Local Music Reviews

Local Hooks

By CURTIS ROSS The Tampa Tribune
Published: April 11, 2008

Somehow, calling a performer "local" seems to suggest a lack of break-out quality, a band or singer good enough to play clubs in their area code but not much else. As the best of these discs show, that's simply not the case. The Tampa area has a wealth of talent in a number of musical styles, and these discs let you find that out and support the local scene at the same time.

And please, support the scene. How you get the new Madonna album is your business, but burning or illegally downloading these discs hurts your own community. Put your money where you live.

Ronny Elliott, "Jalopypaint"
(ronnyelliott.com) : Elliott's well of stories never seems to run dry, and "Jalopypaint" is another collection of dreamers, losers, artists (scam and otherwise), whores, hoodlums and other weary saints. He's Jack Kerouac with Tom T. Hall's soul and Cowboy Jack Clement's handle on reality.

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Various artists, "Cheatin' Heart — Tales of Lies & Love"
(baamo.org) : As with other BAAMO (Bay Area Arts and Music Organization) compilations, this one is a first-rate survey of the local scene. "Cheatin' Heart" would be worth buying just for Ronny Elliott and Rebekah Pulley's duet on Hank Williams' "Your Cheatin' Heart," but there are 15 other good reasons contained in the grooves.

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Vera Violets, "Dirty Rainbow"
(safraninsound.com) : Glam, goth and garage make wonderfully nasty bedfellows on Vera Violets' disc. Undercurrents of Jesus and Mary Chain-style feedback should weed out the sightseers. Psychedelia with impeccably applied eyeliner.

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Adrift, "Absolution"
(myspace.com/adrfitsounds) : Guitarist Jack Owen has played with Cannibal Corpse and Deicide. With Adrift, he pursues a more melodic approach, although the quartet still packs plenty of crunch.

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Stephanie Carpenter, "Leaving Stepford"
(myspace.com/stephaniecarpentermusic) : Singer-songwriter Carpenter's songs of independence are backed by acoustic guitar and sturdy country-rock.

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Todd Grubbs, "Time, Space and the Electric"
(toddgrubbs.com) : A guitarist's guitarist, Grubbs' fretwork is the star here, but not at the expense of the musical backing. The songs are crisp prog-metal expertly played and captured with appropriate sonic sheen by Grubbs, who also produced.

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Win Win Winter, "A Brief History of Win Win Winter"
(24hourservicestation.com) : Chiming guitars and a sturdy rhythm section link Win Win Winter to a woolly rock past, but "A Brief History …" never takes the easy retro route. The quintet sounds familiar and fresh at the same time. This five-song EP will have you craving more.

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Mojo Gurus, "Let's Get Lit With …"
(mojogurus.com) : The Gurus sound considerably looser than on 2005's Jack Douglas-produced "Shakin' in the Barn," and that's all for the better. New guitarist Doc Lovett has that economical rhythm-lead thing down and Kevin Steele's vocals are the perfect blend of country drawl and punk sneer.

Story: Gurus Get Their Mojo Back

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Butch Ryan Band, "Time to Wait"
(butchryan.net) : The Ryan outfit plays no-nonsense rock 'n' roll, Springsteen minus the bombast, alt-country without the faux-Appalachian twang. There's an added poignancy because this set contains the last recordings of drummer Jeff Wood, a Tampa scene mainstay for two decades, who passed away last year.

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Tribal Style, "Olde Town"
(tribalstylemusic.net) : Favorites among Tampa area reggae fans, Tribal Style lays down mellow, roots grooves all across "Olde Town."

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King of Spain, "Entropy"
(myspace.com/musicofkingofspain) : Matt Slate (ex-Pohgoh, Maccabees) goes the one-man-band route under the King of Spain guise, and the results are far more of a joy to listen to than describe. Brian Eno and Sigur Ros come to mind fleetingly, but Slate's gorgeous-as-clouds atmospherics and teasing melodies are a sub-genre unto themselves.

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Local Spotlight

Gurus Get Their Mojo Back

By CURTIS ROSS The Tampa Tribune
Published: April 11, 2008

If you want something done right, do it yourself.

That seems to be the lesson learned by St. Petersburg's Mojo Gurus, who found that recording with a top-name producer wasn't necessarily a dream come true.

The band recorded 2005's "Shakin' in the Barn" with Jack Douglas, whose credits include Aerosmith, Cheap Trick and John Lennon.

"I have nothing but respect for his body of work but we didn't really see eye to eye," singer Kevin Steele says of the "Barn" recording sessions.

"It was kind of a painful experience and I'm afraid it shows here and there on the album," Steele says. "In rock 'n' roll, if you're not having fun you're doing something wrong."

For the just-released CD "Let's Get Lit With …" (see accompanying review), the band produced themselves with help from Jody Gray at Gray's Pro Star Studios in St. Petersburg.

"We did a week of pre-production and went right into the studio," Steele says. "It took three weeks to record and mix. I've never made an album quicker. It was the most fun I've ever had making a record."

Steele admits recording isn't his favorite aspect of being in a band.

"The studio is such a cold, sterile, scary environment," Steele says. "You're in this room with the headphones and it's all on you."

The Gurus made the sessions more pleasurable by bringing in friends such as Blind Buddy Moody on fiddle, Howard Helm on keyboards and Billy Sandlin on banjo.

There's a looseness to the new album that wasn't there on "Barn," all the more amazing since half the lineup changed between the two albums.

Doc Lovett, who led the Blues Punks, is handling guitar, while Mark Busto (ex-Secret Service, Sugarspoon and Mighty Joe Plum) is behind the drums.

Lovett and Steele share "a library of reference points," Steele says. "He lit a fire under me creatively."

Busto's addition, just before recording for "Lit" commenced, had the band "firing on all eight cylinders," Steele says.

"I've never had a smoother transition," Steele says of the changes. "It's like when a cat falls out of a tree and lands on its feet."

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Knowing Stu, "Reflector"
(myspace.com/knowingstu) : The eye-catching sleeve graphics might suggest a band obsessed with kitsch but this female-fronted quartet turns out tough-as-nails power pop. Tina Louise's vocals are just a hair below feral and Dean Johanesen's guitar riffs are razor sharp.

MP3 Download:
'Drifting Empty'

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Geoff's Evil Twin,
"Star Unstudded"
(geoffseviltwin.com) : Geoff Ford's songs are strong enough to shine in this unadorned acoustic-guitar-and-voice setting. The eight-song set shows hints of Paul Westerberg in the tongue-in-cheek and heart-on-sleeve lyrics and haunting melodies.

MP3 Download:
'My Baby Loves Me'

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Tenspoke Indies, "Blinded by the Sound"(tenspokeindies.com) : Formerly known as Harry Dash, this veteran quartet sounds revitalized on this full-length follow-up to last year's eponymous EP. Big choruses and snarling guitars announce that the Indies are ready to rock.

MP3 Download:
'Give To Get'

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Al "Coffee" McDaniel, "Blues in My Shoes" (almcdaniel.com) : Coffee's blues go down smooth but deliver a righteous jolt. He's got big-name help from producer Narada Michael Walden and blues great Lucky Peterson on some tracks, but his commanding vocals are entrenched at center stage.

Story: ‘Coffee' McDaniel Pours Smooth Blend Of Blues, R&B

MP3 Download:
'What A Woman Wants'

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Magadog, "Sunrise" (myspace.com/magadogtampa) : Tampa's ska favorites reunite for a disc that finds them stronger, surer and tighter than ever. "Scare Tactics" and "The Seven Year Itch" are standouts on a solidly enjoyable album.

MP3 Download:
'Hearts On Fire'

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Zillionaire, "The Street Lights Have Been Turned Down" (newgranada.com) : Music this subtle shouldn't pack such an unsettling punch. This comes from the excellent, fluid playing as well as the hint of menace in Heath Dupras' understated vocals. They risk it all on an epic untitled bonus track in which a minimalist groove grows and grows over 23 minutes right before your very ears.

MP3 Download:
'Loose Leaf'

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Legatto Staccato, "Legatto Staccato" (mekkarecords.com) : Nasty, elastic dub-jazz-funk grooves from the trio of Ronnie Dee (sax), Lemonjello (bass) and Tommy Fessenden (drums), all of whom can be heard swinging in local band Gravy as well.

MP3 Download:
'Hottits'

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Hollowpoint, "Bait and Switch" (hollowpointband.us) : Hollowpoint plays no-nonsense hard rock that acts as if hair metal and thrash never happened. Fans of vintage '70s and early '80s arena rock — Nugent, UFO, Ozzy and the like — won't be disappointed.

MP3 Download:
'Shelter You'

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Traveling North, "For That World" (travelingnorth.com) : Traveling North has a toe in alt-country but retains the freedom to follow the song wherever it takes them on this 11-track disc. "Into the Ground" is an attention-grabbing opener while Steve Connelly adds eerie pedal steel to the Middle East-scented closer, "This Is Your King."

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Cold Joon, "Crack! The Best of Cold Joon" (coldjoon.com) : This generous 15-track sampler will help get novice listeners up to speed with the Tampa area's premier African/reggae/if-you-can-dance-to-it-we-play-it fusionists.

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The Relics, "A Little Too Late" (payplay.cd/relics) : The sepia-tinted cover photo might suggest an old-time bluegrass act, but The Relics play Fleetwood Mac-style soft rock with a significant folk influence, hence the version of "House of the Rising Sun" which closes the album.

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Auditorium, "EP" (mekkarecords.com) : A five-song sampler from Joran Slane and Co.'s long-awaited full-length, titled "Chinese Democracy," er, no, "The New Aezthetic." The band's art-prog touches are applied with an amount of taste rare in the genre; and these are just plain good songs, with or without the bells and whistles. Still, we like us some heroic lead guitar work, which Jerry Outlaw provides on "Martyr," and look forward to the full CD when Axl, er, Joran decides to let it go. TBO.com Entertainment Producer Ryan Bauer is a member of the band.

MP3 Download:
'Martyr'

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The Human Condition, "Five" (human-condition.com) : Knowing Stu's Dean Johanesen fronts this excellent roots-rock outfit. Johanesen's country-hued compositions are backed by a hard-riding rhythm section and some stinging guitar work on this five-song outing that leaves us wanting more.

MP3 Download:
'Purple Heart'

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Steve Robinson, "Undercurrent" (steverobinsonmusic.com) : Headlights lead singer Steve Robinson follows up his excellent 2004 solo disc, "Away for the Day." The recipe is the same — brilliant melodies, beautiful harmonies and songwriting that captures the best of Anglo and American pop. The results are the same as well — pure pop heaven.

MP3 Download:
'Please Emmalene'

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Various artists, "Stand Up: A Benefit CD" (standupforkidscd.com) : Tampa area performers such as Red Room Cinema, The Vera Violets, Military Junior and Jeremy Gloff contribute songs to a CD benefiting Stand Up for Kids Tampa, a group helping homeless and abused teens in the area.

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Red Room Cinema, "Red Room Cinema" (myspace.com/redroomcinema) : Red Room Cinema is a band of few words. But the stories it tells with its gracefully shifting rhythms and otherworldly guitar melodies soar beyond mere verbs and nouns. The plane may be going down on the cover of RRC's CD, but its music soars on in infinity.

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Tommy McCoy, "Kickin' the Blues" (tommymccoy.com) : Commander Cody and T.C. Carr lend guitarist McCoy a hand on this fun collection of originals and covers, including The Rolling Stones' "Dead Flowers" and Tom T. Hall's "I Can't Dance," made famous by Gram Parsons.

MP3 Download:
'Black Eldorado Red'

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Local Spotlight

‘Coffee' McDaniel Pours
Smooth Blend Of Blues, R&B

By CURTIS ROSS The Tampa Tribune
Published: October 12, 2007

Tampa blues artist Al "Coffee" McDaniel made his latest album, "Blues in My Shoes," with help from some big-name friends.

Renowned guitarist-keyboardist Lucky Peterson came in to do one session and stayed on to play on and/or produce six more tracks.

"I guess he liked what he heard," says a pleased-sounding McDaniel.

An even bigger coup came with Narada Michael Walden, the musician-producer behind hits for Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin and more.

An acquaintance of McDaniel's is Walden's cousin, and the producer heard some early cuts of songs from the then in-progress album.

"I let him hear a couple of cuts and he was impressed," McDaniel says. "I got a call from him a couple months after that saying, ‘What can I do?' I said, ‘You can help me get some exposure,'" McDaniel recalls.

Walden produced and played drums on a remake of the B.B. King classic "The Thrill Is Gone."

Walden's name may draw some attention to "Blues in My Shoes," but the star of the album is McDaniel's voice, a deep, smooth instrument as comfortable with low-down blues as it is with sly, slinky R&B.

McDaniel, 53, grew up in Tampa, near Ybor City, leaving when he joined the Air Force at age 18. He later worked for the post office, pursuing music in his spare time.

He left the post office about 10 years ago to focus on music, originally seeking a career in contemporary gospel.

He released a pair of albums and "did OK, but not enough to pay the bills," he says.

Blues and R&B have proved more lucrative, with "Blues in My Shoes" garnering popularity in the United States as well as Europe and Australia, McDaniel says.

McDaniel says his music operation is in-house, and he's not kidding. He owns his own recording studio, duplicates his own CDs and distributes them on his own CPA Records.

McDaniel performs regularly around the area. He'll be at SouthBeach Sports Grill on Clearwater Beach tonight. Other dates are posted on his Web site (almcdaniel.com).

The nickname "Coffee" came during a stint in a teenage R&B group. While performing The Floaters' 1977 hit "Float On," the band members would each introduce themselves.

"When I'd talk, I'd say, ‘They call me coffee 'cause I grind so fine,'" McDaniel says with a hearty laugh.

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Giddy-Up, Helicotper!, "I Am Secretary"(giddyuphelicopter.com) : It's rare when a band can establish so strong an identity on its first album that identifying its influences seems irrelevant. Giddy-Up, Helicopter! does just that on "I Am Secretary." If the recording doesn't capture the group's live dynamics, it succeeds by showcasing the songwriting and arrangements, which are staggeringly good. One of the best albums - not just local albums - of 2007.

Story: Giddy-Up Charges Out Of The Gate

MP3 Download:
'The Migratory Patterns of Birds'

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The Ditchflowers, "Carried Away"(theditchflowers.com) : It will come as a shock to absolutely no one familiar with the past work of Ed Woltil (Mad for Electra) or Brian Merrill (Barely Pink) that the duo's album is shiny, perfect-blue-sky pop. So what? Surprises are overrated. Truly great pop music can't be.Fans of Elvis Costello and Squeeze may want to have a fainting couch nearby.

MP3 Download:
'Home Away from Home'

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The Urbane Cowboys: "… Only Truth Tonight"(urbanecowboys.com) : Twang, thunder and cranked-up country riffs from these Tampa cowpunks, with a cover of The Pixies' barn-dance favorite, "Wave of Mutilation," thrown in for good measure. The righteous rough-and-ready production captures the Cowboys at their smoky-bar-on-$2-PBR-night best.

Streaming MP3s:
Listen On MySpace

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3 Green Windows, "Red Door"(toddgrubbs.com) : Opening track "Red Door Blues," not to mention Robert Johnson and Rolling Stones tunes among the originals, suggest this is local fret-burner Todd Grubbs' blues-rock outlet. Keep listening, though, and encounter jazz, countryish-pop and shimmering Steely Dan chords. The performances of Grubbs, singer Bo Smith, bassist Alan Tatum and drummer Jeff Henry are spot-on regardless of the genre.

MP3 Download:
'Mayday Margarinza'

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Offshore Riot, "Offshore Riot"(offshoreriot.com) : With its mix of ska, dub, punk and hip hop, Offshore Riot draws inevitable comparisons to Sublime. Titles such as "The Bong Song" don't hurt, either. A listen to cuts such as the instrumental "Floater," though, confirms Offshore Riot is capable of establishing an identity all its own.

MP3 Download:
'My Simple Plan'

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Denise Moore, "Nothing Standard"(denisemoorejazz.com) : Moore sets herself an unenviable task here, putting her own spin on well-worn favorites such as "Lush Life" and "Come Rain or Come Shine." That she does so is a testament to her good taste, fine voice and her band, Then Some, which draws from the finest musicians in the Tampa area. A swinging treat.

MP3 Download:
'Fever'

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Lorna Bracewell, "Flowers on the Chain"(lornabracewell.com) : The influence of Melissa Etheridge and Ani DiFranco was obvious on Bracewell's earliest work. But on her previous album, "God Forbid," and especially this new one, she's moved past those influences and into her own territory. "Flowers" is Bracewell's toughest, most provocative and most satisfying release yet.

Streaming MP3s:
Listen On MySpace

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Vance Borland, "Live Like We Believe"(vanceborland.com) : Borland's voice reaches frequencies most often associated with Leonard Cohen; and there's an ominous, Cohenesque portent to much of what he sings here (except for the 1932 vintage "When Did You Leave Heaven," which is Bowie all the way). Insightful lyrics also help give an air of drama to Borland's songs.

MP3 Download:
'Lover's Speed'

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Charlie Souza, "Livin' in Paradise"(charliesouza.com) : Souza was the bassist for Tampa '60s greats The Tropics and logged some time with a young Tom Petty as well. His new album is a pleasant mix of pop and rock with some soul flourishes. Opener "Carry Me Back" is a natural for local classic rockers and the album also includes an update of The Tropics' "Black Jacket Woman."

MP3 Download:
'Carry Me Back'

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Betty's Not a Vitamin, "Betty's Not a Vitamin"(bettysnotavitamin.com) : Regulars around Tampa in the '90s, Betty's Not a Vitamin has reunited to gig constantly and record this disc of shamelessly catchy pop-rock.

MP3 Download:
'Home'

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The Sheila Kirsten Hughes Band, "Perspectives"(skhughes.com) : Hughes is an earnest singer-songwriter who should appeal to fans of Jewel and Sarah McLachlan. "Perspectives" is an impressive recording thanks to glossy production, Hughes' dramatic vocals and some fine and subtle use of string arrangements.

MP3 Download:
'Not Givin' Up'

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Stone Marmot, "Rock - For People Who Don't Dig Rock"(stonemarmot.com) : Stone Marmot belongs to the proud tradition of nerd rock - Buddy Holly, The Embarrassment, Weezer: performers who love the big beat but have given up trying to look elegantly wasted. "Rock" is sweet, simple but smart pop.

Streaming MP3s:
Listen On MySpace

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Scholars Word, "How Long"(scholarsword.com) : Scholars Word's mailing address may be Lithia, but its heart lies in Kingston, Jamaica. This is convincing roots reggae with socially conscious lyrics and a multidimensional, dub-heavy production.

MP3 Download:
'How Long'

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Local Spotlight

Giddy-Up Charges Out Of The Gate

By CURTIS ROSS The Tampa Tribune
Published: June 7, 2007

In about a year and a half, Tampa alternative rock act Giddy-Up, Helicopter! has gone from its first rehearsal to releasing one of the most highly anticipated local CDs of the year.

In keeping with that spirit of acceleration, the album, "I Am Secretary," was recorded, mixed and mastered in two days.

"We're happy to finally have it finished and we're really pleased with all the songs," says J. Conner, the band's singer and lyricist as well as one of its three guitarists.

"In retrospect, if we'd had more time we would have spent more time on mixing and mastering it. We're happy with it but we want to do it a little bit differently next time."

"Secretary" doesn't capture the overwhelming wash of sound that makes Giddy-Up, Helicopter! such an impressive live act. The trade-off is that the recording spotlights the band's songwriting.

Conner lists Sleater-Kinney, Sonic Youth and The Jesus and Mary Chain as influences all the band members share, but says they really didn't have a particular sound in mind when they formed.

Conner and guitarist Nicole Schleif began writing songs together and met bassist Sandi Streppone over the Internet. They met guitarist Nikki Navarro and a now-departed drummer at downtown Tampa bar The Hub.

"We were at the drummer's house and it's like, 'Now we have to write a song,'" Conner recalls. "We just kind of started and played out that night at an open mike. We didn't really have time to think about what it would sound like.

"As it progressed we had influences we wanted to follow and sounds we wanted to get to," Conner says.

Conner rates Leonard Cohen and Jason Molina from Songs: Ohia as two current favorite lyricists.

"I like lyrics that are kind of like stories but not overdone. Not folkish, just telling the base of a story that people can kind of relate to without having meaning shoved down their throats," Conner says.

"I don't like to explain [the lyrics] perfectly," Conner says. "Usually they relate to a couple of things I've gone through, or stories I've heard, but I like to leave them so people can go, 'This reminds me of the summer when I was 16.'"

Giddy-Up, Helicopter! will spend its summer touring, playing as far away as Chicago, Boston and New York.