music
Making Space for Ourselves by John Rousseau
same thing ,” Jeremy Moore posits . He co-created the Talk Yo Shit party , event , and show series in 2014 along with fellow DJ and producer Harry Moral III ( Fiona ). Weekly events are dangerous , usually short-lived endeavors , and TYS is running two-and-a-half years strong . Born and raised in New York , he has unique insight : “ In Orlando , it ’ s not the same as in New York — you can be into that weird , crazy thing but there might be like , ten people , fi ve people … 15 people . But , if we work together , that ’ s something we can overcome .”
Jeremy Moore , photo by Kenneth “ Kb da Boss ” Brown
“ We try to keep our audience on their toes , turning every space we inhabit into a new and exciting experience ,” declares Hannah Fregger regarding promotional upstart Ugly Orange ’ s directive . Since its inception by musicians Kaley Honeycutt and Nicole Dvorak in June of 2016 , the outfi t has remained one of Orlando ’ s most active music booking ventures . Their taste tends towards indie and garage rock , but by no means are they exclusive . There ’ s heavy cross-pollination and collaboration in Orlando ’ s scene . It ’ s a tight-knit community and is growing . Fregger explains , “ There ’ s been a ton of emerging booking and promotions collectives that have been popping up within the last few years / months ( shout out to Vinyl Warhol and SR-50 ). We all really support each other and want each other to succeed . It ’ s really sick . We don ’ t necessarily have the same audience , but we get each other , you know ? I back what Harrison [ Thevenin ] and Matt [ Weller ] do 100 %.”
Weird is a subjective term . In Orlando , we have vocalists fi rst shattering then eating glass on stage . A one-woman loop-pedal choir copping lines from platinum pop hits . A DJ who transmutes venues — a bar becomes a six-year-old ’ s bedroom ( mattress , pastels , plush toys and all ). Acts whose branding , naming , and presentation are all so face-forward , modern , and 2017 that distinction between virtual and physical reality fucking melts . It ’ s vibrant , creative stuff . Smart stuff . It ’ s art . Weird ? In the world of symmetry , probably .
Orlando has niche interests covered , but as Moore stated , each may have only fi ve to ten devotees . The solution : book disparate acts together . “ At my shows , I don ’ t want to see just one group of people ...
Jesse Feinman , photo by Jen Cray
Matthew Weller runs a webzine called The Vinyl Warhol and books under the same name . Since 2012 , he ’ s published prolifi cally — articles , interviews , and photography all focused on showcasing our city ’ s local music scene . Regarding booking , Weller explains , “ March 2015 was my fi rst show and it was at the Space . It was pretty soon before it closed . It was where I started going to shows and what inspired me to start booking .” Matthew ’ s dual role as writer and booker is common — multi-disciplinarians are the backbone of our community . Fregger outlines this approach : “ It ’ s fun coming up with concepts for marketing , promotion , stage design , etc . We like to think we are an homage to the DIY forces that came before us while also creating our own unique culture .” The two groups have produced promotional and performance videos together , and Weller regularly covers Ugly Orange ’ s events via his site .
Collaboration is key , as it ’ s in the hands of bookers and event organizers to determine a strategy that draws audiences in . “ You can be into the weirdest thing musically — I ’ m talking about the wuh-e-erd-est thing . And there will be another 100 to 150 people that are into that
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