CD Review: Ken Will Morton — True Grit

CD Review: Ken Will Morton — True Grit

Ken Will Morton True Grit By Alec Wooden For those that follow the regional folk/songwriter circuit, here’s the least surprising sentence of 2010: Ken Will Morton’s got a new record out. Here’s the second least surprising: True Grit, the newest product from the Athens, Ga. workaholic, is yet another satisfying step forward in the catalog […]

CD Review: Krishna Das — Heart as Wide as the World; Playing Variety Playhouse, April 7

CD Review: Krishna Das — Heart as Wide as the World; Playing Variety Playhouse, April 7

Krishna Das Heart as Wide as the World Nutone/Nettwerk By Al Kaufman Yes, Krishna Das is a yoga master, and yes, Heart as Wide as the World is a CD of chants, but don’t stop reading just yet. For Krishna Das, born Jeffrey Kagel, is the rock star of the yoga world.

CD Review: Vonnegutt — The Appetizer EP

CD Review: Vonnegutt — The Appetizer EP

Vonnegutt The Appetizer EP Purple Ribbon Records By Eric Chavez As we have seen in the past, the combination of rap and rock can be commercially successful, but those rarely made their mark and were quickly forgotten. The likes of Limp Bizkit, Korn, and Kid Rock are over for a reason: rap and rock don’t […]

CD Review: Judi Chicago — Bright Lights, Fun City; Playing Lenny’s Bar on April 2

CD Review: Judi Chicago — Bright Lights, Fun City; Playing Lenny’s Bar on April 2

Judi Chicago Bright Lights, Fun City By Samantha Parvin In the spirit of true Atlanta indie rock, Judi Chicago’s second full-length album exudes an air of spooky, with funky keyboard and synth accents and a “mwa ha ha” kind of Dracula-esque vocal tone.  These three multi-instrumentalists, Travis Thacker – AKA Baron Saturday – James Joyce […]

CD Review: John Milstead — Sides of the Soul; Playing Buffalo Wild Wings, April 9

CD Review: John Milstead — Sides of the Soul; Playing Buffalo Wild Wings, April 9

John Milstead Sides of the Soul By Al Kaufman John Milstead sounds so much like Marc Cohn that at any time you would expect him to start singing about putting on his blue suede shoes and boarding a certain plane to Memphis. But if your thing is gravelly-voiced, blued-eyed soul singers the likes of Cohn […]

CD Review: Death On Two Wheels — Again for the First Time EP

CD Review: Death On Two Wheels — Again for the First Time EP

By Eric Chavez Let’s face it, Separation of Church & Fate led many fans to want more.  Now Death on Two Wheels are back at it again with Again for the First Time. With just a handful of songs, the EP is rather short, even for an EP, but like many EPs, the disc gives […]

CD Review: John Grant with Midlake – Queen of Denmark; Playing with Midlake @ Variety Playhouse, April 2

CD Review: John Grant with Midlake – Queen of Denmark; Playing with Midlake @ Variety Playhouse, April 2

John Grant Queen of Denmark By Eric Chavez John Grant’s debut disc, Queen of Denmark introduces a man with a delicate voice and one hell of an imagination. With lyrics that cover everything from religion to using people for sex, the LP’s ideas cover just about every area, but are steadily tied by the songwriter. […]

CD Review: The Falcon Lords – Straight From the Center of Their Volcano Lair

CD Review: The Falcon Lords – Straight From the Center of Their Volcano Lair

The Falcon Lords Straight From the Center of Their Volcano Lair   By Eric Chavez The Falcon Lords are here to save music! Lady Falcon Flame, Lord Falconhorn and Lord Falcon Falconrod have let their powers combine to take music to another world. It’s safe to assume those powers are funk, creativity, and the unending dedication […]

CD Review: The Strange Boys — Be Brave; Playing The Tabernacle with Spoon, March 20

CD Review: The Strange Boys — Be Brave; Playing The Tabernacle with Spoon, March 20

The Strange Boys Be Brave In the Red By Jhoni Jackson Standing out as a garage-rock band is like trying to get Republicans on board for President Obama’s brand of health care reform. It’s almost futile. But despite the obstacles working against them – signing with In the Red (a label heavily immersed in the […]

CD Review: Athlete — Black Swan

CD Review: Athlete — Black Swan

Athlete Black Swan By Eric Chavez There’s a spark in the music of Athlete that cannot be missed. It’s pretty bright, actually. In the new electronic age of music, where everything from hip-hop to salsa is adding some digital beats to make them more 2010, Athlete are racing rock to the new age of electronic […]

CD Review: Bitch — Blasted!: Playing Bellissima, March 23

Bitch Blasted! Short Story Records By Al Kaufman It would be easy to just throw Bitch into the “another Ani DiFranco” category. After all, she’s a political, lesbian singer with a good sense of humor and a militant following. Both singers use alternative tunings and get the most out of their instruments. But DiFranco’s instrument […]

CD Review: The Judies — The Judies; Playing Star Bar, March 13

The Judies The Judies Slush Fund Records By Eileen Tilson Picture it: 1970s,  Max’s Kansas City in NYC, Warhol and Patti Smith debating what qualifies as true art, Bowie making out with some young thing, and The Velvet Undergound and Nico collaborating on one of the greatest rock albums of all time. The jukebox is […]

CD Review: Drive-By Truckers — The Big To-Do; Playing Variety Playhouse March 12 & 13 and Criminal Records March 13

Drive-By Truckers The Big To-Do ATO Records By Chris Homer The Big To-Do, Drive-By Truckers’ 10th studio album and first for ATO records (out March 16), continues to add to the legacy of the Athens, Ga. southern rock mainstays. Like previous records, Patterson Hood crafts songs filled with desperation and outlaws that fans have come […]

CD Review: Let’s Wrestle — In the Court of Let’s Wrestle; Playing 529 with Quasi, April 27

Let’s Wrestle In the Court of Let’s Wrestle By Eric Chavez When it comes to British rockers, they just seem to do it better. The Beatles, Bowie, The Clash, Led Zepplin … the list could go on. In America, rock “music” tends to be nothing but background music for your local teen clothing store, and […]

CD Review: The Soft Pack — The Soft Pack; Playing The EARL March 25

The Soft Pack The Soft Pack Kemado Records By Al Kaufman “Garage rock” is a misleading moniker. While it is supposed to refer to a group of talentless guy with a bunch of passion jamming in their garage, the fact of the matter is that bands like The Strokes and, in this case, The Soft […]