Friday night videos – episode 70
In order to commemorate the 2nd anniversary of FNV, I’m doing a double-length episode featuring ten of my favorite music videos I’ve featured. They’re not really in rank order as I decided to place those others shot first and then my own stuff later. At the end I throw in something a little different.
Let’s begin with a group that’s a regular on FNV, and hopefully they’re advancing their musical careers outside the Delmarva region soon. While they do the occasional cover, one reason I like Not My Own is their reliance on original music. The other is that they play hard rock, which is a little unusual for a Christian band. This is a pairing called ‘Bleed/Believer.’
Another original hard rock staple coming from Ocean City is the band Lower Class Citizens, a band where you immediately hear the influence of Led Zeppelin. (Yes, they play a few Zeppelin covers in some shows.) While I have taped their songs in the past, I chose to use a more slickly produced version of ‘The Dark Midnight’ because it’s a longer song and the sound quality is excellent.
The quartet of hard rockers known as Order 6D-6 is no longer around, sadly – they called it quits earlier this year. They always seemed to be that band that just couldn’t quite break through to a higher level, but they put together some good original songs with strange videos, like this one for “Holeshot.”
To succeed in getting gigs, though, a band out of Delmarva likely has to know a number of cover songs, and I’ve featured those too. Maybe my favorite among those isn’t necessarily from a band which plays around the area but just some guys getting together. Bob Daigle got some friends in the studio and cranked out a heavier version of ‘The Legend of Wooley Swamp,’ an old Charlie Daniels classic.
There’s just something that I like about how Amy Walls of Petting Hendrix sings this song. It’s actually not a song I heard on the radio that much (nor am I that crazy about the song lyrically) but then again I’m not a big pop music fan, either. In this case, Petting Hendrix takes it up a notch.
Anymore when I go see a local band I have my camera in tow – if not, I feel like I’m missing something. I’ll grant to you that my videos aren’t the most spectacular in quality but what’s more important to me is spreading the word about the talent we have here, whether they’re playing covers or originals.
My YouTube channel has nearly three dozen different music videos on it, and I’ve featured the bulk of them on FNV. Strangely enough, the most-viewed music video comes from a band which doesn’t play around here a lot but when they do they tear the place up. Smokin’ Gunnz comes down from Pennsylvania a couple a times a year to play Southern classics like this one.
Another well-played video is a song I’m adding for my sweetie – this is one of her favorite songs, done by the classic cover artists of Agent 99.
Yep, it’s sort of a long intro. I think that’s one of the first shows I took full-length video at for inclusion in FNV. That was recorded at the 12 Bands of Christmas show in 2009.
I like multi-band shows because I can get a bunch of different videos, and every once in awhile I’ll get an original song. To me, songs like this one – ‘Bookshelf’ by Crookedfinger – are gold.
The same goes for my friends in Semiblind. You had to know they would be represented here, and I chose their original ‘Take Control’ for inclusion.
Sometimes I like to do something a little different. Having seen Semiblind enough times, I knew if I did a video of guitarist Jim Hogsett on this song it would turn out well. He shreds up ‘Seven Nation Army.’
This song isn’t as heavy as most of the others I featured, and it’s not by a local artist. But sometimes I need to send a message. I don’t recall who introduced me to it, but it’s a staple of FNV at particular times when a reminder is needed. This is Ava Aston doing ‘We The People.’
Now, I promised you something different at the bottom.
I grew up in northwest Ohio, which like Delmarva is a rural area (except for the city of Toledo and its suburbs.) So there wasn’t a lot of local music to be easily found in the pre-internet age – you had to have at least some sort of record contract to be heard. I liked hard rock from my mid-teens but also enjoyed ‘borrowing’ my brother’s 8-track of this band called The Other Half.
Their biggest claim to fame was having one of their songs (‘Smut’) featured on the ‘Doctor Demento’ radio show, since many of their tunes featured humorous lyrics with a number of double entendres.
The Glass City also had their own hair metal band as one of those ‘almost was’ groups. This video was shot around Toledo in 1988 and I still have this album on cassette from Damien, which like the song is called ‘Every Dog Has Its Day.’
So I’ve always been a fan of those bands who toil around my local area. Alas, Toledo wasn’t L.A. in 1983 and Delmarva isn’t Seattle circa 1990 so a lot of bands I like are undiscovered.
But I’ll keep doing my little part to change that!
35th Annual Tawes Crab and Clam Bake in pictures and text
As the old saying goes, there are two sides to (almost) every story, and the annual event in Crisfield provides plenty of comparisons.
Take the location for example – a marina filled with boats valued in the tens of thousands of dollars hard by low-income housing. Denizens of the immediate neighborhood look forward to the Clam Bake as it provides an opportunity to sell parking spots to people who don’t wish to walk as far to the event.
In short, they create their own economic development. But bringing 3,500 visitors to Crisfield is an economic boost to the area.
While the event has a reputation as a political stop, there is a business element there too. Some companies look to get or keep their name out in the area.
Others use it as a reward to their customers, hosting elaborate parties within the party.
But the crowd was noticeably smaller than last year’s. Yes, this is not an election year but even the number of businesses which took tent space seemed smaller. How often do you see this?
Maybe it’s something about Area 51? But this is a shot I took around 1:30 or so at the peak of the festivities.
Compare that crowd to this still shot from last year.
Even the mugs weren’t being snatched up as quickly.
As you’ll notice in the panoramic picture, there are two main areas where crowds gather. On one side are the smaller tents set up for businesses and groups. But many people sit in the pavilion and enjoy musical entertainment.
I can’t say I’m a fan of country or bluegrass, but a number of people sat under the pavilion to listen.
I know, I know – you readers are saying, “Michael, you have a political website. What’s the political dirt?” Well, there are two sides to that as well.
One guy who seems to straddle that line is Bruce Bereano, who annually has among the largest tents and his own “corner.” However, with a revised setup this year he was more in the middle.
In a nice touch, Bereano has honored a local leader for the last couple years.
If you don’t believe he works to both sides of the aisle, consider that the following two signs were close together on his tent.
Could this be the gubernatorial matchup for 2014? Peter Franchot could obviously be entrenched as Comptroller for as long as he wants to be but my feeling is he wants something more. Meanwhile, David Craig is term-limited as Harford County Executive but obviously has a run for something in mind three years hence. My guess would be that “something” is a long-term stay in Government House.
A matchup which will occur sooner is a statewide battle for the U.S. Senate seat held by Ben Cardin. Presumably he was a little busy today, but a number of volunteers were sporting his colors and registering voters as they stood in the food lines.
Arriving a little later was a man who’s aiming to be his Republican rival, Dan Bongino. Here he’s talking to Bill Harris of Cecil County.
I also spied Eric Wargotz there with his wife. But he wasn’t openly campaigning at this time.
Like Senator Cardin, Congressman Andy Harris was likely a little busy today but had volunteers and signs with a sharply pointed message about. Eventually a lot of folks were wearing yellow Harris shirts.
By gosh, I think Andy is right. But there was someone quite familiar to him there.
Allow me to pose a question. Why would you spend $200 on tickets and a half tank of gas to come down and eat crabs one can probably get just as readily in Queen Anne’s County? Perhaps it’s a case of best two out of three? For all his talk about time with the family I don’t think, given the power and prestige of a seat in Congress, he can let it go just to be a cheerleader for Ben Cardin.
And there were a few cheerleaders for our state’s junior Senator.
Yet the Democrats had a modest, unassuming presence compared to the GOP.
That’s not to say both parties weren’t represented, to be sure. Here’s two of our best freshman Delegates, Charles Otto and Justin Ready.
They weren’t the only freshmen Republicans there, as I saw Michael Hough, Kathy Szeliga, and of course my Delegate Mike McDermott at the event.
Meanwhile, Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt was reaching across the aisle, greeting old friends in the Somerset County Republican tent.
On the other hand, Norm Conway was holed up around the Democrats’ base.
Even the unaffiliated were there. Yes, last I checked Laura Mitchell of Salisbury City Council doesn’t state a party affiliation. I did catch up to her just outside the Democratic tent, though.
Nor was national politics forgotten. Kevin Waterman (who some may know for the Questing for Atlantis website) came supporting his choice for President, Gary Johnson.
Republican politics must run in that family – his mother Diana (who I cut off in the photo) is First Vice-Chair of the Maryland GOP.
Needless to say, the media was there as well. WBOC-TV was on location shooting footage, and I saw print reporters and fellow bloggers about, too.
But I’m curious if anyone else will report on this tidbit.
Notice the flag placed in the corner of the Democrats’ tent? It’s the Wicomico County flag.
Now I’m not convinced that the official imprimatur of our fair county should be in that tent – granted, Democrats have a plurality of voters here but Republicans hold more elected seats in county government. If it’s an endorsement of Democratic principles (such as they are) for our county, consider me as a conscientious objector.
So while the turnout was smaller than in years past, it was still a good event for the Crisfield community. And the rain, which I noticed on my drive back, stayed away.
Look for an interesting cast of characters for next year’s event, which should fall after the 2012 primary on July 18, 2012.
Friday night videos – episode 69
The series returneth. Let’s begin with this up-and-coming group of young whippersnappers caught on Live Lixx the other day. They’re known as Hot Sauce Sandwich.
They’ve been playing around the area and seem to be embarking on a familiar route as they work hard to get their name out. Consider this a little more help.
I really like these guys, and Not My Own is beginning to become a little more of a regional band. This was recorded in New Jersey a few weeks back – it’s a song I’ve featured before but in a new venue.
I don’t doubt they’re working on new material, too. It will be interesting to see when they have a full-length formal release.
The other day I was listening to this CD and wondered if the Baltimore-based Se7enth Seal had any videos on YouTube. Well, here’s one of their song ‘Isomorph.’
Haven’t heard much from them of late, but they just may run in different circles.
This is something else I happened to toss into my CD player this week. Hey, I’m on the road quite a bit. It comes from Woodstok Nation.
I recorded that way back at the tail end of 2009 and I think I’ve used it before somewhere down the line. But it’s still pretty good.
Another underrated local band which does originals and that I like to feature on occasion is Lime Green. This one is ‘Psychadelic Dream.’
Finally, since it IS episode 69 I thought I’d add a cover of “Summer of ’69″ – Semiblind does the honors. I recorded this last month at Third Friday. And Kim just wanted me to record a couple songs because she had to leave early – little did she know.
By the way, this month’s Third Friday is next week. Not sure who’s playing, though.
It’s hard to believe, but summer is about half over and I’m approaching the second anniversary of FNV. Yes, this whole series began back in July of 2009. While it started out as a political vehicle, I’ve found that the music videos are much more fun so that change is permanent. (They’re just a bit harder to compile, which is why the pace of episodes have slowed down somewhat.)
So it looks like episode 70 may be a “best of” or even a “viewer’s choice” if I can drum up enough interest. What do you think were the top music videos I featured? Look for it in a week or two!
Weekend of local rock volume 39
You should have received a sampling of these bands last night on my FNV episode (well, 2 of the 3 anyway.) But here’s my rundown of Third Friday’s music. The stated intention of this month’s edition of 3F was to feature female-fronted bands.
One thing about attending an event such as this was that all three bands were playing at the same time, so I could only sample some of each. I’ll work in this case from east to west geographically, and since Pugsly was situated down East Main Street they’ll go first.
In watching and listening to the group briefly, one thing I liked about Pugsly is that they don’t forget the bass. Maybe it was the sound mix, but this group almost seems like they have a lead bass rather than a guitar. Their sound carried well down the street.
They also have a sense of humor, which is good for a stage presence. It was kind of a shame they drew the worst spot for their setup because not many people traveled down Main Street to watch them play.
Moving down to the courthouse, we found Semiblind. They are a versatile, veteran group which has the advantage of being able to play in two configurations. They started out as an acoustic duo…
…then transitioned to their normal ‘electric’ lineup once the bassist and drummer arrived.
Anyone who knows me knows I’m part of an unofficial fan club for the group. But one can’t argue with their success and hard work because Semiblind in its various configurations is in demand and playing practically every weekend this summer all over Delmarva, from Chincoteague to Stevensville. And while they do sprinkle in originals from time to time, the songs I heard last week were classic rockers they placed their stamp on.
Meanwhile, on the Plaza itself the all-female group The Zen Monkeys held court.
As you may be able to tell by the sheer number of instruments on stage, these ladies perform a very eclectic mix of original songs – in fact, in the times I looked on they didn’t use the drums. That’s pretty unusual for a rock band, but so is using a washboard as they did on one song. Suffice to say, The Zen Monkeys are difficult to categorize. They would have probably been at home on the Flavors stage.
But I’m still not done, even though I’ve covered the three ‘official’ bands. These two guys were playing jazz down at the west end of the Plaza.
They weren’t part of the bill because they’re not female, but one thing I’ve noticed about 3F is that things aren’t necessarily planned or scripted. Two guys want to show up and play a little jazz? More power to them; just keep a little distance apart so you’re not playing on top of each other.
Certainly on the third Friday in July there will be music downtown of some sort. Come on down and enjoy.
Friday night videos – episode 68
I have a couple new videos at the end which come from last week’s Third Friday performances. But I wanted to start off with a video I used awhile back from the late Flavors bar downtown. The Permilla Project did a jam called ‘Black Beans and Rice’ there.
Just for fun I poked around Youtube to see what other music videos I could find shot at Flavors, and there’s a nice little sampling herein. One is the local duo of Chris Demone and Chuck Cook, better known as Test Kitchen. This was shot in 2008.
Another local band which developed a following there was Slim DeNunn and the High Rollers. This was from a 2009 performance there.
Little did the person who took this video of Chester River Runoff just four months ago know that may have been their swan song in the facility.
The venue definitely attracted a wide spectrum of bands, as you can see. It will be missed.
Shot just down the street from Flavors was this video, featuring local classic rockers Pugsly and their rendition of the Monkees’ hit, ‘Steppin’ Stone.’
I certainly wasn’t going for sushi. And the Sex Pistols weren’t the only punk band to do the song; I have a version from the band Minor Threat on tape. In either case, this one was a little slower.
Around the corner in front of the old courthouse was Semiblind. Here’s a solid version of ‘Gimme Shelter.’
Once in awhile my old camera catches a song just right. Michele does a good job with their sound.
By the way, I didn’t mean to slight the Zen Monkeys, who also played at Third Friday. I didn’t get a video of theirs and unfortunately I’m not sure how to embed a video from Facebook.
Well, that’s a wrap for FNV this time around. Hope you enjoyed the tunes.
Friday night videos – episode 67
At the end I debut the videos I shot at the Concert for a Random Soldier over Memorial Day weekend. In the meantime, let’s throw out some jams with covers first.
This is a mid-Shore band called Blitzed who’s playing up at Marina’s in Blades as I write. It’s their take on Pink Floyd’s ‘Young Lust.’
Outdoor parties tend to make for fun (if raw) videos, and that was the case with this one from Freshly Squeezed. I’m guessing they closed out their summer with this Sublime cover.
Lower Class Citizens checks in with this Live Lixx performance from last November. Haven’t heard a lot from them lately; hopefully it’s a sign of good things to come.
Interesting thing about that video – normally there’s much more natural light in that studio but recording that in late November meant that Live Lixx at Six was well after dark.
It was quite light when I recorded these following videos; in fact almost too much. First in chronological order is the Mari Hill Band, doing their version of ZZ Top’s ‘Sharp Dressed Man.’
I’m not sure how old Mari Hill is, but she has plenty of moves. It’s interesting to hear that song played as a four-piece outfit (five if you count Mari’s percussion.)
The next pair of songs are a live staple from Semiblind, who maybe skips just a beat before transitioning from Santana to Heart. Don’t mind the little bit of wind noise.
That makes for a long video, so I have time for only one more. From the same show, here’s The Saints of Chaos doing an original called ‘Temptation and Regret.’
Those boys were driving some wattage through the overburdened Post 28 pavilion’s electrical system. It was loud and it was good. Hopefully you thought the sounds were as well, even if the video was a little bleached out because of the light background.
Until next time, rock on!
Weekend of local rock volume 38
Left over from last weekend’s photo was the musical part of the Concert for a Random Soldier held in Millsboro, Delaware. Yes, I promised to do this so here you go.
Kim and I arrived in the midst of act number two of nine featured bands, the outfit called 33 1/3. (Apparently we missed the acoustic stylings of one Matt Lafferty.)
With a cast of seven players and their various instruments, the band could pretty much cover the gamut of songs popularized in the golden era of album rock and Top 40 radio. And that’s what they did, placing a spin on a number of popular oldies.
The same could be said about the next band in line, 8 Track Flashback. The instrumentation was a little different, but they also set their stamp on the grooveyard of forgotten favorites.
It’s worth pointing out, though, that the set changes were not quiet. A second stage of sorts was set up for acoustic acts to play between band sets. One example of this was Jim and Shel, and another pictured below them was Adam Murray.
We had a definite change in tone with the fourth band of the nine-band lineup. The Mari Hill Band brought a sassier, bluesier feel to the proceedings as she and her band belted out a mix of old favorites along with an original or two.
And then things were shaken up even more by Ashley Mitchell and her acoustic partner, Donny Marvel. If you never thought of songs like ‘Rock the Casbah’ done as an acoustic duo, well, that’s one they tried. They succeeded rather well at it, too.
As veterans of several Concerts for a Random Soldier, Semiblind knew just what the crowd wanted, and they gave them doses of classic rock while trying out a few originals.
It was a trend that would be continued by the next band, which was the final band we saw at the show. By far it was the heaviest, too.
The Saints of Chaos were once known as Factor, and like Semiblind before them SOC has done a number of these shows. But it fell to them, as Chad Clifton’s favorite band (the one he snuck into bars to watch play) to play his favorite song – a high-powered version of the Rolling Stones’ ‘Paint It Black.’ That was one of just a couple covers SOC tossed in their set – theirs were mostly originals.
The only drawback to SOC’s set (which also affected Semiblind to a slight extent) was the sound. While for Semiblind it was a matter of getting the proper instrument mix (the bass was apparently not going through the monitors loudly enough), the Saints of Chaos were simply too much wattage for the system to handle, as they blew out a breaker – twice (including on ‘Paint It Black,’ which was a bummer.) Yep, they were loud, but it was good.
Unfortunately, Kim and I couldn’t hang around for the final two bands – but Blind Willie should be back for next year’s rendition. Interestingly enough, the final act was a reunion of a band which played at the first Concert for a Random Soldier in 2006 called Lisa Says No. Perhaps they will make that an annual event as well.
In all, there were nine bands plus a number of acoustic acts in the space of nine hours – a veritable potpourri of music that one should check out next year. The Concert for a Random Soldier promises to be bigger and even better in 2012.
Friday night videos – episode 66
Maybe you missed the 6:00 sneak peek? I forgot for a moment this has a 24-hour clock!
Anyway, you can subtitle this the ‘spring cleaning’ edition, just in time for the unofficial beginning of summer. I decided to clean out some of my archives of videos I’ve taken over the last few months (or years) and pick out some good stuff I hadn’t uploaded yet. (On some rainy day or two I may just upload a batch, since I may have a dozen or two good videos I’ve never used.) But part of this episode came from a backlog of not doing an episode of FNV the last couple weeks.
I’ll start with some video I took back in March at the Spring Luau. In order, these come from 7 Days Wasted, Jason Lee (solo, without Crookedfinger), and Lethal Dose.
Lethal Dose rocked so hard and was so loud the video didn’t sync quite right.
I have a special video from my vault, featuring my friends from Semiblind – but one in particular. Watching Jim Hogsett do ‘Seven Nation Army’ is an experience because he never plays it the same way twice. I caught this a few months back at The Lagoon here in Salisbury.
Now I’m going to go way back on you.
You’ve seen Witches Brew before here, but this video was shot at the 2010 Spring Luau, I do believe. They wanted to put us in a ‘Cold Sweat.’ Sound is a touch rough but passable.
Even farther back, we have two to close from the aptly-named (but no longer together) Order 6-D6. (It’s a shame because this episode was perfect for them.) From Pork in the Park 2009, this is their version of the Misfits’ ‘London Dungeon.’
Finally, they did a song which should rank among the longest song titles I’ve ever featured. It was one of the first videos I did, with a camera I no longer have. To be honest, I think it came out okay but I didn’t play it through. The lighting was a little funky to be sure.
If I get a chance this weekend I’ll be adding to my archives, since there’s a number of multi-band shows lined up (including the Concert for a Random Soldier currently featured in my sidebar.) So I don’t (and won’t) have a shortage of items, but if bands want to set me hip to their stuff they should drop me a line – ttownjotes (at) yahoo.com.
A Third Friday report and review
For some time, the city of Salisbury has highlighted its downtown Plaza one day a month, as the powers that be chose the third Friday of each month for the event.
As they promoted their new logo, it was my first opportunity to enjoy the festivities. Normally I’ve had one of two conflicts: league bowling or a Shorebirds game. Since neither was in effect Friday night, my significant other and I went down to see what it was all about.
It was a sort of sparse crowd when we arrived, as folks were just getting set up. This picture was taken just before 6:00 and, as you can see, there wasn’t much going on.
The local artist whose professional moniker is “Y-Hate” was making the rounds with a bucket of mud. Why? To do these temporary sidewalk paintings. They’ll be gone and off to the storm sewage system with the next good rain; ashes to ashes and all that.
The second picture was taken roughly 6:45 and you can see business picked up a bit.
I guess when the Third Friday concept was hatched, it was based on the “Arts on the Plaza” portion of the Salisbury Festival. Just like at the Salisbury Festival, 3F was promoting themselves at this event too.
Indeed, there was an art show indoors at the building which used to house the Escape restaurant (more on that building later.) I didn’t get any pictures of the artists’ work, but I did scope out the shows.
Also, there was music. Ben Rayne is a guitarist who picks out a location in the Parker Place lot and sets up most warm months.
Yet he wasn’t among the ‘featured’ artists. J Guy and Carter were the two acoustic musicians set up on the makeshift stage in front of the WMDT-TV studios.
Meanwhile, way down the street at Flavors one could find the acoustic sounds of Goatbag vocalist Josh Pryor.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t aware he was playing until after he was finished. But I imagine it was a departure from his other job singing with what could be best categorized as the goth metal stylings of Goatbag.
And that leads me to my first complaint. Maybe it’s because I’d not been to Third Friday before, but my perception was the activities would be conducted within the Plaza and perhaps a bit around the corner. Maybe these signs were a bit confusing.
Then again, it pointed into the Plaza. But other vendors were farther down Main Street and I had no idea until I wandered down to the Flavors end of the block. That’s where I found this guy.
He was holding court in Flavors, and was nice enough to pose for this shot after briefly discussing the disagreement between a $78 parking space and a $100,000 condo before retreating inside to reunite with his rapidly-warming beer.
As I mentioned last night, both featured artists were selling their wares.
Gee, were they figuring the sales tax on their tip jar or CDs? I should be careful though, since I may get Josh Pryor ‘Cold Busted.’ (Inside joke.)
Yet that’s a serious omission if done with enough volume.
And speaking of sales and songs, peace sells – but who’s buying?
I had a brief disagreement with one of the women handling this table because she had a flyer that claimed 39 cents of each federal dollar went to fighting wars and handling veterans affairs. This pie chart by the Concord Coalition begs to differ. Sure, I know, to these guys 20 cents out of a dollar is too much, but we do need to “provide for the common defense” somehow.
Let’s go back to the pretty pictures, shall we?
Again, the crowd managed to increase as the evening wore on – I took the top one about 6:30 and the bottom about 8:00. One nice thing about the Plaza is the photographic opportunities different lighting scenarios provide.
Obviously the focus of the event is on the arts. So what were these ladies doing here?
Promoting their upcoming matchup, of course. Then again, this poster does have artistic elements in it.
I could see that hanging in someone’s den, particularly if they’re interested in sports memorabilia.
Keeping my promise of earlier in the article, I wanted to share something I noticed about the Escape restaurant. It almost looked like the Rapture hit there a few months early.
It sort of creeped me out that the place looked like it was ready to open for another night’s business, as if the owners expected to be back later that evening and never arrived. Maybe that’s intentional (because who needs to see yet another obviously vacant space downtown) but the care didn’t extend outside the building.
It’s a place begging to be a musical venue but no one was there.
Still, a lot of merchants downtown get a share of the revenue brought in by the additional foot traffic. Here’s a nice young lady in Mike’s Downtown Deli closing up shop after what was hopefully a successful evening for them. It was a successful night for me, too, as I snagged a former advertiser once again (see sidebar.)
While I was down there, I spoke to one business owner who’s attempting to solicit financial support for a second day per month where downtown stays open through the evening. Some have even suggested we do this every Friday night, but I don’t think the concept would last if done too often.
The way I see it, what makes Third Friday work to the extent it does is the fact it stands out from the other days of the month. It seems to me that the concept could be expanded to a second day of the month only if the weather is conducive for strolling (as it was on Friday) – in the wintertime this may not be enough of a draw to convince people to leave their homes for an event with multiple indoor venues.
My other suggestion would be to simply put out the information on where musicians are playing and artists are setting up. Had I known Josh Pryor was down at Flavors I may have wandered down to hear a few songs. Like this article in spots, Third Friday has a certain disjointed character which may appeal to some but not others. Since I’m not really a member of the arts-and-croissant crowd, the main draw for me would be the music so I want to know who’s playing where.
As the event closed up, most people packed up to go home while a few others drifted down to Flavors to catch the ‘after-party.’ And while 3F was an interesting event, I’d like to see it supported better by the local community since I don’t think there’s going to be any city money involved hereafter. (The businessman spearheading the effort for a second day per month is going the private donation route – the only city involvement would be to close down the Plaza to traffic.)
I’ll likely drop by next month to see what’s new and unusual, so why not do so yourself? The Plaza looks better with a few hundred people in it than it does when it resembles the vacant patio of Escape. Obviously there’s a lot to do in the summer, what with Shorebirds games, various festivals, and the draw of Ocean City nightlife, but it wouldn’t hurt to take a little time and support some local businesses either. Once the crowds come down, the buzz will follow and the event will kick into a higher gear.
The next Third Friday is June 17. There is no Shorebirds home game that night, festivals usually run two nights, and Ocean City isn’t going anywhere. You have no excuse.
Friday night videos – episode 65
I took a week off to recharge the batteries (literally) and now it’s time for more rock. But we’ll start out with something a little acoustic, as the Joel David Band recently did a Live Lixx gig.
Another guest in the studio was a band called The Lost Positives, with this little ditty called ‘Act IV.’
A few months before that, there was a benefit concert in Delaware called the Concert for Comfort, where donations were sought to keep the homeless warm. Mind Grenade was one of the bands giving their time to the cause.
Doing the Lennon/McCartney classic ‘Come Together’ is the band Deep Sea Research, with an assist from Derek White of Murray and White.
They’ll appear with The Lost Positives at Marina’s up in Blades, DE tomorrow night. That’s where this video was taken awhile back.
This video is close enough for ‘Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.’ The band is called To The Fight.
And lastly, I’ll close with another recent upload. It’s my friends from Semiblind with an original.
I dig originals from Semiblind. See what I come up with next time!
Friday night videos – episode 64
Sponsored by…well, no one just yet. But I’m working on it.
In the meantime, I’ll bring you some of the highlights of the local and regional music scene. I’m seeing a lot more bands out and about now, which can only mean one thing: summer is coming.
How about beginning with a duo who will be part of next weekend’s Salisbury Festival: alex&shiloh. This was their appearance on Ocean 98′s Live Lixx back in October.
Another band playing around the area frequently is Not My Own, which has become a staple of FNV. Here they check in with ‘Believer.’
Man, did they crunch that one out. Maybe you can see why they’re played here so often.
I also played this group last week, but here Gravitate performs an original called ’40 Hours.’ It’s from the same Spring Luau performance I used before.
Today would make its debut since I uploaded the clip specifically for this edition of FNV.
One of my favorite new discoveries is the ReverbNation website, simply because it’s a clearinghouse I can use to find local bands and more video for this fun-filled weekly excursion into local music.
I’ve become familiar with this band through a different song that gets heavy rotation on 93.5′s ‘Local Produce’ show. (That’s must-listen radio around here on Sunday nights.) I didn’t know until last week that this band is from Pocomoke way, called 14-5. It’s definitely a raw version of ‘Another Chance.’
While David Andrew Smith isn’t from here, the Baltimore-based singer-songwriter is familiar with the area. This comes from an event called the New York City Songwriter Circle.
I’ll wrap up by digging into my archives to find another band who’s become quite popular around these parts. It’s not hard to come across a Petting Hendrix show, and here they do a version of Hendrix (Jimi, that is) which they truly made their own.
As long as I can keep finding good stuff, I’ll keep doing this. These videos are much more fun than that political you-know-what.
Pork in the Park Saturday in pictures and text
My significant other and I wanted to get our ribs on at Pork in the Park, and yesterday we did just that. Here’s part of how the experience went.
Luckily, there was a good rib place just inside the entrance. The only one closer would have been Famous Dave’s and, to be quite honest, we can get their ribs any old time. So we stopped by Jacked Up BBQ.
Here’s a shot of them slicing up our lunch – we shared a full rack with sides (great cole slaw, by the way) and a little bit of ‘pig candy.’
Now, bear in mind it was about lunchtime, so one would expect a pretty decent crowd. Yet look at the draw these tents were getting just down from Jacked Up.
Other rib sellers were getting the same response. This was around the corner at Chop Shop BBQ.
Now I don’t know if this was a traffic consideration or an effort to spread out vendors more, but a couple rib places were out in what’s normally the WinterPlace Park parking lot. I thought it was an exit at first.
You can see the umbrellas in the second shot. They were useful as long as the howling wind didn’t turn them inside out.
It’s a shame more people weren’t around because I wanted to see them fire this bad boy up.
Johnsonville claims it’s the world’s largest grill, and that it can handle 750 brats. That may have been two for everyone there at the time.
Still, the competition was going on despite the weather. We wandered back to the competitors’ area just as the judging deadline for ribs was approaching, and this crew wanted to make its presence known.
While the ribs were being turned in, there was still brisket to be wrapped up.
And as always, there was an odd sense of humor present among those who come to Salisbury to compete in what they claim is the largest KCBS contest east of the Mississippi.
The little bronze pig on the ground was a nice touch, as was the tiki bar below.
My significant other liked this one best.
Despite the paucity of people, the show did go on. One new feature this time around was the mechanical bull.
One could ride it for $5, although people weren’t exactly flocking to it. I saw one game contestant get tossed off as I was walking up but no one in line after him.
I didn’t stay long enough to make a ‘Weekend of Local Rock’ post, although we did hear a little from Joe Bachman and the Crew as we walked by.
I spoke to Michael Taylor, who was doing sound, and was told that rain wouldn’t stop the entertainment but lightning would. As Julie Brewington showed on Right Coast Conservative, Smokin’ Gunnz did get their set in but the storm which rolled in about 6:00 ended the proceedings before they could get to 7 Days Wasted or their headlining act, Bruce in the USA.
There’s little doubt that the event will fall short of the 30,000 it drew last year since Saturday is usually its biggest day. But there was decent enough weather today and Friday night that they should easily outdraw the other Wicomico Recreation, Parks, and Tourism events (Autumn Wine Festival and Good Beer Festival) combined. I’d guess they’ll end up between 15,000 and 20,000 when all is said and done because today should be a good day for attendance.
Next year the event will migrate forward on the calendar as the third Friday of the month will be April 20th. Hopefully that will make a difference in the weather and things will be a little warmer in WinterPlace.
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