Sound Menu August 15 2007

THURS/16

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THE BLACK LIPS, THE SUBSONICS If the Black Lips playing at the Clermont Lounge is not prophesized in the Bible as a sign of the coming apocalypse, it’s time to rewrite that book. The danger, debauchery and straight-up rock ‘n’ roll irreverence that’s poised to go down at this show rival a plague of locusts on any day of the week. Atlanta garage-rock staple the Subsonics open. $10. 9 p.m. The Clermont Lounge. 404-874-4783. www.clermontlounge.net. — Chad Radford

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CAPTAIN AHAB, JUDI CHICAGO, SUITCASES Los Angeles duo Captain Ahab plays ridiculous and shirtless electro-punk, dance-party anthems with a vocoder and a strong sense of postmodern irony. To say they get crunk is not exactly accurate — these guys get straight-up awesome. Like-minded ATLiens Judi Chicago tread a similar terrain of art, cheese and groovy anti-hipster jokes. Suitcases open with a set of stripped-down, tribal drum blasts. $5. 9 p.m. Eyedrum. 404-522-0655. www.eyedrum.org. — CR

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THE EVERYBODYFIELDS, GEORGIA FIREFLIES The addition of sparse drums to the music of this Tennessee-based duo’s tender country/folk doesn’t commercialize or even beef it up significantly. Its new album, due next week, shimmers with achingly beautiful songs that recall Neil Young in his Harvest/Comes a Time mode. Gorgeous, moving and rootsy by nature, not design. The local openers, Georgia Fireflies, apparently have “old-timey” permanently etched into their résumé as they lean toward a rural, backwoods, bluegrass vibe that’s as stark and honest as it is referential of a simpler time and place. $8. 9:30 p.m. The Earl. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com. — Hal Horowitz

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OPEN MIC MADNESS Manic Josh Rifkind continues the weeklong run of good, bad and in-between acts during this six-night endurance test/competition. More than 100 hopeful acts will be judged by panels of music-industry personnel for a shot at fame, fortune and a performance slot on the Rock Boat. Set sail for fame, y’all. The final night features a closing set with songs from Dead Confederate and Trances Arc. See www.openmicmadness.com for specific info. $12. Thurs., 6:30 p.m.; Fri., 7 p.m.; Sat., 8 p.m. Smith’s Olde Bar. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com. — Lee Valentine Smith

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PETER FRAMPTON, DOOBIE BROTHERS For those of us who remember the glory of classic ’70s guitar rock, this show should be a blast. Frampton, a frequent visitor to Atlanta, continues to play his blues-influenced brand of British rock, with all the spirit and fluidity of his groundbreaking live album, Frampton Comes Alive. The Doobies, minus moaning Michael McDonald, remain a rousing, good-time party band, retaining their core founders’ rough-hewn harmonies and the muscular crunch of their best — and least laid-back — material. $38.50-$58.50. 7 p.m. Chastain Park Amphitheater. 404-233-2227. www.chastainseries.com. — LVS

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FRI/17

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THE BOOZE, BEAT BEAT BEAT Don’t expect a bad blues band here. The dandy garage rockers and resolutely mod posse of individuals who do business under the name the Booze have a great new album. It’s called 8 up with Soul, and even though they’re playing Atlantis, they’re actually a good band. Check them out tonight so you don’t have to deal with those laminate-dangling bottom-feeders in the thick of that industry stroke-off next month. And, er, speaking of beating, the Beat Beat Beat shares the bill. $8. 8 p.m. Vinyl. 404-885-9198. www.vinylatlanta.com. — LVS

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COREY HARRIS Much like Taj Mahal and Olu Dara, Harris is a onetime-bluesman who has evolved into a polyglot, absorbing different varieties of music culture. Many may remember his prominent role in Martin Scorsese’s 2003 miniseries “The Blues.” These days, however, he’s experimenting with reggae, and his new album, Zion Crossroads, speaks truth to power via a tribute to the late radical philosopher Walter Rodney and several songs about poor people infused with revolutionary spirit. $12. 8 p.m. Five Spot Café. 404-223-1100. www.fivespot-atl.com. — Mosi Reeves

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DEL MCCOURY BAND His piercing tenor’s lonesome croon mirrors the tumbling, old-timey ache of the music, as backed by his progeny McCoury delivers the bluegrass that’s been a part of his life for close to 70 years. An esteemed banjo picker, McCoury joined Bill Monroe’s legendary Blue Grass Boys and soon after switched to rhythm guitar and lead vocals. He’s still a lively performer, currently backed by sons Ronnie (mandolin) and Robbie (banjo) among others, and supporting a wonderful album of gospel classics, The Promised Land. $20. 9 p.m. Georgia Theatre, Athens. 706-549-9918. www.georgiatheatre.com. — Chris Parker

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GARY NICHOLSON, JON RANDALL, JESSI ALEXANDER Continuing to emulate the Bluebird Café in Nashville, tonight’s Swallow lineup is a doozy. Nicholson is one of the most prolific and successful songwriters in history, and both Randall and Alexander have worked with him. Randall is as good a singer as he is a writer, and Alexander brings a youthful vitality to the mix. $25. 10 p.m. The Swallow at the Hollow, Roswell. 678-352-1975. www.theswallowatthehollow.com. — JK

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GENTLEMAN JESSE AND HIS MEN, ELECTRIC SHADOWS, THE WEIGHT, GOLDEN TRIANGLE Atlanta’s Gentleman Jesse and His Men and New York’s Electric Shadows tread similar waters of ’70s pop-and-punk musical inspiration, though the former does not share the glam-poser aesthetic of the latter. Golden Triangle shows are a mishmash of spooky and multimedia punk theatrics. Brooklyn-based Athens/Atlanta transplant Joseph Plunket’s band the Weight plays dark and desolate country songs. $6. 9 p.m. Drunken Unicorn. www.thedrunkenunicorn.net. — CR

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SUPER X-13, DICK DELICIOUS AND THE TASTY TESTICLES, THE EL CAMINOS Ya say ya wanna rock show, buddy? OK, well here ‘tis. Super X-13, that rocket-fueled power combo, is reuniting tonight to blast off into the night with a rare, blazing-hot set of its old favorites and a few rockin’ surprises. Charming outlaw Delicious and his tenacious Testicles dangle precariously in the middle slot with their often obscene and occasionally humorous shtick-kickin’ balls full o’ boogie. And the Caminos, God bless ‘em, they didn’t invent debauchery, but they continue to carry the trash-glam torch of their heroes the New York Dolls and the Stooges. $10. 9 p.m. Star Bar. 404-681-9018. www.starbaratlanta.com. — LVS

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SAT/18

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ALISON KRAUSS AND UNION STATION FEATURING JERRY DOUGLAS What do I need to say here? Twenty Grammy awards, enough country and bluegrass awards to fill a room, and every one of them deserved. Krauss and Union Station are without a doubt one of the greatest bands in the history of acoustic music, walking a perfect balance between past traditions and new frontiers. I love their work so much I can even forgive her for that terrible duet with John Waite. Yuck! $37.50-$55. 8 p.m. Fox Theatre. 404-249-4600. www.foxtheatre.org. — JK

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ROCCO DELUCA AND THE BURDEN In this business, it helps if you know celebrities. Rocco Deluca and the Burden give a hearty “aye” to that note, having been signed to their current Ironhorse label by “24’s” own Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). The other side of that showbiz coin: It helps if you’re good. 99X took notice of I Trust You to Kill Me, and brought the band to the ATL. They play such reputable, high-energy shows for our fair city that fans across the United States would swear Deluca was from Atlanta. “Drink like it’s water,” indeed. $20. 7 p.m. Roxy Theatre. 404-233-7699. www.livenation.com. — Brian Holcomb

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MON/20

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THE LADYBUG TRANSISTOR The revolving-door personnel of Brooklyn-based Ladybug Transistor hasn’t radically altered the band’s devotion to its classic, ’60s-styled chamber pop. Frontman/founder/auteur Gary Olson’s recently released sixth album and the band’s first full-length in four years continues the approach but pushes the groove into a more organic, perhaps less twee, arena. Olson’s mellifluous baritone centers a distinctively retro sound that remains uplifting, reflective and seldom as calculated as it could be. The similarly styled Papercuts and Magic Apron open. $8. 9 p.m. The Earl. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com. — HH

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TUES/21

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MIKE TAMBURO, TUSK LORD Pittsburgh native Tamburo (formerly of Meisha and Arco Flute Foundation) explores the fringe areas of primitive Americana, noise and the avant-garde by way of an acoustic guitar. Shows sway seamlessly between a quietude of finger picking and a more severe wall of sound. Like-minded Pennsylvanian Tusk Lord (aka Mike Kasunic) strums out a distorted and far-out blend of free folk ragas. $5. 9 p.m. Eyedrum. 404-522-0655. www.eyedrum.org. — CR

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WED/22

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ADRIAN BELEW The sometime-King Crimson guitarist and ace session guy behind Zappa, the Talking Heads and Laurie Anderson tours behind a trilogy of terrific interconnected albums, all released within about a year. They perfectly display his amazingly elastic guitar prowess combined with compositional skills that range from experimental to freewheeling. This “power trio” show will likely feature music from those discs, as well as incorporate nuggets from his extensive and always innovative career. $20. 7 p.m. Smith’s Olde Bar. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com. — HH

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JENNIFER GENTLE This Italian quartet has the creepy, organ-driven air of a horror-movie soundtrack, often more suggestive than straightforwardly scary. It’s definitely taken a trip or two through the looking glass, and there’s a constant psych-inflected vibe that recalls Syd Barrett, blended with an off-kilter, angular post-rock sensibility boasting cabaret rock intimacy. It’s very cinematic and dramatic with a vague fantastical air like a children’s fairy tale. The band’s supporting its second Sub Pop release, The Midnight Room. $8. 9 p.m. The Earl. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com. — CP

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TRAVIS TRITT Welcome back a hometown boy who has made a great career out of down-to-earth songs about real things and real people. Sticking to what he does best helped him weather a couple of the shallow-tide shifts on country radio. He’s got a lot of rock ‘n’ roll genes in his jeans, but still belongs in the “country club.” No tables tonight, folks; it’s a concert. $32-$66. 7:30 p.m. Chastain Park Amphitheater. 404-249-6400. www.classicchastain.com. — JK

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THURS/23

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DALE WATSON, CIGAR STORE INDIANS This sympathetic bill combines the opener’s rootsy rockabilly and Stonesy rocking with Watson’s classic country, honky-tonk and what he calls “Ameripolitan.” Both stubbornly follow dusty musical paths that keep them off the radio and under the radar, but have managed to find welcoming audiences on their own terms. Watson’s husky baritone falls between the outlaw rumblings of Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash, two role models who likewise never kowtowed to record-biz pressure while blazing their own idiosyncratic trails. $15. 8 p.m. Smith’s Olde Bar. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com. — HH

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Check out our website at atlanta.creativeloafing.com. Click the music category for a full selection of Soundboard events. CL online provides the address, a map and directions from your location.

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Bands/performers/venues wishing to be included in Sound Menu’s noted-acts boxes may send recordings, press material and schedules two weeks in advance to Creative Loafing c/o Rodney Carmichael, 384 Northyards Blvd., Suite 600, Atlanta, GA 30313, or e-mail information to: rodney.carmichael@creativeloafing.com. To be included in the listings only, e-mail venue and band schedules by Friday at noon (for the issue that comes out the following Thursday) to soundboard@creativeloafing.com.