"Rhino 5 Showcase"

Wednesday, December 20 @ Flicker Theatre & Bar

originally published December 20, 2006

When Hope For Agoldensummer's Claire Campbell, Count's Count Kellam and Leslie "Serpentfly" Helpert last performed locally under the semi-jokey banner "Rhino 5 Showcase," the show offered an intoxicating and intimate look at three local songwriters and the intermingling of their talents. That was in July of 2005, and the trio returns this week for another go. "We lend our whole souls to each other's works," says Helpert. "I am psyched because I love those two." "Basically," says Campbell, "the premise is for each of us to have a loose grasp of each other's songs so that our show isn't completely unrehearsed, but is open to a great deal of surprise… We are working with old material and brand-new material previously unheard by the public ear. Many three-part harmonies. We try to practice those a lot so that we don't stumble over each other since our ranges are so similar." Campbell, aside from her duties in Hope and Dark Meat, recently contributed the score to indie flick Off the Black, starring Nick Nolte and Timothy Hutton and directed by pal James Ponsoldt (this is Campbell's second score for one of his movies). Kellam himself currently lives in Atlanta, and though he occasionally performs, little has been seen or heard of him or his moving, at-times-nasal vocals around these parts lately. Thanks in part to the strength of his 2004 album Animal You Rock Star, Kellam was named by the voting public Best Singer/Songwriter at the 2005 Flagpole Athens Music Awards. And for those who have felt pangs of absence for Helpert's own songs and round vowels - the last time she played in Athens was back in February - she has another show lined up on Thursday, Dec. 28 at Little Kings, backed by Jeff Reilly and Neal Fountain on bass and drums and with Philadelphia artist Adam Arcuragi opening. This Flicker gig gets going at 8:30 p.m. Chris Hassiotis