Posts Tagged ‘ Athens Music ’

RECORD REVIEW: Wheels on Fire – Cherry Bomb EP

RECORD REVIEW: Wheels on Fire – Cherry Bomb EP

This album seems like a demonstration of how deeply Wheels On Fire can worm four songs of their greaser surf-rock into your skull. It’s a cleaner break from the straighter rock sound of Get Famous!, and more in line with beach riffs of Liar Liar. (So much so that there’s a different version of a song off Liar Liar.) Cherry Bomb’s lead off, “Black Wave,” starts the dig in your head with a dark beach-party sound, its catchiness only covered up by the second track (“Broken Up”) and its insistence on including a kind of ‘keyboard cat’ riff. The title track demonstrates Wheels on Fire’s experimentation with doo-wop harmonies, and the final song of the set is a stripped-down revision of Liar Liar’s “Go Give Your Love Away”. These are all good songs, and the descriptions, admittedly, are simple bastardizations of how you’ll experience them, or what they actually are.

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RECORD REVIEW: Orchestraville – Poison Berries

RECORD REVIEW: Orchestraville – Poison Berries

Orchestraville were one of the premiere bands as I came of age in the dingy clubs of the early ’90s Athens music scene.  They stood out from crowd by infusing their music with quirky angularity and a much poppier feel than their contemporaries.  I had, at a young age, developed an affinity for XTC, and damned if these guys didn’t nail the sound.  It also didn’t hurt that Dave Pascoe was a complete badass on what was, up to that point, the only fretless bass I had ever seen.  I was hooked.  Two albums, a 7-inch and a few comp tracks later, however, that was that. The band fell into that hazy, excess-soaked gray matter not often called upon, dubbed “the ’90s.” It was quite a shock this past fall, then, to hear tell of a new record.  I usually greet these types of reunions with a fair amount of trepidation.  Putting an album out after so many years usually goes the way of having a release show in the lobby of a Holiday Inn or, at best, being a pale imitation of the reasons you loved the band in the first place.  Orchestraville did neither of these things. ...

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Buffalo Killers + Chickenpussy + Hexnet + D-Rays at the Union 2/19

Buffalo Killers + Chickenpussy + Hexnet + D-Rays at the Union 2/19

Perhaps you’ve heard, but Aquabear Legion and Blackout Booking have once again teamed up to present a jam-packed night of rock and roll at the Union this Saturday, February 19. Headlining the evening will be Cincinnati-based psychedelic blues-rockers Buffalo Killers, who last appeared in Athens this past October. Over the past year, the trio has been hard at work on their next record, the follow-up to their Dan Auerbach-produced 2008 release Let It Ride. The latest finds the group self-producing and expanding their already rich sound—Kelley Deal of the Breeders even provides guest vocals on a track. The record should find its way out this year, but in the meantime the band has contributed a cover of “Scalding Creek” to a Guided By Voices tribute album that will be released on April 16th via No More Fake Labels. Rounding out the night’s bill are Athens regulars Chickenpussy and Hexnet as well as newcomers D-Rays—a new project from Erick Coleman, formerly of the Speedknobs. Doors open at 9 PM, so come celebrate the (temporary?) return of warm weather here in Athens with some blazing-hot rock and roll this Saturday at the Union!

RECORD REVIEW: Whale Zombie – Whale Zombie LP

The guys in Whale Zombie know what they’re doing. They’ve crafted a sound and persona that borrows from numerous characteristics of pop rock history while somehow maintaining an identity that’s all their own. Playing with the vigor of a bunch of teenagers who just bought their first battered secondhand instruments and the finesse of seasoned veterans, Whale Zombie have constructed a solid offering with the debut of their first full-length album. Musical genres are thrown in a blender throughout, but this is accomplished in a way that never jars the listener or upsets its own flow. This is, in part, because the fuzzy, lo-fi aesthetic is one of a few rare elements that remains constant. Add to that quality song writing and skillful playing, and there’s little fault to be found within these 35 minutes of throwback surfy psychedelia. Any number of Whale Zombie’s songs could be equally at home in a Nuggets compilation or on the iPod of a hungover OU underclassman. It’s apparent that they like to screw around with pedals, which will always earn high praise from me. Still, that never really prevents them from writing some truly catchy, rocking tunes. Some of my favorite tracks...

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Aquabear Reader #3! Submissions and Advertisers Needed!

The Athens-based Ohio music, art, and film collective Aquabear Legion is starting to get ready for the third issue of our FREE magazine The Aquabear Reader and we need your help! The Aquabear Reader needs writers, photographers and anyone who wants to help to contact us. This is a 2,000 hard copy circulation magazine made right here in Athens and available all around town, in addition we also make the Reader available on our website as a .pdf. We are open to ideas for stories and features and also have a lot of our own if you need an idea. The Aquabear Reader remains a FREE publication because of support from our advertisers, if you are a local business or organization that would like to reach an audience from Athens and around Ohio while supporting a good cause and organization send us an e-mail to contact@aquabearlegion.com and we will send you information on our very reasonable advertising rates (starting at $50!). CONTACT US ASAP if you are interested we want issue 3 out before summer! You can also go take a look at the first two issues online here: http://www.aquabearlegion.com/aquabear-reader/ E-mail us for more information at contact@aquabearlegion.com or visit...

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Free Aquabear Show on Friday, 10/17 and Aquabear Night @ The Union on 10/24

The Aquabear Legion is honored to have our monthly concert at ARTS/West be part of this year’s ART/oberfest. ART/oberfest is a community arts celebration here in Athens complete with all kinds of visual art, music, workshops, vendors, and more. We are helping kick the weekend off: Aquabear Live @ ART/oberfest Friday, October 17th ARTS/West 132 W. State, Athens 7pm-10pm FREE! with: Russenorsk Bram Riddlebarger and His Lonesome Band Jesse Remnant FREE! Find out more about ART/oberfest at their blog _______ Friday, October 24th Aquabear Night @ The Union with: We March 1point3 and more. 10pm ________

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Aquabear Live @ ARTS/West on July 12!

Aquabear’s monthly concert series Live @ ARTS/West continues with a great show on Saturday, July 12th at 8pm with Athens’ own Sad Bastards and Godversussatan (members of Men of Gentle Birth!). The show will of course take place at ARTS/West (132 West State Street in Athens), music will start at 8pm and its only 3 bucks! Come out and support local music and our new monthly series! ______ And don’t forget… Saturday, July 26th Aquabear Legion Compilation Release @ Casa Cantina 10pm with Machine Go Boom, Casual Future, 1point3, and Weedghost Saturday, August 16th 8pm Aquabear Live @ ARTS/West with Kaslo and more!

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