Before departing Florida, I had the great honor of interviewing the boys from Magnificent Applesauce (“MagSauce” as they call themselves). It has been quite awhile since I wrote last, but this posting is special since I got to record my first podcast with three of the four members in the band.

Chad Kostella, guitar/lead vocals; Riz Blanton, drums/percussion; and Jason Sims, lead guitar/vocals, took some time out of their schedules to update everyone with what is happening in their world. Leo Sauvinon-Mota, bass/vocals, was sick and did not make the interview.

LAKELAND, Fla. – Far from being a garage band, the members in MagSauce are doing everything in their power to share their original music, represent Lakeland’s music scene and inspire other original musicians to take their own craft to a higher level.

What began as a side project thought over eight years ago has become one of the most original sounds in today’s local music scene.

“The idea began in 2002, but nothing seriously until 2008,” Kostella said, who also added that “boredom” made him want to pursue music again.

“Being out of it for so long, I got the itch,” Sims added, “It was a long time since we played in our other band, and we had the opportunity over again. Take music more seriously.” And they did.

MagSauce has been playing regularly for the past six months in Lakeland, Tampa and, most recently, Orlando. Even landing a third place tie in 97X’s Memorial Day Backyard BBQ online competition. The main reason they have been playing so much again is to fund their self produced album, which will be released later this year or early 2011, “We are going to finish a 5 – 6 song EP,” Kostella said.

Two songs, “Fight Night” and “A Song,” are their leading singles from the album and can be heard in the podcast below.

“We picked them quickly,” Kostella said. “We had ten songs to choose from, but these address what we are doing. ‘A Song’ is an up-beat song; ‘Fight Night’ is more musical.”

RE-GROWTH

“Lakeland is in a re-growth right now,” Blanton said. “We’re in a hotspot. “We got Tampa, Orlando; we are smack in the middle.” And this “hotspot” has been good to them, too. “It’s a great spot and we love Lakeland a lot,” Sims added.

Location is an important factor, but the boys were grateful with the work being done by a couple of local promoters.

“TJ kind of started it all,” Kostella said. “Gave it a spark to where we are now. He has a good equation and a good formula.” “TJ” is TJ Alcock, owner of Central Florida Entertainment, Booking and Promotional Marketing.

During the interview, Blanton stressed the help and hard work from Polk Theatre. The venue, with the help of Sarah Conness, features special local shows under the name “Underground at the Polk.”

Sims added the venue needs local support to continue, “We definitely have to keep the Polk Theatre alive.”

To find out more about Alcock’s projects and Underground at the Polk, find them on Facebook by searching EntertainingFl and Underground at the Polk.

WORD OF WISDOM

Kostella, Blanton, Sims and Savinon-Mota were all members of the popular band As You Wish, and they all had the opportunity of touring across the U.S. several years ago.

“It’s a new way of life,” Blanton said. “We went out there, did it, played everywhere.” Touring the U.S. and playing rock star might sound exciting, but not everything was perfect on the road.

“On a very serious note, no matter what you do, these are your brothers or your sisters, if there are females in your group,” Sims said, “If you mess up on a part or played the wrong note, get over yourself. It’s not an ego thing, keep creating.”

And speaking about creating, Kostella and Blanton had some pointers for younger artists trying to break into the music scene.

“It’s starts with an idea,” Blanton said, “Get your buddies together and start writing.” Kostella added, “never feel satisfed with your song. Record bits and pieces, put them together, work past your creativity.”

And to get shows around town?

“Get a halfway decent recording. Video tape yourself. Do all the promo you can,” Kostella said.

Anyone interested in seeing MagSauce live can catch then this Thursday, July 8 at Hurricane Alley in Downtown Lakeland.

These guys are a phenomenally creative group, and I can proudly say that for years they have been an important source of inspiration. Even giving me the first shows I ever played in the (863).

To learn more about MagSauce, visit their site http://www.magsauce.com or simply search MagSauce on your favorite online search engine or social media network.

Note: Since this was my first recording, there are some unfortunate sound glitches, but it is a fun interview. And the song recordings are 100 percent perfect. Enjoy.

MagSauce_Podcast_1_Final by 48StatesAway


photo credit: Courtesy of MagSauce for Metro I4 News

At the Brewz Crewz you will be able to sample 65 beers from 22 different breweries. This is a great opportunity to sample beer you might not normally try. However, I would recommend trying the beers for a particular style you like first. So if you like Guinness, I would try to sample all of the stouts at the festival. This will show you how wide a particular style can be. Then I would start to sample beers you would not normally try. Worse thing that can happen you don’t like the beer and pour it out. Yes, it is ok to dump a beer you don’t like; everyone’s taste buds are different.

I would recommend getting there early so you can be one of the first in the festival. More time in the park means more samples you can try. Upon entering you’ll be provided with a tasting cup. Once inside you will see a bunch of tables set with beer pourers standing ready. Find a table holding a beer you want to try and walk right up. Tell the pourer which you want to try and he or she will pour you a 2 oz sample. When tasting take a moment to look at the color of the beer then take a smell before tasting. This will give you the best tasting experience for the beer.

Something special for Brewz Crewz are the free food samples. You won’t find that at most beer festivals. There are seven different restaurants offering food samples. This will give you an opportunity to pair the beer with different foods. This will show you how beer can complement food just as wine does.

Setting the mood for the festival will be live music by The Matthew Wengerd Trio and Billy Needs a Beard.

Tickets are a very reasonable for all that’s included: $25 in advance $35 day of the festival. Also, available are VIP tickets at $40 in advance and $50 day of. VIP tickets include a shirt access to VIP seating area and 5 beer fast pass. So make sure to get your tickets in advance to save yourself $10.

Links:

Official Website – Online Tickets

Event Map – Directions

Wednesday, January 20, a second quake shook the already destroyed country creating even more panic for survivors and volunteers in the small Caribbean country.

Many national organizations and celebrities have quickly come forward to assist non-profit organizations like the American Red Cross, Partners in Health and many others. The United Nations, United States and other countries, too, are doing everything possible to help and keep order in the midst of the unimaginable disaster.

Although it is great that nations and national organizations have taken the lead in helping Haiti’s victims, it is important to know how local businesses and individuals are helping the cause.

Soon after the disaster reached the masses, in a Twitter update, Publix Super Markets shared that Publix Charities donated $100,000. And a week later, they shared that employees and customers had collected $2 million, and counting.

Despite what some have called a “dying music scene,” Lakeland bands, with the assistance of TJ Alcock, owner of Central Florida Entertainment & Promotions, are doing what they love most to help raise money for the Red Cross and to bring this unfortunate event to the minds and hearts of most of the (863)’s citizens.

The show was scheduled prior to the disastrous events, but the opportunity to do something meaningful could have not been missed.

“We are donating our cut from the door as well,” Alcock said.

The show will take place in Lakeland’s own Mojo’s Winghouse, Friday, January, 29. And the doors will open at 8 p.m.

Like always, it is $5 to get in and this is an all-ages show.

For more information and to pre-purchase tickets, click here.

Editor’s Note: Alex Santiago’s Band 48 States Away is playing the benefit show.

photo credit: US_Air_Force

Big beers does not imply large in quantity rather high in alcohol percentage. The majority of the beers poured at the festival were 7 percent or higher alcohol by volume (ABV). Due to the warming nature of the higher ABV in these beers, it makes sense to hold the festival in the Vail winter.

Barley Wines are not wine at all rather a full-bodied beer with a strong malt flavor and between 8% and 12% ABV.

Upon entering the festival you are provided with your own personal sampling glass and a book of the beers being poured. (Beer samples are limited to 2 oz.)

The festival provided tables full of water and bread. This was nice to clean your palate after the samples. However, with all the beer being high in alcohol, this also keeps one sober to some extent.

The highest beer I sampled was a Meth Addict from Avery Brewing weighing in at 16% ABV. It was their Mephistopheles Stout blended with coffee. It was like drinking a strong dark roast coffee, which balanced the high ABV nicely. I could defiantly start my day off with this beer.

Another beer that stood out was Dry Dock Brewing’s Vixien’s Cherry Ale. The beer started life as a Belgian Strong Golden Ale at 9% ABV. Then they added 80 lbs of sour cherries. This beer had a huge cherry smell right off the bat. Then the taste lived up to the smell with a great sour cherry flavor.

One of the great things about beer festivals are the retired beers that show up. One such beer is He’Brew Jewbelation 9. It was brewed once 5 years ago to celebrate the Shmaltz Brewing Company’s ninth anniversary. However, Shmaltz seems to still have some tucked away for events and tastings. It was brewed with nine malts, nine hops, and has a 9% ABV. The beer has a sweet malt smell with a taste of caramel and coffee. The only down side is I didn’t get to taste the beer five years ago to compare how the beer has aged.

There were also presentations prior to the festival. I was able to attend a presentation by Peter Bouckaert from New Belgium Brewing on La Folie – Wood Aged Sour Beer. Bouckaert’s talk was not limited to just New Belgium La Folie but rather sour beers in general. He walked us through the brew process for La Folie, Flemish Red, Oud bruin, and Lambics. After the talk, I couldn’t wait to attend the Inaugural Boulder Sour Fest Feb 27 at Avery Brewing.

Look for that report in a future column.

photos credit: Joe Oddi and Frankie Majowich for Metro I4 News

front photo credit: eworm

Today-together-we will be able to help some of these unfortunate persons from all over the world. 

Tonight beginning at 7 p.m., Pizza Hut (PH), with Vigor! Services and Johnson Sound are hosting the first “Rock the Hut” benefit show, which will take place at the 6858 S. Florida Ave. Pizza Hut parking lot. 

“In 2008, WFP reached just over 102 million beneficiaries in 78 countries,” and now, Lakelanders have the opportunity of helping them reach even more people in 2010.

Pizza Hut has supported the WFP for many years. But this year an employee hoped to inspire people from his community to help PH raise money for the international charitable organization. 

Earlier this year, Clint Woolley, a Pizza Hut employee and owner of with Vigor! Services, brought the idea of creating a free music event to his manager to help PH raise more money for the WFP. 

Woolley and PH management felt like having their community forming part of such a good cause would make a real difference for the WFP.

“There will be a $5 raffle to win a live Christmas tree for the holidays,” Woolley, who is also performing, said. “All proceeds of the raffle will go directly to benefit the World Food Program. 

There will also be food specials where you can get pizza by the slice or pizza slice/drink combos for around $5.”

With the assistance from Steve Johnson, owner of Johnson Sound, a local recording and rehearsal studio, Woolley’s idea finally came to fruition. Johnson is providing the PA equipment for the artists playing in the highly anticipated show. He is also performing on the three-hour-long event.

THE BANDS

Plant City’s Eden Regained will open the show at 7 p.m. Eddie Wicker, drummer for Eden Regained, is a Pizza Hut employee and plays all over Central Florida with the band.

The members of Presque Vu, who are debuting in the Lakeland music scene in this show, will go on around 7: 45 p.m. 

Woolley and yours truly, both members of 48 States Away (embedded music), will perform at 8:30 p.m. 

And Johnson, lead guitarist and vocalist from Razor’s Edge, will close the show starting at 9:15 p.m. 

In order to help Woolley, PH and the WFP, all of the bands are performing for free, which is why the show itself is free for everyone who may want to come. 

In addition to the raffle, band members will accept donations during and after their sets, and all earnings will go directly to the WFP.

THE EXTRAS

In an online message, Woolley encouraged people coming to the show “to bring blankets and chairs” since the show will be outside and winter is in full swing.

To learn more about the World Food Programme and with Vigor! Services, please visit these sites: http://www.wfp.org, http://www.freerice.com and http://www.withvigorservices.com. 
 

photo credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local

Video by Julie Townsend, Downtown Lakeland Partnership

Here’s another view of the dance.

Thriller was performed by Rae’s Retro Mannequin Modeling and directed by Daniel Ballard.

My son, Li Alexius Santiago, was born at 24 weeks, and he only had a 30 percent chance of survival.

The nurses at St. Joe’s NICU told us that recording our voices and playing it for the baby would be beneficial. So, my wife and I recorded him a welcome to the world message and read him children stories. A few weeks later, I recorded and added an original song to his “playlist.”

Below is the poem/song I wrote and recorded for him. Li listened to it most days in his incubator, until he came home.

“Little Li”

Wake up is morning,
Oh please, don’t cry.
Don’t feel so lonely,
I’m right by your side.

Be strong sweet baby.
Please fight for your life.
Oh, I’ll be waiting
For you to come back.

Come back to me boy.
Come, I’ll take you home.
Come back to me boy.
Come, I’ll take you home.

You were near Heaven
That late afternoon,
But faith and prayer
Kept us near you.

Now, “mami” is waiting
For you to come home.
We’ll all be patient.
My son, I love you.

Come back to me boy.
Come, I’ll take you home.
Come back to me boy.
Come, I’ll take you home.

Until this day, when he is not feeling well, or driving us crazy, I play and sing the song for him. And until this day, it calms him down like it would in the St. Joe’s NICU.

Creating this song was interesting because the original music was a 48 second score I wrote for a friend’s independent movie. The score, titled “Sad Love Song,” was never used, but the music served as “Little Li’s” core melody.

Below you can listen to both versions: “Sad Love Song” and “Little Li”

We have set a goal of recruiting 50 people to participate. Got hair? We want it. Read all the details over at Lakeland Local.

A year ago, one of my professors said a comment that will live with me forever: “Throughout history, kings should have had more writers and poets than architects and sculptors because books have outlasted most tall buildings and beautiful sculptures from their respective empires.”

History, for one reason or another, seems to be best kept through literature. Because of this important factor, modern societies seem to fear what literature should and should not make it to their homes and minds. But, in this country, there is one big problem with keeping literature away from homes and minds—freedom of speech.

Catherine Lavallée-Welch, associate librarian at the University of South Florida Polytechnic (USF Poly), is leading a small revolution in the mostly conservative (863), and this year, she has help from students, faculty, administrators and locals, too.

Lavallée-Welch and the USF Poly Library are hosting the second annual Banned Books “Read Out” event; which “are common” during Banned Books Week, said Lavellée-Welch.

This year, fifteen “enthusiastic readers” will be reading-out-loud from banned and/or challenged books of their choosing to willing listeners from USF Poly and Polk State University. The event is free, and it has “received shows of support,” said Lavallée-Welch, “and a lot of good comments” from people around campus.

Lavallée-Welch’s goal is “to bring attention to freedom of expression, the importance of access to information and the freedom to read. To make people, who may have never thought their freedom of expression could be endangered, realize that it’s possible it could be taken away from them.”

In a country built with freedom of speech as its number one priority, I, too, feel is important that we pay attention to what literature is being challenged and/or banned; but most importantly, why. Why would anyone want to keep others from gaining new information and expanding their knowledge? And in the long run, how does this affect freedom of speech and the United States in general?

Because I, too, have many questions about this issue, I am forming part of this event Tuesday, September 29 from 11:15 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. – 6 p.m. at the terrace, outside the USF Poly Library. And, I hope to see familiar faces, meet new faces and engage in intellectual arguments about the books, the event and the people trying to ban literature.

For more information about this event, visit the USF Poly Library Blog. To see the complete 2008-09 banned books (pdf) list press here. And, I invite you read my full Q&A with Mrs. Lavallée-Welch here to get a better idea of how important this issue really is for all of us alike.

As an (863) Hispanic, I am proud of our accomplishments in Central Florida and around the country. I am also proud of what the University of South Florida Polytechnic (USF Poly) and Polk State College (PSC) are doing to celebrate these accomplishments.

From Sept. 15 – Sept. 19, both colleges shared these accomplishments with their “Diversity Partnership Multicultural Week,” which was composed of the “Lakeland Multicultural Trade Show,” “The State of Diversity in Central Florida Panel Discussion” and the “Third Annual Diversity Conference.” All of these events took place at the new USF Poly/PSC campus.

Yesterday, the “Greater Lakeland Multicultural 2009 Festival” took place at the Magnolia building in downtown Lakeland.

Today, The Polk Museum of Art is closing these festivities with their annual Family Day event. This year’s theme is “Going Green,” and it will take place from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Admission is free.

In addition to “The Diversity Partnership Multicultural Week,” PSC is having a month-long art exhibit in their Lakeland campus. The exhibit, currently in its second year, is displaying art works from past and current PSC students.

Sergio Ayala, Cristian Bruno, Jessica Jordan and Ed Nieves are current Liberal Art students at PSC. Among these great artists, Samuel Romero, a Polk Community College graduate, is a teacher assistant at Florida Southern College, and he recently received his Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the School of Art Institute of Chicago.

Although a small exhibit, the talent is far from being small. All of these artists have unique styles from photography to classic oil on canvas, and they promise to share the colorfulness and individualities of our culture.

The exhibit’s official opening night was this past Tuesday, Sept. 15, and it is scheduled to be opened until Thursday, Oct. 15. The gallery’s show time is from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

I invite you to visit the event and support local talented artists from Central Florida. And if you have a family, then I will see you today at The Polk Museum of Art’s “Family Day 2009: Going Green” event.

Like always: Be blessed, balanced and beautiful.

With the anniversary of the September 11 attacks just passing, I am sharing this because fear can only control us so much. Yes, it can keep people in line, and yes, it can make people act in irrational ways, but I welcome to you to read and think about the power of positivity.

I want you to keep in mind that mankind’s good nature and nature’s rule over our planet is a much stronger power than inflicting fear in people’s minds, hearts and lives. With this thought, I leave it up to you to decide how you want to lead your life and the lives of your loved ones.

Do not let men or his word accompany you because he does not know any better than you do. Do not fear heat and torture; fear the vanishing of love. Do not declare yourselves just to be able to wake up in the morning and not have to feel guilty for being a human being. Feel the strength of beauty and the energy that environs it; just like electrons to atoms. If we let each other rule our minds, we will never find peace.

Do not fight your causes for the wrong reasons and use “Holy Names” to express your hatred. Love! Because without it, you are Hell. Love! Because without it, you are ignorance. Understand love and you will find self; after self, comes self-respect; and after all findings, you will understand, live and adore for the right reasons.

Let us forget for a minute about death and concentrate on the walks, the laughter, and not the traditions in specific, but the actions because even then we were all still men.

An important part of my poetry writing has always been to seek different ways of expressing the style; mostly breaking all rules. The following poem is one of those experiments. At this time, the poem is untitled, but its meaning is very loud and important for me. And who knows, you may even connect with its message.

I feel cold inside, so I went outside to thaw my soul.

Angst and rage should not define me, but today, they do. I am sick of excuses and the constant fake declarations of peace. In a crowded war, there is no room for excuses.

Since when is making, keeping oneself dumb and uninformed acceptable? Why do people create ungrounded excuses for the random? Is this on purpose? Should we all be dumb or just “the unthinking majority?”

Can all knowledge really be lost in the idea that “I do not know because I do not care?”

Now, I am dumb-founded. In a place where knowledge should reign, excuses and bad behavior seem to rule. In a place where the future should matter most, planning for some reason is avoided.

Cultivating minds is the biggest firing of the century. Sharing knowledge is looked down upon. Growing healthy minds is unlawful. Making people capable is incapable.

Since when is knowledge frowned upon? And most importantly, why?

I have forgotten and lost some of my writings – and unfortunately this was one of them – until now. I think that as we move forward and pay attention to recent events these words could apply to many different situations in our modern lives.

I just hope I am wrong.