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Threats & Promises

Randall Bramblett’s Pine Needle Fire, And More Music News and Gossip

Randall Bramblett. Photo by Ian McFarlane.

BRINGIN’ IT ALL BACK HOME: Decades-long Georgia artist Randall Bramblett, who was a notable part of the rise of the music scene here in Athens, will play his final concert of the year in advance of his newest release. The new album is named Pine Needle Fire and will see official release Nov. 13, courtesy of New West Records. It’s a hefty and solid 12 tracks long and is packed with Bramblett’s signature Southern rock-n-soul, as well as some real knockout moments of beauty. In celebration, Bramblett will play a drive-in show presented by the Roswell Arts Fund on Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Earth Brewing Company in Roswell. For tickets and all details concerning this socially distanced performance, please see freshtix.com/events/raf-randall-bramblett, and keep up with Bramblett himself over at randallbramblett.com

START A FIRE: The artist formerly known as Kauzmoz first appeared on the Athens hip hop radar many years ago as a collaborator with Herb and Skills and STS9—and as the executive producer of podcast Hip Hop Inzone. Now she goes by Kozmos Arson and just released a stunning new album named Digital Apocalypse. This cannot be pigeonholed easily as a “hip hop” record, even though it does feature rap vocals throughout. This is much more of an art pop record along the lines of Grace Jones’ work. The low and steady determinism of “Never Give Up” is worth the price of admission by itself and is just ripe for a club remix. Other highlights here are “Digital World” (which is easily the best use of samples on the whole record), the futuristic “Virtual World” and the anthemic don’t-you-dare declaration “Kink.” I swear, y’all, it’s already November, and this is seriously in the running for the most impressive Athens record of the year. Check it out now at kozmosarson.bandcamp.com.

BRAND NEW DAY: Y’all remember our good friend Matt Hudgins, who was once Athens’ favorite country music superstar in waiting? Well, as an artist never content to be hemmed in, he’s got a new solo project named Tetchy Seisakujo and a brand-new EP named Lexapromposal. It was recorded by Hudgins and mastered by Kyle Spence (Fiddlehead, The Martians, Harvey Milk). I’m not gonna lie to you, this EP is super unsettling and pretty nerve-wracking. I suppose it could be classified, for the sake of convenience, as hard new wave, but there are some other definitive influences here, too. For instance, there’s an observable Doors influence (both lyrically and musically) on “Surfs Up” and some noticeable King Kong guidance on the vocal for “Largo Ricardo.” You can find this whole thing directly over at matthudgins.bandcamp.com, but I would encourage you to find it through the portal of lucrativepursuits.com, which has a ton more information about Hudgins’ other music and stuff.

CRUISE CONTROL: A few months ago, a four-song EP by local band Kadillak titled When I Get There slipped out. Everything here is built upon the guitar, which is easily the strongest aspect of the whole enterprise. Don’t ask me who’s playing it, because there’s absolutely zero information about this group anywhere, but the whole thing has less of a feeling of this group being a band than it does a guitarist surrounded by just some other players. While there’s something of a Southern blues influence happening here, there’s a much broader sense of classic American rock at play. The vocals pretty much occupy Geddy Lee (Rush) territory, so hopefully y’all like that sort of thing. This was produced by Kwazymoto’s tireless Ian Hemerlein, and you can find it on Spotify and other major streaming platforms.

NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY: After a few weeks of whispers circulating underground, the devastating confirmation finally broke through social media last week that Caledonia Lounge and Atomic have both closed their locations downtown on West Clayton Street. The live music venue and vintage clothing shop—owned by Bryant Williamson and Stephanie Williamson, respectively—were tenants of Joey Tatum, who has handed the property to Jon McRae, owner of Church bar next door. When emailed about Church’s timeline for expansion and intended use of the new space, McRae declined to comment. More details forthcoming, but for now, pour a little out for the loss of two irreplaceable community spaces. [Jessica Smith]

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