Live shot August 07 2003

Our fair city's South By Southeast was upon us last weekend, and all the rock and urban clubs were booked solid with showcases. Here's one perspective on the action at this year's Atlantis Music Conference.

9 Lives Saloon, Smith's Olde Bar, Riviera — July 31: At 8 p.m., the small music room at 9 Lives was awash in the pop-rock candor of Shamgod, a four-piece featuring frontwoman Mary Byrne, flanked by two early-30s-looking gents who couldn't seem to wipe off their "Oh my God, I play in a band!" smirks, and a drummer with a super-cool extended soul patch.

The band shifted moods from post-grunge to twee-pop seamlessly thanks to Matt Chenoweth's jittery, angular guitar-work — all of it held together by a solid rhythm section and swept along by Byrne's clean Rickenbacher chord progressions. You have to wonder why Shamgod was relegated to this early slot.

Scampering over to Smith's to catch the Wrights' 9 p.m. set proved a waste of energy. The duo's van suffered two flat tires, and the group was nowhere to be found. So there was plenty of time to survey the crowd. Members of local acts Film, Trances Arc and the Rantings of Eva were present, as were Butch Walker and 99X DJ Jay Harren.

At 10 p.m., country septet Sugarland took the stage at Smith's, opening with its pastoral theme song. Singer Jennifer Nettles' hip-swaying, constant smiling and well-delivered country vocals charmed the crowd. And while I'm typically afraid of anything honky-tonk, Sugarland's musicianship and compelling songwriting cut straight through my prejudices. Rather than giving the effect of too many cooks in the kitchen, the members of Sugarland worked toward a common goal, their three-and-a-half-part harmonies (drummer Simone Simonton helps out when she's not too occupied) were easily audible over the abundance of instrumentation. Former John Mayer songwriting partner Clay Cook plays bass for Sugarland, and if he ever gets down about Mayer becoming an international stud without him, I'd just like him to know that Sugarland is better.

From Smith's, the LS party bus (ahem, Honda Civic) sped to the Riviera to see '90s R&B crooner Tony Rich, who, after a five-year break, is plugging a new album, Resurrected. An hour late taking the stage, Rich appeared in leather pants and a sparkled wife-beater. An indifferent audience finally came alive during his fourth tune, an old favorite of mine, the 1995 hit "Nobody Knows."

Joi was front-and-center next. Wearing a brown top with yellow butterfly wings, a matching skirt and orange, frilly leggings — mid-riff exposed, of course — she moved about the stage harmonizing her "Meow, meow, meow Joi" intro. The set was jam-packed with vixen attitude to go with her soulful vocals, and the list of local talent present was as impressive as Joi's performance. David Whild sat in on guitar, while his wife, Peach, sang backup. Sleepy Brown from Organized Noize made an appearance as Three5Human's Tomi Martin, D.R.E.S tha Beatnik and the remaining members of Whild Peach looked on.

Dailey's Downstairs, Apache Cafe — Aug. 1: The only non-local act on the itinerary was NYC's Rachel Sage, winner of the 2001 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Sage, along with her cellist, Stephanie, fought a noisy and inattentive Dailey's crowd, with a distracting stream of patrons walking back and forth in front of the barely elevated stage.

Regardless, Sage did her best to entertain with her mix of Tori Amos piano textures and Ani DiFranco panache, even suggesting at one point that all the couples in the room make out, so her music could be heard.

After Dailey's, I met up with CL food critic Bill Addison to see his "sistah-girl" Dionne Farris. Things were running a bit behind at Apache, which allowed time to take in a set from Divinity. Along with her backing band that included a Chris Rock-meets-Zack de la Rocha sidekick with a samurai haircut, Divinity unleashed vicious urban hardcore. Looking like a rap/rock Raggedy Ann, clad in a red trucker's hat, and red-and-white-striped stockings, Divinity's prowess on bass was impressive — her lines nimble, soulful and groovalicious.

At 1:15 a.m., Farris hit the stage dressed in a Spanish-style black dress, with a pink gardenia in her curled ponytail. She looked like an elegant jazz singer, apparently having bequeathed her '90s tomboy look to Me'Shell Ndegeocello — and the image fit the delivery. Playing songs off her limited-issue independent EP — her first release since 1995 — Farris showcased a remarkable vocal range that oozes sensuality and sophistication. With gospel chops honed in the church and school choir, Farris let out a yelp (on key, mind you) at one point that would've stripped the blond out of Mariah Carey's hair.

Smith's Olde Bar — Aug. 2: Josh Rifkind, the curly-haired frontman of "Romper Room" ADD act Lithp, was dead-on Saturday as he tore Smith's to shreds with his wit and guitar. (Quote of the conference: "You wanna hear some fuckin' rock? I only know one solo!")

Lithp's edgy power-pop and antics were preceded by the customary seven-minute puppet show, a lowbrow comedy starring Saddam Hussein, Michael J. Fox, Jacko, Mr. Miyagi and featuring cameos from John Mayer and Richard Gere. Then Lithp played a short set that included their infamous "50 classic songs" medley — sampling the likes of AC/DC, Vanilla Ice, Rick Springfield and many more. Rifkind switched costumes, instruments and mentalities perpetually through the 35 minutes he was on stage.

In the unenviable position of following Lithp, Bain Mattox (the man and the band) took the stage with the authority of a consummate professional, crafting pop-rock fare that's part coffee shop, part frat party. Mattox and band were tight, despite having a sit-in bassist. Mattox played mandolin, banjo, harmonica accordion and guitar, each with a perceivable amount of skill.

Any A&R reps who might've soiled themselves during Lithp finally got what they were looking for. And Mattox's fuckin' Chipper Jones smile probably had the girls in heat.

nikhil.swaminathan@creativloafing.com

i>Roni Sarig's Sharp Notes column is on hiatus and will return later this month.