D-Day Arrives for Before Normandy
July 30, 2008 at 9:40 pm | In Blog | Leave a Comment
by Cody Fields
After more shows than one could count in five years of existence, Before Normandy is hanging it up after a final show July 31. Frontman Mikey Carvajal cites being burned out on top of not wanting to be away from his family for extended periods of time. “I’m a homebody… I want to get a normal job, write children’s books and buy an ugly dog,” Carvajal said. Carvajal also said that he did not want to be a band that tours to play for five people, only to end up with no money. “None of us are upset,” Carvajal said. “Kids have to realize that until they support music and the bands they say they like, things are going to die… Rock can’t last forever; don’t try to make it your life.” Fans can also expect a free online EP from the band, which will include old songs and a new version of “My Emergency Room,” an old fan favorite.
Before Normandy’s last show is July 31 at the Channel with As It Begins. It starts at 7:30 p.m. and costs $6.
Ximeno’s Skate Park Doubles As Hardcore Venue
July 28, 2008 at 11:08 am | In Articles | 1 Comment
by: Cody Fields
Musical brutality and “fighting invisible ninjas” is usually grounds for a funny look, but at Ximeno’s Skatepark of Greenville, it’s all in a routine Saturday night.
With a five year history in the Greenville music scene, Ximeno’s books a wide variety of genres, but it specializes in hardcore, metal and punk, event coordinator Javier Ballester said.
“We try to have shows every Saturday and give the local kids a place to go and express themselves, either by playing in a band, dancing to the music or any of the creative things that we have seen at the park in the past,” Ballester said.
Ballester, who books bands and runs the shows, has been on the job for about two years, sets up the PA system right in the middle of a halfpipe, one of the venue’s trademarks. The halfpipe also gives the crowd the unique opportunity of viewing the performance above and even behind the band. The stage location also provides ample opportunity for hardcore dancing.
While mostly local bands fill out the bill, acts from across the nation often make tour stops at Ximeno’s. More notable bands include the Cancer Bats and Reign Supreme as part of the Deathwish Records tour, Advent, We Are Action and Secret Lives! of the Freemasons.
Most Saturdays, the music starts at 7 p.m. and usually costs $5-10 for five or six bands. More information can be found at skateparkofgreenville.com.
Wasted Wine – And When You Wake Up…
July 22, 2008 at 11:39 pm | In Album Reviews | 1 Comment
Wasted Wine
And When You Wake Up…
by: Cody Fields
I’m generally known by my friends and by the Greenville Scene community as the intern who likes the loud music, but Wasted Wine’s full length And When You Wake Up…may have just put a crack in that designation. Members Robert Gowan and Adam Murphee are onto something in this 10-track album with their own blend of folk, Americana and classical. Of course, a band would essentially be obligated to come up with something that will catch one’s attention with influences that range from Tom Waits to Prince to Three 6 Mafia.
The first track, “Carl Zann,” features a dramatic intro that reminds me of a battle scene in a musical or opera. While every song utilizes the vast differences between Gowan and Murphee’s vocal styles to create different moods and transitions, “Heaven” takes full advantage of the contrast.
“Der Giftgingeist” epitomizes the storytelling style that often pops up on the album, while “Wave Goodbye” provides a kind of Medieval meets Southern Gospel feel.
When it comes to pure musical talent, these guys definitely don’t run short. While their website says they “employ upwards of a dozen different instruments” in their live shows, I could have sworn they used about 30, and that they had more than two people playing. Even with their musical prowess, Wasted Wine still provides a stripped down, almost back porch sound with a bit of a dark twist
The only real weakness to this album is the length of the songs. Everything flows nicely, but for 10 tracks, nearly 48 minutes is pushing it pretty hard
Overall, Wasted Wine is definitely worth a gander. And When You Wake Up… is streaming for free on wastedwine.com if you want to preview the entire album, and they have a full slate of shows in the Greenville area in the next few months.
William F. Gibbs – My Fellow Sophisticates
July 16, 2008 at 11:27 pm | In Album Reviews | 1 Comment
William F. Gibbs
My Fellow Sophisticates
by: Keith Groover
I’ll get this out of the way . . . buy this album. You won’t regret it, unless you’re the type of person who just can’t stand really good music. Greenville Scene says it’s good — therefore it’s good. If you need more persuasion than my dubious appeal to authority, keep on reading.
William F. Gibbs has recorded an album full of catchy, memorable, and well-performed songs. This guy is no amateur trying to macbook his way to stardom, he’s the real deal, and he has a crack team of musicians to help him along. The sound of My Fellow Sophisticates could loosely be described as Americana, but it’s really an amalgamation of various kinds of folk and pop with a touch of English rock. There are shuffling rhythms, complex chord changes, and a never-ending attention to melody. And there’s a pretty rockin’ disco song, too.
The album starts with a fade-in of a honky-tonk piano which gives way to an electric guitar hook, then proceeds to demonstrate one of the album’s most distinctive traits; elaborate instrumentation. Besides the piano, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and drums, this song features a muted trumpet, a bowed upright bass, and some gospel-tinged background vocals. On other tracks you’ll hear flutes, strings, melodica, and organs, but the main instruments are acoustic guitar, piano, and Gibbs’ versatile and able voice.
Virtually every song demonstrates a different aspect of Gibbs’ singing style, from the funky almost-rapping of “Streetfighter” (the disco song) to “LA Money”, which is a song that would (almost) be comfortably sung by an American Idol. There’s the soft and hushed voice used on the quiet and deeply affecting “Oh Pollyanna”, and even a short burst of scatting on “Here Comes Your Steamboat Brother! Here Comes Your Freightline Sister!” Throughout, Gibbs doesn’t mind changing up his enunciation to fit the mood of a song (my personal favorite is “Oh Poly-ay-nah, there at the pee-ay-nah” from “Oh Pollyanna”.) Gibbs also has a very rich and strong falsetto, which he uses to great effect throughout the album.
About half the songs are fairly melancholic mid-tempo or slow numbers, and the other half have a double-time peppiness to them, often crossing the line over to something that could easily be arranged for a gospel choir. This is true of what is probably my favorite track, “Brother John”, which starts off with some long and somber chords, gives way to a story about an unbelieving priest, and climaxes with a foot-stomping, hand-clapping, barn-burning finale.
So, to sum up, this is the kind of album that I was hoping to find when I started working for Greenville Scene. I hope that you support this artist and the local scene by buying this album, and make sure to go see him in concert if you get a chance.
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