The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 30, 2005, Page 5, Image 5
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From old-fashioned rock to indie-punk, local music event to benefit Katrina victims
Kristen Truesdale
FOR THE GAMECOCK
Twenty-five bands, four
venues, $5, one night. With
rock, country, jazz, blues, hip
hop, funk and folk bands
making the lineup, The Free
' Times’ sixth annual Music
Crawl features music for all
tastes.
Students can enjoy a variety
of musical talent at an event that
seeks to highlight and promote
local musicians.
On Saturday night, music
will take over the Vista, stealing
the spotlight at Flying Saucer,
Headliner’s, Kelly’s and Art Bar.
With three of the venues
centered on Park Street and
Headliner’s only a crawl away on
Gervais Street, the event allows
music lovers an opportunity to
hop from venue to venue to take
in a variety of sounds.
The wide range of sounds is
sure to please anyone, no matter
what genre of music they enjoys.
In past years, the Music Crawl
has attracted between 1,500 and
2,000 people.
Special to THE GAMECOCK
Sunshone Still will perform at the Free Times’ Music Crawl on
Saturday to benefit Habitat for Humanity’s Katrina relief efforts.
“The idea is to bounce from
bar to bar, checking out new
bands,” Marty Fort, Entreat
guitarist, said. “USC students
will love it because it’s affordable
at 20 cents per band. And they’ll
get to hear a huge
variety of
music, people
watch and take in
one of Columbia’s
best events.”
With a sound
like A Perfect Circle,
Entreat is sure to
attract the alternative rock fan.
Founded by Fort and Robert
Savage, drummer, two years ago,
the band welcomes a new singer,
Patti Davis. Playing at
Headliner’s, the Crawl will be
her first public performance
with the band.
“She’s been co-writing a lot of
songs, and her voice is our
missing link,” Fort said. “Live it
will be awesome. She’s got great
stage presence.”
With Patti’s deep, melodic
Shirley Manson style vocals,
Entreat “entices the listener with
a thick, intoxicating melody of
blurring, dark, pop-tronic
rock.”
On another note
another stage,
Sunshone Still
offers listeners i
a different
sound.
Christopher
Smith’s guitar and
harmonica challenge the
southern, folk genre. Smith calls
his music “dusty and warm art
country balladry.”
Smith produces a sound a
little like Iron and Wine: rich
and powerful. In his blog, Jason
Special to THE (iAMECOCK
Entreat is one of 25 bands playing at The Free Times Music Crawl on Saturday. Proceeds will benefit
the Hurricane Katrina relief fund. The festival costs $5 and will feature rock, country and other genres.
Mulgrew praised Smiths album,
“Dead Letters,” with lyrics that
touch on religion and history.
Smith’s music will bring depth
to Saturday’s lineup.
“You can put on (this, music)
and listen to (it) all the way
-L_ough. It’s kind of like
>ody country or
imething, rather
indescribable —
ambient, mellow,
thoughtful,”
Mulgrew said.
For the more
energetic music
fan, ■ indie-rock
^cJtd, Alaska the Tiger
will light up another stage.
With Patrick Wall, drums,
Jordan Blackmon, vocals and
guitar, and Matthew Kennedy,
bass and vocals, the band will •
make its first appearance at the
crawl after only five months
together.
As veterans from other local
bands, the members of Alaska
the Tiger developed a sound full
of percussion and up-beat,
vivacious rhythms.
For all the classic rock ’n’ roll
fans, Hot Lava Monster will be
returning for its appearance at
the event to keep the Crawl
swinging.
“We’ve played in bigger cities
like Atlanta,” Patrick Baxley,
vocalist, said, “but Columbia has
always shown us some of the
most exciting, raw, and inventive
bands. I feel like Hot Lava
Monster has some fresh
songwriting and a
passionate delivery
that college
students could
enjoy, but if not
for us, come out
because you’re going
to hear stuff you’ve
never heard before.”
Playing Headliner’s from
12:15 a.m. until, Hot Lava
Monster will bring rock back to
the main-stage spotlight.
Although fans must be 18 or
older to see the shows, Baxley
and the band, along with 24
other performers, will bring a
variety of music back to
Columbia’s nightlife, offering
music lovers everything from
new wave to old-fashioned rock.
“It may not be hip or '
current,” Baxley said, “but who
wants to be that? Were not
trying to win the VMAs here,
we’re just trying to do what’s
honest. For us, its rock ’n’
roll.”
m Starting things off early,
% Art Bar will begin with
^k geek-rock band Mean
^k Weiner at 6 p.m. while
the other venues plan to
begin around 8 p.m.
Proceeds from the
event will benefit Habitat for
Humanity’s effort to help the
victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu
Southern band
blunders, pilfers
:or diverse fans
Blackbeard’s Trucks catchy originals, classic
covers charm college campuses, greek students
Devon Ulceh
FOR THE GAMECOCK
Blackbeard’s Truck has
traveled across the South,
plundering parties and bars
with its diverse sound and
mercilessly pilfering a
growing number of dedicated
admirers along the way.
Arrrrgh.
Blackbeard’s Truck strives to
write music perfect for the
party atmosphere. Their
Southern rock sound has
grown popular in the Greek
scene, as they’ve played
fraternity and sorority social
events and have booked shows
with universities all over the
state, including Clemson and
Furman.
Their set combines original
material with Jimmy Buffett
and AC/DC covers sure to
appeal to Carolina girls and
rock ’n’ roll lovers.
“I like them because they
play a good mix of music.
‘Brown Eyed Girl’ is one of the
songs they cover, and it’s one of
my favorites,” said Katherine
Smith, a first-year hotel,
restaurant and tourism
management student.
The varied playlist, which
includes covers from artists
such as Marvin Gaye and
Garth Brooks to U2 and the
Eagles, contributes to the
band’s diverse following in the
Carolinas and Georgia.
“Our audiences range
anywhere from 16 to 60,” Buzz
Miller, band member, said.
Since forming in 1998,
Ryan Headley, Grant Wooten,
Buzz Miller and Martin Giles,
with consistent lineup in tow,
(
Special to TIIK CAMKCOCK
Blackbeard’s Truck plays upbeat Southern rock.
have produced two albums and
are in the process of recording
a third. The first release, “Fat
Steve and the Toad Frog
Daddy,” represents the band’s
basic sound.
The second release, “BFL,”
was released in 2002,
demonstrating the band’s
lyrical and instrumental
maturity and featuring a
tighter sound.
The third album’s release has
been postponed because of
time constraints. The band
looks to complete it early next
year.
“The third album will be the
first since I joined the band,”
Miller said, “We have grown
tighter as a band, and our
songwriting has really
matured. We want someone to
hear our song and immediately
start to sing along.”
The band’s original material
revolves around catchy, upbeat,
Southern rock, with influences
from classic rock to country.
The sweet vocals carry a
melody easily reproduced live,
adding to the band’s musical
strength.
Blackbeard’s Truck has
shared the stage with national
acts such as Blue Dogs and
other Americana, regional
favorites.
“The band is perfectly
happy doing what we’re doing
now. We plan on keeping it a
weekend thing. If (a record
deal) was a good enough offer
and could compensate for us to
TRUCK • 1
www.dailyvamecock.com
Trapt concocts
‘Stand Up’ album
Alternative-metal band delivers competent
sophomore effort without much diversity
Josh Cole
FOR THE GAMECOCK
Alternative-metal outfit
Trapt is back with “Someone
in Control,” an album three
years in the making after the
Southern California band’s
successful, self-titled debut
release in late 2002.
As the band’s sophomore
effort on Warner Bros.
Records, the first single,
“Stand Up,” has already taken
over airplay on radio stations.
Delivering 11 new songs,
the band continues on the
path of its first album, proving
Trapt still has what it takes to
be a successful band in its
genre.
The album’s first song,
“Disconnected,” is the second
single. Beginning loud with
heavily distorted guitar and
bass, it transitions into the
melodic guitar verse that
guitarist Simon Ormandy has
become known for, while Pete
Charell mixes in complex bass
lines. With Aaron “Monty”
Montgomery on drums, the
song stays true to style.
The lyrics, sung by vocalist
Chris Brown, go along with
the album’s ever-present
dejected words.
“Stand Up” has a catchy
guitar riff, which hooks the
listener and joins Brown’s
attempt to release his anger
through words. The lines,
“How my anger has grown”
and “I’ve got a feeling inside
that I can’t seem to control”
reveal the tension Brown
desperately wants to get rid of.
Aside from the lyrics, the
music mixes high guitar notes
with low bass notes in Trapt’s
standard fashion. Mixed
together, the’ song comes
together to form the strongest
cut on the album.
The band shows the slower
side of its music in “Lost
TRflPT • 6