Crib Notes

(Photo by Stevie Brown)

In this week’s issue of CL, I covered International Hits and two of its artists, the Selmanaires and Anna Kramer & the Lost Cause. But the story ended up being more about the record label than the music. Regrettably, I didn’t have much space to talk about the Selmanaires and its ambitious new album, The Air Salesmen, even though I had a great conversation with the band at Manuel’s Tavern beforehand.

So on Monday, Feb. 4, I’ll post a two-part excerpt of my interview with the Selmanaires. Tommy Chung and the Harris brothers, Herb and Jason (Mathis Hunter was AWOL that afternoon), had an insightful take on their new album as well as the Atlanta scene in general. It was a conversation that gave me a better appreciation of their music.

To tide you over until then, here’s a video of “Broken Mirrors in the Mud” that the Selmanaires posted on YouTube. The quality is pretty low-fi but imaginative, with a lot of odd puppets and stuff.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

A3C BOUND: The Cool Kids head to Atlanta in March.

(Photo courtesy Biz 3)

Back in December, I interviewed former ATF Records co-owner Brian Knott, and promised I would follow up with exclusive details about the upcoming 2008 A3C Hip-Hop Festival, which takes place March 20-22 at C&W Midtown Music Complex. Unfortunately, Knott embargoed most of the information. But with the event only a month and a half away, I called him and pressed him for some details.

Knott told me Del the Funkee Homosapien, Aceyalone, the Cool Kids, Guilty Simpson and Blu & Ta’Raach (aka C.R.A.C.) will definitely be at the event, and MySpace.com is a major sponsor. He declined to give any more names, but said an announcement will be made very shortly. He also said that A3C 2008 will feature an incredible assembly of performers — including some gold and platinum stars — fashion shows, video-game presentations and other treats.

Early-bird discounts for three-day passes are available, but Knott warns that prices will go up in a matter of days. You can purchase a pass at Ticketalternative.com. More information soon.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

The good folks at Lenny’s Bar have posted the dates for Corndogorama, the annual blowout of rock bands, hot dogs and random shenanigans.

CORNDOG-O-RAMA : 2008- The Year of the Mustard King!
——————————————————————-
June 26,27,28.29 @ Lenny’s Bar

*Now with 100 bands, over 4 days, on 4 main stages, 2 indoor and 2 amazing outdoor stage in the shadow of historic Cabbage Town at the legendary Lenny’s. This year’s signature back-to-back format is a line up only Atlanta’s mainstay Corndog-o-rama mastermind and founder David Railey can deliver: Artists: Independent music artists and fans will reap the benefits of the festival’s outdoor stage experience with pro-level sound, lighting, and staging music festival lovers expect, we think the local artists deserve, and the Corndogorama now delivers to America’s breakout independent music
scene.

Costume-wearing pranksters should start raiding their favorite thrift stores now. If you don’t know what Corndogorama is all about, read Chad Radford’s story in CL’s July 11, 2007 issue.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Yesterday, Gnarls Barkley continued teasing the bloggerati with bits about its upcoming album. First, Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse leaked a new song, “Run,” that replicates the late ’60s soul-pop of St. Elsewhere’s “Smiley Faces.” It’s all over the Web, and I found it here.

The duo also revealed the name of the album: The Odd Couple. Billboard.com reports that the two are still in the studio finishing the album, but promise to have it ready for the audience’s inspection in April.

The new Gnarls Barkley album anchors a busy year for former Atlantan Danger Mouse, ending a relatively quiet 2007 in which he only produced Damon Albarn’s project The Good, the Bad & the Queen (which I initially found boring, but the album grew on me). He has finished producing retro-blues duo the Black Keys’ Attack & Release, which drops April 1; is completing a long-delayed album with former Tricky muse Martina Topley-Bird’s The Blue God for this summer; and has worked on British indie-pop band the Shortwave Set’s Replica Sun Machine. None of it is Gorillaz, of course, but it will do.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

R.E.M. just announced the first round of dates f0r its tour promoting Accelerate, which drops April 1. Unlike the Drive-By Truckers, who ungraciously left us out of their touring plans, R.E.M.’s itinerary winds up at Lakewood Amphitheatre (formerly known as Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater) on June 21. Supporting acts include celebrated bar band the National, and Modest Mouse, which made the most disappointing album of 2007 in We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, aka Just Because I Hired Johnny Marr Doesn’t Mean My Album Doesn’t Stink. But hey, I’m a big Modest Mouse fan, so it will be nice to hear the rest of the group’s catalog.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

FREAKS OF THE YEAR: Kevin Barnes (center, in dress) and the merry Of Montreal

(Photo by Jim Newberry)

The polls are open for the 2008 Plug Independent Music Awards, and there’s plenty of local nominees that need your vote. Athens band Of Montreal’s Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? is up for best album and several other categories. Deerhunter’s Cryptograms is up for best indie-rock album. The Black Lips’ Good Bad Not Evil is down for best punk album. Paste magazine, Criminal Records, Album 88 (WRAS-FM 88.5), and Elliot Garstin’s “Sunday School” program on the now-extinct 99X (WNNX-FM 99.7) drew nominations, too.

In short, it’s an indie-rock fest for Atlanta indie rockers. If you don’t want to go local, you can always cast a vote for deserving contenders such as Battles, El-P, Spoon, and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. The ballot closes Feb. 8, and the awards ceremony takes place March 6 at Terminal 5 in New York City.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Yesterday, Rolling Stone magazine’s Rock & Roll Daily blog posted an item about the upcoming Gnarls Barkley album. While I’m skeptical the album will be ready by April — Billboard magazine made a similar announcement last July — I’m heartened to read that someone outside of Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse’s camp has actually heard some completed songs.

The new Gnarls Barkley disc won’t be released until April, but we got the chance to hear a few new cuts early. The verdict: Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse have produced another album of super-catchy tunes that veer between retro-soul shakedowns, tricked-out psychedelic rock and trunk-rattling hip-hop.

So maybe the follow-up to St. Elsewhere will actually come out this year. Personally, I’m waiting to see if Cee-Lo will ever release any product on his Radiculture Records label.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

MUSIC IN BLOOM: The Whigs headline a sold-out concert at the Earl Friday, Jan. 25.

(Photo courtesy of Big Hassle)

Starting tomorrow, Jan. 25, Atlanta will have a full slate of concerts to choose from for the first time this year. Finally, after several weeks of crappy weather (still can’t believe it snowed last weekend) and MIA bands (Deerhunter, where are you?), music fans can spend their time and money at several excellent concerts. I’ll post more specifics about individual shows over the next day or so. For now, though, here’s the rundown.

1) At the Earl, the Whigs will celebrate their solid new album, Mission Control, on Friday. Tickets are already sold out.

2) If you didn’t get a ticket to the Whigs, then pick up a pass to the International Hits showcase Saturday at the Earl. The Selmanaires, who just issued their two-years-in-the-making The Air Salesmen, will headline along with Anna Kramer & the Lost Cause, which also issued its two-years-in-the-making The Rustic, Contemporary Sounds of Anna Kramer & the Lost Cause. The ever-capable the Roy Owens Jr. and funky groove crew Noot D’Noot round out a big night.

3) Stickfigure Distribution is presenting its annual showcase at the Drunken Unicorn. The four-day series began on Wednesday and reaches a finale on Saturday with avant-pop band One Hand Loves the Other.

4) Soul freakazoid Rahbi celebrates his new album, Rahbi Raw, on Saturday over at Apache Cafe.

5) The Star Bar will present major gigs by Red Letter Agent on Friday and Cassavetes on Saturday.

6) Lenny’s Bar has a showcase of “black progressive rock bands” (the venue’s words, not mine) Saturday, including Rev Rebel, Ryan Waters and others.

7) But wait, there’s more! The Rev. Andy, host of “Psychobilly Freakout,” which happens Mondays from 8-10 p.m. on Album 88 (WRAS-FM 88.5), presents the Psychobilly Freakout Music Showcase at Smith’s Olde Bar on Friday. Rocket 350, the Hot Rods and others will join in the fun.

8) At CW Midtown Music Complex, there’s the Georgia Music Concert Series, a six-day event held in conjunction with the Atlanta chapter of the Grammy Foundation. Highlights include Arrested Development on Thursday and Manchester Orchestra on Friday, both at the Loft; and Lyfe Jennings, Algebra and Phillippia at Center Stage Atlanta on Friday.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Tomorrow at the Loft, car manufacturer Toyota Scion presents an evening with Pharoahe Monch in the latest installment of its Live Metro series. As usual, the show is free. But the audience should bring its good manners in return. At the last Live Metro concert in December, the crowd was so impatient to see Slick Rick that they barely clapped for his sterling backing band, Connie Price & the Keystones. And you’d figure that a hip-hop audience would recognize the opening act, Percee P, a prime influence since his epic 1988 single “Let the Homicides Begin,” right? Nope. The crowd didn’t even acknowledge his existence.

So yes, cheer loudly for Pharoahe Monch, but give some dap to Orgone, the L.A. funk band that will work its ass off to convert Organized Konfusion’s “Stress” and Pharoahe’s “Simon Says” into bristling live jams. And don’t forget to say thanks to DJ Eleven from the Rub, who will open the night with a selection of killer tunes. In short, don’t be one of those idiots who only claps for the headliner.

RSVP for Pharoahe, Orgone and DJ Eleven at www.scion.com/livemetro. But make it quick — the list closes at noon tomorrow.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

THIS COULD BE YOU: Daath at Ozzfest

(Photo from Daath’s MySpace page)

Ever had a hankering to sing death metal anthems in front of hundreds of screaming and slightly scary people? Daath, the Roadrunner Records-approved band, has been looking for someone to replace departed vocalist Sean Farber since last October.

“We don’t want a one dimensional singer, we want someone diverse with range and power,” says DAATH guitarist Eyal Levi. “We like vocalists like David Vincent, Corpsegrinder, Michael Akerfeldt, Vortex, and Phil Anselmo.”

If you sound like the aforementioned fellows — or better yet, if you even get those references — then contact Daath via its MySpace page. The search appears to be ending soon, however, so if you’re interested send in your materials immediately. The band hits the studio in March to record the follow-up to last year’s The Hinderers. Finally, if you’re more familiar with Darth Vader than Daath, read Hamilton Jordan Jr.’s May 30, 2007, CL profile.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites