The Teenage Prayers excel at the art of writing barnburners. A hair shy of overblown (or sometimes just real gone), stompin', hollerin', sweaty numbers such as "I Like It" and "Good Voodoo" were made for cramped juke joint stages such as the one they'll take at The Star Bar this Wednesday.



Produced by Steve Wynn, Everyone Thinks You're the Best, the New York act's second full-length, is most memorable when in the throes of full-on bar band ecstasy, but ably simmers down to explore a variety of different styles and tempos. "I'm in Love Again" sounds at times like a Steely Dan outtake; "Heiroglyph" plays with dub even as it's a rousing shout-along; "Dreams of the South" has a steady, epic strength. The songs all hang together, members of the same wild, beautiful gang.

Unified by a whopping dose of ragged soul, this is a band whose sound jumps out of your headphones and starts a riot. Live, they ought to be dangerous.

The Teenage Prayers play The Star Bar tonight with Hymns and Spottiswoode & His Enemies. Catch them on tour as follows:

Thursday, March 20 - Charlotte, NC - The Milestone
Friday, March 21 - Raleigh, NC - Slim's Downtown
Saturday, March 22 - Baltimore, MD - Lo-Fi Social Club

HiFi Buys Amphitheatre - July 18, 2007



Amidst the excitement of a daylong festival, it's all too easy to overlook a worthwhile up-and-comer. San Antonio's Girl in a Coma are all the reason you need to commit to an early arrival at the Warped Tour's Atlanta stop this Wednesday.

Consisting of sisters Nina and Phanie Diaz (on vocals and drums, respectively) and bassist Jenn Alva, the Smiths-inspired trio deliver a dramatic statement with their Blackheart Records debut, Both Before I'm Gone. Nina's intense wail seems far beyond her years, while the music charges forward in a spirited give-and-take between hard-charging percussion and twirling layers of melancholy guitar (with a thoughtful ballad here and there for good measure). Girl in a Coma aren't your typical rock band; they're a good reminder that expressive, accomplished music flourishes everywhere of its own accord.

- Amanda Langston
- Photo by Sarah Quiara

The 2007 Vans Warped Tour hits the HiFi Buys Amphitheatre on Wednesday, July 18. Girl in a Coma take the Kevin Says stage at 1:00 p.m.

More Girl in a Coma tour dates:

July 19 - Transitions Art Gallery at Skate Park - Tampa, FL
July 20 - Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville, FL
July 21 - The Nick - Birmingham, AL
July 23 - Two Stick Sushi - Oxford, MS
July 25 - Fitzgerald's - Houston, TX
July 28 - Trade Bar - McAllen, TX
July 29 - GW's Roadhouse - Laredo, TX
July 31 - Ray (Joe's) Bar - Marfa, TX
August 1 - Zepplin's - El Paso, TX
September 2 - Powerbox Fest - Seattle, WA
September 4 - Ash Street Saloon - Portland, OR
September 7 - Pastimes - Truckee, CA
September 8 - XOXO Club - Reno, NV
September 30 - Ford Amphitheatre / Latin American Cinemateca of L.A. (Mexico! Mexico! Rock! Rock! Rock!) - Los Angeles, CA

Girl in a Coma
Blackheart Records

Sean Lennon with Women and Children
Smith's Olde Bar
April 3, 2007

It's always frustrating to be among a crowd of people in search of the impossible. Musician Sean Lennon claims, and reasonably so, that he doesn't know a world in which people aren't obsessed with his parents. So one hopes for his sake that, after releasing two albums on his own as well as collaborating with many of his peers, he isn't too annoyed at being denied the right to develop a fan base or earn popularity on his own terms. Of course, everyone attending his show this past Tuesday could simply have been rabid fans of his sophomore effort, Friendly Fire, but unless I've seriously underestimated the popularity of woozy indie pop amongst the baby boomer population, there were a lot of Beatle freaks in the house, hoping to breathe in the aura of their departed hero. (If any Yoko enthusiasts other than myself were in attendance, they remained incognito.)



Despite the demographic on hand, openers Women and Children seemed unfazed, and eager to entertain the sizable gathering. (Kamila Thompson, daughter of noted musicians Richard and Linda, kicked off the evening, but a bit too early for some of us to experience it.) Segueing effortlessly from hippie death blues to country-folk and any other tangent that pleased them, the core trio (at times joined by a drummer) kept things earthy, employing piano, violin and a hint of rural twang despite the L.A. pedigree of most members (pure-voiced singer Cheryl June Serwa hails from Manitoba, Canada). The crowd was rowdy, restless and perhaps not entirely invested in the performance before them, but this was their loss. Women and Children handled themselves with grace, and had a vinyl/DVD boxed set for sale at the merch table, which is nothing if not ambitious.



Lennon took the stage after 30 minutes or so to an uncomfortably packed house, who were suddenly all ears. Full of laid-back cheer, he repeatedly noted the "good vibes" in the Atlanta air and reminisced about lugging equipment up the Smith's stairs in his Cibo Matto days. Still collaborating with Yuka Honda, who served as keyboardist, Lennon and company performed the entire Friendly Fire album, along with a handful of other numbers. The set contained understated folk rock (the layered, wistful "Dead Meat"), the dripping-with-melody "Parachute," and at least one number that was undeniably Beatle-esque in its rhythm and phrasing ("Wait for Me"). Midway through the evening, Lennon let loose on guitar, accompanying his band on some extended jams that dipped into psychedelic riches while nonetheless remaining sharp and melodic.



The warm, personal atmosphere that Lennon invited was a suitable backdrop for his intimate recent material, but also achieved a comfort level that allowed for a lighthearted rapport with the crowd (having skipped over bassist Brad Albetta during band introductions, he mentioned him incessantly thereafter). It seems fitting, then, that he closed with a simple rendition of Into the Sun's "Mystery Juice." A snippet of sweet pop psychedelia, it beamed Atlanta's good vibes right back on itself.

- Photos and text by Amanda Langston

Sean Lennon
Women and Children
Kamila Thompson

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

The Roxy - 11/18/2006

Rock critic Dave Marsh has referred to Joan Jett as "the female Chuck Berry," and I suppose that description is as apt as any. Having broken down barriers both musically and sexually, she's a pioneer, innovator, and bona fide rock legend. And, like Berry, is sadly thought by many to be an oldies act. More respected than commercially viable, she fights to remain relevant to a crowd who may just want to hear "I Love Rock 'N' Roll." But one thing she's got on Chuck (besides thirty years) is a compelling and fierce live show that should shut the mouths of any doubters in attendance. Joan and her band, drummer Thommy Price, guitarist Dougie Needles, and bassist Enzo Penizzotto, stood in classic rock poses as a curtain opened to the familiar chords of "Bad Reputation." Dressed in a tight, shiny black vest, covered in tattoos and with short, choppy black hair, Jett is the picture of cool and rebellion. She's lean and muscular, and looks better at 46 than you do at, well, whatever age you are.



What I love about a Joan Jett show is how all-inclusive it is. It's one big punk 'n' glam hootenanny. Joan may be the living, breathing embodiment of the grand idea that is rock 'n' roll, but hey, she's no snob. Everyone is welcome, and she seems to appeal to all types. Look around and you'll see parents with small children on their shoulders, gay and lesbian couples, old rock dudes, rednecks and informed Bitch readers. And just look at her repertoire. While I am certainly not downplaying her originals, she has had big hits with cover songs by artists as diverse as Gary Glitter ("Do You Wanna Touch Me? (Oh Yeah!)"), Sly and The Family Stone ("Everyday People"), and Tommy James and The Shondells ("Crimson and Clover"), all of which she performed. She even does a revved-up version of "Love Is All Around," the theme song to Mary Tyler Moore. Seeing her live is a pop culture refresher course.

All of her big hits were represented. If you came to the show wanting to hear a specific song, there's a good chance she played it. Along with the solid winners mentioned above, there was "Light of Day," "I Hate Myself for Loving You," the Runaways classic "Cherry Bomb," and, of course, "I Love Rock 'N' Roll" (which, I suppose it should be noted, is a song by the British band The Arrows). She didn't play "Fake Friends," but why quibble?



The hits were all great, but Joan was there to sell her new album, Sinner, her first American album in twelve years. I was more than a little interested in seeing how the new stuff would stack up. Joan's best work features te big, familiar tom-clap, tom-clap glam rock drumbeat, and urgent, sexual lyrics about taking some young thing home to defile them. You know, Rock 'N' Roll 101 fare. Thus, at the risk of appearing closed-minded, I scratch my head at the new song, "Change the World." Its heart is in the right place, but simplistic platitudes such as "It's time we stop all the fightin' / Let's start today / Go find a way / To change the world" is not why I turn to Joan Jett. "Riddles," another political anthem, concerns the way in which politicians speak to us in, yes, riddles. It seemed to be a pointed attack on President Bush (she yelled out "Clear Skies! No Child Left Behind! Wake up!!"), and I couldn't help but wonder how old the guy was standing there by the record machine. Joan may be the Queen of Punk, but other people just do this sort of thing better. "Five," co-written by Kathleen Hanna, brought us back to more comfortable territory. It's a dirty little rocker that discusses Jett's sexuality in more frank terms than I've ever heard her use before. As if that didn't hit it home, she also performed a cover of The Replacements classic "Androgynous," about boys who dress like girls and vice versa. And in the encore song, "AC/DC," a Sweet cover and her new single, Joan refers to her lover, whose other lover is a man. It's a great tune, and in Jett's capable hands, it's a new classic.

Joan Jett is a road warrior and a seasoned professional. What she delivers is a 90-minute, all-killer, very-little-filler show. She is a commanding presence, a force to be reckoned with, giving you a rock hard setlist to go with the body. Somehow she manages to be edgy and palatable at the same time. Provided you don't have to see her at some huge, unruly outdoor festival, or playing after a sporting event, it's well worth your time to check out this living legend. Seeing Joan Jett is the equivalent of Keith Richards getting a blood transfusion. Afterwards, you feel invigorated, young and ready to rock another day.

- Jeremy Frye
Photos by Amanda Langston

Yeah Yeah Yeahs with Imaad Wasif and Deerhunter

Tabernacle, 10/14/06

It's always a curious feeling to watch a favorite band go from playing in the middle of a bill at a small club to headlining their own theater tour, not to mention wielding influence in the fashion world and among their musical peers. Whether they'll lose what made them special in deference to mass market appeal is one of many concerns. While the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have acknowledged the difficulty of negotiating such a pasage (a Spin profile earlier this year painted an especially grim portrait of their allegedly fractured relationships), they present a united front as performers, and are one of the rare recent bands to achieve a fairly high profile while maintaining their integrity.



Opening their packed gig at the Tabernacle were two acts that reflect different aspects of the band's personality. Imaad Wasif, who also serves as the fourth Yeah on the road, took the stage solo for a set of gently weird, Nick Drake-bent-in-two acoustic numbers. Local agitators Deerhunter confronted a packed house of family and well-wishers as well as those caught unawares by their surprisingly accessible, but resolutely odd, melodic noise. Frontman Bradford Cox was casually confident, threatening a cover of TLC's "No Scrubs" and calling out a heckler who expressed their appreciation for the band by throwing them a tampon. Hey, you can't please everybody.

With the evening's more difficult listening behind them, the crowd received the main event with great enthusiasm. This was the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' first Atlanta show in almost three years, and their first local gig since being discovered by MTV and commercial radio, thus accounting for the larger venue and fresh faces in attendance. Newcomers found a somewhat more controlled, polished presentation than ever before, but one no less thrilling in its execution.



Despite the solid contributions of each band member (Nick Zinner, in particular, drives the music forward with intensity), all eyes were on Karen O for much of the set, and with good reason. A modern-day Peggy Moffitt clad in a purple and yellow bodysuit, this court jester / space visitor / trackstar from the future eagerly embraced the task at hand - to channel the band's passion through her unforgettable persona. While Orzolek's previous appeal lay in an unpredictable whirl of impulse and id, now it seems driven by a professional embrace of showmanship, beers of old replaced with a stream of bottled water spewed into the air and yoga poses turned into displays of agility. Like Bjork, whose "Hyper-ballad" she covered at a Criminal Records event earlier that afternoon, this is a woman who follows her muse to some strange places. Choosing messy over beautiful, retreating into role-playing or the sheer animal pleasure of opening her throat and unleashing a sound, Orzolek's freedom worked even those Deerhunter naysayers into a frenzy. Along with her bandmates, she made stadium rock for the art-school set. And for anyone, really, with a yen for drama, grace and the unexpected.

- Amanda Langston
Photos by Steve Berry

Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Deerhunter
Imaad Wasif

Cat Power and the Memphis Rhythm Band - Variety Playhouse, 9/12/06



I've long groused that if Chan Marshall wishes to make her living playing gigs - you know, that system wherein you take money from the public to perform music, and then deliver on said promise - that she learn to do so already. Notorious for disappointing (and for a certain demographic, titillating) her audience with faulty stops and starts, oozing the consequences of unspoken personal strife, a walking disaster (or was it some kind of elaborate joke?) - the notion of her playing a successful show - hell, even completing an entire song, much less making it shine, brings to mind that classic headline from The Onion:

HOLY SHIT
MAN WALKS ON FUCKING MOON

Well, among this hometown crowd, at last, something was different. Everything was different. She was doing it. Not just one tune, but two, three, the whole damn set, even the solo numbers. And she did so gloriously. The surreal sight of watching her display onstage emotions other than doubt, insecurity or apologetic frustration elicited first wonder, then pride among those present. She explained the transformation herself midway through the set: "I'm sober...hello!!"



Serving as support system and dazzling on their own terms, the Memphis Rhythm Band buoyed Marshall's elegant delivery with full-bodied, easygoing soul power. Nine or ten strong from my vantage point, these veteran players punched up their Greatest numbers with a lively, authoritative presence, spiking "Willie" with sharp background vocals, gently rolling "Living Proof" into being, and making it clear that their collaboration was one nourished by tremendous affection.

Chiefly responsible for creating a sultry vibe with vocals as smoky as one of her Parliaments, Marshall turned playful, dramatic and physically free. Goofy and joyful, she cracked jokes, quoted Arrested Development and periodically waved to familiar faces, mimicking both horse and chicken at times and generally shaking what mama gave her. Just as quickly, though, she silenced the crowd with "Where Is My Love" and a forlorn "House of the Rising Sun," and hypnotized them with the witchy "Cross Bones Style." Reverting to form, Marshall morphed her Jagger posturing into a churning, wildly reworked version of her take on "Satisfaction," something it appears that she's attained in abundance (enough to follow that number with a sly, pointed interpretation of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy"). In short, this evening made up for every fumbling "I'm sorry" in the universe.

- Amanda Langston
- Photos by Alex Adan

Let Cat Power blow your mind at one of the following locations (with Memphis Rhythm Band unless otherwise indicated):

9/13/06 - Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL
9/15/06 - Austin City Limits Festival, Austin, TX
9/16/06 - Gypsy Ballroom, Dallas, TX
9/17/06 - Stubb's BBQ, Austin, TX
9/20/06 - Venustiano Carranza 25, Mexico City, Mexico (solo)
10/28/06 - Vegoose Festival, Las Vegas, NV
11/1/06 - Roundhouse, London, UK
11/3/06 - Paradiso, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
11/4/06 - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, Belgium
11/5/06 - Grand Rex, Paris, France
11/7/06 - Kaufleuten, Zurich, Switzerland
11/9/06 - Bob Dylan Tribute, Avery Fisher Hall, New York, NY (solo)

The Other Sound Festival @ the EARL, Friday, 9/8/06



"We never had to do sit-ups because our abs were constantly worked out with laughter," recalls Michelle DuBois of her time spent as half of one of the Atlanta music scene's most fruitful partnerhips, her collaboration with Shonali Bhowmik in Ultrababyfat. Originally lacking its superlative prefix, the pop-punk quartet evolved throughout the 90's into a raucous, crackerjack live act with a national following. 2001's Eight Balls in Reverse captured their gift for vivid, memorable songwriting and balancing rough and smooth musical impulses, while extensive touring behind the record solidified the lineup of Bhowmik, DuBois, Jeff Holt and Jody Bilinski. Ultrababyfat were at a peak in terms of creation and visibility.

When the foursome recorded a follow-up the next fall with Eight Balls producer Matt Goldman, the future was uncertain. "We knew we had to record it," remembers Bhowmik, "and then we knew that we were in for big changes in terms of focusing on other things in our lives." DuBois formed local favorites Luigi, while Bhowmik moved to New York, where she now practices law, rocks out with a new outfit, Tigers & Monkeys, and performs in comedy troupe The Variety Shac. The new record was destined to wait for an opportune moment.

It looks like that time has arrived. Two Sheds' release of No Ringo No, explains DuBois, "falls in the midst of good times we are each having, as an unexpected treat, and leaves more question marks as to what the future might hold." Bhowmik may have the answer. "We always laugh about us spending time together when we are old ladies," she reveals. "Just thinking about making a record together at age 80 sounds so great. Wouldn't that be amazing???"

Ultrababyfat headline The Other Sound Festival this Friday, and are supported by The Five Foot Flame, Engineering, The Preakness, Faith Kleppinger and Gentleman Caller. No Ringo No is out now on Two Sheds.

- Amanda Langston
- Photo by Frank Mullen

Ultrababyfat
Two Sheds Music
The Other Sound Festival