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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Mob Rulz
To get to the present, HearSay’s gonna have to take it back a little. How far back? Way back. Like, to about two years ago, when the Acoustic Mafia was in its prime. On the first Sunday of every month, at first the Moon, then the Aardvark, a handful of supremely talented, serious musicians — including Tim Locke, Collin Herring, Brandin Lea (Flickerstick), Aardvark owner Danny Weaver with Joe Rose (formerly of The Action), and John Price — excitedly gathered under the Acoustic Mafia banner and took turns playing, going from 10 p.m. ’til close and almost always ’til after-party. Long story short: Dallas clubs were soon trying to appropriate the Mafia’s winning formula — to no avail.That was then. Over time, the Mafia, which began partly as a way for the aforementioned musicians to “workshop” new material, started to lose steam, primarily because all of that “new” material began to circulate and — more than likely due to its superior quality — quickly become “classic” material. A couple of new musos have been recruited to help freshen up “First Sunday” (a nickname with quasi-religious overtones that is now used almost interchangeably with “Acoustic Mafia”), and while new-blood shows may be living up to if not improving on the Mafia’s peerless name, there’s still something ... missing. Call me a purist, but those first Sundays of yore were magical, and no matter how many new musicians are brought into the family, nothing will ever beat the dynamism generated among the original wise guys. Period.The good news is that yesterday’s spirit is still alive. With the Aardvark’s Weaver at the helm and former Valve frontman Casey Diiorio on the mixing board, all of the founding fathers recently got together and recorded a full-length. At 13 songs, First Sunday ... Worst Monday is a mix of fresh originals that even yesterday’s most devout Mafia fan has probably never heard, plus covers of other Mafiosi’s handiwork. Tim Locke does Collin Herring. Collin does The Action. The Action does Casey. John Price does Brandin Lea. Brandin does Price. Self-aggrandizing? Possibly. But when you’re as flippin’ skilled as these guys are, you can pretty much get away with anything you want. For more information on the c.d. or on the Mafia’s upcoming c.d. release show (Sun. Feb. 13), go to www.the-aardvark.com.... In the spirit of misanthropic, heavily armed, well-dressed Italian-Americans, HearSay will direct you to www.westsidewiseguys.info, a page built by local jazz trumpeter, famous raconteur, and computer whiz Brian “B” Sharp. True to its name, “West Side Wise Guys” is like a brief history of a certain (fictitious) mob family, starring the movers and shakers (and wobblers) of West Seventh Street. Wreck Room/Axis/Torch owner Brian Forella, a.k.a. “Carbine Carmine,” was a real go-getter in the family until he disgraced himself by falling asleep while attempting a hit. Woodeye’s Graham “The Candyman” Richardson wrote the Billboard hit LP, The Candyman’s Prison Lament, from behind bars. John “Fantasia” Price oversees entertainment. It’s all just good, clean fun, something to do while pretending to work, I guess.
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