Watch the video in HD

I shot this interview yesterday at the Wingard Creative office (where I work). Jack learned three things during our interview yesterday:

1. Not a good idea to shoot in front of a bright window
2. An external microphone would be a great idea
3. Jack mumbles. A lot.

One thing Jack mentioned in the interview, that I did not pick up on, is he has a few professional video-types who are eager to work with local bands to produce music videos for the contest. Send your band’s info to jdiablo@eujacksonville.com. If they like your stuff, they might be willing to offer their services.

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Special Guest: The Mayor – Topic: Millage Increase

A lot happening so these are gonna be rough! Better just listen. – Jack

Mayor – for the increase
City Council – cut spending instead
Residents – siding with council
voting next week (July 28th)
Mayor is optimistic
3-part plan
“we are at a crossroads”
lowest millage rate in FL
Clark’s influence?
Peyton is up for the fight!
Mayor v. Council – is that healthy?
? – shouldn’t fund arts, culture, social etc.
arts and culture will lose
T- people are evenly split on the issue
arts/culture = less than 1/2 of 1% of budget
@hiddentrack: “if we’re guilty of anything, it’s under-investing.” well said, mr. mayor. #ujw
T – Ritz Theatre will not be able to come back if we don’t protect it
government destroyed LaVilla, Ritz is all that’s left
J – fire/police budget always comes up
Peyton – does not support cutting fire/police budget
“violence epidemic in Jax”
“moving from being cheap to being irresponsible”
Sheriff’s Dept largest budget at City Hall
Abel (@jaxpolitics)
Ask Mayor how much faith he has in Council (running for re-election) to support true pension reform? #ujw
Public remains cynical b/c there has been no reform to AMIO positions. They’ve almost doubled in last few years. Nearly $15m. But, yet, emphasis has been placed on social services/cultural cuts. Why not move AMIO’s to civil service and trim to build trust? #ujw
Was there an attempt to bring Council members in on the budget planning process?
Legislature allowed “out” for Duval in statutory tax cuts, why didn’t Mayor ask Council to override that cap last year?
Does the Mayor support combining elections w/ state? What are the downsides?
T – wants the World Cup (Mayor’s for it!)
T- QOL first thing a big business asks about when they come to town
The mayor just said “critical mass.” No that critical mass, but still…
T – Kiplinger named Jax #6 Tax-Friendliest City
fixitnow.cc – website
Last ?: Does Mayor think public wld be more likely to support increase if it was dedicated mil to fund capital improvements/maintenance?
Jags/stadium

Music from Jack Diablo

Tuesday, July 21
Warehouse Show (1850 Wambolt 8B)
Panzram (Ft. Meyers)
Ripper (Jax)
Tourist Trap (Jax)

Wednesday, July 22
Indie-folk at TSI
Kevin Lee Newberry (Jax)
Little High Little Low (Gainesville)
Zeke (Jax)

Friday, July 24
Hip Hop at TSI
Shunda K (from Yo Majesty)
Heavy Flow (Jax)
Tough Junkie (Jax)

Sunday, July 26
College Street House Show
The Daytonas
Matrix Infinity
Erzulie
Omebi
Wudun
Royal Chord (Australia)
Psychic Reality (San Francisco)

Monday, July 27
Shantytown
Psychic Reality
Royal Chord
Bright Orange

Tuesday, July 28
Metal/Hardcore/Prog/Other Stuff at Doozers
Republicorpse (Orlando)
Time To Die (Orlando)
Buff Clout (Jax)
National Dairy (Jax)
Chicken & Whiskey (Jax)

Recommendations

Jonathan – Sulzbacher petition
Joey – budget links
Tony – RAM, duh – Justin Roberts (Paul McCartney of kid music)
Renee – Mayor’s appearances
Mayor – fixitnow.cc GET SMART!

If you think Jack Diablo produces the show and turns in for the week, oh no. He’s a true renaissance man. His Urban Jacksonville Weekly duties just kick off the week. He details the rest of his days in his post Gainfully Unemployed.

Photo compliments of JaxScene

Between playing in Chicken and Whiskey (Doozers, July 28th) and tweeting for Burro Bags, Jack writes crazy amounts of music articles for EU Jacksonville all wrapped together in one section: http://www.eujacksonville.com/jack.php.

We’re excited to have Jack on the team. He’ll be writing show notes, doing a local music segment and monitoring Twitter and Facebook for any questions you might have for our special Urban Jacksonville Weekly guest: Tough Junkie.

Tough Junkie at the Partisan the Sea art show. Photo compliments of JaxScene

Jack recently wrote an album review of TJ’s Grab What You Can:

Tough Junkie’s initial foray into hip hop may have been akin to a kid with a chemistry set, crafting beats out of tape decks to accompany his rhymes the way an aspiring young scientist might mix the contents of test tubes to get a reaction. Junkie’s been getting a reaction here in Jacksonville for years, a positive one, and now after years in the lab obsessing, perfecting, evolving, the rest of the world will be exposed to one of Jacksonville’s best kept secrets.

We’ll be talking about three topics on the show: Summertime in the City (which Jack also wrote about in EU. Hmmm suprise), Part Duex of Tony’s Uptown Market preview and whatever Jonathan comes up with. Read Jack Diablo’s blog and follow him on Twitter.

Don’t forget to watch Urban Jacksonville Weekly Tonight at 5:30

Video compliments of JaxScene

In this episode we welcome our new producer Jack Diablo and talk about the following topics City Budget – The Chopping Block, new parks for Brooklyn, Uptown Market (part 1 of 3). And if you missed the live show, you missed all the good talk before the show started. Get there early for insider info, that’s for the live viewers only.

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You can now listen right now, click the play button above.

Urban Jacksonville Weekly #23 for 7/6/09

City Budget – The Chopping Block
What’s on Jacksonville city’s budget chopping block? (includes the infographic we were discussing)
raise millage rate
Historic Preservation – eliminated
T – no downtown association
JM – Joel as consultant, eliminate bureaucracy
JB – Ritz – eliminated
T – going to lose character
JB – lose special events
JM – scare tactic
JM – will pass (prediction)
JB – TU help people understand what it means
T – like $9 per household tax for school board raise

Brooklyn Parks
@mogdoy: #ujw. What boundaries define Brooklyn?
T – Brooklyn boundaries St. Johns River, I-95, LaNilla, Fuller-Warren
Metro Jax posted on both of these parks

Unity Park
UP – retention pond
Brooklyn Park development on hold
JM – Forest Avenue and entrance into city
T – Riverside Ave hard to cross
JM – make pedestrian friendly
T – Riv Ave screwed Brooklyn

Artist Walk
connects RAM to Riverside Park
T – add booths to RAM
JB – another tricky crosswalk
T – add streetlight
T – ride your bike
T – cops inside market not traffic
@mogdoy: #ujw. I always imagined that arts walk area as a burnside style skatepark.

Music section
All we really want to say about the music section is you have to tune in. And Jack is in a band called Chicken & Whiskey.

Uptown Market Part 1 of 3
T- open August-ish
T – Chef Eddie (BG)
T – killer breakfast menu
JM – grocery items?
T – staples only
T – beer and wine

Recommendations
Jonathan – jacksonville.com/jacksonville_blogs
Tony – UJ mixtape release party happy hour – midnight frozen drinks
Joey – Jax Observer radio

end