Atlanta Music Guide

Q&A: John Douglas of Ten Story Relapse; CD Release Party @ The 183 Room at Legends, February 13

Stylistically diverse Atlanta rockers Ten Story Relapse have chosen a unique way to celebrate the release of their fifth CD, the intriguingly-titled Buddha & The .38. They’ve decided to combine that achievement — which also happens to coincide with the band's 10th anniversary — with a one-night-only art exhibit hand-picked by Atlanta legend Fay Gold and a benefit for The C5 Youth Foundation of Georgia. TSR’s dynamic vocalist John Douglas sat down with Atlanta Music Guide to discuss the band’s interest in the C5 organization, the new CD, and the secret of playing with the same musicians for 10 years.

How did you become involved with The C5 Youth Foundation of Georgia?

I found out about them about a year and a half ago through a mutual friend and I was just so impressed with the work they do, I wanted to help out in some way. I’d worked with some charitable organizations before, but I’d never seen the dedication these guys have.

What does C5 do, essentially? 

They have a five year program that gives kids opportunities and tools to overcome challenges and obstacles that would otherwise be difficult to overcome. About 300 kids are nominated every year and only 70 get accepted, but they have a 95-percent college acceptance rate, which is pretty amazing.      

So, what can people expect musically from Buddha & The .38?

Shows of the Year from Our Favorite Atlanta Promoters

'Tis the season... to put together "Best of the Year" lists. So we thought we'd get into the spirit in our own way, with a few of our favorite promoters, booking agents and talent buyers telling us what their favorite show of the year at their venue was, brought to you by Ticket Alternative, of course!

Thee Oh Sees, Wizzard Sleeve, TV Ghost @ The EARL, October 14 - Damon Hare, assistant talent buyer for The EARL, Atlanta, GA

"This was one show in particular that I was already excited to see. The bill may not have made sense to everyone but it did to me. TV Ghost being on tour with Wizzard Sleeve and also being label mates with Thee Oh Sees. The label being the legendary In The Red Records.

 

TV Ghost started the evening with an abrasive blend of DNA, Suicide, and Birthday Party. They played surprisingly tight for a band that was inevitably going to fall apart however never doing so. They left the crowd (95% not knowing of their existence) in awe. Wizzard Sleeve then took the stage with their mix of damaged, goth tinged, and heavily Chrome inspired death rock. The drummer doing double duty with maintaining the backbone of the performance while also playing many of the synth leads. They never ever disappoint.

To end the evening Thee Oh Sees didn't take to the stage. They instead took to the floor with their own PA and just exploded on to the crowd with their high energy and uber catchy garage pop. It's their staple and not many can compare. Definitely one of the most exciting live bands in the United States. There were definitely members of the crowd saddened with the band performing on the floor but majority still got it. No matter what you took away from the show you know you'll never forget the evening. That is something very few live acts can pull off these days."

*****

The Drones @ The EARL, April 5 - Patrick Hill, talent buyer for The EARL, Atlanta, GA

"For many reasons, most of them obvious, Sunday is our least favorite night of the week to host a show.  In this case, both the band and I had been at a mutual friend's wedding in Charleston, SC the night prior and I don't think either party was particularly looking forward to the 5 hour drive that led to the early load in and sound check (the band arrived on time despite my poor attempts at explaining to these Australians the concept of Sunday blue laws- take that, Broadcast!). 

Somehow, The Drones made it all worthwhile. Loud guitars and hangovers have never meshed so well.  Howling vocals and a lack of sleep. Low end and tired eyes. Rejoice, sweet rock n' roll!"

*****

K'Naan @ Vinyl, March 4 - Brandon Mize, Rival Entertainment, Atlanta, GA

“One of my favorite performances of 2009 was K’Naan, a brand-new Hip Hop/Folk artist, on March 4 at Vinyl. We were only familiar with this artist from some initial Internet research prior to booking the show, so we were not expecting much out of the night. Little did we know that the show would not only sell out, but he would blow us and everyone in the room away with his talent. His current CD Troubadour became a mainstay on my iPod throughout the summer and still is to this day.”

*****

Dan Nolan, Co-Owner of Smith's Olde Bar, Atlanta, GA

"It's always hard to pick just one show that was my favorite. If I had to pick, I would say that B.o.B in October. Having Whynatte come in and celebrate their 1st Anniversary was special, and having such a rising star come play the venue is always a lot of fun.

James Hunter in February was another great show. Having such a legend come in and tear the place down is as much fun as you can have without being destructive. 

Bob Schneider plays here often, but the show we had in October was a great one. He had just released a new album, and was back rockin' our stage. We can't wait to have him back.

From a music fans point of view, I am most proud to have had Band Of Skulls played Smith's. We got them right after Lollapalooza, and right before they blew up. I'm so happy that we got to have them play our room."

*****

Von Iva and Semi Precious Weapons @ Drunken Unicorn, January 28 - Gavin Frederick, Booking Agent for Drunken Unicorn

"NYC's Semi Precious Weapons started it with a raucous glam rock performance with their singer producing a performance that would have given David Bowie serious competition during David's prime while SF's Von Iva ended the show with their great blend of Tina Turner, dance and punk jams."

Q&A with J. Tillman (of Fleet Foxes) -- Playing @ The EARL, November 21

By Eileen Tilson

A few months back I received the new J. Tillman CD to review. Not knowing much about the Tillman, outside of the fact that he was the drummer for Fleet Foxes, I decided I needed to do some serious research. I put in the album, and what came through the speakers blew me away. I searched around on his MySpace, and discovered that not only was Tillman an extremely talented songwriter, but that he has put out several great albums. Ironically though, there were only negative comments from other music critics. I emailed his publicist to discover the reason for this, and Tillman himself wrote me back. Instead of doing a review, I wanted to get the most honest interview I could, and then let the listeners decide if they like it or not. So here is the interview, please leave as many comments as you can.

You told me that you hope people don't feel the need to read reviews in order to decide for themselves if the like it; I have listened to it, and it sounds like a hymnal to my own personal church; is there a vision you have for your albums, do you hope a message gets passed to your listeners?

Well, as opposed to saying that I "hope" people don't need to read reviews, I'm of the opinion that all reviews really do is either confound or affirm people's existing stance on something. Reading reviews of something you haven't heard is a bit silly, I think a lot of places that provide reviews thrive solely on a masochistic appetite. Most people don't think of themselves as people who like something just because someone else told them they should. It's not much different than "Funniest Home Videos." Sometimes people just want to see someone else get hit in the balls. That form of infotainment is totally divorced from the perceived quality of the source for most people.

I'm not necessarily trying to convey a message with my albums. Messages get fine-tuned, and are altruistic. The listener is the whole point of a "message." My songs don't always portray what's best for people, it's a distillation of the philosophies that are sensual to me.

Q&A with Jay Brannan; Playing Vinyl, October 20

By Sam Parvin  

Singer/songwriter (and actor) Jay Brannan is coming to Atlanta on October 20 to showcase his latest album, In Living Cover.  The album is Jay’s second and features two original tunes, as well as seven impeccably-performed covers, including The Cranberries’ “Zombie,” The Verve Pipe’s “The Freshman" and  “All I Want,” originally a Joni Mitchell song. If your musical forté is beautiful, wide-ranging vocals, you have got to check out Jay Brannan’s albums and show. And just for a little insight into what goes on behind the curtains, Atlanta Music Guide checked in with Jay to ask about the album, the tour, and more.   

You released your first full-length (completely original) album last year, called goddamned; so you’re an originals kind of guy, right? For this album, In Living Cover, why covers?

That sort of happened by accident. I went on tour with goddamned last year, and I wanted to write more this year but really didn’t have the time. I wanted to get something out this year, so In Living Cover has two originals and seven covers; mostly songs I have previously recorded and put on YouTube.  

Q&A with Fran Healy of Travis; Playing with Bandmate Andy Dunlop at The Loft, October 17 for an Early Show

By Scott Roberts

The idea of a phone interview with Fran Healy scared me. For two reasons. One, having the opportunity to talk to one of my honest-to-goodness musical heroes - the angel-voiced, principal songwriter of Travis, a band who has created some of the most consistently melodic and engaging pop-rock of the last 12 years, was, understandably a bit daunting.

And two, I was worried that Healy’s Scottish brogue might be so thick (there is evidence of this on a few of their YouTube clips) that it would be impossible for me to transcribe his answers. Fortunately, I ended up having two things going for me — one was that within the first 10 seconds or so, Healy was so disarmingly sweet and polite that I easily set aside the fact that I was talking to the man responsible for “Why Does It Always Rain On Me,” “Coming Around,” and dozens of other perfect pop songs. The other was that talking to Healy in Berlin (a place he now calls home) under the effects of a gruelingly quick batch of Travis festival shows and a full day’s worth of interviews, he was justifiably tired and spoke slower than usual so I had no trouble interpreting a few details about his and Travis guitarist Andy Dunlop’s upcoming U.S. acoustic tour that includes a stop at The Loft in Atlanta on Saturday, October 17.

Have you and Andy ever done anything like this before, or has Travis ever done all-acoustic shows?  

Andy and I did our first one in Austria at a radio station a couple of years ago. We were asked to play and we showed up thinking it would just be us playing two or three songs with a DJ, but when we got there, we were told we had to play for an hour and 15 minutes, and there was a stage done up like Charles Dickens or something and 300 people in the audience! So we just sort of did it and the reaction was mental. The switchboard was jammed the next day with people saying how much they liked it, so ever since then I’ve been wanting to do this kind of thing. It’s taken over a year to get it together.

Have the other guys in the band [bassist Dougie Payne and drummer Neil Primrose] been supportive of you and Andy going out without them?

Oh, yeah, everyone’s fine with it. Dougie’s got a new baby and Neil fancies racing his cars, so … the band were on a break from long tours after the last couple records, and this is usually the time I use to write for the next Travis record, so I’m hoping Andy and I can write between gigs for that as well.

What should the audience expect from your set at The Loft? Travis’ greatest hits? New songs? Wacky covers? A slow dirge version of “Tied To The Nineties”?

[Healy laughs] No, I think it will be more like a lecture. You know with Andy and I sittin’ there, playin’ songs, and explainin’ where each of them came from and why. And we’re gonna have a projector screen so people can look at something besides us … like maybe a map of Scotland marked up with all the places where the songs began.     

With 29 shows in 35 days on their schedule, there’s a good chance Fran Healy will be just tired enough that his speech will sufficiently slow down so that the audience will be able to fully soak in all the stories he’ll be telling that evening. And as if that weren’t appeal enough, Healy also mentioned that he and Andy will be selling their own wares at the “merch” table so the fans will have the opportunity after their set for hand shaking and picture taking, adding yet another reason why this show will be an absolute "do not miss" for Travis fans and newcomers alike.     

Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop play The Loft October 17 at 7.30 p.m. Tickets are on sale at Ticket Alternative.                                           

Q&A with Leonard Cohen Collaborator, Sharon Robinson; Playing Fox Theatre October 20

By Al Kaufman; photo by Greg Gold

Sharon Robinson is best known as a collaborator with Canadian poet, folk singer, and cultural icon, Leonard Cohen. She has co-written some of his most popular songs, including "Everybody Knows" and "Waiting for a Miracle," and produced and co-written all of the songs on his 2001 album, Ten New Songs. She has contributed background vocals on many tracks, and has arranged many of his songs, bringing a hushed, electronic beat to some of his more beautiful poetry. She toured with him back in 1979, and is with him again on what will probably be his final tour.

What many people may not know about Robinson is that she is also the co-writer of the Patti LaBelle anthem "New Attitude," for which she took home a Grammy, and that she put out her first solo album, Everybody Knows, last year to critical acclaim. (Read the AMG review here.)

The multi-talented artist with the smokey, sensuous vocals, took time out of her tour with Leonard Cohen to answer some questions for AMG.

"New Attitude" and "Everybody Knows" do not at first glance seem like they have anything in common. Does it sometimes surprise you that you helped write both of them? Did "New Attitude" have a different sound when you first wrote it?

Those songs are very different and evolved out of completely different circumstances. One was part of the hit-making staff-songwriter world, where your goal is to write a radio hit, and of course try to write a good and inspiring song at the same time. The other, "Everybody Knows," came out of the more pure artistic world obviously, with Leonard giving me a verse to see what I could do with. I like that I've worked in both arenas, but prefer the latter. I've always liked and played lots of different kinds of music, so it wasn't really difficult to immerse myself in either one.

The sound of the "New Attitude" demo is almost exactly the same as the record. In fact the producers took me into the studio and basically had me re-create significant parts of the demo intentionally. I listened to the demo recently after not having heard it in years. It's pretty good. It has the same energy as the record.

Q&A with Petter Ericson Stakee of Alberta Cross -- Playing The EARL with Phosphorescent, October 9

By Eileen Tilson

If you haven’t heard of Alberta Cross yet, you will. Having recently played with Them Crooked Vultures (Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, and John Paul Jones) at Austin City Limits, the band is just at the start of their tour in support of their debut album, Broken Side of Time (which we reviewed earlier on the blog here), released on ATO Records. I recently caught up with singer Petter Ericson Stakee in Austin to ask him just what it feels like to be poised in the calm before the storm.

Hey Petter, how are you? You are in Austin right now for Austin City Limits, how is it going?
It’s going great! I’m still a little jet lagged, but we got to play with Them Crooked Vultures yesterday, which was really fucking surreal. We are a new band, so we are the first slot to play tomorrow, but it’s cool because most of these bands that are playing the festival have been out touring, and then we all come back together to play the festivals; it’s like a brotherhood.

Q&A with Those Darlins -- Playing The Loft with Dr. Dog September 29

By Eileen Tilson

First off, congratulations on your success, there is such an incredible buzz about Those Darlins right now! How do you feel about all your recent success, such as being one of the "powerful female bands" in the Oprah magazine? That's huge!

Thank you... We feel very grateful to have been so fortunate so far, and we are ready for more. We are going to continue to keep working our asses off and I hope people continue to keep paying attention. Bring it on Oprah!

I heard someone refer to Those Darlins as the female version of the Kings of Leon, how do you feel about that, and do you agree?

I just killed myself.

Y'all are known for your great live shows; What's the wildest and craziest thing that has ever happened at one of your shows?

We threw a propane tank at an old lady with a broken hip.

I love the fact that you are such a young bunch of rebels, where does your inspiration come from?

Brainstorming.

What's life on the road with y'all like? Describe a day in the life of Those Darlins.

Wake up, get out of bed drag a comb across my head find my way downstairs and drink a cup of whiskey and looking up, I notice I am late find my coat and grab my hat make the bus in seconds flat find my way upstairs and have a smoke and somebody speaks and I go into a dream.

What should we looking forward to from Those Darlins?

Sex tapes.

Those Darlins play with Dr. Dog tomorrow night, September 29 at The Loft. Tickets are available at Ticket Alternative.

Last but not least, if Those Darlins were a drink, what would be the ingredients?

Kelley is Vodka, Nikki is Awesome, and I am Awful mix it together and you got yourself an appletini.

Q&A with Charlie Brand of Miniature Tigers -- Playing The Drunken Unicorn with Fun, September 20

By Sam Parvin

I recently got my hands on the debut full-length album by Miniature Tigers, Tell It To the Volcano, and I am so excited about it!  So when I heard the five piece, Phoenix-based rock-pop group is coming to Atlanta this month, I had to get an interview. Lead vocalist and guitarist Charlie Brand tells us about the album, touring, and their Atlanta show at The Drunken Unicorn on September 20. 

You guys are on a touring frenzy in support of the album, Tell It To the Volcano.  What keeps you going on your demanding tour schedule, or what’s the most difficult thing about it?

It’s just kind of taxing on your body; you don’t get a lot of sleep, and you eat a lot of crappy food. But it’s just so rewarding, playing shows every night and getting to meet so many people. It kind of all balances out. 

You’ve finished a coast-to-coast tour with Kevin Divine and Princeton, now you’ve got another 15 or 20 shows with Fun and THEN 15 or so with Say Anything. What are you doing differently with each of these bands than you did with the others, if anything? 

We never really tailor our set around who we’re playing with; we just do what makes us happy and for the people we’re playing for. For us, we just go into a tour and practice and learn a few more songs and use the tour as a chance to experience and try out new songs and stuff like that.  When we come back through a city the next time around, we try and change it so you never see same show twice.

Q&A with David Mead -- Playing Eddie's Attic, September 17

By Samantha Parvin

Quiet, soulful pop singer and songwriter David Mead began touring recently in support of his latest and fifth full-length album, Almost and Always. Mead will play at Eddie’s Attic on September 17, so AMG caught up with him to ask about the tour, the album, and what to expect at the show.

Tell me about your newest album, Almost and Always. It’s your fifth full-length album – what were you trying to achieve, or what did you do differently, if anything?

The biggest difference is there’s such sparse production on this album. Also, a lot of it is about the end of a relationship, and we’ve taken a very straight forward, conversational approach musically - kind of leaving it open and bare. Several of the songs were co-written with Bill DeMain. He’s a really good lyricist, and he approaches writing differently than I do. Our combining our ideas and techniques offered a lot more variety of stories and subjects than on my previous records.

What has the collaboration with Bill DeMain done for your style and thought process as a creator? Would you say he inspired you or refreshed your creativity? 

He really did inspire me. He really pushed me to write more about detail and see the glory in the mundane. Bill can write about anything. For instance, writing a song like “Mohave Desert Phone Booth.” In the short story, it kind of became this pilgrimage to go to this phone booth in the middle of the Mohave Desert. The number got circulated around the world and people would call it, and if someone happened to answer, they would have this random conversation. So Bill wanted to develop it, and he wrote the song “Mohave Desert Phone Booth” and related the phone booth to the feelings of being alone and isolation. I wouldn’t write about things like that if Bill didn’t show me how to see those details in such random encounters as his finding that story.