Gorillaz are continuing to hang in there. Strange Timez, which debuted at No. 1 two weeks ago and hung in at the top spot last week, drops one spot to No. 2 this week for it's third straight week in the Top 3. The song features Robert Smith of the Cure sounding exactly what you'd think Robert Smith singing with Gorillaz would sound like.
Our new No 1 champion is a debut by England's Royal Blood, who, frankly, I had never heard of before. They have a Jack White, White Stripes/Raconteurs kind of sound, which is very popular in some circles and very radio friendly, so it's no surprise that they're at No. 1.
Here's a neat trick - Tame Impala are back in the Top 5, this time with a remix of a song that previously made the Top 5. Blood Orange's remix of Borderline is enough to land them the No. 3 spot. It's a nice, long, sexy, slow jam, bringing out the best in both the original artist and the remix artist. It should also be noted that Blood Orange also has a song, a collaboration with 박혜진 Park Hye Jin, called Call Me (Freestyle) currently at the No. 29 spot.
This is sweet - Kurt Vile recorded a nice, Appalachian-sounding folk song, How Lucky, with the late John Prine before the latter's demise, and this simple and unassuming song debuted in the charts at the No. 4 position.
Finally, Sufjan Steven's latest, Sugar, hangs in the list at No. 5 after debuting last week at the No. 2 spot. I may have sounded flippantly dismissive of the song last week - yes, it does sound unmistakably like Sufjan Stevens, but that's a good thing and this is a good song, a worthy addition to Steven's long discography.
Looking down the list, Porridge Radio's 7 Seconds is still in the Top 40 but just barely at No. 36. and there's no longer any sign of Deep Sea Diver and Sharon Van Etten's Impossible Weight. Yo La Tengo's sole original composition, Bleeding, from their new album otherwise of covers, Sleepless Nights, debuts at No. 39 and probably isn't going to be in the Top 40 for very long.
List compiled "from over 70 alt and new release sources" by alt.nwmsc.com Enjoy!
Admittedly, this year's been off to a somewhat slow start and to add injury to insult, after this slow start there are at least three must-see shows all on the same Saturday night (Deep Sea Diver/Radiation City, Little Tybee/Book of Colors/Hello Ocho, and Kurt Vile/Xylouris White), and then on top of that, jazz and R&B fans will have to choose between keyboardists Booker T. Jones and Doug Carn and his West Coast Organ Band on Sunday night. There are a few okay shows during the week, but you're excused if you just want to just chillax at home during the week and save your money and energy for the weekend.
For whatever it's worth, my personal pick of the week will be Deep Sea Diver's set opening for Radiation City at The Earl on Saturday night.
As a reminder, 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, FEBRUARY 22
CFM, Illegal Drugs, Death Stuff (The Earl)
Charles Francis Moothart II has been a part of Ty Segall’s bands Perverts, the Ty Segall Band, Fuzz, and GØGGS, and has played on Mikal Cronin’s recent albums. On his solo project, CFM, he lets squealing guitar licks loose along with slabs of psychedelic noise. Moothart's tour schedule doesn't list another gig after this show until Wednesday, February 24 in North Carolina, so it's not impossible that he may show up at Ty Segall's Tuesday night show at Variety Playhouse. Atlanta's Illegal Drugs include members of Turf War and Hawks and deal in punk, rock, goth, and grunge; they will be headlining a show at The Drunken Unicorn on March 4. Death Stuff will open this show and just opened another at 529 a week ago.
Doug Tuttle, Paperhead, reverends (529)
New Hampshire's Doug Tuttle (ex-MMOSS) plays impeccably-crafted, fractured psychedelic pop showcasing his trademark masterful guitar-work, hinting at skewed, wide-eyed 60s folk-pop and 70s soft rock filtered through Tuttle’s hallucinatory effects, buzzes, and haunting harmonics. Paperhead are a psychedelic pop band out of Nashville that evoke memories of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd. Atlanta's reverends play a heavier, fuzzed-out brand of psych rock reminiscent of bands like Hawkwind.
Opposite Box, Fuiste (Aisle 5)
Opposite Box is a genre-bending alternative funk and experimental rock band from Chattanooga known for high-energy live shows and a seamless blend of psychedelic jazz, progressive rock and dirty funk – dubbed “belligerent jungle funk” – that is often compared to acts like Frank Zappa, Mr. Bungle and Parliament Funkadelic. It's been a busy week for openers Fuiste - they just played the godforsaken Masquerade last Sunday (February 21).
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23
★Ty Segall & The Muggers (Variety Playhouse)
The singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ty Segall has become a hero of the San Franciscan lo-fi garage-rock scene, specializing in warped psychedelic pop that pairs heavy guitars with sunny hooks. To date, the young and prolific performer has released eight studio albums, alongside various EPs and singles. Segall is also a member of the bands Fuzz, Broken Bat, and GØGGS, and is a former member of The Traditional Fools, Epsilons, Party Fowl, Sic Alps, and The Perverts. The Muggers include frequent collaborator Mikal Cronin (bass, sax), alongside Kyle Thomas (guitar), Emmett Kelly (guitar), Wand's Cory Hanson (keyboards, guitar) and Evan Burrows (drums), and with CFM playing The Earl the night before, don't be surprised if Charles Moothart doesn't sit in on a song or two before the show is over. For recent Muggers performances, Segall has been going by the name Sloppo and wearing a baby mask.
Hunter Valentine, Revel In Romance (The Earl)
Hunter Valentine are an all-female power pop band from Toronto now residing in Brooklyn. Openers Revel in Romance are an Atlanta alternative pop rock band featuring the vocals of Saxony Raine who performed at the Ignite The World benefit at The Earl back on January 15.
Pop. 1280, Bataille (529)
Named after Jim Thompson’s sadistic 1964 crime novel, Brooklyn's Pop. 1280 like it bleak, recalling that late '80s gothy post-punk and industrial subgenre that the Village Voice called "pigfuck" back in 2011. For seven years now, Pop. 1280 have been performing this sludgy, tribal, industrial music at various venues packed with leather-clad youth and their new album, Paradise, their third for the boutique label Sacred Bones, is a refutation of our current technology-obsessed culture. Atlanta noise/post-punk group Bataille, formerly Georges Bataille Battle Cry, open.
Jimmy Webb (Eddie's Attic)
Anyone who grew up within earshot of an AM radio knows the music of Jimmy Webb, the writer of such songs as Up, Up and Away, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Wichita Lineman, Galveston, and MacArthur Park. This show is billed as "An Evening With. . ." so don't expect any opening acts.
The Dream, Ro James (Vinyl)
R&B singer The Dream may be this millenium's version of Jimmy Webb, having written or co-written many hit pop songs, including Me Against the Music for Britney Spears, Umbrella for Rihanna, Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) for Beyoncé and Baby for Justin Bieber. He recently released a digital EP of Sam Cooke covers called IAMSAM, recorded during the making of Beyonce's 4, which makes sense given that album's strong R&B influence. More recently, The Dream announced a new album and a tour both called Genesis, which includes this date in Atlanta. New York's Ro James opens.
Milo, SB The Moor, Obeah, Nihlus (Aisle 5)
Milo is part of a so-called new art rap movement and has his own Ruby Yacht collective. SB The Moor is experimental hip-hop/prog rapper Signor Benedick from LA. Obeah is Atlanta rapper Adam Venable who uses his lyrical platform to raise consciousness as well as to get people dancing. Nihlus is an MC from Atlanta and former member of the group iLLmont.
Peter Webb+Zach Dawson, Other Colors, Artifactual String Unit, Cosmic Trigger (The Mammal Gallery
An intriguing lineup at the always-interesting Mammal Gallery, featuring some of the more forward-thinking bands in Atlanta, along with Baltimore's Other Colors. Rather than provide descriptions, here are some samples:
Traveling Broke and Out of Gas, Hot Rod Walt, The Boy Jones (Red Light Cafe)
Traveling Broke and Out of Gas perform psychedelic folk and "bastard Americana." Their guests will include Hot Rod Walt of the Psycho-DeVilles with Steve Stone on pedal steel, and The Boy Jones will open.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24
Scott Kelly, Caesium Mine (The Earl) (Cancelled)
This is what I meant at the top by "complicated lives." The Earl posted a notice on their Facebook page stating that "Due to unforeseen circumstances this tour had to be cancelled," but provided no information on why. The Earl hopes to reschedule in the future.
Twins, Mannequin Lover (DKA), Rin Larping, Celines, Anticipation (529)
Nothing Left, the new Twins album by Matt Weiner, half of the duo Featureless Ghost and the single entity behind Twins, is full of mutant industrial pop for sweaty basement ragers. Mannequin Lover is the new electronic music project of Matthew DeLoach. Bass clarinet and guitar player Lindsay Smith, aka Rin Larping, leads lo-fi vocal excursions over a bed of warm, distressed sounds. Celines is Shantih Shantih's Valentina Tapia, perhaps best known for directing Deerhunter's Snakeskin video. Anticipation (Chris Daresta) will provide a DJ set.
Peter Case (Eddie's Attic)
Peter Case was a founding member of the Nerves and leader of the Plimsouls, and the first troubadour of the post-punk era. The Nerves’ 1976 Hanging on the Telephone was covered by Blondie and The Plimsouls' 1983 A Million Miles Away is a power pop classic These days, Case covers every facet of his diverse career in his sets, including bits of Americana, blues, pop, and folk.
Little Country Giants, Adron (Eddie's Attic)
Eddie's likes to squeeze in two shows a night when they can, and this night, they'll be presenting Little Country Giants after Peter Case's set. Little Country Giants is a Georgia husband-and-wife songwriting duo, along with a guitarist and a mandolin. Opener Adron seamlessly blends classical harmony with the playfulness of '60s Brazilian tropicàlias in her nuevo bossa nova music. She is currently recording material for her next two full-length records; one a concept album about death, mazes and the Amazon called Thanatrópica, the other a follow-up to Organismo titled Water Music.
Adron at The Drunken Unicorn, September 14, 2015
Skate Maloley, Derek Luh, EJAAZ (Vinyl)
Skate Maloley is a young, nationally-know social-media personality from Omaha, Nebraska and now living in LA who has rapped with artists such as Jack & Jack, fellow Nebraskans who will be performing at The Loft on Friday night. Derek Luh has been featured on multiple collaborations with Skate, as well as with Dizzy Wright, Wale, and French Montana. Opener EJAAZ is a rapper from Indianapolis. UPDATE: Things just got more, um, "complicated" after Skate's Saturday night show at Webster Hall in New York:
Apparently, the melee broke out when Skate thought he saw security tasering a fan in the audience and tried to intervene, only to get taken down himself before all hell broke lose. Skate already cancelled Sunday night's show in Boston, but says the tour will continue. David Cook, Tony Lucca (Terminal West)
David Cook is an American singer-songwriter who rose to fame after winning a season of American Idol. Tony Lucca started his career on the Mickey Mouse Club and was second runner-up on a season of The Voice.
Never Shout Never, Metro Station, Jule Vera, Waterpark (Hell at The Masquerade)
Never Shout Never is an indie rock band fronted by 24-year-old Christofer Drew that formed in Joplin, Missouri in 2007. Metro Station is an LA synthpop band generally considered a scene band due to their sense of fashion and their blend of various pop styles. Jule Vera is an alternative rock band from Opelika, Alabama featuring the vocals of Ansley Newman. Houston's Waterpark opens.
Mosaic (Atlanta Room at Smith's Olde Bar)
Mosaic is an indie singer-songwriter group based out of Athens led by three main instrumentalists and singers.
The Gordon Vernick Quartet (Red Light Cafe)
Every Wednesday night, The Gordon Vernick Quartet performs a few numbers 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.
Dubloadz (Aisle 5)
Dubloadz, aka Dave Nardolilli, is an EDM producer who has been shattering subgenres and turning dubstep upside down over the last year with his sharp and hard-hitting "savage wonk" style.
Marlatov Cocktail Swingers (Steve's Live Music)
The Marlatov Cocktail Swingers are a swing band featuring saxophonist Marla Feeney. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25
Pujol, Faux Ferocious, Man Up Yancey, Femignome (The Earl)
The tireless Nashville singer-songwriter Daniel Pujol started his garage band a few years ago while completing a master’s in global affairs at the University of Denver. He plans to pursue a doctorate, but in the meantime he’s putting his energy into his self-styled Southern-fried country punk. His new album, Kludge, gets its name from a computer-science term for a quick and clumsy solution to a problem. He has a wiry, nasal voice, and his live shows are refreshingly raucous affairs. Faux Ferocious is a Nashville quartet that combines blistering punk-rock simplicity, Spector-worthy hooks, and a whatever-it-takes production approach to create songs that are short, infectious, and razor sharp. Atlanta's Man Up, Yancey, have been busy as of late; they just played The Drunken Unicorn on February 12 and opened for Des Ark at 529 on January 19, Opener Femignome is an Atlanta DIY, lo-fi, bedroom-pop female duo.
Manic Focus, Modern Measure, Artifakts (Terminal West)
Manic Focus is the EDM project of Chicago's John (JmaC) McCarten, an artist with a rowdy style fusing soulful blues with heavy-hitting bass. Modern Measure is a hybrid electronica project formed in Atlanta in 2013 who've played the CounterPoint Music Festival. Artifakts is the musical undertaking of Wisconsin native Garret Meyer that blurs the line between electronic, hip-hop and organic sound.
Hollis Brown (Vinyl)
Hollis Brown was formed by Queens-natives and songwriters Mike Montali (lead vocals/guitar) and Jonathan Bonilla (lead guitar) and named after Bob Dylan's The Ballad of Hollis Brown.
Heartless Romantic, Asyla, Occidó, Kill The Host, Mercury Down (Hell at The Masquerade)
Heartless Romantic is a 5-piece band from Atlanta that combines rock, punk, and post-hardcore influences with catchy hooks and theatrical sensibilities. Asyla claim that each member of the band has different musical tastes, including post-hardcore, metalcore, death metal, and symphonic metal (I'm reminded of the line from The Blues Brothers movie, "We play both kinds of music here, country AND western!"). In-your-face metal band Occidó are from North Augusta, South Carolina, and Kill The Host are a death-metal band from the opposite side of the river (that's Augusta, Georgia for the cartographically impaired). Mercury Down is a theatrical metal band from Douglasville, Georgia.
Downcast, Loose Ends, People, Lights After Dark, Oceanier (Purgatory at The Masquerade)
A typical evening at the godforsaken Masquerade: five metal bands on the Hell Stage (see above) and a lineup of five punk-pop bands across the hallway on the Purgatory Stage. The headliners for this show are Downcast, a four piece started from disbanded projects whose members wanted something new. Loose Ends are a high-energy punk-pop band from Alabama. People are a punk band from Jasper, Georgia. Lights After Dark is a punk-pop band from Georgia "just trying to show people what we have to offer." Oceanier describe themselves as "just 4 high school sophomores playing cool music."
Big Jesus, The Head, Mammabear, The Future Babes (Music Room at Smith's Olde Bar)
This show is a fundraiser for Atlanta's Big Jesus, an alternative heavy rock band whose van and equipment were recently stolen. The van was recovered a few hours later, but with no trailer or gear to be found. "The trailer contained all of my own personal recording equipment," says C.J. Ridings of Big Jesus. "Every mic I owned, every cable, headphone, stand, and pre amp. An entire collection of things I've been gathering over the years to self employ myself as an engineer. . . I can't buy new gear without work and I can't work without new gear." Helping Ridings out will be The Head, a young rock band from Atlanta, Mammabear, the Brit-pop-influenced project of Atlanta's Kyle Gordon, and Atlanta folk rock/indie rock/pop rock band The Future Babes.
The Quickening, Sunny South Blues Band (Atlanta Room at Smith's Olde Bar)
After parting ways with Flow Tribe in 2012, New Orleans guitarist and song writer Blake Quick assembled The Quickening featuring Quick's vocal pairings with Rachel "Mama Ray" Murray. Sunny South Orchestra play a thunderous adaptation of blues-based garage rock with a tinge of 60’s popular music.
Shocked Minds, The Bad Spell, Invasion, DJ Jared Swilley (Star Community Bar)
Shocked Minds are a punk band form Brooklyn featuring members of Carbonas, Ex Humans, and Neo Cons. The Bad Spells, formerly known as Ghost Town, are a trio out of Pomona, California. Invasion open and The Black Lips' Jared Swilley will provide a DJ set.
Fairshake, Collins Drive, Alex and Todd (Red Light Cafe)
Fairshake makes beautiful indie southern pop. Collins Drive is an Americana folk rock band that bring together their favorite kinds of music to create songs that everyone can connect with at some level or another. Alex and Todd will entertain with the interplay of their acoustic fingerpicking and melodic bass guitar.
Corey Kent White, Mike Kinnebrew (Eddie's Attic)
A couple of country singer-songwriters presenting a set at Eddie's.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26
Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band, Barnstar! (Terminal West)
Josh Ritter plays sophisticated folk rock featuring stunning craftsmanship and catchy hooks. To date, he has released seven full-length albums, including his recent Sermon on the Rocks recorded in New Orleans. Each ticket will include a download of the new LP. Barnstar! forges its own brand of harmonized, raucous, song-based bluegrass.
Juan Wauters, Tall Juan, Mattiel (529)
New-York-by-way-of-Uruguay's Juan Wauters plays sweet, unvarnished folk-rock. His band includes Argentine multi-instrumentalist Tall Juan Zaballa, who will play a supporting set. Opener Mattiel is an Atlanta designer, lyricist and vocalist with a throw-back 70s soul sound.
Pallbearer, Bell Witch,Wrekmeister Harmonies (The Earl)
Pallbearer formed in 2008 in Little Rock's underground metal scene, and their 2012 album Sorrow and Extinction was hailed by Rolling Stone as the best metal album of the year and garnered a Pitchfork “Best New Music” label. 2012's Foundations of Burden found Pallbearer delving deeper into melodic contexts and sonic textures. Seattle-based duo Bell Witch utilizing only bass, drums and vocals to create a mournful, melodic take on minimalism and an ethereal but crushing approach to magnitude. J.R.Robinson's third album as Wrekmeister Harmonies entitled Night of Your Ascension includes an all-star cast of musicians from the metal, new music, and rock communities.
Asking Alexandria, While She Sleeps, As Animals Eat My Insides, Be(lie)fs (Heaven at The Masquerade)
Asking Alexandria is an English metalcore band from North Yorkshire, and While She Sleeps is a metalcore band from Sheffield. Metalcore/post-hardcore band As Animals Eat My Insides are from Atlanta and have a really cool name, but not as cool as opener Be(lie)fs, a five-piece metal band from Atlanta that remind us there is always a "lie" in the middle of our "beliefs;" they opened for Chasing Safety at the godforsaken Masquerade back on January 19.
SB IV Short, Nick Prosper, Cade WTF, Drug of Choice, Gawdlee (Hell at The Masquerade)
SB IV Short, aka Sicko Bart, is originally from Chicago but now lives in Atlanta where he leads the “Ghetto Skum” collective and plays “schizophrenic rap,” a chaotic and aggressive form of hip-hop enhanced by the edgy and rugged stage presence and lyrics. Nick Prosper is a rapper from New York. Cade WTF is Cade Sfakis from Cumming, Georgia. There are several bands that go by the name Drug of Choice, making Googling them challenging, so it's anybody's guess what will take the stage. Gawdlee serves hip-hop from his hometown of Muskegon, Michigan.
Brave Baby, Sydney Eloise & The Palms. Jesse Nighswonger (Drunken Unicorn)
Charleston's Brave Baby spent most of 2012 writing and self-producing what would become the band’s debut album, Forty Bells, in a storage unit turned intimate practice/studio space. Their follow-up, Electric Friends, is full of woozy, psychedelic indie-pop stacked with hooks and smoky vocals. In the sound of Sydney Eloise & The Palms, NPR's All Songs Considered heard '50s girl group crooning and echo chamber drums, '60s wall of sound, '70s California canyon sway, '80s laser-sharp production, '90s alt-country twang, and '00s vocal callbacks from Neko Case to Jenny Lewis to Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast. Woodstock, Georgia's Jesse Nighswonger opens with an acoustic set.
Hardwell, Kill The Buzz (The Tabernacle)
Hardwell is Robbert van de Corput, a Dutch big room house and electro house DJ and music producer. Hardwell is known for his live sets at major music festivals such as Tomorrowland and Ultra. The video streams of his performances on his personal YouTube channel have collectively garnered more than 100 million views. The style of Dutch opener Kill The Buzz is a mix of "female-friendly house sounds with a groovy and party-fever twist." This show is sold out.
Jack & Jack, Gavin Becker (The Loft)
18-year-olds Jack Gilinsky and Jack Johnson, known to their combined 14 million social media followers as Jack & Jack, are an American pop-rap duo from Omaha and now based in LA. After success via the social media app Vine, the duo turned to a career as musicians. They are best known for their 2014 single Wild Life which peaked at number 2 on iTunes and reached number 87 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Opener Gavin Becker is a 16-year-old singer and songwriter from Philadelphia who started uploading YouTube covers when he was 13. This show is sold out.
Johnnyswim (Center Stage)
Johnnyswim is the Nashville husband-and-wife folk, soul, blues, and pop music duo of Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano. The couple now live in LA.
El Scorcho, El Cheapo, Hyper Space (Star Community Bar)
As a tribute to Weezer, Atlanta's El Scorcho will perform a one-night-only performance of Blue and Pinkerton back to back. In addition, El Cheapo will cover songs from Pavement to Whigs and everything in between, and Hyper Space will open with geek rock songs about girls, Star Wars, DragonCon, and other nerdy stuff.
Peter Bradley Adams (Eddie's Attic)
Eddie's likes to squeeze in two shows a night when they can, and this night, they'll be presenting two sets by singer/songwriter Peter Bradley Adams, formerly one half of the duo, eastmountainsouth.
CBDB, Backpu Planet, The Space Time Travelers (Aisle 5)
CBDB is a progressive rock/jam band formed in Tuscaloosa known for their unique brand of progressive jam-rock, dubbed "joyfunk." Backup Planet is a progressive funk-rock band based out of Nashville. The members of Atlanta's The Space Time Travelers have developed a style rich in improvisational soul and funky grooves that keep their audiences dancing.
The Congress, Parker Smith & The Bandwidth (Music Room at Smith's Olde Bar)
The Congress is a Virginia-based four-piece, equal parts rock & roll, old-school soul, and outlaw country. Opener Parker Smith landed his first gig in September 2010 and has been playing his unique music with “acoustic roots with electric sprouts” ever since.
David Cone, Carly Burruss, Audrey Morgan (Atlanta Room at Smith's Olde Bar)
A set by three Atlanta singer-songwriters. David Cone is an Atlanta-based filmmaker, commercial director and musician. Carly Burruss is a 21-year-old songwriter currently recording, writing, and playing shows throughout the Southeast. Audrey Morgan has been writing music since she was 14 years old and is currently working on her first album.
Red Head Diamond (Steve's Live Music)
Red Head Diamond features the lead vocals of Stacy Lane covering 70s soft rock hits by Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac, Carole King, and Carly Simon for middle-aged white people in Sandy Springs.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27
Okay, kids, this is the big night. If you can't find something you like this Saturday night, you ought to ask yourself if perhaps you don't actually like music
★Radiation City, Deep Sea Diver, Oak House (The Earl)
Portland's Radiation City is an indie pop quartet that draws from doo wop, girl groups, and classic pop and rock influences. Although fronted by keyboardist and singer Elisabeth Ellison, the band also features male and female vocals. Their latest LP, Synesthetica, has a more electro-pop sound than their previous output. Seattle’s Deep Sea Diver is fronted by the talented singer/guitarist Jessica Dobson, formerly of The Shins; their 2014 Always Waiting EP was a four-song masterpiece in my opinion and their new LP Secrets came out on February 19 and upholds the same quality. Athens' Oak House employs dark tonalities with liberal rhythmic experimentation in their psych-tinged indie rock, while featuring driving rock-riffage and pulsing electronic undercurrents.
Deep Sea Diver at MFNW (RIP), 2013
Radiation City at Marmoset Day Party, MFNW (RIP), 2013
★Little Tybee, Book Of Colors, Hello Ocho (Terminal West)
A great set featuring some of Atlanta's finest bands, unfortunately on the same night as The Earl's great set featuring some of the Pacific Northwest's finest bands. Little Tybee is a progressive psych-folk band featuring the lead vocals of acoustic guitarist Brock Scott, the eight-string guitar wizardry of Josh Martin, and Nirvana Kelly's violin and viola. 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. The Zappa-esque Hello Ocho is an Atlanta-based, indie, psych-rock group formed in 2010, and have been leading a downtown revitalization with their Mammal Gallery.
Little Tybee
Book Of Colors
Hello Ocho
★Kurt Vile & The Violators, Xylouris White (Variety Playhouse)
Philadelphia's Kurt Vile is a singer, guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Although best known for his solo career, he was a founding member of The War on Drugs. In 2015, Vile released his sixth studio album, b'lieve I'm goin down.... Xylouris White is a collaboration between legendary Cretan lute player George Xylouris and Jim White, icon of underground music, who recently opened here at the Variety Playhouse for Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Unfortunately not only is this show up against two other great shows, but for those not yet with tickets, this show is sold out.
Kurt Vile at Shaky Knees Festival, 2013
Xyloris White At Variety Playhouse, 2015
Particle, City Of The Sun (The Loft)
Particle began in 2000 as one of the key pioneers of the emerging livetronica music scene, creating a signature sound that combined elements of electronica, funk and rock with a heavy emphasis on improvisation and sonic exploration, and their influence can still be felt and heard in many of today’s top touring jam and EDM/funk bands. City of The Sun features two guitars, a box, and some bells to create a sound that runs the gamut from wide-screen post-rock dynamics to gypsy jazz syncopations.
MC Chris, Nathan Anderson, Michael Myerz (Drunken Unicorn)
MC Chris is a nerdcore rapper from LA whose trademarks include the high pitch of his voice and the contrast of his "geek" heritage with the "gangster" image usually associated with hip-hop acts. He has appeared on and contributed original lyrics to many Adult Swim shows, most notably Aqua Teen Hunger Force. For this tour, MC Chris is appearing with comedian Nathan Anderson. Roswell, Georgia's Michael Schwartz, who raps under the name Michael Myerz, opens.
Bodyfather, Mtn Isl, Paralyzer, Dicaprio (529)
Atlanta's Bodyfather features members of Burner and Bernard and plays aggressive noise-rock and chaotic post-punk. Mtn Isl's debut EP, God Become Animal, is "a seething mass of lacerating grooves and interlocking rhythms that’s equal parts wiry Midwestern math rock and classic Dischord-era audio abuse." Atlanta's Paralyzer is a two-man death punk band. Atlanta trio Dicaprio open.
Vibe Street, Brightside, Robbie Dude (Aisle 5)
Denver-based Vibe Street (Ben Davis) takes influences ranging from the electro/hip-hop/glitch/funk movement and combines it with elements of bluegrass, folk, blues and jam to create his unique "grass-hop/future-folk" sound. The 23-year-old Queens producer, Brightside, has a predominantly mid-tempo sound, sampling a widely eclectic library of music from all around the world, creating psychedelic sounds with Middle Eastern, Asian, classic rock, hip-hop and even reggae flare. Robbie Dude leads a journey through musical time and space from old school hip-hop mash-ups with new age soul beats to classic rock hits underlined with bass-heavy bangers.
Maggie Schneider, Absolutely, All That Matters, Lights Alive, Sunnycide, Small Time ‘Capone (Hell at The Masquerade)
Maggie Schneider is a 16-year-old punk-pop singer/songwriter, musician and actress. Absolutely is an indie rock quintet out of Canton, Georgia. All That Matters and Lights Alive are punk-pop bands from North Georgia. Atlanta's Sunnycide is a dance-punk band that opened for Warn The Duke here at the godforsaken Masquerade back on January 18. Finally, Small Time 'Capone are also on the bill because, sure, six bands, why not?
Rivers of Nihil, Dark Sermon, Black Fast, Control The Devastator, Proliferation (Purgatory at The Masquerade)
Rivers of Nihil are a technical death metal band from Reading, Pennsylvania; according to the Encyclopedia Metallum (yes, there really is such a thing), their lyrical themes include the metaphysical, the natural world, the cosmos, human nature, and other esoteric stuff. The other bands on this bill are from Tampa, St. Louis, Snellville, and Atlanta - if you care which is which, you go to the show and sort them out yourself- I'm getting sick and tired of researching all these five- to six-band lineups for shows at the godforsaken Masquerade to which I'll never go.
Rizzla, Leonce, Yung Yang, C Powers, Type-O (Mammal Gallery)
Fade to Mind presents Morph ATL, a concept dance party conceived and designed by Atlanta artists to showcase genre-bending, unbounded dance music. The Morph series pairs cutting-edge music mixed by local and touring DJs with innovative live visual artists and unconventional venue treatments. This installation will feature DJs Rizzla (NYC), Leonce fka DJ Leo (ATL), Yung Yang (ATH), Type-O (ATL) , and C Powers (SAV). Live visuals will be provided by Cass Cameron.
Tim McNary, Paul Warner, Julie Gribble (Red Light Cafe)
Americana artist and songwriter Tim McNary will celebrate his new CD with a hometown CD-release show. Tim, now residing in Nashville, has opened for the Civil Wars, as well as Griffin House (who's playing at Eddie's Attic this same night) , received airplay around the Southeast, and recently had his song Echoes of a Whole featured in Atlanta's Paste Magazine. Paul Warner (who produced the album) will open following Julie Gribble. Kirk Thurmond & The Millennials, McCall (Atlanta Room at Smith's Olde Bar)
Born in Dallas, Texas, Kirk Thurmond is a singer/songwriter with a distinctive sound that spans several genres, including soul, pop, and R&B. Born and raised in Atlanta, the single-monikered McCall points out that everything she listens to directs her musical development in some way; however, she lists Jason Mraz, Joni Mitchell, ZZ Ward, and Hozier as her biggest influences.
Marcus Wilbur, Jeremiah Tall, Kelley Swindall (Atlanta Room at Smith's Olde Bar)
A late show in the Atlanta Room featuring three singer/songwriters. Marcus Wilbur is a singer/ songwriter who bridges the gap between rock and folk music and whose sound has been compared to that of Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and Gram Parson. Jeremiah Tall is a one-man band out of Bucks County, Pennsylvania with his own throwback spin on folk rock. Kelley Swindall was born and raised in Stone Mountain, where she grew up on the music of Kris Kristofferson, Patsy Cline, and David Allen Coe.
Experience Hendrix (The Fox Theater)
The Experience Hendrix Tour has been paying homage to the musical genius of Jimi Hendrix for over a decade, bringing together a diverse, all-star aggregation of guitarists including blues all-star Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Black Label Society’s Zakk Wylde. Billy Cox, bassist for both the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band of Gypsys, anchors the rhythm section,
Tribute - A Celebration Of The Allman Brothers Band (Music Room at Smith's Olde Bar)
I think the headline is pretty self-explanatory. Andrew + The Disapyramids, The Dirty Doors (Star Community Bar)
If you like a little 60s-style bump-and-grind with your music (in other words, if you've already watched the video below for Booker T's Green Onions more than twice), the Roxie Roz Burly-Q Show will provide 50s and 60s rock 'n' roll burlesque, featuring "striptastic performances, go-go dancers, and comedy cuties" performing to the late-50s sock hop rock, 60s British invasion/mod rocks songs, and beach music of Atlanta's Andrew + The Disapyramids. The Dirty Doors will perform a late-night tribute to Jim Morrison and company. Griffin House (Eddie's Attic)
Nashville's Griffin House is a singer/songwriter in the folk, pop/rock, acoustic, and adult alternative categories, and fans of this music will have to make the same pick-and-choose, triage decisions between this set and Tim McNary at the Red Light Cafe as other music fans are having to make, adding to the frustration of the log-jam of shows this Saturday night.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28
★Booker T. Jones (Eddie's Attic)
Eddie's likes to squeeze in two shows a night when they can, and this night, they'll be presenting two sets by soul and R&B legend Booker T. Jones of Booker T and the MGs, the last of the great organ masters in the tradition of Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Shirley Scott, Richard "Groove" Holmes and Larry Young Jr. Booker T formed the MGs in the early 60s while hanging around the Satellite Record Shop in Memphis, and the band included future go-to sidemen Steve Cropper (guitar), Al Jackson, Jr. (drums) and Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass). Jones co-wrote the group's classic Green Onions while still in high school and the song went on to become a massive hit in 1962 and change the course of popular music - sort of makes whatever the hell you've ever done seem kinda insignificant.
★Doug Carn and The West Coast Organ Band, Julie Dexter (Aisle 5)
Doug Carn is the other last of the great organ masters in the tradition of Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Shirley Scott, Richard "Groove" Holmes and Larry Young Jr. Opener Julie Dexter was born and raised in Birmingham, England of Jamaican parents and is now a world-renowned singer/songwriter who will be the guest vocalist for this set.
Lizz Wright (Buckhead Theater)
Lizz Wright is a jazz/R&B singer and composer born in Hahira, Georgia, who attended Georgia State before recording a series of successful contemporary jazz, gospel and R&B albums. This show will be the inaugural production of City Winery Atlanta, which is coming to Ponce City Market in May 2016.
Low Cut Connie, Rod Hamdallah (The Earl)
Philadelphia's Low Cut Connie are a party band and and have been recognized for the ferocious high energy of their live shows; L.A. Weekly claimed their show "is unmatched in all of rock right now." They're not unfamiliar with Atlanta - they named their piano "Shondra" after a dancer at the Clermont Lounge. Atlanta's Rod Hamdallah has been tearing up southeast music halls with his delta blues and garage-rock sounds since he was 17; he just played Smith's Olde Bar on February 18.
Testament, Carcass, Primate (Heaven at The Masquerade)
Testament, one of the most popular bands on the thrash metal scene, formed in Berkeley, California in 1983. In the 33 years since its inception, Testament has had numerous lineup changes and guitarist Eric Peterson has been the only constant member. Liverpool's Carcass has changed the face of extreme metal by inventing gore-grind with 1988's Reek of Putrefaction and creating the template for melodic death metal with 1993's Heartwork. Atlanta's Primate deals in hardcore and grindcore.
SWMRS, The Frights, Antarcticats (Purgatory at The Masquerade)
Oakland, California's SWMRS is a punk band that draws on a mix of influences ranging from the Beach Boys to the Ramones to create their own brand of rock 'n' roll. The Frights are a three-piece surf-punk band from San Diego. Atlanta's brand of land-bound surf punk will be demonstrated by Antarcticats.
The Ultimate Guitar Experience (Variety Playhouse)
The Ultimate Guitar Experience features Uli Jon Roth of Scorpions, Jennifer Batten of Michael Jackson's band, and Andy Timmons of Danger Danger. Might be a good follow-up show to the Experience Hendrix concert at The Fox for fans of acid-rock guitar.
Lil Uzi Vert & Playboy Carti (The Loft)
Lil Uzi Vert is a Philadelphia rapper featuring a "futuristic trap" sound. Last month, he teamed up with Playboi Carti for Left, Right, with Uzi and Carti waxing poetic about their diamonds, their hoes, and their cars, and launching the Left Right Tour.
I've been off live-blogging the college bowl games for most of the past couple of weeks and paying scant attention to this blog, but be grateful - at least you were spared yet another Best-of-2015 post. Here's some of the music that got incorporated into the football live blog, including tributes to teams named "The Tigers" (there were lots of them), and a rueful comment on my standings in the betting pool.
A little over a month later, and I'm still grateful for whatever King Kurt did on Sunday afternoon to make the rain stop at the Shaky Knees festival for at least the hour that he was on stage.
It makes you a better person when you admit that you were wrong about something. Anyone can take a position on some issue and then stick to that position and defend it, even as overwhelming evidence accumulates to the contrary. But to step back and say that you realize now that you were wrong before is the mark of a better man or woman. Sunday, amid all the mud, flood, and beer of the second day of Shaky Knees, I had several opportunities for humble self improvement.
Specifically, last Friday I took the position that the music festival didn't seem to be managed in a very professional way. This opinion was based on the fact that they had to send out an email to ticket holders clarifying that you did not have to go to the box office before the festival began to exchange your ticket for a wristband as suggested by some of their earlier messages. And I still maintain that a bicycle valet is no substitute for parking in traffic-clogged and automobile-obsessed Atlanta.
But as it turned out, other than those faux pas, the festival was extremely well organized and professionally run. The lines at the gate were short and quick, the security staff was friendly and non-intrusive (unlike the often surly security at The Masquerade), and the bands started their sets right on time. In fact, in most instances, Band A would take the stage at the exact moment that Band B finished their set on another stage, creating a seamless, continuous concert experience. So I'll admit it - my initial position was wrong and I now acknowledge that the festival was in fact very well organized and professionally managed. I'll get to my other mea culpae later.
I had wanted to get there by 12:30 on Sunday to show some support for Atlanta's Von Grey, but still exhausted from the previous day, I slept until nearly noon so that didn't happen. When I did finally did arrive at the festival grounds, the weather couldn't have been more different than the day before.
The sun was out, the temperatures were warmer, and it was an all around better day than Saturday's chilling deluge. There were still lots of mud and puddles on the ground, but other than that, it was as if the music gods were rewarding us for putting up with their tantrums of the previous day.
Over on the Old Fourth Ward Stage, South Carolina's Shovels and Rope were on stage.
The music of Shovels and Rope blurs the distinction between country and folk. During their set, I had somehow managed to be oblivious to whatever line I had crossed and found myself stage side in the VIP viewing area. When I left, security didn't seem upset or angry that one had slipped past them (see what I mean about friendlier staff?).
I got over to the North Avenue Stage in time to grab some rail space for the Heartless Bastards set. The Bastards play an enjoyable indie rock with some great guitar work and the warm vocals of Erika Wennerstrom.
At times, they gave off a sort of Drugstore Cowboys vibe, but with less of a folk-rock and more of a harder, garage-rock sound.
A good-sized crowd had turned up to hear the band play. I met a couple at the rail next to me who not only drove all the way down from Calgary, Alberta, just for this festival, but specifically to hear the Heartless Bastards perform. Although the audience was noticeably larger than on Saturday, I met no one who would admit to not having been there the day before. But come on guys, there weren't nearly this many here yesterday, this has to be somebody's first day.
The next band up, Delta Spirit, played with a lot of enthusiasm and gave the audience lots of opportunities for participation (sing alongs, hand clapping, telling the band how you're doin', etc.). The ubiquitous Kenny Crucial was noted in the audience during the Delta Spirit set.
As they played, a lone dark cloud passed overhead and sprinkled a few raindrops on the audience. It turned out to be only a sprinkle and didn't last for more than 5 minutes (about one song), but it got us all pulling out our rain gear and ponchos and hoods in anticipation of more. However, by the time we were all geared up, the cloud had passed and it was once again a beautiful day.
Interesting note: Delta Spirit songs often employ two drummers (on other songs, one of the drummers moves over to the keyboards), and the band has as large a floor tom as any that I've ever seen. I wasn't even sure how one would even play it, until near the end of their set when the keyboardiest/drummer grabbed a pair of maracas and started wailing on it.
Philadelphia's Kurt Vile came on stage for his set with The Violators wearing a Flaming Lips t-shirt and wasted no time launching into the title track of his new album, the appropriately-titled-for-the-day Walkin' on a Pretty Daze.
Like yesterday's Roadkill Ghost Choir, Kurt Vile had a sort of War On Drugs sound, which is not surprising as Vile was a founding member of that band. One could also hear traces of Neil Young and Crazy Horse and even a little bit of a Velvet Underground drone.
The Violators performed a sort of band reduction during their set, starting out as a quintet,
but after a while, they were reduced to a quartet. Talk about jangle pop - the quartet version of the band featured three guitars, drums, and no bass.
Eventually, The Violators just became Kurt, solo.
As his 60-minute set progressed, the skies were becoming darker and darker, and soon gusting winds picked up suggesting that a downpour was imminent. The rest of the band came back on stage and joined Kurt in a fierce, loud, feedback-drenched, Crazy Horse-style finale, and as they hit peak intensity, a big gust of wind lifted up the stage-top canopy and dumped what looked like about 100 gallons of water onto the engineers' control panel. I hope no equipment was damaged, but it was pretty amusing watching the engineers frantically try to cover everything up with tarp and plastic sheeting as the band wailed away, and it was hard not to think that The Violators had just literally blown the roof off of the stage.
In any event, amusing or not, metaphorical or literal, a hard rain came down for about the next 10 or 15 minutes as Dr. Dog took over the Old Fourth Ward Stage. The last time we saw Dr. Dog, they were in Candler Park in the middle of another drenching downpour, that one beginning while they were playing their song Swimming With the Sharks("The rain is falling, it’s after dark, the streets are swimming with the sharks"). I used the time during their rain-soaked set this year to get something to eat and find a good spot to watch The Antlers at the North Avenue Stage.
The gambit worked out well, as I got a position just one person back from the pole. Better still, the rain let up about a half hour before The Antlers' set time.
We've seen The Antlers several times before, twice in one day during MFNW 2011 and later that year at the adjacent (yet still godforsaken) Masquerade.
Back in 2011, they were still a band that had released one wildly popular, cult-favorite album, Hospice, and were out to prove they were more than "that Hospice band" by promoting an excellent new album, Burst Apart. Now, having proven themselves to be the real thing, they performed with much more authority, even swagger, playing melancholy and atmospheric songs from both albums plus their newest EP, Undersea.
In the I-Didn't-Know-That Department, keyboardist Darby Cicci said that he lives - or once lived - just a couple blocks away from the festival site and that the gig felt like a homecoming to him. Didn't know he was from Atlanta.
Meanwhile, however, up in the sky, dark clouds were once again returning. There was a bit of a race as to which would finish first - The Antlers' set or the calm before the storm.
The storm won and it started raining, hard, as The Antlers wrapped up their set with their usual closer, Putting The Dog to Sleep. Twoard the end of the song, guitarist Timothy Mislock dramatically stepped out from under the cover of the stage to deliver the climactic guitar solo while heroically standing in the downpour.
The rain would continue for the next hour and a half, up until the very end of the set by the evening's headliners, The Lumineers. It was my first time seeing the Grammy Award-winning, Colorado folk-rock band.
I've previously discussed the ambivalent feelings I and other indie-music fans have with success. We want to cheer a band on, encourage others to listen to them, and so on and so forth, but as soon as they start getting popular and getting lots of attention and heavy radio play, as soon as their songs start turning up in automobile and beer commercials on television, we tend to back off, claiming we were never really that big fans in the first place. This has happened to a lot of bands, particularly folk-rock bands like Mumford & Sons and Of Monsters & Men. It is happening now with The Lumineers.
Not that The Lumineers aren't almost asking for our contempt. They're almost the Disney version of an indie folk-rock band, or perhaps a Hollywood parody of an indie folk-rock band, even though they're not from Hollywood. Still, Central Casting couldn't come up with a better approximation of what middle America must think an indie folk-rock band would look and sound like. They're actually from Denver, but they dress like they're 19th Century Irish immigrants. They have an elaborate Prairie Home Companion-style stage set; in fact, there's very little about them that doesn't practically scream "PBS."
And talk about derivative: Oh look, there's a mandolin, just like Head & The Heart and Blind Pilot. Oh look, there's a female cellist, just like Other Lives and Ra Ra Riot (or for that matter, Murder By Death, who performed earlier on another stage while I was watching Heartless Bastards). Oh look, there's a glockenspiel, just like everybody else, and in case you might not otherwise have noticed it, they seem to be incapable to play it without one band member holding it up theatrically while another member strikes a few notes with equal flourish.
Even their signature tune, Ho Hey, sounds like it was written by a focus-study group analyzing popular lyrical motifs in indie folk-rock songs. I could go on, but you get the picture and at this point I think I might have pissed off at least half of the people who've managed to come across this post and read this far down.
So now I'm going to piss off the other half with my second mea culpa, my second admission that I was wrong about something. Despite all my misgivings, despite all my reservations, even despite my earlier plan to leave Shaky Knees after The Antlers finished their set, I have to admit that The Lumineers are actually quite good. Despite all the hokum, everything works and they're all terrific musicians who put on a thoroughly entertaining show. As soon as they stepped out on the rain-soaked stage and opened their set with an all-too-appropriate cover of Have You Ever Seen The Rain?, I was hooked. I was then thoroughly entertained for the next 90 minutes as I stood in the downpour with the largest crowd of the entire festival.
So, I'll be the better person and just say it: I was wrong. The Lumineers are a great band. If they're successful, it's because of their talent, not a case of mediocrity finding its own level. And as for the costumes, as Frank Zappa once said "Everyone in this room is wearing a uniform and don't kid yourself." If we're honest about it, wasn't every band conscious of what they wore on stage and the image it would project? Weren't they all wearing uniforms of one sort or another? Wasn't Kurt Vile's Flaming Lips t-shirt every bit as much of a "costume" as The Lumineers suspenders and hats?
During their signature Hey Ho, lead singer Wesley Schultz stopped the song midway and asked the audience to put down their cell phones and cameras for at least one minute and just enjoy the present moment. It felt a little scripted, but it still was a surprising moment.
Okay, so they're the kind of band that can't introduce their members, saying "And on the piano, we have . . . " without said member literally jumping up on the piano. I'm surprised they didn't use the old joke about "the farmer, outstanding in his field" (although for all I know that line might be buried in their lyrics somewhere - I don't really pay too much attention to lyrics). What I'm saying is that it all works, and if you can't enjoy yourself at a Lumineers concert, I'm sorry to have to inform you that you probably can't enjoy yourself at all. And how can you not love a band that ends the evening with a cover of The Talking Heads' Home?
In all, they delivered about a four- or five-song encore culminating with Home, stepping out of the lights to the very edge of the stage (the rain had conveniently stopped for them by that point). They normally perform that last song without amplification, but given the size of the audience at the outdoor festival, wisely allowed their closing song to be heard by all.
So at around 10:00 pm on a soggy Sunday evening, that was it for the inaugural Shaky Knees music festival. The weather had been not just awful but god-awful, but that brought out the best in the fans, in the musicians, and in the volunteers and workers (including security). It could have turned out terribly, with cancellations, long delays, and ineptitude, but instead it all came off without a hitch.
Except, of course, for the weather. Which brings me to my final mea culpa - I realized from this weekend that I had the title of this blog, Water Dissolves Music, wrong. If anything, it seems that music dissolves water, or to paraphrase the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, "Music will get you through times of bad weather better than weather will get you through times of bad music."
Final note: The only reason that I'm including the following clip, another video digest from my camera, is because I posted yesterday's clip, and although the quality of this one is also pretty poor, it's at least slightly better than yesterday's. It's not going to win any awards, not by a long shot, but at least it's a slight improvement over Saturday's and you can't say that I'm not, if anything, a completist.
