Atlanta Music Guide

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."

POST-MODern Returns to Mary's for Britpop Revisited #2 on Thanksgiving Night!

Here's the info for a reunion of extremely hip proportions:

Mary's (East Atlanta Village)
1287 Glenwood Ave SE
Thursday, November 26th, 2009
THANKSGIVING NIGHT (9:00pm - 3:00am) 

Back by popular demand....we're doing it again!

Ditch the family and hang out with your mates! It's Britpop Revisited 2 with DJs POST-MODern and Todd Almighty!

Featuring music from: Blur, Oasis, Pulp, Suede, Elastica, Supergrass, The Charlatans, Ash, The Verve, Travis, The Stone Roses, James, Lush, Ride, Morrissey, The Smiths and more!

Plus - Sixties British Invasion, Glam and the latest in British Indie Rock! New music from Editors, The Rifles, The Twang, Idlewild, Echo & the Bunnymen, Ian Brown, Kasabian, Jamie T, White Lies, The Temper Trap, The Big Pink, The Cribs, Athlete, The Drums, The Maccabees, The Enemy, Arctic Monkeys, Mumford and Sons, and more!

Come out and give thanks for British Rock-N-Roll!

Start your holidays off right.

Background information:
It began as Britpop Video Night @ Mary's and was eventually rechristened POST-MODern at the Fountainhead Lounge in East Atlanta (now known as the East Side Lounge). Featuring music videos from Blur, Oasis, Pulp, Suede, Supergrass, The Charlatans, The Stone Roses, The Verve, Ash, Coldplay and more. An East Atlanta staple from 1999 - 2006: 7 Rockin' Years

Ticket Alternative's July 4th Holiday Hours

We're going to be closed Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4 in honor of (what else?) the July 4th holiday weekend. Like everyone else we'll be eating burgers and watching fireworks. We'll be back bright and early on Monday. Have fun everybody and stay safe!

Happy New Year!

We hope you had a great start to 2009! What was the first song you heard in 2009? DJ With Wolves dropped Neil Diamonds Sweet Caroline at midnight at the Heathen Chemistry party and the crowd went mental! What was the first song you heard this year?

John Lennon Appears in TV ad, 28 Years After His Death

Through the use of digital technology, John Lennon is still lending his voice to worthwhile causes.  28 years after his death, the former Beatle is urging everyone to support the campaign "One Laptop per Child" which delievers tough, solar powered XO laptop computers to the world's poorest children.

Yoko Ono approved the commercial which started airing this past Thursday on donated broadcast and cable time.  If you want a peek at the commerical, you can visit the youtube page here.

And for more information on One Laptop per Child, you can visit their official site.

Windows Commercial with Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates

This has bugger all to do with music, but it's ace... and even stranger than the first ad they did.

Save $5.00 off Dialog in the Dark tickets

Our friends at Creative Loafing invited us to a preview of the Dialog In The Dark exhibtion at Atlantic Station - It was amazing. You spend an hour in the dark with only your senses (and some very cool guides) to get you through a series of different scenes.

Here's a $5.00 off coupon! Don't miss this amazing exhibition.

To purchase tickets visit: http://www.dialogtickets.com