Wow, what a formal subject line. It’s as if your modest scribe is going commercial – if only.
So last week was a bit a slow. This week picks up the pace again. An insider told me that she sometimes skims this e-mail to see what catches her eye. For shame. Every word counts…really. But she got me thinking, maybe I aughtta put the best up front instead of letting the order the of the week dictate. So being anti-dictator here at the A-List, we’re going to ignore the calendar and lead with the weekend.
This coming weekend is about the Atlantis Music Conference. Who knows what goes on during the day, but Thursday through Saturday night they will be hosting full schedules of some the best unsigned bands Atlanta and the southeast has to offer. The featured venues are Apache Cafe, Center Stage, Smith’s Olde Bar, Vinyl, and Star Bar, among others. The sounds will range from urban to indie to classic metal. If you like the hip-hop sound, see Nobody Famous Saturday night at Apache Cafe. Check out their tune “Famous Laboratory” where they rip “with the preciseness of that guy that murdered Kennedy” – a reference to the local act that will follow them that night – Lee Harvey Oswald? Maybe. You have to go to know for sure.
On Thursday night I will be upstairs at Smith’s Olde Bar for the opening night of the conference showcase sipping the champagne of beers and looking forward to Death on Two Wheels. If the reference to the classic Queen track is lost on you, you should still enjoy this local indie troop with one foot in the same rock n’ roll muck that keeps yours truly writing every week. Don’t expect a Freddie Mercury vocal, much of the rest is sort of like more of the same (huh?).
And for a moment of shameless self-promotion – earlier Thursday evening I expect to be reading a “supershort” story with The Garbageman and his band of drunken miscreants at Opal Gallery. It’s free (for good reason) and sort of fun (for the same reason).
Back to the shows..the conference’s Saturday night line-up at Smith’s will also feature a guilty pleasure and one of my local favorites – Rockets to Ruin. If you grew up on Motley Crue and Guns N’ Roses and ain’t afraid to say so, you must see this band. They are absolutely channeling the pounding rhythm and sing along anthems of the best of 80s metal. Hit the link and check out “Devil Girl” or “Take a Ride with Me” or “We Are the Drugs” (hell, I like ‘em all) from their self-released record Love Drugs Revolution. Again check out the Atlantis website for a full schedule of in-town shows and discover your next favorite local band.
Before the weekend gets here, I will have to see Xavier Rudd at the Variety Playhouse on Wednesday night. You gotta imagine this Aussie will not be in town again for a while. A real website, a real record deal, an international tour. This singer songwriter will evoke the obvious Midnight Oil comparisons on older acoustic tracks (though Paul Simon’s Graceland is not far off either) – world music rhythms that are very accessible to statesiders like us. However, his new disc, Dark Shades of Blue, has moments that remind me of Led Zeppelin during the Presence and Physical Graffiti era. If it sounds interesting to you too then you know why I will be there to see him.
Skipping a lot of good stuff for the features this week. Here’s a quick list of what else is out there to see. Wednesday night – Gentlemen Jesse at Starbar, The Selmanaires at The Earl. Saturday – Dead Confederate at the Earl, and The Coathangers at Eyedrum. They’re all locally based and will get their feature weeks in turn.
Check out the preliminary blog at http://atlantasalist.blogspot.com. A real blog and accompanying website will be coming soon. Watch for it here.
Forward the e-mail, visit the blog, eat mor chikin, all that.
