Picture Book & Live Review: SciaticA, Permanent Waves at The Local at Sidelines, December 17

Review & photos by Ken Lackner

Full gallery at the bottom of the post.

I’ve never been a fan of cover bands. As with most rules, this one has an exception. Two exceptions, actually.

It takes a very talented and impressive voice to recreate the vocal styling of Geddy Lee. Matthew Trautwein — better known to some as String of the Renaissance rock ‘n’ roll group The Lost Boys — has the necessary talent. His newest band Permanent Waves covers the early career of Canadian rock legends Rush, from the ’70s through the early ’80s. The set opened with “Working Man” off Rush’s self-titled debut album. Near the end, fans were treated to the entire Side A (anyone still remember what that even means?) of “Moving Pictures.” Permanent Waves closed with one of my all-time favorite Rush tracks, “Subdivisions,” from the 1982 album Signals. I can never get enough of that record. … Continue Reading

Picture Book: Dir En Grey and The Birthday Massacre at Center Stage, December 7

By Rebecca McCoy (http://ravynfotografie.webs.com/)

Full gallery after the jump.

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CD Review: Black Keys — El Camino

Black Keys
El Camino
Nonesuch

By Al Kaufman

It surprises nobody anymore that a couple of white boys from Akron, Ohio (Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, to be precise) can pack their music with so much blues and  soul, but the fact that with El Camino, their seventh album, they continue to get better and better at it is a feat that deserves great praise. … Continue Reading

CD Review: Smashing Pumpkins — Gish and Siamese Dream Deluxe Boxed Sets

Smashing Pumpkins
Gish and Siamese Dream Deluxe Boxed Sets
Virgin Records

By Ellen Eldridge

Amazing as it may sound, I had never actually heard Gish even though Siamese Dream punctuated my teen years. I never considered myself a huge fan of Smashing Pumpkins, but when I saw them live I was utterly blown away by both their technical skill and entertaining quality. Yet, I still never went back and bought or heard Gish. The fact that albums don’t fare as well in these Internet streaming and torrent ripping times means that many of the bands that have been around for decades reissue and remaster early career-defining albums. And so it is with the deluxe edition boxed sets for both Gish and Siamese Dream. … Continue Reading

Picture Book: Sister Hazel, Elevation at Atlantic Station, December 9

By Ken Lackner.

Check out our gallery of crowd shots HERE. Full gallery of Sister Hazel and Elevation shots after the jump.

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CD Review: The Cure — Bestival

The Cure
Bestival
Sunday Best Recordings

By Ellen Eldridge

The immediate warmth of the bittersweet opening paragraph to “Plainsong” opens the two-CD set with, “‘I think it’s dark and it looks like rain,’ you said/’And the wind is blowing like it’s the end of the world,’ you said/’And it’s so cold it’s like the cold if you were dead,’ and then you smiled for a second,” and returns Cure fans to Disintergration. Fans need to scroll ¾ of the way down the discography page to get to this 1989 release, but many agree this defining album stands as one of the best. Bestival collects the live experience of the Cure show at the Bestival held at Robin Hill Country Park on the Isle of Wight, England. This annual event has steadily grown since 2004, and The Cure brings it to the United States. … Continue Reading

CD Review: Korn — The Path of Totality

Korn
The Path of Totality
Roadrunner

By Ellen Eldridge

Korn came through Atlanta headlining for the Mayhem Festival in 2010, and again this fall to play Wild Bill’s. As soon as the opening track, “Chaos Lives in Everything,” started with its hi-hat beat and techno feel. Deeper into The Path of Totality the sound recalls Marilyn Manson and reminds me of David Bowie’s experimentation on Outside. When Bowie co-headlined with Nine Inch Nails fans actually walked out before Bowie and after Nine Inch Nails, pissing off those fans of both bands who genuinely appreciated the risks Bowie took in the name of reinvention. … Continue Reading

Live Review: Trans-Siberian Orchestra at Philips Arena, December 2

By Jenna Hughes; photo by Lewis Lee, from the 2010 tour

“In the moments of our lives, both the joyous and the tragic, if the truth is to be told we are all pursuing magic.”

These words resonated through the crowd at Philips Arena in Atlanta on December 2, a poetic narrative that preceded the onslaught of lights, lasers and pyrotechnics of Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The band erupted onto the stage with “Who I Am,” a fast-paced, heart-pounding song featuring all seven vocalists and an orchestra that had the crowd mesmerized from the very beginning of their two-and-a-half-hour set. … Continue Reading

Picture Book: The Raconteurs at The Tabernacle, November 13

By Rebecca McCoy

Full gallery after the jump.

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Picture Book: Mastodon at The Tabernacle, December 2

By Ellen Eldridge

Full gallery with Red Fang, Dillinger Escape Plan, The Black Lips and Mastodon after the jump.

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Picture Book: Revival: An Allman Brothers Experience at Vinyl, December 3

By Hieu Nguyen

Full gallery after the jump.

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Live Review: Paul Simon at The Arena at Gwinnett Center, December 2

By Rosie Judd

It was truly a treat to see Paul Simon perform at the Areana at Gwinnett Center Friday night, surrounded by an eight-piece multi-cultural ensemble. The set list showcased a veritable history of rhythm starting with the crowd-pleaser “Boy In A Bubble” which brought about a standing ovation from the enthusiastic arena crowd. Simon kept the audience on a rhythmical journey emphasizing multi-cultural grooves and syncopations in songs like “Dazzling Blue” and his medley of “Hearts and Bones” and blues standard “Mystery Train.” At times there were four of five musicians on percussion instruments alone, inspiring the audience to groove along in our seats.

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Live Review & Picture Book: Puscifer at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, November 30

Review and photos by Ellen Eldridge

The key to success as a musician, over a period of a decade or more, lies in the need to constantly reinvent oneself. Everyone seated in the Cobb Energy Centre on Wednesday night understood the principles that Maynard James Keenan follows for his art, especially once his video montage from past Puscifer performances, played in-between Carina Round’s opening act and the main show, transitioned into his welcoming warning about no flash photography. Maynard’s menagerie of characters includes a Pattonesque soldier standing drunk before an American flag telling the crowd to verify the text on the ticket stub, and bullies them with a round of verbal mortar to remind them he thinks flash photography is rude and distracting. Many fans who have attended Puscifer shows have seen this skit before and will attest to the staff walking about the arena attempting to arrest anyone caught recording the show.

Full gallery at the bottom of the post. … Continue Reading

Picture Book & Live Review: Tori Amos at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, November 29

Review and photos by Ellen Eldridge

Tori Amos spoke to me when I was 16. Not directly, but from the stage when another fan shouted, “I love you Tori!” Her return quip, “Where were you when I was 16?” instantly won me on her personality. Her persistent passion guided me through my own formative years, deeply impacting my own writing and thought patterns. During the time Amos’ own experimentation pulled away from the piano to entertain with a backing rock band, on albums like From the Choirgirl Hotel, I conducted my own experimentation in college, and pretty well lost touch with the songwriter. I certainly didn’t realize the amount of material I missed, and from Scarlet’s Walk through Midwinter Graces I’d probably only heard every other album released, and not even in full. After reviewing Night of Hunters, I felt reconnected with my idol, and after Tuesday night’s show at Cobb Energy Centre I feel my love for her resurrected.

Full gallery at the bottom of the post. … Continue Reading

Intern Emily’s Favorites of 2011

By Emily Hogan/@emilyhogan

I’m terrible at putting music related things in any type of order. First to last, best to worst, I just can’t do it. So, here’s a list of 11 of my favorite releases from 2011, in no particular order. Most of these releases stayed on the record player, mp3 player or the CD player in my car for weeks. The repeat button was overused for sure. I still can’t get enough of these amazing albums.

Yuck – Yuck
I’m a huge fan of the ’90s – HUGE. My favorite band of all time is Pavement. “My So Called Life” is the greatest show. Ever. You get the picture. Anyway, I discovered Yuck on Pitchfork, they were featured as rising act and “Holing Out” was up for listen. My ears were in heaven and when I read that guitarist/singer Daniel Blumberg nearly shat himself the first time he heard Pavement, I just knew it was meant to be.
Follow Yuck on Twitter and Facebook!

Turf War – Years of Living Dangerously
Atlanta-via-Augusta boys Turf War make rock jams that go well with partying and PBR. Years of Living Dangerously is their debut release on Old Flame Records.
Follow Turf War on Twitter and Facebook!

New Animal – New Animal
I can always tell when a song or album is good when my chest gets tight and the hair on the back of my neck stands up straight. New Animal has this effect on me. Every time I listen to this album or see them live, I get goose bumps. They’re just that good.
Follow New Animal on Twitter and Facebook!

Read the full list after the jump… … Continue Reading