VICE Records' noise rock duo Death From Above 1979 will be doing a DJ set and signing at Criminal Records on Friday October 28th at 6:00pm. The band will be opening up for Nine Inch Nails and Queens of the Stone Age the night before at Philips Arena. Their newest release, Romance Bloody Romance , goes on sale November 22nd. www.deathfromabove1979.com

AMG's featured band for October is Open Mic Madness 2005 winners Sovus Radio - head on over to our Features section to read all about this talented, original four piece. The band beat out over 120 acts, securing them recording time, a slot on the 2006 Rock Boat, and more, just several months after replacing their frontman. www.sovusradio.com | www.myspace.com/sovusradio

Several local bands will join together for A Night to Rebuild, a benefit for Habitat For Humanity's hurricane relief efforts. The benefit show will take place Saturday October 29th at the Coca Cola Roxy and will feature Red Letter Agent, Five Eight, The Swear, Trances Arc, Sovus Radio, 23jinx, and more. Tickets are $13.00. For more information, visit www.atlantaconcerts.com.

More than 1,000 music fans gathered to Rock for Relief with Sister Hazel, Cowboy Mouth, and others at Vinyl and Earthlink Live on Oct. 1st. Atlanta’s music community raised over $55,000 from from ticket sales, limited edition t-shirt sales, a silent auction, Icehouse beer sales and an AirTran ticket raffle. Special thanks to all the event’s sponsors, including Atlanta-based Ticket Alternative, who generously donated their services to ensure that every dollar raised would benefit the hurricane victims.

Shut Eye Records' The Great Americana Hoedown Extravaganza is taking place Saturday October 8th at the Encyclomedia building in Candler Park (1526 Dekalb Avenue). The party starts at 2pm and lasts all day and night with 17 bands on 2 stages, food, Jake's ice cream, an art show, and more. Admission is free, but $8.00 will get you a wristband with access to unlimited beer and wine. Proceeds from the event go toward the Briarcliff Animal Foundation. www.shuteyerecords.com

The East Side Lounge is holding a CD release party during their PostMODern video night tonight (Monday) for the new Franz Ferdinand release You Can Have it So Much Better...With Franz Ferdinand. The record will also be available for purchase at the club starting at midnight. www.eastsidelounge.net

The Other Sound - Atlanta's First Indie Label Fest will hit the city next week from October 13th - 15th, taking over venues such as 10 High, The EARL, and Lenny's. Check out local acts like The Heart Attacks, The Orphins, The Tom Collins, Snowden, The Close, Psychic Hearts, The Black Lips, and many more, along with literary readings and short films. The festival will hold a pre-party over at Smith's Olde Bar on October 12th, and 3 day passes are now available at Criminal Records. www.theothersound.net

GIVEAWAY - After a year of opening slots for bands like Weezer, The Bravery, Hot Hot Heat, and Louis XIV, the locals in Second Shift are gearing up to release their debut full length album titled Boozed and Bruised. The album was produced by Geoff Melkonian (Five Eight, Modern Skirts, The Whigs), and to celebrate, the band will be throwing a CD release party at The Loft on Saturday October 15th. There will be a silent auction with items donated by Louis XIV, Butch Walker, and more to benefit MusiCares, guest performers such as Mike from Five Eight and Nick from Y-O-U, and an afterparty with 99X Sunday School's Jay Harren DJing. If you want to score a free pair of tickets to the show, just email us your name and daytime phone number, and we'll draw a winner on Thursday October 13th. Watch "Bethany" Video: .wmv | www.secondshiftmusic.com

Music From the OC Mix 5 will hit the streets on November 8th. The latest OC compilation includes music from Athens' popstars Of Montreal as well as Kasabian, Kaiser Chiefs, Phanton Planet, and a slew of other great acts. The first single from the disc will be The Subways' "Rock & Roll Queen." Hear it here first!
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Livewire Recordings singer/songwriter Ashton Allen will be releasing his first national album Dewdrops on September 27th. His CD release party will take place September 26th in the Atlanta Room at Smith's Olde Bar with Clay Cook and Zero Chance. www.ashtonallen.net

Dark New Day will be playing the Masquerade in Atlanta on October 5th. The group features Clint and Corey Lowery of Sevendust, Stereomudd, and Stuck Mojo, along with ex-members of Creed, Skrape, Virgos Merlot, & The Tommy Lee Band. The locals in Dear Enemy and Echovalvewill open up the show.

Open Mic Madness takes place October 3-8 at Smith's Olde Bar. This is your final chance to apply. Past winners include Avenge Vegas, The Whigs, and Bain Mattox. Music madman (and Atlanta Music Guide Awards host) Josh Rifkind runs the annual single elimination tournament, which features over 120 bands and solo artists performing their original music. Prizes include two full days at Nickel & Dime Recording Studios with platinum producer Don McCollister, a performance slot on The Rock Boat, and more. To register and find out more information, visit www.openmicmadness.com

AMG Blog - check out our new Blog feature. We want to know which show's you've seen lately, which bands you've caught and which clubs you're hitting. Head over to blog.myspace.com/atlantamusicguide and post your comments.

HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF BENEFITS - Atlanta's music scene has joined forces to help out the victims of Hurricane Katrina through several benefit shows. The 2005 Atlanta Rockfest at the Coca Cola Roxy will take place this Friday September 23rd with Cracker, Hot Young Priest, and The Trust. All proceeds from the show will be donated to the American Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund via the Starlight Children's Foundation. On Saturday September 24th, the Velvet Underground will kick off its series of benefit events, featuring local shows, silent memorabilia auctions, and national acts as well. Family Force 5 will host the night + perform, along with Last November, Heavy Mojo, and Someday New. Hard Rock Cafe' International will be matching 100% of what the Velvet Underground raises as well. The Rock Boat, the world's largest travelling music festival, was set to depart from New Orleans next week. Obviously, with the ports devastated and the cruise ship commandeered by FEMA, the event has been postponed. However, The Rock Boat has organized the "Rock for Relief" benefit concert next Saturday October 1st at Earthlink Live and Vinyl. The event features full sets by Sister Hazel, Michael Tolcher, Emerson Hart of Tonic, and many many more. All profits from ticket sales will be donated to Americares.org and PetSmart's animal relief fund.

Thanks to all the people who came out and celebrated the local scene at last Saturday's Atlanta Music Guide Awards! Everyone had a blast as we celebrated another year of our city's diverse music scene. If you missed the awards, we've put up photos along with this year's winners. Much thanks to everyone involved, along with all the bands and music fans who came out to make the event great! We appreciate all of your support.

With the Atlanta Music Guide Awards a little more than a week away, we're proud to announce a partnership with Filter Magazine. Filter is known for being at the forefront of new music and championing their motto of "Good Music Will Prevail," which is why we've chosen them to sponsor the Filter Magazine Most Buzzworthy Band Award. This award will go to the Atlanta band generating the most excitement in the industry and the local music scene, and in turn, the winner will be mentioned on Filter's website. Check out their latest issue featuring Coldplay at your local newsstands or online at www.filter-mag.com.

Every weeknight at 9pm, 99X brings you the Locals Only Lounge during Dekker's program, featuring a nightly song from an Atlanta band. Be sure to tune in starting Tuesday night because each week, one of the nominees for the 99X Best New Band award in the Atlanta Music Guide Awards will be spotlighted. For more information and how to submit your music to the Locals Only Lounge, visit www.99x.com. REMINDER: Tickets will go on sale this Wednesday August 31st at 10:00am at www.ticketalternative.com.

GIVEAWAY - After touring the world, Bloc Party is wrapping up their US tour in Atlanta on September 26th at the Tabernacle. To celebrate, our friends at Vice Records are giving away 3 prize packs filled with Bloc Party goods. The winners will receive a Promo only limited edition Bloc Party vinyl, a signed poster, a button set, and the upcoming Silent Alarm Remixed record (out September 13th), which features a limited edition bonus disc with B-side tracks, along with remixes from Ladytron, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Death from Above 1979, Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and more. To win, email us at info@atlantamusicguide.com with your name, daytime phone number, and your favorite Bloc Party song. We'll draw 3 winners on Friday September 23rd. For more info, visit www.blocparty.com - Watch "Banquet" Video: high high | low

The annual Angela Todd Tribute Concert will be held at Smith's Olde Bar on September 11th. Angela Todd was an aspiring musician who won Star 94's RADIOSTAR contest, beating out thousands of people to perform with the likes of Norah Jones and Tonic. Todd was in a car accident in January 2004 and passed away. Artists such as Bain Mattox, The Swear, Gary Pfaff of Obsession Day, State of Man, and more have donated their time for the show. All proceeds will go to the Angela Todd Memorial Fund, which gives away a scholarship every year to a student in the Atlanta community pursuing an education in music and/or the arts. The cover is $10, and the show begins at 7:00pm. www.angelatodd.net

MODA, the Museum of Design Atlanta, will be holding an exclusive CD listening party on September 1st from 5-8pm for Sigur Ros' upcoming record Takk, which isn't released until September 13th. There will also be a giveaway for a pair of tickets to the band's sold out show at Symphony Hall. Graphic Noise, the contemporary concert poster exhibition, will still be taking place at MODA as well. For more information, visit www.museumofdesign.org.