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OUR MUSIC EDITOR’S WEEKLY PICKS: NEW YEAR'S EVE
10...9...8...The countdown has begun. While I can't tell
you where to find Mr. Midnight for that good-luck smooch, I do
recommend highly the following concerts as soundtracks for a
memorable New Year's Eve in Athens. Reserve both your tickets
and a designated driver in advance, have fun and watch out for
that bubbly stuff; it goes straight to your head. 3...2...1...
of Montreal, Yip Deceiver: It's the last night of the year, and
anything goes. It's time to dip yourself in glitter, wear your
most flamboyant get-up and don the silliest of hats. In other
words, pretend for the night that you, too, are in of Montreal.
Get lost in the boisterous celebration and become a part of
the spectacle as the band plays a set of sexed-up originals
featuring tracks off its latest record. False Priest, plus old fan-
favorites and even a few songs from the forthcoming EP, The
Controller Sphere. Make sure to get there early to catch the
debut performance of Yip Deceiver, a synth-heavy electro-pop
band fronted by of Montreal bassist Davey Pierce.
of Montreal
Pierce says he's been working on this material for a couple
of years now, but the songs that you'll hear tonight were writ
ten mostly during the last of Montreal tour. He set up a make
shift studio in the back of the tour bus, where he collaborated
with bandmate Nicolas Dobbratz. For their live debut Yip
Deceiver will feature Pierce and Dobbratz "and a lot of synths,'
plus Clayton Rychlik on drums. Although Pierce admits it has
been a challenge to work on his own material in between of
Montreal's hectic touring schedule, the songs he has composed
with Dobbratz are all about fun.
"Nicolas and I, every time we hang
out, we wind up just making up lingo and
inside jokes all over the place. We're just
trying to not make the songs sound emo
or something. Lately, especially, every
time people write about stuff that's really
important to them it comes off sounding
contrite and weird to me. I just wanted
to have a light-hearted air of fun to it."
Expect a short opening set of about
seven songs and look out for Yip
Deceiver's return to Athens in January.
The band is preparing to launch a 43-date
tour to support its debut, a four-song
12-inch, early next year. (40 Watt Club)
► Glitch Mob: Few live acts in the eiec-
tronica scene have sent critics tumbling
for superlatives like this LA. trio. After a
recent gig in Chicago, for ©ample, URB
Magazine said of Glitch Mob: "This wasn't
a night of intricacies or nuance so much
as a celebration of sound's most visceral capabilities."
Glitch Mob is certainty no stranger to New Year's Eve events
the group headlined in San Francisco last year and Denver
the year prior. Athens lucked out big time this year, scoring
the band for two nights in a row, Dec. 30 & 31. Even more
exciting, these two shows will feature an entirely new setup
for the band. "We took this as an opportunity to overhaul our
set because we haven't done many two-nighters," says Justin
Boreta. In the past, you may have seen guitar, bass or drums
rotated onstage, but this time, each member will be behind a
set of V-Drums—an electronic kit used to trigger sounds and
samples.
"We tried to re-think the traditional band thing," explains
Boreta. "One of the cool things about having a computer as
the brains of everything is that anyone can do anything; so
we're all drumming up there for a lot of the set."
Boreta says the trio sifted through about 45 songs and
plans to play a fresh set each night. They've also pre-pro
grammed an impressive installation of LED lights set to flash in
time to each track.
"We put a lot of energy into our live show and we like to
think of it as a really high-octane, fun, crazy-loud show... We
try to make it as immersive as possible, so we like to have peo
ple come in and just lose themselves for that
hour and a half." (New Earth Music Hall)
Free Mountain, Pride Parade, Incendiaries:
Maybe electronica and over-the-top perfor
mance art aren't your thing. If you are look
ing for straight-up rock, this is your show.
"We are going to rock as usual for NYE," says
Bryan Howard of Free Mountain. "We will be
playing ali of your favorite Free Mountain
tunes. We plan on melting faces and setting
the crowd up for the Pride Parade juggernaut
to run roughshod all over them." And as for
the headlining act, Allen Owens promises
that their set will "have a sneaky cover
thrown in the mix... And we will dust off
some old favorites and mix them with some
new jams. I think this bill is a fairly eclectic
lineup." (Caledonia Lounge)
The Highballs: The '80s cover set is sort of
a classic New Year's Eve tradition, and few
do it better than The Highballs. The band
features an eclectic lineup of seasoned
pros, including Meredith McLucas (lead vocals), Bryan McLucas
(bass, vocals), Donovan Babb (drums, vocals), Ben Spraker
(lead guitar, vocals) and Rand Lines (keys, guitar, vocals). If
you are visiting from out of town or just looking for a place to
crash that is stumbling distance from your downtown revelry,
check out the couples' package deal, which includes tickets to
the show, accommodations at The Foundry Park Inn and Spa,
plus continental breakfast after midnight. Another bonus—
tickets to this show include a champagne toast, party favors
Glitch Mob
and a midnight balloon drop*. Expect a mix of new wave and
pop favorites from acts tike Duran Duran, Michael Jackson, The
Bangles and many more. (The Melting Point)
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Hosted by TJ YOUNC
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS
OBT PLAYING 2 SETS'
w/ THE 2ND. SONS
DOW CHAMBERS GOAT
HENRY BARBE
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DECEMBER 22,2010 4