Local Acts Await MUSIC BIZ by JEFF CLARK
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A WHO'S WHO DIRECTORY OF ATLANTA'S Local Acts Await MUSIC BIZ BY JEFF CLARK RECORD LABEU recent headliners. Discovery DAEMON Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls ECHO LOUNGE (551 Flat Shoals Ave.) Crossing Genres And Building Audiences, Atlanta Artists Attract Attention runs this artist- focused independent This warehouse -like club is popular with label, which primarily sticks to Georgia - bands and fans alike. Mark Eitzel, BY RHONDA BARAKA based acts. Releases have included Unwound and Hot Water Music have titles by the Rock *A *Teens, 6X, Danielle played recently every budding music different; we look different, we sound Howie, 1945 and all- female Atlanta pop - metropolis (or any other city in different. We're not typical." Adds Butts, rock quartet the Moto -Litas. EDDIE'S ATTIC (515 -B McDonough St., the civilized world), there are "I just wanted to make a record that was Decatur) An intimate venue for acoustic hikeartists struggling to make it in good, that I was happy with. I'd love to 404 MUSIC GROUP Established in 1998 singer-songwriters, this is where folks like music. Often suspended between local just raise the bar on radio. I see us as the by former Ichiban principal Nina Easton, Shawn Mullins, Michelle Malone and Josh heroism and superstardom, they labor future of music that has absolutely no the focus is on dance, rap /hip -hop and Joplin regularly play, along with tirelessly to get their music before the boundaries." some rock music (Lit' Blunt Popa Wu, lesser-known locals and a regular influx public and into the hands-and ears - Jack Off Jill). of touring troubadours. of record executives who can turn their THE TOM COLLINS dreams into reality. www.thetomcollins.com SO SO DEF Producer /artist Jerrnaine EYEDRUM (290 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.) Atlanta is no exception. Names as Incredible Crew Lead singer Fran Capitanelli says the Dupri's label boasts releases by Da Brat, Downtown rumpus room leans to freer, well -known as OutKast, Indigo Girls music of his band, The Tom Collins, is Lil' Bow Wow, R.O,C., Jagged Edge and, more experimental edges, both with its and Collective Soul were once as unrec- the release of the novelty hit, "Bounce an intentional throwback to the days of of course, Dupri. musical bookings and art shows. Low -rent ognizable as those of the country - (It's Your Birthday)," a song that their Led Zeppelin, the Who and the Beatles. urban digs add to the gritty, anything - western singer down the block who father and manager, Cornell Brown, "We're really influenced by the late -'60s TERMINUS This two- year -old company can- happen atmosphere. belts out cover tunes on karaoke night allowed Ignacio to record as a reward British -invasion bands," he says. "We tends to focus on blues, roots and jam - or the teenage R &B quartet who wins for a good report card. The group's CD emulate them as much as possible. We oriented rock. Danny Barnes (ex-Bad Liv- KAYA (1068 Peachtree St.) DJs and first place at all the area talent shows. So Incredible is slated for release next use all the same gear that they used. ers), Big Ass Truck, Soul Hat, Jerry Joseph urban music acts rule the night at this Seeing the multiplatinum success of the February on indie Don't Think Records. Most of my gear is older than I am." & the Jackmormans, Precious Bryant popular and spacious midtown club. many artists who call Atlanta home may Ignacio describes the album as "perfect and Slang help make up the roster. have made it easier for some of the city's for older and younger crowds." He says, MASQUERADE (695 North Ave.) This aspiring artists to get noticed by major "It's not bubblegum, not hardcore. It's VELOCETTE The remnants of Phil large, dark and somewhat imposing labels, but there are lots of rappers, right in the middle." Adds Mario, Walden's Capricorn label have signifi- facility offers a gaggle of punk and singers and bands in Atlanta who are "We're telling our life stories in some of cantly downsized, both in staff and roster. metal acts on its top floor, while themed still waiting for their big break. Unlike them, but, in most of them, we're just Athens bands Jucifer and the Glands, as DJ nights rule the roost downstairs. artists of old who simply recorded having fun, partying." The first sin- well as San Francisco -based popsters demos and shopped them to labels, gle /title track is due in October. Don't Beulah, are among the new -but- MJQ CONCOURSE (736 Ponce de Leon many of these acts have recorded and Think is a two-year -old Atlanta-based experienced indie company's acts. Ave.) This midtown club caters mainly to released their own full -length CDs and label whose roster also includes 9 -year- young hipsters looking to dance or just have been successful at marketing and old Baby G (the Brown brothers' The Tom Collins VENUES hang out and look cool. Most nights offer selling themselves and their music to younger sister) and pop trio Lucky. DJs (trip -hop to Brit-pop), but the club local and regional audiences -some in Describing the band's music as "classic BLIND WILLIE'S (828 N. Highland Ave.) books a handful of live acts, both local an attempt to get signed to a major label, MODERN HERO rock with a little bit of an alternative This classy blues venue brings in touring and touring, every month. others in lieu of doing so. www.modernhero.net twist," Capitanelli says the band is favorites like Jimmy Thackery and Com- One part classic rock, one part soul is proud of its resemblance to bands of yes- mander Cody, as well as popular tical 9 LIVES SALOON (1174 Euclid Ave.) EL PUS the way mixed -gender trio Modern teryear. "We're trying to emulate some- acts like Houserocker Johnson. Remember the hapless hair band that www.elpus.com Hero classifies its sound. Comprised of thing that took place 25 or 30 years ago, took over the radio station in the movie After more than five years of being a singer /songwriter /guitarist Jeffrey and, when you talk to anybody that saw COTTON CLUB (152 Luckie St.) The base- Airheads? They'd probably get a gig mainstay in Atlanta's thriving and eclec- Butts, bassist /background vocalist Tony any of those bands like the Who, they're ment of the Tabernacle (see below) here, along with other hard -edged acts tic underground, El Pus (pronounced el- Belser and drummer Karman Gossett, always like, 'Oh, I saw the Who in 1972. serves as its own unique venue. There's a of varying degrees of intensity and poose) signed earlier this year with pro- Modern Hero has earned a solid fol- It was the most amazing thing I've ever vague folk -art vibe to the decor, but the cheeriness. ducer Matt Serletic's Melisma Records. lowing in and around Atlanta since its seen. You'll never see anything like that bookings lean toward local rock bands Consisting of Cufi Delpus (vocals, gui- inception two years ago. The group's today.' But actually you can-because and national headliners like Cracker. RED LIGHT CAFE (553 Amsterdam Ave.) tar, keyboards), Cosmo Broun Delpus debut release is an 11 -song CD called we've got it." Comprised of Capitanelli This cozy, den-like room offers a mix of (vocals, bass, guitar), Tony Delpus (gui- Threedom in Stereo. Frontman Butts, a (guitar /vox), Frank MacDonell (guitar), COWBOYS (1750 N. Roberts Rd., Kenne- acoustic folk, bluegrass, country and tar), the Woodchuck (bass) and Enrique native of the Bronx, N.Y., describes the Craig McQuiston (bass /vox) and Kyle saw) This huge, deluxe honky-tonk on the adult -leaning rock 'n' roll acts. (drums), El Pus dishes out a brand of album as "a family of songs that all Spence (drums), the Tom Collins is a northeastern, outer -suburb end of Atlanta "hood rock /alternative" music that Cufi belong together and integrate with one three- year-old Atlanta favorite. "We've brings in popular country acts like Dwight THE ROXY (3110 Roswell Rd.) This mid- says is characterized by "beats, rhymes, another. Sonically, it's pop, with lush, been accepted very well by the public Yoakam and David Allen Coe. It's the sized concert hall brings in the likes of guitars, melodies and distortion." The flowing melodies." Released independ- here, and we've had a very consistent size of a large supermarket but it has the Wilco, St. Germain, Joe Jackson and band's official description of its sound is ently last March, the album has sold draw for the last two years," says Capi- best sound in Atlanta. Maceo Parker, featuring simple but suffi- "hip -hop smoothed out on a punk -rock about 1,500 units. The next single, tanelli, a native Californian. The Tom cient surroundings and good sound. tip with a ghetto feel." El Pus' as -yet- "Arms of Love," is slated for a late - Collins' latest CD, Deep Cuts, was THE EARL (488 Flat Shoals Ave.) This hop- untitled debut CD and its first single, October release. Written entirely by released this month. Like most indie ping East Atlanta cove always boasts an STAR COMMUNITY BAR (437 Moreland "Arrogant," are due early next year. The Butts -with the exception of the band's acts, Capitanelli says, his band enjoys exciting lineup- a má of independent - Ave.) While mostly known for its "redneck band's previous CD was Strange Cow- cover of Eurythmics' "Here Comes the the liberties that come with being inde- minded locals and established yet edgy underground" bookings (think alt- country boys, released in 1998 on Vagabond Pro- Rain Again "- Threedom in Stereo repre- pendent but longs for the kind of finan- touring acts like Edith Frost, eX -Girl and gone Hee How), this colorful club actual- ductions /Toshiba-EMI Japan.