Scrollworks’ mission, as a non-profit organization, is to offer quality music education for children in the local community regardless of their ability to pay, with a focus on minorities and the under-served areas of Greater Birmingham. We fulfill this mission by providing a truly unique learning environment wherein the student guides the teacher to their greatest area of interest and in turn the teacher adapts to each individual child’s learning style.
Modeling itself after Venezuela’s El Sistema, Scrollworks is an atypical community music school. Our aim is to provide intensive music instruction to disadvantaged children in their neighborhood, children who otherwise would not have access to quality instruction. Our purpose is to awaken, nurture and develop a passion for music in everyone, creating opportunities to explore and cultivate their talents in order that they become active contributors to Birmingham’s rich and diverse culture.
Staffed by accomplished musicians with real-world experience, our comprehensive and progressive music education program encompasses all genres of music from classical to present day musical styles, including jazz, rock, hip-hop, country, world music and more.
Instruction will be offered for any instrument, as well as voice, music theory, history, composition, songwriting, technology, recording and production. Lessons will be provided in both group and one-on-one settings, with ensembles ranging from small to large, traditional to experimental, demonstrating our belief that the person who plays in an ensemble begins to live the experience of community.
Our goal is to see that certain look in each student’s eye that can’t be described or measured: a spark of insight, a twinkle of engagement, pure joy.
There’s a certain class of bands in Nashville that it seems like everyone and no one is talking about. South Nashville shoegaze two-piece Action! is one of those bands: Their debut album Friend Weakend has been hailed as one of the “top 10 [records] of 2010, easily” by We Own This Town, and Consequence of Sound gushed over their Deerhoof-esque qualities in a live review. And yet it seems like the only people who’ve even heard of them are bloggers.
—Nashville Scene
A few weeks ago I was turned on to this folky indie-twosome from Nashville, TN – Action! – a more honest name than some bands. Mr. and Mrs. Dan Burns have fashioned themselves an impressive combination of soothing sounds and fun, imaginative lyrics seldom seen from a married couple. Props to them!\
—Hold the Applause
Andy Asteroids is a group of four, all hailing from different musical backgrounds and reside in Decatur, AL. They play a mixture of funk, jazz, rock, and some R&B to spice it up. Andy Asteroids started as a instrumental jam band and playing occasional weddings on the side and then decided to throw in lyrics to songs they have already written but they still stick to their instrumental roots. Alex Powell, Jaraven ‘MOE’ Hill, Joseph Davenport, and Nick Wells make up the quartet of Andy Asteroids.
After nine months in creative gestation, Empress Hotel, a songwriting collaboration between singer Micah McKee (Silent Cinema) and guitarist Ryan Rogers (ex-Antenna Inn), arrives this week as a fully formed sextet, with an infectious self-titled upcoming fall release and a record deal from local imprint Park the Van in hand. The two musicians’ past and present projects might engender visions of a bar-band Steely Dan, but the two-hooks-a-minute songs in circulation so far hint at something more radical for this region: a lithe, aerodynamic pop vehicle following Phoenix’s vertical flight plan. Hits-in-utero “Auld Lang Something,” “Bells Ring,” “Search Lights” and the already remixed title track (an equally killer cut courtesy of the Control) appeal instantly, employing toy piano melodies, guy/girl harmonies, wind chime vocals and precise, metronomic drum-machine dance beats. The recent additions of multi-instrumentalist Leo DeJesus and percussionist Eric Rogers, both of MyNameIsJohnMichael, amp up the performance acumen. If the live show holds a candle to its stage-crashing parent bands, New Orleans has its next breakout candidate.
— Noah Bonaparte Pais
Jasmin Kaset was raised in Cottontown, Tennessee–a small, unincorporated township near the Kentucky border. The daughter of acclaimed songwriter Angela Kaset (“Something in Red”), she first learned to play guitar as a child. But during her teens, Jasmin’s interest in music took a backseat to her interest in poetry writing, literature, and traveling. As a college student in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Jasmin continued to hone her singular writing voice in prose and verse by day, reveling in the small college town’s grimy but vibrant indie rock scene by night.
Before she established herself as a singer in her own right, Jasmin took up the drums to play in the raucous and locally notorious all-girl punk band, The Fork Hunts (which she still does during the band’s intermittent reunion shows).
When the time came to leave Murfreesboro and explore the world, she brought her songs with her–playing in Australian bars and on the streets of Prague and Krakow. But she always returned home to Tennessee. True to her roots in the fiercely independent Murfreesboro/Nashville rock scene, her first recording was a cassette tape-only release on the local rock and noise microlabel Nailbat Tapes. The Nashville Scene noticed her release, hailing her folksy but idiosyncratic style as “a bare-bones collection of wispy, acoustic folk-pop…equal parts cuteness, quirk and profundity, delivered with a feline croon.”
In the years since, Jasmin has fleshed out her sound with her band, the Grown Ass Men, and her first full-length debut pairs her airy, soulful voice with the lush soundscapes of celebrated local producer (and teenage ex-boyfriend) Jordan Lehning.
Name: Matt Gilbert
Age: 24
Height: 5'10
Weight:big things come in even bigger packages.
Looking for: someone to laugh with.
Likes: writing online dating profiles in order to get people to see him perform comedy.
Dislikes: knowing this will eventually become a real online dating profile.
About me: I perform stand up comedy in Athens GA. I have worked with the likes of Doug Stanhope. I try to tell off color jokes that don't hurt anyones feelings, except Colin. Colin should die in an orphanage fire.
Canago is a confident ship that braves and even revels in the challenge of venturing into improvisation. It is an environment where they thrive. I think this is a good way to describe Canago. Their music is about evolution. They have one foot with their favorite influences of the past while trying to stay two steps beyond the future.
—Clay B. Hodges (The Amplifier)
Of course, it is difficult to know for sure, but the Magic Math was probably discovered by cavemen, perhaps while plucking the strings of their primitive bow & arrow weapons, while preparing animal skins through a process of stretching and beating, or while screaming at monkeys. This strange field of study produced nothing of practical use to anyone, but it persisted through the ages, being passed down from generation to generation through an unbroken line of colorful eccentrics, dreamers, and spazzes. A particularly spastic dreamer of a little boy living in Birmingham, Alabama (a place aptly known as “The Magic City”) named Van Hollingsworth became fascinated with the Magic Math sometime in the 1990s. With constant study, fueled by a tireless obsession, the profound mysteries of the Magic Math were gradually revealed to Van. He began using his esoteric learnings to write songs with memorable melodies and witty words about loneliness, love, yearning, hope, sex, frustration, id, ego, and cavemen, sometime in the 2000s. Late in that decade, Van started seeking out the help of other colorful eccentrics in the Magic City to help turn his songs into fully realized performances. After playing around with many musicians, percussionist Nick Recio, upright bassist Nathaniel Yonce, and fiddler Megan Ford all offered their assistance in creating a band. Together they use their esoteric learnings to create an acoustic texture that sounds vaguely rootsy without owing too much to any previous tradition. They named the band “The Magic Math,” in honor of the ancient, mysterious, and time-wasting practice.
—from The Magic Math Myspace page
The 1970’s still conjure up a lot of inspiration these days. The indie rock and Americana explosion of the last decade has not been entirely original. There is always someone else to draw from. In the case of Johnny Bertram, it appears as though his roots in Idaho, and his current residency in Mississippi, have had more than just a regional blessing on his own special concoction of modern folk and rockabilly on his debut full length album, Days That Passed, featuring his brilliant backup band The Golden Bicycles.
Johnny Bertram is quite the musician. But, his songwriting should not go unnoticed. These tracks speak of a life that most of us will never know. He speaks of pain and horrific incidents that, for your E-Z chair, you watch on your LCD television hoping the world doesn’t shit on you as bad as it has on others. But he also speaks of hope. He speaks of breath. And he speaks with ease. For Bertram to be able to spread these words with such a brilliant backup band has to make him feel like one a lucky flower child lost in time.
—Ron Trembath (fensepost.com)
The Rumble Fish is…led by brothers Matt & Chris Franks, but it’s much more than just two brothers with a back up band. The Rumble Fish works as a unit like a single organism, every member is on the same page and they all have the same goal; to create and perform very tasteful music. The band has a lot of charm that shines through their performances and what they sing about. Whenever I see a band being led by a 20-something guy with an acoustic guitar, I fear for the worst. I prepare myself for a night full of break up songs and/or lovey-dovey songs to the singer’s girlfriend in the front row. But luckily with The Rumble Fish’s songs deal more with one’s soul and have a sense of trying to find the good in life while being aware one must get through the bad times too.
—Thrill Seek
Making a short list of the best truly independent DIY bands in the US right now, Glossary is an easy lock for me. The Murfreesboro, Tennessee quintet makes uncompromised American rock and roll with a penchant for humbly anthemic songs, beautiful his and hers harmonies and just a kick of country, folk, and pop. That’s a lot to juggle but Joey Kneiser (singer/guitarist), Todd Beene (guitar/pedal steel), Kelley Kneiser (singer/percussionist), Bingham Barnes (bassist), and Eric Giles (drummer) pull it off with perfection.
—Donny Kutzbach (Artvoice)
If you live around these parts and ain’t never heard Glossary, you’re doing it wrong. Living, that is.
—Nashville Scene
Hailing from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Glossary has a sound that stays true to their Southern roots. With gritty lyrics and the occasional ripping guitar solo, they have been compared to artists like The Hold Steady and The Drive-By Truckers.
—American Songwriter
“Somehow, they fuse several great strains of punk—like the power plod of early ‘80s Boston band Mission of Burma and the scabrous edge of D.C.’s Fugazi—with a wide-open sense of pop. It sounds surprisingly more fresh than forced or marketed…”
—Grayson Currin (Independent Weekly)
“Red Collar channels the angst of the workingman in a way that hasn’t been seen in rock in a long time. Thankfully, Red Collar has enough experience and well-chosen punk-rock influences to create an energetic and convincing modern rock anthem that anyone frustrated with The Man should be proud to own….”
—Josh Spilker (Southeast Performer Magazine)
Conventional origins usually denote preparation; a semblance of plot. But The Non-Commissioned Officers are hardly conventional. Their origins consist of a jaw dropping gig in New York, which ended with the band’s mum singing a cover of Eno’s ‘St. Elmo’s Fire,’ and, when delving further, a movie. In 2004 brothers Jordan and Eric Lehning were enlisted to write the pop song score for the independent film ‘MAKE-OUT with VIOLENCE,’ a genre-bending tale of a boy trying to fulfill his unrequited love for a girl risen from the dead. In addition to composing, the brothers both acted in the film and formed the band to help raise money toward its completion. The sound of The Non-Commissioned Officers developed from this project as it grew bigger, stranger and more demanding over the subsequent five years. The Lehning’s challenge was to create a unique and varied song score that would seem both pertinent and timeless; every character was to have a discrete musical direction that would speak to their emotional core and orient the audience in their head spaces. Tricky, then. But, the sound of the MAKE-OUT with VIOLENCE EP, a precursor to the MAKE-OUT with VIOLENCE soundtrack proper, does just that and more. The Non-Coms call it the sound of “Moody Eno-esque pop,” we call it the sound of delirious heartbreak, visceral pleasures and grasping euphoria.
—oohbrilliant.com
Connor is a working comic based out of Atlanta and he is funny. Connor has confidently mastered a lack of confidence. He might appear unaccustomed to attention, as he delivers a punchline to his shoelaces, but it is this calculated, wide-eyed pluckiness that endears him to the audience. Connor has performed with some really good comics: Andy Kindler, Marc Maron, Bill Dwyer, Aisha Tyler and Kyle Kinane are a few of them. In November 2009, Connor was awarded the title of “Resident Comedian” at the prestigious Laughing Skull Lounge in Atlanta, GA. Connor is known for his unique stage presence and original writing. It is difficult to determine whether this kid is really dumb, or really smart.
Cannomen are back with their 2nd mind melting 7″, packed with 3 new songs that will get ingrained in your brain. If you take early So-Cal punk ala SST and Posh Boy, and throw it in a blender full of TX and Midwest bands like the Zero Boys and The Dicks you’ll have a pretty good understanding of where these guys influences are coming from. Sex on the Bleach’s A side is an infectiously catchy surf-punk song called Tidal Waves, while B is 2 shorter, faster songs with some serious attitude. These guys are trying to catch lightning on vinyl, and this is the best attempt yet.
—Vinyl Collective
The Fighting Meeces is an original instrumental band out of Birmingham, Alabama. A fairly large ensemble, the group’s lineup consists of founder and primary composer Aaron Branson on bass, Justin Wallace on vibraphone, Peyton Grant on keys , Will Cash and Mike Dietz on guitar, and Nick Recio on drums. Each member is currently or formerly a music major at UAB and is versatile in many styles and genres. With a combination of rare instrumentation, captivating compositions, and unpredictable covers, The Fighting Meeces achieves a memorable and unique blend of post-rock meets nu-jazz with a very noticeable hint of film score influence.
“…some of lushest, most beautifully orchestrated pop I’ve heard this year.”
—NPR
“…this Georgia chamber-pop band’s live document is their most well-crafted record yet….7.2”
—Pitchfork
“a gorgeous meditation on a place that no longer exists.”
—Paste
One of the main ingredients in almost all music is the conveying of emotion. William Tyler’s music is no different. He simply expresses himself in a less conventional manner than most.
Tyler doesn’t use words, or even his voice. He doesn’t use dramatic volume swells or symphonic surges. With just a few exceptions, he uses only his fingers and an acoustic guitar. And on his recent album, “Behold the Spirit,” those most basic elements create stirring, vivid and, yes, emotionally hefty songs that need no accoutrements.
—David Malitz (Washington Post)
In the fall of 2004, Hank began a career as a stand-up comedian. His first show was in the basement of BBC headquarters (1138 Columbiana Rd.). In addition to stand-up Hank has perpetually been working on two “soon to be best selling” books tentatively titled “How’s come?” and “I mean come on…”. His stand-up consists mainly of jokes and “famous jokes”, where Hank allows the audience to participate. Hank’s stand up has continued throughout the past year where he has performed in more than one state and more than three locations, including BBC headquarters, the Black Black house, Hot L Birmingham, and George and Kyle’s. Hank continues to perform, mainly in the Birmingham area, and has added his famous inventions, skits, and psychic demonstrations to his act.
Sometimes the simple things take courage: it can take courage to cry or to smile, especially if others are pretending to have no feelings at all. It also takes a certain strength to identify an ideal and remain committed to it, especially if it is an old ideal in a time of changing values, when decadent indulgences reign. I thought of that after listening to Brass Bed, and finding myself remembering the Beatles and the Beach Boys and the dreamy popular music that followed those two groups in different forms through the decades. It was even more eerie to hear Brass Bed’s “People Want to be Happy,” which immediately seemed a favorite—hadn’t this song, which I had just heard for the first time, been a favorite of mine for years? Yet, the band is creating its own artistic moment, and it is a moment that others can enter and make last.
—Daniel Garrett (compulsivereader.com)
After years of touring the US and Europe with multiple musical projects like We Versus the Shark, Bit Brigade, and ‘Powers, Luke Fields found himself old and tired. Then his wrists stopped working correctly. Between frequent panic attacks over the fact that his entire life appeared to be crumbling before him, he explored untapped areas of interest that might provide him with enough courage to not move back in with his parents and work at a gas station until he died.
He tried stand-up comedy and found he liked it pretty okay.
When his wrists got better and he stopped whimpering all the time, he found that although he was happy to return to music… he might have gotten addicted to stand-up in the process. He’s not very good at it yet.
Luke makes his home in Athens, GA where you can find him at his desk bothering more well-known comedians on Facebook. He still plays in numerous bands and runs a monthly comedy showcase titled “HACKS” at the Caledonia Lounge. You can find him there and numerous other places, talking about being assumed gay or not liking the things other people like.
You’d think it would be too hot in Atlanta to wear leather jackets and have long rock & roll hair, but apparently you’d be wrong. See, that’s where the Biters call home and these guys are 1977 to the core. Sporting threads that are painfully punk from the tattered Chucks to the lapel full of badges, hair that’s bottle-black, and guitar riffs the Boys would have been lucky to stumble across, these guys are 4real. Much like the dearly departed and much missed Exploding Hearts, they have huge hooks that sound tough on the outside but are pure teddy bear on the inside. Punk with a heart of gold. Sure, you could just go back and listen to your Undertones, Boys or Buzzcocks records but to be honest, haven’t you worn them out by now. Why not try something new? Why not admit that today’s music doesn’t all blow? Give the Biters a tumble and they may just rock your world!
—Tim Sendra (allmusic.com)
I was lucky to catch Church of My Love, a five-piece from Montgomery, Alabama, playing their first show in New York. Highlighted by guitarist Raidy Hodges’ country-inspired indie jangle, the Church’s songs tumbled together a variety of prominent styles from the past forty-plus years. At one point, I thought I heard the bright rumble of the Velvets’ “What Goes On,” and Hodges occasionally reflected the palette of introspective 80’s bands like R.E.M. and the Go-Betweens. While barking like David Johansen in the early Dolls, lead singer Frank Thomas’s near-constant twisting came straight from the legacy of Wooly Bully. The result was a party rock that had done its homework. Reaching into a different vocabulary, keyboardist Andy Dale Petty grafted a synth line onto one song that sounded like a shaky, sped-up sonar ping; it was as if an unknown, musical creature emerged from the depths of DBA and swam over the music.
—(lerapportdujour.wordpress.com)
When asked to describe his style of stand-up comedy, Russell Ehrett likes to call it “The Revenge of the Nerd”. His comedic voice is the kind that only comes from years of being the gawky outsider looking in, and now that he’s got a microphone in his hands he’s got something to say. Sharing his unique and hilarious viewpoint in venues across the country, Russell leaves the audience with the feeling that the nerd they all knew in high school is back, and man, that guy is funny.
Russell got his start in comedy in Edinburgh, Scotland. While on an exchange program, he tried his hand at a local open mic and left the audience in stitches and cheering for more. Only later did he discover it was a room full of drunken Danish tourists who didn’t speak English very well, but it was too late – he was hooked. Upon his return home, Russell received his degree in English Literature from the University of Alabama and instead of writing the great American novel he decided to write jokes instead.
When I first saw Atlanta comedienne Karen Hilton perform, it was like having a feather thrown at you after being pelted with rocks; surprising and a breath of fresh air amidst the many louder more in your face comics. Her style is effortless and easy, and that’s probably because her attitude is the same.
—Gabriella Giarrano
Tuscaloosa’s Baak Gwai [play] herky-jerky prog/punk splendor. Baak Gwai is an acquired taste, I suppose, but I’m up for a second helping. Their songs are comprised of disparate ideas floating in the ether, tethered together with rubber bands—the second you start getting your brain around one, it has bounced to another. It leads to all their songs sounding alike in that each one involves a number of scene changes, but I’m fine with that.
—Alex V Cook
Shaheed and Supreme are a dynamic Hip Hop Group from Birmingham, Al. Shaheed – The Scholar Warrior MC – drops thought-provoking rhymes over Supreme’s flawless, soulful production. Shaheed and Supreme have worked together since 2000 but in the year 2007 they teamed up and released the Underground Hip Hop album “Health Wealth and Knowledge of Self”, and in 2010 they released The Scholar Warrior Remix album. Both of these albums represent the elements of Hip Hop and push a positive message of social conciousness. Shaheed has been performing Hip Hop for over 16 years and got his start at Eargasm where he performed monthly with his Group the Unseen Ummah and Precise Elements.
Following extensive performances across the southeast in support of 2006’s We Are Not Lovers, Delicate Cutters reconvened in 2009, pared down from a quintet to a quartet, to begin working on the songs that would become Some Creatures. This paring down offered new opportunities for Janet Simpson to explore more space in her songwriting. This space provides an opportunity for each player’s own voice and expression in the ensemble. The result is a set songs that are trim without being spare, a focused album of unified vision. Over the course of the thirteen tracks comprising Some Creatures, Delicate Cutters examine themes of transition, family, impermanence and loss, delivering a message rich with hope, compassion and a powerful understanding of how these shared experiences connect us with one another.
Joe Raines is an up and coming comedian from Birmingham, Alabama. The son of a preacher, he has an odd outlook on life. A regular of the Birmingham and Atlanta comedy scenes Joe has been hitting the road making drunks laugh for several years now. His goals include; to live off candy and beer, and to do comedy naked. His comedy could be described as; wild, zany, goofy, sarcastic, absurd, caustic, observational, agitated, clever, and self depreciating. He has opened for paul f tompkins, donnel rawlings, and dave attell. He is also very pretty.
Through the Sparks got filtered down to me from a great source … so I had to give it a spin. I haven’t spent a lot of time with it, but if you enjoy Kingsbury Manx, Home, All Smiles, etc … you’ll probably get intoThrough the Sparks. There are some sonic blips out that point to some of the “neo-psych” slants making the rounds, but not nearly as precious and twee; vocals somewhere between a smattering of MGMT and Hypatia Lake. It’s worth checking out … and you can get a sampling for your head and ears for nothing …
—Mr. Atavist
Indeed, Through the Sparks are more concerned with writing great pop songs than subscribing to any hyphenated subgenres–something reflected in the breadth of reference points their music touches.
—One Track Mind
“Wide-eyed and wry, Young…avoids many of the clichéd mannerisms and styles of the contemporary stand-up world without coming across as arrogant, smug, or snarky. Poker-faced confidence…well-spoken, self-deprecating commentary on popular American culture and the doofus lifestyle.”
—T. Ballard Lesemann (Charleston City Paper)
We frankly can’t believe no one else had called their band The Booze, but we’re glad it went to a band as badass as the Atlanta group that picked the name.
For one thing, they sound an awful lot like late ’60s Rolling Stones on “Kick Me Where it Hurts,” the free song from their forthcoming debut, “At Maximum Volume,” which is due March 8 on Underrated Records — and late ’60s Stones is a damn good sound.
Friends Chaz Tolliver and Randy Michaels (not the prick who used to run a half-assed midwestern media conglomerate) formed the band in 2007, though things didn’t really get rolling until Michaels quit his gig as the guitar player in Butch Walker’s band to focus on The Booze full time.
It’s paying off now: the band plays with tight swagger on tightly constructed, catchy rock ‘n’ roll songs with just the right elegantly wasted tone.
—listendammit.com
Have you ever looked into the eyes of a Ricoh 2A03 and wondered what it was thinking, how it was feeling, where it was going? Well peel away the layers of mystery and shame a prepare to be thrown against the walls of the underworld as two square waves and a triangle wave pound you into pure 8 bit bliss. Prepare for white and pink noise to be cast and awe as a delta modulation turns an overworld into a story retold by gods and demons.
Straight out of the cassette player in a beat up 78 VW camper, the poorest kid in the richest zip code in Alabama, bottom ten of his high school class, with three broken guitars, and a cassette four (eight) track recorder, Taylor Hollingsworth writes, plays, and records Folk Art Rock n Roll Punk Blues Songs. He has released four solo full length albums, one hand made cassette, and one ep. His first tour was selling merch for Mississippi blues artist Paul “Wine” Jones. He also records and plays with Some Dudes, Dead Fingers, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, SDX, Monsieur Jeffrey Evans and his Southern Ace’s, and numerous other projects. There’s a picture of him on the guitar center in Jackson Mississippi.
Sanyasi is a band founded in 2010 by indie rock singer-songwriter Josh Vasa. The band further consists of Brad Lyons (guitars/piano/vocals) and Mac Kramer(percussion/vocals). Vasa is anticipating the release of Sanyasi’s debut EP in May 2011. The name Sanyasi derives from the Sanskrit term meaning, literally, to “lay it all down”. Following several months of intense transition, Vasa’s songwriting became an outlet for a spectrum of emotional response. The result is a collection of songs that musically and lyrically evoke feelings of hope, guilt, freedom, despair, pain, love and resolution.
Nashville fixture Chris Crofton is a lo-fi icon in a hi-fi town, a singer-songwriter, radio personality-cum-podcaster, and stand-up comedian who brings a slightly transgressive edge to each of his creative ventures. (As such, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see him turn up in Harmony Korine’s Trash Humpers.) In his stand-up guise, Crofton taps into a rich vein of anti-comedy, riffing on imaginary sex positions and tearing into his audiences with puckish glee.
—The Onion A.V. Club
Chris Davis is a graphic designer, comedian, and actor. Christopher enjoys television, traveling, cooking, a good restaurant and friends and family. Christopher also talks about himself in the third person. Psychologists say that people who speak of themselves in the third person are arrogant and self centered, but Christopher doesn’t believe this.
—from the Chris Davis Myspace page
“Natalie Felker is an indie rock Karen Carpenter.”
—No Depression
“Louisville’s The Fervor combines the twilight sway of Velvet Underground’s first album with Classic Rock-informed song arrangements and contemporary Indie Rock sonics for a mesmerizing, emotive sound that creeps and builds like a gathering storm.”
—Mike Breen (City Beat)
Huntsville, AL-based band the Thomas Function play sloppy, joyful, organ-laden garage rock featuring Joshua Macero’s occasionally whiney but always charismatic vocals. The band evolved from Macero’s four-track bedroom tapes, around which he built the band in 2001, including Zach Jeffries (who provides the all-important Farfisa beat) and drummer Phillip Dougherty. Travis Thompson — an old cohort of Macero’s from their days in punk band the Panic Buttons, was added on bass, and the Thomas Function began gigging around Huntsville and eventually the country. The band’s 2008 debut, Celebration, on Alive Records (a Bomp! imprint), bolstered by some classic 7″ singles and key appearances at festivals like SXSW, garnered enthusiastic critical response, and attracted the same listeners who were clamoring for the simple, unschooled three-chordisms of Jay Reatard and King Khan. They also toured overseas in support of their album and met with wildly enthusiastic European audiences. In the fall of 2009 the band released the solid follow-up In the Valley of Sickness on Fat Possum and toured the country.
—Paula Carino (allmusic.com)
“[James Jackson Toth ] writes songs of sketchy morality draped in weird sounds–guitar solos like water drips, deep-echo vocal choruses–but centered in folk-song structures, like a cross between Edward Lear’s cautionary tales and ‘Another Side of Bob Dylan.’”
—New York Times
“James Jackson Toth is unquestionably one of the essential names in experimental-Americana-psychedelic-folk-country of the past decade. Yes, the crazily prolific Toth really does deserve a five-layered hyphenate, and then some.”
—Interview Magazine
Gilbert has performed in clubs all over the country including the Hollywood Improv, (Los Angeles), Comedy Store (Los Angeles), San Jose Improv, Denver Improv, Comedy Works (Denver), and Atlanta clubs the Punchline, Funny Farm, and Laughing Skull, as well many more. He has shared the stage with comedy greats Greg Proops, Maria Bamford, Todd Barry, Andy Kindler, Bobcat Goldwaith, and Ron White. In 2008, Gilbert co-founded a standup show called Comedy Gold, which won Atlanta Magazine’s Award for “Best Comedy Show in Atlanta” in its first year. In 2009, he won a contest called the South’s Funniest Accountant. Gilbert’s background is a pretty unique one: born in Baghdad to Catholic parents before moving to a farm in a small town in South Georgia when he was 6 years old. This probably explains why he seems anxious most of the time. To relax, Gilbert can be found enjoying some of the simpler things in life like fine wine, stimulating conversation and long romantic walks through strip clubs.
“As long as his life does not end in sudden tragedy, I believe that Andy will be remembered forever, not only for his beard, but because he was one of the funniest comedians of our generation.”
—Purge Magazine
“It’s been said that the best comedy comes from pain. If that’s really the case, then somebody must have kicked the shit out of Andy Sandford…Sandford is a skillful linguist who carefully plays with pitch, tone and timing to spice up his jokes”
—Creative Loafing Atlanta
Night of the Wolf has been a steam infested shred fest since time immemorial. Graced by the god of thunder, they shower a lightning sword of rock to every soul within reach. If the duel guitar harmonies don’t kick your teeth in, then surely the sparkle of the drums and Kustom cabinet will blow your mind harder than a 5 gram sack of mushrooms. So leave your six wives and harlots at home, there’s no nagging here, only face melting – gravity defying shreds. Besides, polygamy is dead. Night of the Wolf is very much alive.
In a sea of smirking, reheated nostalgia, NOTW stand out. I won’t waste time searching for synonyms for “breathes new life into a classic sound.” This is a band I’d stake my reputation on.
—Francesco Ferorelli
“If Lemmy fronted early Metallica and they played in southern TN, this is what it would sound like.”
—Flagpole
“Thoughtful lyrics, bold soundscapes, and a visionary work ethic create a sonic turning point for Moonlight Bride and Chattanooga pop music”
—Michael Kendall (Chattarati.com)
“Most likely the finest local band this town has to offer of late… They sound like a combination of Radiohead and early U2,…combines passionate, insightful lyrics with keyboard/ guitar-driven power-pop/ rock sensibilities. What does this mean? It means you just need to go see them.”
—Chuck Crowder (Chattanooga Pulse)
“Moonlight Bride got things going with a dancy brand of indie-rock…” “Wilcox’s high-pitched croon reminded us a lot of our own Jon Burr (How I Became The bomb) if he were perhaps fronting The Fever or Stellastar. Competent, Melodic and by no means offensive to the ears”
—Nashville Scene
“Electro-Indie dance that’s a little bit Stellastar and a little bit Arcade Fire”
—Athens Flagpole
Sanders Bohlke’s sound is very similar to Ray LaMontagne, with a bit of Alexi Murdoch. His music is acoustic guitar singer-songwriter fare, his poetic lyrics tinged with bittersweet memories and hope for the future. And his voice has a strong range capable of reaching a falsetto pitch that Justin Timberlake would envy.
—muruch.com
Raised in the small, north Mississippi town of Sardis, Sanders Bohlke stumbled onto the music scene somewhat by accident, after recording a folk album in the nearby indie-music hub of Oxford. This self-titled first release was hailed as passionate and praised for its honesty. That level of honesty is what Bohlke strives for, and his search for it has taken him across some fairly expansive musical territory in the time since he released his debut. He’s hit the road, sharing stages with artists such as Badly Drawn Boy, Tom Morello and Gomez and, along the way, compiled an impressive collection of songs — songs that, in an unusual move, have been released as EP’s and digital singles. Working with producer Jeffrey Cain, tracks such as ‘The Weight Of Us,’ ‘Search and Destroy,’ ‘Fighter Pilot,’ ‘The War’ and ‘Quiet Ye Voices’ are far from uniform but alike in their diversion from his earlier work — the tone is darker and the instrumentation more complex. Inspired by these new directions, Sanders is currently in the studio recording new music for a full-length album to be released in 2011.
The Love Language, initiated by Stuart McLamb, is a fortunate by-product of the North Carolina native’s rudderless mid-20s, where a tempest of breakup, inebriation, and incarceration found the abandoned songwriter embarking on a storage-space recording project to slow his seeming disintegration. The growing body of emotional fight songs, committed to MP3 with a high-school era multitrack recorder, became postcards from exile, a way to let his friends and former flames know he was getting along, battered but not beaten.
—Jon Kirby
“Only Thieves… haven’t been on the lips of the labels and others and after listening to their “Greetings From Levy Park” EP the question seems to be why haven’t they?”
—Altsounds.com
“Echoes a number of great bands of recent years…Pavement, Guided by Voices or The Silver Jews. There’s something instantly likeable about Only Thieves. They’re definitely coming from a good place. There’s much to be excited about with the record…”"
—Collective Zine UK
“Impressive… Infectious… A decidedly original approach to their brand of power pop.”
—Punknews.org
“If there is any justice in the world, it is music like this that will make indie rock fun again.”
—Can You See the Sunset From the Southside
Dangermuffin has battled through triumph, disaster, and lineup changes since their inception in 2005. Far from being an average bar band, the proficient Charleston trio recently tightened up on their expressive songwriting and recorded a new set of material that signifies a high point of confidence and a major step ahead. Firmly rooted in folk rock, blues, and reggae, the band never quite had an identifiable style. On the band’s brand-new album Moonscapes — its third disc in three years — lead singer and acoustic guitarist Dan Lotti digs deep into his most recent mystical musings and comes up with themes of loss, soul-searching, and optimism.
—T. Ballard Lesemann (Charleston City Paper)
Moniker is a new band from Birmingham, AL. Their unique spin on electronica, jungle beat, jazz, funk and fusion results in hip-shaking music for the dance lover and musical depth for the connoisseur. Drummer Allen Aucoin (The Disco Biscuits), bassist Aaron Goldberg (Skydog Gypsy) and keyboardist / guitarist Matthew DeVine (Downright) formed the band to explore a common love of instrumental music that is consistently thought provoking but also beat-heavy and always danceable. Synth-driven melodies, hypnotic grooves, lush chordal pads, electronic effects, samples and loops give the music a fresh modern edge while stellar musicianship, artistic sensibility and compositional prowess hearken back to classical music, 1970′s fusion and even 1950′s or 1960′s jazz. The band is focused on giving it’s listeners an enjoyable and highly original musical experience and they hope you’ll come along for the ride!
Ahleuchatistas (Asheville, NC)
“…just great, fun music.”
—Lucid Forge
“…what innovative metal groups have been trying to do for some time – Ahleuchatistas finally makes sense out of the unexpected and extreme, giving up none of its ingenuity. (9.25/10)”
—Maelstrom
“Their quirky cross between new music composition and raw punk energy will have the self-appointed genre limiters scratching their heads for the rest of the year. The rest of us can just enjoy it and hope there’ll be more…”
—New Music Box
“…they’re astonishingly together even on passages where it seems impossible to stay in sync.”
—Pitchfork
“A wonder of complex rhythms, virtuoso musicianship and a name that’s really, really hard to pronounce.”
—Go & Do
Sharrif Simmons (aka Dr. Zhivago when performing with his son Omari) is a performance artist, songwriter and activist who’s writing career has spanned more then a decade. Beginning in the early 90′s, his prophetic poetry has become incredibly relevant to today featuring life experiences, political insight and musical ability. His education as a writer began at U.C.L.A. also known as (University on the Corner of Lenox Avenue), at the famed Liberation Bookstore on 131st St. & Lenox Avenue. Founded by his Great Aunt, Una Mulzac, the bookstore has served the Harlem community for over 35 years, 5 of which found Sharrif spending his days there as a book salesman.
As poetry and spoken word underwent a cultural resurgence, Sharrif Simmons became a staple in New York’s cultural art scene. The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, The Cooler, CB’s Gallery, CBGB’s, the Brooklyn Moon Cafe, Satta Cafe, Frank Silvera’s Workshop and Joe’s Pub, were some of the New York based venues that found Sharrif showcasing his poetry on any given night. Poets and emcees like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Saul Williams, Asha Bandele, Mike Ladd and Jessica Care Moore, who would eventually publish his first book of poetry Fast Cities And Objects That Burn on her imprint Moore Black Press, would often share the stage with him, helping to develop what has now become “The Movement”. Sharrif is also the main man behind BAAM! Music Fest.
“Sovereign, the latest project from veteran British DJ/Producer Andrew Thorp (DJCoco, Twitch) and Jordan Barrios (TogaToga, Black Denim), is a disco-fueled synth pop power house. Raised on a steady diet of 80’s pop, disco, soul and early electro, these two bring all the nostalgic dance beats of the 80’s without any of the irony. Pulling on Andrew’s experience playing the clubs of Europe and the US and Jordan’s songwriting expertise, these two are producing some of the most danceable tunes you’ll hear this year. The band is already garnering attention from some of the biggest indie pop outfits around – like Ghostland Observatory – and with their upcoming EP being released this Spring, followed by their debut full-length album later in 2011, Sovereign is ripe for a mainstream pop music coronation. “
Georgia cultivates a particularly introverted breed of indie singer-songwriter, especially if the artist in question is female and plays an acoustic guitar, if she whispers shyly and coyly into the mic, and if she writes self-deprecating lyrics that reveal her insecurities. Listening to Madeline’s new mini-album The Slow Bang, which follows her 2003 debut Kissing and Dancing, it’s impossible not to hear Atlanta-born Chan Marshall or Rome’s Liz Durrett, who both share her home state as well as her penchant for hushed vocals and minimal arrangements. Madeline is more playful, certainly, and less shy than either, acting like she might actually enjoy the attention that performing and recording bring.
—Stephen M. Deusner (pitchfork.com)
When Stephen Harris aka ST 2 Lettaz met David Williams aka Yung Clova at the Boys and Girls Club in Athens, Alabama, they never imagined they would come together to form the rap duo known as G-Side. Clova grew up in Box Alley, an area known for heavy crime and drug activity; while ST grew up in Acklen Hill, a street apart from Box Alley which was also heavy in crime and drug activity. Both young men endured many hardships in their childhoods, and yet found an outlet to give them a positive outlook to stay motivated despite the odds surrounding them. Clova endured poverty and dealt with family members struggling with issues such as drug abuse and the black southern experience; while ST endured poverty and homelessness, which eventually led to him being in the foster care system for three years, until he was able to return to his family. The two young men, alike had no strong father figures in their lives, to make matters worse; ST lost his mother to thyroid cancer when he was 15 years old; nevertheless, through the struggles, pain, and adversities they endured in their childhoods. They were empowered to do something affirmative with their lives. In 1999, ST and Clova began to write, rap, and perform together as G-Side.
—From G-Side Myspace page
In a recent interview for urbanoutfitters.com, Iggy Pop weighed in on the music scene in his new hometown: “There’s a band here in Miami called the Jacuzzi Boys. It’s a stupid name, but they’ve got a good spirit.”
—Nashville Scene
In the last year, the group has risen to the forefront of dirty, swamp rock, with jams cut from a primal blend of four chords and a discerning palette for the freaky fringes of its garage rock heritage.
—Chad Radford (Creative Loafing Atlanta)
California-based roots rock band Dawes consists of brothers Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith (lead vocals/guitar and drums, respectively), Wylie Weber (bass), and Alex Casnoff (guitar). Formed in the Los Angeles suburb of North Hills, the unit was heavily influenced by the gentle, acoustic-based musical trappings and rich vocal harmony of the Laurel Canyon sound (Crosby, Stills & Nash, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell), as well as by the shambling, romanticized Americana of the Band. After connecting with producer Jonathan Wilson, the group began participating in informal jam sessions at Wilson’s house with Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst, the Heartbreakers’ Benmont Tench, and the Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson. The loose feel of these get-togethers informed the group’s aptly titled 2009 debut North Hills. The album was actually recorded in Laurel Canyon live to analog tape, which lent Dawes’ recorded sound an authentically vintage vibe. The group soon embarked on an extensive tour in support of the disc (often sharing the bill with wildman indie folk singer Langhorne Slim), bringing its spare, earthy sound to audiences across the United States.
—Pemberton Roach (allmusic.com)
The best talent in Tuscaloosa is by far URI Horton. URI is unique and completely out of the box. He is sort of the godfather of the Tuscaloosa rap scene, but instead of being content with that, he has broadened his horizons and taken his craft to the stage with a band. Les Nuby from Vulture Whale/Verbena and I have been doing some producing with him, and I think he has a really bright future ahead of him. Once he completes his record and takes his music to a regional level, I predict that people will be foaming at the mouth to see this guy live. He is a very creative person and I love his intensity and serious attitude.
—Elliott McPherson (The Dexateens)
Straight out of the cassette player in a beat up 78 VW camper, the poorest kid in the richest zip code in Alabama, bottom ten of his high school class, with three broken guitars, and a cassette four (eight) track recorder, Taylor Hollingsworth writes, plays, and records Folk Art Rock n Roll Punk Blues Songs. He has released four solo full length albums, one hand made cassette, and one ep. His first tour was selling merch for Mississippi blues artist Paul “Wine” Jones. He also records and plays with Some Dudes, Dead Fingers, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, SDX, Monsieur Jeffrey Evans and his Southern Ace’s, and numerous other projects. There’s a picture of him on the guitar center in Jackson Mississippi.
The 1970’s still conjure up a lot of inspiration these days. The indie rock and Americana explosion of the last decade has not been entirely original. There is always someone else to draw from. In the case of Johnny Bertram, it appears as though his roots in Idaho, and his current residency in Mississippi, have had more than just a regional blessing on his own special concoction of modern folk and rockabilly on his debut full length album, Days That Passed, featuring his brilliant backup band The Golden Bicycles.
Johnny Bertram is quite the musician. But, his songwriting should not go unnoticed. These tracks speak of a life that most of us will never know. He speaks of pain and horrific incidents that, for your E-Z chair, you watch on your LCD television hoping the world doesn’t shit on you as bad as it has on others. But he also speaks of hope. He speaks of breath. And he speaks with ease. For Bertram to be able to spread these words with such a brilliant backup band has to make him feel like one a lucky flower child lost in time.
—Ron Trembath (fensepost.com)
Mind Powers was born in Columbus, Georgia. Fresh from the womb, the band began to construct their own brand of rock. Drawing influences from punk and noise rock, comic books and hangovers, the band describes their sound as “Nerd Noise.” They prove the title true in their music, which contains many tongue-in cheek references to sci-fi films, video games, superheroes, and where influences like Mclusky, The Stooges, and Black Sabbath shine through.
The young three piece have been writing and roaming the southeast for just over a year now, and in May they will release their first EP, titled “Ampeaters.”
“Manray is one of the newest arrivals on the Athens math rock scene. The members of the band—who hail from Athens (or “Mathens,” as they jokingly refer to it)—perform progressive rock music characterized by abstruse time-changes and atonal chord voicings.
Touchstones for the band include King Crimson, Tortoise, The Mars Volta and local powerhouse Cinemechanica.”
—John Seay (Flagpole Magazine)
“Folks have been buzzing around about this new-ish addition to the local mathletic division. The brothers Olivera—Ryan, Jordan and Derek—are joined by guitarist/sound engineer deluxe Gene Woolfolk in composing algorithmic progged-out sounds, all spastic time-changes and atonal chord voicings.”
—Jeff Tobias (Flagpole Magazine)
“Less than six months after its conception, progressive math-rock band “Manray” has quickly made a name for itself in the Athens music scene. Comprised of three brothers — Ryan, Jordan and Derek Olivera — and guitarist Gene Woolfolk, the band not only excels at manipulating intricate time signature, it erupts with perfectly choreographed instrumentation and raw, bottom-of-the-belly vocals.”
—Red and Black
Reversing the usual process by which groups break up and give way to solo careers, the Gum Creek Killers are a group made up of solo stars. The group was organized by former Verbena and Cutgrass member Duquette Johnston, Teen Getaway leader Janet Simpson, and Brad Davis and David Hickox of Plate Six and Broken Letters, thus representing three generations of rock stars. In 2010, the four (who had known each other for years) came together to record a 7″ single and ended up writing and recording an album on which they shared lead vocals. It turned out to be a way to transcend the high expectations made of any of them as individuals, and a delighted public sent the album to number three, with two singles, “The Shot” and “Slowly I Rise” hitting the charts. Unfortunately Orbison died of a heart attack only a few weeks after the album’s release.
—from The Gum Creek Killers Facebook Page
Connor is a working comic based out of Atlanta and he is funny. Connor has confidently mastered a lack of confidence. He might appear unaccustomed to attention, as he delivers a punchline to his shoelaces, but it is this calculated, wide-eyed pluckiness that endears him to the audience. Connor has performed with some really good comics: Andy Kindler, Marc Maron, Bill Dwyer, Aisha Tyler and Kyle Kinane are a few of them. In November 2009, Connor was awarded the title of “Resident Comedian” at the prestigious Laughing Skull Lounge in Atlanta, GA. Connor is known for his unique stage presence and original writing. It is difficult to determine whether this kid is really dumb, or really smart.
The Sunshine Factory is a shoegaze/alternative music trio from Mobile, Al, made up of members Ian Taylor 22, guitars, tracking and vocals, Sally Robertson 18, bass and vocals, Mathew Hendrich 19, on drums. While playing shows from NYC to Atlanta, the band has produced two full length albums for The Sugar Collective on an independent label in St. Petersburg, Fl. Their debut album, Vintage Revolution was named to the top ten shoegaze albums for 2009 by Loveless music group in NYC, NY. The band will be touring this winter, spring and summer in support of their latest album, Sugar, released December 14, 2010. The Sunshine Factory has been compared to a variation of bands; from the Pixies to Elliot Smith. They join such bands as The Pains of being Pure at Heart, The Depreciation Guild, Serena-Maneesh, Ringo Deathstarr, My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, A Place to Bury Strangers, The Ravonettes, Pilot Cloud and The Fauns in the shoegaze revival that is building in momentum. They see themselves as building on the foundations of shoegaze which began in the early nineties. They incorporate the foundations but include many other elements feeling the freedom to develop and create music that is definitely uniquely their own.
Drawing influence from rock’n'roll’s greats—from the Velvet Underground’s loose jangle and the Stooges’ brash punk to Chuck Berry’s ’50s teen boogie and Sam Cooke’s candy-coated doo-wop—Atlanta, GA, quartet Howlies’ upcoming debut, Trippin’ with Howlies, is like a rock history textbook written by the classroom’s smart alecs…In their sonic hop-scotching, one things remains constant—light-hearted fun. Howlies—longtime pals Justin Brooke and Brandon Morrison (vocals/guitars), Aaron Wood (vocals/drums), and Matt Forsee (vocals/bass)—get their name (Hawaiian slang for “tourists”) from a line in the 1987 surf B-movie classic North Shore: “Stay loose, howlie!”
—Joe Coscarelli (Spin)
First off, love the band’s name, a Jungle Book reference. Who doesn’t love monkeys? Their style monkeys around too– they play off-kilter alternative rock that avoids sounding hokey or dated. The closest comparison I could make is CAKE, particularly, their slightly syncopated beat and the vocalist’s understated sprechgesang style. But most appealing to me is their guitar sound, which has this great pinbally, jangly quality – it reminds me of when chiptune bands emulate 8-bit stuff with live instruments. I also like that The Bandar-Log doesn’t seem to try to be hip or ironic. In fact, they’re probably trying to be a funk-rock band and, failing that, unintentionally become a quirky indie-pop band. But it’s that lack of pretension that makes this work as well as it does. Kudos, monkey men.
—Adam Coozer (readjunk.com)
“Barnstormers is an undiscovered gem of the south; a spooky cocktail of gothic americana and southern swing that will take you for a ride on pure raw emotion, and then leave you for dead at the mercy of hangovers and heartbreak. The honesty, ingenuity, and sheer creepiness of the guitar and cello duo will raise the hair on your arms and wrench your heart.”
—Sarah Norris (BloodOnTheBluegrass.com)
“What I like about the Barnstormers is their versatility. They play so many instruments and have the ability to create a beautiful mood.”
—Kodac Harrison
“The Barnstormers give traditional country moxie with their whip-smart lyrics and bold live shows. This band takes eclectic instruments from sitar and accordions to cellos and harmonicas to pull together a haunting and familiar sound. The Potent combination of Ronnie’s songwriting and Chris’ accompaniment are tempting like a good old fashioned game of russian roulette.”
—Antonia Cove
Name: Matt Gilbert
Age: 24
Height: 5'10
Weight:big things come in even bigger packages.
Looking for: someone to laugh with.
Likes: writing online dating profiles in order to get people to see him perform comedy.
Dislikes: knowing this will eventually become a real online dating profile.
About me: I perform stand up comedy in Athens GA. I have worked with the likes of Doug Stanhope. I try to tell off color jokes that don't hurt anyones feelings, except Colin. Colin should die in an orphanage fire.
“We dare you not to like this…” raves Brooklyn’s Indie Naked Magazine to the single “Counting Backwards,” from the new self-titled EP. Touring the South can be hard for other bands but The Grenadines tell their tale in striking clarity, creating hauntingly orchestral moments and contagious melodies as they travel. They’ve forged their way onto the music scene with a striking presence which cannot be ignored, opening for Jenny Lewis and The Heartless Bastards in the summer of ’09 and continuing to move forward. Two EP’s have been released, a Lynn Bridges and Grenadines-recorded collaboration known as “Carousel” and another self-titled collection recorded by Andy LeMaster. Since their 2009 performance at SxSW, they’ve been working with Jim Eno from Spoon to release a full-length album.
Michael and Lauren Shackelford, Bama-born, from multi-generational musical families and visionary artists, immerse themselves in the chronicles of love and loss they craft. The songs simply hypnotize as a “…psychedelic rock and roll trip. Sometimes slow and droning and sometimes upbeat” – NPR. The Grenadines’ stories are hard-earned. They’ve expertly crafted their vocal interchanges while performing with Andy LeMaster (Bright Eyes), Orenda Fink (Azure Ray), and Bear In Heaven. They’ve been heard from The 40-Watt in Athens, Nashville’s The Basement, and The Bottletree in their very own Birmingham. The Grenadines intend to find ever wider landscapes for their impressive musical backdrops. As one singer put it, “It’s make or break time”.
Gilbert has performed in clubs all over the country including the Hollywood Improv, (Los Angeles), Comedy Store (Los Angeles), San Jose Improv, Denver Improv, Comedy Works (Denver), and Atlanta clubs the Punchline, Funny Farm, and Laughing Skull, as well many more. He has shared the stage with comedy greats Greg Proops, Maria Bamford, Todd Barry, Andy Kindler, Bobcat Goldwaith, and Ron White. In 2008, Gilbert co-founded a standup show called Comedy Gold, which won Atlanta Magazine’s Award for “Best Comedy Show in Atlanta” in its first year. In 2009, he won a contest called the South’s Funniest Accountant. Gilbert’s background is a pretty unique one: born in Baghdad to Catholic parents before moving to a farm in a small town in South Georgia when he was 6 years old. This probably explains why he seems anxious most of the time. To relax, Gilbert can be found enjoying some of the simpler things in life like fine wine, stimulating conversation and long romantic walks through strip clubs.
“Beautiful folk songs abound on The Bear’s self-titled release, which takes a slow and easy approach, waiting patiently for each song to unfold naturally.”
—Record Dept. Music Reviews
“The band succeeds in part because of the other worldly vocals of Louisa Murray. Combine that with a strange mix of old-timey instruments and a modern sensibility and you wind up with a pretty satisfactory outing on this their self-titled, debut record.”
—Songs:Illinois
The best talent in Tuscaloosa is by far URI Horton. URI is unique and completely out of the box. He is sort of the godfather of the Tuscaloosa rap scene, but instead of being content with that, he has broadened his horizons and taken his craft to the stage with a band. Les Nuby from Vulture Whale/Verbena and I have been doing some producing with him, and I think he has a really bright future ahead of him. Once he completes his record and takes his music to a regional level, I predict that people will be foaming at the mouth to see this guy live. He is a very creative person and I love his intensity and serious attitude.
—Elliott McPherson (The Dexateens)
After years of touring the US and Europe with multiple musical projects like We Versus the Shark, Bit Brigade, and ‘Powers, Luke Fields found himself old and tired. Then his wrists stopped working correctly. Between frequent panic attacks over the fact that his entire life appeared to be crumbling before him, he explored untapped areas of interest that might provide him with enough courage to not move back in with his parents and work at a gas station until he died.
He tried stand-up comedy and found he liked it pretty okay.
When his wrists got better and he stopped whimpering all the time, he found that although he was happy to return to music… he might have gotten addicted to stand-up in the process. He’s not very good at it yet.
Luke makes his home in Athens, GA where you can find him at his desk bothering more well-known comedians on Facebook. He still plays in numerous bands and runs a monthly comedy showcase titled “HACKS” at the Caledonia Lounge. You can find him there and numerous other places, talking about being assumed gay or not liking the things other people like.
Matt Patton (Dexateens), Mike Gaut (Necronomikids) & Justin Colburn (Lee Bains III & Gloryfires) round out the Birmingham based trio. As veteran Alabama music makers, Patton is as known for his wide onstage grin as Gaut is for his wildman drumming style. The band effortlessly blends elements of classic garage, indie and soul music to make what some have said to be among the best anthemic rock this side of the Vietnam Era.
Joe Raines is an up and coming comedian from Birmingham, Alabama. The son of a preacher, he has an odd outlook on life. A regular of the Birmingham and Atlanta comedy scenes Joe has been hitting the road making drunks laugh for several years now. His goals include; to live off candy and beer, and to do comedy naked. His comedy could be described as; wild, zany, goofy, sarcastic, absurd, caustic, observational, agitated, clever, and self depreciating. He has opened for paul f tompkins, donnel rawlings, and dave attell. He is also very pretty.
Rising from the south, Mississippi’s Seraphim brings the sludgy swampy grooves with an added hardcore flair…From the very start I will warn you Seraphim’s sound is thick it’s sludgy in parts but breaks for clean grooving passages that just shake you as you listen…Seraphim’s debut is a sound that needs to be heard from a band that certainly will not be overlooked much longer. Don’t miss out on this release, truly a bone trembling experience.
—James Terry (Bring It On Mixed Reviews)
“One half of the songwriting team behind 13ghosts, Brad Armstrong sings like Richard Buckner at a closed-casket viewing and favors intensely Book of Revelations imagery. 13ghosts continue to reinvent themselves with every song, trying on new sounds and styles to see what fits…The Strangest Colored Lights is a persistently somber, mostly humorless album, but it’s so musically vigorous that you wouldn’t mind if they dwelt on death for the rest of their lives.”
—Pitchfork
“13 Ghosts’s music acknowledges the realness of death but at the same time exposes the wonders of life…Underneath the band’s haunting vocals and incredibly textured, atmospheric sounds, its soul and story creep out of a layer of mourning and beg to be heard.”
—Vice Magazine
“Early Space Oddity Bowie glam-folk crawls over some indie beard-rock grooves, like they’ve fallen from some universal troubadour as he flew back into the future. Smooth vocals and strangely groove-aware beats stick out under the folktronic myths and stories. Some guitars and drugs hit, and there is a darkness that haunts the sounds of these ghosts; a fuzz, noise and a desire to rock that creeps out like some haunted memory of something you can’t put your finger on. There are also indierock epic sounds that are like waves and trumpets that blow you back like some demented outcast from a shoegazed version of Hair, and yeah – that spooks me out.”
—Big Takeover
Their most obvious influences include Afro-Caribbean music, indie rock, punk, blues mythos, and gospel. But otherwise there’s no transparent consistency in the sound—outside of Joshua’s heart-wrenched vocals, which lie somewhere between a coarse scream and a sweat-stained Pentecostal baritone…
—Natalie Elliot (Oxford American)
Its brand of hyper-literate, genre-stirring soulindiefunkrockfolk is just about everything that good music needs to be: passionate, thoughtful, melodic and funky as hell.
—John Tarpley (Arkansas Times)
Every time Velvet Kente takes the stage, something beautiful and powerful happens…
—Nicole Boddington Hunnicutt (thehipsteralert.com)
It’s refreshing to see someone with such a clear talent pushing an agenda geared to provoke. The local quartet infused the scene with a welcome burst of something-completely-different.
—Lindsey Millar (Arkansas Times)
Jon Poor has at one time or another made his home on both coasts, the plains, the mountains and, most currently, the Deep South. Personalizing the various styles of American experiences and stories has been the back bone of his songwriting. In 2005 Jon joined forces with three of Birmingham, Alabama’s best players. With the invaluable contributions of Beau Treadwell (bs), Mac Kramer (drm), and Matt Slocum (keys), Jon Poor Band has begun recording the tracks that will make up their first full length album. These new songs range from raucous guitar anthems to burning grooves to lilting introspection. Drawing on five years of writing, recording, and gigging together, the band revels in this new phase of their evolution.
“Wide-eyed and wry, Young…avoids many of the clichéd mannerisms and styles of the contemporary stand-up world without coming across as arrogant, smug, or snarky. Poker-faced confidence…well-spoken, self-deprecating commentary on popular American culture and the doofus lifestyle.”
—T. Ballard Lesemann (Charleston City Paper)
“Imagine pressing up on this expansive 10-piece trip after the millionth minimal raw garage-punk pretender you’ve caught since South by Southwest: over the hypnotic jungle of timbales and congas and the spongy funk of the traditional rhythm section, there’s a crucial dude just owning a couple reverberant electric pianos and organs juiced through his God-sized delay box. Then the cat in the semi-decorative bathrobe and sunglasses betrays his well-aimed Fela Kuti fixation with his boss tenor sax. And then, as the guitarist culls the backward seagull-peals from his own delay-station, the dandelion-statured stoner with huge sneakers announces that his name is Dookie Platters and drops an indecipherable line about some kinda sticky shit. It’s then you notice the fine-ass soul sisters, who primp up to the mic and extemporize to tell you what it’s like where they live, in Jiggle City, where we’ll all go to chase the kitty. That’s right, this shit is that spot-slam-on, Junior.”
—Flagpole Magazine
“Noot d’Noot are off the Dick Cheney. These boys and girls are on a mission with absolutely no luggage. I saw them a few weeks back and my crotch was soaked. I made out with a Chinese girl and danced with a black kid. Then I went home and gave it to my wife better than she’s had in a good minute. Yes, a good old fashioned rubbin’. You know what I mean.”
—Dry Ink
Belle Adair began as a weekend recording project between four friends living in different Alabama cities. After a year of recording in random bursts, Matt Green joined keyboardist/engineer, Ben Tanner, in Muscle Shoals, and the band recently added pedal steel guitarist, Daniel Stoddard. In January 2011 Belle Adair self-released an eponymous, six song EP, and they are soon to release their first seven-inch single through Speak/Sing Records. On the EP, you’ll find slow-building songs composed of a diverse set of instruments and sounds. Over twenty minutes, the band moves from the airy acoustic folk of “No Reply” to the swirling, suite-like “Happy to Pretend,” creating a listen that rewards patience and a nice pair of headphones.
If you want drama — band fights, power struggles, creative differences, hissy fits — don’t train your gaze on Electroliner. This Americana group, formed less than a year ago in Birmingham, consists of five reasonable, confident, like-minded musicians who aren’t looking to quit their day jobs.
—Mary Colurso (The Birmingham News)
Adam G is a unique songwriter who spent years playing electric guitar in the band Pain and is self-taught on several acoustic instruments from around the world. Elliot McPherson of The Dexateens who produced Adam’s debut album describes the result as sounding like Appalachian psychedelica. “His high vocal range [sounds] like Tiny Tim, and his low range [resembles] Tom Waits,” says McPherson. The yet-to-be-released record is titled “I Can Sing a Song.”
I heard “Parking Lot” by the Hibachi Stranglers on a podcast a few weeks ago, and it’s pretty awesomely raw. If you’re into dirty punk (or Mobile, Alabama), I highly recommend you give [them] a listen.
—anuncontrollableurge.com
The Fact that this fantastic debut erupted from Mo-fucking-bile, Alabama has gotta send shivers down the spines of “punk mecca” inhabitants of every stripe. The HIBACHI STRANGLERS have that outta-nowhere greatness that makes you wonder just how they did it: the sont of Angry Samoans (the vox cause a double-take) coupled with a choppy guitar attack, precision trash production, and an intelligent handle on making god outta yer own feces.
—Maximum Rock N Roll
“As long as his life does not end in sudden tragedy, I believe that Andy will be remembered forever, not only for his beard, but because he was one of the funniest comedians of our generation.”
—Purge Magazine
“It’s been said that the best comedy comes from pain. If that’s really the case, then somebody must have kicked the shit out of Andy Sandford…Sandford is a skillful linguist who carefully plays with pitch, tone and timing to spice up his jokes”
—Creative Loafing Atlanta
The Deloreans have created a sound that is as old as the 50′s, but is something you have never heard before. Frontman and producer, Jeremy Perry, is Bobby Vinton reincarnated. It’s the Morning Benders. It’s Pet Sounds. It’s Fang Island. It’s the Rat Pack. It’s metal. It’s gospel. It’s punk. It’s orchestral. It’s amazing!!!
—backseatsandbar.com
If David Byrne were 20 years younger, but just as wild, Talking Heads would’ve sounded an awfully lot like this.
—Joseph Lord (Courier Journal)
“For all the whirling bits and pieces… the band generates a surprisingly cohesive sound… It’s dizzying, perplexing and wonderfully fun.”
—Claire Blaustein, NPR (Song of the Day)
“I assumed that a band using an iPod, accordion, kazoo, guitar and banjo had to be kitschy and, well, not too great. I was humbled. They tore it up.”
—Sean Cannon, BUZZGRINDER
“This is a band that I guarantee only takes a few listens to get hooked…”
—Christopher Anthony (The Fire Note)
Dat2 is a hip hop collective from Birmingham, Alabama. The members are Mario Leonard on bass, Dave Johnson on percussion, Squeeze on guitar and Thed Weller is the collective’s MC.
In 2007, Thomas Berkau, then frontman for the hardcore band Control, started writing new songs in a new style apart from his band. A year later, Yardwork, the band formed in to bring life to Berkau’s new songs, burst on the Charlotte scene in a way that actually justifies using the word “burst.”
—Bryan Reed (Charlotte Viewpoint)
SUPERKING is an accomplished entertainer both musically and as a stand up comedian.Born in Birmingham,Al Superking has been entertaining fans professionally for over 15 years.In addition to numerous stand up performances & film efforts currently in the works,SUPERKING is also planning to release a new music album entitled “URBAN AMERICAN HUSTLE” (His1st album in almost a decade) later this year.Superking organized the first annual award program highlighting area entertainers achievements via his Dirty 30 Awards,which spanned 6 years as well as host the Last Sunday Showcase with partner BMOE,often credited has the longest running multi-talent entertainment showcase (7 years).SUPERKING was an original member of the popular FRESH GROUND COMICS troupe,he is respected by peers as well as a fan favorite.SUPERKING has a unique style & comedic approach and is known to rarely write material or prepare a set list while typically combining personal narratives,observational humor,race relations,commentaries mixed with current events in an improvisational style.Classic & rare SUPERKING material can be found on youtube & SUPERKING also has fanpages on both Facebook & Reverbnation.SUPERKING has a fear of clowns, a passion for pasta,as well as an avid fan of the rock band QUEEN.
“I like what I hear alot – raucous guitar rock, mixed with vocal Strokes-isms, Replacements rush, Pollard British accents and more. Definitely worth a listen for the indie garage rocker inside you.”
—Waved Rumor
“The songs are nervy post-Seinfeld punk, small moments (like having to wait on some slowpoke to get ready to go out for the night) blown up into absurd drama, propelled by a taught guitar squall.”
—American Songwriter
“Vulture Whale may be the best rock band you haven’t heard. Following two excellent self-titled records, Bamboo You is another solid installment from these Alabama rockers and shifts gears, if only slightly for the band. Frontman Wes McDonald and his crew have mastered the sort of rock music you might have heard on Matador in the mid-’90s, but the band imbued it with its own southern shuffle.”
—Pop Matters
Chris Davis is a graphic designer, comedian, and actor. Christopher enjoys television, traveling, cooking, a good restaurant and friends and family. Christopher also talks about himself in the third person. Psychologists say that people who speak of themselves in the third person are arrogant and self centered, but Christopher doesn’t believe this.
—from the Chris Davis Myspace page
Few contemporary singers can turn thier hand to Hank Williams’ Your Cheatin’ Heart and truly make it their own. On-stage at Dingwalls during his second visit to the UK, flanked by a mournful pedal steel guitar, Dylan LeBlanc does just that, adding a langorous southern rasp to the emotional devestation that inhabits Williams’ 1952 classic.
—Phil Alexander (Mojo)
You can hear why Emmylou Harris endorsed this Louisiana fingerpicker: His haunted tenor veers between Southern soulman and honky-tonk crooner.
—Rolling Stone
Banditos are reminiscent of Creedence Clearwater Revival and Johnny Cash if they got into a brawl with the Rolling Stones and Janis Joplin. Mary Beth Richardson, the only lady gracing Banditos on stage, can easily be seen as their secret weapon. As a whole, however, Banditos is a honky tonk, two steppin’ forcefield that the music industry needs. Staying away from anything electro, indie, or computerized, Banditos goes back to the roots of rock ‘n roll with their roughneck attitudes and raunchy instruments.
—The Owl Mag
“An energetic blast of punky garage rock that climaxes with a Southern fried guitar solo and plenty of overdriven bass.”
—Spin
“Recalls Paul Westerberg on those early, bratty Replacements records.”
—Prefix
“They’ve got a gritty, garage-band sound, but with guitar riffs and catchy hooks that are hard to resist.”
—Nylon
When I first saw Atlanta comedienne Karen Hilton perform, it was like having a feather thrown at you after being pelted with rocks; surprising and a breath of fresh air amidst the many louder more in your face comics. Her style is effortless and easy, and that’s probably because her attitude is the same.
—Gabriella Giarrano
Kovacs & the Polar Bear is very much a cohesive unit, with worked-up parts, stage cues and — though the style is unfettered — seasoned musicianship. Elemental rock roots (Springsteen, Tom Petty) meet accomplished story telling and probably the best sense of dynamics to be found among Asheville’s many rock outfits. From quiet harmonies to full-band bombastics, Kovacs & the Polar Bear can cover the range within a single song and yet maintain a degree of continuity. Balance is key for this group, from volume to the mix of electric and acoustic instruments to the sweet-but-not-cloying lyrics…
—Alli Marshall (Mountain Xpress)
In the fall of 2004, Hank began a career as a stand-up comedian. His first show was in the basement of BBC headquarters (1138 Columbiana Rd.). In addition to stand-up Hank has perpetually been working on two “soon to be best selling” books tentatively titled “How’s come?” and “I mean come on…”. His stand-up consists mainly of jokes and “famous jokes”, where Hank allows the audience to participate. Hank’s stand up has continued throughout the past year where he has performed in more than one state and more than three locations, including BBC headquarters, the Black Black house, Hot L Birmingham, and George and Kyle’s. Hank continues to perform, mainly in the Birmingham area, and has added his famous inventions, skits, and psychic demonstrations to his act.
“It wont be long until the world knows Boss Tweed.”
—Phillip Jones (Southern Hip Hop News)
“A new era of Southern Hip Hop…..we are excited to see how he grows into his own.”
—Paul Stein (XXL Magazine)
The Bohannons—the brothers, that is—grew up in Chattanooga and have called it home for over thirty years. Though committed to their home town scene, the Bohannons have never shied away from the road and have toured extensively throughout the country and abroad. Founded in 2004, the Bohannons have since gained, not only a strong local following, but a steadily growing reputation as a talented and capable touring act. The Bohannons have shared stages with larger regional and national acts like the Violent Femmes, Drive-By Truckers, The Whigs, and Bobby Bare, Jr., to name but a few of the many.
—Nick Nichols (thisisamericanmusic.com)
“Barton Carroll crafts hardscrabble folk music populated with emotionally haunted souls. In a plaintive voice recalling Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Freedy Johnston, Carroll sings about world-worn characters struggling to survive but not surrendering…Carroll’s sharp-eyed, unflinching story-songs serve to separate him from the troubadour pack.”
—American Songwriter
“Barton Carroll has outdone himself with his latest record… he has moved beyond Appalachian troubadour and made his way to places his contemporaries would fear to tread. Covering musical ground that spans almost a century of American music and filled with songs that are dressed in Carroll’s seemingly unique ability to capture deeply empathetic stories, Together You And I is an immediately epic record. There are few things to be considered hooks in these tales of woe and human endeavor, but the stories will stick with you, echoing in your heart and mind for days after listening.”
—Hybrid Magazine
Oryx and Crake is a 9-person band from Atlanta, GA whose lyrical beauty and musical complexity contains “hints of Sparklehorse, Portishead, Wilco, and even The Mamas and The Papas” (The Moon and Pluto), but with a sound that is uniquely their own. Husband-and-wife songwriting team Ryan Peoples and Rebekah Goode-Peoples offer lyrics that are influenced by both real life stories and overly active imaginations, and music that juxtaposes sounds of the past, present and future. Oryx and Crake strives to make music that takes traditional instruments to modern, surprising places: a banjo plucking over beats created in Ableton Live; wicked electronic effects on a cello blending with a singing saw; three and four-part harmonies layering over the tiny tinging of a toy piano. Named after the speculative fiction novel by Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake brings together the diverse talents of Ryan Peoples (acoustic guitar/lead vocals/autoharp/singing saw/etc.), Rebekah Goode-Peoples (keyboard/vocals), Matt Jarrard (cello), Karyn Lu (violin), Matt Gilbert (electronic drums, home-made midi), Eric Wildes (electric guitar/vocals), Anna Wildes (banjo/vocals), Keith Huff (bass/vocals), and Chris Vanbrackle (percussion). Together, they create orchestral pop that offers “one of the most unique, spine tingling, unbelievably beautiful sounds”
—Shawn Williams, 99x.
Nashville fixture Chris Crofton is a lo-fi icon in a hi-fi town, a singer-songwriter, radio personality-cum-podcaster, and stand-up comedian who brings a slightly transgressive edge to each of his creative ventures. (As such, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see him turn up in Harmony Korine’s Trash Humpers.) In his stand-up guise, Crofton taps into a rich vein of anti-comedy, riffing on imaginary sex positions and tearing into his audiences with puckish glee.
—The Onion A.V. Club
If somehow you were to find John Paul Keith appearing, Zelig-like, lurking in the background of old photos of Sun Studio recording sessions; he would certainly fit right in seamlessly with Carl, Elvis, Johnny, Roy, and Jerry Lee. Looking like a cross between Buddy Holly and Robin Gibb, he plays simple but effective guitar (the best kind) and hollers with the nasal whine of a young teddy boy John Lennon (OK – perhaps with a bit of the quiver in the voice of Georgie Harrison from time to time if you want to split Beatles hairs). Notwithstanding everything that’s happened since, if you still get a little tingle down the back of the neck whenever you hear the opening staccato yell of ‘Rave On’, then this is for you. John Paul Keith just missed out on success as a part of earlier combos a couple of times during his career, and was a member of one of Ryan Adams early backing bands too (he plays on Demolition), before practically giving up on music making after becoming frustrated with a mire of business-related shenanigans. But now he’s back with a debut solo-ish album, based in Memphis, and plugging away at gigs across the central states.
—Andrew Dowdall (thelineofbestfit.com)
Rubys: veiled creatures of the dusk, feasting on particles left of the spectrum.
—from the Rubys Facebook Page
Covered in kudzu and swathed in a blanket of humidity, spanish moss, feedback and reverb exists Futurebirds. Here, at this intersection, we find a synthesis of the two extremes of Neil Young’s yin and yang. It’s at this crossroads, on this plane that Futurebirds meld the sweet, lilting, pedal steel and harmonies of the Stray Gators with the raucous, buzzing, distortion of Crazyhorse.
Futurebirds debut, Hampton’s Lullaby, is forged from a South that has as much to do with the worldview of Silver Jews’ David Berman as the inhabitants of William Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County. Building on the bones of their self-titled 2009 EP, Hampton’s Lullaby invokes an absurdist, cornbread-fed, psychedelic dream state rooted to reality in colloquial storytelling.
—aquariumdrunkard.com
Nightmare Waterfall (who sound exactly as their name describes) is Birmingham, AL noise-rock duo Kyle Farmer and Blake Wimberly. Formed in 2009, they have toured the East Coast with Man or Astroman? and shared the stage with Ponytail, Japandroids, Wavves, Holy F*ck, Times New Viking, Crocodiles, Crystal Antlers and Jeff the Brotherhood.
“Very noisy and quite brilliant. Hold on to your hats.”
—8-TracksFierce.blogspot.com
“An appreciation of noise is a must… but if you’ve got that you should find something interesting.”
—AnUncontrollableUrge.com