When the weather in South Florida starts to heat up, we locals get the hell out and go places, far away, very foreign places like Alaska. Recently when heading up on such a trip to Kentucky to visit Southern relatives, word came to us that a musical act from the Bluegrass State was making their way to Lake Worth's Speakeasy Lounge.
Fifth on the Floor is coming counter-intuitively south to perform with Reckless Dames this Monday night. Drummer Aaron Graham was kind enough to allow us a peek into his musical mind by allowing us to critique his CD collection. Here are five of the most curious albums we found on the shelf of an authentic country rocker.
5. Mastodon's Leviathan
"Originally," Graham admits, "I wasn't interested in playing country. I was really into heavy metal."
4. Winifred Horan and Friends' Pleasures of Home
"I spent a year studying Irish club bands. Then performed an hour long recital on a Bhodran drum." Graham disclosed. (A what? Thank you, Wikipedia.)
3. Jimmy Buffett's License to Chill
"I needed money so I joined a Jimmy Buffet cover band called The Conch Republic." Graham told us, stating the obvious. "We played in the Florida Keys."
2. Steel Drum Island, Collection Vol. 4
"My Mom bought me this. I was in a steel drum band at the time." He says, "College."
1. Insane Clown Posse Bizarre
>On his ICP purchase, Graham says, "Got this to practice for a one song cover my band at the time was doing." Yeah, right, one song...
This brings us to our public service-type announcement which came together after the peeping of these CDs: WARNING! Listening to heavy metal may lead to experimenting with gateway drums that may eventually leave your ears at risk for overexposure to I.C.P.
It's not all steel drums anymore for this musician though. After Graham saw his current band Fifth on the Floor play live, he signed on as a member, even after realizing the band's roots are in country. But at heart, he says, "This is rock music."
Esteemed country star Shooter Jennings feels the same and produced FOTF's new album due out later this year.
So while you might not get up to travelin' the mountains anytime soon, let our journey to the deep South introduce you to a sound likely unfamiliar to your tropical ears. These Kentucky rockers promise to teach you a few things about whisky-chuggin' and guitar-pluckin' with their electric live show.
And maybe, just maybe, a steel drum cover of Mastadon?
Comment below with your own list of funny or embarrassing albums.
Catch Fifth on the Floor with Reckless Dames at 8 p.m. on Monday, July 9 at 129 North Federal Highway. Lake Worth.
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