Blog Topic: Local Music News

Homedrone: New Drive-By Truckers Album Has a Name, Release Date, Cover Art

By Gabe Vodicka | December 3, 2013 2:47pm

The new record from local Southern rock kings Drive-By Truckers, which was formerly scheduled for a February release, will now come out Mar. 4, 2014 via ATO. The thing has a name, too—English Oceans—and some pretty damn fantastic cover art, which you can see above.

The band will make its first semiannual hometown stand of 2014 in February, when it will perform three consecutive nights at the 40 Watt Club. A full U.S. tour will follow; dates will be announced next month.

From the press release:

In typical DBT fashion the songs depict an array of characters. “Pauline Hawkins,” is based on a new novel by Willy Vlautin. DBT’s ever-keen political edge can be seen in two songs on the record. Cooley’s “Made Up English Oceans” and Hood’s “The Part of Him.” “It’s about political assholery -- there’s someone new playing that role every few months,” says Hood. “Grand Canyon,” the final song on the album, is an emotionally overwhelming tribute to Craig Lieske, a longtime member of DBT’s touring family. Lieske died suddenly in January and the album is dedicated to him.

Check the album tracklist after the jump.

Read More...
Homedrone: Hear the First Single from The Woodgrains' New Album

By Gabe Vodicka | November 21, 2013 1:35pm

Courtesy of Handpicked Artists Presents, here is the first single from The Woodgrains' upcoming self-titled sophomore LP, which was recorded at Full Moon Studio with engineer Jay Rodgers.

"Nobody Too" finds the longhaired Athens-via-Waycross trio (voted Best Rock Band at this year'sFlagpole Athens Music Awards) solidifying the psychedelic, Southern-tinged, Zep-heavy rock and roll sound it introduced on last year's From Marshall, to Venita.

Stream it after the jump.

Read More...
Homedrone: New Drive-By Truckers Album Set For February Release

By Gabe Vodicka | November 11, 2013 3:52pm

It's pretty diverse. But we recorded it as if it was an uptempo record even though some of it may not be; we just went in and did it and it worked out naturally. It definitely moves, and I think it captures where the band's at right now, which is in a really exceptionally good place.

—Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers on the group's new record, due out in February 2014. The comments come today in an interview with Billboard, which misspells David Barbe's name and calls DBT bassist Matt Patton "Mike."

Read More...
Homedrone: New of Montreal Out Today, Kevin Barnes Does Reddit AMA

By Gabe Vodicka | October 8, 2013 2:32pm

Lousy With Sylvianbriar, the very good, garage-y new album from local psych-pop crew of Montreal, is out today via Polyvinyl. (Hear a track from the record here.) It's available on CD and LP and digital download (and also via Spotify and Soulseek and all those other quasi-legal outlets if you don't feel like paying but don't tell anyone).

More after the jump.

Read More...
Homedrone: Sans Abri Starts Green Room Residency Tonight, Gives Away Schwag

By Gabe Vodicka | October 1, 2013 2:09pm

Local folk duo Sans Abri, a group that features Josh Erwin and Michael Paynter of bluegrass mainstays Packway Handle Band, begins a monthlong residency at Green Room tonight. The band will play at the Lumpkin Street venue four Tuesdays in October—Oct. 1, Oct. 15, Oct. 22 and Oct. 29—previewing material from the upcoming Shelter LP all the while.

More after the jump.

Read More...
Homedrone: Wanna Swim, Drink Free Beer and Be in a Lera Lynn Video? Of Course You Do. Here's How

By Gabe Vodicka | August 30, 2013 11:29am

Hey, slick. Wanna have a pool party? With free beer? And, oh yeah, be in a Lera Lynn music video, too? YES. YES YOU DO. On Wednesday, Film Athens tweeted the following image:

Read More...
Homedrone: R.E.M. Might Release Box Set of Fan Club Singles

By Gabe Vodicka | August 13, 2013 2:39pm

A bit of (semi-) tantalizing R.E.M. news (kinda) courtesy of the BBC: Guitarist Peter Buck (who's playing the 40 Watt Club on Thursday, Nov. 14) told the British news service that the group plans to release a box set compiling all its fan-club-only 7-inch singles, which it released each year from 1988 to 2011.

Well, maybe. The article quotes the noncommittal musician as saying:

"There were like 24 of them, which makes about 50 songs," said Buck. "We'll put them in a big box set for charity one day."

So. "One day." That could mean, like, any day from here to eternity. WHY DO YOU OBFUSCATE SO, BUCK?

Read More...
Homedrone: Washed Out's Ernest Greene Shows off Athens Home Studio

By Gabe Vodicka | August 1, 2013 11:18am

In this just-released installment of the Creators Project video series, Ernest Greene (pictured above) of synthpop outfit Washed Out describes the instrumentation and processes behind his upcoming album Paracosm, out Aug. 12 via Sub Pop. In the video, Greene, who is newly relocated to Athens, shows off his home studio and also visits Atlanta's Tree Sound for a chat with owner Paul Diaz.

Watch after the jump:

Read More...
Homedrone: Neutral Milk Hotel to Tour Everywhere, Forever

By Gabe Vodicka | July 31, 2013 2:54pm

Photo Credit: Will Westbrook

Today, the totally reunited members of Neutral Milk Hotel were all, "Listen guys, not only are we gonna tour this fall—a jaunt that includes three way-sold-out Athens shows, two in Atlanta and a stop at Asheville's Mountain Oasis festival—but we'll continue to tour 'til the mothafuckin' wheels fall off."

And then Jeff Mangum added, "We're gonna keep this train a-movin' through the cold, cold winter, playing everywhere and anywhere in the United States of America and Canadia, forever. That's on top of our already-announced series of dates ALL OVER THE WORLD. OMG."

Read More...
Homedrone: Here's the First Single From of Montreal's New Album

By Gabe Vodicka | July 10, 2013 12:54pm

The new album from local psych-pop shapeshifters of Montreal is due out Oct. 8 via Polyvinyl (preorder the record on kool green vinyl here). It's called lousy with sylvianbriar (all lowercase), and you can view the cover art above.

Below, stream the record's first single. "fugitive air" (again with the lowercase) is a lower-fi affair than most recent oM, harkening back to the group's early 4-track days. In fact, the press release reports that the new album was recorded on 24-track tape with local engineer Drew Vandenberg.

Read More...