Dear ass-farming fuckwad joggers: wearing all black while jogging on the side of the road, at night, and in the rain is not a very bright idea. You are extremely lucky I did not run your dumb asses over, since I could not fucking see you. Assholes.
I dropped in on the Hushbox Lounge (HL), which is a happy hour put on by Hushbox, last night. The HL was held at Food Studio in the King Plow Arts Center, which is conveniently located near my apartment.
As I wandered in I met Kebo, who runs Hushbox. We immediately struck up a conversation and chilled while people meandered into the bar. As the crowd picked up, I got to work photographing and mingling. Surprisingly for Atlanta, the party was very diverse and included a broad cross section of cool people. Usually I run into the same group of people at every event, so this was a welcome exception.
As I mixed with the throng, I was caught up in more than a few good conversations. Everyone was friendly and had something interesting to say.
Food Studio was a fantastic venue for this type of party, however it did become a bit crowded towards the end of the evening. While everyone was socializing, Food Studio employees were circulating with complimentary* appetizers. The mini crab cakes on slices of cucumber were fantastic.
* Provided you paid ten clams to attend the event
PHOTO: Random revelers at the Hushbox Lounge, Food Studio, Atlanta, GA. February 11, 2004. Courtesy of d.2263 Photographics.
Saturday night, I stopped in at the Rialto Theater for a benefit in honor of Angel Flight put on by Assunto Banks at 360 Entertainment. Walking in, I ran into recurring Propeller Skies characters Tracy and Sam. We caught up for a bit, since it had been a whole week since I saw them last. Next I wandered over to the bar to get a drink.
Recurring Propeller Skies characters Lisa and Susan showed up. We hung out and listened to the jazz band. Eventually, we wandered upstairs and discovered a wine tasting in the corner. While interesting, none of the wines were spectacular.
After the wine tasting, I got on the job and started photographing for AtlantaBuzz. While doing that, I met Kim and some dude whose name I have forgotten. According to Kim, who teaches something involving jazz at Callenwolde (obviously, I was paying all kinds of attention to the conversation), the aforementioned jazz band was very good. In addition to jazz and drinks there was also food, which was mighty tasty.
This was a well-organized, mellow event that benefited a great charity.
PHOTO: Random revelers at An Evening of Jazz at Rialto Theater in Fairlie-Poplar, Atlanta, GA. February 7, 2004. Courtesy of d.2263 Photographics.
It is only rain, do not panic. Turn your windshield wipers on and keep fucking moving. Do NOT drive your car into the concrete barrier. If someone else has driven their car into the concrete barrier, do NOT come to a complete stop in the middle of the motherfucking interstate to look. It is just an accident, they happen every day. Nothing special to see here, move it along you looky-loos. Thank you for your cooperation.
I caught the Black Kites show at The Echo Lounge last night. This was my first time seeing the Black Kites with their new drummer Mike Barnes and only his second show with the band. Susannah Barnes, the bass player, also happens to be his sister and together they are one of the tightest rhythm sections I have ever seen.
This was a great show and included their first* ever encore. For the record, Dial 1: For Everything was the encore. The set also included a new song where Joie Hoke played bass instead of singing lead and Susannah took over vocal duties.
I have seen the Black Kites several times, with the first time being just over a year ago (shortly after they added Joie on vocals). Since then they have played out regularly and have clearly gained confidence. At this show, they owned the stage and were playing off each other, especially Susannah and Amy Burmeister. The Black Kites are so good, it is scary. I recommend checking them out.
Providing support for the Black Kites was a math-rock trio from Brooklyn, Broadband. They were excellent. I am glad I arrived at The Echo Lounge in time to catch Broadband’s set. Visually, they had a very cool look, with all three members wearing sparkly dresses.
According to Joie, Elisha Foley (bass) was, “badass”. I fully agree, her bass lines were melodic and superbly anchored Jen Emma Hertel’s dark and brooding guitar work. Behind Elisha and Jen Emma, Caryn Havlik’s drumming gave Broadband plenty of low-end punch.
I only caught about half of Made in China’s set. In contrast to the math-rock tendencies of the Black Kites and Broadband, Made in China was much more punk. Some of their songs I liked and some I did not. They were a decent opening band (as opposed to an opening band that sucks). A nice touch was the creative low-fi lighting they brought, which was a vintage lamp with the band name on the shade.
There was one post-ironic hipster with a trucker hat sighting in The Echo.
* With the current line-up.
PHOTO 1: Susannah Barnes and Michelle Cox of the Black Kites playing at The Echo Lounge, Atlanta, GA. February 4th, 2004.
PHOTO 2: Jen Emma Hertel of Broadband playing at The Echo Lounge, Atlanta, GA. February 4, 2004. Both photos courtesy of d.2263 Photographics. View more Black Kites photos.
I started last night at 10 High, where Spy was opening for some bands I never heard of and did not stick around to see. I believe this was their first show as a four piece. Guitarist Chris Arrison departed the band in January, under mysterious circumstances. See the Spy website for further details and updates.
Highlights of the show included a fantastic cover of Big Star’s 13 and several new songs. I particularly liked Run Away*, which I had never heard before. Spy closed with crowd favorite Break My Mind.
Spy really brought the crowd out on a Wednesday night. I recommend checking them out before they get huge. One post-ironic hipster wearing a trucker hat was spotted at 10 High.
*I think that is the title. Frankly, I did not pay much attention to the setlist.
PHOTO: Chad and Mark of Spy playing at 10 High in Virginia Highlands, Atlanta, GA. February 4, 2004. Courtesy of d.2263 Photographics. View more Spy photos.
To all the losers in my apartment complex: please find something to do on the weekends. I have lived here three years, and I am getting tired of parking five miles from my apartment after a rough night of drinking because I am the only one who ever leaves. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
I attended the Organic X show at the High Museum last night. Molly Bancroft and Waterproof Feat were the featured musicians. Ms. Bancroft took the stage first, and in an interesting twist on the singer/songwriter tradition, she played an electric guitar. Most of her songs were simply her and a guitar. However, on a few songs loops added percussion and filled out her sound. Propeller Skies readers into singer/songwriters should check out Molly Bancroft. Next, Waterproof Feat played an acoustic set. Their energetic performance and driving rhythms were a nice contrast to Molly Bancroft’s mellow set.
An interesting crowd that was different than the usual Young Careers crew showed up. For once, the majority of the crowd was actually young. There were plenty of cash bars, with virtually no wait for drinks. As a bonus, the museum exhibits were open for browsing during the evening. The overall vibe was mellow, with people mingling throughout the evening.
PHOTO: Singer and songwriter Molly Bancroft at the High Museum in Midtown, Atlanta, GA. January 31, 2004. Courtesy of d.2263 Photographics. View more Organic X at the High Museum photos.