CL’s Chanté LaGon and Chad Radford chat about Mastodon’s latest release Crack the Skye, a concept album slated to drop on March 24. Mastodon will play an in-store performance at Criminal Records on that same day.
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The Vernal Vinyl Equinox record show comes to the Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge on Saturday, March 21, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. $3 entry. Dealer tables are available for $20. The bar will be open and DJs will be spinning records. If you’re interested in buying, selling, DJing send an e-mail to Shannon.
There are two in-stores happening at Criminal Records tonight (Wed., March 11). The first one is with Clem Snide at 6 p.m. The group will play a few songs before heading to the Earl to play a show later on this evening.
At 7 p.m. old school hip-hop icon KRS-One takes the stage to talk about the state hip-hop in 2009, as well as the Stop The Violence movement. A q&a session will follow.
To celebrate the release of their fourth coming, Brendan O’Brien produced full-length album, Crack the Skye, Atlanta metal behemoth Mastodon has announced that the group will play a free, live in-store performance at Criminal Records on Tues., March 24 at 8:30 p.m. — the date the album is officially released in the U.S.
If you attended any of the shows at Criminal’s mini-metal fest the night before the Scion Rock Fest on Fri., Feb. 27, than you know that space will be limited and hair will be flying like helicopter blades.
Bring ear plugs and be sure to get there early or get stuck outside.
Criminal Records
466 Moreland 1154-A Euclid Avenue
404.215.9511
Week ending 2/28/2009
1) Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
2) Morrissey Years of Refusal
3) M. Ward Hold Time
4) Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavillion
5) Trail of Dead The Century of Self
6) Dan Averbach Auerbach Keep It Hid
7) Abe Vigoda Reviver
8) Anthony & the Johnsons The Crying Light
9) Dexter Romweber Duo Ruins of Berlin
10) Various Artists Dark Was the Night
Moods Music
1131 Euclid Ave.
404-589-9379
Week ending 2/27/09
1) Mabanua Done Already
2) The Foreign Exchange Leave It All Behind
3) Slakah the Beatchild Soul Movement Vol. 1
4) Samon Kawamura Unfold
5) Lalah Hathaway Self Portrait
6) V The Revelation Is Now Televised
7) Ledisi Soul Singer
8) Omar The Collection
9) Pete Rock The Surviving Elements
10) DJ Jamad Afromentals Presents: Fro Evah
(more…)
Criminal Records
466 Moreland Avenue
404.215.9511
For week ending 2/20/2009
2. Morrissey Years of Refusal
3. M. Ward Hold Time
4. Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavillion
5. Trail of Dead The Century of Self
6. Dan Averbach Keep It Hid
7. Abe Vigoda Reviver
8. Anthony & The Johnsons The Crying Light
9. Dexter Romweber Duo Ruins of Berlin
10. Various Artists Dark Was The Night
Decatur CD
356 W. Ponce de Leon Ave.
404.371.9090
For week ending 2/20/2009
1. Various Artists Dark Was The Night
2. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit
3. Beirut March of the Zapotec
4. M. Ward Hold Time
5. Vertiver Tightly Knit
Wuxtry Records
2096 N. Decatur Road
404.329.0020
For week ending 2/20/2009
1. Bob Dylan Tell Tale Signs
2. Don Iver Blood Bank
3. Beastie Boys Paul’s Boutique 20th Anniversary Edition
4. The Killers Day & Age
5. Miles Davis Kind of Blue
Big Oomp Records
1120 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. SW Ste. 2
404.755.5100
For week ending 2/20/2009
1. O.J. Da Juiceman Otha Side of The Trap
2. Beyonce I am Sasha Fierce
3. Jamie Foxx Intuition
4. Ludacris Theater of The Mind
5. DJ Unk Second Season
Sound Shop
816 Oak St. SW
404.752.9494
For week ending 2/20/2009
1. Charlie Wilson Uncle Charlie
2. Jamie Foxx Intuition
3. Anthony Hamilton Point of It All
4. Bobby Valentino Rebirth
5. India Arie Testimony Vol.2
6. T.I. Paper Trail
7. Beyonce I am Sasha Fierce
8. Keisha Cole A Different Me
9. Plies Da Realest
10. Musiq Soulchild ONMYRADIO
… and if you’re still lurking around after Ricky Powell’s DJ set at Criminal Records, the Black Lips are sitting up for a 5 o’clock in-store to celebrate the release of 200 Million Thousand.
When they’re done, Austin, Texas high-concept rockers …Trail of Dead will play an in-store at 7 p.m. Both shows are free.
Photographer Ricky Powell (as in “homeboy throw in the towel…”) was notoriously hailed as the fourth Beastie Boy during the group’s Liscensed to Ill and Paul’s Boutique era. Tonight (Tues., Feb. 24) Powell will be making two stops around town in support of a new book of photography, titled Oh Snap!
First he hits up Criminal Records for a quick DJ set from 3 to 4 p.m.
After that he’s making an appearance at El Bar behind El Azteca on Ponce de Leon Avenue to present a slide show discussion of some history and his photos, and spin some more records. Entry for the El Bar show is $5.
(Photo courtesy of Ricky Powell)
Criminal Records announced this week that they have added Savannah’s Kylesa to the line-up for their pre SCION Rock Fest in-store that’s taking place on Fri., Feb. 27, the night before the festival at the Masquerade. So for anyone who’s keeping a tab, the line-up for the Criminal in-store now includes Kylesa, Skeletonwitch and Atlanta’s very own Withered.
In other news, this week Zoroaster — who will also perform at the SCION Rock Fest — released another new song from their forthcoming new album, The Voice of Saturn, through Brooklyn Vegan. The song is called “White Dwarf” and it features a searing guitar solo from Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds.
The Fleshtones’ frontman Peter Zaremba seems perfectly at ease when explaining that since forming the group in 1976, the members have always held strong Southern ties despite their New York roots.
“We’re Yankees who are very comfortable in the South,” he offers with a thick, Queens accent. From there he tells stories of passing through Georgia in the band’s early days and buddying up with the “boys” in Athens who later became R.E.M. “We played there a lot back in those days, and were a good influence on them.”
The Fleshtones 1981 debut Roman Gods put the group on the map as purveyors of what they call “super rock.” It’s an intense merger of punk and alternative meshed with ’60s soul, surf and garage. In the beginning, the press called them garage rock revivalists, but their songs transcend simple nostalgia.
Through acquaintances with such bands as the Cramps and Boston’s proto punks the Real Kids, the Fleshtones encountered various approaches to wistful rebellion and developed their own raucous sound. “When we saw the Real Kids it was an important moment for us,” Zaremba explains. “We said, ‘Alright, let’s not just love this music, let’s make this music.”
The group has remained remarkably consistent since 1990. Zaremba and original drummer Bill Milhizer, along with guitarist Keith Streng and bassist Ken Fox, round-out the Fleshtones’ line-up. After releasing scores of albums, such songs as “First Date (Are You Coming on to Me),” “Shiny Heinie” and the rollicking “Jet-Set Fleshtones” from last year’s Take A Good Look, reel with more energy and spontaneity than, frankly, anything throughout the Fleshtones’ catalogue. “We tortured ourselves when we made albums like Roman Gods,” Zaremba laughs. “It’s not like we’re in a studio trying to communicate ideas to an engineer who doesn’t understand; which was the case back then. Their lives were dedicated to taking raucousness out of recordings. Nowadays we just have fun.”
The Fleshtones play a free in-store at Criminal Records on Sat., Feb. 7th probably around 5 or 5:30 p.m. and then later with Anna Kramer & the Lost Cause at The Star Bar. $10. 9 p.m. 437 Moreland Ave. 404-681-9018.
(Photo by Anne Streng)
As the Feb. 28 date for the epic SCION Rock Festival at the Masquerade draws near, Criminal Records has announced that it will open its stage the night before the festival for bit of a preview of things to come. On Fri., Feb. 27 the store is hosting performances from Athens, OH thrash metal-death kings Skeletonwitch, and Atlanta’s very own blackened metal monsters Withered. More bands will surely be added to the bill soon, so stay tuned for details.
The shows are free. Music start at 5 p.m. There will be beer.
(Photo by Paul Romano)
The folks over at RecordStoreDay.com are giving away a free download of a super secret Christmas song collaboration that will only be free on Christmas Eve. and Christmas Day.
Apparently upper management wants to keep who it is a secret, but if you look at the banner ad above you can probably figure out most of the equation.
If you’re interests are piqued, go check it out.
Merriweather Post Pavilion
This week Criminal Records announced that the store will host a New Year’s Day listening party for Animal Collective’s forthcoming album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, due Jan. 6th on vinyl and Jan. 20th on CD. The album was recorded at Oxford, Mississippi’s Sweet Tea Recording Studio with Atlanta’s very own Ben Allen (Gnarls Barkley, All the Saints, Constellations) at the helm and is being released by Domino.
The listening party starts at 4 p.m. on Thurs., Jan. 1st. According to Criminal’s website the store will be open from noon ’til 6 p.m. or so on New Year’s Day and will be offering greens, black-eyed peas and hopefully a few other good luck foods to foster high hopes for the upcoming year.
in the meantime Criminal’s free weekly Beer Thirty concerts continue every Saturday afternoon. Thus far the schedule includes:
Dec. 13th — The Features at 4 p.m.
Jan. 3rd @ — Electric Cycles (formerly El Capitan) at 4 p.m.
Jan. 17th — Batata Doce at 4 p.m.
Feb. 7th — Young Antiques at 4 p.m.
Bands or DJs interested in performing can contact Shannon@criminal.com for details and availability.
By Thomas Wheatley
Local bands and DJs are coming together to raise funds and awareness after a Dec. 3 home invasion in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood rattled both the community and Atlanta music scene.
On Thursday night at 9 p.m. at the Highland Inn Ballroom on North Highland Avenue, the Gaye Blades — which includes members of the Black Lips — and Noot d’ Noot, along with a “special surprise guest,” will headline a night of raffle giveaways to benefit local musician and DJ Chris Devoe and community activist Rachael Spiewak of SoPo Bicycle Co-op. Guest DJs will also spin records throughout the night.
Criminal Records, Youngblood Gallery, Sweetgrass Salon, Charis Books & More and other local businesses are contributing items for the raffle.
“Our tagline for the event is ‘It’s a neighborhood watch,’” says Suzy Moran, one of the fundraiser organizers. “We want it to be a benefit [for the victims], but also a way for the community to come together.”
Organizers are requesting a $5 donation at the door to help the victims.
Today, Sat., Nov. 22nd, the infamous A-hole Santa returns to Criminal Records for the annual holiday sob fest. Santa, along with his trusty elves, Dookie and Crappy, will be available for photos and abuse from noon to 6 p.m., or until the crankiness becomes too unbearable — whichever comes first. After all the tears and beer have been mopped up, the Eagles of Death Metal will take the stage to spread a little holiday cheer as well.
Photographs with A-hole Santa are free, but don’t be fooled by Santa’s tough exterior, he’s a softie deep down inside. A-hole Santa will be collecting donations for PAWS Atlanta, as he does every year.
The Eagles of Death Metal will be performing live on Criminal’s stage at 6 p.m. before they head over to Center Stage to play later on this evening.
The role of A-hole Santa is played by local bon vivant, Henry Owings, of Chunklet magazine fame. The elves Dookie and Crappy play themselves.
The new and improved Criminal Records is located at 1154-A Euclid Avenue, in the Little 5 Points.
(Photo courtesy of Criminal Records)
Baby Shakes, now based out of New York played an in-store show at Criminal Records Saturday afternoon (Nov. 15th), playing songs from their new album The First One (DoucheMaster Records).
Peep footage from Jewish rapper Matisyahu’s in-store performance at Criminal Records last Friday, Nov. 7.
Download/listen to “Smash Lies” from Matisyahu’s new Shattered EP.
Jewish rapper Matisyahu will play a free 3 o’clock in-store performance at the new Criminal Records in Little 5 Points today.
(Photo courtesy of Matiyahu)
Today’s Air Loaf features Max Arbes and CL’s Chad Radford chatting about Criminal Record’s move to its new location, one-tenth of a mile from its former spot between Junkman’s Daughter and Aurora Coffee, as well as the future of indie record stores in Atlanta.
Air Loaf is broadcast weekdays on 1690 WMLB-AM at approximately 8:10 a.m., 12:20 p.m. and 6:20 p.m.
Subscribe to the Air Loaf feed to download every new episode automatically.
CRIMINAL RECORDS' OWNER ERIC LEVIN
Another big box retailer bites the dust: read AJC story.
And check out last week’s CL music story by Chad Radford, It’s thrive or die for Criminal Records, Earwax and Atlanta’s mom and pop shops, which covers the ongoing struggle to compete faced by Atlanta’s independent music stores.
(CL file photo from 2006)
