The festival scene may be dead, but the live music scene is still, well, alive. Here in Atlanta, this coming week starts off a little slow but picks up momentum as it goes along, eventually turning into a veritable bonanza for jam-band fans, but there's lots of other things going on as well.
MONDAY, JANUARY 11
The only active stage for the evening is at 529, with headliners Aneurysm (Athens/Atlanta) providing a set of grunge-, progressive-, punk-, and hard-rock. A pair of Boston bands provide support, including loud, dirty rock 'n' roll by Black Beach and fuzz/surf punk by Midriffs. Local openers Lethal Tender are from somewhere Outside The Perimeter and promise "deadly and titillating," high-energy punk rock with female lead vocals. Nothing against the bands, but my advise for that night is to do what I'll be doing and find a sports bar somewhere and watch Alabama take on Clemson in the College Football Championship Game.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 12
For the second night in a row, all stages are dark except at 529, where Atlanta's Glen Iris, consisting of members of Rock*A*Teens, Brass Castle, The Close, and Sharps, promise "brawny, scalding, guitar-dominated rock that sounds concurrently blunt, brazen and invigorating." Spartanburg's Out of the Fire open.
x_______x, Obnox, Shocked Minds (The Earl)
Nothing at 529 on Wednesday night, but The Earl will provide a pair of Ohio punk bands, x______x and Obnox, supported by Atlanta's Shocked Minds.
Bowie In Sweats, Alexa Dexa, Jeffrey Bützer (The Earl)
This promises to be a unique-to-Atlanta, one-of-a-kind, anything-could-happen kind of a show featuring some unique but like-minded musicians. Jeffrey Bützer collaborator T.T. Mahony (of the annual Charlie Brown Christmas shows at The Earl) will perform a "sweatsuited tribute to the Thin White Duke to celebrate his 69th birthday." In addition, New York's Alexa Dexa will perform her toy piano pop and Bützer will play two mini sets with his bands The Bicycle Eaters and The Compartmentalizationalists.
Fantasy Guys, Tamarron, Dryspell, Talk Radio (529)
Meanwhile, Atlanta's Fantasy Guys will generate some groovy, tropical dream pop at 529, with support from two Austin bands, Tamarron and Dryspell, and Talk Radio opening.
Meanwhile, Atlanta's Fantasy Guys will generate some groovy, tropical dream pop at 529, with support from two Austin bands, Tamarron and Dryspell, and Talk Radio opening.
Railroad Earth, Town Mountain (Variety Playhouse)
The week's jam-band jamboree begins Thursday night with the first of a two-night stand at Variety Playhouse by these two jazzy, groove-based, free-flowing, bluegrass-influenced jam-bands.
The Soft Moon (Terminal West)
It must have been a tough week for the talent bookers at Terminal West - first, Wednesday night's planned show with Rob Garza of Thievery Corporation was postponed, and then Killing Joke cancelled their North American reunion tour, leaving the venue with only planned opener The Soft Moon as the Thursday-night headliner. Oh well, the show must go on.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 14
Grand Prize Winners From Last Year, Revel in Romance, General Heat, Judah, Fox Grin, and Bloodplums (The Earl)
This is a benefit show by Ignite The World to raise money and awareness for the MLK 40/40 Community Service Project (complete forty community service projects in forty days) and features a diverse line-up of Atlanta acts. We've seen GPWFLY before at the Atlanta Film Festival Sounds + Vision event at The Goat Farm, but the rest of the lineup is new to us, so here are a few samples to get us all acquainted.
Railroad Earth, Town Mountain (Variety Playhouse)
Second of the two-night stand by these jazzy, groove-based, free-flowing, bluegrass-influenced jam-bands.
Country-influenced singer-songwriter set.
Slang, Shepherds, Heavy Eyes, Satisfiers of Alpha Blue (529)
Album-release and tour-kickoff show for Atlanta-based Slang, whose music is "stylish and dark, dramatic, yet dance-able, blending elements of the comic, the gothic, and the divine." Atlanta's Shepherds, Heavy Eyes and Satisfiers of Alpha Blue will provide soulful rock, garage punk, and experimental psychedelic pop, respectively.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 15
Those Darlins, The Gaye Blades, Justin & The Cosmics (The Earl)
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| Those Darlins at Variety Playhouse, July 12, 2012 |
Nashville's country-punkers Those Darlins will be calling it quits soon, but before that they're engaging in one last victory lap across the country with a farewell tour, which come through The Earl on Saturday night. The Gaye Blades and Justin & The Cosmics will open,
The Grapes, The Jeff Mosier Band (Variety Playhouse)
If you didn't get enough of a jam-band fix the previous two nights at Variety Playhouse, there's always Saturday night's 30th anniversary, special reunion show there by The Grapes. We caught The Grapes in 1994 at the Atlanta Pot Festival, but unfortunately, we have no existent reliable photographic documentation of that set (it was that kind of day). Fun fact: Back in the 90s, during the burgeoning days of clunky, Compaq office computers and the early internet, the first IT guy hired by any company I ever worked for was this seeming young savant who brewed his own beer, had an improbably hot girlfriend, and was a huge fan of The Grapes. Just sayin'.
Grace Potter, Eliza Hardy Jones (The Tabernacle)If you didn't get enough of a jam-band fix the previous two nights at Variety Playhouse, there's always Saturday night's 30th anniversary, special reunion show there by The Grapes. We caught The Grapes in 1994 at the Atlanta Pot Festival, but unfortunately, we have no existent reliable photographic documentation of that set (it was that kind of day). Fun fact: Back in the 90s, during the burgeoning days of clunky, Compaq office computers and the early internet, the first IT guy hired by any company I ever worked for was this seeming young savant who brewed his own beer, had an improbably hot girlfriend, and was a huge fan of The Grapes. Just sayin'.
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| Grace Potter & Th Nocturnals at Atlantic Station, 2010 |
Alternately, if you want your jam-band experience laced with a bit more soul and blues, with the occasional oldie thrown in, there's always Grace Potter at The Tabernacle.
Finally, it wouldn't be Saturday night in Atlanta without hip-hop, EDM, and metal:
Waka Flocka Flame, Russ, Kelechi (Center Stage)
The Atlanta rapper's set is billed as the Flockaveli 1.5 Release Show.
Wick-It The Instigator, Ployd, Andy Bruh (Terminal West)
Nashville-based EDM d.j.
Palaces, Hello Cobra, Zruda, Spore Lord (529)
Four sludgey metal bands for your musical enjoyment.
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