Thursday, May 26, 2011

Sulligent Representative Joins Democratic Caucus

MONTGOMERY - State Representative Daniel Boman of Sulligent announced today that he is switching to the Democratic Party and will caucus with the House Democrats for the remainder of this year's legislative session. Boman represents House District 16, encompassing Fayette, Lamar and Tuscaloosa counties.

At a press conference at the State House earlier this afternoon, Representative Boman said that he felt it necessary to pursue a different avenue in the legislature to protect the needs of his constituents. "During this current session I have seen this legislative body pass bills that I feel adversely affect what my people back home want, need, and deserve ... I will never choose the Party over the people again."

Alabama Democratic Party Chairman Mark Kennedy welcomed Representative Boman to the ranks of the Democratic Party, saying, "The tide is changing in Alabama and across the nation as more and more people get sick and tired of the reckless cuts Republicans are making to our budgets, our education system and valuable social services like Medicaid and Medicare. This has been a great week for Democrats and we look forward to carrying this momentum into next year's elections."

Boman's switch comes on the heels of an incredible local Democratic victory in DeKalb County, where Jerome Tinker became the first Democrat elected to County Commission District 1 since the districts were established in 1994.

Democrats nationally also made gains in New York this week with the election of Democrat Kathy Hochul in a special election in Congressional District 26, a district that went Republican with 74% of the vote in 2010.


Monday, May 23, 2011

Birmingham’s Burlesque

By Harry Gilbert

Birmingham has, if anything, a somewhat confusing history at times, from our southern hospitality to our brutal crackdown on civil rights protesters. Right in the Heart of Dixie, we have been, at times, both the center of rigid adherence to tradition and at the forefront of change. This conflict still goes on today. It’s reflected in our government, our media, our culture.

One interesting example is the Lyric Theatre. Built in 1914, it was designed specifically to accommodate vaudeville shows. Blacks and Whites could watch the same shows, (as long as they sat in the “correct” section). Performers such as the Marx Brothers, Mae West, Sophie Tucker, Will Rogers, and Milton Berle all played the Lyric. Birmingham has also produced many talented performers of her own, containing a rich and vibrant collection of local venues and committed patrons. One could imagine Birmingham’s own Magick City Sirens, a local burlesque troop, on stage at the Lyric for a raucous, summer evening show. Couldn’t you just? Or could you?

Apparently, some people are confused about what the Magick City Sirens actually do. As avid lovers of all types of live entertainment, we at the BFP sat down to shed a little light on the Magick City Sirens in order to help people have a better understanding of exactly what they do.

Imagine for a moment: A group of beautiful and talented women wronged, railroaded - left in the lurch by, what we’ll call, a short-sighted and ill-informed venue which never took the time to understand the nature of Burlesque. Who’re they gonna call? The BFP Action News-team, of course. When innocents suffer, the BFP springs to their defense like an enraged news-panther, fangs dripping with justice.

After Jezabelle Von Jane, founder and head-honchess of the Magick City Sirens, found out that her beloved Burlesque/Vaudeville troupe had been preemptively canceled from a local venue for a custom-crafted show that had been booked 2 months in advance, you might think that she would have been puzzled, that she would wonder, “Why?” She didn’t have to wonder, because the reason was clearly stated - “Vulgarity,” with a capital “Vulga.” Below you will find our interview with Jezabelle in its entirety.

Interview:
BFP: “So, what exactly happened that caused your troupe to have their performance cancelled?”
Jezabelle: “About two months ago…one of our newest girls…said ‘Hey, the owner [of the unnamed venue] would like to talk to you, he’s interested in booking us at the club. So, I went down, talked to him, spent the whole night there - brought down a couple friends to the venue, a great venue, and we agreed to perform there. They asked to send over the contract, so we sent it over, and for a bit of background, we don’t replicate shows, so we create a new show for every venue.”
“Then, today, two weeks from the date, he sent me an e-mail that said, ‘We were not aware of the risqué material that a burlesque troupe has and we can‘t have you in this venue.’ He said that they don‘t have nudity in their venue, so we sent him a message back that said that we were sorry that he thought we had nudity, because we actually don’t have any, whatsoever.”
BFP: “So what bits do you show, in your shows?”
Jezabelle: “Well, we have a lot of cleavage. We do wear pasties, and we bear down in some shows to the bikini bottoms, but we don’t show full bottoms, we don’t show full breasts. A lot of our girls wear a (full body stocking), and believe it or not, burlesque girls have on more clothes than almost any other (similar) performer I know of, with the corsets that we wear, we’re mostly bound up. So, for them to break contract two weeks ahead of time, saying that they couldn‘t have nudity in their bar…it was ill informed…I’ve been doing this for twelve years, and I’ve never had this happen, ever.”
BFP: “So what happened, what was the follow up?”
Jezabelle: “So, we signed the contract, and instead of him emailing it to me, he said, ‘come down here.’ I needed an itemized list of what they had, in house, for sound equipment, because all of our girls sing. We do, also, perform to recorded music, but our troupe sings the majority of our music, which is why we’re called the Magick City Sirens. So, we were gonna go check for vocal and PA equipment, and grab a couple of drinks. (This venue)…they serve absinthe, which is very tantalizing to my ladies, they enjoy the absinthe, of course I’m a nursing mother, so I can’t drink, but it was a trip to go down there. So, the night we were scheduled to go down, I get his e-mail. Most of the performers here…they never get contracts, we started getting contracts about two years ago, that’s just the way it works…and in Birmingham especially, they want to give you the contract ‘the day of.’
“So this was nothing out of the ordinary for us. And, it was such a shock that it happened, (he) is a wonderful guy, I have nothing bad to say about him or his venue, other than the shock - I‘d just never seen anything like this before.”
BFP: “The problem seemed to be a misunderstanding as to what a burlesque+vaudeville troupe does, verses what a stripper does. Do you want to explain the differences?”
Jezabelle: “The biggest difference is the money…we don’t strip for money. When we ‘peel,’ it’s in the course of telling a story, to give a provocative edge to what would otherwise be a theatre act. We enjoy our bodies. I enjoy the fact that my girls are all different sizes. My smallest girl wears a size twelve, in little girls’-that‘s Ruby Lou, and our largest girl is in a size 22, she is also our manager and housemother - that’s Tatiana. You won’t find that at (a strip-club). You also won’t find girls who can act, who can juggle, who can spit fire, can tell a story, can make you laugh. They don’t tell you a story in the manner that we do. You can‘t put a girl onstage at (a strip-club), and not take her clothes off, but you also couldn‘t put one of my sirens onstage at (a strip-club), have her singing and dancing and putting on a show, because that‘s not what that audience came for. There‘s also a lot of ‘skin shows’ featured on Broadway right now…and they are nothing like a burlesque troupe and nothing like a stripper.”
BFP: “So, can you tell me more about what a burlesque troupe does?”
Jezabelle: “We do pay homage to the 1940’s way, I do have a few numbers where my girls, especially my new girls, do come in and do a peel, but the peel is the essence of showing a little bit of skin, to give a little more to the audience, as opposed to giving it all, for the bucks. But saying that, I have a lot of respect for any woman who can get onstage and shake her groove thing and though the two are very different, I have respect for both of them…I was a stripper for a long time, and I know the difference between taking your clothes off, and performing.”
BFP: “Is there anything else that you want to tell us about, that we haven’t covered so far?”
Jezabelle: “I‘ve seen women who have been cosmetically fixed to be absolutely gorgeous and not have a shred of talent, and I‘ve seen women whose bodies I‘m not attracted to that have blown me away, by their presence onstage. But, I‘m not one of those people who would say that all women are beautiful, because some of them, outright aren‘t. It has nothing to do with their body types, it has to do with who they are, and what they‘re capable of, it‘s about women of all shapes and sizes, and about men of all shapes and sizes. I‘m not a feminist in any way, and I‘d like to say that it made that woman who did the thesis on us from the University of Southern Alabama very unhappy. It‘s not about women’s rights, and getting up onstage, because I put men up there too - I‘m ready to put you all up there. It‘s about this type of entertainment. This type of entertainment allows for talent, and talent comes in all shapes and sizes.”
BFP: “How did the Magick City Sirens get started, what are the origins?”
Jezabelle: “Well, burlesque started a lot longer ago, than it was given credit for…the dance halls in England, the Moulin Rouge, and of course the Bettie Page era, but burlesque as a form of dancing to entertain with the body, it’s been around forever - you can talk about belly dancing or about the gypsy girls who danced at weddings to entertain single men. I’ve been doing this twelve years, I’ve danced all over the country…and burlesque is the newest underground platform that I’ve seen for women, and men, who enjoy themselves like they did back then.
“And so I moved down here from Boston, about six years ago now, and I said, ‘you know what Birmingham needs, a burlesque troupe. I was in a couple of troupes up there, I performed on my own as a feature entertainer, and so when I got down here, the scene was so black that I decided - we’re gonna spice this up. I started with a group of eight, girls have come, and they’ve gone just like any other theater troupe, and these girls that I have this year are probably my strongest troupe that I’ve ever had.”
BFP: “After having this venue cancel on you so close to the date, what do you do now?”
Jezabelle: “We used to perform with a venue here exclusively, and then I decided that I wanted to travel out with the troupe. We go to Mobile, Selma, Huntsville, New Orleans, South Carolina…we’ve performed in Boston, I’ve performed in Pittsburg, so…it’s so hard to get gigs here, for a burlesque troupe. My husband is the lead singer for Selling Mary, and they have no problem getting gigs, everybody loves the live music, but in order for us to do what we do because of the cost that goes into these shows,
(it’s very hard to find a venue that will cover the cost). Unless I go back to the same venues, it‘s easier for me to perform out of town, than it is to perform in Birmingham.”
BFP: “Since you missed this performance, what is your next scheduled show in Birmingham?”
Jezabelle: “We have September 10 at the Barking Kudu, Beers, Bullies, and Bands, and that’s being thrown by one of the pitbull rescue groups here.
https://www.facebook.com/magickcitysirens

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

NBA PLAYERS ASSOCIATION AND FEED THE CHILDREN DELIVER DISASTER RELIEF SUPPLIES ACROSS THE SOUTH

23 TRUCKS OF FOOD AND RECOVERY SUPPLIES TO BENEFIT LOCAL FAMILIES

On Tuesday, May 18th, the NBA Players Association (NBPA) and Feed The Children delivered two trucks of food and recovery supplies to families at the More Than Conquerors Faith Church (MTCFC) in Birmingham. These trucks were two of 23 that the NBPA and Feed The Children are sending to storm-swept communities across Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia this week.

Led by LA Lakers center, NBPA Vice President and Alabama native Theo Ratliff, and NBA Legend Purvis Short, the NBPA, Feed the Children, and volunteers from the Birmingham Chapter of the American Red Cross and MTCFC distributed supplies to over 200 families at the church this afternoon.

“The NBPA is committed to delivering aid to our brothers and sisters who need it most,” said Billy Hunter, Executive Director of the NBPA.  “Through our Operation Rebound program we will continue to support relief efforts across the country and work with our incredible community partners to help in any way we can.”

“It means the world for me to be able to come back home to Alabama and give back to those who have been affected by this disaster,” said Theo Ratliff, LA Lakers center and NBPA Vice President.  “Now more than ever, we need to stand together and lend a hand to those who desperately need it. The devastation here is heart-breaking, but I know first-hand how resilient our communities can be. I have no doubt we will rebuild and recover.”

“Just as we did after Hurricane Katrina, we are honored to help with recovery efforts in the South, and humbled by the amazing show of strength we’ve seen in these communities,” said Purvis Short, NBA Legend and current NBPA Director of Player Programs. “We’re grateful to our partners in the local community for making this possible, and look forward to working with them in the future.”

“This overwhelming effort by the NBPA and its members has allowed Feed The Children to expand the disaster relief effort to additional cities that have been affected by nature's fury," said Tony Sellars, spokesperson for Feed The Children. "We will continue to provide help and hope to those trying to rebound from tragedy, and it is gratifying to know that great partners like the NBPA will be with us every step of the way."

“As a Pastor for nearly thirty years in the Birmingham area, I have had numerous opportunities to spearhead and partner with efforts to bring about change in people’s lives. However, the opportunity I have been afforded to work with Operation Rebound and the NBA Players Association is by far one of the most sentimental and personally rewarding for me,” said Pastor Steve Green of MTCFC. “Having grown up in Pratt City, about one week before the devastating tornado, I found myself praying in my old neighborhood for help and revitalization. Now, as I see that help pouring in from across the globe and through the NBA Players Association, it is certainly an answer to prayer.”

“The City of Birmingham is in recover and rebuild mode after the storm’s devastation and the NBPA’s ‘Operation Rebound’ will be a part of that effort as we strive to build a better Birmingham,” said Mayor William A. Bell, Sr. “We thank them for their time and support and for just simply giving of themselves to show that they care about the people of Birmingham.”

This aid is part of the NBPA’s “Operation Rebound,” which was launched in 2005, in response to the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. Operation Rebound is a long-term commitment and partnership between the Players Association, Feed The Children and other humanitarian groups to provide disaster relief and ultimately to provide assistance in the rebuilding efforts of local communities. Sending aid and writing checks are only the beginning of the NBPA's efforts. The players’ insistence on a hands-on approach has taken them to numerous, hard-hit areas. Hundreds of union members have volunteered to travel and deliver supplies to those who need them most.

In addition to the NBPA and Theo Ratliff, Chris Bosh, Ben Wallace, D.J. White, Antonio McDyess, Josh Childress, and the WNBPA Foundation are sponsoring some of the of the 23 trucks being donated. A full schedule of the NBPA’s trucks is included below:  

Location
Date
Drop location
Tuscaloosa, AL
18-May
The Salvation Army
Tuscaloosa, AL
18-May
The Salvation Army
Anniston, AL
18-May
The Salvation Army
Tuscumbia, AL
18-May
The Salvation Army
Pisgah, AL
18-May
The Salvation Army
Gunterville, AL
19-May
The Salvation Army
Decatur, AL
19-May
The Salvation Army
Birmingham, AL
17-May
More Than Conquerors Church
Birmingham, AL
17-May
More Than Conquerors Church
Demopolis, AL
17-May
Theo Ratliff Activity Center
Choctaw / Clark Counties, AL
20-May
Location TBD
Sumpter / Pickens Counties, AL
20-May
Location TBD
Green / Hale Counties, AL
20-May
Location TBD
Tuscaloosa, AL
18-May
The Salvation Army
Memphis, TN
16-May
The Salvation Army
Memphis, TN
16-May
The Salvation Army
Memphis, TN
16-May
The Salvation Army
Memphis, TN
16-May
The Salvation Army
Memphis, TN
16-May
The Salvation Army
Memphis, TN
16-May
The Salvation Army
Jackson, MS
20-May
The Salvation Army
Chattanooga, TN
16-May
The Salvation Army
McDonough, GA
20-May
The Salvation Army


ABOUT THE NBPA

The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) is the union for current professional basketball players in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Established in 1954, the NBPA mission is to ensure that the rights of NBA players are protected and that every conceivable measure is taken to assist players in maximizing their opportunities and achieving their goals, both on and off the court. For more information, please visit www.nbpa.org.

ABOUT FEED THE CHILDREN

Founded in 1979, Feed The Children is consistently ranked as one of the 10 largest international charities in the U.S., based on private, non-government support. Feed The Children is a Christian, international, nonprofit relief organization with headquarters in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that delivers food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to individuals, children and families who lack these essentials due to famine, war, poverty or natural disasters. In FY 2010, Feed The Children distributed more than 133 million pounds of food and other essentials to children and their families in all 50 states and internationally. For more information, please visit www.feedthechildren.org.

ABOUT MTCFC

For nearly thirty years More Than Conquerors Faith Church has held a forceful presence in the Birmingham area, impacting thousands of lives with a message of hope, healing, and love through the power of God. It is the firm belief of More Than Conquerors’ pastoral leadership and congregation that the local church holds a vital role in the welfare and support of the community. It is to that end, More Than Conquerors initiates and pursues opportunities to collaborate with other community partners in innovative outreaches to assist in the maintenance and edification of our society and local community. For more information visit www.mtcfc.org.

Black Warrior River Chosen Among America’s Most Endangered Rivers

Dangerous mining loophole threatens drinking water with pollution

Pollution caused by coal mining near the Black Warrior River has landed the river on the annual list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers TM– a report issued by the conservation group American Rivers. 

The Black Warrior River and its tributaries are a major drinking water source for Birmingham, Jasper, Cullman and Tuscaloosa. The headwaters of the Black Warrior River include the federally designated Wild and Scenic Sipsey Fork, which, along with the river’s Mulberry and Locust Forks, is rated among the top 2% of United States streams by the National Park Service.  The river, known for fishing, boating, commercial navigation, recreation, and wildlife, also runs through the Warrior Coal Field where most of Alabama’s coal reserves are found. 

For many years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has allowed the majority of the Black Warrior River watershed’s approximately 95 active coal mines to operate under a general permit known as Nationwide Permit (NWP) 21. NWP 21 does not take local wetland and stream conditions into account, study the possible impacts of the mines or provide for public input.  This situation contrasts with the process in other Appalachian states, where the Corps last year suspended the use of NWP 21 to require more careful consideration of a mine’s impacts on water resources and the environment.

“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has wisely closed this dangerous mining loophole across the Appalachian coal mining region – except for Alabama,” said Gerrit Jobsis, American Rivers’ Southeast Regional Director. “It’s time to give Alabama’s people, clean water, and wildlife the protection they deserve.”

Eva Dillard, staff attorney for Black Warrior Riverkeeper, agrees: “Under NWP 21, the Corps has allowed numerous mines to operate in our watershed with no consideration of their cumulative impacts on water quality or the environment.  With NWP 21 up for possible renewal in 2012, now is the time to tell the Corps to end the use of this rubber stamp in Alabama.”

Black Warrior Riverkeeper Nelson Brooke states, “Our wetlands and headwater tributary streams are critical conveyors of clean water, controllers of runoff and flooding, and providers of fish and wildlife habitat.  Their loss under NWP 21 hurts the river, local communities, fishermen and sportsmen, and ultimately the state. 

American Rivers is calling on the Corps to discontinue the use of NWP 21 and include Alabama in all protective guidance and regulations that apply to Appalachian region mining.  Ending the use of NWP 21 in Alabama would force the Corps to consider the cumulative impact of mines on the Black Warrior River and allow local people to voice their concerns. 

American Rivers also called on the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and Alabama Surface Mining Commission to strengthen coal mining permits and enforcement efforts.  Additionally, these agencies should collaborate with the Corps to address the cumulative effects of mining on the river.

About America’s Most Endangered Rivers

For 26 years, American Rivers has sounded the alarm on 360 rivers through our America’s Most Endangered Rivers report.  The report is not a list of the “worst” or most polluted rivers, but is a call to action for rivers at a crossroads, whose fates will be determined in the coming year. By shining the spotlight and mobilizing grassroots action, we help save rivers from sewage pollution, new dams, mining, and other threats. 

Our staff and scientific advisors review nominations for the following criteria:

  • A major decision that the public can help influence in the coming year
  • The significance of the river to people and wildlife
  • The magnitude of the threat, especially in light of climate change

America's Most Endangered Rivers™ is sponsored by Orvis, the oldest mail order company in the US, which has been outfitting customers for the sporting traditions since 1856. Orvis is a long-time supporter of American Rivers.  This is the third consecutive year that they have sponsored America’s Most Endangered Rivers and have also provided American Rivers with a 2010 Conservation Grant.  Orvis donates 5% of their pre-tax profits annually to protect nature.

American Rivers is the nation’s leading voice fighting for clean water and healthy rivers. For almost 40 years we have protected and restored rivers, scoring victories for communities, fish and wildlife, and future generations.  American Rivers has offices in Washington, DC and nationwide, and more than 100,000 supporters and volunteers. Visit www.americanrivers.org, www.facebook.com/americanrivers and www.twitter.com/americanrivers.

Black Warrior Riverkeeper (www.blackwarriorriver.org) is a citizen-based nonprofit advocacy organization whose mission is to protect and restore the Black Warrior River and its tributaries. A member of Waterkeeper Alliance, Black Warrior Riverkeeper won Alabama Environmental Council’s 2007 Conservation Organization of the Year and American Canoe Association’s 2008 Green Paddle Award. Nelson Brooke, Riverkeeper, won Alabama Rivers Alliance’s 2010 River Hero Award. 

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

You Can Sue a Ham Sandwich in Alabama

photo by April "Snappy" Scroggins
Graffiti in the Southside of Birmingham. "You Can Sue A Ham Sandwich In Alabama" comment made by former Mayor Larry Langford on SEC lawsuit.



Monday, May 16, 2011

U.S. Department of State and Carnegie Hall Fuse Technology and Music to Connect Students in New York City and Mexico City

Using 21st Century statecraft to fuse technology and music to bring youth in New York and Mexico City together, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, in partnership with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, will conduct its final virtual concert of this year’s Cultural Exchange initiative on Friday, May 20 at 11:00 a.m. EST.

During this engaging, interactive simulcast, students from five Mexico City high schools and seven New York City high schools will come together virtually with performances by the Celso Duarte Sextet at New York’s Zankel Hall and the Maurice Brown Effect in Mexico City’s Teatro Julio Castillo. In addition, students will perform with the artists on stage.

Through this initiative, students explore music from other cultures through lessons and resources that are incorporated into each participating school’s classroom curriculum. Cultural Exchange’s focus this season is on the music of Mexico. Students in both New York City and Mexico City attend and participate in two interactive, video-conference concerts featuring renowned jazz and Latin music artists.

Participating New York and International Schools for Cultural Exchange: Music of Mexico In New York:
  • Baccalaureate School for Global Education – Astoria, NY
  • City College Academy of the Arts – New York, NY
  • Frank Sinatra School of the Arts – Astoria, NY
  • Martin Van Buren High School – Queens Village, NY
  • Millennium High School – New York, NY
  • Queens Collegiate High School – Jamaica, NY
  • Scarsdale High School – Scarsdale, NY
In Mexico City:
  • Centro Universitario México – Mexico City, Mexico
  • Preparatoria Cuajimalpa - Instituto de Educación Media Superior del Gobierno del Distrito Federal – Mexico City, Mexico
  • Preparatoria Iztapalapa – Instituto de Educación Superior del Gobierno del Distrito Federal – Mexico City, MexicoCentro de Educación Artística Diego Rivera (CEDART) – Diego Rivera – Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes - Mexico City, Mexico
  • Escuela Nacional de Danza Clásica y Contemporánea – Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes - Mexico City, Mexico
Press contacts:
Talley Sergent, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, (202) 632-6043
Ryan Matheny, U.S. Embassy Mexico City, +52 55 5080 2000 x2387

Friday, May 13, 2011

A "Not A Music Review" of The Matt Woods Manifesto

By Lee Waites

So I walked in the door...Oh Boy! A package... I still get excited about new music. Matt told me he was going to send me his new CD, says it has some of our local musicians on it. I told him how much I detest most music reviews, how they're usually some kind of pissing, some clever attempt to put a writer's mark on the music. Or they're fluffed up fodder for the press release. I'm just irritated by them, most of the time, and a little evil voice reads them in my head, mockingly. So, I recommend you click on your evil voice, even though this is "Not A Music Review!"

The Matt Woods Manifesto is pumping into my ears as I write...kind of country, kind of fast, clean. I'm eating a freshly cut slice of vodka soaked watermelon and many very attractive, modernly sexy, still so Southern women are dancing. Sometimes we're in a field, then we stroll into the shade of the woods. The air smells like cut grass.

In our Facebook message conversation, yes, we met on Facebook, and it was lovely, Matt told me who was on the album. He knows my passion is for local music. And he gave me my reason. Some of our local talent has gone and dun did get on here, Sue Nuckols, doing some fiddling, Jay Taylor banjo-ing, and Sarah Green on the washboard.

I'm there! Barns, ladies, beer & whiskey, foothills, old cars, open fire energy.  

Now the ladies are handing me beers in thick brown bottles, everyone is laughing and having fun. The air is sepia-tone. I feel like doing a little dance by the freshly made fire. In truth, I feel like drinking whiskey and dancing with one of these imaginary ladies in my head. Let's face it Matt, you make me want to get drunk!

The album is The Matt Woods Manifesto.
Thanks for sending me your CD Mr. Matt. It makes a verb of the word "party."   

Matt will be playing at Sipsey Tavern on May 28th.

Click here: Check him out and make up your own freakin' mind. BFP Music illuminates, we trust in you.