Nikki Smith

Nikki grew up in an imitation German town in Georgia by the name of Helen. It wasn’t until middle school that she started to get interested in the arts: painting, music, and writing. She wrote in her diary, sketched in art class and listened to regretful music. By high school, her tastes became a little more refined. She found Fiona Apple, Lou Reed and Giant Drag, and they remain her favorites in college. She was accepted to the University of Georgia in 2012 and is currently majoring in English. Upon moving to Athens from a town with more trees than people, Nikki was a bit overwhelmed. However, there is certainly no lack of inspiration in Athens, and she appreciates its love for the arts and its service as a platform.

BackLight Productions Presents: Mosaic

Posted on by Nikki Smith

BackLight Productions brings us yet another personal look into the world of Athens-native bands. Mosaic is no stranger to the Athens music scene. They’ve played with the likes of Chief Scout and Sam Burchfield among others in Classic City venues such as World Famous and the 40 Watt. BackLight Productions introduces Andrew Huang, Kameron Munch, Chase Garrett and Harry Cloud at Studio 1093 with an intimate live performance of “Settled”. With a folk sound and bluegrass undertones, the group opens with a buoyant banjo tune and fluid vocals.  Each member plays a vital role in the band, and each instrument comes together to make the sweet harmony that is Mosaic.

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The guys of Mosaic sit down with BackLight to discuss their history, the song writing process, and the Athens music scene. It’s not hard to understand why these guys have such great rhythm. As BackLight presents, this is a group of friends making beautiful music. Even better, they’re playing live at the Georgia Theater Rooftop, May 2nd at 10:30pm. EVEN BETTER, it’s free!

But you should really support local artists; without it, there would be a shortage of such talent. Their music is available on Spotify and iTunes.

 

 

BackLight Productions Presents: Neighbor Lady

Posted on by Nikki Smith

BackLight Productions enters the home of Emily Braden, singer and songwriter of Athens’ own, Neighbor Lady. Braden, along with Maggie and Jack Blauvelt, talk about Neighbor Lady’s birth in the Athens music scene as well as the songwriting process. The trio is introduced in a room organized with trinkets, potted plants and pet dogs. This is the set for an intimate viewing of “I Wish Nothing.” Neighbor Lady is painted in such a way that distinguishes their talent and persona. The track is soft and fluid with Braden’s airy vocals. Maggie Blauvelt drums alongside with a simple yet heralding beat. In the background, Jack Blauvelt rounds out the sound with twinkling piano melodies.

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Magz

This is only the first of many collaborations with BackLight Productions. BackLight Productions presents a keyhole perspective into the home of various artists from Athens, Georgia.

Enjoy!

 

Eureka California: Versus

Posted on by Nikki Smith

Eureka California is a hidden gem of Athens, Georgia. While the music scene in The Classic City presents a plethora of dreamy sounds and echo effects, the indie rock duo exudes a sound that samples from the 90’s rock style and references classic authors and musicians alike. With lyrical spin-offs of Simon & Garfunkel and Martha & The Vandellas, Eureka offers a refreshing sound. The duo consists of guitarist, Jake Ward and drummer, Marie A. Uhler. While they’ve been playing together for five years and may be a relatively new band in the Athens music scene, there is no doubt that this pair is comfortable in their own skin.

Eureka drops their new album, Versus (HHBTM Records), on March 25th, but they’ve been kind enough to give Vinyl Mag an early preview. Versus was recorded at Suburban Home Studios with MJ of Hookworms. The album opens with “Eureka California’s Night In.” The music video features Ward and Uhler walking to Athens’ own Little Italy for a slice a pizza and ends with a night on the couch watching what can only be an endless vortex of cat videos. Stylistically, Eureka is energetic with a hint of cynicism. Ward’s powerful vocals and stark guitar melodies are amplified by Uhler’s merciless drumbeats.

Lyrically, Versus embodies the isolation that comes with the uniformity and calamity of living in a cityscape. Eureka cleverly combines lively melodies with lyrics about passing up a night on the town for a quiet night in the house. Ward sings about the pageant that is Athens nightlife, although this can be applied to any city with a string of bars dedicated to millennial past-times, “I’m much too slow for a social animal.” In a city where 2 a.m. beckons the “final call”, you ask yourself, “Where did my time and money go?” Consequentially, you believe your night would’ve been better spent indoors, as Ward explains, “When I turn on the TV it makes me feel like someone’s home.” How often do we feel a strong sense of closeness to the voices coming through our televisions? There’s a strange comfort that comes with the mindless drone of advertisements in a city where nightlife conversations consist of platitudes about college majors and an uncertain future; it certainly can make you feel like “the only living boy in Athens, Georgia. However, it would be unjustified to deem Eureka as “recluse,” in fact, it seems that they also know how to have a good time, as Ward explains a typical night on the town, “Wearing clothes that I found at the bar, and I’m sobering up in the back of your car…Summer’s here and the time is right for getting black out drunk in the street.”

While the city harbors a sense of romance and unity from an outsider’s perspective, Eureka California seems to transport their listeners through the shenanigans that come with warm weather to the underlying loneliness that comes with being in a large crowd. Eureka can hang, but they also know the importance of solitude and self-awareness. Versus is dance inducing, fun and cohesive, but Eureka’s identity comes out in the lyrics. A smart listener should appreciate the modern rock group’s energy and be able to peel back the layers of their upbeat sound to find Eureka’s ability to reference reality in a subtle stream of lyrics.

4/5

Artist to Watch: Rayland Baxter

Posted on by Nikki Smith

After a friend recently saw Rayland Baxter in Atlanta, she convinced me to listen to his most recent EP, SOHO. It’s been four years since Baxter released his debut, full-length album, Feathers & Fishhooks. Most of the tracks on SOHO were previously featured in Baxter’s full-length album, Imaginary Man.

Upon listening to SOHO, it is clear that Baxter finds harmony in simplicity. With a sound that can only be contributed to his musical history in Tennessee, Baxter exhibits subtle, southern guitar riffs and a slight vocal twang. All of these things make up Baxter’s folk-rock persona. It is no surprise that Baxter’s father, known as William Baxter, worked with artists Bob Dylan and Ryan Adams among others. Furthermore, Baxter has come into his own style of feel-good folk albums that seem to embody the spirit of the southeastern mountains.

SOHO opens with “Mr. Rodriguez.” With a fluid acoustic sound, Baxter harmonizes with his equally smooth vocals and soft inflections. His single, “Yellow Eyes” follows; the track previously appeared on Imaginary Man, accompanied with a soft drumbeat and subtle female vocals. However, SOHO focuses strictly on Baxter’s stripped down solo sound. “Oh My Captain” continues the slow, somber style with a an uplifting chorus that allures its listener to match Baxter’s powerful vocals and signature whistle.

Equally as impressive as his sound are Baxter’s lyrics. It is quite obvious that SOHO, or any of Baxter’s albums for that matter, is not strictly about a man and his guitar but about an experience that Baxter wants to poetically share with his listeners. Baxter seems to elicit the story-telling talents of Leonard Cohen. This is especially true in “Freakin Me Out.” SOHO ends with a cover of My Morning Jacket’s “Bermuda Highway.”

My only qualm with SOHO is that it is too short. While the chance to catch Baxter in Georgia has passed, he is scheduled to play at Bonnaroo 2016 in Manchester, Tennessee.

5/5

Superbody: “Camera”

Posted on by Nikki Smith

Since Tennessee-based duo Superbody released their dreamy debut album, Hades Land, Caleb Dills and Robert McCurry have released their newest single “Camera.” With a breathy opening, the track starts with energy and vibrancy. Similar to their ethereal, 80’s styled predecessor, “Camera” plays in the same vein, with McCurry’s deep fluid vocals, juxtaposed with Dills’ taut, synth-laced beats. The track slightly strays from the haunting melodies of Hades Land, instead adopting a more synth-pop sound.

No doubt, this track will sound even better live. Superbody is no stranger to Athens. Catch McCurry and Dills at Caledonia Lounge on February 13th.

 

Deerhunter @ The Georgia Theater

Posted on by Nikki Smith

The move to go backstage was sudden. Without a choice, my friend and I were told, “Let’s go,” as Lockett Pundt’s cousin (a friend from home) told us to follow her backstage, along with the rest of Lockett’s close relatives. Guitarist, Lockett Pundt leads us up multiple flights of stairs to Georgia Theater’s “backstage.” Bradford sits on an ottoman, surrounded by his family members. His aunt is sewing a “Volvo” patch on his red jacket. Notorious Deerhunter dog, Faulkner, greets us, and Cox relates family stories as if he had known us for years. It seemed as if we were an audience to Pundt and Cox’s family affairs, but in no way did it feel like intruding. Cox’s bubbly humor and Pundt’s stoic poise created the atmosphere of a friendly hang out, and the same is true of their performance.

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We left backstage to leave the family members to their pre-show reunion and found a spot on the balcony, right above the stage. Bitchin Bajas opened with an instrumental, psychedelic jazz sound. Their combination of saxophone and keyboard offered a smooth transition to Deerhunter’s loud, pop rock style. With the theater packed, Deerhunter enters onto a neon stage in front of what one security guard predicted as “close to a thousand” audience members. Cox honors those who saw their show at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta (Deerhunter’s origin) the night before. Guitarist, Josh McKay, greeted the audience as an Athens native. Cox joked, “We loved Athens so much we imported their guitarist.” Deerhunter dedicated various songs from their new album, Fading Frontier, to their family members. Cox dedicated “Take Care” to his mom, who watched from the VIP section.

I found my gaze leaving the stage throughout the set to watch audience members. People swayed back and forth, a guy jumped up and down out of rhythm to the songs, couples stood together. On stage, Cox invites the boys of Bitchin Bajas to join them, and the show eventually became an extended jam session between good friends. Songs like “Snakeskin” played longer for a 5-minute, ambient collaboration. The song ends as Cox slowly kneels on the floor, eventually hovering over his guitar on the stage floor. It’s obvious the other band members are unsure what’s happening. Pundt leans to Cox and laughingly asks the audience if there’s a doctor around, because Cox had “seized” and “couldn’t get up.” Cox immediately stands up and laughs about Pundt’s inadequate delivery of the joke.

The band continued their set for a twenty-minute encore before Cox thanked the audience and told us goodbye. The show harbored a sense of familiarity and friendliness. Deerhunter performed in such a way that audience members, or myself at least, felt comfortable. In no way did the band members seem “untouchable,” instead they were welcoming and real. Of course, Deerhunter is on their way to wider recognition, but it was obvious as I watched backstage and from the balcony above, family and friends play a large part in Deerhunter’s success and will continue to keep them grounded, and their warm interactions with the audience will keep us all coming back for more.

Amsterdam Station: “Stories from the Subtext”

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It’s been about a year since the boys of Amsterdam Station released their seven song EP, Stories from the Subtext. The EP came to initiate the band’s plan for a full-length album in the coming new year. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, the band consists of Greg Jarvis, Andy Potash, Schafer Gray, and Chris Connelly.

With an alternative rock style, Amsterdam Station opens their EP with “Warden.” “Warden” exhibits a catchy, sonorous bass melody, balanced with a fluid vocals and stark guitar riffs, “City of the Dead” follows with a classic violin sound and a haunting chorus. Slower songs like, “White Dove” and “Love is a Martyr,” exemplify the band’s flexibility. While they produce heavy hitting rock ballads, AS also knows how to serenade their listeners. Furthermore, Stories from the Subtext offers cohesiveness among the tracks. The EP begins with a post-apocalyptic feel and ends on an optimistic note with “Sons and Daughters of the Revolution.”

Although the band is still developing, and will inevitably make a few changes in the future, they’ve started off on the right foot. Their sound comes together with meaningful lyrics. AS essentially encourages their listeners to hear the story behind the sound.

Don’t be fooled by these guys’ rock style, they have a soft side. In light of the holiday season, Amsterdam Station has graced us with their harmonic rendition of “Happy Xmas (War is Over).

Find more of Amsterdam Station on Soundcloud. Stick around for new material in May 2016.

Superbody x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Nikki Smith

Robert McCurry and Caleb Dills of Superbody recently released their first album, Hades Land. With a deep and dreamy synth pop style, the boys from Chattanooga have made multiple appearances in Athens, Georgia. McCurry and Dills briefly talk about their fateful history and possible upcoming albums with an air of modest humor.

VM: Superbody is a relatively new project for you two and also pretty successful. What are the challenges, if any, of beginning this new duo?

Robert: Hearing the words “success” and “Superbody” in the same sentence makes my head hurt. I would rather not expand upon the details of the achievements or disappointments of this project at this time.

VM: You guys have a lot of help with your music videos from various friends. What is the creative process like when working with other people to get your vision across? “Wings 4 Two” and “Call Me That” really coincide with your experimental style.

Caleb: Yes, the multimedia undertakings of Superbody have so far been aided by extraordinary acquaintances who happen to share our same vision. If I could afford a video camera you would not be asking me this question.

VM: How did you two get together to form Superbody? And how did you come into your own style?

C: We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again. We started making music at Ricky’s Crab House on 5th and Broad. Robert had a tune. I had a beat. The end.

VM: Although you two are from Chattanooga, you play a lot in Athens. Is there a difference between the audience’s responses in the two cities? Is there any particular reason you like to play in Athens, as opposed to Chattanooga?

R: I love my children here in Athens, Georgia. I’ve developed a paternal relationship with the youth of Athens in the past few months. They give. I take.

VM: I noticed at your show in Athens that you were selling tapes of Hades Land? Why that medium? Do you also sell CD’s?

C: One crisp autumn morning, the type that you could take a bite out of if you really wanted, the cassette tapes for Hades Land appeared on our doorstep. I will gladly sell anything with our faces on it for pure profit, especially if that product is a gift. If you have any gifts for us that bear our likeness please do not hesitate to reach us by electronic mail at superbodymusic@gmail.com

VM: You recently released your first full-length album, Hades Land, any talk of upcoming releases and new material?

C: If the stars align and we don’t get drafted into the war, you can expect some new media sometime in the future.

VM: Based on your experience with your first album, is there anything you’d like to improve or change for your next album?

R: First off, we’d like to get this stray pack of dogs out of our studio! If you listen to Hades Land very closely you’ll hear ‘em! Those damned things are a headache and a half!

Missy Elliott ft. Pharrell Williams: “WTF (Where They From)”

Posted on by Nikki Smith

In April 2015, we made a list of five artists that need to make a comeback. Missy Elliott comes in at number one. Now our dream has finally come true with the release of her new music video “WTF.” #TBT, the video is straight out of the early 2000’s; not even Missy Elliott has aged. Her costumes are just as edgy and her dance moves just as sassy. A puppet, with an uncanny resemblance to Pharrell Williams, comes in around 1:35, along with some booty poppin’ lady puppets. Time to listen to this track about 100 times and learn every single word. It’s not like we didn’t do the same thing with “Work It.”

Grimes: “Flesh Without Blood” and “SCREAM”

Posted on by Nikki Smith

Vancouver’s Claire Boucher performs under the alias of Grimes. Since her start in 2011 with a split EP alongside D’Eon, who’s known for his experimental electronic style, Boucher has evolved into her own electronic pop style. One of Grimes’ most popular albums, Visions (2012), gave us contemporary electronic melodies like “Genesis” and “Oblivion.” With flawless baby bangs and an equally flawless and baby-like voice, Boucher has graced us with yet another upcoming album in December, Art Angels.

Her two newest singles “Flesh Without Blood” and “SCREAM” exhibit two very different sounds, possibly hinting at the new album’s diversity and evolution from her signature style. “Flesh Without Blood” stays consistent with that familiar electronic dance style that has a way of attaching itself to the listener. With metallic beats and subtle punk riffs, Boucher’s ethereal “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” offer a complex balance between sharp and soft sounds.

“SCREAM” moves away from the familiar spacey sounds to an industrial style. The track features Aristophanes, a Taiwanese rapper. The vocals still adhere to Boucher’s high-pitched style and seem to resemble the eerie sweetness of Die Antwoord.

Boucher is a pioneer of the new age sound, and we can’t deny her fashion sense is just as vibrant and unique as her music. Catch her at the Buckhead Theater, November 11th.

4/5