Thursday 6/22 Willie Jackson and the Tybee Blues Band – Tubby’s Thunderbolt (6p) The Wimps, The Gumps – El-Rocko Broccoli Samurai – Barrelhouse South
Friday 6/23 Alarm Drum, Valore, Drinking Bleach, Vacant Flowers – Space Station at Starlandia (8p) Mantras, Custard Pie – Barrelhouse South Jonathan Murphy – Dub’s Pub (8p) Prime Real Estate Trio – Congress Street Social Club Matt Eckstine – Molly MacPherson’s
Saturday 6/24 Damon and the Shitkickers – Jinx Happy Hour Junkyard Angel – Tubby’s Thunderbolt (6p) Machine Dreams, The Give and Take, The Choir of Babble – El-Rocko Roots of a Rebellion, Wild Adriatic – Barrelhouse South Hitman – Molly MacPherson’s The Mustard – Congress Street Social Club
Monday 6/26 Post Animal, Daily Exercise – El-Rocko
Tuesday 6/27 Clouds and Satellites – Foxy Loxy Cafe (7p) Ben Keiser Band – Bay Street Blues Eric Culberson Open Mic – Bayou Cafe
Wednesday 6/28 The Wailers – Stage On Bay Jonathan Brown, Dope KNife, Gray Fox, Perpetual Care – Wormhole Darkwing, Super FM, Between Symmetries – El-Rocko Eric Culberson Band – Boomy’s
1. Never heard of them. Okay. Wimps are a 3 piece punk band that was named the best punk band in Seattle at one point. Seattle. Not Pooler. Freaking Seattle. They’re on Kill Rock Stars, the record label of Elliott Smith, The Thermals, The Decemberists, and a bunch of other rad bands. There, now you’ve heard of them. Check this out.
2. Cost. It’s at El Rocko, so no cover charge. Details here. Next.
3. Too late. Again, El Rocko, so fairly early show. You can be in bed at a reasonable hour or go to another show later. May I suggest Same As It Ever Was at The Jinx?
4. Don’t like things that suck. Luckily Wimps don’t suck at all. Catchy, often hilarious songs, hi energy, fun stuff. You do like fun, right? Plus The Gumps don’t suck and are fun, too. Come to think of it, if you like The Gumps and don’t come to this show, you’re making some poor life choices. Just sayin’.
5. Punk is scary. Yeah, not this kind of punk. This is not gnarly metallic dudecore with a ridiculous pit, this is pop punk at its finest. Think pogoing, not moshing.
6. Too old. Too old? Are you dead? Actually they have a song about a mature show goer…
7. Too loud. Maybe you are too old. Nah, El Rocko’s sound is pretty decent anymore, and not brutally overbearing. Plus, you know, earplugs are a thing that exists.
8. Too dark in El Rocko. Umm, actually I might be with you on that one.
9. I only like Nintendocore/Scottish Pirate Music/Dubstep/Mathcore/contemporary country/whatever. Ummm…variety is the spice of life?…No?…maybe you just suck?
10. I suck. Going to this show will definitely make you suck a little less. Baby steps.
Seriously, just go to this show, if you don’t leave with a smile on your face, I’ll personally refund your cover charge.
. Various Artists Athens, GA Athens VS Trump Compilation out now on Bandcamp.
Cut in 48 hours in February 2017, this protest comp is a great summary of what’s going on in the ever vibrant Athens music scene. If I’m being honest, I just started digging in, but so far most if not all of the tracks are rad. Free download, with an earnest request to donate $5 to the ACLU. – tom
. Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires Birmingham, AL
“Whitewash” from Youth Detention (Nail My Feet Down To The South Side Of Town), out June 30 through Don Giovanni Records.
Man, the Don Giovanni roster is freaking stacked these days. Lee Bains and company are one of the best live rock acts in the South, and have a record on the way that confronts some of our country’s unfortunate current social issues head on. Stellar songwriting, white hot live shows and a social conscience? Count me in. – tom .
The Killers Las Vegas, NV
“The Man” from Wonderful Wonderful (no date yet)
The Killers’ first song in five years. They’re still churning out catchy tunes that make you want to dance. “The Man” just adds to my eagerness for the new album Wonderful Wonderful. – Sarah .
Ben Ottewell Bonsall, Derbyshire, UK A Man Apart
There is something about Ottewell’s voice that I have adored since he was co-frontman for Gomez. If he sang the phone book I’d be right there ready to pay up. Luckily, his songwriting ability is just as amazing. A Man Apart is his third solo release, he continues to blend Americana and Brit-pop in the best way possible. You can catch him in Atlanta on his album tour in September. – Sarah .
Worriers Brooklyn, NY
“Future Me” off their upcoming release on SideOneDummy Records
Worriers combines the best of melodic punk rock with the beauty and melancholy of frontperson Lauren Denitzio’s hyper-literate writing style. As one would expect given the title, “Future Me” reads like a note to self for Lauren’s future self chronicling a series of regrets that they don’t want to have lost to time. – Petee .
Queens of the Stone Age Palm Desert, CA
“The Way You Used To Do” off the upcoming Villains due out on August 25th
It’s been a good minute since the world’s gotten a new track from Queens of the Stone Age and it looks as if their upcoming album, Villains, will be well worth the wait. Their latest single, “The Way You Used To Do”, is a bluesy take on their classic hard rock vibe that doesn’t disappoint. – Petee .
KEWL & Sauna Heat not Savannah anymore Half Heavy
John Zimmerman’s KEWL and Michael Younker’s Sauna Heat were two of the best garage rock bands to arise from the intense creative milieu that we had in Savannah over the last few years. With both Younker and Zimmerman now living elsewhere, I can’t help but feeling a little nostalgic as I listen to this delirious lo-fi split. – bill .
The Drury Brothers Camden County, Georgia
“Day In Day Out”
Formerly playing under the name The Silver Palms, The Drury Brothers are poised to release new work under the new name. If the rest of the new album is as catchy as this pop single, the young brothers and their bandmates might be on to something. – bill
SUSTO came through Savannah last month for yet another awesome show. I’ve run out of superlatives for Justin Osborne’s songwriting and for the Charleston band’s on-stage intensity energy. SUSTO will continue touring relentlessly through the summer, so if you’re out there somewhere, check out the dates and don’t miss your chance. The Savannah show sold out, even though it was a weeknight on the cusp of the summer slowdown, so get your tickets in advance.
I wasn’t familiar at all with Becca Mancari, who was also on this MusicFile Productions/Savannah Stopover bill at The Jinx. I need to dig more deeply into Mancari’s work, but I was super-impressed by the live show. Mancari and her tight band radiated joy — a perfect opener for SUSTO.
Isaac Smith, one of Savannah’s most talented songwriters and bandleaders, opened the show.
Hey guys,
It looks like there’s a fair bit of music downtown this weekend. There will be at least a good show or two every night. Friday looks like the best night of the week, there will be two album releases by very popular Savannah artists. Matt Eckstine and the Train Wrecks will both be doing album release shows on Friday night. The good news is you can catch both shows, Matt is playing at 8pm in Bluffton, the Train Wrecks are at the Jinx, so who knows when they will come on. But you can bet they will be playing late. See you around somewhere this weekend.
Thursday 6/15 Ben Keiser Band – Tubby’s Thunderbolt (6p) Ben Keiser Band – Barrelhouse South Hailshot, Hotplate – Jinx ($5)
Friday 6/16 Hitman – Tubby’s Thunderbolt (6p) Matt Eckstine CD Release – Roasting Room Bluffton (8p) CBDB, Orange Constant – Barrelhouse South Tacomas – El-Rocko Mobley, Xulu Prophet – Wormhole ($7) Train Wrecks Album Release – Jinx
Saturday 6/17 Esteban’s Hat – Coach’s Corner (7p) Nalani Proctor, Courtney Krause, Phillip Wise, David Isaac Marchant – Sentient Bean (8p) Ambrose, Jacob Edwards Evans – El-Rocko Schema, Jonathan Scales Orchestra – Barrelhouse South
Sunday 6/18 Voodoo Soup – Congress Street Social Club
Monday 6/19 Open Mic – Wormhole Open Mic – Abe’s On Lincoln
Tuesday 6/20 City Hotel Solo Sessions – Foxy Loxy Cafe (7p) Ben Keiser Band – Bay Street Blues Eric Culberson Open Jam – Bayou Cafe
Wednesday 6/21 Hypluxo, Canopy Hands, Rich Animals – El-Rocko Eric Culberson Band – Boomy’s
There was some great music last Wednesday night in Asheville. My co-editor Tom Cartmel and I ran into some other Savannahians who had made the 300-mile drive for Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, but we were there for Car Seat Headrest at The Orange Peel.
If you’re new to Car Seat Headrest, you should know that the band started as a solo project launched by Will Toledo in 2010. Toledo — now 24 — posted some incredible work directly to Bandcamp. Check out, for example, the 14-minute “The Ending of Dramamine” from the 2014 album How To Leave Town or “Don’t Remind Me” from 2013’s Nervous Young Man, which could emerge as one of the most enduring artistic documents of growing up in our overexposed social media age. I’m not even exaggerating.
Car Seat Headrest still posts music to Bandcamp, but the two most recent records — the equally exquisite Teens of Style and Teens of Denial — were released by Matador Records. 2016’s Teens of Style was a regular entry on critics’ year-end lists; here’s what Tom had to say about the album in his annual recap:
Far and away my #1, I listened to this album constantly during the last half of 2016, often several times a day. If I wrote a review of this album it would come off as a ridiculously embarrassing, head-over-heels love letter singing praises about the lyrics, the song construction, the little musical flourishes…ughh…
For all the praise, Car Seat Headrest hasn’t yet broken through into the mainstream consciousness. I’ve been recommending the band to anyone who asks what I’m listening to these days — middle-aged friends who follow music closely, random people who think they have to ask a music-related question when they meet me, even a whole class of first-year literature students at Armstrong — and I’m nearly always met by blank stares.
It was wonderful to see so many teenagers mixed with so many older fans at the all-ages show at the Peel, all singing along to songs like “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales” and “(Joe Gets Kicked Out of School for Using) Drugs With Friends (But Says This Isn’t a Problem)”.
No surprise that Toledo and company sounded tight and seamless, and there was only one surprise to me on the setlist: the final encore song “Beast Monster Thing (Love Isn’t Love Enough)” from 2014.
For an artist who has laid bare so much of his life, Toledo has a certain admirable reserve on stage. There was almost no banter at the Asheville show, and there wasn’t any merch available either — so no chance for fans to mingle with any of the band members. The band put the songs and the emotion out there, brilliantly, but Toledo himself seemed somewhat guarded, protected by glasses, now-shaggy hair, the mic, the backlighting. I don’t mean any of that to be critical by the way — not at all. It’s the music that matters.
From Asheville, Car Seat Headrest headed to Headliners in Louisville and then Bonnaroo for a set that Consequence of Sound placed among the festival’s best. Again, no surprise.
Nap Eyes from Halifax opened the show with a fairly quiet sort-of-slackery set that seemed a perfect prelude to Car Seat Headrest. Nap Eyes is still new to me (although it turns out that I know guitarist Brad Loughead from his Savannah Stopover appearances with Each Other), but the recorded work has me hooked. The band’s 2016 album Thought Rock Fish Scale got a rare rave review from Pitchfork.
This week’s roundup of new songs and records includes work from:
Superchunk
Torres
Death From Above
HOTPLATE
Greta O. and The Toxic Shock
Superchunk Chapel Hill, NC
“I Got Cut” b/w “Up Against the Wall”, 7″ single on Merge Records to benefit Planned Parenthood
Indie rock institution Superchunk’s first new music in 4 years is a 7″ single to benefit Planned Parenthood. Straight ahead four piece guitar rock for a cause, that’s the stuff that warms the cockles of my heart. Not sure why my cockles need warmed, to be honest, but Superchunk will do it every time. – tom
. Greta O. and The Toxic Shock Savannah, GA
“Sinkhole” from upcoming full length
Whoa, this is a great surprise single from Savannah’s best punk band (seriously, they have an award to prove it). Speedy, catchy, and I’m really digging the lo-fi but clean production on this one. Somebody put the full length out so I can hear more. – tom
. HOTPLATE Savannah, GA
“Any Surface Can Be Your Death Bed” out now on Bandcamp
Pssst. Want to know a secret? HOTPLATE is my favorite instrumental metallic math rock four piece in Savannah. Nah, just kidding, they’re my favorite Savannah band period. This is another amazing, insanely tight, meandering instrumental workout topping 20 minutes. Recorded at The Garage and produced by Aphelion and the band, the recording sounds amazing. If you dig Pelican, Russian Circles, Don Caballero, The Fucking Champs, Breadwinner, heavy rock…whatever, you should check this out. Even open minded jazz fans might get it. If you like your rock complex and instrumental, you’d be dumb not to press play. So good. – tom
. Various Artists U.S.A. THE HOOD INTERNET presents 40 YEARS OF HIP HOP
The U.S. hasn’t been a country all that long (relatively), but we’ve made more than our share of contribution to the world of music with blues, jazz and hip hop. This 4 minutes is totally worth your time. – tom
. Torres Macon, GA
“Skim”
It’s hard for me not to give a little love to most artists hailing from Macon, GA given that it’s my home town. It’s even harder for me not to give a new Torres track as much play as humanly possible. The indie rock prodigy hailing from middle Georgia has released a new single that is as haunting as it is beautiful.~Petee
. Death From Above Toronto
“Freeze Me”
Change. It happens. Sometimes it’s a good thing, sometimes it’s not so good. Thankfully for Death From Above, formerly Death From Above 1979, it’s a very good thing. Along with rebranding themselves as Death From Above (which happens to be their original name for the band), they’ve also release a new, ripping, single. The duo, known for doing some pretty innovative things when it comes to bass lines, has shifted their focus a bit with their newest single. While the bass line is a bit more subdued, the piano track is the true star of this newest release and it’s absolutely amazing.~Petee
Friday 6/9 In For A Penny – Rail Pub (7-10) Dangermuffin Album Release – Tybee Post Theater ($15, 8p) Groove Orient, Roshambeaux – Barrelhouse South Zigtebra, Too Much, Street Clothes, McLeod – El-Rocko Megan Jean & The KFB – Wormhole Young Americans – Molly MacPherson’s
Saturday 6/10 Voodoo Soup – Tubby’s Thunderbolt (6p) To Speak Of Wolves The Funeral Portrait Makari After Me The Flood Henrietta Icaria Between Symmetries HOTPLATE Amor Exitium – Sulfur Studios (6-11p, $10/12) Midtown Pickers Summer Nights Party – bar.food (7p) American Hologram, Payne Bridges – Tybee Post Theater (8p, $15) Bailo – Jinx Dave Jordan & The NIA – Barrelhouse South Heart of Pine – Molly MacPherson’s Pine Box Boys, Cold Heart Canyon – Jinx The Georgia Flood – Congress Street Social Club Morning Fatty – Barrelhouse South
Sunday 6/11 Voodoo Soup – Congress Street Social Club David J Living Room Show – Bonaventure Cemetery Chapel (7p, $25) Sincerely, Iris – Sentient Bean (8p)
Monday 6/12 Open Mic – Abe’s On Lincoln
Tuesday 6/13 The Hummingbirds – Foxy Loxy Cafe (7-10p) Ben Keiser Band – Bay Street Blues Eric Culberson Open Jam – Bayou Cafe
For this week’s roundup of new music, we have work from:
Wavves
Daddy Issues
Warbringer
Radiohead
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Daniel Brady Lynch
Hot Water Music
Sheer Mag
Foo Fighters
Enjoy!
Wavves L.A. You’re Welcome out now on Ghost Ramp.
We’ve previewed a couple of Nathan Williams tunes off of his new “self-released, self-actualized, self-promoted” album You’re Welcome. Well, the whole thing is out now, and he whittled 40 fractured, beachy, punky, poppy, catchy, surfy, noisey tunes down to a solid 12 that will provide a great soundtrack for your super cool indie rock beach excursions. – tom
. Hot Water Music Gainesville, FL
“Never Going Back” off of the upcoming album Light It Up, due 9/15/17.
New Hot Water Music is always noteworthy and this new song has the more mature sound that we’ve heard on the recent releases, with Chuck Ragan taking lead vocals on this one. I’m not going to lie though, I hope we get some songs with back and forth vocals between Ragan and Chris Wollard this time around, those songs always hit hardest for me. We’ll see. – tom
. Sheer Mag Philadelphia, PA
“Just Can’t Get Enough” from Need to Feel Your Love out July 14, 2017.
I have to admit, I slept on Sheer Mag for a long time, but they’re in heavy rotation for me now. Classic 70’s rock ala The Runaways or even early Go Go’s cut with an equal measure of punk rock, it just works. If you are any kind of rock fan, I highly recommend listening to the 2017 compilation of their earlier releases, it’s really great. This is the lead single from the upcoming album, which I can’t imagine I won’t play constantly this summer. – tom
. Daniel Brady Lynch Savannah, Ga.
“Time That It Takes”
Daniel Brady Lynch has, somehow, found time to release fresh music under his own name in the midst of several other projects and a big move to Chicago. In a little bit of a departure from his punk acts Cray Bags and Greta O and The Toxic Shock, or electronica solo project Sunglow, “Time That It Takes” is a catchy, garage rock tune with a styling 90s collage video, complete with shower scene. Savannah is going to miss this dude. So, thanks for a send-off tune. Come back soon. — Joshua
. Warbringer Newbury Park, California Woe To The Vanquished
If you dig thrash metal, the new Warbringer is thrashtastic. From start to finish, Woe To The Vanquished has insane speed, dark lyrics, abrasive riffs, and head-banging breakdowns. Pretty much everything you could want from a good thrash album, like early Metallica. — Joshua
. Daddy Issues Nashville, Tennessee Deep Dream
Daddy Issues is Infinity Cat Records latest export. The Nashville-based label was founded by the Orrall brothers of JEFF The Brotherhood, who still run the label with their dad, BOB The Fatherhood. Daddy Issues opened for JEFF at this year’s Savannah Stopover, making for one of the best double-bills at a killer edition of the annual music festival. Deep Dream is musically pretty simple and straightforward, but often that’s all you need to make good garage/pop rock. This is a good stuff. Winners. — Joshua
. Foo Fighters Seattle, Washington
“Run”
Out of nowhere, Foo Fighters released a new single this week. I am always a bit on the fence with this band. I like the occasional song. This new single is killer though. The standard Foo Fighters musical tropes are at play here, but they have begun to push the boundaries. A fuzzy, effects-rich riff that starts in mono and goes stereo, Dave Grohl extending his vocal reach with some desert-drenched sounds, and an overly sweet chorus all expand their already tight sound into a new stratosphere. There are rumors Them Crooked Vultures might return, Grohl’s super group that included Josh Homme and John Paul Jones. This single reminds me of that one good album they put out. Maybe that’s what’s on his mind these days? Also, nursing home riots are a lot of fun to watch. — Joshua
. Radiohead Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England
“I Promise” from OKNOTOK, a reissue of Ok Computer
This week, Radiohead released this weary love song, built on a military drum march and Thom Yorke’s standard soaring falsetto. “I Promise” was written for their third studio album, 1997’s Ok Computer, but was shelved. They released the single and new video ahead of the 20 year celebration reissue of Ok Computer, OKNOTOK, due out on June 23. The reissue will feature three unreleased tracks, eight b-sides and the original tracks all remastered. This is one of my favorite bands of all time. At this point, like millions of other fans, I’ll enjoy pretty much whatever they put out, old or new. I am stoked for the reissue of one of my favorite albums.— Joshua
. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Muscle Shoals, Alabama
“White Man’s World” from the forthcoming The Nashville Sound
The latest intense song from Isbell’s forthcoming album explores privilege, sexism, expectations, imperialism, racism, guilt, hope, and obligation: “There’s no such thing as someone else’s war.” – bill
“Eef Barzelay may be the most underrated songwriter in the business today,” wrote NPR Music in 2010 with the release of Barzely’s Tiny Desk Concert, “with a sneakily firm grasp on poignancy and humor, and his live performances convey a kind of awkwardly fidgety fearlessness.”
Several years ago, the creative force behind beloved indie band Clem Snide teamed up with Undertow Music Collective and was sent off on a tour of house shows. These days, it’s his preferred method of connecting with fans.
It’s a fitting environment: Barzelay is an exquisite songwriter, his lyrics possessing equal parts tenderness and sly whimsy. The cozy hush of a living room is the perfect place to catch every careful word. […]
The Savannah stop on Barzelay’s living room tour is a little different as it’s being held at Revolution Yoga studio (shoes off, please!). We spoke with the singer-songwriter about film scoring, the fluidity of Clem Snide, and playing intimate shows for complete strangers.
Barzelay began releasing solo albums under his name in 2006. He recorded the music for the movie “Rocket Science” in 2007. After working with several record companies, SpinArt, Lakeshore Records and 429 Records, Barzelay began releasing his material via Bandcamp in 2011, skipping the industry machine and putting his work directly out to fans.
Which is where we find him these days, a solidified American songwriter, producing the music he wants and releasing it how he wants.
“I’ve managed to get my ducks in a row, for the most part,” Barzelay said. “Seems to be working. I am independent. I am a free agent.
“It’s kind of worked out for me in terms of the music business,” he continued. “I got into it in the late ’90s, right as the party was winding down. It was all starting to crumble. Then the internet came around and changed everything. But the internet also made it possible for me to actually do what I am doing. It kind of killed it in one sense, but it created a new thing at the same time.
According to the Undertow website, no tickets will be sold at the door on Friday evening, so click here to purchase advance tickets. Click here for the Facebook event invite.
Hey guys,
Looks like a pretty interesting week of music ahead. The music will be starting up tonight (Thursday) with a good show at the Jinx. There will be plenty of good music scattered throughout the weekend. Take note that the El-Rocko show on Saturday is supposed to start early. There will also be a band on Sunday at Barrelhouse South, that doesn’t always happen. I would like to point out the MS Benefit Show at Bay Street Blues on Monday. The line-up has not been finalized yet, but I am sure it will be a good evening. I hope to see some of y’all out and about somewhere this weekend.
Thursday 6/1 Blake Rainey & His Demons, Waits & Co. – Jinx Jonnie Morgan Band – Barrelhouse South
Friday 6/2 Danielle Hicks Band – Rail Pub (7-10p) Blake Rainey – Foxy Loxy Cafe (7-10p) Changes in Latitude: Jimmy Buffett Tribute Band – The Stage On Bay (8p, $15) House of Gunt presents Meme Girls w/ Lipschitz – Jinx Sowflo, The Mustard – Barrelhouse South
Saturday 6/3 Damon & the Shitkickers – Jinx Happy Hour Phantom Wingo – Coach’s Corner Hypnotics – Roasting Room Bluffton (8-10p) AM Rodriguez, Caleb and the Gents, The Artisinals, The Hernies – El-Rocko (8p) The Norm, Backyard Loveseat – Barrelhouse South Jon Lee & The Apparitions – Molly MacPherson’s Crazy Man Crazy, Hot Rod Walt and the Psycho Devilles – Jinx Listen 2 Three – Congress Street Social Club Magic Rocks – Bayou Cafe
Sunday 6/4 Ripe – Barrelhouse South Voodoo Soup – Congress Street Social Club
Monday 6/5 Open Mic – Abe’s On Lincoln MS Benefit Night – Bay Street Blues
Tuesday 6/6 Ben Keiser Band – Bay Street Blues Eric Culberson Open Jam – Bayou Cafe
Tonight brings about the return of Blake Rainey, who most recently performed in Savannah at this year’s opening Thursday Night Opry; Trinity Sanctuary Concerts. He begins a three night run of area shows at The Jinx with Waits & Co.‘s five-piece version including Jared Hall on keys, and Ira Miller on drums opening up the evening; 10pm / $5. In anticipation of that I managed to fire off a ‘Five Questions with….’ list for this post, though both Do Savannah, Connect Savannah, and Night Shift with Ryan of Rock 106.1 have already posted great previews & ‘Best Picks’ for tonight’s gig.
This is gonna’ be one humdinger of a show, if I do say so myself!
Blake Rainey and His Demons with Waits & Co. at The Jinx
HL: You’re headed back to the Savannah area for a three night stand, with The Jinx on June 1st being the highlight performance & kick off show. Are you and the Demons getting excited for this run down to the lowcountry?
BR: We are very excited to be coming down to Savannah June 1-2 and Tybee on June 3. I definitely love this part of the state. And the Jinx is an ass kickin’ establishment!
HL: Helicopter Rose has been getting some great press, and you recently performed up in NYC both as a solo artist & your occasional gig with All-Night Drug Prowling Wolves. How was the reception in the Northland, and do you have any further plans for touring?
BR: I had a great time up north and look forward to returning. Brooklyn has some great folks putting on shows there and I hope to be going back sooner than later. I also plan on playing Nashville and Knoxville this summer and hopefully a few more dates in the midwest.
HL: You’ve got an extensive Atlanta pedigree, performing with some of that city’s great musicians. What can you tell us about the last decade of cutting your teeth in that city’s vibrant music scene?
BR: Atlanta has some great bands and great clubs and all around great folks who help keep the scene alive. As with anywhere, it’s had its ups and downs over the last 10 years or so, but it is still kicking and I just hope it keeps getting better. The Star Bar, The Earl, and 529 are where it all happens. If we can keep those doors open we’ll be doing good.
HL: Who are some of your musical influences, and do you specifically draw from that well for your own songwriting, or is your sound your own?
BR: I think at this point it’s definitely my own. I have no qualms about wearing my influences on my sleeve because all of us get it from somewhere else – whether we want to admit it or not. That’s the nature of rock ‘n’ roll. Elvis and The Stones and Led Zeppelin got it from the blues artists before them and they would be the first to tell you that. I don’t really consciously draw from anywhere. I just begin writing and let it come out as it does. Being a somewhat traditional artist things are always going to get compared to all the guys that I love that came before. I am influenced by pretty much any real American and country music from the last 50 years as well as punk rock, bebop jazz, and 80’s college rock. Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, Merle Haggard, Miles Davis, Paul Westerberg, Dwight Yoakam, Elvis Costello. Something like that.
HL: Is there anything else that you’d like for our readers to know about upcoming projects, tours, shows, or your record label?
BR: I’m working on a mostly acoustic EP in my basement studio right now that will probably be the next to come out on our Southern Lovers Recording Co. label. I also plan on getting the full Demons band back into the studio as well, as the next LP has already been written, more or less. The Young Antiques, my other group, are also planning a new studio album. It looks to be a busy couple of years for me.
Blake Rainey
Blake Rainey will also be performing solo at Foxy Loxy Cafe tomorrow night (Friday), and with the full band again on Saturday evening at Tybee Island Social Club. Check out their websites for times & details.
