Crib Notes

Acclaimed Orange County, Calif., rapper Awol One has long hovered beneath the commercial radar, and Owl Hours is his second collaboration with Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, producer Factor. The album focuses on the chaotic last few years of Awol’s life. “Only when you’re really drunk is when you smoke/Counting down every day until you croak,” he rhymes on “Glamorous Drunk.” The dark territory is fertile terrain for Xzibit, a longtime friend of Awol’s who took some time off from pimping rides to executive produce the album and offer his brutal, furious flow to highlight “Brains Out.” Though that song concerns suicide, the album doesn’t end so bleakly. The final track, “Sunset Sandwich,” finds Awol getting his act together and deciding he has plenty to live for. It also explains the album’s title: “Write as much as I can/Got to step to the plate and be a man/Workin’ late, owl hours.” (Fake Four) 4 stars out of 5

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WATCH FOR THE HOOK: Davila 666

The raw and ragged din of garage rock, new wave and girl groups are as American as apple pie. Such primitive rock ‘n’ roll movements weren’t exactly what Carlito Davila had in mind when he left his home town of San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the late ’90s to find the Seattle music scene. But while visiting the States he got his first exposure to the music of Television, the Ramones, and the Killed By Death compilations of obscure ’70s and ’80s punk rock. “It was like nothing I had ever heard before,” he recalls with a mild accent. “These people were making music because they had to, and it felt so real and honest and homemade to me, and I loved it.”

That exposure planted seeds in Davila that would later bloom into his band Davila 666, a group many are calling Puerto Rico’s answer to the Black Lips.

The sounds of modern Puerto Rico are defined largely by Latin hip-hop, bomba and reggaeton, and although a small enclave of punk and hardcore music exists in San Juan, the music Davila heard in the states was totally alien to him. When it comes to pop culture, Puerto Rico is a bit isolated, so by the time he made his way to Seattle, circa ‘96, the music scene he was looking for had come and gone. It was around that time that he met Erin Wood while working at Shop and Save.

Continue reading “Davila 666’s pop homage to garage”

(Photo courtesy In the Red Records)

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According to the East Atlanta neighborhood message board eavbuzz.net, Feed Your Head Music (493 Flat Shoals) owner Thom Osbourn was the victim of a robbery/assault that happened in the record store around 10:20 p.m on Sunday.

According to the post at eavbuzz.net,

A young, black male entered and appeared to have a gun concealed in a chip bag.  He asked Tom for all his money.  Tom told him that he didn’t have any sales for the day, so the kid told him he was going to take Tom’s laptop.  Tom told him to take it.  The kid seemed to get frustrated when he couldn’t get the power cord.  Tom told him he didn’t need it.  Tom discovered that the gun was actually a cell phone in the chip bag.  The kid began hitting Tom with his fists.  Then he picked up a turntable and an amp and hit Tom in the head with them.  Tom grabbed a bat and they struggled.  They ended up on the floor.

Randal was still next door at So Trendy and heard the yelling.  He called 911 and grabbed his pistol.  He ran outside and looked through Tom’s door.  Once he was certain that the kid didn’t have a weapon, Randal entered and told the kid to stay on the floor or he would blow the kid’s head off.

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The Balkans aren’t driving a fancy bus, they won’t be staying in hotels or even eating at mid-priced chain restaurants during their nine-stop tour of the east coast this summer.  But they do have complete ownership of the whole tour.  They’ve booked the shows themselves, made T-shirts, pressed records and crammed equipment into a soccer-mom-mobile plus a turtle top.  They spent months convincing concerned parents that they weren’t going to die, and after a full-band and parent meeting last Saturday they were reluctantly given the go for takeoff.  Yes, this is a tour with plan and potential.  It is also a tour with four recent high school graduate boys and a hand full of girls in tow.

The tour started sometime Saturday afternoon while I was in the shower. I emerged to find the car packed full with little room for my own bag.  We arrived in Athens to find people slightly confused as to who the Balkans were. Flagpole, Athens’ local alt-weekly, listed the band as an “Atlanta duo” while Jake, a listing’s paper, had a photo of all four members of the band, but they were labeled the “Blakans.”

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Prior to her concert tonight at Chastain Amphitheater, veteran alternative rock goddess Tori Amos treated 40 fans to an intimate mini concert at the W Midtown Hotel.

During the hour long set, Amos spun her usual magic, mesmerizing the audience with her signature seductive vocals and haunting melodies. Not a single word was uttered from the crowd they clung to every note as she performed four songs including well known staples like “Leather” and “Silent all these years” and some new material, “Lady In Blue” and “500 miles” from her most recent album Abnormally Attracted to Sin.

Amos is well known for her informal pre-concert chats with her loyal followers. In between the two, two song sets, Amos answered a couple of questions from the fans.

When asked how these crowd chats came about she said, “I wanted to know who was coming to the shows. Because you’re singing all this emotional stuff and you figure, ‘well it doesn’t seem right not to be able to see each others eyes.’ And I get a sense before every show just by meeting people and talking to them and hearing what’s been going on. You get a tone of what’s being going on in that city on that day. Every event like this changes it, because it brings it to such a real place.”

Her fans were interested to know that Amos creates her concert set as she rolls into each town. However they were surprised to discover Atlanta holds a special significance for her and the concert set list process takes on a life of its own whenever she’s in town.

“Atlanta is different because my mom and dad went to Emory (University). My mom (Mary Ellen Amos) worked in the Dean’s office and my dad (Rev. Dr. Edison) was on the ministry side. My grandmother came down from the Smokies as an indentured servant to North Georgia, so there’s a trail that I’m following that is driving this whole thing as a bloodline,” she states. “Certain cities that I’m not connected to through family, I come in from a completely different detachment but with this place (Atlanta), you can’t get away from the ancestors…they take over.”

The questions tendered during the session were not limited to Amos’ music. When a fan, Kenny, asked for advice on passing his upcoming bar exam, Amos quipped, “You have to go like you’re going to a concert. I know people who’ve failed the bar several times because they get so worked up – you can’t get worked up. You have to walk into the side of Kenny that already has passed the bar. You’re already passed it on a different plane, so you have to now come back from your future and just take it.”

Today’s show is part of Dave FM’s ongoing “Circle Of Friends” concert series. Listeners can find out more about this shows and register for upcoming concerts from their website.

Bonus:

Tori Amos Performs “Silent All These Years”

(Photo by Adam Davila)

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High priestess of soul Nina Simone was a true diva. Her imperious manner, both on and off stage, could intimidate audiences and critics alike. But daughter Simone, né Lisa Simone Kelly, hasn’t cowered under her mother’s shadow, even though Nina Simone initially opposed her decision to become a singer. “I’ve created my own path,” says the daughter, who still saw fit to pay tribute to her mother’s legacy with the release of her ’08 solo album, Simone on Simone. “It just so happens that I’m Nina Simone’s daughter as well. It gives me a huge foundation from which to leap.”

Simone, as she prefers to be called, started singing professionally in the early ’90s with touring productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and Rent before joining the Grammy-winning acid jazz group Liquid Soul in ’98. But she didn’t gain her mother’s approval until she appeared on stage with her at the Guinness Blues Festival in Dublin ten years ago.

Continue reading “Nina Simone’s daughter celebrates her mother’s legacy”

(Photo courtesy Vermillion Media Group)

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In 1983, Murmur underscored the Deep South isolation responsible for R.E.M.’s moody interpretation of that era’s post-punk, folk and new wave sounds. In turn, the ‘84 follow-up Reckoning shows the effects of fresh, world-weary exposure on the group. From the opening drum salvo, sweet vocal melodies and jangling guitar lines of “Harborcoat,” Reckoning is a clean, clear-eyed next step that refines the group’s pedigree of dark, accomplished pop songwriting. “7 Chinese Bros.,” “Pretty Persuasion,” “Camera” and “(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville” are an undulating but direct sonic panorama of baroque atmospherics summoned by minimal rock ‘n’ roll arrangements. A bonus live disc captures the raw energy of the group’s shows at the time, adding new dimensions to the studio recording and further highlighting the band’s timeless qualities 25 years down the road. (IRS) 5 stars out of 5

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After reading the AJC’s story about the financial hard times that have fallen upon the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon, I asked the museum’s Executive Director, Lisa Love to explain the situation further.

Here’s what she had to say:

“It is a very difficult time for all businesses, particularly non-profits. The Hall of Fame’s business plan from day one has depended on state funding. An early feasibility study was anything but feasible in its projection that the museum would attract 150,000 visitors per year, when the museum has actually averaged between 25,000-35,000 paid visitors over the past 13 years. Macon has an incredible inventory of attractions, including historic homes like the Hay House, the Tubman African-American Museum, the Music and Sports Halls of Fame and the Ocmulgee Indian Mounds, but the city has been slow in creating and executing a comprehensive plan for downtown revitalization. Therefore, we are not even close to the foot traffic in Macon we need to help sustain not just us, but all of these valuable institutions.

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Atlanta psych metal masters Zoroaster announced last week that they will will be heading out soon for their fall, 2009 “North America is Doomed” tour in support of Voice of Saturn, beginning Sat., Aug. 1.

Then on Mon., Sept. 21 they’ll begin a stint of live shows appearing as the hand-picked opening act for French metal band Gojira, for two weeks during their fall run in support of Metallica and Lamb of God.

When those shows are over Zoroaster and Gojira then head overseas to embark on a month-long European tour with experimental black metal bands Absu and Nachtmystium. This will mark Zoroaster’s first trip to Europe and the shows kick-off Fri., Oct.16 in Darmstadt, Germany.

In the meantime, Voice of Saturn is due out on vinyl via Kreation Records any day now…

“White Dwarf” (feat. Brent Hinds) mp3
“Spirit Molecule” mp3

Click below for tour dates

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Riding With The King – 20th Anniversary Celebration
Sat., July 25, 2009
Screenings at 8 p.m.
PushPush Theater
121 New Street
Decatur, GA 30030
404-377-6332

Cost: $5 adults, $2 kids between 3-11, Free for under 3y/o.

According to CL writer and King Ride participant James Kelly,

In August 1988, a troupe of intrepid Elvis fans left Atlanta and traveled across Dixie to Memphis TN. Their goal was to document on film the international phenomenon of the pilgrimage, a longstanding tradition among various cultures wherein the individual is expected to visit a special place at least once in their life. In this case the “special place” is Graceland, home of the late King of Rock n’ Roll, Elvis Presley. Leaving Inman Park’s lamented Austin Avenue Buffet armed with cameras and led by Atlanta country singer Slim Chance driving a massive Cadillac convertible, the group first explored Elvis’ birthplace and the hardware store where he got his first guitar in Tupelo. In Memphis the crew visited Elvis’ karate’ instructor Kang Rhee, got fashion tips fit for a King in Lansky’s Clothing Store, attended an Elvis impersonator’s contest, discussed the furniture in Graceland with Elvis’ personal interior decorator, and many other unique adventures.

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Crib Notes TV catches up with Playboi Tre to talk about his days with defunct Atlanta hip-hop circle the Attic Crew as well as his new crew Ham Squad featuring Bobby Ray aka B.o.B, and Born Wit It. We also get a chance to hear about new projects with Atlanta artists Pill & Big Reczilla.

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“I would fuck Gucci Mane so hard!”

Need I remind anyone that this is still the South, where, for hundreds of years, black men were lynched for less? Only Gucci Mane, with his steady diet of confectionary, unconscionable trap rap, could potentially set African-Americans so far back and simultaneously level the playing field.

I don’t know whether to laugh or run.

Apparently Decatur rapper Playboy Tré, seen egging the chicks on in the video along with TJ of TJ’s DJ’s, was plagued by no such a dilemma. Lying dead and disfigured in his grave, Emmett Till must be totally flabbergasted right about now.

(Spotted at NahRight.com)

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Donnis doesn’t strike me as the kind of kid who’d really gets his rocks off at the Clermont Lounge. And I think he may be slightly confused about the difference between the actual lounge and the hotel.

He puts an overly explicit spin on Bubba Sparxxx’s original song “Clermont Lounge,” and it inspires me in such a way that I’m instantly reminded of Jay-Z’s famous Nas diss line from “The Takeover.”

Allow me to take a little creative license, if you will: He sampled Bubba Sparxxx, guess Bubs was doin’ it wrong/Sparxxx made it a hot line, Donnis made it a wack song.

Indeed. The only thing redemptive here is the video, a sweet little visual narrative directed by Motion Family. If the Clermont’s owner isn’t already hip to the action, he should consider adopting it as part of his ongoing marketing campaign to save the joint from foreclosure.

They could even shoot another version and replace the underage chick with Blondie’s classic ass.

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At dusk on Saturday July 25, Opal Gallery in Little Five Points will present an outdoor screening of The Passion of Joan of Arc by Carl Theodor Dreyer. The 1928 silent film, which portrays the tragic final days of the life of Joan of Arc, is considered a cinematic masterpiece for its provocative theme and the groundbreaking use of the actor’s facial expressions as a communicative medium.

Lost for many years, the film has often been screened with accompanying live music since its rediscovery. At this rare Atlanta showing, the music will be provided by Hubcap City (from Belgium), who will be joined for the event by former Smoke cellist Brian Halloran, who has rarely played since they disbanded.

Hubcap City (fB) members Bill Taft and Will Fratesi were both part of Smoke, the highly respected avant-garde musical group fronted by the late singer and Atlanta legend Benjamin. Smoke ended following Benjamin’s death from AIDS-related complications in 1999, and Taft and Fratesi eventually formed Hubcap City (fB).

According to Taft, “Hubcap City’s music is actually based a lot on chord progressions I learned from [Smoke member] Todd Butler. He was able to combine Waylon Jennings and Burt Bacharach, and come up with great sounds.” Any hopes of a more comprehensive Smoke reunion were further diminished by the untimely passing of guitarist Butler in 2004. “This is the first time I have ever tried to play music by Smoke since it ended,” says Taft. “I guess I always tried to run away from tragedy in my past.”

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Following the sudden news that the monthly hip-hop publication Vibe magazine was folding, the last issue hit newsstands earlier this month with part one of what was intended to be a two-part story on the Dungeon Family. Written by Linda Hobbs, the in-depth story (”Am I My Brother’s Keeper? The Untold Story of Dungeon Family”) about DF’s internal makeup, eventual breakup and ongoing reunion has renewed interest in the South’s most influential hip-hop crew — especially its two cornerstone acts, OutKast and Goodie Mob.

Whether part-two of Hobbs’ DF story ever sees the light of day remains to be seen. (Word on the street is she’s in talks with other music publications to run part two). But here’s one reunion to bank on: Shameless Plug, the burgeoning promotions team that brought rappers Drake and Devin the Dude to Atlanta in recent months, just booked Goodie Mob for an Atlanta concert to take place Sat., Sept. 19.

The venue has yet to be announced. Stay tuned for further updates.

Update: Read CL’s Sept. 16 cover story, A dirty job for Goodie Mob, about the upcoming reunion concert.

Updated: Meanwhile, peep former CL music critic Roni Sarig’s 2003 cover story “Dungeon Family Tree: An oral history of OutKast and the extended crew’s first decade”:

Cee-Lo: We happened to be in Greenbriar Mall one day, and my homeboy was telling Marqueze [Etheridge, Organized Noize associate who co-wrote TLC's "Waterfalls" with them] that I sing. He was going over to the Dungeon, so we decided to give him a ride. We went over there, and I sung for Sleepy Brown. At the time, Rico, Dre and Big Boi had rode off to get something to eat. They came back and saw me sitting there and Dre got excited, like, “That’s my homeboy Cee-Lo I was telling you about. He can rhyme, he can sing.” That particular day, T-Mo and Khujo and Gipp walked in the door — I knew them from high school. When I saw their familiar faces, I was immediately comfortable.

Khujo: Me and T-Mo started fucking with them Crown Royal liquor bags, the purple and gold bags. We used to strap them on our belts and have goodies in them — weed, a couple dollars. Just a little bag we used to walk around with, and it would swing on the side. We’d say, “It’s the goodie bag, man.”

Edited: An earlier version of this post mentioned other DF acts scheduled to play the Goodie Mob reunion show. No other acts have been confirmed as of yet.

(Story image courtesy Vibe magazine)

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Who are you?
Ben Trickey!

Describe yourself in three words.
Shaky nervous sort.

Who — dead or alive — would you most like to meet?
I would love to have a few beers with Tom T. Hall.

Who would you most like to slap in the face?
Rush Limbaugh or Randi Rhodes, they’re both ridiculous.

What song do you wish you had written?
This list goes round the block, but today I’ll say “Papagallo” by the Mountain Goats or “The Night” by Morphine.

Elvis Costello or Elvis Presley?
Oh, Elvis Costello for sure.

LP, CD or MP3?
I really hope this LP with high quality download takes a hold of all music.  I love vinyl records and the ritual of listening to music that way.  I want people to see that the leak they just downloaded instead of buying the record is some crappy compression that can destroy subtleties in especially quiet records.  Ever heard a mp3 version of Springsteen’s Nebraska?  It’s destroyed.

If you could start one trend, what would it be?
More old man bars in the perimeter.

If you could end one trend, what would it be?
Musicians who think they’re geniuses. Oh, and movie remakes.

With whom would you most like to play a game of spin the bottle?
That’s easy, my fiancée.

“Prize Fighter” mp3

Ben Trickey plays the Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge with Rick Dang on Thurs., July 23. $5. 9 p.m.

(Photo courtesy Ben Trickey)

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Cracker plays the Earl Wed., July 22.

WED/22
CRACKER Rootsy wise guy David Lowery and shotgun-riding guitarist Johnny Hickman may never have a “Low”-sized radio hit again, but 17 years along in their remarkably consistent career, Cracker’s new album is as musically gutsy and lyrically sharp as anything in the band’s catalog. $18-$20. 8 p.m. The Earl. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com. — Hal Horowitz

THUR/23
JAAFAR The city of Birmingham may not be considered a bastion of progressive soul, but with the layered debut album Travel Light, B’ham native Jaafar is breaking the mold. Rich vocals, narrative lyrics and lush production make Jaafar one of the genre’s most respected rising talents. In short time, he’s proving he has the goods to carve out his own lane. Free. 8 p.m. Café Circa. 404-477-0008. www.cafecircaatl.com. — Jacinta Howard

MAIA SHARP Despite penning songs for a wide array of rootsy Americana artists such as Bonnie Raitt, the Dixie Chicks, and er, Cher, Sharp’s own albums have flown under the radar. Enter super-producer Don Was to give her latest set of melodic singer/songwriter musings a high-profile boost and bid for mass attention. $12-$60. 8 p.m. Eddie’s Attic. 404-377-4976. www.eddiesattic.com. — HH

Continue reading “CL’s picks for the week’s best shows”

(Photo courtesy Jason Thrasher)

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When Rahsaan Patterson unleashes his soul, it sounds like Prince and Al Green sharing a set of vocal chords. Patterson says he’s just a conduit for his gospel-drenched mix of funk and soul, “an open vessel musically and spiritually.” Raised in the Pentecostal church, Patterson’s spirituality manifests itself in an out-of-body experience when performing. “My goal is to disconnect from my person and tap into that spiritual realm where the voices are able to come through,” he says. “It’s not until I’m done with the song I realize I even traveled that far.”

Patterson’s journey began in 1984 at the age of 10 when he began starring as “the Kid” in the Disney Channel program “Kids Incorporated,” about a fantasy band that also featured such future stars as Fergie (Stacy Ferguson) of Black Eyed Peas and actress Jennifer Love Hewitt. Of course, the price for childhood stardom is typically paid for in loss of innocence, often ending in disaster. “I wouldn’t say I escaped it, but I was able to make it through,” Patterson says. “I never robbed any [dry] cleaners or beat people up in public.”

Continue reading “Rahsaan Patterson’s higher soul power”

(Photo by Miles Ahead Entertainment)

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On Sunday night WonderRoot will host a cops and robbers-themed reopening party for their digital media lab, which was temporarily closed after a substantial amount of computers and equipment were stolen last week.

From WonderRoot,

We would like to send a special thanks to the community for all the concern and willingness to help out.  In fact, because of some of you the police were able to recover some of the stolen computers.  We have been overwhelmed with the kind words and support expressed in light of the unfortunate events. This is why we want to celebrate. WonderRoot wants all of you to know that we are committed to continue providing state-of-the-art facilities. We believe that empowering the community with these resources will lead to a stronger, healthier, and more sustainable Atlanta.

The party starts at 8 p.m. at 982 Memorial Dr. 404-254-5955.

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