Athens Blur Magazine Issue 12

the AThens

for those who make it forfans fansof ofmusic music&&Issue those 12 • FREE • athensblur.com

THE BRAVERY • SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS • THAYER SARRANO • DAVID BAZAN • ANNIE • THE SLITS • MUSIC GO MUSIC • ORENDA FINK • magazine DRINK UP BUTTERCUP • GALLOWS & MORE!!!

[artist of the year]

how

dan deacon stole the show [

reader picks staff picks memories losses

best of

2009 9

[artist of the year]

how

dan deacon stole the show [by alec wooden]

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[

reader picks staff picks memories losses

best of

2009 9

pendulum swings Squirrel Nut Zippers step back into the spotlight

By Matt Fink

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PORT O’BRIEN

An Alaskan anomaly turned nationwide buzz band

By Alec Wooden

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ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

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19 music c OLUMNS

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EDITOR’S PLAYLIST: To list or not to list?

THE FIRST WORD: The call of a lifetime WORTH A THOUSAND: Who says you need words?

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15 spotlights:

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Orenda Fink The Bravery Music Go Music Gemini Cricket Gallows Michael Jones Thayer Sarrano Drink Up Buttercup The Slits Annie David Bazan Clare and The Reasons

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY EAR CANDY: Album Reviews TEN QUESTIONS WITH: Hall & Oates TOUR DIARY: P-Groove on the move

24 26

a LSO:

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48 50

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m usician’s corner

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MUSICIAN’S GEAR GUIDE Life’s too short to own bad gear

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RTS & 60 a e NTERTAINMENT upcoming on the screen

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c oncert shots

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60 The Month in Photos Plus! favorites from the year 63

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athensmusic.net

“Music people” are torn when it comes to end of the year “best of ” coverage.

On the one hand, is it possible to compare this year’s top Swedish polka record to that of a garage trio from Fort Worth, saying that A is “better” than B? On the other, should both be ignored for the sake of not comparing either?

I’m a fan of “best of ” lists when done comprehensively and collectively — traits I believe the one you’ll find in these pages (page 42-43, if you’re keeping score) possesses. I asked our in-house and freelance staff to submit, ranked 1-20, their respective “Best of 2009” lists. Those lists were put into a simple reverse grading scale (# 1 record = 20 points, #2 record = 19 points...all the way down to #20 record = 1 point) and combined to make an aggregate top 20, melding dozens of individual voices into one.

The results were interesting — for example, multiple albums that didn’t make my own list found their way into the top 10 because so many others chose to include them. The same was true for nearly every list, as was that point’s opposite — some albums made the back end of many lists, but never gathered enough steam in the point total category to make it in the final list. Neko Case made nearly every list, but didn’t win. Three writers considered Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion to be the most overrated record of the year, yet it sits at #6. From all our differences, all our opinions, comes a list that represents no single person but somehow encapsulates us all.

In the interest of space (and the sanity of our readers), we didn’t print each person’s individual list in this issue, but they’re all available, along with survey questions and expanded results, on www.athensblur.com for the next few weeks.

Here’s the obvious question: why is our “artist of the year” not at the top of that list? Here’s the answer: the decisions were made independently, with the artist of the year settled on by immediate staff before the listing began. We weighed a good many options, searching for the artist who best captured the essence of 2009. Dan Deacon was that man — captivating audiences near and far with his live experience, releasing an exceptionally challenging yet universally accessible record and yet, somehow, remaining charmingly uncomfortable when asked to talk about himself.

Of course, the end of a year isn’t just about the best music made. It’s also a good chance to reflect on other trends we’ve watched, memorable moments and those we’ll never forget tragically taken from us far, far too soon.

It’s amazing how much can be forgotten within the span of 12 months.

Events or album releases from January don’t seem like they fit with things that happened last week. At the very least, I hope these pages will be a nice refresher course and, as you start 2010, a reminder to you of what an extraordinary year 2009 really was.

Alec Wooden Executive Editor

The Athens Blur Magazine staff dedicates this issue to the memories of Randy Bewley, Jon Guthrie and Jerry Fuchs — three artistic souls who make us proud to tell others where it is we come from.

ON THE COVER: Dan Deacon. Photo: Josh Sisk

The Athens Blur Magazine P.O. Box 7117 Athens, Ga 30604 Main Office (706) 353-7799 Sales (706) 207-9091

BLUR FROM THE EDITOR

DEAR READERS

Executive Editor Alec Wooden alec@athensblur.com Director of Sales Stephen Simmons stephen@athensblur.com Account Executives Adrienne Klein adrienne@athensblur.com Cole Taylor cole@athensblur.com Brandi Peiken brandi@athensblur.com Design Lauren Mullins, Carlye Norton, Allison Weiss, Alec Wooden Editorial Interns Marie Baginski, Kristen Callihan, Jessica Cole, Ashley Thompson Contributing Writers Adam Clair, Amanda Cuda, Matt Conner, Natalie David, Matt Fink, Jennifer Gibson, Tiffani Harcrow, Sarah McCarty, Ed Morales, Phil Pyle, Ned Rauch, Ingrid Sibley, Dylan Solise, DeMarco Williams Contributing Photographers Alyssa De Hayes, Stefen Eberhard, Wes Elkin, Justin Evans, Sandra Gallardo, Alex Gibbs, Will Gravlee, Daniel Peiken, Mike White

For general comments and inquiries: editorial@athensblur.com For advertising opportunities: sales@athensblur.com The Athens Blur Magazine issue 12, copyright©2009

By The Athens Blur Magazine, INC. The Athens Blur Magazine is an eight issue/year music and variety publication, proud to be based in the “Classic City” of Athens, Ga. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part in any way by any means unless written permission is received from the publisher. Published monthly except for each summer issue in the United States of America and distributed free of charge (limit one copy per reader, each subsequent copy is distributed at a charge of $4.95). Postmaster send address changes to The Athens Blur Magazine, P.O. Box 7117 Athens, Ga. 30604

Hey! Done with your Blur? Recycle it!

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

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BLUR THE FIRST WORD

MUSIC THE CALL OF A LIFETIME

PUTTING PARTY FAITH IN THE RIGHT MAN’S HANDS A few weeks ago I got the call of a lifetime.

It was midday on a Saturday. Unending, cold, autumn rain dousing the concrete outside.

Later that night, two great friends of mine would celebrate their birthdays in one big bash.

It was one of those friends on the phone.

“I have a favor to ask,” he said. “Would you put together the music for tonight?”

I have yet to be asked to be a godfather — friends who have say it’s one of life’s big moments. I’ve met a handful of Pulitzer winners, but I’ve never asked them about the call. Also probably a big deal. But this?

If a party’s a book, your songs are the paper.

Nautically speaking, they are the hearty wind when conversation hits the doldrums. They get people moving, dancing and trading e-mails and numbers. They’ve got to perform the way I imagine an experienced butler would attend to the guests: always there to help, to serve, but never in the way. The wrong songs (too grating, too weird, too predictable, too aggressive, too weak) and, well, party’s over. Think pushy butler.

“I’m honored,” I said. “But I have to go.

There’s not much time.” Just eight hours to build an entire night, song by song. Remember John Cusack’s guiding words in “High Fidelity?”

“Now, the making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art,” he said. “Many do’s and dont's. First of all you're using someone else’s poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing.” Truer words never spoken. Here’s what I came up with.

Number 1: “Angels in Harlem,” by Doctor Clayton. An old blues tune from way, way back. Great lines about how all the pretty girls live in Harlem and “plain women live out in the country, ’cause folks just don’t want them around. When you find a ugly woman living in Harlem, she’s either rich or from some other town.” I’ve seen pretty women in Harlem and the country, but who’s to argue with a guy named Doctor Clayton? Anyway, it was a palate-cleanser of an opening song. I figured no one arriving at the party would have just been listening to a scratchy recording of a piano-based blues number. It worked. Got everyone on the same page.

Next came “Loralee,” by The Whitsundays.

I don’t remember where I found these guys, but I dig them, and it’s impossible to hear this song and not bob your head. This song would introduce motion to a roomful of people who

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Ned Rauch just took off their coats. Plus, there’s something James Bond-ish about the sound of it.

The Budos Band, a neo-funk band that records in Brooklyn, were third with “Chicago Falcon.” Philadelphia horns, Meters guitars, keys, a heavy — but nimble — rhythm section and no vocals. Slick playing and plenty of “oomph” (my Little League coaches always told me to put more “oomph” into my swings.

Made sense then…).

Batting cleanup was Art Neville singing “Bo Diddley (Part One).” I love Bo Diddley and any song by him or about him (of which there are lots). We’re still uptempo here, important for the small-talk portion of the bash. If you were to air drum to any of these songs, your hands would be very, very busy.

Black Joe Louis covering the old James Brown song, “I Don’t Mind” followed. This guy kills me. He’s loose, wound up, crass and smooth all at once. Slower, but still plenty of funky stops. And horns and back-up singers, which do wonders for a party.

Now, a strange move: back to the Budos Band. I think I got taken in by the song title: “King Cobra.” I couldn’t not play it. Another slow-burning, instrumental funk tune.

Somehow, it worked. No other bands got repeated plays. Go Budos.

I chose Albert King’s “Born Under a Bad Sign” next. It’s one of those blues songs that swagger through pain. “Wine and women is all I crave. A big-legged woman gonna carry me to my grave.” If that doesn’t spark a conversation,

nothing will.

It’s late, I know, but we’re finally getting to the first female singer of the night: Betty Davis, with “Anti Love Song.” Slinky. Sexy.

Tense. If this doesn’t get your wheels turning about the guy or girl standing by the bowls of almonds (one bowl with salt, one without) nothing will.

A while ago I co-hosted a radio show.

During that time I connected with a guy at Bloodshot Records in Chicago who gave me a lot of cool stuff, including a record by Andre Williams. Williams is old (70-something), loud and dirty. His “Rosalie,” which I played here, is really dirty. Talks about things going on “up under the porch.” Great tune, though I saw someone give a double take at the porch line.

Borderline pushy butler moment.

Number 10: Ace Frehley, with “New York Groove.” I’ve spent most of my life loathing KISS. Somehow, these last few years, I’ve started to fall under its spell. This song, which is from Ace’s solo record (in 1978 all the KISS members released solo records at the same time; they all tanked), should be a theme song.

Not sure to what.

Following Ace (no easy task): Band of Bees, with “Who Cares What the Question Is?” It’s an ersatz Ringo Starr tune, but what the hell?

Catchy ditty with a great slide guitar part and nice bounce between the one and three and two and four beats.

That’s 11. I’ve got 143 more to go but no room to do it. A few highlights: In the 18 slot, Clancy Eccles and “Don’t Brag, Don’t Boast.”

No. 22: The Coup with “My Favorite Mutiny.”

Buddy Holly’s “Down the Line” at 30. Patsy Cline and “Walkin’ After Midnight” at 51.

No. 108? Fabienne Delsol with “Mr. Mystery.”

And finishing it off, Bo Diddley, with “Diddley Daddy.”

I had put together eight hours and 26 minutes of music. A bit overkill. Still, it was a good party until some jerk with a watch almost as big as his ego hijacked the stereo and put on his own music. Disaster. One guy passed out standing up. The hostess got too drunk, pissed off her sister and berated her guests. See? Very subtle art. Like butlery. Which may, or may not, be a word.

Ned P. Rauch lives in New York City and writes for www.tendollarradioshow.com and plays guitar in the band Frankenpine.

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INSIDE THE MANY MUSICAL OUTLETS OF ORENDA FINK

Maybe, just maybe, you’re already familiar with Orenda Fink.

If not, then perhaps a pseudonym might help. Art in Manila? Azure Ray? O+S? The Saddle Creek darling’s responsible for some of the finest folk/pop over the last decade, whether crafting songs by her lonesome or working with Maria Taylor (Azure Ray) or Remy Zero’s Cedric Lemoyne (O+S). Oh yeah, she toured in Rilo Kiley’s band for a year, as well.

So when speaking to Fink about her music, it’s a matter of which spinning plate to address.

It’s been an inspiring time for the songstress, a chapter that only began after giving it all up for a season.

“After my first solo record in 2005 [Invisible Ones], I didn't even pick up my guitar for a year,” explains Fink. “I really took some time off because I'd been at it for so long with Azure Ray and my solo record and I just took that entire year off. I didn't write any songs. I didn't pick up a guitar. But I think taking that time off was the reason I had so much creativity on the other side. After all, I did three records back to back. I think I always have to be making something, so I'm waiting on that next wave to happen. Hopefully that will be the next Azure Ray record.”

With that last mention, Fink’s conversational zeal turns to the long absent duo with Maria Taylor. Azure Ray’s synthy Americana produced an instant fan base after three back-to-back releases earlier this decade. Then, just like that, the momentum died as the two songwriters went their separate ways to pursue other interests. This time around, Fink says they’re ready to approach things again just to see how it goes.

“We're writing together for the first time, which is really exciting. We've never done that in the past. We'd always written our own songs and then kind of brought our collaborative parts

ORENDA FINK

MUSIC SPOTLIGHTS

ORENDA’S SPINNING PLATES WHO’S WHO Orenda Fink (guitar, vocals) FORMED With Azure Ray in Athens, Ga.; Solo in Omaha, Neb. LABEL Saddle Creek LATEST RELEASE Ask The Night (2009) ON THE WEB www.orendafink.com

photo: ryan berg

“I think I always have to be making something, so I’m waiting on that next wave to happen. Hopefully that will be the next Azure Ray record.”

— Orenda Fink — together. But now we're trying to write them together and that's really fun. So we're just figuring out who will produce it and we'll hopefully do it in January.”

So far, the two have written one song in this new collaborative setting, but it holds promise.

“We wrote one in a hotel room accidentally and we ended up loving the song,” said Fink.

“We loved it more than the demos we'd been working on separately, so I think we just had a breakthrough in that moment.

We decided we wanted to try it again and see how it went. I think it will be interesting.”

Taylor has experienced her own seasons of success recently, having worked with Moby, Bright Eyes and signing her own deal on

Nettwerk. She’s also had songs recently featured on “Scrubs,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Greek” and “One Tree Hill.” It’s a case of two artists making good on their own, only to find themselves coming back together again.

“I think it was everything else outside of music that brought us back together,” says Fink with a laugh. “She was living in Los Angeles and I was living in Omaha. I was touring with Rilo Kiley in their band as a live member for a year. I was coming to L.A. all the time to rehearse and I would stay with her at the time and we were hanging out constantly having a great time.

She said, 'Why don't you move to Los Angeles?' I just thought that I would and then after that, it was obvious to do music together if we were together so much. So it just happened organically.”

“I think our styles have changed quite a bit,” she continues. “I mean, they're both similar, but when we went in our different directions, I think we indulged ourselves even more in our songwriting and inspirations.

So it's interesting to come back together now and try to remarry them. But I think it's gonna work.”

— Matt Conner

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MUSIC SPOTLIGHTS

stirring the blood

WITHOUT SPILLING THE WHISKEY

THE BRAVERY WHO’S WHO Sam Endicott (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Michael Zakarin (lead guitar, backing vocals), John Conway (keyboard, backing vocals), Mike Hindert (bass, backing vocals), Anthony Burulcich (drums, backing vocals) FORMED New York City, N.Y. LABEL Island Records LATEST RELEASE Stir the Blood (2009)

PHOTO COURTESY BIG HASSLE

Sam Endicott, lead vocalist of The Bravery knows a thing or two about bumps in the road, but what about pot holes that give your entire band the flu and dead ends that result in the loss of your lead singer’s voice? Well, Endicott and the members of the The Bravery somehow figure it out — and the whiskey doesn’t hurt either.

“It’s been kind of a grueling tour because everyone’s been getting sick.” Endicott says. “I got sick and blew my voice out for four shows. Everybody on the bus has gotten the flu.”

A lead singer with limited vocal ability sounds like a difficult obstacle to overcome, but canceling shows was out of the question. Instead, Anthony Burulcich, The Bravery’s drummer, contributed a lot more backups than he usually would.

But Endicott’s main form of medication didn’t come in the shape of a pill.

“I just fuckin' drank whiskey and powered through it,” he says.

The band’s 33-city tour wrapped up on November 11 in Vancouver, British Columbia, but the three month stint gave the band a chance to test out new

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material from its third studio album, Stir the Blood.

And the audience’s reception of the new tracks?

“They just stand there and listen quietly,” Endicott laughs.

“The more people know a song the more they jump up and down, so when the new one comes on that no one has ever heard, they suddenly get real respectful.”

Endicott explained that the new album is a lot like the band’s 2005 self-titled debut because it is “synthetic and it uses a lot of dance rhythms.” But on that same note, there is a difference between the two albums, with Stir the Blood grasping more of a dreamy-feel that touches on darker themes.

The Bravery was able to acquire this dream-like atmosphere with the help of producer John Hill, who has also worked with unique hip hop acts like Santigold and M.I.A. Endicott explained that Hill is great at taking sounds and manipulating them to compose sonic landscapes, something that the band appreciated while recording the new album.

Though The Bravery is purely rock with electronic, new wave and some techno dance beats

thrown in, Endicott trusted Hill because of his experience working with all genres of artists.

One of these artists included mesmerizing hip-shaker Shakira, who recently collaborated with Hill and Endicott on some tracks from her new album, including the title track “She Wolf.”

When asked whether or not The Bravery would be doing any songs featuring the Colombian pop star, Endicott laughs and says, “It would be cool.”

But when Endicott and the rest of the band aren’t working with well known music producers or creating tunes for pop stars, the guys are letting their creative juices flow by coming up with ideas and directing their own music videos.

Endicott directed last year’s video for “Believe” and The Bravery’s bassist Mike Hindert took the directing reigns for the band’s new single “Hatefuck.”

But even though Endicott can and will help with the creative processes, he explains that he’d much rather leave the directing up to the professionals, which is why the most recent video for “Slow Poison” was mostly controlled by a creative advertising company

ON THE WEB www.thebravery.com called Buck.

But while “Hatefuck” is a dark, black and white production, “Slow Poison” is what Endicott calls, “a psychedelic space odyssey.” Two very opposite approaches, but they were both ideas born from the same conceptual mind.

“Have you ever heard of the term synesthesia?” Endicott asks.

“It’s when your brain sees music as colors. That’s how my brain works and when I see 'Slow Poison,' it’s a very colorful song, and we tried to capture the colors when we made the video. Where as 'Hatefuck' is very dark. It worked perfectly.”

Over the past year some things worked out great for the band, like opening for Green Day and completing Stir the Blood, while other things didn’t work out, like the entire band getting the flu — but The Bravery still managed to turn 2009 into a highly successful and creative journey. But since the year is wrapping up, does Endicott feel burnt out?

“It’s been a grueling tour,” he says. “I’m a little grueled.”

Just take another sip of that whiskey. Apparently it’s a cureall.

— Jessica Cole

‘70s retro-pop sans the bellbottoms and afros When she’s not shopping for vintage bathroom fixtures in salvage yards, Meredith Metcalf makes throwback melodic pop as her alter ego Gala Bell — pronounced “Gay-la, like a party” — in Music Go Music along with the band’s other alter egos Kamer Maza and TORG. Claiming the retro-esque style of Music Go Music as just a coincidence of personal style and a musical art project gone right, Bell admits to a ‘70s pop influence, but denies Music Go Music’s intentions to be a retro band.

“That wasn’t an intentional thing that we wanted to look like a band from a certain era, we are just kind of incorporating stuff that we like in general,” she reveals while browsing the salvage yard rows for a claw foot tub to decorate her home.

“I usually shop at places where things are old to begin with.”

Not only does Bell’s home get a touch of vintage flare, she lends her thrift shop personal style to the retro feel the band currently portrays. In reference to stage shows and the band’s variety show website “Face Time” being doused in retro attire, Bell claims, “Nobody is wearing bellbottoms and nobody has afros (laughs). I think it’s like definitely a mishmash. I shop at thrift stores exclusively so my clothes are just old in general.”

Despite the unintentionally evocative fashion of Music Go Music, the music itself is undeniably ‘70s inspired.

“As opposed to kind of modern day pop music, it just grew from the kind of music we like,” Bell says of the band’s musical inspirations. “If you’re going to make pop music, more of our influences are [‘70s groups] more so than anything modern.”

Bell and Music Go Music find it gratifying to be compared with the queen of melodic pop, ABBA. “I think they’re a great group and they wrote a lot of amazing

MUSIC GO MUSIC

MUSIC SPOTLIGHTS

two times twice as nice WHO’S WHO Gala Bell, Kamer Maza, TORG FORMED Los Angeles, Calif.

LABEL Secretly Canadian LATEST RELEASE Expressions (2009) ON THE WEB www.musicgomusic.com

courtesy force field PR

songs,” Bell dotes. “So I’m flattered whenever I hear that.

People think we’d be sick of it by now, but I think it’s great.”

However much Music Go Music identifies with its retro roots, Bell denies any fear of its music being taken as a parody.

“I think it’s kind of evident in the songs that we take it pretty seriously,” Bell says in defense of the band’s sencerity. “We respect all and anything that we’re influenced by. I wouldn’t think it was jokey, definitely over the top, but I wouldn’t say jokey.”

In spite of its recent growing popularity, Bell admits the idea that Music Go Music has gone as far as it has is an unexpected surprise.

“It kind of felt more like an art project or something,” she explains of the band’s origins.

“I guess it’s been a few years, writing songs here and there, and those songs are the ones that are now on Expressions.”

With the release of Expressions in October, the current buzz around Music Go Music is on the rise. Is fame in the band’s future?

“I’ve never been famous before, so I don’t really know what that would actually really mean for us personally,” says Bell. “But if it meant that we could keep making music as our job, you know, and that would be the only job that we’d have to do, that would be pretty great.”

For a musician who has experience outside the limelight, Bell is still unsure about Music Go Music becoming famous, “The idea of fame to me is pretty daunting,” she says

nervously. “I think it’s kind of counterproductive generally to actually keep making music that you like.”

Alongside recognition is the divulgence of the band’s true identities. When asked how knowing the band mates’ actual names will affect Music Go Music in the future, Bell feels “It just seems like an inevitable thing. People need to know whom the people are who are making the music.”

Embracing its alter identities, Music Go Music plans on sticking around a while longer.

After her salvage yard errand, Bell has a meeting with TORG and Kamer Maza to discuss Music Go Music’s next album.

“We have almost a whole other record full of stuff,” she says. “So ideally it would be out sooner than later.”

And in perfect timing, as Bell’s phone beeps — that it is dying, the retro-pop princess of the Aughts bids goodbye to continue her search for a vintage tub to complete her and Music Go Music’s “non-retro” persona.

It seems Music Go Music’s accidental attempt to not bring back non-retro, retro ‘70s melodic pop is working out quite well for them.

— Marie Baginski

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

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MUSIC SPOTLIGHTS

arrested development

BAND FINDS INNER-GARAGE SOUND AFTER OUT-OF-WORLD INCIDENT

courtesy gemini cricket

GEMINI CRICKET WHO’S WHO Blake Tabb (guitar, vocals), Sara Tabb (bass, organ, vocals), Marie Uhler (drums) Nothing knocks out the twee faster than a surprise visit by the cops.

It was a late December night when Blake and Sara Tabb, the married couple forming the genesis of Athens’ Gemini Cricket, were awakened by a cadre of officers on the trail of fired shots — a trail which brought them to their front door.

“A cop said we were shooting guns out our bedroom window, so they surrounded us, came in and separated us to different parts of the house,” Blake said.

“We were almost naked because we were asleep. They were pretty intense, disrespectful and really rude . . . they said they had evidence, knew what they saw and know what happened. Our bedroom is used for storage, we sleep in the living room.

There’s no guns in the house.”

“I’m a very law-abiding citizen and to have had that happen, it was frustrating,” Sara said.

“What’s funny is they asked if there were any firearms in the house and I thought he asked if there was a fire alarm. I said ‘Yeah we have a fire alarm it’s

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usually right up there,’ and the cop was like ‘Where, where?’

That was bad.”

But from strife comes revelation. Gemini Cricket, a band writing “aww shucks songs with sweety lyrics” suddenly found an edge, sharpened by the words of a new song Sara kept singing around the house: “Tango Alpha Bravo Bravo.”

A lyric in the song “ACCPD, what you doing coming for me?”

The cops separated the two to different parts of the house, but when it was over, they both headed for the garage.

“I was so angry I had to write something that was fun to get over that,” Sara said of “Tango Alpha Bravo Bravo’s” garage-band sound. “I’m not so angry with the police anymore, but there was a while when I would see police officers driving by and I would be so tense.”

After years of experimenting and shuffling through a host of bandmates, Gemini Cricket now finds itself as a three-person band with a tight sound, plenty of opportunities to play, and a newly

FORMED Athens, Ga. LABEL independent LATEST RELEASE Self-titled EP (2009) ON THE WEB www.myspace.com/geminicricketband released 7-inch EP showcasing its self-styled garage/surf jangle.

The addition of drummer Marie Uhler last year glued the couple’s ideas, allowing the band to forge new musical landscapes.

“Before Marie joined the band, we weren’t all communicating very well and things fell apart, “Sara said. “When we decided to stop doing the kind of music we were doing, Blake and I had a talk in Taco Bell, and he went home and ended up writing three or four of the songs on the new record.”

“It’s funny because so many of the songs are about communication but we weren’t communicating very well as a band,” Blake said.

But Uhler knew the language the Tabbs were speaking and wanted to hop aboard.

“When I saw these guys they were really nice and when they started playing songs it was exactly the kind of music I wanted to be playing at that time,” Uhler said. “I wanted to be playing in a pop band, and this was perfect.”

“Marie’s drumming is super fun and enthusiastic,” Blake said.

“With Marie it just fits a lot better.”

With the fit in place, fun is now the operative word, as the three see Gemini Cricket as a release and not a means to an end. Setting realistic goals without overreaching (playing AthFest and Popfest, adding a little more touring here and there), the trio go about their daily jobs only to enthrall when taking the stage, as their shows have been described as joyous, infectious and “absolutely adorable” (guess the twee doesn’t go away completely).

“We need some kind of outlet and we want that outlet to be fun and positive,” Blake said. “That’s always been the focus. We never went into it trying to do this as a career.”

In the coming year, that outlet takes them on a U.S. tour of the South in December, the Northwest in March, and if all goes according to plan, England in the summertime.

An LP (possibly with the help of a label) is also in the works.

It’s an ambitious path, but a path the three from small Georgia towns embrace with familial togetherness.

“I pointed out to Sara why we get along is because all three of us are from the country and I think that helps,” Blake said. “I’m from Camilla which is a town of 6,000 people, Sara’s from Moultrie and Marie is from Eatonton.

In a small town, family is such a big part, and it’s the center of your universe. That tradition carries across to us today.”

— Ed Morales

MUSIC SPOTLIGHTS

angry band, good music

GALLOWS ROCKS ON WHILE SPEAKING OUT Watford, Great Britain. A simple town just a half an hour north of London, once a clean and quaint small town, home to a growing number of aspiring entertainers and specifically, five angry musicians. Described by one of their own as “the five most passionate musicians in [their] town,” storming mad and completely over the generic bands and sallow sounds in their small London neighborhood, a band called Gallows formed, pissed off at the world and making music to prove it.

“We were all bored with other bands and we were all pretty mad about it,” drummer Lee Barratt says. “Our first record was only 30 minutes. It was angry, just a bunch of bad personal experiences we’d had.”

That album, Orchestra of Wolves, was exactly that — angry, dark and bitter. The members each contributed any bad things they had seen or experienced and all together, they made a record out of the mayhem.

The group stayed angry for quite a while, using crowds to release its anger and simultaneously building a fan base bigger than it had imagined possible.

“We just kind of thought our friends would buy it,” Barratt admits. “We were just making music for ourselves, not thinking of anyone else, but then we started hearing about magazines back home calling it ‘the album of the year.’”

Needless to say, Gallows' message and its music had a devoted following, and one that was growing at a rapid pace. In no time, Gallows was famous.

A process as simple as honest lyrics and a spirit completely in opposition to the normal rock star lifestyle — they aren’t in it for the money, or the fame; they’re just trying to get the message out, and get it out with no mercy on your eardrums.

The band, with vocals by

courtesy WARNER BROS.

GALLOWS WHO’S WHO Frank Carter (vocals), Stephen Carter (vocals), Laurent Barnard (guitar, keys, vocals), Stuart GiliRoss (bass, vocals), Lee Barratt (drums) FORMED Hertfordshire, England LABEL Epitath LATEST RELEASE Grey Britain (2009) ON THE WEB: www.gallows.co.uk/live Frank Carter, Stephen Carter and Laurent Barnard on guitar, Stuart Gili-Ross on bass and Barratt on drums, tells the story of what they call the “real” Britain. It’s not a few edgy songs atop a universal album made to hit #1 on the charts.

It’s pure anger, through and through, comparing Britain to Jerry Springer episodes and pathetic health problems.

Gallows is upset at the state of its old stomping grounds, and it won’t calm down until something is done, or someone kicks it out.

“Britain’s gotten bad. It’s dirty. It’s gray. People hate each other. We’re doing all we can to get the word out. People are listening to the record, so people are starting to realize what’s going on.”

And a diverse following proves that word is out in a very interesting way. From 13year-old girls to 50-year-old men, they’ve got fans across the board. The older crowd can appreciate the message and the young folk just like to be angry and violent.

Not only does Gallows music contain “their all” in the way of social commentary, but its shows are something to experience. “We take our anger and energy out on our crowds.

We give it our all, it’s very real,” Barratt says, emphasizing that afterward, “we’re just normal — we talk to our fans, just regular people.”

Just regular people putting together some pretty alternative

music. A genre made up of inspiration from across the board — Frank Sinatra to Rage Against The Machine to purely instrumental minds — everyone has a hand in the music.

“Frank brings us the lyrics and we give it angry music to match,” Barratt says.

Going into the studio as you’re reading this, a new album will drop sometime late next year. Until then, enjoy Grey Britain, recorded in 2008 at London’s RAK studios as well as a 33-piece string section at Air Studios and piano pieces at Abbey Road. Produced by Garth Richardson (of Rage), Grey Britain is Gallows’ “State of the Nation address,”an urgent message to raise awareness and make a difference.

“We aren’t into politics,” Barratt says. “Our songs are more about the people — just how lazy everyone is, and how the people back there have let it get so bad. We’re making music to remind them that we see it. We’re telling people what’s there.”

— Jenni Williams

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

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Michael Jones’ raw talent is impressing judges, but you won’t hear it from him

ION

He’s not your quintessential musician found in every nook and cranny of any true music town. You won’t see him on the corner of the street hanging up flyers for his band, and your Facebook events won’t be full of invites to his next gig — his modest demeanor MICHAEL JONES wouldn’t allow for it. In fact, Michael Jones is downright bashful.

WHO’S WHO “I’m the worst selfMichael Jones (guitar, keyboard, vocals) promoter on earth,” he photo: ben morrison smirks. “I don’t like to FORMED be all ‘Yeah, ya’ll should Athens, Ga. check out my band,’ and I’m really reluctant to let people hear my music.”

LABEL Reluctant or not, showcasing his music independent recently paid off — and he has a pretty good story to tell his friends. A Masters of English ON THE WEB student at the University of Georgia, Jones filled www.myspace.com/catawbamusic a last-minute slot for Athens Blur's Open Mic contest on the final night of the competition. He went on to the finals and — like any true dark “Sometimes it comes out of the blue,” Jones horse — won. explains. “Like it will just click and I won’t have When rhyme schemes and simple chord to think about it all. Sometimes I try — and progressions are a dime a dozen, his current usually when I try it never works. I was carrying project, Catawba (named after a river that around this idea for like three years or so, like runs through North and South Carolina), is an before I actually started writing. I just knew this organic answer to pre-packaged music, and a thing I had in my head I wanted to write. I could fresh beginning for Jones. almost hear it — it’s really weird. I could almost “I was in a couple of bands just as a guitar hear how I wanted it to sound. And finally I player, but none of those really worked out,” he was like, ‘Alright, I have to figure out how to do says. “I had my own songs, but I didn’t want to this.’ play them with the same people. I wanted to A couple of listens to “One Man Sunshine” or restart.”

“Going Back Down,” and it’s hard to deny the He’s the creative mind behind the band great outdoors play an integral role in Catawba’s — one that’s been compared to the likes of music — even though Jones insists the two aren’t surreal rock group Sparklehorse, although he’s directly related. He says imagery from nature apprehensive to disclose his influences. He does, in his songs is mostly- accidental, and his goal however, affirm the untaught style he brings to isn’t to create “nature ballads.” But not all of his Catawba. writing is left to chance.

“One thing I really do try to incorporate is real “One of the things I’m looking at in a lot of old-timey chord progressions,” Jones says. “But these songs is — I don’t want to say technology not too folk, what’s on [my Myspace page] now overload — but sort of just like noise and is kind of ‘throwback’ music. There’s something white noise in everyday life,” Jones says. “So, falling apart, I don’t know…not too slick. I don’t it’s kind of like somehow you’ve lost touch like it to be too slick.” with fundamental things and because of that Whether he likes it or not, Jones’ songwriting everything is very stressful. You always hear skills are pretty slick, and are arguably what placed about people with these very high levels of him at the top of the Open Mic competition. But stress. And, of course, think about day-to-day — keeping with Jones’ stoic persona —there’s no life everybody deals with.” forced, labryinthine method for his writing.

— Ashley Thompson

!

Musician, artist & DIY queen Thayer Sarrano does things her way Thayer Sarrano had to employ some pretty desperate measures to get her debut album King on the shelves.

“I don’t know how I would’ve done it,” says the reserved singer/multi-instrumentalist, “if I didn’t have my friends as my sweatshop.”

As the clock was ticking toward King’s release date, Sarrano had to work non-stop to get the discs ready for stores.

Her house became an arts-andcrafts factory set up to create all the handmade CD cases.

“I would just spend nights the week before the CD release with friends — including the sound engineers — stamping and gluing,” she says. “We had this kind of assembly line.”

While this process was “very time consuming,” it was just another outlet for Sarrano’s creativity. The CD booklet, a collection of drawings and paintings that she’s done over the years, corresponds with the tracks, with some songs even being directly based off of a painting or vice versa.

This at-home album art production was just part of the DIY process for King. When listening to the album, one gets the feeling that Sarrano’s been cooped up in her house during a bleak winter day with only her journal to keep her company, the product being a somber, but beautiful, collection of dark folk tunes.

“I wrote a lot of the songs that are on the album in that house during the winter,” she says.

Then, in April of last year, with help from friends, Sarrano converted her living room into a makeshift recording studio, with enough room for the lap steel, drums, bass and guitar, and set to work on her first full-length effort.

Recording at home was a choice made out of necessity, but one that soon became an integral part of the final product.

“At first it was ‘cause of money,

THAYER SARRANO

MUSIC SPOTLIGHTS

independent woman

WHO’S WHO Thayer Sarrano (vocals, keys, guitar) FORMED Athens, Ga. LABEL independent LATEST RELEASE King (2009) ON THE WEB www.myspace.com/thayersarrano

PHOTO: JUSTIN EVANS

“I’m affected by things and a lot of times the things that affect you to the point of creating something, at least for me, maybe aren’t the lightest topics.”

— Thayer Sarrano — but it felt really good, and for what we were doing I thought it made [recording] feel really natural,” she says. “So I was happy with it.”

Armed with a homegrown collection of tunes, Saranno’s been touring and playing shows in Athens. A show at the 40 Watt rattles her nerves less than her recent performance at Flicker Theatre & Bar, because she gets “more nervous at the smaller places,” when the performance is more intimate.

Maybe its because her songs are already so deeply personal that sharing them with an audience is difficult.

“I don’t write about things I don’t know or make up stories.

[My songs] are all about things that have happened personally, for the most part. And then the way I end up putting it is almost like just trying to describe the pictures. It’s very visual for me.

So it’s just kind of like looking at things and trying to describe them in a way that gets the idea

across.”

One listen through King’s 11 tracks and one might think Sarrano wrote the songs for the record during a lonely hibernation.

“I’m not depressed or anything,” she laughs. “I think I tend toward serious subject matter; it’s not intentional.

There’s not a subject that I’m like ‘Okay, I’m gonna write about this, this, this and this,’ it’s just kind of things I feel . . .

You know, I’m affected by things and a lot of times the things that affect you to the point of creating something, at least for me, maybe aren’t the lightest topics.”

Not that this heavy subject matter weighs down the music.

Instead, her airy vocals lend the songs a lightness and a sincerity that is uniquely Sarrano’s.

While she may be a reserved southern girl, she’s focused on one thing — making and performing music that is both personally meaningful and affecting to those who listen to it. And she’s managed to launch a career in the music business all by her lonesome (well, with some help from her friends/sweatshop workers), and with almost a full second album’s worth of material ready to go, she’ll probably be needing some free labor again soon.

— Kristen Callihan

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

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MUSIC SPOTLIGHTS

drink it in

PHILLY FOURSOME SERVES CHAOS STRAIGHT FROM THE TAP

courtesy DRINK UP BUTTERCUP

Drink Up Buttercup gets a lot of mileage out of its live show, which is good because two years after forming in a horse barn in Doylestown, Pa., the band still has no proper record to its decidedly whimsical name.

The foursome has opened for the Fiery Furnaces, had residences in Philadelphia and New York, jammed at SXSW and CMJ, and played about a million other dates, winning the hearts of critics around the country with a high-energy, ramshackle live show, the sonic equivalent of a carousel: vertiginous and funereally boisterous, and never staying still.

“It’s called a show for a reason,” bassist (among other things) Ben Money says. “It should be performance-based. We take the time to put every emotion that we have with us on stage.”

But that will only get you so far.

Sure, a kickass live show dripping with energy and charisma is nice, but eventually, every band needs a real album. In January, Drink Up Buttercup will have one, released by North Carolina indie label Yep Roc, produced and engineered by Bill Moriarty (Dr. Dog, Man Man) and mixed

by Rusty Santos (Panda Bear, Animal Collective).

Finally.

“It felt like a fucking decade,” Money says.

The recording process began as a favor from Moriarty, who

DRINK UP BUTTERCUP WHO’S WHO Jim Harvey (vocals), Farzad Houshiarnejad (bass, keys, vocals), Ben Money (bass), Mike Cammarata (drums) FORMED Doyleston, Pa. LABEL Yep Roc, Make Mine/Kanine LATEST RELEASE debut forthcoming in January 2010 ON THE WEB www.drinkupbuttercup.com worked with the band pro bono out of faith it would get a record deal. But as the band was at the mercy of his schedule, working only when he had time between paying clients, the process was sporadic and drawn out.

Somehow, that may have been for the better.

“If you had asked me or Jim [Harvey, singer] how we thought about this album at one point,” Money recalls, “we probably would have said we didn’t even have one and were going to redo it. But then you hear it after stepping away from it and you really start to love it again. I think we started to tell ourselves we were losing steam more than we really were, and we ended up catching ourselves and really

getting into it.”

But it’s not just Moriarty and throngs of music critics that have faith in the band. Money and his bandmates have all quit their jobs to pursue a music career. Money gave up a gig as a union carpenter and handyman, Harvey and his brother left their father’s oriental rug company, and drummer Mike Cammarata quit his job at a video rental store.

It’s too early to tell how it will work out, though the band is enjoying its current low-rent lifestyle living out of a tour van that sounds more like a 1988 sleepover party, featuring a Nintendo and shoeboxes full of movies like “Robocop” and “Total Recall” on VHS. In other

words: fun.

“The van smells like a fuckin' gym locker, but we’ve been having a blast,” Money says.

No matter what happens, the band knows where its bread — and the bread of any selfrespecting band, really — is buttered: on stage. The band is where it is today because of its live show, and whatever opportunities lie ahead will be reached by a bridge made from pots-and-pans percussion, cacophonous guitars, electronic turbulence and pure havoc.

“That’s what people have been noticing,” Money says. “And to be honest, it’s really gratifying.”

While Drink Up Buttercup has been receiving rave reviews about its shows from the start, it’s come a long way.

“When we first started, we didn’t care how soft a song was, we were screaming it at you as fast as we could,” Money remembers.

“We were worse than a punk band. But the more we played, the more we got into actually messing with our tempos and linking our songs together and actually creating a story.”

And whether that story continues on to “Philadelphia band hits it big” or “A band no one has ever heard of fizzles out” or something else entirely, the current chapter is clear.

“We’re musicians.”

— Adam Clair

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MUSIC SPOTLIGHTS

Modern Mythology

Pioneering Punks Return from the Grave

THE SLITS WHO’S WHO Ari Up (vocals), Tessa Pollitt (bass), Hollie Cook (keyboards), Anna Schulte (drums), Dr. No (guitar) FORMED London, England LABEL Narnack LATEST RELEASE Trapped Animal (2009) ON THE WEB www.theslits.co.uk

photo: chris greco

Though it was generally reckless with its adoption of Greek mythological motifs, the TV series “Xena: Warrior Princess” provided us with a tragedy that might as well have come from classical lore when toward the end of its televised run the show’s titular character was frozen in ice and presumed dead for 25 years. When she finally thawed out, Xena found that while she was gone her daughter had become a brutal tyrant and that she now had to reclaim her legacy as the ultimate sword-wielding princess.

This metaphor might not be the first that comes to mind when considering the career arc of The Slits, the legendary punk-reggae band that, while still teenagers, became the movement’s first all-girl act, but it makes perfect sense to lead vocalist and founder Ari Up. “It’s not just taking up the sword and blood and killing,” says the Germanborn, dreadlocked eccentric. “She had such a responsibility of showing what a true warrior was. That reminds me of The Slits. We’re now back after 25 years. It’s like living up to mythology.”

Whatever the case, The Slits’ myth became

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ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

“It’s like we never split up, like we have been here all the time. It’s like the third album now.”

— Ari Up, The Slits — legend long ago. Formed in 1976 in London when a 14-year-old Up (born Arianna Forster) met drummer Palmolive (Paloma Romero) at a Patti Smith concert, The Slits would go through constant lineup shifts, tour with the Clash and eventually release 1979’s Cut, rewriting the definition of punk rock for future generations by injecting elements of reggae and African music into a genre that had previously been dominated by threechord guitar bashing. It also was put on ice far too soon, disbanding in 1982 after its second album, leaving its musical progeny to seize the glory it should have enjoyed.

And now, they’re back from the dead with the remarkably varied and vibrant Trapped Animals, a warning to its offspring and interlopers that it hasn't lost a step.

“Other punk groups that come back, they have to be retro,” Up says, drawing a distinction between The Slits and the other legacy bands from the first wave of punk. “But with this new album we’ve got, we’re not retro at all. You can hear that. It’s nothing retro or vintage, but it’s very Slits-y.

I would say that this album, Trapped Animal, is not running away from its roots, but we also sound really new and contemporary and fresh and modern, because we’re not trying to compete with Cut or imitate what we were. It’s like we never split up, like we have been here all the time. It’s like the third album now.”

Of course, The Slits did split up, and only Up and bassist Tessa Pollitt remain from the band’s original lineup. But what hasn’t changed is the utter unpredictability of its muses, as Trapped Animal veers from electronic synth-pop sing-alongs about screwed up mama’s boys (“Ask Ma”) to twitchy outsider anthems (“Reject”) and reggae-drenched examinations of bad relationships (“Partner From Hell”). And while the musical world has inched increasingly closer to its idiosyncratic collision of musical motifs, Up knows The Slits still have some dragons to slay.

“Some people are desperate for us. Then, there’s this extreme opposite reaction, [where] they hate us with such passion that they’d like to see us hang from a tree or burned at the stake,” she says.

“There’s nothing in between. It becomes a real responsibility, you know,” she says thoughtfully. “The Slits have become bigger than life.”

— Matt Fink

Norwegian pop star Annie a rising force in music industry Few pop stars have the chutzpah to refer to themselves by a single name. Cher.

Madonna. Sting. Add to that list rising Norwegian pop artist Annie Lilia Berge Strand, a.k.a. Annie. The native of Bergen, Norway has made a name for herself over the past several years with her bouncy, melodic and insanely catchy brand of electronic pop. Her second album, Don’t Stop, was released in the United States in November and includes such infectious tunes as the boundto-be-stuck-in-your-head-fordays “My Love is Better.” The release is just the latest step in a life that’s been heavily influenced by music, said Annie during a recent phone interview.

“I’ve been doing music since I was a little child,” she said. “I started playing piano when I was six or seven.”

She moved on to singing and, by her mid teens, she had joined her first band, the indie group Suitcase. Her stint with the band didn’t last long, but Annie’s passion for music continued to blaze. By 1999, she released her first single, “The Greatest Hit” and, in 2005, her debut album, Anniemal, was released in the states. Her highly danceable music has been compared to that of such artists as Kylie Minogue and her sister in onenamehood, Madonna.

Annie admits that the latter was definitely an early influence.

“I always listened to a lot of Madonna as a child,” Annie says, adding that “Into the Groove” is a personal favorite.

Her other musical influences include Euro-pop mainstays The Human League and Pet Shop Boys, which isn’t a surprise.

What is a surprise? Her love of The Beach Boys. But even her affection for that harmonizing boy band sort of makes sense, as Annie said her songwriting is heavily motivated by melody.

ANNIE

MUSIC SPOTLIGHTS

one name says it all

WHO’S WHO Annie Lilia Berge Strand, a.k.a., Annie FORMED Bergen, Norway LABEL Smalltown Supersound LATEST RELEASE Don’t Stop (2009) ON THE WEB www.anniemusic.co.uk

photo: nina merikallio

“I’ve always been very fond of melodies. I always start off writing the melodies. That comes to me first.”

— Annie — “I’ve always been very fond of melodies,” she says. “I always start off writing the melodies.

That comes to me first.”

Making Don’t Stop was a somewhat different experience than working on Anniemal, Annie said, mainly because she has a confidence now that she lacked earlier in her career. “I felt much more secure when

I was making Don’t Stop,” she says.

“When I started making Anniemal,” she says, “I didn’t really know what I was doing.”

One perk was that she had a bunch of songs that she’d written while working on Anniemal that weren’t used on that album. So, when making Don’t Stop, she already had a

stockpile of material to draw on.

Given that, and her increased experience, Don’t Stop “is a stronger album,” Annie says.

Among the new album’s tracks, Annie’s favorites include “Marie Cherie” — which tells the tale of a girl who commits suicide because she’s been abused by her father — and the far more upbeat “I Don’t Like Your Band.” The latter track, Annie said, is her cheeky reaction upon watching music videos by bands that were, in her view, substandard.

“There’s so much music that I found really annoying,” she said, laughing. “And I wanted to make a song about it.”

As for the future, Annie isn’t sure what that will bring.

She knows she wants to keep making music, but would like to branch out, possibly by doing more writing for other artists, or writing music for movies. Annie’s musical career also includes a sort of side gig as a DJ, which she said she loves, but regards mainly as a hobby. Making music is her passion, and she looks forward to experimenting with it.

“It’s interesting to see music on different levels,” she says,“and do different things with it.”

— Amanda Cuda

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

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MUSIC SPOTLIGHTS 22

Leaving the fold

Prodigal Son Decides He Can’t Go Home Again Proving that there’s nothing quite so interesting as interpersonal drama, the breakup record has become its own kind of concept album, providing an emotionally rich vein of material that has been mined on albums stretching from Bob Dylan’s bitter Blood on the Tracks to the tangled melodrama of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours and Jarvis Cocker’s recent midlife crisis on Further Complications.

Always a restless spirit while the leader of Pedro the Lion, using his album-long narratives to explore a cast of unsavory and conflicted characters, David Bazan hasn’t made the normal break-up album. With Curse Your Branches, his first solo album, the former icon of Christian indie rock has done the unexpected.

He has broken up with God. “It was devastating, actually,” Bazan says of the loss of his Christian faith. “Not only one sense of identity, but it was the loss of a person, you know? I lay in bed at night just grappling with that still. What do I do with this ghost in my head?

Do I interact with that idea as a person? Has it faded to a point where it’s not meaningful anymore? And at some point I had to admit to myself that I was actively mourning the death of this really powerful and comforting idea.”

Those following his career arc already know that Bazan doesn’t shy away from controversy, having written unsparingly about adulterous affairs on 2002’s Control, corrupt politicians on 2000’s Winners Never Quit and the death of the American dream on 2004’s Achilles Heel, largely alienating himself from his original Christian following in the process. But his body of work generally played fast and loose with autobiographical detail, allowing the more open-minded of his listeners to assume that he was still one of them, just another faithful member of the

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

DAVID BAZAN WHO’S WHO David Bazan (guitar, vocals) FORMED Seattle, Wa. LABEL Barsuk LATEST RELEASE Curse Your Branches (2009) ON THE WEB www.davidbazan.com

photo: lyle owerko

“It was devastating, actually,” Bazan says of the loss of his Christian faith. “At some point I had to admit to myself that I was mourning the death of this really powerful and comforting idea.

— David Bazan — flock chasing away his personal demons through allegory. But these themes represented more than narrative liberty, they were cracks in the foundation of Bazan’s faith, fissures that would push him closer and closer to the precipice of doubt.

“So I would get people coming up after shows with their collective finger in my chest, saying ‘What you’re doing is wrong!’” he explains. “Ironically, they were encouraging me to do autobiographical, confessional

work because they thought that somehow this work that I was doing on Control was somehow dishonest. It was this old sort of 18th, 19th century view that fiction was somehow lying. But some of these kids were more than willing to agree to disagree, and they would see that I wasn’t some caricature of a dude who was trying to be up there stirring up controversy.”

That said, Curse Your Branches hardly pulls its punches, from Bazan’s critique of Christianity’s

creation narrative on “Hard to Be” to his direct denunciation of God on “When We Fell,” a track where Bazan depicts God as a cruel scientist who set up a fixed game where humans would inevitably fail.

These denunciations don’t come without repercussions, of course, and much of the album is spent exploring what Bazan has lost, with songs about his distraught wife and family who fear for his soul and the spiral of alcoholism that accompanies the loss of identity and security that faith afforded. Add it up, and it’s an engrossingly harrowing account of one man’s spiritual collapse, wrapped in buoyant Beatlesque melodies, but Bazan didn’t know if anyone would want to hear it.

“People either care about God and are obsessed with these notions and are Christian or they don’t care,” he laughs. “And I’m finding that that’s not really the case, that that’s too simplistic of a view, thankfully. But at the time, I thought, well, you’ve got to finish this anyway.”

“People are either going to point and laugh or cast you out, but I had to do this no matter what,” he continues firmly. “I couldn’t deny that I was writing these tunes and that they were really meaningful to me.”

— Matt Fink

delicious chamber pop from the kitchen to your ears

CLARE AND THE REASONS

MUSIC SPOTLIGHTS

cooking up the good stuff WHO’S WHO Clare Manchon, Olivier Manchon, Bob Hart, Ben Lanz FORMED Brooklyn, N.Y. LABEL Frog Stand Records LATEST RELEASE Arrow (2009) ON THE WEB myspace.com/clareandthereasons courtesy big hassle media

The scent of baked apples can sure inspire more than just a rumble in your belly. At least it can if you’re Clare Manchon.

The Berklee College of Musiceducated chanteuse, and namesake of chamber pop group Clare and the Reasons, often found herself penning tunes for her band’s sophomore effort, Arrow, while cooking away in the Brooklyn, N.Y. apartment she shares with husband, and main Reason, Olivier.

“It’s unconventional, and I think when I’m writing I like to be slightly distracted by the right things. Not by the phone or the computer,” she explains via telephone from her home. “I like ‘Oh! It’s burning!’ and then my brain clicks or I have a new idea.”

Although it isn’t difficult to picture the adorable Manchon as a bona fide Betty Crocker, she’s not exactly a woman-outof-time, as she has often been depicted. Sure, she admits to loving the “olden days,” but, in her words, she loves Grizzly Bear “as much as the next gal.”

A persona misconstrued, albeit with the best intentions, from the cover artwork for the band’s proper 2007 debut The Movie, the vision was only accentuated,

and pulled into the band’s music, by Manchon’s old-soul vocals.

“I think the reason that people hear [our music] as nostalgia is my voice,” she says. “Maybe I was alive in the '30s and I got hit by a train or something and then I came back? I don’t know.”

But, besides vocals, Manchon insists her band’s music is purposefully based in modernity. Alongside fellow current-decade chamber pop tunesmiths Sufjan Stevens, Antony and the Johnsons, Final Fantasy and the aforementioned Grizzly Bear, Clare and the Reasons mixes the catchiness of traditional pop with extra layered instrumentation akin to the sounds of '60s and '70s pop acts like The Beach Boys and Harry Nilsson, yet adding its own modern twist. Especially in a live setting, it’s not unusual to find the band incorporating kazoos, saws, baby kotos, recorders and even a Rubik’s cube into its sound.

“I try to think musically modern. I don’t try to do throwback music. I think if I was trying to do throwback music, you would really notice it,” she says, adding that her lyrics

often come from a present-day point of view. “I’m definitely drawing most of my stories and characters from current day happenings, for sure.”

In order to capture the group’s large, orchestral sound on its independent band budget, for Arrow, Clare and the Reasons built a recording tent — yes, tent — in the guest bedroom of friend, neighbor and engineer Alex Venguer. Seventy percent of the album was tracked in the home studio, with the band members sometimes running across the street in their pajamas to record, while all the strings, horns and pianos were recorded at Legacy studios in Midtown Manhattan.

“Those are instruments in my opinion that cannot be done in an imperfect environment,” explains Manchon. “I think you kind of learn where you have to spend your budget and where you can cut corners. If you want to have strings, especially, you can’t cut corners.”

Still touring for its first record until earlier this year, Arrow was written and recorded during the band’s sparse time off from the road. With a schedule to meet, recording Arrow presented whole new timeline dilemmas

for the band. Unlike for The Movie, there was no time to play and arrange new tunes live ad nauseam prior to recording.

“I always feel like we get to the good stuff when we have to,” she says of the time constraints.

“You can kind of dilly dally around for years if you’re given the opportunity. So it was sort of a more express shot at making a record, but still having all of our 'isms,' the bigness and all the arrangements and orchestrations and everything.”

Released on the band’s own Frog Stand Records, the album features a guest spot from My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden as well as a nod to Phil Collins with a cover of the 1983 Genesis hit “That’s All.” “I’ve just had a crush on that song since I was about five, and I don’t know, whenever I’ve heard it randomly over the years I just, like, scream ‘I love this song!’ and throw my hands up in the air,” she laughs, “So I thought there was something to that.”

From the kitchen to the stage, Clare and the Reasons serves up a quirky blend of pop, mixing ingredients old and new into one delicious helping. Now, who’s hungry?

— Natalie B. David

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

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MUSIC THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY 2001 – The intruder who stabbed George Harrison in his home earlier in the year is found not guilty by reason of insanity.

2001 - Kent State University presents Joe Walsh with an honorary doctorate of music.

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2002 – The Oakwood Postal Station is renamed the Nat King Cole Post Office in Los Angeles, Calif.

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2003 – Three days after allegedly hitting wife Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown is charged with battery.

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2008 - Chris Brown’s “Run It” is on top of the singles music charts.

2000 - Madonna gets some unexpected visitors when thieves enter the basement of her and then-husband Guy Ritchie’s London home, eventually driving off in Ritchie’s car filled with the couple’s possessions.

2003 - Justin Hawkins, singer of The Darkness, is detained at JFK Airport in New York when police mistake him for a wanted man with the same name and appearance.

2002 - Peter Garrett quits Midnight Oil after 25 years.

2004 - Up-and-coming pop star Ashlee Simpson faces negative publicity from a lip-synched appearance on “Saturday Night Live.”

2001 – Gene Simmons’ book “Kiss and Make Up” is released.

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2001 - Lionel Richie sings “Just Put Some Love in Your Heart” on Larry King Live.

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2002 - While playing Santa Claus, former Hee-Haw star Roy Clark loses his bright red pants during his performance of “Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer” at the annual Pageant of Peace Christmas.

2004 - A new version of the song “Do They Know It’s Christmas”

by Band Aid featuring Robbie Williams, Joss Stone, Beverly Knight, and Busted starts a four week stay at #1.

2003 - David Bowie contracts the flu and postpones the Atlantic City, N.J., start of the North American leg of his “A Reality” tour.

2005 - Robbie Williams accepts sizeable libel damages over claims that he is secretly homosexual and engages in casual homosexual sex.

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2002 - A fire rips through the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland, and severely damages the Guiled Balloon and La Bella Angele — a venue that hosted early performances of Oasis and Radiohead.

2002 - Britney Spears files a restraining order against a 41-yearold man that she claims has stalked her since September.

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2002 – Les Paul announces plans to give memorabilia (about 2,000 records and original sheet music) to an exhibit at Waukesha County’s historical society.

2003 – Mick Jagger is knighted

by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.

2000 - The Police’s frontman Sting gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2003 – Ozzy Osbourne fractures his left collarbone, eight ribs and gets a stable fracture to a vertebrae in his neck after an all-terrain vehicle accident in England.

2001 – Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic file a countersuit against Courtney Love who claimed that Nirvana’s Universal Music Group contract is void and all rights pertaining to the band belong to her.

2003 - Ozzy & Kelly Osbourne’s remake of Black Sabbath’s “Changes” goes to #1 on the UK singles chart.

2001 - After pleading guilty to insurance fraud, Billy Preston agrees to testify against six other defendants in the same case.

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MUSIC THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY 2000 - In a humorless Internet hoax, a fake CNN News source announces Eminem died in a car crash.

2003 - Bad boy rapper NAS turns himself into police on assault charges surrounding a fight at Greenwich Village club Ciclo.

2002 - Liza Minnelli and David Gest (Minnelli’s husband) smack VH1, MTV Networks, Viacom and Remote Productions, Inc. with a $23 million dollar lawsuit for throwing out a reality show based on the couple’s life.

2005 - Newlyweds Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey call it quits after citing “irreconcilable differences.”

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2008 - Warner Music Group yanks every music video associated with its record label from YouTube following a tiff in the renewal of their licensing agreement.

2000 - 10,000 Maniac’s Robert Buck dies at age 42 of complications resulting from liver failure.

2001- Pamela Anderson loses the battle against Motley Crüe’s Tommy Lee (her ex-husband) for full custody of their two boys, Brandon and Dylan.

2003 - Michael Jackson is charged with seven counts of molesting a child under 14 and two counts of supplying the child with “an intoxicating agent.”

2000 - A speedboat takes the life of English singer/songwriter Kristy MacColl while scuba diving with her two sons off the coast of Mexico. MacColl was only 41.

2001 - “Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story,” premieres on VH1.

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2005 - After the passing of new samesex marriage laws, Sir Elton John and longtime partner David Furnish get hitched in Windsor, England.

2001 - A judge reduces a sexual misconduct charge against Marilyn Manson in a an assault case.

2005 - Human Rights Watch claims Dr. Dre and Eminem’s rap tunes were used as torture devices in a CIA-run prison located in Afghanistan.

2003 - 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is named the number one selling album in the U.S. for 2003.

2005 - The record industry sees a halt in the RIAA’s anti-piracy efforts with a US Court ruling that ISPs could no longer be forced to identify file-sharers.

2002 - The Clash’s Joe Strummer dies from heart failure at the age of 50.

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2000 - Nick Massi, bass singer of the Four Seasons, passes away at age 73.

2005 - Foxy Brown is handcuffed and threatened with jail after sticking her tongue out at a judge while in court for assault charges.

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2003 - Michael Jackson gives his first interview after being accused of sexually abusing a 12year-old boy. He tells CBS he would “slit his wrists” before he hurt a child.

2006 - James Brown, 73, dies in Atlanta.

2003 - The White Stripes’ Jack White turns himself into Detroit Police after being accused of assaulting Von Bondies singer Jason Stollsteimer. White was soon released on $100 dollar bail.

2003 - Pop-punk artist Pink signs on with Pepsi for the company’s 2004 advertising campaign.

2003 - Metallica’s Lars Ulrich celebrates his 40th birthday.

2007 - Radio City Music Hall celebrates its 75th anniversary.

2008 - Singer/songwriter Delaney Bramlett dies.

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2002 - Diana Ross is arrested In Tucson, Ariz., on suspicion of drunk driving.

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2004 - Jazz composer/musician Artie Shaw passes away.

2002 - 50 Cent is arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon after police find two handguns in his vehicle during a traffic stop.

2008 - Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers perform a duet on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2008.”

2000 - Country singer John Michael Montgomery sustains a compound fracture while ice fishing in Kentucky.

ear candy

ALBUM REVIEWS

Sugar & Gold AYA Remix EP Sometime in the last year, the music world took a big step back. Not necessarily in quality, just back in time. A big collective of musicians looked around at 2009, said “screw this,” hopped in a DeLorean and roared backwards.

Each jumped off at different points, stopping in the era of their influences (or their parents’ influences), looking to the old in search of something new. You’ve heard them before — Passion Pit, MGMT, Hot Chip, if we’re naming names. Perhaps none milked the ride as far as San Francisco’s Sugar & Gold, a hopped-up quintet mashing the best of new wave synth-pop, old school disco and electronic funk into a surprisingly refreshing throwback sound that’s equal parts hypnotic and irresistible to anyone with even the semblance of a rhythmic bone in their body.

Not surprisingly, the AYA Remix EP opens with two remixes of “AYA,” which is disappointing only in that one version would suffice plenty. “Come and Go” is the standout, a hulk among a pack of heavyweights. Rife with the influences of the aforementioned dance brethren MGMT and Hot Chip, the song is equally toe-tapping and, frankly, astronomically more musically stimulating (a trend that is the core of this record).

There are two ways to enjoy AYA, really for the entirety of this record (unfortunately, there’s only four songs). You can shut off your brain, crank it up and dance, and that’d be a perfectly valid way to soak it in. On the other hand, layers of complexity are there for those who desire.

Underneath the dance-pop façade that so often gets the pauper’s treatment in the music world are dissectible layers of educated harmonies and chord voicings over tasteful, hypnotic beats and funky bass lines fit for a king (or, at least, for George Clinton).

Bands like this catch a bad name for being unoriginal. But since when is it unoriginal to look back during the invention of something new?

It’s the very foundation of all new music, save no genre. The snobs will say they’re a gimmick band. A party band. A one trick pony. Hear this: if it’s a gimmick, be fooled. If it’s a party, be there. If it’s a pony, ride it to the bitter end. Whatever you do, don’t miss Sugar & Gold.

[Alec Wooden] Flaming Lips Embryonic After a 15-year run that started with an unexpected Top 10 single and ended with one of its songs being chosen as the official state song of its native Oklahoma, the Flaming Lips have arguably become the most eccentric band to ever achieve widespread acceptance within the mainstream. But while the band will never be accused of tailoring surging psychedelic epics for the masses, its last few releases have been increasingly easy to digest, with the hooks turning up in television commercials and making it a a go-to headliner at outdoor music festivals. Embryonic, then, is a return to its weird roots, a decidedly odd and willfully obtuse double album that focuses on long garage-psych grooves and features little of the soaring sing-a-longs that made the recent albums so accessible. Instead, the band has made one of its most thoroughly engrossing releases, an 18-song devolution into noisy feedback, distorted drums, fuzzy bass, and tangled knots of electric guitar. Taking cues from krautrock and free jazz, the tracks range from the squelchy push-and-pull of “Convinced of the Hex” through the pounding chaos of “Aquarius Sabotage” and the playful pop balladry of “I Can Be a Frog.” Zodiac signs and space themes repeat, mirrored in spoken word soundscapes such as “Virgo Self Esteem Broadcast” and spectral instrumental “Scorpio Sword,” every piece in its sonic puzzle fitting together perfectly in a sprawling, mutating whole. Add it up, and it’s the wildest, woolliest, and most downright dangerous release the Lips have made in the last 20 years, an album that sounds like four men setting up in the studio and chasing down every stray idea that enters the room. [Matt Fink] Sting If on a Winter’s Night If on a winter’s night you’d like to lose that pesky holiday party cheer, I highly recommend this album. Here Sting reaches for a piece of the winter sales pie chart with a collection of holiday classics straight from the British Isles. And I mean classics, as in 14th century carols and ballads that bring to life the joy and cheer of, say, serfdom.

The aptly titled “Now Winter Comes Slowly” begins “Now winter comes slowly, pale, meager and old.” You’ll find all 16 tracks come that way. Lyrically, Sting can’t be faulted, since all but two of the tracks are standards somewhere across the Atlantic, and musically, there are a lot of beautiful arrangements that would make for a winning instrumental. But vocally, Sting whispers and moans his way through the bars, showing his vocal range may be a bit more snug than it was even just a few years back. In fact, when songs do show some rhythm and pep, as “Soul Cake,” (about begging for food, no less — Happy Holidays, everyone!) his dragging vocals void the songs of any vitality. Then again, I’m not sure how much vitality can be had putting Biblical lyrics to a conga drum and Northumbrian pipes.

So thanks for the British music history lesson, Sting, but if I want a blue Christmas, I’ll turn to Elvis. [Phil Pyle]

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Fools Gold self-titled Led by two Israeli transplants to Los Angeles, with from eight to 10 members from Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico filling out the lineup, Fool’s Gold has to rank as one of the most unlikely proprietors of African guitar pop. Given the recent influx of American bands experimenting with Congolese soukous, Tuareg blues, Ghanaian blues, and Afrobeat, this might make them seem like bandwagon jumpers, but its self-titled full-length debut should dispel such accusations. Neither a strict reconstruction of those African forms nor a radical reinvention, the band uses those ethnic variants as a springboard into the exploration of polyrhythmic dance grooves, limber guitar hooks and soulful vocals. The fact that those vocals are often in Hebrew is yet another distinguishing feature in the mix, though they are essentially wallpaper for tracks that veer from the joyously mewing guitar lines of “Nadine” to the relaxed atmosphere of “Ha Dvash” and the clattering tribal sing-along of “The World is All There Is.” And though its grooves are consistently imaginative and generally memorable, the entire album seems a bit too eager to please, too willing to dissolve its boundaries into pleasantly unchallenging arrangements that fade too easily into the background. In this case, an admirable lack of dogma results in an album that could benefit from just a little more definition. [Matt Fink] Editors In This Light and On This Evening

“You are what you eat/You’ll become digested,” sings vocalist Tom Smith on “Like Treasure,” one of nine tracks on Editors new album, In This Light and On This Evening. It’s a perfect line detailing the greatest issue concerning the platinum-selling UK outfit — that, until Light, Editors only subsisted on Joy Division and Interpol, thus giving listeners a mere regurgitation of the same. Consider the problem solved.

In This Light unlocks more sonic doors than its predecessors, allowing Smith’s vocals room to breathe (and consequently, to overcome the standard Ian Curtis comparisons). Until now, the lack of maturation kept Editors locked in the same musical box as She Wants Revenge and other new wave competitors. While those remnants are still present, however, the band appears ready to move forward in the best interest of all parties involved.

“Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool” rides a tribal percussive sound to provide the most enchanted song on Light. “The Boxer” piques interest from the outset with slight xylophone sounds, analog synth work and builds toward a positive yet haunting conclusion. “Papillon” relies most heavily on the keys and feels fresh and crisp amidst its surroundings.

Flood’s production work (Sigur Rós, U2, The Killers) might have much to do with the obvious changes, but you can’t help but believe that factors like experience and maturity go a long way toward this artistic development. Either way, In This Light and On This Evening runs a fine course toward a much higher potential than originally believed.

[Matt Conner]

MUSIC ALBUM REVIEWS

Lyle Lovett Natural Forces

With each of his 13 albums, Lyle Lovett’s slowly enlarged his territory — building a spacious acreage of down home farmland for his songs to meander and graze at will. From The Road to Ensenada to My Baby Don’t Tolerate, Lovett’s tales dance around the great room, stomp heavily on the front porch and wistfully strum around the campfire. And his latest, Natural Forces, is a perfect fit in this well-worn terrain.

The material is a mix of originals and covers, yet they’re somehow all Lovett’s to embrace as his own. “Natural Forces,” one of Lovett’s own tunes, features beautiful steel work from Paul Franklin (a trend that continues throughout the album) and immediately ranks among Lovett’s finest works.

A funny decision to open the album for its failure to launch, the song still grips with a more somber emotional energy.

The whimsy of “Farmer Brown/Chicken Wire” and “Pantry” succeed only if you appreciate a chorus of “I’m gonna choke my chicken” over and over again — but Lovett quickly settles down for the rest of the album with strong selections like “Sun and Moon and Stars,” a Vince Bell cover that dreams alone.

Each collection only contributes to the legacy of this fine American songwriter, and Natural Forces is a fine addition to the discography. [Matt Conner] Trent Dabbs Your Side Now Trent Dabbs makes his own music.

Seems a silly statement to make at the outset of a music review, but chances are you’ve missed Dabbs’ own tunes for the sake of the attention given to his other works. Between co-writes for artists like Mat Kearney and Joy Williams and the attention given to his brainchild Ten Out of Tenn, Dabbs remains in the spotlight for things other than his own solo work. Your Side Now, then, presents the perfect opportunity to right the ship.

Dabbs’ previous songwriting efforts garnered placement on everything from “The OC” to “Grey’s Anatomy” and Your Side Now reveals several more tunes ready-made for the same broad spotlight. Heartfelt tracks like “Wishful Thinking” allow Dabbs to cry familiar singer/songwriter tears in unfamiliar ways. That’s the magic of Dabbs — his ability to remain completely within and yet firmly apart from the genre.

“Wake Up Call” playfully introduces the album, playing coy with plucking strings before letting the same instruments breathe deeply in the chorus. The dreamy production on “Dear Jane” is fantastic, even though the song itself is as straightforward as it comes. The title track sounds like a Matthew Perryman Jones offering, a gentle construct longing to switch viewpoints in a relationship.

As beautiful as the talent Trent Dabbs helps to introduce to the masses, it’s his own music that merits the most attention. Your Side Now deserves every bit of acclaim it can muster.

[Matt Conner]

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Silent Treatment New American Dream

Ike Reilly Hard Luck Stories

Ike Reilly’s got something to say, and dammit, you’re gonna listen — just like his audiences have been for over a decade. Reilly’s been developing, Testifying branding, re-developing and re-branding his raspythat rock still voiced storytelling for some time now, and he’s thrives in back with Hard Luck Stories, a 10 song collection SoCal, Silent of whiskey, women and wine (whine, maybe) that Treatment offers up New American follows the logical progression of this genre-bending Dream, a well balanced, 10 track menu journeyman, sampling the good (and sometimes bad) that should turn some heads and pack sides of everything from lazy lounge pop to grungy some clubs. There is nothing overdone R&B and furious acoustic punk. here, no unnecessary efforts of a band Reilly comes out of the gate swinging with Stories desperate for attention, just 10 tracks opener “Morning Glory” getting right to the point. that are solid enough to stand alone but make for a kick-ass album once together. Musically, we get the laid-back grooves that will become Reilly’s calling card for the next 43 minutes.

The band’s influences are apparent The upward trajectory of the opening tunes carries —from Aerosmith to Zeppelin — and David Rosales’ voice and phrasings may Reilly strongly into the terminally catchy pop number “Girls In The Backroom,” probably the strongest track remind you of Scott Weiland at one on the record (complete with a guest appearance point and Jim Morrison the next. But

by Cracker’s Johnny Hickman). But as “Girls” fades there is no mistaking these guys for away, and just as we’re getting comfortable, it becomes wannabes. Case in point, the cover of The Doors’ “Love Me Two Times” takes evident that Stories has three definite phases: the good, the painfully mundane and the good 2.0, which follow on a bluesy slant with notes of Stevie Ray Vaughn but as with every song, the respectively from start (tracks 1-3), to middle (4-6) to end (7-10). “The War On The Terror And On The energy that comes through in spades is Drugs” should be the album's heavy hitter, featuring its stamp of originality.

Reilly’s kindred spirit (and Waylon’s kin) in Shooter Jerry Wu’s guitar work makes a Jennings, swapping acoustic tidbits over a heavy blues statement with the opening title track groove. But Shooter sets the tone from the outset, and “Sins of Yesterday,” but as a whole, Dream’s variety should appeal to a wide asking Reilly jokingly, “What’s this song about, anyway?” And he nails it. “War” never finds a center crowd. From the fast drum-driven and of gravity and comes off as nothing more than a four bass-thumping “Fear” to the ballad minute meander with a big-time contributor.

“You & I,” it leaves no beat unbeaten.

Hard Luck Stories is a good collection. Above Another standout is “Some Other Way,” average, not great, but plenty good. Like one would a “keep your chin up” ballad you’d be suppose a good story should be, Stories twists and hearing on the radio if a major label turns, pushes and pulls, excites and bores — but never signed these guys. allows the listener out of the storyteller’s shoes. An ST is due to hit the South in overall victory for a songwriter not accustomed to Spring, and trust me, there is nothing much less. silent about its live show. [ Alec Wooden] [Phil Pyle]

[artist of the year]

how

DAN DEACON stole the show [by alec wooden]

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Dan Deacon’s solo setup — a man and many machines. Photo: Jonathan Purvis

[Alec Wooden] You’ve said your record name, Bromst, doesn't mean anything in particular. What's your favorite lie to tell people?

[DAN DEACON] It's an old name for a type of Jurassic shark.

[AW] If you had to put a “mission statement,” if you will, on Bromst, what would that be?

[DD] I wanted to stop writing exclusively for electronics. I've been writing that way for a few albums and that's not really how I started writing music. When I started touring a lot, electronics were the only instruments available to me in a practical sense that I could perform live. Now I have an opportunity to expand the sound power with more instrumentation and I've been playing shows that have been refined with slightly more challenging pieces. I think that's the direction I'll continue to go.

[AW] When you're composing or arranging, are you a trial and error musician? Or is everything sort of mapped out in your head beforehand?

[DD] It depends on the piece. Some are definitely mapped out ahead of time, other pieces come from jamming, other pieces come from working on something forever and not really knowing where it goes until one day it just pops.

[AW] Are you an “absurdist” artist? What the hell is absurdism?

[DD] I don't know if I really relate to absurdism these days.

[AW] No? [DD] I think it helped a lot when we first started playing — when we were starting out, there was a lot of noisy and really aggressive music. I didn't really relate to that at all. I just wanted to have a good time and write music for everyone. I started going to shows where they were being so serious. Even dance music, which is supposed to be relaxed, was getting so stuck up and pretentious. I wanted to write music as distant from that as possible, so I think Absurdism or Surrealism helped me stand out [early on] in that way.

[AW] you've had a huge band and crew on the road with you for most of this year. Touring with all

those people's got to have some logistical problems.

[DD] We toured in a converted school bus — a bus that runs on vegetable oil — and on that, peak speed was around 55 miles per hour. It's a big difference between touring in cars, when you've got a big stretch of highway and you can go like 75 and if you stop to piss it's only four people, you're in and out. With 20 people just getting off the bus is a challenge. Everyone has to go to the bathroom, everyone needs to buy water, everyone needs to stretch out. Time just starts to disintegrate and evaporate very, very quickly.

[AW] I don't know if preference is the right word, but between going out there solo or going out there with 15 of your closest friends, do you have a favorite way to perform?

[DD] I would say I prefer to play with the ensemble. I like playing solo a lot because it gives me a chance to experiment and try new material before teaching it to people, seeing how it works in a live setting and tweaking things on the road. I'll definitely continue to do both. I'll probably do like one ensemble tour a year and the rest of the dates solo and figure stuff out. But when there's a lot of other people the songs have more of a life to them.

[AW] When you do perform solo, you're right there in the middle of things, on the floor among your fans.

Do things ever get a little bit out of control?

[DD] It didn't use to, but it's starting to now. I think a lot of that is the scene changing. Before it was easier to relate to the audience in the front, because there was an aspect of responsibility where people would make sure that people didn't get pushed over or smashed. And some shows I don't play on the floor anymore because I can tell it just wouldn't work. I think it depends on the audience and how in tune they are with the performance. I don't really like playing the places that are really alcohol driven, and I don’t like playing to people who are just fucked up or on drugs. But if everybody is sober or cognizant, if I can relate to them, connect to them on a mental level, I think it will be a good show.

(continued on page 34)

“i don’t know if

i really relate to absurdism these days.” [dan deacon] ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

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[artist of the year]

“if everybody is

sober or cognizant, if i can relate to them, connect to them on a mental level, I think it will be a good show

”

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[dan deacon] Dan Deacon gets up close and personal at 2009’s Coachella Festival. Photo: Michael Orlosky

[artist of the year] (continued from page 31)

[AW] What’s the right mindset for someone headed to a dan deacon show?

[DD] To not have any expectations. [If they] don’t expect anything in particular to happen and don’t expect it to be any sort of particular kind of show, I think they’ll enjoy it a lot more. Some people go in expecting it to be like a raging party, so some people do the raging party type stuff. People get disenfranchised.

And my albums aren’t just that kind of music, they have, I think, a wide range, but often it’s only a portion of it that gets covered. So I think more and more in the future that’s going to be something — hopefully I can relate to the audience without disenfranchising them.

[AW] You’ve been doing this for a while now.

Do you still get nervous before you perform?

[DD] Sometimes, it depends on the show. Opening up for Devo was really nerve racking, and I definitely got nervous. I think it depends on how stressed out I am before. Like if we’re running really late I don’t really have time to get nervous. If we have a lot of time to sit around and think, I’ll find a way to psych myself out.

[AW] Tell me a little more about the vegetable oil bus.

[DD] We saved a bunch of money and we were able to all tour together in the same vehicle. What I always want in a vehicle is somewhere to stand up and sit down or lay down, depending on how you feel for long drives. In a van or a car you can feel really cooped up in a small space not being able to do anything but sit.

So yeah, I think it made a big difference on the psychology and the group health of the tour.

[AW] So you’re topping our end of the year list, what’s topping yours? What are a couple of records that you were really into this year?

[DD] That’s a good question. I don’t ever hear music. I hear music either way before it comes out or way after it comes out (laughs).

I’m not even sure what records came out this year that I really got a chance to like.

[AW] What’s the last one you bought?

[DD] I bought a bunch of Tibetan music at a used book and record store in Eugene, Ore. What the hell else did I get?

[AW] what’s the best musical invention ever?

[DD] The human voice.

[AW] What’s the worst?

[DD] The human voice.

[AW] If you took all the characters off the fronts of popular cereal boxes, and you had a big battle royale, who would win?

[DD] What kind of battle?

[AW] I don’t know, just a big brawl.

[DD] I don’t know if those dudes would fight. I’m guessing Captain Crunch would win because, ya know, he’s good at organizing and delegating responsibility, so maybe he would have time to organize some kind of troops. But I don’t know. I don’t think those guys would fight.

[AW] When Dan Deacon becomes president, what’s your first executive order?

[DD] Oh, I don’t know if that would ever happen, either. I guess it would be to end the Fed. [AW] Your T-shirts are awesome. have a favorite?

[DD] The tour shirt that we have. It’s like cartoon claws and post typography. It’s a really nice shirt.

[AW] In the next six months to a year, what do you hope to accomplish?

[DD] Well I’m gonna be touring a lot less. I’m trying to play not as many shows and just doing more site specific performances, working on a new body of material, working on a new stage show, expanding from the ensemble to more orchestral works and adding in mechanical instruments. Just trying to experiment more with music and sound, trying to catch up on a lot of music technology that I’ve not had time to focus on because I’ve been touring a lot.

if we have a lot of time to sit “around and think, i’ll find a way to psych myself out.”

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reader picks staff picks memories losses

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staff picks [40]

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reader picks

[42]

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losses

2009 9

When we agree the musician who created the riff for “I Wanna Be Your Dog” is an outright genius (and we should agree), then we can fully understand how big the death of Ron Asheton is.

The guitarist and founding member of the Stooges, Asheton, 60, was an integral piece of one of the world’s most influential bands.

The guitarist on Fun House, the bassist on Raw Power, Asheton pushed and forged new venues of sound to be copied and praised over the next 40 years. He is missed but always remembered. [ed morales]

RON Asheton january 6

guitarist, the stooges

BILLY POWELL january 25

keyboardist, lynyrd skynyrd

sunny skylar february 2

american songwriter/composer

estelle bennett february 11 A prominent DJ and avid sneaker head, DJ AM was an inspiration for his perseverance over drug addiction, making his death by accidental drug overdose all the more heartbreaking. Less than a year after surviving a plane crash alongside friend and musical collaborator Travis Barker, DJ AM could no longer outrun his demons and his posthumous MTV intervention series, “Gone Too Far,” carried a heavier, poignant weight. [natalie b. david]

Toward the end of his life, Jay Bennett was known for his wellpublicized feuds (and messy lawsuit) with front-man Jeff Tweedy, his creative contributions to the band's rise are undeniable. Bennett first joined the group touring behind Wilco's debut record, A.M., and lent an invaluable production and multi-instrumental hand to Summerteeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, both of which have become flagship records for the band. [alec wooden]

vocalist, the ronettes

RANDY BEWLEY february 25

guitarist, pylon

david “pop” winans april 8

american gospel musician

Roderick Anthony Burton II may 18

a.k.a. “dolla,” american rapper

jaY bennett may 24

founding member, wilco

michael jackson june 25

the king of pop

allen klein july 4 Imagine Leonardo Da Vinci’s contributions to the world of art, and how many creative doors he has opened since. Les Paul is our modern Da Vinci with regards to music. In spite of his wonderful compositions and innovative style of playing, his Mona Lisa is the guitar that bears his name, which has been the muse for some of the most celebrated and innovative musicians ever. [zac taylor]

record exec., former manager for the beatles & rolling stones

rashied ali august 12

jazz drummer

les paul august 13

electric guitar innovator

DJ AM august 28

There’s a certain mystique about true Athens musicians — you point as they walk down the street, naming the laundry list of bands they’ve played/toured with in their decades manning whatever instrument it may be. Jon Guthrie was only 26 — but he had that mystique. While playing alongside his father and uncle in The Michael Guthrie Band, Jon also enjoyed success and the respect of his music peers manning his axe as a member of Guff, Love Tractor and, recently, touring with Bill Mallonee. It’s easy to get starstruck around here — and Jon was a star on the rise, gone much too soon. [alec wooden]

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You’d never know the fame of Fred Mills just by seeing him around the campus of The University of Georgia, where he passionately taught since 1986. “Fame,” of course, is relative, and you don’t often think of a trumpeter as such. But in his field, Mills indeed was — along with being a distinguished professor, Mills recorded over three dozen records with the Canadian Brass Ensemble and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1992. [alec wooden]

american DJ

fred mills september 7

trumpeter/UGA professor

JON GUTHRIE september 28

local guitarist extraordinaire

jerry fuchs november 7

drummers, maserati & !!!

Jerry was one of the sweetest guys I have ever had the pleasure to get to know; he always had a smile on his face and was easy to make laugh. Not to mention he was one of the best drummers I have ever seen. Every time I got to see Jerry play was something special, he was truly a master of his instrument and made it look so easy. Jerry was also very supportive of my photography which always meant a lot to me. My condolences go out to his family and band mates; my thoughts are with you. [mike white]

losses

reader picks staff picks memories

2009 First time I heard Randy Bewley play guitar was in 1982, through the dingy speakers of a beat-up cassette player. It was a copied version of Gyrate, and what tumbled out was unlike anything before.

There was the sure drumming of Curtis, the pounding bass of Michael, Vanessa’s eclectic lyrics. But riding over and between, filling holes of chaotic madness, was Randy’s guitar. It rang and scratched, teased and pushed everything around it.

The last time I saw Randy play guitar was in late 2008.

He performed with effortless guile in what would prove to be his final Pylon show in Athens. His licks sounded as fresh and certain as they were 30 years before.

The death of Randy Bewley, 53, is more than a loss of a loved one to family and friends, it’s a tremendous loss in the vast musical fabric making Athens what it is. While the B-52s were the first and R.E.M. was the biggest, Pylon is the band Athens can wholly call its own.

Now one of them is gone, far, far too soon.

So thanks Randy, for your hooks and artistry. The world has lost a giant. [ed morales]

As was the feeling (I assume, I wasn’t around) in 1977 (Elvis’ death) and 1980 (Lennon’s), a generation of fans is now left with a simple, profound and hollow truth about their days on this planet. Life exists now in two distinct spheres: life before June 25, 2009, and life after MJ. Jackson is one of those sad cases of the last decade (think OJ Simpson, if you’re a sports fan) whose name has become a punchline in its own right for a joke that needn’t even be said. I didn’t care then — 2005, during the trial — and I don’t care now about the allegations. Yes, some sick charges were brought forth and, was he to be found guilty, nothing would have excused the behavior. But that doesn’t change 200+ million album sales. That doesn’t change countless #1 singles (back when it meant something to have a #1 single).

That doesn’t change genius — genius — writing and arranging.

It doesn’t change an untouchable legacy of showmanship.

Any legacy, to be untouchable, must be properly defined — a chore not even remotely difficult when dealing with Jackson. The week after his death, he sold over 400,000 records and claimed 14 of the top 20 spots on Amazon’s UK charts. The week prior? He sold around 10,000 and wasn’t even sniffing a chart. Jackson holds a host of Guinness world records. He claims the top selling record of all time, the most successful run of concerts of all time, and the most #1 hits of the 1980’s. He even holds a record for having the most records by a recording artist. A record for having records?

Wow. But the most interesting record to me? Jackson holds the Guinness for the most charities donated to by a recording artist. For all the controversy that swirled around the beleaguered star, a whole lot of good came from his misunderstood life. [alec wooden]

[

@ the reader

selected responses from the blur reader survey

Randy Bewley Fred Mills Jay Bennett Michael Jackson • because he’s the king of pop • had a huge impact to the music world — made you sit back and remember everything he did in his life • the man made thriller • who else died?

• hands down the most significant musical death of the year, both here in the states and on a global scale. he is simply one of the greatest music entertainers of all time. an excellent pop songwriter, arranger, musician, dancer and humanist he deserves the legendary musical status he has attained • c’mon...he was the king

Jerry Fuchs • he was the most impressive drummer i have ever seen. his absence from music in general will be a huge loss and set back. i didn’t know him, but i spoke with him at their last ATL show with mono and seemed to be a really nice person. i don’t thinki’ve ever actually been personally sad about a musician’s death until now

Les Paul • he practically invented the electric guitar and the guitar that bears his name is a legend in its own right, being used by some of the greatest guitarists ever, and known for its distinctive tone and durability • without his namesake instrument, rock and roll would be worse off

Ron Asheton

(survey music picks on pg. 42)

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staff picks

2009 9

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

sort of verve he’s doing with music, his take is always refreshing and doesn’t trod worn territory [ed morales] Vic Chesnutt • The most underappreciated singer/songwriter alive today gave us two complete, varied works of genius. [matt conner] ben kweller • for successfully changing horses mid stream [jon ross] JAY-Z • a chart topping album, unbelievable rhapsody commercial and a world series performance [demarco williams]

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST grizzly bear • no band was name-dropped more in 2009 — the title of “buzz band” doesn’t quite capture the ruckus that tracked the experimental poppers this year [natalie david] KRISTINA TRAIN • she’s like Norah Jones, but if Norah breaks your heart, Kristina Train will rip it out and make you watch her tear a bloody bite out of it before you die [jennifer gibson] PASSION PIT • the electro-pop band backed up early hype with a great record [sarah mccarty]

CATCHIEST SINGLE PHOENIX, “1901” [lindsey lee] THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART, “young adult friction” [ed morales] PAPER ROUTE, “wish” [matt conner] SUGAR & GOLD, “come and go” [alec wooden] DISCOVERY, “orange shirt” [jon ross]

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blur staff’s combined top 20 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

JACK WHITE • does he sleep? [julie mccollum] dan deacon • while many are taking the same

ST. VINCENT actor released 5/5/09-

MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA

mean everything to nothing

released 4/21/09

THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART s/t released 2/3/09

FLAMING LIPS embryonic released 10/13/09

MADELINE white flag released 3/10/09

THE DEAD WEATHER horehound released 7/14/09

DAN AUERBACH keep it hid released 2/10/09

PASSION PIT manners released 5/19/09

ANDREW BIRD noble beast released 1/20/09

METRIC fantasies released 4/7/09

9

MOST OVERRATED ALBUM

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

how it worked: blur staff writers ranked their top 20 records of 2009 and each list was plugged into our point system. (#1 vote gave an album 20 points, a #2 vote gave an album 19 points, and so on). when the numbers were crunched, these 20 records tallied the most overall points for 2009.

YEAH YEAH YEAHS it’s blitz! released 3/31/09

DIRTY PROJECTORS bitte orca

U2 • no line on the horizon [jon ross] CONOR OBERST & THE MYSTIC VALLEY BAND

outer south [jennifer gibson] SLAUGHTERHOUSE • self-titled [demarco williams] YACHT • see mystery lights [lindsey lee] MUSE • the resistance [julie mccollum] ANIMAL COLLECTIVE • merriweather post pavilion

released 6/9/09

[matt conner, alec wooden, natalie david]

GRIZZLY BEAR • veckatimest

Grizzly bear veckatimest

[sarah mccarty, ed morales]

released 5/26/09

THE DECEMBERISTS the hazards of love released 3/24/09

MOST UNDERRATED ALBUM

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE merriweather post pavilion

THE DOVES • kingdom of rust [matt conner] the features • some kind of salvation [sarah

released 1/6/09

mccarty]

NEKO CASE middle cyclone released 3/3/09

CIRCULATORY SYSTEM signal morning released 9/8/09

DAN DEACON bromst released 3/24/09

THE AVETT BROTHERS • i and love and you [jon ross] wilco • wilco (the album) [zac taylor] The Fruit BATS • ruminant band [alec wooden] THE decemberists • hazards of love [natalie david] shelley short • a cave, a canoo [jennifer gibson] fashawn • boy meets world [demarco williams] kid cudi • man on the moon [lindsey lee] thermals • now we can see [ed morales]

THE AVETT BROTHERS i and love and you released 9/29/09

MOST DISTURBING MUSICAL TREND

PHOENIX wolfgang amadeus phoenix released 5/26/09

•• artists exclusive deals in specific stores (i.e., pearl jam and target) [matt conner] •• auto tune. i’m over it [sarah mccarty] •• a tie between “glee” and susan boyle [jon ross] •• kanye-centric media coverage. listen, the VMAs are about as genuine as santa claus. would you chastise someone for saying rudolph not only isn’t one of the best reindeer of all time, but that the whole reindeer system is a total crock? no. you wouldn’t. because christmas is about selling toys, the VMAs are about selling records and kanye is just an asshole [zac taylor] •• the fact that the words “swagger” and “swag” haven’t faded from hip-hop vernacular [demarco williams] •• this return to cheesy ‘80s synth music after several successful albums in ‘08 (ladyhawke, empire of the sun), which spawned bands such as passion pit in 2009. listen, that music was bad in the ‘80s, it’s not better now [ed morales] ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

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reader picks

2009 9

WHAT WAS THE MOST DISTURBING MUSICAL TREND IN 2009?

•• female pop artists not wearing pants.

•• the freakin' autotune on all hip hop/r&b songs •• twittering. ughh, sick.

•• famous people doing stupid shit and their "loving fans" buying it! wait! it's always that way! maybe this phenomenon was just more prevalent this year.

•• auto tune •• rock band the game. as if karaoke wasn't bad enough...

•• auto tune. hopefully jay-z was right in proclaiming its death.

•• the slew of guitar hero/band hero/dj hero's that give people, who otherwise have no right, the idea that they now possess knowledge of how to perform and to idealize musical tastes.

•• actors-turned-musicians •• this whole super happy brooklyn synth (apple commercial) thing going on with passion pit, cold cave, etc.

•• autotune overkill •• lady gaga •• the rise of ipod shufflers adding the monicker “dj” to their name. what a bunch of douchebags.

•• blending synthesizers and human voices in an attempt to make talentless losers appear to be able to sing •• lil' wayne's attempt at a rock album. That sentence alone should be enough said.

•• auto tune. it's just getting ridiculous. really.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT? •• kanye west interrupts taylor swift at VMA’s (x11) •• michael jackson’s death (x3) •• georgia theatre fire (x10) •• paris jackson •• the entire rock & roll hall of fame concert ordeal at madison square garden •• U2 airing their rose bowl concert live on youtube •• talking to b.b. king in the back hallway at the classic center.

•• seeing 3/4 of the original r.e.m. lineup play with the minus 5 was pretty cool •• watching john paul jones still kick ass in them crooked vultures 42

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selected responses from blur’s end of selected responses from survey the year music the blur reader survey

BREAKOUT ARTIST OF THE YEAR? •• Avett Brothers •• Pretty Lights •• Elvis Perkins in Deerland the second full length and the album just flows.

•• Fleet Foxes •• Grizzly Bear •• The Dodos •• Animal Collective •• Timi Conley even though timi conley has been in various band such as the fuzzy sprouts and kite to the moon, conley's solo projects are a breath of fresh air.

•• Phoenix "it's never been like that" is still their best album but this year, with "wolfgang amadeus phoenix," the rest of the world finally got to see what they are gloriously made of!

Most of the album is absolute perfection!

•• Care Bears on Fire because they are 13, 13, and 15 years old and rock out. they make the runaways look like poser wannabes and they totally rocked on david letterman!

•• Passion Pit their record was catchy as hell.

•• Deer Tick because they tour and tour and tour and are awesome and can't stop, won't stop and put on a great show.

•• The Rural Alberta Advantage. i saw them when they played tasty world. i loved their songs and they have some beautiful harmonies.

•• Ghostland Observatory •• Madeline this really isn't the kind of music I usually listen to and I know she isn't exactly a new artist, but her new album is a giant step forward. her performance of the new record at 40 watt accompanied by a full band of athens artists was a great show. I feel like if this keeps on the same track it'll be big.

•• Kid Cudi smart, catchy, has cool friends •• Alexi Murdoch without his amazing songs, “away we go” would have been so different and unfortunate. his voice is brilliant, and I know he isn't exactly new, but this year he was new to me. That soundtrack has become an album to my life.

•• The Gold Party they went from electro to electro punk with the addition of a real drummer overnight. the live show is filled with energy and promise of a new age for the athens music scene.

CATCHIEST SINGLE

votes for ALBUM OF THE YEAR

•• Animal Collective, “my girls” •• Umphrey's McGee, “made to measure” •• Camera Obscura, “sweetest thing” •• Peter Bjorn & John, “young folks” •• DMB, “why i am” •• Fruit Bats, “feather bed” •• Archipelago, “mri” •• Phoenix, “1901” •• Passion Pit, “little secrets” •• Arcade Fire, “wake up” •• Passion Pit, “sleepyhead” •• Pains of Being Pure at Heart, “young adult friction” •• Flo Rida, “right round” •• Matt and Kim, “daylight” •• Kid Cudi, “make her say”

•• Sonic Youth • the EternaL: back to experimental, powerful form for this great band.

•• Animal Collective • merriweather post pavilion: they finally fully converged the avant garde with the approachable. it will live on. legendary capture of the time in a certain sense.

•• Passion Pit • manners: it's catchy and delightful. perfect use of electronic music with great hooks and melodies.

•• fruit bats • the ruminant band: freakin so catchy, i listen to this over and over and over again.

•• Royksopp • junior •• Wilco • wilco (the album): i picked this to be the best album of the year because the group was able to set themselves apart (again) despite having released so much material in the past. they are seemingly unstoppable.

•• Dan Deacon • bromst: extravagant, innovative, and chaotic — this album was well put togethor like a symphony using a variety of sounds, samples, and unconventional instruments that were recorded live and put together.

•• Band of Skulls • baby, darling, doll face, honey: so catchy and fun.

•• The Rural Alberta Advantage • hometowns: come on, it’s U2 meets neutral milk hotel. what’s not to like?

•• Jay-Z • the blueprint 3: he returns to his roots in a postretirement successful album about life, rap, and home.

•• Dead Weather • Horehound: dark, brooding, experimental, rhythmic rock ‘n’ roll.

MOST OVERRATED ALBUM •• Black Eyed Peas • the e.n.d. (x2) •• Metric • fantasies •• Paramore • brand new eyes (x2) •• The Flaming Lips • embryonic •• Jay Z • the blueprint 3 •• The Dead Weather • horehound •• Wavves • wavves •• Felice Brothers • yonder is the clock •• Phoenix • wolfgang amadeus phoenix •• Dirty Projectors • bitte orca •• Avett Brothers • i and love and you (x3) •• Weezer • weezer •• Animal Collective • merriweather post pavilion

MOST UNDERRATED ALBUM •• Andrew Bird • noble beast •• Foreign Born • person to person •• Sara Watkins • self/titled •• Bonnie Prince Billy • beware •• Monsters of Folk • monsters of folk •• Sunset Rubdown • dragonslayer •• Lil' Wayne • no ceilings mixtape •• Animal Collective • merriweather post pavilion

votes for ARTIST OF THE YEAR •• The Avett Brothers •• Patterson Hood •• Pretty Lights •• Kings of Leon •• The Dead Weather •• Dan Auerbach •• Andrew Bird •• Unus Mundus •• Rivermaya •• The Premonitions •• Harp Unstrung •• Grogus •• JONNY CORNDAWG •• Paramore •• Lionz •• Jay-Z

•• Care Bears on Fire •• Bonnie Prince Billy •• Band of Skulls •• Harlem Shakes •• Alberta Cross •• Phoenix •• Dan Deacon •• Julian

Casablancas •• Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes •• CircuLAtory System •• Passion Pit

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

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courtesy fiery furnaces

The Pendulum Swings

Out-of-Step Jazz Eccentrics Squirrel Nut Zippers Step Back on Stage

by MATT FINK

Of all of the unexpected musical moments of the 1990s, from a scruffy band of Seattle misfits knocking Michael Jackson from the top of the pop charts, to the surviving Beatles issuing new recordings and hip-hop becoming the music of choice for suburban teenagers, it’s possible that no development was more unlikely than the brief resurgence of interest in swing music. A full 50 years after its peak and just as music seemed to be moving away from the traditional tools of the trade, the Brian Setzer Orchestra, the movie “Swingers,” and a ubiquitous commercial for khakis momentarily had trend-humping hipsters

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ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

digging through their grandparents’ record collections looking for Louis Prima and Cab Calloway records. Most unlikely of all was the ascension of a band from Durham, N.C., a band whose deft combination of hot jazz, jump-blues, and '40s pop meant that it wasn’t really a swing band at all. But just like all those bands, this one was gone as the new century dawned, a band whose music was now a relic of two eras and an unfortunate casualty of changing tastes.

Unlike all of those bands and bandwagon jumpers, though, the Squirrel Nut Zippers are back.

“I think it was more curiosity than anything,” says vocalist and guitarist Jimbo Mathus. “We were curious and wanted to

photo: joshua weinfeld

see what it was,” he laughs. “It was just more of an experiment just like the first time was, just to see what it would sound like. I think everybody was curious after all those years off, so I had to go back and learn all those guitar parts and everything. It’s a lot more complicated than it sounds like. It took a minute. But if you’ve got the live CD, you can hear that we got it back together pretty good. It’s sort of like seeing a long lost crazy uncle that you hadn’t seen in a long time.”

Having reformed in 2007 around the core of founding members Mathus, vocalist/ banjoist/ukulelist Katharine Whalen, and drummer Chris Phillips, Lost At Sea announces the Squirrel Nut Zippers’ return after eight years of hiatus. Recorded in

Brooklyn in 2008, the 17-song set revisits many of the highlights from the band’s first run, capturing high energy romps through the jazz exorcism of “The Fat Cat’s Getting Fatter,” the sultry “It Ain’t You” and the klezmer-tinged “Ghost of Stephen Foster,” leaning heavily on the band’s 1995 debut The Inevitable and its 1997 breakthrough Hot. By the time the band gets around to “Hell,” the ominously catchy warning of eternal damnation that ended up turning into a radio and MTV hit, it’s hard to distinguish between this retooled eight-member version of the band and its original lineup. And though the band never lost enthusiasm for its material, this time no one is likely to have to deal with the whirlwind of attention that occasionally sucked the joy out of its success.

“I think it was strange,” Mathus says of the band’s commercial heyday. “I don’t have any animosity or resentment toward it. It was just one of those weird cosmic events. Like I said,

“

[Reforming] was just more of an experiment just like the first time was, just to see what it would sound like. I think everybody was curious after all those years off, so I had to go back and learn all those guitar parts and everything. It’s a lot more complicated than it sounds like. It took a minute.

— Jimbo Mathus, Squirrel Nut Zippers —

”

our goals have always been artistic and not commercial. That was the first and foremost thing that I insisted on with this band, that it would be family, and we learned and we rehearsed and we never had any aspirations to do anything with this. There was no plan to have a career as the Squirrel Nut Zippers. First and foremost was frying chicken and having fish fries and having everybody picking and singing, and it just sort of took off on us. At most, [the success] was a heartache. It was something that we couldn’t forget about or put out of our minds, but we didn’t obsess over it.”

Still, the band didn’t walk away from its commercial breakthrough without some scars.

Trumpet player Stacy Guess was kicked out of the band and died of a heroin overdose in 1998. Founding bassist Don Raleigh and saxophonist Ken Mosher both quit. There were lawsuits by the Squirrel Brand Company claiming that the band owed them part of its profits due to the presence of “squirrel” and “nut” in the band’s name. Soon, vocalist and guitarist Tom Maxwell, the songwriter who contributed much of the band’s original material, became so disillusioned with fame that he began writing songs about leaving the band, something he did in 1998. More members came and went. By 2001, those that were left had little energy left to sort through the entanglements, wandering away from their Durham home base and off into side-projects and solo work. Just like that, the Squirrel Nut Zippers were gone.

“Down in Mississippi and in the South, most people know me as a honky-tonk singer or a blues singer,” Mathus says of his post-Zippers work, a period of time that included him touring with blues legend Buddy Guy and producing a record for Elvis Costello. “They don’t even know anything about Squirrel Nut Zippers in the places I play down here, so that made me realize how unique that music was and how strange and beautiful it was.”

Eventually, though he doesn’t own a computer or surf the Internet, Mathus began to realize that the Zippers’ following had actually grown in stature while they were gone.

“There’s nothing like us,” Mathus says. “Now that we’ve been on the road, Devotchka — these different groups that we’ve toured with over the past couple years — tell me that they’re influenced by us and that’s why they’re interested in the music that they’re doing now and their style and approach to what they’re doing. From Manhattan to San Francisco and all around the country, there are people who have things going on that are based on what we started. I’ve seen these groups in the past couple years, so in that regard, I knew that it had meant something.”

That said, Mathus admits that he has no greater expectations for the band now than he did when they started 16 years ago, refusing to offer any indications that the they’ll eventually head back into the studio to see what frontiers remain. Now parents whose children are starting their careers as musicians, Mathus says that this time around the band will stay rooted in the present, enjoying what the moment offers, however profitable or unprecedented.

“When it’s all said and done, it is a blessing to us, and that’s where it’s at,” Mathus says firmly. “We just come make people happy with our shows, and we put a lot of time and energy and consideration into how we interact with people and the audience and crowds and make everybody happy and have a good time. That’s what the Squirrel Nut Zippers are B about.”

Come Climb With Us!!!

665 Barber St. 706-354-0038 activeclimbing.com

courtesy fiery furnaces

Catch of the Day

photo: joshua weinfeld

Port O’Briens Trip From Alaskan Anomaly to Nationwide Buzz Band

by ALEC WOODEN A lot of things come off Alaskan fishing boats when they dock after long hauls at sea — grumpy men, pervasive aromas and, of course, loads of fresh catch. What doesn’t always step off the decks and onto the docks is mesmerizing folk-pop music, though that’s exactly what happened each time Van Pierszalowski, who along with Cambria Goodwin makes up the creative core of West Coast buzz band Port O’Brien, unloaded from his father’s salmon fishing boat on Alaska’s Kodiak Island. The arrangement was simple: Each summer, Pierszalowski would travel from California and go to sea with his father, sometimes for as many as six weeks at a time, while Goodwin would stay on shore and run the local bakery. Each would write songs in their respective isolation and converge when the fishing trips ended, a collaboration which spawned many of the songs that carry POB’s early discography on either of two albums released in 2007 — The Wind and the Swell and All We Could Do Was Sing.

Pierszalowski's fishing days are over, due to a combination of the backbreaking work and the band's increased touring schedule behind its latest offering, Threadbare (released October 6). Checking in from San Francisco (home base these days), Pierszalowski reflects on the new record, his days on the boat and his band's bright future.

Alec Wooden: Literal band names are always interesting — and yours is

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literally a place I could find on a map and go visit, right?

Van Pierszalowski: Ya, it's the name of a now abandoned cannery on Kodiak Island in Alaska where my parents met in the late '60s. It's still there, but no one works there. I love that imagery of this place that was kind of this once-thriving community that's now just disappearing.

AW: Sum up life on a fishing boat.

Van: It's hard work. Long hours. We basically have to work as long as the fish are swimming, and they're swimming as long as the sun is out — which, in Alaska in the summertime, is pretty much always (laughs). You probably work about 20 hours a day, and you're out at sea for up to six weeks at a time or so. It's very tough, very intensive.

AW: The romanticized image of any songwriter always seems to have them alone. What is it that's so artistic about isolation?

Van: Well, on the boat, for example, I didn't talk to anyone but my dad or my crew for six weeks. It really frees your mind of a lot of the distractions — modern day distractions like technology and text messaging that are always around you, all of a sudden there's none of that. Maybe the positive of that is that you can put more of your own sort of personal stamp on things.

AW: It's been a couple summers since you've had that routine, so the writing

process was obviously different for Threadbare. Did you find the change in setting to be a challenge?

Van: We had so much going on in our lives that it was really easy to get inspiration. I think being in a city, in many ways, is just as inspirational as being out on boat. There's something inspirational about being distracted by text messaging (laughs).

AW: Talk a little about the recording process of Threadbare.

Van: We started in Sacramento with this big band that we'd been touring with, and we quickly realized that it really wasn't working and ended up scrapping the whole session. But we knew we had to do it because it wasn't what we wanted it to sound like. We stripped the band down to just me and Cambria and [band member] Ryan [Stively]. We basically just recorded for about 23 days in a row, nonstop, just recording and therapy sessions (laughs).

After that, we still had about five songs we wanted to do a little bigger, that needed more strings and arrangements and what not, so we finished up the record in L.A. at a place called The Ship Studio with Aaron Espinoza.

AW: Where does the album fit into the natural progression of Port O'Brien?

Or does it at all?

Van: With our music, it's all the same sorts of songs (across records) — so it's more of the way that we see them, the way we approach them. With The Wind & The Swell (2007), that was recorded by me and Cambria in our bathroom. We did it in like six days, really rushed, basically just because we didn't know what we were doing. With Threadbare, we had a totally different approach.

AW: NPR recently tagged you guys with its “Song of The Day” honor. Do things like that add any pressure moving forward?

Van: Not really. In the last three years, we've had our fair share of stuff like that. Not saying that it isn't an honor — we were very excited about

that. But I don't really ever feel pressure because of reviews or critiques or anything like that.

AW: What's the most important thing you've learned from Cambria?

Van: Growing up I was kind of a goody-two-shoes, just blindly going forward. She kind of shook me out of that and changed my perspective on things.

AW: What do you think she would say she's learned from you?

Van: Oh man, I don't even want to guess (laughs).

AW: Is there a comparison of your music you've heard that stands out as the most flattering?

Van: Everyone kind of says Neil Young. That's flattering, obviously. Neil is amazing, a big inspiration for us.

AW: Are there comparisons you've just never understood?

Van: A lot of people say Arcade Fire, which is just lazy. Just because we have strings, I guess, and some shouting (laughs)? The songwriting style is completely different. I really have never understood why everyone says that.

It's like the Beatles. Everyone always says everyone sounds like the Beatles.

AW: The end of the year is coming up, and everyone's making their “best of”lists.

What's going to be on yours?

Van: The Papercuts record is absolutely amazing. And I really like Camera Obscura's new record a lot.

AW: Define success for Port O'Brien in the next six months to a year.

Van: If we can just stay together and keep playing shows. That's the important thing. People forget how hard it is to keep a band together. So B that'll be success.

Athens Blur Magazine: Do you remember your first impression of Daryl Hall?

John Oates: I first saw Daryl in his vocal group, The Temptones. I saw them perform at a show and was impressed immediately. I knew they were great singers; they were all really great singers. So I was aware of Daryl before he was aware of me. [Our bands] were out at the same time, competing with each other basically on local radio. So we became aware of each other and then we met, and my band was kind of falling apart, the guys were going their separate ways. His group actually needed a guitar player, so I joined up with him as a guitar player. When that band fell apart, Daryl and I just kind of gravitated toward each other.

ABM: What was your mindset starting out? There probably wasn't any way to know all those years ago that now you'd have the success you guys have had. Do you remember having your first 'wow, we have something really special here' moment?

JO: Never (laughs). We really never did. We always took it one step at a time. You know, we had small but important goals that we tried to achieve. We didn't just want to have success and then disappear and go somewhere and get a job. That wasn't even something that entered my mind. We took everything in very realistic steps — 'How can we write a better song?' 'How can we find a better producer?' 'How can we find a better studio?' 'Find a great band?' 'Go into the studio with our better band?' These are all goals we achieved along the way, you know. The first goal was to get a record contract and go on tour, and after that we just kept on moving forward.

ABM: This box set (Do What You Want, Be What You Are - 10/13, RCA/Legacy) does a wonderful job of spanning your entire career. Obviously other than the fact that it's a song, why is Do What You Want, Be What You Are the perfect name for this project?

JO: I think it represents our philosophy not only of life but of music. We did what we wanted to do in the way we wanted to do it and we

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focused on what was important to us, which was the songwriting, the playing, the arranging, the singing and the performing. The commercial success was a byproduct and followed that philosophy.

We didn’t go out there saying ‘We’re gonna set the world on fire, become the biggest duo of all time and have numerous number one records.’ That was not our motivation, and over the years I think we were sold short, especially by rock journalism in the early days, as kind of hit makers with some sort of premeditated or prepackaged formula for number one records, which was anything but the case.

ABM: What’s your favorite bit of the unreleased material on the set?

JO: My favorite is the live tracks from the ‘70s. It was just a great moment. It was our first trip to Europe, our first show in London. We were the darlings of the London underground for that period of time.

We were a cult band, really. We had no hits, and there was a buzz about us. Everyone turned out, and we were on fire that night and we were just a really cool young band just going for it. I hear the energy and I hear the passion of the ‘trying to make your mark’ kind of statement that we did that night.

ABM: As you look at the liner notes for this collection and all the musicians commenting on what your music has meant to them -- why has the music of Hall and Oates stood the test of time?

JO: Because of the songwriting. It's a very simple answer. We started as songwriters, we're passionate about songwriting, we put most of our emphasis into songwriting...and everything else just sort of falls into place.

ABM: Those people have all learned something from you — but what have you and Daryl learned from each other?

JO: I have no idea what he'd say about me (laughs).

What I'd say about him is that he's a consummate musician and has a passion for what he does and it's the only thing he really cares about in his life. He's always been that way.

Probably what I brought to him was the appreciation of the traditional American acoustic music and folk blues that I was steeped in

before I even met him.

ABM: You keep mentioning the songwriting, something for which you were honored a few years ago with an induction into the American Songwriter's Hall of Fame. How big of a validation was that for you?

JO:[It is] probably one of the most satisfying things that has ever happened. I mean, to be honored in that way is very, very personally important to me. It's really given me a chance to reach out, and work and associate with people that I respected. It's just been a real good thing.

ABM: Who's the one artist or songwriter, current or historical, that you've always been in awe of?

JO: For me, Joni Mitchell is the consummate songwriter. I think her artistry is just superb. Ya know, but there's so many: Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, Chris Mayfield.

The list goes on and on. There's so many great songwriters.

You know I would be remiss if I didn't mention so many more, so I don't even want to have mentioned the ones I mentioned.

ABM: You've been a performing artist through many of the most fascinating periods in music history: the rise and falls of genres, the rise of technology in this digital age. So much has changed in the music world since Hall and Oates began - but what's something that hasn't changed?

JO: Passion for music that every generation seems to have.

I'm always impressed with the new generation of musicians that are coming up now. The ones who are good are really really good. They've got this incredible background and depth of material to draw from that we didn't have and you know the passion that they have is still burning.

ABM: Keeping in mind all that's changed, what would you find exciting again if you were a young, aspiring musician in 2009?

JO: Well, I find exciting things and depressing things. Exciting things are that you have the ability to reach the world through the Internet, the virtual world. And the depressing thing is that you have the ability to reach the world through the Internet and things (laughs).

Because you get lost in the mass of all the crap that's out there and all the crazy stuff that's going on. It's hard for people to focus.

ABM: Here's a nice full circle moment: 29 years after its release, “You Make My Dreams” was featured in 500 Days of Summer, one of the big film sensations of this past summer. Did you see the movie?

JO: Yeah, I did. The song was the highlight of the movie (laughs)! It was well acted. It was a great story and very creatively done. And the song really encapsulated that euphoria that you can have when you're falling in love. I think it was a really, really well done moment. I saw it in the theater with my family and that song came on and people started clapping along and I thought that was really awesome, because that doesn't really happen often in a movie theater. I B mean, it really reached people.

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on the road: P GROOVE Brock Butler Tour Diary: I like tours of Va. and the Northeast. I had a fine time at the Norva. I’m pretty sure it’s the only venue that in the elevator (also rare) has a button for the floor labeled “basketball court.” Fairly standard show. Hollins all gal college: either we are the loudest band ever to play there or...they didn’t get the right permits. The show’s stopped by local law enforcement — very enthused law, I might add, who demanded I stop speaking through the microphone even though I was saying “Sorry for the stop, please don’t give the officers or show organizers a hard time.” So much for being helpful.

••• Fall tours usually break up in my mind by football games. Sundays and Mondays are usually days off. In this case, the whole crew stays with my family in Va. My uncle’s garage is fully converted to a bar if that says anything. There were multiple TVs and BBQ from down the street. I believe this is the third trip in a row where the family hosts the fellas. I’m pretty sure everyone on both sides liked the visit. Now rested and fed, we’re off to Blacksburg then Pittsburgh.

••• Blacksburg: The show was beyond sold out. That kind of energy always brings things to make a good show. There were a few uninvited people on stage (not cops this time, at least). I still don’t care for anyone other than musicians on stage. We had Future sharing the gig, and found out they would be in Fall Church and Townson, Md. I think it’s a nice pairing of bands.

Check them out.

••• Pittsburgh: Fine show at a newer venue in town, but they treated us well, which is always nice. It was the first time to meet Hruby’s parentals. My showering and hygiene questionable, I decide against accepting invitations to dinner with both Perry’s and Hruby’s mother and father. Feeling in the flow . . . life is fine.

••• Falls Church . . . sort of: Woke to crunching noise this morning, which ended up being the real axle of the bus. My hopes of waking at the destination were crushed. We need shelter and supplies. Pulling up stakes and heading California way.

••• My plans for seeking my fortune in the West scrapped in favor of a new bus coming to get us in Falls Church. I had to ride in the tow truck with the towing gear along with Albro, while the other brave souls took the rental van piloted by Hruby. Even after all the day’s headaches, back aches, belly aches and what have you, or maybe even because of them, playing felt really great. Sometimes seeing what you’re made of is a good

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fall tour 09

“If you’ve ever had your tooth drilled for a filling, there’s a sound it makes inside your head.

You’re numb but still able to hear a crunch sound.

That’s the sound the rear axel of a tour bus falling off reminds me of. (brock butler, p-groove) thing (note: I had been in favor of canceling the show and looking for a hotel and a hot tub.) The fact that the show happened was little thanks to me. I did reap the benefits. It felt cathartic and therapeutic. It may have been sloppy, but that’s often mixed with passion.

••• If you’ve ever had your tooth drilled for a filling, there’s a sound it makes inside your head. You’re numb but still able to hear a crunch sound. That’s the sound the rear axle of a tour bus falling off reminds me of. Cut to the new bus — we’ve transferred all our belongings to a new vessel. Mental note: the kitchen area in the new bus is far more slick than the previous bus. I know this because my leg hurts this morning. Now it could be just the floor, or it is likely a combination of said slickness and the many Crown shots I took with Ryan Dunn. The show was in West Chester, Pa. The club is owned by Bam Margera of MTV fame. He seemed a nice enough fellow. I sat for a good bit post-show with Dunn. He holds his Crown well. In a flashback — take you to about 90 minutes earlier — Brian said he thought he saw smoke coming out of my amp. I’m sure that symptom was related to why it stopped producing

W

hen most people hear the phrase “touring with a rock band,” they get the image of sold-out arenas, heavy partying and luxury suites. After my first three-week tour, I can say that I am pleasantly surprised that this glamorized version of the live touring world has been shattered in my mind. It takes a certain patience and cohesiveness of a band and crew to be able to live on a van or bus (if you can afford it), while maintaining the piece of mind to always remember the reason everyone is sacrificing time away from girlfriends, family, friends and a social life in general is the pure and deep-rooted passion for music. No matter what happens, and how difficult it may be to make a show happen, the minute the music starts it all becomes worth the struggle.

During my first tour with Perpetual Groove, I found an honest, hard-working band and crew that truly believes this central truth of the touring world and does a hell of a job making it happen. I have experienced fans that have helped bring this group great success in the past, and will participate in the elevation of their reputation for some time to come. In three weeks touring through the northeastern U.S., I have experienced: 12 live shows in 12 different cities with 12 different sets, a bus breakdown, my first casino, 80 degrees and sunny to 28 degrees and snowy, the smallest “venue” I have seen with the craziest crowd of the tour, a balding white guy rap, people win bets and people lose bets, a crew member in the hospital, a truly spectacular light show, Bam Margera and Ryan Dunn, bras tossed on stage and learning the road schedule of up at 1 p.m., to bed at 5 a.m.

What I love the most about touring with this band is the new challenges every day and every city brings. Every show, city, venue and night is different, and truly anything can happen. It is this aspect of the life on the road that has taken a hold on me and keeps me wanting to go out for more. (Brian Storey — P-Groove tour Intern)

sound. To finish the show I had to plug my electric into a DI box. No technical talk needed to explain; it was not my ideal way to perform, and while I didn’t give in to bad attitude and let it affect the show, many many shots were most welcome. And Ryan Dunn made for a cool chat and person to drink with. In spite of a broken amp, or perhaps because of it, the show had a great silly quality to it. I guess to make up for a funky guitar tone, I just had to get my Jay-Z/Wu Tang on, which Dunn enjoyed.

••• Towson, Md., was a solid show. I borrowed an amp from Future. This would be the last show where they were opening. I think our bands made a nice pairing.

I sat in on an improvised section of their set. I hope to do some shows with them in the future. Ba-dada-thump.

••• Sometimes days off seem like a week all on their own.

Not having anything to do or money to spend meant time was dragging. I didn’t know what to expect from New Haven on Tuesday and was pleasantly surprised.

From this night on, I would hear from a lot of folks that they had caught our late set at “Gathering of the Vibes,” and for our turnout in the Northeast, that set apparently has made a fair impression. This leg of the run had The Bridge from Baltimore, Md. Toads was a cool room. Starting to feel good about our collective playing, and I got the amp in order. Rock it!

••• Expecting New York to be a great show to wrap the tour. We started sound checking “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z in anticipating this show. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen snow in October, but now I have. Burlington, Vt., is always a blast. Tonight was no exception. Higher Ground is two venues inside

one building. Yonder Mountain was playing in the other room. They’re a good group of folks at Higher Ground, always really nice to us, remember our names and for some reason that we lose at poker. (I wonder why they remember that? Hmmm.) Near capacity crowd, crazy crazy energy. I was so caught up in the end of the show that I walked outside with no coat, soaked in sweat and felt the tightness the next day. I still want to thank Danny Foe doing sound as P-Tron was too ill. I might as well say every set from The Bridge was very solid. Great friends and I like sharing gigs with them. “Teak Wood” and “Walking in Place” were particular stand outs ••• When I heard that the club in Foxboro was near the football stadium, I didn’t think they meant attached. It was unusual — a movie theater, Gillette Stadium and the venue. Again a lot of folks were mentioning the “Vibes” set, and with a fair amount of Perry’s family in the house, we finally put on a rock show for them. Shows and venues in our past trips this way never impressed Adam’s family, at least for no reason I could see. It’s been nearly 18 days on the road, and we had the Jay-Z ready to rock, Hruby does Alicia Keys surprisingly well.

Neelly and I went to a pizza place that was known to Howard Stern fans. It was delicious. Not our first time in the Bowery Ballroom; I love that room. It was a sold out crowd, really the perfect way to end the run. We have a lot of good friends in the city.

P-Groove’s original drummer made it out to say hello; it’s always great to see him. With Patrick back at the front of the house, we played really tight. It was a culmination of the past 18 days for sure. Those streets will make you feel brand new. Bright lights will inspire you.

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musici

CO an RNER ’

gear guide

s

BOSS VE-20 Vocal Performer The new, easy-to-use VE-20 has been designed from the ground up for singers and features some of the finest vocal-effects technology on the market. The VE-20 is ideal for all types of vocal expression, including traditional singing, narration, and beat boxing.

The VE-20 comes with all the effects you need to add unique flair to your vocal performance.

With the click of a footswitch, lush vocal doubling and harmonies, real-time pitch correction, delay, reverb, limiting, and special effects — such as Distortion, Robot, Chromatic, Radio, and Strobe — can be added. Layers and loops can also be created in real time with the onboard Phrase Looper.

The tough BOSS construction of the VE-20, as well as its ability to run for hours on six AA batteries, makes the VE-20 the ultimate portable pedal for vocalists. With stereo XLR outputs, ¼” and XLR inputs, and a simple user interface, the VE-20 is perfect for serious live-performance or recording.

Matchless Avalon 30 The Avalon utilizes an innovative new hybrid construction method which combines point to point wiring, circuit tracing, and turret style construction. All parts, including the transformers, are identical to the ones that go into their traditional amps and are hand wired and built in their factory in Los Angeles.

The result is an amplifier that produces crystal clear, dynamic, three dimensional tones that are unique to Matchless at a lower price point.

The Avalon also comes standard with a plexi-glass front panel which showcases a glossy black chassis illuminated by recessed lighting and it features the signature Matchless light up logo. The traditional front panel is optional.

Another unique aspect of the Avalon is that it is highly scaleable and customizable so you can truly make it your own.

StageTrix Pedal Riser Most pedalboards have only one level, requiring an awkward tap dance when using the second row of pedals, to avoid stomping on the controls of pedals in the first row. This 18-guage steel riser raises the second row of pedals to the perfect height. Front, back and side openings enable effective cable routing. It attaches to your board via a heavy duty hook-and-loop fastener on the base, which is designed to withstand temperatures of up to 200°F without melting. Now leaving your pedal board in your vehicle on a summer day won’t result in a gooey mess with all the Velcro peeling off!

electro-harmonix Cathedral Stereo Reverb Pedal Enter the Cathedral and surround your music with the aria of divine presence. True stereo reverbs reveal your inspirations while programmability recalls your spirit of creation. With a heritage from the Holy Grail pedal, the Cathedral provides the finest modeled reverb spaces available today. Simple yet articulate user controls give you defined studio quality performance possibilities. The Cathedral is the performer’s mantra creating the perfect space for your instrument or voice while offering an elegance that takes your music to a higher ground.

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Korg SV-1

The SV-1 contains the hippest, most in-demand and soul-satisfying keyboard sounds ever collected in a single instrument. Decades of electro-mechanical, transistorized, tape-driven, analog, and digital legends are joined by a collection of rich acoustic pianos, all reproduced with stunning realism. But the SV-1 is about much more than excellent sound; the SV-1 re-creates the look, the feel, and visceral pleasure of performing on a vintage instrument.

Crafted using Korg’s RX (Real eXperience) Technology; each sound is a detailed and authentic re-creation, accurately capturing the full range of expression and dynamics of the original. The snap of the tine, the release of the hammer, the click of the contacts—every element has been preserved. By isolating these sonic components, the RX engine allows you to create a sonic signature from showroom-shiny to road-ravaged; adding just the right amount to suit your individual taste.

The SV-1 also recreates the effect pedals and studio processing that gave these sounds their original luster. The proven, tube-driven (12AX7) Valve Reactor circuit adds warmth and realism to period-accurate amplifier models. Together, the three-band EQ, Pre-FX, Modulation FX and Reverb/Delay add yet another dimension of authenticity to your playing.

Morpheus DropTune Pedal This is the first effects pedal that provides simultaneous electronic drop tuning of all your instrument’s strings. Now you can play not only single notes, but full chords in drop tune mode. The DropTune pedal’s patentpending technologies deliver a whole new level of versatility by allowing you to instantly drop tune your instrument up to 3 and a half steps in ½ step increments, plus a full octave drop for exciting new sounds for virtually any style of playing.

Tascam HS-P82 TA S C A M ’s HS-P82 offers 8 tracks of the highest quality recording, yet it’s built for the rigors of location recording with reliable solid-state performance. The HS-P82 is built for location television and film production audio, with eight microphone inputs for big shoots or reality programs. The standard XLR microphone inputs include phantom power and analog limiting, with trims controlled from recessed front-panel controls. In addition to the eight individual tracks, a stereo mixdown can be recorded for instant use during editing.

For high-resolution music recording, a set of AES/EBU connectors is available for attaching pedigree A/D converters and preamplifiers.

SMPTE timecode in and out, video and word sync are provided. All of this is controlled from a color touchscreen interface which makes operation fast and simple.

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Zoom Q3 Handy Video Recorder

This handheld marvel combines amazing video recording with brilliant audio recording, making the Zoom Q3 the coolest gadget on the block. It even comes with HandyShare video editing software that’s got a built-in YouTube uploader, so you’re ready to share your creations with the world. Whether you start off recording band rehearsals and performances, then branch off into capturing interviews and video casts, you’ll keep finding new ways to use your Zoom Q3.

Sonor Phil Rudd Special Edition Drum Set Celebrating a collaboration of almost 40 years, SONOR and Phil Rudd have teamed up to create a unique special edition drum kit. This kit features the large, powerful Sonor drums that have been the driving force behind AC/DC’s sound.

The Phil Rudd Special Edition Drum Set features a 22” X 18” no mount Bass Drum, a 13” X 12 1/2” Tom Tom, an 18” X 17 1/2” Floor Tom, and a 16” X 17 1/2” Floor Tom in a gloss black finish. Hardware is also included, (bass drum pedal, two mini-boom stands, a single t o m stand and hi hat).

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pens . mugs . bags magnets . umbrellas t-shirts . beach & golf accessories . planners calendars . executive gifts . embroidery & screenprint . stickers etcetera etcetera http://pptpromo.geigermall.com

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ARTS &ENTERTAINMENT upcoming on the screen making sure it’s worth your $9.50

Brothers (DECEMBER 4) (Jim Sheridan) They Say: Brothers Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) and Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal) are polar opposites. When Sam’s Black Hawk helicopter is shot down on his fourth tour of duty in the Marines and he is presumed dead, Tommy tries to fill in for his brother by taking on Sam’s role to his two children-and wife (Natalie Portman). Trouble arises that shakes the foundation of the whole family when Sam is found alive.

We say: A sticky situation and a glimpse into the human condition combined with a harsh dose of reality are the perfect ingredients for this war drama. An all-star — and handsome — cast will fill theatre seats with people in search of a juicy love triangle that doesn’t involve vampires.

A single Man (DECEMBER 11) (Tom Ford) They Say: The story of a gay man, portrayed by Colin Firth, who wakes one morning to find his lover lying dead beside him and how he copes through the scope of one day.

Armored (DECEMBER 4) (Nimród Antal) They say: A crew of officers at an armored transport security firm risk their lives when they embark on the ultimate heist…against their own company. Their fool-proof plan unravels when an unexpected witness interferes.

We say: Matt Dillon stars in his first major release since “You, Me, and Dupree” in this action/thriller film. While the actors seem good enough, a familiar and predictable plot may leave you less then thrilled.

We Say: If the classical music and the artistic imagery of the trailer is any indication, “A Single Man” will be a hit with artsy/indie film lovers, but may seem a bit odd to the average movie goer.

Invictus (DECEMBER 11) (Clint Eastwood) They Say: A biopic that looks at the partnership of former President Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) of South Africa and Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), the captain of South Africa’s rugby team, as they try to unite their apartheid-torn country through the universality of sport.

We Say: With A-list actors (Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman) and an A-list director (Clint Eastwood) this inspiring sports tale, if not a triumph at the box office, will be a sure fire contender for next year’s Oscar race.

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Avatar (DECEMBER 18) (James Cameron) They Say: In the future, Jake, a paraplegic war veteran, is brought to another planet, Pandora, which is inhabited by the Na’vi, a humanoid race with their own language and culture. Those from Earth find themselves at odds with each other and the local culture.

We Say: In this “Star Wars” meets “Lord of the Rings “film, the whimsical-like Pandora’s native Na’vi and Earth’s humans battle in visually stunning action scenes. This will be a film of epic proportions.

It’s Complicated (DECEMBER 25) (Nancy Meyers) They Say: Jane and her exhusband Jake begin an affair after 10 years of being apart while away at their son’s college graduation. Jane is now “the other woman” to Jake’s young wife, while also juggling a newcomer of her own, Adam, who becomes the third party in the love triangle when he tries to date Jane.

We Say: This movie’s plot has the potential to be a boring life-afterdivorce romantic comedy, but the cast should be able to save it from that fate. Seeing Alec Baldwin as the suave Jake and Steve Martin as the nerdy but lovable Adam fight it out for Meryl Streep’s Jane should make for a pretty funny flick.

Did You Hear About the Morgans?

(DECEMBER 18) (Marc Lawrence) They Say: In New York City, an estranged couple who witness a murder are relocated to smalltown Wyoming as part of a witness-protection program.

We Say: The witty character of Hugh Grant (Paul) and Sarah Jessica Parker (Meryl) make this film a must-see comedy. Seeing Manhattanites trying to make it in small-town Wyoming will no doubt make for some good laughs. No amount of heel-clicking in designer ruby shoes will get these two back to The Big Apple.

Nine (DECEMBER 25) (Rob Marshall) They Say: Based off of Federico Fellini’s “Eight and a half,” this musical follows Guido Contini, a famous Italian director in the 1950s as he goes through a mid-life crisis and tries to deal with the many women in his life.

We Say: This movie will be a sexy romp through the world of the rich and famous in 1950s Italy. Musical lovers should be entertained watching Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman and Penelope Cruz as they sing, dance and run around in lingerie.

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285 W. Washington St. Athens, GA Call 706-549-7871 for show updates FOR ADVANCE TICKETS & MORE INFORMATION, VISIT 40WATT.COM

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DECEMBER 11

ATHENS FACE OFF #6!

GARAGE A TROIS, PART 2: TEAMS OF ATHENS ALL-STARS GET TOGETHER FOR 10 MINUTE SETS IN A RAPID-FIRE, THREE-STAGE ROTATION DOORS @ 9:30, MUSIC @10 ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT FOOD 2 KIDS

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS THREE NIGHT HOMECOMING STAND!!!

NIGHT I BENEFIT FOR NUÇI'S SPACE WITH BLOODKIN AND THE CAMP AMPED ALL-STARS THURSDAY JANUARY 14 | 8:00 PM DOORS

NIGHT II WITH THE DECOYS (FEATURING DAVID HOOD — PATTERSON’S DAD! — ON BASS) FRIDAY JANUARY 15 | 8:00 PM DOORS

NIGHT III WITH THE DECOYS (FEATURING DAVID HOOD — PATTERSON'S DAD! — ON BASS)

SATURDAY JANUARY 16 | 8:00 PM DOORS TICKETS ON SALE AT SCHOOL KIDS RECORDS IN ATHENS AND SCHOOL KIDS' CHARGE-BY-PHONE AT 706.353.1666

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Dubconscious @ New Earth Music Hall (Wes Elkin) John Keane, Mike Mantione, Mike Mills, Vanessa Hay @ Classic Center (Stefan Eberhard) Clare and the Reasons @ 40 Watt (Alyssa De Hayes) Timi Conley @ Thunder Jam (Daniel Peiken) The Airborne Toxic Event @ Variety Playhouse (Nicole Black) Bonobo @ New Earth Music Hall (Wes Elkin) Elf Power @ Orange Twin (Daniel Peiken) The Antlers @ 40 Watt (Alex Gibbs) 60

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

concert shots 1

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The Mumlers @ 40 Watt (Wes Elkin) Twin Tigers @ 40 Watt (Alex Gibbs) Minus The Bear @ 40 Watt (Alex Gibbs) Vic Chesnutt @ 40 Watt (Alyssa De Hayes) Scott Spillane EXP @ Orange Twin (Daniel Peiken) The Airborne Toxic Event @ Variety Playhouse (Nicole Black) Black Heart Procession @ 40 Watt (Wes Elkin) ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

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concert shots

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Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros @ 40 Watt (Stefan Eberhard) Abbey Road Live! @ Classic Center (Stefan Eberhard) Dark Party @ New Earth Music Hall (Wes Elkin) Dark Meat @ 40 Watt (Wes Elkin) Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros @ 40 Watt (Stefan Eberhard) Prize Country @ Caledonia Lounge (Wes Elkin) 62

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editor’s picks favorite shots from blur’s year in the crowd

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Pigs on the Wing (Joshua Payne) Sister Hazel (Wes Elkin) Parker Gispert (Stefan Eberhard) Akron/Family (Alyssa De Hayes) Circulatory System (Alyssa De Hayes) Learn Nothing (Alex Gibbs) Pretty Lights (Wes Elkin) Boo Ray (Daniel Peiken) Chairlift (Alyssa De Hayes) Ben Kweller’s bassist (Haleigh Hoffman) Herman Hitson (Will Gravlee) Jarod Swilley of Black Lips (Stefan Eberhard) Col. Bruce Hampton (Stefan Eberhard) ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

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worth a thousand...

A look inside the Georgia Theatre, November 2009. Photo: Justin Evans