Introducing Athens' Newest Talent
4 days ago
Utah
Rock/Metal/Hardcore
Lineup: Wil Smith and Larry Choskey. Influences: Melvins, Floor, Spazz.
If there is one thing local duo Jucifer taught us, it's that two people can make a hell of a lot of noise. This is the modus operandi of ferociously loud duo Utah, with guitarist Wil Smith playing down-tuned metal riffs through 20x12'' and 2x15'' speakers powered by four amplifiers, paired with the rapid-fire drumming of Larry Chosky. The vocals are sparse, but the guitars say a lot—growling menacingly in low, snarling, yet surprisingly melodic tones. The pair met in November of '08 at a Mantooth Music event at Ciné. Four months later Utah made its live debut at Tasty World, and in the past year has done a good bit of touring up the East Coast, going as far north as Connecticut. Utah is hoping to release its debut seven-inch, tentatively called Here They Come, later this spring. To avoid hearing loss or speaker damage, turn your volume down to a safe level before venturing over to www.myspace.com/utahrock.
Next show: Wednesday, Mar. 10 @ Go Bar
4 days ago
Worn Out Welcome
Roots Rock/Americana/Rock
Lineup: Andrew Vickery, Joel Mooneyhan, Jeff Chipman and Stephen Ousley. Former members of: Summerland Influences: The Replacements, Whiskeytown, Drive-By Truckers, Gram Parsons, various punk bands.
Over the past year, you may have caught Andrew Vickery playing one of his many duo sets with local songwriter Ken Will Morton, but he's had other collaborations on the back-burner for some time as well. In fact, he's been playing "acoustic songwriter-type stuff" on and off with Joel Mooneyhan since about 2003, until Mooneyhan moved up to Kentucky. In 2008 Vickery started jamming with drummer Jeff Chipman, and a year later Mooneyhan returned to Athens. So, Vickery brought them both together, and the trio dove into louder, more electric-guitar-driven rock, rounding out the lineup with Stephen Ousley on bass. "[Ousley] has only been with the band since January," says Vickery, "but he performed flawlessly at the band's debut show at Caledonia [in January]." Worn Out Welcome is currently working on a full-length record at The Stewdio with Dave Sturgis (Standard 8, Zombie Halo), with plans to release it this summer. Expect some great guest performers to stop in and a lot more live shows on the way. If you're into The Replacements' propulsive jangle and Whiskeytown's alternative twang, you'll probably dig the tracks available at www.thewornoutwelcome.com.
Next show: Friday, Mar. 12 @ Tasty World Uptown
4 days ago
Easter Island
Dreamy/Shoegaze/Pop
Lineup: Ethan Payne, Asher Payne, John Cable, Nathan Thompson and Andrew Terrell. Former members of: The Cubs, Union, The Corduroy Road, Economy of Sound. Influences: Pedro the Lion, Sigur Rós, Broken Social Scene, Interpol, The National.
Oh, hello there, springtime. When Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter, clearly, he had not yet picked up a copy of Easter Island's debut EP. These sweet, delicate pop gems sway gently like fresh linens hung out on a line. Even the more melancholy moments ache for fresh-cut lawns and a soft picnic blanket; it's the perfect soundtrack for daydreaming, finding shapes in fluffy clouds and blowing dandelions. The band describes itself as "Pedro the Lion meets Stars without a female vocalist," which seems pretty fair. Look for more lovely tunes on the band's full-length, which, hopefully, will be recorded soon or visit www.myspace.com/EasterIslandmusic to hear tunes off that EP.
Next show: Friday, Mar. 27 @ Go Bar
4 days ago
Dan the Juggler
Raw/Experimental/Rock and Roll
Lineup: Ben Garrett, John Fowlkes and John Hunter. Influences: Modest Mouse, Jack White bands, The Strokes, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Primus, Radiohead, Led Zeppelin.
In many ways this trio is a product of the UGA music business program. The musicians first met volunteering for the program in '09 during the Ashford Manor Concert Series and formed a band not long after just for kicks. Bassist John Fowlkes says the group quickly felt it had the potential to really take off, and by Feb. 22 they had booked their first real gig, playing at Tasty World Uptown. The music business program has adopted Dan the Juggler as something of an experimental artist-development project, says the band, with fellow student Allison Fite behind the wheel of the management team. The trio is currently in the process of recording a homemade demo with pal Dan "The Juggler" Hesketh with some help from the MBUS lab. The resulting tracks should be posted soon to www.myspace.com/DantheJuggler.
Next show: Monday, Mar. 15 @ Caledonia Lounge
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