347 Augusta

Who doesn’t hate Atlanta’s best failing music critic, Jeff Clark? Attractive Eighties Women debase Jeff in this interview and call him a “coward.”

And even though he’s talking about a band whose members I am familiar with, it doesn’t make up for the fact that he’s a butt plug. No trackback for you:

It’s Elephant’s have a new, nine-song, 22-minute EP out called Gets Along. If I was drunk right now I’d probably say they sound like some satanic merger of Three Dog Night and Canned Heat, but the sober truth is they’re even worse than that. They’re solidly in the running for the most awful local band I’ve heard so far this century. That’s beating out a metric ton of competition, folks!

A free download of It’s Elephant’s debut LP, “Little Trouble in Chinatown,” is available at www.threefortysevenaugusta.com. (Credit: Photo provided)

It’s Elephant’s recorded their 2008 album, “Little Trouble in Chinatown” at Nickel and Dime studios, a converted theatre in Avondale Estates, Ga.

The facility’s 25-foot ceilings helped contribute to the record’s warm, natural production. Velvet curtains added to the vibe.

“There was something about being in that space,” says It’s Elephant’s multi-instrumentalist David Fountain.

Unfortunately Nickel and Dime is now closed, Fountain says; a “victim of the whole economy thing.”

“Little Trouble” is a worthy relic of the studio. The song titles reveal a punk rock/ Charles Bukowski sense of humor.

“Brightside of An Ulser” scatters bar room truths over four chords. On “Two Beers & Mr. Coffee,” frontman Brent Jay digs deep over guitar geometry and horn section punctuation.

Based in Atlanta, It’s Elephant’s is giving away “Little Trouble” for free, and not just the download available atwww.threefortysevenaugusta.com. Physical copies are gratis too.

“The philosophy behind that is if people come hear us and we’re a band they’ve never heard of they’re probably not going to pay $10 (for a CD),” Fountain says. “This way people can listen to us and become fans of our music. I think the compact disc as a medium is sort of dying.”

Initially, Fountain began working with It’s Elephant’s—which also includes bassist Barrett Range and drummer Justin Shotwell—as “somewhat of a producer.” Eventually he was brought in as a full-time member: the musical equivalent of baseball’s utility infielder.
Fountain added piano, steel guitar, mandolin and even horns to the “Little Trouble” material.

Although he digs his role as It’s Elephant’s resident Brian Jones, Fountain enjoys playing keys the best. That trend will likely continue as he recently picked up a 1968 Wurlitzer electric piano.

“Sonically, the combination of guitar and piano has a little bit more weight and gravity,” Fountain says. “I also like playing pedal steel a lot although I don’t know what I’m doing.”

It’s Elephant’s is currently touring the Southeast, with upcoming stops in Athens, Ga., and Mobile, Ala. In the van, the band has been listening to Big Star, The Pixies and Tears for Fears, Fountain says.

And they’ve already begun work on a follow-up to “Little Trouble.” Fountain describes the new tunes as “Fugazi meets the Beach Boys.”

“At the heart of it is very fuzzy pop music; it’s like a teddy bear gone wrong,” he says.

It’s Elephants: ‘Like a teddy bear gone wrong’ [Metromix Greenville]

From redandblack.com, out of Athens, GA:

It’s Elephant’s has a musical style as peculiar as the band’s name.

Mixing eclectic instrumentation and shifting warped rhythms with raw vocal vigor and a subtle pop sensibility, the Atlanta natives will take the stage in Athens Saturday night.

Composed of vocalist/guitarist Brent Jay, guitarist/vocalist Garrett Range, multi-instrumentalist David Fountain and drummer Justin Shotwell, the four-piece creates music that practically defies classification.

Read the rest of this entry »

Cherokee recorded a cover of Buddy Holly’s seminal Peggy Sue a few months ago. Of it, Zach says,

To me, Buddy Holly defines cool. He was tall, good-looking, super sweet and a great songwriter. This cover is me trying to be that cool for two minutes.

Cherokee – Peggy Sue (Buddy Holly cover)

The home of “quality, diverse programming” at Georgia Tech played host to It’s Elephant’s yesterday evening. I listened to it with chicken, barbeque sauce, a baked potato and mixed vegetables.

Oh, and I’m moving to 367 Augusta: those guys know how to frigging party.

Audio download: Live at WREK 1/20/09

[Live at WREK]

I can’t remember what this song is supposed to be called, but Brent and Garrett played it in the living room of The B Side yesterday.

This was done as a promo for Chris Hamer’s upcoming solo art show In the company of thieves. Jan. 24 @ The Bench. www.myspace.com/urbnpop.

A man named Bernie, who is also Finally Films, had the intelligence to notice good music when he hears it and the foresight to make great career moves when the opportunity has risen. He is making a documentary for my current favorite band, 1994! called “Stutter like you Mean it.” Check out the trailer and see if you can spy Chris’s Jedi braid.

Like a twist, a slouch, or a bad night at the bar, Zach says,

So i have a new track i’d like to share. It’s titled Salty Sea. It’s about my fear of flying, cleansing, starting over, all that stuff. It was recorded in a bed room in Lancaster, PA by a guy named Nick Currin. It was recorded in about 2 hours and I did all of the instruments. I’ve had this song in my head and demoed for over 2 years.

With “Salty Sea,” Cherokee sentimentalizes all the things that make the winter season worth bundling up for.

Free track:
Cherokee – Salty Sea

Celebrate the 2ND ANNUAL WINTER SOULSTICE: A BENEFIT FOR WONDERROOT tonight at Smith’s Olde Bar. Music by Eddy Fontane, Josh Phillips Folk Festival, It’s Elephant’s, PictureMeFree, The Grain and The Brotherland. $10 plus two cans of food. 5 p.m. 1578 Piedmont Ave. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com.

I’ve blogged about these guys a bunch of times. I wrote a review of their album for a magazine. And I forgot that there was a girl in the band. Just please shut up and go see them tonight. Free. 9 p.m. Lenny’s Bar, 486 Decatur St. www.lennysbar.com.

So as promised like 6 months ago I have an EP available for your download. Takes like 1 minute, dude. It’s danceable, dark and full of sexy images. So download and expect more in the next few months. Thanks!

I’m Losing My Punk Rock Spirit: The Magnolia / Tonight is the Night / The Engagement / Cold as Ice / If We Were Black and White / What About My Heart

samloomis.mov

(click to play)

And somehow (somehow!) I just found this:

Tv On The Radio: Dear Science, 
If someone was to listen to this record, really listen to it and then be asked if they thought if this band could be the next big thing? The answer would be yes, if they really, listened to it.  Certain songs on the album could appear on the most mainstream of hip-hop/R&B radio stations while simultaneously being broadcast on major pop stations and any college outlet across the nation. Reminds me of Prince at moments, The Isley Brothers at others while still holding fast to the sound Tv On the Radio has spent their career crafting. The next time around, if my energy collected maintains a thought process through the transformation from learning knowledge to more elevated being, if it has a choice, it is choosing black. 

Sleeping in the Aviary: Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Motel
Track one, “Write on”, when heard for the first time will give you goose bumps. If it doesn’t, your probably dead; like Bruce Willis was that time. After Sean and I freaked out about that song for the duration I took it home and listened again. At first I thought it was too sad bastard for me to dig in to and all last night Vicki and I talked about the negative aspects of it. This morning, it played about three times uninterrupted while working batter into morning pastries and realized that, with one exception it is a very entertaining and solid album. At times, the vocalist reminds me of Conor Oberst because certain notes in a certain range are comparable and some would say (Brent “Bone Job” Jay) that the strumming pattern used on the guitar is the same on every song. While I agree with those previous points and honestly prefer the reckless abandonment of the previous album, the lyrical content is still great and the songs are overall more exciting than anything I have heard that could be called “folk” in years and years. 

Kings Of Leon: Slip from the Vaulted Throne
Honestly, I haven’t even heard this record. Years later all of the songs I ever like from these guys, with the exception of McFearless, don’t hold any weight. It just sounds boring and tiresome. Not to mention that the posters for their current tour make me want to puke gold fleece on to their silk vest and gold chains. These men look like the modern day Wham and the title of their new album is contrived garbage. In fact, there is a chance that the title was directly lifted from my waste basket where it was discarded for the more whimsical, Everlasting Sorrow Whilst we beseeched his Majesty to Fill our Loins.  The Difference was that I was titling an anal smut film and the one single similarity is that none of these titles have a damn thing to do with the content. 

Of course, listen to all three of these records for yourself and make your own opinion. You should always buy records from artist, there are a lot of children that eat because bands like Tv On the Radio and Kings of Leon are popular. Of course I understand poverty, so if you want them and you know my phone number; call me and swing by.

Feeling down and out in Atlanta without a way to cope with life? Well, this show is free! And it will also be an opportunity to hear Garrett DJ (or at least tell the DJ what to play next), thus fulfilling a lifelong dream of his: getting people off to very particular syncopated rhythms and fuzz box vocal patterns.

And! And! They put me on the flyer. You can’t beat that.

Featuring Raymond Hardy, local guru of fun-times. Even though I wasn’t at this show, I did see them the night before at the Earl and—like many of my contemporaries—lamented the fact that we all forgot to bring our cameras and flash them in his face for a change.

(photos by Sarah)