Herman’s Hermits ------Feature • Irie Reggae 2012------starring Peter Noone Saturday, June 9 ‘Get Up, Stand Up’ 8:00 p.m. By Deborah Kennedy board. The two friends have collaborated on a number of projects over the years, and Patterson quickly began Foellinger Theatre On Saturday, June 16, a new Fort Wayne super- recruiting other artists to join the project. 3411 Sherman Blvd. group will be painting C2G Music Hall green, red, “Jon is really the heart and soul of this whole black and yellow. For a few hours that night the venue thing,” said Patterson, who has lent his bass chops to will sport a Rastafarian makeover courtesy of the sev- local acts like Fawn Liebowitz, the Jamie Simon Trio Tickets en members of Yehuda XCIX who will be treating the and the Lupkin Blues Band. “He lives to use music reserved seating $25 audience to an evening-long reggae retrospective. and the arts to benefit the community in a number of Think you ways, and his bleacher seating $20 know reggae? projects always Think again. Ye- have the added Program or Ticket Information huda XCIX (the bonus of not name pays trib- just being about fortwayneparks.org ute both to the aesthetics. They (260) 427-6000 Hebrew word for produce con- “god” and the 99 crete results, and percent popu- I’m honored to larized by the work with him.” Occupy Move- J o i n i n g ment) will, of Walker and Pat- course, be cov- terson onstage Fort Wayne Area The Bel Airs ering a healthy as Yehuda XCIX Community Band number of Bob will be Jim Friday, June 15 Marley and the Steele, Aurora 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, June 12 Wailers tunes, Rivera, Kent 8:00 p.m. Tickets $5 but their diverse “Kiwi” Fingerle, and eclectic set- Gregorio “Mand- FREE! list also includes ingo” Guadalupe several ska and and Akinlana rock steady num- Dada. Together, bers. That’s be- the members of cause this event Yehuda XCIX – dubbed Irie are basically a Reggae 2012: walking, talk- A celebration of IRIE REGGAE 2012 ing, singing the musical, social and spiritual FEATURING YEHUDA XCIX encyclopedia of African, history of reggae music – is de- Saturday, June 16 • 8 p.m. Caribbean, jazz, blues and signed to be educational as well rock rhythms. A number of as entertaining. C2G Music Hall prestigious guest artists will Irie Reggae 2012 is the 323 W. Baker St., Fort Wayne likewise make special ap- brainchild of Fort Wayne oph- pearances, including Abass thalmologist, philanthropist and Tix: $10, 260-426-6434 Camara of Chicago’s famed accomplished bassist Jon Walker www.c2gmusichall.com Roots Rock Society, who THIS WEEKEND • JUNE 9 who wanted to raise funds for will do a Susu version of C2G Music Hall while simultaneously celebrating “No Woman No Cry” and Skinnyman, whose R&B- one of the most storied musical genres of the Western and hip-hop-flavored reggae will, Patterson predicts, Hemisphere. Walker often uses his musical talents and get the crowd on its feet for a for-reals dance party. skills as an ophthalmologist to support local causes “What we’ve done is try to consciously select Paul and aid the less fortunate, and when he took his idea songs we think are great, but at the same time pick for a night of Reggae 101 to friend and fellow bass- Continued on page 7 Thorn ist Michael Patterson, Patterson was immediately on-
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6------www.whatzup.com------June 7, ’12 ------Feature • Eye Empire------A Band Whose Time Has Come By Ryan Smith comments, “[The songs] ‘Idiot’ and ‘Victim’ described as metallic hard rock with pum- [are] both highly political, along with ‘Revo- meling guitar sections balanced out with Nearly five years in the making, metal- lution,’ and the rest could be interpreted as often melodic vocals and moments of ei- lic hard rock band Eye Empire are set to ex- the by-product of political plight. The name ther dissonance or harmonics. As Carpenter plode with the pending release of their debut [Eye Empire] was never meant to be politi- states succinctly, “Our heart and soul is rock double-album, Impact, on June 19. The band cal, more empowering. We wanted our fan and roll. Our music is about being dynamic is the brainchild of bassist Corey Lowery, base to have a distinct identity ... The Em- and impactful.” formerly of Stuck Mojo, Stereomud, As anyone who has attended an and Dark New Day. Lowery initiated Eye Empire performance can attest, the band as a collaboration with gui- the band has adopted a motto or man- tarist B. C. Kochmit (Submersed) in tra for themselves and their fans in the 2007. It took the duo around two years form of “Love, Respect, and Support.” to find the right voice for the band, It’s a phrase that crops up during their with vocalist Donald “D.C.” Carpenter live act and in interviews frequently. (also of Submersed) joining in 2009. According to Carpenter, it’s a means Seeds for the collaboration had of keeping themselves strong and in Sat., June 16 • 8:00pm • $10 been planted well before Lowery motion as they attempt to build up- and Kochmit began to work together ward momentum. “You know, it takes in 2007. “Back in 2003 Lowery was a lot to get out here and give it that IRIE REGGAE 2012 looking to put something together extra bit. I couldn’t put my family GREGORIO ‘MANDINGO’ GUADALUPE after Stereomud. I guess he talked to and myself through this for nothing; W/MICHAEL PATTERSON, some of the Sevendust guys (my old I wanna make a difference,” he says. AURORA RIVERA, JIM STEELE, band Switched toured with Sevendust, “Being the voice every night, I have and we really hit it off) and my name to find ways to connect with abso- AKINLANA DADA, JON WALKER and Chad’s name came up,” Kochmit lute strangers and hopefully empower & KENT ‘KIWI’ FINGERLE said in a 2011 interview. “So Chad them through our performance. For called me and asked if I’d go down to me those three words sum it all up. Atlanta with Corey to jam ... Switched If we can start there, we’ll be on our wasn’t doing much at that point, so I way.” said hell yeah. We actually got Corey While the band had already been to come back up to Cleveland and join in the works for two years before Car- Switched for a little bit too.” penter joined up, the vocalist says the Even though the band has yet to transition into the existing outfit didn’t release its debut, they have been attaining EYE EMPIRE pose any particular difficulties for him. exposure and word of mouth through live w/Autovator & Hip Kitty “It was nice to come into a situation that performances, including opening for bands had a strong vision from the music side of such as Volbeat, Mushroomhead, Seven- Friday, June 15 • 8 p.m. things,” he says. “I was given free rein to dust and Five Finger Death Punch. And Piere’s Entertainment Center put my stamp on things from the get-go, while the band’s members may still have 5629 St. Joe Rd., Fort Wayne and it came together pretty quick. [It was fans from their previous bands, they are a] match made in heaven for me” Saturday, June 30 • 8:00pm finding that they don’t necessarily have an Tix: $5 thru Ticketmaster or Piere’s Between the dissolution of Carpenter’s immediate fan base and are having to build box office, 260-486-1979 former band Submersed in 2008 and joining one up from scratch. Eye Empire, the vocalist spent time work- JAKE “I think more than anything, our experi- pire!” ing day jobs in the Tampa area, including a ence on stage helps with the response we get If the goal is to build an empire, their de- stint working for the Tampa Bay Lightning. SHIMABUKURO each night,” comments Carpenter. “There is but album, Impact, may just be a solid first While the day jobs supported himself and his TICKET PRICES TBA a plus to having some built in fans at the be- step. The band opted to debut with a double family, he says he found himself working in ginning but for the most part, this is all very album, clocking in at nearly an hour and a an environment that didn’t exactly suit him, new for everyone, and we are having a blast half in length and containing alternate ver- and when he re-entered the music world it Sunday, July 1 • 6:00pm building it!” sions of five of the studio tracks in the form was with a changed attitude. While the band’s name and graphic of three acoustic and two live tracks. Double “I call it the humbling period,” says MACHINAGE identity suggest strong political connota- albums are already relatively rare in the digi- Carpenter. “ I had to trade youth-fueled ar- tions, their lyrics and ultimately their per- tal age, and for a band to come out of the rogance for humbled wisdom and it has no w/RAVAGE, ARGONAUT, FISTAFACE & sona conflate the personal with the political. gates with a double LP speaks to either their doubt changed my approach and attitude. At EXTERMINATE ALL RATIONAL THOUGHT Ultimately, the intention behind the band’s ambition, confidence or hubris, or maybe this point for me, it’s about being grateful for $5 Adv., $7 D.O.S. identity may be more akin to making the po- some combination of the three. the gift of music and doing everything I can litical personal and vice versa. As Carpenter The sound of Eye Empire is perhaps best to make a difference in this life.” Thursday, Aug. 23 • 8:00pm IRIE REGGAE 2012 - From Page 6 BILL MALLONEE ones that we think will give the crowd a fellow Yehuda XCIX members want to re- That means praise songs like “This $8 Adv., $10 D.O.S. broad cross-section of what reggae is all mind area music fans what a gem they have Train” will rub elbows with the Rastafar- about,” Patterson said. “It’s really an incred- in C2G Music Hall, and do so with a party ian anthem “Legalize It” and dance tunes Go to our website for ticket ibly varied genre. Some of it’s protest, some that brings the fun and the funk as well as “Funky Kingston,” “Here Comes the Hot- of it’s praise, some of it’s party.” facts and a big dose of historical perspec- stepper” and “The Tide is High.” information & more Which makes reggae a perfect fit for tive. Reggae’s history is as colorful as the C2G Music Hall, Patterson said. Over its “We want people to have a blast. That’s Rastafarian flag, as long as the longest years as a music venue, C2G has played one of our main goals, but we’re also hop- dreadlocks, as rich as the one percent. You host to everyone from ukulele prodigy Jake ing to give people who might not be familiar get the idea. Now get your ticket to see Irie Shimabukuro to folk hero Richie Havens. with reggae a fun lesson on its substantive Reggae 2012. Get up. Stand up. Stand up for According to Patterson, Walker and his history and its philosophies and traditions.” your rights. Jah! June 7, ’12------www.whatzup.com------7