12.31.2005

Interview: JCM of The Killing Floor, by Anthony Castilla

Taken from SA Rocks Blog: Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Pictures by: DJTazz, Rowan and Kel



Interview: JCM of The Killing Floor

Thanks to Anthony Castilla (of SPITFIRE) and JCM for doing this great interview!




Anthony: What made you pick up the guitar? Was it a song or artist, and how long have you been playing?

JCM: Music has been in my blood ever since I can remember… My dad is a percussionist/drummer and my mother would see my father perform during the weekends while she was pregnant, so I guess I was doomed to be a musician…I’ve been playing guitar for about 20 years and it still brings me tears of joy and frustration…

Was the guitar your first instrument of choice?

No, drums were my first instrument of choice, and I played drums during my early teens in middle and high school. My mom couldn't afford or didn't have room for a drum kit. I happen to think she couldn't handle me beating on drums 24/7, and she was also thinking of our neighbor’s sanity.



Where did the nickname "El Diablo" come from?

My parents used to call me that when they'd see the videos I used to watch on MTV's Headbanger's Ball, and my album collection didn't help either. I still get teased about AC/DC “Highway To Hell” .I do remember also way back someone mentioned to me that I play like the devil himself. I guess I should have taken that as a compliment. But the devil always loses…

But more recently Darren, a good friend of mine, is so knowledgeable in everything from music to history from any era, time and just anything, I stuck that name on him… But I think Darren is Cartaphilus, too much knowledge for one man is kinda scary and plus he doesn't age…lol!

I might be speaking out of turn but I think we both come from the hard rock to metal to shredder era, when players like Yngwie and the Racer X type guys came out did you automatically say, "I have do this stuff"?…

Yeah I did… I am guilty of coming from that kind of schooling. I was in my mid to late teens and it was great and healthy in a sense of discipline to strive to be a virtuoso. It took so many hours of my teenage life that I missed my high school's prom and a teenage social life too. I basically became a hermit, recluse for a while…lol

I was guilty of that but learned how to write songs instead practicing from sun up to sun down-haha. I found Jimmy Page and the Edge from U2 to be my turning points after the shredder era, but it helped my dexterity out practicing a lot, how about you?

I still noodle every now and then with picking, three-notes per-string runs, hammer-on and pull-offs, and legato licks, and blah, blah, blah, exercises. But I see that as just that - exercises. When I pick up a guitar now, it’s more of a writing process on how I feel that day or trying to experiment on different compositional things. But when I get bored, then theory or combining different scale exercises to get out of a rut of sounding the same always seems to work. My goals are to create without thinking, to be spontaneous without prediction as an entertainer, writer, singer, and guitarist. I still have to work very hard in all four areas to keep proficiency. As far as performing I just let it flow but most important to me is to be musical and entertaining.

I feel that the shredder era was the best because thereafter it got really boring. If it wasn't strumming at 120 miles an hour, reckless, sloppy or d-tuned to B-flat then you weren't cool. Now I understand that trends come and go, but there has to be a balance too and I've never let radio decide for me what was in or out. I love to listen to Nirvana and Steve Vai, then maybe Dream Theater to Freddie King and not have a problem with any styles or era of music. There’s a band that I heard on the radio, Avenged Sevenfold, that I was totally blown away. So I think guitar solos are coming back. But it will come back different as trends usually do.



I notice you play bluesy rich stuff nowadays. Since when and why?

Texas, Chicago and all style blues I've been always into… In the radio waves back in the ‘80’s were SRV, Jeff Healey, and Eric Gales to name a few and then early ‘90’s came Ian Moore, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Johnny Lang. At that point in time I had made up my mind that I had to learn to sing and be a front man if I was to create and express my own material in my own way. Till this day it’s been the hardest thing I've ever had to learn to do and I'm still learning. To sing and play guitar at the same time without losing the in sync thing was the first challenge. Then writing lyrics and coming up with original material and then presenting them in front of an audience was the next.

Blues and true Alt Rock/Blues Rock (not industry-labeled alternative rock) seems to have lost its place in this overprocessed sounding music these days. What would you like to change about this? Or would you change anything?

There soo much talent out there that will never see the light of day on radio because it doesn't sound like today’s trends. I think that is really sad. It’s not like that in Europe, Japan and other countries. There are a couple of friends of mine that have been asked to tour Europe because they are still well known and received but that's not the case here.

I would love to see a radio station that would play signed, unsigned, unknown, local and regional acts. But that would be a big risk and I know it’s all about paying the bills. .There are other ways to promote and spread your music. Internet sites like this one and public access TV shows and college radio stations do the underground and local music scene a big service and justice. So with that being said… Thank God for the internet sites and public access TV shows that promote local music. You talk about a labor of love that we, the music scene, need to help, support, sponsor and show the love right back.

What is next for your band The Killing Floor?

We are going to the studio in mid to late February and hopefully a release by March ’06. We have a couple of gigs lined up in January 2006..

Sam’s Burger Joint Jan. 7th.

The Rox Room on Jan. 27th.




Your personal performance live with TKF is something to be seen. I hear you take cell phones and make your guitar talk and have sex with it, do you just go for it?

LOL having sex with my guitar?? It was safe sex btw… The guitar was plugged but I wasn't stepping barefoot on a puddle of water. Anyway all kidding aside, it's just a moment thing that I get into the zone and I'm proud to say that not all of The Killing Floor’s performances are ever the same good or bad. I do have bad nights too. There's something about being spontaneous. It's kinda like flirting with danger that can sometimes backfire and trust me it has…

What would be a dream gig for you?

mmm… I wish my bro Anthony Castilla, from Spitfire, would come and see a Killing Floor show. That would be the first one… Yep I put you on the spot now, lol! It’s all brotherly love.

What was your best and worst show?

The best: A gig at Broadway 50/50 and meeting one of the drummers from Toto and his compliments on us not to change our sound and to keep doing our thing. Rick Sanford, of Legs Diamond, as a special guest for The Killing Floor and doing six tunes with us was the next.

Now the worst… There were quite a few of those too…lol!

Let me see… A gig in College Station… The drive back almost killed us… We were all dead/beat tired and we had to wait until 2:00am to get paid. Then the four hour drive back to SA was so grueling. I remember being very sleepy to the point of passing out while driving on the highway and it was freaking cold too…

But the worst was an Austin booking gig that failed to happen. What was strange was five days before the gig our cars were breaking down and we counted fifteen different bad things happening to all of us that would prevent us from not making to Austin. Up until the day we had to leave we were still having problems. When we finally made it, they cancelled the whole show because of lack of promotion. Then to add salt to injury we landed a last minute plug and play gig a few streets down and then David’s bass amp takes a shit and fries on the third song. What a nightmare and after that happened... I felt I was in the Twilight Zone...

What bands have you been in since you have been playing guitar or bass?

I played bass for Double Clutch and I just recently quit. I play guitar and do oldies but goodies for The Psychedelic Jukebox w/ Mark Carrillo and of course I sing and play guitar for The Killing Floor.



What guitar player or guitar players Alive or Dead would you like to trade notes with? Like a Jam session vibe?

Oh man… Jimi Hendrix, SRV, Eric Clapton, Eric Gales, Ian Moore, too many to list here… I think Jimi would be my first choice.

Steve Vai too… But I would need a week to get my chops up to par. So hermit, recluse state here I go again and let's relearn all the bags of tricks of shredding licks. I would also have to dust off my Ibanez RGs and get used to playing 9-46 strings again too... Shit life can never be that simple right…lol.

Where can we get more info on you ( what website)? Where can we buy your CD’s?

http://www.thekillingfloor.net

www.myspace.com/thekillingfloor

http://www.thejcmexperience.blogspot.com


What advice would you give a new guitar player starting out?

Nothing in what you are learning or doing is in vain. But you have to keep proficient and always reinvent yourself, for nothing worth having is ever easy. Play from your heart and let your mind guide you and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Always record yourself for there’s nothing more humbling than hearing the playback, and listen. Listening is the key to your answers.

You're stuck in a Biodome for one year. What gear would you take with you?

For one year??… That's an easy one.. Give me an acoustic steel string guitar, a box of compositional notebooks and blue Papermate pens, and twenty packs of GHS 11-50 guitar strings (I break a lot of strings), and I'm ready… Now take me to your leader…lol!

JCM thank you for your time. You rock, brother.…

Thank you Anthony and Rowan of SA Rocks…



posted by Rowan at 9:39 PM

3 Comments:


Anthony C said...
Thanks for the Interview. JCM is way to
cool ! Keep em coming guys I dont have anyone for next months guitar Interview.
so far Ron Jarzombek and JCM -you could be nextif you think you have an
interesting story let me know.
4:05PM

Anonymous said... Anthony you're tha man!!! JCM 2:07 AM

Anonymous said... no sir! your the man! I can't mess with the Devil. I am saying this in that Whataburger dudes voice. (( whataburger! hheheheheHave a bad ass new years bro! 7:59AM

Archer Ave, The Killing Floor and Amplifyd: Nov.06,2005


Picture and reviews were taken from SA Rocks: Sunday, November 06, 2005

Archer Avenue Live


As I mentioned in the recent interview with Archer Avenue, I’ve been in contact with these guys almost since the beginning of SA Rocks. At that time they were in Burbank recording at Dog Bone Studios and not out touring, so I’ve been waiting a long time to catch them live. I finally got my chance Friday night at Rock City Bar with The Killing Floor and Amplifyd. (I swear I’m not following TKF and Amplifyd around! They just keep playing with bands I want to go see!) It was well worth the wait.



Archer AvenueArcher Avenue is not really much of a “show band,” they don’t run and jump around or tell stories between songs or any of that sort of thing. They’re pretty much all about the music. And the music is good. When I interviewed them, I mentioned that their music reminds me of the popular alternative rock of the late 90's and Marc said, “In the end it comes out sounding that way, but I think we are all going for different sounds and styles, and for some reason it comes out sounding like late 90's pop.” Evidently that’s true, because one of the first things Staci said was, “I like them. They remind me of the Gin Blossoms.”


Archer Avenue

They played several songs off of their upcoming CD, We Watched the Headlights, We Watched the Stars, including “Breakdown on N. St. Mary’s,” “She is America,” and “The Most Permanent Tattoo,” as well as previous material such as “Marty Robbins” (which you can listen to on the mp3 jukebox above), and a great cover of “You’re Gonna Miss Me” by 13th Floor Elevators. Great guitar on that one!I don’t know when Archer Avenue will be back in San Antonio. They have some dates coming up in December in El Paso and New Mexico and are working on booking a southwest winter tour in anticipation of their upcoming album, which I believe is due out in January. Check Archer Avenue’s website for updates. You can also catch them in an interview with “The Scene” Tuesday, November 8th, at 12:30 AM on Time Warner Cable Channel 20.

The Killing FloorThe Killing Floor was up next and this was a little different than their usual show because their bass player, Matt, was out of town and they had Tommy T filling in, so they couldn’t do any of their original songs. But, hey, nothing wrong with a set of blues rock favorites like “Voodoo Chile,” “Hey Joe” and “Cold Shot.” Tommy T gets almost as crazy with his bass as JCM does with his guitar, so it was quite a show. At one point, they both had their guitars on the floor, JCM playing with his foot and Tommy bouncing his bass up and down.

My favorite part was when Garbage walked by and handed JCM a cordless phone, and without breaking stride at all, JCM grabbed the phone and started playing his guitar with it.
JCM with the Phone.


Last up was Amplifyd, sounding great as usual, playing their originals like “No More Pain,” “Sun and Moon” (also on the jukebox as well as TKF doing “Voodoo Chile”), “Lies” and “Waitin’ for You,” as well as songs by KISS, AC/DC and ZZ Top.


AmplifydAnother great show at Rock City Bar!!
posted by Rowan at 4:48 PM

2 Comments:
jcmexperience
said...
The Killing Floor feels so lucky in playing and meeting with great
acts this year 2005... My thanks to Rick Sanford, Ese, Vatos Locos, Archer Ave,
Lay Moes, Double Clutch, Veveteen Skeen, SpitFire, St James Infirmary, SA
Creeper, and our brothers from Amplifyd, Rock City and of course SA Rocks. Next
year will be an explosive year for the San Antonio music scene and I know I'll
be reading it here first on SA Rocks!! JCM
7:05
AM

Anthony - SpitFire said...
Do it Carlos do it!Cell phone ?
can you hear me Now !?Good!

November Update: Top 5 Songs on the Jukebox.

(Percussion and harmony vocals for TKF: Larry Rimes)

November Update: Top 5 Songs and more



The month of November showed a sharp increase in the number of people visiting the SA Rocks blog. Number of hits jumped from somewhere around 4,000 for October to somewhere between 7,000 and 8,000 (depending on which stats I look at...go figure).

Top 5 Songs on the Jukebox for November:By Hits:

1. Amplifyd "Sun and Moon"
2. El Sancho "Mota-vation"
3. Skunkweed "Wasted"
4. 21BLACK "Take Some Time" (cover)
5. Sexto Sol "Chicken Foot Boogaloo"

By Kilobytes:

1. 21BLACK "Take Some Time" (cover)
2. The Killing Floor "Voodoo Chile" (cover)
3. El Sancho "Mota-vation"
4. Sexto Sol "Chicken Foot Boogaloo"
5. Skunkweed "Wasted"
Close contenders: The Panic Division and Desdemona


A couple other top 5 lists: Top 5 Band Links Clicked On:

1. Chris Lopez
2. Jawbreaker
3. Deja Vu
4. Preying Mantis
5. Chris Boss

Top 5 Club Links Clicked On:

1. The Sanctuary
2. Rock City Bar
3. Q Bar
4. Atomix
5. Madison Avenue

Last but most definitely not least, I would like to thank everyone for their help, support and cooperation this month. Sponsors The Killing Floor, Rok Candy and SpitFire and brand new sponsors 21BLACK and Chris Boss. You guys rock!!Thanks to Anthony Castilla of SpitFire for contributing to SA Rocks with his new guitar section, "The Guitar Zone" - and for the awesome interview with Ron Jarzombek. Thanks to Alfonso and Darren for the great Edge Magazine CD Compilation Release party reviews.And special thanks to Chris at Sunset Station! And to Steve of Alter Ego and The Edge Magazine for doing an interview with me for the December issue of The Edge (check it out)!And of course Kel and Staci for constant help and support. And everybody else...you all rock!!


posted by Rowan at 12:38 AM 1 comments links to this post

Jammin At Rock City: Oct. 16, 2005

Picture and reviews were taken from SA Rocks, Sunday, October 16, 2005



Jammin at Rock City


A lot of the show last night at Rock City Bar was plagued with sound problems - microphone troubles, feedback - and as any man can tell you, equipment failure can be embarassing, but the band members handled it perfectly, laughing it off and giving us their all anyway.

First up was ESE from Houston:




ESEHere's where the problems began. We couldn't hear them when they sang. Their sound was fast-and-furious hard-driving Texas punk rock, so without being able to hear the vocals, the songs all sounded a lot alike. Good, but very similar. Fast punching power chords, heavy rhythms, and Uncle Knotch has some of the fastest fingers on bass I've ever witnessed. ESE comes to San Antonio a lot, so I'll have to catch them another time when I can really hear their songs.

Next up, Vatos Locos, also from Houston:



Vatos LocosSame problem, we could hear C. B. on vocals a little bit, but not very well. Vatos Locos is a very energetic band, great heavy punk rock. C.B. has great fun with his guitar, playing it like a gun shooting the audience, giving a pretty girl walking by a lewd gesture with it, and cranking out some cool guitar licks, too. Finally on their last song I could hear the vocals a little better, and what they reminded me of was when I saw Smash Mouth in concert at the White Rabbit. (If you've never seen Smash Mouth in concert, know that they play a lot heavier than they do on their cd's.) Another band I'll have to catch again.

Third on the bill, Double Clutch:



Double ClutchCatching Double Clutch is one of main reasons I went to this gig. I met singer/guitarist Spider Mike at Rock City a few weeks back and he's a very interesting person. Tall, lean and mean...(except he's not really mean, but he looks like he would be)! They don't have a web site because Mike is allergic to the internet...he shudders when he says "e-mail."JCM of The Killing Floor plays bass for Double Clutch and I asked one of his people exactly what kind of music Double Clutch played and the response was, "You tell me." So while I was listening, I was trying to come up with a fitting description: they're heavy, fast, guitar riffs bordering on metal, very Texas sound...then I heard two descriptions that were better than anything I could come up with. Spider Mike said they're "the world's meanest redneck rock band" and someone else said "ZZ Top on speed." So there ya go.Again we had trouble hearing the vocals and between songs there was some terrible feedback coming from one of the amps (faulty cord I think) making it hard to catch Mike's between-song bits. So again, I didn't really get the full experience of the music. However, I have a Double Clutch cd, so I'll have to break that sucker out and do my first cd review.

Last up was The Killing Floor, with Jacob (who filled in for drummer Jack while he was out with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome surgery) sitting in on some congas and Warren and Deon of Amplifyd jumping in for some jams. Rock City's own Garbage at one point nudged Jack off his drums and jammed with them for a bit. TKF replaced the microphones with their own, so we finally got some vocals! Now I've already reviewed The Killing Floor with Amplifyd, so I won't get all wordy...I'll just do it this way:


5 Things I Learned Last Night at Rock City


1. Jack is crazy. OK, I already knew that, but here's proof.



2. Don't touch JCM's guitar!




3. Playing the guitar like a piano is always cool.




4. Garbage plays a mean drum.

5. Ok, I didn't really learn




5 things, but here's a pic of the jam!








Where to catch 'em:ESE - no SA gigs listed right nowVatos Locos - DittoDouble Clutch - at Sam's Burger Joint next weekend (Friday I believe)The Killing Floor - Saturday Oct. 22nd at Hemmingway's, November 4th & December 2nd at Rock City BarAmplifyd - no gigs listed at this time

posted by Rowan at 4:34 PM

4 Comments:


Anonymous said...
Ola Rowan,Thanks for taken the pics and posting them up on
SA Rocks... The Killing Floor will always be improvised and spontaneous. I did
try having a setlist and of course that didn't workout... If each performance
gig was different, good or bad, then we did our job... YOU ALL ARE TOO AWESOME
SA ROCKS & CAMP!! Thanks again for letting us be part of THE SA Rocks
family... JCM

4:48 AM
Anthony said...

Dam looks like Fun!way to go guys
.

11:33 AM
alfonso said...

Great review and I really like the Ese picture--so rock and roll:)The 5
Things... caught me by surprise and was hilarious. Great job, Rowan!alfonso


3:59 PM
kelyyz said...

My fault on the dates, can't keep up.TKF plays Hemmingways on Friday, Oct. 21,
and Double Clutch plays at Sam's Burger Joint on Saturday, Oct. 22.Sorry for the
confusion!

Top Songs on the Jukebox for October!!

(Drummer for TKF: Jack Trevino a.k.a. Wacko Jacko)


Taken from SA ROCKS BLOGG: Monday, October 31, 2005

Top Songs on the Jukebox
Now that the jukebox doesn't play automatically, I can see which songs people are really listening to. Comes out two ways: by hits or by kilobytes. Hits would be the number of times people clicked on a song to listen to it, so how many actual times a song was played. Kilobytes would be, well, how many kilobytes of a song were downloaded. This may have to do with the length (and thus file size) of a song, but since mp3's stream (i.e. load as they play) I think it has more to do with how long a song was listened to, which also may have to do with the length of the song, but it may also reflect whether they kept listening to it or switched songs or stopped the player. So, anyway, now that I've confused everyone, and myself, here it is (drum roll please):


Top Five for OctoberBy Hits:

1. The Killing Floor "Voodoo Chile" (cover)
2. Tie between Structure "Like I Should" and Skunkweed "Wasted"
3. El Sancho "Mota-vation"
4. 21BLACK "Take Some Time" (cover)
5. Open Chapter "Remember"

By Kilobytes:
1. The Killing Floor "Voodoo Chile" (cover)
2. Structure "Like I Should"
3. 21BLACK "Take Some Time" (cover)
4. Skunkweed "Wasted"
5. Sexto Sol "Chicken Foot Boogaloo"

Close contenders:
The Groove Movement's "Sparrow's Song"
The Moral Fiction's (formerly Soneida) "Making the X Files Look Like Boy Meets World"


posted by Rowan at 10:43 PM

Amplifyd & The Killing Floor @ Rock City: Sept. 11, 2005

Article and pictures were taken from SA Rocks: www.sarocks.com

Posted Sunday, September 11, 2005
Amplifyd and TKF at Rock City




As you probably know, last Monday was my birthday, as well as Kel's. Also Friday was DJTazz's birthday. So Monday we Virgo chicks had a Birthday/Labor Day bash at my house. The Killing Floor was kind enough to come over and jam for us (and various friends and neighbors who dropped by to hear some music). A great time was had by all.



Anyway, my friends were very impressed by The Killing Floor and some had not seen them with full setup (they used minimal equipment for the party). So I had to take them out to see them last night at Rock City Bar. Also, I had heard good things about Amplifyd, who also played, and I wanted to check them out. All I heard was true.



Amplifyd
Amplifyd plays a combination of hard rock and blues. A lot of great originals plus an interesting mix of covers, from ZZ Top to KISS, blending seamlessly from Robin Trower into Jimi Hendrix. They have a very full sound for a 3-piece band, all doing double-duty, trading off on vocals as well as playing their instruments. Deon Clark has an awesome voice and he just looks like he's having a great time back there behind his drum kit! Rich Zielin also has a very good voice and I was really impressed with his guitarwork. Warren Hammonds kicked ass on bass and also stepped up to do the lead vocals on "Deuce". The crowd loved them, and they collected $180 in their tip jar, which will be donated to The Red Cross. They promised to match the amount and The Killing Floor said they would too, so The Red Cross should be getting a pretty good donation!


The Killing Floor

Up next was The Killing Floor, kicking blues rock butt as always. It was great to see Jack back in action on drums for a few songs, after surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome. Filling in for him on the rest of the songs was Jacob. Great job! I won't go on about The Killing Floor, as they've already been reviewed on here by me, Darren and DJTazz! But it's always an amazing experience to watch JCM on guitar, and last night was no different.


The highlight of the evening was when the members of both bands gathered onstage and graced us with an ass-kicking blues rock jam! It was interesting watching JCM and Rich go back and forth with their different styles on guitar. Great jam!!



The Jam


Watch for The Killing Floor back at Rock City on October 15th. I don't have any dates on Amplifyd at this time, but I'll let you know when I find out so you can go check them out. In the meantime, you will be able to hear one of their originals on the mp3 "jukebox" as soon as I figure out which song I like the best off their demo...tough decision!!



posted by Rowan at 3:21 PM

2 Comments:

Anonymous said...
Rich, Deon & Warren; you guys really
REALLY rocked last night, and can't wait to catch you all again.

jcmexperience said...


Rowan, family and friends, Thanks for your support as always a blast to hang out with you guys... It was a kick ass show and Amplifyd was just soo freaking awesome. The Killing Floor will be booking more dates with Amplifyd. Till then... SA ROCKS!!!!!
JCM

Crazy Night At BoozeHounds posted on July 24, 2005

Taken From SA Rocks on Sunday, July 24, 2005


Crazy Night at BoozeHounds

Well if you've never seen The Killing Floor it is something that can not be missed. Not only was the music awesome but JCM is a master of anything that can be done with a guitar. One person near me said that what he did to a guitar bordered on abuse, but the sounds created are something no one should miss. JCM threw the guitar down and played it like a piano and then beat it with his guitar strap. Jack back on the drums played with a fire that you could feel along with Larry on bongos to create the perfect backing. While Matt, the new bass player, fit into the groove of this band like a glove. It should mentioned that this was the first time Matt had ever played with the Killing Floor.

Next Velveteen Skeen, who also had a first time member playing with them, continued the evening. These guys could could only be desribed as WILD. It was the birthday of the bassist Cajun Craig so the shots of tequila flowed up to the stage from the crowd all throughout their performance. The singer known as Zippy was a head-banging ball of energy; he jumped all over the bar. Big Will the guitarist played with feeling (and girls this guy is hot if you get the chance to see this guy you will see what I mean). Mark the Spark - this was his first time playing with them but he fit right in. Craig, Will and Matt even broke into a jam right in the middle of their set and it was awesome. These guys played a great mix, and they describe themselves as the orginal rock band of San Antonio, need I say more.

If you got to stay a little longer you got a unique indescribable threat. Mark and Jack had a drum war jam that was fantastic! Both Mark and Jack jumped on top their sets and played each other's drums and also had a female jump into the action. The action and the sound was remarkable what more could I say but WOW.
posted by djtazz

Comment:

Rowan said...

ummm..."threat" should be "treat" -we missed that one in the editing! oops! Although threat's kinda cool too, lol!Also, my apologies to SA Creeper that we didn't come in till the end of their set and missed most of it. But we WILL catch you again for a full show sometime soon. Promise.TKF, you blew me away as always...love hanging with you guys.Velveteen Skeen - Will, I can't believe you answered your cell phone in the middle of a song! LOL! Just kidding (sorta), you guys were great...loved it!And again, welcome to guest blogger DJTazz and thanks for doing the review!

Interview: Mr. Mark Carrillo of Pyschedelic Jukebox







Interview taken from SA Rocks: Thursday, July 28, 2005

Interview with Mr. Mark Carrillo


(Mark Carrillo)

After taking in some down-home tunes with The Psychedelic Jukebox at Panchito's last weekend, somewhere inbetween all of the fans and friends, I had a chance to sit with Mark and talk to him not only about SA music, but about his long-standing career as a media icon in San Antonio!(I should mention that The Psychedelic Jukebox consists of: Mark Carrillo, JCM, Kevin Baxter, Tim Mckee and Rory Charitan)... Mark has been in the radio and t.v. business for 28 years, and is a ball of energy in person, just as you've probably heard him on the air, and always on stage. This man can sing, play tamborines, congas, and totally BUST A MOVE! His dance moves really added additional spice to the songs, and it was so obvious he loves what he's doing. (Lots of people bopping around, including me!)

(Rory Charitan)

Mark's resume is extensive, with his first big time radio gig as a newscaster on KTSA, and KTFM.Mark is probably best known for his gigs on Y100, KITY, KLLS, and KKYX.He also did the SAC show on KTSA while in college, and is currently an account executive at KBEJ UPN2, and MySA.COM.

(Kevin Baxter)

He continues his work as an account executive and as a voice-over artist, actor and lead. (GREAT radio voice)One of the highlights of his career was a part in the 1996 movie, "Selena".

(Tim McKee)

We talked quite a bit about the radio and music biz, starting with the late Joe Anthony, to whom Mark contributes so many band's successful careers including REO Speedwagon, AC/DC, Rush, The Scorpions...that list is long as most know.

(Denny Fleury)

I asked him if the radio station market had changed drastically, and why. Quite on the record, Mark explained that ownership rules changing caused more 'cookie cutter' radio stations, with tighter playlists, and less personality. In between his hectic schedule, Mark thoroughly digs what he's doing, and is hoping to soon have more time to perform live.We look forward to it!...gotta say my fave was, "Brandy"!

(JCM)


posted by kelyyz at 4:20 PM


3 Comments:

kelxyz said...
Thank you Mark!

Mark
Carrillo
said...
I am grateful for the opportunity to talk with
you. Thank you for the kind words, and help getting the word out about THE
PSYCHEDELIC JUKEBOX.Mark


kelxyz said...
You can catch The Psychedelic
Jukebox FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 at THE FIREHOUSE PUB AND GRILL, 5380 WALZEM RD
!

For the Psychedelic Juke Box, July 24, 2005


"Posted By SA Rocks on Sunday, July 24, 2005"



Review: The Psychedelic Jukebox


Review from Darren on The Psychedelic Jukebox:At the Panchitos on West Avenue the musical time machine that is the Psychedelic Jukebox took its willing riders on a journey back in time on the easy, breezy evening of Saturday, July 23 . By way of yesteryear hits such as "Hang On Sloopy," "Magic Carpet Ride," "Proud Mary," "All Right Now," "Reeling In The Years" and others the audience was magically transported to the days of the Ford Mustang's debut, The British Invasion, "Laugh-In," cat-eye glasses, 25-cent soda machines, tie-dyed shirts, paisley shirts, flower power and afros. This ensemble delivered the old hits with tremendous skill and definitely took me back.As I dined on beef empanadas I revisited my years as an Air Force child in a Billy Mitchell Village apartment (3013D General McMullen) with each room a different color. (I still have the social security card with that address.) I recalled the early years following my family's moving from base housing to a house in the Westwood Village subdivision, which neighbors the Southwest Research Biological Foundation. We could often hear the baboons' cries in the night. Along the subdivision's entrance was a farm and ranch. Much of the area was farm land then. This was long before Westlakes Mall, Highway 151 and Ingram Mall were built.The Psychedelic Jukebox made me reminisce about years long past, about simpler and less expensive times. They got me recalling scenes and images from my childhood. They did what a nostalgia act should do--with remarkable skill. It was a memorable performance.

posted by Rowan at 3:11 PM

4 Comments:
Anonymous said...
Hey
Darren,Thanks for the great review.. I'm glad we able to take you back in
time... Oh yeah thanks for sharing the great enbanadas... JCM


Mark Carrillo said...
Darren,A pleasure to meet you. Thanks
for the kind words. We try to get the feel of the song as close to the recording
as we can. The crowd hung out all night, and were so kind. Everyone likes to
remember the songs, and maybe revisit some of the things that the mind triggers
when we hear those Classics.Regards,Mark CarrilloTHE PSYCHEDELIC JUKEBOX.

Rowan said...
Yep, made me think about one of the first things I remember asking for for
Christmas - a portable radio. I lived in a little town and we didn't get any of
the big radio stations. We went on a lot of family vacations though, and with a
portable radio I could catch some big stations during the long drives. I
remember the 1st song I listened to on it was "Sugar Sugar" by The Archies. And
if that makes me sound old, know that I was into music at a very young age - I
was probably about 4 at this time.BTW, great show and it was a pleasure to meet
Mark Carrillo.

Anonymous said...
Hell yeah, I be-bopped
around the house all during practice. Reminded me of being in the back seat of
my parents car listening to the radio.Great job by everyone; Steely Dan AIN'T
easy to play!

From July 16, 2005.

Posted by SA ROCKS: http://sarocks.blogspot.com

Sunday, July 17, 2005



Rock City Bar
A North Central night club is in need of a new roof. The club in question is Rock City Bar at 115 General Krueger. The Killing Floor, formerly The JCM Band, and Double Clutch rocked its roof off on Saturday, July 16.Taking the stage at approximately 9:30, TKF played two sets that included the Hendrix classics "Voodoo Child" and "Earth Blues," the Deep Purple classics "Highway Star" and "Smoke On The Water," Kenny Wayne Shepherd's "Slow Ride," Ian Moore's "Train Track," "Barline 99" and "Today" and their own "Mary Jane," "Day By Day," and "It's Not Me." Highlights included the leader Juan Carlos Martinez's hot, blues-drenched guitar leads and a Smirnoff-drenched guitar, David Garza's Les Claypool-ish and Billy Sheehan-ish bass solos and a furious rhythmic workout by drummer Jack Trevino and percussionist Larry Rimes that I'm sure would have thrilled Jose Chepito, Mike Carabello, Thomas "Coke" Escovedo and Neil Peart.







In the interim, Double Clutch took the stage with JCM on bass. Double Clutch's tattooed leader and guitarist Spider Mike declared before the set that they are the loudest Southern rock band. They backed up that claim with crunchy Motorhead-like Southern metal that must have left at least a few ears ringing. Spider Mike's colorful Southern-fried between-song banter was entertaining as was his raunchy, rhythmic guitar playing, Carlos' heavy, propulsive bass playing and the pummeling, machine-gun drumming.


Thanks to Darren for the review from last night!

posted by kelyyz at
3:45 PM