What’s Up Monday?

Alright Atlanta, I think it is officially summer! Or at least it feels like it! The best part about this time of year is the amount of great shows that start making it over to Georgia! Here are your Monday choices!

-It’s straight up old school at Smith’s Olde Bar tonight, where 99X presents 90′s rockers, Lit with A Thousand Horses

-Downstairs in the Atlanta Room, The Alan Evans Trio will be keeping the folks in line entertained with his multi-instrumental skills.

-Born in a village not far from the famed city of Timbuktu, Khaira Arby mesmerizes her audience with her mix of African and Western instrumentation and soul filled lyrics. See her tonight at The Earl.

-Did you know that Eddie’s Attic’s Songwriter’s Open Mic Night has been breaking acts for the past 20 years! Go check out some stars in the making tonight!

-Love me some Joe McGuiness (as does most of Atlanta!). He is playing tonight at Blind Willie’s; don’t miss the chance to see him if you are over that way.

What’s Up Tuesday?

Some days you just wake up, the sun is shining, and you just know it is going to be a great day! Hopefully you are out enjoying this weather before catching one of these great shows!

-During the 90′s Atlanta was KING with the ever so powerful, 99X, being one of the first stations in the country to play a little band called, Jane’s Addiction. Relive the golden age tonight at the Tabernacle where the band has rejoined to rock your face off.

-For nearly a decade Michael Harrison Berg of Van Ghost was a  concert promoter and band manager. After building up a solid repertoire of poppy folk ballads, gritty Americana tunes and classic rock laced jams, Berg called on his dear friend Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band), and they collectively assembled an all-star cast of musicians and named the project Van Ghost. Catch them tonight at Smith’s Olde Bar.

-Detroit hip-hop trio, Slum Village, are having their mix tape release of “The Dirty Slums” tonight at The Masquerade.

-I hearby declare that the 529 always books bands with the craziest of names. Like tonight where you will be entertained by Narrows, All Pigs Must Die, Wizard Smoke, and Dead in the Dirt.

What’s Up Tuesday?

By Eileen Tilson / @tktalt_tn

Well kids I literally could not sleep last night because I was so excited to be leaving tomorrow for OHIO! I know what you are thinking, “what is in Ohio besides loads of corn!” Tis the season! I hope all of you are going to be around your loved ones at some point this holiday season. Anyway, here is your Tuesday activities!

-One of my favorite pastimes is back! 99X presents their annual Mistletoe Jam featuring performances from AWOLNATION and Sleeper Agent at the Buckhead Theater.

-Atlanta’s son, singer-songwriter, David Ryan Harris, has a voice that is somewhere between Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway. He will be jamming out at Eddie’s Attic tonight, but I hope you got your tickets early cause this event is SOLD OUT!

-The Bukkake Boys will be rocking it out at The Earl; joining them is The Sunglasses

-Jeffrey Butzer and T.T. Mahoney present a jazzy musical tribute to Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas. Special guests, Sorry No Ferrari, perform The Ventures Christmas Album – the season’s favorites with a taste of ‘60s surf at the Earl Smith Strand Theatre.

AMG Weekend Picks: Journey, Incubus, Kaiser Chiefs, Ray LaMontagne, & More!

Wow! As the end of September rolls around there are a ton of cool concerts and events going on throughout this city. Bieber sitings, Usher, Ray LaMontagne, and so, so, so much more! Honestly this might be one of those weekends you wish you could teleport yourself to several events at once! Enjoy your weekend filled with fun and music!

Friday, Sept. 16 – Journey, Foreigner, and Night Ranger at Aaron’s Lakewood Amphitheater

Get your school vintage tees out, this show is going to definitely wake up the neighborhood!

Friday, Sept. 16 – Gringo Star at The Earl

Atlanta boys Gringo Star are back and rocking the hipsters with their trippy sound.

Friday, Sept. 16 – The Issues at Smith’s Olde bar

Burlesque Girls and Rock, oh my! The Issues are joined  by other local swank acts, The Sexual Side Effects, and Asphalt Valentine.

… Continue Reading

5GB With Jay Clifford (Jump Little Children); Playing Smith’s Olde Bar, Sept. 17

By Eileen Tilson

Growing up in the height of 99X, pretty much everyone I knew was a fan of Jump Little Children. Some of my fondest memories involve being at Big Day Out, watching JLC jam out with Ben Folds Five. Jay Clifford, the man with the golden voice, is back from his hiatus, with an album that was completely funded by his die-hard fans. Jay is starting off his tour to promote the new album, Silver Tomb for the Kingfisher (due out Sept. 13), and he is kicking it off in Atlanta at Smith’s Olde Bar on Sept. 17th. He chatted with me as part of our 5GB series, and is easily one of the most articulate and considerate musicians I’ve ever interviewed.

What is the the first gig you ever went to?

I think it was James Taylor…Or actually it might have been Pink Floyd. This is actually a funny story. I was about 15, the show was on a school night, and  I promised my Spanish teacher that I would be in class the next morning. Well we got stuck in traffic on the way to the show, so I jumped out of the car and ran to the show! Well this was well before the times of cell phones, and I totally got separated from my friends. At the end of the show, the parking lot was empty, and I wandered into a Holiday Inn, and fell asleep under a table. Finally the manager woke me up and brought me to my brother’s frat house. I walked in and fell asleep on the first chair I saw, which just so happened to be in front of his room! He took me home the next day, but I never made it to Spanish class!

Best gig you have ever played/performed at?

It was one of our last Jump Little Children shows and we played in Charleston at the Gaillard Auditorium with the Charleston Symphony. I have a background in writing music, and it took about 5 months to write all the parts for all of the different instruments, but it was incredibly artistically satisfying hearing an orchestra play your music.

Best gig you’ve ever been to?

Definitely Paul Simon, right after Rhythm of the Saints came out. I was at an incredibly impressionable age of 19, and seeing the depth of his songwriting live was amazing.

What is the gig you would most like to play?

Well festival shows are always a lot of fun to play, but after touring non-stop for more than a decade, I find myself preferring to play smaller venues like the Sin-é in NYC.

If you could put your dream lineup on a gig, who would it be?

Hmm, I would say Nick Drake, Bon Iver, and John Lennon doing a solo on his piano. But I heard that later in his career John would come off the stage and throw up from stage fright. So it would have to be John Lennon, playing “Imagine” on his white piano, and then pukes on stage right afterwards.

Jay Clifford plays Smith’s Olde Bar This Saturday, 9/17/11

AMG Weekend Picks: The Beach Boys, Travis Tritt, The Black Lips & More!

It’s football time again! Besides the sea of Red & Black that will now be flooding our city, it is the Falcons kick off game! Fortunately for us Atlantans who can’t fly to watch the Dirty Birds, there are a ton of cool music events happening this weekend, and with this cooler weather happening, there is no excuse not to put on your most tattered jean jacket and hit the clubs. … Continue Reading

What’s Up Tuesday?

Well, it’s Tuesday. Meaning you can start officially reminding yourself that you are almost half way through the week! Here are some events that might peak your interest as you try not to pay attention to the man with the toupee sitting next to you:

-WARNING READ THIS ONLY IF YOU ARE ABOUT TO HIT PUBERTY: the kids of Buckhead will be getting a treat tonight as their dark haired Cosmo girl Selena Gomez struts her stuff across the stage at Chastain Ampitheater.

-Miller Lite is hosting its own concert series at Smith’s Olde Bar, and tonight they will be showcasing Crystal Stafford, American Anodyne, and The Jarheads.

-Sex, Drugs, and Rock n Roll BABY! Dirty South Trivia is all over the city like a bad_________, batch of cologne.

-Finally, for all of us old-school 99X-ers, legendary DJ Steve Craig, will be taking over 92.9 DAVE FM tonight from 8 – 10 p.m., spinning those ’90s college tunes that inspired all the current hit-makers. Be sure to call and say hello!

Atlanta Music Man Jay Harren Gives Back To The Music Community

By Eileen Tilson

Jay Harren knows a thing or two about the lives of musicians.  Entering the Atlanta music scene as the host of the nationally famous 99X show “Sunday School,” Jay has had his finger on the pulse on  the hottest music for decades. After moving to New York as A&R for Columbia Records, Jay was able to take his savvy and jump head first into the wild world of musicians. After spending time on the road with some of his artists, he noticed that they had a massive amount of downtime, and a lightbulb went off in Jay’s head. “What if musicians used a bit of that downtime on the road to bring some attention to a worthy cause?” Jay chatted with me this morning about his worthy cause and the stars that have already signed on to help.

Hi Jay! How are you?? What’s new?

Just trying to get this project off the ground and to attract as many artists as I possibly can!

Speaking of, tell me, how did the concept of Downtime come to fruition?

Well I was on the road with one of the bands I signed, and I was amazed at how much time they literally just sat around doing nothing… not like they weren’t doing their jobs, but we would be on the road for five to eight hours to the next gig, they would do their soundchecks, interviews, etc, and then would literally have hours of time to spare. I just thought to myself if they could spend just as little as 10-30 per week of that downtime helping towards a cause they believed in, instead of watching movies, surfing the web, or cracking open another bottle of Jack, there could really be some really cool rewards. … Continue Reading

AMG Weekend Picks: Dean Wareham, The Satorialist, Aziz Ansari, The Whiskey Gentry and More!

Is fall here yet? Almost? Well, at least we have some slightly cooler weather so we can chill out with King of Pops and others at the East Atlanta Strut on Saturday. And there is still plenty of indoor entertainment to rock out to in air conditioned heaven – comedy, rock ‘n’ roll, killer dance tracks, we have it all for you right here. And of course a couple of great on-sales too. … Continue Reading

Q&A with Mikky Ekko; Playing Unplugged in the Park

By Eileen Tilson

True art has the ability to haunt those who expose themselves to it. A truly great album has the ability to stop time, giving its listeners an escape for 45 minutes away from the world, and then haunting your life forever. Jeff Buckley, Sigur Ros, Elliot Smith, all men synonymous with making the sort of great art that seeps into your soul slowly, now must add another to their ranking: Mikky Ekko, the young ingenue from Nashville, who is gracing the stage this Sunday, as part of the Unplugged in the Park series hosted by 99X.

The first time I listened to Grace by Jeff Buckley, I did not understand it. I had to listen to the album over and over, before one day, it hit me, and washed over me, drowning my ears. I had the same experience listening to your music. What do you hope the immediate reaction to your music is?

I hope the listener doesn’t just import the record and toss it.  I hope they eventually leave it in their car stereo for eight months.  I’d love to have a listener put at ease just enough to pull out special pieces of the record for a second listen. … Continue Reading

Leslie Fram Nominated for National Radio Hall of Fame

Radio personality Leslie Fram (former program director and morning show co-host at WNNX- 99X) has been nominated to be inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame as Local or Regional Active.

Lesile Fram, known by many as the First Lady of Modern Rock, worked in Atlanta radio for nearly two decades. Starting out on the morning show on Power 99 in 1990, Fram worked her way up become program director for 99X. A huge supporter of up-and-coming acts, Leslie Fram has been a music trendsetter and trailblazer her entire career.

Fram has already received multiple prestigious awards including the TJ Martell Award, the NARAS-Atlanta Chapter Heroes Award, and has also been named named Program Director of the Year by the Gavin Report and Program Director of the Year by Radio & Records.

Since the summer of 2008 Leslie Fram has been working in NYC at WRXP-FM as program director and morning show co-host along with MTV/VH1 personality Matt Pinfield.

To any band or anyone whose life and career has been touched by Leslie Fram, vote to put her in the National Radio Hall of Fame.
Vote for Leslie Fram, register and cast your ballot HERE, voting ends on August 1, 2010 at 12 a.m.

Civil Twilight and Paper Tongues at Vinyl – May 19

South African rock trio Civil Twilight and rock/funk/electric seven-piece band Paper Tongues takeover Vinyl on Wednesday, May 19.

Civil Twilight, who has been getting some major loving from Atlanta’s 99X, recently recorded a LIVE X session and has a consistently growing fanbase all across Georgia.

Heavily influenced by some of the world’s biggest bands - including U2, Radiohead and The Police – as well as modern day arena-rock band Muse, Civil Twilight’s talented song writing abilities could one day help them reach the level of their musical heroes.

Don’t miss this opportunity to see the band in an extremely intimate setting; we have a feeling they’ll soon be filling up the larger-capacity venues around town.

Civil Twilight
Wednesday, May 19
at Vinyl
with Paper Tongues

Follow Civil Twilight on Twitter at Twitter.com/civil_twilight_

St. Patrick’s Events Galore in Atlanta!

Star 94 St. Patrick’s Day Party
Saturday, March 13th at Andrew’s Upstairs
56 E Andrews Drive NW Atlanta, GA
Get Tix Here

Is your boss making you come to work on St. Patrick’s Day? Worried about getting your fill of green beer and corned beef? Well you are in luck! Star 94 and Andrew’s Upstairs is hosting a day-long St. Patrick’s Day party on Saturday, March 13th with live music, DJs, green beer and corned beef! … Continue Reading

99X brings back Locals Only

99X is bringing back Locals Only

99X is bringing back it’s Locals Only show and accepting submissions.

Email all submissions to shawn@99x.com or send your package to:

99X Locals Only
780 Johnson Ferry Rd, 5th Floor
Atlanta, GA 30342

Official Website Link