Category: Music

May 1, 2009

Muphin Chuckrs: \”Boyz N Gurlz\” (“Boyz N Gurlz”)

MUPHIN CHUCKRS

Members: Dustin White (vocals, guitar), Dan Edwards (guitar), Zach Phillips (drums), Nate Reid (bass)

Sounds like: Incubus, 311, Green Day

The Muphin Chuckrs have been playing together for nearly a decade, but only reached legal drinking age two years ago. The original trio (minus Reid) met in guitar class at Manatee School for the Arts in 1999. After switching around on instruments, they decided Phillips had the rhythm, Edwards had the chops and White had the pipes. “We started in a garage,” says White. “We were a true garage band.” Green Day was the main influence at the beginning, but they soon expanded into blues, rock, reggae and metal. Bassist Reid joined about four years ago and they have been gigging steadily since. “We’ve played everything from parties to bars to theaters to talent shows to small clubs to the rooftop at Piranha,” says White, “everything you can think of in Bradenton, Sarasota and Palmetto we’ve hit at least once.” They’ve recorded eight independent albums with Wes Price at Polysound Studios in Bradenton. “He’s the shit.”

May 1, 2009

Everyone Owns the Right: \”Beautiful Pursuit\” (“Beautiful Pursuit”)

EVERYONE OWNS THE RIGHT

Members: Stormy Angel (vocals), DJ Imminent (beats), EvLove (vocals)

Sounds like: Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill

Everyone Owns the Right began as an open call to MCs in the area. “That was my whole goal,” says DJ Imminent, “to get as many people I knew that were musical and cool involved in this project.” The group was eventually whittled down to the three core members: DJ Imminent, his wife Stormy Angel, and their high school friend EvLove. They first performed together at Sarasota’s 2006 EarthDance Festival and soon realized that their lyrics shared a common theme: consciousness. “In every song there is a bit of a lesson,” says Stormy Angel. Imminent creates the beats with instruments and synthesizers and then the trio uses singing, rapping and slam poetry to soak the songs in social and political commentary. Their new release, Natural Science, is a concept album that begins with natural, organic instrumental beats and gets more produced and futuristic as the album progresses.

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”