verdana,courier" size=1 Lokal Loudness 2000 : Interviews

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Hard to believe it's already June! Well friends, the moments are apon us. The moments that seperate the mice from the men. Augusta is becoming bigger as a music scene by the day and this month we have some great interviews with such great bands as classic rockers DR. FREEBAND & THE VELLOTONES, area vets UNCLE WOODY & new heavy hitters FINAL DARKNESS. All of these talented bands have something important to say. Read their words then go see 'em play! We even got around to changing out the Poll and adding the answers to March's. Check it out!

The past few weeks have been difficult for many due to the passing of former DOGWOOD drummer Chris Watkins. We will have a memorial page up as soon as those that were close to him can gather the proper materials to create a proper memorial.

News you may not have heard

On May 24th, over 200 people protested outside of Atlanta Motor Speedway against the upcoming June 5th Rockfest Concert. The protests come after the school shootings in Conyers, just outside of Atlanta, and pertain in particular to possible immpressionable lyrics by groups SILVERCHAIR & OFFSPRING. Promoters refuse to cancel.

THE SCARY PART-Heat has even been pushed toward AtlantaFest 99, a four day celebration of God, Art & Music that will feature JARS OF CLAY & CAEDMON'S CALL. Can you say "Ig-No-Rant"?

Getting Mellow with the Vello's!

Recently I have had the pleasure of meeting one by one the members of DR. FREEBAND & THE VELLOTONES, who will soon be known as just THE VELLOTONES. The band is made up of musician's who just love to play music, period. For lovers of classic rock, blues & a tint of beach music, this interviews for you!

LL-How & when did the Vellotones get together?
DF&V- The story that is on the DF&V web page is a true one. We did form up because of a work talent show. We started with 12 members, horns and all. We basically played two talent shows with whoever showed up to practice, picking songs that would make sure everyone had a part in it. Most of us had been in bands before when we were younger. Then the "band bug" hit a few of us and we continued on. We got serious with 5, then lost a singer to Europe, gained a harp player from England, added another guitar player, and will soon loose a keyboardist to Louisiana. If I did the math correctly, we will be down to 5 by June.

LL- Does you band have a mission statement or a project goal or rules of the road ?
DF&V- Our mission statement I guess is: Have fun playing the music that we like while helping bar owners to make money. We do have some Star Trek-like "Prime Directives".

Band Directive Number One.) once we launch into a song, never stop, fix it as you go along. This one has helped us a bunch of times when our guitar player starts songs in the wrong or unknown key, this translates to the tough-it-out sub-directive. Our guitar player immediately knows what is likely wrong when he gets the "what the hell are you doing?" look from the other band members. He figures out what is wrong and gracefully gets into the right key or the right song.

Band Directive Number Two: no person is added to the band unless they play an instrument or have PA equipment or provide some tangible piece of valued property. This one we learned after our lead singer (no instrument, no PA equipment, and couldn't play any instruments) developed the dreaded "Lead Singer's disease". Am guessing Van Halen would still be a rock'in band if Roth played keyboards, not sure how this directive applies to Sammy H.

Band Directive Number Three: Probably the most important directive, should probably be number one, can we stop the interview and start this question over ?

LL - Keep going, I'm hanging on your every word!
DF&V- Ok, Band Directive Number Three: We are friends first and a band second. This has gotten us over some rough spots, sometimes our band forgets our own directives.

LL-Who are some of ya'lls influences?
DF&V-Hendrix, Dylan (the dad, not Jacob), Clapton, BBKing, MuddyWaters, Beatles, Ray Charles, Steve Smith (Journey's drummer) , Johnny Winter, Beatles, Stones, Robin Trower, SRV, Elvis, LedZep, CCR, Byrds, Love, Crowes, Tom Petty, Neil Young, are we giving away our age ? We are very much impressed with folks like, Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Jonny Lang, Pearl Jam, and Cobain's wife…


LL-What keeps you pushin' forward musically, it's a hard racket? DF&V- We do it for the love of performing live. We don't like to practice, load and unload equipment, get up tired the next morning, but when you hit the first chord all the other stuff you forget, including the daily pressures of paying bills and going to work. We subscribe to the theory that everyone should have a hobby outside of the work place whether it is golf, softball, basketball, painting, history, model railroading, listening or performing music. Whatever it is, they have to have a passion for it. Having multiple passions in your life is good also we think. Our current passion is performing music we like to hear Live.

LL-What are your plans following your David's departure?
DF&V-David is our musical mentor, keyboardist, vocalist, and first member of the band to obtain an AARP card. He is moving to Louisiana and will likely team up with his New Orleans jazz guitar playing son. "Band fever" is in his blood. The very first thing we are going to do, when he leaves, is to change the name to "The Vellotones". Dr Freeband is not in the house anymore and has moved to Louisiana. That is our story and we are sticking to it.

LL-What about writing or recording?
DF&V- Maybe some day but not soon, we are a cover band, we play for people that want to hear something they have heard before but have it performed a little differently. We play songs that we like by artists that have influenced us.

LL- You have a web page for the band, don't tell me, you have a prime directive for that also?
DF&V- You are getting good at this interview thing. We pretty much do the same thing other bands do; playlist, pictures of the band, equipment used, schedule, and streaming audio clips. We are going to try and put streaming video clips on the web page later this summer. Besides pictures of the band we have put a lot of pictures of our fans out there as a way of saying thanks for supporting the band. I think we are also going to follow the Uncle Woody lead and start selling our brand of Salad Dressing, it won't be as spicy but it will have an edge to it.

LL- Speaking of web pages, you band motto says "Blues and Classic Rock with an Edge", what's the "edge" thing.
DF&V- If you ask our bass player he will say: "the edge happens when the guitar player's bowling shoes (he usually wears rental bowling shoes) causes the Boss SD-1 overdrive pedal's little red light to go on".

LL-Fave Lokal Bands?
DF&V- Augusta has a lot of really good bands, I hope that Impulse Ride or someone breaks out into the National Charts to put Augusta back on the map. Not sure Augusta is looked at the same way as Atlanta or Athens, from a original talent standpoint. We need to have more venues for folks to see the talent and the artistry.

LL-What sets your band apart from others that play Blues and Classic Rock ?
DF&V- Once we got the song playlist going and were playing parties, we wanted to try and do three things. First, to be more entertaining, second, to get the crowd involved, and D.), to make sure that other musicians in the crowd are welcome to sit in with us. The entertainment part came from a bit we call "Legends of Rock N Roll". It is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to artists that we personally like. Each band member picked a Legend of Rock N Roll. First legends were: Jimi Hendirx, Bob Dylan, The Commitment Backup Singers (if you have ever seen the movie "The Commitments" you know what this is all about), and of course Elvis. We dress up as the artist and crank. Each legend did one verse from a song by their legend. Jimi, of course, did "scuse me while I kiss this guy", you can imagine how that went. Bobby Dylan did "All Along the Watchtower" with help from Jimi with the guitar-behind-the-neck bit, Commitment backups did "Chain of Fools", and then Elvis finished with "Little Sister". We have done this at parties and they love it because it's different and because they know some extra effort went into it. When we did it at Surrey Tavern, the crowd at first goes, what the f--- is this, then realize it is something completely different and they get into it. Since the first legends we have added, George Thorogood (Bad to the Bone), Willie Nelson (On the Road Again), Ringo Starr (With a little help from my Friends), Tom Jones (It's not unusual), Rod Stewart (Do you Think I'm Sexy) and Neil Young (Heh Heh, My My). Legends are currently on the shelf but we dust them off for special gigs. The crowd participation part came along when we had some women come up and they wanted to sing with the band. We came up with the idea to have women from the audience/crowd become backup singers for "Mustang Sally" and "Twist and Shout". Trying to get women to come up and be part of a band song, when they are with their boyfriends or husbands, is a real interesting experience and has become part of the band's lore. When we have the extra money we give them "the" official DF&V keepsake dayglow green sunglasses with our band name and web site on them. We started with 150 glasses and now have 20 left. Lots of band lore in those sunglasses. We also have had many different musicians sit in with us. We were only been burned once when a guy played bass on a blues song and then we couldn't find our real bass player in the crowd. Next song was "Gimme Three Steps" and he didn't have a clue. We just turned his volume down, finished the song, and thanked him for his participation. LL- What song do people request you to play the most ?
DF&V- Usually what happens is a guy/gal in an N.W.O. tee-shirt or a guy/gal with a pool cue in their hand requests, "Freebird". We tell them we can not do justice to the song and suggest that we play "Gimme Three Steps" instead. The response is usually "Cool", we play it OK, get a thumps up, and we wait for the "do you guys do Stairway, I know you can do it?". We are currently working on a Freebird/Stairway to Heaven medley.

LL- What are your most memorable/embarrassing moments for band?
DF&V- There were several that come to mind: 1.) Memorable/life threatening: Every band has a backyard 4th of July party fireworks display goes south story. Here is ours. We just finished playing. We are sitting around watching $300 of cheesy fireworks being lit off. We thing we are a safe distance away sitting on the ground talking about finding our next gig. A guy puts a star-burst-helicopter-thing on a picnic table upside down and lights it. We watch it bounce on the picnic table a couple times then bounces up and comes straight for the band, at head height. We dive for cover as it passes over us at 9 thousand miles an hour and slams into a parked van. 2.) Embarrassing: Our lead guitar player, every now and then, has a brain fart. A good example is when he forgot the "hook" to Jumpin Jack Flash, a song we have done a million times. The bass player leans over and yells in his ear: dant-daaaa, da-da-da, da-da-da, da-da-da, dant-daaaa…the lead guitar player says "thanks, I got it" and promptly launches with the correct hook. Crisis averted. 3.) Memorable: We were playing at Augusta Live and a nice older gentleman comes up to us at a break and wants to sing "Stand By Me" with the band. Some folks come up to us to tell us "that was Johnny Love", an old R&B singer. We take two guitars outside of the bar and figure out the chords to "Stand By Me" during our first break. We start the song and introduce him, the crowd goes wild. He is a Sam Cooke kind of singer, real showman, crowd loves him, we think we are starting to get into the song and he launches into "Cupid", we all look at other and stay with the "Stand By Me" chords, were groovin now wondering what next. He then launches into "Under the Boardwalk", which is not exactly the same chords, this time Mr. Love hangs with us. We continue to play softly while he talks to the crowd about love and peace. He finishes with Stand By Me again. He gets a standing ovation, as we bring up the volume, and he walks off the stage. Crowd is going wild, we are left to figure out how to end the song and not ruin the moment, we do the slow down technique with big finish. We have never seen him again. Good news is that someone took a picture and we have it on our Web Page: http://www.groupz.net/~donnelly/

----------------UNCLE WOODY---------------

UNCLE WOODY has been a mainstay in the lokal scene for several years now, and in that time have gone through enough health problems and linup changes to kill off the average band. Well folks, they're still here and they're talkin'!

LL-UNCLE WOODY has been together quite a while now. Tell us about the most recent Woody lineup.
UW- With the health problems that arose with Steven Key, we were forced to find a suitable drummer. That is where Mike Allgood, formerly of Capt. Tripps, came into the band. We were looking for someone with experience and originality and found both in Mike. Our current bassist is Kirkwood Deal also our Web guru.

LL-Former bassist/co-founder Clint Watts has recently left the band for the second time. What were the reasons behind his departure?
UW-Clint Watts is one of the most talented bassists I have ever had the pleasure of jamming with. We all have times when we feel we may need to shift focus to things that are important to us. This band is a consuming endeavor and can really take you for a ride. Clint is a friend and we all still get along terrifically.

LL-UNCLE WOODY has been known for playing the most aggressive versions of hard covers in Augusta. What many may not realize is that UW also have some killer originals. Clue us in on 'em.
UW-We have always dug the heavier music and enjoy the power and aggression that can erupt out of our writing. We have about ten originals we play each night and have gotten a terrific response. We want you as an audience member to grit your teeth, clench your fist and let out all the shit that is bothering you out in a furious wail of emotions. That's what we're doing. Our originals are an extension of our anger and frustrations and we want everyone let it all out along with us. You can hear a few of them on our website.

LL-Any plans on recording/release?
UW-We have our sights set on late summer but have a little financial situations to iron out first. We will have some of our EP's at shows in the next few weeks.

LL-UW has been rumored to have gone through a lot as a band. What are the hardest as well as best moments in UNCLE WOODY history?
UW-I can't really say "a lot" as if it would be more than any other band. We started out as friends then lead to a family. You have to respect each other as family. We have had some trying times but dealt with them like men. I think the really rough periods were all health related. When I got testicular cancer a few years ago, things looked pretty grim. But we stuck it out. We pulled together and realized we can get through anything. When Key came down with rheumatoid arthritis we felt like it was over. But we regrouped and kept on playing. More than anything in this world people need an outlet for their emotions. Be it painting, sculpting, writing, acting, and even playing, we all need a way to vent. This is what we like and I'll be damned if anybody is gonna make us stop.

LL-Speaking of history, how do you want UW to be remembered among Lokal Music history? How do you think you'll be remembered?
UW-The guys who always played what they wanted, and enjoyed the shit out of it. Screw you if you don't like it.

LL-You e-mailed me recently pertaining to getting the UW side of the story in regards to negative press statements, what exactly was that all about?
UW-Well I had overheard that some folks were delivering comments about a situation that concerned venues and who were playing where. And I was wanting to get the record straight that Uncle Woody is about Rock and fuckin' Roll not a bunch sideline bullshit.

LL-Please feel free to respond to the naysayers.
UW- Bring it on, if they want to run their mouths that's fine. We'll just prove it on the stage.

LL-Who are some of your fave lokal bands right now?
UW-I am really happy for Impulse Ride and the progress they are making. I especially like Sketchbook. Clint, Geoff Guthrie, and Nick smoke it. Figure Four has a great momentum going and I like to see them live. Slamm, also is chock full of some good talent I want to get out to see Jackson.

LL-What about fave lokal releases?
UW-I still listen to the Pine disc. Shinebox's and King Thursday's tunes I heard on HomeGrown were Good haven't gotten the disc yet though.

LL-What does UW have planned for the summer?
UW-Raising money for a pressing of our first LP and drinking a lot of german cordials.

Talking with FINAL DARKNESS!

FINAL DARKNESS is a heavy band gearing up to make a heavy return to the lokal scene. The band has garnered the beginnings of a following that includes such fans as YOUTH @ RISK vocalist Chuck Merrit, among others. On May 28th, the band appeared with Youth @ Risk and ChaineD to Core at the Martinez Community Center. (check review in Viewz) The band is currently working on a web page which will be addredded www.FinalDarkness.com. That should be up and running in a few weeks. Until then dig this little bit of convo we had with the guys via the magic of the internet!

LL-How long has Final Darkness been together?
FD- The band was started in '94 with Mike on the drums and John on the guitar. They kept that little insrumental duo, playing small talent shows, going until spring break of '96 when Goo joined the band as singer and guitar player. Later that year, Goo's brother Robbie joined as bass player.

LL-What are some of your influences?
FD-Pantera, Machine Head, Testament, Early Metallica, Korn, Exodus, The Monkees.

LL-Fave Lokal Bands?
FD-Youth @ Risk, Reprisal, Dieagnostic.

LL-Any plans for releasing any material?
FD-We are in the studio right now, putting together a cd. We have rewritten a lot of old material and have written a lot of heavy new stuff, It is going to sound bad ass. A cd release party will happen later this year. So be there, hehe.

LL-Who does most of the writing?
FD-I don't mean to sound basic but, All drums written by Mike "The Madman" Brower, All Bass Riffs written by Robbie Cook, All Guitar riffs written by John Arant and Goo, and All Vocals written by Goo.

LL-If you could open for any band in history, who would it be?
FD-John-"Metallica", Robbie-"Korn " and "The Monkees", Mike-"Ozzy", Goo-"Pantera".

-Anyone wanting to book a show with us e-mail Moonboy733@aol.com or Orion3319@aol.com.

May Madness in Martinez
Stoney & Jim check out YOUTH@RISK, FINAL DARKNESS & CHAINED TO CORE

When I received an e-mail earlier in the month advertising the May 28th show featuring my buds in YOUTH@ RISK I was stoked. I was even more stoked to discover that FINAL DARKNESS, a band which Y@R singer Chuck constantly gushes about, would also be performing. Throw in the news of a brand new young band appearing and BAM! You have a night of anticipated fun!

So once again Jim and I were on the highway to rock & roll hell when we jumped off at the Martinez Community Center. Tonight would start early, but we arrived prepared & supplied!

First to jump into the fire were youngsters CHAINED TO CORE, making their first live appearance. Usually that leads to a set of noise and everything except all the players on the same field. CHAINED TO CORE were quit the exception. While not high gloss and in definite need of a spit shine & polish, this new Augusta unit stomped out power riffs overlaid by the scariest growls ever to come out of someone who looks to be no older than 15. An entertaining set culminating in the sacrificial burning of a red telletubby (I hope I came close to spelling that one correctly!) Whatever the spelling, CHAINED TO CORE were not lacking in excitement and youthful exhuberance.

After a small wait, FINAL DARKNESS kicked into a set of Metallica-inspired metal. "how could this be", I thought, these guys couldn't be any older than 20!". Well, I came to find out later that the oldest member of this aggressive band is a mere 24 while the youngest is a spry 19, and that Metallica is, in fact, their biggest influence. Take in mind, I mean old, classic Metallica, before they left their nuts at the candy store of Mr. "Lets Try & Write A Hit"! I myself am not a big fan of much heavy music but I do gladly indulge in Metallica circe "Kill Em All"-"Justice" and these guys filled the bill nicely. But before you dismiss these guys as a Metallica tribute band let me just add this, while the band wears the influence on their sleeve, they mix in an even bigger dose of their own medicine to tip the scales in their favor. You want my take on Final Darkness? Let's just say they have a new fan. (By the way, Jim liked 'em even more than me, so much that he now sports 3, count em, 3, Final Darkness stickers on his car!)

Rounding out the bill were my recently acquired buds, YOUTH@RISK. Once again the band delivered a kicking set full of metal, punk & rock inspired loudness that satisfied the most discriminating headbanger. Did the fact that usually dark dressed vocalist Chuck appeared with newly cut doo, baggy black pants & bright blue Superman t-shirt make a difference? HELL NO! THEY STILL KICKED METAL ASS! It took a lil' getting used to but being a music fan, I tend to rock with my ears more than my eyes!

The sound was 10 times better than the last MCC show with Y@R and the Black Crowes - By Your Side
The Black Crowes are probably the most rock n' roll rock band ever. They don't put up any sort of fronts. They just are what they are. Take it or leave it. If you weren't into the jam band sounds of the last couple Crowes records, now is the time to get back on the bandwagon. Abandoning the noodling and endless vamps, this CD harkens back to their early days. Good rock songs. Yes, they sound like the Faces and they fully admit it. If they don't care, why should we? The disc opens with "Go Faster", a great uptempo tune about not falling into the same traps that bring others down.The first single, "Kickin' My Heart Around" is great Southern rock with slide guitar and gospel backing vocals. I think the hidden treasure here is "Horsehead". Major groove.By the way, Rich Robinson played all the guitar parts on this record after Marc Ford's departure.On tour, they've Audley Freed (ex-Cry of Love) sharing guitar duties and he fits like glove.  Buy the record. See the tour.

Collective Soul - Dosage
The ambient keyboards and reverse guitars on the opening track of Collective Soul’s new album Dosage  are good indications that the band is trying to mutate its sound. But with track two, the radio single “Heavy,” we once again find ourselves in familiar territory - wondering if the band should just change its name to No Collective Soul.

The band tries to make up for their last album, Disciplined Breakdown, by changing its sound and drawing on new musical influences. But after numerous instrumental overdubs and countless hours of tweaking and polishing the group ends up losing the heart and soul of its music.

The techno-flavored drum beats and layered guitars make the first single “Heavy” sound much like all the other Collective Soul radio hits. But this time around the band heads even further into the realm of dance music. They tone down a lot of the vocals and make the pounding drum line the most important part of the song.

The techno beats spill over into the third song “No More, No Less.” This time though, they are slower and funkier. The bass player lays down a great groove reminiscent of old Motown recordings. Unfortunately the verse sounds so much like George Michael’s “Faith” that it’s hard to keep from laughing.

In fact, Collective Soul’s effort to draw on many influences ends up doing more harm than good.
Many of the songs sound like good covers rather than original compositions. It sounds as if they enlisted the help of John Lennon to write “Run,” Def Leppard for the power ballad “Needs,” and U2 to write all of the music for “Compliment”. Ironically, “Compliment” is one of the strongest songs on Dosage.

Although questionable at times, Dosage is not a total loss. The song “Dandy Life” is one of the coolest tracks I’ve heard in a long time. What is even more interesting is the fact that the song is not sung by front man Ed Roland, but by lead guitar player Ross Childress. His voice makes for a refreshing change of pace on an otherwise stale album.

Collective Soul’s ability to arrange string music is also present on this album. Almost every track is complemented by a lush orchestral background. Not many groups can take a string quartet and turn it into rock ‘n roll.

Despite its few shining moments, Dosage sounds more like a survey of Top 40 artists. Collective Soul seems one again content to mimic other band’s creative achievements. The album’s one great track, “Dandy Life”, doesn’t make up for a halfhearted effort. From the sounds of things, the recommended “Dosage” just isn’t enough.