Bart King & the Fair Shakes

Friday, October 27, Farm 255

originally published October 25, 2006

Songwriter Bart King returned to Athens in late 2004 after living and studying poetry in Maine and New York City. After a year of playing solo singer-songwriter shows, drawing material from his 2004-released EP Start Something, King decided that his piano-based, upbeat, bluesy jazz and light funk-rock would sound much richer with the addition of drums, guitar and bass. He went searching for, and found, a band.

"I was looking for a name for my label and feeling like I hadn’t got a fair shake from just about anybody," says King. "This is when I was still living in Maine, so it was kind of a plea for mercy. And for a fair shake." The Fair Shakes originally included Jason Cheek (ECM Trio, Gabriel Kelley) on drums, Taylor Marsh (Watchtower) on bass and Paul Cable (Watchtower) on lead guitar and dobro, but the current lineup of the band retains Cheek, while bringing in Chris Conway on bass and Stephen King on lead guitar. The band spans a spectrum from very Jack Johnson-esque guitar and jazz-piano-based pop to more soulful groove numbers that get a good swing up, along the lines of contemporary revivalist acts like The Soul Of John Black and classics like Sly & the Family Stone. While they have played in Atlanta on a monthly basis, you’ll tend to find King and crew playing at local venues like Farm 255 and the Mercury Lounge, with the odd foray into live radio on WUGA’s “It’s Friday.” King and his band just headlined one night at Gainesville's Mule Camp Festival two weeks ago.

King also had high hopes of recording an album in Atlanta, but is now hoping to produce something more suited to a modest budget. "Unfortunately, the next CD did not finish recording itself over the summer, as I was hoping it might," he says. "So I guess I'm going to have to take a more proactive approach."

Ben Gerrard

Robert Earl Keen, Kevin Fowler

Wednesday, November 1, Georgia Theatre

originally published October 25, 2006

Robert Earl Keen is young by Texas country standards; fellow countrymen Jerry Jeff Walker and Guy Clark were both driving by the time Keen was born. Still, all three artists have long hit a home state niche that eventually spread throughout the South. The subject matter is predictable, most often focusing on blood, sweat and, of course, Texas. Each of these songwriters has a unique plan for gaining and keeping fans. Keen’s strategy championed the frat crowd - synching his songs with their fond memories of college.

Keen’s funny, party-friendly lyrics have secured him a solid fanbase. Lyrics like “the road goes on forever and the party never ends,” from his most-popular song of the same title, draw large numbers of hard-drinkers to Southern venues. Many of Keen’s other lyrics are straightforward and require little interpretation: for instance, “Later on the Astros were silently beating the living crap out of Cincinnati on the TV above."

Despite the occasional obtuse line, Keen is still very much a poet. He is part of the Texas collective of songwriters that reaches back to Ramblin’ Jack and leans on heroes like Clark and Townes Van Zandt. Keen started his career in College Station, TX, where he and yet-to-be discovered neighbor Lyle Lovett wrote songs together, undoubtedly helping Keen learn how to work a college-aged crowd.

Keen’s current tour supports his latest, Live at the Ryman, a collection of old favorites recorded at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry. The recording is impressive, but raises the question: Can Robert Earl Keen release new material? His audience associates much of his catalogue with their own “good ol’ days” and it’s not uncommon to hear a litany of requests during shows. But, Keen’s fans love him. Keen loves his fans. And the party will go on forever. And the road never ends.

Ian Wheeler

The Wiyos

Thursday, October 26, Flicker Theatre & Bar

originally published October 25, 2006

Unpredictable swingin’ trio The Wiyos may operate out of Brooklyn, NY, but that doesn’t mean the members are toning down their honking hillbilly string band flavor to suit the urban masses. Comprised of one native Brooklyner (multi-instrumentalist/ washboard enthusiast Michael Farkas) and two relocated Virginians (standup bassman Joseph “Joebass” DeJarnette and guitarist Parrish Ellis), the band in which everybody sings originally came together as part of a benefit show held at recently closed rock landmark CBGB’s. The combination worked so well, the guys didn’t waste much time and fell right into things. From their formation on, the Wiyos have specialized in pre-WWII Vaudevillian styles combining ragtime shuffles, jug-band rhythms and Appalachian country fittings. It's spiritually akin to the Squirrel Nut Zippers and drawn from influences such as bluesman Rev. Gary Davis and hillbilly bluegrass artists like Dock Boggs and the original Skillet Lickers.

The band has been busy playing the coffeehouse and small theater circuit as of late, but also recently released a follow-up to the 2003 debut Porcupine called Hat Trick. Recorded live to two-track tape, kazoos, megaphones, squeezeboxes and washboards accentuate the band’s lively performances as it rips through mostly traditional tracks like the cheeky, harmonica-heavy “Lady Quit Her Husband Unexpectedly,” “Who Stole the Lock Off the Henhouse Door” and the string band standard “Cornbread and Butterbeans.”

The Wiyos stayed true to their art recording the album straight to analog during three days on two mics, with many songs solidified in one take. Headed up by producer and vintage recording gear/ guitar aficionado Perry Margouleff, it’s a fitting representation of what the Wiyos do live on an almost nightly basis - a little scalding mouth harp, a little back'n'forth hambone antics and plenty of energetic showmanship to drive their point home. Tonight's show starts at 8:30 p.m.

Michael Andrews