Sound Menu February 03 2001 Fri

FRI/FEBRUARY 2
AFROSKULL — Coming out of New Orleans, a town that knows a thing or two about rhythm, Afroskull sound like a tight funk unit, but with spaced-out musicians who fly dangerously close to fusion jazz. The horn section has a bit of marching band rigidity at times, but then the Fender Rhodes and wah-wah filter in to mix things up like Shaft taking it to the streets. Think Galactic or Groove Collective providing a soundtrack to Godzilla. “Kill Whitey” even sounds like Stevie Ray Vaughn could sit in comfortably. You should too. Somber Reptile (Ware)
BOILER ROOM — Wielding their powerful, lush rock like a weapon, New York four-piece Boiler Room embody the nearly defensive, hyper-aggressive stance characteristic of the contemporary incarnation of heavy rock. With melodic, drop-tuned guitar drive and vocal dynamics that switch from anxious whine to angry growl, an undeniable but favorable comparison to Korn must be made. Masquerade (Hutchinson)
THE CAUSEY WAY — See Show ‘n’ tell. Echo Lounge (Ware)
DIXIE ROCKABILLY RUMBLE — Tonight’s headliner is high-kickin’ guitarist Rosie Flores, who’s known as “the Rockabilly Filly” for good reason, as her prowess with a Fender and her rollicking way around a ’50s tune amply testify. Also on the program are Croonin Kurt and the Hi’ Geared Combo, a cowboy-hatted quartet from Rochester, N.Y., who specialize in western swing. Opening are local rockers the Holy Smokes (see Earshot). Star Bar (Nicoll)
IN LIKE FLYNN, SASQUATCH — Touted as their “reunion” show though it seems like they’d never left, In Like Flynn returns to Smith’s tonight for those of you who want to relive those fuzzy frat memories. With the seemingly impossible-to-kill interest in jam bands, it was only a matter of time before these guys experienced some kind of excavation from the tomb of extended solos. Sasquatch lumbers in from the snow-capped mountains to open the show with all the subtly of a stomping gorilla. Smith’s Olde Bar (Smith)
JIMMY THACKERY AND THE DRIVERS — Aging blues fans will recall — if they can remember far enough back — guitarist/vocalist Thackery from the Nighthawks, a band that played Atlanta every month or so in the days of the Moonshadow Saloon. He’s still on the road and playing better than ever with his lean-meat blues-rock Drivers. Though known to cover a few necessary nuggets, Thackery’s a gifted songwriter and manages to take an oft carbon-copied genre of music and breathe some original life into it, certainly a major accomplishment. Chip’s/Winder (Smith)
MICRANOTS — A veteran hip-hop duo with over a decade put into the game, Atlanta’s Micranots are finally earning national attention on the merits of their debut full-length Obelisk Movements. As would befit a group that has been waiting this long to explode, the disc is heaped high with strong material. No surprise, it’s also in large part a throwback to rap’s Afrocentric era, circa 1989. They drop science tonight at MJQ’s “Controlling Variable” event. MJQ Concourse (Sarig)
NOTHIN’ BUT THE BLUES — See article. Atlanta History Center (Powell)
OUTSIDE OUT FEATURING COL. BRUCE HAMPTON — Outside Out, a new film by first-time director Mike Gordon of Phish, will be screened at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Atlanta musician/actor Colonel Bruce Hampton (Sling Blade), who appears in Gordon’s movie, will perform a live set with the Code Talkers at the 10 p.m. screening. Variety Playhouse (Nicoll)
PANK SHOVEL — White girls who rap? Well, kind of. Raw and somewhat simplistic pop and punk from southern Florida, Pank Shovel is fronted by dual female vocalists who occasionally wade into the shallower hip-hop waters. While their rhyme flavor owes more to Blondie than Mos Def, God bless them for pushing that final frontier. Somber Reptile (Hutchinson)
SAM SHABER — While there may never be a shortage of acoustic singer-songwriter types from New York, the sincerity of Sam Shaber’s writing and execution places her prominently on that cluttered map. Known as “the soul of New York folk,” the edgy Big Apple singer/songwriter is a true Internet success story. Two years ago her CD perfecT was voted No. 7 out of 1800 titles at CDbaby.com, and her current EP Sam*pler earned her a Top 5 slot at Femmusic.com. She’s opened shows for Richie Havens and Shawn Mullins, but tonight she shares the stage with Trina Hamlin and Mimi Thompson in an intimate, early evening writers-in-the-round event. Eddie’s Attic (Hutchinson/Nicoll)
SPINESHANK, NONPOINT — Spineshank have made a name for themselves by befriending similarly-styled, influential bands such as Fear Factory and opening for folks such as Sepultura, Danzig and Coal Chamber. What they bring to the table is an aggro-electro feel, a cold fusion of computer samples and rage against machines that has helped separate them from their early sound, which was more of a Deftones knockoff. Meanwhile, opening act Nonpoint continue to make one wonder why Florida bands (e.g. Limp Bizkit) make it so easy to ridicule them? The aptly named Nonpoint miss the point rather than remain on point, if the point is to do something original. Amidst squealing harmonics and crunching riffs, Nonpoint scream they want to take you on a “Mindtrip.” Bad trip maybe. More Deftones/Helmet wannabes. Masquerade (Ware)
HANK WILLIAMS JR., THE KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS — Once the spokesman for the rednecks of the world, Bocephus has fallen from grace in a big way as a result of his own obnoxiousness toward radio, and radio’s changing standards. Anthems like “A Country Boy Can Survive” just don’t make the cut in today’s Casper Milquetoast HNC programming, and Hank has become one of the dinosaurs he used to sing about. A similar fate has hit the Kentucky Headhunters, but their fall was due as much to the loss of their main vocalists, the Phelps brothers. One has returned, but it’s probably too little too late. Known as a commercially mainstream Grammy-winning country act, the Kentucky Headhunters exhibit a more seasoned range than much of their pop-oriented ilk. Fox Theatre (Kelly/Hutchinson)
LARRY JON WILSON, KACEY JONES — Following Sam Shaber’s (see above) early evening show is Larry Jon Wilson, a storytelling songwriter on the scene for 30 years now. Recently featured on Turner South’s “Live at the Bluebird Cafe” with Shawn Mullins, Wilson enjoyed reissues of his first two albums from the mid-‘70’s — New Beginnings and Let Me Sing My Song to You — last year. Irreverent opening act Kacey Jones, a musical humorist, performs material that can be previewed on her new album, Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead. Eddie’s Attic (Smith)

BASIL’S CAFÉ: Steven Charles
BILLY’S: Heather Luttrell
BLUE RACCOON: Bill Sheffield and the Ringtail ROunders
BRANDYHOUSE: YG, Blu Voodoo
BRIDGES: Jazz with the Sharp Four
CAJUN KITCHEN: Afroskull, Empty Slate
THE CHAMBER: Alabaster
CHECKERED PARROT: Spider Kelly
CHICAGO PIZZA & SPORTS ARENA-DUNWOODY: Prince EQ and DJ Trip
CHIP’S-WINDER: Jimmy Thackery & the Drivers
CJ’S LANDING: Clutch Cargo, Karma Lingo, Open Mic with Mickey David, Ian Schumacher
CLUB VENUS: DJ Gary B.
DADDY D’Z: Kindle Williams, Sr. and Blue Soul
DARK HORSE TAVERN : slowEarth, Elephant, TBA
DARWIN’S: King Cotton
THE EARL: Hot August Knights
ECHO LOUNGE: Causey Way CD release party, the Plastic Plan, Telepathics
EDDIE’S ATTIC: Kacey Jones, Larry Jon Wilson
FAT MATT’S RIB SHACK: Big Royal & the Revue
40 WATT CLUB-ATHENS: Victoria Williams & Mark Olson and the Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers
FUZZY’S: Francine Reed
KAYA: “Northern Exposure” with Frank Ski, Kemit and Buddy
KILLER CREEK: Showtyme Jazz Duo
LAST GREAT WATERING HOLE: Southern Knights
MARY’S: Music Videos with DJ Jigsaw
MASQUERADE: Spineshank, Nonpoint, Boiler Room, Mukigrip, Chimiara
MAXWELL’S: Madson Wish
MJQ CONCOURSE: 4 Kings Entertainment present “Controlling Variable Fridays” with the Micranots, celebrating the release of Obelisk Movements
9 LIVES SALOON: Mighty Fine Haggis
NOMENCLATURE MUSEUM: La Pachanga, a birthday celebration for Ulises, with DJs Dave Christopher, Clay Ivey, Ulises and more
NORTHSIDE TAVERN: King Johnson
THE OFFICE: The Blast
OLDE PECULIAR PUBLIC HOUSE: Sam Makler
OPERA HOUSE: Sick Speed
THE PAVILION: DJ Neil
PHUNKY PHISH TAVERN: 9 Miles
PIPER’S PUB: Livin’ Large
POPPERS: Steve Hawkins Georgia Jam with Bear Sauls
ROXY: Ladysmith Black Mambazo
THE SAVOY ROOM: Andy Margolis and the Blues Machine
SMITH’S OLDE BAR: In Like Flynn, Sasquatch
SOMBER REPTILE: Vital Down, Pank Shovel, Cold Fusion
SPORTS TIME: DJ & dancing
STAR BAR-L5P: Dixie Rockabilly Rumble with Rosie Flores, Croonin’ Curt, Holy Smokes
SWISSOTEL: Graham Jackson, Jr.
UGLY MUG PUB: Seni & DeSanto
VARIETY PLAYHOUSE: Showings of “Outside Out” - a Mike Gordon Film, with Col. Bruce Hampton and the Code Talkers performing during the 10 p.m. showing
THE VAULT: Retro Wave with DJ Caz10
WHISKER’S TAVERN-DUNWOODY: The New Educators
WILD WING CAFÉ: Memory Dean