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The South Florida Punk Scene

If you would like to play in the south Florida area let me know, I can help you play in Miami;Churchills, Pompano;Play by Play,and Hollywood;Native Tap Dance Theatre. Also please send links to your music! Promote this page guys!!

… if this does not work for you… let me know I will hook you up…

read about Churchill’s Hideaway HERE

8pm. $7 at the door.

Standing room only.

The beat of America is more than a musical experience. It finds its pulse and rhythms in the very life of the country: the crack of a bat against a baseball, the spinning wheels and pounding machinery of a modern factory, a swinging crowd in New Orleans at Mardi Gras, a saddle bronc twisting desperately against his rider – a young girl walking. Add the shimmering lights of Times Square, State Street and the Las Vegas Strip, the rhythmic churning of a Mississippi paddlewheel, and a man in love with a woman.

All these form a small part of the American beat – and the American beat itself merely reflects the life of people from any and everywhere. The tempo of life – as varied and moody, sad and capricious, driving and smooth as tempo of Cobra Horse. Listen to the beat of people alive – List to the beat of Cobra Horse.

By Alli Marshall

Leigh Glass has the kind of self-assurance and sass that makes her both larger than life and instantly familiar. Like she’d be the ultimate best friend. Her songs feel that way, too. Which is kind of what country music has always been about. It’s catchy and comfortable, relatable. It’s the stuff of folk heroes and punch lines, but not pretension. And, as country has moved away from twang and ten-gallon hats and aligned itself more with rock guitars and pop sensibilities, artists like Glass prove even more viable on that stage.

A few years ago, Something In The Water, the just-released album by Leigh Glass & The Hazards wouldn’t have been filed under country. Maybe roots, maybe Americana. It rocks too hard; the songwriting leans on substance and storytelling instead of folksy zingers. But these days, Glass is right in line with the likes of Lady Antebellum and The Band Perry. She’s a fierce front woman with a voice that ranges from snarl to molasses-sweet. And her band (Corey Bullman on guitar and vocals, Bryan White on bass and Patrick Wells on drums) is impeccable, providing plenty of polish and flair but also knowing when to stand back and let Glass have the spotlight.

The record’s title track sets the mood, opening with pure rock guitar, menacing as a motorcycle. It’s only a minute in before Glass’ vocal takes off. She’s a big singer with the kind of voice that can belt without betraying the effort. But Glass also knows how to reign it in, allowing the intensity to build.

“Hometown Superstar” has a country radio feel. It’s commercial in style, telling the story of “a big-hipped, wide-eyed superstar …she made the boys go crazy and the women scream. At closing time they’d all say, ‘That girl can sing.’” Surely there’s a bit of autobiography to the song, in which the singer passes up a recording contract because she’d rather be herself with a small-town fan base that appreciates her. But it also poses the question, if Glass moved to Nashville, how would she fare? (My guess is, with the right management, pretty well.)

“Poison Apple” is a softer track, its metaphors more obscure but its purpose (this is a soul-searching song) is clear. Some delicate acoustic guitar work by Forest Smith adds to the overall bittersweet effect.

“Pay No Mind” is a stand out — Glass sings in her upper register, channeling the gentler moments of Heart. This is a fierce love song, fraught with controlled emotion, building instrumentation, layers of guitar and reverb, the jangle of tambourine and lyrics that tap something universal: “The sun shines brighter than ever before and the air is so much sweeter when there’s an open door. Don’t think, just do, now that your world is anew. These old cliches about love are true.”

“Yesterday’s King” is interesting for its textures. This is another story-telling song and, while it’s lyrically intriguing, it’s the combination of guitar melodies and rock drumming, along with some syncopated rhythms in Glass’ vocal, that really shine. From start to finish the song engages the listener.

Final track, “Hurricane,” begins with straightforward guitar-and-kick-drum-style Americana, all shades of John Cougar and small town anthems. This song is so well-crafted, from its “hey now, hey now” chorus to its cozy harmony and vocal break, that it feels like the sound track to cutting class from high school to cruise the back roads in some distant decade, even though the song has only been on CD for a month or so. An instant classic.

It was a special nite last nite when Five Eight took the stage at The Earl in East Atlanta. Lead singer/ guitarist Mike Mantione announced that his mother was in attendance… They then went on to use the work “Fuck” over and over as practically every other word. Mike later referred to his mother as a “lesbian”. Also in attendance was former drummer Mike Rizzi… who the band referred to as “a fat hairy bag of fuck”, a “dick smoker” and “the Sammy Hagar of Five Eight”. They went on to pontificate about how Rizzi is “addicted to sucking cocks so much that he has resorted to dating a lesbian” (not Mantione’s mother though). Rizzi sang backups on 2 songs and played drums during their encore.

I saw Sean and Dan before the show… when I told Dan that I had opened for them in 1995 he replied… “we were old back then…”. Sean and Dan spoke about their new material and how they couldn’t wait to play it. When the band came out on stage Sean Dunn had his signature Pelham Blue Gibson Melody Maker SG, Mantione had 2 Les Pauls and a Fender, Dan Horowitz had a bass that looked like it was hit by a truck, and they tore it up. Drummer Tigger Ferguson was on, hitting the drums hard.

Usually when a band you have been listening to for a long time tells you that they are going to play a bunch of new material… it is a let down. This was not the case last nite. They played mostly new material and it was awesome. Their new songs are the classic Five Eight sound. Haunting vocals, massive tempo changes between clean and distortion, and crushing guitar riffs. The guitar work on the new material is more intricate than the older material, and it fit in beautifully.

All four band members are living in Athens again, they have a new album coming out soon, and they spoke of touring again. It sounds like Five Eight are back.

*** I shot this video of their grand finale… but my iPhone ran out of memory about 10 seconds before the end of the song: