This is a short essay that I wrote up for the Weekly Planet/Creative Loafing Tampa, but I guess they were underwhelmed by it... or didn't care to revisit the goode olde days of Tampa music -- so here it is for your reading pleasure. Enjoy my twisted view of the Tampa Bay music scene!
Ah, the big Guava herself. After being away for five years, even someone who had more than his fill of the brackish tide pool that is Tampa Bay can get homesick. With 20+ years in the local music scene, I had seen and been seen and made the "scene" a few times. And, lately I have been thinking about the ten bands from Tampa Bay that really changed my life. This is the culmination of my ruminations, the product of a life spent listening, playing, promoting, and recording music in the Bay area.
Firstly – I am limiting this largely to bands that actually "got signed" – a term that is largely meaningless today – but one that used to hold a certain cache back in the 80s and 90s. It was the gold ring that nearly all of us aspired to, and a few of us actually caught. Even if we later found out the ring was brass all along, and we ended up with green-stained hands from the corrosion the ring endured from being in Tampa's humid environs.
And secondly – I already know that you disagree with me, that I forgot YOUR favorite band, that "so and so was the best band ever but they never got a break", or that I don't have the taste and aesthetic sensibilities to write about these ten bands. Well, this is my essay, my ten choices, and my observations from a lifetime within one of the most prolific, tangled, tortured, driven, tragic, and talented music scenes I have experienced. Here's to TEN of TAMPA'S BEST!
The Outlaws
"Green Grass and High Tides" is a classic Tampa album, as well as being one of the touchstones of Southern Rock. One of the only successful bands of the genre to exist outside the rough-shod town of Jacksonville, The Outlaws brewed a more sophisticated and California-influenced brand of Florida swamp rock that emulated their peers slightly, while forging their own sinewy identity. Taking the three-guitar army approach that was shared by other legends of the style, these southern rockers from Sulphur Springs set the bar high for other Tampa bands, with an album that sold hundreds of thousands of copies, and cemented them a spot on roughhouse jukeboxes worldwide. Hughie Thomasson, Frank O'Keefe, Henry Paul, Billy Jones, and Monte Yoho truly rocked the Tampa Bay house with several hits, and their music has been deservedly featured on many "Greatest Southern Rock" compilations. So for all you youngsters and hipsters out there, pick up an Outlaws album and give a listen to some real Tampa history. The band is still rocking strong, and features one of my favorite guitarists ever, Chris Anderson from Sarasota. And the band's cover of "Ghosts Riders in the Sky" is a classic.
Four in Legion
One of the first bands I saw when I moved to the Bay area on an exploratory drunken night out to Mr. T's Club 19 in Clearwater, Four-In-Legion was a true PARTY ON WHEELS. Releasing an ill-fated album on Atlantic with the legendary producer Tom Werman and engineer Geoff Workman, this bay area pop-rock-party band was almost a hit. Lead guitarist "Ziggy" was a show unto himself, running and sliding across the stage while simultaneously slamming beers and throwing picks to the crowd. Adhering to the single name theory, lead singer Jaguar lived up to his leonine name, and mined a sort of party David Lee Roth vein. Truth was, the songs were good, the audience was dancing, and before I knew it, I was a fan. And later became more of a fan after meeting Ziggy in the bathroom and partying with them all after the show. Four-In Legion had some Cheap Trick, some Van Halen, and some sheer rock madness all rolled up into their own little musical joint. But alas, they couldn't maintain that lifestyle too long…but this band certainly influenced many other bay area musicians, and was another act that put Tampa Bay on the map as a region to reckon with.
Stranger
What Four-In Legion may have lacked in balls, Stranger had it in spades. One of the next Tampa Bay bands to get the major label nod, these Florida swamp rockers had it all going on – a lead singer who could belt the vocals and do shots of Jack Daniels all night long, the solid as a rock rhythm section, the slightly weird keyboard player, and the guitarist that every guy wanted to BE, and every girl wanted to DO – Ronnie Garvin. I admit it – the first time I saw Ronnie play, I was as entranced as anyone else. Ronnie had an easygoing style, with equal parts feel and flash, mixed with dynamite good looks, flowing hair, and an easy smile. Another Tom Werman find, Stranger was signed to Epic in 1981, but received little label support or publicity. But these hardcore swamp boys weren't deterred, and spent the next decade recording, touring, and making their own way the hard way. A quintessential bay area bar band, and one of the areas top draws for years, Stranger was their own breed of band. In 1996, guitarist Ronnie Garvin took his own life as the band was grinding to a halt, making many of us wonder what was really going on behind that easy-going smile of his. RIP Ronnie, we all loved you and miss you. Vocalist Greg Billings is still belting it out in the area, and can be heard at a local watering hole near you with one of his bar band projects.
Deloris Telescope
Anyone who saw this band in the 90s will tell you the same thing – you never knew what was going to happen when you went to see a DT show. The arguably "classic" lineup of this bay area band was Ricky Wilcox, Stevie Grandmaison, and the intellectually tormented Kacy Ross. Yes, the band went through numerous members and incarnations previous to this lineup, but this is the DT that made history. Their album "Milk the Glory" is a true Tampa Bay classic. Recorded at a cheap studio in New Jersey live to tape on a 48-hour marathon session, this is DT at their finest. Mixing in audience recordings and various other found sounds (a staple of their performances mixed in by "fourth member" soundman Denny Kenny); this album is classic DT madness, original songs mixed in with a smattering of twisted covers. At one point, a hapless female audience member screams "so PLAY a FUCKING SONG already"…indeed. A night out with DT usually meant lots of drinking, lots of audience madness, and at least one band member passing out onstage. Courted by several record labels, but allegedly blowing several record deals in now legendary signing non-stories, the boys in DT were true Tampa Bay legends. On a good night, their three part harmonies, stop on a dime musicianship, and sheer "cool" factor made them the best band in the universe. On a bad night, it would be Kacy Ross singing "Wichita County Lineman" by himself, with Stevie passed out on the floor and Ricky hanging his head in drunken shame. Their legendary performance at the venerable 95YNF "Live at Morrisound" show was a classic as well – the boys showed up 15 minutes before they were supposed to be on the air live. Sheer balls, but once again DT rocked the house. One of Tampa's best bands to see live ever…on the right night.
Savatage
"Hall of the Mountain King" is a classic metal album, and set the path for many more bay area metal bands to follow for year to come. The accidental death of guitarist Criss Oliva (hit by a drunken driver after one of the 98 Rock Livestock mudfests) really was the end for this spectacular band. Another of the perennial favorites from Tampa that made huge waves internationally and especially in European circles, Savatage had a grandiose and almost Spinal Tap quality to their music and concept-based releases. When this sort of thing is done by a lesser band, it comes off as hackneyed and contrived. But somehow Savatage pulled it off and made it work. The brother to brother team of guitarist Criss and lead vocalist Jon Oliva worked well, and the powerful drumming of Steve "Doc" Wacholz helped this band to pummel their fans like a blitzkrieg at the live shows. The various members have had some successful spin-off projects from the band, but truly the glory days go back to the "Mountain King" era Savatage. And it was great to see a Tampa band on MTV's "Headbanger's Ball"
Morbid Angel
Maybe you have been living under a rock for the last fifteen years or so, but if you didn't notice, Tampa Bay inexplicably became the worldwide home of death metal. An interesting genre, I remember seeing this demon-possessed music being spawned at shows back at the long gone Sunset Club. Tampa, and especially the rural suburbs of Brandon and Valrico, had multitudes of deathly-metal standard bearers in the 90s, such as Iced Earth, Deicide, Death, and many more. But the first band from this genre to really hit it big and get the coveted major label deal (and with Warner Brothers no less) was Morbid Angel. Featuring the shredding speed metal guitar playing of Trey Azagthoth, this Aleister Crowley influenced mélange of occult knowledge and furiously fast metal separated this band from many other similar wannabes. Bassist David Vincent is also notable as the lucky guy who married Gen from the infamous Genitorturers, and also ended up playing bass in that band as well. From their recent website, it appears that Vincent is back in the Morbid fold, and why not – this was the cream of the crop as far as I'm concerned for the death metal genre. Extreme tempos, guttural vocals, shredding guitars, and a drummer that tested the limits of double bass madness, Morbid Angel had it all. My practice room at the old People's Storage next door to Skipper's Smokehouse was directly across the street from Morbid's practice room, and we used to sit outside and marvel at how insane these guys were. Drummer Pete Sandoval was a great guy, and we always wondered why, after the big major label deal when Vincent and Azagthoth were all driving nice new cars, Pete was still driving an old, rickety pickup truck. That's rock and roll, I guess.
Rabbit in the Moon
Even though Tampa Bay may be best known as the demon-spawning birthplace of death metal, there has always been a somewhat vibrant electronic music scene here, although perhaps playing a behind to nearby Orlando. But with a few key remixes, RITM took things to an international level in a big way. The live shows were legendary, with a strange guy named Bunny who would dance, grind metal into glowing shards of sparks, and basically incite the drug-addled ravers into a frenzy. But the band/project had much more depth than most raver projects, and showed it in spades with their album of remixes, most notably the remixes of the ever-popular ethereal Canadian songstress Sarah McLachlan. RITM fused the ambient techno sounds of projects like The Orb with their own upbeat and breakbeat stylings to create something completely and utterly original, as well as earning some reportedly huge paychecks in the process. Goldie, Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Roses, Eric Clapton, and many others have used these guys to add their magic electronic touch to their music. RITM was and remains the top of the heap for Tampa electronic music.
LVX Nova
Yes, I know – this was my band. So shoot me…but if you go back and listen to this album today, it still sounds and fresh and original as it did over ten years ago when we released it. A collaboration between myself and Mike Meengs (Sonic Erotica, D'YEA, Turtle Bend, and many others), this was an album that somewhat successfully melded ambient techno music and instrumental rock guitar into a Tangerine Dream-like ambient guitar amalgam. Critically acclaimed and reviewed worldwide, the project was signed to MIRAMAR/BMG and released by the label that was then home to Tangerine Dream, Alan Parsons Project, and Jonn Serrie. In a typical Tampa Bay record deal story, the album never really sold a ton of copies, the label ended up being bought out by a motion picture company, and LVX Nova was no more. We did record a second album, but when the label balked at providing some advance cash for the deal, we shelved it. Still, this is one of the more interesting releases from Tampa Bay that managed to get a deal in the 90s. And in an interesting side note, this album was recently re-released upon the tenth anniversary of release by the uber-cool internet music label Magnatune.com. So there.
Clang
Let me make this very clear – Clang never actually got signed, but I know for a fact that they went all the way up to Clive Davis at Arista (who reportedly "didn't hear a single" from the band). I worked for BMG Distribution in the mid 90s, and Tampa Bay was my main market. During the CMJ conference in 1995, BMG had asked all of us working in alternative music promotion to bring up three good examples of local unsigned bands. I brought Clang, Lie (the ever-cool John McNicholas trio), and Deloris Telescope. Somehow my Clang CD had ended up in the hands of Lonn Friend, West Coast A&R for Arista at that time. Lonn spent the entire week chasing me around NYC to find out more about Clang. And well he should have – Clang was one of the most original, clever, and talented bands Tampa Bay has ever heard. With two members educated at the Eastman School of Music, a bass player that defined low-end groove, and a solid Stewart Copleand-ish drummer, Clang had the pop smarts and sensibilities to be huge. I don't care what band you were in, you weren't as cool as Paul Reller, you didn't write songs this good, and your live shows were not anything near a good Clang show. Sounding something like the bastard Child of Elvis Costello and perhaps World Party or XTC, the Clangsters mined a vein of intelligent power-pop goodness that was rarely if ever seen in the land of metal and punk that emerged from the Tampa scene. Clang ruled, period.
Sugarspoon:
This was quite possibly one of the most interesting and listenable success stories from the 90s era in Tampa. Formed by the writing team of vocalist Paul Sizemore and guitarist Kent Bradley, Sugarspoon enlisted the able rhythm section of bassist Jeff Alan and famed Tampa drummer Mark Busto (inexplicably called "Mark Henry" on the album) to form one of the best band projects to emanate from Tampa during this time. Sizemore's vocals were an interesting mixture of floaty high harmonies ala Perry Farrell and a more muscular rocking Lou Gramm. the band signed with MCA, and recorded their first album in Los Angeles, with veteran producer Gavin Mackillop at the helm, best known for his work with Toad the Wet Sprocket. Mackillop managed to eke a pop-rock gem out of this band, and their self-titled debut CD is one of the most delicious audio confections to be ever issued from our area. Allegedly, MCA bought these guys out of their contract, earning the two main songwriters a six-figure severance paycheck. It's a pity this album never got promoted or got the major label "push", as the songs were truly amazing -- dreamy yet muscular alternative rock with oblique lyrics and dense "layers of the onion" production that stand up to repeated listenings. I remember seeing these guys play live at the old Gasoline Alley for their MCA Records release party, and was truly blown away by the band. You can still find this CD is used shops in the 99 cent bin, and it will repay your ears far more than the price would indicate. Another "might have been", for sure, but a band that ably dislayed what they were capable of with their first album, and one good enough to be included in this list.
As a sidenote -- Paul Sisemore is still doing music, and has a new project going, he is in my top friends, so check it out! Paul let me know that while MCA did indeed buy them ou tof their second album, the amount of money they got paid did not nearly equal the amount of grief and stress the band underwent. I tend to believe him on this -- and I still think it was a CRIME that Sugarspoon didn't get promoted or the big "push" they deserved.
Ah, Tampa Bay. I miss you from time to time. In my recent visit, I see that many things have changed, but many things remain the same. I was still able to stop and share a beverage with the venerable Dave at Dave's Aqua Lounge and reminisce with the man about the old times. For better or worse, the Green Iguanas seem to have multiplied, and the old Sunset Lounge is now a workout facility. I didn't mention several bands that do deserve a mention here – I loved Joe Popp, Monday Mornings, Skunkworks, Secret Service (anything that Steve Gruden sang with), UROK, Crimson Glory, Mighty Joe Plum, Heartless, Roxx Gang, Julliet, Intice, The Warren Brothers, and many more. I keep an eye on the scene, and see many new faces out there. Keep it up Tampa Bay; you'll get the respect you deserve one day!"