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”