The Vandoliers- Ameri-Kinda: DFW Are we ready for CHANGE?? AMERI-KINDA

CHANGE! One of the few constants in our wild universe, CHANGE is often vilified and looked down upon; even scorned! Some people view CHANGE as a way to escape the past, when really it is a way to build for the future. CHANGE can be a positive theme in people’s life, and it seems that Josh Fleming has made it one in his. The Phuss had been making noise in the DFW rock scene for some time, and had been on the radar of everyone for very good reason; as Josh began writing new material. After performing some at open mics with this material and recouping from a grueling tour; Josh realized that the new material he wrote wasn’t meant for The Phuss. It was meant for something different, a CHANGE needed to occur, and that CHANGE turned into The Vandoliers and their first album Ameri-Kinda. From the very first riff of Runaway Sons, you can feel the punk roots that made The Phuss such a powerhouse, but energy is focused in a different way. The aggression gives way to fluidity and subtle presence.  The outlaw in us all comes out in these songs, a feeling of rebellion normally left for leather jackets and spikes feels right at home with fiddles and banjos. If you think you have the band pegged from the first two tunes you are wrong as a curve ball gets launched in your direction when the mellow but powerful Wild Flowers gives you a clear vision of how these songs are crafted. The thought of CHANGE still rears its head as the album moves along, with the moods shifting from hopeful, to jaded, to sympathetic, and back again all before you can catch your breath. The feel of the album is one of experimentation within a field of study that one is well accomplished in. Every musician in The Vandoliers is more than capable of playing flawlessly, but I feel that the freedom to be as creative as possible led to a very genuine sound. This isn’t polished Tennese Country, this is dirty home spun Texas music…calling it country would be trying to tame a Mountain Lion…pointless! The vocals are the gruffness people loved from Fleming’s former band, but there is a haunting twist with harmonies that add the perfect overlaid dynamic on top of the musicality. From the moment you turn it on to the moment it repeats back (if you stop the album one time through you are doing it wrong) you feel the sincerity in Ameri-Kinda and The Vandoliers that is lost in rural music today. Maybe it is time for the city to kick the country boys in the rear and take on over, maybe it’s time for rock and rollers to put their boots on…maybe it’s time for a CHANGE! I know The Vandoliers think so, and they are putting their music where their heart is.

Stand Out Tracks: Hank….Blaze of Glory….Wild Flower

Listen if you like: Outlaw Country…Music that will make you dance….Rock and Roll!

Check them out at http://www.facebook.com/Vandoliers

Review By

Chris “Positive C” Edwards

Open Letter to Chris Pratt

Dear Mr.Pratt

  We at Zaboys Media have recently dedicated a rather large portion of our most recent episode discussing you and your career. We talked about you so much in fact that I have begun to coin episode 19 as “The Pratt Attack” and decided I myself have become a Prattict. In our 191 minute episode made of 3 installments we took some time to focus on you as an Actor and all around Hollywood Bad Ass but that was only scraping the surface.

    We all understand that your humble coming up in the world on Parks and Rec was a great launch for your career as the oblivious funny man and your steps into Galactic Piracy and Dinosaur Leadership are all amazing feats. We decided which of your characters we would love to hang out with and even took in some of your acting wisdom.

    What we failed to mention was your amazing work with charity. It has been widely written that you and Chris Evans placed a charitable super bowl bet last football season to visit children’s hospitals as the super heroes you portray on screen and that you both paid up on the bet. What some people may not know is that you have now visited another children’s hospital and deployed your skills of dino-submission for the children and that you have also swung by The Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and swapped lines from the Lego Movie with a young man.

    We touched base a bit on the fact that you recently come forth and owned your religious views while living and working in a largely liberal society by paying thanks to God for his light during your son’s birth. We failed to address the commitment you have to your lovely Wife Anna and how the two of you should be a beacon for any couple that truly is fun and loves one another. Like I said, we merely grazed the surface because there is just too much amazing to discuss in 191 minutes and still be able to address everything else we need to cover.

  What I am getting to is simple, we at Zaboys would be more than happy to have you join us on the show whenever you feel like coming by. We will try to have some Fireball Whiskey on hand so that we can all ignite the night together. I know that DWB would love to play 5,000 Candles in the Wind with you. Feel free to bring Anna along because we defiantly could use more of a females perspective to the show and the two of you would only add that much more energy. If you are ever in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area please feel free to get in contact with us or just come by unannounced on a Tuesday Night.

   Also, if you are ever doing some charity work in the area feel free to give us a ring, we would be more than happy to help in any form we can because you are a true inspiration to any young man or woman who is aiming to follow their dreams and establish their own path. Thank you for all of your work and inspiration and stay golden!

-James “Jim” Thornquist

Zaboys Cast Memeber

Under the Influence and LOVING IT!!!!

    No this isn’t a drug or drinking topic, even though sometimes enjoying a little bit of both before digesting some of the stuff I’m about to talk about would not be a bad idea. No, this is an entry about the influences that have made me Positive C, and guided me to Zaboys. Now Zaboys itself is a unit, a team, a practice in what can happen when the creative wills of very different people are allowed to be let free. I’m not one to downplay the importance of the team work that goes into this show, and when thinking of the things that’s influenced me I saw a pattern of groups and teams being involved.

 

  Seinfeld: Yes the show about nothing has probably been the biggest influence to my sense of humor and observation, and I thank my mom for that. She was a constant watcher of the series, not only the new ones during my childhood; but also the reruns as I got older. The exploits of Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer are just as memorable to me as my own it seems; and I would be surprised if I’ve melded the two worlds together at points. There is so much that I take from this show and the way the members of the cast held their own so well, but they weren’t ever better than when all 4 were able to riff off the others. The observation list humor has been a staple of how I see things, even in my everyday life that sometimes I wonder if it’s a detriment. I feel as if this show about nothing taught me almost EVERYTHING I know about what makes real life funny.

   

Monty Python: If Seinfeld taught me that real life can be funny; Monty Python showed me how to take the humor, twist it, and turn it into the surreal. This show, and yes I’m saying show because I watched The Flying Circus way before I saw Holy Grail, was instrumental in the way my mind works. The men on the show were excellent at playing so many different types of roles, but also knew the strengths that made the group work as a unit well. They would stray and go off into left field at times, but they would always somehow wind it back around to make it all make sense….to some. If you didn’t “get” Monty Python, then you probably weren’t meant to. They didn’t cater to the lowest common comedy denominator and that is the way I vary comedy! If it doesn’t make you think a bit, it is not as funny as it could be!

    Mrs. Lawrence: My fifth grade teacher defiantly deserves mention in this topic. This lady was my Mrs. Frizzle and I am pretty sure she had a talking lizard. I know she had a hairless rat and albino ferret, I know because I took them home at points in time to scare my mom. The way she used to nourish my young creative mind by reading the books I used to write instead of the lesson plan. It was this act that gave me the confidence to call myself a writer for the rest of my life.

    My Grandmother: There is probably not one more person more singularly responsible for making me a creative than my late grandmother Queen Morrow, and she did it in so many different ways. Whether it be her always telling me to use my imagination by going along with my pretending our old Cadillac was the DeLorean from Back to the Future, or telling me to go play in my room instead of watch TV; she was always findings ways to motivate my passion for creating. The biggest thing she did was introduce me to the original Star Wars movies, which she made a special point to sit me down and make me watch. This changed my life, as from then on I wanted to be a part of making worlds and ideas that did not exist yet. I wanted to be the creator and the one who brought life to the unbelievable, and it all started the night Queen introduced me to the Jedi Knights!

    So I have taken these things and people and developed my own style and humor, all in all keeping true as I can to the things that made me love the creative process. I hope that we as a unit and I personally hold up the high standards set by my influences, and that we continue to entertain all that come into contact with us!

-CHRIS “Positive C” EDWARDS

 Founder and Co-Host of Zaboys

@ThePositiveC on Twitter

@RadioZaboys

Zaboysmedia.com 

The Positive Spin: Empathy and Perception

    There has been a couple of overlapping topic the past few weeks on Zaboys, and that has been Empathy and Perception. Whether it be from Violators thoughts of the day, the story of Caitlyn Jenner, or female aggressor domestic violence; the topic of dealing with how other people see things has been prevalent.  In the very agitated world we live in right now, I think it is our duty as voices that people give their attention to, to actually say some meaningful things at time; this idea I have being one of them. We have 5 senses on our bodies that can be used to ascertain information about the world around us for ourselves…but did you realize all 5 can be used for Empathy, helping you learn perception through others. Touch, Taste, Smell, hearing, and Sight are all essential in trying to understand the humans that occupy our world with us…and maybe not exactly in the ways that you think:

    Sight: Sight seems like the most obvious one because of the phrase “seeing it through someone else’s eyes” and while that works in theory we must remember the eyes lie. Don’t trust the fact that you see what the other person is seeing, but instead try to understand how they saw it. Were their eyes blocked by pre judgment of the situation, was there a physical block that may have altered their view; maybe they only saw the last second of a situation and not the whole thing. The circumstances around events and beliefs can be seen by everyone if they would just open their eyes to more than just what is laid before them.

    Hearing: the world moves at the speed of light, pretty much literally to our eyes; but sound is much slower and it is also everywhere. It is as important to perception as anything in life, and sometimes tells a clearer picture of ideas than the eyes allow us. We can listen to tone of voice, words said, and the passion behind them. We can feel the intensity as someone is really excited about a band, or even become deeply saddened by the whispers of someone who just lost a loved one. Some people hide things very well on their faces, but cannot help the emotions that escape from their voice, if we take the time to listen.

    Smell: Ok so maybe only 4 of the 5 senses

    Taste: Now we are going to take Taste metaphorically on this one. I mean let’s be honest; I believe you can tell a lot about a person by their taste in….everything. Music, movies, art, religion, and everything that you decide to make you who you are, its right there for people to see. Ever wonder why a buddy of yours acts a certain way when anything about Caitlyn Jenner comes up, well if the only music he listens to is Christian contemporary you might have a clue, or if your boyfriend is always busy on Sundays; well does the guy like football. It shocks me when people who claim to know a lot about their “friends” often don’t even realize the subtle differences in taste between them. Hell, it amazes me that people don’t understand that the entire WORLD has different tastes i.e. Soccer isn’t an important sport.

    Touch: Physical touch is so important when trying to understand each other. It sets boundaries and allows for true feelings to come out. Trust me guys, if she doesn’t even like you touching her as friends, you got no chance in hell. Ladies, if you keep letting him touch you; he is going to think he can keep touching you. It’s not all about sexual touching though, because a common handshake or hug can let you know exactly how the other person feels. The weakness or the inconsistency of physical contact can mean a lack of caring for the other, or maybe a trauma one has experienced. Be aware of how you touch other people, even with words. Like I said before, people hear a lot more than they see, even if they don’t realize it. Actions may speak louder than words, but the way you touch them with both stay forever.

    So there you have it, straight from a man who only pretends to be Dr. Phil, but loves to talk about the human experience. Maybe you have your own thoughts; I would love to hear them.

@ThePositiveC on Twitter

@RadioZaboys as well

Zaboysmedia.com for all the rest of what we do…which is a lot funnier than this!

-Chris "Positive C" Edwards 

Founder and Co-Host of Zaboys

One Guys Opinion

    Being a potentially new additive to an already established formula is like adding cherry to Coke-a-Cola or Matt Skiba to Blink-182, exciting but also risky. Seeing the direction that the boys have taken the show in and being invited to toss in my 2 cents fills me with pride. That pride comes from knowing that this is a risk for Positive C, DWB, and Violator and yet they were welcoming enough to give it a shot.

    With that being said I want to take a moment to address what Zaboys is and the potential I see in it. I am sure that to the untrained ear it is just another Podcast or even worse, noise. I can state that without a doubt that it is more than both, and anyone who believes it to be either has not taken the time to sit and truly listen to the show. Zaboys is not just sound coming through the speaker to break the silence in your waiting room or at your office desk, it is not the run of the mill Podcast that focuses on one or two direct topics, and it is far from being your typical talk radio show.

    Zaboys is an example of what good people can accomplish when they come together with similar ideas. Zaboys is what happens when a group of said good people want to do more than entertain themselves, but instead want to entertain others, and not just entertain others, but help light the path for others growth and future in the world. The boys don’t have to promote local music or discuss sports, news, and entertainment; they do it because they admire those bands and relate to those topics. They are a symbol of what millennials can accomplish when they truly follow their dreams and a beacon for those who are trying to do the same. This is why I listen to Zaboys, it is why I have wanted to work with Zaboys, and it is why I constantly tell people to check out Zaboys.

    We live in a world that is constantly sending you mixed messages: pop culture tells you to pursue your dreams but never explains how, the power figures say they want to help but never change, and your elders explain that you have to fall in line and succumb to the standard way of living in order to survive. Zaboys puts out positive vibes and entertaining sounds, the same sounds that your best friend or lover would, the uplifting and supportive sounds we should all surround ourselves with so that we aim to swing for the fences, break through the barriers, and try to change our stars.

    Zaboys is an icon, and one with the potential to grow into more than your local radio show, one to be more than what it currently is. It has the potential to make us laugh, the potential to make us learn, and even the potential to make us grow. I believe that Zaboys has the potential to be more than what was ever considered and with the coming years it will become more than it ever was.

-James “No Nick Name” Thornquist

The New Guy

The Positive Spin

                Over the past year on Zaboys we have gone through a lot of changes, most of which we felt needed to improve our show. We know it is still not perfect, and we know it is still growing within itself, but we are also very proud of the progress we have made in that time. This progress has now hit another growth spurt, as the addition of James Thornquist has opened us up to the written word a bit more. Now I am a writer by nature, and thanks to my time with Cosign Magazine I know that the written word is not dead yet.  Blogs, lists, jokes, anything and everything we can think of will be written and hopefully laughed at, in our attempt to entertain anyone who graces us with their ears. We know that we are not Steve Martin or Eddie Murphy…well not yet. They had to start somewhere and I can’t think of a better place for us to start making people laugh than on the internet! Zaboys was started for a reason, and that reason was to succeed. Whether that be succeeding in making this a household name in humor, or being the best show that only our most diehard listeners love, we want to be great at what we do. We hope you continue to listen, start to listen, listen even more, and whatever you do…just know that we do it for you!

Follow us on Twitter

@RadioZaboys

@ThePostiveC- Chris Edwards

@DWB88- Daniel Wayne Brown

@Zaboys_Violator- Will Shotwell

@JimsBrainBox – James Thornquist

And visit Zaboysmedia.com for our show!

-CHRIS “Positive C” EDWARDS

Founder and Co-Host of Zaboys