Crib Notes

On a sad day, this vintage video of ATL television personality Too Clean talking to the Hot Boys should cheer everyone up. I recently saw the DVD from which it’s taken, Clean’s Down South Exclusive, Vol 1, and it is amazing.

Filmed in various Atlanta clubs and released in 2002, it features interviews culled from the late ’90s with people like Ludacris, Pastor Troy, YoungBloodZ, Nelly, Big Boi, Trina, 8Ball & MJG and many more. Highlights include a wild, rambunctious Mystikal, a delightful and relaxed Jermaine Dupri, and, of course, the above interview with a very young Wayne and a rather fey-looking Juvenile. (The concert footage is blurry, but does a good job capturing the energy of crunk shows.)

Through it all Too Clean himself emerges as the most charismatic of the bunch. He lobs nothing but softballs, but in the process gets nearly all of his subjects to reveal something interesting about themselves. (With the exception of C-Murder, who looks nervous and paranoid.) It mostly helps that everyone looks to be about five or six drinks in.

It’s available for purchase or on Netflix. Well worth it.

What’s Clean up to nowadays? Was there ever a Down South Exclusive, Vol 2? I’d love to know.

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A small crowd danced to Michael Jackson hits on the northwest corner of Woodruff Park in Downtown Atlanta.

CL’s photos and video page.

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CL’s Chanté LaGon and Chad Radford chat about Corndogorama. This year’s event will be lucky number 13 for founder David Railey and the lineup features Dead Confederate, the Howlies, Modern Skirts, Noot d’ Noot, Western Civ, Cordero and more.

Air Loaf is broadcast weekdays on 1690 WMLB-AM at approximately 8:10 a.m., 12:20 p.m. and 6:20 p.m.

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If you haven’t heard the news that the King of Pop has passed by now, you’re a zombie and should’ve been cast for the “Thriller” video. With fans all over expressing their grief, don’t bet against it, DJs will be spinning Michael Jackson records all weekend long.

Also, people are organizing tributes and vigils. Below are some of the updates we’ve seen, we’ll add more as they come across our screen. Know of any others? Send them our way, or post a comment below.

Monday June 29th

>> Gone Live Productions and Tresfunk host a MJ tribute at Cinema 12 theater at South Dekalb Mall.

Tuesday June 30th

>> Sol Fusion and Friends will host an MJ tribute at Opera nightclub.

>> Not an event, but a freebie, ATL2nite.com is giving away a free download of Michael Jackson’s “Soulful Years” by DJ Jaycee.

Friday July 3d

>> The 595 North Lounge hosts an all-MJ party, with proceeds going to Hosea Williams Feed the Hungry.

Saturday July 4th

>> Michael Jackson dance party at Eyedrum, 9 p.m. Free; donations accepted.

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Once again Athens’ annual downtown AthFest music blitz is back for an extended weekend of performances by Black Lips, Dreams So Real, Patterson Hood, Those Darlins, Dead Confederate and scores of others. In addition to the music, there’ll be kids workshops, an open-air artist market, and food and drinks galore. If you’ve got family in town and are looking for something to do, or you’re just itching to take drive up Ga. 316, there’s no better time than AthFest. Thurs.-Sun., June 25-28. $15-$20.

A Schedule of performances for the outdoor stage can be found here, and the lineup for the indoor venues can be found here.

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Who are you?
Owen Ashworth, the person from Casiotone for the Painfully Alone.

Describe yourself in three words.
Really cool guy.

Who — dead or alive — would you most like to meet?
My great great grandfather, George Berg.  Legend has it he killed a bear with his bare hands.  It was self defense!

Who would you most like to slap in the face?
I’m not much of a slapper, to be honest.

What song do you wish you had written?
“He Stopped Loving Her Today” by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman.

Elvis Costello or Elvis Presley?
Elvis Stojko, world class figure skater

LP, CD or MP3?
Nothing ever sounds as good as it does in my head.

If you could start one trend, what would it be?
The popularity of my music.  I try and I try.

If you could end one trend, what would it be?
Penny loafers all of a sudden.  Really, dudes?

With whom would you most like to play a game of spin the bottle?
The city of Atlanta. Give yourselves a hand, people!

Casiotone for the Painfully alone plays 529 with Cryptacize and CCIVORY on Tues., June 30. $7. 9 p.m.

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UPDATED at 6: 28 p.m.: L.A. Times confirms his death:

[Updated at 3:15 p.m.: Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told The Times.]

UPDATED at 6:06 p.m.: No reliable news source has yet to confirm. Here’s CNN’s latest:

Fire Capt. Steve Ruda told CNN a 911 call came in from a west Los Angeles residence at 12:21 p.m. and the patient was treated and transferred to the UCLA Medical Center.

Asked specifics of the patient’s condition, the spokesman said he could not discuss them because of federal privacy laws.

According to gossip site TMZ.com, Michael Jackson, 50, died this afternoon after being rushed to the hospital in L.A. following cardiac arrest.

More details to come.

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Crib Notes caught up with Pill just before he left for Hot 107.9’s Birthday Bash with Killer Mike. We talked about many things, but what stood out was the meaning behind the man’s music. If you’ve seen the new video for “Trap Goin’ Ham,” then it is easy to understand where the controversy is coming from.

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Former bass guitarist of the popular ’70s rock ensemble Wings, Paul McCartney, will play a concert in Piedmont Park on August 15.

Well-known Wings hits include “Goodnight Tonight,” and “Venus and Mars/Rock Show.”

Editor’s note: Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Mon., June 29. Pre-sale tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. tomorrow, June 25. Update: Apparently McCartney was also a member of that big-time group the Beatles. Who knew?

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Interesting things happen when Franz Ferdinand and producer Dan Carey get in the studio together. Deciding that Tonight: Franz Ferdinand wasn’t enough, the guys re-mixed most of the songs. The product is the manic Blood: Franz Ferdinand (Domino), released earlier this month. Blood takes the thumping reggae of Tonight, adds heavy bass, pulls it apart so it’s almost gummy, and throws in some more synthesizers. The outcome is three-times as fun and perfect for the dance floor. “Die on the Dance Floor” is the first attention-grabber. It starts, bouncing with some serious 80’s influence, but darkens when the spacious bass unifies the rhythm. “Katherine Hit Me,” which only plays off the title of Tonight’s “Katherine Kiss Me,” sounds like a bunch of musically inclined toddlers with pots and pans running around in the kitchen. It’s iterative and addictive. The highlight of the record is “Be Afraid,” a rework of “Dream Again.” It echoes like a dripping faucet in an empty room, leaving the backing chimes to carry the music. Though not stronger than Tonight, it’s just as frenetically electronic, excessive and indulgent. 4 out of 5 stars.

— Azia Squire

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The Smoking Section has long been regarded as an in-depth source of information about your favorite underground hip-hop artists. Recently TSS featured Atlanta’s own Señor Kaos. The artist formerly known as Kid Kaos has been a veteran of the Atlanta underground scene for over a decade releasing his first album while still in high school at age 17.

TSS presents Smoking Sessions with Señor Kaos.

During the interview he talks about how a lack of resources presents a challenge for indie hip-hop artists in the city of Atlanta.

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It’s official: When the “Supreme Genius” King Khan joined GZA on stage in Toronto to tear it up on some Liquid Swords cuts, he became the first Indian to join the Wu-Tang Clan.

If you watch closely he unslings his guitar and wanders away in the middle of “4th Chamber,” but he returns for the second video. I guess those guitar parts aren’t really essential. But I guess this makes it official, King Khan ain’t nothin’ to fuck with!

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Released yesterday, the mixtape B.o.B vs. Bobby Ray follows a format similar to T.I.’s T.I. vs. T.I.P. Pure coincidence? Not hardly. Atlanta’s own Bobby Ray (also known as B.o.B) happens to be signed to T.I.’s Grand Hustle label.

Rather than T.I.’s face-off between his inner thug and industry personas, Bob struggles with his rapper (B.o.B) vs. inner rocker of sorts (Bobby Ray).

Here’s what Complex had to say about B.o.B’s contribution to the mixtape:

The project is evenly divided between B.o.B and Bobby Ray songs with coinciding interludes to explain each side of the rapper’s personality. Things start off strongly with “One”, the mixtape’s first full song. We’re immediately thrust into the middle of B.o.B’s firmly positive agenda and remain there for the tape’s duration. Often times, rappers with the same focus make the mistake of coming across as preachy, but B.o.B puts his personal flaws on display as well. The young emcee arguably bests his mentor, T.I., on the standout “I’m That Nigga.”

And on Bobby Ray:

The Bobby Ray portion of the mixtape is a bit harder to warm up to because of its experimental nature, but still impressive. It seems like Bobby Ray has a stronger personal connection to these songs too, self-producing all but one. We definitely dig the left-field approach, but as much as he hates the comparisons, Bobby does occasionally come across like a The Love Below-era Andre 3000. It’s cool though. It’s easy to hear the kid honing his own unique sound and we like what we’ve heard so far.

DOWNLOAD B.o.B vs. Bobby Ray

B.o.B vs. Bobby Ray mixtape listening party. Free. 8-10 p.m. Wed., June 24. Strivers Row, 744 N. Highland Ave. 678-973-0045. See flier.

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Spotted at the Kaos Effect, this footage of Binkis Recs was shot by Goldi Gold (Jungle45 TV) in 2008 as the group prepared for an upcoming performance at the A3C festival.

Classic moment: Near the six and a half minute mark, Killa Kalm mugs his ill grill for the camera (”We don’t take ourselves serious … ’cause life is hard … the grill tells it all”), and Jax and Flux bust out in laughter.

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Joe "Christ" Linhart in Manila (May 2009) (Photo courtesy Felisa Villanueva)

By Jason Hatcher

Joe “Christ” Linhart
6/18/57 – 6/21/09

Underground filmmaker, musician and artist Joe Linhart (better known as Joe Christ) passed away on Father’s Day during the evening hours of June 21 in his Dekalb County home. According to toxicology reports released to his family today, Linhart died of a heart attack in his sleep.

Born in Washington D.C., Linhart relocated to Atlanta during the late 1990s following a nomadic lifestyle of producing shock art that made him a respected regular within underground scenes New York, Philadelphia, Dallas, and such far away locales as Manila in the Philippines.

During his Atlanta years, Linhart regularly worked with the shock website Consumption Junction and was a former guest artist with the the Dragon*Con festival. All the while, he released a steady stream of independent films, including 2005’s That’s Just Wrong! co-starring Atlanta sex author and mistress Dolores French, and other rousing titles including Amy Strangled a Small Child (1998) and Acid Is Groovy Kill the Pigs (1993). In addition to his film and visual art productions, Linhart also produced an equally balanced collection of rock recordings with such acts as Joe Christ and the Healing Faith (see interview), and Los Reactors.

Famous for wearing black T-shirts and jeans accented by macho tattoos upon his forearms, Linhart may have appeared menacing at first glance but upon further inspection most people discovered a truly kind soul and passionate artist. He was a father and friend whose untimely death leaves countless people in shock. But would Joe Christ have had it any other way? (more…)

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A young fan. A chance encounter. With a leg.

By Anna Watson

1994, Fox Theater
I got a job helping the catering lady in the hopes of getting backstage access. The catering room was in the basement of the Fox, off a narrow sloped hallway with linoleum floors and cement walls. Inside there were low ceilings with corrugated ceiling tiles and collapsible round tables and chairs. It was a small room with stale air.

The encounter
Eddie Vedder walked in the room, just like a normal person. He didn’t get any food. He just went and sat down at a table in the back left corner of the room. It was a now or never moment. I don’t normally drink coffee, but I needed an excuse. So I got a cup of coffee, walked over, sat down at his table and acted like I was supposed to be there. Then I open my packet of sugar and dropped the entire packet (paper and all) in my cup. I pushed it into the coffee so he wouldn’t see and remained calm as I burnt my finger. He had a little doll figure, a boy, with movable arms and legs and clothes that were painted. He was really into it. Then I noticed that he and I were wearing matching navy corduroy — his jacket and my pants. I couldn’t resist pointing this out, and he lit up when I did — he felt the knee of my pants as if to confirm that it was indeed the same as his jacket. We bonded for a split-sec. Then he had to leave. At the end of the food table near the door there was a vase of beautiful fresh star-gazers (”Eddie Vedder flowers” forevermore). On his way out he asked me if he could take a few up to his room. I was like, “Oh, yes, please, take them. Take them all!” He took a few.

Cigarettes
I was sent to Kroger to buy cigarettes for Pearl Jam. But first I had to find them to ask what kind. I found EV in a hallway a couple floors up, surrounded by posse and bodyguards. He saw me and I tried to yell to him. The bodyguard tried to push me back (like I was dangerous or something), but EV said, “No, it’s OK.” So I asked him. I think he said Marlboro. I was only 15, but somehow Kroger sold me two big boxes of them.

The leg
Pearl Jam was on stage and everyone was distracted, so it seemed like a good opportunity to check out their dressing room and search for evidence to take home. It was on the top floor (which I knew about from a previous time when I was sent up there to deliver sugar to Meatloaf, where he was in his bathrobe). Nobody stopped me, so I went up and walked in (the door was half open, so I could have easily just been lost and wandering into the wrong room, right? Yes, I thought — a believable explanation if I get caught). The lights were off except for a couple of lamps and the bathroom light. There were all these weird psychedelic black light posters on the walls and lava lamps, which I found odd. To the left of the door was a love seat and a small coffee table with the EV stargazers and the little figure boy. I thought, OMG, I’ve found EV’s SPOT — his NEST!! I focused, got in hyper-absorption mode and looked further. And as I looked around a corner next to the coffee table, my eyes fell on something right there in front of my face. Leaning against the wall was … was EV himself — only it was just part of him. Just his LEG. Without a doubt, it was Eddie Vedder’s OWN leg — only it was FAKE. Fake as in not alive or attached to a body. (more…)

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From the Whigs mailing list:

“Due to the unfortunate loss of the Georgia Theater, The Whigs will be playing a fundraiser Tuesday June 23 at the Melting Point. All proceeds to benefit the staff of the Georgia Theater. Also, our good friends Dead Confederate will be sharing the stage with us. Please join us for this important cause. Early show. Tickets can be purchased HERE.”

Georgia Theatre Fundraiser, The Melting Point. Tues., June 23. $10. ALL proceeds benefit the staff of the Georgia Theatre.

7:00 p.m. the New Familiars
9:15 p.m. Dead Confederate
10:30 p.m. the Whigs

(Photo courtesy the Whigs)

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There are a couple of good shows going on tonight in East Atlanta. If bleak and somewhat feminine, though mostly androgynous new wave electro pop skulk is your bag, Telepathe is headlining a show over at 529. The Living Rooms and Lemonade open. The cover is $8 and the show starts around 9 p.m.

If a catchier, ’60s inspired psyche rock sound is your thing, the Black Hollies from Jersey City are playing at the Earl. Reckless Hearts from Milwaukee and Atlanta’s Stolen Hearts also perform. $8. Doors open at 8:30.

Telepathe’s “Lights Go Down” mp3

(Photo by Eliza Douglas)

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It is a long standing tradition in the Atlanta music scene that when one of our own is in need, we rise up and do something. How many benefits have you heard about or attended for a local musician who either doesn’t have health insurance or is simply overwhelmed with the cost of necessary medical care? The point is, people do care, and they are willing and able to give when they can.

Sadly, another such opportunity has risen, as Carlos Capote of local blues band the Breeze Kings is in dire need of a kidney transplant. Originally diagnosed with a genetic condition marked by excessive protein levels in his urine as a child, the progressive disease has now reached the point where Capote needs frequent dialysis, and ultimately a transplant. In order to get on the statewide transplant list he must first raise at least $10,000 by Oct. 1, 2009 in order to receive matching funds for post-transplant meds and care.

On Sun., June 28, a benefit will be held at Blind Willie’s in order to raise money for the Capote Kidney Transplant Fund. Starting at 2 p.m., performers include the Shadows, the Breeze Kings, Francine Reed, Luther Johnson, Sweet Betty, Tommy Brown and more. The cover is $10 and donations for the cause are being graciously accepted. Click below for info on how to make a donation.

(more…)

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Could Street Sweeper Social Club’s message be any more poorly timed? The super group that primarily features Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello and the Coup’s Boots Riley has made its musical mission to, roughly, incite a far-left-wing overthrow of the U.S. government. Apparently unhappy with the pace of our center-left government’s reforms, the tracks are a muddled mish-mash of alternately angry and bratty jock jams. “You are hereby cordially invited to the third world war,” Riley imparts on “Megablast. “Let’s hit ’em with a megablast!” The album’s riffs and beats are a bit more substantial than its lyrics, but with rallying cries like “Fight! Smash! Win!” you can be sure that no one other than your OCD younger cousin will be able to stomach it. These guys should try again when Sarah Palin wins the presidency, or better yet, make like Morello’s last super group Audioslave and disband. (Street Sweeper Social Club) 1 star out of 5

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