20 most hated ATL bands, rappers, guilty pleasures, and electro douches — and why we love them
A totally scientific, improbably irrefutable, fair and objective survey with which you will most certainly disagree
by CL staff @cl_atlantaPage 7 of 21
Atlanta's Most Hated No. 15: Back Pockets
Untangling the flower-power roots of Back Pockets' musical legacy makes vindication sweet
In the beginning, all Emily Kempf wanted to do was stage a play. But from its inception in August 2008, Back Pockets quickly turned into a Frankenstein's monster, pieced together from Kempf's musical, artistic, and theatrical endeavors, along with anything else she fancied. She chose a banjo as her axe, mostly because she'd never really dug playing guitar all that much, and over the next few years her unrestrained vision grew into a living, breathing entity of dreamlike symbolism wrapped in shambolic music and performance art dirges. Her instincts not only carved out a niche for Back Pockets as one of the most bizarre musical acts in the city, she became a local pied piper of sorts.
Kempf's primal, avant-garde instincts and Southern hippie aesthetic left a mark on everyone who filtered through the group's ranks. But her unorthodox ways became something of an Achilles heel, provoking just as much seething animosity from audiences as she did endearment. It was as if Back Pockets suddenly had become a bad word; but Kempf would get the last word.
The outsider punk-gypsy plod of such numbers as "Break Up Song," "Leave Me Alone," and "Making Out is Great" seemed weird for weirdness's sake. At times, the songs lacked melody and the defining structural qualities that came naturally for Kempf's obvious influences: David Bowie, Crass, Of Montreal, and so on. What's more, the elaborate costumes, theatrical productions, and excessive size of the group — often incorporating as many as 15 members — felt like a gimmick to mask her lack of legitimate songwriting skills.
But Kempf never set out to create easily consumable pop songs, and Back Pockets' ramshackle aesthetic still holds true to her original vision. Through it all, the group has drawn scores of curious participants, many who never made music on their own prior to joining the band. While Kempf hesitates to guess the number, it's safe to say that somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 people have called themselves members over the course of four years. She certainly created a fertile stomping ground for many of the city's more adventurous spirits — including members of nearly two dozen burgeoning local acts such as Wowser Bowser, Faun and a Pan Flute, Christ, Lord, and others — thereby perpetuating a grassroots legacy of experimentation and primitivism. Despite the group's shrinking ranks in recent years, Kempf's vindication lies in the influence she has wielded over so many young musicians who walked away with an indelible piece of her sound and vision. — Chad Radford
Let no band put asunderFrom purveyors of experimental art-pop to one hip-hop co-op, Back Pockets' offshoots run the gamut. The following are 23 past and present Atlanta acts that contain former members of the fanciful underground band of merrymakers. |
||||||
|
Noisy, high-energy art pop Billy Mitchell (drums), Philip Frobos (bass) Summertime reverb punk ditties Suzanne Baker (vocals) Experiments in junk culture precision Danny Bailey (drums), David Gray (drums), Suzanne Baker (vocals), Gage Gilmore (bass) Ghostly murder ballads Suzanne Baker (vocals, banjo, broken plates) Dirty, mathy rock Danny Bailey (drums), Gage Gilmore (bass) Billy Mitchell and Brandon Camarda (trumpet) Britt Teusink (vocals, guitar), Gage Gilmore (bass), Kenneth Figuera (keyboards) Britt Teusink Black Lodge Dreary post-punk/gothic rock Adam Bruneau (drums) Textured, droning majesty Michael Potter (guitar) Earthy reggae jams Aviva Lazy-day pop melodies Heather Buzzard (vocals), Michael Jordan (guitar) (defunct) |
David Gray, Heather Buzzard, George Petis (performance art) Shaquille O'neal Slam Dunk Fest No-sense dance mess Billy Mitchell, Danny Bailey Staccato rhythms and weirdness Billy Mitchell, Henry Detweiller (theater), Stephanie Pharr (theater), Brandon Camarda, Casey Hood, Gage Gilmore, Danny Bailey Casey Hood (vocals), Jared Pepper (guitar), Mikhail Ally (bass) Snake Shark and the Broken Heart Accordion and ukulele elegance Goth-tinged minimalist post-punk (defunct) Bluesy rock 'n' rollers Jared Pepper (drums) Jack Preston x the Dojo Collective Jazzy hip-hop co-op George Pettis Danny Bailey (defunct) Britt Teusink, Suzanne Baker, David Gray, Danny Bailey, Cameron Stuart (electric guitar) (defunct) | |||||
Tags:
Comments (35)
Showing 1-25 of 35
Latest in Music Issue
-
Atlanta promoters and players on piss-poor performance 31
Killer Mike likes his money up front. Dan Scanlan wants a case of PBR. And Peter Conlon says, 'Don't quit your day job.'
-
Hatelanta playlist 1
51 haterific songs by past and present Atlanta-based artist we love (and loathe)
-
Who's next? 7
Emerging Atlanta artists you'll grow to love/hate
- More »
Readers also liked…
-
2 Chainz and Kanye's 'Birthday Song' video reaches height of artful absurdity 4
A clown getting car-jacked, a 40-oz. guzzling midget, a dancing Pakistani, balloons everywhere, and more booty popping than a lil bit. Yeah, the new 2 Chainz and Kanye video for "Birthday Song" is full of it
-
The Making of OutKast's Aquemini 46
Andre 3000, Big Boi and cast look back on a classic
-
D.R.E.S. tha BEATnik fighting for ATL 8
Mic Club wages war at 3rd Street Armory
-
Metropolis revisited 1
Sonic Generator illuminates Fritz Lang's dystopian masterpiece
-
Radar returns from four-decade hiatus 1
Reunion builds on ATL rockers psychedelic past
