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New Year’s Eve 2010 in Edwardsville

Muireann — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 16:46:23 +0000

So, what are you doing for New Year’s Eve? Well, there’s plenty to keep you occupied in Edwardsville if you plan on seeing out 2010 locally. There is a charity benefit, plenty of live music, a mechanical bull and even a hypnosis show on offer. There are also spiritual events for those of you looking for something low key. Don’t worry, those of you who want to dance your cares away are also catered for in the end of year mayhem.

Here is a list of New Year’s Eve events in Edwardsville:

Local favorite Mike Harper plays The Stagger Inn’s early show. Be there at 5 pm.

Chigaco rockers, Luster, play The Stagger’s late show. Turn up around 9.30 pm.

If you fancy ringing in 2011 with a smile on your face check out veteran comedian Charlie Weiner’s New Year’s Eve show at Comedy etc II. A midnight champagne toast is included with entry.

Or….. for something completely different stop by Comedy etc II’s early bird event with The Tony Z Hypnosis show. Be there around 5.30 pm.

Have you even seen in the new year from on top of a mechanical bull? Well, why not do it this year at Wild Country Nightclub’s New Year’s Eve Party. Champagne and a midnight balloon drop are all part of the fun.

There will also be some dancing and live music at Bubby & Sissy’s T.G.I.F end of year party.

You could also have a good time for a charitable cause at the 8th Annual Glen-Ed Last Night Celebration which will take place at YMCA’s Meyer Center from 7 to 11 pm. This benefit for local charities is organized by The Eden United Church of Christ and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Are you looking for a spiritual event to help you see out 2010. Then you might want to take the mile and a half drive of 1.7 million lights to follow The Way of Lights at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Please feel free to let us know if your event has not been included. Happy New Year to all our readers.

Christmas 2010 in Edwardsville

Muireann — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 05:47:20 +0000

Ho Ho Ho! Oh, go on. Even for Scrooges, there’s something to enjoy this Christmas in Edwardsville. We’ve found something for the young and er..young at heart, serious music heads and those unashamed Christmas lovers who like nothing better than a good old carol too.

Here’s what’s on store in Edwardsville for the Christmas Holidays:

For the young.

Don’t miss the annual visit to Santa’s House in City Park. Santa will be meeting and greeting every Saturday from 1-4 pm and Wednesday from 5.30-8.30pm until December 23rd. You can even take a Polaroid keepsake for $3. Entry is free. Now you have no excuse to take the kids.

Tired of cooking? Then, let the kids take over. Just remember to send them to the Kids Cooking Class at Eckert’s Farm first. They will learn seven delicious recipes that might be just the holiday hit you’ve been looking for. Classes take place from December 22 to 29 from 10 am until midday.

If you haven’t done it already, there’s still time. Take the little ones to pick out this year’s Christmas Tree. A great spot to do it is at Prairie Pine’s Christmas Tree Farm open Monday to Saturday from 10 am until dusk and Sunday from 1 to 4 pm.

Is there anything more seasonal than a holiday story time? Find out for yourself on December 22 at Glen Carbon Library when the Family Holiday Story Time takes place at 6.30 pm.

It’s always goos to remind the little ones that Christmas isn’t just about gifts and shopping sprees. There are many Christmas services in Edwardsville this year, but a candlelight ceremony is always a favorite with the kids. The 1st Baptist Church of Maryville is offering two candlelit ceremonies this year on December 24 at 5 and 7 pm.

For the young at heart

Don’t forget your music fix for the holidays. Dubtronics will be playing a set at The Stagger Inn on December 23. Be there around 9.30 pm.

King of the open session, Butch Moore, will kick off Christmas Eve proceedings at The Stagger on December 24. Be there around 5 pm.

If you fancy taking off while the rest of them are snoozing after the christmas turkey, check out The Heaters at The Stagger Inn on December 25 at 9.30 pm.

Pat Liston will play some traditional and, possibly holiday, favorites at Cleo’s on December 26. Be there at 6 pm.

If you fancy something more traditional for the holidays check out the Christmas carols at Center Grove Presbyterian Church on December 19 from 6 to 8 pm.

Ok, thanks for checking out our Christmas calendar! If you enjoyed it, feel free to use the many Twitter and FaceBook share buttons you’ll find on this page to spread the word. Also, if you didn’t find your Christmas event here, or would like to add some info, feel free to email us or drop us a line in comments.

Edwardsville Music Calendar For December 2010

Muireann — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 06:42:47 +0000

Don’t go ringing in the new year just yet. Circulate. Socialize. Enjoy your music in Edwardsville throughout December.

Whether you’re into soul, blues, dance or choral sounds, there’s something for you this month.

Here’s a look at what’s on offer, musically speaking, this December in Edwardsville.

Wednesday, December 8

Put Mo’ Pleasure into your life when Morris Pleasure takes to the stage at Laurie’s Place.

Thursday, December 9

Local acoustic stars Matt Meyer & Craig K take over The Stagger Inn. They will be playing from their new album called Truth.

How tall is too tall? Find out at Laurie’s Place when DJ Too Tall takes to the decks.

Friday, December 10

Something highbrow does us all good from time to time. Check out The Great Rivers Choral Society and Alton Landing Jazz Quartet at Edwardsville City Park’s Winter Concert Series at the Lewis & Clark College/N.O. Nelson Complex.

Rather make a Rukus? Check out the band of the same name at Laurie’s Place.

Treat yourself to a live blues/jazz experience. Marcel Strong plays The Stagger Inn.

(Calendar continues after video)

Saturday, December 11

It’s a jungle out there. See what we mean when Californian acoustic rockers Hobo Jungle play Laurie’s Place.

The name alone is sure to draw a crowd. Troubadours of Divine Bliss play The Stagger.

Monday, December 13

Hill Williams will entertain you at Laurie’s Place front bar.

Thursday, December 16

Watch you back at The Stagger Inn. Kentucky Knife Fight is coming to town. If you’re new to the site, don’t worry, we’re talking about Edwardsville’s local alternative country favorites.

(See The Knife Fight below. Calendar continues after video)

Friday, December 17

Those Mow Yer Own Lawn Blues are here again. Don Starwalt takes to the stage at The Stagger Inn.

What, I was John? No, it’s Ivas John and he plays his unique brand of blues at The Stagger.

Are you anxious, nervous, perhaps? Well, you’re in the right place if you come to Laurie’s Place. The Edge will be taking to the stage.

Saturday, December 18

The Crowd will overcome you tonight at Laurie’s Place. Yes, that’s the band we’re talking about.

There’s no mule like a trophy mule. Well, Corey Saathoff thinks so. He joins them on stage at The Stagger Inn.

(See Corey play below. Article continues after video)

Wednesday, December 22

If you’ve missed Mo’ Pleasure at Laurie’s Place earlier this month. Now, you have another chance to catch him.

Thursday, December 23

For something facts-paced, check out Dubtronics at The Stagger Inn.

Friday, December 24

Check out our upcoming Christmas Calendar for info on what’s happening on this date.

Saturday, December 25

Check out our upcoming Christmas calendar for info on what’s happening on this date.

Thursday, December 30

If you’re up for some serious blues, check out The Soulard Blues band at The Stagger.

(See what we mean below. Calendar continues after video)

Friday, December 31

Check out our upcoming New Years calendar for info on what’s happening on this date.

Edwardsville’s November Music Calendar

Muireann — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 03:08:52 +0000

Well, 2010 is coming to a close. Let’s enjoy what’s left of it with some good music. There’s plenty to offer in Edwardsville in November from hometown favorites to new treats, blues maestros to rock cover bands.

Here are some of the best.

Thursday, November 11

Check out a DJ with a very large opinion of himself. DJ Too Tall plays Laurie’s Place.

Friday, November 12

The Charles Walker band brings funk laden R&B sounds to The Stagger.

(Check out The Charles Walker band’s vibe live below. The story continues after the video)

Saturday, November 13

Chicago indie rockers, Luster, stop by their home away from home at The Stagger Inn.

Who’s Drivin’ rocks Laurie’s Place with some classic rock & roll.

Thursday, November 18

David Wiatrolik and Andy Novara bring their Kansas City Ramblers project to The Stagger Inn.

Friday, November 19

The Crowd comes to Laurie’s. This is a new one for us, but they just might rock your world.

Get those dreadlocks working. Reggae Redemption plays The Stagger Inn.

(See Reggae Redemption live below. Story continues after video)

Saturday, November 20

Another new act for us. Oliver Johnson plays Laurie’s Place.

No, we’re not talking about the guy from U2 but you could enjoy yourself all the same when The Edge plays Laurie’s Place.

St. Louis band Feather & Stone play a mix of blues, funk and rock at The Stagger.

Thursday, November 25

This must be the month for new bands. The Scapegoats play The Stagger Inn.

Friday, November 26

Are you a bluegrass fan? Then you’ll love local favorites Cumberland Gap when they play The Stagger Inn.

(See Cumberland Gap live below. Story continues after video)

Local cover band Rukus plays Laurie’s with a wide range of covers from Metallica to Kidd Rock.

Saturday, November 27

The Mike Lacey band plays some New Orleans swing at Laurie’s Place.

The Heaters promise to warm up The Stagger.

Halloween 2010 in Edwardsville

Muireann — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 04:40:19 +0000

Let’s face it. There are two things that make Halloween a great time year: candy and playing dress up. But there is one reason it is fantastic: Halloween is only time of year we get to give random strangers a fright and get away with it. So while you run to get the vampire teeth from the glass on your night stand we will put together a guide on what’s happening in Edwardsville for the young and the young at heart this Halloween.

Family Halloween Fun

The Halloween highlight for kids is the annual parade organized by Edwardsville/ Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce taking place on October 31. The parade will start at 6.30 pm from Lincoln Middle School parking lot at Schwarz & West Streets, then travel east on St. Louis Street to Vandalia Street, then North on North Main Street and will disband at High Street. Get there early for a good spot.

SIUE Alumni Association invites you and your family to watch the Halloween parade from the corner of St. Louis Street and Johnson Street starting at 6:30pm. Afterwards, treats and fun activities for all the family including face painting and games will be available at the parking lot of Lucco, Brown Threlkeld & Dawson until 9pm.

For those of you looking to get the kids into the Halloween spirit early, a great place to take them is YMCA Edwardsville. There will be a Halloween Skate (from 6 to 10 pm) and Dance party (from 10-11 pm) on October 29. There will be food, games and, of course, prizes for the best costumes.

There’s something indescribably creepy about corn mazes and for this reason they are great to visit at Halloween. The Great Godfrey Corn Maze is a perennial favourite in Edwardsville at this time of year. There is a special haunted corn maze opened especially for the season as well as after dark visiting times Friday and Saturday nights for extra spookiness.

Trunk or Treating is another great Halloween tradition. Stop by St. John’s Methodist Church on October 24 from 3-5 pm for a trick-or-treat from car to car in a supervised setting. Inside, there will be various free games, crafts, and the chili supper.

Grown Up Halloween fun

As is customary Laurie’s Place will be pulling out all the stops for Halloween and making it into a weekend long celebration this year. Mo’ Pleasure will be playing a jam session from 2-6 pm at the front bar with a costume contest and prize giving around 4 pm. The back bar from 9.30 pm until 1.30 am will feature The Edge band a costume contest and, of course, the all important drink specials. You are advised to get there early for a good view of the parade as it passes by and make a reservation if possible.

You can also rely on The Stagger Inn to mark the occasion in style. Expect food and drinks specials, costume contests and live music. The Heaters will be playing on October 30.

Another Halloween favourite is Big Daddy’s right in the center of Edwardsville. Expect drink specials (and maybe beer buckets if you’re lucky) and of course DJs and the requisite costume contest.

That’s it for now. Have a fun Halloween, and please feel free to submit an event if there’s anything we missed. We’re always glad to add more, and it’s free.

Edwardsville October Music Calendar

Muireann — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 23:40:19 +0000

Well, summer is over and fall is with us. What can we do to console ourselves? Why, check out some good music, of course. There’s something for everyone in Edwardsville this season from jazz to bluegrass and plenty of new sounds in between.

See what’s on store for the second half of October below

Saturday, October 16

For those of you looking for Mo’ Pleasure, of course we’re talking about Nu-Jazz maestro Morris Pleasure, you’ll find him at Laurie’s Place playing a jam session at The Front Bar on October 16 from 2 to 6 pm.

Check him out live below. Article continues below video

Fancy seeing a band that is so new, it might just be the next big thing? Check out The Scapegoats at The Stagger Inn around 9 pm.

Sunday, October 17

Are you a fan of Dixieland jazz? Then check out the St. Louis Levee band trio at Leclaire Parkfest from noon until 2.30 pm.

Old time folk music fans should also drop by Leclaire Parkfest for the Lodge Brothers who will play a set from 2.30 pm to 5 pm.

Check their sound out below. Story continues after video

Thursday, October 21

Those of us who follow out posts will know we love new bands. That’s why The Smart Fellows who stop by The Stagger Inn around 9 pm might just be worth checking out.

DJ Too Tall will tower over us all at Laurie’s Place.

Friday, October 22

Classic rock’n’roll comes to Laurie’s Place at 9.30 pm when Who’s Drivin’ stops by.

No, we’re not talking about the mountains in Maryland but the bluegrass specialists, Cumberland Gap, who stop by The Stagger Inn.

Saturday, October 23

Jam House promise a great, er, jam session at Laurie’s Place.

Dubtronics promise to electrify your world at The Stagger Inn.

Sunday, October 24

Local acoustic stars Matt Meyer and Craig C play The Stagger Inn and promote their CD called Truth.

Wednesday, October 27

Mo’ Pleasure will bring you even more Nu Jazz pleasure at Laurie’s Place.

Thursday, October 28

For something new and acoustic check out Michael Harper at The Stagger Inn.

Friday, October 29

Local band Rukus play Laurie’s Place. Expect a wide range of covers from The Beastie Boys to Kidd Rock.

Saturday, October 30

The Heaters will heat up The Stagger Inn.

Mo’ Pleasure will stop by Laurie’s Place for some Halloween fun with a jam session and costume prizes.

Sunday, October 31

Check out what’s happening in Edwardsville at Halloween here (link)

Well, that’s it for this month. Once again, feel free to let us know if we missed anything, and also, help us share this calendar using the Twitter and FaceBook share buttons. Thanks!

Evermore Gallery Tattoo Shop in Edwardsville

Editor — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 00:52:26 +0000

by Jesse Gernigin

Manager Carrie prepares to work on a new tattoo for client Tim Ursch.

The light plays in steady through the blinds as the whirring buzz of needles fills the building like the steady song of bee’s wings. I’m at Evermore Gallery taking in their new downtown Edwardsville space after their recent move. Talking to me is Carrie Davini, the shop manager.

Carrie cuts a tall figure, hair back in a ponytail and eyes wide but appraising. She is working on someone as I interview her. Her skill is sublimated through the room from her client’s calm as she works on him and answers my questions.

I am interested in the move because the shop has relocated from its spot right down the way from 222 to the corner intersection of Main Street and, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful spaces in downtown. And it is beautiful. Evermore has transformed the space to reflect the current demand of tattoo consumers round the world.

“The area is more upscale,” Carrie says when I ask her about the design. “More people are getting tattoos and this is the demand now.”

Evermore has a handful of artists that do everything from tattooing to coloring to piercing to cover ups, and on any given day you can walk in and see two to three of them leaning over clients, in mid-project.

“Color is a big thing we do,” Carrie responds when I ask her what Evermore is best known for. “Definitely color.”

I jump over to their website to get a glimpse of their portfolios, and although I have no tattoos myself I am surprised by the quality of the work. To clarify, I don’t know much about tattoos, some look good, some don’t, but the quality of the lines and coloring bespeak the work you see in good graphic novels.

When I ask Carrie about their guidelines for artists she says, “We like the artists to get their own inspiration, their own ideas.”

And this idea has found its own success and is clearly evidenced in Evermore’s artist’s portfolios. When asked about the future of Evermore Carrie explains, “We want to just keep delivering a quality product and focusing on our customer’s needs.”

And if the work they have done in the past is any sign of their future, I think Main Street can count on them being around for years to come.

Find the Evermore Gallery at 100 North Main in Edwardsville. Like this story? Us the Facebook and Twitter buttons at the top to share it with friends, make a comment below, or do both!

The Good Fight: Kentucky Knife Fight Keeps Bringing It

Paul Peters — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:58:02 +0000

story by Paul Peters, cover photo by Peter Wochniak

I first heard about Kentucky Knife Fight a few years ago when my brother told me a story about a great band he saw at The Stagger Inn, a crazy combo of 1970s punk and George Thorogood.

At a point during the show where the music had reached a frenzy, he told me, the raucous crowd lifted lead singer Jason Holler into the air, while he continued singing. They lifted him so high that they almost stuck his head into a ceiling fan. He managed to somehow avoid it, and get back onto the stage, without ever missing a beat. (Click for info on Kentucky Knife Fight’s next show).

Holler says this wasn’t exactly the band he and bass player Jason Koenig set out to create in 2005 after seeing a Woodbox Gang show at The Stagger.

“They’re like a dark, dark blue grass band,” he says, describing Woodbox. “We decided we wanted to do something in the same vein, but at the same time we were listening to a lot of Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, early punk rock music, and 90s stuff like the Murder City Devils. We kind of wanted to do something like dark blue grass with an early punk lean, and before we knew it, things kind of changed and we became nowhere near the realm of bluegrass music.”

Explaining how the band came across its unusual name, Holler says, “Somebody was giving me grief during a practice and I said ‘You don’t want to invite me to a Kentucky Knife Fight boy ‘cause you’ll lose.’” “That was around the time we were trying to figure out what our name was going to be. And I think it was Jason [Koenig] that said, ‘you know, we should just call ourselves Kentucky Knife Fight.’”

Since then, Holler says, the band has gotten grief from a few Georgians, “Who couldn’t understand why we didn’t call ourselves Georgia Knife Fight.”

Video of Kentucky Knife Fight, Woodbox Gang, Johnny Thunders and Murder City Devils (story continues below)

The band started off playing short sets at the Duck Tape Duo open mic night at The Stagger, and were soon offered to play a full show at The Stagger, which has been the start of many a local band.

In the last couple years, all but one of the band members have moved to St. Louis, where they have had a measure of success, playing bars in the city, and getting their 2008 album Wolf Crept the Children Slept named best self-released album in June of 2009 by readers of St. Louis alt-weekly The River Front Times.

The band currently has an album’s worth of unrecorded songs that it is playing live. Holler says these songs have now almost completely taken over the band’s live set.

He feels like there has been a progression since the last album.

“The older material we’re doing, we had songs where the lyrics were more catering to aggressive rock and roll. On the slower tempo songs I spent more time on the writing,” he says. “Now I’m trying to make it so that even our adrenline pumping rock-and-roll numbers have more well-written, or well-organized lyrics.”

In January, he says the band will tour, and after that, they plan to record a live EP with Firebrand Recording in St. Louis.

“After that our intentions are to record a full-length album,” he says, but they have no date set for recording the songs yet.

“It’s all monetary,” Holler says of their reason for sitting on 13 new songs. “We had been saving up for a new van, and kind of putting our ducks in a row.”

He says the band has been approached by some small labels, “but it wasn’t quite right, it wasn’t exactly what we wanted, and so we held off. We’re not waiting for some major label to sign some unknown band from St. Louis, but the labels we’ve been approached by, it just wasn’t the right marriage.”

It seems the band has it’s feet firmly planted on the ground, when it’s audience isn’t snatching them up into the air. With music like this, we hope they keep ascending, and keep avoiding those wily ceiling fans.

So Many Dynamos

Paul Peters — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:20:47 +0000

So Many Dynamos (from left) Griffin Kay, Aaron Stovall, Nathan Bernaix, Clayton Kunstel. (Leanna Kaiser photo)

by Paul Peters

After getting into a van wreck while on tour just a few weeks ago, So Many Dynamos keyboardist and singer Aaron Stovall asked himself, “When are these things going to stop happening?”

So Many Dynamos got its start in Edwardsville in 2002, where the band shared a home until this past summer. They’ve gone from playing The Stagger Inn Again to playing sold out shows at places like the Riviera Theatre in Chicago. They’ve played hundreds of gigs around the country and have released three full-length albums. Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla produced their last album, The Loud Wars. They’ve opened for both Death Cab and Ra Ra Riot, and are now signed with Vagrant Records.

But “these things” keep happening. They include Guitarist Griffin Kay’s near-fatal staph infection in 2004, a gear theft that nearly brought down their 2006 tour, and another van wreck in 2007 that could have easily killed the entire band (but left them with only minor cuts and bruises). Between these bigger problems, there have been stage collapses, gear malfunctions and other more typical road band problems.

And things are still happening. When the band returned from tour this summer, guitarist Ryan Wasoba quit (find his explanation here).

Despite So Many Dynamos’ resilience to date, losing Wasoba seems like something that could seriously impact its ability to continue being the same band.

The problem is, they have a particular sound. So Many Dynamos manages to pack songs with electronic bleeps, guitar and keyboard riffs, vocals ranging from near-chanting to screaming, odd time signatures and break beats, without ever seeming like it’s just making a bunch of noise to cover up some fault.

It’s quite clear, in fact, that beyond the effects pedals, drum triggers, lack of a bass player (Stovall provides the low-end on keys), and other aspects that would be novelties in some bands, the members of So Many Dynamos really know how to play their instruments and write good songs.

They use this ability (which, in an ideal world, would be the standard for any band) to write songs that change in unexpected ways from beginning to end, that manage to be both technically sophisticated and danceable, with lyrics that manage to be serious but still funny at times.

So Many Dynamos live (story continues below video)

But Wasoba was an integral part of the process that created this music. In fact, Stovall says, “[Wasoba] primarily did most of the song writing, and would kind of bring it into us, and the rest of us would kind of piece it together.”

So Wasoba’s leaving would seem like a heavy blow. But what may ultimately save So Many Dynamos is that, throughout their seven years of playing together, they’ve practically had an understudy waiting in the wings.

Nathan Bernaix sat in during one of the Dynamos’ first practices back in 2002.

His band, Target Market, has toured with the Dynamos on multiple occasions. There was even some mixing between the bands in the past, with Stovall sitting in on keyboards during Target Market shows, and Bernaix filling in for Kay when he got the staph infection.

When Wasoba began talking about leaving during the summer tour, Stovall says Bernaix was an easy choice.

Even Wasoba was in agreement, writing in his goodbye post on the band’s blog, “They asked how I felt about Nathan Bernaix from Target Market replacing me, and I said, ‘I feel great about that.’”

Stovall notes that he and Bernaix went to kindergarten together in Granite City, and have been friends ever since.

“Some bands post ads on Craigslist for auditions. There’s no way we could function like that,” Stovall says. “It’s just as important, if not more important, that the person fit with you socially and emotionally and psychologically. You don’t get the musical chemistry without all of those other things first.”

Bernaix will have to hit the ground running. The band is scheduled for a European tour this spring. It then hits the studio to record a new album next summer.

And, although he still has a tic of occasionally referring to the band as “them” rather than “us,” Bernaix seems ready to jump into his new role. He filled in for Wasoba on the band’s East Coast tour this Fall, which seems to have went smoothly.

And, he says, “We’ve written a little bit already,” he says. “It’s exciting.”

He’s also honest about the effect swapping him for Wasoba will have, “Ryan [Wasoba] had a strong voice in the song writing, so it will definitely be different.”

For his part, Stovall is positive about the potential changes Bernaix brings.

“The really neat thing about Nathan, is that he has always been – and in a weird way still is – the one person who has the most inside point of view, while still being an outsider,” says Stovall. “He has a good idea, from a fan’s point of view, what would be a natural progression.”

That Bernaix’ addition to the band would ultimately turn out to be a good thing would fit with So Many Dynamos story so far.

From each of their setbacks, Stovall says good things have sprouted, the most tangible example being their relationship with Death Cab for Cutie.

When the band’s guitars were stolen in Seattle during their 2006 tour, Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla lent them gear so they could finish the tour, after that he invited them to come record The Loud Wars in his studio, and they went on to open for the band.

“It almost gives me even more drive,” Stovall says of the band’s misfortunes. “It tests your will power.”

He comes up with a metaphor befittingly silly for So Many Dynamos: “It’s like dudes that surf and get attacked by sharks, and they’ll go surfing the next time, and they may have an arm missing.”

Check out So Many Dynamos in St. Louis this Friday (more here). Also, Bernaix continues playing with Target Market, whom you can catch November 19 in Edwardsville (more here).

Drop by Drop

Editor — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:03:48 +0000

by Paul Peters

For the last two years, if you’ve had the urge to do some seriously crazy, freak out, don’t-care-who’s-looking-at-me-or-what-they-think dancing in Edwardsville, you’ve gone out to see Aaron Kamm and the One Drops.
But as the improvised jam-driven reggae-blues trio nears its second year playing together, they’re starting to branch out, playing shows as far away as Austin, Texas, recording a new album and eyeing the national tour scene.
Not to worry though, Edwardsville isn’t losing the One Drops just yet.
“We’re all pretty much going to be here in Edwardsville for a while,” says drummer Sean Raila, explaining that the town will make a good home base for them when they’re on the road.
And just because they’ve recorded a new album doesn’t mean they’re going to go all studio band on us.
In fact, Raila says the new album is an attempt to capture the feel of their live shows in the studio.
These days, most bands go into the studio and lay down their tracks separately. Usually the bass and drums first, then guitar, then vocals. The result is clean and precise, if not a little cold, which works for some styles of music.
Others elect to play together, as they normally would in practice or at a show, using as few studio tricks as possible, which can often lend a little more soul to an album (think Black Crowes’ Southern Harmony and Musical Companion).
The One Drops elected to take the second approach, which seems like the natural choice for a band that brings a lot of energy to their live shows. According to Raila, they did make some minimalist additions to the recordings, including dubbed-in backup vocal harmonies by himself and bassist Andy Dorris (Normally, guitarist Aaron Kamm provides all vocals).
They expect the album (not yet titled) to come out in another month or so, giving Raila just enough time to learn how to juggle vocals in with his live drumming.
“I’m currently working on getting that ready,” says Raila. “My deadline is the release of the album.”

A Taste of the One Drops (story continues below video)

Raila is excited about the new album and touring, and believes modern reggae-rock is moving forward.
“Right now, I see a huge uprising, if you will, with younger people of our generation really starting to take to these bands,” he says, citing bands like Pepper and The Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad.
These bands, says Raila, are, “Pulling their sound out of the early reggae songs of the 60s and 70s, taking that soundscape and bringing it to modern America.”
Edwardsville, he notes, is also experiencing a bit of a musical uprising, with bands like So Many Dynamos and Kentucky Knife Fight receiving more and more attention.
For the One Drops, none of whom are actually from Edwardsville, the town has been a great place musically, with the three of them getting started after various open mic jam sessions at The Stagger Inn Again, and playing with local musicians like Butch Moore and some of the current members of Knife Fight in the past.
In 2007, Raila says, “We were always up at the Stagger playing open mic nights, and it was really great, because there was a huge community of musicians, which lead Andy, myself and Aaron to meet and start putting together songs. I do think this town has a pretty unique community of musicians that network together. I really think Edwardsville has a special spot for musicians.”
Hopefully that special spot will keep bands like the One Drops playing in town, even as they grow.

Check out the One Drops next show this weekend. Listen to more of their music here.