Lead by former Neutral Milk Hotel drummer Jeremy Barnes, A Hawk & A Hacksaw explores various enclaves of Eastern European and American folk music with an accordion and something of a surreal bent. The group is touring in support of their latest release, Délivrance (Leaf). Jeffrey Butzer and Damon & Naomi open.
$10. 9 p.m. The Earl. 488 Flat Shoals Rd. 404-522-3950.
The title of Killer Mike’s new compilation album featuring local MCs is a little misleading. After all, many of the artists who appear on Underground Atlanta — like recent XXL cover boys OJ da Juiceman, Gucci Mane, Shawty Lo and Soulja Boy — are household rap names who have received plenty of national exposure. Still, the two-disc set is charming and solid all the way through, and features highlights from such lesser-known talents as Rich Kidz (”Bowling”) and Prynce Cyhi (”Don’t Go Outside”), as well as winners from veterans including Pastor Troy and Trillville, whose “I Be Off Dat” recalls the group’s crunk-era glory. Killer Mike pops up periodically, usually to great effect, on such tracks as “N*ggaz Down South (Remix),” which also features T.I. and honorary Atlantan Bun B. A project like this is long overdue, and Mike’s ability to unite this diverse group of folks demonstrates his wide-ranging influence around these parts. (SMC Recordings) 4 stars out of 5
Killer Mike CD signing, Friday Sept. 4, 2009. 6 p.m. DBS Sounds, 6610 Highway 85, Riverdale. 770-997-5776. www.dbssounds.com
“Seeing the Dark” and “Spirit Molecule,” the first two cuts from Zoroaster’s The Voice of Saturn, have materialized on the B-side of a split 7-inch with Portland, Oregon’s Aldebaran (Kreation Records).
Both acts are cut from a similar cloth of slow, doom-laden metal riffs, and the vinyl treatment really blows out the bottom end of the dirge. The bass-heavy mix draws out the rich and blackened qualities, and as a teaser to the forthcoming vinyl version of The Voice of Saturn, it definitely leaves you wanting more.
Aldebaran’s side is a growly voiced anthem called “Aldebaran Red,” which fits smoldering guitars and war drums over dueling high/low godlike grumbles. There’s less of a psychedelic bent to Aldebaran’s side of the record. Instead, these Portland tormentors summon a maelstrom of teeth-gnashing, scorched-earth vitriol. 900 copies pressed on black vinyl, 100 on clear/”black haze” vinyl.
Zoroaster’s “Spirit Molecule” mp3
Zoroaster plays the Masquerade Thurs., Sept. Sep 24 with Gojira and Burst and Scale the Summit. $13. 8 p.m. 695 North Ave. 404-577-8178.
The Coathangers are heading back out on tour this fall in support of their second album, Scramble. This time around the Atlanta lady punks are playing a handful of shows with Vancouver duo Japandroids who are touring behind their debut full-length, Post-Nothing.
The tour kicks-off in Atlanta at 529 on Fri., Sept. 25 and will be followed by a several dates leading up to Quebec’s Pop Montreal Festival. After that they hook-up with Japandroids to make a trek across Canada and down to the East Coast and Midwestern states before heading South again.
Normally we wouldn’t condone watching reality TV shows of any stripe, but we’ll make an exception to keep an eye out from Coathangers’ drummer Stephanie Luke’s appearance on an upcoming episode of TLC’s “LA INK.” The air date is still TBA but we’ll let you know when we hear anything.
The Coathangers’ “Toomerhead” mp3
Japandroids performing “Heart Sweats”
Click below to see the Coathangers’ fall tour dates
(Photo by Lamar George)
Nebula plays Masquerade, Fri., Aug. 28.
AIROES, EAR PWR Atlanta’s Airoes create spastic music that sounds like you are fighting the boss of the last level of an old Nintendo game with time running out. Baltimore’s Ear Pwr has a similar affinity for retro video games, as well as ‘80s dance and hip-hop. Toro Y Moi and the Crunk Punk DJs round out this electro bill.
$5. 10 p.m. 529. 404-228-6769. www.529atl.com. — Jonathan Williams
AMON TOBIN, WELDER, SIMON B Headlining the opening of Athens’ latest music venue, Tobin is known for his dark mix of jungle grooves, breakbeats and hip-hop’s low end. Welder mixes glitchy IDM with ambient pop while Simon B spins a set of techno, electro and anything else that will keep bodies moving.
$20-$25. 9 p.m. New Earth Music Hall, Athens. 706-543-8283. www.newearthmusichall.com. — JW
EDWIN MCCAIN, FREDDY JONES BAND Both McCain and Jones make easy, fairly light music for folks who don’t need a lot of heavy stuff bringing them down. Not that it is a bad thing, but it is a pretty common thing.
$15-$45. 7:30 p.m. Chastain Park Amphitheatre. 404-733-4800. www.classicchastain.com. — JK
LOS LOBOS There aren’t many acts still touring with their original members 36 years down the line, but East L.A.’s Los Lobos’ inventive combination of Latin, rockabilly, country, folk, blues, world and even experimental roots music remains fresh and inspirational. Expect all that and some new material, too, from a soon to be released 18th album. Delta Moon opens.
$35. 8 p.m. Atlanta Botanical Garden. 404-249-6400. www.concertsinthegarden.org. — Hal Horowitz
NEBULA, THE ENTRANCE BAND, EL CAMINOS Featuring ex-Fu Manchu guitarist Eddie Glass, Nebula arrives draped in more fuzz than the work frig’s year-old leftovers. The wah wails and rhythm section quakes setting controls to the heart of the sun on their raucous garage-psych exploration.
$12. 8 p.m. Masquerade. 404-577-8178. masq.com. — CP
ANNA KRAMER & THE LOST CAUSE, OCHA LA ROCHA, JOHN PAUL KEITH & THE ONE FOUR FIVES, HAYSHAKER All four bands on the bill tonight embrace a skewed, although deeply engrained sense of Americana in their songwriting, ranging from straight-forward rock ‘n’ roll to a more robust mix of earth-toned and traditional country songs. Memphis rockers Keith and the One Four Fives are the only non-local act on the bill.
$10. 9 p.m. Star Bar. 404-681-9018. www.starbar.net. — CR
CHERYL WHEELER Despite the somber nature of much of her catalog, fans know that folk singer Wheeler’s live shows are as much a showcase for her humorous between-song patter as for the introspective material that dominates her studio work. She tours behind a new album, her eighth, which features three frisky tunes about her late cat.
$22.50-$25. 8:30 p.m. Red Light Cafe. 404-874-7828. www.redlightcafe.com. — HH
EN VOGUE, TONY! TONI! TONÉ!, SILK Is anyone else mourning the death of R&B’s slow jam? OK, so the quiet storm era wasn’t the most magnetic in black music, but at least such groups as EnVogue, Tony! Toni! Toné! and Silk provided the essential baby-making music that helped teen pregnancy rates skyrocket in the early ’90s. Nowadays, all these poor young people have to set the mood is Percocet. Now throw your lit cell phone in the air, and wave it side to side like you just don’t care.
$25-$60. 8 p.m. Chastain Park Amphitheatre. 404-733-4800. www.classicchastain.com. — Rodney Carmichael
KIMBERLY NICHOLE, RAHBI, THE REMNANT Last year, one of Atlanta’s most electric soul vocalists Nichole departed for bigger and better in N.Y. Yet she ended up collaborating with a slew of Atlanta-based talent, including producer Q Kegler, to put together her debut album, The Yellow Brick Journey. Nichole returns for the release party this weekend, and she’s just what the A’s been missing.
$5. 9 p.m. Apache Café. 404-876-5436. www.apachecafe.info. — RC
Michael Jackson’s death and the 50th anniversary of Motown Records’ founding has renewed focus on the pioneering Detroit label, making Smokey Robinson’s latest solo CD, Time Flies When You’re Having Fun — his first in three years — well-timed. Though Robinson’s name is practically synonymous with the imprint, its signature soul and pop sounds are nowhere to be found on this work, which skews toward contemporary R&B and smooth jazz. Tracks like “Love Bath,” “You’re the One for Me” and “Time Flies” are particularly overproduced, but most everything here is department store elevator-ready. Robinson’s cover of Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why” immediately indicates what demographic he’s pursuing — one that’s old, wealthy and unadventurous in its tastes. So perhaps it’s not fair to compare the album to the earlier, innovative entries in his catalog. Nevertheless, finding something to appreciate about such a lifeless, passionless CD is a tall order, indeed. (Robso Records) 2 stars out of 5
“All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.”
- Sun Tzu, the Art of War
In every war there comes a time to call a truce, and when the members of Attractive Eighties Women declared war on me after giving their latest CD, The Ancient Cry of the Tyrannosaur, a measly 1 out of 5 stars, it was time to meet face-to-face on a battlefield of their choosing. Guitarist Christie Brinkley and frontman Phoebe Cates chose Octane Coffee. In the past I have described AEW as being equal parts Lenny Bruce impious humor-made-local, and the power-trash jams of the Replacements circa ‘83, but the first part isn’t quite right. These guys are more like Andy Kaufman meets the Mats at the dog end of a three-day amphetamine-fueled performance art bender. They don’t mind speaking their minds about their disdain for rock critics, communists and worst of all pandas.
Chad Radford: Thank you for meeting me today.
Christie Brinkley: Thank you. I brought you this statue of a King-Fu Master out of respect for what you do, and for meeting us here today. It’s a gift from us as a gesture of respect for you meeting us. But I also cut of his left hand as a warning and to remind you of our disapproval of the album review that you wrote of our new record.
Phoebe Cates: We do that for critics who give us bad reviews. We even wrote a song about the coward Jeff Clark, but it’s not a nice song. You made the right decision to come and speak with us today. I looked at your review of our new record online and it had 17 comments. The only other thing that had any comments was something about Dallas Austin, and he only had two comments. That’s a pretty accurate percentage of how much more popular we are than Dallas Austin, which if you do the math it works out to about 13,000% more popular. So as you see we are a band that gets people talking and that gets people excited.
Chad Radford: I heard your song about Jeff Clark …
PC: You mean “the coward Jeff Clark” of Stomp & Stammer?
CR: What did he do to you?
OK Productions and Windstorm Productions are hosting their third annual Atlanta New Year’s Eve Jammer with Band of Horses playing on Wed., Dec. 30 and Thurs., Dec. 31 at the Tabernacle.
Presale tickets went on sale Wed., Aug. 26 via LiveNation (use the password: NIGHTRAINBOW when prompted).
If you love Band of Horses so much that you have to see them two nights in a row, or you didn’t get invited to any parties anywhere else, a limited number of discounted, two-day passes are available but only through the pre-sale.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Fri., Aug. 28 at 10 a.m. via LiveNation or at the Variety Playhouse box office. The highly coveted two-day passes will continue to be available only through LiveNation, but not at the aforementioned discounted price (though the service fee will be lower than buying an individual ticket to each night’s show). These two-day tickets must be picked up at will call.
FYI: If you’re coming in from out of town the Highland Inn (www.thehighlandinn.com) is offering a 10% on hotels rooms for Band of Horses concert goers.
(Photo courtesy Band of Horses)
To celebrate the release of the Beatles’ monolithic stereo CD box set, Criminal Records has declared Wed., Sept. 9 to be Beatles Day — all day.
Sadly the store has already stopped taking pre-orders for the super limited CD box set of mono recordings, and the remastered LPs won’t see the light of day until sometime next year.
But if you must have to have it, the stereo box is available for pre-order now at a reduced cost of $199.99. As of Sept. 9 they will shoot up to $239.99 when a series of individual remasters will also be released and sold for $9.99 each. But if you don’t have the dough and want to just hang out and listen to some top notch Beatles reissues, they’ll be playing the remasters all day long from the main stage through some kind of high-tech, two-channel stereo system that comes courtesy of local experts The Art of Noise.
ALL GOOD THINGS MUST
It opens old wounds, bad ideas, troubled times, nasty sex, sweaty drugs, new starts, and almost always, a shady hiding place. As a rusty key opens the door to one of our rooms in the Clermont Motor Hotel, we’re hit in the face with the firm smell of gentleman’s musk. Fourth floor or not, this is the ball sack of the building. And we must be nuts for doing this.
It’s a triangulation of sin. A dangerous, if not deceitful, triangle along the Poncey corridor that connects the Crack Track (the much ballyhooed Beltline) to the Murder Kroger, MJQ, and of course the Clermont Hotel. Sunup or sundown, that block on Ponce de Leon Avenue has played host to hilarious, harrowing tales for most of us. And the Ford Factory Lofts water tower stands proud and useless overlooking all of the questionable decisions and mishaps that take place below.
MJQ gives us a headquarters. Green’s gives us courage. And the Clermont, well, I’m not so sure anymore. If anything, maybe the Clermont gives us a reminder to get our shit together. That, and maybe hepatitis. Pick a consonant.
Since the 1981 release of Depeche Mode’s debut, Speak & Spell, leather-clad electro tarts Dave Gahan (vocals), Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, vocals) and Andrew Fletcher (whose real musical role in the group is somewhat of a mystery, though he’s often credited as a keyboard player) carved a path through history via synth. pop sounds that waver between buoyant, dance floor fodder and dark romanticism. Coming together on the heels of the U.K. punk explosion of the late ’70s came as a blessing and a curse for the forward-thinking electro-pop pioneers. At the time of their emergence their sound was completely alien to the rock-afflicted masses, but when they hit the states a few years later they were selling out venues as large as the Rose Bowl.
Over the years they’ve lost and gained members, but Gahan, Gore and Fletcher have carried on. With their latest release, Sounds of the Universe, they’ve tempered the bombast of their more recent years with a return to old-school form that culminates in yet a new direction in what has become a truly timeless sound.
Chad Radford: So what exactly do you do in Depeche Mode? There’s a scene in the film 101 where you say “David is the Singer, Martin writes the songs…”
Andrew Fletcher: “’…and I just kind of bum around.’ That’s the scene, right?
Yes, but I suspect that you do more than just kind of bum around.
Right. Well, that is pretty much all that I do. One thing to remember about a group is that there is electricity that keeps it all together, especially a group like Depeche Mode. Not everybody can be Dave Gahan or Martin Gore. I’m the man in the background. Initially — the first 13-15 years that we were around we never had a manager and I used to take care of that side of things. So yeah, I’m just kind of the man in the background and that’s what I like to be.
Would you say that you are the guy behind the curtain, pulling the strings?
I’m not so sure about that (laughs). I try to anyway.
If hip-hop were a track meet, it would be hard to find a four-man squad that could beat Slaughterhouse. Composed of critically respected but commercially unheralded underground MCs Joell Ortiz, Royce da 5′9″, Crooked I and Joe Budden, the group’s self-titled debut serves mainly as a platform for each man to attempt to one-up the others through punchlines, dexterity and flat-out velocity. Lyrically, there are about as many hits (”Where’s your head nigga?” raps Crooked I, “I got the guillotine”) as misses (”Nothing to hide,” puts in Royce, “the jimmy covers up my Tommy Lee”), but much of the fun is simply listening to them spit outrageously fast. Some critics have complained that there is little unity here, that the album feels like four combined solo efforts rather than the work of a cohesive group. Fans of pure, old-school one-upmanship, however, likely won’t find anything superior this year. (E1) 4 stars out of 5
The Incredible Sandwich plays Sweetwater Brewing Company, Thurs., Aug. 27.
WED/26
FLAMING LIPS, EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, STARDEATH & WHITE DWARFS The Lips evolved from widescreen acid-rocking punks into mad layered pop geniuses during the past quarter-century, uniting the spacey and elegantly beautiful. Dynamic instrumentalists Explosions in the Sky’s symphonies have sharper, more aerodynamic edges. $43. 7:30 p.m. Chastain Park Amphitheatre. 404-233-2227. www.classicchastain.com. — Chris Parker
THE RESCUES This half male/female quartet is comprised of respected singer/songwriters whose own folk-pop is critically acclaimed. But together they prove the axiom that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. That’s especially true when the Fleetwood Mac-styled harmonies start flying. $15-$75. 8 p.m. Eddie’s Attic. 404-377-4976. www.eddiesattic.com. — Hal Horowitz
THURS/27
ELIZA GILKYSON, DEDE VOGT In an ocean of talented singer/songwriters, Gilkyson stands out with her “cut to the bone” honesty and insight. Turning darkness into beauty is an art, and Gilkyson is a true purveyor. Local songster Vogt opens. $18-$90. 8 p.m. Eddie’s Attic. 404-377-4976. www.eddiesattic.com. — James Kelly
ENSEMBLE PAMPELMOUSSE This NYC crew of modern classical misfits is bent on exploring the outer limits of electronic and improvised music. Remarkable chemistry binds the group’s members, and their camaraderie is just as important to their sound as their virtuoso skills when it comes to manning a procession of flute, strings, drums and knobs on their trek. $8. 8 p.m. Eyedrum. 404-522-0655. www.eyedrum.org. — Chad Radford
THE INCREDIBLE SANDWICH This Athens quartet dig deep grooves filled with jazz-blues-folk-funk ganache spilling out a spunky mix of the Dead, MM&W, and Weather Report. Their debut EP ranges from jazzy pop atmospheres to expansive fusion jams with a rootsy undercurrent. Free. 5:30 p.m. Sweetwater Brewing Company. 404-691-2537. www.sweetwaterbrew.com. — Chris Parker
Continue reading “CL’s picks for the week’s best shows”
(Photo by Nathan Rodriguez)
TWO DRUMSTICKS, EXTRA CRISPY: KJ Sawka
Every once in a while, a musician of such skill and dexterity comes along that seeing him perform live makes you stop dead in your tracks and say, “Whoa.” Seattle drummer Kevin “KJ” Sawka is one such musician. The collegiate-looking jungle/drum and bass head has mastered the art of what sounds like drum machine music by playing drums like a machine.
“Electronic music can be a little boring to watch sometimes, but that’s where I differ in a big, big way,” Sawka says.
As a one-man spectacle, Sawka transcends the pitfalls of seeing a guy slouched over a laptop, playing live electronic music. His movements are fast and metronomic as he rattles through a precise set of broken beats and obtuse rhythms with mesmerizing energy. “It’s an eyeful for a lot of people, especially for a lot of drum and bass fans who aren’t used to seeing a live musician playing the music,” he adds. “I have a big variety of stuff that I do and with me playing drums in the middle of it all. It really adds a live essence to the show rather than coming off like seeing a DJ.”
Continue reading “Drummer KJ Sawka plays like a machine”
(Photo courtesy KJ Sawka)
As of this Saturday night the Fringe Factory will no longer be held at the Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge.
According to resident FF hosts/DJs Vikki V and Suzy Q, after more than a year at the Highland Inn, the reason for their departure is that due to low bar sales, the Highland Inn has asked them to put all future FF events there on hold.
A new home for the monthly psychedelic, multimedia dance party is yet to determined, and the next Fringe Factory will most likely take place in November. “We’re sad to see it go,” says Suzy. “The Highland Inn is where Fringe Factory blossomed.”
In the meantime Vikki V and Suzy Q will be spinning records at the Sleepy Sun show at the Earl on Sat., Sept. 5, and will also be starting up a monthly DJ night in the MJQ cafe on the second Saturday of every month.
They’re also gearing up for the maiden voyage of Fringe Factory Records, a new label that they’re planning to unveil at the Star Bar as part of their weekly Freakout on Thurs., Oct 8, with a new 7-inch single from local garage rock act, thee Electric Cycles.
But before any of that happens the Selmanairs and a host of DJs are primed for the send off this Saturday night.
$7. 9 p.m. The Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge. 644 North Highland Ave. 404-874-5756.
GOT THE HOOKUP?: I dO Music converts the masses.
In a city where everybody seems to be chasing a career in music, I dO Music offers a common-sense solution. The brainchild of PatchWerk Recording Studio’s marketing manager Kervins Chauvet, I dO Music is all about self-empowerment.
“You wouldn’t believe the amount of calls we get to the studio every day,” Chauvet says of the hungry musical wannabees who want career advice. Rather than advise them to go the traditional route (send a demo, etc.), Chauvet gives them practical advice. “We believe in empowering the musician and making them understand that it’s just not up to us. At the end of the day, you’re the source of power to make it happen.”
Continue reading “Kervins C’s industry rules”
(Photo courtesy I dO Music)
Dan Sartain’s latest release sheds the rock and roll troubadour fare to offer up two numbers that find the Alabama wild man wondering into darker terrain than he’s explored in the past. On the A-side, “Bohemian Grove” glows with skeletal, moonlit arrangements. Adam Renshaw (Anna Kramer & the Lost Cause) lays down drums over a minimal and motorik piano plod courtesy of Jack White (the White Stripes). There’s a devil-as-crooner quality to it all, and what really gives the song girth is White’s glassy production. On the flipside, “Atheist Funeral” is a sly, heretical anthem that feels out of time and out place in a David Lynchian way. It could have been written in the 1950s but it sounds like the here and now — and for Sartain it’s a refined and captivating change of pace. (Third Man Records) 4 stars out of 5
Asobi Seksu will be passing through town to play a show at the the Earl on Thurs., Sept. 24. Sealions open.
Now stripped-down top a duo, the NYC-based Asobi Seksu is touring in support of their latest release Hush. With this most recent offering vocalist/keyboardist Yuki Chikudate and guitarist/vocalist James Hanna distance themselves from the playful merger of Japanese Pop tones and layers of slurred, lo-fi noise of their past to take on an icy and exacting synth-laden sound.
Today (Tues., Aug. 25 ) the group is releasing a limited edition (1,000 only), four-song 10-inch/digital download via Polyvinyl that features two unreleased tracks recorded during the Hush sessions. Follow the link to hear a slightly reworked version of the 10-inch’s lead song “Transparence” via Stereogum. Cleverly enough the record is on clear vinyl and also features a remix of “Transparence” by Brooklyn’s Big A Little A (Aa).
$10 (adv). $12 (door). 8:30 p.m. Tues., Sept. 24. The Earl, 488 Flat Shoals Rd. 404-522-3950.
Click below to watch the video for “Me & Mary from Asobi Seksu’s Hush.
Wu-Tang member Raekwon releases Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Vol. 2, the anticipated follow-up to his ’95 album, in two weeks. Here’s the first video “House of Daggers” from the project.
The album, which has been about four years in the making, seemed to be going the way of Dr. Dre’s Detox in terms of long-awaited hip-hop records that never seem to see the light of day. But Raekwon insists he was just making sure he got it right, according to allhiphop.com:
The album, which was originally executive produced by Busta Rhymes
, was reportedly complete in January 2006, with RZA added as a second executive producer. Still the project did not see the light of day. In 2007, Raekwon explained that he was determined to set the release up properly.
“I did a lot of hard work on this record,” Raekwon said during an interview. “And I refuse to throw it out and people be like, ‘Yo Rae, I ain’t know your s**t was out.’ Nah, I can’t afford that to happen no more. That happened to me on The Lex Diamond Story. That happened to me on Immobilarity. I’m not going for it on this one.”
Head over to the Deerhunter/Atlas Sound/Lotus Plaza blog where you can download Atlas Sound’s cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Walk A Thin Line” from the album Tusk. It’s a pleasant reinterpretation of the original version that takes on an even more ethereal hue than the disconnected context of the song as it originally appeared on Tusk. Here it has the trademark slow strum, reverb and Bradford Cox’s melancholy falsetto that has come to define Atlas Sound, and it sounds quite nice.
