ALL WE ARE SAYING: The most recent Athens in Harmony show that happened back in September sold out in a flash, so the organizers are hosting an encore performance Sunday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. This event, like its original instance, takes place at The Foundry. These performances are structured by pairing up musicians across different genres (rock, hip hop, soul, gospel, etc.) to perform as duets. The crescendo of the event is a sing-along of John Lennon’s “Give Peace A Chance” with new verses contributed by Athens’ hip-hop artists Nony1, P.O. The Priceless One and Cardynal. Tickets are available now for $20 and up via tinyurl.com/36edpe7x.
RELAX AND FLOAT DOWNSTREAM: Beloved Apothecary is hosting a series of events, each taking place on Friday evenings, named Beloved Apothecary’s Sacred Space. In addition to facilitating these nights, Beloved Apothecary will provide “donation-based alcohol alternative beverages [while] gathering individuals in the Athens community to show off their music, art, workshops and other gifts.” Events are now scheduled all the way into next year, but the ones closest to us in the calendar are Medicine Songs with Tatiana Kiselyova (Nov. 17), Friendsgiving and acoustic jam with Victoria (Nov. 24), Seven Sacred teachings with Robert Black Eagle (Dec. 1) and Sound Bath with Ben Cirou (Dec. 8). The suggested donation for each evening is $20, and these events are located at 1001 Winterville Road, which you know as the location of Rabbit Hole Studios. For more information on these, please see belovedapothecary.org and instagram.com/beloved_apothecary.
CATCH UP: It’s been a long time since any mention of Athens experimental composer, performer and instrument builder Killick has appeared in the pages, but it’s high time for this to happen now. The occasion is his head-turning live performance recorded at Plataforma Lavardén in Rosario, Argentina (released as Live at Plataforma Lavardén) on Sept. 23 of this year. This live performance was simulcast on radio to Argentina and Chile. The entire set runs just over 43 minutes, with the first half being quite forward-looking and progressive in its melodic structure, which can be, admittedly, difficult to discern. The second half leans more into Killick’s self-billing of “Appalachian trance metal” but, even so, this is a launching point for this deeply explorative set. Killick is now, and has been for many years, an elder and authoritative figure for the Athens experimental music community, and this new release is just the current cherry on top. His discography is extensive, to say the least, and has likely grown in large amounts since the last time you surfed over to killick.bandcamp.com, so take some time and dive deeply.
EASTBOUND AND DOWN: Cowboy Kerouac just released a totally NSFW song set against a grimy but classic-sounding garage track that rocks in a Cramps sort of way. The crux of the lyrics is a fantastical story of a creature who lives underneath truck stops (“…in the sewer underneath the Buc-ees”) and performs specific actions for truckers stopping by. Oh, yeah, he’s called “The Lot Lizardman” and the song is named the same thing. This play on words comes courtesy of the pejorative title (i.e. “lot lizard”) bestowed upon certain, uh, service providers who work truck-stop parking lots. Honestly, I can’t tell if the good cowboy is just trolling everyone with this or not. It’s not his first foray into blue material. Further, it certainly couldn’t have taken more than five minutes or so to conceptualize and compose, and you can hear the entire thing in less than two minutes. So, consider this all both an announcement and fair warning if you decide to head over to cowboykerouac.bandcamp.com and check this out.
SEE YA NEXT MONTH: The previously scheduled November dates for Kenosha Kid at Hendershot’s are now off the calendar. These events will resume on Tuesday nights in December. For more information, please see kenoshakid.com.
INWARD AND OUTWARD: The new album by Michael Wegner (Cosmic Charlie, Fuzzy Sprouts, Whisper Kiss, Abbey Road Live, et al) came out at the start of the month, and it’s named Hive Mined. This 10-song album showcases Wegner’s work in a nice way, and I admit I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Wegner opens with the lovely “Half Life,” which is punctuated by tasteful guitar flourishes as well as a subtle horn arrangement. There’s a similar gentleness in tracks “Right Kind Of Love,” “Melancholy” and “Seriously.” The whole album is deeply focused and emotionally deep in a familiar, somewhat comforting way. Wegner will celebrate this release with a show at The Foundry on Dec. 8 with guest Caroline Aiken. Find it on all major streaming services, and for more information, please see michaelwegner.com and facebook.com/MichaelWegnerMusic.
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