Jan-Feb Issue

2

BUZZ Magazine January-February 2017 3

4


Jan/Feb 2017 

Christie Lenee 

Photos used with permission by the artists. 

After releasing her fourth CD, Christie is about to go on tour. 

Get to know her a little better in this amazing interview! 

B U Z Z Magazine 

Editor-in-Chief 

CONSTANCE HILTON 

Editors 

BOB FECKNER 

STEVEN FARRENKOPF 

Photographers 

PAM WILLS 

6 BUZZ Magazine January-February 2017 

Contributing Writers 

PHIL TRAYNOR 

DAN ALLISON 

KEITH WILKINS 

FRED FULFORD 

Sales 

PAM WILLS 

sales@baybuzz.org 

wwww.baybuzz.org 

INFO@BAYBUZZ.ORG

MUSIC NEWS FOR TAMPA BAY 

From The Editor……………………………………………….…..…..8 

Applebutter Express: Suitcase………………………………..….10 

Tampa Bay’s Music History……………………………………....14 

Ten Minutes with Greg Billings……………………………..…..16 

The Galley: New Bar on the Block………………………..….….20 

Christie Lenee…………………………………………………………22 

When AM Stood for Awesome Music………………………….26 

Stevie’s Music Makers………………………………………..…….30 

Stevie’s 

Music Makers

Letter From The Editor 

Happy New Year to all Tampa Bay Musicians 

and Fans of Local Music, 

With every New Year comes the thoughts of 

making new resolutions, new ideas and how 

you can make things better. And Bay Buzz is no 

different. I am excited to showcase the local 

music scene and promote our musicians and 

venues that also encourage original music. 

We’ve decided to change a few things for 2017, 

as this year we will publish BUZZ Magazine 

bi-monthly, which will be out the third Monday 

of every other month. But even though there 

will be six issues, it won’t be short of information 

of your music news. 

We are also excited to add four new team members 

to Bay Buzz Music. Please welcome 

f as a new editor, 

who 

will assist us with Marketing and Sales, 

, a new contributing writer and 

who will help with administrative duties. 

We welcome you and are excited about 

you being with us. 

Bay Buzz is also teaming up with Music Tampa 

Bay and will broadcast a series of short commercials 

that will air on 96.7FM. 

I would also like to thank Cherie Leal from CJ’s 

on the Island and her staff for their tremendous 

support over the last year and going into this 

year. 

Along with CJ’s, The Blueberry Patch and 

Gator’s Cafe & Saloon have shown their love 

and support by sponsoring us for this years 

BUZZ FEST. And Seminole Music and Sound 

has supported us with a gracious gift card for 

the winner of Best of The Buzz. We thank you 

all from the bottom of our hearts for your community 

support. 

Constance 

CONSTANCE HILTON 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 

constance@baybuzz.org 

8 BUZZ Magazine January-February 2017


Their third CD offering is an exuberant celebration 

of technical virtuosity, energy, and blistering vocal power. 

The foundation of the sound for me is the unbelievably 

potent ukulele of Kyle Biss. His background in the bottom half 

of the rhythm section has clearly served him well; his playing 

is rhythmically precise, with a clear and funky backbeat. More 

than just being a percussive force, it is a chordal launch pad 

for the veritable rocket sled that is their overall sound. Shannon 

Biss’ lead vocal is crisp, lusty, and crackles with power. 

Kyle and Shannon Biss have a well-honed blend that draws 

you deep into a harmonic well of passion and originality, and 

when you get there, there’s a mosh pit! The bass and fiddle 

are both superb complementary sounds, each lending their 

own weighty contribution to the indescribable groove. 

The Applebutter Express is a fascinating enigma. What 

you would think, if asked, of a husband-wife duo in 

which they both sing and he plays ukulele? You might 

think mild pop, or some Hawaiian-influenced dreamy thing. 

No, no. You wouldn’t even be close. The Applebutter Express 

hits HARD. How can you define their sound? It’s bluegrass! 

No, it’s jam! No, it’s funk and soul! No, wait, it’s Americana! 

Aww, to hell with it, it’s all of those things and so much more. 

There is no single pigeonhole into which you can plop this 

powerhouse (but I’m gonna try anyway; how about “Funkgrass”?). 

Suffice it to say that if you can play it on acoustic 

instruments, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more a-peeling 

(yeah, I know, sorry…) and energetic sound in the Tampa Bay 

area. How good are they really? Well, good enough that after 

six months together as an act, they played a tiny little insignificant 

festival called Bonnaroo. The June 2012 festival in 

which they appeared featured over 150 bands and over 

100,000 fans were in attendance. 

The Applebutter Express started out when Kyle Biss, an 

accomplished drummer and bassist, learned ukulele and 

started writing so he and then-girlfriend Shannon could sing 

together at home. After taking the open mic circuit by storm, 

they formally named the group, got married in 2011, and in 

2012, added bassist Zach Rogers and fiddle impresario Joe 

“Joecephus” Trivette to round out the sound. The quartet has 

been able to leverage the success from playing the aforementioned 

Bonnaroo and Spirit of Suwannee Songfest to 

become one of the most talked about and in-demand acts in 

the Bay area. 

Leading off the delicious variety of tunes from is a 

Bluegrass wailer “Please Don’t Go”, which will have you 

two-stepping instantly. From there, the album paradigm 

shifts without a clutch into serious funk with “I’m On My 

Way”. The title cut “Suitcase” ventures more toward 

acoustic/classic rock vibe. The rollicking fun “He’s Got Love in 

His Heart and Mayonnaise in His Head” vaults back to high 

energy Bluegrass with a wink and a nudge. “Barn in Richmond” 

is a high-water mark for me; and if I didn’t know 

better, I’d swear it was a Sting-penned Police tune. The 

groove that Biss and Rogers pound out therein is pure Stuart 

Copeland. The ominously funky “When It’s Gone” darkens 

the mood but doesn’t diminish the pulse for a moment. The 

frenetic “Tell Me I’m Crazy” pounds along frantically, evoking 

the lyrical theme; then slams to a stop with a sudden breakdown 

bridge in the middle; and then we’re off again - 

rocketing to a sudden finish. The closest we get to a breather 

is the jumpy and friendly “When the Leaves Change Color”. 

The swing groove is a revitalizing change, a fresh intermezzo 

before the final two courses of this 10-course sonic Gastronomique. 

The retro rock and roll groove of “Keep It 

Together” could almost harken the Everly Brothers, if they 

had been hipper. Closing out this masterwork is “One More 

Try”; that starts out with an instrumental which pounds at 

your soul and drags you to the dance floor; then flips deftly 

into a searing bluegrass groove that brings back that twostep, 

where you dance all the way to the after party. 

Applebutter Express’ is an acoustic tour de force 

from a band whose energy, intoxicating passion, and musical 

bravado is unmatched in this area. You would leave a live 

show of theirs nothing short of exhausted; but with the joy 

that springs from being powerfully moved (and even pum- 


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January & February 

Musicians! 



Tampa Bay's history as a "professional" music 

scene can be traced as far back as the 1910's with 

the formation of the American Federation of 

Musicians-Florida Gulf Coast Chapter in 1919. 

However, the music scene in Tampa Bay didn't 

really start to kick into gear until the 1930's. 

During the 1930's and 1940's there was a huge 

blues movement that formed in the Tampa / Ybor 

City area, specifically in the Central Ave. district. 

Before relocating to Chicago, blues legend Tampa 

Red grew up in the area known as "The Scrub". It 

was also in this area during the 1930's where 

Tampa blues musician Charlie Brantley first 

learned how to play from a local musician known 

as "Piccolo" Pete. Brantley would eventually 

become a member of the Florida Collegians, 

which was a group of various professional 

musicians based in Tampa. 

As the local Tampa blues scene continued to 

thrive during this time, several venues in the area 

would feature live music regularly... places such 

as the original Cotton Club, owned by the Joyner 

family, located on Central Avenue. There was also 

Club Chiffon, Charlie Moon's Pool Hall, Johnny 

Gray's Bar, and The Blue Room owned by Watt 

Sanderson. All of these places featured local 

musicians as well as various national acts. It was 

during this time in 1944 when Charlie Brantley 

formed his rhythm & blues band, Charlie Brantley 

and his Original Honey Dippers. The band not only 

became extremely popular in the Tampa Bay 

area, but throughout all of Florida as well. 

Outside of the strong blues scene that was highly 

evident in 1940's Tampa, there were other 

significant events taking shape in the local music 

scene as well. It was during the 1940's that the 

Tampa Symphony Orchestra was formed. On the 

other side of the bay during the mid-late 1940's, 

several community and city orchestras started 

forming in St. Petersburg as well. Eventually this 

would lead up to the members of the Carreno 

Music Club in St. Petersburg forming the St. 

Petersburg Symphony in 1950. 

By the time the 1950's came about, the once 

thriving blues scene in Tampa started to die out 

due to the birth of rock n' roll. However, it 

wouldn't take long before Tampa would start 

producing rock n' roll acts. During the 1950's, 

Florida would start to play a major part in the 

national music scene. Much like any other state, 

Florida would eventually become divided into 

several regional music scenes within the state. 

Gradually, five of these regions would eventually 

expand to become the predominant, strongest 

regional music scenes in the state of Florida. 

These regions were: Gainesville, Jacksonville, 

Orlando, Miami, and the Tampa Bay area. Due to 

these five music scenes, Florida had given birth to 

some great bands that ended up moving on to the 


national circuit. Out of the five music scenes 

mentioned, the Tampa Bay music scene has 

always been among the strongest ones, giving 

birth to countless bands and artists. 

In 1958, The Arena Twins (Sammy & Andy Arena) 

become the first recording artists from Tampa to 

be signed with a record company when they 

signed with Kapp Records to release their single 

"Mama, Cara Mia" / "Little Pig". The Arena Twins 

would follow up two years later with the release 

of their second single in 1960, "Jambalaya (On 

The Bayou)" / "This Could Be The Night", also on 

Kapp Records. Their third single, "Notify the FBI" 

/ "Oh, What A Shame", would be released on 

Columbia Records in 1960, after they left Kapp 

Records. 

1959 had also seen the formation of another local 

rock band out of the Plant City area that would 

eventually have a large following, The Satellites. 

That same year, the Tampa Symphony Orchestra 

changed its name to the Tampa Philharmonic. 

This name change would be just one of several 

changes to come for the orchestra. 

As you can see, while 

the Tampa Bay Music 

Scene has certainly 

thrived in the last 

several years, we all 

owe our roots to Musicians 

and a time long 

in our past. 

Photo courtesy of The Tampa Bay 

Music Scene Historical Society 


Ten Minutes With Greg Billings 

By Fred Fulford 

It was a great pleasure to sit with someone who I always 

thought of as a great entertainer. Greg Billings and I met 

at Caddy’s on Sunset Beach before his band was to take 

the stage. Like me, Greg is a talker and the kind of guy you 

would like to meet for a meal or a beer. So it was easy for 

us to get distracted or talk off subject during this interview 

as we cracked a few jokes. 

In 1978 Greg drove to Florida and as he was crossing over 

the causeway, he knew that he didn’t want to go back to 

North Carolina. There was something waiting for him on 

the other side of that bridge: music. And now, because of 

his endurance, long time music patrons love him from the 

rock club days in the band “Stranger.” Now he fronts his 

group project “The Greg Billings Band.” 

************************************** 

guess my shit does stink and now I got to get my ass to 

work. It was humbling but we refused to go down. 

Probably as wild as you could think they were. There 

were fights, girls, a lot of liquor and bunches of people 

hanging out with us. I’m lucky to be alive. Traveling to 

Orlando, Miami and all over the place is great if you have 

a bus and a driver. But it was just us in a motor home with 

a U-Haul, another truck and six crew guys. We were wild! 

We stayed up late. I mean, it was the 80's but when it 

came show time, we were ready! We also wrote a lot of 

songs in this mode. We would get up the next day, grab 

some lunch and head out to the venue. The owners 

would let us in with the cleaning crew and we would 

crank up the PA and throw down some songs. 

I was living on the beach and out of work at 

the time when I saw a band called Romeo. They were 

playing at Skip’s on St. Pete Beach and they were playing 

this Montrose medley, which I thought was very cool. 

After that, it was a Sunday afternoon when the singer’s 

voice went out and they asked if I would like to sing a 

couple of songs. I told them I would really like to do the 

Montrose medley. They asked if I knew it. Ha, yep all 

twenty minutes of it and I killed it! They thought it was 

great. Then Tom King, the bass player of the band, took 

my number down on a drink napkin. It was four months 

later when he called me asking if I wanted the gig. The 

next day I flew into Orlando and I was a “Romeo.” 

My motivation was I didn’t want to bomb! I wanted 

the crowd to share the same energy every night. I never 

wanted people to leave a show saying “What was up with 

"Stranger" last night? They seemed a little off.” We 

played clubs five, six nights in a row and we stayed up late 

six nights in a row. I don’t know how we did it. It was a 

personal challenge for the band to make every show the 

best for our crowd. Now my method was to include the 

guys in the crowd along with the girls. I wanted to rock 

out with the dudes so they could see we weren’t trying to 

hit on their girl. I wanted all of our fans to get into the 

energy we put out. We encouraged a fan base, not a 

groupie-only base. 

It changed my life by making me feel like 

my shit didn’t stink. After all, I was going to be a rock star! 

We went out to Los Angeles and they hated the name 

"Romeo." (Actually, none of us were Romeos. Well, maybe 

Ronnie Dee; the girls loved him.) We came up with the 

name "Stranger." In LA, no one knew us and they would 

put us down. So we felt like strangers, so the name stuck. 

We toured with "Aldo Nova" and "UFO" on the west coast 

for three months. We did great but album sales were low 

and Epic dropped us like a hot potato. I felt like well, I 

Not really local bands. “Foreign 

Legion” were our friends and “Molly Hatchet,” but they 

were also our competition. We all had the same agent 

and it was like “uh oh, you guys are getting all the attention.” 

We didn’t get a lot of downtime and we didn’t hang 

in the bars too much. 

said, it took a while to knock us down. 

Well, like I 

16 Bay Buzz Music January/February 2017

All of us in "Stranger" 

knew it was time to move on. I guess maybe it was a little 

bit nasty. I went to work at Gasoline Alley in Pinellas Park 

tending bar on the weekends. Kyle Ashley, a guitarist in a 

band called “The Shakes,” one night he asked me to sing a 

set with them. I hadn’t done cover songs in a while. It was 

great and I had a blast! Plus I love these guys! Kyle asked 

me, “Why don’t you jump on board?” I was trying to get a 

band together anyway, so it fit. We changed the name to 

“Damn the Torpedoes” and were together for seven years. 

We put out an album and Robin Xander from “Cheap 

Trick” sang on it. I wrote most of the songs. We stayed 

together until 2002; we figured we had taken it as far as it 

would go and it was time to move on again. 

drama, but maybe some hurt feelings. 

Not really 

I had 

known George Harris for a while, since he played with us 

before. He wanted to start up a new band. George was a 

studio guy and “Stranger” worked with him in the past. 

He’s a great guitar player. We started working together 

with a drummer friend of his. At that point, the "Greg 

Billings Band" wasn’t that good. Tom King stepped in to 

play bass and I hadn’t played with Tom in over seven 

years! We just kept adding on. We needed some keyboards 

to fill out the sound for a show at Ruth Eckerd Hall. 

So, Rob Stoney killed the cut and has never left. 

We are good friends! We’ve been 

friends for about 25 years. We don’t work together 

much, but our wives are really good friends – so obviously 

when that happens, you have to be friends and 

hang out together. We don’t go out shopping or get 

manicures – we let the girls do that. But we are going to 

spend a little Christmas time together this year and have 

many times in the past years. We don’t do a lot of music 

together, but when I hear something that I think might 

fit Brian, I invite him in. He did “Midnight Hour” with me 

on the Do-Overs album. I did a song that he wrote called 

“Thank You for Loving Me” on his Built for Love album – 

which is a song he wrote for his wife. Brian also came 

out to sing on “Old Friends Don’t Come Easy.” My friend 

and I wrote this song and I knew it had to have two 

singers. The first person I thought of was Brian. After all 

he’s been through this year, I knew it was the perfect 

verse for him; the perfect story. We went down to 

Sarasota and it took about an hour. He was perfect. He 

nailed it. 

Bobby Rossi at Ruth Eckerd Hall has 

been great to our band. The "Greg Billings Band" had 

just been coming into our own – I just wrote six new 

songs with a buddy of mine. Bobby said we should do a 

show at the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater. I thought 

nobody is going to come see us; we play clubs! 100-150 

people. The Capitol is like 700 seats! And we sold out! 

Bobby was the first one to say "let’s do something special." 

So, we are going to play the whole first Stranger 

album and follow it up with the new Boom Boom record. 

I try 

to stand in one 

place more and 

focus on the music 

but the energy 

is still there. 

The new album 

Boom Boom is full of energy! We just did Ribfest with Huey 

Lewis and I was all fired up! We still got it… even the small 

gigs. We’re a high energy band and I can still do a keg stand 

at sixty years old, so that should impress some people. 

We need to sell this one first. This is only our 

second live show since the record came out. I’ve been 

selling and promoting it. We are doing well on iTunes 

and with Brian on this record we sold copies in Norway, 

France, Russia and 10 CDs to Brazil just today! We are 

going all around the world and we love it! 

***** 

The Greg Billings Band's new CD Boom Boom All Night! 

can be purchased on CD Baby. 

Also check them out on Youtube, Spotify, Amazon and 

all music streaming channels. 

www.gregbillingsband.com 


18 BUZZ Magazine January -February 2017


The Galley: 

New Bar on the Block 

Pete Bolland and Ian Taylor set out on an adventure in 

downtown St. Petersburg. Opening a new classy bar and 

restaurant across from Williams Park, they worked hard 

for their opening night in late December. I spoke with 

Pete about the bar and the plans they have for this new 

downtown hot spot. 

How did you opening night go? It was a great time. 

We aired the FSU vs Michigan game and then the Ronda 

Rousey UFC fight. It was a special night for sure. 

Was opening your very own bar a dream of yours 

or did it come about in another way? It’s been a 

dream of mine for a long time. I knew in 2005 I wanted 

to have a place of my own. Having worked in this industry 

as long as I have, 17+ years now, that’s the ultimate end 

game, is to be the owner-operator. Everything I’ve done 

in my career has been done to prepare for this moment. 

I’ve learned a ton from so many people along the way. 

Ian became part of the dream a couple of years ago. 

We’ve been close friends for a decade plus, and we’ve 

worked closely together the last couple of years. He has 

been building bars and I’ve been working in them. We 

have complementary skills sets, it is working well for us. 

Was it fun, a challenge, or both to put your menu 

together? What types of food will you be serving? 

The menu is something I’ve had in my head for a long 

time: fresh Florida food, with delicious nutritious super 

foods. The menu I think is a big reflection of my own 

personal tastes and background. However, it’s really been 

elevated to the next level by our chef, Ian Carmichael. 

I’ve been blessed to be friends with him for about 7 years 

now and he has continued on a similar path as myself, 

entrenching himself in his craft and honing his skill. 

We had a lot of people that wanted to work with us, the 

stars aligned for us with Ian. We are lucky it all worked 

out so quickly. 

As far as the menu, we are a mostly from scratch kitchen 

that has a focus on Superfoods and Florida inspiration. 

We have something for everyone; very proud of what we 

are serving. We feature iconic Tampa Bay dishes like a 

great Cuban sandwich, Buffalo shrimp and the Grouper 

sandwich. Then we have some fun stuff like Sweet Potato 

Gnocchi, Octopus and Filet Mignon Philly Cheese Steak 

sandwich. 

You plan on having live music a few nights a week. 

Are you welcoming solo performers, duos or full 

bands? When can the community look forward to 

live music events? We are going to stay away from full 

bands, I think the room doesn’t allow for it. We’ll max out 

with a duo or solo acoustic performances. We will do live 

music on Fridays from 5 to 9pm for our “extra” Happy 

Hour and then on Saturday nights when there isn’t UFC 

or major sporting events. We’ll also mix in some performances 

for other events when it’s prudent. 

Who performed on your opening night? The Josh 

Magwood Duo was here opening night. They are St. Pete 

guys through and through, and I’ve worked with them for 

years. Same with Chris LeFever and Mike Warren who 

played the following night. Great vibes and great classic 

tunes. 

20 BUZZ Magazine Januauary - February 2017

Soloist Nate Hager played on Friday night (January 13 th ) 

and my buddy, Scott “Twitch” Anderson will play on 

January 20 th . 

Tell us about the mural you have painted on the 

outside of the building. The mural was one of the very 

first things we did. It is painted by our friend and fellow 

St. Pete Native, Christie Carr. We wanted it to really catch 

your eye and brighten up our area. She did a masterful 

job, the idea was always to have a Kraken (giant squid) 

in fitting with our nautical theme. 

successful we’ll be here for a very long time and then 

maybe pass the baton. 

The Galley is located at 27 4 th Street North in downtown 

St. Petersburg from 11:30 am till 3 am. 

You can also visit them on Facebook and their website. 

I have read that you wanted to help clean up the 

corner near William’s Park. How do you think The 

Galley will succeed in doing this? We are working 

with the William’s Park Partnership, City Hall and the St. 

Petersburg Police to bring more programming to steer 

away what few troublemakers remain. We’ve already 

seen things turning around. We just want to be the bright 

spot on this corridor that is among some of the best 

architecture in the Bay. 

You and Ian have been friends since high school. 

Do you think this will be a family business? We have 

known each other since we were 14 years old, but 

wouldn’t say we were friends until sophomore/junior year 

of high school when we were on the wrestling team 

together. We are the best of friends, and yea, if we have 

families, it does put a twinkle in my eye of thinking about 

passing this ship to my loins….we’re a long way off from 

that though. 

I wouldn’t say it’s a family, I like the word “team” better. 

It’s a total team effort and everyone humming along 

together with the same goal in mind of giving each guest 

a fantastic experience. If we keep doing that and our 

team is happy and armed with the tools they need to be 


Christie Lenée 

On Her New CD and Upcoming Tour 

Singer/songwriter and guitarist Christie Lenée 

is the subject of this issue’s interview. She 

comes to us from Nashville since relocating 

there after signing with CPR Entertainment; 

but is a Tampa native, and has been involved 

with the Tampa Bay area music scene since 

the age of 4. She was educated at the University 

of South Florida, majoring in jazz guitar 

and classical music composition. 

She will be headlining a 14-date tour of the 

U.S. west coast this year to promote her newest 

album, Stay. Following the U.S. tour will be 

10 dates in Australia, and then a month touring 

multiple countries in Asia. Lenée returns home 

to the Tampa Bay area in April for the annual 

Listening Room Festival, playing first at local 

institution The Hideaway Café, and culminating 

in a performance at St. Petersburg’s Palladium 

Theater on April 21 st . 

Her fourth album, Stay, with a varied mix of 

seven vocal and three instrumental tracks, was 

released on October 1 st , 2016; and was produced 

in part by Grammy® winner and founder 

of Windham Hill Records Will Ackerman. Stay 

features performances by many Grammy® 

winning and nominated artists, including guitarist 

Tim Reynolds (Dave Matthews Band), 

bassist Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel), and percussionist 

Jeff Haynes (Pat Metheny, Pete 

Seeger, Joni Mitchell). 

You decided to name the CD Stay, after the 

tenth track on the CD. What is the significance 

of the name? The title track “Stay,” shines a 

bright light on suicide awareness and prevention. 

The message is that every person is special and 

has something unique to contribute to the world. 

I intend to translate to the listener that it’s okay to 

go through rough times. In those moments when 

you feel like running; whether from a job, from a 

relationship, or from life itself, take a breath. Stay, 

and know that there is another way. You’re the 

only one who can be you. 

You have had some special guests play on 

this CD with you. Tim Reynolds, the guitarist 

from the Dave Matthews Band, plays on three 

songs. Can you describe the experience of 

working with him? Also, will Tim be accompanying 

you on your tour? Tim Reynolds has 

always been one of my heroes as a guitarist and 

composer. In my first time opening for him in 

2006, somehow I got lucky and he heard me from 

backstage. We ended up hanging out after the 

show; then two years later when I showed up at 

one of his gigs he asked me to sit in and play with 

him. I was firstly astounded that he remembered 

me, and secondly blown away for the opportunity 

to play with him on stage. After years of studying 

his guitar licks, atmospheric sounds and his 

unique style all together, our first stage collaboration 

was seamless. It instantly connected us and 

we have stayed friends ever since. 

Tim and I have now shared the stage at least a 

dozen times and have recorded in the studio 3 

times together. These recording session include 

tracks from “Stay” in addition to 2 improvised 

acoustic duets at the end of my instrumental 

album “Chasing Infinity”. Every time it has felt like 

a dream to work with him… as if I’ve entered into 

some other dimension of musical possibility. All 

thoughts subside and the hearts play… There 


are no hands and no mind, for the music becomes 

an energy of its own. 

Will Ackerman, the founder of Windham Hill 

Records, produced three instrumental pieces 

on Stay. Did you know that you wanted him to 

produce these songs and how did it come 

about that he worked with you? When I released 

my instrumental album Chasing Infinity 

back in 2013, an independent record label approached 

me and offered a recording contract. 

Part of the deal was to allow the label to distribute 

Chasing Infinity and additionally for me to record 

another instrumental album with the legendary 

Will Ackerman producing. 

I went up to Brattleboro, VT a couple of weeks 

later and met Will to talk about recording. I 

instantly felt that he was an angel of music from 

the divine presence of his energy, and of course, 

I felt honored to be connecting with the producer 

behind many of my favorite instrumental albums. 

I ended up not signing with the label; however, 

after the fact, Will reached out to me and said he 

wanted to work together. This inspired me to 

raise the funds independently and select a few 

songs. Since I didn’t want to do another instrumental 

album (yet), I was waiting for the right 

moment to pair these instrumentals with a collection 

of vocal pieces. 

With the intention of a mixed CD of both vocal 

and instrumental music, this is why there are 

multiple producers on the album Stay. A few of 

the songs I produced myself, along with a couple 

of production collaborations and special guest 

producer Jonathan Yudkin on the song “Send it 

to the Sky.” 

After reading the bio on your website, it was 

immediately clear to us that music came naturally 

to you as a small child. You were the 

youngest performer to be part of a song-anddance 

ensemble called “Entertainment Revue” 

in Tampa. Can you tell me about that 

experience and how it opened up doors for 

you? Music was always in my soul and I chose 

to follow it. After my first experience of singing 

the National Anthem at MacDill Air Force Base at 

the age of 4, followed by a performance of “Take 

Me Out to the Ballgame” for a Cincinnati Reds 

banquet, something shifted in me. I was drawn to 

the feeling of enlivening people as a performer. 

This feeling transcended into musical theatre, 

plus singing and dancing in the performance 

group ‘Entertainment Revue.’ Both of these experiences 

gave me the confidence to perform and 

feel comfortable on stage, which really helped me 

translate confidence into my later years as a 

musician and singer/songwriter.” 

In high school, you choose acting over music, 

but changed your mind after attending your 

first classical guitar concert. You’ve said that 

it was truly a life changing experience. What 

about that concert inspired you so much that 

you would change your major? I’d always 

loved music but only had a guitar for a year. 

Studying music then felt like a possibility of ruining 

the organic authenticity of playing from my 

heart, however, somewhere deep inside I knew 

that one day I would find my teacher. 

When I saw John Parris play the song “Sunburst” 

at age 13 it was music on a whole other level. I 

didn’t just hear the song and watch his hands, but 

I felt the music rising in my heart space with a fire 

of passion and inspiration. I knew more than 

anything that I’d ever known that the guitar was 

my calling. 

This instantly changed my life because I’d found 

my true channel for self-expression. My face 

melted with tears and jaw dropped in awe, then I 

thought to myself: ‘I want to play like that one 

day.’ I knew I’d found my teacher, so I dedicated 

my life to learning everything I could from him and 

absorbing any other sources of music knowledge 

I could find. 

Do you still enjoy acting and would you seek 

out roles to perform if you could? I love acting 

and musical theatre, and always will. For now, 

the extent of my acting goes into music videos 

and expanding the character of myself on stage. 

This, as some may realize can be the most simple 

and most difficult role to play (depending on 

the day). With that, I’m doing my best to tap more 

into my authentic self and allow a space to be 

more personal and vulnerable in my songwriting. 

As for acting, I would love to perform in a musical 

on Broadway one day or be in a movie. However, 

I try not to stretch myself too thin in any given 

moment and choose now to stay laser focused on 

music and songwriting. 

You are a graduate of University of South 

Florida where you studied jazz guitar and 

classical composition. During this time, you 

also recorded 17 live CDs and two home studio 

albums. Was this a difficult task to pull off 

because of the demands of school? One of the 

greatest lessons of life is a quote my teacher 


once said to me: “Nothing is hard, you just have to 

find a way to make it easy.” 

In college I found myself not sleeping too much and 

at times felt like Einstein with wild hair and bugged 

out caffeinated eyes. Hey, my school tasks got 

accomplished though, and I managed to remain in a 

fulfilled, creative space! 

You actually taught guitar for a while. Is teaching 

something you love to do? I LOVE teaching and 

cherish the experiences I’ve had with private lessons 

over the years. With a heavy touring lifestyle now, it 

would no longer be fair to a student to meet so 

infrequently. Instead I’m offering fingerstyle guitar 

and songwriting workshops in a few select cities. I’ve 

also been writing an instructional guitar book on the 

side over the years, have planned out some instructional 

videos to be recorded soon with TrueFire, and 

have transcribed some of my sheet music. One 

instrumental piece “Chasing Infinity” will be published 

in the coming issue of the Fingerstyle Guitar Journal. 

You were nominated “Best Female Songwriter” 

for the 2010 Origivation Magazine Reader’s 

Choice Award and “Best Guitarist” for WSTW’s 

Hometown Heroes Award, and have received a 

lot of other recognition. Does the idea of making 

it big, “reaching stardom” excite you? I’ve always 

been fascinated by the idea of connecting with people 

from all walks of life and different parts of the 

world. The experience of expansion in my career is 

always fulfilling, with the obvious exception of stressful 

moments trying to keep up with my heavy schedule 

and still make time to write new music. On a 

positive note, my songs are written with the intention 

to uplift people, bring joy to my heart space and 

gather communities together. I feel that the world 

needs more love and joy, so with that said, the more 

expansion the merrier! 

much more prestigious venues, on International 

tours oversees and on stage with some brilliant 

artists. Things have been busy and I’m working 

hard to keep up… it’s invigorating! 

Besides playing music and writing, what other 

things do you like to do in your spare time? 

Music. Yoga. Life. It’s all integrated. In my spare 

time (which by the way, must be intentionally created 

with a busy lifestyle), I enjoy going to yoga 

classes, reading books, writing longer blogs and 

poetry, riding my bike and going on hikes or anything 

that involves nature. Simply sitting at the 

park and watching the birds allows me to rediscover 

a place of peace in my heart. 

You’ve named Bonnie Raitt one of you inspirations. 

Are there others? The list of inspirations is 

quite long! For time sake, I love Ed Sheeran, Dave 

Matthews, Michael Hedges, Joni Mitchell, Jason 

Mraz, Sara Bareilles, Andy McKee, Judy Collins, 

Bela Fleck, John Mayer, James Bay, Paul Simon, 

Peter Gabriel, Tommy Emmanuel, Tret Fure, Snatam 

Kaur, Clayton Joseph Scott, Matt Nakoa, Antoine 

Dufour, Adele, and most importantly, 

Beethoven and Debussy! 

Thank you Christie for talking with us at Bay 

Buzz Music. We wish you the best of luck in 

your career and look forward to seeing you 

live! Is there anything else you would like to 

add?Thank you so much for allowing me to be a 

part of your magazine. I will be performing in 

Tampa/St Pete for the Listening Room Festival in 

April, including at the Palladium Theatre in St. Pete 

on Friday, April 21st. Thanks a bunch! 

You are signed with CPR Entertainment. Has this 

changed anything about the way you go about 

making music, where you’re playing, or how you 

promote? 

Signing with CPR Entertainment under my manager 

Gina Mendello has been the most exquisite and 

exciting career decision I’ve ever made. I feel grateful 

for my patience of turning down two management 

contracts and record deals prior to meeting her. CPR 

is a great team of people and Gina is a world-class 

music manager. Within months she has placed me in 


•Jan. 20, Downey Civic Theater - Downy, CA (support for Jesse Cook) 

•Jan. 27, House Concert - Long Beach, CA 

•Jan 28, Genghis Cohen - Los Angeles, CA (with Janet Robin) 

•Jan 30, Acoustic Den Cafe - Roseville, CA 

•Jan 31, Don Quixotes International Music Hall - Felton, CA (with Heather Mae) 

•Feb 2, - Amnesia - San Francisco, CA 

•Feb 3, - House Concert - San Rafael, CA 

•Feb 4, - Gryphon Stringed Instruments - Palo Alto, CA - Guitar Masterclass 

•Feb 4, - House Concert - Palo Alto, CA 

•Feb 5, - Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR 

•Feb 8, - The Coffee Gallery Backstage - Altadena, CA 

•Feb 10, -Dana Point Community Center - Dana Point, CA 

•Feb 11, - Mission Viejo Civic Center - Mission Viejo, CA 

•Feb 12 - Lestat’s - San Diego, CA 

Purchase tickets at www.christielenee.com 

Visit Christie on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter 

Press Inquiries: JJ Entertainment 

Christie Lenée 2017 

U.S. Tour Dates: 


When AM stood for Awesome Music 

Television arrived in the 1950s. Famous radio shows 

like Gunsmoke and Dragnet were moved to TV while 

hundreds of radio stations transitioned to music formats. 

After World War Two, fewer than three hundred 

disc jockeys worked at radio stations in the 

U.S., but by the late 1950s, the number of DJs had 

increased to more than five thousand. Luckily for the 

radio stations, the sheer amount of new music being 

produced was staggering. Thousands of stations 

programmed country music, while rhythm and blues 

radio emerged in the big cities. By the mid-1950s a 

new style of music – something called “rock and roll” 

– was attracting young people, and the disc jockeys 

who played it often became nearly as famous as the 

singers they promoted. 

In 1956, the Mutual Radio Network affiliate in Tampa 

Bay, WTSP-AM 1380, was purchased by Joe, Sam, 

and Farris Rahall, three brothers who owned stations 

in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. They tried 

a waltz-and-polka format that went nowhere for 

years. The brothers eventually saw that a new format 

– “Top 40” – was growing in popularity, so WTSP- 

AM’s call letters and format both changed on June 

20, 1963. The station became “WLCY-One-Thirty- 

Eight” and the format became Top 40. Less than a 

year later, the Beatles and the Stones first arrived in 

the U.S., and WLCY rocketed to the top of the Tampa 

Bay ratings. 

For years, WLCY was the only station that local kids 

listened to. You could call in your requests and you 

could meet the disc jockeys at all kinds of local live 

events. WLCY, located on the St. Pete side of Gandy 

Boulevard, introduced us to the Hollies, the Searchers, 

the Seekers, Tommy James, the Strawberry 

Alarm Clock, and the Buckinghams. The station was 

huge and at night it could be received as far away as 

Georgia and Alabama while all of the DJs became 

popular local celebrities. 

In 1969, after only six years on the airwaves, WLCY 

was offering a predictable, commercial playlist. You 

knew that you would hear Bobby Gentry, Ray 

Charles, the Fifth Dimension, and the Monkees. That 

Dan Allison 

same year WFSO-AM 570, a small sunrise-to-sunset 

station in Pinellas Park, took a huge gamble and 

went with a pioneering progressive rock format, playing 

long album cuts rather than Top 40 hits. For the 

first time, kids in Tampa Bay could hear Cream, 

Hendrix, and the Doors every day on the radio. At 

one point there were only two DJs at WFSO – Art 

Williams in the mornings and Tedd Webb in the 

afternoons. WFSO was where many of us heard 

Deep Purple, Jethro Tull, and bands like Mountain for 

the very first time. 

If you were born after 1980, there is no way to 

convey to you how important radio was. Kids in the 

1960s and early 1970s carried transistor radios with 

earphones the way we carry cell phones today. 

WLCY and WFSO offered more than just music for 

many of us. These stations created our first music 

communities and they kept us in touch with the 

musicians, the concerts, and the latest news. By the 

mid-1970s, rock was migrating to the FM dial, where 

the signal quality was superior. WLCY lost its call 

letters in 1977 and later became the local Disney 

affiliate. WFSO became talk station WPLP in 1978 

and rock disappeared from the local AM dial. 

Today AM radio is predominantly news and sports 

and the internet lets you hear any song instantly. Still, 

there was a real advantage to having “big brothers” 

like Art Williams and Tedd Webb, the trustworthy DJs 

who introduced new music that was reliably excellent. 

AM disc jockeys were the guides, the music 

gurus who shaped the Tampa Bay music 

scene for almost two decades. 

26


28

Congratulations 

Kayla Korpics 

BEST OF THE BUZZ 

Sponsored by 


Stevie’s Music Makers is a small studio located 

behind a car wash on 1st Avenue S. in St. Petersburg. 

Though it is small, what happens here is big. The 

school averages 60 students a week, with students 

ranging from 4 to 74 years old. Owner Stevie Cornwell 

is well-versed in teaching a variety of instruments, 

including ukulele, drums, piano, guitar, 

banjo and even saxophone. Though he does not 

teach singing, he incorporates voice with each lesson. 

Cornwell gave music lessons at Mad Music for 12 

years, and then decided to open his own music 

education facility to continue doing what he loves: 

to teach. 

His method for a successful lesson and reaching 

the students is to make the experience fun. Lessons 

are one on one; allowing each student to 

progress at their own pace. Group lessons are also 

available and band classes are currently forming. 

has taken piano, guitar and drum lessons from 

Stevie. He believes that music makes him smarter 

and even listens to classical music at night during 

bedtime. 

“I wanted to play a song by Coldplay,” JR tell us, 

“So I brought the song to Stevie and he helped me 

learn it.” JR played the song for us and we were 

impressed with his grace on the keyboard. 

“Stevie makes it fun for the kids. They look forward 

to their lessons because of Stevie,” a parent told us. 

Stevie understands the importance of learning and 

sharing music. “Regardless of how far a student 

may progress in their music; the memory of a fun 

music lesson keeps their hearts open for learning 

more.” 

JR, a sixth grader from Thurgood Marshall Fundamental 

Middle School, is a promising student who 

Stevie’s Music Makers 

6751 1 st Avenue South 

St. Petersburg, FL 33707 

727-458-6413 

www.steviesmusicmakers.com 

JR Metzler 



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www.baybuzz.org

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