THE KING IS DEAD; LONG LIVE THE KING: Tom Smith, a man without peer in the history book of Athens music, died Jan. 20 in Hannover, Germany, where he had lived for several years. Known best for his three-decade long project To Live and Shave In L.A. (TLASILA) formed in Miami, FL, circa 1991, Smith was, for all practical purposes, the godfather of the Athens noise and experimental scene. Locally, he was responsible for the spectacularly divisive group Boat Of (which, through a few names and permutations, also featured the late David Gamble, the late Carol Levy and occasionally organist Michael Stipe) that ran from roughly 1977 to 1983. Before founding TLASILA with Frank “Rat Bastard” Falestra, Smith was in Washington, D.C., busy with his group Peach of Immortality, which coined the still-hilarious phrase “R.E.M. is Air Supply!” During this time in D.C., Smith briefly played with Pussy Galore and had artistic associations with both Malcolm Riviera and Don Fleming, whom he had moved to D.C. to play with, but his stint in Fleming’s Velvet Monkeys was short-lived. On a personal note, I remember being quite intimidated to meet Smith many years ago, owing to his often abrasive public persona. I was pleased to find him engaging, eloquent and gentlemanly, and this is the impression I’ve kept with me ever since. Smith died of colon cancer and was 65 years old. He was an ardent archivist of his own work, and a huge amount of it, along with Smith’s notes, can be found via tomsmithksv.bandcamp.com and soundcloud.com/tom-smith-tlasila-ksv.
SÍ, SE PUEDE: Pre-orders are now open for Linqua Franqa’s new full-length album Bellringer, which is scheduled for release Apr. 22 courtesy of the Ernest Jenning Record Co. The artist, Mariah Parker, released lead single “Wurk” a couple of weeks back. On its surface it’s a call for collective bargaining and workers’ rights that makes note of specific huge corporations known for either explicit labor violations or for having such an onerous work culture they deserved a call-out. But it’s also a track well-steeped in its own history. To wit, the refrain (“Which side are you on?”) is from the 1931 song written by Florence Reece in response to anti-union forces raiding her home in search of her husband, a union leader, during the devastating coal miner strikes in Harlan County, KY. Further, toward the end of the song, the refrain “El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido” (“The people united will never be defeated”) is heard over and over. While the phrase is a common one of popular protest, it was captured in song most famously by Chilean folk group Quilapayún in 1970. Stylistically, the track is reliably Linqua Franqa material, with Parker’s unwavering vocals swimming atop a steady but unobtrusive beat. To listen and pre-order, please see linquafranqa.bandcamp.com, and be a fan at facebook.com/linquafranqa.
LATE NIGHT DREAMING: In similar news to that above, pre-orders are also open for the debut LP from Night Palace, Diving Rings. The album is scheduled to come out Apr. 1 on New Orleans-based label Park The Van. Currently, curious folks can check out four pre-release singles before they make the jump to purchase. Each is wonderfully representative of the band’s lush pop that makes its mark with a slightly dark edge. Check them out at nightpalace.bandcamp.com, and keep up with things over at nightpalacemusic.com.
SING OUT!: The 2022 Vic Chesnutt Songwriter Award kickoff show, hosted by the Classic City Rotary and presented in association with Aubrey Entertainment, will ring the opening bell for its award nomination season, which runs until Mar. 20. The show happens Thursday, Feb. 10 at Hendershot’s Coffee and is free. Featured acts are the stellar Cindy Wilson (The B-52s) with Nolan Bennett, Bo Bedingfield and Lydian Brambila, who won the award in 2019. For more information and to nominate your favorite artist, please see vicchesnuttaward.com.
BUZZ HUNGRY: After a six-year hiatus “kindie rock” band Like Totally (generally stylized as Like Totally!) is back working again with a new lineup. The Jenny Woodward-led band now includes Nate Lee (bass), Dave Martin (lead guitar), Natalie Smith (vocals, ukulele, flute) and Justin Ladonisi (drums, glockenspiel). The band will re-enter the live scene with an all-ages show on Saturday, Feb. 12 at Flicker Theatre & Bar at 3 p.m. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door. Each member of the band inhabits a different character, and the group wears costumes while singing about unicorns, dolphins, etc. which might just be enough distraction to keep you from focusing on the fact that you took your kids to a bar on a Saturday afternoon. For more information, please see facebook.com/PartyTimeLikeTotally.
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