Best Live Band/Act

Punk rock is a slippery slope on the ground level. So many conditionals and pitfalls can throw all of that raw energy and genuine contempt for the status quo into bottom-feeder oblivion. Material Girls push all the right buttons with a show of smeared mascara-clad performers dressed in their cabaret best, and they aren’t afraid to take a stage dive amid a show of creepy-crawly rhythms, horns, and pure rage on the stage - the kind of show you mother warned you about when you were kid. No Facebook. No website. Go to the show and get a face full of fishnet and reality. less...

This year, Atlanta boasts a surplus of new and genuinely groundbreaking artists, as the city’s DIY aesthetics evolve to reflect the political catastrophe that’s unfolding across the country. When it comes to live shows, MATERIAL GIRLS stand head and shoulders above the rest, captivating crowds with snarling cabaret/punk theatrics, dressed in drag. Tyler Jundt and David Iduate lead the charge blaring through trumpet and saxophone, while John Restivo Jr. pounds away on bongos and drums. The group’s latest addition, Meghan Dowlen, struts on bass, while Robbie Rapp sears on guitar, and Ben Presley growls his sultry vocals. The group cuts through the subservience of boring, old street wear, as their stage presence and instrumentation rise above the trappings of just another Best local rock band. Since breaking the group’s minimal online presence with the arrival of its debut album, MS VS IQ (released July 2016 via Irrelevant Records), Material Girls emulsify on stage with elements of glam and grit, hunky brass and dildos, wigs and pacifiers, and an attitude so natural the group doesn’t give a shit if you buy it or not. www.soundcloud.com/materialgirlsusa

photo by: Rick Campbell

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It only takes about a minute for FANTASY GUYS to engulf an audience in their seaside beach-pop vibe. Phones disappear, smiles widen, and the whole crowd is happily swept away in pulsating waves of surf-pop euphoria. Inyo Galatea (guitar, flute, voice), Maddy Davis (vibraphone, synth, keyboards), and Mitchell “Hibiscus Chad” Hardage (bass, drum loops) transform any room into a scene that would make Jimmy Buffett’s mouth water. Hardage’s disarming smile and grooving bass, Davis’ smooth vibraphone and mid-song dance moves, and Galatea’s buoyant guitar and cherubic voice float on yacht rock gear and flip-flops. It’s easy to see how Fantasy Guys charm every venue into a mid-tempo crush fest of sweaty dancing bodies. www.fantasycometrue.net. less...

Whether performing for a standing-room-only crowd at Apache Cafe or headlining at Variety Playhouse, Avery*Sunshine turns any show into an intimate affair. She pairs her gospel-rooted alto and sister-girl lyrics with the kind of Rhodes piano-backed performance that can turn a soul-stirring Saturday night into sanctified Sunday service. Since independently releasing her self-titled debut in 2010, the Atlanta singer/songwriter has been on a heavenly trajectory, touring overseas to international acclaim and making fans of legends such as Ringo Starr. After witnessing her perform live on the set of BBC’s “Later with Jools Holland,” the ex-Beatle discovered what Atlanta was already privy to: There’s no denying Avery*Sunshine’s brand of voluptuous soul. less...

Ever since Jerry faded into the psychedelic sunset, followers of the Dead have been searching for a new groove. Fortunately, before the drugs wore off, Deadheads latched onto the music of BLUEGROUND UNDERGRASS, led by local banjoman the Rev. Jeff Mosier. The group’s finely crafted blend of bluegrass and boogie is both listenable and motivates some major butt-shaking. The Undergrass took a bit of a hiatus for a couple of years but came back in a big way with a powerful new release, Faces. It’s got a good beat, and you can Sufi-dance to it.
www.bluegroundundergrass.com.

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If you pick up a classic console, you can infinitely replay the eight-bit jams performed live by CONTRABAND, the alter ego of Athens’ post-hardcore math-rock quartet Cinemechanica. Additionally, you can train to be a featured player in one of the group’s shows: Contraband performs the soundtrack to the classic NES game Contra while lucky participants attempt to beat the game live. There’s even an official “dance”: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start. Even though you can’t use the secret 30-lives code during a performance, turn it into an interpretive dance and you’ll be invincible on the dancefloor. It’s hipper than the Lean Back or even the Cha-Cha Slide. Not since Mario laid his first pipe has Nintendo Classic been this energizing.
www.myspace.com/nintendorock2.

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The tragic death of guitarist Michael Houser didn’t change the status of WIDESPREAD PANIC this year: They’re still one of the few jam bands that makes the void left by Jerry Garcia’s demise seem inconsequential. But if you’re self-medicating - and who isn’t at these concerts - you don’t need to worry about leaving early if you’ve imbibed too much. The rolling carnival never seems to end, ensuring another chance to witness those mesmerizing 20-minute solos that close out the show. Besides, the desperate can always pick up the entire show on CD-R the next day via furthur.net. “www.widespreadpanic.com” less...