Photo Credit: Mike White

murk daddy flex

Although their sound at the Theatre was bassier than usual, Roadkill Ghost Choir ripped through a set of songs culled from their forthcoming LP, In Tongues, due later this summer. The band managed to produce dark sounds with a ton of reverb with the help of Dead Confederate keysman John Watkins. Roadkill also offered a stripped down (but still electric) cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire,” from Born in the USA. I unabashedly love that song, and while Roadkill’s cover was passable, it was still just too bright for the room. 

The Athens hip hop scene is steadily making waves as of late, and it’s obvious that murk daddy flex is partially responsible for the increased attention. At the 40 Watt, accompanied by trippy video art and a wooden flute (no, seriously), Terence Chiyezhan and company displayed a real knack for getting folks to groove. Even without the aid of lyrics, the sounds that MDF makes have a pop quality throughout. Experimental as the music may be, there’s something infectious and catchy about it—it never quite goes into ambient or esoteric territory,

David Barbe & the Quick Hooks brought their formidable brand of psychedelic pop to the Georgia Theatre rooftop. Accompanied by his son Henry and former Drive-By Trucker John Neff on guitar, Barbe offered tunes from his underrated 2010 release Love It, Don’t Choke it to Death. Word around town, or at least from Chase Park Transduction engineer Drew Vandenberg, is that Barbe is working on two records at the moment (one solo and one with the Quick Hooks). Here’s to hoping these songs see the light of day sooner rather than later. 

I ended my night over at Little Kings to check out Deep State, the power rock quartet whose recent EP, Bein’ Mean, has been in my regular rotation for the past few weeks. The band doesn’t have a ton of material to draw upon, but it’s all wildly digestible and consistent. That’s not so much of a complaint as much of a challenge to the band to keep writing and recording new material. You also get the sense that Deep State is fully capable of turning into a hardcore band at any moment, a testament to how versatile it could potentially be.