Picture Book: Jungol at The Basement at Graveyard Tavern, January 21
By Ken Lackner (www.kenlacknerphotography.com)
Full gallery after the jump.
By Ken Lackner (www.kenlacknerphotography.com)
Full gallery after the jump.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will launch the first US leg of the 2012 ‘Wrecking Ball’ World Tour on March 18 in Atlanta at Philips Arena. Tickets are $ 99.00 and $ 69.00 for reserved seating and general admission standing floor. Tickets go on sale Saturday, February 4th at 10AM at www.livenation.com, the Philips Arena Box Office or charge by phone at (800) 745-3000.
Odd Future will be appearing at the Tabernacle on Sunday, March 25th at 9:00pm. Tickets are $25.00. All tickets are for general admission and all ages are welcome. Tickets are on sale Friday, February 3rd at 10am at LiveNation.com, charge by phone at 800-745-3000 or at the Tabernacle box office on show.
The Fray will be appearing at the Tabernacle on Wednesday, April 25th at 8:00pm. Tickets are $35.00. All tickets are for general admission and all ages are welcome. Tickets are on sale Friday, February 3rd at 10am at LiveNation.com, charge by phone at 800-745-3000 or at the Tabernacle box office on show.
By Amanda Miles
The Dirty Guv’nahs from Knoxville, Tennessee have been described as “a passionate, jubilant slice of rock meets Americana.” Their gritty roots sound brings crowds to their knees and awakens a funk vibe that has long been missing from the rock scene in the south. Interestingly, The Guv’nahs were born from academia, members coming together while pursuing their respective master’s degrees. The buzz for the band grew and soon the University of Tennessee grads were throwing caution to the wind, choosing the life of a rolling stone over a corporate 9-5 gig. I would say their decision is paying off in spades. James Trimble, lead singer of Dirty Guv’nahs spoke with AMG before they take the stage at Smith’s Olde Bar.
Some fans said on music blogs they had driven from all over the southeast to see the Guvs play. Do you often hear fan stories like this?
I love it! It is happening more and more. It is really crazy. We had some fans come to Chattanooga on New Year’s Eve who drove from Philadelphia, Nashville, Memphis, from Atlanta…..just coming to see us! Tailgating before the show, we love it. It kind of caught us off guard this year but in a good way.
You are recording the new album right now, why did you decide to stay independent?
It was really the only way we know how to do it and it makes the most sense for us and for our fans. It is doing it our way and it works.
What has been your favorite gig you played thus far in your career?
The first time we sold out a show in New York City was probably my favorite. We played NYC a couple of times and the next visit we played the Mercury Lounge. Sold it out the first time we played there. It was such a cool thing, it was crazy. 10 hours from home and selling out a show in New York City. It felt really amazing. Another one of my favorites was when we moved from the bars to the theater for the first time in Knoxville and sold it out. It was just surreal. We are a band that plays a lot of bar room songs and our sound had been progressing….it felt like we were growing from the bars and then on to the theaters and other venues. It’s great because it allows us to expand our sound.
Southern Ground artist Levi Lowrey once said “Rock and Roll is alive and well with the Dirty Guv’nahs.” What made you fall in love with rock and roll?
That makes me more than happy! I love that guy. Love his songs and as a person, he is so cool. As far as rock and roll, we started this band as a onetime experiment in college. We wanted to play music we liked and the original songs we would write were connected to the artists we loved like The Rolling Stones, The Band. They are our influences in so many ways.
I think something not everyone knows about the band is you have some “brainiac” guys in this group. Nuclear engineering degrees, masters in public administration… why did you choose music as your career path?
(laughing). Yeah, we have five masters degrees in our band. Our youngest wanted to go to law school and we told him, “man, this band thing is working!” So he held off on going. The band started while the majority of us were in graduate school. It became something where we would play on the weekend, make some money to get us by until the next week, a side project. Then we graduated and had to make hard decisions on taking a full time job or a part time job so we could tour. We all just said “let’s go for it.” It’s crazy but we have all been able to make this our full time career. It is working and we are very honored.
See James and the rest of the Dirty Guv’nahs tonight at Smith’s Olde Bar.
By Eileen Tilson/ @tktalt_tn
There are some young ones in Nashville who everyone just simply knows. They are songwriters who are known for representing the city with grace as well as talent. Gabe Dixon is everyone’s friend, as well as being one hell of a musician. I had the great pleasure of speaking with Gabe as part of our 5GB series before his show tonight at Vinyl.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Well the first one that I can actually remember going to was Elton John in 1991 when I was around 12 years old in Nashville. I went with my parents, we are all huge Elton fans. It was great because my brother and I knew every word to every song.
What is the best gig that you ever played/performed at?
When I was living in Miami, we would do these tiny shows at the Pink Palace, this party house, and everyone would be surround us, knowing every word, and having the best time.
What is the best gig you have ever been to?
The best show I ever saw was U2′s 360 tour here in Nashville. It was the most spectacular show I have ever seen. The whole thing was just done so well, I have never seen production to that scale.
Gig you would most like to play?
I would love to play Red Rocks. Just to be able to play music in a natural setting would be pretty amazing.
What would be the lineup for your dream gig?
Hmm, how about opening up for John Mayer and Adele at the Ryman. That would be pretty awesome, huh?
Catch Gabe Dixon tonight at Vinyl
Wow, this weekend is packed with some big hitters! From indie rock legends to country stars old and new, we’ve got a ton of great gigs coming to Atlanta and the surrounding areas (read: OTP). But a fair few are already sold out, so we hope you got your tickets in advance! … Continue Reading
By Eileen Tilson/ @tktalt_tn
This week has flown by! With all the craziness of the week, now is about the perfect time to slow down and catch one of these amazing shows tonight.
-Gabe Dixon is no stranger to the music community. The Nashville based singer songwriter has earned accolades from Paste, The Village Voice, American Songwriter and Performing Songwriter among many others, and virtually the entire album was licensed for use on primetime television. In addition, one of the songs, “Find My Way” was featured as the main title theme for the smash-hit Sandra Bullock & Ryan Reynolds film The Proposal. Check him out tonight at Vinyl.
-The Back Pockets are a flock of musicians and performance artists from Atlanta GA. They roll 5-10 deep, travel extensively, make everything themselves, enjoy costuming & face paint, and audience participation. Check out the spectacle tonight at The Earl.
-Austin based folk-indie rockers, Frank Smith just released their 5th album to date and will be at Smith’s Olde Bar tonight.
-BISHOP DAVIDSON is a newly formed, Nashville-based duo comprised of MJ Bishop and WT Davidson, and described as, “jazzbo acoustic folk with tabasco.Notably, Davidson has had cuts by Ray Charles, Crystal Gayle, Michael Johnson, Gary Stewart and Ray Stevens, to name a few. See this dup tonight at Eddie’s Attic.
By Amanda Miles
There is no simple way to describe Drake White. Raised in Hokes Bluff, Alabama, Drake is reminiscent of an era bygone, filled with soulful cowboys and storytelling troubadours. Drake is no overnight success story, tirelessly playing the bar scene in Nashville for years before a fateful meeting with producer/songwriter Jeremy Stover that catapulted his career into a new stratosphere. Drake joined Willie Nelson on tour in 2011 as part of the Country Music Throwdown and was recently announced as a guest on Eric Church’s Blood, Sweat and Beers Tour. Drake spoke to AMG in anticipation of his show tonight at Smith’s Olde Bar.
Are you working on your debut album for Universal Music?
Yes, we are putting the final touches on it. I’m very excited about this kick ass album. We’ve put a lot of work into it and we are almost finished.
Do you have a song from the new album you cannot wait to share?
It is hard to narrow it down to just one song. I worked really hard to make an album that was whole. I always try to make my songs say exactly what I am feeling. I grew up listening to CCR and Bob Seger, those influences still carry through to today.
You are not an overnight success; this is something you have been working towards for years. Tell us your story.
People throw around the words “overnight success” a good bit when that is not the case. There is always a story in everyone’s career. I have been playing for 10 years, playing acoustic and sometimes playing by myself. I’ve played a lot of venues, a lot of bars, lots of places. I ended up being in the right place at the right time, much like everything in life. I had a guy come in and listen to me at a bar in Nashville and it went from there. We are just really grateful to be where we are right now. We’ve got a long way to go. We’re going to meet lots of people and play lots of shows, just hope that folks respond to the music. We hope folks get a good feeling from it, or a bad feeling, as long as they feel something. If you dig it, cool.
You were asked to join Eric Church & Brantley Gilbert on tour and last year you joined Willie Nelson for the summer.
Yes, we are excited for the Church tour. We’re all different but they’re both killer guys and the tour will be a great experience for us. I have done a lot of stuff with Willie outside of the tour. It was great to hang out with singer/songwriters Randy Houser, Lee Brice and others. There was so much camaraderie. Playing with Willie was such an honor but he is so normal.
When did you decide to pursue music as a career?
I’ll be honest. I was doing it and there was just nothing was going to stop me from playing music. Even if I had to work a local 9-5 gig, I was always going to be playing. I never really made a decision, it has just always been in me. I believe that if you do what you want and love what you do, you only live one time. If you put your head down to the grind, I am a firm believer that things will work out for you. Music has always been something that I was going to do. Whether I play in front of 10,000 people or just by myself, it’s what I was meant to do.
See Drake tonight at Smith’s Olde Bar.
If you were to look up the word “perseverance” in the almighty handbook of heavy metal, there may very well be a photo of Canadian metalists, Anvil. Since their 1981 debut, Hard N’ Heavy, the group – which was co-founded by singer/guitarist Steve “Lips” Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner – has been listed by many as one of the creators of the thrash/speed metal genre (especially on such Chris Tsangarides-produced classics as 1982’s Metal on Metal and 1983’s Forged in Fire). Anvil have never stopped rocking, and with the arrival of the critically-acclaimed/surprise hit film, “Anvil! The Story of Anvil” (directed by Sacha Gervasi), the group is back where they belong – at the forefront of heavy metal.
Anvil are playing the Hard Rock Cafe’s Velvet Underground, and we are giving away a pair of tickets to the show and a gift card for $25 toward dinner (can’t use on alcohol or retail). Enter below to win!
Eric Taylor
Live at the Red Shack
Blue Ruby Music
By Al Kaufman
Eric Taylor is like that cool uncle you had. You know, the one who lived out in the woods in a cabin he built by himself. He talked a little saltier than your mom approved of, he didn’t care if you flipped through the nudie magazines he didn’t bother to try to hide, he’d tell you stories about improper things your mom did as a child, and, most importantly, he taught you a few chords on the guitar.
Although Taylor didn’t put out his first album until 1981, he’s been writing songs since long before. In 1970, he left Atlanta to try to make it in California. He got as far as Houston, where he ran into some songwriters with names like Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt. He worshipped them and they, in turn, thought he was a dumb kid. But Taylor kept working at it and became a gifted songwriter and storyteller in the same vein as his mentors. Ex-wife Nanci Griffith covered his “Dollar Matinee” on her debut . Lyle Lovett, a student of Taylor’s, covered his “Memphis Midnight, Memphis Morning” on his covers CD, Step Inside this House. Both Lovett and Griffith show up on Live at Red Shack to sing their respective songs (and some others) with Taylor on this, his live retrospective. Their harmonies are full of love, warmth and gratitude. … Continue Reading
By Eileen Tilson/ @tktalt_tn
HAPPY OFFICIAL GEORGIA MUSIC DAY! Hopefully by the time you read this, our fine elected officials will have officially declared Jan. 24th, Georgia Music Day! So for pete’s sake get out there today and play! After a great day at the Capitol, the musicians of Georgia will be gathered around celebrating at the Grammy nominee party at the W Hotel. It is a wonderful time to be living and loving music in Georgia!
-Nashville female duo Painted Desert, best known for the country folkness, will be making ya tap yer foot over at Eddie’s Attic.
-Over at The Masquerade, it’s a rock show plain and simple with Falling in Reverse, Oh Sleeper, Skip the Foreplay and Come What May.
-Over in East Atlanta at the ever so hip 529, Gangster Rainbow, Chris Spino, and Nadia Marie will be keeping it real.
-It’s a special day over at the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center and Music Academic Building, Morehouse College, where billionaire Warren Buffett’s son, Peter Buffett will be speaking and performing as part of his New York Times Best-Selling book Life is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment . It emphasizes the importance of building a culture of philanthropy and making a difference in the world, combines a cello and live piano/vocal performance along with video clips of Peter’s film, TV, and philanthropic work that trace his career’s journey. A book signing will follow the performance. FREE TO THE PUBLIC.
Sample more than 100 different beers at this year’s Winter Beer Carnival! Featuring traditional favorites and premium craft beers, there will also be an assortment of the best winter brews.
For the true beer geek, we invite you to HOPtimize to a VIP ticket and receive admission into the event one hour early where you will have exclusive access to sample a premium selection of top rated and hard to find beers. Make sure and buy your tickets early, as this event is SURE TO SELL OUT!
Check out the epic list of beers so far:
Abita Amber
Abita Mardi Gras Bock
Abita strawberry
Abita Turbo Dog
Allagash White
Anchor Steam Brekle’s Brown
Anchor Steam Liberty … Continue Reading
By Eileen Tilson/ @tktalt_tn
Well kids, I survived my first tornado threat last night, unfortunately the storms seem to be heading straight to Atlanta! So if you are brave enough to venture out tonight, here are a couple of fun events for you to consider.
-David Mead and his ever so catchy hooks joins Brooklyn quartet, Harper Blynn, tonight at Smith’s Olde Bar.
-It’s perfect weather for a movie over at The Earl as they present Slow Southern Steel movie screening w/ Hail! Hornet.
-Don’t forget about the ever so famous Songwriter Open Mic Night at Eddie’s Attic for a chance to see the next big thing.
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