WRASfest
Eyedrum
Atlanta, GA
December 2, 2006
At 100,000 watts, Georgia State University’s WRAS/88.5 FM has the privilege of being the most powerful student-run college radio station in the world and appropriately celebrated its 35th anniversary with a benefit show. Atlanta quartet Moresight gave the festivities an early start. The band has a psychedelic folk rock sound, ranging from good rock tracks to long, drab folk ballads. They even included the saxophone on some songs.
The station showed the diversity of its musical tastes by jumping to local underground hip-hop with the next group, Psyche Origami. Fronted by MC Wyzsztyk, more commonly referred to as Wyzard, and powered by Dainja and Synthesis, Psyche Origami showcased their talent and got the entire audience involved and hyped. The group’s beats were complex and so catchy that they made heads bop and toes tap. Wyzard spat words out clearly and made humorous references to pop culture. He had so much rhythm that he even performed a song without any beats.
DJ Dainja demanded that Wyzard prove his MC superiority by freestyling, which he did. A heckler yelled for more and Wyzard made him stand on stage while he dissed and freestyled him a new one. Then came the battle of the DJs, which was kind of like a fistfight between conjoined twins: to prove he could scratch over anything, DJ Dainja had to work with whatever DJ Synthesis threw his way, and the secret ingredient of the Iron DJ challenge was the finale of “The William Tell Overture” by Gioacchino Rossini (commonly used in horse races and as the theme song to The Lone Ranger). Dainja astounded the audience by successfully mimicking the opera then dishing out Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” beats for DJ Synthesis to scratch over.
With the competition portion of the show completed, Psyche Origami ended its set and showed its hometown roots with a hip-hop rendition of the country classic “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” It was pretty much the same as the original — just replace the golden fiddle with golden turntables.
Formerly a five piece and now a duo, Athens’ Boulevard oozed glam-rock and metrosexiness. Trading in their band for drum machines and samplers, lead singer/guitarist Benji Barton and keyboardist Stephen James played electronic heavy, new-wave pop reminiscent of Depeche Mode and David Bowie.
Atlanta ambient techno group Aerial2012 combined drum ‘n’ bass, neo-soul and trip-hop. Aerial2012 featured Shawn Smith and Heath Cummings trapped in the back behind their samplers, synthesizers and keyboards, drummer Todd Damian playing in sync to the beat, creating a louder and livelier presence, guitarist/singer Michaelangelo Wolfe roving the stage topless and dancing in his long skirt and lead singer Coleen McCall providing vocals and dancing as well.
-Review & photo by Alex Adan
Mary O. Harrison / The Comfies / Casper & the Cookies
The EARL
Atlanta, GA
November 29, 2006
Mary O. Harrison and her new backing band kicked things off with their first show ever. Harrison, formerly of Charm School, looked as sweet and demure as always. Her honest delivery and bright, ringing voice are the kinds one would imagine captivating kindergarteners in a music classroom.
Her narrative storytelling and sense of melody are strongly reminiscent of Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis. Towards the end of her set, Harrison gave special thanks to Jason NeSmith of Casper & the Cookies, who had helped compose many of the songs she performed that night.
Shaking the room awake with a stadium-rock entrance and soaring falsetto, The Comfies exploded onto the stage announcing their arrival from “Tennesee-ee-ee!” Singer Ben Harper was like a blazing sun of energy with his bright yellow t-shirt, blonde curly locks and endless enthusiasm. The Comfies certainly put the “power” in power pop with strong rock hooks and solid guitar riffs. Even when taking a break to peddle the band’s new EP, Harper was as theatrical as ever, booming into the microphone with his best TV announcer impersonation.
For rock fans that prefer their pop with a twist of kooky fun, Casper & the Cookies brought their usual brand of whimsical bounciness. It’s easy to imagine the band rummaging around the costume chest before each show trying to figure out what silliness they can bring to the stage that night. This performance apparently called for three-inch-high shoes for singer Jason NeSmith, no shoes for guitarist Jim Hicks and fake eyelashes all around.
In case the audience wasn’t paying NeSmith enough attention atop his platforms, he spiced up the audience interaction by running into the crowd and banging on a painfully loud bell that some church steeple will likely report missing. The shenanigans were cute in their own way, but considering the fun nature of the tunes and personality of the band, they weren’t really necessary.
Of all the quirkiness that filled the evening, the award for most entertaining goes to guitarist Jim Hicks. As a heavyset man with massive chops and a Western-style shirt, it was endlessly entertaining to see him swing his weight around with such careless abandon. Whether prancing about with his tambourine or pantomiming along with NeSmith’s lyrics, he constantly stole the show. Really, who needs crazy shoes when you’ve got a guitarist like that?
-Review by Michelle Gilzenrat; photo by Alex Adan
The Georgia Fireflies / Long Knives / The Sweetloves
The Drunken Unicorn
Atlanta, GA
December 3, 2006
The Georgia Fireflies are a time machine — maybe more of a time and space machine — because when you hear their music you are transported to the North Georgia mountains circa 1920, where you can relax on the front porch in a rocking chair and sip on sweet tea and enjoy the acoustic sounds of the guitar, washboard and banjo. Jeff Holt and Leanna Fugate of Atlanta’s The Silent Kids shared singing duties (often in unison) and played a variety of instruments that included acoustic guitar, mandolin and banjo to create foot-stomping bluegrass twang.
On percussion was Brian Fletcher of Luigi, playing locomotive-imitating washboard, galloping spoons, spur-sounding tambourine and foot stomps, which all together sounded like the soundtrack to a train robbery. Assisting on several songs was Brandon Smith of The Sweetloves who played fiddle to authenticate that country folk sound. Fugate’s vocals, which were on the high end with some yodeling thrown in, were balanced by Holt’s voice, which was Americana-robust like a strong coffee from the old kettle. Their performance made you wish you had brought a jug along so you could join in.
Long Knives played a slower set that featured pedal steel guitar, 12-string acoustic, multiple acoustic guitars, banjo and drums. Their mellow folk sound was so lethargically paced that it could easily lower your heart rate and cause one to slip in and out of consciousness.
The Sweetloves broke the mold of the acoustic Sunday by plugging in and rocking out. The group played a mix of Southern rock and 1970s pop that sounded very similar to Faces. Frontman Brandon Smith, standing only a few inches from the ceiling due to his tall stature and leopard-print Russian hat, danced about like a rock star and wailed on the mic. The music was rich with crying guitar riffs, energetic drums from Adam Renshaw (Anna Kramer) and thumping bass. Their classic rock ‘n’ roll sound made for a pleasant and loud end to an early lazy Sunday show.
-Review & photo by Alex Adan
Carl Broemel / Jason Howes
The Basement
Nashville, TN
December 7, 2006
In person, Jason Howes did not seem to be the tortured soul suggested by his debut record, Beechwood Avenue. His laugh came on easy and full during sound check, and his demeanor was brimming with shy Southern charm. It’s perhaps that very attitude that makes his lyrics more complex than those of the average depressed guitar strummer: he is the most intense kind of optimist, the kind who is so naturally filled with hope that the world can’t help but keep letting him down.
Songwriting, for him, seems to be more of an outlet for his angst than an enjoyable means of artistic expression; his personal quote on his MySpace page reads, “Art is not fun,” and his lyrics cumulatively tell the story of a man desperately trying not to let life break him — though, God, does it try.
Opening for Howes was Carl Broemel, My Morning Jacket’s guitarist and back-up vocalist, whose set revealed the solid start of an inspiring solo career. Broemel, who stood under the lights with nothing but a guitar and a microphone, had nearly the entire audience transfixed in silent, rapt appreciation of his unpredictable, yet catchy melodies and his expressive, Fruit Bats-like vocal style. But even after such a remarkable opening act, Howes took the stage with confidence and held his own with grace.
At 27-years-old, Howes has the presence of someone who has indeed been performing for a decade. He was right to choose The Basement for his CD release show; the venue is an intimate space with amazing sound and tasteful lighting. Howes’ music, similarly, is quiet but full, with classy, atmospheric arrangements and a focus on the lyrical and tonal message of the song.
The primary drawback of Howes’ performance was the lack of variety. Many songs sounded like they were at the same tempo, with the same dynamic progression and too-similar lyrical themes. The quality was there, though diversity was not. Yet Beechwood Avenue is still the perfect soundtrack to a rainy day’s drive home; Howes has a scratchy, cigarette-burnt voice, and his music is sad but not whiny, disappointed but not resigned.
“I know that I will die poor,” he sings on “The Answer,” the first track of the album. Maybe — if he needs that struggle for songwriting fodder. But those in the audience at The Basement wouldn’t speak so soon.
-Kat Amano
Jason Harris / Liz Durrett / Herb Harris
The Drunken Unicorn
Atlanta, GA
December 5, 2006
This quaint and intimate show was held in the small bar room between MJQ and The Drunken Unicorn. The mood was set with lots of chairs, candles and an almost entirely acoustic concert. Jason Harris, the drummer/singer for The Selmanaires, showed off his solo stuff, starting on acoustic guitar and moving on to his Wurlitzer electric piano. His vocals were whimsical and soft, sometimes being gently forced from his mouth while his piano playing was very pop centered and accompanied by prerecorded beats and noises played on a tape player. On a few songs, he got his twin brother Herb Harris, the guitarist/singer for The Selmanaires, to play drums and fellow Selmanaire Tommy Chung to assist on his common instrument, the electric bass.
The evening was graced with a female presence when Athens’ Liz Durrett took the stage. Her sultry vocals were reminiscent of Cat Power, with more of a crisp folk sound. And it can’t go without mention that she is the niece of legendary folk singer/songwriter Vic Chesnutt, which may just prove that folk runs in the family, as with those Wainwrights. Durrett’s guitar playing was lo-fi and minimal, allowing the magnitude of her voice to shine through.
Herb Harris played a more country/folk-style set compared to his twin brother. He stuck with the same big red guitar through all his songs and kept an even pace while singing with a deep country rhythm. One song that stuck out in particular was “Tennessee Farm,” a story about a man who flees the city for a simpler country lifestyle like Green Acres, falls in love with a girl but is forced to exile back in the city by the girl’s overprotective, gun-toting farmer father. The girl, longing for her loved one, follows him to the city, but after a few weeks discovers the fruitfulness of the metropolitan life and goes all Sex and the City on the guy, leaving him for the dating world once again. The main character of the story repents at the end of the song, with Harris singing, “Well I wish I never went to Tennessee.”
-Review & photo by Alex Adan
Stone Jack Jones / Duquette Johnston / AA Bondy
The BottleTree
Birmingham, AL
December 8, 2006
It was fortunate that The BottleTree, one of Birmingham’s newest venues, finally got its liquor license because the night of the show was a bitterly cold one. The audience was slow to straggle in, but the 9 p.m. act didn’t really start until nearly 10 p.m. Those that came early were treated to Schoolhouse Rock videos on a large projection screen with the sound system pumping post-punk over the cartoons in occasionally eerie synchronization.
Stone Jack Jones opened the show, shooting through a short set of honky-tonk-fueled gothic lullabies. With the lights low on stage, Jones’ band played with David Lynch short films such as The Grandmother projected over them. The Nashville natives were passionate to a fault in their music, often getting lost in their songs and abruptly stopping when they realized they had lingered too long. Jones’ onstage banter was frequently sarcastic and seemingly bitter, perhaps due to a mediocre crowd, but the set was haunting and soulful.
By the time former Verbena and CutGrass member Duquette Johnston took the stage, The BottleTree was completely packed. Johnston has been a longtime fixture in Birmingham’s music scene and has amassed many fans and companions, which he takes full advantage of in his solo work. Joined onstage by Jody Nelson of Birmingham’s Through the Sparks on guitar and a myriad of other friends, including guest vocalist Bo Butler of The Pawns and The Nice Boys, Johnston’s laid back “come one, come all” attitude perfectly complemented his ethereal, indie folk rock.
Johnston and company worked through an extensive and energetic set, focusing primarily on songs from his debut album, Etowah. Nelson brought out a ukulele for a soft rendition of “Temptation,” for which Johnston had to coax the noisy audience into silence. Only one new song, “Syphilis If You Can,” was unveiled from the upcoming album and proved every bit as catchy as his popular “Babies and Diamonds.”
Johnston’s fellow Superphonic Records brother AA Bondy closed out the night with mournful, Bob Dylan-esque ballads. In contrast to Johnston, whose band was loud and often five-members strong, Bondy put on a one-man show with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and a harmonica. His set was soft and somber, bringing the previously raucous crowd to pin-drop silence.
Despite freezing weather, a belated start time and a somewhat grumpy opening act, the show was absolutely worth coming out for. It’s not often one gets a chance to see three such fantastic and well-matched independent acts in one location.
-David Feltman
Drew Holcomb
The Rutledge
Nashville, TN
December 13, 2006
Drew Holcomb’s very being is intertwined with his love of music. He began playing initially to mimic his favorites, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, and soon began writing his own songs. These days, his sound is not quite country and not pure folk rock, but it takes cues from both and tries to bring in the blues.
The Rutledge played host to a nearly packed house for Holcomb’s CD release show and, by the end of the set, he had brought almost everyone to the front for his closing extravaganza. From the beginning, he was stomping his feet and dancing with his guitar, clearly feeling the music in his bones and in his blood. But solos from electric guitarist Nathan Dugger and backup vocalist Ellie Holcomb, his wife, drew him backward, out of the lights, to let them be the stars. He asked more than once for the audience to applaud his band and announced each of their names twice during the set to ensure their proper due — not that he didn’t enjoy the spotlight too — particularly on a reverb-heavy blues song during which Holcomb set down his guitar, grabbed the microphone off its stand and smashed his eyes closed as he bellowed and growled. Holcomb was clearly going for overdone, ironic theatrics, and the crowd of typically distant Nashvillians ate it up with screams and applause.
The standout performance of the night was less histrionic: a simple duet between Holcomb and his wife, with him quietly strumming his acoustic guitar as he sang tenderly about his grandmother and “the promised land.” Ellie had her own counter-melody and gently upstaged her husband with her raspy, throaty hum. But Holcomb’s blues/rock cover of “Folsom Prison Blues” drew a bigger response from the crowd, though it did not do justice to Cash’s dark anthem. He crooned out an altered melody in his smooth, radio-ready voice, never betraying the same danger and shadow of the original track.
The strangest moment, however, occurred in the finale, during the breakdown of Holcomb’s own “Rollin’ Around.” Ellie went into a funkabilly version of Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” and Holcomb followed with a clean-boy cover of “I Got A Woman” by Ray Charles. They then returned to “Rollin’ Around,” proving that, while Holcomb may be deeply inspired by all genres of music, his real talent is better-suited for Southern rock aimed at the charts.
-Kat Amano
Summer Hymns
Flicker Theater and Bar
Athens, GA
December 14, 2006
Sadness enveloped the intimate listening space at the Flicker Theater on this evening as the local music community mourned the loss of troubled guitarist Will Westbrook (The Gerbils), who had passed away earlier in the week. The noticeably affected Summer Hymns took the stage in a melancholy fog under the hazy orange glow of the bulbs that serve as house lights. The celebratory mood you’d expect from a band that just the month before released a stellar album, Backward Masks (Misra Records), was coat-checked in favor of a more somber and selfless one. As for the performance — thankfully Summer Hymns are quite capable of scoring a variety of scenes in life’s film, regardless of intensity.
One would be hard-pressed to find a more poignant and appropriate song to lead a funeral parade than set-opener “Closure Eyes,” an understated and elegant experience from 2001’s A Celebratory Arm Gesture (Misra Records). Zachary Gresham’s vulnerable vocal quiver, enhanced by his knack for creating sustained and psychedelic looped harmonies, was pained and delicate.
At one point, Gresham, having decided against composing a set list, coaxed the crowd for suggestions or requests — prepared to perform “Anything, God dammit.” So when the voice in the back of the room playfully demanded “Eating Bark,” Gresham turned to bandmates Chris Riser (bass), Bryan Nuse (guitar and percussion) and Philip Brown (drums) and explained that the obviously unrehearsed song was, “a bluesy number, a psychedelic on-the-verge-of-dropping-out-of-college, front-porch song.” It was. The band fell into place, pocket-tight, before Gresham finished the first verse, and it was impossible to feel anything but impressed. This feeling would endure. When the Hymns decided to amplify their until now soft-spoken and languid pace by commandeering Neil Young’s “Mr. Soul,” the result was as riveting: “In a while will the smile on my face turn to plaster? / Stick around while the clown who is sick does the trick of disaster.” Yes indeed.
-David Eduardo
Josh Kaler / Lindsay Holler
Cumberland’s
Charleston, SC
December 10, 2006
The Lindsay Holler and Josh Kaler show proved why live music and independent labels still rule. The crowd only got bigger, quickly filling up the floor of Cumberland’s in downtown Charleston.
Kaler was a wonder to watch. He is not a singer, which is unique in and of itself in this Idol age. Instead, Kaler is a fully engaged composer and arranger. He played guitar, steel slide guitar and keyboards with the aid of recording devices. Each instrument was recorded as he performed with it. The original guitar loops that started the track were played back while he improvised on top of them, playing the guitar strings like bongos. Then on the keyboard, notes seemed to gather and scatter like a flock of birds before being layered in with the original guitar loop. Next the steel slide took center stage. Members of the crowd were spellbound as Kaler performed and they eagerly applauded each effort.
The repetition of loops can’t help but bring to mind Philip Glass. However, Kaler’s stylings ran the gamut from psychedelic to new wave to 1990s alternative rock. After his set, Kaler was invited to play with Lindsay Holler and the Hollerettes (LHH) on some songs. Nothing in his act hinted at country, but Kaler blended seamlessly with the Hollerettes.
Lindsay Holler is a passionate performer and a classic country rock balladeer. Her songs were beautifully performed, showing a lot of wisdom and introspection. She has a soulful, strong and melodic voice. Her stage persona conveyed the image of someone who has experienced more than a few heartaches and failures, but she’s not devastated or weakened by it. Her themes included unrequited love, unfilled expectations, missed opportunities and domestic life blues.
Meanwhile, her backup band, the Hollerettes, played country with a twist. The guitars, steel slide, standup bass and drums hearkened back to country’s roots, but the xylophone was a unique addition. As the xylophone player leaped around, his mallets emphatically beat the xylophone bars, cymbals and random metal objects for a sort of “steel mill” sound. This effect added to the blue collar, country attitude of Holler’s work. The audience responded positively to Holler’s performance as they swayed, stomped and danced around.
At the end of the show, it was clear why these two acts are frequent players at Cumberland’s. While the genres and some influences were familiar, the music held surprises at every turn.
-Review & photo by Kathleen Wehle
Slow Motion Crash / ¡Forward, Russia! / Snowden
The EARL
Atlanta, GA
December 14, 2006
Slow Motion Crash opened this show at The EARL with its relatively straightforward interpretation of post-punk/new wave influences. Formerly known as Creve Coeur, the band is now touring with a new lineup in support of the upcoming release of their self-titled debut and the currently available three-song single. Looking to take full advantage of the limited amount of stage time given to openers, SMC wasted little time between songs developing a dialogue with the audience. The few times that lead singer Brian Fisher did speak, it was simply to remind the audience of who they were watching and to apologize for forgetting to bring copies of their CD.
The band’s strong set was highlighted by pulsing guitars on cuts such as “Culprit Eyes” and “Mirrors and Conflict.” Fisher’s vocals were most effective when the songs did not require that he push himself very far out of his sonic comfort zone. The majority of SMC’s material was characterized by strong instrumentation, as each of the band members displayed a focused musicianship, even to the point of offering a less-than-captivating live show. “In October” showed the band’s shoegaze side, featuring slowly building guitars and sparse keys. Driving guitars, strong bass lines and spaced-out synths dominated most of the songs. With vocals, dual guitars, bass, drums and keys, the band at times seemed to be too much for itself, with various components fighting each other.
¡Forward, Russia! came out in their usual matching t-shirts and ripped through an energetic set of math rock/experimental punk, highlighted by lead singer Tom Woodhead’s microphone cord antics.
Snowden closed out the show with a triumphant return to Atlanta. Fresh off a European tour, the band played to a crowd of fans who have definitely been following the number one rule of “Snowden Club.”
-Micah J. McLain |
