Show of the Month

Pylon / The Selmanaires /
The New Sound of Numbers
The Earl
Atlanta, GA
November 1, 2007

Athens, Ga.'s The New Sound of Numbers took the stage to the applause of a half-filled but receptive room. A more raucous crowd may not have suited the mood produced by these bouncy poppers, however. The band's live performance was as understated as any. Lead vocalist and guitarist Hannah Jones's movements were almost imperceptibly small throughout the performance, the only action happening in her hands, her mouth, and her eyes, which darted furtively from side to side. The rest of the seven-member group (along with Pylon guitarist Randy Bewley) remained almost equally still, except for multi-percussionist Josh Skinner. The New Sound Of Numbers' infectious call-and-response vocals and lyrics about numbers and abstract shapes carried well over the tight instrumentation and two full drum sets.
"The avocado in a yummy Athens sandwich," as declared by frontman Herb Harris, Atlanta's The Selmanaires led their set with the first track from upcoming January release The Air Salesmen. "Broken Mirrors in the Mud" begins with solo drums until a single distorted guitar chord joins, sending the band full-throttle into their up-tempo and high-energy show. The Selmanaires' sound ranges from Talking Heads post-new wave to falsetto harmonies and straight up garage rock. Drummer John Harris often played his bass drum and high hat in unison, both knees flying in the air. The physical energy produced by these four remained very high despite slight pushing and pulling in tempo. The room (full by now) pulsated visibly throughout songs like "Selmanaire Rock" and "Just to Get Yr Love," the set bringing a mix of new and old material. Though the Selmanaires' live show rests on solid musical performance, there were a couple of gimmicks thrown into the mix as well. During "GMAFB," each member played a different small percussion instrument, from tambourine, to woodblock and metal kitchen pan, the latter of which was later revealed to have been a replacement provided by Earl employees after the band's cowbell went missing.
Orange pylons had sat onstage during both previous bands' performances, but after the Selmanaires completed their set, it became obvious the energy in the room wasn't only for them. Athens royalty Pylon, riding the October re-release of Gyrate Plus, played to an absolutely packed room of 20- and 40-somethings. Two members of the band sported "COOL" t-shirts gleaned from their own merch table. Cool they were, playing upwards of 20 songs spanning the breadth of their catalogue with unrelenting energy. Vanessa Briscoe Hay's trademark screaming and showmanship were decidedly present, her charisma as she windmilled and jerked across the stage carrying the show and keeping everyone dancing. From the whistle she used heavily to the alarm clock employed by bassist Michael Lachowski to produce a low, grainy feedback, Pylon kept their audience exceedingly entertained and shell-shocked, in the best way.

-Review & photos by Julia Reidy

J.R. Rund and the Holdup /
The Casavetes/ Jupiter Watts

Lenny's
Atlanta, GA
November 2, 2007

The most junior of the acts playing that night, Rund and his band, The Holdup, engulfed the room with sweetly distorted guitars and a gritty, twangy vocal. The singer let his lead guitarist, Josh Cook, punctuate vocal lines with deliberate improvisations, workman-like collections of notes supported by thick snare drum whacks. A small conglomeration of early birds silently stood watch, despite Rund's efforts to get them excited, as the singer jumped around and banged his shoulder-length black hair.
While Rund supplied emotion in his actions as much as his music, the other bands - The Casavetes and Jupiter Watts - relied on a juxtaposition of soft, atmospheric soundscapes and churning hardcore guitars to generate feeling. The Casavetes' sound - adrift somewhere between psychedelic and punk - is driven by the soft-hard-soft pulse of lead singer Robert Horlick. Though electronic malfunctions marred the group's set, the band worked together well to overcome any audio deficiencies.
Coupled with headliner Jupiter Watts, the night became about the contrasting emotions between Rund's upbeat rock 'n' roll and Jupiter Watt's pensive melodies, layering timbres on top of distorted guitars and busy drums. Lead singer James Trigg, of Jupiter Watts, held court over his band, energizing the music by banging his head and kicking the air. His reedy voice provided the top layer to a wall of noise. Besides reigning over two keyboards, Clay Fowler intermittently blew an electronically enhanced tenor saxophone to add to the cacophony.
Lenny's showcased three groups from the same area with ostensibly the same equipment. The musicians reacted to the same trials and troubles of independent bands and were united under the same massive genre umbrella produce. Each group manufactured a different sound, but two of them felt run-of-the-mill. J.R. Rund took the night.

-Review & photo by Jon Ross

Big 10-4

Wall Street Plaza
Orlando, FL
November 2, 2007

Wall Street Plaza is an incomparable place for shows, as it's actually a short street permanently closed to vehicle traffic surrounded by eight bars. Most of the time each end of the street is set up with a stage with bands playing staggered sets on each while the audience mills about between clubs and stages. For Big 10-4's show, there was only one stage up while the other end of the plaza was used for Knightfest, the University of Central Florida's Homecoming activities.
Big 10-4 is one of Orlando's most popular bands, and as showtime drew near, the road in front of the stage rapidly filled up. The band has been tied up with writing, recording, and other commitments and hasn't had many live shows lately, so this show was highly anticipated. The crowd roared in welcome as soon as the band took the stage. Brothers Dan (lead vocals, guitar, and piano) and Matt Verduin (lead guitar), and James Russo (drums) were joined by temporary bassist Jared Leevanus for this special show.
They kicked off the night with a 40-minute teaser set featuring songs from their CD Testing the Atmosphere, including "Undertow," "Deadman" and "Crazy" as well as a new song. During the last song of this set, a young fan jumped onstage to share the microphone and strutting his stuff onstage.
The second and final set started off with more songs from the aforementioned record, including tracks "Irony Is Thick," "Superpowers" and "Tangled" with its special gesture following the lyric "running out the front door with the two finger salute." Anyone passing by might have been perplexed at the sight of several hundred people flipping off with both hands, but it's standard fare at a Big 10-4 show during that song.
There were more new songs — a version of the Rihanna hit "Umbrella," then the rest of the band left Dan alone onstage at the piano for the gentle ballad "Oxygen." The piano is an important part of their stage show; it's covered with well wishes from many of the loyal fans over the years. The rest of the band returned for the last song of the night, "Deadman," which they had played earlier in the first set, but played again due to overwhelming fan requests.
As is their usual habit during their break between sets and after the show, the band headed out into the audience, chatting with old friends and making new ones, always networking and building their fan base. It's another major reason why a Big 10-4 show always has a party atmosphere, more like a gathering of friends than just a band putting on a concert.

-Review & photo by Kat Coffin

Trances Arc / 3 Dog Stevens /
Benji the Blender

Star Bar
Atlanta, GA
October 26, 2007

Star Bar hosted Trances Arc's "Interstellar Masquerade," a CD Release/Halloween party to help kick off the weeklong celebration that comes whenver All Hallows' Eve falls on a Wednesday night. Amid a room full of fog-machine induced atmospherics, the hosts took to the stage, accompanied by the Star Wars Stormtrooper theme song and donning the full uniforms of Emperor Palpatine's troops. After making their grand entrance, each band member pulled off his mask and jumped straight into cuts from their soon-to-be-released debut LP XOXOX. Front man Eric Toledo led the band through a standout set featuring instantly catchy tracks like "New Style" and "XOXOX (Star Spangled)" which allowed the band to most fully display their mini-arena rock stylings. The growth of the band as a result of their maturation and consistent touring over the last few years was made apparent through their upbeat and engaging performance.
After a short set change, 3 Dog Stevens [AKA the lighter side of local rock band Y-O-U] performed their interpretation of the sci-fi classic theme from "Ghostbusters." The three members of the group performed a set full of both covers and originals in an attempt at comedy that saw varying degrees of success. While initially humorous and entertaining, 3 Dog Stevens' appeal waned as the set dragged on. This decline was mostly a result of the monotony of the three keyboard sonic attack and the plethora of jokes that seemed as though they were intended for the enjoyment of the other band members instead of anyone out in the crowd.
Benji the Bender gave the crowd something to groove to by playing a mix of proven dance favorites and hipster jams well into the night. The highlight of the DJ set came when he played "Rehab" and was joined on-stage by a local Winehouse impersonator for an impromptu performance. On their way out, each member of the audience received a complimentary copy of XOXOX, a great way for Trances Arc to further connect with their listeners and generate a greater buzz leading up to the release of their new disc after having already engaged their fans in a fairly unique evening of music and other forms of entertainment.

-Review & photo by Micah McLain

Of Montreal

40 Watt Club
Athens, GA
October 31, 2007

After enthusiastic opening acts Brooklyn, N.Y.'s MGMT (wearing Viking hats and tiger masks) and Pittsburgh's Grand Buffet (who played to an already packed house in creepy black and white face paint), Athens' own Of Montreal took the 40 Watt's Halloween stage under the guise of the Blue Man Group, all bedecked with skull caps and painted electric blue. Though not completely interchangeable in appearance like the real Blue Man Group (Dottie Alexander's shoulder-length hair and Brian Poole's sideburns were readily visible), the illusion was complete, and provided an excellent contrast to the appearances of guest performers, members of opening acts and friends of the band, who came on stage to act out mini mimed scenes during songs, including a particularly spectacular slow-motion sword fight during "She's a Rejector."
Synthesizers gave away the first chords of "So Begins Our Alabee." "So begins our odyssey," Kevin Barnes intoned, and after the lengthy instrumental intro, begin it did. Of Montreal played just under 20 songs to the sold-out crowd, including a cover of Prince's "Purple Rain." The set rocketed through a slew of material from the band's most recent full-length releases, 2005's The Sunlandic Twins and 2007's Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destoyer? Barnes' '80s businessman glasses bounced as he and Poole did their best to recreate the rich vocal textures so important to the band's studio albums. While not at all capable of the immaculate four- or five-part harmonies live, as the two were the only discernable vocalists, the energy remained very high and the audience filled in harmonic gaps. Most memorably, "Gronlandic Edit" witnessed the motley collection of shoulder-to-shoulder costumed fans wailing a sustained "FORGET" in five parts.
After several of their most popular and poppy songs in a row, "Rapture Rapes the Muses," "The Party's Crashing Us" and "Suffer for Fashion," the band turned toward more trance/electronica-inclined material, including "Oslo in the Summertime" and Hissing Fauna's "Faberge Falls for Shuggie" during the encore, Barnes' voice sliding from piercing falsetto into warbling tenor.
Of Montreal employed several props, but not by necessity. The set was plenty interesting on its own, but that didn't stop guest performers from dangling glitter-filled balloons over the audience during hit "Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse," popping them, and showering the first several rows.
As surreal as could be required for a Halloween show, Of Montreal sent their oddly-attired fans bouncing into the night.

-Review by Julia Reidy

Freedom Hawk

Reggie's
Wilmington, NC
November 10, 2007

There's no stage at Reggie's in Wilmington, North Carolina — just a concrete floor. The local haunt is where bands and drinkers can get to know each other up close and quickly. Bands play crowd level, face to face, which can be rustic but suitable if you like music played down and dirty.
Virginia Beach's Freedom Hawk took the floor around 11:30 p.m. bringing their stoner rock by way of nu-Sabbath styles back to Wilmington. But this trip was a little lighter, the band having lost guitarist Matt Cave, leaving only drummer Lenny Hines, bassist Mark Cave (Matt's brother) and singer guitarist T.R. Morton. The remaining members formed a heavy trio of power groove metal musicians and high-pitched rock vocals.
Having seen the band previously, the music still sounded heavy and entertaining. Something was missing, but the band soldiered on, playing a refined set of mostly new material. "Stand Back" was an interesting stand out number, bridging Sabbath-inspired solos with crunching, breakdown riffs. The band played consistently, almost defiantly, like the East Coast's answer to Fu Manchu, keeping it simple and thick with harmonious metal groove. It wasn't heavy riffs and growls, but power riffs and soulful rock delivery wrapped in metal packaging.
Freedom Hawk's sound is large, like trying to force an elephant to fit in a closet. It is also melodic for such heavy handed playing. Walls of guitar riffs were pushed out heavy, soaring and moving like swells and waves at the same time. The band played tough and very loud; Hines' drum sticks hammered the skins like tree trunks and Cave's bass marched tightly alongside. The band pulled out standards "Universal" and "10 Years" along with newer songs "Palamino," "Land of Lost" and "Sunlight." The band members played with great concentration, Morton's eyes closed tight much of the time and Hines played with his head down and eyes closed. Cave seemed to watch over, as if the band were huddled down for a fight.
The band encored twice, eventually closing with "Bad Man," in which Morton opened with a grinding guitar riff, singing, "I'm a bad man, and you're a bad girl," the last word squeezed out for effect.

-Review & photo by Brian Tucker

The Never / Manchester Orchestra

Drunken Unicorn
Atlanta, GA
October 26, 2007

Manchester Orchestra doesn't need much of an introduction these days, having recently performed on The Late Show with David Letterman and toured with Kings of Leon.
The night started with a performance from young indie rock Chapel Hill band The Never. The boys did an amazing job at holding their own in front of an audience of Manchester Orchestra enthusiasts who were obviously unfamiliar with the band's music. The Never played a satisfying set of extremely catchy and theatrical pop songs that seemed to not only keep the audience's attention, but slowly gain it. The boys' stage presence was equally endearing. As The Never performed, it was evident that the band was completely musically in sync with each other and as the show progressed they quickly became in sync with the audience thanks to lead singer Noah Smith's charming sense of humor. The most exciting part of The Never's performance was the inclusion of a cello player as well as drummer Jonny Tunnell's transformation into a flautist. Also noteworthy was Joah Tunnell's precise keyboard playing, which added the perfect touch of maturity to the often cheeky lyrics.
There is no denying these boys' ability to write and perform solid, fun pop songs.
Manchester Orchestra's lead singer, Andy Hull, took the stage accompanied solely by his guitar, instantly awing and silencing the audience with a cryptic ballad. This dramatic opening set the tone for the rest of what would be an intense performance. Once the rest of the band joined Hull, Manchester Orchestra put on a mesmerizing and powerful rock show. The only thing notably lacking was interaction with the audience. Each song was performed with such concentrated focus that the band seemed to zone the audience completely out. Then again, after taking the heavy nature of most of Manchester Orchestra's album into consideration, perhaps playful stage banter might not have been so conducive to the vibe of the show. Regardless of this negligence, the devoted fans seemed to identify with Hull as he poured his heart out on stage, enthusiastically singing along to every lyric uttered by his quivering voice.
It is easy to categorize Manchester Orchestra as your typical emo or indie rock band, but this would be completely unjust. These surprisingly young musicians provide a full rock sound by exhibiting impressive musical talent. Even more impressive is their songwriting. Their lyrics are not only honest but compelling.

-Review by Nelly Khalil; photo by Ryan Purcell

Rockinwood

Tasty World
Athens, GA
October 31, 2007

Halloween night in Athens was a chance for fans and bands alike to reveal their alter-egos, masquerade as their heroes, and parade around town in devilish disguises. Most bands that night were performing as cover bands, dressing up and playing nothing but cover songs. This year Tasty World hosted a band for whom Halloween was made, Rockinwood. The Misfits were Rockinwood's choice for a band to cover this Halloween and the choice was a good one. Tasty World was packed with guys and ghouls dressed in their bloodiest and most outrageous garbs. Rockinwood took the stage with every member of the band painted up and punked out in complete with ghost face makeup and devilock. The attitude of the band matched the attitude of the crowd and much moshing, glass busting and pumpkin stomping was had by all.
Not only did Rockinwood undergo a visual change for the night, but the band has recently included a few more members to their current lineup. Erika Rickson performed her first show as the bands' new drummer, along with Kyle Tuttle on banjo, and TJ Machado on bass. The sound onstage was more pronounced and fuller sounding than in any prior incarnation of the band without taking away from the stripped down sound typically found in punk music. The guys and gal played a full set of Misfits tunes including "We are 138", "Attitude" and "Hate Breeders". Though the crowd was at times more raucous than the band, the band was able to play cohesively and even fit in a couple requests in their 19 song repertoire. The crowd danced and yelled along to the catchy morbid lyrics and fist pumping melodies.
A few times random audience members would come onstage and perform a song along with the band. One gnarly bearded fellow in a dress continued to jump onstage and berate the band and fans, spitting and flinging mucus on unsuspecting people. However, none of that dampened the energy of the band or the rowdy crowd. For one night only, horror punk was alive and well at Tasty World.

- Review by Charley Lee