"Mountain Stage"
Sunday, August 27, UGA Hodgson Hall
originally published August 23, 2006
Ben McCormick
Vic Chesnutt
For those bemoaning the dearth of national attention focused on our town, look no further than this weekend's "Mountain Stage" taping. A production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting and heard across the country on local National Public Radio stations, "Mountain Stage" is a series of two-hour specials with a focus on traditional sounds and newer styles alike. "'Mountain Stage' producers respect the musicians who keep traditions alive as well as the innovators who forge ahead," says the show's website. Hosted by Larry Groce, "Mountain Stage" usually tapes in front of a live audience at the Cultural Center in Charleston, WV, but this weekend the show swings south to tape at the Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall of the UGA Performing Arts Center.
"Mountain Stage" performers typically each deliver a three- to six-song segment. The Athens taping features: Carbon Leaf, the Virginia alt-folk-rock five-piece that regularly played Tasty World in 2003, returning to push the upcoming album Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat; Todd Snider, the energetic and engaging Texas songwriter whose new album is The Devil You Know; California's Garrison Starr, singing folk-pop numbers off her fifth album The Sound of You & Me; Modern Skirts, the fast-rising, piano-based local pop songwriters; the swoony sounds of Athens' own Amanda Kapousouz and her violin-and-loop-centric project Tin Cup Prophette; and Vic Chesnutt, the irascible local songwriting hero who last year released Ghetto Bells, his strongest album in years.
Hosted by WUGA 91.7/ 97.9 FM, the University's public radio station, tonight's show starts promptly at 7 p.m. The program will air nationally on Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. Tickets, which cost $25, are available only at the UGA Performing Arts Center Box Office; call 706-542-4400 for more information.
Chris HassiotisTrachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, Corn Mo
Thursday, August 24, 40 Watt Club
originally published August 23, 2006
Corn Mo
The thing you might not have picked up on about headliners the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players is that they’re not just weird, they also have an abiding love for the operatic rock of the 1970s, the kind of thing that Paul Williams did in his soundtrack to Phantom of the Paradise, that ELO took to classical extremes, that The Rocky Horror Picture Show demonstrated beautifully. It’s songcraft and a bit of madness melded like a perfect vinaigrette.
Corn Mo might be less known than the Trachtenburgs (at least in Athens), but he even looks the part, with a head of golden hair, two monster sideburns and, um, an accordion. Sometimes there is major rock, during which that hair could be in a metal-influenced shampoo commercial, and Corn Mo shows off his Angus-esque pipes. Sometimes, as on “Busey Boy,” his song about being mistaken for Gary Busey, the more melodic side of '70s rock (think Elton John, a bit) comes out to play. “Being a Star Captain” might have a lot of words about cheese and other dairy products, but it’s also got a big chorus of harmonizing voices and chimes.
He’s kind of the love child of Freddie Mercury and Meatloaf if they asked Weird Al to be the godfather - but don’t discount those first two parts and think novelty equals a lack of songwriting craft. Corn Mo is also sincere in the way Andrew W.K. is (minus some blood). He’s worked a crappy job, like many of us, and he’ll tell you about it in concert. Basically, he cares about what he does, and he also does that thing well.
Hillary BrownBird Flu, Community Chaos, 696, The Skuds
Thursday, August 24, Lunch Paper
originally published August 23, 2006
Bird Flu's Nick Givens
In the hyper-zoological world of modern music, subgenres are birthed into existence on the regular. Perhaps no style of music has borne a more varied and expansive litter than punk rock. So if you have not yet familiarized yourself with the hot potato that is "power violence," you couldn't quite be accused of missing the bus. For the cred-deficient among us, Athens' own power-violence émigré Bird Flu is aiding the genre in being present and fully accounted for in our scrappy punk scene. While only slightly more timely than SARS, but not quite as offensive as any number of grindcore song titles, Bird Flu’s moniker of choice is only apropos to the listener upon becoming privy to the band's harsh screeds.
Open your texts to pg. 99: according to Bird Flu guitarist/ co-screamer Nick Givens, power violence evidently shares hip hop’s affinity for shout-outs. "Man is the Bastard coined the term in their song 'H.S.M.P.', and also listed the bands that perpetrated the style, saying: 'Crossed Out, No Comment, Manpig, Capitalist Casualties, Man Is The Bastard... West Coast Power Violence,'" says Givens. The members of Bird Flu follow in their precursors' footsteps ably, nailing their power violence to the wall, with thrashy blasts rarely traversing past the running time of 60 seconds. Givens, bassist/ co-screamer Wes Fritts and drummer Mike Reilly have been putting in their time on Athens' house-show circuit for several months and are finally bringing their vaguely experimental sound to proud punk homestead Lunch Paper.
“I hope the people who see Bird Flu walk out feeling strongly one way or another,” says Givens when asked what sort of reactions he hopes his band will garner. “I'd rather 90 percent of the town hate us with a burning passion than feel apathetic about our performances.” He is quick to add: “Oh, and I hope they start a circle pit.” The ball is in your four-square court, Athens.
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