originally published August 23, 2006

Since I neglected to do this last week, I want to extend my personal welcome to all those folks who just moved to town. A particular welcome goes out to those new folks who have already made their mental commitment to explore, embrace and perhaps participate in the Athens music scene. Start embracing below..

DVD Killed The MTV Star: The third edition of local DVD magazine Monitor is out now, and it focuses on the heavier aspect of local music. Check it out for footage of Jucifer, Harvey Milk, Brown Frown, Garbage Island and Dark Meat. The DVD is available at local record shops, and hit up www.monitordvd.com for more info.

Short News: The members of Athens metal act The Knife Trade, who have more than one hook up their sleeves, will head to new Jersey in late September to start pre-production on their first full-length album. Featuring new frontman Blake Skipper, the band is deservedly excited about this development. Still, I’ve always been frustrated by the term “pre-production.” What exactly constitutes this type of production before actually producing anything? Isn’t this what used to be called "practice"?

Busy Barbe: Local (but known throughout the stratosphere) engineer David Barbe will not play his normal round of outdoor shows at the Caledonia Lounge this fall because he’s decided to go ahead and engineer, um, himself. Yes, there’s a new David Barbe album coming up, but since the thing isn’t even started yet, don’t even try to imagine a release date. I can see you imagining right now, so stop it.

Well, Sure, If Athens Is A Metropolis: The management of downtown eatery and favorite Sunday night hangout Transmetropolitan has an easy way for folks to contact them regarding booking. Just head over to www.myspace.com/transmetropolitanupstairs and drop them a line. Whatever you do, don’t head in there at lunchtime someday and start bugging the folks behind the counter about how your band can get booked. Just don’t do it. Upcoming shows at the restaurant include Whiskey Dick and Black Tusk on Saturday, Aug. 26 and Television Buzz with hey, revolution! on Sunday, Aug. 27.

Big Names: The guys in local Southern rock group Tishamingo are currently working on their next record with super-star producer John Kurzweg (Creed, Puddle Of Mudd) and, in a rare move, local studio owner and engineer John Keane has handed over control of his studio to Kurzweg. I don’t know of any other time Keane has done this except for maybe when David Barbe wanted to record some stuff over there. In other news, Tishamingo just came off the road after bustin’ chops in Europe and will head back out on the road (these guys tour like mad) after a hometown gig over at the fabulous 40 Watt on Thursday, Aug. 31.

Orange Twin Hits The Road: Okay, maybe that headline is a little misleading. But, a couple Orange Twin acts are gonna be pounding the highways really hard these next months, so show some love. Elf Power, whose latest album Back To The Web was released via Rykodisc, begins its tour at Macon, GA venue The Hummingbird on Sept. 7 and returns for a hometown show at the fabulous 40 Watt on Oct. 26. Geoff Reacher begins his tour Saturday, Aug. 26 at the Caledonia Lounge and then heads up the coast for the next month. See feature story about Reacher on p. 31. For updates and whatnot concerning this stuff and more about the Orange Twin Conservation Community and record label, please see www.orangetwin.com.

But What About The Children?: Right before heading out on tour, Elf Power is filming a set for the indie kids' show "Pancake Mountain." Produced in Washington, DC, the show is a collection of curious bits, skits and musical performances. Elf Power's inviting all music-minded Athenians with younger children out to the Orange Twin community on Sunday, Aug. 27 for a taping of a performance geared towards kids. For details, times and directions, contact Elf Power through its MySpace page at www.myspace.com/elfpowerband.

Live, Baby, Live: Although he had not planned on being able to do it so soon, Sailor Winters main man (um, only man?) Ryan Cox has moved into the arena of playing shows with live instrumentation. For the uninitiated, let me explain: Cox creates overwhelming soundscapes of constructed noise, and for the past several months, his live show has consisted of a film playing while his music matched the motion and action in the film. Each part was pre-recorded. Now Cox has gathered the proper equipment to make his sounds as an actual live performer. This new phase debuted a couple of weeks back at a tiny house show, but the curious can find him, along with Better People at Stone Mountain’s Chateaux Noir on Wednesday, Aug. 23. For directions and other info, please see www.sailorwinters.com. Expect an Athens date in the near future.

Speaking of Which: Okay, this is a weird one. Several months ago, Atlanta musician Doug Patterson had recorded some songs via acoustic guitar and vocals, sounding not at all unlike a Neutral Milk Hotel-style act, and sent them up to Athens musician Will Donaldson so he could add backing tracks. Donaldson’s completed tracks featured dialogue samples, random bits of fuzz, beats and some other ephemera. Either way, the project they created, known as Better People, was a very cool, creative endeavor. Now it seems that Patterson has shifted gears entirely and is starting to make actual noise-based recordings under the Better People moniker without the assistance or input of Donaldson. On one hand, this makes sense given Patterson’s association with Ryan Cox (Sailor Winters) and his Black Noise label. On the other hand, Better People, although a tiny outfit by any measure, just seemed such a singular thing that perhaps the name should have been retired. I dunno. But even if I did know, they probably wouldn’t ask me anyway. Just keep in mind that if you see anything listed for a performance by “Better People” now, you’re in for a loud blast of something completely different.

Put On The Freeze: Local band Freeze Tag will play Tasty World on Thursday, Aug. 31 and normally I wouldn’t write about a band I had not heard yet, but I’m gonna make an exception in this case. The four dudes in this band (Will Goss, Jon Phillips, Rand Lines and Alejandro Crawford) have been ardent supporters of the Athens scene for a while now and it’s high time some of you guys in bands that know them go check them out. Self-described as “nice and from good homes” and having one of the best names in town right now, Freeze Tag is, of this moment, my favorite band I have never heard. Once I hear these guys, that could all change, but for now, it stands.

With that, C’est la vie. Be sure to keep your news coming in and always mention either Threats & Promises or my name in the subject line of all emails. You must be my lucky star via email to music@flagpole.com, voicemail at 706-549-9523, ext. 203, or by post at P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603.

Gordon Lamb

Gordon Lamb