Club Notes

Cold Beer, Warm Cigarettes

originally published May 5, 2004

It's Hump Day, April 28, I'm in Flicker to see Some Animal, but first up is Honest Engine. Joel Byron is singing about "cold beer and warm cigarettes." I saw these guys a couple of weeks ago at Nuçi's and their country rock and jazzy blues are as good as ever even without Rich Ianucci on keyboards. Re: Flicker, I like the old-worldy-theatre-feel of the small, curtained stage, tucked in behind the bar.
Roy Coughlin is the friendly face of Some Animal, starting off solo and acoustic to appease management, who are complaining about the noise. I love being surprised about people and from this mild-mannered musician comes a voice that is almost ghostly in its huskiness, reminiscent of Hollywood's old Indian chiefs. The last-minute change to acoustic is obviously a strain; soon the rest of the band joins Coughlin so that Some Animal can bare its teeth a little. Some Animal is almost all of Honest Engine with Byron moving over to bass and pedal steel, Dan Nettles on guitar and Jeff Riley on drums. I can't help thinking Dave Matthews Band or Counting Crows. The band isn't exactly tight, and some glitches are evident, but the individual players are slick performers and the overall effect is still smooth. If you like to take your music sitting down, (i.e. you're over 30) sans earplugs and you could've been there, then don't give me would'a; ya should'a.
Going from Flicker to the 40 Watt is quite a shock to the system and Sunshine Fix is pumping out Beatles-esque rock at a solid volume with a mid-set poppy reprieve. The Fix is adequate and interesting, but not really exciting. J Mascis & The Fog: I was told to expect loud and I'm getting it, but what else should I expect from the former leader of Dinosaur Jr.? What came next was a string of amazing guitar solos (which at some point ceased to be amazing), Motörhead power drumming from Kyle Spence (The Tom Collins), precision bass courtesy of Dave Schools (Widespread Panic, Acetate) and those interesting pre-grunge nasal vocals. For someone who has been around the block (on a global scale) as long as Mascis, I want either nostalgia or originality. Instead, I get a rock/ metal guitar lover's ultimate wet dream rock show. Mascis is preaching to the converted, but failing to save my soul.
The sky is grey and rainy; town is packed with the very young; I'm in the Caledonia Lounge, it's Friday night, eleven o'clock and the crowd is a little thin. hey, revolution!'s album launch for ...Like It's Hot! is the plan and The High Caliber is to follow Clay Leverett (Lona) and his grungy country rockin' guitar in warming up the room. Leverett could well be stealing the show as he drops in behind the drum kit to sing, play guitar, and play drums as he pours out his country rock tunes. Not too heavy, not too light, just right.
"Chocolate-covered apricots, long-stem roses and microdots" is the melodic, lyrical ending to The High Caliber's set. True to its name, the rock quartet is punchy and loud. The High Caliber plays funky, non-derivative rock. With a bit more humor and slightly better vocals, these guys could swing like a gate or rock like a cradle, take your pick.
A cool breeze finds its way into the Callie's beer garden under a humid-dark-sky as hey, revolution! gets its sound check sorted. Five songs into the set, I've escaped the din to try and decide what I think of the music (and the fact that I have to try says something in itself). I decide that in spite of its slight country-funk influences, the show is too much like rehashed four-on-the-floor pub/ college rock - which is all fine and dandy but not very original, and I have to ask myself why anyone would want that on CD? On the upside, hey, revolution! is earnest and fun at the same time.
There's tie die from Blue Sky to The Grill, bubbles in the air, dreadlocked hippie chicks dancing like only dreadlocked hippie chicks can (with flowers in their hair). It's Saturday night and I've joined the local leftist fringe downtown at the 26th Annual Athens Human Rights Festival. The last band of the night is local outfit Cosmic Charlie playing country-folk-jazzy-bluegrass-rock like only the Grateful Dead could. I've had limited exposure to The Dead's music, but it's a no-brainer these six guys sound great and the crowd loves them. They knock out a bunch of Grateful Dead and R&B classics such as "Tennessee," Willie Nelson's "Big River" and "Dancin' In The Streets" which builds into an incredible half-hour drum solo using both drummers (yes, that's right: two) and a head-high-vertically-mounted arc of drums attached to the rear of the stage. Add to that two performing fire-twirlers and one of Athens' own wandering pipers and a set that goes for at least an hour and a half and you've got one hell of a free show. In fact, I think every band should have its own bubble machine and I'm so swept away that I think I may just start my own amorphous Grateful Dead tribute band. I'll call it Happy Rigormortis!

Ben Gerrard

Ben Gerrard is a radio journalist and writer working and living in Athens. Club Notes is a weekly look at the local club scene.

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