Sound Menu September 05 2007

www.myspace.com/peterbjornandjohn

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THURS/6

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TERRY HARPER QUARTET Vocalist/pianist Terry Harper has made her mark on local jazz for a quarter-century, including vocals on trumpeter Philip Harper’s hard-bop Soulful Sin and the I’ll Be Home for Christmas CD of local smooth jazz trumpeter Joe Gransden. You can reserve up-front tables for the outdoor show for one Andy Jackson, but free spots are “bring a blanket” ground seating (no folding lawn chairs allowed). Free-$20. 7 p.m. West Hill Street and Oakview Road, Decatur. 404-370-0888. www.oakhurstjazznights.com. — Mark Gresham

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WINDY & CARL, PAUL DUNCAN, TRADESECRETS Windy & Carl have stood as the first couple of shoe-gaze since the first wave in the early ’90s. Their celestial sound draws from long and overdriven guitar tones that ebb on the cosmic side of space rock. Former Atlanta resident Duncan is a pensive singer/songwriter who possesses a penchant for the avant-garde. Tradesecrets (former members of Partisan and Aye Robotics!) open. $8. 9 p.m. 11:11 Teahouse. 404-521-1911. www.myspace.com/1111teahouse. — CR

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FRI/7

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ALL NIGHT DRUG PROWLING WOLVES, LAY DOWN MAINS, THE PRESS, THE YUM YUM TREE, CITIFIED, FERNANDINA This six-band bill marks the second night of Atlanta’s Other Sound Festival. The lineup represents ATL’s various strains of punk, post-hardcore and pop tones. From the Pixies-inspired alt-rock strut of the Press to the slurred ’70s punk snarl of All Night Drug Prowling Wolves, the Other Sound captures a solid cross-section of the city’s outsider and underground acts. $7. 8 p.m. The Earl. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com. — CR

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KENNY CHESNEY, SUGARLAND, PAT GREEN Chesney is gradually becoming the new Jimmy Buffett, with a rabid following that rivals the Parrotheads and the ability to sell out just about any arena. It’s country music for people who really don’t like country music, but the man puts out on stage. Local breakthrough artists Sugarland and Texas yahoo boy Pat Green open. $40-$78. 7 p.m. HiFi Buys Amphitheatre. 404-443-5090. www.hob.com/venues/concerts/hifibuys/. — James Kelly

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SAT/8

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THE NATIONAL, THE ROSEBUDS Continuing the winning path blazed on its first three LPs, the National’s latest, Boxer, is a sophisticated pop treasure, draped in brooding ache and luxuriant arrangements. Frontman Matt Berninger’s sleepy baritone matches the music’s dusky, world-weary undercurrents. It also makes Chapel Hill, N.C.’s Rosebuds ideal tourmates, as they dive deep into the shadowy gloom of ’80s British new-wave acts such as the Cure on their third album, Night of the Furies. $15. 8:30 p.m. Variety Playhouse. 404-524-7354. www.variety-playhouse.com. — Chris Parker

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NOOT D’ NOOT, DJ DOOKIE PLATTERS Atlanta’s own Afrobeat funkonauts Noot D’ Noot celebrate the release of the Jiggle City b/w Rah So 7-inch on Pittsburgh, Pa.’s Solutionist Records. The two cuts that make up the Noot’s vinyl debut embrace a future funk vibe that leans more toward prog electronics than brain-bursting polyrhythms. Think Kraftwerk getting high with Fela Kuti at the Apple store and you’re in the right neighborhood. Dookie Platters spins records. $5. 8 p.m. Beep Beep Gallery. 404-313-5722. www.beepbeepgallery.com. — CR

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SUN/9

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BRUCE NESWICK Canon for music and cathedral organist Neswick kicks off St. Philip’s recital series with a performance of the half-hour “Troisième Symphonie” by French organist/improvisor Louis Vierne (1870-1937). Written for solo pipe organ in 1911, a year when the composer’s life was filled with personal tragedies, it ranges in expression from Vierne’s emotional uncertainties to a noble and majestic tone of hope. Free. 3:15 p.m. Cathedral of St. Philip. 404-365-1050. www.stphilipscathedral.org. — MG

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JASON ISBELL Touring heavily on the heels of his excellent solo debut, former Drive-By Trucker Isbell plays Atlanta for the third or fourth time in just a couple of months. But it’s well worth your time to catch this talented singer/songwriter, whose work is intelligent and accessible. Think Tom Petty looking out instead of in. Free. 7 p.m. Park Tavern. 404-249-0001. tavern.parktavern.com. — JK

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MARK OLSON, THE LAST TOWN CHORUS The Jayhawks surely didn’t invent Americana, but as a founding member of that band, Olson helped introduce it to a younger, more edgy college audience. His first solo album after a divorce from Victoria Williams captures Olson’s introspective yearning as sung in a reedy, quivering voice perfect for the spare country-folk in which he traffics. Megan Hickey and Co., aka the Last Town Chorus, construct a similarly sparse, if more downbeat and languid sound. $12. 7 p.m. Smith’s Olde Bar. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com. — Hal Horowitz

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OAKLEY HALL Pat Sullivan may have left Oneida in 2001, but when he started Oakley Hall a year later, he brought something from that group with him: a loose-limbed and double-jointed approach to country-folk. The result combines the ambling experimentalism of his old Brooklyn chums with a wagon-load of twang that’s best described as country-psych, like the Dead with a strong dose of Gram Parsons and Crazy Horse. $8. 8 p.m. The Earl. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com. — CP

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UNTIED STATES, TENTH TO THE MOON, JEFF EVANS, BATATA DOCE Evans (Chickens & Pigs) opens this installment of the Other Sound Festival’s marvelously mismatched lineup of local music. Evans unleashes a jostled folk strum and wail. Tenth to the Moon plays ghastly and avant-garde electronics. Batata Doce brings a Latin-infused blend of lounge and Appalachian pop. Untied States closes with noisy and cathartic art punk dirges. $7. 7 p.m. 11:11 Teahouse. 404-521-1911. www.myspace.com/1111teahouse. — CR

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MON/10

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A FIGHT TO THE DEATH In spite of temporary displacements of frontman/songwriter CJ Bargamian to San Francisco and bassist Colin Jaccino to Boston last year, local studio-born A Fight to the Death has recongealed in Atlanta, making its second Earl appearance as a real “live” band. Bargamian’s songs are interesting by rock standards, but aspire to indie eclecticism. Local power-pop quartet Henrietta opens. Austin, Texas-livin’ psych-rock band Baby Robots headline in timeslot three, offering lazy stoner songs to disconnected crunch-rock, with confused-sounding vocals. (But if you’re already chemically motivated, that doesn’t matter, does it?) $7. 9 p.m. The Earl. 404-523-3471. www.badearl.com. — MG

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TUES/11

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SATELLITE PARTY Perry Farrell’s murky new concept album was received with a collective shrug by both ex-Jane’s Addiction and Porno for Pyros fans. His first release in six years amiably treads water as some of the slickest and most commercial music of his career. Guest vocals from a beyond-the-grave Jim Morrison aren’t as edgy as they are tired, and the material lacks the creative musical sparks and vision Farrell was previously known for. The live experience should help that, and if not, well, there’s always the old stuff. Mink’s rocking power pop kicks off the show. $25. 8 p.m. Center Stage. 404-885-1365. www.centerstage-atlanta.com. — HH

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WED/12

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CROWDED HOUSE, PETE YORN Since Neil Finn wrote and sang all of Crowded House’s material, rejoining with bassist Nick Seymour — after a few flop solo discs and drummer Paul Hester’s untimely death — under the CH banner seems more a marketing move than an artistic one. Regardless, Finn’s melodies are timeless, and even if the new album is on the snoozy side, the songs are meticulously crafted Beatle-esque folk-pop nuggets. Introspective singer/songwriter Yorn, a headliner on his own, makes a strong opening act, which helps account for the rather pricey ticket. $45. 8 p.m. The Tabernacle. 404-659-9022. www.tabernacleatl.com. — HH

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MADALYN SKLAR BENEFIT, SARAH BETTENS Tonight, busy musician Ronnda Cadle, just back from a successful trip to Seattle, pays tribute to Sklar, founder of GoGirlsMusic.com. The music activist recently fell into a mire of substantial medical expenses, and Cadle and pals are givin’ her the benefit to help pull her back onto steady ground. Check out GoGirlsMusic; it’s a great online network site for indie female musicians. In addition to a set from Cadle and her String Poets, guests include Bettens, formerly of K’s Choice, and singer/songwriters Susan Gibson, Marce, and Renee Mixon. Bettens performs her own show later in the evening, so expect a few surprises and possible additional guests. Benefit show: $12, 6:30 p.m. Bettens show: $18, 9:30 p.m. Eddie’s Attic. 404-377-4976. www.eddiesattic.com. — Lee Valentine Smith

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PETER BJORN & JOHN, THE CLIENTELE A pair of the prettiest pop acts from across the pond, London’s Clientele paint gauzy, moody portraits that lilt with folk-inspired melodies, like the Byrds view from Galaxie 500’s perspective. Its latest, God Save the Clientele, floats in languid string-stroked beauty streaked with melancholy. Peter Bjorn & John created a stir with their domestic debut (after releasing two other LPs internationally), Writer’s Block, mixing new wave, baroque pop and power pop in grand ways. Like the Clientele, the songs are bittersweet, graced with a distant allure. $20. 8:30 p.m. Variety Playhouse. 404-524-7354. www.variety-playhouse.com. — CP

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THURS/13

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ANDREW BIRD, AUGIE MARCH The violin is considered one of the most difficult instruments in the world, but Bird makes it look easy. His style is unconventional, and his music is unique, mixing classical, Eastern European folk music and a little hillbilly blues to make something completely new. Aussie pop band Augie March opens. $20. 8:30 p.m. Variety Playhouse. 404-524-7354. www.variety-playhouse.com. — JK

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QUEENSRŸCHE Touring to support its recently released Mindcrime at the Moore DVD and Sign of the Times: The Best of Queensrÿche CD, the Seattle-bred band should be in a decidedly retrospective mood tonight. Sign compiles the best of the group’s work since the ’80s, and Mindcrime is a live presentation of its wildly popular concept album and sequel. Lovers of progressive, literate, at times overwrought, yet always skillfully executed rock will surely enjoy the show. Ultradrive is scheduled to open. $34.50. 8 p.m. Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre. 404-233-7699. www.ticketmaster.com. — LVS

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YOUNG ANTIQUES, ADAM AND THE PINKS, LAKE CITY Founding ‘Tiques Blake Rainey and Blake Parris are back in action after pursuing separate paths for the past couple of years. Rainey, who has enjoyed a successful foray into the low-key Americana-folk field, and Parris, a key member of Sodajerk, are putting those roles on the back burner for the moment to concentrate on the revitalization of their punky, punchy Young Antiques, one of the best Atlanta rock bands of the past two decades. Kevin Charney of Sodajerk is on board as well, and the band is as vital as ever, apparently energized from the hiatus. Adam and the Pinks and Lake City open. $7. 9 p.m. Star Bar. 404-681-9018. www.starbar.net. — LVS

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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.