The line to the 40 Watt curved down Pulaski Street as people waited for the doors to open. Those who RSVP’d ahead of time were sent to a Red Bull Sound Select representative and given free chocolate chips cookies and foam black lips. Once inside, Muuy Biien performed an enthusiastic show and set the hardcore, punk mood for the rest of the night. Front man, Josh Evans brought the energy and the fun with his animated dance moves. After Muuy Biien, people migrated to the bar or outside for a cigarette. Even the boys of Muuy Biien made their way to ground level as fellow Black Lips fans. We weren’t outside for more than 30 minutes before my friend points out Black Lips’ singer, Cole, and the band’s female saxophonist walking by. It was an occurrence that seemed so surreal at the time, to be that close to performers dressed in their punk garb and makeup. Shaky Knees was a completely different experience; fans leaned over metal gates and bodyguards in order to reach for the Black Lips. The 40 Watt is much more intimate, eliminating the barrier between the audience and the performers. It’s not uncommon to see band members mingling among the audience with a PBR in hand or partaking in the chaos that is the mosh pit.
Finally, the seemingly misplaced 50’s standby music abruptly transitions to the rough and raw guitar sounds of Black Lips. Opening with “Family Tree,” the band wastes no time in amping up the energy. Cole gracefully trust falls onto a tightly packed group of audience members, and is just as gracefully placed back on stage. I vigorously nodded my head and bounced in the back of the crowd. The band recently included a female saxophonist that brings a new layer to the band’s sound. Although she is only present for a few songs, her power gives the songs new life. Its no secret that punk-rock shows can be overwhelming; one doesn’t come to a punk-rock show to sit in the back and not get pushed around. I think the genre is successful in generating an energetic crowd; as long as the performers are screaming into the mic and jumping around on stage, the audience is bound to follow. The genre gets back what it puts in. Have you ever been to a rock concert and not been able to dance? It’s hard. I think the same concept goes for any genre, but the punk-rock genre is all about creating chaos and instilling a rebellious mindset in its listeners.
It wasn’t long before I saw my girlfriend crowd surfing a few bodies in front of me. She was so close to the stage that I think Cole looked her square in the face. A few girls gabbed back in forth in front of me, a few even checking updates from Instagram as the band played “Boys in the Woods.” I couldn’t go to a Black Lips show at the 40 Watt and remain in the safe section. People started to filter out of the crowd, making their way to the calmness of the bar. The aggressive moshing and flying toilet paper rolls were too much to handle, but I grabbed my friend by the hand and pushed our way closer, eventually reuniting with my crowd surfing friend. I knew the concert was coming to an end, and I also knew I would regret it if I didn’t enter the ominous mosh pit. I asked my crowd surfing friend to come with me, which she agreed to without hesitation. As we pushed our way into the pit, the temperature immediately climbed 10 degrees and the humidity was enough to stifle my breath. Once in the center of the pit, my legs and arms became pinned to my body. It took all the power I had to pull an arm up for defense. I finally got my head up enough to see Jared’s sweaty, red face and the veins popping out of his neck as he belted out “Bad Kids.” In a blur, I see a guy jumping off the stage, and it’s my job to catch him. Immediately the impact takes my friend and I to the floor. I was surprised to feel people reaching for me, helping me up. It wasn’t long before the weight of so many bodies took its toll, and just as I felt a crushing sensation in my chest and a tingling in my face, I moshed my way out of the pit.
Just as Black Lips ended, the crowd chanted for an encore, and the band willingly obliged. I discovered I’m not much of a mosher, but I was proud of myself for taking a chance. Their recorded songs definitely have a cleaner quality, but there’s something about the rawness of a blood-curdling scream and the feedback of a guitar that gets to the heart of the audience member, physically. If you’re heart isn’t racing at a Black Lips concert, you’re either in the bathroom or passed out.
The third album release from indie punk band The Front Bottoms brings in new instruments to accompany the quirky and angsty goodness that is Brian Sella.
Back on Top brings a mature sound to a band that was made famous for being quirky. The album uses a different production and sound value, which can be seen in the clearness of each instrument and the synthesized twang placed on every lyric. Elements from the past two albums are still present in Back on Top such as the style of anecdotes as lyrics and if you listen closely, you can hear backup female vocals that were introduced on a few songs such as the self-titled album’s “Flashlight.” For dedicated fans, it’s little connections like that between albums that make listening to the discography more of story-telling experience. If the first two albums were sarcastic introductions to the hardships of being an adult, Back on Top is the perfect addition to a trilogy making light of all the crap we go through.
The album kicks off with “Motorcycle” and “Summer Shandy,” both lighthearted tunes that bump along without any snags. Although they’re catchy songs, nothing about them stood out too terribly much.
“Cough It Out” and “HELP,” tracks three and four off of the album, were released earlier as singles and already gained prominence through streaming services like Spotify and Youtube. The songs were originally met with criticism for such a different sound with the main complaint being that it was more electronic than the indie acoustic sound that made The Front Bottoms famous. The straight-forward confessional lyrics that made the band popular can still be found in places like when Sella repeats, “I am delusional with love,” or “I don’t know what I’m going to do about anything.”
“Laugh Till I Cry” shows off Sella’s impressive vocal range, putting lots of emphasis on his accent that set The Front Bottoms apart from others. The use of sound effects like a motorcycle when the lyrics scream “motorcycle” makes this track one of my favorites off of the album.
“Historic Cemetary” for someone that sings about “getting high” so much, Sella has openly admitted to not being a fan of smoking. The irony of that only adds to the humor found in dark places of the album. Sella touches on difficult topics, particularly on how to deal with emotional hardships through relationships, personal importance, and our place in the universe. This track brings in a singer other than Sella that spits dark spoken word about drug abuse over a bright and poppy synthesizer. Nothing could epitomize The Front Bottoms better than that.
“The Plan (Fuck Jobs)” is another personal favorite, because it starts off with a quieter acoustic guitar that lets Sella show off his lyrics and voice. Kicking off with personal faults like hypocrisy through lyrics like “when my mind is uncertain, my body decides,” “The Plan (Fuck Jobs)” accomplishes what the rest of the album is hinting at. It balances the Front Bottoms sound that everyone is used to with its new elements in a way that welcomes the listener to something new.
“Ginger” and “West Virginia” are more of those catchy filler album songs that give the listener something to jam with their friends on a road trip or something to blast at a party. “West Virginia” manages to show the goofy side of Sella that has been missing a little on this album. He even slips in “ride or die” to describe some friends in West Virginia, whom he also gives a personal shout out.
The ninth track, “2YL,” is another favorite. It’s a shout-out to the tingly feelings you get from romance with cute little stories that could rival the perfect dates we’ve dreamt about. A instrumental break with a large trumpet section is refreshing and a great addition to the lightness of this song after which Sella professes his affection, saying “I can be the rainbow in your sky” and his willingness to be there for someone else.
The hardest part of closing an album is picking the perfect track to finish the list. “Plastic Flowers” is a great end to a blossoming album. The highlight is the mid-song monologue that Sella speaks, encouraging everyone to chant along to the chorus of “I believe that someone’s got a plan for me even if I don’t know it yet.” “Plastic Flowers” tags a bigger sound with more background vocals, leading up to a the conclusion of their discography so far: even though things are hard now, it will work out in the end. Another added bonus is that if you’re listening to the album on repeat, the end of “Plastic Flowers” flows perfectly into the beginning of “Motorcycle,” bringing everything full circle for round two, three, and four.
Overall, Back on Top brings a new sound that evenly splits the album into songs that sound vaguely like “old Front Bottoms” and songs that scream “new Front Bottoms.” Characterized with chanted choruses and those certain lyrics that stay hooked in your mind long after the song is finished, Back on Top is a light-sounding but hard-hitting addition to the musical arsenal of The Front Bottoms.
Tracks to check out: “Cough It Out,” “2YL,” “Plastic Flowers,” “Laugh Till I Cry.”
Purity Ring’s opener for their Another Eternity tour is LA-based artist HANA, and she took the stage last Saturday night in front of a packed house at Austin Music Hall. My first thought was that this is what Grimes would be like if she had a bit more pop culture appeal. You know, pretty face, tight clothes, all the stuff people want to see from a female musician (gag!). But real talk, the music was similar, just significantly more accessible than some of Grimes work. Come to find out, Claire Boucher actually calls HANA a dear friend, and Blood Diamonds (who worked with Grimes on “Go”) was the producer on HANA’s “Clay.” A not-so-curious connection.
HANA was alone on stage with just a mic and and whatever electronic goodies she was hiding behind her sashed equipment table, and her one-woman show commanded the crowd’s attention regardless of whether they were there to see her or not. She was a great choice for an opening act, and will stand to gain a lot of fans as this tour continues. She made one of me.
Floor level tickets had been sold out for days and Austin Music Hall was full to the brim for the start of Purity Ring’s set, which they opened with “Stranger Than Earth” off their new album Another Eternity.
The stage was outfitted with a sea of cables hanging from the ceiling, each sporting a string of illuminated pearls. Throughout the show, the tentacle-like cords showcased a superb array of colors, patterns, and effects, changing from song to song to match the vibe and the pace of the music. This set up was not only fun for the crowd to look at, but I would bet they are pretty fun for singer Megan James to play with on stage, and I know the woman or man controlling them behind the scenes HAS to have a good time. I want that job.
They skipped through the first handful of songs at a quick pace, cruising on the excited anticipation you could feel pulsating through the room at the step of the booming bass. Speaking of the bass, they had it turned up a few more notches than I recall from the last time I saw them (which was a few years ago on the Shrines tour). I had been warned that the sound at Austin Music Hall was not the best, but Purity Ring capitalized on what they had to work with, filling the large space with more sound than I honestly thought the duo possessed. While listening to a Purity Ring record in your bedroom might not give you the sense that this band has the potential to get loud, a live show will prove you quite wrong. What can seem like sad, quiet music in one setting transforms into a thumping pop concert in another.
After the first five songs (including “Heartsigh,” “Obedear,” and “Lofticries”), they paused briefly to thank HANA for opening up, and I paused to make a note to do some research on how Corin Roddick’s touch-sensitive light-emitting drum machine worked, and thankfully, their behind the scenes video with Creators Project answered a lot of my questions. Each “cocoon” is connected to a midi machine which turns the stroke of his drum stick into a wave form which can then be run through Ableton to translate it to a synth note. I think I got that right. Learn more here.
They also discussed in the interview their desire from day one to create a visual performance that was engaging for the audience, and to not just expect people to want to watch a guy press buttons on a keyboard. From their humble DIY beginnings with the Roddick’s first home-made light set up to the full-stage experience they are able to put on now, the band are certainly not a bore to watch. Mission accomplished.
With a huge eruption from the crowd and explosions of firework-like lights, they jumped right into the popular single “Push Pull” before hushing things down to build up to “Belispeak,” a cut from their debut record. While Shrines is notably more quiet and creepy (yes, creepy) than their more recent material, it was interesting to see this older song translated to their new live show. I never thought I’d feel like “Belispeak” was a dance party kind of song, but the crowd in Austin thought otherwise. They continued on the old-song train with “Crawlersout” which saw James hopping behind the instrument table with Roddick to add a few notes of her own.
If I had thought the crowd was nutty before, I was proven wrong when they went into “Bodyache,” one of the singles from Another Eternity. I should be used to things like this by now, but it was wild for me to see so many mouths singing along when a few years ago, the vast majority would of these people would have thought only of a piece of jewelry symbolizing a commitment to abstinence if someone mentioned “purity ring”.
For “Dust Hymn” I was more than happy to see the illuminating gong that James used on their last tour resurface. This time, rather than standing alone on the side of the stage, the gong was hung high above Roddick’s table, with James ascending a platform to showcase it’s effects.
I must admit that I lost it a little when the first few notes of “Flood on the Floor” came through the speakers. I just cannot fathom how this song was not a single. It’s absolutely the most hard-hitting track on the album, with the most fierce breakdown of anything they’ve ever put out. I won’t try to sell you on it, just watch for yourself.
If anyone thought that there weren’t enough interesting lights and light-up instruments on stage at this point, James appeased their desire for more when she revealed a new toy – a row of light-emitting vertical tubes she played while wearing mirror-lined gloves that threw the light in all different directions. Another note to self to research how this thing works.
The two songs she played with this instrument were a slow point in the show. That’s not to be taken in a bad way; one of my favorite things about this band and this show in particular is their ability to take the listener on a roller coaster of dancefloor-ready tracks to slower, more melodic ones like “Sea Castle” and “Stillness in Woe”.
After an old favorite “Fireshrine” saw an animated crowd brimming with enthusiasm, James paused to address the group, who absolutely went nuts upon her expressing her love for Austin. She also warned, “We have one left and we don’t do encores.”
What had been missing from the set? “Begin Again,” of course. With a mass of people screaming the words back to her, James let the voice of the masses sing the end of the last verse as the music faded. With the drop of that next beat, she threw herself into the eager crowd and surfed her way through to the end of the show.
On the whole, Another Eternity has infinitely more pop value than their debut album, and whether you consider that a good or bad thing, the’ve upped their own game in terms of how they perform these songs live, both new and old. They continue to evolve into a more pop friendly outfit, and I’ll be the first one to applaud them for their success. I just hope they don’t let this Nick Jonas collaboration go too far…
Athens, GA is steadily gaining more attention for their live music scene, as bands from their local music repertoire crank out some killer musicians that tend to gain traction outside of the music city. Saturn Valley, known for their cosmic jams and tendency towards prog-rock, is no exception. With the upcoming release of their second studio album in Fall 2015, the band decided a live compilation was in order to showcase their jam sequences and set formations.
“Alive in the Georgia Theater” does that and more, with its seven track set list featuring their Georgia Theater set list from February. It is clear in this live album that the band shines live, as with most improvisation bands. They bring the energy that engages the audience, with their unique rock sound and their spacey jams. Perhaps the best part of this album is the controlled spontaneity; one minute you will be listening to a jazzy instrumental collaboration, the next a synth-pop explosion.
Saturn Valley’s signature track from their first album, “Odysseus,” was even voted into Athens’ annual local music festival compilation album by thousands of UGA students, “Athfest 2015”. However, the live album also features some promising new tracks from their upcoming second studio album, “Cartographer.” If “Luna Latina,” “Bruise,” and “Captain Fiki” are any indication of the album to come, I’d say these guys are going to be pretty set.
“Alive at the Georgia Theater” is available on iTunes and Spotify, so give the band a listen! They won’t disappoint.
Mac Demarco is a relatively new artist that not everyone has heard of. My first encounter with him was on a sticker on the back of my friend’s laptop. I had to ask, “Who was this strange man surrounded by lettuce, bearing a large and mesmerizing gap toothed smile?” Once I bought my Shaky Knees ticket for summer 2015 and saw that he was on the lineup, I delved into the soft rock, surfer sound that is Mac Demarco. His first album Ying Yang released in 2010 with 2 following in 2012. Perhaps it wasn’t until Salad Day,s released in 2014, that Demarco started to acquire a larger following (or at least until I jumped on the bandwagon).
Salad Days seemed to add clarity and value to Demarco’s unique sound. His style does seem to have a subtle beach vibe, but most of all it is unique in it’s effects and smooth melodies. As a friend pointed out, what sounds like an echo or distortion effect on Demarco’s guitar and vocals, sounds as if it could be some sort of physical recording manipulation. This theory came with the realization that Demarco’s live performance sounded subtly different than his studio recordings. Soon after Salad Days, in fact a mere two weeks ago, Demarco released his newest album Another One. Although the album is short with only 8 tracks, it is well recorded and features Demarco’s signature laid back sound. However, this album, unlike any of his other albums, seems to make use of 80’s synthesizer sounds that can be heard in tracks like “Another One” and “A Heart Like Hers.” Demarco’s personality and humor comes out in this album. The last track, “My House By the Water,” is almost three minutes of the sound of the tide coming in, water rolling over rocks, overlaid with a somewhat eerie synthesizer tune. This is the environment that Demarco inhabits. He has no worries and no cares, just a twenty-something making fun music and entertaining people. Finally, in the last few seconds of the track, a man’s voice can be heard, almost automated. He relays an address, and it’s not until the voice says “Stop on by, I’ll make you a cup of coffee. See ya later,” that you realize it is Mac Demarco, himself, inviting you to his home.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Cayucas, helmed by twin brothers Zach and Ben Yudin, named themselves after “a sleepy little seaside town” in California, and you can almost hear those rolling waves in their music. It’s dreamy, sunny, and just plain makes you feel good, the same way an ocean breeze kisses your cheek and puts a smile on your face.
They brought their summery vibes to the Parish in Austin last Sunday night, with Seattle surf-rock band Hibou opening the night. Hibou is the new project of 21-year-old Peter Michel, former drummer of Craft Spells. The energy these kids brought arguably stole the night for me, at least in terms of surprise. I wasn’t familiar with their music previously, but with Michel dancing around the stage barefoot and his lead guitarist in old-school Adidas flip flops and a massive grin stuck on his face, I couldn’t help but be enchanted. Keep an eye out for these guys; their debut record is coming out this fall on Barsuk.
Cayucas carried some of that energy into their headlining set, opening with their most recent single, “Moony Eyed Walrus,” and heading straight into another fairly upbeat track “Hella,” both off their new album Dancing at the Blue Lagoon.
The rest of the evening felt a bit more subdued, moving through a nice selection of their sway-enducing singles including “Cayucos” (the name of the city from which they take their name) and “Will, “The Thrill”” (one of my personal favorites… something about the line “oh my God, is this really happening to me?” gets me every time).
The definitive song of the night may have been “Blue Lagoon,” which saw Zach Rudin back on guitar after a few songs on keys and one which he provided only vocals. It’s super sharp, jangly guitar sounds had the entire crowd swaying along and it seemed to be one of the most recognizable for the room.
The next song, “Ditches,” slowed things down in a big way, followed by “Deep Sea” and “High School Lover,” which was written about Zach’s high school lover, who has apparently gotten married since and doesn’t know the song was written about her. This was one of the rare moments of banter between the band on stage; they weren’t a very talkative bunch. They did, however, make time to shout out Hibou before leaving the stage. There was mention of a Matt Damon impression, which we were not treated to, but watch out for the Hibou bassist busting that one out somewhere down the road.
Cayucas may not have provided the most energetic of performances, but it seemed to fit with their hazy tones, perfect for lazy summer days, and appropriate for the lethargic tendencies that Austin’s summer heat can bring.
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.
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.
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.
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.
T. Hardy Morris is back with his second LP and a new haircut (above photo related). Continuing his journey as a solo artist, Morris partners with Dangerbird Records to release Hardy and The Hard Knocks: Drownin’ on a Mountaintop. Igniting with distorted guitar and heavy pedal steel, the album’s leading track, “Young Assumptions,” gives an introduction to what Morris dubs crunge. He describes crunge as a sort of lovechild between alt/country and grunge, which might sound something like Curt Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets joining the Nashville duo Steelism. Creeping into the opening track with soft cooing, Athens great Matt “Pistol” Stoessel (Cracker, The Whigs), utilizes his pedal steel. Stoessel takes the edge off of Morris’ weighty guitar distortion, like a tall adult beverage after a full day of work. T. Hardy uses the length of the album to toy with and explore the newfound genre. Seeing how far he can push in one direction or another, with darker and harder tracks such as “My Me” and the lighter more melodic “Quieter (When I Leave Town).”
The sophomore LP brings about a more decisive sound than the slightly sulkier 2013 relaease, Audition Tapes. With the writing and recording surrounding the birth of his first child it’s clear that Morris is lyrically coming from a more grounded perspective. Rounding out the album singing, “Just like in the movies I can’t catch each word/ but love is a language with no subtitles”, the Georgia native says he wanted to focus on the simplicity of the lyrics, while making a point to keep things straightforward. Recording at Athens’ famous Chase Park Studios, Hardy and the Hard Knocks take on a sound matured from Morris’ days in his band Dead Confederate. Coming full circle from the angst-y diatribes of an emo-era southern rock band, to the cultivated sound that stemmed from his first solo LP.
All in all, T. Hardy Morris produces a strong yet melancholy album that lyrically echoes the simplicity of traditional Southern lyrics. Sonically, the pertinent pedal steel gives new meaning to the rugged rock that often emanates from the Athens music scene. Having just played AthFest, Hardy & The Hard Knocks are currently touring the Southeast with Drive By Truckers and Delta Spirit. Check out Morris’ old haircut and have a listen to the first two tracks from the album, “Young Assumptions” and “My Me” below.
AthFest, Athens’ seminal music festival, is right around the corner (June 24-28) and with it comes another stellar compilation CD featuring highlights of the jam packed lineup. This year’s was the first ever to be produced by students of UGA’s own Music Business program, and let us to be one of the first to say they did a bang-up job.
The 21 track compilation has a clear theme, one that has naturally marked every AthFest but seems to be even more present this year: summer. Whether it’s the breezy Kokomo noodling of opener “Fools Like These” by Tongues or the lazy Sunday contemplation of WrennPop’s “Laundromat”, each hand-picked track perfectly encapsulates the slowed down pace of an empty campus and the heat of baking Athens asphalt. Even the obligatory Whigs song, “Hit Me”, is one of their substantially mellower tunes. Major kudos goes out to the MBUS kids for this superbly sequenced compilation. Each sampling flows evenly from one to the next, from bouncy pop to quiet, moody bedroom synth dreaminess; as befits any zen summer festival, nothing about this varied representation is misplaced or jarring.
The CD’s assemblers also made wise choices in including some lesser knowns of our local scene – of Montreal is headlining the fest, sure, but they don’t need to do much to get anyone to visit their sets. But for smaller indie bands like The Orkids and Playground Hero – and especially for oft-shafted Athens hip hop artists like Uncle Pizza and Showtime – this exposure ahead of the festival is crucial.
MBUS student and compilation project co-producer Kelsey Kirpich, along with fellow MBUS student Anna Reed, said a team of five students listened to all 150 submissions, eventually narrowing it down to the 21 tracks it features – a tough feat for most, but moreso for a group of music fanatics. “We kept narrowing down the submissions until we had a list we felt was a great representation of the diverse Athens music scene.” Kirpich said, “The Music Business Program at UGA is a community of passionate music lovers, so it made it a really enjoyable process for everyone involved.” MBUS director David Barbe was also an enthusiastic backer of the project, saying he “instantly loved the idea” of having his own students be part of the process. “[It’s] a great opportunity for students to see the nuts and bolts of a music release – selecting artists and material, mastering, manufacturing, promoting and distributing,” he said. With MBUS’ stature growing every year, it makes total sense to get UGA students more involved in AthFest, which more broadly serves the Athens community, one that is made up of so much more than academia and football.
The CD was produced by Russ Hallauer and is out June 18 on Ghostmeat Records (purveyors of the annual AthFest comp for the last 18 years) and available for purchase here or at the merch table on site. As with everything AthFest, it benefits Athfest Educates, so jump on this thing.
After the free outdoor shows, a $30 wristband grants access into more than a dozen Club Crawl venues Friday and Saturday nights, as well as discounts at AthFest affiliated events and into a VIP viewing area to the right of the stage. 40 Watt has a wristband-only show Friday night featuring Thayer Serrano, Cracker and The Whiskey Gentry, and Shehehe, Mind Brains and Warehouse Saturday night. The Georgia Theatre has two nights of wristband-only shows featuring headliners Blank Range and Roadkill Ghost Choir Friday night, and Darnell Boys and Surfer Blood on Saturday night. Other participating venues include Caledonia Lounge, Cine, Flicker Theatre, Go Bar, Hendershot’s, Little Kings Shuffle Club, Live Wire Athens, Lumpkin Street Station, The Foundry, The Globe, and The World Famous. Club Crawl line-up here.
(T. Hardy Morris w/ old haircut)
