Remember-If you are a local musician or in a band (or know of one) and would like to get the word out about upcoming shows, releases or projects, drop us a line.
You can follow and contact us on twitter @ playgroundpc, or send a message to our Facebook page administrators: Ford Seeuws or Justin Weathermon.
FEATURE STORY
While this one comes a bit out of left field (or...uhhh...right field I guess), it's an interesting story that caught my eye, and it's definitely link-worthy, so here it is...
British rock band Radiohead, known for its brooding and melancholy meditations on various forms of societal malaise, have just released a song honoring Harry Patch, a 111 year-old British World War I veteran who recently passed away. Whatever your opinion of Radiohead's music or political persuasion (which they freely promote in this song), you can only benefit from a look at Mr. Patch's incredible story and life.
The story can be heard at PRI's The World or on BBC's Page where you can listen to Radiohead's Song Harry Patch (In Memory Of) while reading the lyrics and viewing a poignant photo of Mr. Patch in his last years.
The lyrics, while no doubt reflective of Radiohead's own political views on war, directly quotes Mr. Patch, and should be given an honest listen, if for no other reason than to honor the man himself.
The song begins with string lines that are reminiscent of the kind Michael Kamen used to convey the rich emotional tone that helped make Band of Brothers so good. Radiohead bring their A-game, though, utilizing Johnny Greenwood's intuitive use of dissonance and Yorke's atmospheric crooning to create a fitting homage to veterans like Harry Patch.
You can download the song from Radiohead's Website. All proceeds from the purchase will go to the British Legion in support of British veterans.
LOCAL ARTISTS
Chris Godber
Chris Godber has been a saxophonist from the beginning. He started playing at the age of 12 and began writing his own songs about the time he finished high school. Chris spent some time overseas as a child while his dad was in the Air Force. While in Germany he spent much of his time in the house listening to music, and it became a central part of his life there. At the time it was Kenny G's mastery of the soprano sax that captivated his interest, and upon his return to the states, Chris took up the alto sax as he entered middle school.
He had asthma, however, and doctors warned him that he should not take up the sax because it could further affect his respiratory condition. He fought through it, though, and rather than aggravating his asthma, the extra effort helped strengthen his lungs.
After a successful performance of the national anthem for his father's Air Force retirement ceremony, Chris was hooked. He has since gone on to perform in numerous settings and has released four albums. His most recent, "One Breath at a Time," was released earlier this year.
Chris has this advice for young musicians:
"Practice, Practice! No joke, I know everyone tells you that, but that's because it's true in all aspects of life. If you want to get stronger, you have to work out; if you want to be a better cook you have to get into the kitchen! If you want to be a better musician you have to put in the effort and practice.
"And one thing I've learned about practicing is to never get satisfied with your playing level. If we get comfortable with how well we play then we won't strive to get better, we'll just get in this little niche and stay there. You should always aspire to be better tomorrow than you are today.
"There's an old saying that my band instructor would always tell me 'If you don't practice for one day, you will know it. If you miss practice for two days, your audience will know it.' I've always remembered this and I make an effort to practice accordingly."
A few musicians that have influenced his playing are: Boney James, Jeff Kashiwa, David Sanborn, Kenny G, Kirk Whalum, and Dave Koz. But Chris cites God as his greatest influence: "I was told that I wouldn't be able to play the sax. I could have left it at that, but something in my innermost being wouldn't let me. God spoke to me and told me to play that sax, and He allowed me to. Yea I got discouraged a lot because it was hard and didn't happen over night, but He blessed me with a family to give me pep talks and boost my confidence.
"When I was 15 I gave my sax playing and music all over to the Lord and asked Him to do with it what He would because it's not about me. He blessed it and did things with it that I could never have dreamed of. The only musical training I've had was in middle school band...I just played in church and let God teach me the rest. So my inspiration comes from the Father, whom I play for and share my testimony with audiences all over. Just as my new album is titled 'One Breath at a Time', I'm hoping to spread the message of hope and love one note and one breath at a time..."
Chris has a number of shows coming up. See the events list below for more information or visit his website Chris Godber.com.
LOCAL EVENTS
The News Herald has a great page listing weekly summer music events.
Check it out: Summer Concerts Will Have a Backstage Twist.
Individual Events
Cool Hand Luke, Save the Ship, Lily White and The Dukes of Appleton
TONIGHT!
6:30 pm
Lynn Haven United Methodist Church - 4501 Transmitter Rd.
$7
Check their Facebook Event Page for more info.
FRIDAY FEST TONIGHT!
6PM-10PM
4th Street Stage - Hangar Sixx
5th Street Stage - Emerald County Line
Maddie's Stage/6th Street - Bone Daddy
Gateway Park - TBA
Trustmark Stage/Oak Avenue - Ebb Tyde
For more info, visit Friday Fest's Website.
Curt McCathy and the 4th Street Band at Friday Fest
TONIGHT!
8:00pm - 11:55pm
The Place
Join Ashley Feller, Matt Law, Steve Henley and Curt McCarthy in the air conditioned comfort of The Place for Friday Fest!
4th Street plays eclectic acoustic music from a wide varity of artists with a little homegrown music mixed in for good measure .
You're guaranteed to hear a song you know by heart!
Facebook Event Page
Bread of Stone in Concert
Monday, August 10
7:00 pm
Free
Living Word Fellowship
Facebook Event Page
The Carolinas, Lily White, and The Bookends Live at the Rabbit Hole
Friday, August 14
6:00pm - 9:00pm
The Rabbit Hole on Harrison Ave.
$5
Check their Facebook Event Page for more info.
Chris Godber in Concert
Saturday, August 15
11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Grand Ridge Baptist Church
2093 Porter Ave
Grand Ridge, FL
Facebook Event Page
Marisa Joy Williams Benefit Concert
Saturday, August 15
7:00pm - 8:00pm
Springfield United Methodist Church
701 School Ave.
Panama City, FL
Come for an evening of Christian music presented by Donna Williams accompanied by Alan Mullikin at a concert to raise funds for Joy Park to be built at Springfield United Methodist Church.
Facebook Event Page
Chris Godber in God Bless America Concert
Saturday, September 12, 2009
11:00am - 2:00pm
Panama City Mall
Join Chris and many other artists at the Panama City Mall for a Free Concert! This is an inside event and should be in the center of the mall or on the Dillard's Wing. (More details to come....) Do a little shopping, listen to some music, it's all good! Chris goes on at 12:00PM.
Facebook Event Page
Ongoing Events
Backstage Pass Concert Series
Gulf Jazz Society Performs Tonight!!
Dark and cool speakeasy atmosphere. Show up early and tour the backstage area. Local bands and you on stage!
Friday Nights from July 24th-August 28th
6:30 - 8:00
Marina Civic Center (Stage Entrance at Northeast corner of building)
$5
Tickets are available in advance - online at www.marinaciviccenter.com and at Civic Center box office window.
More information on their Facebook Event Page.
Live in Concert at the Martin Theatre
Sundays from now through Sept. 13
The Martin Theatre Green Room
3 - 7 p.m.
$2
This week featuring Doug Spears.
Details:
3 to 4 pm is a meet and greet with the artists,
at 4 we begin recording the show for WKGC.
Come and be a part of the show. 5PM to 7PM is music and more music.
Every week Lucky Mudd opens up the the afternoon of music for a different musical guest.
For more details visit Emerald Coast Studio.com.
Jazz Jam at the Granite Cafe
Every Wednesday
The Granite Cafe (on the corner of Beck Ave and 10th St. in St. Andrews)
6 - 10 pm
FREE
Bring an instrument and a bit of rhythm and join the jam!
YOUTUBE TALENT
* This one made the rounds a couple years back, but it's worth another mention here. The featured talent here is not so much U2's song, which is nothing to shake a stick at, but the painstakingly researched and edited video:
Window in the Sky
* Here's a nice little song incorporating a string ensemble (thanks to Youtube's Music Tuesday for the find):
Too Much Time By John Vanderslice and the Magik Orchestra
* While fingerstyle guitar is not a new development, for many it was a new discovery when they saw Andy McKee's now famous performance of his song Drifting on Youtube in 2006. It's worth a look especially if you're unfamiliar with this unique way of playing the guitar:
Andy McKee - Drifting
LINKS/NEWS
* For all you composers and songwriters out there who need a break from the digital world, but never seem to have blank staff paper lying around, Blank Sheet Music.net is a nice little resource to have in your bookmarked pages. It's customizable, quick and free.
* Musician Tutorials.com has loads of great information for just about anything dealing with music-making in a typical 3-5 piece band. From guitar maintenance to choosing the right instrument, practice techniques, recording, dealing with stage fright, it's all there.
* Yamaha.com has some great resources for wind and band students. Their page Wind Tips from the Pros is one of these great resources with loads of valuable tutorials and tips.
TOTALLY RANDOM
* Some friends introduced me to Homestarrunner.com probably five years ago or so. If the name is new to you, it's hard to really know where to start in describing it. Two brothers who graduated from FSU film school decided to take their collective creative talents and direct them through a cast of characters they'd created for a children's book. The result was a web site that functions as a portal to a collection of cartoons, songs, video games, and, perhaps most famously, a page where one of the characters (Strongbad) answers real e-mails from fans of the site. So, if all this is new to you, a good places to start is Strongbad's email about drawing Dragons, which culminates with a song that has achieved that oh-so-coveted honor of inclusion in a Guitar Hero game. Witness the birth of Trogdor!
Well, that's all for this week. Thanks for reading!
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