About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (April 20, 2011)
Saturday, April 23 @ sSjijjSr CREATION • REVISION DJRX MUSIC a 243 w. Washington st a mon sat 4pm -2am You rani hr. a real country unless you Ira a* a hcer and an airline - il Im*I|xs if you have some. kind of a football team, or some nuclear ueajions. but at tin* very least you need a beer ." 'Frank Zappa Wednesday April2 Thursday April 28 1st Floor Lamar Dodd School of Art w 9am - 5pm erej,'**** i n 11 Fresh Seafood, South Florida Style ON SITE PARKING! Free Wi-Fi Event Planning Private Room Reservations Accepted 706-353-TUNA 414 N. Thomas St. www.squareonefishco.com SUNDAY BRUNCH llam-4pm 50C Oysters All Day & All Night! Prices occlude tax S gratuity May not be combined with any other offers or promotions TAKING GRADUATION AND EASTER BRUNCH RESERVATIONS NOW! INTRODUCING ATHENS’ NEWEST TALENT THE SUNUGHT ALCHEMISTS Indie/Alt/Rock Lineup: Hannah Zale, Derek Terry, Christian Gerdershmit, Joe Shanoltz. Influences: Nirvana, Coldplay, Powderfinger, Ella Fitzgerald, Alanis Morisette, Sublime, U2, The Verve, Kira and the Kindred Spirits. Derek and Christian originally collaborated as part of Atlanta rock band Revo before joining forces with Joe and Hannah last August. Hannah's roaring vocals are cer tainly the spotlight on these alt-rock tunes; she's got the kind of pipes you might expect to dominate on "American Idol": soulful, rich and suited for the mainstream. The band identifies itself as indie, and maybe it embodies something of a DIY spirit, but musically this is very straightahead stuff—like many of the listed influ ences might suggest. There are demos up on www.mys- pace.com/the_sunlight_alchemists, but I think the best is yet to come from this group. The tracks online feel sort of hesitant and restrained, without any really strong hooks. But with time and focus, and more of the fiery confidence I've seen in footage of its live shows, this band could successfully ride on the '90s resurgence wave. Next show: Wednesday, Apr. 20 @ Rye Bar this group of mostly UGA Music Business Program students has quickly found its niche in the jam and dance scene. There's a good bit of synth, care of Matt Lewis (not to be confused with Mat Lewis of Grape Soda fame), plus some real funky bass grooves from Ben Consuegra which even venture VESPOUNA Pop/Rock/Post-Country Lineup: Daniel Aaron, Chris Ellenburg, Kaitlin Jones, Holly Belle, AJ Griffin, Daniel Ray, Eric Johnson. Shares members with: Mikey Dwyer & the Starter Kits, Tony Tidwell, Southern Bitch, Laminated Cat, Poncho Magic, Justin Evans, Kaitlin Jones and the County Fair, f/stop, Timber and Andros. Influences: Late '60s Beach Boys, Guided by Voices, Pemice Brothers, Tindersticks, Palace, Leonard Cohen, Big Star, James Hunter. A new band featuring many familiar faces, one Vespolina show is almost like an Athens Americana Fest unto itself. Timber frontman Daniel Aaron takes the lead here, backed by a lush assortment of strings, pedal steel and keys. "We all live in Athens and are trying to balance playing music with work (Little Kings, 40 Watt, Gyro Wrap, Animal Hospital, Junkman's) and the million other cocktail parties that occur," says Aaron. Vespolina is currently recording its debut LP, which should be released Later this year. In the meantime, the band has a few festivals lined up, including appearances at the actual Athens Americana Fest plus AthFest, Slopfest and maybe the Marigold Festival in Winterville. If you are looking for a sweet mix of twangy pop and rock for your event, the band says it's available for private parties and weddings, too. You can find out more online at www.cowboyangelmusic.com or find Vespolina on Facebook. Next show: The Athens Americana Fest, Thursday, Apr. 28 @ Little Kings Shuffle Club CHROMAZOKE Electronic-fused Funk Rock Lineup: Jordan White, Ben Consuegra, Matt Lewis, Danny Zagoria. Influences: ST59, Disco Biscuits, Pearl Jam, Incubus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Depeche Mode This band first made a blip on Flagpole's radar during the Spring Showdown at the 40 Watt Club earlier this month, which was immediately followed by three more gigs in town, including a couple benefit shows at New Earth. It seems like in disco territory on tracks like "And the Days Turn to Weeks" before swirling out into more psychedelic waters. Jordan White's vocals are sort of thin and quirky, giving the tunes a more indie vibe than you'd expect, and his guitar adds an alternative rock edge on tracks like "Fandango." Adding depth and an organic pulse behind the samples is drummer Danny Zagoria. If that sounds like your kind of groove, check out the demos up at reverbnation.com/chromazone. Next show: Thursday, May 5 @ Nowhere Bar pretty bird Ambient/Experimental Lineup: david (he's a little extreme), jared (he's the quiet one), jacob (he's the one that wants to have fun) and val (she's the brains). Shares members with: Green Gerry and the Gellyphish, Tree Spirit, Valerie and the Vaginas. Lowercase names: intentional. The crazy kids behind pretty bird really, really want you know that they are unconventional. They advertised a show at Go Bar by chalking up Flagpole's sidewalk with childlike images and phrases (Ed. request: please include a hopscotch board next time), and when we sent them our Upstart questions, they submitted their answers in the form of a spiral note book filled with National Geographic photo collages, frantic doodles and scrawled text... like the manic creation of a middle schooler with severe A.D.D. "The story of... pretty bird" says the cover in neon green paint, and, as it turns out, if you squint hard enough through all the jagged lines and gib berish, there is some content to be gleaned from these pages—most importantly, the band's website: thebirdhouse.bandcamp.com. Here, finally, we get a sense of what pretty bird is all about, and, truth be told, the chaotic nature of the notebook is a fitting rep resentation of the group's twisted sound collages. Haunting chants interrupted by nonsensical yelps explode into a fury of percussion on "treehouse," and the other tracks similarly offer a strange mix of sloppy and tribal. Seemingly random text from the notebook, like a page that features an image of Jesus with the words "(God isn't real)" written in pink, makes as little sense... as the repeated lyrics in "beally you'en be be." One page of the notebook reads: "pretty bird started as a sort of three-dimensional poetry. Now it's become something so much more... terrifying." And these songs are a bit dizzying after awhile... a fever dream in a bad drug trip... But if the band comes off sounding a little looney, they also sound like they're having a damn good time, and I imagine that wild abandon would be contagious at a live show. Check it out, if you dare. And, so you get the full experience, I've scanned some excerpts from the journal and posted them up on Flagpole.com. Next show: Check Facebook for updates. Michelle Gilzenrat music@flagpole.com 16 FLAGPOLE.COM-APRIL 20,2011
