Play It Forward shines a light on the youth
When we were invited out to the Play It Forward show we expected talent (after all Sonny Moorman was the top act). We didn’t expect talent in the form of 14-18 year old power blues musicians.
“Twelve-Eight” is the IBC Youth Showcase representative for the Cincy Blues Society. The three piece teen trio has a lot going for them at such a young age. Kickin ass with lightning like renditions of Stevie Ray style blues tunes is just the beginning for these boys. We expect to see a lot more of them in the coming month/years.
Vocals and guitar come from Eric Nikolaides. Tim Miller sits in the back on the drums and bass player Kevin Nikolaides rounds it off. They recently won a Battle of The Bands competition and even sold some CD’S! At 14, nice. They describe themselves as “A collision between real blues men, blues trios and bluesy hard rock”. They take the music biz as serious as any seasoned player as well, just get a gander at this excerpt from their myspace;
About Twelve-Eight
“Twelve-Eight was formed in the winter of 2007 by 2 high school musicians Eric Nikolaides and Tim Miller, who had been playing together since 5th grade. Bassist Matt Almario was added soon after, and Mason High School’s first blues trio was officially born.
The band started out playing searing renditions of blues standards and classic rock anthems, putting their own stamp of originality on every tune they played. The band’s first public performance was the 2007 Mason High School Talent Show, a performance of Hendrix’s classic “Voodoo Chile,” and Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Pride and Joy.” Soon after, the band played a string of shows and performances around the area, and were regulars at the “Blues in the Schools” program’s Under 21 Jam at Jim Dandy’s BBQ. But in the spring of 2007, the band switched gears and began to work on their debut recorded work, an album of mostly covers of blues standards titled “Spiced and Smoked.” Over the summer, the band reached a decision to add Kevin Nikolaides, younger brother of guitarist/singer Eric, and to part ways with Matt Almario. With Kevin on the bass, the band re-recorded the bass tracks for “Spiced,” and got ready to release the album in the winter of 2008.
After the release of “Spiced and Smoked” at the 2008 Mason High Battle of the Bands, the band switched gears once more and began focusing on writing original material and perfecting their sound. The shows pretty much stopped coming at this point, and all of the band’s effort was put into writing the new material and planning for a follow up album.
Although 2008 was a slow year for the band as compared to ‘07, 2009 looks busy as the band is preparing to start working on its second album. “
If you want to book a band that just can’t be fresher give Twelve-Eight a holla. Check them out at myspace.com/twelveeightband it has several videos too. For booking or info email the boys at twelveeightband@yahoo.com For more videos go to: www.youtube.com/user/TwelveEightBand
Twelve-Eight looked like seasoned pros on stage with Sonny Moorman and Long Tall Deb & The Drifter Kings (from Columbus). If you haven’t heard of them listen up;
“Long Tall Deb and the Drifter Kings have crafted a delicious blend of gutbucket rhythm and fermented blues topped with the rich, soulful vocals of “Long Tall” Deb Landolt. Bassist Melvin Powe and drummer Doug Oscard provide the solid backbone for guitarist Richey B’s expressive work. The band’s strong original music and dynamic performances are the reason many folks call them a group on the rise. As the winners of the 2009 RiverCity Ohio Blues Competition, they represented the Blues, Jazz, and Folk Music Society of Marietta at the 2010 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. Their much anticipated debut CD , “Diamonds on the Desert Floor”, produced by Michael Hill released January 9, 2010 and is available online at http://longtalldeb.com/ and at shows.”
After all these years the stages Sonny plays on are going to be much bigger. Twelve-Eight is working hard to step up and start the new wave of local talent. It all moves full circle.
Last but not least in the Play It Forward benefit show is Sonny Moorman. While Sonny’s band doesn’t fit into our “Youth of the Music” theme, there is news to spread about the band... Sonny’s signed!
Here it is right off www.sonnymoorman.net/press.html “...He (Sonny) has signed an exclusive worldwide agency representation agreement for festivals with Intrepid Artists, Inc. (of Charlotte, NC). One of the premier booking agencies in that field.
Moorman was 2007 International Blues Challenge Solo/Duo 2nd place. Named “2008 Blues Artist on the Rise” by Blues Festival Guide Magazine, was nominated for “2009 Blues Album and “Blues Song” of the Year” by Just Plain Folks. He and his band were Finalists in the 2010 International Blues Challenge, this new arrangement should increase his presence at Blues Festivals throughout the world”.
There you have it. For decades we’ve heard fans say to Sonny “What are you doin’ here” or “You should be on tour”. Now, they’ll be some big gaps in that 5-7 day a week local schedule Sonny’s been playing for decades. Big gaps.
We know wife Carmen and the boys will be a little lonely, but they sure ain’t gonna be poor. Making money doing what you love is what musicians are all about. It’s the driving factor behind 1000’s of hours of hard work and sacrifice. It’s tear jerking cool when it pays off to someone deserving. Show em’ what you got Sonny! This is just the first break. We heard that Gary Burbank described The Play It Forward show as “Sonny’s Farewell show”. It’s just a rumor, but it’s cool.
What is Play It Forward you ask? It’s an organization for helping musicians in dire need founded by Gary Burbank. Read this from the official site (www.pifcincy.org) “The dedication of musicians to their craft and to the enjoyment of so many sometimes comes at the expense of their financial security and well being, occasionally leaving them in very dire straits. We seek to educate the public about those cases and to create and manage an investment fund whose annual profits will be used to assist Greater Cincinnati musicians and their families in times of catastrophic need.”
“Play it Forward is thankful to have the support of so many wonderful musicians. Dozens of outstanding local artists contributed their talents toward a 30 track, 2-disk compilation CD, which was released on Thursday, March 12 at Madison Theatre! All proceeds from the door and CD sales benefit the organization and our mission.” These CDs are currently available at Western Hills Music, 513-598-9000, 4310 Harrison Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45211. They will also be available soon at Shake It Records, Everybody’s Records and Willis Music.
The stellar lineup for the CD includes these artists: Katie Reider, Blue Run, Noah Hunt, Robin Lacy, Jake Speed, One Horse, Faux Frenchmen, Keith Little, Tickled Pink, Chris Arduser, Sonny Moorman, Haymarket Riot, Phillip Paul (Peter Frampton), Kelly Richie, Blues Merchants, Psychodots, The Blue Birds, Blessid Union of Souls, Rumpke Mountain Boys, Billy Rose, Tracy Walker, Rootbound, Larry Goshorn, Scotty Anderson, Bobby Mackey, The Turkeys, Tajci, The Menus, Ricky Nye, Drew Lanius.”
Now you know you need one of those. We’re shouting out a big fat Amen! to all the folks at both benefit shows. You all are a benefit to society. Amen! to all the young talent too. Without you the new radio is going to get pretty boring.
The second place we were fed a fish worth mentioning is The Newport Pizza Co. Opened in 2009 at 601 Monmouth Street in Newport, this place serves pizzas, salads, hoagies and appetizers. The bar is chock full of craft, import beer and good wines are available by the bottle or glass.
Yes the pizza is good. The dough has a crisp and perfect stretch-to-chew ratio, fresh produce toppings and good meats make a difference too. Many of the specialty pizzas sound great. The people’s pick in the blogs is the Zeus ($13.75-$16.75). Baby spinach, feta cheese, Roma tomatoes, roasted garlic, olive oil, and Asiago cheese. We would have went for that but this last lent we were treated to an awesome fish sandwich lent special. The Newport Pizza Company owner said customer response was so good he might keep it on the menu.
Good idea Mr. because you don’t not sell fish sandwiches like this. Two (not one but two) big fat slabs of beer battered cod. I watched him batter it from my bar stool. Two handfuls of hand cut fries (the only good fries) and a real decent cole slaw. Not to mention fresh made tartar sauce too. Awesome, as good as any in the city. And cheap, 6 bucks.
We went back this month and there it was. When people keep spewing compliments in-between mouthfuls of your cod you just go with it and answer their call. Newport Pizza did and it’s a good thing. I guess something good did come from lent after all huh. Other good things are; live concert dvd’s (we’ve seen Phish and Dave Matthews so far), easy going attentive service, late hours (1 am Fri. & Sat.), military cleanliness, delivery and (some) free parking all play parts in the whole of this place. Added altogether with hands on owner attention, it’s arguably a perfect 10 pizza pub. A pizza pub worth going to just for the fish.
