Sound Menu October 03 2007

THURS/04

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ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The awesome Garrick Ohlsson is soloist in the “Piano Concerto No. 2” by Frederic Chopin. Robert Spano conducts, opening the program with “Le Chasseur Maudit” (“The Accursed Hunter”) by César Franck, a symphonic poem about an errant nobleman (not Ted Nugent) who is condemned for pursuing the hunt with savagery and a really bad attitude. Selections from the symphonie dramatique “Roméo et Juliette” by Hector Berlioz wraps the evening. $16-$70. 8 p.m. Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center. 404-733-5000. www.atlantasymphony.org. — Mark Gresham

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CONNECTATL W/JAMIE THINNES, RICK PRESTON Over the past year, ConnectATL has evolved into a local network of musicians, artists and event promoters. The goal is to bring more quality music to the city, and their main platform has been a monthly series of house music parties at Lava Lounge. The October edition may be their best to date. It features two California DJs: The headliner, Thinnes, is a much-respected veteran, and Preston has been DJing since the early ’90s and the infamous “Full Moon rave” era. St. Louis, Mo.’s DJ Don Tinsley and Lexington, Ky.’s Trevor Lamont complete an excellent lineup. $5-$10. 10 p.m. Lava Lounge. 404-873-6189. www.cosmolava.com. — Mosi Reeves

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THE VIBRATORS, THE VAGINAS, KNIFE AND THE 4TH WARD DAGGERS The Vibrators return to town tonight with original members Knox Carnochan and Eddie the Drummer poised to plow through a pile of their aggressive and energetic tunes — including classics from ‘77’s Pure Mania LP. Old-time punk rock, before the imitators ruined it for the kids. The Vaginas and Knife and the 4th Ward Daggers open. $9. 9 p.m. Star Bar, 404-681-9018. www.starbar.net. — Lee Valentine Smith

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THE WRIGHTS, CORRINE WEST Now, this is a very nice alt-country double bill. The Wrights are former Atlantans (they were in Heritage Cherry) who now put out music that is just too intelligent and thoughtful for mainstream country radio. West is a singer/songwriter who brings her sweet sound all the way from California. Good music x2. $15. 8 p.m. Eddie’s Attic. 404-377-4976. www.eddiesattic.com. — James Kelly

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FRI/05

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ADAM FRANKLIN, SOVUS RADIO, TRADE SECRETS Throughout the ’90s, singer/guitarist Franklin fronted the London-based group Swervedriver. Over time, Swervedriver has surfaced as a sleeper but was an essential act for all who remember the group’s mammoth and overdriven blend of dreamy and druggy shoegazer rock. Franklin’s more recent work hovers somewhere in the spaces between country, folk and pop. Sovus Radio and Trade Secrets open. $12. 9:30 p.m. The Earl. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com. — Chad Radford

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MAKOSSA & MEGABLAST Vienna, Austria, duo Makossa & Megablast record for downtempo pioneers Kruder & Dorfmeister’s G-Stone label. The two producers make sparkling electronic tracks that lie somewhere between lounge, ambient house and dub, a cross-reference that has found favor with discerning DJs around the world. Currently on a world tour to promote their album Kunuaka, M&M have booked Atlanta as one of five cities in the U.S. to receive their gospel. Call for price. 10 p.m. Halo Lounge. 404-962-7333. www.halolounge.com. — MR

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YELLOWJACKETS With 30 years of recording and touring under their belt, the Yellowjackets jazz quartet’s current roster includes keyboardist Russell Ferrante and bassist Jimmy Haslip (original members), saxophonist Bob Mintzer and drummer Marcus Baylor. With a repertoire ranging from acoustic jazz to electric fusion, Ferrante best describes the group’s signature style: “Lively, energetic and with a sting.” $45. 8 p.m. Emerson Concert Hall, Schwartz Center, Emory University. 404-727-5050. www.arts.emory.edu. — MG

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SAT/06

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MARC FORD The title of the ex-Black Crowes’ guitarist’s new album, Weary and Wired, can be taken as a metaphor for his life. It describes both his philosophical outlook and the anxious rock he traffics in on the rootsy release. Although he leans heavily on a Neil Young/Crazy Horse sound, Ford writes tough songs and plays ‘em with an edgy passion that’s convincing because it clearly comes from the soul. Blackberry Smoke and Blues Old Stand also appear. $12. 8 p.m. Smith’s Olde Bar. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com. — HH

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MATTHEW DEAR, MOBIUS BAND Dear has enjoyed something of a charmed career. As Detroit trendsetter Ghostly International’s first and best-known artist, he’s issued albums — 2003’s Leave Luck to Heaven and this year’s Asa Breed — that draw attention from rock critics who usually couldn’t care less about techno music. He’s also recorded tracks for the world’s leading dance imprints such as Perlon and M-Nus. Mobius Band, Dear’s opening act on his national tour, makes collegiate rock with intelligence on its new album, Heaven. $12. 9 p.m. Drunken Unicorn. www.thedrunkenunicorn.net. — MR

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TODAY IS THE DAY, TAI PIN, DEFCON 4, CHRISTINE Today Is the Day is the ever-evolving vehicle of metal guitarist, vocalist and metal auteur Steve Austin. TITD’s body of work snakes through a mountain of heavy-duty metal that is meticulous by design, and littered with a pastiche of experimental ventures. Austin is currently touring behind his brand new release, Axis of Eden. Tai Pin, Defcon 4 and Christine open the show. $12.50. 6:30 p.m. Masquerade. 404-577-8178. www.masq.com. — CR

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SUN/07

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CORB LUND A Canadian who plays “real” country music, Lund is as authentic as they come. His songs are catchy and loaded with hooks, and stick closely to the parameters of tradition. Let’s turn this joint into a bona fide honky-tonk tonight! $8. 7 p.m. Smith’s Olde Bar. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com. — JK

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MON/08

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THE GOOD LIFE Between post-punk band Cursive and his solo project, the Good Life, Tim Kasher has built a fine catalog. Kasher enjoys theatricality, and his albums usually feature a unifying conceit — Cursive’s break-up document, Domestica, the post-divorce drunken binges of TGL’s Black Out, or his survey of a relationship’s passage on Album of the Year. His latest, Help Wanted Nights, is a soundtrack to an unproduced movie that traces a week in a bar, through a waylaid traveler’s eyes. Never one to settle on one sound, the latest favors a country-tinged singer/songwriter vibe. $12. 9:30 p.m. Drunken Unicorn. 404-870-0575. www.thedrunkenunicorn.net. — Chris Parker

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TUES/09

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TIGER ARMY, STREET DOGS Strap those Chuck Taylors on tight, because this lively bill might find you off your feet more than once. Tiger Army’s throttling psychobilly beat dovetails with hungry, shout-along punk. The Berkeley, Calif., trio’s latest, Music from Regions Beyond, leans hard into the punk corners, sounding like Social Distortion fleeing from a hit-and-run accident involving Rancid. Hailing from the opposite coast, Boston’s Street Dogs crank out blistering, Oi-inflected Irish punk, led by gravelly voiced former Dropkick Murphys singer Mike McColgan. $13. 7 p.m. Masquerade. 404-577-8178. www.masq.com. — CP

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TWO GALLANTS This San Francisco duo’s shambling blues-folk shuffles and canters in an old-fashioned manner, offering spacious Seegar-esque folk cut with a gritty dash of Mississippi hill country rumble. Fronting the guitar/drums team, Adam Stephens’ high-pitched croon dips and glides through dark lyrical valleys guided by the music’s exultant resilience. Their latest album is self-titled, reflecting that it’s their most assured and successful release, from the aching ballad “Trembling of the Rose,” to the parched, ambling elephant-walk blues of “Miss Meri.” $10. 9:30 p.m. Drunken Unicorn. 404-870-0575. www.thedrunkenunicorn.net. — CP

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WOO-YOUNG CHOI Pianist Choi reprises the recital she performed at the University of Georgia late last month, featuring a “Capriccio” by J.S. Bach, the difficult and mystical “Sonata No. 5” by hypochondriac Russian theosophist Alexander Scriabin, “Sonantine” by Maurice Ravel, and the flamboyant suite “Years of Pilgrimage, First Year: Switzerland” by Franz Liszt. Free. 8 p.m. McLean Auditorium, Agnes Scott College. 404-471-6430. www.agnesscott.edu. — MG

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WED/10

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LITTLE FEAT The originator Lowell George has been gone for about 30 years, but that hasn’t stopped Little Feat from carrying on with its unique Southern-fried boogie-groove sound. The songs are so firmly imbedded in some of our minds that we can sing them in our sleep. Ever seen a fat man in a bathtub eating Dixie chicken? $30. 8 p.m. Variety Playhouse. 404-524-7354. www.variety-playhouse.com. — JK

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SEAN CARNEY BAND With all the blues slingers littering the landscape, it’s worth noting that Carney picked up top honors for Best Guitarist at this year’s International Blues Challenge. His is a swinging, Texas style informed more by the jazz and jump blues of Jimmy McCracklin and T Bone Walker than the tougher Chicago shuffles favored by most of his contemporaries. Most impressive is Carney’s class, sophistication and timing that raises his music to a higher, more articulate level, even if it often keeps his impressive guitar skills on the back burner. $10. 9 p.m. Blind Willie’s. 404-873-BLUE. www.blindwilliesblues.com. — HH

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SLARAFFENLAND, TRADESECRETS Hailing from Denmark, Slaraffenland crafts breezy, arty pop music that’s cut from a cloth of pleasantly experimental melodies that are littered with specks of oddball jazz leanings. The music is mellow and sometimes weird in an amicable outsider way. For fans of Grandaddy, Broken Social Scene and maybe even Animal Collective. Atlanta band Tradesecrets, which features former members of Partisan and Aye Robotics!, also performs. $7. 9 p.m. 11:11 Teahouse. 404-521-1911. www.myspace.com/1111teahouse. — CR

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THURS/11

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B-SIDE PLAYERS, SALVADOR SANTANA BAND, CIPES AND THE PEOPLE The Players bound into town tonight, touring to support their latest release, Fire in the Youth. It’s sweltering party music with a humid world beat. The imposing B-Side squad delivers lengthy slabs of spicy, salsa-soaked reggae, loosely wrapped around proficient, sensibly extended jams that never seem to wander too far away from their delightfully catchy, sun-baked melodies. With performances by the Salvador Santana Band and Cipes and the People. 8 p.m. Smith’s Olde Bar. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com. — LVS

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MITCH EASTER, SHALINI, MAGNAPOP Athens bands often argue that there is no actual “Athens sound,” but one of the main documentarians of the elusive spirit of early ’80s Classic City attitude is North Carolina’s Easter. His deft production on records by R.E.M., Love Tractor and many others helped define college-rock jangle and thus influenced a generation of musicians around the world. Along the way, he’s made some great pop records featuring his own compositions as the mastermind behind Let’s Active. Tonight, he’s joined by his wife’s combo, Shalini, and old pals Magnapop. $8. 9 p.m. The Earl. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com. — LVS

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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.