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GINA VIVINETTOThe Southeast Music Alliance Summer Showcase is a prelude to a conference designed to help launch bay area bands.
ST. PETERSBURG - Fans of local music, and those who want to get to know local bands, have a chance to check out some of the best Saturday at the State Theatre.
The showcase offers a preview of October's Southeast Music Conference, a first-time event in St. Petersburg designed to get wider exposure for local bands.
Southeast Music Alliance organizer Joran Oppelt, who plays guitar in the popular Pinellas jangly jam band the Gita, hopes Saturday's event will interest the local music community and its followers in the October conference.
Music industry insiders and representatives will come here to check out bands, educate musicians about the industry and, Oppelt hopes, go back to bigger cities and spread the word about Tampa Bay area talent.
SMA was formed by Oppelt and a handful of others last year. The organization's aim is to raise awareness of a music scene rich in diverse sounds. It has affiliated chapters in Orlando and Gainesville. SMA has released a CD compilation, Southern Music Alliance: Volume One: Tampa Bay, featuring bands such as Barely Pink, Sparky's Nightmare and Harry Dash, as well as spoken-word artists.
"There is no real "Tampa sound,"' Oppelt says. "We're not genre specific, and I think that's a strength. Our hip-hop scene is blowing up. We have a lot of cool jazz. We have a nationally known Frank Zappa tribute band (Bogus Pomp)." Oppelt laughs. "That's a pretty cool bunch of stuff."
Oppelt says he hasn't seen that kind of diversity in other cities.
"Seattle is dead. New York is all garage rock. The Austin scene is all punk emo bands right now," Oppelt says, "The Tampa scene has everything."
Everything except focus, Oppelt says with frustration. SMA has been a little discouraged by the amount and the quality of band submissions it received for the October conference. One of the problems is the $35 application fee.
"I know that's pretty steep for starving musicians - it's lunch for the week," Oppelt says, "But this conference is bringing such a great opportunity to bands, in their own back yard. It's not sinking in to the local musicians. We're inviting A&R reps, entertainment lawyers, radio promotion folks. It's expensive."
The conference is the first of its kind to be organized in St. Petersburg. Many bands here aren't familiar with the concept of paying application fees to participate and be appraised.
"I totally understand. We don't want to pay, we want to be paid," he says. "I'm afraid too many of our really, really talented bands aren't going to be involved." So SMA has extended the application deadline to Aug. 11.
The Summer Showcase because will mark the last performance of the Gita before it goes on hiatus so Oppelt can dedicate himself to Auditorium, his techno-rock band. The Gita's other members also are working on their own projects. But the band will be back together: It recently signed a management deal and has a new album in the works.
Oppelt hopes the SMA showcases, the organization's web site (sma.toosquare.com) and the October conference will continue to generate a buzz.
"I hope people come out and discover their new favorite band is from their hometown," Oppelt says. "It happens everywhere; why not here? If just one band gets a break from the conference, we all win. All it takes is one sweet record deal to get everyone interested in our area."
- To contact Gina Vivinetto, e-mail gina@sptimes
PREVIEW: The Southeast Music Alliance Summer Showcase featuring the Gita, John McNicholas, the Semis, Pagan Saints, Soulfound and Crippled Masters, kicks off at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.) Saturday at the State Theatre, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Admission is $7.