Tim Sukits

Category: This Week in Sarasota

  • TWISler Breakdown: Money, Money, Money

    TWISler Breakdown: Money, Money, Money

    Published June 8, 2011 TWISler Breakdown: Money, Money, Money – Politicians spend it while citizens cough it up It was kind of therapuetic for the TWISler to take a few weeks off the usual rants to write about some of the good things going on in Sarasota. Unfortunately, every new week seems to come with yet more cheery news about how we’ve been wasting vast swaths of taxpayer money over years of shady bidding processes rigged to ensure contracts for crony companies. The worst part is what they apparently view as the solution: to gouge us citizens for every penny we’re worth in the hopes of recovering lost funds. So, here we are two weeks in and how’re those paid parking meters treatin’ ya? That is, when they’re not malfunctioning from the humidity… Honestly, the fact that our brand-spanking new pay stations aren’t big fans of moisture in the air may be a positive for us lowly citizens. These little technical difficulities at least offer a chance for extra breaks with some complimentary “free tickets”, which are one-time-only warning shots before you earn the real thing running you a cool $35. (Tip #1: Get as many “free tickets” as possible…) (more…)
  • TWISler Breakdown: Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

    TWISler Breakdown: Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

    Published July 18, 2011 TWISler Breakdown: Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes As many of you probably noticed, the TWISler took a bit of a vacay over the past few weeks in order to ice down the swelling that has resulted from the egregious ass-whooping the city has been delivering to us over the past six months on matters of public policy. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to any member of the city leadership that those of us in the creative class fighting to have our voice heard haven’t felt all too, well, heard. If you’re not quite sure what we mean, we’ll try to refresh your memory: Back in January, we highlighted the long-fought battle over Sarasota’s ridiculous noise and entertainment ordinances, which we have yet to see anything resembling a motion toward a discussion toward caring about at all from any member of our leadership. Guess what kids, the sidewalks still roll up at 10 p.m. in this fair town. (more…)
  • In the Green Room with Cats in the Basement

    In the Green Room with Cats in the Basement

    Published July 26, 2011 (Photo: Scott Braun) In the Green Room with Cats in the Basement Fun fact: “Herb Crust” by Cats in the Basement was named after a line frontman Greg Ferris spotted on a box of Hot Pockets. While attending Ringling College, aspiring artist and musician Greg Ferris started writing songs under the pseudonym Cats in the Basement — derived from the feral cats around his house whose meows would occasionally find their way onto his recordings. The project took a backseat after Ferris joined locals Mike and Erin Murphy to form The Equines, in which Ferris plays xylophone, and to eventually launch Sarasota indie label Finch House Records. (more…)
  • In the Green Room with I.G.O.R.

    In the Green Room with I.G.O.R.

    Published Aug. 2, 2011 In the Green Room with I.G.O.R. “It was always an acronym, we just had to come up with what it was” says Mauricio Blanca, keyboard player and vocalist for Sarasota dance band I.G.O.R. The acronym they settled on was Intelligent Good Old Robots, derived from the small machines we rely on for almost everything we do. The name is a fitting tribute to the trio’s music, which stands out from the barrage of guitar-centered alt-rock, straddling a balance somewhere between 80’s dance pop and various modern electronic genres, with Blanca’s Moog synthesizer leading the sound. Blanca and IGOR drummer Victor De la Garza both grew up around the same people in Mexico City, but the two never actually had a conversation until they met up in New York in 2007 while De la Garza was attending NYC’s Drum Collective and Blanca was studying music business at Boston’s Berkelee College of Music. They actually found bassist David Cornicelli in a Craigslist ad after moving to Sarasota. (more…)
  • In the Green Room with Fancy Rat

    In the Green Room with Fancy Rat

    Published Aug. 12, 2011 (Photo: Scott Braun) In the Green Room with Fancy Rat “I’ve always written about serious things taken lightly, because that’s who I am as a person,” says Fancy Rat frontman Brian Yoder. That sort of light-hearted absurdity is a common sentiment taken from one of the most sung-along-to live acts on the Sarasota circuit. And it’s no wonder, as anyone who has popped in a copy of the band’s debut self-titled EP (released last year on Finch House Records) is usually driven to impulsive participation not long after the “hee-haws” and “wees” of opening track “Join the Club” begin. Yoder, along with guitarist Toby Norton, bassist Adam Marret, and beat-boxing tambourine man Dan Demerin, penned most of the band’s happy-go-loony tunes sitting on the front porch of their Gillespie Park pad, affectionately dubbed “The Rat’s Nest.” With infectious slap-happy hooks and silly dance-tastic indie-pop beats, the content of the songs can range anywhere from poignant love-struck heartbreak to adoration of transportation. “Call it synesthesia,” says Yoder, “inanimate objects just have a personality.” (more…)