Explosions in the Sky – from left, Munaf Rayani, Mark Smith, Chris Hrasky and Michael James- brings lush guitar soundscapes to the Tabernacle on Sept. 29. Photo: Nick Simonite

FRIDAY
Earth, Wind and Fire
This R&B and funk powerhouse took 16 tracks into the chart between 1974 and 1983, including irresistible gems such as “September” and “Let’s Groove.” It’s some of the most joyous music to climb the pop charts in the ’70s.
8 p.m. Sept. 23. $25-$99. Chastain Park Amphitheatre, 4469 Stella Drive. 404-733-4949.

SATURDAY
Clarkston Surf Fest
It’s probably not the first place that comes to mind when you think surf music, but this DeKalb County city will ring with reverb-drenched guitars and groove to the sandy beach blanket vibe. Don’t miss Alabama’s Daikaiju, which combines kabuki masks and trebly guitars to fun and freaky effect. Check the fest’s website for the full line-up.
10 a.m. Sept. 24. Clarkston Community Center, 3701 College Ave., Clarkston. 404- …

Continue reading Live music picks: Sept. 23-29 »

R.E.M.: Peter Buck (left), Bill Berry, Michael Stipe and Mike Mills. AP photo

This is a piece I wrote back in 2007, as R.E.M. was about to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

The first time I saw R.E.M. was in June 1981, and I didn’t really like them.

I had gone to Athens to see angular punk-funk pioneers Gang of Four. But in retrospect, the night’s most memorable event was the set by the opening band. R.E.M.. was just one month from releasing its first single, “Radio Free Europe”/”Sitting Still.”

The set went by in a deafening, Ramones-like blur, with little to distinguish this young band from any number of punky pretenders. It could have been the less-than-stellar sound at Tyrone’s, an Athens club that burned down a year later, or it might have been my 17-year-old ears. Either way, I promptly forgot about R.E.M.

The moral? First impressions are sometimes wrong, a lesson brought to mind this past week when the band was named to the Rock and Roll Hall of …

Continue reading Memories of R.E.M. from a (then) young fan »

R.E.M., which announced its split today, in the early years. Peter Buck (left), Mike Mills, Bill Berry and Michael Stipe. Berry left the band in 1997. Photo: Sandra Lee-Phipps

It’s a day many thought would never come. It looked like R.E.M. was in it for the long haul, but that changed today.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees and Athens mainstays released a statement via their website today:

“To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening.” R.E.M.

The site also includes statements from each of the band members, Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Peter Buck.

Those three, along with drummer Bill Berry, started the band in 1980. By 1991, the band had scored four Top 10 hits and inspired a generation of …

Continue reading R.E.M. breaks up »

So You Think You Can Dance Season #8 winner, Marietta native Melanie Moore, performs for her hometown fans at the Gwinnett Arena Tuesday night. This is the third stop for the 32-city tour. The ten dancers on tour are Caitlynn Lawson, Clarice Ordaz, Jess LeProtto, Jordan Casanova, Marko Germar, Melanie Moore, Mitchell Kelly, Ricky Jaime, Sasha Mallory and Tadd Gadduang.

AJC photographer Robb Cohen covered the event with his camera. Check out the photo gallery. What did you think of  this year’s dancers and the performances? Who is your favorite dancer and why?

(Photo Credit: Robb D. Cohen/ www.robbsphotos.com)  For other concert photography linked to Access Atlanta, please visit  Atlanta ConcertPhotography Galleries.)

Continue reading So You Think You Can Dance Tour Entertains at Gwinnett Arena Tuesday Night »

Canadian multi-instrumentalist Ruth Moody, co-founder of the Wailin' Jennys, brings her band to the Red Light Cafe Dec. 4. Tickets on sale Friday, Sept. 23. Photo: Art Turner

ON SALE NOW
Coy Bowles & The Fellowship. 9 p.m. Oct. 7. Vinyl. $10. TA.
Bangkok Fight Night 11. 8 p.m. Oct. 22. Center Stage. $35-$65. TM.
Ron Pope, Zach Berkman, Alexis Babini. 8:30 p.m. Nov. 4. Vinyl. $15; $12 in advance. TA.
Hank & The Cupcakes, Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun, Ray Garrison. 8:30 p.m. Nov. 16. Vinyl. $10. TA.

ON SALE SEPT. 23
Helmet. 8 p.m. Oct. 19. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $15 in advance. TA.
Guns N’ Roses. 8 p.m. Nov. 2. Philips Arena. $39-$79. LN.
Sol Drive Train/Atlanta Funk Society. 8 p.m. Nov. 2. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $10 in advance. TA.
Kevin Seconds and David Dondero. 7 p.m. Nov. 6. Masquerade. $8. TM.
Immortal Technique. 7 p.m. Nov. 6. Masquerade. $15. TM.
The Ruth Moody Band. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4. $17.50; $15 in advance. Red Light Café. TM.
Drew …

Continue reading Hot tickets: Sept. 20 »

The person who received the most attention at Saturday night’s 33rd Annual Georgia Music Hall of Fame awards ceremony wasn’t an inductee. Nor is he a native of the state.

 But try telling that to the packs of caterwauling teenage girls scattered throughout the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. They just knew that Justin Bieber was in the house, both to help induct his vocal coach, Jan Smith (aka “Mama Jan”), who received the  Chairman’s Award, and also to receive his own honor, the Horizon Award, given to young performers who have made outstanding achievements.

 He also performed a medley of hits from Smith’s students and was joined by the only guy in this town who could eclipse his razzle-dazzle – Usher, who sported a black tux with mirrored lapels for the occasion.

 But let’s place the Bieber fever aside for a few minutes for a look at the rest of the evening’s proceedings with this year’s eight inductees.

• Group inductees Mother’s Finest opened the …

Continue reading Justin Bieber, Usher appear at Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards »

 Sixty-seven year old rock legend Roger Daltrey performs The Who’s “Tommy” in its entirety Thursday night in Alpharetta at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. Singer-songwriter-actor Roger Harry Daltrey was born in London on March 1, 1944. Best known as the founder and lead singer of The Who, Daltrey has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also producing films. In 1990, Daltrey was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland as a member of The Who. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also included three songs that Daltrey recorded with The Who on the list of 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, including: “My Generation”, “Go to the Mirror Boy”, and “Baba O’Riley”. In 2005 Daltrey received a British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors Gold Badge Award for special and lasting contributions to the British entertainment industry.

AJC photographer …

Continue reading Roger Daltrey Performs The Who’s “Tommy” at Verizon »

It started not with a roar, but an explanation.

Associated Press/2010

 “This is a really special piece of music to me. We’ve never actually played it the real way it was supposed to be played onstage. Tonight, we’re going to play it with the respect that it deserves.”

 With that, Roger Daltrey scooped up a pair of tambourines and, with his stunningly good five-piece band, launched into the familiar “Overture” of one of the most beloved rock operas ever crafted.

 On the second night of a two month tour designed specifically to showcase “Tommy,” Daltrey, 67, and his crew, including Pete Townshend’s look-and-sound-alike younger brother Simon on guitar, slashed through the 70-minute opus with chaotic nuance.

 Daltrey, tan and trim in black pants and a white button-down shirt, whipped his microphone in rhythm with the thunderous drums of “Amazing Journey,” his voice mostly thick and muscular for this first half of a two-set show.

 A video screen behind …

Continue reading Roger Daltrey, band electrify with resurrected ‘Tommy’ »

British quintet Elbow brings its elegant, sophisticated rock to Center Stage on Sept. 20. Photo courtesy High Rise PR

TODAY
Swans
“Swans Are Dead” was the title of the career-capping 1998 live album from this artfully pounding post-punk outfit led by Michael Gira. And that’s the way it seemed until last year’s “My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky,” which bound the band’s elegant thud to meditations on the spiritual. It’s a remarkable return that, despite the mellowing effects of time, proves just as polarizing as the rest of the band’s output. Swans will always be dark and foreboding and you either love it or hate it. With Sir Richard Bishop.
8:30 p.m. Sept. 16. $25; $22 in advance. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-524-7354.

TODAY
Skid Row
This metallic quartet had a platinum album and two Top 10 hits near the end of the ’80s (“18 and Life” and “I Remember You”), but is mostly remembered for controversial singer …

Continue reading Live music picks: Sept. 16-22 »

You can’t accuse the Avett Brothers of not caring about its fans.

After hearing from many disappointed concertgoers who were unable to get into its free show last week at The Tabernacle, the band has posted an apology on its Facebook page, inviting those who were turned away in Atlanta to its Oct. 7 show in Sevierville, Tenn., free of charge.

The stipulation is that you have to prove you were in line at The Tabernacle show and did not get in.

Check out the band’s Facebook post for details.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-avett-brothers/a-message-to-our-atlanta-fans-who-were-not-admitted-to-the-tabernacle-show/279670075377572

Continue reading Avett Brothers offer disappointed Atlanta fans a free show »