Atlanta Music Guide

Alejandro Escovedo is a "Real Animal"

Alejandro Escovedo is back on the road this summer to promote his just released album, Real Animal. Real Animal is Escovedo’s ninth solo album, and it is the perfect showcase of his stellar songwriting, classic rock sound, and powerful, authentic vocals. This month Escovedo is kicking off the east coast round of his national tour, including a stop at Atlanta’s Variety Playhouse on July 16. Get your ticket now! Check out Escovedo performing his new hit single- “Always a Friend”- with Bruce Springsteen.

Hot Chip coming to Atlanta

Variety Playhouse will mark the final show of Hot Chip's national tour. The electronic British pop group will tour the country in promotion of their new album, Made in the Dark, starting in September with their final tour performance at Atlanta's Variety Playhouse on October 9. Get your tickets now!Check out their music video for their new single off Made in the Dark- "One Pure Thought."

Cold War Kids are back!

Today, Cold War Kids are playing a free concert in Brooklyn's Prospect Park, but soon they will be playing at a city near you. They have just announced plans for a national tour starting in August, but unfortunatley there are no Atlanta dates scheduled yet. Cold War Kids' new album will be released September 23. Check out the video below for a glimpse into the band's recording process and new songs.

Cold War Kids Tour
08/22/08 Outside Lands Festival / San Francisco, California
08/23/08 Sunset Junction Festival / Los Angeles, California
08/24/08 Les Schwab Amp w/Beck / Bend, Oregon
09/20/08 Street Scene / San Diego, California
09/27/08 Wonder Ballroom / Portland, Oregon
09/28/08 Richards On Richards / Vancouver, B.C., Canada
09/29/08 The Showbox at the Market / Seattle, Washington
10/01/08 The Neurolux / Boise, Idaho
10/02/08 In The Venue / Salt Lake City, Utah
10/03/08 Boulder Theatre / Boulder, Colorado
10/10/08 Fine Line Music Cafe / Minneapolis, Minnesota
10/11/08 Vic Theare / Chicago, Illinois
10/14/08 Paradise Rock Club / Boston, Massachusetts
10/15/08 Webster Hall / New York, New York
10/16/08 Williamsburg Music Hall / Brooklyn, New York
10/17/08 Theatre of Living Arts / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
10/18/08 Nightclub 9:30 / Washington, D.C.
10/20/08 Cat's Cradle / Carrabo, North Carolina
10/21/08 Mercy Lounge / Nashville, Tennessee
10/23/08 Lola's / Ft. Worth, Texas
10/24/08 Emo's Alt Lounge-Outside / Austin, Texas
10/25/08 Warehouse Live / Houston, Texas
10/26/08 Voodoo Music Experience / New Orleans, Louisiana

David Jacobs-Strain -- Liar's Day

David Jacobs-Strain
Liar's Day
self-release

by Al Kaufman

Every generation needs its own hot shot blues guitarist. Some (Stevie Ray Vaughan) hold up better than others (Kenny Wayne Sheppard). David Jacobs-Strain released his first album at the tender age of 14. Eleven years and five albums later, the 24-year-old is still at it. On Liar's Day, his first release since dropping the Northern Blues label, Jacobs-Strain demonstrates his guitar mastery like the veteran that he is.
Jacobs-Strain has always had a little country in his blues, a la Keith Whitley. The opening guitar lines to "Write Me a Few Short Lines" conjure up the vast, empty prarie. "Say It To My Face" is more straight ahead rock blues, with Jacobs-Strain even managing a Hendrix-like chuckle or two over his heavy chords. There is some nice boogie-woogie piano, courtesy of Joe Vitale, on the obligatory Robert Johnson cover, "Traveling Riverside Blues." On "Black Glass Butterfly" he demonstrates impressive guitar picking as well as old fashioned blues licks that would make Muddy Waters proud. He even closes the album with a tender ballad, "Old Tennis Shoes," which sounds like it was writen by a blues man about 50 years older than the wonderkind who wrote it. With a voice as big and beefy as his guitar, it is no wonder guitar gods such as Jorma Kaukonen and John Hammond are fans.

David Jacobs-Strain plays the Chastain Park Ampitheatre on July 2nd with Boz Scaggs. 8 pm. $35 and plays Eddie's Attic on July 3rd with Claire Holley and Jonathan Byrd. 8 pm. $10/$13 door.

Iggy Walker's Diaper Fund

Iggy Walker Diaper Fund, Smith’s Olde Bar-

Last night, many of Atlanta’s most talented musicians gathered to play in honor of supporting one of their own: Chris Cox's- lead singer of The Great Vavoom- newborn son Iggy. The Iggy Walker Diaper Fund- as the event was hailed- was thrown in support of Cox, his wife Dana, and their newborn son, to help offset some of the staggering medical bills the family endured during Iggy’s first couple weeks in this world.

“When Iggy was born, we only saw him for twenty minutes before [the doctors] whisked him off to ICU,” describes Cox of his son’s joyous but stressful birth. “His lungs were not fully developed, and he stayed in ICU for two and half weeks. He had IVs, blinders over his eyes, tubes going into him, and heat lamps focused on him; it was very heartbreaking.”

Anyone who has ever had an ill family member knows not only the anxiety contributed to such a situation, but also the extreme costs involved with an intense hospitalization. “Let’s just stay it cost a massive amount of money, and musicians are not the richest people in the world,” says Cox.

Luckily, musicians do have some of the most loyal friends. Cox says he called upon “a bunch of people,” and some called him as well to offer their support; after all not only is Iggy Cox’s son, but he is also Butch Walker’s nephew, one of Atlanta music’s favorite native sons. Dana Walker, Cox’s wife and celebrity hair stylist, is Butch’s sister.

“You don’t know how much people care until something like this happens,” says Cox. “I’m so thankful to Smith’s [Olde Bar] for giving us the room. Every little bit helps and I’m very appreciative to everyone.”

Although Cox describes Iggy’s first two and half stressful weeks in ICU as “sheer hell,” he is very thankful for Iggy’s good health now. “Iggy is awesome,” says the proud dad. “He’s sleeping, eating, pooping, crying and being very cute in between.”

Check out the pictures of James Hall, Y.O.U., The Greater Vavoom, The Lord is My Shotgun, Rockets to Ruin, Spy for Hire, Love Rush, and Sun Sets East performing at the Iggy Walker Diaper Fund here!

Leslie Fram heads to New York City

Stop by the 1*FIVE*0 Fusion Party tomorrow night (Thursday June 26th) and give your well wishes to long time Atlanta Programmer and Broadcaster Leslie Fram as she leaves Atlanta heading to New York City. Leslie has been hired by Emmis Communications to program New York's NEW Rock Experience WRXP. In addition, you will be able to hear Leslie co-host the morning show with music legend Matt Pinfield (MTV, VH1). Start listening to a "REAL ROCK EXPERIENCE" live from New York at www.1019rxp.com

Katy Perry debuts at Number 9

NEW YORK - Capitol Records singer-songwriter KATY PERRY conquers a career milestone this week as her debut album, ONE OF THE BOYS, enters Billboard's national Top 200 album chart at number 9. Perry also marked her album release week by kicking off the 2008 Vans Warped Tour for the entire summer.

Powered by one of 2008's most explosive hit singles, "I Kissed a Girl," Perry's album ONE OF THE BOYS had shot to the top of several of the frequently-updated iTunes download charts immediately at its June 17th release, predicting the high Billboard debut.

With a million full-song downloads sold since its release,  "I Kissed a Girl" has been number 1 on iTunes Top Songs chart, and also an iTunes number 1 Ringtone, and a number 2 Music Video. ONE OF THE BOYS has charted at number 4 in iTunes' Top Albums listing and number 1 in Pop Albums.

Registering the greatest increase of plays at Top 40 radio for at fifth week in a row, "I Kissed A Girl," co-written by Perry and produced by Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, (Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson), ties a six-year record for a new artist's debut single on that airplay chart.

"I Kissed a Girl" has also emerged as the top-selling ringtone, ringback or song download for leading mobile carriers Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and Sprint.

The "I Kissed a Girl" video, directed by Kinga Burza, is on view everywhere on music-video cable and online, including MTV, VH-1, MTV HITS, MTVu, FUSE, Music Choice, and Mun2.The song has charted in the MTV TRL countdown ever since Perry premiered the video live on the show, and she was also a recent guest on MTV's new Friday night show, FNMTV. Perry also performed "I Kissed a Girl" on SPIKE TV's Guys Choice Awards.

Since the video's MySpace.com debut on May 21st, "I Kissed a Girl" has close to 4 million views, followed up by one of the hottest MySpace album premiere weeks in history, with over 2 million streams in less than a week.

Perry's power is starting to take off outside of the states as well.  In Canada, "I Kissed A Girl" has been the #1 digital song for 3 weeks in a row as well as the #1 video on iTunes Canada and just debuted at number 8 on their chart.

Perry was joined on ONE OF THE BOYS by such noted producers and collaborators as Greg Wells (Mika, Natasha Bedingfield), Glen Ballard (No Doubt, Alanis Morrisette), Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Max Martin (Leona Lewis, Robyn), Sam Hollander & Dave Katz (Gym Class Heroes, Boys Like Girls) and Butch Walker (Pink, The Donnas). Various album tracks have been featured on MTV's super-hot series The Hills, and "Fingerprints" is heard in Tina Fey's number 1 box-office film comedy Baby Mama.

Katy will be playing the Warped Tour in Atlanta on July 9th
Buy tickets in advance for Warped Tour by clicking below:



Watch Katy's video for the song I Kissed A Girl:

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The Hot Rods- Super Sport

The Hot Rods
Super Sport
Super Rock Records

by Al Kaufman

The Hot Rods are that type of band that, when they come to town, you best lock up your daughters and  alcohol. Since they're local, it is my civic duty to tell the good people of Atlanta to keep tabs on your liquor and women folk. And if you have any vintage cars out front on blocks, they may steal those as well. Hot Rod music (rockabilly punk? country metal?) is fueled by diesel, beer, and testosterone. When these boys ain't singing about girls, cars, or drinking, well, they ain't singing. Song titles like "Girl Girl Action" and "Big V-8" are all you really need to know to understand that this is some loud, sweaty, high octane shit. You want more? How 'bout the fact the the lead guitarist goes by Vegas Dave, the bassist is just called Turbo, and they are fully endorsed by Pabst Blue Ribbon. They play the perfect white trash Donnie Osmond to local legend Truckadelic's Marie. While Truckadelic was a little bit country, the Hot Rods are more than a little bit rock and roll.

The Hot Rods play with the Swinging Caesars (members of the Swinging Richards and Caesar Speaks) at Smith's Olde Bar on Saturday, June 28. 8 pm. $10

Buy tickets in advance here

Rick Brantley -- Prize Fighter Soul Auctioneer

Rick Brantley
Prize Fight Lover Soul Auctioneer
Carnival Recording Company

by Al Kaufman

It's always good to set attainable goals. Rick Brantley realizes that in his song "Peace On Earth," when he spits out, "I don't want peace on earth/ I just want to go home." But rest assured that whatever it is this Georgia native wants, he's going to let you know about it with all the passion and intensity of a tasmanian devil that hasn't eaten in weeks. On his debut CD, Brantley covers the typical rock terrain of anger and disillusionment with just a glimmer of hope, yet, like a teenage girl that has developed her first crush, Brantley acts as if he is the first person in the world to have identified such emotions. All six cuts on here are anthems; loud, intense anthems. Imagine a slighly less funky Black Crows. The horns at the beginning of Living on the Outside" add a nice sleazy touch, reminiscent of the horns at the beginning of Joe Cocker's version of Randy Newman's "You Can Leave Your Hat On." Max Abrams also offers a grooving sax solo on "Blue Bandana," but the rest of this is straight ahead rock and roll, led by Brantley's raspy wails and power chords.

Rick Brantley holds his CD release party (with Cory Crowder and Nic Cowen) at Vinyl on Saturday, June 21. 9 pm $6/$8 door.

Click below to