Weekly Musical Guide ::: Late Night Television

Monday 12/16/13
Conan ::: Tom Papa (Comedian)
Letterman ::: Joy Williams and Chis Cornell Perform
Leno ::: Jake Bugg
Fallon ::: Bonnie Raitt
Daly ::: Capital Cities

Tuesday 12/17/13
Conan ::: The Head and the Heart
Letterman ::: Alt-J
Leno ::: Johnny Mathis
Fallon ::: Miley Cyrus
Daly ::: Chrome Sparks

Wednesday 12/18/13
Conan ::: Bad Religion 
Letterman :::Brett Dennen
Leno ::: "The Voice" winner
Fallon ::: Cher Lloyd w. Skee-Lo
Daly ::: Tame Impala

Thursday 12/19/13
Conan ::: Young the Giant
Letterman ::: The Saint Johns
Leno ::: Libera
Fallon ::: The Avett Brothers
Daly ::: Two Door Cinema Club

Friday 12/20/13
Letterman ::: Darlene Love
Leno ::: Leona Lewis
Fallon ::: Nate Bargatez (Comedian)
Daly ::: St. Lucia

Music Video Spotlight

To answer the obvious question, yes bands still make music videos. A couple of bands have made some really creative, interesting, and entertaining music videos lately.

Kodaline ::: All I Want

Phoenix ::: Entertainment

Yeah Yeah Yeahs ::: Sacrilege

  

Alt-J ::: Breezeblocks

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ::: Can't Hold Us

Matt & Kim ::: It's Alright (NSFW)

Weekly Musical Guide ::: Late Night Television

Monday 05/06/13
Conan ::: Jay Larson (Comedy)
Letterman ::: James BlakeKimmel ::: Rod Steward
Leno ::: Fall Out Boy
Fallon ::: Steve Marin and Edie Brickell

Tuesday 05/07/13
Conan ::: Iron & Wine
Kimmel ::: Goo Goo Dolls
Leno ::: Patty Griffin
Fallon ::: The Breeders
Daly ::: The Neighbourhood

Wednesday 05/08/13
Conan ::: Marina and the Diamonds
Letterman ::: Natile Maines
Kimmel ::: Fitz and the Tantrums
Leno ::: Emeli Sande
Fallon ::: Lady Antebellum
Daly ::: Metz

Thursday 05/09/13
Conan ::: RNDM
Letterman ::: No Guest
Kimmel ::: will.i.am
Leno ::: Tom Jones
Fallon ::: Lady Antebellum
Daly ::: Purity Ring

Friday 05/10/13
Letterman ::: She & Him
Leno ::: 98 Degrees
Fallon ::: LL Cool J 
Daly ::: Family of the Year

Live Spotlight ::: May 2013 Area Concerts

May is a busy month for live shows in the Atlanta Area, so dig through your couch cushions and break out the wallet, because there are some shows you won't want to miss. Click on the artist name to learn more via their facebook pages and ticket links directly to the ticket outlets for the specific event. 
Recommendations are a based on a combination of artist, reputation live, venue, price, and undercard.
Prices reflect listed in advance price, some prices increase day of show.

Tuesday, May 7th
Wheeler Brothers 
w. Sam Burchfield
The World Famous
Tickets ::: $5
Athens, GA
Recommendation: 6
-------
Tera Melos
w. TTNG (formerly This Town Needs Guns) & deadCat
The Masquerade
Tickets ::: $10
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 6
-------
Wednesday, May 8th
Wheeler Brothers 
(CD Release Party)
Smith's Olde Bar
Tickets ::: $8
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 6
-------
Thursday, May 9th
Phoenix
w. Urge Overkill
The Tabernacle
Tickets ::: SOLD OUT
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 9.5
-------
Friday, May 10th
Smashing Pumpkins
w. Polica
Chastain Park Amphitheater
Tickets ::: $45-63
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 7
-------
Bassnectar (and Saturday, May 11th)
w. Up Until Now & Thriftworks
The Tabernacle
Tickets ::: SOLD OUT
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 7.75
-------
Saturday, May 11th
Father John Misty
w. Jessica Pratt
The Masquerade
Tickets ::: $18.40
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 9.75
-------
Generationals
w. Brass Bed
The Earl
Tickets ::: $10
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 7
-------
Tuesday, May 14th
James Blake
w. Saniyam
The Masquerade
Tickets ::: $20
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 7.5
--------
Paper Route
w. Satellite & Pillage and Plunder
The Masquerade
Tickets ::: $12
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 6.5
-------
Wednesday, May 15th
The Breeders
Variety Playhouse
Tickets ::: $20
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 7.5
-------
Friday, May 17th
Avett Brothers
w. Old Crow Medicine Show
Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Tickets ::: $47-59
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 7.75
-------
Saturday, May 18th
PARTY IN THE PARK
Passion Pit, Ellie Goulding, GROUPLOVE, Yeasayer, The Electric Sons
Centennial Olympic Park
Tickets ::: $35 GA, $115 VIP
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 8.5
-------
Sunday, May 19th
The Hush Sound
w. Hockey & River City Extension
The Loft
Tickets ::: $16
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 8
-------
Wednesday, May 22th
!!!
w. Shockwave Riderz
The Earl
Tickets ::: $14
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 7.5
-------
Saturday, May 25th
Seryn
w. Nathan Reich
Eddie Owens Presents...Red Clay Theaters
Tickets ::: $12-15
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 7.5
-------
Wednesday, May 29th
Baroness
w. True Widow
Center Stage
Tickets ::: $16
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 7
-------
Friday, May 31st
Best Coast
w. Guards & Lovely Bad Things
Variety Playhouse
Tickets ::: $25
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 8.25
-------
Flobots
The Masquerade (Purgatory)
Tickets ::: $15
Atlanta, GA
Recommendation: 7

The Black Keys Melting Faces... (Live at Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood - Atlanta, GA 05-02-13)

So last night, I was fortunate enough to be in the pit for the first time at Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood to see one of my all time favorite bands: The Black Keys. Now, I'll preface this by saying that The Flaming Lips opened for the Keys, and they were pretty good, but this post will solely focus on TBK's performance... And what a performance it was. (Note: It may seem unbelievable, but all photos and videos were taken by me.)

I'll start this post by saying this, I hadn't been to Lakewood in a pretty long time, and I had forgotten how small the pit was. Needless to say, when I got down to the pit, I was stoked because I knew that I was going to be extremely close for this show. The two previous times I had seen the Black Keys (in Charlotte and in Chicago for Lollapalooza) I wasn't able to get very close... that wasn't a problem here. I was able to take some of the best concert photos and videos I've ever been able to, and am gladly sharing those here. The Keys are a band that plays a pretty standard setlist with a few deviations here and there. This set was almost identical to the one played at Lollapalooza, with a difference of about 4 songs. Some people may see that as a bad thing, but not me. Of the 3 shows I've seen of theirs, this one was by far the best; not only because I was so damn close, but because it felt like they were just on their A+ game. They started the show with two songs from their album Brothers: "Howlin' For You" & "Next Girl", and that got the crowd fired up right off the bat. For their next number, they played a song from their most recent album El Camino...

"Run Right Back"

One really good thing about a Black Keys show is that, while they've added a band behind them that adds a bass guitar and keyboard to the mix, for a good bit of the songs, it's just Dan and Pat. I've always said that you don't need an 8 piece band to make good music, (that's not to say that 8 piece bands don't make good music either) and The Black Keys are a great example of that. My favorite thing about this band is that they stay true to Rock and Roll at it's core. Big bluesy riffs, meaningful and soulful lyrics, and the ability to make you feel the music, not just hear it. A great example of these characteristics comes from this next song, one of their older ones...

"Your Touch" 

 This is one of the few bands left that is trying to keep Rock and Roll as it has traditionally been defined alive, and I for one am very glad that they are because they really know what the genre means and how much it has influenced music as a whole over the years. It's their respect for the genre that makes them as good as they are, and this next number shows that...

"Little Black Submarines" 

The boys were definitely in good form at this show, and it really was a dream come true to be able to soak it all in from basically the front row. The picture here to my left is probably my favorite of all the ones I took. I feel like it encapsulates everything good about a Black Keys show: the rawness, the way they are fully absorbed into what they are playing, and the energy that comes from one of their shows.       

                                                                                     

This picture to the right is probably my favorite picture of all time with me in it. I'm the one in the BADASS guitar shirt, and those are my buddies Brent and Bobby. We definitely had one hell of a time, and props to the old dude who helped us out by taking that picture, because he got it framed perfectly. But anyway, back to the music. These next two songs were the finale before the encore...

"Tighten Up"

"Lonely Boy"

 

During their encore break, my buddies and I started a pretty phenomenal Tomahawk Chop. It started with just the three of us, but at one point I looked back and I'm pretty sure 80% of the crowd was doing it, if not more, so that was a pretty cool memory I'll have for a while. The band then came back out and played what is this blog creator's favorite song by them... 

"Everlasting Light"

Now, I'm not usually one to get through a show and not have at least one thing to complain about (a bit snobby, I know), but I really have zero complaints about this one. It was amazing from start to finish and it was one of the best concert experiences I've ever had in my life. This venue holds a special place in my heart as the first concert I ever went to was there: Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1999. I was in 8th grade, and that show was really important in helping to form my musical tastes. This show last night has made Lakewood an even more important venue for me and this is a show that I won't ever forget. I leave you now with the setlist from last night, something I kept track of the entire show (somewhat needlessly with Setlist.fm out there, but hey, I had fun doing it). 

 

 Howlin' for You

Next Girl

Run Right Back

Same Old Thing

Dead and Gone

Gold on the Ceiling

Thickfreakness

Girl is on My Mind

Your Touch

Little Black Submarines

Money Maker

Strange Times

Sinister Kid

Nova Baby

Ten Cent Pistol

She's Long Gone

Tighten Up

Lonely Boy

Encore:

Everlasting Light

I Got Mine

Festival Spotlight ::: Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit

For those familiar with the southeastern festival landscape. Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit will take place the same weekend, October 25-27, and in the same city, Asheville, North Carolina as MoogFest has since 2010. It's important to note that MoogFest will still take place under different leadership and will restart April 25th through 27th in Asheville. Put on by AC Entertainment, the 'new' festival will bring best electronic music together with a wonderful city in the perfect time of year to enjoy it. Though there are plenty of places to camp out in Asheville, MOEMS is more of a hotel stay festival taking place in multiple venues throughout downtown.

Below is the initial lineup, highlighted by Nine Inch Nails, Bassnectar, and Pretty Lights. Also gracing the lineup is the recently reunited, Athens own Neitral Milk Hotel, How to Destroy Angels, Animal Collective, Robert DeLong, and Jessie Ware.

Tickets go on sale Thursday, May 2nd at Noon Eastern. Tickets start at $150 and will continue to go up in price as they sell through price levels.

Rainy Day Spotlight ::: Spotify Playlist

It's a rainy day in Georgia. Here's a playlist to get you through it.

Festival Spotlight ::: Bonnaroo & Party in the Park Additions

Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
June 13-16
Great Stage Park ::: Manchester, TN

Namely the additions of The Mowgli's, ON AN ON, Wake Owl, Capital Cities and He's My Brother, She's My Sister are amazing additions toward the bottom of the lineup.
Also, this will mark the first year of an exclusive EDM tent. One of the three (This, That, or Other tent will now be an EDM tent.

Updated Bonnaroo Playlist

Party in the Park

May 19
Centennial Olympic Park ::: Atlanta, GA

Yeasayer is a great addition, on par with the level of act anticipated, but a better choice than I expected.

Live Spotlight ::: Cold War Kids

Cold War Kids
w. Houses
Wednesday 4/17/13
The Masquerade
Atlanta, GA

Still getting settled in at the Masquerade and encountering some old friends meant I miss most of opener,  Houses, but what I heard was enjoyable. As Downtown Records lablemates of Cold War Kids it makes sense that they'd tour together, but their ambieonic sounds (which I'm a big fan of) felt a little too mellow before a band whose tempo is all over the place and you know will come out firing. I would defiantly recommend giving Houses (Spotify page)a listen though. 

Having not looked at their setlists from the Dear Miss Lonely Hearts tour, I thought for sure they'd come come out blazing with 'Miracle Mile', their fast paced shake inducing first single. 'Loner Phase' is a great set-starter, but 'Miracle Mile' feels made for the leadoff spot. Having said all of that, the stead build from 'Loner Phase' to 'Mexican Dogs' to 'Miracle Mile' had Masquerade's Heaven soaring high. Once in the clouds the foursome from Silverlake, California came with the right hook of emotion belting 'I've Seen Enough'. 

As this was my third time seeing the band it's always interesting to see how they evolve and their stage presence changes. From the first time I saw them at Bonnaroo 2011 it was clear they band could grab and demand the crowds attention and that's only strengthened. The most interesting and attention grabbing part of their show is bassist Matt Maust whose stage movements are second to only Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I liken his dynamic stage maneuvers to a game of bassist tags as routinely through songs he'd lean on another member or just come by and touch them as long as he could. Maust also ventured into the crowd three times by my count, not an easy feat with an bass guitar. The group did one of the best jobs of mixing and matching from their music catalog while supporting a brand new album. The breakdown of four songs from their new Dear Miss Lonely Hearts, 3 from Mine is Yours, 5 from Loyalty to Loyalty, 5 from Robbers & Cowards, 'Audience' from their Behave Yourself EP and 'Minimum Day' a single released in support of their Minimum tour in early 2012. The group laid down some serious jamming following 'Fear & Trembling'. For fear of coming down from their musical high the crowd didn't break their eruption following their departure from the stage, begging for an encore. They were handsomely rewarded a passion laden trio. 

Hospital Beds

Cold War Kids Setlist
1. Loner Phase

2. Mexican Dogs

3. Miracle Mile 

4. I've Seen Enough

5. Royal Blue

6. Jailbirds

7. Audience

8. Every Man I Fall For

9. Rubidoux

10. Hang Me Up to Dry

11. Relief

12. Cold Toes on the Cold Floor

13. Louder than Ever

14. Fear & Trembling

15. Hospital Beds

16. Saint John

Encore

17. We Used to Vacation

18. Minimum Day

19. Something is Not Right with Me

Festival Spotlight ::: TomorrowWorld, Music Midtown, and Updates

TomorrowWorld 

September 27-29

Bouckaert Farm ::: Chattahoochee Hills, GA

For those who haven't heard TomorrowLand, the world's largest and greatest EDM festival, is expanding from it's current location in Belgium with its second home in Atlanta, GA! The festival site will be on the same property that hosted last year's Counterpoint Festival (rumored to be returning in the spring of 2014) and past Echo Projects. They've begun releasing artists already and will continue to do so here and there. Be sure to follow them on twitter & here and facebook. Artists released so far include; Dimitri Vegas, Like Mike, Alesso, Porter Robinson, Sebastian Ingrosso and Axwell both of which are members of Swedish House Mafia. Take the time to watch the videos below and be ready to be blown away!

To be eligible to buy tickets when they go on sale you MUST preregister here. Tickets to US residents go on sale Saturday, April 27th at 11:00AM and they will go FAST! You must also be 21 years old. 

2012 After Festival Video

TomorrowLand introduces TomorrowWorld

DreamVille, US

Music Midtown

September 20-21

Piedmont Park ::: Atlanta, GA

Though nothing has been set about the 2013 edition of Music Midtown if the past is any indicator then we should be closing in on the initial lineup this week or next. Last year no real mention of the lineup was made until the day it was released, so it wouldn't surprise us if that was the case this year as well. 

These are only guesses based on tour dates, previous scheduling, and fitting past Music Midtown lineups, but my guesses for acts would include Vampire Weekend, Mumford & Sons, The Killers, Foster the People, Big Boi, Imagine Dragons, Childish Gambino, and The Head and the Heart. Obviously they won't get all of the first four, but I could see two out of that four playing Piedmont with Mumford being the most unlikely. Hopefully we won't have to wait long to find out.

Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival

June 13-16

Great Stage Park ::: Manchester, TN

Tomorrow Bonnaroo will likely release their first additions to an already stellar lineup since releasing the comedy lineup a few weeks ago. 

Bonnaroo Comedy Lineup ::: Daniel Tosh, Bob Saget, David Cross, Maria Bamford, Ed Helms’ Whisky Sour Radio Hour, Mike Birbiglia, Comedy Bang! Bang! with Scott Aukerman and Reggie Watts, Eric Andre, Nikki Glaser, Improvised Shakespeare Company, Chris Gethard, Michael Che, Kyle Dunnigan, James Adomian, Jared Logan, Jerrod Carmichael and Cristela Alonzo

Forecastle Festival

July 12-14

Waterfront Park ::: Louisville, KY

Forecastle Fest has announce their artists by dates below.

Hangout Festival

May 17-19

Gulf Shores, AL

Hangout has released their lineup here. We will be having our first lineup debate soon.

Weekly Musical Guide ::: Late Night Television

Recommended acts are highlighted

Tuesday 04/16/13
Conan ::: Randy Houser
Letterman ::: Steve Martin & Edid Brickell
Kimmel ::: M83
Leno ::: Plain White T's
Fallon ::: Phosphorescent
Wednesday 04/17/13
Conan ::: Lisa LoebLetterman ::: Selena Gomez
Kimmel ::: Depeche ModeLeno ::: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Fallon ::: Talib Kweli
Palladia ::: 1am Unplugged (Young the Giant)
           ::: 2am Unpluggest (Mumford & Sons)
           ::: 2:30am Unplugged (The Civil Wars)
           ::: Glastonbury 2007 (Arcade Fire, Bjork, Artic Monkeys)

Thursday 04/18/13
Conan ::: Mark Norman (Comedian)
Letterman ::: Snoop Lion
Kimmel ::: Olly Murs
Leno ::: Billy Ray Cyrus
Fallon ::: The National
Friday 04/19/13
Letterman ::: NA
Leno ::: Avril Lavigne
Fallon ::: Iron &Wine
Palladia ::: 11am World Stage (Kings of Leon)
               ::: 12pm Unplugged (Phoenix)
               ::: 1pm World Stage (Franz Ferdinand)

Follow us after the break for the highlights of the best acts last week

Live Spotlight ::: Chappo with Dynasty Electric

Chappo
w. Dynasty Electric 
Monday 4/15/13
Vinyl 
Atlanta, GA

Other than a few quick listens at the house before heading to Vinyl, I wasn't sure what to expect from opening act Dynasty Electric. The Brooklyn Duo is best described as an psychedelic new wave bass heavy creation made for dance. The group consists of Seth Misterka (guitar, synth, and sax) who started the band and Jenny Electrik (vocals, theremin, and synth) whose manic vocals is a perfect blending of Stevie Nicks and Robyn with the stage presence of Aleix Krauss and Janis Joplin. Pounding out hits including 'Just Like That', 'Golden Arrow', 'Automatic Ecstatic', and 'Electric Love' their dolphin-sonar, fathomless beats, space sounds mixed with the insane lungs of Jenny created quite the show for the small crowd. 

Also hailing from Brooklyn Chappo returned to Vinyl having played there last year, this time donning war paint. The band got it's name from the last name of frontman Alex Chappo, whose voice shows signs of early Ozzy mixed with the vocals that created The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon. Wielding a megaphone for added effects, the various echoed lyrics and diatribes had a distinct Pink Floyd feel as he graced the stage in a smoking jacket laced with a wolf's head. 
Opening with the emotion packed "Shots Fired" off their 2012 Moonwater release build excitement with the addition of confetti guns. Not holding back the foursome powered through their biggest hit, "Come Home" early and sounded great live. The concert continued mixing songs from their latest album Petite Plastique (Moonwater B-Sides), Plastique Universe II: Pisces Princess, and Moonwater. Perfectly placed midway through their show the band laid down a fabulous cover of Mickey Newbury's "Just Dropped In" of Big Lebowski fame. Maybe it was the repetitiveness that I've played Daft Punk's new single "Get Lucky", but the opening riffs of "Nomads" seemed eerily similar.  Chappo closed out their set with the story of 'a love song being a shapeshifter' portrayed in "Bodies Coasting".

Chappo Setlist

1. Shots Fired

2. New Song

3. Come Home

4. 5-0

5. New Song

6. Seance

7. Just Dropped In -to see what condition my condition was in(Mickey Newbury cover)

8. Golden Lights

9. Hell No

10. Explode

11. Nomads

12. M.O.O.N. Water

13. Bodies Coasting

Big Boi at the Georgia Theatre April 18th 2013

On April 18th, the Georgia Theatre almost got burned down again. No, not by some electrical malfunction. This time, it was the awesome performance put on by Big Boi (aka Daddy Fat Saxxx aka One Half of THE Outkast) that almost lit up the place. Big Boi was born in West Savannah, Georiga, but the ATL is his home. This marked the second time that the B-I-G B-O-I has played the Theatre; the first was in the fall of 2011 about a month after they reopened the place. This time around, he was touring to promote his new record Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors.  Having gone to both shows, I've got to say that this one was better.

For starters, Killer Mike (pictured right) opened for him. For those of you that don't know, Killer Mike has been big in the Atlanta rap scene for years and his opening set was awesome. He gave a nod to fellow Atlanta rapper Bone Crusher by playing the song "Never Scared" and rapping his own verse from the song. Killer Mike was discovered by OutKast, and has been featured on a bunch of their songs. He talked about how appreciative he is of the group and how thankful he is for Big Boi bringing him along on this tour. Now Killer was great, but Big Boi just about brought the house down.

Big Boi took the stage around 11:15 or so despite the listed start time of his set being 10:30. This is commonplace for, well, most live shows. He had a live band backing him (a drummer, a guitarist, and a DJ) and also a female singer that covered the parts on the new tracks off of Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors that were sung by Sarah Barthel of Phantogram. Speaking of those tracks, he opened with one of them called Objectum Sexuality, a song about "romantic desire for inanimate objects"...

Objectum Sexuality

Now, a lot of the time when an artist releases a new album, people worry that they will play too much of it at a show and forget the classics... not the case with Big Boi. He did a great job of mixing in the old and the new, including a very cool montage of older songs that featured ATLiens, B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad), and So Fresh, So Clean. He also busted out Ms. Jackson, Elevators, and these tracks off his 2nd most recent album...

Shutterbug

  

General Patton

Now, I did mention that it was a mix of old and new, and another one of the new tracks sounded awesome live...

CPU 

Another really cool moment from this show was a special guest appearance by Decatur, GA (my hometown) born rapper B.o.B. He did his song Nothin' On You and they also did some tracks that featured both of them including the track that this tour takes it's name from Shoes for Running. 

Now, I mentioned Killer Mike earlier. Yes he did open for Big Boi, but his night was not done. He came back out and helped Big Boi out with another old OutKast track...

The Whole World

The energy throughout the building was phenominal for this show, and it looked like the place was about to bust out into a full on mosh pit when Kryptonite was played (every time the lyric "If you want me you can find me in the... A" was dropped, people timed their jumps to hit the ground on the "A"... it was pretty intense). The show ended with one of the new tracks, and of course it was another Atlanta anthem... (I apologize for the black spot in the middle of this next video, but there's a good story. Purple Ribbon rapper C-Bone threw his shirt into the crowd and I caught it while filming. He then asked for it back, so I threw it back. It only takes away from the video for a few seconds)...

In The A

I had an absolute blast at this show. So much so that I am seriously thinking about going to his Atlanta show in June (who am I kidding, I'll be there). I can only imagine the type of cameos he'll have at that one, and a rendition of In The A with T.I. or Ludacris or both would be incredible. We can only hope...