Chris Hunkele

Rundown Recap: Shaky Knees 2016

Posted on by Chris Hunkele
Photo by Camren Skelton

It has long been known that spring officially begins in the South the weekend of The Masters tournament in Augusta. The ‘tradition unlike any other’ offers new beginnings with each dirt cheap pimento cheese sandwich and $3 domestic draught. However there’s a growing argument that spring doesn’t quite get rolling until Shaky Knees takes over whichever plot of Atlanta real estate its founders find suitable.

In four short years, this festival has risen to the top of the region’s music scene by offering up 3+ days of consistently solid lineups. Like most festivals, Shaky Knees offers full weekend passes, single day tickets and VIP treatment, but the biggest coup here is the late night sets at local clubs throughout the city. After each headliner finishes pouring it on at the Peachtree Stage, music spills over into some of Atlanta’s most happening spots including Terminal West, The Masquerade, Variety Playhouse, Center Stage, and The Earl. The late night sets allow further examination of a day’s new find or simply a chance for non festival-goers to see a huge act in an intimate setting. It’s the perfect ending to a sunny spring day.

Though in it’s fourth year, the festival has yet to find a permanent home and I can’t figure out why the festival keeps jumping around…Are the coordinators trying out every venue until they find one that sticks, or do they just keep getting kicked out for noise complaints? I know the Old Fourth Ward Park and Atlantic Station were too small, but I thought Central Park was a great host last year. The sports fields and parking lots provided plenty of room to spread out and shade trees were plentiful. This year’s installment was housed in Centennial Olympic Park and and on the lawn in front of the Georgia Dome. Atlanta’s Olympic memorial handled the large crowds well but didn’t provide much in the way of sun relief. Drinks were easy to get, restroom facilities were clean, and food options were great. I especially admired the incorporation of local restaurants into the various food courts. Food trucks were again front and center but one could also snag a BBQ sandwich from Fox Bros or a burger from the Grindhouse tent. Nice touch. I do wish festivals would take a page out of Augusta National’s book and stop charging $7 for a Dos Equis…but I digress.

Overall it was a well coordinated endeavor, aside from the pedestrian bridge over Marietta Street connecting the Peachtree, Ponce de Leon, and Buford Highway Stages to Boulevard and Piedmont in front of the Dome. At peak times the bridge became a log jam and forced 10-15 minute wait times to get to the other side of the park. Next time just pay whatever the city wants to shut down two blocks of traffic…

Now here’s a rundown of our favorite (and not so favorite) acts from this year’s fest:

The Front Bottoms

The hot afternoon sun didn’t stop the crowd from enthusiastically singing along to the catchy tunes of “Au Revoir (Adios)” and “The Beers.” With their earnest lyrics and witty banter in between each song, catching The Front Bottoms was like catching up with old friends over a few cold beers. – Camren Skelton

Craig Finn

Finn’s laid-back, confident style and thoughtful lyrics made for a performance that was more introspective than other acts of the weekend. Although taking in Finn as a solo act is different than hearing him with The Hold Steady, the performance is still just as captivating and intense. – Camren Skelton

Beach Slang

Although they were playing an early set, I was impressed at the large, engaged crowd these punky newcomers attracted. After taking requests from the crowd and making jokes throughout, Beach Slang put on an entertaining show that kept the crowd singing along until the very end. – Camren Skelton

Wolf Alice 

Heading over to the main stages, I was able to catch British alt rockers Wolf Alice, and they did not disappoint. As people made their way into the gates, they trickled into the area around the stage, just as enthralled in the band’s folk/grunge/electronic elements as I was. Despite the hot Atlanta sun, the band brought a big crowd and put on a performance that was a favorite of the weekend. – Camren Skelton

Barns Courtney

The acoustic set Courtney delivered made for a performance that was unlike any other I saw throughout the weekend. Although he was standing on stage alone with his guitar, he filled the stage with a big sound and proved that he earned his spot on our Artists to Watch list. – Camren Skelton

Hop Along

This freak-folk/grunge-pop outfit from Philadelphia absolutely blew me away. Emotive vocals, angsty lyrics, and intricate guitar licks fuel their heavy pop sound. I love how lead singer Frances Quinlan’s voice perambulates the spectrum of screech-scream to delicate whisper through each song. 

Catchy, painful, even epic at times. The soundtrack to your next breakup. – Chris Hunkele

Day Wave

If Weezer, Washed Out, and Real Estate were puréed in a blender, you’d end up with the smooth synth sounds of Day Wave.

Soundtrack to your next road trip. – Chris Hunkele

Baskery

Sirens, man…These Swedish sisters were everything of which Circe warned Odysseus. The self-proclaimed “banjo punks” commanded the stage with infectious, foot-stomping energy. It was impossible to look away as they flawlessly harmonized their way through the mid-afternoon Atlanta heat.

Your girlfriend’s favorite band, your new guilty pleasure. – Chris Hunkele

Silversun Pickups

Holy Crap! – who thought shoegaze could be so intense? The plan was to watch through “Lazy Eye” and head over to see Huey Lewis & the News, but an hour later I found myself trying to shake Brian and Nikki’s fuzzy guitar tones from my ears. I never expected a performance that good. – Chris Hunkele

The Decemberists

The unexpected dig of Silversun’s set made me late for The Decemberists, which honestly wasn’t a bad thing – ’twas damn near impossible to slide into melancholy after such an energetic performance. It was kind of a bummer as I was really looking forward to seeing the Portlanders for the first time, but my gut tells me they’re the kind of band that requires four walls to really lock you in. – Chris Hunkele

My Morning Jacket

I made my way over to the big stage (aka Peachtree) looking to get sucked into an epic Jim James performance, but all I saw were a lot of theatrics. I was hoping to hear something to make me fall in love with MMJ again, but the half a dozen or so songs I stuck around for only served as affirmation that my ears will never hear anything the way they first heard 2005’s Z. – Chris Hunkele

Murder By Death

The second night of Shaky wrapped up with a late night Murder By Death set that absolutely rocked. As tired as I was, it’s never hard to get in the mood to belt out “Lost River” or “I Came Around”. I Scooped up these tickets the day it was announced and am really glad I was able to power through to the 1am start time. – Chris Hunkele

Parquet Courts

These guys rip. Saw ’em at the 40 Watt last year and was curious to see how their sound would translate to the great outdoors. I definitely recommend seeing them in a club, but if all you have is a festival chance, get there early and try to move up front. – Chris Hunkele

Nothing

I was so looking forward to this I sat through their sound check. The heaviness of their new record was replicated on stage, but the vocals were…well…just bad honestly. Almost cringeworthy. Though they did do a pretty sick cover of Radiohead’s “Creep”. – Chris Hunkele

Deftones

Completely blown away by Chino and the boys.  Any heaviness or on point vocals I was hoping to get from Nothing, I received tenfold from Deftones. If this year’s Shaky Knees was an episode of Supermarket Sweep, their set would’ve been the Farmer John golden wrapped hams. – Chris Hunkele

Show Review: Ra Ra Riot, Sun Club, and PWR BTTM at Aisle 5 in Atlanta

Posted on by Chris Hunkele
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R A R A R I O T // photo by Nikki Greene
R A // R A // R I O T  .  photo by Nikki Greene

When Ra Ra Riot announced they were hitting the road to promote Need Your Light, I was anxious to see how the new material would translate to the stage. When I heard they’d be bringing Sun Club AND PWR BTTM with them, I was ecstatic. Then I found out these three would be playing steps away from my humble abode, so it only made sense that it quickly became the hottest ticket in town…Safe to say the ATL was in for a treat.

PWR BTTM

Mission to shred.

P W R // B T T M . Photo by Chris Hunkele
P W R // B T T M . Photo by Chris Hunkele

With all the press this band has received over the past six months, I was prepared for a letdown. The hype machine is a monster and has the ability to create novelties out of anyone with a hint of talent and quickly reduce them to a fading trend. I was worried I’d see into the eyes of the beast, but PWR BTTM put that notion to bed in about a minute and thirty seconds. They’re playing their first round of SXSW showcases this week and they’ll be one of the hardest acts to see. Usually I’d say you should never wait in line longer than ten or fifteen minutes to see a band at South by, but they’re different. Fresh. Dramatic. Unapologetic about their in your face queer agenda. And I like it.

Ugly Cherries is the best song I heard last year. The finger tapped riffs are replicated with ease under the lights and the drums are even heavier in person. Their song 1994 has been following me everywhere over the last few weeks, so I was happy to belt out a few ooooh woo oooh oohs as they tore through that track. I haven’t seen a band shred like this since my last Diarrhea Planet show – but Liv and Ben do it with one guitar. I was most impressed with their ability to flawlessly harmonize through complex rhythm changes throughout the set and put together the right amount of peaks and valleys present on their full length record. The makeup and gowns were on point too: A+ in the wardrobe department.

What I really enjoy about PWR BTTM is they sing about the same things all bands do: love and heartbreak, loneliness, having fun and wasting time. The only difference is they tell it from a perspective that few people want to have a conversation about. The true power of their music is that they’re getting to the bottom of how society views gender and homosexuality. It’s just a bonus that it happens to be really great rock & roll.

SUN CLUB

You gotta eat the pops…

S U N//C L U B . photo by Nikki Greene
S U N // C L U B . photo by Nikki Greene

Sun Club stepped on stage looking mismatched and a little confused. In setup, they appeared to struggle with where everything was supposed to go, and it took at least a song before all the cables were assigned to their respective 1/4” jacks. Even during their set which includes two drummers, loads of vintage gear, an ironing board, and a collection of antique dolls, they look more like a yard sale than a band. If any of the thrifty Ra Ra Riot fans who sold out the two hundred plus capacity venue were looking for a bargain, they came away with a steal in Sun Club.

The Baltimore five piece played through their debut full length, The Dongo Durango with a maelstrom of energy. When the house lights lowered, it was as if these guys became conduits possessed by some supernatural presence and the audience was treated to a live exorcism. Bassist Adam attempts to shake the demons loose from his head while drummers Devin and Kory beat them into submission. Shane almost speaks in tongues over psych-surf guitar licks while Mikey bounces around the stage, crying out heavily delayed chants from his soul. The whole show is an experiment in chaos. It makes sense that they recorded most of their album live, because I can’t imagine these dudes sitting still for longer than ten or fifteen minutes.

In the end it all comes together for Sun Club. Amidst the room rattling drum beats and driving bass lines, their punchy guitar tones pierce through the walls of reverb to provide sophisticated melodic support for the sometimes spastic vocal rhythms. For a band with little apparent structure, they are able to corral all the moving parts just long enough to produce a cohesive musical experience that can only be described as fun.

Thanks guys – I had a damn ball.

RA RA RIOT

All the feels.

R A // R A // R I O T . photo by Nikki Greene

The night closed out with the seasoned headliners providing professional level entertainment to the sold out venue. Fixtures of the indie music scene for over ten years, Ra Ra Riot have become a polished collection of musicians. Their unique brand of classical infused dance-rock almost sounded too big for the room – like we were part of an intimate listening party. Rarely do I leave a show in awe of the musical talent of a band, but they seriously impressed me. Something about violins and cellos inserted into a rock band changes everything – it sounds complete, composed, and purposeful. This band pays attention to the details.

The set list was heavy on recently released Need Your Light, which translated nicely to the stage, but included hits like Dance With Me and Beta Love to the delight of all. It was Ghost Under Rocks however that got everyone moving and put arms in the air.

Over the years, Ra Ra Riot has put together a catalog of songs for any emotion. They hit on all of them tonight.

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R A // R A // R I O T . photo by Nikki Greene
R A // R A // R I O T . photo by Nikki Greene
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PerDiem x Vinyl Mag: The Future of Music

Posted on by Chris Hunkele

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Over the last decade, the music industry has struggled to provide a reliable way to successfully support independent artists. The traditional method of saving money to make a record, playing a ton of shows and hoping that people buy your music just isn’t working. Now more than ever, the market is so saturated with great music that artists often struggle to break even, which is ironic because music is more accessible now than it has ever been. How can an independent artist “make it” in the digital age without signing a long term record deal?

Generally speaking we’ve stopped pirating our favorite music in favor of subscription based streaming services, only to learn that a small fraction of what we pay for these services is actually returned to the artists. As fans, we have loads of great music at our fingertips but very few ways to support the bands we love. Certainly the resurgence of vintage music mediums like vinyl and cassette tapes have opened new financial avenues for the independent artist, but what if there were a way for fans and artists to be more intimately connected?

Enter PerDiem, a crowdfunded music investment platform that is looking to breathe new life into the music industry.

Quite simply, PerDiem is an online platform that allows fans to act as record producers. By purchasing shares, PerDiem allows the public to invest in the success of their favorite artists.

Here’s how it works:

An artist determines how much money they need for their new project, i.e. making a new record or going on tour. Then the artist chooses a percentage of the money raised to give back to their investors. Finally, the artist asks fans to help them reach their financial goal by purchasing shares. As revenue from the project grows, the percentage set by the artist is returned to the project’s investors based on how many shares they’ve purchased.

In this model, an artist’s success is directly tied to the fan’s ability to promote their music. The more an investor promotes an artist, the more money that artist makes, meaning more money finds its way into the pockets of its investors. This model creates incentive for people to put their money into music while bringing fans closer than ever before to their favorite musicians, making PerDiem a potential game changer for independent artists.

Ahead of their Athens launch party last Friday, we got to ask founder Brandon Nelson a few questions about his vision.

Vinyl Mag: What made you want to start PerDiem?

Brandon Nelson: I was working in the music industry and saw bands having to work full time jobs and move in with their parents so they could simply afford to live. I watched bands not be able to release songs they loved because they wouldn’t sell or make it on the radio. I decided to leave the music industry because it was sad to see this happening. A few months later I was floating this idea of investing in music to a few friends and people started getting excited about it. Before I knew, I had people wanting to build out the platform and artists wanting to launch their music on it. It was like people were sort of forcing me to make it happen. Every time I would tell artists about the idea they would tell me “you have to do this”. Seeing how much of an impact music can have on people’s lives and the potential for this to make a difference, I knew that I had to do it.

VM: How is PerDiem different from other crowdfunding platforms?

BN: If an artist raises money on a traditional crowdfunding platform, the people are either “donating to” or “pre-ordering” their music. With PerDiem, you are actually investing in the music. So when revenue is generated from that music, part of the sales go back to the people who invested in it. We are able to do this by distributing the music and managing all of the technical stuff for the artists. This way artists can focus on just making the music and having a team of people who have a vested interest in making that music successful.

VM: Is PerDiem open and available to every band or artist, or are there criteria for gaining approval to start a campaign? Would PerDiem ever deny a band’s request to start a campaign?

BN: We welcome any artists to the platform! We work with the artists to make sure they fully understand the platform and are set up for success. It’s still early on so we are determining the best way to go about adding artists to it so that investors are protected, but we will never deny an artist based on genre or style.

VM: Is there a certain amount an artist must raise in order for the campaign to move to the next stage?

BN: Yes, an artist sets how much they are raising and must reach that goal in order to receive the funds.

VM: So my band wants to fund a record or raise money for our upcoming tour. What is the process for starting a PerDiem campaign?

BN: Go to the website (www.perdiem.rocks) and submit your information! We will reach out and get to know you a little better and walk you through everything.

VM: Like any good independent band, we have an entrepreneurial spirit. Can we use PerDiem to buy merchandise, fix our van, or get a new tattoo?

BN: Totally. There has to be an incentive for people to invest money into your band, so that would be tied to a song or album that you are creating. For example, you want to raise $20k to produce an album, you can use that money to fix your van, get a tattoo, and buy some merchandise – as long as you are able to produce the record with the money that you raised.

VM: What if the record doesn’t get made, or never gets distributed? What happens to the money that was pledged?

BN: There is always a risk when investing in anything. There is a chance that something could happen where they use the money and are unable to produce a record at all. As an investor, you are giving your money to an artist that you believe in to give them a shot at their dream. That is why it’s important to only invest in artists that you truly believe in. We try to make this very clear in our “Trust & Safety” part of the site.

VM: A band I love is on PerDiem and I want to help them make a record. How do I get involved?

BN: If you want to invest in a band you simply go to the artists page, select how many shares you want, and buy them. All of the information on how much they are raising, what they are raising it for, and how much they are giving back is all hosted on their page.

VM: The band is going to pay me a percentage of revenue from record sales?! Cool! So… how do I get my money?

BN: When a fan wants to “cash out”, we’ll deposit the value of those shares into your bank account. We are building out a much more comprehensive platform so this process may change a bit in the future to make it easier and more streamlined.

VM: This could be a game changer for the music industry. I see it not only as a way for fans to fund their favorite bands, but also as an opportunity for a fan or group of fans to essentially become an independent record producer. Have you thought about that at all?

BN: Absolutely. The amazing part of the platform is that it turns your fans into your marketing team. I see investors wanting to use their resources and talents to help the bands they are invested in. For example, a videographer could film a music video for a band they invested in, or someone with a recording studio could offer studio time to artists they have invested in as well. It creates an entire new industry of opportunity around music. I always have this dream of an inner city kid taking his $10 and investing it into an artist that he believes in. Then that $10 turns into $20, then $100, etc.. Next thing you know, he is a music curator that people look at to find new bands and he is making a living by finding good music. The possibilities are exciting!

VM: Why stop at records, tours, and merch? In theory, PerDiem could be used to fund things like festivals, benefits, or even music venues where a percentage of proceeds from the events are returned to its investors. Would you want your platform to be used in such a way?

BN: We actually get that question a lot and it’s definitely something that we are interested in. Right now we are focused on fixing what we believe is the biggest problem in the music industry, then using what we have learned to expand into other areas where there is a demand for it. We have a pretty big vision for PerDiem so I wouldn’t be surprised to see it expanding into other areas in the future.

VM: When is it going live and how many artists do you have lined up?

 We did a test run with a couple artists to see how people would interact with the concept. In just a few days an artist named Nico Blue raised $1,000 to produce his first original single. So we know that people are willing to invest in music and use the platform. We’ve got some exciting artists in the pipeline and an incredible group of people supporting us. We’re planning to add more artists over the next couple of weeks and continue to build it into a platform that can support the next generation of music.

To find out more about PerDiem, type “perdiem.rocks” into your preferred search field, and stay up to date with their soon to be launched Twitter feed @perdiemmusic.

Wrecking Ball ATL 2015: Recapping A Weekend Of Punk Rock Nostalgia

Posted on by Chris Hunkele
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The Movie Life. All photos by Samantha Nakhoul.

“The last time I saw you act like this, we were kids.”

A couple weekends ago The Masquerade entertained thousands of Atlantans with a dream lineup of 60 punk and hardcore bands. The name was fitting, given the recent selling of the venue to a multi-family developer who plans to turn the land into a mixed-use development. Its proximity to the BeltLine, a former railway corridor turned linear park, made the acquisition inevitable. It remains to be seen what will happen to the building, but early plans call for the former Du Pree Manufacturing Company Excelsior Factory to be repurposed as part of the massive development. Though the old mill hangs in a poetic state of purgatory, one thing is for sure: the days of concerts at the iconic venue are numbered.

The recent headlines made the inaugural Wrecking Ball music festival that much more compelling. With a ridiculous lineup that included Descendents, The Get Up Kids, Coheed and Cambria, Desaparecidos, Thrice, Glassjaw, Appleseed Cast, American Nightmare, Modern Life is War, Braid, Pianos Become the Teeth, and Foundation among others, the only way it could’ve been any better was if they brought in an actual wrecking ball after Coheed and Cambria closed it out on Sunday and literally tore the place down. So many of these bands started their careers in Hell and slowly worked their way up to Heaven and eventually out to the Music Park. Part of what made the weekend so great was hearing the artists share their personal experiences playing these stages. The Get Up Kids recalled their first trip here 20 years ago touring with MxPx and even played the first song they ever wrote as a tribute. Conor Oberst mockingly seemed into purchasing a condo on the land, and Descendents had to be yanked off the stage, though probably not in protest. It seems every band that has ever passed through this city has played at least once at The Masquerade, and that is what makes this place so special. Yeah, the sound isn’t very good, and it feels like the floor will collapse at any second sending everyone in Heaven to their death, but there’s something about this musty old clap trap that keeps us coming back. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Public Enemy, Nine Inch Nails, the list goes on, but this weekend was a celebration of punk.

I’ll admit this lineup would’ve been much more exciting to me 15 years ago, and maybe I was in attendance solely to keep my 16-year-old self from coming back and murdering me in my sleep. Many of these bands have slipped into “guilty pleasure” listening status while others serve as a consistent reminder of who I am and how I got here. Each one reminds me of riding around on hot southern nights with the windows down and five friends singing at the top of their respective lungs. It was a throwback, and I’m okay with that.

For my personal tastes, Saturday was the reason I was there. The Music Park stage got things rolling with The Coathangers, The Lawrence Arms, Title Fight, and The Movielife. The latter putting on an energetic set during which they thanked the crowd for making this “the best show (they’ve) ever played in Atlanta.” They even commented on the amount of lyrics being shouted back at them – apparently the New York of the South has never been so welcoming of this actual New York band. Inside, Braid, Small Brown Bike, and Samiam lit up the Heaven Stage to round out the afternoon.

As night fell, everyone moved out to the Music Park for main attractions: The Get Up Kids and Descendents. This was the first time I got to see The Get Up Kids, which were amazing. I know they’ve been doing this for a long time and have been involved in several other big name and solo projects over the years, but I was so impressed with their sound. Nothing against the other bands, but Matt Pryor and the boys were the most professional sounding band of the weekend. They went through all the classics including Red Letter Day, Ten Minutes, Shorty, Action & Action, Holiday, and Mass Pike, among others. I forgot just how many catchy songs they had written and was genuinely surprised how many of the lyrics I could still belt out.

@thegetupkids #punkrock #holidays

A video posted by Vinyl Mag (@vinylmag) on

#masspike #thegetupkids @masquerade_atl #wreckingball A video posted by Vinyl Mag (@vinylmag) on

The night came to a close with Descendents, who have made perhaps the biggest impact of any band on punk music over the course of their 38 year career. Most of the musicians at this festival probably had at least a couple of Milo’s songs on their earliest mixtapes or playlists, and many were on stage taking it all in. They went through a crazy long set of about 30 songs before the PA system was cut, and everyone was told to go home, proving just how punk rock these old guys remain.

A video posted by Vinyl Mag (@vinylmag) on

The outdoor vibe on Sunday was a little more laid back with Yuck, Basement, and Cave In paving the way for a rather subdued Thrice set. The harder hitting acts like Foundation, Glassjaw, and Blacklisted were pushed indoors where multiple hangovers were sweat out in front of the Heaven Stage. Back outside, Desaparecidos, and Coheed and Cambria finished off the weekend. Not much to say about them except that Conor was Conor, and Coheed was much less epic than usual, only playing around a dozen songs.

#heavenmasquerade for #glassjaw @wreckingballatl @masquerade_atl A video posted by Vinyl Mag (@vinylmag) on

Overall, it was a great weekend to be a punk, and I’m glad the organizers of Wrecking Ball were able to put together such an amazing group of bands as part of The Masquerade’s farewell concert series.

A few things I found curious:

Purgatory wasn’t Purgatory – it was a merch-sized tent out in front of the venue. The real Purgatory was roped off as an artist’s lounge – kind of a bummer.

Thrice and Glassjaw were scheduled in overlapping time slots, making it impossible to see each of their sets in entirety. I wasn’t the only one upset about that flap, as Dustin Kensrue even felt compelled to comment on the obvious mistake during their set.

@thrice_official Day 2 of @wreckingballatl @masquerade_atl

A video posted by Vinyl Mag (@vinylmag) on

Oh this is so Conor. What a rebel. @desaparecidos @wreckingballatl @masquerade_atl A video posted by Vinyl Mag (@vinylmag) on

The discovery of the weekend came in the form of the band Somos who shut down the Purgatory Stage on Sunday night. The Boston based quartet are playing a refreshing brand of catchy emo throwback tunes. They have a full length titled Temple of Plenty that I highly recommend giving a listen. Be on the lookout for a recently finished record in the coming months.

@wreckingballatl provided a good find in @somosbandma late on Sunday. @masquerade_atl

A video posted by Vinyl Mag (@vinylmag) on

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Athfest 2015: A Recap

Posted on by Chris Hunkele

AthFest – also known as Athens-Clarke County’s premiere local music festival – went down this weekend, and here is a brief VinylMag recap of some things that happened.

Another year, another exclamation that our music scene is better than yours. I mean, where else can you find this much talent in one town? Don’t say New York, Portland, Nashville, or Austin; that was a rhetorical question and those are cities. As Harry Kagan from Music Band so eloquently put it, “You can’t shake a stick in this place and not hit somebody with a drum key.” The annual summer showcase of Athens’ musicians was the best we’ve seen in recent years. The organizers put together a nice mix of Athens upstarts and established heavyweights while mixing in a few nationally known touring acts to attract one of the largest crowds to date. 

#musicband @truemusicband brings the Nashville heat to #dirtyathens #AthFest

A video posted by Vinyl Mag (@vinylmag) on

Most of Saturday afternoon was spent dodging light rain showers, catching up with friends and fanboying at Caledonia Lounge’s Dirty Athens Day Party. This is truly the place to see and be seen during AthFest. You’ll pay no cover, drink cheap beer, and discover some gritty new punk band along the way. It’s a great way to ease into what is sure to be a long night. The highlights were locals Hot Fudge, Crunchy, Grand Vapids (keep scrolling), and Nashville’s Music Band. The latter put on perhaps the tightest and most energetic set I saw all weekend. Those guys are true professionals.  

@grandvapids tearing up the #caledonialounge outdoor stage for #dirtyathens #AthFest A video posted by Vinyl Mag (@vinylmag) on

Then the rains came. I’m talking heavy – like Bells Beach at the end of Point Break heavy. The 50 year storm was upon us, and Manhattan Cafe was my once-in-a-lifetime wave. I rode it out and settled in for Hardy and the Hard Knocks on the Hull Street Stage where Morris played slightly more uptempo than recent live offerings. The small townie stage next to Little King’s Shuffle Club provided the perfect setting for their brand of rowdy backwoods grunge. You’d be hard pressed to find a band producing a more authentic sound than these guys.

The day’s outdoor headliner was beloved Athens weirdos and hired hands of Montreal. I haven’t missed one of their local sets since I was transplanted to the scene three years ago, even traveling to Atlanta one night for a Terminal West date with Monsoon. Seeing of Montreal is always a treat, no matter which musicians Kevin Barnes assembles to come along on his carousel of oddities. Their live performances are often legendary, and it’s rare to see an artist that cares so much about his stage presence and interaction with the audience. That being said, this set proved that Barnes and Co. is an act that must be experienced in the confines of four walls; outdoor stages and open air just don’t do them justice – especially when you’re banging bodies with smelly, rain-soaked strangers. Maybe the years have finally caught up with me, but five songs in, I was ready to make a move.

I hustled up to the Georgia Theatre rooftop to catch the last few songs of Woodfangs. After seeing their name on nearly every flier and admittedly only hearing some of their music over the last couple years, I was excited to finally see them play. The small sample size (only 3 or 4 songs) did leave an impression. John Harry’s psych-saturated guitar and energetic, sometimes spastic vocals paired with dry banter really make for a fun listen. Rather than feed off of Harry’s energy though, the other ‘fangs seem to drift in and out, failing to make much of an impression. I’m willing to give these guys a pass, as the crowd was nearly non-existent – its tough to get up for girlfriends and old roommates. The most important thing Woodfangs provided were clever licks over an upbeat albeit dark, rhythm. After sporadic, heavy afternoon downpours forced me to slug a couple beers at Manhattan, the sound of Woodfangs ushering in the night was a truly welcome sound.  

Earplugs recommended for #woodfangs rooftop set @georgiatheatre A video posted by Vinyl Mag (@vinylmag) on

With the night fully descended upon Athens, The Rooftop crowd swelled just in time for Grand Vapids: Part Two. While the Dirty Athens day set was heavy on Deerhunter with hints of Cloud Nothings, the nighttime version featured the melodic indie drone they debuted in January. Spurned Caledonia fans from earlier saw a band returning to their roots. What I saw was a band that approached the weekend with the same intentionality of every pick stroke and melody present on Guarantees. Simply put they catered to the party, showed a little more personality, and displayed some musical growth. That kind of thought and dedication to their craft is what has this band poised for a breakout. If you hoped to find Athens’ next big export at this year’s Fest, Grand Vapids is the one you want to pretend like you’ve been listening to for months.

Surfer Blood was probably the band I was most looking forward to at this year’s AthFest. After just missing them at Shaky Knees, I was curious to see how their music translated to the stage. They played all the songs you’d expect, and quite flawlessly at that. Stage presence left a lot to be desired, but the precision at which they played was refreshing to see. After seeing them for myself, my worries of them being merely a studio band were put to rest. They’re deserving of the early success.

Hot & humid is perfect for @surferblood

A video posted by Vinyl Mag (@vinylmag) on

And another one. #instantclassic @surferblood #AthFest @georgiatheatre A video posted by Vinyl Mag (@vinylmag) on

Honorable mentions go to Pujol, Dead Confederate, and The Whigs on Friday night. What can we say that hasn’t already been said about those guys.

Really dark video of a really great band. @Pujol_ rocking the theatre at #athfest

A video posted by Vinyl Mag (@vinylmag) on

Diarrhea Planet: The Best Live Band You’ll Ever See

Posted on by Chris Hunkele
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*All photos taken by Emily McBride at the Historic Scoot Inn in Austin, TX at SXSW 2014.

What’s up? We’re Diarrhea Planet, and we just woke up!!

It was the final day of South by Southwest, and the guys from Diarrhea Planet were taking the stage as I was waiting outside the gates of Austin’s Historic Scoot Inn. It was a rainy Saturday with an uncharacteristically long wait time for an early afternoon showcase. The line swelled with anxious concertgoers recovering from the night before as skateboard-wielding kids leaned against the chain link fence eagerly anticipating the impending shredfest. It has become a Vinyl Mag tradition to spend the last day of the festival with Diarrhea Planet. Last year, we literally bumped into them on the street before their final showcase at the Jackalope, which to this day remains one of my top five favorite shows of all time. I honestly can’t think of a better way to close out that epic week of music than to be drenched in sweat at the end of one of their sets.

The dudes were three songs in when I finally entered the yard, so I hustled to the bar, grabbed a Lone Star (you know, nothin’ snooty), and jumped over mud puddles to get closer to the action. I came in midway through “Lite Dream,” the first track off I’m Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams, as frontman Jordan knelt perched on the speaker platform at the front of the stage like a gargoyle – tongue out with each note of the solo seemingly pouring down from his open mouth past his fingertips before landing precisely on the fretboard. He was later joined on the platform by guitarists Brent, Evan, and Emmett, where back to back they formed a four-headed monster, aiming their guitars at the sky as if in tribute to the gods before turning them on the audience like AK’s of shred. Simply put, these guys play with impassioned stage presence and waste no time getting after it.

Meanwhile, Mike seems content to lurk in the shadows while chugging out underrated bass lines as drummer Casey powers the band with unrivaled heaviness in his sticks. Evan and Emmett sway back and forth periodically in choreographed fashion, with Evan sarcastically miming wiping sweat off of his forehead – a signature move that displays the band’s sense of humor. Crowd interaction is also a major component of Diarrhea Planet’s now legendary live shows. During their infectiously energizing performance, they awarded the first eight crowd surfers a free t-shirt that read “Diarrhea is the new F**k” – further displaying how seriously these guys take themselves. At one point, Evan had a girl photographer climb on top of his shoulders before parading her through the crowd while effortlessly fulfilling his guitar duties.

They roared through the remainder of their set, playing a nice mix of old and new. Two weeks later, I had the chance to see them again at New Earth Music Hall in Athens, Georgia when they were back to make up for a van-induced cancellation earlier in the year. They took the stage after midnight, sincerely apologizing for missing their previous date, and filled the room with over an hour of the catchy ear-ringing, shred-driven skate punk they do better than anyone.

As they broke down their gear after each one of these shows, it was clear that everyone was impressed with what they had just seen. Too many bands these days look like they’re just phoning it in – dialing up impossible to reproduce melodies and licks from their studio sessions in an effort to earn gas money to get from this city to the next. Diarrhea Planet is a rarity – their live show is actually better than any of their records, which is the highest compliment I can give a band. When they finish their set, you can be absolutely sure of one thing: these guys are having a blast.

After all, live shows are supposed to be a good time, and this seems to be the one thing Diarrhea Planet truly takes seriously. And for that, we should all be grateful.

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