Local Music News

“This song goes out to anyone making a statement.”

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Saturday night at The Dream Operator turned out not just to be a fun party, but also a great showcase of some the best punk and hard rock Athens has to offer.

Starting out the night was Brooklyn, NY seven-piece Ava Luna. They played a short set of spastic funk rhythms, synth flourishes, and girl group harmonies. They might be what the Dirty Projectors would sound like if the Dirty Projectors weren’t so terrible. They’re sound didn’t really fit in with the rest of the bands that night, but they still put on a great show.

The next band to play was relatively new local band Cold Ones. They were extremely loud and raucous with good stage banter, in other words, a lot of fun. They’re set was unfortunately really short, but you can get your Cold Ones fix by going to their page and downloading their free demo.

The third band to play (and my personal favorite of the night) was The Agenda! They played a great set of fun, danceable punk tunes with a few covers thrown in (I just about lost my mind when they started to play Rebel Girl), and their singer performed with the swagger and confidence of Mick Jagger, running through the crowd and gyrating on the floor. Really, really great stuff.

Next was Marriage. They played to a crowd packed into a tiny room with little space to breathe, but that didn’t stop them from tearing it up. They played fast punk tunes with metal breakdowns with some impressive guitar work for good measure. The crowd was especially rowdy making the floor feel like it was about to break through. Another awesome show.

The final set came from Athens legends Cinemechanica and what a set it was. They played in the largest room of the house and filled it up easily. The crowd was also the craziest of the night. A couple guys crowdsurfed and the guy next to me had to block guitarist’s pedals to keep them from being stepped on. This was all for good reason though, the band played a great set of their intricate mathcore songs. A great finale to an already great night.

Kent Kercher (front, right) and Ben Torres (back, left) groove hard

Thursday night I found myself in the cool cave-like Rye Bar listening to Groove Tangent once again. A local band that’s only been around for about a year, Groove Tangent is best known for their extensive range of covers from Smash Mouth to the Police to John Mayer to Lady Gaga and beyond. However, last night’s performance most notably gave an excellent taste of original things to come. Included between the covers were a handful of songs representing an original repertoire that has been steadily growing for the band. For example , here’s “Waiting For The Bomb”, one of their original songs:

Waiting For The Bomb

The show itself was energetic and fun. The crowd was largely friends of band members but in the intimate Rye Bar anything more would have been claustrophobic. Clean Break made their Athens premier opening for Groove Tangent. After warming up the crowd (especially a certain dancing cowboy) Clean Break handed the stage over to Groove Tangent who played a long and diverse set. The execution of the covers is excellent–you can tell Groove Tangent is a band made up of  classically trained musicians. In fact, several of the members are currently music majors at UGA’s Hugh Hodgson School Of Music. All in all, the show was quite pleasurable as the crowd sang along to each and every song proving that the art of reproduction is indeed an art worthy of enjoyment.

Set List

1. What I Like About You (as performed by The Romantics)
2. All Star (as performed by Smash Mouth)
3. What Can I Do?*
4. Save Tonight (as performed by Eagle Eye Cherry)
5. What I Want*
6. Message In A Bottle (as performed by The Police)
7. Waiting On The World To Change (as performed by John Mayer)
8. Waiting For The Bomb*
9. Picture In My Pocket*
10. Bad Romance (as performed by Lady Gaga)
11. If I Had $1000000 (as performed by the Bare Naked Ladies)
12. Eight Days A Week (as performed by the Beatles)
13. The Middle (Jimmy Eat World)
14. Crazy For You*
15. The Happiest Days of Our Lives/Another Brick in the Wall, part 2 (as performed by Pink Floyd)
16. Power Of Love (as performed by Huey Lewis & The News)
17. Go Your Own Way (as performed by Fleetwood Mac)
18. Are You Gonna Be My Girl? (as performed by Jet)
19. On My Way (as performed by Doctor Squid)
20. Love Game (as performed by Lady Gaga)
21. Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight (as performed by Spinal Tap)

* original Groove Tangent songs

–WSP

Southern Trail Tour: September 28th 2010

Part of the Southern Trail Tour, this evening saw the likes of local musicians Tyler Lyle, Jeremy Aggers, and Chelsea Lynn-Labate.   The musicians separately performed songs of their respective recent albums, as well as performing collectively at the end of the evening.  Certainly a highlight of this evening was the music of Atlanta Folk rock artist Tyler Lyle, who performed songs off of his 2009 album Notes From A Parade.  The songs performed by Mr. Lyle display a sort of Dylan-esque enlightened perspective; he speaks of religion but not directly, he speaks of societal ills-but in a clever manner that is not so direct.  One of the more memorable parts of the night came with the anecdotes provided by Lyle regarding how certain songs of his were written.  To paraphrase the man: ‘After obtaining an unimportant degree in an unimportant field, I decided to go live in Paris in a tiny apartment where I knew not a single person; ultimately I was soon forced to return to the states (in the home of my parents) as a result of a lack of funds’.  It was during this time spent at his parents’ home that Lyle began penning many of the songs present on his first album.

The other performers that evening were not as vocal regarding the origin of their music, but it is not to say that their talent weren’t themselves were any less superior.  The tour ultimately came to an end the following night in Atlanta at Eddie’s Attic (the venue known to have nurtured the likes of such artist like John Mayer)

A great evening with great music from outstanding musicians.

Tyler Lyle’s most recent albums are entitled Inland Islands and Bad Things (& Collard Greens).  Perhaps these two albums will join the ranks of Notes From A Parade and find themselves on the Local Music rotation here at WUOG.

-F.S. Julien

I stood in the WUOG Lobby and watched as unknown faces poured in to begin assembling a musical platform in the small lobby. A colorful drumset adorned with paintings of clouds and rainbows sat next to a six foot bass amp with the word ‘Megoliath’ etched on its speaker grill. There were many smaller amps, each for a different instrument including a mandolin, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, Korg mini-keyboard, and a violin.

This was the set of the aptly named Super Cluster. Athen’s premier experimental folk rock super group. Vocalist and keyboardist Vanessa Hay, of Pylon, and drummer Hannah Jones of The New Sound of Numbers are chief creative minds behind the group, but the bands sound is truly a collaborative effort.

Of particular interest was bass player Kay Stanton who from behind the bands mountain of cacophonous sound, held down a menacing beat whilst interjecting bits of distortion and style into her sound. Her exhilarating performance lended a needed visual presence to the aural focused band. In a brief interview after the performance she cited the Riot Girls, Flaming Lips, and Simon & Garfunkle as influences.

The band played a total of nine songs all of which were quite short in length. They displayed a lot of variety in their set. The first song, “Sunflower Clock (short version),” showcased a Middle Eastern sound replete with a chiming tambourine holding a steady beat whilst the bass riffed over and the other instruments generally laid back to create a spacious but moving vibe. Another set highlight was “Night I Died,” the fourth song in their set. Its psychedelic atmosphere was set off by spacey synth lines and long violin chords. A steady staccato rhythm from the mandolin, drums, and bass pushed the song along for its duration.

Super Cluster is everything that is great about the Athens music scene. These are musicians who have been in Athens since the so-called “Glory Days” and have evolved to remain current with the times. Before beginning their set, the band conversed amongst themselves about how great it was to be playing music and you could tell through their performance that they really just enjoyed playing together. This is a group of musicians whom I can respect. Whether they are ever to have success individually or together outside of Athens seems irrelevant. What matters is that they are fulfilling their musical desires and are continuing to evolve their musical identity.

Setlist:

Sunflower Clock (short version)

Answer

Mermaids Tale

Night I Died

Too Many 8’s (short version)

Anyone

Peace Disco Song

Neat In Sheet (Side Effects cover)

Paris Effects

Chrissakes Photo by Mike White

On Friday night, the metal fest was down the street, but a definite contender for craziest show of the night was at Go Bar as three bands took the stage, and tore the tiny bar (and my eardrums) apart.

First up was Atlanta band The Sunglasses. They played a short but sweet set of loud, dirty and complex punk rock. The crowd was sparse but you couldn’t tell from watching the band. They played as if the bar was packed. I’m definitely going to have to see them again.

Next was Providence, Rhode Island noise rock nightmares Tinsel Teeth, the most unhinged band of the night. This band is a must see. They’re part rock band, part performance art piece. The singer came out dressed as Lady Gaga, but her wig quickly fell off as she trashed and threw herself around the bar. As the show went on she broke blood capsules in her mouth, drenching her face, and smearing blood on anybody close enough, myself included. It was absolutely insane.

The last (and loudest) band of the night was Athens’ own Chrissakes. They started late so their set was cut short, but there was more than enough energy to make up for it. Their mix of math rock riffs, hardcore screams and psychedelic solos completely pummeled my ears. The perfect set to end the show.

I left the show partially deaf and covered in fake blood. It was a good night.

Band:  Quiet Hooves

Date: 9-18-10

Venue: 40 Watt

The first thing I noticed during Quiet Hooves’ set was the Steve Urkel figure dancing spasmodically in front of the stage.  My attention was soon completely captivated by the poppy, eclectic sounds of this band of locals. Quiet Hooves is a larger than average band, a large ensemble including some keyboard players, guitarists, a very animated percussionist, and even a small horn section that kicked much brass from the left side of the stage. The best term I could use to describe the band is “controlled chaos”- although their songs were a mad jumble of different elements and sounds, every song felt cohesive.  A common thread among the songs was their experimentation in vocals and instrumentals.  Some songs featured structured harmonization to supplement the lead singer, while others featured members randomly chiming in with yelps and exclamations. Most songs had the keyboardists playing a mélange of chimes and melodies, garnished by the wails of the horn players and the feverish patter of the percussionist. Quiet Hooves had enough stage presence and energy to rival the likes of Of Montreal, who just played in Athens two weeks ago, and bands like Gogol Bordello, who know how to deliver on stage but keep the tone light at the same time, never taking themselves too seriously.  The songs were varied enough to keep you interested and catchy enough to keep you dancing. By the end of the set, it required the best of my efforts to keep my feet on the ground and my limbs from raucously flailing to the beat, too.

- Lori Keong

Artist: Sun Spots

Venue: WUOG Lobby

Date: September 7, 2010

Setlist:

1. Relative Patterns

2. Bones

3. Rest Yr Brain

4. Collectin Specimens

5. Chambers of the Sea

Sun Spots went on at a little after eight, subsequent to the WUOG Informational session held upstairs in the Tate center. Their first song , “Relative Patterns,” was loud and energetic, immediately filing the small WUOG Lobby with resonant volume. Unfortunately, technical problems early on prevented lead singer and guitarist Will Weber’s voice from being heard until the next song. Their second song, “Bones,” wasn’t too different from their first. The drums cracked and cymbals shattered while bassist Will Cantrells homemade speaker cabinet woofed over them. Weber’s simple guitar lines moved up and down the fretboard in quick but groovy patterns and provided a base for his high, almost screamed, falsetto vocals to dance on top. Meanwhile, Ryan Houchen’s bursting, at times over the top, drum fills evoked intensity reminiscent of Keith Moon and complemented the energetic vocals of Weber. At one point during their third song, “Rest Yr Brain,” which featured a nasally, distorted keyboard in place of guitar, Cantrell struggled to keep up with the drummers stampede-pace and casually leaned over to tell him “Slow it down.”  He got the message and the rest of the song moved at a more leisurely pace.

None the less, it was an energetic performance from a band whose sound is both loud and likable.  I look forward to hearing more from them in the future.

Sun Spots play with The Caste on September 25^th at New Earth Music Hall.

-Bradford Charles Olsen

Here are some pics from our guys down at Go Bar!

First up, we have Geisterkatzen! These guys know how to take you for a ride!

Next we have Free Ticket keeping up the party!

And Finally, we have White LIght Forest Choir to round out the night! The end of the show turned into one long jam session (with bongos)!