A Band on a Mission

By Jenna Croyle

Usually when we think of M-80s we think of the 4^th of July, picnics and, of course, that loud firecracker with a big bang. This week’s featured band would not only be a great fit at any 4^th of July party, but also comes with an even bigger bang.

The 80’s have often been called the decade of excess, where people embraced excessive glitz and glamour. While there may be some truth in that statement, most children of the 80's will be quick to tell you that it was actually a very good thing. Very few periods in history were as patriotic, optimistic and celebratory as the 1980's, as proven by the indelible mark the decade left on our music and culture as well as the history of the world.

Powered by passion, and reviving that 80’s spirit, the M-80s are on a mission to bring the rock & roll of the 1980s back to life with new vigor, while entertaining their fans with big hearts and the talent to match.

Instantly taking you back to that electrifying time of punk, and rock in a new wave fashion, the M-80s play your entire favorite hit list from the 80’s recreating the feel of the period through sounds, lighting and even the outfits.

As one of Erie’s greatest cover bands, a truly excellent assortment of musicians makes up what has come to be known as Erie’s party band with Tito Bongiorno on Vocals, Denny Crotty on Guitar and Vocals, Dave Bennett on Bass and Vocals, Bill Detisch on Keyboard and Vocals, Rob Neville on Guitar and Doug Welser on Drums.

Playing tunes like “Everybody Wants You” by Billy Squire, “Heat of the Moment” by Asia, “Whip It” by Devo and “Addicted To Love” by Robert Palmer, this band forces you to get you’re dancing shoes on and rock till you drop, till the floor can’t take anymore.

Over the course of the past year or so, the M-80s have expanded not only their fan base, but their range of music as well. Not wanting to limit the set list to only the hard pounding sounds of the 80’s the band has begun to feature songs like "Fox on the Run" and "Ballroom Blitz," both originally recorded in the 1970’s but still having that goodtime, pulse pounding musical bang the band has become all too well known for.

With explosive guitar work that shows us all the true versatility of the instrument and a creatively uncontrollable keyboard wizard along with the fist pumping, pulse pounding chops of one of Erie’s best drummers, the M-80’s certainly ups the ante for cover bands.

The powerful vocals and great beats provide a unique sound that shows the extremes of a huge musical range that this band has mastered. The M-80s have taken 80's Rock to a different level of popularity and with their stage technique, instrumental perfection and overall crowd pleasing rhythms and riffs, every show is a blast from the past and a rebirth of the 80’s musical energy. 

For more information on the M-80’s, and show dates, please visit their website or check out their Facebook page.

Sherlock’s Set to Rock-n-Roll In More Ways Than One

June 25^th Show Full of Excitement

By Drew Chiodo

If you are tired of just another mundane night of repetition in downtown Erie this weekend, attending that same bar, with that same old jukebox playing that classic song that has been on repeat since Vanilla Ice came to town.

If the same old, same old is not what you are looking for, then stop down to Sherlock’s this Saturday night for an evening fueled by good beer at low prices, roller-derby girls, awesome live bands and free give-a-ways.

Starting at 9pm, Sherlock’s is having a party that should not be missed by anyone over the age of 21. This weekend Sherlock’s presents the show of shows to kick off the summer with.

For starters, Erie Beer is sponsoring the night’s show, so the night’s feature beer will be Bud Light. Specials on Bud Light will come in all shapes and sizes and will run until midnight.

In addition, the Eerie Roller Girls will be there to kick the night off the right way. But the appearance of these rough and tumble group of roller derby girls isn’t the end to the plethora of good times Saturday night at Sherlock’s will have to offer.

The night will also feature prizes, including a giveaway of three free tanning packages and of course, there are the bands for the night as the cherry on top. The night will bring four of Erie’s hardest heavy-hitters to the stage.

One of the first to perform for the night will be Erie’s own thrash-metal band Scarwork. This four-piece kick in the pants might be more metal than the average man can handle. This old school type thrash-metal band brings not only tasty riffs and chaos to the stage, but also is rockin’ the non-traditional female drummer and rockin’ it well.

Another featured band for the night will be One Less Enemy. Also reigning from right here in Erie, this band is bringing a whole new look to the face of metal in the local area. With a signature gritty style of metal, this band can be defined by its aggressive vocals. Fronted by Joseph Baldini, this furious style of metal is an original to the Erie scene and is something that should not be missed.

The night will also feature Shag Nazty. Bringing back that beloved and classic 80s rock sound, this band sets out to thrill and will not disappoint. With an authentic style of 80s rock blended with an original twist, Shag Nazty will be a complimentary part of the nights line up.

Last, but certainly not least, is the night’s headliner, Night Haven. These veteran rock connoisseurs have been playing together for the better part of a decade now in bands and haven’t even begun to slow down.

“Night Haven happens to be mostly the original Deny the Sun, except for our drummer Steve. Me, Mark and Sam have been playing together for ten years now,” said Joe Brutto, the bands front man.

With a hard-hitting set of vocals and music set to thrill, this bands blend of metal and rock may very well be just the combination to rattle the rafters and bring the Sherlock’s house down all together.

The band says they have a couple of surprises rolled up their sleeve for the night of festivities at Sherlock’s this Saturday, things that one may not expect, but will certainly not be opposed to on any level.

“We have decided to start working on a few cover songs,” said Brutto. “We are learning Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath and Bodies by Drowning Pool for this show and we are planning on learning at least two new cover songs for every show.”

With all the action set to begin at 9 P.M. Saturday night, Sherlock’s located at 508 State Street is definitely a must attend for anyone with a love for metal and rock or just anyone with ears who likes to have a good time.

Gimp Guy Underground

Bringing Together the Local Underground

By: Drew Chiodo

If one is at all acquainted with the local underground music scene, it shouldn’t be a surprise for most and nothing new to hear that undeniably the Erie scene has taken a major blow beneath the belt within the past couple of years for many reasons.

Erie lost two of its staple venues within mere months of each other. With Forward Hall and The Hangout gone, some would even go as far to say the scene has crashed or is even heading towards a stagnant future.

Well, Alex Harrilla of Gimp Guy Underground would say otherwise, but he has not stopped there. He has proved it day after day.

Alex Harrilla is the front man and driving force behind Gimp Guy Underground. GGU is a small, but effective underground booking agency within our city of Erie. Gimp Guy books bands that others might turn a blind eye towards.

According to the Gimp Guy Underground Facebook, the agency’s mission is to offer fairly priced shows that feature truly underground bands in a drama free unified setting providing a much needed service to Erie and to many new and veteran underground bands alike that dwell within its boundaries. Gimp Guy also promotes and advocates the practice of a hate-free environment.

Every Gimp Guy show, by policy, is anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic and anti-elitist. At a Gimp Guy show, everyone is equal while Gimp Guy aspires to build and maintain a community vibe. Unity and respect are required at every show.

Aspects such as professionalism and unity are not easy things to come by in today’s world, especially in regards to a local underground music scene, but Gimp Guy brings all these positives to the table, for not only fans and spectators who attend a Gimp Guy show, but bands also.

Many bands, local and national, keep returning to play GGU shows week after week, month after month, because of the quality shows that Harrilla puts on. Bands such as F.M.L., Perdition and The Sound City Saints are just a few to mention that understand the level of show Gimp Guy brings to the table.

“There is always respect and equality in the GGU Community. Everyone is welcomed and encouraged to come, kick back, and enjoy themselves,” said Kristen Bessetti-Nielsen. “Professionalism isn't the main focus.... Safety and entertainment sometimes override looking professional.”

Kristen, known also as Troll, is a very active part of the “Punk Revival” that is currently taking place in Erie. She is also a crewmember of Gimp Guy Underground. Kristen has been in many bands including Kill People, F.M.L and her current project xTrollxCorex, all of which have dealt directly with Alex and Gimp Guy Underground.

“The environment is different from other shows in many ways. First and foremost, GGU gives new bands and musicians a chance to debut themselves. I'd say almost half of GGU shows showcase new talent,” said Kristen. “Secondly, you can always rely on GGU crowds to be open minded and non-judgmental.”

It is not often that there is someone who is sticking up for the little guys. Trying to make things happen and keeping equality in the mix all at the same time, but as long as Harrilla and Gimp Guy Underground are around, there will be someone trying to do the right thing right here in our own backyard.

Music Group Train Launches `Drops of Jupiter' Wine

The Grammy-winning group Train has been making waves with its wine club, and now, the trio is taking the next step with its own wine.

Starting next week, fans will be able to buy Drops of Jupiter Petite Sirah wine from Train's online wine club and other outlets. The name is a nod to one of Train's earlier hits, and is produced by the group's wine company, Save Me, San Francisco Wine Co., which takes its title from a Train album.

But Train guitarist Jimmy Stafford said the wine venture isn't an attempt to make a profit on the Train name — it's more about creating something special for fans.

"We're not really trying to get into the wine business or anything. It's really kind of helping to spread the name out there, and something for our fans," he said in a phone interview Tuesday.

Train, which won a Grammy Award this year for "Hey, Soul Sister," has had an online wine club for a while. The group promotes a wine of the month, has a blog and even an app.

Stafford said creating a wine was the next logical step.

"Really, it goes in hand with our wine club, and I guess what we set out to do was kind of like Jimmy Buffett. Jimmy Buffet got known for margaritas because of a song he wrote. ... It almost created this community vibe," he said. "We're trying to create just this little vibe, where people come to our shows, bring a picnic basket and bottle of wine."

Stafford said a third of the profits will go to the charity Family House in San Francisco, which provides temporary housing to the families of sick children.

Gospel Music Documentary a Spiritual Awakening

A white American expatriate living in Denmark has become the first filmmaker to direct a documentary feature about black gospel music.

"Rejoice and Shout," which has just begun a limited run in North American theaters, traces the 200-year evolution of gospel from southern slave plantations to the modern-day blending of urban pop elements.

It includes rare, full-length performance footage dating back to the 1920s, uplifting religious scenes, and interviews with the likes of late Dixie Hummingbirds lead singer Ira Tucker, Sr., Mavis Staples and Smokey Robinson.

The film narrows its focus to 15 artists, including the Golden Gate Quartet, the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Swan Silvertones, Thomas Dorsey, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Mahalia Jackson and Andrae Crouch.

"Rejoice and Shout" was directed by Don McGlynn ("The Howlin' Wolf Story"), and produced by Joe Lauro who owns a film archive boasting more than 30,000 individual musical performances.

McGlynn, 55, who lives in Copenhagen with his Danish wife and their children, said in a recent interview that he was introduced to gospel as a youngster when he saw Mahalia Jackson -- "the queen of gospel" -- on television, just like "every little kid in America.

"RIPPED THE PLACE APART"

"Then I started seeking it out more in particular," McGlynn added. "Among the greatest shows I've ever seen and certainly the most intense show I ever saw was James Cleveland with his choir (in the early 1980s). I literally thought the walls were gonna come down, it was so intense!

"I've also seen the Blind Boys of Alabama a few times, same thing. They just completely ripped the place apart."

So it was with a mix of elation and sorrow that he spent two years in an editing room, selecting 70 minutes of footage from "dozens and dozens of hours."

Many gospel stars ended up on the cutting room floor. Some did not even get that far because no footage exists. Thus the film largely ignores R.H. Harris and Sam Cooke, gospel superstars who served as lead singers of the Soul Stirrers, perhaps the greatest gospel harmony group ever.

"Even though that's one of my favorite groups, the Soul Stirrers, I was just so sad there wasn't anything," McGlynn said. "I love Sam Cooke too, individually, his great solo records. But these things happen sometimes."

Cooke's diverse career was covered a few years ago in a Grammy-winning documentary. But viewers wanting to find out more about Harris, who died in obscurity in 2000, will have to dig deeply. He merely rates a Wikipedia stub.

Because of the scope of the project, "Rejoice and Shout" does not delve too deeply into the lives of its subjects. Clara Ward, viewers learn, was suffocated (metaphorically) by a controlling stage mother. Prolific songwriter Thomas Dorsey, whose many gems include "Peace in the Valley," also composed filthy blues tunes.

But "king of gospel" the Rev. James Cleveland's reported double life as a closeted gay man is not discussed, nor indeed is the vibrant gay subculture in gospel.

"James Cleveland is so magnificent and so important, I didn't need to wave a flag about his problems," McGlynn said. "I wonder how he felt being gay in that circumstance?"

Cleveland died in 1991 with an estate worth an estimated $6 million, while others died in poverty. The financial angle also goes unmentioned.

With the exception of Edwin Hawkins' massive 1969 pop hit "Oh Happy Day," gospel's crossover appeal to the white mainstream is largely overlooked. The Dixie Hummingbirds and Claude Jeter of the Swan Silvertones recorded with Paul Simon. Kirk Franklin reached the top 10 of the pop charts in the 1990s. Gospel music was used for the Coen brothers' 2000 movie "Oh, Brother Where Art Thou?"

McGlynn hopes moviegoers will take the critically acclaimed film's title to heart, and treat it like a religious experience.

"There's an experiential thing about seeing it with other people," he said. "I'd like to see people talk back to the screen. We did a lot of work on the sound to make it enveloping and I really hope they do that."

www.magpictures.com/rejoiceandshout/

Brewerie at Union Station

Clarence Clemons, The Big Man In The E Street Band, Has Died

Clarence Clemons, saxophone player for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, has died of complications of a stroke. He was 69.

If the above seems abrupt, that's because Clemons's death was abrupt. Unlike when his bandmate, keyboard and glockenspiel player Danny Federici, succumbed to cancer in 2008, there was no time to prepare, little opportunity to make peace with the fact and say goodbye. Clemons's stroke hit on June 12; there was just enough time for fans of Lady Gaga (whose recent single "Edge Of Glory" featured his sax work) to make a heartfelt "get well soon" video, and then he was gone.

Clemons was, of course, Springsteen's main onstage foil and the first among equals in the E Street Band. No other E Streeter got such an explicit mention in any of Springsteen's songs as he did in "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out," where everybody knows what happens when the change was made uptown. And with Born To Run, he was the only one to ever share focus with Springsteen on the cover of an album. Take a look again at that photo: Springsteen is leaning on him for support, sure, but he's also implicitly asking for his approval. He was the person that the Boss wanted to impress.

It was the same with Lady Gaga. Like her or loathe her, she's the biggest pop star in the world right now, and her video for "Edge Of Glory" (which premiered on Thursday, after Clemons's stroke but before he died) ditched the extravagant concepts, sets and armies of dancers in favor of just her and Clemons on an apartment stoop. He was the only one with whom she'd share the spotlight.

But the more affecting tribute may be the video Lady Gaga released on Wednesday collecting her fans' wishes for Clemons to make a speedy recovery. It was put together with astonishing speed, and watching it earlier this week was like being overwhelmed with an ever-increasing snowball of love. It was little more than one person after another offering their well-wishes from all over the world, and the longer you watched it, the more momentum it generated and the more wonderful it became. Now it may be unwatchable for more than a few seconds. The emotion is still overwhelming, but it now breaks your heart instead of warming it.

Lady Gaga's just the latest artist to introduce Clemons to a new generation. He also played with Jackson Browne (remember "You're A Friend Of Mine"?), Aretha Franklin, Gary U.S. Bonds, punk icon Jim Carroll and hair-metal titans Twisted Sister, among many others. More detailed tributes to his musicianship are sure to pour in over the next few days. I'll simply recommend putting on Born To Run in the meantime. Listen to Clemons bursting into his solo with the joy of unleashed freedom on the title track, hitting the hard-soul groove of "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out," blowing with uncommon grace on "Jungleland." And marvel at the final minute of "Thunder Road," one the most transcendent moments in all of rock and roll.

In the recent "Plan B" episode of 30 Rock, as Liz Lemon wonders if bring a writer makes her obsolete, she encounters "people whose professions are no longer a thing." One of them is someone, clearly modeled at least in part on Clemons, who "played dynamite saxophone solos in rock and roll songs." It's possible that Clemons was the last of his kind. It's certain that he can't be replaced.

In Modern Rap, Echoes Of Marvin Gaye's Deep, Damaged Soul

This week may have seen the 40th anniversary of Tupac Shakur's birth, but another soulful revenant has materialized on pop's horizon. Marvin Gaye, whose What's Going On just had it's own 40th anniversary, celebrated with a beautiful new deluxe edition, has revisited us often since his untimely death in 1984. He's been feted in song by the Commodores and Spandau Ballet, shouted to in rappers' rhymes from Big Daddy Kane, Pimp C, and many others and imitated by virtually any R&B-loving singer who's ever slipped into a falsetto.

Right now, it's hip-hop's emo game changer Drake who has opened himself up to a visitation from Gaye. Last week, the Toronto rapper/singer released "Marvin's Room," a pretty, creepy recreation of a drunk-dialed failed seduction that's a tease for his upcoming second album, Take Care, due in October.

Produced by Drake's main minimalist Noah "40" Shebib and obviously inspired by the syrupy quiet storm sound of Toronto collective The Weekend, "Marvin's Room" is one of those throwaway tracks that keeps surfacing, offering more small revelations. Love Drake or call him out for egotism and overuse of Auto-Tune; his love-damaged yet still sexy persona has changed the game in hip-hop, offering a commercially viable alternative to the swaggering masculinity that's become a trap to so many.

"Marvin's Room," allegedly recorded in and named after the studio where Gaye once worked (and not after playwright Scott McPherson's AIDS drama, though the culturally savvy Drake might have seen that echo as relevant), taps into the magnetic but dangerous spirit of Gaye: not only his seduction skills, but his self-doubt, the vulnerability that made his music so profound and which eventually derailed him. "I need someone to put this weight on," murmurs Drake. Such urges break men and the women who love them.

"Marvin's Room" has already inspired two answer songs. One is by quickly maturing teen sweetie JoJo, and the other is from Toronto diva-in-waiting Rochelle Jordan. These remixes put forward divergent views of how a real woman might respond to the stalker romantics Drake embodies. Jordan's is solid, empowering, and sort of funny, in that Jill Scott don't-give-me-that tradition. JoJo's is disturbingly vulnerable and, to my ears, more affecting — a version of Alanis Morissette's classic vengeance seeker "You Oughta Know" for the age of tragic girls gone wild.

Coincidentally or not, this flurry of music paying homage to Gaye's non-linear slow jams coincides with two other sightings of master's specter. Kanye West protégé Big Sean issued a party track, "Marvin Gaye and Chardonnay" this week, and the Bay Area's trickster emcee Lil B revealed that the cover for his upcoming album I'm Gay will use artwork inspired by Gaye's 1976 album, I Want You.

I'm taking these visitations as a sign that the urban side of pop is starting to go deep again. The presence of Gaye's ghost often grows particularly strong when R&B is making a transition from a frivolous phase into something not so easy to process, that moment when gray light creeps over the night sky and complicated questions greet the morning.

In 2011, those questions have to do with the wages of over-partying and unrelenting pressure to perform. Today's pop stars often present themselves as semi-pornographic superheroes: the men are always hard, the women both "so horny" and strangely cold. Drake, like his mentor Lil Wayne and elder rival West, flirts with cartoonishness but also explored the cracks in hip-hop's macho façade. His critics call him an insufferable sad sack, but I hear in his songs the sound of someone trying to wake up.

The Marvin Gaye who changed soul music in the 1970s is the patron saint of that cloudy dawn. From the beginning of his varied career, his music was emotionally charged, but What's Going On, the album he released forty years ago last month, exploded the confines of Top 40 music and created the space that's been occupied by so many sensual experimentalists since then.

The Prince of Purple Rain and the D'Angelo of Voodoo, Kanye West at his most honest and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon at his least precious — all of these artists have learned at the feet of the Marvin Gaye who emerged in the 1970s and made albums that still sound brand new now. TV on the Radio's underrated new album Nine Types of Light seeks the delicate balance he cultivated.

In the 1980s, New Wave bands like ABC and Spandau Ballet name-checked Gaye and other soul greats as a way to claim (or at least explore) authenticity. Now it's the sound Gaye created with and after What's Going On that inspires. Like many of his peers (Curtis Mayfield, for example, or Stevie Wonder), Gaye worked in a fusion mode, erasing boundaries between genres. Gaye's grooves also seemed to fuse different emotional affects: simultaneously expansive and insistent, they communicated both fervor and cool, intimacy and a certain sense of distance.

In songs like "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)," from What's Going On, Gaye, working with arranger David Van DePitte and Motown house band the Funk Brothers, combined the heat of funk with the measured breath of jazz and just enough pop sugar to help the medicine go down. He wasn't the first to show that that a song didn't have to be aggressive to be powerful, but by shaping a sound that felt organic and intrinsically motivated, Gaye proved that soul music could be based in contemplation, not just testifying.

Gaye also tapped into a deep eroticism that had nothing to do with showboating or lighthearted seduction. This was true on What's Going On, though its main subject wasn't sex, and became even more evident on the frankly seductive masterpiece Let's Get It On. As an artist-lover, Gaye didn't simply reject the role of gentleman/stud that burdened him and most of the great male soul singers; he took it apart, confronted what it gained him and what it cost. He turned the elements of soul singing — moaning, shouting, shadowboxing with rhythm, and of course the hyper-eloquent falsetto — into a form of erogenous self-inquiry.

Drake, who's still pretty callow, doesn't get anywhere near where Gaye was at the beginning of the most powerful phase of his career. But the desire to tap into that energy — to be as soft, as open, as honest as a man can be — puts him on the right track. Gaye, who struggled with depression and addiction, ultimately met a sorry end, but the gift of risk that he gave pop is inestimable. I'm always happy to see him haunting us.

Meet Indie Rock's Most Valuable Sideman

If you've followed the last half-decade in indie music, there's a good chance you've heard Jon Natchez play. A multi-instrumentalist specializing in woodwinds and brass, the 34-year-old Natchez has lent his talents to dozens of bands in the studio and on the road, including Beirut, The Antlers, Okkervil River, Camera Obscura, Bishop Allen and many, many others.

When The Record spoke with Natchez earlier this month, he was on tour with his latest project, the Brooklyn trio Yellow Ostrich, of which he became a permanent member in January. (This week, the band signed with the Seattle indie label Barsuk Records, which will re-release their album The Mistress later this summer.) We asked Natchez how he got so popular, and whether he ever wishes he had the spotlight to himself.

How much time out of the year do you spend on tour?

That really changes from year to year. I should preface this whole discussion by saying that even though I consider myself a sideman, what I do is very atypical. Particularly in New York, sidemen are people who stay in New York, doing lots of Broadway shows and recording sessions. Or, they're road dogs who are always on tour, sort of jumping from band to band. I've managed to do something in between those two. It's a little more project-oriented.

So you'll stick with an artist for a while if both parties are interested?

Sure. I did a one-off in January with Okkervil River, who needed a horn player for a Jimmy Fallon appearance. It was awesome, but it was just a couple days. Whereas with Beirut, I was on the road something like 180 days a year, three years in a row. That's more typical of what I like to do — being committed to a project rather than just sort of flitting about randomly. After I stopped touring with Beirut, I didn't want to just jump on tour with a band I didn't feel a connection with, so I stayed around New York. Last year I was on the road about 10 days.

Beirut started as a one-man recording project, as did a few of your other bands. Is it weird joining a group in that stage, where one person has already arranged and recorded all the parts, and it's your job to retrofit them for a live setting?

That's a great question. Home recording has led to a lot of projects driven by individuals, who've spent a lot of time fine-tuning their stuff and have really specific ideas of what they want. But I've been lucky enough — and it really is luck, because there are jerks out there — to work with folks who are interested in what other people have to bring to the table. I think when Zach [Condon, singer and songwriter of Beirut] was putting his band together, he had an idea in his head of the sounds he wanted to use, and he very carefully found people he thought could fill those roles.

You've filled more than one role in most of your projects. How many instruments do you play?

I've always described myself as a "frosting" guy. I play mainly woodwinds — saxophone, clarinet and flute — and I've learned to get around on most brass instruments. I don't really play drums or guitar very well — none of the things that bake the cake, just the ones that ice it. Though I do play a little electric bass.

That versatility must help keep you in demand. Do you ever wish you could focus on just one thing — like, be the best baritone saxophone player you can be?

Not really — especially not as I've grown up and thought about the way I want to play music, and the kind of music I want to play. A lot of professional sax players will practice 15 hours a day in hopes of being the next Joe Lovano, playing as fast and as complicatedly as possible. I've tried to expand in the other direction. I'm more interested in different timbres and textures and approaches.

How did you start playing professionally?

I grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, and went to school here. In high school I was always a fine sax player, but in my sleepy suburb there weren't a lot of places to play real music. Then, my sophomore year, a friend of mine who was playing in a ska band asked if I wanted to join. I had never heard of ska music, but in the early '90s there was this burgeoning scene in Boston, and a built-in network of clubs beyond that. We started touring almost immediately — like, I'd go on tour during my summer breaks from high school — and kept it going through college. Those guys ended up becoming some of my closest friends in the world.

And after college?

I moved to New York the week after I graduated, but for a little while I thought music was kind of in my rear view. I actually wanted to do journalism. It wasn't until a year or two later that I remembered music was something I really loved to do. I had lost any interest whatsoever in playing ska, but I still knew a lot of musicians. I had worked out my chops on the road and I knew how to be on tour, and so I was able to play the kind of music I really wanted to play.

Do you ever write your own songs? Have you thought about moving to center stage?

I do write songs, and I do have a little improv group that plays about every six months. But I've always been a better song doctor than song creator. I don't have a great lead singing voice, and I don't really know what my voice would be as a lead presence. That's why I've always loved working with strong vocalists. Alex [Schaaf, Yellow Ostrich lead singer and songwriter] has a great voice, and a great sense of how to write for his voice. He gives birth to the songs, and then we all work together. I feel much more comfortable in that stage of the process, nurturing the seed.

Is it worth it financially to join bands for extended periods, rather than just thinking gig to gig? Would you make more money on Broadway, or as a session man?

Broadway is very lucrative, but very competitive. Every year another group of awesome sax players graduates from music schools all around the country, and the best four dozen move to New York. Same with being a hired gun: You'll get paid more doing one episode of Fallon than a handful of club gigs with a regular band, but it's far from stable work. For me, it's no contest. Getting to really live with and develop music — you feel like you're building something, and that's very satisfying. And in terms of the financial reality, it's a way to have a career.

You still do one-offs from time to time, though. Has spending time in high-profile bands made that work easier to get?

A little, but it's more a matter of just sticking around. When I was 23 and had just moved to New York, there were a lot of horn players and no one knew me. I think I survived by staying focused and only playing music I really liked. I have a friend, a violin player and composer. One time we were out drinking, and he said, "You know, growing older as a musician is great, because eventually, you're the only one left." It's so unromantic, but it really is true.

Face of Gospel Music No Longer Just Black or American

The evolution of Gospel music was evident at the 2011 McDonald's Gospelfest event Saturday at the Prudential Center, where performances during the night's talent competition transcended ethnic, geographic and artistic boundaries traditionally associated with the genre.

In its 28th year, the event is known as the biggest Gospel celebration in the New York Tri-State area. This year's show drew a crowd of over 14,000.

During the competition portion of the event, over 80 finalists, chosen from over 40,000 auditions, competed in various Gospel categories including, Soloists, Youth Choir, Adult Choir, Praise Dance, Step, Singing Groups, Instrumentalists and Gospel Rappers.

The night of praise and worship also featured a message from Bishop T. D. Jakes and performances by contemporary Gospel giants Kirk Franklin and Donnie McClurkin, among others.

While Christ-centered message of the Gospelfest performances has remained the same over the years, performers and contestants say they notice that Gospel no longer as just a "black," "American," or "singing" art form.

"It evolves and continues to progress. There is room for the old as well as the new," Grammy-award winning Gospel singer McClurkin told The Christian Post.

"Gospel music is not black and not American. It is global," said the soulful singer, noting that he recently traveled to Cuba and England and will head to South Africa soon. "There are so many different genres of Gospel music. There are so many cultures that make up Gospel music. The thing about Gospel music is that its message stays the same even though the music changes with the times."

Daisuke Ichii, a native Japanese who came to New York City to study English, was one of the singers competing in the Soloist category. The 27-year-old, who attends Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, received a warm reception from the crowd for his rendition of "My Soul Has Been Anchored" by Douglas Miller.

"Why should only black people sing Gospel? Anyone who believes in God can sing the Gospel," Ichii told CP. "Jesus is my everything and he has helped me so I want to sing for God and for other people who believe in God. Also, for people who don't believe in God, I want to share with them that God is good."

A. Curtis Farrow, an Emmy-nominated producer and director of McDonald's Gospelfest, said the competition has gone international this year. During the audition phase of the competition, he received tape submissions from as far away as Germany, France and Japan.

One of the international submissions that made the cut to compete in this year's Out of Town category came from a choir team from Barbados known as the Silvertones. For their performance, the group sang a Caribbean-inspired Gospel song in a local dialect of their country.

Gospel music was also expressed in non-singing forms too.

A dance group comprised of 12- to 18-year-old girls from Miller Evangelical Christian Union Church in Brooklyn used praise stepping as a way to communicate the Gospel to a younger generation. In stepping, dancers use their hands and feet to produce percussion rhythms, often times in synchronized movements.

"Not everyone likes the same thing so we bring a new style to bring people to God. Step brings out energy and helps us communicate to others. That’s what the teenagers are into now," Savannah, team leader of Miller Phi Beta, shared with CP. The group was the only entry for the Step category.

Kristin, one of the step dancers, commented to CP, "Our verse is from Psalm 100, 'Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.' We use step as a way to express ourselves differently. It's not only singing. It's not only dancing. But we can praise the Lord so we are making a joyful noise for the Lord."

Bishop T. D. Jakes, who spoke in an interview with The Christian Post before heading on stage to preach, said there is always room for new worship methods in Gospel music.

"I think the amazing thing about Gospel music is that not only does it lift up the death and resurrection of our Lord, which is consistent with the Gospel, but it is uniquely communicated depending upon the generation. It's not locked to sheet music, it's not held in a box," said Jakes, pastor of the Dallas-based megachurch The Potter's House.

"There's going to be diversity," he continued. "As diverse as we are, as the people are expressing it, they are going to be equally diverse. And there are rooms for traditional and contemporary and hip hop Gospel music. The methodologies are always different but the message should be the same."

Added McClurkin, who pastors Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport, N.Y., "The message of salvation of Gospel music is always Jesus Christ – his love, his life, his resurrection, his coming again, his ability to forgive anyone and his love that embraces everyone no matter who they are. His love is not for those who go to church. It's for everyone."

"For God so loved the world – not the church – the world. That's the love that we got to portray through our music and our individual lifestyle."

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Glen Campbell Diagnosed with Alzheimer's

Country music legend Glen Campbell has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and plans to put out his final album this summer.

Campbell's representative Bobbie Gale made the announcement Wednesday. The disease is in its early stages.

The 75-year-old's wife Kim also talked to People magazine and said they wanted to go public with his illness because they wanted fans to know if he has trouble onstage.

Campbell's CD "Ghost on the Canvas" is scheduled for release Aug. 30. He also is to go on "The Glen Campbell Goodbye Tour."

The Country Music Hall of Famer had pop and country hits with "Gentle on My Mind," "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," and perhaps his most famous song, "Rhinestone Cowboy." He also had his own TV show on CBS.

Stradivarius Violin Sold for $16M for Japan relief

A Japanese music foundation has sold a renowned Stradivarius violin for $16 million at a London auction to raise money for tsunami disaster relief.

The nonprofit Nippon Foundation said Tuesday the proceeds from selling the nearly 300-year-old violin known as the Lady Blunt will go to relief projects in northern Japan.

The group's music affiliate owned the violin made in 1721 and hardly used. The new owner was not identified.

Foundation spokesman Hideo Fukuda said the group plans to use the proceeds to support and promote traditional arts in the region.

The March 11 earthquake and tsunami left more than 23,000 people dead or missing in northeastern Japan and destroyed hundreds of homes, offices and factories.

Legendary Rocker Bob Dylan Plays Tel Aviv

Legendary rocker Bob Dylan has played a much-awaited concert in Tel Aviv, reprising his famous hits but disappointing thousands of fans by not addressing them.

The concert was Dylan's third in Israel, following previous gigs in 1987 and 1993. Dylan, who is Jewish, enjoys a loyal following in Israel.

Among the hits he performed Monday were "Like a Rolling Stone," "Tangled Up in Blue," and "All Along the Watchtower."

Twenty-one-year-old Daniel Levy said she came to hear the Dylan classics. She called his music "more real, more authentic, more powerful than what we have today."

But Yosef Speizer, 28, said Dylan's apparent detachment was bizarre. "The whole thing was strange," he said.

NEW FAN CONTEST!!

Shotgun Jubilee is in the market for a new logo! We'd like you the fans to show us what you've got! Draw something up, either by hand or with a graphic arts program and send us a .jpeg of your work. We'll choose the design we like the best. The winner will receive a free copy of our album! Please email all entries to ryan_bartosek@yahoo.com

The Great Blue Heron Music Festival 2011 Volunteers

The Heron still needs LOTS of volunteers for the festival. They have 318 people so far and need 382!

Please read about it on-line and sign up there, too. ASAP. Pre-fest slots are mostly full, so the greatest need is for people to help during the festival. 9 hours equals a $80 ticket. Can't beat that!

www.greatblueheron.com

JAZZ EVENTS THE NEXT 4 WEEKS!!!!!

MATTHEWS TRATTORIA & MARTINI LOUNGE
153 East 13th Street

JDJazz & Blues
Joe Dorris, vocals and harmonica / Frank Singer, Guitar
Friday June 24th 7 til 10 PM

ROMOLO CHOCOLATES
1525 W 8th Street Erie PA

Pete Mills Quintet
Saturday June 25th 6 til 9

JDJazz w/ TONY MONACO
Tony Monaco, organ / Joe Dorris, drums/ Frank Singer, guitar
Saturday July 2nd 6 til 9