Q&A with B-52s’ Fred Schneider; DJing The Gold Room March 5

By Eric Chavez

B-52s front man Fred Schneider is back! It’s been years since the groups last LP Funhouse, but not only are the group coming back, but Schneider has a few side projects going for himself, including the group The Superions. Now the Atlanta native will be making his way to The Gold Room for his Spring Thang Bingo Dance Party on March 5.

I know you have a new project, The Superions, could you tell me a little about that side project?

Well, it started off as a one-off thing. My music partners, Noel and Dan came up with a track, so we stayed with them in Orlando while the band [The B52s] was doing Funplay performing a show, and I came up with “Totally Nude Island” and then we got a remix and did a video for it, and it really took off. We got some great remixes and it just turned into a great EP, and the CD and vinyl came out today [February 23]. Now I’m working on a Christmas album, a Halloween album, and a regular album with The Superions.

You’re coming to Atlanta’s Gold Room next Friday for an event, what can people expect?

On March 5, we’re doing a bingo-dance party. I will be there as a DJ playing wild, crazy dance music and hanging out with everybody.

When did you start DJing?

Well, people asked me if I did, I said “yeah.” I DJ’d for two big parties at Target. What I do is I let someone else play the record, but I pick ‘em. It’s a gig.

You’ve been around in music with the B-52s, you have so many classics, in your whole music career, with them or without them. What would you say is a song that you’re part of that you’re most proud of as an artist?

Represents me? That’s hard, because I’ve written so many songs for my solo album and with The B-52s are mostly collaborations. You know I’d have to say “Rock Lobster.”

You know I heard this Madonna demo from the early ’80s that ripped off the guitar riff from “Rock Lobster.”

Well I wish she would have recorded it and given us the money! She’s not known to be original. You can say it, but you probably wanna interview her about her children. … Continue Reading

Q&A with Real Housewife of Atlanta Kim Zolciak and Producer Tracy Young; Performing @ Gold Room, February 26

By Eric Chavez

Guilty pleasure of the year “Tardy for the Party” is heading back to the VIP. “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kim Zolciak is combining forces with famed remixer Tracy Young to add some dancefloor flavor to her hit single. Young breathes her usual electronic bliss to the sound, making it even more club-friendly. In celebration of the newly released remixes, the two will make their way to Atlanta’s Gold Room on Friday, February 26 to perform.

Why did you decide to record “Tardy For The Party”?

My daughter Brielle and her vocal coach Ed Davidson came up with the concept of Tardy for the Party and I thought it was catchy. Still, it was more of an emotional decision.  Brielle has written several songs and I, of course, am my daughter’s biggest fan so I wanted to support her. I gave the song to Kandi and she went in and rewrote the song and made it a hit.

How did you and Tracy come together for TARDY FOR THE PARTY?

Back when the song first came out, a mutual friend had suggested I do a remix for Tardy For The Party.  He connected Tracy and me via Twitter and after many messages, we finally met in LA and discussed the song. I liked her ideas and thought it was a good fit.  It was such an honor to meet her and even more of an honor that she wanted to remix the song. … Continue Reading

Q&A with Blake Thomas; Playing Smith’s Olde Bar with Josh Harty, February 17

By Eileen Tilson

Blake Thomas is no stranger to country music. Flatlands (2008), his third studio release, has been dubbed “a must for country and folk fans.” Thomas, born in Minnesota, literally worked his way up from the bottom when, at 19, he moved east and began his career busking in the subways of Boston. He spent the following years traveling, grinding through the club circuit and honing his craft while sharing the stage with Leon Russell, Greg Brown, Pieta Brown, Peter Mulvey, The Honeydogs, Holly Golightly, Ben Taylor, Tom Russell, Jon Dee Graham & others. Thought it would be easy to lump Thomas into the the hundreds of midwestern country singers, his lyrics will have you begging to differ. Upon listening to Flatlands, it quickly dawns on you that Blake Thomas’ music is not to be read about, but experienced.

After reading about you and your music, the first thought that popped into my head, was “This guy is a modern day vagabond.” I like to imagine that you are train hopping every few months and collecting stories from your travels. What is it inside you that keeps you moving around, and do you think you will ever settle down?

First of all, train hopping is very dangerous and I don’t recommend it. I’ve never personally hopped a train but I do know that it’s a good way to get your legs chopped off. I think everyone, to a certain extent, is enamored with the idea of a “vagabond” lifestyle. You pick up On The Road when you’re 17 years old and it’s romantic and glorious, etc… I spent a number of years moving about the country sleeping in friends’ attics and basements. I think you can stomach that kind of thing more easily when you’re younger. I don’t want to tarnish the image you have of me but I enjoy having a home base at this point in my life. I have some recording equipment in my living room, a closet that contains my fishing poles, a book shelf full of Calvin and Hobbes, a stack of records, a tree frog. I still love traveling though. I do a lot of my writing on the road. There’s a feeling you get when you roll into a new city. Everything is new and unique. It’s the closest thing I’ve found to being a kid again. … Continue Reading

Q&A with Please PleaseRock Me; Playing Smith’s Olde Bar February 17, March 31, April 28

We all love The Beatles. Well, most of us, as music fans, at least appreciate them. And of course the majority of us will be happy to sing along at the top of our lungs on a night like the three Please PleaseRock Me (from the lads who brought you Y-O-U and other PleaseRock goodies) has created for Smith’s Olde Bar.

We asked the group to tell us about their favorite Beatles tunes, but first, singer Nick Niespodziani gave us this brief introduction:

First an explanation:  Please PleaseRock Me won’t be a traditional Beatles “tribute” band – we won’t be dressing up like the Beatles.  With the exception of my unfortunate resemblance to John Lennon (unfortunate because I’ve wanted to be exactly him my entire life), we don’t look like the Beatles.

But we can sound like the Beatles – and we can sound like other bands as well.  Which is why we’re not only doing verbatim Beatles versions of songs, but also famous covers of Beatles tunes (think Joe Cocker’s “Little Help From My Friends”), our own versions of Beatles songs, and any songs the Beatles did in other bands or in their solo careers.  So we’ve got lots of options!

Nicholas Niespodziani (Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards): The pop perfection of “She Loves You” captures an enthusiasm for life that can defeat the bluest of the Blue Meanies.  Hooks flow from lead vocals to backing vocals to drums to guitar, showcasing the Beatles’ effortless genius.  Every time I hear it I want to jump out of my own skin, fly in a glorious burning rocket ship to the moon of harmonic perfection where daisies chime in the wind, and land screaming at the top of my lungs… perfectly in tune.

Peter Olson (Bass, Vocals): I don’t know that I can pinpoint exactly what draws me to “Dear Prudence,” but it became one of my favorites on my first listen when I was in high school.  The wistful drone of the picked guitar part and the descending bass line are definitely two of the sonic attractions for me.  Not to mention, the lines “The sun is up/The sky is blue/It’s beautiful/And so are you” landed it as the opening track on the first mix-tape that I ever made for my wife.  Oh, hopeless romanticism.  Guilty.

Mark Cobb (Drums, Vocals): My favorite Beatles song as a drummer would have to be “Rain.”  No other drummer back then would have made the decisions Ringo made in the studio with his choice of fills and playing around with the tempo the way he did.  It might not be the most memorable or emotionally charged Beatles song, but it’s one of the most inspiring as a drummer to listen to. … Continue Reading

Q&A: John Douglas of Ten Story Relapse; CD Release Party @ The 183 Room at Legends, February 13

Stylistically diverse Atlanta rockers Ten Story
Relapse have chosen a unique way to celebrate the release of their fifth CD,
the intriguingly-titled Buddha & The
.38. They’ve decided to combine that achievement — which also happens to
coincide with the band’s 10th anniversary — with a one-night-only art
exhibit hand-picked by Atlanta legend Fay Gold and a benefit for The C5 Youth
Foundation of Georgia. TSR’s dynamic vocalist John Douglas sat down with
Atlanta Music Guide to discuss the band’s interest in the C5 organization, the
new CD, and the secret of playing with the same musicians for 10 years.

How did you become involved with The C5 Youth Foundation of Georgia?

I found out about them about a year and a half ago through a mutual friend and I was just so impressed with the work they do, I wanted to help out in some way. I’d worked with some charitable organizations before, but I’d never seen the dedication these guys have.

What does C5 do, essentially? 

They have a five year program that gives kids opportunities and tools to overcome challenges and obstacles that would otherwise be difficult to overcome. About 300
kids are nominated every year and only 70 get accepted, but they have a 95-percent college acceptance rate, which is pretty amazing.      

So, what can people expect musically from Buddha & The .38?

… Continue Reading

Shows of the Year from Our Favorite Atlanta Promoters

Q&A with J. Tillman (of Fleet Foxes) — Playing @ The EARL, November 21

By Eileen Tilson

A few months back I received the new J. Tillman CD to review. Not knowing much about the Tillman, outside of the fact that he was the drummer for Fleet Foxes, I decided I needed to do some serious research. I put in the album, and what came through the speakers blew me away. I searched around on his MySpace, and discovered that not only was Tillman an extremely talented songwriter, but that he has put out several great albums. Ironically though, there were only negative comments from other music critics. I emailed his publicist to discover the reason for this, and Tillman himself wrote me back. Instead of doing a review, I wanted to get the most honest interview I could, and then let the listeners decide if they like it or not. So here is the interview, please leave as many comments as you can.

You told me that you hope people don't feel the need to read reviews in order to decide for themselves if the like it; I have listened to it, and it sounds like a hymnal to my own personal church; is there a vision you have for your albums, do you hope a message gets passed to your listeners?

Well, as opposed to saying that I "hope" people don't need to read reviews, I'm of the opinion that all reviews really do is either confound or affirm people's existing stance on something. Reading reviews of something you haven't heard is a bit silly, I think a lot of places that provide reviews thrive solely on a masochistic appetite. Most people don't think of themselves as people who like something just because someone else told them they should. It's not much different than "Funniest Home Videos." Sometimes people just want to see someone else get hit in the balls. That form of infotainment is totally divorced from the perceived quality of the source for most people.

I'm not necessarily trying to convey a message with my albums. Messages get fine-tuned, and are altruistic. The listener is the whole point of a "message." My songs don't always portray what's best for people, it's a distillation of the philosophies that are sensual to me.

… Continue Reading

Q&A with Jay Brannan; Playing Vinyl, October 20

By Sam Parvin
 

Singer/songwriter (and actor) Jay Brannan is coming to
Atlanta on October 20 to showcase his latest album, In
Living Cover.  The album is Jay’s
second and features two original tunes, as well as seven impeccably-performed
covers, including The Cranberries’ “Zombie,” The Verve Pipe’s “The Freshman"
and  “All I Want,” originally a Joni
Mitchell song. If your musical forté is
beautiful, wide-ranging vocals, you have got to check out Jay Brannan’s
albums and show. And just for a little
insight into what goes on behind the curtains, Atlanta Music Guide checked in
with Jay to ask about the album, the tour, and more.   

You
released your first full-length (completely original) album last year, called goddamned;
so you’re an originals kind of guy, right? For this album, In Living Cover, why covers?

That sort
of happened by accident. I went on tour
with goddamned last year, and I wanted to write more this year but
really didn’t have the time. I wanted to
get something out this year, so In Living Cover has two originals and
seven covers; mostly songs I have previously recorded and put on YouTube.
 

… Continue Reading

Q&A with Fran Healy of Travis; Playing with Bandmate Andy Dunlop at The Loft, October 17 for an Early Show

By Scott Roberts

The idea of a phone interview with
Fran Healy scared me. For two reasons. One, having the opportunity to talk to one
of my honest-to-goodness musical heroes – the angel-voiced, principal songwriter
of Travis, a band who has created some of the most consistently melodic and
engaging pop-rock of the last 12 years, was, understandably a bit daunting.

And
two, I was worried that Healy’s Scottish brogue might be so thick (there is evidence of this on a few of their
YouTube clips) that it would be impossible for me to transcribe his answers.
Fortunately, I ended up having two things going for me — one was that within the
first 10 seconds or so, Healy was so disarmingly sweet and polite that I easily
set aside the fact that I was talking to the man responsible for “Why Does It
Always Rain On Me,” “Coming Around,” and dozens of other perfect pop songs. The
other was that talking to Healy in Berlin (a place he now calls home) under the
effects of a gruelingly quick batch of Travis festival shows and a full day’s
worth of interviews, he was justifiably tired and spoke slower than usual so I
had no trouble interpreting a few details about his and Travis guitarist Andy
Dunlop’s upcoming U.S. acoustic tour that includes a stop at The Loft in
Atlanta on Saturday, October 17.

Have
you and Andy ever done anything like this before, or has Travis ever done
all-acoustic shows?  

Andy and I did our first one in Austria at a
radio station a couple of years ago. We were asked to play and we showed up
thinking it would just be us playing two or three songs with a DJ, but when we
got there, we were told we had to play for an hour and 15 minutes, and there
was a stage done up like Charles Dickens or something and 300 people in the
audience! So we just sort of did it and the reaction was mental. The
switchboard was jammed the next day with people saying how much they liked it,
so ever since then I’ve been wanting to do this kind of thing. It’s taken over
a year to get it together.

Have
the other guys in the band [bassist Dougie Payne and drummer Neil Primrose]
been supportive of you and Andy going out without them?

Oh, yeah, everyone’s fine with it.
Dougie’s got a new baby and Neil fancies racing his cars, so … the band were on a
break from long tours after the last couple records, and this is usually the
time I use to write for the next Travis record, so I’m hoping Andy and I can
write between gigs for that as well.

What
should the audience expect from your set at The Loft? Travis’ greatest hits?
New songs? Wacky covers? A slow dirge version of “Tied To The Nineties”?

[Healy laughs] No, I think it will
be more like a lecture. You know with Andy and I sittin’ there, playin’ songs,
and explainin’ where each of them came from and why. And we’re gonna have a
projector screen so people can look at something besides us … like maybe a map of
Scotland marked up with all the places where the songs began.     

With 29 shows in 35 days on their schedule, there’s a good chance Fran
Healy will be just tired enough that his speech will sufficiently slow down so
that the audience will be able to fully soak in all the stories he’ll be
telling that evening. And as if that weren’t appeal enough, Healy also
mentioned that he and Andy will be selling their own wares at the “merch” table
so the fans will have the opportunity after their set for hand shaking and
picture taking, adding yet another reason why this show will be an absolute "do not miss" for Travis fans and newcomers alike.     

Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop play The Loft October 17 at 7.30 p.m. Tickets are on sale at Ticket Alternative.        
       
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

Q&A with Leonard Cohen Collaborator, Sharon Robinson; Playing Fox Theatre October 20

By Al Kaufman; photo by Greg Gold

Sharon Robinson is best known as a collaborator with Canadian poet, folk singer, and cultural icon, Leonard Cohen. She has co-written some of his most popular songs, including "Everybody Knows" and "Waiting for a Miracle," and produced and co-written all of the songs on his 2001 album, Ten New Songs. She has contributed background vocals on many tracks, and has arranged many of his songs, bringing a hushed, electronic beat to some of his more beautiful poetry. She toured with him back in 1979, and is with him again on what will probably be his final tour.

What many people may not know about Robinson is that she is also the co-writer of the Patti LaBelle anthem "New Attitude," for which she took home a Grammy, and that she put out her first solo album, Everybody Knows, last year to critical acclaim. (Read the AMG review here.)

The multi-talented artist with the smokey, sensuous vocals, took time out of her tour with Leonard Cohen to answer some questions for AMG.

"New Attitude" and "Everybody Knows" do not at first glance seem like they have anything in common. Does it sometimes surprise you that you helped write both of them? Did "New Attitude" have a different sound when you first wrote it?

Those songs are very different and evolved out of completely different circumstances. One was part of the hit-making staff-songwriter world, where your goal is to write a radio hit, and of course try to write a good and inspiring song at the same time. The other, "Everybody Knows," came out of the more pure artistic world obviously, with Leonard giving me a verse to see what I could do with. I like that I've worked in both arenas, but prefer the latter. I've always liked and played lots of different kinds of music, so it wasn't really difficult to immerse myself in either one.

The sound of the "New Attitude" demo is almost exactly the same as the record. In fact the producers took me into the studio and basically had me re-create significant parts of the demo intentionally. I listened to the demo recently after not having heard it in years. It's pretty good. It has the same energy as the record.

… Continue Reading

Q&A with Petter Ericson Stakee of Alberta Cross — Playing The EARL with Phosphorescent, October 9

By Eileen Tilson

If you haven’t heard of Alberta Cross yet, you will.
Having recently played with Them Crooked Vultures (Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, and
John Paul Jones) at Austin City Limits, the band is just at the start of their
tour in support of their debut album, Broken Side of Time (which we reviewed earlier on the blog here), released on
ATO Records. I recently caught up with singer Petter Ericson Stakee in Austin to
ask him just what it feels like to be poised in the calm before the
storm.

Hey Petter, how are you? You are in
Austin right now for Austin City Limits, how is it going?


It’s going great! I’m still a little jet lagged, but
we got to play with Them Crooked Vultures yesterday, which was really fucking
surreal. We are a new band, so we are the first slot to play tomorrow, but it’s
cool because most of these bands that are playing the festival have been out
touring, and then we all come back together to play the festivals; it’s like a
brotherhood.

… Continue Reading

Q&A with Those Darlins — Playing The Loft with Dr. Dog September 29

Q&A with Charlie Brand of Miniature Tigers — Playing The Drunken Unicorn with Fun, September 20

By Sam Parvin

I recently got my hands on the
debut full-length album by Miniature Tigers, Tell It To the Volcano,
and I am so excited about it!  So when I
heard the five piece, Phoenix-based rock-pop group is coming to Atlanta this
month, I had to get an interview. Lead
vocalist and guitarist Charlie Brand tells us about the album, touring, and
their Atlanta show at The Drunken Unicorn on September 20. 

You guys
are on a touring frenzy in support of the album, Tell It To the Volcano.  What keeps you going on your demanding tour
schedule, or what’s the most difficult thing about it?

It’s
just kind of taxing on your body; you don’t get a lot of sleep, and you eat a
lot of crappy food. But it’s just so
rewarding, playing shows every night and getting to meet so many people. It kind of all balances out. 

You’ve
finished a coast-to-coast tour with Kevin Divine and Princeton, now you’ve got
another 15 or 20 shows with Fun and THEN 15 or so with Say Anything. What are you doing differently with each of
these bands than you did with the others, if anything? 

We
never really tailor our set around who we’re playing with; we just do what
makes us happy and for the people we’re playing for. For us, we just go into a tour and practice
and learn a few more songs and use the tour as a chance to experience and try
out new songs and stuff like that.  When
we come back through a city the next time around, we try and change it so you
never see same show twice.

… Continue Reading

Q&A with David Mead — Playing Eddie’s Attic, September 17

By Samantha Parvin

Quiet, soulful pop singer and songwriter David Mead began
touring recently in support of his latest and fifth full-length album, Almost
and Always. Mead will play at
Eddie’s Attic on September 17, so AMG caught up with him to ask about the tour,
the album, and what to expect at the show.

Tell me about your newest album, Almost and
Always. It’s your fifth full-length
album – what were you trying to achieve, or what did you do differently, if
anything?

The biggest difference is there’s such sparse
production on this album. Also, a lot of
it is about the end of a relationship, and we’ve taken a very straight forward,
conversational approach musically – kind of leaving it open and bare. Several of the songs were co-written with
Bill DeMain. He’s a really good
lyricist, and he approaches writing differently than I do. Our combining our ideas and techniques
offered a lot more variety of stories and subjects than on my previous records.

What has the collaboration with Bill DeMain done for
your style and thought process as a creator? Would you say he inspired you or refreshed your creativity? 

He really did inspire me. He really pushed me to write more about
detail and see the glory in the mundane. Bill can write about anything. For instance, writing a song like “Mohave Desert Phone Booth.” In the short story, it kind of became this
pilgrimage to go to this phone booth in the middle of the Mohave Desert. The number got circulated around the world
and people would call it, and if someone happened to answer, they would have
this random conversation. So Bill wanted
to develop it, and he wrote the song “Mohave Desert Phone Booth” and related
the phone booth to the feelings of being alone and isolation. I wouldn’t write about things like that if
Bill didn’t show me how to see those details in such random encounters as his
finding that story.

… Continue Reading

Q&A with Nick Niespodziani of Y-O-U, Yacht Rock and More — Playing Smith’s Olde Bar on July 25

By Leila Regan-Porter

If there ain't no rest for the wicked, then the lads of PleaseRock (the umbrella that covers Y-O-U,The Yacht Rock Review, The Tupperware Party, Rock Fight, 3 Dog Stevens and other rock aliases) are the most wicked rockers out there. While trying to keep up with the runaway success of The Yacht Rock Review, which covers music of that smooth time in the '70s, their original-music project Y-O-U has managed to find time to test some new tunes in front of the crowds and record them for a new record, The Long-Playing EP, so called because there will be a good handful of older tracks (from their self-titled record, Everything Is Shifting and Flashlights) accompanying the four new tracks. Think of it as an Introduction to Y-O-U.

And for those more familiar with the band, as well as being able to expect the same high standard of excellent pop songs we all come to expect from Y-O-U, there is also a new sound creeping in, with soulful horns, a slight alt-country sound a la Gram Parsons, and a southern wholesomeness. But above all, the new tracks are solid pop treasures that would fit anywhere from a college radio station to a top 40 countdown, winning everyone over with the band's tight playing and classic song-writing.

We spoke to lead singer Nick Niespodziani as he prepares for the record's release at Smith's Olde Bar on July 25 (tickets available here).

Tell me about the EP, why you decided to do it as five
new songs and eight bonus songs from previous works.

It just kinda happened I guess. We recorded a whole album
of late-‘60s Memphis soul style music – we were doing a thing called the Blues
Rock Review – and we recorded that whole record, and it got to the end, and I
was trying to sing it, and it wasn’t really working. It worked well live, I
thought, but it didn’t really come across when we put it down on a record. We went
to my friend Ben, Ben Allen [Gnarls Barkley, producer for Gringo Star, Judi Chicago] , who produced this stuff, and we played him the
stuff and we were like, “What should we do with this?” and he said we should
just record some other sounds [laughs].

So we ended up doing one with him to try, and we liked it so
we did a couple more and we wanted to put out some new music because it had
been so long since we had done something, we’d already kinda started and
stopped another couple of records, so we decided just to put these out. We’re
going to take the first three songs from the EP and we’re going to make an LP,
continuing in that vein, which will come out next year. On vinyl! I’ve never
done a vinyl before and our keyboard player Mark is the biggest vinyl junkie –
he has a whole room in his house full of records. And I’ve always wanted to
have a record. I’m really excited about that. When I listen to music at home,
probably about 75 percent of the time I listen to records.

How did you decide on the songs that came from previous
work?

In choosing those songs, we wanted to choose the ones
that had the most in common with the new stuff that we’re doing. We’re reaching
a lot of new people through the other projects that we’re doing, like Yacht
Rock, and we wanted to give them a taste of all the different things that we’ve
done, and hopefully get them interested in the band in general. We’ve been
talking a lot lately – last year Yacht Rock had gotten just so out of control,
we’ve just been trying to keep up with it to the point that Y-O-U wasn’t able
to get as much of our attention as we would have liked in terms of performing
and recording. We’ve been writing songs and being creative but we haven’t had a
forum to put it out. The EP is like the first step in recommitting ourselves to
making a lot more time for that. Because now we have the Yacht Rock, we know
what we’re doing now, we have our business together, so we can refocus.

… Continue Reading