BE KIND, REWIND: The fine folks behind JokerJokerTV will host the second annual VHS Fest at Athentic Brewing Co. on Sunday, Oct. 22 from 1–7 p.m. As of this writing, there is no word yet on confirmed musical acts or specific vendors, but rest assured there will be both. This event is billed as “a celebration of analog media for collectors, artists and anyone interested in retro media formats.” Expect to be able to buy, sell and trade with VHS vendors and collectors while enjoying some live tunes, films and other entertainment. For more information, please see jokerjokertv.com/athens-vhs-fest and facebook.com/jokerjokergallery.
STRAIGHT OUTTA CROYDON: Athens electronic/dance music collective, record label and promoter Nightshade Family is hosting an exceedingly cool event at work.shop Friday, Oct. 20. The organizers will host UK producer and DJ Mala (Digital Mystikz) in his first ever Athens performance, Athens’ own D:RC (AKA Darcy Reenis), Atlanta’s Leonce and Nightshade co-founder Dado. Work.shop is a small performance space located at 160 Winston Drive, Suite #9. More information about this space is available at workshopathens.com. Doors open at 11:30 p.m., and the show is scheduled to happen between midnight and 5 a.m., which, by this factor alone, makes this the most authentically old-school Athens show for at least the past three years. Advance tickets are $20, and links for those can be found at facebook.com/nightshadefamilymusic.
MIND ON YOUR MONEY, MONEY ON YOUR MIND: The folks behind the Vic Chesnutt Awards will present a Concert for Mental Health Awareness Saturday, Dec. 9 at the 40 Watt Club. Featured acts are the legendary Lonnie Holley, Night Palace, Well Kept and Trvy & The Enemy. Advance tickets are on sale now for $30 each or $20 with a student ID. Beneficiaries are Nuçi’s Space, the Vic Chesnutt Awards and Friends of Advantage. For tickets, see 40watt.com, and to find out more about the organizations involved, see nuci.org, friendsofadvantage.org and vicchesnuttaward.com.
LET’S GIVE IT A TWIST: Those punks in Beat Up have a brand spankin’ new split LP with Oklahoma City band Anarchy For Assholes, which is exactly the type of thing you name your band when you’re a full-grown adult but still itching to make your parents uncomfortable. You Are Beautiful… But This Place Sucks is kind of an uneven split, too, as our hometown gang only has five songs out of the 13 on the album. That said, it didn’t need any more to make its point. Starting with the street-punk-meets-Face To Face “A Million Lifetimes,” then coursing through legitimately grooving “Only America,” Beat Up kicks this off right. From there, it ups its own ante with the superior “What Remains,” as well as the Dead Kennedys-ish “Homeland” and the inter-generational struggle anthem “The Olds.” Each band’s contributions were mastered by legendary Seattle producer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Mudhoney, Supersuckers, et al). Oh, the A.F.A. tracks are pretty good as well, but I don’t have space here to get all into that, so check this whole thing out for yourself at beatup.bandcamp.com, and consider purchasing this on vinyl while you’re there, too.
TAKE A BREAK WITH THIS: Caroline Noel Beverley (Blue Stockings, Calliope Fair, Klezmer Local 42, et al) has a very nice new album called Flag Athens. It’s named this in tribute to her time spent in both Athens and Flagstaff, AZ. For me, the record really kicked in on the second track, “Lay Your Rein Down,” which is a gently plucked, traditional folk tune. Other highlights are the sort of high-lonesome sounds of “O Coyote,” the song about the album’s cover art—which was painted by Vernon Thornsberry—“Vernon’s Jigsaw.” On a personal note, though, the peak of this album is the loving tribute to late Athens musician and friend Matt Kiritsy, who was paralyzed for two decades after a drive-by shooting (he was not the intended victim) at the old Atlanta Highway Waffle House in 1994, and died from related complications in 2013. Beverley has made a nice little record here, and you can find it on Spotify, Apple Music and presumably other outlets. She will celebrate the release of the album Sunday, Nov. 5 at Hendershot’s, when she opens for Klezmer Local 42. For more information, see carolinenoelbeverley.com.
BEEP BEEP, WELL WELL: Strolling Bones Records will be the proud home of the debut full-length album by Pylon Reenactment Society. It’s titled Magnet Factory, and pre-orders are being accepted now for this 11-song release, which is slated to come out on both LP and CD—and pre-ordered copies are autographed, so there’s that—on Feb. 9. The lead single, “3 X 3,” was released a few weeks ago. For pre-order, see strollingbonesrecords.com, and to keep up with PRS, see pylonreenactmentsociety.com.
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