The Mercy Seat -- Johnny McCarthy on bass, James McFarland on vocals and guitar, and Jesse Martin on drums -- is one of six Tampa Bay area acts trekking to the renowned South By Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas, to perform as part of an unofficial showcase. Listen to the bands
I'm on my way to the South by Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas. Each spring, SXSW, as it is known, gathers the music industry - artists, labels, media - to investigate, celebrate and speculate about what's going on in our universe.
Who are the buzz bands? What are the trends?
Through Sunday, hundreds of bands from the United States and the rest of the planet will converge on Austin - and goodness, this city loves its live music; it has been home to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Willie Nelson and a handful of other stars. SXSW will also feature a keynote speech by Little Richard and interviews with luminaries such as Ani DiFranco, Joan Baez, and Wayne Coyne of the wacky Flaming Lips.
Every live music venue in Austin will be packed with music lovers watching sizzling showcases into the wee hours.
Six acts from the Tampa Bay area are trekking to SXSW to perform as part of the "Flamingo Bandingo," an unofficial showcase held at Club Deville in Austin. The event was organized by the SXSW Music Lovers Group, or SMLG, a small, volunteer group of bay area music lovers led by Lee Courtney, known to listeners of community radio station WMNF-FM 88.5 as DJ Flee.
Flee and his cohorts - Laura Keane, Norwood Orrick and JoEllen Schilke - for the second consecutive year selected what they consider (and I agree) some of the local scene's top acts: alt-noir rockers the Mercy Seat (formerly Private Chinaski, which was formerly Shotgun Wedding),roots-pop singer Rebekah Pulley and her band the Reluctant Prophets, hip-hop outfit Red Tide, jangly singer-songwriter John McNicholas, punky garage rockers Crippled Masters and singer-pianist-guitarist Anna O.
Also joining the gang is scene stalwart Ronnie Elliott, who does double time at SXSW; Elliott performs an official showcase of his own tonight at the Cactus cafe.
The music lovers group, through donations and a series of fundraisers and benefit concerts, raised several thousand dollars to throw a little party, Florida style, serving gator chili, black beans and rice and plenty of beer. Tom White, owner of Skipper's Smokehouse, one of the Tampa Bay area's most jumping music venues, is donating food for 500 people. (White was also a huge supporter of last year's Tampa Bay SXSW showcase.)
The SMLG group even had help from two cigarmakers from both sides of the bay. Greg Haddad from Central Cigars in St. Petersburg sold SMLG hand-rolled cigars at far below cost so the group could give them away at SXSW. Haddad also donated lighters and cutters.
Paul Wilborn, manager of creative industries for the city of Tampa, called SMLG to let them know the J.C. Newman Cigar Co. of his city was donating 50 Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino No. 60 cigars.
Look for more coverage on the Flamingo Bandingo and other SXSW shenanigans in the St. Petersburg Times. For now, listen to some of the bandingo bands by going to www.sptimes.com and clicking on Floridian. The only group you won't find on the site is Red Tide; the trio's debut full-length CD hits stores this month.
THE BAD NEWS: One local band selected by SMLG to be a part of the Flamingo Bandingo showcase was Pinellas County's Auditorium, fronted by boy-about-town Joran Oppelt.
The band canceled those plans and months of gigs after drummer Eric Haase had a brain aneurysm last month.
THE GOOD NEWS: Hasse, or "E" as he's known to pals, is in rehabilitation at University Community Hospital in Tampa and shows daily improvement. A benefit concert is in the works: April 3 at the State Theatre, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Admission is $10.
The lineup includes the Blues Punks, whom I caught for the first time at last month's Cash For Cash: A Tribute For Johnny Cash benefit concert for this SXSW trip.
The band is amazing: greasy guitar, harmonica, foot-stomping, all bad-boy Southern rock. Yee-haw!
Also: Cuban Sandwich Crisis, the effervescently naughty spoken word artiste Lucious P. Slugworth, Knowing Stu, Truly Sunday, the Mercy Seat, John McNicholas, Rebekah Pulley, Gravity, garage punks St. Felons and talented troubadours the Beauvilles.
SPEAKING OF THE BEAUVILLES: The Tampa trio was selected by the Florida chapter of the Recording Academy to perform at the Grammy Showcase this week in Miami. The Beauvilles were one of just six acts selected among more than 250 from Florida and Puerto Rico, competing for $10,000.
If you've seen these guys, who play sophisticated and soulful jazzy pop with plenty of acoustic guitar and upright bass, you understand the band's appeal. Singer-guitarist Shawn Beauville's rich, lovely voice would impress both father and son Buckley (that's the late Tim and the late Jeff Buckley); like them, Beauville's not afraid to express his heart's woe. For that, he makes the girls hearts' go pitter pat, or maybe it's when he sports those dapper hats. A stylish band, the Beauvilles.
-- Gina Vivinetto can be reached at 727 893-8565 or gina@sptimes.com
