Art Music Culture Reception Gary Burke Troy native and renowned 18 drummer talks technique. Bill Milhizer Fleshtones drummer tells of 22 gigging in a changing scene. www.radioradiox.com Free May 2019 Page 3 Music Art Culture Revolution The Delicate Art of Surprise You can say what you want about Chandler Travis, just spell his name right. And come prepared for amazement. By Liam Sweeny for Mapanare.us, since one of the things you said was that you’d rather be booed than ignored. In ariety is the spice of life. We live in a world terms of engaging the audience and finding that bound at every turn by a category; a genre, love, however it comes, how best do you battle that Va look, a clique, a demographic – it would indifference? drive us truly nuts if there was a box we could CT: I’m a big fan of the element of surprise, and check for our specific strain of insanity. But we can that combined with a certain creative restlessness always find relief in the unique people, even as we and natural selfishness means that usually, I’m stand and point and, unbeknownst to anyone, wish most interested in surprising myself; that said, I we had their moxie. do try to make sure that whatever we do, it’s a sur- Observations Chandler Travis is a welcome respite from “va- prise. Real surprises are so rare, can’t think of a and Ramblings ........25 riety is the spice of life” and other things we sleep- better present, really; always hope it’s a pleasant walk through our minds. He’s an accomplished mu- surprise, but an occasional jolt can be fun, too! Tales from the Door (Standing Alone) ......31 sician and humorist with a storybook history, and RRX: You’ve been described as quirky, which he’d probably illustrate that storybook if he wasn’t is pretty much a badge of honor in an originali- Liar’s Almanac .........33 so busy. ty-challenged society. But part of being quirky is Sassy Says ...............34 I sit down with Chandler and we discuss the what you show the world, and the other part is how proper way to remove barnacles. you relate to it. If you wear the ‘quirky’ badge, what RRX: Elie Wiesel said that the opposite of does it mean to be quirky today? And if you don’t, is love isn’t hate; it’s indifference. Came to mind as there any validity in the word itself? I read an article about you by Wade Millward, Continued on Page 4... Page 4 May 2019 Music Art Culture Revolution CT: We do get that word a lot, staging capabilities more often; enough to be a little tired of it, gotta say for now, not nearly full but it beats the hell out of “zany”, spectrum, dammit! which I also got for years, and it’s RRX: I very much get a per- a word that attracts me when I’m formance vibe from the Travis trying to find out about someone Chandler Philharmonic. Not just else, though of course like most in how I see you onstage in vid- things it can go hideously wrong. eos, but in the fact that you can I think it relates to our desire to hop through Ska to Dixieland to surprise, so kinda covered that, I 70s rock, like telling stories to the guess. crowd using genres as sentences. RRX: Art and music share What are your feelings on genre: an artery. Most musicians I’ve its opportunities, maybe also its interviewed are either also art- limitations? ists, or they hang out with them. CT: It’s the Chandler Tra- It’s a treat to see a musician or a vis Philharmonic, dammit! How band really ingrain the artistic many times do I have to tell you?! component. The Chandler Tra- That’s it, I’m out of here. vis Philharmonic is like that; Never mind... had a glass of you go all out. Do you set out to milk, I’m much better now... I’m go full-spectrum, or does it get very tightly wound... what was picked up piece by piece, show by the question again? show? Oh, yeah, genres! Nice ques- CT: Not totally sure how to tion I’m sorry I yelled at you. I answer that question; I used to love how you put that: “like tell- love cartooning, printing, paint- ing stories to the crowd using ing, all that, and enjoy acting genres as sentences...” -good goal, sometimes, too, but always hard true I hope! Don’t think genres to squeeze it in; obsessions are are limiting at all, quite the oppo- wonderful, though, love being site, and meant to be subverted! driven (and driving!) And love RRX: I don’t want to name using theatrical elements in drop, but I’m lying, so here goes: our shows, wish we did more, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, no doubt would if we had the NRBQ, The Tonight Show, Dick periencePublished by Imperial Broadcasting Monthly in conjunction with RadioradioX.com. Art Fredette Liam Sweeny Ralph Renna Publisher Editor-In-Chief Music Editor Creative Director Mailing Address: 35D Saratoga Avenue, Waterford, NY 12188 Email: [email protected] Phone: (518) 326-1673 May 2019 Page 5 Music Art Culture Revolution Cavitt, and my favorite, George consider themselves musical pur- his sons do a show in Brook- Carlin. This is your life, as told ists can learn about working a lyn that was absolute perfection; New to RadioradioX by a lazy interviewer. Going back crowd for a few laughs? I’ve always loved him, definitely from the seventies, you’ve been CT: Again, you intrigue me; have a thing for Brazilian music 311-Amber bending music and humor to your may I borrow that for the autobi- in general my other recent fave will. Can we get a funny story? ography I’ll never write, “Death Warsaw- As You Said is Marisa Monte.) And I saw an CT: No. The milk is really By Stages”, very nice! episode of “High Maintenance” backing up on me... I forgot I’m Don’t know much about musi- Charles Bradley- Heartache a couple months ago that had a lactose intolerant... cal purists, except they seem to and Pain twenty minute or so segment on a My old band, the Incredi- be a relatively humorless lot, and drug-addicted veternarian try- ble Casuals, used to come home they’re missing a good time. I’ve George Clinton - Atomic ing to get a cat out of a tuba that from the road around dawn always loved flat-out silly; pecu- Dog was the best TV thing I’ve seen in sometimes, and we’d occasional- liar, too. But I’m terrible at both ages. ly throw slices of pizza at morn- getting and delivering flat-out Muse-Mercy And we have a couple new ing people bicycling. Does that jokes. Go figure! videos out with some interesting Muse- Super Massive Black count? RRX: This is where you get choreography by our friend Ruth RRX: No one can miss the to answer the question I didn’t Hole Levin; one premieres this Sun- humor vibe in your work. Going ask. Is there anybody you love day (Mother’s Day!) on youtube Marc Broussard- Cry To Me back to my first question, indif- out there right now? Anything on at 9pm, and another on Father’s ference in a comedy act is death deck this year? Best lobster rolls Joy Division- Sister Ray Day... shameless, aren’t I?) by stage. As you’ve worked in in Cape Cod? Anything; the floor I had a mother; she was some- humor and music together, what is yours. The Regrettes- Lacy Loo thing. Boy, do I miss her! do you think that people who Just saw Caetano Veloso and The Surfrajettes- Toxic Twiddle- Indigo Trigger UFO- Let it Roll Butthole Surfers- Cough Syrup Tame Impala- The Less I Know the Better Mondo Cosmo- Sixes and Sevens Amy Winehouse- Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow James- Come Home Photo provided. The Chandler Travis Philharmonic serenading the daylight. Page 6 May 2019 Music Art Culture Revolution The Slaughterhouse Chorus Are Back But Not For Long With the release of their brand new EP, “In the Name of Progress,” The with other projects? Chris: Basically, I guess we Slaughterhouse Chorus tosses some sweet cuts on the BBQ. decided to end the band simply because we had run out of ideas for this band and have sever- al ideas for other musical proj- ects. So... “In the Name of Prog- ress” is just us saying, this is the last record and we can move on to other projects. Originally, we were trying to write another full- length and we couldn’t come up with enough ideas, so we just recorded the five songs we had. Unrelated to Built4BBQ as a larg- er enterprise, we’re ending the band because that’s what we feel like doing and moving on to other things. As far the continuation of Built4BBQ, I don’t see why not. I don’t know if we’ve ever dis- cussed this. Mark: Can Built4BBQ end? Jay: No, I think Built4BBQ is forever. Bob: It passes down to the next generation. Mark: I could see a renewal of energy toward other people’s projects. Chris: So yeah, why not? “Built for BBQ” is the name of a Photo by Bryan Lasky Slaughterhouse Chorus song, but (l to r) Bob Watson, Jay Bonafide, Mark McKenna and Chris Jordan By Rob Smittix eventually it became a phrase that we used to describe any band or a decade The Slaugh- Bob Watson (Bass) and Chris collectively producing at least 15 that we thought was sweet.