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MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP
Musicizn's Warehouse, free practice time, and a bar tab at Wild
Wing, among other things, meanwhile, around the block, the "Battle
Of The Bands" at the Athens Music Factory is pushing towards the
final results of Round 2.
Athens Nite, 0 What A Nite: There will be an Athens Nite as part of
the upcoming Atlantis Music Festival in Atlanta. The showcase,
taking place at the Cotton Club on Saturday, August 3, will feature
performances from The Jennifer Nettles Band Woman, Stewart &
Winfield, Soundtrack Mind, S.M.O. and Left Front Tire, among
others. Atlantis is designed to focus national and international
attention on the Southeast's local music. For more info, check out
atlantismusic.com.
Meanwhile, On The Other Side Of The Coin: I just got the specifics
on the IG Fest in East Atlanta, which is considerably less corporate
and has considerably better music than the Atlantis Fest. Highlights
include: an awesome underground hip hop night featuring El-P,
Aesop Rock and Mr. Lif at the Echo Lounge on Wednesday, July 31;
Elf Power and The Sunshine Fix at The EARL on Thursday, August 1;
Cat Power, with Heros Severum and Martyr And Pistol at The Echo
Lounge and Jet By Day at the Gravity Pub on Friday, August 2; and
Maserati and Songs: Ohia at The EARL on Saturday, August 3.
You Heard It Here Last: The word's been out on the street for quite a
while that Athens the indie rock goofballs in Je Suis France are
putting together a gigantic compilation CD tribute to one of their
own songs. Well, it's true. A 60-second song called "The Pincher,"
from the group's forthcoming album Fantjastic Area, is the inspira
tion behind the comp. Bands are invited to do their own song about
"the pincher," but it can't be more than 60-seconds long. The list of
acts that have already signed on is pretty impressive: Life Without
Buildings, Swearing At Motorists. My Morning Jacket. Oneida.
Acid Mothers Temple, Jad Fair and comedian Mitch Hedberg are
among the national (and international) acts. Masters Of The
Hemisphere; Murder Beach. Elf Power, Of Montreal, I Am The
World Trade Center, and Big Gray are some of the local acts. If yr
interested, drop the France a line at jesuisfrance@yahoo.com or
info@dcbaltimore2012.com.
Mike Houser Makes Announcement: After months of speculation and
rumor concerning his health condition, Athens guitarist Mike
"Mikey" Houser of the veteran rock band Widespread Panic offi
cially spoke out last week and confirmed that he is indeed suffering
from a form of pancreatic cancer. This message was posted on
Widespread Panic's "news" page on Tuesday, July 16:
Dear Widespread Panic community, and dear friends,
Mikey here, with some thoughts and facts for yoc. As
seme of you know, I have contracted a terminal form of
cancer. I want to assure all of you that all that can be done
has been done, and I want to thank all of you who have con
tributed information, medicine and so on. As for me, I am at
my home in Athens, GA, surrounded by my family, and being
well taken tari of. In the words of Lou Gehrig, Though some
of you may have thought I have caught a bad break, I feel
like the luckiest man in the*Worid.' Between my best friends,
J.B., Todd, Sunny, Dave and JoJo, and you, our friends, and
best support group in the world, I feel strong and well taken
care of. I have hopes of playing again soon, although I can't
say for sure when or where, and I hope to see you all there.
With much thanks and love,
Mikey
album a hundred times or more will be available on Shack's return.
The disc was recorded here in Athens, mostly with Chris Bishop at
Radium, with backing performances from members of Japancakes,
Clairvoyants and Murder Beach,
among others.
On July 9. California-based groove
popsters The Counting Crows —all
seven of them including Athens-based
drummer >- Ben Mize—released their
new album Hard Candy (the title has
no connection with the local under
ground band of the same name fea
turing drummer Will Joiner and gui
tarist Jeffrey Wiggins). Crows
frontman Adam Duritz told
Entertainment Tonight last week, "I
had this conversation about music
with Paul McCartney... and I came
away thinking that I want to concen
trate on melody. For the new album, I
really wanted songs that you can't get
out of your head, not just mood
pieces." Whatever, dude. The band
opened for The Who on several dates
in early July and leaves for a European
tour starting on August 10 in
Switzerland, concluding on August 26 at the Heineken Hall in
Amsterdam, Holland. Mize, who joined the Crows in 1994, played his
first "official" solo show on acoustic guitar at the Caledonia Lounge
in April. He is currently working on his first solo album with local
engineer Andy Baker at the knobs. (BLJ
Opiate Instruments Re-Unite: Saxophonist Dana Colley and drummer
Billy Conway, the surviving members of gorgeous trio Morphine,
have formed a new band called Twinemen. The group is rounded out
by singer Laurie Sargent. The Twinemen play at the Cotton Club in
Atlanta on Wednesday, August 7.
Bizarre? Lame? Both?: Steven McDonald of coolsters Redd Kross
added his own bass parts to the White Stripes' breakthrough record
White Blood Cells, which features only guitar,
drums, and vocals. You can download the
new versions, which McDonald calls Redd
Blood Cells, from www.redd-kross.com.
► In other White Stripes news. Jack White *
the contributor of the band's sole X chro
mosome- is trying his hand at writing a film
score. In keeping with the level of hype
surrounding his band, the movie is a pretty
big one. It's called Cold Mountain, and it's
the new one from Anthony Minghella, who
directed The English Patient, and it's gonna
star Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Renee
Zellweger. The Stripes' new one. tenta
tively entitled Elephant is in the can and
scheduled for an early 2003 release.
Cool!: Uberengineer Steve Albini is set to
record the next album from Songs:Qhia,
tentatively titled The Pyramid Electric Co.
Thanks. Ted: The Turner South Network
senes "Liars And Legends" recently fea
tured a bit about the increasingly ubiqui
tous "Athens music scene." OiG.'s like
Mike Mills Haul Butchart (ex-Side
Effects), and Cindy Wilson (B-52's) talked about how great the old
days were; my boss Ballard Lesemenn (Hayride). Je Suis Francer
and Flagpole adman DJ Hammond, and 40 Watt Club honcho Velena
Vego added their two cents about the present and the future.
No More Hardcore, Eh?: Victory Records' resident Canuck screamy
hardcore rock band Grade has called it quits. The guys in the band
say they were tired of playing second bananas to skinny dancin' fool
singer Kyle Bishop. The band had built a solid
following with the whole neo-death
metal hardcore scene. There's no word
on what Bishop will be doing, but the
rest of the band has already started
writing matenal under the name Heirs
To The Throne
More Apple Core, Though: Denver band
The Apples In Stereo has a new set of
neo-psych pop goodness ready for that
ass. The band's fourth full-length The
Velocity Of Sound will hit streets on
SpinArt Records on October 8. This is the
first full-length since 2000's critically
acclaimed The Discovery Of A World Inside
The Moone, and it's being billed as "high-
energy, caffeine-induced pop." The Apples
are gonna tour in September with
acclaimed British act Clinic. They'll hit
the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta on
September 25.
Speaking of Clinic, their last album
Walking With Thee is gonna get the major
label re-release treatment. Universal
Records will put the disc out in conjunc
tion with U.K. indie Domino Records.
Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, and all of
the puds at South 8y Southwest gave Clinic one of the biggest crit
ical hype-orgies this side of The Strokes, so it‘s not surprising
somebody took notice.
My Ass, Your Face, Our Side-Project: Nashville's moody/goofy/bnl-
I ant chamber country act Lambcfiop have got a side-project
coming our way live this week. Character will play with The Moto-
LHat and The Features at the Echo Lounge on Friday, July 26
Speaking Of The Strokes: The band had to pull out of its first three
support dates on the current the Weezer tour due to a "band
member sustaining an injury." Rumors reported that lead singer
Julian Casablancas hurt his knee while play-wrestling
Spreadtn' Limited Pressings Of The Gospel: Athens' sloppy
Appalachia act Phosphorescent, fronted by the Wilt Oldham-ish
smger/songwnter who wishes to be known as Fillup Shack, is
taking its show overseas. Shack and Clairvoyants mastermind Brian
Dunn are leaving together on Monday. July 22, to play in England.
Spain, and elsewhere A limited pressing of the Phosphorescent
Battle Continues 3 Minute Fix won Round 1 of the Wild Wing
Cafd't Battle of the Bands on July 6 No Option won Round 2 on
July 13. These two bands will square off against the winners of the
July 20 and 27 shows The winner of the champiommp showdown
on August 3 will go home with free t-shuts, gift certificates to
See Some "Soul," Or Something: If you're like me, and you'd rather
eat glass than pay to see V The Jennifer Nettles Band, but, unlike
me, you'd go see them if it were free, well, you're in luck. Nettles
and Co. are playing in Atlanta on Friday, July 26, as part of the "On
The Bricks" free concert series at Centennial Olympic Park. You'll
also get to see Five For Fighting, the thoroughly forgettable
Canadian band who's goateed schlep of a frontman has gotten lots
of camera time for his song "Superman." which became somehow
associated with the 9-11 tragedies. Try not to get killed after the
concert like that guy a few weeks back
Ex-Xer, Exene. Our old friend Exene Cervenka. one time singer for
seminal punk dudes X. has got a new act together. The Original
Sinners will play in Atlanta at the Star Bar on Friday, July 27.
Please, please send news items via e-mail to music@flagpole com
via voicemail at 549-2360; via fax machine at 54d 8981; or via old
skod post at P.O. Bo« 1027 Athens, GA 30603.
Brandon Butler
26 FLAGPOLE COM JULY 24. 2002