GET OUTTA TOWN: The Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau, also known as “Visit Athens,” will host Amp It Up on Saturday, Aug. 3 from 11 a.m.–8 p.m. at the development Avalon (400 Avalon Blvd.) in Alpharetta. The idea is to “[bring the] Athens vibe to Alpharetta.” To this end, the CVB promises free Athens-related attractions, pop-ups and different family activities. At 6 p.m., attendees will enjoy performances from A.D. Blanco and Hotel Fiction. Head to experienceavalon.com/events/amp-it-up-athens for details.
SPEAKING OF WHICH: The aforementioned Hotel Fiction is celebrating the release of its new album Staring at the Sun which comes out this week. The new 10-track record precedes a pretty huge tour which will see the band occupied on the road for the bulk of September and October. They’re next scheduled to play Athens Nov. 14 at the Georgia Theatre. For all other information, please see hotelfiction.com.
STAY CLASSY: A couple of months ago I mentioned that Quintet Athens would host a performance of local composers playing works inspired by select stories written by local children. Composer Andrew Steck has released his work as of last week, and it’s simply titled Two Quintets. The first, “Rosemary’s Plan,” is a sprightly number with a generally hopeful tone. The second, “The Baby Mummy,” is slightly moodier but not by much. Each of these are wonderful sketches of Steck’s work and as good a place as any to become acquainted. Find this at andrewsteck.bandcamp.com.
METAL CIRCUS: Even though they couldn’t be bothered to actually come up with a decent band name, the ridiculously monikered Cup Stack is so delightfully shambolic and sincere I’ll forgive them this. The band just put out a five-song live EP named Live At Flicker, which should be self-explanatory. Starting with the garage-meets-emo “Fossil Into Oil,” which has a nice little breakdown beginning at the 1:13 mark, the set is emblematic of a band that hasn’t 100% found its sound yet but is close. “Holy Moly,” for example, is near textbook-level screamo but the recording ends with the Husker-ish experiment “Preacher’s Inquiry.” All of it works, but I’m still betting there’s going to be some tightening up going on. In any case, this is a fine snapshot and you can find it at cupstack.bandcamp.com.
I BEFORE E EXCEPT AFTER C: Rachel Evans (Motion Sickness of Time Travel, Hooker Vision) curated a nice compilation of writers and players under the title Birds Of A Feather. It features one track each from Evans, Leslie Grove, Lydian Brambila, LeeAnn Peppers and Mandy Mastrovita. This is a formidable collection that’s nicely put together. Peppers opens it up with a click-and-howl style track that, in all honesty, sounds like meditations on a jet engine. Grove is up next with a pulse-y electro exploration. Mastrovita contributes a fantastic trip-hop track that deserves some attention among our hip-hop crowd out there. Brambila’s track is, as expected, heavenly and meditative, and then Evans closes it out with a multi-movement piano and drone sketch that ties the whole thing together in a succinct way. Dig it over at hookervision.bandcamp.com.
WAKE UP: A couple of new songs from Sleep Deficit sneaked out earlier this month. I confess a complete unfamiliarity with this artist or even who she is. I’ve been enjoying her work, though, and there’s a decent amount already released. The first song, “Fourth Of July,” is a gentle indie pop song not unlike The Softies. The second song, “Change,” is a cover of Pennsylvania artist Alex G. The version here maintains the original’s slow tempo but, overall, it’s a heavier presentation. Check this out at sleepdeficit.bandcamp.com.
KEEP IT RUNNING: Parking Garage, another group that clearly spent a lot of time choosing its name, releases its new single “Meathead Olympics” this week. And it’s not a bad tune at all. Sort of like The Ramones meets Cheap Trick even though that’s a little reductive. It is, though, a 1970s-style arena rocker worthy of dropping the top down and cruising out the rest of the summer. Find this after July 26 at parkinggarage.bandcamp.com and all major streaming services.
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