ThxMgmt's Summer Jam 5 was a resounding success with a plethora of diverse bands, acts and DJs — The Honorary Title, Cory Branan, Damion Suomi, Carter Hulsey, The Beauvilles, Shunda K (formerly of Yo Majesty!), Da Goldminerz, How Dare You, S.L.I.M.M. H.U.S.T.L.E, Blind Man’s Colour, Larcen, GreyMarket, The Tape Delay, The Sheaks, Deficit, Alexander & The Grapes, StereoType & The Treble Makers, DJ Sandman, DJ Mega, DJ Deacon, DJ Colonic, and DJ Chris Golden — at two Ybor City venues, New World Brewery and Crowbar this past Saturday August 29.
(Links to complete photo sets: 1. Cory Branan 8.29.09, 2. Guiltmaker 8.29.09, 3. The Beauvilles 8.29.09, 4. Carter Hulsey 8.29.09 , 5. Damion Suomi 8.29.09, 6. How Dare You 8.29.09, 7. Tape Delay 8.29.09, 8. The Honorary Title 8.29.09, 9. Shunda K 8.29.09, 10. Guiltmaker 8.29.09, 11. Mogul Street Reserve 8.29.09, 12. How Dare You 8.29.09)
It takes a myriad of people including sponsors (this year's included Pabst Blue Ribbon, Scion, REAX, Skatepark of Tampa, Tampahiphop.Com and Creative Loafing) to pull off an event like Summer Jam. This ability to throw a successful fest that encompasses multiple musical genres is something we take for granted in Tampa; in many places people won't go to a show if it isn't all "their kind of music." Summer Jam 5 touched upon an impressive array of genres with something for every music lover, acts ranging from hip-hop to indie rock to Americana and punk rock. We should all be proud of our hometown for pulling off an event like this on an annual basis. The only downside of Summer Jam is that I still haven't mastered the ability to be in two places at once (or found my Doppelgänger to help out), so I missed out on a multitude of acts that I would have liked to see. Perhaps next year we can have more staggered set times and live updating of schedules to make it easier on people jumping between venues.
At Summer Jam 5, The Honorary Title consisted of Jarrod Gorbel with keyboardist Dustin Dobernig since Jarrod is getting ready to embark on a solo career. THT fan's were out in force singing along to every song and didn't seem to mind the acoustic show. I look forward to hearing Jarrod's new solo material.
The Beauvilles are now a trio with the departure of guitarist Chris Tolan. This evening they delivered their unique version of rock n' roll with a little bit of The Who rolled in. I wish them luck on their upcoming CMJ debut in October.
Cory Branan attracted a large crowd of fans singing along at the top of their voices to favorites such as "The Prettiest Waitress in Memphis", "Tall Green Grass" and "Walk Around." Click here for a recent photo show review when Cory was in Tampa with Jon Snodgrass in June.
Guiltmaker played a good mix of material from their new post-hardcore record, Dilemmas (now available on vinyl and CD) and brand new material. I love watching Guiltmaker live as they are constantly evolving. Click here for a substantive photo show review of a recent Guiltmaker performance in Orlando with Frodus in June.
This was my first time seeing Carter Hulsey – he is a talented young singer-songwriter in the Americana realm. I look forward to seeing more of him in the future.
This was my second time seeing Damion Suomi and was impressed by his ability to draw in audience members in the noisy Crowbar with catchy songs like "Save Your Ass." Please check out my photo show review of Damion when he opened up for the Suburban Home Records tour.
Take a peek at Leilani's review of Shunda K in Summer Jam 5 review, Part I.
Take a peek at Leilani's review of Mogul Street Reserve in Summer Jam 5 review, Part I.
How Dare You (Orlando) is a fantastic post-hardcore punk rock band with dueling harmonies. They are a lot of fun live and recorded. Check them out!
When I walked into New World at the start of my Summer Jam 5 experience, The Tape Delay was playing and they sucked me right in. This is music akin to my love of '90s melodic hardcore bands such as The Anniversary, Superchunk, Mineral, and Braid. I honestly didn't know there were still bands around like this – my official Summer Jam 5 find!
Kudos and a special thank you to Joe and ThxMgmt for putting on another great show.
For more photos, please visit the following links:
- Elawgrrl's live music photography collection: Only Music Has The Answer.
This article appears in Sep 2-8, 2009.