Interview Tar Tar: a day in the Life of Pi

Full-length, unedited interview by Julie Garisto

Stephen Hammill of Life of Pi answers questions by e-mail for this week’s Meet the Band.

 

> 1. Current line-up, first and last names, instruments:

Stephen Hammill, vocals and guitar
Alastair St. Hill, vocals and guitar
Marc Bustin, Bass
Kevin Pytlak, Drums

> 2. You mentioned you have a new drummer? You mean Christian is out, right?
> If so, who is it? How did the switcheroo come about?

Critstian (no ‘H’ in the first name) just had a baby; well, his
girlfriend did. He’s a little tied up with that so we recruited Kevin
(of the Dumbwaiters) to fill in or the next couple of shows and he’s
been super cool. But we love Cristian. Member for life.

 3. Since forming five years ago, your line-up has changed
> considerably. Apart from the drummer change-out, things seem pretty
> stable. You and your bandmates, who are prominent musicians from other local
> music acts, must be a more cohesive unit than when you first started. What
> was that process like? Was it a struggle making Life a Pi a priority and not
> just a side project?

The current lineup has been defined by the lack of struggle, if
anything. The guys are all into the music and we get along really
well. It’s something I had to learn over time, that it’s important to
get a good mesh of personalities — like a relationship I guess. You
make mistakes and you hopefully take some lessons with you.

>
> 4. The band is your baby, right? Did you give up some control with the
> line-up change and make things more collaborative, do the rest of the guys
> just defer to your words and arrangements, or is it a mixture of both?

It’s a mixture. Alastair is a great songwriter and he pens some of our
tunes, and of course everybody has his own approach to playing, which
comes through. I try not to mess with that. You’re right, though, it
is at the end of the day my band, and I take responsibility for the
creative output, good or bad.

> 5. Sorry if you’re tired of this question, but way back when you first named
> the band, were you inspired by the novel of the same name? What was going on
> in your life at the time?

 It’s a long story, but essentially we named the band after a song I
wrote which was inspired by the book. I was working at a local
bookstore at the time and had read the advance copy of it.  I never
expected it to do so well, but I’m glad it did. I got to meet Yann
Martel at one point and tell him about the band. He was pretty
excited.

> 6. Genuine Fake has been in the works a while. What’s been going on with the
> recording of the new record? Any plans yet for the CD release party?

The sessions began last year, with a different lineup, so the process
has involved reworking some of those songs and recording some new
ones. I’m happy to say the album is finished: 10 songs. As for a CD
release, we’ve considered latching on to a small label for this one,
as opposed to releasing it ourselves, which is what we did with the
first two. We’ll see how that pans out.

> 7. There’s a balance of moods with your music — it’s neither too bright nor
> too dark. Is this intentional? How does your personal life inform the moods
> of your songs?

It’s probably both. Sad songs have always meant more to me than
typically happy ones. I guess you could say I like to explore the
darker edges of seemingly mundane and ordinary things, and the happier
aspects of typically sad things.

>
> 8. How did Alastair writing Eat a Rainbow come about? He sings on it, right?

Yeah. Alastair wrote that and another one (“This Time”) for “Genuine
Fake.” I think it’s important to have another songwriting voice in the
band, and he’s a really good singer.  Anecdote: I actually recruited
Alastair after seeing him perform at an open mic night in St.
Petersburg. He did a They Might Be Giants cover. I thought I was the
only person in town who would do that sort of thing. I had him on my
radar from that point forward. I don’t think he knows that story.

> 9. Any new cover songs live?

Good question. We haven’t really polished any covers for shows
recently. We probably should.

> 10. If you could play one celebrity’s private party, whose would it be?

David Bowie’s 65th birthday party.

Interview Tar Tar: full serving of Dish unedited

Dish's Nathanial and Roberto Aguilar moved to Deland from Maryland. They're playing New World this weekend.

1. Did Stetson University bring you to Florida from Maryland? If not, what did?
Yes, stetson was the reason I came to Florida, I convinced Nathaniel to come down a year later.

2. What inspired Nathanial in creating his homemade drum kit?
We were all in a four piece band called Sine with our best friends growing up in Maryland. One of the guys, Pat Ruffner, went to Boston to
look at schools. He saw a guy playing buckets on the side of the street. When Pat got back home, he made a little make shift bucket kit
and I did the same thing. We both would go out on the street and “buscket” all around D.C. and Maryland.
When we brought our band Sine down to Florida and things didn’t work out, Roberto and I decided to try and put music to my bucket kit.
Later in College, a maintenance worker who was also a musician, loved what I was doing and would find old equipment from science labs and helped me
develop my kit even more. “nathaniel”

3. Roberto, you have an expressive and immediate style of singing. Were you influenced by any artists in addition to trying to find your own unique way of singing?
I’ve always loves singers who were expressive and used dynamics. I heard a lot of that in Soul music as well classical and rock and roll.
There are really so many artists to name that have inspired me, but Jeff Buckley would have to be one of the artists that have really influenced me lately. His album live at S’ine is really what moved me to push my limits on what I could do with my vocal cords. I’m also really influenced by M. Ward. He has a quietness to him that’s really draws you in.

4. How and when did you go about forming Dish — and why the name?
When our father moved from D.C to west palm beach, we convinced him to let our band sine move down too. Our plans were to finish our record and start a record label. The two other members moved back to Maryland leaving Nathaniel and I to put together Dish. We really just wanted to play out, we’ve always enjoyed doing that. The name is really not all of that interesting. At the time, Nathaniel’s kit was just a few pots and pans, a gutter tube and a bucket. It all fit on a dish rack, so I just thought Dish was simple enough. “roberto”

5. What is the dynamic between you two? Is one more quiet, one more outgoing, etc? Which one is older?
As brothers we really different from the outside looking in but we understand each other much better than it seems. I love being around people and meeting new ones, thats one of the great things about playing music and traveling. Nathaniel is more of a private person. He’s social, but there are times, especially after a show, that he just doesn’t want to be around people. I’m older. “roberto”

6. How did your parents influence your music, if at all?
My dad introduced us to rock n’ roll like Jimi Hendrix, the doors ect. I was really influenced by mitch mitchel from the hendrix experience.
Other than that we really ventured out on our own to be inspired. “nathaniel”

7. Does Roberto write all the lyrics? Choose a song and say what it’s about.
Yes, I write all of the lyrics. There are some times before we play a song that I want to explain it. One song I’ve been talking about lately is Death and Romance. It’s going to be on our next record. It’s about being hit with two very strong emotions at the same time and trying to make sense of it. I was driving towards Jacksonville one night and I was passing an exit that reminded me of girl I dated recently. She lived off of that exit and all of these memories would come flowing in every time I passed by. I was still heart broken over her so it was pretty intense. At the same moment I was feeling all of this, I looked to my left and I saw a man who had just died in an accident on the side of the road. He was mostly covered by the white sheet, but I could see that he had been bunt to a crisp. When those two emotions collided, it was really creepy and beautiful and that song just kind of shit itself out.

8. Have you had more love than friction — I hope — lately?
Well, it’s funny you should say that. Lately it’s been friction, but this is a great time time clarify something. In that song, a lot of people
think I’m saying “no love and friction”. But it’s actually “know love and friction”. I think the two are inseparable. Real love comes out when there’s conflict. It causes a person to make tough decisions and I think thats the catalyst for love, “Sorrow carves out the space for joy” – Kahlil Gibran

9. Roberto, what are all the instruments you play on stage and in the studio?
Acoustic and electric guitar, baritone guitar, mandolin, and whatever else I can get my hands on in the studio.

10. Are you recording any new material?
We are, we’ve been working on this record for almost 7 months, we are really excited about it. It’s going to be called “Ma Raison De Vivre Ton Amour”

11. What’s your favorite stop on the I-4 corridor?
I think we both collectively agree, The 2nd DeLand Exit is the best.

Hear them: 10 p.m. Saturday with the Wedding Party and the Tape Delay at New World Brewery in Ybor City $7. (813) 248-4969. myspace.com/dishtheband Photo by Brooke Pifer
From left, Nathanial and Roberto Aguilar

Ahh, newness …

Funky 49 laid down some fat, nerdalicious rhymes at the Orpheum Aug. 13.

I love fresh new music. There hasn’t been much of it lately, but that makes the discoveries when they happen oh so sweeter.

Last week I went to a hip-hop show at the Orpheum and caught some cool newish acts that skew to the underground, nerdcore tip. There was a little gangsta, Dirty South. You could say it was a buffet of rhyming styles.

Funky 49 is a Tampa-based performer who might appeal to people who enjoy MC Chris. He’s got a pretty good flow and clever rhymes. His songs touch on really badass street-tough topics, such as the role-playing game World of Warcraft and broadband vs. dial-up.

My favorite of the night was an artist who goes by Black King. He was fierce yet smooth. Sometimes rappers lose their fluidity with aggression, but King’s seemed to be fueled by it.

I have an e-mail to Lazy, inquiring about the line-up of the night, so I will update you on some more of the latest rappers to hit the scene once I talk to him.

Saturday I caught Rec Center (led by Susie Ulrey and Michael Waksman) and Sons of Hippies — two promising new pop/rock acts.

Rec Center is mellow and catchy (see profile in other entry).

Sons of Hippies, whose singer Katherine Kelly is probably the hottest new female vocalist to hit the scene now. She wins crowds over with the right mixture of toughness and feminine appeal. She’s not over-the-top in your face, screaming about blow jobs in theaters and whatnot.

The duo, featuring pal Jonas on drums, vocals, percussion and synthesizers, incorporates distinctly varied rocking and atmospheric influences — Radiohead, Metric, Pixies, PJ Harvey, Air and and Pearl Jam — so naturally the end result isn’t quite like anything else out there these days {thank god someone’s doing it }.

Sneak Peek: Sushi-grade rock this weekend

Sons of Hippies’ Katherine Kelly puts down the electric for an acoustic this weekend.

Fresh meat at In the Raw
By Julie Garisto

Get an earful of sushi-grade rock this Saturday at the State Theatre, when In the Raw returns in all its uncooked glory for one night only.

In the Raw, Tampa Bay’s version of MTV’s “Unplugged,” showcased acoustic music and art in a series presented by Southeast Music Alliance. Popular lead singers and members of local bands played to crowds seated at candle-lit tables.

Out-of-town headliners included Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root and Joe Popp.

The event enjoyed its heyday from 2003 to ’06. Hosted by SMA honcho Joran Slane Oppelt, the pleasantly intimate showcase won best-of awards from local magazines.

Logistical problems, such as venues going out of business or changing management, kept the series from starting up again.

This week’s revival, we’re happy to say, picks things up right where they left off with an impressive lineup of local performers.

Shawn Kyle, of Tampa rockers the Beauvilles, will perform tunes from his band’s eagerly anticipated new album, Whispering Sin.

Also performing will be Mikey Bostinto of Tres Bien – a 2007 tbt* Ultimate Band winner and top-10 Fox reality show contestant.

It’s tough to pick a favorite in this impressive roster, but be sure to catch up-and-comer Katherine Kelly, a tough-and-pretty-voiced brunette who’s wowing crowds north and south of the Skyway Bridge. She used to play in Bradenton’s Nous Rapport and has a new act called Sons of Hippies.

“I’ll be playing four songs,” Kelly says. “They’re about these things, in this order: accidental death, roadkill and hookers, false belief and forced joy.”

Swoony, atmospheric folk diva Geri X returns from her yearly hiatus in Wisconsin, and hard-rock prodigies Hat Trick Heroes tune down and turn on with their youth-belying talent.

Along with all the “raw” musical talent, photography will be on display, too. Past in the Raw photos by concert photographers Carrie Waite and Stacy Mathis can be viewed in the lobby and on screen projections in the theater.

Perhaps the success of Saturday’s show will catch on and be revived again at the State Theatre?

If not, one consolation is that music writer and musician Scott Harrell hosts a monthly acoustic event called Kinder, Gentler Sundays. His shows have the same feel-good vibe and unplugged awesomeness, just on the opposite side of the bay in Crowbar’s outside patio.

Acoustic shows are not only fun and a great way to see a favorite local act. The process of getting musicians together on an even-playing field, without the electricity, engenders a warmth and camaraderie you don’t get at typical rock shows.

Nobody expresses this better than the artists themselves.

“I’m honored to share the stage with Tampa and St. Pete’s song-writing elite,” shares Kelly, “as well as blessed to have made a friend who believes in me as much as Joran Slane.”

In the Raw, the premiere event in Creative Loafing’s upcoming concert series, begins at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23, at the State Theatre in downtown St. Pete, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $8 at the door; $5 with voter ID; all ages.

Scott Harrell’s next Kinder, Gentler Sunday, is on Sunday, Aug. 24, at 6 p.m. at Crowbar, 1812 N 17th St., Ybor City. Features Will Quinlan, Geri X, J. Schultz of Military Junior and Beachy Joe. $3. Following events will be Sept. 14 and 28.

For more information, visit smaflorida.com.

Off topic: The Rage In Placid Lake

Okay, due to my unrelenting ADD, I need to veer off course once in a while and babble about something other than Tampa Bay music acts. … I sorry.

An Australian sleeper indie comedy starring Ben Lee got by me until this weekend, and sweet Jesus is it ever good.

Rage In Placid Lake, from 2003, is the ideal, twisted coming of age story for fans of Harold and Maude and Rushmore.

As I’ve gotten older, my tolerance for aw-shucks movies has sunk lower than that of the average person. I sometimes sound like a cynical j-a but hey, to each her own.

A couple of heart-”worming” movies I hate: Forrest Gump and Running With Scissors (which is basically Forrest Gump poorly imagined as a John Waters movie).

That all said, when done right, coming of age movies rule. I love 400 Blows, My Life As a Dog, Breaking Away, My Bodyguard, the aforemented classics, plus a sweet Italian kidnapping caper called Io Non Ho Paura (or I am not afraid). I’m sure I’m leaving some out, but I can’t spend too long on this!

The Rage in Placid Lake, like the other coming-of-age flicks I love, dances around the formulaic pitfalls and doesn’t indulge in over-the-top histrionics too often — but sparingly enough to keep you on your toes and keep you amused.

It centers on Placid Lake, a sensitive young man raised by self-centered hippies (his mom is the kickass Miranda Richardson). After a horrible accident, he decides to lead what he considers a conventional life and gets a job at an insurance company. This move is seen as an act of rebellion. He’s just trying to save himself from himself.

The satire at play is clever as hell, with corporate life, young romance, angst and parental foibles showcased in poignant and hilarious ways.

You could say The Rage in Placid Lake has all the same elements at play as Running With Scissors, but with much more heart and likeable 3-dimensional characters and much fewer plot manipulations and broad strokes.

Most importantly, you really gotta love the lead character. Ben Lee is a truly likeable and lovable semi-tragic hero. His misfit Placid is charming, unique and razor sharp. He should go down as the next great nerdy archetype.

tbt* profile: Rec Center

Rec Center
By Julie Garisto, tbt* columnist
In print: Friday, August 15, 2008

Susie Ulrey and Michael Waksman headline Rec Center.
[Courtesy of Nicole Kibert]

Recreational therapy: Susie Ulrey, vocals, guitar and keyboards; Michael Waksman, vocals and guitar; Brian Roberts, bass; and Keith Ulrey, drums.

Impressive resumes: Married band mates Susie and Keith Ulrey were in Pohgoh and Maccabees in the ’90s. Keith Ulrey and Waksman are now in Zillionaire, one of tbt*’s ultimate local bands for 2007. Waksman also performed in Chester and the Washdown. Brian Roberts is in Hankshaw, Redhands and Murder-Suicide Pact.

Celluloid inspiration: Susie, Keith and pals ritually watched the 1979 teen-angst drama Over the Edge, starring Matt Dillon and Vincent Spano. The town in the movie, New Granada, inspired Keith’s record label and promotions company, New Granada Presents. The rec center is where the angry youth congregated. Waksman says that the name of their new band was also intended to invite musicians to join in and collaborate. So the band would be sort of a recreation center for local rockers.

Their sound: Mellow electric with some acoustic touches.

What they play: Waksman, a Telecaster Deluxe. “I try to make it a warm sound,” he says. “I use the neck pickup, trying to make it bright. It’s pretty much the same sound I use with Zillionaire except it’s half as loud with no distortions.”

Susie Ulrey: “I play organ, bells, piano, and I have a Daisy Rock guitar. … It’s so pretty — yellow mother of pearl and the fretboard is inlaid with flower vines. Very girly.”

Susie’s voice: Delicate, sweetly expressive and powerful; comparable to Blossom Dearie of Schoolhouse Rock fame.

How it all came together: Waksman started adding keyboard parts to Susie’s solo material and she added keyboard parts to his songs. They performed shows late 2004. Roberts and Keith joined in on recordings and band practices. “Susie and I switch off on songs that we bring in. We haven’t started collaborating on songs yet,” Waksman says. “I’ll bring in a song I wrote, or she’ll bring in song she wrote and everyone else might throw in an idea about how an arrangement might go.”

Rocking on: Susie was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2001. She hasn’t had progressed symptoms in two years and considers herself in remission. The absence of complications has afforded her time to concentrate on writing and playing music. “I love to play,” she says. “I miss it. I was so not shy about telling Keith how jealous I was that he was rocking in a band. I missed that. Of course, we’re rocking quietly. But we were rocking. The first couple of times of practice with the four of us, I was so wound up. We got done and it was 11 o’clock. I was so excited.”

Hear ‘em: 9 p.m. Saturday with Pemberley, Sons of Hippies and Nathalia Estrada, at New World Brewery in Ybor City. $6. (813) 248-4969. myspace.com/reccentertampa.

Hankshaw homecoming … or come-homing — you pick

This update hasn’t been confirmed, but members of Hankshaw are moving or have moved back to Tampa from Atlanta and plan to re-establish themselves as a Tampa act once again. Great news; Hankshaw is one of the most versatile and lively bands to hit local stages.

Downside — no Milton — he’s in the Hiss now.

One of the area’s best is booking shows again

Palantine, which had a recent lineup shakeup because bassist Scott Becker relocated to Oregon, is back at it, with shows booked in the near future.

Anyone replacing Scott? “No one … for now,” says frontman Vinnie Cosentino. “Brian David Johnson is playing bass, I’m on guitar and Jeff Fox is still playing drums. We have played a handful of shows as a three-piece and it seems to work quite nicely.”

I highly recommend catching a Palantine show. The band cleverly named for the senator in Taxi Driver delivers power, edge and songs that burrow under your skin with infectiousness. You can say there are elements of garage rock, early 90s stuff, but they take rock ‘n’ roll simplicity and mold it into their own special kind of beast — a monster who gets you singing and dancing a little, too.

Here’s Vinnie’s update: “Palantine show coming up on 8/23 at Cafe Bohemia in St Pete with Gleaming Ameobas and Some Dancing Skeleton. We are also set to release our new CD on 10/18 at New World with the help of New Granada,” says Cosentino. “The Semis are on the bill and Map of the Universe from Miami may be as well.”

 

PALANTINE – "Melee"

Take a ride with Memphis Train Union

Memphis Train Union
By Julie Garisto, tbt* columnist
In print: Friday, August 8, 2008

——————————————————————————–
From left: Mike Warmath, Dave Korman and Jason Angelo.
[Handout photo]

All aboard: Dave Korman, guitar and vocals; Jason Angelo, bass; and Mike Warmath on drums.

Stops all over: “We all groove with traditional instruments,” Korman says. “People see Jason’s upright bass and think we’re a rockabilly band. They want to call us roots rock or Americana. It’s just rock ‘n’ roll to me.”

Formed: Spring 2007 in Dunedin.

Only member from Memphis: Warmath

Borderline Canadian: Angelo is from Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Before the bubble burst: Korman, 38, has played in Mustard, Hangtown, Pagan Saints and the Leonard Croon Band. He saved himself in the nick of time both creatively and financially when he took a break to write a “s—load of songs” and purchase a bungalow on Douglas Avenue before home prices rose above 100 grand. Improvements include a giant tile mosaic of an acoustic guitar on the front porch and installing a wooden deck and fire pit out back. “It’s a party house,” he says proudly.

CD: Out on the Road, recorded with Steve Rosicky, who helps out on piano, percussion and toy piano, and Michael Hoag, on electric bass.

A twist on blues guitar: “I mix a lot of influences together,” Korman says. “I took lessons from a really good guitarist, Jimmy Griswold, a blues player. He taught me so much stuff about Blue Note jazz that doesn’t sound like the blues, but it is. … I will do a straight pentatonic scale — that’s common in the blues — but instead I’ll play fragments of the chord. … I’ll play notes based on horn players — it’s all in the phrasing — and I mix country, too.”

Far-flung influences: Korman’s favorite band in high school was British punk band Crass. He also digs 1960s-era country, Drive-By Truckers, Todd Snyder and Brazilian bossa nova.

Painterly influences: Korman creates musical and visual pastiches. He’s a painter and graphic designer and comes from a family of artists. A painting by his great uncle Tanasko Milovich hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Stage axes: Guitars played live include a Gretsch 6120 and a Memphis-made Gibson ES 335. Korman will also bust out a harmonica, too.

Love ‘em and laugh at ‘em: Having received a break-up letter recently, Korman became inspired to write his latest song, Dear John Blues. Unlike sad tunes he’d written in the past, he decided to play it upbeat. “I said, ‘Screw this s—! I’m going to write a sing-along Bob Dylan song!”

Hear ‘em: Korman and Angelo perform an acoustic set at 6 p.m. on Sunday with Rebekah Pulley and Rob Pastore, Experimental Pilot, Dean Johanesen and Russ Van Cleave Some for the premiere Beer Garden unplugged showcase at Crowbar, 1812 N 17th St., Ybor City. $3. (813) 241-8600. myspace.com/memphis trainunion

Superb in the Burg

Need to issue hearty props to Super Secret Best Friends, the Unitards and the Semis for a fun Friday night of rock at the Emerald in St. Petersburg Aug. 1.

SSBF provided fun visuals — a film backdrop of Jem and the Holograms, Hello Kitty, Solid Gold Dancers and Miss Piggy. They performed their new song Bear City, based on the crazy SNL sketch about a world inhabited by the large furry rodents.

Unitards performed bar-rock covers with feisty aplomb. They, like the SSBF, are St. Pete Times peeps, the super-evolved kind who actually get hired for full-time positions there. I’m not worthy. I’m not worthy. Front man Rob Farley jumped up and down like his feet were on fire.

The Semis — oh, man oh man oh man — rocked our faces off, licked them up and spit them back out at us. I have to say, the addition of Don Butler has added a tough rhythmic backbone to idiosyncratic rock that was already fiercely appealing.

Billy Summer played guitar expertly, showing of his self-taught/genetic talents (parents are esteemed professors at USF). I’m glad to see a tight, focused show from the Semis. Seems the band has evolved past a super-good party band to a super-good band, period.

Before the show, I thought I saw Billy of the Semis. I spotted the typical conductor hat, glasses, T-shirt and jeans. Somewhat short, muscular, not-quite-stocky build.

It was Edmund, the Times photographer and guitarist for the Unitards. I felt so dumb.

Well, later Billy and Edmund were leaning against the wrought-iron railing by the stage and viewing them side by side made me realize I wasn’t that far off the mark. It was trippy and hilarious. The only difference is Billy wears older, bigger glasses and a scruffy beard now. Edmund could be a Billy Jr. or doppelganger. Billy should hire him to be his straight guy when he’s blitzed out of his mind.

Not sure how much the Soma man partakes anymore, but he made us all laugh when he was engaged in a photo opp for the Times. The photographer asked him to be stoic. Billy folded his arms and obliged.

Then he said, “Now for the opposite of stoic,” and pulled a hand-rolled cigarette from his pack, put it up to his mouth in smoking-joint fashion, and with the other hand, placed a miniature spoon to his nostril.

I didn’t take that photo, but here are some I did: