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< Back Unearthing Depths: A Review of Eldergrey’s New EP ‘Well of Souls’ Nick Cline Jul 9, 2024 Share Eldergrey's debut plunges into the abyss with pounding riffs and haunting melodies. Based in the United Kingdom, the doom metal band Eldergrey has officially released their debut EP, ‘ Well of Souls ,’ which does not disappoint. It is an electrifying fusion of various metal influences, a unique blend that promises to fill the gaps left by modern metal. Eldergrey formed in late 2023 when the creative minds of seasoned musicians Ian Field-Richards and Clive Withers joined forces. The creative sparks between the two led to the recording of ‘ Burden ’ by Outrun the Day , another project, in the summer of 2023, but it did not end there. While initially conceived as part of the next Outrun the Day album, it quickly became evident that the new material was slower, darker, and heavier, necessitating a distinct musical identity. Credit: Photo provided by band The recording process was a crucible that forged an intense synergy between Ian Field-Richards and Clive Withers' creative minds. Drawing inspiration from bands such as Crowbar and Conan , they have carved out a unique sonic space with profound lyrical content. Released July 5, 2024 ‘ Well of Souls ’ starts with the track ' Superlithic ', a song full of so much sludge from start to finish that it’ll make you think you’ve landed in the mud pits of Louisiana. ' Southern Star ' rounds out the EP with raw aggression and crunching guitars. From start to finish, this EP was an electric experience filled with pounding riffs, walls of fuzz, and screaming solos. It was just so good. I really enjoyed listening to it. The best part was the absolute crushing riffs and walls of fuzz that wrap around you like a blanket of chainsaws—almost like a cocoon of sound. It is reminiscent of metal greats such as Pantera , Black Sabbath , and Mayhem . I enjoyed how such a range of influences were integrated into the music. These musicians are damn talented. ' Empire ', by far, is my favorite track on the EP, but listen to it and decide for yourself. All of the tracks are bangers. I can't wait for the full-length to be released in the fall. The only downside of the album I could find is that some of the mix is off-balance. The guitar and drums overpower the bass and vocals in certain pieces of the songs. I think the bass and vocals should be raised, just a tad more. This would allow the mix to be evenly balanced musically and vocally. Tonality would be helped because it would create a fatter sound to cover all foundations of the track. At the same time, the vocals would allow itself to hover over the pounding tones of the music. The foundations laid by Eldergrey's debut EP will undoubtedly open the door to many inspirations and concepts for future exploration. This band is one to be watched, so take note. I anticipate hearing more from Eldergrey and commend the band on a solid first effort. ‘ Well of Souls ’ is available to stream now, so be sure to add it to your list of new music to check out. This EP is a journey worth taking. To learn more about Eldergrey : Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theeldergrey YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Eldergrey Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeldergrey/ Linktree: Eldergrey | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree *cover photo provided by band Nick Cline is the powerhouse behind the Louisiana-based band, Phantum Sun , and loves checking out new music. Got something you think he'd like? Email us at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next

< Back Deadmau5 and Friends John Shmuck Dec 1, 2022 Share Banger after Banger after Banger at Austin's Moody Theater Recently I celebrated a birthday in pretty epic fashion, largely in part to the amazing people at ACL Live (Moody Theater in Austin, TX), and also because Joel Thomas Zimmerman, a.k.a. Deadmau5, made absolutely sure of it. On Nov. 20, he and friends Morgin Madison, Lamorn, and NERO performed in Austin at the Moody Theater for one of their final dates of the “We Are Friends” tour for ACL Live, and it certainly did not disappoint. Deadmau5 is, has been, and will always be a world-renowned Canadian electronic music producer. He produces plenty of progressive house music, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable putting him in a box that small. His masterful skill has been crafted over decades of experience, and his palette is as diverse as it is deeply rich. He can play, mix, produce, and create just about any type of EDM and make it seem effortless. Natural and organic. As I said, he's been doing this for a while and has received six Grammy Award nominations for his work. I loved the line-up for this event. In addition to Deadmau5, I’ve also been a large fan of NERO from the beginning of my immersion into the EDM world. They’re a Grammy-winning British electronic music trio widely known for their debut album, “Welcome to Reality,” which many fans consider to the best album in the history of the genre. Nero was solo for this particular show. “We Are Friends” is such a fitting name for this tour because each artist played in sync with the other and supported each other, and it was very cool to see and hear live. Especially at the Moody Theater. The line-up even included some names that weren’t on any of the advertisements, so that was a nice surprise. Deadmau5 has worked with several world-renowned producers like NERO over the years, such as Kaskade, Tiesto, Armin van Buuren, Excision, Rhezz, Nosia, Foreign Beggars, Wolfgang Gartner, Skrillex, Feed Me, Kill The Noise, Rob Swire, Chris Lake, DJ Aero, and the amazing percussionist many know and love, Tommy Lee. In 2007, he founded his own record label, Mau5trap. He’s currently one of the highest-paid electronic music producers in the world and is a masked music artist similar to Marshmello, Gorillaz, and Daft Punk. His works have been included in so many compilation albums over the years that even if you may not know the name or be able to name the title of any of his tracks, I’d be willing to put money on the notion that you’ve heard at least one, if not several, of his bangers in the time that you’ve been paying attention. Morgin Madison and Lamorn, both quickly rising electronic music producers, were equally fantastic. I was unfamiliar with them prior to this show, but I’m glad I caught them. I want to give a special shout-out to Lamorn, though; he was incredible. His tunes had a MGMT vibe but in his own unique style that, I’ll be bold and say it, could have blown them out of the water. If you haven’t heard of this guy, please go follow him on Spotify/Songkick and just watch, because that dude’s going places. It was so awesome, I danced without a care in the world. Speaking of dancing, hands down to my good friend NERO, who followed Lamorn and SLAYED! He definitely brought the temperature and BPMs up to get us all properly prepared for Deadmau5. Banger after banger after banger. ‘Nough said! When Joel came out to greet us, he was in his regular exposed human form (unmasked) but don’t you worry, because when the mood was set and the audience was under his control, the famous Deadmau5 mask came out. It seemed like he truly played for hours and we couldn’t get enough of it. He crossed just about every genre I care to listen to and masterfully and patiently would build the beat without haste so that by the time it dropped, it truly was a crescendo of bass and energy, joy and light. Lastly, right before the encore, Rezz was surprisingly brought out to do some hype-man dancing and mixing with Joel. The love and vibrations between these two were so passionate and unconditional, how could you not fall in love? I did. And, you know, if I'd had the 75 bucks to get into the afterparty at Mayfair Lounge, where Deadmau5 was playing immediately after, I would have paid it because I couldn’t get enough of him. He’s just a talented artist all around. For more information on this electronic talent, you can find them at: Deadmau5 at www.Deadmau5.com NERO at www.Facebook.com/nero , www.Twitter.com/nerouk , and www.Instagram.com/nero Morgin Madison at www.MorginMadison.com Lamorn at www.Lamorn.world Questions? Comments? E-mail us at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next

Tank and the Bangas < Back Tank and the Bangas C.G. Smith Jan 5, 2023 Share Bangin' Out the Hits In the fall of 2015, my wife and I had been living in New Orleans for nearly six months. A co-worker had been talking up this band to me for a while, so we made the trek across town to The Maple Leaf bar on Oak St. to catch the show. The band was New Orleans’ own Tank and the Bangas. Their high-energy, infectious performance and wonderfully arranged music changed our idea of what a local band could be. From that point on we were fans and made it out to every Tank and the Bangas performance we could. These days the ticket prices are a little more expensive than in those earlier days, the stages are usually much bigger, and their music has evolved a bit from those early club performances, but the group is still just as grounded as they ever have been. credit: Jacob Walker I had the good fortune to be able to sit down with the group at the Uptown New Orleans restaurant Molly’s Rise and Shine after business hours and talk about their beginnings, their evolution over the years, and what the future holds for the now twice Grammy-nominated band. MaM : First off, I want to thank y’all so much for being here. I also wanted to thank Lauren and Mason of Molly’s Rise and Shine for letting us use this unique space. We are very grateful. Is this the first time you’ve been here? Tank : Yes. Norman : Yeah, I’ve never been here before. MaM : The chicken biscuit is fire. Tank : That’s good to know. (playfully) What? You think we just like chicken or something? Albert : What about the vegan options? Tank : What? You think we’re vegan or somethin’? Norman : The chickens were vegan. They only fed them grain. [laughter] MaM : Your hard work has led to so much success. It really shows – how much you all enjoy performing for an audience. How did y’all deal with the pandemic? Not being able to tour, did it help or hurt the band? I know "Friend Goals" came out of it, but overall, with the pandemic, how did it affect you? Tank : I think both, right? The only hurting I would say is because it’s hard to get back into the specific rhythm of touring. The world still is a bit scared, so the numbers aren’t exactly the same as they were pre-Covid. I would say that is the only hurting, but the helping, I mean, we got "Friend Goals." It’s such a good little EP. We had fun making it. Before that we were on tour so much. It was a nice little break at the perfect time. We needed it. We was [sic] like, ‘Oh my gosh, people cook regular food and sleep up in their regular beds, and go for regular walks?’ Norman : After being off schedule for like weeks, and weeks, and weeks, it was like every day at eleven o’clock, ‘What y’all doin’? Y’all still up?’ Yeah, we wide awake, doin’ nothin’. Tank : I watched Paternity Court a lot. I ate a lot of crawfish. Norman : I really got to sit with myself. I was like, ‘Wow, this is how I am? Okay, gotta change some stuff.’ Some of it’s cool, but I got to know me a little bit during Covid. Albert : Oh yeah. Tank : Yeah, we all had those little moments. You know I was cool while we was [sic] on break, then the next shit came around and I was like, ‘Wait a minute, what’s goin’ on with the schedule? Wait a minute now, wait a minute! What you mean we are cancelling again?' ‘Cause you know, of course, we had to survive. We thought of creative ways to do it. We had a lot of little shows with virtual performances, which is cool and lame all at the same time. (imitates interacting with a virtual crowd) ‘Throw your hands up!’ Albert : Only the ends of songs are lame because you finish with a big finish and there’s just crickets. Tank : And there’s nothin’. Just a bunch of hearts and thumbs up and, ‘Love you guys!’ Norman : But we appreciated such silent love! Albert : You just hear hard breathing like ‘Dancing with the Stars’ contestants. Tank : (imitates hard breathing at the end of a performance) ‘Thank y’all, thank y’all!!’ Norman : It means y’all were sittin’ there watchin’ this happen, so it was definitely appreciated for real. The band used to have the occasional parties in the backyard of Tank’s Auntie Tee Tee’s house in the Lower 9th Ward back before their breakthrough with NPR’s Tiny D esk concert. MaM : The backyard parties at the Yum Yum were so much fun. My wife and I went to at least two or three of them. Any plans to do anything like that in the future, or is that just off the table now? credit: Shambala Festival 2022 Tank : Oh, no. We definitely want to do that in the future. We miss it. Every time we go in the backyard, we’re like, ‘We gotta get one of these goin’ again.’ We just never know when Auntie’s gonna feel like doing it, honestly! We all have to be in the mood at the same time, so that lets you know how beautiful – how everything had to be lined up so perfectly and feel like doing one. It takes a lot of work. Albert : Big, big picture though, Norm and Ta talk a lot about, ‘What if we did a festival? What if there was [some]thing that was a hub, a Bangaville thing? The idea of community … especially performance community is always going around. Norman : Bangafest. Tank : Bangafest sounds dope. MaM : I’d go! Tank : I know you would! Norman : We don’t even have to travel for that! MaM : From Tank’s run with SNO, to those early open mics, to playing major festivals on the biggest stages in the world, can you tell us about some of your best and not so great moments? Tank : Whoa, mmm. Let me see ... best definitely was um, .... all the time! We have a good time! The best memorable moments: Coachella, Jimmy Fallon, The Apollo, Glastonbury was beautiful. Norman : Yo, I got a bad one. We were in Germany, and we didn’t have our luggage ... Josh : We didn’t have our clothes! Norman : We had to perform in our pajamas. Tank : We was [sic] in a barn. Norman : The gear was all wrong. I had a Motif instead of a Cronos. Oh man, that was a day. Tank : Yeah, that was a crazy one. Norman : We were still in another country playing music, doing something we love. [Tank talking about the mural where we did the photo shoot:] Tank : That [mural] was painted by an artist, not just done online? MaM : Yeah, hand painted for the restaurant by an artist named Ken Cox. Albert : The process of breakfast on acid. Tank : That’s some crazy color right there. Albert : The cost of your eggs. MaM : Your version of “What the World Needs Now,” I was blown away by it when it first came out and I just heard it again on shuffle the other day. How did that track come about? Any stories from that recording? Tank : It was supposed to be bigger, something different than it was. Josh : It was on some heal-the-world, Quincy Jones-type stuff. It was a lot of fun to be able to call friends, people we cared about, and family members as well to help us create that entire New Orleans ordeal. It was such a great thing to be a part of and find all those voices in the right spots. Norman : It came out beautiful. Josh : And we had to do it in like one day or something! Albert : We had people come in on schedules, that had to come in for 45 minutes. Oh, we gotta stop and do this trumpet part! Okay, get outta’ here, come on! Thank you, man! Alright, see ya!” Josh : David Shaw came in so late at night. Tank : I love David on that. I just wish we would have [sic] got him recorded singing on it. I loved him on it. I loved everybody on it. Especially since we were just getting people that we wouldn’t even normally day to day work with, but we knew in the community. I loved what everybody added to it. It was perfect. Josh’s nephew, my niece--we were crying when Sunny was doing her poem and the children was [sic] singing. I think that was the last time we was [sic] all together. It was just so special. It really was what the world needs now. MaM : For the time we were all in, it was perfect. Tank : I know. It really felt awesome. Josh : That was a fire question. No one ever asks that. MaM : You’ve already worked on projects with some amazing artists. Who are some of your dream collaborators, past or present? Tank : Present – we’ve done with Layla, that was a dream for sure. Alex Isley is a dream, and Robert Glasper ... people that we just put out there that we can’t believe that we was [sic] able to make music with later on. Josh : That Blue Note whole thing was fire. Tank : Blue Note was amazing. Josh : That’s a whole list of people that was special. Tank : Juno is a future collaborator for sure. Kendrick Lamar and Stevie Wonder. credit: Jacob Walker Norman : Amahd Jamal, I’m waiting on that. Albert : Can we go to the past? Do they have to be living? Roy Hargrove, you know he passed, but man, that’s music that I grew up with and really stuff that shaped me and made me seek out sounds like this band. Norman : Same, yo. You talkin’ ‘bout ‘Like Water for Chocolate,' that’s Roy. That’s a Common album that D’Angelo, Roy, Questlove, all of them did, RH Factor. All that shit. Albert : The ‘Straight Ahead’ album. His Cuban album? He’s so good. Josh : All right – Kirk Franklin. Take that. I wanna work with him. Norman : Listen, I really want to work with Warryn Campbell. If you [sic] out there, [if] you hear this, somebody send it to him. If you know him, if he’s your cousin, tell him Tank and the Bangas want to work with him. I ain’t jokin’. Tank : For some reason I don’t feel like that’s very far away, even though we don’t know him. I feel like it’s a degree of separation. MaM : I know faith and family are important to you. With all the touring and recording y’all have been doing, how hard is it for you to find time away from the band for family, etc.? Is it easier to get that time now that you’ve had some success? Norman : I try to take some intentional time to focus on the family. MaM : Wasn’t it in your rider that you had Sundays off so you could play at church? Norman : That was back when I was playing at church more, but that isn’t really my focus anymore. Kids though? Got ballet comin’ up, art class comin’ up, we skatin’ … tryin’ to keep them out the Matrix, man. I’m tryin’ to give some real people time, you know what I mean? I didn’t get a lot of people-time growin’ up, so I figured out a lot on my own. I don’t want them to have to do that. Aside from that, God is everything; church ain’t. credit: Jacob Walker MaM : What are some of your favorite things about being a ‘Banga’? Josh : Easy. The best part about it is it’s me. I don’t have to be nothin’ else or put on to be nothin’ because it’s literally … me. Just like she don’t [sic] really gotta do nothin’ [sic] to be Tank, that’s just who she is as a person. I really like watching how other people interpret what a Banga is to them. I really enjoy that part, but I don’t know; I just be myself. Being a Banga is just kinda who we are as us. Albert : I think the best part of being a Banga is getting to make and participate in making, for me, the music you dreamed of making as a child. Josh : Big facts. Norman : I realized over the years [that] we are therapists, we are healers. We bring in vibrations, which water responds to, and 75% of that is standing in the audience. When we was [sic] first starting, people would come to the shows over and over and I was like, ‘What the hell? What is wrong with these people? We just seen you last week! This is the same show, goofy; what you doin’?’ Tank : It is not the same show though, never! Josh : It’s not the same show though. MaM : My wife and I were one of those crazy people at every show we could get to, especially that 2015 - 2018 time period. We were obsessed. “Themeparks” was one of our wedding songs. Tank : That’s sweet! Norman : Didn’t we write that on Golden Drive in Chalmette? Tank : I think so. Norman : We wrote that in my living room! Tank : I had a relationship, and I just wanted to talk about all of the good parts of it, and the fun parts of it, you know? That’s what it was for. Some people really are just muses. MaM : Josh, as musical director, what has changed as far as how you’re presenting those older songs these days? Josh : Boredom. It’s ten years of playing a certain song and you want to try it different. She (Tank) really gets creative at moments, and she can get bored too, so two people who can get very whimsical and creative and want to change things on the fly. credit: Jacob Walker Norman : At the last minute. Josh : I just said on the fly! Tank : Aren’t you in my brain? Aren’t you in my spirit? Josh : Even in those times it’s a lot of fun. I think a lot of times we’re really just trying out different things because we get to. We can. We have the capability. The truth is, the more we push ourselves to do more stuff, the better we get at it. Norman : We’re free. The reality is the melodies fall out the sky sometimes; we just catch ‘em. We sat in rehearsals, and we had to take a little break and wrote like 3 songs in 6 minutes the other day. Stuff just happens. We stay open. Tank : Growth is real. Ain’t [sic] nobody in this band in their fresh beginning 20’s anymore. We don’t even jump up and down as much as we used to. [laughter] MaM : I remember a show y’all did at the Ogden when you broke it all down. I heard your songs presented in a whole different light. Tank : We love to calm it down. People don’t think that we know how to calm it down because we’re such a big sound, but it’s our most favorite thing to do—at least it’s definitely mine. You hear the lyrics, you hear the music, the intention. It’s quiet, it’s soft, it’s beautiful, it’s heard, it’s felt. I love those type of shows. That’s how we started out. That’s why Tiny Desk was really nothing for us. I was nervous, but as far as calming it down, it’s nothing for us. Norman : I didn’t know nothing [sic] about it (Tiny Desk). All I saw was T-Pain do it with a keyboard player. I thought, ‘Oh, it’s gonna be easy.’ I didn’t grow up listening to NPR. I was like, ‘Cool, it’s an open mic; that’s how we started.’ MaM : Josh, as musical director, how do you decide – do you just naturally stretch your legs on a song, or do you say here, we’re gonna arrange it this way? Josh : A little bit of both. Sometimes we stretch out naturally, sometimes I say let’s try this. We’ll try stuff in rehearsal to see if it sticks. If it don’t [sic], we’ll leave it alone, if it do [sic], we’ll push it.” MaM : You ever just throw shit at them live? Josh : Yep, yeah, they good [sic] enough to handle that. They superbad. The fun part is, if we fall on our face, we’re good enough to carry ourselves so nobody even knows it happened. We’re creating a chord progression as we go sometimes. We’re having fun. Tank : Their ears are so crazy. Sometimes they even hear what I don’t hear. Josh : I think that part makes it very easy for us to be able to ‘float.’ Norman : Growing up in church too, you know, anybody [can] get up and sing in any key, talking about praise and testimony ceremony ... Josh : Most of the time, it’s the wrong key! Norman : ... If you doing [sic] it right and they change key and you don’t follow them, then it’s your fault. If they start in the right key, you learn to move with them, you learn to just flow. Yeah, church got me ready for it.” MaM : Do you guys approach performances today any differently than you did in those early days? credit: Ruthie Herman, WOUB Albert : Carefully. From behind. [laughter] Norman : Prayerfully. We always pray; we always rehearse. Tank : It feels more intentional now, to me, if anything. More mature. You want to get it right, you know? It just feels a little more intentional, but I still have my moments of freedom that I do love. You know, Josh tries to reel it in a lot, which is a good and a bad thing to me. You know, like, let me be who I am, [and he’ll be] like, ‘Don’t stay there too long!’ I’m like, ‘Shut up!’ [laughter] The band recently performed its very first residency at the famous Blue Note venue in New York City in November of 2022. MaM : How was Blue Note? Josh : It was amazing. Norman : It was an honor to be in that room. The artists that we had come and join us—Keyon Harrold, Isaiah Sharkey … Norah Jones. Josh : Man, the type of people that came through, not even just the artists. Norman : Yeah, the people that came through just to kick it with us, the stage was so dope. Josh : Yeah, all of that was just wild. Norman : Y’all thought enough about us to come through; thank you. MaM : I have to ask this question, Tank, since my dad is such a huge Norah Jones fan: How did you become friends with Norah? Tank : It’s so crazy. All of it was kind of magical, even things I didn’t even know until a couple of years ago … how things was [sic] working out for us to meet. Jelly (singer Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph) was doing a session with her husband, and she invited him to the show (at One-Eyed Jacks). I don’t know if she knew that Norah was his wife or not. They ended up going to the show, Norah was pregnant, and she was hearing me do all these little crazy voices. Someone told me that she was in the house. Then she text [sic] me one morning when I was at Waffle House and she wanted me to do a video with her, a really silly song. Of course, I said yes. I didn’t know what it was about. It was a silly song. It was really silly about men who don’t think that women take a shit. L to R: C.G. Smith with Albert, Tank, Josh, and Norman MaM : I still remember how cool it was when she came out during your second performance of your Alice in Wonderland at the Music Box here in town. Tank : Mmmmmm, the purple piano. It was really special. Anybody that was a part of those shows just knows it was so special. It takes a lot to do a Music Box. Hats off to the people who do it and run it. It’s hard to explain, too, when people ask what it is. Josh : Shout out to Danny Elfman, because he sure helped with the ideas in that space too, like the orchestra. MaM : It’s just such a cool space. Tank : Yeah, it’s crazy. Hard to explain. You be [sic] like, ‘It’s a musical space where they use pieces, materials of old houses and they make instruments. You can’t explain it. You have to go there; it’s an experience. MaM : So, the hardest question for artists to answer, how do you describe the Tank-and-the-Bangas sound? Tank : (repeats) You have to go there; it’s an experience. Norman : (repeating an answer Albert came up with before) It’s genre-fluid. Josh : It’s a struggle to explain it to ourselves, but according to the Grammys, it’s one of those ‘progressive R&B albums.’ [laughter] Tank : That’s funny! They did the best they could to categorize us. I think just the fact that you’re Black, they already want to put R&B on you. They like [sic], ‘Well, it ain’t [sic] just that, so let’s go ahead and put it in progressive.’ I don’t mind, especially with this album. It’s where it needs to be at [sic] with this album, that’s cool. I love it, I’m happy to be nominated. Josh : I mean, [for] some artists it’s easy and [for other] artists it’s very, very hard to do. Tank : You can describe the song which is at hand, but to put them all in a thing? To literally say that the same band that made ‘Outside’ made ‘Heavy,’ or the same band that made ‘Heavy’ made ‘Brady’s,’ or the same band that made ‘Brady’s’ made ‘Eggs Over Easy,’ or ‘Eggs Over Easy’ - that’s the same band that made ‘Easy Goes It,’ or ‘Anxiety.’ ‘Mr. Lion’? That same girl, she did ‘Dope Girl Magic.’ So, it’s really hard. It’s whatever we was [sic] feeling at the time. Josh : This entire same band has done a lot of these songs with an orchestra, so maybe they’re a classical band. Tank : It’s all over the place. MaM : I always loved “Drummers." That’s a different kind of song. Tank : We love that one. That one never got recorded and it has so much more to it, too. It’s really cool. MaM : Were there any moments where you were working on, writing a song, and just astonished yourselves, like, “This is gonna be good!?” Josh : ‘Ants.’ Tank : ‘Stolen Fruit.’ Norman : ‘Rhythm of Life.’ Albert : ‘Stolen Fruit,’ and ‘Black Folk.’ Tank : Yeah, anybody comin’ in the studio, you need to hear this! This is so special. Albert : So much so, that it slowed down progress. Like any new visitor, after we had gotten like a rough for ‘Stolen Fruit,’ anybody came in, Tank would be like, ‘Turn down the lights.’ Tank : Turn down the lights, light a candle, and play this for them. Norman : (imitating Tank) ‘Shhhh. (dramatic pause) Play that one.’ Albert : It was like a whole afternoon of that, it was great. Then we did ‘Black Folk' and [it] was, like, a live take. A bunch of us were playing in the room, and the take you hear from Tank, that’s just her on a 58 (Shure 58 live microphone). Everybody was playing in the same room. We tried to do the vocals in isolation, tried to do other takes, but it just didn’t have that … it didn’t have that thing. Man, that was a magical moment. I remember when we were playing that and I was like, ‘This is great!’ Norman : We should do an unplanned live album. Just press record and start playing. Albert : Directly to vinyl. You can do that. You can press it directly to vinyl. Tank : I’ve done that. I did that with ‘Eggs Over Easy.’ It was a freestyle. MaM : So, we are an entertainment magazine. What are some shows y’all are watching lately? Tank : I feel like we’re never watching the same thing. We talk about it more when we’re on the road, ‘What are you watchin’ right now?’ Albert knows that I have to eat and watch somethin’ from Netflix. Norman : I know how to make this cool: Say one show you think the other person is watching right now. Tank : (to Norman) Oh lord, a documentary? A Christmas show? Norman : I’m watchin’ the Nature Channel. Josh : (to Tank) Wednesday ? Albert : (to Josh) Anime, or, I don’t know, big, high-budget crime, like action-y? Josh : You know what? You’re kind of in the space, ‘cause I saw something like that. Knives Out on Netflix; the [sequel just] came out. Tank : (to Albert) You watchin’ some type of cartoon in the morning with your girlfriend. Albert : I’ve been watching season 6 of Rick and Morty and it’s stellar. It’s a return to form. It’s some of the best stuff they’ve had going on over the past few seasons. Highly recommended. Josh : (to Tank) Just say Wednesday already and get it over with. Tank : We ain’t done with Wednesday , so no. Norman : 432 playlist on Spotify. 432 hertz. Yo, why when I play it on the speaker, I can actually feel the highs, the lows, and the mids. It’s in your chakras. It’s like we really do resonate at that frequency or somethin’ because you can feel it through the speakers. I don’t get it. Tank : 432 Hertz? That’s the playlist? Norman : Do that, then type playlist. They got a bunch of different genres. Get ya [sic] chakras right. Josh : I be [sic] watchin’ Forged in Fire . I had to think about what I’ve been watching. I be [sic] watchin’ people making beaucoup swords and all that stuff. Norman : Then they try to see which one’s stronger. Josh : Then they be [sic] choppin’ beaucoup stuff with it. Man, these cats are wild. MaM : They make a Hattori Hanzo blade? Josh : They probably have done one at this point, but they be [sic] doin’ all kinds of fantasy weapons as well. Norman : Based on historic, like the way they would build them at this time or that time in history. MaM : What are some creature comforts on tour, anything that connects you with back home? Albert : A nice bowl of ramen. Norman : Coffee and good greenery, I’m good to go. Facetime with the baby. Tank : My phone so I can watch TV. Albert : An eye mask. Tank : Headphones. Gotta have them headphones. Gotta zone inside them headphones. credit: Jacob Walker Norman : Drum machine, that MPC one. Josh : I’ve been without my phone on a whole tour before. I lost my phone, like, the top of the tour, and I didn’t have my phone for, like, six weeks. It was weird as hell. Norman : That’s gotta feel good! You ever leave your phone at home and be way across town and be like, ‘Oh well.’ That shit feels so good. Josh : I was on the other side of the world. It was not the same. Tank : First of all, I would never do it because where the hell ... how am I gonna get home? I need that GPS. Momma gonna call me, you know what I’m sayin’? Now you need to stay in touch, AND I gotta listen to the regular radio? Oh no, I need to plug in, so I got my own radio. Norman : Turn that radio off and listen to the radio in your head. Tank : That’s too much [sic] thoughts! Josh : Being over there, there was no radio, and there was barely television. I wanna play drums. I hope they don’t have a bad drum set with some bad cymbals. That is a real horrible thing. Tank : That was not a good answer though; he’s talkin’ about something that you don’t feel at home with(out). You hit drums every day. Josh : I’m telling you, no, no, no, on TOUR. Tank : Josh needs some wings with barbeque sauce. Josh : No, listen, wait ... Norman : You gotta hear this man out about them [sic] drums. Because if those drums ain’t [sic] Yamaha special just like Josh needs ... [laughter] Tank : We about to get a DIVA! Josh : Look at this, you see this? (shows me the palms of his hands) This happened to my hands years ago, playing the wrong kit with the wrong sticks. My entire hand turned purple, and I couldn’t close it. So, I was playing drums like this, (Josh shows me half-open hands, as if he is delicately holding sticks with his fingers) but my hands were really like ... Norman : I wish y’all could see through this mic. [laughter] Josh : (wrapping up his defense of saying drums are a comfort on tour) A good drum set, an amazing drum set, and amazing cymbals, and amazing sticks. I can make tour with that and good vibes. Tank and the rest of the group continue having fun teasing Josh. Albert begins calling out to Tavia, "Ta! Ta!" to have her stop the insanity. Albert : (to me, as the hilarity wanes, feeling sympathy for me having to try and make sense of all the talking over each other) You just write this out, right? You transcribe this, right? A lot of it will be just asterisks - inaudible, asterisks - inaudible. MaM : Ok, Tavia says ten minutes left. I gotta get to the Grammy nod. Grammy nod number two. I’m sure that first one was an incredible experience. Tank, are you as nervous? Will you have a speech ready this time if you win? Tank : I think we could write a speech. I’m not as nervous this time. Norman : You gonna write it? I’m gonna wing it. Albert : The best things in life are wung [sic]. Tank : Then it goes, (imitates the music cue to get off stage) [to] get us off that stage. Albert : There’s four of us! That’s bullshit! We EACH get the allotted time! Josh : It’s the allotted time times four. Tank : Yeah, you use your privilege, see how far that gets you! Norman : They will never call us back! Tank : Albert said, ‘Excuse me, white man speaking! That’s not fair.’ Albert : Hey, if La La Land can take an Oscar, we can do this. Josh : Boy, you stupid! Tank : It’s exciting, definitely less nervous-y. It’s more exciting for sure, because [the] first time is very cool, but this time, it’s for the work, so that just feels just really dope. Josh : The entire body of work. [The first Grammy nomination] was us being really good coming out to them. That’s awesome, but this one is very awesome because it’s for everything that we’ve put in. Norman : Real talk, real talk. Tank : I would really like to win it. credit: Jamelle Tate, courtesy of the artist Josh : Not just one song, not one video; it’s the entire thing. Norman : The first one, all the other artists had radio hits. We didn’t have any hits on the radio, and they still had to say our name. Y’all had to put songs on the radio to win. Tank : You know how you say, ‘Since you guys made it,’ ‘Since your big success,’ ‘Since your breakout,’ you know how you keep saying that? We don’t feel that way. Y’all don’t feel that way, right (Tank asks the Bangas)? Like we’re some breakout stars, like we’re up there? Norman and Josh : No! Albert : Oh God, no. Josh : I feel like we’re new to somebody every day. I feel like because we’re new to at least one new person every day, that’s eventually gonna happen. MaM : So since she got y’all on the clock, is Tavia the special sauce for this whole thing? Josh : Facts. Albert : Oh yeah. Josh : She’s working right now. If you look right there, you can see her answering emails as we speak. Norman : We wouldn’t have gotten Tiny Desk without Ta, ‘Think Tank’ would have never happened without Ta, ‘RandoMe’ would have never happened without Ta ... Coachella, none of that. Tank : (looks to Tavia) Ta, I’ve been doing this. Norman : Shit, you was [sic] on the sofa. She picked you up off the sofa. Tank : Who was on the sofa? Norman : Tank Ball. That’s why I say you better understand! Tank : Boy, I’ve been doing this … My friend know [sic] she met me while I was on my journey. Norman : Ta said, ‘Come on, get in the studio, girl; you want to do a CD, come on.’ Tavia : I nurtured her journey. I think both Tank and I may have tapped into something that was deeper for both of us that we didn’t know was there. Granted, I met her doing poetry, which is what she wanted to do. She wanted to travel with her poetry book. She did not want to do a poetry show unless she had an album. Gus Bennett was put in my ear and he said, ‘I’m only telling you that I did a spot with Raj Smoove.’ I don’t know why Gus thought that I was the person. Tank : I don’t know why anybody thought you was [sic] the person to tell! Tavia : I know! Tank : No, I mean in my own self. Norman : Because you was [sic]! Tavia : One of Tank’s mentors pulled me to the side, spoke to me, and said I should really pursue this. They saw something in us that we didn’t see ourselves. We both just went full-fledged into it. When I met Tank, she had just quit her job and I was working two jobs and going to school. I thought I was really gonna be in an office job at the USDA or something. Other people were trying to get Tank to do things, but they were trying to get her to do what they wanted her to do, and not what she wanted to do. I was like, 'Let’s do what you doin’. I’m down for the poetry, like, let’s make this poetry album.' Everybody else was tryin’ to get her to do jazz songs and stuff, but she wasn’t feelin’ that.” credit: Erika Goldring/Getty Images [laughter] MaM : Y’all been together what, a decade now? Tank : Over a decade. Tavia : Twelve years with Tank and the Bangas, 13 years of friendship between me and Tank. MaM : So much great music. What’s the future hold? Josh : I don’t know – more stuff. Whole [sic] lot more stuff. Tank : We would love to get our book together. Norman : It’s comin’. Tank : We want to create an affirmation book for adults like us, and kids, and teenagers, because we have a lot of quotes that we live by and that we share with each other. We would love to do that. We would love to get more into big soundtracks for great movies; we’ve been offered those opportunities before. The world actually believes that we put on one of the best shows in America, [so to] have that stage and those things offered to us to make it what it’s supposed to be. Be more disciplined, more consistent. Just falling in love every day with what we doing. It’s not always easy, especially for myself. Definitely this year I’m going to make some resolutions, which I haven’t done in a while, honestly. Norman : Will you make a resolution? Whoop whoop! Tank : I feel made fun of. I thought this was a safe space. Norman : First of all, it’s a safe space. That was Kirk Franklin. I don’t know if you don’t know.” [laughter] Tank : Tavia, I’m not feeling safe. Let’s go. Norman : You need to self-care more. Your pants say self-care. If you want some self-care pants, they on TankAndTheBangas.com . Tank : Oh my lord. Norman : ... and they on Tank right now! Albert : More good music, Tank and the Bangas 2022 and beyond – for the kids! Whoooo!” For more on information on the outstanding talent that is Tank and the Bangas, their albums, their shows, and all, well, all things bangin', visit them online at https://www.TankandtheBangas.com . *Cover photo from taken from artist website. www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90's flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Questions or comments? E-mail us mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next

< Back Barbie: Film Review C.G. Smith Aug 7, 2023 Share Barbie sees success with its all-star cast and its underlying message for women everywhere Rating: 3.5 out of 5 duck lips of approval My wife and I don’t usually go out to see movies anymore, but she had been hearing about the Barbie movie from co-workers for a few days, so we bought tickets and went to the Broad Theater in New Orleans, Louisiana, to see it. The Saturday matinee was nearly full of adults of all ages, and a few families with young girls. The trailers rolled, and I finished my hot dog as a few latecomers filed into the last seats near the front of the theater. The movie began with a nod to 2001: A Space Odyssey for the intro sequence, and it was a grin-worthy moment for me. I was quickly pulled into the Kool-Aid as an oversized Margot Robbie ( Suicide Squad ), dressed as the original Barbie, towered above little girls playing with their ordinary dolls. Director Greta Gerwig ( Lady Bird ) showed right away that she was going to have fun with the film as little girls destroyed their baby dolls in homage to this new doll, Barbie. There were enjoyably wonderful supporting performances, and it was amusing to see some amazing actors having a good time with the roles they landed. Will Ferrell ( Old School ) as the Mattel CEO was silly, his presence perhaps a statement on how even a complete man-child can rise to the top of a company in a patriarchy, and Rhea Perlman ( Cheers ) as Barbie creator Ruth Handler was a high point for me. Michael Cera ( Superbad ) gave the discontinued Allan doll some life and a bit of comedic relief as the bony best friend of Barbie’s buff male counterparts, and Kate McKinnon ( Office Christmas Party ) was fabulous as Weird Barbie. Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie The plot centers on Barbie suddenly facing an existential crisis because of how someone in the real world is imagining her. We learn Weird Barbie is weird because she’s been played with too “hard,” and now Stereotypical Barbie’s perfect existence is suddenly threatened by flat feet, celluloid, and thoughts of impending death. Weird Barbie tells Stereotypical Barbie that to fix the situation, she must travel to the real world and find the person who is causing these changes in her. In the process, a stowaway Ken is introduced to the patriarchy, which he quickly adopts, albeit a bit clumsily, as he has always felt like he had no purpose without Barbie. I felt the whole Real World vs Barbie Land plot was an unexpected but overused way to tell the story. It was never really fleshed out as to how these two places could co-exist but nonetheless gave a way to merge the make-believe world with the reality of today. My favorite scene was when America Ferrera ( Superstore ) goes off about how impossible it is to be a woman in society in a monologue on the double standards of being a woman. This unlocks the answer the Barbies have been searching for to regain control of Barbie Land from the Kens, who have taken it over. Ryan Gosling ( La La Land ) does a great job as Ken, and the film doesn't make it a foregone conclusion that he and Barbie belong together, but rather that they should learn to know and love themselves without the confines of any pre-conceived gender roles or biases. Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken I will say that my wife, who was the catalyst for this outing, was not as impressed with the movie as I was. I find that often when something is talked about, and then built up in our minds, it's very hard to actually shine once it is experienced. Stephen King's The Stand (2020), for instance, has and probably never will live up to the movie I have created in my head. Overall, I felt Barbie was a fun, interesting movie and, although skewed towards adults, was not vulgar or too grown up for maturing children. Barbie seems to have a good time with the franchise while also projecting the power of finding and being yourself for Barbies and Kens alike. I doubt you'll not enjoy your time with this one if you go in with an open mind. Barbie also stars Issa Rae ( Insecure ), Kingsley Ben-Adir ( Secret Invasion ), John Cena ( Peacemaker ), and Simu Liu ( Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) . Questions or comments? Email the editor at the_keeleybrooks@mixedaltmag.com . Previous Next

< Back Rian's Den: A Night to Remember with Sleeping with Sirens Rian Nickels Oct 9, 2024 Share Never give up on your dreams. I typically write concert reviews, but let's be honest – almost everyone knows who Sleeping with Sirens is, and if you don't, all the info about the band members, their accomplishments, and their rise in their career can be found on their Wikipedia page. If you want to know what they sound like LIVE, I promise you that thousands of videos are available. I'm trying to say they are popular in the post-hardcore - emo - alternative scene. At this point, they've transcended generations, rising to fame with Millennials and Gen Z and resurfacing amongst younger folks from Gen Z and older folks from Gen Alpha due to apps like TikTok . So, What I'm here to tell you instead is the story of how Sleeping with Sirens impacted me to find and follow my dreams. It's just me! The year is 2012, and you're an angsty & edgy teenager still trying to become who you are, trying to find your musical taste, your place in the world, and the words for the thousands of intense feelings you have. In your coming-of-age journey, you're sitting in your high school cafeteria. Your friend starts talking about a beautiful man with the voice of an angel, Kellin Quinn – they see the look of confusion on your face and demand that you go home and search for Sleeping with Sirens on YouTube . Upon doing so, you come upon songs that will later be anthems of multiple generations, ' King for A Day ' featuring Pierce the Veil and ' If You Can't Hang '– your friend was right; he's beautiful, and he truly has what I would consider the voice of an angel. With his impressive vocal range, he can go from singing high-pitched notes and lovely harmonies to low screams that add more raw emotion to the songs. While you might have already been into bands like Mayday Parade and Hawthorne Heights , this day will shape your musical taste. It will be the first step to an over a decade-long journey. Credit: Rian Nickels The thing about Sleeping with Sirens is that the lyrics make you feel understood as a teenager and even as an adult. The songs put feelings into words that you didn't have yet. Tracks like " Tally Up, Settle the Score , " a song about being motivated to prove the people who doubted you wrong, encouraged you to push beyond your peers' hate and doubt. Songs like ' Who Are You Now ' ask the question of who you became after the world tried to change you. When you didn't have the words to describe the intense feelings of wanting to love and be loved, you had ' If I'm James Dean & You're Aubrey Hepburn .’ When you were left wondering how a parent could go without caring about you, you had ' A Trophy Father's Trophy Son .' You could scream the lyrics " Is this what you call a family ?" to the rooftops. If you had a partner who cheated on you, you had ' If You Can't Hang ' to sing along to. Sleeping with Sirens has a song for every hardship, every milestone, and every feeling you come across. The year is 2014; you're still just as ever, an angsty and emotional teen. You're going to Warped Tour with your friends to see bands like Attila , Mayday Parade , Breathe Carolina , and Sleeping with Sirens . If you were anything like me, you were a reserved and anxious teen who had never done anything significant. This was the most people you've ever been around and the most bands you'd ever seen on the same day. You notice that other people on Warped Tours are crowd-surfing, so think, "Oh, I could never do that." But when Sleeping with Sirens plays ' Do it Now Remember it Later ,' you think, "Well, why COULDN'T I?", so you find a trusting spot in the crowd and ride the wave of hands launching you forward at your chance to see the band up close if even only for a second. This is only the beginning of you coming out of your shell. It's the first time you genuinely feel accepted and realize other people are just like you. People with neon-colored hair, piercings, dark clothes, but most importantly, people who feel the way you have . A young me crowdsurfing at a Sleeping with Sirens show. In the years after the Warped Tour 2014 , Sleeping with Sirens continued to be there for us, motivate us forward, and ultimately explode in popularity. I didn't find my niche as a photographer until 2023. I had done small concerts before and knew I loved it, but I needed to be more dedicated. I didn't have the drive or the energy to accomplish it. But in 2023, I attended the So What Music Festival . On the first day, Sleeping with Sirens headlined the fest. Throughout the day, I saw various concert photographers running around taking photos, and I couldn't help but be jealous. I wanted to be them SO BAD. Just a pic of me from back in the day. When Sleeping with Sirens went on, they played such a fantastic performance that set in stone for me what I wanted to do with my life - Be a concert photographer. They cemented it even further by telling the crowd, "No dream is too big; you just have to push yourself in the right direction to get there," before telling us how they used to be a bunch of guys with a dream, too. I knew then that I would spend whatever time it took and do whatever it took to achieve my goals. The first step was making a goal. I looked at my partner during SWS and told them with my entire chest, "I promise you I will take their photos next year; I don't know how I'll do it, but I will." This feeling only solidified after seeing bands like Pierce the Veil and Neck Deep – all-time favorites of mine. Upon going home from the fest, I uploaded all the work I deemed worthy from previous music photo gigs to Instagram. By January 2024, my musician friends were starting to hit me up and ask me to photograph their performances. Even though I hadn't been taking photos for years. I pushed myself forward to doing it and, within a couple of months of feeling comfortable, found an alternative music publication based in my state! Mixed Alternative Magazine interviewed a local band I'd previously taken photos of. Reaching out, showing my portfolio, and trying to join the team would be good. Mixed Alt was thrilled about me wanting to join and drilled it into my head that I was talented in what I was doing. It felt good to be a part of something bigger than just myself. Throughout the year, I'd pick up all the gigs of my friends that I could. I grew my talent, got better equipment, and returned to my love of writing thanks to the woman behind all the magic at Mixed Alt Mag – Nicole Brice . When I saw that Sleeping with Sirens was coming to the House of Blues in New Orleans , I knew I would probably not get it, but I asked Nicole if we could try anyway. She allowed me to try, and we waited and waited and waited for what seemed like forever. Thirty hours before the show, I got an email saying I had been approved. I remember losing my mind. "OH, FUCK OH FUCK NO WAY NO WAY, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT OMG," I said. I couldn't believe I was accepted ! After over a year of sweat, tears, and dedication, I was meeting my massive goal of photographing one of my favorite bands. When I found myself in the photo pit of The House of Blues, taking photos of them performing ' Do It Now Remember It Later ,' it brought me back to that 16-year-old girl who was trying to find her place in the world, crowd-surfing to that same song at Warped tour 12 years ago. It brought me back to the 27-year-old woman I had grown to become just a year before screaming the lyrics to her partner and starting a dream in that field. It reminded me of all the past friends, lovers, adults, and press managers who said I couldn't do it. It showed me that every single step I had taken since I was 16 years old brought me to this moment – standing directly in front of Kellin Quinn and his fellow bandmates, capturing the magic through my lens, from my own eyes—the adrenaline from being so close and feeling so proud of myself pumped through my veins. Credit: Rian Nickels I guess my purpose of this alternate article was to tell you – just like Sleeping with Sirens would – to never give up on your dreams. As sappy as it is, dreams can come true, and you can achieve anything if you truly set your heart and mind to it. *All photos courtesy of Rian Nickels - to see more, check out Rian's site below. rianmusicjpeg.myportfolio.com Rian Haynsworth www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90's flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Questions or comments? Reach out to us at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next

< Back The Dynamic Sound of the New Jersey Band Spyne Nicole Brice Mar 2, 2024 Share Spyne!’s music is raw unfiltered rock with a nod to the classics. In the 90s, the musical landscape was full of rock tunes, but over the years the music being pushed to the masses has changed, taking on a different sound and vibe. With the industry focused more on overproduction and autotune, newer generations of independent musicians are starting to bring rock music back to where it belongs – on top. By reinventing guitar-driven music for a new generation, these bands are looking to make a revolutionary change by authentically creating tunes full of originality. New Jersey is known for its vibrant music scene and is continually churning out all sorts of musical creatives. Formed in New Jersey in 2021, the band Spyne! is steadily making a name for themselves on the local music scene, and includes frontman and rhythm guitarist Kyle Moyer, drummer Eric Muhler, lead guitarist Liam Muhler, and bassist Toni Manousos. Full of personality and charisma, Spyne! are four talented musicians on a mission to push boundaries and create music that resonates with listeners on a deep level, and the best way to describe Spyne!’s music, for those not familiar, is it is unfiltered rock with hints of punk and pop. It is simply feel-good rock. The band’s latest single “ Win ” was released on September 15, 2023, and is an anthem for any underdog facing criticism. With crisp, clean bluesy guitars and powerful vocals, the chorus asks, “Yeah what if I win?” in a sort of mocking tone. One of the defining features of the band’s sound on this track is Kyle’s powerful and soulful vocals , which could be compared to Daniel Johns from Silverchair meets Wolfgang Van Halen meets Dave Grohl . His dynamic range and emotive delivery add depth and intensity to all the band’s songs creating a powerful and enjoyable listening experience. Since their formation, Spyne! has been steadily releasing new music, and their debut EP, “ Away ”, released in 2022, showcases the band’s raw talent with an enjoyable 14 minutes of sound. Spyne! is currently working on a full-length album to be released in the future, but in the meantime, you can stay up to date on all their music via their social media. With a growing catalog of original songs and dynamic live shows, Spyne! is poised to continue making a name for themselves in the music industry and their solid booked calendar for 2024 can attest to that. Credit: Photo provided by band Mixed Alternative Magazine had the opportunity to chat with the guys in Spyne! recently to discuss aspirations, what makes them so unique, and upcoming plans. Take a moment to learn a little more about this talented and comedic group of musicians and then go stream their music and crank it up to 11. MaM : Hey guys, thanks for chatting with us today. First question – where did the band name and clever logo come from? Kyle : So, this goes back to me and our old drummer. We were sitting around, and he had just gotten done with treatment for scoliosis, so the name “spine” popped into our heads. We decided to add the “y” for a different take on the spelling and then the exclamation point at the end to show emphasis, so it reads as “Spyne!”. Also, too, with the “y”, it looks like a crooked back. MaM : What got each of you into music initially? Liam : I initially got into music because every member of my family plays an instrument, and we all play different instruments, so that has definitely been an influential factor in my interest in music. It was almost destined to happen and just seemed normal. I love all sorts of genres and we all have a different style, so it all just meshes well. Eric : Since Liam and I are brothers, you know we had a pretty similar upbringing. Both of our parents are teachers, so there was always a push for us to do something with music. Over the years, I tried numerous instruments, so it was about finding something I wanted to stick with. I started playing the drums, and over time, that ended up being the instrument that stuck with me. Toni : I was always fascinated with people moving people with their music. I think it’s a very powerful thing. Kyle : The earliest memory I have is listening to a bunch of different CDs in my mom’s car on the way to school. Growing up, I had a lot of eye surgeries done in New York, so we would have some long drives from New Jersey to New York and I remember listening to a lot of Deep Purple , Aerosmith , Van Halen , and anything classic rock , to be honest. My mom and dad were huge influences on my music taste, though. They introduced me to some great stuff. Credit: Photo provided by band MaM: That’s great parenting! How would you describe the music you typically create now? Kyle : I guess you could say it’s got a classic rock sound with a modern twist. We’re not trying to copy anyone, but we’re looking for a new sound that incorporates things from the past. Liam : I like to think of it as reinventing classic rock. An extension of an already rich tradition, but for a different demographic … more for our age group. I don’t feel like we’re making music to appeal to an older audience but more to a diverse audience. MaM : How do you approach writing music? Take us through the creative process. I read that you’re going to release a full-length album later this year, so tell us a little more about all of that, too. Liam : We are very privileged to have a great songwriter in Kyle. He writes from the heart and with his songwriting and Eric’s drumming skills, it’s just an excellent combination for Toni and me to add some riffs and harmony. We have a great formula and with live performances, we can stretch our muscles a little bit to change up the songs for the performance. Maybe change up a solo here or there. Our chemistry has these really consistent roles. Kyle : He’s right on the dot. It starts with me and then goes to Eric and then to the other two guys. We’re very lucky. Credit: Jeff Crespi MaM : If you could collaborate with any musician in the future, who would it be and why? Kyle : There are so many. I love Dave Grohl and have been a Foo Fighters fan since I was 12 years old, but I love Aerosmith, too. Liam : So, I have a bad answer for this. If I could collaborate with any artist, it would have to be Bruce Springsteen so I could complain to him. (laughter) No matter where I play or where I go, people keep mentioning him. The funny thing is that everyone around me has said they have met or seen Springsteen , so I feel like I owe it to myself to meet him. Everyone sitting at this table today has seen Springsteen . I’ve even done two Springsteen tributes in other bands, and I have yet to see or meet the guy. (laughter) MaM : If you ever do meet him, you need to tell him that he’s like Waldo … where’s Bruce ? (laughter) Toni : Paul McCartney for me. He’s influenced me the most. Eric : Rise Against for me. I would love to work with them and meet them. Credit: Jeff Crespi MaM : You guys are younger than me, and probably can’t remember a time without it, but how do you feel the internet has impacted the current state of the music industry? Liam : I think that the internet has fundamentally changed how we advertise things. I think that part of interacting with these social media platforms means that you must play by their rules a good bit and so we try to keep up with all of that. We try to put up cute and funny posts every so often. Something that can promote things seriously, but have a punchline, too. Sometimes having a sense of humor with what you post helps because it shows that your material is friendly and inviting. Kyle : I feel the same as Liam. Doing cute and funny things is great, but we’ve seen a good bit of changes with the internet just through the time we’ve grown up. Everything is so accessible now. Growing up it was more recreational, but since the 2010s, it feels like everything is media. The biggest struggle for us has been getting people to the shows, and in the past, it was more about just supporting the venues. Today, it’s so hard to pull people in and sometimes it’s the short funny media that makes them come to a show. It’s a learning experience. Credit: Jeff Crespi MaM : Do you have a favorite song to perform live? Eric : “ Away ” or “ Heaven Find You ”. People usually start jumping around during “Away” and it’s just fun to play. With “Heaven Find You”, I’m a big fan of the drum part I wrote for the song and love playing it. The chorus of the song is well-received by the fans, too. Toni : I think “ Win ” is my favorite original song to play. It’s just one of the best Spyne! songs and fun to play. Now, our cover of “ No One Knows ” by Queens of the Stone Age is one of the best we’ve done, and everyone loses their minds when we play it, too. Kyle : I don’t have an answer since I wrote all the songs. (laughter) I love each one. If I had to pick, though, it would be “ By the Bay ” and “ Heaven Find You ”. I also like it when we play “ Pride and Joy ” by Stevie Ray Vaughan, too. Liam : I’m going to start with my favorite cover to play live. Generally, with the covers, I love it when the songs have a good solo section because I like to make up stuff a lot. The guys give me a good bit of freedom to go crazy, but we played a cover at our last set at The Stone Pony by Kiss … we did “ Love Gun ”. That fulfilled something for my inner child because I grew up listening to Twisted Sister and other hair metal bands, and I just love the guitar work. With this cover, I was able to go crazy on stage and I think we have a recording of the performance somewhere. As far as originals go, I would have to pick “Win”. It’s got a kickass guitar riff that everybody remembers, and my friends have come up to me after a show to tell me that they really like “Win”. It’s such a terrific song. Credit: Jeff Crespi MaM : Ok, going to throw you guys a funny question. Do any of you have any useless talents outside of the musical realm? Liam : I can juggle pins on a unicycle. (laughter) MaM : That’s awesome. Kyle : I’ve seen that happen. I want to say automotive repair because I suck at it, but it’s not exactly useless. I can play drums on my stomach and can do that incredibly well for no reason. (laughter) Credit: Jeff Crespi MaM : So, when can we expect the new album? Where do you see yourself headed in the future? Kyle : We’re looking towards 2024, but I have a feeling it will push into 2025. We want it to be right. We have these songs that are an amalgamation of everything perfect. We want it mixed the way we want, and I think we’re going to fulfill our full artistic capabilities. The goal is to open for bigger acts and get our name out there to similar music tastes because the internet isn’t great at that. Liam : I think it’s really good that we’re going to be patient with the process. We’re not the type to rush into releasing something a little bit premature. I want to wrap it with a neat bow when we release it. As Spyne! continues to evolve and explore new musical territories, one thing remains constant – their passion for creating music that connects with people on a visceral level. Whether you’re a fan of rock or alternative, Spyne’s music is sure to resonate with you on a profound level. To check out the music of Spyne!, click the link below. Spyne! | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree Questions or comments? Hit us up at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . A huge thank you to Jeff Crespi for all of the amazing photos. Visit www.jeffcrespirocks.com to view more. Previous Next

< Back A Wave of Nostalgia: The Clifftones Nicole Brice Feb 22, 2023 Share Reviving Britpop Ever so often, I will stumble upon a musician whose sound truly resonates with me all the way to my soul. This holds true with Boston singer/songwriter, Scott Clifford. Scott goes by the handle “The Clifftones” on Instagram, but he is a one-man show. He sings, he plays guitar, he makes his own promos, he produces and records his own music, AND he is one awesome guy. A fellow Veteran of the armed forces, such as myself, when Scott and I first connected, we were able to talk military, and that was initially how the conversation started. Scott served in the 82nd Airborne Division overseas in Iraq but has since ended his enlistment. His smooth, soulful voice is truly beautiful, though, and it puts me in such a calm space. I am certain it will do the same for you. Over the past few years, Clifford has released several original singles, but with his latest release, he has decided to pay homage to those who have inspired and influenced him since adolescence. “The Exchange St. Sessions” EP is available March 1st via all streaming platforms, and I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy. It has been on repeat for the past two weeks. This EP of cover songs is hauntingly beautiful and gives me the chills … the good kind you get when the music is truly special. With Scott’s renditions of such classics as “Fade into You” by Mazzy Star and “The Drugs Don’t Work” by The Verve, it’s as if I’m hearing this music for the first time. With a voice that is a cross between Ryan Adams and Tom Waits, I insist that everyone give a listen to his newest release launching soon. You will thank me; I’m sure of it. Scott and I sat down to have a lengthy discussion recently about his music, his career in the Army, and just everything in general. Take the time to read about this incredibly talented man, and then go check out his Instagram for everything Clifftones related. MaM : Good Morning! So, how’s it going? SC : It’s going alright. I was actually going to crack a joke with your text that said, “Alright, I’ll call you at 11:15.” I was going to say, “I don’t know what unit you were in, but it’s 11:18 here already … and then I realized you are an hour behind me.” (laughs) MaM : I forget that I’m in a different time zone from others sometimes, being in no-man’s-land Louisiana. (laughs) SC : At least people are polite there. MaM : Well, kinda sorta. My family isn’t from here. Dad is from San Diego and mom is from Ashtabula, Ohio, so I’ve always been the odd ball, but let’s get this started. First, I love your accent. I know I probably have a southern accent from being down here. (laughs) SC : Well, I wouldn’t say I have a thick one, but I wouldn’t say you have a thick one either, but now, if I have a drink, it really comes out. (laughs) MaM : So, I know you had mentioned prior to this that you were in the military. 82nd Airborne? SC : Yep, so I was stationed at Ft. Bragg and did basic at Ft. Benning and then did AIT at Ft. Gordon. MaM : I did both my basic and AIT at Ft. Jackson. SC : What was your MOS? MaM : It started out as 71 L, but when they did some restructuring, the nomenclature changed to 42 L, but no matter what the number was, was always a clerk. I think I processed more Article 15's than anything. It was as if someone was always in trouble. (laughs) SC: I was a Commo guy. I laughed when you had mentioned the “E-4 Mafia” when we spoke another time. MaM : It wasn’t like the opportunities weren’t there to advance past E-4, but I was happy with my MOS, so I figured, why change it just to gain rank. So, I was E-4 my entire military career and I like to say we knew stuff, but we didn’t want the responsibility. (laughs) SC : Oh, I’m one of ya. (laughs) Yeah, after my 15-month deployment to Iraq for the surge, I just didn’t really care about advancing. I got home from my deployment and just wanted out. That was in 2010, though. It’s been a while. MaM : Same. Ok, so let’s talk music. I could talk military forever. Give our readers a little more background info on you. SC : I am Scott Clifford, and I’m 38 years old. I live in Boston, Mass., and I’m inspired by Rock music, and from an early age always wanted to emulate my favorite artists. I like being able to convey feelings, thoughts, and experiences through music. It’s an outlet for me. While I’m from Massachusetts, I’ve lived and travelled all over the world. I am an 82nd airborne combat veteran, as we already spoke about, and while I’m glad I’m out, I am glad I served. Fun fact: While in Iraq, I managed to get ahold of a guitar and laptop, and in the rare event we had free time, I would make spoof songs with my friends and fellow soldiers. I made a song called “365 in the 325” (325th Infantry Regiment) where me and some of the other guys would sing about the monotony while serving and various broken promises our unit/leadership made. After my time in the military, I studied towards a bachelor’s degree and later a master’s degree in the United Kingdom. I loved living in the UK, and the music scene there was incredible. MaM : When did you first get the itch to make music? SC : The first time I recall music registering in my brain as something fun to do was when I was around four or five years old. I remember my grandparents having an old electric keyboard. I can recall slowly playing the piano from the highest note to the lowest, all the while daydreaming about a little red riding hood storyline in my mind. I really believe this is where I sort of picked up or wired my brain for melody. With every note, I associated a feeling and a picture in my mind. I still do! MaM : Name one influential person in your life who you can credit with putting you on your path to making music. SC : I was lucky as a kid. I remember my dad realizing that I was starting to care less about sports and more about music. He bought me my first guitar. That’s when I realized I didn’t just want to be a fan of music but also someone who creates music as well. Because of my age, I had just missed the Grunge movement, and then here comes this Brit-Pop stuff, which you know I love. In fact, I ended up talking to one of the Gallagher brothers. There is a third one, who is not famous, and he found me on Instagram a while back, and he said to me, ‘You know what your problem is?’ And I’m thinking, ‘Oh, here we go …’ (laughs) He says to me, though, ‘You’re not doing anything new.’ I’ve had so many people say that I’m stuck in the past with my music, but if I sound 80’s, 90’s, or even 60’s, I take that as a compliment. MaM : Well, you know what they say: What was once old will become new again. That’s just the nature of the game. What is your favorite type of music, and who is your favorite artist or musician? SC : My favorite type or genre of music? I’d have to say it is Alternative Rock with a solid Pop leaning. By that I mean everything I’m writing now is heavily based around hooks and a verse/bridge/chorus-sort of structure. Not only do I want the songs to be catchy but also meaningful with the lyrics (the hard part). One of my favorite musicians would have to be Noel Gallagher of Oasis, obviously. The way he crafts a song is often simple but so melodic and anthemic. MaM : What is one of your most memorable live shows you have played? SC: Live music … my experience playing live consists mainly of small pubs and open-mic nights. One of my favorite times playing was while I lived in England. A few of my friends knew I played the guitar and volunteered me to play. Learning all those Oasis songs as a kid paid off that night! MaM : Where do you see yourself headed in the future as far as your music career? SC : Well, so far, it’s looking like an eventful 2023. I’m releasing the acoustic five-track covers EP followed by an Originals EP. I’m also in talks to collaborate with an electronic artist from Europe (trying to push myself out of my comfort zone a bit) and possibly creating the soundtrack for an indie film set in NYC, not to mention planning some live dates and limited run merch for the upcoming EP. Exciting times! I’m still navigating the world of Indie music, but I’ve been fortunate to have had some talented musicians and artists reach out to talk about my work. It’s beyond flattering and tells me I’m on to something. To check out Scott’s music, be sure to follow him on Instagram and then download “The Exchange St. Sessions” EP out March 1, 2023! The Clifftones (@clifftonesmusic) • Instagram photos and videos The Exchange St Sessions (2021-2022) by The Clifftones - DistroKid Music | The Clifftones - Scott Clifford | BostonMA Spotify – The Clifftones TheClifftones (@clifftones) / Twitter *All photos provided by the artist* Questions or Comments? E-mail the_nicolebrice@mixedaltmag.com Previous Next

< Back The Righteous Gemstones Returns for Season 3 Keeley Brooks Jun 12, 2023 Share The absurdist megachurch comedy is back with more shenanigans The Righteous Gemstones could quite possibly be one of Danny McBride’s best series yet, aside from Eastbound and Down , which aired back in 2009. If you missed that series, it stars Danny McBride as Kenny Powers, a former professional baseball pitcher who, after a career downturn in the major leagues (due, in part, to his childishness and arrogance), is forced to return to his hometown of Shelby, North Carolina, to substitute teach at his old middle school. It’s well worth the comedic four-season binge, which is full of so many laughs and excellent one-liners, you’ll be repeating them for weeks. The Righteous Gemstones is an HBO series, also created by McBride, that is a dark comedy crime show that follows a famously dysfunctional family of televangelists. It is the most quintessential absurdist megachurch satire ever to hit the airwaves, and McBride does not hold back on anything offensive—that’s his thing, right? Being offensive? Yes! So, if you’re one who is easily offended, maybe skip this show, but if you are not, I highly recommend binge-watching the first two seasons in preparation for the third, which airs this weekend. The Gemstones are an over-the-top wealthy religious family living in Memphis, Tennessee, led by widowed patriarch and church pastor Eli Gemstone (John Goodman of The Connors ). Image: HBO Eli and his incessantly immature (adult) children, Jesse (Danny McBride of Your Highness ), Judy (Edi Patterson of Violent Night ), and Kelvin (Adam Devine of Workaholics ) lead the kind of opulent lives that could only be provided by church donations given in the name of the Lord. The Gemstones all live near one another in their respective mansions spread across way too many acres of property—except for Judy, who winds up living in the “regular” house, presumably because she’s female and not as high up in the church. In the first season, we learn about what the Gemstones are currently up to in their lives, which entail a lot of secrets. The opening scene of the first episode is one of the funniest baptism scenes I’ve ever witnessed. Eli (Goodman), Jesse (McBride), and Kelvin (Devine) are in China for a 24-hour mass baptism, which takes place in a wave pool at a water park because it was the only space large enough to accommodate so many people. By hour 17, the brothers are wearing down and, in true rich-kid fashion, and start criticizing each other, bickering about the right way to baptize people when, out of nowhere, obnoxious party lights kick on and giant waves begin rolling through the pool. What ensues is complete hilarity as everyone scrambles to get out of the rave … I mean waves. As the Gemstones return home, though, we learn the shenanigans are just beginning. Jesse receives a salacious videotape of himself and some friends snorting cocaine and partying with a bunch of strippers—completely unacceptable behavior for the associate pastor of a megachurch. The tape is blackmail in exchange for a large sum of money, but from whom? Jesse enlists his brother and sister to help keep this quiet and track down the blackmailer, just as you’d suspect a bunch of eight-year-olds might go about handling such a task. Image: HBO Moreover, Eli’s estranged brother-in-law, played by Walton Goggins (who is known for his big, white teeth in roles from Justified and Sons of Anarchy ), is brought in to lead the Gemstones’ new shopping-mall-based satellite church, which impedes on a neighboring church. Image: HBO Season one ends with stolen money, the siblings confessing their sins to Eli, and the fate of the church up in the air as Eli kicks all three kids out of the church. Season two focuses on the Gemstones’ past—namely that of Eli. When an outsider from Eli’s younger days appears and tries to pick up old pastimes, we learn Eli used to be a criminal enforcer for a big-wig bad guy. Also, an investigative reporter by the name of Thaniel Block (Jason Schwartzman of Rushmore) turns up to investigate a tip he received about corruption running rampant in the Gemstone church. That catastrophe is one big hilarious fallout you have to see for yourself. Presumably, season three will focus on what the Gemstones will do to secure their future. Rest assured, there will be plenty more moral hijinks as the Gemstones battle for power and face off against some new opposers and face some violent pushback. They’ll also get involved in the NASCAR circuit and have to deal with an increasingly popular vocal religious movement consisting of boisterous, far right-wing gun-owning enthusiasts. For more details and a full recap of seasons one and two , read this article , which will tell you everything you need to know before the premiere of The Righteous Gemstones Season 3, which airs this Sunday, June 18, on HBO and Max. Catch the trailer below! Keeley Brooks is a big ole movies and streaming nerd who watches way too much content, then faces an uncontrollable urge to write about it, even if it sucks. Email her at the_keeleybrooks@mixedaltmag.com . Previous Next

< Back Herakleion: The New Orleans Metal Band Forging a Fierce New Sound Justin Hammer Oct 28, 2024 Share Welcome to the Necroverse Herakleion , a heavy-hitting trio from New Orleans, LA , comprises members Speed Wilson , Christian Woerner , and Apollo Xydias . Formed in 2021, their journey from the southern Louisiana metal scene to the national and international spotlight, supporting legendary New Orleans death metal pioneers Goatwhore on their latest North American Venomous Evocation Tour , is a testament to their dedication and talent. They have also embarked on their own tours, spreading their unique sound to various states nationwide. This band is definitely on the rise, so take note. Credit: Justin Hammer Their latest achievement is the brand-new release of their second EP, Necroverse in September 2024. After two years of writing and planning, they embarked on a collaborative journey with producer Pete DeBoer at Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, TX, to assemble this masterpiece, and this album is one that will resonate with you if you are a true lover of metal. The album crafts a dark and immersive atmosphere with distorted guitars, pounding percussion, and other textures to evoke a sense of dystopian grandeur. They also partnered with the talented metal imagery artist Noah Meihoff for the album artwork, adding a visual layer to the story told in the music. With numerous releases to their credit since their inception, I was able to sit down with the guys in Herakleion recently to get some insight into their process when creating their newest effort, Necroverse , as well as some band history, and how touring is going. Take a moment to learn more, and then be sure to stream Necroverse today. MaM : Thanks for speaking with us today. How did you all come up with the name Heraklion? Apollo : I was sitting on the couch with my roommate. It was before I joined the band, but sometimes, we would get off work, scroll through YouTube videos, and pass the time instead of watching a TV show. I saw a documentary on the ancient city of Herakleion and was interested in the story. They had only recently discovered it about 30 years ago. I just thought it was cool that, you know, there’s the same city from which they thought the story of Atlantis came. When running band names, we didn’t want those classic name generator names, an adjective, a noun type deal, or two and three-word names. We wanted one punchy word that hadn’t been said before, and it seemed like it just clicked in my brain. I was like, “Hey, why don’t we just go with this?” we’ve been running with it ever since. Credit: Justin Hammer MaM : How did y’all create the new album, Necroverse ? Give us a few details. Herakleion : Necroverse was meant to be a purely conceptual album. Each song has a story about crossing from the mortal plane into the realm of the dead. So that’s pretty much the theme for every song and every story within each song. We wanted it to be a bit more varied in tempos and writing than the first EP, being its own thing. It’s a bit more mid-tempo, and we got a lot more creative with the riffs and the flow of every song. It was an enjoyable writing process; it was certainly different, and the product is different; it’s cool. Released September 13, 2024 MaM : How would you all say it differed from the first EP? Herakleion : The production quality is much higher than that of the previous efforts. The thing about it is it’s not all that different from when we recorded Curse of Eternity because we did everything for that record basically like we were recording analog, even though it’s technically a digital recording. Still, we did all the recording live off the floor. There are no punch-ins or anything like that. At this point, it’s kind of just how we know how to do it: to get that good take right off the floor and do it live. We took what we got from Curse of Eternity and ramped up on the production, went to the excellent studio, got the producer we wanted, and just took it to the next level from what we were already doing. Writing was a lot more thought-out, too, because the first album we made before we even played a show so that we would have some stuff to play. It came together over a few months, but we had been working on the new release for over a year, so it’s much more refined and honed than the first one. Credit: Justin Hammer MaM : Who did the recording and production for the new album? Herakleion : Pete Deboer from Denver. We went to a studio in Tornillo, TX , called Sonic Ranch . It was an incredible experience. MaM : I love the album artwork. Who came up with that? Herakleion : Noah Meihoff . Noah did an amazing job. We found him through some artwork he did for this horror magazine cover, and up until that point, we didn’t see anything we felt fit the record's theme. We knew we needed this guy to do it as soon as we saw his work. We saw his process and its uniqueness, which fit the analog feel of the whole record we were going for. We talked to him about the record's themes, and he came up with a concept for the cover, which came together nicely. There are a lot of subtle details in that album artwork as well that if you’re looking at it, you can find, you know, hidden little things in there that even had to be pointed out to me even after I had seen it for a month or so I like that it has that dimension and those layers to it. He just really knocked it out of the park, and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Released September 13, 2024 MaM : What was it like getting out on the road with the legendary Goatwhore ? Herakleion : We know those guys well, so it’s like going out on the road with some good buddies, but we all stayed professional despite our friendship status. It was just a lot of fun, you know. The biggest takeaway from touring, whether it’s our run with Goatwhore or on our own, especially from those guys, is to learn how to be 100% efficient, professional, cool to everybody, and don’t go and screw around when you’re on the road, you’re there for a reason. The wheels don’t take long to come off track. You must adapt and keep your head on a swivel. You know, you could pop a tire, or something could break at a show, or leave a cable at a venue. You take something different away from every show you play, and when you tour with guys like Goatwhore that have been doing it for twenty-plus years, I mean, you can get the “Hey, don’t do this!” before you make that mistake, so you learn a lot from taking to those guys. You know the most when it’s the end of the night, and you’re putting away each other’s stuff in each other’s trailers and sharing stories, asking questions, and if you're paying attention, you can take those notes and don’t forget them if it’s something you want to do for a long time. We are lucky to have friends in the business who have been doing it for a while and can pass the knowledge along to us. Credit: Justin Hammer MaM : Do you guys have any up-and-coming touring plans? Herakleion : We have a mid-west run planned for November , where we will visit Memphis , St. Louis , Chicago , Cleveland , Dayton , Louisville , and New Orleans . Then, we are planning a Texas run in December . That’s pretty much it for the year, but next year will be pretty much nonstop on the road, either on our own or with other bands. Catch Herakleion on tour this fall! Check Herakleion's Instagram and Facebook pages for all upcoming tour dates and information about their current activities. To purchase their new EP Necroverse on vinyl, cassette, or CD, along with all their other merchandise, follow the link tree in the bio on their Instagram page. Necroverse is out NOW on all streaming services. Facebook www.facebook.com/HERAKLEI0N Instagram www.instagram.com/herakleion504 NECROVERSE EP/Merch Store https://herakleion-shop.square.site/ *All photos by Justin Hammer www.justinhammerphotography.com Shop Photography Art | Justin Hammer Photography Shop art is a collection of art that is currently available for purchase at Justin Hammer Photography. www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90's flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Questions or comments? Reach out to us at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com Previous Next

< Back Festival of Litha Returns to Downtown Florence in June Keeley Brooks May 18, 2023 Share Coming together to celebrate the summer solstice Summer is right around the corner, and with it comes all of those highly anticipated festivals full of food, fun, music, and crafts. Returning to downtown Florence, Ala., for the third consecutive year is the increasingly popular Festival of Litha, hosted by Hesperia Mystic Shoppe out of Sheffield, Alabama. Last year, the festival was held in Wilson Park in Florence and featured dozens of local vendors and live music over the course of three days. This year, the event will feature close to 80 vendors and will be held on Sunday, June 11, 2023, at a new location: The Historic Sweetwater Depot located at 502 S Royal Avenue in downtown Florence. “I have felt drawn to this historic area of Florence,” says Hesperia owner Kendall Gilchrist, “and I am happy to introduce an event to bring more attention to this side of town that holds cute little restaurants.” The festival is a FREE family friendly event that runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and locals are invited to come out and enjoy some great food, local arts/crafts/goods, and live music by local and surrounding-area musicians. courtesy of Hesperia Mystic Shoppe Litha (pronounced Lee-tha) is the celebration of the summer solstice and the beginning of Summer, which occurs this year on Wednesday, June 21. It has been a celebration amongst many cultures for many, many years but its origins are rooted in Celtic lore. Litha is said to be a time to celebrate the power of nature and its fertility, as the solstice represents the transition from action to nourishment, which is exactly what the sun gives us during the long nights of Summer. Even in those who do not mark the summer solstice, there is an internal flame within when the days get longer, and the sun leads us through better times. By celebrating the sun and the power it provides to all nature, humans are spiritually ignited and thus connected to its life force. For those familiar with the Eastern concepts of yin and yang, the solstice is a time of maximum yang—the longest day of the year. “This year,” says Gilchrist, “people can expect more of a market feel with bits of entertainment for both adult and kids alike. There will be food, live music, and a bar inside the Depot where you can cool off. We currently have around 80 vendors this year—such growth from around 25 in previous years!” courtesy of Hesperia Mystic Shoppe Vendors will be placed inside and outside The Depot, with many vendors selling metaphysical-themed arts and crafts as well as candles, bath and body goods, jewelry, books, and so much more. “I've always been community-driven, I just couldn't figure out for a long time what I could do to bring together like-minded individuals and support small businesses like myself,” adds Gilchrist. “It feels good to see others succeed in doing something they love, and I get to witness that at each festival I do now. I'm happy to support these local vendors as they have supported me in so many ways. I hope each of my vendors gain more and more confidence in what they do because some have never had their craft out for the world to see. There are such beautiful, talented, gifted crafters and creators in this area! I'm so glad I can provide a safe space for them.” As far as the music goes, this year will feature live performances from jazz/funk/blues/rock multi-instrumentalist Charles Brooks, singer/songwriter Bryson Bishop, and pop-rock duo Thrice Sovereign. Charles Brooks (by Rachel Neal), Bryson Bishop (social media), Thrice Sovereign (by Amanda Chapman) Kicking off the live music at 4:30 p.m. will be Dr. Charles Brooks , UNA Entertainment Industries professor and a multi-instrumentalist across a slew of genres. He is most known for his wicked four-mallet jazz vibraphone skills, but he is also a classically trained percussionist who plays drum set, piano, hand drums, synth keytar, and acoustic guitar, to name a few. For Litha, he’ll be rocking faces off with the synth keytar as heard below in this year’s Black History Month tribute to Stevie Wonder. For more on Charles Brooks, visit www.TheCharlesBrooks.com . Bryson Bishop will take the stage at 5:30 p.m. He is a Shoals-area singer/songwriter who will keep you entertained with some of your favorite covers from artists like James Brown, Michael Jackson, and so many others, and you might just hear an original song or two in his mix. To check out Bryson's beautiful singing, visit him on Facebook and Instagram . courtesy of Bryson Bishop Music social media Up next around 6 p.m. will be Florence-area singer/songwriter Aaron Dean . courtesy Aaron Dean social media And closing out the music for the evening at 6:30 p.m. will be Thrice Sovereign , a Florence-based pop-rock female duo comprised of multi-instrumentalist Kristen Borden Talcott and singer/songwriter Amanda Lee Borden Talcott, who recently released their title single from their debut album “Waiting to Thunder.” Their songs are groovy tunes composed in a popular style that draws on heavy guitar riffs and the fat, distorted sounds of hark rock with artistically relatable lyrics. You certainly won’t want to miss the energy! For more on them, visit www.ThriceSovereign.com . Festival of Litha isn’t all Gilchrist has in the works for this. year, though. On Tuesday, May 23, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Hesperia Mystic Shoppe and Lava Room will partner to host Brooklyn-based goth-folk musical duo Charming Disaster with a pop-up shops experience full of metaphysical items in downtown Florence on Mobile Street in support of the band. The duo will perform from 8-9:30 p.m. inside the Lava Room, and blue-cup cocktail drinks will be served alongside a delicious menu. You can even take the blue cups out onto Mobile Street to accompany you in your shopping. Charming Disaster will also be selling their merch after the show. Says Gilchrist, “Overall, it will just be a fun evening to get out midweek and take a break from it all!” So, mark your calendars, people in the Shoals area! The Charming Disaster Pop-Up Shops Experience happens Tuesday, May 23, from 6-10 p.m. at the Lava Room , and Festival of Litha happens Sunday, June 11, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. There’s even a new Halloween festival coming this year, courtesy of Kendall Gilchrist and Hesperia Mystic Shoppe, but you’ll have to stay tuned for that. I promise to bring you everything you need to know about Samhain Horror Night closer to October! Questions or comments? Email the author at the_keeleybrooks@mixedaltmag.com . Previous Next

< Back See: The Final Chapter Keeley Brooks Oct 13, 2022 Share Jason Momoa as a Blind Warrior? I'm in! I’m a fan of most genres, and I’ll just about watch anything, unless it’s a sappy love story. One of my favorite genres, though, is science fiction. Start with that and sprinkle in treats like Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, and plenty of badass fight scenes (not to mention Alfre Woodard), and you’ve got my attention in its entirety. Streaming series See did just that and is in its final season, with the finale right around the corner. If you’ve yet to check it out, here’s why you should. See is a science fiction drama series currently airing on AppleTV, starring Jason Momoa, Alfre Woodard, and, in season two, Dave Bautista. It also stars one of my favorite actors, Christian Camargo. Not sure who that is? Maybe this’ll help: If you were a fan of Dexter , you might remember him as The Ice Truck Killer from season one. Yeah? The series takes place in a very distant, brutal, primitive future, hundreds of years after a deadly virus pretty much destroyed humankind. Anyone who managed to survive emerged blind and thus gave birth to future blind generations, mostly. See follows Jason Momoa’s character, badass warrior tribe leader Baba Voss, as he goes to theend of every length to protect his family—namely his children, because they have the mythic ability of sight. Though Baba Voss has raised the twins from birth like they were his own, they are not his biological children; they are his wife’s, Maghra Kane, who was impregnated by a sighted man. Maghra is a princess of the House of Kane in the Payan Kingdom. Baba Voss found her lost, alone, and pregnant in a storm, so he brought her back to his tribe for shelter. She gave birth, they fell in love, they got married, yada yada yada. Maghra’s sister is Sibeth Kane. She is Divine Ruler and absolute monarch of the Payan Kingdom. She’s also the ruthless spiritual, military, and political leader of the last remaining society with electrical power. She murders any heretic speaking about the sense of sight and classifies them as witches. SHE is a treat to watch. I don’t know that anyone other than Sylvia Hoeks (pronounced Hooks) could’ve played this role so well … captured Queen Kane’s nuances so perfectly. She has a very interesting way of speaking and doing that brings some levity to her character while at the same time adding dimension. It’s one of the things I love about her. Plus, she gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, “I wish to pray.” You’ll see. Queen Kane’s Royal Tax Collector and Witchfinder General is Tamacti Jun (Christian Camargo). A brilliant and violent witchfinder general, he leads an army to find and kill anyone with sight. In particular, Sibeth has him on the hunt for a man named Jerlamarel (Jer-La-More-El) and all of his sighted children. As a man of sight, Jerlamarel goes around impregnating women (not forcefully or anything) to build a sighted race. Two of his children are Baba Voss and Maghra’s twins, Haniwa and Kofun (Ko-foon); hence Baba’s need to protect his family. Alfre Woodard also stars as an elder, advisor, and midwife to the Alkenny people, Baba Voss’s tribe. She and Baba are very close, almost like mother and son. She mentors him, and her extremely powerful innate wisdom guides him through all things, especially times of crisis. Not everyone trusts her in the Alkenny tribe, though, and dissenters view her as a witch. So, she is also under Baba Voss’s protection from Sibeth and Tamacti Jun. Dave Bautista joins the cast in season two as Edo (EE-doe) Voss, Baba’s estranged brother, and his arrival is nothing short of exciting. I’ll save their story for you to unfold but I will say I’m not sure there’s ever been such a highly anticipated fight scene between two brothers as this one was, and it did not disappoint. At all. Then comes a huge twist that made me jump up and do a happy dance, but I won’t spoil the fun. You’ll have to watch it and find out for yourselves! As a whole, I have to say everyone did a great job on making their blindness believable. It’s interesting to see (ha, no pun intended) how these blind tribes function together and work as a unit hunting, building, traveling, fighting—murdering … you name it. And kudos to the fight choreographer(s) working this series. Standing ovation. They came up with some sweet, clever battle moves that’ll definitely make you want to rewind and repeat. More than once. See is currently in its final season with new episodes dropping on AppleTV on Fridays. (Most of the time, they drop the night before at 8 p.m. if you’re like me and can’t wait ‘til then!) Seasons one and two are also available. Go see with your own eyeballs and enjoy! You can thank me later. Previous Next

< Back The Great Entertainment Debate C.G. Smith Nov 2, 2022 Share Go to the Theater or Stay Home and Stream? I’ve been a fan of going to the movies since I was a young child. I have vivid memories of going to see films like Disney’s The Jungle Book , Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back , Return of the Jedi , and The Dark Crystal as a boy. The feelings of taking a giant bucket of buttery popcorn into that once sacred space and finding a good seat were magical. When the lights went down and the big theater speakers began booming, my eyes would light up, ready to be taken away to whatever fantastical universe this movie would bring. It was glorious. Not only was it entertaining but also it was a way to share something special and new with my family, and it gave us so much to discuss after the lights came back up and we made our way home. Today we have the option to stream most movies at home, and a lot of us are doing just that. With our massive televisions that remind me of the big screen walls from the novel "Fahrenheit 451 " and our fancy soundbars and multi-speaker sound systems, we can enjoy the films we want to in the comfort of our own homes. The popcorn might not be as good, but it doesn’t cost a few weeks’ worth of allowance either. When studios began releasing movies for streaming at home, often on the same schedule as those in the theaters, I wondered why anyone would still go out to see a movie when they could just stay home in their pajamas, curl up with their loved ones or pets, and for the price of their monthly subscription enjoy the same product that others were braving the elements (and COVID and other movie goers) to see. Surely the theater experience was transitioning into being a thing of the past, right? Box office receipts were already declining and then took a massive hit when the Covid-19 pandemic swept across the world in early 2020. Even though movie theaters in 2022 have seen business come back to nearly double the 2021 numbers, people are still often choosing streaming at home over the traditional movie theater experience. Why? Is it the ever-rising costs to go out and see a movie? It damn near costs you $30 just to get in the door, let alone what you spend on food and drink. Or, is it due to the ease of pushing a button at home and starting (or pausing) the film from your couch? Is it the fact that you won’t have a pile of human garbage tapping the back of your seat with their foot? I asked friends and strangers this very question to try and understand where fans of movies are at these days. Here are a few responses. “ I like to go to the movies. It’s the whole going-out experience I enjoy—the smell of the popcorn, the big theater sound, the sense of being a part of something,” said one woman I spoke to. “ I will always prefer going to a movie theater over staying at home .” The answers to this query are diverse and seem to depend on the availability and quality of the theaters around those answering, as well as the film itself. For instance, here in New Orleans, most theaters serve alcohol along with the standard sodas, popcorn, and candies. I remember my first movie theater experience here when my wife and I went to see the special screenings of Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight . Upon walking into the big AMC Elmwood theater lobby, I look to my left and see a fully stocked bar! I was truly in the city where I belonged. Another time when we went downtown to see The Rise of Skywalker , we were able to order a charcuterie board and a bottle of wine. Other cities are, of course, not New Orleans and don’t have full bar setups or charcuterie boards … not that these amenities make one theater necessarily superior or not to the average audience member, but it does play a factor into the going-out experience as a whole. At least for some people. “ I like streaming because I can watch programming on my own schedule,” says entertainment podcaster Scott Waltner. “ I’m more willing to take a risk on a film or series than I would going to the theater. Blockbuster franchises will continue to drive people to the theater, but streaming services allow studios the chance to tell different stories and I really like having those options .” Many people I have spoken to say it really depends on the movie. They prefer to go experience a big blockbuster MCU action movie in a fancy theater while the newest Wes Anderson film might work better at home. Some people say they just prefer the overall ambience and feel of an actual movie theater, while others say they would rather stay in and watch in the comfort of their home. Some are just hooked on the entire experience of going to see a movie in a big theater, but overall many people I have spoken with say if the movie is grand in scale, they are more apt to go to a theater to see it rather than trust their home system to present it faithfully, but that for most movies, they prefer to stay home and stream it. I suppose the big question now is, is the experience of going out to an actual movie theater worth it to you, the viewer, more so than the comfort of staying home for that particular movie? These are questions we must answer ourselves, and ones that the Hollywood film industry have surely been pondering. Our screens will keep getting larger and might someday actually be like those described in "Fahrenheit 451," but the desire to get out of our homes and experience something in a communal setting will continue to drive most of us off the couch and out of the house for the foreseeable future. Whichever you prefer, I nonetheless hope your movie-watching experiences are just as magical as mine are. Questions or comments? Send an email to the_keeleybrooks@mixedaltmag.com Previous Next