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BAND SPEAK bv MATT & BALLARD ANGIE APARO Angie Aparo—vocals, guitar Adam Nitti—bass, vocals Derek Murphy—drums C.R. Groover—keyboards, vocals Dan Dixon—guitar After over a decade of sweating it out as a solo performer on the singer-songwriter circuits along the East Coast, Atlanta-based songsmith Angie Aparo has recently undergone something of a transformatif'n from his unassuming "folkie" role to something of a full-on modem rock star. Aparo stepped away from the satu rated band scene around ly94 and concentrated on writing and performing as a soloist. In 1997, he hooked up with record producer Matt Serletic (Matchbox Twenty, Edwin McCain, Santana), signed on with Arista Records, assembled a corps of top-norch players and produced his first album proper—a lush, 12-song collection titled The American. Radio listeners may have recently caught a bit of the album's slick-sounding single. "Spaceship." Aparo and his current band toured through the late-spring with Matchbox Twenty and are preparing for more extensive traveling through the summer and fall. Aparo speaks: How do the songs sound live on stage mth your new band compared to the album? "It's totally more aggressive. I kind of went nuts in the studio with Matt putting harmonies and overdubs on the album, but C.R. and Adam are both very good singers, so the vocals sound strong." Being on a major label and playing large music halls, what's your latest take on the music biz? "Radio and record companies still love to find formulas and run them into the ground for the most part. I think we've ended up with a listener who has learned from radio and has become more narrow." Is "Spaceship" going to make you famcis? "I have no idea. We've had a lot of success with that song on a listener level, but it's weird, you know, because it's a guitar rock song and people aren't quite sure how to categorize it." What made you want to become a songwriter, and how have you developed it? "Writing to me has always been like a form ot therapy. I do it almost every day. Content-wise, I've always been drawn to the larger aspects of life, and I get a serious amount of unity and power from the fact that people can relate with something personal I've written. It makes me feel connected, which is cool because I'm a bit of a loner." Angie Aparo plays at Tasty World on Saturday, July 8 with Rusty Water and Bastard. CODE BLUE Clark Vreeland—guitar Wayne Wahl—vocals, harp Dave Minor—bass Eric Reed—drums Denton Perry—guitar, electric sitar Well before he relocated to Athens in 1984, guitarist Clark Vreeland had already built himself up a pretty impressive blues resume. A native of New Orleans, Vreeland spent time supporting some of the Crescent City's full-bore legends, including svengali Allen Toussaint, piano god Professor Longhair and bluesman Earl King. He also spent time as a member of legendary Sin City outfits like The Meters and The Radiators, and produced records by the Subdudes and Stereo Popsicle. Mixing what he calls a New Orleans blues influence with more of an Atlanta-style driving rhythmic push, as well as a smattering of Chicago-style blues and Piedmont touches, Code Blue formed in 1992 when Vreeland hooked up with singer-harpman Wayne Wahl and bassist Dave Minor. The trio went through a number of drummers before Vreeland's nephew Eric Reed came aboard in 1997. Last fall, Denton Perry, of the Jennifer Perry Combo, joined on second guitar and electric sitar, and the band released its debut album Pre-Existing Conditions. Vreeland speaks: Throughout its history, the blues has experi enced several resurgences in popularity. Where do you see the blues today? "There's part of it that's progressive and going into an area that's new while still encom passing the spirit of what has happened before. Then there's a part of it that's getting homoge nized like modem country music is, so that the public can accept it. Now, I like a lot of these albums and will buy them, but some it's a little slick. While what we do sounds somewhat tradi tional, we do it our own way. What we do is take a music we're separate from racially and put our own hearts into it. Maybe rap and hip hop are the new living blues nowadays." So what u> the blues to you? "What it should be and what it is for me when it works, it's just getting to the truth through music and sharing with the people you're playing with and the people who're lis tening. It's sort of healing, sharing a feeling whether it's a joyous feeling or a sad one or whatever it is. When it's done from the heart, blues isn't always that easy tc swallow. That's what the living clues is." Code Blue plays the Athens Music Factory Monday. July 10. c* TUESDAY NIGHT Ladies' Night 8pv-ClGSE $1.25 REG. Bottle Beer ^:ay JlU-Vf. s* • * -'LILY 8 BEN TEMPLE MIDNIGHT 'CARAVAN v. JULY 6 , BRYAN STONE Patrick & BLAKE BRYANT coNNELL Ik.: ay July 7 i • • wv July 11 j CALL JAYBORCK NOW OPEN SATURDAYS UNTIL 2 AM EVERY Thurs. - S4.50 LITE & Lite Ice Pitchers CpBeen tit To/urit! 1294 PRINCE AVE. • 548-8309 . j caledoma 0%vtamln a • rusty water 4- 4 stbtbauonfarte • plastic bird i —im i ttTumtj attBLH • noon cdti J shootout i HM1 '■» 4 to 7 dj.'* on beck: Industrial strenotM promaCJons doors O 10:30. show O 11:00 84 nasft • Fade Factory 4- 4 slot car radna 18 and up show doors O 1030 causey way • mooney buzlM m \ v\c 5 t clHijtun firing/ INDOOR SHOOTING RANGE THAN * (Well maybe a close second) 546-6111 WED., JULY 5 THU., JULY 6 SAT., JULY 8 MON., JULY 10 JASON FULLER SAWGRASS TEETER DRISCKLE CARLTON OWENS CONSPIRACY 260 E. WASHINGTON ST. • 369-3040 (12 STEPS FROM THE CORNER OF JACKSON & WASHINGTON! ' As Always, Two for One Strings, and the Largest Selection of Guitars. Amps. Keyboards. Drums and Accessories! JVt s USICIAN ? w AREHOUSE m VI/ JULY 5, 2000 FLAGPOLE EB