Atlanta Music Guide

Live Review: Très Bien, Stolen Hearts, The Greatest Hits, The Biters, The Booze @ Star Bar, January 23

By Jhoni Jackson

Anyone enticed by the show flyer’s promise of a “big rock and roll show” certainly got what they came for. Like any good rock show, charismatic front-men (and women, mind you) were abundant, the venue was packed and patrons lined every free space at the bar. The bands were punk-derived but heavily pop-inclined, as if they’ve been listening to old-school punk all their lives (probably accurate for all musicians present) but long-since gave in to catchy, danceable melodies.

Live Review: Band of Horses & the Dynamites featuring Charles Walker @ The Tabernacle, December 31

By Micah McLain

Band of Horses celebrated the arrival of 2010 the same way they did the arrival of the two years previous - with a sold-out two-night stand in Atlanta. The venue this time around was downtown's Tabernacle and the band was able to secure the Dynamites featuring Charles Walker to help them ring in the new year.

The Nashville-based Dynamites are becoming an increasingly important part of the southeastern music scene as Walker looks to claim the present day crown of "the hardest working man in music." While they might seem like a surprising opener for the folk rock stylings of Band of Horses, the Dynamites welcomed this opportunity to play a larger venue full of music lovers who would be unlikely to give their band a chance otherwise. Despite Walker most likely being the oldest man in the building this evening, his stage presence and impressively youthful vocals proved to rival the most energetic performer. Although he was not feeling his best, Walker admirably led his seven-piece band through an up-tempo, hour long set of horn-fueled, soul-soaked funk that was sure to win over plenty of new fans.

Live Review: Cotton Jones, Greg Ashley, Dutchess and the Duke @ The EARL, December 16

By Jhoni Jackson

There’s something about country-based music that makes one year for a stiff drink, preferably – considering current below-freezing temperatures – one that warms both the soul and the body. Just as I was wondering why Atlanta bars don’t serve hot toddies in winter, Maryland’s Cotton Jones took the stage. The early show time -- barely 9 p.m. – hadn’t helped draw a large crowd, but the ‘60s psychedelic-tinged country-folk quickly warmed the empty spaces with twangy goodness – helping ease the harsh sting of the weather outside.

Live Review: Benefit for Ruthie Morris @ The EARL, December 15 w/Amy Ray, Warm In The Wake, & Tim Lee 3

By Scott Roberts; photos by Sue Volkert

“It sucks to lose your stuff.” Headliner Amy Ray succinctly proclaimed this during her rocking solo set at The EARL last Tuesday at the benefit for Magnapop guitarist/all-around swell person Ruthie Morris who lost, among other things, thousands of dollars worth of musical/recording equipment, the entire first pressing of the brand new Magnapop CD, and irreplaceable photos and personal memorabilia in the torrential flooding that hit Atlanta last September. And while the show may not have been able to actually replace what Morris lost, it served as a positive step toward her financial and emotional recovery, and allowed the giving spirit of Atlanta’s musical community to shine brightly. And rock!

Live Review: Brendan Benson, Cory Chisel @ The EARL, December 11

By Jennifer Gibson

Let me start off by saying something that might actually garner me some hate mail from people I consider friends: I don’t trust Jack White. I make it a point to avoid much of what he touches, largely because he seems to get a lot of undue praise for being one hell of a faux bluesman. But his pal and fellow Raconteur Brendan Benson is a special case. As far as I can tell, this guy operates on no pretenses other than shaggy hair plus jeans and a T-shirt equals infatuating pop-rock; ie. what you see is what you get. There’s not a lot of pretending going on in Benson’s world, and it’s that ease and comfort with the self that made his December 11 show at The EARL feel downright comfy, kind of like hanging out in your friend’s basement and playing just for the fun of it, with all the mistakes included. Even struck with a cold and a scratchy throat, which he admitted to treating mostly with “red wine and cigarettes,” he didn’t seem like the sort of guy who would gyp anyone out of the best he’s got to give.

Benson’s main misstep was inviting his pal Cory Chisel to open for him, and even that wasn’t a gaping error. But it wasn’t the right move, either, considering Chisel seems to exist in a land of mostly formulaic alt-country tunes. He did, however, deliver them with some passion, which shored the gap between him and Benson just a little. His band played with the same sort of presence, but as engaging as the personalities were they often just couldn’t get out of the bland country rock rut. There was nothing that hasn’t been seen or heard before. It was mostly a rehashing of early 2000s Americana, but without the spark or the likeability or the catchy hooks. In a word, boring.

But Chisel’s got some tricks up his sleeve – he started winding down his set with an incredibly well-crafted bluesy piece, and even stuck in a few semi-memorable pop songs. He’s got something going on inside other than mimicry, but he’s not accessing it frequently enough. If his time on stage were set to the kinds of songs he ended with, there would be more to say about his performance. But bland and boring mostly covers it. Going any further than that might verge on mean spiritedness.

Live Review/Picture Book: DRINKSHOP Live with Last Chance Runaround, Little Tybee @ W Downtown Atlanta, December 10

By Jhoni Jackson; photos by Kevin Griggs

The dimly lit lounge-style bar tucked away inside the downtown W Hotel typically draws a fast-paced crowd of Atlanta’s upper social crust, with its sleek décor and limos frequently circling the entrance. So when Last Chance Runaround began their acoustic folk set, complete with a harp and a heaping scoop of granola, a culture clash could have easily ensued. Instead, lead singer Scott Linn Roberts and Sue Volkert (on harp and secondary vocals) played their mellow repertoire as comfortably as they would at a laid-back neighborhood coffee bar. Aside from a chatty, self-absorbed group up front (seriously, it was like the Friends cast on the Central Perk couch), the crowd was surprisingly responsive. Last Chance Runaround cites late-’80s alternative band Winter Hours and their airy sound as a primary influence, and they’re not kidding – they even have a disclaimer on their MySpace about not being a Winter Hours cover band. But the band’s strummy interpretations give the legacy of Winter Hours, who generally went underappreciated even after the group’s dissolution, a much-deserved extended life.

The second local band, Little Tybee, confidently shifted the show’s vibe from Earth-friendly to a spacey variety of whimsical. With a solid folk underpinning and a penchant for ambient melodies, the resulting sound would be the perfect soundtrack to running barefoot through a grassy mountain valley by moonlight. Lead singer Brock Scott’s drawn-out inflections didn’t hit a single sour note, even through occasional moments of buzzing speakers. The band’s friendly musicianship felt natural and was visible from the furthest corner of the bar – likely because Scott and guitarist Josh Martin have been playing together since college, and everyone but violinist Ryan Gregory played in Scott’s former band, The Brock Scott Quartet. Martin was easily the best part of the show to observe -- he plays with the intricacy of Minus the Bear’s early work, but always with a smooth, gentle approach. Gregory’s masterful violin playing topped off the sound perfectly, and Scott’s voice, unfaltering and octave-crawling, elevates the music to the dreamiest of altitudes.

Last Chance Runaround:

Live Review: Cursive @ Lenny's Bar, December 7

By Micah McLain

Cursive took the stage Monday night at a surprisingly early 11:15 p.m. after opening sets from Winston Audio and Capgun Coups. I, however, had assumed that headliners at Lenny's still didn't start until after midnight - a mistake that I paid dearly for. While I only caught the tail end of their set, I can imagine how powerful and intense the rest of their time on stage was.

While playing to a disappointingly half-full room, Tim Kasher and company ripped through a variety of songs from their full catalog. The slowly building "From the Hips" off 2009's Mama, I'm Swollen had the entire crowd chanting and thrashing along with the band as Kasher escalated his lyrical delivery from speaking "I'm at my best when/I'm trying to look and think/And talk and sing and read/And write like all the rest," to screaming "And I wish that we had never talked/Our hips said it all" by songs end.

Live Review/Picture Book: The Electric Cycles. Lindsay Appel, The Electric Cycles @ Highland Ballroom, December 4

By Kevin Griggs

Local singer and song writer Lindsay Appel played a quaint short set at The Highland Ballroom last Friday. Her blues/rock style is based around a piano or guitar and fits great with the relaxed lounge atmosphere of the venue. For about a year now she has been carrying Mario (drummer from Tiger!Tiger!) and Steve (bassist from Friend Without a Face) to complete the band. In 2008 she won the Creative Loafing Reader’s Choice Award for Best Singer/Songwriter. Lindsay’s voice is strong and her lyrics fitting. The next Lindsay Appel show will be at 529 January 15 with The Goldest and Night Driving in Small Towns.

The Electric Cycles were the headliners for this show. Vintage gear usually means vintage sound, and that is exactly what you get out of these guys. Their '60s psychedelic sound is a foot tapping noise fest. I was hit with jolt of energy that had my head bobbin' and all I wanted was more. Look for these guys at Wonderroot February 6.  

Lindsay Appel:

Live Review/Picture Book: The Jaguars, Los Straitjackets @ The EARL, December 1

By Kevin Griggs

So I get this email from Spencer Garn on Sunday inviting me to come to The EARL on Tuesday to see his three piece The Jaguars. The Jaguars were opening up for Nashville’s Los Straitjackets and El Vez's Viva Christmas show. This was the second time I got to hear this super tight lounge/surf trio play. These guys are so, so very cool and the rhythm section for local soul girl Ruby Velle to boot. Hearing The Jaguars play can fool your brain into thinking your at a Ventures show in the '60s. The sound is classic with rich organs, deep reverb, and echoes. Mark Raudabaugh keeps the trap kit on lock down and Scott Clayton bends the strings into a psychedelic bliss. My only regret was not having stiff cocktail.

In just a few minutes time, after The Jaguars finished, The EARL was packed with rock-a-billies, tattoos, and pompadours. Los Straitjackets are also an incredibly tight instrumental band. All the songs played where classic Christmas songs with a surfer/rock twist. They have been doing the Christmas theme music for years and even use to play Conan O’Brien during the holiday season in the late '90s. El Vez brought his Elvis styled antics and the El Vettes to add some vocal support. The show was visually captivating. There where four dudes wearing black suits and luchador masks just behind El Vez in a Santa costume and his two candy striped El Vettes. Between the ripping guitar riffs, El Vez's splits, and the hot El Vettes it would be hard not to stare.

Los Straitjackets:

Live Review: Nigels With Attitude, The REMakes @ The EARL, November 24

By Scott Roberts; photo by Sue Volkert

Tribute bands are fascinating entities to consider. What compels a group of musicians, who generally begin their rock and roll journeys by incorporating their admired influences into their own visions hoping to forge something new and fresh, to throw that idea out the window and decide to exclusively mine the catalog of one band instead of playing their own music? In the cases of Nigels With Attitude, an XTC tribute band led by seasoned Atlanta-and-beyond veterans Tim Smith and Peter Stroud, and The REMakes, well-respected producer/musician Geoff Melkonian’s tribute to the “early catalogue” of R.E.M., the answer is probably that learning and playing the music of these respective bands is a fun and temporary labor of love.