Crib Notes

Helios

(Photo by Noel St. John)

Here’s a quick rundown of bands worth seeing at Atlantis this weekend, courtesy of Confessions of a Music Addict blogger Leah Baker. For more performance, panel and party schedules, visit Atlantis’ main site.

Friday, Sept. 21

Star Bar: Tonight’s showcase at Star Bar is part of a superior lineup that’s found here at the same time each year, thanks to David Prasse. There’s never a bad act, making it easy to plant yourself in one spot all night instead of hopping around from venue to venue like the Easter bunny on steroids.

Starting off the night is a band from Athens (and we all know anything out of Athens is worthy of a listen) called the Empties. Fans of kitschy garage rock are going to just love them. Once again, three guys and their instruments pave the way for a night of awesome, cutting-edge rock.

Another band to note is the Modern Society, which has just managed to pick up a development contract with Epic for winning some kind of competition. So, coming right off that high should warrant a good set out of the band that will be full of pop and rock. Following MoSo, Rantings of Eva is scheduled to play its catalog of alt-rock goodness. Fresh from recording its first full-length album, Rantings brings matchless guitar riffs and level vocals full of range to what promises to be a decent audience.

Stick around for Trances Arc if you like radio-friendly tunes from a keyboard-infused band. It never ceases to amaze and is sure to lay down new tunes off its impending LP, XOXOX. If you’re more into bands that put on a live show you’ll literally be talking about the next day, due to the shock of it, then you won’t want to miss Steadlur close down the place. Seriously. There is never any telling what these guys will do, and that alone is reason to watch.

Lineup: 9:00 p.m., the Empties; 9:45 p.m., the Modern Society; 10:30 p.m., Rantings of Eva; 11:15 p.m., Y O U; midnight, Trances Arc; 12:45 a.m., Steadlur

Center Stage: Other acts you might want to check out include To Whom, which possesses the best drummer in Atlanta (as proclaimed by pretty much anyone you talk to who’s seen this band before), Alex Selph. It plays at 10:00 p.m.

Vinyl: A band based in North Carolina that got its start playing in Atlanta on a regular basis at last year’s Atlantis, Airspace, is gracing Vinyl tonight. It has an amazingly powerful sound that’s most easily compared to that of U2. Considering half the band is straight from Ireland might explain this. You can catch it at midnight.

Smith’s Olde Bar: Pop/rock geniuses from Athens, Modern Skirts, will be showcasing at 11:00 p.m. They play Atlanta often and always seem to have quite the crowd of die-hard fans singing along to the staples in their set, which is a pretty good indication of a successful act.

Saturday, Sept. 22

Vinyl: Start off the night right with a short set from Helios, which likes to play cover songs. That should get you in the mood to party. A band you want to make sure you catch after that is new on the scene and full of rocked-out vigor. It’s called Winter Ransom, and this is your guarantee you will hear from it again, and more often, once the word about the band spreads. The combination of harder rock with an alternative flair makes Winter Ransom a band to watch and take note of.

Lineup: 9:30 p.m., Helios; 10:30 p.m., Winter Ransom

The Loft: Tonight, 99X takes over with acts that are so big, they had to occupy one of the largest venues in town. Locally, the Booze will play retro-inspired songs that might make you wish you had left the trendy threads at home, and worn an A-line skirt and cuffed blue jeans instead.

On the complete opposite side, VHS or Beta, a well-followed act out of Kentucky, is rounding out the lineup with dance tunes. If you’re unsure of your dance-club worthiness, check it before you head to this show. The band doesn’t play around with its techno/rock beats.

Lineup: 10:15 p.m., the Booze; 11:15 p.m., VHS or Beta

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