Friday night ninebullets and Aestheticized are teaming up to bring Jon Snodgrass and Cory Branan to The Emerald for a night of loud music and whiskey. For yours truly, I’m viewing this as my official SxSW primer, so expect ridiculousness and I hope to see some of y’all out there.

Scott Harrell is a regular writer for many a publication here in the Tampa area as well as a member of Nessie, one of the opening acts Friday night. When he offered to write a piece about his experiences with Drag the River for ninebullets I was beyond flattered. It was one of those ‘ninebullets is starting to make it’ moments for me. Anyhow, I jumped at the opportunity.

Please enjoy his piece and come out to the show Friday night. I’ll let you buy me a “have a good trip” drink.

Drag The River: Thanks, Guys

by Scott Harrell

The first time we played with Drag The River, back in–shit, what was it, the summer of ’05?–I didn’t know much about ‘em beyond the facts that Chad from All was in the band, and they played what some people were calling country. But that was more than enough to inspire us to connive our way onto the bill with them at the Uptown Bar, a place we weren’t convinced we wanted to play again unless we were pretty sure it was going to be a good night.

It was a good night.

Sold out. No AC. What had to have been 150 people crammed into a space only slightly larger than your average walk-in closet, sweating out the beer faster than they could get it into their systems. But it was one of those nights where everything came together, the people and the mood and the music creating a vibe that just absolutely defied everything boring and ordered and responsible about being an adult, just completely negated it.

I remember running outside to throw up from the heat the second we were finished playing. I remember helping clean Will Quinlan up in the ladies’ room after some lady punched him in the face. I’m pretty sure I remember Gainesville’s Enablers killing it–was that that night? But what I remember most is being mesmerized by Drag, who weren’t anything so conceived or put together as a bunch of punk dudes playing country music. It was so much simpler than that, it might as well have been elemental. They were just expressing themselves; they were just doing what they wanted to do, and getting off on it, and everything else in the world could’ve fallen away and it wouldn’t have changed a note.

A few of us rode to the after-party in the customized furniture truck that took the Descendents and All through God only knows how many miles of touring, and everything was perfect.

In the four and a half years since that night, we’ve had the honor of supporting Drag, in whatever incarnation happened to be hitting the road at the time, on a handful of other occasions. (The second most memorable involved Ybor City’s New World Brewery, Columbus, Ohio’s marvelous Two Cow Garage, and about 20 folks ganging up on the mics to cover “Can’t Hardly Wait.”) I wouldn’t say we’re tight or anything; maybe a few e-mails here and there during the months between shared bills.

Every time Jon or Chad or the whole band comes to town, though, they remember. They ask after common friends, joke about common experiences. As someone who’s opened for everybody from cult heroes to arena has-beens, I know exactly how rare that is, how easy it is to forget that opening act they played with in St. Pete, how all the past bills can run together unless you’re careful not to let it happen. And I appreciate it. It expresses the loveliest side effect of playing original music: the communities of lifers that coalesce around the love of tunes and bars and beers and laughter and drama. It reminds me that, while I write music because I’m driven to, the friends and times that come with it are often every bit as important to me as the words and the chords.

And it makes me love and respect Drag all the more–after all, they could’ve been assholes, and I still would’ve been blown away by the tunes.

Scott Harrell plays in Florida bar-rock act Nessie. They’ll be supporting Drag The River’s Jon Snodgrass and Cory Branan at downtown St. Petersburg’s The Emerald Bar this Friday, March 12 along with Pensacola foursome Deadly Fists of King Fu.

Jon Snodgrass – Brave With Strangers
Jon Snodgrass – Br00tal
Jon Snodgrass – Old Sad Songs (Lucero cover)

Cory Branan – Skateland South
Cory Branan – Daddy Was A Sky Writer
Cory Branan – Yesterdays

One of the best things about the holidays is holiday parties and college bowl games. Fortunately there will be no football to distract you from the awesomeness coming to The Emerald tonight.

The Semis seem sort of like the odd band out on this bill, soundwise. I’ve made a pass through their new CD and it seemed a lot more on the “indie” side of things than the rest of the bill. I’ve never caught them live but I have heard great things from reliable sources, so I’ll be making a point to get there early enough to see their set.

I’ve caught Nessie three or four times over the past year or so and they never disappoint. Two things are for sure when you come to a Nessie show at The Emerald. First, it will be packed. Second, it will be loud. In other words, it will be pretty awesome.

Have Gun, Will Travel has just returned from a successful trip up to Atlanta where they opened up for the Slobberbone reunion show. If you don’t know who Slobberbone is, then shame on you, but to clue you in on how big of a deal it is — Patterson Hood from the Drive-By Truckers found the show worthy enough of a road trip from Athens. There was also a car load of our own Tampons who made the road trip as well (jealous, I am). Anyway, they’re not calling this a “CD release” party or anything, but they’ll have the new one with them and if you haven’t bought it yet, you need to be picking that bitch up. Tonight night is as good a night as any.

On another note, I don’t know if y’all have heard or not, since I‘ve been trying to keep it so quiet, but I recently had some ninebullets.net shirts made and I’m selling them. If any of you local folks want one hit me up (I’ll be the dude in the ninebullets.net shirt) and I’ll sell you one….and since you actually came out and paid a cover to support local music, I’ll sell it to you for a mere $10. So find me at the show or hit me up on email prior to the show.

See y’all tonight!

Have Gun Will Travel – Come, All Ye Sinners
Have Gun Will Travel – Kerosene and Candlelight
Have Gun Will Travel – Soles of Our Shoes

This time last year I was in total panic mode trying to get everything right for the wife’s 30th Birthday. This year we’re back to the annual Halloween Party and Erin has more help than she knows what to do with, so I am free to get my rock shows on. So let’s talk rock and roll this weekend….

Thursday night we have David Dondero, Whiskey and Co. and Christina Wagner kicking the Halloween weekend off at New World Brewery. David Dondero is probably best known to locals here for the following lyrics from “South of the South”; “so I jumped my pogo stick all the way to Ybor City where they burned up a couple blocks and to me seemed like a pity that was once a Cuban district and a center for the arts / was now a mall like atmosphere homogeneous and insincere they burned its heart right out down South of the South”. Fans of Bright Eyes will drop maps of Hawaii all over the place over this guy, while Whiskey and Co. have plenty of drug and whiskey-laden country songs to keep spirits high and heads higher. Oh, by the way…did I mention that this is a ninebullets.net / thxmgmt collaborative show? Well, it is. In the interest of honesty I have to say we’re (9b.net) really just riding on the coat tails of thx, but I am really happy they offered up said coat tails. I’m telling you, I want 2k10 to be the year 9b takes the next step and I’m hoping thx is gonna help us do it.

Whiskey & Co. – Nightlife
Whiskey & Co. – One Man (too many)

David Dondero – Rothko Chapel
David Dondero – Twenty Years
David Dondero – We’re All Just Babies In Our Mama’s Eyes

Saturday night is Halloween night, and like I said earlier we’re throwing a big ol’ party. If you live in Tampa / St. Pete and wanna attend…holler at me, I’ll give you the particulars.

Sunday afternoon everyone’s gonna have the same thing on their mind….last night’s revelry, and I’m sure that shit is gonna hurt. Everyone knows the best cure for a hangover is a little hair of the dog, and a little rock and roll music just helps the liquor work its magic quicker. Well fancy that, one of the prides of the local music scene, Have Gun Will Travel, will be playing at Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe’ for Sunday brunch and BBQ. HGWT will actually be playing a lot around town in the coming weeks/months as they support their upcoming (released in Nov.) album, Postcards From The Friendly City. Have Gun deserves your attention, and that goes for every out of town reader of this site, too. These kids write great songs and it very well might become my personal mission to make sure every single one of you hear their new album. It’s on par with every other Americana album you’ve purchased this year. I promise.

From: Casting Shadows Tall As Giants:
Have Gun, Will Travel – Blessing and A Curse
Have Gun, Will Travel – Come, All Ye Sinners
Have Gun, Will Travel – Pins And Needles

From Postcards From The Friendly City:
Have Gun, Will Travel – Sons And Daughters Of The Gilded Age

Sure, plenty of shows come to town and there are plenty of reasons to be excited about each and every one of them. But, unlike people, all shows are not created equal. Some shows are just more worthy of your unbridled enthusiasm. Scott H. Biram falls into that category. When Scott comes to your town you need to lock up the womenfolk, drink a few whiskey shots and get your ass to the show. I think my card carrying status in Scott’s Church of the Ultimate Fanaticism Fan Club is well documented here on ninebullets, so I am gonna quote a Biram show review a friend of mine wrote after hearing/seeing Scott for the first time ever a few years ago:

“Finally it was time for Scott Biram. I had heard him earlier when he was doing his sound check and the amount of music he can generate all by himself is really staggering. He was really a great performer and musician. He was able to banter with the audience, tune his guitar, work a bass pedal to keep the beat, blow on the harmonica, and growl into his mic/bullhorn. You don’t really know what to expect when the little guy in the green trucker cap sits down on the stage. Biram looks like a guy you’d pass coming out of the bathroom at a Flying J truckstop on I-10. However he attacks honky tonk and blues with a vicious growl and doesn’t let you go until you are stomping your feet and screaming “Whiskey!”

I know Scott’s shows had started to get a bad rap as being drunken messes a couple of years back but the script has been flipped. Last years show in St. Pete (and all of Florida for that matter) were the best I’ve (or others who’ve seen him) seen. He played damned near all night and was 100% awesome from beginning to end. Don’t miss this show, Tampa Bay area. Trust me on this.

Who: Scott H. Biram
Where: Pasttimes Pub (Sarasota)
When: Sunday, October 25, 2009

Scott H. Biram – Spoonful
Scott H. Biram – Long Fingernail
Scott H. Biram – Blood, Sweat & Murder
Scott H. Biram – Sinkin’ Down
Scott H. Biram – Judgment Day

TRUCKSTOP COFFEE @ NEW WORLD BREWERY, YBOR CITY

One of the bands routinely championed on ninebullets.net and on the podcast is Lake Worth’s Truckstop Coffee (pictured above, photo by elawgrrl). Saturday night they’ll be at New World Brewery celebrating the release of their excellent new CD, For Dear Life. The album has been out for a couple of weeks now, and if I hadn’t been such a lazy bastard lately, there would already be a glowing review of it posted here for me to link to, but if you like your rock ‘n’ roll in the vein of Two Cow Garage and Lucero, you’ll dig the band.  If you wanna maximize your drunken sing-along opportunities, then head on over to their site, buy a digital copy of the album and listen to it nonstop from now until Saturday night (it’s offered on a pay-what-you-want basis). Then we’ll all raise a glass and sing them old sad songs together whilst buying lots of merchandise and supporting our Florida-grown talents.

The band has been running around the Southeast for the past couple of weeks in support of For Dear Life, and apparently the road decided to bite back. Larry, the drummer, fell head first into a campfire, which resulted in a couple of nights in a Georgia burn unit (for his hand, not his head). Bob, the bassist, managed to break a rib, and then Caleb and Pete witnessed a truck flipping on the interstate at 70 mph. In other words, the band could really use some support right now. I’m hoping you guys will come through.

Truckstop Coffee – Ghost Or An Angel
Truckstop Coffee – Laredo Skies

JOE BUCK @ THE EMERALD, DOWNTOWN ST. PETERSBURG

Some of you live on the other side of the water than New World (like myself) and don’t wanna drive across the bridge, drink beer and then have to drive back. I get that and it’s a valid reason to stay home. Normally. But this Saturday we’re blessed with shows on both sides of the Bay, ’cause the devil that is Joe Buck (former Hank III bassist) is back in town and will be preaching his tales of murder and Satan at The Emerald. I think this will be a much improved venue for Joe from the Dave’s Aqua Lounge shows of past. I think that getting him off that stage and down on the floor and into the mix will work wonders for his show. Trust me, I think you’ll enjoy Buck’s performance and The Emerald is the perfect place to see it.

Joe Buck – Devil Is On His Way
Joe Buck – Evil Motherfucker From Tennessee

So there you go. Two awesome shows, one on each side of the water, no fucking excuses. Come out, watch a rock show and drink beer with regular people…no Axe Body Spray or bedazzled Ed Hardy shirts required.

Seriously, I am not gonna fuck this post up with lots of words that cloud the point and I don’t want any stupid jump cut put it to increase clicks….Here it is. Cut and Dry.

Do you like Scott H. Biram?
Do you like Bob Log III?
Do you like The Black Diamond Heavies?
Do you like your blues with a punk lean?
Do you wanna see a great fucking show?

Wednesday night. The Garage. The deep blues juggernaut from Fort Wayne, Indiana that is Left Lane Cruiser is coming. You should too.

Left Lane Cruiser – Big Mamma
Left Lane Cruiser – Pork & Beans
Left Lane Cruiser – Set Me Down

WEDNESDAY 6/24 @ THE RITZ: GRAYSON CAPPS

I am so excited about this show. Honestly, I just assumed Grayson Capps would never come to Florida. BUT! Here he is and he’s bringing his full band, The Stumppknocker’s, with him.  If the sound of Southern soul mixed with back-country stomp with a little road-house blues sounds like something that might tickle your fancy, you need to get to The Ritz on Thurday night for this show.

When I last wrote about Grayson I said, “I find myself drawn to the drunks, whores and vagabonds that haunt Grayson’s songs. They’re like old friends you keep up with via letters in the mail, and with a new album comes new updates.” It’ll be nice to finally meet this motley crew of characters in person.

Grayson Capps – Going Back To The Country
Grayson Capps – Ike
Grayson Capps – Mermaid
Grayson Capps – Junior & The Old African Queen

THURSDAY 6/25 @ NEW WORLD BREWERY: CORY BRANAN, JOEY CAPE & JON SNODGRASS

The following night, Joey Cape (Ladwagon/Me First & The Gimmie Gimmies), Jon Snodgrass (Drag The River/Arm Chair Martian) and Cory Branan will be playing New World Brewery. All three of these guys have crossed paths and shared stages at various times in their careers, but this is the first time all three have played together. This tour was engineered by Jon (and booked by the fine folks at AES Presents) and, as I understand, it will mimic The Revival Tour where the artists will all share the stage. Should make for a fun show.

Cory Branan – The Prettiest Waitress in Memphis
Joey Cape – Errands
Jon Snodgrass – Brave With Strangers
Cory Branan & Jon Snodgrass – Wild One (Thin Lizzy Cover)

SATURDAY 6/27 @ NEW WORLD BREWEY: THE CITRUS CIRCUIT TOUR with LAURIS VIDAL, TRUCKSTOP COFFEE, HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL & THE TAKERS

After giving the liver a brief break on Friday, the musical week plans to knock us out with a right hook powered by another all-Florida band lineup brought to us by thxmgmt. This is the second all-Florida band mini-tour thxmgmt has done this month. Like the last, the idea is to get a collection of Florida bands together who can pull within their own markets and put them all on the road together with the “home band” headlining their respective market. This time we’re getting Tampa’s own Have Gun Will Travel, Lauris Vidal (Daytona Beach), Truckstop Coffee (Lake Worth) and the latest Suburban Home Records signee, Gainesville’s own The Takers.

To say this is a must-see show is a complete understatement. Everyone in the Bay Area should know how good HGWT is at this point (and if you don’t then shame on you), and the amount of love ninebullets has shown Truckstop Coffee over the years is still pitifully inadequate. In addition, I’ll finally get to see the *much hyped* honky-tonk outfit The Takers.

This will be one of the best nights of music of the year and it’s all homegrown. In addition, it’s a Saturday night so there’s no reason not to go.

Lauris Vidal – Good Years, Dark Clouds
Truckstop Coffee -Way Down South
Have Gun Will Travel -Blessing And A Curse
The Takers – Taker Easy

In the hours after penning my little fuck you to the Tampa/St. Pete music fan base I got to thinking. There’s a line in the Outkast song, “Git Up, Git Out”, that says; “You need to git up, git out and git somethin / Cuz you and I got to do for you and I.” I started thinking, instead of bitching about how lazy the Bay Area music fan has become, instead of railing against the DJ culture of Tampa, instead of being a whiny bitch about it, why not try and help the people who are trying to change things in the area. And we’re going to. Just as soon as we finish this other thing…. None of this has anything to do with the Thx Mgmt show Friday night @ New World Brewery except that they’re in the same spirit…

So, on with the show.

Following my rant, Shawn Beauville from the Beauvilles emailed me to inform me of a little tour his band was taking part in. The idea was to get a collection of bands together who can pull within their own markets and put them all on the road together with the “home band” headlining their respective market. In this case, the bands are; The Beauvilles (Tampa), Thomas Wynn & The Believers (Orlando) and Shawn Fisher and the Jukebox Gypsies (Jacksonville). Joining them on the Tampa date is The Junkyard Kings. Not only is the spirit of this show something I can get behind, but the lineup has something for everyone who likes their music played live and loud right in front of them. Seems Thx Mgmt might be coming to the same conclusions as I am, cause right on the tails of this show comes The Citrus Circuit Tour featuring a whole other slew of Florida bands.  But more on that later this month.

Anyhow, come on, Tampa. Come on, St. Pete. Get out to New World on Friday night and celebrate/support your local musicians. Till then, here is a sampling of what you’ll hear:

The Junkyard Kings – Just Enough
Shawn Fisher & The Jukebox Gypsies – Wandering
Thomas Wynn & The Believers – It’s Alright
The Beauvilles – Snow

Thursday @ New World: The Woodsboss

There is no shortage of people who’ve danced a shit-ton of nights away @ New World to the live blessings of The Weary Boys. Those were the kinds of nights that stories are made of. A band without a label relentlessly touring enough to build huge followings, in enough towns they could play packed houses in every state of the union. Then reality came crawling and The Weary Boys disbanded.

Wha? Why? What’s gonna? WTFingF?
Shock, rage, sadness.
Enter The Woodsboss. Which, fyi, is basically The Weary Boys minus Darren and add Brian’s wife.

So, all you Weary Boy fans needs to get your asses up off the couch and get out to New World Thursday night and we’ll dance again to the fine fine sounds of Mario, The Woodsboss and a few Weary Boys faves.

Mario Matteoli – Hard Luck Hittin’
Mario Matteoli – Sun Keeps On Beating Down

The Weary Boys – Another Song, Another Drink
The Weary Boys – Cruel Corrina
The Weary Boys – Freight Train Blues

Friday @ The Garage: Tailgunner Joe, Nervous Turkey and Those Legendary Shackshakers

Tampa/St. Pete is in an interesting time because we have an utterly ridiculous level of awesomeness in our local scene, and two of the upper crest of that scene are coming together to open for the the stupidly awesome Legendary Shackshakers.

Really, Tampa. I know you’re lazy. Fuck, I get it. We live in Florida. People who don’t live here don’t get it, but I know that the notion of a “local” band in this state is like screaming “Oral herpes at the kissing booth! Three dollars”, so let me tell you something right now: Tailgunner Joe and Nervous Turkey are each worthy of a night out on their own. Put them together and it almost becomes necessary for you fuckers (that was a ‘you fuckers’ that includes me) need to come out. Now, WTF? You include them both with Those Legendary Shackshakers and I can not think of any reason what you can’t spend 12 dollars to see guaranteed awesome from beginning to end.

Tailgunner Joe & The Earls of Slander – The Street
Tailgunner Joe & The Earls of Slander – This is Your Brain

Nervous Turkey – Strang
Nervous Turkey – Too Late For Romance

For those that don’t know, let’s talk Legendary Shackshakers live for a moment.

It’s Those Leg-en-dary muthafucking Shack Shakers. Does anything more really need to be said? Those who know, know. Those who don’t…well, what the fuck is wrong with you? Get your ass to The Garage and see what Jello Biafra called rock and roll’s best frontman, Col. J.D. Wilkes. Snot rockets will be launched, pubes will be thrown, beers will be drank and howdies will get doodied. You may hate the music but you’ll love the show, I guarantee it. It’s Iggy Pop fronting Southern Culture on the Skids. The southern gothic, rock and roll version of the Sex Pistols, but more entertaining and with more talent.

Those Legendary Shackshakers – Blood On The Bluegrass
Those Legendary Shackshakers – Piss and Vinegar
Those Legendary Shackshakers – Old Spur Line

So, I hope to bounce into a few of ya’ll this weekend. Say hey to me ’cause, despite all your efforts to make it not so, I still love you Tampa and you can insure that by buying me a drink and complementing my new hat.

In an effort to take all of your drinking money this weekend Dave’s is following the Mojo Guru’s CD release party in Friday night with a double bill of magnificent proportions; .357 String Band and Deep Blues Festival. Enjoy it and come out to Dave’s…it’ll be a good time:”>Joe Buck. The last time Joe came to town I wasn’t really that much of a fan. I basically went to see the opening act and be a head in the crowd. By show’s end, Joe had won me over and I said as much in my show review:

Now, I’m gonna be honest. I’m not really a fan of Joe’s recorded material. I just can’t get past the muddy production and the songs really aren’t that interesting to me. That said, what fails to captivate on cd flourishes in a live setting. Turns out, Joe writes the kind of music you need to be in the same room with. Joe, hunched over a guitar, red uplight casting eerie shadows, his hyperactive left leg smashing out a back-beat on an old bass drum while he recites lyrics of murder and satan through gritted teeth. I started wishing I had listened to his cds more so I could join the crowd in singing along.

The .357 String Band comes looking like 1/2 an industrial rock band and 1/2 a country band. You would not expect lucking banjos, spinning upright bass and blended harmonies from these kids from Wisconsin but don’t let em fool you. Their Live show have been referred to as “Hoe-down meets Throw-down” by many a reviewer and their mix of old-school country/traditional mountain music and punk is sure to delight fans across a number of genres. The .357 String Band came through last November and damn near broke through the stage and unless they’ve gone back and fixed it’s floor I suspect they’ll succeed this time. As a favor to you guys I’m including the .357 String Band’s set from last years Deep Blues Festival. Enjoy it and come out to Dave’s…it’ll be a good time:

1. Cluck Ol’ Hen
2. Fire And Hail
3. Milwaukee Here I Come
4. banter
5. One More Round
6. banter
7. Down On A Bender
8. Shot Down
9. Glory Amen
10. Unknown Song
11. banter
12. Evil On My Mind
13. banter
14. Unknown Song
15. banter
16. Riot Act
17. banter
18. Rollin’ Down The Track
19. Unknown Song
20. Unknown Song
21. Unknown Song
22. Raise The Moon