Hell No, We Won’t Go
Boycotting the music festivals? Don’t worry, plenty is still going on
No way in hell you’re going to Music Midtown or Vibe Musicfest, no matter what? Fear not, faithful music fan, we have alternatives for you.
Try Eddie’s Attic Open Mic Shootout. After changing ownership in 2002, the Attic drifted like a ship without a rudder for a while. The venue experimented with more of a rock vibe and hit-or-miss gimmicks, like beer bingo, Beatles cover bands and even DJ dance nights, and only recently seems to have regained its on-deck footing. One thing has remained constant at this venerable Decatur nightspot: The biannual shoot-out where acoustic guitar-slinging songwriters compete round-for-round in an all-night battle for $1,000 cash. This is the event that introduced the world to the likes of Jennifer Nettles (of Sugarland) and John Mayer (of the newly founded John Mayer Trio. No, seriously, he’s a bluesman now). Decide for yourself if that’s a good thing, but one thing is for certain: If you’re looking for the Next Big Thing, you’re more likely to find it at the Attic than on the Locals Only stage at Music Midtown. Sat., June 11. 8 p.m. $15. Eddie’s Attic, 515-B N. McDonough St. 404-377-4976. www.eddiesattic.com.
Hate acoustic singer/songwriters but want to get right with God?
Check out the Blind Boys of Alabama. The group’s been around, in one form or another, for more than 60 years since it formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in 1939. Lately, the soul-gospel group seems to have God a little more on its side, having won four Grammys back to back. With three of the founding members still performing, the Boys have made countless appearances on “Leno” and “Letterman,” along with touring and recording with gospel/stoner demigod Ben Harper. Somebody break out the measuring tape, because with latest release, Atom Bomb, the Blind Boys could very well get an unprecedented fifth Grammy in a row and need a new, bigger mantel to place it on. Sat., June 11. 8 p.m. $15-$45. Mable House Amphitheatre, 5239 Floyd Road, Mableton. 404-249-6400. www.mablehouseamphitheatre.com.
Hate God but love big-time indie rock?
Catch Modest Mouse with special guests Camper Van Beethoven. “Special guests” Camper Van Beethoven! Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Ahh, but who would pay $27 to see Camper when its aging fan base remembers paying five or 10 bucks to see shows in some little club back in the ’80s? The Pixies Camper is not, so give it up for Modest Mouse for giving its elders some time to bask in the afterglow. Personal side note: Remember a couple of years ago when every time you walked into that hip, local coffee shop and the too-cool-for-school baristas were playing Modest Mouse? Then the Mouse hit it big and you no longer heard it in the hip coffee shop anymore? Don’t you just have to laugh at that? Mon., June 13. 8 p.m. $27. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. 404-881-2100. www.foxtheatre.org.
Hate big-time indie rock but love seeing an under-appreciated rock legend in a small indie-rock club?
See Jonathan Richman featuring Tommy Larkins. Johnny Rotten once said that “Roadrunner” by Richman and the Modern Lovers was the greatest rock song of all time. The Sex Pistols even covered the underground classic. But don’t expect Richman to play the song live. Instead, he and longtime drummer Larkins will rifle through two sets of even more obscure classics like “I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar” and “Vampire Girls,” playing off the mood of the crowd and asking the soundman to turn it down. Richman is a performer who makes serious - almost disconcerting - eye contact with his audience and he likes to see the folks dance. Larkins tends to look like he’s more concerned with watching moths buzz in the stage lights than drumming, yet he never misses a beat when Richman calls yet another audible in an apparently never-written-down set list. Vampire Girls up front, please. Thurs., June 9. 9 p.m. $12-$15. The Earl, 488 Flat Shoals Ave. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com.
Love music but hate Atlanta and need to get out of town for the weekend?
Trek over to the River Bend Festival in Chattanoogna, Tenn. It’s the same as Music Midtown but smaller with a pretty river running through it. Plus, the fest shares a marquee act with Music Midtown, the marginally talented Republican Party/Bush brownnoser Kid Rock. Atlanta could actually take a few lessons from Chattanooga on how to properly revive a struggling downtown area, and seems to be doing so with a copy-cat aquarium. But we won’t go into that because our task here is music, not fish. Fri.-Sat., June 10-18. Ross’ Landing, Chattanooga, Tenn. $22 (each night). $35 (entire festival). 423-756-2211. www.riverbendfestival.com.
Still not satisfied?
Well, you’re high maintenance. You’re probably the type of annoying person who would wind up at Music Midtown, anyway, after saying how much you think it sucks. Perhaps you should try something completely different, like puppets. Why not gather up a group of young’uns and take them to an afternoon presentation of Brer Rabbit & Friends at the Center for Puppetry Arts? Your admission also gets you into the Create-A-Puppet workshop and museum. Adapted by Jon Ludwig, this beloved classic by Joel Chandler Harris is a family-friendly romp through a bevy of African-American folktales come to life with puppets singing tunes played by live musicians. While Disney won’t even rerelease its version of the stories - 1946’s Song of the South - for fear of being politically incorrect, the only trepidation the Center for Puppetry Arts shows comes in the form of a warning on its website: “Special note: This show contains fog and smoke effects.” Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.; Sat., 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m.; Sun., 1 and 3 p.m. Continues through June 19. $7-$12. Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. 404-873-3391. www.puppet.org.