At The EARL I’ve seen performances by Dick Dale, two-thirds of Hüsker Dü (namely Bob Mould and Grant Hart performing solo shows), Mission of Burma, as well as others. And this weekend I’ll be at there twice, to catch both performances put on by The Long Ryders. Here’s the kicker about this… these shows will be the first United States shows put on by The Long Ryders in over twenty years, they are likely be their only performances in the United States, and there is a chance that they may never get back together again.

For those of you not as old as me, The Long Ryders were up-and-coming “alternative” music stars back when “alternative” music was in its infancy. In those days The Long Ryders toured the globe headling shows and were scheduled to tour with bands such as U2. However, their path to rock stardom was interrupted when some of the band members chose other paths and the band broke up in 1987.

Tickets for the shows can either be purchased via Ticket Alternative; or at The EARL on the day of the show.

Considering that eleven of the thirty live shows I saw in 2006 were at The EARL you should have some indication why Playboy magazine picked it as one of the “10 Best American Rock Clubs.”

It never ceases to amaze me to think of the acts that have played on The EARL’s stage within the past year — The Hold Steady, Alejandro Escovedo, She Wants Revenge, The Mountain Goats to name a few. Recognize any of those? I thought you might. In addition The EARL has also provided a stage for Atlanta’s revitalized local music scene by hosting shows by Snowden, Manchester Orchestra, Sovus Radio, Gringo Star (ne A Fir-Ju Well) [who are the band pictured in the Playboy article], The Selmanaires and more.

What do you get when you see a show at The EARL? You get a close “intimate” stage and loud music, usually at a reasonable price. What more can a concert-goer ask for? You also usually get a heavy dose of second-hand smoke. So the place is not perfect — deal with it.

What’s really strange about The EARL (which stands for East Atlanta Restaurant and Lounge) is that the music stage is but one reason to visit. The EARL serves up one of the best hamburgers in Atlanta and provides a wide array of beer for you to drink. Playboy mentions the decor of the bar, screw that look at the people instead. At The EARL you’ll usually find an array of patrons ranging from the conservative to the extreme.

There are a handful of great music venues in Atlanta, but I’d have to agree with Playboy and choose The EARL as the best. What says you?

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

btw- if you want to know about Emo’s which is also on Playboy’s list check out this Austin Metroblogging entry

Yes, Trees Atlanta will be holding its seventh annual tree sale. The sale will be held in Piedmont Park near Magnolia Hall (think “near the tennis courts”) from 8am-2pm. Having volunteered for this event for as long as I can remember I can tell you if you want the best selection get there early!

If you’d like to see a list of the trees that will be up for sale, follow this link (btw- its a PDF).

This event is Trees Atlanta’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Hope to see you there.

If you are like me (and this time that’s a good thing) you believe that this is the Thrashers’ year to make it into the playoffs.

Tonight’s game is against the Tampa Bay Lightning — face off (hockey term) occurs at 7pm down at Philips Arena.

ps - I suggest you also get down there early enough to drink at least one of the jumbo beers served in CNN Center’s food court.

Game On!

Using search queries such as “numb fingers” and “60 single men” as well as other data, the NY Times was able to identify the 62-year-old Arnold (here’s a link to the NY Times’ article).

Scary, huh?

Reports that AOL offered Ms. Arnold 1500 free hours as retribution have not yet been confirmed.

In this case probably not too much, but you concert-goers should be aware that Earthlink Live is now the Venue-Formerly-Known-As-Earthlink-LIve.

(Re)Introducing Center Stage Atlanta

For fans of heat, art, and music the weekend-long festivities along Virginia Avenue cannot be beat. Check out the music lineups for Saturday and Sunday nights and you will see some of Atlanta’s best local bands listed.

I will be volunteering from 1pm - 3pm (and drinking with the crowds after that). Come on down to my hood and say hello.

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

One option this weekend is the Fourth Annual Peace & Love Festival to be held all weekend long at the Lake Claire Community Land Trust

They will be having bands playing from 12:15pm - 9:00pm each day (check their website for a complete listing) and tickets are a mere $10 for one day, $15 for both.

• Surin
• Panita Thai Kitchen
• Harry and Son’s
• Ma-Li

to mind, all exisiting within a few miles of one another.

I guess this trend is reversing. Last night on my way out of George’s Bar to go running I noticed that Pad Thai looked empty and that there was a notice posted on its door. The noticed informed all who read it that Pad Thai had closed its doors forever on April 30th, 2006.