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fflaison Bleu
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MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP
Here's another week of Athens music news to keep you
going through the summer doldrums. Convenient, isn't it, how
no matter what time of year it is Athens bands still dole out
those drums? Yeah, I thought so. Get wowed below...
Delivered as Promised: As threatened a couple of weeks back,
new local band Nationale has finished its four-song demo
and packaged it up in a fancy limited edition run of 85 cop
ies. The band is a perfect addition to the creative side of the
Athens hardcore scene and operates in the welcome arena of
intelligent, scream-oriented hardcore. Stylistically, Nationale is
reminiscent of a second-wave emo band (circa 1989-1993) way
before that term was hijacked to describe wimpy, posturing,
goth-metal. Nationale is also the only Athens band I've ever
known to give thanks to both Pablo Neruda and the 1968
Paris riots. Check it out over at www.myspace.com/nation-
ale706 or see the Upstart Roundup on p.23 for more.
> Sweet Home Athens, GA: I'll
bet any townie with a beard and
swoopy haircut has no idea who
Colt Ford is. I'll also bet you that
the kid in the pastel Izod shirt
who just drunkenly threatened to
kick your ass knows exactly who
Colt Ford is. The man is getting to
be nigh legendary via his seriously
unique brand of deep country rap.
That is, take any old country music
trope (hunting, dirt roads, etc.)
and Colt Ford will lay it over sinis
ter sounding beats, thus producing
a sound that is simultaneously
menacing and familiar. The local
fellow's newest track, "No Trash
in My Trailer," is currently getting
rotation on CMT and, seriously, I
can see this dude selling millions.
There are multiple videos available
on his website for you to check
out, or you can watch him perforn;
on "Good Day Atlanta" (along with
co-conspirator Brantley Gilbert)
on Friday, July 18. If that blows
your skirt up, then you might want
to go see him live at Chastain
Park on Saturday, July 19 when he
performs with Rhett Akins and the incomprehensibly popular
Corey Smith. Dig it all at www.coltford.com.
Dex in the Saddle Again: Although never really living here
for more than several months at a time, Dexter Romweber
(Flat Duo Jets) has a permanent place in the psyche of Athens
music. And, really, that's to our benefit more than his. The
now-legendary guitarist and songwriter has inked a deal with
Bloodshot Records for an undisclosed number of releases, and
hopefully this will be the shot in the arm his career has needed
to finally reveal himself to the public at large. The first as-yet-
untitled album will feature duets with Chan Marshall, Neko
Case and Exene Cervenka. One particularly cool thing about
the touring apparatus of the Dexter Romweber Duo is that the
drummer is Dexter's also well-known sister, Sara Romweber
(Snatches of Pink, Let's Active) who has had her hand in
Southern pop music for decades. All in all, this is a very cool
development, and I wish Dex nothing but the best. For more
info, please see www.myspace.com/dexterromweberduo.
Awesome, Awesome: OK, this is one I've been waiting for.
Sparse and gorgeous local band The Jersey Barrier has com
pleted its debut LP titled Steady Pace in the Slow Lane. The
band will release it the week of July 6 to coincide with "Be
Nice to New Jersey Week," even though none of the members
are from the Garden State. The members (Greg Harmelink,
Ash White, Rob Walsh, Todd Elihu and Carolyn McLanahan)
were joined by old friends Bren Mead and Sean Rawls (both
ex-Masters of the Hemisphere) for the song "It's Been a Day."
(Interestingly, every member of The Jersey Barrier is related
by blood or marriage except Ash White. But, I can personally
vouch that he's the kind of guy any mom would happily count
among her children.) The album will be available in local stores
and a slew of online sources. More info can be had by checking
out www.thejerseybarrier.com.
Don't Let Me Down: Do you remember a local band from about
five years back named The Letmedowns? Nope, I know you
don't. You might be interested to know, though, that these
guys have bootstrapped it and gotten back on that stage and
played live for the first time in that many years last week over
at Tasty World to celebrate the release of their new EP The
First to Leave. Although the vocals are sometimes slightly too
twangy for my tastes, there's no denying The Letmedowns have
a solid handle on Replacements-style, rootsy punk. More gigs,
guys? Listen in at www.myspace.com/theletmedowns.
What We Did on Our Vacation: One unavoidable fact about
the rise of the Internet is that showing slides of your world
journeys against the wall of your
living room is now impossibly
passe. Recognizing this, local
popsters Casper & the Cookies
have been busily releasing a video
series chronicling the band's most
recent trip to Japan and posting
the clips, along with original music
by head honcho Casper Fandango
(AKA Jason Nesmith), on the web.
You can find the series, named
Wa+ashi-Wa Vegetarian, by search
ing that term over on YouTube.
In other news, the band reports
that it's nearly finished recording
the next full-length LP and plans
to debut much of the material this
August at the Athens PopFest.
Antwerp, Are You Goofing on
Michael? If you were wondering
where you could hear what is pos
sibly the best sounding R.E.M.
tribute band, I've got just the
thing for you. An excited group
of fellows in Antwerp, Belgium
has announced their existence to
the world and performs its nearly
note-perfect renditions of R.E.M.
favorites under the moniker The 40
Watt Band. I was pretty impressed at the accuracy and atten
tion to detail these guys have infused in their cover version
and, hell, why not check them out? Listen in over at www.mys-
pace.com/the40wattband.
Yeah, That's the Ticket: Now, for the third time, Chunklet
Magazine publisher Henry Owings has released a 7" single
which serves as a ticket to a show. This time around the single
features Dark Meat and DJ extraordinaire Diplo. The single
will be available locally at Wuxtry Records and in Atlanta at
Criminal Records. It will only serve as a ticket, however, if you
head to Whirlyball in Roswell, GA on Saturday, July 12 for the
show featuring Dark Meat, Diplo and Noot D'Noot. The Friday,
July 11 show at the 40 Watt Club will feature Dark Meat, Diplo
and Future Ape Tapes. Tickets to that night will run you $8 in
advance at 40watt.com or $10 at the door. For more informa
tion, please see www.chunklet.com.
Sold! The beautiful Gretsch guitar signed by all four original
members of R.E.M. that was up on Ebay for auction has been
sold for a cool $6,050 to a bidder in Australia. All proceeds will
benefit AthFest's educational efforts. Congrats to AthFest and
the winning bidder! [Michelle GiLzenrat]
And, with that, another week closes out here in the Classic
City. As always, be sure to keep your news coming in, and
always mention either Threats & Promises or my name in the
subject line of all emails. Put the needle on the record via
email to music@flagpole.com, voicemail at 706-549-9523, ext.
203, or by post to P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA, 30603.
Gordon Lamb
Colt Ford
26 FLAGPOLE.COM • JULY 2, 2008
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