Nessie emerges from Tampa with 'mythmaking'

WADE TATANGELO

Herald Staff Writer

The listener is met with quiet, ominous guitar strumming before the band jumps in a riot squad. A contemplative pause, then a desperate voice delivers the attention-grabbing opener:

"We kicked that kid to the curb outside Gainesville," confesses Nessie's Scott Harrell. "He wouldn't shut the (expletive) up, couldn't keep still."

Titled "The Process of Mythmaking," it's one of those songs that rushes out of the speakers with that Pixies, stop 'n' go, urgency. You won't hear this 3½-minute slice of power pop on the radio but that could change in the near future. St. Petersburg-based Nessie is currently shopping their new six-song CD "Drunk with a Gun" to national labels. When the band makes its Bradenton debut at Rockerfellas Friday it's a safe bet "The Process of Mythmaking" will cause people to smile at each other in approval - especially members of the other bands on the lineup.

The lyrics chronicle a crazy night in the world of indie rock. It's a world in which band members hold down day jobs, play the few bars that cater to original music, travel in rundown vans and spend the night wherever they pass out. It's not glamorous. And it gets harder with age.

The incidents that inspired "The Process of Mythmaking" took place during Harrell's days with his previous band, the Cocktail Honeys. He wrote the song a couple years ago during a time when he was doing solo acoustic gigs.

"It was a way of closing the door on that period of the rowdiest, drunkest band behavior," Harrell said - and then he chuckled. "Of course, now that I have a another rowdy, drunk band its more of the same."

The members of Nessie reads like a Who's Who of the Tampa Bay original rock music scene. Guitarist Mark Bustin's resume includes stints with the Dumbwaiters and Pagan Saints. Drummer Ed Swain has logged time with Goddess Monster and The Sophomore Effort. Bassist Joey Neill is a former member of Red Skyline.

Nessie's "Drunk with a Gun" is a collection of rock songs that reflect on a life lived outside the cubicle. These are tunes about closing down bars and being told by a lover that you'd be "Better Off Alone," which is the title of another selection from the EP. When Harrell straps on his guitar and steps to the mic to perform his self-penned material the emotional outpouring taking place on stage is remarkable. "As someone who writes about music and critiques it I'm not going to go out there and half-ass it," he said. "I'm going to lay it all out."

Harrell (aka Ravis Harnell) is one of the best known figures in the Tampa Bay original music scene. The 34-year-old has been playing in local bands with names such as Joey Sunshine, Artistic Butchery and Smack since he was 18. His days jobs have included sitting behind the counter at the popular downtown St. Petersburg music shop Daddy Kool, working at the city's famed State Theatre, and numerous writing gigs including his current staff position as music critic and culture commentator for the Weekly Planet Tampa Bay edition.

"Faces change, styles change, clothing changes, but at the core I don't think the scene really changes," Harrell said. "There's always been a whole lot of talent surrounded by a whole lot of garbage."

Harrell paused and then added: "The accent changes but the language remains the same."

Wade Tatangelo, features writer/music critic, can be reached at 745-7051 or wtatangelo@

HeraldToday.com. His blog, "In Tune with Wade," can be found at http://blogs.bradenton.com.

If you go

What: Nessie with Tenspoke Indians and Woodale

Where: Rocker fellas, 5520 14th St., Bradenton

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Admission: $6

Information: 756-2831 or space.com/nessie