HIPPOCAMPUS

link to story here:

http://www.examiner.com/x-5237-Wilmington-Music-Examiner~y2009m3d31-Delaware-Music-Festival-serves-up-30-bands-in-Dewey-Beach-this-weekend

to see feature photo of HIPPOCAMPUS

A sure sign that Spring is finally upon us is the arrival this weekend of the Delaware Music Festival. This is the seventh year for what has become an annual event held at the Rusty Rudder (113 Dickenson Street – 302-227-3888) in Dewey Beach. This year, the timing of the festival coincides with the Rusty Rudder’s seasonal re-opening.

The 2009 Delaware Music Festival features 30 Delaware bands performing on four stages located inside and outside the Rusty Rudder. The music starts in the early evening both Friday and Saturday and continues non-stop into the wee hours.

Thirty local bands performing on four stages all within walking distance – inside and outside the Rusty Rudder – means two things: a guaranteed great time for music lovers, and a potential logistical nightmare for the event coordinator. But festival organizer and publicist Vikki Walls is a veteran planner who has scheduling down to a science.

“The bands have to sign in an hour or more before their set,” she explained. “If they don’t, the bands that are on before and after them get to play longer. We have two alternating stages outside. As soon as the band on one stage says goodnight, it’s one-two-three-four, and the other one starts. While they’re playing, the first band breaks down their equipment and another sets up. So if somebody doesn’t show up, it really throws the flow of the whole evening off.”

“You’ve also got to be aware of the various musical styles,” she adds. “You can’t put a band that sounds like Radiohead next to a band that sounds like Motley Crue. You want to make the night flow.”

While the emphasis is on original music, some cover and party bands are also appearing. The festival started as a one-day showcase in 2002, but officially became the Delaware Music Festival when it was expanded to a two-day event the following year. Interestingly, four artists that performed at the first official Delaware Music Festival back in 2003 are performing again this year. Tony Travalini & The Still Lifes (formerly Tony Travalini & All the Rage) performs Friday at 9:00 p.m; Good Question performs Saturday at 8:20 p.m; The Steve Ketterer Trio (formerly The Steve Ketterer Band) is appearing at 11:00 p.m. on Saturday; and long-time Dewey Beach favorite Love Seed Mama Jump kicks off the Saturday festivities with a performance at 5:00 p.m. on the Rudder’s outside back deck.

Here's a video of Saturday night's closing act, Element K, doing its club mix:


As has been the case every year, there’s no cover charge, so it’s a great way to catch a lot of local talent in a short amount of time.

Here’s the complete line-up for the 2009 Delaware Music Festival:Delaware Music Festival logo
(All stages are located at the Rusty Rudder)

Friday, April 3rd

Outside Stage A - Back Deck
7:00 - New Plateau
8:20 - Ian Walsh & The Sober Riots
9:40 - American Buffalo
11:00 - Long Walk Home
12:20 - Hippocampus

Outside Stage B - Front Deck
7:40 - Brad McClain
9:00 - Tony Travalini & The Still Lifes
10:20 - Stone City
11:40 - Lower Case Blues

Inside Stage C - Back Stage
7:40 - Semiblind
9:00 - Kevin Tarzanin
10:20 - Big Fat Slim and the Has-Been's
11:40 - DJ BIS

Inside Stage D - Corner Stage
6:00 - Code Blue Live
8:20 - Revolution, I Love You
9:40 - Lennon UK
11:00 - The Future Unwritten

Saturday, April 4th

Outside Stage A - Back Deck
5:00 - Love Seed Mama Jump
7:00 - Josten Swingline
8:20 - Good Question
9:40 - So this is Minnesota
11:00 - Chowderfoot
12:20 - Element K

Outside Stage B - Front Deck
6:20 - Mad Sweet Pangs
7:40 - The Crimestoppers
9:00 - Galaxy 13
10:20 - Brixton Saint
11:40 - The Collingwood

Inside Stage C - Back Stage
9:00 - Joe Trainor Trio
10:20 - Bos Taurus
11:40 - DJ BIS

Inside Stage D - Corner Stage
8:20 - Aaron Nathan
11:00 - The Steve Ketterer Trio
12:20 - Chapel Street Junction
- Wilmington Music Examiner

Performing - the drug of choice
May 17, 11:20 AM
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Melissa Cox

Melissa Cox/Mythica: Performing - that's a hard one to talk about. To quote Janis Joplin - how can I talk about something I am inside of?

Performers usually find it difficult to analyze their art. Yet, when musicians talk about their experiences on stage, a few common themes arise - regardless of the style of music or the venues. Examiner.com dug through reams of interviews with musicians on the Wilmington scene and discovered the three truths of performing: The Energy. The Moment. The Connection.

The Energy
Jason Smith/Hippocampus: There is no better feeling than the return of positive energy from the peeps you are playing for.

Richard Derke/The Future Unwritten: Performing is an adrenaline rush. Jamming with your friends is a lot of fun, but when there is a hundred other people packed into a small room dancing and singing along to your songs, it is the greatest feeling in the world.

Frank Donato/Hippocampus: We play for love of playin' and for the reaction we get playing live. You can't compare that feeling when everyone is groovin' along and even singing along.

Hippocampus

The Moment
Tony D'Amato: Performing live, whether I am DJing or playing bass, has always been about the moment. It's that particular night with that particular audience in that particular room, it's never happened before and it will never happen again.

Tom Esposito/Hippocampus: There are moments - the venue, the crowd, the band... that's why we do all this work to play in front of people. That's what "Take Me Back" is about (new song we just recorded at MilkBoy). Those nights when fans and band are connected, digging the music, moving. That's why I do all this - that's why we all do it.

Lori Citro

The Connection to the audience – it's the backbeat to every live show.
Mick White: It's a matter of projecting the essence of your talent. Your spirit, heart and soul all go into it. You want to connect with the audience on every level.

Lori Citro: When I play, I'm in the moment. Each time I do a song, new or old, I conjure up the emotions that made me write it in the first place. I feel very passionate and alive when I play, whether for one person or one hundred. No difference.

But it isn't easy to make the connection…
Melissa Cox/Mythica: Performing is the hardest job an artist can do. How to be new and fresh and different on stage in this market is very tough, especially if you are a soloist.
Nik Everett: [Instant connection with the audience] is something you aspire to. It's better than drugs and sometimes even sex.

and it's a little dangerous...
Nik Everett: When I sing it is like bliss, a high so I have to keep going back to it because nothing else can replace it...it is when you look elsewhere is when you get in trouble. You have to keep [the energy rush] in check, though, or it might overwhelm you. That is how so may creative types get so self-destructive.


Living in the moment... making a connection with the world around you... danger...

Performing original music is like dancing on a cliff's edge - the only thing keeping you from falling into the abyss is the ropes made of sheer energy spun from the audience.

No wonder it's addictive!

For more info: For more info....go to a show! Or, hey - pick a new artist and go see them. Either way, you'll be sure to have an interesting night out.


- Examiner.com

They write the songs, they write the songs...
May 4, 6:53 AM
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Barry Manilow wrote the songs that made the whole world sing, but the Delaware Valley is humming tunes local musicians penned.

Examiner.com explored the nature of songwriting with some of the area's best, even though it wasn't the easiest interview to conduct. Most artists are apprehensive about examining their particular art, and many are not even comfortable while they're creating!

John Pollard: "I'm very superstitious about the whole songwriting process. I love coming up with a new song so much that I'm always afraid that it won't happen again."
Tom Esposito/Hippocampus: "From the first time I picked up a guitar, I had to write songs. Not a want - a need. Like food, air. Sometimes, I have wished it would go away, but it hasn't so... here we are."

Yes, here we are. And we might as well start at the beginning. Where do the songs come from?

Richard Derke: In my band, The Future Unwritten, we all write and we all write in different ways. For me, the music always comes first, although both lyrics and music are pretty much equally as hard. I suppose the music comes more naturally to me.
Esposito: Emotional moments in my life. That's what I've found the best grist for the creative mill.
Bart Frohlich: Generally I start out with a phrase, it can be either musical or lyrical. If I like it, whichever it is, I try to add the other. Seldom what emerges from my brain needs to remain intact, unedited. Deciding what to keep and what to scrap is what songwriting experience brings to the table.
Esposito: I do try to make the lyric content ambiguous enough to be relational for listeners. As Lester Bangs said, "Be honest and unmerciful."

What happens next?

CJ Morgan/Parkwright: George Farrell or I bring the rough draft to the group, and then it is worked on collaboratively to finish. Parkwright's first wave of songs were all these songs I wanted to jam with, and so did George, so we got the group together [to work on songs we had already written]. Since then, the songs are being written in a much more collaborative, jamming type method.

Esposito: I write the basic chords & lyrics at the same time. Then I take it to the band and we turn it into what it becomes. Let me say that it is always better than I thought it would be with the band's contribution.

Mysterious as the process might be, the end result - an exquisite pairing of poetry and music - is worth the pain and effort.

Pollard: I hope that the feelings I've expressed in my songs can be shared by someone out there listening. I love playing for people, and crave the feedback.

Check out the music on these musician's links and leave a comment, or tell us about your favorite original song by an area artist.

For more info: Give me a shout at demusicmgt@gmail.com - Examiner.com

Here's a tune called "Charlie's Farm" by Tom Esposito of the local band Hippocampus. It's a jammy take on Dylan's "Maggie's Farm" inspired by a certain credit card company that used to lust over green awnings. He used to work for them and wrote this after he left. Thanks for sharing, Tom.

posted by Ryan Cormier @ 4:50 PM

link to original story:
http://www.delawareonline.com/blogs/2005/09/i-loving-memory-of-mbnaholes.html - delawareonline.com

http://www.wstw.com/heroes/homeys.php

On Sunday, February 8, WSTW will host the 3nd Annual Hometown Heroes Homey Awards. The Homeys will spotlight the best in local original music from 2008. We've received your recommendations for categories, and your nominees. Now it's time to vote for the winners!

The “Artist of the Year” Homey recipient will win a guest hosting spot on a future Hometown Heroes program.

We've settled on the 18 categories you'll see below, and have 5 nominees for most categories. Additional winners in other unique suggested categories will be announced on February 8th as well. Feel free to vote in as many or as few categories as you like. To hear music samples of artists with which you're less familiar, you can link to their MySpace profiles within the ballot. Only one voting ballot per person, please, and you must provide all the contact information at the bottom of the form for your ballot to be valid. Votes will be accepted until 6pm on Sunday, February 8th, with the winners announced on Hometown Heroes that night, 9-11pm. Thanks, and Rock On!

CATEGORY 1: ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Graham Brown
Hippocampus
JeNell & the Yets
Mad-Sweet Pangs
Tim Butler

CATEGORY 3: SONG OF THE YEAR
"Fire!", Graham Brown
"Shine", Hippocampus
"Distraction", JeNell & the Yets
"What is Love", Lisa Cavallaro
"That's the Way You Want Me To Be", Tim Butler

CATEGORY 5: MALE SOLO ARTIST
Graham Brown
Jacob Graff
John Shaughnessy
Kyle Swartzwelder
Tim Butler

CATEGORY 6: BEST BAND
Clarity
Hippocampus
Ike
JeNell & the Yets
Lotus Hill

CATEGORY 10: MALE LEAD SINGER
Brad Almond (Clive)
Brian LaPann (61 North)
John Faye (Ike)
Patrick Grant (Clarity)
Tommy Esposito (Hippocampus)

CATEGORY 11: LIVE PERFORMANCE
61 North
Hippocampus
JeNell & the Yets
Mad-Sweet Pangs
Tim Butler

CATEGORY 12: SONGWRITER
Brad Almond (Clive)
Christine Havrilla
Graham Brown
JeNell (JeNell & the Yets)
John Shaughnessy

CATEGORY 13: DRUMMER/PERCUSSIONIST
Don Valentino (Redliner)
Joe Bross (61 North)
Murph (Hippocampus)
Nate Terry (JeNell & the Yets)
Tom Kristich (Ike)

CATEGORY 14: BASSIST
Bob Comfort (61 North)
Jamie McCarthy (JeNell & the Yets)
Jason "Lumpy" Smith (Hippocampus)
Joann Schmidt (Ike)
Steve Tortu (Redliner)

CATEGORY 15: GUITARIST
Brett Talley (Ike, solo material)
Christine Havrilla
Dan Chrzan (Redliner)
Eric Donato (Hippocampus)
Ryan "Gooch" Nelson (61 North)

CATEGORY 16: KEYBOARD PLAYER/PIANIST
Frank Donato (Hippocampus)
Jordan Leitner (Mad-Sweet Pangs)
Laura Shay
Lori Citro
Nate Hall (Kaitlin Sweeney, solo material) - WSTW Hometown Heroes

Congratulations to all of this year's Homey Awards winners. And also a big congratulations to all those that were nominated. And thanks to everyone who voted. Here's the complete list of winners:

Artist of the Year - Tim Butler
Album of the Year - Ike - "Where to Begin"
Song of the Year - Hippocampus - "Shine"
Best Band - Ike
Solo Female - Kaitlin Sweeney
Solo Male - Kyle Swartzwelder (Best beard, too)
New Artist - Clarity
Rock Song - 61 North - "Loaded Gun"
Most Requested Song - JeNell & the Yets - "Distraction"
Hip-Hop/Rap Artist - Fat Daddy Has Been
Songwriter - Brad Almond of Clive
Female lead singer - Christine Moll & Peggy Carroll (Lotus Hill) [Also band with the most babies]
Male lead singer - John Faye (Ike)
Keyboardist/Pianist - Nate Hall
Guitarist - Brett Talley (Ike and solo)
Bass Player - Joann Schmidt (Ike)
Drummer - Tom Kristich (Ike)
Producer - Cliff Hillis
Live Performance - Hippocampus
Best Venue for Music - (Tie) Homegrown Cafe & Burlap and Bean
Best Open Mic - Burlap and Bean hosted by Kyle Swartzwelder
Best video blog and Best Use of Whistling - JeNell & the Yets

View online at :
http://www.wstw.com/heroes/homeys.php - 93.7 FM WSTW

Entertainment
Friday, June 19, 2009
Best bets for the weekend

The News Journal • June 19, 2009

On Saturday, Hippocampus will haul their brand of jam rock from their hometown in Newark to Kelly's Logan House, 1701 Delaware Ave., Wilmington.

The band has been on a roll - winning Spark's Summer Series last year and snagging two Homey Awards for song of the year and best live performance from WSTW's "Hometown Heroes" program.

Not bad for a band that's been around since 1998.

Hippocampus hits the stage at 10 p.m. and it's $5 to get in to see this show as well.

And don't forget that the final three days of the DuPont Clifford Brown Jazz Festival run this weekend starting today across several spots in Wilmington, including the main stage in Rodney Square.

Ryan Cormier - The News Journal

Hippocampus: Take Me Back
ROB KALESSE

In September of 2008, Newark band Hippocampus won our 4th annual Spark Summer Music Series, and with it a mass of cash and prizes, part of which was 10 hours of recording time at Milkboy Studios in Ardmore. The quintet is now ready to present "Take Me Back," a result of their recording efforts in EP format, to be released Nov. 28 at the Deer Park Tavern. We spoke with bassist Jason "Lumpy" Smith about the album.

So, how did the recording session go at Milkboy? "We really can't say enough about how professional and cool they were to work with at Milkboy. They have a great live room where we could all play simultaneously and see each other, even though we were being tracked individually. We recorded in one 10-hour day while they mixed, mastered and edited. You get a real live feel for the songs and that's a credit to them."

"Take Me Back" has got to be our favorite song, especially considering the line, There's a place/We used to play/It's called the Deer Park/In Newark, USA "Yeah, and it's definitely a shout to the old Deer Park, how it used to be back in the day when we were starting out. Of course, we love the new place and couldn't think of a better spot to have our EP release party. But you know, the old Deer Park, before the renovations took place, had a certain feel to it, with the grungy backroom, the train rumbling by and shaking the building. It's something we look back on fondly."

Pretty sure we heard some violin or fiddle in there as well, right? "Yeah, that's an electric violin, courtesy of Brian Fitzgerald, who sat in with us on that track. We do some DMB covers, so our music fits that violin/fiddle style."

When and where can we pick up the EP? "It won't be available until the Deer Park show, but after that it'll go for about $8 and can be purchased at myspace.com/hippocampus2." - Spark Magazine

Hippocampus
SPARK SUMMER MUSIC SERIES WINNERS
KELLY HOUSEN | spark Updated Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Hippocampus.(Buy photo) JESSICA BRATTON | spark

The band: Tom Esposito, vocals and guitar; Frank Donato, keyboards; Eric Donato, guitar; Bill Murphy, drums; Jason "Lumpy" Smith, bass.

Myspace: Myspace.com/hippocampus2

The 2008 winner of the Spark Summer Music Series? Hippocampus. The band has been together since 1998, with a break in the midle there for everyone to get married and start families. The hippocampus is a part of the brain that is responsible for memories. We asked them to share a few.

Q: How does it feel knowing that you won the Summer Music Series based totally on votes from fans?

A: Definitely a humbling experience. We take this as a challenge from music lovers to keep creating good tunes and recording them. - Tom It feels awesome. We worked really hard to get the word out doing everything from sending mass e-mails, to MySpace bulletins, comments, messages, as well even creating flyers with specific voting instructions that we distributed at every gig we had this summer. This makes it all worthwhile. - Jason

Q: I know you guys all have young kids. Did you get them to vote?

A: Our kids range from three months to five years old. Eight total between the five of us, so unless our day cares were voting every day, we never factored in the toddler demographic into the equation. We're not the Jonas Brothers. - Frank

Q: What was the best part about being part of the SMS, if we don't count winning?

A: My favorite part was the night at the Logan House. It was a great time, and it was obvious to us that the people there were really listening to our music. As a band, the reason you go through all the work and rehearsal is for those few moments when a night and an audience comes together and everybody gets on the same wavelength. That was one of those nights. - Tom

Q: What was the band's reaction when you found out that you won??

A: Speechless. But also because I couldn't stand up and do a rock scream at work. -- Murph

Q: What are you planning on doing with your prizes?

A: We're going to use 'em. At Middletown Music we'll get a new PA, and we'll get a digital device to record our rehearsals, so we can remember songs we make up but then forget -- there's dozens of those. Lumpy is planning to get a bass clef tattoo [Pinstruck Tattoos] on some part of his body. We are really looking forward to working at the Milkboy studio in Ardmore for a day. Maybe a new single will be the result. Of course most importantly, we are so grateful for the exposure this has brought the band. We're getting a lot of gig offers in the area, and that's what it's all about. - Tom

Q: I hear that you guys won't be at the Dewey Beach Music Festival. Why not?

A: I got a chance to go to Amsterdam for work, totally free, and it happened to be the same week. I just can't pass that up; how often does a free trip to Amsterdam come along? - Tom

Q: What's the next big thing going on for you guys?

A: We all met at a Halloween party in 1998, so we're planning our 10-year anniversary/CD release party. It will be on Halloween, at J.B. McGinness.

TOP 5 CRAZIEST BAND MOMENTS

1. Playing "I Shot the Sherriff" at Challengers as 20 off-duty cops -- in uniform -- walk in the bar.

2. Frank proposing to his wife Chrissy at the Deer Park during a set. We played "Crash," the only time we ever played that song on stage. Not a dry eye in the house.

3. At the Logan House, Eric grabbed the mic and produced a disjointed and drunken soliloquy about his dog, Melody, who had run away that day. Some "crazy b***h" found the dog, and wanted to keep it, until Eric coughed up some reward money.

4. Lumpy broke his low-E bass string at his first gig with the band, while playing LA Woman. He continued through the rest of the song -- without the low E.

5. At some point, we started doing Jagermeister shots before each set. The tradition lives. - The News Journal

Summer Music Series Show: Aug. 22 at Kelly's Logan House

Genre: Jam Rock

Who's who: Tom Esposito, vocals and guitar; Frank Donato, keyboards; Eric "The Rat" Donato, guitar; Bill Murphy, drums, Jason "Lumpy" Smith, bass.

Hometown: Newark

MySpace page: myspace.com/hippocampus2

Listen to this: "'Shine.' It's short and sweet; all our talents are packed into 3 minutes and 30 seconds, and it has a strong lyrical message."

Favorite candy: "Who's gonna turn down a Junior Mint? It's chocolate, it's peppermint, it's delicious!"

If your band could star in the life story of a famous band, what band would you choose? "Stillwater. Because it would be so cool to hang out with Lester Bangs, to dive off a roof into a pool and say, "I am a golden god," to tell the press, "The chicks are great," and to discover that our aura is purple?"

Karaoke: Good thing or bad thing? "Karaoke is an awful thing -- unless you are actually in Japan."

American Idol: Bad thing or very bad thing? "Is this a rhetorical question? William Hung vs. Sanjaya: you make the call."

What musician, in the history of recorded music, would you love to have sit in with your band for a set? "Maceo Parker from James Brown's old band. We've always wanted a horn section, and it would be so cool to play some tunes and have Maceo skat for a bit."

What do you one day hope to hear the crowd yell out during a set? "We've already heard it: 'I want to have your children!'"

Any special talents? "All of us change diapers on a regular basis. We are a fertile group." - Frank
Go to:

http://www.sparkweekly.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080625/SPARK/806250301/1129/SPARK

to view this article in it's online format. - SPARK Weekly