Threats & Promises

Music News And Gossip

originally published December 14, 2005

Introductions always seem to come across as little bits of worthless chit-chat before the real story is dropped, don’t they? Well, since I certainly don’t want you to think I’m wasting your time, I’ll just end this right here…

Click Click: A reminder, Flagpole readers, that we want to hear from you about your past year in local music. Take a minute to swing by www.flagpole.com/survey and let us know what your 10 favorite local albums of the past year are. We also want to know a little bit about the best and worst shows you saw this year, as well as what you hope to see happen in local music over the next year. Your thoughts and responses will be printed in our year-end double issue. The deadline to vote is Friday, Dec. 16 at 5 p.m.

Put Someone In Charge Of This: Local bands, you know I love you, but the truth is that many of y’all are notoriously lazy. So with that in mind, it would do you good to go ahead and assign one bandmember to be in charge of submitting your stuff for inclusion on next year’s AthFest compilation CD. Submissions will be taken until Jan. 31, 2006. All details are available over at www.athfest.com, and you should at least consider submitting something you haven’t already released.

A Fine Gift Indeed: Local songsmith Bill Mallonee sat down last week to record six new Christmas-themed songs, and Chicago record label Fundamental Records is packaging ‘em on the quick, burning those tunes and five Vigilantes of Love Christmas songs onto a gold CD-R “with artwork and a five-word message of your choice.” The 11-track disc should be ready now, and is only available at www.fundamentalrecords.com/yonder.htm.

And Hello To You, Too: Local label Hello Sir, which gets the thumbs up for running the most organized and attractive upstart in recent memory, is finally releasing the re-issue of the split EP between Florida’s Mercury Program and Athens’ own Maserati. Entitled Confines Of Heat, the record was originally released on the now-defunct Kindercore label back in 2003. Although originally slated for release by Hello Sir in September of this year, the record looks like it will again see the light of day sometime this month. Earlier this year, the label re-released the Maserati album The Language Of Cities. Copies available for holiday purchasing can be had via www.hellosirrecords.com. Check your local shops, too.

Nothing To Be Mad About: New Athens artist Frank Williams, who performs under the name Mad Whiskey Grin, has been trying to crack the scene since earlier this summer. Having recently performed live on WUGA and at local live outlets such as Hot Corner Coffee, Williams is currently planning to play out more. He plays a wonderful style of acoustic guitar reminiscent of the late John Fahey, and exhibits a blues influence that is strictly old school and along the lines of Robert Johnson and Elmore James. Very cool stuff, indeed. The curious can check him out over at www.myspace.com/madwhiskeygrin.

Ring of Fire: Local musicians Daniel Rickard (Viva, Parker & Lily, Phosphorescent) and Kai Riedl (Macha) last week set off to Indonesia once again to track down field recordings, with plans to create definitive collections of unique traditional Javanese music styles. The two plan to spend almost a month traveling the countryside, and should have more news to report early next year.

Condition Critical: Chris McKay, namesake of local band Chris McKay & the Critical Darlings (and Flagpole photographer), reports that since the departure of drummer Tom Bavis, the band has still been forging ahead. McKay and bassist Frank DeFreese continue to write songs in what McKay has referred to as their “most prolific time since the Darlings came to be.” The band has plans for a new album in the new year, tentatively named Satisfactionista, and is considering adding other instruments to the group such as keyboards. Of course, they’re still trying to fill the much-needed drummer’s throne, so any interested parties should contact them via www.chrismckay.net.

And It Never Crumbles: Okay, bad jokes aside, Casper & the Cookies remain one of the hardest-working outfits in Athens. Current news indicates that Davy Gibbs (ex-Tracer Matula, Lumus) is taking up the drumming position, and Suzanne Allison (63 Crayons) is back within the fold; those in the know caught the new lineup on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at Little Kings. Beyond this, the band reports that it has a ton of new material, so in order to accommodate fans and clear the decks, the Cookies plan to release two separate full-length albums in 2006. Well, all right!

And Now, The News: Atlanta Radio station WNNX has donated more than $6,500 worth of musical equipment to Athens’ own Nuçi’s Space through the station’s “I Am 99X” Foundation. Each year, the foundation selects which non-profit organizations it will help, and the folks at Nuçi’s Space impressed them so much they decided to support the Athens resource center this year. Through assistance via Atlanta’s Guitar Center, WNNX provided microphones, speakers, CD players, public address systems, CD players and guitar amps. Awesomely cool.

Band to Watch. Literally: Production company Amber Villain Films has released a DVD compilation of former Athens-based act Jucifer. The disc includes two live shows - a 2002 show in Detroit and one from mid-2004 in London, Ontario. Additional footage includes the band playing Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” live at WUOG 90.5 FM in 1998. Continually billed as a “band to watch,” it’s high time Jucifer gets its due. After 12 years, what’s the world waiting for? Copies of the DVD can be ordered from www.ambervillain.com. Also, despite the similarity in their names, the production company is not related to bandmember Amber Valentine in any way other than releasing the film. That’s how rumors get started, ya know.

Be Cool, Go To School: While there are pros and cons associated with the ever-increasingly glossy world of underground music, if you’re going to play the game at all, you should probably try to play it correctly. To this end, local independent publicist and promoter Michelle Roche is going to be teaching a class called “Publicity for Your Band That Works” through the University of Georgia beginning Jan. 23, 2006. The classes are being held at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education and information can be found via this web address: www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/ppd/spring2006/performing.phtml. Roche has done mountains of publicity work for such bands as The Glands, Gov’t Mule, Galactic, Cake, Vic Chesnutt, Jucifer and more. The course will be held on Monday nights, 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m., and will run until March. The cost is $125 and folks can split this up by paying half upon registration and then half by the first session.

Listen For Yourself: Local supergroup Dark Meat has posted a live track from its recent 40 Watt performance over at www.myspace.com/darkmeats. “In The Woods Man” showcases the band quite well with its heavy, Neil Young-esque guitars and creative horn arrangement. The band’s next club date is Thursday, Dec. 29 at the fabulous 40 Watt - since you already know you won’t be doing anything else that night, make your plans to go check this group out.

Where’s Luigi?: On Thursday, Dec. 15 at 10 p.m., the Sundance Channel premieres the installment of its “Iconoclasts” series that features elusive local musician Michael Stipe. In the six-part series, “some of today’s most provocative personalities explore the passions and aspirations of the innovators, rule breakers and ground shakers who inspire them.” Similar to Warhol’s Interview magazine, the series puts two famous folks together; in this episode, subtitled “Batali on Stipe” (also the name of an exotic sandwich-styled delicacy) restaurateur and Food Network Iron Chef Mario Batali interviews and pays tribute to the R.E.M. frontman. More info and additional showtimes are over at www.iconoclaststv.com.

Where It’s Due: A photo of the band Sursie in the Nov. 30 edition of Flagpole should have been credited to local photographer William Cary Whitley. Visit WorldLooksRed.com to check out some of his other work.

And that’s that. Remember to always mention my name or Threats & Promises in the subject line of all emails. That way when your news comes in, the folks know where to send it. I’m just watching Scotty grow 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