Like Fantasy Football for Scene Geeks
I love the guys in our band, but that doesn't mean I don't occasionally see another musician play and get a sudden, almost instinctive idea that we'd click together.
It's not necessarily about technical prowess or even out-and-out talent. There's just something about some players' styles that inspires more than just respect; it triggers a desire to get in on some of that. Maybe it's so close to your own that you just know you'd mesh. Maybe it's so different you just want to find out what the collision would sound like.
I've been fortunate enough to play with some extremely gifted peers over the years. What follows is a brief list of other local folks that give me "that feeling" every time I catch their sets. I'm not saying they're the best of the best (I might be thinking it very loudly, but I'm not saying it), only that I've always wondered if we could make beautiful music together.
Shawn Watkins. The drummer for ideal cheap-beer soundtrack The Tim Version has a crazy and absolutely infectious energy, and a great sense of humor to boot. Plus, the guy holds his snare stick underhand/jazz style, and still manages to beat the shit out of everything. I bet I'd screw up my parts constantly, just watching him play.
Jason Schultz. He sings and plays guitar for Military Junior. J's guitar style is pretty much the opposite of mine - he uses a lot of effects and intricate, layered melody lines - and whenever I catch his band's set I wonder if something we worked on together would be interesting, or just a totally incoherent freakin' mess.
Rebekah Pulley. Well, derf. Who doesn't want to play with Rebekah? Insanely evocative voice, great melodic guitar skills. She's been on my collaborative wish list for most of the '00s.
Steve Connelly. An ace engineer and proprietor of Pinellas County's Zen Studios as well as a masterful multi-instrumentalist, the former Headlights member has worked and/or played on virtually every great Americana, roots, and pop-rock CD the Bay area has produced over the last decade. I covet his pedal steel skills.
Danny Burke and J.P. Beaubien. The rhythm section behind both posthardcore scene fave The Chase Theory and currently white-hot insurgent Americana outfit Have Gun, Will Travel. They're dynamic, inventive and super-tight. It would be great to jam with them on some off-kilter time signatures and hypnotic math-y grooves, a la Turing Machine or Battles.
Ed Wotil. Ed's a gifted singer-songwriter. Right now he and Barely Pink principal Brian Merrill have a great classic-pop thing going on in the form of The Ditchflowers. Playing with either of those guys, I'd be content just to strum some obscure chords and write and sing a few harmonies.
Inkwell. I've always been a big fan of both My Hotel Year and Believe in Toledo, and when MHY's Travis Adams and BiT's Davey Pierce got together as Inkwell, the material exceeded my sky-high expectations. It's a very cool mix of indie-pop, alt-rock, DIY values, sarcasm and honest emotion, and I would love to hang out in their home studio and help crank some of it out.
Tina Louise. This Knowing Stu singer has got pipes to match her formidable physical presence. There's something in her delivery that reminds me of '80s rock vocalists like Joan Jett, Pat Benatar and Rindy Ross of Quarterflash. It would be fun to write some catchy, retro hard-rock tunes in that vein specifically with her in mind.
Jeremy Gloff. Gloffy's currently known for mining a dance-y '80s/club style, but everybody who's familiar with his catalog knows he's capable of just about anything, and always puts his own, alternately earnest and tongue-in-cheek stamp on it. I'd be down for anything, as long as I could get him behind the keyboard.
Jimmy Reese. Jimmy is the guitarist/vocalist who fronted two of Tampa's best posthardcore bands, Everglade and Tomorrow. He's got a reputation as an extremely discerning/opinionated listener; working with him might be both a challenge and a valuable learning experience.
Melissa Castellano. A talented cellist whose work with the lauded Candy Bars showcases only one of her many stylistic facets. The cello's evocative sound makes it possibly my all-time favorite instrument, and I always wonder why more quote-unquote rock bands don't incorporate it, until I remember there aren't a hell of a lot of good cellists around.
(We'd love to hear some of your ideas for interesting combinations of local musicians. Maybe we could even put together a few of 'em for a show sometime.)
It's not necessarily about technical prowess or even out-and-out talent. There's just something about some players' styles that inspires more than just respect; it triggers a desire to get in on some of that. Maybe it's so close to your own that you just know you'd mesh. Maybe it's so different you just want to find out what the collision would sound like.
I've been fortunate enough to play with some extremely gifted peers over the years. What follows is a brief list of other local folks that give me "that feeling" every time I catch their sets. I'm not saying they're the best of the best (I might be thinking it very loudly, but I'm not saying it), only that I've always wondered if we could make beautiful music together.
Shawn Watkins. The drummer for ideal cheap-beer soundtrack The Tim Version has a crazy and absolutely infectious energy, and a great sense of humor to boot. Plus, the guy holds his snare stick underhand/jazz style, and still manages to beat the shit out of everything. I bet I'd screw up my parts constantly, just watching him play.
Jason Schultz. He sings and plays guitar for Military Junior. J's guitar style is pretty much the opposite of mine - he uses a lot of effects and intricate, layered melody lines - and whenever I catch his band's set I wonder if something we worked on together would be interesting, or just a totally incoherent freakin' mess.
Rebekah Pulley. Well, derf. Who doesn't want to play with Rebekah? Insanely evocative voice, great melodic guitar skills. She's been on my collaborative wish list for most of the '00s.
Steve Connelly. An ace engineer and proprietor of Pinellas County's Zen Studios as well as a masterful multi-instrumentalist, the former Headlights member has worked and/or played on virtually every great Americana, roots, and pop-rock CD the Bay area has produced over the last decade. I covet his pedal steel skills.
Danny Burke and J.P. Beaubien. The rhythm section behind both posthardcore scene fave The Chase Theory and currently white-hot insurgent Americana outfit Have Gun, Will Travel. They're dynamic, inventive and super-tight. It would be great to jam with them on some off-kilter time signatures and hypnotic math-y grooves, a la Turing Machine or Battles.
Ed Wotil. Ed's a gifted singer-songwriter. Right now he and Barely Pink principal Brian Merrill have a great classic-pop thing going on in the form of The Ditchflowers. Playing with either of those guys, I'd be content just to strum some obscure chords and write and sing a few harmonies.
Inkwell. I've always been a big fan of both My Hotel Year and Believe in Toledo, and when MHY's Travis Adams and BiT's Davey Pierce got together as Inkwell, the material exceeded my sky-high expectations. It's a very cool mix of indie-pop, alt-rock, DIY values, sarcasm and honest emotion, and I would love to hang out in their home studio and help crank some of it out.
Tina Louise. This Knowing Stu singer has got pipes to match her formidable physical presence. There's something in her delivery that reminds me of '80s rock vocalists like Joan Jett, Pat Benatar and Rindy Ross of Quarterflash. It would be fun to write some catchy, retro hard-rock tunes in that vein specifically with her in mind.
Jeremy Gloff. Gloffy's currently known for mining a dance-y '80s/club style, but everybody who's familiar with his catalog knows he's capable of just about anything, and always puts his own, alternately earnest and tongue-in-cheek stamp on it. I'd be down for anything, as long as I could get him behind the keyboard.
Jimmy Reese. Jimmy is the guitarist/vocalist who fronted two of Tampa's best posthardcore bands, Everglade and Tomorrow. He's got a reputation as an extremely discerning/opinionated listener; working with him might be both a challenge and a valuable learning experience.
Melissa Castellano. A talented cellist whose work with the lauded Candy Bars showcases only one of her many stylistic facets. The cello's evocative sound makes it possibly my all-time favorite instrument, and I always wonder why more quote-unquote rock bands don't incorporate it, until I remember there aren't a hell of a lot of good cellists around.
(We'd love to hear some of your ideas for interesting combinations of local musicians. Maybe we could even put together a few of 'em for a show sometime.)
