WILCO at the FOX
From back in his Uncle Tupelo days, Tweedy has weaved his craft, balancing alt-country with alt-rock on the high wire of everything in between.
No Earplugs
Ruby Suns at the Drunken Unicorn
Venue: The Drunken Unicorn Support: Toro Y Moi, Oryx & Crake In the Company of: Thomas S. Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, The Ruby Suns are a long way from home to be playing in such a tiny venue. Atlanta’s Drunken Unicorn is a signless hole-in-the-wall reserved for […]
SPOON at the TAB
It was a sold-out, standing room only crowd of old and new fans alike. Judging from the positive responses to some early tunes, it appeared that the venue was full of serious Spooners.
Free Energy Travel to the 70s for Debut
New release: Free Energy, Stuck on Nothing (DFA Records) It has become the catch phrase for a generation: retro. From eighties post-punk/new wave to nineties grunge, many bands have made a mint restyling vintage music. But now there comes a band wanting to go even further back and […]
They Might Be Giants at the Variety
They Might Be Giants’ John Flansburgh and John Linnell have tapped into a new niche audience: kids. Since their inception in 1982, they’ve hit the bullseye with quirky melodies and intelligent – sometimes too intelligent – lyrics that continue to thrill fans. In the past few years, however, […]
Spoon Exceed Expectations with ‘Transference’
For listeners who feel that Austin’s Spoon achieved overnight success with 2007’s triumphant Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, they couldn’t be more wrong. These guys have been hard at it since 1993, when Britt Daniel (vocals, guitar) and drummer Jim Eno formed the band. Various and sundry musicians […]
Vampire Weekend Evolve with ‘Contra’
This New York foursome came out of the gates in 2008 – guns-a-blazing – with their self-titled debut Vampire Weekend. It was rife with worldbeat beauties about being rich and prominent. Many critics eluded that these youngsters were posing and had stolen their fresh new sound from a […]
My Top 10 Shows of 2009
It’s been a good year for music. New bands surfaced and old bands maintained. A good mix is healthy and necessary for even the most casual concertgoer. From the staying power of U2 and the English Beat to the fresh genius of Elbow and Phoenix, 2009 offered some […]
Five Eight Prove Themselves Once Again
Venue: Smith’s Olde Bar, Atlanta Support: Author’s Apology, Club Awesome In the Company of: Eric W. It’s a common occurrence: Regional band with respectful amount of success just misses hitting it big. Disappears only to resurface several years later. Is it an act of desperation or a legitimate […]
R.E.M. Shine on New Live Recording
Songs from their initial independent EP, Chronic Town, shine here as four of the five are performed in a way unfamiliar to fans: Michael Stipe’s lyrics are intelligible.
NO EARPLUGS 