Pounding The Pavement In O-Town – April 23, 2001
by Bing Futch
[[423tabublur]] When the sweet, sweet sun sets over Orlando; that’s when the truly interesting events occur. Apart from the sunblock and sandal types who haunt and linger around this area’s theme parks, there are motivated musicians and perpetual party-goers who shuck their daytime identities and go about the business of pounding the pavement. They seek entertainment and they seek to entertain – it’s hard to tell these creatures one from the other whilst deep in the bowels of a club or some House Of Mirth where the kegs and Mom’s liquor cabinet flow freely for the pleasure of all invited. However, the common bond seems to smack of fulfillment, an elusive emotional prey to many.
[[423ankle]] If I seem wistful or contemplative, it might be the combined effects of hydrocodone and Icehouse that I’m utilizing at present to numb the pain of a broken ankle suffered on Easter Sunday while dancing a precarious pirouette. It was a spin of complete and total happiness, but that vignette comes later in this newest entry to the hopefully never-ending saga of me. Of course, it’s not all about me, but rather about the myriad people with whom I interface on any given blessed day. Some of the same people that read this column and some who could really give a shit; they’ve got work to do. Thankfully, this is part of my work. A platform upon which the observations of a text-inclined troubadour are placed along with the hope that some good may come of it all. Fulfillment. Chase it with a stick if you have to.
[[423phil]] Phil Weidner has been chasing fulfillment for over 17 years as a performing songwriter and more recently as founder of the Songwriters Showcases Of America, a two-year old labor of love that offers songwriters the opportunity to have their tunes heard by appreciative audiences. Sort of like an Audubon Society for the preservation of original music, the SSA has hosted over 100 shows in the southeast and is about to present their first annual SSA Awards Show on May 19th, 2001 in Daytona Beach.
[[423john]] I recently met Weidner for the first time at Lost & Found nightclub in Longwood on March 28th as he presided over a folding table filled with SSA literature, sign-up sheets and compilation CD’s featuring some of the organizations’ more pro-active members. Six of my acrylic paintings were being displayed for the evening behind the table and the soft-spoken artist stepped around in front to greet me with a smile and a handshake. “I don’t know you, but I’ve heard that I should!” he exclaimed while co-hosts Dana Allen and CharLee Arias looked on. Weidner’s drive and determination in the face of a commercially-charged society is apparent as he speaks, his long, curly locks bouncing with emphasis. “In war and life in general, the music business has no guarantees,” Weidner says. “You have to be creative and flexible and do whatever it takes to remain true to your goals.” The SSA helps its members (who pay $20 annually) to enhance their music biz skills and they are unusually gracious to non-members, allowing them also to take part in showcases and networking greets. As we talk more about the benefits of membership, saxophonist/composer John Newman takes the stage while Lost & Found soundman Theo adjusts levels for his accompaniment CD. The muscle-bound former Army man then proceeds to play sweetly; liquid and lyrical lines sing out over the ersatz jazz and latin backgrounds until the home-produced CD begins to skip and track badly. [[423mess]] With apologies and an affable shrug, Newman leaves the stage to a smattering of applause from the scant crowd. He won’t be the last to endure technical difficulties while performing this evening, the gremlins are out in full-force it would seem and Beautiful Mess, a duo comprised of guitarist/singer Mike LaSage and bassist Butch Calkins, take their direct hits too. But each artist smooths over the rough spots and as they say – “the show goes on.”
In time, room occupancy grows beyond the usual checklist of performers-in-waiting and their close friends and family. At its peak, the attendance is far from packed-out, but the quality of the audience is better than your average bar crowd. [[423logan]] Weidner’s not bothered by the skimpy turn-out, probably because so many of the acts are exchanging business cards and getting to know one another. It’s a well-known fact in music industry circles that the art of the Network is an important skill to develop and maintain. My dreadie pal Logan Belle knows this and has reaped the benefits of high-stakes networking, garnering much acclaim for his progressively folksy tunes and touring occasionally with 80’s hold-overs A Flock Of Seagulls.
I was quite delighted to see the shy and introverted Lorynn walk into the club. My mind instantly tripped back to a Thursday night open mic at Java Jabbers (now known as The Back Booth) about two years ago when I met the plus-size red-head with an amazing voice and a knack for penning poignant and emotion-filled songs. She had been sitting in the back of the little coffee house, clutching her guitar (sans case) and looking at the small stage with a mixture of longing and fright. “Are you signed up?” I asked, by way of encouragement. [[423lorynn]] She shook her head, giving me a cursory glance. The memory begins to fray at that point – but clear as a new bell I can recall her performance that night as she took the whole place on a passionate and emotional trip. Afterwards, I walked up to her and said point blank: “You need to play out more often so people can hear you.” Flash back to the present as I move to her table where she sits with a friend. “You probably don’t remember me, but I’m glad to see you’re still making music,” I say. It takes a moment, but recollection lights a fire in her eyes. Then she proceeds to take the stage and lights a few more fires. This 20-year old with the schizophrenic voice ends her set with Kris Kristofferson’s immortal “Me And Bobby McGee”, singing it sweet, then roaring it like a Mississippi wild-woman – and the audience licks up every loving drop of her.
[[423moo]] Towards the end of the evening as the crowd weighed in at its heaviest, local freak-popsters Where’s Moo attacked the stage with a punk-approved verve. Guitarist Jocelyn Horvath had laid a business card on me at Kit Kat downtown not too long ago and it was shortly thereafter that the buzz began to hit my ears about her band. After listening to some of the quartet’s MP3’s and acknowledging that they had won “Pick Of The Day” twice on Real Radio 104.1’s The Philips Phile, I was anxious to see what they were like in concert. Bassist John Wagner and drummer Brad Fries join Horvath in creating a tight and none-too-tidy assault of college-flavored pop-rock that borders on the edge of artiness. But it’s frontman Michael Mangum who arrests the eyes as he spins, twirls, leaps, falls, emotes, flails and at one point during the set, jets straight out of the club and begins running laps around the parking lot. [[423pop]] Too bad there weren’t more people present to witness such an unabashed demonstration of rock ‘n’ roll barely contained, but the evening was beginning to peek-a-boo at early morning and last slot honors fell to Popsicle Dynamite, a powerful St. Cloud-based ensemble who was playing one last show with bassist Nick Kessler, Virginia-bound and soon to be replaced by Vern Comney of Alcoholocost. The quartet is currently rounded out by vocalist/guitarist Josh Henson, drummer Larry Fulford and lead guitarist Jed Johnson. PD closed the show on a complex and exciting note, taking simple chord structures and layering them in sonic waves of dynamic kerrang.
Truthfully, there isn’t much of an audience for what Phil Weidner and staff are supporting; which is precisely why they are supporting it. And why more enterprising people need to stand their ground in defending the livelihood of independent songwriters. Listening to original music on a local level is akin to watching a painter work a canvas. You have to be into every element of the design or have incredible patience to wait until it’s finished. If you consider that a “finished” song is one that’s been written, re-written, fleshed-out, fine-tuned and burned into the minds of appreciative fans, then what of the artists themselves? Unlike painters, the singer is part of that canvas and needs to flesh-out, fine-tune and present the blood-and-bone truth. Once the painter is finished, the canvas stands alone, colors and lines fixed in the dried, finished result. But there are some who would say that a song is never finished and never done the same way twice. Weidner knows that eventually people will tire of the commercial blather that’s force-fed to the mainstream and they will tune into something (someone) that speaks more independently. He likens the songwriter’s journey to a war and uses this type of allegory often, saying that he tries to “maintain a proper balance to have a war-like spirit to fight the good fight.” This “good fight” has found him putting his own music, some 150 completed songs and over 1000 rough drafts, somewhat on the back burner in order to lift others’ accomplishments up to the Light. “Lately, most of my efforts have been towards helping others fight this good fight. For the last year and a half, myself and a team of strong warriors and volunteers have been dedicating their time and services to assist in bringing original music to another level.” More warriors are always needed and good-fightin’ souls can respond to this musical call to arms by calling (386) 255-5407 or by e-mailing Weidner directly at SHOWSTAGE@AOL.COM This Wednesday night, April 25th, another showcase will offer up the skills of local song sculptors Cephalic, The Diligents, Josh Sherman & Zen, Jason Domulot & The Sonic Mole Chasers, Absent and Mind Scar.
[[423ankle1]] It only took one evening of exposure to the ebullient enthusiasm of SSA’s founder before I was scraping some more victuals onto my already full plate. So, I’m not only presenting at the upcoming awards show but will also be shooting a documentary of the event to be made available on videotape. I just hope the stairs aren’t too steep for crutches.
(to be continued…..)
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