Rock’s new supergroup, Them Crooked Vultures, consisting of Dave Grohl on drums (Foo Fighters), John Paul Jones on bass (Led Zeppelin) and Josh Homme on guitar and vocals (Queens of the Stone Age) played to a sold out Tabernacle crowd Thursday, February 11, 2010. And while we weren’t there to cover it, Robb Cohen was handy with his camera.

Click here to see the full photo gallery.

And if you attended the show, tell us about what you saw.

(Photo Credit: Robb Cohen/ www.robbsphotos.com)  For other concert photography linked to Access Atlanta, please visit for Atlanta Concert Photography Galleries. by Atlanta Photographer Robb Cohen www.RobbsPhotos.com

Continue reading Rock Supergroup Them Crooked Vultures Sell Out Tabernacle »

The late Barry White, the man whose voice is synonymous with sexy, is pictured at the Soul Train Music Awards in 1994. Photo: Rhonda Birndorf / AP

Apparently, there isn’t a Barry White song sexy enough to make Billboard’s list of the 50 sexiest songs of all time. Yeah, right.

Part of the problem is the magazine’s methodology. They simply ranked the 50 most popular songs about sex (or with a discernable sexy-time vibe) according to their performance on the Hot 100 chart, beginning in 1958 and ending with the chart of Jan. 16. And that’s how we wind up with Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” in the No. 1 position. “Physical” is to sex as Velveeta is to food. It might get sweaty like sex, but it’s also plastic and not much like the real thing. Even worse, you’ll find “Afternoon Delight” at No. 20. Talk about cheese.

How about we come up with our own ideas of the sexiest music of all time? We can do better than Billboard, can’t we? Tell us what tops your list of the sexiest …

Continue reading You call that sexy? Billboard picks the sexiest songs, fails »

Goodie Mob at the BET Hip-Hop Awards at the Atlanta Civic Center in October 2009. Photo: Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.com

FRIDAY
Goodie Mob
These Southern rap originals got back together for a reunion show at the Masquerade Music Park last fall and now Cee-Lo (who has had big success as half of Gnarls Barkley), Khujo, T-Mo and Big Gipp are in the midst of a national tour. These are the guys that gave us the phrase the Dirty South, which is the title of a Big Boi-assisted track from the group’s 1995 album “Soul Food.”
9 p.m. Feb. 12. $35. The Tabernacle, 152 Luckie St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-659-9022, tabernacleatl.com.

FRIDAY
Bilal
It’s been more than eight years since the sweet-voiced R&B adventurer released his terrific debut album, “1st Born Second.” A planned follow-up was leaked online and then shelved (apparently forever, though interested fans can get a listen with a little online detective work). He’s remained a popular concert draw, but it looks like 2010 might finally put …

Continue reading Live music picks, Feb. 12-17 »

LN = Live Nation, 1-877-598-8698, www.livenation.com
TM = Ticketmaster, 404-249-6400, www.ticketmaster.com
TA = Ticketalternative, 1-877-725-8849, www.ticketalternative.com

Sugarland is coming to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park on Aug. 5. Photo: Universal Music Nashville

ON SALE FEB. 12
AutumnAttics. 8 p.m. Feb. 25. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $8 advance. TA.
Kool Keith. 9 p.m. March 18. The Loft. $15. TA.
Janelle Monae. 8 p.m. April 5-6. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $12 advance. TA.
The Temper Trap. 9 p.m. April 9. The Loft. $15. TA.
Ween. 8 p.m. April 10. The Tabernacle. $32.50. LN.
Manchester Orchestra and Thrice with O’ Brother. 8 p.m. April 14-15. Variety Playhouse. $21; $18.50 advance.TM.
Loud and Rich: Richard Thompson and Loudon Wainwright III. 8 p.m. April 20. Variety Playhouse. $32.50; $30 advance. TM.
Josh Ritter and The Royal City Band. 8 p.m. May 13. Variety Playhouse. $20; $17.50 advance. TM.
Col. Bruce Hampton and the Quark Alliance …

Continue reading Hot tickets, Feb. 9 »

The Black Eyed Peas’ “The E.N.D. World Tour opened at sold out Philips Arena Thursday night, February 4. The extremely diverse and multi-cultural crowd were first treated to Ludacris and LMFAO. In addition to Jennifer Brett’s live tweeting of the concert, Robb Cohen was also handy with his camera. Click here to see the full photo gallery.

And if you attended the show, tell us about what you saw.

(Photo Credit: Robb Cohen/ www.robbsphotos.com)  For other concert photography linked to Access Atlanta, please visit for Atlanta Concert Photography Galleries. by Atlanta Photographer Robb Cohen www.RobbsPhotos.com

Continue reading Black Eyed Peas & Ludacris Sell Out Philips Arena »

The Residents in classic eyeball mode, one of many anonymity-protecting get-ups the group has utilized.

FRIDAY
The Residents
The Residents were weird before, during and after weird was cool. Toiling anonymously, the musicians behind this project have been deconstructing pop music and crafting frightening worlds of sound since the early ’70s, when, according to the band’s always suspect self-created mythos, the members moved from Shreveport, La., to the San Francisco area. The group’s complex discography, secretive methods and otherworldly music make them both fascinating and frustrating for the uninitiated. Check the official online realm of the Residents, for a sample of the group’s strange and unusual catalog.
8:30 p.m. Feb. 5. $25-$27.50. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave., Atlanta. 404-524-7354.

FRIDAY
David Allan Coe
From the honky-tonk to the jailhouse and back, this country outlaw has traveled a hard road, and his gritty, darkly humorous songs reflect every inch of …

Continue reading Live music picks, Feb. 5-11 »

The Residents

Concert preview
The Residents
8:30 p.m. today, $27.50. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta, 404-524-7354, www.variety-playhouse.com.

By Bob Townsend

Elvis Costello’s famous quip, “writing about music is like dancing about architecture,” seems even more Zen koan-like when it comes to trying to describe the Residents.
Since the early 1970s, the San Francisco-based avant-garde ensemble has wrapped itself in mystery, never divulging the identities of its members and appearing in a wild array of surrealistic costumes, most notably tuxedos, top hats and giant eyeball masks.
Influenced by the likes of composer Harry Partch, jazz pioneer Sun Ra and Frank Zappa cohort Captain Beefheart, the Residents’ music can be difficult, comical, brooding and beautiful. Defying perceptions of what constitutes a “band,” making music is almost always part of some larger conceptual, theatrical or multimedia work.
The Residents will be at Variety Playhouse in Little Five …

Continue reading The Residents at the Variety Playhouse »

Lady Antebellum (from left, Dave Haywood, Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley) performs at the CMA Music Festival at LP Field in Nashville in June 2009. Photo: AP / Josh Anderson

Lady Antebellum is on a winning streak.

The country trio, which includes Augusta boys Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, are fresh from a Grammy win for best country performance by a duo or group for their No. 1 hit “I Run to You.”

Now the group puts the cherry on their winning Sunday with a No. 1 album. “Need You Now,” the band’s second album, debuts at No. 1 on the latest Billboard 200 chart with sales of 481,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That’s the highest debut for a country act since Taylor Swift’s “Fearless” landed at the top with 592,000 in Nov. 2008, Billboard reports. For the full details, see Billboard’s item on this week’s chart.

The trio is set to play with Tim McGraw at Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood on May 15.

Continue reading Lady Antebellum’s No. 1 album »

LN = Live Nation, 1-877-598-8698, www.livenation.com
TM = Ticketmaster, 404-249-6400, www.ticketmaster.com
TA = Ticketalternative, 1-877-725-8849, www.ticketalternative.com

Ben Folds is coming to the Tabernacle on March 14. Photo: Sony

ON SALE FEB. 5
Mountain Sprout. 8 p.m. Feb. 21. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $8 advance. TA.
Wirerose, No Parachute, Jonathan Gale and Deep Cut. 8 p.m. Feb. 24. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $7 advance. TA.
Brock Butler. 8 p.m. Feb. 27. Smith’s Olde Bar – Atlanta Room. $10 advance. TA.
Hightide Blues. 8 p.m. March 6. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $8 advance. TA.
Cross Canadian Ragweed. 8 p.m. March 9. Variety Playhouse. $20; $18 advance. TM.
Ben Folds. 8 p.m. March 14. The Tabernacle. $30-$35. LN.
Cary Hudson. 8 p.m. March 15. Smith’s Olde Bar – Atlanta Room. $8 advance. TA.
Ben Deignan. 8 p.m. March 19. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $10 advance. TA.
Tea Leaf Green. 8 p.m. March 20. Variety Playhouse. $20; $17.50 advance. TM.
Chelsea …

Continue reading Hot tickets, Feb. 2 »