By Bob Townsend

For the AJC

It will be a historic occasion Saturday when the recently opened Buckhead Theatre presents its first concert, headlined by indie bands Deer Tick from Providence, R.I., and Dead Confederate from Athens.

The two-year, $6 million makeover that restored the faded glory of the 1927 movie theater and its original name has already been celebrated at several posh events.

But for music fans, the venue that was once called the Capri and later the Roxy has a different sort of significance. It’s a special place where they may have seen Leonard Cohen or the Ramones for the first time.

“I didn’t even know the Roxy had closed until our management booked the show,” said Dead Confederate singer/guitarist Hardy Morris. “I remember seeing Kings of Leon there and I saw My Morning Jacket there two or three times.”

Dead Confederate is on the road to preview its new recording, “Sugar,” due out Aug. 24. The band is known for howling, cinematic music that draws on psychedelia, ’80s grunge and the likes of Meat Puppets and Dinosaur Jr., two bands Dead Confederate recently toured with. In fact, “Giving It All Away,” the first single from “Sugar,” features an appearance by Dinosaur Jr. guitarist J. Mascis.

“The new album goes in a lot of different directions,” Morris said. “Some of the songs are more concise and a little more upbeat and there are major chords. There are songs with acoustic guitars and mellotron and vibraphone. There’s even tambourine. But then there are songs that are heavier and darker than anything we’ve done.”

Buckhead native Velena Vego, who has been living in Athens and booking bands at the 40 Watt club there for the past 20 years, will be booking the rock acts at the Buckhead Theatre.

Vego has already put together an impressive lineup of shows, including Built To Spill and Scissor Sisters in August, and Drive-By Truckers, the Indigo Girls and an exclusive Guided By Voices reunion gig in October. But Vego said she’s excited to have Dead Confederate christen the stage.

“That just feels like home to me,” Vego said. “To have them as my first confirmed show just feels like good luck.

“Dead Confederate headlined at the 40 Watt for AthFest in June and drew something like 1,300 people. We were so proud of them. We’ve had them there since they drew 100 people. But we really think this new record is going to do something, and live, they are doing something heavy.”

In addition to Dead Confederate, Vego has two more Athens connections lined up for the evening. Futurebirds open the show and the 40 Watt’s DJ tag-team, Zack Hosey and Nate Nelson, aka Dreamdogs, will spin records from 12:30-2:30 a.m. at an after-show party in the theater’s plush lobby.

“We have a huge lobby area and I want to use that,” Vego said. “At a lot of rock shows, they’re screaming for you to leave as soon as the band’s off the stage.

“I want people to hang out, buy a T-shirt and maybe meet the band. We have food and drinks and music, so you don’t need to go anywhere else to enjoy the rest of the evening.”

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Concert preview

Deer Tick and Dead Confederate with Futurebirds

8 p.m. July 31, $15 advance. Buckhead Theatre, 110 Roswell Road, Atlanta, 404-891-6168, www.thebuckheadtheatre.com