q & a with kevin martin (4 of 6)

q: going back to candlebox, has there ever a time during your evolution in your career where you wanted to quit? with bands there's always ups and downs and obviously you're still together, so you didn't quit for good. in the past when there's been that desire to want to quit, if there ever has been that desire to give it up and go do something else, what is it that's kept you going...to persevere?

a: i don't...know if i can do anything else...really. i mean i do graphic designs and stuff like that and i do artwork. but i don't...i don't think there's ever been any one moment when i wanted to quit. i think that there's gonna come a point. you know my wife and i are expecting our first child in january and we wanna have more. i don't wanna be...away. you know my dad travelled a lot when i was growing up and it was real hard on me.

q: is that when he was playing in the big band?

a: no he wasn't playing any more. he was a salesman. he was a sales manager for a company called carey salt. so he traveled a lot. and i don't want...i don't want that for my child, for my children. you know? this is not a life that is easy, at all. and you get real tired. and uh...and it's not that i don't love it. it's just that there's just gonna come a point where i'm gonna say 'i don't wanna do this anymore because it's just boring the shit out of me.' but what keeps me going, really, is the music and i love...i love performing, i love writing and i love singing, and i love playing music. so...right now that's what keeps me going. but there'll come a point. i mean, there's no way i'm gonna be running around like fucking mick jagger. i just don't care that much. you know? i suppose if we were the rolling stones it'd be a different story.

q & a with kevin martin (3 of 6)

q: what's in high rotation right now on your ipod?

a: kings of leon.

q: kings of leon?

a: yeah, the new one, because of the times. fucking record is brilliant. that and tv on the radio. and uh...bloc party. their new record's...real good. um...what else am i listening to? the cinder road record, actually. the band we're on tour with. good band. good record. that's about it.

the meat puppets rise up

anyone who had a pulse during the 90s listened to nirvana (on some level) and if you didn't listen to nirvana then you definitely watched mtv (back when they used to play videos). "mtv unplugged" was coming into its own and so when kurt cobain invited the kirkwood brothers to share the stage and perform some of their tunes, most of the world was introduced to the meat puppets. after lots of ups and downs and a bit of a hiatus since 2001, the puppets are back on the road in support of their new album, rise to your knees (featuring new drummer ted marcus) and will be rocking the windjammer (1008 ocean blvd., isle of palms) tonight sat. july 21. doors are at 9pm and supporting artist is charleston-based red handed.

q & a with kevin martin (2 of 6)

q: in what way is candlebox the same band that it was when you got started? and i'm sure there are many. and in what way is candlebox different now? and obviously, there are many answers to that question, as well. so, how is candlebox the same as it was and how has it evolved to become a different entity?

a: well i think we all still come from the same, uh, we still come from the same musical tastes, the same approach to songwriting that we did back in the day. you know, we're still friends. still the same guys in the band...except for bardi who's passed the bar and is now practicing law in seattle. and we still have the same idiosyncrasies and the same bitches and moans. they come along with being a band.

the main differences are, uh, there's an entirely different respect for one another's musical abilities and i think that just comes from growing up. it allows us to, uh, to kind of push ourselves a bit further...push one another a bit further in our talents as musicians. and that comes from the live show and uh and the recording process and the writing process and all that stuff. we're very...we're very vocal about, you know, our likes and dislikes. and it's not what we would have done...years ago. it just...it just comes from growing up, i think, and that's the main difference, really, is that there's a newfound respect for one another. and it makes it really easy to tour. it makes it really easy to get up and play shows and get in the studio and write songs.

friday's featured picks

great night for live music here in charleston. here's a few worthy shows to pick from:

• garaj mahal (eastern-flavored jazz/funk/jam) at the pour house (1977 maybank hwy.)
• o.a.r. (pop/rock/reggae) at the family circle cup (161 seven farms dr., daniel island)
• playlist (80s & 90s rock) at the windjammer (1008 ocean blvd., isle of palms)
• quentin baxter & friends (modern jazz) at the charleston grill (224 king st.)
• uncle mingo (funk/rock/party) at the charleston harbor resort "party at the point" (20 patriots point rd., mt. pleasant)

q & a with kevin martin (1 of 6)

this is going to be the first of six postings featuring excerpts of an interview i had with candlebox frontman, kevin martin at the plex (2390 w. aviation ave., n. charleston) on wed. july 18. i decided to break each question and answer up and post individually for readability, so here we go...

q: speaking about longevity with respect to your career, what has been one of your secrets to maintaining a loyal fanbase over the years?

a: um, i don't know if there's really...i don't know if it's really a secret. you know candlebox went from...selling, you know, whatever, 4 million records and then we took 7 years off, and then come back you know you obviously don't have 4 million fans comin' to see you play. i think it has a lot to do with the songs that candlebox wrote. um, and a constant...you know we always kind of kept a...a bit of a presence on the internet. and it was always something kinda popping up. you know? and that continued on until about 2004...or 2003, actually, or 2004 when myspace really kinda started to grow and a friend of mine said, "hey, you should start a candlebox myspace page because, you know, everybody's doin' it and you know, who knows what's gonna happen." and of course it's now well over a million some odd views and 3 million plays and 60 thousand friends and all this other bullshit. i think that that probably would be the thing that kinda kept us out there is keeping a presence in the world. and also because radio stations will play us...which is shocking. so again...i guess the songs that candlebox wrote and a web presence. i mean it's not like we were taking out ads in magazines and shit.

"what the world needs now...

...is a new kind of tension"

those were a few of the words of wit from david lowry's lead track on cracker's self-titled debut way back in 1992. not only do we have our fair share of tension in the new millenium, but cracker is back with more twangy rock jingles and social commentary on their latest release greenland. the band will be headlining two nights this week at the windjammer (1008 ocean blvd., isle of palms) on thursday the 12th and friday the 13th while out on tour in support of greenland, their first album of all new material since 2002. cracker co-founder and lead guitarist, johnny hickman, will open both nights and likely perform material from his latest solo release palmhenge.

"what the world needs now are some true words of wisdom like la la la la la la la la la."

who goes out on sunday?

well, in charleston, people go out just about every night of the week. and sunday is no exception. in the past i would have recommended hitting chai's (462 king st.) to hear kevin hackler and friends. however, thanks to t. ballard lesemann's reporting, i recently learned that this weekly gig is no longer weekly. you can still catch the trumpet stylings of hackler at mercato (102 N. market st.) on fridays and at high cotton (199 east bay st.) on wednesdays and thursdays.

for a more relaxed sunday jam session filled with rock, pop and the occasional dj, be sure to check out whitt algar (keys & guitar) and friends at the village tavern (1055 johnnie dodds blvd., mt. pleasant). lots of catchy originals interspersed with a range of recognizable covers from the likes of ben folds to eric clapton. sit-ins are welcome. bring your own gear and your a-game. you'll need it with john picard behind the drum kit.

far behind

do you remember candlebox? if you're like me, you probably thought they fell off the radar like some other alerna-rockers from the 90s like silverchair, bush, and collective soul. however, these guys are still living the dream and will be rocking the plex (2390 west aviation ave., n. charleston) on wed. july 18. expect to hear all the hits from their 1993 self-titled debut including "far behind" and many many more. doors are at 7pm and cinder road supports on all july dates.

mark your calendars

upcoming july dates worthy of penciling into your calendars:

• sam kininger at the pour house on july 17
• spam allstars at the pour house on july 18
• garaj mahal at the pour house on july 20
• jamie mclean at cumberland's on july 25

...all personally and highly recommended!

jamie mclean band: the dirty quartet

most people will know jamie mclean from his stint as the guitar player in the dirty dozen brass band, but jamie's working on changing that reputation. fronting his own band this evening at the windjammer, jamie & co. [derek layes (bass), jon solo (organ, keys) and younger brother carter mclean (drums)] tore through a power-packed set of original material from this time around ("home movies", " innocence lost"), newer originals such as "cherry tree" that will appear on the band's yet-to-be released 2007 sophomore effort, and even a rod stewart cover to boot.

the jamie mclean band will be back tuesday june 20th at the charleston pour house performing an acoustic set as opener for the subdudes. in the meantime, click here to view jamie's cutting session with soulive at the higher ground (allow 90 seconds for quicktime video to load).

hi. this is lee barbour.

if you haven't had the chance to check out lee barbour in his various guises and ensembles, then you, my friend, have been missing out. catch lee regularly on tuesday nights at f.i.g. with gradual lean featuring kevin hamilton and quentin baxter. his newest and most adventurous project to date is called the easy way to quit smoking featuring ron wiltrout. you can catch lee tonight in rare rock form at the music farm with cary ann hearst.

click here to add your email address to the news list and here for up to date info on lee's latest projects, audio/video samples and live performances in charleston and beyond...

leftover hampton

before dave matthews band, before widespread panic and before phish, there was col. bruce hampton. these bands and others (bela fleck & the flecktones, spin doctors) teamed up with col. bruce & the aquarium rescue unit in the early 90s to birth one of the earliest versions of the modern traveling music festival - blues traveler's roaming jam session called h.o.r.d.e.. horizons of rock developing everywhere (h.o.r.d.e.) gave birth to what many consider to be the current alternative live music scene otherwise known as the jam community.

col. bruce hampton ret. has always fostered an air of spontaneity and had a knack for extemporaneous collaboration and a fusing of styles and genres. his disciples over the years have been many, but the few brave souls that continue to bear the torch will be assembling themselves into a new collective i have affectionately dubbed leftover hampton.

be sure to visist one of the finest live music establishments in charleston on friday may 26 to witness herring/rodgers/sipe live and in living color. your mama will be proud you did.

for more personal insight into the origin of this project, click here to read the latest interview with jimmy herring.

green light

one of the newest releases to grace the radioioJAM library is patient like the moon by charlotte's own green light. be sure to catch them live in charleston sc on thursday may 25 at johnson's pub.