What’s Up Wednesday?

Happy Wednesday Everyone! It is beginning to feel a bit like Spring, which  even after our mild winter I am very much looking forward to! It’s a slow night in Atlanta, but there are still some cool shows happening,

-He is insanely quirky, but worthwhile! NYC singer/songwriter& comic book artist, Jeffrey Davis, is taking his act to the stage at The Earl, check it out, it will be awesome.

-Now local lovelies, The Lovely Drifters bring their classically trained tunes for an intimate show at Eddie’s Attic.

-The project of Deerhunter guitarist/vocalist Lockett Pundt, Lotus Plaza recalls some of his other band’s shoegaze-tinged hazy experimentalism and bursts of lucid guitar pop, but takes those sounds in directions influenced by ’50s and ’60s pop and ’80s post-punk. See them tonight at the 529.

-Or you could always head over to the Masquerade to catch Lights and Ambassadors.

Picture Book: Bradford Cox, Mood Rings, Cole Alexander (of Black Lips) at Star Bar, December 22

By Matthew Smith (www.shadowboxerphoto.com)

Full gallery of Bradford Cox (of Atlas Sound/Deerhunter), Old King Cole Younger (Cole Alexander of the Black Lips) and Mood Rings after the jump. … Continue Reading

Picture Book: Black Lips, Deerhunter at Eyedrum, December 30

By Matthew Smith (www.shadowboxerphoto.com)

Full gallery after the jump … Continue Reading

AMG’s Top Atlanta Releases of 2010

Hey! It’s another Best of 2010 List! We almost chose to forgo the usual list-making duties that every writer/blogger/music-lover/mother-and-your-brother goes through at this time of year, but we just couldn’t stop ourselves from giving these locals another lil’ pat on the back for making us rock out, chill out, and groove on a bit more this year.

Janelle Monae – The ArchAndroid

It should really go without saying that Janelle tops our list (after all, she’s topped countless others, like those of The Guardian and the AP). We’ve been admires of her for an awfully long time, and said of her first full-length album, “There will be references to future worlds, poetic social commentary, sharp sounds mixing every genre from Stax soul to Studio 54 disco to mountain bluegrass to sweet Tin Pan Alley, and so much more than you could every dream of.”

The Selmanaires – An Animated Shadow

The lads released lots of bits and pieces throughout the year, but it was EP An Animated Shadow that saw the longest and most involved release. We said it “sees the band getting even mellower and more experimental, but thankfully still listenable and terribly enjoyable. Lovely stuff.” With founding member Tommy Chung now in New York, we’re interested to see how the band further develops. … Continue Reading

Bits and Bobs: Bradford Cox, Yacht Rock, Dave Daniels, Scissor Sisters and More!

- So Sony, thankfully, admitted they made a big mistake when they took down songs from Atlas Sound/Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox’s own blog. Paste has the story.

- It’s that time of year again – the Yacht Rock Revue throws their Christmas Party at Park Tavern in Piedmont Park on December 10. There will be ice skating, photos with Santa (as long as you bring two cans of food for the Atlanta Community Food Bank) and of course smooth tunes. More info HERE.

- Atlanta’s great Americana act Dave Daniels & The PTA play their last local show of the year (and last for a while, since they are headed into the studio) at Vinyl on December 4. They will be playing with Brett Vaughn and Andy Matchett & The Minks, and we’ve been promised audience participation and confetti! Tickets are on sale below.

- The Tabernacle just announced a ton of great shows, and of course we’re most excited about Scissor Sisters on April 8! Thirty Seconds To Mars play January 28, My Chemical Romance play May 11, and Ke$ha plays April 20.

Bits and Bobs: T.I., Al Pacino, Phil Spector, Andre 3000, Squarepusher, Deerhunter

- If you haven’t heard by now, Atlanta might just have a new hometown hero. Rapper/jail bird T.I. helped talk a man off the ledge of a building in Midtown yesterday afternoon. Atlanta Magazine’s ATL Intel blog has more on the story, with reactions from T.I. and the Atlanta Police Department.

- Al Pacino is continuing his foray into playing odd real-life characters with a film about scary-but-legendary producer Phil Spector. The New York Times has the story.

- Drowned In Sound is reporting that a collaboration between techno Brit Squarepusher and Andre 3000 is inching closer to reality. We’re expecting it to sound mad and brilliant.

- NPR recorded Deerhunter’s recent performance at Washington, D.C.’s 9.30 Club, and it’s up for you to listen to HERE.

Bits and Bobs: Cornershop, Sade, Daft Punk, Deerhunter and More

- We’ve missed having Cornershop around. With their disco-plus-Asian sounds mixed in with the hip indie rock of the day, they have always been refreshing and eager to please. So we’re glad to hear they are releasing more music following 2009′s Judy Sucks A Lemon For Breakfast on November 2 (The Battle of New Orleans EP) and they’re planning a U.S. tour to boot. No sign of an Atlanta date yet, but we have our fingers crossed.

- And in other no-Atlanta-date-announced-yet tour news, Sade is coming back stateside and we hear there will actually be an Atlanta date, it just hasn’t been announced yet. Or so Brooklyn Vegan says.

- Daft Punk are slowly but surely letting us listen to some of the incredible stuff they’re preparing for the Tron soundtrack. Pretty Much Amazing has got a nice little collection going.

- NME is offering up a free download of Diplo and Lunice remix of Deerhunter’s “Helicopter.” Also on that page to download: John Legend and The Roots cover Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” and Badly Drawn Boy’s It’s What They’re All Thinking EP, among other goodies.

Live Review: Deerhunter at Variety Playhouse, October 1

By David Courtright

There are no more tidy boxes in music anymore. Genres are decaying on their stalks. The blight of mainstream. People ask, “What kind of music is it?” You shrug. “Good.” Fair enough. The good thing, one may suppose, is that a band like Deerhunter can become, well, mainstream. If that still means what it used to. You are no longer fed corporate alt radio by a DJ named Bones. Your palate is all yours to color.

It was refreshing to see Deerhunter play Variety to such an enthusiastic audience. They have captured a wide swath of people, everyone from high school punksters to aging hipsters. Perhaps it’s part of the act that at least one of the band members looked really mad at all the other ones. Gives the audience a more participatory role in constructing a narrative. While Bradford Cox may be one of the stranger front men in the business today, his oddness and angularity are erased by the clarity and phrasing of his songs. … Continue Reading

AMG Weekend Picks: Big Boi, HOToberFest, Deerhunter and More!

Oh hurrah for fall! Hurrah for fall weather! Hurrah for the start of fall beer festival! There are so many things to celebrate this weekend – and the start of October is just one of those things. We’ve got some great local stars playing packed homecoming gigs, metal legends, food and beer festivals, and of course your round-up of on-sales. … Continue Reading

Picture Book: Deerhunter at 529, August 7

CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW GALLERY

By Matthew Smith (www.shadowboxerphoto.com) … Continue Reading

Bits and Bobs: Janelle Monae, Fred Schneider, Emma Thompson, Fun Fun Fest

- We’d previously mentioned how Kele’s video for “Everything You Wanted” was our generation’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” but it seems that we were mistaken. Janelle Monae‘s one-take video from the neck up with a surprising outburst of genuine emotion obviously takes this honor. The video is below, and if you don’t get a little verklempt then you have no heart. Idolator has a little more information and some quotage about the filming session. In other Janelle news, she was on “So You Think You Can Dance” last night showing off her “Tightrope” moves. Idolator has the video again.

- Something we’ve surely all been waiting for: The B-52s’ Fred Schneider is signing a solo deal with Fanatic Records and is releasing a Christmas album on October 25. Destination… Christmas! will feature 11 original holiday songs by Schneider and his band The Superions. You can check out the trailer HERE. It’s guaranteed to make you giggle.

- Emma Thompson will be making a special appearance in Atlanta next Thursday, August 12 at the Margaret Mitchell House. She’ll be discussing her latest Nanny McPhee movie, adapted from the Christianna Brand Nurse Matilda book series, but we hope she’ll have some time to chat about, well, the rest of her career and life. Everything basically. Details on how to RSVP are HERE.

- How much do we love Austin, Texas? The ultimate BBQ (brisket!) city, more bands than you can shake a stick at, countless great venues, and of course the madness of SXSW. Add the annual Fun Fun Fest to that list. It’ll be taking place November 5-7 at Waterloo Park, and joining the stellar lineup of Weird Al (who is at the top of their list – which we love), MGMT, Devo, Wavves and loads more are our own Deerhunter and Mastodon.

Bits and Bobs: Deerhunter, Movie Music Geeks, Kele, Tron

- Deerhunter is gearing up to release their new album Halcyon Digest in September, and they’re already throwing some treats out to their fans. For the street-teamers who printed out the flyers and posted them everywhere, Pitchfork reports that Deerhunter has bestowed the tracklisting, cover art, and now a free download. Visit the album website for more details.

- In other Deerhunter news, Ohmpark is reporting that there is a concert documentary in the works, directed by filmmaker John Albrecht. Check out the trailer below.

deerhunter live – film trailer from John Albrecht on Vimeo.

- In honor of all music geeks, Spinner has a great top-20 list of the greatest movie music geeks.

- Bloc Party’s Kele is looking quite the (very emotional) fittie in his new video for the amazing “Everything You Wanted,” from his solo record The Boxer. It’s like out generation’s “Nothing Compares To You,” with the teary Sinead O’Connor. Check it out on Stereogum.

- We are really starting to wish we were at ComicCon. They just premiered the new trailer for Tron: Legacy, which may or may not look just a wee bit confusing. For folks not massively familiar with the movie, like me, go over to Gawker to check out the trailer and see the break down. The only thing missing from the trailer: the Daft Punk soundtrack. Didn’t sound like any of the robotic duo’s recognizable tunes were there.

Live Review & Picture Book: Spoon, Deerhunter, Strange Boys @ The Tabernacle, March 20

Article by Jhoni Jackson; photos by Matt Smith

Scouring downtown for parking on a Saturday night when there’s a sold out show is the pits. You want me to pay $15? To park my car four blocks away from the venue? Really? After circling a crowded $5 lot a dizzying number of times, I gave up. My friend and I settled for a middle-ground price, and forked over $10 at a deck with a few tiny, but available, parking spots. I should have taken Marta, but that’s a trying effort of a different variety altogether.

So I was late. And I missed the beginning of The Strange Boys, who I’d wanted badly to see again since being introduced to their jangly, country-tinged fuzz-rock at Austin City Limits Festival in 2008. Bummer, but I caught the last three tunes. They stood oddly close together for their set, and the Tabernacle’s wide stage seemed to engulf them. The young band appeared pre-pubescent from the back of the floor crowd as a result. The chatter from Spoon fans almost swallowed their sound, too. The four-piece was definitely jamming out and sticking to mostly upbeat songs, but it may have been difficult for a Strange Boys first-timer to join their groove – the backup vocals, although grouped, were jarringly off-kilter. Second bummer, but the last one of the night.

… Continue Reading