Everybody who attended the show by Full Service, Scotty Don’t, and Badfish last Thursday knew exactly what they were in for when they walked into The Varsity: one of the most solid, energetic rock/reggae shows ever. Walking through the entrance, many couldn’t help but notice the Badfish t-shirt with “I Don’t Get Angry When My Mom Smokes Pot” emblazoned across the front of it. That t-shirt, in a way, kicked off the whole idea of what the show was all about mainly because its a line out of the lyrics from “What I Got,” which was Sublime’s biggest single peaking at #1 on the US Modern Rock Charts. It wasn’t long until people started to move into the theater and start their 40 Oz. to Freedom.
               Full Service was the first band to take the stage and they kicked off the whole night. Full Service is a quartet from Austin, Texas, whose members include: Bonesaw, Hoagman, Twinky-P, and Smellman. The band quickly established themselves on the stage, and it became apparent that even though they have weird taste in names, they know how to rock with great bursts of energy and personality. Overall, their set was extremely surprising due to the fact that they were able to play as many different musical genres as was possible, and that they were able to switch between those different genre jams with amazing versatility. Within all the different types of genres they played, the audience seemed to be active with every different change in speed and direction and seemed to react positively to the music.   After Full Service had taken its role in the audience to watch the show, Badfish’s side project, Scotty Don’t, came onto the stage and played an amazing set. Fresh from releasing their first album, titled Songs from the Back Porch in December 2008, Scotty Don’t is comprised of members Pat Downes as singer and guitarist, drummer Scott Begin, bassist Joel Hanks, and keyboardist and secondary guitarist Ben Schomp. Altogether, these four musicians brought together a great musical performance while their songs integrated some different musical genres that included reggae, rock, punk, ska, and even some country-blues themes. The music of Scotty Don’t does seem to be influenced by Sublime and maybe some other different bands; but, their music is unique in the way that it is written and the way that it is performed while integrating the different musical genres used to create a diverse album that is truly original.  Although much of the crowd had not been very familiar with their songs, the audience continued to grow in size and density through out their set until the Varsity Theatre was pretty packed; but there was still enough room for people to start dancing to the music. In response to the growth and response of the audience, Scotty Don’t just became more energetic in their performance, especially keyboardist Ben Schomp who was doing some soulful keyboard jamming and guitar playing.  From the Badfish table, Scotty Don’t was selling their new album at the sweet price of “pay what you want to pay for the album.” If you happen to check out Scotty Don’t’s songs on their website (scottydont.com) or on iTunes, make sure you listen to the songs: “Back Porch”, “Everything’s Alright”, “Refuge”, and “And With It Rain.”  After Scotty Don’t left the stage and took a short break, the same four band members of Scotty Don’t came back out onto the stage as Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime. For a brief moment there was some confusion among some of the audience members that did not understand why Scotty Don’t was going back onto the stage; however, when Ben Schomp hit the first note on his synthesizer that started the song, “Garden Grove,” the entire audience immediately went crazy and started to shout out the lyrics to the song in complete unison. Above the audience’s chorus, Pat Downes, the lead vocalist, was always seen belting out Sublime’s poetry while continuing to play lead guitar and keep the audience members energetic.  Pat Downes and bassist Joel Hanks would also start jamming during the solo sections of a song, and it would turn into in to a band wide session eventually including Scott Begin on drums and Ben Schomp back onto the keyboards or on guitar. During these jam sessions, the audience was just waiting for a Sublime song to explode out; and, Badfish had the jam sessions practiced and timed right so they were able to just slide from the jamming session, back into a Sublime song they were playing, or even to a new Sublime song. When they did that, everybody went crazy and just started to dance some more to the new song. Badfish took a big jamming section too with the song “Date Rape,” where Pat Downes was taking a guitar solo; when all of a sudden, he started to play AC/DC’s “TNT.” The audience just yelled and clapped at first, but then everyone actually started to sing the “Oy! Oy!” part to the song. Pat Downes kept it going for a little bit until he just came back to the microphone and said “Wait that’s not date rape,” and then they all started playing again and finished the song. That song was just really cool to witness because it gave the audience insight into what the personality of the band is really like. Near the end of the show, Badfish just started to come out with the big-hit Sublime songs. The classics started with “Santeria,” which became an amazing experience because everybody was signing along. Badfish then did “54-46 That’s My Number,” and if you have ever heard that song before, there are certain sound effects to the song that people were yelling out over the crowds. Badfish mixed the ending of “54-46 That’s My Number” into the song “Ball and Chain” which everyone sang out loud too.  The last two songs that Badfish played were “Smoke Two Joints” and “What I Got.” Those last two songs sent everyone into a dancing frenzy and there was not a single audience member who wasn’t singing along. For “What I Got,” Pat Downes introduced the song saying, “Everyone had better know the lyrics to this song. If you don’t, then you should just lock yourself back in a closet and examine why you’re such a dork.”  Badfish played “What I Got” extremely well, and they had Pat Downes even take some different guitar solos throughout the song. Badfish made sure that they ended it with an assortment of crazy music too, which made the song overall perfect to be the closer.  Overall, the night was not worth missing. It was full of great bands and the amazing personalities that came with them. The music was loud but sweet, and it just left everyone wanting to hear more. When the audience members finally had to leave, the only thing they could think about was when they were coming back.
In recent years, plenty has been made about the lack of big-name talent that comes through Baton Rouge when it comes to music. Sure, we don’t see Bruce Springsteen or U2, but that doesn’t mean that great acts ignore the Red Stick altogether. In fact, during the month of January, it looks like local venues have gone out of their way to bring in some fantastic shows. Here’s my top 5 - and be sure to check out The Hookup (TW’s Entertainment Section) for more in-depth looks at each of them:
 5.) Lil Ray Neal @ Phil Brady’s (Jan. 24) - An award winning guitarist from Baton Rouge’s first family of Blues. If you haven’t seen Neal’s fretboard ferocity, I would suggest taking advantage of this opportunity to see one of the city’s most talented bluesmen.
4.) Black Light Burns @ Spanish Moon (Jan. 17) - While Fred Durst has been honoring Limp Bizkit’s memory doing guest spots as a bartender on House, M.D., Wes Borland has been busy fronting the industrial rock trio, Black Light Burns. The band just released their second album, Cover Your Heart, and is currently on tour with Combichrist.
3.) Blue Mountain @ Chelsea’s Cafe (Jan. 24) - This Mississippi-based Americana outfit is one of the South’s best, with obvious influences as diverse as Tammy Wynette, Robert Johnson and Keith Moon. If you can appreciate American roots music (and if you can’t I feel sorry for you), then you definitely need to check out Blue Mountain.
2.) Richie Havens @ The Manship Theatre (Jan. 18) - A true, honest-to-God legend rolls into Baton Rouge and you don’t want to miss him. You may know Richie Havens from his gut-wrenching performance of “Freedom” when he played the original Woodstock in 1969. Since then, he’s authored dozens of albums and produced plenty of works of original art. This is a serious artist with serious songs that can range from the socially conscious to the spritually enlightening. Richie Havens is the real deal.
1.) North Mississippi Allstars @ The Varsity (Jan. 15) - This band out of Hernando, Mississippi is an incredible trio of musicians. For over ten years, the band has been delighting audiences with their incredible fusion of blues, rock and country, including a central role in the film, “We Have Arrived Bonnaroo 2004″. The band’s frontman, Luther Dickinson, is also the newest member of The Black Crowes. This is the show that everyone will be talking about this month, so don’t miss it!
Be sure to check out Tiger Weekly’s first issue of 2009 for interviews with North Missippi Allstars’ Luther Dickinson, music legend Richie Havens and Black Light Burns! The issue hits stands on January 14!
Okay, so reunions by bands from the Sixties and Seventies can be complete disasters. Music lovers have a certain memory of a beloved band that can either be absolutely destroyed or mildly refreshed. However, when one of best bands I’ve ever had the joy of listening to (but never had the pleasure to see) announces plans to tour, hope is vice I voluntarily accomodate.
In a recent rollingstone.com article, Ron Wood confirmed that incredibly underappreciated Seventies band, Faces, will be reuniting for a tour in 2009. Click here to see the article.
 In case you aren’t aware of Faces, allow me to introduce you:
While the likelihood that Rod Stewart is able to posses the same raw, unpolished edge that he showed in the early Seventies is less than remote, I must confess that I am beyond excited. Fingers crossed…
When you think of Clicks, you probably think of one of two things: Pool or heavy metal. However, on Friday, November 21, the best thing in the Corporate Boulevard locale was neither.
Los Angeles band StereoReform played to an intimate crowd and absolutely gave them their money’s worth. As Tiger Weekly told you in advance of the show, this is a funk band that uses the pop-rock model to keep its grooves tight and its live performances loose.
The trio took to the stage at around 11pm and, except for a short break (during which they thanked the couple who bought them shots of Jager), kept things going until the early morning hours of Saturday. While the highlight of the show was definitely cuts from their debut release, Robots of Evolution, the covers that filled out their set helped to give some influential context to where the guys of StereoReform were coming from. Including everything from a revamped and amped-up version of The Box Tops’ “The Letter” to a straight ahead, thumping version of David Bowie’s “Fame”, their covers were not simply rehashes of songs you know, but actual interpretations.
A noteworthy cut from the band’s soiree at Clicks was “Exotical Pants”, during which all three of the guys seemed to be in perfect synch. Ladies grooved at the base of the stage while the plaid newsboy hat clad bassist, Neil Turner, led the funked-up number like a pied pieper with a Winston Churchill-like pucker. I couldn’t help but think that either he or his bass should have worn a prophylactic, given the motions his pelvis made during the song.
During the band’s take on The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm” (which was notable for at least the prevalence of the bass on a track that originally featured no bassist), Will Evans treated the crowd to an eerie solo on his Telecaster, which was but a shade lighter than his pulled back blonde hair. While his fingers scaled the fretboard, his tongue dangled like his Airness himelf’s.
With a headband encasing his cranium and a drumkit masking his height, Cre Moore provided all the backdrop needed and then some, during the band’s “Cadillac Confession”. Moore’s playing was impactful the entire night, though he admitted that, “Jager makes me play better.”
All in all, this was a great night of music at Clicks, one that far too many people missed. If they happen to come back through town on the second leg of this cross-country tour, make sure you don’t miss them again!
For the first year since Hurricane Katrina, the Voodoo Experience was held on the same location in New OrleansCityPark as the prior year, which allowed for a heightened level of organization. The three day festival went off without a hitch - well, almost. Here are some of the highlights if you weren’t able to attend.
Friday, October 24
The lay-of-the-land for the Voodoo Experience was the same as last year, but with a few major differences. As usual the six-stage layout was split into three sections; Le Ritual, Le Flambeau and Le Carnival, but each area had a few minor changes that made a major impact.
Upon entering the festival to an immediate right was the Le Carnival area, which consisted of the NooMoon stage and the Bingo! Parlor. While the NooMoon stage was pretty much exactly the same as last year, the Bingo Parlor received an amazing upgrade.
The tent was circus-style, which allowed for a more comfortable viewing experience than last year. Fans were able to watch performances from outside of the tent as easily as they could from inside. Plus, the video monitors showing the live feed of the performances were much larger.Â
Passing Le Carnival area to the left was Le Flambeau, which included the WWOZ / Southern Comfort Stage and the Preservation Jazz Hall Tent. While the WWOZ stage was in the same location, the Preservation Jazz Hall Tent was moved this year to a more prominent spot near the stadium. The larger tent and more visible location altered the entire flow of the festival by keeping everything more centralized towards the back area of the park and less spread out.
Le Ritual, which is where the mainstream acts performed and includes the Playstation / Billboard stage and the Voodoo Stage, was exactly the same, except the two stages were flip-flopped from last year. The reason for this was because the artist area and press tent had been moved to the stadium, which was much more comfortable for anyone working the event.
Speaking of working the event, there was more national media in attendance this year than ever. The Village Voice, Fuse, Rolling Stone, Paste, and Spin were just some of the major players covering the festival. That’s not to exclude all of the industry magazines, European publications, and local press from all over the nation who sent people out as well.
The increased media attention speaks well for the Voodoo Experience. It’s apparent the independently owned festival is on its way up in the eyes of the nation, and all of that attention is sure to help with the continued New Orleans revitalization efforts that will be ongoing for many years to come.
Now as for the performances, they were all spectacular, except for one major let down. If you asked the average festival goer who they were there to see that day, 9 out of 10 would have said Stone Temple Pilots. Unfortunately, they failed to deliver anything spectacular.
Vocally, Scott Weiland did not pack a punch. Rather, he fizzled a little. Then, there was a bit of an issue with their backing track toward the middle-end of the show, it started skipping. They played it off well, but it was just another indication that this performance was not one of their best.
The good news, however, is this seemed to be an off night and not an indication of performance quality for the entire tour. Fans who have seen STP since the reunion and prior to Voodoo said the performance they saw was ten times better.
Saturday, October 25
This was the day that did not fail to deliver. Every show was amazing, but there was one small little problem.
Lil Wayne was set to perform at 4:20 p.m. on the Voodoo Stage, but showed up late and began around thirty minutes late. Rather than shortening the set, the festival was forced to cut the sound and turn his mic off mid song when he set the entire schedule back, and Thievery Corporation, Mars Volta, Ghostland Observatory and Nine Inch Nails went on late because of it.
The delay did not seem to affect any of the acts. They were all amazing and quit possibly the highlight of the weekend.
Mars Volta vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala was more personable and engaging with the crowd than anyone expected. At one point he jumped off the stage and into the photographers pit. He stuck his face right into cameras, unbuttoned the shirt of one photographer, and then jumped up on the barricade and sang while fans pawed at his thin torso.
Following Mars Volta on the Playstation / Billboard stage was the Austin electronic rock duo, Ghostland Observatory. Possibly one of the most visually stunning shows ever, Ghostland Observatory brought with them an intense lasers light show. It was the perfect performance to build up the crowd for the headliner, Nine Inch Nails.
Performing in New Orleans for the first time since they were booked for Voodoo Fest in 2005, Nine Inch Nails was the highlight of the entire weekend. Not only did Trent Reznor sound amazing, but the set list was perfectly built and featured songs from the entire NIN catalogue.
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Sunday, October 26
Disappointment set in quickly when fans learned that N.E.R.D. had canceled at the last minute and would not be performing that day. Because of the cancelation, Lupe Fiasco was moved to a later time in the day, and fans quickly forgot their grievances.
At one point during the set Lupe Fiasco paused to speak of his support for Obama. This was not an isolated incident. The entire weekend performers such as Erykah Badu, Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails and many more rallied for the presidential candidate.
When it comes to support, however, the local boys and gal in Cowboy Mouth showed the crowd their support for our state and what the spirit of Louisiana is all about. Performing right before REM, lead vocalist and drummer Fred LeBlanc whipped fans into a frenzy and promoted friendship when he asked the audience to “turn to the person next to you, whether you know them or not, and give them a hung and shake their hand.” It was a love fest, and everyone ate it up.
The crowd for REM slowly built as it took time for fans to make their way from the opposite end of the at the Bingo! Parlour. Performing at 6:30 was the Butthole Surfers, who recently reunited for their current tour.Â
Once the Butthole Surfers ended, everyone headed to catch the rest of the REM show. But the party did not end when they left the stage at 9 p.m. Rather, performances continued till 11 p.m. and the party kept going backstage in the artist tent.
CityPark may now be clear of music fans and rockstars, but the spirit of the successful weekend will live on until it’s time to do it all again next year.
Consider yourself forewarned: The upcoming October 22 issue of Tiger Weekly will be heavily focused on one of the biggest music festivals of the year: Voodoo! We have gone to great lengths to ensure that we are providing as much insight into the festival as possible. This will give Baton Rouge residents one of the most diverse coverings of the festival that local media will provide. We’ve contacted both bands that you already know and love and some that you should. If you are even thinking about making the trek down to Voodoo, you must check out Tiger Weekly on October 22 for some in-depth interviews with some of the festival’s best acts.
A sneak preview of just some of the bands you’ll be hearing from in the next issue of Tiger Weekly: Ghostland Observatory, Bones, The New Orleans Bingo! Show, Man Man, and Panic! at the Disco.
Another exciting tidbit regarding next week’s TW: One of the three bands headlining the festival is also headlining our coverage of the event. You’ll have to pick up Tiger Weekly on Wednesday to find out who!
JOSHUA NEE: This is actually the second incarnation of the band. The first existed two years ago. It was a trio with Jesse playing guitar, me playing bass, and Jiles Gebhauer playing drums. We did a couple house shows, but Jesse ended up moving to Arcata, California, so that pretty much ended that. He came back about a year later – coincidentally exactly around the time Rory’s previous band, The Planning Fallacy, broke up. Rory and I were friends, and he told me he had several songs written and wanted to toy around with them. In December of 2007, Jesse, Rory, and I got together for the first time and hashed out a handful of songs. We all loved them and were really excited by what we had. Mitch joined a month later, and in February of ‘08, we played our first shows.
TW: What is “Man Plus Building” exactly? How did that name come about?
JOSHUA NEE: Around the time we were writing and arranging all these songs, Jesse was really getting into some stuff by a director named Matthew Barney, specifically a series of films called the Cremaster Cycle. Man Plus Building is a somewhat dubious reference to that series of films, though I don’t think Jesse has ever really explained the full meaning behind it. The mystery remains…
TW: Your music certainly incorporates a variety of elements from all kinds of musical backgrounds. What genre of music do you consider Man Plus Building?
JOSHUA NEE: I think for all intents and purposes, we’re post-rock, even though that’s such a tired term. Jesse came up with “compositional-rock” a while back, and I think that works pretty well.
TW: Your songs do not include lyrics. Was that a decision that was made as a band? Has that become kind of a signature for the band’s musical style or would you consider adding lyrics?
JOSHUA NEE: Honestly, we aren’t even remotely adequate singers, so why try to force it? We feel we play our instruments much better than we sing, so we stick with that. We feel we’re doing our listeners a favor…
JESSE KEES: The day our songs are better with lyrics, so be it.
TW: What was it like making your first album, …Because My Name is Lion? How long did it take? Who wrote the songs? Where/how was it recorded?
JOSHUA NEE: The first record was made pretty quickly. Rory and Jesse already had most of the songs written, so we got the songs down quickly. The actual recording process was quick as well. We recorded with our close friend Fred Weaver at his studio, Apocalypse the Apocalypse. We holed up there for 3 days and knocked out the 9 songs that ended up on the record. I think the longest part of the whole thing was working with graphic designer Hunter Territo on the album art. His mind works in such a wonderful way that he kept coming up with amazing ideas and it took a minute to put it all together. We got exactly what we wanted out of it, though.
TW: What should listeners expect with this second album? Will it complement the first or be more of a departure in a new direction? Any lyrics?
JOSHUA NEE: I think it’s a more focused record. We’ve sort of honed the way we play and write music over the last 8 months and I think that will show in the new songs. So far, still no singing…
TW: What should we expect with these upcoming splits with Thou and Wilderness Pangs?
MITCH WELLS: Well we’d like to write stuff to make each split feel like a full record but that will be hard with these bands who don’t really share any musical similarities with us. I think we’ll just write what we write and if something seems like it would fit we’ll just use that.
TW: So many of your members are in other bands. Would you call Man Plus Building a side project for you guys?
MITCH WELLS: MPB doesn’t really feel like a side project because we each devote so much time to it. Everyone but Rory is in another band and although that does throw some complications into practice or other shows sometimes we still find a way to work around it.
JESSE KEES: Being in this band is like dating three other people. If they can date other people, so can I. If you call that a side project, then it makes it sound like I’m cheating on my girlfriend. I don’t believe in girlfriends anyway. Especially metaphorically.
TW: How has being in other bands influenced the music that you guys are making together now as Man Plus Building?
MITCH WELLS: I don’t think being in other bands really changes anything we do in MPB. The other bands that we are in are so incredibly different from this band it would be hard to take influence from them. The two things that we do all have in common as far as inspiration are Brandon Dixon and Bryan Funck. Their names come up in every practice and it really helps us focus. Thinking about incredible musicians like themselves being in Baton Rouge and New Orleans is just amazing.
JOSHUA NEE: I’d like to add Jacques Boudreaux and John Kolich to that list as well.
TW: How do you manage to devote time to Man Plus Building stuff (practice, recording gigs, etc.) when there are other bands to be played in?
JOSHUA NEE: I suppose it just comes down to the fact that we enjoy playing with each other, so scheduling rehearsals and that kind of thing isn’t a chore, it’s more like a hangout where we actually get stuff done. Scheduling around our jobs is another story…
TW: What shows have you played in the past? Were they mostly in Baton Rouge? What has been (or is scheduled to be) your biggest show thus far?
JOSHUA NEE: Recently, we’ve been playing in New Orleans and Lafayette more frequently, which has been going well. Our home is at the Spanish Moon. Aaron Scruggs and the rest of the Moon faculty have been like family to us, so we play there. We’re also very fond of the house show circuit in town, which has been so crucial for us. I’d have to say our biggest show so far was our CD release show at the Spanish Moon in April. It was the first time we headlined there and the turnout was amazing. We really couldn’t believe it. It’s been pretty good ever since.
TW: How has Baton Rouge received your music? What’s the response been like?
MITCH WELLS: So far Baton Rouge has been really great to us. Most of our friends make it to most of our shows and we love that more than anything else. It is always nice, however, to see some new faces in the crowd and lately it seems that the unfamiliar faces keep growing. Well not actually growing but multiplying. Like that episode of Smallville in Season 2, with JTT. He could double himself and he was dating Lana and Chloe and Clark got really jealous. Oh Clark…
TW: How did you get to open for acts like British Sea Power and Girl Talk?
JOSHUA NEE: That came down to our relationship with the Spanish Moon and Aaron. British Sea Power’s support dropped off the bill pretty short notice, so we got the call. As for Girl Talk, it is my understanding that Girl Talk requested a good instrumental band to open for him and we got the call. Aaron has helped us out immensely in that respect.
TW: What are some upcoming shows or events for Man Plus Building?
JOSHUA NEE: Our next show at home is at the Spanish Moon this coming Friday, October 3. We’ve got our friends from New Orleans, Smiley With A Knife, joining us. Beyond that, we’ve got some house show dates with great bands like Ghastly City Sleep and Smiley With A Knife’s CD release show in New Orleans at the Howlin’ Wolf in November. We’re also working on a MPB/Brass Bed show at the Moon in November.
TW: What makes your band different from the many other bands that emerge onto the Baton Rouge music scene nowadays?
JOSHUA NEE: I don’t think we’re reinventing the wheel or anything, but I think we’re good at what we do musically and we’ve got a good work ethic. There are so many amazingly talented bands out there that think shows are just going to fall in their lap, and it doesn’t work that way. We knew when we started that it’s more than just sending Myspace messages to bands asking to open for them. It’s pretty clear that that hard work is starting to pay off.
JESSE KEES: Rory, he’s weird.
TW: Finally, what would you tell our readers to get them to come out to the show at the Spanish Moon in October?
JOSHUA NEE: Party Pix will be there! Nah, just kidding. We’ve got some new songs we’re rolling out, we’ve still got copies of our record left, we got new stickers (they’re fancy), and the magic that is Ben Hill’s amazing animated visuals will be making us look real good, y’all.
JESSE KEES: The Spanish Moon got vegan drinks, yo.
Who doesn’t want to watch back-to-back marathons of Flavor of Love, Brooke Knows Best and The Surreal Life reruns? Hopefully, you. The channel that came into existence under the title “Video Hits First” has all but abandoned both “video hits” and music altogether. That said, the recent broadcast of VH1 Rock Honors The Who was finally something that VH1 did right.
While The Flaming Lips and Incubus did a good job paying homage to the iconic Brit band, Rainn Wilson and Tenacious D brought some comedic relief and The Foo Fighters did their best (easily the worst performance of the evening), it was Pearl Jam who stole the show. If you missed it, here’s your chance to catch one of the best covers you’ll hear this year.
Whether you [misguidedly] despise Pearl Jam’s political preachiness or [misguidedly] see them as just another 90s band, you have to admit that the band did an incredible job with this assignment. Vedder’s gut-wrenching screams ought to make you reminisce about times when frontmen had cojones and what The Who was all about. Kudos.
