[Photos + Review] Cinemechanica, Manray, Lazer/Wulf @ 529 (1/29/11)

All photos by Clint Miller

Saturday, I went to see Athens based, Cinemechanica at 529 in East Atlanta. I had never seen them live before, but had heard that cardiac arrest and brain aneurysms were key components to their live show. There was no way I was going to pass up an opportunity like that even if my life, or more realistically, my ears, were at stake.

The first band to play, Lazer/Wulf, was a three-piece, and my expectations were low. They looked like typical frat-guys who decided to ditch the tailgate party and start a band that wears warrior-style face paint. Although, it was the fact that they were the first out of three unknown bands to play that led to my low expectations, not their appearance. I was pleasantly surprised as soon as they took the stage and began to play. I found myself compelled to move with the music and stare open-jawed at the guitarist who was playing notes faster than I previously thought was humanly possible.

They alternate between traditional metal and speed metal, although they make the sound their own. I was surprised at how well they sounded live while having only three members. The guitarist was the best part of the show via getting the crowd amped and making strange faces, although, what really helped was the fact that he is insanely proficient at playing his instrument. The bassist and guitarist both entered the crowd several times while playing extremely technical solos. The only drawback to seeing this band live was the semi-annoying fan-base that had followed them from Athens. (I knew they were from Athens because every time one of the bands mentioned they were from Athens, multiple people shouted “wooo! Athens, Yeah!” )About 2/3 into their set, an impromptu mosh pit broke out, reminding me why I stay away from 90% of all metal shows. Luckily this was the ‘friendly’ mosh pit and not the ‘punch everything that moves’ type pit. Still, though, its never fun to have beer spilled on your face.

Click here to read the entire post…

Photos: Cinemechanica, So Many Dynamos, Sorry No Ferrari @ Drunken Unicorn (10/28/09)

Sorry No Ferrari:

c1

c3

c2

c4




So Many Dynamos:

c5

c6

c7

c8

c9




Cinemechanica:

c10

c11

c12

c13

c14

c15

More photos here

Photos: Tera Melos, Cinemechanica, Tree Creature at Eyedrum in Atlanta, GA (4/30/09)

Tree Creature

Cinemechanica


Click here to read the entire post…

Corndogorama 2008 Sunday (Day 4 and Wrap-Up)

Corndogorama 2008 was called “The Year Of the Mustard King”, but it should have been called “The Year of the Crybaby Hipster Haters”. I’ll get to that shortly, but first my Sunday experience. It seemed every day involved a high speed race across the city to arrive in time to catch a specific band, and today’s band that began playing just as I arrived was Lazer/Wulf. This instrumental metal power trio from Athens brought it hard and dirty. Their on-stage demeanor was subtly hilarious while displaying some serious musical prowess. They were a great start to a fun day:


Click here to read the entire post…

Live Videos: Cinemechanica (4/24/2008) Drunken Unicorn

I was able to get out of work with just enough time to catch Cinemechanica at The Drunken Unicorn last Thursday night, and again they were straight up spectacular. I think they may be my favourite Athens band short of Of Montreal right now. Here they are rocking out:


Click here to read the entire post…

Tonight In The A: Cinemechanica, Bad Dudes, Ho-Ag, The Liverhearts


Cinemechanica

This show at The Drunken Unicorn tonight is gonna be hott so here’s a few tracks to entice you into catching it:

Cinemechanica (Athens) : Brain Tarp
Bad Dudes (Los Angeles) : King Kong
Ho-Ag (Boston) : American Mall (Elek)
The Liverhearts (Atlanta):

Live Review: Cinemechanica, We Versus The Shark, So Many Dynamos (10/7/2007) Drunken Unicorn

So Many Dynamos

There’s nothing better than going to a show and being blown away by three bands you’ve never seen before. Sunday night’s show at the Drunken Unicorn was pretty amazing. First up I caught most of So Many Dynamos‘ set. This St. Louis, Missouri outfit kind of reminded me of a Q And Not U. They had so much energy and some really tasty melodies. I picked up a copy of their 2006 release, Flashlights, and have been really digging it. They are still on tour, so if you are at any of the following cities, catch them:

Oct 9 2007 8:00P
Two Art Chicks (w/ The Bronzed Chorus) Greensboro, North Carolina
Oct 10 2007 8:00P
The Dog House (w/ Hurricane Pronto) Blacksburg, Virginia
Oct 11 2007 8:00P
DAM! Fest @ DC9 (w/ Foreign Islands, Mahi Mahi) Washington, Washington DC
Oct 12 2007 8:00P
Championship Lemoyne, Pennsylvania
Oct 13 2007 8:00P
The Lilly Pad (house show) w/ Pattern is Movement Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Oct 15 2007 6:00P
The Fire (w/ Pattern is Movement) 6 PM show! Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 17 2007 8:00P
Cake Shop – HELLO SIR RECORDS CMJ SHOWCASE (w/ We Versus the Shark, more) New York, New York
Oct 19 2007 8:00P
Ground Zero Underground @ RPI Troy, New York
Oct 20 2007 8:00P
Great Scott (w/ Octopus Project, Enon, Ho-Ag) Boston, Massachusetts
Oct 21 2007 8:00P
Allegheny College Meadville, Pennsylvania
Oct 22 2007 8:00P
Howards Club H Bowling Green, Ohio

So Many Dynamos : Flashlights : How High The Moon
So Many Dynamos : Flashlights : Inventing Gears

We Versus The Shark

Next up was Athen’s We Versus The Shark. I had heard about them forever but never caught them until now. They took the stage and sounded so powerful. The drummer was an animal. It’s hard for me to really describe the sound outside of ethereal terms like post-punk, post-hardcore, math-rock, etc. I wasn’t a big fan of the vocals, but the music was so massive and hard-edged that it fits perfectly. Overall I thought they were really good, but there were a few moments where i sort of lost interest , and then I’d get drawn in moments later. The last dissident psych-noise jam they did was pretty incredible. They are on an extensive tour you should check out:

Oct 10 2007 7:00P
Bottletree Cafe Birmingham, Alabama
Oct 11 2007 8:00P
The Bluebird St Louis, Missouri
Oct 12 2007 7:00P
The Icehouse Lexington, Kentucky
Oct 13 2007 8:00P
The Belmont Hamtramck, Michigan
Oct 14 2007 8:00P
Mactuary w/ Debate Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Oct 15 2007 8:00P
Valentine’s w/ Debate Albany, New York
Oct 16 2007 8:00P
HELP! Providence, Rhode Island
Oct 17 2007 8:00P
HELLO SIR RECORDS CMJ SHOWCASE @ THE CAKE SHOP! NYC, New York
Oct 18 2007 8:30P
P.A.’s Lounge w/ Debate Somerville, Massachusetts
Oct 19 2007 2:00P
187 Sealab w/ Bomb the Music Industry Brooklyn, New York
Oct 20 2007 6:00P
ROOFTOP PARTY w/ Debate NYC, New York
Oct 21 2007 8:00P
HELP! NJ/NY/PA, New York
Oct 22 2007 6:00P
The Ivy Mansion w/ Debate New Brunswick, New Jersey
Oct 23 2007 8:00P
Galaxy Hut w/ Debate Arlington, Virginia
Oct 24 2007 8:00P
Two Art Chicks w/ Hi Rollers Greensboro, North Carolina
Oct 25 2007 8:00P
Sociology w/ Debate Greenville, North Carolina
Oct 26 2007 8:00P
THE FEST SIX! Gainesville, Florida
Oct 27 2007 8:00P
The Emerald w/ Debate St Petersburg, Florida
Oct 29 2007 8:00P
The Beta Bar w/ Robbers on High Street Tallahassee, Florida
Oct 30 2007 8:00P
The Soul Bar w/ Dead Confederate Augusta, Georgia
Oct 31 2007 9:00P
Little King’s as the Violent Femmes Athens, Georgia

Here’s a taste of them live:


Cinemechanica

Finally, Cinemechanica set up with the drummer front and center surrounded from behind by a wall of guitar driven sound. From the beginning to the end of their set it was blaring intensity and pure sonic bliss. I feel they sound like if Battles was into hardcore and dance-punk. I purchased a copy of their release from last year, The Martial Arts, and it is such a solidly badass album. I am on the Cinemechanica bandwagon and I highly recommend looking into these guys if you haven’t already. They are touring Europe right now, but here’s some tunes to listen:

Cinemechanica : The Martial Arts : Brain Tarp
Cinemechanica : The Martial Arts : Take Me to The Hospital

This Week In The ATL

Here’s my picks for shows to check out this week:

Tonight: Pinback at The Roxy

Tomorrow: Yo Majesty, The Coathangers, Rob Wonder at the Drunken Unicorn.

Wednesday show of “has-beens” that would probably still be cool: Alice in Chains, Velvet Revolver, Sparta at Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheatre.

Wednesday show that I will actually go to: Untied States, These Are Powers, Gold Painted Nails at the Drunken Unicorn

Thursday show I’m hoping to score a cheap ticket for: Foo Fighters at the Tabernacle

Thursday show I’ll check out late: Je Suis France at the Drunken Unicorn

Saturday show that might be worth driving to Athens for: !!! (chk chk chk), The Field at the 40 Watt

Sunday show of bands that will drive from Athens to the ATL (Also the show I am most excited about this week): Cinemechanica, We Versus The Shark, So Many Dynamos, Scars at the Drunken Unicorn

Hot tracks:

Untied States : I’ll Prove You Wrong (Again)

These Are Powers : Little Sisters Of Beijing

Cinemechanica : Ruins Of Karnac

We Versus The Shark : I Am A Fantastic Battle

So Many Dynamos : Search Party