THE FUTURE IS NOW: Futurebirds will curate the upcoming Highball Festival, which takes place at Atlanta’s Pullman Yards Oct. 21–22. Produced by Rival Entertainment, this is billed as a “festival experience,” and I have no idea how that differs from being a festival, but I’m sure there’s some concept behind it that I just can’t unpack. At any rate, this bill is highly stacked with daily performances from Futurebirds themselves, and will feature sets by Band Of Horses, The Head and the Heart, Wednesday, Seratones, T. Hardy Morris, S.G. Goodman, Hotel Fiction and a reunion set by The Whigs. Single-day and full-weekend tickets are available now. A full weekend pass will run you $95 ($225 for VIP), and single-day tickets are $65 ($125 for VIP). According to a press release, VIP tickets include “private lounge access, pit viewing and comfort amenities.” Ticket sales are being run through Ticketmaster, so be prepared to gnash your teeth when those fees hit. For more information and a direct link to purchase tickets, please see highball.live.
RESPECT: A triple threat of the deep Athens underground will rear its head at Athentic Brewing Co. on Friday, July 14. Attendees will experience industrial/metal/noise merchants Unus Mundus (Steve Fitzpatrick and Rob Fluhr), a rare live performance from Jon Lester via his project Toxic Patriarch and the eternally rewarding and thankfully ongoing concern Nerve Clinic (often stylized as Nerveclinic) courtesy of Monty Greene. Now, I’ve been around the sun a few times, and I can tell you with zero hyperbole that if you enjoy our current robust electronic/experimental scene, you should go to this show and shake the hands of all these dudes. They were building it back when you couldn’t throw a rock in this town without hitting a Rickenbacker. For reference, please see unusmundus.bandcamp.com, toxicpatriarch.bandcamp.com and soundcloud.com/nerveclinic.
POLITE SOCIETY: The Athens-Clarke County Library will host another instance of Symphonic Storytime on Saturday, July 15 from 4–5 p.m. This event features a performance by Quintet Athens and also features musical stories, some education regarding instruments and craft making. This specific performance will feature “a musical story time performance especially for young listeners featuring Six Italian Stories by Italian Children by Judith Cloud.” It is free, open to the public and all ages. Quintet Athens is a highly regarded wind quintet that provides multiple public educational concerts a year, in addition to being an in-demand group for private events. For more information, please see quintetathens.com and athenslibrary.org/events.
HEAR IT AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME: Orange Twin is in the final stages of reissuing Elf Power’s 1995 debut album Vainly Clutching At Phantom Limbs. By my best estimation, as it’s always possible I missed something in the past 30 years, this marks the fourth time this album has been released. The first time was a private independent pressing done by Elf Power founder Andrew Rieger in a tiny quantity, then a compact disc version was released by the group’s then-label Arena Rock Recording Company, and then a limited-edition vinyl reissue by Henry Owing’s old label Drug Racer. At any rate, you can grab a new vinyl pressing of it via preorder, as it will see official release July 21. This version also includes the band’s 1996 EP The Winter Hawk, originally released by Kindercore Records. Each of these titles was recently remastered by Jason NeSmith at Chase Park Transduction. There is an untold number of folks who regard this album as a high point in Athens rock music, and it can most definitely be credited with being a major force in ushering in a then-new era of home recording in our town. If you’re unfamiliar, I would recommend streaming it and placing your order super soon at orangetwinrecords.bandcamp.com.
SWEAT YOUR HEAD OFF: Punk rulers Snuki will host a tape release party at the 40 Watt Friday, July 14. Although at first blush Snuki may seem simply loud and fast, there’s actually quite a bit of layering going on here, as well as nice attention to detail that places them at least a head or two above, well, other bands. Also on the bill are the new-ish Pervert and the solidly reliable Sacred Bull. Do your homework via futileforce.bandcamp.com, sacredbull.bandcamp.com and pervert420.bandcamp.com.
MANY ROADS, ONE DESTINATION: Multi-faceted Athens punk band Sasha Stray opens its new album The Ape with the title track, and it’s by far the most aggressive track on the record. It’s a catchy and well-made pop punk tune with a noticeable amount of classic Los Angeles punk in its blood. From there the band slides around a few different styles under the genre’s big tent. Of these, the most impressive are the indie-oriented “Octopus Socks,” the jaunty “Algorithm” and the loud-quiet-loud “Go to the Ocean.” Stylistically, Sasha Stray is set apart from most Athens punk rock by embracing a large range and, not incidentally, guitarist and songwriter Sophie Saffan’s willingness to actually strum her guitar instead of just pounding away at it. That said, the band is a little bit of an acquired taste, and this mix of related styles can be disorienting at first. So, sit down and head to sashastray.bandcamp.com to check it out.
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.
