I am so sick of hearing people say that Tampa doesn't have a good music scene. What a load of crap! I'll admit that we are no Nashville, but we've come a long way! Let's not forget that U2 just played an epic show at Raymond James Stadium. 70,000 people were packed in like sardines all for one reason: the love of music. We need to give Tampa some credit, especially when it comes to local artists. I stumbled upon one of my favorite bands while meandering through Ybor. The classic rock infused with jazz sounds of Asilo caught my ear and stole my heart.
This five-some is located in Lakeland, but occasionally travel to Tampa to rock our socks off. That was not enough for me. I needed a daily Asilo fix, I was addicted. Thankfully they granted my wish and self-produced an amazing cd that has not left my stereo in a week.
Fine Goods is a full length album featuring 12 unforgettable songs. Pop it into your stereo and be prepared to be taken back in time to the Classic Rock era, but with a hint of Jazz and Motown (you can thank Sean Thomas and his trumpet for that). Some songs sound like a crazy collaboration between Pink Floyd and The Doors, especially the song "Sideways City". Musically it starts out very Floyd-ish with lazy bass lines and jazzy piano intricatly dispersed in and out of the guitars slow moving riff. As the song picks up, so do Ben's vocals. At one point, he sounds so much like Jim Morrison that I almost start singing "Break on Through". Walter Gutowski adds so much to this band. Classically trained, but very experimental and jazzy, his piano mimicks the sounds of Ray Manzarek from The Doors, but with his own twist. And he plays barefoot, which is awesome.
Recently I saw these guys at the Market on 7th. This show was different though, because guitarist Eli Tietjen was there! I thought I loved this band the first time I saw them, but Eli added so much depth to the music, I instantly loved them even more. Not only did Eli add in amazing guitar solos, he also played the bass and threw in some vocals from time to time. Oh yeah, that's one thing I forgot to mention. Sean and Eli like to trade instruments every once in a while. Impressive.
This article appears in Oct 15-21, 2009.