Interview with Davy Minor, Ohmpark founder; Festival this Saturday, Jan. 12 at The Earl & 529

By Jhoni Jackson Six years is a long time in the blogosphere. But that’s about how long Ohmpark, the independent music blog that champions locally-bred bands, has survived. Founder Davy Minor runs the outlet by a rigid credo, which is arguably its key to success: Can he “honestly recommend and endorse every single musician” on […]

Interview with Emily Kempf of Iron Jayne; Playing at 529 in East Atlanta, Wednesday, Jan. 9

By Jhoni Jackson The now-defunct (or at least on a long hiatus) troupe the Back Pockets often divided music fans into two sides: Those who appreciated the band’s live theatrics, and those who thought the shenanigans were a distraction from the weirdo folk-rock tunes. Now you can have both. There’s no need to choose. You […]

Preview: NYE in East Atlanta Village

By Jhoni Jackson If 2012 wasn’t your best year, there’s a way for you to close it out with at least a modicum sense of accomplishment: Conquer a New Year’s Eve challenge. The entire city will be buzzing, of course, but East Atlanta Village is hosting particularly stellar trifecta of NYE parties. The EARL scored […]

Interview with Matt Rowles of IndieATL

By Jhoni Jackson IndieATL, the Georgia State University arm that simultaneously schools students on video-making and supports the city’s independent music scene, has more than a few reasons to celebrate. Tonight at 529, Baby Baby, El Fossil and other local acts will aid the web only live music series in high-fiving the holiday season—but that’s […]

Interview with Cassie Ramone of the Babies; Playing 529 tonight, Dec. 18

By Jhoni Jackson The term garage gains hyphens from a slew of neighboring genres: Garage-punk, garage-rock, garage-pop. What about garage-folk? While two-word terms rarely manage to fully describe a band, that’s the most brevity-conscious way to describe the Babies. The Brooklyn band was co-founded about three years ago by Kevin Morby of Woods and  Cassie […]

5GB with Koko Beware (Opening for The Babies); Playing 529 Tuesday, Dec. 18

By Jhoni Jackson For Athens, Ga., outfit Koko Beware, the weather’s perpetually warm and sunny—the perfect climate for absolute cute to flourish. Laid-back surf nods spruce up the band’s otherwise sparse lo-fi indie-pop canvas, but not to excess. The unembellished palate tempers exclamations like, “You’re a beach babe!” Koko Beware is nonchalantly adorable in that […]

Preview: Soul Clap and Dance-off with DJ Jonathan Toubin

By Jhoni Jackson Famed soul DJ Jonathan Toubin travels the states with his various dance parties, all of which are now fueled solely by vintage 45s—first pressings at that! Tomorrow night, Atlanta finally gets to play host to one of Toubin’s hip-shakin’ shindigs: the Soul Clap and Dance-Off. That’s right—there’s a dance competition. On the […]

5GB with William Fussell of Moodrings; Playing the EARL Friday, Nov. 23

By Jhoni Jackson Maintaining ethereal ambiance in a pop-minded effort is a delicate affair. Local act Moodrings does it masterfully. Their sway-worthy, peppier tunes are lush and dreamy. Even the most sluggish, textural songs frontman William Fussell and company offer never fail to serve up a lovely melody, even if subtly embedded. Hear a selection […]

5GB Interview with Sealions; Playing the EARL Friday, Nov. 23

By Jhoni Jackson The care with which Atlanta’s Sealions craft their synth-pop is supremely meticulous—a sonic time-warp to the darker days of ‘80s dance carefully embellished with modern trimmings. Each song is a perfect little pocket watch, a vintage timepiece cautiously comprised of parts as intricate and delicate as they are crucial: the subtle rolls […]

5GB with Brother Hawk; Playing the Basement Saturday, Nov. 17

By Jhoni Jackson New local act Brother Hawk offers more than a nod the good ole days of Southern rock. Led by J.B. Brisendine, the band reenergizes the genre in a way that straddles the sonic line between mainstream and indie. Lush and powerful blues-tinged instrumentation, complete with harmonica accents, back Brisendine’s pristine vocals on […]

5GB with Carnivores; Playing 529 tonight, Nov. 5

By Jhoni Jackson Atlanta’s Carnivores have been keeping busy all summer, wrapping up their third LP, Second Impulse, as well as snagging some coveted slots on the West Coast opening for Franz Ferdinand. The forthcoming LP promises to be their best, most mature and cohesive bout yet. But being the hardworking group they’ve proved themselves […]

5GB with King Tuff; Playing the Earl Thursday, Oct. 25

By Jhoni Jackson If all the garage-lovin’ power-poppers of today’s underground scene threw individual parties and you could only attend just one, I’d strongly suggest King Tuff’s shindig be your first choice. He’s not only one of the most consistently beloved pushers in the genre, but also seems to be having an exponentially more fun […]

Show Preview: Why You Must See R. Steve Moore at the EARL Oct. 7

By Jhoni Jackson Confession: I discovered the wonderful world of R. Stevie Moore only a few years ago. Weirdo-pop virtuoso Ariel Pink was responsible—he cited him in some story I read. In my exploration of Moore’s enormous catalog, I never considered he’d play Atlanta. I didn’t think his work, which includes avant garde experimentalism to […]

5GB with The Blind Shake; Playing @ The EARL Saturday, Oct. 6

By Jhoni Jackson Garage-stomp is the choice term for the Blind Shake. The Minneapolis band employs it in press releases and on their website. There’s no use in arguing—they’re right. There’s no better way to describe them. But what’s that mean, anyway? It means the Minneapolis trio will incite thud after thud on the EARL’s […]