by Jeremy Seghers
April 20th is celebrated, in certain circles anyway, for the numerical significance of the date by those whom participate in and/or advocate the use of marijuana. However, the folks over at the Ourlando Music Alliance and Central Florida Earth Day used the date as an opportunity to present an evening of entertainment at the historic Cameo Theater. The preview showcased some of the local talent performing at this year's Central Florida Earth Day, which is taking place at Lake Eola, on April 24th.
The evening also featured a sampling of local vendors from handmade jewelry to local honey & jam to vegan baked goods from Raphsodic Cooperative Company.
Among of the highlights of the evening was the family folk act Jubal's Kin who just released their first CD earlier this month. The trio, which consists of brothers Roger & Jeffrey and sister Gailanne, is more musically cohesive and professionally savvy than most bands who have been making old fashioned, roots music for as many years as their combined age (46). What makes Jubal's Kin really inspiring is that they're completely unassuming and authentic. Basically, expect great things from this little gang in the not-too-distant future.
Additionally, it was a pleasure to have the Oak Hill Drifters in the line-up. Front man and steel guitar go-to guy, Tom Cooper, is as humble of his talent as he is masterful of his instruments. This Hank Williams inspired band still manages to thrill, especially with the musicianship of upright bassist Gus Ramage and Ricky Lane on harmonica. They don't reinvent the wheel, but definitely drive their bluesy brand of rock-a-billy with equal parts moonshine and honey to make the ride both stirring and smooth.
Rounding out the night was Andy Matchett & The Minks, which is comprised of musicians who have made names for themselves in various other bands and as solo performers. Together, they are the closest thing Orlando has to a super-group. Case in point, percussionist Matt Mendel can be seen playing everywhere from local coffee shops to steakhouses, where he trades in his drums for a guitar, and opened for the likes of Conor Oberst and The Avett Brothers as a member of Matt Butcher's now defunct band The Revolvers. Matchett, who has fronted other projects like The Monorails, sings and plays guitar alongside his sister Megan on keys. Most of the members of The Minks are multi-instrumentalists, and their range is apparent whether covering Tom Waits' "Clap Hands" or blazing through original tunes. Matchett's delivery is always passionate, yet focused. The band closed their set with a "parachute party," in which most of the crowd held onto the edges of a parachute and moved it up and down while others ran underneath with flashlights as if exploring some sort of fabric cave with no structure. All the while, The Minks played on.
The only downside of the whole evening was that it started over two hours later than it was originally scheduled which meant several bands had to cut their sets short, and one ended up forfeiting their time slot entirely. It's easy to understand that the organizers and performers wanted to be sure there was an audience before they began, but considering the show took place on a Tuesday night, people were not be able to stick it out through all 7 or 8 scheduled acts. Hopefully, this will be taken into consideration when planning future events.
For more information on Orlando's Earth Day celebration, visit www.cfearthday.org.