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The BIG Reveal are Off the Charts < Back Unveiling The BIG Reveal: Alabama’s Rising Alternative Rock Band Bud Gambrell Apr 7, 2025 Share The BIG Reveal are Off the Charts 395 ! Three hundred ninety-five miles. That amounts to a car ride lasting around six hours. You are likely asking yourself why this is relevant. Well, I will tell you. I was contacted on Tuesday of last week by my editor and publisher, Nicole , regarding a band she wanted me to research called The BIG Reveal . Just a quick sidenote: Nicole is the one who makes it possible for me to write these articles. She has been so very supportive of me since we first met. If you get the chance, stop by the contact page and show her some love. Let her know you appreciate what she does. Now, back to business. I reached out to the band she suggested, The BIG Reveal , and was able to interact with their manager, Chad Parker , to get things rolling. We had a nice conversation, and he provided me with some background information. It was enough information for me to dig in and learn what I could before I interviewed them. One thing to note about The BIG Reveal is that this is a young band , which I truly enjoy learning more about the up-and-coming talent out there. They are the future of music , so we need to delve deeply into the music they are creating. The music industry has become a shell of its former self, and with so many avenues to discover music, when you think about it, there really isn’t one good avenue. It’s all so cluttered, and amongst the clutter stands The BIG Reveal . Photo provided by band The number 395 I mentioned above represents the number of miles it would have taken me to get in my car and drive to Grand Bay, Alabama , where The BIG Reveal originates. Since that was not possible on short notice, I relied on the interwebs to assist me. We live in the glorious days of technology. We have YouTube , which hosts a plethora of videos. (Mark one off the bucket list. I got to use plethora in a sentence.) YouTube is great because you can see the video of a band, not just an audio recording . We also have social media pages at our disposal. Like many bands, The BIG Reveal has music available on their website , which is a feature that a good number of bands these days don’t even have. Can you believe that? When you can visit one spot to see it all, it makes things easier when researching a band. Once I did my homework, it was time to call the band and have a conversation. Dive in below to learn more about The BIG Reveal . OTC : Hello guys! Thanks for taking my call. Introduce me to the band. Gavin Parker : I'm Gavin . I play guitar and sing. Blake Hall : I'm Blake . I play drums. Luke Puckett : I'm Luke . I play bass and sing harmonies. OTC : How long have you guys been together? Gavin : We've been together for about a year, but Luke just came in a couple of months ago to play bass for us. OTC : How did you guys meet? Gavin : I started the band with a couple of friends from school, and we were having fun. We got pretty good, but then it started getting serious. So, they backed out because they had other commitments at school, such as sports. Then Blake , the drummer , ended up living like five minutes away from me. Someone gave me their number, and I contacted them. After we met, he started playing drums for me, and then we met Luke online a couple of months ago. Click to visit The Big Reveal's website OTC : Can you tell me about your musical background and how you got started? Gavin : My entire family plays music. I grew up around it and just listened to the ' 90s pop-rock stuff. It has been my favorite since I was a little kid. Blake : I started playing drums about two years ago. I have always liked music a lot and always loved the drums! Luke : No one in my family is musical whatsoever. I decided I really wanted to about four years ago. I've always been classically trained on the piano . That started when I was about six or seven years old. I took lessons, and then I self-taught myself the bass about four years ago. OTC : Did the bass clef from your piano lessons carry over to the bass guitar? Luke : Yes, sir, it did. It helped me learn bass guitar quickly. OTC : While I was talking to your manager, he mentioned the Arts Block Party at UAB . Tell me about that. Gavin : Yeah, that was back in September 2024 . We entered a competition they had. It was like 150 something submissions . People got to vote on four bands that they wanted to play at the Block Party . Our fans showed up to vote for us! So, we ended up playing there! Jemison Hall at UAB was really cool! Photo provided by band OTC : So, the competition with The Arts Block was going to be in Birmingham , and you guys are in South Alabama. Your fans must have really stepped up for that. Gavin : Yeah, so that's when our TikTok page was starting to get a lot of traction. We made a couple of videos, and they all went and voted for us. OTC : Tell me a little bit about your fan base. They seem to be loyal. Gavin : Our TikTok site started picking up around June 2024 . We currently have approximately 37,000 on there. The local fan base is pretty devoted! They come to a lot of our shows! Our fan base is pretty cool for voting for us in multiple competitions that we've won. OTC : You also won a radio competition for WCPR . Tell me about that competition. Gavin : That was a competition to play at the Biloxi Crawfish Festival . 97.9 , CPR Rocks was running an ad explaining where you could submit your band’s music, and then people could vote for you to play. So, again, the same people, the same thing. People voted for us to win. I guess they like us! We will be opening for Puddle of Mudd , Hinder , Cowboy Mouth , and Marcy Playground at the Crawfish Music Festival on April 26th . Click to go to 97.9 WCPR's website OTC : You have a new album coming out. I'm assuming it's your first time in the studio. Could you describe the process of recording the new album? Gavin : We tracked everything at our home studio. One of the bands that we met in Birmingham at the Arts Block Party connected us with their mixing engineer in Knoxville . So, we tracked everything at home, and then we sent it to him, and he makes it sound good. OTC : Can you share with me a memorable experience while recording the new album? Gavin : I'm trying to get everything right and not being too much of a perfectionist. Just getting it how we want it because it's going to be there forever. It’s our first album, so we’re trying to make it as good as possible. Upcoming shows for The BIG Reveal OTC : Did you learn anything about yourself through your music during that recording process? Gavin : The thing I learned is that I'm more of a perfectionist than I thought I was. It took a while for me to accept some stuff. Blake : I learned that recording is a lot harder than it seems. I prefer the live shows to the recordings. It's just a long process. OTC : How would you describe the music that you created for the new album? Gavin : I'll say that it's real close to ’ 90s alternative rock , pop rock , post-grunge stuff. One of my favorite bands is Sister Hazel . You can hear their influence on this album. The ’90s pop-rock stuff is really what this album is influenced by. OTC : Blake, what would you say your influences are? Blake : My influences are bands like Foo Fighters , Nirvana and Led Zeppelin . They have influenced the way I play. OTC : What about you, Luke? Luke : Nirvana for me as well, and The Beatles . And then there were a lot of the 90s bands, like Green Day . However, I also really enjoy alternative rock , such as Goo Goo Dolls and The Killers . OTC : What are your long-term goals for the band, and what are you most excited about for the future of your music? Gavin : I think the goal has always been to do it until we can't anymore. Just keep doing it, having fun, and getting a larger and larger fan base. Luke : I think for me, it's definitely that I want a tour. I would love to go on a tour. The BIG Reveal album release show coming on April 11, 2025 OTC : What role does your social media play in the way you're focusing your career? Gavin : Our social media got us some attention from a couple of major independent labels that we are keeping in contact with. It has really helped us out a lot. TikTok has been strong for us. We are able to record live videos of what we are doing. It’s a way to put yourself out there and let people know what you are doing. OTC : What's the most unusual fan interaction that you've had so far? Gavin : We had this guy at our very first show. He had a little too much to drink, and he ended up coming up and almost getting up on stage. He was pointing the finger at me and singing the wrong words. But he was having fun. Blake : They always want me to sign broken drumsticks. I hit hard during shows! OTC : You are a new band. Do you have a favorite venue that you’ve played at so far? Gavin : Bozos in Pascagoula. We're having our album release party there. People always show up there, and we always have a great time. We played at The Soul Kitchen in Mobile for 92.1 the ZEW 's Christmas show, which was pretty cool. OTC : I have one more question. I'm going to ask all three of you with this one to see what y'all come up with. If your band had a superpower, what would it be and why? Gavin : I would fly so that I could fly around. Fly around the shows and I could surf on my guitar—air surf, you know, with a wireless setup. OTC : Like the Silver Surfer ? Gavin : Yeah, that would be pretty cool. OTC : What about you, Luke? Luke : My mind is a little bit more practical. Just to be able to play everything and not mess up, and just be impervious to making mistakes. OTC : Blake, what do you got? If your band had a superpower, what would it be and why? Blake : Probably not to run out of energy. Three-hour shows can really take a toll on you! OTC : Any final thoughts for your fans, old and new? Gavin : Our debut album is set to release on April 11th on Spotify , TikTok , and across all our social media platforms. At an early stage in their musical journey, this group of young men already has a loyal following. The one thing missing from their fan base is you. Get on board! One thing I haven’t mentioned before is the band's age. I wanted this article to be based on their music, rather than having any preconceived notions about their youth. Gavin is only 16. Luke is 18 and Blake is 17. This is a promising young band, and they are only going to get better. Until next time, Keep your diamond down in the groove! Where to find Bud: Email: the_budgambrell@mixedaltmag.com Website: https://bgambrellphotography.com Amazon: https://a.co/d/1CLA9Tz Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bud.gambrell My new book Bud Gambrell Photography by Bud Gambrell | Blurb Books Where to find The Big Reveal: Website: The BIG Reveal Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557900071233 ‎ Apple Music: The BIG Reveal - Apple Music Spotify: The BIG Reveal | Spotify TikTok www.tiktok.com/@_thebigreveal *photos provided by the band www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90s flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Got something for Bud to check out? Reach him at the_budgambrell@mixedaltmag.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

The absurdist megachurch comedy is back with more shenanigans < Back The Righteous Gemstones Returns for Season 3 Keeley Brooks Jun 12, 2023 Share The absurdist megachurch comedy is back with more shenanigans The Righteous Gemstones could quite possibly be one of Danny McBride’s best series yet, aside from Eastbound and Down , which aired back in 2009. If you missed that series, it stars Danny McBride as Kenny Powers, a former professional baseball pitcher who, after a career downturn in the major leagues (due, in part, to his childishness and arrogance), is forced to return to his hometown of Shelby, North Carolina, to substitute teach at his old middle school. It’s well worth the comedic four-season binge, which is full of so many laughs and excellent one-liners, you’ll be repeating them for weeks. The Righteous Gemstones is an HBO series, also created by McBride, that is a dark comedy crime show that follows a famously dysfunctional family of televangelists. It is the most quintessential absurdist megachurch satire ever to hit the airwaves, and McBride does not hold back on anything offensive—that’s his thing, right? Being offensive? Yes! So, if you’re one who is easily offended, maybe skip this show, but if you are not, I highly recommend binge-watching the first two seasons in preparation for the third, which airs this weekend. The Gemstones are an over-the-top wealthy religious family living in Memphis, Tennessee, led by widowed patriarch and church pastor Eli Gemstone (John Goodman of The Connors ). Image: HBO Eli and his incessantly immature (adult) children, Jesse (Danny McBride of Your Highness ), Judy (Edi Patterson of Violent Night ), and Kelvin (Adam Devine of Workaholics ) lead the kind of opulent lives that could only be provided by church donations given in the name of the Lord. The Gemstones all live near one another in their respective mansions spread across way too many acres of property—except for Judy, who winds up living in the “regular” house, presumably because she’s female and not as high up in the church. In the first season, we learn about what the Gemstones are currently up to in their lives, which entail a lot of secrets. The opening scene of the first episode is one of the funniest baptism scenes I’ve ever witnessed. Eli (Goodman), Jesse (McBride), and Kelvin (Devine) are in China for a 24-hour mass baptism, which takes place in a wave pool at a water park because it was the only space large enough to accommodate so many people. By hour 17, the brothers are wearing down and, in true rich-kid fashion, and start criticizing each other, bickering about the right way to baptize people when, out of nowhere, obnoxious party lights kick on and giant waves begin rolling through the pool. What ensues is complete hilarity as everyone scrambles to get out of the rave … I mean waves. As the Gemstones return home, though, we learn the shenanigans are just beginning. Jesse receives a salacious videotape of himself and some friends snorting cocaine and partying with a bunch of strippers—completely unacceptable behavior for the associate pastor of a megachurch. The tape is blackmail in exchange for a large sum of money, but from whom? Jesse enlists his brother and sister to help keep this quiet and track down the blackmailer, just as you’d suspect a bunch of eight-year-olds might go about handling such a task. Image: HBO Moreover, Eli’s estranged brother-in-law, played by Walton Goggins (who is known for his big, white teeth in roles from Justified and Sons of Anarchy ), is brought in to lead the Gemstones’ new shopping-mall-based satellite church, which impedes on a neighboring church. Image: HBO Season one ends with stolen money, the siblings confessing their sins to Eli, and the fate of the church up in the air as Eli kicks all three kids out of the church. Season two focuses on the Gemstones’ past—namely that of Eli. When an outsider from Eli’s younger days appears and tries to pick up old pastimes, we learn Eli used to be a criminal enforcer for a big-wig bad guy. Also, an investigative reporter by the name of Thaniel Block (Jason Schwartzman of Rushmore) turns up to investigate a tip he received about corruption running rampant in the Gemstone church. That catastrophe is one big hilarious fallout you have to see for yourself. Presumably, season three will focus on what the Gemstones will do to secure their future. Rest assured, there will be plenty more moral hijinks as the Gemstones battle for power and face off against some new opposers and face some violent pushback. They’ll also get involved in the NASCAR circuit and have to deal with an increasingly popular vocal religious movement consisting of boisterous, far right-wing gun-owning enthusiasts. For more details and a full recap of seasons one and two , read this article , which will tell you everything you need to know before the premiere of The Righteous Gemstones Season 3, which airs this Sunday, June 18, on HBO and Max. Catch the trailer below! Keeley Brooks is a big ole movies and streaming nerd who watches way too much content, then faces an uncontrollable urge to write about it, even if it sucks. www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90s flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Questions or comments? Hit us up at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

Jill Mulkey Art < Back Raw, Unapologetic Artistry Keeley Brooks Feb 13, 2023 Share Jill Mulkey Art During my years living in the heart of Baton Rouge , La., straight fumbling my life thing after college, I ran across some very talented artists of all kinds nurturing their individual crafts in a most pure, non-conformist way. It was awesome because back then, the city vibrated with electricity emanating from the super-cool types of art being created; the 2000s were quite a colorful time on the BR entertainment scene , if I do say so myself! Nowadays, the city isn't just vibrating; it seems to be exploding with all sorts of art, and now that I no longer live there, it's kind of up to chance when it comes to noticing more of its artists, whether it be through recommendation or random happenstance online. And that’s how Jill Mulkey filtered into my gaze: She randomly popped up in my social media feed one day, and her distinctive abstract style caught my eye … okay, it caught both of them. I zoomed in on several of her pictures and noticed some wonderful, subtle textures and shapes full of artistic nuance, and I was intrigued. Her art appealed to me because it said, in a sense, real talk. It screamed honest, real shit like I'm here and I'm colorful and I'm loud, but at the same time I'm also full of depth and exposure because I live, I breathe, I experience, and I create as a result--not for you, for me. There were no distractions. It wasn't all neat and tidy in a perfect, little, expected bow--no. It was loud and vivid and raw and messy in the best of possible ways. It was connectable ... proud ... unapologetically human, purely exposed artistry ... and that's what I loved about it: its humanity. I felt the emotion behind every piece I ogled and believe me; I spent way too many hours on both her social media sites clicking through images and getting lost in them. Mulkey is a mixed-media abstract artist, photographer, and fashionista out of Baton Rouge playing with different textures of shape and color to express herself, her messages, her feelings, and the world around her. In fact, her expressive patterns of repeating tiny squares and circles have become very popular in her shows and largely draw in the commission requests. Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey Having always had the artistic talent deep within her, Jill spent her time after high school doing hair and nails by day and painting by night. The more she painted and showcased, the more attention she garnered for herself. Over the past decade, she has done and continues to do some really cool work, like reproducing different Rock album covers, for example. During a time when she was experimenting with multiple new techniques, she took some pictures of some famous people and portraits of rock stars and worked them through her own interpretations. Art by Jill Mulkey While her early paintings included a lot of portraits and closeups of faces and different city scenes, her style evolved and delved deeper into the abstract world. Some of her works incorporate printmaking techniques, like doing portraits by repeatedly stamping ink on the canvas in high and lesser concentrations to affect lines and shading, and she isn’t shy about collage work. Her images incorporate paint and print materials to illicit interpretations. One of her earlier works, a popular choice depicted below, “Pisces Girl" started out with a compilation that included a girl, a guitar, and a pear, but as the woman’s arm began to take shape, Mulkey's focus shifted from the objects to the woman. You can see how gently and effortlessly she and the guitar are beautifully entwined, both revealed with the implied sexiness of the distinct hourglass shape--the neck of the guitar ever so slightly separated from the woman's to partially hide her face just enough to illicit intrigue and admiration while conveying a union between worlds ... ah! What sweet, emotional depth it displays. It showcases beautifully sequenced artistic style. And, to tie in the title, Mulkey added water elements and a fishbowl to represent the zodiac. Art by Jill Mulkey Canvas isn’t her only medium, though. Early in her career, she used to paint on bottles and even tinkered with unconventional canvases, like paintings on doors and other found pieces. She also paints on … waaait for iiit … JEANS! I’m not kidding. And they look pretty badass, if I do say so myself. Her jeans became so eye-catching, that she now stages fashion shows in various locations. Jeans by Jill Mulkey Jeans by Jill Mulkey “I paint really fast,” Jill says. “I work really fast with my hands,” which explains how she’s able to generate so much in so little time. This challenge of mixing multi-media efforts into one cohesive piece for visual pleasure has been seemingly effortless for Jill, who is constantly scoping out new outlets. “I continue to paint and participate in many art shows all over Baton Rouge. … When I [began to focus] on my art career full time, I painted pretty much every day and sold a lot through social media, mostly on Facebook. I still have a large client base there,” she says. Mulkey has also been featured in several art galleries over the years, including Gallery N , owned by Mark Nikoff , and Williamson Howard Fine Art . It wasn’t long before she realized the gallery display opportunities held more than just a place to display; they became places to grow. “One of my proudest [shows] was in Downtown Baton Rouge at The Shaw Center in the LSU Art Museum,” she says. “I had an art and fashion show inside and a local DJ outside that I worked with on many shows. He was playing music and above him was a huge, white parachute floating in the air off the building on the 4th floor with images of my art, photography, and fashion flashing across this monstrous screen all night. It was so amazing. I haven’t seen anyone do anything like that since, but I’d love to make it happen again!” Over time, Mulkey has become an art dealer of sorts, curating shows at different galleries in and around the Baton Rouge area and promoting new, young talented artists, as well as making sales for herself and the new talent. In 2010 , she curated a show in Los Angeles at the Thompson Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard that amped up her abilities. “Somewhere in there, I began painting live—something I never thought I would do years before,” she gleans. “I became a regular in Battle of the Brushes, a monthly live art battle I did in New Orleans with Alex Harvie and TJ Black (and other chosen artists) on Magazine Street.” It seems more and more people these days find a deeper connection with live painting, and why wouldn’t they? It’s personal, exciting, and curious--utterly fascinating to watch, sober or not. There’s so much mystery around what is being created, that for just a tiny moment, we as viewers often forget there’s even someone there working their ass off to convey to you what they are seeing, hearing, and/or feeling in that specific moment. Then, when an image begins to emerge, a peek of the artist is seen just long enough for the question of why the artist is doing what he/she/they is/are doing to seep in, and once an artist's awareness of that happens, it oftentimes can create an intense palpable pressure. But Mulkey doesn’t seem to mind that one bit. She doesn't even notice, really, because she's a badass who paints right through it as though it doesn't even exist. For those of you wondering, this is what we call "the zone." Jill Mulkey “When I paint live, I sometimes start … by writing with paint in cursive across the entire canvas: first line forward, next line backwards, then forward again, and backwards every other line. I’ve become quite good at writing backwards because of this. It’s fun to see people react when they realize what I’m doing,” she explains. “It’s a great touch in the end, even though it’s just a technique for texture and getting an idea of where I’m to go with the painting. It makes for good live painting, too, because no one knows what the painting is going to be until the very end.” She adds, “People always comment on my process, saying they never know what’s going to happen next or what the painting is going to end up being. The funny thing is, I didn’t want to paint live in the beginning, so it worked out well!” Today Jill stays between Baton Rouge and Minnesota , where her other studio is. She’s currently working on collections and several commissioned pieces. Her zodiac collection , which instantly drew me in even deeper than I already was, involves characters with traits and symbols from each house of the zodiac . She tells me started years ago with “Pisces Girl” and has since completed the signs Taurus, Cancer, Libra, Virgo, and Sagittarius. As a Taurus, I personally connect to her representation of Taurean nature: still, yet loud, messy, confusing to some, and organically earthbound ... refusing to conform; I love it. Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey Mulkey says she loves all the interesting aspects of each sign, and there’s so much to include in each piece that the process has been nothing short of enlightening and entertaining for her. Work on the zodiac series continues, although she’s had to put it on hold, “to complete various commission work, including this Boba Fett piece, which has compelled me to start a ‘Star Wars’ collection. Once I posted the finished Boba Fett piece [online], I got two commissions from it. I grew up on ‘Star Wars’ and love it, and I’ve always wanted to do some art based on the early movies, so that is in the works.” Art by Jill Mulkey Other commissions she’s been working on involve religious themes taken from a statue of Mary and the baby Jesus , as well as her popular bikes. Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey She also works on layering in lyrics and parts of songs into her art. “I’ll start with the very first songs I remember as a kid and make art out of them. There’s [sic] so many eras of music that I love. … [I] could have a different theme forever. … [E]veryone loves to see their favorite songs in art and connect [with them].” Speaking of music, Mulkey talks of switching between listening to metal, 90s or Pop music when she paints, depending on her mood, and when she isn't listening to music, she works with a podcast rolling--either true crime or haunted stories, or "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend," "Jeff Lewis Has Issues," or "Smartless," to be exact. When she isn't painting and is indulging in some well earned chill-out time, she's probably on Netflix, Hulu, or Tubi. "My latest guilty pleasure has been the Netflix series 'You.' ... [And] for some reason, I've been hooked on 80s cult movies lately ... and Conan O'Brien," she adds with a laugh. When asked what about this world inspires her most to paint and create, she says she wants to be able to see the things visualized in her mind emerge into tangible form. That's the magic. "I'm also very into pop culture, and that is very influential on things that I paint," she adds, noting that her absolute favorite mediums to work with are charcoal and acrylic, but she also loves spray paint and enjoys experimenting with all mediums. Mulkey currently is focused on completing her commissioned pieces, as well as her zodiac collection, and she says she's also looking forward to working with local Baton Rouge gallery owner Mark Nikoff , who is planning future art openings starting in March 2023 . It's no doubt her arsenal is full of an expansive variety of creations on a multitude of subjects with a myriad of focused perspectives and messages, but if you ask her what her favorite thing in the whole world to paint is, she'll smile and tell you it's her faces, which are nothing short of worthy of your admiration and exploration. So, just for you, art lovers, I leave you with a mini gallery of some faces and other selections from her digital portfolio I found interesting. Enjoy, my friends. Be sure to find, follow, and support Jill Mulkey Art online to stay plugged into her latest pieces, any current and upcoming shows, and updates to any of her unique collections. https://www.facebook.com/JILLMULKEYART https://www.instagram.com/jillmulkeyart/ *Images courtesy of Jill Mulkey Art Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey Art by Jill Mulkey www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90s flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Questions or comments? Hit us up at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

Stone Deep < Back The OG’s of Rap and Rock Fusion are Back Nicole Brice Jan 11, 2023 Share Stone Deep The late 80s/early 90s was a time when many types of music fused to form new genres. During this time frame, rap music started joining forces with rock to create a new sound—a unique sound, one which had never been heard before. Many consider the merging of RUN-DMC with Aerosmith as the kick-off to it all, but little do people know, there was another band paving the way for this new sound in the early 90s and although they are lesser known, they truly are the OGs of Rap/Rock . Stone Deep was formed in 1992 as a reincarnation of The Hard Corps in Music City USA (Nashville, Tennessee) , the mecca of country music . The Hard Corps rose to national prominence in 1990/1991 with their debut release produced by RUN DMC ’s very own, Jam Master Jay , and they even had the honor of sharing the stage with Ice-T and Body Count as part of their national tour in support of the album, Body Count . The group’s momentum died, though, after their booking agency, label, and management folded overnight and so, in late 1992 , the group’s core members formed what was to become Nashville and later Stone Deep . Photo provided by artist In 1993 , the band began assembling their five-song demo , which was distributed to press outlets, venues, and labels. They also sold it at live performances to fans. With songs such as ' Faces of Death ,' ' Finger to the 40 ,' ' Running Man ,' ' Stop Squawkin ’, and my favorite, ' Whoville ' , they solidified their sound and proved they truly were innovators in the genre of Rap/Rock . After many years of being on hiatus, Stone Deep has re-emerged as of 2022 and are looking to take back their crown as the OGs of the Rap/Rock game , and their sound proves to be unmistakable and full of flavor for your ears. Photo provided by artist I recently reached out to them after discovering their music on Instagram , which if I haven’t said it before, is an excellent space to search for and discover new bands and artists . I had luck and made the acquaintance of guitarist Glen Cummings and vocalist Ronzo “The beast” Cartwright , which turned into an incredibly enjoyable chat and interview. If you haven’t checked out Stone Deep ’s music, it’s a must-do, right after you read this interview. I insist. MaM : Let me just start this by saying that you guys have an incredible story—one that needs to be told, and thank God for Instagram because when I discovered your music, I was like, “Where has this band been all my life?”. You guys truly are the OGs of Rap/Rock. RC : Right! We truly are, but that’s the thing: All the beginners in these genres sort of get pushed under, then the pop versions come out and usually get the recognition and all the attention. MaM : Yes, I can agree with that. I am so impressed with everything you all have accomplished, and the fact that The Hard Corps were signed to Interscope just blew me away, not to mention you had Jam Master Jay producing your debut album, and that is iconic. I wanted to get a little bit of background on that. I want to know your story. RC : Well, it’s a combination of stories, because the first band I was in, The Hard Corps , grew into Stone Deep after merging with Glen Cummings , who was in another band called Scatterbrain , which was a punk/thrash metal band [with] releases out in the U.S. and in Europe. In fact, they had a video out for the song, ' Don’t Call Me Dude ,' which was pretty big. It was combination of all those bands that begat Stone Deep . 'Hard Corps' by The Hard Corps 'Don't Call Me Dude' by Scatterbrain MaM : Your debut album in 1993 was Nashville , correct? Tell me a little more about that and any subsequent releases, as well as what all was going on around that time. RC : Well, first with the Hard Corps on Interscope in 1991 , we were really building momentum, and [the] big story about that [is] we went out and had Jam Master Jay as our producer, and we actually co-headlined Ice-T’s Body Count tour . … We went out with some other bands such as Primus , Fishbone , and 24-7 Spyz , and we were one of the first hybrid bands wh[o] could play with 3rd Bass and the Geto Boys . [W]e actually opened up for the Geto Boys . I’d been honing my craft for quite some time and so we had that going, and the industry spent a good bit on us. 'Gangs and the Govt' by Stone Deep There is … a difference between a record budget and a record fund , which people don’t realize. You can get a record fund, and they’ll spend all the money from the first record , and if they feel like they want to keep going, they’ll absorb the money from the second record, and if it don’t [sic] hit, they’ll just move on, but you end up spending the money for both of your records already. That’s what happened with Hard Corps . See, with The Hard Corps , Glen was coming down off Scatterbrain and they had been doing pretty good, but he heard about us in New York and came down after hearing a cassette of our music, which we sent him; he learned it in his car driving down from New York to Nashville . He played the first gig with us without practice. Glen is, literally, a genius. 'Anger' by Stone Deep [F]rom that time on, we gathered a couple of other people. Dave Howard is our drummer. He’s a progressive rock drummer, but it fits with us because he’s half Puerto Rican and can connect to the grooves and get heavy when we need to get heavy. Our bass player, Tim Brooks , [is] from a reggae band called Freedom of Expression . He has a lot of reggae chops, but what we all have in common is the rock part. I’ve grown up on rock, basically, since I was a kid and all other types of music. We all blend[ed] together and have been making music ever since. In 1996 , as Stone Deep , we [won] an award for one of the best unsigned bands in America by the NARAS foundation (i.e., the Grammys ), and we were one of the only bands to beat a New York band for that in New York in anything. That was pretty massive there, then we [won] a Nashville music award here, too, for best unsigned band that year. Photo provided by artist MaM : And why are you guys NOT famous? RC : Exactly. And this is a ridiculous story, but there was a millionaire that lived here in Nashville [who] wanted some bands to play for some underprivileged kids. [H]e started asking all over and since he had money, people were telling him, ‘I’ll do it for $5,000,’ [just] to get money off him. [W]e were like, ‘It’s kids?’ and he was like, ‘Yeah,’ so I told him, ‘Bring the kids up to our studio, and we’ll play for them.” So, we played for them and modified our songs up to incorporate the kids, and I did a little freestyle and stuff. The guy was really appreciative, and he started asking questions about us, about our demo and stuff, and he felt like he needed to help us, so he gave us some money. At first, he was like, ‘I’ll give you $20,000 or something,’ and his best friend was there and [said], ‘No one builds anything off of $20,000. You’ve got a shit-ton of money. You’ve gotta do something.’ [S]o, long story short, he comes up with $100,000, no [real] strings [attached other than playing] for his kids once a year. No payback. Nothing. No publishing. Nothing … but guess what happened then? MaM : What happened? RC : The manager stole our money. MaM : Wow, story of my life. You hear that stuff happening all the time. RC : It’s the same music story of all time that happens all the time. You remember when people were doing the smaller versions of Bonnaroo ? Well, he was trying to do one of those and stuck our money into that [to] flip it, and it tanked … and our money tanked with it. [H]e never asked permission to do it and then he just disappeared. Photo credit: Facebook MaM : Wow, man. That sucks. RC : That deflated everything for a while, so everyone just went about their business after that. [W]e’re brothers, so we always stayed, you know, connected. [A]nd then, just a little while back, I was talking to Glen and he said, ‘You know, I was listening to our music and what we were saying then needs to be said now, because kids these days don’t say anything.’ Like, the labels have got[sic] everyone to where they just encourage you to be only gangsta or weird, and you can’t really say anything. MaM : Yeah, everything is prefabricated, and that’s what I hate about the music industry these days. That’s why I started this magazine with Keeley. We want to focus on the real talent out there. RC : Nice. We started getting [our groove] back and putting some of [our music] back online, and we started finding people, like you, who are saying, ‘[H]ey! Where has this been? This is what we need right now.” MaM : It’s true. RC : It’s been great. Like, everything has its own time, and the universe works in a certain way , ya know? [E]ven though it might not have been your time then, it might be your time now. Lately, I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night to write down songs, because the energy being produced by me and us doing our songs has been inspirational. People think you can learn to be an artist, but it is a gift. You either have it or you don’t. You can prefabricate it in a studio, like you can have someone throw something together just to make you something, but artist “artists” are just energy driven from the universe. Photo provided by artist MaM : I completely agree with that. As I’ve been listening to your music—and I’m sure you’ve gotten this comparison before--it reminds me of when Anthrax teamed up with Public Enemy , only better because that was only temporary; your music is not. You guys are the real deal … the true OGs of Rap/Rock. RC : Yeah, if you put the time into everything, it really comes together. [S]ee, when we came out, there were no Limp Bizkits and there was no Kid Rock , but Kid Rock was around; he just wasn’t really doing what we were doing, and it’s not fused the way ours is. Ours is natural, organic. Like with me, I’m a rocker who raps; see what I’m saying? MaM : I miss that type of rap and that type of flow, and I miss the lyrics that have meaning. Like, I listen to all types of music, but I’m big on lyrics and if you look in my music collection, you’ll see all the hip-hop and rap I have is from late 1980s to mid-90s, and then I stopped listening to it. I couldn’t listen to it anymore. I don’t want to listen to you talking about putting jewels in your watch; like, where’s the meaning in that? And to this day, and I listen to them daily, my fave hip-hop group is A Tribe Called Quest . I miss groups like that … and Instagram, to be honest, is the best way to discover new artists like that. RC : Yeah, it really is. Instagram has been great and to be honest, our following has definitely grown because of it. People just checking out tidbits and that type of thing. We actually got [contacted by] a guy [who] does these weird videos. [H]e does [them] for Rob Zombie and he’s making these little shorts of some of our songs. Then we have this one Japanese guy who is making Japanese versions of our t-shirts, and it’s just a lot of stuff that people vibe with and are getting into it. MaM : I saw that you guys have some re-mastered recordings of the albums you dropped in the 90s. You did that through a record store day release recently, right? RC : We actually are connected to a lot of big mixing and studio guys, just by virtue. Shawn Franklin is one of them and he does stuff with Public Enemy . They just started mixing and started getting it up to date to put it out bigger and bolder, and we’ve been pretty blessed on that end. MaM : If someone wants to purchase your music, is Bandcamp the only way, or is there another way? RC : Right now, only on Bandcamp . We’re going to go through all the iterations of music, and we are going to put out CD’s and then more digital releases and then finally vinyl albums. It’s going to come out on all platforms. Right now, we’re trying to generate interest and we want to get a following of like-minded people, ‘cause [sic] there are millions of us and that’s the thing with Instagram and places like that: It connects a lot of countries together as opposed to your local neighborhood or a couple of states in America . You can get everybody involved. Everybody who likes what you do. We’re still looking for some good solid platforms to release on. MaM : Well, I look forward to seeing everything you guys have coming out and I want to say that the animated videos on Instagram are awesome. Can you tell me a little more about how you hooked up with the guy behind those? RC : Glen found him; he’s located in Hungary . His name is Balázs Gróf . He listened to our music and offered to do a couple of snippets. He’s an award-winning music videographer, cartoonist, and animator . He’s done stuff for Rob Zombie , Amon Amarth , Obituary , Testament , William Shatner , and Red Fang , and now us. We told him to do it your way, and we want people to express us as they hear us. 'Stop Squawkin' by Stone Deep MaM : Ok, so I think I have one last question for you guys. Where do you see yourself headed in the future with the current trajectory? RC : I see us doing independent releases, some strong indie releases, and doing some touring. I’m really interested in doing some European festivals and stuff, and we’re at a good position in our lives where we can pick and choose what we want to do, which is good, but I’m personally interested to see how many of “us” there are out there. Does that make sense? I want to reach the maximum amount of people that enjoy what we do and understand the messages that we put out. To experience Stone Deep’s music and to show them some love, visit them online at: Facebook : Stone Deep, Nashville | Nashville TN | Facebook Instagram : Stone Deep (@stone_deep_nashville) • Instagram photos and videos Bandcamp : Nashville (EP) | Stone Deep (bandcamp.com) YouTube : Stone Deep - YouTube www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90s flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Questions or comments? Hit us up at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

Jimmy Speed's music is a unique blend of fast, hard, and heavy rock. < Back Off the Charts: Jimmy Speed Bud Gambrell May 22, 2024 Share Jimmy Speed's music is a unique blend of fast, hard, and heavy rock. Hello all! Welcome back to Off the Charts! I’m glad you’re here! I’m a bit excited to turn you on to this next band. Jimmy Speed is a local band I’ve heard of but have yet to see live. I assure you that will change! I may have heard the name from bands that played at a former location in Huntsville called Sidetracks Music Hall . If you’ve never heard of Sidetracks, I wrote a book about it, but we are not here to discuss that. Let’s start this article a little differently. I want to wet your pallet just a bit with one of the band’s videos. Please turn this up before continuing to read this interview. See below. Jimmy Speed comprises various musicians from the Huntsville area in Alabama. It had its humble beginnings in founding member/lead singer Lyle Douglass’s bedroom. I got invited to a band practice recently, where I had some time with Lyle before the band introduced me to their new song, Paradise , where I was able to ask Lyle for a little history of Jimmy Speed's origins. Click the picture to experience Jimmy Speed's music. OTC : How did you come up with the band name Jimmy Speed? LD : Jimmy Speed started in my bedroom. I'm writing songs because that's always been my passion. I've been a songwriter since I was a teenager at home. And so, Jimmy Speed was sort of the name I gave myself just for my own released music because I didn't want to release a Hard Rock album called Lyle Douglas. And so, I thought, I need to come up with a rock'n'roll name. My first name is James, so I thought, well, Jimmy works perfectly. I had to come up with a stylish last name, so I thought Speed worked because some of the music I wrote at the time was fast, hard, and heavy. So that's how that name originated. Our music is a unique blend of fast, hard, and heavy rock, a style that we've honed over the years and that sets us apart from other bands in the area. Credit: Facebook OTC : What year did the band form, and how did you get to the lineup of musicians you have today? LD : In 2015, I joined forces with Mono Stereo, a local cover band formed by guys from Blackeyedsusan and Dragmatic. Chris was in Dragmatic , Donnie Pylant, and Jay were in Blackeyedsusan, and then their bass player Glenn was the bass player for Brother Cane . He's back with them playing again. They brought me in to be their lead singer and rhythm guitar player. That's how I met Chris. And then, in 2016, my brother passed away. I had a bunch of songs written, some of them dedicated to him. I asked Glenn and my friends Brian and Chris, hey, do you mind just getting together and doing a one-time gig of original music at the Sportspage ? It was just kind of a one-off thing. And so that's how it started. It was just an original gig that we did, and after that show, the guys said, it's cool. Let's continue doing some of these songs, and that's when it originated. I guess that was around 2017 when Jimmy Speed first formed with the lineup of Brian, Chris, and Glenn Maxey. But then, when the pandemic hit in 2020, Glenn had a tough year and had to step away from the band. At that moment, like many other bands in 2020, we had to ask ourselves, what will we do? Are we going to keep doing this? Brian, Chris, and I decided, yeah, we want to. We're still passionate about this. So, we kept writing songs. We went back to the studio. We kicked around some bass players like Mike Staten from Tres Locos and Michael Cline from 5ive O’clock Charlie . They stepped in and helped us out for about a year or two. We've known Gary for 25 years. On a whim, we just said, hey, man, we're interested in you playing bass for us. The other guys are busy. Not that Gary wasn't busy, but he said I'm interested. And so, it looks like, hopefully, I crossed my fingers. He's going to be a permanent guy. Credit: Bud Gambrell OTC : What are your biggest influences when you're making music? LD : I am admittedly a product of the 1980s MTV generation. My riff writing is very percussive, so it's very Metallica-ish. Some of it is Megadeth-ish. But I also like Weezer-esk hooks. Chris is probably more of a 90s guy himself. And so, we bring out our inner Motley Crue, Weezer, and Metallica when possible. OTC : How would you describe the music that you create? LD : I try not to get too fancy with genres. I know there are so many subgenres of rock. To me, it just gets silly. I've always categorized this, just as you know, as heavy rock, heavy rock with elements of soft rock and elements of metal. Let’s pause for a few minutes and check out another song! OTC : Talk to me about your approach to writing new material. Is it a collective effort, or do you do the writing and bring it to the band? LD : It typically starts with me at home doodling because that's just what I do. It's just kind of my passion. I can't help myself. I've always done it since I was a teenager. So, it usually starts on the guitar. I'll come up with something, some hook on the guitar. I will hear some vocal lines without any words. Something like that will come across my mind as I'm playing. I think, OK, those are the syllables I need. I need to come up with some words to fit, and sometimes, it's a random line like in one of our brand-new songs, Paradise. I'm playing the riff, and the line spontaneously came as “I'd Walked 1,000,000 Miles on a One-Way Road”, and I had to stop and go, OK, who's on a one-way road? Who's walked 1,000,000 miles? What is that story about? And so it could be a spontaneous lyrical line that comes to mind. And so, you write a song based on an idea. Credit: Bud Gambrell OTC : We talked last week, and you were in the studio? I'm guessing that means we've got new material coming out. Tell me about that. When? LD : It's probably going to be released later this year. We're now working with engineer Ben Holloway at Five Points Recording Studio. We've worked with Justin Miller down there. He's the owner. Head engineer. He did our last album, Weight of the World. But he's got a new engineer working night and night just from a scheduling standpoint, which works better for us. So, Ben is doing all the rough recording right now. We've got drums, all the main lyrics, and my guitar, but we still need to play lead guitar, bass, and some backup vocals. It's a slow process, so we chip away at it when possible. We don't have a regular scheduled time over there, but like I said, it will probably be released later this year. Credit: Bud Gambrell OTC : How do the people reading right now find your music? LD : In today's world, most people stream, so you must ensure your music's out on all streaming platforms. I've done that. Social media is such a circus, but at least it gives you the tools for reaching thousands of people at a very low cost. I've done sponsored ads, and we've got videos on Facebook with 10s of thousands of views. 20-30 years ago, I know the dream of all musicians was to get signed, and that's still great if you have corporate sponsorship and that corporate push, but social media at least gives small artists the tools to do it kind of themselves. But now, people must search for us on their favorite streaming service, Jimmy Speed. OTC : All right, one last question. If you could open a show for any artist, who would it be and why? LD : You know, I think that I've compared our music most closely with Volbeat. Love or hate them, Volbeat is hugely popular, and its music is heavy but melodic. They've got a lot of melodic hooks. Their singer is not necessarily a screamer, and that's always what I've gone for. They have a heavy sound but a lot of hooks, so that would be my dream. I didn’t come up with that last question; my editor/publisher, Nicole , did. Thanks, Nicole! That was a great question! I liked it so much that I asked the other three band members the same question to see the variety of answers I might get. First, I asked bass player Gary Fullerton. Credit: Facebook OTC : If you could open a show for any artist, who would it be and why? GF : My first choice would be Iron Maiden. Steve Harris greatly influenced me back when I was a kid. My second choice would be The Warning. Those girls from Mexico are kicking ass! Next, I turn to guitarist Chris Robinson. Although I had already asked the question twice, the guys took their time and thought about the answer. OTC : If you could open a show for any artist, who would it be and why? CR : Oh my gosh, that's a great one. Oh, man. Oh my gosh, you stumped me. I was thinking Avenged Sevenfold, but I was like, am I that good? It would have been Mötley Crüe or Guns N’ Roses when I was ten. You know, next level. One last band member. I asked drummer Brian Miller the same question and got a very eclectic answer. OTC : If you could open a show for any artist, who would it be and why? BM : Man, is that like a current existing band or any band? OTC : It can be any band. BM : Man. I would open for The Doors. Absolutely! Because I want to meet and talk to Jim Morrison. It's as simple as that. It's like a lifelong ambition stolen from me at age two. What can I say? Credit: Bud Gambrell I’m going to have to take my advice on this band. Don’t snooze on Jimmy Speed! Unfortunately for me, I have yet to see them play live. Yet! I was fortunate enough to sit in on a band practice and could tell this band is meant to be seen live! Keep an eye out for upcoming dates. With new music coming out, that can only mean one thing. New show announcements! Follow Jimmy Speed at the links below. Drop by and buy some new tunes. Watch the music and keep up with the band news. Be sure to drop by and send me an email. Let me know if you have a good recommendation for a band out there that is killing it. Or you can drop me a line and say hello. Until next time, Keep your diamond down in the groove! Where to find Jimmy Speed: www.facebook.com Log in or sign up to view See posts, photos and more on Facebook. music.youtube.com YouTube Music Where to find Bud : Email : the_budgambrell@mixedaltmag.com Amazon : https://a.co/d/1CLA9Tz bgambrellphotography.com Bud Gambrell Photography Bud Gambrell Photography is a locally owned and operated photography business in North Alabama. Call or email us today for an appointment. www.facebook.com Log in or sign up to view See posts, photos and more on Facebook. Questions or comments? Reach out to mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

Musical Gumbo Master Continues with Spring Forward Tour and a New Album < Back Off the Charts: Otis Walker Bud Gambrell Mar 25, 2025 Share Musical Gumbo Master Continues with Spring Forward Tour and a New Album The making of this article goes back a few months. I first spoke with Otis Walker in November 2024. Otis had a new album release coming up, and my plans were to be there. Well, as sometimes happens, life steps in and changes your plans. Our original interview was set to be at the album release party on November 29, 2024, the day after Thanksgiving. The morning of the party, I woke up with a flare-up of vertigo . There go those plans. Fast-forward to March 17, 2025, where I received a message from Otis, “I would like to personally invite you to our show this Saturday night.” I had been attempting to fill up my schedule for the spring and summer, but it so happens that my Saturday night was open. So, my reply was, “I am going to see about taking you up on this invite. Thank you!” Saturday Night’s show was to be held at Tangled Strings Studio in Huntsville . I was familiar with the venue by name only. I have seen the shop, but since they specialize in custom guitars , I have never stopped by. Lo and behold, it is a concert venue, too! I am unsure of how I missed out on that news. This is a very special place for live music. It is not too large or too small. It is just right for a songwriter/storyteller-type event. I tell you all that to set the table, as they say, so you can get a better visual for the space. Saturday March 22, 2025 As I walked into Tangled Strings Studio , the first person I met was Lisa Chang . She was up front selling tickets. Lisa is also a local musician with a fantastic voice. Otis and Lisa did a vocal duo during Otis’ set. I had never seen either of them perform, so I was mind-blown! Credit: Bud Gambrell The second person I ran into was Otis himself. Sometimes, it’s odd how these things work out. Otis and I began conversing as if we’d known each other for a while. We had just met for the first time. It’s always a bit of a concern with me that an interview will be stale due to no chemistry within the interview. That was not to be a worry tonight. Credit: Bud Gambrell We quickly realized common ground while talking about the band and stage set-up for the night. Otis added Kim Coffey to the percussion to add that extra beat. At almost the same time, we said, “similar to The Allman Brothers ” dual drummers. Otis told me that they are his favorite band. Mine too! Kim’s husband Donnie Cox is also in the band playing lead guitar. The pair also play in another band I worked with a few months ago. The band is rounded out by Richard Best on drums and Otis’ son Eli Brown on bass . Many moons ago, I worked with Richard , so the band was no stranger to me. Local songwriter Brett Carlisle opened the show. You will meet Brett and read more about him in an upcoming Off the Charts article. Our second band of the night was The Silver Silos , led by Taylor Burton . The Silver Silos are Taylor on guitar , Jacob Greene on bass , and his brother Brad Greene on saxophone and lap steel . Taylor is a friend of mine, and it is always a pleasure to have a conversation with him and hear his songs. The following is part of our conversation. For time and space purposes, I cannot include the entire conversation. Our conversation seemed very open-ended and long-winded. OTC : Otis, it is great to see you! It's nice to meet you finally! OW : Thanks for having me, man! OTC : We were first supposed to meet in November at the album release party. I'm sorry I couldn’t make it. So, tell me how the new album is doing. OW : It's our first time ever doing an album, so, you know, I have no metrics to measure against another album, but the first release did all right. The second single has had over forty streams in less than a month on Spotify . So, I mean, I think that's pretty remarkable. Hardly any of the streams are from my hometown, which is funny. We got lucky to get on a playlist and move forward. This is funny because the album's name is ' Forward ', so that's what we're doing. We're just trying to keep one foot in front of the other. OTC : Where can we find this new album? OW : You can go on the website at otiswalkerband.com . We've got the full album up for sale there. We're releasing one single every six weeks out to the wild. If you want the entire album, you can go to the website and you can purchase it there. Click picture to purchase OTC : Where did you find inspiration to write this new album's songs? OW : Well, you know you're going to find that you came to the right show tonight because we're doing the storytellers type show. I will tell you different stories about the different songs tonight. But, you know, I get a lot of different inspirations. Sometimes, it's a personal experience. Sometimes, I hear a lyric from another song that sends me in another direction. And you know, I feel like I'm an old bird now. I’m in my late 40s now. When I first started songwriting, it all had to be about something I felt. And now, I like to stew on it and get a story. So, in my older years, it's more story based. OTC : We will stop talking about how old we are at this point in the interview. (laughter) OTC : Did you write the songs on the new album, or did you have any interesting collaborations? OW : Out of the ten songs, one song was co-written by a buddy from college. The other nine songs were 100% mine, and then as far as the way that we did in the studio, you know, we all sat down at Clear Wave Studio and came up with how we wanted to produce the songs. They were all 100% mine, minus ' Southern Twist '. OTC : Do you have any future plans for any collaborations? OW : I've talked with a few guys. Taylor Burton and me, who we're playing the show with tonight. We've talked about that. We're gonna get together. I have also talked to Brett Carlisle , who's opening up tonight. He is a young songwriter, and we're also looking at it. My life hero is Barry Billings ; he's a great songwriter. Hopefully, we'll get to sit down and write a song together one day. OTC : As spring and summer are here, you've got new show dates. Do you have any particular dates or venues that you're looking forward to playing? OW : Well, tonight is! Here in Huntsville is our ticketed advance show. We're playing many shows where I’m solo and with the whole band. I love coming out and playing at a Tangled String Studio show where we get to have such an intimate chance to be with the audience because you're four feet from the first row. I love that! Credit: Bud Gambrell OTC : Do you have any goals for 2025? OW : Man, I would love to get to the part where we become a regional act . That is my goal! My dream is to be able to start playing some festivals and take out on the road what we're doing here in Huntsville and take it out to the people not here. The Huntsville music scene is intense. We could take it out to the rest of the southeast. OTC : What got you into music? OW : Well, I'm going to tell that story tonight. When I was growing up, we had a Ford Falcon , and it had a tape deck in it, and in that tape deck, there was a Roger Miller tape. I heard a song from Roger Miller and all those stories he tells. Man, it just lit a fire under me. Now, the other side of it is that my uncle, Bo Jack Killingsworth , is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame , and so growing up with him, I got to see people and be around people that not everyone would get to be around and experience. My uncle is my hero. Roger Miller lit the flame, and going to see Uncle Bo at a show. I thought he walked on water. OTC : So, Roger Miller lit the flame, and Uncle Bo fanned that flame? OW : He sure did! OTC : Are there any past or present instructors that you look up to, and what qualities do they have that you admire? OW : I went to college and got a degree. But while in college, I got to play with the Iguana Party , which had Barry Billings , Danny Kirsch , and Joey Flippen . Those three men were my age now, and I was in college. They taught me everything I know about music. From how to roll up a cord to knowing the right song to play at the right time and how to play with dynamics. I mean, all those boys are my heroes. No guitar player can outdo Barry Billings . I'm sorry. I know some great players are around, but Barry hung the moon! OTC : What's the best piece of advice another musician ever gave you? OW : (laughs) That's a great question! I think that I was told once that I can't play everything in the first song. I get very emotional. One of my band mentors told me I had to leave something for the third set. When I first got up there, I just started trying to play everything simultaneously. OTC : What is it about music that makes you so emotional and feel passionate? OW : Man, you hear that bass drum, and then you hear that snare, and that's my heartbeat! And then my emotions kick in as soon as I hear the drums, and the passion comes out! Because I get to do something that is very much, honestly, my drug! I mean. I love music! It's not about money. It's not about fame. It is as if there's none of that. I'm still playing music in my basement on a Saturday night because I cannot live without getting the music out of me! The recommendation from this music lover to the music lover reading this is to get to an Otis Walker show if you are in the North Alabama area. Otis Walker 's music, a unique blend of styles, is something you won't want to miss. You will want to grab the LP or CD from the merch table while you are there, too. I know you will want to hear the songs repeatedly because the album is good but hearing them live is even better! For those not in the North Alabama area, let’s all hope that Otis Walker becomes a regional touring band so you will also get the chance to experience him live. One way that you can help make that happen is to support local original music in your scene wherever you may be. Show up for shows and let these musicians know you appreciate what they are doing. Until next time, Keep your diamond down in the groove! Where to find Bud: Email: the_budgambrell@mixedaltmag.com Website: https://bgambrellphotography.com Amazon: https://a.co/d/1CLA9Tzk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bud.gambrell My new book: Bud Gambrell Photography by Bud Gambrell | Blurb Books Where to find Otis Walker: Website: https://otiswalkerband.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OtisWalkerBand Facebook: Facebook Instagram: Otis Walker Band (@otiswalkerband) • Instagram photos and videos Soundcloud: Stream The Otis Walker Band music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud ‎ Apple Music: Otis Walker Band - Apple Music Where to find Tangled Strings Studio: Website: Tangled String Studios Facebook: Facebook Instagram: Tangled String Studios (@tangledstringstudios) • Instagram photos and videos *all photos by Bud Gambrell www.bgambrellphotography.com Bud Gambrell Photography Bud Gambrell Photography is a locally owned and operated photography business in North Alabama. Call or email us today for an appointment. www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90s flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Got something for Bud to check out? Reach him at the_budgambrell@mixedaltmag.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

Huntsville’s International Musical Youth Movement Invades the Camp < Back Off The Charts: How Today’s Youth Are Reviving Rock Music Bud Gambrell Oct 21, 2024 Share Huntsville’s International Musical Youth Movement Invades the Camp When I first had the idea for this article, I didn’t realize how much fun it would be. The idea came to me as I was watching a podcast . This podcast is a favorite in Huntsville as it showcases local talent, much like the article you are reading now. Pickletato is the name of the podcast. Don’t ask me about the name. Ask founder and interviewer Bill Neal . Bill and I first met in August at The Alabama Smoke Show . I hope you read my article on The Smoke Show in the August edition. Pickletato was also in attendance. On September 15th, Pickletato released an edition featuring this guitarist, who happened to be 13 years old, you read that right, 13! As I watched the podcast, I felt the urge to know more about this young phenom, Carson Merritt . See the entire Pickletato podcast here : Since Bill had a connection with Carson’s parents, I reached out to see if he could arrange an introduction. Shortly after I asked, I received the phone number of Carson’s father Rod . I put in a call to Rod Merritt . We had an outstanding conversation. Within this conversation, I saw the layers of this story start to unfold. The main headline is that we are talking about a barely 13-year-old guitar player. He doesn’t just play guitar. He is good! In my opinion, he plays way beyond his years. Credit: Bud Gambrell The next layer of the story showed itself as an exchange student from Germany. It just so happens that Henri Schröder also plays guitar—and he is also very good! What are the chances? I then learned that Carson takes lessons from Preston Black . I have heard of Preston for several years. His reputation precedes him. Preston is also an excellent guitar player. By excellent, I mean EXCELLENT ! Ok, now I’ve got enough to go with to write a story. Then, I discovered Carson would play live with Preston ’s band Buck’d Up on Saturday, October 12th . Not only was Carson joining Buck’d Up on stage, but so was Henri ! You don’t have to ask me twice to have a good time! Credit: Bud Gambrell I arrived at The Camp around 5 pm. I will call it 5ish because when you work in this environment, you must be used to “musician time.” Walking up to the stage area, I had to decide who to talk to first. Again, there are a few layers to this story. In the natural order of things, I decided to talk to my good friend Bill Neal from the podcast Pickletato . He had previously interviewed Carson and was somewhat familiar with the talent on hand. OTC : Bill, I must credit you because if it hadn't been for Pickletato , I'd never have heard of Carson. Tell me how it came to be that Carson was on your podcast. Bill : I had Buck’d Up on the podcast, and they talked about Carson , and this kid is amazing. So, after that podcast, I went and watched videos of him. I was like, man, I got to get this kid on my podcast. I asked Preston if he could reach out to his parents to see if I could have him on Pickletato and Preston asked if I could wait a little bit because he didn't want to have one of his students above the other. So, I waited a few months and contacted his dad personally instead of asking Preston . I didn’t want to put him out since I consider him a good friend. That was one of our first live performances on one of our podcasts. We've always wanted to do it. We didn't have the equipment and everything ready at the time to have bands on there, so Carson agreed to do a little live performance there. He was fanatic about it. I mean, he was so excited! It was the first podcast that he's ever done. He was super excited, and it made us feel good that he was excited to do it! Credit: Bud Gambrell OTC : What is your impression of Carson? Bill : He's well above anybody I've seen at that age, and you know we're talking, he just turned 13, so he's been this good for a couple of years. I asked him how he got so good as a raw talent. He said, ‘Well, I'll spend 6 hours on 30 seconds of a song.’ He's just in it! Credit: Bud Gambrell As I talked to Bill , I noticed a man standing near the stage with a big smile after sound check. We spoke on the phone but haven’t met yet. I know a proud parent when I see one. This had to be Rod Merritt , Carson’s dad. As I approached Rod , it was as if we had met before. We exchanged greetings, and then I had questions about his son Carson . OTC : Tell me your story of Carson’s guitar-playing journey. Rod : It kind of just started randomly, watching it. We watched a show, and he said, 'Man, I like this music.' And so, he decided to pick up a guitar. We figured it was going to be a phase. We realized within a few months that it wasn’t a phase. He took it seriously. He taught himself for the first eight months, and then after about eight months, we're like, ok, this kid potentially has something, and he's taking it to where it is now. OTC : How long has Carson been playing the guitar? Rod : Two and a half years! OTC : Is that in people years or dog years? (laughs) Rod : (laughs) No, people years. It's been a short amount of time, and you know you must have some natural talent. I know I'm biased in saying that because it's my son. But at the same time, I mean, he does have a natural talent for it. He also has a work ethic, and he's very fortunate that he's been surrounded by the guys who are Buck’d Up or even his first guitar teacher, Pat Bryant . He is a U.S. Navy veteran, and was in the Navy's band for over 20 years. Carson has been surrounded by good musicians and people who lift him and encourage him. I think it's brought him up several levels, and he's had a passion for it. Credit: Bud Gambrell OTC : I’m sure that you took him. What was Carson’s first concert? Rod : It was just this year. We went to see Metallica in September up in Chicago . So yeah, he got to see the mighty Metallica . It was Metallica , Ice Nine Kills , and Five Finger Death Punch . And he loved it! And then, just a couple of weeks ago, we went to see Megadeth and Mudvayne up in Nashville . So, he's gotten to see big shows. Earlier in this article, I mentioned that the Merritts are hosting an exchange student from Germany. What are the chances that a family with a son who is a guitar wiz is hosting an exchange student who is also a guitar wiz? Henri Schröder is an exchange student. I pulled him aside after sound check to have a conversation. Before I get into the questions, I will say that Henri was such a wonderful young man. Just picture him smiling while you’re reading his responses. Credit: Bud Gambrell OTC : Henri, how long have you been playing guitar? Henri : I've been playing the guitar for eight years, but I started playing the guitar passionately about four years ago. Before, it was more noodling around. OTC : What made you want to be a guitarist? Henri : Since I was young, I have wanted to play the drums, and my parents always tell me, oh, that's too big. And then I looked for the next instrument in my coolest instrumentalist, and it was the guitar. So I started playing guitar. It's just an amazing instrument, which is not easy to play. OTC : How did you happen to be an exchange student in a household with a family member who played guitar? Henri : That was not a coincidence. I wrote an application, and a few more months after I sent it to my agency, they told me that they had found a family that was also really interested in music and that their son was playing the guitar. And I was pleased about that. As soon as I got to know Carson , I knew I wanted to go to that family. That's how it happened. Credit: Bud Gambrell OTC : What is it about music that makes you feel passionate? Henri : Music can help you out in every situation. If you are sad or happy, you can always have music. Even if the times are not that good, music can help you out of that. That's what music has meant to me. OTC : I noticed during soundcheck that you and Carson have some chemistry while playing. Henri : Definitely! I’ve known Carson for two months and Preston for around two weeks. Both of them are very loving and just amazing people. It's like we are in our bubble and really like each other! Preston Black is the guitarist in the band Buck’d Up . He has played in the Huntsville area for many years and taught guitar for 21 years. The other members of Buck’d Up are Alex Mercieca , who is on bass and lead vocals, and drummer Rob Buck . This band gets my respect for being a badass power trio and for sharing the stage with these young men. Credit: Bud Gambrell OTC : Preston, at some point, Carson's dad brought in a prospective new student named Carson Merritt. What did you think when this student came in and sat down and played for the first time? Preston : Well, I was blown away! Because he was only 11 years old when he first started and was already good! He had already been playing for around a year, a year and a half, maybe two years, or something like that, but he was already good at that age, and it just blew me away! So we got him up on stage maybe six months ago, something like that after he first started lessons, and he blew everybody away! That was here at the camp also. I think he was, by that point, maybe 12 years old. He's a natural! Credit: Bud Gambrell OTC : This makes me think of the videos on YouTube of a young Derek Trucks at the age of 13 playing with the Allman Brothers . His playing was far advanced for his age. How is this even possible? Preston : It's amazing! I've been teaching full-time since 2003. It's weird to say, but in all those years, I've only had a handful of younger students who were naturals when it came to guitar. But Carson is the youngest, especially in lead guitar playing. All that stuff is natural for him, and he works hard! It's not just that he can naturally play. He works hard! As an instructor, I am more of a guide than anything else because he does all the work and figures out a lot of stuff on his own. So that in itself is impressive, especially for an 11-year-old! Now he's 13, but he's a very mature, brilliant kid. Credit: Bud Gambrell OTC : As a teacher, you've taught people of all skill levels. What does it mean as a teacher to have somebody so determined to practice like he does? It's like he is driven to play this guitar and improve. Preston : It makes my job easy. All I do is, you know, steer him one way or the other. I like to focus on the things that interest him because he will work the hardest on those things. Credit: Bud Gambrell OTC : Rob, as the drummer for the band, what were your thoughts when Preston presented the idea of having a 12-year-old play onstage with Buck’d Up? Rob : I'm all about it, man! I started playing when I was three, so I've been in this my whole life. To see fresh talent, good talent, and God-given talent come in, I couldn't ask for any better. Yeah, bring him home. Let's go! Credit: Bud Gambrell OTC : Alex, before you got to play with him, had you heard him play yet? Have you seen him play before? Alex : Preston had talked to me about it and told me how good he was, but then I was blown away when he got up there and started shredding away! He didn't miss a beat. It’s like we had practiced with him for months. But everything just fell into place. Perfect! My comparison between Carson and Derek Trucks wasn’t about their playing styles. These two have opposite playing styles. That comparison was regarding their age. It also had to do with their demeanor onstage. Both have excellent control over their emotions while playing. I asked Bill Neal if he had noticed that, too. OTC : Bill, you've seen Carson play before, and this kid's barely thirteen years old. What's your impression of his stage presence? He doesn't seem to be bothered by it at all. Bill : That's one of the things I asked him on the podcast. I asked him, 'I’ve seen you play up with Buck’d Up .' I'm like, 'You don't even seem fazed. Are you nervous at all?' 'Well. No, not really.' It doesn't make sense because I'm sure you're the same way. We picture ourselves at that age, and there's no way I would be able to do that. Maybe if I had the talent, but I've never been able to do anything like that, so he's well above anybody I've seen at that age. I enjoyed my time with Buck’d Up so much that I asked them a thought-provoking question to get a deeper look into who they are. OTC : If you could collaborate with one artist or band right now, who would it be? Preston : I’ve never thought about that. I guess it would be somebody like Steve Vai because I listened to his music yesterday. It had been a while since I had listened. I used to listen to it all the time when I was younger. I'm just blown away and amazed by how he composes. He's a good guitar player, but compared to his guitar playing, the composition of the music he writes is way more complicated and musical. He's a better composer than a guitar player, so I would like to pick his mind and brain and work with him. That would be fun! Rob : I already get to collaborate with some of the best dudes right here! But, if he were alive, I would say Dimebag Darrell of Pantera . I'd love to sit and play with him for a day. Alex : I'm going to take Rob’s approach to this answer. I’d love to collaborate with Victor Wooten , sit down with him, and learn some writing skills. In the past, I thought it would be really cool to sit down with Cliff Burton and get some things going with him, even during his years. He is better than what I was expecting to see. Credit: Bud Gambrell OTC : What first got you into music? Carson : So there was this show I watched called Cobra Kai , and one of the characters, Miguel , sets his ringtones to Round and Round by Ratt . I love the guitar on that song. So, I wanted to get a guitar to learn that, and then I expanded into different genres, and it's been enjoyable! OTC : What inspires you to pick up your guitar and practice? Carson : I want to be amazing and join a band someday. You know, I want to make it my career. If I practice, I can work further towards that. OTC : Do you enjoy practicing? Carson : Absolutely! Check out this video of Carson practicing here: www.facebook.com This was a bucket list solo for Carson. Two years and a half ago when he first started learning to play the guitar, we had no idea that at 13 years old... | By Angel | Facebook This was a bucket list solo for Carson. Two years and a half ago when he first started learning to play the guitar, we had no idea that at 13 years old... OTC : What do you enjoy about practicing and learning new things? Carson : It's just super fun! Honestly, it's beyond anything I can explain. You know, just that feeling of a pinch harmonic or a harmony. It’s just beautiful! It's just a beautiful instrument! OTC : What is the best piece of advice that another musician has given you? Carson : My guitar teacher, Preston , once taught me that you might have to work four hours for a three-second part of the song, and even though talent is a part of it, it's mostly work ethic. OTC : As a guitar player, you have a favorite guitarist. Who is your favorite guitarist? Carson : Kirk Hammett of Metallica . OTC : Shouldn’t your answer be Preston Black tonight? (laughs) Carson : (laughs) I didn’t know we were doing that. I also like Dan Sugarman of Ice Nine Kills . OTC : So, tonight you're playing with Buck’d Up , but could you get up there and play with any band right now? Who would you play with? Carson : Ice Nine Kills . They're my favorite band. OTC : What strengths do you think make you a great musician? Carson : Determination and work ethic. If that last answer is insufficient to blow you away, you haven’t been paying attention. Carson Merritt is barely 13 years old. When I was 13, I was unsure if I understood what those words meant. Carson not only has raw talent, but he also has the drive and determination that will carry him far. As I sign off this edition of Off the Charts, I will say one last thing. Rod and Kelly have done an outstanding job with this young man. Not only does he play guitar beyond his years, but he is also very polite and respectful. Those are a few qualities that I wish more people possessed these days. Until next time, Keep your diamond down in the groove! Where to find Bud: Email: the_budgambrell@mixedaltmag.com bgambrellphotography.com Bud Gambrell Photography Bud Gambrell Photography is a locally owned and operated photography business in North Alabama. Call or email us today for an appointment. Amazon: https://a.co/d/1CLA9Tz Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bud.gambrell Pickletato www.youtube.com Pickletato All the good names were taken https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn8DviNRyjlHA4AaxxmLs5Q?sub_confirmation=1 Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555703570599 Preston Black www.prestonblackguitar.net Home Facebook: www.facebook.com/BuckdUp Instagram: www.instagram.com/pressed_in_black/ YouTube: www.youtube.com Preston Black Instagram for Buck'd Up: www.instagram.com/buckdupband/ Alex Mercieca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amercieca78/?hl=en TikTok: Mercieca (@alexandermercieca) | TikTok Rob Buck Facebook: www.facebook.com/rob.buck.71 www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90's flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Questions or comments? Reach out to mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

The combination of riffs, vocals, lyrics, and rhythm creates a storm of energy that resonates throughout. < Back Music Reviews by Nick: Playing with Fire by Caustic Waves Nick Cline Jul 4, 2025 Share The combination of riffs, vocals, lyrics, and rhythm creates a storm of energy that resonates throughout. Caustic Waves is back with an exciting new track that promises to captivate your eardrums with a wave of dissonance, distortion, and raw emotion. Launched in 2022 by the sonic mastermind Neil Thomas , this Glasgow-based one-man band draws inspiration from the diverse rock landscapes of the 90s and early 2000s. With this unique blend of musical tastes, Caustic Waves offers something for everyone looking for a mix of Deftones , Incubus , and other legendary grunge artists. The latest single, ' Playing With Fire ,' continues to build upon this rich soundscape. Released July 4, 2025 From the very beginning, ‘ Playing With Fire ’ grabs your attention with an explosion of distorted guitars . Within seconds, the song erupts as the full instrumentation and vocals kick in. The combination of riffs, vocals, lyrics, and rhythm creates a storm of energy that resonates throughout the entire track. Maintaining listener engagement has become a challenge in today’s music industry, but Caustic Waves achieves this effortlessly. The guitar tones and riffs are unmistakably hook-oriented, offering a subtle nod to the great metalcore projects of the early 2000s while also incorporating high-energy alternative influences from the 90s. There are very few complaints regarding the bass and guitar performance, which showcases a steady sense of melody and electrifying energy, creating a powerful musical storm. Overall, the single features impressive guitar and bass work, with excellent use of tone, riffs, and melody. The official lyric video for 'Playing With Fire' by Caustic Waves The song's rhythm provides a solid foundation that interacts like a living, breathing entity. This dynamic is one of my favorite aspects of the track. Although the high energy can sometimes overshadow this intricate interplay, paying attention reveals an effortless flow from beginning to end, capturing the crackle of flames to the first note, all the way through to the final crash of the cymbals. The vocals and lyrics convey a deep sense of emotion and a hopeful rage. The melodies tie the energy together, reflecting an intertwining of rage and a sense of hopeful embrace. This complex idea is executed with both intention and ease, allowing for a smooth dichotomy alongside the instrumentation. All these elements combine to create a sonic palette that will appeal to a wide audience. If you're a fan of 90s and early 2000s alternative and hard rock, you've found a new artist and track to add to your playlist. Caustic Waves delivers another standout single that connects seamlessly with their previous work. ' Playing With Fire ' is out now on all streaming platforms, so go enjoy! For more information about Caustic Waves: CAUSTIC WAVES | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok | Linktree www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90s flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Nick Cline is the powerhouse behind the Louisiana-based band, Phantum Sun , and loves checking out new music. Got something you think he'd like? Email us at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

Gino V’s unique ability to infuse his compositions with emotion, technical proficiency, and soul will shape and inspire generations of musicians to come. < Back Gino V.: Redefining the Music Scene with Rhythm and Soul Nicole Brice Oct 20, 2023 Share Gino V’s unique ability to infuse his compositions with emotion, technical proficiency, and soul will shape and inspire generations of musicians to come. In South Louisiana, we have a rich musical landscape with bands playing many genres of music. From rock to zydeco to metal and everywhere in between, the market is saturated with talented individuals all looking to showcase their craft to the masses, and in the ever-evolving landscape of music, there are those rare individuals who possess the talent and vision to create something truly unique. When I first stumbled upon the Gino Vallecillo (aka Gino V.), I was blown away because it was unlike anything I’d ever previously heard, and it did not fall into one category. It’s a little bit of pop with a little bit of soul and a little bit of rhythm & blues. To be frank, it’s just good. Credit: Gary Governale Hailing from the town of Delcambre and stabilizing himself as a fixture on the local music scene in Lafayette, Louisiana, Gino V. has made a name for himself with various projects, including being a touring musician and playing in such bands as Sailor Mouth, Random Animals, HoleOpener, and The Band Forgiven. Gino’s diverse range of projects shows he is a man on a mission to be heard and seen. Multi-talented, Gino plays drums and sings, which is no small feat. With unparalleled skills and an ability to seamlessly blend various genres, Gino possesses an innate musicality—one that is sure to leave an indelible mark on the industry. Born and raised in a musically inclined family, Vallecillo was exposed to a diverse range of music from a young age where he absorbed the various musical styles, forming the foundation of his artistic journey that shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Having just released two new singles independently under his solo brand with the tunes “Shine” and “Back Home”, we were able to steal a few moments of Gino’s time to chat with him recently where we spoke about the state of the music industry as well as upcoming projects in the queue and what the future holds. Take a moment to read a little more about Gino V. and then be sure to check out his music on all streaming platforms. MaM : Thank you for speaking with us this morning. We did a little research on you, and it is insane how many projects you have been involved with over the years. Tell us a little background and history on you. GV : Well, my full name is Gino Vallecillo, but I shortened it to Gino V. because I’m Hispanic but grew up in Cajun Country. Since people have slaughtered my name my entire life, I figured it was easier for people to remember it this way. They can’t mess up Gino. I’m from Delcambre, which is south of Lafayette – about 35 minutes. I started playing drums around 12 years old but didn’t start playing on a kit until I was 14. I’ve been singing as long as I can remember, too, and I grew up in a very musical household where no one else played instruments, but everyone loved music. My dad is from Honduras, so I was exposed to salsa, mambo, and bachata dance styles early on—a lot of Afro-Cuban stuff. He was also into disco and soul music, so I absorbed that influence as well. My mom was more into rock from the 50s and 60s and also into 90s country, so I have those influences, too. Now, my brothers were the ones who liked hip-hop and R&B, so that kind of changed me. As a youth, it helped me to create the gumbo, if you will, of influences that got me here. Initially, when I first started, I was gigging in hardcore and metal bands from the time I was 14 and 15 years old, and that went all through college. In 2015, I decided to move on from the group I had been playing with for the past six years so I could start doing my own thing. I started trying to fill the pool with my singing again because I had taken a hiatus from it to focus on playing drums. I had been gigging in Lafayette in the heavy scene for a while but then decided to jump over to do more soul, blues, and R&B, which in Lafayette, oddly enough, is divided. You do have a few of us that do kind of catch every genre, but there’s so much out here including zydeco, which is huge. Credit: Gary Governale MaM : Obviously. GV : You can go out and see many genres in Lafayette, though, but I started taking the jump to do something different. Then in 2017, I started a band that I had initially hoped would be a dirty blues band, but it wound up taking shape to be more R&B-esque with a little rock influence. We were called Sailor Mouth. For about four years, I was in Sailor Mouth, and then in 2021, I was allowed to go on the road with a national recording act for about seven months. I got to experience the world and travel the country, and it lit a fire under me. Being out there inspired me, and I came across many musicians who had given their lives to other artists with nothing that was truly theirs. People don’t realize it, but the music industry is extremely hard. It’s one of the toughest industries to be a part of because it takes so long to establish yourself. There’s no security either. The best way to establish that security for yourself, though, is to have your own thing to fall back on no matter what. MaM : So true … go on. GV : After coming home from that road gig, I didn’t have my own thing anymore, so with the help of one of my best friends, we were able to write “Shine”. He has been super influential in my taking this next step. For the past year, I have written a ton of music and am sitting on close to 20 songs. Credit: Gary Governale MaM : Oh wow, that’s a lot. GV : “Shine” is the first release and I have some more music I want to release. My goal is to just continue to build my discography and try to elevate my brand. I have a lot of cool things coming up. MaM : Do you find it’s more difficult to get your music heard these days or do you feel technology has made it easier? GV : To be honest, I feel it’s a little bit of both. I use Distrokid and with that, there’s a lot of content put out because anyone can use it. I do think that because everyone is using streaming services our attention spans are not what they used to be, and for me as an artist, I don’t think I’ll be putting out a full record anytime soon. It would take so much of my time because I would obsess about every single detail including tracking and flow. I feel like singles are the way to go for me to establish my discography. I do like where technology is these days, but I think we’re on a different playing field than where it used to be with music. Credit: Gary Governale MaM : I can agree especially with the whole attention span thing. I couldn’t tell you the last time I listened to an entire album. I keep my music collection on shuffle, so it’s ever-changing. It’s crazy to think how far the industry has come and to think about how much things have changed. Of all these bands you have played in, are any of them still active? GV : Well, with Sailor Mouth, we are on a hiatus. A member moved and one had a baby and then I went on the road. Our guitarist is the guitarist for Wayne Toups right now, so he’s got that gig. Life just happened. I do still play for a very small circle of people currently. I still play for Ray Boudreaux. He’s a singer from Carencro and was on The Voice back in 2013. I also play for a soul singer out of Port Barre named Sarah Russo, who is incredible. I have a few projects. This is what I do full time and it’s what I want to do. Credit: Gary Governale MaM : So, mad respect for the fact that you play drums and sing. I’m not gonna lie: It looks difficult. How do you stay coordinated? How did you hone that skill to where you are just rockin’ the hell out of it? GV : Well, I think that it kind of started when I was younger. I was actually rapping and drumming when I was 14. I kind of dipped my toes into the water just to see if I was capable. Getting into the heavy scene, I found other drummers doing it in rock and metal bands. I got into Atreyu big time and Brandon Saller was a kick-ass drummer who sang. Underoath, Aaron Gillespie, another band with one who plays drums and sings. I was always inspired by it and wanted to do it. In 2016, I found Anderson .Paak and was very inspired by him, and I think that was one of the things in 2016 that gave me a kick in the ass when I saw him live because I knew I could do it. I wasn’t where I needed to be because I needed the mic time, but I knew it could be done. You’re not gonna get good at it unless you’re doing it constantly, so I’m always singing. Credit: Gary Governale MaM : That leads me to your new song, “Shine”—how did the lyrics come about for it? The entire vibe is so strong. GV : So, I had just come off the road and was trying to establish what I was going to do next. Josh, my homeboy, sent me the basic riff while I was on the road, and I had started messing with it. When I found the time to sit down, the song just poured out of me. The melody hit first and then the words came. The song “Shine” in general, I believe, is my outward expression of gratitude for the love I received from my partner. I went through some dark times in 2020 and I would have never gotten through them without my partner in my corner. So, the song is essentially that, but I think it’s up to interpretation, you know? It could be whatever that light in your life is, whatever that thing is that you can cling to that kind of pulls you out of the darkness when it doesn’t really feel like that’s possible. MaM : I can definitely resonate with that. You said for the rest of the year you plan to release singles, but what are your goals for the remainder of 2023 and into 2024 and beyond? GV : I want to continue to release music and I would love to do more on the local festival circuit. I’m going for Festival International next year here in Lafayette. I’d also like to do more road gigs … maybe travel through the Bay St. Louis area, maybe Mississippi, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and then go through Texas. The biggest thing for me right now is elevation. I want to take what I’ve been doing and do it on a new level. As Gino Vallecillo’s musical journey continues to evolve, his future projects will undoubtedly push the boundaries of contemporary music even further. His unique ability to infuse his compositions with emotion, technical proficiency, and soul will shape and inspire generations of musicians to come. To check out the music of Gino V., just hit one of the links below! DistroKid : Shine by Gino V. - DistroKid Linktree : ginovmusic | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree *Cover photo by Gary Governale www.governalephotovideo.com Zenfolio | Home I have been working as a video professional since 1993, with a wide range of experience writing, producing, directing, shooting and editing. A strong interest in videography, specifically lighting and composition, led me to photography in 1998. Rapidly changing technology has blurred the line between video and photography, allowing me to work in both mediums.. Baton Rouge, LA, United States www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90s flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Questions or comments? Hit us up at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

New & Noteworthy Titles on AppleTV, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock, and Prime < Back What to Watch This Weekend (10.14.22) Keeley Brooks Oct 14, 2022 Share New & Noteworthy Titles on AppleTV, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock, and Prime Tuesdays and Fridays are my favorite days of the week for one reason: new movies/streaming releases. As a heavy consumer of a wide variety of content across multiple platforms, I figured I’d hip you guys to what’s out there in case you’re looking for something to get into this weekend. First up is AppleTV. While there are a ton of great series on this platform to get into, here are a select few currently airing and that just finished airing. The rest of the titles you can peruse through yourself! Shantaram – Starring our favorite son of anarchy Charlie Hunnam, whom I had the pleasure of sitting down with in 2009 at a quiet table on Third St. in Baton Rouge, this series is about a heroin addict (Hunnam) incarcerated for a robbery who escapes and reinvents himself as a doctor in the slums of Bombay. While there, his ties to the criminal underworld lead him to Afghanistan, where he partners with a mob boss locked in a battle with Russian criminals. The first three episodes dropped today, Oct. 14. See: The Final Chapter – If you missed my article about it, this is in its final season and stars Jason Momoa, Alfre Woodard, and Christian Camargo. Set in a very distant, brutal, primitive future after the fall of humankind, everyone is now blind. Except for a very select few. Tie in a ruthless queen hellbent on wiping out the sighted and anyone who harbors or supports them, some badass violent blind fighting, and a good dose of family drama, and you’ve got quite the entertaining winner. Black Bird – Having aired this past summer, this limited series stars Taron Egerton ( Kingsman movies) and, quite a talent to keep an eye on, Paul Walter Hauser ( The Kingdom Netflix series, Richard Jewell ). Based on the 2010 autobiographical book In with the Devil: a Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption by James Keene and Hillel Levin, Black Bird is a crime drama miniseries that recounts convict Jimmy Keene’s (Egerton) real life experiences of going undercover in a prison for the criminally insane to illicit a confession from serial killer Larry Hall (Hauser). It’s full of tension, creepiness, and is an incredible true story. Physical – A brilliant, half-hour dark comedy starring Rose Byrne ( Bridesmaids ) and Rory Scovel ( Those Who Can’t ), the show follows Sheila Rubin (Byrne), a submissive, quietly tortured housewife supporting her man’s controversial bid for state assembly in 1980s San Diego. However, behind closed doors, we are introduced to the real Sheila, her darkly funny take on life, and her world of complex personal demons relating to her self-image. Until she finds aerobics. Two seasons are currently available with season three arriving 2023. Also check out The Morning Show , Loot , Ted Lasso , Mythic Quest , Servant , For All Mankind , Foundation , and Invasion , to name a few. Next, we have Netflix! Below I’ll give ya some new releases, then I’ll give ya some titles worth checking out if you’re looking to go down the rabbit hole. Don’t forget to peruse the documentaries and movie titles. The Watcher – A limited series, this title is one of the most anticipated of the week because it’s based on a true story. Starring Bobby Cannavale, Naomi Watts, Jennifer Coolidge, Terry Kinney, and Michael Mouri, the series follows a couple moving into their dream home. They soon discover not all is as it seems when they find a haunting figure watching them. Releases Friday, October 14. The Sinner – Having originally aired on USA Network, this fantastic crime series stars Bill Pullman, Jessica Biel, Adam LeFevre, and many others. It’s a police procedural anthology series following Detective Harry Ambrose (Pullman) as he investigates a chilling new homicide each season. Season Four dropped October 13, 2022. Peaky Blinders – One of my personal favorites, this gritty British crime drama series is by far one of Netflix’s best. Set in Birmingham, England, it follows the exploits of the Peaky Blinders crime gang, which actually existed, in the direct aftermath of the First World War. Stars Cillian Murphy ( 28 Days Later ), the late Helen McCrory, Finn Cole ( Animal Kingdom ), Paddy Constantine ( House of Dragons ), Anya Taylor-Joy ( Split ), Adrian Brody, and Tom Hardy. Absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend getting sucked into this. It’s final season just aired this past summer, so you have plenty of seasons to keep you busy. The Last Kingdom – Also from my list o’ recommendations is this beaut of a Viking drama, WHICH I LOVE. A historical fiction series, Kingdom is based on Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories series of novels. Set in 1866, it follows a kid born Saxon but raised by Vikings as he seeks to claim his ancestral birthright at the same time that Alfred the Great is defending his kingdom from Norse invaders. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll love, you’ll cheer. You can’t go wrong. Other titles to check out: Riverdale , The Witcher , Stranger Things, Cobra Kai , Kingdom , Orange is the New Black, Atypical , Glow , Ozark , Mindhunter , You Now let’s hop on over to Paramount+ . They are winning in the sci-fi series category in my book. At my house, my husband and I have what we call Sci-Fi Thursdays during active seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , Star Trek: Discovery , and Picard . These shows are just spectacular, and the special effects are breath-taking. The platform is also home to hits like 1883 , EVIL , The Good Fight , Beavis and Butthead , and Mayor of Kingstown , to name a few. Recent releases include Monster High: The Movie and Significant Other , a psychological thriller full of chills. Peacock! Whoo! Buckle up, buttercups. This platform has surprised me the most by coming out with some heavy contenders. Here’s a titles I highly recommend watching. The Resort – An anniversary trip puts a marriage to the test when a couple finds themselves embroiled in one of the Yucatan’s most bizarre unsolved mysteries in this multi-generational love story disguised as a fast-paced mystery about the disappointment of time. Stars Nick Offerman, Skylar Gisondo ( Righteous Gemstones ), William Jackson Harper ( The Good Place ), and Cristin Milioti ( How I Met Your Mother ). Rutherford Falls – Starring Ed Helms and Jana Schmieding ( Reservation Dogs ), this comedy is about two lifelong besties who find themselves at a crossroads when their sleepy little town gets an unexpected wakeup call. It’s funny, it’s endearing, and it features a cast of some really funny actors. Even some faces you might recognize if you’ve been watching Reservation Dogs on Hulu. Vampire Academy – Who doesn’t love vampires? This series follows six young adult paranormal romance novels by American author Richelle Mead. Lead character Rose Hathaway is half human-half vampire and is guardian of a race of peaceful mortal vampires living discreetly within our world. The story follows her into a special boarding school—a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Season One is out now. Dr Death – Whoah. This one is shocking! The podcast by the same name is even more cringeworthy. This series is based on the terrifying true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a rising star in the Dallas neurosurgical medical community, who also liked to maim and kill his patients in surgery. It also focuses on the failures of the Texas system designed to protect the most defenseless among us. A definite must-see feature. *A Friend of the Family – Holy. Shit. I’m not kidding. Very few titles in the past 20 years have rendered me speechless, and when I did speak during this one, the only thing my husband and I could say to each other was, “Holy shit!” This one is without a doubt THE most shocking true-crime story I’ve ever heard. It’s not just terrifying and involving a sick perv—no. This story is horrifying because it’s diabolical to the depths of an entirely new level. Based on the harrowing true story of the Broberg family, this nine-episode true crime series focuses on daughter Jan, who was kidnapped by an obsessed family friend multiple times over a number of years. That’s not what’s so diabolical though; the story the kidnapper/family friend tells young Jan—and genuinely has her believing, playing off of her trust in him—is just astounding. His acting along in all of this to manipulate her is what is so horrific, not to mention the careless mistakes made by both Mexican and American authorities, who pretty much propelled his desire and allowed his crimes to continue. There’s so much more but I’ll just leave that right there. Starring Colin Hanks, Anna Paquin, and Jake Lacy, you can check out the first five episodes streaming now on Peacock. New episodes drop on Thursdays. And finally, we move on over to Amazon Prime … While there aren’t many current new release series titles right now, there’s still plenty of awesome series to dive into. The Rings of Power – I feel like this one needs no explanation, but on the off-chance you are unfamiliar, here’s the rundown: Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings books and appendices, this one is set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings , bringing to life the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-Earth’s history. The acting is superb, the effects are magical, and the story is all consuming. A definite must-watch for any sci-fi/fantasy fiction fan. Season One is currently airing now with new episodes dropping on Fridays. Outer Range – Again with the sci-fi! Except this is also a neo-Western starring Josh Brolin, Imogen Poots, Tom Pelphrey ( Ozark , Banshee ), Noah Reid ( Schitt’s Creek ), and Lili Taylor. The Abbott family are coping with the disappearance of their daughter-in-law when their neighbors make a play for their ranch. Tensions rise and then explode when a mysterious black void arrives on the edge of one of the Abbott’s pastures and changes everything. Season One just ended and it should return next year with a hard-hitting season two. The Boys – This one’s tough, guys. If you’re easily offended by everything, maybe skip this one. But if you’re like me and open to consume, buckle up because this one’s gonna push your limits. Based on the comic book of the same name, this series follows a group of superheroes who go rogue and start abusing their powers. Pitting the powerless against the powerful, the Boys head out on a heroic quest to expose the truth about the conglomerate that manages the superheroes and covers up their secrets. Starring Anthony Starr ( Banshee ), Karl Urban ( Pathfinder , LOTR ), Jack Quaid, Jensen Acles ( Supernatural ) and more. Other titles to stream: The Night Sky , Undone , Wheel of Time , Reacher , The Wilds , Sneaky Pete , The Terminal List , The Outlaws , Flack These titles are enough to keep you busy, at least until next week when I bring you more releases! Enjoy, my friends. www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90s flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Questions or comments? Hit us up at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

Holland ditches his superhero cape for dark, gritty psychological dramas < Back Cherry & The Crowded Room: Tom Holland in Two Roles You Must See Keeley Brooks Jun 15, 2023 Share Holland ditches his superhero cape for dark, gritty psychological dramas Who doesn’t love the doe-eyed actor that is Tom Holland? I know I sure do, especially because he is the Spider-Man I’ve connected to the most aside from Andrew Garfield. Even then, Holland is still my favorite because of the charm and innocence he brings to the character. Lately, it seems he has taken a liking to Apple TV+ productions, as he’s had two big premieres on the platform in the past two-and-a-half years alone, and you’re gonna want to see him in these gritty roles. Here’s a little bit of info on the film Cherry and his new series The Crowded Room . I highly recommend adding both to your must-watch list immediately. In March 2021, Holland starred in Apple TV’s epic saga Cherry , which recounts an unnamed narrator’s experience with college, love, war, mental health, drugs, felony crime, and redemption. Apple Original Films The film is based on the 2018 debut novel by author Nico Walker , who served as a medic on more than 250 missions in Iraq. As a result, he came home traumatized and battled Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which subsequently led him down a very dark path that landed him in prison serving an 11-year sentence. While there, he wrote his novel over the course of several years, and days after it published, Marvel filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo, through their studio AGBO, bought the production rights then signed on to direct and produce the story from a screenplay written by writer/producer/director Jessica Goldberg ( The Path ). The film serves as a work of autofiction, which is a form of fictionalized autobiography combining two mutually inconsistent narrative forms. Holland stars as Cherry --the only name we know him as, a disenfranchised young man from Ohio who meets the love of his life in community college, only to risk losing her through a series of very bad decisions resulting from the madness that PTSD tends to create in trauma survivors. When he tells Emily (Ciara Bravo, of To the Bone ) he loves her, she balks in fear and breaks up with him to attend school in Montreal. Cherry is heartbroken and directionless, so he impulsively enlists in the Army. When Emily returns saying she decided not to go to Canada and wants to stay with him, Cherry can’t get out of his two-year service commitment and winds up doing tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a combat medic. Seeing this experience through the boyish innocence Holland evokes in such a unique way instills empathy and compassion. The combined efforts of his portrayal and the cinematography allow for a realistic first-hand account of everything this young boy, who is forced to become a man in the blink of an eye, sees, hears, thinks, and feels in his own way. And it's in that way the film becomes very relatable in terms of how we face and digest real-life human struggles. When Cherry returns home, he begins suffering from some horrid PTSD that leads him to a doctor-prescribed Oxycontin dependency, which then turns into a full-blown heroin addiction. When he and Emily reunite, she, too, becomes addicted, and in order to get the money needed to support their rapidly spinning out-of-control habit, Cherry resorts to robbing banks by walking into them and calmly sliding the cashier a one-dollar bill with the words “I HAVE A GUN” written in bold red letters on one side and the words “THIS IS A ROBBERY” written on the other. He enters these banks wearing sometimes just sunglasses and other times a zip-up hoodie or jacket, maybe with a beanie, and he never actually carries a gun; however, that doesn’t mean there are never any casualties. There always are in any type of war, internal or external. Cherry successfully manages to rob 10 banks before getting caught in April 2011 and sentenced to eleven years in federal prison. Apple Original Films This story is heart-wrenching and full of adrenaline, but what captivated me the most was Holland’s performance as he transitioned between child-like innocence and young love to soldier, war veteran, mental health sufferer, drug addict, thief, and federal criminal. He’s a ferociously compact presence throughout the film, which he narrates himself. The most compelling traits of his acting, besides the purity of emotion emanating from his eyes, are his perennially working jaw muscles, which indicate the psychological intensity driving his desperate decisions. The movie is divided into seven epic chapters that include a powerful prologue and epilogue but really it’s split into two parts: war and postwar. Cherry’s life is one of continuous trauma, continuous stress, continuous disorder, and continuous effects. While I won’t spoil it for you and reveal the ending, I will say it does offer some salvation to the titular character while granting him hope and the promise of a new beginning. Holland superbly portrays the psychological toll that war and trauma can take on a person, as he encapsulates every hint of fear, desperation, confusion, and acceptance so effortlessly, you forget you’re watching an actor on screen. Cherry is currently streaming on Apple TV+. As if that wasn’t enough of a psychological exploration for the young actor, now Holland is back in Apple TV’s latest series, a psych-thriller drama series called The Crowded Room , which he not only stars in but also produced. He plays a young man accused of a crime, but the driving question behind this mystery is did he really do it? This adaptation is also loosely based on a true story about a man who was arrested in 1979 for a series of crimes he claims not to have committed. But is that really the truth? Holland plays Danny Sullivan, an introverted teen living with his doing-her-best mess of a mother (Emmy Rossum, of Shameless ) and asshole of a stepfather (Will Chase, of Dopesick ), who never misses an opportunity to corner, harass, threaten, and abuse Danny when his mother isn’t around and sometimes even when she is. Apple TV+ Original At school, Danny has two friends: a jock and a budding magician. He also has a crush on the most popular girl in school, Annabelle (Emma Laird, of Mayor of Kingstown ), but she only likes him back when her friends aren’t around. When Danny realizes this, the heartbreak in his eyes is so palpable, we as viewers feel his deflation, embarrassment, and sadness. Still, it doesn’t stop him from engaging with her when she interacts with him, and it certainly doesn’t scare him off when Annabelle’s jerkoff boyfriend threatens him. Danny is willing to risk anything to share a quiet moment with Annabelle, and he pretty much does just that by seeking weed from a dangerous drug dealer to satisfy her urge to smoke a J together. Right off the bat, Danny is presented as a shy, nerdy teen struggling desperately to find his place in a world of cruelty and bullies. So, what’s the crime? In the pilot episode, Danny is arrested for a shooting that occurs at Rockefeller Center in New York City. We see him holding the gun but freezing when he sees the face of the man he is supposed to shoot. As a result, Danny’s accomplice Ariana (Sasha Lane, of Loki ) grabs the gun and shoots at the intended victim as he scurries away. She winds up shooting several other people in the process, then seemingly disappears into thin air. The cops catch up to Danny and bring him in for questioning, but they begin to suspect that they can't find his accomplice because maybe he killed her, so they bring in Special Investigator Rya Goodman (Amanda Seyfried, of The Dropout ) to interrogate him. What ensues is an unfolding of past and present events through a suspenseful series of carefully deconstructed answers Danny gives to Goodman. It’s here we begin to realize there’s a lot more to him than meets our naked eye , and as the story deepens and exposes more memories, the mystery slowly starts to unravel. Apple TV+ Original The Crowded Room is inspired by the case of Billy Milligan and the book “The Minds of Billy Milligan” by Daniel Keyes. The non-fiction novel recounts Milligan’s case after he was arrested for a series of rapes across an Ohio university campus. Clearly, screenwriter Jessica Goldman took some creative liberties and changed up some key details, but I won’t reveal any more spoilers beyond what I already have! In a recent interview with Extra , Holland said he’s taking the next year off from acting following The Crowded Room ’s strenuous production. “It was a tough time, for sure,” he told Extra. “We were exploring certain emotions that I have definitely never experienced before. And then on top of that, being a producer, dealing with the day-to-day problems that come with any film set, just added that extra level of pressure.” Holland went on to say he loved the learning curve of becoming a producer but juggling two roles on one production while playing a character in a severe mental health state pushed him past his breaking point. “… Then again, the show did break me. There did come a time where I needed a break and disappeared … for a week. … I’m now taking a year off, and that is a result of how difficult this show was. I feel like our hard work wasn’t in vain. … I was seeing myself in Danny, but in my personal life. I remember having a bit of a meltdown at home,” he said. He then further commented on mental health. “Learning about mental health and the power of it, and speaking to psychiatrists about Danny’s and Billy’s struggles, has been something that has been so informative to my own life,” he said, noting he is now able to “recognize triggers” like social media that stress him out. Apple TV dropped the series June 9 with a three-episode premiere, which, if you missed them, you can read their full recaps here . The fourth episode premieres Friday, June 16 with subsequent episodes airing every Friday through July 28. So don’t delay: Add Cherry and The Crowded Room to your must-watch list today and experience the star actor like you’ve never seen him before in these two beautifully crafted heavy psychological dramas, currently streaming on Apple TV+. Keeley Brooks is a big ole film and television nerd who watches way too much content, then blabs about it. Even if it sucks. www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90s flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Questions or comments? Hit us up at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

New Titles Streaming in February < Back Binge with Your Box o' Chocolates Keeley Brooks Feb 2, 2023 Share New Titles Streaming in February If sweet and sappy and rom-coms are your thing (e.g., “The Notebook,” which I’m happy to say I’ve never seen and you can’t make me, no matter what your argument is!), you’re in luck. It’s February, so you know there’s plenty of love movies and series rollin’ in. I won’t spend much time on those, though … I’m not that kind of girl. Lucky for me (and you), there are plenty of other new titles arriving. Here’s a list of some of my highlights. You, Season 4 Pt. 1 – Everyone’s favorite serial killer (next to Dexter, of course) is back, this time taking us to London. Fresh off the fiery heels of last season, Joe has a new identity, a new location, and a new object of obsession. The end of season 3 sees Joe in Paris seeking his next victim, single mom Marienne (Tati Gabrielle, “The 100”). In this season, his pursuit of her unravels and leads him to a life in London working as a university lecturer. As fresh new faces enter his deadly gaze, Joe himself might just be the target of one of them. Streaming on Netflix Feb. 9. Black Pather: Wakanda Forever – If you’ve been waiting for the “Black Panther” sequel, wait no more. The film is finally available to watch on Disney’s platform with a subscription. I opted not to sit in a theater next to the general public mowing down on their buckets of popcorn and just wait for its streaming release, so you know what I’ll be doing this weekend. Now streaming on Disney Plus. Party Down – It’s been a long 13 years, but the hit catering sitcom starring Adam Scott is back, along with original co-stars Jane Lynch, Ken Marino, Martin Starr, Ryan Hansen, and Megan Mullally. Season 3's shenanigans airs Feb. 24 on Starz. Somebody I Used to Know – Lucky for those out there who like sap, this deeply personal and emotionally powerful story stars Alison Brie (“Community”) and Jay Ellis (“Insecure”). The two play exes who reconnect right before he is to marry. The reconnection sends Ally (Brie) down the hole of rethinking her life choices. It’s written by Brie and husband Dave Franco (“21 Jump Street”) and looks to be quite the little “Community” reunion. Premieres Feb. 10 on Prime Video. Your Place or Mine – For you rom-com fans, this one will be for you. Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher are longtime friends, who clearly share some chemistry just waiting to be explored. For their own personal reasons, they decide to swap homes and responsibilities to freshen up their lives. Debbie (Witherspoon) takes on fast-paced New York while Peter learns what it means to be a parent. No big surprise what happens, but I’m sure it’ll still be a fun little watch. Drops Feb. 10 on Netflix. Star Trek: Picard, Season 3 – Patrick Stewart’s series is back and coming to an end, and it looks like they’re sending Picard out with a big ole bang. While we don’t know much about the plot, we do know there is danger. And a mysterious new villain. We also know Stewart is joined by almost the entire cast of “The Next Generation,” marking the first time the crew of the Enterprise D and E have been on screen for over 20 years. This “Star Trek” series is really good, but it’s no “Discovery.” Still worthy of a binge if you missed the first two seasons. Premieres Feb. 15 on Paramount Plus. Hello Tomorrow! – I don’t know about you, but I love me some Billy Crudup, especially in Apple TV’s “The Morning Show.” This dramedy finds him in a retro-futuristic world as an ambitious businessman recruiting traveling salesmen to hawk timeshares on the moon. Yes, the moon. Crudup’s visionary talent and rousing speeches are reminiscent of his charm and personality, and the team he put together is inspired … until the bubble bursts and everything starts to unravel. Also stars Hank Azaria (“The Birdcage”), Jacki Weaver (“Yellowstone”) and Alison Pill (“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”). Streaming Feb. 17 on Apple TV Plus. Sharper – Another Apple TV Plus newbie, “Sharper” stars Julianne Moore (“The Big Lebowski”), John Lithgow (“Dexter”), and Sebastian Stan (“Avengers” movies) in a “twisty-turny story” involving billionaires, inheritances of filthy sums of money, seductions, and cons. Secrets, lies, rich people, and famous people. This thriller is layered with deceptions and double-crosses and devious plans. But no one is who they seem. Premieres Feb. 17 on Apple TV Plus. Bel-Air, Season 2 – After having his life all flipped, turned upside down, the Fresh Prince (Jabari Banks) learned the harsh truth about his estranged father and thought about leaving Bel-Air. In season 2, he’s at a crossroads. He still struggles to trust the Banks family, even though his friendship with Carlton deepens, and a new figure enters the mix, who challenges the status quo. Rolls up in the house on Peacock Feb. 23. Outer Banks – Welcome back to Poguelandia, bitches! Last we saw the Pogues, they’d lost out on a haul of gold and were stranded on an island. Now as they enjoy their carefree existence in their new home, danger won’t leave them alone. The Caribbean mob and Ward Cameron are still after them, and treasure continues to beckon them all. Lands on Netflix Feb. 23. We Have a Ghost – Our favorite ass-kicking Santa (David Harbour, “Violent Night”) is back as a friendly ghost named Ernest. When homeowner Anthony Mackie (“Avengers” movies) films Ernest and uploads the video to social media, Ernest becomes a viral sensation. Frank (Mackie) enlists his kid to help cash in on the resulting attention, but things take quite the turn when the CIA wants Ernest for themselves. Adding some of her unique levity, Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus”) also stars. Premieres Feb. 24 on Netflix. Carnival Row, Season 2 – Back for a final season, this series stars Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne (“Suicide Squad”) sees a growing population of mythological immigrant creatures struggle to coexist with humans after the creatures’ exotic homelands are invaded by the empires of man. The creatures are forbidden to live, love, or fly with freedom, but there is hope: in darkness. Season 2 picks up with Philo (Bloom) investigating a series of gruesome murders, while Vignette (Delevingne) teams up with the Black Raven to plot payback. Drops Feb. 17 on Amazon Prime. Spoiler Alert – This Jim Parsons-led drama also stars Sally Field and Ben Aldridge (“Flea Bag”) and is based on the bestselling memoir by Michael Ausiello. The film chronicles the 14-year-long love affair between Michael (Parsons), an entertainment journalist, and Kit (Aldridge), a photographer, and showcases many of the ups and downs of their relationship, including Kit’s terminal cancer diagnosis, and more. Per Focus Features, it’s “a heartwarming, funny, and life-affirming story.” Streaming exclusively on Peacock Feb. 3. Other notable premieres this month: The Flash, Season 9 (Feb. 8, The CW) South Park, Season 26 (Feb. 8, Comedy Central) Full Swing (Feb. 15, Netflix) Bruiser (Feb. 24, Hulu) The Reluctant Traveler (Feb. 24, Apple TV Plus) The Consultant (Feb. 24, Amazon Prime) www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90s flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Questions or comments? Hit us up at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

< Back What the Hell Did I Just Watch: Alien Shark Ezekiel Kincaid Share Aug 2, 2023 An entertaining movie with poor effects and multiple random plots Last week’s review was on werewolves. This week? Sharks! But not just any shark. No, now we have (queue sinister music) an alien shark! Sounds awesome, right? Based on the title, what are you expecting? Sharks from another planet? Another dimension? Maybe even astronauts landing on an earth-like planet and getting devoured by a species of shark not known to man? If that’s what you’re expecting, you might as well get ready to be disappointed. Welcome to the world of B horror. Alien Shark is about a meteor crashing into the ocean and turning a shark into an “alien” shark that wreaks havoc on some vacationers looking to have a good time. Not a terrible sci-fi shark thriller plot, right? It’d be nice if that’s what we got out of this movie, but instead we get a host of other nonsense that leaves us wondering what happened to the plot. But that’s not the only thing that makes this movie bad. There’s more ... so much more. First off, the Alien Shark script is terrible. How it ever got accepted, I’ll never know. Second, the execution of the dialogue is SO bad. The actors over-emphasize every syllable of every word they say. What makes me such an expert? Well, let me remind you I do watch a lot of terrible movies, so for me to even notice at all is saying something. Plus, I’m a writer and writers always know bad writing and poor execution. While listening to the dialogue in Alien Shark , I cringed. A lot. At one point I had to check my ears because I thought they were bleeding. I'm not kidding. All that out of the way, I still found the movie entertaining. Even though the dialogue was so bad, it kept me laughing. So, too, did the cheap special effects. But what else would you expect from a Wal-Mart Exclusive? That’s right, folks. I picked this gem up by hand at Wally World. Alien Shark was made in 2022 and is directed by Paul Tomborello ( Little Savages, Rumors of War ), written by Aaron Jackson ( Expulsion ). It stars Brittany Altrenbach ( Fear the Walking Dead, Broken Seeds ) as main character Aleesha and Lukas Silva ( No Virtue, Carp-e Diem ) as Pete. The movie starts off with two girls finding a weird piece of a glowing meteor on the beach. When they approach it, they get possessed/controlled by some alien force and die. Aleesha shows up to the beach after being invited by her friends to a party they are throwing before she leaves on another military deployment. When they all get to the beach, people start acting weird and their eyes start glowing green. When a guy named Mickey shows up and starts talking crazy, warning everyone about aliens, they dismiss him. Then, for some unknown reason, they hold a crystal ceremony. Somehow this ceremony opens them up to the aliens and things get out of hand. During this time, the alien shark is just swimming in the ocean, looking for people to eat. From "Alien Shark" IMDB (We're sorry that photo couldn't be any clearer. We tried. You try finding stills of the shark featured in Alien Shark and let me know how that works out for you!) The entire storyline doesn’t make a lick of sense. The filmmakers never explain what is going on with the shark or how it even became “alien.” It’s not clear if the aliens are controlling the shark and the people or if they are possessing them. Random WTF points are just inserted into the story without any explanation and by the end, you aren’t sure what the hell just happened or what the hell you just watched. Here's a list of Alien Shark ’s inserted random plot points filmmakers pull right out of their ass: Alien shark comes to the shore and pukes out a shark dog. Alien ship circles the earth without any explanation as to why. Characters have dreams of eating people. Shark flies out of the sun. The spirit of a shark hovers in mid-air. Calling ritual with crystals invites the aliens. The aliens’ possession or mind control can be broken by pressing a magic seashell against the forehead. Alien shark can turn invisible. Alien shark can be defeated by blowing up a random camera that shows up out of nowhere. Why all this? I have no idea. Your guess is as good as mine. But here’s my theory. I think the director and the writer got drunk one night, wrote down the dumbest crap they could come up with, put it in a hat, and let their dog pick. That’s the only solid reasoning I can come up with. The best part of this movie is Mickey, the crazy dude. Every horror movie has to have one. His acting is so bad, it’s side-splitting hilarious. Everyone, and I mean everyone, in this movie takes their role way too seriously, making the film even more entertaining. As far as the CGI goes, it is the most terrible effort I have seen in any movie ever. I kid you not. You’ll get a taste of it in the trailer, along with the heavily acted-out dialogue efforts. Should you watch Alien Shark ? I think so. Especially if you want a good laugh and if you want to learn how NOT to write and direct a movie. There is no blood, no good kill scenes, and no one getting ripped to shreds by the alien shark—things an audience expects to see in any decent shark movie. All in all, Zeke’s “so bad it’s good” rating is 3 out of 5 shark dogs. If you really want to watch this movie, you can buy it at Wal-Mart. It used to be on Tubi but I guess even they have standards. Ezekiel Kincaid lives for horror and loves to watch it, write about, and talk about it, whether that be in his own horror novels or in reviews. His experience as a pastor and paranormal investigator brings everything he writes to life. www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90s flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Questions or comments? Hit us up at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

Welcome to the Necroverse < Back Herakleion: The New Orleans Metal Band Forging a Fierce New Sound Justin Hammer Oct 28, 2024 Share Welcome to the Necroverse Herakleion , a heavy-hitting trio from New Orleans, LA , comprises members Speed Wilson , Christian Woerner , and Apollo Xydias . Formed in 2021, their journey from the southern Louisiana metal scene to the national and international spotlight, supporting legendary New Orleans death metal pioneers Goatwhore on their latest North American Venomous Evocation Tour , is a testament to their dedication and talent. They have also embarked on their own tours, spreading their unique sound to various states nationwide. This band is definitely on the rise, so take note. Credit: Justin Hammer Their latest achievement is the brand-new release of their second EP, Necroverse in September 2024. After two years of writing and planning, they embarked on a collaborative journey with producer Pete DeBoer at Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, TX, to assemble this masterpiece, and this album is one that will resonate with you if you are a true lover of metal. The album crafts a dark and immersive atmosphere with distorted guitars, pounding percussion, and other textures to evoke a sense of dystopian grandeur. They also partnered with the talented metal imagery artist Noah Meihoff for the album artwork, adding a visual layer to the story told in the music. With numerous releases to their credit since their inception, I was able to sit down with the guys in Herakleion recently to get some insight into their process when creating their newest effort, Necroverse , as well as some band history, and how touring is going. Take a moment to learn more, and then be sure to stream Necroverse today. MaM : Thanks for speaking with us today. How did you all come up with the name Heraklion? Apollo : I was sitting on the couch with my roommate. It was before I joined the band, but sometimes, we would get off work, scroll through YouTube videos, and pass the time instead of watching a TV show. I saw a documentary on the ancient city of Herakleion and was interested in the story. They had only recently discovered it about 30 years ago. I just thought it was cool that, you know, there’s the same city from which they thought the story of Atlantis came. When running band names, we didn’t want those classic name generator names, an adjective, a noun type deal, or two and three-word names. We wanted one punchy word that hadn’t been said before, and it seemed like it just clicked in my brain. I was like, “Hey, why don’t we just go with this?” we’ve been running with it ever since. Credit: Justin Hammer MaM : How did y’all create the new album, Necroverse ? Give us a few details. Herakleion : Necroverse was meant to be a purely conceptual album. Each song has a story about crossing from the mortal plane into the realm of the dead. So that’s pretty much the theme for every song and every story within each song. We wanted it to be a bit more varied in tempos and writing than the first EP, being its own thing. It’s a bit more mid-tempo, and we got a lot more creative with the riffs and the flow of every song. It was an enjoyable writing process; it was certainly different, and the product is different; it’s cool. Released September 13, 2024 MaM : How would you all say it differed from the first EP? Herakleion : The production quality is much higher than that of the previous efforts. The thing about it is it’s not all that different from when we recorded Curse of Eternity because we did everything for that record basically like we were recording analog, even though it’s technically a digital recording. Still, we did all the recording live off the floor. There are no punch-ins or anything like that. At this point, it’s kind of just how we know how to do it: to get that good take right off the floor and do it live. We took what we got from Curse of Eternity and ramped up on the production, went to the excellent studio, got the producer we wanted, and just took it to the next level from what we were already doing. Writing was a lot more thought-out, too, because the first album we made before we even played a show so that we would have some stuff to play. It came together over a few months, but we had been working on the new release for over a year, so it’s much more refined and honed than the first one. Credit: Justin Hammer MaM : Who did the recording and production for the new album? Herakleion : Pete Deboer from Denver. We went to a studio in Tornillo, TX , called Sonic Ranch . It was an incredible experience. MaM : I love the album artwork. Who came up with that? Herakleion : Noah Meihoff . Noah did an amazing job. We found him through some artwork he did for this horror magazine cover, and up until that point, we didn’t see anything we felt fit the record's theme. We knew we needed this guy to do it as soon as we saw his work. We saw his process and its uniqueness, which fit the analog feel of the whole record we were going for. We talked to him about the record's themes, and he came up with a concept for the cover, which came together nicely. There are a lot of subtle details in that album artwork as well that if you’re looking at it, you can find, you know, hidden little things in there that even had to be pointed out to me even after I had seen it for a month or so I like that it has that dimension and those layers to it. He just really knocked it out of the park, and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Released September 13, 2024 MaM : What was it like getting out on the road with the legendary Goatwhore ? Herakleion : We know those guys well, so it’s like going out on the road with some good buddies, but we all stayed professional despite our friendship status. It was just a lot of fun, you know. The biggest takeaway from touring, whether it’s our run with Goatwhore or on our own, especially from those guys, is to learn how to be 100% efficient, professional, cool to everybody, and don’t go and screw around when you’re on the road, you’re there for a reason. The wheels don’t take long to come off track. You must adapt and keep your head on a swivel. You know, you could pop a tire, or something could break at a show, or leave a cable at a venue. You take something different away from every show you play, and when you tour with guys like Goatwhore that have been doing it for twenty-plus years, I mean, you can get the “Hey, don’t do this!” before you make that mistake, so you learn a lot from taking to those guys. You know the most when it’s the end of the night, and you’re putting away each other’s stuff in each other’s trailers and sharing stories, asking questions, and if you're paying attention, you can take those notes and don’t forget them if it’s something you want to do for a long time. We are lucky to have friends in the business who have been doing it for a while and can pass the knowledge along to us. Credit: Justin Hammer MaM : Do you guys have any up-and-coming touring plans? Herakleion : We have a mid-west run planned for November , where we will visit Memphis , St. Louis , Chicago , Cleveland , Dayton , Louisville , and New Orleans . Then, we are planning a Texas run in December . That’s pretty much it for the year, but next year will be pretty much nonstop on the road, either on our own or with other bands. Catch Herakleion on tour this fall! Check Herakleion's Instagram and Facebook pages for all upcoming tour dates and information about their current activities. To purchase their new EP Necroverse on vinyl, cassette, or CD, along with all their other merchandise, follow the link tree in the bio on their Instagram page. Necroverse is out NOW on all streaming services. Facebook www.facebook.com/HERAKLEI0N Instagram www.instagram.com/herakleion504 NECROVERSE EP/Merch Store https://herakleion-shop.square.site/ *All photos by Justin Hammer www.justinhammerphotography.com Shop Photography Art | Justin Hammer Photography Shop art is a collection of art that is currently available for purchase at Justin Hammer Photography. www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90's flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Questions or comments? Reach out to us at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

The music of Baquenne is diverse and intricately constructed < Back Baquenne: Soothing, Ethereal Music Nicole Brice Jul 31, 2023 Share The music of Baquenne is diverse and intricately constructed Soothing, laid-back, feel-good music with upbeat vocals, catchy hooks, and ethereal guitar sounds: That’s the music of Baquenne . A band from Asbury Park, New Jersey , drawing inspiration from classic rock to 90's alt rock, the band is comprised of Liam Moroney on lead vocals, Eric Rudic on guitar, Chad Sabo on bass, and Santo Rizzolo on drums. Baquenne’s music reminds me of the tunes you would hear as a backdrop to a film about being at the fair on the boardwalk while enjoying ice cream on a beautiful, bright sunny day. From the howling guitars on ' Mountain #1 ,' which are soothing and evoke memories of playing outside as a child, to the stomping intro on ' Baby You’re Mine ,' which features a rhythmic opening building to a strong chorus of loud guitars and danceable beats, this band has something for everyone in terms of musical diversity: They’re poppy, they’re fun, and their music is just plain good. credit: Jeff Crespi Another track of theirs, ' Dead ,' is a guitar-infused slow jam with introspective lyrics that calm you and sounds like the perfect soundtrack to taking a drive down country roads with the windows down and your hand waving in and out of the breeze as you cruise along. And, Liam ’s vocals are soft and mellow and have just the right amount of intensity for songs intricately constructed about life and loss. Hauntingly reminiscent of Brendan B. Brown of Wheatus , Liam Moroney has the perfect voice to sing alt-rock, and I truly enjoy listening to him. The band began during the pandemic and has just begun with the guys continually writing and recording material as well as playing shows. Currently, their catalog consists of five singles available via Apple Music and Spotify with clever album art for each single released. The cover is nothing more than a simple band logo against a backdrop of a solid color that varies with each release ala the style of Weezer . If you remember, Weezer has done the same album art for several releases but with each one showing a different color with the guys wearing different outfits and looking just slightly different. It is pure brilliance in its simplicity and it’s clever branding, too. credit: Jeff Crespi A quick search on YouTube pulls up Baquenne ’s video for “ This is Life ”, a song that begins with a mellow opening only to build to grungy guitar fuzz and visuals of Liam driving in the car, playing guitar on a bench in the snow, with Eric lingering nearby in a covered bus stop. The guys look like they’re freezing, but with all the winter gear they’re sporting, I’m sure they did just fine. To see more of the band, check out, “ Mountain #1 ”, which is a performance vid showing the band in action. I really dug this song, and I think you will, too. A friend turned me on to Baquenne ’s music and I’ve been a fan ever since, so I wanted to share them with you, the readers of Mixed Alt Mag , so you could add another band to your rotation of tunage. I recently had the opportunity to chat with Liam and Eric at length and these guys are humble, fun, and down to earth. I’ve included the answers to a couple of questions that were thrown their way so check it out. Baquenne is creating music that is different, quirky, and just plain enjoyable. I have a feeling we’ll be listening to their music for many more years to come. MaM : Where did the band name come from? It’s so unique! Liam : So, the short answer is we just like the way the name looks. It’s not a real word as you know. And it came about during the mixing of one of our songs. credit: Jeff Crespi MaM : When is the new single coming out or when can we expect new music? Liam : We are working really hard to have a single out by mid-September with an EP to follow shortly after. We’re putting the finishing touches on those tracks now. MaM : If you could share the stage with any current band, who would it be? Liam : As far as sharing the stage, quite frankly the list is endless. There are many bands that are putting on great shows and we’re always trying to create a fun atmosphere during our live set. We would love the play with bands like the Pixies and Weezer , who both are coming to our area in the near future. credit: Jeff Crespi MaM : What are the future aspirations for the band? Liam : Since this band is relatively new our immediate goals are to really keep creating and spreading the word. We want to play to new audiences and take this thing as far as we can. To experience Baquenne ’s music for yourself, hit one of the links below! We’re certain you’ll be adding their music to your collection after engrossing yourself in their tunes! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@baquenne9467 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/baquenne/ Instagram: @baquenne • Instagram photos and videos Spotify: Baquenne | Spotify Apple Music: Baquenne on Apple Music *cover photo by Jeff Crespi www.jeffcrespirocks.com JEFFCRESPIROCKS See through a different lens! www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90's flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Nicole Brice loves discovering new music. Got something you think she’d like? Hit her up at the_nicolebrice@mixedaltmag.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

The Alabama Heathens are off the charts! < Back The Alabama Heathens: Southern Grit Meets Raw Rock Energy Bud Gambrell Apr 18, 2025 Share The Alabama Heathens are off the charts! Could there ever be a better way to begin an interview than with tacos ? That’s right, tacos . The only thing that could have made it any better would have been beer , but none of us were day-drinking, so the beer will have to wait another time. When I contacted Jude Roberts of The Alabama Heathens and asked about an interview, he picked the location for lunch. He chose a local restaurant, and away I went for a talk with Jude and The Heathens' lead singer, Dylan Johnson. It’s unusual for an interview to begin with a video, but in this instance, I feel it may be necessary to tempt your musical taste buds. Take my word for it. Turn this up! The Alabama Heathens - Here for the Whiskey I have known these two young men for a couple of years now. If memory serves me correctly, I met them both while shooting a video for Jude’s father, Mike Roberts . That was the second music video for 5ive O’clock Charlie , Mike’s band , for which I had shot a drone video. Jude brings up a funny story about the shoot later in the interview. Stay tuned. Mike Roberts is a musical staple in the Huntsville music scene. Our story goes back several years. I met Mike several times and saw him play with 5ive O’clock Charlie and Travis McCready . Around 2021 , our friendship just seemed to bloom. Mike has become one of my favorite people to run into, either by accident or a planned lunch. He is genuinely a good soul! That day was also the first time I saw the now Alabama Heathens play. At that time, they were playing together under a different band name. I was working, so I didn’t get to listen closely, but from what I can remember, they were very good. If you know Mike , you know he always wears a smile and has wonderful things to say. Much is the same way with Jude . The apple didn’t fall far from the tree in this case. Dylan and I have gotten to know each other better, too. He is also always a pleasure to work with and become friends with. Unfortunately, I do not know his father. They say your children are a reflection of you. If that is the case, his father is a wonderful man. Fast-forward to July 2024 . The Alabama Heathens performed in The Alabama Smoke Show , if you remember the article I wrote for that event. Seeing those guys play on that big stage at such a young age was impressive. I have seen them since, and they keep getting better. During our lunch, we spoke at length about many things. I couldn’t tell you much about our discussion, as I was not recording that part. The banter and laughs did not stop. The parts I recorded are in the sections you are about to read. My first question was for Dylan . Credit: Bud Gambrell Photography OTC : Dylan, tell me, who are the Alabama Heathens? Dylan Johnson : The Alabama Heathens are a southern rock band out of North Alabama. On lead guitar , we have Jude Roberts . On drums , we have Ethan Chandler . On bass guitar, we have William O’Rear . And I'm on lead vocals. We pride ourselves on authenticity. I think we bring an old soul to our original music. OTC : What's the story behind the band's name? Dylan : It comes from a song I wrote two years ago called ' Alabama Heathens .' I wrote it about my buddies I grew up with. I felt like we were, you know, hometown heathens, I guess you could say. I can't really remember who mentioned it as the band name. I was initially against it, but maybe Jonathan said we should be The Alabama Heathens. The Alabama Heathens EP OTC : What got you into music? Jude Roberts : Well, my first instrument was the tuba in 6th grade, and by the end of 6th grade, I got braces. I didn't want to play because, you know, braces suck when you're trying to play a brass instrument. Michael Cline said, ‘Hey, you should play bass instead.’ So, Michael Cline got me playing bass. I've been into music since before I came out of the womb. Credit: Bud Gambrell Photography I would like to give you a side note: Michael Cline plays bass for Mike Roberts’ band, Five O’clock Charlie . OTC : Why is that? Jude : My dad was reading a music theory book in the lobby while I was being born. I remember crawling on stage at an early age, maybe two or three, with headphones on while everybody played loud guitar amps and drums. And I've always just been around music, you know. I took my dad's CDs to go show the kindergarten class or the pre-school class. But I didn't really get into playing music on my own until Michael Cline got me playing bass, and until I heard The Clash's London Calling album. The entire album is golden! Credit: Bud Gambrell Photography OTC : Dylan. what got you into music? Dylan : Well, I think listening to records at such a young age. And the earliest I can remember, I feel like it was the radio, too. Driving to school and riding in the car seat are the earliest I can remember. It was Johnny Cash . I guess it was the voice that I loved the most. I think it was ' Ring of Fire .' That was my favorite song. Kiss was another band that I loved as a kid. I would bang my head on my car seat. OTC : Were these your parents' records? Dylan : Well, some of these came from the radio, you know, from 95.1 The Rocket . My dad's records got me into wanting to play music. I just grew up listening to Bob Dylan , and Steely Dan was always on the record player. So much so that I would turn the record player off because I kept hearing the same song repeatedly. And then what got me into wanting to play was when I was 12, my dad took me to my first concert, ZZ Top . The production, the lights, the sound, the interaction of the crowd, you know, watching people cheer and laugh and cry, and seeing what music could do to somebody. It just hit me right away! I feel like I was born into it. Bud Gambrell with Jude and Dylan from The Alabama Heathens OTC : What are your main influences? Dylan : Ohh, man. I mean, musically, I would have to say one of my biggest influences would probably be Neil Young . As a songwriter, he has his sound; nobody else sounds like him or writes like Neil Young . Bob Dylan is the same way. Maybe it's because I was named after Bob. It's the reason that I'm so into him. But I just grew up on that music. OTC : Jude, what are your influences? Jude : My most significant influence is my father . You can't escape the DNA. That DNA influence , I guess, is a weird way to put it. I've always heard him playing, and he was my first reference for an electric guitar player and what an electric guitar player should be. That was my first taste of hearing music, and I love Jimi Hendrix . I'm a big Duane Allman and Derek Trucks fan on slide guitar . I'm a big Rory Gallagher fan, too. I like Paul Kossoff from Free and Mick Ralphs from Bad Company . For the longest time, I said my three significant influences were Mike Roberts , Jimi Hendrix , and B.B. King . I've added Rory Gallagher and Duane Allman to that list, making it five . Credit: Bud Gambrell Photography OTC : Now you guys just did some dates in Florida. Tell me how that went for you. Jude : Oh, that was great! That was fun! We played Docie’s Dock in Fort Walton Beach , which you can't see, but I'm wearing a hat they so kindly allowed me to keep. It was a warm reception for our first time playing in Florida . The crowd had their attention on us, which you can't say for some venues. We just had a great old time! OTC : Dylan, tell me some things the Alabama Heathens have coming up for this spring and summer. Dylan : Tomorrow, we'll open up for a band called The Skeeters in Fort Payne, Alabama. That should be a massive gig for us! We're looking forward to that! I know the Alabama Smoke Show is coming back on July 19, 2025 . I'm not exactly sure who is all on the bill for that, but I'm looking forward to playing Mars Music Hall again. That's a staple of Huntsville , so I'm very grateful to be a part of that. Hopefully, we will visit Minnesota to play some shows around August or September . We're getting that worked up for about five days or something. We will try to sneak our way from Tennessee to Kentucky and Minnesota . I think it would be cool if we could get that done. We want to try to get some real touring going on. I mean, that's our main thing. Plus, we've been in the studio. Credit: Bud Gambrell Photography OTC : Speaking of that, I’ve seen pictures of you in the studio. Can we expect some more new material coming soon? Dylan : Absolutely! Hopefully, by mid-summer, our song ' Throw the Dog a Bone ' should be coming out. We've already been in the studio and cut it. We're excited to put some new music out! I think we're just going to do singles for the next couple of months and see where that takes us, and hopefully be prepared, you know, by next year to do a full 12-song album . OTC : Speaking of singles, the latest one is ' Here for the Whiskey ' . I've heard it, and I’ve watched the video multiple times. I love this song! Jude, tell me a little about how the initial idea and the song's recording came about. Jude : Well. ' Here for the Whiskey ' was written by Dylan Johnson, James LeBlanc, and Jonathan Moody. They had a recording sent to me when I first joined the band with all of the original songs to learn. So, you know, I joined the band not long ago compared to these guys. And I just figured out how to add slide guitar to the songs. Playing in a band with two guitar players is pretty hard to figure out where you're supposed to fit. We had a pretty good idea of what we were doing, but Jeremy Stephens at Clearwave Studios helped us orchestrate and arrange it to be more professional. OTC : I think the slide stands out on a great song. You mentioned Duane Allman . Where do you get your slight guitar influence from? Jude : Again, my dad was my first slide influence. The first riff I ever learned was ' Whole Lotta Love ' by Led Zeppelin , and he showed me how to do the slide part. I've been playing the slide technically since I first started playing guitar, but I didn't get into it until I heard Derek Trucks playing slide . Derek Trucks is probably one of the greatest guitar players ever to walk the earth. So that led me back to Duane Allman . I've been listening to Elmore James . Warren Haynes is a huge slide influence on me. Warren plays slide in the standard tuning instead of an open tuning like Duane or Derek. We play many songs, and it's easier for me to go ahead and play in standard tuning. I don't want to have to switch guitars if I want to play slide. I just put my slide on my finger. George Harrison is also a considerable influence. Credit: Bud Gambrell Photography OTC : Have you gotten any feedback from the new song yet? Dylan : We posted it on Facebook , and I've received a lot of great feedback from friends, family, and fans. We also put out a music video for it, which was super cool! It has almost 1000 views. I'm not sure what the streaming aspect of it looks like, but I think it's done pretty well so far. OTC : We have worked together a couple of times. We’ve done photo sessions together, but I think the first time I met you, Dylan, and Jude may have been the first time I met Jude. We were in the field on a rainy day, shooting ' Fast Country ' for your dad's band, 5ive O’clock Charlie . Do you remember that? Jude : Oh, I remember that like it was yesterday. OTC : I think y'all were still called the Debriefers at the time. Now, that's an interesting name. Tell me about the name Debriefers. Jude : Before I do that, I will say the biggest thing I remember about that day is Bud Gambrell dropping a smoke bomb on us! I looked back at my drummer, who's also named Dylan. Dylan Hurley. He is a wonderful human being! Seeing the expression of terror on his face as he got engulfed by smoke , and then slowly but surely, the entire band got engulfed. I watched the video. We all just looked panicked and confused! Then we're just engulfed by smoke, and you see Bud leaving the crime scene. (laughter) I add a little smoke to everything he remembers about that day. Well, it was supposed to be a “little”. The smoke would make the video more visually appealing, right? Somebody back me up here. Mike? Duane? Dylan? Anyone? If one smoke bomb was good, two smoke bombs would be great. Anyway, it was funny, a little? Here is the video . You be the judge. Fast Country by 5ive O'Clock Charlie Jude continues to explain the name of his previous band. Jude : The Debriefers is a spin-off of the Panty Droppers , a beautiful name. Dylan Johnson came up with that. We tried for a good month or two to figure out a name. Band names are hard. Man, it's just like a song title. You must find the right one but can't use any old name. So, I decided to do some Grissom academics and make it Debriefers . So, we were able to be school-friendly. OTC : Dylan, surely, there's something else you remember better about that day than the smoke. Dylan : Well, there was a damn downpour. I remember that. Yeah, I remember it rained like crazy! We were on a trailer. We were on a gooseneck trailer set up with a great sound system. And we had a crowd we were playing for. We played ' Whipping Post .' It was a bit rocky, but we had a good time that day. I remember it coming down in a downpour out of nowhere and packing up all that PA equipment in the rain. We were in Duane Walker's cow pasture. Credit: Bud Gambrell Photography Duane Walker also plays in 5ive O’clock Charlie. I met Duane at a Blackberry Smoke concert before I knew he was joining 5ive O’clock Charlie. We started a conversation and became friends, as if we’d known each other for a long time. OTC : What are your long-term goals for the band, and what are you most excited about in the future of your music? Dylan : To go on tour. I mean to live that tour life and play music. We could have shows like we do back home, but out on the road. The main goal is to play our music to people who want to listen to original music. Make them dance. You know, make them cry. It's a compliment to make somebody cry with your song because it means they're living it. You know what I mean? I'm not afraid to listen to music and cry. Because, I mean, that shows its authenticity. You know what I mean? For the long term, man, I'd love to get an album, a couple of albums under our belt, and eventually be headlining shows instead of opening them. Our brand can sell, make people happy, and have a promising career. Credit: Bud Gambrell Photography OTC : The headline shows are going to come. Trust me, it's coming. How do you define success as a musician? Jude : Playing something new every night that makes you happy. And if it gets you off, then great. If it gets the crowd off, too, then that’s what you're looking for. Being a musician, you're never going to be satisfied because you're always going to be working to be better or working to do something differently. So, having shows and getting paid for what you're doing is the goal: I'm happy if I can pay my bills by playing my guitar. But if I can be creative and expand my knowledge as a human being and musician, that's what you want. Credit: Bud Gambrell Photography OTC : What's the most important thing you want people to take away from your music? Jude : I want people to know who I am and what I've been through by listening to my notes, lyrics, and everything I put forward. I want people to feel like I did when I heard Jimi Hendrix or Derek Trucks for the first time. I want people to have an excitement for life that drugs can't give you. The enthusiasm that only music and God can give you. Credit: Bud Gambrell Photography Dylan : I want somebody to be able to listen to our music and relate to the hurt, the heartache, and even the good times of it. You know what I mean? I would hope that when people hear us, they don't think that we're just some other, you know, local band that's trying to do it. I mean, this is our full-time gig. This is full-time for me, and it is for Jude. I know that we put our heart and soul into this: traveling, playing, and riding. The writing is about things that we know. We're not trying to be somebody we're not, which happens often in this business because you get offered all this stuff, and then you buy into it. But I don't think we've ever settled for mediocrity either. I don't ever want to do that. And I want people to know that and keep on listening. Credit: Bud Gambrell Photography OTC : If you could perform anywhere worldwide, where would it be and why? Dylan : Veterans Park in Priceville, AL. (laughs) Dylan : My first thought was the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville . The history there! I got to see Jason Isbell for my first show ever at the Ryman. He's one of my all-time favorites. Who wouldn't want to play at Red Rocks ? I guess it would be the Ryman , just because it's the Mother Church! Everyone sits on church pews , and all eyes are on you. Jude : Well, it would not be Veterans Park in Priceville, Alabama. (laughter) Jude : I also want to say the Ryman because my father has played there , and I feel I owe it to myself to have two Roberts play at the Ryman instead of just one. That would be cool! I would also love to play at one of the Fillmores or the Apollo Theater in New York . I’m a big fan of old R&B , blues , and soul music . Man, the Apollo is where all those guys were at. B.B. King , James Brown , and you know all those greats. So, that'd be cool to play that room. Credit: Bud Gambrell Photography OTC : What's a fun fact about yourself that your fans may not know? Jude : Musically or not, musically? OTC : It can be either—just a fun fact about yourself. Jude : I've pissed on an Irish castle, and I found out later that it's a felony. I don't know if you can publish that, but you can. I'll give you permission. (laughter) OTC : As long as we don't say which one, they can't press charges, right? Jude : I reckon. I'll tell you which one. OTC : Let’s not invite the law into this. Jude : I was walking around, and I, you know, I had to go. It's really beautiful in Ireland ! It's beautiful with a lot of places to go to take a piss. (laughter) Credit: Bud Gambrell Photography Dylan : I used to be on a pool team. I love to shoot pool. I love playing golf when I'm not working. I have several hobbies. I love the gym. I try to eat clean. I don't eat the best, but I like physically caring for myself. I do kickboxing and boxing and run and all that. I enjoy that kind of stuff. I don't know if that's a fun fact. But that's what I'm doing when I’m not playing music. I'm either shooting pool, playing golf, or boxing. Credit: Bud Gambrell Photography OTC: One last question. If you had the chance to meet your favorite rock star and ask him or her one question. Who would you want to meet, and what would you ask them? Jude : I have two answers. Do I only have to give one? OTC : Two will be fine. Jude : My first one is Jimi Hendrix . He was always creating and on the forefront of just new shit and pushing everything to its boundary and to its edge and making new boundaries. And how did you do that? That'd be my question. How did you consistently break boundaries? OTC : Ok, number two? Jude : The second would be Gregg Allman . I would like to ask Gregg Allman what microphone he used on Eat a Peach . I've been wondering about that for the past month. Dylan : I mean, if I can meet anybody and ask anything, it would probably be Neil Young , honestly. How did you produce an album like Harvest ? You know, where does that sound come from? Who writes that? It's kind of the same with Bob Dylan . How does somebody write that kind of music and continue to write that kind of music in their late 70s? I would ask how they have made it this far. Being on the road and not losing their minds. I'm sure they're crazy, but you must be crazy to do what we're doing anyway. OTC : Do you have anything else to add for your fans, listeners, and new potential fans? Dylan : Man, come out and see us! Come talk to us. Buy a T-shirt and ask for a sticker. We'll give you a sticker. Follow us and like our music. We love y'all! We want to meet y'all and create a family, you know, that wants to support us. And we want to hear from you. You know what I mean? Just let us know if there's a certain song or anything you want to hear. Jude : Rock 'n' Roll isn’t dead, so come out and fucking rock with us! You heard Jude! Get up and get to a show to rock with this band. By all means, catch them between sets or after the show and introduce yourself. You will not meet a more sociable bunch of young men. Until next time, Keep your diamond down in the groove! *All photos by Bud Gambrell Photography www.bgambrellphotography.com Bud Gambrell Photography Bud Gambrell Photography is a locally owned and operated photography business in North Alabama. Call or email us today for an appointment. Where to find Bud: Email: the_budgambrell@mixedaltmag.com Website: https://bgambrellphotography.com Amazon: https://a.co/d/1CLA9Tz Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bud.gambrell My new book: Bud Gambrell Photography by Bud Gambrell | Blurb Books Where to find the Alabama Heathens: YouTube: Alabama Heathens - Topic - YouTube Facebook: Facebook Instagram: The Alabama Heathens (@thealabamaheathens) • Instagram photos and videos Where to find Dylan Johnson: Facebook: Facebook X: Dylan Johnson (@D_JohnsonMusic) / X Where to find Jude Roberts: Facebook: Facebook www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90s flair. www.mixedaltmag.com D o you have something that Bud should check out? Email him at the_budgambrell@mixedaltmag.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

Reviving Britpop < Back A Wave of Nostalgia: The Clifftones Nicole Brice Feb 22, 2023 Share Reviving Britpop Ever so often, I will stumble upon a musician whose sound truly resonates with me all the way to my soul. This holds true with Boston singer/songwriter, Scott Clifford. Scott goes by the handle “The Clifftones” on Instagram, but he is a one-man show. He sings, he plays guitar, he makes his own promos, he produces and records his own music, AND he is one awesome guy. A fellow Veteran of the armed forces, such as myself, when Scott and I first connected, we were able to talk military, and that was initially how the conversation started. Scott served in the 82nd Airborne Division overseas in Iraq but has since ended his enlistment. His smooth, soulful voice is truly beautiful, though, and it puts me in such a calm space. I am certain it will do the same for you. Over the past few years, Clifford has released several original singles, but with his latest release, he has decided to pay homage to those who have inspired and influenced him since adolescence. “The Exchange St. Sessions” EP is available March 1st via all streaming platforms, and I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy. It has been on repeat for the past two weeks. This EP of cover songs is hauntingly beautiful and gives me the chills … the good kind you get when the music is truly special. With Scott’s renditions of such classics as “Fade into You” by Mazzy Star and “The Drugs Don’t Work” by The Verve, it’s as if I’m hearing this music for the first time. With a voice that is a cross between Ryan Adams and Tom Waits, I insist that everyone give a listen to his newest release launching soon. You will thank me; I’m sure of it. Scott and I sat down to have a lengthy discussion recently about his music, his career in the Army, and just everything in general. Take the time to read about this incredibly talented man, and then go check out his Instagram for everything Clifftones related. MaM : Good Morning! So, how’s it going? SC : It’s going alright. I was actually going to crack a joke with your text that said, “Alright, I’ll call you at 11:15.” I was going to say, “I don’t know what unit you were in, but it’s 11:18 here already … and then I realized you are an hour behind me.” (laughs) MaM : I forget that I’m in a different time zone from others sometimes, being in no-man’s-land Louisiana. (laughs) SC : At least people are polite there. MaM : Well, kinda sorta. My family isn’t from here. Dad is from San Diego and mom is from Ashtabula, Ohio, so I’ve always been the odd ball, but let’s get this started. First, I love your accent. I know I probably have a southern accent from being down here. (laughs) SC : Well, I wouldn’t say I have a thick one, but I wouldn’t say you have a thick one either, but now, if I have a drink, it really comes out. (laughs) MaM : So, I know you had mentioned prior to this that you were in the military. 82nd Airborne? SC : Yep, so I was stationed at Ft. Bragg and did basic at Ft. Benning and then did AIT at Ft. Gordon. MaM : I did both my basic and AIT at Ft. Jackson. SC : What was your MOS? MaM : It started out as 71 L, but when they did some restructuring, the nomenclature changed to 42 L, but no matter what the number was, was always a clerk. I think I processed more Article 15's than anything. It was as if someone was always in trouble. (laughs) SC: I was a Commo guy. I laughed when you had mentioned the “E-4 Mafia” when we spoke another time. MaM : It wasn’t like the opportunities weren’t there to advance past E-4, but I was happy with my MOS, so I figured, why change it just to gain rank. So, I was E-4 my entire military career and I like to say we knew stuff, but we didn’t want the responsibility. (laughs) SC : Oh, I’m one of ya. (laughs) Yeah, after my 15-month deployment to Iraq for the surge, I just didn’t really care about advancing. I got home from my deployment and just wanted out. That was in 2010, though. It’s been a while. MaM : Same. Ok, so let’s talk music. I could talk military forever. Give our readers a little more background info on you. SC : I am Scott Clifford, and I’m 38 years old. I live in Boston, Mass., and I’m inspired by Rock music, and from an early age always wanted to emulate my favorite artists. I like being able to convey feelings, thoughts, and experiences through music. It’s an outlet for me. While I’m from Massachusetts, I’ve lived and travelled all over the world. I am an 82nd airborne combat veteran, as we already spoke about, and while I’m glad I’m out, I am glad I served. Fun fact: While in Iraq, I managed to get ahold of a guitar and laptop, and in the rare event we had free time, I would make spoof songs with my friends and fellow soldiers. I made a song called “365 in the 325” (325th Infantry Regiment) where me and some of the other guys would sing about the monotony while serving and various broken promises our unit/leadership made. After my time in the military, I studied towards a bachelor’s degree and later a master’s degree in the United Kingdom. I loved living in the UK, and the music scene there was incredible. MaM : When did you first get the itch to make music? SC : The first time I recall music registering in my brain as something fun to do was when I was around four or five years old. I remember my grandparents having an old electric keyboard. I can recall slowly playing the piano from the highest note to the lowest, all the while daydreaming about a little red riding hood storyline in my mind. I really believe this is where I sort of picked up or wired my brain for melody. With every note, I associated a feeling and a picture in my mind. I still do! MaM : Name one influential person in your life who you can credit with putting you on your path to making music. SC : I was lucky as a kid. I remember my dad realizing that I was starting to care less about sports and more about music. He bought me my first guitar. That’s when I realized I didn’t just want to be a fan of music but also someone who creates music as well. Because of my age, I had just missed the Grunge movement, and then here comes this Brit-Pop stuff, which you know I love. In fact, I ended up talking to one of the Gallagher brothers. There is a third one, who is not famous, and he found me on Instagram a while back, and he said to me, ‘You know what your problem is?’ And I’m thinking, ‘Oh, here we go …’ (laughs) He says to me, though, ‘You’re not doing anything new.’ I’ve had so many people say that I’m stuck in the past with my music, but if I sound 80’s, 90’s, or even 60’s, I take that as a compliment. MaM : Well, you know what they say: What was once old will become new again. That’s just the nature of the game. What is your favorite type of music, and who is your favorite artist or musician? SC : My favorite type or genre of music? I’d have to say it is Alternative Rock with a solid Pop leaning. By that I mean everything I’m writing now is heavily based around hooks and a verse/bridge/chorus-sort of structure. Not only do I want the songs to be catchy but also meaningful with the lyrics (the hard part). One of my favorite musicians would have to be Noel Gallagher of Oasis, obviously. The way he crafts a song is often simple but so melodic and anthemic. MaM : What is one of your most memorable live shows you have played? SC: Live music … my experience playing live consists mainly of small pubs and open-mic nights. One of my favorite times playing was while I lived in England. A few of my friends knew I played the guitar and volunteered me to play. Learning all those Oasis songs as a kid paid off that night! MaM : Where do you see yourself headed in the future as far as your music career? SC : Well, so far, it’s looking like an eventful 2023. I’m releasing the acoustic five-track covers EP followed by an Originals EP. I’m also in talks to collaborate with an electronic artist from Europe (trying to push myself out of my comfort zone a bit) and possibly creating the soundtrack for an indie film set in NYC, not to mention planning some live dates and limited run merch for the upcoming EP. Exciting times! I’m still navigating the world of Indie music, but I’ve been fortunate to have had some talented musicians and artists reach out to talk about my work. It’s beyond flattering and tells me I’m on to something. To check out Scott’s music, be sure to follow him on Instagram and then download “The Exchange St. Sessions” EP out March 1, 2023! The Clifftones (@clifftonesmusic) • Instagram photos and videos The Exchange St Sessions (2021-2022) by The Clifftones - DistroKid Music | The Clifftones - Scott Clifford | BostonMA Spotify – The Clifftones TheClifftones (@clifftones) / Twitter *All photos provided by the artist* www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90s flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Questions or comments? Hit us up at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

With Halloween 2023 right around the corner, Mixed Alternative got together to recommend some of our favorite Halloween movies! < Back 20+ Halloween Films to Watch This Season: Feast Upon This Keeley Brooks & Mixed Alternative Staff Oct 22, 2023 Share With Halloween 2023 right around the corner, Mixed Alternative got together to recommend some of our favorite Halloween movies! ‘Tis the season for all things spooky, my friends, and here at Mixed Alternative, we love the weird and spooky because, well, that’s just who we are—well, maybe not spooky but definitely weird in the best possible way. In addition to costumes, candy, and creepy-looking house parties, Halloween is also celebrated in cinema. With the 2023 Halloween season right around the corner, we thought it would be fun to give you guys a little roundup of our favorite Halloween movies recommended by our writers and editors. Happy Viewing, my friends. --------------------------------------------------------------------- C.G. SMITH Evil Dead II (1987) Director: Sam Raimi Cast: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Ted Raimi, Kassie Wesley DePaiva The Evil Dead franchise follows Ashley “Ash” Williams (Campbell) in his battle to survive on onslaught of flesh-possessing demons that he and his friends accidentally unleashed when they found an old book, the Necronomicon, at a cabin in the woods and read it aloud. Oops. Evil Dead II finds Ash holed up in cabin with a group of strangers as the demons continue their attack. “I first watched Evil Dead II in middle school with friends at a sleepover, and what I loved about it then and now is the way it mixes comedy with gore . It’s wonderful. Evil Dead II will always be one of my favorite horror movies because of how absolutely fun it is to experience and how many memorable and quotable scenes there are not just in the franchise but in Evil Dead II in particular.” A Quiet Place (2018) Director: John Krasinski Cast: John Krasinkski, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe If they hear you, they hunt you. Imagine having to live in a world where making the softest sound could get you killed. In A Quiet Place , a family must live in silence to avoid mysterious creatures that hunt by sound. Knowing that even the slightest whisper or footstep can bring death, Evelyn (Emily Blunt, of Edge of Tomorrow ) and Lee (John Krasinski, of The Office ) are determined to find a way to protect their kids while desperately searching for a way to fight back. “ A Quiet Place is so great on so many levels, as it took something we all tend to take for granted and made the mere act of making sound a death sentence. Imagine giving birth in a world where you can't make a sound and there is no medical care, where you must keep your newborn quiet lest it be snatched by an alien before you can blink. Babies are not quiet, so the combined tension of giving birth silently and keeping a newborn quiet are just horrific. A Quiet Place is excellent writing and acting merging into a masterpiece from one spectacular idea . While A Quiet Place Part II didn't quite live up to the original, I still hold a place in my heart for this movie.” *Honorable Mention: The Omen (1976) Director: Richard Donner Cast: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Harvey Stephens, David Warner The Omen is about a boy named Damien (Harvey Stephens, of The Bat ) who is believed to be the Antichrist. When American diplomat Robert (Gregory Peck, of Cape Fear ) adopts Damien after his wife Katherine (Lee Remich, of Around the World in 80 Days ) delivers a stillborn, Damien’s first nanny hangs herself. When Father Brennan (Patrick Troughton, of Doctor Who ) warns Robert that Damien will harm Katherine’s unborn child, it isn’t long before Brennan turns up dead and Katherine miscarries when Damien pushes her off a balcony. As more people around Damien die, Robert investigates the kid’s background and realizes Damien may just be the devil’s son. “I read ‘The Omen’ book as a young child and later saw the film. The idea that a child had been born as the son of the devil to an influential family and would one day rise through the ranks of society was fascinating to me. The way The Omen built suspense and overall tension is truly something to witness . ‘Damien, it's all for you.’ Plus, I kinda looked like the child actor when I was his age.” --------------------------------------------------------------------- JEFF CRESPI Drag Me to Hell (2009) Director: Sam Raimi Cast: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Ruth Livier, Lorna Rave, David Paymer Alison Lohman ( Gamer ) stars as Christine Brown, a beautiful girl with a loving boyfriend (Justin Long, of Accepted ) and a great job at an L.A. bank. Her heavenly life becomes a living hell when, in an effort to impress her boss, she denies an old woman’s request for an extension on her home loan. In retaliation, the crone places a curse on Christine, threatening her soul with eternal damnation. Christine seeks a psychic’s help to break the curse, but can she afford the price to save her soul? “ Drag Me to Hell is one horror movie that always stood out to me. Actress Alison Lohman does an amazing job as the lead and looks a lot like our editor-in-chief, Nicole Brice! Drag Me to Hell has some very suspenseful and scary moments throughout the film, starting from early on. I think this is a great movie that doesn't fall into a list with the more obvious ones ." The Exorcist (1973) Director: William Friedkin Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb, William O’Malley One of the most profitable horror movies ever made, this tale of an exorcism is based loosely on actual events. When young Regan (Linda Blair, of The Exorcist: Believer ) starts acting odd—levitating, speaking in tongues—her worried mother (Ellen Burstyn, of Requiem for a Dream ) seeks medical help, only to hit a dead end. However, a local priest (Jason Miller, of The Exorcist III ) thinks the girl may be seized by the devil, so he makes a request to perform an exorcism, and the church sends in an expert (Max von Sydow, of Flash Gordon ) to help. “I would have to say the scariest film of all time would be The Exorcist . The story, cinematography, acting, editing, and old school techniques combine perfectly to cast a deep shadow of fear in the hearts of any viewer. ” *Honorable Mentions: Saw Franchise (2004) Director: James Wan Cast: Leigh Whannell, Cary Elwes Creators: James Wan and Leigh Whannell, Shawnee Smith, Tobin Bell, Danny Glover A groundbreaking horror franchise, Saw is about a sadistic serial killer named Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) who kidnaps people and sets them up in one of his perverse little puzzle games so that they have the choice: live or die. In the original Saw movie, photographer Adam Stanheight (Leigh Whannel, of Upgrade ) and oncologist Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes, of The Princess Bride ) regain consciousness while chained to dirty, grimy pipes at either end of a filthy bathroom. As the two men realize they’ve been trapped, flashbacks relate the fates of Jigsaw’s previous victims while the two men are forced into torture as they fight for their survival, as Gordon’s wife and young daughter watch via closed-circuit video. “As far as gore goes, the Saw franchise is fantastic and ultimately features some of the most cringeworthy horror scenarios available today . It’s no wonder the Saw movies make up the highest-grossing horror franchise of all time.” Halloween II (1981) Director: Rick Rosenthal Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasense, Charles Cyphers, Dick Warlock After failing to kill stubborn survivor Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis, of True Lies ) and taking a bullet or six from former psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence, of Halloween ), the masked Michael Myers follows Laurie to the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, where she’s been admitted for Myers’ attempt on her life. The institution proves to be particularly suited to serial killers, however, as Myers cuts, stabs, and slashes his way through hospital staff to reach his favorite victim. “There’s a lot about the Halloween movie franchise that stands out for numerous reasons, but one of my favorites is Halloween II , which focuses on Dr. Loomis’s hunt for Michael as a traumatized Laurie is rushed to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital. Only thing is, Michael is right behind her and when he gets into the hospital, the action makes for one unforgettable scene that forever stands out for me. It’s a must see .” --------------------------------------------------------------------- CHUCK BROOKS Get Out (2017) Director: Jordan Peele Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, LaKeith Stanfield, Betty Gabriel, Marcus Henderson In a slam dunk of a directorial debut from actor, producer, writer, and comedian Jordan Peele ( Nope ), Get Out follows young couple Chris (Daniel Kaluuya, of Black Panther ) and Rose (Allison Williams, of M3GAN ) as they go to visit her parents in Upstate New York. Chris has never met them before and is a little weary about this milestone in their relationship. When they first arrive, Chris reads the family’s overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter’s interracial relationship (Rose is White, Chris is Black), but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries leads him right to a truth he could’ve never imagined. “What I enjoyed about Get Out is its commentary on how Black people are treated in the 21st Century. Peele managed to write an ingenious horror movie that’s stone-cold realistic commentary on the enslavement of a race of people for their perceived physical attributes and longevity . Get Out is masterfully told and acted out on all parts of the cast—the ensemble of which was a big deal. The scene where Chris is struck in sheer terror emanates with how Black people must feel today: like there’s an area where if they cross some perceived line in reality, there’ll be retaliation by the system. Catherine Keener ( The 40-Year-Old Virgin ) and Bradley Whitford ( The Handmaid’s Tale ) represent this and capitalize on Black lives before Black Lives Matter ever became a thing. This movie is important for a lot of reasons : It’s a good movie with a valuable message as a horror movie , it adds to the shallow repertoire when it comes to black horror films, and it crosses borders like Us (2019) does. The social commentary with Get Out is exploitation on Black people as a whole treated as a commodity, as something to be traded or sold. Peele wrote a horror movie about Black people that is a real-time horror tale set in real life, and he couldn’t bring more valuable views and messages to the masses with his work.” Zombieland (2009) Director: Ruben Fleischer Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, Abigail Breslin, Bill Murray After a virus turns most people into zombies, the world’s surviving humans remain locked in an ongoing battle against the hungry undead. Four survivors—Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson, of White Men Can’t Jump ) and his cohorts, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg, of The Social Network ), Wichita (Emma Stone, of La La Land ), and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin, of Little Miss Sunshine )—abide by a list of survival rules and zombie-killing strategies as they make their way toward a rumored safe haven in Los Angeles … at the house of one Bill Murray ( Lost in Translation ). Zombieland is one of the best comedy-horror films today. From its comedic aspects such as Columbus’s rules for surviving in this new zombie-infested world to the tough but sensitive levity Woody Harrelson brings to his character to the zombies’ development and adopted zombie-telling techniques from other areas, everything about this film works together to enhance an already excellent storyline . Zombieland is exciting, full of wild action with well-choreographed stunts, and it features just the right amount of gore without being too much. Zombieland is a movie that you can still watch and get something out of it, even if you’re not a zombie person . --------------------------------------------------------------------- EZEKIEL KINCAID The Exorcist (1973) Director: William Friedkin Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb, William O’Malley One of the most profitable horror movies ever made , this tale of an exorcism is based loosely on actual events . When young Regan (Linda Blair, of The Exorcist: Believer ) starts acting odd—levitating, speaking in tongues—her worried mother (Ellen Burstyn, of Requiem for a Dream ) seeks medical help, only to hit a dead end. However, a local priest (Jason Miller, of The Exorcist III ) thinks the girl may be seized by the devil, so he makes a request to perform an exorcism, and the church sends in an expert (Max von Sydow, of Flash Gordon ) to help. “ The Exorcist set the standard for possession movies. Friedkin's bold adaptation of Blattey's novel has shocked and scared audiences since its release in 1973 and still does so to this day. Often imitated but never replicated, no possession movie has ever surpassed this one in thrills and chills .” Hereditary (2018) Director: Ari Aster Cast: Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff When the matriarch of the Graham family passes away, her daughter and grandchildren begin to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry, trying to outrun the sinister fate they’ve inherited. “I once read somewhere that Hereditary was The Exorcist of this modern-day generation, so it is no surprise I love it. The Exorcist it is not, but that doesn't mean it isn’t unsettling. Ari Aster's dark take on the cult/occult subgenre of horror will keep you awake for days . That’s a guarantee.” Halloween (1978) Director: John Carpenter Cast: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran, Nancy Kyes, Charles Cyphers On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six-year-old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister. He was sentenced and locked away for 15 years. But on October 30, 1978, while being transferred for a court date, a 21-year-old Michael Myers steals a car and escapes, returning to his quiet hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, where he looks for his next victims. “John Carpenter and Debra Hill raised the bar for slasher movies with Halloween . Ominous, atmospheric, and foreboding, Michael Myers has a creep factor that many of his predecessors and contemporaries lack. Halloween also has the best theme music ever !” --------------------------------------------------------------------- KEELEY BROOKS 28 Days Later (2002) Director: Danny Boyle Cast: Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns, Naomi Harris When a group of eco-terrorists free a chimp from its lab cage in a Cambridge medical research lab, they’re unaware it’s infected with what is called the “Rage virus” and unknowingly unleash the apocalypse. When London bike courier Jim (Cillian Murphy, of Peaky Blinders ) wakes up from 28 days in a coma, he finds London in total collapse, the world in destruction, and society completely obliterated. It’s only when he’s chased through the streets by aggressive, wicked fast, bloodthirsty creatures and is saved by a couple of uninfected that he learns what has happened and must figure out a way to survive in a world not only full of raging zombies but also littered with broken down groups of humanity. “ 28 Days Later was the first zombie movie to truly scare me. Before then, I’d never seen fast zombies, let alone violent, aggressive ones. I love everything about this movie, from its concept to its pace in storytelling to its simple use of blood to imply more than what is seen. 28 Days Later features stellar acting (this was Cillian Murphy’s first big movie) and a smart soundtrack that drives the panic and tension throughout the story. And further compounding this hair-raising scenario is the horror story within the horror story , which shows what happens when humanity ceases to exist. I also love how Director Danny Boyle juxtaposes this horrific scenario with the beautiful backdrop of nature—ironic since nature is where viruses originate. ** For more about this movie, read my full review of 28 Days Later . World War Z (2013) Director: Marc Forster Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, Matthew Fox When former U.N. investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt, of Ocean's Eleven ) and his family get stuck in urban gridlock, he senses it’s no ordinary traffic jam and he’s right: The city is erupting into chaos at an incredibly fast pace, leaving little to no chance for escape or survival. A lethal virus spread through a simple bite is turning healthy people into something vicious, unthinking, and feral within a matter of 12 seconds. As the pandemic threatens to consume humanity, Gerry leads a worldwide search to find the source of the infection and, with a stroke of luck, a way to halt its spread. “Clearly, zombie movies are my favorite horror movies--next to slasher films, of course. World War Z had the same effect on me that 28 Days Later had: sheer terror . I didn’t think it was possible to amp up the aggression, speed, and bloodlust that zombies of the early 21st Century had come to display, but World War Z came along and nailed it. With the exception of about four minutes at the beginning and end of the film, World War Z is adrenaline-inducing and heart pounding from start to finish . Every single moment of this film is level 10 panic and chaos—no time to think, no time to movie, no time to fear. The cinematography is gorgeous, again using the technique of juxtaposing breathtaking views with a horrific reality. And I have to give mad props to the makeup and special effects department, who, no pun intended, killed it with these zombies. Those moments in the halls of the Center for Disease Control had me holding my breath as I sat there, mouth wide open, in total awe and appreciation of what I was seeing: tension to the max . Also, that massive horde of zombie savagely climbing the walls of Jerusalem is just breathtaking—terrifying, but breathtaking. World War Z is stellar horror all the way around .” Scream (1996) Director: Wes Craven Cast: Drew Barrymore, Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, Neve Campbell, Tatum O’Neal, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Henry Winkler Set in the small town of Woodsboro, Middle America, Scream ’s plot follows high school student Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell, of The Craft ) and her friends, who, on the anniversary of her mother’s murder, become the targets of a costumed, knife-wielding serial killer known as Ghostface. “I love Scream because it scared me without terrifying me and made me laugh in ways that didn’t make the movie any less effective in its serious nature. Featuring one of the best opening scenes in a slasher movie , which was alone enough to instill the fear and pace of this narrative and hook us in from the get-go, Scream reinvented and revitalized the slasher-horror genre . It’s funny and clever in dialogue and character portrayals—thanks, in part, to momentous performances from David Arquette ( Never Been Kissed ), Matthew Lillard ( Good Girls ) and Henry Winkler ( The Waterboy )—while remaining deep in the vein of seriousness, psychological thrills, and plenty of jump scares. Craven masterfully builds tension and self-parody as the body count in Woodsboro rises and a fright-masked knife-wielding maniac stalks high school students in middle-class suburbia. Another reason Scream is a must see : the irony in Randy Meeks’ (Jamie Kennedy, of Son of the Mask ) scene explaining the rules to surviving any horror movie: (1) never have sex, (2) never drink or do drugs, and (3) never ever ever, under any circumstances, say, ‘I’ll be right back.’” Cujo (1981) Director: Lewis Teague Cast: Danny Pintauro, Dee Wallace, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Christopher Stone Adapted from infamous horror author Stephen King’s story of the same name, Cujo is the terrifying tale of a sweet St. Bernard who is bitten by a bat and contracts rabies. Cujo, who roams between his owner’s house and auto garage on the same property, starts behaving oddly and becomes very aggressive, eventually morphing into a dangerous beast thirsting to kill. When stay-at-home mom (Dee Wallace, of Sons and Daughters ) gets caught in Cujo’s crosshairs while out on a fateful errand with her young son Tad (Danny Pintauro, of Who’s the Boss? ), she must fight to protect herself and Tad from Cujo when they become trapped in their tiny Ford Pinto after it breaks down at the auto garage … for days, with no help in sight. “I won’t lie: Cujo scared the absolute shit out of me when I first saw it as a young teen. It’s not the rabies-infested dog that makes Cujo so scary; rather, it’s King’s claustrophobic scenario of being trapped in a tiny, dysfunctional car guarded by crazed, rabid beast that terrifies. From the scenes of Dee’s escalating fear to Cujo viciously attempting to get into the car to Teague’s filming techniques that keep us grounded in awareness, Cujo is definitely one of the scariest real-life scenario movies I’ve ever seen . I never looked at St. Bernards the same way after seeing this film.” Beetlejuice (1988) Director: Tim Burton Cast: Michael Keaton, Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Jones, and Winona Ryder After Barbara (Geena Davis, of A League of Their Own ) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin, of Supercell ) die in a car accident, they find themselves stuck in their country residence, unable to leave the house. When the unbearable Deetzes (Catherine O’Hara, of Schitt’s Creek , and Jeffrey Jones, of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off ) and their teen goth daughter (Winona Ryder, of Mr. Deeds ) move in, the Maitlands attempt to scare them away without success. That’s when they turn to rambunctious bio-exorcist Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton, of Batman ) and all hell breaks loose in the best possible Tim-Burton way. “I adore this movie and everything about Tim Burton’s exaggerated gothic style. Beetlejuice features an all-star cast who, honestly, couldn’t have played their roles any better. Beetlejuice is original, creepy, funny, artistic, and completely entertaining . This movie never gets old and now with a sequel coming in 2024, I suspect Beetlejuice will reach a whole new generation of fans. I can't wait.” --------------------------------------------------------------------- MO THORNTON The Night House (2020) Director: David Bruckner Cast: Rebecca Hall, Sarh Goldberg, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Evan Jonigkeit Reeling from the unexpected death of her husband, Beth (Rebecca Hall, of The Town ) is left alone in the lakeside home he built for her. She tires as best she can to keep it together, but then the dreams come and disturbing visions of a presence in the house call to her, beckoning with a ghostly allure. But in the harsh light of day, any proof of a haunting dissolves. Against the advice of her friends, Beth digs into her husband’s belongings in a frantic search for answers. “I love a good scare, and one of my go-to films for a sleepless night that has me double-checking the locks on my door while experiencing mounting, almost unbearable suspense is The Night House . Rebecca Hall stars as a widow whose grief is complicated by anger, confusion, and guilt as her husband died by his own hand. The remote lake house setting makes it all the creepier (and more delicious) to explore, along with the protagonist's thin spaces between reality and nightmare.” Fear of Rain (2021) Director: Castille Landon Cast: Katherine Heigl, Harry Connick Jr., Madison Iseman, Israel Broussard “ Fear of Rain brilliantly takes the audience into the dark, terrifying world of a teen girl who struggles with mental health.” Rain (Madison Iseman, of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle ) has early-onset schizophrenia, a condition that not only causes her to see vivid hallucinations but also puts a strain on her parents. When she meets Caleb (Israel Broussard, of Fear the Walking Dead ), a charmingly awkward new kid at school, Rain finally feels a lifeline to normalcy. But as she starts to suspect her neighbor kidnapped a child, she must figure out who and what is real while also battling the overwhelming forces that haunt her daily life . “The danger she encounters during her episodes might not all be ‘in her mind.’” https://youtu.be/jFxOxLLzjG8?feature=shared “Full disclosure: Both The Night House and Fear of Rain deliver heart-stopping jolts of fright that let me skip the gym the next morning—an added appeal.” --------------------------------------------------------------------- NICOLE BRICE Halloween (2007) Director: Rob Zombie Cast: Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, William Forsythe, Udo Kier, Danny Trejo Nearly two decades after being committed to a mental institution for killing his stepfather and older sister, Michael Myers breaks out, intent on returning home to Haddonfield, Illinois. He arrives on Halloween with the indomitable purpose of hunting down his younger sister, Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton, of An American Crime ). The only thing standing between Michael and a Halloween night full of bloody carnage is Dr. Sam Loomis (Malcolm McDowell, of A Clockwork Orange ). “Rob Zombie’s Halloween completely changed my view of the Halloween franchise. Growing up, I always felt that beyond the first two original Halloween films, the franchise became cheesy and stale. Then in walks Rob Zombie with this scary as f**k take on the narrative and I was blown away. To this day, Halloween (2007) still freaks me out, but in a good way." Sleepy Hollow (1999) Director: Tim Burton Cast: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Jeffrey Jones, Christopher Walken Set in 1799, Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow is based on Washington Irving’s classic tale “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. Faithful to the dreamy custom-bound world that Irving paints in his story, Sleepy Hollow mixes horror, fantasy, and romance while featuring an extraordinary cast of characters that dabble in the supernatural. And, of course, it features Tim Burton’s unforgettable gothic style to it. “I absolutely love everything about Sleepy Hollow . When Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp, of Pirates of the Caribbean ) is sent to the creepy town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people, he soon discovers the culprit isn’t another person but is the legendary apparition The Headless Horseman . Everything about this movie is perfect : the acting, the tone, Burton’s pace of his film, the cinematic techniques used to create suspense and fear, the scenery, the narrative—absolutely perfecto in my opinion. --------------------------------------------------------------------- SHAUN CORLEY Night of the Living Dead (1968) Director: George Romero Cast: Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman The black-and-white George Romero classic Night of the Living Dead follows seven people trapped in a farmhouse in rural Pennsylvania as they fight to fend off a hungry horde of reanimated corpses. Pragmatic Ben (Duane Jones, of Vampires ) does his best to control the situation, but when the reanimated bodies surround the house, the other survivors begin to panic. As any semblance of order within the group begins to dissipate, the zombies find their way inside. “ Night of the Living Dead is my first favorite movie from when I was all of 10 years old. When I revisited it in college, I found out it held up really well. What I like about Night of the Living Dead is its subversive nature. It was a commentary on 1968 America, and it is still relevant today .” The People Under the Stairs (1991) Director: Wes Craven Cast: Ving Rhames, Sean Whalen, Brandon Quintin Adams, Everett McGill, Wendy Robie, A.J. Langer When young Fool (Brandon Adams, of The Sandlot ) breaks into the home of his family’s greedy and uncaring landlords, he discovers a disturbing scenario where incestuous adult siblings have mutilated a number of boys and kept them imprisoned under the stairs in their large, creepy house. As Fool attempts to flee before the psychopaths can catch him, he meets their daughter, Alice (A.J. Langer, of Private Practice), who has been spared any extreme discipline by her deranged parents. “ The People Under the Stairs is the first R-rated movie I ever saw in theaters. How my dad convinced my mom to let him take me I'll never know. The People Under the Stairs comes across as goofy and campy, but there's actually a great deal of subtext about gentrification and ‘urban renewal’ in it.” --------------------------------------------------------------------- TIM JACKSON The Exorcist (1973) Director: William Friedkin Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb, William O’Malley One of the most profitable horror movies ever made, this tale of an exorcism is based loosely on actual events. When young Regan (Linda Blair, of The Exorcist III ) starts acting odd—levitating, speaking in tongues—her worried mother (Ellen Burstyn, of Requiem for a Dream ) seeks medical help, only to hit a dead end. However, a local priest (Jason Miller, of Paradox Lake ) thinks the girl may be seized by the devil, so he makes a request to perform an exorcism, and the church sends in an expert (Max von Sydow, of Flash Gordon ) to help. “The scariest horror movie for me remains The Exorcist. At maybe 13 years old, I saw the TV version of the original 1973 movie, and even that version with the most graphic scenes and swear words removed was the scariest movie I had ever seen . Several years later, I saw the full, uncut version and was once again terrified. The Exorcist is exquisitely done . Its special effects for that era were superb. The subject matter, especially for someone raised in the church, seemed so much more real than a Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees. The Exorcist avoided a lot of the jump-scares and other horror tropes and instead just told a story that scared the shit out of you. It's the all-time best horror movie , in my opinion. *I also love some of the movies adapted from Stephen King's books: The Shining, Pet Sematery, Carrie, Christine, and Cujo , for instance. www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90s flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Questions or comments? Hit us up at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

It’s intriguing, it’s glamorous, and it’s full of nostalgia. < Back Book Review: Playboys, Celebrities, and Me by Dianne Dorman Nicole Brice Mar 12, 2025 Share It’s intriguing, it’s glamorous, and it’s full of nostalgia. For those who know me, it’s no secret that I have always had an obsession with Playboy magazine and Hugh Hefner . The obsession stems more around trying to figure out who the man truly was vs who he projected to those closest to him, but this book review is not about that. After doing a random search online for more books containing anything Playboy -related, I instantly found Dianne 's book and ordered it because I’ve been down the rabbit hole on that for quite a while. The book starts a little slow, but around the chapter titled The Candy Store , the pace picks up significantly, and from there, it’s a whirlwind of events, from a passionate romance with one of baseball’s greats to hanging out at the Beverly Hills Hotel and more. Click to purchase Name-dropping abounds with a who’s who of the celebrity world in the 1970s and 1980s. This book truly is an insider’s look at some of the private affairs of the Hollywood elite. Dianne does a great job of explaining the superficial reasoning behind who made “it” back then via slimy casting agents, which still applies today, and through that, she makes you realize how fake it all truly is and how we are merely actors performing in our plays. It's all there, from modeling for Playboy , Linda Lovelace adventures, and an awkward first meeting experience with the legendary Telly Savalas . Dianne ’s narrative speaks of self-confidence, love and loss, and finding oneself amid all the chaos. A blonde beauty who attracted the attention of many men, Dianne ’s career involved modeling and acting, sometimes in entertaining situations. It involved some of Hollywood ’s finest men, and most interestingly, Dianne Dorman even once dated the “ Winchester Cigarette Guy .” Notable career moments include being considered for Farrah Fawcett ’s replacement on Charlie’s Angels and being asked to be Katherine Hepburn ’s double on the film Stagecoach . Dianne also tells the tale of being chosen for a spot as a reindeer girl for Bob Hope ’s Christmas Special in the late '70s. Ladies, there is even a chapter titled The Grotto . I’ll let you figure out what that one is about. It includes a steamy narrative with Ronnie Caan , brother of the legendary James Caan , and it is sure to get your pulse going. Google what he looks like. Not bad. Dianne vividly describes the Playboy Mansion , where you feel like you were there, and I wish I could have been just once in my life. It’s sad to think that what once was is no more. Beyond the bad times I’ve read more about, which occurred at the mansion, Dianne ’s book is more positive and keeps the original spirit of what I think Hugh wanted the mansion to have. Overall, Playboys, Celebrities, and Me is a very engaging book. I recommend you check it out. To purchase your copy on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bFzpjb5 www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90s flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Questions or comments? Hit us up at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com . Previous Next Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link

They Deserve ALL the Damn Attention < Back Holmes Holmes Keeley Brooks Dec 12, 2022 Share They Deserve ALL the Damn Attention I watch a lot of content. A whole lot of content. Someone has to, right? Otherwise, how would you people know what good stuff and quality talent is out there, especially in these days of everything-overload? And I love comedy, whether it be stand-up, movies, sitcoms, friends making me laugh—it doesn’t matter. I just love to laugh, often at myself, and that’s precisely what drew me into to the authentically talented and very down-to-Earth, candid queer comedian, improviser, actor, and writer Holmes Holmes (sometimes billed as just Holmes ), the hysterically funny star (and I do mean STAR) of FOX’s new mockumentary sitcom Welcome to Flatch . When Holmes and I spoke, we bonded over toes … broken toes. No, really—I’m serious. We hopped on Zoom to rap about who they are underneath the comedy and talent, their thoughts and opinions on life as it is today, the projects they’re working on, and, of course, the show, but the first place we went was to swapping toe stories, because they were home nursing a broken pinky. “I broke it literally waking up out of my bed, and then I just walked into a weight that was in my room. I have these 10-pound weights that I try to keep … in my room because then when I pass them, I’ll do a rep, because that’s how my brain works, and I just ran into them with my pinky toe and, like, broke her,” Holmes says, right before asking me if I’d ever broken a toe, to which I was honest and said yes. Two of 'em. After hearing about how I embarrassingly broke one of my toes, Holmes started giggling and said I had to include our stories in the article, and because I admire and respect them so much, this Dude shall abide. “I broke it as a teenager at the beach," I started. "I had on this hot little bikini number, and I’d gotten up to try that Baywatch-style run into the water when my foot planted deep in the sand and got stuck, I tripped, and my body went one way and my toes--a particular toe--went the other." It was an epic embarrassment. We laughed and talked more toes before getting back to the interview. Holmes were born in Texas , then lived in Florida , mostly grew up in Omaha , then went back to Florida for college, then (as an adult) Chicago until the pandemic, then on to Kansas City to be with family, and now they’re out in Los Angeles for work. Photo provided by Holmes “[T]he pandemic was horrible and obviously I would never choose for it to happen, but something positive that came out of it was people realizing they can live in different places and still work remotely,” they said. “This industry is also so look-based and shallow, and I’m not like that … it’s not that I hate what I look like … but I like to think about it the least of everything about me. I’d rather spend time thinking about my actions or what I’m creating so I definitely think that living somewhere else will be helpful with that because … you hear so many look-based things when you’re in this city.” As star of the new FOX mockumentary sitcom Welcome to Flatch , which also airs on Hulu and stars Seann William Scott ( American Pie ) and Jaime Pressly ( My Name is Earl ), Holmes plays the lead role of Kelly Mallet . The show follows a documentary crew exploring the lives, dreams, and concerns of residents with eccentric personalities in the small (fictional) American town of Flatch, Ohio . The crew finds more-than-worthy subjects in cousins and best friends Kelly Mallet and Lloyd “Shrub” Mallet , played by the very talented and handsome Sam Straley ( The Dropout ). Ironically enough, Straley’s character’s last name on The Dropout was Holmes , so I find it magically fitting that his co-star in Flatch is literally named Holmes ; they were absolutely meant to be. Kelly and Shrub spend their days hatching schemes and being themselves, and that’s the best part of the show: watching their organic shenanigans unfold. Season 1 Recap: Welcome to Flatch Don’t get me wrong—the entire show and its cast are hilariously funny and worth multiple watches, but there’s something special about the energy oscillating between Kelly and Shrub that just sucks you right in as a viewer. Flatch is Holmes’s first acting role , which is probably shocking to those who watch the show, because they operate with such a high level of comedic talent, you feel like you’re watching a veteran artist, minus the delightfully fresh and youthful appearance. Holmes isn’t just gifted in acting but also has some of the best, most organic improv skills on today’s scene. Not too much trips them up, short of a certain hot-tub scene with her co-stars Sam Straley and Jaime Pressly , and they’re constantly flowing within their own energy and being themselves. Watching them perform is like peering through a glass window into a family home full of hijinks. And love. They. Are. Genius. And everything coming out of their mouth is effortless—so effortless, in fact, it’s easy for a viewer to forget they’re watching a TV show. While Flatch itself is scripted, Holmes says they are allowed some room for improvisation but, honestly, everything Holmes does in the show makes it seem like all of their lines are improvised. That’s how much of a natural they are. And it doesn’t hurt that co-star Sam Straley (Shrub Mallet) is just as golden with comedic timing as Holmes is, so watching them together, feeding off of each other, is pure, unadulterated gut-bursting magic. Courtesy of Fox “I feel so grateful to work with Sam,” Holmes said, “because we both will let ourselves play, and we’re so tired at certain points and we get to places where we play, and I just wouldn’t want there to be anyone else to work with … yeah.” They continued, “It took us a second, [but] now we’re really close. He’s one of my best friends in the whole world. I love him so much. When we first met, I think there was a learning curve for both of us, because I came from improv and it was my second audition, and he came from the acting world very intensely, [and] he did have some improv experience, but all the actor stuff had just sort of really hammered a different style into him.” When asked what filming with Sam is like, they replied, “At first, I was adding lines left and right, and he was like, ‘Whoa,’ and I’d go, ‘Whoa,’ and I was like, ‘Why do you hate me? I’m funny!’ (laughs). But then, we’re both good communicators and we talked about it, and then what happened is that he’s made me a much better actor and he was already a good improviser, but I inspired him to remember he can play [around with improv because] Flatch isn’t like most shows. It’s a place where you can play. And now I really love him. He’s one of my best friends in the world.” Courtesy of Fox They didn’t stop there with their love for Sam: “He’s the best actor I know. He’s so talented. He can play Shrub so well, but it’s wild. When I do self-tapes with him, he can do anything … he can be scary, he can be a hot dick, and then he goes into Shrub, and it’s amazing.” Don’t let Holmes’s humility fool you, though; they are just as amazing to watch and equally as talented, especially for the kind of turn-around time on which the show operates. Holmes says they switch directors every couple of episodes and they film so fast (3-3.5 days/episode), they are constantly learning lines at all times, and that can get intense. But there is room for their improv. “We always get a script … and I’ll always give a take that is the script, but then I go back and add in some Holmes. If they say to take it back, I will, but sometimes they don’t say anything, so I keep doing it that way. Sam and I try to improvise and change it quite a bit.” There’s a fantastic scene in Episode 3 that showcases Holmes’s improv skills, and it’s so hysterically funny, one can’t help but develop an appreciation for their talent and how it carries the rest of the show. If you watch it, it’s the scene where Kelly is making a pitch to Barb (Jaime Pressly) to hire her as an assistant in Barb’s real estate business. Courtesy of Fox The show just aired its second season , which somehow was even funnier than the first, so I had to know how Holmes holds it together on set with Shrub when filming and if people are always breaking character and, respectively, losing their shit. “Well, we don’t hold it together great,” Holmes said through laughter. “I don’t make Sam break. I’ve probably only made him break twice, ever. [Episode 7] was the hardest in the whole entire time of working on the show not to break. When we were in the hot tub and stuff … I’m the worst at breaking of everyone. Sam does not break, really, whereas I really can’t struggle a lot. [In that scene], we were so tired at that point [during filming], and I could barely get through [one take in the hot tub]. I kept laughing because of Shrub’s persona with Barb. Every time I’d talk to him, he’s, like, kissing her ear or something and [that would make me break.]” Holmes went on to tell me a little about what they think is so cool about the show, aside from their co-workers. “I think one of the coolest parts of the entire experience is that all of the camera people are all women, so that is unheard of. It has to do with [Show Creator] Jenny Bicks and [Executive Producer] Paul [Feig] in a lot of ways. He really does care about having things be more equal in the industry than they are.” I have to say it was refreshing to hear that some out there in the industry are fighting for equal rights because they see the importance in it. Holmes landed their role on the show after being discovered on Twitter a few years back. They posted a video that Paul Feig ’s assistant saw and from that, Feig’s people reached out to a place where Holmes used to improv in Chicago and asked them to audition. It was only Holmes’s second audition ever. While we aren't certain which video the assistant saw, Holmes's Instagram page has a ton of reels that'll have you closing your eyes from laughing so hard. You're gonna want to bring a bucket of popcorn for your stay. “I was just doing improv every night and working a normal day job … at a gym selling memberships. I think it’s one of those things where it’s easy to get caught up in the life and find new things to get upset about, because that’s just how life works, but, I mean, I definitely really try to always remember how fortunate and lucky I am and how hard I worked to get to this place so I could be creative for my job,” they said. Something most may not know about Holmes is that they operate daily with both A.D.D. and Anxiety , and they’re very open about it, which is very courageous and inspiring, because more people out there who struggle should feel safe enough to voice their thoughts and feelings. It’s how we heal … one way, at least. “I think it makes me good at my job. I can hyper-focus, and now that I’ve learned about it, for me, moving outside and walking is helpful in controlling my A.D.D. It’s easier for me to think. I like to be moving. And now, because of my toe and not being able to walk, I’ve noticed a lot of my energy ruminating on negative thoughts. Now that I have this knowledge about [my issues], I’m able to realize I’m not in that bad of a place and this is only temporary.” Photo provided by Holmes Anxiety can make doing anything in life tough for anybody, even with basic functions like getting out of bed each morning or going out in public, let alone doing improv in front of a room full of people or playing a character on screen. I had to know how Holmes’s anxiety affected them in their career. “When I first started doing stand-up, because I was alone up there, I’d feel scared for a while [before I’d go on]. In the beginning of anything, I get nervous when I’d first start with art, but I don’t really have that now. I feel my anxiety is the worst within interpersonal relationships in my life. So, if I’m romantically interested in someone, or if I think a friend is mad at me, or I think I’ve disappointed someone close to me, that’s where my anxiety lies, whereas with performing in front of 300 people [who are] strangers, I kind of don’t feel scared. That’s where I love A.D.D.,” they said. “At first, having A.D.D. and Anxiety together was really hard, because they both fight each other. And because we live under capitalism, they cared about the A.D.D. first. So, when I was first getting mental health help, they addressed the A.D.D. and put me on medicine … that makes your heart rate high, and so I’m having these heart palpitations and panic attacks because they were trying to make me focus with the anxiety untreated.” When Holmes got to a stable place with their anxiety, they started looking at their A.D.D. from a different perspective, from someone who wasn’t trying to medicate them for it but instead was trying to teach them about it, and Holmes that really changed their life. “Now I’m able to understand my hyper-focus is a skill, and with A.D.D. specifically, I almost need the anxiety sometimes. I need the pressure to come alive. … For me, to write new material, I normally sign myself up for a bunch of shows or reach out to people, because then I know I have the show coming, so now I have to get it done, so I use A.D.D. and Anxiety together [now], where [before] it used to be a thing I felt so paralyzed by both that I couldn’t do anything.” Holmes has a solid network of support around them though, from friends, to family, to co-workers, to fellow comedians, and though Holmes loves acting, their heart lies deep in improvisation, and they credit long-form improv with saving their life. “Being able to be so free with my energy for years on stage in Chicago allowed me to release feelings through characters, and that saved me,” they said. “Laughter saves my life … and I feel ok right now, because I think I have such an amazing community [with comedians] and not just actors. I think if it was just actors all the time, it would feel harder, and it’s not their fault, because they’re getting self-taped in ways that describe them that aren’t true. I say no to a lot of self-tapes, because I’d rather spend time creating stuff, because it’s hard knowing you can create amazing and do amazing, but they see you in this box. That’s why I’m grateful to be a comedian, you know, because my comedian community doesn’t do that. It feels like we’re all making each other laugh and supporting each other.” Photo provided by Holmes Some of their favorite comedians and influences include Kate Berlant and John Early . Holmes recalls seeing their videos in college and remembering they were some of the first people they saw who made Holmes feel like they could make their weirdness mainstream. They’re also “super-inspired” by Issa Rae . “Not only is she so funny, but she’s groundbreaking,” Holmes said. “She changed TV for Black people completely. I look up to her both as a comedic influence and an icon.” Then there’s Maria Banford . “I look up to her because she talked about mental health so much in such a hilarious way, that I remember seeing when I was younger that meant the world to me. I really recommend her special on Netflix called The Special Special Special. She does it just for her parents. It’s just so weird and funny, and she’s so honest about it.” Michaela Coel also made a huge impression on Holmes . Coel made the show I May Destroy You on HBO . Holmes says she’s such an influence on them, because she takes time away from the public eye between projects and encourages others to make self-care a priority and do the same. “She has two shows: Chewing Gum and I May Destroy You, and both of them she took a break between and went offline, then came back with the best product ever and … she encouraged people not to be afraid to take time away. I just love her. I need to remember that because on purpose, this industry just wants to make money all the time, and every industry in America wants you to keep making money for them, so they don’t care about the quality of the art, and I just need to have people I can remember saying [that self-care is important].” Holmes also credits her friend Molly Kearney with being a favorite and an influence. You might best recognize Kearney as the newest cast member on Saturday Night Live and the first openly nonbinary cast member . Woohoo! And, like Holmes , she is brilliantly fun to watch. In discussing gender identity and commenting on seeing the world in terms of gray vs. black and white, and in terms of identifying as only male or female or this way or that, Holmes had this to say: “I feel like every day is a different energy I try to listen to, and it’s also a good reminder because before you have words for things, you can’t explain them, and that doesn’t mean they don’t exist, and so for me, as I get older, I want to be cautious and conscious about learning new stuff younger people are telling me about because I don’t want to be fighting change.” Photo provided by Holmes They continued, “I just feel so fortunate to be a comedian. Some days I feel funny, and some days I want to create other types of art, so I see myself as an artist more than a comedian but being a comedian does save my life because of the community. When I’m not in the mood to do stand-up, I’ll continue having it as part of my career, always, because of the community and because of getting to be around people multiple times a week, who are just the funniest people alive right now. I’m part of an alternative scene, so I do get to be around queer people [and] I get to be around people who aren’t just the nightmares in stand-up. I get to be around the boys in stand-up. … Life is just so dark in many ways, and I think getting to be around funny people is just so healing.” As far as what the role of Kelly Mallet means to them, Holmes paused then offered, “My siblings say that Kelly [has] always lived inside of me. I … had similarities to [her] in middle school, but [she] is a lot more confident than me, [but] it’s really nice to play her because she’s more masculine and more easily satisfied, and her resilience amazes me because she bounces back really fast.” Photo courtesy of Fox Holmes said playing Kelly is really fun and really freeing, but they noted there are differences. “… I think I knew who she was at [my] core, so that’s how I was able to play her for auditions and improvise with her … I wish more people were like her, honestly. She totally changed my life … and she’ll always be a part of me.” Holmes added they are truly grateful for FOX and Hulu and the show’s creators, as well as fellow mega co-stars Seann William Scott and Jaime Pressly , who’ve both given great industry advice when it was most needed. Photo courtesy of Fox Currently, the naturally gifted improv genius just wrapped up a benefit show in Kansas City with dear friend and improv collaborator Caleb Hearon to raise money for Kansas City residents who are unhoused. Holmes is also working on another KC-based project with Caleb , Jax Media , and Our Lady J , and they’re also working on an hour-long stand-up special for a tour. Wherever you can find Holmes online, on TV, in a club, or randomly doing humble, cool shit to help those in need, I strongly encourage you to sit still and engage in soaking up their talent and positive energy. It’s genuinely one of the funniest, most natural, and relatable experiences you’ll ever have. This comedic badass is one worth noting, following, madly supporting, and telling all your friends to watch. I know it sounds like I’m totally crushing on them and, I’ll be honest, I kind of am, but you will, too, as soon as you watch their stand-up, TikTok videos, Instagram videos, movie shorts, and, of course, Welcome to Flatch , then get sucked into what they’re doing simply because they’re just being who they are. And that, my friends, is genuine talent that is beyond refreshing. So, come with me and jump all up on their bandwagon. The party’s just getting started. For more information on Holmes: Website: www.holmeshome.me HOLMES All the info you could possibly want and need about Chicago-based comedian, actress, and writer Holmes Holmes. Instagram @_holmes_holmes TikTok @_holmes_holmes And if you haven’t seen Welcome to Flatch , you can catch that on FOX, Hulu, Spectrum TV, Vudu, Prime Video, or Apple TV. www.mixedaltmag.com Music | Mixed Alternative Magazine Southern-based indie music/arts/entertainment magazine with a 90s flair. www.mixedaltmag.com Questions or comments? 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