A lot of work went into preparing this week's preview, much of it for bands that quite frankly I really don't care all that much about but still researched anyway in the interest of inclusiveness. But since this post got to be so labor intensive, if I continue to do this in the future, I may have to be a little more selective.
Anyway, here's this week's listings:
Anyway, here's this week's listings:
MONDAY, JANUARY 18
Michael Jordan, Kevin Spears, Pinkerton (Aisle 5)
Monday night's Open Circuit Session will include Michael Jordan (no, not that Michael Jordan) playing electronic music, including drum machines, synths, and samples in a collage of hard-hitting, psychedelic sounds. Kevin Spears is an internationally known kalimba player whose one-man electronic orchestra uses controllers, synths and various gadgets that delivers a mix of experimental drum & bass, funk, tribal and folktronica. Opener Pinkerton is a self-proclaimed drum and bassist.
Monday night's Open Circuit Session will include Michael Jordan (no, not that Michael Jordan) playing electronic music, including drum machines, synths, and samples in a collage of hard-hitting, psychedelic sounds. Kevin Spears is an internationally known kalimba player whose one-man electronic orchestra uses controllers, synths and various gadgets that delivers a mix of experimental drum & bass, funk, tribal and folktronica. Opener Pinkerton is a self-proclaimed drum and bassist.
Calvin Johnson, Warehouse, DJ Cole Alexander, The Subsonics, Debbey Richardson, DJ Jared Swilley (529)
The previously planned set by Olympia, Washington's Calvin Johnson and Atlanta's Warehouse sounded interesting but unfortunately has been cancelled, and instead veteran Atlanta garage glam-rockers The Subsonics will set the tone for the rest of the week with a scuzzy set of proto-punk tunes. Debbey Richardson of Magic Bone opens. The DJ set by The Black Lips' Cole Alexander, on the original bill with Johnson, has been replaced with a DJ set by fellow Black Lips member Jared Swilley.
Warn The Duke, Any Otherwise, World's Greatest Dad, Like Mike, Outfront, Sunnycide (Purgatory at Masquerade)
If the Subsonics are too New Wave for your tastes, then Warn The Duke and Any Otherwise, from New York and Savannah, respectively, might be more your thing. They headline a bill at Purgatory in the godforsaken Masquerade that also includes Tbilisi's Outfront, a band from the other Georgia (the country not the state), and three more bands from right here in Atlanta.
Kottonmouth Kings, Marlon Asher, Chucky Chuck, C4mula (Hell at Masquerade)
Meanwhile, right across the breezeway at the godforsaken Masquerade from Purgatory, California punk rappers Kottonmouth Kings will be headlining a bill of hip-hop and rap acts on the Hell stage.
Lamb of God, Anthrax, Deafheaven (The Tabernacle)
A metal night, and it says something about my taste in music and listening habits that I'm surprised the line-up isn't in the reverse order. But headliner Lamb of God formed in 1994 in Richmond, Virginia and is a significant member of the new wave of American metal. Although there is much disagreement about Lamb of God's genre, they are generally considered groove metal. Bassist John Campbell, however, says that Lamb of God is a punk band that plays heavy metal, while drummer Chris Adler considers them speed metal. Supporting act Anthrax is generally regarded as one of the Big Four of thrash metal bands (the others being Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer) and have sold 2.5 million records in the United States from 1991 to 2004, with worldwide sales of 10 million. Finally, opener Deafheaven, whom I would have expected to be the headliner, is a newer band that formed in 2010. Their critically acclaimed second album, Sunbather (2013), ended up being one of the most praised albums of the year. Deafheaven's musical style has been described as primarily black metal infused with post-metal and shoegaze influences. This show, then, will showcase three generations of heavy metal, with Anthrax as the old-school establishment, Lamb of God as the next wave, and Deafheaven as the modern interpreters. If you like thrash metal, kids, this is the show for you.
Des Ark, Jock Gang, Man Up Yancey (529)
Des Ark is singer/guitarist Aimée Argote. According to Pitchfork, "For most of the last decade, Argote's band has existed as a Jekyll/Hyde operation, oscillating between thrashing noise rock and hushed folk. Depending on her lineup, a Des Ark show might find her making a mockery of ear plugs, contorting her body into impossible positions to force the cruelest sounds from her instrument, or playing for a crowd seated on the floor, inviting them to squeeze in closer in order to hear her over her unplugged guitar." It's anyone's guess which version will show up Tuesday night at 529. Avant-pop/ noise band Jock Gang unites former members of kids and Bother to play eerie pop with avant-garde overtones. Atlanta's Man Up Yancey opens.
Dessy Di Lauro's Neo-Ragtime (Vinyl)
Dessy Di Lauro and her partner Ric’key Pageot will make their Atlanta debut at Midtown's Vinyl. Di Lauro and Pageot self-describe their unique, original neo-ragtime show as "Feathered Fro-Hawk Futuristic Art Deco Centric Harlem Renaissance Hep Music," incorporating speakeasy-era elements reminiscent of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920-30s with their own modern urban flair.Gunpowder Gray, Illegal Drugs, Disable, Thoth Nemesis, Resons (The Earl)
This is listed as a "Benefit Show," but I can find no information about whom it's benefiting. Regardless, Gunpowder Gray is a local band who strive for a sleazy, blues-tinged rock sound driven by heavy guitar riffs. Illegal Drugs include member of Turf War and Hawks. Thoth Nemesis is "music for devil worship recorded at full volume after a mental breakdown." In other words, if you haven't already guessed, this is a metal show and maybe just the thing if you can't afford the $35 tickets for tonight's Lamb of God/Anthrax/Deafheaven show.
Chasing Safety, XXI, Come And Rest, Heartfelt, Be(lie)fs (Purgatory at Masquerade)
Hardcore bands Chasing Safety from Cherry Hill, NJ and Louisville's XXI headline a set at the godforsaken Masquerade with Chattanooga's Heartfelt and Atlanta's Come and Rest. Be(lie)fs open (Get it? How they put the "lie" in "beliefs" in parentheses to show that there's always a lie in the middle of beliefs?).
Melodime, The Georgia Flood, Amy Gerhartz (Smith's Olde Bar)
Remember Smith's Olde Bar? Rumor was it was going to be torn down, but it's still there and on Tuesday night, Virginia alt-country band Melodine will headline a set with The Georgia Flood and Amy Gerhartz.
The Marrows, Bird Laww (529)
The Marrows (not to be confused with Marrow, who play at The Earl next week) are punks straight from the basements and garages of Atlanta with a penchant for the psychedelic, who promise heavy, fun, rowdy rock 'n' roll music focused on headbanging and uplifting the soul. Openers Bird Laww describe themselves as "a sweaty rock band from Atlanta, Georgia."
Helta Skelta, Davidians, Wymyns Prysyn, GHB (The Earl)
Helta Skelta are a punk band from Perth, Western Australia. Davidians are a punk band from Raleigh, North Carolina. Wymyns Prysyn and GHB are punk bands from Atlanta, Georgia. They all play Wednesday night at The Earl.
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| GHB at The Earl, Christmas, 2013 |
Michael McDermott (Eddie's Attic)
T-Wayne, Tk N Cash, Tate Kobang, Rejjie Snow, Rich The Kid (Terminal West)
Rapper T-Wayne's Young Hustle Tour makes it to Atlanta and Terminal West with a posse of support acts and openers.
Singer/songwriter Michael McDermott's blend of rock n' roll reportedly includes folk sensibilities, pop hooks, and heartfelt rock.
T-Wayne, Tk N Cash, Tate Kobang, Rejjie Snow, Rich The Kid (Terminal West)
Rapper T-Wayne's Young Hustle Tour makes it to Atlanta and Terminal West with a posse of support acts and openers.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21 Reverend Horton Heat, Unknown Hinson, Nashville Pussy, Igor & Red Elvises (Terminal West)
A rockabilly/shockabilly/psychobilly show with more than a little humor thrown in. The Reverend Horton Heat's music is a mixture of country, surf, punk, big band, swing, and rockabilly; the Reverend describes his sound as "country-fed punkabilly." The loud and energetic band has achieved mainstream success and their songs have been featured in video games, cartoons, and commercials. Unknown Hinson looks like Dracula's nasty little brother who spent some hard years drinking and working as a carnival barker for a second-rate freak show, and plays a country and western-tinged psychobilly fronted by Hinson's outrageous and campy, white-trash persona. Nashville Pussy is an American hard rock band from Atlanta who mixes punk rock, boogie rock, Southern metal and psychobilly. Much of the band's lyrical themes mostly revolve around sex, drugs, drinking, and fighting, and the band's name is from a Ted Nugent song. Igor & Red Elvises started out playing Siberian surf rock and have grown to include accordions, sax, clarinet, trumpet, flute, banjo, mandolin, tuba and many other instruments.
Steve Poltz, Grant Lee Phillips (Eddie's Attic)
Singer-songwriter Steve Poltz headlines an early set at Eddie's Attic with Grant Lee Philips, formerly of Grant Lee Buffalo, opening.
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| Grant Lee Buffalo at Bumbershoot, 2011 |
Wild Adriatic, The Rocketboys (The Earl)
Saratoga Springs is located upstate New York about a half-hour or so north of Albany, and is the home of the Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center, a thoroughbred racetrack, and a vibrant downtown entertainment district. I lived in Albany for several years back in the 80s, and Saratoga Springs is one of the things there that kept me from going insane. Wild Adriatic are from Saratoga and sound like a riff-heavy, guitar rock band from the 1970s that would have fit right in with the FM radio playlist of that time. The Rocketboys from somewhere in Texas open.
Shampoo, Beverly Tender, Floral Print, Pretty Boy (529)An evening of four bands all of whom seem to be competing to come up with the most self-effacing descriptions they can imagine for their bands Atlanta synthpop band Shampoo say they sound like "solo George Michael and the Congos songs where the high harmony dude sings lead." Beverly Tender is a Raleigh duo who call what they play "pop/boopyboop/rock." Floral Print describe themselves as a "bipolar nerd rock, guitar based band from Atlanta" and Pretty Boy goes with "queer lo-fi honesty made by the three prettiest boys in ATL." Okay, maybe that last description isn't so modest after all
Josh Roberts & The Hinges, Emily Hackett, The Future Bases (Smith's Olde Bar)
“I want to cross folk mystery with country and blues emotion and electric guitar power,” says Josh Roberts of Charleston, South Carolina's The Hinges. “We want to make melting pot American music, real rock and roll music with the roots showing.” Atlanta songwriter Emily Hackett and Atlanta folk rock/indie rock/pop rock band The Future Babes open.
Jackson County Line, Daniel Parrish (Eddie's Attic)
Atlanta's Jackson County Line headline the late show at Eddie's Attic with Daniel Parrish opening. Expect folk-rock and alt-country.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22
Dylan LeBlanc, Anthony Aparo (Eddie's Attic)
Singer-songwriter Dylan LeBlanc headlines an early set at Eddie's Attic with Anthony Aparo, son of songwriter Angie Aparo, opening.
Native Suns, Capital Arms, My Fever (Drunken Unicorn)
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| Dylan LeBlanc opening for Joseph Arthur at Eddies' Attic, December 2013 |
A showcase for three Atlanta alt-rock bands. Native Suns claim influenced by The Smashing Pumpkins, Circa Survive, Mew, and This Will Destroy You, and have released a debut EP entitled Relay.Acquire. We've seen Capital Arms perform at an enjoyable day show during the 2014 Hopscotch Festival and look forward to hearing more from them. Originally from Florida, My Fever have relocated to Atlanta and have recently completed their first EP, See The Light.
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| Capital Arms at Hopscotch, 2014 |
Guy Blakeslee of the stoner-rock Entrance Band has recorded a solo album of more introspective, personal songs, which we will perform at a late-night set at The Earl. The music takes a step back from the dense layers of the Entrance Band to a sparser, more personal, narrative framework. Openers the Midnight Larks are a three-piece surf noir, dark country and garage psych rock band of musicians from various parts that have recently come together in Atlanta.
I.R.E., Taste (Aisle 5)
Atlanta's I.R.E. (Intello Rhythm Eclectic) fuses an eclectic array of reggae, rock, and funk. Taste opens,
Rayland Baxter (Smith's Olde Bar)
Tennessee singer/songwriter.
More harcore punk and thrash for a week not short of hardcore punk and thrash. Doors open at 9:00 and knowing 529, the first band probably won't start until 10:30 or later, and with five bands, this thing will probably last until 2:00 am or later.Atlanta's I.R.E. (Intello Rhythm Eclectic) fuses an eclectic array of reggae, rock, and funk. Taste opens,
Rayland Baxter (Smith's Olde Bar)
Tennessee singer/songwriter.
Nurse, Slugga, Alexa Lima, Caesium Mine, Ritual Knife (529)
Marianas Trench, Mainland (Heaven at Masquerade)
Marianas Trench, a pop band from Vancouver, BC, along with Mainland, a self-described Top 40 band from New York will perform upstairs on the Heaven stage at the godforsaken Masquerade. Do not go to this show if you're a day older than 16.
Chinua Hawk (Eddie's Attic)
Billy Gibbons and the BFGs, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown (Variety Playhouse)
ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons has a solo album out and his supporting tour takes him to Variety Playhouse on Saturday night. Wonder if he'll play some old ZZ Top songs? Young opener Tyler Bryant will likely lay down some blues lessons of his own.
The Vegabonds, The Dead 27s, Piano (Aisle 5)
The high-energy, guitar-driven brand of rootsy rock & roll of Nashville's The Vegabonds has been likened to everyone from Led Zeppelin to the Allman Brothers. South Carolina's Dead 27's sound has been described as a Southern blend of rock and soul. Piano is a South Georgia power trio that performs "loud & devilishly heartbreaking blues."Glen Iris, The People, Springwild (The Earl)
Glen Iris, who just played 529 on January 12, promise "brawny, scalding, guitar-dominated rock that sounds concurrently blunt, brazen and invigorating." The band consists of members of Rock*A*Teens, Brass Castle, The Close, and Sharps. It's hard to Google information on The People, but apparently they're a new band that blends elements of Southern and indie rock with blues and murder ballads to create a "sexy, semi-creepy, moody, and simple" sound. Springwild is the musical alias of Colin Arnstein, former front of Atlanta’s art-noise rock band Untied States. Springwild, however, is more grounded, stripped-down and emotionally direct. Arnstein still flirts with an off-kilter avant-punk aesthetic, but Springwild plays more from the gut than from the head.
Doesin, The Hotels, Cinema Nova, Sleep Dance (529)Doesin are an indie band with prog-rock, art-rock and funk influences. According to Creative Loafing, indie rock quartet the Hotels "write songs about boys and girls and all the wonderful and terrible things they do to each other, wrapped in sentimental jangle pop dirges." Cinema Nova and Sleep Dance open.
Mike Mains & The Branches, Young Edison (Vinyl)
Michigan's Mike Mains & The Branches consists primarily of Mike and Shannon Mains. The band originally formed in Texas and first made their way into the national spotlight after the release of their debut album, Home, in 2010. The band's music is characterized by their use of pop melodies that contrast with singer Mains' often aggressive vocal style. Atlanta's Young Edison opens.
Thriftworks ft. Dragon House, Teebs, Omari Jazz, The Morkestra (Terminal West)
EDM and dubstep.
Jukebox the Ghost, Greg Holden (The Loft)
Three-piece power pop from Washington, D.C. Opener Greg Holden is a New York-based British singer-songwriter best known for co-writing Home, the 2012 debut single for American Idol-winner Phillip Phillips.
The Charlie Fog Band, Gr8fldude & Frenz (Smith's Old Bar)
Grateful Dead cover bands.
Pat McGee (Eddie's Attic)
The first of a two-night stand at Eddie's Attic by Laurel Canyon-influenced singer-songwriter Pat McGee.
The Merky Muttheadz, Bleach Garden, Highly Trusted Men (Purgatory at Masquerade)
Two bands from the outer suburbs, Dawsonville's The Merky Muttheadz and Cumming's Bleach Garden, are allowed inside the perimeter to join like-minded Atlantans Highly Trusted Men on the Purgatory stage at the godforsaken Masquerade.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 24
Kaki King (Terminal West)
Royal Thunder is a four-piece band from Atlanta that blends elements of heavy classic rock, 90's grunge, and prog rock. NPR described them as “a revved-up Southern hard-rock that howls like Led Zeppelin astride a psychedelic unicorn.” Support will be from fellow Relapse Records artist Black Tusk and openers Bask.
Sidewalk Chalk (Aisle 5)
Chicago's Sidewalk Chalk includes a female MC/vocalist, a trio of keys, bass, and drums, a horn section, and a tap dancer to produce their blend of hiphop, soul, and jazz.
Pat McGee (Eddie's Attic)
The second of the two-night stand at Eddie's Attic by Laurel Canyon-influenced singer-songwriter Pat McGee.
The Trews, The Ides of June (Purgatory at Masquerade)
Alt-rock bands from Toronto and Atlanta grace the Purgatory stage at the godforsaken Masquerade.
Pat McGee (Eddie's Attic)
The second of the two-night stand at Eddie's Attic by Laurel Canyon-influenced singer-songwriter Pat McGee.
The Trews, The Ides of June (Purgatory at Masquerade)
Alt-rock bands from Toronto and Atlanta grace the Purgatory stage at the godforsaken Masquerade.
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