A SNEAK PEAK AT THIS FALL’S LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR
W hile late springtime is a busy time in Athens with
all the benefit shows and joy that the sun has
come out again, fall is an equally abundant time
for music-related events. Students are back, the
summer swelter is fading, and it always seems like there's not a
weekend where you can safely get away without missing some
unmissable show. (The secret is: You can and should get out of
town on the weekends. It offers healthy perspective! But not
every weekend, because there's so much stuff to do.)
Herewith, then, is Flagpoles fall concert preview. Mark your
calendars now, but also keep an eye on our weekly edition and
website, as new shows at smaller clubs are still in the process
of coming together.
(40 Watt Club, 8/26). You'll find in-person versions of online
sensations, as tongue-in-cheek hip-hop artists Yung Humma
and Flynt Flossy perform their tunes "Lemme Smang It," "Licky
Sticky" and "Not Your Professor but Your Prosexxor." Perpetual
suburban stars Rehab (Georgia Theatre, 8/27) return to town
at the end of the month.
September traditionally brings Athens cooler weather and
bigger shows, and the month kicks off with one of the most
acclaimed and original local acts setting up shop in a reborn
M«««
If you want to dive right back into big
shows this weekend, The Whigs (Georgia
Theatre, 8/20) will hit the stage, and The
Queers (Caledonia, 8/22) finally make it to
town (see p. 23). Corey Smith's big show
(Georgia Theatre, 8/19) is sold out, so why
not make your way over to check out a
new rising local talent in Ruby Kendrick
(Caledonia, 8/18)? Offsetting these big
shows with something smaller and more inti
mate can be refreshing, anyway, and though
Ruby's young and still finding her feet, she's
moving in all the right in-town directions,
teaming up with strong local talents.
Former Whig Hank Sullivant brings his
band Kuroma (Georgia Theatre, 8/25) back
to local stages, with Thayer Sarrano open
ing. Hank's been back and forth in terms of
drawing large audiences; this Theatre gig is
a great opportunity to catch him on his way
up and check out the revitalized venue. It
also marks Sarrano's first full band show in quite a while, as
she's been busy touring the world with of Montreal.
For those not raised in the community, access to gospel
music can seem intimidating and inaccessible. That's why
catching the historic legacy act The Blind Boys of Alabama
(Melting Point, 8/26) in Athens at the end of the month offers
a unique opportunity. Jump on it! However, if contemporary
tur.'S are more your thing—or your thang, as it were—head
across town to catch the Turquoise Jeep Records Showcase
venue, of Montreal (Georgia Theatre, 9/1) has reached a cre
ative turning point, balancing between crowd-pleasing theat
rics and artistically satisfying indulgence; OM tourmates Yip
Deceiver and '80s-worshippers The Gold Party open.
The next night, the Chris Robinson Brotherhood (Georgia
Theatre, 9/2) finds the Black Crowes frontman strutting his
stuff with his new band while the Crowes are on hiatus, featur
ing members of that band, Burning Tree, Mofro and other acts.
Expect bluesy, gritty rock with a little more of a psychedelic
edge than the Crowes offer. If that's a little too rockin' of a
night, then you could find your way over to the "Del Yeah!"
(Terrapin Brewery, 9/2) event at our local brewhouse, where
bluegrass legend Del McCoury will team up with a number of
musicians. The idea "is to create a festival atmosphere in an
outdoor setting or otherwise non-traditional venue complete
with impromptu jams and unscheduled collaborations." If
you dig this Friday-night show, the Saturday portion of the
event takes place at the Pisgah Brewing Company up in Black
Mountain, NC.
Perennial hometown favorites Modem Skirts (40 Watt Club,
9/3) put on their traditional our-bread-and-butter's-back-in-
school, and though the college crowd provides the sustenance
for the Skirts, the boys have engaged in some experimentation
with their tunes worthy of the townie atten
tion that frequently eludes 'em. The weekend
wraps with a welcome Sunday show: Vieux
Farka Toure, the son of famed Malian musi
cian Ali Farka Toure, brings international
tunes to town. Grogus opens (Georgia
Theatre, 9/4).
A one-time frequent performer in town
and 40 Watt favorite, Conor Oberst brings
Bright Eyes (Georgia Theatre, 9/8) back to
Athens with a high-energy new album, The
People's Key. Toro y Moi (40 Watt Club, 9/9)
draw lines between the mellow chillwave
style and more expansive prog rock, and
South Carolina native Chazwick Bundick
celebrates the release of a new EP titled
Freaking Out this week.
The following night presents two solid
shows: New Orleans rockers Mute Math
(40 Watt Club, 9/10) rep their moody new
album, Old Soul, while the impressive Pacific
Northwest double bill of Mount Eerie /
The Microphones (or whatever name Phil
Elverum's playing under these days) and
instrumental, increasingly eclectic doom-
drone purveyors Earth (Caledonia, 9/10) bring the Caledonia
one of its few big national tours this fall.
Athens champs Don Chambers + GOAT (Flicker, 9/14)
released a new album a few weeks back; get a closer listen to
tunes f rom Punch Drunk mid-September at Flicker. Next door, a
killer one-two punch of soulful, melodic Americana comes with
Okkervil River and Wye Oak (40 Watt Club, 9/14). For those
who missed August's sold-out show, Corey Smith (Georgia
Theatre, 9/15) just scheduled another performance; expect
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