Jason Statham is back doing what Jason Statham does best: playing a seemingly ordinary man with extraordinary combat skills, an unshakable demeanor, and an uncanny ability to dispatch bad guys with ease. Unfortunately, A Working Man brings nothing new to the table, making it feel like a lesser version of his previous films, particularly The Beekeeper and Wrath of Man.
The biggest problem with this film isn’t just that Statham is on autopilot—it’s that everything around him is, too. The villains are so cartoonishly over-the-top that they never feel like a real threat. Instead of creating tension or danger, they come off as caricatures, making the action feel hollow. A good action film needs a strong antagonist to balance its hero, but here, Statham’s character is never truly challenged.
Another major misstep is how Statham’s character (whose name is so forgettable that I may as well just keep calling him Jason Statham) ascends the ranks of the criminal underworld. The way he maneuvers through their organization is so convoluted and nonsensical that it quickly becomes distracting. A good B-movie thrives on simplicity and tight execution, but this one gets bogged down in unnecessary complications that don’t add up.
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of A Working Man is that it comes from director David Ayer, who has proven he can deliver gritty, engaging action with films like Fury and last year’s The Beekeeper. Here, though, the script’s glaring holes, uninspired storytelling, and lack of a real challenge for its lead weigh everything down.
While Statham has made a career out of playing the same type of character, this time, it just doesn’t land. There’s a fine line between consistency and stagnation, and A Working Man unfortunately falls on the wrong side of it. For longtime fans of Statham’s brand of action, this might still be a serviceable watch, but for anyone hoping for something fresh or engaging, it’s a letdown.
Ah, SXSW—the annual pilgrimage where sleep is optional, lines are inevitable (unless you have a fancy badge like me), and discovering your new favorite band is just a wrong turn away. This year, I had the honor of being a Music Mentor, which basically meant I got to skip a bunch of lines and pretend I knew what I was talking about. Between catching insane live sets, running into nerdcore legends, and witnessing a band perform with actual puppets, it was a week of pure, beautiful madness. Here’s my completely unfiltered, sleep-deprived recap.
Nothing like an early morning flight from TPA to AUS to remind you that sleep is for
the weak.First stop: badge pickup. This year, I was a Music Mentor, which means I was an “Official Speaker.” This also means I had the SXSW equivalent of a Disney Fastpass and could waltz past lines like a VIP.After securing my golden ticket, I hit SXSW Songs at Arlyn Studios, an
international songwriting camp where artists, producers, and songwriters from all over the world
come together to create magic. It’s one of the best-kept secrets of SXSW—like a hidden level in a video game.First show of the week? Japanese heavy metal band Gokumon. They had
synchronized dance moves, headbanging, their own hype person, and even projected lyrics in both Japanese and English. Their soundcheck was so serious I half expected a NASA countdown. 10/10, would headbang again.People say “Rock is Dead” while a Japanese band absolutely destroys a venue in Austin, Texas, in front of a mostly Japanese audience. Yeah… rock’s fine, guys. Maybe you just need to leave the US.“Hey man, are you a Bucs fan?” “Nah cuz, the hat just goes with the shoes.”It doesn’t get any more Austin than Bob Schneider, who’s been playing at Saxon Pub
every Monday for 26 years. I caught him not at Saxon, but performing a few songs for a live
radio broadcast on Sun Radio.Randomly ran into MC Frontalot, a nerdcore hip-hop pioneer (per Wikipedia, the
most trusted source of SXSW bathroom line debates). We had a full conversation before I
realized who he was. Later, I tried to watch his documentary, Nerdcore Rising, on the flight
home… but, plot twist: it’s not on streaming.Thanks to MC Frontalot, I caught British duo Alt Blk Era at Parish. Easily one of the best sets of the week. Their stage was a fog machine’s dream, and their lyrics included gems
like: “She’s snorting cocaine every other weekend / She’s partly insane, she’s my drummer’s
girlfriend.” Poetry.Hardcore Montreal band Truck Violence performed like they had a personal vendetta against silence. I respect the energy.Saw the amazing Quelle Rox at the very fancy Driskill Hotel during a party hosted by
Notorious Noise and The Luna Collective—two badass, women-run companies with
impeccable taste. Nothing says “rock and roll” like a luxurious chandelier above a mosh pit. Baths played in direct sunlight at Flood Magazine’s Floodfest, making it the
Hottest Set at SXSW (literally). We all barely survived. This was my annual reminder to drink
water.Irish post-punk band Gurriers played next and proved why they were one of the
most hyped bands this year. With 35% of SXSW bands coming from overseas, it felt like Austin became the most cultured city in Texas.Tried to see Dead Gowns at Cheer Up Charlie’s. This is as close as I got.The Creem Mag/Third Man Records Showcase was a masterclass in chaos, but
Brooklyn’s TVOD (Television Overdose) took the crown. They played 13 shows in 6 days, which is either legendary or a cry for help.Met Sons of Sevilla at a party early in the week. They told me about their set at the
Space Agency party, so I made it a point to check them out. Glad I did—great music, great
guys. Also, this is your reminder to talk to strangers (at SXSW, not in dark alleys).Speaking of the Space Agency party, the wildest set of the week came from
Worn-Tin and the Freak Nature Puppets. Yes, puppets. The crowd lost their minds. I can’t
even explain it, and honestly, I don’t want to.Acid Baby Jesus packed Hotel Vegas to the point where it was one in, one out the
entire set. I was shoved into a wall but accepted my fate. Greek psych rock waits for no one.Jasmine.4.t ended their set with a System of a Down cover, which instantly made
them my new favorite band.Before heading to the airport, I had to catch Frankie and the Witch Fingers. They
were the most talked-about band at SXSW, and somehow I had scheduling conflicts every time
they played—except for this one last set at the BrooklynVegan party. Perfect way to close out
the madness.
SXSW TLDR:
Rock is alive and well
Hydration is essential
Nerdcore legends walk among us
Puppets belong in live music
My SXSW Fastpass badge was the real MVP
See you next year, Austin.
About the Author: Randy Ojeda is an entertainment attorney dedicated to protecting the rights of musicians and creatives. As the founder of Randy Ojeda Law, he provides legal counsel on contracts, intellectual property, and business matters, helping artists navigate the complexities of the music industry. A graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law and a member of The Florida Bar, Randy combines his legal expertise with real-world industry experience. He is also the CEO and Co-Founder of Cigar City Management, an artist management company, and the host of Cigar City Radio, a podcast featuring interviews with musicians and industry professionals. Follow Randy @realrandyojeda https://www.randyojedalaw.com/
If you haven’t heard of Paper Suit, you might be feeling a little left out right now. But the fact of the matter is, Paper Suit is just now being brought into the fold. Launched just last month, the five-artist collective is a collaborative project between internet friends who also happen to be rappers. Together, they blend their styles, intonations, and perspectives to make this a beautiful and fun experience for all.
We sat down to get to know the guys recently, and it inspired an interview series. Tune in to part one below, and let us know what you think of the new project on Instagram!
Petoskey, Michigan bred folk-rock quartet Michigan Rattlers – expertly comprised of Graham Young, Adam Reed, Christian Wilder, and Anthony Audia – is probably showing up close to you sometime soon. They mounted a three-month tour in February, and don’t show any signs of slowing down. We got a few minutes to catch up with lead singer Graham Young ahead of their March 12th show in Kansas City.
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Was there a moment when you realized you wanted to pursue music as more than a hobby?
Graham: I feel like I’ve always kind of been somebody that goes all in. When I was a kid, probably between the ages of 5 and 11, I played hockey and I was going to play in the NHL. It wasn’t just for fun.
Then I got a guitar for my 12th birthday and I’ve seen some live ACDC videos. I needed to get a guitar because that’s what I wanted to do. I needed to be in a band and play a big stage and be a guitar player. So it was kind of like, from the moment I started it was all I wanted to do. And do it seriously.
It really was never a hobby to begin with. I went in full steam ahead.
That’s incredible, to just know in your bones. You found your people pretty quickly too, yeah?
Graham: I grew up in a small town so there weren’t that many kids and people around. Seemed like I got a guitar and Tony – everybody that’s in the band now – we’ve all been playing together in some iteration since we were 12 or 13 years old.
Part of it too, where we grew up the school band program was pretty intense and pretty respected and we were all part of that. Kind of going to school every day and playing music and learning different instruments. Saxophone was my first instrument. All the other guys played percussion. You’d go to the band room every day from 6th grade to 12th grade and play that. Then after school we’d kind of do the rock band thing. Playing music together was always part of what we did.
I’m just happy your region had resources to be hard! That’s amazing. Over the years – and maybe even more recently – how have you noticed your music shift and maybe your approach to it?
Graham: When we first started the band it was really a bunch of songs I had written by myself in my bedroom. It was just me and a guitar. That was kind of where it started, then as personnel expanded and instrumentation expanded, you just kind of are able to do more things. It was kind of a natural evolution in terms of how we create the music, what it sounds like. And there’s a little bit of an audience too. It’s not something you like to think about, but it does certainly factor.
When you think about creating this body of work, I feel like we are far enough down the road a little bit – almost like 10 years – and you can kind of get a bird’s eye view of where we were and where we’re going and kind of take that into consideration.
I did feel more connected to this third album. It is such a journey, is there a particular song on this release you identify with the most or have a story about?
Graham: Good question. I mean, all of them. For us, as a band, I think it’s true that this third album does feel kind of like the first album that we really made in the way that we wanted to make it. We really took our time with it, with the songs. Some of these songs started in Covid, 2020, 2021. It took years to kind of shape them in these different ways.
The title track, “Waving From A Sea,” is pretty important to me. In the past I didn’t do a lot of rewriting. I was kind of just like “This is how it is.” But with “Waving From A Sea,” we were in Burlington, Vermont on tour and had a couple of days off. I was sitting in the Air BNB and had a moment. I had the guitar out and was flipping through some notebooks and just fell upon some lyrics from… I don’t even know how long ago I’d written them. And it was kind of like a verse. And I was like, “Well, this is pretty sweet” and then just started messing around with it. So it was a process of finding these old bits I’d completely forgotten about and working with them. It kind of sparked this new feeling to just take these and run with them. So that was that song.
And “Heaven,” sonically and phonetically, was one of the touchstones for this album. Just the bigger, more filled out sound with the synths and guitars. And the idea of just kind of not living in this weird, nostalgic past and not being in this anxious, uncertain future. Just telling yourself; “You’re living right now and your life is going to be over soon, you’re going to be really pissed that you missed it.” You’re here, in Paris, with a beautiful lady. So let’s live here and not worry about what’s coming next. So that was kind of “Heaven.”
The little spoken outro was something too. We got some gear this time so I was able to do some recording and demos on my own. We had kind of been going in and out of the studio here in Nashville. I was just at home and I felt like there needed to be something at the end. So I was messing around with this weird spoken, half sung thing that I would have been way too embarrassed to do in the studio with everyone else just watching me try this thing. Since I was by myself, I was just having fun. And I was like, “Oh shit, this is actually pretty sweet.” So I was able to take a chance and if it sucked, I was the only one that knew about it. So that was kind of a fun piece of it.
It turned out so well, too! What a lesson in confidence. Speaking of “Heaven,” how did the concept for the video come about, or do you have any stories from set?
Graham: The “Heaven” video was directed by my girlfriend, Ally Bernstein. And then her friend and our friend, Shelby Goldstein who has taken a bunch of photos for us over the years. We were doing things on this album we hadn’t done and we wanted to create this world visually too. We knew “Heaven” was gonna be one of those singles and really it was just kind of Ally and Shelby who came up with the concept of it.
Kind of in tandem, though, we shot “Heaven” and “Gridlock” on the same day in the exact same spot. We didn’t have a ton of money, we shot it in LA and Shelby had some connections. It was a whole crew, it was a real deal production which was really fun. We did the “Heaven” video around 11am and finished at 4pm. And then we reset and did “Gridlock” after that. So they are kind of connected in this way where it’s kind of “Heaven” and then “Gridlock” kind of descends into this dark red, hellish vibe.
[The “Heaven” video] was fun [to make]. It’s easy to have fun when you’re playing, it’s a little strange when you’re lip syncing and dancing around and trying to vibe out in front of the camera with a bunch of people watching.
You are NOT wrong! Michigan Rattlers are stopping thru KC on March 12. Anything you’re looking forward to?
Graham: We’ve been to Kansas City a handful of times. It’s one of those places where it took a couple times to feel like we had kind of broken through in a certain sense. The last time we were there was definitely the best turnout. But yeah, Kansas City was fun. I feel like we always go to Arthur Bryant’s, so done that 2 or 3 times. Everywhere we go we try to find good food and a bookstore or something.
Fantastic! Now, you all started tour already and you’re going through, more or less, the middle of May. How did you prepare yourself for that?
Graham: I feel like I’m still preparing, we’re still figuring it out. We did a lot of rehearsal. Outside rehearsal, you just have to do it live and figure it out. We have been touring for a while, so we kind of know what we’re getting into with these long stretches. It has been a while, we didn’t do much touring last year at all. This is the first time in a while that we have really hit it hard.
You just take it a day at a time and you try to treat it like you’re waking up and doing it at home. Don’t treat it too differently. Find the little things to make yourself comfortable.
Any items you have to have with you on the road?
Graham: Healthyish bars, protein bars, things like that. Can’t snack on Chex Mix all day long. You gotta have a water bottle and some vitamins.
Good! We take care of ourselves! I’m proud of you guys.
Graham: It’s been about a decade. When I was 20, we weren’t as conscientious about being healthy. And we have so much more gear now. Back in the day, it was a couple guitars and a bass. SOundcheck took 15 minutes. Now, it takes almost 2 hours to load in, soundcheck. It’s a little more physically intense than it used to be so you have to prepare yourself and be able to just do it. It’s not just oplkaying the show, you’ve got to be in shape enough to do the other things. Otherwise it’s truly miserable.
If you could be any superhero… or have a specific power, who or what would you choose?
Graham: Umm I’ve always kind of been drawn to Batman. He’s just a regular dude that’s trying his best. I mean, regular, filthy rich guy. He’s just kind of like a weird guy doing his thing.
A superpower? I think being able to hold a book by the covers and absorb everything that’s in the book. Like, all at once. That would be incredible. It would save a lot of time.
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Michigan Rattlers play Encore at the Uptown Theater on March 12. Waving From A Sea is out now. Check out the “Lilacs Bloom” video here.
Brooklyn-based indie pop collective The Davenports – masterminded by multi-instrumentalist Scott Klass and a rotating cast of artists – has been riding high off of critical acclaim over their fifth album, You Could’ve Just Said That, and for good reason. Klass’ mastery of the production process – from concept to recording and mixing – is on full display, as it is the first release charmingly self-recorded at home. This allowed him to really do whatever experimenting and manipulation he wanted to with the tracks, resulting in a powerhouse audio adventure.
Today, The Davenports focus on the release of their official music video for “We Know We Want To.” The song itself? A layered, stripped down-yet-sweet confection for the ears, calling for simplicity and honesty. Explains Klass of the track:
This is essentially a love song, but with a polyamory spin, based on a story I heard. I don’t know how common it is. Two people were part of a friend group that believed strongly in polyamory, and it just stopped working for one-half of that couple. They loved their primary partner and reached a point where sharing was painful and stopped making sense. It was pretty heartbreaking to hear about how they just put up with it for a while, just fighting their truth. It’s a question about the balance between your honesty and your principles in situations where the two might not be aligned.
The refrain: “It’s principle we all have sold / that one-on-one is tired and old / let’s put the party line on hold…and hold each other like we know we want to.”
When it came to the official music video for the piece, Klass knew he wanted to work with Mount Emult, who he has worked with previously. The artist creates gorgeous collage-style stop-motion by hand that “blows everyone away.” And Klass’ praise is not wrong. The video was pieced together so masterfully, there’s a sense of magic, nostalgia – and the simplicity the song is asking of us – to it all.
“I wanted someone great to interpret it their own way,” explained Klass. “This is essentially a love song, and the rush of imagery is, to me, as fitting of the rumination related to heartbreak as it is a visual juxtaposition to the song’s theme.”
You can get your first peek at the video for “We Know We Want To” here, now.
Keep up with The Davenports on Instagram, and pop some of their tunes into your library.
While every other artist on the planet is pulling back on the reigns and really trying to curate a specific image or brand, there are some artists that have owned their creative space for quite some time. People who are so naturally good at what they do and well-versed in who they are that sometimes their artistry is taken for granted. People who have never missed a note or a step on stage, developed an array of great relationships early in their careers and created collaborative opportunities for themselves and their colleagues.
One such performer? The jaw-dropping, intrinsically talented but somehow still infinitely humble Mýa.
I had the unique pleasure of seeing her in concert on February 15th in Kansas City at the R&B Remix Tour at T-Mobile Center. Troop and Hi-Five opened the show, that then welcomed Mýa on stage before rolling into classics and fan favorites from Ginuwine and Jagged Edge.
Mýa took the stage in a red bustier, gorgeous red suede heeled boots that came up above her knees, and coordinating collage-themed hot pants, jacket, and doo-rag. A touch of street style mixed with some classic dance garb allowed her to put her power on full display – both vocally and dance-wise. As someone who was classically trained in dance from childhood, she truly knows how to pull out all the stops when on stage. (I mean, have you SEEN her tap?)
Mya’s set was short and sweet, clocking in at under a half hour. But she left no room for curiosity or contempt while rolling through hits like “Case of the Ex,” “Ghetto Superstar (That Is What You Are)”, “Fallen,” and “My Love Is Like…Wo.” The entire arena was standing when “Lady Marmalade” hit the speakers, and the performer dazzled us with her insane vocal range.
She closed the set teasing us a little bit with the opening music from The Rugrats Movie, “Take Me There.” For those who are not millennials who lived and died by this orange VHS – or pop music on the radio at the time – this song was integral to the 90s in ways I cannot fully explain. And ever since, it has held my childhood like a bit of a time capsule. Rounding out her set with the instrumentals from this song was the right thing to do, as she reminded the crowd who she was and where they could find her.
After her performance, myself and my cohort had the unique ability of going backstage to see Mýa for a few moments. I have to say, Ginuwine performing Prince’s “Purple Rain” as we walked up to speak with her felt like a wild moment — the convergence of three musical greats in one space. And she couldn’t have been a more gracious and wonderful human.
I spoke with the guest services representative who was manning the elevator shortly after my interaction with the R&B great, and she asked me if she could see a photo. I showed her, and she exclaimed, “WOW! She’s just as beautiful as ever! The woman never ages! And her style!”
And she’s right.
When I exclaimed I was ready for a complete Mýa renaissance that evening, I wasn’t kidding. Luckily for us, it looks like she may be gearing up for new music here shortly. Keep up with her here.
