Crib Notes

(Photo by Charlie Finch)

Though sometimes lumped in with the New Weird America/avant-folk crowd, the CHARALAMBIDES predate that scene by many years. The Austin, Texas, couple began recording in the early ’90s, and issued several albums before gaining national exposure. The duo’s music can be difficult stuff – it experiments with tonal extremes, from chanting to atonal rhythmic guitar. Scottish singer Alasdair Roberts headlines the Thurs., NOV. 29, show. $8. 9 p.m. The Earl, 488 Flat Shoals Road. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com.

For more See & Do, click here.

Bookmark to:

(photo by Peter Van Hattem)

The once narrow genre of “garage rock” expands to include the eclectic music of the ELECTRIC SIX, WILLOWZ and the GOLDEN DOGS playing the Earl Wed., NOV. 21, none of whom sound alike but who all drink from the same grimy retro well. The Electric Six (pictured) mixes funk, punk, glam, angular ’70s dance and skewed soul with their guitars for a concoction that’s even more explosive than it sounds. The West Coast’s Willowz brings psychedelics to its grubby rock, and Canada’s Golden Dogs’ revisionist new-wave power pop is also born out of the era that the Nuggets set so effectively anthologized. $12. 9 p.m. 488 Flat Shoals Road. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com.

For more See & Do, click here.

For more Sound Menu, click here.

Bookmark to:

(photo courtesy www.pro-rock.com)

Depending on which side of the Warped Tour ticket aisle you’re on, vocals from Coheed and Cambria’s lead singer Claudio Sanchez — along with the band’s kicky riffs, melodramatic lyrics and even more dramatic storyline — are probably the biggest reasons to wait through the lesser-known acts or arrive earlier for bands that make it truly an all-day event. Opening for C&C on this tour but fully capable of headlining its own, CLUTCH is no such conceptual/nu-rock group, driving home straight-up stompers that you’d expect out of some no-frills guys from Up North. Eight full-length albums in, From Beale Street to Oblivion continues the low-end, gritty rock that’s kept Clutch in the game since ‘91. Look forward to the older stuff, and any side-project tracks they decide to throw into the set. The Fall of Troy also plays. $27. 7:30 p.m. The Tabernacle, 152 Luckie St. 404-659-9022. www.tabernacleatl.com.

For more Sound Menu, click here.

For more See & Do, click here.

Bookmark to:

TOUBAB KREWE

(photo courtesy www.toubabkrewe.com)

The Krewe is without a doubt the best polyrhythmic Afro-funk band in North Carolina … well, maybe the ONLY one, but it is amazing. Combining standard instruments with some of the strangest-looking music makers you have ever seen, it manages to hit the groove and keep people moving all night long. $12 advance, 8 p.m. Smith’s Olde Bar. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com.

For more See & Do, click here.

Bookmark to:

(photo by Autumn De Wilde)
Canadian twin sisters TEGAN AND SARA occupy a middle ground between punk pop’s overtly emotional and passionate realms and indie rock’s intellectual, passive-aggressive forms. The duo’s new album, The Con, addresses relationships and memories by stacking up acute observations while the two sing together with bravado. It’s the emotional directness, however, that has earned them a huge following, and led to a string of sold-out shows around the country. Geeky New York indie-rap trio Northern State opens the Fri., NOV. 16, show. $25. 8 p.m. Roxy Theatre, 3110 Roswell Road. 404-233-7699. www.ticketmaster.com.

For more See & Do, click here.

For more Sound Menu, click here.

Bookmark to:

(photo Epic Records)

I must confess, I have been a TORI AMOS hater for years, repelled by her pretentiousness and overwrought lyricism. But her latest CD American Doll brought me around, especially the kickoff tune about “King George.” HA! But there will be plenty of cringe-worthy moments at the Wed., NOV. 14, show, although she really puts out on stage, if you get my drift. $31.50-$43.50. 8 p.m. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. 404-249-4600. www.foxtheatre.org.

For more See & Do, click here.

For more Sound Menu, click here.

Bookmark to:

First as a member of ’80s college-rock fave Green on Red, and later as a solo artist, California singer/songwriter CHUCK PROPHET has nursed a small but devoted audience; the type that holds an influential position in the music industry but doesn’t add up to a full-blown mainstream following. It guarantees, however, that his music will be heard. His new album, Soap and Water, is earning strong notices for Prophet’s unpredictable bar-rock magic, a feat achieved by solid arrangements and vivid lyrics. He plays the Earl Tues., NOV. 13. $8. 9 p.m. The Earl, 488 Flat Shoals Road. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com.

For more See & Do, click here.

For more Sound Menu, click here.

Bookmark to:

(photo courtesy www.residentadvisor.net)

Three years ago, ERIC PRYDZ scored a house remix of Steve Winwood’s ’80s pop chestnut “Call on Me.” It was one of the first dance tracks to draw mainstream attention via a softcore video — in this case, a clip of gyrating girls doing aerobics in tight-fitting leotards — widely circulated on the Internet. Written off as a gimmick, Prydz then earned grudging respect with a throbbing electro-house remake of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall,” (retitled “Proper Education”). But it’s unlikely that the hipsters who’ve danced to that track at MJQ will show up to this rare Atlanta appearance. $20. 10 p.m. Wetbar, 404-754-9494. www.ericprydz.com.

For more Sound Menu, click here.

For more See & Do, click here.

Bookmark to:

(photo courtesy www.myspace.com/thepipettes)

Leave it to the Brits to remind us Yanks of our own musical roots. THE PIPETTES‘ matching polka-dot dresses and cotton-candy girl-group harmonies revive the Shirelles and the Shangri-Las by way of Bananarama and Amy Winehouse. Cute, sassy and retro in all the best ways, they may have a shorter shelf life than even the Spice Girls, so enjoy the show before their 15 minutes are up. Big-voiced chanteuse Nicole Atkins’ expansive epics are likewise reminiscent of a different style of Spector-esque ’60s productions. The Sea and the Booze opens the Fri., NOV. 9, show. $12. 8 p.m. Vinyl, 404-885-1365. www.vinylatlanta.com.

For more Sound Menu, click here.

For more to See & Do, click here.

Bookmark to:

(photo courtesy www.graysoncapps.com)

GRAYSON CAPPS is the epitome of a young-yet-weathered New Orleans folksy singer/songwriter, and not just because he appeared in the Crescent City-based flick A Love Song for Bobby Long. Capps’ old band Stavin’ Chain never made much noise outside of N.O., but recent solo albums that feature his emotionally gnarled voice singing compelling story songs about those with no place to go and little left to lose have justifiably attracted reams of critical praise. Although the troubadour often tours solo, his current group joins him Thurs., NOV. 8, to further heat things up. $8. 7 p.m. Smith’s Olde Bar, 1578 Piedmont Ave. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com.

For more Sound Menu, click here.

For more See & Do, click here.

Bookmark to:

(photo by Jessica Miller)

The speed-rapping hip-hop artist BUSDRIVER makes complex satire that touches on race, cultural politics and societal trends with aplomb. But if Roadkillovercoat, released earlier this year, was sometimes difficult to follow, then his live appearances are dazzling and overwhelming tours de force. He’s already played Atlanta once this year as an opening act for RJD2. This time, he plays Thurs., NOV. 8, with Daedelus, the electronic dandy who just released an EP on Ninja Tune, Fair Weather Friends, highlighted by a rework of TLC’s “No Scrubs.” Antimc, Chris Devoe and DJ Gnosis open. $8. 9 p.m. Drunken Unicorn, 736 Ponce de Leon Place. 404-870-0575. www.thedrunkenunicorn.net.

For more Sound Menu, click here.

For more to See & Do, click here.

Bookmark to:

(photo by Shawn Brackbill)

Drummer Damon Che brings his reformed second-generation version of DON CABALLERO back to Atlanta Wed., NOV. 7. The group is hailed as an innovator of the heavier side of Chicago’s instrumental post-rock/math-rock scene of the ’90s. The music is muscular, streamlined and unfolds with robotic perfection. Like-minded local bands Chopper, Lay Down Mains and Bernard open the show with their own takes on rock precision. $10. 9 p.m. Lenny’s, 486 Decatur St. 404-577-7721. www.lennysbar.com.

For more to See & Do, click here.

Bookmark to:

(photo by Janette Beckman)

As an activist-minded band that records for a major label, Gainesville, Fla.’s AGAINST ME! has balanced artistic growth and popularity with the inevitable accusations of “selling out.” Released last summer on Sire Records, its third album, New Wave, is both rabble-rousing and body-moving. The group matches its hardcore rock with meaty, head-banging beats, eliciting respect from mainstream critics and punk aficionados alike. A few disparate artists tag along to the Tues., NOV. 6, show, including literate rapper/poet Sage Francis, eclectic punk troupe World/Inferno Friendship Society and Cobra Skulls. $15-$17. 7:30 p.m. Center Stage Atlanta, 1374 W. Peachtree St. 404-885-1365. www.centerstage-atlanta.com.

For more to See & Do, click here.

Bookmark to: