Old Wounds Revolution Live
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Transcript of Old Wounds Revolution Live
November 2016 | Issue #53 Concert Listings - 06
Jennifer Lopez - 08Smells Like Grunge - 12
Old Wounds - 12John Mayall - 13
Beartooth - 13Sum 41 - 14
Fouls - 14Sully Erna - 15
Rooney - 16Peter Cetera - 18
Riptide Music Festival - 22The Fixx - 23
Dirty Heads - 26Slayer - 29
President Obama - 29Matt Schofield - 30
Gov’t Mule - 34Trivium - 36
ARW - 36Toni Braxton - 37
Musicians Emporium - 38
PUBLISHERSean McCloskey
SENIOR EDITORTodd McFliker
DISTRIBUTION MANAGERMelissa A. Smith
CONTRIBUTORS
Tom CraigPaul Evans
Larry MaranoSean McCloskeyTodd McFliker
Angel MelendezAndrew Richterkessing
Jay SkolnickMelissa A. SmithJason ValhuerdiAlanna VilaneJoseph Vilane
www.SFLMusic.comtwitter.com/SFLMusic
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ADVERTISING [email protected]
COVER PHOTORiptide Music Festival
SFL Music Magazine is a community news-paper that is published monthly in Sunrise, Florida. All contents are copyright The Sweet Music Group, Inc. 2016 and may not be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.
CONTENTSRoyal Teeth
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GO SEE IT LIVE!November 2Puscifer – Fillmore Miami BeachJL Fulks – Cagney’sAdam & Artti – Hard Rock Café - Hollywood
November 3The Pretty Reckless – Revolution LiveOh Wonder – Culture RoomGhost – Fillmore Miami BeachDABearth Presents DJ abilities + Blueprint! – Kelsey TheatreCarly Jo Jackson – Hard Rock Café – Hollywood
November 4Fitz & The Tantrums – Revolution LiveStevie Nicks – BB&T CenterShovelhead – Cagney’sThe Livesays – Hard Rock Café – Hollywood
November 5Switchfoot – Revolution LiveSecond Annual Bark Back Benefit – Kelsey TheatreRepeat Offenders – Cagney’s
November 6Rough Shot – Cagney’s
November 8PartyNextDoor – Fillmore Miami BeachGrindstone – Hard Rock Café – Hollywood
November 9Gavin Degraw – Mizner Park AmphitheaterThe Dillinger Escape Plan – Revolution LiveSteeltown Religion – Hard Rock Café – Hollywood
November 10Animal Collective – Fillmore Miami BeachJP Soars & The Red Hots – Hard Rock Café – Hollywood
November 11Elle King – Revolution LiveZemfira Little Man Tour – Fillmore Miami BeachToots and the Maytals – Culture RoomDreams: Definitive Fleetwood Mac Tribute – Kelsey TheatreParadigm Shift – Cagney’sRunaway Mile – Hard Rock Café – Hollywood
November 12Casting Crowns – Perfect Vodka Amphitheater
Collie Buddz – Culture RoomHands Like House/Our Last Night – Kelsey TheatreThe Regs – Cagney’s
November 13Evanescence – Fillmore Miami BeachOlivia Holt – Culture RoomSucker Punch – Cagney’s
November 15Drive-By Truckers – Culture RoomSteve Minotti Project – Hard Rock Café – Hollywood
November 16Tegan and Sara – Revolution LivePet Shop Boys – Fillmore Miami BeachThe Baron Sisters – Hard Rock Café – Hollywood
November 17 Attila: The Chaos Tour – Revolution LiveCarrie Underwood – BB&T CenterBadfish, A Tribute To Sublime – Culture RoomJC Dwyer & The Blackbirds – Hard Rock Café – Hollywood
November 18 Marc Anthony – American Airlines ArenaPeter Hook – Culture RoomThe Wonder Years & Real Friends – Revolution LiveLoose Cannons – Cagney’sInna Sense – Hard Rock Café – Hollywood
November 19 Galactic – Revolution LiveMarc Anthony – American Airlines ArenaSteel Pulse – Culture RoomDiego Verdaguer y Amanda Miguel – Fillmore Miami Beach3RG – Cagney’s
November 20Yellowcard – Revolution LiveSteve Wilson – Culture RoomCharity – Cagney’s
November 21Asking Alexandria – Revolution Live
November 22Helmet – Revolution LiveXander James Duo– Hard Rock Café – Hollywood
Want your event [email protected]
November 23Soulicide – Cagney’sBrother of Others – Hard Rock Café – Hollywood
November 25Russ – Culture RoomStone Mojo – Hard Rock Café – Hollywood
November 26Apache Dragon – Cagney’s
November 27Dolly Parton – BB&T CenterFistfull of Dollars – Cagney’s
November 29Crown the Empire – Revolution LiveMaxwell and Mary J. Blige – American Airlines Arena
November 30Queensryche – Culture RoomFestival of Praise – Pompano Beach Amphitheater
December 2Perpetual Groove – Culture RoomBoyz ll Men – Pompano Beach AmphitheaterJose Luis Rodriguez – Fillmore Miami Beach3RG – Cagney’s
December 3RipTide Music Festival – Fort Lauderdale BeachPerpetual Groove – Culture RoomBarbra Streisand – BB&T CenterFull Throttle Pro Wrestling – Kelsey Theatre
December 4RipTide Music Festival – Fort Lauderdale BeachOctonauts Live! – Fillmore Miami BeachThe Naked and Famous – Revolution LiveJasmine Cain – Cagney’s
December 5Barbra Streisand – American Airlines Arena
December 6The World Alive, Islander & Invent Animate – Kelsey Theatre
December 9Niykee Heaton – Revolution Live
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Jennifer LopezGet Out The Vote for Hillary Clinton ConcertBayfront Park AmphitheaterPhoto: Sean McCloskey
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Old WoundsRevolution LivePhoto: Sean McCloskey
Smells Like GrungeKelsey TheaterPhoto: Sean McCloskey
BeartoothRevolution LivePhoto: Sean McCloskey
John MayallBroward Center
Photo: Tom Craig
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FoalsRevolution LivePhoto: Sean McCloskey
Sum 41Revolution LivePhoto: Sean McCloskey
Sully ErnaParker Playhouse
Photo: Sean McCloskey
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SFL Music: Rooney usually plays Culture Room when you come down here. Do you have any special thoughts about the Culture Room?Robert Schwartzman: Of course. It is very nostalgic being at Culture Room. I remember playing this room a few times over the last 5 years or so. When we began performing here, we were just getting the wheels rolling. Playing in the same room, brings it all back. It’s pretty awesome to be at Culture Room again.
SFL Music: You started your band in Los Angeles with high school friends in 1999. So that would put you in your early thirties. Can you tell me how you come up with the name Rooney, as opposed to Abe Froman?Schwartzman: Coming up with the name of the band was rather a silly process. We had to put a label on ourselves and name my music. If you ever put a band together, you’ll find that just about every name can sound cool. It’s kind of stupid. So that’s the fun in it. There was a sense of urgency to name ourselves after I booked a show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, and I had just watched Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Ed Rooney is such a big part of it. The name just popped out of my mouth. ‘We are Ed Rooney.’ Then we had a drummer in the original band named Edward who left, so we decided to drop the Ed and we became Rooney.
SFL Music: On this year’s release, Washed Away, featuring “Come on Baby,” you wrote, produced, engineered, mixed and performed all of the songs. It reminds me of Trent Reznor. Do you like that
comparison of being in control of everything?Schwartzman: Yes, I do. I admire a lot of the guys who do it all. I have always aspired to do that. I have always loved the stories about musicians who recorded with all of their instruments in their own homes, rather than paying for studio time. It just made sense to me and I wanted to be one of those guys. But it just happened for me naturally. I write music by recording it and flushing it out. In order to do that you have to be able to pick up a bass, sit down at a piano or program a drum part. Being as I write while I am recording, I had to develop each of those skills to create new songs. Then you apply 17 years of sitting at a console or behind a computer, it hones in on your abilities. You start to gain more confidence. But there is still so much to learn. Today’s technology has given artists another world or recording and marketing with online tools. There are so many pieces to the puzzle now, it can be hard to keep up.
SFL Music: How is Washed Away doing? Schwartzman: That’s a very subjective question. I don’t even know what exactly you mean by ‘doing well.’ Everybody has different standards of success. In my mind, we’ve already succeeded with Washed Away because the record came out, Rooney fans got excited and people checked it out. Then I went on the road and people came to see me. To me, that’s a win.
SFL Music: How is Washed Away different from what fans have heard in the past?Schwartzman: There are certain elements that make us who
RooneyBy Todd McFliker
we are. When we say ‘That sounds like a Rooney record,’ it makes me happy. That means there’s something that people feel connected to. There’s something awesome about having your own sound and building off of it, rather than trying to reinvent yourself every second. Some artists do feel that pressure to reinvent themselves to stay relevant today. But I never wanted to be that guy who was trying to be the flavor of the month. Rooney never slid right in to any music scene smoothly. We had to figure out where we were going to go. That says something about our music, production and style. That still holds true today.
SFL Music: Do you have a favorite city to play?Schwartzman: Chicago may be my favorite. There’s just something about playing in Chicago that’s been unbelievable. New York has also been smoking hot. Our homecoming show at the Teragram Ballroom in L.A. was lots of fun. No matter where we are, we bring out true fans of music because we are not in the tabloids. I am not dating Rhianna. We are not all over the radio. So the people that come see Rooney are real music lovers. And the music connects everybody, regardless of a person’s race, male or female, father or son. They just appreciate the music, and I can see that in the audience.
SFL Music: I’ve read comparisons of Rooney to everyone from the Beatles to Queen and Weezer. Do you agree with any of those comparisons? Is that flattering or stressing?Schwartzman: The comparisons are definitely flattering. When anybody compares a band to the Beatles, that’s it. They are the best in history. Every band wants a little of what they had. Each of the bands that you just mentioned are song driven bands. Paul and John are the best song writing duo ever. Queen is interesting because every member of the band wrote great songs. It’s not like the drummer has one weird song, track 8, that no one listens to. They all wrote something significant. Weezer is interesting just because they were a power-pop band that came out of nowhere in the Nineties. They defined a whole movement and stood the test of time by being active. Weezer’s connection to people is a strong and genuine love. Even if they make a record that some people aren’t fans of, they’ll still go to the show for songs like “Buddy Holly.” That’s where I like the comparisons to Rooney. I feel like there is something in Rooney fans that we successfully tapped in to. That’s what keeps them coming back.
SFL Music: To wrap things up, what else do you want to tell South Floridians?Schwartzman: Check out the 31st Annual Fort Lauderdale Film Festival on Friday, November 4th at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The movie that I directed, Dreamland, will be premiering. I directed, co-wrote the screenplay and wrote the music for it. Then we’ll have an after-party (for festival attendees and stars, like Talia Shire and Beverly D’Angelo). Dreamland comes out in theatres on November 11th. Readers can learn more at www.Dreamlandfilm.net. I hope to see you there.
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Peter CeteraBy Angel MelendezPhotos: Tom Craig
Peter Cetera is a lot of things to a lot of people. He’s the former lead singer of Chicago, a father to two daughters, and voice behind so many first dance wedding songs.
One thing he is not, is like you or me or most people.
Case in point, this past September, Cetera celebrated his 73rd birthday in a way that can only be described as fantastical and surreal.
“I was in Italy on the night of my birthday. I had my youngest daughter with me and I had a couple of shows in Florence. The night of my birthday I sang with Andrea Boccelli. And so, I had the honor of having Andrea Bocelli, Brooks and Dunn, and Reba [McEntire], who were all there, sing happy birthday to me. It was quite special.”
Perhaps more impressive is that Cetera is still heavily touring in his 70s. Between past dates and upcoming shows, Cetera will grace the stage over two dozen times here in the states and abroad.
“I’m working this year more than I ever have and I’m having a blast. I have great group with me.”
During one of his many trips south, Cetera recalls once playing outdoors at dog racing track and the unique challenges the gig posed. “Every few minutes, jets flew over from the airport. So I tried to turn it around so it would be a positive thing. I said to the crowd, ‘every time a jet flies over, you guys have to cheers like you’re the happiest campers in the world and you love my music. So every time a jet flew over, I got a standing ovation. It was fabulous.”
Speaking of awards and celebrating his music, Cetera was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his former band, Chicago. However, that was one concert he could not and would not accommodate into his busy schedule.
In the thirty plus years since his “divorce” from Chicago, Cetera has made it painfully clear how happy he is solo and his lack of interest in every rejoining his old outfit. He parted ways with the band in 1985, essentially because management wouldn’t budge on allowing him to work on individual projects, and never looked back, enjoying phenomenal chart and radio success on his own. Over the years he’s been repeatedly approached about a reunion, but always declines, stating that the main reason to do so would be a money grab, something he has no interest in. Still, that won’t stop people from asking.
“I think it’s the same thing that I felt with the Beatles. You grow up loving something and when they break up or do whatever they do, you always blame one side or the other and then you want them to get back together and you don’t
understand the ramifications of that.”
Cetera debates the sentiment that perhaps it’s a simple case of people wanting what they can’t have. He supposes it has more to do with the warm comfort of nostalgia.
“I think it’s good memories. I don’t really want to talk too much about this subject because I don’t think many people understand. This whole thing is like a marriage. You know, you’re in love, you get married, everything is peaches and cream. Then you have children and la da da. The children move out of the house and some people go, okay, that’s it for us and you break up.”
Cetera’s metaphor is apt in that once the children (the hit songs he wrote for and with Chicago) flew the coop, it was time to move on for him and staying for the children (or songs) would be akin to staying in a loveless marriage. Worse yet would be getting back together with the band the way one might return to “an ex-wife you had a contentious divorce with.”
Instead, the focus should be on the good times, both his own and the ones fans have drawn from hits such as “Glory of
Love” and “You’re the Inspiration.”
“A lot of people through the years have come up to me and said how much this song means to me or that song means to me, or that song was our wedding song. When I started paying attention to that, and I realized how much music means to so many people, it got me re-enthused and that’s why I’m working so much now.”
As for his immediate future, Cetera has no desire to stop touring. As for recording a new album, well, it sounds as if he could use some assistance from 80s music loving millennials and their tech savviness.
“Well, I’d love to. I have a couple of things ready to go. But it’s hard for, I don’t want to say old, I want to say mature artists to find a venue to record. I don’t do this internet thing. I don’t even know what that is and there’s not very many record companies around. We’re kind of stuck in limbo. We’re ready to go, we just need the vehicle to do it
with.”
Until then, whether he’s home in Idaho, traveling to Nashville or California to visit his daughters, or being wished a happy birthday by a world famous Italian tenor, Peter Cetera will be adding lots of airline miles and road trip stories to his life.
“I wanna continue on as long as I can continue on. The whole Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thing, as bittersweet as it is, has made people pay attention all of a sudden that weren’t before. So the shows are just twice as fun now. I’m having fun doing it and when I’m out there singing, I’m giving it my all.”
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A wide array of South Florida music lovers can get ready for a weekend beach party. More than twenty different bands from alternative, 1980s new wave and adult contemporary music genres will be performing at Riptide Music Festival on Fort Lauderdale Beach on December 3 and 4.
Saturday’s line-up consists of AWOLNATION, the boisterous Silversun Pickups, the reggae-inspired Dirty Heads, Pepper and more. Sunday’s sets include The B-52’s famous pop, Earth Wind & Fire’s rhythm and blues, Howard Jones, A Flock of Seagulls and The Fixx, among others. The Riptide stage will be in the parking lot of the Fort Lauderdale Beach Park, just south of Las Olas Boulevard with music lovers trickling onto the sand.
Expecting to attract tens of thousands of spectators a day, Riptide attendees will also enjoy the Underground Lounge, where they will discover new sounds, visionary films and chic fashion. Concertgoers can also feast at the #BITEME
Food Court featuring an elevated culinary experience with expansive local and eclectic offerings. Riptide is sure to be a beach wonderland in December.
“The Riptide Music Festival will be a powerful and unforgettable experience on a world class beach” says Festival Executive Producer and Marketing Director, Von Freeman. “The Riptide Music Festival embraces the brands of Miami’s four top notch radio stations that reach over two million listeners per week, which is over half the South Florida market. We have an incredible opportunity to help bring thousands of music and festival lovers to Fort Lauderdale Beach.”
General Admission 1-Day Passes start at $49 and a select number of 2-Day Passes will be available for $75 each. You can also splurge and buy VIP tickets or even a cabana that seats six people. Check out more of the festivities’ details for yourself at www.riptidefest.com
By Todd McFliker
SFL Music: Thank you for chatting with SFL Music Magazine about the Fixx’s upcoming gig at Riptide Music Festival.
Cy Curnin: No problem. I love talking about me. It’s my favorite subject.
SFL Music: Are you excited to come on down and play at the festival on Fort Lauderdale Beach?
Curnin: Oh, yeah. It’s awesome to be doing. A: We’re grateful for the work, and B: It’s somewhere warm.
SFL Music: What do you remember about playing South Florida?
Curnin: Over the years, I’ve seen it grow a lot. Traffic on I-95 is now hellish. But I like the exotic mix of Florida. The crowds are always quite lively. The music scene has changed over the years. In the early Eighties, it was a heavy rock scene. Now it has moved toward the Latin side of the market. So it’s good to have one of the festivals for all of the rock fans down here.
SFL Music: Has the Fixx ever gotten to play with the B-52s or Earth, Wind and Fire before?
Curnin: Yup, we’ve played with the B-52s. They put on a great show. They’re quirky and cutting-edge. The lead singer
Fred Schneider puts on an excellent stage performance. I am also looking forward to seeing Earth, Wind and Fire because I love their songs. It’ll be wonderful just to hear them play.
SFL Music: The Fixx is a British band that has been all around the world. What’s different about your shows in the U.S. than in Europe and the rest of the globe?
Curnin: The crowds are definitely bigger. In Europe, music has become part of a cultural celebration. Going to a live concert in America is easier because of the way they run the business. People can get in and out with less hassle. The parking and the crowds are much more organized and professional. It’s less of a hassle. In Europe, they have to get up to speed on all of that. They’re starting to get it now, but it used to be a pain in the butt.
SFL Music: In Europe, is every spectator playing on their cell phones throughout the show?
Curnin: Yeah, everybody is looking down at their little screens.
SFL Music: Does it annoy you when crowd members are holding up the phones to film you performing onstage?
Curnin: Yup. It used to be lighters. I am not going to say anything to people, but musicians kind of wish that they
The Fixx
EARTH, WIND & FIRE - THE B-52’S - EXPOSE - THE FIXX - HOWARD JONES - LIME - A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS - DEBBIE DEB24 | www.SFLMusic.com
would just enjoy the moment for themselves and have the memory. That would be better than trying to capture it all on their phones and put it up on Facebook. We’ve become prisoners of our gadgets. At the end of the day, we are no better off. We’d be better off just talking to the person sitting next to you and maybe giving them a big kiss. But now we’ve joined in. Jamie West-Oram, the guitarist, will go take a photo with the crowd. So we are professional users who only want to celebrate the crowd, not check our e-mails.
SFL Music: How much of your set-list depends on your lasted album, 2012’s Beautiful Friction?
Curnin: We stick a few in there. It’s also nice to have older songs to draw back on. Obviously, we’ve got the hits. People would be disappointed if we didn’t play them. But we do dig into the Beautiful Friction album. I am not sure how long our set will be because Riptide is a festival, so it may be a bit shorter. I don’t know if we’ll get it all in there, but we’ll stick one or two in for sure. Then we’re off to do more shows after Riptide where we’ll have a 90-minute set. It’ll be good.
SFL Music: Do you have a favorite song to play live?
Curnin: They are like my kids. Who can’t call one of your kids the favorite. But right now, I think the title track, “Beautiful Friction,” is the one that really connects on all levels, musically and lyrically, for the times we are living in.
SFL Music: Does the audience have that same feeling from the song.
Curnin: They do because there are people who turn up that don’t really know our new stuff. They’ll make a comment ‘Wow, that new song really hit them.’ So that’s a good thing.
SFL Music: Growing up overseas, did you get to see the Beatles and anyone else who became very influential?
Curnin: The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Who, Pink Floyd, T. Rex. I missed the Beatles. They actually weren’t around too long.
SFL Music: Out of all of those acts, who stands out?
Curnin: The Who. The energy that came off that stage was just ridiculous, especially when you were a young teenager. You are watching Pete Townshend windmill his guitar and stabbing the speakers. Keith Moon was a crazy guy too.
SFL Music: If you a time machine, what concert would you go back and experience firsthand?
Curnin: David Bowie. His record, The Man Who Sold the World, is what inspired me to become a singer. I would probably go back and see him in Berlin around the year 2000. He had such a fabulous band at that time.
SFL Music: The Fixx has certainly evolved over the years since 1979. Can you define today’s sound?
Curnin: I think you can recognize it today as being The Fixx sound because of the players. There’s a unique style to each member. I think we’ve kept abreast to the times. Times have changed musically, rhythmically, for the way we record. It’s become a much simpler process. A band no longer has to go off to a studio and rehearse in the same way. You can record by snatching things as they are coming out. The sound has stayed true. The songs of the past still hold up quite well and the new songs seem to fit right in. There are songs that I wrote that speak to me as much as they still speak to anyone else.
SFL Music: You have sung about “cold war fears” of global annihilation. Do you have any concerns for the current U.S. Presidential election?
Curnin: Totally. The next leader of the free world is at hand. Both of them scare me.
SFL Music: Do you currently live in London?
Curnin: No, I live in Central California, in Santa Cruz. It’s quite a nice hippy town.
SFL Music: What is The Fixx going to be up to in the near future?
Curnin: We have a new album called Never Ending that will be released in the spring. We spent a year recording it. We’re just waiting for the record company to get their shit together. (Laughs.) Then we’ll be out on the road again in the spring and the summer.
SFL Music: Is there anything else that you want to tell South Florida’s music fans?
Curnin: We are very excited and we are honored to perform. It’s still the original line-up and we’re in good company. So it’s going to be great to celebrate the music. And we’ll know who the next President will be by then.
Sundays Line-Up
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SFL Music: Thank you for taking the time to chat with South Florida music lovers. Dirty Heads will be playing hip-hop/reggae at Riptide Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, December 3rd, where fans will hear much of your self-titled fifth CD. What do you remember about South Florida?
Jared “Dirty J” Watson: Florida is great. We play Florida probably half-a-dozen times a year. We all look forward to it. It pretty much reminds up of home (Huntington Beach, California).
SFL Music: What was the first album that you became obsesses with as a kid?
Dirty J: The first album I was totally obsessed with is Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy. I went through a stage in high school where I only listened to Zeppelin for a good 12 months. After that, I got the Box Set. From there, it was all downhill.
SFL Music: When it comes to the music that inspired you to become an artist, would you go back to Houses of the Holy?
Dirty J: Yes, Houses definitely inspired me. But there’s so much more. There’s hip-hop, like Wu-Tang Clan, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Beastie Boys. Then there’s
the reggae side with Yellowman, Peter Tosh and I can go on and on.
SFL Music: Have you shared a stage with any of those artists?
Dirty J: Yeah, we have actually. We were on the same bill as Yellowman at a festival. And then Steel Pulse as well. They are super cool guys. But it’s not like we ever toured with them.
SFL Music: What’s the first song you remember singing onstage?
Dirty J: It was “Antelope,” the first song we wrote as Dirty Heads.
SFL Music: What concert changed your life?Dirty J: Tool. In about 2010 or so, I went and saw Tool play at the Staples Center in Los Angeles with Jon Olazabal, our percussion player. They are such incredible musicians.
SFL Music: What music do you listen to warmup before going onstage?
Dirty J: It changes every tour. There’s usually one song that we always put on before we take the stage. Now it is Anderson Paak “Come Down.”
Dirty Heads
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SFL Music: Who has been the most influential band in your life?
Dirty J: I have to say Beastie Boys, along with Sublime.
SFL Music: Didn’t Dirty Heads recently get to play with Sublime with Rome?Dirty J: Yes. We’ve been friends with those guys for years and gone on a couple of tours with them too. It was amazing. We got to tour with our good friends who we knew back when we were pretty much living on the streets.
SFL Music: Do you ever get to play music with your family?
Dirty J: Nope. Nobody is musical in my family. I think my talent comes from the milkman.
SFL Music: What music do you listen to before you go to sleep?
Dirty J: I’ve been listening to meditation tapes of actual recordings of outer space. There our NASA’s actual recordings of Jupiter or Mars or the moon. They’re really cool. It’s often hard to get to bed on the road because sometimes
we don’t get off stage until midnight. I am all amped up, and I am not going to bed until 3 or 4 in the morning.
SFL Music: Do you have spacey dreams?
Dirty J: No, not really. (Laughs).
SFL Music: What music do you want played at your funeral?
Dirty J: I want there to be some classy stuff, like Edith Piaf and Sinatra. Then we can throw in some Mr. Bungle just to weird everybody out. If you never heard Mr. Bungle, you’ll think that’s kind of creepy.
SFL Music: To wrap things up, what can South Floridians expect at Riptide Music Festival.
Dirty J: I feel like South Floridians know exactly what they’re getting into with us. We have a good relationship, so they know that they should be at the festival. I want to let them know that we are excited to come back. We’re going to play new songs from the self-titled album that’s been out for a few months. And we’re going to do some of the older ones too. It’ll be a good time for all.
Saturday’s Line-Up
AWOLNATION - SILVERSUN PICKUPS - DIRTY HEADS - MIIKE SNOW - THE STRUTS - GOOD CHARLOTTEANDREW MCMAHON IN THE WILDERNESS - ROBERT DELONG - PEPPER - GLASS ANIMALS - SAINT MOTEL
President ObamaFlorida Memorial University
Photo: Sean McCloskey
SlayerThe Fillmore Miami Beach
Photo: Sean McCloskey
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Matt Schofield guitar virtuoso and British Blues Awards Hall of Famer sat down with SFL Music Magazine for the first time. Schofield won British Blues Awards Best Guitarist three years in a row starting in 2010, and was named one of the “Top Ten British Blues Guitarist of All Time” by Guitar & Bass. Known as a blues man, his style has also been described as melodic and fluid with jazzy lines. Matt has toured over 23 countries during his career and relocated to South Florida two years ago, and will be headlining at The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton on November 4.
SFL Music: You grew up in Manchester in the UK. What’s in the water over there? I know the Hollies, Herman’s Hermits, the Bee Gees, the Smiths, Oasis and John Mayall all hail from there. Was it preordained that you would end up a musician?
Matt: I’ve never thought about that because I didn’t associate with music in Manchester at all. I left Manchester when I was 7-years-old, so it was more related to my dad’s record collection. In retrospect, it had more to do with the volumes of records my dad had, and even more when I started visiting the United States, where my dad relocated when I was 11. I always listened to blues records as a kid growing up. Besides Eric Clapton, they were mostly American artists. When I was a kid in California, my first proper blues concert was B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Dr. John and the Fabulous Thunderbirds.
SFL Music: Wow, that’s an amazing introduction.
Matt: Exactly. I was about 13 and I was already into all those guys. Where I was growing up with my mom, there wasn’t a lot of music, except pop. Around that time, I started my own
band with my school mates. We became the band around town. I think that’s why I’m here in the good ol’ USA. Blues was always the draw for me.
SFL Music: Your dad’s collection introduced you to the Kings, like Freddie, Albert and B.B. King. Was it a varied collection and you just gravitated to the blues or was he really into that music in particular?
Matt: He’s into more of the old school blues than me, so there are parts of his collection that I haven’t even explored yet, like the really great Delta blues with more on the acoustic side. I was more on the electric side of the collection. He would put these giant headphones on and I would watch him listening. Even though I couldn’t hear the music, it was clear that he was being moved. I could see that it meant something important to him. As I look back, I realize how appealing that was for me as a little kid.
SFL Music: Did you ever get a chance to put those big headphones on and listen?
Matt: Yes. In fact, I still have them somewhere. They’re broken now. I used to watch my grandfather do the same thing. He was listening to Count Basie, Duke Ellington and stuff like that. He never really played, but he had a deep connection to music. My dad also had a guitar in the house, but he never got past that one lick he learned early on. He led a different life. He was working class, a hard worker and didn’t have the time. But when he realized I was interested, he guided me. He would point out things in the music we listened to, like the drummer on that cut or the bass lines on this cut. One time, he showed me a video of Stevie Ray.
Matt SchofieldBy Jay Skolnick
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I was like 12, and he said Stevie Ray doesn’t just play the guitar he IS the guitar. Things like that stuck with me.
SFL Music: It’s interesting to note that your music is hard to categorize. With your influences, it is still distinctive. We don’t hear Albert King, although it’s in there. Is that on purpose?
Matt: Yup. Going back to my influences, there was one video, a big catalyst that you can now find on YouTube. It’s B.B. King, Stevie Ray and Albert Collins. I would watch it over and over. What dawned on me was that they were all amazing, they were all playing blues, and they all sounded as different as three people could possibly sound. I couldn’t say that one was better than the other. They all expressed themselves, their own personalities, through their instruments. I realized if I was going to stand up next to guys like that, I better have something of my own to say as well.
It would be insincere of me to try to play like B.B. King or Muddy Waters. What made those guys so great is that they were so sincere. So that is what I try to do, always be true to myself. Honestly, that is my criticism about much of today’s music. Some artists are simply trying to replicate the old blues and they lack originality. It gets boring and is why a lot of people don’t go out to blues shows.
SFL Music: When I attend a Matt Schofield show, there is a moment when the audience starts looking at each other in amazement at what they are seeing on stage. It’s almost shock. They are amazed by your mastery of the Stratocaster, your focus and intensity. Do you see or feel what I am talking about?
Matt: No not really, but it has been pointed out. I always want to see where I can take myself, every time. I want to go on a journey, so I am always open to whatever transpires. I have to keep it interesting for myself as well.
SFL Music: I know that you like to give back and do guitar workshops and instructional videos. You must enjoy getting to interact with all sorts of people?
Matt: That’s exactly what I like to do. It gives me a chance to present the other side of it. Sometimes people are surprised because I present more conceptual and philosophical ideas. You know in the information age of YouTube, you can see someone show you how to play scales or talk about equipment. You don’t need me to show you those things. So I try to present things that people may not have thought about much. The actual art is figuring out how you say something with your fingers. If I could pick one guitar solo it would be the one from “Answer to the Laundromat Blues” by Albert King. It’s one of the mightiest ever played. And he probably hits no more than five notes on the whole solo. So it’s not about the information. It’s about what you say with it that counts. I enjoy getting a chance to present that. People who are open-minded to the overall experience, rather than looking for a technical exercise, seem to respond well.
SFL Music: Aren’t you doing a workshop with Jorma Kaukonen?
Matt: We are doing one next year with Jorma in Ohio at Fur Peace Ranch for a weekend retreat. We are also trying to put one together down here with my friend Mike Zito.
SFL Music: So what about the snakeskin boots that you wear?
Matt: I’ve got a bunch of different ones. I have some I haven’t worn yet as well. I remember as a kid hearing that Albert Collins would match his shirt to his boots. Now I don’t go that far, but I believe that there’s something to putting on a serious pair of boots that makes you ready for business.
SFL Music: The bigger the show the more important the boots?
Matt: It just doesn’t feel right going up in a pair of sneakers, not that there is anything wrong with a pair of Converse. But there is nothing like putting that pair of boots on for a proper stage outfit. Albert Collins, Stevie Ray and Jimi all had the boots. I like the times when bands dressed like bands. Back in the Fillmore days, there was no mistaking the musicians when they walked in. Now I see some guys in jeans and a t-shirt, and I’m like ‘Come on man, you’re in the band!’
SFL Music: When it comes to the live music scene, would you say South Florida music fans have a good blues scene?
Matt: In some ways yes. There is so much music going on down here, from Miami to West Palm Beach and Jupiter and West Palm. South Floridians know the blues.
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In 1994, the phenomenal guitarist Warren Haynes, bassist Allen Woody and drummer Matt Abts began Gov’t Mule as an experimental Allman Brothers side project. 22 years later, they are filling up arenas around the world. One reason for their success is that very few bands on the road today, like Pearl Jam and members of the Dead, change their set-lists regularly. Doing so allows Gov’t Mule to keep things fresh with more than 1,000 songs, such as rarities and covers in their catalogue. On a regular basis, respect is paid to the best of the best, including the Beatles, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. “Each night, we put together our set list by consulting our history, “Warren Haynes posted on Gov’t Mule’s Facebook page on September 19th. “We see what we played last time we came to town, and then play a show that is completely different.”
Despite the humidity, it was a true pleasure to experience Gov’t Mule perform at the Fillmore in Miami Beach on September 25th. As usual, the band played for so long that no opening act was necessary. Haynes took the stage in a customary black button-down and matching jeans. The Ashville native sported long sandy blonde hair past his shoulders, along with a goatee. Bass player Jorgen Carlsson replaced Andy
Hess, who joined after Woody passed in 2000. Danny Louis has been handling the keyboard since 2003. A 6-foot Gov’t Mule logo hung above the gifted entourage.
The first set meshed jazz, blues, country rock and even reggae. Made up of middle-aged men and women, spectators were blown away by Warren’s improvisational finger-work in a number of solos. Impressive licks were heard in everything from the Memphis Slim cover “Mother Earth” and “Monday Mourning Meltdown” to “Devil Likes It Slow” and a bluesy version of Al Green’s “I’m a Ram.” Throughout the evening, Haynes tilted his head back and clenched his eyes shut, feeling every note. Vivid beams of red, blue, green, purple and yellow lights shot out from above the stage onto the general admission floor. As expected, Warren kept his talking to a minimum. The guitar guru occasionally asked how Miami
Gov’t MuleSeptember 25th, 2016
The Fillmore Miami Beach
Beach was doing and claimed it was good to see us.
There is no question that the highlight of the entire concert was the beginning of the second set. “We have a special guest in the house with us tonight,” Warren said. “We’re going to play some music for the first time together. Please give a warm welcome to Jason Bonham.” The Miami Beach crowd erupted with joy as Jason banged his drums with power and precision to the mighty Zeppelin blues. On the 36th anniversary of the legendary John Bonham’s death on September 25th, 1980, his son banged along to 7-minutes’ worth of “Since I’ve Been Loving You” and an intense 16-minute version of “No Quarter.”
As marvelous as it always is to see a Bonham behind the drums, that’s not what made Gov’t Mule’s performance so memorable. In my decades’ worth of attending concerts, this was the first time I experienced a guitarist skilled enough to
replicate Jimmy Page, while simultaneously singing Robert Plant’s vocals onstage. Hats off to Warren Haynes for pulling off the seemingly impossible task. “It’s a real honor for us to play with Jason,” Warren explained.
A wonderful instrumental Wailers cover “Lively Up Yourself,” “Fallen Down” and “Thorazine Shuffle” with a bit of Santana’s “Oye Como Va” mixed in were all heard before the night wound down with “Child of the Earth.” Gov’t Mule jammed for hours, feeling nothing but positive vibes with their listeners. Gov’t Mule will be heading into the studio in November, but Miami Beach was denied hearing any of the tracks planned for the new album. No worries. No concertgoer would ever complain about Gov’t Mule, their live show or ode to Bonzo. It was apparent that Warren and the boys loved every moment onstage, not unlike South Florida music fans. - By Todd McFliker • Photos: Sean McCloskey
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