Fuck Vegas, There’s Work To Do – September 19th, 2000
by Bing Futch
There are some things in life that just take priority, so
instead of cavorting on the west coast for some much-
needed down-time, I’m attempting to catch up with the
ever-morphing central Florida music revival that’s now
making its quiet rumblings against the establishment.
Someone just might hear, the math would point to the
formation of at least five new bands a week. Them’s
great odds in a town where a new club closes every week,
ayuh.
[[randymelser]]People close to
the band Ghettoblaster know of a recent glitch
in their day-to-day struggle, but guitarist Randy
Melser</b> asked that nothing be publicized until
the matter is somewhat settled. Our thoughts and well
wishes go out to the guys and after the dust clears,
we’ll bring you the scoop on some truly fucked-up shit.
On the flip side of bad, the band’s debut album has been
released and “Schematic” is already aiding the
quartet in their quest for that elusive record deal.
“We’ve had some interest from some labels and stuff,
and they do wanna hear some more material cause they’ve
come out and seen some shows and thought some of the
new material was actually even better than what was on
the CD,” says Melser. “So we’re actually getting ready
to go in and do some more stuff, we’re in pre-production
for that now.”
[[scottishbob]]Also recovering
from a bit of bad news is former Forest Orange
guitarist Scottish Bob. If you’ll remember,
Bob was attending a July 4th party at the house of
Aura Djinn bassist/vocalist Jet Zaleski
when his SUV suddenly burst into flames and provided
the evening’s unintentional fireworks. Luckily, the
vehicle was insured and no equipment was lost in the
blaze. Bob’s currently auditioning drummers for a new
outfit since a reunion with his old band is out of the
question. Former Forest Orange vocalist Chad Sanford
is reportedly moving to New York for a chance at the big
time. Roll one up in memory of a good band, eh Chaddy?
[[raydaddy]]I don’t mean to be a
drag or anything, but this is the material that I get
to work with right now. Grab your hankies for this one.
It was a rockin’ wake at The Copper Rocket in
Maitland Saturday night (9/16) as Orlando Music Award
</i> nominated group Gargamel! laid to rest the
legacy of guitarist El Diablo Guapo. The axe-
master also known as Ray Rivera played his last
stand with the group before embarking on an enigmatic
musical mission. Iconic lead singer Mandaddy
took every chance to pay respects to his departing right
hand man, basking appreciatively in the face of silky,
shimmering solos and sharing the mic on a number of
tunes. After the band’s final number, Mandaddy led the
pub in a sincere chorus of “For He’s A Jolly Good
Fellow” before everyone stumbled out into the parking
lot. Gargamel! isn’t crippled however, with fill-in
guitarist Professor Knuckles from local rave-ups
Foolproof Plan providing a new, heavier take on
the madness.
“doorway27 2” Okay, we take this
in an uplifting direction now, ja? Stepping slightly
backwards in time to Friday night (9/15) at the
Sapphire. It was a bash inspired by the Surf
Expo</b> taking place down on International Drive and
the vibe was a good, warm and breezy one thanks to West
Palm Beach band Doorway 27, featuring a guy whom
I like to call “Captain Colors.” Melbourne-based group
Freeflow Conspiracy threw down an awesome set
and kept the party jumping until late, that point when
the Sapphire staff begins dragging trash cans over your
toes to get the point across. Time to go home.
[[chadjasmine]]The kushy center
of this jivey evening was a guy all the way from
Jacksonville named Chad Jasmine. I’ve grooved
on bills with this cat before and he’s a real genuine
freak, of the best kind-I can assure you. One of his
nightly rituals is to bring some ripened melon out
onto the stage and to cut slices of it for people to
partake of. “Now listen, don’t be scared of the fruit,”
he tells the suddenly shy Sapphire crowd. “Because you
will be very pleased in about 25 minutes!” He holds
up a piece on the end of his knife, looking slightly
wicked. I break the ice and slide the offering from
the blade as he cautions “watch your fingers.” I’m
nibbling some of the tasty melon as a few folks
venture to the front of the stage and Jasmine
gleefully doles out slices to any who will have. He’s
been known to refer to the ritual as a “mixer.”
[[freeflow]]Jim from
Freeflow Conspiracy asked me if the melon was actually
spiked and I had to think about it for a second. Was
it?</i>
Speaking of spiked melons, the incredible Bobby
Koelble</b> is certifiable. His band, Junkie
Rush</b> left crowds at the House Of Blues
last week feeling like they’d all taken a hit off of some
rare and strange hookah. The show, one of those battling
bands events, also featured Mohave along
with Cleanser and Van Gogh’s Ear, it was
one of those nights where you look up and the
fireworks are already exploding over Pleasure Island
and the last band just went on.
It was a nice start to the week though, too bad I’d
spend a good portion of the remainder sick as a dawg.
Must’ve been all of that pipe-passing, someone always
has a cold and the bigger the circle, the greater your
chances of taking home a nice low to balance out that
high.
Be good chillun, till next week.
“bfsig”