Michael “Buffalo” Smith: A South Carolina Writer’s Take On Southern Rock And More

By Brian M. Howle

Michael "Buffalo" Smith.

We southerners are a unique breed, in all humbleness and honesty.  And the way we are perceived is often multi-layered and complex, for a geographically and stereotypically pigeonholed group of folks.  Sometimes it’s disarmingly charming, sometimes it’s laden with humor, and sometimes it’s brutally honest. But then again, so is life.

And if it happened in music, in the genre of Southern Rock, and more particularly, thru the eyes of a southern renaissance man – it was probably performed, covered, experienced, and written about by Michael “Buffalo” Smith.

Smith is an author, music journalist and musician living in Greenville, SC. He grew up down the road in Spartanburg during the heat of the seventies Southern Rock boom at a time when his hometown heroes The Marshall Tucker Band were at the top of their game. Even then Buffalo was sowing the seeds that would one day find him referred to as the “Ambassador of Southern Rock.”

Buffalo worked many jobs as newspaper editor, features writer, columnist, sports reporter, layout and more. He also logged several years as a radio air personality while singing and playing his own music and recording five albums that featured many of his high school era heroes, including Bonnie Bramlett, Pete Carr, George McCorkle, Tommy Crain and Tommy Talton.

In 1998, Buffalo founded the online magazine GRITZ and began a ride that lasted over 13 years, including three years as a glossy print magazine. During the GRITZ years, Buffalo conducted countless interviews and wrote hundreds of features, reviews and columns/blogs. When CMT needed a Southern Rock authority to appear on their Outlaw Country and Southern Rock special, they enlisted Buffalo. He would later appear on the documentary section of the Shout! Factory release Live from the Garden State by The Marshall Tucker Band.

In 1997 Buffalo’s first book was published by Marshall Tucker Entertainment of Beverly Hills, CA. Carolina Dreams: The Musical Legacy of Upstate SC was a history of the MTB and all the other great music that came from the region. The book includes lots of great photos and history on The Marshall Tucker Band (and all the bands that they had prior to MTB), Garfeel Ruff (featuring the amazing Rickey Godfrey), Artimus Pyle, Hank Sugarfoot Garland, Esquerita, Marshall Chapman, David Ball, Don Reno, Aaron Tippin and many more… Star tributes to both Toy and Tommy Caldwell, many one on one interviews. Foreword written by Charlie Daniels and an introduction by Marshall Tucker’s Doug Gray.

His second book, 2006’s Outlaws, Rebels & Renegades, was drawn from over seven years worth of published interviews, “Outlaws” includes some of the best interviews conducted by Smith for GRITZ Magazine (as well as other publications like Goldmine and Hittin The Note) with members of The Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker Band and many more.

His most recent release is The Brown Box: Remembering Greenville Memorial Auditorium. This is the history a S.C. venue that, although it was closed and imploded in the early ’90s, still holds a lot of happy memories for many people. It was the home of Monday night wrestling and the site of many outstanding concerts including the final performance by the original Lynyrd Skynyrd band. The fans, the stars and the employees were interviewed for this little labor of love.

He currently has a memoir book in line for publication called Prisoner of Southern Rock with a foreword by Billy Bob Thornton, which will be published by Mercer University Press in September, 2012.

And for current interviews with the legends of Southern Rock and more, tune in his online radio show – The Buffalo Radio Show, Sundays at 7 p.m. at www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbuffalo.

More than a musician, writer and historian, Michael is a cherished treasure for those who grew up with music as an integral part of their lives.  He is a damn fine man, an even finer friend – and we are all the better for his presence.

For more on Michael or to order one or all of his books and other merchandise, check out www.universalmusictribe.com

This article was also published in Alternatives NewsMagazine, Vol. XXVI No. 9, Jan. 26 – Feb. 9, 2012.

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,100 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 3 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Christmas For Dummies

By Brian M. Howle

It really is hard to believe that yet another Christmas has snuck right up and foisted itself upon an unprepared and skittish world.  As I write this, it is the literal beginning of the 12 Days of Christmas, as we get that honest assessment deal going on just in time for Christmas.

For those who celebrate this holiday of Christmas – who have it so ingrained into their memories it is essentially a part of their personality – that whole Thanksgiving weekend deal really begins to set off all the little hidden sensors that will chime in familiar succession as traditions beget memories that beget new memories …

And they all become this glorious, wonderfully individual glop of a lifetime that we call our souls.

Oh for sure, the involuntary nature of cardio and pulmonary gives us a heart, and it does keep us alive while it’s healthy.

But that warm and fuzzy (or bare and destitute) feeling we get at holiday times can become much, much more than just a storage facility for happy memories with grandpa and grandma and Crazy Aunt Lisa.  It can also give us cause to reflect on our lives, and the world around us; to reset the big picture and make sense out of what has become clouded on our journey through life.

This more erudite, progressive, thinking person’s world has now reached a position of being above it all, really; a place where there is no time for silly throwbacks to our Puritan founders. They see religion as the root problem of just about every argument they roll out, and on any other given day a lot of people just might have the inclination to agree on that one.

I have to admit, although I pride myself on being intently observant of the world around me, I missed the exact date that things began to change.  I don’t remember there being any one incident or announcement that trumpeted when things took a turn from normalcy and common sense, but it’s an unfortunate fact that now resides before us at this time of worldwide celebration and faith.

Since there wasn’t any huge public outcry against it that I can ever remember as a child, it’s difficult to understand exactly why it has even become an issue.  I mean, really.

But as you all know by now, those wonderful folks who decide what the rest of us can and can’t say or do or share or celebrate in our nation of freedom of choice and freedom of religion have most fervently put the ol’ kabash on that most hateful, hurtful and horrible phrase that some particularly selfish citizens inflict on unsuspecting friends, neighbors and strangers:

“Merry Christmas!”

Again, this isn’t any insane argument about anyone’s belief system.  The say, “oh, you can still have your precious little religion.  We don’t mind that.  You just can’t celebrate it or speak of it in public.”

And the end-all reason for this view, for this mass edict that all must bow to and obey? Why is it we can’t say it?

“Because it’s offensive.”

It occurs to me that, as long as we’re talking fantasy views here, that we could solve the nation’s energy crisis tout de suite if we could hook up a generator to the graves of our founding fathers, ‘cause they must be spinning like the Large Hadron Collider right about now.

The initial concept of political correctness was, as most things are, a fair and noble idea.  Those with certain conditions, afflictions or affiliations seemed to always be the butt of jokes by the majority, and words can leave wounds after all, so let’s just start watching our p’s and q’s, shall we?

And so, a considerate thought for the feelings of a few “special” folks amongst us was born as not just an idea, but a movement.  And if there’s one thing we humans (especially Americans) latch on to like a seagull on a french fry, it’s a movement.

Oh, those poor, poor folks who have been wronged by your and my beliefs, our holidays and all the ancillary traditions that go along with it.  Can’t you feel how they were wronged and ridiculed by our evil declarations of “Merry Christmas!”?

But as we all know, all too painfully by now, that whole “seemed like a good idea at the time” vibe that accompanied most P.C. agendas quickly morphed into a public-shame-&-humiliation hydra that soon developed tentacles of truly stupid and ill-conceived laws.

And the long-standing battle between those of ecumenical beliefs and those without escalated into even more absurd and idiotic arrays of charges and counter charges.

Townships, communities, cities, counties, states and ultimately federal governments began issuing edicts of what was and was not allowed to be displayed or celebrated at taxpayer expense due to “consideration for those not members of the thingy-du-jour.”

Crosses that had adorned land or buildings for decades were actually outlawed by an American court of law.  Nativity scenes were ordered taken down in town after town because they promoted one religion over another.  The singing of religious songs was also rather unceremoniously banned.

Again, this is not my fight for one religion.  I’m not pushing Christianity over anything else. That is not the issue.

This is about taking law and using it as a tool to impose narrow concepts on the majority of the populace.

But the simple act of acknowledging the existence of Christmas, alone, can not be denied by decree or ignored by those who believe.

Growing up in a relatively religious atmosphere – from what I witnessed – didn’t seem to have drastically affected any of my friends in any negative or nefarious manner.

What it did do, however, was to makes us all aware of the needs of those less fortunate than us.  It made us have a core value base that imparted us with a sense of pride in our community, for respect of our neighbors’ property.  We understood the need for everyone to do their part all aspects of our lives, because there literally was no such thing as a free lunch.

There was, however, such a thing as compassion and assistance thru churches and service organizations.

The obligatory meal to make the holiday seem more normal for those without food gets all the press on Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Everyone sees those PR opportunities.

But, those same people need food, clothing and shelter on every other day of the year, too.  Difficulties and hardship do not take vacations or time off.

It’s an extremely difficult concept for me to wrap my head around, to be honest with you.  I was raised by a family, a neighborhood, and a community that looked after one another and rallied in a moment’s notice in the event of tragedy or loss.

These same people made the advent of the holiday season the most anticipated time of the year by engaging in the simplest and least expensive tradition ever conceived:
Exchanging goodies.

Oh, while I’m sure some families who were particularly close to one another may have done some actual gift exchanges – but that’s not the goodies I’m talking about.

And no, gifts of libation aren’t these goodies, either.

I’m talking ‘bout food.

Not just run-down-to-the-Piggly-Wiggly, precooked, mass produced munchies, kids.  I mean, honest-to-peanuts, made from scratch goodies.

There are families in my hometown that, to this day, most likely guard that family recipe like it’s the next project coming up from Apple.

One family made a chocolate cake that would give you the same chemical rush of pleasure as heroin – in theory.

Another family baked cookies that were recognized as legal tender in several of the more advance culinary nations.

There was an avalanche of the best cookies, cakes, pies, and pastries – along with the occasional liqueur – the likes of which no issue of Southern Living magazine has ever had the distinct honor and pleasure of photographing, sampling and sharing with the world.

Hardly was there ever a time in the many, many years that have passed from those happier, carefree days that my siblings and I didn’t make some reference to those simple delights.  When we reflected on this dish or that, and who made it, that tangible part of our past and our present began to foreshadow the future, as the numbers of those friends and families slowly began to dwindle.  There was the expected attrition from children growing, marrying and in most cases, moving away.

And then came the attrition through the normal cycle of life.

This is not a bad thing, nor is it a harbinger of end times, this shaking off of our mortal coils.  But with each loss, those of us left behind begin to feel the erosion of all those things that we – and our parents – held so dear, and fought so valiantly to maintain.  And the battle to preserve that lifestyle seemed to become more and more, one of diminishing returns.

However, the families of my youth have grown and evolved through a couple more generations.  And with each child of these folks that I meet today – now adults with children of their own – it is impossible to ignore the familiar watermark on the hearts and the values of these small-town folks who raised them.

So join my friends and I in keeping these traditions alive.

If you know of an elderly, homebound or just a lonely individual who is facing this season alone, please give of your time and your heart – and make a wonderful difference in their life, if only for a day.

And I promise you – that person will absolutely not consider your religion a problem.

So to all of you sharing this amazing planet – enjoy your religion, or lack of it – and may you all have a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a Happy New Year!

The column was also published in Alternatives NewsMagazine and Coast Magazine, Dec. 15, 2011 – January 12, 2012.

Christmas Lesson 2011: Baby Doll and Ken

Baby Doll and Ken have a front yard reunion.

Note: Every Christmas, I try to write a column that extolls the spirit of the season, something nice, something sweet, something quite unlike the daily ugliness we all face out in the big, bad world.  This year was easy; several stories were in wait to be selected already when this came across my news feed this week.  If you know someone particularly jaded or lacking something to believe in, have them take a quick look at this.  It’s a short read, but will stay with you forever. – Brian

By Midwest Horse Welfare Foundation, Inc., from a post on Facebook

We were just talking about how horses never forget. Here is a short story from one of our friends and adopters, John and Cindy. I thought this might bring some Christmas cheer to those who need it. Feel free to share if you wish.

We look after a sweet mare by the name of Baby Doll. Her owner is a man named Ken who is getting up there in his years (he is 90+ now).  Due to health issues Ken has not been out to the barn in over a year to see his beloved mare.  Now, Ken is one of these guys that when he would come to the barn each week he always had some dog & cat food for the barn critters, treats for his and other horses and usually a 2 day old Danish for the barn managers.  You get the picture of what type of man Ken is.

Cindy and our friend Kym decided to pay Ken a visit a few weeks ago (he lives about a 1-1/2 hour drive from the barn, not far from O’Hare airport) and in tow with them was Baby Doll. They knocked on Ken’s door, who was delighted to see his ole friends Cindy and Kym. They smiled and said someone else was here to see him, and there was Baby Doll in the yard (right there in the Chicago suburbs).

Cindy said the look on his face was nothing but pure joy and when he called his beloved mare her ears perked up so tall; she knew and missed that voice.  Now, Ken is not one to show a lot of emotion (he fought some nasty battles in WW-II), but Cindy said it is the first time she has ever seen a tear in this man’s eyes. There was no doubt that Baby Doll had not forgotten this man who had taken care of her for so many years. Above is a great reunion picture of an ole cowboy greeting his beloved mare that he had not seen in a very long time.

Ken has made arrangements to pay for her even when he is gone. Baby Doll is 26 now and you would never know it, she has such much spunk on trail. She is the best mare I have met and we love her tons, she has such a kind personality.

We plan on printing the picture and putting it in a frame and sending to Ken for Christmas. Cindy said the one that had the most tears in their eyes was Ken’s wife – tears of happiness to see her husband be able to hug the girl he talks about so often. ∆

So, if you know a Ken – or a Ken’s wife – who has lived long and given all they had to give; if you know someone of this age who has served their country in the military, or who worked their entire life either in commerce or making a difference in their community, or who sacrificed career for family or caring for others … please …. take a few minutes to find what could give their weathered hearts a proper dusting off, and injected with love and hope.  And then – do it.

Because Christmas alone is anything but Merry.

Sol Driven Train Keeps It On Track With “Watermelon”

By Brian M. Howle

Music is one of those things that, no matter how magnificently written, arranged, performed and produced, will always be subject to abject interpretation.  Which is why those who can master the fine art of establishing their chosen genre into the much-sought-after world of “crossover” essentially have achieved the Holy Grail of success.

So, it’s fair to say that Sol Driven Train has that puppy safely tucked away in their formidable cache of accomplishments.

(L-R): Wes Powers on drums; Rusty Cole on bass and vocals; Ward Buckheister on guitar, trombone, and vocals; Russell Clarke on saxophones and vocals; Joel Timmons on guitar and vocals.

The band’s sonic schizophrenia absorbs songwriting influences like Jon Prine and Paul Simon, and afro-caribbean rhythmic explorations, into honest songs of life, love, loss, and long johns. The 5-piece band, based in Charleston, S.C., features rotating lead vocalists, and multi-instrumental talent spread across horns, strings, and percussion. The band members share a musical history dating back to childhood, and their music and live shows are filled with a spirit of positivity and joy, even while traversing subjects of suffering and death.

Sol Driven Train is a band in motion. Perpetually piling on and off the bus, the momentum of their hard work and heart-felt music propels the group in front of growing crowds across the country. At shows, the band members bounce to the pulse of the music along with the crowd. Stylistically the band seamlessly mixes Allmanesque Southern rock, languid world-beat, swampy funk and downright catchy melodies as they swap lead singers and instruments. And the horns … ah, the horns will call to you.

Since the fall of 2005, “the train” has been touring full-time, averaging 150 shows per year at festivals, theaters, and bars. In the spring of 2010, they celebrated their 1,000th live show and ten years together as a band.  In those ten winding years they have shared stages and bills with a diverse array of artists including Micheal Franti, Richie Havens, Keller Williams, Arlo Guthrie, and Blues Traveler. Despite the pace, the band takes time on the road to enjoy outdoor activities such as whitewater rafting, surfing, rock climbing, and cloud gazing. The tour schedule has begun to resemble the nomadic wanderings of a raft guide, ski bum, and itinerant surfer racing between the mountains and the beach. Blatant sponsor plug: Sol Driven Train enjoys Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka as a tour sponsor and over ice with a splash of water and a lemon wedge. (If you haven’t tried Firefly, well, this local lowcountry libation leaves lackluster life loquaciously behind.)

A Review: Watermelon

Sol Driven Train’s latest EP, “Watermelon.”

The first track on this 5-track EP is the title track (As Todd Rundgren pointed out, in the tradition of Motown), “Watermelon.”  Beginning with a nice, easy groove nestled in a subtle funkiness – that gets you doing that involuntary little head-bob thing – it lets you know before you hear verse one, this is a song you’re gonna like.  The austere, compact spectrum of instrumentation perfectly complements the very tasty vocals, as the tune begins a sojourn that culminates with a rap-scented changeup to close it out.

Track 2 is the impishly playful “Vampire.”  I really like songs such as this one, beginning with a samba-soaked bass line that has a hint of mariachi and old-world overtones of accordion tossed in for good measure. It’s all Sol Driven Train, but it does remind me  – albeit 20 years removed – of Chapel Hill’s fabled Squirrel Nut Zippers’ “Hell,” only much better and without the annoying clutter of overproduction.

Track 3 explodes out of your speakers with a no-bones-about-it, hard-core, old-skool, lead-snare drum steam-enginetrain cadence, and wrapped up in “if that ain’t country, I’ll kiss your grits” pickin’ … and appropriately enough, it’s entitled “Romp.”  Music is all too often so deep and ethereal and depressing; this would be a textbook example of “antonym” to that affect.

Next to last on this neat little EP, “Consume” examines the fringe of paranoia in a tune that reminds one of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention and The Tubes in their creative heydays.  The neat trick to a well-written jam tune is losing the structure in the jam part; making it sound like it’s all thrown together on the fly.  But it’s got some tasty fret burners laced in all the nifty syncopation.  As with all the tracks on this CD, it’s just really well arranged and produced. The recurring thought while listening to this track (and, really, all of them) is, “These guys are from my state? Seriously? Chucktown and everything? Wow.”

And of course, to throw you completely off kilter, the final track “For Old Time’s Sake” immediately conjures up traditional churchy blues and hymnal charts.  Great simplicity wrapped in rich vocal harmonies that just sound so much bigger than they are, with a mixture of N’awlins tribute and Southern Baptist blues in a ballet of horns and piano riffs. A nice, slow, reflective ending to a really eclectic musical ride, perhaps it helps to be a native of the lowcountry, or the Palmetto State, or the Old South.

Or maybe it’s just great music.  Yeah, that’s probably it.

And after all … it would explain all these black seeds and green rinds laying around my stereo in a pool of sticky, sweet musical refreshment.

There are a bunch of reasons it would make a great Christmas gift, too, kids. It’s good, it’s affordable, and it’s available.  Wraps easily, mails perfectly.  Brings smiles to the face and soothes the soul.

Get a nice, juicy slice of your own at www.soldriventrain.com .

Review in 3: Steve Miller Band Oct. 8, 2011

Steve Miller Band @ House Of Blues, North Myrtle Beach, SC … 1. If every “arteest” who thinks their music is da shit could attend a show like this and appreciate the clarity, balance and home-stereo-like perfection of the LIVE sound mix, they would realize their music actually is shit;  2. “Dance, Dance, Dance” … if you don’t smile and tap your feet, you have no soul;  3. “SOMEBODY GET ME A CHEESEBURGER, MAN!” Wow … Thank you, Mr. Miller, and oh btw, happy birthday. We should all be so spry at 68.

Review in 3: Trey Anastasio Band Oct. 7, 2011

Trey Anastasio Band @ House Of Blues, North Myrtle Beach, SC … 1. 3 hours of DAYUM!;  2. Jennifer Hartswick (Trumpet/Vocals) does Black Dog that kicks Ann Wilson’s ass!;  3. Try to find another band that covers LedZep, The Five Stairsteps AND Charlie Daniels! Thank you, Mr. Anastasio.

Rocktober Brings Legendary Rockers Trey Anastasio, Steve Miller, And Styx To House Of Blues Myrtle Beach

By Brian M. Howle

There are some things about life that are just universal.  With the current state of the nation – nay, the world – combined with a hotter ‘n hell/back-to-back packed tropical storm summer here in the south, those of us here along the shores of Shangri la collectively and thankfully welcome the cooler temps that the advent of Fall has brought to bear upon us.  Cool, as they say, is good.

That being the case, it’s about to get cool as grits along the Grand Strand.

After a somewhat quiet summer of music tours, things are about to change in a wonderfully major way as three iconic musical powers – each unique and totally different from each other but equally capable of burning down the stage to the delight of ecstatically frenzied fans – ramp up what promises to be a stellar fall and winter season of tours at House Of Blues in North Myrtle Beach.  Here’s what we have to look forward to over the next couple of weeks.

Trey Anastasio

An Evening with Trey Anastasio Band
Oct. 7

Amongst the faithful who like their rock served up with a healthy helping of long, seemingly meandering free-form jams, there are but a few select names that will bring out the kids in droves.  And anyone who knows the genre has a top 3 that will inevitably include Phish, and in doing so, automatically takes their creative and spiritual leader to the altar of grooviness – and that leader is Trey Anastasio.

Trey Anastasio Band hits the road this winter for an Acoustic & Electric Tour starting Feb 18th at the State Theatre in Portland, ME and ending at the Fox Theater in Oakland, CA on March 5th marking the first TAB dates on the west coast since Trey reunited the Classic TAB lineup in 2008. The lineup will once again feature Natalie Cressman (trombone and vocals), Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet and vocals), Russ Lawton (drums), Tony Markellis (bass and vocals), Ray Paczkowski (keyboards) and Russell Remington (tenor saxophone and flute). The show features a full solo acoustic set from Trey along with a full electric set marking the first time that Trey has toured in this format since 1999.

Trey’s band had it roots in his brother-in-law’s Vermont nightclub, Higher Ground. On April 17, 1998, for the second show in the club’s existence, Anastasio put together a band of local Vermont musicians for a one time performance under the name Eight Foot Fluorescent Tubes. Among the five musicians onstage with Trey that evening were drummer Russ Lawton and bassist Tony Markellis. They debuted material that night that became part of the repertoire of both Phish and Anastasio’s solo career.

While active, his bands did not officially have a name. Fans commonly referred to them as Trey Anastasio Band, or TAB for short.

When Phish hit the scene somewhere between 1998 and their debut 2000 album, Farmhouse. Their touring was relentless, and with the signature never-ending sets and jams they quickly developed a huge following of followers. Phish went on hiatus in 2000; Anastasio rolled on with a series of projects and stayed typically busy.  Phish announced their reunion in 2002; but in the summer of 2004 they announced their final tour.  The band played their final incarnation (to date) in September at the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

In the spring of 2005, Anastasio introduced a new backing band, 70 Volt Parade.

In 2006, it was renamed Trey Anastasio Band.

He has continued to tour and drop in on various gigs and festivals, and is widely recognized as one of the best free-flow jam musicians on the planet.  And his more traditional, “structured” stuff ain’t bad, either.

Oh yes, be one of the many happy chilluns that will be chillaxin’ and dancing the happy dance with the Trey Anastasio Band in a memorable evening on Friday, October 7.  Doors open 8:00 p.m.  Tickets are $39.50 Advance.

Steve Miller

Steve Miller
Oct. 8

In the formative days of what became known as FM rock, there are many names bandied about as the obligatory “givens.”  However, there are but a select few whose sound is so unique, so completely original, one only need hear – at most – 3 or 4 notes on a guitar, or 3 or 4 vocalizations to immediately recognize the artist.

Oh yes – possibly in a category all his own, Steve Miller defined what Leo Fender imagined his guitar should sound like. And just to show off, his voice is as identifiable as any to ever grace a recording device of any era.

The arrival of Miller’s infectious guitar-virtuoso riffs signaled the beginning of one of rock’s greatest bodies of work. His first album was released in 1968, and his band featured another guy you may have heard of – Boz Scaggs, on guitar and vocals.  Subsequent works over the years have included contributions from the likes of Lee Michaels, Paul McCartney, Lonnie Turner, Les Dudek, Norton Buffalo, James Cotton, John McFee, Joachim Young, Kenny G, and Joe Satriani.

Beginning with 1973’s The Joker, his signature sound struck a chord, so to speak, with audiences around the globe – but he simply exploded onto the American scene as a favorite son in the tradition of Hendrix, Fogerty, and Springsteen.

The Chicago phenom continued to burn his name into legend with the follow-up release, 1976’s Fly Like An Eagle. Hard to convey to younger listeners how incredibly huge this album was.  It dominated FM radio, college dorms and 8-tracks in automobiles nearly as much as Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.

(Personal Note: This album, combined with Linda Ronstadt’s Hasten Down the Wind, ”spoke” to me and was the impetus that brought me to Myrtle Beach.)

The Steve Miller Band is one of the biggest selling recording, touring and catalog artists of all time, having sold more than 50 million albums worldwide throughout its career. SMB’s Greatest Hits 74-78 compilation reached prestigious Diamond Award certification with sales of more than 13 million units sold.

Recently, The Steve Miller Band and Miller’s new imprint Space Cowboy Records announced a worldwide partnership with Roadrunner/Loud & Proud Records.  Recorded at film producer George Lucas’ infamous studios at Skywalker Ranch,  BINGO! is the band’s first studio album in 17 years. A true return to Miller’s roots, BINGO! echoes his early years in the Chicago music scene and features carefully chosen and crafted tracks performed in distinctive Steve Miller Band fashion.

Early reaction from fans and industry insiders are comparing the album to Miller’s 1968 masterpiece SAILOR. BINGO!, is the first of two albums that were recorded together as a complete body of work, the second of which will be offered next year via the new label partnership.

These recordings feature longtime Steve Miller Band member Norton Buffalo, who sadly passed away in 2009. Norton began his tenure with Miller on 1977’s Book of Dreams.

Listen up: This is Steve Miller’s first – and most likely only – appearance at House of Blues, so don’t miss what will be a seminal show for the ages on Saturday, October 8. Doors open 7:300 p.m.  Tickets are $57.50 Advance; $60.50 Day of Show.

Styx (L-R, Top): James “JY” Young, Ricky Phillips, Chuck Panozzo. (Bottom): Todd Sucherman, Lawrence Gowan, and Tommy Shaw.

Styx with The Dirty Guv’nahs
Oct. 14

Spawned from a suburban Chicago basement in the early ‘70s, Styx would eventually transform into the virtual arena rock prototype by the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, due to a fondness for big rockers and soaring power ballads. The band – founded by brothers Chuck and John Panozzo – was heavily influenced by lead vocalist and keyboard wiz Dennis DeYoung, who wrote almost all of the lyrics along with most of the music. James Young’s distinctive guitar style complimented the style, along with guitarist John Curulewski.

The band released four albums with great potential but modest success. On the eve of the tour in support of 1975’s Equinox,  original guitarist John Curulewski abruptly left the band, and was replaced by Tommy Shaw. Shaw proved to be the missing piece of the puzzle for Styx, as most of their subsequent releases throughout the late ‘70s earned at least platinum certification (1976’s Crystal Ball, 1977’s The Grand Illusion, 1978’s Pieces of Eight, and 1979’s Cornerstone), and spawned such hit singles and classic rock radio standards as “Come Sail Away,” “Renegade,” “Blue Collar Man” and “Fooling Yourself.”

1981’s Paradise Theater became Styx’s biggest hit of their career (selling over three million copies in a three-year period), as they became one of the U.S. top rock acts due to such big hit singles as “Too Much Time on My Hands”. It also marked the first time in history that a band released four consecutive triple-platinum albums.

Styx went on hiatus until a full-on reunion tour in 1996. But drummer John Panozzo fell seriously ill at the time, which prevented him from joining the proceedings — as he passed away in July of the same year.

Although grief-stricken, Styx persevered with new drummer Todd Sucherman taking the place of Panozzo, as the Styx reunion tour became a surprise sold-out success, resulting in a whole new generation of rock fans being introduced to the grandiose sounds of Styx.

Now comprised of original members Tommy Shaw and James “JY” Young on guitars/vocals, along with Lawrence Gowan on keys and lead vocals, Todd Sucherman on drums and Ricky Phillips on bass (along with the occasional surprise appearance by original bassist Chuck Panozzo), Styx continues to conquer the planet, one venue at a time.

The Dirty Guv'nahs

Oh, and in the “Damn! It just gets even better!” category, you’ll want to make sure to get there early to catch opening band The Dirty Guv’nahs, who are wildly billed as one of the hottest, equally original sounding bands to roll out in quite some time.  They’re on this tour in a support role for a reason, kids: make that ticket give you every penny’s worth and be sure to hear these boys as they whet your appetite for Styx.

The stage at House Of Blue was made for a show like this, with Styx rocking out our own Paradise on Friday, October 14. Doors open 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $32.00 Advance; $35.00 Day of Show.

Don’t get too complacent after these three shows, though. Upcoming shows include J. Cole, O.A.R., Colbie Caillat, Anthrax, Testament, Queensrÿche, Los Lonely Boys, Josh Turner and more.

Like I said, it’s about to get cool as grits along the Grand Strand.

For info on all shows, call 843-272-3000; for tickets call 1-877-598-8497; or visit www.livenation.com .

This article was also published in Alternatives NewsMagazine and Coast Magazine, October 6 – 22, 2011 Issue.

“Rocky And A Piano” Now At The Carolina Opry’s Gilmore Auditorium

By Jordan Walkins

Fans of The Carolina Opry and its original long-time keyboard player, Rocky Fretz, will have an opportunity to see him perform in a weekly piano matinee this fall, which began September 21. In contrast to the grand performances and special effects that occupy The Carolina Opry stage by night, Rocky and a Piano will offer a more intimate performance.

Patrick O’Leary accompanies pianist Rocky Fretz in the new Rocky And A Piano matinee at The Carolina Opry.

Accompanied by his favorite bass player Patrick O’Leary, this show will highlight Fretz’s talents in their purest form, featuring a variety of well-known classics as well as a few original compositions. Shows in November and December will also include holiday music.

Rocky joined The Carolina Opry as an original cast member in 1986, where his stunning piano solos and signature charisma consistently brought audiences to their feet. He continued to perform full-time through 2003, when he became a rotating artist pursuing his solo piano and recording career. In the intervening years he has been invited regularly to perform at The Carolina Opry in short runs. He will appear in the 2011 edition of The Carolina Opry Christmas Special, often called “the Christmas show of the South,” each evening for the length of its run.

Calvin Gilmore, owner and producer of The Carolina Opry, said “Rocky and a Piano is a great change of pace from what you usually see in our theater; just Rocky, a piano, and beautiful music. The smaller setting will create a really unique and interactive experience for the audience.” Rocky Fretz said, “It will be an honor to do a show at Gilmore Auditorium – and I have some surprises for you too. It’s going to be fun and upbeat all the way!”

Rocky and a Piano will run most Wednesdays, September 21 through December 28 at 2 p.m., and the performance will last approximately 50 minutes. For a complete list of show dates please contact The Carolina Opry Reservations line at 843-913-4000. Adult tickets are $27.00 through October and $29.95 in November and December, or just $15.00 when packaged with The Carolina Opry, Good Vibrations, or The Carolina Opry Christmas Special; restrictions apply, so call for details.

About The Carolina Opry

Gilmore Entertainment has long been the leader of musical variety show entertainment in the Southeast, with the classic Carolina Opry show and their newest hit, Good Vibrations. Gilmore and his Carolina Opry have been featured by USA Today, ABC Nightly News, Southern Living Magazine, Variety, and a host of other newspapers and television shows. It is the only Myrtle Beach show to receive the coveted South Carolina Governor’s Cup, as well as being voted South Carolina’s Most Outstanding Attraction. In recent years, Gilmore has performed regularly on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and he is designated as South Carolina’s Official Country Music Ambassador.

Joan Of Nightingale: Burton Brings It All

By Brian M. Howle

Singer/Songwriter Joan Burton brings a great voice and tons of talent to the show.

The late, South Carolina-born Godfather of Soul, James Brown, cemented his legendary career on the wings of a couple of seminal tunes.  Most are likely to think of the hit, “I Feel Good” – as well they should for its get-me-out-this-funk groove and happy happy, joy joy vibe. But for pure emotion, raw inner-exposure, confession and just a damn fine song, there is no finer example of lyrics that evoke and expose the soul than “It’s a Man’s World.”

Because after all, when some see a female solo performer, you hear a lot of this: “That little gal singin’ up on that stage, why, she’s right cute, now, ain’t she?  Pretty little ol’ thing … sings nice enough, but now, she can’t play that ol’ geetar, or rock out, like a man.”

However, if you bring the discussion of women who actually succeed in music into the equation, then New Jersey’s  Joan Burton would quietly yet effectively challenge that concept.  Actually, “challenge” is the incorrect word … it’s more like, eviscerate that concept.

She’s the male singer/musician counterpart who dispels the chauvinist myths, the vulgar assumptions and the almost always, universally incorrect labels that inevitably accompany the lot.

Burton is stand-alone capable on guitar; commanding and smooth on keyboards, and second to no one as a vocalist.  In short, a gal that same male singer/musician knows is not just his equivalent, but just as easily his superior.

Not that it would matter one stupid little bit to Burton, as she would simply laugh it off as unimportant.

Because this talented performer – and, oh-by-the-way, drop-dead gorgeous beauty with long, tasseled hair and deep blue -green eyes – possesses a vocal immersion that brings a progressively larger number of folks back to her venues each week, with measured, pragmatic certainty.

From the classic, timeless Etta James’ standard “At Last,” to Jefferson Airplane’s trip-launching “White Rabbit,” to Cream’s introspective “Sunshine of Your Love,” to Heart’s autobiographical “Crazy On You,” there’s no trying to pigeonhole Joan into one genre or style of music.  She wants it all, and the best part is, she has it all.

The S.C. Soundtrack – Featuring Music From And About South Carolina

By Brian M. Howle

We all have an inborn love of the place we were born and raised: our home, our base, our never-ending love of who we are and where we are from, and the memories that form that sweet, precious feeling.

And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that, when it comes to memories, one of the strongest triggers known to humankind is music.  We have all become familiar with the phrase, “soundtrack of our lives,” because that’s exactly what they are – and audio scrapbook that coalesces all those wonderful times in our lives that we each hold dear in our minds and hearts.

So what better way to document life in South Carolina than an actual soundtrack of all the tunes related to or about life or artists in one of the sweetest places on God’s green earth?

Answer: The S.C. Soundtrack.

This project was put together back in 2007, but knowledge about music and musicians from one’s home state never gets old.  SCIway.net, the South Carolina Information Highway Web site, has put together a South Carolina soundtrack, with songs either about the Palmetto State or by artists who were born here.

These folks suggested songs and took suggestions from readers, and then  narrowed down the South Carolina soundtrack to 15 South Carolina- inspired songs, including beach music, country, blues, bluegrass and even some rock ‘n’ roll, gospel and jazz.

Songs receiving the most votes (a tie) were “Carolina in My Mind” by James Taylor and “Carolina Girls” by (the late) General Johnson and the Chairmen of the Board.

The rest of the songs were selected based on popularity. The SCIway site, www.sciway.net has more details about why the songs were chosen in the “liner notes” section.

Here they are, in no particular order:

The Twist – Chubby Checker
Hailing from Spring Gully (near the town of Andrews along the Georgetown / Williamsburg county line), Chubby Checker (aka Ernest Evans) was born in 1941. He grew up in South Philadelphia. Mostly known for his 1960 summer hit, The Twist, Checker was instrumental in changing the way people danced to music. The Twist introduced people to the concept of “dancing apart to the beat” (as opposed to slow dancing). In 1964, Chubby Checker married Catharina Lodders, Miss World 1962. He is still touring and promoting his line of snack foods (Chubby Checker Snacks). Find out more at ChubbyChecker.com.

I Got You (I Feel Good) – James Brown
Even though Georgia repeatedly tries to claim Brown for its own, The Godfather of Soul was actually born in Barnwell County. He spent the last 30 years of his life on an estate in Beech Island, near Aiken. Along with Dizzy Gillespie, he is South Carolina’s most famous and widely-renowned musician. Dubbed “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business,” he was a tireless performer – a singer, dancer, and organist who is said to have burned 700 calories per show! In addition to recording numerous soul ballads, he helped bring about the “funk revolution” of the 1970s.

Brookgreen Gardens’ Cool Summer Evenings: The Best Summer’s Worst-Kept Locals’ Secret

By Brian M. Howle

There is one standard truth when visiting or vacationing an area that you may not be familiar with: Ask the locals.

Oh, with the advances in technology, yes; you can surf the web and you can cull some very handy and useful information, no doubt about it.  And for those of you who do, kudos to you – you’re resourceful, Internet savvy and show initiative!

And it’s a shame when one goes through all that effort and good intention, and then find you’ve been steered somewhere because of a paid reference source – not necessarily looking out for your best interests.

So you can go about avoiding that messy little detour to your vacation fun by doing what this guy – who read his his bronze edition of Alternatives NewsMagazine – did before getting up to go anywhere.

Ask the locals.

Want to experience the things that we locals have found to be worth your time, effort and hard-earned cash? And lets you enjoy the mesmerizing beauty of summer along the coastal lowcountry?

My Blatant Prejudice: Brookgreen Gardens

Man, I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve uttered the phrase “You know, the best-kept secret on the Grand Strand is Brookgreen Gardens!”

But I promise you, it really is. Always has been, and always will be. Humans are capable of creating some very nice things, but we can’t compete with Mother Nature.  We can compliment her, but we can’t outdo her.  A visit here at any time of year is worth the visit, but the ol’ gal shows off like nobody’s business in the summer.

Besides the normal fare of nature on display, with some truly beautiful human contributions (one of the world’s greatest collections of sculpture and art), there are summer children’s programs that will enrich the lives of all who are fortunate enough to attend:

For The Family:
Wednesdays – Friday, June 15 – August 12
Brookgreen Gardens’ Cool Summer Evenings
For nine weeks this summer, the sounds of live entertainment will stir the quiet of the gardens when Brookgreen remains open Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings until 9 p.m..  Guests will enjoy live entertainment and activities just for kids.

Legendary Paul Williams’ Benefit Concert At Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame July 21

By Brian M. Howle

Too often, we hear of the tragic results of those afflicted with the horrors of alcohol and other drug addictions, and shake our heads as to what we could posssibly do to help.

Fortunately, there are those who have faced those demons and survived, who then find a way to get that help.

And legendary performeer Paul Williams is, thankfully, such a person.

Williams’ benefit concert for the Association of Recovery Schools (ARS takes place July 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (Foster Theater) in Cleveland, Ohio.

This special event stars Hall of Fame songwriter, Paul Williams. Paul is an Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe winner. He is President & Chairman of the Board of ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers). ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. performing rights organization, representing the world’s largest repertory totaling over 8.5 million copyrighted musical works and is the only U.S. performing rights organization owned and governed by its nearly 400,000 writer and publisher members.

This is an exclusive concert to celebrate and support the work being done at The Association of Recovery Schools. ARS advocates for the promotion, strengthening, and expansion of secondary and post-secondary programs designed for students and families committed to achieving success in both education and recovery. Too often, students in recovery from alcohol and other drug addictions return to their former school and are faced with the same environment that lead to their addiction. ARS exists to support such schools which, as components of the recovery continuum of care, enroll students committed to being abstinent from alcohol and other drugs and working a program of recovery.

As a bonus, after the concert, you will have access to all seven floors of the 150,000 square-foot museum and exhibits (a $22 value).

Benefit tickets are $75, and include the private performance by Paul Williams plus access to the museum/exhibits after the show.

Concert Calendar July 14 – July 28, 2011

The Best Actor You’ve Never Heard Of: Bill Oberst, Jr. – Class Of The Act

Local actor Bill Oberst, Jr. leaves the success he's found in Hollywood long enough to return home to present "In Their Own Words" at the North Myrtle Beach Library on June 12.

By Brian M. Howle

Of all the professions that one might choose to pursue, it is arguable that a career in acting provides an arduous balance of unending performance and fleeting reward.  And for most who have seriously sought that holy grail, it is more often than not a pursuit that ends in quiet obscurity.  But for a very special few, as Aristotle observed, “Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way.”

Bill as the irrepressible Lewis Grizzard.

Bill Oberst, Jr. has, by anyone’s standards, acquired that quality – and then some.
A native of Georgetown County, the 40-something actor has followed his love of performing from childhood with a passion that only the most successful in his field attain – and it has not only fulfilled his dreams, but has given a fortunate public one of the greatest talents of our time.

Oberst will be appearing at the North Myrtle Beach Library on June 12 in a special performance entitled, “In Their Own Words,” a reflection of 15 years of playing the great, the famous and the odd.  In it, he will encapsulate a career which includes a well-known local career in spot-on portrayals of such luminaries as Lewis Grizzard, Mark Twain, President John F. Kennedy and Jesus of Nazareth.

Bill as Jesus of Nazareth.

His bio is a virtual powerhouse of a resumé that any actor would long to possess. A career that began along this very coast quickly brought attention to a uniquely gifted performer who didn’t just play the roles of those he chose to portray – he became those characters.  It is the key that many others in the profession fail to fully grasp, but for Oberst, it’s abundantly obvious.

“All my life I have wanted to entertain. It’s my earliest memory and my earliest desire,” Oberst recalls.  “I think God gives each of us a gift, and then He gives us a desire to express that gift. It’s the old idea of a vocation. The trick is to make your vocation your occupation, if you can.”

From the beginning, his path was fortuitously plowed by a pre-destined series of events. “I had a drama teacher in high school who changed my life, Judi Peterson,” he continues. “She put me in a 9th grade play as a villain and I added an Elvis impersonation to the character (don’t ask me why – it just seemed the thing to do.) I vividly remember the moment I did my little bit and heard the applause. Here I was, the ultimate unpopular kid, and the other kids were applauding? For me? I was hooked. Same old story; scratch any performer and I think you’ll find a kid who wanted to be liked underneath.”

But even for someone with a God-given, natural talent, when asked what is was like to pursue acting in this area, Oberst replies, “It was difficult. We only had one little theater group in town. Thank the Lord for drama in school. Without it I would have been lost.”

As it is with most things, acting wasn’t a single panacea for his impending success. There were other influences.

Bill as the very non-southern Gen. Sherman in History Channel’s “Sherman’s March.”

“My first job out of college was with the Georgetown County Chamber Of Commerce. By a series of weird circumstances, I ended up being their Executive Director for a few years in my early 20’s,” he fondly recalls. “I was a kid. I knew nothing. So I just made stuff up. People were very nice to me. That job taught me a huge lesson in life: how to ask for help. Generally people are willing to help with anything if you ask nicely. People like to feel needed. More flies with honey, you know?”

For years, locals turned out in droves to watch his performances in area venues, most notably the annual “Nights of a 1,000 Candles” event at Brookgreen Gardens during the Christmas holidays.  Anyone who has witnessed his one-man rendition of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” knows just how intense a performance this actor is capable of unleashing.

And his incredible (some would say a genuine reincarnation) interpretation of famed southern humorist Lewis Grizzard is, quite frankly, the stuff of legends.  So much so, that Grizzard’s widow personally lauded his performance, and the two became fast friends.

His portrayal of John F. Kennedy in the stage play JFK toured 20 states and had the honor of playing at the Kennedy Library. A deeply spiritual and giving person, Oberst gives back by staging a first person recreation of the teachings of Jesus.  Oberst’s presentation “Jesus Of Nazareth” has played to over 1,000 churches and schools, to religious and secular audiences.

So when he made the decision to go for the brass ring and moved out to Hollywood some three years ago, it was a literal tossing of the dice, as with all who make the trek.  But Bill Oberst, Jr. had a secret weapon:

Bill Oberst, Jr.

In a place where the daily fare of public personas in Tinseltown seems to read more like a tabloid than an inspiring tale, his character, kindness as a person and a deeply spiritual background served him well.

Oberst’s unique physique is a virtual pallet for casting directors in the horror genre.

Casting directors and producers aren’t easily impressed, but Oberst began working nearly as soon as he hit town in 2008. To date, Oberst has appeared in over 40 projects on the big and small screen in a wide variety of roles. From a serial killer in Dismal to a school principal in his critically acclaimed role in The Devil Within to a cop in The Secret Life of Bees to his award-winning role as General William Tecumseh Sherman in Sherman’s March, Oberst is making his presence felt. He is widely referred to by industry insiders as, “The best actor you’ve never heard of.”

A combination of Oberst’s acting intensity and his physical appearance created a compelling screen persona that brought him to the attention of the movers and shakers in a particular genre of film: horror.

As a result, a rapid progression of filmwork came to him, and he parlayed each opportunity into another, as word spread of this unique actor “with the disturbing screen presence.”  Soon, his performances caught the eye of those involved with the more mainstream projects – and, in true Hollywood storyline, the genie is now out of the bottle.

Oberst has just been cast as a demon in the upcoming feature film The Last Supper opposite Oscar-nominated veteran actor Robert Loggia. The film relates the Biblical story of the Last Supper as told through the eyes of the Apostles. Loggia plays the Apostle Peter, who narrates the film. Oberst was tapped by casting director Billy DaMota, CSA to embody the role of the ageless demon who appears to Peter in one-on-one scenes with Loggia.

Upon hearing what brought Oberst initial work in horror films, Boris Karloff’s daughter, Sara, signed this pic of her father at a book signing in deference to him: “Bill, THAT'S not a scary face.”

I had the great fortune to befriend Bill some time back, and he graciously allowed me to interview him for this event.

Howle: Who were the biggest influences on you as far as your interest in acting and theatre?
Oberst: I have always loved monsters. I always identified with them and even sympathized with them, because I felt like one myself. So the old classic monster movies were a big influence. I wanted to be like people whose careers had ended before I was born. I wanted to be Lon Chaney. I wanted to be Boris Karloff. I practiced walking like The Wolfman. I wanted to make movies like that. I went into stage first, because there was no chance of my ever making movies being a kid from Georgetown County, SC.  I enjoyed the stage immensely for 12 years, but I find it very satisfying that I finally ended up in Hollywood doing what I wanted to do as a kid. Sometimes God allows life to still hold a few surprises for us, even after 40!

Howle: How difficult was it getting established and finding and agent/agency that you felt gave you the best opportunities?
Oberst: There are no words to describe what a tough, tough environment this is. It’s the Super Bowl for actors. Everyone wants to make it here. It is a harsh place to be and there is no mercy shown by the industry to a newcomer. There are too many newcomers every day for anyone to notice or care. It is brutal. After 3 years here, I am somewhat known by some people in some circles, and I work pretty regularly, but there are still times when I think I will never work again. It’s not a place for the faint of heart. I often think of the first half of Psalm 124:2 “If it had not been for the Lord who was on our side…” He has been my agent and my manager and my advocate.

Howle: How did you find your way into the horror genre?
Oberst: The first movie role I booked out here was in a little thriller called The Devil Within. I played a very disturbed and possibly murderous high school principal. It was a nice supporting role and I was lucky to book it right after I got here. I had done a horror film called Dismal, in which I played a backwoods cannibal, in Georgia just before I moved out, so those two put me on people’s radar in LA as “that guy with the disturbing screen presence.” I embraced it and now it is my calling card on film. Oddly, my two biggest budget and highest prestige projects were not in that field at all. Both were on TV: the title role in The History Channel’s “Sherman’s March” and the male lead in The Hallmark Channel’s movie “The Shunning.”  I’m grateful to Michael Landon Jr. for giving me a shot at being something besides scary in that Hallmark movie, and “Sherman” got me my first agent here.

Howle: What were the biggest suprises that you found in the industry?  Good and bad?
Oberst: The bad news is that sometimes an actor can’t afford to eat out here. The good news is that the food on set is really, really good!

Howle: Has it been a surprise to find that there is such a cross-working network of contacts that overlap different genres of film and TV work?
Oberst: That’s very astute of you to ask; very perceptive. Yes I have been surprised to find how small a world the film and TV industry is, especially on the production side. It is yet another reason to be nice to everybody in the business…they all talk!

Howle: What have been the projects that have given you the greatest satisfaction? 

Bill as Samuel in the critically acclaimed Hallmark Channel’s, “The Shunning.”

Oberst: “The Shunning” was very special to me, because Michael Landon Jr. gave me a chance to prove I could do a big-budget drama. I wanted badly to prove him right and make him proud, because he had gone to bat for me with the network to get me hired. I also loved playing Lewis Grizzard and hearing that sweet sound of laughter for 10 years. But I suppose the most satisfying role I ever did was, and always will be, “Jesus Of Nazareth.”  It was only seen by people in small-town churches, it will never be on TV or film and it didn’t make me rich, but the memories of doing it are precious to me. I wouldn’t trade the experience of seeing people’s faces changed as I spoke the words of Jesus for Oscar nor for Emmy.

Howle: What’s it like for you, to come back periodically like this to your hometown area and reprise some of those earlier works, such as the performance you are giving at the NMB Library on June 12?
Oberst: Being back home is a balm to my soul. I love it. I wish I could make a living doing what I love there. I dearly wish it.

Howle: What are your goals as you continue to expand your acting horizons?
Oberst: To keep on making a living doing what I love is plenty for me. Everything else is gravy.

Howle: Is there anyone you would like to acknowledge in helping you achieve your goals to this point?
Oberst: All God all the time. God and family. God and family and friends. God and family and friends and a thousand people who have been kind to me. I’m so blessed and so grateful.

Howle: Any advice to someone wanting to pursue a career in acting? 

All phases of the acting career take hard work and dedication. Here, Bill puts in hard hours on the red carpet with a lovely co-star at the premier of "The Devil Within."

Oberst: Don’t do it if you can help it. What I mean to say is, if you can imagine yourself being happy doing anything else for a living, do that instead. Acting is a bitch of career path. It is uncertain, unstable, not merit-based, full of rejection and virtually guaranteed to break your heart many times over. But if you have to do it; if it burns so hotly in you that you just have to do it; by all means do. That means it is your gift, and you are obligated to give that gift back to others by living out the vocation God has graciously given you.

It’s like an old preacher in Santee told me years ago when I asked him how he got his call to the ministry: “Preaching chased me. I ran, but it caught me.”

If this is your vocation, start acting right now. Don’t wait. Don’t be afraid. Learn your lines, say your prayers and get out there. Just listen for the applause. That’s how you can tell you are doing it right.

Suffice to say, Bill Oberst Jr. is doing it right.

You may follow this rising star’s skyrocketing career at www.billoberst.com .

Tickets to the June 12, 2 p.m. performance of “In Their Own Words” were available on a first-come, first-serve basis as of press time, and are required for admission. The North Myrtle Beach Library is located at 910 1st Ave. S. in North Myrtle Beach.

This article was also published  in Alternatives NewsMagazine, Vol. 25 No. 18, June 2-16, 2011 and online at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com

Local Author Signs Two Book Deal

Author Troy D. Nooe

By Tracy Conture

Local author Troy D. Nooe recently signed a two book deal with The Ingalls Publishing Group to publish his Myrtle Beach based Mystery Series. First up, The Ocean Forest, (set in the famed local hotel circa 1940′s) is as an exclusive release available locally now with a national release scheduled for October. Damn Yankee, the second book in the Frankie McKeller Mystery Series will be released in early 2012.

Nooe, a former Liberty Steakhouse staple, currently works at the Marriott Grand Dunes and has lived in the Myrtle Beach area for close to fifteen years. His retro mysteries promise to combine Classic Noir Suspense with local historical fact, giving his series an authentic beach feel which is sure to appeal to locals and visitors alike.

“I wanted to bring the Ocean Forest Hotel to life in my stories,” Nooe says. “I did a lot of research and interviews while writing the books and I wanted to use fiction to give a sense of history to an area whose history is largely ignored.”

Like himself, Nooe’s main character is a transplant from Baltimore, Maryland. McKeller is a low budget Private Eye who travels to the beach for a wedding in the first book and ends up staying after being pulled into his first murder case. His encounters with local characters and landmarks are as important to the plots as the various mysteries he finds himself facing in the land of sun, surf, golf and gators. Nooe is currently at work on the third installment.

The Wailers And Duane Stephenson Fight Hunger With The Uprising 2011 U.S. Tour At HOB May 14

By Versa Manos

The Wailers

The Wailers, the world’s most celebrated reggae group in the world, are getting back to their roots with their new 3-singer line-up when they embark on their 2011 U.S. Tour.  The new line-up includes Yvad, Koolant and Danglin as well as original member and the band’s musical director Aston “Familyman” Barrett. The band will be using the tour to bring attention to their new single “A Step For Mankind“ which was written by Duane Stephenson specifically for the World Food Programme.  They will be donating unused funds from the band’s hospitality riders directly to the United Nations’ World Food Program to help stop world hunger.

“A Step for Mankind,” recorded in Jamaica specifically for Oniric Records’ Solution for Dreamers: Season 3 is the band’s first studio song in more than 16 years. The band have been supporting the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) efforts to eradicate hunger throughout the world.  The new song calls for world unity and strength to support the ongoing struggle against world hunger. The band is joined on the track by the Wailers’ new singer Koolant,a fresh talent from the heart of St. Thomas known for blazing a positive future for reggae music with his work. The track also introduces Dr Dre protégé Bishop Lamont, an up-and-coming rapper, who contributes a magical flow in the track’s breakdown.  Graced by the Wailers’ undeniably distinctive groove, “A Step for Mankind” is a small taste of more music forthcoming from the legendary group.

Formed in Jamaica in the late 1960s, The Wailers are one of the most successful reggae bands of all time, selling 250 million albums, and playing live to an estimated 24 million people worldwide. Wailers’ bass player Aston “Familyman” Barrett  is recognized throughout the world as the architect of reggae.  A revered innovator, he joined The Wailers in 1969, quickly becoming singer-songwriter Bob Marley’s right-hand man and musical director. On record and on stage, his inimitable style became an essential part of the Wailers’ sound. Following Marley’s death in 1981, “Fams” took the reins as the band’s leader, spearheading performances to adoring crowds the world over, as well as the band’s involvement with the fight against global hunger.

Duane Stephenson

Duane Stephenson is recognized one of reggae’s most talented sons, is promoting the release of his latest album, Black Gold, and is joining the tour as special guest. This is Stephenson’s sophomore album, following the top-selling August Town.  He is also the writer behind “A Step for Mankind” which he will be performing on tour with the Wailers at each performance.  His new 15-track studio album with 14 original songs and is riding high in the charts sees Stephenson working with legendary reggae producer, Dean Fraser, the mastermind behind the majority of production on Black Gold.

“A Step For Mankind” calls for world unity and strength to support the ongoing struggle against world hunger. The band is joined on the track by the Wailers’ new singer Koolant,a fresh talent from the heart of St. Thomas known for blazing a positive future for reggae music with his work. The track also introduces Dr Dre protégé Bishop Lamont, an up-and-coming rapper, who contributes a magical flow in the track’s breakdown.  Graced by the Wailers’ undeniably distinctive groove, “A Step for Mankind” is a small taste of more music forthcoming from the legendary group.

The Wailers have gone on to become the most successful reggae band of all time, selling 250 million albums, and playing live to an estimated 24 million people worldwide. The Wailers’ leader and musical director Aston “Familyman” Barrett, helped forge the template for reggae with his booming, thunderous bass patterns. But more than just a bass player, Family Man was also the right-hand man of former band leader Bob Marley. He also played a large part in arranging Marley’s songs and co-produced a number of the late icon’s albums and even taught Marley how to play guitar. This year celebrates Familyman’s fortieth year with The Wailers.

“A Step for Mankind” is available at iTunes with ALL proceeds from the song going towards the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) to help stop world hunger.

Catch this always-entertaining show at    House Of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, May 14, 2011. Doors open 8:00 p.m.; for ticket info call 843-272-3000 or Ticketmaster 843-679-9333; or visit www.houseofblues.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

This article was also published in Alternatives NewsMagazine and Coast Magazine, April 21, 2011.

One Dragon Makes It Hotter At Hot Fish Club March 10

By Brian M. Howle

One Dragon (formerly Psych Ward) is performing for one night only on Thursday, March 10, 800 p.m. at The Hot Fish Club in Murrells Inlet.

What do you get when you take Matt Parker (Psych Ward, Traitor’s Gate, Prey for Raine, MonkeyGrass etc.) on Guitar and lead vocals and add Greg Ford (Red Emotion Riot, Kid Drew band, Sideways Derby etc,) on drums and lead and backing vocals with Rob Rotondo (the best young bass player in the southeast)?

Matt Parker • Greg Ford • Rob Rotondo

Well you are about to find out. One Dragon is either the most danceable Rock band ever or the most guitar driven dance band since Prince brought out the Revolution. With a perfect blend of dance tunes, Rock and alternative, StevieRay and Hendrix blues, jams and original music from Parker’s previous project Psych Ward, as well as new material, One Dragon promises to rock any hip musical needs you may have. Any room anytime you need a party band that doesn’t simply play the same stuff you hear every night.

Did I forget to mention that they can take requests all night if need be? Keep your ears, eyes and soul open and please do believe the Hype.

For information on One Dragon, visit http://www.reverbnation.com/onedragonband

The Hot Fish Club located at 4911 U.S. Hwy. 17 Business, Murrells Inlet SC (Approx. 1 mile north of South entrance to Murrells Inlet proper at the Bypass/Business split.)  For information, call 843-357-9175.

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This article also appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine,  March 10 – 24, 2011.

Black Stone Cherry’s Newest, “Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea” Out May 31

By Brian Howle

Black Stone Cherry (L-R): John Fred Young, Jon Lawhon, Chris Robertson, Ben Wells. (Courtesy RoadRunner Records)

The debut effort was stunningly amazing.  The sophomore follow up kept true to the first.  And now, Roadrunner Records is pleased to announce the third Black Stone Cherry Album, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, is due out May 31^st, 2011 … which means for all of you rockers out there who’ve been waiting on good ‘ole kick-ass to come back around, your wait is over.

Kentucky’s Black Stone Cherry, comprised of vocalist Chris Robertson, guitarist Ben Wells, bassist Jon Lawhon and Drummer John Fred Young, is a band adept at creating both timeless rock ‘n roll and new, innovative sounds.  While the band’s last record, Folklore and Superstition, was a compelling tribute to brotherhood and history, the new album is the summation of a year in the life of the band—every emotion, triumph, loss, romance and everything in between—it’s all here on Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.

This is the first time Black Stone Cherry has not recorded in the South, this time taking up residence in Los Angeles to work with famed producer Howard Benson (Theory of a Deadman, Daughtry, Three Days Grace).  The new surroundings allowed them to strengthen their relationships as both band members and friends, ultimately a detail that sets Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea above previous recordings.  The raw intensity that pervades the music on this album harkens back to the early days of Black Stone Cherry, when they were a bunch of blue-collar guys just making music together for the hell of it.  The band admits “When we first began writing music, we hadn’t traveled very far out of our home state of Kentucky.  Now, ten years later, we’ve traveled the world and experienced things we never imagined we would.”

First single “White Trash Millionaire,” set to hit airwaves in April, pairs Robertson’s soulful delivery with the urgent and infectious rhythms of his fellow players.  Sure, this is Southern rock at heart; but the concept is universal: just take what the world gives you and make that work. “This album is the culmination of all of the everyday ups and downs life throws at you,” says the band.  “Sonically, you’ll hear some of the meanest sounding guitar riffs we’ve ever laid down, and at the same time, you’ll find ballads that will tug on your heartstrings.  We wanted the album’s intensity to match that of our live show.  We’re very proud of this album and excited for our fans to hear it!”

To celebrate the release of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Black Stone Cherry is participating in an ongoing partnership with Evan Williams Kentucky Bourbon.  The promotion brings 450,000 Black Stone Cherry branded bottles to shelves nationwide through June, including special mp3 offers and a chance to win a trip to meet the band at one of their shows.

Black Stone Cherry is set to have quite the busy spring, with tours with Hinder and Alter Bridge on the horizon:

4/8 @ Lucky Star Casino- Clinton, OK (with Hinder)4/9 @ St. Mary’s University – San Antonio, TX (Fiesta Oyster Bake w. Hinder, Saving Abel)

4/12 @ Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO (with Hinder)

4/13 @ The Great Salt Air – Salt Lake City, UT (with Hinder)

4/15 @ Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA (with Hinder)

4/17 @ Knitting Factory Concert House – Spokane, WA (with Hinder)

4/19 @ Knitting Factory Concert House – Boise, ID (with Hinder)

4/21 @ Roseland Theater – Portland, OR (with Alter Bridge)

4/22 @ Knitting Factory – Reno, NV (with Hinder)

4/23 @ House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV (with Alter Bridge)

4/24 @ The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA (with Alter Bridge)

4/26 @ SLO Brewing Company – San Luis Obispo, CA

4/27 @ The Grove – Anaheim, CA (with Alter Bridge)

4/29 @ The Great Salt Air – Magna, UT (with Alter Bridge)

4/30 @ Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO (with Alter Bridge)

5/2 @ House of Blues – Chicago, IL (with Alter Bridge)

5/3 @ House of Blues – Chicago, IL (with Alter Bridge)

5/7 @ Metrolina Expo – Charlotte, NC (AVALANCHE 2011 w. Avenged Sevenfold, Godsmack, Theory of a Deadman)

5/8 @ NorVa – Norfolk, VA (with Alter Bridge)

5/10 @ Valarium – Knoxville, TN (with Alter Bridge)

5/11 @ Cannery Ballroom – Nashville, TN (with Alter Bridge)

5/12 @ Piere’s Entertainment Center – Ft. Wayne, IN (with Alter Bridge)

5/15 @ The Machine Shop – Flint, MI

5/17 @ The Palladium – Worcester, MA (with Alter Bridge)

5/18 @ Northern Lights – Albany, NY (with Alter Bridge)

5/19 @ Best Buy Theatre – New York, NY (with Alter Bridge)

On a personal note, these guys have showed up at the merchandise table after every show I’ve ever seen them play (and it seems to be their M.O. for all shows, here in the States and around the world) and they honestly appreciate each and every person who shows up to support them and enjoy their music.  They’ve got the years on the road now; they’re honed to the ways of the world and what full-time touring requires of a band.  And I find this to be a good harbinger, because they have reached that point where one person will hear a song on this CD, and suddenly, BSC will be another “overnight sensation.”

And when they are, I’ll be grinnin’ like a ‘possum, knowing that I had them pegged correctly back when these great young musicians first hit the dusty trail.  If they play a venue near you, do yourself a bigass favor … take the night off and treat yourself to real rock & roll.  And tell Ben that Brian sent you.

About Roadrunner Records

Originally founded in 1980 in the Netherlands, Roadrunner Records earned its place as one of the most prominent international independent record labels.  Established primarily as a hard rock label, Roadrunner now boasts depth and variety in its artists.  The label has experienced unprecedented success with multi-platinum artists Nickelback and Slipknot, near-platinum Theory of a Deadman, gold-certified Stone Sour and Killswitch Engage, as well as modern heavy hitters Korn, Dream Theater, Megadeth, Trivium and Opeth.  Roadrunner’s current roster also includes Lenny Kravitz (via a partnership with Atlantic Records), plus such diverse acts such as up and comers Young The Giant, The Parlor Mob, Black Stone Cherry and Airbourne.  Loud & Proud Records, a label joint-venture with Roadrunner, is home to established rock acts including Rob Zombie, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, The Steve Miller Band and KISS (Europe and select territories).  Roadrunner catalog includes now-classic albums from seminal artists such as Type O Negative, Sepultura and King Diamond. For more information about Roadrunner, visit: www.roadrunnerrecords.com.

Dragonforce Reveal New Singer

By Amy Sciarretto

Dragonforce with new lead singer, Marc Hudson.

UK based metal heroes DRAGONFORCE have announced that their long search for a new vocalist is finally over. After entries from thousands of hopefuls across the globe, the shredmasters supreme welcome 23-year-old Marc Hudson to the band to fill the boots left by ZP Theart, who parted ways with the band in March of last year.

“I’m really excited about being a part of the DragonForce family,” said Hudson. “It’s always been my dream to dedicate my life to making music. I’m going to bring all the power and emotion I can to the songs, and help make the killer new record the fans have been waiting for!”

Born in Oxford England, Hudson was picked from the thousands of applications via a number of impressive video auditions and live performances, which left the rest of the band in no doubt that they’d found their man. Since the age of 16, Hudson has been building his vocal skills, gigging with bands in the UK underground scene, developing a powerful style with influences which include Bruce Dickinson, Michael Kiske and Sebastian Bach.

Said founding member and guitarist Herman Li: “After almost a year of searching around the globe, it’s great to be able to finally tell our fans the good news. Marc’s expressive and melodic vocals are sounding phenomenal on the new songs, adding another dimension to the DragonForce sound that I am sure all the fans will love.”

The band has been working on a new album since early 2010, recording in various studios in California, London and the South of France. The follow up to 2008’s hugely successful Ultra Beatdown album will be highly anticipated, with top 10 and top 20 chart positions all over the world and a Grammy Nomination in the United States setting the precedent. With Hudson brought into the fold, the band is enjoying an injection of enthusiasm and hunger that sees Dragonforce prepared to return more focused and determined than ever before.

“Everyone in the band is extremely excited about how the new material is shaping up.” Continued Li. “We haven’t felt this kind of energy in the band for a long time. We can’t wait to unleash the next DragonForce album later this year.”

The new album is expected to hit the shelves in September, with a full world tour to follow.

For more information, visit the website:  http://www.dragonforce.com/

M.B. Locals Rule! Benefits Raise $6K For Ryan Howell

By Brian M. Howle

Local hero, Ryan Howell.

There are several very good reasons why I love music so very, very much.  Some of them are obvious and fairly universal. And then, some of them are just … special.

And the local community never ceases to fail me when it comes to being my favorite special reason.

A three-phase punch consisting of a Zumbathon in Little River, a Poker Run and a benefit concert at House Of Blues in North Myrtle Beach combined to raise over $6,000 for the family of 6-year-old Ryan Howell in assisting them to pay for medical treatments not covered by insurance.

Minutes after being born, Ryan suffered a serious stroke. This is called an “infarction” in newborns. It causes Ryan to suffer symptoms much like someone with severe cerebral palsy. He is confined to a wheelchair; very challenged in normal daily activities, has never known a childhood, and is helpless as a newborn.

Ryan is undergoing treatment called “Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber” or “HBOT” for short.  This chamber was originally set up for people who surface too quickly after diving in the ocean.  It forces pure oxygen to the brain which can repair damaged areas of the brain. This procedure is also used to help those with spinal cord injuries after serious accidents.  The HBOT procedure for a child this age is a two step phase, with each phase taking 30 days to complete.  The child and mother have to go into this chamber forty times during each phase, and each session could last 30 minutes to an hour.

Ryan’s father, Wesley Howell works for Time Warner Cable during the day and the House of Blues in the evening.  His wife stays at home to care for Ryan.

The proceeds from these most recent benefits will pay for Ryan’s second HBOT treatment.

Although official thanks went out from the staff at HOB and the family, I want to add my personal thanks to all of you amazing folks around this little chunk of Shangri la, for once again stepping up and adding significantly to the term, “Southern Hospitality.”

Donations may be sent to:
The Ryan Howell Project, c/o Carolina First Bank – Crescent Branch, 1801 Highway 17 South, N. Myrtle Beach, SC 29582. Phone 843-272-7344.

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This article also appears at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com.

The Private Life Of David Reed To Play Island Bar Feb. 26

The Private Life Of David Reed

By Christina Reynier

South Carolina natives, The Private Life of David Reed will be embarking on a national winter tour and playing February 26th in Myrtle Beach.

In a music world always longing for a new voice, The Private Life of David Reed represents the singer-songwriter for the 21st century fan. South Carolina native David Reed brings everything to the surface with his take on some of life’s most personal things on his new album, which will be released on November 9, 2010 via Chamberlain Records.

Following his 2008 solo debut, Missteps and Miscommunications, Reed joined his longtime friend and producer Tomas Costanza (The Never Enders, The Anix, Track Fighter) in Los Angeles to record the ambitious ten-song set. The Private Life of David Reed crests on his thought-provoking lyrics, layered with fierce guitar riffs and slight electronic tweaks.

From the propulsive riffage of “November” and “Sad Day” to lush reflections such as “The Difference” and “Leaving with a California Tilt,” Reed’s soul-searching spirit is unwavering in his quest to bring sincere and direct visuals to the forefront.

WHO: The Private Life of David Reed

WHERE: Island Bar | 2272 Glenns Bay Rd. | Myrtle Beach, SC

WHEN: February 26, 2011 | 8:30PM | Doors: $5

For more information, please check out: www.myspace.com/theprivatelifeofdavidreed

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Buckcherry Brings Throatrippin’ Rock To House Of Blues Feb. 11

By Brian M. Howle

Buckcherry

There is rock.  And there’s kickass rock.

And then, as my friend Julie says, there’s BuckfuckingCherry.

Headlining the Jagermeister Music Tour, the L.A.-based extreme rockers will rip the roof off of House Of Blues in North Myrtle Beach, SC, on Friday, February 11, as Buckcherry hits the stage with opening acts Hell Yeah, All That Remains, The Damned Things and Souls Harbor. DAMN! That’s a lot of rock for the buck, cherry!

It’s really very simple, and very basic.  If you have some “issues” with their songs like “All Lit Up” and “Crazy Bitch,” then do the rest of us a favor and stay the fuck away from HOB this Friday night, alright?  We don’t need lightweight posers sucking up valuable oxygen.

Also know this: They were picked by those venerable tightasses over at NASCAR for an official video, featuring the best cover of Deep Purple’s “Highway Star” I’ve heard since those other boys from Texas, Point Blank, covered it in the early ’80s.  And believe this:  NASCAR won’t put their name on shit unless it sells.

But hey, why not get the story straight from the horse’s mouth, via their management’s official press release:

A band can respond to success in many different ways.

It can become complacent and rest on its laurels.  It can become cautious and just give fans more of the same thing they liked the last time.  It can become cocky and not even care about what comes next.

Or it can be like Buckcherry and go for the throat.

Emboldened, enriched, inflamed, and re-invigorated by the success of 2006′s RIAA platinum, Grammy-nominated 15 (which included the monster hits “Crazy Bitch” and “Sorry”), the hard rockin’ California quintet returns with Black Butterfly, a 12-song set that strides forward with the kind of confidence and spirit of adventure you expect from a band that feels it constantly has more to prove.  Produced by guitarist Keith Nelson and Marti Frederiksen (Aerosmith, Def Leppard, “Almost Famous,” Fuel), Black Butterfly finds Buckcherry using the revival spurred by 15 to push itself even further in its quest for Sex, Drugs, and Buckcherry.

One Dragon Rocks The Islander Bar & Grill For One Night Only On Feb. 12

By Brian M. Howle

One Dragon (formerly Psych Ward) is performing for one night only in a rare local appearance on Saturday, February 12, 10:00 p.m. at The Original Islander Bar and Grill in Pawleys Island.

What do you get when you take Matt Parker (Psych Ward, Traitor’s Gate, Prey for Raine, MonkeyGrass etc.) on Guitar and lead vocals and add Greg Ford (Red Emotion Riot, Kid Drew band, Sideways Derby etc,) on drums and lead and backing vocals with Rob Rotondo (the best young bass player in the southeast)?

 

Matt Parker • Greg Ford • Rob Rotondo

Well you are about to find out. One Dragon is either the most danceable Rock band ever or the most guitar driven dance band since Prince brought out the Revolution. With a perfect blend of dance tunes, Rock and alternative, StevieRay and Hendrix blues, jams and original music from Parker’s previous project Psych Ward, as well as new material, One Dragon promises to rock any hip musical needs you may have. Any room anytime you need a party band that doesn’t simply play the same stuff you hear every night.

Did I forget to mention that they can take requests all night if need be? Keep your ears, eyes and soul open and please do believe the Hype.

For information on One Dragon, visit http://www.reverbnation.com/onedragonband

The Islander Bar and Grill is located at 9185 U.S. 17, Pawleys Island, SC (At the redlight, across from the entrance to the South Causeway.)  For information, call 843-602-9151.

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This article also appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine, Feb. 10 – 24, 2011.

“A Benefit for Ryan” – A Trio Of Special Fundraisers Help 6-Year-Old Ryan Howell To Triumph In His Battle With Adversity

By Angela Rosati Barwick

Ryan Howell

Ryan Howell is a local 6 year old boy who needs your help.  Minutes after being born, Ryan suffered a serious stroke. This is called an “infarction” in newborns.

This “Infarction“ causes Ryan to suffer symptoms much like someone with severe cerebral palsy. He is a bright sweet boy but is confined to a wheelchair; very challenged in normal daily activities, has never known a childhood, and is helpless as a newborn.

His father, Wesley Howell works for Time Warner Cable during the day and the House of Blues in the evening.  His wife stays at home to care for Ryan.

The family has been introduced to a treatment called “Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber” or “HBOT” for short. Their doctor has given them hope that this procedure can help by bringing their son back to a better standard of life. Simple things like squeezing his Dad’s hand may soon be possible.

This chamber was originally set up for people who surface too quickly after diving in the ocean.  It forces pure oxygen to the brain which can repair damaged areas of the brain. This procedure is also used to help those with spinal cord injuries after serious accidents.  The HBOT procedure for a child this age is a two step phase, with each phase taking 30 days to complete.  The child and mother have to go into this chamber forty times during each phase, and each session could last 30 minutes to an hour.

This procedure is not covered by any insurance because it is considered experimental. As a result, this family has to pay of pocket for the procedure. They have completed the first phase this past July with the assistance of donations, yard sales, car washes, passing a hat around the stands at local car races, anything they could to raise the money to pay for their child’s procedure.

Three benefits are now scheduled for February. The benefits are:

Zumba-thon
Sunday, February 20th from 2-4 PM
N. Strand Park, Hwy 57 (@ Hwy 9), Little River
$10 donation
Zumba instruction by several local teachers, refreshments, door prizes and a 50/50 raffle.
For more information, call 843-504-2141, 843-450-2622 or 843-283-0242

Poker Run
Saturday, February 26th
50/50 Raffle, prizes, fun
Details available by calling Ron Biller (843) 855-2020

Benefit Concert
Saturday, February 26th
House of Blues, Barefoot Landing, N. Myrtle Beach, SC
Featuring:  Sinful Blue, Chronic, Sick Stooges and That’s Cool & Stuff
Tickets $5 – available at HOB box office or at door
For more information, call 843-450-2622 or 843-283-0242

Donations may be sent to:
The Ryan Howell Project, c/o Carolina First Bank – Crescent Branch, 1801 Highway 17 South, N. Myrtle Beach, SC 29582. Phone 843-272-7344.

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This article was also published in Alternatives NewsMagazine, Feb. 10 – 24, 2011.

Concert Calendar 1-27-2011 to 2-10-2011

Frank Zappa Wrote A Song About This Guy

By Brian M. Howle

It’s really amazing to realize that the late, great Frank Zappa – who was so far ahead of his time it’s not even close to being funny – could have envisioned the unfolding of my life, even at this late stage, and had the wherewithall to write a song about it.

Good ol’ Frank and the Mothers of Invention. They cranked out some seriously incredible music, albeit extremely eccentric from time to time (well, more often than not is more like it), and Frank himself was an absolute machine, a prolific writer and artist who churned out an amazing body of work in his all too short lifetime.

But in the last week, I have come to realize that he had the visionary ability to peer into my current situation and assess the total sum of a person who has become a bane on my existence, all at a time where I have attempted – much to the consternation and disapproval of my friends and ex-lovers – to give assistance, service and help to someone who is so self-absorbed, so ungrateful, and so completely unworthy of my friendship and talents that they can be so beautifully nailed in the verse of one of Frank Zappa’s greatest works: “You’re An Asshole,” from the song, “Broken Hearts Are For Assholes.”

Yeah, I know, the song was about a girl, and my subject matter isn’t.  But the verse fits perfectly, and I’m sticking with it.

And you know who you are.  So does most of Myrtle Beach.  Enjoy your free publicity.

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Concert Calendar 1-13-2011 to 1-27-2011

And The Cradle Will Rock: HOB’S M.B. Rocks! Hosts Dino’s School of Rock

Heber Fragoso of “Broken Strings” sets the beat as House of Blues’ M.B. Rocks! series welcomes them and three other bands from Dino Capone’s School of Rock on Dec. 3.

By Brian M. Howle

Back in the early days of rock ‘n’ roll, kiddies, if you had the itch to get out there and play loud, frenetic music that your parents hated and all the proper folks around town frowned down upon, well, you had to really get creative to achieve your goal.  Oh, you had to buy every issue of Teen Beat, Cream and Rolling Stone; you had to convince your stodgy old high school band director to cop some current sheet music that was harder to come by than stock in IBM; you had to search far and wide for mail-order catalogs for instruments and P.A. equipment (unless you had really cool parents who would drive you halfway across the country to a real music store); and finally, you had to listen to every 45 rpm record that came out – on your sister’s rickety, old, pink portable phonograph – to glean every note and nuance to that “hit & happenin’” song that was the current rage on AM radio. Yeah, you heard me, grasshopper – AM. FM wasn’t quite cool enough yet.

I’m tellin’ ya, it was tough going – enough to make ya cry.

But no more, dear hearts.  Oh, no way one has to go through all of that malarkey in the new millennium – especially if you’re lucky enough to live along the Grand Strand; or more to the point, near Dino Capone’s School of Rock in Myrtle Beach, just off of Hwy. 501 and Forestbrook Road.

Dino moved to the area some 16 years ago, playing full-time in bands, and as all musicians know we have a “slow time” during the winters.  So to supplement his income, he began teaching music at his home in the “off season” about three years ago, and as word of mouth spread he soon had approximately 40 students.

Well, those kids told their friends, and they told other kids who wanted to play – one looking for piano, one looking for guitar, one looking drums, one looking to sing; and as the number of students grew, he convinced some of his fellow musicians to join in the tutoring of the youngsters – still from the friendly confines of his humble abode.

The Nicest ‘Nasty Man’ You’ll Ever Hear: Musician/Vocalist Rickey Godfrey

Rickey Godfrey’s new CD, “Nasty Man.”

By Brian M. Howle

There needs to be an admission on my part right up front – I’m a very fortunate man in so many ways, and I honestly do try to keep them in perspective.   With the love of music as my guiding light, it has offered more rewards than I ever dreamed possible – but not just in personal satisfaction or achievements.  Because, you see, I’m not the smartest guy in the world – but I am smart enough to know how many incredibly talented folks there are in this field, all of whom are light years ahead of me in terms of ability.   But it’s the ones who have taken what most of us consider the drawbacks, the bad hands and the tough breaks of life – and never flinched in going forward and living life to its fullest – who are my true heroes.

And so, my own humbling received a fresh coat this week when I had the great privilege of interviewing blues/jazz/rock musician and vocalist extraordinaire, Rickey Godfrey, via the telephone as he prepared for a gig in Greenville, S.C.

By the way, Rickey can play guitar, piano, synth keyboards, and about anything he puts his mind to, as well as writing, arranging, producing, editing, recording – all with a laugh and a smile … well, you get the picture.  Oh yeah, and not that it matters – but he’s also blind.

Howle: Hey, Rickey – where are you right now, and how’s everything going?
Godfrey: Well, I’m in the Greenville area, visiting my mom and family before I go out and play tonight.   This is where I was born, and I have a big fan base here, so it works out great that I’m able to come back and play a lot around here.

Howle: So where do you base from now, and how many days a year are you on the road?
Godfrey: Well, I live in Nashville now.   But quite often what I’ll do is leave on Wednesday evening or Thursday and come to the Carolinas to work.   I’ve been doing a lot of that here lately; for the last two years or so, I’ve been doing a lot of solo gigs around Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson in the upper Carolinas – sometimes Charlotte, and occasionally Columbia – and every now and then in the Myrtle Beach area, particularly North Myrtle Beach and Wilmington.   That’s been my main playing area for the last couple of years, but hopefully that’s getting ready to change.

Howle: Hmmm … well, that pretty much begs the question:  What are you hoping to change?
Godfrey: Well, I’d like to get into a situation where I can get another band together and start playing the midwest area, generally no more than 4 or 5 hours out of Nashville.   And that’s great because Nashville is centrally located; there’s a lot of large cities around Nashville. For instance, Chicago’s only 7-1/2 hours from there; Louisville, Birmingham, Memphis and Knoxville are only 3 hours out; Atlanta’s 4-1/2 hours out; Cincinatti’s 5 hours out; and St. Louis is like, 6 hours out.   So in terms of working a really big area without having to cover more than 5 to 6 hours, Nashville’s in a pretty good location.

Howle: (Laughing) Well, if it’s good enough for FedEx, I’m sure it’s good enough for you!
Godfrey: Well, I imagine (laughs) .. yeah!

Model Citizens Present Train Show & Sale Oct. 16-17

By Brian M. Howle

One of those incalculable figures – that can never truly be assessed – is the number of little boys and girls who made out their Christmas lists, and who put a toy train at the top. For post-WWII boomers, the hallowed names of Lionel, American Flyer, Atlas and Bachmann bring back memories of those simpler days and times. And if you’ve missed the hobby, and wished you could relive that glorious feeling, your chance to do so has finally arrived!

The Grand Strand Model Railroad Club will bring the tradition-steeped hobby to the public, as they have announced their 1st Annual Model Railroad Show and Sale. The event will be held on October 16 and 17 (Saturday and Sunday) at the Lakewood Conference Center, 5873 S. Kings Highway (on the frontage road) beside Lakewood Campground, Myrtle Beach, SC.

The club was formed over 25 years ago in Myrtle Beach by Nick Nicholas, who moved to Florida (and sadly, has since passed away). Ed Sharrett was stationed at the M.B. Air Force Base when he joined the group 24 years ago, and the love he developed for model railroading – as for so many of all generations – had its roots in the glorious heyday of Christmas mornings that featured the coveted Lionel train set underneath the Christmas tree.

Their headquarters are located at 702 Main Street; the entrance is beside Ed’s Hobby Shop – and the club’s permanent layout resides upstairs above Ed’s. They currently have 36 avid members, ranging from 16 to 90 years of age. All types of people from all backgrounds belong, and among these is a retired electrical engineer, who helped build the dual control panels on either side of the layout, with switches and indicator lights to show which track the train is running, train speed, and track switching.

Concert Calendar 10-7-2010 to 10-21-2010

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This listing originally appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine and Coast Magazine, Page 26, Oct. 7-21, 2010 issues.

Concert Calendar 9-23 to 10-7-2010

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This listing originally appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine and Coast Magazine, Page 26, Sept. 23-Oct. 7, 2010 issues.

The Black Crowes Landing Once Again At House Of Blues Sept. 14

The Black Crowes (Photo by Josh Cheuse)

By Brian M. Howle

There is an undeniable bond between brothers, as any mix of male siblings will attest; and sometimes the best you can hope for is, well, a minimum of carnage or fallout.

And other times – as in this case – regardless of how smooth or bumpy the road has been, the world is blessed with a resulting collaboration (along with some very talented friends) which gives us all a plethora of good times, good quotes and – best of all – good music.

Thankfully, those of us along the Grand Strand can all be witness to the latter. Because pound for pound (or oz. for oz., depending on your stash), one of the best bands to ever hit a studio or stage; the pride of our southern bordering neighbor, Georgia; the clarions of born-again hippies – The Black Crowes – are once again coming to grace the stage at House Of Blues in North Myrtle Beach on Tuesday, September 14.

And not a minute too late, either, because this tour – named the “Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys” tour – will shut down the 20-year run for the band for, in all probablility, several years to come when they play the last currently scheduled show in December.

The iconic and influential rock band just released their first-ever double album of all acoustic materials, Croweology, and is currently embarked on a four-month North American tour which includes a stop along the shore at our fair little town.

Out now via the band’s label Silver Arrow through Megaforce Records, Croweology features new arrangements of the band’s best-loved songs and catalog picks. The album spans the Crowes’ revered catalog with acoustic renditions of 20 songs from their two decades of cosmic rock ‘n’ roll and commemorates the 20th anniversary of their landmark multi-platinum debut, 1990’s Shake Your Moneymaker. Produced by Paul Stacey, Croweology gives listeners an intimate retrospective, stripping away these fan and band favorites like “Jealous Again,” “Remedy,” “She Talks to Angels” and “Wiser Time” to their very essence through brand new recordings captured in 2009 at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles.

To celebrate the release of Croweology, The Black Crowes performed on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” (8/3) and on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (8/4). During this tour, the band was also inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame on September 11 at the 32nd Annual Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards Show which featured a live performance from the band.

The Black Crowes – comprised of brothers Chris Robinson (vocals/guitar), Rich Robinson (guitar), along with the current incarnation (since 2008) of members Steve Gorman (drums), Sven Pipien (bass), Luther Dickinson (guitar), and Adam McDougall (keyboards) – will support the album’s release on the road all fall on their “Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys” tour. In most cities, the band will perform for three hours: a 90-minute “Acoustic Hors D’oeuvres” set, followed by a 90-minute “Electric Reception with The Black Crowes.”

Right from their start in 1990 – with their six million-selling Shake Your Money Maker, a pivotal work that kick started an authentic style of rock and roll in America – The Black Crowes have been at odds with prevailing commercial trends. Their heady mix of ‘70s inflected rock, Funkadelic soul and heartfelt roots music jostled against the hair metal and high-gloss pop getting airplay at the start of that decade. While the sheer attitude and charm of “Hard To Handle” and “Twice As Hard” managed to make waves, the intervening years have seen the band steadily evolve an increasingly refined, singular sound that takes the best parts of hard rock, gospel, country, psychedelia and anything else it fancies into their hungry maw to create something several light years beyond the young men who recorded “She Talks To Angels.”

And it didn’t hurt that the band caught the ear (and eye) of late night icon David Letterman, who showcased The Black Crowes prominently on then-NBC’s Late Night with David Letterman, propelling the band into mainstream America as a compliment to the already raging FM play the band was receiving on the campuses of colleges across the nation. After Letterman switched to CBS, The Black Crowes have continued to make appearances to the delight of the host and nation alike.

“Even in our most commercially successful period,” says Chris, “there was nothing like us on any format. By the time grunge happened, Southern Harmony (1992) and amorica (1994) didn’t fit into any part of popular music. We looked different, we sounded different, and we set up our culture a little different,” he adds. “Everybody who wanted to bag us because they thought they knew what we were missed out on a lot of good music, good concerts and a band that, even at our weirdest, had something to say.”

The Black Crowes not only had something to say; they became known as as one of rock’s best live acts and have been called a “thoroughbred American rock ‘n’ freakin’ roll band.” Their panoramic live shows feature alternating set lists and signature incendiary musical explorations that are designed to take audiences on a journey.

The band took a break starting in late 2001 which turned out to be a four-year-hiatus. Then, on January 11, 2005, The Black Crowes announced their highly anticipated and long-awaited return to the live concert stage with five special shows at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom (March 22-30, 2005). All five concerts – billed by brothers Chris and Rich Robinson as ‘’All Join Hands” – sold out instantly, marking the fastest New York sell-out that The Black Crowes have experienced to date. To meet the absolutely overwhelming fan demand, two more shows were added at Hammerstein. And those sold out. Total tickets sold in New York City: 22,000. Clearly, The Black Crowes were back.

Since then, the touring dynamos have explored their extensive catalog on main stages from Bonnaroo to the Voodoo Music Experience to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, celebrating nearly two decades of “Cosmic Rock-n-Roll” in front of sold-out audiences everywhere. The Black Crowes are one of the few acts to emerge in the early ‘90s still thriving today. And fewer still can claim to have shared the stage with Jimmy Page, AC/DC, Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young and The Who. Like these legends, The Black Crowes create music that endures because it speaks to more than momentary concerns – and now, they are once again touring the world, bringing their Freak N’ Roll to the devoted fans that have embraced them. As always, The Black Crowes continue to do things their own way.

On a personal note, I have had the great fortune and pleasure to have caught every appearance by these boys at HOB over past ten-plus years, and as anyone who has attended will concur, they consistently rank in the Top 10 shows EVER at House Of Blues. More like having the preemminent R&R band in America perform in your living room, their playlist is more of a veritable snapshot of the past 20 years of your life than a concert.

So strap on your earth shoes, slide on your bellbottoms and best silk hippie shirts and blouses, and watch the clock to make sure to toast 4:20: ‘Cause one of the best bands ever to be born 20 years too late – The Black Crowes – will smoke the House Of Blues at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, SC, on Tuesday, September 14. Doors open 7:30 p.m. For info call 843-272-3000; for tickets call 1-877-598-8497; or visit www.livenation.com .
NOTE: Be sure to check out my interview with The Black Crowes’ drummer, Steve Gorman, below.
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This article also appears in Alternatives NewsMagazine, Sept. 9, 2010.

Beatin’ Crowes Feet: An Interview With The Black Crowes’ Steve Gorman

Steve Gorman (Courtesy Nashville Public Television)

By Brian M. Howle

In advance of their upcoming Sept. 14 show at House Of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach, I had the good fortune to catch up with The Black Crowes’ drummer, Steve Gorman, on Sept. 2 prior to their show that night in Boise, Idaho. With a reputation preceding him as being one of the real joys to interview (or just to shoot the breeze with if you know him personally), Steve spoke to me from his hotel room and was more than graciously accommodating as we covered a wide range of topics in an effort to encapsulate the 20-year fun ride that we all know as The Black Crowes.

Howle: So, tell me – how’s the tour going, buddy?
Gorman: The tour’s great, we’re having a great time. In a blanket statement, the fact that we know we’re taking a definite break; that we’re wrapping up almost a 20-year “experiment” at not planning anything (both laugh) … I mean, we haven’t had group discussions about this fact, but it’s pretty apparent to me that everybody feels … it just makes it easy to see how much we love the band and how much we care about each other and how much we love playing together, ‘cause every show has just been a great deal of fun. And we’re all very aware that there’s an expiration date right now … it takes away the pressure; there’s always been a feeling of “God, it never ends!”; even when the tours end we’re looking at the next thing we’re gonna do. And knowing that we’re not going to do something next year has made it very special for us, and I think it comes across in the shows … we’re pickin’ up on that from a lot of the fans, too, and it’s been it a very nice tour so far. We’re two and a half weeks in; God knows, the whole thing could explode at any minute (both laugh), but so far, so good.

Howle: How long is this tour?
Gorman: It’s runs until, um, let’s see, Dec. 19 is the last show right now, but it could conceivably run into next year; but whenever this tour ends, the band is shutting it down for a few years for sure.

Howle: Well, that was the next thing I was going to ask, because I wasn’t sure how long the hiatus was going to be …
Gorman: Well, we don’t know either; but, knowing all of us .. everyone puts everything into what they’re doing, and usually that’s The Black Crowes; and I know everybody goes away and gets busy with other things. It’s just that every day, much less every month, it’s harder and harder to get everyone turned back around to the same page, so I imagine it’s going to be quite a while.

Howle: And I think that’s understandable. For those who don’t know much about you, how did you get started in music?
Gorman: I started in music listening to records in my basement, pretty much.  I didn’t even have a drum kit until I was 21. I wanted to; in my head I was drumming my whole life. I was probably in 8th or 9th grade the first time I saw a drum kit at a guy’s house that I could sit down behind. And the first time I sat down I started playing it; I’m not saying I was any good or anything, but I knew what to do. And I had some stuff I had to get out of my system immediately … I always wanted to play to see if I could play this or that. But I was a jock, you know, and for a lot of different reasons that never happened at the time.
So when I got to college, I met a couple of guys who were drummers, and I would sit on their kits; and not even hours, for ten minutes I’d play and say, “O.K., cool!” … and every time I would play the itch would get worse, but I never really had a way to scratch it. So I dropped out of school my senior year with a buddy who had wanted to start a band; he lived in Atlanta at the time, so I moved to Atlanta and started a band with him. And his roommate was Chris Robinson; so pretty much the day I moved there in 1987 I met Chris, and within a couple of months, he and his brother (Rich) had been playing and they said, hey, play with us for awhile; so I was playing in two bands and then ultimately started playing only with them, full time.

Howle: Well, when the band made their national TV debut on “Late Night with David Letterman” in ‘92, there were only three members who played onstage – what was up with that?
Gorman: Actually, it was 1990 … but at the time, for whatever reason, a band’s rhythm section wasn’t allowed to play. You had to use the house band (Paul Shaffer, Sid McGinnis, Will Lee and Anton Fig). So it was Rich, Chris and Jeff Cease, our other original guitarist, and the house band backed them up. By the time we came around to Letterman again, it was our third album, and it had changed by then, and the whole band played. We did “The Tonight Show” and “Saturday Night Live” a few times with the whole band in the meantime, but with Letterman, for whatever reason, they didn’t do it that way. I’m sure it was just logistics, you know, it was just easier not to bring in a whole band.

Howle: Well, that answers a nagging personal question I’ve had for years, so thanks for that! Now, the band’s internal conflicts (most notably between brothers Chris and Rich Robinson) and eventual personnel changes are well-documented. What’s it like for a drummer, when you have that sort of unspoken connection with the bassist within the rhythm section .. what was that like for you?
Gorman: You know, it’s funny, because when I moved to Atlanta in 1987, I started that other band with my other friend, and the bass player was Sven Pipien. So the first time I was ever playing on my own kit, in my own band, he was my bass player. Well, when I went on with Chris and Rich, Sven stayed in that band. So when Johnny Colt quit TBC in 1997, we were all like, you know, “Who do we call?” … and I said, “Let’s call Sven,” and everyone was like, well, yeah, of course, if he’s still around … he was the first and only bassist we called to take Johnny’s place. And there’s something about those early days, I mean, it was only three or four months and the very first time I was playing in a band; but even then – although we didn’t know that much about what we were doing – at least we felt like we really clicked together. So ten years later when we needed a bass player, there was really no one else that I was interested in playing with, so that was the easiest call we’ve ever made.

Howle: Well, that was certainly a convenient little deal for you!
Gorman: Yeah, it just so happened that the guy I tried to play music with back in ‘87 had a friend who was a spectacular bassist .. and looking back, that was a very good thing to have happened.

Howle: Hey, everything happens for a reason, and in this case it really worked out well for everyone involved. Now, in this tour, the split format – one set acoustic, one set electric – have y’all done this before?
Gorman: We’ve never done it like this before. We’ve done a handful of shows that were completely acoustic; and we’ve done shows where in the middle of a set we’ve done four or five songs acoustically. But we’ve never done an entire set acoustically – this is the first time.

Howle: Do you feel like it makes for a better show?
Gorman: I think so. I mean, I like playing it a lot better – it’s much more interesting, and it keeps everyone very focused. Some of the shows we’ve been doing lately, they’re going beyond three hours; and by the end of the show, everyone’s not so much physically drained but mentally … you know, everyone’s very focused, and the acoustic shows – at a certain level – aren’t as taxing, you know, physically for everybody; but the focus to play quietly, well, you’ve got to really be paying attention.

Howle: Well, shows that have used this format before at our House Of Blues are always just a joy to attend, because it’s such an intimate venue to begin with …
Gorman: Well, not all of our shows have the two sets … for some of the venues, it’s logistically difficult and at those some are just one really long electric set although we may not hit three hours, but it’s announced well in advance if that’s how the show will be.

Howle: Fair enough. Now, on the new CD, “Croweology;” was this re-mixes of original old recordings or completely new recordings, and if so, how long did it take you guys to finish?
Gorman: Oh, it’s a completely new recording. You know, this being the 20-year anniversary of our first album, we wanted to do something to mark that; we didn’t want to do a ‘Greatest Hits’ album and we didn’t want to re-release the first album because we’re not the most nostalgic guys in the world – we’ve never looked back lovingly at our past. We’re always super focused on today and then tomorrow and that’s about it, we’ve never been master planners … you know, the 20-year thing; as much as that’s a rarity – and as a rarity for bands that are still making new music, certainly – it’s kinda unbelievable for us when I look at it, because we never did, we don’t plan out – we never had the big picture sort of mapped out, like, “Well, if we do this, that will lead to this, and then we’ll get to here and then to here” … we essentially operate the way we did back in 1987, which is as a day-to-day band. And that’s just how we are – for better or for worse – and yeah, certain things would have probably have been easier for us if we’d thought more big picture all the time but we’re just not that way. So to hit 20 years for us is pretty astounding, actually … and it was the first time we all looked at each other and thought, “Hey, you know, we did all right here, this is pretty cool!” So, keeping with being the kind of band we are, to re-release old recordings is just not that interesting to us, and I think with having a couple of new guys in the band over the last four years, we wanted to do something not to celebrate the first album being 20-years old, but that the band is 20-years old in the eyes of people. And in trying to commemorate that, we thought, well, why not take 20 of the old tunes and re-record them … we’ve been doing some acoustic shows and we like that template, so why not go in and record these songs for the most part acoustically, and come up with different versions and see if we come up with something we like. That was the plan, to do something that covers 20 years, because some of those old songs, you know, we don’t play them necessarily the way they used to be played. And the way the band is right now, we love it – we love The Black Crowes as it’s been the last four years … it’s been, for me, the easiest and happiest time to be in this band, and I think the most cohesive band we’ve ever had. And we wanted to sort of put our stamp on those old songs, so the recording of this album was – subconsciously – was as much for us as it was for our fans.  You know, like this is who we are now and these are still our songs and here’s what they sound like at this given time.

And so, with all that said, to answer your second question, it didn’t take that long to record. We went in right off the tour last year, in December. We were in a good place, we were playing well and the vibe was great, and we felt very productive. All told, the basic tracks we knocked out in a week or so, and then we did overdubs and vocals and all the things you do in mixing to finish up and that was a two-month process; but the initial burst of the whole band in there putting the tracks down was a week or two.

Howle: Does it ever overwhelm you when you look back – like I do – and say, “Wow – 20 years – it’s just a blur!”? And I can’t believe it’s been 20 years – but as you said, the band now is like when you started out.  And that’s what really got everyone’s attention back then; the energy, the freshness, the love of what you were doing that came across on vinyl, and especially at the live shows … that’s what really came across, instead of, “Hey, look at us, we’re the cool rock band and you should worship us,” like so many bands end up doing.
Gorman: Well, if you look at us in 1989 when we made our first album, you know, nothing was like us … rock radio and MTV didn’t have anything like that going on. We were never trying to be big; we were trying to be good. And then we got big, and it was kind of bewildering and confusing, actually. Because, you remember, everyone in the south back then … REM was the blueprint for what you would want: put out a record that people like, the next one sells a little bit more, the next one even more, and you build it slowly and you have control over everything. At least, it seemed that way from the outside. And then we came out and our first record just went crazy, and it set things off in a way that we’d never seen. But we were also the guys, too, who always said, “If a door opens, run thru it!”

Howle: And then you usually have the record company saying, “OK, give us another one just like that!?
Gorman: Well, the truth is, we didn’t have that problem because we were signed to a small label; it had distribution through Geffen but we weren’t signed to them, we were signed to Def American. And when we made our first record, we were such an afterthought to them – they had mostly metal bands. Well, when we finished our first album it was mastered and in the can before they even offered us a contract. So we were hardly on their priority list – and it was when the people at Geffen heard it, and they said, “OK, we can take this to radio.” And I can still remember having that conversation on the phone – we all looked at each other and said, “Radio? Really?” I mean, we were just a club band trying to get six weeks of a tour down, and then maybe we could make another record. I mean, we listened to Shake Your Money Maker and loved it, but we couldn’t believe they thought everyone else would.

Howle: Well, I always fall back on the old saying, “Good music is good music and it will always stand up.” And that has to be extremely fulfilling to you guys, to know that not just for these 20 years, but in 120 years from now The Black Crowes are going to be a standard for bands from which to be measured. So you can put that little feather in your hat and be proud of it.
Gorman: Well, you know, that’s true … it’s funny, it’s called a record because it is a permanent record of something.  And I worked at a used/new record store in 1990, and the day Shake Your Money Maker came out I was still there. So there I was putting our record in the bin, and it was cool, because there was Bad Company, Bad English, Beatles, Black Sabbath … OK, I’m lookin’ at all the “B’s” going, “Holy shit, we’ve got a record right along with these guys!” That was the most overwhelmed and stunned I’d ever been in my life, to realize that the record store that I worked in – that I thought was the coolest place I’d ever been in my life – now had my record in it.

Howle: What was it like to actually hear one of your songs on the radio for very first time?
Gorman: Oh, well, it was cool, because we knew it was coming; it wasn’t a surprise or anything. Because Rich went to the radio station in Atlanta, after Geffen went to them first and said, “Hey, here’s a local band you should play,” so he went to the big 96 Rock mega-station that, truthfully, none of us ever listened to because we were far more into listening to the local Georgia Tech station and stuff like that. And we had just gotten a manager, and they said they’d play it and Rich wanted to do an interview. So we wanted to hear it in a car, you know, and the rest of us stayed in the van and listened to him talk and then they played it, and the other four of us just looked at each other and went, “Holy shit, that’s cool!”

Howle: Man, that’s just so great, because people who aren’t in bands will never fully understand what that’s like for a musician! So, anything else you would like to say to your fans here before the big show at HOB on Sept. 14?
Gorman: Well, I hope folks will check out Croweology. I mean, most people will hear that it’s an acoustic record and they probably think it’s moody or slow or introspective.  But it’s actually a pretty thumpin’ rock record – it’s a big drum record. And you know, there’s a lot of great acoustic rock like Led Zeppelin 3, and Rod Stewart’s old records and the Stones have made a lot of great acoustic stuff, not to mention a lot of more recent things. It’s still very much a rock record; it’s not like the MTV “Unplugged” early ‘90s thing where everybody came in and, you know, stuck their nuts in a jar and tried to get “sensitive.” (Both laugh)

Howle: Well, I think that’s a perfect note to end on, Steve. You guys have a great week and we’ll all be looking forward to seeing you here!
Gorman: Sure thing, Brian. We look forward to seeing you, too. Thanks!

So there you have it, kids. If you’ve never seen The Black Crowes in person, this may be not only the perfect time to catch them in full stride and in their best incarnation, but quite possibly the last time for some time to come. But whether it’s your first or 20th Black Crowes show, you can bet your bottom dollar it will be one of the best shows you will ever have the pleasure to catch. Get your tickets now at House of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach, for the Sept. 14 show.

And later on, you can repeatedly tell your foolish friends who didn’t attend all about it, and take joy in knowing each time that you do, they’ll be – forgive me – jealous again.
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This review also appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine, Sept. 9, 2010.

Kid Rock, Jim Beam To Present Sept. 11 Patriot Day Concert At Fort Jackson In Columbia

Kid Rock will shout it from the tree tops at Fort Jackson on Sept. 11 at Patriot Day.

By Brian M. Howle, from prnewswire

As part of their ongoing support of America’s service members, Kid Rock and Jim Beam® Bourbon will host a concert on Patriot Day, Sept. 11, in Columbia, S.C., to honor our nation’s heroes.

The special concert event, called “Kid Rock Salutes the Troops presented by Jim Beam: Patriot Day 2010,” will feature opening act Blackberry Smoke and will be free to all service members and their families who present their valid government issued military identification card. Tickets were available to the general public through a pre-sale on August 4 and to the public August 6 at Ticketmaster outlets or ticketmaster.com.

“Kid Rock is an American music staple, and Jim Beam is ‘America’s Native Spirit,’ so it’s only fitting that the two of us are continuing to stand by our nation’s heroes,” said Kevin George, global chief marketing officer, Beam Global Spirits & Wine. “The Patriot Day concert in Columbia is just one way for Jim Beam to honor our service members, and we look forward to toasting the men and women in our armed services with an unforgettable performance by Kid Rock.”

The Patriot Day concert is one of a series of initiatives that the musician and the world’s No. 1 Bourbon have activated in support of America’s troops. These efforts include:

• This year, the rock star teamed up with Operation Homefront® and Jim Beam to distribute exclusive music and encourage consumers to donate to Operation Homefront on special edition gift cartons of Jim Beam and Red Stag by Jim Beam(TM).

• Kid Rock is slated to host a deserving service member at an upcoming concert as part of the Jim Beam and Operation Homefront “Salute Soldiers with the Spirit of America” program.

• Last year, Kid Rock donated 50 cents from every ticket sold at select shows of his “Rock ‘N Rebels” concert tour hosted by Jim Beam to Operation Homefront, provider of emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors.

To purchase tickets or learn more about “Kid Rock Salutes the Troops presented by Jim Beam: Patriot Day 2010,” visit kidrock.com. To donate to Operation Homefront, please visit http://bit.ly/dyXEEJ.

Jim Beam is committed to social responsibility and advises legal purchase age consumers to drink smart®. Through drinksmart.com, Beam Global educates legal purchase age consumers about how to make responsible choices about alcohol.

About Operation Homefront
Operation Homefront provides emergency assistance for our troops, the families they leave behind and for wounded warriors when they return home. A national nonprofit, Operation Homefront leads more than 4,500 volunteers across 23 chapters and has met more than 160,536 needs since 2002. A four-star rated charity by watchdog Charity Navigator, nationally, $.95 of every dollar donated to Operation Homefront goes to programs. For more information about Operation Homefront, please visit www.operationhomefront.net.
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This article was also appears in Alternatives NewsMagazine, August 26, 2010 and at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com

Queensrÿche Signs To Roadrunner/Loud & Proud Records

By Amy Sciarretto

New York, NY: Four-time Grammy nominees Queensrÿche have signed a multi-album, worldwide deal with Roadrunner/Loud & Proud Records. The band’s label debut –their twelfth studio album overall- is tentatively scheduled for a Spring 2011 release. Singer and founder Geoff Tate remains the creative nucleus of the band, which continues to make relevant, against-the-grain hard rock that entices fans, both new and diehard.

Queensrÿchee have been – and unquestionably remain- one of the most respected and innovative names in forward-thinking hard rock throughout the course of their nearly 30-year history. Since their inception over 25 years ago, Queensrÿchee have sold over 20 million albums worldwide and have performed in over 22 countries.

“We are very happy to be signing with Road Runner/Loud and Proud. This is the rock label and a place where they are as excited about our music as we and our fans are,” Tate said.

“We are excited to welcome Queensryche to the label” stated Loud & Proud President Tom Lipsky. “They have earned global acclaim for their distinctive approach to music and we are confident of a successful partnership with them.”

Queensrÿchee’s 1988-issued album Operation: Mindcrime is universally respected as a classic concept release about rock, revenge and redemption. The album elicited comparisons to The Who’s Tommy and Pink Floyd’s The Wall and is ultimately regarded as one of the most important and essential hard rock records in the genre’s expansive canon. 1990’s follow-up, Empire, yielded a #1 single, the Grammy-nominated ballad “Silent Lucidity,” which the band performed at the 1992 Grammy Awards accompanied by a supporting orchestra.

In 2006, the band released Operation: Mindcrime II, a scorching sequel to their original. The band then hit the road performing both albums Operation: Mindcrime and Operation: Mindcrime II back-to-back in their entirety in an incredible theatrical presentation throughout the year. The final performance was recorded at The Moore Theatre in Seattle that October and the Mindcrime at the Moore double CD/DVD release debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Music DVD Chart and eventually reached Gold status.

Visit http://www.queensryche.com/ for more information.
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Kenny Wayne Shepherd To Release Live Album “Live in Chicago” Out September 28th

By Amy Sciarretto

“One of the wonders of the world.” – James Brown

Roadrunner/Loud & Proud Records is excited to announce that latest signing Kenny Wayne Shepherd is releasing Live in Chicago, available on 9/28/10.

Recorded in Chicago’s House of Blues during the critically acclaimed 10 Days Out: Blues From The Backroads tour, Live in Chicago showcases Kenny and his band, Noah Hunt, Chris Layton, Scott Nelson and Riley Osbourn, along with special guests, Hubert Sumlin, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Buddy Flett, Bryan Lee and Tommy Shannon (of Double Trouble). Though an illness nearly kept Kenny from performing that night, his heartfelt commitment to the music (and quite a lot of adrenaline) ensured that he took the stage, sharing with the audience one of the most spectacular performances of his career, and one that fans can now hear onLive in Chicago.

A genuine guitar hero, Kenny has been playing since childhood, when he learned Muddy Waters licks by listening to his father’s record collection. By 16, Kenny had a deal with Giant Records, and recorded his first album while still in high school. Since then, Kenny has enjoyed two platinum and one gold albums, six Top 10 singles, and his album Trouble Is holds the distinction of being the longest running album on the Billboard Blues Charts, hitting the 2 year mark. Over the course of his storied career, Kenny has amassed four Grammy nominations, two Billboard Music Awards, two Orville H. Gibson Awards, the Blues Foundation’s “Keeping the Blues Alive” award and a Blues Music Award. In 2008, Fender released the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Signature Series Stratocaster. 2007’s CD/DVD 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads was nominated for two Grammy Awards, aired on PBS television nationwide and has been certified RIAA Gold as a Long Form Video.

Track listings:
1. Somehow, Somewhere, Someway
2. King’s Highway
3. True Lies
4. Deja Voodoo
5. Sell My Monkey
6. Dance For Me
7. Baby Don’t Say That No More
8. Eye to Eye
9. How Many More Years
10. Sick and Tired
11. Feed Me
12. Rocking Daddy
13. Blue on Black
14. King Bee

The Guests:
HUBERT SUMLIN
A living legend, Hubert Sumlin is a hero to all of our guitar heroes. Growing up playing his guitar with harmonica great James Cotton, it was not long until, in 1949, at the young age of 18, he became Howlin’ Wolf’s lead guitarist, a position he held for the next twenty-five years, intercut only by a brief tenure in Muddy Waters’ band. Hubert has also played with Pinetop Perkins, Willie Dixon, The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry and countless others.

WILLIE “BIG EYES” SMITH
As the longtime drummer for the incomparable Muddy Waters, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith has suffused his trademark “shuffle” style into the heart and soul of Chicago-style blues. At 17, he ventured to Chicago from Arkansas to see his first Muddy Waters performance. Instantly hooked, he stayed in Chicago, joining Muddy Waters in 1957. After his time with Waters, Willie found his niche in the Delta Blues sound, co-founding the Legendary Blues Band with Pinetop Perkins, Louis Meyers, Calvin Jones and Jerry Portnoy. The band went on to win six Grammy awards, record four critically acclaimed albums and have played with Buddy Guy, Howlin’ Wolf, Junior Wells, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton.

BRYAN LEE
Born in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, Bryan Lee had completely lost his eyesight by the age of eight. His early penchant for rock and blues was fostered through the 1950’s by listening late night to Nashville’s WLAC AM, where he first encountered the sounds of Elmore James, Albert King and Albert Collins. Bryan remembers not understanding the music, but knowing that’s what he wanted to play. By January 1982, he was headed south to New Orleans, landing a steady gig at the Old Absinthe House. Lee performed there for 14 years alongside his Jump Street Five, becoming a treasure of the city’s French Quarter, a claim he cherishes to this day.

BUDDY FLETT
Currently residing In Shreveport, LA, Buddy Flett began his career in 1975 at the legendary Lake Cliff Roadhouse and the infamous Bossier Strip, where Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Sr. and Hank Williams, Jr. all performed. He has written for John Mayall, Percy Sledge, and was featured in the new documentary, Robert Mugge’s Rhythms n’ Bayous. Flett’s band, the Bluebirds, backed Kenny on his first public performance when Kenny was only thirteen.

For more information, check out these links:

http://www.kennywayneshepherd.net/

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/artists/KennyWayneShepherd/

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Roadrunner/Loud & Proud Records Signs Guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Guitar wunderkind Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

By Amy Sciarretto

Roadrunner/ Loud & Proud Records is pleased to announce the signing of four-time Grammy nominated, American blues/rock guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd to a worldwide, multi-album deal. He is currently working on his Roadrunner/Loud & Proud debut projects, which include his first live album and a new studio album.

“Kenny Wayne is a special artist” stated Loud & Proud President Tom Lipsky. “He is passionate about his songwriting, his musicianship and he values the relationship that he has with his fans.”

Shepherd himself said, “I am both excited and proud to be a part of the Roadrunner/Loud & Proud family. We have some very exciting music coming for our fans, and I couldn’t think of a better home for my music. I’ve been playing it ‘loud and proud’ for years.”

Widely regarded as a guitar hero before that term exploded into pop culture with the video game, the self-taught Shepherd learned to play at the tender age of seven-years-old, learning Muddy Waters licks while listening to his father’s record collection. At 13, he was invited onstage and performed with New Orleans bluesman Bryan Lee. Signed to Giant Records at 16, Shepherd recorded his first album while a senior in high school.

In 1997, Kenny was ranked third in Guitar World’s list of favorite blues artists behind legends B.B. King and Eric Clapton. He has enjoyed two platinum and one gold albums, six Top 10 singles and his album Trouble Is… holds the distinction of being the longest running album on the Billboard Blues Charts. It held strong at #1 for 20 weeks including 15 weeks consecutively. The hit single “Blue on Black” was also a record-breaker, #1 for 17 consecutive weeks at rock radio.

Shepherd’s decorated career includes four Grammy nominations, two Billboard Music Awards, two Orville Gibson Awards, the Blues Foundation’s “Keeping the Blues Alive” Award and a Blues Music Award. In September 2008 Fender released the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Signature Series Stratocaster, designed exclusively by Shepherd. The inimitable James Brown referred to him as “one of the wonders of the world.”

His most recent release, 2007’s #1 selling Blues Album 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads, documents Shepherd as he travels the country to jam with and interview the last of the authentic blues musicians. This full length CD/DVD documentary was nominated for two Grammys, aired on PBS television nationwide and has been certified RIAA Gold as a Long Form Video.
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This article also appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine, July 1, 2010.

Los Lobos’ New Studio Album Tin Can Trust To Be Released Aug. 3 On Shout!Factory Label

East L.A.’s Los Lobos

By Carrie Lombardi

The Grammy-winning East L.A. band celebrates the release of Tin Can Trust with a very special performance at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom on August 3. WFUV Public Radio will be on site in NYC to record the show and stream back in its entirety at a later date. In the meantime, get a sneak listen of the band’s new material: download a free track from the album at www.LosLobosTinCanTrust.com

With Tin Can Trust – Los Lobos’ first release for Shout! Factory and first collection of new original material in four years – the venerable quintet once again redefines itself and expands its scope, while never losing sight of where they come from. And, like so much of Los Lobos’ previous work, Tin Can Trust is an album that speaks to the time and place in which it was conceived; the album’s title can be traced back more than a century, but for the band, it’s apt for the rickety state in which so many of us find ourselves – and our world – today.

The 11 tracks on Tin Can Trust offer the perfect balance of Los Lobos’ parts: the band’s lineup has remained uninterrupted since 1984, when saxophonist/keyboardist Steve Berlin joined original members Louie Pérez (guitar, drums, vocals), David Hidalgo (guitar, violin, accordion, percussion, vocals), Cesar Rosas (guitar, vocals) and Conrad Lozano (bass, vocals), each of whom had been there since the beginning in 1973.

Seven songs on the album are distinguished and genius Hidalgo-Pérez collaborations, including the opening track “I’ll Burn It Down,” which features a guest vocal harmony from blues-rocker Susan Tedeschi. Three others were written in whole or in part by Rosas – including the album’s two Spanish-language numbers: the cumbia “Yo Canto” and the norteño “Mujer Ingrata” – and display Los Lobos’ signature seamless infusion of Mexican folk songs into rock music. Also included in Tin Can Trust – a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “West L.A. Fadeaway” – offering a nod to the bands’ shared history that extends back into the 1980s when the Angelenos befriended and opened shows for their northern peers.

As with every new recording Los Lobos makes, Tin Can Trust moves Los Lobos into yet another new dimension while simultaneously sounding like no one else in the world but Los Lobos. Los Lobos’ unified vision and strong work ethic are evident throughout the self-produced album, but so is something even greater: “an intuitiveness,” says Los Lobos songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Louie Pérez, “that happens only from being in a band for so long.” As Rolling Stone once wrote, “This is what happens when five guys create a magical sound, then stick together for 30 years to see how far it can take them.”

Early reviews of Los Lobos’ forthcoming studio release are in, and critics are already hailing Tin Can Trust as one of the band’s very best.

“Five Stars. A masterful album from a great American band, at the peak of its considerable powers.” – Uncut UK

“A return to the straightforward, rootsy sound of their earliest albums.” – SoundSpike

Visit www.loslobos.org for up-to-minute information.
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This article was also published in Alternatives NewsMagazine, July 29, 2010.

Everclear Continues Summer Concerts At Hard Rock Café June 19

By Brian M. Howle

Well, here we are deep into the start of another great summer season here on the Grand Strand – and just in the nick of time, another great lineup of concerts has been announced by our friends at Hard Rock Café at Broadway at the Beach. And this month, they’ve got a great band that just about everyone will enjoy, regardless of your personal musical taste! Iconic, multi-platinum selling band Everclear will perform at Hard Rock Café on Saturday, June 19, 2010 in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Known as a band that defined the sound of alternative rock, Everclear has recently reclaimed their position as a vital force in the music scene today, touring devotedly to reconnect with fans nationwide. Their latest album In a Different Light features stripped-down reinterpretations of classics from the Everclear songbook, including “Everything to Everyone” and “Santa Monica” alongside new favorites such as “At the End of the Day.” Nationwide, the band has found their shows triumphantly affirming their importance to music fans of all kinds. “It’s amazing to see the enthusiasm and intensity of our fans – they range from 15 to 50,” says frontman Alexakis. “It’s great to see kids in middle school singing all the words to every song!”

So come on out and enjoy one of the best live bands around at Hard Rock Café, 1322 Celebrity Circle, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577. Show at 8:00PM – All Ages – Tickets $15 Advance/$20 Day of Show.

For info on the band, visit www.everclearonline.com
OFFICIAL TWITTER: @EverclearBand
OFFICIAL FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/everclear
OFFICIAL MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/everclear

Upcoming Concerts At Hard Rock Café
• BLUES TRAVELER
SATURDAY JUNE 26
$25 Advance/$30 Day of Show
• PAT BENATAR & NEIL GIRALDO
MONDAY JULY 5
$30 Advance/$35 Day of Show /$60 VIP*
*VIP Ticket Includes Admission to Front Stage VIP Area and VIP Lanyard.
• LITTLE RIVER BAND
THURSDAY JULY 8
$15 All Tickets.
All tickets are General Admission (Except VIP Pat Benatar) and include admission to all clubs after the concert. (18+ With Valid ID. Some Clubs 21+).
Tickets may be purchased in the Rock Shop or call Janice at 843-946-0007 Ext. 208.

Patio Bands at Hard Rock Café for June:
June 18 – Sista Otis 10:30pm
June 19 – Black Label 10:30pm
June 20 – Joan Burton 8pm
June 21 – Eason Duo 3pm
June 22 – Black Label 8pm
June 23 – Tim Clark 8pm
June 24 – Paul Grimshaw 8pm (Tentative)
June 25 – Psych Ward 10:30pm
June 26 – N’Tranz 10:30pm (Tentative)
June 27 – Act 2 8pm
June 28 – Eason Duo 8pm
June 29 – Black Label 8pm
June 30 – Tim Clark 8pm.
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Top Touring Artists Join KORN In Boycott Of BP

From Amy Sciarretto, RoadRunner Records

(New York, NY): KORN’s boycott of BP has started a ground swell of like-minded musicians intent on making a statement against the devastation in The Gulf caused by BP’s record setting oil spill. The following top touring artists have joined the cause and have committed to avoid the use of fuel sold by BP or its affiliates on their upcoming tours for 2010: Disturbed, Lady Gaga, Rise Against, Godsmack, Backstreet Boys, Rock Star Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, Slightly Stoopid, Rob Zombie, Megadeth, Black Label Society with Zakk Wylde, Anthrax, Creed, Filter, Hellyeah and Flogging Molly.

“This is the worst thing that has ever happened to the environment in U.S. history. From everything we’re hearing about now, it’s become clear that BP cut corners to put profit ahead of safety. The message we are sending should tell all the oil companies to spend the money and take the necessary precautions to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” said Jonathon Davis of KORN. “I’m really proud that this many artists have already come on board, and I hope more will join soon.”

First estimates show close to 100 vehicles, trucks and buses from the committed artists will be involved in the boycott this summer. The number is continuously growing, resulting in tours all across North America refusing to fill up with BP products. More touring artists and people throughout the continent are uniting in boycotts against BP as a result of the catastrophic oil spill.

Some summer festival tours like The Rock Star Energy Drink Mayhem Festival are already known for using biofuels. However, the entire festival, comprised of twelve bands, will promise to not purchase their biofuels from BP or any of their affiliates. Tour creator Kevin Lyman agrees, stating “We have so many friends that are now affected by this spill that unless BP spends whatever is needed their livelihoods are lost forever. To that end we are encouraging everyone we deal with to find alternative ways to get down the road this summer.”
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Nashville Residents Need Our Help In Flooding Aftermath

Dover Anthony sings on as he overlooks the parking lot of submerged cars at the Knights Motel in East Nashville, Sunday, May 2, 2010. (AP Photo/The Tennessean, John Partipilo)

Compiled by Brian M. Howle from AP Reports

Muddy waters have poured over the banks of Nashville’s swollen Cumberland River, spilling into Music City’s historic downtown streets. The flash floods caused by record-breaking rain caught many here off-guard, forcing thousands to frantically flee their homes and hotels. The rapidly rising waters killed 18 people in Tennessee alone, including 10 in Nashville, and officials feared that the death toll could increase.

The ongoing Gulf Coast oil spill and the attempted Times Square bombing have caused many to overlook the impact of flooding on Tennessee, especially in Nashville. Parts of top Nashville tourist spots including the Country Music Hall of Fame and The Grand Ole Opry House were flooded.

There have been recent media reports making the air, with country music stars reaching out to share their personal stories of property loss (like Keith Urban) with the hundreds of thousands who not only have lost all of their personal belongings, furniture, clothes and homes, but now face rebuilding their lives without the benefit of flood insurance, as the likelihood of flooding was not seen as a high probability. The freak storm has now brought that sobering reality to many, many responsible, hard-working folks who just got caught at the worst time in the worst way.

The Cumberland flooded quickly after the weekend’s storms dumped more than 13 inches of rain in Nashville over two days. That nearly doubled the previous record of 6.68 inches of rain that fell in the wake of Hurricane Fredrick in 1979.

National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Rose said the river crested at 51.9 feet at 6 p.m. CDT Monday night (May 3).

For residents of the Grand Strand, the memories of what we have to contend with after hurricanes (like Hugo) should trigger strong empathy to help immediately.

The Nashville Area Red Cross is in need of financial support to continue providing relief to victims of local disaster flooding. The American Red Cross is not a government agency. All disaster assistance is free, and is funded solely by local donations. There are several ways to give:

• Visit www.nashvilleredcross.org and click DONATE NOW to make an online gift;

• Mail a check to the Nashville Area Red Cross;
2201 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203;

• Call (615) 250-4300 to make a donation by phone;

• Text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation on your mobile phone.

The photos and videos of the aftermath might not have the emotional punch that those of post-Katrina or post-tsunami images unleashed on us all, but we must all come to the aid of our fellow citizens and help them in their time of need.
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This article also appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine, May 7-20, 2010.

Petals & Pooches: Charleston’s Magnolia Plantation & Gardens Has Gone To The Dogs (In A Good Way)

Katie Lee Ashley stands guard over the Petunias while she waits for her fellow canines to arrive. (Photo by Tami Ashley)

By Brian M. Howle

Thinking of taking the family pooch along for a day trip to one of S.C.’s wonderful, aromatic and fully-in-bloom gardens this weekend? Well, I hate to tell ya, Sparky, but think again.

That is, of course, unless you plan to visit beautiful Magnolia Plantation and Gardens close to Historic Charleston, SC, just off of storied, live oak-lined Highway 61.

Nestled on the banks of the Ashley River, Magnolia Gardens – the oldest public gardens in America – offers an all-day schedule of events to fill your day with history, beauty, nature and communing with a large number of God’s creatures, large and small. And unlike every other major garden in the Charleston area – as well as most around the state – Magnolia puts out the water bowl for your dog because, well, the owners think dogs are people, too!

The Long Bridge at Angel Lake, Magnolia Plantation’s most-photographed vista. (Photo by Tami Ashley)

Once you clear the Ashley River bridge when heading south on U.S. Hwy. 17, it only takes about 15-20 minutes to arrive at the history-laden gates of Magnolia Plantation. After paying the entry fee, a variety of tours are available for separate charges. Guided tours include Magnolia’s plantation home; a Nature Train tram tour (I recommend this one because you cover the main grounds with a very entertaining guide at the wheel); the Audubon Swamp Garden tour; a Nature Boat tour of the wetlands; and the new “Slavery to Freedom” tour.

Majestic live oaks abound, like this one gracing the Ashley River with full floral guard. (Photo by Tami Ashley)

Once inside the gates, you’re free to wander the lush, floral-covered grounds at your own, leisurely pace. Azaleas are the star of this show, but the variety of flowering plants is seemingly endless. Self-guided walks throughout the garden’s many trails are easy to follow. The rich, historic past of Magnolia Plantation permeates everything around you, and the original slave cabins command a sense of reflection among the stands of breathtaking, huge, moss-draped live oaks. Amenities such as bicycle rentals, a great little gift shop in the plantation homestead, restrooms and a beverage/snack bar are available for your convenience.

Children of all ages will absolutely love the ample petting zoo that features a myriad of animals readily found in the glory days of plantation life – from pigs and goats, to proud roosters and peacocks. My favorites can be found among the small herd of ponies grazing the main pasture, who stroll up to the split-rail fence to solicit muzzle rubs and sugar cubes.

Katie’s “Elvis Snarl” lets us know she’s picked up some “P-mail” left behind by a previous pooch amongst nature’s delights. (Photo by Tami Ashley)

Get an early start and make a full day of your visit, as this glorious marriage of natural beauty and man’s stewardship will literally take a full day to completely explore and enjoy to its full magnificence!

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens is located at 3550 Ashley River Road (Hwy. 61), Charleston, SC 29414. Open daily 8am to dusk; Adults $15, Kids 6-12 $10; Kids under 6 Free. For more information, visit www.magnoliaplantation.com or call (800) 367-3517.
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This article also appears in Alternatives NewsMagazine and Coast Magazine, April 8 – 22, 2010; and online at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com .

George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic To Funk Up House Of Blues On April 16

The irrepressible George Clinton.

By Brian M. Howle

There’s this one, great, seminal verse from a Jimmy Buffet song that goes, “Don’t try to describe a KISS concert if you’ve never seen one.” It rightfully belabors the point that we often hear folks spouting off opinions (say, of a band they’ve never seen live) that are based on misinformation, stupidity and – sadly – prejudice (although the last two usually go hand in hand). So I’m sure there are a few out there who have no idea what a tremendously entertaining evening of music, theatre, political commentary and just plain fun is actually like.

Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of you do.

And to you lucky people, get ready to let your hair extensions down and revel in the delightful, bombastic Audacity of Funk with George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic, at House Of Blues in North Myrtle Beach, on Friday, April 16, 2010.

Admittedly, this show may not appeal to everyone’s tastes, especially if you’re a tightly-wound sphincter. But if you possess an open mind, a love of great music, fun and undeniably over-the-top showmanship … well, this is the show for you.

Here’s the history and pertinent backstory about this iconic entertainer and his merry band of funksters:

Think of George Clinton and you’ll likely conjure an image of a crazy black man with rainbow dreads and garb befitting a galactic shaman literally barking at phat bottomed girls with a sub-atomic “WOOF!” This lovable nutcase is the legendary and internationally renowned grandfather of funk and the founder of the Parliament-Funkadelic MOB, taking the sonic innovations of James Brown and Sly Stone to both outer space AND Neptune while selling millions of records and concert tickets in the process. Quiet as its kept, however, George Clinton’s initial approach to the ladies was crooning (when he wasn’t cutting hair) as the leader of a standup vocal group he formed in `55 called The Parliaments, emulating the doo wop and love songs that were popular when he was in diapers (well…he STILL wears those on occasion).

What is there left for the North Cackalackee-born grandfather of funk to do after four decades of rockin’ steady on the one? He can dip back to an era of sweet street corner soul that was his initial inspiration, take some folks back into time while blowing their minds THIS TIME with new spins on the standards – with a mothership full of special guests that completely have his back! We’re talkin’ Carlos Santana, Sly Stone, El DeBarge, Kim Burrell, the RZA (of Wu Tang Clan), Shavon (from System of a Down) and the Red Hot Chili Peppers – not to mention P-Funk stalwarts such as Belita Woods and Gary Shider!

It’s a concept he calls George Clinton and The Gangsters Of Love, produced by Bobby Eli and George Clinton – a blue light grind in da basement that marks the first in a series of special projects for Shanachie Entertainment. “I’m actually just trying to stay ahead of the game,” George says, posted up in the studio of co-producer Mark Bass (Eminem, 50 Cent), “`cuz ALL of this music is coming back like I knew it would. Mark and I figured we’d mix some doo-wop, hip hop and techno doo wop and call it ‘re bop!’ I’ve been thinking about it for a while now.” Techno doo wop? “That’s when you play a slow ballad groove against a triple time beat. I first did that on ‘How Late Do You Have to Be Before You’re Absent.’” George was very purposeful in the diversity of his special guests. “I didn’t want the record to be ‘nostalgic,’” he states. “I wanted to merge the old school with the new school. Some of the kids didn’t even know the original songs, so they did them their own way.”

George calls his rag tag assemblage of talents the Gangsters of Love. “Today, everybody wants to get their gangsta on,” he says. “Gangsters never want to admit that they’re in love, so they play it off. I’m trying to give them something they can take back to their ladies but still keep it gangsta.”

The jump off for George to seriously pursue this kind of music again came from a multiartist one-off project he participated in a couple of years back called A Soulful Tale of Two Cities: Detroit and Philadelphia, on which he sang former Delfonics member Major Harris’ ebony boudoir classic “Love Won’t Let Me Wait” (produced by Bobby Eli). “I surprised myself when I pulled that off,” he says. Now on em>Gangsters of Love, he cruises through Ruby & The Romantics’ “Our Day Will Come,” Tommy Edwards’ “It’s All in The Game” and The Heartbeats’ “A Thousand Miles Away.” Most of the rhythm tracks and George’s vocals were laid in the Philadelphia studio of Bobby Eli (a Philly Soul veteran whose credits stretch from Blue Magic to Atlantic Starr).

And then there are many friends with whom George linked up in various stops along his travels. “I did ‘Let the Good Times Roll’ with RZA and the Chili Peppers out in L.A. while I was working on some soundtrack stuff for Quentin Tarantino,” he shares. “We cut it at the guitar player’s house! Then I hooked up with Sly where he lives now back in Northern California. He sang on ‘Ain’t That Peculiar,’ but plays keyboards all over the project.” Having his old friend Sly on the record – an icon he has collaborated with on several past occasions, most significantly the early `80s club jams “Hydraulic Pump” and “Pumpin’ it Up” – was very special for George. “Being on my record is the first thing Sly has done on record since…forever! He had a lot of fun singing with El DeBarge. A couple of songs came out so good he wanted to keep them for himself! He did a version of ‘Fever’ and added lyrics that relate to global warming. He has such perfect vocal pitch, when uses a vocoder it’s better than anybody I’ve ever heard. Sly showed me a lot about vocals, made me work even harder.”

Thankfully, George Clinton is in possession of the street cred to reintroduce concepts of timeless romance to a near-clueless generation. His classics such as “Flashlight,” “Atomic Dog,” “Get Off Your Ass and Jam” and “Aqua Boogie” have been covered and sampled by so many rockers, rappers and turntable scratchers that they’re like new tunes today. His plan is to include a couple of songs from Gangsters of Love in a showcase smack in the middle of his patented funk fests.

69 years-young, George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic has visited Myrtle Beach before – but as Don Henley so pointedly reminded us, “there’s just so many springs and summers, baby” – so make the most of this opportunity and catch this ultimate night of entertainment with George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic, performing their ya-gotta-see-it-to-believe-it show at House Of Blues in North Myrtle Beach, on Friday, April 16, 2010. Doors open 8:00pm. For info call 843-272-3000; for tickets call 1-877-598-8497; or visit www.livenation.com .
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This article also appears in Alternatives NewsMagazine and Coast Magazine, April 8 – 22, 2010 and online at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com

Come Sail Away With Styx At House Of Blues April 9

Styx (LR): Lawrence Gowan, James Young, Tommy Shaw, Todd Sucherman, Ricky Phillips and Chuck Panozzo.

By Brian M. Howle

The year was 1974, the place was The Copper Door on the Rosewood Strip in Columbia, SC, and the band that made me forget about my beer (and friends for about half an hour before I could speak) had a killer keyboard/guitar sound, and one song in particular that I couldn’t believe wasn’t on the radio. The band was comprised of hippies from Chicago who became my best friends during the smoke breaks.

I should have made a video of that. Oh wait, there were no video cameras yet. Probably best, anyway though … have to check the statute of limitations before I share that story. But for the record, the band was Styx, the song was “Lady”, and I got to scoop all of my friends – and the world – for nearly three years before they broke out nationwide with “Lady”.

And now you can join me in hearing it – and all the others – again as Styx brings a long list of hits to House Of Blues in North Myrtle Beach, SC on Friday, April 9, 2010.

Spawned from a suburban Chicago basement in the early ‘70s, Styx would eventually transform into the virtual arena rock prototype by the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, due to a fondness for big rockers and soaring power ballads. The band – founded by brothers Chuck and John Panozzo – was heavily influenced by lead vocalist and keyboard wiz Dennis DeYoung, who wrote almost all of the lyrics along with most of the music. James Young’s distinctive guitar style complimented the style, along with guitarist John Curulewski.

Early on, Styx’s music reflected such then-current progressive rockers as Emerson, Lake & Palmer and the Moody Blues, as evidenced by such releases as 1972’s self-titled debut, 1973’s Styx II, 1974’s The Serpent Is Rising, and 1975’s Man of Miracles. While the albums (as well as non-stop touring) helped the group build a substantial following locally, Styx failed to break through to the mainstream, until a track originally from their second album, “Lady” started to get substantial airplay in late ‘74 on the Chicago radio station WLS-FM. The song was soon issued as a single nationwide, and quickly shot to number six on the singles chart, as Styx II was certified gold.

By this time, however, the group had grown disenchanted with their record label, and opted to sign on with A&M for their fifth release overall, 1975’s Equinox (their former label would issue countless compilations over the years, culled from tracks off their early releases). On the eve of the tour in support of the album, original guitarist John Curulewski abruptly left the band, and was replaced by Tommy Shaw. Shaw proved to be the missing piece of the puzzle for Styx, as most of their subsequent releases throughout the late ‘70s earned at least platinum certification (1976’s Crystal Ball, 1977’s The Grand Illusion, 1978’s Pieces of Eight, and 1979’s Cornerstone), and spawned such hit singles and classic rock radio standards as “Come Sail Away,” “Renegade,” “Blue Collar Man” and “Fooling Yourself.”

The band decided that their first release of the ‘80s would be a concept album, 1981’s Paradise Theater, which was loosely based on the rise and fall of a once-beautiful theater (which was supposedly used as a metaphor for the state of the U.S. at the time — the Iranian hostage situation, the Cold War, Reagan, etc.). Paradise Theater became Styx’s biggest hit of their career (selling over three million copies in a three-year period), as they became one of the U.S. top rock acts due to such big hit singles as “Too Much Time on My Hands”. It also marked the first time in history that a band released four consecutive triple-platinum albums.

A career-encompassing live album, Caught in the Act, was issued in 1984, before Styx went on hiatus, and the majority of its members pursued solo projects throughout the remainder of the decade. A re-recording of their early hit, “Lady” (titled “Lady” ‘95”), for a Greatest Hits compilation, finally united Shaw with his former Styx bandmates, which led to a full-on reunion tour in 1996. But drummer John Panozzo fell seriously ill at the time (due to a long struggle with alcoholism), which prevented him from joining the proceedings — as he passed away in July of the same year.

Although grief-stricken, Styx persevered with new drummer Todd Sucherman taking the place of Panozzo, as the Styx reunion tour became a surprise sold-out success, resulting in the release of a live album/video, 1997’s Return to Paradise, while a whole new generation of rock fans were introduced to the grandiose sounds of Styx.

However, a long-simmering riff over “creative differences” between DeYoung and the rest of the band came to a head. The band was united in not wanting to pursue a more theatrical-laden stage show (after the critically-panned live reviews of their Kilroy Was Here tour in support of that album). 1999′s Brave New World was rife with personality conflicts that drove the band members apart, as well as illness issues, and as a result DeYoung was essentially fired by the band and replaced by Lawrence Gowan. Gowan’s dead-on vocals and keyboard expertise made the transition surprisingly acceptable, except for some pro-DeYoung diehards out there. But the music is always the star of the show, and as anyone who has had the good fortune to attend a recent Styx concert at HOB can attest, this incarnation cranks out that legendary Styx sound with ease.

Now comprised of original members Tommy Shaw and James “JY” Young on guitars/vocals, along with Lawrence Gowan on keys and lead vocals, Todd Sucherman on drums and Ricky Phillips on bass (along with the occasional surprise appearance by original bassist Chuck Panozzo), Styx continues to conquer the planet, one venue at a time.

The stage at House Of Blues at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, SC, was made for a show like this, as Styx will be rocking out our own Paradise on Friday, April 9, 2010. Doors open 7:00 p.m. For info call 843-272-3000; for tickets call 1-877-598-8497; or visit www.livenation.com .
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This article also appears in Alternatives NewsMagazine, March 25-April 8, 2010, Page 25; and online at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com

Local Musicians Rocky Fretz, Tom Yoder Win 9th Annual Independent Music Awards

Further Proof That The Grand Strand Is Home To Some Of The Best In Music

By Brian M. Howle

The winners of the 9th annual Independent Music Awards have been revealed – and residents of the Grand Strand have once again been represented by two of the best local musicians to ever grace a stage or produce an album.

Local keyboard/songwriter phenom Rocky Fretz won the New Age Album award for his release, The Path Ahead … And Steps Then Taken, which was produced by Grammy Award winning guitarist and producer (and founder of Windham Hill Records) Will Ackerman.

Other players on The Path Ahead CD include Tbone Wolk, Michael Manring, Patrick Oleary and Dan Greenspan, all on different basses; Eugene Friesen – cello; Steve Shuch – violin; Derrik Jordan – percussion; Jeff Oster – horns; and Will Ackerman, David Cullen – guitar; plus Noah Wilding’s beautiful vocals.

You can buy the award-winning CD – as well as others by Rocky – by linking to his website, www.RockyFretz.com .

And to further the claim that our area truly is a hotbed for great music and great musicians, longtime local guitar wizard/songwriter Tom Yoder also won for the New Age Song category, for his composition “Locked In”.

A legend along the Strand for years (and mentor to more guitarists than you can shake a tuner at), Tom now lives in Cary, N.C., just outside of Chapel Hill. And here’s proof that lightning can strike twice – this is the second time he has won an Independent Music Award. Tom won in 2004 for his tune, “The Moment The Apple Falls”. Both winning compositions were in the New Age category. You can catch up on Tom – and also find out how to get his CDs – at his website, www.TomYoder.com .

The Independent Music Awards is a prestigious international program that gets top-ranked independent artists & releases the recognition they need to reach millions of fans worldwide.

Now in its 10th year, the IMAs honor artists who broaden the definition of commercial success & represent the diversity of the global Indie scene.
Adding to an already broad spectrum of music and design categories, awards added to this year’s program include: Adult Contemporary, Reissue Album, and EP.

The IMAs Gets Major Results For Indie Releases
The program creates opportunities and fan bases for artists & releases traditionally ignored by mainstream gatekeepers, mass media & big box retailers.

Unlike contests or battle of the band programs that focus on cash & prizes, The IMAs deliver yearlong marketing & sales support plus performance opportunities that places winners & nominees in front of millions of music fans.

That’s why artists previously on major labels as well as notable indie label and self-released talent from around the globe submit in more than 50 music genre song, album, music video & design categories.

The IMAs celebrates the meritocracy of talent and democratization of creativity; winners & nominees are determined solely by artistic merit.
Past winners & nominees credit their IMA honors with elevating their profile with talent buyers, programmers, press, music supervisors and fans.
Some notable IMA winners and nominees include: Koko Taylor, Martin Sexton,The Matches, Miquel Migs, Speech, Denque Fever, Jamie Lidell, Selasee, The Apples in stereo, Sweet Honey In The Rock, Mary Gauthier, Lacuna Coil, Joan As Police Woman, Girl In A Coma, Darrell Scott, Richard Julian, The Mooney Suzuki, Dan Bern, Kristy Krüger, Jeff Healey, Sugarcult, Eleni Mandell; Supagroup, Ike Turner, Jonah Smith, Hoots & Hellmouth, Unkown Hinson, Chris Whitley and many, many more.

The IMAs Leads The New Music Industry
Created by Music Resource Group, publisher of the music industry’s trusted print & online contact databases, The Musician’s Atlas & AtlasOnline, The IMAs has unrivaled access to industry gatekeepers, performance, promotion & distribution opportunities.

Program partners including eMusic, PureVolume, Pump Audio, The Planetary Group, NACA, Rock The Vote, punknews.org, Venus Zine,theStream.tv, HIP Video Promo, HM Magazine and CMJ Music Marathon help IMA winners and nominees reach more than 50 million music fans.

In addition to IMA sponsored showcases throughout the year, a full-day celebration of IMA artists is scheduled for 2010 in New York City.

Judges confirmed for The 9th annual IMAs included: Aimee Mann, Zooey Deschanel, Mark Hoppus (Blink 182), Tom Waits, Kathleen Brennan, Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy/Decaydance Records), M. Ward, Anthony DeCurtis (Rolling Stone), Shelby Lynne, Lee Ritenour, Jonatha Brooke, Mike Viola, Arturo O’Farrill (Director Afro-Jazz Orchestra), Tim Pagnotta (Sugarcult), Rob Wasserman, Aubin Paul (punknews.org), Kevin Lyman (Warped Tour), Alex Springer (Head of Licensing, ABC Networks), Tommy Merrill (Booking Director, Rockwood Music Hall), Jeremy Taggart (Our Lady of Peace), Evan Schlansky (American Songwriter), Richard Reines (Drive-Thru Records), Dalis Allen (Director, Kerriville Folk Festival).

The IMAs Unites Bands & Fans
Music fans also have a voice at the Independent Music Awards. Last year more than 37,000 fans from around the globe discovered new talent and cast their votes at the IMA Vox Pop Jukebox. The winners of the “Peoples Voice” component of the IMAs also benefit from print, online, broadcast, live performance and event promotions alongside formal IMA Winners.

You can get in on the action too: music fans have until June 25 to champion their favorite Nominees at The IMA Vox Pop Jukebox to determine the 9th Independent Music Awards ‘People’s Voice’ Winners by visiting the site: www.independentmusicawards.com
Link to the “Vote” section at the top of the homepage.

Submissions for The 10th Independent Music Awards program are currently being accepted here. This year’s Album category winners are currently being featured on the iTunes Indie Spotlight page.

Congratulations to Rocky and Tom for their well-deserved awards, and remember to support your local live music scene by attending the shows and buying local artists’ recordings of original material.
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The article also appears in the Nightlife & Entertainment section of Alternatives NewsMagazine, March 11-25, 2010 Issue, and at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com .
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Help Stop The Radio Performance Tax

By Brian M. Howle

Some Of Washington’s Weasels Are Trying To Sell Out Music Radio Stations, Artists To Big Record Companies
In bringing you this important story, I find myself firmly between two facts: One puts me in the happy position of assuring all of you this issue has absolutely no basis in political party affiliation; the other regretfully confirms that there are nefarious powers out there who will stoop to the lowest common denominator in finding new ways to screw us all in the name of “revenue enhancement”.

So here’s the skinny on the latest attempt by the corporate whores (and their congressional pimps) who are trying to destroy yet another American freedom – and industry – as provided to us by the National Association of Broadcasters:

For more than 80 years, radio and the recording industry have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship: free play for free promotion. And it works. It’s a relationship that has sustained businesses on both sides.

In fact, radio’s free promotion of artists translates to as much as $2.4 billion annually in music sales for record labels and artists. And this doesn’t even include the enormous revenues they receive from concerts and merchandising.

But the labels–like many businesses–are struggling in this economy. They have failed to adapt to the digital age, and find their business model is broken. And now they want to impose a fee called a performance tax on local radio stations to subsidize their losses.

A performance tax would threaten the local radio stations that communities depend on. It would financially hamstring stations, stifle new artists and harm the listening public who rely on free local radio.

In short, the money generated from the performance tax would flow out of your community and into the pockets of the major record labels – and three out of the four are foreign-owned. The record labels would like for you to think this is all about compensating the artists, but in truth the record labels would get at least 50 percent of the proceeds from a tax on local radio.

If you’re one of the 235 million people who listen to radio each week, a tax could reduce the variety of music radio stations play, and all but eliminate the possibility of new artists breaking onto the scene. The tax could particularly affect smaller, minority-owned stations, some of which may have to switch to a talk-only format or shut down entirely.

It also affects your community. Radio stations are major contributors to public service – generating $6 billion in public service annually, providing vital news and community information and free airtime to help local charities. If a tax were imposed, stations’ critical community service efforts could be reduced.

And, worst of all, if you’re one of the 106,000 Americans employed by local radio, your job could be in jeopardy. In these troubling economic times, the last thing local radio needs is to be hit with a tax that some analysts estimate could be $2-7 billion annually.

Congress has continually recognized that local radio is different from other musical platforms and should not be subject to a performance tax. Local radio is free, so everyone, regardless of income, can have access to it. Local radio also has to fulfill certain public service obligations that other platforms do not. And importantly, the free music that radio plays provides free promotion to the record labels and artists – up to $2.4 billion annually.

There are currently two bills pending in Congress that would levy a performance tax on local radio – H.R.848, sponsored by Rep. John Conyers (MI-14) and S.379, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (VT). Your members of Congress need to hear that you strongly oppose these bills.

Additionally, anti-performance tax resolutions have been introduced in the House and Senate in support of local radio. In the Senate, Sens. Blanche Lincoln (AR) and John Barrasso (WY) introduced S. Con. Res. 14, and in the House, Reps. Gene Green (TX-29) and Mike Conaway (TX-11) introduced H. Con. Res. 49. Both are known as the Local Radio Freedom Act. Many members of Congress already support local radio and resolutions against the performance tax. Others still need to hear your voice.

Take Action Now!
We need your help! Support local radio by taking action against legislation that could kill local radio as you know it. The performance tax could bankrupt local radio stations and give giant foreign-owned record companies a bailout. It’s a bad idea that will happen unless you speak out against it.

Visit The “Stop The Radio Tax” Website
Simply go to www.noperformancetax.org and you will find all the links and information you need. Sign up now and take a stand in support of local radio! By signing up, you’ll have the opportunity to join thousands of people from across the country who are ready to fight the performance tax.

Tell A Friend
Send an email to your friends about the performance tax issue, letting them know what they can do.

Post A Facebook Status Update/Tweet This
Use your own social networking page to spread the word. Simply update your status on Facebook and Twitter with messages related to the campaign. Your message should be unique, but can follow the examples below.
Post this message to your Facebook:
STOP THE RADIO TAX. The performance tax is a bad idea that would hurt [insert radio station name]. If you enjoy listening, help us take action against this at noperformancetax.org.
Tweet this Message:
[Insert radio station name] needs help. Congress is killing the radio star. Tell them no. #stoptheradiotax http://bit.ly/wkO89

Write A Letter To The Editor
Write a letter to the editor or longer guest column to voice your opinion on why a performance tax is a bad idea.
Personalize the letter, and let the editor know why radio is important to you and your community. Encourage readers to take action. Below is a sample letter:
The proposed performance tax on radio stations could cripple local radio, hurt the listening public, and silence up-and-coming artists – all while big record companies get a bailout.
Radio has given so much to the music industry, launching the careers of many of the artists that we’ve come to love. Radio also plays a critical role during emergencies, informs us about what’s going on in our neighborhoods, supports local charities and nonprofit organizations and provides jobs for our community.
Why impose a tax that could bankrupt our local radio stations just to help foreign-owned record companies recover from their own business mistakes?
It doesn’t make sense. Congress should realize that a performance tax is a bad idea.

The website contains more information to help you understand all of the facts of this incredibly arrogant and moronic attempt to literally ruin free music radio as we know it, along with destroying the livelihoods of countless tens of thousands of folks in radio, as well as the musicians who are the core creative force for everything involved in producing the music we all enjoy and treasure as one of the inalienable rights guaranteed to us by the framers of the United States Constitution.

Your voice does make a difference – so make yours known today! Log onto www.noperformancetax.org now.
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This article originally appeared at www.bhowle.wordpress.com

Who Do You Love? George Thorogood & The Destroyers At HOB March 19

By Brian M. Howle

For most music fans under the age of, say, 30 or so, chances are that their knowledge of one of the most-played songs on television and movie soundtracks consists of one tune above all others: “Bad to the Bone” … especially if they ever watched “Married with Children” on anything remotely approaching a regular basis. So for all you kids, listen up: There are more songs from the artist who made it part of your life’s soundtrack, and you’re going to love them all.

And better than that, you can see and hear that artist perform them – in person, no less – as George Thorogood and The Destroyers bring their brand of Delaware rock to House Of Blues in North Myrtle Beach, SC on Friday, March 19, 2010.

Here’s a little history of good ol’, hard rockin’ George from Wikipedia and Rolling Stone:

George Thorogood was born on February 24, 1950 and was raised in Naamans Gardens, a neighborhood in suburban Wilmington, Delaware, where his father worked for DuPont. He graduated from Brandywine High School in 1968, and played semi-professional baseball (on a team in Delaware in the Roberto Clemente League which was created in 1976; he was the second baseman and was chosen rookie of the year in the league), but turned toward music after seeing John P. Hammond perform in 1970.

As a blues rock performer from Wilmington, Delaware, Thorogood is universally known for his hit song “Bad to the Bone” as well as for covers of blues standards such as Hank Williams’ “Move It On Over” and John Lee Hooker’s “House Rent Boogie/One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer”. Another favorite, in which Thorogood displays his impressive guitar skills, is a cover of Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love?” George Thorogood and the [Delaware] Destroyers have released 16 studio albums, including five that have been certified Gold. The band is credited with the early success of Rounder Records.

The band currently consists of George Thorogood – lead vocals and guitar; Billy Blough – bass guitar (1977–present); Jeff Simon – drums, percussion (1974–present); Buddy Leach – saxophone (2003–present); and Jim Suhler – rhythm guitar (1999–present).

Thorogood’s demo, Better Than the Rest, was recorded in 1974 and released in 1979. In 1976 he recorded his debut album: the eponymous George Thorogood & The Destroyers with his band, The Destroyers (sometimes known as The Delaware Destroyers or simply GT and D) and issued the album in 1977. Thorogood released his next album titled Move It On Over in 1978 with The Destroyers, which included the Hank Williams remake “Move It On Over”. “Please Set a Date” and their remake of the Bo Diddley song “Who Do You Love?” both followed in 1979.

George and the Delaware Destroyers were friends with Jimmy Thackery and the Nighthawks. While touring in the 1970s, the Destroyers and the Nighthawks happened to be playing shows in Georgetown (DC) at venues across the street from each other. The Destroyers were engaged at The Cellar Door and the Nighthawks at Desperados. At midnight, by prior arrangement, while both bands played Elmore James’ “Madison Blues” in the key of E, Thorogood and Thackery left their clubs, met in the middle of M Street, exchanged guitar cables and went on to play with the opposite band.

Though songs like “Move It On Over” and “Bad to the Bone” have established Thorogood as one of the preeminent jukebox heroes, he seems to take a certain pride in being a musical underdog for his thirty years, a badge after playing some lean years. Despite multiple of waves of boogie rock bands from the Allmans to ZZ Top, Thorogood and the Destroyers were regular players for more than several years before they landed their first record deal. “The timing was tough, because by the time we came around white guys playing the blues thing was going out,” he says. “Duane Allman passed away, Savoy Brown got dysfunctional and Canned Heat died one by one. By the time we got there, the stuff was outdated. I was pretty discouraged — I was not the person you’d wanna hang around with in those days. I saw Petty and Springsteen and Mellencamp, and they were all getting their shot and I wasn’t. I thought, ‘I can boogie as good as those cats.’ But it just wasn’t happening. I was just stuck in those dives.”

By 1977, Thorogood had signed with Rounder and released George Thorogood and the Destroyers. “I just wanted to do something that was my own,” he says. “I’m like [Tom] Waits in that I’m not a singer singer — he kinda growls it out there. But I thought this sound was unique to get noticed. Anbody can be a great guitar player. I gave that up years ago. I was never going to compete with Duane Allman or Ry Cooder or those cats. I just thought, ‘What you gotta do is get a tune, kid.’ We just kept plugging away and ‘that tune’ got on the radio.”

‘That tune’ is the collection’s centerpiece is Thorogood’s iconic rave up of the John Lee Hooker standard, “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer,” removed from the bluesman’s laid-back cool and injected with eight-minutes of guitar petrol. “It was a struggle to get a record company behind that tune,” Thorogood says. “But I held onto that song for years knowing it was the song that was going to break us. I knew it was a hit, because the first time I saw John Lee Hooker play it, people were dancing. Usually with the blues guys, nobody danced — they sat and watched, I guess out of respect, but it felt like church. But people were dancing to that song, and you know what stuck in my mind? They were all women. I thought, ‘That song’s a hit. And I better grab it before Tom Waits or Dean Martin does.’”

Thorogood gained his first mainstream exposure as a support act for the Rolling Stones during their 1981 U.S. tour. He also was the featured musical guest on Saturday Night Live (Season 8, Episode 2) on the October 2, 1982 broadcast. During this time, George and the Destroyers also became known for their rigorous schedule, including playing in 50 states in 50 days. After two shows in Boulder, Colorado, George and his band flew to Hawaii for one show and then performed a show in Alaska on the following night. The next day the band flew to Washington State, met their roadies who had their Checker car and a truck, and continued a one show per state tour for all fifty states in exactly fifty nights. In addition, they played Washington, DC on the same day that they performed a show in Maryland.

This increased visibility occurred as Thorogood’s contract with Rounder Records expired. He signed with EMI America Records and in 1982 released his best-known song, “Bad to the Bone”, and an album of the same name. The song has been used frequently in television and the big screen, including Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the comedy Problem Child, Stephen King’s Christine, and many episodes of the television sitcom Married with Children. This track also was used during the intro to the movie Major Payne. The same song is also featured in the game Rock ‘n Roll Racing. It is also played during football pregame festivities at Mississippi State University. Quincy Jones once said to Thorogood, “The three things important in a record is the tune, tune, and the tune”.

As mentioned earlier, Thorogood has been a huge baseball fan for most (if not all) of his life, as well as playing semi-pro baseball as a second baseman during the 1970s (drummer Jeff Simon played center field on the same team), when asked about his rigorous touring schedule – specifically his “50/50” Tour (50 states in 50 days) – his immediate response was “Well, it was in the off-season. So, it was nothing. Didn’t have to miss a single game”.

He took his daughter to Chicago for her first major league game (Cubs vs. Rockies), during which he sang “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”. With obvious excitement in his voice, he said, “I told her, ‘You’ll see a stadium where Babe Ruth called his shot, Ernie Banks hit his 500th home run, and Milt Pappas threw a no-hitter!’”

Testament to Thorogood’s vision is that the songs that form the core of 30 Years of Rock — the aforementioned singles along with “If You Don’t Start Drinkin’ (I’m Gonna Leave),” “I Drink Alone,” “Gear Jammer,” “You Talk too Much” and “Get a Haircut” — never broke into the pop Top Forty, despite their enduring popularity. And Thorogood’s fan base fairly loyally sought out the long-players (four records broke into the Top Forty between 1979 and 1988).

So get a taste of loud, frenetic rock with lots and lots of killer slide guitar work at House Of Blues at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, SC, as George Thorogood and The Destroyers bring their hard drivin’ rock to town on Friday, March 19, 2010. Doors open 7:30 p.m. For info call 843-272-3000; for tickets call 1-877-598-8497; or visit www.livenation.com .
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This article also appears in the February 11, 2010 issues of Alternatives NewsMagazine and Coast Magazine (Page 25); and also online at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com

REO Speedwagon Still Revvin’ High At House Of Blues March 12

Reo Speedwagon (L-R): Neal Doughty, Kevin Kronin, Bruce Hall, Dave Amato and Brian Hitt.

By Brian M. Howle

There are moments – and you can deny it all you want, but it will happen to you one day if it hasn’t already – when the undertones of a message you hear in a rock ‘n roll song will exactly parallel the events that currently find themselves steeped within the conflicts known as your life. Listen to me closely, grasshopper, because I have sage advice for you – the cumulative distillation of my years: Listen to the music.

Now, forget that is also the title of a Doobies’ tune, and concentrate back on this story … See, when a new album by one of my favorite bands hit the charts in 1980, a couple of the tunes seemed to be speaking to me – as my betrothed and I balanced on the precipice of holy matrimony. Well, as it turned out, the correct interpretation would have been, they were speaking to her.

Long story short: The album was Hi Infidelity, and the band with the reinvigorated, upgraded career was comprised of the tenured rockers of REO Speedwagon. Oh, and the song was “Time for Me to Fly”.

And now is your chance to listen and then run (after the concert), as REO Speedwagon prepares to blow the roof off the dump at House Of Blues in North Myrtle Beach, SC on Friday, March 12, 2010.

The career of this signature “American Band” is quite a tale, and it represents one of the best examples of all the right things to do for achieving an extended, viable earning career in rock ‘n roll.

They have had their own fair share of shakeups, highs and lows (but no bandmembers killed anyone or anything like that), but regardless of the background stories this band has not a missed a year of touring since they first hit the dusty road way back in 1971.

Face it, kids – listen to the music – you can’t fight this feeling anymore, and I’m back on the road again, as I tell my sweetie that “I’m gonna keep on lovin’ you.”

Hmmmm … something feels familiar about all this.

REO Speedwagon - Kevin Cronin (lead vocals, guitar), Bruce Hall (bass), Neal Doughty (keyboards), Dave Amato (lead guitar) and Bryan Hitt (drums) – rolled out full throttle with a new album in 2007, Find Your Own Way Home, their first studio collection of new material in more than a decade.

The roots of that album go back to the spring of 2000, when the band joined forces with fellow Midwest rockers Styx for a national, sold-out, co-headlining tour. The tour proved to be such a commercial success that it was recorded live and released on both CD and DVD, jokingly entitled “Arch Allies”. The bands appeared together on the Today show, VH1, and on numerous syndicated radio shows, including The Howard Stern Show.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, both bands worked together to organize a series of concerts that would benefit the New York Port Authority Police and the families of the officers who tragically lost their lives.

Over the following two years, REO Speedwagon toured non-stop. In addition to performing in all the expected concert markets, the band got back to its roots in small town America.

“These are the people who supported our music from the beginning. This is REO country”, says Kevin Cronin, describing the fans who enthusiastically sing along every night to the songs he has written such as the number one hits, “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and “Keep On Loving You,” as well as the classics “Roll With the Changes,” “Keep Pushin’,” “Time for Me to Fly,” “Riding the Storm Out,” and “Take It On the Run.”

During this time, the band was honored with a Behind the Music special on VH1 and Kevin Cronin was a guest panelist on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, as well as coming in a close second place on Rock ‘n Roll Jeopardy.

In 2003, REO joined fellow classic rockers Journey and Styx for the “Main Event Tour,” a sold-out, critically-acclaimed arena tour of all the markets that they had been entertaining since the late ‘70s. Music critics noted that REO had “kept their standards extremely high,” and were “thrilling their fans night after night with their incredible power, sheer energy, and songs that will live forever.”

New songs have been the lifeblood of REO since its first album in 1971, so it was natural that inspiration would strike during the “Main Event Tour” and drive REO to start writing new songs in between concert performances. The band began introducing these new songs into their live shows and the fan reaction was positive. The new album was born.

While not on the road, the band was in the studio for 2 years working on their first CD of new songs since 1996’s Building the Bridge.

“It has been an intense few years, crazy years for me, but that’s when I usually do my best writing,” says Cronin. “All of us have been going through some big-time changes, and it shows in our performances on the new record.”
The band has teamed up with producer, keyboard whiz and all-around musical genius Joe Vannelli (Gino’s brother and musical partner).

“Joe has brought a musicality to the new songs, which is thrilling,” says Cronin. “Dave is playing with such amazing versatility, using all his vast arsenal of guitars and amps. Bruce and Bryan, who have always been such a powerhouse rhythm section, have never played tighter or stronger together. And Joe’s keyboard ideas are taking our music to places we’ve never been before, and will allow Neal to take those ideas to our live shows.”

The buzz in the REO camp is unmistakable. It is a familiar feeling for this band, one they felt in 1978 during the sessions for their classic album You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can’t Tuna Fish (hey kids, make our old friend up in heaven, Jeff, proud and go find this one, and then enjoy some real rock n’ roll) and again three years later when they released the 10-million-selling monster, Hi Infidelity.

“We have been through it all and you just feel it when the pieces seem to be coming together,” says Bruce Hall, “and I felt it big time on Find Yor Own Way Home.”

“With some records it feels like you are swimming upstream and others just have a flow,” says Cronin. Find Your Own Way Home was conceived out of turmoil, but as these songs have evolved there is a momentum that is seemingly unstoppable. It is cool that it is all coming from this music. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

As REO webmaster (and Paul’s little sister) Ruth McCartney put it, “This record is both fresh and old-school.

“I guess unconsciously that is what we were going for,” adds Cronin. “We do some of our best work when we are unconscious.” “We love to play live,” says Hall, “it just keeps getting better.”

In 2008 they teamed with Styx and Def Leppard for another major tour headlined by Def Leppard to promote its latest album. They teamed up with Styx to record a new single entitled “Can’t Stop Rockin’”, released in March 2009.

On December 2, 2009, REO Speedwagon released an online video game, Find Your Own Way Home, produced by digital design agency, Curious Sense. The game was the first “downloadable casual game” produced with a rock band and was cited by numerous publications including the New York Times as an innovative marketing product for a music act.

One of the standard offerings from frontman Kevin Kronin during the last several REO shows at HOB contends with his – and his bandmates’ – total disgust and disdain for the pampered, self-indulging narcissists that now grace the entertainment and sports headlines. He points out to a new generation of fans that they should question their plea that “being rich and famous is hard work.” And he then proceeds to tell you what hard work is, and who the people are who actually do it, day after day, for the benefit of all.

And for all you longtime REO fans, here’s a little something to scare ya good and proper – this marks the beginning of the 30th Anniversary of the release of Hi Infidelity. Feels like a mere blink, don’t it now?

And if you think that too many analogies and parables about life are used to describe these guys and you want to take it on the run, then my friend, you especially need to roll with the changes and keep pushin’ on down to HOB at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, SC, as REO Speedwagon shows the faithful workforce of the Grand Stand what hard work sounds like (and what’s the best way to ride the storm out) on Friday, March 12, 2010. Doors open 7:30 p.m. For info call 843-272-3000; for tickets call 1-877-598-8497; or visit www.livenation.com .
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This article was also published in Alternatives NewsMagazine, Page 25, January 28 – February 5, 2010 issue, as well as online at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com under “Nightlife & Entertainment”.

Reason #27 For Staying Away From SPCA Shelters

Katie Lee wrapped up in mama’s Snuggie on a cold January night in the lowcountry. (Photo by Tami Ashley)

By Brian M. Howle

This isn’t really a story, although there is one for the ages to be told at some point, but it’s more of an observation about the relationship between humans and animals.

In this case, the more specific title of “animals” would be dogs.

Seriously … look at that face. Your day sucks that much? Your week? Your year? Your life? Then look at that face. Ummm …. I don’t think so.

See, that’s a face that gets away with absolute murder and mayhem, completely and totally granted amnesty and absolution from the human whose heart melts with unrequited love upon gazing on this skillful little con artist as she “strikes a pose”.

Hey, fault the humans all you want, I’m with ya cuz, I am. But if you have a void in your life that needs quality attention (pssstt … you might not believe this, but you can get a win-win situation in the deal, I swear you can), then I strongly urge you to visit your local SPCA shelter or humane society and find a face of your own.
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Note: Katie’s not a rescue dog, but there are so many little ones out there who desperately need someone to step in and save their lives.

The Grand Strand Loses Its Great Ambassador Of Music: A Tribute To Jeff Roberts

Jeff Roberts (Right) with former Screaming Cheetah Wheelies’ guitarist Mike Farris at a SXSE event in May, 2008. (Photo by Dariel Bendin)

By Brian M. Howle

Back in the late-’70s, the remaining members of a decimated Lynyrd Skynyrd reformed under the moniker of The Rossington-Collins Band. And one of the more haunting songs on that memorable album they produced in their post-Skynyrd continuation was entitled, “Next Phone Call”, about the chilling effect of hearing one’s phone ring in the middle of the night, when only the worst of news seems to find its way into our otherwise stable lives.

It wasn’t all that late in the night when I got the call, but it did have the same numbing effect of shattering an otherwise peaceful beginning to another week in Paradise here along the Strand – my old friend, Jeff Roberts, had unexpectedly died. I have reached that age where there is no such thing as an understandable loss of life, though ecumenicals portend to comfort me with profound explanations of the mysteries of God’s unknown will, and His great plan for us in the overall scheme of things.

But there is no comfort when someone close to me calls to let me know that one of the nicest, most decent men I have ever had the great honor and pleasure to know had passed away. Far too soon for his time, far too soon for his family, and far too soon for a world that sorely needs the likes of a Jeff Roberts now more than ever.

Now, I consider myself to be an extremely well-versed audiophile and musical history/trivia buff.  But it would be foolish (and abundantly obvious) for me, and really, just about anyone else around these parts to challenge Jeff’s encyclopedic knowledge of contemporary music. Equally foolish would be for one to assume that his forte was strictly rock & roll (with apologies to Atlanta Rhythm Section). Jeff’s genuine love for all things music was challenged only by his genuine love for his family and friends – and his son was the center of his world. And that one, simple fact speaks quantum volumes about those he loved.

Jeff’s contributions to the lives and experiences of musicians, writers, producers, engineers, songwriters and fans of music in general are as countless as the stars in the heavens above. The years of immeasurable joy he helped others find as they searched for that “perfect record” while he owned Sounds Familiar, in the original store at 38th Avenue North in Myrtle Beach, probably spans the lives of more people than anyone can imagine. A gentle giant of a man, his beaming smile and deep, sincere laugh made anyone who entered his store with a heavy heart forget their problems for the time they spent there. And his expansive knowledge of all genres of music – and the thousands of artists who performed them – made him the ultimate Shaman of advice for all of those who came searching for “that song, you know, the one that goes …”

Sounds Familiar went its way far too soon, but Jeff continued to provide the same service and help with its smaller but no less important successor, Sounds Better, located in the Hidden Village complex along Restaurant Row. Anyone looking for that impossible-to-find vinyl 45, LP or 8-track invariably found their way into his little musical Nirvana, tucked away near the site of his family’s old Myrtle Beach homestead.

And anyone who had the good fortune and excellent luck to experience any of the South By Southeast shows over the last few years will have an extra special memory to treasure, as Jeff continued to help bring excellence in music to us all along the Grand Strand, right up until this past Monday, January 11, 2010, when God couldn’t find his favorite Stevie Ray Vaughn album and called on the best on earth to help him out. Or, maybe He just wanted to show up Hendrix in the weekly Trivial Pursuit game.

So, farewell, old friend. And thank you for filling the best years of my life with the best damn soundtrack known to any man. But take solace in knowing that for us mere mortals, your spirit will live in glorious stereo every time a song – that you turned us on to – drops on the ol’ trusty turntable. That song, you know, the one that goes …
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Services will be conducted by McMillan and Small Funeral Home, 67th Avenue North & 17 Bypass. Visitation Thursday evening 6-8. Funeral service Friday at 2pm in the Chapel.
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This article was also published in Alternatives NewsMagazine, Nightlife & Entertainment Page 23, January 14 – 28, 2010; as well as online at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com.

The Last Christmas Tree

By Brian M. Howle

Writer’s Note: Today – December 14, 2009 – marks five years since the reason for this column took place. Whomever it was who coined the phrase, “Time heals all wounds,” is completely full of shit. Some wounds just get bigger. But the overall message of this particular story remains just as strong, and in fact, is even more pertinent today. I implore everyone reading this to follow the advice at the end.

The one thing that remains constant and universal about a person throughout their life is the memories of Christmas and the entire holiday season. Unless you weren’t born and raised in a country that celebrates Christmas, of course. Thing is, with each passing year, we are being drawn closer and closer to living in a country that doesn’t.

And if that does ever come to pass – and don’t be so surprised if and when it does – you will still have the means to buck the system and keep right on enjoying everything about Christmas. Despite what has been deemed socially or politically incorrect, all of those wonderful, palpable, cherished memories will live on within the most private recesses of your mind.

So before the Thought Police start cracking down on Christmas even harder, I would like to share a few of my Christmas memories with you.

For some, I guess all those twinkling, flashing colored lights automatically become the cornerstone for earliest recollections of the holidays. For others, it could be the brightly festooned packages, with miles and miles of shiny ribbons and bows.

But for me, it always comes back to the silent sentinel of Christmas that stood watch over our home, our family, and (most importantly) our gifts and presents from Santa Claus within the warm, safe confines of our living room – the Christmas tree.

As I’ve stated many times before, my father owned the Piggly Wiggly in my little hometown of Andrews, S.C.. And though there were these ancillary hints and clues that Christmas was soon to be on the horizon – what, with Thanksgiving parades and the official start to the shopping season immediately thereafter. But for me, the seminal moment for signaling the advent of Christmas was when the big truck backed up to the front of the store. Not in the back, where every other item in the store was unloaded in a loud, frenzied, chaotically choreographed line of workers and steel-wheeled ramps that expedited cases of beans and the like.

No, the only truck that unloaded at the front of the store only came from the distant mountains of North Carolina, and it’s cargo was bushy, sticky and unmistakably aromatic.

The Christmas tree truck.

Once those sap-ladened, needle-dropping bad boys were leaning against the width of the store’s windowed facade, then – and only then – officially, Christmas was on!

Now, I have no idea what my family did before I came into the world, as far as picking out the tree was concerned. I’m sure they struggled in their sweet but incompetent way, bless their leetle hearts.

But once I was around, here’s how it went down: Daddy would come home during his lunch break and pick me up in his blue Ford pickup truck (the official Piggly Wiggly delivery truck could only be a Ford, just so you know) and delight in watching me try to look over the big steel dashboard, straining on tip toes to get that first rush of spotting the trees lined up out front. And he had his hands full, trying to bring the truck to a stop and keeping one hand tightly gripped on me to keep me from bolting out of a still-moving vehicle.

And then the banzai attack was on. I flung myself onto the waiting arms of thousands of sticky, pointy branches of wonderfully scent-laden needles, trying to avoid the big clumps of oozing sap that invariably lay hidden underneath. I rustled every limb, holding every one at arm’s length in order to access the merits or faults of each tree.

Oh, the inspection was grueling and unforgiving. My developing leetle artistic brain demanded perfection in symmetry, with a full-bodied balance in the front, back and sides. Gaping holes or snapped branches? On my tree? Perish the thought.

And more times than not, I had this knack of settling on the one tree out of hundreds with the deformed trunk, where the infant tree’s beginnings in life were altered and maimed by some unknown event that twisted and thickened the base into a quasi-Quasimodo appearance. It then became daddy’s job to hacksaw the blemish off so that it would fit down snugly into the solid steel tree stand with the little water reservoir bowl.

After obtaining my considered approval, the tree was hoisted up into the faithful delivery truck, and daddy let me in the back so I could ensure that rascal didn’t try one last attempt at escaping my determined leetle clutches. Cold December wind in my face, I wrestled to keep the beast from escaping during the entire 4 block sojourn to our house.

Once home, the tree was placed in the aforementioned stand out on the patio, where it was watered and allowed to “breathe” overnight, and the magical transformation was complete. What was once a drooping, disheveled heap of evergreen needles had metamorphized into a full, thick, massive tree. Standing strong and tall, it was then brought inside and placed in the obligatory corner of the living room.

Enter mama.

Yes, selecting the tree was my forte. But decorating it was hers.

And though I didn’t realize it at the time, it was one of the few things that induced bonding between us. Perhaps it was her way of grooming me for my task in adulthood, when I would have my own Christmas tree to adorn. But she took great pains to show me how to arrange decorations and lights in a symmetrical, balanced manner, standing back and studying her work before swooping back in for a critical adjustment or repositioning of a light.

It’s funny, the irony of it all, now that I reflect on it. My mother and I fought like cats and dogs for the majority of my childhood and adolescence, and wasn’t pretty. There were times when each of us wanted the annihilation of the other, no doubt about it. And to be honest, I think that most of the time it was probably due to my then-undiagnosed hyperactivity (back then, instead of a fancy name for behavioral disorders like HD/ADD, they would just call you “spayshul”), with me badgering my mother non-stop about whatever my question of the moment was.

Problem was, I had a zillion questions every minute of every day.

But when it came to decorating the Christmas tree, mama somehow transformed into a patient, doting parent, and answered each question with untypical patience.

And together, we would step back when all the boxes of lights and ornaments and candy canes were empty; after the last few handfuls of aluminum “icecicles” were tossed over the finished project like shimmering strands of silver snow and ice, just so – and bask in the self-satisfying admiration of our mutual handiwork.

And as with families all over the nation and the world, just like yours, we not only celebrated our faith, but our family as well. The deepest, strongest, most emotional and total sensory recall-producing memories are furrowed even stronger within our gray matter when we link family to Christmas.

The years passed by, and each successive holiday saw the commotion over the tree diminish, especially as each of the three children found their wings and flew the ol’ nest on South Farr Avenue.

And, being the youngest, I saw the tree diminish in size – but not always for lack of enthusiasm. Once the advent of the artificial tree took root, so to speak, in the Howle household, my job as official finder became obsolete.

This turned out to be very prophetic and practical for me, as I have chosen a career where software upgrades, planned obsoletion of hardware and a throw-away mentality towards the experienced adult worker have combined to draw our extinction ever nearer than it seems. Which, to me, is ominously imminent.

But before my title was dust, my parents began to struggle with the physical task of climbing up the 78 degree incline of the attic steps, digging out the boxes from the massive asbestos sanctuaries that resided up there, hauling it back down the grade without breaking anything. Then they would set it up in a corner of the room, after moving furniture to make a place for a tree that would now only host perhaps a dozen presents – primarily for my parents, since we were all now gone, except for me.

As they complained one year, while I trudged the harrowing steps to retrieve the lifeless tree from its hibernation, it occurred to me that because of the arrangement of the limbs to the center “trunk,” you could remove one half of the 360-degree circumference of the tree. Because it was already rather short, would fit on top of a row of low dresser cabinets flush against the wall, affording them even more usable space without having to move half the room around and repeat when Christmas was over.

Hey, I had my moments.

The years rolled on, and Christmas at home in Andrews became less annual for all of us to be together, what with our own families and the like.

So when my parents faced retirement and sold the family home, the tree made the move to their new abode. But it only saw a few more Christmases.

And when my father passed away in August of 2004, we weathered our grief and awaited Christmas without him for the first time in my and my siblings’ lives – and for mama, the first time in 64 years.

We always thought that, if mother passed away first, that daddy would not last a week, because his love for her was stronger than life itself.

How much more irony could be infused by the fact that, after his death, she simply gave up and suffered a heart attack on Thanksgiving day.

On her deathbed in a Sumter nursing home, I visited her in December, the day before she died. On my previous stop, I couldn’t take the barren, sterile hospital walls in her room any longer. I bought her a tiny little Christmas tree, and festooned it with leetle tiny ornaments. It even had lights, just so.

She regained lucidity for a moment, gazed upon the little tree and smiled, squeezing my hand, and then faded back off into semi-consciousness.

Our bond with the tree was our first act of contrition all those years ago, and became the final act when she passed away the next night.

So to all of you on this wonderful holiday season – whether you be Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu and all the others – I wish you all the best of good tidings, love, and peace on earth. And whatever you do, please – put away those petty fights and differences with those you really love.

Because you never know when you’ll share the last Christmas tree.
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This article originally appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine, December 20, 2007.

Corey Smith Once Again Brings In New Year’s Eve At House Of Blues

By Brian M. Howle

Have you ever wandered into a club, bar, dive or stadium to hear some music, not really knowing the artists or their genre of music, and then felt you had discovered something no one else in the entire world has ever heard? Well, if you have, then you already know. If you haven’t, this might be your chance to come on over. The skinny on the street is that the next big thing out there goes by the name of Corey Smith, and he’ll be bringing in the new year – again – along the South Carolina coast with opening act American Aquarium, performing at House of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Thursday, December 31, 2009.

This is an artist who can truly call himself the people’s choice, because the entire basis of his popularity is, well, his popularity. Just like the old skool network of college dorms across the land spreading the word about the cutting edge music of the day, Corey Smith has benefited from the advent of the Internet. His fan base is simply staggering in numbers, and it continues to grow exponentially with each passing day.

Here’s a little background, courtesy of his website:

“I think it’s a little of everything,’ says Smith in describing his innovative style. ‘We don’t live in cultural bubbles anymore. We’re all exposed to many different types of music through TV, radio, and now especially the internet. I like to think my songs reflect the variety of musical styles that have impacted my life in Georgia. Gospel, country, blues, rock, hip-hop – strands of all these are there.” That diversity is especially evident on his newest project, Hard-Headed Fool.

Smith grew up in Jefferson, Georgia, soaking up an array of music from George Jones to Lynyrd Skynyrd to Nirvana to Tupac. “I graduated from high school with about 50 or 60 people. It was a fairly small community, but the kids came from a lot of different backgrounds,” says Smith, who currently lives about a quarter mile from his childhood home. “One of the cool things about Jefferson is that its so close to Athens. We’d hang out there on the weekends. Its a very eclectic college town, almost like taking a little cross-section of a major city and just putting it right there in the middle of rural Georgia. People from all over the world come to school there. Sure we lived out in the country, but when we partied on the weekends, we went to this place that was almost cosmopolitan. That really had a big impact on me.”

The lure of the ‘classic city’ proved too much for Smith to resist, and after a few years bouncing around smaller colleges, he headed back to Athens to attend the University of Georgia.

While working towards a degree in Social Studies Education, Smith spent much of his spare time improving his songwriting skills and testing out new tunes for friends at the all-too-frequent keg parties taking place at their apartments. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 2001, Smith took a job teaching Social Studies at North Gwinnett High School in the northern suburbs of Atlanta and soon thereafter, married his college sweetheart Shannon. With a demanding teaching career and domestic responsibilities, Smith found it harder to find time for writing.

On impulse, he entered a songwriting competition and won the chance to record his first album, Undertones.

Undertones birthed the college anthem “Twenty-One” – a nostalgic tune which tells the story of a young man’s desire first to know, and then to sustain, the carefree lifestyle associated with young adulthood. One of the most requested tracks online and at live shows, “Twenty-One” evokes full-blown sing-a-longs accompanied by fans waving in time with the acoustic melody. “I’m Not Gonna’ Cry”, originally written as a gift for graduates of Dawson County High School in Dawsonville, Georgia, has struck a soft-spot with high school students across the country. The song has garnered immense popularity through the internet. In 2007, over 200 schools chose the single as their graduation anthem, many even reciting the lyrics as they turned their tassels to signify the milestone.

Encouraged by the reception he was getting, Smith wrote and recorded his sophomore set, In the Mood, in 2004. The birth of his first son, Aden Ryan, marked a turning point in Smith’s personal and professional life that is clearly evident in his 2005 release, The Good Life. Although popular tracks such as “If I Could Do It Again” and “Carolina” contain the nostalgic, booze-laden imagery characteristic of much of Smith’s writing, the album as a whole resonates with a familial pride and sense of fulfillment that is refreshingly new.

“I have such a personal, intimate relationship with the songs,” he says of his music. ‘As I’ve matured, the songs have matured. People ask me Mat my favorite song is and every time my answer is, ‘The most recent song I’ve written.’ I feel like with every song I’m a little bit closer to explaining who I am!

The songs on his album, Hard-Headed Fool, showcase a confident young artist in full command of his gift. The title track is about a man coming to terms with his choices in life. “It’s about learning from my mistakes, growing up, and becoming an adult,” says the man who has led many a rowdy crowd partying in the bars of North Georgia, but has struggled to tame his own wild streak. And in the process, he has become a rising star.

Yep, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of discovering a great artist, and now it’s your time to get that feeling – hey, it’s become an annual event around here, kids – at House of Blues at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, SC, as Corey Smith and opening act American Aquarium treat folks to a special night of music this New Year’s Eve, on Thursday, December 31, 2009. Doors open 8:30 p.m. For ticket info call 843-272-3000 or Ticketmaster 843-679-9333; or visit www.hob.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
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This article also appears in Alternatives NewsMagazine, Dec. 17, 2009 – January 14, 2010.

Jeffrey Allen Edwards Takes Queen City Music Award For 2009 Country Male Artist

By Brian M. Howle

Local songwriter/singer/musician/producer Jeffrey Allen Edwards of Myrtle Beach has taken another step up the music industry ladder by taking the prestigious Queen City Music Award for 2009 Country Male Artist on December 12, 2009 in Charlotte, NC.

His high energy shows, unmistakable voice, down to earth lyrics, and God-given talents shine when he is on stage and this has earned another nomination for Country Male Artist of The Year for The 2009 Carolina Music Awards in Raleigh NC.

Born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, Jeff moved to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at age 16 and began writing songs. Before he was 21 he was already playing and singing at campfires, in living rooms, porches, anywhere anyone would listen. As time went on Jeff said “I slowly started to sing my songs and noticed people really wanted to hear them.” He started playing at bars, parties, or playing from tail gate to tail gate and slowly started to build up the courage he needed to sing in front of big crowds. Jeff said “It didn’t take long for people to see that I was starting to take things serious when I formed a southern rock band (Three Legged Dawg)”. He was playing his original songs throughout the shows. Most of his time was spent on stage performing his own songs long after the regular band was through. He cut most of his teeth playing at 3 & 4 in the morning at a place called Charlie’s Night Life. Eventually, Charlie let Jeff sit in with the band and things took off from there. Jeff later joined Southern Blue and spent several years playing many venues before going out on his own with his own band.

Edwards finally took his songs to the studio and with the help of producers Mike Rogers and Perry Richardson of the multi platinum group Firehouse, produced the Son of the South CD. Jeff wrote the lyrics and music to all the songs on the Son of the South CD. He not only wrote the lyrics, but also arranged the music, and co-produced all 16 songs on the Son Of The South CD and all the songs on all of his sites. Currently he is working in Sound Hole Studio on his new CD – Got Country. The first single demo is on the site now with the CD to be released in 2010.

Jeff has opened for Hank Williams, Jr., Lynyrd Skynyrd, Leann Rimes, David Allen Coe, .38 Special, Rhett Akins, Lonestar, Blake Shelton, Colt Ford, The Little River Band, Keith Anderson ,Tracy Byrd, Billy Joe Royal, Brantley Gilbert, The Kentucky Head Hunters, Molly Hatchet, Ronnie McDowell, Confederate Railroad, Matt Stillwell, DB Bryant Band, Mustang Sally, Black Label and has headlined many events throughout the South.

Edwards has sparked the interest of several record labels in Nashville with his original songs and has played a dozen shows at the world famous Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge in Nashville Tennessee over the past several years (as well as Rippy’s); 10 shows at House Of Blues; 6 shows at The Carolina Entertainment Complex-Marion SC, and shows at Jimmy Buffets’ Margaritaville, and Easy Ryder Café in Myrtle Beach, SC. He has also been a guest on several radio shows in South Carolina and also in Tennessee.

His Myspace site http://www.myspace.com/jeffreyallenedwards has well over 2,100,000 plays and over 1,850,000 profile views and boast over 26,000 friends.

We congratulate Jeff on his latest kudos, and advise you all to keep an eye – and ear – on this local talent as he continues his steady rise to stardom in the country music field.
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This article also appears in Alternatives NewsMagazine, Dec. 17, 2009 – Jan. 14, 2010 and under “Nightlife & Entertainment” at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com

Sevendust, New Era Project Smoke House Of Blues On December 5

By Brian M. Howle

Well, kids, if you’re been a loyal reader and you’ve been paying attention as well, you already know that I strongly contend some of the finest bands known to man have – time after time – originated in that musical hotbed for the Southeast, known to one and all as Atlanta (or more correctly in the local vernacular, Hot’lanta.)

And, doggone it, our peachy neighbors to the south have gone and done it again – well, since 1992 – and now we’re all the better for it. Those in the know have seen them here before and know not to miss this one, as Sevendust – with opening act New Era Project – comes to House Of Blues in North Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, December 5, 2009.

Here’s what all the collective folks at Wikipedia say about this very talented band:

Sevendust is an American metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. They were originally signed to TVT Records, but then released their fifth album with Winedark Records (through Universal Music) in the US, and Roadrunner Records overseas. Currently, they are signed to their own label 7 Bros. Records in conjunction with Asylum Records.

The band formed in late 1992 under the name “Tomorrow’s Pain” then switched to “Rumblefish” then to “Crawlspace”, but later were forced to change their name to Sevendust when a group from the West Coast claimed rights to Crawlspace. The band was heavily influenced by Metallica, Faith No More, King’s X and Living Colour.

Sevendust released their first album Sevendust on April 15, 1997, known for its heavy riffs, angry vocals and thrash-like drumming, as the songs “Black” and “Bitch”. “Black” was the opening song for nearly every Sevendust concert until 2004. The debut album also contains the song “My Ruin” from the Mortal Kombat soundtrack album entitled More Kombat released by TVT Records. After they appeared at Ozzfest 1998 and Dynamo Open Air the same year, their self-titled album went gold.

On August 24, 1999, they released their second album, Home. The album peaked at 19 on the Billboard 200 and featured Skin from Skunk Anansie and Chino Moreno from Deftones as guest vocalists. The two singles from the album, “Denial” and “Waffle”, gave the band moderate chart success, and the latter of which was played on the Late Night with Conan O’Brien show . They appeared in Woodstock 1999 and have toured with many bands such as Korn, Staind, Nonpoint Reveille, Godsmack, Mudvayne, Powerman 5000, Creed, Kid Rock, Machine Head, Limp Bizkit, Disturbed, and Metallica. In 1999, they gained European exposure by opening for Skunk Anansie at various shows in Germany. They also joined Slipknot, Coal Chamber and other bands on a tour called “Tattoo The Earth Tour” in June 2000.

In November 2001, the band released their third album, Animosity. This album went gold and gained the band commercial success thanks to the success of singles “Praise” and “Angel’s Son”, which peaked at 15 and 11 on the Modern Rock Chart. The band also made an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman playing an Acoustic Version of Angel’s Son featuring Paul Shaffer on Keyboards. In the same year they are also seen in the Chris Rock movie Down to Earth as a partial clip of “Waffle” is played. Sevendust went on hiatus in 2002 due to the death of Lajon’s brother.

In 2003, Sevendust returned with their fourth album, Seasons. This was one of the band’s best received albums and to-date features their highest charting single (tied with “Driven”), “Enemy”, which peaked at #10 on the Mainstream Rock Chart. “Enemy” was also used as the official theme song for WWE Unforgiven 2003. Other singles released from the album, “Broken Down” and “Face to Face”, met with more moderate success charting at 20 and 22 respectively.

In 2004, for the first time in the band’s career, they released a live album on a CD/DVD double disk package titled Southside Double-Wide: Acoustic Live. Both the CD and the DVD include a cover of “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails which is dedicated to Johnny Cash.

On December 11, 2004, after playing a show in Columbus, Ohio, it was announced that Clint Lowery had left the band mid-tour, because he wanted to play with his brother Corey Lowery in his new band Dark New Day, who had reportedly just signed with Warner Bros. Records. A temporary replacement was found to fill in for the rest of the dates, and was eventually replaced by Sonny Mayo (from Snot and Amen). At roughly the same time, Sevendust and TVT Records parted ways. Seasons has since been certified multi-platinum.

On October 11, 2005, Sevendust joined forces with good friend Producer/Engineer Shawn Grove and released their fifth studio album, Next, on the Winedark Records label, distributed by Universal Music. In the process, Sevendust also created their own record label, 7Bros Records. The first radio single off Next was the track “Ugly”, released to radio August 9, 2005 followed by the music video. The track “Pieces” appeared on the soundtrack for the film Saw II. Next debuted at #20 in the US, selling around 37,000 copies in its first week. Not much longer after the release of Next, Sevendust’s former label TVT Records released a greatest hits package for Sevendust, titled Best of (Chapter One 1997-2004), the label’s final Sevendust release. Also, an unofficial video for “Hero” was released showing footage of Bruce Lee in many of his famous film roles.

Sevendust (with Shawn Grove again serving as Producer/Engineer), released their sixth full-length studio album, entitled Alpha, on March 6, 2007. The album debuted at #14 in the US, the band’s highest chart position yet, selling over 42,000 copies of the album in its first week of sale. The band also headlined a 57-date tour from February 8, 2007 to April 28, 2007. Boston heavy metal band Diecast, supergroup Invitro, and modern rock Red accompanied Sevendust on that tour. Retrospective 2, a CD/DVD combo including two previously un-released studio tracks, live concert footage never before seen, as well as the new music videos for the songs “Beg To Differ”, “Ugly”, “Pieces”, and “Driven”, was released on December 11, 2007. The song “The Rim” was released on the Alpha CD but only sold in Target retails stores as exclusive 13th track on the Alpha CD. Their songs “Feed” and “Driven” were used in the soundtrack to WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008.

Sevendust joined Shawn Grove again, and returned to the studio at the end of November 2007 to finish their 7th studio album, titled Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow. The record was originally slated for a release of March 4, 2008, but was later pushed back to April 1. The album debuted at #19 on the Billboard 200 and has appearances from Chris Daughtry and Alter Bridge members Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti. The first single released was “Prodigal Son” which peaked at #19 on the mainstream rock chart. The second single was “The Past” and the third “Inside”.

On March 26, 2008, Sevendust announced that Clint Lowery, former guitarist and vocalist for the band, has quit his duties as guitarist for Dark New Day and will be returning to the Sevendust lineup in place of Sonny Mayo. On Lowery’s return, Morgan Rose stated “This was extremely tough considering Sonny is our brother and has been amazing to work with. [Sonny] didn’t do anything wrong at all; we just owe it to ourselves and all the folks that grew up with us to put our original band back together.”

In December 2008 Sevendust toured with Black Stone Cherry for a while and then in January 2009, Sevendust geared up to hit the road with Disturbed, as well as multiple shows for US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan in the spring. According to Morgan Rose, the band has finished writing their 8th studio album and will enter the studio for 2 months in October to record it. They are aiming for an early 2010 release. They recently chose Johnny K as the producer for the upcoming album.

Sevendust released a very limited-edition box set in November 2008 entitled “Packaged Goods”. Each five-disc set is personally autographed by the entire band. The box set includes Sevendust’s 2005 release “Next”, 2007’s “Alpha”, 2007’s “Retrospective 2” (CD + DVD), and 2008’s “Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow”.

As of October 2009, Sevendust are recording a new album in Chicago with producer Johnny K.

Recently Sevendust launched a newly designed website with the same address, promoting the new album they are currently recording in Chicago. The band are currently posting videos daily on their official site and their YouTube channel, with updates on the new album, recording in the studio and also videos of them in the new “house” they are recording from. Stepping out of the box, from regular recording sessions they are showing the fans how the album process is done, and every step in the intricate process.

So far, various tracking has been performed by all members of the band, each working on various songs. It was announced that Corey Lowrey (ex-Stereomud, currently in Violent Plan) has also entered the recording process and will be assisting the band for a brief period.

The current lineup for Sevendust is: Lajon Witherspoon – Lead Vocals (1992-Present); John Connolly – Guitar, Backing Vocals (1992-Present); Clint Lowery – Guitar, Backing Vocals (1992-2004, 2008-present); Vincent Hornsby – Bass (1992-Present), and; Morgan Rose – Drums, Backing Vocals (1992-Present).

Hey, they’re not just for gettin’ rid of fleas anymore (give yourself lots and lots of extree points if you know this one) as Sevendust – with supporting act New Era Project – burn down that storied stage at House Of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, December 5, 2009. Doors open 7:00pm. For ticket info call 843-272-3000 or Ticketmaster 843-679-9333; or visit www.houseofblues.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
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This article also appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine, November 22 – December 5, 2009, at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com .

Megadeth Brings Their Endgame Tour – And Friends – To HOB November 28

By Brian M. Howle

Every heavy metal musician strives for one thing from the first time they hear that first intoxicating, addictive chord, measure, or lyric – to be in a band that breaks through the unmerciful world of music oblivion and then zooms to world-wide adulation and insane quadruple-Platinum sales. So just imagine that you’ve paid a lot of dues, honed your skills and hooked up with such a group – and then just as they teeter on the threshold of superstardom and a seminal debut album – you get fired and sent home on a Greyhound bus – cross country. Alone. What would you do?

Well, if you were Dave Mustaine, you’d just go out and form your own legendary, iconic heavy-metal thrash band, and you’d name it Megadeth. Which is an amazing coinky dink, because Megadeth – with opening acts Machine Head, Suicide Silence and Arcanium – comes to House Of Blues in North Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, November 28, 2009.

Here’s a little info on the band and their latest release, for which they are touring in support of for this visit:

Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1983. Founded by Dave Mustaine following his departure from Metallica, the band has since released twelve studio albums, six live albums, two EPs, twenty six singles, thirty-two music videos, and three compilations.

As a pioneer of the American thrash metal movement, Megadeth rose to international fame in the 1980s, but experienced numerous line-up changes, due partly to the band’s notorious substance abuse problems. From 1983 to 2002, Mustaine and bassist Dave Ellefson were the only continuous members of the band. After finding sobriety and securing a stable line-up, Megadeth went on to release a string of platinum and gold albums, including the platinum-selling landmark Rust in Peace in 1990 and the Grammy nominated, multi-platinum Countdown to Extinction in 1992. Megadeth disbanded in 2002 after Mustaine suffered a severe nerve injury to his left arm. However, following extensive physical therapy, Mustaine reformed the band in 2004 and released The System Has Failed, followed by United Abominations in 2007; the albums debuted on the Billboard Top 200 chart at #18 and #8, respectively.

Megadeth is known for a distinctive guitar style, often involving complex, intricate musical passages, and trade off guitar solos. Mustaine is also known for his original “snarling” vocal style, as well as his recurring lyrical themes, often involving politics, war, addiction, and personal relationships.

Megadeth has had some commercial success worldwide and has sold more than 20 million albums, with six consecutive albums being certified platinum in the USA. The band has also received great critical acclaim with seven consecutive Grammy nominations for Best Metal Performance. In the band’s 24 active years, Megadeth has had 20 official members, with Dave Mustaine remaining as the driving force, main songwriter, and sole original member following the end of his musical partnership with David Ellefson in 2002, due to personal disagreements. In the mid-late 1980s, Megadeth were one of the “Big Four of Thrash,” along with Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, who were responsible for creating, developing and popularizing the thrash metal sub-genre.

As Megadeth’s primary lyricist, Mustaine is known for his often controversial, political, and more recently, personal lyrics. War and nuclear war are common topics, including the military-industrial complex (“Architecture of Aggression”, “Hangar 18”, “Return to Hangar” “Take No Prisoners”), and the aftermath of war (“Dawn Patrol” “Ashes In Your Mouth”). The name Megadeth is a deliberate misspelling of the word megadeath, a term coined in 1953 by RAND military strategist Herman Kahn to describe one million deaths, popularized in his 1960 book On Thermonuclear War. Politics are also a common theme to many Megadeth songs, such as Mustaine’s scathing assessment of Tipper Gore, the PMRC, and music censorship in the song “Hook In Mouth”. Mustaine takes an environmentalist stance in “Countdown to Extinction” and “Dawn Patrol”, and shuns dictators in songs like “Warhorse”, and “Symphony of Destruction”. The UN is criticized for its ineffectiveness in “United Abominations”. Mustaine’s general cynicism regarding politics shines through on tracks like “Peace Sells”, “The World Needs A Hero” and “Blackmail the Universe”.

Controversial and misunderstood lyrics have also caused problems for the band, as the music video for “In My Darkest Hour” was banned from MTV in 1988 when the music channel deemed the song to be pro-suicide. The music video for “À Tout le Monde” was later banned by MTV, again wrongly interpreted as being pro- suicide, when in fact it was written from the perspective of a dying man, saying his last words to his loved ones

Addiction is also a common theme, as in “Use the Man”, “Burnt Ice”, and “Addicted to Chaos”, about a former substance abuse counselor who died of a drug overdose. Recently, some lyrics have taken on religious themes, such as “Never Walk Alone… A Call to Arms”, which supposedly is about Mustaine’s relationship with God, and “Shadow of Deth”, with spoken lyrics taken directly from Psalm 23 of the King James Bible.

Dave Mustaine is notorious for making inflammatory statements in the press, usually regarding feuds and problems with former bandmates and other bands, including Slayer and Metallica. Perhaps most well known is his long standing feud with Metallica members James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, stemming from his ejection from the band, and the method in which it was conducted, as well as disagreements on songwriting credits.

In April 1988, at a concert in Antrim, Northern Ireland, Mustaine “unknowingly” dedicated the final song to the IRA. Before the final song, “Anarchy in the UK”, Mustaine said, “This one’s for The Cause!”. A fight amongst the audience ensued, as Protestants took offense and, according to Mustaine, the band had to travel in a “bulletproof bus” for the remainder of the tour of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Mustaine later alleged that he had been misled as to the meaning of the expression “the cause” by T-Shirt bootleggers outside the venue where they were performing. This incident served as inspiration for one of Megadeth’s most well-known songs, “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due”.

Also sparking minor controversy was Mustaine’s announcement that Megadeth will not play certain songs live anymore, due to Mustaine’s new identification as a Christian. In recent years Dave Mustaine has become a Born again Christian. In May 2005 Mustaine also allegedly threatened to cancel shows in Greece and Israel with extreme metal bands Rotting Christ and Dissection, due to the bands’ perceived anti-Christian beliefs, which in turn caused the two bands to cancel their appearances.

With over 25 million albums sold worldwide, ten top 40 albums (including 5 top 10 albums), 18 top 40 Mainstream Rock singles, and seven Grammy nominations, Megadeth remains one of the most successful heavy metal bands of all time. Of the “Big Four” thrash metal bands (Megadeth, Metallica, Anthrax, and Slayer), Megadeth is second only to Metallica in sales and commercial success.

As an early pioneer of thrash metal, Megadeth helped pave the way for the burgeoning extreme metal movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and is often cited as an influence by later metal acts, including Pantera, Arch Enemy, Lamb of God, and In Flames.

Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying? is considered a landmark in the history of thrash metal, with Allmusic calling the album “One of the most influential metal albums of its decade, and certainly one of the few truly definitive thrash albums,” as well as “one of the best beginning-to-end metal albums ever”. In May 2006 VH1 ranked “Peace Sells” #11 on the 40 Greatest Metal Songs of all time countdown. In addition to this, Rust In Peace was named the 3rd greatest thrash metal album of all time by Metal Hammer magazine. Peace Sells…But Who’s buying? was placed 11th. In 2004, Guitar World magazine ranked Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman together at #19 on the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time.

The current lineup for Megadeth is: Dave Mustaine – lead vocals, guitar (1983–present); Chris Broderick – guitar, backing vocals (2008–present); James Lomenzo – bass guitar, backing vocals (2006–present); and, Shawn Drover – drums, percussion (2004–present)

Endgame is the twelfth studio album by Megadeth. Released on September 9, 2009, it is the first album featuring guitarist Chris Broderick following Glen Drover’s departure in 2008.

The first preview of any song off Endgame was a six-minute video featuring the band’s English producer Andy Sneap describing the process of mixing the new Megadeth track “Head Crusher” at his studio in Derbyshire, England. In the video, Sneap says, “It’s certainly old-school Megadeth — that’s what I like.” Endgame was recorded at the band’s own personal studio, aptly named Vic’s Garage, in San Marcos, California USA.

Endgame received highly positive reviews and was thought of continuing the success from the band’s 2007 album United Abominations. Chad Bowar, About.com reviewer, stated, “Megadeth is still at the top of their game. Endgame has some old-school moments, but also modern ones. 2007’s United Abominations garnered a lot of critical praise and was on many year-end best of lists that year… Endgame is even better.” Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic stated, “…and company’s second release for Roadrunner, Endgame, whose title apparently refers to “coming full circle” rather than any sort of goodbye, and finds the latest iteration of Megadeth — debuting new guitarist Chris Broderick (ex-Nevermore, Jag Panzer) — working primarily within their technical thrash comfort zone (think Peace Sells through Rust in Peace), with only a few latter-day elements and rare experimental diversions.”

Endgame debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200, selling 45,000 copies in the United States and 8,200 copies in Canada in its first week of release. The album also placed as #1 on the Hard Rock Albums chart and #2 on the Rock Albums chart. Musician Slash gave a favorable review to Endgame via twitter. Hey, what better endorsement do you want, huh?

So prepare to slosh that leetle gray matter mass around your noggin’ as Megadeth – with supporting acts Machine Head, Suicide Silence and Arcanium (no pushing, now, plenty of angry angst for all the kids!) – refine head banging at House Of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, November 28, 2009. Doors open 6:00pm. For ticket info call 843-272-3000 or Ticketmaster 843-679-9333; or visit www.houseofblues.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
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This article also appears at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com under “Nightlife & Entertainment” in the Nov. 5, 2009 issue. was originally published at: http://bhowle.wordpress.com.

Train Rocks The Tracks To House Of Blues November 14

By Brian M. Howle

When a rock band takes its collective first steps in the world of recording and releases, it’s a tentative time at best for most who attempt to walk the line to stardom. The hard, cold fact is that more hit the express track to obscurity rather than basking in the glory of success and acceptance. But more often than not, when the public gives the “thumbs up” and embraces a newcomer, the rise can be equally opposite in the sense of meteoric arrival … and a good name can really make that express track work for them (in a double entendre sort of way).

So the 15-year sojourn of one of San Francisco’s favorite bunch of sons will be on stage for all to enjoy, as Train – with opening act Uncle Kracker – comes to House Of Blues in North Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, October 17, 2009.

Here’s the recap on their career, culled from their website and Wikipedia:

Train started out in San Francisco, and 1997 they were touring nationally, opening concerts for groups such as Barenaked Ladies and Counting Crows. The original band members – Patrick Monahan (lead vocals), Rob Hotchkiss (guitar, vocals), Scott Underwood (drums), Jimmy Stafford (guitar), and Charlie Colin (bass) – financed their self-titled debut, which cost them a total of $25,000 to produce. Columbia Records agreed to sign Train under Aware Records after hearing their first album. Their song “Free” saw significant airplay on mainstream rock radio, later being featured in the TV show Party of Five. Train then released the song “Meet Virginia” as a single. The song became a major hit on modern adult contemporary radio stations, and became a top 20 pop hit. The success of “Meet Virginia” helped their album graduate from the Top Heatseekers chart and enter the top half of the Billboard 200 album chart.

Prior to the release of their second album, the band issued the single “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)”. The song entered the Hot 100 on March 10, 2001, and spent over a year on the chart (53 weeks) before being relegated to the recurrents chart. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement.

The album Drops of Jupiter was released on March 27, 2001, and became Train’s first multiplatinum album, due in part to the strength of the leading single. The album was Train’s first top 10 album, peaking at number 6 on the Billboard 200. The album was also a top 10 hit in the UK, where it peaked at number 8.

In 2002, founder Rob Hotchkiss left the band to pursue a solo career, after having contributed to 6 of the 11 songs on the upcoming My Private Nation album.

The band’s third album, My Private Nation, was released in June 2003 with “Calling All Angels” as the lead single. “Calling All Angels” became Train’s third top 20 hit, and was a major hit on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.

The band released their first live album, Alive at Last, in 2004. Also in 2004, Train won a Radio Music Award for best artist.

Train began recording their fourth studio album, For Me, It’s You, in Atlanta during the summer of 2005. The album was the only Train album to include members Johnny Colt on bass (formerly of The Black Crowes original line up) and Brandon Bush on keyboards.

Starting in November 2006, the band took a break from recording and touring to be with friends and family. Lead singer Pat Monahan released a solo album, Last of Seven, on September 18, 2007. Train announced in April of 2009 that the band would be returning to its three original members with the departure of Johnny Colt and Brandon Bush. On August 11, 2009, Train released their first single in over 3 years, “Hey Soul Sister,” from their new album Save Me San Francisco, due to hit shelves October 27.

Over the course of 15 years, Train has made its mark on music history with their Grammy-Award-winning song “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” and chart-topping singles “Meet Virginia” and “Calling All Angels.” Since forming in San Francisco in 1994, the multi-platinum selling band has traveled a long, successful and sometimes arduous journey. Following their 2006 release, For Me, It’s You, the band took a three-year hiatus, and in that time, Train has, for all intents and purposes, experienced an epiphany as a whole. Now, with their fifth album, Save Me San Francisco, Train has channeled their early days, revisiting the roots rock sound that has made the band such a tour de force – and, in turn, the band is united stronger than ever before.

“I think taking time away from each other really made the heart grow fonder,” frontman Pat Monahan says of the break. “We realized how important we were to one another and taking a few years off helped us all really look at ourselves and what we could contribute to this band as opposed to what we weren’t getting from the band.”

When looking back, Train credits the city of San Francisco with cultivating the band’s identity and foundation, so it’s no wonder than the title track of the record would pay homage to the Bay Area metropolis the band holds so dear. “We owe all of our gratitude to San Francisco because they embraced us back when, if they hadn’t have, no one would have,” Monahan explains. “Basically, this album is our way of paying tribute, giving thanks and also recognizing that we kind of need San Francisco to OK this band before anybody else does. Those were the best times of our lives – even though we didn’t know it – living in San Francisco and struggling to make a band work.”

“Save Me San Francisco” is an autobiographical account of Train’s beginnings, and embodies not only the spirit of the album, but also the soul of Train as a band. The song’s lyrics take the listener through the three-piece’s humble start in the mid-90s up through the time when Monahan, in particular, left the City by the Bay. “It’s very related to my existence, but Jimmy, Scott and I have been through a lot together in the last 14-15 years, so it represents a lot to them, too, because they don’t reside in San Francisco anymore, and we all miss it.”

Train spent April and May of 2009 holed up in London’s Kensaltown Studios with producer Martin Terefe (KT Tunstall, Jason Mraz, James Morrison) with whom Monahan credits with helping the band “get back to the roots of the first record.” “It was an incredibly refreshing environment that Martin created for the band,” the singer says. “I’m really appreciative of his approach on things because he’s really great at what he does. I had more fun making this record than ever in my life. I think I’ve made seven records and it was by far the most fun.”

Save Me San Francisco taps into Train’s organic sound, recalling the blues and folk-infused rock that put the band on the map from the start. “It’s pretty basic,” Monahan explains of the record. “But really cool because there’s super catchy riffs and melodies in it, which I think are way more important that any production trick or great-sounding vocal production. It’s kind of us going backward so we can go forward.”

It is befitting that the focus of Save Me San Francisco is as uncomplicated as the record sounds. Monahan explored the age-old concept of love through his signature storytelling lyrics and the album, as he explains, is “about love in every way you can think about it.”

“There are certain songs that, instead of there being an intention, there was almost a theme,” he says. “I think a lot of the way I wrote on this wasn’t necessarily, ‘Hey, this reminds me of a situation I was in,’ but more how I see certain things being lived out in life, whether it’s from myself or someone else’s perspective.”

In this day and age, career artists are few and far between, and after a decade and a half of being a band, Train is ready to present one of their strongest efforts to date. Monahan recognizes the band’s accomplishments, and, as he states so clearly, is more than grateful for the success they have experienced. However, for a band as consummate as Train is, Monahan still sets his goals high and hopes the band’s fans will continue to come along for the ride.

“I still remember what it’s like to paint houses,” he recalls. “I had fun because I loved the people that I worked with, but it’s really not what I want to do – not because it’s a degrading job or anything, but because when I’m on stage I feel so much more connected to who I think I truly am. I just want to stay connected to the highest level myself can be and I think it comes through music. With that said, I’ll never stop wanting to sell out Madison Square Garden, so my goals are very simple, but they’re pretty big at the same time. I think Train fans who have watched the good and the bad, have been a part of all of it and have loved some of the music and not liked some of the music, are really going to like this record a lot — I think, much more than they have in years.”

Personally, I don’t think their fans have anything to worry about – so come on out and see for yourself how they’re doing as Train – with opening act Uncle Kracker (yes, kids, it’s ALL good) – bring their San Francisco-flavored brand of music to House Of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, November 14, 2009. Doors open 7:30pm. For ticket info call 843-272-3000 or Ticketmaster 843-679-9333; or visit www.houseofblues.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
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This article was also published in Alternatives NewsMagazine, October 22, 2009 and is at their website under “Nightlife & Entertainment” at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com.

Guitar Superstar: An Interview with Steve Senes, Guitar Player Magazine’s Guitar Player of 2009

By Brian M. Howle

As we discovered in the last issue, Murrells Inlet’s resident guitar laureate Steve Senes bested nine other of the best guitarists on the planet to take the prestigious Guitar Player Magazine’s “Guitar Superstar: Guitar Player of 2009” title in San Francisco, CA, on Sept. 12, 2009.

Hot off the big win, Steve flew back home and began sorting through the hectic and fruitful week, and began making plans for taking his good fortune to the next level – which, as any guitarist worth his chops will tell you, is to be signed by a major recording label. But before that happens, this very accessible and extremely down-to-earth young man took the time to grant me an interview.

Howle: So, tell me … how did this long, winding musical road begin for Steve Senes?
Senes: Well, it’s because I have the coolest parents in the whole world … they took my sister and me to see KISS in concert back in ‘77 … and that was my very first concert … and that was it, man! I fell in love with the band and music in general, and rock and roll in particular. My folks bought me a little acoustic and I just beat the hell out of it the first day, you know? (Laughs)
So then when I was 9 or 10, I started taking guitar lessons from a guy, but didn’t really stick with it at the time. But when I was about 15, my friend and I were walking thru our neighborhood – him with a bass, me with my acoustic, like we’re badasses, you know? And this guy sees us walking by and says, “Hey, come over here and let me show you how to play that thing!” Turned out he had a Fender amp and Stratocaster … he taught me a bar chord, and then a major scale, and I was off and running. I got my first electric guitar and amp not long after that, and it’s all been downhill from there! (Both laugh) Everyone gets exposed to music in a different way, but I think it was this guy showing me how to play rock & roll.
One of the first songs he taught me was The Cars’ “Just What I Needed”, and that turned out to be sorta prophetically cool because one of the guys from The Cars was one of the judges in the Guitar Superstar contest. So there I am, vying for this title, in front of a guy who recorded the first rock song I ever learned.

Howle: So what was the biggest influence on you, as far as the genre of music that really got your juices flowing?
Senes: When I was about 15, one of my friends turned me on to Alcatrazz’ Live Sentence , which featured Yngwie Malmsteen on guitar while we were setting up to play at a party. (For you neophytes: In 2007, Malmsteen was honored in the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II. Players can receive the “Yngwie Malmsteen” award by hitting 1000 or more notes in succession). I listened to that and thought, “Man, how the hell do you get a guitar to sound like that?”, and I focused from that point on, on teaching myself how to play in that vein. I played until my fingers were blue, and I realized, “Hey, I can play like that”, and from then on, I forgot about football and baseball and all that stuff I had been into before, and that was it, man! And I was a pretty good baseball player, you know? (Both laugh again)

Howle: Oh, and don’t I know that feeling well, as do a few other million guitarists. So when this fellow was teaching you guitar, did you learn to play be ear, or did you learn to read music?
Senes: Man, sometimes I don’t really know how the hell I learned or what I’m doing. I learned to play a lot of stuff by ear, like Twisted Sister, Iron Maiden or Mötley Crüe, because it’s really not all that complicated. But in order to grow as a musician, I knew I needed to learn the proper way. So when I graduated high school, I went to college and took music courses, and realized a lot of the things I had learned – in how to play – was basically wrong. So then I spent the next ten years or so unlearning that and reeducating myself the right way. But then I realized that pretty much took the rock ‘n roll out of it, and my way of playing and “feeling” it, you know .. so then I spent that time unlearning what I had learned in college, to get back to the way I really needed to play.

Howle: (Laughing) So that was a construction/deconstruction/reconstruction event?
Senes: Yeah, that’s pretty much the way it worked out!

Howle: I’ve seen you play several different types of guitar at your gigs here around the beach. What type of guitar do you prefer now?
Senes: The main ones I play now are made by ESP; the model is a Les Paul knockoff called the LTD EC-1000.

Howle: I first saw you playing a white Carvin, right?
Senes: Yeah, that was actually the electric that I learned on. But about a year or so ago, I found the ESP, and it really changed the way I play guitar. I have two of the them, and the sounds that come out of them when I play are amazing … I mean, there are harmonics and stuff that, in turn, bring out something else in my playing style that the other guitars just don’t evoke. It’s just a great sound that works for me in a very special way.

Steve had to stop for a few minutes to take a call from his buddy at ESP guitars (who flew up to San Francisco for the contest)…

Senes: Hey, that was my friend from ESP … just called to tell me he’s been having fun telling everyone that the guy who won the contest did it on a relatively inexpensive ESP … so now I’m in their official press kit!

Howle: Way cool! Sort of the whole idea of the fringe benefits of winning something like this, huh?
Senes: Actually, remember the guy I told you about, who saw my friend and I walking and taught me how to play? He works for PRS now (Paul Reed Smith guitars) as Quality Assurance Director.

Howle: Small world, huh?
Senes: Really! Anyway, what I was telling you about the ESP … when I was recording my CD, I would pick up any guitar and just do the same thing, you know, just shredding, running scales and stuff. But when I picked up the ESP for the first time, I started playing actual melody lines, you know? All kinds of new, different things started coming out, and I’m telling you, this guitar made it possible for me to make this CD.

Howle: What’s your songwriting process like? Do you have something set in your head, or do you just go in different directions and see what happens, or what?
Senes: It just depends on the material. I had one song on this CD , where I had this riff in my head for probably 7 or 8 years, but I never really sat down and worked the whole thing out. And then, like in “The Swami” there’s that intro loop; I just started that and liked it and then worked everything else around it. I remembered Steve Vai talking about how loops can be an inspiration for creativity. So when I got my gear that came with a bunch of different loops in it, I heard that one loop and started writing a solo over it.
Then I came back about a week later and started the middle break, and then the whole thing sorta wrote itself. And on another song, there was a drum loop that I sorta liked, and I got an idea for a bass line so I picked up the bass and started playing and did the whole bass line all the way through. And in two hours the whole song was completed and recorded. And them sometimes I’ll work on something for weeks and still never develop anything. It’s really weird … I wish I could come up with a reliable method for writing a song! But I guess it all works for the best …

Howle: Well, in my interviews with everyone from Lindsey Buckingham to Johnny Winter to Chubby Checker, the one thing that remains constant in all is that the best thing to do is stay true to yourself, and the way you are comfortable doing things … like they say, stick with who brung ya to the dance, you know?
Senes: And sometimes I’ll have a bass line, like one I had was an industrial sounding thing, and then I started fooling around with tempo changes and the next thing I knew, it had a funk groove to it. Like I said, I wish I could isolate whatever it is that makes it happen!

Howle: And then you could rule the world!
Senes: Exactly!

Howle: So how did you come about entering this contest, sponsored by Guitar Player Magazine?
Senes: Well, I read about it last year, and I thought about it, but I didn’t have anything prepared to submit for the entry process. And then this year I saw it again, and though, “Hey, what the hell,” and figured maybe someone at GPM would enjoy hearing something I played or something, never imagining I would be selected for the finals or anything. And one night at band practice (Steve is a member of Superswamp Heroes), I just mentioned in passing to the guys that I had entered this contest, and there was a date when they were having the finals and I said, “Hey, let’s leave this date open in the unlikely event I happen to get in or something”. And I had to set up an online account to submit the songs (a way to prevent a zillion wannabes who just picked up a guitar from cluttering the field with garbage) that required a fee, and they said finalists would be notified by Aug. 1.
Well, about Aug. 2 or so, I was getting a little tight on cash and was going to cancel that account to save the money. Now, when you click on the part to cancel, it prompts a box that says “Do you really want to cancel this account?” And I thought, “What the hell, it’s only 6 bucks and that’s not going to make or break me, so I’ll leave it there for a few more days.”
And not five minutes later, I got an email telling me that I had been selected for the finals.

Howle: Wow … that close to making a huge mistake, huh?
Senes: Yeah, and I can’t imagine how much I would have kicked myself for canceling and never knowing what would eventually come to pass.

Howle: How many people entered the contest? And how did GPM go about selecting the finalists?
Senes: One of their guys told me they got about 2,000 entries in all. And then the staff divided up the entries among them, and each one weeded out their choices and then they ended up with the Top 10 finalists .. and thank God, I was one of them.

Howle: Hey, when I’m out listening to musicians and I hear someone like you … I know you’re destined for bigger and better things. And it may sound a little odd, but I have to tell you, I’m really not surprised that you were selected – I’m happy for you and all, but I never doubted for a moment that you had that ability.
Senes: (In Steve’s typical, humble manner) Oh … well, you’re too kind .. thanks, man!

Howle: But, back to the details … what was the actual final, live competition like? How did that go down, and what was the time between when you played and when you learned the results?
Senes: Well, I flew out there a day early, to get acclimated to the time change and all and to be rested, so I got there on Thursday. And then I spent Friday practicing over and over, and then we went out Friday night and just hung out with all the other guitarists in the contest. And they were all just the coolest, nicest folks … I mean, really, nobody in the contest had an ego and it was just really cool.
So on Saturday, we all took the shuttle to the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center in Livermore, California (east of San Francisco) around noon for a soundcheck with the backing band. The contest is the centerpiece of Guitar Player LIVE!, a 3-day celebration of guitars, music, and gear.
We each had about half and hour to get our settings and stuff on our amps and dialing in our sound, you know, and I got the first half of the song, and then the second half, and then my time was done and I was just raw nerves by then. I mean, Ihear all the other guys doing their stuff and I’m wondering, “Man, what in the hell am I even doing here?”
Well, I was scheduled to go on last (out of 10), and I was up in the Green Room, and I had decided not to listen to anyone so as not to psyche myself out or anything, and then someone goes and turns on the TV up there and I was like, “Oh, great”. So I just put my headphones on and started practicing, and it seemed like every time I took them off, they were critiquing a contestant’s performance, and they would be ripping them apart (sorta like the American Idol format of judges), and that added to the nerves, but it was sorta like a Guitar Summer Camp. I mean, whenever they would rip someone, everyone else was like, “Hey, come on, man” … so there’s all the judges, and about 800 people at a sold-out theater, waiting for you to do your thing …
And then when I walked out on stage, all the nerves just went away. And the next thing I knew, five minutes had passed and I was playing like the best guitar I had ever played in my life!

Howle: Sounds like you were in the zone, huh?
Senes: Well, the crowd was so amazing … it was the first time in my life I felt a stage shake with the applause. Man, that’s better than any kind of buzz you can imagine!

Howle: Hey, I can relate to that … that symbiotic relationship with the crowd is what makes it so alluring. So with the backup band – did you have to provide charts to them, or what?
Senes: Well, they would take charts if you had them, but they said you could just submit MP3’s of your song and that’s what I did. One guy gave the band those, and then each member charted out their part. I can attest to how they did on the other guys’ stuff, but on mine, they were freakin’ unbelieveable.

Howle: I would think they would have to be, to take on 10 musician’s songs from a cold start and then play up to each one’s expectations.
Senes: Oh, easily, the best group of musicians I have ever had the good fortune to be on stage with. They were called “Thud Factor”, and man, they were just awesome.

Howle: Well, how long was it before you learned that you had won?
Senes: I was the last contestant to play, and I wandered outside to text message my dad, and when I came back it was just about ready … I’d say maybe 15 minutes from when I finished.

Howle: Oh … (Laughs) Oh, really? Hey, talk about your Karma justice … saving the best for last?
Senes: Actually, that’s what the guy from The Cars said – they saved the best for last!

Howle: I’ll say it again, Steve … I love ya, but honestly, I’m really not surprised that you won. You are really just that good, my friend.
Senes: Man, it’s disorienting to keep hearing that … all my friends say the same thing, and I’m wondering, “Man, am I the only one who’s surprised?” (Laughs)

Howle: And that’s what makes you so special, bud … So, what sort of things have been happening as a result of winning this puppy?
Senes: Man, it’s ongoing, but I’ve gotten some endorsements from Voodoo amps and Keeley effects … and I’ve been in touch with the guy that handles Gene Simmons … As far as goodies, let’s see … I got: • My choice of one of 3 Mesa/Boogie amps (I chose the Stiletto) • BC Rich Exotic Class Mockingbird in Spalted Maple • D’Addario Prize Package (dunno what’s in there) • My choice of a Seymour Duncan stompbox and pickup set • Voyage-Air Acoustic Guitar • Line 6 Spider IV 75 • Peterson StroboStomp 2 • N-Tune Tuners • Essential Sound Products – MusicCord PRO Power CordDean Markley Prize Package.

Howle: And when will this be in Guitar Player Magazine?
Senes: They print so far in advance, probably not until the first of the year, which is cool because that gives me more time to work on getting my CD mastered.

Howle: So what’s the long range goal now, bud?
Senes: Well, Superswamp Heroes is my main thing, you know .. what I’m really hoping for is to get a little money out of this, maybe get my name out there a little bit, and a recording deal would be nice … but really, whatever happens at this point is fine by me!

Howle: As it would be by all of us out here who are in your corner, Steve. Thanks for your time, and continued success in all of your endeavors.

And folks, that is what you get with this humble, grounded guitar wizard … an easy going attitude without the ego, and I just can’t say it enough … one of the nicest and most talented guys you will ever have the pleasure to meet.

So if you’re lucky enough to live in our little patch of Paradise, make a point to visit Steve’s website and then check out Superswamp Heroes (and his acoustic project, Pale Horse, which plays Wednesdays thru October at Bully’s in North Myrtle Beach). For further updates visit his MySpace site at www.myspace.com/9yu and his website at http://senesmusic.com
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This article also appears in Alternatives NewsMagazine, October 8, 2009 at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com

Bonnie Raitt’s Legendary Music Comes To House Of Blues October 17

By Brian M. Howle

The stats will tell you that her first breakthrough album was recorded in 1977, and the hit single was “Runaway”. But for me, the signature album was 1982’s Green Light, and the song that caught my ear was the uberbiographical “Me & The Boys”. And with that, I became a huge fan, and I have waited oh, these many years for this iconic musician to visit our fair little village by the sea.

And now my wait is finally over, and I invite you to join me as Bonnie Raitt – with extra-special treat opening act Randall Bramblett – comes to House Of Blues in North Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, October 17, 2009.

Here’s the background on Bonnie from her official website:

More than just a best-selling artist, respected guitarist, expressive singer, and accomplished songwriter, Bonnie Raitt has become an institution in American music. The release of Souls Alike, her eighteenth album, marks yet another brave, exhilarating step in a legendary body of work.

Born to a musical family, the nine-time Grammy winner is the daughter of celebrated Broadway singer John Raitt (Carousel, Oklahoma!, The Pajama Game) and accomplished pianist/singer Marge Goddard. She was raised in Los Angeles in a climate of respect for the arts, Quaker traditions, and a commitment to social activism. A Stella guitar given to her as a Christmas present launched Bonnie on her creative journey at the age of eight. While growing up, though passionate about music from the start, she never considered that it would play a greater role than as one of her many growing interests.

In the late ‘60s, restless in Los Angeles, she moved east to Cambridge, Massachusetts. As a Harvard/Radcliffe student majoring in Social Relations and African Studies, she attended classes and immersed herself in the city’s turbulent cultural and political activities. “I couldn’t wait to get back to where there were folkies and the antiwar and civil rights movements,” she says. “There were so many great music and political scenes going on in the late ‘60s in Cambridge.” Also, she adds, with a laugh, “the ratio of guys to girls at Harvard was four to one, so all of those things were playing in my mind.”

Raitt was already deeply involved with folk music and the blues at that time. Exposure to the album Blues at Newport 1963 at age 14 had kindled her interest in blues and slide guitar, and between classes at Harvard she explored these and other styles in local coffeehouse gigs. Three years after entering college, Bonnie left to commit herself full-time to music, and shortly afterward found herself opening for surviving giants of the blues. From Mississippi Fred McDowell, Sippie Wallace, Son House, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker she learned first-hand lessons of life as well as invaluable techniques of performance.

“I’m certain that it was an incredible gift for me to not only be friends with some of the greatest blues people who’ve ever lived, but to learn how they played, how they sang, how they lived their lives, ran their marriages, and talked to their kids,” she says. “I was especially lucky as so many of them are no longer with us.”

Word spread quickly of the young redhaired blueswoman, her soulful, unaffected way of singing, and her uncanny insights into blues guitar. Warner Bros. tracked her down, signed her up, and in 1971 released her debut album, Bonnie Raitt. Her interpretations of classic blues by Robert Johnson and Sippie Wallace made a powerful critical impression, but the presence of intriguing tunes by contemporary songwriters, as well as several examples of her own writing, indicated that this artist would not be restricted to any one pigeonhole or style.

Over the next seven years she would record six albums. Give It Up, Takin’ My Time, Streetlights, and Home Plate were followed in 1977 by Sweet Forgiveness, which featured her first hit single, a gritty Memphis/R&B arrangement of Del Shannon’s “Runaway.” Three Grammy nominations followed in the 1980s, as she released The Glow, Green Light, and Nine Lives. A compilation of highlights from these Warner Bros. albums (plus two previously unreleased live duets) was released as The Bonnie Raitt Collection in 1990.

After forging an alliance with Capitol Records in 1989, Bonnie achieved new levels of popular and critical acclaim. She won four Grammy Awards in 1990—three for her Nick of Time album and one for her duet with John Lee Hooker on his breakthrough album, The Healer. Within weeks, Nick of Time shot to number one (it is now certified quintuple platinum). Luck of the Draw (1991, seven-times platinum) brought even more success, firing two hit singles— “Something to Talk About” and “I Can’t Make You Love Me” —up the charts, and adding three more Grammys to her shelf. The double-platinum Longing in Their Hearts, released in 1994, featured the hit single “Love Sneakin’ Up On You” and was honored with a Grammy for Best Pop Album. It was followed in1995 by the live double CD and film Road Tested (now available on DVD).

After all the awards and honors and decades of virtually non-stop touring under her belt, Bonnie decided to take a break and enjoy some of the well-earned rewards of life off the road. Spending time biking, hiking, and doing yoga, enjoying family and friends, and traveling for fun instead of work brought her a great sense of renewal and purpose. Of course, she never really went too far away, continuing her activism and guesting on numerous friends’ records, including Ruth Brown, Charles Brown, Keb’ Mo, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Bruce Cockburn, as well as tribute records for Richard Thompson, Lowell George, and Pete Seeger. She picked up another Grammy in 1996 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for her collaboration on “SRV Shuffle” from the all-star Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan, and continued her “dual career,” performing with her father, John, in concerts as well as on his Grammy-nominated album, Broadway Legend, released in 1995.

In 1998, she returned to the studio with a new collaborative team to create Fundamental, one of her most exploratory projects, signaling her growing desire to “shake things up a bit.” Inspired by the music of Zimbabwean world-beat master Oliver Mtukudzi, Bonnie wrote “One Belief Away,” the first single, with Paul Brady and Dillon O’Brian.

In March of 2000, Bonnie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; this was followed by her welcome into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame, along with her father, in June 2001. Over the years, Bonnie has appeared as a guest on over 100 album projects, as chronicled in the discography section of her official website. She continues to stretch the boundaries, performing with artists as varied as Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora, and legends B.B.King, Tony Bennett, and Willie Nelson.

All of Raitt’s experiences led her to Souls Alike, her first album ever to bear the credit “Produced by Bonnie Raitt.” The album, again recorded with her close-knit, beloved touring band and ace engineer/co-producer, Tchad Blake, is a collection of songs by lesser-known songwriters with whom Raitt feels a deep affinity and whose work she is eager to champion.

Featuring some surprising new directions and, as she describes them, “thorny, adult themes,” the ambitious and innovative Souls Alike reveals an extraordinary artist who’s never been content to rest on her laurels. “You gotta do stuff that stretches you,” Bonnie says. “I’d hang up my spurs if I didn’t have something new to play.” Sounds ranging from the stark fragility of “I Don’t Want Anything to Change” (written by Liz Rose, Stephanie Chapman, and Maia Sharp) to the swampy electronic loops behind John Capek and Marc Jordan’s “Deep Water” attest to Raitt’s desire to grow and find new things to say. The themes tackled in “The Bed I Made” (also by Batteau and Sharp) or Randall Bramblett and Davis Causey’s “God Was In The Water” are sophisticated, adult, and complex — hardly conventional material for pop songs.

“I Will Not Be Broken,” the Grammy-nominated lead single from Souls Alike (written by Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick, and Tommy Sims, the team behind Silver Lining’s “I Can’t Help You Now” and Eric Clapton’s “Change the World”) reflects Raitt’s mindset during the making of the record. “There was an element of being pushed to the wall with what was going on in my personal life, my family crises—and then there was the election,” she says. “So that song was like an anthem for me, and for everybody that wants to feel like they can stand up to getting pushed around.”

Souls Alike debuted at #19 on the Billboard 200 in September 2005, eliciting widespread critical acclaim and propelling Raitt back onto the road. (She’s resumed the Green Highway eco-partnership she began on the Silver Lining tour.) On September 30, 2005, Raitt performed a special concert at Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, NJ, which aired as the premiere episode of VH1 Classic’s “Decades Rock Live” series. The innovative concert series pairs celebrated artists of rock and roll with some of today’s hottest recording acts who have been influenced and inspired by these legends.

Raitt has since been selected as the inaugural artist for the companion series of DVD/CD releases. VH1 Classic Decades Rock Live! Presents Bonnie Raitt and Friends Featuring Norah Jones, Ben Harper, Alison Krauss and Keb’Mo’ was released in August of 2006 and features never-before-seen performance and interview footage, including four duets not included in the VH1 Classic broadcast of the concert. With two hours of concert and interview footage, the concert which was filmed in Hi-Definition and is presented in 5.1 audio, features Raitt performing 17 songs with her longtime band – George Marinelli (guitar), James “Hutch” Hutchinson (bass), Ricky Fataar (drums) and Jon Cleary (keyboards). Included are such classic Raitt hits as “Something To Talk About,” “Love Letter” (with Mo’), “You” (with Krauss) and a knock-out encore of “Love Sneakin’ Up On You” with Raitt, Jones, Harper, Krauss and Mo’ as well as highlights from Souls Alike, including “I Will Not Be Broken,” “God Was In The Water”, “I Don’t Want Anything To Change” (with Jones) and “Unnecessarily Mercenary” (a duet with keyboardist Cleary, who wrote the song). The accompanying CD features 11 tracks, including the radio single “Two Lights In The Nighttime” (featuring Ben Harper).

These last few years have also brought some personal challenges as well. After a prolonged illness, her father passed away in early 2005; her mother died unexpectedly from complications from Alzheimer’s just months earlier; and in 2009, Bonnie’s brother finally succumbed to his battle with brain cancer which he valiantly fought with a macrobiotic diet program for eight years.

Bonnie continues to use her influence to affect the way music is perceived and appreciated in the world. In 1988, she co-founded the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, which works to improve royalties, financial conditions, and recognition for a whole generation of R&B pioneers to whom she feels we owe so much. In 1995, she initiated the Bonnie Raitt Guitar Project with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, currently running in 200 clubs around the world, to encourage underprivileged youth to play music as budgets for music instruction in the schools run dry.

So, for maximum bang for your buck, come spend a memorable evening as Bonnie Raitt – with opening act Randall Bramblett – brings her distinctive musical stylings to House Of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, October 17, 2009. Doors open 7:00pm. For ticket info call 843-272-3000 or Ticketmaster 843-679-9333; or visit www.houseofblues.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
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This was originally published at: http://bhowle.wordpress.com.

Super Swamp Heroes’ Steve Senes Wins Guitar Player Magazine’s “Guitar Player of 2009″ Contest

Steve Senes wowed the crowd at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore, CA. (From Guitar Player Magazine’s website)

By Brian M. Howle

One of the coolest, neatest things about being a music junkie is that from time to time, one gets to savor the moment of realization that you have just witnessed or listened to one of the truly, exceptionally gifted musicians of our time – and that person is a local. It is, in an odd way for someone like me who loves to verbally interpret the sounds I hear, difficult to convey to non-audiophiles how satisfying the discovery can be.

So, when one of those discoveries up and wins Guitar Player Magazine’s “Guitar Player of 2009” contest, you’ll have for forgive me for reminding folks, “I knew that boy was gonna make the big time!”

And Murrells Inlet’s resident guitar laureate Steve Senes did, indeed, make the big time, as he stood above nine other of the best guitarists on the planet to take the prestigious title in San Francisco, CA, on Sept. 12, 20009.

Here’s some background info from Steve’s website:

Steve is currently lead guitrist for his homespun band, Super Swam[p Heroes. Having played with various bands over the years, Steve Senes has amassed quite a large variety of styles ranging from Rock, Metal, Country to Funk, R&B and Soul. Every band Steve has played with has left a mark on his playing and writing style. This diversity is especially evident on Steve’s soon to be released solo instrumental CD, “dE-eVolution oF thEorY”.

So who is this guy? Imagine if you will the soulful, melodic catchiness of Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson and George Lynch; the sneaky, rhythmic quickness of old school Eddie Van Halen and Nuno Bettencourt; the harmonic complexity of Steve Vai and Jason Becker; the insane shred of Yngwie Malmsteen and Paul Gilbert. Now add the drum and bass-heavy crunch of Metallica; the brutal grooviness of Pantera, Disturbed and Sevendust. Toss in a cool Latin journey ala Carlos Santana; even take a trip back to the 70’s on a Starsky and Hutch vibe.

Since discovering the music of KISS at the age of 7, loud pounding Rock-n-Roll has played a central roll in Steveʼs life. Growing up in a rural town fifty miles south of Washington, D.C., out of range of most radio stations (no MTV), exposure to new music wasnʼt easy to come by. Being content with the escape provided through the music of such bands as KISS, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Van Halen and Ozzy (to name but a few), Steve didn’t actually start playing seriously until the age of 15, after hearing the insane playing of Yngwie Malmsteen.

According to Steve, “I was at a party and my friend Dave said “hey check this out”, and puts on the live Alcatrazz album. As soon as I heard Yngwie’s playing, I committed myself to becoming the best player I could be, right there on the spot!”

Solely self-taught, Steve quickly began building a name for himself, pulling off Randy Rhoads and Van Halen solos by ear, only mere weeks after picking up the guitar. Cutting his teeth playing the local scene, Steve learned early on to love the stage. Driven by this, Steve retreated into an almost unimaginable practice regimen. On days when he actually went to school, Steve was playing guitar 12 to 14 hours a day, sometimes more.

All the heavy practicing began to pay off early as Steve started entering and winning every guitar contest within driving range (including one judged by the legendary Steve Vai). Local gigs grew into regional shows and soon Steve caught the attention of such notable figures as Eric Johnson, Paul Reed Smith, “Dimebag” Daryl Abbot and others. After years of constant touring in pickup trucks, dealing with a withering metal scene, Steve got a wild hair to move to South Carolina and play Country music. Yee Haw!

The Country thing only lasted a few months, but liking his new surroundings, Steve decided to stay. Spending the next decade-plus playing with a wide variety of cover bands, provided Steve with an expansive range of additional influences; a collection far too extensive to list here.
Several years of 300+ gigs a year with various local/regional acts has further transformed Steve, from a guy who just loves to play, to an artist who craves the stage seven nights a week. Through all this, Steve has continued writing music. Over the years this wide range of influences has really begun to show in Steveʼs songwriting. Although heavy grooves and riffs still make up a good number of Steveʼs songs, youʼll notice the huge array of influences.

Steve is currently endorsed by Voodoo Amplification and Keeley Electronics.

Steve is a busy guy, so he also plays in an acoustic band called Pale Horse. You can catch them on Wednesdays thru October at Bully’s in North Myrtle Beach.

You can read firsthand about his win at http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/steve-senes-wins/sep-09/100721

To view a video of Steve’s original composition, “The Swami” (which he performed live in winning “Guitar Player of 2009″) go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Or3i2RcVV4

And of course, to learn just about everything you need to know about the man, visit Steve’s site at http://senesmusic.com

Note: Look for my Sept. 21 interview with Steve soon (to be added to this article), and also in the next issue of Alternatives NewsMagazine (Oct. 8, 2009) and then online at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com

My personal congratulations to a truly gifted musician, made even sweeter by being a local whom I and countless others have supported and patronized by attending live shows all over the Strand and Low Country. Remember – it’s not what kind of music that counts; what counts is that you keep live music live.
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B.B. King To Hold Court At House Of Blues October 3

B.B. King with Lucille

By Brian M. Howle

Rarely will you ever hear me proselytize about the need for everyone to hear this one artist at least one time in your individual lifetimes. Music, much like life, tends to be both abject and objective. So when I think of an artist who bridges all genres, all generations, all boundaries real or imagined – I can only find one, storied name.

And I don’t think you’ll be too surprised to know my choice for this title is B.B. King, which is made even more delectable by the fact that the legendary bluesman will bring his merry band of compatriots to House Of Blues in North Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, October 3, 2009.

I’ve attended every show that B.B. has performed at HOB since it opened in 1999, and each one remains ensconced atop my considerably extensive concert attendance record as the most enjoyable – by both the audience and the artist.

Here’s a little of the history of this true icon, from his official website:

His reign as King of the Blues has been as long as that of any monarch on earth. Yet B.B. King continues to wear his crown well. At age 84 (his birthday was Sept. 16), he is still light on his feet, singing and playing the blues with relentless passion. Time has no apparent effect on B.B., other than to make him more popular, more cherished, more relevant than ever. Don’t look for him in some kind of semi-retirement; look for him out on the road, playing for people, popping up in a myriad of T.V. commercials, or laying down tracks for his next album. B.B. King is as alive as the music he plays, and a grateful world can’t get enough of him.

For more than half a century, Riley B. King – better known as B.B. King – has defined the blues for a worldwide audience. Since he started recording in the 1940s, he has released over fifty albums, many of them classics. He was born September 16, 1925, on a plantation in Itta Bena, Mississippi, near Indianola. In his youth, he played on street corners for dimes, and would sometimes play in as many as four towns a night. In 1947, he hitchhiked to Memphis, TN, to pursue his music career. Memphis was where every important musician of the South gravitated, and which supported a large musical community where every style of African American music could be found. B.B. stayed with his cousin Bukka White, one of the most celebrated blues performers of his time, who schooled B.B. further in the art of the blues.

B.B.’s first big break came in 1948 when he performed on Sonny Boy Williamson’s radio program on KWEM out of West Memphis. This led to steady engagements at the Sixteenth Avenue Grill in West Memphis, and later to a ten-minute spot on black-staffed and managed Memphis radio station WDIA. “King’s Spot,” became so popular, it was expanded and became the “Sepia Swing Club.” Soon B.B. needed a catchy radio name. What started out as Beale Street Blues Boy was shortened to Blues Boy King, and eventually B.B. King.

In the mid-1950s, while B.B. was performing at a dance in Twist, Arkansas, a few fans became unruly. Two men got into a fight and knocked over a kerosene stove, setting fire to the hall. B.B. raced outdoors to safety with everyone else, then realized that he left his beloved $30 acoustic guitar inside, so he rushed back inside the burning building to retrieve it, narrowly escaping death. When he later found out that the fight had been over a woman named Lucille, he decided to give the name to his guitar to remind him never to do a crazy thing like fight over a woman. Ever since, each one of B.B.’s trademark Gibson guitars has been called Lucille.

Soon after his number one hit, “Three O’Clock Blues,” B.B. began touring nationally. In 1956, B.B. and his band played an astonishing 342 one-night stands. From the chitlin circuit with its small-town cafes, juke joints, and country dance halls to rock palaces, symphony concert halls, universities, resort hotels and amphitheaters, nationally and internationally, B.B. has become the most renowned blues musician of the past 40 years.

Over the years, B.B. has developed one of the world’s most identifiable guitar styles. He borrowed from Blind Lemon Jefferson, T-Bone Walker and others, integrating his precise and complex vocal-like string bends and his left hand vibrato, both of which have become indispensable components of rock guitarist’s vocabulary. His economy, his every-note-counts phrasing, has been a model for thousands of players, from Eric Clapton and George Harrison to Jeff Beck. B.B. has mixed traditional blues, jazz, swing, mainstream pop and jump into a unique sound. In B.B.’s words, “When I sing, I play in my mind; the minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille.”

B.B. continues to tour extensively, averaging over 250 concerts per year around the world. Classics such as “Payin’ The Cost To Be The Boss,” “The Thrill Is Gone,” How Blue Can You Get,” “Everyday I Have The Blues,” and “Why I Sing The Blues” are concert (and fan) staples. Over the years, the Grammy Award-winner has had two #1 R&B hits, 1951’s “Three O’Clock Blues,” and 1952’s “You Don’t Know Me,” and four #2 R&B hits, 1953’s “Please Love Me,” 1954’s “You Upset Me Baby,” 1960’s “Sweet Sixteen, Part I,” and 1966’s “Don’t Answer The Door, Part I.” B.B.’s most popular crossover hit, 1970’s “The Thrill Is Gone,” went to #15 pop.

I know, it almost writes itself .. but come hear the thrill before it’s gone, when B.B. King leaves his legacy at House Of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, October 3, 2009. Doors open 7:00pm. For ticket info call 843-272-3000 or Ticketmaster 843-679-9333; or visit www.houseofblues.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
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This was originally published at: http://bhowle.wordpress.com.

Jason Michael Carroll Will Have ‘Em Swoonin’ At House Of Blues On September 26

Jason Michael Carroll

By Brian M. Howle

Now, when your daddy is a conservative Christian minister who takes a very dim view of any secular music – much less country music – well, one would think it tends to make the odds of you becoming a big-time, everybody-loves-you country music star pretty slim, huh?

Not so when you enter a local singing contest (after getting some positive input from mom), and then when the manager of Hootie & The Blowfish discovers you, life only gets better. And for the short answer to the man behind the riddle, well, my friends, come say hello to Jason Michael Carroll when he takes the stage at House Of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, September 26, 2009.

Here’s a mix of info from his official website and Wikipedia:

The accomplishments are impressive enough for any new artist – Waitin’ in the Country, a chart-topping debut album nearing a half-million in sales, three hit singles from that album (all of which he wrote or co-wrote), a Gold ringtone certification, and opening spots on some of country’s hottest tours. The key to Jason Michael Carroll’s success is evident in every note he sings – live or in the studio – and it lies in his authenticity. Whether it’s the empathy brought to bear on the tragedy of “Alyssa Lies,” the pure passion of “Livin’ Our Love Song” or the youthful exuberance of “I Can Sleep When I’m Dead,” Carroll knows how to connect with fans, and together with hard work, undeniable talent, and good looks, that connection has launched one of country’s most impressive young careers.
Born on June 13, 1978, Carroll grew up in a religious household in Raleigh, North Carolina. It’s a career whose music aptly depicts Carroll as country’s Gen-Y family man, reflecting his generation’s transition from party to parenthood, and able to fully express the joys inherent in both worlds and the tensions that can come in moving from unencumbered freedom to the responsibilities of home and hearth. As a husband and father of four, Carroll sings eloquently about both sides of the equation in songs that recognize the firm foundation that country roots and a sense of community provide in a fast-moving world.
Now, with the April 2009 release of his sophomore album, Growing Up Is Getting Old (Arista Nashville), he fulfills the promise of his first record and takes his career a big step forward. The first single, “Where I’m From,” could have come from the pages of his life, and yet paradoxically enough, given his strengths as a songwriter, it’s one he didn’t write.
“People ask me, ‘Do you only record songs you wrote?’ My answer is always, ‘No, if I believe in a song I didn’t write more than a song I did, I’d record it first,’” Carroll says, “and here I kind of had the chance to put my money where my mouth is.” The tale of two men from seemingly opposite worlds who meet by chance explores the similarities that lie beneath most of our differences.
“No matter where life carries you, and it carries us in all different directions, if you boil it down to the nuts and bolts of it, most of us are really the same,” he says. The song is filled with points that hit home, from the seat he occupied in his father’s church and the fact that his son bears part of his grandfather’s name to the affect cancer has had on those close to him. Its authenticity is ideal to an album that finds Carroll digging deeper creatively and solidifying his place in country music.
“You have a responsibility to your fans,” he says, “not only to record songs that are hits but also to record songs that mean something to you and convey to your fans who you are.”
Those songs are all over Growing Up Is Getting Old. A Carolina-born preacher’s son raised in a strict household, Carroll threw himself whole-heartedly into life and music when he got the chance. The resulting tension between experience and responsibility, and the hard-won wisdom that grows out of the maturing process have always infused the music he makes.
Growing Up Is Getting Old found Jason Michael once again working with producer Don Gehman, known for his work with Hootie and the Blowfish, John Mellencamp, Tracy Chapman, and R.E.M.
“We collaborate really well together,” Carroll says. “Now, we butt heads really well together, too,” he adds with a laugh, “but I think that’s part of a great relationship when you have two people with really creative sides who can find a way to get both their influences into what they’re working on.”

The creative tension behind the teamwork produced an album that showcases both the passion and sincerity in his voice and the talent that brought Jason Michael from the Carolina nightspots where he honed his craft to national attention.

He quickly learned how his music could truly affect lives, with fans regularly approaching him with stories of the impact that “Alyssa Lies” or “Livin’ Our Love Song” had on them.
“My songs speak so much to so many people,” he says. “I really can’t take for granted what I’m doing, and I thank God every day I have the chance to keep doing it.”
But through it all, he remains a young man who has not lost touch with his roots, and it’s obvious he’s embraced the wisdom he received from a superstar touring partner.
“I was hanging out with Brooks & Dunn on the road, and Ronnie Dunn said, ‘Jason, don’t let anything change you. Be who you are. That’s what got you here.’ It’s great advice.”

Naw, he ain’t gonna go change on you, kids. He is gonna stop by and show you where the path has taken him, though, as Jason Michael Carroll takes command of House Of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, September 26, 2009. Doors open 7:30pm. For ticket info call 843-272-3000 or Ticketmaster 843-679-9333; or visit www.houseofblues.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
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The previous article also appears under “Nightlife & Entertainment” in Alternatives NewsMagazine, Sept. 10, 2009, at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com

Flat Rock Music Festival Set For Sept. 25-27

Awendaw's Danielle Howle will perform at the Flat Rock Music Festival.

By Brian M. Howle

An Emerging Songwriter’s Contest and Showcase and a unique and remarkable musical lineup are the hallmarks of the Flat Rock Music Festival, to be held Sept. 25-27 in scenic Flat Rock, N.C.

The Emerging Songwriter’s Contest and Showcase at Flat Rock is the perfect opportunity for songwriters that desire exposure at a top music festival and are capable of performing on a festival main stage. Festival Music Director, Bob Sinclair, says. “The Finalists at our contest rival anything you will see anywhere in the US – It is always a coming out party for great new talent”. With festival and venue promoters, professional songwriters, studio personnel and other members of the music industry as our judging panel, Emerging Songwriter finalists will have the chance to perform for influential members in the regional and national music scene. In addition, studio and recording time from “In House Recording Studios” and “Four Seasons Records” will be awarded to the the top 2 winners.

The festival features Americana music at three venues, musical and songwriting workshops, open mikes, jams, Kids Village with crafts, children’s parade, food and other vendors, plus camping, boating and swimming.

Artists Scheduled to Perform:
GRAMMY Winner: Jim Lauderdale; GRAMMY Nominee: Lisa Haley and the Zydekats; Lake Street Dive; Now You See Them; Pale Young Gentlemen; The Claire Lynch Band; Hobex; Carrie Rodriquez w/her band; Sam Quinn and Japan Ten (formerly with everybodyfields); Jonathan Scales Fourchestra; Tropic Culture; Michael Reno Harrell; Rhythm Angels; Grayson Capps and The Stumpknockers; Parkington Sisters; Danielle Howle; Dirty Rug Band; Thunderdrums; Drive South; Melanie MacNeil and Asheville Hoops; and Kort McCumber – 2008 Emerging Songwriter Contestant Winner!

Back by Popular Demand: Sunday filled with festival favorites from the past….”Old Home Day!!”: 17 South; The Smokey Joe Show; Moon Shine Babies; Sam Anderson; Anon Dixon Day; Rock Killough; Jerry’s Jam; Gove Scrivenor; and Grammy Nominee Stanley C. Adkins and Low Tide Louie.

The Flat Rock Music Festival is held in the fall each year at 365-acre Camp Ton-a-Wandah, a family–owned summer girls’ residential camp in its 74th year, in historic Flat Rock, N.C. Located just off I-26 at Exit 53 (Upward Road) to Hwy. 25. Featuring musical and songwriting workshops, open mikes, jams, Kids Village with crafts, children’s parade, food and other vendors, chapel service, plus camping, boating and swimming, it is open to all ages.

For info ago to www.flatrockmusicfestival.com
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The previous article also appears under “Nightlife & Entertainment” at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com

The Incredible Sandwich To Perform At Droopy’s Sept. 23

By Jennifer Gibson

The Incredible Sandwich is an eclectic quartet hailing from Athens, Ga.Their music is a creative, intelligent blend of musical styles such as Latin, jazz, funk and rock, with unexpected educated improv jams that take the listener on a surprising musical journey.

The band is rapidly amassing a strong fan base throughout the Southeast and recently won the award for Best Upstart Band in the Flagpole Magazine’s annual music awards. The Incredible Sandwich will be performing at Droopy’s in Myrtle Beach on Wednesday, September, 23. Show time is 11 p.m.. Cover charge is $2. Ages 21+ welcome.

“The Sandwich,” as they are known to their fans, features Matt McKinney on lead guitar and vocals, Kevin Juneau on bass guitar, Damian Kapcala on keyboards, and Rackley Davis on drums and vocals. It’s all about the live show with this band. The energy generated during their live shows through McKinney’s powerful command of the guitar combined with the thumping rhythm section of Juneau, the intricate percussion of Davis, all accentuated by Kapcala on Hammond B3 and moog synthesizer, continues to convert more and more fans with each performance.

The group released a five-song self-titled EP on the Athens-based Mule Train Records on April 25.

Here’s what the press is saying about this new group:

“After seeing Athens quartet The Incredible Sandwich kick out the jams at the Georgia Theatre, I saw a glimmer of something great, a Southern spaced-out kind of psychedelic prog rock. Sure, Phish, Jerry Garcia and Widespread Panic touchstones were there, but beyond the jam, there were Wilco noodles and Radiohead-tinged space rock abstractions.” – The Red & Black

“The Incredible Sandwich has made quick progress with its friendly and familiar blend of rock, funk, jazz, Latin and jam-band sensibilities.” – Athens Banner

“With a sound that ranges from melodic to psychedelic, The Incredible Sandwich often infuses elements of funk and Latin grooves into itshigh-energy fusion.” - The Flagpole
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The previous article also appears in Alternatives NewsMagazine, August 28, 2009.

QRock Radio Presents The Rock 102 Radio Reunion Concert Featuring Nantucket Sept. 25

Where it all began ... the control board of the original WKZQ studio circa early 1970s, with Station Manager Bill Hennecy stylin’ & profilin’ (right).

The legendary rock band, Nantucket will be headlining the upcoming Rock 102 Radio Reunion Concert on Friday, September 25th. The Paul Grimshaw Band and Billy Wright & Steve Marino will also be appearing. The concert starts at 7:00 PM at Celebrity Square at Broadway at the Beach. Tickets are available online now at www.QRockRadio.com.

For a $15 donation, fans receive a ticket for preferred seating at the show plus 5 tickets for prize drawings during the evening. Additional tickets will be available for purchase at the concert. The grand prize will be a Hagstrom Viking II cherry red electric jazz guitar donated by Star Music of Myrtle Beach. All proceeds from the event will benefit, South by Southeast, a local non-profit organization which assists local music education programs.

Nantucket is a hard rock band that formed in Jacksonville, North Carolina in 1969. Originally known as beach music band Stax of Gold and later Nantucket Sleighride (after the song by Mountain), the six-member group — Tommy Redd, Larry Uzzell, Mike Uzzell, Eddie Blair, Kenny Soule, and Mark Downing — eventually became a powerful and tenacious sensation, amassing numerous fans across the southeastern United States well before its first release – best known for singles like, “Heartbreaker” (if you had a band, you covered this song or you needn’t bother trying to get a booking), “Hiding From Love” and a version of “It’s A Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll)”. Bob Scarborough, one of the driving forces behind Q Rock Radio says, “Having Nantucket headline our reunion concert is just icing on the cake. We’ve billed our online radio station as a place where listeners can relive the greatest summer of their lives. Nantucket provided the music for a lot of those memories for so many in the Carolinas during the ‘70s and ‘80s. It’s going to be a great night.” Again, tickets are available online at www.QRockRadio.com.

For the record, Q Rock Radio launched during Memorial Day weekend earlier this year from studios located at Broadway at the Beach. The station features just about every hit song recorded between the years of ‘68 to ‘88. Q Rock is also known for its all-star lineup of radio personalities including Freakin’ Deacon, John Van Pelt, Pat Milan, Bob Scarborough, Banana Jack Murphy and others.

Q Rock Radio Partners LLC, parent company of Q Rock Radio.com organized The Rock 102 Reunion Weekend, scheduled September 24-27, 2009. In addition to the benefit concert, the four day event will feature a golf tournament, a dinner and other activiites. Radio announcers, newscasters, sportscasters, sales reps, practically anyone who ever walked the halls at Grand Strand Broadcasting between 1973 and 1997 will be taking part in this reunion.

The Reunion Weekend will benefit South by Southeast, a non-profit/charitable organization formed in 2003 by music lovers and educators. South by Southeast’s mission is to provide assistance and support to local music education programs. The group helps offset some of the costs associated with the musical education of young people in our area. More information on this organization can be found at www.southbysoutheast.org.

Information regarding Q Rock Radio can be found at www.qrockradio.com. Studio Location: Broadway at the Beach, Heroes Harbor, Unit 308. On Site Contact: Bob Scarborough 843-222-9189.
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The previous article also appears in Alternatives NewsMagazsine, Sept. 10, 2009, under “Nightlife & Entertainment” at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com

Rocky Fretz & Will Ackerman In Concert At Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort Sept. 12

By Brian M. Howle

Rocky's newest CD

In the world of music, there are literally millions of players. And there are just so many incredibly talented, exceptional folks out there, all vying for recognition and fame. Having the good luck and fortune to stumble across the best of the best is the consumate listener’s Holy Grail. Well, cue the announcer with the WCW intro voice …

“Let’s get ready to stummmmmbbbllllllllllle!”

Do yourself a favor – find out what it’s like to discover a handful of such gifted people in your own back yard. I absolutely guarantee you, each and every one of you … you will not find any better folks at what they do, than the folks I’m about to introduce to you. And I doubt you will ever enjoy a live performance more than this one.

Local musicians extraordinaire, bassist Patrick O’Leary, percussionist Bobby Gabriele and violinist Robert Napier join special guest Grammy Winning Guitarist and Founder of Windham Hill Records, Will Ackerman to perform live in concert with local contemporary music concert pianist, Rocky Fretz. This will be Will Ackerman’s debut performance on the Grand Strand.

The concert is in honor of and to celebrate the release of Rocky’s new CD, The Path Ahead…and steps then taken. an original, new acoustic, piano music CD produced by Will Ackerman in Imaginary Road Recording Studios, Windham County, Vermont. A “first” for both Rocky and Mr. Ackerman.

Rocky’s CD Release Concert is on September 12, 2009 in the beautifully, intimate Tara Theater in Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort in Pawleys Island, SC. The doors open at 5:30 PM, concert beginning at 6:30 PM. This venue hosts both Rocky and Will for the first time.

Rocky Fretz has been a pianist/composer and dynamic, energetic performer for more than thirty years. Interestingly, Rocky’s solo music career, starting after his 17 year tenure as feature pianist for The Carolina Opry from 1986 when he began as an original cast member, feature pianist and vocal director through 2003 when he retired that full time position, is just now beginning to gain momentum as Rocky’s music and piano concert performances become more globally known.

Will Ackerman performing at Guitar Fest.

Will Ackerman is universally recognized as the preeminent pioneer in the new age music movement, and the founder of Windham Hill Records, Will Ackerman’s career spans more than three decades of remarkable vision, single-minded determination, fervent business savvy, and “a thorough love of the mystery of making music.”

Will comments on Rocky’s performance saying, “I think this story says a lot….I was performing a concert about a year ago along with a handful of some pretty talented people. I invited Rocky Fretz up to do a piece and the audience just went nuts. I’d always thought Rocky was brilliant, but seeing the reaction of the audience went a long way to convince me that the world sees him in the same way.”

On the subject of Rocky’s music Will says…”Rocky moves between heartbreaking gentle beauty and driving rhythm with utter grace, somehow merging these worlds seamlessly in his composition. He is as gifted a pianist as I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with.” This comes from the industry icon who discovered George Winston, Liz Story, Michael Hedges and countless other instrumental music greats.

Another newsworthy note…Rocky’s CD, The Path Ahead…and steps then taken, has been submitted for consideration for a 2010 Grammy Award nomination in the new age category. A definite first for Rocky.

To purchase tickets to the concert or copies of Rocky’s new CD or both visit www.TheConcertHouse.com or email tickets@TheConcertHouse.com or call 1-843-314-4699. Adult tickets have been reduced to $27.00, and children tickets are $13.00. Joining Rocky’s mailing list at www.HomePeep.com entitles the member to an introductory $10.00 CD sales price.
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The previous article was originally published at www.bhowle.wordpress.com

CANCELED: Toad the Wet Sprocket No Idle Threat At House Of Blues On September 12

By Brian M. Howle

(Editor’s Note: HOB has announced that, unfortunately, this show has been cancelled. Contact point of purchase for ticket refunds.)

Whenever any musicians worth their salt start out, one of the most important decisions they’ll ever face is naming the band. It is one of those things you need to put a lot of thought and creativity into, just in case you turn out to actually be a good band. Which was a good thing for these guys, as all of that fell right in line, and way back in the day (late ‘80s, kids), the world gasped and took note of the band with the way-cool name: Toad the Wet Sprocket.

And if you missed them when they broke out in 1989 – or in the twenty years since – you can make up for lost time, as Toad the Wet Sprocket rocks out House Of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, September 12, 2009.

And now, a little background info, gathered from the annals of Wikipedia:

Toad the Wet Sprocket was formed in 1986 at San Marcos High School just outside of Santa Barbara, California, when singer/songwriter/guitarist Glen Phillips was only 14 and a freshman; the other members – guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer Randy Guss – were 17 and juniors. The band drew its name from the Eric Idle monologue “Rock Notes” on Monty Python’s Contractual Obligation Album from 1980, although the name is featured in a parody of The Old Grey Whistle Test on Rutland Weekend Television in 1975. The band’s first public appearance was at an open-mic talent contest in September 1986. The band lost the competition.

Toad the Wet Sprocket’s first album came out in 1989. Bread & Circus was self-financed through their label, Abe Records. The album spawned the singles “Way Away” and “One Little Girl”, which made the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, but did not receive much attention.

The follow-up to Bread & Circus, Pale, was released in 1990 and saw their sound mature. During the recording of the album, Toad signed to Columbia Records while declining the opportunity to re-record Pale, but negotiating to have Columbia Records reissue Bread & Circus. Featuring the singles “Jam” and the Modern Rock Chart hit “Come Back Down”, the album was still not a success; but the singles received heavy airplay on college radio stations and the band’s first music video (for “One Little Girl”) was directed by Mark Miremont and aired on MTV’s 120 Minutes.

The band finally achieved fame with their third album, Fear. The album was released in 1991, and saw the singles “All I Want” and “Walk on the Ocean” reach the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100. The album became the band’s first RIAA-certified platinum album.

In 1992, the cult classic Buffy the Vampire Slayer featured the song “Little Heaven” and was included in the movie soundtrack.

In 1993, the Mike Myers feature film So I Married an Axe Murderer included the song “Brother” on its soundtrack. “Brother” later appeared on the In Light Syrup compilation album, as well as on the 2004 release of the live album Welcome Home: Live at the Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara 1992.

In 1994, after years of heavy touring, the band released Dulcinea, their follow-up to Fear. This album spawned the hit singles “Fall Down”, which reached #1 on the US Modern Rock charts, as well as #5 on the Mainstream Rock chart, and “Something’s Always Wrong”, which also charted. Like Fear, this album was certified platinum by the RIAA.

A compilation album of b-sides and rarities, In Light Syrup, was released in 1995; it included the singles “Good Intentions”, which was featured on the soundtrack for the television show Friends, as well as the aforementioned “Brother”. The compilation was certified as a gold album in 2001.

The release of Coil in 1997 acted as the proper follow up to 1994’s Dulcinea. Featuring a more electric, rock sound, it featured the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock hit “Come Down”, as well as the singles “Crazy Life” (previously featured on the soundtrack for the film Empire Records) and “Whatever I Fear”.

Toad the Wet Sprocket formally broke up in July 1998, citing creative differences. Though officially broken up since then, the band has worked together off and on over the years. Continuing throughout the 2009 summer, the group played a second 12-stop mini tour which started with a show at the House of Blues in Houston, TX.

Here’s their official update, from their MySpace site:

What’s up with the band?
Glen: Earlier this year Glen released an EP called Secrets of the New Explorers, and has played a number of shows supporting it. He also has a new band (still unnamed), which has completed a record that should be out some time in the next year. The album was recorded and mixed by Jim Scott, and the other members are Sean and Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), Luke Bulla (Jerry Douglas, Ricky Skaggs), Greg Leisz (Lucinda Williams, Wilco), Benmont Tench (Heartbreakers), Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello), and Davey Faragher (Cracker, Elvis Costello). In October, He’ll be co-headlining a tour with Jonatha Brooke, and next January he’ll be on the Cayamo cruise with Shawn Colvin, Lyle Lovett and many others.

Dean: Dean just finished composing and performing his first movie score for the independent film “Desertion”. Dean also wrote and performed 3 new songs for the film. Todd Nichols produced and recorded the score as well as 2 of the new songs. Dean also is the current manager for Toad the Wet Sprocket.

Todd: Todd has been busy producing bands and solo artists at his studio “Abe’s” in North Hollywood CA.. Check out http://www.myspace.com/abesstudio for more info if you are interested in recording with Todd.

Randy: Randy plays the drums.

So harken back to the days of way cool band names, and get a double dip by means of these guys being one of the preeminent, way-cool ‘90s bands, as Toad the Wet Sprocket rocks out House Of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach, SC on Friday, August 21, 2009. Doors open 7:30pm. For ticket info call 843-272-3000 or Ticketmaster 843-679-9333; or visit www.houseofblues.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
(Editor’s Note: HOB has announced that, unfortunately, this show has been cancelled. Contact point of purchase for ticket refunds.)
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The previous article also appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine, August 27, 2009.

The Madeleine Haze Plays H.E.L.P. Benefit At Beach Wagon Sept. 6

By Brian M. Howle

If you’re one of the many local residents who emphatically disagree with the Myrtle Beach city politicians who have discriminated against bikers and basic rights, have we got a show for you! (And a way to join in the fight for freedom).

On Sunday, Sept. 6, at 8pm, there will be a benefit concert to promote H.E.L.P. (Help Eliminate Lousy Politicians) and Help For Myrtle Beach, headlined by The Madeleine Haze with special guests The Issues, Sean McKenna and Aftermath. The show will be held at The Beach Wagon, 906 S. Kings Hwy., Myrtle Beach, SC. Tickets are only $5.00.

Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche believed that humanity is driven by a Will To Power, and that certainly holds true for Columbia, SC-based Hard Rock band The Madeleine Haze. Known for being fiercely political, while refusing to align with any major political party; undoubtedly mainstream, while incorporating complex arrangements and breaking the cookie cutter mold of Modern Rock; the band has adopted their own Will To Power both sonically and conceptually. Born as an introspective acoustic act, the band found themselves growing into a heavier, more powerful unit as they became poised to become a successful national act.

Vocalist Zack Goebbel and drummer Ben Carter developed an aggressive Grunge/Prog-Metal hybrid that was every bit as incendiary as their debut was contemplative. After a few months, the duo brought in bassist Brian Lamb to complete the unit, and the time has come to take the message to the masses. Headlining The Truth Tour, Polygraph Radio’s community outreach event to spark grassroots volunteerism and political activism, the band will debut a full slate of hard hitting material. These songs will make up the bands next album, entitled A More Perfect Union, which is due out in early 2010. Those who can’t wait that long are in luck however, as the limited edition EP “Maxims and Arrows” will give a preview of the new album, and will be sold exclusively at the bands concerts.

About H.E.L.P.:
HELP (Help Eliminate Lousy Politicians) was formed in response to Myrtle Beach Mayor’s and City Council’s actions. Help For Myrtle Beach is a legally incorporated nonprofit nonpartisan organization whose dedicated mission is to register voters, petition for single member districts, petition for a referendum on the 1% Local Option Tourism Development Fee (aka. The 1% Add Tax) and to provide support to competent candidates in the upcoming Myrtle Beach City Election. The concerned members of HELP have sat on the sidelines long enough watching our beloved city being lead in a direction counter productive to our collective interests. By saying our, we refer to anyone who lives, works, or visit’s the city of Myrtle Beach and shares a heartfelt bond with it.

We are going to take back our beach. We need to register voters living in the Myrtle Beach city limits and need petitioners to completely fill out the petition forms. You can mail the completed voter registration form directly to the Horry County Board of Voter Registration. Corporate memberships and completed petition forms can be mailed to: Help For Myrtle Beach, PO Box 3556, Myrtle Beach, SC 29588, or we can pick them up.

For corporate membership forms, petitions for the Single Member Districts and petitions for the 1% Add Tax to be placed as a referendum on the November 3rd city election or if you have any questions please contact Trevor Tarleton: 843-446-9765.

For more information, visit the website: www.helpformyrtlebeach.com
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The previous article also appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine, August 27, 2009.

Mississippi Bluesman Johnny Rawls To Play Charleston Beach Music & Shag Festival August 29

By Brian M. Howle

Singer, songwriter, guitarist, arranger, producer and (whew!) bluesman extraordinaire Johnny Rawls will be performing as part of the roster of stars at this year’s Charleston Beach Music & Shag Festival in Charleston, SC, running Thursday-Sunday, August 27-30, 2009. Rawls will perform at 4pm on Saturday, August 29 at The Citadel Alumni House, 69 Hagood Street, Charleston, SC.

As a teen in high school, his band instructor hired him to play in his band. Rawls backed singers like Joe Tex, Z.Z. Hill,Little Johnny Taylor, and the Sweet Inspirations. Determined to form his own blues/soul ensemble, he began backing up touring musicians.

In the mid-70′s, Johnny went to work for OV Wright as Wright’s band director. opening for the likes of B.B. King, Little Milton, Campbell and Bobby Bland. After Wright’s death in 1980, Johnny led Little Johnny Taylor’s band until 1985, when he began touring as a solo artist and made his first solo recording under the Rainbow label.

In total, he has performed on, written songs for, or produced over 40 albums.

Originally recording under Touch Records, Rooster Blues, Rock House, Reach and JSP Records, Johnny Rawls has done it all from producing, songwriting, horn arranging, rhythm, lead and bass guitar, keyboard, vocals and background vocals. Johnny started his own record company, Deep South Soul, in 2002 and has released his CD’s Lucky Man, Live in Montana, and The Best of Johnny Rawls. Heart and Soul was released in October 2006. His collaboration with fellow legend Roy Roberts, Partners & Friends, debuted in 2004 under Rock House. No Boundaries was released under the TopCat, Catfood and Deep South Soul labels in 2005.

His latest release is Red Cadillac (2008), and his music is available for purchase at www.johnnyrawlblues.com.

I caught up with the Mississippi-born artist as he awaited a flight out of Texas, and his wonderfully rich, Mississippi drawl put me at immediate ease. (It’s a Southern thing; some of you will understand, some of you won’t):

Howle: First off, thank for taking the time to speak to me about your upcoming show at the Charleston Beach Music & Shag Festival, Johnny.
Rawls: Oh, well it’s my pleasure and I’m happy to talk to you.

Howle: So tell me … how did you become interested in music; what’s the story behind the musician?
Rawls: Well, you know, I grew up here in Mississippi, and there’s always music going on around here, always has been from as long as I can remember. In church, in school, in the community, and of course, at home.

Howle: And what was the first instrument you learned to play?
Rawls: Actually, I began playing clarinet and saxophone when I was seven or eight years old.

Howle: So how did the guitar come into the picture?
Rawls: Well, when I was about 12 years old, my grandfather – who was blind – just pulled out this guitar one Christmas morning and started playing. I didn’t even know he had one, much less played one – that set the tone for me from then on.

Howle: Was he a blues player, or just guitar in general?
Rawls: He would play a regular guitar style, but was a well-known blues player around Hattiesburg, too. But it got my attention.

Howle: And it didn’t just stop at guitar, huh?
Rawls: Oh no, I learned rhythm, lead, and bass guitar, keyboards, vocals and background vocals, and later on songwriting, horn arrangements and producing. I started up my own recording label, Deep South Soul, in 2002.

Howle: And what is your songwriting process like? Do you go into it with a fully-envisioned song, or do you ask bassist and keyboardists …
Rawls: Oh, no, I have it all in my head, exactly what I want and the way I want it done. It’s the easiest way for me to try and do it, there’s really no other way for me to achieve what I’m after unless I see it all the way through.

Howle: I know you do your own charts for the horn sections. Do you prefer the big blues band with a horn section, or a more basic 3- or 4-piece band?
Rawls: Well, that all depends on the show, and the crowd. If it’s a big stage setup and a huge festival, oh yeah, I want that horn section burnin’ up there with the band. But if it’s a small club, tight, intimate … I just want that stripped-down 3- or 4-piece band, because it’s more personal.

Howle: And this isn’t your first time in South Carolina, is it?
Rawls: (Laughs) Oh, no, I’ve been there for the Blues Bash (in Charleston in February) several times, and for Harriet at the Beach Music  Shag Festival, and over in Camden … I’ve played South Carolina many, many times, and I always enjoy my time there. It’s a good place to be!

Howle: And we can attest to that, Johnny! So, over the course of your career, what’s been the biggest change you’ve seen in the blues scene?
Rawls: Well, you’re a musician so you know, too; when we started out, the blues’ audience was mostly black – as well as the artists themselves. But over the years, white folks have really taken to the genre, and anymore it’s mostly white crowds at the shows we play. And the influx of young people, who have found this style of music and embraced it so much, has been one of the greatest joys to behold – and they are predominantly white, but now there’s a mix of other ethnicities in there, too. So now, the lineage is still true and always will be – the black man may have started the blues, but now the blues belong to everyone. And we’re all the better for it, and there’s just no denying that.

Howle: I couldn’t have said it better, Johnny. I’ll let you go so you can catch that flight; thank you again, and we look forward to seeing you in Charleston on August 29.
Rawls: And I thank you, Brian. And I’m looking forward to being there again!

I do love my job, especially when it allows me to spend some one-on-one time with a truly special someone who is not only a great talent, but a great person. And let me tell you … Johnny Rawls is one of those people.

So if you love the blues and beach music (and how can you not?), make plans on August 27-30 to head on down to the Charleston Beach Music & Shag Festival. On Thursday, Aug. 27, DJ Pat Patterson and his puppets greet you at J.B. Pivots at 7pm; On <Friday, Aug. 28, Angel Rissoff and Rhonda McDaniel open, followed by The Rick Strickland Band at J.B. Pivots.

On Saturday, Aug. 29 there will be a Shag Workshop at noon at The Citadel Alumni House, 69 Hagood Street, Charleston, SC, followed by Fabulous Shades at 1pm, Angel Rissoff/Rhonda McDaniel at 2:30pm, Johnny Rawls at 4pm, and Melody Makers at 6:30pm (then take a break at head back to Pivots at 9pm); and on Sunday, August 30 there is a Shag Workshop at noon, followed by The Catalinas at 1pm, East Coast Party Band at 2:30pm, The Swingin’ Medallions at 4pm, and it all wraps up with The Tams at 5:30pm.

Call 843-571-3668 or Toll Free 1-866-571-9362 for information or tickets, or visit the website www.pivotsbeachclub.com/charlestonbeachmusicandshagfestival
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This article also appears in Alternatives NewsMagazine at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com under “Nightlife & Entertainment”, August 13, 2009.

Wag This

By Brian M. Howle

When I took this gig, I more or less promised by publisher that this would be a humor/stories-of-life kinda column. Because if nothing else, I’ve experienced a lot of stuff, and I possess my dad’s quick wit. Fortunately for me, I also possess my mother’s gift of words and a love for crafting virtual reality via the King’s English. And I sincerely hope that anyone reading this on a regular basis understands sarcasm, cynicism, dark humor, facetiousness, sub-references and emotional response. ‘Cause today, we’re pushing all the buttons, pulling all the strings, hitting all the raw nerves, and quite possibly burning a few bridges before I’m through.

Awhile back, some Republicans were having a hissy-fit because someone was hummin’ “Blowing in the Wind” near the Oval Office, when lo and behold an actual world-safety situation broke in Iraq. In response, our government – i.e.; the President, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, advisors and congressmen – decided enough was enough and started lobbing a few cruise missiles around ol’ Saddam. And faster than you could say “anal retentive”, the immediate knee-jerk response of those Republicans was to start screaming, “Wag The Dog, Way The Dog, this is life imitating art imitating life”. Apparently, those boys saw the movie, and must have gotten ahold of some bad popcorn laced with LSD, which blurred their ability to distinguish between reality and make believe. What irked me most at the time was the fact that this military response to Saddam was carried out by a president who is a Democrat, dealing with a problem left over by his Republican predecessor’s administration.

I mean, is there anyone out there who honestly thinks that if we just forgot about Saddam – and kept on stamping our feet, shaking a stern finger and arching our brows as we clenched our teeth while admonishing, “Saddam, for the LAST time, put that biochemical weapon down! … I mean it, young man, don’t you dare make me turn this aircraft carrier around!” – that he would just go away?

By the way, I hope you enjoyed that 74¢ a gallon gas we guzzled away in our SUVs, ATVs, Humvees, Jet Skis and BMW M-3s, ‘cause that was the payoff for the Gulf War, not human rights violations. I thoroughly enjoyed the cheap gas, as I drive a POS.

Back to the current world. The Inquisition is over (well, maybe, since Ken renewed the lease on the copiers for another year), Monica has written an excellent accessory for your bird cage, and we were happily settling into a refreshing pattern of slow news days. Then the media god “Overkilleus” smiled down upon the ratings woes, and bestowed Slobodan Milosevic upon them.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, Overkilleus,” wept Sam Donaldson, struggling to keep a small, seemingly dead animal positioned on his head. “Surely, you have saved us all from cable market loss!” Sam joyously exclaimed.

“But Overkilleus, what have we done to receive such a gift, how have we proven our worthiness to you?” implored Wolf Blitzer in his best Hugh Downs voice.

“Hey, can it, Cable Boy, I still have a follow-up question,” snapped Sam, the ferret on his head snarlingly nodding in agreement.

Overkilleus put his mighty hands between the two men and pushed them apart, frightening the ferret, which lunged for a boom microphone that swung down and hit Wolf in the forehead, reproducing his legendary forehead knot from a hastily prepared live feed from the Pentagon during Desert Storm.

“That’s not fair! Now everyone’s gonna watch CNN to see Wolf’s knot!” screamed Sam as he wrestled to break the ferret’s grip on a transmission cable. “No one will see or hear my from-the-hip, take-no-prisoners drivel!”

“Now, now, Sam,” Overkilleus lovingly consoled him, “Don’t you worry about those ratings. I’ve got Allyson Floyd and Nina Sossamon on your lead-in locals, you’ll get your ratings.”

“Oh, bless you, bless you, Overkilleus,” Sam blurted out as he began weeping uncontrollably again. “What can I ever do to show my appreciation for your generosity?”

“Lose the ferret,” Overkilleus said as he helped a stunned Wolf to his feet.

“Cut me, cut me, Nick!” Wolf deliriously begged a nearby sound engineer. “I’ve gotta do this for Adrianne! YO ADRIANNE!”

“Come on, Wolfie,” chortled Overkilleus as he steadied the cable icon and unwrapped his earpiece from his trench coat epilets. “Let’s go call Connie Chung and pretend to be Newt’s mom blistered on Tequila!”

There was a time when war was taken seriously by everyone. Editorial opinions and political cartoons were just as abundant, but they didn’t consume our every waking moment, and we stayed focused on the gravity of the matter. Edward R. Murrow, Chet Huntley and Walter Cronkite didn’t trivialize the news, they just reported it.

I distinctly remember the birth of ABC’s “Nightline” with Ted Koppel. The Iranians had just stormed the American Embassy and taken the hostages. “Nightline” began as a crisis-coverage production, slated to disappear with the hostages’ release. But as the ordeal dragged on, the world witnessed the advent of the “Crisis du Jour Logo”, complete with immediately recognizable theme music. Theme music – for a crisis update. Oy vey …

Well, I guess it served its purpose in preparing us for the ‘90s. CNN’s haunting string-laden orchestral little number, created exclusively for that judicial travesty known as “O.J.’s Day Off”. No kidding, I actually read in one of the national news magazines at the time, one reporter’s description of the music, something like “the violin’s high, soaring melody symbolizing Nicole’s and Ron’s tragic deaths, contrasted by the cello’s low, ominous presence, representing O.J.’s dark and ominous alibis. OY VEY.

Oh yeah, someone explain this one to me, ‘cause I’m really having problems with this one. During World War II, did we announce to the entire world our military strategies, troop placement options, time tables, troop numbers … stuff like that? Did we ever notify the Axis powers that we were running a little low on specific bombs? Did we send the enemy our public opinion poll results? Or was “Loose Lips Sink Ships” just a clever Yankee propaganda slogan?

Today, if we’re sending in F-117A stealth jet fighters, there’s a blueprint rendering of the plane, complete with vital stats like range, armament, top speed, etc., filling in the “blue screen” over the news anchor’s shoulder, followed by a video clip of where the plane is based, meeting the people who built it, interviewing townspeople on how they feel about “their plane” engaging in such a dangerous mission. And sometimes, they even feature the pilot, time permitting.

Unless, of course, the pilot is shot down and captured, or as has happened as this is being written, soldiers are captured by the enemy. Then you’re gonna learn just about everything there is to know about them. Less than 24 hours after their capture, each of the three American soldiers had their bruised, stoic faces boxed in the color-coded graphic, offering little personal facts about each one’s high school years, favorite music, favorite hobbies … Reminds me of that bio on the gatefold pages of the Playmate of the Month. And that bothers me.

As the NATO strike against Milosevic’s thugs became imminent, Serbian TV psyched up the faithful by broadcasting “Wag The Dog”. Can you imagine that? Frothing up the dogs of war by comparing their impending punishment to a fictitious yarn about a U.S. President fabricating a war in the Slavic Theater of Operations.

I can’t fathom anyone being that desperate to bolster their venom and hatred here in America.

No matter how self-serving, self-feeding or self-glorifying the media becomes, Americans must tolerate it. Regardless of sensationalism or hyperbole or rhetoric, underneath the high-tech production values and eccentric profound revelation lies the very soul of freedom and a free society. Our system isn’t perfect, and may never be without faults – but the beauty of it is that we can change it, if the people so desire. We have the means to change without civil disruption and mayhem, and we call it Election Day. In Kosovo today – as in Bosnia before – Milosevic has not only taken away the Kosovar’s rights, he’s taken away their existence, their lives.

My father served in World War II, a war in which this country heroically committed its sons and fathers, with patriotic determination and complete unity, and ultimately prevailed. My brother served in Viet Nam, a war in which this country tragically committed its sons and fathers, with no stomach for the price of victory and in complete disarray and division back at home, and ultimately failed. The lives of over 50,000 Americans – 50,00 brave and honorable Americans – were sacrificed for a pointless end game, which consisted of no end game.

So, we have two distinct choices to make as Americans. We can continue to lead the world in promoting what is right, because there are some things worth fighting – and dying – for. Or, we can stick our heads in the sand and let the rest of the world fend for themselves. The main drawback to that decision is that one day when we feel a tap on our shoulders and pull our heads up, we’ll find the world overrun with Slobodan’s and Saddam’s soulless followers. Then we would have to kill for the sake of killing, not for the sake of freedom.

Whatever direction our involvement takes, I hope the American people take a united and fervent stand. My personal wish is for some unforeseen intervention – say, the President of Brazil hosting a peace conference where warring leaders could samba their differences away, or even the realization of the prophecies’ accounts of the Tribulation (since we are in the final days of the millennium).

If it’s not the latter, I would look forward to a future encounter between Overkilleus and Arthur Kent, NBC’s “Scud Stud” from Desert Storm, who zoomed from star to oblivion following the Gulf War.

“Oh man, Overkilleus, I can’t believe you’ve called me after all this time!” an uncontrollably excited Kent would gush. “So, what’s the assignment? Beirut? Rwanda? China?”

“No, I have a much bigger task for you, Arthur,” Overkilleus would say, lowering his voice in importance ass he puts his arm around Kent’s leather-jacketed shoulder. “I want you to find out the truth about something the world needs to resolve.” Overkilleus slowly looks up at a map on the wall. “I want you to go here,” he says as his points out Washington, D.C.

“Wow … D.C. … So, what is it? The President? Congress? The Supreme Court? PACs? Sex scandals?” Kent babbles excitedly.

“A ferret.” smiles Overkilleus.
###
The previous article originally appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine, April 8, 1999.
###

Cat’s-Eye Of The Hurricane

By Brian M. Howle

Besides being a “graphic rabbit” (i.e. graphic artist), musician and writer, I pride myself in being an all-around handyman who dabbles in tinkering around with inventions. After years of collecting various electronic components, wires, relays, circuits, tubes and generally what others would consider junk, I recently put the finishing touches on what I believe to be my greatest accomplishment: The Universal Cat Translator.

For the past two years, I have worked tirelessly on my little project during the time between magazine deadlines. It was a hard, time-consuming labor of love sandwiched between pounding out this publication, but as mid-September approached I had finally realized my dream . About the size of a Walkman personal stereo, it contains a standard hard drive found in most computers, capable of recording days of information on a set of AA batteries. While the technical aspects are fairly commonplace, the breakthrough coup de gras was my unraveling the mystery of the cat vocabulary. Most people probably think that cats have a very limited vocabulary, consisting primarily of “meow” and the more emphatic “meow, dammit.” But no one was more surprised than I when I stumbled upon the longlost scrolls of feline phonics while mindlessly surfing the net one night. Akin to decoding hieroglyphics and binary codes, it was an amazingly easy process once I got the hang of it.

I was all set to begin the necessary patent paperwork to share my invention with the world when big, bad Hurricane Floyd decided to put the fear of God into every reasonable human being on the entire eastern seaboard. I set about boarding up my parents’ house at Pawleys Island, removing furniture and household items so as not to relive the horrors experienced by Hugo ten years earlier. Then I repeated the same procedure for my landlady, and finally again for my own apartment. After the last sheet of plywood was nailed up and the yard missiles put away, there was one final task to undertake before I could join the mass exodus of evacuees. I had to round up my little herd of cats – all eighteen of them.

With my array of portable cages securely tied down in the bed of a pickup truck, I covered them with multiple tarps as the first wave of feeder bands from he approaching storm began their ominous onslaught. Ready to roll, I made a last dash through my apartment, gathering up clothes, cat food and kitty litter for the journey inland to the safer confines of Columbia and my beloved. On my way out the door, I grabbed the Cat – Translator and tossed it into the back of the truck – but not before turning it on for the long ride ahead of me. The following is the transcript of my journey, as my kitties chatted among themselves. To clarify who is who, here are the names of my little ones:

Anastasia: Matriarch of the bunch; older, wiser and less prone to freaking out in a crisis; solid black.

Romaria: Oldest daughter of Anastasia; large, lithe, a stately lioness among her peers; bluepoint silver.

Alexander: Oldest son of Anastasia; plush but muscular, dominant male but too sweet to exploit his position; solid black.

Samantha and Sabrina: Twin daughters of Anastasia; one mellow, one devilish; gray tabbies.

Othello and Mercutio: Twin sons of Romaria; noble and kind, they emulate their uncle Alexander; solid black.

Delilah and Monique: Twin daughters of Romaria; soft and supple, they mirror their mother’s grace and style; blue-point silver

Alanis: Youngest daughter of Anastasia; overly-hyper and harboring angst towards any male, but kind at heart; black with white chest.

Guinivere and Lola: Twin daughters of Samantha; slightly wilder than the rest when excited; blue-point silver.

Chanel: Youngest daughter of Anastasia, quiet and calm, but constantly bedeviled by her children; gray tabby.

Howard, Robin, Jackie and Fred: Chanel’s kids, unmercifully rowdy and curious, with irreverence for their peers; black, silver and gray tabbies.

L.C.: My housecat, oldest of the bunch, completely anti-social and having nothing to do with the rest, has a real attitude but is daddy’s little babycat and knows it; orange and white tabby.

Now that you know the players, here is their story as it unfolded:

Anastasia: QUIET?CHILDREN! Stop that screaming! It’s drivin me crazy!

Alexander: But, mom, we don’t know what’s going on! Why did daddycat put us in these little boxes? And where are we going?

Alanis: I don’t care where we’re going, I just don’t want any of you boys near me.

Othello: Shut up, Alanis, no one is even slightly interested in you in the least.

Alanis: Oh sure, I’m so sure … that lying Tom from down the road said the same thing before he dumped me after he got what he wanted. You men are all the same!

Romaria: Alanis, we’ve all heard this before; please don’t shout like that, it just upsets the kids.

Alanis: IT’S LIKE RAYEEE-AINN, ON YOUR WEDDING DAY …

Mercutio: That’s because it IS rain, dumbass!

Monique: Hey … isn’t that ironic, don’t ya think?

Guinivere: Mom, Grandma … Why is the ground moving?

Samantha: I don’t know, darling, maybe your grandmother knows.

Anastasia: Yes, Gwinney, I do know … It’s because daddycat is taking us to a safe place until this storm is over. And tell your sister to come down from the ceiling.

Guinivere: Lola, Grandma said to chill out and come down here.

Lola: GROUND DOESN’T MOVE, I TELL YA!

Sabrina: I’ve heard stories from west coast cats about the ground moving, Lola.

Delilah: That’s probably because west coast cats smoke catnip, Sabrina.

Jackie: SOMEBODY’S HOLDING CATNIP?

Robin: You wish, Jackie!

Anastasia: QUIET! I don’t want to hear anymore about that!

Romaria: Sam, Dee, not in front of the kids, OK?

Howard: I’m just waiting to see some hot lesbo cat on cat action here.

Anastasia: HOWARD! WATCH YOUR MOUTH!

Robin: Grandma, Howard’s obsessed with that, you know.

Howard: Ooofa!

Fred: Ooofa!

Chanel: Boys, BOYS … please, please don’t upset your grandmother.

Monique: Excuse me … Grandma, you never said why the ground is moving.

Anastasia: Monique, darling, daddycat put us in his ironcat, and now he’s taking us to a safer place, away from the storm.

Guinivere and Lola: WHAT? WE’RE IN THAT IRONCAT? HEEEELLLLPPPP!

Alexander: Gwinney, Lola, stop screaming, now. Daddycat is only trying to keep us out of the bad storm.

Alanis: But, we’ve been through storms before and daddycat didn’t put us through all this …

Anastasia: No, children, this is a terribly bad storm, much worse than anything you have ever known. It’s called a hurricane.

Othello: What’s a hurricane, Grandma?

Anastasia: It’s the worst kind of storm, darling. The humancats all fear this more than anything else. The rain comes in ferocious amounts, and the wind blows down the trees and the humancats houses.

Howard: (Peeking under the tarp while the truck is rolling along I-20) So … what’s the difference between that and what we’re going through right now?

Chanel: HOWARD! SHUT UP, YOU MORON!

Robin: Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee!

Othello: (to Mercutio) Geez, she laughs at anything.

Mercutio: I know, day after day after day. It’s sad.

Alanis: Is there a dry litter box over there?

Anastasia: No, darling, just make do with what we have, now.

Jackie: GRANDMA SAID “MAKE DOO!”

Robin: Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee!

Anastasia: DON’T MAKE ME COME OVER THERE!

Guinivere and Lola: Are we there yet?

Howard: Seriously … (looking under tarp again) … I don’t see the difference between this hurricane thing Grandma’s talking about and this.

Romaria: Howard, mom has explained this to you already …

Robin: Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee!

Chanel: Howard, your aunt’s right … and shut up, Robin.

Sabrina: Hey! Somebody stole my lizard!

Othello: You got a lizard?

Sabrina: Lola! Did you eat my lizard?

Lola: Noophh.

Sabrina: SAMANTHA! YOUR DAUGHTER ATE MY LIZARD!

Anastasia: QUIET! There will plenty of lizards when we get back!

Howard: Hey! Look! There’s another cat in this ironcat that’s going by us!

(Everyone looks under the tarp as a station wagon pulls alongside; a snow white cat sticks his head out of a small opening at the top of a side window)

Howard: Hey! That’s Daniel Catver, Grand Catdaddy of the Kat Klax Klan!

Catver: (As the wagon passes) Wake Up, White Kitties!

Mercutio and Othello: Hey, We resent that!

Chanel: (Shaking head) Oh Lord … where’s Wayne Gray when you need him.

Anastasia: Chanel! Bite your tongue, young lady!

Guinivere and Lola: Are we there yet?

Alexander: Mom, make them shut up, please?

Anastasia: Gwinney, Lola … You ask that again and I’m coming over there and scratching your eyes out!

Fred: Ooooooo … Grandma’s gonna kick some butt!

Jackie: FRED SAID “BUTT!”

Robin: Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee!

Lola: ACCCCKKKKK!

Guinivere: Ooooo, gross … Lola coughed up a big hairball.

Sabrina: Is there any lizard in it?

Samantha: Sabrina, let it go, OK?

Anastasia: THAT’S IT! I’M COMING OVER THERE RIGHT NOW!

Howard: Oh boy, the litter’s gonna hit the fan now …

Chanel: HOWARD!

Robin: Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee!

L.C.: (Yawning) God, I hate outside cats.

As I pulled into my beloved’s driveway, they all quieted down and leaned against each other in a big, fuzzy ball. Eager to playback their conversation, I hastily grabbed the Translator as I ran towards the door, anxious to get out of the pouring rain.

Unfortunately, the slippery case slid from my grip and fell against the steps, disabling its recording mode. Although I was able to retrieve the above transcript, I’m afraid the Translator is beyond repair for the time being. Which is really a shame, since the trip back home the next day was in beautiful weather, and instead of the 45 MPH speed I endured in the storm, I was able to drive the posted speed limit of 70.

Now, that would have been a story to hear.
###
The previous article originally appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine, September 23, 1999
###

My Worst Summer

By Brian M. Howle

After recounting the joy and adventure of my days as a lifeguard over the last four issues, I began my annual fight with my memories of other summers past. The fight consists of me trying not to recall the events of certain summers in my childhood, because to this day they still put a shiver up my spine.

The single worst day of any summer found me spending the week with my best childhood friend, “T” B. Gamble, Jr.. Named after his father, Troy, somewhere along the line the nickname “T’ came into being and stayed with him throughout his school years. For all practical purposes, we could just as easily have been joined at the hip. Wherever you saw one, you usually saw the other. We were always on the same tcams (circumstances otherwise would produce bouts of pouting and false bravado), in the same patrol in Scouts, chasing the guy driving the milk truck together (in our daily raid on weaseling some free half-pints of chocolate milk), and bugging our parents to drive us out to the country club so we could take in a relaxing dip in the pool or cheat our way through 9 holes of golf. We were inseparab1e.

In the late ‘50s and very early ‘60s, our parents bought lots at Litchfield Beach, not far from each other. After the houses were built, it was just like it was back in Andrews – just a hundred yards or so from each other’s home. We took our first swimming lessons together from a lifeguard named Eddie at the original Litchfield Inn. Countless hours were spent mastering the art of body surfing in the ocean and sculpting massive, Atalaya-like castles in the sand; countless more were spent on our dock on the canal, slowly pulling up lines of string weighted down with scraps of meat and fishing weights as famished blue crabs hung on for dear life with one claw, while stuffing shreds of meat into their mouths with the other. They would react suddenly upon seeing the blue sky break through the murky marsh water, but not before we would skillfully swoop them up with the submerged net that was stealthily positioned nearby. Nights consisted of putt-putt golf, trampolines, skeeball and anything else we could think of to lessen the weighty burden of loose change from our parents. All in all, life was good.

In the late ‘60s, I entered a radio station contest that would award the winner with ten gallons of ice cream from an ice cream shop at Coastal Mall in Conway. Held early in the school year and requiring the writing of a poem about ice cream, my mother and teachers suggested it just might be up my alley. The big day came, and everyone was listening to mighty WKYB AM radio when the winner was announced. And sure enough, I had won.

Now all I had to do was go to Conway, present my letter of verification, and walk out with ten gallons of whatever combination of flavors my little heart desired. Only problem was, I wasn’t old enough to drive at night.

And so, fall turned to winter, winter to spring – still no ice cream. But with the arrival of summer’s beckoning call to the beach, my frozen dairy dilemma was soon to be resolved. “T” had invited several friends, including myself, to spend a week or so at his beach house. Which spoke volumes about the tolerance of “T”’s parents. Being responsible for multiples of our little clique was a real faith-testing challenge – but Mr. & Mrs. Gamble rose to the test on countless occasions. It was there in “My Blue Heaven,” the Gamble’s beach house, where someone actually remembered something from school earlier that year – a science experiment. The actual experiment was designed to show how gases – in this case, carbon dioxide – could be used as propellants, and how the various elements and chemicals react. Well, it didn’t take long for us to figure out that if you took a two liter bottle (which in those days was glass) and put a little vinegar in it, then stuffed a tissue down in the neck with your finger to leave a small receptacle for a few tablespoons of baking soda, then screw the metal cap back on real tight and then shake it up and throw it – Viola!

You had your basic bomb.

We did it for the loud boom (which reverberated against houses from one end of the beach to the other in the dead of night); “T”’s folks pointed out the lethal shards of glass (which we overlooked, since we only did this at night and couldn’t see that part of the experiment) and put an end to our scientific pursuits.

One day the subject of my waiting ice cream came up, and something about a prize deadline. Mr. Gamble overheard the conversation and offered to drive us to Conway to collect my bounty. Curtains swayed and loose papers fluttered in the ensuing breeze created by our breakneck dash to Mr. Gamble’s burgundy Fairlane. Drunk with anticipation, we sang and laughed and generally made Mr. Gamble’s attempt at concentrating on driving a real chore. But as usual, he never complained about our rowdy loudness.

Once at the ice cream parlor, a small crisis developed when I showed the scooper-in-charge my little letter of verification. He scratched his head, mumbled “Be right back” and disappeared to the back of the store. A few minutes later, he returned with the owner. Or rather, the new owner. The shop had changed hands since the contest, and legally, I don’t think they were obliged to give me as much as a cone. But the guy was decent enough to honor my winnings, herding us behind the counter to get a good view of our choices. And our choices needed to be perfect, as the prize only came in five gallon containers. Mr. Gamble had the foresight to bring a couple of plastic coolers along, so we packed one with five gallons of vanilla and the other with five gallons of strawberry, and then poured four or five bags of ice over them.

Mr. Gamble made the ol’ Fairlane blow out some carbon on our journey back to the beach, as I nervously watched my winnings slowly melting away. When we reached the house, another frantic dash created another ensuing breeze as we raced for the freezer. All told, only a cup or two had melted, and we reveled in our victory, clanging spoons and bowls as we danced on the counter top in the kitchen. A brace of teenage boys unleashed without constraints upon ten gallons of ice cream – must be a gastrointestinal specialist’s dream come true. We celebrated late into the night, then – bloated on lactose – we retired to our bedroom suite to review the day as we listened to an unending eight-track tape of The Beatle’s White Album. A small, contented smile crossed my lips as I drifted off to sleep to the verses of “Bungalow Bill” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.

The music played throughout the night, weaving in and out of my dreams, which were pretty intense due to the sugar coma that I was in. And then, in the middle of “Dear Prudence”, I heard my very best friend in the whole world; barely audible, seemingly distant and displaced, but crying. And not the normal, “I fell off my bike” cry, either. It was haunting in its cascade, which regenerated itself deeper and louder with each cycle.

Suddenly, I awoke to find Jimmy Moody, one of the other friends, shaking me violently and, trying to scream at me without really being loud. My eyes were open and I could see his lips moving, but the music and the echoes of the screams were still clouding my ability to distinguish anything as I fought to wake up. I think I asked, “What?” once, and the second time my friend spoke, all the sounds came swirling to a stop; all the light focused on his face; and all the words became clear.

“Mr. Gamble is dead”, he enunciated loudly through clenched teeth, trying not to be heard by those outside the room.

“What?” I repeated, as the clarity of the horrible realization gave way to a new wave of confusion and disbelief. “What do you mean? We just had ice cream”.

“No, he got up this morning and was driving back to Andrews when he had a heart attack. He pulled off the road and stopped his car, but he died before the ambulance could get there”, Jimmy quietly said as he saw my reaction beginning to set in.

Now fully awake and alert, my mind began to separate the mesh of sounds that had seeped into my dreams. The music was still playing; car doors were being slammed outside as “T”’s mother returned with our school principal, Mr. Rowell, to break the tragic news to him, as his screams of pain and loss echoed upon hearing those words – now everything gelled to unscramble the confusion.

Jimmy left to attend to something else after he was content that I was awake and aware. I remember sitting there for a few minutes, trying to cope with this life lesson and my sense of grief, for my friend – and myself – physically unable to move. Tears and light trembling abounded, and my sense of awareness was there, but nothing moved. Not my head, my arms, my legs, nothing.

And then I heard my very best friend ask, “Where’s Brian?”.

At his side in an instant, we hugged and cried and screamed out our own loss of innocence. Then his mother and Mr. Rowell came over and whispered something to him. He asked me to drive his car back to Andrews, because he was leaving with his mom right away, and it would be a few minutes before we could clean up and pack before locking the house on our way out.

There were a lot things I thought about on that drive back home. Most of them still reside within my active reminders, the ones that usually go off whenever I’m losing sight of what really matters.

“T” made a promise to himself – and to his father – to become a doctor on that day. He made it his life’s mission. And he did.

Not only did he become a doctor, who began with family practice back in our little hometown when he first graduated med school, but he became a heart specialist.

Now some thirty-odd years later, he partnered in a successful family practice in Columbia, where he treated the love of my life and our sixteen-year-old son on a regular basis at the time. He now works in Florence with the Carolinas Hospital system, as a cardio specialist.

So on those rough, “poor me” days when I find my surroundings to be intolerable, when my opinions of others become vocal, when I just flat out become a pain in the rear, I think about my friend, “T”, and his lot in life.

And then I usually call my dad and put aside my selfishness.

(Note: Since this was written, the extra 35 years that I got to spend with my dad – that my friend did not get to have with his – came to an end in August of 2004. And one of the first calls I received – and without a doubt, the most meaningful to me – was from my friend, “T”.)
###
The previous article orginally appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine, August 12, 1999.
###

Let’s Call A Spade A Spade

By Brian M. Howle

(Note: Although this was written in May of 1999, it is still applicable to the mindset of the current elected officials of the City of Myrtle Beach. This Mayor’s administration and City Council passed a series of laws that effectively ran off motorcyclists of all races, creeds, religions and make of bikes from within the fair boundaries of Myrtle Beach proper. These range from aggravation laws (helmets required within the city despite the SC state law that does not) to Marxist control laws (exhaust system decible levels and examination of motorcycle original statistical information plates to confirm adherence to City code) to flat-out strong-arm tactics (denying vendors permits or limiting public access, or astronomically increasing vendor fees and reducing their allowed space). Please note: These tactics are used ONLY by the City of Myrtle Beach; NMB and the South Strand (Surfsides, Garden City, Murrells Inlet, Litchfield & Pawleys Island) do NOT endorse Myrtle Beach’s view of the bikers and the loss of the enormous revenue they generate for the local businesses AND municipalities of the Grand Strand.)

The last “braps” from the few remaining motorcyclcs become fading echoes as the massive crowds of Memorial Day Weekend ‘99 disperse and retreat to their hometowns. Our little resort town exhales a collective sigh of relief as the final hours of the traditional summer kick-off holiday draw to a close, leaving behind an avalanche of trash and debris as the only physical reminders of the much anticipated event.

And now we can start to evaluate the impact and the statistics, to assess the pros and cons, and to come to terms with the myths and the reality.

Or do we really want to?

As a life-long native of the Strand, I am very much aware of the economic DNA of our Golden Goose, and all the wonderful things associated with it. Despite our small town roots, the lifeblood of an increasing number of people depends on the unending waves of humanity that make the Strand their vacation destination. But if we’re really serious about maintaining those waves, it would behoove us all to hunker down and stare the demon in the eye. And this will, in all likelihood, be the most difficult task any of us could ever undertake, because it means looking in the mirror.

In the aftermath of previous Memorial Day weekend celebrations, some have chosen the “sky is falling” approach to confronting the masses. Under the influence of youthful inexperience or youthful ignorance, the Mayor of Myrtle Beach called upon the Governor to dispatch the National Guard to quell the impending apocalypse that he envisioned to unfold. Regardless of whether his decision was a result of political considerations or a matter of conscience, Gov. Hodges is to be commended for his decision not to pursue such a reactionary response.

Now that it’s over, let’s tally up the results and compare them with other events:

• Number of bike-related deaths from MD Bike Weekend: None.

• Number of bike-related deaths from Harley Weekend: One.

• Number of arrests resulting from public intoxication during Harley?Weekend and MD?Bike Weekend: Full statistics not yet released. (Needless to say, common sense would dictate that in both instances, the number is probably pretty high).

• Percentage of the population exasperated with traffic tie-ups from both events: 100%.

• Percentage of the population left nearly stone deaf from both events: 100%.

• Percentage of exposed gluteus maximuses: 100% (female riders only) Note: Comparison to Harley Week in this category would be unfair due to genetic disposition.

• Percentage of population flagrantly prejudiced: Unknown.

Oops. There it is.

Every reason imaginable has been used by officials, residents and media to make the case against the Atlantic Beach Bike Rally continuing as an annual event. That is, every reason but the one that is really the heart of the matter.

Despite incidents of similar behaviors, nobody seems to mind the overwhelmingly white Harley Week.

Despite incidents of similar behavior, no one seems to mind the overwhelmingly white invasion of golfers.

Despite incidents of similar behavior, nobody seems to mind the overwhelmingly white hordes of college students on spring break and summer vacation.

Coincidentally, no one seems to mind the overwhelmingly African American, Hispanic or Asian legions of workers who cook the meals, wash the dishes, scrub the floors, make the beds, collect the garbage and generally perform all the menial labor necessary for all of these groups – and the locals – to enjoy the good life at the beach.

This isn’t confined to the Grand Strand, or Horry County, or South Carolina, or the South, or the United States. It’s just a sad fact that anywhere there’s a white majority, you can bet that there’s an unspoken mood of uneasiness when any minority begins to congregate in large numbers.

Deny it all you want – over the last three weeks I’ve witnessed and overhead the whispers of fear from one end of the Strand to the other. Businesses have chosen to close their doors for the duration of Memorial Day Weekend. Food and beverages have been stockpiled so that there’s no need to venture out of the house. Mini-vacations and long-overdue visits to family and friends away from the beach have been scheduled. The only other event to trigger a similar response, that I’ve witnessed, is the impending arrival of the dreaded hurricane.

So, why don’t we just come clean and call a spade a spade, so to speak. If we’re hell bent on keeping the Coppertone folks behind the wheel of their Mercedes and Lincolns (hey, isn’t it ironic, don’t ya think?), then let’s get serious about it. I mean, if we can put white men on the moon, surely we can keep the Strand light and bright. I don’t claim to have all the answers, of course, but here are a few thoughts for our leaders to chew on:

• Since we’re already in the process of building new roads to the beach, simply install toll booths and impose a surcharge on all Japanese-made motorcycles.

• Pass new zoning laws requiring all Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises to be located west of the Waterway. Amend the law to include roadside produce stands (watermelon vendors only).

• Further amend above law to include all Taco Bell restaurants.

• Ban the sale of all 40 oz. malt liquor and MD 20/20, as well as Kool and Newport cigarettes.

• Further amend above law to include tequila and Corona beer.

• Make possession of any radio, tape deck, CD player or boom box with a power rating of more than 10 watts a capital offense.

• Require all non-whites complying with above laws to swim across the Waterway before admitting access.

• Amend above law to exclude Hispanics; replace with requirement that no vehicle contains more than 4 blackvelvet paintings of Jesus.

• Further amend above two laws to exclude Asians; replace with restrictions against anyone scoring over 1400 on S.A.T. exams.

• While we’re at it, enact zoning laws restricting the number of beachwear stores to only one within a 15-mile radius.

• Abolish the sale or possession of all Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Melissa Etheridge or Indigo Girl albums, tapes and CDs.

• File a class-action suit against God for creating a rainbow.

• Allow the “He needed killin’” defense in confrontations that begin with “Yo, Yo, Yo”. “Que pasa?” or “Well, the way we did it up North …”

Well, I’m sure some of vou can extend this list on and on. But until the powers that be consider these options seriously, we should all extend an enormous debt of gratitude to the tireless efforts of the mini-army of law enforccnient, the Friendship Committee, and all the normal folks out there who accept the world in which we live, with all of its imperfections.

Because it is the existence of these people that, in the final analysis, will prevent the Grand Strand from being compared to South Africa’s “Sun City.” And for some, replacing ignorance and prejudice with enlightenment and compassion will be too much to ask. But you could at least try. In the meantime, pass the Coppertone.

It would be mighty white of you.
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The previous article originally appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine, June 3, 1999.

This Is Your Brain On Bikes

By Brian M. Howle

Those little neurons that fire off signals to your brain’s memory section must have an interesting genesis. Everyone has them – but I believe some of us have more than most. While washing my car a few weeks ago, I observed a young boy venturing from the safe confines of his driveway to take that inaugural plunge into worldly freedom. His cautious, methodical peddling – tempered with momentary gyroscopic corrections to maintain balance – began to slowly increase in speed. With a determined focus, his eyes were set on the next three feet of asphalt awaiting him; bottom lip firmly in the overbite of concentration. For a few brief seconds, only he and I existed in our little corner of the world. Upon reaching the recognizable border of his next door neighbor’s yard (the grand total of about fifty feet), the realization of his first solo ride cut through the concentration. His little face lit up like a Vegas marquee, and he very carefully negotiated the U-turn maneuver. Then he began screaming to his mother, who was sweeping their garage, “Mamma! Mamma! MAMMA! Look, LOOK … I’m riding WITHOUT training wheels! LOOK!! And Mamma smiled and congratulated him, and as he hopped off his bike she gathered him up in her waiting arms and hugged him amid squeals of delight from both as they made their way inside for a celebratory treat.

I hope his mother keeps that little moment tucked away in her accessible memory, for her to retrieve and relive at her fancy. Because I know for sure the boy will.

In the few nanoseconds after they disappeared inside their home, my mind had transported me back to the day when I, too, had broken the surly bonds of stabilization assisted bicycles. No one was around that day, for reasons unknown, and I sat on the steps at the end of our side walkway, giving my training wheels the evil eye. A serious decision had to be made, and since I apparently had nothing but time on my hands (being a little kid and all), I turned my attention to my dad’s tool box. Now, this signaled two important things:

1) – I was actually motivated to do something, and;

2) – I must have been motivated to plunder through dad’s tool box without his supervision. Hey, I was five, maybe six years old – the difference between a wrench and say, a hacksaw, seemed of little importance at the time. And besides, I had already established that I had time on my hands, so the diversionary task of seeing how many sawable surfaces our yard contained didn’t ruin my time table. And days later, when dad discovered a toothless hacksaw in his tool box, I learned two more important things:

1) – Hacksaws should not be used on steel and masonry unless you use specialized blades, and;

2) – It’s hard to sit for a few days when you do.

Well, after the hacksaw lost its novelty (and its teeth), I again turned my attention to removing the training wheels. It took little while – maybe an hour or four – but I figured out which fit the nuts that held the wheels in place. With the yard littered with wheel pieces, tools and assorted items sawed from their points of origin, I climbed up on the seat, gripped the squishy plastic handlebar grips, put my head down and pushed off from the top of our driveway. A small slope led to the street, and initial inertia always helps when you’re a kid doing something for the first time. It also helps to close your eyes, which I did, and when the driveway bottomed out and the only sound I heard was the rushing wind dancing over my ears, I opened my eyes and languished in the moment of victory of self-reliance. Then it occurred to me that the rest of the world shouldn’t he denied enlightenment to this accomplishment, and I swooped into the big, wide, easy turn to head back to the house to share the news. Aglow in pride, I accepted my parents’ congratulations and encouragement as I stood beside the now tamed beast and reveled in triumph.

Not long after mastering the two-wheeler, a predictable series of events were set in motion. First, every little boy has a genetic code interwoven into his heart and soul, into his very being, that requires him to seek maximum speed in all forms of propelled movement. Second, the same DNA dictates that once top speed has been ascertained, the brain begins to crunch the numbers required to achieve release from the grip of gravity, be it ever so brief.

My friends and I began constructing ramps for free-flight jumping, utilizing such high-tech materials as bricks and two-by-fours. At this point the learning curve is very much in play, as the DNA leads us to discover some of the basic principles of physics: i.e., the concept of weights and leverage, and diminishing or increasing points of fulcrum shift – as when a board’s length exceeds the fulcrum line, resulting in your bike becoming a lawn dart. We learned that when you nail together two or more boards for a longer ramp, always make sure the nails don’t project upwards, ‘cause tires ain’t cheap. Through the painful but rewarding attempts at trial and error, we managed to ride our winged beasts a grand total of maybe four feet – that is, to assure no great injury would be risked. The big, heavy bicycles of the day were simply not destined to fly.

That all changed in the mid ‘60’s when s bicycle designer borrowed front the look of drag racing and invented the “Spyder Bike”.

The Spyder was a gleaming, sexy and seductive sight to behold. Built upon a small frame, it featured highrise handlebars (just like the hippie motorcycles), a “banana” seat with a “Sissy Bar”, a small, thin front tire mounted on an extended fork (again, just like the hippie bikes), and a wider rear tire that was akin the the dragsters’ big, fat racing slicks . The smaller wheel configuration allowed for a better torque ratio for lightning fast acceleration. You couldn’t pedal one wide open for very long, but there was one thing in particular you could do with the greatest of ease:

Pop a wheelie.

Yep, these babies were born to imitate a unicycle, no doubt about it. When I walked into the living room on Christmas morning and saw my metallic copper Schwinn Spyder, I could beel the sensation of weightlessness that awaited me. I walked around it several times, the way a dog does before it beds down, running my fingers over every inch of sparking metal. The bright copper color was offset and highlighted by tons of chrome – the rims, the handlebars, the chain guard, and the fenders; the rear of which were upturned and flared, again … just like the hippie bikes. I momentarily hesitated when urged to take it out for a ride, not wanting to soil its virgin tread. Five seconds later, I was rolling down the driveway.

Well, everyone now had a new bike, and the race was on to perfect the “wheelie”. To avoid embarrassment and humiliation, we practiced these moves alone if at all possible . After a few days of countless falls, I began to get the hang of it. Feeling confident and wanting to show off for someone, I rolled over to visit Louise, a neighbor across the street on the next block. At this point in my life, it was far less humiliating to fail in front of a girl than in front of the guys. For my sake, it turned out to be a wise move.

“Hey, Louise, wanna see something cool?” I suavely inquired as I circled around her big, clunky girl’s bike.

“If you insist,” she retorted, feigning disinterest (I’m telling you, they start that stuff early – it’s in their DNA). “What’s so cool?”

“Hey … Watch this.” I coolly stated, as I swung around behind her to position myself to pass by her in Napoleonic splendor once up on one wheel. I shifted into low gear, straightened out the front wheel and then stood up on the pedal and kicked down; simultaneously pulling back on the handlebars to attain the proper alignment of balance. I was about to learn that the code did not always prepare you for “variables” in the quest for bicycling bravado personified. I failed to allow for adrenaline.

Wanting not just to impress my friend but to absolutely stun her with my ability, I was a little too “pumped” for my wheelie premier. I kicked far too hard, pulled back far too quickly, and proceeded to virtually propel myself backwards into the unforgiving street. The bike shot up in the air as I tried to impale myself – or rather, the back of my skull – into the asphalt. This was not a fall; this was the equivalent of having Mickey Mantle use your head for T-ball batting practice. Completely and utterly disoriented (which I later learned is normal when experiencing a concussion), my one and only coherent thought became inexplicably twisted between thought and spoken word.

“Bike, get my Louise out of the street!” I shouted repeatedly, as I stumbled through the world of cartoon birdies swirling around my immediately aching little head. Louise obliged and rolled my bike over to her yard, then she walked back over to me. I was still trying to get my brain to stop sloshing around my head, but I could sense her growing concern over my well being.

“Brian, you should get out of the road, a car might come by,” she implored, constantly checking both directions as she leaned over me.

“Bike, I am doing what do you think?’ was the best I could manage as I was beginning to abandon any attempt at cohesive thought and speech in favor of moaning in searing, dull pain.

I eventually crawled off to the side of the road and lay prone in Louise’s yard for about half and hour. Shortly after regaining the ability to speak, I struggled to my feet, collected my bike and bid Louise good day. I wobbled back to my house, parked the bike and took a very long nap.

Some time later, I did finally master the wheelie, and would ride with my friends for blocks, all of us peddling along on the back wheel. This soon grew boring, and while sipping on a Coke at the Drug Store one day, I was thumbing through a car magazine when I came upon it picture of a motorcycle jumping over it car. The shot was taken just as the bike was leaving the ramp, and as I looked at the picture and then looked at my bike parked outside, a little light went on inside my slightly dented head.

I immediately proposed my hypothesis to my colleagues, and we raced back to our neighborhood to dust off the old ramp building materials. In a jiffy, we had the ramp up and ready; not too long, not too steep. Since the revised concept was my baby, I was allowed the first attempt. With the imprint of Farr Ave. still freshly embossed on my head, I envisioned the jump before making the attempt. I took long, deep breaths; I reminded myself not to kick the bike out from under me before I had even started; I lined up the ramp and the landing ramp (oh yeah, we were confident: a full six feet away, with the same degree of incline as the takeoff ramp) and saw myself sailing heroically across the great chasm and landing softly but safely on the other side. I shook out my fingers one last time, grabbed the handlebars and started for the approach. Speed was good, alignment was good, and right up to the point of being airborne, everything looked good. However, once again, adrenaline missed the pre-jump meeting and showed up at the worst possible time.

Just as I reached the top of the ramp, I gave it it little extra “umph” to get me across. I didn’t account for that “umph” coinciding with the rear tire leaving the ramp at the exact same moment. With no resistance against it, the wheel spun freely – and all the force I put into that foot pushing down continued. But without the ground to stabilize it, the bike pulled up under me, as my foot shot off of the pedal and directly into the rear spokes, where my foot was an unwelcome intruder, responsible for removing roughly half of the spokes before stopping. In the fractions of a second that this all occurred, the pain of that intrusion paled in comparison with that which came with touchdown. Now having some surface to grip and counteract the direction of my foot, the wheel reversed itself at the speed of light. It snatched the full weight of my body forward, which pulled my foot through the other half of the remaining spokes. All in all, considering the foot wasn’t actually severed from my ankle or anything, it was pretty cool.

The worst accident I ever had came while I was alone. For some reason I had decided to break out into an all out sprint on my bike. I was standing up on the pedals, leaning forward, pumping my legs furiously as I labored to breath and maintain top speed. I was leaning forward so far, my chin was only inches from the front wheel. And then, the single most surrealistic thing I ever witnessed took place. As I peddled and hung forward over the handlebars, I looked straight down. Unbelievably, and for a brief few moments seemingly suspended in slow motion, I watched in horror as the wheel disengaged itself from the front fork, and with the next pedaling motion that resulted in a slight pull upon the handlebars, it made its way free from the fork and proceeded to pull ahead of the bike.

My small, battered little brain was still trying to process all this when the front fork fell victim to gravity and dug into the old, craggy pavement. I had my eyes open, but remember none of the next minute or so. I knew I was stunned, and I knew that I had just had a pretty bad accident, but I was relatively calm. The whole thing took place a street over from mine, in front of my best friend “T’”s house. Running on emergency backup circuits, my brain guided me to their door, where I politely knocked and waited for Mrs. Gamble to let me in. When she opened the door, she took one look at me and turned white as a sheet, and started muttering those “mom” things that always include a lot of “Oh, Lord “ and “Help me, Jesus “ mixed in there. Confused by her reaction, I stepped back from her as she attempted to put a towel to my forehead. “Let me wipe some of this off, Brian,” she said while trying to steady me, “let me get a good look at it.”

“A good look at what?” I wondered to myself, “What on earth is she talking about. And what’s this warm stuff running down my face and neck?” I reached up – for the first time since the wreck – and felt my forehead. It stung a little, no big deal. And then I looked at my hand and saw the blood. I had finally gone and done it – split my head wide open. At that moment, all of my other senses – especially the one that detects pain – kicked in.

People came running from up to six blocks away, each seeking the source of the mega-decibel screams. My brother, sitting on the walkway steps to my house – no more than 200 feet away – was oblivious to the sound. He and a friend wandered over only after noticing the small crowd gathering in Mrs. Gamble’s driveway. I vaguely remember the trip to Dr. Harper’s office: punctuated by the very strong recollection of receiving stitches while Dr. Harper spun his unique bedside manner that we all came to know and love: “Now, I’ll ask one more time before I close this up … You’re sure he didn’t leak any brains out there in the street, did he? ‘Cause I know this boy, and he’s gonna need all he can get”. Dr. Harper hovered over me, peering over his horn-rimmed glasses and desperately balancing a chewed and worn cigar between his teeth as he looped the sutures shut. “Does that hurt?” he queried, stopping for my answer. I nodded in the affirmative. “Good”, he said as he leaned back in for another stitch, “that means you’re gonna live”.

Sometimes, whcih I watch how our children now stay glued to the television or video game or computer, I worry the simple joy of riding – and crashing – a bicycle might disappear for their world. And that would truly be a shame.

Because nothing prepares you for life like a bike.
###
The previous article originally appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine, March 9, 2000.
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Ultimate Recycling

By Brian M. Howle

Everyone seems to agreee that life in our area just feels better than somewhere else. It’s hard to single out just one reason, but the natural beauty of the coastal plain is unquestionably the star of the show. And how could it not be? Wide, white sandy beaches, lush dunes, wild myrtles and oaks, rich fertile soil, extensive waterways – combine these with the sub-tropical climate and the “for sale” signs almost impale themselves into the ground for you.

Older folks in this area can tell you right quick how “things used to be” if you’ve got a minute to spare. In fact you don’t really have to be all that old to know what’s been happening over the years to our precious little strip of earth known as the Grand Strand.

I’ve always been fond of hanging around what the less respectful refer to as “old timers”. Information comes with patience and time, and most kids can figure that out pretty early on in the game. Unfortunately, most make the mistake of forgetting about as they become more involved in learning how to “grow up”, though, and only later in life does it come thundering back into their consciousness. But of the few things I actually got right in those early days of decision making, sticking close to the older crowd was one of the smartest moves I ever made.

As a child, I quickly learned that the adults who were actually interested in having any form of conversation with you, as a rule,:

(A) Would not speak to you in “baby talk”, or in general assume that you had the attention span of a Cocker Spaniel;

(B) Would not hold out an open palm in your face while holding up the index finger of the other hand in that “just a sec” mode as they swing their attention to something far more important – like a commercial on TV;

(C) Would actually answer 99.9% of all questions asked, with detailed sidebars about the subject matter, the likes of which your small undeveloped brain would never have accessed in a million years.

Armed with this knowledge, I set about getting as much information about everything that I could. The first decision was to stake claim to prime info-gathering real estate. In a small rural Southern town, this was probably my very first “no-brainer”: the steps of the church, before and after the morning service. To me, those granite slabs were the equivalent of the Internet. A wisely timed tying of the shoe, a long, lazy yawn, a casual pause here – all were integral components of delineating the crowd. Yep, there was treasure to be gleaned from these folks, and I learned many a life lesson by listening to the older folks as they spoke to me.

I should confess, I should have listened more attentively a few other times back then, but I guess some life lessons have to be learned the hard way. Occasionally, a couple of times seemed necessary to get the point. So much for the disclaimer.

I first entered the job market as a teen, starting off with part-time jobs. I learned another amazing fact: There weren’t always older folks around. Understand, at the time, my concept of “older folks” was 60-80 years of age. And yes, I did think anyone over 30 was “old” in terms of hipness, but I didn’t think they would be as wise or as interesting as the older people. And I couldn’t have been happier over the discovery – after all, it meant more free information.

During my college years, my appreciation for these people really escalated. One of my very first summer jobs was construction. Laborer jobs, then as now, were plentiful but woefully low paying. I nosed around and found out form carpenters made good money, so I decided I was a form carpenter. I got my tool belt and all the usual carpenter’s tools and put everything in the belt’s little pockets and holders and got it all just right. Then I put the whole thing in the driveway and ran over it with my car 20 or 30 times, giving it that “worn with experience” look. Confident of the ruse, I applied for the carpentry job amid a flurry of misinformation.

Worked like a charm.

When I ventured out on the job site for the first time, I surveyed the other workers quickly. I spotted the oldest looking man right away, and made it my mission to befriend this grisled veteran of the sawdust wars. I confided in him that I had bluffed my way into the job and that I really needed the money (which was true). Well, to my good fortune, this fellow took a liking to me right away and proceeded to show me all the tricks of the trade. It was amazing. He taught me two year’s worth of apprentice training in two months, and it was apparent to me that he enjoyed teaching and showing me the ropes immensely. My experience was never questioned, and I was able to contribute quality work to a major project. A project which, to this day, I always point out to whomever’s in the car with me as I pass by the site.

Originally a Journalism major, I stumbled into the production aspect of the business purely by accident. In search of another summer job during college, I answered a classified for a printing press operator. The owner of the printing plant was very polite in letting me down, explaining how complicated and cantankerous a Goss Community Offset Press can be, and that only years of working with it would enable anyone to tackle the job.

But he saw my enthusiasm for the industry – and my disappointment at losing the press job – so he offered me a job as a “utility worker”. They would train me in all aspects of pre-press production work, as well as post-press operations. Pay-wise, I would be at the bottom of the food chain, but when you’re young and hungry any port will do in a storm.

First day on the job, I was introduced around to all the folks in the shop. Quiet, demure housewives; quiet, unassuming country boys, and weathered middle-aged folks abounded on the premises.

Then the doors from the darkroom swung open, and out walked the wildest looking, craziest talking old guy I had ever met. His name was Bill Faylor. He was loud. He was effervescent. And, oh, he loved to pick on the young’uns. Which, of course, consisted mainly of me.

Every morning, my day began with a boisterous tirade from Bill, asking out loud (for everyone in the shop to hear) how drunk or high I had gotten the night before, how many women I had slept with, how many warrants were out for my arrest – all before I ever had a chance to even mumble “Morning” to anyone. He was on me like a shadow, and I couldn’t get enough of it. He was one of the funniest men I ever knew. And in between all the picks and rants, he took the time to painstakingly detail the processes of each of the tasks I was to learn. The first four months of my graphics career were the most enjoyable four months of my adult working life. And to this day, I still contend that I received about five or six years worth of hands-on experience under his tutelage.

I later learned that Bill’s wife had been very ill for years. Outside the office, he was the quietest, most reserved person you’d ever see. The illusion projected at work was a mask to ease the daily pain of his life, which he never spoke of, never complained about, and never allowed to interfere with his work or his ability to work amiably with his co-workers.

But his attitude and outlook on life and work and death, along with the natural attraction to this field of work, propelled me into a career that I love as much today as the first time I ever touched a T-square and a keyboard.

25 years later, it is rewarding to know the lessons that these men – and countless others – bestowed on me were imparted on the younger kids I have worked with. Sharing knowledge requires no special talent that I can think of.

Except maybe, patience.

I guess it’s funny, that while I understood the importance of an older person’s experience and wisdom, I really never considered my own parents “old”.

Which means in the final analysis, I can take a pretty good shot at appreciating the patience my parents gave me back then. And it probably quadruples the appreciation for the patience they continue to show.

But at least now I’m in it position to let them know.
###
The previous article originally appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine, January 28, 1999.

Get A Rise From Drive By Truckers At HOB Aug. 21

By Brian M. Howle

Someone, somewhere once made a claim to un accredited fame by exclaiming, “The South shall rise again.” I have no idea what their concept was at the time, but for our purposes let’s say it was a precusor to the formation of one of the brightest new bands of the current generation.

And that the phrase was a harbinger for the arrival of Drive By Truckers, who will performing (along with opening act Tift Merritt) at House Of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach, SC on Friday, August 21, 2009.

Here’s the take from Wikipedia:

Drive-By Truckers are an alternative country and Southern rock band based in Athens, Georgia, though three out of five members (Mike Cooley, Patterson Hood, and Shonna Tucker) are originally from The Shoals region of Northern Alabama. The current lineup includes Brad Morgan on drums, and Jay Gonzalez on keyboards. Their music is noteworthy for its “three axe attack”, or three guitars as well as bass and drums.

Drive-By Truckers was co-founded by Patterson Hood (son of bassist David Hood of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section) and longtime friend, former room-mate, and musical partner Mike Cooley in Athens, Georgia, in 1996. The two had played in various other bands including Adam’s House Cat which was chosen as a top ten Best Unsigned Band by a Musician contest in the late 1980s.

Together with a revolving group of musicians, Drive-By Truckers put out their first two albums, Gangstabilly (1998) and Pizza Deliverance (1999). Following their second release, the band embarked on a nationwide tour, resulting in a live album called Alabama Ass Whuppin’ (released in 2000 by Second Heaven Records, re-released in 2002 by Terminus Records).

After three years on the road a tight-knit group of musicians emerged and they began work on 2001′s Southern Rock Opera. Southern Rock Opera is a double album executed as a song cycle. The album uses the rise and literal fall of Lynyrd Skynyrd as a magnifying glass for the cultural fall of the South as a whole during the 1970s.

Southern Rock Opera, originally released independently on Drive-By Truckers’ own Soul Dump Records on September 12, 2001, garnered praise from fans and critics alike. In order to meet new demand brought on by, among other things, a four-star review in Rolling Stone, Southern Rock Opera was re-issued by Mercury and Lost Highway Records in July 2002. Soon after, Drive-By Truckers were named Band of the Year by No Depression.

Before Drive-By Truckers could record a follow-up to Southern Rock Opera, they ran into a problem when they were left with only two guitarists (Cooley and Hood) following the departure of Rob Malone in late 2001. It was during this time that the band added fellow Alabamian guitarist and songwriter Jason Isbell, originally from Greenhill, Alabama. During his five years with Drive-By Truckers, Isbell’s compositions became as highly praised as those of Cooley and Hood.

After signing a new deal with Austin-based record label New West, Drive-By Truckers set about recording the follow-up to Southern Rock Opera. The result was 2003′s Decoration Day, which, like its predecessor, received critical praise. It was another concept album, containing characters who are faced with hard decisions about marriage, incest, break-ups, revenge, murder, and suicide.

After years of producing and playing with Drive-By Truckers, bassist Earl Hicks left the band on December 22, 2003. Hicks was immediately replaced by studio bassist Shonna Tucker, then wife of guitarist Jason Isbell. Tucker had previously guested on Decoration Day playing upright bass on the Cooley-penned track, “Sounds Better in the Song”.

In 2004, Drive-By Truckers released The Dirty South. Like Southern Rock Opera, The Dirty South was a concept album. The Dirty South further explored the mythology of the South, with songs focusing on Sam Phillips and the Sun Records crowd, John Henry and his hammer, and a three-song suite about Sheriff Buford Pusser.

After touring throughout 2004 and 2005, Drive-By Truckers found their way to the Fidelitorium Recording Studio in Forsyth County, North Carolina during late 2005. These recording sessions, once again produced by David Barbe, resulted in the band’s seventh LP, A Blessing and a Curse. Released on April 18, 2006, A Blessing and a Curse showcased Drive-By Truckers’ ability to branch out into new territory, and can be seen as the band’s attempt at shaking labeling by critics, detractors, fans, and followers, particularly the Southern rock label that has haunted the band since Southern Rock Opera. The album sounds less like Skynyrd, and more closely resembles the bare-bones British rock of the early 1970s such as The Rolling Stones and Faces. Tom Petty’s influence on the band’s sound is more prominent on this album as well.

In 2006, Drive-By Truckers reunited, both on-stage and on-record, with Athens-based pedal steel guitarist, John Neff. Neff first played with the band on their 1998 debut LP, Gangstabilly, and played pedal steel on three subsequent albums, 1999′s Pizza Deliverance, and 2003′s Decoration Day. Neff was featured heavily on the 2006 release, A Blessing and a Curse. During the next year, Neff began touring with the band as an unofficial sixth member.

On April 5, 2007 Jason Isbell announced that he was no longer a member of the band. The following day, Patterson Hood confirmed the break on the official site. In his letter to the fans, Hood described the parting of ways as “amicable” and expressed the hope that fans would continue to support Drive-By Truckers as well as Jason’s solo efforts. In the same letter, Hood announced that John Neff would become a full-time member playing both guitar and pedal steel. Shortly after Isbell’s departure, on April 20, 2007, Patterson Hood announced via the band’s website that a longtime friend of The Hood Family, Spooner Oldham, would be joining the band playing keyboard for a string of acoustic performances called The Dirt Underneath Tour.

Drive-By Truckers performed as backup musicians for Bettye LaVette’s 2007 album, The Scene of the Crime. The album went to #1 on Billboard’s Blues Chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album.

On January 22, 2008, the Drive-By Truckers’ eighth album, Brighter Than Creation’s Dark (named after a line in a Cooley song entitled “Checkout Time in Vegas”), was released in the US and went to #37 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Once again, David Barbe produced the album and artist Wes Freed provided the artwork. The album has nineteen tracks and features the first song contributions from bassist Shonna Tucker.

Drive-By Truckers backed up Booker T. Jones on his album Potato Hole, which was released on April 21, 2009. They performed with Jones as “Booker T and the DBTs” at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on June 14, 2009. on 1 September 2009, New West Records will simultaneously release a CD/DVD package called Live From Austin, TX, a document of a performance on “Austin City Limits,” and The Fine Print, a collection of b-sides and extras recorded from 2003-2008, including songs by the departed Jason Isbell.

Hood announced via the band’s website that the Drive-By Trucker’s ninth album is already in the works and is slated for an early 2010 release.

So get ready for the proverbial southern 3-axe attack with a twist as Drive By Truckers, with opening act Tift Merritt, rock House Of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach, SC on Friday, August 21, 2009. Doors open 7:30pm. For ticket info call 843-272-3000 or Ticketmaster 843-679-9333; or visit www.houseofblues.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
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This article also appears in Alternatives NewsMagazine at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com, August 13, 2009.

Digital Buggy Whips

By Brian M. Howle

Although you’dnever know it by watching our good ol’ U.S. economy just chug right along, continually putting up numbers showing growth and robust pulse, the world at large is in a mess. Asian markets have tumbled, Europe is struggling with a PR. campaign designed to bolster faith and acceptance of the multi-national Euro currency on top of their own share of market and investment woes, and South America’s economic problems are literally driving some Folks bananas (or at least the banana wars are).

“So?”, you may ask yourself, “What’s it to me? We’re doing alright – in fact, we’re doing great!”

The painful truth of the matter is we are all in deep denial. The current stock market surge is founded primarily on high tech stocks that are artificially inflated on good old American greed, fueled by massive investments in the infant computer and Internet speculative stocks. Companies have put billions into ventures whose worth are yet to be established, with everyone rolling the dice for an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the greatest money-maker since prostitution. There’s just one small problem with getting swept up in technology’s intoxicating allure:

History.

When faced with these newfangled innovations and their unproven performance, it would behoove most of us to remember the classic “Aesop’s Fable” about the lesson of greed: The dog who had the good fortune to acquire a large piece of meat, and while on his way home to savor his find, comes across a small footbridge. Noticing what he doesn’t realize is his own reflection in the water, he thinks to himself, “Hey, that dog has a piece of meat, too. If I can scare him into dropping it, I call have twice its much to eat.” As he begins to growl and snap at the other dog, he lets go of his bounty, only to helplessly watch it plunge into the water below, sinking forever from his tearing eyes.

Let’s take a look at one example of recent technological breakthroughs initially heralded as the greatest thing since sliced bread. Remember the advent of the Video Cassette Recorder (VCR)? Just imagine – a means of allowing anyone with normal amounts of “disposable income” to have a device which would record and playback whatever your fancy dictates from the ever growing number of television offerings (brought about by the introduction of coaxial cable, satellite feeds and Ted Turner), all in the comfort and privacy of your own sweet home. So off you went, drunk with anticipation like a kid on Christmas morning, disposable income in hand, ready to make that big purchase which would immediately increase your stature within your most intimate social circles. You entered the store, sought out the electronics department and came face-to-face with an unexpected dilemma: Beta or VHS?

Now, most of you well-heeled folks listening to the barracuda with passionate enthusiasm and self-avowed expertise in this unknown stratosphere of state-of-the-art electronics went with the more expensive – but clearly superior – Beta format, swayed more by the salesman’s serious inference of quality when he said, “Well, it’s what Sony decided to go with, and you know those guys know what is best.” As for the rest of us, we lowered our heads and pointed out the less glamorous VHS unit as our choice for purchase. The infant video industry hastily produced movies for the public’s consumption in both formats, hedging their bets in prudent and insightful vision.

As we all know, the Beta boys won the battle for quality befitting industry standards (as most television stations and production facilitics have chosen Beta for their purposes), but they ultimately lost the war. The more affordable VHS took off like a scalded banshee, the video industry shifted priority, and every Asian electronics manufacturer with an abundance of 6¢ an hour workers began pumping out VHS players and recorders. A champion had emerged from the haze, and millions of people reveled in their newest toy, although most had their glee tempered by the constantly flashing “12:00” on the unit’s clock, which apparently was backward-engineered from the most complex stolen U.S. military secrets.

The new reality of the rules of the game – when it comes to predicting economic and employment futures – is that there are no rules. Front the beginning of time (or more appropriately, time clocks), the unforeseen evolution of social economics has been as unsettled and unrelenting as the occans. The changing demands of societies’ food chains have deposited and eroded riches constantly throughout our recorded history. And now the “experts” are telling us that the concept of lifetime employment an assumcd precept held automatic by most Americans, and handed down to our capitalistic clones in Japan – is it vanishing realization. Workers can now expect multiple careers in their lifetime, and the need for education has become paramount in that challenge.

One of my favorite lines of dialogue comes from the movie, “Other People’s Money”, starring Danny DeVito as a coporate raider who lives only for the art of the dal, buyin out and taking over dying or seriously floundering companies, cutting jobs and liquidating assets for quick and sizeable profits. Addressing the stockholders of his latest target as they prepare to vote on his stock offer, he tells a tale of impassioned sincerity concerning buggy whips. “A hundred years ago, there were over 200 companies making buggy whips,” he says, “And hundreds of people were steadily employed, providing for hundreds more in their families. The country was growing, towns were springing up on a westward wave of prosperity and confidence, and anyone on the move had to have a buggy whip. But then technology came along and gave us the steam engine and railroads, then the internal combustion engine gave us automobiles and airplanes. Travel became motorized and travel time was reduced by astronomical percentages. The need for horses and buggies rapidly declined, and the number of companies making buggy whips fell accordingly.

Finally, only one company remained, the strongest and best managed of all the companies stood alone in the face of the inevitable end. “And you can believe, that company made the best damn buggy whip the world had ever seen,” he concludes, “But in the reality of the business world, that didn’t mean a thing.” Ultimately, the stockholders vote to sell their outdated cable and wire company. The family-owned business dies a quiet, sad death. But, being a movie, DeVilo falls in love with the company lawyer/daughter with whom he battled throughout the takeover, and subsequently devises a plan to use the company’s production facilities to upgrade and divesify to successfully manufacture wire for use in the burgeoning telecommunication industry, saving everyone’s job and the future of the community. That’s the way it goes in the movies.

The field ofgraphics and prepress production is my arena, and in 25 years I have witnessed the passing of the hot type Linotype typesetting machines (and the skilled artisans who operated them; thinking, reasoning and planning in reverse with backwards letters and numbers, all the while enduring painful burns and toxic fumes from bubbling, molten lead); its successor, the photomechanical typesetting machine, which read ticker-tape rolls of paper produced by legions of frenzied typists, tranferring the encoded tapes into flashes of light within the machine onto light-sensitive photographic typesetting film. The film was then processed through another device which was essentially a mini-darkroom, and ultimately going on to a layout artist who deftly ran the copy through a waxing machine, cutting and trimming and adjusting every galley of type onto full page layout sheets, leaving holes for photos by affixing “knockout boxes” of amber acetate film so that the person in the camera/platemaking room could attach negatives to the finished flat. These flats were then used to burn metal plates for transferring the image of the page onto rubber rollers, which offset the image onto the paper, producing the final product.

Today, all of those functions can be produced at a desktop Macintosh computer – with a scanner and a printer – by one person. In the future, voice-activated computers and as yet uninvented download devices will eventually replace the need for that one person. And the lesson to be learned from this little story?

Well, when I was a child, my mother would always impart on me – in those moments when all parents question their child’s ability to use their noggins – this interrogative, rhetorical plea: “Do you want to be a ditch digger for the rest of your life? Then you better straighten up and do your homework and learn something that will do you some good in life”.

Which was prophetically good advice, considering the invention of the Ditch Witch, a motorized, self-propelled trenching machine. So what analogy can be used for today’s children and their future?

Pray to your God in heaven that at the Microsoft headquarters, a still-frugal Bill Gates doesn’t ever decide to eat his bag lunch while sitting on the edge of the footbridge spanning the fountain pool that sits out front. And pray even harder he doesn’t look down when he bites into that sandwich.
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The previous article originally appeared in Alternatives NewsMagazine, March 11, 1999.

Travis Tritt Goes Acoustic At House Of Blues August 14, 2009

By Brian M. Howle

Personally, I knew about Travis Tritt for some time before being subjected to one of his albums by a passed-out fan while camping out in the infield at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, GA in November of 1992. Which was a good thing, because listening to “Here’s A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)” three or four hundred times over the course of a very long and cold night could have made me loathe the man and his music.

But, Travis deserves better than that, and I know better than that.

And in all the years since, I have always made a point to catch his shows, because despite that woeful episode I just related, trust me – you won’t get a better performance from anyone, of any genre of music. But don’t take my word for it – check him out for yourself as House Of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach, SC presents An Acoustic Evening with Travis Tritt on Friday, August 14, 2009.

Ever the consummate showman, Travis Tritt will surprise you with his musicianship if you’re not familiar with the man; and his vocal power still amazes longtime fans to boot. And in my book he does the quintessential Willie Nelson impersonation as well.

Now for the background facts, culled from his website and Wikipedia:

James Travis Tritt was born in Marietta, Georgia to James and Gwen Tritt on February 9, 1963. At age 3, he received his first guitar from his father.

Travis began writing music while he was attending Sprayberry High School; his first song composition entitled “Spend A Little Time”, was written about his girlfriend about the time she broke up with him. Throughout his childhood, Tritt was obsessed with music, frequently spending hours alone in his bedroom learning to play the guitar and practicing various styles of both traditional country and southern rock songs.

By the age of 22, Tritt had been twice divorced. Single again he committed himself entirely to developing a full time music career. His breakthrough came with the release of his first album, Country Club, from which five singles were released, as well as his first No. 1 hit with “Help Me Hold On”’ His second album, It’s All About to Change, produced three top-3 hits: “Anymore”, “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’”, and “Here’s A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)”. The song “Bible Belt” was used in the movie, My Cousin Vinny, and, for which, he composed alternate lyrics exclusively for the use of the film.

Tritt has charted more than thirty singles on the U.S. Billboard charts, including five Number Ones, and has released fifteen albums total. His first and third albums—1989’s Country Club and T-R-O-U-B-L-E—have each achieved platinum certification by the RIAA, while his albums It’s All About to Change (1991), Greatest Hits: From the Beginning (1995) have each achieved gold status. His most recent album, The Storm, was released in 2007.

He has also received two Grammy Awards in his musical career, both awards for Best Country Vocal Collaboration: in 1992 for “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’”, a duet with Marty Stuart, and again in 1998 for “Same Old Train”, a collaboration of more than ten country music artists. In addition, he has received three awards from the Country Music Association. Tritt was accepted into membership of the Grand Ole Opry in 1992, when he was only 29. In 2002, Tritt was asked by CMT to do an episode of Crossroads, a special program allowed artists to choose who they would like to perform music with for an evening, and Tritt chose to share this opportunity and experience with Ray Charles. The night was particularly memorable for anyone familiar as Charles’ had his own roots in country music. Tritt paid special tribute to Charles at the Grand Ole Opry by performing his hit single, “What’ I Say” on June 3, 2006 on GAC.

Producer Randy Jackson paid a huge compliment to Travis Tritt, after recording a duet between Tritt and soul man Sam Moore for Moore’s 2006 album, Overnight Sensational.

“Dude, I knew you could sing, but I had no idea you could do that blue-eyed soul thing!”

Then he made a suggestion. “If you ever want to do an album that puts a bigger spotlight on that,” Jackson said, “I’d love to work on it with you.”

The end result of that conversation is The Storm, Tritt’s widely-praised 2007 release. Tritt and Jackson teamed up to create a powerhouse collection of songs that emphasize the irresistible soul side of Tritt’s singing. It’s a card that has always been in Tritt’s stylistic deck, but one that has often been overlooked by listeners unfamiliar with the deep musical links between country and R&B, particularly in the South.

“Growing up just outside Atlanta, to the north of us you’ve got the Grand Ol’ Opry in Nashville,” Tritt explains. “A little bit South you’ve got Macon, Georgia – home of the Allman Brothers, the Marshall Tucker Band and Capricorn Records. And off to west you’ve got Delta blues. Sprinkle Southern gospel over the top of that, and you’re talking about where I came from. I loved all of that music.”

And it won’t take you long to understand that statement. So break out the quarters and join Travis Tritt for an Acoustic Evening at House Of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach, SC on Friday, August 14, 2009. Doors open 7:30pm. For ticket info call 843-272-3000 or Ticketmaster 843-679-9333; or visit www.houseofblues.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
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This article is also published in Alternatives Newsmagazine, July 30, 2009; and appears at www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com under “Nightlife & Entertainment”.