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Sunday, August 26
Centro-matic,
Southern Bitch
Kingpins
Will Johnson is no
stranger to Athens. The
Texas songwriter and
his crackeijack band
Centro-matic have reg
ularly played most ven
ues in town. The group
was most recently here
in December of '06, but Centro-matic
swings through town
tonight at a venue that's new to the band: just-outside-the-Loop Jefferson Road bowling alley
Kingpins.
As to how Kingpins head guy Ed Connelly roped in one of the more well-regarded tour
ing bands on the national indie scene to play at a strip-mall bowling alley? It's simple, says
Connelly. Tm just a fan of the band and started poking around on MySpace," he says, "[I]
saw they were playing in Macon and assumed they'd be playing here in Athens... they weren't,
that's where they were ending their tour, and so I decided to make a few calls."
Expect shows at Kingpins to continue, though the bowl'n'brew plans to hand-pick its per
formers rather than open up the booking process to submissions. "This has been a goal for a
while," says Connelly. "Our whole premise in booking shows is based on the fact that we don't
want to do shows all the time and change it into a rock club. But every time we do it, it goes
well. We want to do stuff on Sundays. We're not competing with downtown, we can sell food
and alcohol on a Sunday, and because we close at midnight, shows can start up at a more rea
sonable time because we've gotta close down."
Sunday's show starts around 9 p.m., and though Connelly says he generally prefers that
Kingpins' shows be free, this time around he's charging $5 or $6 for entry; after all, Centro-
matic's a reputable, nationally touring band that needs the gas money. The local firebrands of.
Southern Bitch open the-show. [Chris Hassiotis]
TREY WRIGHT TRIO (Mercury
Lounge) Guitarist Trey Wright ot Squat
brings his trio—original Squat drum
mer Carlton Owens and upright bassist
Chris Enghauser—to the stage tonight,
playing some new material along with
tunes from last year's album Where I'm
Calling From. Perhaps a version or two
of Monk, Radiohead or Drake tunes as
well. 8 p.m.
THE UNFORGIVEN (Eastwood Pub)
Bluesy tunes from this Atlanta-based
four-piece.
VENICE IS SINKING (Caledonia)
With boy/ girl vocals, a cinematic jan
gle and a sweeping, emotional punch
courtesy of a viola, Venice is Sinking’s
piano-based torch songs burn bright.
Last year, the local five-piece released
its lush and charismatic debut album
Sorry About the Flowers Happy-hour
show starting around 6 p.m.
WE VERSUS THE SHARK (Georgia
Theatre) Local fan-lave four-piece We
Versus The Shark has been infusing
everything with the punkish yet techni
cal abrasion of math rock, but injects a
healthy and uncharacteristic amount of
hip-shakm’ funk into the act. There's a
new DVD/ EP double release out now
THE XYZ AFFAIR (40 Watt) With
choruses heavy with vocal harmonies,
Brooklyn band The XYZ Affair—Alex
Feder. Chris Bonner. Sam Rockwell
and Russ Maschmeyer—borrows the
best of sweet, singalong pop to endear
listeners to its muscular indie-rock. A
Few More Published Studies is the new
album, and it sounds a little like the
Beach Boys with some serious balls.
Saturday, Aug. 25
PETER ALVANOS (Caledonia)
Fabulous Bird frontman Peter Aivanos
performs another of several gigs this
week, going solo tonight and perhaps
whipping out a few choice covers, but
focusing mainly on his own '60s-styied
pop-rock tunes. After this show wraps,
he's over to Tasty World to drum with
The Empties.
SEAN ARINGTON (Saving Grace)
Rip-your-heart-out acoustic pop origi
nals and covers from Athenian singer-
songwriter Sean Arington, formerly of
bands Big Atomic and One Big Eye.
Playing at the restaurant in Comer at
7 p.m.
BO BEDINGFIELD (Melting Point) If
Springsteen had followed up Nebraska
with Georgia, it mighfve sounded
something like Bo Bedingfield's debut
album The World is Ending, Show
Some Decorum. He's playing solo to
night and should have some new tunes
oft an upcoming release.
BEYOND TOMORROW (40 Watt)
Athens quartet Patrick Hoydar (vocals,
guitar), Steve Gagnier (guitar), Phil
Goodwin (drums) and Alec Wooden
(bass) play pop-sawy emo-rock songs
pretty much guaranteed to weaken girls'
knees. The debut album is the self-titled
full-length disc Beyond Tomorrow.
BITCH SWITCH (Little Kings) Your
all-star lady deejay duo spins thick
dance grooves and adds in a twinge of
their own campy performance. 11 p.m.
COLOURSLIDE (Tasty World)
Gainesville, FL, rock band Colourslide
recently released its self-titled debut
album, a polite mix ot melodic vocals,
anthemic choruses and shimmery
guitar parts
“DEVILNECK METALFEST”
(Repent) The downtown club hosts a
bevy of heavy bands in the metal cat
egory, running the gamut of subgenres.
The three-day festival closes tonight;
see p. 31 for a full rundown of what's
going on.
DIRK HOWELL BAND (Ashford
Manor) A club owner and frequent
performer in Athens in the '80s, Dirk
Howell took his R&B-flavored smooth
country croon to Nashville several
years ago. The 2005 album is called
Beach Country. 7p.m.
DJ BOBBY C (Loft) Hits from the ‘80s.
'90s and today, all night long. Every
Saturday.
DJ CODY NATION (Detour) DJ Cody
Nation is an Atlanta-based deejay spin
ning the newest in worldwide dance
tracks, from Nelly Furtado to Justin
Timberlake and from Offer Nissim to
Amuka.
DJ DIAMOND (Tasty World Upstairs)
Spinning the tunes for the weekly Latin
dancing hosted by local promoters
Chamo Events. Every Saturday, 10 p.m.
DJ MAHOGANY (Flicker) Tonight
starts with two free badass films cho
sen by DJ Mahogany—Commando
at 8 p.m. and Petey Wheatstraw: The
Devil's Son In Law at 10:15—and
then he hosts a dance party starting at
midnight, spinning vintage funk, soul
and R&B.
DJ MARK BELL (8e's) Starting at 11
p.m. every Friday and Saturday, local
deejay Mark Bell focuses on the dan
der sounds of 20 years ago.
DJRX (Rumor) The bar's house deejay
plays party tracks, mainly current pop
with old school and country accents,
many of which are his own remixes.
Every Friday and Saturday.
THE EMPTIES (Tasty World) The local
pop-rockers in the Empties combine
melancholy vocals with surprisingly
harmonized choruses, in an interesting
combination of rhythmic mope-rock
and more driving hard rock. The 2006
debut EP is called Dorothy Tonight
Peter Aivanos (Fabulous Bird) sits in
on drums.
THE FOLK YOUS (Go Bar) Julie
Dyles (Murder Beach, Big Gray) and
Courtnie Woltgang (Big Gray) play
around as an acoustic guitar/ ukulele
combo, providing folk-styled cov
ers of the best in power balladry.
Guitarist Jesse Flavin (Good Ship,
Phosphorescent) has been adding his
talents lately.
GROGUS (Georgia Theatre) The local
and long-running Grogus ensemble
plays jazz and salsa accentuated with
reggae, hip-hop and Afro-Cuban styles.
The new EP Sabor de Esperanza. a
preview disc of the group's forthcoming
full-length album Esperanza, should
be available.
PATTERSON HOOD (Melting Point)
A shining star among the multi
talented Drive-By Truckers' songwriter-
guitarist-vocalists, Patterson Hood has
a way with a story, blending country
and Southern rock styles with a direct
approach. A second solo album is
perpetually upcoming, and the Truckers
have been at work on (another!) new
full-length. Expect some friends to join
in on tonight's performance.
“KARAOKE” (Eastwood Pub) Every
Saturday
“KARAOKE” (Mell's) Every Saturday
LA AUTORIDAD DE LA SIERRA
(Athens Arena) Chicago seven-piece
La Autoridad de la Sierra comes to
town playing duranguense, a decidedly
Mexican-American brand of music.
The lively sound got its start when im
migrants from Durango settled down
in Illinois, and it's similar to banda or
norteho with a touch of polka, though
theres a heavy bass-drum presence.
Corridos is the band's new sophomore
album.
LA CHANSONS (Go Bar) Electropop
duo from Smyrna, GA: two keyboards,
a laptop, female vocals. Currently at
work on a debut album.
LAST NOVEMBER (40 Watt) North
Georgia band Last November plays a
high-strung kind of cock rock with a
nod towards pop-punk. All the Gory
Details... is the name of the debut
album.
“LATE NITE DISCO” (Go Bar) The
house deejay spins a cool mix of disco,
New Wave and modem dance tunes for
a sweaty and energetic crowd. Every
Saturday. 10 pm
MERCED (40 Watt) Peppy, riffy guitar
pop-rock quartet from Nashville in
the same vein as melodic bands like
Switchfoot and Jimmy-Eat World.
PARADE (Caledonia) Atlanta's Carrie
Hodge (vocals, bass, keyboard). Scott
Trinh (guitar). Emily Martin (bass, key
board) and Jason Chamison (drums)
play unrestrained but elegantly deli
cious pop. The 2005 debut album is
A Red Button, the followup EP Answer
Me expands on that disc's promise.
THE PUBLIC (Caledonia) New
Orleans post-bunk quartet, borrowing
sounds from Joy Division. Mission of
Burma and The Stone Roses. No Love
is Permanent is the new album.
PUSHI (Caledonia) Drawing compari
sons to acts like the Pretenders. Echo
& the Bunnymen and Siouxsie & the
Banshees. Athens' Push! straddles at
mospheric, shoegazy rock and classic
'80s pop Debut album expected soon.
RED LEGS (Little Kings) Athens
trio Red Legs—Aaron Burns, Jesse
Thompson and Andrew Houston-
formed last August, playing '50s-in-
spired jangly indie-rock as well as stuff
that s a little more predictable. Tonight,
the band celebrates the release of its
debut EP The Iceberg Theory. 10 p.m.
ROCKINSTEIN (Alibi) No information
available.
SOMETHING JAPANESE (Georgia
Theatre) Four guys from Macon jam
band Moonshine Still—David Shore.
Jon Joiner, Ray Petren and Trippe
Wright—perform under this alter-ego,
creating a livetronica fusion of ambient
electro stuff and noodly. bass-heavy
rock and roll.
TELEPATH (Georgia Theatre)
Asheville, NC zone-out trio Telepath
blends live instrumentation, deejaying
and electronic compositions The mel
low new album Fire One draws on dub.
dancehall. Indian and Arabic sounds
VELVETEEN PINK (Tasty World) This
matching-outfit-clad quartet of tunk-
sters from Gainesville. FL. relocated
not long ago to Athens to play electro-
based, groove-laden, upbeat stuff in the
Stevie Wonder and Jamiroquai style.
WAYSIDE RIDERS (Wild Wing Caf6)
Boogie-oriented Southern jam sounds
are the specialty of this Atlanta band.
Sunday, Aug. 26
CENTRO-MATIC (Kingpins) This
skillful pop-rock band from Denton, TX,
began almost accidentally in 1995 as a
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240 N. Lumpkin St / 706 546 4742
Every Monday Night
$2 All Regular
Domestic Bottles
Every Tuesday
$1 Off All Draft Pitchers
Every Day
$2. 80 24oz. Cans
Tm s Auqusi 21
WILX
Thurs. Au<|um 23
BIG C AND THE RINGERS
tfknwganisSlassic
\V £ 22 Mississippi John Doude /
Stand-Up Comedy w/
One Take Willy
i £ 24 FREE SHOW! Indian Head
S £ 23 The Empties / Colourslide /
Velveteen Pink
upstairs 10pm: Latin Student
Association & Chamo Events
Present Salsa Night
$u £ 26 Downtown Community Fellowship
7pm Worship Service
www.dcfathens.org
>1 £ 27 Angwish / Gimme Hendrix /
Stranded
T £ 2£ Dilated Summit / Hot Box Kings /
951b Lap Dog / Valentine Wolf
312 EAST BROAD STREET • 706 543-0797
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