Free Candy

Twenty-seven-year-old Virginia native Britt Scott aspired to be a performer ever since she was little. Her father is a musician and audio engineer in Virginia Beach. Up until middle school, Scott was in chorus. On Oct. 29, Scott will sing with her band Free Candy at the Tantra Lounge on Broughton Street.
"The thing I like about being in the band is having fun," Scott said. "It's a good learning experience."
Free Candy's sound is a fusion of grunge, surf rock and alternative rock. The most unique thing about this band is the bassist Alexandra Mitchell. She plays a colossal upright fretless bass. Musicians who can't play without frets will instantly be impressed.
Guitarist Ian Zimerle andMitchell announced that the pair were recently married last week.
"He is my best friend," Mitchell said. "We have been playing together almost two years. I read him well. Ian brings a blues sound, Nicole surf rock, Britt pop, and myself punk and psychobilly. Somehow it works. Ian is the token in a band of belly-dancers."
"I think there is a certain degree of fear that comes along with performing for an audience," Zimerle said.
"You are afraid in some respect that people won't like you or accept you as a performer, or that they think you're kind of fake."
Zimerle said that Mitchell places things in perspective for him.
"As Alex is the one person in the world that I respect above myself, having her with me in the band objectifies the situation. If she thinks highly of me and what we do musically, then I need not search for acceptance by going out of my way to please people. I can be myself on stage and exhibit my true nature through my performance. That essence of unabashed truth is what people really respond to, and what draws their appreciation."
Perhaps the band is well-knit because Zimerle and Mitchell have not only an attraction for each other but a mutual attraction for music.
Free Candy recently played their first show at the Tantra Lounge on Oct. 22. They covered "Polly" by Nirvana, "The House of Rising Sun" by Eric Burdon and The Animals and "Lucky" by Radiohead.
Scott sported a T-shirt that read "I'm with the drummer" and played with her hair during the show. It's hard not to pay attention to this red-haired, blue-eyed beauty.
"I like smaller venues and more intimate settings," Scott said. "It's better than playing a big show because it's easier to get to know the fans."
"We're not Free Candy for no reason," said Nicole Edge, the drummer. "Give them candy. You're all welcome to have free candy."
Miniature candy bars, Smarties, taffy, Nerds and Gobstoppers were among the types of candy given away.
"We plan it that way," Scott said. "With Halloween coming up, it's easy to see the irony of our band name."
At first glance you wouldn't expect Edge to be a drummer. She belly-dances often with Scott in the dance troupe Cairo on the Coast.
Free Candy does mainly covers but is currently working on original songs. Their influences include The White Stripes, The Cramps, The Ventures, Nirvana and Radiohead.
"Honestly, I am very inspired by a lot of local musicians, more so than famous ones," Edge said. "Chris Fullerton and Jason Gecik are local drummers who make their living solely off their musical skills. I admire them a lot more than someone I have never met for being able to follow their passion as musicians, and being such kind, caring people as well." - The Inkwell

Everyone has seen the “Free Beer (Tomorrow)” signs at a bar, and Free Candy band members Nicole Edge (drums), Alexandra Mitchell (bass and vocals) and Ian Zimerle (guitar and vocals) thought the same quirky humor could work for their “every day is Halloween” persona complete with crazy stage costumes.
“Ian’s craziest costume has to definitely be a cheetah print thong worn during a pajama party themed show. Nicole and I clearly remember wrapping each other in plastic wrap and electrical tape to open for The Psycho DeVilles at The Wormhole this past February,” said Mitchell.
The group makes all the costumes which means raiding their closets or sewing from scratch, relying heavily on Edge’s fashion degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Free Candy’s penchant for all things Halloween is evident in their lyrics as well with songs about aliens, zombies and monsters. The music starts with a guitar riff by Zimerle followed by bass and drums.
Capturing the band’s persona on an album will be tough considering that during a show at Huca Poos this summer, the group “lit some of the equipment on fire and did a brief fire eating performance,” Zimerle said.
Despite their crazy on-stage antics, Free Candy definitely takes their music seriously and is slated to begin recording their first album titled “Box Crusher” in November. Free Candy describes its sound as a mixture of surf/rockabilly/punk/garage rock genres.
The band’s goal for the album is to “separate the work we do as a cover band and our own musical creations. We hope that our music gives our listeners a break from the daily grind; a chance to wind down, smile, and be generally care-free,” said Mitchell.
Besides having their own goals of being full-time musicians, Free Candy has goals for Savannah’s music scene as well, including local musicians fostering a stronger sense of community and more, larger venues being built that can showcase unique genres of music. The bandmates feel that with the amount of talent in this city, Savannah could easily become a mecca for live music.
So what can the audience expect from a Free Candy performance?
“A sugar, caffeine and beer induced whirlwind of craziness. Basically, whatever a particular venue will let us get away with, whether it be playing with fire or performing in our underwear, we just try to keep things lively and entertaining.” And they really do hand out free candy at their shows! Pretty sweet. - Savannah Morning News

Free Candy. A relatively new punk trio, Free Candy mixes rockabilly, surf, the Pixies and the Cramps into a hard–pummelling, extremely fun package. They wear costumes and makeup, too, so they look as cool as they sound. - Connect Savannah

OCTOBER 26, 2010
Halloween, Flashbulb Fires, Kevin Barry's
By Bill DeYoung
The big orange–and–black falls on a Sunday this year, so your nightclub Halloweeny stuff pretty much happens Friday and Saturday nights.
Of course, there’s always The Rocky Horror Show at Club One, but for out–and–out musical madness, and Halloween decadence on a rock ‘n’ roll scale, check out Free Candy at Tantra Lounge on Friday the 29th. Ian Zimerle is on guitar and vocals, and the other three members of this brand–new garage/punk/surf band are moonlighting belly dancers! Britt Scott (who’s been doing lots of singing around town) is on guitar and vocals, Nicole Edge plays drums, and Alexandra Mitchell slaps that upright bass. - Connect Savannah