Sound Menu August 02 2006

CL’s picks for the week’s best shows

THURS/3

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ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Laura Jackson conducts classics by Verdi, Brahms, Gershwin, de Falla, Chopin and von Suppé, plus film music from Pirates of the Caribbean, Mission Impossible, and ET: Adventures on Earth in this free outdoor concert OTP southwest of Atlanta. Free. 7:30 p.m. Hutcheson Ferry Park, Palmetto. 404-733-5000. www.atlantasymphony.org. — Mark Gresham

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BATTLECAT, GOD’S AMERICA, THIS SONG IS A MESS BUT SO AM I, EMPEROR X, DRY LUNGS Battlecat is an Atlanta post-screamo supergroup featuring Jeff Burgoon (Airoes), Mike Keenan (Airoes, Electrosleep Int’l), Sean Fitzgerald (Electrosleep Int’l) and Pat Clarici (Portrait). The group’s dual-bass pummel is reminiscent of its members’ not-so-branched family tree, while moving into new realms of recklessness. A marathon of noisy and experimental post-hardcore acts opens. $6. 9 p.m. Drunken Unicorn. www.thedrunkenunicorn.net. — Chad Radford

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FRI/4

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CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO The CGT emerged from one of Robert Fripp’s guitar workshops in the late ’80s and initially went on to enjoy a modicum of fame as the League of Crafty Guitarists, with Fripp at the helm. Combining a variety of musical styles, the band is amazing technically, but there is also a nice underriding sense of soul in their sound. $20. 8:30 p.m. The Five Spot. 404-223-1100. www.ticketmaster.com. — James Kelly

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VICTOR GOINES Clarinetist/saxophonist Victor Goines is artistic director of jazz studies at the Juilliard School in NYC and a jazz veteran who has performed with such notables as Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Bo Diddley, Freddie Hubbard and Dizzy Gillespie. $15 cover/$10 min. 7:30 p.m. Churchill Grounds Jazz Cafe. 404-876-3030. www.churchillgrounds.com. — MG

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SAT/5

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ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA See Sound Menu for Thurs., Aug. 3.

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THE SELMANAIRES, FORGET CASSETTES, EL HUB Atlanta’s indie-pop saviors, the Selmanaires, craft a sound that falls somewhere between the Talking Heads and Toots and the Maytals. Jangling guitars bristle over sharp, angular rhythms that graft post-punk’s white-funk personality and metrical tension with a bounding and eclectic pop sensibility. Nashville’s dark pop trio Forget Cassettes and high volume guitar-drum rock duo El Hub open the show. $7. 9:30 p.m. The Earl. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com. — CR

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VICTOR GOINES See Sound Menu for Fri., Aug. 4.

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SUN/6

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THE CLIENTELE, GREAT LAKES, SNOWDEN The Clientele bears the torch of London’s alterna-pop forefathers, New Order, and even a bit of the Beatles, but with a touch of melancholy indie rock. The group is making its second go-around in support of Strange Geometry (Merge Records). Athens’ psychedelic rock combo Great Lakes and Atlanta’s own Joy Division-esque gloom-pop outfit Snowden are also on the bill. $8. 8 p.m. The Earl. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com. — CR

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MON/7

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EELS Despite so-so record sales, pop-rock songwriter Mark Oliver “E” Everett and his band Eels has functioned successfully for well over a decade, building a cult of fans and critics who follow their every release. The group’s 2005 album, Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, elicited great reviews, and their tour appearances frequently draw capacity crowds. $15-$17.50. 8 p.m. Variety Playhouse. 404-524-7354. www.variety-playhouse.com. — Mosi Reeves

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THE RENTALS It may seem hard to imagine, but there was a time when indie dudes didn’t all seem to dress like sissy bike messengers, and chicks didn’t all seem to dress like either their grandmothers or like boys dressed like silly bike messengers. There was a time when new wave didn’t feel retread. There was a time when “emo” and “weeping vagina” were not synonyms. There was a time when every band did not have synths, and during this time (1995) was the Moog-driven, hook-laden band the Rentals — the side project of then-Weezer bassist Matt Sharp, That Dog’s Petra Hayden and, briefly, SNL’s Maya Rudolph, among others. This is power pop without the need to overpower, wistful bubblegum without unnecessary bombast (a lesson for the “bike messengers,” surely). It’s everything you loved about initial Weezer, minus the neurotic missteps, and a group trainspotters should have been extolling for years. Ozma also performs. $15. 7 p.m. The Masquerade. 404-577-8178. www.masq.com. — Tony Ware

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SANDI THOM Sandi Thom’s first single, “I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in my Hair)” dislodged Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” at number one on the UK charts. Her debut album Smile ... It Confuses People also went to number one. But so what? That’s over there. In America, the bluesy pop-rocker is relatively unknown with much to prove. An appearance at Vinyl should indicate whether she’s worth the hype. $10. 9 p.m. Vinyl. 404-885-1365. www.vinylatlanta.com. — MR

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STEELY DAN Steely Dan is that band you like that you didn’t know you liked. And the songs you know by heart but not by name are about a life you wish you had but wouldn’t know what to do with if you did. Just as Los Angeles was being flooded in the early ’70s with cocaine and casual sex, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker were there to capture the excess in music that is anything but excessive. Studio rats more into jazz and blues than rock, Fagen and Becker composed meticulous and melodic jams whose breezy grooves — later sampled repeatedly in hip-hop — made Steely Dan seem like ideal and accessible lifestyle accompaniment. When times get tough, you’ve always got Steely Dan, the Cuervo Gold and the fine Columbian making tonight a wonderful thing. Michael McDonald also performs. $69.50-$88.50. 7:30 p.m. Chastain Amphitheatre. 404-233-2227. www.chastainseries.com. — TW

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WED/9

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BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA, GEORGE HUFF The Blind Boys have been on the stage for almost 70 years and aren’t slowing down a bit. They have brought their unique gospel-influenced sound into the 21st century with astonishing covers of folks like Tom Waits and Bob Dylan. Former American Idol finalist George Huff opens. $33. 8 p.m. Atlanta Botanical Garden. 404.876.5859. www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org. — JK

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JURASSIC 5, X-CLAN Last month Jurassic 5 issued Feedback, its first new album in four years. Many fans are debating its merits — some claim the disc helps reinvent the classic J5 sound, while others feel the group sounds passé. Regardless, it’s one of the better live hip-hop acts around. Opening up for the LA group is early ’90s group X-Clan. Remember To the East, Blackwards? $30. 8 p.m. Roxy Theater. 404-233-7699. — MR

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NAT BALDWIN, SEDUCTIVE SPRIGS Since the summer of 2004, Portsmouth, N.H., bassist Nat Baldwin has been writing songs, singing and performing to the tune of experimental and improvised solo compositions. For this performance Baldwin has assembled a band, featuring Brett Deschenes (trumpet) and Charlie Looker (guitar). NYC prog-medieval pop-duo Seductive Sprigs, Matthew Hough (electric guitar/vocals) and Charlie Looker (electric guitar/vocals) open. $5. 9 p.m. Eyedrum. 404-522-0655. www.eyedrum.org. — CR

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THEE CRUCIALS Instant Party! is gonna get ya. That’s the title of Thee Crucials’ new 7-inch, 33 rpm EP, and it’s what will happen when these swingin’ cats take the stage Wednesday. Produced by What The ...?’s Lee Flier, the soul-shoutin’, hip-shakin’ slab o’ wax (recorded in mono, ‘natch) is over fast, so you’ll have to play it again and again. Great stuff, led by the enigmatic wildman Shake Revard. Poison Control Center and Sound AD also perform. $5. 9:30 p.m. The Earl. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com. — Lee Valentine Smith

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THURS/10

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CHATHAM COUNTY LINE Expect a slew of new material from the brand new Speed Of The Whippoorwill album, as CCL deliver an interesting blend of contemporary bluegrass and (for lack of a better term) Americana. Who says there’s nothing new? Just get the mix right, and it’s there. $7. 9 p.m. Red Light Café. 404-874-7828. www.redlightcafe.com. — JK

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CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG This world is full of protest singers, but not enough protest songs. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, however, fill both roles with aplomb. Growing out of Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds, the Hollies and the disillusionment of the peace & love generation in the wake of Vietnam, CSN&Y lend their high harmonies to two classic folk-pop albums. Passing around indictments, idealism and trippy paranoia like a joint, CSN&Y ruled the blowback for a few years in the late ’60s/early ’70s. Since, all members of the group have contributed to an extensive collective oeuvre, which adds up to a hella contact high sweeping through these “Freedom of Speech” shows. And politically, a return to tightly woven voices raised in protest could barely be any more appropriate. $52.50-$203. 7:30 p.m. Philips Arena. 404-878-3000. www.philipsarena.com. — TW

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DON DIXON The crafty Dixon may be best known for producing and engineering shimmering pop albums from R.E.M., Guadalcanal Diary, the Smithereens and a plethora of revered ’80s jangle-meisters, but the singer/songwriter/producer/actor has nine albums of his own stuff available — and it’s as consistently good as his behind-the-boards jobs. Imagine the clever wordplay of Nick Lowe combined with a dynamic, raw and soulful vocal style. For this performance he’ll be previewing material from his latest album The Entire Combustible World In One Small Room. Be sure to ask him about his contributions to the General Cabbage Report, a podcast from his homebase of Canton, Ohio. www.generalcabbage.com. $12. 6:30 p.m. Eddie’s Attic. 404-377-4976. www.eddiesattic.com. — LVS

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THE LIVING END, THE LASHES Aussie rockers the Living End blend rockabilly and modern punk into their own twisted stray-cat strut. Part roots-revivalists and part ’90s alternative brats, the End includes a manic upright bass player and a towering pompadour of stadium rock poses. The Lashes occasionally veer into well-worn Strokes territory but usually lean toward smarty-arty NY cool in the bristling spirit of the late ’70s. Originally scheduled openers The Love Drunks are not on the bill. $13. 7 p.m. Masquerade. 404-577-8178. www.masq.com. — 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 Heather Kuldell, 384 Northyards Blvd., Suite 600, Atlanta, GA 30313, or e-mail information to: heather.kuldell@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.