Sarasota band The Equines made the trip to Orlando to play their brand of arty no-wave punk pop.
I wrote more about them here earlier this year. They are pretty good. Here's a video from the show:

 

Link here.

Kristin is selling a bunch of cool stuff on her Etsy. Lots of buttons, mostly of cult and horror movies. Some are selling quick. See them here.

Howlies.

Show report: Howlies, The Grecian Urns, Mumpsy.
On rare occasion does it happen I go to a show and not recognize anyone in the room. I am far from being a "social butterfly" but I notice audiences as much as the bands. This was a Mumpsy show dammit and it a lot of people I know should have been in attendance. Not the case. Don't tell me it was because if the sold out Lightning Bolt show across town. This was a surprisingly good show nonetheless.

I don't know where The Grecian Urns have been hiding out the past two years but this band of merry makers successfully charmed the boots right off my feet. This young band made up of sisters and brothers from two families and quite a few of their friends have a honest spark in their eyes and a jump in their hearts. At times there was eight to ten people onstage, with guitars, violins, percussion shakers, flutes..... everything. Multiple harmonies and intricate songwriting abound.

They remind me a little of Shelleyan Orphan and Los Campesinos with a joyous backdrop. There's a mix of super fun dancey songs like "We Are Stories" easily followed with a slow churning burner like "Indian River". All in all, it's music obviously coming from a joy within their hearts and comes bursting out their mouths. It's still good to see music that is real. I highly recommend them.

Another great band followed. Howlies are four guys from Atlanta who also have a love of music in their hearts. I've seen them three times now and I gotta say they I rank them up there with The Goodnight Loving. They've put the fun back into garage rock and added a ton of smart ass attitude and depth to it. It's like they figured out just what to do so they turned up the knobs and ripped them right off their amps. Their strength is their live show for sure. All the guys manage to sing harmonies with most of the lead vocals going to the drummer.

Orlando's Mumpsy and Howlies were on tour together in Florida and Georgia. Both band were to play at Post Records first annual 4th Fest for July 4th (duh). As soon as Mumpsy started playing is when the heavens opened up and successfully shut down the event. Rain sucks got outdoor events! Luckily Mumpsy had this show booked for the next day so they and Howlies could at least have a show. They headlined this show that started out as nervous fun (due to technical difficulties) and ended in a dance party.

See more pictures and video here.

Versus.

Show report: The Teenbeat Records 26th Anniversary in Washington DC with Unrest, The Rondelles, Versus and Bossanova.
When the anniversary shows were announced several months ago for NYC and Washington DC I knew I had to go. Two bands were reforming just for these shows: Unrest and The Rondelles. Not to mention Versus (one of my all-time favorite bands) who are getting back together with a new album on the way were slated to play. I bought tickets right away for the DC show, not knowing if I would even be able to attend. A total of seven shows would happen but with all three personnel lineups of Unrest, in their hometown, this was definitely the best bet.

I went overboard with documentating the event. I narrowed it down to the best 37 photos and 4 videos.

READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE.

Hot Hands recording at home.
We're working on three songs to see if I can make a useable recording by making use of all my broken gear. So far so good. Drums, guitar and done. Just one song needs keyboard. Then vocals. Tough as nails this stuff. Kristin is getting mad because she keeps bumping into gear and stubbing her toes. The main culprit today is the keyboard volume pedal.

Kick Bright Zine's Best Songs from Orlando List. In response to the Orlando Weekly article 'Let It Linger'.
Local publication The Orlando Weekly ran an article asking various people in the community to list a couple of their favorite songs from Orlando artists and bands during the past 15 years. They capped it at 50 songs. This would have been my contribution if I had been asked. It's my pick of fifteen memorable songs and a brief list of honorable mentions. Use my list in addition to their list as well as your own. I've included a podcast of each song I have listed below. Let's dig in! In no particular order:

1. "Take Me To The Circus"-- Doris Delay (2005)
It is impossible to choose just one song. Doris Delay have so many hits it's a wonder they are not world famous. Songs like "Plants and Animals" "Devil Song" "Woolworth's" "Chocolate Garden" "Brilliant Boy" "We Got Caught In A Cloud" and "A Perfect 9" are near genius works on any level. There has not been an another band anywhere near as brilliant as Doris Delay was in this town. There should be a statue made of Dominic Humerickhouse in his honor.

2. "City Girl" -- Pistis (1999)
A beloved song matched equally by their popularity and sincerity. Josh and Rence are truly two of the nicest musicians this city has ever known. In some circles this song united a scene.

3. "Bodman Bunny" -- Courtneys (2006)
Such a simple dynamic pop song. The two Courtneys gals may look and act like cutie indie gals but their razor wire sharp wit and a tendency towards the macabre made this violent song just one of the cutest things ever. You can still see girls dancing in their underwear to this on Youtube while drinking Crystal Light.

4. "Coffin" -- For Ex-Lovers Only (2006)
It took four years for this gem of a song to come out. Portland label Magic Marker had the sense to get this song (and band) out to the world earlier this year. For Ex-Lovers Only, named appropriately after a Black Tambourine song, quietly crafted quite a few pop masterpieces totally under the radar of everyone. These guys held back only by their modesty.

5. "Hatelust" -- Gray Before My Eyes (1996)
Sure there's the recorded version of this song on their first 7" release but to experience this song in the flesh was a beast of it's own. It's hardcore fury was only fueled by it's silent rage.

6. "We're Not Doing Anything Musically" -- Star Phase 23 (1997)
You may not have heard of this space rock band that quietly came and left us in the late 1990's. Making use of space and everything in between they shoegazed through their credo "We're Not Doing Anything Musically" as though they believed it. Hardly. Definitely the cities best shoegaze band.

7. "Meatballs and Spaghetti" -- Awesome and the Ass Kickers (2008)
Just one listen and you know you will remember this the rest of your life. That's what makes a catchy song catchy. I'm ready. Are you?

8. "Jerry Lucas" -- New Roman Times (2000-2001)
A song about the Hall of Fame basketball player Jerry Lucas who is also famous for memorizing the first 500 pages of the Manhattan phone book in the early 1970's.

9. "Any Other Way" -- Saving Twilight (2005)
Geannie Friedman will always be considered the indie pop queen of Orlando. Just about every underground musician has played in one incarnation of her band over the years. This song she traded in her usual acoustic "quiet" sound for something totally noisy. Truly her finest moment.

10. "Kiss Without The Makeup" -- The Hot Six (2001)
I shouldn't count my one of my old bands but I will. This wasn't our best song by a long shot but this is the song people still talk about, well, because it don't make no sense at all. This will always be my favorite Phil Longo band.

11. "Girls In School" -- Shit Eagle (2006)
From the bedroom of Shawn Lloyd came this scorcher of a tune that's punk, noise and for some reason sped up too fast. On purpose.

12. "Rock City Rebel" -- The Fashion (2005)
This song is religion. It's a fist pumping feverish anthem delivered with a wink and nod. Johnny Neverland was onto something. All the early recordings were golden - even if they didn't use real drums.

13. "Switchblade" -- Jeanie and the Tits (2007)
This girl punk quartet wrote a song about themselves based upon the movie Switchblade Sisters. They considered themselves bad ass in a town of few (if any) all-girl bands. No tuff guys allowed and they'll fight you if you don't agree.

14. "Whenever You Want" -- Rad Kids (2006) **
Of all of Derek Duncan's bandsI liked Rad Kids the best. That moniker served more or less served as an outlet for him to record some poppy songs that his punk rock bands (Fashion Fashion and the Image Boys, Derek Lyn Plastic) couldn't. "Whenever You Want" and "Give It Up" were paired together on their one and only 7" and were chock full catchy California-style pop perfection. You can call it punky pop or poppy punk. Either way these two songs are winners.

15. "Scorpio Jaguar" -- Fantasie (2004)
No Orlando list is complete without Fred Mullins, Jenny Hathaway and Johnny Wells. Fantasie went to the extremes in style, sound, and performance. It's a romp in the back seat with the devil. You aren't getting away. Not that you'd want to. They've got their finger on you.

Honorable Mentions:
"Something Real" -- The Four Shames
"Just For Today" -- The Chicago Bears *
"Laser Ray" -- The Elks
"Red Shoes" -- Brad Leo and the Administration
"We Agreed No Leader" -- Florida Arson Project
"Back To You" -- One Minute Revolution
"Bad Motherfucker" -- Slippery Slopes
"The Emperor" -- Mumpsy
"Become a Rockstar...Guy" -- Happy Valley
"Titanium Balls" -- Gut Ruckus
"1989" -- Sound The Alarm
The Harp Project and Franco had standout songs but I could not locate my copies to remember the titles.

Covers worthy of mention:
"Pump It Up" (Elvis Costello) -- Fashion Dive
"Private Party" (The Nightingales) -- Garbo's Daughter
"Where Have All the Good Times Gone?" (The Kinks) -- The Bang Bang Bang Society

I made a quick no-frills podcast of the thirteen songs plus one honorable mention for download. It's one big file. Nothing fancy. It is available here. If it doesn't work check back tomorrow. I am having trouble uploading.

* included as bonus track at the very end.
** is not included on podcast but you can hear it on their Myspace.
*** watch it here.

The permalink for this entry is here.

Notes to self:
I'm having trouble with the place I took the four rolls of film I took in DC. I hate the thought that using film is too much a headache to deal with. Not to mention too expensive. I just went to a one hour place (mistake yea I know) just because taking it elsewhere would be out of my budget right now. So I get back my photos with heads cut off, arms missing, two half pictures in one frame, etc. Argh! I won't have a decent digital camera in my future anytime soon.

Double Rainbow all the way, across the sky.
The internet is a weird thing. How and why something can become an "overnight sensation" is beyond me. Links gets passed around via email, Myspace, Facebook, blogs, etc. I watched Double Rainbow for the first time this week. I will admit I laughed so hard I had tears rolling down my face. Double Rainbow...... where do people find this stuff? Watch both videos- the original and the song someone made. That is, if you haven't seen or heard it already. VIEW IT HERE.

The Exorcist filming location, then and now.
Adam Williams is currently on an east tour tour with his band The New Threat opening for Guttermouth. He made a stop this week in the Washington DC area and took over thirty photos of location shots from the classic horror film The Exorcist.

I don't know how he tracked down so many places but he did- including inside the church and where the family lived in....well...... was.... you'll see.

As always Adams photos are both hilarious and informative and serve a reminder how things can change and stay the same. You can SEE THEM HERE on his Facebook profile.

The Coathangers

Show report: The Goodnight Loving, The Coathangers, Gentleman Jesse and His Men in Atlanta, GA.
On our way to Washington DC for the Teenbeat Records 26th Anniversary we made a stop in Atlanta to catch The Goodnight Loving at the 529 club in East Atlanta Village. We arrived pretty much on time for the show. Little to our knowledge shows start really late. We sat down and listened to the DJ, who was playing some great stuff. It was like he snuck into Kristin and I's record collection. I picked up one of the local newspapers, and thumbed through it and saw a show listing for The Coathangers and Gentleman Jesse and His Men that was happening the same night. Somehow like a big dummy I missed this show in my research. That show was being held at The Earl. I had no idea where the Earl was or how to drive there. Since it would be a while before Goodnight Loving played I wanted to go. I noticed the address and 529 and The Earl are on the same street--in fact they were one block apart. This discovery jolted me up and made a beeline for the door.

We got to the Earl, there were a lot of people outside in the restaurant area. The doorman said one band had played already. We immediately headed down a hallway to a back room where they have shows. It was just five bucks to get in and everyone got a free 7" single by Gentleman Jesse recorded at The Earl in celebration of the clubs 11th anniversary. Pretty cool. The Coathangers were just finishing up sound check. What timing!

The first time I had seen The Coathangers over a year ago they left me wanting to see them more proper setting. Definitely no situation would be better than seeing them in their hometown with an audience as familiar with their music as I am. No one was scattered to the outskirts of the room as the four girls harnessed and released energy through their instruments and screamy vocals. They played quite a few songs including the laid back "Shake Shake" and the ferocious fun of "Getting Mad and Pumping Iron". They closed with the drummer singing lead out front going nuts. So great. The Coathangers have a new remix 7" on Suicide Squeeze.

Headlining was Atlanta's Gentleman Jesse and His Men, who put out a great power pop album in 2008 on Douchmaster Records and now this new 7" of Roky Erickson and Nick Drake covers. They put on a solid show and the newly added organist is a perfect touch to an already perfect band.

Poster outside 529.

After that show was over we rushed back across the street back to 529 where the opening band from Austell, GA were finishing their set. I wasn't into the southern sludge sounds of Coffin Bound too much. It seemed a little too much like bar rock, in need of a little personality and style. More and more people began trickling down from the The Earl in time for the closing band.

The wait wouldn't be too long before Milwaukee's shit-kickers The Goodnight Loving took over and romped all over Atlanta. Their fun, country-tinged good time music is the cure for many ails. I didn't make a top 10 list last year but this bands album on Dusty Medical Records would have been number one on the list. They got picked up on Dirtnap Records who just released their newest full length called 'The Goodnight Loving Supper Club'. Judging from some of the songs it will be another winner. These guys are not to be missed- a true great American band.

SEE ALL THE PICTURES AND VIDEOS HERE.

We got back late last night from Washington DC. We went to the Teenbeat Records 26th Anniversary party at the Black Cat with an Unrest reunion show with Versus, The Rondelles and Bossanova. It was just AMAZING. I have lots of photos and video forthcoming. Along the way to DC we made stops to see some more shows including The Goodnight Loving, The Coathangers and Gentlemen Jesse and His Men. More on all this coming this week!

Kick Bright Flashback: Sonic Youth plays a "secret" show at Sapphire Supper Club in the year 2000.
During the summer of 2000 Sonic Youth was on a tour opening for Pearl Jam. For three dates they snuck off and headlined small club shows as a side project called Perspective Musicales. This show, held at Sapphire Supper Club (now called The Social), was held almost in complete secrecy. It was not announced or listed in any local listings. Unless you were 'in the know' or recognized the name "SYR Perspective Musicales" on the Sapphire Supper Club calendar you would have missed out on a rare opportunity to see this influential band in a small setting. Word got out literally days before the show. If you were quick enough to the record store you could get tickets before a sell out.

Perspective Musicales is members of Sonic Youth performing a mixture of their own side bands, improvisations with various people concluded with an entire set of Sonic Youth material. No opening acts. They began with Thurston Moore's "Psychic Hearts" with help from Jim O'Rourke (touring with SY as a fifth member), Steve Shelley and Lee Ranaldo followed by an improvisational between Thurtson, Jim O'Rourke and their guitar tech Eric. Lee Ranaldo followed with a poetry reading backed with music by Shelley and O'Rourke. The last installment before Sonic Youth was "International Spy" with Kim Gordon, O'Rourke and Shelley.

Then Sonic Youth came out and closed out with a thirteen song set including older songs like "Schizophrenia", "Brother James" and "White Kross". The only song from Goo they played was "Kool Thing". Since they were touring behind the album 'NYC Ghosts and Flowers' they played a couple off that record. To date, this has been the only time I have seen Sonic Youth. Seeing them up so close was pretty awesome and will be hard to top. The band has not been back to Orlando since.

I have a bunch of blurry pictures to share. These photos have been sitting in a plastic box for one month short of ten years. I don't even have them in my albums. At the time, the camera I was using began to fail. Just about every photo I have from this period is blurry because the automatic sensor could not focus AND the flash quit working. Even if they aren't of good quality this was a show worth remembering.

VIEW MY PICTURES HERE.

Did I mention there is a video from this show on Youtube?????

The Hives.

Kick Bright Flashback: One of the funnest shows I've ever been to: The Hives "secret" show in Jacksonville
The Hives were on an arena tour with Maroon 5 in 2007. The Orlando date was being held at the Orlando Arena (or whatever the name is--- Amway Arena?). There was no way I could ever see The Hives in such an arena. I've seen them at The Social (for their first US tour) and House of Blues previously. One thing I know: a big arena can suck the fun out of a band. I heard about a "secret" show they were going to headline at a small club in Jacksonville called Jack Rabbits. I nabbed tickets right away (cheap, too) and made the trek up to J-ville.

In short, this was just about one of the funnest shows ever. The Hives had no openers. They only had a set list of about thirty to forty songs on it spanning their entire career. What else could one want to see? They blasted through songs without pause or reflection for almost an hour and a half. I was armed with my cameraphone (I lost all but one) and a disposable camera and here's what I got:

VIEW PICTURES HERE.

I don't know what it is about going to the Apple Store and taking Photo Booth pictures. Kristin makes fun of me, of course, because as she says "We can just do this at home!". I guess. But here we are, at the Apple Store, being silly on her birthday earlier this week. Anyway, we tried out the iPad trying to "get it". I don't think we do but using it to look at Ebay is pretty neat.

Jucifer.

Kick Bright Flashback: Photos from Jucifer in 2007.
When Kristin and I were playing in Courtneys we shared the stage with Jucifer twice, once in Orlando and the other in Ocala. Jucifer in itself is an insane two-piece husband and wife band that only goes to one place: extremes. They play through an arena sized speaker wall that Gazelle Amber Valentine runs her guitar through. And yes, she plays through all those speakers. They ain't for show. Drummer Edgar Livengood is not to be outdone. In fact, he may drown out her sound as he murders his drums. Those two are an all-out spectacle in sound and fury. Even with earplugs in my ears were vibrating. They've been assaulting audiences for a little over fifteen years and they only grown bigger (in every sense of the word) since. Their lives consist of driving all over North America in an RV playing shows. I tell you it's gotta be the life! VIEW PICTURES HERE.

In case you hadn't figured out: I found several photo CDs from 2007 on a bottom shelf of a bookcase I uncovered while rearranging my bedroom. Three years is not so long ago even if it seems that way.

Next on my list is Jeanie and the Tits.

I have no shortage of photographs from Orlando all-girl trash punk band Jeanie and the Tits. I went to every Florida show when Kristin was in the band except for two (one I was sick and the other was out of town). These photographs are from a show at Back Booth in either January or February of 2007. There are no other bands from this show on the roll of film so I had trouble finding out exactly when this was from. I thought it may have been the time when they opened for Doug Stanhope. No internet searches confirmed this. HERE ARE THE PHOTOS.

Kick Bright Flashback: Photos from Lemonheads at the Social in 2007.
I've been a fan of The Lemonheads for so many years I can't remember. The first album I had was Creator and then Lovey on cassette, which I still pop in my van's tape deck every now and then. I'm probably in the minority of liking both the older punkier stuff and the newer poppy radio-friendly stuff (the same goes for The Replacements). I don't know why but I never went to see them live until now.

Although, this tour wasn't a proper Lemonheads reunion show (I wonder if such a thing is possible?) it was basically just Evan Dando playing old Lemonheads material with a hired drummer and bassist. It's not like sitting through an Evan Dando solo set hoping for some old tunes as a bonus- it's his bands whole back catalog going back to first song he ever recorded as Lemonheads the day he graduated high school. It's totally not the band "Lemonheads" but it'll be the closest I can get.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS.

Happy Fathers Day.

My dad and his stereo.

Three brand new blogs to watch.
You know me. I root for the small guy. I don't spend too much time on the big dogs blogs. I'll take something a little under the radar, even if it's a little messy or if they're a little behind on reporting on that huge important rebloggable story of the day that needs to be retweeted once again for the millionth time. Here's a few brand spanking new blogs that may or may not take off but I'm hoping they do.

Adam The Woo - Adam has a bunch of neat things to share with the internet world. He's running around finding and sneaking into closed tourist attractions like the ruins of Bongoland. Ever heard of Bongoland? Me neither! It was an attraction near Daytona Beach in the 1950's sort of like what Dinosaur World is today. Adam made a video of him running through the woods in search of what is left. He also visits Mystery Fun House, the original Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando and an abandoned Flight School.

In addition to that blog I recommend his side by side comparison photos of zombie movie location sites including: Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead (pictured) and Two Thousand Maniacs. They are both hilarious and informative. I sat close to the computer screen analyzing every detail.

Around the Block in 80 Days. Susie Ulrey, known for a musician/vocalist in such bands as Poghoh, The Macabees and currently Rec Center has jumped into the blog world. It looks like it may turn into something personal with glimpses of her life outside her legendary status in the music community into her world living with Multiple Sclerosis. If this turn out like anything like her music we are in for something good.

Holy Names, Strange Kicks. Remember that band I used to write about a lot called North Korea? This blog run by Preston, the singer/guitarist in that band. He also was part of Loveless Press, a poetry zine, that was circulated around town a couple of years ago. Here, he shares music he already loves and new things he's discovering. It's Youtube video heavy at the moment.

Blowfly gets a documentary!
I don't think I mentioned it before but there's a Blowfly movie out. It premiered during SXWX earlier this year. It's titled The Weird World of Blowfly and I really really really want to see it. Here's the trailer:

 

Absolutely Not.

Kick Bright Flashback/Band Profile: Absolutely Not.
You've probably heard of the bands Wavves and Times New Viking? They are bands that are get a lot of attention in the press for leading a movement of lo-fi scuzzy sounding indie rock. They even get records released on Fat Possum and Matador Records. But you probably haven't heard of Absolutely Not, who operate on a similar level but do it so much better than those bands.

Absolutely Not is the spazzed out lo-fi music project of Donnie Moore. His band only played a small number of shows in Central Florida from late 2006 to early 2007 before relocating to Chicago. Before moving, he recorded two albums worth of material (Dancing on Elizabeth Taylor and Products of Robot Relationships) that is just out-of-this-world amazing, but you be hard pressed finding it anywhere! He told us he recorded it late at night by himself in his apartment in his underwear. Haha. I totally believe him. The music is fast and fun, not making the mistake of being serious. He'll keep things razor sharp and unpredictable.

He just released an Extended EP in 2010 called 'It's Over' which is easier to get. The newer material is not as frantic but still pretty great. I find it hard to believe labels aren't fighting over each other to release his music.

Filling out his band in the early days were Courtney Rackley, from Courtneys, and Trisha Burrows. The three of them all switched between drums, guitar and keyboard depending the song; each showing off their individual skill on multiple instruments. They never garnered a following other than their close friends in Orlando. In their short-lived existence I put them in the running for most memorable bands to come out of the Sunshine State.

Moving to Chicago should get him much needed attention. When the trend ends a lot of these bands and their music won't hold up in the long run or need to be remembered- this won't be said of Absolutely Not.

Recommended: "Local Disappointment" on the Myspace player.

Show review from 2007 with Syd Zed, Swirling Bees.

Kick Bright Flashback: Enon, Love of Diagrams, Pretty & Nice in 2007.
This was a cool show. I remember I had wanted Courtneys to open this show really bad but no locals!

I had never heard of Love of Diagrams previously and I must say they were probably the best new band I saw that year. They are from Austrailia and had just put out a record on Matador Records. They had a weird post-new wave rock sound.... imagine if Pylon was putting out records on Thrill Jockey..... lots of interesting disjointed bass lines over noisy feedback with great drumming. They couldn't lose! They've had some more records come after- ALL GOOD.

Enon, well, to put it mildly-- ruled. I had seen them in 2001 when they played with Dismemberment Plan. And, Brainiac, naturally, before that. They've gone through lots of members since then. There's no pretty fancy words to capture what this band is all about other than: they rock. They've been around a few years now and released great album after great album- 2002's 'High Society' is required listening if you are into rock music. Band leader John Schmersal is a guitar tone maestro.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS.

Kick Bright Flashback: Deerhoof, Bus Driver, Harlem Shakes in 2007.
This show was a while ago but I loved a couple of these photos so here ya go.

Originally, Kristin wrote a rather lengthy review of this show. It was absolutely hilarious but really, really really mean (too mean for Kick Bright) so I didn't use it. Though, just thinking about it cracks me up. The file has been since lost.

From what I remember I didn't like Harlem Shakes. Too nicey nicey, ya know? Bus Driver was pretty cool. It would have been cooler if the sound was decent because you couldn't hear anything he was saying- not because he raps like The Flash runs.

Deerhoof ruled. It was my first time seeing them- I'm a late bloomer considering they formed in 1994 and my first real listening experience was The Runners Four which came out in 2005. They have such a unique sound (that I find interesting) so I won't bother questioning on how they slipped by me- given the fact I have tons of Kill Rock Stars bands in my music collection. Anyway, the band had this spinning color bar contraption that a person to the side of the stage operated as though he were playing along with the band. It was just fun to watch. CLICK FOR THE PHOTOS.

Show report: Nobunny returns to Orlando with The Spits, Slippery Slopes and The Sexcapades!
I just saw The Spits and Nobunny in Tallahassee three days earlier (my bands opened) at a really big venue so seeing it again at Wills Pub, in comparison really tiny, would be a totally different experience. The last time Nobunny came through was two years ago at Wills Pub (link below). In these parts the show is legendary in all kinds of ways-one being it was the very first show ever in the new Wills Pub (and broke it in process). Even before it had a stage--- and air conditioning. The Spits hadn't been to Orlando for even longer. I think it was sometime in 2004 with the Black Lips at the old Wills Pub. Needless to say anticipation was in the air. CLICK HERE FOR REVIEW, PHOTOS and VIDEO.

New music alert!
Averkiou put up a demo called "How's the Life?" recorded on their 4-track on their player. It's super rough but a glimpse onto what's next. Give a listen before they take it down. It's good to know because it always seems like those guys aren't making music.

Cool things to do in Florida.
Go to Silver Moon Drive-In in Lakeland, Florida. One of only a few of drive-in theaters in the southeast. It's been open since 1948. It's always fun to go to (a quick drive from Orlando) and they show movies 7 nights a week. Webpage here.

What's on Jeffrey's Cameraphone?
Today it's a detail of a mural at Thrift Zone.

Kick Bright Flashback Vol 4: The Velvet Teen, Vostok.
If it weren't for these pictures I would never remember anything. These pictures aren't anything special- maybe it's why I didn't use them the first time around. The ones of The Velvet Teen are especially bad but here they are on the internet for all to see that something happened one day in 2004. This was a nice mellow show from what I remember almost six years after the fact. Orlando's Vostok was a pretty popular indie rock band at the time. The Velvet Teen were pretty good. I had one of their CDs and listened to it plenty of times. PICTURES HERE.

Kick Bright Flashback Vol 4: Madhouse at the Drug House: The F-Pipes, Bitchin El Camino, The Buttercups, Brad Leo and the Heartstoppers.
If I remember right I only went to two shows at the infamous Drug House in Winter Park, a couple of blocks over from Stardust. This was one. I couldn't find an exact date but it happened in May of 2005. Two piece Bitchin El Camino featured the talents of Fedge on guitar and vocals. One of Brad Leo's bands played. That band also shared members with The Buttercups, another two duo of Rich Evans and Jeremy (also from Fellatio). By the time the F-Pipes played the place was pretty nuts (the name of the house was 'Drug House', remember?) and the floor was a slip n slide but with beer instead of water. That band was pretty tough. PICTURES HERE.

Kick Bright Flashback Vol 3: Blowfly with Fashion Fashion and the Image Boys.
From the wayback time machine! Blowfly came to Wills Pub in 2006. Great show. More pictures here.

Kick Bright Flashback Vol 2: The Postmarks.
Here's a few pictures from the second time I saw The Postmarks play in Orlando in 2007. They're a really good shy girl pop band from Miami . See them here.

Hot Hands are recording!
We finished drum tracks yesterday for three songs. It's an experiment to see if we can do it ourselves using all our broken and ghetto gear. There are wires everywhere and my cat is hiding in the bedroom.

Kick Bright Flashback Vol 1: Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.
I'm going to start a new segment in the next few months where I'm either going to: 1) Share some photos from the large gaps I have in the shows section that I didn't have time to share at the time or 2) Rescan photos from old reviews- a lot of those photos are really small. I may even do some pre-Kick Bright material. We'll see.

Up first is Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings when they came through Florida in early 2008. I know 2008 wasn't that long ago but I've always liked the photos I took.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings play Skipper's Smokehouse.

Hot Hands go to Jacksonville to play with The Timecat.
Jacksonville is always pretty awesome. We (Hot Hands) played at a small bar called Shantytown, making it the first time in five or six years Kristin and I have played somewhere else other than Club TSI...... READ MORE.

Teenbeat Records Anniversary shows with Unrest in July.
One of the first "big" indie rock labels, Teenbeat Records, are having their 26th Anniversary this year. In celebration, they are putting on a few shows on the east coast with a reformed Unrest. The NYC and Washington DC shows will also feature a reformed Versus and The Rondelles, who are only two of my all-time favorite bands. NYC is sold out. Tickets are purchased for DC so let it be known: Washington DC here I come! Some dates also will have True Love Always and The Ropers. Get the details here.

Just if you were curious about the WMMO concert series. I always am. Sometimes they get something cool like Cheap Trick or Joan Jett or questionable like Smashmouth and Styx. The next one is going to be Tears For Fears. It's in August, though.

And I hear Warped Tour is going to take over downtown July 25. The main station is going to be at Firestone Live and it's going to spill over..... not sure where they can go...... or where anyone will park. I wouldn't go to WT anyway but it's coming where it can't be avoided. If so inclined see what bands are playing.

One the cool things in town I like to do is check out the Cult Classic Series over at the Enzian, they artsy moviehouse in Central Florida. I've seen a lot of cool movies on the big screen including Blue Velvet, Repo Man, The Jerk, Up In Smoke, Robocop to name a few. Upcoming in the next few months include Labyrinth, Caddyshack, Wild At Heart, Roadhouse (yes, Roadhouse) and as part as their kidfest in July: Back To The Future, The Wizard of Oz and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.

Photograph: "Girls at the Rollerderby". 2007.

Show report: For Ex-Lovers Only record release show with Father Figure.
For Ex-Lovers Only is one of those bands has skirted below the radar for a few years now. The trio of Tic Bowen, Aaron Borowicz and Griff Orlando make amazing pop music for the sake of making music for themselves. They have bunches of recordings years old that were never released. They've done a few shows here and there but are more likely to be found playing music around a lake on a Sunday afternoon. READ MORE HERE (PICTURES AND VIDEO).

I worked a little on the massive out-of-managable-control Orlando Show List and Links page. I added a ton of band pages. I honestly have no idea who is linked and who is not.

What's on Jeffrey's Cameraphone? Page 14.
More more more and even more random, unlabeled pictures taken from my Sony Ericsson phone.

Interview with Rich Evans on Terminal Boredom.
There's an interview with Rich Evans on Terminal Boredom from Orlando based Florida's Dying Records and Wiggly World record store where he talks about Florida music, his store & label and what he has in store for the future.

The Deland Collectibles Expo show we were running a booth at was a riot. We had three tables worth of stuff to sell and managed to sell a lot of it including all of my extra Atari, Colecovision and Intellevisions. There is a "review" of the show over at Retrorama where our booth got a paragraph (the sixth paragraph down). Picture.

Two shows one night!
I got to play an early show at Uncle Lou's and aftewards went to Peacock Room to see the last Cotton Candy Cookies and Cream show. Click here to read, see and hear from Magick Finger, Hot Hands, The Fields the Sky, Campfire Suburbia, Cotton Candy Cookies and Cream, Quilla June, Ghost Aviary and last but certainly not least My Black Girlfriend.

Kristin and I went to the Winter Park Sidewalk Arts Festival this past weekend. They seem to creep up all of a sudden every year and miss them. Not this time! Overall, the art on display is pretty under whelming but it's totally fun to walk around and make fun of artistic handbags and jewelry. I hate pottery, too. All that is bearable, though one thing really bothered me: the photographers. Why? Just about every enlarged print suffered from jpeg blurry ness. My mind was boggled how there was no detail, only jpeg distortions.

They actually had a photographer who used Holgas for double and triple exposures. I saw it from afar and thought "Cool!" but when I entered his tent he had the idea of transferring the images onto porcelain squares that were craquelured. Turn off! They would have made great photographs just being photographs. Oh well. Two artists I always look forward in seeing were not in attendance. It's still fun to walk around and watch snooty people in action. Perhaps I'm snooty, too.

I am standing in front of a piece by Ummarid Eitharong, who framed an old football field scoreboard (It won second place). Mr Eitharong had incorporated a Big Boy into one of his artworks so we were inspired to leave and head over to the only Big Boy Restaurant in the Central Florida area we know....... all the way out in Sanford. It was across from Seminole Towne Center Mall.

After eating we had an hour until the mall closed so we went in. There was a comic book store and I went in thinking Kristin was going to be hit on within a matter of seconds (it was gaming night). No such luck for her as it seemed my Battlestar Galactica shirt trumped her cuteness.

Nothing Ever Happens In This Town: new blog alert.
I came across this new blog (started in February) by Bill Ectric about the Jacksonville alternative scene of the 1980's and 1990's. I was searching for Beggars Weed and he's got some excellent videos from them as well a ton of others by bands I never heard of like The Underground (very good) and The Zeros. There's a lot of historic footage already posted and looks like there will be more to come. Bookmark it now.

More old garage bands from the south.
There's also a (quite hideous looking) webpage devoted to garage bands of the south called (appropriately) Southern Garage Bands. There's a lot of good information and discoveries to made there.

Hot Hands interview via Finch House.
Here's an interview Kristin and I did for Finch House Records Magazine last weekend. It's a little hard to hear at points but funny nonetheless. I say "like" a lot and Kristin takes quick sips of beer. Make a drinking game of it.

Kristin and I are playing in Sarasota this Saturday. There's a nice preview write-up on Finch House zine and Creative Loafing. We also have new t-shirts. It's a design we came up with and Kristin drew. You can see some samples here.

If you have ever been to Uncle Lou's you will find this video completely amazing.

I'm trying to figure out what to do with Kick Bright this year. I always switch things up to keep my interest level up. I did a lot of show reviews last year. Frankly, I'm tired of doing them. I'll do them from time to time because I can't help myself but not as often for now.

Most likely I'll be starting a new blog just for Hot Hands related info and stories in the next few weeks. Kristin and I had to move out of our practice space and we've set up our guitars and drums our living room. We have a tiny upstairs apartment and our downstairs neighbor doesn't mind the racket we make. It's actually been a good move- we've been practicing more often now.

There's going to be an Orlando shows webpage so I won't have to keep up my calendar. It's been a very time consuming project and I'd rather not have to spend so much attention to it.

One big project I want to do is add videos I've filmed from shows from the late 90's like Superchunk, Grifters, Geoff Farina, Mineral.... I don't even remember what all I have. I don't have a way yet to convert those 8mm tapes to the computer. If anyone out there can assist me I'd appreciate it. I spent two days last week organizing all my film photographs and negatives from the past five years. This made me want to rescan photos from past reviews. Bandwidth is so not an issue like it was in 1999, you know? Make them bigger I say!

Here's a link to the Kangnave blog that uploaded a friends of theirs homemade boxset featuring all female fronted punk bands from the late 70's to the late 80's from all over the world. It's an insane amount to download - about twelve discs worth of material. Take a listen. It may take months to go through.

Kristin and I got back from our Hot Hands in South Florida weekend tour. We had a fun time, met a lot of people, made some awesome (and practical) thrift store finds and all that... though I wish we could play a place like this:

Or play with a screamo band with a singer (and lamb) that looked like this:

In more reality it went down something like this:

 
Filmed by Dan Mcguire who deemed it our best set ever.

The Garbo's Daughter cassette finally came out on Burger Records last week. You can order it from the Burger Webpage or pick it up locally from Kristin or Mandy. It differs from the self release with the addition of a song (a total of four). 250 were pressed. Get yours before they sell out. No release show as they are no longer a band.

-- Update note: It seems Garbo's Daughters is continuing on without Kristin or Jaime. Also, this cassette is now sold out. Try finding Burger Records distributors.

 

Kristin has an Etsy account set up. We're going to be putting up her artwork, handmade clothes and vintage clothing for sale. Visit it today.