Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Raising the Dead
A handful of bands have breathed new life into Jacksonville's indie-rock scene. Three of them - Crash the Satellites (pictured), Jet Fighter, and New Berlin - perform on Thursday, Aug. 18 at Freebird Live, 200 N. First St., Jacksonville Beach. Tickets are $5. 246-BIRD - Folio Weekly
On July 4, America will celebrate its independence with a fireworks display so heavenly it will barely be visible from Earth. In January, NASA launched a satellite called Deep Impact, which is scheduled to crash into the Temple 1 comet on Independence Day. For NASA, this mission means gathering more information about the origins of the planet and the universe. But the event has local relevance, too. Jacksonville's Crash the Satellites couldn't resist performing on a day when a satellite will literally crash. Downtown Jacksonville's Burrito Gallery is throwing a Fouth of July bash in celebration of the event, and CTS is headlining. Crash the Satellites has smartly evolved in the past 10 years. Starting out as garage punkers (formerly Clarity), then morphing into a Southern Rock outfit (formerly Electric Mayhem), CTS matured into a band that draws comparisons to Radiohead as often as it does to Black Sabbath. CTS is preparing to release its debut CD "Learning to Land" late this summer, so the Independence Day concert will have to suffice for now. Joining CTS are Shangrala and two-piece Atlanta band Brass Castle. Jacksonville artist mactruQue exhibits his work as well. - folio weekly
Discography
upcoming release: Learning to Land
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Guitarist/vocalist Paul Paxton and drummer Julia Gregory have been composing some of the catchiest rock songs on stage in Jacksonville since 1995. As teenagers they formed the band Clarity, which played a visceral sort of garage punk. Their hit song from those days, Speaker, found its way to the radio and dance clubs in Jacksonville, and still finds its way into Crash the Satellites' set list from time to time. After a year long hiatus in 2001 while Julia attended art school in Miami, the band reformed as Crash the Satellites. Remnants of the blues garage punk can still be heard, but there is a pervading new style evident, marking Crash as an upcoming voice in the national music scene. Paxton tells passionate tales of self-control, disintegrating relationships, and the visceral angst these things create. The new album is dynamic and catchy. Although nothing can match the energy and engrossing magnitude of Crash the Satellites' live set, their upcoming release showcases the very beginning of a strong new rock voice. In the vein of Built to Spill, CTS echoes a blend of indie rock influences such as Swervedriver and Guided by Voices. But there is something more; a heavy dose of something totally their own. As one of the heaviest drawing live rock acts in Jacksonville, they have shared the stage with acts like Poster Children, The Glands, Don Caballero, Ranier Maria, Murder By Death, The Hot Six and The Mooney Suzuki. Gregory and Paxton are flanked by Heath Valdez on bass guitar, Brain Blades and newest edition Richard Dudley on guitars.
Links
