MUSIC FOR THE HEAD BALLET: The irrepressibly productive composer and musician Andrew Steck releases his newest album, Sore Thumb, this week, and it’s available online and reportedly in local stores on CD as we speak. Running a tight and eminently digestible 10 tracks, Steck advised that this one would feature a more “rock-oriented” rhythm section, and he delivered on this. Up to now, Steck’s work has largely existed in that liminal space between the actual 20th century and the 20th century as it exists in popular imagination. On this new album, he resolutely occupies the real thing and channels such artists as jazz great Herbie Mann, unapologetic experimental weirdos The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Peter Gabriel-era Genesis and more. Find this at andrewsteck.bandcamp.com and, if you dig it, throw some dollars in his direction. Lord knows he’s earned it.
THE HAT CAME BACK: Eric The Hat has been on an absolute tear lately. The latest page from his book is from drape by ben which is credited to his project partydead. Opening track “Drape Threat” pushes and pulls the listener in and out of a rhythm-heavy, nearly New Wave backing song. The next five tracks (“Mascisn’t,” “Antimascism,” “Old Town Hesher,” “Can I Live” and “Duck Town Hesh”) run a gamut of glitchy noise, creaks and static, hollow drum beats, unsettlingly demonic sounding low-end slow sludge, etc. Each track is epic length with the shortest clocking in at seven minutes, 30 seconds and the longest at 11 minutes, 18 seconds. So, needless to say, don’t try to impress anyone at your Speed Dating meetup with this. If you’re curious, though, head over to ericthehat.bandcamp.com and scratch your head a while.
I LOVE TO WATCH THINGS ON TV: Musician’s resource center Nuçi’s Space has brought back its Satellite Sessions, and the 2023 series is already underway. These sessions are “a series of intimate virtual mini-concerts filmed and recorded” in and around Nuçi’s Space. This current series is sponsored by Strolling Bones Records. The videos are released every two weeks during the series, and the June 1 performance from Hotel Fiction is available to view now. Upcoming shows are from Julia Nyunt (June 15), lighthearted (June 29), Panic Wave (July 13), Annie Leeth (July 27) and Clover County (Aug. 10). To view, head to youtube.com/@nucisspace, and for more information and an additional place to view, please see www.nuci.org/satellite-sessions.
KEEP IT ‘TWEEN THE DITCHES: There was a time when you could catch the shambolic and catchy Antlered Aunt Lord multiple times per month and never sweat it if you missed ‘em because there was always another show coming around the bend. That time is over. This week’s show is a rare one, so pay attention. It’ll happen Thursday, June 15 at Flicker Theatre & Bar. Also on the bill is Picture Show, which is decidedly not “Central Florida’s only Party Rock interactive Experience!” as another group that shares its name bills itself. Instead, these locals perpetrate a completely digestible blend of 1990s-style indie rock mixed with some healthy noise elements and garage rock. Attendees can also catch Athens band Chainhead, who I’ve not yet seen but is described as a “driving post-hardcore band with a dash of techno swing from Athens’ industrial zone,” even though video evidence of the band displays a narrower version of such. In any case, if you’re into musical pre-gaming, head over to antleredauntlord1.bandcamp.com and picture-show.bandcamp.com.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALREADY!: Athentic Brewing will celebrate its third anniversary with a three-day event this weekend. There are loads of things going on at the brewery associated with this event, but I’m here to tell you about the music. On Friday, June 16 you can catch The Rishis at 6 p.m. On Saturday, June 17 attendees can catch Jim Cook (3:30 p.m.), Wade Newberry (6:00 p.m.) and The Young Frankensteins (8:30 p.m.). After two nights of soaking up the best of what Athentic has to offer, you’ll likely do well to attend the Sunday noon yoga session, too. Like I said, there’s more to this event, and you can find out all about it at facebook.com/athenticbrewing and athenticbrewing.com.
NOTES FOR NEXT WEEK: The 2023 AthFest Music & Arts Festival is the first since 2019 to be an all-hands-on-deck, full-on event. This means preparing accordingly for the marathon event. Everyone knows you need to drink your water, so no need to even mention that. But if you plan to spend all day out on the pavement and then all night inside the clubs, I promise you that your life will be considerably more comfortable by bringing along an extra pair of socks, some zinc-based body powder, and sunscreen. Also, please—dear God, please—leave your dogs at home. They don’t want to be there, the volume is horrible for their ears, and the pavement can absolutely blister their paws. That said, have a ball next week.
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