ON BEING THE OLD GUY IN THE CLUB...and things I saw and heard this past week

Here's my column for this week's edition of the METRO SPIRIT....enjoy!

I've been invested,involved and in love with the Augusta music scene since the mid 80's. Depending on who you talk to, that's either pretty neat or just plain pathetic. I am unapologetic and unashamed. Back in the 80's when I was just a sprout going to DIY punk rock shows put on at rented recreation centers around town and travelling to Athens,Atlanta and Columbia(for larger scale shows) I noticed them. Be the show large or small there was always at least one...you've been to shows, you've seen him too. He was/is/will be the old guy in the club...or room or venue or whatever. I am now that guy(as long as we understand that we are speaking in rock and roll terms and that age is relative and that hopefully I have many productive and fun filled years of musical enjoyment ahead of me). Strangely enough, I'm okay with that. Perhaps it's because I'm in some pretty good company.

You see, the old guy in the room has the purest of motives. He is not there to behave like Wooderson(Matthew McConaughey) from "Dazed and Confused"..."That's what I like about these high school girls; I get older, they stay the same age." He is not at the show to pick up underage chicks. He is not at the show because he is socially maladjusted(at least in my experience). I admired some of these guys way back in the day(Chip Creamer, whom I talked about 2 weeks ago in this column was a prototype for me along with John Brownlee) because they had managed to hang onto a piece of their youthful love of rock and roll and it was okay to do so. To my way of thinking, there is no shame in refusing to follow the script by turning off your ears to music that wasn't created after you turned 30 and got that wife,mortgage,kids,management position,etc.etc.etc. I think it requires a little bit of dedication because of the manner in which we are hard-wired, but fear not valiant music lover. It CAN be done.

That said, I was hanging out at SECTOR 7G Saturday night for a multi-band bill featuring my friends in ARTEMIA and a band my nephew WYATT GRAVES fronts called AWAKEN(keep an eye out for these kids, they're gonna make some waves if the guitarist ever invests in a set of strap locks...pre-hair metal 80's rock,semi-prog with conventional song structures,Wyatt sounds like the lead singer from TIGER ARMY, you'd dig it). I haven't been to 7G since Nick Laws sold it, but it seems to be doing well. The show was fairly well attended and the crowd response was vigorous. I am happy to see the new management is holding it down for now and keeping an all-ages venue going here in Augusta. Go to Sector7gaugusta.com for more info, just don't click on the "view live show" tab or you'll be sorry.

I heard some new music this past weekend and it was good. Have you heard of GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING? They've been at it for a minute now and I've always been impressed with the songwriting savvy of this Adam Fulmer fronted group. I'm happy to report that a brand new EP is in the works. They have a track available onsoundcloud.com called "The Song That Shall Not Be Named." It is quite good and has a bit of major label type sheen on it. And it sounds a bit like Jimmy Eat World(which is a good thing to me). You should go to soundcloud.com/gditmband and listen to it,share it, and download it. Thank me later.

Kudos go out to some Augusta ex-pats. Word has come down that the band BATTLE TAPES has a pretty neat opening gig coming up Friday night. Now Battle Tapes consists of Augustans JJ Bower,Josh Boardman and Stephen Bannister(plays poker better than he plays bass...and he's special on bass)...they've been doing their thing for awhile now on the Left Coast. Must be going well because they get to open for HELMET in Fullerton,CA. Helmet is kinda of big deal. As I recall, back in the 90's they were one of the first independent rock bands(heavy at that) to get a million dollar advance. While that didn't work out so well, "Unsung" off that first major label record was an instant classic in heavy music. That's some fine company to be keeping,Battle Tapes. Y'all represent!

I have good news and bad news to finish up. The end may be near for one of my most favorite local bands SICK SICK SICK. Currently, this band of punk rock purists has one final show scheduled and it aint in town. However, they have an album's worth of recorded material that they cannot help but release. In speaking with frontman FurmanFowler recently, he said he wouldn't rule out a cd release/farewell show in Augusta. Now, I've seen a fair number of SICK3 shows in my time, and I missed more than that...I don't think I can bear to miss this last one. By the way, the new tune Furman shared with me called "Prince Of Crap" sounds more like THE PIXIES than BLACK FLAG.

Whew, I'm spent. To find out more about what's going on in local and regional music and to hear some of the songs I talk about in this column, tune into the podcast I co-host with John Stoney Cannon at confederationofloudness.com. He's one of the other old guys in the room...and so is Steven Uhles.

See y'all at the rock show...

Stak

THE SHIFTING LANDSCAPE....change is painful,folks

The Beasley Broadcasting Group is big busness, operating 45 stations nationwide and reaching 4.7 million listeners weekly according to their website. The operative term in that statement is BIG BUSINESS. That's why it came as no surprise to me last week when they moved their active rock station 95Rock down to their 93.1 frequency and began simulcasting WGAC News/Talk Radio at 95.1. This strikes me as a purely bottom line sort of decision as GAC appears to be the cash cow for Beasley in this market. Along with this move, word has come down that afternoon shock jock Jordan Zeh was relieved of his contract with other personnel "TBD" according to a press release by Beasley.

The transmitter for the 93.1 by all accounts has a weaker signal than 95Rock's previous home. I've seen numerous complaints on Facebook and other public forums that the signal was poor and static-drenched. Now I could be mistaken, but it would appear that the writing is on the wall for 95Rock. But lets face it, "Acitve Rock" is a bit of a niche format and all the press I've read lately on subject says that rock radio has been on the ropes for some time now. This can possibly be attributed at least in part to the broad variety of ways in which people are now able to obtain and listen to music. I flatly refuse to buy into claims that rock is dead(I'm stubborn that way).

In the face of all these changes being effected by Beasley, backlash is inevitible. And when you piss off rockers, expect it to be loaded with an extra bucketful of vitriol. Since the frequency switch was made last week, Facebook has been burning with up the anger of hundreds of rock music fans. Many stating that they've called the company headquarters to complain and others just sort of blindly spitting expletives. While I feel the pain of those just exploding with righteous indignation because they can't hear Nickelback over the free airwaves without static, I fear that their complaints will be allowed to die down without acknowledgement. It's naive to believe otherwise. Because folks, let's face it...the almighty dollar rules everything around us. I don't begrudge Beasley this move at all personally. They are running a business and the point of being in business is to turn a profit. That's not evil, that's the American way.

That said, I sincerely hope that 95Rock is not allowed to wither on the vine. While Lex and Terry and Godsmack are not my preferred flavor of aural stimulation, the station is clearly loved by a segment of our population. Also I think the station and their on-air personalities did alot of good for the area, from sponsoring some of bigger concerts in the area to canned food drive they did each year. And if we lose 95Rock, variety on the public airwaves will take a hit. Frankly, there is not much variety as it is now. So I say to Beasley...."Have a heart and don't let the rock and roll die."

To catch up on what else is happening in area music, listen to the podcast I co-host with John Stoney Cannon at confederationofloudness.com.

See y'all at the rock show...

Stak

WHAT I LEARNED AT THE KROC CENTER GRAND OPENING...

Here's my column for this week's METRO SPIRIT...enjoy!

This past Saturday, I was pressed into service as a Production Assistant on the Gluestick staff(Production Company...you know them, they put 12 Bands Of Christmas and Rock Fore! Dough every year among other things). These events are always a fun hang and it was to be an opporutunity to see the high energy Fred Leblanc and his band COWBOY MOUTH for free...with a fireworks show at the end of the evening. You just can't beat that.

My role at the event changed before I ever left my house. As it turned out, the show's opening act TARA SCHEYER AND THE MUDPUPPY BAND had to cancel on short notice. As as result I ended up onstage behind the drumkit that evening as THE JOE STEVENSON BAND stepped in to fill the slot last minute. That's not the important part. What's important is the fact that Tara had to cancel because she was on a flight to Mississippi to attend a funeral. Sadly, her Grandmother had passed away. The Scheyer family was already in the middle of a rough patch after having to put down one of their fur kids earlier in the week. Heartfelt sympathies go out to the Scheyer family. It is my sincere hope that they are soon back to making music that brings smiles to the faces of children all over the area. PBS really should consider THE MUDPUPPY BAND for a children's television show.

One other thing of note from my day on the canal...I ran into Chip Creamer who've I've known for a very long time. If you recognize the name, its likely because he's been a fixture on local news broadcasts for years now. However, besides being a reporter Chip is also a ravenous music fan(he was there expressly to get his COWBOY MOUTH vinyl autographed). He quickly informed me that he was involved in the reunion plans of seminal garage/indie rock band THE FUNGOES. The band which originally featured Dan Blahoe on vocals,John Brownlee on bass, Bill Scoggins on guitar and Richard Daniel on drums plans to begin playing live shows in the coming months with Creamer replacing Blahoe on vocals and a female Fort Gordon soldier filling in for Brownlee on bass.

For someone like me, this news is interesting for more than just the nostalgia quotient. I remember being in high school at Davidson and seeing these paper fliers(remember those?) being circulated for shows with bands like THE FUNGOES, and INSPECTED BY 12, and THEN THEY TOLD STORIES, and THE CRAWLING PEGS. This was the mid-late 80s and signaled the dawning of a very rich time for original music in Augusta. I consider THE FUNGOES to be pioneers of the DIY/indie rock movement here in town. That's gotta be worth something,right?

I look forward to seeing THE FUNGOES live real soon.

To find out more about what's going on in area music, listen to the podcast I co-host each week with my good buddy John "Stoney" Cannon. Confederationofloudness.com is the spot.

See y'all at the rock show...

Stak

YOUR TITLE'S ON THE LINE...and you have no idea against whom you defend...

Sometimes the shot comes out of left field with such authority that you are stunned...I have no answer for this...48VOLT scratched an itch in more than one place for some folks(I'm at the head of the line)...shame to see it go away....

but it had to be so,didn't it?........monster egos and frantic grabs at THE BAND can only result in WHAT? a pretty good run at "damn we were a pretty great thing"...

*whistles past the grave yard*

See y'all at the rock show....

Stak

THAT ANDREW BENJAMIN....always making a scene...

Below is my column for this week's METRO SPIRIT...enjoy and be edified....

Several years back, Augusta got much less weird with the relocation of a single native to Asheville. ANDREW BENJAMIN had previously spent years crafting a sphere of artistic influence that held a gravitational pull over many of Augusta's more open-minded(and sorta bent) citizens. Pre-dating SECTOR 7G, Benjamin's HANGNAIL GALLERY was a fearless DIY endeavor on a shoestring budget that brought music and art from all over the country to the punk rockers,goths,art weirdos and noise fanatics that generally did not play in the more conventional venues in town. Pair that with his shape-shifting collab HELLBLINKI SEXTET and you probably had third eyes opening all over the CSRA as a spooky menagerie of well-patina'd and antiqued art paraded past their eyes and ears....

Alas(for Augusta anyway), the love of a beautiful girl and the promise of a new family lured Mr. Benjamin away....I think it not hyperbole to say that our music and art scene was at least for a time much less rich for it.

They say you can't go back home. Who in the world is "they" anyhow?...you CAN come back home...and that is indeed what ANDREW BENJAMIN and Co. will be doing Saturday August 13th.

HELLBLINKI returns to Augusta on that date at SKY CITY and if you ask Andrew, they'll make ya famous. Not only can you expect an evening of some fine tunes that evoke the dark underbelly of the South mixed with a twisted black circus of Bacchanalia, but the evening will be set down upon the permanent record for all of posterity. In other words, the band will be shooting a live video. And should you deem yourself a soul hearty enough, your image will be captured indelibly for the world to see. At which point, you can tell "they" to suck it. I suggest you dress the part for suggesting that sentiment to "they." I suspect that this show will be a bit of hot ticket on that particular Saturday evening. Do not be frightened by the drag queens in attendance. They are mostly harmless and enjoy a good backwoods stomp covered in runny mascara now and again too. Up and comers MANN RAY will open the show along with whiskey-soaked chanteuse ALLISON FOSTER. You really should refrain from missing it. Here's the most recent vid from HELLBLINKI...we've come a long way,baby!

On a side note, I'd like to invite you to come along and listen to me ramble along with my co-host John "Stoney" Cannon as we host the weekly music podcast CONFEDERATION OF LOUDNESS. Go to confederationofloudness.com to get some. I'd also like to put out there the fact that we are currently seeking new material by local Augusta artists and artists of the Southeast at large. Tracks can be e-mailed to neatodrum@gmail.com for inclusion. 15,000 subscribers cannot be wrong. Until next week, adieu.

See y'all at the rock show....

Stak

Note: In the interest of full disclosure, I was indeed a member of HELLBLINKI SEXTET for a period of time, joining just prior to the release of "A Pirate Broadcast" and leaving well after the relocation of the band to Asheville,NC. I haven't seen Andrew Benjamin in years.

THERE IS STRENGTH IN NUMBERS...take yer act on the road,Augusta

Here is the content of my article for the current issue of THE METRO SPIRIT....I'll continue to post my articles here for folks out of town who can't read Augusta's Alt-weekly online anymore....enjoy!

I've often been critical of Augusta musicians and bands. It's been my observation that historically the majority of Augusta bands have been lazy in their approach to their own affairs(including my own bands). Groups that spent countless hours perfecting original compositions in sweaty band rooms all over town always seemed to expect success to come to them like an Avon lady on a sales call. Obviously, for success in music at any level, the work doesn't end at the band room door. This point is not lost on groups like VEARA and NO STAR who've burned up the black top relentlessly in their pursuit of recognition(by the way, best of luck to NO STAR on their move to Nashville and best of luck to VEARA on the VANS WARPED TOUR and the European tour after that). Sadly, it has often seemed to me that these bands were the exception instead of the rule. Too many local artists have been content with what I like to call the tour of downtown Augusta. It is a fatal mistake. A band can only pound the same clubs over and over so many times. Burn out is inevitable.

All that said, I now have reason to believe that the mindset of several local acts is changing in a most interesting way. And by that I mean changing in such a manner that the term "music scene" may now become more appropriate for bands in this town than it has ever been. In two separate instances for dates coming up in August, package shows featuring several Augusta artists will be hitting the road for one-off dates in Columbia and Tybee Island respectively. A sort Augusta music invasion as it were. I think that this is an outstanding idea and shows great initiative by all parties involved. The only way it could be better is if the bands in question strung together several dates across the Southeast for a tour...and then made sure to lather,rinse and REPEAT every 2 or 3 months.

Here are the particulars in case anyone wants to travel in support of these endeavors(or if you were curious about the bands in question)...

First up on August 2nd no less than 7 bands will make noise at NEW BROOKLYN TAVERN in Columbia,SC. To my way of thinking, these acts represent the latest wave of fresh faces in Augusta. The list goes like this: MAZES AND MONSTERS, THE RADAR CINEMA, M-TANK, KOKO BEWARE, ROMANCE LANGUAGES, MANN RAY and JOEY AND LINDSEY HART. If no one from Columbia shows up, those kids are still gonna have a good crowd.

The second bill happens at THE ROCK HOUSE on Tybee Island August 26th and features bands that comprise some of the heavier and more progressive elements of the Augusta music scene. I have a sneaking suspicion that this crew will be travelling with a caravan of local supporters(because really...who needs a better excuse to go to the beach). This particular invasion force is comprised of LiE, ARTEMIA, FALSE FLAG and SHOTGUN OPERA. Dang, that's like THE PLAYGROUND on Broad Street pulling up stakes moving to the island.

All the best to our intrepid road warriors. Mind you don't cross the center line.

To find out more about what's going on in Augusta music in particular and the music of the Southeast in general, check out the podcast I co-host with John Stoney Cannon from LOKAL LOUDNESS. This week we feature MIKE GARRETT from ROCKSHOW BOOKING. confederationofloudness.com gets you there.

See y'all at the rock show....

Stak

MORE TO THIS THAN NOSTALGIA...it's timeless stuff...

That's a photo of ARCHERS OF LOAF from Chapel Hill,NC....for the uninitiated, this band came together in the 1991 while attending college at UNC. The foursome quickly realized that they were all originally from Asheville but strangely had never met prior to relocating individually for college. With Chapel Hill as a backdrop, the band found themselves in the middle of a fiercely creative music scene along with the likes of SUPERCHUNK and POLVO. By 1993 or so, the band had released its first full-length "Icky Mettle" on Alias records.....

That's when I came to know the band. The single off that record "Web In Front" was played on a pretty regular basis at the time by Channel Z(man I miss Channel Z) and before I knew it, they were playing Augusta fairly regularly(ARCHERS stayed on the road)....I became a fan....their live shows were furious endeavors; all sweat and spit and blood aggression...they were a more punk,more angular more rocking version of PAVEMENT and that shit appealed to me ALOT....

I got to share the stage with ARCHERS OF LOAF a few times with my band at the time MARY JANE JONES and got the opportunity to hang out with them and drink beers and shoot the shit...I feel honored to have been able to do that(I didn't appreciate it at the time)....

ARCHERS OF LOAF continued on until disbanding in 1998....

They reunited this year and are currently on tour...several stops on their tour include multiple dates. They're all sold out in Atlanta starting tomorrow night through Sunday. Trixie and I acted fast when tix went on sale...we'll be at the show tomorrow night for what is sure to be one HELLUVA show....want an idea of what it'll be like?....here's the band on JIMMY FALLON recently....RAWK!

Now that's what I'm talkin' bout!....

See y'all at the rock show....

Stak