Crib Notes

UNTIED AND TRUE: Untied States adds pop to their psychedelic mix.

Three years have passed since Untied States checked in with 2006’s Retail Detail. Since then, a lot has changed for the unhinged art-rock ensemble centered around Colin Arnstein and Skip Engelbrecht. Their third full-length, Instant Everything, Constant Nothing drops this month on the Paris-based Distile Records, and it’s a concerted stab at making a pop record — albeit one filtered through the schizoid, post-industrial psychedelia that’s been their calling card all along.

“Blues, punk, rock and roll … all of these things freaked people out at one point in time, and we want to freak people out, too. But we want the music to be timeless,” says Arnstein, who shares vocal and guitar duties with Engelbrecht. “A great example of what we’re aiming for is Joy Division. Their records scare you. They were stepping out on so much of a limb that you don’t know if you’re comfortable listening to it.”

Continue Reading “Untied States goes pop without going soft”

(Photo By Chad Radford )

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For today’s Roll Call we call out Philip Frobos of Carnivores.

Who are you?
I’m Philip Frobos, and I play bass and sing for CARNIVORES (used to be Chainestereo). I also play bass with those Untied States kids. I like dead culture, cheese grits and David Bowie.

Describe yourself in three words.
Rambunctious, Paranoid, Blue

Who — dead or alive — would most you like to meet?
I’d like to roll with Nancy Sinatra back in her heyday, I wanna be her Lee Hazelwood. That record Nancy & Lee destroys me, if you can find it on the internet you should get the bonus track that doesn’t come on the LP called “Arkansas Coal.” I don’t know how they wrote that song, it might as well be an epic, but not like lame epic rock.

Who would you most like to slap in the face?
Dj Dj Dj Dylan. He wouldn’t get an Oh Snap picture with me. Maybe next week.

What song do you wish you had written?
It’s probably a tie between ELO’s “Showdown” and Jobim’s “The Girl from Ipanema.”

Elvis Costello or Elvis Presley?
Costello.

LP, CD or MP3?
My favorite is LP, since I moved to Atlanta I’ve been building up a decent collection. I like that its a little more engaging, I like to think of records as two parts. Although I do love my morning on Marta with my iPod. It’s a toss up, those new LPs that come with the mp3 download card are brilliant!

If you could start one trend, what would it be?
Bring the word “Rad” back up to its former dynasty in “cool” synonyms. Also bring “Game On” from Wayne’s World back, but then I probably wouldn’t want to say them anymore. How about Swatch?

If you could end one trend, what would it be?
Overly HUGE sunglasses that hide ugly girls’ faces. Those things are as good as beer goggles but you don’t even get to be drunk.

With whom would you most like to play a game of spin the bottle?
Zooey Deschanel. She seems like a pretty rad kid.

“A Crime”

Carnivores plays the Pine Magazine showcase at The Star Bar on Thurs., Dec. 4. Free. 9 p.m.

(Photo courtesy of Philip Frobos)

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The Black Kids show over at The Earl is sold out, but there are plenty of bands playing around town that are well worth your time and hard-earned dollars.

Pontiak, Pride Parade and Media Colors are playing over at The Drunken Unicorn. $8. 9 p.m.

The Suite Unraveling, Pirate Pussy, Untied States and Bangers are playing over at Eyedrum. The show stars at 9 p.m. and will most likely cost $5-$7 (that’s an educated guess at the cover charge. You may want to give Eyedrum a call to find out for sure. 404-522-0655).

Burden of Proof, Wighat, the Long Shadows and The Killer and the Martyr are playing at The East ATL Icehouse. $6. 8 p.m.

New Riders of the Purple Sage Graying Deadheads will be out in force tonight as the current lineup of these grizzled lonesome L.A. cowboys, and one-time Dead side project, play the ’70s songs that should tickle the audience’s fried brain cells. Only guitarist David Nelson and pedal-steel whiz Buddy Cage are aboard from the original band, but John Dawson’s best songs are a timeless set of stoner-hippie C&W nuggets. Wombat also appears. $15. 7 p.m. Smith’s Olde Bar. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com. — Hal Horowitz

Dandy Warhols These drug-addled psych rockers enjoyed a nice run during the ’90s, including “Bohemian Like You,” which naturally struck big with cap-askew college kids. It afforded them $$ for a nice studio/pad, which they made extensive use of on their last album, Odditorium. Their new self-released …Earth to the Dandy Warhols… is just what it advertises: a style-hopping voyage that disappears into the ether more than it strikes paydirt. Each album had nice moments buried within indulgent production excess, but still manages fine, hazy, half-lidded grooves. $22-$24. 9 p.m. Center Stage. 404-885-1365. www.centerstage-atlanta.com. — Chris Parker

Dekalb Symphony Orchestra William Ransom is the featured piano soloist in the DSO’s opening concert of the new season, performing Ludwig van Beethoven’s monumental “Piano Concerto No. 5,” his final piano concerto. Music director Fyodor Cherniavsky leads the program, which includes the “Symphony No. 104″ of Franz Joseph Haydn, his final symphony, plus the U.S. premier of “The Tinker’s Wedding,” a comic overture by the late 20th-century British composer Havergal Brian. $10-$22. 8 p.m. Marvin Cole Auditorium. Georgia Perimeter College Clarkston. 678-891-3565. www.dekalbsymphony.com. — Mark Gresham

(Photo courtesy of New Riders of the Purple Sage)

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