2006 Index of Winners

MySpace is the 21st-century equivalent of a Trapper Keeper binder — it’s covered in unicorns, dragons, notes from friends, and rock ‘n’ roll fantasies. Except now you don’t just scratch “MASTODON Rulez!” in red ink, you can also link to the band’s profile, make a logo background or embed a song. Fittingly, heavy music fans have embraced MySpace, and CL deems the logo worthiest of being scrawled in the biggest block letters to be our own local metal leviathans. Over the summer months, Mastodon’s profile became a compulsory click for previews of Blood Mountain, the epic album from arguably Atlanta’s sickest act. The page also features links to behind-the-scenes videos, old photos and more. Though seemingly incessant road warriors, Mastodon always maintains a home on the Net.
www.myspace.com/mastodon.

Local drag celebrity NICOLE PAIGE BROOKS is like one big “Mindfreak” episode storming through town, taking the art of illusion to a level that Criss Angel can’t even touch. Just ask the countless number of straight men and lesbians how they felt after finding out the hottie they were hitting on was actually a dude. Even the RGs (real girls) envy Nicole’s killer legs. Beyond being a hot piece of ass, Nicole works with YouthPride, an organization that creates a safe haven for young homosexuals. And speaking of homosexuals, this year Ms. Brooks also graced the cover of David magazine. She’s also become an in-demand host for all the best gay events across the country.
www.nicolepaigebrooks.com.

When word spread that A FIR-JU WELL was playing its “last show ever,” rumors of the band’s death were greatly exaggerated. Of equal exaggeration was the local music scene’s reaction when the group re-emerged under the name Gringo Star. What’s in a name, anyway? An awful lot. A Fir-Ju Well was a classy, mysterious moniker that hinted at the group’s swirling palette of sweat-soaked and baroque psych rock; it was miles away from a side-stabbing Beatles pun. Whether Gringo Star invokes a smile and a groan or just bewilderment, it’s certainly infused the group’s public image with a whole new sense of mystery. Hey, it worked out for Brian Jonestown Massacre, but not so well for John Cougar Concentration Camp.
www.myspace.com/thegringostars.

The glow sticks and UFOs may have matured into iPods and Diesels, but the party still rocks whenever Liquid Groove — ahem, LIQUIFIED, in its middle age — is throwing it. For 12 years now, powerhouse promoter Devin Walkley and his team have brought everyone from progressive king Sasha to drum and bass triumvirate Dieselboy, Dara and AK 1200 to venues all over town — though Liquified now calls Eleven50 home base for most of its events. While other promoters have slowed down or faded away, Walkley’s crew not only has survived but has improved with time.
www.liquified.com.

As club promotion crew TIGHT BROS. NETWORK knows all too well, rock and roll is a messy thing. Randy Castello and Nisa Asokan mostly operate out of Drunken Unicorn, where Castello is the booking agent. Since 2001, Tight Bros. has been shepherding the world’s fringe-dwellers — from well-known auteurs like Diplo, Acid Mothers Temple and Wolf Eyes to local dissidents like Deerhunter and Untied States — to successful Atlanta shows and blown minds.
www.tightbros.net/tightbros.html.

CARTEL’s music is big: beefy hooks, a ringing voice in group leader Will Pugh, and an ambition to become one of the country’s best emo bands. Thanks to its workaholic ethic, the band’s fizzy lead single “Honestly” has become an MTV favorite. Its second album, Chroma, nestled on the national charts nearly a year after its fall 2005 release. The best way to hear Cartel, however, is live, where Pugh’s generous, melodic voice shines brightest.
www.cartelrocks.com.

GHOST TOUR is an indie-rock band with country influences, not vice versa. The group’s jangle-pop chops bare the burdens of working man’s music but there’s more My Bloody Valentine than Gram Parsons in the mix. Featuring singer/guitarist Craig Gates, bassist John Naismith and drummer Greg Stevens, Ghost Tour forgoes showboating to adopt a stoic approach to the art of song. Their thirtysomething angle adds post-hipster substance to Ghost Tour’s sound, but the group still rocks. Songs like “Brown Guitar” and “Craig #1” swell with a well-tempered exuberance that embraces a lineage of respectable artists, from Wilco to the Minutemen and Pavement to the Pretty Things. Ghost Tour offers something for the critics and the kids to sink their teeth into.
www.myspace.com/ghosttour.

Garbled garagists THE BLACK LIPS are a beautiful disaster spreading bruised pop like a social disease. Like everything about the Brian Jonestown Massacre, everything about the Black Lips music (and the band’s venue and label, Die Slaughterhaus) is DIY and art-damaged — frayed or faded — yet takes on supersaturated supersonics. This is surf rock clawing from a froth of psychedelic phlegm dripping from Spanish moss. On stage, the chaos is fluid — and may even spread some fluids. The Black Lips may not technically play rock best, but they will rock you best.
www.myspace.com/theblacklips.

What sets ANNA KRAMER apart from the troubadour masses isn’t just the honesty in her songs, but her ability to wander through an array of musical styles while maintaining her own identity. Kramer’s voice is more honest-to-goodness human than seductress. Rather wielding feelings like a club, she confronts highs and lows with authentic emotions that bend to expose the subtleties in her songs. Kramer’s modest presence breathes realism into her performances whether she’s traversing country-music desolation and Kinks-style Brit rock, or simply covering Buck Owens, Buddy Holly or Carl Perkins. Sweet melancholy is as much her calling card as is her rockabilly twang.
www.annakramer.net.

TERMINUS 100 may not be quite finished yet, but when it’s completed in the spring, the 26-story glass-and-steel high-rise will bring a Fifth Avenue vibe to the intersection of Peachtree and Piedmont roads. The Buckhead tower, designed by Duda/Paine Architects of Durham, N.C., is the first of five planned by Cousins Properties on the 10-acre site. It will be anchored by two floors of retail space set up against the sidewalk, with a glitzy, Vegas-style restaurant plaza around the side. A stunning example of Atlanta’s mixed-use building renaissance, Terminus 100 is certain to bring a new jolt of energy to a rapidly changing part of town. The high-profile address and highfalutin architecture already has roped in a high-profile tenant: Cousins itself plans to move from the suburbs into the Buckhead building. That’s certainly making a statement.
www.terminus-atlanta.com

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For continuous whitewater fun within a couple of hours of a major city, it’s hard to match the OCOEE RIVER. Just north of the Tennessee line, the Ocoee’s most famous as the site of the 1996 Olympics whitewater course. But it’s also an incredibly accessible stream for half-day and full-day guided rafting trips. The Class III-IV rapids aren’t super dangerous, but you definitely don’t want to try them without an expert. An added convenience: The Ocoee’s dam-released flows ensure a good ride even in the driest days of summer.
Nantahala Outdoor Center, 888-905-7238, www.noc.com; Wildwater Limited, 800-451-9972, ,a href="http://www.wildwaterrafting.com">www.wildwaterrafting.com.

Check the playlists at some of the urban stations in the A, and it’ll seem as if the program directors are stationed in New York. But take a listen to HOT 107.9 (WHTA-FM) and you’ll immediately hear the difference — Hot 107.9 keeps it dirty. In addition to the hit parade, you’ll hear unknown local/regional hip-hop acts, no matter the time slot or the on-air personality. The station has a history of breaking out new artists, and Hot 107.9 is responsible for launching a bevy of musical trends such as bass, bounce, crunk and (these days) snap.
www.hot107atl.com