Tag: athens
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Meet Bea Porges: Athens’ Jazzy Indie-Pop It-Girl
Indie-pop music has been an Athens staple among its many local bands, but one artist in particular has created her own twist on the genre. Bea Porges has been slowly building a reputation around the city since her transfer from Belmont to the University of Georgia.
As women who dedicate themselves to a good tequila drink, we walked into a nearly empty Normal Bar and each ordered Chupacabra while chatting it up.
Porges exudes an effortless cool girl energy with resilience and passion. Not only is she a Capricorn with an affinity for crying to sad songs in her car, but she also has had quite the journey writing and playing her own songs.
“I’ve always just been really connected to music even when I was little,” said Porges. “Sad songs would play in the car on the radio and I would start crying.”
Her path in music can be traced all the way back to age seven or eight when she went to a friend’s house. This friend pulled out a guitar and proceeded to teach her four chords. It was these four chords that jump-started her career. As soon as she went home, she asked her mom if she could play that old guitar that had been collecting dust in the basement.
From that moment on, Porges dedicated herself to music, teaching herself everything she currently knows from YouTube videos and raw experimentation.
“I’ve been songwriting for over a decade now,” said Porges. “Little angsty love songs about my little sixth-grade boyfriend.”
After playing guitar, she tried her hand at drums when she joined the band in elementary school. This evolved into a love of musical theater in high school, a perfect mixture of all of her creative talents.
Porges decided to attend Belmont in Nashville, where she hoped to really make something out of her accumulated abilities. Here, she realized the Nashville scene was over-saturated with cliquey musicians who all pursued the same sound. This realization was paired with an end to a nasty relationship. The result took much of the joy out of writing and creating music.
Much like Uma Thurman in Kill Bill 2, Porges fled to the mysterious land of Montana during the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic to reflect and write. Getting back to her roots, she wrote her now first song on the EP, “Bliss”.
“I can’t remember anything I was particularly thinking at the time and then a few months down the line I looked back at my life and was like ‘Oh this really fits this situation in my life,’” said Porges.
The song explores the nature of her breakup and centering herself after what all creatives experience: an existential crisis. This was the beginning of her debut EP, Space & Time. One day, right as the vaccines for COVID-19 were being rolled out in May of 2021, an Atlanta-based band, Calico, asked Porges to open for them in her first public debut at one of their Atlanta shows. This was her push to really delve into her music career and find her sound.
Porges transferred to UGA where she began performing live shows. Before she knew it, Porges was in the studio recording her original songs with Calico at Racket Records. Her song, “All Day Long” came out as a single in March 2023 and the full EP came out later this year.
“It’s like songs kind of come to me wherever, whenever and however,” said Porges. “I never write a song the same way twice.”
What makes her songs so personable is the life experiences she has been through. Every experience is a lesson, whether it be negative or positive and that is what gives her music its soul. The resulting soft indie-pop and jazz-fueled sound have been inspired by Faye Webster, Madison Cunningham, and Phoebe Bridgers.
“I write songs that maybe aren’t as jazzy that lean more indie pop but I think my voice lends itself to being a more low-fi, jazzy feel,” said Porges. “Even if I’m not making this jazzy indie music, I don’t think that that quality will ever escape my music; I think it will always stick with me.”
Since she has cemented herself into the Athens music scene, Porges has surrounded herself with some of the few women who also have made names for themselves such as Hotel Fiction and Sam Smith of Recess Party. In a city filled with mostly male musicians, the talent of these women in music cannot be overstated or overlooked. Porges emphasized how important it has been for women to support each other in this realm, far from the cliques of Belmont.
As far as her up-and-coming career, Athens can only expect her unique, witty, and dare I say, charming sound to spread in the coming years and even months. One thing is for sure, there is no end in sight for Bea Porges.
“I haven’t gotten everything I could get out of [Athens],” said Porges. “There’s still more here for me I think.”
The Asymptomatics Celebrate New Single ‘Two Possibilities’ With A Live Performance at Flicker Theatre and Bar
Athens has been home to critically acclaimed bands throughout the decades, marking the Classic City as not only home to the University of Georgia and its students but also a booming hub for artists and musicians alike. One such band is the funky, weird but strangely groovy The Asymptomatics.
The Asymptomatics, or “the Asymps” as they are often called, is a band of nine members who have made “chaotic” the name of the game. Since its formation in 2019, the band has garnered a name for itself within the music community of Athens. After the release of three singles, they have now added one more to their list of original music. To celebrate the release of their brand new single, “Two Possibilities”, the Asymptomatics recruited a list of prominent local Athens bands to play at Flicker Theatre and Bar for a night of unforgiving energy and sound.
Walking into Flicker is always a surreal experience, particularly on the evening of a gig. From the outside, bypassers can hear the beat of the featured band while they smoke a cigarette and drink a beer. Walking through the red curtains that lead to the venue portion of the establishment, stationed in the room next to the bar, I could see a sea of people bobbing their heads to the band, Neat Freak, which was followed by Late Notice and finally, Bog Bod. The celebrated feature of the night, The Asymps, performed last. Between bands, members handed out flyers with the single’s cover art designed by Hollis Midriff and they discussed their excitement to play their cleanest-sounding single live for the first time.
The band’s set began as most of its sets do, with the lead singer Max Mahieu relentlessly jumping around the stage with the band, maintaining an aura of chaos that has defined the group’s career, particularly in the past year.
The single itself possesses an eccentric guitar-solo build-up in the outro. Though their MO is full-fledged passion, this song was a pleasant departure as it boasted a more meaningful and slower vibe. “Two Possibilities” explores that little gray area in life by rejecting the idea of black-and-white decisions and outcomes. A simple song to describe how intensely unsimple this life can be, especially when young, as the band members are.
“A lot of times it seems like there’s two possibilities but, you know, in reality, things are a lot deeper than that,” says Mahieu. “It’s not just decisions you make, it’s the decisions of the people around you and the ones you love that affect your life and affect their life.” Mahieu’s family is the inspiration behind the song, which was written by Mahieu and his mom, who is a musician herself.
It’s both happy and sad which is reflected by the musicians as they played with electricity and passion, making the audience feel the underlying irony of “Two Possibilities”. Mastered by Jason NeSmith at Chase Park Transduction, “Two Possibilities” incorporates a classic guitar solo from the lead guitar that amplifies the emotional aspect of the song.
“We wanted to have this big rock section at the end that instrumentally captures the emotion and the vibes of the song that the lyrics start at the beginning,” said Mahieu.
From there, the band immediately transitioned to play their classic, most-noteworthy hit “GTFO! (Gerald the Friendly Orangutan)” which was a lighthearted and silly conclusion to a great show.
Though the chaotic transformation of the Asymptomatics onstage is something that some would deem messy and unorganized, those with an ear for passion would comprehend that this gives the band its personality, hence its rising claim to fame within Athens. A funk outfit of shameless chaos and a force to behold.
“Two Possibilities” is out now on all platforms, with the Asymptomatic’s first full album slated for spring.
Hiding Places, Out of Hiding: “Homework”
Hiding Places are one of many bands emerging through the bustling post-pandemic creative scene, escaping from an isolation that long limited the ignition of projects in-the-making. Though most of us spent apocalypse-times contemplating survival, it’s quite refreshing to remember how isolation drove many to cultivate time and energy towards their art. I saw this vitality at work amongst musical friends, and more-so those that spend their free time playing around in elaborately concocted home-studios—a fateful reality for the making of Hiding Places. Embracing the gradual return to live music with the release of a new single and mini-tour announcement, Hiding Places are just starting out with already a whole lot to offer, ever-present in the impressions of “Homework.”
The indie four-piece release their debut song today, only a few days after a fun first show at Flicker Bar in Athens on Wednesday. The single showcases their music as a blend of classic indie rock and psych dreampop, drawing upon the melodic affinities of Soccer Mommy, Snail Mail, and Japanese Breakfast. Originating between the creative hotspots of Athens, GA and Asheville, NC, the group are reflective of their influences, yet organic in their delivery of nostalgic indie. The single was mixed and produced by guitarist Nicholas Byrne, whose range of talent is evident between his present band and experimental solo project, Arts + Crafts—a diverse collection of vibrant electronica that is also available on all streaming platforms (check it out!).
Although the band self-identifies their sound as “indie alt-country”, what “Homework” translates to is a slow-build of meditative, entrancing vocals matched by waves of floaty instrumentation. Harmonious layers of swirling guitar surround the space of the single, with a presence so immense and dominating it supersedes the chorus. Serving as a transitory daze between verses, the guitar & echoing ooh’s quickly effect the song into what feels like a psychedelic whirlwind (a comforting familiarity). The serene coordination between the two invokes a feeling both uplifting and reflective. Cyclical drums and bass shy in the background, complimenting the vocals/guitar and helping to cast you adrift the song’s contemplative dreamscape.
“Homework” is one of those songs whose instrumentals alone intuitively drive the volume up, and with such a pacifying voice, the varied potential of the band is eminent. Although hardly “alt-country”, the song invites an emotive yet heavy sound—similar in feeling to that of Melody’s Echo Chamber—a style the band has already proven to naturally embody. Between this and their future releases, which may dabble more in the realms of alt folk and country, I’m personally loving the psychedelic nature of “Homework” and am super stoked to hear how their music evolves from it. If you too are impressed by the band’s first release, you’ll be happy to know that they’ve recently finished recording a full-length album here in Athens, and plan to release the record both digitally and on pressed vinyl this fall.
Check out their bandcamp, & to stay tuned into their upcoming shows + new music announcements, do hit up @hidingplacesband on instagram!
Premiere + Track-by-Track: Reverie Rush – ‘Beginners EP’
Reverie Rush is the heart-wrenching bedroom pop solo project of Athens, GA-based multi-instrumentalist, Andy Barton. Written after moving from Athens to Atlanta and back again in the span of a year, Barton’s debut release, the Beginners EP, drops today (as in, right here, right now).
“I lived in the city for about a year or so to try and give Fake Flowers, the band I was playing in at the time, a shot,” said Barton of the EP. “It was a pretty rough period, with a break-up, a dead end job and the eventual (first) dissolution of Fake Flowers…at first, coming up with these songs was just a means to help process a lot of the sudden life changes I’d experienced, but it became clear pretty quickly that I had to put together a cohesive document of that period of my life, like my very being required it.”
The five-track EP was written by Barton and recorded with former Fake Flowers bandmates, Jake Chisenhall (Delorean Gray) and Freeman Leverett. Check out the premiere below, and scroll down for Barton’s track-by-track breakdown below!
“Taking On Water”
“Taking On Water” was actually the last track composed for the EP. The chord progression had been floating around since the early days of the project, but it wasn’t until we went to record that it received a full arrangement and really came together. From the get-go I knew the EP needed an instrumental intro, though. I had envisioned this sad, shoegaze-y score playing over an image of someone lost at sea, their little ship taking on water. Jake and Freeman really helped execute that with their additions to the arrangement, which we just kind of jammed out in just a few takes.
“Coming up for Air”
“Coming up for Air” channels, by far, the darkest themes and elements of the EP. It’s all about grief and guilt and letting your loved ones down. I felt like I’d reached an all-time low, and getting all these feelings out in song served as a much-needed moment of catharsis. Writing this song presented a moment of clarity, where I was able to completely acknowledge that I’d made some pretty big mistakes that put me in a dark place, but I could also just as easily work towards bettering myself, and by extension, bettering others — that I could come up for air.
“What Have We Become?”
“What Have We Become?” kind of came about after playing around with a lot of dreamy, jazzy major 7th chords that reminded me of Fake Flowers songs. I wanted a guitar-driven song on the EP, something really urgent to express how I felt after moving back to Athens and trying to start anew. I was really pleased with how we were able to incorporate all the different guitar tones I really like: there’s jangle, there’s fuzz, there’s some post-punk influence, there are some shoegaze elements.
“Out of Sight”
“Out of Sight” was probably the second to last song I wrote for the EP, and as such it definitely reflects a more serene, level-headed perspective, bordering bittersweet. The ballad of the record, I wanted to give it a kind of loungey/crooner vibe, especially in the chorus. Jake and Freeman were listening to a good bit of bossa nova at the time, so I think that rubbed off on me, here. Freeman’s Thundercat bass line in the outro is easily one of my favorite recordings on the EP; it was completely improvised and pulled off in just a few takes. He finished tracking it, and I just started busting out laughing; it was so good.
“Run Its Course”
“Run Its Course” is the song that’s the most special to me, as it was the first one I wrote for the project, and the first song that I really ever wrote to completion. Once I’d gotten the verses finished, I was acutely aware of how much of a caricatured sad guy I probably sounded like, so I wanted the chorus to acknowledge that and poke fun at my own mope in a tongue-in-cheek way. I didn’t really know how to end the song initially, but Jake was really instrumental in solidifying the arrangement for the outro. Writing and recording that vocal section with him was one of the most personally gratifying musical experiences I think I’ve ever had.
Scene Spotlight: Athens Hip Hop
ATHENS, GA—The town renowned for cultivating R.E.M. and the B-52’s has long been a haven for indie rockers; the rent is cheap, the locals are always buzzing around concert venues, and starting a band is so easy that virtually everyone and their mother is in one. Over the decades, the outfits at the forefront of the scene have rotated from R.E.M. and Pylon in the ‘80s to Widespread Panic in the ‘90s, The Whigs in the ‘00s and Of Montreal and Reptar in the ‘10s. While relatively few Athens bands have achieved widespread commercial success, being revered locally cements them into the culture and reflects broader trends in the worldwide music industry, which raises an interesting question – where is the hip-hop?
Undeniably the most relevant and popular music genre of the past decade (corroborated by even the Pulitzer Prize Board, who for the first time eschewed a classical or jazz artist for the Pulitzer prize for music to award Kendrick Lamar for DAMN.), hip-hop had long seemed absent from the small town that loves to boast of its thriving music scene. Perhaps most perplexing is Athens’s hour-or-so proximity from Atlanta, the culturally rich metro where over half the population is African-American and where some of the biggest names in rap call home. On the surface, Athens appears to spawn white rock bands like rabbits spawn other rabbits, but behind-the-scenes (and more recently, in the spotlight) is a tight-knit, passionate, and grinding community of hip-hop artists who are redefining the music scene in Athens. I spoke to some of them to get the low-down.
On March 25, Athens presented its sixth annual Hip Hop Awards, honoring artists like Caulfield for best male hip hop artist and Seline Haze for best female hip hop artist, StackBoy Twaun for best producer, and Fly Visionz for videographer of the year. Among the award recipients is promoter Sam Lipkin, who won mover and shaker of the year as well as best event promoter in connection with her blog Volumes Hip Hop. The awards are based on community votes, which substantiates Sam’s place at the heart of the hip-hop scene. She tells me she got started in January 2017 wanting to do more than be a fangirl for her many rapper friends; “Kevin Boyd [AKA Son Zoo] told me the fall before I started the magazine that that’s the one thing we don’t have is exposure. There’s not a lot of hip hop exposure in the main magazines.” So she decided to create a blog that would give Athens hip hop the dedication and exposure it deserved, and in January it went full digital, including interviews, cultural pieces, and event listings. Javae Chapman, local artist known for his poetic, lo-fi style of hip-hop (you can listen to his brand new release here), says “Athens doesn’t even have a hip-hop radio station, so the only way to experience any hip-hop is to either create it yourself, or come out to a local show.”
That’s one way that the Athens music scene has evolved – venues have become much more accepting of hip hop than they have been in the past. According to Sam, “I think the city has seen that hip hop is profitable to them. Maybe in the past there was a strong reaction against it because of some stereotypes but also I just don’t think they saw the worth of it.” Now, hip hop in Athens is becoming more mainstream, with Sam noting that “there are a lot more daytime events instead of hiding hip hop away at nighttime.” Amel Alyamani, Athens coordinator for music blog Hand Me The Aux, reported that the last show they put on sold out the Caledonia Lounge, a predominantly indie rock venue, saying “it was incredible how many supporters came out for the Athens artists.”
Despite challenges of visibility, artists have been achieving goals and making waves in Athens and beyond – Caulfield, the innovative, self-described “garage rap” hip hop collective comprised of Curtison Jones, DJ Luke Highwalker, and Scott Sutton, opened for Ugly God at the Georgia Theatre last fall and more recently, for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony at Terminal West in Atlanta. DK and Seline Haze, a local couple who are both independent up-and-coming rappers, “have probably done the most out-of-town shows that I’ve seen,” says Sam, but you can catch them in Athens on May 12th at Flicker Bar. Linqua Franqa, local hip hop star who has heavily impressed with her debut self-titled album, was praised in the New York Times for her SXSW performance, and is headlining Athfest this summer. Kxng Blanco, an 18-year-old Clarke Central High School student and promising newcomer in the scene, received media attention when he performed his song “Dear AmeriKKKa” at a Black History Month assembly and received an in-school suspension for it being deemed offensive. Alongside the rise of hip hop’s visibility in the town is a push by members of the scene to make a political difference in the community. Tommy Valentine, a former rapper and longtime pillar of the scene, is running for District 9 county commissioner while Mariah Parker AKA Linqua Franqa is running for District 2 county commissioner, both of whom have received ardent endorsements from various hip-hop artists in Athens.
The tight-knit community that defines and bolsters musicians in Athens doesn’t exclude its hip-hop artists; even in an overwhelmingly cut-throat, competitive genre, Sam tells me “there’s a lot more willingness to raise each other up in the community. Maybe it used to be more just a culture and now it’s truly a community.” Everyone I talked to agrees – SeanC, local rapper who dropped a remix of Nas’s “Life’s a Bitch” and Flight Facilities “Crave” late last year, recalled a moment at a Caulfield show when he felt truly accepted in the scene: “Not a lot at the event knew me at the time, and when Caulfield stepped off, some of the crowd left before my set. I vividly remember his DJ, Brian, Luke Highwalker grabbing me by the shoulder and saying, ‘that’s not how we do it around here.’ He walked outside, and grabbed the whole crowd, and brought them back. After him and Caulfield hyped the crowd he said, ‘You’re one of us now, and we rock with everyone’s shows.’” There is an adrenalized energy rumbling through the hip-hop scene in Athens, Georgia, and in the words of one of their own, SeanC, “it feels like it’s only a matter of time before someone blows up, and whoever it is, it’s well deserved,” and anyone who is familiar with these artists couldn’t agree more.
Meet The Next Generation of Athens, GA Music Scene
Boasting R.E.M., the B-52’s, and the Drive-By Truckers, it’s no secret that the Athens, GA music scene has a rich history. The Music Business Program housed within the University of Georgia—just steps from downtown Athens—is continuing this tradition, now raising much of the next generation of this local scene.
“We try to take people from a standpoint from ‘Who am I?’ to ‘Who I am,'” said David Barbe, director of the program and successful musician in his own right. Much of this development culminates in the final project of the program, a music business microcosm in which each student assumes a role in music business such as artist manager or publicist.
Many students choose to take on the role of artist, and thus are required to release music—with cover art—and promote the release. This year’s projects paint a hopeful picture for the already well-established Athens scene, with 17 new releases from local bands and artists.
“So far, I would think that it’s arguably the best ones we’ve ever had. There are more of them, they are more varied in style, and the quality of the real standouts is really a level up. It’s been the most musically diverse,” said Barbe. “We expect rock bands and we expect rappers, but we’ve got Annie Leeth‘s tripped out electric violin project, we have Eric Dowler‘s album of World War I era songs, and there’s satirical rap… It’s been all over the map, which is great.”
Some of these artists, just weeks after release, are already clocking over a thousand streams and seeing revenue from downloads—an impressive feat for what started as a class project. Check out the following up-and-coming artists from the Athens scene:
Conner Brooke Dryden has the vocal chops to fit in the current country music scene without having to succumb to the over-produced country pop plague that seems to be overtaking the genre. Her single “Something Beautiful” is straightforward in instrumentation and honestly doesn’t need much else—Dryden’s clean vocals are the star of the show, as they should be. Check out the single on all major streaming platforms.
Logan Brammer’s “November Night” is a nice, nostalgic track. It’s kind of calming and seems to have some Beatles influence thrown in there. I will say, this is the only track that totally got stuck in my head for like, hours after that first listen—the chorus is that catchy. Definitely didn’t mind. You can find “November Night” on bandcamp.
If you’re not the electronic-instrumental-meditation-music type, Annie Leeth’s new EP “Heard” might just convert you. It’s super ambient and vibe-y, but what really shines is that Leeth seems to seriously know what she’s doing with a violin—both technically skilled and able to get the instrument to make sounds that I’d guess many haven’t heard it make before. This isn’t run of the mill, classical studying music… it’s a whole new beast. You can find “Heard” on the major streaming platforms.
Property of Bolton have taken the classic rock band setup and done it well, with a darker sound that’s simultaneously groovy and gritty. The group’s EP, “Epicycles,” is so well done that it’s hard to believe this was done for a school project. The separate pieces of each track flow so cohesively that everything feels intentional—like the group has a solid grasp on what they’re going for and are not afraid to go for it. Check out “No Faith,” not just for the ripping lead guitar but also the line “I ain’t got no faith in the government” because, relatable. Check out the EP on bandcamp.
Josie Smith’s “June” is short and sweet. Her vocals are sweet, the premise is sweet—and it shines in this simplicity. The track is a good example of how music doesn’t have to be so heart-wrenching, so complicated to still be great. The release seems to be just a taste of what’s to come from Josie, and you can check it out on bandcamp.
Eric Dowler’s “When The Boys Come Home” is cool in that it’s hard to find anyone else, let alone a 20-something student, doing this right now. It’s clear that Dowler is dedicated to his craft as well as doing his historical subject justice. The album definitely gives an interesting insight into World War I, giving a musical perspective that one might not get from a casual education in the subject. You can find “When The Boys Come Home” on bandcamp.
Darsana’s latest indie-pop EP “Heartless,” is pretty chill, to put it simply. Definitely recommend checking out the opening track “Callouseer” and the title track “Heartless,” both of which seem like great easy-listening, on say, a lazy weekend afternoon or something along those lines. You can find “Heartless” on bandcamp.
Guest House’s latest release, “Sleep,” is intriguing. It’s not quite something to study to, because it definitely draws you in and makes you want to listen, but it would fit in well in a coffee shop setting. For some reason this felt super visual—like, listening to it actually triggered my brain to put together a full indie-movie montage. Some music just does that, I guess. Guest house makes you think, in a good way. Check it out on bandcamp.
There is a line between experimental in a cool, enjoyable-to-the-ear way and experimental just for the sake of being weird, and Sephine has found the balance. “Computerforest,” Sephine’s latest release, sounds like the kind of music your cool (but not snooty) indie acquaintance would casually throw on, spurring you to spend weeks trying to figure out how to ask who the band is without sounding lame and uncultured. The release is almost ethereal at times, until that funky sax kicks in or Anderson starts chanting. A personal favorite would be “Discothèque,” because the track is just kind of funky and definitely unexpected. You can find Sephine on bandcamp.
Rebekah Martin’s piano track “Tightrope” makes for great study music in that it has a nice melody that’s not too overpowering. There’s this near-constant buzzing, which seems intentional but regardless of if not, the juxtaposition between that and the piano totally works—the roughness of the buzzing keeps the piano from being too buttoned-up. Again, being just one single, this seems to be just a taste of what’s to come from Martin. You can find the track on her bandcamp.
Whether you’re a fan of “Xanax Culture” or seriously annoyed by it, you need Xanny P in your listening lineup. For satirical rap, it’s surprisingly well produced and the character that is “Xanny P” is hilarious (and cultured, apparently. Check out his ‘gram if you don’t believe me.) The guy is already packing out the Georgia Theatre rooftop and spreading like crazy via word of mouth. Plus, it’s #Dartyszn, ya’ll—never a better time to check him out on all major streaming platforms.
Punk rock fans, PNK is for you. I’d say he falls in more of an early Green Day vein than say, Blink, in a rip-roaring, high speed—and never slowing down—kind of way. His latest single, “Sitting on the Bathroom Floor” is gritty, high-energy, loud and a fun listen from the first note. (Also a fun fact—PNK’s Tyler Peters played a part in the production of quite a few of these releases. Three cheers for having multiple skills!) You can find PNK on all major streaming platforms.
Elrod’s self-titled EP has definite outlaw themes throughout, with an interesting mix of generally acoustic instrumentation and her almost-bluesy vocals. It’s cool in an imperfect, rock ‘n’ roll kind of way. All of the separate pieces are great, but there are definite shining points in her harmonies and the lead guitar. For some reason, I immediately thought of Cheyanne Kimball’s solo album while listening to this, but haven’t quite figured out why yet. Anyway, check Elrod’s self-titled, currently out on Soundcloud.
Friday Highway’s latest release “I Told You/Rearview” gives major early 2000s singer-songwriter throwback vibes… but at the same time, it’s also the teeny-tiniest bit reminiscent of popular Red Hot Chili Peppers hits. Anyway, it’s interesting, and definitely in a good way. I’d recommend checking out “Rearview,” as it’s well done and the bridge takes an unexpected twist that keeps you on your toes. You can find Friday Highway on most major streaming platforms.
Kaitlin Kimsey, Jake Mappes and Jesse Inglima
This trio released a killer studio series covering Elton John and Guns N’ Roses. Each of the three musicians involved are seriously talented, so it makes sense that putting them together would yield a couple of great tracks. Kimsey’s rocker belt pairs perfectly with Mappes’ keys, making me wish the group had a couple of originals to check out. You can find the studio series on Kimsey’s Youtube and Soundcloud, or check out all three musicians in local Athens band Fake Mister.
Alright, so Garet Skipper’s latest release “Lies!” does not sound like it was made by some college student for a school project. This is well done. The track almost falls in a dream-pop vein, but not in an over-hazy bad way. It’s upbeat, fun, and so perfect for summer nights. For fans of, say, LANY, this is a definite recommend—actually, this sounds on par with some of the music the aforementioned group was putting out when it first started successfully touring the country, so there’s that. It’s so… marketable. Check him out on all major streaming platforms.
Lapetz’s latest single, “Time Lines,” is super simple and straightforward in composition, but it works. The narrative he’s rapping is interesting, it flows well and the refrain is catchy—Lapetz doesn’t really need a bunch of bells and whistles to make the track interesting. In a landscape where over-produced, dolled-up tracks seem to reign supreme, this release is refreshing. To listen to the single, or his EP “Early Works,” find Lapetz on bandcamp.
Review: Judah & the Lion: Going to Mars Tour
Tall Heights :
Colony House:
Judah:
The first of Judah & the Lion’s two-night sold-out stint at the Georgia Theatre in Athens, GA, started strong and ended with a bang. The “folk hop n’ roller’s” constructed a show as equally meaningful as it was exciting, and easily kept fans on their toes for the entirety of the night.
The show opened with Tall Heights, an electrofolk duo out of Boston, MA. At this point, the theatre was already quite full and the musicians played to that pressure well. While they crooned, they found incredibly interesting ways to engage the audience—at one point pulling off one of the coolest in-show magic tricks I’ve ever seen. The group asked the entire audience to pull out their various phones, to call another in the room, and then put the call on speaker. These calls echoed throughout the theatre and really brought the performance to another level.
Next up was Colony House, a group out of Nashville, TN. These modern-day Beach Boy rockers had a strong following in the audience and definitely played to that strength. The group was upbeat, incredibly high energy, and carried the confidence of experience. Though considerably louder (think: drums-shaking-ribcage-loud) the band managed to keep a clean sound to show off their technical prowess.
Both openers were met with really strong reactions from the crowd. Then there was Judah. The crowd erupted.
Understandably so, as the Nashville-based headliners opened the set with a dance-party rendition of “Booty Wurk (One Cheek At a Time).” The group held this vivacity through the entirety of the set, intertwining hip hop and folk seamlessly throughout.
The band played much of it’s Folk Hop N’ Roll album, out in 2017. However, the show was far from the average, sit-and-watch-for-two-hours, set. Just as the bands that preceded, Judah & the Lion kept the show interactive.
With moments like a dance-off during the song “Reputation,” a surprise cover of “Mr. Brightside” featuring all three bands, and the crowd singing competition during “Green Eyes”—which later determined which side of the stage members would dive off of—the band kept the show accessible and genuinely fun. Just a really good time. The crowd continuously had no clue what was coming next, but surely it was going to be great.
Through the fun, there was some sentimental, deeper-meaning to the show. Frontman Judah Akers told the story of the bands first show outside of Nashville, which happened to be at a smaller venue in the Athens area. The show seemed to carry a lot of meaning for the group, as Akers grew a bit emotional before launching into the inspirational “Going to Mars.”
The show “ended” with a two-minute dance party during one of the band’s biggest hits, “Take It All Back,” before an encore was demanded. Once again, they brought out the other two bands for an incredibly sweet, stripped down rendition of “Lean on Me,” before ending the set with “Water,” a track from the bands 2014 album Kids These Days. I’m fairly certain that the general sentiment of the crowd was of a “One more song!” mentality, but with a band like Judah & the Lion that certainly doesn’t come as a surprise.
10/10
Join Us at SXSW for the 11th Annual Athens in Austin Party
We are so excited to sponsor the 11th annual Athens in Austin Party, To Eleven!
Local acts will be performing at The Side Bar, located at 602 E. 7th Street in Austin, Texas during SXSW. The party will occur from noon to 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 18.
Artists in attendance will include Cindy Wilson of the B-52’s, Mothers, Muuy Biien and a crapload of other killer acts.
Check out the lineup here:
12:00 p.m. – Juan de Fuca
12:30 p.m. – Neighbor Lady
1:00 p.m. – DEEP STATE
1:30 p.m. – Chief Scout
2:00 p.m. – Thayer Sarrano
2:30 p.m. – The Nude Party
3:00 p.m. – Eureka California
3:30 p.m. – Mothers
4:00 p.m. – White Violet
4:30 p.m. – Oak House
5:00 p.m. – Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires
5:30 p.m. – Muuy Biien
6:00 p.m. – The Dexateens
6:30 p.m. – Cindy Wilson (of the B-52’s)
Other sponsors include Georgia Theatre, Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau, Athens Popfest, Bragg Jam Music, Arts and Kids’ Festival, Chase Park Transduction, Cottonseed Studios, Dos Equis, Flagpole Magazine, Georgia Tourism, Grindhouse Killer Burgers, Kindercore Vinyl, Laser Brains, Newk’s Eatery, Normaltown Records, RubySue Graphics, Tiger Bomb Promo, UGA Music Business Program and We’re HEAR For You.
If you’re in Austin for SXSW and want a little taste of Athens, we’ll see you there. Double fisting Lone Stars. All damn day.
David Barbe Talks February Residency at The World Famous
Leave it to David Barbe, Athens local and University of Georgia professor, to schedule a show on a Super Bowl Sunday.
Beginning a month-long series of intimate sets at the World Famous with his band David Barbe and the Quick Hooks, Barbe played a solo set Sunday, Feb. 5th to a pleasant crowd, which is saying something due to an unpleasant end to a Georgia sporting event (shocker).
Barbe says he didn’t realize his show was scheduled during the game at first, but decided to keep the date once he knew. No one else in his band wanted to play that date, but Barbe liked that it was a strange thing to do, so he decided to play a solo set for his first performance.
“Now I can say I played the Super Bowl,” he jokes.
He began this series of performances with a stripped down, raw compilation of recently written originals. The small venue made for an intimate, cozy atmosphere. Listeners sat either at tables in front of the stage or at the bar, drinking and eating snacks, and chatting quietly while listening to the moving set.
Barbe performed new compositions, one of which he stated was more of a poem than a song, while interacting and speaking with the crowd. His abstract performance created a unique and enjoyable experience for the listeners.
Barbe played four weeks straight at World Famous, with every show delivering a different sound. He was accompanied by various versions of his band The Quick Hooks, as well as other special guests.
The main group that appeared includes Frank McDonald and Joe Row of The Glands, John Mills of Blood Kin, John Neff and Jay Gonzalez of Drive By Truckers, and Kyle Spence, drummer for Kurt Vile.
Some of the openers include Juan de Fuca, Jay Gonzalez and T. Hardy Morris.
Barbe stated that every show would contain a different combination of players on different instruments with a different setlist. During the show on the 12th, the ensemble didn’t have a drummer, so Barbe jumped on the kit himself while continuing to sing.
Every show contained a lot of freedom for the musicians to change up the setlist and improv. Barbe said he was expecting a lot of creativity and connection from these shows, promising “a lot of creation on the spot.”
Barbe prefers this type of show to a typical, outlined performance. He enjoys freedom to change his sound and be connected to his music in the moment. He stated that he is wary of falling into a routine, as it may dampen creativity.
“When you do something for a long time, you can get into a rut. I don’t like that. I play music for the way it makes me feel. I’m not concerned with being bound by a setlist.”
Barbe is known for shifting from ensemble to ensemble—he says this is healthier for his creativity and forces him to constantly rethink his sound.
Constantly playing with different musicians seems to be a catalyst for his ingenuity. This unique series of shows is definitely a testament to that.
Barbe describes the feel of these performances as “quiet, weird, tripped out and unpredictable.” And they were indeed that.
Some reincarnation of the Quick Hooks has played each Sunday in February. Catch Barbe’s last show of this series tonight, February 26, along with T. Hardy Morris opening.
Morris will begin at 8 p.m. and Barbe’s set will begin at 9.
David Barbe is also in the process of recording a solo album, due to be released this summer.
Camp In 2017: David Lowery x Vinyl Mag
David Lowery, frontman of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker, professor at the University of Georgia, and general music-business-Renaissance-man, is preparing for the 17th annual Camp In festival taking place at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA.
Although previously located in Pioneertown, California, at Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, Camp In has taken place at 40 Watt Club for the past four years.
Lowery claims that this festival is geared specifically toward CVB and Cracker fans; there are multiple sets with different reincarnations of the bands, unique combinations of members, and re-imaginings of original material.
In keeping with the tradition of Camp In, Lowery says that there will be a variety of combinations of musicians playing sets during the festival. Performances will include a solo set with David Lowery (which he excitedly informs me is also a pizza party), a performance by Johnny Hickman at Hendershots, and an acoustic set with Lowery, Johnny Hickman and Peter Case “Pistol” (the “Trippy Trio,” as Lowery calls it) —which plays some reinterpreted, abstract approaches to Cracker songs. There will also be performances by Edward David Anderson of Backyard Tire Fire, The Heap, The Darnell Boys, Ike Reilly, Peter Case, Daisy, Eric Bachman and The Drapes.
When it comes to playing with two bands, Lowery explains that basic differences lie in the songwriting of CVB and Cracker, and therefore in the music itself. CVB, for one, tends to be more instrumental. According to Lowery, CVB began as a side project for the members, so each musician chose an instrument other than their primary one to play. (Lowery switched from bass to guitar/lead vocals.) He adds that their songs began with a simple structure and then gradually became more complex over time.
“When I’m writing, I’ll wake up in the morning, grab some coffee and just go through the lyrics or melody motif over and over until I find something,” says Lowery. Then, with a general idea for the song hashed out, Lowery would meet with the rest of the band to develop the idea by co-writing or recording a demo.
When it comes to Cracker, however, Lowery says the songwriting stays more in that second stage of co-writing with the band. He observes that there tends to be “more formal co-writing,” and he will also occasionally go to Nashville for sessions with songwriters to co-write material with him.
Over the years, Lowery says songwriting with his bands has remained very much the same, although writing his new solo album Conquistador took him on a completely different path. The central concept for the album had been on his mind for around 10 years. “There were lots of false starts. Then one day, I just had a bass drum—a marching band bass drum—and a mic, and it just sort of came together.” With the instrumentation in place, Lowery began reading the lyrics more like poetry or spoken word, and his abstract ideas finally solidified.
It seems nonsensical to talk to David Lowery (someone very outspoken about digital advancements and their relationship with musicians’ rights) and not to touch on streaming, so I asked him about how (and if) it affects his songwriting.
“It definitely makes it more challenging,” he tells me. “In the past, we would get a recording advance. Now, it’s not so much a priority to put out an album. We won’t set aside time to do it. Instead, I just try to squeeze it in the margins.”
Since releasing an album isn’t as lucrative as it once was, Lowery says he doesn’t actively take time off from his responsibilities of teaching or touring for creating an album; instead, he fits in writing when he can or when ideas come to him.
Shifting back to the festival scene, Lowery recalls a favorite memory of Camp In. “I pulled my wife up on stage and played this song ‘Palace Guards’ to her. It was almost like a stand-up comedy routine. I posed it like a love song—the audience loved it and thought it was funny. She had tears in her eyes; it was too funny. Now it’s hard for us to keep playing that song and take it seriously.”
Be sure to catch Camp In featuring Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven in Athens, GA at the 40 Watt Club from today, January 19 through Saturday, January 21. Tickets are available at crackersoul.com and 40watt.com.