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hendershot's
toffee ??? bar ??? music
WEDNESDAY, JAN 30???
Guitar Summit in honor of
Craig Lieske
THURSDAY, JAN 3 I st
Bill Mallonee
FRIDAY, FEB I st
Love Notes for Lucas Fundraiser
6-8pm Open Mic
8:30pm DEBRIS
SATURDAY, FEB 2 nd
Athens Pagan Pride Fundraiser
SUNDAY, FEB 3 rd
Jazz Brunch
MONDAY, FEB 4???
Open Mic with
Kyshona Armstrong
TUESDAY, FEB 5???
The Lucky Ones
WEDNESDAY, FEB 6???
Hobohemians
ATHENS??? INTIMATE LIVE MUSIC VENUE
hendershotscoffee.com
1560 Oglethorpe ave.
l 706.353.3050 ,
FEBRUARY SPA FAVORITES
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295 E. DOUGHERTY ST. ??? 706.425.9700
foundryparkinn.com
classically trained pianist and inde
pendent songwriter, Dan McCurry
aspired to make his living as a
performing musician in Charleston, SC. But
musical journeys have a funny way of taking
unexpected detours. Over the last few months,
McCurry's record label Hearts & Plugs has
accelerated into high gear, with the release
of two sampler compilations and majestic
debuts from two Lowcountry bands: Elim Bolt
and Brave Baby, two young groups poised for
greatness.
Last November, Hearts & Plugs issued
Elim Bolt's reverb-soaked album Nude South.
In January, the label followed up with the
release of a collection by synth-tinged quintet
Brave Baby, Forty Bells. Both albums received
impressive reviews in their home state's
papers and on the indie web.
"A big part of the Hearts & Plugs philoso
phy is pooling resources and getting as much
done as we can," McCurry says. "The main
resource we don't have is money. We don't
have a big investor, but we can make the art
look good, and we can make the music sound
good."
Elim Bolt frontman Johnnie Matthews
grew up on a farm in Elim, SC, just south of
Florence, where his first serious band experi
ence was playing bass in pop-rock outfit
Sequoyah Prep School. In 2011, Matthews left
home and landed in Charleston.
"I started taking more of an interest in
writing about two-and-a-half years ago,"
Matthews says. "I was living on the family
farm by myself when I realized that I wanted
to be in control of writing my own songs."
Matthews then worked up a solid batch of
melodic originals, enlisting drummer Wolfgang
Zimmerman, bassist Christian Chidester, gui
tarist Jordan Hicks and vocalist Amber Joyner
to record with him at Zimmerman's home stu
dio, nicknamed The Space. After gathering six
of his strongest originals for a solo EP, Felix,
Matthews immediately followed up on sessions
for Nude South.
Stepping aside from his own band Run Dan
Run, McCurry joined the group in the studio,
adding organ and keyboard parts. The col
laboration paid off. From the tearful, reverb-
soaked opener "Only You" to the dreamy,
drowsy waltz of closing track "Blue Jays,"
Nude South works from a foundation of clas
sic pop stylings???soaring melodies, close-knit
harmonies and clever arrangements. Matthews'
rich, baritone vibrato drenches every song,
from slow-rolling, heartbreaker ballads to loud
and noisy rompers like the anthemic "Farm
Kid," a fan fave.
"We've been calling it indie-crooner-rock,"
Matthews says. "I just wanted it to sound like
a welcoming wall of sound."
Led by singer and guitarist Keon Masters,
a native of Fort Mill, SC, Brave Baby is Elim
Bolt's close music sibling. There are musical
similarities between the labelmates. Both
bands share an affinity for chiming guitars,
dynamic arrangements and clever verses. They
also share three core members: Chidester,
Zimmerman and Hicks.
But while Elim Bolt's amped-up pop draws
from vintage rock and roll and alternative
styles, Brave Baby aims for a more modern
twist of orchestral pop and experimental rock.
Masters' musical arrangements and lyrical work
veer towards a more sweeping, moody, emo
tive sound.
Like Elim Bolt's first full-length, Forty Bells
is a self-made, low-budget debut, but, also
similarly, it's a stunning, supercharged col
lection of hearty anthems, epic ballads and
echoey pop-rock.
"I think we fit really well next to Elim
Bolt," Masters says. "Both bands... have some
similar production qualities. [But unlike Elim
Bolt] I've never tried to embrace the Southern
approach, as far as my tone and delivery. We'll
embellish some Southern themes, but we aim
for that grandiose, larger-than-life sound, with
little scenes from verse to verse."
Elim Bolt and Brave Baby are currently
on the road for the Hearts & Plugs showcase
tour, which is winding through Georgia, the
Carolinas and Tennessee to Chicago and back.
Hearts & Plugs founder McCurry is traveling
with the entourage as both a bandmate and
label figurehead. All involved will visit Athens
for the first time this weekend.
As far as the budding label, McCurry says
that his initial goal was to focus on a home
base of acts and grow along with them. In
addition to Elim Bolt and Brave Baby, the
roster currently includes Columbia-based
folk-pop/electronica band The Lovely Few,
Charleston-based drummer Nick Jenkins' solo
project Mr. Jenkins and McCurry's own Run Dan
Run.
"We'd like to always recognize our roots
while also moving beyond just being a home
town label," McCurry says. "We hope that
in three to five years, perhaps, we're in the
league of other very respectable indie labels,
like Barsuk, Jade Tree, Carpark, et cetera."
But home will always remain the focus.
"We're starting here, and we're going to con
tinue to highlight Charleston no matter where
we are."
T. Ballard Lesemann
/ \
WHO: Elim Bolt, Brave Baby,
Androcles and the Lion, Last Tycoon
WHERE: Farm 225
WHEN: Friday, February 1
HOW MUCH: FREE!
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Spice up your Valentine's Day with a visit to
Sexy Suz! Sexy Suz is Athens' largest adult retail
store designed for men, women and couples
of all sexual preferences,
If it's not sexy, we don't sell it!
Vote us
2013's
ATHENS' FAVORITE
\ Naughty A
\ Store! /
Valentine's Day Gifts for Men
and Women
Romantic Accessories
Toys for Lovers
Sexy Lingerie & Clubwear
Athens' Largest Selection
of Adult DVDs
Sexy Shoe Department
Bachelor/Bachelorette Party Gifts
Massage Oils, Candles, Lubes
Games & Sexy Fun/Bag Gifts
Tobacco Products & Accessories
4124 Atlanta Hwy. ??? 678-661-0700
www.sexysuzonline.com
???EVERYTHING ADULT FOR A PASSIONATE WORLD???
NON-THUR lOam-llpm ??? FRI-SAT 10am-12am ??? SUN 12pm-8pm
No One Under 18 Admitted ??? Photo ID Required
16 FLAGPOLE.COM-JANUARY 30, 2013
ELIM BOLT BY MEGAN ELGER