GrooveFest was Groovy - Sunday August 30, 2009 at Skipper's SmokeHouse

Pulling up to Skipper’s Smokehouse Sunday August 30, 2009 just a little after 3pm, I was bombarded with the sounds of the first annual WMNF GrooveFest already in full swing. Shak Nasti opened up what would be seven hours of jam-bandish fun in the sun. The greeters and ticket sellers were in high spirits and there wasn’t a single patron sitting still, whether they were getting food or drinks, chatting or swaying to the beat.
For a moment I actually forgot where I was. If it weren’t for the humidity and the menu chock-full of eastern seafood, I would have thought I was back on the west coast at a reggae festival, or at the Oregon Country Fair. The dreadlocks, tie-dye, friendly faces and audience members from the ages of about 2 through maybe even 92, were like something straight out of Eugene or Portland. I felt silly for not sporting my hand-made batiqued dress and Birkenstocks.
Shak Nasti rocked their reggae-funky sounds as people trickled in on the not too hot, partly cloudy gorgeous Tampa afternoon. The heavy bass lines and melodic wanderings of the guitar made Shak Nasti’s music stand out. They finished strong and loud as if to alert the following bands they had an act to follow. The crowd was relaxed but ready to jam alongside the musicians. The whole place was buzzing from the afternoon throughout the night and the energy never faded. This wasn’t the type of show to just sit and watch; you had to at least recognize the beat in some way, whether it was by the tap of a toe or the shimmy of a shoulder or two.
I looked up and did a scan of the crowd in between sets and quickly noticed that the number of people nearly doubled. The members of Soulshine meandered onto the stage to get ready for their set, both of whom, I realized, had just been watching Shak Nasti from the audience. It was then I noticed a fan with a “Shak Nasti” band shirt, near another man with a shirt that read “Grateful Dad.”
Soulshine set up many instruments including congas, bongos, and chimes with a flute, guitar and harmonica; a lot for just the two band members. Heavy on the drum beats, the sound managed to become seemingly soft as the lead repeatedly sang out “Just trying to find my soul some satisfaction,” with a few audience members mouthing the words along. Soulshine’s music brought more people out to dance by the end of the set and left the audience wanting more.
Next up was Middle Rhythm Session, a 5-piece band who took the groove up to a whole new level. With keyboards, bass, electric guitar, a full drum set, a cowbell and other various percussion instruments they enticed new dancers to the floor in front of the stage. Their sound was filled with rock and jam-band essences but a lot of great tones melting together all at once. The lead singer’s stage presence was very animated, which drew your attention directly to him. They had a more new alternative or rock sound than the other bands but won the audience nonetheless, and even got the tiny tots on the dance floor to bop around.
Three down, three to go, Earth Bombs Mars came out to belt out something very reminiscent of the classic jam band tunes, very Grateful Dead-esque and what every GrooveFest needs. At times their transitions and long musical phrases were something of the folk or country genres, but had a more calm feel than the Middle Rhythm Session. Still, it made you want to dance to the simple bass lines and soothing guitar riffs. It was during this band that the sun started to go down, but it wasn’t until after the sun set that the jamming intensified. Earth Bombs Mars kept listeners interested and the dancers moving with some hard rock melodies to spice things up until they slowed things down to end their set.
The Burnin’ Smyrnans were up next and while they set up, the WMNF representatives took over the stage to thank the crowd for coming and encourage people to enter the raffle and check out the various jewelry and craft vendors that had scattered themselves in the Skipper-dome. The five members of the Burnin’ Smyrnans took the stage with a saxophone, two guitars, a bass and drums in tow. It was as the band gathered to begin playing that not a single band had a female musician amongst them, but they certainly had many female fans.
Beginning with an upbeat tune, with a very ska/reggae resonance, they really amped up the pace following Earth Bombs Mars and the Burnin’ Smyrnans drummer was rockin’ the skins. The dance floor was packed, a first thus far, and the amazing melody with the singers’ harmonies were solid and projected a kind of Caribbean sound. It was hard for anyone to sit still, so I finally caved and got out on the dance floor to put my Eugene-grown moves into action, to which my husband commented, “You danced ridiculously in unison with the rest of them.”
The entire line-up of bands put their hearts and souls into every breath and every beat making each song better than the last and left each group raising the bar higher and higher. Burnin’ Smyrnans finished on a high note, loud and proud leaving the crowd ready for the headliner, Cope.
The composition of the vocals of Cope was amazing. The way each voice complimented another was soothing, but powerful. There was a hint of sounds like those of The Allman Brothers Band, another t-shirt found within the audience, and Cope possessed the most eloquent lyrics of the day. The synthesized keyboard sounds, dance beats and transitions mirrored so many different genres making Cope’s performance the epitome of the first annual GrooveFest.
An entire day of “Groove” in the heat had the possibility of being exhausting, but the crowd participation, epic people watching, overwhelming sense of community and the killer line up of bands made the day one of the best Sundays I’ve had in Tampa. At one point a young girl was dancing with a hula hoop doing things I never knew you could do with a hula hoop while keeping in perfect time with Cope’s rhythms. I was mesmerized by that, among many other things throughout the day but all, fell into the whole scene perfectly.
To end the evening Cope brought various members from the preceding bands onto the stage for one hell of a finale. There must have been nearly a dozen people on that stage for one last jam to close the mother of all GrooveFests. For the first one, it was absolutely wonderful and WMNF was well represented. If it’s going to be an annual event, 2010’s bill will have quite the act to follow.

Saturday Night's For Exploring! Ybor City, First Exposure to the Florida Music Scene

New World Brewery Show – Ybor City
Dear Old Liar – Ryan Wendell Bauer - Mes Music –King of Spain

Alright, I must confess that I snuck in one “first Florida” show before my St. Pete Times Forum/ Green Day experience. Stickmartin performed at Skipper’s Smokehouse in July, and it was a great introduction to the Tampa music scene, but the line-up at The New World Brewery in Ybor City August 15, 2009 was indeed the actual initiation.

As a veteran Northwest concert-goer who moved from Oregon to Tampa, a place my sister described as “not being able to get any further away,” I had my suspicions that perhaps the music, the performers, the bands, the whole scene could also be “further away” from anything I was used to. Unaware as to whether or not those differences would be good or bad, I walked into the New World Brewery, with the “Ybor Square” sign looming in the backdrop, and I felt completely comfortable, which was a surprise and delight.

First of all, it was my only and my grand entrance into Ybor City. I’d heard many people say I needed to go there but the closest I’d made it was IKEA, which so doesn’t count. The NWB was tucked in and pretty quiet when I arrived. I walked past a few people running around the stage area and a DJ setting up. A quick scan of the place left no indication of who was performing and who was just grabbing a drink or ordering pizza that smelled really good. It was still early.
As far as Florida versus Oregon venues, Tampa has Eugene beat by a long shot. The relaxed, inviting vibe of the NWB, not to mention the indoor/outdoor setup and new wave of locals to mingle and observe wins over the hot, packed and claustrophobic vintage venues of the Northwest.

True to good, local show form, the line-up started an hour later than the time listed on the bill and people really started rolling in around 9:30pm. The audience was incredibly diverse, but the appearance of dreadlocks made me feel instantly at home. I watched people hug, be introduced to one another and chat, slowly realizing that this was the type of place that had avid regulars, and these were the kinds of bands who had very loyal followers.

The DJ was set up spinning everything from The Smiths to random oldies to warm up the crowd and get the audience settled. Soon enough, a gorgeous and classic looking blonde, accompanied by two women guitarists and a lanky male percussionist took the stage and commanded attention immediately. She held a 50’s looking microphone in her hand and belted out these jazz meets alt-roots, folky tunes like nobody’s business. She then announced the foursome as “Dear Old Liar.” The melancholy, sensual ballads made the crown swoon, or was it just the overpowering “chicks rocking” essence? The lead singer, who occasionally turned over to the keyboard to play a few melodies, said “We’re going to play a song for you to talk over.” The audience followed suit, but Dear Old Liar still had the attention of most of the NWB patrons.

Later the singer asked “Are you entertained? If you’re not, you should get a beer.” It was then that ambience of the evening set, and the audience was wanting more. I looked again and seemingly out of nowhere, the place was packed. The area that was initially half empty now had people filing in one by one and weaving through the planted audience members to get to the bar.

Dear Old Liar prepped the crowd for the rest of the eclectic evening ahead and played a great set. The walking base lines, sweet and sultry guitar riffs, jazzy drum beats and appeal of the lyrics with complimenting harmonies coming from that old-school microphone and the lead singer left crowd anxious for the next act, and another drink.
Shortly after Dear Old Liar tore down their stage set-up, a double-decker keyboard, microphone and amp were arranged as the one-man show was being put into action. Ryan Wendell Bauer introduced the keyboards as “The Mini 16,” and then said “Sometimes I play these keyboards; sometimes these keyboards play me.” I had no idea what I was in for.

After dedicating the set to Michael Jackson, Bauer started a keyboard/synth beat as background to a conversational intro with him making puppet-like hand gestures and mixing a kind of rap/poetry-slam/haiku singing style that I had never seen or heard. It was then I heard a girl proclaim “I love this guy! I just wanna hug him;” my thoughts exactly.
With crazy dance moves, clapping, audience participation and hilarious lyrics, Bauer had everyone in the place at least stopping to see what the hell was going on, if not thoroughly enjoying themselves. His set was about thirty minutes and the next act shuffled in to keep the audience interested.

MES Music took the stage as third in the line-up. The suburban, PG version of freestyling had a great following within the audience. The fans took over the area closest to the stage and a few friends of the lead hip-hop artist, accompanied him onstage and also added to the hip-hop beats. The crowd was into it, and MES Music said “This is when we get amped and have a little hip-hop party.” The party was a hit, and with such a diverse array of musicians, I’d lost grip of any expectations for the headliner, “King of Spain.”

The man, with his Mac book and guitar, sat down at the very edge of the stage and introduced himself to be “King of Spain.” He then commented on how much he enjoyed being a part of such “eclectic bills.” It was midnight and the crowd was moving in and out a bit more as King of Spain took things down into a very chill, calming mood. The audience was seemingly appreciative.
The music of King of Spain was filled with fast, complex lyrics and some of what he said was hard to catch. The feedback of the sound system took a lot away from the performance but the music was very sentimental, emotional, soft and soothing through it all. King of Spain was very in tune to every note, every harmony and every lyric. The Mac hooked up to the amp provided a lot of effects on his voice, background vocals, and harmonies.

The crowd mellowed out with the shift in music, but the place was still buzzing. The performance was good but almost felt a little too calm for the end of the night, like a lullaby willing you to go home and go to bed. It was almost 1:00am when the King of Spain ended his reign on the crowd and I was satisfied with this first Ybor City, New World Brewery, and local music experience. It wasn’t until I was halfway down the street that I realized there was another band playing, and that a last minute add-in was put on the line-up. I missed Florida Night Heat, but figured - not that I really needed to after such a great Saturday night - but now I have an excuse to go back if they play at the New World Brewery. Or, I could have them be my new local act to follow.

Overall, the line-up was great, the atmosphere amazing, and my first foray into Tampa nightlife and it’s music was a success. I went back to the apartment and, for the first time since we moved, felt like I’d had a real Saturday night and I was finally home. Local music can do that to you!

Green Day at The St. Pete Times Forum - My first Florida Show...and it was free. Thanks Creative Loafing

I’ll be completely honest and out myself as a Green Day fan, but the latest album, “21st Century Breakdown,” didn’t do it for me. For the St. Pete Times Forum show on August 3rd, 2009, I sifted through the punkish, and Hot Topic fashion-entrenched crowds knowing that even if the new album wasn’t my favorite, they would still put on a good show. They exceeded my expectations…and then some.
The Kaiser Chiefs opened, warming up the crowd and drawing in stragglers to the front of the general admission floor section, with a hypnotic energy. Front man, Ricky Wilson, demanded attention and won over the crowd instantly saying, “You may not know us, but who cares, right?” The Kaiser Chiefs played a short but sweet set, leaving the crowd wanting more and antsy to see Green Day.
Between sets the “Green Day Bunny,” adorned in a new tour shirt and chugging Miller Lite, came out to further rile and ready the crowd. A quick scan showed the vast array of the ages of their fanbase: Myself - mid-twenties, to my right - older teens, my left - a married couple in their forties and in front, parents accompanying kids between ages 9-12.
The lights went off cueing the screams of anticipation and the intro to the show, which was that of the intro to the album: “Song of the Century.” Green Day took the stage adorned in black with random red accents. His hair was black, spikey and unkempt, Billie Joe Armstrong had on a fabulous vest and a pair of black pants that gradually slipped down throughout the show, eventually provoking him to moon fans. He was all made up with black eyeliner proving that no amount of eye-makeup can cover one’s ability to rock out.
The trio played against a high-voltage backdrop of bright lights, video reels, and the occasional special effects of fire, fireworks or bomb-sounding blasts. After giving ample attention to the album for which the tour is promoting Green Day shifted gears to tracks from their entire catalog, churning out the tunes for which they are known best.
Amidst all these three-chord masterpieces, Billie Joe Armstrong would further captivate the crowd by pulling up audience members onto the stage to sing, dance, play with toys or even play a little bit of guitar. Three fans were given the mic during the performance of “Longview,” to sing in place of Armstrong. While Tre Cool and Mike Dirndt kept the beat going, one orange-haired girl was yanked from the audience to play with a water gun as Armstrong played with a toilet paper blower, and t-shirt shooter.
Besides the “Shenanagins,” that Green Day are so well-known for, although played nothing off of that particular album, they played an epic set, leaving Tampa Bay and St. Pete fans generally satisfied. Fans of “Dookie” and “Nimrod” were appeased with selections like “King for a Day” and the encore acoustic rendition of “Scattered”, and “American Idiot” album hits kept the audiences singing along with fists and “rock on” hand gestures up all around.
Billie Joe made a comment about moving away from not just three-chord progressions but now having some “four-and-a-half chord” songs. They played with the energy and intensity of the album itself but took it to a higher level. Listening to the album was boring in comparison to watching them live. It was watching them bring their latest “Breakdown” to life that reminded me of why I was drawn to Green Day in the first place. Where I thought 21st Century Breakdown left something to be desired…perhaps I just needed to see them relate to the crowd and deliver the music with such perseverance to really appreciate their musical growth.
Green Day dominated the stage at the forum for almost three hours filled with amusement and anything but restlessness. When the phones came out they were either illegally recording or up in place of lighters, but time was of no consequence to the crowd. Exiting with the masses at almost midnight, a young boy with his tour shirt on and a big smile, said, “Best concert I’ve ever been to.” I left exhausted and elated thinking…how the hell am I going to describe how awesome that was without saying something lame as, “It was kick ass”?