Tim Sukits

Category: Features

  • New T-shirt company premieres at Everything but the Girl

    May 7, 2009

    Everything but the Girl will host the premiere ofBlk Sheep, a new Sarasota T-shirt company that targets hipsters of all ages. Blk Sheep was started by Ringling graduate Spencer Wohlrab after he went through a series of unfortunate events in his life and decided to channel his emotions into design. After showing some of his designs to his friend Katrina Costedio, who happens to own a design firm, she decided to help him turn his pain into profit. Wohlrab’s mission is to “celebrate the individual while educating the masses on the importance of design and its impact on culture.” Blk Sheep has teamed up with Everything but the Girl owner Laura Daniel Gale, who will now carry the new clothing line in her store. The premiere will be from 7-9 p.m. Saturday, May 9 at Everything but the Girl located at 430 Central Avenue in the Rosemary District. DJ Permitted will be spinning some beats and local fashion designer David Marmon will introduce his “David Marmon for Blk Sheep” dress. Refreshments will be served and the after party is across the street atSarasota Olive Oil Company for some live music with singer/songwriter Vin Lamar.

     

  • 2009 Summer Guide artist #9 — Stuk

    Apr. 27, 2009

    Stuk: \”Val.I.Dated\” (“Val.i.dated”)

    STUK

    Members: Nik (vocals), Mo (guitar), Kirk (drums), Judd (bass/vocals)

    Sounds like: Mudvayne, Deftones, Korn

    Stuk brought in Judd, the new bass player, about a year ago and the band’s sound has been evolving since. They take pride in creating music that can’t be categorized. “We’ve got everything from hip-hop to rap to country to anything,” says Judd. “We just try to throw it in. If we start writing something that sounds like something, we shit-can it. There’s nothing more terrible than a fucking label.” The boys practice and record at Top Secret Studios and are nearly finished with their new EP. They find that metal in Sarasota is “coming back, slowly but surely” and credit Steel Can Alley for supporting the scene. The band is passionate about their performances: “We strive to be right on the money and put on a great show for people. Make you want to punch the guy standing next to you or hold him crying.”

     

  • 2009 Summer Guide artist #5 — Nino Pinelli

    Apr. 27, 2009

    Nino Pinelli: \”Ice Age\” (“Ice Age”)

    NINO PINELLI

    Sounds like: A male Norah Jones, Damien Rice

    Nino Pinelli has led every bit the dramatic life of a poignant songwriter, hopping between Sarasota and New York City in cycles of energy expenditure and rejuvenation. Opportunities arose while gigging around NYC, but the complicated mind of an artist often trumps reason. “I was sitting at the record company and the guy was just trying to pull me out,” says Pinelli, “but I was in the depths at that point. I just didn’t care.” In 2004 he finished recording six tunes in his closet at 3 a.m., took a plane to Sarasota a few hours later, and never released anything. “I was just so done, so burnt out. I had finally come up with the material saying what I want to say, but I didn’t want to say it anymore.” Now 33 and a father, Pinelli is starting fresh. “Now the goal is different, the goal is the belief that the music is relevant.”

     

  • 2009 Summer Guide artist #4 — Big Blu House

    Apr. 27, 2009

    Big Blu House: \”New Saloon\” (“New Saloon”)

    BIG BLU HOUSE

    Members: Big Leon (keyboards), J-Blu (MC), J-House (drums), Johnny Rockwell (bass)

    Sounds like: Outkast, The Roots, G. Love

    Big Blu House fully formed just a few months ago. Brothers Jeff (J-House) and Big Leon Kerber have jammed around town for years and played in a number of bands including Fiasco and Tough Sons. They met J-Blu at a Noble Romans in Bradenton and began putting his unique lyrics to some of their funk and hip-hop beats. They added Johnny Rockwell after seeing him playing air bass behind the bar during a show they had at Pastimes, where Leon and Rockwell both work. “We played in hundreds of shows with different bands” says Leon, “but when we first got on stage with this one we were like ‘wow, this is really working.’” The group plans to keep the momentum going with a studio album and then a tour. “The feeling of just getting started is strong. This is the very beginning.”

     

  • 2009 Summer Guide artist #3 — Completely From Mountains

    Apr. 27, 2009

    Completely From Mountains: \”All These Things I Need to Know\” (“All These Things I Need to Know”)

    COMPLETELY FROM MOUNTAINS

    Members: David Daly (vocals, guitar)

    Sounds like: David Gray, Brian Eno

    Completely From Mountains consists of singer-songwriter David Daly and whoever else happens to be contributing. The 27-year-old has written songs since his teens but recently started focusing on a music career. He sold cars at a Lexus dealership for seven years before getting laid off three months ago. “It’s a blessing in disguise,” Daly says. “You sort of lose your soul.” Now Daly has time for his music. “The first thing I do when I wake up is make coffee and pick up my guitar. I’ve been writing a lot.” He goes by the moniker Completely From Mountains because it allows him to be a solo act or collaborate with other players on projects and shows. Jeff and Leon Kerber from Big Blu House have backed him up live. His sound is very ambient and ethereal. “I just really like the sound of reverb. It’s got this big cathedral like sound. I just crank it up.”

     

  • 2009 Summer Guide artist #2 — Pedro Arévalo

    Apr. 27, 2009

    Pedro Arévalo & Friends Too: \”My Baby\’s Gone\” (“My Baby’s Gone”)

    PEDRO ARÉVALO

    Sounds like: blues, jazz, flamenco, latin, bluegrass

    Pedro Arévalo is a staple of the Sarasota music scene. His father, known around town as Acoustic Pete, has a number of weekly gigs that Pedro and his brother Jefe step in on. Arévalo plays many instruments, but considers himself a bassist. He’s played in bands from across the genres including Swamp Grass, The Lotus Fire, Los Mosquitoes and the Vine Street Rumba Band, to name a few. He just returned from touring with Dickey Betts & Great Southern and has been playing slide guitar with Greg Allman’s son, Devon Allman, in a band called Honey Tribe. Aside from all this he has released two independently produced albums under his own name, both of which feature a spectrum of genres. “I like variety,” says Arevalo. “I love blues, country-blues and all kind of hillbilly music like bluegrass. I love jazz, just improvisation. I consider myself an improviser. That’s my profession.”