Although Roadkill Ghost Choir moved to Athens, Georgia, following the favorable response to their debut, In Tongues (and the major festivals, up-ticked touring and national TV appearance that went with it), their ties to their hometown, DeLand, remain strong. They return to their family-owned North Avenue Studios this year to record their much-anticipated follow-up. We took advantage of the band being back in town to catch up with Roadkill Ghost Choir, so this month's Off the Avenue shakes up the formula a bit and sees Roadkill singer Andrew Shepard in a special interview to find out more about the album. It doesn't have a name yet (or Shepard has yet to reveal it), but it will feature the sequel to popular single "Beggar's Guild" off the band's debut EP, 2012's Quiet Light. Go here to see the video and read a full profile on Roadkill Ghost Choir, where Shepard's snark almost overshadows his earnest soulful appeal as he mockingly forecasts the band's future (which includes investing in more than one Papa John's) and admits Roadkill Ghost Choir is a "terrible name" that "just stuck."
We followed up with the Derry Down Project this week to get more details on the progress of the revival of the Derry Down Building in Winter Haven, a youth center where Gram Parsons performed his first show with his first professional band. It seems renovations have slowed due to the building's bathrooms and air conditioning not being up to code. The project is dedicated to retaining the building's old feel from 1964, so they're working to raise funds to bring the building up to standards without intruding on the history they wish to honor with its revival. Earlier this month, they unveiled a new historic marker and next month, they're hosting a benefit concert featuring the Hackensaw Boys (6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12). We have more information posted here, and you can follow the project or contribute funds at facebook.com/thederrydownproject.
Orlando's as guilty of nostalgia as anyone can be, with loving tributes cropping up in our calendars regularly (including a rad 1995 cover show on Dec. 12 at Will's Pub), and Orlando Weekly is feeling that old tug especially hard this year as we celebrate our 25th anniversary. We're throwing a big party 7-11 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, at Cheyenne Saloon, so if you haven't heard about it, head to orlandoweekly.com/25th for more info. For now, we are looking for killer local bands to help transport us to 1990, when the paper first started, by playing hits from that year (you must have at least one song from 1990 in your proposed set). To apply, just fill out the application at the link above and include the songs your band wants to cover so we can consider all the options and build the most bangin' lineup of the hits as humanly possible. All genres considered, so let your wayback machine go wild as you consider all the ways to make our anniversary one sweet dayyy. Deadline to apply is Nov. 30.
