Citizen Cope plays Atlantic Station Friday. Photo credit: Michael Sterling Eaton

Atlantic Station is getting into the holiday spirit with a free concert series dubbed “Winter Wonder Jam.”

The shows will  take place Friday nights through Dec. 23, kicking off this week with a 7 p.m. solo acoustic performance by Citizen Cope.

Organizers say that other performers will be announced weekly through the Atlantic Station Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/AtlanticStation) and Twitter feed.

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Continue reading Atlantic Station starts new concert series »

Red Hot Chili Peppers will rock Gwinnett Arena Jan. 30. The band is touring behind its latest album, "I'm With You." Photo: Clara Balzary

ON SALE DEC. 2
Yacht Rock Revue Presents Dazed And Confused. Performing selections from the “Dazed and Confused” soundtrack for the first set. They’ll perform the entire “Led Zeppelin IV” for the second set, and all of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” for the third set. 8:30 p.m. Jan. 14. Variety Playhouse. $20; $15 in advance. TM.
The Mountain Goats, Nurses. 9 p.m. Jan. 28. The EARL. $20. TA.
Red Hot Chili Peppers. 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30. Gwinnett Arena. $39.50-$59.50. TM.
Ani Difranco. 8:30 p.m. Feb. 3. Variety Playhouse. $35. TM.
Samantha Crain, American Aquarium. 8 p.m. Feb. 10. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $8 in advance. TA.
Dr. Dog. 8 p.m. March 4. Buckhead Theatre. $18. TM.
Waller. CD release show. 8 p.m. March 9. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $8 in advance. TA.
The Pink Floyd Experience. 8:30 p.m. March 9. Variety …

Continue reading Hot tickets: Nov. 29 »

The current Queen of Hip Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige was the hottest ticket in town Friday night at the sold out Tabernacle.  Mary J. earned her GED in 2010.

 >>>(from Wiki) Mary Jane Blige was born in the Bronx on January 11, 1971. she is a singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has received the World Music Legends Award for combining hip hop and soul in the early 1990s. She was ranked number 100 in the list of 100 greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. Blige started her musical career in 1992, releasing her multi-platinum US selling debut album, What’s the 411? on MCA Records and Uptown. What’s the 411? gave Blige her first Billboard 200 top ten album, which has continued since the release of her debut album until her latest album, Stronger …

Continue reading Mary J. Blige Brings Hip Hop & Soul To The Sold Out Tabernacle »

Athens trio the Whigs return to town for the third annual post-Thanksgiving gig at the Variety Playhouse on Friday, Nov. 25. Photo: Jordan Noel

TODAY
The Whigs
Crafting crunchy modern rock that transcends most of its contemporaries with hook-filled and memorable songs, Athens’ Whigs prove that you don’t need gimmicks to make great records. They’ve been working on their fourth album, which is expected to be released in 2012. The trio is creating a new local tradition with their post-Thanksgiving gig, dubbed the Plymouth Rock Show, now in its third year. They’ll be joined by Ponderosa and Jonny Corndawg.
8 p.m. Nov. 25. $20; $17.50 in advance. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404- 524-7354.

TODAY
Mary J. Blige
As she often does, queen of hip-hop soul Blige wiped the floor with many of the lip-syncing lesser musical mortals on Sunday’s “American Music Awards.” When she has the stage to herself, she’ll really class up the place. For this …

Continue reading Live music picks: Nov. 25-Dec. 1 »

Chris Knight returns to Smith's Olde Bar March 23. Tickets go on sale Friday, Nov. 25. Photo courtesy Rick Alter Management

ON SALE NOW
Boyce Avenue, Secondhand Serenade. 8 p.m. March 3. Center Stage. $22; $20 in advance. TM.

ON SALE NOV. 25
Nervous But Excited. 8 p.m. Dec. 11. Smith’s Olde Bar – Atlanta Room. $8 in advance. TA.
JC Brooks. 8 p.m. Dec. 12. Smith’s Olde Bar – Atlanta Room. $10 in advance. TA.
Hydralights. 8 p.m. Jan. 13. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $10 in advance. TA.
New Orleans Suspects. 8 p.m. Jan. 21. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $10 in advance. TA.
Mason Jennings. 8:30 p.m. Jan.27. Variety Playhouse. $20; $18 in advance. TM.
25th Anniversary : The Blue Dogs. 8 p.m. Feb. 18. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $15 in advance. TA.
An Evening with Atlanta Funk Society. 8 p.m. Feb. 8. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $10 in advance. TA.
Andy Grammer, Ryan Star. 8 p.m, Feb. 25. Center Stage. $15; $13 in advance. TM.
Chris Knight. 8 p.m. …

Continue reading Hot tickets: Nov. 22 »

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez hit the red carpet at the AMAs. Photo: Courtesy ABC

Even though the American Music Awards have always lived in the imposing shadow of the Grammys, there was a time, back when Dick Clark truly ran the show, that the awards meant a little something and even fostered events such as We Are the World.

But now they’re just a glorified People’s Choice Awards (*see Explanation of Convoluted Voting below).  

Anyway, for those who care, Taylor Swift was the big winner with three AMAs (Artist of the Year, Best Country Female Artist and Country Album). The excitable country princess said one of the smartest things of the night to her fans…she thanked them not only for remembering her lyrics, but “for caring about lyrics.”

In a year of “Party Rock Anthem”s and various will.i.am virtual concoctions, she makes a valid point.

The show aired live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. A list of winners is at the end of this post, but first, let’s …

Continue reading American Music Awards: Remember when they mattered? »

The 2011 Soul Train Awards chugged into the Fox Theatre Thursday night, and while it wasn’t a marathon production like last year’s seven-hour ordeal (or the nearly 10 hour one in Los Angeles before that), there was plenty of star power and nostalgia crammed into what will air as a two-hour show.

There were indeed awards presented during the three-and-a-half-hour taping, but out of courtesy to those who prefer to be surprised by such things, I’m not mentioning the winners here. Surely they’re floating around online if you’re that desperate to know who picked up the train trophy for Best New Artist.

The awards will premiere at 9 p.m. Nov. 27 on BET and Centric.

Set the TiVo from now because here are the top five “don’t miss” moments. But first, kudos to host Cedric the Entertainer, who burst onto the stage doing the body rock and the Dougie to Herbie Hancock’s “Rocket” and Montell Jordan’s “This is How We Do It” and was seamless and amusing all …

Continue reading Soul Train storms through Atlanta again »

Atlanta quartet Gringo Star celebrates the release of "Count Yer Lucky Stars," the band's second slice of killer psychedelia-infused rock, at the Star Bar Saturday, Nov. 19. Photo courtesy Tell All Your Friends PR

TODAY
Josh Ritter
Understated, melodically gifted Idaho singer-songwriter Ritter is ranked among our country’s finest living songwriters by many music critics. His most recent studio album is 2010’s “So Runs the World Away” (the title comes from “Hamlet”), but he’s released both his first novel, “Bright’s Passage,” and a deluxe edition of his wonderful 2006 album “The Animal Years” in 2011.
8:30 p.m. Nov. 18. $22.50; $20 in advance. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404- 524-7354.

SATURDAY
Richard Cheese and Lounge Against The Machine
Remember Bill Murray’s “Saturday Night Live” character Nick the Lounge Singer? It was a long time ago, so let me remind you. One of old Nick’s most memorable tunes was a re-imagining …

Continue reading Live music picks: Nov. 18-23 »

Robin Thicke returns to Atlanta for a show at the Loft Dec. 3. Tickets for the show are on sale now. Photo: Raymond Hagans / Special

ON SALE NOW
Cadillac Junkie’s Social Distortion Tribute, Hip to Death, Rick Free and the Wanted. 9 p.m. Nov. 25.  Vinyl. $5. TA.
Robin Thicke. 9 p.m. Dec. 3.  The Loft. $35; $30 in advance. TA.
In Flames, Trivium, Veil  of Maya, Kyng. 7:30 p.m. Jan. 18.  Center Stage. $28.50; $27.50 in advance. TM.

ON SALE NOV. 18
The Kicks. 8 p.m. Jan. 7. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $10 in advance. TA.
An Evening with Atlanta Funk Society. 8 p.m. Jan. 11. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $10 in advance. TA.
Corey Crowder. CD release. 8 p.m. Jan. 14. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $12 in advance. TA.
An Evening with Atlanta Funk Society. 8 p.m. Jan. 18. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $10 in advance. TA.
New Orleans Suspects. 8 p.m. Jan. 21. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $12 in advance. TA.
Me Talk Pretty, Madina Lake, Hawthorne …

Continue reading Hot tickets: Nov. 15 »

Country music superstar Reba McEntire performed for a large, enthusiastic crowd Saturday night at the Gwinnett Arena. The opening acts were The Band Perry, Steel Magnolia and Edens Edge.
>>> (From Wiki) Reba McEntire holds the record for the most Academy of Country Music Top Female Vocalist Awards (seven), and American Music Awards for Favorite Country Female Artist (twelve), and ties with Martina McBride for most Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year Awards (four), though McEntire does have the distinction of winning the award 4 times consecutively. She also is one of only two women in country music history to have attained a number one hit in four different decades, and the only female to achieve solo number ones across four decades.
Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955) is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band, on local radio shows with her …

Continue reading Reba & The Band Perry Entertain Saturday Night At The Gwinnett Arena »