I'm sure when I look back on this time period I'm not going to remember the struggles like not being able to pay my bills, rent being weeks late or things like credit cards spiraling out of control and the feeling that come from all that.

I'm not going to remember the days we could only afford to eat once a day but will remember the time we removed ourselves states away with home, new places and things were okay for a moment. I will remember the fun shows we played even if only two people came to see us. I will remember meeting wonderful people from all over and actually making new friends even though we are terrible in social situations. The few good things that have happened and are happening now are trumping all the negativity of the past year. It might sound cheesy but I don't care: at least I can still see the bright side.

I think I've been to so many shows this month I can hardly remember who I've seen, much less keep up writing about all of them. There is a lot of interesting music out there right now- good touring bands and Florida bands have stepped up to a level I have not seen ever. I can't cover everything all the time. I do what I can with the time I have.

Here's a video of a totally under rated band Happy Valley from Orlando. They played their final two shows this month as a band. Though it's not unusual for these guys to have multiple "last shows" a year. It's almost like they never go away. They are truly one of the few innovative bands I've had the pleasure of hearing locally. They've made a unique sound with drums, guitar and keytar. Their unusual approach to tough guy rock, surf and sonically bizarre sounds have had the end result of musical success. They will be missed.

 
Happy Valley perform "Hollywood Monster".

Here we are at the Apple Store again. We recently joined the world of the 2000's and purchased a used iPod. The battery quit charging with about three months use and I guess Apple will replace it with a brand new one. Though what was odd was at the Genius Bar their software doesn't diagnose the Classic model. They can only test the touch ones. Is that model really that out of date it can't be serviced?

Hot Hands reviewed in the Orlando Weekly this week.
The music column This Little Underground caught our show last week at Back Booth and gave our show with The Vicious Guns and The Black Rabbits a write up:

"I expected to check in on the endearingly wobbly couples dance that is local garage-pop band Hot Hands (Aug. 10, Back Booth), a younger, hipper, garage-rock version of Mark & Lorna. But it was nice to be surprised with a kick that was noisier, louder and altogether better. They’d never be mistaken for a slick commercial band but why would you ever want to gentrify the flavor out of their rock & roll? The biggest difference this time was Jeffrey Howard’s guitar sound, which is no longer the scrappily dinky riffing of before but something way tougher. Their playfully kitschy image is becoming increasingly deceptive because the Hot Hands sound is turning into a beast."

Read the full review here.

What's on Jeffrey's Cameraphone?
Just uploaded gallery 16 in my Cameraphone Gallery project. I'm finally getting to pictures I took in 2010. See them here.

 Here's all the girls that played Back Booth last night. Left to right: Kim & Natalie (The Black Rabbits), Jennie (The Vicious Guns) and Kristin (Hot Hands).

The Vicious Guns come to Florida.
Here's a video from last nights show at Back Booth in Orlando. Canada's The Vicious Guns have one more show in Florida before heading north. Check their Myspace for their remaining US shows.

Me and my brother.

Did you know Fender guitars came out with Sonic Youth guitars? Really, they come in two models called the Sonic Jazzblaster and Sonic Jazzmaster.

Sign in Jacksonville.

From the famous walls of Family Thrift in South Florida, where cheap is beautiful.

Sarasota band The Equines made the trip to Orlando to play their brand of arty no-wave punk pop.
I wrote more about them here earlier this year. They are pretty good. Here's a video from the show:

 

Link here.

Kristin is selling a bunch of cool stuff on her Etsy. Lots of buttons, mostly of cult and horror movies. Some are selling quick. See them here.

Show report: Howlies, The Grecian Urns, Mumpsy.
On rare occasion does it happen I go to a show and not recognize anyone in the room. I am far from being a "social butterfly" but I notice audiences as much as the bands. This was a Mumpsy show dammit and it a lot of people I know should have been in attendance. Not the case. Don't tell me it was because if the sold out Lightning Bolt show across town. This was a surprisingly good show nonetheless.

See more pictures and video here.

Versus.

Show report: The Teenbeat Records 26th Anniversary in Washington DC with Unrest, The Rondelles, Versus and Bossanova.
When the anniversary shows were announced several months ago for NYC and Washington DC I knew I had to go. Two bands were reforming just for these shows: Unrest and The Rondelles. Not to mention Versus (one of my all-time favorite bands) who are getting back together with a new album on the way were slated to play. I bought tickets right away for the DC show, not knowing if I would even be able to attend. A total of seven shows would happen but with all three personnel lineups of Unrest, in their hometown, this was definitely the best bet.

I went overboard with documentating the event. I narrowed it down to the best 37 photos and 4 videos.

READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE.

Hot Hands recording at home.
We're working on three songs to see if I can make a useable recording by making use of all my broken gear. So far so good. Drums, guitar and done. Just one song needs keyboard. Then vocals. Tough as nails this stuff. Kristin is getting mad because she keeps bumping into gear and stubbing her toes. The main culprit today is the keyboard volume pedal.

Kick Bright Zine's Best Songs from Orlando List. In response to the Orlando Weekly article 'Let It Linger'.
Local publication The Orlando Weekly ran an article asking various people in the community to list a couple of their favorite songs from Orlando artists and bands during the past 15 years. They capped it at 50 songs. This would have been my contribution if I had been asked. It's my pick of fifteen memorable songs and a brief list of honorable mentions. Use my list in addition to their list as well as your own. I've included a podcast of each song I have listed below.

Notes to self:
I'm having trouble with the place I took the four rolls of film I took in DC. I hate the thought that using film is too much a headache to deal with. Not to mention too expensive. I just went to a one hour place (mistake yea I know) just because taking it elsewhere would be out of my budget right now. So I get back my photos with heads cut off, arms missing, two half pictures in one frame, etc. Argh! I won't have a decent digital camera in my future anytime soon.

Double Rainbow all the way, across the sky.
The internet is a weird thing. How and why something can become an "overnight sensation" is beyond me. Links gets passed around via email, Myspace, Facebook, blogs, etc. I watched Double Rainbow for the first time this week. I will admit I laughed so hard I had tears rolling down my face. Double Rainbow...... where do people find this stuff? Watch both videos- the original and the song someone made. That is, if you haven't seen or heard it already. VIEW IT HERE.

The Exorcist filming location, then and now.
Adam Williams is currently on an east tour tour with his band The New Threat opening for Guttermouth. He made a stop this week in the Washington DC area and took over thirty photos of location shots from the classic horror film The Exorcist.

I don't know how he tracked down so many places but he did- including inside the church and where the family lived in....well...... was.... you'll see.

As always Adams photos are both hilarious and informative and serve a reminder how things can change and stay the same. You can SEE THEM HERE on his Facebook profile.

Show report: The Goodnight Loving, The Coathangers, Gentleman Jesse and His Men in Atlanta, GA.
On our way to Washington DC for the Teenbeat Records 26th Anniversary we made a stop in Atlanta to catch The Goodnight Loving at the 529 club in East Atlanta Village. We arrived pretty much on time for the show. Little to our knowledge shows start really late. We sat down and listened to the DJ, who was playing some great stuff. It was like he snuck into Kristin and I's record collection.

I picked up one of the local newspapers, and thumbed through it and saw a show listing for The Coathangers and Gentleman Jesse and His Men that was happening the same night. Somehow like a big dummy I missed this show in my research. That show was being held at The Earl. I had no idea where the Earl was or how to drive there. Since it would be a while before Goodnight Loving played I wanted to go. I noticed the address and 529 and The Earl are on the same street--in fact they were one block apart. This discovery jolted me up and made a beeline for the door..........

REVIEW WITH PICTURES AND VIDEOS HERE.

We got back late last night from Washington DC. We went to the Teenbeat Records 26th Anniversary party at the Black Cat with an Unrest reunion show with Versus, The Rondelles and Bossanova. It was just AMAZING. I have lots of photos and video forthcoming. Along the way to DC we made stops to see some more shows including The Goodnight Loving, The Coathangers and Gentlemen Jesse and His Men. More on all this coming this week!

Kick Bright Flashback: Sonic Youth plays a "secret" show at Sapphire Supper Club in the year 2000.
During the summer of 2000 Sonic Youth was on a tour opening for Pearl Jam. For three dates they snuck off and headlined small club shows as a side project called Perspective Musicales. This show, held at Sapphire Supper Club (now called The Social), was held almost in complete secrecy. It was not announced or listed in any local listings. Unless you were 'in the know' or recognized the name "SYR Perspective Musicales" on the Sapphire Supper Club calendar you would have missed out on a rare opportunity to see this influential band in a small setting. Word got out literally days before the show. If you were quick enough to the record store you could get tickets before a sell out.

Perspective Musicales is members of Sonic Youth performing a mixture of their own side bands, improvisations with various people concluded with an entire set of Sonic Youth material. No opening acts. They began with Thurston Moore's "Psychic Hearts" with help from Jim O'Rourke (touring with SY as a fifth member), Steve Shelley and Lee Ranaldo followed by an improvisational between Thurtson, Jim O'Rourke and their guitar tech Eric. Lee Ranaldo followed with a poetry reading backed with music by Shelley and O'Rourke. The last installment before Sonic Youth was "International Spy" with Kim Gordon, O'Rourke and Shelley.

Then Sonic Youth came out and closed out with a thirteen song set including older songs like "Schizophrenia", "Brother James" and "White Kross". The only song from Goo they played was "Kool Thing". Since they were touring behind the album 'NYC Ghosts and Flowers' they played a couple off that record. To date, this has been the only time I have seen Sonic Youth. Seeing them up so close was pretty awesome and will be hard to top. The band has not been back to Orlando since.

I have a bunch of blurry pictures to share. These photos have been sitting in a plastic box for one month short of ten years. I don't even have them in my albums. At the time, the camera I was using began to fail. Just about every photo I have from this period is blurry because the automatic sensor could not focus AND the flash quit working. Even if they aren't of good quality this was a show worth remembering.

VIEW MY PICTURES HERE.

Did I mention there is a video from this show on Youtube?????

Kick Bright Flashback: One of the funnest shows I've ever been to: The Hives "secret" show in Jacksonville
The Hives were on an arena tour with Maroon 5 in 2007. The Orlando date was being held at the Orlando Arena (or whatever the name is--- Amway Arena?). There was no way I could ever see The Hives in such an arena. I've seen them at The Social (for their first US tour) and House of Blues previously. One thing I know: a big arena can suck the fun out of a band. I heard about a "secret" show they were going to headline at a small club in Jacksonville called Jack Rabbits. I nabbed tickets right away (cheap, too) and made the trek up to J-ville.

In short, this was just about one of the funnest shows ever. The Hives had no openers. They only had a set list of about thirty to forty songs on it spanning their entire career. What else could one want to see? They blasted through songs without pause or reflection for almost an hour and a half. I was armed with my cameraphone (I lost all but one) and a disposable camera and here's what I got:

VIEW PICTURES HERE.

I don't know what it is about going to the Apple Store and taking Photo Booth pictures. Kristin makes fun of me, of course, because as she says "We can just do this at home!". I guess. But here we are, at the Apple Store, being silly on her birthday earlier this week. Anyway, we tried out the iPad trying to "get it". I don't think we do but using it to look at Ebay is pretty neat.

In case you hadn't figured out: I found several photo CDs from 2007 on a bottom shelf of a bookcase I uncovered while rearranging my bedroom. Three years is not so long ago even if it seems that way. Next on my list is Jeanie and the Tits.

I have no shortage of photographs from Orlando all-girl trash punk band Jeanie and the Tits. I went to every Florida show when Kristin was in the band except for two (one I was sick and the other was out of town). These photographs are from a show at Back Booth in either January or February of 2007. There are no other bands from this show on the roll of film so I had trouble finding out exactly when this was from. I thought it may have been the time when they opened for Doug Stanhope. No internet searches confirmed this. HERE ARE THE PHOTOS.

Three brand new blogs to watch.
You know me. I root for the small guy. I don't spend too much time on the big dogs blogs. I'll take something a little under the radar, even if it's a little messy or if they're a little behind on reporting on that huge important rebloggable story of the day that needs to be retweeted once again for the millionth time. Here's a few brand spanking new blogs that may or may not take off but I'm hoping they do.

Adam The Woo - Adam has a bunch of neat things to share with the internet world. He's running around finding and sneaking into closed tourist attractions like the ruins of Bongoland. Ever heard of Bongoland? Me neither! It was an attraction near Daytona Beach in the 1950's sort of like what Dinosaur World is today. Adam made a video of him running through the woods in search of what is left. He also visits Mystery Fun House, the original Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando and an abandoned Flight School.

In addition to that blog I recommend his side by side comparison photos of zombie movie location sites including: Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead (pictured) and Two Thousand Maniacs. They are both hilarious and informative. I sat close to the computer screen analyzing every detail.

Around the Block in 80 Days. Susie Ulrey, known for a musician/vocalist in such bands as Poghoh, The Macabees and currently Rec Center has jumped into the blog world. It looks like it may turn into something personal with glimpses of her life outside her legendary status in the music community into her world living with Multiple Sclerosis. If this turn out like anything like her music we are in for something good.

Holy Names, Strange Kicks. Remember that band I used to write about a lot called North Korea? This blog run by Preston, the singer/guitarist in that band. He also was part of Loveless Press, a poetry zine, that was circulated around town a couple of years ago. Here, he shares music he already loves and new things he's discovering. It's Youtube video heavy at the moment.

Blowfly gets a documentary!
I don't think I mentioned it before but there's a Blowfly movie out. It premiered during SXWX earlier this year. It's titled The Weird World of Blowfly and I really really really want to see it. Here's the trailer:

 

New music alert!
Averkiou put up a demo called "How's the Life?" recorded on their 4-track on their player. It's super rough but a glimpse onto what's next. Give a listen before they take it down. It's good to know because it always seems like those guys aren't making music.

Cool things to do in Florida.
Go to Silver Moon Drive-In in Lakeland, Florida. One of only a few of drive-in theaters in the southeast. It's been open since 1948. It's always fun to go to (a quick drive from Orlando) and they show movies 7 nights a week. Webpage here.

Photograph: "Girls at the Rollerderby". 2007.

Interview with Rich Evans on Terminal Boredom.
There's an interview with Rich Evans on Terminal Boredom from Orlando based Florida's Dying Records and Wiggly World record store where he talks about Florida music, his store & label and what he has in store for the future.

Nothing Ever Happens In This Town: new blog alert.
I came across this new blog (started in February) by Bill Ectric about the Jacksonville alternative scene of the 1980's and 1990's. I was searching for Beggars Weed and he's got some excellent videos from them as well a ton of others by bands I never heard of like The Underground (very good) and The Zeros. There's a lot of historic footage already posted and looks like there will be more to come. Bookmark it now.

More old garage bands from the south.
There's also a (quite hideous looking) webpage devoted to garage bands of the south called (appropriately) Southern Garage Bands. There's a lot of good information and discoveries to made there.

Hot Hands interview via Finch House.
Here's an interview Kristin and I did for Finch House Records Magazine last weekend. It's a little hard to hear at points but funny nonetheless. I say "like" a lot and Kristin takes quick sips of beer. Make a drinking game of it.

If you have ever been to Uncle Lou's you will find this video completely amazing.

Here's a link to the Kangnave blog that uploaded a friends of theirs homemade boxset featuring all female fronted punk bands from the late 70's to the late 80's from all over the world. It's an insane amount to download - about twelve discs worth of material. Take a listen. It may take months to go through.

 

Kristin has an Etsy account set up. We're going to be putting up her artwork, handmade clothes and vintage clothing for sale. Visit it today.