Bernadette Seacrest & Her Provocateurs

Wednesday, April 4, Mercury Lounge

originally published April 4, 2007

Bernadette Seacrest

Bernadette Seacrest embodies all of the most alluring qualities of a femme fatale lifted from the pages of a pulp crime novel. When asked about her past, she only hints at some trouble that went down in Albuquerque before she skipped town and “followed her heart to Atlanta.” And it is no small metaphor that when she parted ways with her former New Mexico bandmates in the Yes Men, they changed their name to the Bitter Sermon.

Now, settled alongside guitarist Charles Williams and bassist Kris Dale, Seacrest fronts a trio that was recently christened Bernadette Seacrest & Her Provocateurs. The group plays a sultry, loungey blend of dark jazz that fuels the cool voice of the torchy and tattooed seductress. Indeed, she bears the marks of an old-school rockabilly gal risen above the trashy travails of club life, arriving on a perch that swings far above the maddening crowd. “I'm kind of a sad girl," she says. "I like slow, sparse music and I like to sing songs that rip your heart out."

Though most of the group’s material is penned by Williams, Seacrest’s former Yes Man Pat Bova continues writing material for her as well. “They both know me very well and are able to write music that I can get into and own,” she adds. And the equation would be imbalanced if not for her distinct and siren-like croon.

The Provocateurs’ sound sways through a bottom-heavy whirr, evoking mystery and melancholy. Most of Seacrest’s repertoire is rooted in 1950s noir sounds, and it’s not uncommon to hear the group snake through a rendition of “Fever” before easing into a haunted rearrangement of “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails. “The tunes are authentically a part of my soul,” she adds. “Singing them is better than any drug.”

Chad Radford

"Thirty Minutes of Shame"

Friday, April 6 @ Go Bar

originally published April 4, 2007

Bitch Switch

Early February saw the debut of the Go Bar's "Thirty Minutes of Shame" event in which numerous deejays take over the sound system for just half an hour each. The event was curated by Dan Geller, one half of I Am The World Trade Center and the deejay who spins under the name Twin Powers. "The inspiration was all the dance parties I have been to in big cities," he says. "These parties have a lineup of several deejays and each one spins about 45 minutes on the same gear. It makes it so nothing gets stale and everyone plays their best possible set. Deejaying for four hours by yourself is a real art, but doing 30 minutes is pretty manageable for anyone that likes music."

Geller says he was looking for variety when choosing the deejays for tonight's second installment, starting at 10:30 p.m. following an early Audition With Max Reinhardt performance. "This time, we are trying to mix it up a little and give some new people a chance to be heard while still including some of the more established names. The bottom line is fun," he says. "We are really trying to get a very diverse crowd in our little bar… we will have a room full of a cross-section of the city, and everyone will have fun. Hopefully, everyone will discover some new music, as well as get down to their favorites."

Tonight's lineup includes Go regulars like DJ Bonsai Kitten, Jena Paradies and deejay duos Frizzly Muff and Bitch Switch alongside some newer faces in town: Velveteen Pink offshoot Immuzikation and Camp Candy, the deejaying trio of Nate Mitchell and Becky Brooks of Cars Can Be Blue and Titans of Filth's Sam Grindstaff. Flagpole music editor Chris Hassiotis even tries his hand as DJ Baby Pandas, so if you need to take a break from dancing, you can throw your drinks at him. Er, um, me.

Chris Hassiotis

Of Montreal

with Elf Power & Dark Meat

Monday, April 9 @ 40 Watt Club

originally published April 4, 2007

Mike White

Kevin Barnes

Three top-notch local bands, each of which could headline its own bill, all playing together at a show the proceeds of which benefit Nuçi's Space: even if Mondays weren't slow nights for live music in Athens, it'd be hard to pass this one up.

Of Montreal's juggernauting popularity is old hat by this point - look to Mar. 24's sold-out 40 Watt wardrobe-heavy spectacle for the most immediate example. But Kevin Barnes' pop powerhouse has found new ways to grow, and this week's not-quite-an-encore show is proof. A little background, first: the local band is off to New York next week for an Apr. 12 appearance on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and then will perform at a warehouse party hosted by New York magazine. At that show, Of Montreal will act as a live karaoke band, whipping through one set of cover songs and one set of the group's own songs, allowing audience members to act as vocalist throughout both. So this 40 Watt show is a warmup for that gig, offering Athenians a chance to sing while the band (whose live show has become a grab-bag of surrealist fun) acts as backup.

Elf Power fills the middle slot, setting up the front-end bookend for an upcoming tour, which sees the band head across the country spreading the word about last year's Back to the Web before landing back in Athens for a Georgia Theatre show on May 12. Psychedelic garage explosion Dark Meat opens. Though details were still firming up at press time, expect something a little out of the ordinary from the band, be it a set focusing on new tunes or even unusual covers. The $12 tickets are on sale now at www.40watt.com.

Chris Hassiotis