Saturday, February 16, 2013

Ramona Falls and Social Studies at The Masquerade, Feb. 15, 2013


Last night, after three days working long hours out-of-doors, on my feet all day and much of the time spent either crouching down or bending over, subject to Georgia winter weather that ranged from a cold, raw rain to warm and sunny skies, I was sore and tired and wanted either a hot bath, a long sleep, or both.  I'm not complaining (hey, it's a living) but instead of indulging myself in creature comforts, I went instead to the godforsaken Masquerade to see Portland's Ramona Falls. I was tired and hungry (I went straight from the job site to the concert), but despite it all enjoyed the music.

Readers of this blog know that I'm not a fan of The Masquerade, and the thought of putting up with its various discomforts and indignities on a night when I was tired and hungry to begin with was not an appealing prospect.  But a modicum of research revealed that the show would not be at the notorious and aptly named Hell stage while a metal band thrashed upstairs.  The show was held in the newly redecorated Purgatory lounge, which allows an intimate proximity to the bands even f it does have an annoying post right in the front of the stage and even if it does charge $7 for a domestic beer.  My physical fatigue was already strike one, and the venue was strike two.  It wouldn't have taken much for a strike three to get me to leave.

Strike three almost came from the parking situation, or lack thereof.  The City of Atlanta recently completed its new Historic Fourth Ward Park, and while that's a good thing (yea, parks!), the park took over what was formerly the parking lot for The Masquerade.  There was limited street parking along North Angier Avenue, and if I hadn't found the one remaining spot available on the street, I don't know where I would have parked. But I did find a spot, even if it was a long walk away from the venue, so strike three was narrowly averted.

Despite my attitude, the opening band, Loraine, was a pleasant surprise.  Loraine is a new five-piece instrumental band from Atlanta consisting of Ryan Love on drums, Justin Young and Eric Anderson on guitars, Josh Mendez on guitar and bass, and another, uncredited guitarist.  The obvious comparison is to Explosions In The Sky, but frankly, they play better at times and don't make the audience wait through such long quiet portions of their songs until the payoff bursts of guitar.

They have an EP, An Autumn Evening, out which you can listen to below if you're an EITS fan.


Shortly after Loraine's set, San Francisco's Social Studies took the stage.


Social Studies are led by Natalia Rogovin (vocals, keyboards) and Michael Jirkovsky (drums), who were later joined in 2009 by bassist Jesse Hudson and guitarist Tom Smith.  They added a second guitarist, Ben McClintock, this year.  Their music has been described as an "arch take on modernist pop" as heard on their first album, 2010's Wind Up Wooden Heart.



The goal of their new album, Developer, was reportedly to strip things down to the basics, straighten out some of the more jagged lines of their previous work, and put the focus more on texture and mood. Lead single Terracur from the new album calls the bluff of a headstrong friend threatening to leave, while Away For the Weekend turns the tables to justify a departure.






Although Ms. Ragovin noted this was her first time playing in Atlanta, it should be noted that there is another  band from Atlanta also called Social Studies, who are probably closer to Shabazz Palaces' avant hip-hop than to their SF namesakes' indie rock.  According to Atlanta music blog Latest Disgrace, "I think what I like most about Social Studies is that they are not what the layman considers Atlanta hip hop. It’s not status driven. It’s not about slinging weed. It’s not 'Dirty South' bullshit. It’s fucking art. I like that they play shows in the East Atlanta Village. I like that they fit better on a rock bill."









In any event, the headliners were Portland's Ramona Falls, the new project of former Menomena keyboardist Brent Knopf.

Ramona Falls play an "alternately whimsical and brooding blend of electro-acoustic pop and left-field indie rock" (AllMusic). Since forming in 2009 (before we saw him perform with Menomena at Atlanta's Variety Playhouse in 2010), the band has gone through various changes in personnel and lineup. I'm not sure who Mr. Knopf brought with him to The Masquerade last night, but their Facebook page lists the band's members as Mr. Knopf, Lauren Jacobson (violin), Brandon Laws (keypads and guitar), and Jerry Joiner (drums), which matches up pretty well with the gender and number of musicians on stage last night as well as their more recent publicity photos.

Ms. Jacobson provided some nice fills to the band's sound, but the standout instrumental performance was the powerhouse drumming of Mr. Joiner. Their songs were full of quick, turn-on-a-dime changes and always surprised the listener with unexpected hooks. It was an interesting performance by some interesting musicians.

For those of you curious about such things, the band is named after a hiking trail and water fall on Mt. Hood in Oregon, where Mr. Knopf used to like to hike as a child.

Ramona Falls, Oregon

Mr. Knopf said that this was the first time he brought his Ramona Falls project to Atlanta (even if he had performed here before as a member of Menomena).  He apparently had made some friends at the merch table, though, as he had greeted several of the audience from the stage by name, and mentioned a couple of birthdays.  On stage, he was the consummate multi-instrumentalist, playing keyboards as well as electric and acoustic guitars and even a little mandolin. 




In addition to playing the violin, Ms. Jacobson provided some back-up vocals and even performed some supporting percussion using drumsticks on one of the monitor wedges.  



In all, Ramona Falls played a rewarding set of quirky pop-rock, completing the evening shortly before midnight.  After the show, I hiked the long chilly walk down to the end of North Angier to where I had parked my car, and finally made it home to bed, to sleep, and to rest.  As it turned out, there was no strike three last night.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Little Tybee



Atlanta's Little Tybee have released  a transcendent video for their song For Distant Viewing, the title song for their new album out March 7, when they'll be performing at The Goat Farm.

Hmmm, another March Madness gig.  Beats going down to Savannah to see Little Tybee perform at the Savannah Stopover festival, and it gives us a good excuse not to see The Ruby Suns at The Drunken Unicorn.


Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Acid Mothers Temple

Acid Mothers Temple are coming to The Drunken Unicorn on Tuesday, April 23, 2013.  That's all the information you need.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Youth Lagoon

Youth Lagoon at The Drunken Unicorn, March 22, 2012

Boise, Idaho's Youth Lagoon, having previously dropped Dropla ("You'll never die, you'll never die, you'll never die"), a song from the new album Wondrous Bughouse, has now released a second song, the expansive Mute, below, further confirming his growth as an artist and a performer.




Youth Lagoon will be touring in support of the new album, including a set at Atlanta's fine venue, Terminal West on Wednesday, May 1, 2013.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Lost In The Trees Perform with Full Orchestra

Lost In The Trees at The Earl, November 3, 2012
North Carolina's Lost In The Trees recently teamed up with Duke University's Chamber Orchestra for a one-time-only performance and the video for Garden was posted to Brooklyn Vegan (below).

We last saw Lost In The Trees last November 3, when they officially closed out Rocktober 2012 at The Earl.

Sunday, February 10, 2013



Way back in the day, 1977 to be precise, I was a student at Boston University and radio station WBCN frequently played a regional hit called Roadrunner by a band called The Modern Lovers.  At the time, I found it humorous that the song, with its frequent references to Massachusetts and the City of Boston, to the Town of Roslindale and Stop 'n' Shops, to Needham and Route 128, was such an obvious local hit, and wondered if every major city didn't have a local performer parlay a similar song into a regional radio hit at the time (e.g., "I'm in love with Peoria. . .").  I liked the song but didn't pay it too much mind (I was more into jazz in those days).



Years later, life found me living in Atlanta, where local radio station WRAS frequently played songs from a pair of amusing records, almost comedy albums, called Jonathan Sings! and Rockin' and Romance by Jonathan Richman.  It took me a while to realize it was the same performer who earlier had recorded Roadrunner, but my life still went on more or less as normal (I was more into post-punk in those days).




Flash forward a few years and I'm living in Albany, New York, and see that Jonathan Richman is performing in town.  I went to the club, which was located in the back of a White Castle hamburger joint, and saw Jonathan for the first time.  He didn't perform Roadrunner, but he did performed his standards Pablo Picasso and I Was Dancing In the Lesbian Bar, as well as a memorable extended version of Down In Bermuda from Rockin' and Romance, in which he explained how he transformed from the stiff new wave performer of Roadrunner, to the wonderfully fluid and engaging performer we saw that night.



That was 1986, and I realized that night that I would be seeing Jonathan every chance I would get for the rest of my life.




I've lost count over the years, but I estimate that I've probably seen Jonathan perform 10 to 12 times now, most recently at Atlanta's Star Bar back in 2010 and the Ballroom at the Highland Inn in 2011.  I've seen Jonathan more times than any other performer, possibly twice as many times, or even three times more.



His music has continues to evolve over the years, incorporating flamenco and Italian influences and becoming ever more poignant and emotionally honest.  Yet, he's always maintained his sense of humor, a childlike naivety, and an intimate engagement with his audience.





Last night, Jonathan played the first of a two-night set at The Goat Farm.  I went last night and would go  again tonight, but it's raining balls out there and The Walking Dead season premier is this evening.  So there's that.

It was one of the best Jonathan performances I've seen, although I say that every time and nothing will ever beat that first time at the Albany White Castle, anyway.  He and long-time drummer Tommy Larkins clearly enjoyed the acoustics of the old brick and mortar building and the attentive quiet of the audience.  In all his years of performing and touring, he's clearly honed his craft - whatever you want to call it - to a fine art, and each of his audiences are clearly in the hands of a master.

Last evening, he played his relatively recent songs almost exclusively, and it's probably the first time that I've seen him when he didn't cover Pablo Picasso or I Was Dancing In the Lesbian Bar.  But that's okay, maybe he's saving them for tonight.  He did perform Egyptian Reggae, giving Tommy Larkins a chance to solo for a while, as well as new classics Because Her Beauty is Raw and Wild and Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow, as well as a brilliant and simultaneously heart-breaking and hilarious rendition of When We Refuse To Suffer.

Hmm.  Rain's letting up a little.  Maybe I can make it tonight after all.