From the moment she stepped onto Athens’ 40 Watt stage, Michelle Zauner captivated with her easy, self-assured energy and verve. Donning a white jumpsuit with winged shoulder pads, she could have been mistaken for an angel even before she started singing, and I am confident that I was in the majority when I fell in love over the ensuing hour. She played a set that peaked and relented at the perfect moments, delighting the tightly-packed crowd seemingly just by being herself. Cute, whimsical, and raw, she interacted with the crowd in a more personal way than many artists, responding to intermittent shouts of “you’re doing great!” with sincere appreciation, quipping at one point “Athens is just like a self-help book.” She reiterated several times that the night was Japanese Breakfast’s debut in Athens, and sang the town’s praises, fostering a sublimely warm and intimate atmosphere.
In my opinion, the live version of Japanese Breakfast was much more arresting than the recorded version of Japanese Breakfast. The soundscapes even more lush, the bass lines even more grooving, the excitement palpable – Zauner expended much of her energy at the beginning of the show jumping around during “Machinist” and “Road Head,” at one point sauntering between opposite corners of the stage and leaning down into the audience, eliciting wild cheers. She even graced the people of Athens with a new song, “2042,” guitar-driven and relatively subdued. Obviously enjoying herself, she confessed between songs that this was a “dream come true” before the lights faded from purple to blue and she said endearingly “we’re gonna play some quiet ones if that’s…chill.” When the bassist and drummer quietly disappeared, the silence emphasized the chattier people in the crowd, but when Zauner’s voice pierced the air with “Till Death,” it quickly shut everyone in the room up. She went on to play “This House” to an engrossed audience, continuing a trend of playing songs mostly from her slightly fuller sophomore album “Soft Sounds From Another Planet,” released last year, but Psychopomp was also well-represented. Zauner dialed the energy back up with “Rugged Country” and appropriately punctuated her set with the head-bobbing, feel-good “Everybody Wants to Love You.” Perhaps for being such a well-behaved, positive audience, Athens was treated to what was apparently “the second encore we’ve ever done”, in which Japanese Breakfast played the rockin’ “Diving Woman.” And just like that, an ethereal, euphoric concert experience was capped, but the sound of Zauner’s haunting voice blanketing the atmosphere is still ringing in the back of my head, to my absolute pleasure.
Last time Rainbow Kitten Surprise played in Athens, Georgia, they played a single show at one of Athens’ mid-sized venues: the 40 Watt. Two years later, on Tuesday, April 3, they returned to Athens with Ohio-based folk band CAAMP for a show at one of the largest and most iconic venues in Athens: the Georgia Theatre. This explosion in popularity for the band in the Athens scene shows just how rapidly the band’s fanbase is growing worldwide. Rainbow Kitten Surprise, an alternative/indie group from Boone, North Carolina, fits right into the Athens music scene, and this showed during the concert by the sheer number of times the crowd knew all the lyrics to a song. Despite their rapid growth in popularity, the band hasn’t forgotten their history with Athens. After performing a song, lead singer Sam Melo asked the crowd who attended their previous show at the 40 Watt two years ago. Melo even remembered the name of the bar that he hung out with fans at after the show.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise made their entrance by walking out to a song reminiscent of “I Wanna Be Like You” from the Jungle Book soundtrack. The lighthearted song set the scene for the band’s stage presence throughout the show. The closeness between the band members could be seen in how they all interacted and joked with each other on stage as well as in how they fed off each other’s energy during songs. This made the show feel more relaxed as the audience got a peek at the comradery between the bandmates.
The band’s newest album, How to: Friend, Love, Freefall, is due for release this Friday, April 6, so it should be no surprise that the setlist for the show contained a healthy amount of songs from the new album mixed in with classic hits from older albums. The band started off with a hit from their soon-to-be-released album called “Fever Pitch”. As the show progressed, the band performed classics like “Cocaine Jesus” and “Devil Like Me”, which the audience ate up. The band lit up when the audience would unanimously sing back all the lyrics to these classics. Sprinkled into the set were a few more unreleased songs from their upcoming album. Some of the songs included powerful spoken word verses, similar to parts in older songs like “That’s My Shit”.
A variety of themes were explored in Rainbow Kitten Surprise’s new songs as well. Before starting one of the new songs, bassist Charlie Holt called out the devastating effects of the opioid epidemic across the United States before the band launched into a song exploring the suicidal and lethal effects that drug addiction can have on someone. One of the opening lyrics of the song stuck with me: “Try not to kill myself today”. The band isn’t afraid to be blunt with lyrics, and this heightens the emotional intensity in their music.
The emotional intensity didn’t come solely from the lyrics though. Lead singer Sam Melo performed the lyrics with a variety of expressions. On more upbeat songs, he would kick and twirl around on the stage in an odd way, but this only added to the energy present on stage. While he sang, Melo’s face would contort in various expressions and he would use animated hand gestures, almost as if he was acting out the lyrics or performing a free expression dance. Melo seemed to be telling tales through the lyrics as well as through his expressions and gestures, and this drew the audience further into the show.
The band exited the stage and promptly returned for not one but two encore performances. At one point during the second encore, Melo took off his shirt during “Run” and even entered the crowd at one point during “That’s My Shit”. The band left the crowd feeling electrified, exuberant, and content with the fact that there was no better way to spend a beautiful Tuesday night in Athens.
With the monumental success of Portugal. the Man’s latest album, the band has had to cope with being extremely successful while still staying true to their original sound. Tickets for their two-day run at the Georgia Theatre in Athens February 26-27 sold out relatively quickly, leaving many of their longtime fans worrying that their show would be more of an ode to “Feel It Still” than anything else, but this was not the case. If their Athens, Georgia shows are any indicators of the future of Portugal. the Man, fans can rest assured that the band won’t forget their roots anytime soon, no matter how successful they become.
The setlist of their Tuesday night show in Athens was anything but predictable. While there’s no avoiding playing crowd favorites from their newest album, ‘Woodstock,’ the band still was able to incorporate tracks from their other albums, including ‘Evil Friends,’ ‘In The Mountain In The Cloud’ and ‘The Satanic Satanist.’
Commonly known for covering and repurposing classic hits, Portugal. the Man wowed fans by starting their set with Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall,” thus setting the stage for the heavy guitar and theatrical light show to come. By no means did the band play song after song just as they come on their albums, but rather, they enhanced their songs with guitar solos and jams. This, combined with the impressive, trippy laser shows and graphic designs, led to a very experience-driven performance. The band succeeded in combining heavy rock, indie-pop and funk to make for an excellent show.
Photo: Sage Barnard
When it comes to personality, the members of Portugal. the Man seemed to embrace a dry, yet loveable sense of humor. At the beginning of the show, the band projected the words “We are not very good at stage banter, so tonight’s performance will feature some slogans written by our management. Thank you for your continued understanding,” on the screen. Sure enough, much of the “banter” was done through screen projections including, “Do you like to smoke weed” and “Thank you for downloading, or stealing, our album.” Their merch also included a shirt that read “I liked Portugal. the Man before they sold out.” Even some of the staff at the Georgia Theatre spoke of how funny and easy-going the band was.
And although they kept talking to a minimum, when someone from the band did speak up, it came across as very genuine. After the band went off stage before the encore, guitarist Zach Carothers came back on with a drink in tow to tell fans how much he appreciated them and how much he enjoyed his time in the “beautiful town” of Athens, Georgia. The rest of the band then joined Carothers for an encore of “Sleep Forever,” “Smile” and a crowd-pleasing cover of the Beatles’ “Hey Jude.”
As fans left the theatre, overall morale was high thanks to the creativity and passion of Portugal. the Man. It’s rare to see a band embrace sudden success in such a positive way, and it seems that the band is only getting better with time.
Day One of Shaky Knees kicked off bright and early with a set from Cymbals Eat Guitars over at the Ponce de Leon stage. Not a bad way to jump start your day, with front row head-banging right at the crack of noon. The lineup for Friday was overwhelming in the best way, with no down time from one kickass band to the next. We’re genuinely surprised we even found time to eat anything. We ran straight from Cymbals to Zipper Club, then on to Temples followed quickly by Margaret Glaspy (hero), and from Glaspy we hauled over to Car Seat Headrest. Post Car Seat at the Peachtree Stage, we made it to The Growlers on the Piedmont Stage for half a set, and then booked it back to Ponce to catch everyone’s new favorite band, Pinegrove.
Pinegrove’s set was one of the most anticipated of the day for us (although, with this bottomless smorgasbord of fantastic artists, it was hard to choose which set to get the most pumped for), and we weren’t alone. Though the Ponce stage was the smallest of the three, the New Jersey band commanded a crowd, and personal space was impossible to find. The six-piece folk rock band took us through most of 2016’s Cardinal, only leaving off third to last track “Waveform,” which…yeah, we get. Even though we’re probably never going to see them play our favorite track “Peeling Off the Bark” from 2015’s Everything So Far, they did pull out “Angelina,” “Problems,” “The Metronome,” and “Recycling” from their debut release, so we were more than satisfied. They also played big guns “Old Friends” and “Aphasia,” and ended with our latest on-constant-repeat obsession “New Friends” for the finale.
From Pinegrove, we settled in at the main (Peachtree) stage for Wolf Parade, followed immediately by Portugal. The Man, and then Cage The Elephant.
Cage The Elephant. Photo courtesy of aLIVE Coverage
Matt Shultz’s presence as Cage The Elephant frontman Friday at Shaky Knees is not the first time that crowd chatter has compared him to Mick Jagger. Shultz’s stage presence is memorable, to put it lightly. While he isn’t exactly Jagger, he has surely proven himself as an epic (and we don’t throw that word around too often) performer time and time again. Cage’s Shaky Knees set was mega high energy and captivating.
Post-Cage, we fought our way to a good vantage point at the Piedmont Stage for Pixies‘ set, which was a lot easier to obtain after a third of the crowd dispersed halfway through the set once the band finished “Where Is My Mind?” (really, guys?). Side note: bless Shaky Knees for booking the Pixies for two years, first in 2015 and again this year. Anyone who missed this set made a huge mistake. We’re still reeling.
Legends in their own right, headliners LCD Soundsystem took the stage Friday night of Shaky Knees like the kings of electronic rock they are. They walked onto the stage to the Peech Boys’ anthemic “Life Is Something Special,” a fitting opener to one of the best and most highly anticipated sets of the weekend. James Murphy then commenced orchestrating a giant festy dance party as the group worked through a setlist that catered to all, especially lovers of their debut self-titled and 2007’s Sounds Of Silver, breaking down into a beautiful, swaying close with “All My Friends.”
Day Two
Day Two was definitely the slower day of the festival, on top of being the rainiest of the three. (Though to be real, it only seriously rained for about five minutes and was a welcome refresher from the heat.) While Friday and Sunday both boasted lineups that were destined to have us well over our daily “steps” goals with all of the time-overlap sets we’d be running to, Saturday’s offerings gave us a little more down time to catch some shade or, you know, actually taste the food truck fare we were scarfing down.
The day started promptly at noon again, this time over at the main stage for North Carolina duo Flagship followed by LA’s The Record Company, and then on over to the Piedmont Stage for British pop singer Bishop Briggs, who you may recognize from her mega hits “River” and more recently “Wild Horses.” Since “River” first released in January 2016, Briggs has been rapidly climbing the charts. While her soulful performance was a great introduction for new fans, we would love to see Briggs break away from sounding exactly like her recordings and bring something extra to her live performance. We’re super excited to see what is in store for the emerging artist, and we’ll be keeping an eye on her for sure.
Dr. Dog. Photo courtesy of aLIVE Coverage
Dr. Dog was the most anticipated set of the day for us, and we posted up at the Piedmont Stage to catch the psych rock band for their early evening set. The band took the stage and wasted no time on teasing the audience, launching right into fan favorite “How Long Must I Wait” off of 2012’s Be The Void, later on also gifting us with tracks “That Old Black Hole,” “These Days, and “Heavy Light” from the same album. The rest of the set consisted of a good mix of their catalog, surprisingly lacking heavy focus on this year’s Abandoned Mansion and also exploring 2013’s B-Room as well as 2010’s Shame, Shame, with a couple of tracks from 2008’s Fate and last year’s The Psychedelic Swamp for good measure. They closed the set with their signature cover of Architecture in Helsinki‘s “Heart It Races.”
Day Three
Day Three was a beast. Starting off with Hoops at the Piedmont stage at 12:30 p.m., it’s hard to pinpoint what the highlight of the day was between sets from Whitney, Hamilton Leithauser, Fruit Bats, Third Eye Blind (might be a real contender, because #nostalgia), The Shins, Ryan Adams (who basically just made fun of The Shins the whole time), and Phoenix.
Fruit Bats. Photo courtesy of aLIVE Coverage
That said, we’re a little bit nuts for Fruit Bats over here, and we were front row rail for the entire set, taking enough videos to make our phones complain that we were running out of storage. Our obsessive fandom was rewarded later on during The Shins’ set, when Fruit Bats frontman Eric D. Johnson (former member of The Shins) jumped in with them on tambourine.
Despite personal favorites, it has to be acknowledged that Phoenix was genuinely, indisputably incredible. Their hour-and-a-half set was masterful, complete with the coolest backdrop we’ve ever seen—a slanted mirror aerially reflecting the stage below, with the floor projecting trippy visual effects. The entire surrounding crowd was near hysteria throughout the entire show up until their encore which included—obviously—2009’s smash hit “1901.”
Phoenix. Photo courtesy of aLIVE Coverage
Final Thoughts
We’ve talked about this before, but we are all about the sustainability factor of refillable water stations in lieu of plastic bottles, and Shaky Knees was one of the first festivals we ever saw implement this system. We’ve been seeing this more and more on the festival circuit, and we’re so glad that it’s becoming a best practice. Shoutout to Shaky for being proactive here.
Also want to note that Centennial Olympic Park is a great location. When they hosted the festival at Central Park in 2015, we thought it was perfect and wondered if it could get any better. Plenty of shade, stages far enough apart that their sound didn’t step on each other…it seemed like the ideal spot to plant this festival, and when we heard about the move in 2016, we were skeptical. It turns out our doubts were unfounded. Yes, Centennial is a smaller park, but this didn’t, as we worried, result in overcrowding. There were less stages than before, but this mainly resulted in easier transition from stage to stage without feeling like you had to leave a set 10 minutes after arriving in order to be on time for the next. In short, this festival is excellently planned, and runs like clockwork. We’re believers.
Since its inception, Shaky Knees’ consistently stellar lineup has made it stand out, and it remains one of our all-time favorite festivals, from soup to nuts. The bottom line is, the lineup is always unbeatable and, more importantly, uncompromising. Keep it up, guys, and we’ll keep insisting that this is the festival that should not be missed.
Tuesday, March 7, a stellar lineup consisting of Survival Kit, Chapel, Too Close To Touch, and Waterparks hit the stage for a sold-out show at The Masquerade, Purgatory. The show was alive, the tunes were danceable, emotions ran high, and crowd surfers were prominent throughout the night.
As a fairly new fan of Too Close To Touch, I knew from first time I heard their song “Crooked Smile”—off of their most recent album Haven’t Been Myself—that I had found one of my new favorite artists. So naturally, when they announced a co-headlining tour with Waterparks back in December of 2016, I immediately committed to attending. On top of the headliners, knowing Athens, Georgia natives Chapel were also part of the package sealed the deal. Because what’s better than supporting a band from my hometown? (Chapel’s catchy single “Caught Up” captured my ears the first day it dropped, as did their most recent song “Fools Gold.”)
Another band that has majorly captured my attention as of late is Survival Kit, an alternative rock band hailing from Atlanta, Georgia who jumped on as an opener for this show. The quartet consists of Travis Blake on lead vocals/guitar, Andrew Lynn on guitar/vocals, Billy “Two Times” Kilgore on bass, and Allen Beck on drums. Although the band is fairly new, having formed in summer of 2015, they are no strangers to playing music. They’ve previously played in bands together over the years, which eventually led to some of them going on tour and others opting for college.
In the fall of 2016, the band released their first EP titled Hard Work and Dedication (tracked, mixed, mastered by Aaron Pace of AP Audio in Alpharetta, Georgia). Prior to their show, I had the opportunity to talk with the guys about musical influences, artists they recommend, and what’s next. Check out our Q&A below.
1. What inspires you?
Travis Blake: All aspects of life.
Andrew Lynn: Negative situations usually spark my ideas, and I use my writing to find a light at the end of the tunnel.
Billy Kilgore: I get influence from all types of music and styles.
Allen Beck: Random things I hear and see inspire me, and the music just pops in my head at times.
2. Who are your biggest musical influences?
AL:Circa Survive and HRVRD.
AB: The Story So Far and Four Year Strong.
BK: The Used and Nirvana.
TB: Say Anything and Panic! At The Disco.
3. Any goals you’d like to reach in 2017 for the band?
AL:Quit our day jobs and tour the country. We’re getting closer to being able to do that every day.
4. If you were to tour with any artist, who would it be?
AB: The Story So Far.
TB: Say Anything.
BK: The Used.
AL:Panic! At The Disco.
5. How has your music evolved since you first began playing together?
AL:When we began writing it was very pop punk, but as we have progressed we are coming out with a well-rounded rock sound that we are very excited about.
6. What’s next?
AL:We are currently in the studio and plan to release a new single in the upcoming months called “Stranger Things.” We believe that we have found our sound, and now our goal is to write a record that will set us up for a healthy music career.
7. Was there any particular artist, show, or moment that made you realize that music was something you wanted to pursue?
AB: Performing on the road with Come Down Denver.
TB: It’s the only thing I’m good at and can enjoy on a regular basis.
BK: When I got my first guitar after waiting for like a year.
AL: One time my dad told me that performing music wasn’t a realistic career path.
8. Best concert you’ve ever attended?
TB: The Used and Taking Back Sunday.
AL: Hangout Festival.
AB: The Story So Far and Four Year Strong.
BK: Allen’s favorite, ’cause I’m a copycat.
9.Are there any artists/songs you are currently listening to that you recommend others check out?
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
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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
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
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
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.
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.
“I bet those blink,” my lady-friend and I muttered to one another, pointing at the giant JR JR letters that provided the backdrop to an otherwise barren stage. This was just the second in a string of underestimations about the Detroit-hailing, genre-defying (Dale Earnhardt) JR JR. My first misconception came long before I arrived at the Teragram Ballroom that night.
About a month before the show I learned that Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott, the talented team that comprises Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr, were trimming the bearded racecar driver from their name in favor of the shorter, simpler moniker, JR JR. Initially, I was worried that the name change signified a shift from their Indie roots to a more mainstream, marketable bubblegum pop. I don’t know why I was so worried about a name change. Maybe it was because I, like many others, was drawn first to the name before being moved by the music.
I set out to do some research on the name change… and when I say research I mean a light, leisurely Google browse. I found that the band penned a letter in regards to the name change and posted it on their official website. In the note, they talk about why they chose the name in the first place:
“Band names are a weird thing to begin with, but we figured if we named our band Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr there would be no expectations for what we were meant to sound like. Something that bizarre would just have to be listened to and judged without preconception.”
This is exactly what drew me to JR JR. How could I not check out a band named after this guy… But it turns out that their plan worked a little too well. Their music gained well-deserved recognition and as their audience expanded, so too did the confusion revolving around their name:
“We’ve had people drive long distances to shows only to be disappointed when they realize it’s a neurotic Jew and a wild-haired gentile from Detroit they’ve paid to see. A number of times now we’ve received hope-filled inquiries from people who have dying relatives that only want to meet Dale Earnhardt Jr. (the driver) before they pass. Those sorts of interactions feel a little voyeuristic and eerie, and even attempting to simply clarify the situation means you’ve added a moment of embarrassment to someone’s day when they’re already going through a lot.”
Touché, JR JR… one way to shut up a guy who questions your name-changing intentions is to hit him with the most logical, sensitive explanation imaginable. Another way is to put out a catchy, endearing album that manages to build upon past projects… and that’s just what they did with the newly self-titled album, JR JR.
In a lot of ways, the new album is tied to time. Sure, this might seem obvious considering the first track is called “As Time Goes,” but the entire project deals with time spent, time wasted, and time wanted. Songs like “Gone” deal with the past and creeping nostalgia. In “Philip the Engineer” JR JR use a dystopian story arch in order to convey the idea that “time makes grown ups out of kids.” And then there’s the personal favorite, “James Dean,” which manages to capture catchiness while conceding that “I’m not dumb, but I’ve wasted time.”
In fact, every single track on this album (and their albums of old) somehow manages to remain incredibly catchy while dealing with meaningful things like the idea of time. It’s weird to find yourself swaying and singing along to a song about divorce (“A Haunting”), but it’s also refreshing. JR JR take heavy thoughts and emotions and balance those feelings with catchy choruses in order to capture specific moments in time. Everything they’ve done feels like an honest pursuit of artistic and emotional expression. I think that’s one of the reasons why JR JR has not only found success, but also been able to create catchy, enduring songs. It’s their honesty…
Which brings me back to the Teragram Ballroom on October 10th. Fair warning: I’ve loved JR JR since I first heard them a couple years back, but I really didn’t know what to expect from their live show outside of some inevitably amazing whistling. Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed.
First off, I’d be a buffoon (I knew I’d be able to sneak the word ‘buffoon’ into something someday) not to mention Hippo Campus, who opened for JR JR. Their set was strong and they looked like they were having more fun than everyone. What do you do when you want an encore from the opener? Well, you write about the concert and hope that said opener sees said article and agrees to get drunk with you someday.
As the Teragram Ballroom pulsed with Hippo Campus’ energy, I noticed how much it reminded me of 40 Watt Club in Athens. Before the Athenian nostalgia set in too hard those JR JR letter lights started doing far more than “blinking,” as Josh, Daniel, and the band took to the stage, opening with “As Time Goes.” I was blown away by both the sound quality and the light show. I mean I really can’t express how much I underestimated those damn letter lights.
JR JR weaved their way through new material as well as old. They had the whole room dancing during songs and laughing in between. At some point after their cover of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” but before they highlighted the different Detroits (Kid Rock, Insane Clown Posse, Eminem, and them), I realized that JR JR is able to do what they do not solely because they’re talented, but because they’re honest and passionate. It’s who they are, and it shows on stage as well as on their albums.
Not to get too “Hallmark-y” here, but it’s pretty rare to find a band that creates catchy songs that actually say something of worth. Don’t get me wrong, bubblegum pop has its place, but I’ll forever prefer the sweet, soulful sounds of JR JR. After a brief exit from the stage, JR JR answered the crowd’s calls for an encore. They returned wearing these incredible jackets. As they ended the night with “Nothing But Our Love,” it was clear that that’s exactly what they had from the tightly packed audience at the Teragram Ballroom.
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Ryn Weaver at ACL Weekend 2. All photos by Ellie Alonzo, Austere Magazine
There was something for everyone at Zilker Park last weekend for Austin City Limits, and I don’t just mean musically. It was it’s own small city. In addition to the seven stages of music, there was a massive Beer Hall with sports playing on big screens, a shopping area with booths selling everything from local art to wet wipes, a bocce ball court, a record store, a farmers market, a Plinko Parlor, a huge spread of food options, free-standing bars (too many), and free water filling stations (not enough). There was lots of space to throw down a blanket or a chair and watch shows from afar, and also chair-free zones in front of every stage to make sure those that wanted to push in front had a chance to do so. Basically if you weren’t having a good time, you were doing it wrong.
The music was diverse as well, with artists ranging from Sturgill Simpson to Nero to Vance Joy to Modest Mouse. The folks organizing the line up did well to take those diversities into consideration, not putting too many conflicting acts in the same time time slots and making it easy to curate your own experience without having to miss much. That is, if you were willing to hustle. And ladies and gents, I certainly was willing to hustle.
Arriving a tad late on Friday (I have a real job, too) my first full set was Billy Idol’s. He didn’t waste much time getting right to what everyone wanted to hear with “Dancing With Myself” coming second to “Postcards from the Past,” which was also pretty appropriate. I posted on Facebook a comment about Billy looking good for 95 (turns out he’s actually 59) but the open shirt look was brave, very brave. I actually preferred to watch the woman on the side platform signing the set for the hearing impaired. She was getting it. And props to ACL for having that accommodation.
Straight on over to the Miller Lite stage for Run the Jewels, who absolutely killed it, as one would expect. I swear they are a modern Beastie Boys… only better. It’s in the way they play off of each other; makes it an assault to the ears twice the intensity of what either one could do on their own, and I mean that in a good way.
Tame Impala’s set was on point as well. It’s always interesting to see psychedelic music recreated live; sounds that just don’t sound natural coming from the instruments you see on stage. I imagine Tame Impala as wizards with wands, not real people playing real instruments. It was a breezy and pleasant show and the songs literally sounded straight off the album. Not too much creativity or unexpectedness, but they executed well.
Flosstradamus, on the other hand, was obnoxious. Plain obnoxious. From the massive platform they were performing on to the crowd their music appealed to… just the music itself. I watched from the top of the hill and still got assaulted “with love” by some girl obviously on more drugs than she knew how to handle. Maybe trap music just isn’t for me, because people were certainly having a good time. But no thanks.
So thank god Disclosure happened immediately after, and of course put on amazing performance. I had hoped they would bring out Lion Babe considering she was set to perform on Sunday and is a featured vocalist on Caracal. They came through. No Lorde appearance, but “Magnets” got a stellar reaction. All their new material went over well, actually. Their visual set up was stunning and they displayed both class and talent on stage.
It was really an easy choice for me between this and Foo Fighters, who were performing at the same time on the other side of the park, but I did swing by on my way out and the crowd for Foo Fighters was difinitively larger. Lots of mistakes were made that night.
Day two began, for me, with Milo Greene. It was early in the day, hot, and on a big stage with no shade, so it was not the most pleasant show of the weekend, but they always sound good. Really good. Heck, I had to see them twice at SXSW this year. The group share vocal duties so there’s no real “lead singer” which creates a dynamic experience both on their record and in a live setting.
I took a break to chat with the boys from Beat Connection (interview to be posted soon) before heading back out to catch San Fermin and Ryn Weaver. As I tend to do at these things, when two (or three or four) acts that I want to see are playing at the same time I do my best to get there for some of each, and ACL’s stage set up made it fairly easy to do so, assuming you’re not lugging a bunch of crap, with a huge group of people, or absurdly out of shape.
San Fermin had driven through the night to get here and were rolling on just a couple hours of sleep but you would never have known it. This ensemble is always on point, and always bring the right amount of intensity, energy, and emotion. If you’re not familiar yet, this is a group you need to know. They make excellent chamber pop with two equally talented vocalists in Allen Tate and Charlene Kaye backed by live drums, horns, and strings, all composed by the ultra-talented Ellis Ludwig-Leone directing the unit from behind his keys.
Ryn Weaver was also out to impress, with a very healthy crowd for her early set at the Homeaway stage. The mood felt a bit somber as I was approaching, but “Promises” was the first full song I heard of her set and she nailed it. At one point she stopped to talk to the crowd about how festivals should about being there with people and not just on your phone, and asked everyone to turn around and introduce themselves to two people they didn’t come with. The group all obliged and it was a nice sentiment. She closed the set with her hit “OctaHate” followed by “New Constellations,” a song she described to be about never settling. It seems she had some messages to impart, and the people we eating them up.
Father John Misty wasted no time getting engaged with crowd on opening number “Honeybear”. I mean literally engaged; he got into the crowd. But I think it was the photographers in the pit that mauled him more than the sea of fans. Rude. He was dressed in all black and the sun was still out but he paid no mind, moving all over the stage up and down off of equipment and his knees and stepping to the front of the state to show off his dance moves. He turned what could quiet bedroom music into something festival-worthy and it was no less than impressive.
I caught a minute of MisterWives, who had a notably young crowd which appreciated their cover of “I Can’t Feel My Face” much more than Michael Jackson’s “Pretty Young Thing.” When they played “Reflections” I was at first really impressed at the amount of people singing along before I realized most of them didn’t really know the words, they were just making sounds to the tune of what she was singing. Then I left.
As the sun began to set on Zilker Park, Unknown Mortal Orchestra won my heart. Maybe part of it was being in the shaded area under the Austin Ventures stage, but I no longer felt the need to run off to another show after a few songs. At one point frontman Ruban Nielson climbed on top of the speaker stack and onto the scaffolding and one of the stage hands nearly had a heart attack trying to make sure nothing came crashing down. Totally felt for him, but it also kind of cracked me up.
I made up my mind to get close enough to actually see TV on the Radio amongst the sea of people in front of the Miller Lite stage and was thankful that I did. Their set started slowly but with a toss of his tambourine and a sudden spark of lights, Tunde Adebimpe had the crowd screaming. I stayed for most of this set but was somewhat curious to see what Bassnectar was like, so headed over to Homeaway, which was I think the most easily-crowded stages. It just couldn’t handle the same mass of people that Miller, Honda, and Samsung could, yet it seems a lot of the acts booked there pulled large enough crowds for the bigger stages. I digress. Going to Bassnectar was a mistake. Probably would have been good if I had been on drugs, but nope.
So as I’m walking back towards TV on the Radio, I am nearly run over by a man storming out of the crowd at the Austin Ventures stage. He’s followed by both a security guard and a cameraman and I assumed this was a fan getting ejected. There was still music playing so I walked towards the stage and asked someone what was going on. That guy that stormed past me? That was Boots. He had made quite an exit.
deadmau5 closed out the night displaying a brand new stage set up referred to as “The Dome” which he debuted earlier this year at Governors Ball. The press materials refer to it as “state-of-the-art, never-before-seen design encompassing future technology.” That just sounds like a bunch of words to me, but it was a good looking set up for sure. The set was strong, with classics like “Ghosts N Stuff” and “Some Chords” mixed in with newer material that this old lady wasn’t familiar with.
There was no Drake on my agenda that night, sorry not sorry.
The festival grounds were progressively more populated each day, and on Sunday the whole place was packed with blankets and chairs by 2pm. My worst conflict of the weekend was Beat Connection and Marian Hill playing at the exact same time on opposite ends of the park for that 2pm slot. I was able to catch some of both, but was VERY torn having to leave one to go to the other. More on both of these acts in our interviews forthcoming.
Daughter, all the way from the UK, played a beautiful set in the sweltering afternoon sun but I bet they were wishing for that London overcast sky. As with Father John Misty, you may think this music isn’t necessarily cut out for a festival atmosphere, but their sound was huge and inviting and pulled in quite the crowd of people entering the festival grounds. Hearing them play “Smother” was certainly my most introspective point of the weekend. Hell, that whole set had me all emotional.
I turned around to catch the beginning of BØRNS on the bordering Honda stage. As I was literally counting the minutes until they would begin and take my mind off the heat, a tiny cloud covered the sun and the crowd burst out into cheers. I thought that BØRNS had come on stage, but nope, they were cheering for the brief moment of shade.
A bit later, as I was approaching Sylvan Esso, I hear Amelia Meath say something about needing to move through the set quickly because they had lost a lot of time. I asked someone what had happened and the explanation that I got was “she was just telling jokes and stuff.” This seemed strange to me but it wasn’t until later that I found out Nick Sanborn’s laptop had overheated, which made much more sense. Regardless of any trouble, their set was amazing. Meath is so commanding on stage and Nick Sanborn is, as quoted by Meath, “a wizard” with his production. We were treated to some new material which absolutely RAGES and appeased with the hits “Hey Mami” and “Coffee.” Despite any technical difficulties, this set was flawless.
If I didn’t already love Tito’s Vodka (and I do), I would have been made a fan as I paid my first visit to their covered stage for Classixx. It was a smaller stage, hidden behind the market area, and maybe this is why it wasn’t too crowded. Or maybe everyone else was at The Decemberists or Ben Howard. Either way, I was able to stand close without fighting for breathing room. It felt more like a club show than any I’d seen so far and it was well appreciated. I didn’t get to hear some of my favorites of theirs, but they did cover/sample Yacht’s “Psychic City” which was pretty great.
The moment that I did catch of The Decemberists was Colin Meloy directing the crowd to sing back his “oh-ee-oh-ee-oh-ee-oh’s” first as a group, then as all the girls, then as all the guys, then as all the girls as guys, then as all the guys as girls, and so on. He ended the little sing along with a statement that “gender roles are just a social construct.” Thank you, Colin!
I had no choice but to watch Alt-J from the middle of a huge sea; I was literally engulfed. One moment I was standing in “safety” with plenty of space around me, well to the side and back and quite far from the stage. As the show went on it became more and more crowded and I was shuffled into the masses, sucked in. While I was annoyed and uncomfortable at first, it was actually a fitting experience for my last show of the weekend. I was able to see the performance without an agenda and enjoy it with the people around me. Some guy headbutted me and made up for it by offering me his blunt. Why not? Alt-J were engaging and simply stunning. They created a haunting visual experience and executed the songs perfectly. This was the opposite of a rager and it was perfect.
Being the square that I am, I left after this. Yeah… I skipped Florence and The Weeknd. Yes, I would have liked to see them. No, it was not worth fighting the crowds out of there. Again, sorry not sorry.
