Hey Priest.

 

 

The Blind Mule Restaurant & Bar priest strikes again……check it out at the Blind Mule….

 

 

The Blind Mule Restaurant & Bar priest strikes again……check it out at the Blind Mule….

 

 

According to a new study, the oldest child wins out in the brains department. Sorry Jan, not only is Marcia pretty and more popular, she is smarter than you too.

Kudos to Lemon Drop for the story -

As if hand-me-downs and the fact that only three baby pictures of us exist, there’s more bad news for younger siblings: A new study suggests that firstborns may have gotten favored status in the brains department as well.

Tiffany L. Frank, a doctoral candidate at Adelphi University, recently led a study that suggested birth order makes a difference when it comes to brains and personality. Eldest siblings have higher aptitude and overall ranked intelligence, potentially because they received more attention from their parents, earlier. (WE KNEW IT, MOM AND DAD.)

But there’s an upside for younger siblings — the research found that they’re generally more outgoing and competitive, with higher overall GPAs. The reason? In theory, having received assistance from older siblings and a need to compete for parents’ love and attention.

Does this mean our parents have been lying to us every day when they say they love us all “equally”? Do we need to strike our older brothers down in Scrabble to make Dad prouder?

Sigh. Probably. (Dysfunction is 23 points.)

AH. Mod Vowel time… Mod Vowel doesn’t have anything really fascinating happening right now. Mod Vowel will be in attendance for some great shows in Mobile this weekend. One being Morris Minor at The Blind Mule. This event kind of serves as a jumping off point for the rambling that you’ve come to know and love.

When Mod Vowel first came on the scene, it was explained to the Vowel that shows in Mobile never started on time. If it said nine o’clock, it was really code for around ten thirty.

The show with Morris Minor starts ON TIME at TEN. Wild huh? A venue in Mobile that might actually have gotten a clue? Last weekend, Mod Vowel attended the musical stylings of the extremely quirky band, Shield Your Ears. A song that incorporates Humpty Dumpty will get the ole Vowel every time. However, this vowel went to the Mule early to get some eats. They honestly have some of the best food in Mobile, but this is not a foodie blog, this is a tuney blog. The bands seemed to be loaded in at a proper time but in typical Mobile fashion, it was ten o’clock and no tunes. 10:05 struck and still, no tunes. Mod Vowel was left scratching that old vowel noggin. Mod Vowel had been told that the new magnificent booking duo at the Mule had set strict rules. Shows start on time. Shows are only five bucks. And shows don’t suck.

About the time all these thoughts ran through said noggin, Mod Vowel spotted Old Lady Hayes dash up the stairs. She came down, had stern words with the band and we had music by 10:15.

This weekend sees the Mule hosting some great bands : Dread and Asunder (formerly A Bridge To Burn) on Friday and a Mod Mobilian favorite and no stranger to the scene, Morris Minor on Saturday. Morris Minor is promising two eargasmic sets of tunes for your ears so don’t miss it. And here is the best thing, it will start on time.

In the past few years, shows in Mobile have gotten underway later and later. It is the venues fault and the patrons fault. The venues have been doing a disservice to their patrons by not staying on top of these musicians and making sure that things get underway at the proper time. Granted, there are some times when tech issues pop up and those have to be dealt with and the majority of folks understand that. But blame is also shared by the patrons who just accept this as the norm( “Ten really means eleven or eleven thirty on Mobile time”) and bitch about it to their friends but still showing up late because they don’t think the show will start on time.

And when that happens, venues try to hold out a few minutes to get more people in the door so the band isn’t playing to an empty room.

My Mods, it is time to correct this way of thinking. If you see that a show is scheduled to start at ten, be there at ten. Start holding your favorite music venues to a higher standard.

Whew. Coastline Chronicles. Whoa.

Mod Vowel attended all three nights of Coastline Chronicles and before we go any further we must say congratulations to Kris Skoda, the owners and staff of the Alabama Music Box and all the local bands that participated in this event. Mod Vowel has insider information for all the major venues downtown and business suffered numbers wise because all of the good jams were down at the Music Box.

And a bit of congratulations to all the Mods that attended the three day event. There is no reason for something to stick around if it is not appreciated and Mod Vowel believes that you showed your support and love for Mobile’s fantastic local music scene quite well.

All in all the event seemed to go off without a hitch. Mod Vowel isn’t going to waste your time with the technical things. Mod Vowel promised decadence and debauchery. And so you shall have it, Mods.

Mod Vowel would like to know if anyone knows why Max Puss wasn’t there to cover this event? It seems right up his alley . . .

Not to throw anyone under the bus, but one of the contributors to Mod Mobilian, Old Lady Hayes, seemed to be in a bit of confusion Thursday night when the bartenders informed her they did not sell champagne. Mod Vowel has heard stories about Old Lady Hayes. She tends to take situations like that and spin them into her favor. Saturday night saw Old Lady Hayes bringing MULTIPLE bottles of champagne into the Alabama Music Box. Instead of keeping them all to herself, she shared. She even shared with Mod Vowel. So Kudos Old Lady Hayes.

Speaking of Old Lady Hayes, who had a great time with Sir William Masters as seen on stage with their banter and public make out session (She swears it was staged.) , where was the rest of the local media who are supposedly all about support of local artists and musicians ? 92 Zew says they are the Sound of Mobile but the only one from the locally owned radio station to show was Emily aka Old Lady Hayes. Mod Vowel was there all three nights and mingled. She is the only one that caught the vowels eyes.

Sir William Masters. What a piece of work. That guy is hard to describe to people who have never seen him live. He almost got a run for his money on Saturday night, when an unknown ginger hopped on stage before him and started slaying the crowd with jokes. Mod Vowel isn’t really sure how it happened, but they both ended up shedding multiple layers of clothing. It was a fearsome thing to behold.

One thing Mod Vowel wants to touch on is how professionally the bands reacted to a later start time, especially on Saturday. Let’s be honest, Mods. If a show says on the flyer that it starts at 10, it will more than likely start around 11:30. Sad thing is that all of you Mods just seem to accept it. Sometimes venues hold out and wait for more people to arrive. Sometimes they wait and you never show. Let us all adopt a new policy of getting to shows at their start time, not hours after. Due to the late start time, Mod Vowel didn’t leave the Alabama Music Box until 6 AM Saturday Night/Sunday Morning. Mod Vowel is just now writing about the events because Mod Vowel finally woke up from the exhausting but rocking weekend.

And, not to be too braggy, a big round of applause should go to M2B and Mod Mobilian. M2B no doubt got amazing footage of the bands and Mod Mobilian broadcast the entire event so if someone was out of town or wanted to know what was going on in our town, they could see and hear it with their own eyes. [Also, keep an eye out for an upcoming Mod Mobilian video story on the event.]

Mod Vowel feels like the Mobile music scene is a sleeping giant. When the time comes, the giant will wake up and the world will never be the same. It is a beautiful thing, my Mods.

Mod Vowel has been on a bit of a high horse lately. And no one likes a snotty columnist who won’t even tell you who they are. So let’s get back to what brought us together in the first place. Local Music!

Coastline Chronicles is finally here!

Mod Vowel has only been looking forward to this since forever. Forever being that time that it was announced. It has been long understood on this site that Mod Vowel is a huge fan of Mobile’s local music scene and feels it could rival some of those other southern cities that get way more exposure (Nashville, Atlanta, Austin). Let’s hope all Mod Mobilians come out in full force to support this fantastic three day event at the Alabama Music Box. And if this is your first time hearing of it, Mod Vowel will give you a quick rundown.

Let us start with ticket info. Mod Vowel suggests that you go ahead and get the three day pass. Tickets will be $7 a night, or $15 for the whole three days if you buy your tickets ahead of time! Preorder tickets are available here: http://www.alabamamusicbox.net/spotlight.html

Ticket money is being used to fund the production of a compilation cd (Coastline Chronicles) that features the very best in Mobile’s local music scene.

The event kicks off Thursday at the Alabama Music Box and is going to be one for the record books, kids. You don’t want to miss it. Just about every band that has ever been featured on this site is going to play and you know we Mod Mobilians have superb taste. And say you can’t make it one night, no worries. In true Mod Mobilian Tech Snob fashion we will be streaming the entire event online. And who knows, maybe you will even see who Mod Vowel really is! Just kidding. You will never know.

And now, for Mod Vowel’s favorite part, the line up!

El Cantador, Morris Minor, The Port Wine Stain, Greg Fells, Seduction Bomb, CCUSA and the Hush Hush Revolution, Mob Towne Revival, Swamp Wompus, Cockfight, Mandown, The Investments, Josh Bond, Hibachi Stranglers, and The Sunshine Factory!

And the kicker? Set change entertainment provided by Mobile’s leading authority in all things comical, Sir William Masters.

The fun meter is in overdrive, Mods.

While Mod Vowel has your attention, something fantastic is going down at the Blind Mule in September. The Blind Mule has been known as a great home to local artists and musicians and on August 1st, you will get all the details on this event. All Mod Vowel will tell you is that if you are a band that falls between Biloxi, Mississippi and Pensacola, Florida – You will want to stay on top of the situation. Trust us. Mod Vowel would never steer you in the wrong direction.

That is all for this week. Next week, Mod Vowel hopes to be out of the rock and roll induced haze to let you know about all the decadence and debauchery that will be the Coastline Chronicles Three Day event.

Ed. Note:  A  downtown organization has reportedly offered a reward for information leading to the arrest of the street artist Priest.  Mod Mobilian will will continue to pursue this story as it develops.

Kudos, Mobile.

Every time there is something positive that Mod Vowel wants to talk about, it gets over shadowed by some bonehead move by the out of touch folks in our community.

A one hundred dollar reward for the arrest of Priest? Really? You have got to be kidding. For some of you who aren’t familiar with Priest, check out some of his stuff on this site. Mod Vowel would direct you where to go downtown to see his art first hand but alas the fine folks of Mobile have already had his installation around the Crescent Theater painted over. It didn’t even take a week before the Downtown Alliance painted patches of white paint over the work.

While Mod Vowel doesn’t want to see the whole of downtown’s classic buildings covered in graffiti, does the city have the right to paint over graffiti on someone else’s property? The thing is that Priest, whoever they are, has talent. If buildings that the city or private owners don’t seem to care about can be utilized for artistic and occasionally socially-relevant purposes, what is so wrong with that?

And where are the mysterious Downtown Glorification Squad people when we are having to tell folks who “just want to smoke the rest of the cigarette if you aren’t going to finish it” to buzz off? Probably off counting parking ticket money and cackling.

Recently, downtown business owners and patrons have hit up Facebook, the place where all good things happen, to raise awareness of the increasing problem with panhandlers. David Rasp, owner of Heroes on Dauphin, has the cameras rolling all the time in the absence of police presence in downtown. The End Panhandling in Downtown Mobile group states , “This group wants to eliminate the problem of panhandling in downtown Mobile with a two-pronged approach:

Inform the general public that giving to panhandlers does damage to the businesses in the area AND panhandlers themselves (they are not buying fresh fruits and vegetables with the money you give them!).

Encourage an increased law enforcement presence in areas where these individuals operate. This would clearly include Bienville Square, Cathedral Square and the entire Lower Dauphin Street entertainment district including the retail areas and all hotels/tourist attractions.”

If you befriend the facebook site, you will see that these folks mean business. As I am writing this column, 565 people have joined the group. Mod Vowel is one of them. While it is a tricky situation, they seem to be approaching it in the correct manner and they have their proof. They are taking video, snapping pictures with camera phones and welcoming first hand experiences to be logged onto the wall.

Which brings up back to Priest. This artist took the “Keep Mobile Beautiful” logo, added “downtown” in red letters and illustrated one of the many inhabitants of Bienville Square. Mod Vowel has not had a chance to swing back by and make sure it is still there and not slopped over with white paint because it is “so offensive”.

To the folks in charge of taking care of downtown Mobile, from the Downtown HooHa folks to the cops – make an aggressive plan to handle the panhandlers downtown and stick to it. Otherwise it is going to fall to the business owners to do whatever possible to keep their patrons coming back. And when patrons leave downtown Mobile, it is bad for all of us.

Coming up next week, the weekend in Mobile that will be dominated by local bands and the Alabama Music Box.

Where to begin. Where to begin. Mod Vowel got fired up today when the vowels eyes took a look at this blog from Massachusetts. And then, while reading the response to a Mod Mobilian from one of the writers, got even more incensed. So, Mod Vowel is going to try very hard not to ramble and express this Vowels thoughts on the subject.

First of all, Mod Vowel has many family members who could be called “Yankees”. How many times has Mod Vowel visited the yankee side of the family? Once. Mod Vowel prefers them to come down here. Mod Vowel was asked many times to repeat things said because of “that silly southern accent”. But, funnily enough, Mod Vowel didn’t ask any of the Bostonians or Jersey Shore folks to repeat themselves just to hear an accent different than Mod Vowels own. Mod Vowel didn’t complain when chuckles arose from ordering sweet tea. How was Mod Vowel to know that New Yorkers don’t know the glories of iced sweet tea?

Mod Vowel only throws stones when necessary. Stone throwing is to wake someone up and to make them realize they are wrong or being absolutely ridiculous.

As pointed out by a Mod Mobilian on the comment thread, Azalea Trail Maids have to earn the title of a trail maid. The Mod Mobilian states, “To receive this HONOR, the high school girl must have an extremely high GPA (that’s grade point average to you) and have an impeccable background. They travel and absolutely exude class and charisma and..southern charm.” So, even though one of the writers responded to the blog – “allow me to apologize for inadvertently offending the sensitive sensibilities of our friends to the south”, Mod Vowel thinks they should have directed their apology to the girls they offended, not us. As high school has become an increasingly competitive environment, for young women to choose to go after what is such an honor here in Mobile and then have someone, who has no clue about what an honor it is, ridicule them not once, not twice, but four times by sharing the opinions of those who were around her at the time is totally uncalled for. That is why the apology should go directly to the Azalea Trail Maids as opposed to Mobile as a whole.

Now for the fun part, where we dissect the “apology”.

We will begin with the simple fact that if you apologize for something, you apologize. That is it. You don’t take one sentence to apologize then go into your personal reasons and feelings on the subject. You apologize and move on.

Oh dear, where to start. First, allow me to apologize for inadvertently offending the sensitive sensibilities of our friends to the south.

This is where you should have stopped. That way someone like Mod Vowel wouldn’t pick up the pig skin and chuck it back to you.

If you had bothered to read our blog, or even take more than half a cursory glance, you might have noticed that Sarah and I frequently take an intentionally dim-witted approach to things we see in order to find humor in an otherwise staid world.

In Mod Vowel’s opinion, the primary objective of a blog driven website should be obvious when you first look upon it. One should not have to spend time sifting through pages trying to figure out where the writers are coming from. Maybe you should put up a header that says you enjoy taking dim witted approaches to things. And you should put it up in bold letters, so if you ever decide to write about Texans and their ten gallon hats, or how Midwesterners tend to say Soda Pop, they will know what they are getting themselves into straight away, since, after all, it is all in good fun.

And your self professed “intentionally dim-witted approach”… Mod Vowel is feeling that if it was as intentional as you state, you would have cured your curiosity about the way these young women were dressed by approaching them and politely asking. Then you would have learned something about them and expanded your mind a little bit. And by getting the scoop on the situation, you could have included that in your blog. And just think, if you would have stepped out of your snotty, elitist, intentionally dim witted approach to something, you could have avoided all of this. Just by saying, “Excuse me, who do you ladies represent?” Wow. So easy. And polite.

You would have also discovered that the reason Sarah doesn’t eat seafood is because she’s Jewish. There’s a word for people who ridicule another’s cultural or religious customs. Actually, there are many words, but let’s just call it prejudiced. However, since you could not even be bothered to get the name of our blog correct, I can see how a trivial matter such as that might be lost on you.

As for not liking seafood because of religious reasons, that is a-ok. No love lost there. Mod Vowel can’t stand oysters. It is a texture thing. Let’s approach this from a different angle, though. Let’s say Larry King doesn’t like seafood. He goes on the air and all he says is that it is stinky and doesn’t care for it. Without giving any sort of explanation, naturally. Don’t you think that ONE of his fans would want to know why? Without having to go read a bio on him to find out? (However, we know that Larry is a professional and would know that he would need to follow up a statement of opinion with fact.)

Excuse us for not getting the name of your blog correct. You insulted an entire community of people. Your apology is shorter in length than your obvious upset of getting the title of your blog correct. Our bad.

As for the comments from Janet, allow me to first point out that had you ever ventured into the rarely-frozen tundra of Boston, you would absolutely see people ready to fight the Revolutionary War all over again. They, like the Azalea Trail Maids, are a wonderful reminder of the history of the area. Also like the Azalea Trail Maids, they are pretty darn funny.

Hopefully, from your own words, you can see how if the blog posting had contained something like that (the references to history and tradition) this whole mess could have been avoided.

Perhaps we could all use a US History refresher course.

In Mod Vowels opinion, we could all use a refresher course in manners. Because, after all, this is what it all comes down to. The short version of this story is as follows.

“Some out of towners flew in for a wedding and poked fun at the Azalea Trail Maids but never bothered to find out who they were before taking to their internet blog to blast them for their pastels. In turn, they are pissed because we found out about it and called them out for it.”

Mod Vowel wants to point out that this is the beauty of the internet. Anyone can publish anything they like. However, they have to be willing to stand behind it and defend it when the time comes. And if they were wrong or offended someone, they either need to correct it or leave it be and move on.

Mod Vowel isn’t sure how it goes up North and isn’t going to even pretend like a vowel could understand, but one thing we are taught in the South (something Mod Vowel thought was universal) if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all. And Mod Vowel has always had a firm belief in “taking care of mine.” Mobile is mine. And Mod Vowel doesn’t hold back. So, in the future, any blogger who wants to poke fun at hard working young women for doing something kind without even trying to do research or simply ask them what was going on, be prepared for someone to call you out on it and hold you accountable.

Mobile loves its Mod Mobilians. And will defend them against “intentionally dim witted” bloggers with every key stroke they can muster.

Mod Vowel wants to share with you a little view on patriotism while you gorge on ribs, lemonade, apple pie and great tunes (because this weekend is PACKED with great shows.).

Let us not lose sight of what the Fourth Of July Celebration is all about. Independence Day is the day we commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from Great Britain. But, Mod Vowel is pretty sure that you already know that. Whether you are for or against military actions in the present or the past, one thing is for certain, we should all be very grateful for those who defend this land of people who are free to speak their mind via any outlet imaginable everyday. That being said, line up to the musical buffet because this three day holiday weekend is a cornucopia for music lovers.

Let’s start with tonight, shall we?

Over at the Blind Mule you can catch a fella from Muscle Shoals that is no stranger to the Mule, Red Mouth. Also playing is one of Mod Vowel’s favorites, Josh Bond. Josh Bond won Mod Vowel over last year when Serdas had their inaugural singer/songwriter competition. His music is stripped down and honest. No fancy frills or techniques, just good, honest music that will remind you of some of the country rebels of the past, like Johnny Cash. This show starts around 10p tonight and costs only five bucks. Absolutely worth it to catch not just Red Mouth and Josh Bond but some special guests as well.

Saturday gets a bit tricky. You’ve got many options so all in all it just depends on what you are in the mood for.

The Alabama Music Box has Fat Possum recording artists The Heartless Bastards along with The Builders and Butchers and Peter Wolf Crier. You may remember the last time the Heartless Bastards were in town, it was with a little lady named Jenny Lewis. That was a packed gig for the Music Box and one suspects the turn out will be the same for this show.

If you are out toward West Mobile and are a little weary of the customary Independence Day road blocks, Hillsdale’s own, Abstract Artimus comes back to amaze the patrons of Satori. Also with Abstract Artimus will be most likely Mobile’s best new band, Shield Your Ears. Mod Vowel was able to catch their show at The Blind Mule last weekend and it was so refreshing and new. Not stale and carbon copy, which seems to be the easy way out for most bands in town.

Over on the Eastern Shore, Moe’s Original BBQ has Mobile’s favorite sons, El Cantador playing a gig with Friends Fight Record’s label mates, Johnny Apple Eyes. You have heard Mod Vowel speak at length about how amazing these bands are live and how their crowds are getting comfortable crossing state lines to support them. However, they don’t really play the Eastern Shore that much so if you are around the E Shore Trifecta (Spanish Fort, Daphne and Fairhope) swing over to Moe’s, get some Fourth of July bbq and see what everyone has been talking about if you haven’t already.

And last but not least for Saturday, two chances to catch tried and true Peek. Apparently, the dueling piano masters at Dahlia’s are taking the weekend off and Peek is filling in. If you can’t make it to the Dauphin Street show, have no fear . .

Because on SUNDAY, you can catch Peek and Mobile darlings, The Ugli Stick, rocking out the Bluegill on the Causeway. There is a reason these bands draw huge crowds, because they have fun on stage and interact with you, the audience, therefore you have fun as well. And it is Sunday! The actual holiday! On the water at the Bluegill. What could be better?

Maybe Morris Minor at Callaghans? They are gearing up for playing 92 Zew’s Second Tuesday series which is a free show at the Bluegill in July but get a taste of what you can expect from the best lefty playing guitar in town, Greg Nobles. And that is in Oakleigh! How about that, Mod Vowel has told you how to hit almost every part of the Port City and enjoy live, local music.

Now usually, Mod Vowel straight up tells you what the dance card looks like for the weekend. But with so much happening and copious amounts of alcohol that your favorite vowel will consume, there is no way to pin down which shows Mod Vowel will get to attend. Maybe one, maybe all. Check back next week to find out about all the Fourth Of July decadence and debauchery.

Mod Vowel is going to take a serious tone with you Mod Mobilians now.

A LOT has been happening in Mobile in the past couple of months. The Oil Spill and Steve Nodine saga seem to dominate local newscasts. But some alarming occurrences downtown are being completely overlooked.

As Mod Mobilians, we love our downtown. We are fine patrons of all the business and want to continue to see the growth of this area. However, two startling instances have come to Mod Vowels attention. Rape and an almost assault. But thanks to one ladies pepper spray, a potentially terrible situation was handled promptly. Mod Vowel has tried to get these AEIOU loving hands on some police reports, stats, facts – anything really – and has had zero luck. The one reason Mod Vowel wanted these things was to check out the time line and see the correlation to the moment out of town workers for BP and oil spill clean up crew came to town and the attacks.

Mod Vowel is not saying, by any means, that the attackers are affiliated with BP or the clean up crew. But a number of out of town workers have come into the Port City lately. One wonders if background checks were done with these people or if it was one of those “We have to mobilize now and get this under control so throw out the rule book” type situations.

The fact of the matter is that Mod Vowel didn’t see this reported anywhere in the local news or on the local radio stations. And when trying to figure out who Mod Vowel is most angry with, the needle points toward local media.

Local media outlets want to say they are in touch with the community. They want us to believe they are all about local coverage. Mod Vowel personally feels that when it comes to the safety of Mobiles citizens, whether downtown, Midtown or in West Mobile, we need to be informed of attacks like those mentioned above. Mobilians don’t need the news to be sensationalized so they are scared away from downtown, they just need to know what is going on so they can prepare and act accordingly. But hey, that won’t get you ratings or your paper circulation up so why bother, right?

Mod Vowel hates to think that there are loonies attacking folks as they enjoy a night out downtown. But the best offense is a good defense. Let’s just run over some ground rules. Mod Vowel doesn’t want to seem like your Dad or Mother, but hey, sometimes it’s just good to hit the refresh button on your brain. So listen up, guys and gals.

- Don’t leave valuables in plain sight in your car. This is a no brainer, but sometimes you get in a rush. Take those extra few seconds to stick your GPS or I pod (and their cables, duh) in the glove box.

- As you approach your car, glance in the back seat. We’ve all heard that Urban Legend about the creeper in the backseat and the girl drives home with someone following her, flashing their lights trying to warn her of said creeper. If something looks odd or out of place, screw it. Get a friend or call the cops.

- Super obvious – Lock your doors the moment you get in your car. And don’t mess about with anything. That smoke can wait till you get on the road. You can find that CD or certain song later. The more time you spend sitting in your car before leaving a destination late at night, the more at risk you are. Hop in, lock the doors, start rolling.

- Don’t ever roll your window down for anyone. If they are telling you that you have a flat tire and you should roll down the window to hear them better, drive anyway. Flop Flop Flop your way to a well lit area and call some service folks. If someone taps on your window, don’t even open it a crack. If at all possible, avoid rolling over their feet and go about your merry way.

- If you can, walk with a pal to your car. Strength in numbers. Your buddy hops in the car with you, you take them to their car and how about that? The Buddy System in action.

- Last but not least, if something is suspicious, don’t hesitate to call the cops. If you have an awkward feeling, call them. They are YOUR police force. They are around to protect YOU. You aren’t wasting anyones time, you are ensuring your safety. Which, as I understand it, is the goal of the police men and women. Mobilians being safe.

Mod Vowel will continue in the great effort to get some information out of the authorities on the aforementioned time frame of these events and if they coincide with the arrival of work crews. But the fact remains the same, whether they are OUR crazies or some other town’s crazies, be aware. And keep on keepin on. No reason to stop having fun, just have a game plan.

And now, for a little light hearted poking.

Old Lady Hayes conducted an interview with Johnny Apple Eyes and felt the need to mention she saw them first before Mod Vowel ever did. Alright, Old Lady Hayes, maybe you did, but it is on the internet for all the world to see that Mod Vowel beat you to the punch. But Mod Vowel has respect for you feeling comfortable enough to say you are a music snob. Because, in the end, we are all music snobs, whether we like it or not.

This past weekend, Mod Vowel took part in the El Cantador / / Johnny Apple Eyes Split EP Release party at the Music Box. Other Mod Mobilians were covering the other happening cd release a few blocks away at the Blind Mule with Aftershock and BlueEyedSoul. But there was a little something different going down at the music box, crowd wise. Two groups of rockers were finally coming together.

Johnny Apple Eyes and El Cantador have been playing shows together for quite some time and have even gone on to form their own label, Friends Fight Records, which you first read about in an interview with Heath Underwood from El Cantador in the “Hey, Have you heard?” part of this site. Old Lady Hayes informs us that she will soon have a follow up with Johnny Apple Eyes to round out this newly formed label on the coast.

But keeping on point, Mobile and Pensacola crowds seem to be a little intimidated by a little thing called the state line.

If Johnny Apple Eyes is any indication, Pensacola has just as much as a thriving music scene as Mobile does. Mobile just seems to take a little more of an interest in their local music whether it be in the media or simply by following them wherever they play around town. We are fortunate to have journalist who feel just as strongly as we do that we have the potential to be as wealthy in local talent as places like Austin or Atlanta. Mod Mobilian does its best to keep you in the loop concerning where you can catch what and credit should go to larger publications like the Lagniappe and Bay Weekend as well for getting tangible word out. The Pensacola News Journal has a similar version of Bay Weekend but the writing is not up to par. There is something holding Mobilians back, though, an invisible wall known as the Alabama/Florida border. The Mobile crowd has to get over their fear or the state line.

Pensacola made the first move. A decent number of Floridians came to the Port City this past Friday night to support most likely the best band to ever call Florida home (no offense, Tom Petty or Matchbox 20). And Mod Vowel has to give them props for breaking down what has become a brick wall. Pensacola is only about a 45 minute drive, which is not terrible at all. A handful of bands in Mobile split time between home and Pensacola. If the bands we like can suck it up and make the drive, why can’t we?

Mod Vowel has seen you out at shows, Mobile. You are dedicated. You follow the groups around Wemo, Mimo, Loda and whatever else tag you want to put on specific parts of Mobile. Let’s take the Ugli Stick for an example. You have no problem going to see them at the Bluegill or Soul Kitchen or Grand Central and you even trek to places in Daphne to see them. If you can get across the bay, you can take that extra step and cross the state line.

This stretch of the Gulf Coast is rich in talent. It is almost one of those situations where we could apply the “If we joined forces, we could take over the world.” mantra. Well, maybe not the world, but we could get attention. Best example, Johnny Apple Eyes and El Cantador. They formed a label to put out music the way they want to, without pressures from labels or producers or anyone else who wants to throw in their two cents about their creative ability. All the while, they have been making their own line of merch which includes everything from shirts to flasks, booking and promoting their own shows and finishing up the work on full length albums.  And in the short time this label has been together, they have played packed shows in Mobile and Pensacola, gained national and local coverage in American Songwriter Magazine, Local 15(Mobile’s NBC affiliate) Lagniappe, The Mobile Press Register, The Pensacola News Journal and, of course, the leader of the pack, Mod Mobilian. C’mon Mods, let’s show Pensacola that we care about our bands. Let’s travel those 45 minutes and break out of the norm. Let’s show them that we are all about fostering a great relationship between music scenes. Strength in numbers, Mods. Strength. In. Numbers.