Drive-By Truckers Rain Down on Athens

The Drive-By Truckers brought both rain and goodwill to Athens' 40 Watt on Thursday, January 10, to debut their first full live performance of their new album Brighter Than Creation's Dark.

The small venue was packed wall to wall with PBR guzzlin' rock fans to hear the new album and attend an auction of guitars and DBT memorabilia. Benefit proceeds went to support Athens' non-profit for musicians, Nuci's Space.

"Nuçi’s Space is a non-profit health and music resource center in Athens, GA. The aim of the organization is to prevent suicide by providing obstacle free treatment for musicians suffering from depression," according to the website.

Read review of the show on SPIN's It Happened Last Night.

An Echo From Autumn

A recent visit from my buddy Fadel brought October's Echo Project near Atlanta, GA to the forefront of the brain. The festival, aimed at raising money and awareness for the clean-up of Georgia's Chattahoochee River, was a three-day festival featuring multitudes of rock'n'roll favorites like The Killers and The Bravery (pictured).

Peppered across the Tennessee pastures, booths and stages featured some of the enviromental movement's latest technological developments. The Solar Stage, for example, ran entirely on energy transmitted to Earth from the Sun's rays. As solar panels panned across the sky pointed all-day toward the sun, fans rocked in the Tennessee heat. Other features included charging stations available for checking in your burned-out phone; after an hour with my phone plugged into their solar-powered batteries, I was able to find friends I had lost in the masses the day the festival began.

Read more about the Echo Project on SPIN's It Happened Last Night for Day One and Day Two!

St. Vincent Entertains the Earl

Natalie David and I met up at Atlanta's Earl to see Annie Clark's newest project, St. Vincent. Annie's manager was kind enough to introduce us to Annie and we sat down with the former member of the Fragile Army and discussed the tour the night after her debut release. Read the review of the show here...

It's about time...Bonnaroo 2007

Photo by Colin Smith
Sting lights up Manchester with The Police at Bonnaroo's main stage.

More than a month after Bonnaroo's conclusion, life has finally slowed down enough to at least put some links together of our coverage of Bonnaroo 2007 for SPIN.com. With The Police headlining and tons of top notch acts, the festival was as much a test of endurance as it was a celebration. Much thanks to Peter Gaston, Eric Nowels, Julia Norman, Lucy, Billy, MacKenzie, the rest of the SPIN crowd for being great hosts--there was little sleep to be had backstage at the SPIN RV compound...

Friday:
Mute Math & Lewis Black

Saturday:
Hot Chip
Franz Ferdinand
The Flaming Lips

Sunday:
Wilco
The White Stripes

At it again...Bonnaroo 2007

As Tennessee faces the worst drought in memorable history, artists and entertainers rain down on Manchester to launch Bonnaroo 2007.

With 80,000 people crammed on 77o acres of land, more bands than anyone in their right mind knows that to do with, and a strong awareness of what it means to be "neighborly", attendees of 'Roo have a lot to get into this weekend.

I'll be here with SPIN magazine and SPIN.com to bring you coverage of what's going down on this hot, dry Tennessee farm.

The Pendletons' Latest Photoshoot in Athens, Ga.

The Pendletons take a moment out of their schedule to sit for their press release photos on November 14. (Pictures are currently unavailable due to server changes.)

Check out the Pendleton's MySpace page, listen to their latest singles, and read about upcoming shows.

My Morning Jacket: Tabernacle in Rapture

My Morning Jacket pushed the crowd at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, Ga. into spiritual frenzy with a mind-blowing and aetherial set that drew from the full range of their catalogue.

The Sunday night show was a stunning display of musical prowess--read a review on SPIN.com.

Mutemath Rips Through Athens' 40 Watt Club

Athens favorite,The Whigs makes a triumphant homecoming, opening at the 40 Watt for Mutemath. Mutemath's unbelievably energized performance surprised many who had only come to see old friends play at a good venue...

The review on SPIN.com...


More pics of the show are available on the GRADY server...

Elvis Perkins, Okkervil River Keep Fans Warm on a Cool Night

On October 19, Sami Promisloff and I head to Caledonia Lounge on the outskirt's of Athens' downtown in order to cover Okkervil River and Elvis Perkins. Fans braved a drearry Georgia evening and a packed venue to see the two bands on a small, dimly lit stage.

Read the review that ran on SPIN.com oh-so-many weeks ago...

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals!

SPIN.com nominated Grace Potter and the Nocturnals for Artist of the Day on June 29. I shot them Saturday at Bonnaroo on a whim, and thankfully the pictures are being put to good use.

Thanks to Shannon, Mike, and Steph for giving me the low-down on the band...speaking of which, how did you guys get the "drawings" off of your cars...ten days later the art is still there...

Indie911 has this to say about them:

"Grace Potter and the Nocturnals are a young, Vermont-based band working to impact audiences with timeless, original music. The band is led by twenty-two year old phenom Grace Potter, whose vocal ability draws comparisons to legends such as Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones and Janis Joplin. Her unique style behind the Hammond B-3 and piano is captivating audiences across the country."

Check out their homepage at http://www.gracepotter.com/ !