Music News & Gossip
Sep 24, 2003
Threats & Promises
Well here we are again - I hope all of you are doing well. If not, then just put your grief on the back burner and listen up. Lot's of good stuff this week so sit back, grab a drink and suck it all in...
Just Look At This Spread: Athens' own hardest-working-men-in-show-business Widespread Panic are up to a lot these days. After the current fall tour winds up, they'll be performing a three-night stand (November 6, 7, 8) at The House Of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC. Since these shows are for a special live recording, the band has requested that fans leave their recording gear in the microbus or at home for these dates. However, if you're itching to fire up those tape decks, the band will provide fans with more than a couple of dates pretty close to home. October 14-22 will see the band playing such close-to-home towns as Chattanooga, TN, Charleston, SC, Macon, GA, Gainesville, FL, Columbia, SC and Asheville, NC. Also, if you wanna see something you can't see every day, get yourself down to New Orleans on Sunday, Oct. 12, and catch singer John Bell perform the national anthem before the kickoff of a football match between the New Orleans Saints and The Chicago Bears. This goes down at the Louisiana Superdome and tickets are a mere $45. For all information regarding venues, tickets, etc., check your head over at www.widespreadpanic.com.
Situations Sold And Serviced: Longtime Athens resident/artist/man about town Paul Thomas continues to amaze with the activities happening over at The X-Ray Café.
Most recently the space hosted a string of offbeat/ironic music films featuring artists as diverse as Alice Cooper and boy-brats Hanson. Upcoming events include musical act Rollerball from Portland, OR, on October 16 and Chicago artists The Mystechs on October 17. If you've not dropped by The X-Ray, you might just want to get yourself down there before the tiny spot becomes habitually packed with trainspotters.
Word From Up North: Athens ex-pat and all-around good guy Phil Waldorf, current maestro of Misra Records and former svengali of the old Athens house venue The Landfill, continues to keep his fingers sticky with all sorts of Athens-related stuff.
First, Misra will release on November 6 the newest album by Marshmallow Coast, titled Antistar. While comparisons to artists as diverse as Steely Dan and Jorge Ben are being tossed about to describe this newest release by songwriter Andy Gonzales, assurance has also been parlayed so as not to frighten off longtime fans. So basically, if you like the old stuff, you should like the new stuff even more. In other Misra news, label stars and Athens favorites Summer Hymns are still working up tracks for their new EP, which will be released in early 2004. And in a slightly related note, former Athenian Alex McManus, who has been working with Misra recording artists The Bruces on their new album, is currently touring the U.S. playing guitar with songwriter Conor Oberst as part of Bright Eyes. Considering that 20 years from now Oberst will be remembered for nothing more than being his generation's Rod McKuen, let's hope McManus gets a better gig real soon.
Nothing But Family Entertainment Here: Well, folks, after six years of waiting and hoping some of you have finally gotten your wish. On Friday, Sept. 26, at The Caledonia Lounge noise/experimental/ambient project The Noisettes will finally share the stage with mystery-wrapped-in-an-enigma The Melted Men. Noisettes creator Brian Horst promises the night will be a fun-filled one and attendees should escape with only minor injury. The aptly named Babies Who Hurt People will also be playing that night. So put the kids to bed early and go get drunk.
Keep Your Ears Peeled: Seems like Murphy Wolford, proprietor of Tasty World, has given yet another cool band its day in the spotlight. Formerly known as ebbendflow, Twilight Children are rockin' Athens with a sound reminiscent of mid-1980's SST-bands (Meat Puppets, Minutemen, DC3, Hüsker Dü, etc.). The band just released Wake, an EP which will be available shortly in all the usual spots downtown. Catch the band at their next Tasty World show on October 16 and tell 'em I sent ya.
New Venue, Take Heed: Athens has a new venue for Christian bands and artists over on the East Side. Living Loud is a "coffee house" (which in this instance means an intermittent place that serves up coffee and entertainment as opposed to a coffee shop which serves up coffee and muffins). At any rate, the coffee house occurs once a month at the former sanctuary of The Green Acres Church at 2085 Barnett Shoals Rd. The next shows are scheduled for Oct. 25 and Nov. 22. Most of the time bands are screened beforehand for content and whatnot - this is a church after all, and some junk just isn't gonna fit, but Living Loud is also open to people just walking in with an instrument or whatever and performing, too. For more information on shows or performing please contact Lucius Malcolm at 549-8555 or e-mail wisevest@msn.com.
Not To Be Missed: The Tour de Sprawl is coming around again October 9-11. The annual event, sponsored by BikeAthens, is a bike and bus tour around town highlighting spaces and places that the coordinators think could be put to better use.
While there ain't no way I'm riding a bike around town all day sweating my ass off, you can be sure I'm not gonna miss the big benefit show for the tour going down at the fabulous 40 Watt on Thursday, October 9. The show is something of a meeting of generations featuring Athens legends The Squalls (featuring drummer and longtime Athens musician Ken Starratt), the hip hop collective Herb And Skills (which is co-coordinated by Starratt's son Jorma) and former Athens resident and legend in his own right Robyn Hitchcock, who most recently performed in Athens with his reformed Soft Boys. The show will cost $7 and proceeds will go to benefit both the tour and BikeAthens, which is dedicated to smart growth and alternative transportation.
Okay, that's it for this week. Keep sending your news in and be sure to reference either Threats & Promises or me in your email subject line. I know I say that every week, but people need to know, right? Right? At any rate, keep on keeping on via email to music@flagpole.com, voicemail at 549-2360; via fax at 548-8981; or by post at P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603.
Gordon Lamb
Just Look At This Spread: Athens' own hardest-working-men-in-show-business Widespread Panic are up to a lot these days. After the current fall tour winds up, they'll be performing a three-night stand (November 6, 7, 8) at The House Of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC. Since these shows are for a special live recording, the band has requested that fans leave their recording gear in the microbus or at home for these dates. However, if you're itching to fire up those tape decks, the band will provide fans with more than a couple of dates pretty close to home. October 14-22 will see the band playing such close-to-home towns as Chattanooga, TN, Charleston, SC, Macon, GA, Gainesville, FL, Columbia, SC and Asheville, NC. Also, if you wanna see something you can't see every day, get yourself down to New Orleans on Sunday, Oct. 12, and catch singer John Bell perform the national anthem before the kickoff of a football match between the New Orleans Saints and The Chicago Bears. This goes down at the Louisiana Superdome and tickets are a mere $45. For all information regarding venues, tickets, etc., check your head over at www.widespreadpanic.com.
Situations Sold And Serviced: Longtime Athens resident/artist/man about town Paul Thomas continues to amaze with the activities happening over at The X-Ray Café.
Most recently the space hosted a string of offbeat/ironic music films featuring artists as diverse as Alice Cooper and boy-brats Hanson. Upcoming events include musical act Rollerball from Portland, OR, on October 16 and Chicago artists The Mystechs on October 17. If you've not dropped by The X-Ray, you might just want to get yourself down there before the tiny spot becomes habitually packed with trainspotters.
Word From Up North: Athens ex-pat and all-around good guy Phil Waldorf, current maestro of Misra Records and former svengali of the old Athens house venue The Landfill, continues to keep his fingers sticky with all sorts of Athens-related stuff.
| |
Nothing But Family Entertainment Here: Well, folks, after six years of waiting and hoping some of you have finally gotten your wish. On Friday, Sept. 26, at The Caledonia Lounge noise/experimental/ambient project The Noisettes will finally share the stage with mystery-wrapped-in-an-enigma The Melted Men. Noisettes creator Brian Horst promises the night will be a fun-filled one and attendees should escape with only minor injury. The aptly named Babies Who Hurt People will also be playing that night. So put the kids to bed early and go get drunk.
Keep Your Ears Peeled: Seems like Murphy Wolford, proprietor of Tasty World, has given yet another cool band its day in the spotlight. Formerly known as ebbendflow, Twilight Children are rockin' Athens with a sound reminiscent of mid-1980's SST-bands (Meat Puppets, Minutemen, DC3, Hüsker Dü, etc.). The band just released Wake, an EP which will be available shortly in all the usual spots downtown. Catch the band at their next Tasty World show on October 16 and tell 'em I sent ya.
New Venue, Take Heed: Athens has a new venue for Christian bands and artists over on the East Side. Living Loud is a "coffee house" (which in this instance means an intermittent place that serves up coffee and entertainment as opposed to a coffee shop which serves up coffee and muffins). At any rate, the coffee house occurs once a month at the former sanctuary of The Green Acres Church at 2085 Barnett Shoals Rd. The next shows are scheduled for Oct. 25 and Nov. 22. Most of the time bands are screened beforehand for content and whatnot - this is a church after all, and some junk just isn't gonna fit, but Living Loud is also open to people just walking in with an instrument or whatever and performing, too. For more information on shows or performing please contact Lucius Malcolm at 549-8555 or e-mail wisevest@msn.com.
Not To Be Missed: The Tour de Sprawl is coming around again October 9-11. The annual event, sponsored by BikeAthens, is a bike and bus tour around town highlighting spaces and places that the coordinators think could be put to better use.
| |
Okay, that's it for this week. Keep sending your news in and be sure to reference either Threats & Promises or me in your email subject line. I know I say that every week, but people need to know, right? Right? At any rate, keep on keeping on via email to music@flagpole.com, voicemail at 549-2360; via fax at 548-8981; or by post at P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603.
Gordon Lamb
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