About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 10, 2011)
' l MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP Get Out the Gas Card: Athens indie rockers— as in influenced by Superchunk, Sebadoh and Guided by Voices—Eureka California will take off for a pretty big month-long tour toward the end of August. In the words of the band, the trip falls "just in time to skip half of football season," and that's pretty good plan ning, I would say. The three-piece will hit the entire West Coast, big chunks of the Midwest and Great Plains, a few dates in Texas and a few across the Southeast. They'll play the real Eureka, CA on Sept. 5, and the intensity of that moment will likely cause the state to finally drop into the ocean. If you want to catch them before they leave town, then head down to the Caledonia Lounge on Wednesday, Aug. 17 for the HHBTM Beach Party. Other bands on the bill that night are Seattle's Orca Team, Hug Abuse, Tunabunny and the not- to-be missed Roberta & Charlene. Sample Eureka California's wares over at www.eureka- california.bandcamp.com. Coming Around Again: Local dude Don Auber has released an EP recorded back in 2009 with his old band, Splinter Belly. The bluesy, sometimes boogie-ish five-track recording Purim's Shadows, and while the six-track release features all the expected elements (orchestral banjo, singing saw, etc.), it is significant in that it's the first time someone other than Julian Koster has played the saw on a Music Tapes release. The honor this time goes to longtime Music Tapes collaborator Ian Ludders. For a limited time, and if I knew exactly how long I'd tell you, you can stream the EP over at www.mergerecords.com. If you pull your credit card out while listening, you can order a Music Tapes branded kazoo which also comes with a download code that includes a bonus track. Future plans for Music Tapes include an upcoming tour with Olivia Tremor Control this September and, further down the line, two new full-length albums. Things Change: The District Attorneys are working on demos for their debut full-length before hitting the studio with engineer Drew Vandenberg at Chase Park Transduction. Last week they sent the track "California Fire" over to Flagpole and, just like they mentioned, it's very summer-y. Indeed, it's a strummy, pedal steel-colored, whoa-oh-oh-chorused thing that is pretty different, but possibly a logical The Music Tapes features Auber, Greg Kearney (Tent City), Jon Reed, Michael Gavrielides and Adam Poulin. The band formed circa 2007 and recorded these tracks a couple of years later. The tracks were recently dug up and polished a bit by Gavrielides at his Dreamlab Recording studio. Auber released his own album, Big Fish, earlier this year. For more information and streaming audio, please see www.donauber.com. Now Hear This: Local label Hello Sir Records has a new dedicated channel on YouTube. Although the "videos" are really just static images used as visual placeholders while the music plays, the 20 tracks up there so far are a good way to get a feel for the label that, in most ways, is a celebration of the guitar. Athens bands Maserati, Cinemechanica (fea turing label-owner Bryant Williamson) and Bit Brigade mesh well with decidedly non-local bands So Many Dynamos, Tiger Bear Wolf and Bronzed Chorus, so you could really just play the channel as a continuous stream and treat it like Pandora or something like that. Click over to www.youtube.com/user/ HelloSirRecords to listen in. A Newest Tapes: Since it's already been a pretty heavy month for Elephant 6 news, I fig ured we might as well pile on some more. The Music Tapes just released a new EP n transition, from the band's previously straigh tahead four-chord pop. Another new demo, "Worry About Your Health," swims very close to stealing the vocal melody from The Moody Blues' "Tuesday Afternoon," while matching it with a tune that could be a heavy R.E.M. B-side. Each song gives the impression that the band is shifting away from its earlier work. You can listen to both of these, along with previously released tunes, over at www. facebook.com/thedistrictattorneys. Grab a Glass: The second annual Del Yeah Weekend will happen Friday, Sept. 2 at Terrapin Brewery. Headlined by the decades- old Del McCoury Band, the show will also fea ture Drew Emmitt, Danny Barnes, Cornmeal, The David Mayfield Parade, The Welfare Liners and more. The same show, with a slightly different lineup, will happen the next day in Black Mountain, NC. Organizers say the concept is to have the event in an arena where collaborations are easy and spur-of-the- moment jam sessions are encouraged. This all ages show starts at 5:30 p.m. and should run well into the night. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. For more information, please call Terrapin at (706) 549-3377 or see www.delmccouryband.com. Gordon Lamb !hrealsandpromsies©flagpole com AUGUST 10, 2011 • FLAGPOLE.COM 13 > < r < i i < i > } < : i i ■I i
