Threats & Promises

Music News And Gossip

originally published November 30, 2005

You know, folks, some news outlets simply compile a bunch of stuff and spit it back out, but around these parts, I lovingly research and compile factual information and gently hand it off to you in a nice little package. Surely you can spot the difference!

Non-Effing-Stop: The Drive-By Truckers have spent the past several weeks finishing up recording for a seventh full album. A Blessing and A Curse is tentatively scheduled to come out in April of next year on the band’s happy home New West Records. The album was recorded at Mitch Easter’s studio The Fidelitorium in North Carolina and at producer David Barbe’s studio Chase Park Transduction here in Athens. Barbe once again oversees the production, and John Agnello is mixing the record. “The title is a pretty good description of the things we’ve been writing about, the dualities of the day-to-day,” says bandmember Patterson Hood. “Most of the songs were written this summer, many within hours of being recorded, so it’s far more immediate than anything we’ve recorded so far.” Songwriters Hood and Jason Isbell both have solo albums wrapped and ready to go, but it looks like nothing official will happen with them until after the upcoming Truckers record has run its course, according to the label.

Thank Goodness For This: Speaking of the Truckers, Thanksgiving Day marked the 20th anniversary of the fateful meeting between Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley. A celebration was certainly in order, so the band did it up right with a show in Birmingham, AL, and another one in Atlanta, which also featured Don Chambers + GOAT and The Tom Collins opening. As if further evidence of the band’s legendary generosity was needed, Hood and bandmember Jason Isbell will play a special benefit show up in Asheville, NC, on Saturday, Dec. 17 for the Asheville Habitat For Humanity. The Warren Haynes 17th Annual Christmas Jam takes place at the Asheville Civic Center and will also feature performances by Haynes’ band Gov’t Mule, Hot Tuna, Trey Anastasio, Kevn Kinney, Dave Schools, Ralph Stanley, Marty Stuart and more.

Superfuzz Big Band: A little-advertised show, but one that will provide at least a few hours of sustainable joy, takes place Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the 40 Watt Club. Headliner Ceramic Dvck is well-known to audiences, but the newest eye-opening thing in Athens is the band in the middle slot, Dark Meat. Composed of members of local bands Disband, We Versus The Shark and a few others, Dark Meat features not only a packed stage full of rock instruments, but also a multi-piece horn section. I swear, 99 percent of bands that attempt anything like this immediately get put into the bullshit drawer, but Dark Meat somehow prevails. The group manages to take an unwieldy number of people and focus all their energy into making solid rock music that sounds exactly like what Mudhoney would sound like if it had comprised 15 members instead of four. Vicariously Through Cats opens the show.

Pay Your Tribute: Georgia State University’s radio station Album 88 (WRAS, 88.5 FM) is having its third annual benefit show on Saturday, Dec. 3, at Atlanta venue Eyedrum. Lest anyone be confused about the purpose of this event, as we have had a veritable shit-ton of benefit shows at this time of year, this event is a fundraiser for the station itself. Featured performers include Mars Ill, 63 Crayons, Chris Devoe, Slushco, Deerhunter, Tenement Halls, The Last Wonder Of The World and I Am The World Trade Center. The first 75 people to arrive will be subjected to doorprizes that include CDs, DVDs, Album 88 bags and a bunch of other stuff. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the cost is $8.

Not Your Grandma’s Christmas Party: Local visual artist Jeff Owens hosts his “JTO Xmas Show” at the Flicker Theatre & Bar on Monday, Dec. 5 along with musical guest Ham 1 and comedian Pete McBreyer. The opening reception for Owens’ new paintings is from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., with the other entertainment taking place afterward. Owens, who specializes in a surreal form of apocalyptic folk painting, has done work for local bands such as Jucifer, Le Guano and Harry Carey, and also provided the cover for Flagpole’s own 2001 Athens Music Directory. It’s well worth your time, as you won’t find another artist anywhere near Athens operating in the same mindset. Check out his stuff over at www.graveshifter.com.

A More Tender Side: Well here’s a one-of-a-kind event for you. Looks like on Friday, Dec. 2, Mother Jackson will play an all-acoustic show at Flicker. “This is probably going to be a first- and last-time thing,” says guitarist Richard Mikulka, “seeing as how we’re always loud and electric.” Should be interesting to see how the band’s heavy sort of ‘70s Southern rock, which draws on stuff from Skynyrd to Hendrix to ZZ Top, translates. The show starts at 8:30 p.m.

Prolific Is As Prolific Does: For those who were rocked by Love Tractor’s album Black Hole this past spring, get ready to be rocked again. Leader Mike Richmond has informed me that the band’s newest album Green Winter is not only in the can, but will be released on Dec. 13 by Fundamental Records. Richmond reports that this newest effort is much more of a “band” record, with the entire group doing the writing, recording and arranging, and that musically, it’s not as heavy as past efforts. Though no solid touring plans exist, Richmond says the band is looking to play out of town (and maybe in town as well) in early 2006. Ready for more? This Love Tractor lineup already has a third album ready to go for March of next year! I can’t tell you how much I love it when bands put out work at a pace like this.

More Like An Epic At Last: The very long-awaited debut album by dreamy local rock band An Epic At Best will finally see the light of day some time in the next few weeks. Recorded more than a year ago at the Downtown Athens Recording Company, There Will Be Rain necessarily captures the band in a somewhat different era. The major change to the group since then has been the addition of Roy Coughlin (Some Animal) on guitar. As bandleader Robert Gunn says, “Roy just adds so much. The rocking parts are more rocking and the softer parts have gotten softer. We’re a little different now, but we worked so hard on the album that we really wanted it to come out.” Atlanta label Two Sheds Music has stepped up to the plate to release the disc, which features artwork by local musician Lawson Grice (Iron Hero). Local fans can expect the label to have copies available for order on or about mid-December, but the official, big-bang release is set loosely for January. An Epic At Best plays the Caledonia Lounge on Thursday, Dec. 1.

Sometimes, I Wish I Were The Red Cross: Now It’s Overhead has production underway for its next album, due in spring of 2006. As could be expected, the band plans to travel the whole globe in support of this one, its third. Well, at least the United States and Europe. I swear, it’s just a matter of time until Andy LeMaster’s band will simply be too big for Omaha’s Saddle Creek. Anyway, the label recently released a compilation disc called Lagniappe that features the LeMaster/ Maria Taylor track “Breath.” Former Athenian Orenda Fink contributes an acoustic version of her track “No Evolution.” All proceeds benefit The Red Cross.

Oh Dang: In a recent story on the musical relationship between Athens and Omaha [Nov. 16], an important “not” was accidentally deleted during the editing process. The offending sentence should have read: “Smashmouth, it should be noted, is not the San Jose, CA group Smash Mouth who scored a 1997 hit with ‘Walkin’ on the Sun’ and the subsequently ubiquitous ‘All Star.’” Huge, huge apologies all around for that negative association.

Now all that’s left to do is peel slowly and see. Keep your news coming in and we’ll get it out to the masses. Remember to always mention my name or Threats & Promises in the subject line of all emails. Sharif don’t like it via email to music@flagpole.com, voicemail at 549-9523, ext. 203, or by post at P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603.

Gordon Lamb

Gordon Lamb