Music News & Gossip

originally published October 25, 2006

Okay, truth be told, I was never that good of a break dancer. Or any type of dancer for that matter. Even so, I can bust a move with this local music news, so throw on your baggy pants and get jiggy with it, yo.

Spoooky: What's up with Halloween? It's a time when local bands usually engage in a bit of fun, covering songs they wouldn't otherwise and such. Get the lowdown on all the music-related All Hallows Eve goodness (or evilness) in the ABC show listings section here.

Sometimes Your Neighbors Rock: Finally, some good news from a situation that could have turned out very badly. Local musician John Fernandes (Circulatory System, Elf Power, Dark Meat, Olivia Tremor Control, etc.) returned home from work one recent Saturday to find that his house had been stripped clean of all musical instruments and several boxes of CDs belonging to his record label Cloud Recordings. A distressed Fernandes, due to head out on the latest Circulatory System tour, made his way to the police station to make a report. When he got there, he discovered a quick-thinking neighbor had observed the criminal activity, called the police and the bad guys were caught red-handed. Fernandes got his gear back, embarked on his tour and the perpetrators were stuck doing the jailhouse rock.

On the Other Hand: The Whitehall Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, on East Whitehall Road, however, was robbed of a guitar, a keyboard, speakers and an amp two weeks ago. As of press time, unfortunately, the goods haven't turned up.

Hanging CHAD: Up for a road trip? Longtime Athens deejay, visual artist and musician Michael Lachowski (of Pylon) is currently enjoying his newest art show, CHAD, in Charleston, SC. The exhibit, whose name stands for “Charleston Historical Art, Dude” will have a big party thrown in its honor on Saturday, Oct. 28 at Charleston’s Maritime Center featuring Athenian band Modern Skirts. An afterparty will follow at at the CHAD exhibit at promoters Keane & Co. headquarters in Charleston. For more awesome information, please see www.chad2006.com.

More Bounce To The Ounce: Recent UGA journalism school graduate and Stone Mountain-based rapper $hamrock (AKA Timothy Rasmussen) will open for Houston, TX flavor-of-the-month Chamillionaire on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at UGA’s Legion Field. Buoyed by the popularity and strength of his recent football-themed track “Bulldawg Bounce,” Rasmussen is, understandably, thrilled about this recent development. Raised in Conyers and Decatur, Rasmussen began rapping in high school and as a UGA student won competitions which led him to an enviable opening gig for The Roots. His debut EP Here I Go was released earlier this year. Sample his wares over at www.myspace.com/shamrockmusic.

First Ever: Local label Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records will host its first ever CMJ label showcase during the annual New York City event next month. Taking place at The Cake Shop, the label will spotlight performances by Casper & The Cookies, Keith John Adams, Baby Calendar, Russian Spy Camera and Poison Control Center. The showcase takes place on Thursday, Nov. 2, and begins at the only-during-a-music-marathon oddball time of 8:40 p.m. For more info, go to www.hhbtm.com.

Big Timin’: Local rapper Ishues will open for critically acclaimed rap group Dead Prez at Atlanta venue The Loft on Friday, Nov. 3. The pairing seems to be a natural fit between the two, as Ishues is among the most socially outspoken of our local hip hop artists, and Dead Prez has made an entire career out of politically barbed and people-oriented music.

Best of The Best: There is absolutely no question about Drive-By Truckers' love for Nuçi’s Space. To wit, the band will perform its annual benefit shows for the space on Friday, Nov. 3 and Saturday, Nov. 4 at the fabulous 40 Watt. Tickets for each night are $20 in advance and, trust me folks, they will sell out. In other news, the band was recently named Group of the Year during the fifth annual Americana Awards. There just seems to be no end to what DBT can accomplish and folks, let me tell you, these guys deserve every frickin’ good thing that comes their way. Salt of the earth, they are. Buy tickets for the shows over at www.drivebytruckers.com, and watch next week's Flagpole for more on the show.

No Drinking Allowed: Nuçi’s Space and the Music Business program at UGA will host a series of non-alcoholic shows at the space over the next few weeks. No, this doesn’t mean the bandmembers themselves are teetotalers, but rather no alcohol will be served during the events. Members of the program are involved with all aspects of running the shows, including the less fun stuff like sweeping the floor and working the door. Upcoming non-alcoholic shows include Friday, Nov. 10 with Kill Gordon, Celeste and Bearfoot Hookers and Friday, Nov. 17 with Betsy Franck & the Fine Line along with Dead Confederate. Just the idea of The Bearfoot Hookers playing a show without alcohol should be enough to pique your interest. More info over at www.nuci.org.

New And So Cool: Brand-new Athens combo The Lolligags has already created a small stir among in-the-know pop purveyors around town. Recommended to me weeks ago by an acquaintance, and then again recently, I had thus far neglected to give the band a listen simply because I had forgotten. Well, the loss was all mine, folks. The keyboard-and-vocals-driven act falls solidly on the post-punk side of the keyboard divide (as opposed to the New Wave side) via the key-tickling of Ryan Breegle; singer Leslie Dallion Superstar‘s vocals are a wonderful mesh between Lene Lovich and Siouxsie Sioux. The band has recorded a four-song demo with local studio whiz Jason NeSmith, who also handles drum duties for the group. I can’t wait to catch The Lolligags live. Get addicted over at www.myspace.com/thelolligags.

Ask For It By Name: Drive-By Truckers guitarist Jason Isbell has now joined the ranks of Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry. How so? Because folks can now purchase a genuine Jason Isbell signature guitar courtesy of manufacturer First Act. Dubbed "The Jason Isbell Custom Delgada," the guitar sure looks comfortable. I haven’t had the chance to play one yet, but Isbell debuted it during the Truckers' appearance on the "Late Night With Conan O’Brien" show and loved it, so I’ll take that as gospel. Take a gander over at www.firstact.com.

Now Swallow: The release of Southern Bitch's new album Strong Medicine, originally scheduled for this month, has been pushed back to Tuesday, Nov. 14. Captiva Records is the label, and Redeye is handling the distribution. Get to anticipating.

On The Record: Kurt Wood, the former WUOG deejay long dedicated to spreading the warm hiss and pop, again opens up his vinyl vaults at 1080 Oconee St., holding another of his semi-regular front-porch sales. The man owns tens of thousands of albums, singles and 78s. Swing by his place on Saturday, Oct. 28 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. or on Sunday, Oct. 29 between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. to peruse his affordably priced gems.

And after all that, I’m wiped out. But there’s more to come next week, so to that end be sure to keep your news coming in and always mention either Threats & Promises or my name in the subject line of all emails. No rest for the wicked via email to music@flagpole.com, voicemail at 706-549-9523, ext. 203, or by post at P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603.

Gordon Lamb