Once again, it's time for our quarterly attempt to render the surface of my desk visible, and hand out some props and slags to the Bay area's hard-working (or possibly incredibly lazy, in some cases) original musicians. Thanks for your submissions, and keep 'em coming.
Dank vs. Miami
Dank
This St. Pete swamp-rock supergroup, featuring members and former members of Misfortune 500, Sparky's Nightmare and Grassy Knoll Gunmen, has been playing on hometown turf for a couple of years now. This five-song disc aptly showcases their driving, if repetitive, high-volume surf/blues/grime sound. The production is great, and on the whole, it's an entertaining listen — thick, groovy and blessed with a twang that borders on a snarl. Gruff vocals and greasy guitars rule the day. "Bite It" and the lackadaisically menacing "These Days" are the highlights. At five tunes, it's a perfect length for their style — live, you can draw this shit out for days, but at home, any more and the whole thing would probably lapse into somewhat monotonous sameness. 
Channel Zero
Channel Zero
This Tampa quintet endeavors to split the difference between trendy emo sounds and a more accessible modern-rock style. The result is melodic and hugely anthemic; unfortunately, it's also fairly passionless. The band and vocalist are capable enough, and they even cook up a couple of interesting riffs and changes, but the overall vibe is anonymous and somewhat forced. The singer's got impressive range and pitch control, but his enunciation and cadence run counter to the music, which aims for catharsis and emotion. Channel Zero stands a good chance of drawing huge crowds and industry interest, simply because its style is smack dab in the middle of the meeting of catchy posthardcore and contemporary target-marketed corporate rock. It sounds like it's designed that way, though, and isn't very moving as a result. (www.channelzeroband.com)
Angelik Skripturez
Young Iz
Young Iz is a religious MC who hails from the north side of St. Pete. I was pretty sure I was going to dig this from the opening skit, in which an A&R guy from some fictional thug-bling label tells Iz he's not pimpin' enough to be a star. And I do dig it; the guy's got a great voice and flow, he knows a good hook when he writes one, and producers James Cory, Chris Johnson, Tommy Jamin and Samo Slim (not to mention Young Iz himself) contribute some nicely understated grooves. "Vengeance," "Hard" (featuring guest spots by Samo Slim and Shadcore) and "Nu Day" (featuring Tommy Jamin) connect particularly well. The biggest obstacle here, though, is the same one that plagues so much spiritually aware pop music — some of the lyrics come off as either hokey or preachy. I certainly wouldn't tell Young Iz not to rhyme about what he believes in, and he's definitely got talent, but some listeners might find the lines in tracks like "Unsolicited" and "Wake Up/Robbery" a bit overbearing. It's still an original and better-than-average release, however. (www.youngiz.com)
The Music Movement
Poesis
I'm super-bummed about this one, but definitely not because of the material. MC Poesis (a.k.a. Michael Pope) has developed an interesting, eloquent, chilled-out flow, one of the best unsung local styles to land on our desks. And his producer/beatmaster, Mike Carter, has crafted subtle, funky, late-night arrangements that perfectly complement his intelligent, low-key delivery. Together, they've created a smart, infectious indie hip-hop sound that flies nicely in the face of aggressive thuggery, but I didn't get to enjoy the whole 15-track disc because every CD player I popped it into choked on the data somewhere along the way. I even got hold of Poesis and managed to get my hands on another copy, and the same thing happened. I definitely wanted to pimp the disc anyway, however, because these are a couple of guys who definitely deserve attention. The music is easily 4-and-a-1/2-planet caliber, but I've gotta knock off one planet for reproduction quality. Still, The Music Movement is undeniably worth seeking out. (Poesis7@yahoo.com) 1/2
First Strike
Scholars Word
Eden Recordings
From Lithia, Scholars Word's resume is loaded with festival appearances and opening slots for reggae legends. It's also packed with beach bar and resort dates, and therein lies the problem: Their fourth full-length, First Strike, doesn't seem to know whether it wants to be substantially roots-reverent or light and easily digested by tiki-deck tourists. The disc's first half largely consists of bouncy, heathen-pleasing tracks augmented by unnecessary synth lines — only the standouts "What A Feeling" and "Rastaman" really dig into the grooves and vibes. But the disc is a long one, and what would make up Side 2 of a vinyl release offers more traditional grit, heart and depth, particularly in "Attack," "Go De" and "Bag of Games." Different musical and vocal reggae styles are tried on and traded in throughout, making for some inconsistency. The group is at their best on the straightforward roots-rock rhythms. Unfortunately, they don't really lay back and let it flow until late in the game, and they spend far too much of the record's up-front time mashing up sub-genres and piling on melodic keyboard lines. (www.themarleystore.com) 1/2
Hot Damn!
Mojo Gurus
Distributed Through Perris Records
Bay area roots/rockabilly/swamp outfit Mojo Gurus seem dogged (at least locally; the last Gurus disc sold 20,000 copies worldwide and had its videos featured on Canada's Much Music video channel) by the specter of its alter ego, the glam-rock Roxx Gang. Which blows, really, because there's plenty of stuff on Hot Damn! that any self-respecting WMNF or SleazeFest aficionado could get into, from the rave-up "You'd Have to Tie Me Up (To Tie Me Down)" and rollicking "Black Cat Blues" through "Clarksdale" to the boogie piano of closer "Two Too Much." Granted, the cheese-o-meter occasionally goes off, and there are times (a cover of LaVern Baker's "Bumble Bee," "Raylene") when the quartet seems like they're not completely in touch with the spirit of the material. But the playing is always great, the attitude is always there, and, on the whole, this disc is a lot of fun. More important, it rings true frequently enough to prove that these guys aren't just dabblers. (www.mojogurus.com) 1/2
Melange
Pipe Dream Project
This Tampa three-piece's bio relates that their style "is rooted in free-form improvisation, giving their tracks a very spontaneous feel and mood." Which is kind of weird because what I hear is sub-par pop heavily influenced by maudlin, Goth-y British mopers, interspersed by brief, swelling caesuras of organic-sounding machinery. The vocals are overwrought, sometimes out of tune and always a bit too prominent in the mix. The guitars are heavily processed, with that chorused-out sound prevalent on early albums by The Church. The largely programmed rhythms manage to pull everything along, but are often quite low, diluting their presence. And I'm not sure, but I think they've got thunderstorm sounds in there somewhere. The whole is obviously meant to be powerfully evocative; however, the group's choice of sounds and production rob this lengthy anthology of dated, largely down-tempo soft-industrial of whatever potential power it had at its creation. (www.pipedreamproject.com) 1/2
Romantico
Jeremy Gloff
Riotboy Records
Like most of his 20-something releases (seriously), the pop singer/songwriter's new one contains a few misses, but is mostly made up of excellent tunes that would sound instantly familiar, were it not for his, um, unique voice and inimitable lyrical perspective. Lots of folks can write strong pop tunes by following the rulebook. So why does Gloff rule? Because he combines those classic elements with so much of himself that they couldn't be written by anyone else. This is the guy who lays lines like "I wasted five minutes wishing I had a pussy so I could hold you" and "Cause in a world of ABCD people/ Sometimes it takes years to find your Z" over gorgeous piano cascades, and makes them sound meaningful, instead of funny or pretentious. Sometimes his songs' heart-on-the-sleeve vibe can become overbearing, but mostly you love 'em even if you want to call 'em cheesy. Highlights include "Overthinking," "Silence is the Perfect Calm," "Thinking of You," "Iodine" and a whole bunch more — 17 tracks in all. (www.jeremygloff.com)
Under the Influence
Shotgun Wedding
Shotgun Wedding has released two CDs, toured Britain and busked at SXSW; it's amazing that they've maintained such a low profile in the Bay area, given the quality showcased on Under the Influence, their second studio effort. While ostensibly a roots-rock-oriented outfit in instrumentation and origin, their use of distorted vocals, unconventional chords and the occasional evocative cello line lend a postmodern austerity that both balances their Americana warmth and enhances the lyrics' view-from-a-European-barstool perspective. "Chez Paris" stands out, but not much, as every one of these tunes lingers in a cinematic way that recalls Tom Waits and Lou Reed with equal ease. The disc's only drawback reveals itself in the songs' overt similarity — a little more eclecticism would be nice. All in all, however, it puts familiar elements together in an extremely engaging way, and is one of the best things I've heard in a while, local or national. 1/2
Scott Harrell can be reached at 813-248-8888, ext. 109 or scott.harrell@weeklyplanet.com.
This article appears in Jun 18-24, 2003.