Frontier Sons are performing at The Drunken Unicorn on Wednesday, September 14th
The members of Frontier Sons are no strangers to the music scene throughout the southeast. Having played and toured in a few bands in their adolescent years, Andrew Wackerhagen, Daniel Maddox, Rob Royson, and Garrett Eanes came together after almost a year hiatus from music all together. Being friends for years, they were tired of going through the motions with outside musicians and decide to get a house with one another and just start writing music together. They wanted to make a statement with honest straight forward rock n' roll that seems to be lost in the mass of artists now a days. Something seemed to click between the band, and writing just came more natural than ever before. Having gathered a few songs ready to record, Frontier Sons embarked on a massive road trip to record at Fort Worth Sound in Fort Worth, Texas. Returning to South Carolina with a 4 song EP and an ambition to spread their catchy sound. Frontier Sons is looking to spread their brand of southern indie rock n' roll to whoever is caring to hear, through tour, promoting, internet, and everything in between. It's this drive that shows the huge potential these 4 friends have in their music, just take a listen and you'll know, Frontier Sons will make a name for themselves within the music industry.
To say The Lion in Winter is a new band would be an understatement to singer/songwriter Hunter Duncan and his previous projects (American Religion, Kill Anties). To forward himself from his local past (Kill Anties) he started The Lion in Winter to progress his music into a more mature state. Collaborating with friends and musicians, Thomas Ray (American Religion), Mikey Chappell, and Ryan Alexander, the band has recorded their first EP and are looking to continue work with Regenerate Record Co based out of Cleveland, TN. It's hard to pinpoint a sound for The Lion in Winter, it sways from emotional undertones into a hard driven state of bluesy rock 'n roll. With time on their side, lined up shows, and backing from a record label, the sky surely isn't the limit for these South Carolina musicians.
Santah was born with their heads in the clouds and their feet stuck in the dirty ground. Luckily, right before they grew up for good, a tidal wave swept them up, quick as can be, and sent them teetering across the continent. They howled in confusion when that water came, arms all flailing, their faces purple as raisins. But they rolled back their eyes and just like that, they were in some holy home, right there in their own head, right there on that ocean, riding a wild and blurry-eyed vision, just being the most confused and luckiest boys to ever live or die in the whole goddamn world, just like that, all over the place.
Ocean Is Theory are the third performer of the evening.
"Atlanta pop/rock band Ocean is Theory recently released a free single entitled “Best Intentions” from its upcoming EP Future Fears, available May 23.
The track is decidedly more poppy than most of the band's earlier offerings, which often featured a slightly harder edge. "Best Intentions" rounds out those edges with catchy hooks and more diverse instrumentation.
After two self-released records and years of unrelenting touring, Ocean is Theory found a home with Razor & Tie last November, and Future Fears is the quartet's first release with the independent label. A currently untitled full-length is due on Razor & Tie later this summer." - Eric Brown / Creative Loafing Atlanta
This Piano Plays Itself are the second band of the evening.
"“Psychedelic shoegaze post-rock pop.” That’s the closest Justin Newton, drummer for This Piano Plays Itself, can get to describing his band’s sound. He laughs as he says it. “I hate that question. ‘What do you guys sound like?’ or ‘Who are your influences?’ It’s like asking, ‘Which bands are you trying to rip off?’”
Hailing from Atlanta, This Piano Plays Itself certainly has a sound that defies pigeonholing. There’s no shortage of reverb-heavy guitars and layered effects, yet amid complex swirling soundscapes there are elements of simplicity and space, a testament to the group’s musical maturity. Newton has a massive drum sound and the chops to match, but you won’t catch him overplaying. “I’ve learned it’s more important to stay in the pocket rather than just playing whatever I think sounds rad,” he chuckles." - John Granofsky / Flagpole
slowriter is the music of Bryan Taylor. Bryan toured and played guitar in The Chariot (2008-2010) and wrote/recorded for their album 'Wars and Rumors of Wars'.
slowriter recordings are recorded and produced by Ryan Boesch (Foo Fighters, Andrew WK, Eels, etc.).
slowriter recordings are mixed by Ryan Boesch, Miles Walker (Ludacris, Beyonce, Rihanna, etc.), and Ralph Cacciurri (Outkast, Alicia Keys, Ludacris, etc.).
slowriter live is Bryan Taylor (vocals/guitar), Phil Hawkins (keys/samples), Nick Taft (bass), Dan Nelson (guitar), and Matt Karoglou (drums).
Empress Hotel are performing at The Drunken Unicorn on Wednesday, September 7th, 2011.
Empress Hotel at it's core is an assembly of musicians from both New Orleans and afar. Spearheading this New Orleans pop ensemble are brothers Ryan and Eric Rogers on guitar and drums, backed by Haché Horchatta from Portland, Maine on bass, and fronted by the ever so amorous Micah McKee on lead vocals and guitar. The music is inspired by 70s one hit wonders such as Ace and The Dwight Twilley Band and drawing influence from legends like Prince, Sparks, and Roxy Music.
Empress Hotel brings a personal, human story to their interpretation of pop songs. It's implemented through stream of consciousness lyrics, dynamic vocal melodies and rhythmic harmonies from individuals who love the glory days and still go see new bands play live more than most. They lust for a music that is inclusive, crowd pleasing and honest. Empress Hotel asks for you to sing along, and dance within it. It wants your company.
Old televisions screening work from auteurs, dangling scissors, and an otherwise intricate set make up Jeffrey Bützer’s stage. Without even hearing his music, it becomes obvious that the musician is indebted to the cinema. After listening to only a few minutes of his music, however, the ties become even more apparent. For Bützer, the films he has in mind are set in the same locales as his music: French-inspired Eastern Europe. His first two LP releases, each comprised of short instrumentals, would—and are designed to—fill the soundtracks to such films. While his second release, The Garden of Scissors, accompanied a self-written script, it is his recent score for Raymond Carr’s Wild is the Wind which served as his first on-film release.
When played by the solo musician, Jeffrey Bützer’s music generally comes across as minimal, melodic French musette. With the Bicycle Eaters, however, he maintains a different M.O. Comprised of Bützer on piano, accordion, and glockenspiel, Chad Shivers on guitar, William J. Brigsby on bass, and Eric Balint on xylophone and percussion, the sound comes closer to Ennio Morricone's spaghetti western scores, klezmer, and gyspsy than musette. The melodies and general style of the original songs are intact, but the band attempts to make things more direct, intricate, and engaging with bold strokes.
In addition to performing in Atlanta, his place of residence, Bützer has toured China, Eastern Europe, and the US.
"Atlanta band HAWKS raises the bar on all fronts with its second album, Rub. Although the songs here still don't capture the raw immediacy of the group's live presence, there's no way to effectively re-create the experience of a naked man jumping out of the speakers and screaming in your face. Instead, the album's full-bodied complexities swell in "A Future Reaping" and the discordant piano and drum tussle of "Holy Day," proving that there's more to HAWKS' abilities than aggressive displays of male angst — although there's plenty of that here, too. "Hung" and "Late Bloomer" are bigger than anything the group brought to the table with its '09 debut, Barnburner. A nod to the Jesus Lizard guides the searing guitar throughout, and vocalist Mike Keenan's lumberjack growl channels the spirit of the entire AmRep legacy. But an experimental trudge fills in the spaces between the monstrous rhythms, giving the album a brutal sense of refinement." - Chad Radford / Creative Loafing Atlanta
Black Skies will be the third performer of the evening.
This Chapel Hill, NC power trio has been tuning down and turning up since late 2005, constantly evolving their aural offerings of psychedelic sludge. With a combination of the foreboding heaviness of blues based proto-metal, the spry attitude and approach of punk, and the dynamics of progressive rock, their songs often project a dark & urgent energy.
Black Skies is: Kevin Clark, Tim Herzog, Michelle Temple
Minnesota’s Vaz is one of the rock ‘n roll nuts and represents another major score for the little NYC label that could.
Relatively established in their own right, Vaz was founded some time in the late-ish 90s by refugees from the highly influential noise rock band Hammerhead.
Originally touring about as a two-piece duo, Vaz was generally lumped together with other noise-ified bare-bones rock acts like Lightning Bolt, early Hella, and Pink & Brown.
LOOK OUT FACES, SEE YA LATER! DA SHREWS ARE BACK FOR ROUND OCHO AND IT'S THEIR MOST INSENSITIVE SLAB YET. YELLING, RIPPAGE, BIG JUMPS -- YOU KNOW THE THE DRILL . . . AND THEY'RE HOLDING IT TO YR TEMPLE, SMART GUY. LATER HIPPIES!
Radiation City are performing on Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 at The Drunken Unicorn.
"Radiation City is a Portland four-piece influenced by 60s bossa nova and girl group pop (with bite). Their debut album, The Hands That Take You, is coming out on Tender Loving Empire (Typhoon, Loch Lomond) on September 27.
Band members Cameron Spies and Lizzy Ellison came together through a series of creative collaborations, among them landscaping, cooking and photography. Being on the label side of things and getting sent a ton of music, they decided to try their hand at making their own. After only a few performances they started gaining attention as ‘one of Portland’s most polished and promising young acts’ (Willamette Week)." Lost At E Minor
"Lille is an indie / twee pop band from Atlanta, Georgia. They are fronted by singer/songwriter Grace Bellury, who sings and plays ukelele. On their debut album, a five song EP called Tall Shoulders which was released earlier in the year, their cutesy twee sound is supported by plinking pianos, accordions and the multitracked vocals of Bellury, whose voice provides needed mature undertones to the mix. Her dreamy voice soars above the instruments, evoking Sharon Van Etten on songs like “Melancholera” and the gorgeous 7-minute closer “Blue Coat Boy”, which which features male vocals sung in French harmonizing with Bellury’s intelligent words and lofty “Ooohs”. Tall Shoulders is a promising, albeit slightly generic sounding debut." Lewis & His Blog
"Chicago native, Kyle Andrews, makes 'hook heavy' indie pop. You will listen and wonder why you haven't heard this music before, or at least someone saying you should hear Kyle Andrews... uh, you should. " - alan williamson, Six Eyes
"You could call Kyle Andrews a singer/songwriter and you’d be right on a technicality. He’s more of a bedroom pop madman, a home-recording, hook-generating dynamo with enough personality to win over fans of everyone from Beck and Eels to John Vanderslice and Chad VanGaalen. " - Nick Loughrey
Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, HARRISON HUDSON is comprised of Brandon Dees (Bass), Shaun Rawlings (Drums), and front man, Harrison Hudson (Vocals, Guitar). Described by critics as raw Americana, and by themselves as “no-frills” rock’n'roll, HARRISON HUDSON delivers melody-inspired rock. “We decided one day to keep things simple. Ever since then we’ve been a three piece band playing as loud and as hard as we can while still bringing a good melody.” Front man, Harrison Hudson, got his start in Atlanta, where he recorded his first full length album, Angels on One Side…And the Other on the Other, with Jeremiah Edmond of Vintage Song Studio in 2006. Hudson had intended to be a solo project with a full backing band. However, when he moved to Nashville he began playing with Dees and Kadar, and decided to permanently strip down to a three piece. The trio then wrote and recorded their first album together, Blood, Sweat, and Sweat, which was released in February, 2008.
HARRISON HUDSON shares musical roots with fellow Favorite Gentlemen band, MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA (front man Harrison Hudson has played alongside MO’s Andy Hull, Jonathan Corley, and Chris Freeman in acts such as Sweet Lucy Brown, Tiger Society, and East On Autry, and bassist Brandon Dees briefly played bass for MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA).HARRISON HUDSON’s music has been called a blend of the East coast — from southern twang to New York dirt, and everything in between. They are undoubtedly one of the acts redefining the sound of Nashville.
Atlanta's indie band Ghost Party formed in 2009 when Patrick Boggs (drums, loops), Henry Watts (bass) and Jonathan Whiteside (wurlitzer, synthesizers) began writing electronic dance music as an instrumental trio. After recording a handful of demos, the band's producer Bruce Butkovich (Futura Bold, Brain Box) introduced them to Marium Khalid (vocals) whose vocal style was the perfect contrast to their music. Realizing they'd found the "right combination", the foursome started writing new songs together and Ghost Party was born. Conjuring the spirit of classic 1980's electronic bands, Ghost Party crafts their own style of dark, percussive dance floor grooves weaved with sensual and playful vocals sung in English, Urdu, Hindi and French.
Totimoshi are performing at The Drunken Unicorn on Saturday, August 27th, 2011.
Totimoshi - Founded in 1997 have been forging their own path for well over a decade. Based on their love of Rock, some Metal, some Jazz, some Classical, some Rag, some Dixieland, some Blues, and some Mariachi, Totimoshi set out to be slaves to no one genre. They have released 5 albums to date and their 6th "Avenger" will soon be released and will tear your heart out. We promise.
Sons Of Tonatiuh are the second band of the evening.
Established around May of '08. Recorded 1st demo in Aug of '08. Released 1st 7" in Jan of '09. 1st East coast tour in March of '09. 1st West coast tour in Sept of '09. Recorded first full length in March of '10. Tour tour tour...
Will be recording our second full length in the Summer of '11
“The women who make up this Minnesota quartet bow at the altar of riot grrls’ days gone by while simultaneously thumbing their noses at scowling chick-rock clichés. The songs are as bracing as they are familiar…. For Fans of: The Breeders, Sleater-Kinney” – SPIN MAGAZINE
“It was an absolute treat touring with SOS this year. They are fun loving, open- hearted girls who play irresistible punk infused pop music with a passion that is truly contagious… The girls are hilarious and wild, and have a charisma and chemistry that I found to be utterly charming..... I think you will too!” -Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles)
“Sick of Sarah is the real deal. This is a true working band who sing write and play for real. They are also cute and funny. They are my friends and they rock.” -Nancy Wilson (Heart)
Go in, nail 'em and go home exhausted. Such a simple victory has been the mission of rock bands for decades. It's a noble pursuit; a Do It Yourself mentality that compels musicians to obliterate with powerful songs propelled by live passion and vitality.
That's Hunter Valentine.
Blasting out their inimitable rock since the summer of 2004, Hunter Valentine has blossomed, establishing a devoted fan base via their self-financed eponymous 2005 EP and building on that foundation with their 2007 full-length The Impatient Romantic (True North Records). Razing crowds from coast to coast in their decrepit van, nailing select European and U.S. Cities over the course of 200-plus shows, the trio has garnered an international fan base as they build out of their native Canada. Hunter Valentine are now poised to break through with their gripping follow up Lessons From the Late Night (Tommy Boy/Fontana/Universal).
Raucous and direct, the outfit comprised of vocalist/guitarist Kiyomi McCloskey, bassist Adrienne Lloyd and drummer Laura Petracca exemplifies girls with a united goal, intense friendship, respect and ability that solidifies their edgy albeit refined music. There's no hyperbole when it comes to Hunter Valentine. Everything has a direct message, delivered with a devout refusal for glitz or glamour. The hard line says it all, conveyed by confident, unbridled rock 'n' roll.
The ladies of the Dayton, Ohio, indie-pop band Vanity Theft are young and pretty. Their songs are mostly about past romances. And when they talk, guitarist Brittany Hill, singer-keyboardist Alicia Grodecki, drummer Elyse Driskill, and bassist Lalaine Paras tend to giggle a lot. However, Lalaine, 23, would like to clarify one thing: “We may have vaginas, but we’re not pussies.”
With a moniker that sounds like the name of a Joan Jett B-side, the foursome—who’ll drop their full-length, Get What You Came For, in February via Vigilante Music/Adamant Records—fit right into the storied legacy of all-girl bands bent on debunking benign all-girl conventions. For instance, “we’ve gone through a lot of breakups,” says Elyse. “So for me, a lot of the lyrics are really sarcastic.” The melancholic “Missing Teeth” messes with Auto-Tune to detail an ex’s shortcomings; the highly danceable “Trainwreck” is about finding sexual empowerment in a dysfunctional relationship; and “Bit by Bit” uses stabbing riffs and retro synths to soundtrack being obsessed with the wrong person.
Not surprisingly, the group takes pride in churning out an ear-drum-beating live show. This is not lost on their loyal, grassroots following. In 2009, the group ended up playing the testosterone-centric Warped Tour when it swung by Cincinnati, after their fans rallied to get them the local-band slot. Meanwhile, Vanity Theft has also won over media in the heartland through sheer tenacity.
Pillage & Plunder is performing at The Drunken Unicorn on Wednesday, August 24th, 2011.
"And then it was time for none other than the awesomely-named Atlanta band Pillage and Plunder. Way back in the day, before the idea of writing a blog had ever even crossed my mind, I saw these guys play during a Crumbling Arches show, and through a rather wacky series of events, I found myself at their very first show in Athens this past Tuesday. Now, to be honest, even if I had never heard of them before this show, their crazy style would have definitely caught my attention anyway. A very unique - one might even call it somehow vampiric - darkness pervaded their songs coupled with a bit of an old school cruise band vibe. But that's not even the most distinctive feature of their sound. I can honestly say I don't think I've ever heard faster tunes in my life than those played by Pillage and Plunder. It was wild! And their energy... Holy jeez! They join the ranks of the few bands I've seen over the years that used the entire stage as their rock playground. I could totally see their songs being used as the soundtrack for a movie scene involving a main character rushing through dark streets towards some meaningful purpose. Then the band wound to an end on quite an awesome note with a newer tune that proved to be my favorite song of the bunch. Their sound was insane, to be sure, but I liked it." - Echoreyn of Athens
Chris and Wil two of the founded members of dark rock band the Seraphix in 2002. Wil went on to perform with the 7 stages theaters resident rock theater troupe staring the iron maiden tribute musical and jesus christ superstar, growing bored with American rock scene, Wil's ears shifted to the darker more experimental sounds coming out of north Europe , reconnected with Chris to make darker and more sonically heavy music , after shifting through a multitude of musicians to find some on who would " get it " they found former unreal/soil to sky drummer Jacob and bassist Travis expanding their sound, bringing it to stages everywhere and venturing into the studio this summer they hope to debut recorded material before dragon-con.
Bloody Phoenix is from Los Angeles, California. Formed in October of 2001. The band has gone through numerous line up changes in it's history. Bios & self descriptions are things Bloody Phoenix are not good at or care about. The music is pissed & violent.
"Baby Baby's first-ever show played out like a Nelly music video. "We were wearing just regular clothes, but by the end of the set we were nearly butt-naked, in tiny shorts," says frontman/singer Fontez Brooks. "Everyone in the band was shirtless, sweating. Then we realized, why not just play every show like this instead of putting on clothes that we were going to take off anyway?"
And so it's been ever since. Baby Baby live is all about some neon short shorts and a brand of music they've coined "fun rock"— the kind of danceable, primal energy that gets both your adrenal and sweat glands pumping.
"Every so often we play a show and everyone gets naked," Brooks insists. "I shit you not. And it's amazing because it's hot. It's hot, and there's no point in wearing these clothes if you can take them off. And you can take them off. We give you permission. We actually invite you to take your clothes off."
But what's most surprising about this uninhibited, Dionysian scene is what's hiding underneath all that nudity: a brutally honest songwriter who takes his cues from, of all people, Kurt Cobain.
"Let me hit you with some realness," Brooks begins. "A lot of lyricists these days try to be super deep and go over the audience's head. I didn't come from that background. I came from real life. My family was really poor, and that way of thinking never caught up to me. Things that were important to me were, like, women, money… things like that… Growing up, I went to majority black schools, and I wasn't exposed to white culture or rock and roll; it was only hip-hop. When my mom married my stepdad we moved from Florida to Arizona, and I met a dude named Ben who introduced me to this band called Nirvana. If you really broke down Baby Baby live, you could just smell the Nirvana influence: loud guitars, loud drums, swanky bass… and Kurt Cobain's lyrics were always just really honest."" - The Flagpole
Parachute Musical isn't what it used to be. Since it's conception in 2003, the Nashville-based, piano-fronted indie rock quartet is building a better city with perfect song-craft, highly energetic performances, and a hearty work ethic. Since the sold-out show for their sophomore release, Everything is Working Out Fine in Some Town (2008), these charmingly handsome brunettes have been touring the U.S. coast to coast for two years now and have built up quite a loyal following in the process. It's the good looks really, though.
D.C. natives Josh Foster (vocals/piano), Tom Gilbert (guitar/vocals), and Ben Jacoby (drums) deposited themselves into Nashville just a year before releasing Everything is Working Out, and work out it did. The guys settled in place after discovering Tennessee music man Andrew Samples (bass/vocals). Foster's soaring voice and detailed compositions are the perfect home for Gilbert's unique, artistic style on guitar, and Samples' driving bass sparks a fire under Jacoby, setting ablaze a well-matched rhythm section.
New songs are now pouring out of them! Their latest single, No Comfort, was released in January 2010, kicking off another whole year of touring. The single features two new songs recorded with Nashville producer Derek Garten, whom the band worked with on the previous record.
The Levee was birthed out of a need to create. Brandon Funk came to the table with 14 songs with the intention of recording an EP using only local talent out of Atlanta for everything it takes to make an album. After enlisting the help of Kyle Schumacher and Michael Stallings to help record his solo project, the three knew that they had something unique. The EP turned into an LP, and the solo project turned into a band, and after recently solidifying their line up with the addition of Tucker Richmond, The Levee released their CD May 20, 2011.
Behold The Brave is a Southern/Indie Rock group out of Cleveland, Tennessee. The band formed while attending Lee University in 2008. Pulling influences from classics like The Steve Miller Band, Led Zeppelin, and Tom Petty, Behold The Brave are a breath of fresh southern air to the auto-tune world.
Saint Ugly is the indie music child of former punk guitarist Michael Turner and a handful of new friends who began to collaborate in the late spring of 2011. Turner put down the guitar, picked up the microphone, and brought a pile of unfinished songs to South Atlanta to be topped off by the talents of Andrew Kessel [gtr], Merlin Fabian [bass], Ryan Vendig [gtr], and finally Kevin Thurston [drums]. The result is a raw but melodic expression of punk/folk music blended with themes of apocalyptic love and sorrow. Saint Ugly’s debut record is expected in early 2012.
The Dear Hunter is performing at The Drunken Unicorn on Tuesday, August 16th, 2011
"The Dear Hunter started as a solo side project by singer and keyboardist Casey Crescenzo, formerly a key member of Boston emo act the Receiving End of Sirens. An outlet for Crescenzo's songs that didn't fit the Receiving End of Sirens' heavy post-hardcore vibe, the Dear Hunter was initially envisioned as a concurrent project. Indeed, Crescenzo's first gig as the Dear Hunter was an opening slot for the Receiving End of Sirens, at which he was backed by the other members of the band. Shortly afterward, however, Crescenzo decided to leave the Receiving End of Sirens and focus full-time on the Dear Hunter. Following a self-released EP taster called Dear Ms. Leading, Crescenzo wrote and recorded the full-length concept album Act I: The Lake South, the River North. The story of a young boy's birth, adolescence, and death, the album matches the exceedingly sensitive lyrics with prog-influenced chamber pop arrangements played almost entirely by Crescenzo, with a few family members and friends helping out on drums, keyboards, trumpet, and harmony vocals. For touring purposes, Crescenzo -- now calling himself Casey Blue in the band's official bio -- put together a full-band version of the Dear Hunter with guitarist Erick Serna, additional keyboardist Luke Dent, and drummer Sam Dent. The lineup was used to record an even more dynamic and symphonic second album in 2007, titled Act II: The Meaning of, and All Things Regarding Ms. Leading. The band released the third installment of the series, Act III: Life and Death, in 2009 before breaking from that storyline to work on a new concept. Based on the colors of the spectrum, the concept was realized as a series of nine EP's that were eventually collected into one volume in 2011 with the relased of The Color Spectrum." - Stewart Mason / All Music
We all consciously or subconsciously think, speak, and act based on what influences us. We look for inspiration to get us through tough times while realizing our past experiences have a stronghold on how we now see the world. If you had the opportunity to sit down and reflect on what you believe and who you have become, your main influences will emerge. Imagine trying to capture this experience. You transcribe it for either your own pleasure or catharsis. Finally, you etch your name into this work that significantly represents a time in your life and release it.
This is what O'Brother has gone through in creating their first full length, Garden Window. As major bands reunited, disbanded, or put out a new album for the first time in years, O'Brother realized the impact these artists have had on their lives and music. Mogwai, Deftones, Isis, Earth, Converge, Blonde Redhead, Oceansize, Clint Mansell, Torche, Radiohead, Sigur Ros and The Appleseed Cast are just a few of the artists that planted a seed that germinated while O'Brother was writing and recording Garden Window.
Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground are starting the show.
Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground have, fittingly, a back-story as long and interesting as their name, but here’s the abridged version, because it’s not just about where you came from, it’s more about where you’re going. At the epicenter of Kay Kay is the duo of Kirk Huffman and Kyle O’Quin – with whom you may already be familiar from their previous band, Gatsby’s American Dream. While that band pressed on its final tour in late 2006, Huffman and O’Quin began writing the new songs that became Kay Kay’s first self-release, 2007’s live album/live DVD Live From The Pretty Parlor (which landed them a performance on Last Call with Carson Daly) and their 2008 eponymous first studio LP. The latter earned a place on Alternative Press magazine’s Top 10 Albums of 2008 list and the young band toured with friends Portugal. The Man, among others. Kay Kay also performed that year at the Bumbershoot and Sasquatch festivals, and headlined the Capitol Hill Block Party in their hometown of Seattle, WA.
Kay Kay became known locally for their potent blend of psychedelic, orchestral pop and their boisterous live show that often included up to 15 members on stage. Their live reviews were glowing: The Stranger’s Line Out blog (Seattle) declared, “Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground deserve every bit of praise and hype and love they’ve been getting…dropping a punk-rock Vaudeville vibe into their swooning, sweetheart compositions. The band doesn’t seem like Seattle at all, and yet is totally Seattle, making them a treasure for this town and beyond”, while Brooklyn Vegan called them “…one of [Seattle’s] best bands...Their self-titled debut is clearly in love with the lush, baroque pop of the late '60s and early '70s: think The Zombies (or Colin Blunstone's first solo album), The Left Banke, and Harry Nilsson”. The band operated as a collective of talent that rotated around the nucleus of Huffman and O’Quin, relying heavily on cellist Phil Peterson (who also performs with Nada Surf and who recorded Kay Kay’s releases at his home studio, The House of Breaking Glass), and featuring a host of prolific local musicians, many of whom studied at institutions like The Peabody Conservatory, USC’s Thornton School of Music, and The New York Conservatory of Music.
Do you want to WIN a FREE PAIR of TICKETS for THIS SHOW? If so, just be the FIRST person to COMMENT stating that you WANT the tickets and YOU WILL BE THE WINNER!
For those of you who do not know how the benefit works: Three Atlanta community building projects make a presentation, and then a vote is held deciding which project wins the door money. Also, dinner is provided, so don’t miss out on a great lineup for a good cause.
New Animal are one of the performers of the evening.
"When you really dig independent music, whether as a fan or a blogger, there’s almost no better feeling than stumbling upon a promising young band that no one’s ever heard of… especially when that band is as talented and exciting as New Animal. Just two dudes from Atlanta, Kris Hermstad and Derek Burdette have labored over 15 tracks and 75 minutes of music in styles ranging from bedroom pop to exp. psych pop to anthemic kraut rock. The more the merrier — they don’t fit some simple category, no “RIYL” recommendations abound. Seemingly from the heart, or from the mind, or from the gut, but at least from somewhere within. They don’t cop someone else’s sound and fuzz the hell out of it to mask their theft. They aren’t hopping on the latest genre bandwagon. Listen for yourselves!" - iguessimfloating.net
Small Reactions is the other performer of the evening.
Small Reactions play nerve pop. Their music has tinges of new wave and post punk; it’s often angular, sometimes surfy, and generally quick.
They've played somewhere in the vicinity of 120 shows. With an average of 45 minutes on stage per show, they have amassed roughly 5, 355 minutes of playing music to an audience. This bio has to be updated with a calculator.
Shows are more akin to movements than a simple collection of songs. Songs, in turn, maintain a sense of careful spontaneity. Small Reactions strive for perpetual motion. Some say it isn’t possible, but it is. Their concerts do, however, wrap up in a timely and orderly fashion.
They live in East Atlanta Village in an old stone house (Rock Bottom) with their cats Toby and Walter. The house was built in 1940 and has a bomb shelter which was added in the 1950s.
Vouched exists to promote small press literature. Simple. We do this in a number of ways:
Guerrilla Book Stores: We set up tables of books at art/literary/craft events, and we sell a select number of small press titles that we love. If a book is on our table, we’ve read it and loved it and want to get it in your hands so you can do the same.
Vouched Presents: We started the reading series to remind people that literature can shake its ass. There are real, alive writers reading here, reading real, alive words. It seems people have forgotten that these days, that literature didn’t stop in the 70s and 80s, or even in the 20s and 30s. If you think words are dead, come let us show you life.
Vouched Online: We try to keep up to date here–where our tables are, when readings are taking place, &c. We also pimp some of our favorite work published around the web, because we believe in online publishing, and we’re glad to help legitimize online journals in our own small way.
To know more, get involved, or just to say hello and talk about books, you can email me at christopher@vouchedbooks.com.
Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture
Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture works to engage the community in developing local food systems through education and food production. Our unique farm campus is located in the heart of down town Atlanta. Through classes, internships, markets and summer camp we raise awareness about the value of local food systems. These methods allow us to engage in community development by providing healthy natural food and increasing horticultural literacy in all the areas we farm.
