INTRODUCING ATHENS' NEWEST TALENT
STRANGE TORPEDO
Alternative/ Indie/ Post Punk
Lineup: Pete Hayek, Nate Chasen, Tom Roberts, Nathan
Koskey. Influences: Cakp. The Clash, Talking Heads.
This collaboration actually dates back to the '80s when
Tom Roberts and Pete Hayek started a band in Baton Rouge.
Around '87, the pair relocated to Athens and formed Sufferin'
Succotash, "a high-energy, pop-punk, quirky, never
predictable trio." After some successful national tours,
the band finally called it quits in the mid-'90s. Fast
forward to 2007, when Tom and Pete finally decided
to dive back in and formed a new project that would
become Strange Torpedo.
The group has only logged a handful of shows in
Athens so far, having suffered from the usual rotat
ing door of bassists and drummers that plagues so
many bands. But at long last, the lineup is cemented
and they're ready to roll. Tom decided to handle bass
duties, and Strange Torpedo picked up cellist Nathan
Chasen, whose backing vocals add "haunting vibes" to
the mix. Nathan Koskey filled in behind the drums, and
the band says he's "the drummer we've been looking
for... He's not homeless, has a job, a car, a drum-kit
and can keep a mean beat."
You can hear a sample of this band's jagged,
brooding rock over at www.strangetorpedo.com. Look
out for some new covers as well, as the group has
plans to tackle songs by Talking Heads, Echo and the
Bunnymen, The Cure and The White Stripes.
Next show: Thursday, June 2 @ Terrapin Brewery
SHAVED CHRIST
Street Punk/ Grinder
Lineup: Michael Clancy, Al Daglis, Joe Dakin, Jason Griffin.
Shares members with: Hot New Mexicans, Witches. Former
members of: Dark Meat, American Cheeseburger, 300 Cobras,
Divorce. Influences: Black Flag, Husker Du, Discharge.
Let's get this out of the way: drummer Jason Griffin
and bassist Joe Dakin are former members of American
Cheeseburger, and that tact will cast a long shadow over their
new band, Shaved Christ—at least initially. Cheeseburger was
an undeniable institution for Athens punk rockers, and so
this new act has a mighty legacy to live up to. But the fact
that guitarist Al Daglis (onetime drummer in power-violence-
gone-wild act Cop Dope) is responsible for a majority of the
songwriting suggests a lateral move coming from a new per
spective: this band is a different beast altogether. This is a
band of drummers, and it shows: the songs are rhythmically
inventive within the confines of traditional, fast hardcore, and
vocalist Clancy has rekindled the intensity he brought to the
altogether-too-brief band Brown Diamond. Each member of the
group has his lifer bona fides and brings functional skills to
the project, ranging from booking to screenprinting; the half
way mind-blowing information that the band's first show was
with longtime grindcore buttheads A.C. says volumes.
After a blitzkrieg of April shows, the quartet is now record
ing its demo with producer Joel Hatstat, and, once Clancy
returns from a European tour with sonorous post-punks
Witches, they plan on playing and touring as much and as
often as possible. [Jeff Tobias]
Next show: Saturday, June 11 @ Go Bar
SAM SNIPER
Country-Funk
Lineup: Chris Barnett, Andrew Klein, Nick Mallis and Ryan
Sedgwick. Shares members with: Yo Soybean. Influences:
CSNY, The Band, Queen, Wilco, Dr. Dog, MGMT, Blitzen Trapper.
In our feature on the Athens Americana Fest back in April,
we asked local musicians to define "Americana"—and the
answers were just as varied as the Fest's lineup. That sense of
interconnected diversity also permeates Sam Sniper's debut
album, We're Not Coming Back This Way. Just when you think
you've got this band pegged, they nimbly change things up on
you, shifting gears with deft grace.
Depending on what track you hear first, Sam Sniper might
seem like a rootsy folk band—complete with plucked banjo
notes and lonesome caterwauling—or maybe a soulful blues
act with gospel-inspired organ. And then the pace picks up,
the guitars start howling, and Sam Sniper is full-on Southern
rock with country-fried twang and big, anthemic choruses. But
the biggest surprise comes on songs like "Captain Boughman,"
when the red clay seems to fall away as synth and electronic
loops descend from outer space... and all of a sudden that
MGMT influence becomes strikingly apparent.
Yet, in spite of the band's eclectic nature, somehow it all
sounds distinctively and cohesively like Sam Sniper. If there's
one consistent thread running through this album, it's the
band's undeniably strong sense of melody. The songwriting duo
of Chris Barnett and Andrew Klein makes up the core
of Sam Sniper, but the group expands to include Yo
Soybean's Nick Mallis on bass and Ryan Sedgwick on
drums for its live shows. Soak in all 14 tracks of heart
land glory at www.samsniper.bandcamp.com.
Next show: Check Facebook for updates.
NEVER
Psychedelic/ Noisy/ Pop
Lineup: Melissa Colbert, Peter Alvanos, Kris
Deason, Chris McGarvey, Ryan Vogle. Shares mem
bers with: Creepy, Fabulous Bird, Nuclear Spring.
Influences: The '70s.
To see NEVER live is to witness catharsis.
Frontwoman Melissa Colbert is absolutely explosive-
howling and moaning, thrusting and gyrating, as if
exorcising demons. She's backed by a wall of equally
entrancing psychedelic layers created by Kris Deason's
modified pedals and Ryan Vogle's relentless guitar.
"I am just totally engrossed in what's happening,"
says Colbert about the band's live shows. "I think we
all are. We're just paying attention to each other and
getting lost in the music with each other. It's a good
feeling."
Deason put this project together originally, jamming out
with Nuclear Spring's Vogle for about a year and creating the
framework for the band. McGarvey, a transplant from Chicago,
joined on bass at the beginning of this year, and Colbert was
recruited as vocalist not long after with Peter Alvanos recently
joining behind the drums. Colbert says she alternates between
lyrics and the kind of guttural vocalizations you might remem
ber from her prior psych-dance band Everybody, Everybody.
. While each song has a sort of "basic structure," the set
is loose and flowing, with lots of improvisation. Colbert also
sways between the microphone and an old synthesizer, adding
another layer of lush drone. The brand-new band doesn't have
a web page as of press time but does play out often, and live
is the best way to experience this enthralling act.
Next Show: Saturday, June 25 @ Go Bar (AthFest)
Michelle Gilzenrat music@flagpole.com
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