http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/ en cmerrill@thecornernews.com Copyright 2010 2010-03-16T16:34:42+00:00 http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/atlanta-singer-songwriter-likened-to-big-names/ http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/atlanta-singer-songwriter-likened-to-big-names/#When:15:34:42Z While it may seem somewhat presumptuous to compare this young, largely unknown performer to such successful artists, Dalton is the real deal.Micah Dalton has some pretty big shoes to fill. The singer/songwriter has been likened to a “cleverer Ben Harper” and an ‘80s era Prince by Paste magazine and a songwriter in the style of Paul Simon by The Nashville Scene. While it may seem somewhat presumptuous to compare this young, largely unknown performer to such successful artists, Dalton is the real deal. A native of Atlanta, Dalton has been performing and recording there in some of the best studios in town for years now. Recently he signed with the small non-profit Athens-based indie Rebuilt Records, which puts out albums from local “starving artists.” With vibrant slide guitars outlining many of his tunes and a too-good-to-be-true voice this veteran road warrior has been touring tirelessly across the South, dishing out his version of Southern pop/soul. On “Pawnshop,” Dalton’s third recording project and most recent release, the young song writer spins off 12 tracks all focused on the telling of a uniquely Southern story. It’s fairly rare to see a new artist release a concept album so early in their career, but the tracks on “Pawnshop” represent a burgeoning musician who is coming in to his own as a master-crafter. Micah Dalton will be performing at Eighth & Rail in Opelika on Friday, March 26. Check out myspace.com/micahdalton for more info. and to preview some of his tunes. 2010-03-16T15:34:42+00:00 http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/former-auburn-students-rock-covers-at-supper-club/ http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/former-auburn-students-rock-covers-at-supper-club/#When:19:39:29Z Sometimes you run across a cover band that can extract some of the greatness out of the original songs that made them so enjoyable in the first place.Cover bands come in all shapes and sizes. Some are obviously better than others, but every once in a while you run across one that can extract some of the greatness out of the original songs that made them so enjoyable in the first place. Crenshaw Park, a more mature cover band than most, fits that description to the tee. Founded a few years back by Mark Crenshaw, band leader and Auburn University alum, the group originally played under the moniker of Crazy Chester (and yes, they do play “The Weight” by The Band) before changing their name to Crenshaw Park and touring the state as a southern rock cover band. The group has a pretty awesome, expansive setlist, ranging from songs by the Rolling Stones to Warren Zevon, from the Allman Brothers Band to Pink Floyd and the Grateful Dead. As a group, the guys have deep roots in music (Crenshaw has played with bassist/vocalist Joe Massone for more than 10 years – since their days at Auburn). Also, keep an ear out for some originals mixed into the set. Right now the group only plays a few, but they plan on releasing an EP of original tunes by the end of the summer. Crenshaw Park will be performing at the War Eagle Supper Club on Saturday, March 13. You can check out some of their material at myspace.com/crenshawpark. 2010-03-12T19:39:29+00:00 http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/live-music-on-a-cold-night/ http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/live-music-on-a-cold-night/#When:20:39:36Z Fans of live music braved the cold Saturday night to hear Scott Bryan and his Duo Nouveau band and David Jarrett at Fred’s Pickin’ Parlor. Fans of live music braved the cold Saturday night to hear Scott Bryan and his Duo Nouveau band and David Jarrett at Fred’s Pickin’ Parlor in Loachapoka. The performers shared the honor of christening the new stage at Fred’s. “Ya’ll are troopers tonight coming out in this cold,” Bryan said to the audience. Duo Nouveau consists of Scott Bryan on guitar and Mike Kisch on stand-up bass. The band hails from Pensacola and plays regularly at the legendary Flora-Bama. Duo Nouveau played country and folk hits including George Jones’ “Bartender’s Blues” and Norman Blake’s “Hand Me Down My Walking Cane.” Fred Lord, owner of Fred’s Pickin’ Parlor, joined the band on his steel guitar at the end of the set. David Jarrett also performed at Fred’s Saturday night. Randy Stewart accompanied Jarrett with his fiddle. Beth Badger said she enjoyed the show. “I think it’s great,” Badger said. “I liked it because there were people who had not played together before and it turned out some cool music.” Rachel Merriwhether agreed: “It’s worth braving the cold for.” Despite the audience’s warm reception, Bryan fears that live music like the kind played at Fred's may soon disappear. “We appreciate ya’ll supporting live music,” Bryan said. “Pretty soon you won’t be able to hear any. Someone will just push a button. It’s all electronic. Support live music every chance you get.” Check out Prime Tyme this Friday and Saturday at Fred’s Pickin’ Parlor. For more information on upcoming shows at Fred’s, call 334.502.6602 or visit their Facebook page. show reviews 2010-03-09T20:39:36+00:00 http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/young-artists-showcased/ http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/young-artists-showcased/#When:21:46:17Z “Figure it Out (an art event)” hosted a modest crowd of local artists and art enthusiasts at Eighth & Rail Monday night.“Figure it Out (an art event)” hosted a modest crowd of local artists and art enthusiasts at Eighth & Rail Monday night. The show displayed original work from various local artists including paintings from two next generation artists. Frank, 7, and Georgia Thompson, 5, proudly displayed their young talents on the walls along with the rest of the artists. Jeremy Morgan, a featured artist in the show and a family friend, said their parents are very encouraging to seek out expression. “The most intriguing thing about it is that they are very artistically inclined even though neither one of them knew they were,” said Morgan. Morgan noticed Frank and Georgia’s drawings and doodles around their house from visiting their parents and saw the opportunity with “Figure it Out” to show children’s art in a formal setting. Michael Acuff, the producer of “Figure it Out,” said the show was a great way to display the talent in the area. “I thought it was a good show,” said R.C. Hagans, a local artist. The artwork displayed at the event will remain on the walls at Eighth & Rail in historic downtown Opelika and is available for purchase every night the bar is open for business including live events. show reviews 2010-02-09T21:46:17+00:00 http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/the-independent-kicks-off-second-installment-of-concert-series/ http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/the-independent-kicks-off-second-installment-of-concert-series/#When:15:28:49Z The Independent owner Heath Truitt believes “Indiepaloozaroo II” is worth the effort he’d still put into it even if it wasn’t. That there was actually enough response to justify another one is giving Heath Truitt the sigh-of-relief impression that the Independent’s “Indiepaloozaroo II” is worth the effort he’d still put into it even if it wasn’t. When Truitt, 35, moved back to the Plains from the comparatively thriving scene of Richmond, Va., in 2006, he found – except for the cover bands – a different town than the one he had left almost a decade earlier. The record stores were boutiques; house shows were all but extinct. Truitt started The Independent to do something about it. “I started [the Independent] to prove that Auburn can be just like any other college town,” Truitt says. “Even Oxford, Miss., has a better scene than we do right now.” That wasn’t always the case. In terms of underground music, Truitt’s time as a student at Auburn in the mid-90s coincided with what were arguably the town’s glory days. Thanks to the do-it-yourself dedication of folks like Truitt, local bands had a reason to form and touring bands that might not have been able to find Alabama on a map were regularly drenched in the sweat raining from the ceilings of houses on Glenn, Ross, Harper, Gay. Those are the kind of nights The Independent has been trying to recreate since opening last March. “I mean, we might not turn into an Athens or a Gainesville,” Truitt says. “But we can at least do better than an Oxford or Columbia (S.C.).” Truitt believes the “Indiepaloozaroo” series is a good start. Birmingham indie-rockers Vulture Whale, which have drawn praise from “Blender,” “Spin,” and even Brooklyn hipsters, anchored the first such event in January. The second phase of the event will include regional and local bands (The Bandar-Log, SummerTrees), and the four-day event will also feature an exhibit by local artists. The biggest draw this go-round is likely Huntsville rock’n’roll buzz-band Thomas Function, whose Thursday night show will be their last before heading to the “South by Southwest” festival in March. “The goal,” says Truitt, “is to remind [people in] Auburn that they like watching live, original music.” After all, he says, “We’re in a college town. This is what you’re supposed to do.” “Indiepaloozaroo II” starts Wednesday, Feb. 3, and lasts through Saturday, Feb. 6. An exhibit of works by local artists Wayles Carpenter, Iris Talbot, and Teil Duncan will open at 6 p.m. Wednesday and be on display through March 5. Musically, “Indiepaloozaroo II” kicks off Wednesday with progressive Tuscaloosa indie-rockers Baak Gwai, the psychedelic pop-rock of Hattiesburg, Mississippi’s Ben Shea, and Auburn’s dynamic synth-minimalist duo Summertrees. Thursday features Thomas Function from Huntsville and Summertrees. Friday it’s Birmingham’s hard-to-define, easy-to-like (and critically acclaimed) Through the Sparks and the funky, no-rules garage rock of locals The Bandar-Log. Saturday wraps up with the eclectic soul of Athens, Ga.-based The HEAP and the funky, throwback hard rock of An Abstract Theory from Muscle Shoals. The cover charge is $5 per night. Doors open at 9 p.m. Four-day passes are currently on sale at The Independent. Call 826-3151 or visit myspace.com/theindependentauburn for more information. 2010-02-03T15:28:49+00:00 http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/opelika-show-inspired-by-travel/ http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/opelika-show-inspired-by-travel/#When:19:49:10Z Along with his band, rock/pop musician Sam Thacker moved and grooved a packed house at Eighth & Rail in Opelika Friday night.Along with his band, rock/pop musician Sam Thacker moved and grooved a packed house at Eighth & Rail in Opelika Friday night. The band played a selection of songs from Thacker’s new album “Lines” along with other favorites. “The show was a great time,” said Michael Acuff, an art student at Auburn. “He played an unsuspecting amount of covers.” Thacker’s set list included some of his own hit singles and some great covers ranging from Jack Johnson to The Rolling Stones. Thacker and his band came straight into town from playing in Charlotte, N.C., the night before. Over the past three years Thacker has been touring constantly and he attributes the travel as being one of his heaviest influences on the new album. Its title, “Lines,” alludes to the broken white and yellow lines that lead up and down the roads from gig to gig. Originally from Houston, Texas, Thacker moved to Atlanta, Ga., for college with dreams of kick starting his music career. He funded the recording of his first album solely on money earned from playing. “Above the Underneath,” Thacker’s debut album was released in 2005 with the hit single “Serenade.” For more on Sam Thacker, visit myspace.com/samthacker. show reviews 2010-02-01T19:49:10+00:00 http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/country-style-rock-at-its-best/ http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/country-style-rock-at-its-best/#When:15:49:08Z The New Familiars definitely have one of the most accurate band names in a long time.The New Familiars definitely have one of the most accurate band names in a long time. The New Familiars make rock ‘n’ roll with a country twang, a sound that is certainly familiar, especially in the Southeast. Each song utilizes a standard of the country-rock genre, whether it’s a foot-stomping banjo rhythm, a moody steel guitar line or lyrics about whisky, wine and flying three sheets to the wind. What’s new about The New Familiars is the personality they interject in each song. Many southern rock bands fall short of capturing the southern charm they seem so desperate to convey, but The New Familiars have charm in droves. The song “Annalein” sounds like it should be played during a cattle drive across a wide open plane with lightning striking far off in the distance. Perhaps The New Familiar’s cover of The Temptation’s “My Girl” is the best embodiment of something new and familiar. The band takes a true soul classic, adds a southern touch with a shot of moonshine and still retains the heartfelt sincerity of the original song. Although “My Girl” was not my favorite song I heard by the band, I certainly appreciate the effort they put into adding a new twist to an old classic. Basically, The New Familiars make good music. They’re Southern, talented and have fun with their music, and isn’t that all you could really ask of from a band? The New Familiars are playing the Strutting Duck on Jan. 29. Preview them on the band’s Web site, thenewfamiliars.com. 2010-01-27T15:49:08+00:00 http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/take-action-tour-hits-atlanta/ http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/take-action-tour-hits-atlanta/#When:15:44:15Z Not only did fans attend an amazing show, but just by purchasing a ticket, they contributed to cause. This past Monda, The Masquerade in Atlanta was the place to be with three different shows scheduled to take place. This venue/night club has three rooms for shows: heaven (upstairs), hell (downstairs) and purgatory (across from hell). The most attended attraction was in heaven, the “2010 Take Action Tour,” sponsored by Sub City, a non-profit organization of Hopeless Records, headlined by We The Kings and featuring Mayday Parade, A Rocket to the Moon, There for Tomorrow and Call the Cops. Not only did fans attend an amazing show, but just by purchasing a ticket, they contributed to cause. Every year the “Take Action Tour” partners up with an organization with strong youth involvement. This year, the tour is supporting “Driving for Donors,” an organization that started with Patrick Pedraja and his family who took action when Patrick was diagnosed with leukemia at age 11. They drove around the country to raise awareness and funds, and to encourage people to become bone marrow donors. Before walking in to see the show, there was a table for those 18 and up to register to be a donor for the “National Marrow Registry.” A cheek swab and paperwork is the first step to potentially saving someone’s life. Every band that took the stage encouraged everyone to sign up. The crowd continued to grow with each band that took the stage. Call the Cops was up first, followed by There for Tomorrow who both did a great job amping up the crowd. A Rocket to the Moon continued to contribute to the excitement as they took the stage. As the setting changed for Mayday Parade, the crowd seemed to substantially increase and general admission was packed. The lights went down and Mayday took the stage to the sound of screams from ecstatic fans. For We the Kings’ lead singer, Travis Clark, this tour is very special. “It’s the first time that we have been able to use our success to help and give back not only to our community, but everyone,” Clark said. It’s been a rough journey since We the Kings started. The past two years have been constant hard work and they are doing whatever it takes to succeed. 2010 is all about touring to promote their new album, “Smile Kid,” which was relesed in December. “ ‘Smile Kid’ sounds, in certain songs, very very similar to the first CD, which was our fun loving style of writing music,” said lead guitarist Hunter Thomsen. “We have matured in our music and in age. The new stuff that is a little bit different is good and gives an aspect of where we want to go.” The lights went down and Travis, Hunter, Drew and Danny took the stage. They got right to rocking and the crowd went wild. The set list was a combination of songs from both albums including “Check Yes, Juliet” and “Skyway Avenue” from their self-titled album and songs from “Smile Kid” including “The Story of Your Life,” “She Takes Me High” and “Heaven Can Wait,” the new album’s first single. “It is definitely a majority of the songs people love from the first record and the ones we like from the new record,” said Clark. Travis and Hunter said crowd involvement is a priority and they kept it at its peak with sing-alongs and sharing stories with them. The crowd went crazy and the energy was incredible. We the Kings make performing look so easy, but it’s definitely a different story from their perspective. Hunter describes himself as fairly tranquil pre-show, but gets right into rocker mode as soon as the concert starts. For Travis, it’s nerves and worries of messing up, but you would never know it from the way he plays. It’s a craft that needs to be perfected and We the Kings is on the right track. “The 2010 Take Action Tour” was a definite success for the bands and for “Driving for Donors.” Many people signed up, including this reporter. For more information on how you can become a donorm visit bethematch.org and for more information on the “Take Action Tour” and the bands visit takeaction.com. show reviews 2010-01-27T15:44:15+00:00 http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/payne-and-band-paint-sonic-pictures1/ http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/payne-and-band-paint-sonic-pictures1/#When:18:46:49Z The true beauty of Payne’s music lies not in his similarities to other musicians, but in his musical precision and dedication to each song.Attention all fans of independently-produced acoustic music; you need to listen to Jesse Payne. Now that I have your attention, you really should consider giving Jesse Payne a listen, because if you’re a fan of contemporary-acoustic music you will more than likely enjoy Payne. To be fair, Payne’s sound is not anything new in today’s indie-acoustic scene. Half of the time, Payne sounds like a simple-yet-elegant folk guitarist such as M. Ward or Johnny Flynn. Other times, and the times when Payne sounds best, he weaves together all of the sounds of his four-piece band to create beautiful, deep melodies similar to those of Fleet Foxes. Plus, Payne’s affection for the reverb sound effect and constant use of open space makes the Fleet Foxes similarities that much more obvious. The true beauty of Payne’s music lies not in his similarities to other musicians, but in his musical precision and dedication to each song. In the biography on his web site, Payne calls each one of his songs a “sonic picture” and I must say that I myself could not think of a better description. Each song has its own personality; every member contributes something to create a final product that is far greater than any one member’s contribution. In other words, Payne and his band mates are artists, and they know it. In the song, “Until the Roots Surface,” Payne says “You can’t say there’s nothing better, than sitting up drinking with you.” Well I would argue that on Jan. 28, there will not be much better to do than sitting up drinking with Jesse Payne when he plays Eighth and Rail in Opelika. Preview Jesse Payne’s music on iTunes or on his MySpace page at myspace.com/jessepayne. 2010-01-19T18:46:49+00:00 http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/local-female-brings-peaceful-acoustic-melodies-to-forefront/ http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/nightlife/local-female-brings-peaceful-acoustic-melodies-to-forefront/#When:21:24:46Z Brown’s music is perfect for those seeking a simple, peaceful type of music. This is the first time I have ever had the chance to review a local musician who was truly local to the town of Auburn. One thing is for sure, Destiny Brown sets the bar high for all local talent that I have not yet reviewed. Brown’s music is perfect for those seeking a simple, peaceful type of music. While performing, Brown has only two instruments, her guitar and her voice, and she uses both exquisitely; one helping the other to create a soothing, joyous sound. Imagine if Jack Johnson lived in the Southeastern United States, and had a much prettier, more feminine voice; then you would have the music of Destiny Brown. Either that, or a soulful guitar track that was the last song cut off of the “O, Brother Where Art Thou” soundtrack. The latter description is probably the more accurate because Brown tends to have a more serious delivery, as opposed to Johnson who usually sings with a more playful attitude. Either way she sings it, Destiny Brown is not to be missed when you are looking for a peaceful way to enjoy live music festivities. Go support Auburn’s local music in the truest form by seeing Destiny Brown at the Strutting Duck on Jan. 13. Check out Brown on her MySpace page at myspace.com/destinybrown22. 2010-01-12T21:24:46+00:00