Sound Menu January 02 2008

THURS/03

JON BYRD & BYRD'S AUTO PARTS As a seminal player in Atlanta's redneck underground movement of the early '90s, Byrd's been flying around as a quality country sideman for a few decades, so his terrific 2007 debut was a long time coming. He's the real deal, mixing honky-tonk, folk and Americana twang with the effortless swagger of someone who can't do it any other way. Comparisons to Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard are relevant, but Byrd carves his own melancholy groove and writes rugged yet wistful songs that are classics in waiting. Folk-singing thrush Amy Loftus opens. $10. 8 p.m. Eddie's Attic. 770-377-4976. www.eddiesattic.com. — Hal Horowitz

FRI/04

THE KINGSTON TRIO WITH THE ASO It may surprise some people, but music existed before the '80s. The Kingston Trio, for example, was formed in 1957 and hit a creative and productive peak during the early '60s folk boom. In fact, the threesome helped bridge the generation gap of young and older folk fans, though not always the snooty purists, by offering a pop-folk blend that has obviously served 'em well. Tonight and tomorrow evening, in celebration of 50 years of their impressive back catalog of hits and album cuts, the current lineup of the Trio will revisit such classics as "Tom Dooley," and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" with tastefully subdued backing from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. $25-$58. 8 p.m. Woodruff Art Center. 404-733-5000. www.atlantasymphony.org. — Lee Valentine Smith

TIM KREKEL, ALAN RHODY, WOOD NEWTON The Swallow kicks off 2008 with a real bash, as tonight's acts are some of the best Music City has to offer. Krekel has been on the scene for years, and in 2007 released the amazing Soul Season, which may be the best record nobody heard. Rhody is from Canada, and has had a slew of big hits in addition to a well-received solo career. Newton is one of those guys that Nashville loves, penning great tunes and having fun with his own gig in the process. Repeat show Saturday. $17.50. 10 p.m. Swallow at the Hollow. 678-352-1975. www.theswallowatthehollow.com. — James Kelly

SLEEP THERAPY, SHADOWBOXER, GRABOIDS The sound of shoegazer rock is alive and well and resonating at Lenny's. Atlanta's Sleep Therapy plays moody and dramatic pop. Springfield, Mass., outfit Shadowboxer moves into even deeper and darker depths of morphine pop. Charlottesville, Va., four-piece and Stickfigure Recordings artists Graboids move in circles of a dreamy, dreary ambiance that billows and fades in a gorgeous ebb and flow of feedback and guitar squalls. $7. 9 p.m. Lenny's. 404-577-7721. www.lennysbar.com. — Chad Radford

SAT/05

MIKE GEIER'S KINGSIZED ELVIS BIRTHDAY SPECTACULAR This local Elvis-palooza, returning for the 12th time, gets more elaborate each year. The Dames Aflame and Sweet Potato Choir provide eye candy and the glitzy Vegas touch while Big Mike's husky vocals front a horn section that swings with more intensity than Presley's hips on "The Ed Sullivan Show." It's a vibrant, colorful and frisky high-energy performance that's bigger and bulkier than the late Elvis after a long night of fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. $20. 8:30 p.m. Variety Playhouse. 404-223-1100. www.variety-playhouse.com. — HH

MOTOR 76, THE SID VISCIOUS EXPERIENCE, THE SPECTREMEN, THE REMINGTONS The snarling, delightfully rude and thoroughly entertaining "tribute" act called the Sid Vicious Experience is the headliner tonight, but the punked-up show also features the CD release set for hard-rockin' Atlanta outfit Motor 76. The songs on its new album, Plastic Classic, were previewed and honed before appreciative audiences in Ireland in a series of sweaty clubs. Tonight, the group brings its street-tough, Dolls-Kiss-Skynyrd-fueled anthems to the local fans. The Spectremen and the Remingtons share the bill. $8. 7 p.m. The Masquerade. www.masq.com. — LVS

RONNDA CADLE AND THE STRING POETS The delightfully rolling, by turns pastoral and powerful, classical/classic-rock-injected music of six-string princess Cadle, backed as usual by her abundantly talented band of Poets, takes another step closer to Symphony Hall tonight. With the aid of producer Don McCollister (Indigo Girls, almost every Decatur acoustic musician, ever), the band will debut a special string section/arrangement on a soaring suite of songs. Scheduled special guests include Nashville-based singer/songwriter Moe Loughran, Trina Meade and Tomi Martin (Three5Human) along with Latonya Peoples (violin), Brennan Bray (cello) and Mark Pyle (oboe, English horn). $10. 7 p.m. Eddies Attic. www.eddiesattic.com. — LVS

SOL JUNKY This hard-working band has acquired its fans the old-fashioned way: through sweaty shows and word of mouth, all without an album. While there's nothing terribly unique about its sunshiny, rootsy/strummy/jammy sound, the five-piece wins over dubious listeners with soulful material and tight playing that comes alive in concert. You'll leave with a smile on your face, and sometimes that's all that matters. Jerry Walker and the Wonderful Liars also appear. $6-8. 9 p.m. Vinyl. 770-377-4976. www.vinylatlanta.com. — HH

THE SUBSONICS, THEE CRUCIALS, KNIFE & THE FOURTH WARD DAGGERS Atlanta's young and gritty punk and garage-rock contingency owes much of its sound to the Subsonics. Knife & the Fourth Ward Daggers and Thee Crucials both carry the torch and give a nod to the legacy of Atlanta's longest-running rock 'n' roll institution. Afterward, the Baby Shakes set up on the turntables for a late-night DJ set. $10. 9 p.m. Lenny's. 404-577-7721. www.lennysbar.com. — CR

TWISTIN' TARANTULAS, BLACKTOP ROCKETS, PSYCHO DEVILLES It's a blend of the traditional rockabilly of hometown heroes BTR and Detroit's Tarantulas, and the more excessive "psychobilly" edge of the Psycho Devilles. Could the Star Bar be moving back to its roots? Could the world spin backward just for a little while? Be there to find out, and have a hoppin' good time. For more on the Blacktop Rockets, see Spotlight, p. 57. $8. 9 p.m. Star Bar. 404-681-9018. www.starbar.net. — JK

SUN/06

GEORGIAN CHAMBER PLAYERS Violinists Elmar Oliveira and Amy Moretti (former concertmaster of the Oregon Symphony) are GCP's guests for a richly romantic chamber music program including "Terzetto in C Major for Two Violins and Viola" by Antonín Dvorák, "Sonata for Violin and Piano in E Minor" by Sir Edward Elgar, and "String Sextet No. 2 in G Major" by good ol' Johnny Brahms. $30. 3 p.m. Spivey Hall. 678-466-4200. www.spiveyhall.org. — Mark Gresham

GUY FORSYTH There's a lot of hype that comes with the label of "Austin musician," but the simple fact is that most of them rise to the standard that moniker signifies. Forsyth is a new-generation blues man, with a true feel for the music and the credentials to prove it. A founding member of the amazing Asylum Street Spankers, Forsyth has explored the roots of the music he loves and mastered it. $10-$50. 7 p.m. Eddie's Attic. 404-377-4976. www.eddiesattic.com. — JK

LYRA STRING QUARTET Christopher French, associate principal violoncellist of the Houston Symphony Orchestra, is the quartet's special guest in a program of straight-up classical chamber music. But French also has made musical waves back home as a member of "The Bad Boys of Cello" (the rowdy HSO cello section's alter ego), who built a reputation for playing in remarkably atypical places like homeless shelters to eradicate the misconception that classical music is "elitist." $15. 4 p.m. Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. 404-872-5338. www.callanwolde.org. — MG

Mon/07

ULTIMATE REALITY, DAN DEACON Ultimate Reality is a collision between video artist Jimmy Joe Roche and electro-sound sculptor Dan Deacon. Together they present a performance-art piece in which Deacon and two drummers perform a live score to Roche's video montage of snippets from Arnold Schwarzenegger's career, spliced together with kaleidoscopic majesty. Deacon closes with a solo set of psychedelic lights, blips and glitchy dance beats. For more on Deacon, see Vibes, p. 55. $10. 9 p.m. Eyedrum. 404-522-0655. www.eyedrum.org. — CR

thurs/10

LIQUID JUNGLE Despite little media recognition, prog rock is alive and well. Young, talented bands such as Atlanta's Liquid Jungle are as influenced by King Crimson's jagged attack as U2's grander arena-rock tendencies and, most importantly, have the chops to pull off that dynamic mix. Add some funk along with a sack of twisty riffs and quirky time changes for a head-spinning set that gets more intense as the evening unfolds. Sex in Cars, whose distinctive sound incorporates elements of gypsy music and avant rock, also appear. $8. 8 p.m. Smith's Olde Bar. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com. — HH

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 Thursday at noon (for the issue that comes out the following Wednesday) to soundboard@creativeloafing.com.