The Quick BUZZ
Friday, November 19, 2004
Michael Jackson Tribute Band to come to Tri-Cities
from Ansley Roberts
They have become the hottest live act on the East Coast, but in February, everyone will get to see the show that America is talking about. Although I thought it could never be done, Who's Bad has put together an 7-piece live band performing 100% Michael Jackson.
Who's Bad sold out the Georgia Theatre in Athens, with over 1,200 fans on their first visit. The response was so positive, that a second appearance came only weeks later. They are relatively new on the circuit, so I was able to work out a deal for this amazing band to come to Gatsby's. Due to growing popularity, it might be their only visit.
Make plans now, and don't get stuck outside. I may have to sale advanced tickets, so I will update later if we decide to do so.
WHO'S BAD
A tribute to Michael Jackson
Friday, February 4
Gatsby's
$10
10:45 p.m.
http://www.whosbadmusic.com
Bio:
This music can be pulled off only with the support of a fine cast. Based in Chapel Hill, NC, Who's Bad is a compilation of some of the Triangle's most talented musicians and performers:
Taalib York (lead vocals), a New York City native whose gene pool is filled with artists and musicians, has been singing and dancing for as long as he can remember. By age 11, singing became his focus as he developed an amazing vocal range which he used to win talent shows and dance competitions all though elementary, middle, and high school. After finishing high school, he moved back home to New York where he performed at numerous small clubs, jazz jam sessions, and poetry shows. He also spent time recording his own music and singing hooks for under ground hip hop artists from New York to Georgia. In addition to singing and dancing, Taalib also choreographs dance routines professionally, which have led some groups into Tony award winning classes. But when it comes down to it, actions speak louder than words. You'll watch Taalib perform, you’ll see the influence Michael Jackson has had and you’ll agree: the similarities between the two are simply amazing.
Chris Boerner (guitar/vocals) Born in Durham, raised in Raleigh, Chris's interest in music began at the ripe age of 8 when he picked up the alto saxophone. Interest soon shifted to the guitar a few years later and then it was all over. Chris honed his chops playing in rock bands throughout middle and high school. As college came around, jazz and classical music took hold as he studied music at Duke University. Since college he has been involved in a plethora of projects including The Mighty Burners, his own quartet, and Mosadi Music. This has led to sharing the stage with The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Jazz Mandolin Project, and Scratch from the legendary Roots crew to name a few. Chris likes to spend his free time recording but he ends up mostly just shredding.
Matt Brandau (bass/vocals) has been playing electric and upright bass professionally for over 7 years. He is currently working in the triangle as a performing and session bassist. Since his introduction to bass he has performed and recorded with a wide variety of groups ranging from jazz, hip-hop, celtic and rock. He is a founding member of the hip-hop group Sankofa and also The Remix Project. His versatility has included him on over 13 albums including Sankofa, Portastatic, Astronauts of Antiquity, Tain Collins and Mark Wells.
Ray McCall (trumpet) has been involved in music since the age of 12. After putting down the string bass and picking up the trumpet, life seemed perfect. From early success in concert, marching, and jazz band at the high school level, the experience continued at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While at UNC, his musical outlet was in the form of the jazz band and marching band, getting much guidance from Jim Ketch and David McChesney. He has been playing and gigging professionally for 3 years, playing solo events mostly, yet has had stints with groups around the hometown of Erwin, NC as well. So, now tell me..."Who's Bad?".
Matt McCaughan (drums/vocals) has been playing the drums for over half of his life. During that time he has played in numerous jazz ensembles, with funk cover band, The Bridge, with the eclectic electric band, Hose, and subbing stints with Thad Cockrell and the Starlight Country Band. Currently, he plays and records with the rock trio stylings of The Balance, funk-hop stylings of The Mighty Burners and the melodious indy-fi stylings of Portastatic. He likes all of these groups. Do not make him pick just one.
Asher Stein (saxophones) is a New Jersey native and has been playing the saxophone professionally for the past 10 years. His first musical attempts were made at the Peppermint Lounge jazz jam session in Orange, NJ at the age of 10. Since then, he has appeared with many jazz greats including Jimmy Heath, Slide Hampton, and James Moody. He now co-leads “The Stein Bros. Jazz Quintet” with his brother Alex, which plays throughout the greater New York metropolitan area. He also studies with the legendary teacher/pianist Dr. Barry Harris. He is currently enrolled at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill where he studies music. Asher would like to thank Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones for making the judo groove possible.
Vamsi Tadepalli (saxophones/vocals) is the founder and musical director of Who’s Bad and has been playing the saxophone professionally for over 10 years. Graduating from UNC Chapel Hill with a degree in music, Vamsi is now pursuing the dream. He has appeared with several bands all across the country ranging in many styles including classical, jazz, rock, and funk. Currently, he is studying with alto saxophonist Justin Robinson and the legendary Dr. Barry Harris to hone his bebop skills!
Kevin Timmons (keyboards/vocals) began playing piano in the second grade and has since used the instrument as a vehicle for exploring and cultivating his love of music. He has studied music extensively both privately and under the guidance of instructors at UNC Chapel Hill. He is at home playing in any number of styles including rock, funk, jazz, R&B, and hip hop. Kevin has played professionally since his early teenage years and has dazzled audiences at some of the Southeast's hottest concert venues with his funky and fiery keyboard style.
Friday, October 15, 2004
Cruxshadows To Appear At Heather's HideAway
On Saturday night, November 20th, Mayhem Productions welcomes internationally-acclaimed recording artists, The Crüxshadows to the friendly confines of “The CBGB’s of the South,” Heather’s Hideaway. Opening the show will be Descolada from Asheville, NC, and local rock favorites, Blindsight. Advance tickets are available, and are $10, and can be purchased exclusively at The Hideaway. Day of show tickets will be $12. The doors open at 8 pm, with showtime at 10 p.m. Heather’s Hideaway is located at 235 E. Main St. in downtown Johnson City, TN.
One of the most popular darkwave bands on the planet, the Crüxshadows started in the early 1990's in a little town in North Florida. Numerous lineup changes over the years have not slowed them down. Touring the United States extensively from Coast to Coast, they have played hundreds of shows to North American Audiences in the last few years.
In the Spring of 2001, the Crüxshadows began touring Europe and have since played over 175 shows abroad, in countries like Norway, Sweden, Scotland, Ireland, England, Belgium, The Netherlands, Poland, France, The Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, and Spain. They continue expanding the bands fan-base, slowly moving eastward into a variety of new markets.
Two albums and two singles (Wishfire, Ethernaut, Tears, & Winterborn) have all reached #2 on the Deutsch Alternative Charts(DAC), and their European festival shows have drawn audiences as large as 15,000, and upto 300,000 people to a Crüxshadows performance.
In the summer of 2002 they released their 5th full length recording, Wishfire. Its unprecedented success in the Gothic genre paved the way for the EP Frozen Embers( the first run was SOLD OUT two days after release) as well as their highly anticipated new Album Ethernaut. The former became the best preselling album EVER in the History of Isotank.com ( a popular gothic/industrial/EBM online distributor), and looks to soon outpace Wishfire in a fraction of the time!
A blend of new wave, gothic, and electronica, the bands unique and often catchy songs have become staples of the darkwave, EBM, and electro-alternative scene. Their song Leave Me Alone is the all time highest charting "goth" song on mp3.com, having moved into the mainstream top 10 for a short time. Eurydice, spent over 2 years in the top 40 New Wave charts of mp3.com. Their song Deception, originally part of the Vampire the masquerade- Music from the Succubus club disc, has been recorded in both English and German, and has earned the band much attention worldwide. But it is the song Marilyn, My Bitterness that stands as CXS best known song. and likely there biggest underground hit to date.
CXS has never been very well liked by the critics, their bemoaned success has always been viewed as a bit of an oddity, despite the loyalty and size of their fanbase. And it is no wonder. At once an excessable sound AND an aquired taste, the bands uniqueness transcends the realm of dance or club music. The rich and romantic flavor of the electric violin played by Rachel McDonnell, and the crunchy and sometimes biting guitar, give the Crüxshadows a wide berth of musical possibilities. This is juxtaposed with the cold digital world of textures created by Chris Brantley, and the moody musings of frontman, founder, and lead singer Rogue, guarantee that this band is anything but typical. With 6 albums, 3 eps, and more compilation appearences than you can shake a stick at, the Crüxshadows have made themselves synonymous with a new breed of electro-goth music. Their energy and intensity on stage led them to be called "the best live band in Europe today" by the host of Hamburg's Crazy Clip Show. If you have an opportunity to see them live, don't pass it up.
Between 2002 and 2004 the band recieved tour sponsorship from XtraX fashions, Zillo Magazine, and Orkus Magazine, and continues to make their presence known. They have won the 2001 best "revelations" band award, and have been played in heavy rotation on college and internet radio. Over their 12 year history, The Crüxshadows have performed with bands like The Cure, Bjork, Ladytron, Apoptygma Berzerk, VNV Nation, Mesh, Das Ich, Icon of Coil, Psyche, Clan of Xymox, Project Pitchfork, The Mission, Project Pitchfork, Bella Morte, and many, many more.
In 2004 the Cruxshadows made a push into Eastern Europe playing shows in cities like Budapest, Ljubljana, Belgrade, Timisoara, & Prague. CXS is the first American band in the genre to play so many shows in the east, and one of only a few notable bands from the West to have played in countries like Romania and Serbia since the end of the Cold War. In the Summer of 2004 the Cruxshadows released Fortress in Flames. The EP, almost 80 minutes in length, far exceeded expectations generating record sales both in Europe and the United States. It also introduced the guitar playing of George Bikos, who replaced Stacey Campbell. The future is wide open for the band, but they hope to conquer the world... one show at a time.
Members and former members include: Rogue (vocals, songwriting, programming, lyrics), Chris Brantley (Keyboards), Rachel McDonnell (violin and keyboards), Stacey Campbell (former guitar player), Sean Flanagan (former keyboard player), Tim Curry (former guitar player), Trevor Brown (former keyboard player), and Kevin Page (former guitar player).
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
Rockin’ on the River Returns to the Nolichucky
by Rob Biller
AFT Entertainment, Coors Lite, Shakers, Cahootenanny’s, and Z-Rock 99.3 are proud to announce the return of Rockin’ on the River to the Nolichucky River in Erwin, TN. Across from the Devil’s Looking Glass, Cherokee Adventures will once again come alive for a three day music festival. Camping will be offered and is always a star attraction of this event. The music will start on Friday, July 30 at 11am and continues through the evening of Sunday August 1. Tickets are offered at the “door” and will be $12 for day passes or $32 for the entire weekend. This is an all age show and church groups will be offered a $2 dollar discount on Sunday.
The band line up is huge with 37 bands playing over the three day event. “I am really pumped about this year’s festival! We really have some of the best local talent in the area playing,” Matt Smith from AFT Entertainment said, “and we have a winner take all $500 bikini contest Saturday evening. He goes on to say, “We have Erwin police officers, both on and off duty, to help with security issues and crowd control and food will be offered by River’s Edge Restaurant. It is going to be a b-l-a-s-t!”
The band list is as follows (listed by day):
FRIDAY
8 Red Eyes –11am-11:40
SikSouls –12pm-12:40
Non-Prophet 1pm –1:40
66 Rats 2pm-2:40
Straight Line Stitch 3pm-3:40
Thee Invisibles 4pm-4:40
Omega Tribe 5pm-5:40
ShowDown 6pm-6:40
Cold Winters Kiss 7pm-7:40
Stick Horse 8pm-8:40
Thirdleg 9pm-9:40
ScullSoup 10pm-10:40
Born Again - A Tribute To Black Sabbath 11pm-12:00
SATURDAY:
Monsters of Japan 11:00-11:30am
Cauda 11:50am-12:20pm
Dead Star Prophecies 12:40 – 1:10
Red Letter Day 1:30-2:10
Bishop Stone 2:30-3:10
Witherspoon 3:30-4:10
Project Downfall 4:30-5:10
Downbleed 5:30-6:10
Good Speed 6:30-7:10
Bikini Contest 7:30 – 8:00
Five Foot Mullet 8:00-8:40
New Disease 9:00-9:40
Blindsight 10:00-10:40
Sober Otis 11:00pm-12:00am
SUNDAY
Tribe 13 11:00-11:30
Moonshine Cherrys 11:50-12:20
Out-Of-Orbit 12:40-1:10
Lotus 1:30 –2:00
Intrikut 2:20-3:00
Horace 3:20-4:00
TBA 4:20-5:00
Anti-Trust 5:20-6:00
Winter of '74 6:20-7:00
Reduce Speed Ahead 7:20-8:00
Duyll 8:20-9:00
The directions to Cherokee adventures are easy. Just take I-26 (Old I-181) East to Exit 18 then go North 1.4 miles on TN 81/107 to Cherokee Adventures. There will be road signs on the interstate to direct you in.
Pick a day you like best or pick a camping spot and enjoy the festival all weekend. It is definitely the local music event of the year! See you there!
Monday, April 19, 2004
Former Dead Milkman to play Hideaway
Wednesday night, April 21st, Mayhem Productions in association with The Hideaway welcomes The Low Budgets to Johnson City, TN, for a show that won't soon be forgotten. Featuring Joe Jack Talcum, formerly of The Dead Milkmen, The Low Budgets have carved their own niche in the annals of punk rock. They will be joined by opening acts, The New Disease, The Optic Nerves, and The Emigration Plan. Doors to the show open at 8 pm, with the show starting at 10:30. Admission is $5 for anyone over 21, and $7 for anyone under 21.
On the very last day of the last Dead Milkmen tour ever, Chris Peelout met milkman Joe Jack Talcum waiting outside while a fire was being extinguished in the Boston night club where the Milkmen were about to perform. They had a brief conversation and exchanged contact information. Almost a year later Chris showed up at Joe's west
Philadelphia apartment claiming to be homeless. That night they wrote their first song together and eventually formed a band, The Town Managers, that played local shows in the Philadelphia area. Dandrew was a bass player in another local band, Farquar Muckenfuss, that occassionally played with the Managers. They formed a friendship. Coincidentally, around the turn of the century both bands became increasingly less active. Eager to get another band going, early
in the year 2000, Chris asked Dandrew and Joe to join his new garage-rock project which he had already named The Low Budgets. Dandrew signed on for bass and Joe joined as organist. All they needed was a drummer.
Chris met Steve outside a west Philly basement show when Steve got kicked out for being too drunk. After Steve finished puking on the sidewalk, Chris asked him if he could play the drums. Steve aid, "Sure," and a few weeks later Chris, Steve, Dandrew and Joe got together in another west Philly basement. Thus, The LowBudgets were born.
The New Disease has made a name for themselves in the Tri-Cities with their variety of "polished punk." Fronted by Jody Tarlton, guitarist/vocalist, the group has made their name with a unique sound in punk, and an ever-expanding song selection, which always pleases fans.
---Mikey of Mahem Productions
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
downBleed to open for Orgy
downBleed will be opening for Universal Music recording artist Orgy on Wednesday, April 28th. The bill will be TBA, downBleed, and Orgy. Tickets will be $17 in advance and $20 the day of the show and go on sale this Saturday at Dad's CDs and at Rafter's. Orgy's new cd, "Punk Statik Paranoia" hits the stores today(4/6), so go out and pick up a copy. This will be a great show and tickets will go fast, so grab 'em quick.
(modified email from Doug Fletcher - Drummer/Lead singer for downBleed)
Monday, March 29, 2004
Downbleed's New Killer Web site
Downbleed has a new web site - You can preview it during it's building phase at http://www.bandzoogle.com/downbleed/. Soon it will be renamed "downbleed.com", a month or so away... check it out!
Upcoming dowBleed Shows :
April 16th- Rafter's in JC w/Duyll and Transom
April 23rd- Ireson's Pub in Bristol w/Downfall and the Hypodermix
April 30th- Rafter's in JC w/Downfall and others TBA
May 8th- Heather's Hideaway in JC w/Solar 7, Downfall and Self-Centured
May 22nd- Ireson's Pub in Bristol w/Downfall and Solar 7
May 28th- Rafter's in JC w/AntiTrust and others TBA
June 11th- The Money in Rock Hill, SC w/TBA
July 11th- The Money in Rock Hill, SC- The East Coast Showcase
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Lennon's New DVD is Available at Her Online Store
Lennon's new DVD entitled Before The So Called is now available at her Online Store.
This DVD will be 120 minutes of Lennon at a modest Price of $16.98. Orders will be shipped March 30th.
