Blog Topic: Live Reviews

Homedrone: SXSW in Review: Def Jammin' with Lady Gaga (Sorta)

By Gordon Lamb | March 12, 2014 2:33pm

I've never been much of an audio gearhead. Couldn't tell you the first bit of difference between mp3 files, FLAC, OOG, whatever. All of which just shows what a compelling and strong personality Neil Young is. Of course I've been a Young fan for as long as I can remember, and when he hit the stage and started speaking about room echo, warmth and full body reactions to one's favorite records, I knew exactly what he meant.

Even so, I still don't really understand Pono. That's mainly what he spoke about. And while it was cool to be a mere four feet from the most American Canadian ever, it was much cooler listening to him speak passionately about respecting artists' intentions by faithfully reproducing their recordings. I may not really understand how it does this, but Young certainly does, and the level of respect he gained when he spoke of the non-proprietary concept and said, "Look, we may be successful or we might fail, but either way, music wins," was evident by the ample applause from the crowded room.

More, including Lady Gaga, after the jump.

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Homedrone: SXSW in Review: The Autumn Defense

By Dan Mistich | March 12, 2014 11:36am

I am so full of tacos and Lone Star right now. Let me clarify that that statement is in no way a problem. It's just that everything I have ingested since I arrived to town has either been wrapped in a tortilla or had a single gold star on the can. Just stating the facts.

In any case, after I spent a solid hour after the Neil Young presentation telling complete strangers how awesome Pono is going to be. Where's my check, Neil? Truth be told, I would strongly consider knuckle tats that read PONO ARMY if I could hang out with Neil for a day.

More after the jump.

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Homedrone: SXSW in Review: Diarrhea Planet at Hotel Vegas

By Dan Mistich | March 11, 2014 4:40pm

Photo Credit: Melanie Kolbe

Diarrhea Planet

Austin is a 15-hour drive from Athens, and let’s be honest: that's a two-day trip by car. After a stop for the night in the shadiest Red Roof Inn I have ever seen in Monroe, LA, my girlfriend and I hit the last stretch of road before Texas. After having a robot whip us up a milkshake north of Tyler, TX, we were confident that we wouldn’t need to stop any more before hitting the city.

But we weren’t so lucky. Somewhere just north of Athens, TX (ha), I was pulled over by a Texas Highway Patrol Officer for speeding. It was a 75 MPH zone. My 1991 Mercedes-Benz 190E can’t even go 80 MPH. When I explained to the officer that my insurance information was on my smartphone, I was asked to step out of the car. This is horseshit, I thought. There’s no way I was speeding—this guy thinks that I’m running drugs.

More after the jump.

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Homedrone: Live Review: Peter Buck and Alejandro Escovedo at Georgia Theatre, Friday, Feb. 28

By Dan Mistich | March 3, 2014 11:15am

The posters promoting the Alejandro Escovedo and Peter Buck tour read, “One Night. Two Legends.” That might have been the case at other points during the legendary musicians' current tour, but for the Athens stop, there were more than a few legends on stage.

Perhaps the surprises were spoiled a bit for me. As I wandered through the back of the Georgia Theatre looking for soundman Colm O’Reilly (who will be featured in a future installment of Behind the Scene), I walked by Buck and Escovedo’s dressing room to find them hanging out with Drivin' N' Cryin's Kevn Kinney, Drive-By Trucker Patterson Hood and R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry.

More after the jump.

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Homedrone: Live Review: Powerkompany Plays Brooklyn for Fashion Week

By Christopher Joshua Benton | February 20, 2014 3:20pm

"Dolly Parton just got weird."

That’s the one phrase I scribbled in my notebook app during Powerkompany’s concise yet powerful show at Big Irv’s, a new DIY space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The special Valentine’s Day set was the final stop on the band’s Fashion Week Tour, which had the Athens-based dream-folk duo trekking up the East Coast to open the Tilly & William FW 2014 fashion presentation. That show ended up getting canceled (hotels take snow days?), but the 30 or so 20-somethings that huddled at the living room-y venue were treated to a low-key, intimately moving half-hour.

More after the jump.

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Homedrone: Live Review: Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven at 40 Watt Club, Saturday, Jan. 25

By Dan Mistich | January 27, 2014 1:22pm

Photo Credit: Jason Thrasher

Camper Van Beethoven

Band residencies at the 40 Watt have become a perennial thing to keep concertgoers busy during the winter months. In addition to the upcoming three-night stand by the Drive-By Truckers, the now-annual Camp-In has given Athens transplant David Lowery the chance to curate a weekend for his own bands and to showcase a few others included in that sonic orbit.

It’d be hard to say that Camper Van Beethoven has had anything resembling a smash hit in its 30 years of writing and performing live, but the band's songs still have the cultural resonance to make devoted fans groove around the floor like teenagers (I saw more than a few middle-aged fans raise their beers in approval during the hour-long set).

More after the jump.

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Homedrone: Live Review: Against Me! at 40 Watt Club, Tuesday, Jan. 21

By Dan Mistich | January 22, 2014 3:15pm

Pardon me in advance for forgoing a lengthy discussion of Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace and her recent gender transition. That story has been told and re-told hundreds of times by now. Grace’s coming out is simultaneously relevant and yet irrelevant to how the band’s new record, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, will be received by the public.

More after the jump.

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Homedrone: Live Review: Family and Friends at Georgia Theatre, Thursday, Jan. 9

By | January 13, 2014 10:34am

It’s a rare thing to witness a band develop as quickly as Family and Friends. Having only been a full band for little over a year, Mike MacDonald and his ever-growing cast of characters are rightfullygenerating a good deal of buzz in town for their energetic live shows. Although I expect the band to do much more developing, its EP release show at the Georgia Theatre Thursday was a testament to how much it has grown and, hopefully, the vast potential it has to tap into for the future.

More after the jump.

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Homedrone: Live Review: The Whigs, New Madrid, Velveteen Pink at Georgia Theatre

By Dan Mistich | January 2, 2014 10:13am

Photo Credit: Joshua Black Wilkins

The Whigs

If you’re tired of making New Year’s resolutions that you can’t keep, let me offer an alternative: How about you resolve to listen to more of the bands that rang in the New Year at the Georgia Theatre Tuesday night?

Shortly after 9 p.m., New Madrid took the stage to a sizable crowd. Having won Artist of the Year at the 2013 Flagpole Athens Music Awards and garnering a recent Pitchfork mention, the band is poised to become Athens' next big thing. The group is in awfully good hands under the guidance of David Barbe, so I eagerly await the rest of its forthcoming album, Sunswimmer (due in February via Normaltown Records).

More after the jump.

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Homedrone: Live Review: The Wooten Brothers at Georgia Theatre, Friday, Dec. 6

By Chris Schultz | December 9, 2013 2:17pm

The Wooten Brothers

Victor Wooten is considered by many to be one of the best bass guitarists in the world. Earlier this year, he began touring with his brothers, Joseph, Regi and Roy (a.k.a. Futureman). This return to his roots was welcome—not only to all the band members, but to fans, as well.

The Larry Mitchell Band, which opened the Wooten Brothers' Georgia Theatre show Friday, is a groovy instrumental rock act consisting of guitarist Larry Mitchell, drummer Russ Garner and bassist Austin Solomon. The trio thrilled the audience as they played tunes, including "Pony Ride," that were very easy to groove and dance to.

More after the jump.

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