
Top 10 Albums1. U2 new entry “No Line on the Ho-
rizon” (Island/Interscope)2. Taylor Swift No. 1 “Fearless” (Big
Machine)
�. Neko Case new entry “Middle Cy-clone” (Anti-)
4. Lady GaGa No. 7 “The Fame” (Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope)
5. Nickelback No. 5 “Dark Horse” (Roadrunner)
6. Jamie Foxx No. 9 “Intuition” (J)7. The Fray No. 8 “The Fray” (Epic)8. Beyonce No. 6 “I Am ... Sasha
Fierce” (Music World/Columbia)9. Soundtrack No. 4 “Slumdog Mil-
lionaire” (Interscope)10. T.I. No. 11 “Paper Trail” (Grand
Hustle/Atlantic)
Top 10 Hot Country Singles1. Keith Urban No. 1 “Sweet Thing”
(Capitol Nashville)2. Darius Rucker No. � “It Won’t
Be Like This For Long” (Capitol Nashville)
�. Brooks & Dunn feat. Reba McEn-tire No. 5 “Cowgirls Don’t Cry” (Arista Nashville)
4. Toby Keith No. 2 “God Love Her” (Show Dog Nashville)
5. George Strait No. 6 “River of Love” (MCA Nashville)
6. Taylor Swift No. 7 “White Horse” (Big Machine)
7. Kenny Chesney with Mac McA-nally No. 4 “Down the Road” (Blue Chair)
8. Jake Owen No. 9 “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You” (RCA)
9. Rodney Atkins No. 11 “It’s Ameri-ca” (Curb)
10. Tim McGraw No. 10 “Nothin’ to Die For” (Curb)
him. “There’s no way they can catch a BMW,” he thought to himself and opened her up further. The needle hit 90, 100.... then the reality of the situation hit him. “What the heck am I doing?” he thought and pulled over.
The cop came up to him, took his license without a word, and examined it and the car. “It’s been a long day, this is the end of my shift, and it’s Friday the 1�th. I don’t feel like more paperwork, so if you can give me an excuse for your driving that I haven’t heard before, you can go.” The guy thinks for a second and says, “Last week my wife ran off with a cop. I was afraid you were trying to give her back.” “Have a nice weekend,” said the officer.
Telling Time
A well dressed business man was walking down the street when a little kid covered in soot said to him respectfully, “Sir, can you tell me the time?” The portly man stopped, care-fully unbuttoned his coat and jacket, removed a large watch from a vest pocket, looked at it and said, “It is a quarter to three, young man.” “Thanks,” said the boy. “At exactly three o’clock you can kiss my ass.” With that, the kid took off run-ning, and with an angry cry, the outraged businessman started chasing him. He had not been running long when an old friend stopped him. “Why are you running like this at your age?” asked the friend. Gasping and almost incoherent with fury, the busi-ness man said, “That little brat asked me the time and when I told him it was quarter to three he told me that at exactly three, I should kiss his ass!” “So what’s your hurry,” said the friend. “You still have ten minutes.”
“Everyone writes a story that eventually becomes your life and if you dont write it yourself then someone else is gonna write
it for you.”
Food for thought
-- Flicka
TOP OF THE CHARTSas of March 21, 2009
Speaks for Itself
Neko Case
JOKE TIME
Rocco DeLucaRocco played at The Handlebar March 28.
Photo by The Breeze
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