THERE’LL BE NO TEARS TONIGHT: A very special show happens Tuesday, May 30 at Buvez. Greensboro, NC’s legendary songwriter/guitarist/banjoist/rabble rouser/collaborator Eugene Chadbourne will perform with former Athenian (and Greensboro native) Jim McHugh (Dark Meat, Sunwatchers). Indeed, the pair released an explosive album, Bad Scene, last year courtesy of Los Angeles label Post Present Medium. Chadbourne has been releasing music collaboratively and solo since 1976, and it is thought that he appears on over 350 releases. Importantly, Chadbourne is entertaining, but he is not particularly comfortable. This isn’t easy listening by any stretch, but neither is it an in-your-face challenge. At one time, circa the early 1990s, Chadbourne regularly played Athens, mostly at The Downstairs. Also on the bill this night are Shane Parish and the 2/3 Consensus (feat. Danny Piechocki of Ahleuchatistas) and Kemp Stroble’s new all-star group Real Wow (featuring Stroble, Mat Lewis, Charlie Estes and Kris Deason). I have absolutely zero idea how much this will cost you so, I don’t know, take 20 bucks and hope for some change.
ONE DOOR CLOSES, ANOTHER DOOR OPENS: Just as the final touches were closing on the most recent season of UGA Presents performances, the 2023-2024 season is announced. It’s another meticulously curated series and runs from Sept. 8, 2023–May 17, 2024. The scoop on tickets is that current subscribers to the series are able to renew beginning May 31, new subscribers can get on board with as few as three performances beginning June 12, group sales start July 5, and individual tickets to specific performances go on sale Aug. 1. The sole exception to this information is the individual tickets for Nickel Creek, for whom tickets go on sale July 10 for the group’s Sept. 8 show. There’s too much good info about this series to delve into here, but check this assortment of shows I’ve selected to highlight: Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Indigo Girls, Mariachi Sol de México de José Hernández, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Patty Griffin and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus. And that’s just a handful! Please see pac.uga.edu for all other information, including how to purchase. Also, please note that a substantial number of these performances will sell out, so stay alert and grab some tickets.
FASCINATION STREET: For a long time, you couldn’t turn a corner in downtown Athens without running into musician Patrick Carey. Now, he’s located in Memphis where he co-founded the new record label Red Curtain Records with engineer Scott McEwen (Elvis Costello, Memphis Magnetic Recording Co.). At first, the label was to be simply a vehicle for Carey’s own music, but it has grown quickly to include planned releases from other artists. Carey’s newest project, Out On The Eaves, and its debut album, The Ride Out, is the label’s inaugural release and available as we speak. His first collaborator on this was pedal steel player Matt “Pistol” Stoessel (Faye Webster, T. Hardy Morris, et al), and then others came onboard. The album was mixed by Carey and the aforementioned McEwen. These songs are distinguished by Carey’s soft-as-air vocals which occasionally give way to a smoky huskiness, but not often. Musically speaking, The Ride Out is structurally quite similar to The Cure, albeit in a folky-Americana flavor. This is most apparent on tracks like “Opium Pudding,” “Shore Up Your Roof” and “Complete Circuits.” The album runs a decent eight tracks and can be found on all streaming services. The vinyl LP is available, too, as of May 27 at redcurtainrecords.com.
ONE HAND WASHES THE OTHER: For a good portion of the recent past, Rachel Evans has switched up her longtime project Motion Sickness of Time Travel toward, relatively speaking, what might be considered somewhat traditional pop structures. On her newest release, No Domino, she returns to the intensely deliberate ambient long-form compositions for which she is known. This two-track album begins with “Before Dawn” which glides in apparent effortlessness along a sonic cloud, but is quickly punctuated by electronic pulses and ‘80s-ish electronic drum moments. The second track, “After Dark,” is the less aggressive of the pair which can be difficult to discern with music such as this, but that’s my take on it. While it’s as fully rich as its partner, it doesn’t reach for any certain sense of urgency but, rather, is very comfortable in its own space and allows this comfort for the listener, too. Find this at hookervision.bandcamp.com, and keep up via facebook.com/hookervision.
I CAN SMELL YOUR HOUSE FROM HERE: Phelan La Velle (Shade, Crunchy) has a smokin’ hot lineup for her Classic Shitty Bruisefest 2023: A Celebration of Skronk & The Chaotic Beyond. It happens Saturday, May 27 at the 40 Watt Club, costs $15, and features (in no specific order) La Velle’s own Pervert, Weaponized Flesh, Atlanta’s No Head, Nihilist Cheerleader, and NYC Latin ska-punk group The Ladrones. For advance tickets, please see 40watt.com.
Like what you just read? Support Flagpole by making a donation today. Every dollar you give helps fund our ongoing mission to provide Athens with quality, independent journalism.
