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© St. Petersburg Times, published June 16, 2002
THE JOHNNY ZOOM CHEERLEAD SQUAD, HONEY BABY SWEETIE (JOHNNYZOOMCHEERLEADSQUAD.COM) -- Tampa's Johnny Zoom Cheerlead Squad takes its inspiration from Britpop without sounding dated or like genre fetishists. Johnny Zoom's swirling guitars, Stan Banana's curvaceous bass lines and those oh-so-wry lyrics about dames who've done Zoom wrong may remind some of the Jesus and Mary Chain, New Order or the best of the Manchester bands of the early 1990s.
The Squad plays tight, quick tunes with no shortage of cleverness. Hear the sonic mayhem of Joanie Loves Chachi, with its shout-outs to "Mrs. C." Another Doomsday is deliciously morbid. Want something sexy? The title track rivals Love and Rockets' So Alive in hypnotic eroticism, with Zoom coaxing, "You're so cute in your business suit/I wish you'd put on the leather boots."
Not all of Honey Baby Sweetie is Brit-influenced. Opener Getaway Sticks, on which drummer Mark Tozian bashes with glee, is an indication of Zoom's past: a player in a rockabilly band. That tune is all muddy American rave-rock. It's a celebration, feisty and fun.
JIM BECKWITH, STEP RIGHT SHAKE LEFT (WWW.JIMBECKWITH.COM) -- Jim Beckwith is a Tampa luminary, a musician of dignity and appeal who has the good fortune to collaborate with some of the industry's finest, found here on Step Right Shake Left. Beckwith, mostly a percussionist, teams up with international jazz outfit Native Vibe to create music of passion. Step Right Shake Left should appeal to fans of Paul Simon, folks who like their pop with a world-beat flavor. Relish the Afro-Cuban beats, the blasting, ecstatic horns, and the introspective lyrics of songs such as Human Nature.
Most of Beckwith's originals are upbeat and positive -- that is, anthems of humanitarianism without sounding trite or cliched. Nah, this is fresh music.
Spacier, free-form jams come in the form of Balance, with Beckwith performing the ancient art of throat singing, a primal and emotive wail. It sounds exotic and comforting. Relaxed, woozy cello and piano take it down a notch on the compassionate Mirror of My Soul.
I AND I, I AND I (E-MAIL: IANDI57@HOTMAIL.COM) -- This four-song demo from St. Petersburg duo I and I is resplendent for its craftsmanship. Singer Kendra Morris and multi-instrumentalist Ryan I. Shields, both 21, have played together less than a year, but they share a musical vision that incorporates their love of foly pop and classic R&B.
Morris is a gifted singer, a veteran of Gibbs High School's arts magnet program, where she studied musical theater. Her voice is rich and sophisticated, able to handle the woe of a break-up bummer (Dot, Dot) and the peppy R&B-tinged Don't Wanna. Morris lists Nelly Furtado and Aretha Franklin as influences, and it shows. Shields, a former punk rocker, plays guitar with subtlety and restraint. He's not out to steal the show, and the accompaniment is perfect. (Shields also handles all the other instruments.)
VITAL SIGNS, THE PRIMAL SESSIONS (WWW.GEOCITIES.COM/PRIMALSESSIONS) -- The Primal Sessions is a spoken-word disc of Vital Signs, the Tampa Bay area's most esteemed female poets, reading original works, backed by Tampa's free-form jazz stylists Irritable Tribe of Poets. The 12 tracks chronicle the female experience in all its wonder. Take, for instance, the sassy A Full Description of My Breasts by the (one-named) Stazja. Or Cindy Childress' witty Critical Analysis of Barbie Rhetoric. These dames pack toughness in their tongue-in-cheekiness.
The tone gets poignant with Melissa Fair's freewheeling Truck Driver's Daughter, in which the narrator recalls bonding with Dad while he worked under the hood of his Peterbilt rig. She also remembers watching zombie movies with the old man and talking on his CB radio. That was years ago, and the woman, now grown, laments her adolescence as the onset of Dad's estrangement. Though she searches, he's lost to her now, and that CB? "Forty channels of static."
MONEYSHOT, MONEYSHOT (P.O. BOX 24246, TAMPA, FL 33623-4246) -- Moneyshot plays no-holds-barred hard rock. In an age of rap-rock, funk punk and every other hybrid under the sun, it's a switch to find a band that knows what it's about. On Moneyshot's debut -- that's four studio tunes and several live cuts -- the sound is tough, filled with crunchy guitar, brooding lyrics and gritty scenes of life. The band attempts a wide range of sounds, evidenced on songs that begin slow and mellow, then catapult into a fierce ragefest as singer Ryan Vanover wails.
The thrashy Fairweather Friend, complete with shout-along chorus, is a fan favorite. Gloom and doom is the theme here, found on Lonely Man and Black Garden. Moneyshot knows life ain't sweet, and neither is the band's music.
THE SHIVERS, DIAGRAM OF A SCAM (WWW.35MMRECORDINGS.COM) The Shivers used to be Flotilla 13, a talented young Tampa Bay area band. Now the quartet is based in Tallahassee with a sophisticated, focused new lineup and sound, featured on the polished Diagram of a Scam.
The gorgeous opener Beside Myself shows what the Shivers are capable of, namely, pop perfection. That means catchy hooks, lyrics written with finesse and lots of melodic punch. The Shivers don't shy away from their influences. Doesn't Sapphire sound remarkably New Wave? They get downright mid 1980s with their arty keyboards and the affected vocals of Brandon "Bone" Hanick. (Note: Don't fear; on the rest of the disc, Hanick's voice soars in a more, uh, contemporary fashion.)
Quirky, keen lyrics come in every song. Tinkly piano peppers Invisible Salesman. Abacus is a sonic hodgepodge sounding like the Smiths, all agitated, fronted by a less rococo Freddie Mercury. Sound weird? You bet. 20 Amp Queen may remind some of the Cars in all the band's herky-jerky glory. Diagram of a Scam is sardonic and winning -- arty, yep, but not aloof.
J-GLO AND SASSY, VALENTINE (WWW.J-GLOANDSASSY.COM): -- Tampa "techno" outfit J-Glo and Sassy are musicians Jeremy Gloff and Susy Martian (Ramona Hates Pink). The lo-fi -- as in a keyboard and voices -- debut Valentine is either a parody or homage to electronica/dance music; one can't be sure. Certainly it's fun. Entertaining numbers such as Life In Purple are all feel-good dance anthems celebrating the quirky life, a la the B-52's, or more aptly, Bongwater.
It's the more ribald tracks that will perk up ears. Da Biscuits is an ode to breasts. 17-Year-Old Sex Machine finds the sexually ambiguous duo competing for the affections of a young lad. The duo sends up sweaty, nasty, Princely funk on I Wanna Touch You. The disco ecstasy of And Then I Was Naked will surely have some Studio 54 buffs singing along, "This is the best night of my life."
-- If you would like your local act's CD considered for In Our Own Back Yard, send it to Gina Vivinetto, St. Petersburg Times, P.O Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.