A-Bones amaze during Atlanta return

• Bobby Moore
• A-Bones singer Billy Miller and sax player Lars Espensen wow an entrused fan.

The A-Bones’ first Atlanta appearance since 1998 highlighted a solid night of rock ‘n’ roll traditionalists at the Earl on April 11, with opening support provided by local garage all-star band the Gaye Blades and Florida-based guitarist Charlie Pickett. Not even the absence of Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan, advertised to make a rare outside of New York appearance with the A-Bones, ruined the big-show feel of what truly may have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a legendary act.

Since the mid-1980s, spouses and A-Bones bandmates Billy Miller and Miriam Linna have served as pop and rock archivists through Norton Records, preserving garage and rockabilly’s past while releasing records by current acts as well. One of the younger bands they’ve taken under their wings within the last few years is the Gaye Blades, featuring Jared Swilley from Black Lips, multi-instrumentalist John Kang, resident go-to drummer Mike Beavers, and the “Bearded Gentleman” Jesse Smith. Swilley and Smith are seasoned performers who work well together as a songwriting and Rickenbacker-slinging duo, backed by a solid rhythm section. While many bands today borrow a lot from ’60s pop, the Gaye Blades never stray from that sound or bury doo-wop songs under a wall of noise like so many of their peers. Though they are local, any chance to see them should not be passed up, as the Gaye Blades for years have been a band that rarely plays out, partly due to Black Lips’ busy tour schedule. Seeing the band open for veteran acts that have a similar sound shows how the timelessness of early rock overcomes generation gaps.