Wow! It has been a whirl wind few weeks here
between Atlanta and Athens, Ga. It all
started April 27 with two nights of Widespread Panic at the Verizon Wireless
Amphitheater. Next up was Drivin n Cryin May 2 at the Melting Point in
Athens. May 4 and 5 we had a full
weekend of the Shaky Knees Festival at the Masquerade Music Park in the 4th
Ward. There was so much music to choose
from. I was able to catch Moon Taxi,
The Joy Formidable, Lucero, Jim James, Goat and the Black Angels on
Saturday. Sunday, still wet from the
constant downpour consisted of Murder by Death, Kurt Vile and the Violators,
and hometown heroes the Drive by Truckers.
I did not get to see everything on my list but such is the way of music
festivals right. Just when I thought I
have had enough, two tickets to the sold out Soundgarden show at the Tabernacle
fall into my lap. Since I had not seen
these guys since Lollapalooza 1992, I felt like it was a no brainer. Glad I did not miss them. Needless to say I am completely showed out
and have neglected most of my duties but it was well worth it. After all this is why I do what I do, for the
love of the music. I would have to say
that if you have never seen GOAT, do not miss them next time around. They are absolutely a funky, spooky, Black
Sabbathy, gypsy act worth every penny.
It is agreed that
several big name publications that I won’t name are missing the boat on the
local music scene so we are more than happy to pick up where they have left
off. With that being said I had the
wonderful pleasure of seeing the first band I ever saw live on May 2 at the
Melting Point in Athens, Ga. First, I have not been to the Melting Point since
1996 maybe. It is a very nice venue,
putting the fans right up close to the musicians, making the shows very
personable. Drivin n Cryin went on right
as I walked in the door and played for a solid two hours. They played songs from all over their
catalogue including a bunch of stuff I have never heard. They looked quite a bit different from that
night at the Fox in October of 1990 but the sounded just as good if not better
twenty three years later. The addition
of Sadler Vaden on lead guitar has proved to be a fantastic decision. This guy can play the mother freaking
guitar. This gives Mr. Kinney the
freedom to carry the band with the songs that are so lyric driven. This show was as good as anything I have seen
live, ever. A Small venue, a big sound, some loud guitars, and some of my
favorite songs make for the perfect recipe.
As happy as I was to have plenty of room to enjoy the show I cannot for
the life of me understand why there were so few people at the show. Well I can tell you if you were not there,
you missed Gibb Droll getting on stage for several songs and blowing the doors
off the place. Part of me would love to
keep the shows small and intimate with plenty of room to dance, but on the
other hand I would love to see these guys back to opening for the Who
again. I will say, never miss a Thursday
night show, especially if it is Drivin and Cryin!
The highlight of
this two week musical bender was getting to sit down with Drivin and Cryin
drummer Dave Johnson and talk about Nuci’s Space. Oddly enough, I was not star stricken, yet
calm and collected. We talked about Nuci’s
Space, what was in the plans as far as branching out to Atlanta was concerned,
and hopefully we will be able to get these guys on board for a great
cause. It is not every day one gets to
talk to one of their favorite musicians about the nonprofit they work
with. I think I was smiling the whole
drive back to Atlanta that night.
Speaking of Nuci’s Space, we are currently in the process of setting up
a fall benefit show here in Atlanta, to mirror the big DBT shows every
January. We are very pleased and happy
to have our friends Efren and The Higher Choir on the bill. I promise this will be a night full of dirty,
gritty, rock n roll for a great cause.
Hopefully we will have a venue and a date by the end of next week. Stay tuned for more details. This will be a night you will not want to
miss!
That is all for now folks and remember GO SEE LIVE MUSIC!
If you are interested in helping out or becoming a sponsor
for the Nuci’s Space benefit please email me.
erindrello@adelaideproductions.com.
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