Crib Notes

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.

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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.

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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.

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Baltimore-by-way-of-Houston songstress JANA HUNTER sings and strums with a brittle quietude that transcends the boundaries of traditional folk emotion with a sparse aplomb that bores deeply into the cerebellum. Hunter’s songs lean more toward lonely and grinding avant-garde than they do the happy, earthy tones of Mother Nature. 

I caught with Jana last week to find out what she’s been up, and here’s how she breaks down:

“I just released a split 7″ with Inoculist, a Brooklyn band, on Heartbreak Beat Records, also from Brooklyn. It’s Inoculist’s “Provenance” with my “Two Cocks Waving Wildly at Each Other Across a Vast, Open Space, a Dark, Icy Tundra” on the other side.

My band (as yet unnamed) and I are working on a full-length (as yet untitled) that we’ll record immediately after the tour that includes this show. It’s be a significant departure from the music I’ve released in the past. I haven’t anything written up, so I’ll just say it’s louder and it has some moving beats.”

Fellow Baltimore act the Crazy Dreams Band – featuring members of Lexie Mountain, Mouthus and Mexcellent – also perform with a brash, guitar-less jam of pop improv, noise and whatever unorthodox sounds they pull out of the air. Rural Georgia noise-folk alchemist Damon Moon and the Whispering Drifters open with a set of creeping, slow-motion freak-outs.

Jana Hunter “Valkyries” mp3

$5. 9 p.m. 529, 529 Flat Shoals Ave. 404-228-6769.

(Photo courtesy Jana Hunter)

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Shortly before Paul McCartney appeared on the Death Star stage at Piedmont Park Saturday night, I carved a path through the huddled, peasant masses on a B-line to the VIP hillside. McCartney’s people know how to do it right, and when the sluggish Will Call attendant handed me an envelope marked “VIP,” I wanted to kiss him. Instead I figured I should get to where I need to be.

Getting through the crowd was an epic journey that felt something like a battle scene from Lord of the Rings. Bodies were strewn about the lawn in disarray as slack-jawed tourists, and weekend warriors of various stripes meandered in a daze of dim eyes and sports T-shirts — torn between getting in line to buy $7 cans of Bud Light or trying to get a jump on porta potties. I made it to the illustrious VIP vista which overlooked the filth and smog of the general admission pit below. There I was treated to a catered tent where they were handing out free beer, wine, hot wings, wraps, brownies and baklava.

Before the show a co-worker texted me to complain that she had been standing in “the longest line in the world” for the portapotty. She was one of the unfortunate commoners on the other side of the great wall (fence) that separated us from them. So I went to investigate my restroom options. The restrooms were actually air-conditioned trailers, complete with attendants, multiple facilities, sinks with soap and best of all, no waiting. There were even private stalls if you needed them. This is truly how the other half lives.

Seeing Paul McCartney perform is like seeing Beethoven. No one alive today has altered pop culture and rock and roll as profoundly as Sir Paul, and when he started the show with a spot-on performance of “Drive My Car” I thought,”hmmm… I am truly in the presence of greatness.”

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From Decatur CD

Dear Sugarland,

About five minutes before we started writing this letter, a customer walked in and inquired about your new CD/DVD release, Live on the Inside. “Do you know if it’s out yet?” she asked. We said that, yes, it was released Tuesday, but that we were not allowed to sell it. She’d have to go to Walmart to get it. “Walmart?” she replied, with an incredulous look. “Really?” She left disappointed, and frankly, we’re disappointed as well.

You guys have been around roughly as long as Decatur CD, and we’ve been supporters of your music from day one. We’ve put your releases on listening stations, given away tickets to your shows and so on. After all, what is a local music scene if not an extended family of sorts? We have to take care of each other.The point is that by shutting the door on independent record stores, you’re in effect shutting the door on your hometown.

We’re not naïve. We understand that exclusively releasing your music with Walmart means big, fat, non-returnable, guaranteed sales, a wide reach, a truckload of money, etc., but what do you get by cutting us out? We’ve read the articles; we understand you think we’re insignificant, offhandedly commenting that there are only “two or three” record stores left. But a lot of your fans in the city where you got your start think rather highly of us. They like to buy local. They like to support independent business.

Continue reading An Open Letter to Sugarland.

(Photo courtesy Sugarland)

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The Earl announced today that the seminal late ‘70/early ’80s Los Angeles hardcore band Fear will be playing on Mon., Aug. 10. Bloodhook opens.

From Steve Huey’s bio for allmusic.com

Along with Black Flag and the Circle Jerks, Fear helped define the sound and style of L.A. hardcore. Although they actually formed during the first wave of punk back in 1977, Fear didn’t release an album until five years later, by which time they’d honed a blistering, thrashy attack that, for all its fury, was surprisingly tight and sometimes even intricate. Which is to say that, musically, the band wasn’t as crude as frontman Lee Ving’s outrageous, humorously offensive lyrics, which were geared to piss off anyone within earshot, particularly women and homosexuals; his vulgarity was equalled only by his sincere love of beer. Continue reading.

$12. 8:30 p.m. The Earl. 488 Flat Shoals Road. 404-522-3950.

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Chad Radford:  There’s a singular sense of humor to what you do. I have seen the Torche T-shirts that look like the old skin head, staraight edge shirts that say “not so straight” next to the picture of the shaven-headed hardcore guy who looks like he’s about to swallow the microphone. That’s hilarious.
Steve Brooks:  We’re genius…

That’s a pretty macho scene. Have those shirts come back to bite you?
No, not at all. I don’t think that people really got the joke when we first made the shirts, but people started to get it once we stopped taking them on tour with us. People at the merch table started saying where’s your  not so straight shirt, those things are hilarious!’

It’s cleverly disguised like a real straight edge T-shirt. If you’re not paying attention you think it’s just another dumb ass Strife T-shirt, or something like that.

Yep. The Harvey Milk shirts on this tour are hilarious, too. There’s one with the Wicked Witch taking a dump on a toilet, eating a hamburger and reading the paper, and the headlines says ‘the Mc Rib is back.’ I thought that one was pretty awesome. There’s another one that and then there’s another one with a bunch of ticks doing beer bongs.

Torche “Healer” mp3

Harvey Milk and Torche play the Earl on Fri., July 31. $12 (adv.) $15 (dos). 9 p.m. 488 Flat Shoals Road. 404-522-3950.

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Chad Radford: Tell me about your new free Burdwurld digital EP?
Well, it was largely experimental given that it was my first time ever recording myself for serious, first time using Pro-Tools. I recorded and mixed everything by myself, which was a huge challenge and I play all of the instruments except for drums, bass and marimba on “Timid Young Ones,” so it came out very personal. It’s all pretty much pure, un-fucked with Adron inspo-tainment.

Who plays drums, bass and marimba on that song?
Drums – Jason Trammel. Bass – Jorgen Jorgensen-Briggs. Marimba – Simon Boyar.

Do you have a favorite song on the EP?
Hard to say. Maybe “You Could Be Anywhere.” But I’m also really happy about “Little Face.” Honestly, I’m really happy with the whole thing given that I really didn’t know what I was doing. It was an incredibly challenging and educational experience. I’m really proud of the electric guitar parts, especially on “Little Face.” I’m still kind of learning to wield electric guitar, it doesn’t come very naturally to me, but the sound is such a good vibe.

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From Georgia Soul

The Peachtree Soul Club is extremely pleased to present, for the first time ever on the same bill, two Atlanta soul legends, Hermon Hitson and George Hughley. The show is Friday, July 31 at the Highland Inn Lounge and the show begins at 9pm. Additionally, PSC DJs Tim Lawrence and myself will be DJing the event as well for your further dancing pleasure. Oh, in the above picture you’ll see George on the right. Unfortunately, that’s not Hermon on the left though. There’s a little bit more about that fella to come soon enough.

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Word spread a few weeks back that the house at 54 Moreland Ave., where directors Brendan Canty ( Fugazi) and Christoph Green filmed Burn to Shine Atlanta, had finally come down after leaving the project in limbo for two years.

But there is still much work to be done before the finished product will materialize.

Chad Radford:  Where does Burn to Shine Atlanta stand now that the house has come down?

Brendan Canty:  We still have a lot of work to do with this thing. Touch & Go went out of business so we’re trying to find a home for the project, but we think we know where it’s going to go. It won’t delay the release, but I honestly don’t think that it will come out until the Fall. That’s the best hope. November, but realistically speaking maybe even January.

Why did you pick Atlanta for this project?

There are so many factors that go into making one of these:  One of them is having a house that’s going to be torn down, but also having somebody who really wants it to happen on a local level. In Atlanta our Friend Lee Tesche was saying let’s do this, this is great. So we kind of went on his energy. In Chicago it was Bob Weston in Portland it Was Chris Funk, and in Seattle it was Ben Gibbard. Credit has to be given to these guys for being ground troop organizers. All of those guys were really into it and they had the bands together. That kind of energy carries us a long way.

On top of that there are a bunch of bands that we love Atlanta. I mean really, I love Deerhunter, I love Black Lips, I love Mastodon. Atlanta is just such a great music town. Do you feel like you were undeserving?

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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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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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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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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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Masters of blackened drone-mental and avant-garde dirge, Stephen O’Malley and Co. are bringing Sunn O))) this side of the Mason/Dixon to play church shows in both Atlanta and Athens.

On Sat., Sept. 26  Sunn O))) plays Legends Special Events Center in Atlanta. Then the group plays two shows in Athens on Sun., Sept. 27 and Mon., Sept. 28 at the Seney-Stovall Chapel (the same church where REM was hanging out in the film Athens, GA Inside/Out). Eagle Twin opens all three shows.

Tickets go on sale this Fri., July 24.

“It Took the Night to Believe” mp3
“Etna” (Sunn O))) & Boris) mp3

Legends Special Events Center is located at:
181 Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, S.W.
Atlanta, GA 30312
404-658-1960 x181
$15adv/$17dos
(Tickets available exclusively at Ticket Alternative and their retail outlets)

The Seney-Stovall Chapel
201 North Milledge Avenue, Athens GA 30602
706-542-2736
$15adv/$17dos
(tickets available exclusively at Wuxtry and Schoolkids in Athens, and Criminal Records in Atlanta).

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Cast your vote on all the grit and glitz that make this town so filthy rich when CL hosts the BEST OF ATLANTA VOTING PARTY. It’ll be a night that’s sure to scuff the pages of history books in the dirty and decadent big apple of the South.

Attractive Eighties Women headline with a set of rousing anthems that draw from equal parts Lenny Bruce’s impious humor-made-local, and the power-trash jams of the Replacements circa ‘83. Dead Confederate’s Hardy Morris opens the show with a rare solo performance. “I’ll be playing some of my own songs on an acoustic and an electric guitar,” Morris says. “Some of the stuff you’ll hear will be things that we’ve done as Dead Confederate songs, and some of the other songs are just my own, personal stuff. … songs that aren’t really in the right vein for the band to do.”

$5 (admission includes beverage and food samples). 9 p.m. The Masquerade, 695 North Ave. 404-577-8178. Don’t forget to vote – onsite at the party, or at clatl.com/bestofatlanta.

(Photo by Pamela Littky)

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On Saturday, July 11, Crib Notes caught up with veteran Atlanta-based MC Señor Kaos during the video shoot for his Illastrate-produced single “Automatic Classic” off the Swagger is Nothing, Talent is Everything project he released not long ago. He talks about how Jax’s passing motivated him to return to the stage.

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If you like extra cheese with your punk rock idol worship, than Personal & the Pizza’s are for you.

Hailing from the greasiest pizza joints on the Jersey shore, the group melts straight-up Stooges and Ramones riffs into their songs about breakups and brass-knuckle fights, all with a thick Jersey drawl.

Don’t think about it too hard; it’s a situationist punk novelty show that’s best illustrated by such cheesy, existential anthems as “I Don’t Wanna Be No Personal Pizza,” “I Can Read” and “Tearjerker.” These lunk-heads season their pain with plenty of pepperoni, causing a pizza party to break out everywhere they go. Coconut Coolouts and Barreracudas open.

$8. 9 p.m. The Earl, 488 Flat Shoals Ave. 404-522-3950.

(Photo courtesy Personal & the Pizzas)

Click below for videos.

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