Atlanta Music Writers Roundtable 2010 (Day 2, Part 3)

If you’re reading this I assume that you are already well aware of our little music symposium that we have going on here. If not, please take a moment to read my introductory post so you can familiarize yourself with the facts and all the players involved.

Now that we find ourselves heading into Day Two of our roundtable, it’s time for us to switch topics. Yesterday’s kickoff posts, the first appearing on Wholly Roller and the second on Ohmpark, found the eight of us sharing our general thoughts on the state of music, both in Atlanta and beyond, in the year gone by. Although there were surely moments where our tastes converged, I think we did a good job of presenting and array of unique and interesting thoughts and opinions on what happened musically in 2010. Today, however, will find us discussing a much more specific subject, namely, our favorite live performances of the year. The first part of this discussion you will find below and the second will be posted this evening around 6:30 on Atlanta’s A-List. And while we may all have our own opinions, please feel free to share your favorite shows of this year in the comments.


Denton Poteet
Little Advances
Web: www.littleadvances.com
Twitter: @littleadvances

Rube’s post is a nice segue into the next topic I’d like to talk about: what’s the best show (or shows, if you can’t pick one) that you saw in 2010? Shows that you saw outside of Atlanta are obviously fair game, too.

I think the most fun I had at a show all year was the Monotonix, Coathangers, and Hawks show at the Drunken Unicorn back in February. It was my first time seeing Hawks, which fittingly doubled as the first time I’ve ever had a man’s briefs thrown directly in my face. It was also the night the notorious jumpsuit lined with firecrackers made an appearance. Monotonix kept the spectacle up by playing in the crowd, on top of the crowd, in the entryway, in that bar the Drunken Unicorn shares with MJQ (where you couldn’t even hear the PA). It’s a total gimmick by now – if you’ve heard of the band, you probably know them as the hairy Israeli garage-punks that throw wild shows. When a gimmick is that much fun, though, it’s hard to complain. As I write this, I’m pissed I won’t be able to watch them destroy the even smaller room at 529 on Wednesday.

Locally, the nameless (and totally free) August festival at the Goat Farm was hard to beat. The music lasted nearly 12 hours and included some of the best bands in the city, with a fitting finale from Atlas Sound. The setting couldn’t have been better, either.


Emily Hogan
Wholly Roller
Web: www.whollyroller.com
Twitter: @emilyhogan

I went to so many shows this year. In fact, it’s really hard to remember every single one.

If you know me, you know that I’m pretty much obsessed with Pavement. I started listening to Pavement my senior year in high school. They broke up when I was a freshmen. I never thought I’d see Pavement in concert. Until this year. On my 25th birthday I was lucky enough to see Stephen Malkmus and company at the Tabernacle. It was easily the best concert of my life. It was amazing.

My other favorite shows include Free Energy and Titus Andronicus at the EARL; Oryx and Crake at Wonderroot; LCD Soundsystem and Sleigh Bells at the Tabernacle; Arcade Fire and Spoon at the VZWamp; Local Natives’ in Hell at the Masquerade; The Love Language, Soft Company, and Howlies at the EARL; Twin Sister at The EARL; and finally, Miniature Tigers, Spinto Band, Pretty & Nice, and Akudama at Mercury Lounge in NYC.


Tim Lampe
I’m A Bear! Etc.
Web: www.imabearetc.com
Twitter: @bearetc

I’m going to sum up the year of concerts I’ve had in a few experiences (my apologies for the long response ahead):

Suckers/Local Natives at Masquerade (Hell) – May 1st, 2010
There’s no band I found myself recommending out of SXSW this year more than Local Natives. They have every reason to be a breakout, but I had yet to share that with friends in Atlanta. All my friends and I gathered at Fellini’s on Ponce beforehand, and there we saw a few folks wearing fake mustaches and we were daring enough to ask them if they were donning those ‘staches for the Local Natives show. They were. We shared drinks and food, and were instantly best of friends.

A night of new friends and old opened up for my favorite show of the year. Some discount the album format in 2010, but my proof that it’s still alive is the fact that almost every fan in attendance knew and belted out every word to each track from their debut. There’s no track off their debut that they left off, and no track that these guys didn’t give every ounce of breath they had on that night. Though the Hell portion of Masquerade is small, it was the right fit for a group of Atlanta’s eager fans of good harmonies and a downright good time. If you’ve not had a chance to see and experience “Who Knows, Who Cares” or “Sun Hands” live this year (for me, I caught them more than a few times), you’ve missed out.

Sleigh Bells/LCD Soundsystem at the Tabernacle
Everyone claims this is James Murphy’s last tour, and if it is, then my hat is off to him. The kids were creating a mosh during Sleigh Bells, which settled down almost nicely during LCD Soundsystem. You either love or hate Sleigh Bells. I’m in the the camp that believes they’ve created one of the biggest stirs of 2010. Once the stage opened for LCD and the lights kicked in during “Dance Yrself Clean”, I knew we were in for a wild show.

I’ve not ever had the chance to see Murphy and Co. live so the opportunity to experience some of my beloved favorites from Sound of Silver and This is Happening was overwhelming. I was jumping so hard I couldn’t feel my legs, I was reciting lyrics so loud I couldn’t tell if I lost my voice. I believed for a night that James Murphy was god. I saw tweens and adults alike put aways their cell phones and cameras and embrace every part of the experience. I got close to tears during “Someone Great.” If these were my first and last moments with James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem, I couldn’t have had a more unforgettable time.

The National at the Fox – October 5th, 2010
I’ve seen the National loads of times, so why should this time be any better or worse than the others? High Violet is the reason why this show is one of my favorites. Last year’s show at Taberancle saw them playing early bits of High Violet, but this time they were on a victory lap of a trip that had taken their High Violet tour all around the world and brought them back to Atlanta. This was the National at it’s most controlled, most confident and most satisfying. Matt Berninger is the biggest happiest sad-sack ever on stage. His stage banter with Dessner twins should warrant them a sitcom immediately. They poke fun at phallic symbols in their songs.

And in the encore Matt Berninger found himself in the audience while singing “Terrible Love” followed by the National filling out the Fox with an stripped-down version of “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks.” These guys really should have had a “Mission Accomplished” banner hanging up there somewhere.

Favorite Hometown Show: Book of Colors/Venice is Sinking/Oryx and Crake at the Earl in July
This show had the best hometown feeling of all the local shows I went to this year. All the bloggers were in attendance (I’m fairly certain), all their friends and family were there. There were eager faces on the members of Oryx and Crake as they played out their acclaimed debut and filled the the Earl with an optimistic air.

My other favorites: Pavement at Tabernacle (I’d talk about this a lot but I think Emily has full command on this topic), Twin Sister at the Earl, the NPR Day Show at the Parish during SXSW, Neon Indian at the Earl, Beach House at the Earl, Class Actress/Small Black at Drunken Unicorn.


Chuck Norton
Dead Journalist
Web: www.deadjournalist.com
Twitter: @_DeadJournalist

I don’t see many shows anymore. A truer statement is that I don’t go see shows, anymore.

So rather than talk about the couple of shows I did see in person, I want to talk about the show I watched live … on my computer.

With all the hype surrounded by Arcade Fire’s release, the live stream of the second of their two sold out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York, was a spectacle. Knowing that I wasn’t going to see them when they hit Atlanta (or Alpharetta to be more exact), this was my chance to see a band I never saw when I was going to see shows.

Having seen the Decemberists live – and knowing people who had seen both – I knew there were lots of similarities in stage antics.

After the ridiculous lead-in and some annoying technical glitches, the end result was a fantastic experience, live via my laptop. The band brought the energy, the crowd was electric and I was live-chatting with other bloggers/media types for the first half. I stopped the chat mid-way, because I was too into the concert. They’d play a song; I’d get excited. When the encore ended, I still wanted more, but I was satisfied with what I experienced.

For an hour, I was a fan again. And that feeling doesn’t happen too often anymore.

Was it as good as seeing a great show in person? No. But, it was also better because you didn’t have to deal with the crap from a bad live show either. No smoke. No drunken idiots talking through the show. No 30 mile drive home at 1AM.

It would be great if more bands were afforded to opportunity to broadcast their live performances online (with the technical components in place to create good sounds and video). Maybe some deep-pocketed individual will do that. For people who don’t have the way or the means to see their favorite bands play, it would – and is – a way to still feel connected.

It’s one of the few good things left about the internet.