January 2009

One of the strangest things I've witnessed in my years as a music fan has been Ween's career arc. In the late 80s their schizophrenically demented, hilariously adolescent lo-fi pop detritus was so weird that even some open-eared college-radio kids couldn't get into it, but now Gene and Dean--having long ago committed to material that's at least straightforwardly genre driven, if not exactly straightforward--are among the prime movers in the jam-band universe, enjoying a sustained mass popularity unprecedented in their career.

When Brian Eno spearheaded the No New York compilation to document NYC's no wave scene in the 1970s, he heard plenty of gripes from the bands who got cut. History is repeating itself closer to home this time. The pending arrival of the Atlanta rock documentary We Fun has prompted some local bands to take matters into their own hands. We No Fun compiles 15 bands, most of whom have shaped Atlanta's post-punk, hardcore and DIY scene for years, but aren't in the film.

"I don't want this to be seen as reactionary," says Michael Keenan, who fronts the band Hawks and organized the compilation. "From conceptualization to having finished songs took three months, and never once did anyone ask, 'Is this reactionary?'"

A subtle but self-effacing tone hides in Athens songstress Madeline Adams' laugh when she admits that her third full-length, White Flag, isn't a "happy" album. But the CD -- due out March 10 via Elf Power's Orange Twin Records -- isn't a pit of despair, either. The album was recorded over a three-year period. As a result, it's difficult to identify one sweeping theme that ties it all together -- other than, as the title suggests, a general feeling of surrender. But redemption, rather than defeat, holds stronger sway over her gorgeous strumming and affecting voice. "I'm tired of hurting people and tired of hurting," she says. "I wanted the record to be this 'I want this feeling to be over' kind of thing."

Lynyrd Skynyrd pianist Billy Powell has passed away at age 56. Details are not known. The band has issued a statement: "Beloved Pianist for the Lynyrd Skynyrd Band, Billy Powell, passed away last night. We have no further details.

For Today's Roll Call we call out Adron.

Who are you?
Adron and Adrienne McCann. My broham calls me Binky.

Describe yourself in three words.
Paradeluvian, teleotropic, onaneiric.

Who -- dead or alive -- would you most like to meet?
David Foster Wallace.

Who would you most like to slap in the face?
People who smoke cigarettes and tell me that Veganism and psychedelics are unhealthy.

What song do you wish you had written?
"Ave Maria" by Franz Peter Schubert.

Black Moth Super Rainbow makes some of the most tripped-out experimental music you'll hear around these days, psychedelic electro-rock that belongs in a sci-fi space odyssey done in the 1970's. And it's not like that hard to sit through, hard to appreciate experi stuff -- Black Moth's music is vibrant, a rainbow of flavors that practically jumps out of the speakers to get your notice. I saw them open for Aesop Rock in '07 and was impressed at how well their music translated live. (The visuals helped.)

The band has recently announced the May 26 Graveface Records release of their fourth full-length, Eating Us (cover pictured at left). A medly from the album is currently streaming on the band's MySpace page. It's pretty good and I'm intrigued.

I'm a big fan of Gil Mantera's Party Dream. The previous time the synth pop duo-turned-recent-trio (drummer A.E. Paterra joined last tour) came through town, I did a little one-on-one phoner with Ultimate Donny, where he told me that he and Gil had been writing new music throughout last year and planned on releasing an album in early '09, the first since their 2006 debut, Bloodsongs.

Pigeon-holing musicians or making comparisons to something well-known is often the easiest way to describe a band. Simply take parts of what's familiar and combine them to form an opinion of what's new or different. It's not that easy with Los Angeles' Nico Vega.

You always read about these concerts -- MySpace throws a secret show, and though it usually reveals the location and bands the day before it occurs, most of the rest of us find out about it after the fact. Or we find out on time, but have no possible way to check out the show as it's in [insert too far away locale here]. This time around, MySpace presents a Super Bowl-inspired concert -- easy to put together because the band on the bill, Fall Out Boy, is already in town for the big game to play in support of Rihanna at Thursday's Super Bowl Smash Bash at Ford Amp. The Secret Show is held at State Theatre tomorrow night (Wednesday, January 28), at around 9 p.m.