Club & Wire

Music News And Gossip

originally published September 19, 2001

"Make no mistake, the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts."

- a somber and shaken President George Bush, September 11, 2001

What can one say about last week's devastating attacks on the World Trade Center towers in New York and on the Pentagon outside of Washington? It's just terrible stuff.

While Bush and his administration assure the country that "terrorism cannot prevail," many young Americans feel stunned, lost, angry and numb. I sure do.

The terrorist acts brought the U.S. music industry to a virtual standstill. Especially in New York and the Northeast. Several major concerts in New York were immediately canceled including Babyface at the Apollo Theatre, Flickerstick at Irving Plaza, and the Levi's "Self Engineered" tour featuring The Roots, Me'shell Ndegeocello and others at B.B. King's Blues Club.

The CMJ Music Marathon 2001 - an annual conference featuring several hundred bands from around the world - was postponed. On Thursday, September 13, College Music Journal chairman Robert K. Haber issued this statement on its web site: "On behalf of the entire CMJ extended family, I wish to extend my most profound condolences to the families of the innocent victims of Tuesday's vicious terrorist attacks, and my sincerest prayers for the thousands of injured... In light of this devastating incident we have decided to postpone CMJ Music Marathon and FilmFest, originally scheduled to occur in Manhattan and Brooklyn from Thursday through Sunday, September 13-16. The new scheduled CMJ Music Marathon dates are Wednesday through Saturday, October 10-13 at the Hilton New York."

The across-the-board ground halt at the national airports and the communication and transportation snags in the Northeast put the muckers on most of the bands touring around the country as well.

A slew of Georgia bands, label execs and music biz folks were all ready to head up to the Big Apple for CMJ 2001 but no doin'. One local act faced an immediate dilemma: Athens' own I Am The World Trade Center which just released a new album. Flagpole contacted bandmember and Kindercore Records exec Dan Geller with the obvious question: What will you do about the band name after last week's events? "We are in a bit of a quandary right now still deciding what to do about the name," responded Geller. "The name means a lot to us and we are really getting sick of people insisting we change it who don't even know who we are or what we are about... We will be billed as I Am The... for the show at the 40 Watt Club this week. However, we are not exactly sure what we are... at this point." The band plays the 40 Watt Club with Minnesotans Triangle and Har Mar Superstar on Saturday, September 22.

Fundraising: Caledonia Lounge proprietors Kaya Yamashita and Karen Sweeney have organized a local donation fund that will go to aid victims of the World Trade Center attacks. "We are all deeply saddened by the events of this week," states Yamashita. "To ensure that the businesses and patrons of downtown have the opportunity to contribute to the relief efforts, we are creating buckets to be placed in several downtown businesses. Between now and September 26, we will collect money to donate to the New York Firefighter's Memorial Fund." Donation buckets are already set up at various downtown bars, clubs and businesses. All proceeds to go to help the families of emergency service employees. Any business that wants to put a bucket in their establishment can call Sweeney or Yamashita at 549-5577 or by email at caledonia256@hotmail.com.

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What's Poppin' At 90.5 FM, WUOG, You Ask?: The college radio station that tattoos your name on its heart with one hand while it beats you at armwrestling with the other is sad, comrade. Sad and pissed. The pollen count is hovering around 9.1, but that's not why. WUOG is sad because the Bombay 2 and Samba Soul 70! comps are missing, and mad at the waste of warm reproductive fluids that stole them. Call 542-4567 if you have any idea who this perpetrating mark is, or if you'd just like to make a request to wash away the grief. Meanwhile, WUOG will keep playing Mercury Rev, Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't, Ella Jenkins, The Handsome Family and NYC's Moldy Peaches, who are known to inspire singalongs and public displays of affection in all but the iciest misanthropes. Keep believing. [Emerson Dameron]

Bob Dylan's new studio album, a raspy, sarcastic, religion-tinged 12-song collection titled Love And Theft, swings like mad.

Another "official CD release party" is on the horizon. Veteran Athens rock and roll band Bloodkin releases its latest slab - a collection titled The Bloodkin Community Gospel Rehab - on Saturday, September 29 at Tasty World. The Bloodkin boys, led by longtime songwriters Danny Hutchens and Eric Carter, recorded and mixed the studio album with David Barbe at Chase Park Transduction studio this year. The album features guest appearances by Bill McKay, Todd Nance, William Tonks, John Neff and others. It's the first "studio documentation" of the current Bloodkin lineup featuring Hutchens, Carter, bassist Paul "Crumpy" Edwards and drummer Bently Rhodes. David Barbe & Friends open the show on the 29th.

Dextra... Dextra: Hollerin' and croonin' guitarist-singer and former Athens resident Dexter Romweber is coming for real! The former Flat Duo Jets frontman just released a solo album titled Chased By Martians on the Manifesto label and took off on something of a ramshackle Southern tour. Heads Up! There is a late addition to the schedule: Dexter and Co. are playing Tasty World on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. No cover, but they are passing the hat. Also look for Dex and drummer Sam "Crash LaResh" Sandler at the EARL in Atlanta on Friday, September 21 with The White Lights, and grab some of that hillbilly rock stuff.

This gig shall kick much ass: The mighty Tight Bro's From Way Back When, a high-velocity hard-rock band from Olympia, Washington, sounds like AC/DC circa-Jailbreak and the MC5... played simultaneously on 45 rpm. The imposing quintet is touring the States behind a searing new album called Lend You A Hand, out on the Kill Rock Stars label. The Bro's last show in Athens was a seriously drunk affair at the Ultramod Compound in June, 1999 behind a near-masterpiece titled Runnin' Thru My Bones. Raleigh's heavy-hitting, two-drum-kit onslaught The Cherry Valence recently released a self-titled full-length album on the Estrus label. The band's Southern-fried wango tango has been described as "a mutant crossbreeding of The Chocolate Watchband and Black Flag." Good grief! Opening the show is Olympia's loud C-Average, a Sabbath'n'Floyd-loving metal duo touring behind a riff orgy titled Second Reckoning (Kill Rock Stars). The shitstorm hits the stage at the EARL in Atlanta on Saturday, September 22.

Middle-Age Dudes With Facial Hair: Take heart, kiddies; rock and roll still exists in this world. I'm talking real Faces-Rolling Stones-Flamin' Groovies-rock-and-goddamn-roll. The Yayhoos are basically a roots-rock supergroup consisting of singer-guitarists Dan Baird (of the Georgia Satellites) and Eric "Roscoe" Ambel (of The Del-Lords and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts), bassist Keith Christopher (of Shaver and Paul Westerberg) and drummer Terry Anderson (of The Woods). The band formed in 1995 but doesn't get to tour much because they all got plenty to keep 'em occupied; both Baird and Ambel are in-demand producers, and Ambel spent time playing guitar on Steve Earle's last tour. The quartet recently released an incredible record of raw, rootsy rock called Fear Not The Obvious on the Bloodshot label. Look for The Yayhoos at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta on Wednesday, September 26. This is a rare treat and, should be a killer rock show. [Matt Thompson]

Athens insiders know the "Local 706 Punk Rock Union" as a collective of like-minded local punk bands like Guff, Hunter-Gatherer, American Mutts, Exit 86 and the like. Make room, fellas. There's a newly-established radio promotion company outta Atlanta called "The 706 Union." Company exec Jez DeWolff used to help run the show in the music department at WRAS 88.5 FM in Atlanta. "We are a small indie promo company in Atlanta working the music that we think are the underdogs... music that you probably haven't heard of but is well worth a listen and some spins," says she. Already on the 706 Union's plate is Atlanta trio Dropsonic's The Big Nothing, released this month on Atlanta's Moodswing Records. Check out supportindierock.com for more "706" info.

What remains of singer-guitarist Jeff Tweedy's Wilco hits Atlanta for a show on Monday, September 24 at the Roxy. Wilco parted with its label Reprise last month. In a recent interview with Billboard, R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck stated, "It doesn't make business sense to drop someone like Wilco, who makes the record company money... They make records inexpensively and tour their asses off... when I heard that they got dropped, I just thought it was the most insane thing I had ever heard."

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The usually-hilarious acoustic rock duo Tenacious D - the "hardest working band in show biz," as they put it - takes off on a major tour of clubs and TV and radio studios this week. The duo's long-awaited, self-titled debut album (produced by the Dust Brothers) hits the street on Tuesday, September 25. Watch for the D on the "Late Show With David Letterman" on Wednesday, September 26 and with Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show" on Thursday, September 27. "Come see us play, but only if you're not worried about having your head rocked right off your shoulders," says singer-guitarist-ham Jack Black.

Cheap Trick at the Georgia Theatre on Monday, October 1...has been cancelled. In fact, the whole tour has been scrubbed due to recent tragic events in New York.

Get ’Em While you Can: Tickets go on sale Saturday, Sept. 22 at 10 a.m. for the Black Crowes show scheduled for October 19 at Stegeman Coliseum (part of Homecoming, for you student types). Available at the Tate Center Cashier's Window and through Ticketmaster.

Please music news to us by email at music@flagpole.com; by voice mail at 549-2630; by fax at 549-8981; or by simple post at P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603.