I realize they’re still not havin’ shows at your usual rock ‘n’ roll hangouts, but local blues joints Blind Willie’s and the Northside Tavern ain’t scared’a no Wu-Tang Flu, having opened their stages back to stompin’ a month back or more. And local workhorse Rod Hamdallah’s been gettin’ busy on both of ‘em. I caught… Continue reading Rod Hamdallah Crawls Back with New Single
Tag: Garage Rock
Los Cogelones – Hijos del Sol
The whites in my eyes reflect on the wet smelling road, glistening asphalt turned to sea floor by a barrage of rain tracks out of the thin ether. It’s getting bad now. Old man told me a storm was coming, I felt it so in a previous pulsing migraine, only I didn’t listen with intents… Continue reading Los Cogelones – Hijos del Sol
The Humms Count Down to Vampire Hours
It’s been ten years since The Humms were a’suckin’ on your brain juice through a cactus straw with their debut album, Lemonland. That far-out freakout established the Athens band’s no-boundaries nature, playing like a weekend at an all-encompassing ‘60s rock festival where there’s hippie country tunes over here, a groovy beat combo in the other… Continue reading The Humms Count Down to Vampire Hours
L.A. Witch
Fire Spirits L.A. Witch Reappear, Packing Heat For many bands that find success with their debut album, the notorious “sophomore slump” is a real worry. For the members of garage/psych rock trio L.A. Witch – singer/guitarist Sade Sanchez, bassist Irita Pai, and drummer Ellie English – making their second full-length album seemed like an especially… Continue reading L.A. Witch
Death Valley Girls Dive Into the Cosmic
It seems like just yesterday we were just watching Iggy scarf down that burger in a Warhol homage, but Death Valley Girls already back with a fresh missive, and it represents a mind-glowing, soul-blowing expansion into the transcendental. “There is a lot to be really angry about in the world,” acknowledges vocalist/guitarist/organist Bonnie Bloomgarden, “but… Continue reading Death Valley Girls Dive Into the Cosmic
Nude Party at Midnight Manor, and You’re Invited!
Cheer up, young buckaroo, things aren’t all bad – New West Records is putting out The Nude Party’s sophomore album on October 2nd! The 12-song Midnight Manor was recorded live-to-tape by the band in upstate New York, and will be available on digital, CD and an assortment of vinyl varieties, including a signed orange marble… Continue reading Nude Party at Midnight Manor, and You’re Invited!
Burger Records Buried Under Sexual Misconduct Allegations
The sudden collapse of Burger Records dumped yet another dismal steaming layer onto the ever-growing turd pile that is 2020. That it had nothing to do with COVID-19 or the ensuing and ongoing government-imposed economic shutdowns makes it even tougher to take. No, Fullerton, California-based Burger and several of the bands associated with the label… Continue reading Burger Records Buried Under Sexual Misconduct Allegations
Twin Peaks – Side A
I could stand still for the rest of my life. Think about how little difference it would make: I’m a speck of spittle, blowing my chunks around like I could ever be more than a fleeting thought (I’m not). I’m an anemone, blowing about a sea of slime and debris (I am). One day the… Continue reading Twin Peaks – Side A
The Woggles Enlist Little Steven for Single
The Woggles played selected dates last year alternating Graham Day and Atlanta’s Shane Pringle (Tiger! Tiger!) on guitar, following the heartbreaking loss of Jeff Walls to pancreatic cancer in May 2019. But when they went into the studio this past February to track a couple of songs for a new single, they enlisted the services… Continue reading The Woggles Enlist Little Steven for Single
L.A. Witch Gets Lit
Well hallelujah, baby! After holing themselves up to write and record new material early this year, L.A. Witch have done finished work on their second full-length album. A volatile concoction of garage rock, punk, blues, country and psychedelia, Play With Fire will scorch the earth August 14, when Suicide Squeeze releases it on vinyl, CD,… Continue reading L.A. Witch Gets Lit
Sutt’s Letters – First Collection
There I was, minding my own business, when I was hit head-on by a motorized rickshaw clean into neon meat dream. While there, I was fed a variety of exotic luxuries on dinner plates, each course flowing parallel to final digestion but existing separately as a holistic delight. I was told to internalize every microbyte,… Continue reading Sutt’s Letters – First Collection
Country Westerns
Fresh Spaces, Familiar Faces: Country Westerns Saddle Up in East Nashville Familiar faces abound for Atlanta folks visiting Nashville. Drop by Joey Plunket’s spot for light bites and hard liquor, Duke’s, and you’ll not just see the former Gentleman Jesse and The Weight member but also longtime Black Lips tour manager Matt Williams – if… Continue reading Country Westerns
Chrome Castle Drop the Mics
Chrome Castle take the groovy sounds of ‘60s garage stomp, ‘80s college rock, cosmic country and gently shimmering psychedelia and strip out the vocal cords, rendering instrumental concoctions that are expressive in their simple ways, ultimately leaving the meaning up to the listener. The Atlanta quartet’s self-titled debut album on Midnight Cruiser Records offers a… Continue reading Chrome Castle Drop the Mics
Georgia Dish Boys Bring the Stage to You
Athens band Georgia Dish Boys’ Good Country Livin’ was one of the more challenging and rewarding studio albums released in 2019 by an in-state act. The band follows it up Feb. 7 with Live in Classic Town, an unapologetically Southern, genre-defiant set of songs recorded at the Caledonia Lounge. On some songs, such as “Put My Records On,”… Continue reading Georgia Dish Boys Bring the Stage to You
The Black Lips – The Black Lips Sing in a World That’s Falling Apart
The Black Lips Sing in a World That’s Falling Apart sounds way more cohesive than any of the band’s albums since 2007’s Good Bad Not Evil. This newfound creative focus comes from a country theme that ups the twang without usurping the band’s long-running garage-punk formula. Instead of going the Ween route and completely changing… Continue reading The Black Lips – The Black Lips Sing in a World That’s Falling Apart
Subsonics and the Re-Telling of It
The cool cats behind Brazilian garage rock/punk label Mandinga Records are big, big fans of the Subsonics… so much so that they’re releasing a four-song 7” tribute to the durable Atlanta trio this month, with a full tribute album currently slated to follow sometime in 2020. Dubbed You Didn’t Think We Could Take It!, the… Continue reading Subsonics and the Re-Telling of It
Twin Peaks – Lookout Low
Apollo, God of sun and song, shines brighter than ever, gifting down an album that will never shake its silver spurs. Lookout Low is the sonic encapsulation of a moment in time. As Summer parts way, leaving with warm promise, you turn to Autumn’s hushed hellos with thick embrace. You can feel its breath, it… Continue reading Twin Peaks – Lookout Low
Modern Vices – If Only
Brazen indie troupe Modern Vices gives us another take from the DIY Chicago catalog with If Only. The band broke into the scene in 2014 with their self-titled debut. Championing a reverb-drenched garage sound which they dubbed “dirty doo wop,” they were able to make something completely unique to them. That was five years ago… Continue reading Modern Vices – If Only
Shantih Shantih See the Light
Among our favorite Atlanta music makers since their 2013 formation, Shantih Shantih encompass a bewitching swirl of elements, among them groovy garage rock, hazy dream-pop, quirky neo-psychedelic flourishes, girl group-style backing harmonies, occasional early rock ‘n’ roll-inspired guitar bursts (Anna Kramer’s doing, no doubt) and an overall aura of timeless cool. Their second album, Someone,… Continue reading Shantih Shantih See the Light
The Orwells – The Orwells
Who remembers The Orwells? You know, the Chicago DIY framers who looked like they were gonna take the garage genre and run with it? It’s hard to remember what even happened to them considering this racquetball game of social paradigm hell we’re stuck existing in. It would appear they got caught in the #MeToo typhoon… Continue reading The Orwells – The Orwells
Bleached – Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough?
Bleached, the creative outlet of guitar-slinging sisters Jennifer and Jessica Clavin, now resides in the public consciousness. The band’s song “Waiting By the Telephone” blares in a current Toyota commercial – the one that co-stars Jennifer and uncomfortably likens band dads to groupies. The poppy punk throwback might secretly sound kind of alright to those averse… Continue reading Bleached – Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough?
The Cynics, Part 1
A Tale of Two Cynics The Cynics are one of the best damn rock bands on the planet. They coalesced in Pittsburgh over 35 years ago, and to this day they remain among the most invigorating, powerful and amusing live acts I’ve ever been fortunate enough to experience – and I’ve seen them a ton.… Continue reading The Cynics, Part 1
The Cynics, Part 2
Michael, have you always been kind of a ham? Michael: “Yeah, I was kind of a class clown all through grade school. And then through the first year of high school it just turned into not being a class clown, just more bein’ a bullied guy. But then the last year of high school I… Continue reading The Cynics, Part 2
Muffs, Pandoras, Friggs Members Form The Coolies
Kim Shattuck already relaunched The Pandoras with Melanie Vammen a few years ago, resulting in the absolutely wonderful Hey! It’s the Pandoras mini-LP in 2018. Now Shattuck and Vammen have teamed up with Palmyra Delran of The Friggs to form the hottest new all-girl supergroup in the known universe: The Coolies! Not to be confused… Continue reading Muffs, Pandoras, Friggs Members Form The Coolies
Gringo Star Fire Off a Live Album
Few bands from anywhere have adjusted to lineup changes and survived nonstop touring as gracefully as Gringo Star. In fact, brothers and band co-founders Nick and Peter Furgiuele’s work with an always-solid revolving cast and their connection with audiences near and far have elevated their talents as songwriters and live performers. Over a decade of… Continue reading Gringo Star Fire Off a Live Album
Jeff Walls, Part 1
Sayonara Blues Jeff Walls, the multifaceted Marietta-born musician best known as the lead guitarist for eclectic 1980s band Guadalcanal Diary, campy ‘90s concern Hillbilly Frankenstein and, most recently, garage rock combo The Woggles, died on May 29 surrounded by family members at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, following a two-month medical merry-go-round marked… Continue reading Jeff Walls, Part 1
Jeff Walls, Part 2
Attaway: “When we were young teenagers, Jeff was one of those guys that already had a rep. Because he had been playing guitar since he was a kid. He was one of the cool guys. So like, if you were me, coming from a different part of town, he was one of the guys you… Continue reading Jeff Walls, Part 2
Jeff Walls, Part 3
Jones: “I felt like he never got enough credit for his producing work. He produced the first [Woggles] EP, which was 1990. Then [our] second album, which was a collection of singles – he produced all the individual singles. And then there was Get Tough and Fractured, and this 10-inch, Wailin’ With the Woggles. And… Continue reading Jeff Walls, Part 3