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Thursday night at Atlantis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
To get a snapshot of Thursday night’s Atlantis festivities, I dropped by the triple-threat Midtown concert hall Center Stage, which features a big main room, a cozier adjacent space called Vinyl and a upstairs spot called the Loft, which has concrete floors and is shaped like a shoebox. All three venues had local music going. The vibe was a bit strange — it didn’t exactly have the industry-heavy feel of a South By Southwest show, but it wasn’t buzzy (or crowded) enough to seem like a true see-and-be-seen scene.
When I walked in, around 11 pm, the rowdy Heavy Mojo was just finishing up, careening from thrashy punk-metal to funky rock. It’s a pity that these guys — instead of, say, Limp Bizkit — couldn’t have been stars five years ago. They sound nothing like what’s popular now, and better than what was popular then. The band bridges genres without seeming contrived, and its sound can be crushing.
As Heavy Mojo ended at Center Stage, Gates of Berlin (a very different Atlanta band) started chugging in Vinyl. (Vinyl is a much smaller space than Center Stage, yet it seemed to have more fans for Gates of Berlin than Center Stage did for Heavy Mojo.) With a singer that looks like Eddie Vedder and a sound that resembles the Kings of Leon, this quintet could be terribly derivative — fortunately, these guys know what they’re doing. Their sound has a welcome bit of grime in it, a smear of grease, and yet the few songs I heard also had a taut energy and fun guitarwork.
I left Gates of Berlin to see State of Man, back in Center Stage. I’d checked out this band’s video shoot awhile back, but had never seen a full gig. After the show, I felt the same as I did going in — this band has the potential to have massive radio hits, the kind of singles that annoy you with their glossy perfection. “Swallow Your Fears� is one such song, a giant blast of guitar rock with a Matchbox 20-ish melody and a soaring chorus. You can hear it for free on the band’s MySpace page. In fact, dreadlocked singer John Stringer encouraged fans to download his band’s music for free, and to buy the band’s CDs and then burn them for friends.
Before I left, I walked upstairs to see the multi-artist showcase by Arc The Finger Records, a local underground hip-hop label comprised of the kind of rappers you can take home to meet your mom. I caught some music by the group Collective Efforts, and was impressed by the energy and precision in the show. The group sounded like Atlanta’s version of Jurassic 5, a perpetually slept-on act with melodious flow.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Pop Music
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By markscottmusic.com
October 6, 2006 9:25 AM | Link to this
This is a great week for Atlanta musicians. I’ve attended one event so far (the Mark Wills and Equity Music panel at Smith’s that the Grammy group put together) and there was a big enough crowd that there was good energy in the room but a small enough crowd that you could actually network with the movers and shakers there. Just one of the many great events Atlanta’s Grammy chapter puts on that are free to members. If you’re a musician and not a member, you should be. Great to see the wide variety of music being showcased this year, too! And the networking and information you can get are really great.
By Lara
October 9, 2006 9:53 AM | Link to this
I am glad to read that you got to check out State of Man live. One thing I have to say for this band is they have ENERGY! Their live show is always a crowd pleaser and that love for the music and the energy translates well into their recordings too. Check out their latest cd - I think you will like it.
By Leah
October 9, 2006 1:06 PM | Link to this
You didn’t see the actual talent Atlanta has to offer judging by the four names you dropped here. That’s a shame. Especially if you think State of Man is some kind of revolutionary thing…they’ve been around for years. And still…nothing.
By John
October 16, 2006 11:55 AM | Link to this
Thanks for the nice press, AJC. In response to Leah’s comment: As far as Leah’s criticism that State of Man isn’t “revolutionary,” I don’t think the article claimed we are that.
The members of State of Man have actually been together for 5 years and 10 months at the time of my reply - 4 years as a hard rock band under a different name and almost two years as State of Man. As far as being around for years “and still.. nothing,” I would invite you to the band’s site at www.stateofmanmusic.com to see what is going on with the band… just so happens, our definition of success may be different from your own (Leah). We’re def. not looking for a traditional record deal in case that is what you are using to measure success. We’ve been fortunate to accomplish a lot on our own label, PolyPlat Records, which allows us freedom to do things OUR WAY! In fact, for a limitted time, you can download our entire album free here: http://www.alternativeaddiction.com/downloads/stateofman.asp
Enjoy! John
P.S. YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE