Daughter

Daughter at Terminal West, April 1, 2016

Daughter's tour now has the band in Australia, but here's a video below from their time in Seattle.

Daughter at Terminal West, Atlanta - April 1, 2016

Last evening, the London band Daughter played to a sold-out crowd at Atlanta's Terminal West.  I arrived before the show started, but a good solid 45 minutes after the doors had opened, and the large crowd already there kept me from getting close to the stage (hence the graininess of some of these photos).  Apparently, Daughter has become much more popular than when we last saw them at Variety Playhouse in September 2013, and the audience was also noticeably younger than at the Playhouse show.  Good for Daughter - it's nice to see nice people succeed.

New York/London band Wilsen opened.  To say that Wilsen sound like Daughter would be an understatement.  I could see why someone decided it would be a good idea for the two bands to tour together (fans of Daughter would naturally like Wilsen), but the net effect was a lack of variety to the show.  I mean, it was all good, but it was all one flavor.

The audience didn't seem to mind, and they clearly adored Daughter's Elena Tonra, even managing to make her laugh out loud during a couple of songs with their earnest declarations of adoration, love, and devotion.  In return, the band went long and played a 75-minute set that seemed to include every song from both of their albums and their EPs - at least, there's nothing I can't say they didn't play.

As a headlining band, they had the traditional headliner's stage set, including a backdrop featuring the artwork from their new Not To Disappear album and a set of bright strobe lights set all over the stage, which I found more distracting than exciting and somewhat inappropriate to Daughter's primarily down-tempo, sad songs.  But this is a minor complaint about an all-around great show.

Daughter records as a trio, but for their live set they had a fourth member on stage, who played keyboards and contributed some harmony to Elena Tonra's vocals.  Elena was on the opposite side of the stage from the one I was standing closest to, so I had to take my pictures from a distance, over the heads of much of the audience, and into the bright stage lights, but I did manage to get at least one good picture of  Daughter's Swiss-born guitarist Igor Haefeli, who was standing closer to my spot. 

I'm happy for Daughter's apparent success, and it's nice to know that there's still a sizable audience for moody and down-tempo, well-crafted songs that aren't dance music or punk-pop.    Bonus points for getting home before 11:30 pm (despite Terminal West's ludicrously slow parking lot exits). 

This Week's Shows (3/28 - 4/2)

The theme for this week seems to be its lack of a theme.  As with most weeks, it starts off a little slow, with only a few shows on Monday, and steadily picks up the pace as the week progresses, with the Daughter show at Terminal West on Friday probably the highlight of the week, followed by Andrew Bird at The Tabernacle on Saturday.

March Madness, it appears, is over.  It was an odd season, in that instead of several weeks of bands passing through Atlanta going to and from Austin and SXSW as in years past, it seems like everybody worth hearing arrived and played Atlanta on either one of two Saturday nights, and the rest of the month was rather lackluster by comparison.  But those two Saturday nights rocked.

As always, please keep in mind that musicians and night-club proprietors lead complicated lives and I'm prone to errors, mistakes, typos, and fubars; it's advisable to confirm any of the information below on your own before making plans. 

MONDAY, MARCH 28

★Autolux, Eureka The Butcher (Terminal West)

LA's Autolux feature a unique sound that samples equally from electronica, noise pop, post-punk, and shoegaze.  Their eclectic sound has been compared to artists such as Can, Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine.

Ployd, NuK (Aisle 5)

A dubstep show billed as "Slow & Low: Episode 14 The Slow and The Serious. 2 Slow. 2 Low."

Rod Hamdallah, Deadly lo-fi, DJ Jared Swilley (529)

Seven-inch release show for roots rocker Hamdallah, with The Black Lips' Jared Swilley providing a DJ Set. 

Los Rabanes, Zakke, La Rica Vibra  (Music Room at Smith's Olde Bar)

Los Rabanes is a Latin Grammy-winning ska-rock fusion band from Panama. With a career spanning two decades and eight albums, they are the first band from Central America to win a Latin Grammy in the Best Rock Album Category.

Diet December, Bast, Bold Ashes, Famous By February (Atlanta Room at Smith's Olde Bar)

Diet December is an alternative rock band that fuses blues, folk, punk and metal elements.

I The Victor, Take A Breath, Cody T, Monday’s Mona Lisa, Sunnycide (Purgatory at Masquerade)

I The Victor is Atlanta pop singer Rebecca Ramos' kaleidoscopic alt/pop project. The opening dance-punk band Sunnycide is no stranger to Masquerade audiences, having already played there several times this year.

TUESDAY, MARCH 29

★Magma, Muuy Biien, Deadcat (Aisle 5)

According to Creative Loafing, "Magma may be the greatest reunion that no one saw coming. The French prog rock masters excelled in the ’70s. Frontman and drummer Christian Vander often sings in an invented language known as Kobaïan, named after a fictional planet he uses as the location for his sprawling space operas. For those confused by Magma’s dense mythology, the band can be appreciated solely for its ability to merge free jazz experimentation with the best of psych-rock extravagance."

Creature Comforts, Baby Baby, Small Reactions (Terminal West)

Nashville's Creature Comforts is an indie rock band combining sweeping guitar licks, mobile bass lines and creative percussion with down-home lyrics.  Baby Boy is a post-punk band form Baton Rouge.  The music of Atlanta's Small Reactions has tinges of new wave and post punk; it's often angular, sometimes surfy, and generally quick.  

Unwritten Law, FENIX TX, Suck Brick Kid, Dog Years (Hell at Masquerade)

Unwritten Law formed in 1990 in Poway, California and have released seven full-length studio albums and have toured internationally, including performances on the Warped Tour. They are notable for their singles Seein' Red and Save Me (Wake Up Call), both of which entered the top 5 in the US Modern Rock charts. 

The Smith Street Band, Hard Girls, Worriers (Purgatory at Masquerade)

Originally conceived as the vehicle for Australian singer/songwriter Wil Wagner to perform under, the Smith Street Band, minus the "Wil Wagner &," would eventually become its own entity after two years of existence. Touring constantly on the Australian punk underground, the five-piece built a considerable reputation for their folk-infused punk sound. 

Leotards (529)

Leotards are a no-gaze punk rock band from Atlanta.

Poynte, Guns Out At Sundown, Avermour (Music Room at Smith's Olde Bar)

Poynte are a hard rock band from Atlanta.

Archgoat, Valkyrja, Hellfire Deathcult, Hellgoat (Heaven at Masquerade)

Metal.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30

Bonerama (Center Stage)

Rock-oriented New Orleans brass band Bonerama was formed by trombonists Mark Mullins and Craig Klein, both of whom had been members of Harry Connick's band since 1990. Despite its horn-heavy instrumentation, Bonerama were a rock band, known for playing covers such as Frankenstein by the Edgar Winter Group along with songs by Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and the Allman Brothers Band. 

Skin Jobs, Nurse, Rop (The Earl)

Skin Jobs are an Atlanta punk band that take their name from Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the source for the movie Blade Runner.

  

The Mumzees, Gláss, The Francis Vertigo, Sea Ghost (529)

North Georgia's The Mumzees are a loud, brash band that should appeal to fans of Ty Segall, Diarrhea Planet, The Black Lips, and Jeff the Brotherhood.

Heather Nova, Chris Riff (Eddie's Attic)

The sweetness of Heather Nova consumed the indie rock market throughout the 1990s, when she was a rising star across the globe into the new millennium. Born in Bermuda, she spent the first 16 years of her life aboard a 40-foot boat with her parents, brother, and sister, incessantly listening to taped records from her mother.  Her ninth studio album, the Americana-infused The Way It Feels, was recorded in Charleston, South Carolina and released in the summer of 2015.

The Gordon Vernick Quartet (Red Light Cafe)

Every Wednesday night, The Gordon Vernick Quartet performs a few numbers and then invites other musicians and singers to join them on stage for a jam session. The quartet features Kevin Bales on keyboard, Marlon Patton on drums, Craig Shaw on bass, and Dr. Gordon Vernick on trumpet. There's no cover charge and plenty of free parking. Whether you're a professional or amateur musician, you're welcome to sit in; everyone who wants to perform will be given a chance to play.

No Genre Unplugged feat. Scotty ATL, London Jae, Kissie Lee, Jaquebeatz (Music Room at Smith's Olde Bar)

Hip-hop & rap.

Phil Barnes, Corey James Bost, Wes Harllee, Kylie Odetta (Atlanta Room at Smith's Olde Bar)

Singer-songwriters.

THURSDAY, MARCH 31

Baauer (Variety Playhouse)

According to The New Yorker, Harry Bauer Rodrigues' 2012 track Harlem Shake was a case study of the meme-as-song, and "spawned thousands of user-uploaded dance videos showing fans flailing spastically to the monstrous drop of coiling zipper synths, though the dances bore little resemblance to the decades-old hip-hop shoulder shuffle from which the single pulls its name." The Philadelphia d.j. and producer has subsequently been releasing music "that’s at once more ambitious and closer to his heart: One Touch, from 2014, pays glowing homage to the shiny hip-hop featured in mid-aughts blockbuster dance films, and Aa, his début album, released in March, lays rattling club knock under verses from Future, Pusha T, M.I.A., and the grime upstart Novelist."

★Book of Colors, Fantasy Guys, Slow Parade (The Earl)

The much ­anticipated debut album from Book of Colors​ sees frontman André Paraguassu surrounded by an impressive cast of fourteen players that includes members of Little Tybee, Adron​, Christ Lord, Lily and the Tigers​, Hello Ocho, and Faun and a Pan Flute.

Book of Colors at East Atlanta Strut, September 24, 2014

MultipleTap USA Tour (The Cleaners)

MultipleTap will present the chaos and excess of the Japanese Scene.  Born on the small islands of Far East Asia, the overwhelming power of Japanese Scene represents an extreme not seen in most other parts of the world.  Appearing on the Main Stage will be Japan's Hijokaidan, Optron, Yusuke Fuyama, Kou Katsuyoshi, Makoto Oshio, Ucnv, and Hatis Noito, as well as Baltimore's Jeff Carey. The Local Stage will feature the bands Egg, FiatNil, Dux, Jon Cilberto, Alec Livaditis, David Kirby, Macht und Ohnmact, Aww Phooey with Kim & Kooi, Article Collection, and Gurgle Twins.  The show will also include video installations by creative Atlanta artist Kris Pilcher.

Twiddle, Walden (Terminal West)

Vermont-based quartet Twiddle conjures up jazz, classical, bluegrass, reggae and funk with complex arrangements that obliterate the laws of improvisation.

Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re, We Are The Asteroid, Swank Sinatra, Cinema Novo (The Drunken Unicorn)

If the extreme of the MultipleTap USA Tour at The Cleaners sounds like a bit too much, there;s always Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re, an all-girl Japanese eclectic punk-rock trio that mixes noise and pop instrumental sounds with idiosyncratic, quirky, and often funny or disturbing lyrics. They become famous in the US through the SXSW music festival and also through their performances at anime conventions.

Phalse Prophet, featuring The Sagas, Buzzards of Fuzz, Bearknuckle, Nina Charrise (Star Community Bar)

Phalse Prophet is a comedic rock opera based out of Atlanta. The audience will witness a false prophet tell of his background meeting an angel betrayed by God. The prophet will perform magic tricks under the guise of miracles and attempt to convert the audience. There will be prophecy, music, praise, worship, communion, and if the spirit moves, maybe even a baptism.

Hey Monea, Paul Pfau, Fairshake, Battlefield Collective, The Quarks (Purgatory at Masquerade)

Hey Monea is a Canton, Ohio-based rock band that has been together since 2005. Paul Pfau is a singer-songwriter from Nashville who gained national exposure on The Voice. 

Withered, Death of Kings, Hellrad (Clermont Lounge)

Brutal black, death, and doom metal at the Clermont.  What's not to love?

Laura Gibson, Michael Nau (Red Light Cafe)

Laura Gibson's new album, Empire Builder, is slated for release on April 1 via Barsuk. Michael Nau (of Cotton Jones) opens the show.

Jenny & Tyler, Matt Hires (Eddie's Attic)

Jenny & Tyler are a husband-wife pop-folk band originally from Delaware and currently based in Nashville. Their style is a fusion of folk, pop, funk, rock, soul, and bluegrass that has been called "soul-grass". 

Angie Aparo (Eddie's Attic)

Angie Aparo is a highly respected and accomplished singer and performer who has appeared on stage and in recordings with Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Edwin McCain, Matchbox20, and the Zac Brown Band, but don't hold that against him.

Maya Neiada, Alexandea Lushington (Music Room at Smith's Olde Bar)

Born in the Bronx but raised in South Carolina, singer-songwriter Maya Neiada has been called the "Neo-Soul Siren from the South."

Deadwin, Ashes of Old Ways, Danielle Howle, Jordan Igoe (Atlanta Room at Smith's Olde Bar)

Deadwin is a "folk 'n' roll" band based out of Folly Beach, South Carolina.

JeRonelle McGhee, Teeya Skipper, Nica Nashae and Algebra Blessett (Vinyl)

The sixth installment of The Revivial R&B showcase.

FRIDAY, APRIL 1

★★Daughter, Wilsen (Terminal West)

Incorporating moody folk and hushed electronics in ways that recall Cat Power as well as the xx, Daughter began as the solo project of singer/guitarist Elena Tonra of North London. Tonra was performing on her own when she met Swiss-born guitarist Igor Haefeli, who joined Daughter along with French drummer Remi Aguilella to complete the band's lineup. After playing the local London circuit, they toured around Europe and have since played headlining tours in North America and Australia. They have released four EPs, three singles and two albums, and are currently signed to Glassnote (North America) and 4AD (Europe). Their song Smother was used in a BBC One TV trailer for the three-part mini series Death Comes To Pemberley, at the end of Episode 7 of Season 4 of the TV show Covert Affairs, and for The Vampire Diaries in the episode titled Killer (Season 4).

Daughter at Variety Playhouse, September 20, 2013

G Love and Special Sauce (Variety Playhouse)

G. Love & Special Sauce are a Philadelphia-based trio whose unique, laid-back, sloppy blues sound encompasses classic R&B production and the energy of rap artists like the Beastie Boys. The group is fronted by G. Love (born Garrett Dutton) on guitar/vocals/harmonica.

G Love in Candler Park, Midsummer Music Festival, 2012

★Hello Ocho (Mammal Gallery)

An intimate night of performance debuting In Portuguese, the long awaited second LP from the Atlanta-based indie/psych-rock/jazz/pop group. The event will also kick-off the group's North American tour.   The band insists that this is not an April Fools joke. 

Hello Ocho at The Mammal Gallery, May 31, 2014

Dr. Dog, Wild Child (Buckhead Theater)

In 2001, some members of this goofy, trippy Pennsylvania psych act collected a handful of half-baked song fragments on a tape they called The Psychedelic Swamp. The concept album, which focused on a man stumbling through a subterranean fantasy world, was never released, but in 2013 the group was awarded an artist grant from the Knight Foundation to craft a multimedia project featuring theatrical and musical elements, and they decided to give the songs a second chance. The result is a zoned-out, stoner-pop rock opera, and the group is currently performing selections on this tour. 

Dr Dog in Candler Park, Midsummer Music Festival, 2011 

Rockin Bones, Anna Kramer & the Lost Cause, James Hall (The Earl)

A show by three Atlanta institutions.  Rockin' Bones are a rootsy rock band that emerged in the 1980s, and Anna Kramer and James Hall are both established presences in the Atlanta music scene.

Doesin, Frick, Eddie Rascal, Flower (The Drunken Unicorn)

Atlanta's Doesin describe themselves on their Facebook page as "Heavy jazzy occult psychedelic prog-funk blues-metal freak rock."  Opener Flower has been playing around town a lot lately; frontman Jack Fowler is also the vocalist for Atlanta's exwhy and has turned his attention to showcasing his more vulnerable side, pouring his heart and soul into brutally honest and surprisingly emotional songs.

Dank, Viva La Hop (Aisle 5)

Atlanta's Dank plays an original blend of blood-boiling, foot-stomping, funky rock 'n' roll.  Openers Viva La Hop are a live hip-hop group with roots in funk & jazz and featuring horns, keys, and strings. 

High-Functioning Flesh, Body of Light, Pyramid Club, DKA (529)

HFF is an electro-punk act from LA with unique hard-beating electronics in the vein of bands like Portion Control and Cabaret Voltaire.  Body of Light are from Arizona .  DKA will provide DJ Sets between bands.

Emrah Kotan (Steve's Live Music)

Emrah Kotan is a classically trained percussionist who came to the United States from his native Turkey and received a Master's degree in Jazz Studies from Georgia State University. His debut album, The New Anatolian Experience, is a collection of original compositions and arrangements that fuse world music and jazz, creating stylistically sophisticated vibes and a genuine model of personal artistic expression.

The War and Treaty, Band of Lovers, Fairshake (Red Light Cafe)

The War and Treaty is a little bit of classical, soul, folk, and Americana.  Band of Lovers have a modern take on folk sound and pop structure; their songs draw inspiration from the stories and landscapes of North America. Fairshake makes indie southern pop that's catchy and infectious.

The Wild Injuns, Fiend Without A Face, Whiskey Dick, Night Terrors (Star Community Bar)

A show of several lo-fi garage bands, headlined by Munster, Indiana's The Wild Injuns.

   

Fiend Without A Face, Little Five Fest, 2013

Miss Tess & The Talkbacks, Kristina Murray, Mateo Alexander & The Wayward Souls (Atlanta Room at Smith's Olde Bar)

Miss Tess & The Talkbacks are an American roots music band from Brooklyn.  

Joe Purdy, Garrison Starr (Vinyl)

Singer-songwriters.

Kris Allen, Zeke Duhon (Eddie's Attic)

More singer-songwriters.

Fear Factory, Soilwork (Heaven at Masquerade)

Metal.

21 Savage (Hell at Masquerade)

Hip-hop and rap.

SATURDAY, APRIL 2

★Andrew Bird (The Tabernacle)

Chicago singer/songwriter/violinist Andrew Bird updates the traditions of small-group swing, German lieder, and New Orleans jazz, mixing Gypsy, folk, and rock elements into his own distinctive style. Initially known through his work with the band Squirrel Nut Zippers before forming Bowl of Fire, he is now best known as a solo musician.  Bird's primary instrument is the violin, but he is also proficient at various other instruments including the guitar, the mandolin, the xylophone, whistling, and the glockenspiel. He wrote The Whistling Caruso for The Muppets, and performed the whistling heard in both the film and the soundtrack. He also composed the score for the FX series Baskets, created by Louis C.K. and Zach Galifianakis.

Andrew Bird at The Tabernacle, March 17, 2012 

★Blackbird Blackbird, Chad Valley, Brett (Purgatory at Masquerade)

Blackbird Blackbird is the moniker of San Francisco based wünderkind Mikey Maramag. His unique style of dreamy folktronica recalls influences from all ends of the musical spectrum. Within elongated song structures, Blackbird Blackbird harnesses thematic elements of dynamism and composition to create depth and complexity, while never losing sight of his pop sensibilities.  Chad Valley is the solo project of Oxford-based Hugo Manuel of the band Jonquil, who produces dreamy Ibiza- and R&B-inspired electro-pop songs.  Chad Valley released Entirely New Blue last October.

Belinda Carlisle, Gabe Lopez (Center Stage)

Belinda Carlisle gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of The Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands of all time. The band sold 8 million albums in just three years and she later went on to have a successful solo career with hits such as Mad About You, I Get Weak, Circle in the Sand, Leave a Light On and Heaven Is a Place on Earth, among others.  Her autobiography, Lips Unsealed, published in June 2010, was a New York Times Best Seller and received favorable reviews. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as a member of the Go-Go's on August 11, 2011.

Uncle Green, The Preakness, Paul Melancon and the New Insecurities (The Earl)

Atlanta-based Uncle Green are a jangly Southern power pop band in the classic REM mold. Last time we saw long-time Atlanta band The Preakness, they played a carefully curated set that gradually took them from slow-core emo to frantic punk over the course of 40 or so minutes.  Opener Paul Melancon plays literate, moody, indie-pop music. 

The Preakness opening for Torres at The Earl, July 1, 2015

Pretty Please, Bardus, The Glorious Rebellion, Palaces (The Drunken Unicorn)

Pretty Please are a three piece from Atlanta known for their very loud, ferocious live shows, whose music has been dubbed "slundge" - grunge and sludge with some noise thrown in for good measure. 

Dirty Fences, Dinos Boys (529)

Dirty Fences call themselves "NYCs favorite rock 'n' roll hard-workin' band."  Openers Dinos Boys may have been born in New York, but their garage punk sound fits right in with Atlanta.  And in case you're wondering, the name is an acronym for Despicable, Ignorant, Nasty, Ole Shitstirrers.

The Thing, Part 2 (The Mammal Gallery) 

"A little razzle dazzle" featuring performances by Inframan, Ferris, My Son Gordeaux, French Mistake, King Guru, and Weed Mario.

A Tribute to Merle Haggard (Star Community Bar)

Merle Haggard was the most important country artist to emerge in the 1960s, and he became one of the leading figures of the Bakersfield scene in the '60s. While his music remained hardcore country, like his idol, Bob Wills, he pushed the boundaries of the music to become a melting pot that drew from all forms of traditional American music - country, jazz, blues, and folk - and in the process, developed a distinctive style of his own. Performng on this tribute will be Slim Chance & The Convicts, Downer Bros, Mark Kirby & Dry Gulch, Wade Sapp. Georgia Slim, and Al Shelton. 

Yodel, Al Chauncy, Felixx, Keyz, Kierra Shunte, Taryn Mai, Athena Renee, Azar (Vinyl)

The DZMG Affair 4 Concert Series

Ghost Eagle, Farm Dog (Atlanta Room at Smith's Olde Bar)

Folk rock.

Station 7, The Rovers (Atlanta Room at Smith's Olde Bar)

Spacey blues rock.

Resist Capture, As Animals Eat My Insides, Beliefs, Athegus, Hall of the Elders, Her Pride (Hell at Masquerade)

Metalcore, post-hardcore, and alternative.

Sweetwater Creek Bluegrass Band, Honey Be Nice (Red Light Cafe)

Bluegrass.

Earphunk, Georgia Soul Council (Terminal West)
Prog-funk, funk-rock, and R&B.

AtYyA, Goopsteppa, Tsimba, Alpha Cortex (Aisle 5)
EDM

Roxie Watson (Eddie's Attic)
Country singer-songwriter.

Barry Waldrep, Kelli Johnson (Eddie's Attic)
More singer-songwriters.

SUNDAY, APRIL 3

★Ry Cooder, Sharon White, Ricky Skaggs (Center Stage)

No matter where his interests are heading at any moment, it's never advisable to ignore Ry Cooder. Whether serving as a session musician, solo artist, or soundtrack composer, Cooder's chameleon-like instrumental virtuosity, songwriting, and choices of material encompass an incredibly eclectic range of North American musical styles, including rock 'n' roll, blues, reggae, Tex-Mex, Hawaiian, Dixieland jazz, country, folk, R&B, gospel, and vaudeville.  This show is billed as "An Evening with Cooder, White & Skaggs," and will spotlight Cooder's bluegrass and country stylings.

Lowland Hum, Oh Jeremiah (Eddie's Attic)

Lowland Hum are Daniel and Lauren Goans, a husband-and-wife folk duo from North Carolina. Part songwriter, part artist, the duo has crafted a multi-sensory performance experience that provides a fertile space for audience members to connect with their art and with a each other as fellow listeners.

Phil Cook, The Dead Tongues (Eddie's Attic)

Phil Cook is a banjoist, pianist and singer, a member of the freak-folk band Megafaun and of Gayngs, and a former member of DeYarmond Edison, a band led by Bon Iver's Justin Vernon.  In his music, Cook draws on diverse influences including Bill Evans, Bruce Hornsby, Keith Jarrett, Jerry Douglas, Ry Cooder, Greg Leisz, John Kamman and Bill Frisell.  

Mindset, Praise, Head Creeps, Faze, Abuse Of Power (Purgatory at Masquerade)

Hardcore.

Salsa Chest, 100 Watt Horse, Oh Rose, Sea Ghost, Moses Nesh (The Mammal Gallery) 

Atlanta synth-pop duo Salsa Chest headline an eclectic line up at The Mammal Gallery.  Athen's 100 Watt Horse is a folk-rock projec, while Olympia, Washington's Oh Rose is a psychedelic rock band fronted by singer and guitarist Olivia Rose.

Black Tusk, Whores, Savagist (The Drunken Unicorn) 

Black Tusk are a metal-thrash-punk band from Savannah.

Bay Station, The Stoplight Roses, Stephen Chopek (Red Light Cafe)

An evening of Americana-folk-pop-indie rock with California's Bay Station, Atlanta's The Stoplight Roses, and Memphis' Stephen Chopek.

Stick Figure, Fortunate Youth, Raging Fyah (Terminal West)

Reggae.

Daughter

Daughter at Variety Playhouse, September 20, 2013

British indie-folk band Daughter released their second LP, Not to Disappear, last week, and have already produced videos for two of the songs Doing the Right Thing and Numbers. Their melancholy sad-core songs fit somewhere between Beach House and Bon Iver

Daughter will play Terminal West on April 1.

Daughter

Daughter at Variety Playhouse, Sept 20, 2013

Oh look.  Here's a video of the British band Daughter performing their song Amsterdam live in Los Angeles.

Daughter at Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, September 20, 2013

I can tell only in the most general of terms which bands are popular and which ones aren't.  I listen to music more or less in a vacuum and respond to those bands whose sound I enjoy and ignore those that I don't, but don't have much of a peer group around me to tell me who I should be listening to and who I shouldn't.  As a result, I'm not the best judge of which shows are going to attract a large audience and which shows are going to have a sparse turnout, other than by the size of the venue and the hype of the promoter.  I'm often surprised to find only a handful of people at shows I thought would sell out, and equally surprised to see capacity crowds for bands I imagined that only I would enjoy.  Last night was an instance of the latter. 

When I saw that the fine English indie-rock band Daughter would be playing at Variety Playhouse, a medium-capacity venue, it was the first I knew that at least someone considered them more popular than, say, Austra, who played last week at the far smaller Earl.  But I couldn't imagine that Daughter's melancholy, down-tempo songs would attract all that large of an audience, so I didn't buy tickets in advance and only showed up at the box office about 15 minutes after the doors had opened.

I was surprised to see a line in front of the Playhouse that extended well past the adjacent Elmyr restaurant and far down the block, one of the longest lines I've seen in front of the Variety Playhouse.  I was easily able to buy a ticket (the line was for entry and not for purchase), but by the time I finally got inside, my preferred, usual spot in Variety Playhouse - first riser, right-hand side - was taken.  No problem, I found a suitable spot at the first riser, left-had side, but my first surprise of the night was how large a crowd Daughter had attracted for their first Atlanta appearance. 

My second surprise was that much of  the audience had apparently come for the opening act, another London band, a folk-rock ensemble called Bear's Den.  I had never heard of Bear's Den, but they had apparently played last week at the huge Mumford & Sons concert held in Centennial Park, arguably Atlanta's largest venue (Piedmont Park, where Music Midtown is going down this weekend, could make an equally legitimate claim as the city's largest venue).  Even the band seemed surprised by their enthusiastic reception, and the audience's quiet attentiveness while the songs were played. 

My guess is that Bear's Den must really have nailed it at the Mumfords' show, whom they sound quite like in many respects, although the NY Times Magazine notes that they've built up a cult-like following on both sides of the Atlantic with their relentless touring over the past year.  

The audience was predominantly quite young, even by rock concert standards - kids these days certainly do love their folk rock - but I was encouraged to see quite a few older folks as well, until I realized that they were mostly all there as chaperons for their younger charges.  In any event, the young audience seemed to really eat up every note of Bear's Den music, which actually was quite good, a sort of stripped-down version (they're a trio) of Mumford & Sons without the cloying over-earnestness of the latter. Further, the band appeared not only to be genuinely touched by their reception, but also to be a genuinely nice, sincere group of guys.

Bear's Dan are supporting Daughter on their North American tour, and the audience stayed for the headliner and gave them the same unconditional approval and attention as they had for Bear's Den.  The crowd was as quiet for both bands as I've heard at a rock show in quite a while, which was fortunate as Daughter's music alternates between loud and quieter, more intimate passages.    

I've been listening to Daughter for about a year now and think very highly of them, but was still pleasantly surprised to hear how much fuller their live sound was compared to the more bare, almost minimalistic approach of their recordings. Guitarist Igor Haefeli added many lovely orchestral flourishes to singer Elena Tonra's songs, often bowing his electric guitar to sonic effect. Normally, the difference in sound between the recordings of a favorite band and their live performance causes consternation not jubilation, but one could not help but appreciate Daughter's live sound, which lies somewhere between The xx and The Sundays at their prime.    

Dave seems to have really liked them, and was he hitting on Elena at the end?  Creepy.

Elena's sweet, almost shy, stage presence was a welcome relief to Daughter's lyrical material, which typically involves dark subject matter and a gloomy, pessimistic view on life ("This one's really depressing," Elena announced - or warned - before one song).  It seemed to take her a while to warm up to the audience, but as she gained her confidence bantering back and forth a little, she emerged as a somewhat introverted but gifted performer, genuinely glad to be playing the music she loves to an appreciative crowd. This was refreshing coming as it does from a singer who declares "I want you so much but I hate your guts" in her song Landfill.  

This was truly great stuff and Daughter played as fine a set as I've heard in a while, and I've heard a lot of sets (over 75 by my count) since Labor Day weekend.  This is a really great band, and the exciting thing is they're just getting started.  Headlining the Variety Playhouse is not a bad way to make your first appearance in Atlanta.  

The band closed their nearly hour-long set with an encore cover of Daft Punk's Get Lucky.

The rain is pouring down today - the first rain I've encountered in Atlanta since coming back from the Northwest - which must be wreaking havoc on Music Midtown.  Poor Atlanta - first, it rains non-stop during its inaugeral Shaky Knees festival last spring, and now it rains during its signature Music Midtown.  The irony that it rained only one out of ten days in the Pacific Northwest during Bumbershoot and MFNW is not lost on me. In any event, it doesn't look like appropriate weather for today's East Atlanta Strut either, so it looks like I get to relax today, watch some football, and catch up on missed episodes of Sons of Anarchy.