Corndogorama 2008 Saturday (Day 3)

Josh and I have both been covering Corndogorama, so we're going to tag team you with yesterday's events complete with photos from Biggie C:

JW: Following a super-charged Friday night, I managed to make it back to corndog land in time to catch Morning State. As usual, they put on a solid performance. "Never So Strange" kept the truly devoted satisfied. I listened to them through my hangover - something not afforded to lesser bands.

SK: I didn't make it to the fest until Thy Mighty Contract had taken the stage. This ATL supergroup certainly combined the best elements of their respective sounds into a serious sonic assault. I wish I could have heard a few more songs from them, but good Corndog sets always leaving you wanting more.



Since Untied States canceled due to some legal troubles, I ran down to East Atlanta and grabbed some grub at the Australian bakery and Josh went to see the Corndog Eating Contest.

JW: OK – that Boone guy showed up again with the belt just to show it off. 17 corndogs in 7 minutes. This anomaly has no competition. I was waiting for the little girl about a third of his size to spew when she got 5 of them down and started kneeling on the ground.

SK: Upon my return we caught Sonen. Their show was ok, but not anything that grabbed me. They struck me as a par, average Atlanta band. Not bad, but not good. Right after that it was time for A Armada and the explosions of sound washing across everyone's ears was unstoppable.







JW: A Armada blew people's asses off. This Athens outfit managed to make so much beautiful noise that it blasted through the walls and compelled those outside to come in and pack the main room early in the day. I can't wait to get more of them.





SK: They were a tough act to follow, but The NEC did as good a job as they could. The first time I saw them, I didn't like them because it sounded like they were ripping off the Black Lips too much, but now they have added some shoegaze to their sound and are leaning more in the Deerhunter direction. But while they seem to be noticeably influenced by the ATL big dogs, their style felt much more distinct and unique this time. It's great to see a band evolve and improve.













The next few hours were all about rallying for the big shows later that night, and we rallied hard. The only musical info I noted during this period was that The Hiss suck.

JW: We were at proper levels of intoxication for Gringo Star. Atlanta's own lovable southern rockers were given a little trophy from King Corndog during their introduction. I think it was for Best Corndogorama Band or something. With that, they came out firing. The guys have their own version of musical chairs with everyone taking their turn at the kit. Best energy of the day. The highlight of the show was the poppy jam "All Y'all." However, when the band were mid-stride in "March of the Gringo" some of the equipment started to fail…and then it became obvious that they had been CUT OFF. The aforementioned trophy was promptly shattered on stage, mic stands were getting some "treatment", and overall displeasures were being shouted. The immediate aftermath saw a stage manager waving a schedule in Nick's face – to which he slapped away. The guys went to cool down and I caught up with them after Snowden's set. Further backstory from Nick reveals that they had played Corndogorama years ago under much less stringent stage managers. They were put over 3 hours behind to go on – and they held their end of the bargain and lit it up anyway in the wee hours of the morning. Now they've been bitten by the corndog again under opposite circumstances. A truly "Black Night". Too bad you didn't get to hear it.

















SK: I caught a little bit of All The Saints killing it inside before returning to the big outdoor stage for Snowden. They unleashed a set filled with hits from Anti Anti and a bunch of new material. As always, they are total badasses live. Some of the new material I liked and some I didn't, but I'm going to wait until the record comes out to pass any real judgment. Jordan said it was coming soon and eluded to some sort of legal issues might have been holding it up.















One last day of Corndogging, so it is time to do it to it.

Live Review: Athfest (6/21/2008) Athens, Ga

Last Saturday I left the Big A for the Little A. I arrived in downtown Athens mid-afternoon and checked out the scene. There were lots of arts and crafts tables setup along the road and the crowd was very family friendly. It reminded me of the Atlanta neighborhood festivals like Inman Park Fest or Virginia Highlands Summerfest. None of the musical acts on the outdoor stages were really my style, so I went to check out the Wired Dance Musical Festival at some bar called Blur.

The place itself was really cool, with video game machines and TVs setup everywhere and a swank looking waterfall behind the bar. They had a DJ and people doing art on the stage inside and then another DJ outside on their deck. I hung out there for a while, but it wasn't really my style of techno either.









So instead I decided to walk around downtown Athens and go shopping at the record stores. I picked up some great vinyl I had been looking for including Jim O'Rourke's Insignificance and Eureka, Marnie Stern's In Advance Of The Broken Arm, and Pink Floyd's Obscured By Clouds and Wish You Were Here. I noticed the record store that used to be in front of the 40 Watt that carried all those bootlegs was gone and replaced by a guitar shop, but there were plenty of other cool shops and I think I'm going to have to come out here periodically to go music shopping.

I was trying to catch King Of Prussia because I've been wanting to see them for forever, but I got confused by the way things were scheduled and didn't get to the stage they were at until the second they finished their last song. Next I went to see Spring Tigers, and they weren't anything to get excited about. I don't know what it is about the formula of some guy from the UK fronting a Georgia band, but so far all the results I've seen are fairly under par.









So I skipped half of their set to go find DARC Recording Studio, where Morning State was playing. I ran into lots of ATLiens over there and the slightly out of the way outdoor stage setup was a very chill scene. This was the first time I have caught Morning State since intimately knowing their full-length, and since they played a set almost exclusively made up of songs from that, it was pretty awesome.







After hanging out over there for a while, I left to go catch the headliner on the main stage, Modern Skirts. While I had never heard of them before today, they are apparently a big deal over here in rural Georgia, and will be opening for R.E.M. in Europe. They were extremely poppy, but they were very good for their particular style, and the show was enjoyable despite the fact I would probably never want to listen to a record that sounded like that. I went and grabbed a burger and a shake at The Grill near the end of that so I could go get a good spot for the 40 Watt show.











First up in inside I caught Centro-matic. It was indie-rock music with a country music aesthetic but didn't really sound like country music at all. Again, it was enjoyable but not the sort of thing that quenches my thirst for non-conservative music.







After that is was time for A Armada. The band featured members of Cinemechanica and did a particularly kick-you-in-the-face style of post-rock. While I'm certainly a sucker for this genre, something about this project seemed to be far above and beyond the average instrumental band. I picked up a copy of their EP that hasn't officially come out yet, and it is as stunning as their live show. It appears they have been added to Corndogorama tomorrow, so make sure not to miss it.







I had to get back to Atlanta and since I just saw Cinemechanica a couple months ago and will be seeing them this weekend, my final band of the day would be We Versus The Shark. This would be Samantha Paulsen's last show with the band, as her and the band have amicably parted ways. I'm not sure why the first time I saw them I wasn't completely sold on these guys, but they were just phenomenal for this one. I videotaped most of the set and will have that up very soon, but this was a serious sonic experience that I'm so glad I got to witness.











Overall, my day in Athens was a fun one. It was a great warm-up for Corndog'. While I still think that Atlanta's scene is far superior to our cousin town, what they have going on over there is pretty cool too and it's great to emerse yourself in something a little different.

Album Review: You Know People I Know People

Morning State: You Know People I Know People



Morning State finally released their debut full-length album last week after having to scrap the first recording due to their label collapsing. You can read all about that Yankee Hotel Foxtrot-esque storyline here. The album released is actually from a second, separate recording session earlier this year with Asa Leffer (The Whigs, Dark Meat, The Pendletons) at DARC in Athens, GA over an 11 day span.

The album opens with "Sad Is When I'm Driving" and is the perfect intro track to this band. At moments it is melodic and reserve, others it is rocking hard delivering the best of its collective members. Sweet and concise guitar riffs, driving rhythms on the drums, straightforward, catchy hooks from vocalist Russ Ledford, and a tease of their bottled up potential to jam out. The album builds up momentum with the short second track, "Hurry, Hurry", before they drop one of the obvious hit songs, "Never So Strange." The version of this track seems so much more laid back and tentative from what I remember of it live. It helps with the overall flow of the album, but something about the song itself seems lacking.

"Grown Up (Atlanta)" is up next and is my favourite song on this record. I usually go back and listen to this one again every time I put You Know People in my CD player. It channels everything I enjoy about bands like The Foo Fighters and Queens Of the Stone Age. The jam at the end of the next track,"On A Walk," really sells the guitar work on this album. Evey riff they employ seems to be the right decision for the particular feel they are trying achieve.

After a bit of a slow down, another standout tune,"That's Quite A Rash," picks up the velocity and really highlights the things that appeal to me most about this band. The two tracks that close out You Know People make for an interesting finale. As I understand it, "What Did You Want" was a newer song that wasn't on the original recording. The extended jam in it seems so uncharacteristic for these guys, but feels so right. "Knives" ends an album that always seems stronger when its louder, bigger, faster, harder with their softest, most downbeat tune. The paradoxical ending accentuates both the potential this band has and exposes the quirks in its identity.

The biggest problem with this record is that the somewhat derivative, '90s rock aesthetic might discourage someone with a progressive taste in music casually listening from digging deeper into the nuances and depth You Know People possesses. At the same time its idiosyncrasies may prevent it from being gobbled up in radio-pop land. The line they ride I think is a very interesting experiment in the current music climate, and I'm intrigued by both how it will turn out, and where these guys will go next. Even the way the album ends feels more like a question mark than an exclamation point. I'll be patiently awaiting the answer.

Morning State will be at The Star Bar Tomorrow night for a CD Release party with Casper And The Cookies.

Morning State : You Know People I Know People : Grown Up (Atlanta)


Morning State : You Know People I Know People : That's Quite A Rash


Morning State Myspace

Buy You Know People I Know People here

What Up In The ATL?

Tonight I recommend going down to The Earl for a killer show. It starts off with Atlanta supergroup Batata Doce. Then a local band called When Rocky Beat The Russian. I had no idea who they were until researching this week's show listings and discovering the songs on their myspace page to be very impressive and intriguing. The show is headlined by North Carolina's The Physics Of Meaning, who is lead by multi-instrumentalist Daniel Hart. Hart is a member of St. Vincent and John Vanderslice's band and even contributed to recordings by The Polyphonic Spree, Annuals, and The Rosebuds.

The Physics Of Meaning : Down At Columbia And Cameron



Tomorrow there are two big shows to check out. Devotchka at The Variety Playhouse or Blood On The Wall at The Earl. I'm planning to Catch BOTW, but I think both of those would be good.

Blood On The Wall : Hibernation



Devotchka : Transliterator



Thursday night you can choose from The Coathangers at The Drunken Unicorn or Morning State at The Star Bar.

Friday night there are lots of ATLien shows for you to catch:

Star Bar: Sovus Radio, The Clutters, All The Saints
Lenny's: Howlies, The Hiss, Chainstereo
Drunken Unicorn: Carbonas, Test Patterns, Pincho Gringo (Rob's House Showcase)

Saturday night I like the Dropsonic, Self-Evident, 13 Day Mission show at The Earl.

Sunday night Laura Veirs is playing at The Earl but I am more excited about Indian Jewelry at Eyedrum:

What Up In The ATL?

Radiohead!!! I am all pumped up about catching them in Atlanta on Thursday and I even decided to ball out and catch them again in Charlotte Friday night. I've been wanting to see a Liars show for forever, so I'm excited about that too. Here is the entire Radiohead Glastonbury 2003 set to get you hyped up for this week's biggest event:



Before I get into the rest of what is going on this week, I'm gonna hit you with a bit of last week. Here is Genghis Tron from last Tuesday night:



Last Thursday our crew hit up the Fuck Yesss Le Castle Vania birthday bash at The Drunken Unicorn and had a blast:







Saturday night everyone in my neighborhood was partying with all the college kids graduating and getting ready for summer. I caught an impromptu, late night jam session between members of two of Atlanta's hottest metal bands, Daath and From Exile. Both are working on new albums currently that should be out this year. In this video, they start out on an FE lick, and end up in a total blues jam (The cops showed up shortly after this):



Eskimo Bliss got some photos of the Yeasayer show last Saturday night here.

Have You Heard did some recordings with Atlanta's Today The Moon, Tomorrow The Sun, and they sound really cool.

In this week's edition of our obligatory Bradford Cox update, he has dropped another great, thematic Atlas Sound EP on his blog. I'm jamming it now, and I love this song:

Atlas Sound : Things I Miss EP : Marietta



Tonight there is a big show at The Earl. Atlanta's Morning State is having their album release party for You Know People, I Know People. The album comes out tomorrow everywhere, and it is great. I'll have a full review later this week. Also joining them for this one is Brooklyn's The XYZ Affair and Washington, DC's Jukebox The Ghost.

Jukebox The Ghost:


Jukebox the Ghost - Good Day (Live at Pianos, Sept. 07) from Gus on Vimeo.


Other cool shows going on in the A this week I recommend:


Wednesday:

The Earl: Club Of Rome, Brass Castle, Pride Parade
Star Bar: Riddle Of Steel, Chopper, Royal Thunder

Thursday:

Lenny's: Sonen, Gravel Undertones, Tenth To The Moon, Night Moves, The Bright Lights

Friday:

The Earl: It's Elephant's, Mice In Cars, The Winter Sounds

Saturday:

I Can Fly House: The Felon Wind, Clan Of The Cave Bear, Blastoids!

Morning State New Album Finally About To Drop, Tourdates

Morning State's debut full-length, You Know People I Know People, is about to drop in a couple of weeks after some drama had delayed it. They had recorded the album last year and before it got released their record label collapsed so they were forced to re-record the entire thing this year over an 11 day span. The finished product sounds really good and I'll have a full review of the album when it comes out on May 6th. Next week they will leave on a short tour in support of it:

04/23 Birmingham, AL The Nick
04/24 Athens, GA Farm 225
04/25 Chattanooga, TN JJ’s Bohemia
04/26 Atlanta, GA Star Bar
04/28 Charleston, SC Tin Roof
04/30 Columbia, SC New Brookland Tavern
05/05 Atlanta, GA The Earl*
05/06 Athens, GA Caledonia Lounge (CD Release Party)*
05/10 New York, NY Mercury Lounge*
05/15 Atlanta, GA Star Bar (Big Trouble In Little 5 / CD Release Party) w/ Casper and The Cookies

*w/ XYZ Affair and JukeBox the Ghost

Here's the new single that has been circling around the Internets:

Never So Strange


And you can listen to their WRAS 88.5 FM acoustic session here.

Monday Mash-Up

March is going to be a crazy month here at Ohmpark. This week, I'm heading down to South Florida to catch Langerado. As soon as i get back from that next week, I'm flying to Austin to catch SXSW. Before coming back from that, I'm heading out to Savannah for some post-St.Patrick's Day partying. Between all of that, postings here may get a bit erratic, but barring uncooperative Internet or getting arrested for public intoxication, I should have some hardcore coverage of the events as they happen. As soon as all of that is over, we are going to begin working on an entirely new and different layout for the site that is going to be really cool. Thanks for reading Ohmpark, and spread the word!

The Morning State album, You Know People I Know People, that they had to re-record after issues with their former label is finally seeing a release date on May 3rd. Here's the new single:

Morning State : You Know People I Know People : Oh Yeah


Outkast's Andre 3000 is planning on putting out a solo album this year.

New Eminem and Dr. Dre album rumours are teased. Detox is the new Chinese Democracy.

The new Meshuggah album is availabe to stream from their Myspace page.

The Beastie Boys have begun work on a new album.

The Hells Angels had tried to assassinate Mick Jagger back in the day.

Atlanta's Daath has announced a new singer.

Animal Collective have a new EP called Water Curses due out May 5th.

Annuals have a split EP with themselves coming out.

Guitarist Jeff Healey has passed away.

Grizzly Bear did a set for KCRW and played an amazing new song you can watch here. Here's the set:



Some new tracks:

Redman & Method Man : Broke Language


Tokyo Police Club : In A Cave


Santogold : LES Artistes (XXXChange remix)


Way too many videos:

Kevin Drew "Lucky Ones":



Underworld "Boy, Boy, Boy":



The Hold Steady "Stay Positive":



MGMT on Jools Holland:



Gnarls Barkley "Run":

Genghis Tron "Board Up The House":

**Exclusive** Morning State - Live at Album 88

photo by Biggie C

So back in November, I had the pleasure of getting to do an interview with the band Morning State for the college radio station Album 88.5 WRAS, here in Atlanta. While doing the interview, we recorded a couple of acoustic versions of some tracks from their upcoming new album that has been in some label limbo for a while.

Their infectious sound in this stripped down avenue of approach is really reminiscent of Britt Daniel and Spoon. These acoustic renditions are a online EXCLUSIVE here at Ohmpark and I really hope you guys enjoy them!

Oh Yeah (Acoustic) - Morning State


Out For A Walk (Acoustic) - Morning State



AND a heads up...

These guys are playing a show TONIGHT at the Drunken Unicorn with DE NOVO DAHL & SLEEP THERAPY, so hopefully I'll see you guys there!

Buy Tix to the show HERE

What Up In The ATL?

There are a ton of good shows this weekend, so we will list them:

Tonight:

The Drunken Unicorn: Slow Motion Crash, Ringo Deathstar, Siberia My Sweet
I Can Fly House: The Gunshy, Mustangs And Madras, Thy Mighty Contract, Hawks
The Earl: The Preakness, Dylan Kight And The Nigtbirds, Long Knives
The Star Bar: The Carbonas, The NEC (Free show)

Friday:

The Drunken Unicorn: Morning State, De Novo Dahl, Sleep Therapy
Star Bar: Dead Confederate, Ski Club, Ocha La Rocha, Twin Tigers
The Tabernacle: Regina Spektor
141 Moreland Ave: Young Livers, Benard, 40 Hells
Lenny's: Sonen, Judi Chicago, The Modern Society
Decatur Social Club: The Rare Form DJ Crew

Saturday:

The Earl: Beach House, Papercuts, The Meeks Family
Variety Playhouse: Dark Star Orchestra
Drunken Unicorn: Joe Lally (Fugazi), Edie Sedgwick, Martyr & Pistol
Under The Couch: The Ataris

Sunday:

Variety Playhouse: Jose Gonzalez
141 Moreland Ave: Ghost Mice, Wrister, The Riot Before, Witt Wisebram
The Five Spot: Rev Rebel, The Ropes (featuring former drummer of The Mars Volta Blake Fleming), Hawkeye Pierce

Live Photos, Videos, And Review: Yeasayer, MGMT, Morning State (1/18/2008) The Earl

Before throwing down at 1084 for our party last week, we went down to The Earl to catch this great show. First up was Atlanta's own Morning State. They had just recently recorded their first full-length album and the label they had just signed to went under, so they had to go and re-record the entire album with Asa Leffert (Dark Meat, The Pendletons, The Whigs) in Athens, Ga so they could release it. Recording an album is a big undertaking, so I'm sure having to do the whole thing again would be frustrating, but it looks like they've made the most of it:

“The whole label thing sucked. It was really nice to have someone tell us that they were going to front the money for our album and release it and spend a bunch of cash on marketing it. When the label folded we had hoped to keep what we recorded but in order to do that we would have had to sign another contract and we decided it was best to walk away from that whole mess and just do it all over,” says frontman Russ Ledford. “We’re really excited to have a chance to re-make the album though and create something even better. We also have a lot of energy because of this whole situation, and I think that’ll really come out in the recordings.”

This recent show they brought it hard and I think they were the best I've seen them live yet:




Photo by Biggie C





Next up was Yeasayer, whose album All Hour Cymbals I've been jamming hard since I discovered it. The four-piece were incredible live and had so much energy on stage. The lead singer somehow cut his hand when he was jumping on his monitor and had blood running down his arm for half of the show, but it didn't seem to phase him too much. Biggie C took some photos:





See the blood:







"Wait For the Summer":



You'll notice in this second video that the crowd was a bit fratty. Others noticed as well:



The final act of the show was the other New York band, MGMT. I had seen them open for Of Montreal on Halloween last year and enjoyed them. They played another good show, but I think Yeasayer's complete awesomeness kind of overshadowed them a bit. I found myself really digging some parts and not really into others. I bought the album, Oracular Spectacular, at the show and I think it is pretty great. This band certainly has potential to be something special. Biggie C got some nice shots:











Since I had technical issues and couldn't get a video, here are some MGMT goodies:

MGMT : Oracular Spectacular : Weekend Wars


"Time to Pretend":

What Up In The ATL?

This show is close to selling out and will be awesome, so go buy tickets now:



Other cool things going on:









Yeasayer : No Need to Worry


MGMT : Time to Pretend


The Lord Is My Shotgun : Get Some


Drug Rug : Winter Time



And don't forget our One Year Anniversary party going on Saturday night!

Photos: Band Together: A Benefit For Refugee Family Services ft. Morning State, Mack Messiah, The Pendletons, Preston Craig, Delta Company @ The Earl

Wednesday night people from around the Atlanta community gathered to raise money and awareness for Refugee Family Services. Sorry to Delta Company for not getting photos because the first time I got to the earl that night I forgot my camera battery and had to run home to get it. Shout out to Preston Craig for playing in between sets. Thanks to Alex, Julie, and all the other people from Refugee Family services for putting this great event together.

The Pendletons










Mack Messiah










Morning State

What up In The ATL?

It's Atlanta Superstar Week!

Wednesday night we got a big show for you. We've got two of Atlanta's biggest music icons, Preston Craig and Kenny Crucial (Mack Messiah), performing live. Plus some great up-and-coming bands like Morning State, The Pendletons, and Delta Co. On top of all that, it's to raise money for Atlanta's Refugee Community. Be there:



And that's not all kiddies. The Atlanta superstars are all over the place this week with a very exciting line-up Friday night at the Variety Playhouse. This town's greatest hipster bands, Black Lips, Deerhunter, Snowden, and The Selmanaires will all be on one stage together:



If for some weird reason you aren't into that show, GWAR will be at The Masquerade Friday night. Saturday night Atlanta superstar week continues with Anna Kramer opening for Southern Culture On The Skids at the Earl. Next Monday night you can choose between a Shannon Hoon-less Blind Melon at the Masquerade or seeing The Sword at the Earl.

Cool Winter shows that you needs to knows:

12/13/07 The Orphins, The Liverhearts at the Earl
12/31/07 (NYE) The Black Lips at The Drunken Unicorn
1/4/08 Graboids at Lenny's
1/7/08 Dan Deacon at Eyedrum
1/21/08 DJ Shadow + Cut Chemist at The Loft
1/24/07 Chopper (members from ex-Blame Game, Deerhunter), Fag Static at the Drunken Unicorn
1/26/08 The Machine at Variey Playhouse
1/30/08 High On Fire at The Earl
3/1/08 Beach House at The Earl
3/20/08 Acid Mothers Temple at The Earl

Yeah, those look like some killer shows!

Video of the Day: Carlos Santana

So I had Zack and Russell from the band Morning State in the studio with me at Album 88 tonight and we got to talking about these parody videos with classic guitar players shredding real badly that I had to share. The guy's channel that these are off of is full of these parody videos. Enjoy!

Ohmpark Presents: Band Together

We have one more big music event left this year, and here it is:



That's right, a ton of great tunes for an even greater cause. Check it:

Some of Georgia’s hottest indie music acts have united to play the first ever “Band Together” benefit for Refugee Family Services on November 28th at the Earl. Bringing local musicians together to raise awareness about the growing refugee community in Atlanta, Band Together will be a night of entertainment to benefit Refugee Family Services. The line-up for the evening includes local bands: Morning State, The Pendletons, Delta Company, and Mack Messiah. Also, DJ Preston Craig (KISSAtlanta/Decatur Social Club) will be on hand to MC the event and will DJ between live sets.

Morning State and The Pendletons recently performed at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York, attracting significant national press attention. Morning State received a sterling live review from SPIN Magazine, among others. Athens, GA’s The Pendletons brought its unique brand of pop-leaning indie rock to sets with Casper and the Cookies, The Silent Years, Dead Confederate, and more. DJ Preston Craig has established himself as a revered DJ, event promoter, and local music advocate. Check out a powerful feature story on Craig in Creative Loafing. Mack Messiah has long been a staple of the Atlanta music scene, and frontman Kenny Crucial has gained significant attention as “Atlanta’s Biggest Music Fan” (Atlanta Music Guide). Delta Company is a new lo-fi blues rock group featuring several veteran Atlanta musicians.

The Band Together event hopes to bring the pressing issue of the needs of Atlanta refugees to the local arts and music community. “Band Together is a great opportunity to enjoy great local music while also supporting the refugee community”, says Rahul Desai, New Arrivals Coordinator at Refugee Family Services.

Raffles for a variety of prizes from supportive local businesses will also be held: Sweetgrass Wellness Spa, The Kingfisher Café, Brick Store Pub, Decatur CD, Java Monkey, Sevananda Natural Foods Market, Criminal Records, Abbadabbas, and Ten Thousand Villages. The Ohmpark Atlanta Music Blog is a lead media sponsor of the event, and artist advocacy firm indie outlaw (home to Morning State and The Pendletons) is also providing publicity sponsorship.

Atlanta is the seventh largest destination in the United States for international refugees seeking to rebuild their lives. More than 35,000 refugees have arrived in the past decade to Georgia, joining a thriving international community – sharing art, culture and cuisine while contributing greatly to the community. These women, men and children are among 14 million refugees worldwide that have been forced to flee violent persecution in their homeland but have been given an opportunity by the U.S. government to rebuild their lives in the safe haven of the metro Atlanta community.

About Refugee Family Services:
Refugee Family Services (RFS) is a metro Atlanta nonprofit organization that supports the efforts of refugee/immigrant women and children to achieve self-sufficiency in the United States by providing education and economic opportunity. RFS provides services in 20 languages to more than 2,500 refugee women and their families each year. RFS programs include women’s support, including health education, life skills, English as a second language, domestic violence crisis intervention and prevention and job placement. Programs focused for children and youth refugees include support with school transition, after school programs, tutoring and a summer camp.

Resources:
Morning State: http://www.myspace.com/morningstate
DJ Preston Craig / Decatur Social Club: http://www.myspace.com/kissatlanta
Mack Messiah: http://www.myspace.com/mackmessiah
The Pendletons: http://www.myspace.com/pendletons
Delta Company: http://www.myspace.com/deltacotheband

Lead Sponsors:
Refugee Family Services: http://www.refugeefamilyservices.org/
Ohmpark: http://www.ohmpark.com
indie outlaw: http://www.indieoutlaw.com

Here's a little preview:

Morning State : Spectacular


The Pendletons : Not Gonna Stop


The Pendletons:


Delta Company : Travelin' Pains


Mack Messiah : Hungry Soul

It's Echo Project Week!

For me, this is gonna be a killer week. Wednesday I'm heading up to Asheville to catch Porcupine Tree. Thursday I come back and head a little OTP for Echo Project. Then on Monday I'm heading to Birmingham to catch Earlimart. A few Echo Project details I forgot to cover is that Common got added and that Dubconscious will be playing at the campgrounds Thursday night. As excited as I am about the festival, there happens to be a ridiculous amount of great shows in the Atlanta area this weekend, so if you can't go to Echo, there's still plenty of great tunes to be absorbed:

Tuesday night The Brunettes and The Preakness will be at The Earl.

Wednesday night Ghostface Killah will be at Georgia Tech.

Thursday night Octopus Project and Morning State will be at the Drunken Unicorn.

Friday night offers many great options: Caribou at the Earl, Minus The Bear at the Variety Playhouse, and Portugal. The Man at The Loft.

Subtle and Sunset Rubdown at the Drunken Unicorn Saturday night is pretty sweet.

Sunday is packed out too with Ryan Adams at the Fox, Band of Horses at Park Tavern, and my pick for best show of the week, Earlimart at the Earl.

Minus The Bear : Menos El Oso : Drilling


Portugal. The Man : Church Mouth : Shade


Earlimart : Mentor Tormentor : Happy Alone


The Octopus Project : Hello, Avalanche : I Saw The Bright Shinies


Caribou : Andorra : Eli


Sunset Rubdown : Random Spirit Lover : For The Pier (And Dead Shimmering)

Humpnight Random Tracks

So I've got some really good stuff I've been saving up for you here. Listen to the track and click the picture to find out more. First, Ohmpark favourites From Exile have remixed a song off of Crushing Reality, their stellar debut album from last year. They will be at Lenny's on August 15th:



From Exile : Phantom (Illumination)


Here's a track from another great Atlanta band, Morning State, who just release their first EP, Retreat !!!. This single was mixed by Ben Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Cee Lo, DangerDoom). I just saw these guys the other night at The Earl and they sounded great.



Morning State : Spectacular


Next up, VHS or Beta's Zeke Buck's new project, People Noise. I'm really digging what I've heard so far. From Ordinary Ghosts:



People Noise : A Million Lives


The Pizzle just hipped me to Canadians Tokyo Police Club and I've been really liking it so far. They will be at Vinyl on August 2nd. Here's a track from their 2006 debut album A Lesson In Crime.



Tokyo Police Club : Nature Of The Experiment


Last for today, Girl Talk (aka Greg Gillis) and Hearts Of Darknesses (aka Frank Musarra) have formed a band for "production, beat making, and remixes". It's called Trey Told 'Em, a reference to Phish's Trey Anastasio judging from the pictures on their myspace page. So far they have only done a remix to a Tokyo Police Club song:



Tokyo Police Club : Cheer It On (Trey Told Em remix)