IN YOUR OWN TOWN: The 2025–2026 season, and 30th anniversary, of UGA Presents—the organization behind the incredible performances at the UGA Performing Arts Center—has been announced. The selection I mention below is just a glimpse into what the entire season has to offer. Featured shows include Lea Salonga (Sept. 11), Paul Taylor Dance Company (Sept. 19), Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble (Oct. 5), Camerata Nordica Octet (Oct. 15), Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (Nov. 14), Branford Marsalis Quartet (Nov. 16), 30th Anniversary Gala Concert with Yo-Yo Ma (Feb. 1), Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis (Feb. 14–15), and The Del McCoury Band (May 15). Again, this is only a few featured events of the packed season. Season ticket renewals begin May 28, new subscriptions are on sale June 16, and individual performance tickets are on sale July 30. Please see pac.uga.edu for pricing and to purchase.
HARD AS KEROSENE: Songwriter Tyler Key, who largely works at the intersection of folk and country, released his new album, You OK, last week, and he starts the whole thing off with a celebratory-sounding honky-tonk jam of a tune named “Oconee River.” From there he leans back, observes his domain and sings from a more familiar repose. He’s one of the Athens artists that can accurately be name-checked as a songwriter’s songwriter. And that’s an accolade he easily backs up with the plaintive “How To Lose,” the delicate but strong “Silk Flowers,” and even more so on “Asking For A Friend.” Key’s songs nearly always remind me of something I’ve heard before but can rarely put my finger on exactly. It’s far more likely that he’s just simply so well versed in his musical vernacular that, once you know the language, it all sounds like home. Find this on major streaming services, as well as tylerkey.bandcamp.com. Keep up with everything else over at facebook.com/tylerkeystrangers.
WOAH, WE’RE HALFWAY THERE: On paper, pop-rock indie group The Downstairs should be, to me, a total turnoff. From its name—which to longtime Athens folks sounds just as if they’d named themselves The Tyrones—to its publicist incredulously claiming that the band’s new album features “countless UGA School of Music featured student musicians” in addition to the band. In this context, countless means six. Even so, I must admit to having at least something of a soft spot for some of the material on the band’s new album Saprolite, especially the stalwart indie charms of “Tomorrows,” the mellow and slightly shambly shuffle of “Grave Mistake,” the Broadway-styled messaging of “Tell Me A Story” and the pretty perfect album closer, the acoustic-based “Left Behind.” The album runs 13 songs, which should be more than enough time for you to come to your own conclusion as well. Find this on all major streaming services, and for more information, please see thedownstairs.band (yes, that’s a new top-level domain and not a misprint).
THE THINGS THEY’VE MADE: Rapper Bryant Perez and producer Libbaloops released their collaborative, two years in the making EP Intergalactic last week. Libba is well known in town for her buoyant and poppy electronic stylings, but the music here was played by each with Libba on piano and Perez on guitar and bass. Still, this music has her fingerprints all over it and is a great showcase for her talents. Particular highlights here are the semi-muscular “We Don’t” and the surprisingly lovely and broken “Eyes Closed” whose mood slides seamlessly into closing track “Carry On,” which is just about the best thing here. It’s a curious little record that took a long time to make, so some credit is due to them for getting it out. Your mileage will vary, of course, so check out bryantperez.com and take a lap.
OLÁ!: Ghostmeat Records just released a neat little record by Roberto Adega, which is a project by Rob Keller (Workhorses Of The Entertainment/Recreational Industry, The Welfare Liners, et al). The self-titled EP contains four brand new tracks, each of which is a Keller original and sung in Brazilian Portuguese. Now, at one time songs like this would have been categorized reductively as Tropicalia and, I suppose, that’s not entirely off the mark, but this has none of the psychedelic or avant garde elements that routinely populate the genre. Rather, this is traditional but also entirely modern, with fantastic sonic quality. It was recorded at Ghostmeat headquarters and features a crack team of players, including William Tonks, Mike Mills, Luis Rodriguez, Ghostmeat boss and artist in his own right Russ Hallauer, and Sunny Ortiz. Among the four, my favorite is “Me Deixe Mudo.” This is available to stream and download digitally right now, but pre-orders are also open for the upcoming 10-inch vinyl release, which should happen in about a month. Do both these things at robertoadega.bandcamp.com.
PHANTOM OF THE POPERA: Mark your calendars for this Friday, May 30 because that’s when the new Phantom Dan single comes out. It’s named “Get My Fix,” and it’s a growler of a tune from the artist who is largely known for his high-spirited anthemic emo/pop-punk. This new one twists itself alongside a personality akin to taking Rage Against The Machine out for a nice walk. Which is simply to say that while this new song kicks the framed corners of its origin, there’s still enough identifiable elements to know this is a Phantom Dan song. Pay close attention to the actual music, and you’ll find a wealth of clever production techniques and add-ons that are often wasted on lesser musicians but work very well here. Find this on all major streaming services, and get the whole scoop at instagram.com/phantomdan_music and facebook.com/phantomdanmusic.
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