10 days ago
Allison Weiss
w/ Jenny Owen Youngs, Bess Rogers
Wednesday, March 3 @ Caledonia Lounge
Kicking off their “Spring Break Forever 2010 Tour” at the Caledonia Lounge, Athens was privy to the first peek of Bess Rogers, Jenny Owen Youngs and Allison Weiss last Wednesday, Mar. 3. This tour is a “girl thing” where the three of them will spend time playing music, bonding on their 12-city tour while “driving around in a Jeep listening to Alanis Morissette,” they explained while all three were onstage.
The opening act, Brooklyn-born Bess Rogers, came out with a ukulele for her first two songs, lending a beach-inspired yet folksy sound to her silky sweet voice. The songs were catchy in a foot-tapping and head-bopping sort of way. Rogers, unassuming with her small frame and pixie haircut, interacted with the audience throughout her set, jokingly asking if there were any complaints. At one point, she interrupts herself in the middle of a song to tell the audience that the upcoming part was her favorite.
Jenny Owen Youngs, on tour promoting her second full-length album, Transmitter Failure, has a laid back, nonchalant style. Her hypnotically expressive voice went from loudly wailing to softly crooning to a faint whisper with ease. It’s not necessary what she says, but how she says. Youngs’ lyrics are beautiful and question herself and the audience. Even the songs that aren’t so deep are captivating, such as "Fuck Was I" in which she asks, “What the fuck was I thinking?”
However it was local singer/songwriter Allison Weiss that captivated the audience the moment she took the stage, opening her set with "I'm Ready." Her sophisticated, intelligent brand of indie pop delightfully invigorated the audience. Her acoustic melodies and choruses, such as in "From You to Me" and "Try to Understand," are catchy and heartwrenching at the same time.
Throughout the night, all three were frequently onstage, joking with the audience and each other, revealing the nicknames they had given themselves (Pizza Pie, Mr. Frosty and Magical Boobs), and singing the theme song to their tour, "Spring Break Forever 2010," which listed, in order, the 12 cities they would be visiting and other absurd lyrics like, “ Are you ready to wake up with only one kidney?”
Overall, the atmosphere at the Caledonia Lounge was mellow and intimate, and the performances were stellar. The level of fun and friendliness that the three created was impressive, and the comfortable vibe they exuded made its way to the audience. They had a tendancy to go on tangents when talking, but the music more than made up for their unfocused banter. What was refreshing about the whole experience was that the three of them constantly interacted with the audience and with eachother as if this was just a group of old friends hanging out.
21 days ago
'Powers
w/ Caltrop, Savagist
Friday, Feb. 19 @ Caledonia Lounge
If you were downtown Friday night, you might of felt the earth move. This earthquake, however, wasn’t caused by Mother Nature. Its epicenter was at Caledonia as three titans of metal ravaged the packed club.
First up was the band Caltrop. A four-piece from Chapel Hill, NC that started the night off with long, heavy, unstructured songs that took you on a musical journey. Often the guitars and bass would go on wandering tangents, with bluesy solos and fills; but before you got too lost in the madness, the music would come together and hit you over the head with a bone crushing riff that made you pump your fist in the air and scream for more. The lead guitarist played most of the set with his eyes closed as he let the music envelop him and the solos pour out of him. The drummer definitely had anger issues to deal with as he beat his drums into submission song after song. In fact, they had to stop the show after the drummer broke his drum set during the last song of the night. The only negative comment I have about the Caltrop is that the vocals—though not a major component of the music—were weak. They just didn’t communicate well and felt out of place in the twisting and turning juggernaut that is Caltrop's music.
Savagist was next to take the stage. This four-piece consisted of members from other punk/metal bands The Dumps, 300 Cobras and Hot Breath. This was the first time I’ve seen this band play live. I was excited to see them because I’m a huge fan of The Dumps and couldn’t wait to see what their members brought to this new incarnation. I was put off at first, as their lead song had a very slow and melodic intro. It was not what I was expecting, but the intro was quickly dominated by blistering fast guitars and drums that lasted the rest of the set. Savagist's songs were a mixture of chunky hardcore punk and searing death metal. The screaming lyrics complimented the aggressive and dark nature of the songs. Savagist is relatively new ,and so the crowd reaction was limited as most weren't familiar with the songs. Still, the band gave a stellar performance and looked quite exhausted by the end of the set. One of my favorite parts of their set was actually what they did between songs. The bassist would let the feedback from his amp rig out then put it on a delay until the next tune would start. Your ears never had the opportunity to rest, and that relentless force matched with the attitude of the band.
The final act of the evening was the band 'Powers, made up of members from Cinemechanica, Lazer/Wülf, We vs. The Shark and Coulier. I love bands that think outside of the box and try something new, and 'Powers is does just that with its lineup, setup and concept. 'Powers is made up of one drummer and four guitarists. They don’t have a bassist or vocalist like more traditional bands, and frankly it would probably be overkill if they did. The drums were setup in the center of the crowd and the four guitar players were placed at opposite corners surrounding the drums and facing each other. Then guitar amps sitting on tall columns above the crowd were placed behind each one of the guitar players. I really liked the band being in the crowd; it felt very personal and it made you really focus on the music. The concept is quadraphonic sound; the guitar parts bounce around the room from one corner to the next and basically mess with your mind. During each song, riffs were be mimicked and lobbed form one guitarist to another like a musical hot potato. At first it was easy to follow, but before long there was so much going on you didn’t know from what front your ears were going to be assaulted. The instrumental arrangements themselves were very complicated and timing was crucial. They even had to start one song over because someone forgot their part. Other than that one glitch, the performance was incredible and an uncommon experience. Depending on where you were standing you heard a totally different set. The songs ranged in tempo and style but always kept a heavy undercurrent. The drums kept everything nicely tied together and gave you something to hold onto during this guitar driven hurricane.
This was an incredible show with three very talented and exceptional bands. I’m still feeling the aftershocks.
24 days ago
Fiery Furnaces
w/ Drug Rug
Tuesday, Feb. 2@ 40 Watt Club
Estimated crowd size: 135 persons. (It is nice to see 100 people move simultaneously, as attendees did, by large, when Fiery Furnaces took the stage, as previously many had been seated at cafe tables and couches in the center of the room.)
Darling duo Drug Rug warmed the crowd up on that moderate Tuesday evening with likable garage-influenced blues which featured a chick on electric guitar and a dude on drums, both of whom sang, but the lady was doing the leading. She is short, blonde, with black leggings and black cowboy boots. The dude looks empathetic and sincere, to the effect of a pleasant easy-going handsomeness. Their tunes were simple and played confidently and comfortably – exacting progressions joyfully revisited, featuring naturally complimentary vocal harmonies.
They seemed like genuine folks and their tunes were a lot of fun. The set was something to smile to, for sure.
Followed by something to frown to: sibling enigmas and co., currently Brooklyn-based mid-west migrates Fiery Furnaces.
The name of the game with this crew is change—songs chock full ‘o changes when you most, and often least, expect them; changes during changes kind of changes. The vocals are almost monotone, but aren’t at all. The group is a mercurial riddle.
In this particular instance they were four: sister singer Eleanor Friedberger, brother guitarist Matt Friedburger, bass player, and drummer. During the course of the event, it was revealed that the band had last visited Athens in 2005. They occupy a strange space: bizarre, prodigious output coupled with modest touring and surprisingly good press considering the polarizing nature of their erratic approach to music. (The group’s 2009 release I’m Going Away is perhaps their most inviting record to date). This is all to say that this, as Art, is challenging, because it rings of Truth’s conundrum: the cannibalistic nature of Art—whenever what was bizarre, outside, becomes normal —a great sound of suction. And they lived up to the challenge, dotting every i on a trip through a chaotic world of random edgeless mirrors.
All of this done through precise guitar work – switching madly from melody to rhythm, augmented to diminished, minor to major, distorted, chorused, to clean, whenever necessary. And everyone moved together animating park bench yarns, richly intoned by Eleanor.
Songs that I “knew” going in sounded much different from recordings, both sped up and slowed down, and occasionally syncopated differently as well. To be clear: this was an exciting element of the show as it kept the energy uncertain, and there was never any hint that the hands and minds guiding us were anything less than fully capable.
The odyssey was highly rhythmic.
Feb 1, 2010
Part Bear
w/ Holy Liars, Deaf Judges
Saturday, Jan. 30 @ Caledonia Lounge
The Caledonia Lounge was pretty empty when I first got there for the Part Bear CD release show Saturday night. I then noticed the sign announcing that the bar still didn’t have its liquor license, so I assumed everyone was at a neighboring bar preparing for the night’s festivities. Luckily, people started to show up after a couple songs into The Holy Liars' opening set.
This three-piece Southern rock act, complete with matching cowboy hats, sang about the rougher side of life. Carter Ross’ honest and clever lyrics cover drinking, day-to-day survival, and the never-ending quest to get laid. It's all told with country flavor from the point of view of a guy with questionable morals, with choruses like “With sleeveless shirts and ripped jeans/I’ll be the dirtbag of your dreams” or “I’ll kiss you with this liar’s tongue.” I think you get what I mean. The music itself was loud and rowdy—just what you'd expect from this type of band. The guitarist's short-but-sweet wah-wah-drenched solos perfectly balanced out the songs. I discovered The Holy Liars at last year’s AthFest and since then have seen them improve with every show. I’m really excited to see what they do next and how they evolve as a band.
As soon as I saw the DJ equipment and the black pirate flag, I knew the next act was Deaf Judges, a local four-piece hip-hop group consisting of three MCs and one DJ. These guys are the real deal. There are no pre-recorded backup vocals like I have seen with so many rap groups. The DJ had total control of the music and effortlessly flowed from one song to the next. And while the music never stopped from the first note to the last, it also didn’t sound like one continuous song either, as tempo, mood and flow changed with each transition. Like the Beastie Boys' illegitimate children, each MC took the lead for a verse or two while the others provided backing vocals, emphasizing certain words and choruses. The lyrics themselves are a little nonsensical at times, but I think that actually adds to their charm and showcases the group's originality.
The Deaf Judges have been doing this a while and it showed. The set was tight and they really got the crowd excited by keeping up onstage energy and invading the audience while they rapped.
After a lengthy set change, headliners Part Bear took the stage in celebration of their CD release. It was their party, and the place was packed. People were standing on benches and chairs just to see the stage. I was lucky enough to be at the front of the crowd next to some hardcore fans who danced and sang with every song. The music itself was refreshing. It was exciting, energetic rock with a dirty, grungy edge to it. I was really impressed by this band's songwriting. Greg Collins' bass lines often played independently from the guitar rhythm, showing off his skills and proving that the bass doesn’t have to be a backing instrument. Some verses featured just vocals, bass and drums, so when that guitar roared back in, it hit you like a tidal wave. The band members themselves were very charming, cracking jokes and fooling around. They seemed very happy to get their CD out!
Jan 31, 2010
"The King Is Back"
Friday, Jan. 29 @ Buffalo's Cafe
The King is back and performing with some regularity—not on the star-studded stages of the world, but in the aptly named Big Back Room at Buffalo’s Café, located at 196 Alps Road, next to Borders. Perhaps in an effort to lure drink-happy college students from downtown, or perhaps merely to entertain the legions of older Athenians who find the scene at Allgood Lounge, for example, a little too juvenile, the owners of Buffalo’s provide a variety of entertainment. Buffalo’s hosts trivia on Mondays, dance lessons on Tuesdays, poker on Wednesdays and live entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays. Of course, Buffalo’s schedule is subject to change, so consult the website for details before making the drive.
But of all of those events, the one that piqued my interest was the Elvis show. About once every month or so, Buffalo’s brings in the Athens King, AKA Chris Shupe, to perform. Now, by some happy accident, I’ve visited Graceland three times in my life. The first time was with my family when I was a kid—a trip during which we also visited numerous Civil War battlefields (oh, family vacations). The second and third times I visited Elvis’ former home, though, occurred simply because I was in Memphis with friends who had never been before. Suffice it to say, I’m a fan of the King, sort of fascinated by his bizarre story, and even more fascinated with everything that came after he died, namely, the thousands of impersonators. But although Elvis remains popular the world over, we Southerners, perhaps by virtue of some unknown chemical they put in our barbecue sauce, are intricately connected to the man.
And the spirit of the King most assuredly lives on in the Athens King. The Athens King—who I hesitate to call by his real name—performs all over North Georgia, including, as he says on his website, “gospel events at churches, rocking gigs at pubs and bars, family fun at restaurants, and entertainment for personal events.” Imagine booking this guy for your birthday party; talk about kitschy credibility. The Athens King, as you might expect, wears a classic, white polyester jump suit, complete with fringe, large gold sunglasses with black lenses, prominent sideburns and the overgrown, shaggy haircut the King rocked in the '70s. This isn’t the svelte King of the '50s, or the black leather-clad King of the '60s. This is the Vegas King, baby, thank you very much.
The Big Back Room at Buffalo’s has about a dozen large, round tables that seat about 10 people each. The wall on the “front” of the room where the stage stands is covered with a giant American flag. At the Elvis show I attended, the King took the stage to a packed audience and much applause. The set was heavily modeled on the King’s famous Hawaii shows. He's backed by a live band as well, a notable departure from most impersonators who perform karaoke style with a backing track. The Athens King mimicked some of Elvis’ trademark karate moves on stage but spent more of his time roaming around the room, causing older ladies to giggle and children to smile. Honestly, the Athens King was something of a comedian, bantering with members of the audience and his band. The execution of the show was far from flawless, but the Athens King is a surprisingly good entertainer and quick witted.
Courtesy of Sharon, one of the owners of Buffalo’s, I was treated to a plate of Buffalo wings that were on par with the wings I’ve had at any other joint in town, except they were bigger, with plenty of meat on them. The blue cheese dressing actually had chunks of blue cheese on it, which was especially nice. The King would be proud, although I did not see any fried banana sandwiches (or painkillers) on the menu. Of course, booze is available to those who desire it.
In the end, attending the event alone was somewhat surreal. I had to chuckle at the fact that I was sitting in the back room of Buffalo’s Café on Alps, sitting at a table of strangers nearly twice my age, and watching an Elvis impersonator entertain the audience. I feel confident in saying that Buffalo’s Café will never eclipse the 40 Watt in terms of attracting kids out to see shows, but that’s not really the restaurant's goal, either. If you and your buddies feel like having a hilarious night out doing something you usually never do, or if you’d like to be ironical for a night, well, maybe the Athens King or any of the other nights at Buffalo’s is just what you need.
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