Austrialia’s Jon Butler Trio is the headliner this night at the Tabernacle, but I will be there to see Gomez and you should be there too.

A band as talented as Gomez too often suffers from the label eclectic but it is that eclecticism that has maintained my interest in this band for well over a decade. Their 2006 breakthrough How We Operate brought them to the attention of the many and, as we’ve said here before, it was our favorite pop recording of that year.

You will be rewarded for following them through all stages of their career though. In Our Gun and the Machismo are still regular favorites on my old shelf of CDs (yep, still got those). Their latest, Whatever’s On Your Mind, adds to that collection.

By Rube Ambler

We let Alex have his crack at this and we have to admit his taste is good. (We rediscovered Jets to Brazil since that post…wow). But we (which is to say me [rube]) wanted to take a shot at our favorite records of the past 10 years or so.  Fortunately, Alex knocked off some of the decade’s best, which allowed us to get a little deeper into the list and apparently even father from what’s on most of those mainstream lists (i.e., no Strokes).

As with the Best Books of the Decade list we posted a little while ago, this might be better described as “records we listened to a lot in recent years.” We don’t pretend that these albums are important or otherwise changed the way music is made, recorded or heard. We do like them a bunch though, so here you go.

Ryan Adams – Gold (2001)

Yes, Heartbreaker may be the standard answer for this artist but this is the record we will never forget.  Everything from the steady rhythm to the line about the church on the upper west side and the reference to Avenue B will always remind me of my time and my affairs in New York City.

Old 97′s – Satellite Rides (2001)

Rhett Miller is a great songwriter and back in 2001 he saved all his best for the band.

MP3: Old 97′s – Rollerskate Skinny

Gnarls Barkley – The Odd Couple (2008)

This did not produce the mega hit that the first album did, but from start to finish it is one of the best, most consistent records of the decade that isn’t Satellite Rides.  The deeper you get the better this album holds up.

The Hold Steady – Boys and Girls in America (2006)

Craig Finn seems to have so much fun telling his stories of kids, drugs, aimlessness and drunkenness…and I seem to have so much fun listening to them.

Alejandro Escovedo – Real Animal (2008)

You are an amazing musician when you can write your autobiography through a series of compelling, memorable, and remarkably diverse songs. And if you have never seen him live, then let me please offer just one reason why you should.

MP3: Alejandro Escovedo – Real Like an Animal

Ha Ha Tonka – Buckle in the Bible Belt (2007)

This record could make the list based on the brilliance that is the first three tracks alone, but when you see these boys do their live a cappella version of “Hangman” or take a close listen to “Cure of the Common Cold”, you realize how much more is lurking beneath the surface.

Gomez - How We Operate (2006)

I have called it the best pop record of 2006 before and I stand by it.

MP3: Gomez – How We Operate

Wilco – Kicking Television (2005)

This is the record that merged the old with the new and brought me back to Wilco. No, it is not as good as their actual live performance but, that being said, it stands with At Folsom Prison and few others one of my favorite live records of all time.  ”Let’s get this party started…with some mid-tempo rock n, roll”

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – This is Somewhere (2007)

Say what you will, but I like rock n’ roll and Ms. Potter from Vermont will pick you up by the lapels and rock you.

MP3: Grace Potter – Ah Mary

Josh Ritter – The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter (2007)

If I could only write one song ever it would be “The Temptation of Adam.”  There, I said it.

Two Dollar Pistols – Hands Up (2004)

I fell in love with this band half way through the first song I ever heard by them. “I got a book a records and a stereo/just in case I get to feelin’ low/you see, it doesn’t matter much to me”

MP3: Two Dollar Pistols – It Doesn’t Matter Much To Me

The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love (2009)

I still get excited about, thinking about listening to this record.  A triumphant return for the concept album.

Did I end up with more than 10 again?  If you find something here you like, please go buy the album and enjoy the last couple weeks of those double 00s with something a little old that may be a little new for you.

It’s Your Civic Duty

This week we will feature two standing gigs by local favorites of the A-List, but before we get there let’s take a minute to consider the idea of the standing gig. It’s not that different than the A-List. You’ve come to expect it every week, right? But are you really hooked? It moves from Sunday to Monday, right? But does it really matter? It’s still there every week. It always will be, right? (Well yes, but it’s just an example for now and we will be getting to a point here in a minute, really.)

To borrow from Muddy Waters, you’re gonna miss me when I’m dead and gone. And don’t take this the wrong way, we’re not reaching for a sympathy vote here at Atlanta’s A-List. (We intend to keep doing this whether you care or not) Rather, we are lamenting our experience in Atlanta with these standing gigs. They always start out with everybody’s best intentions (band, fans, venue) but they seem to fizzle out all too soon. I don’t know if it’s the predictability, the routine, or what, but it usually works out something like this.

The band’s playing Thursday night, but if I miss them this time they will be here again next week, next month, or next time, whatever. When I finally get around to it, I look for them at (fill in the blank) and they’re not playing there anymore. They’re gone? No regular show? Well, I’ll watch the free papers for them. A couple of weeks go by but don’t see anything listed. Then you wonder, what happened? You get motivated enough to look up their myspace page. It’s still there, but no updates. The last show date listed was five months ago. Then you think, are they really done? How did that happen? How did they go from a regular monthly slot to nothing? They were so good. I don’t understand. I know I hadn’t made it there for the last couple shows (well, maybe for six or seven months). The last time I was there though, the crowd was good. I can’t imagine that everyone else stopped going too. I always meant to buy one of their CDs. (I wonder if I can rip those songs off myspace?) The boyfriend and I always enjoyed it. We loved that song about the girl and the car and the note with the funky beat. (Damn, I wish I had that song. It’s not on their myspace!) We always meant to take some friends to go see them. I know they would have liked them. I guess we’ll never got the chance. (I wonder if there’s an email on myspace, so I can ask for a copy of that song…)

Okay, so I’ve made my point. This habit (Atlanta’s A-List) developed because there were a couple of really cool bands floating around town and we wanted to get somebody else out to see them too. Now one of those bands is in a state of flux, having just split with its frontman (no link for mercy’s sake). The other took a year off, but has gloriously returned to a monthly gig at the Highland Inn Ballroom (see below).

Atlanta’s A-List may make you a little bit cooler. Atlanta’s A-List may make you a little bit smarter (a very little bit). Atlanta’s A-List may even entertain you a little bit. But the real reason we are here is to spread the word. Email the A-List. Link to the A-List. Copy the A-List. (I’d say print the A-List but we just had a green blog a couple weeks ago and I know somebody would call me out on that).

Back to the point. Spread the word. Get people out to see the bands you like. Be in the know. Be the first to know. Be influential. It’s your civic duty. After all, somebody in Athens bought a Hib-Tone 7-inch of “Radio Free Europe” in 1981 and helped make rock history. You can do the same.

This Week Only

Tuesday night two of the A-List’s favorites will be playing together at Centerstage (and this is a one time event). Josh Ritter and Gomez will be in town as part of a double bill in what appears to be a very short tour together. For our money, this is may be one of the greatest combinations of pop rocker to get together for a single show in some time.

Gomez hails from Brighton, England and the A-List has been following them since we picked up a copy of Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline somewhere on St. Mark’s Street and found the “Machismo” bonus disc absolutely additive. Incidentally, the Bowery Ballroom (NYC) and Music Hall (Brooklyn) Gomez shows are already sold out, tickets are still available here for this show.

In 2006, Gomez released the best popular music (which incidentally means “anybody can like it”) record of that year with How We Operate. The very catchy (and a bit sentimental) “See the World” was featured on the soundtrack of some television show on some channel that I don’t watch. Though by no means was it the best track on that record – try “girlshapedlovedrug” or “Tear Your Love Apart”. This Brit pop chases it all: blues, acoustic, electronica, psychedelia; and seems to always make it work. Their latest A New Tide won’t be out until next week, but Warren at Decatur CD has my pre-order.

The other half of Tuesday night’s bill, Josh Ritter, released the best popular music record of 2007 – The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter. I found this one at a listening station in the regrettably now defunct, Ollson’s Books & Music, just off Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. I was halfway through “To The Dogs or Whoever” when I decided I needed to own this record. It wasn’t long before Josh Ritter had displaced Bob Dylan as the author of the song I most wished I had had the talent to write – “The Temptation of Adam” – C’mon with lines like this, “Was it Casey Jones or Casey at the Bat/who died out of pride and got famous for that/killed by a swerve laid low by the curve/Do you ever think they ever thought they got what they deserved” you know somebody’s thinking behind that six-string.

In all fairness, Josh Ritter is not as eclectic musically as Gomez. Of course, Gomez isn’t nearly as smart as Josh Ritter. When U.K. music magazine, The Word, asked Josh about his interests other than music last fall he replied with “neuroscience.” It may sound a little highfalutin, but both his parents are neuroscientists so it apparently was discussed at the dinner table (not exactly The Simpsons) and he picked up on it. (Let’s hear it from you A-List scientists – one of your own) While such a talent would seem to have the potential for being a bit aloof if not outright arrogant, one A-Lister who has spent some time with him, tells us that Josh is a really modest guy who is very appreciative of his fans. If that isn’t enough, here’s the clincher. On his website, you can buy the Josh Ritter Reader Set. For $25 you will receive three used books selected by Josh from among his favorites, a bookmark and a tote bag with the logo “Rock & Roll with A Lot of Words”…hmmm, seems very appropriate for the A-List.

That should be a sufficient transition to get us to Thursday night’s literary event. As part of Agnes Scott College’s Annual Writer’s Festival, Pulitzer Prize Winner, Junot Diaz will be reading and signing on Thursday night. Check out Atlanta’s A-List Archive March 9 for a sample of his work and look for a review of his novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao forthcoming in this space (meaning atlantasalist.blogspot.com). If you think the Kerouac and the beats were onto something and ever wondered if anything worthwhile ever came out of going to poetry slams or reading The Fantastic Four, then this is worth checking out. Diaz has changed the landscape. Advance tickets are required, so call Felicia at (404) 471-6043 to reserve a space.

How It All Got Started

This post began the way it did, because this week (the last week of the month) two of our very favorite Atlanta standing gigs are on again. Bernadette Seacrest & Her Provocatuers will be making another Wednesday night appearance at the Highland Inn Ballroom. Bernadette’s great Eddie’s Attic show last fall (several A-Listers were there) is now available for download here on her website. If you haven’t heard or seen her yet, then do your civic duty, get out on Wednesday night and help her defray the cost of those fabulous heels she will be wearing. (In case you weren’t paying close attention, Bernadette will be at the Ballroom the last Wednesday night of every month – tell your friends)

The other standing gig that is a must see is Judi Chicago. This electro-dance duo host “Dancing” the last Saturday of every month at East Atlanta’s 529 (which now has a website of sorts – they appear to be about as interweb proficient as your A-List author). If you take one step back (and hit the Dancing link above), you can RSVP for Saturday night’s gig and get in for free (I think it’s $5 or $8 at the door otherwise). Their Valentine’s Day show at another location had us raising our glasses and whatever else we could find. Very simply – fun.

Finally, I want to mention the best standing gig in town, but one that only comes our way once a year (because it is such a monumental effort) – 500 Songs for Kids. The Sunday Paper got it right this week when they put Josh Rifkind – Songs for Kids Foundation founder, guru and guardian – on the cover as one of Atlanta’s unsung heroes. Maybe we can get an interview out of him here on the A-List.

The 10-day marathon event starts April 30th – which is closer than you think – and if you make it to more than one night you will assuredly see Josh (and a couple other A-Listers) heroically singing for all the right reasons. The stars come out for the last 10 songs, so guarantee a spot by buying a premium ticket for the May 9 show. More details about how to get those tickets will appear in this space. Again, congrats to Josh for getting the recognition he deserves for doing his civic duty – go do yours.

That’s the A-List. Keep rockin’, keep readin’ and keep on keepin’ on.