Sound Menu February 14 2007

THURS/15

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THE DEVIL STOLE THE BEAT A multiact, two-day “industry” showcase without the stench of Atlantis or the bustle of South by Southwest. The whole thing kicks off on Valentine’s night with a party at the Loft, then moves over to Smith’s Olde Bar for BMI and ASCAP showcases Thursday and Friday. Wrangled by Confidence Creative, Ticket Alternative and Caren West PR, Thursday’s acts include Sonia Leigh, Andy Zipf, Audrey Spillman and Right Away, and Great Captain in the Atlanta Room. The Less, Nathan Angelo, Owen Beverly and the Working Title play in the main room. For updates and showtimes, visit www.thedevilstolethebeat.com or www.myspace .com/thedevilstolethebeat. $6 per night or $10 for a two-day pass. 8 p.m. Smith’s Olde Bar. 404-875-1522. www.TicketAlternative.com. — Lee Valentine Smith

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INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS A deceptively young sextet with a combined musical résumé that will knock your socks off, the Dusters prove themselves as soon as they hit their first few notes. Touring in support of their excellent new debut, the Sugar Hill CD Fork in the Road, this amazing band could define the future of bluegrass. $7. 9 p.m. Red Light Café. 404-874-7828. www.redlightcafe.com. — James Kelly

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fri/16

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ATLANTA CHAMBER PLAYERS After three decades as an Atlanta institution, ACP makes its first appearance at Spivey with a program that features George Crumb’s evocative “Vox Balaenae” (“The Voice of the Whale,” 1971) for three masked musicians playing amplified instruments — flute, cello and piano. Inspired by the singing of the humpback whale, Crumb takes the listener on a sonic voyage from the beginning of time, through five geological eras, to a final “Nocturne” at the end of time. The program includes Schubert’s “Quartettsatz” and Dvorak’s “Piano Quintet.” $15. 8:15 p.m. Spivey Hall. 678-466-4200. www.spiveyhall.org. — Mark Gresham

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SQUAT This innovative combo, um, squats between Atlanta and Athens and across a slew of musical styles. Spawned in the thriving Athens music scene in the mid-’90s from a jazz improv class, these creative jugglers throw blues, salsa, bossa nova and even rock into the air as they celebrate their sixth genre-defying CD, appropriately self-titled. $10. 9 and 11 p.m. Churchill Grounds. 404-876-3030. www.churchillgrounds.com. — LVS

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TURNTABLES ON THE HUDSON W/NICODEMUS, NAPPY G The Turntables on the Hudson crew, led by New York DJ Nicodemus, often brings its dub/hip-hop/lounge/dance hybrid down to the ATL for special one-off parties. This time, Nappy G is coming along to add his live drums and MC skills to Nicodemus’ funky mixes. Call for price. 10 p.m. Halo Lounge. 404-962-7333. www.halolounge.com. — Mosi Reeves

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THE VAN WILDER TOUR FEATURING EVERCLEAR Art Alexakis leads this Portland, Ore.-based quintet for the Van Wilder Tour, an odd pairing at first look, but since Everclear’s latest album is called Welcome to the Drama Club, maybe not. Alexakis has seen his share of drama — from the loss of family to drug addiction to bankruptcy to failed marriages — and his heartfelt everyman songwriting plays well against straight-up and grungy rock ‘n’ roll. The band’s been around since the mid-’90s, but the lineup was almost completely rearranged a few years ago. Word is that this might be the last go-round, but folks who like to sing along to rock songs, fatherless teens and boomer soccer moms should still find relevance in Everclear’s transparent style. Jonny Lives, the Alternate Routes and Neon Culpa open. $20. 8 p.m. The Loft. 404-885-1365. www.theloftatl.com. — T. LaGon

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YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND It’s a pleasure to hear traditional music being carried into the future in such good hands. YMSB are as comfortable working their improvisational magic with a Bill Monroe classic as they are a Talking Heads tune, but their original songs really hit the mark. They play it like they mean it. $23-$25. 9 p.m. The Tabernacle. 404-659-9022. www.livenation.com. — JK

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sat/17

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BRAZILIAN GIRLS, LADYTRON The exotic and fabulous New York band Brazilian Girls are led by Sabina Sciubba, a seductress who sings in several languages and wears masks to cover her eyes. The band isn’t half-bad, either, and it can mix dub, electronic and Tropicalia rhythms into a beat that’ll get your mother on the dance floor. Liverpool’s Ladytron is less warm but equally inviting, and has perfected the New Wave sounds you heard in your adolescent dreams. $20. 8 p.m. Center Stage Atlanta. 404-885-1365. www.ticketmaster.com. — MR

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JONATHAN RICHMAN, GENTLEMAN JESSE AND HIS MEN Over the last decade, Modern Lovers frontman Richman and drummer Tommy Larkin have fused an erratic rock ‘n’ roll sound that balances Richman’s wistfully precise and iconic presence over Larkin’s sparse crash and rattle. Gentleman Jesse and His Men play an exuberant and sardonic mix of punk tension and pop swagger that falls in the vein of Look Sharp-era Joe Jackson. $12. 9:30 p.m. The Earl. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com. — Chad Radford

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SARAH HICKMAN, CORRINE WEST, TRUCKSTOP SOUVENIR After several years of creating music for children, sunny and engaging singer/songwriter Hickman is back in the adult world, touring to support her latest CD, Motherlode, actually released last summer but still fresh as the day it was pressed. The two-disc set is a load of songs praising the life and times of a woman — or womankind in general. Great stuff, dotted with guest stars (Shawn Colvin, Kelly Willis) and filled with universally appealing odes to everyday activities and spiritual journeys. California-based West and pastoral country duo Truckstop Souvenir open. $10-$14.8 p.m. Eddie’s Attic, 404-377-4976. www.eddiesattic.com. — LVS

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SELMANAIRES, CASSAVETES, MORESIGHT For those of us who miss the skinny-tie days of the New Wave period of popular music, the Selmanaires are a welcome oasis from the studded-belt/Atlantis-hopeful/pseudo-emo whiners that clog up my hallowed MySpace inbox every day. Not a total retro trip, but enough of a throwback to show their roots with pride while exploring the sounds of tomorrow. Cassavetes and Moresight open. $7. 9 p.m. Star Bar. 404-681-9018. www.starbar.net. — LVS

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TOMMY EMMANUEL & THE GREENCARDS Every guitar player in Atlanta needs to go see Emmanuel. There’s a good reason he is called the Australian Chet Atkins, and he is truly a gifted performer. Sharing the bill are the Greencards, featuring a couple of fellow Aussies and an Englishman. These young pickers have developed their own unique take on traditional acoustic music, and their newest release, Viridian, is a jewel. $20. 8 p.m. Variety Playhouse. 404-524-7354. www.variety-playhouse.com. — JK

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MON/19

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ELECTRONIC MUSIC COMPOSERS FORUM “Turned On: Electronic Music by Atlanta Composers” is the title of this “new music sampler” of works by 14 Atlanta-area composers, presented in an old-school stereo digital music format and many tracks teamed with video. Many of these names are not among the more frequently seen and heard composers in the Atlanta new music scene, so expect an introduction to some fresh, less familiar faces. Free. 9 p.m. The Five Spot. 404-223-1100. www.fivespot-atl.com. — MG

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DICK DALE He’s billed as “the legendary Dick Dale” and no other guitarist alive will argue that adjective. Like the late Link Wray, he’s an integral component of rock history whose overdriven, instrumental attack hasn’t lost an ounce of its rebelliousness or intensity. Quentin Tarantino helped put Dale back on the map, but his “Misirlou” is just the tip of a surf-rock tsunami that must be experienced live to be appreciated. Earplugs are advised. $18-$20. 9:30 p.m. The Earl. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com. — Hal Horowitz

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SFTP NOISE FEST Atlanta purveyors of noise, art and junk culture, Sounds from the Pocket hosts the President’s Day Noise Fest with a smattering of brash, beautiful and totally bombastic sounds that defy the laws of song structure. The festival lineup features several acts, including Temple of Bon Matin, Zack Kouns and Mugu Guymen, unleashing a pastiche of sonic cousins of free jazz, no wave and Kraut rock. $5. 8 p.m. Eyedrum, 404-522-0655. www.eyedrum.org. — CR

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TUES/20

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AKRON FAMILY, UNTIED STATES Freak-folk foursome the Akron Family plays a cosmic and doe-eyed strum and wail over a bed of noisy and psychedelic pleasantries. The group’s sound is a warm and far-out acoustic dirge that has more in common with the back roads of rural Georgia than the mean streets of its hometown of Brooklyn. Untied States opens with a baroque clash of noise and experimental rock. $10. 9 p.m. The Earl. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com. — CR

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COCO MONTOYA While there’s nothing particularly distinctive about the ex-John Mayall guitarist’s gritty vocals or swampy, meat-and-potatoes blues-rock — at least on his six solo albums — he proves to be a powerhouse live performer, guaranteed to peel the paint from the walls with his explosive attack. After experiencing a typically sweaty, intense show with Montoya’s sizzling leads, you’ll swear he’s one of the best in the genre. And you’d be right. The Tea Leaves open. $15. 8 p.m. Smith’s Olde Bar. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com. — HH

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YOUNG LOVE Dan “Young Love” Keyes first came to Atlanta last month as an opening act for Lady Sovereign. Now the dance-rock poster boy has a headlining date all his own, thanks to his just-released CD, Too Young to Fight It (which is drawing some industry buzz). If you don’t like Panic! at the Disco or the Killers, then Young Love is not for you, though he’s not as shamelessly exhibitionist as those teen idols. Atlanta upstarts Moros Eros and the Photo Atlas open. $10. 8:30 p.m. Vinyl. 404-885-1365. www.vinylatlanta.com. — MR

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WED/21

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OSVALDO BARRIOS, EMORY TANGO ENSEMBLE Argentine-born bandoneón player Barrios, bassist Pablo Aslan, and pianist Ruben Stefano join with the Emory Tango Ensemble and dancers from Tangueros Emory to present an evening of traditional and contemporary tango music and dance. Free. 8 p.m. Schwartz Center, Emerson Hall. 404-727-5050. www.arts.emory.edu. — MG

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TONY FURTADO Once known for his fleet-fingered banjo prowess in the progressive bluegrass field, Furtado has shifted gears to become a compelling Americana singer/songwriter who is also an impressive slide guitarist. His remarkable string work now takes a backseat to his emotionally dusky voice and edgy, shadowy heartland songs that are some of the finest in the alt-folk field. Arrive early for opener Don Dixon who, as R.E.M. co-producer, was an architect of the early ’80s jangle-pop scene and remains an overlooked solo performer. $12. 8 p.m. Smith’s Olde Bar. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com. — HH

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THURS/22

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ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Robert Spano leads the ASO in a reprise performance of the 2004 Masterprize-winning “Rainbow Body” by Christopher Theofanidis, which the orchestra recorded in 2002 for Telarc and will perform six times next week in its whirlwind tour of Florida. Emmanuel Ax joins in as soloist for Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 22,” and the popular “Symphonic Dances” by Sergei Rachmaninov is the grand finale. $18-$54. 8 p.m. Symphony Hall. 404-733-5000. www.atlantasymphony.org. — MG

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Bands/performers/venues wishing to be included in Sound Menu’s noted-acts boxes may send recordings, press material and schedules two weeks in advance to Creative Loafing c/o Rodney Carmichael, 384 Northyards Blvd., Suite 600, Atlanta, GA 30313, or e-mail information to: rodney.carmichael@creativeloafing.com. To be included in the listings only, e-mail venue and band schedules by Friday at noon (for the issue that comes out the following Thursday) to soundboard@creativeloafing.com.