ABC Pick

Bloodkin, Dictatortots

Thursday, July 20, 40 Watt Club

originally published July 19, 2006

Things have been relatively quiet in Bloodkin territory as of late, but that doesn’t mean that Athens’ long-running whiskey belt rockers are on any sort of hiatus. The foursome of Danny Hutchens, Eric Carter, David Nickel and Bentley Rhodes, rather, seem to be gearing for another season of long drives and sweaty, spirited rock shows.

Their last album, 2005’s Last Night Out, showed that over 15 years down the line, Bloodkin still comes out swinging. With several songs like “Watching the War on TV” centered around headline topicality, they rock with a fervor that sometimes gets overlooked during the transition from stage to studio. Other tracks such as “Another Lost Son of Gypsy Rose Lee” and “Old Musician Ranting Voodoo From His Deathbed” play forward the raunchy guitar rock and spitfire lyricism that have become synonymous with the band.

Recently, Bloodkin co-leader Danny Hutchens embarked on a string of acoustic dates along the East Coast. Hutchens has been wrapping his second solo album with David Barbe, and the new disc will be out later this year on independent L.A. label Autumn Tone Records, also reissuing his debut solo album Lesser.

Both Bloodkin fans and longtime townies should get a kick out of a feature that the band has added to their Internet home www.bloodkin.net. "The Fandango Files," in reference to the band’s one-time alias The Fandango Brothers, is a collection of journal entries taken from the pages of writer and band collaborator James Calemine. From 1991–2003, former Athenian Calemine chronicled more Bloodkin shows, practices, travels and recording dates than one hearty memory could possibly recall. Calemine apparently still makes it out to ‘Kin shows every now and again. Who knows? If you see a wiry dude scribbling in his notebook while you’re bobbing along to “Wet Trombone Blues,” then you’ve probably just been fandangoed.

Michael Andrews

Michael Andrews

ABC Pick

Thunder Thighs, Bellyache

Thursday, July 20, Flicker Theatre & Bar

originally published July 19, 2006

Thunder Thighs is an experiment in metaphysics attempting to answer a question that has buzzed behind the proverbial ear of mankind’s collective curiosity since God created the Earth 10,000 years ago: What happens when one takes a soundscape as infinite and amorphic as that of local band Dark Meat and lops off a few arms to create the ultimate party band, steeped in unlikely covers and razzmatazz costuming with a stage presence akin to what happens when a deviant throws a live hornets' nest and a brick of black cats into a Girl Scout campfire?

The winding melodies and mountains of psychedelia assault the feeble mind of an Athenian party crowd with a combination of harshly glittering newness and the eerie familiarity of Hank Williams singing a lullaby from the bottom of a moonlit well. The established Meat formula is upheld, which is to say, Thunder Thighs relates a song like a roughly hewn ice sculpture, creating a wall of noise and carving a cogent monster from that bulk. One can’t help but feel surrounded and terribly lonely. The musical talent is evident in that the plane may waltz with the mountains, but it never crashes. There is no smoke. The members weld old with new in such a way that one can sing along but not be bored after three songs, as with some other Athenian cover bands. Jim McHugh, Ben Clack, Page Campbell and others in the Dark Meat family make these sounds. We hear folk, we hear rock, we hear noise, we hear the death rattle scream of a lobster as the lid is dropped onto the pot. Bring an eclectic instrument and a costume. Bring tattered memories and frail hopes. Bring the inebriative agent of your choosing and lose yourself to the music of the spheres.

David Commins

David Commins

ABC Pick

"Next to Last Festival"

Saturday, July 22, 'Twixt Athens and Bogart

originally published July 19, 2006

Outdoor music combined with the comfort of easy-going friends just about defines Athens in the summer, and so this new addition to local music fits fine. This Saturday, a private pasture a ways behind all the stuff on Atlanta Highway across the Loop (the mall, Best Buy, etc.) plays home to the Next to Last Festival, a collaborative art and music event focusing on local quality and open to all.

"The initial idea at its core was and still is just to see some of my favorite music in an enjoyable environment with people I love," emails festival organizer Will Donaldson, also a member of the band Better People. "The specifics of the initial idea have begun to change as I've realized that not everyone and everything I dreamed of having could do it. I really wanted to have artists that have had a big impact on me and my life (creative and otherwise) in the last few years."

The music, starting at noon and then going until midnight, will vary from established local acts like Summer Hymns, The Low Lows and Phosphorescent to fresher-on-the-scene bands like Some Animal, My Parents, Better People and Paper Tanks. Local poet Jeff Fallis will deliver readings of a number of his recent pieces, and members of the MOXIE art collective should have a variety of wares on display and for sale. Donaldson says he'll likely add more artists and acts to the roster this week.

Scene-darling restaurant Roosters BBQ will provide vegetarian, vegan and carnivorous options for dining; BYO is the main route to hydration. Carpooling encouraged. Entry donation of $5–$10 per person suggested. All pertinent specifics, including a map, can be found at www.myspace.com/nexttolastfest. Donaldson mentions he'd love some volunteers, so email him at nexttolastfest@gmail.com if so inclined.

Chris Hassiotis

Chris Hassiotis