Sleeper Agent, An Indie Rock Band From Bowling Green, Ky.

A short videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6u0E5_xHA4 of some pics of Sleeper Agent, an indie rock band from Bowling Green, Ky., on stage and with their fans and family members backstage,  who's hit songs include "Get It Daddy," "Get Burned" and "That's My Baby" off the debut album album, "Celebrasion" on the Mom + Pop record label that came in September of 2011.  To find out out more about Sleeper Agent go to their web-site at www.sleeperagentmusic.com (The background music is this video is "2nd Try" by Supegarage.)

Bowling Green Music Scene Video

This a short little video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T81Z4IS--zUtribute to the Bowling Green Music Scene and it's sonic boom that has been heard around the world these last few years.  With Bowling Green indie rock bands such Cage The Elephant and Sleeper Agent, we have been in the spotlight in the world of rock music featured in national publications such as Rolling Stone, Spin and USA Today among many others as well as videos, video games, movies and talk shows. Thanks to the hundreds of people including BG Classic Rock D93 WDNS, Bowling Green Daily News, "The Amplifier" and the world famous famous BG music venue, "Tidballs" have helped make the Bowling Green Music Scene is what it is today.  Thank you very much to all.  We look forward to 2013 and may the New Year bring many more good fortunes!

Alex and Tony of Sleeper Agent Are Now Officially Engaged!

Please read this short little news story about my son, Tony Smith and his girl friend, Alex Kandel from Bowling Green, Ky.'s indie rock band "Sleeper Agent"  that was published in the Bowling Green Daily New's "The Amplifier." This pretty much says it all! Thanks to Kim Mason of "The Amplifier!"http://www.bgdailynews.com/amplifier/music/congratulations-to-the-newly-engaged-alex-tony-of-sleeper-agent/article_6fd020ee-5518-11e2-abb8-0019bb2963f4.html

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ColRebSez: Commercial Appeal reports government giving poor h...:     The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports on how federal poverty payments are helping to keep that city float.     According to the story, ...

Chicago's "Buying Trouble" Will Rock You Hard

     On their Reverbnation page, "Buying Trouble," https://www.reverbnation.com/buyingtrouble a young hard rock band from Chicago claim that they play so loud that they have hearing damage and they play so hard that they bleed sometimes. And that they play with so much emotion that the stage usually isn't big enough. "We freak out to promote freedom. And we hate hip hop.  Long live Hard Loud Rock N' Roll!"     This seems to be the creed of band members Derek Vaden, Mike Dooley and Andy Modaff. Patty and I met the band and their parents when they came down to Bowling Green to attend the Starry Nights Music + Arts Festival at the end of September. They are big fans of Bowling Green's indie rock bands "Cage The Elephant" and "Sleeper Agent." They were really nice kids and their parents were super nice people too.  We really enjoyed meeting them when we all had a late lunch at Cheddar's Restaurant in Bowling Green.  The band autographed an EP which they gave to our son, Tony Smith who is the lead song writer and guitar player as well as a singer for Sleeper Agent, a copy of their EP called "Ok, Whatever"   They also autographed it for Alex Kandel, lead singer for Sleeper Agent.

    A couple of weeks ago, Tony and I listened to the EP on the way to the store.  We listened to three hard rock pounding songs on the EP called, "Shakin'," "Christian Ears & Atheist Tongues" and "Novel America." Tony said that the band "is really good and they need to keep at it."  I thought that they sounded like a combination of the classic rock bands "Kiss,"  "Rush" and "The Black Crows" and that they have a lot of potential for the future.  With much practice and persistence,  I think they might have a chance of getting a record deal one day.  Please check out this young rock band.  Who knows, one day in the future, you may be seeing them on MTV,  VH1 and other music video channels. And you might one day be able to purchase their music at your local record store as well as from other other internet stores such as Amazon.com, eBay, iTunes and MP3.

Here's what they wrote on their Facebook page about themselves. Check it out!

About

Bringin back respect for music acts that play real instruments and try to further themselves as musicians and song writers.

Biography

Buying Trouble is a three piece rock band, hell bent on rocking your brains out. Mike Dooleys full, loud, metal inspired drum beats, routinely resulting in blood, lay out an industrial foundation for the heavy, gut rocking, shell shock of Andy Modaffs blistering bass lines. Derek Vaden screams and wails over it all, and so does his guitar, while trying to thrash around like a shark or something in an attempt to hurt himself. Together their covers, originals, and the occasional one-off songs they improvise on the spot, are a full on assault of the temporal lobe. They just released a 3 song EP and will be recording more soon so enjoy it. Or tell us we suck this is America so it's ok.

Description

your not a rocker till you stop cutting your hair...and start dropping acid - Jim Morrison

Band Interests

chillin, south park, writin music, listneing to slipknot, philosophy, Gigging, going to concerts

Artists We Also Like

Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Cage the Elephant, Slipknot, Aerosmith, Guns N' Roses, Nirvana, Cream, The Doors, Humble Pie, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Rolling Stones, Soundgarden, ZZ Top, The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Launched	September 2009
Release Date	9/10/09
Genre	Loud, Hard Rock N' Fuckin Roll
Members	Derek Vaden - Guitar/vocals Mike Dooley - Drums Andy Modaff - Bass/guitar
Hometown	Lisle, Illinois
Record Label	none currently
Influences	Living, Metaphysics, Spacing, new esoteric words, Playing Live Shows
Current Location	Lisle

Contact Info

Website	http://purevolume.com/buyingtrouble
Booking Agent	Derek Vaden 630 362 8875 - buyingtrouble@hotmail.com

An Epic Moment With A New Generation Of Rock Music At Starry Nights

OAKLAND, Ky. _ It hit me suddenly last Saturday night at  Ballance Farms* in Warren County while attending Starry Nights Music and Arts Festival.
     I was standing backstage when I heard the incredible loud roar of the crowd of thousands of people cheering, clapping, yelling and screaming for Bowling Green, Ky's own super-stellar indie rock band, "Cage The Elephant" as they performed their hit song "In One Ear" on the stage.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBXlbw0niUI&feature=relmfu.   Thousands of Cage fans were dazzled by the brights lights that flashed around the stage and showered the young musicians as they performed. The crowd danced, screamed and bounced around as the cacophony of intense rock music boomed into the late September starry night sky.

   I quickly realized that this was an epic moment for the new generation of indie rockers and their fans. Cage The Elephant and Bowling Green resident and founder of Starry Nights, Bryan Graves, had actually pulled it all off, bringing thousands of music lovers and campers to a large farm out in the middle of nowhere.  Starry Nights was held several miles outside of Bowling Green during a beautiful cool night illuminated by  a full moon and many stars!  Curators Matt and Brad Shultz  (Cage The Elephant) and founder Graves along with lots of volunteers and event staff brought music to people of all ages nationally.  Starry Nights has made history with the largest two day musical event to ever take place in Bowling Green and Southcentral Kentucky.
  The Starry Nights weekend officially began for me and Patty on Thursday night.  Since we had been networking on Facebook as band parents for quite a while, we had met several new friends who are fans of Sleeper Agent and Cage The Elephant. Facebook friends from Seattle, Wash.. flew in to Nashville and after checking into rooms at Marriott Courtyard in Bowling Green, called.  We met up with them for drinks and dinner at Double Dogs later that night.  And then on Friday afternoon, we met two family  Facebook friends from Chicago for lunch at Cheddars.  Patty said expect 1 or 50, she had no idea, but it turned out to be 20+ with parents and their rock star hopefuls.  Afterwards they would settle into their rooms at Hilton Garden Inn.  We also hosted  a great friend and photographer from Lexington who was one of the first to photograph Sleeper Agent in "LexScene" magazine.  Tony's godparents, Gay and Bill (also his aunt and Uncle) drove up from Memphis to hear the Sleepers perform for the very first time.
   Backstage underneath the hospitality tent,  a large gathering of  friends and family members  (by invitation only) surrounded the bands. In the crowd,  were band parents, close friends, media and other local band members and friends.  All of these were fans of the Bowling Green music scene, and we we basked in a celebration of the success of these fine musicians.  Of course, my wife, Patty and I were there with our son, Tony, guitarist and vocalist of Sleeper Agent.   It was also great to see Matt and Brad Shultz again from Cage The Elephant as well as Brad's wife, Lindsay.  And course, we greeted and shook hands with Bryan Graves, founder of the festival and complimented his great work. As always there were big hugs and hellos all around and brief conversations with Matt and Brad's parents, Margie and Brad Sr.,  We also met older Shultz brother, Jeremy and met and spoke with lead guitarist Tyler Parrish (another super-cool member of Cage The Elephant).  And what a pleasure to see rock promoter, band producer and good friend of Cage The Elephant and Sleeper Agent, Ryan "Zummy" Zumwalt and wife Laura of Nashville, Tenn.. Of course, it's always great to see and give hugs to the members of  the other Sleepers too, lead singer Alex Kandel, keyboardist Scott Gardner, drummer Justin Wilson, bassist Lee Williams and lead guitarist, Josh Martin. (All the Sleepers are BG residents, attending high school here and Western Kentucky University with exception of Martin from Nashville who joined the band in February 2011).  Also, Sleeper Agent road manager, Nick Hardy of Nashville was very gracious and friendly as always who gave a ride the stage to the backstage area in golf cart when we arrived at the festival.  Before the Sleepers went on stage, Patty and I spoke briefly with  well-known Rock DJ, Tommy Starr from WDNS-FM, D93, in Bowling Green.  Tommy was very cool and apparently is a big fan of Sleeper Agent like he is with a lot of other local bands.  Tommy is a big promoter of the Bowling Green music scene by hosting the former "Home Cookin'" on D93.  He still does a form of the show every afternoon Monday through Friday.
   We were able to see Sleeper Agent and Cage The Elephant perform from the side of the stage as "privileged holders" of backstage passes.  Had we left the back stage area, we would not have been allowed to return.  So we just watched from the sides of the stages and stayed backstage and enjoyed the company of  the family and friends and the members of the bands.  Sleeper Agent played one of their brand new songs that will be on their next album called "Be Brave." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlWepFPoVq4   They will be going into the studio beginning  Nov. 12 for a month in Nashville with producer, Jay Joyce, and the album will be released on the RCA record label.  And supposedly Tony and Alex from Sleeper Agent will be heading to Japan sometime in December to promote their first album, "Celabrasion" which is already being media blitz by RCA/Sony. Apparently, the album has a lot interest and popularity already by the Japanese.  RCA is also Cage The Elephant's new label for the next album too.  They will be going in the studio soon too with Joyce.  Joyce has produce Cage's first two album as well as Sleeper Agent's first album.
    Mainly, it was an incredible night to witness the Bowling Green music scene make history as Starry Nights translated energy and vibe into the minds and memories of thousands of people, young and old, who will remember this night for the rest of their lives.  Patty and I know we will.

*Ballance Farms located on  Louisville Rd on the outskirts of  Bowling Green is also known their country hams that were cured, sold and shipped all nationwide for many years.  It has also been home to Bluegrass music festivals and motocross racing events.

Bowling Green, Ky.'s "Jimmy "D's" Bar-B-Que": Some Damn Good BBQ!

     I haven't written a blog about BBQ in a while.  I just love how BBQ is spelled or displayed in many different ways in our American society-BBQ, Barbecue, Barbeque, Bar-B-Q, Bar-B-Que or even Bubba Chew.  (Being a Southerner, I made that one up-"Bubba Chew."  lol.)  But anyway, lately I have found myself becoming more of a "purest," or more simplified if you will, going more for the straight, hardcore BBQ.  I have reflected myself lately away from the hot sauces and sticking more with the mild sauces.  I am even keeping my menu choices down because of costs, trying to watch my weight and mainly because I want to try taste the full flavor or essence of BBQ that I have chosen to purchase and eat.

   There's one particular BBQ place in Bowling Green that I find myself keep going back to over and over especially when I'm in a hurry.  It's Jimmy "D's" Bar-B-Que located at the corner Scottsville and Plano Roads.  Like Jimmy's motto says on the outside of the building in big letters that hangs over the front door, "It's Habit Forming"  Boy, it sure is. Jimmy used own the grocery store that is located there for many years but he sold it Houchens Industries several years ago and now it's IGA Crossroads Market and Subway.  Jimmy had a reputation for the best steak cuts in the area.  People would drive for miles to buy his steaks.  I know I used to drive clear across Warren County to purchase them. However, after Jimmy sold to Houchens, he retained some of the land where he now has a rental storage business, a car lot and best of all, as far as I'm concerned, a BBQ place!   And he smokes and serves some of the best damn BBQ in Bowling Green and Southcentral Kentucky!
  The only thing about Jimmy "D's" Bar-B-Que, it is not a sit-down style restaurant.  You walk in, go to the counter, place your order, check out, take it home with you, eat in the car or sit at one of three picnic tables just outside the building to eat at.  If all three tables are all occupied (which they usually aren't), then you have to eat it in the car or take it to a park to eat if the weather is nice.  I don't have a problem with it because it's quick and easy. He's got everything in there to choose from.  BBQ beans, several different types of potato salads, slaw, chips, cookies, cooked green beans, BBQ ribs, BBQ beef brisket, jams, candy and etc. There's hundreds of choices and lots to types of foods that are in containers in the big glass coolers as you'll see when you walk in.  It's easy for you to pick from and take home with you.  By the way, I love all of Jimmy's old school, hand written signs on butcher paper.  I think it's dying art form that you don't see many places anymore.
    But my favorite choice every time is just the straight pulled pork BBQ sandwich with mild sauce, a pickle and an onion slice, a small bag of Lays Classic Potato Chips and a 12 oz. can Coke.  You can get all that for under $5 and it will fill you up because Jimmy puts a lot pork on that sandwich.  If you decide to try Jimmy "D's" Bar-B-Que, tell him, "Galen" sent you.  And he'll know who you're talking about!