2009 will make 14 years I’ve lived in Atlanta.  I’ve been a part of the music scene, off and on, during that time and played at just about every club in town.  I’ve seen countless shows at clubs all over this city.  Today I was thinking about Atlanta’s live music clubs from days gone by and my favorite ones that still rock.

The Echo Lounge in East Atlanta, now East Atlanta Ice House, was my favorite club.  I saw so many great shows there: Death Cab For Cutie, Spoon, Dresden Dolls, Don Caballero, John Vanderslice and Ranier Maria to name a few.  Their sound system was big and loud.  Bands enjoyed playing there.  Due to some weird zoning laws the club had to close because of misfiled permits.

Another favorite club was The Point, now The Clothing Warehouse, in Little 5 Points.  I loved the intimacy of that club.  The band would have to walk right by you to get to the stage since there was no “backstage” there.  I saw many great shows there from Lush, The Ocean Blue and Ben Folds Five.

One last club I liked that bit the dust was The Cotton Club on Peachtree St., next to Jock’s and Jill’s. I didn’t care for the rectangular layout of the club but I did see some great shows there: Mojave 3, Floyd’s Funk Revival and missed seeing a sold out Mr. Bungle show. I couldn’t believe it sold out.

Clubs like The Masquerade and The Variety Playhouse never went away and still have national acts every week.  I like Variety and The Masquerade but they’re much bigger than the Echo Lounge and The Point were.

My favorite club now that has the intimate vibe that Echo and The Point did is The EARL.  The EARL is small and you can get right in the face of whoever is playing.  I recently saw Les Savy Fav there and was treated to the performance of a lifetime.  I’m glad I got to see such a great band in a small venue like The EARL.  If you’ve seen Les Savy Fav you know it’s as much performance art as it is music.  It’s an interactive show to say the least.

Right down the street from The EARL and across from The Clothing Warehouse is The Star Bar. I’ve always enjoyed seeing shows there. Star Bar leans more towards local acts so honestly I haven’t been there as much. I do like the vibe there and they have a good sound system.

What about you? What were some of your favorite clubs from the past? Which ones do you like now?

I’ve lived in Atlanta for fourteen years, nearly ten of those have been in East Atlanta. When I moved to my neighborhood I never realized that I’d be able to relive my teens/early-twenties a mere handful of blocks from my house. The time machine into which I step is also know as The EARL.

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.

It probably isn’t fair to judge a new restaurant on its opening night.^[1] I’m sure The Grange doesn’t want me to do that and, honestly, I don’t think I want to do that to them. So let’s call this a first impression, with the understanding that we’ll meet again soon.

I found out The Angel was closing the hard way: I showed up and no one was there. The place was lights-out and empty. Uh-oh, I thought. Good news is, the place didn’t lay fallow for long. Better news is, The Grange kept pretty much everything that was good about The Angel’s space—the dark woods, the brick patio, the tile floor, and the little pub-nooks—and added just a bit of light, just a bit of air, to open it up and make it feel fresh.

On to the bad news. Saturday night, the joint was hopping, but tangled. The space between patio and bar was wandered by folks trying to figure out the seating situation, with no host and no list to help. I like wandering into a self-serve pub space, sure, but that night was just too busy for that. A tall man with keys on the end of a long spoon rushed around, apologizing for late dinners and calming frustrated customers. Beer was being brought in by the six-pack. They were in the weeds.

So let’s go back to some good news. Service was happy, attentive, and up-front. As soon as our waitress knew there was going to be a delay on our food, she let us know. Our appetizer showed up quick and hot.

Which brings us back to some bad news. The food on Saturday night was a bust. In an Irish pub, chips shouldn’t be skinny, limp, soggy things. What comes with them shouldn’t be a plastic Solo cup of blue-cheese dressing. Fish and chips shouldn’t consist of a single ragged piece of fish burned within an inch of edibility and more of those skinny fries. The shepherd’s pie was ordinary.

Word since Saturday, though, is better. The report I got says “Grange impressed” and “Good food.” Also, “Great hangout vibe,” which I sure agree with.

Friendly advice, Grange? Commit to the Irish vibe on your menu, nail those pub-favorite dishes, and add some distinctive dish that gives your place its own voice. In the meantime, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that The Grange stays busy enough to find its flow. The trick is giving a new place time to find its footing without, you know, just not going and accidentally running it out business, I guess.

Not to jinx it, but I’d be surprised if they can’t make it work there.

^{1. I’ve read that some restaurant critics give a new place three months to get their act together before they review the place. How long do you wait?}

You know how you don’t really appreciate something until it’s gone? Let’s not let it get that far.

Wordsmith’s Books, just off the square in Decatur, is a rare and wonderful thing: a lively local bookstore. I’ll admit, I don’t take advantage of having a store like it around, because I don’t get to spend as much money on books as I’d like. But seeing that we might lose our only Wordsmith’s Books—the only Wordsmith’s Books—has me wanting to make the place a part of my regular existence. I’m going to start tonight, and so can you. Help us out.

(I would’ve mentioned this earlier, but I just found out about it third-hand through the grapevine of area robot-makers. Seriously.)

Tonight, the store is hosting a reading, a musical performance, and a silent auction in an effort to raise enough money to keep the place in business. What’s being auctioned? Robots. Robots, people! How can you not want to get in on that?! These are handmade, locally crafted robots, each one (to the best of my knowledge) unique. Plus, local darlings, the Sealions, will be playing their music when Jack Pendarvis isn’t reading from his new novel, Awesome. Don’t let this opportunity slip by. Read more about this weekend’s Wordsmith’s-saving events at the Wordsmith’s blog.

More to the point, don’t let Wordsmith’s Books slip away. The place has a reputation in the book business—a rep from one of the country’s major publishers mentioned it to me as a great local bookstore, and he’d never been to Atlanta. Wordsmith’s is alive with signing and reading events, local poetry, and special events. If we let it get away then we will just be one more city that doesn’t cherish its independent and local booksellers. Instead, let’s be a city with a noteworthy one-of-a-kind bookshop. Let’s save Wordsmith’s.

YouTube flotsam that’s making the local rounds. YMMV.

ATL Hoodrat aka SOULJA GIRL goes crazy on the Marta!

[Via james]

Sturgess Fillmore Presents… ATLANTA!

[Via CL's Fresh Loaf]

Which one of these videos is more indicative of the Atlanta you know and love?

like picking belly button lint or reorganizing your sock drawer, the one and only vanilla ice will be appearing tonignt at cowboy’s in kennessaw.

yo v.i.p. let’s kick it.

if you don’t even know how to get to kennessaw you should probably just go ahead and skip this one.

for those not planning to help vanilla ice fund his retirement, what are you up to this weekend?

What is it about Variety Playhouse? It’s right there. It’s a terrifically relaxed venue. Yet I almost never go. Except last night I did.

There was a time—not a long time, but a time—when I was bothered by the little scraps of light from cell phones and digital cameras held up from the standing room in front of the stage. It made me think of jack-necks with microphones and two-bit mini-disc devices held together with electrical tape, secretly recording shows back in Chicago. These weren’t keepsake bootlegs or peer-to-peer consolation prizes for folks who couldn’t make the show, back then. They were like clandestine surveillance experts looking for secret messages in the lyrics and, failing to find them, selling off the harmless recordings under the table. These guys were resellers, smuggling in mics and smuggling out contraband—bootleggers of the old-school variety, more Capone than Robin Hood.

>> Read the rest of this review

For those of you curious about the collaborative show between Big Boi and the Atlanta Ballet, look no further than Russell’s review.

I’m nearly deaf, but I’m willing to be deafened more.

No, I don’t have a review either, I just wanted to highlight Maxim Magazine’s douchebaggery.

Give ‘em Hell, Robinson Bros.!

And when Paste Magazine gets around to posting their interview/review (from the most recent issue) I’ll link it here.

One of Atlanta’s great troublemaker DJs has himself a new regular gig at Eastside Lounge, revitalizing your Saturday nights in East Atlanta. DJ Achilles, like the captain of a Soviet ballistic-missile submarine, will be firing off New Wave, Electro and Rock attacks to heat up your cold wars. PBR and Jaeger specials provide the West German vibe, while the Eastside Lounge provides the iron curtain. Come, comrades, and dance.

Doors at nine. Free parking. $5 cover.