Our Town 2018 SEP-OCT (Newberry & Jonesville)

CER AMIC ATS GUTS TINY FARM FLIPTURN TOM PET T Y BIRTHDAY BA SH BILL BRYSON

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 | VOL. 16 ISSUE 05

NEWBERRY & JONESVILLE EDITION

Fo Fol oll low ow o wu uss on o Fa Faceb c ook ce ceb o ok k

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Learn to keep the

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going.

Save your recyclables from the landfill.

No need to bag them, just sort and place them in the correct bin.

ORANGE BIN

• Newspaper & paper bags • Magazines, catalogs office paper & junk mail • Clean cardboard (4’x4’) & pasteboard (cereal/shoe boxes) – please flatten • Paperback books, workbooks & soft-backed textbooks

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• Plastic/Glass bottles & jars, yogurt cups & margarine tubs • Metal cans & empty aerosol cans • Food & beverage cartons – please rinse

*We do not accept plastic bags, black plastics, aluminum pans, egg cartons or Styrofoam packaging.

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

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Not all signs of an emergency are obvious. Ongoing symptoms like dizziness, shortness of breath and chest pain could be an emergency in disguise. Thankfully,

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Text ER to 32222 for average wait times at the NFRMC ER near you.

NFRMC Main ER — Hospital: (352) 333-4900 • 6500 W Newberry Rd. Gainesville Freestanding ER — West End: (352) 313-8000 • 12311 Newberry Rd., Newberry Freestanding ER — Millhopper: (352) 271-4000 • 4388 NW 53rd Ave., Gainesville SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

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MEMBER OF

CONTENTS

S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 0 1 8

G R E AT E R A L A C H U A C O U N T Y

| V O L . 1 6 | N O. 0 5

IN THIS ISSUE >> EXPLORE THE MANY DIFFERENT WAYS THAT MUSIC IS A PART OF OUR LIVES. FROM THE LOCAL BANDS THAT ARE ON THE RISE TO THE HEALING POWER OF SOUND ITSELF – WE INVITE YOU TO FEEL THE BEAT! THERE’S MUSIC WITHIN THESE PAGES… C O V E R I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y N E I L M C K I N N E Y.

FEATURE STORIES 26

SWAMP RECORDS This local record label provides a unique niche for students looking to work in the music industry following their time at UF.

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FOLK IN THE SPRINGS Take a look into this year’s festival lineup and learn about the origin and significance of this festival straight from its creator, Michael Loveday.

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THE 27 CLUB Take a look into the lives – and deaths – of some of the music industry’s greatest performers who never reached the age of 28. This is the 27 club.

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HISTORY OF KARAOKE Who do we owe for this fun-filled pastime? Reading the history behind this musical experience is almost as entertaining as watching it!

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

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CONTENTS

20 MUSIC MAN A highlight of Bill Bryson’s dedicated efforts, as he works to resurrect Gainesville’s live music scene.

32 FLIPTURN The band flipturn originated out of friendship and turned into a life-changing endeavor. Learn more about the group’s beginnings and path to success.

38 TUNEUPS Explore the healing power of sound therapy and how it is revolutionizing the way medicine can be practiced today.

42 HEAVY PETTY Forming in 2009, the story of this Tom Petty tribute band comes straight from the band members themselves.

S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 0 1 8

of 21st century music streaming? Find out what’s making these records irresistible to a new generation of consumers.

IN TREBLE Explore the life of Dr. Kesling and his contributions to the world of music.

Despite the hardships he has faced, this renowned conductor continues to play on.

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FARM TALES

by Mother Hen

62 A WARPED FAREWELL A look into the cross-country Vans Warped Tour as it concludes its annual trek across the country.

54 NAKED SALSA

by Crystal Henry

107 HEALTHY EDGE

by Kendra Siler-Marsiglio

68 LIN HONG Meet the Juilliard graduate, pianist and teacher who recently became a member of the Gainesville community. He’s already started making a local impact.

72 WELCOME TO MUSIC TOWN Some of the best musical destinations across America, from the celebrated Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to the beloved jazz of New Orleans.

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EMBRACING LIFE

by Donna Bonnell

128 FUREVER FRIENDS Spotlight on Rescue Animals

REVIEWS 66 READING CORNER

by Terri Schlichenmeyer

124 GATE CRASHING 94

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COLUMNS

THE GAINESVILLE MUSIC SCENE Are you with the band? This town is full of talent. Discover some of the local bands playing spectacular shows in our town.

by Brian “Krash” Kruger

INFORMATION 102 Taste of the Town 108 Community Calendar

126 56 FOR THE RECORD The resurgence of vinyl is real, and records are selling like never before. How can this vintage sound survive in the face

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

CELEBRATING CLASSICS It’s the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s epic rock ‘n’ roll group formation. Learn about the success and setbacks they endured on their road to musical glory.

The articles printed in Our Town do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Tower Publications, Inc. or their editorial staff. Our Town Magazine endeavors to accept reliable advertising; however, we can not be held responsible by the public for advertising claims. Our Town Magazine reserves the right to refuse or discontinue any advertisement. All rights reserved. © 2018 Tower Publications, Inc.

We helped Tavis get back in the game.

— Tavis, age 7, Gainesville

When Tavis’ allergies throw him a curve, our UF Health board-certified pediatricians know how to get him back in the game. With our expert caregivers always swinging for the fences, your kids, like Tavis, can hit a homerun. And with several convenient pediatric locations throughout North Central Florida, you’ll be rounding for home in no time.

Our four primary care locations offer weekday appointments after 5 p.m. Schedule a visit at UFHealth.org/peds or call 352.265.2222.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

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PUBLISHER Charlie Delatorre ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Hank McAfee

Anthony B. Agrios, MD Joseph S. Iobst, MD Jean C. Cook, MD Nicole Scogin, MD Shelley Russell, ARNP, CNM Julie Rischar, ARNP, CNM Kristen Cook, ARNP, CNM

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ericka Winterrowd ericka@towerpublications.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kaitlin Applegate, Savannah Austin, Cameron Cobb, Jessica Curbelo, Crystal Henry, Summer Jarro, Peggy MacDonald, Stephanie Richards, Steph Strickland, Emma Witmer, Hayli Zuccola CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Cary Ader, Jessica Curbelo ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Jenni Bennett jenni@towerpublications.com Nancy Short nancy@towerpublications.com INTERN Steph Strickland, Savannah Austin, Jasmine Dahlby

CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS If you would like us to publicize an event in the greater Gainesville area, send information by the 1st day of the month prior to the next issue.

For example, submissions for the March/April issue are due by February 1. All submissions will be reviewed and every effort will be made to run qualified submissions if page space is available.

Take care

of you.

AllAboutWomenMD.com • 352.331.3332 Helping You Live A Healthy Lifestyle!

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR We want to hear from you. Send your letters to the attention of the editor at 4400 NW 36th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32606 or editor@ towerpublications.com. Letters must be signed and include a phone number in the event we need to contact you. (Your phone number will not be published.)

OUR TOWN MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY BY TOWER PUBLICATIONS, INC. REPRODUCTION BY ANY MEANS OF THE WHOLE OR PART OF OUR TOWN WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE PUBLISHER IS PROHIBITED. VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THE EDITORIAL PAGES DO NOT IMPLY OUR ENDORSEMENT. WE WELCOME YOUR PRODUCT NEWS. INCLUDE PRICES, PHOTOS AND DIGITAL FILES WITH YOUR PRESS RELEASE. PLEASE FORWARD PRODUCT SAMPLES AND MEDIA KITS TO REVIEWS EDITOR, OUR TOWN MAGAZINE, 4400 NW 36TH AVENUE, GAINESVILLE, FL 32606. WE CANNOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR UNSOLICITED PRODUCT SAMPLES.

A Publication of Tower Publications, Inc. 4400 NW 36th Ave., Gainesville, Florida 32606 phone: 352-372-5468 fax: 352-373-9178

“I believe we can live as emotionally healthy people in a healthy society.”

DR. ADIL A. MOHAMMED, M.D. Medical Director | Board Certified Psychiatrist

HARMONY UNITED IS COMMITTED TO YOUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. EVALUATIONS, PSYCHOTHERAPY, DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF:

Depression • Anxiety Disorders Bipolar Disorder • Memory Problems Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) ADHD • Substance Abuse Adjustment Disorder We conduct testing for Learning Disabilities, ADHD, Dementia and Traumatic Brain Injury

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912 NW 57th Street, Suite B | Gainesville

352-431-3940 www.HarmonyUnitedHC.com LEESBURG | LADY LAKE | GAINESVILLE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

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EDITOR ’ S LET TER S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 0 1 8

Music... is it in you?

“Where words fail, music speaks.”

Lady Gaga

—HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

CED OFFE EES ES ES PM PM

PM PM

EVE E VE ER RY R YD DA AY A Y!!

Y

ALL A LL SIZE ES S

I am no musical savant, that’s for sure. My childhood piano lessons proved to be less profitable than my mother had hoped for me. So, I suppose in Baby Gaga my case — where music failed, words played.

However, this does not mean that music doesn’t play an important part in my life. On the contrary, it has always had a starring role. In fact, I’ve used a multitude of melodies in all facets of my artistic work. As an actor, I listen to certain playlists as a preshow ritual — helping to get me in the headspace of each character I inhabit. And as a writer, I listen to epic movie soundtracks to help create a sort of “inspirational backdrop” for myself, which never fails to summon me to the wonderful world of words. It always has to be instrumental music though, very little words or none at all. Otherwise, I get too distracted. You see, I like words so much I want to listen to them and hear the stories they tell — even if I have a deadline of my own looming in the wings.

My niece, Mollie, celebrates her first birthday in September. Somewhere between infancy and toddlerhood we began to notice that music was definitely in her. The soundtrack to Disney’s “Moana” is her favorite and the song “You’re Welcome” is her jam. As soon as that song plays she begins moving her tiny body to the beat. I’m serious, this kid has rhythm. If that isn’t enough, she couples this will toddling over to her baby piano (no, not a baby grand, at least not yet) and pounds away on the keys before being so taken with the music that she must stop her playing and dance it out once again. This adorable cycle happens so frequently that her new nickname has become “Baby Gaga.” It’s pretty fitting, don’t you think?

In this issue we invite you to listen to the beat of your own heart and explore the way music touches us in so many different ways. Get the scoop on some of the most notable bands in town. Their stars are on the rise as they impact our community with their unique talent.

Hear from Heavy Petty, the tribute band that continues the musical legacy of Gainesville’s #1 Son: Tom Petty. These stories and many more are just waiting to serenade you!

Can you feel the beat?

Gainesville 114 SW 34TH ST.

(352) 376-7020

Alachua 15634 NW HWY 441 (386)418-0838

www.m i a pa lat i n ca fe.c o m

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

Ericka Winterrowd, Editor-In-Chief

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OUR TOWN MAGAZINE

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

The team at Comprehensive Women’s Health remains committed to building healthy relationships and providing the best possible women’s health care to the community.

We are excited to announce the addition of a freestanding birth center, right here in North Central Florida. The establishment of the CWH Birth Center will offer expectant mothers another option for how they choose to give birth. The new facility will include spacious suites with tubs– allowing for traditional and water births outside the hospital setting, while still under the guidance of the CWH midwives.

We look forward to caring for you, and your family at the Birth Center located just off NW 43rd Street and Newberry Road in Gainesville.

For more information, call 352-332-7222 or visit www.chwfl.com/midwifery.

6440 W. Newberry Road, Suite 508 , Gainesville, FL 32605 • cwhfl.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

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Wood Buildings

PU BLISHER’ S LET TER

Metal Buildings

S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 0 1 8

Carports

needs! r u o y o t d e iz Custom

Confessions From a Dad Band

N e w n! ti o

Lo c

Remember that classic scene in “Risky Business” when Tom Cruise comes flying into the room while “Old Time Rock and Roll” played in the background? I did that! But in my 13-year-old, teenage boy version — the room I slid into was filled with my mom and her friends (who had recently come home after a day of shopping). There I was, white button-down oxford, tube socks, wayfarer sunglasses and of course, no pants, staring at a room filled with 40-year-old women, while Bob Seger reminisced about the days of old!

I was never very musical growing up. That’s code for: I was terrible at piano, average at the violin and even managed to drop the upright bass I was playing on a kid in front of me (in the middle of our 8th grade recital)! I was never a great music student, but that didn’t stop me from always loving music.

From the song that was playing the first time I asked a girl to dance (“Faithfully” by Journey) to the first record I ever bought (Damn the Torpedoes by Tom Petty), music is a part of almost every memory I have, good or bad. I think that’s what I love most about music — the memories that cling to a great song or that way I can remember the smallest of details when someone mentions a concert.

Now that I’ve confessed my lack of musical ability, let me confess to you that I’m actually an “OK” singer. It took a while (roughly 40 years) but I finally found my instrument. You see, I sing all the time, anywhere, anytime. And recently I’ve been fortunate enough to do just that with a few local friends. We’re a true dad band. Which means, we’re a bunch of 40-something-year-olds who have businesses, families and responsibilities that require most of our attention. But every once in a while, we trade in the coat and tie for a Fender guitar and some classic rock.

Music has always been about having fun for me, about making memories, and I’ve never had more fun than when I’m playing music with my best friends!

a

Rock On!

6530 SE S.R. 26 • Trenton Just 5 miles west of the traffic light in Newberry

Charlie Delatorre Publisher, Owner at Tower Publications, Inc.

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

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CONTRIBUTOR S

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OUR TOWN MAGAZINE

S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 0 1 8

PEGGY MACDONALD is a native Gainesvillian and the executive director of the Matheson History Museum. She has taught history at Florida Polytechnic, Stetson and UF. She is also the author of Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida’s Environment. peggymacdemos@gmail.com

JESSICA CURBELO is a junior journalism major at the University of Florida. She also works with the Alligator and Her Campus. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and painting.

HAYLI ZUCCOLA is a New England native who enjoys listening to music and traveling. After graduating high school with her AA degree she got her Bachelor’s in Journalism from the University of Florida.

HayzDesigns@yahoo.com

EMMA WITMER is a junior journalism major at the University of Florida and freelance writer. She loves to cook and has a passion for local music and art. emma.witmer2016@gmail.com

STEPH STRICKLAND is a journalism student within the UF Honors Program and she loves telling stories through writing, photography and digital media.

Outside of her studies she enjoys mountain hiking, nature photography and spending quality time with friends and family. stephanieannestrickland@gmail.com

STEPHANIE RICHARDS is a freelance writer and a native of suburban Chicago. She was the Story Editor for The Sturbridge Times Magazine before recently moving to Newberry from New England. She loves to exercise, volunteer and spend time with her family. sarichards7@gmail.com

SAVANNAH AUSTIN is a journalism and art student at UF. She is a passionate advocate for the color mustard yellow and can be found making hand-lettered greeting cards, binge-watching Jane the Virgin or incessantly taking photos of friends and family. savannahkaustin@ufl.edu

CAMERON COBB is a 2nd year graduate student at UF, working on her master’s degree in Mass Communication. She’s also an Air Force veteran. Cameron loves traveling, writing and all animals (her favorite being her rescue dog, Maggie). cameronacobb5@gmail.com

SUMMER JARRO is a senior journalism student at the University of Florida. Along with writing, she loves Disney, watching old films, going to the beach and traveling to new places. summerjarro@gmail.com

KAITLIN APPLEGATE is a recent Rock School graduate. In her spare time she enjoys creative writing and finding inspiration in unexpected places (in truth, mostly from Netflix). kaitlinapplegatewrites@gmail.com

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

Caring for our community s most precious resources Board certified, University of Florida trained Pediatricians with over 20 years of experience.

Ronald Emerick, D.O.

Sarah Garrett, ARNP Levette Dunbar, M.D.

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OUR TOWN MAGAZINE

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

BUTTONED UP PROFILE >> BILL BRYSON

Bill Bryson One of Gainesville’s Most Revered Cultural Figures Looks to Supercharge Downtown’s Musical Magnetism W R IT TE N BY PEGGY M AC DON A LD

F

rom Crane Ramen to The Covered Dish, Grow Radio, Madrina’s Bar and MASS Visual Arts, Bill Bryson has a knack for bringing cutting-edge concepts to Gainesville.

So what’s next? Bryson is in the planning stage to resurrect the Florida Theater as a premier venue for local and touring musical acts.

By the time this issue went to press, he had just met with an architect to discuss plans to bring back the theater as a premier concert venue. Located at 233 W University Ave., the Florida Theater is big enough to host a variety of live musical acts and put Gainesville back on the map as a stop for national touring acts.

“The Florida Theater just made a lot of sense to me after having The Covered Dish,” Bryson reflected.

“It’s a different scale but we still focus on the artist experience, the audience experience, the sound, and making the room feel good to people so they enjoy themselves at the show.”

In addition to offering live music, Bryson plans to relocate the filming of his “Cypress Sessions” local music show from the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts to the Florida Theater. The show takes the format of “Austin City Limits” as a starting point and expands upon it to include not only concert footage, but also vignettes featuring bands on the road in their favorite Florida places.

“We’re showcasing the state through the artists,” he explained. “It’s a more interesting portrait of the artists.”

PHOTOGRAPHY: CHARLOTTE KESL

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

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PROFILE >> BILL BRYSON

The Florida Theater opened on September 10, 1928 and was the first theater in Gainesville to offer motion pictures with sound. A quarter of a million dollars had been invested in the building and equipment at the time. For almost four decades, it served as the main movie theater in town.

“With all the changes happening downtown, the Florida Theater is an anchor.”

Bryson also hopes the Florida Theater might become a venue for University of Florida events in the future. He thinks the location is perfect for arts and cultural events to link town and gown.

“With all the changes happening downtown, the Florida Theater is an anchor,” Bryson said during an interview at Crane Ramen while a summer storm rolled through downtown Gainesville. “It was a thriving performance venue when I arrived in the ‘90s.”

In 1992, Bryson opened The Covered Dish at the present location of the High Dive at 210 SW Second Ave. He had previously run a club in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and said he picked Gainesville as the site of his new club because at the time, there was no venue for live music that had what he offered. The Dish boasted a high stage, lighting, and professional management for local and touring bands.

“The Dish was this place that kind of allowed musicians to rise to the occasion,” Bryson explained. “People started to see a bigger future for themselves.”

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

To Bryson, the ‘90s were a magical moment for the local music scene. “Everything just felt really vital,” he recalled. “Being at the grassroots level it felt essential. It was all just happening, and it meant so much to everyone involved.”

Less than Jake cut their chops at The Dish. The Dave Matthews Band, Southern Culture on the Skids, Ani DiFranco, Cake, Koko Taylor and Green Day all made stops at The Covered Dish. In fact, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong belted out future hits “When I Come Around” and “Longview” onstage at The Dish the year before the songs debuted on “Dookie,” with fights periodically breaking out in the audience.

One of the bands that stands out the most in Bryson’s memory is For Squirrels, a local band that was on its way to making it big and had landed a two-record contract with Sony 550, former drummer Jack Griego recalled in a 2015 interview with the Florida Times-Union. In 1995, while the band was traveling back to Gainesville after a gig at CBGB in New York City, their van suffered a tire blowout. Singer Jack Vigliatura IV and bassist SOURCE: ALACHUA COUNTY LIBRARY DISTRICT HERITAGE COLLECTION

Our care keeps growing for you.

UF Health Springhill’s newest medical facility is now open!

To keep pace with the health needs of our growing community, we keep growing too. It’s why University of Florida Health Springhill has opened a second, state-of-the-art medical facility in Northwest Gainesville this August. Built adjacent to the current UF Health Springhill building on 39th Avenue, our board-certified physicians provide primary care and specialty services in our new 72,000-square-foot facility. It’s all part of providing problemsolving care for you and our growing community.

Our services include: Allergy • Child Psychiatry • Family Medicine • Integrative Medicine • Internal Medicine Lab Services • Pain Medicine • Pharmacy • Psychology • Senior Care

Visit UFHealth.org/Springhill to learn more.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

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PROFILE >> BILL BRYSON 24 |

Bill White were killed, along with tour manager Tim Bender.

All three were in their early twenties.

The tragic accident occurred just two weeks before their first major-label album, “Example,” was scheduled to be released. Griego broke his neck; guitarist Travis Tooke was also injured. Along with bassist Andy Lord, For Squirrels went back on the road to support its new album. They later added guitarist Mike Amish and changed their name to Subrosa.

Subrosa will play at the High Dive November 16 during a special show to celebrate the release of Bryson’s new book, “All of Us Are Now: Snapshots from A Rock Club,” published

by No. 9 Publishing, a Gainesville nonprofit Bryson is affiliated with. The Crustaceans will also perform, and Bryson has put out calls to Jacksonville’s The Beggar Weeds, the first band to ever play at The Covered Dish; and The Sleep Tights, which has members of the former band Dirty Poodle, another Dish regular.

“All of Us Are Now” is filled with Polaroid pictures from the 1990s, a time before cellphone cameras and selfies.

Hundreds of these gritty images once lined the walls of The Covered Dish. Bryson said staff used to keep a loaded Polaroid behind the bar to pull out at the right moment.

The photos capture the energy of Gainesville’s raucous Clinton-era live music scene.

“The Dish featured hip hop, indie rock, punk rock, hardcore, post-hardcore, classic rock, post-punk, emo, folk, anti-folk, jazz, noise rock, fusion, metal, death metal, black metal, world music, reggae, dancehall, goth, afrobeat, house, the list goes on,” Bryson wrote in the foreword to “All of Us Are Now.” “An enormous amount of music was introduced to Gainesville through the club. The air in the club was filled with possibility amid the beer funk, cigarette smoke and the resonant outpouring of the times.”

On one occasion, the resonant outpouring of the times included a 20-pie pie fight, according to Big Top frontman Jim Stacy. The Halloween show was another favorite event at The Dish. The third annual Monster Mosh featured Whoreculture, Weeds of Eden, The Drovers and Seasick Sailors and included a costume contest, stories and special host Tom Miller, a performance artist who is still active in Gainesville today.

The Polaroids shed light on an alternative music scene that took root not only in Gainesville but across the nation.

They chronicle a time when hip hop, grunge and post-punk bands such as Queen Latifah, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Nirvana, Hole, the Pixies and Pearl Jam challenged the mainstream pop music culture perpetuated by boy bands Kids on the Block and NSYNC, and pop music icons Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion.

“All of Us Are Now” is available at Third House Books & Coffee. Copies will be available for purchase at the November 16 book launch at the High Dive. The launch party promises to bring back memories of the glory days at The Covered Dish.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF BILL BRYSON

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ARTIST LABEL >> SWAMP RECORDS

HOMEGROWN

Swamp Records Local Record Label Aims to Help Talented Artists Find Success W RIT TE N BY J E S S IC A CU R BE LO

F

or students interested in working in the music industry, the University of Florida doesn’t offer many majors. The school does, however, offer the opportunity to work with an actual record label.

Swamp Records, the UF-affiliated record label, is an entirely student-run organization with the goal of giving students real world experience in the music industry while helping Gainesville’s local artists, said Matt Fowler, the label’s current president.

“We don’t print vinyl or record bands, but we do everything else,” Fowler, 21, said.

About 80 students volunteer their time to help with planning events, booking tours for the artists signed to the label and more, Fowler said. Each signed artist or band has their own team of students to help manage different tasks and promote the bands and their shows.

Maynard Shaye, the 28-year-old producer of Retrolux, said that with their large network of students, the biggest strength of Swamp Records is their social media promotion. “For any promotion we want to do, we can expect a certain amount of shares and comments,” Shaye said. “It’s super useful to have that social currency behind us.”

Retrolux, one of three bands signed to the record label, is an electronic duo consisting of Shaye and 22-year-old Anna James. The pair originally met six years ago but only

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PHOTOGRAPHY: JACOB MCKAY

Rapper Azazus performs at the 2017 Fall Closing show held by Swamp Records.

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ARTIST LABEL >> SWAMP RECORDS

Retrolux, an electronic duo formed by vocalist Anna James (left) and producer Maynard Shaye (right).

created the band in 2015 after running into each other at a Halloween party. They started making music the following year and submitted songs to a Swamp Records competition in the summer, Shaye said.

Retrolux got signed to the label before they had ever played their first show. The band performed for the first time at First Magnitude Brewing Company during Swamp Records’ Annual Fall Closing show, Fowler said. The show is held at the end of the fall semester.

At the end of spring semester, the label also holds an annual showcase event at Heartwood Soundstage with various artists from different genres. Swamp Records has several different 28 |

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teams, including branding, business relations and events, which is in charge of the end-of-semester shows.

“It’s a really cool opportunity for people on campus to get a taste of what the music industry is like,” said James, Retrolux’s singer and songwriter. “I’ve seen a lot of people from Swamp Records graduate on to bigger music industry positions.”

Previous members of Swamp Records have gone on to work for companies like Pandora, Spotify and even international record labels, she said.

Alex Klausner, the drummer for The Savants of Soul, said, “From the get-go, there have been a lot of ambitious kids that have passed through that organization.”

PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF RETROLUX

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The Savants of Soul, a nine-piece soul band started in 2011, is the oldest band currently signed to Swamp Records label. The band signed on as a flagship artist about six years ago, Fowler said.

Klausner originally proposed the idea of a soul-influenced band to his roommate at the time, John Gray Shermyen. The Savants of Soul started out as a three-piece band, and the size has since fluctuated, getting as big as 13 pieces, said Shermyen, the bassist. They’ve recently settled on nine pieces: singer, keyboard, bass, drums, guitar, trombone, trumpet and two saxophones.

“There really are no labels, aside from Swamp Records, that’s weird enough to take us on,” Klausner said.

Members of the label created the designs for the band’s first two albums and for the logo that they still use. Because the members are all students, Klausner said that it can sometimes be difficult working around their academic lives.

“Sometimes you’ll need your graphic designer, and he’s got finals that week,” Klausner explained. “That goes to show the work ethic that these kids have.”

Students volunteer at the label and aren’t paid for the work they do. Any money that Swamp Records makes at their events or through promotions go back into the label and the bands. Laityn Russell, vice president of the label, said they’ve actually started the process of applying to be a nonprofit organization.

“We do everything we can to push those bands to be bigger than we are,” Fowler said.

On top of the events hosted by the label, members also work at other events that their bands often perform at, including the Heartwood Music Festival. Both Fowler and Russell started out at Swamp Records on the events team.

For Fowler, the first event he helped with was the unofficial after-party for UF’s Pride Awareness Month during the spring of his freshman year. The party sold out twice over and had a line waiting outside University Club all night.

Russell started out with flipturn’s reveal show in the past year. When the label signs a new artist, Swamp Records holds a reveal show, Fowler said. The artist is kept a secret until the actual performance, and even

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ARTIST LABEL >> SWAMP RECORDS 30 |

then, people who didn’t attend the show don’t find out who the new artist is until the day after when it’s posted on social media.

Swamp Records’ most recently signed band, flipturn, was revealed in fall of 2017.

Flipturn, an indie rock band originally from Fernandina Beach, Florida, was created in 2015. The following year, they started performing in Gainesville as well, but it took another year before they decided to work with Swamp Records.

“The Swamp Records team is really supportive,” Madeline Jarman, flipturn’s bassist, said. “They’re not getting paid to do any of this, but they’re helping us get our careers forward.”

Fowler said most of the students work at Swamp Records simply for the love of the music. The 21-year-old president is also a musician and a member of the Orlandobased band Bothering Dennis.

“It’s funny because the things this group of 80 people does for three bands,” he said, “I’m doing all of it for my band myself. Everything I learn at Swamp Records on a smaller scale I can apply to my band.”

Having a musician’s perspective means that he has an advantage in knowing what bands need, Fowler said.

Some artists have said they appreciate his understanding, and if The Savants of Soul ever need help, Fowler said he’s available to fill in on guitar.

Although their main focus is the three bands they have signed on, Swamp Records is also involved in other projects. The label encouraged the creation of Reprise, a publication for objective music journalism. Reprise, among other stories, has looked into topics like the lack of hip-hop music in the Gainesville music scene, Russell said.

Currently, the label is looking for a fourth artist to sign.

They’ve been looking into the possibility of signing a punk or hip-hop artist, Russell said.

“The importance of Swamp Records is giving smaller artists in Gainesville the chance to grow and make a name for themselves,” she said.

If the label doesn’t have a specific artist already in mind, Swamp Records opens applications for people to apply.

Fowler said the label is too small to only sign on artists from a specific genre, so instead, they look for talented artists who are completely different from the artists they already have.

In the meantime, while they look, Swamp Records hopes to further promote their bands and encourage people to go out to their shows.

“I know not everyone is into soul, not everyone is into electronic music, not everyone is into indie music,” Fowler said, “but if you just watch these bands live, they’re incredible. There’s something about actually going to a live concert that’s different to listening to the record.”

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

Ricky Cagno, guitarist for Gainesville band Whale Feral.

The Savants of Soul (above), are a nine-piece soul band including the electric vocals of Justin McKenzie.

PHOTOGRAPHY: JACOB MCKAY, EMMELY PAVILA

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Flipturn has played at local venues such as the High Dive, Heartwood Soundstage as well as large events including the Okeechobee Music Festival.

RISING STARS >> FLIPTURN

THREADS OF SOUND

A LOCAL BAND MAKES SOME NOISE

flipturn WRITTEN BY JESSICA CUR BELO

Flipturn began over a chocolate Frappuccino and notes for an AP test.

It was after school at the end of their junior year of high school, and Madeline Jarman and Tristan Duncan were studying at Starbucks.

Flipturn began as an idea, mulled over between friends. An hour later, another friend joined them at the table. A band was born in the hours that followed, but it wasn’t until December 2015 that flipturn (intentionally spelled lowercase) came alive.

Jarman, influenced by her music-loving parents and Guitar Hero, thought being in a band would be cool, but she and Duncan needed to find people to join them. She met Dillon Basse two years before she texted him to meet them at the Starbucks when the singer moved to Fernandina Beach, Florida, 32 |

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from Boston. Basse was on board as their vocalist right away, Jarman said.

Soon after, they called in Adrian Walker to play drums.

Living in a small town north of Jacksonville, Jarman, Duncan and Walker had known each other since fifth grade.

Jarman played bass for the still nameless band, and Duncan was lead guitar. Another few months would pass before they found their fifth and final member.

“Madeline and I bonded over our shared love of music and similar music taste,” Taylor Allen said.

Allen, who went to school in Yulee, a neighboring town, knew Jarman through a community service club. One day Allen messaged her on Twitter, asking if she wanted to start a band.

Jarman said she turned her down but invited Allen to practice with the band she had already formed.

Allen showed up to Jarman’s garage with a guitar in tow.

The five of them clicked. They played together into the night PHOTOGRAPHY: CASSANDRA KUHN, BROOKE FAER, EMMELY PAVILA

Flipturn performing at the 2018 Heartwood Music Festival in Gainesville.

and recorded a cover of “Gold on the Ceiling”

by The Black Keys. Later that night Allen listened to the cover they had recorded, unable to believe the experience was real.

“It was a surreal feeling to be surrounded by people who were so insanely talented and who weren’t really aware of it,” Allen said.

“They were just doing it because they love to do it.”

From there, the band practiced together in the garage developing their sound as an indie rock band. Basse and Duncan both played guitar already, so Allen decided to master the keyboard instead of adding a third guitar.

Through experimentation and a lesson here and there, Allen steadily improved with her new instrument. She credited Duncan, who enjoyed playing piano, with showing her how to play some chords and write music.

“I try to help everyone write because I’m just nosey,” Duncan said.

The band worked together on their sound, experimenting with musical influences from all of their backgrounds. During jam sessions, they would play and try to follow along with each other. Layer by layer, the group created their music by picking out threads of sound that they wanted to explore.

They continued practicing into December

— still a nameless band. Jarman’s parents would offer up name suggestions, but none of them felt right, Jarman said. Eventually, one of them came up with flipturn.

“I don’t remember if it was my mom or my dad, but they both like to take credit for it,” Jarman said.

Lead guitarist, Tristan Duncan, plays during the 2018 Swamp Records Showcase.

Jarman, a swimmer since the age of 5, explained that a flip turn is the turn that swimmers make at the wall. The name stuck, and flipturn was officially a band.

Their first performance was at a Relay for Life event in their hometown. A few months later, in June 2016, the High Dive

in Gainesville invited flipturn to perform their first gig. It was at that performance that they realized the addictive feeling of playing in front of an audience, Allen said.

Almost three years and two albums later, flipturn merchandise has started to take over the Jarman house. Both Jarman and Allen’s fathers are best friends. The moms bonded over their kids in a group chat as well.

All the members of flipturn have graduated from high school and moved on to college, including their youngest, 19-year-old Allen. Allen and Jarman both study at the University of Florida. Basse recently transferred to attend UF in the fall. Walker attends Santa Fe College, while Duncan is back in Jacksonville, studying at the University of North Florida.

Over the years, the flipturn band members have made an effort to meet up in Fernandina Beach on the weekends for practices, especially when they were more separated, and Allen was still in high school while everyone else was in college.

“I’m sure my parents were very glad to have me come home every weekend,” Jarman said In March 2017, flipturn came out with their debut EP, “Heavy Colors,” which featured five songs. Duncan, who displays SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

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RISING STARS >> FLIPTURN

Flipturn are (from left): Adrian Walker (drums), Taylor Allen (synth), Madeline Jarman (bass), Tristan Duncan (guitar) and Dillon Basse (vocals).

symptoms of synesthesia, said he suggested the name because he heavily associated each song on the album with a color. “‘Beep’ is a red song,” said the now 20-year-old Jarman. “‘Vanilla’ is more yellow-orange. ‘Chicago’ is green. ‘Cold’ is blue, and ‘Hypoxia’ is purple.”

Later that year, flipturn signed with Swamp Records, a local student-run label.

Their second album, “Citrona,” was released a few months

the Okeechobee Music Festival in March. They were voted in by fans and beat out about 3,000 other bands.

“Being in the band has changed the course of what my life could have been,” Jarman said.

While she’s still academically driven and does well in school, Jarman’s priorities have shifted to put the band first.

During the summer, flipturn toured outside of Florida for the first time. Seven people piled into one car and drove

“Being in the band has changed the course of what my life could have been.” later as a homage to their hometown. The name came from Citrona Drive, the street where the town’s middle school and high school sat. Songs like “Fletcher” and “Jasmine” were also named after local roads.

The songs deal with heavier topics about growing up. With the creation of their second album, the band members sat down and thought about what they were doing, trying to give the songs more depth, Duncan said. In his opinion, flipturn’s music came out more polished and cohesive.

“All of our parts and all of our abilities are coming to fruition as time goes by,” Duncan, 21, said.

In 2018, flipturn went from performing at the High Dive to performing on the same stage as Halsey and Snoop Dogg at 34 |

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across the eastern United States with the band gear in a U-Haul trailer hitched to the back of the car. Their tour, passing through Philadelphia, Massachusetts, New Jersey and other states, lasted from May until the beginning of June.

“It was nice to have people with fresh ears listen to our music,” Allen said.

Although being in the music industry can be difficult, Jarman said the experiences have been worth it. The band still works on new music and hopes to continue playing together for as long as possible.

“If you want it hard enough, if you put all your effort into it, something has to happen.” Duncan said. “It helps that we’re not satisfied.”

PHOTOGRAPHY: CASSANDRA KUHN

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COLUMN

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From Mother Hen THE MUSIC WITHIN

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MUSIC HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF MY LIFE IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

W

hen I was a youngster the first music I heard were the sounds of nature.

The birds singing outside, the babbling stream as it trickled over the stones of the creek bed, kittens purring as they nursed their mothers or the whinny hinny of the horse that came to our fence each day for a carrrot was the only music to my ears. You see, the year before I was born my mother’s father passed away suddenly and music reminded her of him. He played the bass horn in the community band, and he always had the radio playing ying in his farmhouse. Music would bring her to tears after losing osing him, so she kept it out of our home.

Then in third grade, I started piano lessons. We had a big old upright piano passed down to us from a family member. Since I was an only child my mother thought it would be a good pastime for me to have, and the piano lessons gave me something to do.

She never forced me to practice; she just wanted me to have a creative outlet. Consequently, since kids will be kids, I hardly ever practiced. Each song I was assigned was often only played three times: once at the teacher’s piano when it was given to me, then a week later at my next lesson (when teacher would say, “You must practice this a little more.”) and finally the next week when I came back for my lesson and teacher would congratulate me for practicing. I took lessons for eight years, and sadly can’t play but a couple tunes. I can only wonder what I would have achieved if I had applied myself. It’s one of my few regrets in life as I look back.

Recently one of my “chicks” (daughters) said to me that I 36 |

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was so lucky to have grown up when I did, as I was exposed to the best musicians ever as they were just coming on the scene.

I have to agree with her. I was pretty young when Elvis and his swaying hips created an uproar on the “Ed Sullivan Show.”

However, even the most critical of his gyrations couldn’t argue that his velvet voice and catchy lyrics weren’t something special.

Radios everywhere were playing Elvis!

Next, and most impactful in my life, was the “British Invasion.”

The Beatles came on the scene when I was 13.

Invasi What an exciting time that was to be a teenager. I sat on Wh

the floor in front of our living room television watching them perform on February 9th, 1964. It was the “Ed Sullivan Show” once again, and my heart skipped a beat as they played “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” I was sure they were singing directly to me. The Beatles were my favorite, and always will be.

Other bands came along from England as well. The Rolling Stones, Herman’s Hermits, the Kinks and many more—they all hit the airwaves and accompanied the story of my teen years.

My heart skipped a beat as they played “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” I was sure they were singing directly to me.

Just like the soundtrack in the movie “Forrest Gump,” my favorite songs were always in the background as important events evolved in my life. I had a small library of 78s (vinyl albums) that I listened to constantly in my room. Some of them I had to buy duplicates of because I played them m so much I wore out the grooves.

When I was old enough to drive, myy girlfriends and I would go to weekend d dances where live local bands would perform the iconic songs we were hearing on the radio. Local dance halls for teens were the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights.

For 50¢ you came, you saw, you danced—and most importantly, you flirted! My best friends and I came early and stayed as late as our parents allowed. When I returned home to the quiet of the country, I would notice my ears were ringing as a result of the battering they took from the loud amplifiers. Since I went every weekend for over three years, I think this may be the cause of the hearing loss that I’m beginning to notice. Oh well, it was worth it.

Later when the Vietnam War became an issue, music was an expression of protest. The Woodstock music festival, and artists like Country Joe and The Fish with “I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag,” are examples that spoke directly to this controversy. Great songs from that era, such as “For What It’s Worth” performed

by Buffalo Springfield and written by Stephen Stills, are still

connecting with us even today as we continue to seek peace.

The last music genre I remember personally was the Disco era. Who can forget “Saturday Night Fever” and John Travolta’s dance moves? That was in the ‘70s, and I was part of that too.

Donna Summer, the Bee Gees, KC and The Sunshine Band were the background music as I became a newly married young woman and moved from my parents’ home to a different state with my new husband. It was an exciting and special time of my life. When I hear that music it takes me back there.

After the ‘70s I didn’t listen much to the current music scene anymore. I kind of lost touch when I became a mother in the early ‘80s. My three little chicks were born and my time was spent with them watching “Sesame Street,” “The Mickey Mouse Club,” Club, or preschool

plays. Examples of the music I sang with them were “Little Bunny Foo Foo” and “The Wheels on the Bus.” But looking back that may be the most beautiful music my ears have ever heard… sung in their sweet little voices.

We all have music within us. Listen to your own soundtrack and feel the memories come alive. It’s a beautiful thing.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

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HOLISTIC HEALING >> SOUND THERAPY

GOOD VIBR ATIONS

Sound Therapy Improve an Ailment in the Physical, Spiritual and Emotional Plane S TORY BY K AC E Y F I NC H P H OTO G R A P H Y B Y J E S S I C A C U R B E LO

W

hen a good song comes on the radio or the right tune is playing on an instrument, a person’s attitude can instantly change. Clint Thornton and Bryan Mercer, guest artists at the Hippodrome Theatre, wanted to bring the power of sound therapy to Gainesville. Their company, TuneUps, will do just that.

“We have been practicing various methods of sound healing and researching methods of sound healing modalities for a while, and we’ve been doing a fair amount of private toning sessions for various clients,” Thornton said.

He explained that sound therapy uses various modalities of acoustic and electronic 38 |

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sound to help improve an ailment in the physical, spiritual or emotional body. “We strongly believe in the concept that the use of sound can raise your personal vibration and frequency, and we feel that’s something a lot of people might need right now in the current day-to-day situations and the climates they find themselves in,” Thornton said.

On July 22, TuneUps hosted a group night of sound healing at the Black C Art Gallery. The event was an “exploration of sound” where different modalities of sound, such as crystal bowls, vocal toning, chimes, bells and chakra tuners, were used. “This mode of exploration or healing allows the person to do what their body, their soul, their higher self needs to do,” Thornton said. Thornton and Mercer offered

Bryan Mercer, cofounder of TuneUps, places a vibrating bowl on a participant’s back. At the end of the session, participants could ask for the bowl to be placed on a specific area after the bowl was hit with the mallet and vibrating.

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HOLISTIC HEALING >> SOUND THERAPY

Bryan Mercer (above) sings into the microphone as the artist in residence, Nichole Hamilton, slides a mallet around a crystal bowl to make a ringing sound.

Clint Thornton (right), cofounder of TuneUps, vocalizes into the microphone while making sound with the crystal bowls in front of him.

Chimes and saw blades hang from a metal structure that divides the floor. During the event, one of the artists would occasionally tap them to add more sound.

“It’s quite an individualistic experience even though we’re doing it in a group.” sounds and performed a group toning, influencing people to set their own intention and get what they want out of the experience.

“It’s quite an individualistic experience even though we’re doing it in a group,” Thornton said.

Sound therapy allows people to find other tools for healing differently than typical Western medicine and pharmaceuticals.

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Diane Garrison Langston, a board-certified music therapist, said music therapy “is defined as using music and music techniques to reach nonmusical goals.” Music promotes cognitive processing, she said, which is especially present in her work with veterans.

“Not only is it a positive coping skill, but they’re also working on their psycho-motor regulation,” Langston said.

Langston has also worked in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where music therapy has been used to help premature babies be introduced to different stimuli, such as touch, sucking and rocking. “Babies that are born premature are underdeveloped, so they don’t have all of the muscles of the lung capacity or the muscular movement,” she said. “Music helps to introduce those stimuli in a less abrasive way.”

There are a variety of music therapy treatments, ranging from playing an instrument or hearing certain tunes. Treatment is adapted to the need of an individual.

“Everything I do is based on their needs and how can we use the music aspect, what research do I know will support this,” Langston said. “It just really depends on the situation, the diagnosis, the environment, their physical capacity, mental capacity, emotional capacity.”

Techniques can focus on learning coping skills, working on motor regulation, communicating in a positive way, regulating an environment, reducing anxiety or knowing relaxation methods. For patients with Parkinson’s disease, treatment all depends on the symptoms and what needs to be worked on. This could involve movement, verbalization, memory and more.

While music therapy is considered an alternative to typical Western medicine, Langston does not believe it has the power to cure. “I definitely think it benefits the healing process because it can help relax the body, it can help the medication, it can help the body heal on its own, but it itself is not the thing that heals,” she said. “Music is just the tool that really promotes and supports the process.”

Even though it may not be the cure to a person’s ailments, research shows it can be quite beneficial and help the healing process.

It may not be the answer for some people, but it is a reasonable path for those who want to try something new. “It gives them the opportunity to try something that’s noninvasive, that’s not a pill,” Langston said.

So, why is music therapy a course of treatment that should be considered?

“We all listen to music,” she said. “It’s something that’s so a part of our daily lives that to not use it would be detrimental, in my opinion, because it’s everywhere.”

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Heavy Petty performing at Bo Diddley Plaza on August 17 as part of the venue’s Free Fridays Concert Series.

TRIBUTE BAND >> HEAVY PETTY

HOMAGE

TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS TRIBUTE BAND

Heavy Petty W R I T T E N B Y H AY L I Z U CCO L A

Tom Petty’s songwriting – rock ‘n’ roll to the core with an addictive aftertaste - was often wrapped in a subtle longing for the hometown he left behind over 40 years ago.

Despite his lyrical homesickness, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers rarely played in Gainesville, which for the locals generated a perpetual yearning for the band’s landmark-laced verses, captivating rhythms and Petty’s distinctive nasally voice – something only the Gainesville natives themselves could provide or so it would seem. In 2009, Heavy Petty – A Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute band – came together to offer residents the closest thing to Petty besides the iconic singer himself. Throughout their nearly 10-year history, Heavy Petty has become almost as much of a local icon as their Heartbreaker muse.

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So You Want To Be a Rock ‘N’ Roll Star “My interest [in music] actually goes back to ‘Back to the Future’ the movie when I saw Michael J. Fox play ‘Johnny B. Goode’ and I thought he was the coolest guy ever,” said Jason Hedges, the lead singer and cofounder of Heavy Petty. “That led me into listening to Chuck Berry... and I started becoming a huge fan of rock ‘n’ roll.”

Before playing the mellowed-out tunes of Tom Petty, Daniel App, Heavy Petty co-founder and lead guitarist, went through a metal phase, finding inspiration from Metallica’s guitarist Kirk Hammett.

PHOTOGRAPHY: HAYLI ZUCCOLA

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Heavy Petty members (from left) Logan Fischer, Jonathon McCravy, Daniel App and Jason Hedges. (Stuart Strome is not pictured) When they aren’t playing Tom Petty music as Heavy Petty, they play original songs under the name Hedges. The debut album of Hedges is called “Mixed Signals.”

“I just became obsessed with learning every part I could and trying to play it note for note and learning it the way they do it and absorbing all these techniques,” App said. “After that phase, I took all the skills and experience, and I put it to use for other genres where I could really move people and entertain people.”

Jonathon McCravy joined the band within the last two years and spent his musical career playing guitar until he discovered that Heavy Petty needed a bass player.

“I felt like I had been playing the wrong instrument for 20 years,” McCravy said. “Maybe it’s my laid back personality or something else, but I just really enjoy that role in the band.”

Heavy Petty is first and foremost a tribute band, not a cover band so don’t expect Hedges to be adorned with Petty’s signature top hat and long blond locks any time soon App and Hedges were two of Heavy Petty’s original members, but it’s hard to have a rock ‘n’ roll band that’s limited to just vocals and guitar, especially when that band is portraying the Heartbreakers. To add a backbone to the melodies they needed a drummer, but it would be a long, tiring process before they found a perfect match.

“It’s a Spinal Tap-esque story. I may be drummer number eight,” said Logan Fischer, Heavy Petty’s current drummer.

“I took my first drum lesson when I was 11, and then that afternoon on the way home I told my mom that I was gonna do that for a living no matter what, and I’ve been foolishly doing that ever since,” Fischer said.

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The fifth and final member of the group is Stuart Strome – the Benmont Tench of Heavy Petty. Although he plays keyboard for the band, Strome is also equipped with a background in piano, clarinet and guitar.

In 2009, Heavy Petty, which was comprised of only three members at the time, came together for what was meant to be a one-time show for a Valentine’s Day concert at Common Grounds (now the High Dive) but their performance left a mark on the audience, and Heavy Petty has been emulating Tom Petty’s hits ever since. It’s important to note, however, that Heavy Petty is first and foremost a tribute band, not a cover band so don’t expect Hedges to be adorned with Petty’s signature top hat and PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB MCGREGOR

A Thing About You There are hundreds of artists Heavy Petty could have chosen to pay tribute to, but there is something special about Tom Petty and his gift for storytelling that makes him a rock ‘n’ roll idol.

“There’s just a real aspect to it, it wasn’t super polished... he’s got this sort of attitude like, you know, he doesn’t really care what anybody thinks about him,” McCravy said. “The songwriting’s fantastic, the guy’s got like I don’t even know how many albums of songs.”

Of course, Petty isn’t the only rock star to emerge victorious from the swamps of Gainesville. Members of the Eagles, Sister Hazel, Against Me! and Less Than Jake all grew up in the same Florida town and garnered success in the music world, but it’s Petty’s lyrics that create an imagery of home and hold morsels of memories in each spoken word.

“So, Stephen Stills and Don Felder from the Eagles, their music isn’t really associated with Gainesville,” Strome said.

“They have their own thing, and they were sort of contributors

to their bands, right? Tom Petty and his lyrics, and in his prior band Mudcrutch, the lyrics reflected so much with Gainesville... you really sense there’s a longing for Gainesville in his music.”

TRIBUTE BAND >> HEAVY PETTY

long blond locks any time soon – they tried it once for Halloween but with their high energy, the wigs didn’t even make it through the first song. Though they wouldn’t pass for look-alikes, Heavy Petty’s depiction of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is pure auditory confusion: from the sheer resemblance of Petty in Hedges’ voice to the rest of the band’s ability to mimic the Heartbreakers’ music as it was on their records.

Hometown Blues On October 2, 2017, Tom Petty passed away from an accidental overdose of prescription medications, leaving his family, friends and fans in shock and heartbreak. While fans from all over the world expressed their love and adoration for the singer/ songwriter after his death, it was especially hard to accept for those who knew him well, the city of Gainesville as a whole and for Heavy Petty who spent almost a decade replicating his memorable music. What started as a way to bring Petty’s unique sound home would ultimately turn into a project designed to keep Petty and his music alive.

“It went from being a tribute to now it’s something that we’re really trying to bring to the community. Tom Petty’s very special to this area; I’m from North Carolina and it’s not something that I really understood until I moved here and started playing music and meeting everybody that was friends with him back in the day,” McCravy said. “It’s near and dear to the whole community here so it went from being, you know, we’re fans of this music and we enjoy playing it to being almost — we’re trying to keep it alive, I guess, for the community.”

App explained his thoughts on continuing Petty’s music.

“You spend all these years learning the music... kind of

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TRIBUTE BAND >> HEAVY PETTY

(Pictured above on drums) Logan Fischer’s favorite Tom Petty song to play is “Don’t Come Around Here No More” because the drums are more challenging. “The drums on the original are not a drummer, it’s a drum machine, it’s pretty much an unplayable part,” he said.

learning who they are through what they release to the public, and you meet all these people who knew him and loved him and you even got family members reaching out to you and you’re talking to them and... you’re in his hometown. It was very emotional, very upsetting, and for me it was just a big void,” App said. “I think it’s given us a greater cause to keep doing it.”

Something Good Coming After Petty’s unforeseen passing, Heavy Petty scrambled to put together an event designed to honor the late singer’s memory and what resulted was the first Tom Petty Birthday Bash. Though the event was rushed – so much so that the painted backdrops didn’t even dry before Heavy Petty and other musical acts took the stage – it was met with a huge success: drawing in thousands of fans, some of whom were from several states away.

“We were playing a song called ‘Southern Accents’ and... as we were playing that song, a dragonfly landed on my hat... and then it flew onto the microphone and just hung out there... I remember it being odd at the time and then it just kind of flew off after the song and it was, to me it was of a symbol of like him and good luck... it was one of those little magical [things],” Hedges said. “That night was so special.”

In an effort to keep Petty’s presence alive in Gainesville, after getting his family’s blessing, Heavy Petty decided to make Tom Petty’s Birthday Bash an annual event.

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This year, the Tom Petty Birthday Bash will be a two-day event with over 18 bands playing some of their favorite Petty songs as well as original music. The event will be held at Depot Park on October 19 and 20. General admission is free, but special packages can be purchased that include a festival t-shirt, a souvenir pint cup and a few other limited-availability surprises such as an invitation to a pre-party on Thursday. All profits from the event will be donated to UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine, a program that brings all fields of art – theatre, music, dance, writing and visual art – to the hospital with the idea that “art and creativity can offer comfort, relaxation and joy even in the most difficult times,” according to artsinmedicine.ufhealth.org.

“We’re doing this to celebrate, pay tribute and honor a man, a legend in music, and we’re also trying to raise money for a local [cause],” Hedges said.

Stories We Could Tell The amount of love and devotion the city of Gainesville has for Tom Petty is unmatched. And although he wasn’t able to see the profound impact his passing had on his friends, family, fans and other musicians, his roots will forever remain in Gainesville.

With a little help from Heavy Petty, his musical legacy continues to thrive — for his presence is undoubtedly felt through every song they play.

To find out more about the second annual Tom Petty Birthday Bash, visit: tompettybirthdaybash.com.

PHOTOGRAPHY: HAYLI ZUCCOLA

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MAESTRO >> DR. WILLARD RAY KESLING

MUSIC, MAESTRO, PLEASE

In Treble The Life of Dr. Willard Ray Kesling W RIT TE N BY EMM A WITMER P H OTO G R A P H Y B Y C A R Y A D E R

W

illard Kesling’s is a life scored by music, each stanza presenting a new challenge.

Today known as an internationally renowned conductor, Kesling’s draft call to fight in Vietnam came just days after receiving his music degree. This background in music would lead Kesling across the country with the naval choir to perform at professional football halftimes and Johnny Carson Late Night shows.

First, however, music would keep him out of the line of fire.

“Agent Kesling, report to the old man right away,” a lieutenant had called after Kesling decades ago.

A pair of gold wings. Though cast in heavy metal, the wings flew right across the office of 48 |

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Kesling’s Naval Flight Captain and landed in his hands. These wings symbolized the final step.

Kesling was now a certified fighter pilot on track for the skies and seas that would take thousands of American lives from those waiting at home. In just two days, Kesling was to join the American forces in Ticonderoga, Vietnam.

“I got my orders,” Kesling said. “I was supposed to go to Whidbey Island, Washington, to join my squadron, pick up my A6, and fly to Honolulu, then fly to the Ticonderoga aircraft carrier station to fly raids over the north.”

But that would never happen.

“We spent all this money training you to be an air warrior,” Kesling remembers his captain booming, “and some pansy admiral has ordered you to come back to Pensacola and to take over the music unit and direct the choir.”

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MAESTRO >> DR. WILLARD RAY KESLING

Music saved Dr. Willard Ray Kesling’s life, and it wouldn’t be the only time.

Perhaps the first time music altered Kesling’s life was in his senior year of high school when the new choir director reignited his childhood musical dreams. Mr. Bennet was his name.

Bennet overheard Kesling singing on his way to wrestling practice and offered to teach Kesling to read music and give him acting lessons if he would try out for the spring musical: “Oklahoma.”

Kesling hadn’t performed since an elementary choir director told him his voice was no good. Still, that spring, Kesling sang lead in front of the whole school, and that was it. A chance exchange redirected the trajectory of the young man’s life.

“I never thought I would ever be a performer,” Kesling said. “And now, [I’ve been] all over the world.”

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a church picnic went awry, Kesling was struck in the neck with a stray baseball, cracking his larynx. He was told he may never speak again, much less sing.

As the assistant conductor, choir master and head of the music department at the University of Southern Indiana at the time, Kesling’s whole life became faced with uncertainty.

“I didn’t know what my future was going to be like when I

MAESTRO >> DR. WILLARD RAY KESLING

More than 30 years later, Kesling had his debut conducting the National Chamber Orchestra with some of the world’s most talented musicians, and a familiar face among them. Mr. Bennet, an old man, but a powerful organist had been hired to perform with the orchestra, and the two shared a long tearful reunion.

Such moments of musically-charged serendipity are a theme in the life of Dr. Kesling.

“As an old man, I can look back at these pillars that have created this career. Everything that’s happened has been pretty much by accident. The breaks. I haven’t sought them, they just came.”

“As an old man, I can look back at these pillars that have created this career,” Kesling said. “Everything that’s happened has been pretty much by accident. The breaks. I haven’t sought them, they just came.”

Still, Kesling said, he was ready when they came. His story is one of perseverance. His life exemplifies the phrase, “The show must go on.” No matter how daunting or unpredictable, the beauty in life makes it worth living.

In 1982, Kesling faced a new challenge, a new doubt. When

walked down that hallway before my senior year,” Kesling said with a now knowing smile. The future had never been certain, but he retained his faith.

Though he regained his ability to speak after a year of therapy, Kesling cannot sing more than a few lines even today. In the middle of a long story, he croaks a bit, closes his eyes and swallows hard. It seems painful, but he doesn’t say so.

Since this injury, Kesling has gone on to conduct all over the world. From Japan to Mexico and Soviet Russia, Kesling

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MAESTRO >> DR. WILLARD RAY KESLING

has performed with the best and under the threat of death. He has been lauded with accolades and followed by the KGB. Now 70 years old, Kesling’s eyes are wise and tempered, but his demeanor is disarming and warm. Kesling is a professor at the University of Florida now, his office shrouded in posters and playbills from every corner of the world. Kesling’s career as a conductor has flown him further than any naval jet would.

“The way he conducts and communicates the music is revolutionary,” said Colombian Director for the Corporación Ensamble Vocal de Medellín Jorge Hernán Arango García in an email translated from Spanish. “No director removes himself so much from the ego of being a director and gives himself to the music in that way. Every interpretation that master Kesling makes is a miracle of life. The most sublime feeling that can be taken from a masterpiece.”

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Since Kesling’s choir did a guest performance with the ensemble about eight years ago, Kesling and Arango have invited each other back and forth many times, including a performance at the 2017 Sounds of the Season.

Kesling has been teaching at the university level for nearly 40 years, but his passion for his students has not dimmed. In addition to teaching, Kesling is the head of the choral program at UF. He oversees the activities and training of each chorus and plans major events such as the annual Sounds of the Season.

Each December, Kesling conducts the orchestra and chorus in the special program for the holiday season.

Kesling said he has lived the top and the bottom of life. High standing ovations have been tempered by low thoughts, but music has spoken to him. He calls it the language of God. And those heavenly words won’t let him give up. There is more to do.

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COLUMN

CRYSTAL HENRY’S

Naked Salsa BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY

CRYSTAL HENRY IS A FREELANCE WRITER AND COLUMNIST BORN AND RAISED IN WEST TEXAS. SHE RECEIVED HER B.S. IN JOURNALISM IN 2006 FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA. SHE IS IN LOVE WITH THE FLORIDA LANDSCAPE. ces03k@gmail.com

M

y eighth-grade year was the absolute worst.

Riddled with acne, braces, unreciprocated love and terrible algebra teachers, it was pure hell.

It was also the year that made me who I am today.

Middle school is a place for kids to develop beauty, athleticism or personality. It’s almost always an inversely proportional relationship, and I was lacking the beauty and athleticism portion hard. I guess I was bullied that year, but I didn’t know that’s what it was. When boys made fun of my big nose or frizzy hair, I felt like it was warranted. It hurt that my friends who were genetically gifted had boys calling their landlines and buying them Clinique “Happy” on Valentine’s Day. But I developed boobs and a killer sense of humor that year, so it all evened out.

The best part of junior high was my goofy best friend, Heidi, who would braid my hair while we blasted Meredith Brooks and sang about being a bitch and a lover before we’d even gotten our first periods. That song was our anthem, and music would be my saving grace in middle school. It’s the one thing that helped me find value in myself.

When I entered seventh grade I made a social choice. My mom wanted me to join choir and sports, but I wanted to play the oboe for whatever reason. I also assumed my mother knew nothing about being cool, so of course she would want me to join nerdy things like sports. I hadn’t seen enough teen movies to know that the jocks are always the cool kids.

The prequel to any oboe career is mastering the flute or clarinet. And despite my pathetic lower lip pout, my band director put me on flute. I didn’t dare dispute this choice.

Mrs. Cindy Bulloch was a thing of legends. She was a small strawberry blonde woman who ate mouthy teens for breakfast.

She was a ball buster with exceedingly high standards for her band members, even the other teachers were terrified of her.

In the spring of seventh grade I was trying out a new flippant persona. I was going through my wide-leg black JNCO phase and wanted to have the slacker attitude to match.

Mrs. Bulloch saw right through to my squishy middle and cut me down to size in front of the entire flute section. Our band was like military boot camp. You sat up straight, feet together, flute in your lap at a 45 degree angle over your left knee, no gum — ever, and no excessive jewelry.

I rolled up to tryouts with my slouch and a fist full of plastic

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oversized rings I scored at Gadzooks. She looked me dead in the eyes and told me if I wanted to give up my first chair spot over some jewelry that was fine by her. There were 11 other girls who were ready to take my seat.

If I was a true slacker I’d have told her to eff off, but she knew those Doc Martens were for show. Thank goodness my boy crush was in the trumpet section, so he didn’t witness how fast I took the rings off, sat up straight and showed some damn respect for myself.

I retained my first chair status that day, but I didn’t dare test the Sergeant again.

My junior high days were filled with teachers who told me I was lazy, or slutty, or “not good at math.” I’d never even had a boyfriend, let alone kissed a boy. But early development will get you labeled pretty fast in the junior high jungle. And telling your algebra teacher that her jock son is a snot is a surefire way to lower your GPA. But in band it didn’t matter what I looked like or what my dad did for a living. Mrs. Bulloch saw something in me that I didn’t even see. She knew how to motivate me to do better, and to be more. I was finally good at something, and she actually saw me in a sea of faces as someone who mattered.

I eventually got the offer to move to the double reeds, and Mrs. Bulloch urged me to play bassoon. But oboe was all I ever wanted. I ended up being absolutely terrible at the oboe, but I made the twirling line that year, so my pride remained intact.

I’m not convinced Mrs. Bulloch didn’t have a say in that decision.

Two years ago, I saw on Facebook that she was in town for a band convention at the same place I was attending a PTA convention, so I messaged her to see if she’d like to grab coffee. I don’t even think she said yes. I think she just told me the time and place to meet.

As a full-grown adult, I was still nervous to see her. I’d turned into a bit of a wild child in high school. Did she know about that?

Did she know I’m a mom now? Why did I care?

When I walked in she immediately gave me the biggest most wonderful hug like no time had passed between old friends.

We got our coffee and she gushed about how proud she was of me, and how she’d been following my success online, and how beautiful my daughters were. I wanted to cry as I realized that after all these years this woman still saw me. In the sea of thousands of students who have come through her band hall doors, I still mattered to her.

And it was music to my ears.

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RECORDING FORMATS >> VINYL ALBUMS

TURNTABLE

THE RESURGENCE OF VINYL IS REAL

For the Record STORY A N D PHOTOGR A PH Y BY STEPH STR ICK L A N D

The first inklings of vinyl record players began in 1857, when Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville assembled his phonautograph, a device meant to examine the characteristics of sound.

Since then, music technology has developed at unprecedented speeds, causing vinyl record sales to skyrocket in the latter half of the 20th century. The 21st century brought handheld devices and music streaming, but in recent years vinyl record sales have hit all-time highs.

2016 marked a 25-year high in vinyl sales nationwide, and 2017 broke that record yet again. Some researchers attribute these trends to deaths in the music 56 |

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industry from the most popular eras of vinyl music. For example, after David Bowie died in 2016, he became the bestselling vinyl artist of that year, according to the Guardian.

Others say it is the physical and aesthetic appeals of nostalgia that keep people buying vinyl records. According to a recent eBay survey reported on by Forbes, 52 percent of consumers prefer to buy music in a physical form such as a CD or vinyl record as opposed to a digital copy.

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RECORDING FORMATS >> VINYL ALBUMS

According to HowStuffWorks, for almost a century, the record player was the most common way to listen to recorded music, speeches, languages and lessons. The design has been refined over the years, but the basic parts have remained the same.

Roland Parker has been selling records for over 15 years, and recently started working at Arrow Aim Records in downtown Gainesville about six months ago when the company relocated onto Main Street near the intersection of University Avenue. Parker said that people like having something tangible as opposed to something digital. Records create a sense of community that technology can’t replace, he said.

“I don’t remember seeing people crowding around a computer, we crowded around to talk about new records,” Parker said. “Music on record just genuinely sounds better.”

One in four people between the ages of 18 and 24 said they 58 |

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had purchased a record in the last year, according to an eBay survey that also found The Beatles, Davie Bowie and Pink Floyd were the highest sought on the site. Parker said in a college-town like Gainesville there is a younger demographic that Arrow Aim Records appeals to, but records are for people of all ages. “I’ll see 18-year-olds chattering away with 50-year-olds,” he said.

Markets report seeing a mix of millennials and middle-aged demographics shopping for vinyl records. Even as sales of vinyl skyrocket, many economists question whether this is a fad or if physical music is here to stay. Parker said this “economic bubble” that many economists claim surrounds the vinyl industry may partly be a result of skyrocketing prices associated with some records.

“I went to buy the new Lana Del Ray record, and it was going to cost me $55,” he said. “...Wages haven’t gone up enough

NIELSEN REPORTED THAT 14 PERCENT OF MUSIC SALES IN 2017 WERE ON VINYL Samantha West at The Washington Post said the research compiled by Nielsen “shows the format isn’t just for trendy fans.” The company also compiled a list of the most popular vinyl record sales last year and the results show a diverse group of musicians: 1. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” — The Beatles

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Parker believes that these “cash grab” prices could lead to poor availability of vinyl. He said consumers may see a growth in CDs as they become more affordable for a wider audience. However, Parker still tries to remain optimistic about the record industry.

“I’m one of [the collectors]… I could sit and talk about music for hours,” Parker said. “This is my job, but it’s also my hobby.

I never feel worked.”

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SUNSTATE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION’S

Community Connection SunState Federal Credit Union has been serving our community for over 60 years. Since the beginning we’ve always found ways to support some of the area’s most amazing charitable organizations.

Check out our Facebook page for more information and get involved!

Einstein School How 3−D Printing Helps Keep the Mission in Focus Founded in 1999, The Einstein School was started with the very specific and unique mission of serving the needs of students in the Alachua County area with language or speech impairments, dyslexia or other language based reading difficulties. Founded by Dr. Tim Conway and Zack Osbrach, The Einstein School is a tuition free charter school designed for students grades 2-8 who are struggling academically due these difficulties.

Tasked with helping these children increase their language skills to meet their unique potential, the dedicated staff is a family of caring professionals who help these students succeed in and out of the classroom.

“We’re not only here to help these great kids become better readers and excel in their academic pursuits,” said Sara Flint Assistant Principal “we’re also here to introduce them to the skills needed to work in an ever-changing job market.”

Knowing that mission and understanding the school’s dedication to their students, recently caught the eye of a local non-profit known as New Technology Made Simple Now – whose goal is to introduce the world of 3-D printing to veterans, seniors, disabled citizens and underserved youth through their mission of bringing people together to improve their lives through technology.

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“I think it’s important for kids, even at the elementary school level, to understand this ever progressing technology,” said Janalyn Peppel, Program Coordinator of New Technology Made Simple Now. “Having the opportunity to come into a school like The Einstein School and provide a sneak peak into how this technology works and the potential real life applications is an amazing opportunity. With the generous support of the SunState Community Foundation we were able to provide access to technology that will expose them to new areas of augmented reality, coding, computer-aided design and 3D scanning. We use 3D scanning as a tool to spark imagination that will lead to unlimited potential in these students.”

“The idea is to keep it simple with our initial introduction to the kids,” said Janalyn. “We start by bringing in a 3D printer, holding a small demonstration and print things they can relate to, a star wars figure or something from a popular video game. Then we show them how that same process can be used to print a model for a science fair project, a wheel for a toy or something else entirely. It doesn’t take long for them to see how they could integrate this budding technology into their everyday lives.”

Janalyn has been holding these hour-long demonstrations in a few area schools but leaving the printer at that school for kids to really use, teachers to integrate into curricula and for schools to adopt as part of an overall lesson plan hasn’t been feasible – until now.

“We’re so thankful for SunState Federal Credit Union and their commitment to our community,” said Sara Flint from The Einstein School. “Thanks to their charitable foundation, SunState has donated an entire printing system to be permanently installed at our school. This will give us the ability to integrate this technology into many of our daily classes.” Having the printer permanently installed at The Einstein School will allow students and teachers alike to play, experiment and integrate this technology into their classes and assignments.

With a wealth of online material available, teachers are now able to use prewritten lesson plans to enhance core math and science classes.

As a locally insured credit union, SunState Federal Credit Union and its charitable foundation has always been dedicated to funding projects that make a difference in our community. From their Charity of the Month award to projects like the one Janalyn recently developed, SSFCU believes in investing in local programs that will improve our community.

“When we approached SunState about potentially funding this initiative for The Einstein School, we were cautiously optimistic,” said Janalyn. “It’s just a perfect fit. SunState wants to help our local schools and we had a program in need of a sponsor. Our hope is that SunState becomes the first of many area businesses that could help us put a 3D printer in every school in our area.”

SunState’s investment in this initiative is just the beginning, as they hope it will encourage other local businesses to follow the model that the foundation has established. SunState believes in the work Janalyn and her foundation have started and by documenting the success The Einstein School has and ways the school implements that program into their everyday curriculum, is an important step in securing additional sponsors and grants. By supporting this initiative, future donations, grants and sponsorships will help New Technology Made Simple serve many other veterans, seniors, disabled citizens and underserved youth.

For more information on how you could help sponsor a similar program, contact Janalyn Peppel at Programs@NewTechNow.org or call 857-331-5018.

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GREAT RATES HASSLE-FREE FINANCING Choose SunState Federal Credit Union for your auto loan! | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 OUR TOWN MAGAZINE

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Waterparks’ lead guitarist Geoff Wigington.

Less Than Jake performs for an ecstatic crowd in Tampa during the Vans Warped Tour in August.

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Simple Plan rhythm guitarist Sébastien Lefebvre (top middle) gets the crowd pumped. Bandmate and lead singer Pierre Bouvier (above) sprays the Jacksonville crowd with a water gun during their performance at the Old Cypress Lot.

Sean Foreman, half of the duo 3OH!3

Warped Tour

SWAN SONG >> VANS WARPED TOUR

Waterparks’ lead singer Awsten Knight performs after a quick rain shower.

OFF THE WALL

The Final Full Cross-Country Vans Warped Tour S T O R Y A N D P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y H AY L I Z U C C O L A

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housands of music fans, dripping in sun-soaked sweat, fought the heat to sing along to their favorite bands while spending the rest of the nine-hour day discovering new artists, meeting musicians and exchanging their paychecks for merchandise before heading home to reminisce on their experience at the Vans Warped Tour. The three-month traveling music festival showcases over 50 artists on six to seven stages. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end and this year marked Warped Tour’s final cross-country run, but this last haul was one fans would never forget.

Founded in 1995 by Kevin Lyman, Warped Tour has featured over 1,700 artists throughout its history. Some of these musicians even grew into household names like Fall Out Boy, Katy Perry, No Doubt, Blink-182 and Eminem, according to the billboard. com article “Warped Tour to Hit the Road for Final Trek in 2018.” For the most part, artists featured on the Warped Tour span across music genres like punk, indie, alternative, metalcore, rock, ska and everything in between. Besides the occasional hit, these underrated musicians are usually lacking radio airtime but still have the ability to generate pockets of fans across the country. These are the fans that come together during each tour stop to enjoy a unique festival experience in the sweltering sun.

Capping off at 24 summers, Warped Tour currently holds the title for the longest-running North American festival concert tour. With 2018 marking the end of a music tradition, fans gathered at each of the 38 cities for one last hurrah to bid farewell to Warped Tour.

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SWAN SONG >> VANS WARPED TOUR

As it stands now, the Vans Warped Tour has ended. However, founder Kevin Lyman has hinted that he has something special planned for what would be the tour’s 25th Anniversary.

Florida cities Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm Beach helped round out the tour. Despite being dubbed the Sunshine State, Florida weather can be rather fickle. During the Jacksonville show, Gainesville native Less Than Jake was in the middle of a Meet & Greet with fans when the sky opened up and rained on the event’s goodbye parade. The downpour forced fans to evacuate the outdoor venue and ultimately ended with the cancellation of the event. To make up for Mother Nature’s untimely tantrum, ticket holders were allowed into any of the remaining Florida shows.

Tampa’s date saw a larger turnout and this time gave the rest of the bands an opportunity to perform. Less Than Jake, which formed in 1992, played a set that featured their life-size mascot waving a gator-embellished banner, squirting water guns into the crowd and launching rolls of toilet paper into the air. Smoke-spitting, color-changing lights sat on each side of the drums and received a roaring applause every time they erupted. Performing on the tour a total of 12 times, Less Than 64 |

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Jake has played more individual Warped Tour shows than any other band. According to lead singer Roger Lima’s speech to the Tampa crowd, the band has clocked in at playing over 400 Warped Tour shows.

The rest of the day welcomed performances by Simple Plan, New Found Glory, Mayday Parade, The Maine, 3OH!3 and over 40 other bands. If a performance didn’t seem of interest, guests could walk around the venue to visit booths from featured bands, record labels, nonprofits and food vendors.

Though the full cross-country portion of Warped Tour ended in West Palm Beach in early August, the future of the Vans Warped Tour isn’t exactly clear; founder Kevin Lyman has hinted that he has something special planned for what would be the tour’s 25th Anniversary. As it stands now, the Vans Warped Tour has unplugged its amps, packed up the bands and ended an era, but despite closing up shop, the memories music fans have created over the past 24 Warped Tours will last forever.

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BOOK REVIEW

TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER’S

Reading Corner HOW SWEET THE SOUND: THE STORY OF AMAZING GRACE written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison C.2018, ATHENEUM BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS, $17.99 / $23.99 CANADA, 48 PAGES

TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER HAS BEEN READING SINCE SHE WAS 3 YEARS OLD AND SHE NEVER GOES ANYWHERE WITHOUT A BOOK. SHE LIVES WITH HER TWO DOGS AND 11,000 BOOKS. HER BOOK REVIEWS ARE PUBLISHED IN MORE THAN 200 NEWSPAPERS AND 50 MAGAZINES THROUGHOUT THE U.S. AND CANADA. bookwormsez@yahoo.com

IN CHURCH, YOU SING A LOT OF SONGS.

S

ome are just for Sunday School, and you clap when you sing them. Others make you dance right in your seat. And some songs you sing in church are very old and have a quiet, hidden meaning. In “How Sweet the Sound” by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison, you’ll learn about one song that feels a lot like a prayer.

John Newton was not a very nice man.

He was a brawling sailor, and that was why he was so mean: he had to be tough, and that meant fighting and swearing and hurting people. He’d been doing it for years and he didn’t have plans to stop. Toughness was in his blood.

But then, one night, there was a storm and John was at the wheel of the ship as she tossed back and forth on the waves. The rest of the crew was frightened and, truthfully, so was John. He began to think about all the things he’d done in his life. He remembered how much he loved his mother, and he recalled when she died.

Was that when John became a not-so-nice guy? Was that when he started “picking fights” and arguing?

No, John was still nice then. He met Mary, the woman he loved, and they had plans for the future until the Navy nabbed John and forced him to enlist.

Ah, there’s where John became a cruel bully. It happened aboard a ship, where he worked hauling humans over the ocean

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to bring them to slavery. Oh, John suddenly understood – and he began to pray.

He prayed when he bailed water. He prayed as he plugs leaks. He talked to God while he was at the helm of the ship.

He prayed and prayed until the sun peeked over the horizon on wet but peaceful sails. He prayed because the crew still wasn’t out of danger and he kept praying until the ship reached land.

God spared John’s life and, in gratitude, John became a preacher and spoke out against slave ships. Then he wrote a song that people of many faiths have leaned on in times of trouble.

You’ve sung the words countless times.

You’ve heard the song in many places. But did you know the true story of the classic hymn?

Most people haven’t, but in “How Sweet the Sound,” author Carole Boston Weatherford tells it with couplets more powerful than a storm at sea; indeed, this book is little more than a poem written in descriptive style, but sparsely, which lends more weight to each careful word. The tale itself – that of John Newton – is all true, and that’s explained in Weatherford’s Author’s Note near the back cover. Be sure you read that, too. It makes an extraordinary story even more… amazing.

With beautiful artwork by Frank Morrison, this book is great for children ages 4-8 and may be a Sunday School winner for kids and adults. “How Sweet the Sound” could make your soul sing.

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If you’ve got lower back pain or knee pain, stiffness or an ache - it’s tempting to think that it’s nothing and it will go away on its own. Or, you pass it off as a bit of stiffness that “everyone” your age gets. Many people go to their family physicians and are told to rest and “try these painkillers” and “see how it goes”. But this is rarely the best advice and often 6 weeks later, they end up going back again because it hasn’t gotten any better. Worse, they’re often given yet another prescription of even stronger pills and advised MORE rest.

There are better ways to ease your back pain or knee pain, without pain medications, injections or surgery, per Dr. Weiwei Guan, DPT, PT, L.Ac. Dr. Guan is opening her Guan Physical Therapy and Acupuncture clinic in Jonesville in September, 2018. The clinic offers one-on-one physical therapy, acupuncture and herbal remedies, customized for patients’ specific needs. Since 2011 she has helped many people in the Gainesville area regain mobility and energy, so they can work hard and play harder. Before opening her clinic, she worked at large local hospital clinics, after graduating from University of Florida with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree and completing an orthopedic residency at UF Shands. Born and raised in China, she is a fifth-generation Chinese Medicine Physician of a family whose special acupuncture techniques are nationally recognized. She was trained under the tutelage of her father, ranked third in China’s Top Ten Acupuncturist List by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. She has published five acupuncture books in China.

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PIANIST AND TEACHER >> LIN HONG

MAJOR KEYS

Pianist Lin Hong Juilliard Grad, Musician and Teacher Makes Olympic Impact W RIT TE N BY S TE PH A NIE RICH A R DS

T

ime seems to stand still as you watch Lin Hong’s fingers move elegantly across the keys of his 1939 Steinway piano.

Each note is seemingly part of the next as it flows into a beautiful melody that soothes your soul. It is easy to see how Hong’s exceptional talent has taken him from the prestigious Juilliard School to recital venues all over the world, including Carnegie Hall.

Hong recently relocated to Gainesville, trading in the daily noise and traffic congestion of New York City for the more serene, quiet atmosphere in North Florida. His initial introduction to the Sunshine State came with a visit in 2002, when he was collaborating with the chamber music program at the University of Miami for the Salzburg Summer

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Festival. He said, “People have been very friendly here. I am enjoying the quietness.”

Born in Xiamen, China, an island beside the Taiwan Strait, Hong was influenced early on in a community where pianos are fixtures in homes.

“Almost every house has a piano and you can always hear someone playing,” he said.

The greatest impact on his early interest in piano would come from home, as his dad is a conductor and composer. “When he was a little over a year old, I taught him to recognize the tone of each note and it caught his interest,” said his father Philip Lin, the former conductor of the United States International University-San Diego orchestra. “I began teaching him to play until he was 5 years old.”

Just four years later, Hong would become one of only seven students in China chosen to attend the PHOTOGRAPHY: STEPHANIE RICHARDS

Hong encourages young musicians from Gainesville to consider entering competitions.

For example, the International Music & Arts Society in New York has announced its 6th Young Musician Olympia Competition. The four winners will perform at Carnegie Recital Hall and Merkin Concert Hall in Lincoln Center next April.

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PHOTO BY STEPHANIE RICHARDS

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Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He described it as a primary school and said it provided an environment to hear and learn from great musicians.

“It was a privilege to attend and everything needed was provided. We would practice four to five hours a day. Whether you are a gymnast or a musician, practice is a discipline and it is your individual responsibility,” he said. “But you also need guidance and we had that at the school, which was much like a boarding school.”

When Hong was 17 years old, he was sponsored by the President of the San Diego Mini Concert series to come to California to perform, and he won the San Diego Symphony Young Artists Competition. While there, he also toured Southern California and Mexico with the La Jolla Symphony Orchestra. He would go on to take top honors in the Joanna Hodges, Igor Stravinsky and the First UCLA International Piano Competitions.

“It has been amazing to me that American friends would recognize my talent, bring me to the West Coast, and give me tremendous support,” Hong said. “This allowed me to develop my skills, perform and participate in competitions.”

Hong received a full scholarship for the Sophia Guzik and the American Youth Symphony awards at UCLA. He studied under the late legendary pianist, and composer from Juilliard, Johana Harris, and became an artist-in-residence at San Diego Mesa College in 1991. “Johana Harris accepted me as her last [student] in her late 70s. It was an honor to study under her,” he said.

He went on to win the Musical Merit Foundation of Greater San Diego Competition, receiving a full scholarship to attend the Aspen Summer Festival. “That festival allowed me to meet many outstanding musicians from all over the world; it created opportunities through connections,” Hong said. “I was invited to attend the USC School of Music, where I studied under world-renowned pianist John Perry, graduating with honors.”

Subsequently, he would be invited to attend the prestigious Juilliard School on a full scholarship, with Athenaeum Music & Arts Library (San Diego) sponsoring his living costs for the four years. He received a Master of Music degree from Juilliard, working with Margo Garrett, Marshall Williamson and Martin Canin. “I think the key to developing your talent is to concentrate on what you are doing and learn from masters around the world,” he said.

Hong’s talent would take him all over the world, including an invitation to perform with the Juilliard School and Leipzig Musik Hochschule for a Chamber Music program in Leipzig, Germany. He has made other numerous European appearances and was the official pianist for four years at the prestigious Piatigorsky International Cello Festival at USC’s School of Music. “I have been a visiting professor in China and performed in conservatories and concert halls there,” he said. “When I played at the Salzburg Summer Festival, I performed at the Schloss Leopoldskon palace. It is the location where the ‘Sound of Music’ was filmed.”

One of the benefits of his travels has been opportunities to visit the homes and gravesites of the world’s greatest composers, including Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms. “You can feel the composer’s spirit… your imagination becomes very real,” Hong said. “It is difficult to say who is my favorite composer. When I was younger, I might have picked one but each has its own character whether French, Russian or German for example. I do like Mozart, Chopin and Rachmaninoff, but picking one is like choosing from a variety of [food] dishes, each one is good in its own right.”

Hong’s talents have led to Olympic opportunities, as he brought

Pianist Lin Hong, a graduate of Juilliard, takes in some sights in Europe (above) in 2002 while there to perform with The Juilliard School and Leipzig Musik Hochschule in a Chamber Music program.

Banners like this one (below) in China have highlighted Lin Hong’s performances with artists from all over the world, including Icelandic cellist Margret Arnadottir.

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE RICHARDS

China’s culture to the world’s stage at the & Arts Society (New York). He is a visit2008 Beijing Summer Games. He served as ing professor at the Sichuan and Fujian Conservatories of Music, and the overprogram executive and U.S. coordinator of the “Centenary Piano Extravaganza” project sea program adviser/coordinator for the for the National Center of the Performing National Center of the Performing Arts in Arts in Beijing. Ten pianists, including four Beijing. “I also continue to perform concerts in La Jolla and throughout California Chinese, performed and joined with the through the assistance of patrons, like Erika Beijing National Symphony Orchestra to Torri and Jim and Lois Lasry,” Hong said. play a concerto composed by Cui Shiguan.

“A concerto for 10 pianists had never been “They have known me since I came to the U.S. and have always invested in me, prodone before in the history of music. It was important because it had to present the har- viding opportunities to perform.”

In his efforts to promote cultural art mony and peace of the Olympic spirit; it had exchanges between nations, Hong is curto come through in the music,” Hong said. “I recommended that a young Chinese pianist rently working to bring a Lanzhou Opera and be included to give a vision to people of the Dance Drama Theatre presentation, “The future. There was an audience of 3,500 and Tales of the Silk Road,” to the Lincoln Center we had four intermissions. It was wonderful David Geffen Hall next year. The production involves 100 artists plus an orchestra. and a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Things have come full circle for Hong now, as he recognizes how others have impacted his musical talent while being passionate, himself, about nurturing that of young artists. He has 10 students in New York and continues to teach them via Skype and in-person, as he travels there once a month to rehearse with the Auden Trio at Juilliard. He already has 13 students in the Gainesville area.

“I have a desire to discover talent here and have the connections to bring young players to New York and China,” he said. “I believe there are also opportunities for more cultural exchanges and musical performances here in Gainesville.”

Last year, one of his students, From left to right, Lin Hong, his father Philip Lin, Clayton Stephenson, won the and Cellist Hai Ye-Ni who is principal cellist of the Presidential Scholar Award from Philadelphia Orchestra. Their performance together was the White House and performed recorded and broadcast on National Public Radio. at the Kennedy Center. He was the Perhaps the greatest endeavor before first Juilliard student to win the award in 10 years. “I tell my students it is more him is preparing to take center stage again at Carnegie Hall. Hong will perform on October than understanding the surface note… you play inside the note,” Hong said. “It is 28 in a joint faculty recital. This will be his fifth appearance at the world-renowned hall. important to present the feeling and color “My first performance at Carnegie was beyond the note.” a solo recital after 9/11. As you enter the Currently, he holds several positions, stage, you feel how great of an honor it is including artistic advisor (New York) for the International Piano Festival and to be there… you dream of it as a place to perform,” Hong said. “When you finish your Academy of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and artistic director for the interna- performance, you are already thinking how tional division at the International Music you want to be back again.”

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TRAVEL DESTINATIONS >> AMERICAN MUSIC TOWNS

DON’T FRET

Welcome to Music Town American Travel Destinations for Music Enthusiasts W R I T T E N B Y H AY L I Z U C C O L A

F

rom the soulful jazz and blues of the south to the rhythmic-infused hip-hop of the east and west coasts, there are pieces of music history buried in nearly every corner of America. Memorials dedicated to artists lost over the years and museums filled with one-of-a-kind memorabilia are just a few examples of some of America’s best music-themed travel destinations...

GRAND OLE OPRY NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE Visiting the Grand Ole Opry is a must for any country music fanatic, but it’s an impressive structure that can be appreciated by any music aficionado. Established on November 28, 1925 with a radio broadcast of fiddle player Uncle Jimmy Thompson, the Grand Ole Opry helped make country music famous, launch music careers and gave Nashville the nickname of the music city, according to the opry.com article, “History of the Opry.”

Throughout the Opry’s 90+ year history, it’s changed buildings six times, but has settled in the Grand Ole Opry House, located at 2804 Opryland Drive, since 1974.

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According to their website, the Grand Ole Opry House can seat up to 4,400 fans.

Approximately 6,024 songs are performed during Opry shows each year.

Graceland Mansion in Memphis, Tennessee was home to rock star Elvis Presley from March 1957 until his death on August 16, 1977.

GRACELAND MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE At the edge of Tennessee, bordering Elvis Presley’s home state of Mississippi is the Graceland Mansion. The former home of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll turned into a major tourist attraction that resides at the top of every Elvis enthusiast’s bucket list. Located at 3764 Elvis Presley Blvd, the Graceland mansion, measured at 17,552 square feet, welcomes over 600,000 visitors every year who come to see Elvis’ home and other Elvis themed-museums like the Presley Motors Automobile Museum, Elvis the Entertainer Career Museum and various Elvis Discovery Exhibits, according to the graceland.com.

However, a musical sight-seeing tour of Memphis doesn’t just begin and end with Graceland, in fact, it isn’t complete without a stop at Sun Studios, a.k.a. “The Birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” which was the recording studio for legendary musicians like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, B.B. King, and Roy Orbison. Located at 706 Union Ave, Sun Studios offers daytime tours of the studio and saves recording sessions for the evening.

Elvis in the music room at Graceland in 1965, featuring the original white baby grand piano — one of the most significant pieces of his musical history.

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TRAVEL DESTINATIONS >> AMERICAN MUSIC TOWNS

NEW ORLEANS JAZZ NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA New Orleans is the jazz capital of America, so much so that the Louisiana city created a national park dedicated to the beloved music genre. Located at 400 Esplanade Ave. or 916 North Peters St., the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park provides guests with opportunities to learn about the history of jazz and listen to the music for themselves. Guests can go on a self-guided audio tour using a brochure containing a map of 11 places around town to stop for jazz-related history. If visiting Tuesday through Saturday, patrons can spend time within the park, which hosts “a variety of musicians [who] explore the origins, development and progression of New Orleans jazz,” according to the nps.gov article “Things to Do.” Be sure to check the daily schedule to find out about live performances within the park or speak to one of the rangers to learn about the best music venues in town.

According to visitlubbock.org, the massive Buddy Holly statue was installed along with a plaque to memorialize the singer. However, the West Texas Walk of Fame was included soon after, which was built around the Holly statue and consists of over 60 plaques dedicated to various artists.

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BUDDY HOLLY CENTER LUBBOCK, TEXAS The story of Buddy Holly is a rather tragic one. The singer/songwriter was born on September 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas, and began playing piano and other instruments at a young age. Holly, who is the spitting image of Weezer frontman, Rivers Cuomo, — hence their song “Buddy Holly” — formed a band straight out of high school and eventually established the group The Crickets. At just 22 years old, Holly had a list of memorable hits attached to his name including “Peggy Sue,” “Everyday” and “That’ll be the Day.” In 1958, Holly decided to cut ties with his band and go solo. According to biography.com, due to financial trouble from the band’s breakup, in 1959 Holly agreed to do a three-week tour with The Winter Dance Party.

On February 3, 1959, wanting to avoid any more bus delays, Holly chartered a private plane to bring himself, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper from their show in Iowa to their next stop in Minnesota. Within minutes of the flight taking off, the plane crashed killing all three performers and the pilot. This day would be known in the music world as “The Day the Music Died.” To pay tribute to the young, talented singer, Holly’s hometown installed the Buddy Holly Center. Located at 1801 Crickets Ave. The center is easy to spot with its massive sculpture of Holly’s signature glasses and a larger-than-life statue of the performer towering outside. The center is also home to the Buddy Holly Museum, which features memorabilia from the late singer.

PHOTOGRAPHY: HAYLI ZUCCOLA

PHOTO BY HAYLI ZUCCOLA

RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL NEW YORK, NEW YORK Despite popular belief, Radio City Music Hall isn’t just a venue to see a performance by the famous Rockettes. It is home to stage shows, movies, concerts and other events too. Its blue and red marquee sign takes up a full city block and the vast size of the building’s interior makes it the largest indoor theater in the world, according to the article on msg.com, “History of Radio City Music Hall.” Radio City Music Hall, which is located at 1260 Avenue of the Americans, has welcomed over 300 million visitors since opening its doors on December 27, 1932. If you can’t make it to a production, taking a behind the scenes tour of the facility is the next best thing.

The Radio City Music Hall red and blue marquee sign spans across an impressive full city block.

ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME CLEVELAND, OHIO Located at 1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is an iconic pyramid-style structure that every music fan must visit at least once in their lifetime. In 1985, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, which was established two years prior, was in the midst of deciding where to build their physical location. Some of the cities considered for this honor were New York, San Francisco, Memphis and Chicago, but it was Cleveland that came prepared with a $65 million commitment from the city, which earned the underrated city the location for the building and the nickname of the Rock and Roll Capital of the World.

As of 2018, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame pays tribute to over 300 artists from Abba to ZZ Top. The process for choosing inductees is rather precise, according to the rockhall.com article, “Induction Process,” ballots are sent “to more than 900

historians, members of the music industry and artists—including every living Rock Hall inductee—and the five performers that receive the most votes become that year’s induction class.”

Since 2012, fans of the music world were also given a chance to make their nominations known. Of course, not anyone can be inducted, and each nominee must meet certain criteria – the biggest one being that artists can’t be inducted until 25 years after their first commercial recording. The 2018 inductees were The Cars, Bon Jovi, Dire Straight, The Moody Blues, Nina Simone and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who won the award for early influence.

Delving into a specific genre of music or a particular artist will result in far more historical spots to visit around the country, but these six points of interest are some of the most popular travel destinations every music fan – no matter what their musical preference – can appreciate and enjoy.

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MUSIC LEGENDS >> THE 27 CLUB

FROZEN IN TIME

MUSIC, DEATH AND THE AGE OF NO REASON

The 27 Club W R I T T E N B Y C R Y S TA L H E N R Y

Billy Joel knew that only the good die young, but while that song was about trying to coax a Catholic school girl into some Netflix and chill fun, the titular chorus lyrics still ring true.

Over the decades we’ve lost a number of good artists much too soon. In fact, there’s an entire club for those who never made it to their 28th birthday. They are called the 27 Club. And while many of them were a product of a drug fueled rockstar lifestyle, their stories are often more complex than pure overdose.

The untimely deaths of musical legends like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Kobain, Amy Winehouse and Jim Morrison begs the question — why did the record abruptly scratch at exactly 27?

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ROBERT JOHNSON One of the first to join this tragic club was guitarist Robert Johnson.

Like many artists, this blues musician wasn’t truly recognized for his talents until after his death in 1938, but the story of his life was a bit of a mystery itself. Johnson wandered around the Mississippi Delta playing Juke joints and perfecting his craft. But one of the most popular myths surrounding the source of his talents was that he sold his soul to the Devil.

The rumor was associated with a Delta myth about a bluesman waiting by the side of an old country road for the Devil to tune his guitar. Tourists still stop for a photo op at the junction of Highway 61 and Highway 49,

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although that junction wouldn’t have even been around during Johnson’s lifetime. However, the fact that he mentioned the Devil quite a bit in his songs like “Me And The Devil Blues” kept the rumors alive for more than 27 years.

No one actually knows if the Devil showed up to claim Johnson or not. In fact, the actual cause of his death is a mystery.

One rumor is that Johnson was having an affair with the wife of the owner of Three Forks Store in Mississippi, and that the

JIMI HENDRIX One of the most famous members of the 27 Club is electric guitar legend Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix wasn’t just famous for lighting up the Star-Spangled Banner at Woodstock. He was arguably one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Hendrix’s death was also shrouded in controversy and rumors. The ‘60s had no shortage of drug-fueled musicians, but whether that is what actually did Hendrix in is often questioned. He was

Hendrix’s death was also shrouded in controversy and rumors. The ‘60s had no shortage of drugfueled musicians, but whether that is what actually did Hendrix in is often questioned. owner gave Johnson a poisoned bottle of whiskey. But researcher Gayle Dean Wardlow uncovered information on Johnson’s death certificate that suggests Johnson actually died of an aneurysm caused by congenital syphilis.

Regardless of the cause, Johnson was one of the first musical legends in the United States to die at 27.

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rumored to be overworked, tired and suffering from the flu a few days before he died. While in London with his then-girlfriend, Monika Dannemann, he’d spent the evening at her place smoking and drinking tea and red wine before Dannemann drove him to a party.

Hendrix allegedly took an amphetamine called a Black Bomber,

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and later when his girlfriend returned to the party the two had an argument.

They left around 3 a.m., and she said she made some sandwiches when they got home, but that Hendrix couldn’t sleep and asked for one of her sleeping pills. She initially said she didn’t give him one, but that she took one herself around 6 a.m. She left to get cigarettes around four hours later, and she said he was fine. But when she came back, she called the police because he wasn’t responding. When they arrived the door was open, and Dannemann was gone.

The paramedics said he was cold, blue and covered in vomit. He had no pulse, and the autopsy determined he choked on his own vomit and died of asphyxia.

Rumors have swirled that he committed suicide, and others say red wine was murderously forced down his throat. But Dannemann’s account of that night changed so many times, so it was hard for authorities to determine the truth. What is certain is that another guitar legend was gone at 27.

JANIS JOPLIN Just 16 days after the world lost Jimi Hendrix, singer and songwriter Janis Joplin would be inducted into the 27 Club as well. Janis also wowed the world at Woodstock in 1969 with hits like “Piece of My Heart” and then after her death with the release of her version of “Me and Bobby Magee.” A Texas native, Joplin was in and out of the drug scene in California, and eventually she succumbed to it. She had ties to successful artists like Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead and Big Brother and the Holding Company, and at one point even tried to live the straight life back in Texas as a sociology student with a beehive.

But the music world beckoned, and this rock mama legend was drawn back in. Although she had sober stints, Joplin was a habitual user of alcohol, amphetamines, and finally heroin — the one that did her in. After she didn’t show up for a gig, her manager drove to her hotel and found her dead on the floor. Heroin was named as her killer, with alcohol as its accomplice. However, those close to her believe she was given a stronger than normal dose of the drug, since several others from the same dealer overdosed that week as well.

Either way, the lifestyle claimed another voice just shy of 28.

AMY WINEHOUSE One of the most recent members of the 27 Club is crooner Amy Winehouse.

Unlike her throaty ‘60s counterpart, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse’s beehive days were fraught with drug and alcohol abuse. But her death had another tragic element — bulimia. In the months leading up to her passing, Winehouse was noticeably frail and waif thin. However, her doctor confirmed that she’d given up hard drugs at the time. The official cause of death was “death by misadventure,” meaning that she’d engaged in something recreationally that she didn’t intend to be lethal. And while two bottles of vodka were credited with her demise, even her brother noted that the booze wasn’t working alone.

Winehouse suffered from bulimia, and ultimately, her frail body couldn’t stand up to the heavy drinking that took place in July 2011. By that point, the untimely death of big musicians including rocker Kurt Kobain had given notoriety to the conspiratory plague that consumed talented stars at age 27.

No real proof has emerged of any tangible angel of death, but Amy’s haunting lyrics from one of her most popular songs echo “They tried to make me go to rehab, but I said no, no, no.”

Although these talented artists gifted the world with an incredible legacy of music, they indeed left the world far too young. May they rest in peace knowing that their music lives on.

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LIVE MUSIC >> FOLK IN THE SPRINGS

BACK YARD MUSIC

Folk in the Springs Celebrating Acoustic, Folk, Americana and the Small Town that Brings it all Together W R I T T E N B Y S AVA N N A H A U S T I N

O

n the third Sunday in September 2014, after a year of planning, Michael Loveday, with the help of volunteers, put on the first Folk in the Springs event in High Springs expecting maybe a crowd of 350 people to attend. Created to deliver the finest acoustic artists and music to historic downtown High Springs, the inaugural year saw over 800 people in attendance. Now with a packed lineup of nine artists set for the fifth year of the folk event, Loveday predicts anywhere from 1,200 to 1,500 people to stroll through historic downtown High Springs on September 26 for the free festival.

“This ends up being a really fun community event,” he said. “It’s a good time to come and explore and visit and have a great day.”

Loveday, president of High Springs Music in the Park & Concert Series, said the annual festival is the culmination of his desire to bring the community together and to promote not only live acoustic-based artists, but the town of High Springs as well.

Starting at noon, there will be a show every hour on the hour featuring performances along a walking tour of downtown. The festival will conclude with a finale from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Great Outdoors restaurant, 65 N. Main St., Loveday said.

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Gailanne Amundsen, an accomplished fiddler and performer known as Florida’s “folk princess.”

PHOTOGRAPHY: ROBERTO GONZALEZ

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“Tom Shed is actually going to kill it, I promise.”

Each location will include a five-minute introduction of the space and its history, including locations like the High Springs Museum, Priest Theatre, High Springs Women’s Center, High Springs Library, James Paul Park and the High Springs Fire Department. “It’s kind of a walking educational museum with a lot of music,” Loveday said. The preparation that goes into the fall event each year starts in December with Loveday compiling a “wish list” of trending and talented folk artists.

and Gailanne Amundsen, an accomplished fiddler and performer known as Florida’s “folk princess.”

“Tom Shed is actually going to kill it, I promise. He’s been doing this for 40 years,” Loveday said. “He’s a veteran at what he does. But [Amundsen] I think is going to take the cake.”

Shed will be playing from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Priest Theatre and Amundsen will be closing out the night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Great Outdoors Restaurant

“They have to be exceptional artists, number one, and they have to be different and unique. We handpicked each artist for certain reasons but every single one of these are top notch.”

In the coming months, he works to secure artists and finalizes the lineup in June.

This year’s performers, he said, are probably the best-picked so far in the history of the event. “They have to be exceptional artists, number one, and they have to be different and unique [to be chosen],” the Music in the Park president said. “We handpicked each artist for certain reasons, but every single one of these are top notch.” Headlining the event is Tom Shed, a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter from Gainesville, 84 |

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with songs from her newest album. In addition to the main acts, folk artists from all over the state of Florida will be performing all original music, including Lucky Mud, Eli Tragrash, Elaine & Sam Mahon, Chris Kastle, Damaged Daughters, Well Worn Soles and 2pm band.

Folk in the Springs is presented by High Springs Music in the Park & Concert Series, a 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization established six years ago in the James Paul Park. The organization puts on nine shows throughout the year in High Springs, in addition to Folk in the

Now Ope in High S

n

prings!

Springs. “We just did it for the fun of it,” Loveday said. “It’s been a great progression and a great ride.”

The organization is purely volunteer-based, as is Folk in the Springs, apart from the artists who are paid to perform.

Funding for the artists and the event comes from various places, Loveday explained, including a grant from the City of High Springs and from sponsors like the High Springs Chamber of Commerce, Visit Gainesville/Alachua County, Ameris Bank of High Springs, Ginnie Springs Outdoors LLC and more.

There are a great number of people who contribute to the cause and volunteer their time, Loveday said. Shops that are normally closed will be open for business, and this year there will be a farmers market and a welcome station set up along with snacks and drinks for sale by the High Springs Lions Club. However, Loveday wants to encourage the visitors and artists to eat locally in the downtown restaurants and works to keep the focus of the event simple – the high-quality music and the historic town.

“We’re not going to do anything other than that,” he said.

The event provides a venue for the people

in High Springs as well as outside visitors to come together and experience what the town and folk music has to offer.

“Economically it does wonders for our town, and socially it’s just a fun thing to do,” Loveday said. “When you bring 1,000 plus people to a [town] that only has 6,000 people total, I mean, that’s a sixth of that. And of the 1,000 people who come, 90 percent of those people do not live here. So I think that’s a humongous impact for our economy and our area.”

Despite the hard work required to put on the festival plus the nine normal shows throughout the year, the growing turnout and the continual positive feedback keeps the founder planning for the future. “After it’s all said and done, I get bombarded,” Loveday said. “Everybody tells me how much they love what we’re doing.”

His vision is to continue to bring exceptional artists into town to promote folk music and artists in general, and this year will be the best yet, he said. “I think [this] being the fifth annual, we’re trying to make it special and make it the best we’ve got. I think it’s going to blow up,” Loveday said. “The lineup that we have here is so high [though] – it’s going to be really tough to beat next year.”

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ENTERTAINMENT >> HISTORY OF KARAOKE

OUT LOUD

Karaoke History There’s Much More to Karaoke than Meets the… Ears W RIT TE N BY C A MERON COBB

W

hat better way to spend four minutes than by belting Celine Dion to a room full of people you don’t know?

And is a night out really a night out if it didn’t include someone’s off-pitch performance of “Don’t Stop Believin’”?

Whether you love it or hate it (or hate that you love it), karaoke is a musical, multicultural experience that needs to embarrass everyone at least once. No matter if you’re more likely to end up centerstage in the spotlight or as a stranger safely hidden in the audience, explore the origin of how this sing-a-long sensation all started.

Daisuke Inoue, born in 1940, became enamored with the art of music following his parents’ move from Osaka to Kobe, according to The Appendix’s “Voice Hero: The Inventor of Karaoke Speaks.” Beginning with drums in his junior high’s brass band, Inoue quickly discovered a passion for making music. The kind of passion that fuels the all-knowing adolescent to ditch home right after graduating high school and set off to become a drummer.

After a nine-year life lesson Inoue noted as full of “many tales and no regrets,” the 28-year-old decided to push those plans aside and venture back to Kobe to live with his parents (also, he ran out of money).

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Daisuke Inoue with his Juke 8 machine. The concept was a musical machine where one could pay to choose from a selection of songs to sing along to.

Upon his return, Inoue found Kobe to be filled with what were known as snacks, or bars that played live music for patrons to sing along to – such as piano, guitar, and unfortunately, no drums. So Inoue tried his hand(s) at the keyboard and practiced until he became good enough for live gigs.

Following one of his performances, Inoue was approached by a businessman who claimed his songs to be the only music he could sing to. The businessman was getting ready to meet with clients at a snack in another town and wanted some of Inoue’s recordings to take and sing along with. Using an openreel tape recorder, Inoue taped a few that seemed best suited for the man’s voice.

The businessman returned several days later requesting more recordings, which gave Inoue an idea: the Juke 8.

Inoue’s Juke 8 concept was a musical machine where one could pay to choose from a selection of songs to sing along to.

In 1969, after sharing his idea with the owner of an electronics shop, Inoue’s vision turned into a reality — within just two months 11 Juke 8s were created. Red, white, and toaster-sized, the Juke 8 housed a microphone, an amplifier, an eight-track car stereo and a coin slot. Each unit cost about $425 to produce and charged 100 yen (roughly $0.30 USD then) per song.

The Juke 8 made it to the market in 1971, but initially, it wasn’t the biggest hit.

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and returned a week later to find them untouched. With the help of an attractive woman who worked at one of the clubs, she went out acting as decoy to test the machines and spark people’s interest.

It worked.

Within a year, Juke 8s found their way into 200 bars around Kobe. Two local club owners wanted Juke 8s to be the main attraction for their new openings in Osaka – and as word spread, so did the budding karaoke boom.

Over the following year, Inoue’s company produced 25,000 Juke 8s to fill orders all across Japan. And it didn’t take long for the rest of the world to catch on to the karaoke craze.

But Inoue never actually sought out a patent for the Juke 8.

One reason being it was a device formed from already patented parts, and another being his simplistic need of nothing more than to live comfortably and stay involved with music.

So where’s the man behind the musical masterpiece now?

Living atop a mountain in Nishinomiya City, Japan, enjoying the company of his wife, eldest daughter, and seven dogs. While likely quieter times than of those spent in karaoke bars, Inoue and his family honor the tradition with weekly karaoke contests to see who’s able to sing the most amount of songs before the others go hoarse.

“I may not have the original patent…but I have good friends and family that I love, and I can’t help but smile every day.” —Daisuke Inoue

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ENTERTAINMENT >> HISTORY OF KARAOKE

Inoue has received letters from all over the world about hospitals bringing in karaoke machines to lift people’s spirits and help them get better.

REASONS TO SING KARAOKE’S PRAISES: In The Appendix’s “Voice Hero: The Inventor of Karaoke Speaks,” Inoue mentions the mental health benefits of karaoke, noting it as a stress-reducing activity that leaves many able to “enjoy life a little more.”

Karaoke can even be used as a rehabilitation tool, as Inoue has received letters from all over the world about hospitals bringing in karaoke machines to lift people’s spirits and help them get better.

“I’ve heard many stories about people who had been mentally sick—mostly sinking into nervous depression—until karaoke came along,” Inoue said.

In the Forbes article “Why Business Schools Should Make Karaoke Mandatory,” writer Seth Porges picks apart a fear that paralyzes 75 percent of the population: public speaking.

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In his article, Porges mentions that the best way to combat this is through practice – which can be tough, considering hopping up on stage and facing a sea of strangers is not an everyday opportunity for most.

His solution? Karaoke.

“I enjoy speaking to crowds, and have been told that I’m unusually comfortable and casual when I do.

To this, I give total credit to my insatiable karaoke habit. I have done a lot of karaoke in my day, and it has trained me to be cool and collected when placed in front of a crowd.” —Seth Porges KARA-OKE: One day in 1952, before one of many nightly theatrical shows in Osaka, the orchestra accompanying the theatre cast’s performance

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went on strike. Hankyu, the parent company, failed to find a replacement in time, but instead sought out the electronics company Matsuda Electronics to bring in a machine devised to play orchestra music for a large area. When music started emerging from the vacated orchestra section, someone from Matsuda exclaimed “The music is playing but the orchestra pit is empty!” And so came the Japanese phrase kara okesutura, with kara meaning “empty” and okesutura meaning “orchestra” – and of course, the more commonly known abbreviation, “karaoke.”

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COLUMN

DONNA BONNELL’S

Embracing Life SCHOOL OF ROCK

DONNA BONNELL BECAME THE AUTHOR OF HER COLUMN, EMBRACING LIFE, MORE THAN A DECADE AGO. SHE SHARES HER PERSONAL CHALLENGES AND VICTORIES WITH THE GOAL OF INSPIRING HER READERS TO ANALYZE WHY THINGS HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. bonneldj@gmail.com

SCHOOL IS BACK, AND STUDENTS’ ASSIGNMENTS INCLUDE WRITING ABOUT THEIR SUMMER VACATIONS.

A

s a lifelong learner, it is still appropriate for me to respond to the same question I did over five decades ago. In 2018, at the age of 64, my summer break included returning to school – specifically the School of Rock.

As with most informal educational experiences, it was unplanned. It helped me resolve a concerning internal issue. Why did my soul suddenly begin to intensely react to the sounds of music?

Music evokes a complete range of emotions in my being. Feelings quickly change from calm to chaos; delight to depression; gratitude to grief. Tunes, formerly spurring peace and personal motivation, now create a sense of urgency. I started questioning my success in life. Why? My quest began.

My first step was research. I found timeless wise words spoken in 400 B.C. by Greek philosopher Plato. He said, “Music is the movement of sound to reach the soul for the education of its virtue.”

Pluto’s quote struck an emotional chord. However, until now, it would not have had much meaning. Most of my life, music was a form of entertainment. Since I cannot play an instrument or carry a tune, I have always been in awe of those who are melodiously gifted. While I appreciated the art, my evaluation of music was superficial.

Pondering the research led me to believe our souls strive to achieve seven virtues. We may intuitively acquire bliss, happiness, love, knowledge, peace, power and purity.

My guess, though, is that we need to be (re)educated through life lessons. Maybe music is a conduit to connect those moralities to our spiritual soul.

The second part of this process included analyzing songs that triggered happy and sad tears. It seemed their themes all centered around goodness and growing wiser.

I identified the songs that reemerged the most. Ironically, they fell into the categories of those seven virtues.

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Examples include: BLISS What a Wonderful World Louis Armstrong, 1967 “The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky Are also on the faces of people going by” HAPPINESS Imagine John Lennon, 1971 “Imagine all the people sharing all the world, You may say I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one” LOVE To Sir with Love Lulu, 1967 “Those schoolgirl days of telling tales and biting nails are gone But in my mind I know they will still live on and on But how do you thank someone who has taken you from crayons to perfume?”

KNOWLEDGE See You Again Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth, 2015 “We’ve come a long way from where we began Oh I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again” PEACE Let There Be Peace on Earth Jill Jackson-Miller and Sy Miller, 1955 “To take each moment and live Each moment in peace eternally” POWER I Am Women Helen Ready, 1972 “Oh yes, I am wise But it’s wisdom born of pain” PURITY The End of The Innocence Don Henley, 1989 “Remember when the days were long And rolled beneath a deep blue sky Didn’t have a care in the world With mommy and daddy standing by”

The puzzle pieces were coming together, but I still had an obstacle to overcome. If music is a method to teach our souls about the seven virtues, why are few musically gifted? I let my quandary rest, knowing an answer would arrive when least expected.

Faith prevailed, and I discovered the missing link. My daughter, eight-year-old grandson and I traveled to New York City.

Our mission was to follow-up on Owen’s favorite experience in second-grade – his school’s recreation of Ellis Island. At the last minute we decided to see the Broadway show, “School of Rock.” Miraculously (perhaps) we were able to purchase tickets.

“School of Rock” is hilarious, but has serious undertones. A rock star wannabe masquerades as a substitute teacher and turns his prestigious class into a band. Every student (musically talented and nerds) had a pertinent part. There were stars, band managers, groupies, security personnel

Today, I am grateful to have my lifelong memories resurface and welcome the healing waves of emotions associated with songs.

Those revelations will help me mend past mistakes and better fill my soul’s virtues with goodness. and stylists. Classmates gained confidence, developed individual talents and teamwork.

Summer school showed me how everyone can benefit from the spectacular blessings of music. Today, I am grateful to have my lifelong memories resurface and welcome the healing waves of emotions associated with songs. Those revelations will help me mend past mistakes and better fill my soul’s virtues with goodness. It is never too late.

In the meantime, I will ROCK ON!

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MU M USI S C >>> > GA GAIN NES ESVI V LL L E BA B ND NDS

WE’LL DO IT LIVE

Music Makers Gainesville Bands on the Rise W RIT TE N BY S TE PH S TRICKL A N D

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he Gainesville area has become known for its diverse music scene. The city brings countless artists to the forefront, and residents enjoy the culture and sense of community that these talented artists bring. Here are a few local bands that showcase unique sounds and stories.

Bothering Dennis This local punk rock band is based out of Gainesville and Orlando and embodies their motto of being a “garage band who finally made it out of the garage,” as the band originated in the garage of Matt Fowler, the lead guitarist and backup vocalist. The young group appropriately named themselves Bothering Dennis after Fowler’s neighbor, Dennis, who filed a noise complaint each time the band would rehearse. Fowler said the group met through mutual interests, such as marching band, during their time in high school. “Essentially we all met because we’re [freaking] dorks,” he said.

Bothering Dennis is composed of Austin Taylor, the lead singer, Sean Froehlich, the drummer, Matt Fowler, the lead guitarist and backup vocalist, Tristan Smith, on bass and backup vocals and Makenzie Kamal, on guitar and backup vocals. Fowler said the group initially struggled to be taken seriously because of their young ages, but their experiences taught the group how to be self-sufficient and never deterred them from achieving their goals.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: KAYLA SURICO

Bothering Dennis is a punk rock band in both Orlando and Gainesville that “finally made it out of the garage.”

Pictured (from left to right): Makenzie Kamal,ËTristan Smith, Austin Taylor,ËSean Froehlich and Matt Fowler

“There have been trying times,” Fowler said. “But it’s really all worth it in the end.”

Today, the group has been playing together for about six years, and they have performed at the Big Orlando Music Fest and the Florida Music Festival. So far, the band has recorded one album consisting of 10 original songs. In Gainesville, the group enjoys taking advantage of the diverse and tight-knit music scene. “Everyone knows everyone,” Fowler said. “There’s a unique contrast between students and locals.”

Fowler particularly enjoys the live aspect of performing, and it was during the band’s performance at the Big Orlando Music Fest that helped him realize playing music is what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. “It was surreal,” he said.

The group has a passion for music, and while they strive to be proactive and unique in their line of work, they also make sure to have fun while doing it. You may even catch the band members showing off their best impressions of Alex Turner, frontman for the Arctic Monkeys, during a performance.

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This open-mindedness within the group is partly what allows them to write their songs with ease. Lopez said they have written songs in as little as five minutes. The Ceramicats love to perform and all members agree that Gainesville’s diverse musical community is hard to beat. Bottom moved to the area from California and said, “the music scene made me stay.”

Sparks explained that there are about eight clubs in the area that are welcoming to live music, which is essential for the growth of a local band. Sparks said that at their shows they will see anyone from the age of 20 to 55.

The band members all have jobs and families, but they each make it a point to balance their responsibilities with band time.

“We made it a point to get together once a Ceramicats have been performing in bands for decades and the group has known each other since the mid-90s, this made forming their band an easy decision for all of them. Pictured week,” Sparks said. (from left): Karl Bullock, Brian Sparks (back), Alex Lopez (front) and Steve Bottom.

For the Ceramicats, performing and music is about much more than just expressing their art and creativity. “I would sum it up in one word: connection,” Lopez The Ceramicats The Ceramicats formed their indie rock group approximately said. “It’s all about the people you’ve met after the music fades.” four years ago. The group members have all known each other since the mid ‘90s, from previous experiences in the industry. GUTS The group consists of Alex Lopez, vocalist and guitarist, Karl This unique indie pop band based out of Gainesville has been Bullock, on base, guitar and vocals, Steven Bottom, on drums, performing together for four years with Kentucky Costellow on guitar and vocals, and Brian Sparks, on bass, guitar and drums. drums and backup vocals, Samantha Jones as a percussionist, guiThe Ceramicats have two full albums of original songs that are tarist and bassist, and Kara Smith as a bassist, vocalist and guitarist. currently available.

Smith and Jones were the original GUTS members when the “We are all really good friends,” Bullock said. group formed in 2013 during Gainesville Lady’s Band Roulette, The group said their friendship makes everything come however, they both agreed that bringing Costellow into the group easily. Lopez said he appreciates the creative space he has within the following year was the perfect addition. Costellow said she Ceramicats, and he feels the connection that the group shares had a dream that the group asked her to be their drummer, and is hard to come by. Bottom agreed and said, “it helps if you have she decided to make that dream a reality when she tried out for a group of people that are all open-minded.” the band after the previous drummer left.

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GUTS (above) are known for their vocal style and catchy, minimal instrumentation. Pictured (from left) are Samantha Jones, Kentucky Costellow and Kara Smith. (Video stills provided with permission by Note Book Sessions fb.com/notebooksessions) Sunshine State (right), formed in 2013 through luck as part of Band Roulette and have been together since. Pictured (from left) Kyle Fick, Mike Magarelli, Troy Perlman and Warren Oakes.

“She was the only one to tryout because we didn’t even need to see anyone else,” Smith said. “She was perfect.”

Costellow and Smith both agree that the band members are the best part of being in a music group. Jones said the band focuses on collaboration, especially in songwriting, despite the “random” way the group was formed in comparison to others. Smith said the best songs they’ve written are the ones that come most easily to them.

GUTS is known for their unique sound, and Costellow said this may be partly due to their use of double drums. The group strives to make the vocals the main focus by keeping their instruments fairly sparse. They all agree that it is difficult to put a label on the music they produce since they have played alongside bands from nearly every genre.

Smith said the Gainesville community has been very accepting of their unique sound. “I feel very grateful for the amount of support we’ve had,” she added. Costellow said the ability to inspire people within the community is a rewarding aspect of being a part of the group. She remembers seeing a little girl who looked to be about 3 years old, and when she saw GUTS, an all-female band, step onto the stage she shouted, “girl power!”

“It was really inspiring,” Costellow said.

Sunshine State This Gainesville rock group came about in a manor comparable to that of GUTS during a Band Roulette, where band members are randomly selected and grouped together to perform two original songs and one cover during a show. Sunshine State is made up of Kyle Fick on guitar and keyboard, Mike Magarelli on guitar and vocals, Warren Oakes on drums, and Troy Perlman on bass and vocals.

Fick, Oakes and Perlman decided to continue working with the band they created at Band Roulette, with the addition of Magarelli. “Warren, Troy and I had all been friends for years, so it was an easy transition,” Magarelli said.

The Gainesville native band likes to keep things local. No Idea Records and Paper and Plastick, two local record labels, released Sunshine State’s first album. Magarelli said the music SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

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Brothers Jarred Randall (left) and Zach Randall (right) formed Tiny Farm out of a mutual love for music and have created original indie music unlike anything else in the current Gainesville music scene.

Naming the band happened unexpectedly when Jarred overheard someone talking about working on a tiny farm.

scene in Gainesville influenced his decision to move to the city 14 years ago and has kept him here ever since.

“Most bands here are super supportive of one another,” Magarelli said. “It’s not a contest, it’s a community.”

The local band’s close-knit relationship allows them to work on their own time, so they can balance their professional and personal lives with their love of performing. “We’re all like family to one another. And it’s nice to have a creative outlet with like-minded people to do something we really care about with no egos, attitudes, or expectations,” Magarelli said. “We don’t have a lot of aspirations for the band outside of writing good songs and having a good time.”

Tiny Farm The brothers of Tiny Farm developed the band out of their mutual love of music and their connection to each other. Zach Randall, drummer, has been playing in bands for over 15 years.

After his brother Jarred Randall, guitarist and vocalist, moved to the area, they decided to form a band of their own. The naming of the band came unexpectedly when Jarred overheard someone talking about working on a tiny farm. Thus, the official name was chosen and has stuck for over two years now.

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bands and the traffic in Gainesville is much less than what he was used to as a Bostonian, but he appreciates the strong network among the bands in the area. “All of the local artists tend to stick together,” he said.

The songwriting and musical process within Tiny Farm is formed with an open line of communication, allowing them to create their unique sound. Zach said the increased communication between him and his brother is important, even if it means brutal honesty. However, the brothers share an eclectic taste in music which allows them to cohesively create content toegther in music styles they both love.

“Playing music just feels good,” Jarred said.

Here’s to hearing it Live!

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We feel the best way to find and recognize local charities in our communities is by asking you!

The SunState Community Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves the communities in and around North Central Florida by promoting and facilitating philanthropy.

The Foundation was established to promote and provide charitable assistance that contributes towards the development, education and well-being of the communities, areas and residents of Alachua, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, and Levy Counties in Florida. The foundation’s initial goal is to administer and fully fund the award winning Facebook Charity-of-the-Month program. SunState Federal Credit Union started the program in 2013, but has turned over administration of the program to the foundation, with SunState Federal Credit Union acting only as a sponsor. This has been done in the belief that this path will ensure the program remains a strong and expanding community resource long into the future.

The SunState Community Foundation, Inc., provides donors/members opportunities to participate in the furtherance of the foundation’s goals in multiple ways. First, and foremost, the donors/members are providing funds to support the foundation’s charitable initiatives. Donors/members can also nominate groups for the Charity of the Month program, and then vote for the group of their choice. Donors/members are encouraged to participate and vote in the Charity of the Month program. Ultimately, the voters choose where foundation donations go as part of the infrastructure of the program.

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500 RANDOM CHARITY SPONSOR Recognized on 2 of Entercom Communications stations, 30 times (60 total); WRUF and ESPN Recognized on the Charity of the Month Facebook Contest page, KTK’s Facebook page and Our Town’s Facebook page.

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MOST RECENT WINNING ORGANIZATIONS TO NOMINATE A CHARITY OF YOUR CHOICE OR TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE NOMINEES, VISIT:

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The winner of the June Charity of the Month is Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses, an award-winning all volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity, celebrating 20-years of service. Within this charity, teams of tiny horses visit over 25,000 adults and children each year inside hospitals, hospice programs, and with families, veterans and first responders who have experienced traumatic events. The charity will receive $1,000. Debbie Garcia will win $300 for nominating them. The random charity selected for this month is Center for Independent Living and they will receive $500, and Patricia Mayfield will receive $100 for being selected as the random voter.

The winner of the June Charity of the month is UF Mobile Outreach Clinic and they will receive $1,000 for being selected. The Mobile Outreach Clinic is a highly flexible means of delivering health care to the medically under-served in low income neighborhoods and rural areas in and around Alachua County. It is currently staffed by a registered nurse who can screen, refer and provide case management, and is in operation on an average of five days per week. Kyle Schmitt will receive $300 for nominating them. The random charity for this month is the Fort White Quarterback Club, who will receive $500, and Heather Trice will receive $100 for being selected as the random voter.

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TASTE OF THE TOWN

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352-333-0291 Tioga 352-363-6061 Pk Ln DavesNYDeli.com North East Flavors — Dave’s NY Deli has been delivering the flavors of New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia to the Gainesville area since 2009. Owner Dave Anders says “We are very excited about the addition of our new location in Park Lane Plaza near Haile Plantation. Now it’s even easier for you to enjoy our authentic Philly Cheesesteaks, NY Style Pastrami and Corned Beef, Nathan’s Hot Dogs, NY Kettle Boiled Bagels, Nova Salmon, Paninis, Wraps, Cubans, Hot & Cold Subs, Kids Menu and much more.” Come see us soon for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner at either of our two locations.

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352-363-6338 mycoppermonkey.com Restaurant & Pub — Now serving Breakfast on Saturdays & Sundays 8:30am - 10:45am. We are located in the heart of Jonesville, this All-American dining is convenient to all neighborhoods in Gainesville, Alachua, Newberry, High Springs and beyond. Our family-friendly dining features great food at a great price. Whether you come in for the “best burger in town” or try any one of our freshly made salads, pastas or sandwiches, you will not leave disappointed. Our USDA choice steaks, served with 2 sides, offer a great alternative for the perfect celebratory meal. We also feature a full-service bar with signature drinks. Visit our NEW Gainesville Location in the Creekside Mall Plaza! 3501 SW 2nd Avenue, Gainesville.

Napolatanos 606 NW 75th Street Gainesville, FL Tuesday - Thursday & Sunday 4:00pm-10:00pm Friday 4:00pm-1:00am • Saturday 4:00pm-11:00pm

352-332-6671 www.napolatanos.com ITALIAN — Napolatanos is the longest original owner operated restaurant in Gainesville. Nappys, the name the locals have given Napolatanos has the most extensive menu.

Whether you choose pizza, calzones, salad, burgers, sandwiches, pasta, seafood, steak dinners or the best chicken wings in town, Nappy’s uses only the freshest ingredients.

Visit on Tuesday for half price appetizers. Burgers & Brew Night on Wednesday and live music inside. Thursday is Pub night with Better than England’s Fish & Chips $7. Outside dining with live music, on the patio, on Sunday evenings. GRAB & GO family dinners feeds 4-6 adults, starting at $25.95. Choose from Ziti, Lasagna, Chicken Alfredo, Chicken Marsala and more!

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Bev’s Burger Café 315 NE Santa Fe Blvd. • High Springs Monday - Saturday 7am-9pm

386-454-9434 Casual — If you’re looking for fresh, homemade food in High Springs, look no further than Bev’s Burger Cafe. Known for the best burgers in town and fast, friendly service you’re sure to leave satisfied. You may also want to try one of their BBQ dinner favorites such as sliced pork, smoked turkey, BBQ chicken, baby back ribs, and more. Stop on by with the kids on Monday nights for some magic & balloon animals with Magic Mike.

Every Tuesday pork sandwiches are $3.00 all day. Also, on Wednesday nights starting at 5pm sodas and their famous tea are only $1.00, and bottled beer only $1.50. Don’t forget Bev’s is open for breakfast, also, served from 7am to 10:45am. Come check out our newly renovated kitchen & dining room, and our new menu items including fried chicken!

Bangkok Square 6500 SW Archer Rd, Gainesville Lunch: Monday-Friday 11:00am-3:00pm • Saturday-Sunday 12:00pm-3:00pm Dinner: Sunday-Thursday 5:00pm-9:30pm • Friday-Saturday 5:00pm-10:00pm

352-375-4488 www.bangkoksquarefl.com Authentic Thai Cuisine — Thai cuisine, blending the best elements of the freshest foods. Thai herbs; garlic, basil, ginger, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal root, chili and more, prepared with the finest blending of fish sauce, shrimp paste, and coconut milk. All of our meals are made to order and prepared on site. We specialize in vegetarian, vegan and gluten free orders. All of our foods can be prepared to your satisfaction with mild, medium, hot, or Thai hot, balanced to the four tastes: sweet, sour, salty, and slightly bitter. Meals can be prepared for take out and we cater to any event. We also have gift cards available. Save 10% off your next dining experience when a gift card is purchased.

Brown’s Country Buffet 14423 NW US Hwy 441, Alachua, FL 32616 Monday-Friday 7:00am - 8:00pm Saturday 7:00am - 2:00pm Sunday 8:00am - 3:00pm

386-462-3000 brownscountrybuffet.net Casual — Country-style cooking at its finest, just like Grandma’s house! A buffet style restaurant, Brown’s Country Buffet is open seven days a week! Foods like fried chicken, grilled pork chops, real mashed potatoes, steamed cabbage, banana pudding and coconut pie, just to name a few, are served in a laid-back, relaxing environment. We offer AYCE fried shrimp on Friday nights from 4-8 along with whole catfish & ribs. In addition to their buffet, Brown’s also offers a full menu to choose from. Serving lunch and dinner daily and a breakfast buffet Friday-Sunday until 10:30am, you’re sure to leave satisfied, no matter when you go. So, when you’re in the mood for some good home cooking, Grandma’s style, visit Brown’s Country Buffet.

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Gator’s Dockside 3842 W Newberry Rd #1A, Gainesville, FL 32607 Mon - Sun 11am - Midnight

352-338-4445 gatorsdockside.com Its burger season at Dockside! — Gator’s Dockside is a family-friendly, sportsthemed restaurant that offers a fun atmosphere for everyone! We’re known for our big screen TVs, great food, and friendly service. Our signature wings are flavored with our tasty wing sauces that have made us famous, especially our award-winning Scooter sauce. We only use the freshest, highest quality ingredients in all our menu selections, including burgers, hearty sandwiches, made-from-scratch ribs, entree salads, and desserts. We also have some of the best meal deals in town, like all-you-can-eat wings on Mondays and Wednesdays, and 2-for-1 on select drafts, house wine, and liquors all day, everyday. We can’t wait to see you at Gator’s!

Flying Biscuit Café 4150 NW 16th Blvd., Gainesville, FL 32605 Located in the Fresh Market Center Monday-Friday 7:00am – 3:00pm • Saturday-Sunday 7:00am – 4:00pm

352-373-9500 www.flyingbiscuit.com Breakfast — The Flying Biscuit is out to reinvent breakfast in Gainesville! Maybe you’ve tried their soon-to-be-famous creamy, dreamy grits or their “moon dusted” breakfast potatoes, but did you know you can have them at anytime? With a unique open menu, all the items that appear are available throughout the day. With a variety of healthy and hearty dishes, The Flying Biscuit caters to a variety of tastes. With options ranging from the Smoked Salmon Scramble, the Bacon Cheddar Chicken Sandwich or the Tofu and Tater Salad, there’s something for everyone. Call us up to an hour before your expected arrival time to add your name to our call ahead seating list.

El Toro 15202 NW 147 Drive, Suite 1100, Alachua (Rolling Oaks Plaza) Monday – Thursday 11:00am – 9:00pm Friday & Sat 11:00am – 10:00pm Sunday Noon – 8:00pm

386-418-1039 www.eltorogainesville.com Get Full At The Bull — Bienvenido! Welcome! We are a family owned and family friendly business. We have been in business for over 28 years, serving high quality fresh food to our customers. Previously on SW 13th Street in Gainesville, we moved our location to the wonderful town of Alachua in 2008. We welcome our guest with fresh warm homemade chips and award wining salsa, enjoy those chips with our homemade white queso and gucamole! We have something for everyone, please check out our menu on our website. Our “Kids Meals’ come with a drink and a dessert. We serve lunch 7 days a week till 4 pm, and we also have “Daily Board Specials” Our outdoor patio is perfect for “ Para Cenar Afuera” So come join us won’t you, And Get Full At The Bull! See you there!

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Adam’s Rib Co. 2109 NW 13th Street, Gainesville, Florida 32609 1515 SW 13th Street Gainesville, Florida 32608 Monday-Saturday 7:00am – 9:00pm Closed Sunday

352-373-8882 NW 352-727-4005 SW AdamsRibCo.com BBQ — Celebrating our 10 year Anniversary. Looking for the best BBQ in Gainesville?

Then look no further than Adam’s Rib Co. Adam’s is North Florida’s Premier Barbecue restaurant, serving North Florida’s finest bbq spare ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, slow smoked chicken and turkey. Choose from over 20 sauces – from honey sweet to habanero hot – and everything in between. Don’t forget dessert, like our scrumptious banana pudding and famous peach cobbler. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, Adam’s can cater any event locally. Give Adam a call for your next tailgate party 352-514-8692!

Mi Apá Latin Café Gainesville – 114 SW 34th Street (352-376-7020) Alachua – 15634 US Highway 441 (386-418-0838) Both locations open every day 7:00am - 10:00pm

MiApaLatinCafe.com Cuban — Mi Apá proudly serves the area’s most delicious Cuban cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Featuring authentic ingredients and classic recipes, such as Arroz con Pollo, Ropa Vieja, Cuban sandwiches, and the local favorite, Cafe con Leche, we bring the tastes of Cuba to Gainesville and Alachua. Whether you’re dining in on our sunny patio or picking up your online order, your food will be hot, fresh, and full of Latin flavor! And our Gainesville location even has a drive-thru! As the weather warms up, stay cool with our half-off Iced Coffee Happy Hour every day from 2:00-5:00pm. And don’t forget that kids now eat free every Wednesday from 4:00-9:00pm!

World of Beer 140 SW 128th Street Tioga Town Center, Jonesville 32669 Open at 11am Everyday

352-727-4714 worldofbeer.com TAVERN FARE — At World of Beer, we have 40 craft beers on tap, over 500 in the cooler and now we have added a tasty tavern fare that’s crafted to go perfectly with any beer. Our menu offers a wide variety of choices including a giant pretzel with beer cheese dip, artisan sausage boards, flat breads, innovative sandwiches and burgers, soups, salads and so much more! Visit our web site for a full menu and event schedule.

Whether you’re a beer master or just beer curious, our insanely knowledgeable staff is here to guide you through every last pint, pour, and pairing. So c’mon. Let’s go. Because there’s no better place to go around the world, one sip at a time.

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I Love NY Pizza 2645 SW 91st St, Haile Plantation (Market square) Gainesville Monday-Saturday 10:00am – 10:00pm Closed on Sundays

352-333-6185 www.ilnyp.com Pizzeria — We are a family owned, family friendly restaurant that serves authentic New York style pizza and delicious Italian entrees. We offer dine, take out, delivery and catering. We make everything fresh and with high quality ingredients from our dough, to our sauce, to each of our dishes — including classics such as Baked Ziti, Chicken or Veal Parmigiana, Chicken Marsala or Alfredo, and many more. If you are in the mood for pizza, you can “take and bake” at home or let us prepare you one of our specialty Brick oven pizzas. So many choices of specialty pizzas, try them all! Pizza by the slice is available for lunch or dinner! Let’s not forget about the Stromboli, Calzones, Salads, Desserts and yes, we have a kids menu too! What ever you choose, we guarantee to bring you all the unique flavors of New York City. Visit our website for a full menu and coupons.

Top Hog 14128 West Newberry Rd., Jonesville (Next to Steeplechase Publix ) Open 7 days 11:00am - 2:00pm and 4:30pm – 9:00pm

352-331-6035 www.top-hog.com Family Style BBQ — Sweet,Tasty, Spicy, Hot, Vinegar, Smokey. Just a few adjectives that will come to mind when you visit Top Hog! We take our time to make our recipes with love. We make our recipes in small batches to make sure that everything you order is fresh and up to our customers high standards! To give our meats a distinct Florida flavor, our meats are smoked with a mix of Florida woods, like orange wood and oak.

Family style meals or meat sold by the pound with your choice of sauce available. Check our website and facebook for our full menu and daily specials. Think of us for your next family gathering, office party or tailgate party and let the TOP HOG cater your next event! We are not a chain, we are one of a kind, we do it our way.

The Social at Midtown 1728 W. University Avenue, Gainesville, FL Monday-Sunday 11:00am – 2:00am

352-373-7383 www.thesocialgnv.com Upscale restaurant and rooftop bar — Hidden among the college bars of the midtown area, The Social at Midtown provides an unique, upscale, and affordable dining and late-night experience for the diverse and ever evolving population of Gainesville. Whether you are in search of high end spirits and craft cocktails or one of the 37 beers on tap the Social at Midtown will undoubtedly bring you back for the next big game with its fantastic menu and over 60 Large LED TVs. Check out our web page to see our weekly specials and plan your next Happy Hour with $4 Local Craft Pints!

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COLUMN

KENDRA SILER-MARSIGLIO’S

Healthy Edge MUSIC: A KEY TO HEALTH

KENDRA SILER-MARSIGLIO, PH.D. IS A NEUROSCIENTIST, MEDICAL WRITER, COLUMNIST AND PRESIDENT OF THE NON-PROFIT COMMUNITYHEALTH IT AT NASA/KENNEDY SPACE CENTER. KENDRA ENJOYS TRAVELING, DANCING LIKE NO ONE’S WATCHING, AND LISTENING TO PEOPLE’S STORIES. kendra.sm@gmail.com

A

lmost everyone knows that listening to certain songs can arouse emotions and kick-start memories, but did you know that music can also help your physical health hit a high note? Have a favorite song? Just for a moment, hum it or sing it (you can do it in your head if you’re in public).

How does that song make you feel?

Does the song give you a spring in your step? Does it help you find some sense of meaning or joy in the world? In addition to these emotional benefits, music can be a powerful protector of physical health.

RESEARCH SHOWS THAT LISTENING TO MUSIC CAN: • Reduce pain in kids. Three 2013 studies show that music reduces pain and anxiety in kids who are in pediatric emergency departments and also improved vital signs in kids undergoing endoscopies and colonoscopies. A 2018 study showed that music can even reduce distress and pain in children with burns after their very painful wound care procedures.

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Lower anxiety. Do you or your kids feel anxious sometimes?

Ready for an anxiety GAME CHANGER? A single song has been shown to lower anxiety by 65% by neuroscientists at Mindlab International. What’s the song? “Weightless” by Marconi Union. You can find a free 10-hour version of the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYnA9wWFHLI. According to Mindlab, it’s also great for inducing sleep.

Craving a little more diversity? Here are Mindlab’s recommended 10 anxiety-releasing songs: 10. “We Can Fly,” by Rue du Soleil 9. “Canzonetta Sull’aria,” by Mozart 8. “Someone Like You,” by Adele 7. “Pure Shores,” by All Saints 6. “Please Don’t Go,” by Barcelona 5. “Strawberry Swing,” by Coldplay 4. “Watermark,” by Enya 3. “Mellomaniac (Chill Out Mix),” by DJ Shah 2. “Electra,” by Airstream 1. “Weightless,” by Marconi Union

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Strengthen the immune system. Just listening (or drumming) to 50 minutes of joyful dance music increases the levels of antibodies called immunoglobulin A. These antibodies are your first line of immune defense. Sussex University and the Max Planck Institute tested this in 300 people… the researchers report that relaxing music doesn’t have the same effect. So, find something upbeat that you like!

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Lower cortisol. The same study showed that listening or drumming to upbeat music also significantly lowers your cortisol levels. As you likely know, cortisol is the stress hormone that can cause belly fat and a slew of health issues.

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Increase feelings of well-being and mental arousal. A small 2018 study (60 participants) suggests that going to a gig for 20 minutes increases feelings of well-being by 21%. The same study shows that yoga and dog walking increases well-being by 10% and 7%, respectively. The researcher, consumer psychologist at Goldsmith’s University in London Patrick Fagan, claims that watching live music every two weeks could increase your longevity up to nine more years. Even though the study’s longevity analysis could be a stretch, watching live music is still a fun way to spend time with loved ones.

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Help premature babies thrive. A 2013 study of 272 premature babies at 11 hospitals shows that music improves premature babies’ heart rate, sucking behavior, sleep patterns, and caloric intake. In addition, music helped the premature babies and their parents form stronger bonds.

To learn more about how music improves health, check out the article “Sound Health” in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) monthly newsletter at: https://www.newsinhealth.nih. gov/2018/01/sound-health. You may also want to check out the NIH Director’s Blog. Although this blog covers many different health topics, it has a handy search engine. Try searching for something like “music + neuroscience” entries to find interesting music-related blogs. To get to these blogs (and the search tool), go to: https://directorsblog.nih.gov/?s=music+and+neuroscience&submit=Search.

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COMMU NIT Y C A LENDA R

S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 0 1 8

Mandy Harvey

Sun., Sept. 23 at 7:30pm Live at the Phillips Center - One could easily wonder what it must be like to command an audience like she does, to hear their applause. There’s just one thing: Mandy Harvey is deaf.

THE WOLVES Through September 23 Hippodrome Theatre, 25 SE 2nd Pl.

GAINESVILLE - The Hipp partners with the UF School of Theatre + Dance to bring the acclaimed new play The Wolves to the stage. Game on!

Ferociously funny, The Wolves is an unflinching depiction of a suburban girls soccer team, and a riveting slice-of-life portrait of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls.

Tickets at: thehipp.org or call 352-375-4477

U.S. NAVY BAND Tuesday, Sept. 4 at 8pm Bo Diddley Plaza

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musicianship, performing a blend of modern country music and cutting-edge bluegrass.

Gainesville will be one of only seven cities to host a performance by the United States Navy Band during its 2018 tour. All Navy Band performances are free and open to the public.

FAMOUS ISLAND PRISONERS: HISTORY, PRISONERS AND ESCAPES Wednesday, Sept. 5 from 1 - 3pm 8415 SW 80th St. Suite 2

OCALA - Prof. Didier uses 75 images to tell the history of each island prison, the famous convicts kept there, true stories of daring escapes and what became of those men who lived to tell their story. Registration requested. www. masterthepossibilities.org or 352-854-3699

THE FUTURE OF NASA Wednesday, Sept. 5 from 3 - 5:30pm 8415 SW 80th St. Suite 2

OCALA - Join Gregory R. Clements for an overview of what the future has in store for NASA. Clements is the Chief of the Strategic Implementation Office, in the Exploration Research and Technology Programs Directorate at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC).

Registration requested. Free. www.masterthepossibilities.org or 352-854-3699

8TH ANNUAL ORANGE AND BLUE FASHION SHOW Thursday, September 6 from 5:30 - 8:30pm Senior Rec Center, 5701 NW 34th Blvd.

GAINESVILLE - As one of Gainesville’s popular events, the show continues to highlight local

designer’s stores and boutiques. Featuring the newest in “orange and blue” to get you ready for this year’s season! Enjoy wonderful food and drinks as well as a silent auction. All net proceeds raised that night will benefit the Senior Recreation Center. eldercare.ufhealth.org

GVILLE GARDEN CLUB: AGED TO PERFECTION Thursday, September 6 from 5pm - 7pm 1350 NW 75th Street

GAINESVILLE - Discover the joy of gardening and friendship at the 2nd Annual Wine, Hors d’oeuvres, Sweets and Music event: Aged to Perfection. Take part in a silent auction of re-purposed, vintage, and home & garden floral items. There is no charge to attend, but donations are kindly accepted as the proceeds benefit the Gold Star Families Memorial Marker.

The Gainesville Garden Club is also celebrating their 94th year serving the Gainesville area!

RSVP: GGCFL@gmail.com or 352-331-0426.

TOMÁŠ KUBÍNEK Friday, September 7 at 7:30pm Phillips Center, 3201 Hull Rd

GAINESVILLE - Raucous, maniacally funny – Tomáš Kubínek is unhinged. It’s okay to say that. After all, the man calls himself a “certified lunatic.” That lunacy brings with it a brilliant mind, sharp wit, and astonishing athleticism that make Kubínek’s particular brand of comedy shine. Ages 10 to 100 will love his brand of comedy. From slapstick clowning to clever banter with audience members, from music to hand magic, Kubínek is able to split sides without doing it at other people’s expense… well except maybe his own. performingarts.ufl.edu

KANAPAHA PAINT OUT September 7 - 9 Kanapaha Botanical Gardens

GAINESVILLE - Local landscape artists will create live paintings at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens.

The 3 day event is part of the Worldwide Artist Paint Out, linking artists and locations all over the world and promoting art as a universal language that has no borders. The lush settings and vistas of Kanapaha Gardens will offer the artists an abundance of inspiration. Witness the creative process as you stroll through the gardens from artist to artist. kanapaha.org

ALEX LOPEZ XPRESS Saturday, September 8 at 8pm Heartwood Soundstage, 619 S. Main St.

GAINESVILLE - The Alex Lopez Xpress brings their brand of rocking blues to Heartwood,

Records Collecting Dust II Film Premiere September 7 & 8 from 7 - 10pm The Wooly, 20 N Main Street GAINESVILLE - Records Collecting Dust II focuses on the East Coast cities of Boston, New York and Washington DC and includes in-depth interviews with 28 highly influential people from the 1980’s hardcore punk rock music scene talking about the music, bands and records that forever changed their lives. Including Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat/Fugazi, John Joseph of Cro-Mags and more. Produced, written and directed by San Diego-based musician and filmmaker Jason Blackmore. 18+. thewoolygainesville.com

performing songs from their 3 albums. Alex’s critically acclaimed album “Slowdown” was called one of 2017’s best, and reviews hail him as a first class songwriter and guitarist capable of revitalizing the blues genre for the next generation.

Performing with his exceptionally talented band “The Xpress” this is sure to be a show you don’t want to miss. heartwoodsoundstage.com

SPEAKING TO SELF-PROMOTE Sunday, September 9 from 2:30 - 3:30pm Millhopper Library, 3145 NW 43rd St.

GAINESVILLE - Toastmaster award winners Terry Martin-Back and Roz Miller will divulge secrets aimed at making your speaking opportunities easier and more productive. Their comments will be tailored for authors, so if you’ve written a book and wish to become more confident when talking about your work, attend this program.

Martin-Back and Miller will demonstrate how to engage an audience with the goal of compelling audience members to buy and read your book. writersalliance.org

FOOD FESTIVAL AT MAGNOLIA PARKE Sunday, September 9 from 4pm - 8pm One Love Cafe, 4989 NW 40th Pl.

GAINESVILLE - A family friendly night of fun — filled with live music, mouthwatering food, craft beers & wines and more! There will be loads of food trucks & food vendors, and drinks courtesy of One Love Cafe & Taste. Bring your lawn chairs, towels & blankets and enjoy the night with your community. onelovecafefl.com

RUTH GRUBER Thursday, September 13 from 2:30 - 4pm Senior Rec. Center, 5701 NW 34th Blvd.

GAINESVILLE - Barbara Oberlander will introduce us to Ruth Gruber, a pioneer photojournalist and humanitarian.ËThe daughter of Russian immigrants, Gruber spent seven decades chronicling many of the major events of the 20th century in Europe and the Middle East, including the famous tragedy of the ship Exodus. In the process, she became a compassionate, tireless advocate for refugees and human rights. primetimeinstitute.org

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Fun 4 Gator Kids Touch a Truck Saturday, September 22 from 9am - 2pm Santa Fe College, 3000 NW 83rd St. GAINESVILLE - Attendees will be able to get up close to large vehicles they may see around town. Fun 4 Gator Kids’ Touch-a-Truck provides children with a hands-on educational experience by giving them an opportunity to climb into and/or on vehicles and to talk with the operators. They will learn about the vehicles and pedestrian safety around large vehicles. Smaller children are invited to quiet hour from 9am to 10am so they can enjoy the vehicles without the noise of horns, sirens, bullhorns or PA systems. Admission is free! Please bring a non-perishable food donation for Food4Kids Backpack Program. gatortouchatruck.com

THE IMMIGRANT WORLD OF YBOR CITY

WORLDWIDE PAINT OUT GALLERY OPENING

Thursday, September 13 at 6pm Matheson Museum, 513 E University Ave.

Friday, September 14 from 5 - 6:30pm Kanapaha Botanical Gardens

GAINESVILLE - Author Gary Mormino will speak about the book “The Immigrant World of Ybor City: Italians and Their Latin Neighbors in Tampa, 1885-1985,” which he co-authored with George Pozzetta. Their book is being made available electronically as a free e-book by the University Press of Florida, after having been selected for inclusion in the Mellon/NEH Humanities Open Book Program Grant awarded to the UF Press and Libraries. mathesonmuseum.org

GAINESVILLE - Be the first to purchase a favorite painting at the reception and exhibition in the Summer House Gallery. The show will hang through the end of the year. A commission of 40% on art sales benefits Kanapaha Botanical Gardens. There is no cost associated with attending the Art Opening. The outside Gardens will not be open at this time. kanapaha.org

DESIGN AND HORTICULTURE PROGRAM Friday, September 14 from 9:15am - Noon 1350 NW 75th Street

GAINESVILLE - Begin your morning with coffee and a light breakfast bar. Meet and enjoy the friendship of Garden Club members. Then travel the trails with two sisters and their adventures told through floral design and horticulture commentary. Currently accepting new members morning and evening groups. RSVP to ggcfl.org@ gmail.com. Free and open to the public.

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LEMON BALL Friday, September 14 at 6pm Cade Museum, 811 S Main St.

GAINESVILLE - This will be a great evening to raise funds for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) and their efforts to fund 570 childhood cancer research projects nationwide, including two active grants at UF Health Shand’s Hospital. 100% of All proceeds benefit ALSF funded research at UF Health Brain Tumor Imminotherapy program. The Lemon Ball is hosted by Northwestern Mutual Gainesville and presented by Davis Gainesville Automotive Group. Enjoy music, food and

drinks including signature lemon cocktails!

Guests can mingle while participating in a silent auction, purchasing lemonade-themed art and more. lemonballgnv.com

SISTER HAZEL’S LYRICS FOR LIFE Friday, September 14 at 6pm Santa Fe College, 3000 NW 83rd St.

GAINESVILLE - Sister Hazel is coming home again for their 2nd Annual benefit concert!

Rich and Carissa Blaser are partnering with the guys from Sister Hazel for a very special night in Gainesville to support the band’s Lyrics for Life pediatric cancer charity. Sip on cocktails, browse a star-studded silent auction, and enjoy delicious cuisine before experiencing an exclusive, intimate concert with Sister Hazel and special guests. sisterhazel.com

LITERACY DAY Saturday, September 15 from 9am - 2pm O’leno State Park, 410 SE O’leno Park Road

HIGH SPRINGS - Come celebrate “Take Time To Be Kind”, a day of reading and fun for children of all ages. Booths by High Springs and Columbia County Libraries. Entertainment,

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storytelling, children activities, and a Ranger-led river walk. Meet Opossum “Nova” and Carousel Mini Horses (12 noon). Hotdogs and burgers available for purchase. Free entry with a new or gently used children’s book OR Library card.

For info, contact James South, 386-454-0723.

FOLK IN THE SPRINGS Sunday, September 16 from 12 - 8pm Various Locations

HIGH SPRINGS - 5th Annual ‘Folk in the Springs’ hosts acoustic artists from all over Florida. Performances are part of a walking tour throughout the Downtown Historic High Springs District. Free community event. highspringsmusicinthepark.com

NATHAN LEE, PIANO Sunday, September 16 at 7:30pm Squitieri Studio Theatre, 3201 Hull Rd.

GAINESVILLE - Nathan Lee began playing the piano at the age of six and made his orchestral debut at the age of nine. Lee has already been heard with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra on NPR’s From the Top, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra, and he shared the stage with Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Lang Lang on the Seattle Symphony’s Gala Evening. A dazzling prodigy, the young pianist is known for his rhapsodic, compelling, and technically sound performances. performingarts.ufl.edu

WONDROUS CREATURES: WHERE SCIENCE AND ART INTERSECT Through September 16 Florida Museum, 3215 Hull Rd.

GAINESVILLE - A unique experience presented in collaboration with local artist Ariel Bowman.

Five sculptures of prehistoric animals displayed among 18th-century furniture offer guests a different look at life in the past while panels illustrate the process of turning a piece of clay into art. The display is free for all visitors. floridamuseum.ufl.edu 352-846-2000

OUR AMAZING EARS Thursday, September 20 from 2:30 - 4pm Senior Rec. Center, 5701 NW 34th Blvd.

GAINESVILLE - Dr. Ryan Baker, an Audiologist with Accent Physician Specialists, will explain the anatomy and physiology of how the human ear processes sound and describe different disorders of the ear, including presbycusis, noise induced hearing loss, and tinnitus. His clinical expertise includes diagnostics and amplification, serving musicians’ hearing needs, and promoting the installation of hearing loop systems. (He donated

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the hearing loop in the Senior Center room that PrimeTime uses.) Dr. Baker is also certified in Tinnitus Retraining Therapy. primetimeinstitute.org

OKTOBERFEST AT SWAMP HEAD Friday, September 21 at 1 - 11pm Swamp Head Brewery, 3650 SW 42nd Ave.

GAINESVILLE - 3nd Annual Oktoberfest will be held in the tasting room, decked out with all of the necessary accouterments from the cliche blue and white EVERYTHING to maybe a couple people shoved into some far too tight lederhosen. Festivities begin at 5pm.

Food will be provided by the elusive Stubbies Pop-up Sausages and LEJ Pretzel Company.

So start practicing your German accent and say Auf Wiedersehen to your responsibilities! swamphead.com

PIERCE PETTIS CD RELEASE WITH DAVID WEBB Friday, September 21 at 8pm Heartwood Soundstage, 619 S. Main St.

GAINESVILLE - Pierce Pettis began his long career as a writer/artist at the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Alabama and later as a staff songwriter for Polygram/Universal Music in Nashville. His songs have been covered by artists ranging from Garth Brooks and Dion to Joan Baez and Art Garfunkel. Accompanying Pierce will be ace keyboardist David Webb, a Berklee College of Music alum whose 35-year career includes performances and recording across nearly the entire spectrum of American music styles. heartwoodsoundstage.com

OKTOBERFEST AT FIRST MAGNITUDE Saturday, September 22 from 12pm - 11pm 1220 SE Veitch St.

GAINESVILLE - Get down with an awesome lineup of German-style beers brewed just for this occasion! Slap on your dirndl or lederhosen, pick up your mugs and lets celebrate the coming fall season! The UF v. Tennessee game will be on the big screen, plenty of delicious sausages from Stubbies Pop-up Sausages, LEJ Pretzels, and great music all day! fmbrewing.com

last night’s gig. Inspired by a guitar lick that cuts to the bone or a melody that lingers on refrain, this band is following a path forged by countless other musicians who’ve lived and died in dive bars or ‘made it’ with their posters taped to bedroom walls. What makes this band of brothers any different? This band is The Artisanals. heartwoodsoundstage.com

NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY Saturday, September 22 from 9am - 12pm 18730 W Newberry Rd

NEWBERRY - Help restore the heritage plants in the farmstead gardens. We will be re-planting some of the original Dudley plants that have dwindled down to a few plants or have disappeared. This is a special opportunity to bring these heritage plants back to the gardens. Please bring gloves and a hand trowel or a small shovel.

No entrance fee for volunteers. 352-472-1142

AUTHOR: KAREN PORTER Sunday, September 23 from 2:30 - 3:30pm Library Headquarters, 401 E Univ. Ave.

GAINESVILLE - Children’s book author Karen Porter will read from the latest book in her Emotatude series, “Anne and Amy’s Anger” designed to help children understand and deal with their emotions. So, bring your children and grandchildren. writersalliance.org

MANDY HARVEY Sunday, September 23 at 7:30pm Phillips Center, 3201 Hull Rd

GAINESVILLE - Mandy Harvey is an impressive talent. One could easily wonder what it must be like to command an audience like she does, to hear their applause. There’s just one thing: Mandy Harvey is deaf. She completely lost her hearing at age 18. With a voice ranging from wisp to rasp, impressive range and tone, and a stage presence that is second to none, Mandy astonished the judges of America’s Got Talent and won viewers’ hearts. While dreaming big and overcoming adversity are undeniably an element of her performance and personal story, Harvey’s immeasurable talent is impossible to ignore. performingarts.ufl.edu

THE ARTISINALS

CHRIS THILE

Saturday, September 22 at 8pm Heartwood Soundstage, 619 S. Main St.

Wednesday, September 26 at 7:30pm Phillips Center, 3201 Hull Rd.

GAINESVILLE - Somewhere on a dusty road or a well traveled interstate, right at this very moment, a rock n’ roll band is pounding the rock. They’re probably wearing the same clothes they had on yesterday, and reminiscing about

GAINESVILLE - Multiple Grammy Award-winner and MacArthur Fellow Chris Thile, a member of Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, and host of the radio program, Live from Here, is a mandolin virtuoso, composer, and vocalist.performingarts.ufl.edu

Glorious music and incredible dancing are yours when Dance Alive explodes on stage with WONDERMENT. This spectacular work blends the music of Mozart’s Requiem Mass, Bernstein’s Mass for the Common Man and DANB’s internationally acclaimed dancers.

“Exquisite!” “It was as if the doors of heaven had opened!”

SPONSORED IN PART BY THE UF PROVOST’S OFFICE AND UFPA.

October 24 & 25 7:30 PM Curtis M. Phillips Center for he Performing Arts

The Lil’ Wonder Bistro — October 25 Celebrate the new season!

Applaud DANB with a breathtaking opening season dinner hosted by Sweetwater Catering For information: 352-371-2986 dalive@bellsouth.net Photo by Johnston Photography Tickets: 352-392-ARTS. www.performingarts.ufledu

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together with the mission of keeping legit ‘Descarga’ salsa alive. Formed in 2013, the crew realized that playing salsa music was a way to share the diversity of the area with a new, young audience, while still giving the seasoned salsa veterans a taste of that old school. heartwoodsoundstage.com

MITCH MCKAY Friday, September 28 from 7:30 - 9:30pm Santa Fe College, 3000 NW 83rd St

GAINESVILLE - McKay earned a doctorate degree in piano performance from Michigan State University, where he studied with Panayis Lyras. After graduating in 2012, McKay was hired to teach music and piano at SF. He is currently teaching music theory, music appreciation and piano. sfcollege.edu/finearts

GRUV THERAPY

4U: A Symphonic Celebration of Prince Wednesday, October 3 at 7pm O’Connell Center, 250 Gale Lemerand Dr. GAINESVILLE - The first and only estate-approved Prince celebration, “4U” is curated, produced, and directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of The Roots, widely known to be Prince’s biggest fan and musical genius in his own right. Through the course of the evening, you’ll hear everything from the biggest hits to some lesser-known gems, all played by a toptier band hand selected by Questlove, and with a spectacular video presentation featuring never-before-seen footage courtesy of the estate. oconnellcenter.ufl.edu

UF WIND SYMPHONY AND SYMPHONIC BAND CONCERT Thursday, September 27 at 7:30pm University Auditorium, 333 Newell Dr.

GAINESVILLE - The University of Florida Bands presents the UF Wind Symphony and UF Symphonic Band Concert. The concert is free and open to the public. arts.ufl.edu

PREHISTORIC FLOODS Thursday, September 27 from 2:30 - 4pm Senior Rec. Center, 5701 NW 34th Blvd.

GAINESVILLE - Evidence of Massive Prehistoric Floods in the Northwest US Fifteen thousand years ago, as the glaciers were melting, a large lake formed in the Pacific Northwest. It eventually flooded over 3,000 square miles. This summer, Jean Outler traveled to eastern Washington

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State with the Road Scholar program. She will share information about this massive flood, including dry waterfalls much larger than Niagara Falls today. primetimeinstitute.org

FALL WINDS Thursday, September 27 from 7:30 - 9:30pm Santa Fe College, 3000 NW 83rd St

GAINESVILLE - An enchanting musical evening of traditional concert band classics featuring the SF Winds Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Steve Bingham. sfcollege.edu/finearts

LPT Friday, September 28 at 8pm Heartwood Soundstage, 619 S. Main St.

GAINESVILLE - LPT is a 10-piece orchestra delivering salsa and Afro-Cuban music with their high-energy live shows. The group came

Friday, September 28 from 7 - 10pm Tioga Town Center, 105 SW 128th St.

NEWBERRY - Join Gruv Therapy, a Gainesville Florida-based jazz band for a special blend of Jazz, R&B and Instrumental Funk, that is sure to please a wide range of tastes. Bring your lawn chair and blankets. tiogatowncenter.com

PERMIAN MONSTERS Saturday, September 29 from 10am - 3pm Museum of Natural History, 3215 Hull Rd.

GAINESVILLE - A fun-for-all-ages celebration of the newest featured exhibit, Permian Monsters: Life Before the Dinosaurs. Explore the world before dinosaurs roamed the earth. Meet paleontologists and geologists who work every day to uncover the secrets these ancient remains reveal about past life on Earth. This event is free with hands-on activities, fossil displays and a dig pit. Bring your objects for identification and talk to members of Florida fossil clubs to learn what fossils can be found around the state! floridamuseum.ufl.edu

CARSON SPRINGS’ WILD ADVENTURE Saturday, September 29 from 10am - 3pm 8528 E County Road, 225

GAINESVILLE - Come out to Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation to experience a big cat feeding, warthog races and the 28 rare and endangered species who call Carson Springs their home! You’ll have a chance to meet the OLDEST male Indian rhino in the WORLD, Henry, and see him eat his lunch! Local Gainesville food trucks will be available at the event. contact@cswildlife.org

AUTHOR AND MUSICIAN: ARTHUR CRUMMER Sunday, September 30 from 2:30 - 3:30pm Library Headquarters, 401 E Univ. Ave.

GAINESVILLE - Arthur Crummer will entertain the audience when he discusses his new book, “Floating Island.” He will read passages and poetry and perform songs written by characters in the new novel, a metafictional mystery set in an area similar to Paynes Prairie. writersalliance.org

SUICIDE GIRLS: BLACKHEART BURLESQUE TOUR Monday, October 1 at 7:30 High Dive, 210 SW 2nd Ave.

GAINESVILLE - The sexiest, smartest, geekiest, and most fun definitive pop-culture burlesque show! This show has been performed hundreds of times, delighted millions of fans in over six countries, and has been touring since 2003!

18+ only unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. highdivegainesville.com

TEATR-PRALNIA WITH CCA DAKH October 2 & 3 at 7:30pm Squitieri Studio Theatre, 3201 Hull Rd.

GAINESVILLE - A super-charged puppet cabaret!

Teatr-Pralnia with CCA Dakh is a snapshot of the emotions and sensibilities in modern Ukraine.

Insanely-colorful, energetic puppet cabaret using clever songs, real time events and Facebook feeds, iconic Ukrainian poetry and improvisation.

This audaciously wild, adult-only performance questions today’s atmosphere as through the eyes of children. This performance includes content which may not be suitable for children. performingarts.ufl.edu

HANZHI WANG, ACCORDION Thursday, October 4 at 7:30pm Squitieri Studio Theatre, 3201 Hull Rd.

GAINESVILLE - Hanzhi Wang does not play polka or zydeco. Her astonishing ability to reinterpret the classical canon on the button accordion and command of the stage have earned her international recognition. She is the first accordionist to join the roster of Young Concert Artists in its 57-year history of discovering extraordinary musicians. performingarts.ufl.edu

HAILE VILLAGE OKTOBERFEST Friday, October 5 9116 SW 51st Rd.

GAINESVILLE - Join in the annual celebration of Haile Village Center’s Oktoberfest! A night of

great food, drinks, and entertainment. Fun for all ages! hvcoa.com

QUILT DAY & HERITAGE NURSERY PLANT SALE Saturday, October 6 from 9:30am - 2:30pm Dudley Farm, 18730 W. Newberry Rd.

NEWBERRY - Bed Turning featuring popular quilts representative of the Dudley era. Historical skills demonstrations such as pine needle basket weaving, palm weaving, tatting, spinning, quilting, inkle loom & cornhusk brooms. Quilts, plants from the Dudley flower garden, native plants and more for sale. 352-472-1142

JONNY LANG Friday, October 5 at 7:30pm Phillips Center, 3201 Hull Rd.

GAINESVILLE - At first, it’s hard to believe that at 36 years old Jonny Lang has already had a successful career for two decades. Fans who discovered Jonny Lang through his searing instrumental work will revel in the huge guitar tones and go-for-broke solos on Signs, while those who have appreciated his growth as an honest and passionate songwriter will find that honesty and passion unabated. One thing we know is, it’s going to be great to hear it live. performingarts.ufl.edu

WALTER PARKS Thursday, October 11 at 8pm Heartwood Soundstage, 619 S. Main St.

GAINESVILLE - For ten years, musician and writer Walter Parks toured the world and recorded as sideman/guitarist to Woodstock legend Richie Havens. Parks, a Florida native, presents a creative mix of swamp blues, folk and jazz delivered sometimes in an ambient style and sometime in a gritty-rootsy style. Parks’ repertoire is half originals and half covers that he performs on acoustic and electric guitars. For fans of Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen this would be a recommended show. heartwoodsoundstage.com

RANKY TANKY Thursday, October 11 at 7:30pm Phillips Center, 3201 Hull Rd.

GAINESVILLE - Native South Carolinians, Ranky Tanky (loosely translated as “Work it!” or “Get funky!”), bring to life the soulful songs of the Gullah (West African term for “a people blessed

by God”) culture, melding them with elements of jazz, gospel, funk, and R&B. With songs ranging from exhilarating to soulful, from dance songs to lullabies, this group expertly captures Gullah tradition and music. performingarts.ufl.edu

ACTORS FROM THE LONDON STAGE — HAMLET October 12 & 13 at 7:30pm Squitieri Studio Theatre, 3201 Hull Rd.

GAINESVILLE - Actors from the London Stage performs Shakespeare’s Hamlet word-for-word from the original, but instead of a cast of dozens, they do it with just five actors. It is traditional Shakespeare performed in an inventive way. performingarts.ufl.edu

BUTTERFLYFEST PLANT SALE October 12-14 Museum of Natural History, 3215 Hull Rd.

GAINESVILLE - Accent, host, native and nectar plants are available for purchase. Plant Sale purchases may be paid via cash, credit card or debit card from the Museum Collectors Shop or at a Cash Only register located adjacent to the Plant Sale. For more information and a list of available plants, visit the Plant Sales page or call 352-846-2000. floridamuseum.ufl.edu

HVMF 2018 CHILI COOKOFF & MUSIC FESTIVAL Saturday, October 13 from 8am - 9pm Howlin’ Wolf, 1701 FL-100

MELROSE - Annual chili cookoff & music festival – all funds raised goes to the KHHS Fallen Hero’s Monument. Chili contest, live music

by Evil Monkey, The Deviljays, Sweet William Bill Ennis, One Eyed Cat and more! For entry information and more, visit facebook.com/hvmfinc.

3RD ANNUAL FASHION SHOW Saturday, October 13 from 12 - 3pm 23674 West U.S. Highway 27

HIGH SPRINGS - Enjoy a delicious luncheon while shopping for your fall wardrobe at the GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club’s 3rd Annual Fashion Show Fundraiser. Tiffany will have a full boutique with the newest up-todate trends as well as timeless classics, jewelry and accessories. Many prizes will be awarded including gift certificates and other giveaways.

Please contact Jan Kies at 785-383-4412 for tickets and information.

13TH ANNUAL BUTTERFLYFEST Saturday, October 13 from 10am - 4pm Museum of Natural History, 3215 Hull Rd.

GAINESVILLE - ButterflyFest is an annual FREE festival to celebrate backyard wildlife with an emphasis on pollinators! From native butterfly releases, live animals, workshops and plant sales to vendors, entertainment and food, all activities are fun-for-all-ages! floridamuseum.ufl.edu

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Organ and Carillon Studios Halloween Concert Wed., October 31 at 7:30 pm University Auditorium, 333 Newell Dr. GAINESVILLE - The carillon and organ studios join forces to present an hour of Halloween fun! The program begins in the University Auditorium and, in a ghostly procession, audience members head to Century Tower to hear carillon music and watch performers on a large screen. Free to the public. arts.ufl.edu

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FALL PLANT SALE & ORCHID SHOW

60/20 CELEBRATING ALTRUSA ANNIVERSARIES

October 13 & 14 from 9am - 5pm Kanapaha Botanical Gardens

Friday, October 19 from 5:30 - 7:30pm UF Straughn Center, 2142 Shealy Dr.

GAINESVILLE - Visitors are invited to see the gardens admission free. In addition to viewing the botanical gardens, approximately 50 booth will be set up selling a wide variety of plants.

The American Orchid Society will have their annual American Orchid Society’s judged show that will coincide with the Fall Plant Sale and will take place inside Kanapaha’s entrance building. Bring cash because most vendors do not accept credit cards. No pets, please. kanapaha.org

GAINESVILLE - Celebrate the 60 year anniversary for Altrusa International of Gainesville and the 20 year anniversary for Altrusa House. Come and share in the stories and testimonies of how the Altrusa House went from a community vision to a reality. By partnering with the City of Gainesville, Kiwanis and Rotary clubs and many, many others, and holding countless fundraisers, the Altrusa International of Gainesville brought into fruition a facility that met a burgeoning need. bit.ly/altrusa6020

ART FESTIVAL AT THORNEBROOK

TOM PETTY BIRTHDAY BASH ‘18 AT DEPOT PARK

October 13 & 14 from 10am - 5pm Thornebrook Village, 2441 NW 43rd St.

October 19 & 20 Depot Park, 200 SE Depot Ave

GAINESVILLE - 120 fine artists and fine craftsmen will be exhibiting throughout the parklike setting of Thornebrook Village Center.

Experience paintings, sculpture, photography, mixed media, fiber arts, wood carvings and furniture, pottery, jewelry and more! There will also be lots of food and drink, entertainment, music and more! Free and open to the public. artfestivalthornebrook.com

GAINESVILLE - Come celebrate Gainesville’s #1 Son on his birthday with a weekend of music, food, friendship and some very special guests.

Make some noise at multiple stages and venues while bands perform their versions of Petty tunes and give you a taste of their original music. Rock out to Tom Petty’s catalog for the entire weekend in Hogtown and give back to a local nonprofit that heals with music and art. depotpark.org

AUTHOR: RICHARD GARTEE Sunday, October 14 from 2:30 - 4pm Millhopper Branch Library, 3145 NW 43rd St.

GAINESVILLE - “Skating on Skim Ice” is a biography of a time traveler who has journeyed ninety-three years from the past — from the age of Prohibition to the age of smart phones.

His biography is more than the story of one man’s trials and joys. It is a lens into life during transformative decades that altered America. writersalliance.org

FOOD FEST AT CELEBRATION POINTE Thursday, October 18 from 5:30 - 8pm Celebration Pointe, 3528 SW 45th St.

GAINESVILLE - It’s Food Fest Time! Bring your family, friends & appetites to The SunState FCU Gainesville Food Fest to enjoy AWESOME FOOD from over 40 of Gainesville’s most popular restaurants… Like 4 Rivers, Chili’s, Texas Roadhouse, Moes and many, many more!! Located in the beautiful Promenade at Celebration Pointe, this year’s event is sure to be better than ever. gainesvillefoodfest.com

ALLIGATOR WARRIOR FESTIVAL October 19 – 21 O’Leno State Park

HIGH SPRINGS - Experience a Native American village, soldier’s encampment, drumming, dancing, flute playing, storytelling and other artisans on hand as well as the battle re-enactment of the Battle of San Felasco Hammock. The battle re-enactment will be at 2 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Bring the family and plan on having a weekend full of fun! alligatorfest.org

TOM PETTY WEEKEND AT HEARTWOOD October 19 - 21 Heartwood Soundstage, 619 South Main St.

GAINESVILLE - Come celebrate Gainesville’s #1 Son on his birthday with a weekend of music, food, friendship and some very special guests.

Music and events at Heartwood all weekend, schedule to be announced! Paid weekend pass includes admission to Heartwood’s Outdoor Festival Grounds as well as admission on a first come first serve basis to select indoor events inside the Soundstage. heartwoodsoundstage.com

Admission is free and food tickets are only $2 each

Tickets available online at: GainesvilleFoodFest.com

Thur, OCT 18th 5 - 9 pm at Celebration POinte

Enjoy great food from over 40 local restaurants Cold Beer Here! sponsored by:

And SO Many MORE!!!

(AGE 21 & UP)

GA I N E SV I L L E F O O D F E S T 2 0 1 8 P R E S E N T E D BY The Best Restoration

Masters of Disasters

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GOLD STAR FAMILIES MARKER DEDICATION Saturday, October 20 at 10am VA Medical Center, 1601 SW Archer Rd.

GAINESVILLE - The Gainesville Garden Club, Inc., The Florida Federation of Garden Clubs., Gainesville Elk Lodge #990, BPOE and Gold Star Mothers - Gainesville cordially invite you to attend the dedication of the National Garden Clubs, Inc. Gold Star Families Marker - a tribute to our loved ones who paid the ultimate price defending the United States of America. This is the first Gold Star Families Memorial Marker in the State of Florida. The other is a Memorial

By Way marker. This event is free and open to the public. RSVP appreciated but not required.

RSVP: GGCFL.ORG@gmail.com

with support from the fine folks at the City of Gainesville. This year, THE FEST celebrates 17 years in Gainesville! thefestfl.com

CEDAR KEY SEAFOOD FESTIVAL

Saturday, October 27 from 5:30 - 7:30pm Cedar Lakes Woods & Gardens

October 20 & 21 Gulf front City Park, 188 2nd St.

WILLISTON - You’ll be able to stroll through the gardens with a very spooky twist! The gardens are haunted one night every year… and THIS is that night!! Muahahaha! This event is family-friendly! A food truck, info booths, face-painting, scavenger hunt and a costume contest. www.cedarlakeswoodsandgarden.com

GARDENS AND GHOULS

CEDAR KEY - The 49th Annual Cedar Key Seafood Festival offers fine food, entertainment, shopping and family fun. Bouncing back from Hurricane Irma, the historic fishing town celebrates the area’s fishing heritage, offering two days of fantastic food, a Seafood Festival parade, over 100 arts and crafts exhibitors, free live music on a clam boat stage in the beach side park and loads of family fun on the beautiful Old Florida island city of Cedar Key. cedarkey.org

Saturday, October 27 430 N. Main Street

Saturday, October 20 from 10am - 5pm Lubee Bat Conservancy, 1309 NW 192nd Ave.

DANCE ALIVE NATIONAL BALLET: WONDERMENT

GAINESVILLE - Save the date! This resale event features clothing, accessories, and home goods. gainesvillejrleague.org

GAINESVILLE - Our flying giants are here to save the day! Come meet the “Winged Crusaders: NO Capes Needed” and celebrate some real superheroes of nature! This fun, family friendly festival features games, music, environmental discussions, crafts, food trucks, a beer garden, and of course our superhero bats. Come have fun with us! #FLBATFEST lubee.org

October 24 & 25 at 7:30pm Phillips Center, 3201 Hull Rd.

14TH ANNUAL FLORIDA BAT FESTIVAL

SCRIVENER WORKSHOP Saturday, October 20 from 10am - 1pm Library Partnership, 912 NE 16th Ave

GAINESVILLE - Imagine you are writing a book — keeping track of characters, place descriptions, subplots, plus preparations for publishing can be hassle. Writers Alliance of Gainesville is holding a workshop to get you started using Scrivener software. Imagine having a cork board, file cabinet, spreadsheet, outline, typesetter, and word processor all in one application, all up there on your monitor and ready for you to click. Email Skipper Hammond at podcoordinator@writersalliance. org.com. Deadline to register is Monday, Oct. 1. writersalliance.org

MCINTOSH 1890s FESTIVAL Saturday, October 20 from 8am - 5pm Van Ness Park, 5835 Avenue G

MCINTOSH - Enjoy 280+ arts, crafts and antiques vendors from all over the country will participate, including a basket weaver, a spoon chime crafter, and a glassblower demonstrating their crafts.

Beautiful old live oaks and charming Victorian homes provide shade and the backdrop for the all day free main stage entertainment – featuring an array of music from country to Cajun,

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bluegrass, folk and gospel. Fun for kids and the young at heart! McIntosh is located on Highway 441, midway between Ocala and Gainesville.

Free and open to the public. friendsofmcintosh.org

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GAINESVILLE - Celebrate the Spiritual Life with ‘Wonderment’. Set to Mozart’s ‘Requiem Mass’ and Bernstein’s ‘Mass for the Common Man’, Kim Tuttle’s ‘Wonderment’ explores belief and skepticism with beauty and grace. performingarts.ufl.edu

JUNIOR LEAGUE: WHALE OF A SALE

PALATKA RIVERFRONT FOLK-N-BLUES FESTIVAL Saturday, October 27 from 10am - 7pm Riverfront Park, 100 Memorial Pkwy

GAINESVILLE GONE MEMPHIS

PALATKA - Folk & Blues music on three stages along the beautiful St. Johns riverfront in the refurbished park area. Activities for the kids, food trucks and more. Bring the whole family!

Thursday, October 25 from 6 - 10pm Sante Fe River Ranch, 29220 NW 122nd St

44TH MICANOPY FALL FESTIVAL

ALACHUA - Held at the stunning Santa Fe River Ranch, Gainesville Gone Memphis is an evening of live music, live and silent auctions, food and friends. Celebrating its tenth anniversary, Gainesville Gone Memphis is the annual signature fundraising event benefiting the Child Advocacy Center, a local nonprofit dedicated to serving abused, neglected, or trafficked children throughout Alachua County. gainesvillegonememphis.org

THE DETOURS Friday, October 26 from 7 - 10pm Tioga Town Center, 105 SW 128th St.

NEWBERRY - The Detours are a local trio that focus on modern, adult pop music. They have a wide range of performing experience, including working as opening acts for top-named artists. Bring your lawn chair and blankets. tiogatowncenter.com

THE FEST 17 October 26-28 400+ Bands & 20+ Venues

GAINESVILLE - THE FEST is an independent multiple-day, multiple-venue underground music festival held annually in Gainesville, Florida,

October 27 & 28 NE Cholokka Blvd.

MICANOPY - A scenic location for a fall arts and crafts festival. This quiet little town bustles with activity as the vendors pour into town and fill Cholokka Boulevard. Many local artists, crafters, and musicians participate in the festival, as well as other artists from across the southeast. The main stage plays host to a variety of good time music throughout the festival and an old time auction of items donated by participating vendors on Saturday afternoon. Free and open to the public. micanopyfallfestival.org

AUTHOR: J. ELLIOTT Sunday, October 28 from 2:30 - 3:30pm Millhopper Branch Library, 3145 NW 43rd St.

GAINESVILLE - Just in time for Halloween, author J. Elliott will read from and discuss her latest book of paranormal stories. “Tales From Kensington & Other Macabre & Unsettling Offerings” is a collection of spooky stories, sometimes amusing, assuredly disquieting. The author notes that Tales From Kensington is adult fiction and suggests the appropriate age is 17+. writersalliance.org

ALACHUA BUSINESS LEAGUE

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION. CALL

352-372-5468

FOR RATES AND INFORMATION.

lachua Alachua

Conestogas

Enjoy Great Music, Food, Rides and Fun!!

“FAMILY DINING WITH A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE”

FREE and d OPE OPEN PUBLI TO THE PUBLIC

Re staurant

Main Street Festival

ALACHUA BUSINESS LEAGUE PROCEEDS GO TOWARDS SANTA FE COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS

Sunday, November 4 th 2018 11am - 5pm On Main Street in Historic Downtown City of Alachua • Minutes from Gainesville • Exit 399 on I-75

Enjoy a wonderful Sunday afternoon with the family while strolling along Historic Downtown Main Street in Alachua, lined with lovely Victorian Homes.

Savor delicious food while listening to local musicians & chatting with friends, neighbors, gracious shopkeepers and unique vendors! #AMSFEST18 We look forward to seeing you there!!

Clay Brooker and Band will be headlining on North Stage!

Alachua Business League would like to thank our sponsors:

The City of Alachua, Boone Equipment, Waste Pro and Alachua Printing For more information, email alachua.business@gmail.com Or visit our website at www.AlachuaBusiness.com

On Main Street in Downtown Beautiful Alachua 386-462-1294 www.ConestogasRestaurant.com

Caring About Our Communities

You can’t control the market, but you can control your decisions

Edward R Potts

Sometimes the market reacts poorly to changes in the world. But just because the market reacts doesn’t mean you should. Still, if current events are making you feel uncertain about your finances, you should schedule a portfolio review.

That way, you can help ensure you’re in control of where you want to go and how you can potentially get there.

14423 U S Hwy 441 Suite 9 Alachua, FL 32615 386-462-0417

Reagan K Potts

Proud Supporter of the Alachua Business League L andd the th Main M i Street St t Festivals F ti l

Take control. Schedule your portfolio review today.

5109h NW 39th Ave Gainesville, FL 32606 352-375-2323

To find an Edward Jones office near you, call 1-800-ED JONES.

386-462-2500 www.wasteprousa.com

www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC

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UF HOMECOMING Saturday, November 3 at TBA Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

GAINESVILLE - Florida’s game against Missouri on Nov. 3 will serve as the 2018 Homecoming contest for the Gators. The Gators own a 67-25-2 record in Homecoming games all time, including a 25-4 mark since 1989. The last time Florida and Missouri met in a Homecoming game was October 15, 2016, a 40-14 win for the Gators. floridagators.com

WRITERS ALLIANCE OF GAINESVILLE Sunday, November 4 from 2:30 - 4pm Millhopper Branch Library, 3145 NW 43rd St.

Friends of the Library Fall Book Sale October 13 - 17

430 N. Main St.

GAINESVILLE - Book sale to benefit Alachua County Library District and Literacy projects.

Browse thousands of books, games, comics, manga, artwork, CDs, DVDs, videos, records and more. Cash or check only. Visit folacld.org or call 352-375-1676.

MUSEUM TRICK OR TREAT Wednesday, October 31 from 10am - 5pm Museum of Natural History, 3215 Hull Rd.

GAINESVILLE - Stop by the trick-or-treat table to show off your costume and get a treat. Post a selfie on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and tag it #floridamuseum to compete for “best selfie” prize! If you don’t visit in costume, the selfie station will have some pretty sweet science-y props available. This event is FREE and ideal for small children because there will be no additional scary Halloween decorations or features. This will be a candy-free event. floridamuseum.ufl.edu

QUARTET ASSAD: MUSIC OF MIGRATION Thursday, November 1 at 7:30pm Phillips Center, 3201 Hull Rd.

GAINESVILLE - Brazilian-born, Grammy-winning brothers and guitarists Sérgio and Odair Assad join family members Badi and Clarice for an exceptional evening of Brazilian folk music, with original compositions, and a nod to their Lebanese heritage. It’s quite rare for one family to be bursting at the seams with such talent and acclaim and even rarer to see them all on one stage. performingarts.ufl.edu

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GAINESVILLE ORCHESTRA PRESENTS: PASSION!!

Friday, November 2 from 7:30 - 9:30pm Santa Fe College, 3000 NW 83rd St.

GAINESVILLE - The passion of Nature including Tan Dun’s (Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon) and cascading “Water Concerto”. In addition and partnership with the mass choirs of Bucholtz, Eastside & Santa Fe College raising their voices to the rafters in joy. sfcollege.edu

GATOR GROWL Friday, November 2 at 6pm Flavet Field, Gale Lemerand Dr.

GAINESVILLE - Experience the largest student-run prep rally in the world, with hundreds of students working endless hours to create the annual spectacle. A tradition that had brought together generations of Gators since 1932 is set to mark the culmination of Homecoming Week. The massive production consists of Gator athletic appearances, performances by UF’s Cheerleaders, Dazzlers and Pride of the Sunshine Marching Band and worldclass entertainers T.B.A. (previous appearances

by Snoop Dogg, The Goo Goo Dolls, Robin Williams, Dennis Miller, Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle and more). gatorgrowl.org

GAINESVILLE - Free and open to anyone interested in readings of prize-winning work from the organization’s ninth annual international print journal Bacopa Literary Review 2018.

Refreshments and conversation afterward with journal editors and local writers and poets. writersalliance.org

FABIAN ALMAZAN Sunday, November 4 at 7pm UpStage at the Phillips Center, 3201 Hull Rd.

GAINESVILLE - The Cuban-born jazz pianist Fabian Almazan is moving quickly, and he’s changing the genre along the way. Almazan’s piano playing revels in the space between styles, and between structure and improvisation.

Anyone who attended the 2017|2018 season Gala will remember his striking talent, and now he’s returning for more. performingarts.ufl.edu

THE CAPITOL STEPS Monday, November 5, 2018 7:30pm Phillips Center, 3201 Hull Rd.

GAINESVILLE - A UF Performing Arts tradition, The Capitol Steps will return to the Phillips Center the night before the mid-term election.

What started as a group of Senate staffers setting out to lampoon the very people and places who employed them, has grown into a national treasure of farcical proportions. No matter who or what is in the headlines, you can be sure this group will tackle all sides of the political spectrum. performingarts.ufl.edu

JESSICA LANG DANCE Wednesday, November 7 at 7:30pm Phillips Center, 3201 Hull Rd.

GAINESVILLE - Committed to artistic collaboration and always defying categorical definition, Jessica Lang Dance has performed at premier venues and festivals worldwide, thrilling audiences with a signature brand of

inventive stage design and diverse movement styles. Modern and eclectic, Lang’s artistry is not only in dance, but in the excitement of the senses, and a bold vision that, while demanding admiration, doesn’t shy away from being playful. performingarts.ufl.edu

WOOFSTOCK Thursday, November 8 from 6 - 10pm The Barn at Rembert Farms

ALACHUA - Get groovy with live music, delicious food and drinks, and a live and silent auction all to benefit the Alachua County Humane Society’s mission to end the needless euthanasia of companion animals in our community. woofstock2018.com

SWALLOWTAIL FARM FALL FESTIVAL Saturday, November 10 from 11am - 9pm 17603 NW 276th Ln.

ALACHUA - A celebration of the fall harvest and everything green and good on the farm, our brilliant local community, and beyond!

A sustainable farm & homestead revival that will affirm, empower and uplift! Enjoy the best in local eats, drink, music, homesteading and gardening skills, arts and farming, all in one lovely day on the farm hillside! swallowtailcsa.com

RECURRING EVENTS CONTRA DANCE First Sundays & Third Saturdays Thelma A. Boltin Center, 516 NE 2nd Ave

GAINESVILLE - Contra dancing is energetic, social dancing that’s fun for everyone (all ages are welcome) and no partner is necessary. The music is live. Dances are taught, walked through, and called. No experience or special dress is required. Wear casual attire and comfortable shoes. godsdance.org

GAINESVILLE MUSIC ASSOCIATION PUBLIC SYMPOSIUM & WORKSHOP First Mondays from 6:30 – 7:30pm Aurora Downtown, 109 SE 4th Ave

GAINESVILLE - Join your music community for a workshop on a carefully developed aspect of different areas of the music business. These events begin with a presentation and workshop on a thoughtfully researched topic that our organization thinks will genuinely help our music community. gainesvillemusicassociation.com

ADULT COLORING PROGRAM Third Mondays from 1pm – 3pm Senior Recreation Center, 5701 NW 34th Blvd.

HEALTH AGING SERIES 2018 Second Tuesdays from 3:30 - 4:30pm The Village at Gainesville (Tower Club Ballroom)

GAINESVILLE - Get together for a fun hour of coloring! Coloring lifts your spirits, enhances creativity and brings out the child in you. No artistic expertise is required, and supplies will be provided, though you are welcome to bring your own. For more information, contact Linda Dean: ldean@aclib.us

GAINESVILLE - Weekly presentations by respected doctors and healthcare professionals on a variety of topics like Cardiology, Vision, Alzheimer’s and more. Offered by North Florida Regional Medical Center. Details at www.thevillageonline.com/events/

TIOGA MONDAY FARMERS MARKET

Third Tuesdays from 9:30am - noon Gainesville Garden Club, 1350 NW 75th St

Mondays from 4pm – 7pm Tioga Town Center (under the trees)

GAINESVILLE - Hands-on floral design program includes lecture, demonstration and materials.

Coffee social at 9:30 am. RSVP requested rsvp. ggcfl@gmail.com or www.ggcfl.org

FUN WITH FLOWERS

GAINESVILLE - At this market you will find a variety of produce (Fruits & Vegetables) from several local organic, hydroponic and conventional farms. Fruits and vegetables offered are seasonal and change throughout the year. Also available are artisan food vendors; jams & jellies, baked goods, confections and more. facebook. com/TiogaMondayMarket

ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCE Mondays 6:45 – 9:30pm 1624 NW 5th Avenue

GAINESVILLE - This is the kind of dancing which began in the 16th century and is still being written and danced today around the world. All dances are taught, walked through and called. No partner, experience, or special dress required. If you are new please come to the beginner lesson each evening at 6:45. Dance to jigs, reels, and beautiful waltz music by Hoggetowne Fancy.

Everyone is welcome. This is easier than ballroom because there are no partner holds and the caller does the leading. Visit our Facebook page to see videos. bit.ly/EnglishCountry

CHAYAYOGA HATHA SERIES Tuesdays, July 10th-August 14th St Leo’s University, 4650 NW 39th Pl. Suite B.

GAINESVILLE - Yoga postures, breathing, guided relaxation, with guidance that is specific for balance and the integration of body, mind and energy through synchronized breathing and postures, integrating body, mind and energy, exploring the flow of energy and tension release, moving without pain, gentle to moderate, with Ayurvedic applications, adaptive in nature, developing strength, alignment and flexibility.

Appropriate for all levels including beginners.

Bring a yoga mat, yoga strap, and blanket.

Advance registration at ChayaVeda.com or call 352-358-5005.

GOOD MORNING GAINESVILLE First Wednesdays from 7:30am - 9am 4650 NW 39th Place

GAINESVILLE - Join Jennifer Webb at St. Leo University on the first Wednesday of each month for a free, compassionate networking event.

You’ll introduce your company, make great connections, and engage in a lively discussion on a topic that is designed to improve the community. For more information email Jennifer@ magiccomm.com

UNION STREET FARMERS MARKET Wednesdays from 4pm – 7pm Bo Diddley Plaza

GAINESVILLE - Bring a bag and pick up some locally-grown and produced vegetables, meat and dairy to take home for your kitchen. Browse local vendors offering a variety of hand-crafted items from jewelry to kombucha. There’s also food trucks and live entertainment — all in a family-friendly atmosphere. Enjoy downtown and support local producers, musicians and artisans while sharing some quality time with your neighbors. unionstreetfarmersmkt.com

THIRD THURSDAY ON MAIN Third Thursdays from 5 – 9pm Downtown Main Street

ALACHUA - This is the perfect event to get your “pre-weekend” on! Alachua’s Downtown area comes alive with the sound of music, unique dining, shopping, craft vendors, and so much more! This event is sponsored by the City of Alachua Community Redevelopment Agency. cityofalachua.com

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HIGH SPRINGS FARMERS MARKET Thursdays from 12 noon – 4pm First Saturday each month from 9am – 1pm 115 NE Railroad Avenue

HIGH SPRINGS - Florida grown fruit, vegetables, dairy & meats as well as honey, handmade treats and more. The Farmers Market is produced

by The City of High Springs. farmersmarket. highsprings.com

PRIMETIME EDUCATION SERIES Thursdays from 2:30 - 4pm Senior Recreation Center, 5701 NW 34th Blvd.

GAINESVILLE - PrimeTime Institute (PTI) provides a wide variety of educational programs and social activities for people age 50+ that foster wellness, encourage personal and intellectual growth, and that provide an environment for developing new interests, making new friends, and becoming involved as volunteers. Schedule at www.primetimeinstitute.org

MAKE MUSIC IN THE PARK Thursdays in June from 5 - 7pm Depot Park, 200 SE Depot Ave

GAINESVILLE - A live music pop-up where musicians play non-amplified music in various locations throughout Depot Park leading up to Gainesville’s Make Music Day on June 21st (save the date). If interested in playing music for this event please email depotpark@cityofgainesville.org.

Karaoke in the Depot Building Boxcar Wine & Beer Garden starts at 7pm. depotpark.org

HIGH SPRINGS FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT First Fridays from 5pm - 8pm Downtown

HIGH SPRINGS - Join the fun in lovely downtown High Springs. Local merchants will offer special sales, a raffle and more. Family fun for all ages. facebook.com/HighSpringsDowntownMerchants

Free Fridays Concert Series Fridays from 8 – 10pm

GAINESVILLE - From May 4 to October 19, 2018, Downtown Gainesville comes alive every Friday night as local and regional bands and performing arts are showcased under the stars.

Each year thousands come out to enjoy the FREE live concerts and shows in a family-friendly environment. gnvculturalseries.org

FREE MOVIE SERIES FRIDAYS

HAILE FARMERS MARKET

Fridays in July (times vary) Florida Museum, 3215 Hull Rd.

Saturdays from 8:30am – 12pm Haile Plantation Village

GAINESVILLE - Friday nights July 6 to 27, the Florida Museum and Creative B will host free movie screenings and explore the balance between science and art. In honor of the museum’s latest exhibit “Masters of the Night: The True Story of Bats,” this year’s films will incorporate a bats theme and include a discussion with an expert panel. The panel discussion starts at 7 p.m., followed by the movie. The museum’s permanent exhibits will be open to the public for extended hours until 10 p.m. Parental discretion is advised. www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu 352-273-2061

GAINESVILLE - Take a stroll down the tree-lined streets of the Haile Village Center to browse for groceries, prepared food, and handmade gifts, then continue on for more shopping or brunching at the Village Center’s locally-owned shops and restaurants. hailefarmersmarket.com

ARTWALK GAINESVILLE

ALACHUA COUNTY FARMERS MARKET

Last Fridays from 7pm - 10pm Downtown

Saturdays from 8:30am – 12pm 5920 NW 13th Street

GAINESVILLE - Artwalk Gainesville is a free self-guided tour that combines exciting visual art, live performance, and events in downtown Gainesville with many local galleries, eateries and businesses participating. Artwalk is an exciting, fun way to experience the amazing wealth of creativity the Gainesville community has to offer. Free and open to the public. artwalkgainesville.com

GAINESVILLE - Don’t forget to bring shopping bags, your grocery list, and plenty of small bills.

The market prides itself on being a grower’s only market – meaning the vendors selling produce, plants, and other products must have grown the items themselves. The event space is located in an open air pavilion with additional outdoor booths protected by shade cloth. 441market.com

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Bo Didley Plaza

JAZZ ON THE GREEN Second Saturdays from 6 - 8pm Celebration Pointe

GAINESVILLE - Celebrating wonderful music at Celebration Pointe! Join your neighbors for live jazz, lawn games & more! Spread a blanket under the setting sun and catch hazy ballads and intense bebop while the kids play games on the lawn. Free and open to all. celebrationpointe.com

SEND CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS TO: 4 4 00 N W 3 6 T H A V E ., G A I N E S V I L L E , F L 32 606 or E V E N T S @ T O W E R P U B L I C A T I O N S . C O M Submissions will be published based on space available in the magazine. Recurring monthly/bi-monthly events must be free & open to the public. Paid events must be open to the public. Unique events that occur regularly such as classes, seminars and networking events will be published at our discretion. Religious organizations may post events only if the event promotes the arts, or is a fundraiser where 100% of the proceeds go to another, non-religious, non-profit organization. Events that are political in nature may not be approved.

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For sponsorship information and further details, visit our website or call Margot DeConna at 352-415-2460.

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BAND B BA ND REVIEW

BRIAN “KRASH” KRUGER’S

Gate Crashing ON DECK FOR REVIEW: FUNKY FRENCH FRIES, BANANA BAND, 404 BAND NOT FOUND, EMPIRE STATE OF MIND, SPACE GIRLZ

BRIAN KRUGER IS A WRITER, MUSICIAN AND A GRADUATE OF THE UF COLLEGE OF LAW. HE HAS PLAYED IN SOME 17 OR SO LOCAL BANDS, PLAYING MOST EVERY GAINESVILLE VENUE FRIENDLY TO ORIGINAL MUSIC (AND SOME NOT SO FRIENDLY). bkrashpad@yahoo.com

DATE: SATURDAY, JULY 14, 2018 VENUE: HIGH DIVE

and then play a song at the showcase. If you’ve ever seen the closing credits to the film “School of Rock,” it’s similar to that, only with women teachers and girl students. And feminism.

At any rate, five bands performed at the Session 2 Showcase, reetings, live music aficionados! This installwhich was well attended by parents, grandparents, guardians, ment finds us in downtown Gainesville, at the friends, and other supporters of the GGRC. The first High Dive for an early Saturday show. This band up was called the Funky French Fries. It was a showcase from the second session of this included Harper Bullock on bass, Nora Taylor summer’s Gainesville Girls Rock Camp. The The campers on drums, Jaylina Farberow on guitar, Evelyn camp was founded by local musicians Jen Vito form bands during the Manley on guitar and Ella Persons on keyand Chelsea Carnes. Its stated goals are to camp, learn instruments, boards. The lyrics to their song included that use “music and performance as a platform songwriting and “everyone is bumping into each other because to promote self-esteem, community and performance skills, and the room is too small,” and they ended up with creative expression, for young women and then play a song at the a choreographed dance routine performed to girls in Gainesville.” showcase. a preprogrammed melody, I’m guessing saved Our Town has been covering the camp since into and played from the keyboard. its inauguration in 2013. This year, as in the past, 404 Band Not Found was up next, and how could they there were two week-long camps. This show was for the go wrong with a name like that! That band featured the same second session, for younger girls, up to age 12 (the preceding instruments as its predecessor, guitars by Ruby Fenster-Travis week was for ages 13-17). After each camp session, there was and Jerilyn Pratto, bass by Bella Cline, Mike Dinsmore on a showcase performance. The campers form bands during the keyboards, and Dorothea Geniesse on drums and vocals (not camp, learn instruments, songwriting and performance skills,

G

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many singing drummers!). Their song featured the refrain “Uh-oh, listen up, now,” and had a sudden cut ending with “Now HUSH!” The middle slot was held down by another quintet, Empire State of Mind.

Presumably, it contained at least one New Yorker. Or a Jay-Z fan. The band consisted of Juni Sky Dwyer and Launa Magee on guitar, Simini Kiker on bass, Charlotte Katz-Howick on drums and Valentina Galvin on keys. Assuming my notes are correct, their song was called “Marshmallow Couch,” and at any rate contained the refrain “I have no inspiration to take over the nation.” I’m not sure if that’s some incredible ennui, or a denial of the latest Infowars conspiracy theory.

The penultimate band was another two-guitar five-piece called the Banana Band. It featured Ocean Arroyo on drums, Amelia Hays on keyboards, Bella Russell on bass, and Kella Sowder and Lela Ward on guitar. Their song was called, appropriately enough, “Banana Rock,” and their performance incorporated the familiar Gators cheer “Go Bananas!” These girls knew their audience.

Last up were the afternoon’s only sixpiece, Space Girlz, a name which they made a point of noting was “with a Z!” The obvious pun on “Spice Girls” was interesting, given that that English vocal quintet was at its height of popularity in the ‘90s, long before anyone in the band was born.

Perhaps, as 6-year-olds, the oldest of them saw the 2012 reunion tour, who can say?

Space Girlz featured Anna Adams on bass, Matilda Jane Anderson on drums, Mia Russell and Valarie Morrison on guitar, and Rosalie Brophy and Daisy Ziefle on keys. Their song “Reality” included the refrain “can’t take any more,” so maybe these girls have been overhearing the television news at home. Or it could be about homework. At any rate, the band shot confetti into the crowd at the end of the song!

Following their performance, all the girls and volunteer leaders got up onstage for the Gainesville Girls Rock Camp Song, a rousing end to an entertaining show.

404 Band Not Found

Empire State of Mind

Funky French Fries

Space Girlz

The Banana Bread Now, go see some bands.

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MASTERS OF ROCK >> LED ZEPPELIN

CELEBR ATING CLASSICS

Led Zeppelin of a Legendar y Band W R I T T E N B Y K A I T L I N A P P L E G AT E

L

ike the Hindenburg crash of May 6, 1937, Led Zeppelin is iconic.

Allegedly, Keith Moon from The Who laughed that if lead singer Jimmy Page were to start a new band, it would land as well as a lead balloon. When the crew debuted their premier self-titled album in 1969, it featured the Hindenburg in flames, and above it, the band’s iconic name: Led Zeppelin.

Lead guitarist Jimmy page once said, “I’m always looking for a creative spark. Always.” The band was originally titled the New Yardbirds after Page transitioned out of the Yardbirds, a band that included greats like Eric Clapton. However, it wasn’t until the name Led Zeppelin was born that the new band’s metaphysical match scratched against something that caught fire.

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This year celebrates Led Zeppelin’s 50th anniversary of formation and musical wildfire. The united talents of guitarist Jimmy Page, vocalist Robert Plant, drummer John “Bonzo” Bonham, and bassist/ multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones produced some of heavy metal’s most iconic ballads.

“Stairway to Heaven” is arguably the band’s greatest track. Infused throughout the piece is a slow burn of musical progression. Page continues to influence up-and-coming musicians today with his incredible ability to marry the steady burn of acoustic with the hot blaze of the electric guitar.

According to Britannica, Plant refers to this combination as “light and shade.” Additonally, his honest vocals in “Stairway to Heaven” help bridge a connection for the listener to emotionally engage with the depressed undertone of the song.

In 1937, Sam Shere photographed the Hindenburg tragedy. Thirty two years later, it would become Led Zeppelin’s first album cover.

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The aggressive playing styles of drummer Bonzo and bassist Jones helped create the intense and peculiar aura the band is known for. Tragically, at age 32, Bonham passed away suddenly in 1980. This loss proved insurmountable for the group, as Bonham was closely tied with each of his bandmates, and best friends with Plant. Shortly after Bonham’s death, Led Zeppelin disbanded.

Despite the band’s bitter finale, all four original members continue to keep the wick buring on the Led legacy. Robert Plant is currently on tour and recently released a solo album called “Carry Fire.” Jimmy Page also announced that the band is releasing a Led Zeppelin book in October of this year. Additionally, The John Bonham Memorial opened on May 31 of this year in Redditch Town centre, Worcestershire. And on September 22, a music festival is scheduled in Bonham’s honor that will benefit the Teenage Cancer Trust West Midlands. While Led Zeppelin may no longer be playing live shows, their fire lives on through celebrations like these all over the globe.

In a way, the tragedy of the Hindenburg helped create Led Zeppelin’s phoenix moment.

Out of the ashes of that catastrophe emerged the image of a band that would continue to influence what rock ‘n’ roll means to this day.

“Ooh, really makes me wonder...”

PHOTOGRAPHY: DINA REGINE

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SPOTLIGHT

RESCUE ANIMAL ADOPTIONS

Furever Friends SCRUFFY AND JULIE

FUREVER FRIENDS IS A RECURRING PROFILE THAT FEATURES A LOCAL RESCUE ANIMAL AND THEIR OWNER, WRITTEN FROM THE ADOPTED PET’S “POINT OF VIEW.” NOMINATE YOURSELF OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW FOR OUR NEXT RESCUED PET PROFILE! CONTACT: EDITOR@TOWERPUBLICATIONS.COM.

Hi there! My name is Scruffy – a name given to me due to my appearance of having a permanent case of bed head.

I’m a three-year-old Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen, which is just a fancy name to say white, gray and tan ball of fluff. When I first met my mom, Julie Tucker, at the humane society two years ago, she seemed really blue – the emotion, not the color, not that I could tell anyway because you know I’m colorblind over here – and I just wanted to give her a big hug. Apparently she had recently lost her two dogs Bear and Lucy just six weeks apart from one another and she needed someone to comfort her, which is where I came in.

Despite looking at all the other dogs there, my mom kept coming back to me – probably because of my big chocolate eyes, which are sometimes hard to see over by bushy eyebrows but can still melt your heart. She decided to take me home, my third home, as a foster dog where I met my dad’s dog, Baby, who instantly became my best friend. I also share the home with my two feline best friends Miss Priss and Sabrina.

Though my name is Scruffy, I probably should have been named Houdini because my mom said that I’m an escape artist. My latest achievement has been getting over an 8-foot fence. I don’t run away or anything it’s just the challenge of it that I enjoy.

Sometimes I just want to go out to visit my neighbors like my doggie friends or the cows down the street, which drool on me if I get too close. Other times I just wait on the other side of the fence until I’m let back inside. Besides acrobatically jumping over fences, my other qualifications include being somewhat of an archeologist. If my parents are away too long, I find all 128 |

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kinds of things around the house and bring them to my mom’s bed to show her everything I uncovered.

My mom is an animal nurse by education and has worked in the Navy’s marine mammal program taking care of dolphins and sea lions. She also helps more commonly known animals like dogs (that’s me!) and cats at a vet office. However, for the past four years she’s owned and operated her own quilt shop called Julie’s Pins & Needles in Alachua where I am the official shop greeter. In my youth I suffered from separation anxiety, which is why my mom initially brought me to work with her, but now it’s just part of my routine. When I’m not greeting customers I spend time sleeping in my chair with my handmade quilt or

drinking from the water fountain in the back of the shop.

Though it took me three chances to find my forever home, you know what they say, “the third time’s the charm.” Now I spend my days playing with my animal friends or meeting new people at the quilt shop. I just hope my other friends back at the shelter get the opportunity to find their forever home too!

If you’re interested in adopting from a local shelter, you can find out more information at alachuahumane.org.

PHOTOGRAPHY: HAYLI ZUCCOLA

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