Snotty Naughty: In the spirit of starting off the new year with a bit of news on the filthiest-named band in town, let me go ahead and tell you that monster rock outfit Motherfucker is deep into work on its debut EP, Tae Kwon Do. The first track, “Snot Rocket,” has been released already, and it's powerfully tuneful and mesmerizing in the way that made everyone in the 1990s want to turn the bass way way up. For the uninitiated, do yourself a favor: Stream below and get some on you. The band's next show is Friday, Jan. 31 at the Caledonia Lounge with Faster Circuits and Hot Fudge, so be prepared. Keep up with the trio via facebook.com/mfrocksyourfaceoff.

Minutes and Parts: Folks gathered at the 40 Watt Club Saturday, Jan. 4 to remember our old friend Craig Lieske and witness the first show in a year from Garbage Island, of which Lieske was a founding member. The night also saw performances by Terrarium (Circulatory System playing improvisationally), The 19th Brood and several collaborative sets from other Athens musicians. This was the week Lieske, who passed away Jan. 18, 2013, would have turned 49 years old. Longtime co-conspirator Jeremiah Cymerman also dedicated the final podcast of 2013 on his 5049 Records website to Lieske. For the episode, Cymerman interviewed several of the late musician's friends, including Mitchell King, Jeff Rieter, Jim Wilson, Chris Herron and Tony Evans, who each shared stories and memories. I'll warn you now: This is a very emotional listen. It took me two passes to get all the way through it. You can find it at 5049records.com/craig-lieske. While you're there, check out the rest of the site. Cymerman spent many years playing in Athens, and what he has created with his New York-based label is pretty damn cool.

Stay Quiet Awhile: A shockingly beautiful and humbling—a term I never use casually—song crossed my path a little over a week ago. It's the new track by Check the Signs, “Keep the Angle Wide.” It's a plaintive plea to keeping one's eyes and spirit open to life's changes that runs just over eight minutes long—but it's solidly the best eight minutes of music you will hear this week. Take the time and let it give you pause. If it doesn't, then I'll just assume you're unpauseable. At its core, Check the Signs consists of the entire Towe family (Scott, Mindy, Mason and Lauren), and "Keep the Angle Wide" features a supergroup-level cast of veteran Athens musicians, including Kemp Jones, Brent Cash, Mark Maxwell, Janis Maxwell, Michael Wegener, Andrew Liles and Dan Wall. Other players appearing are Bryan Agan, Trent Johnson, Lewis Jones, Eunice Kang, Jeff and Laurene Kershner, Erin McCollum, Frank Jones and Frank Smith. The track is dedicated to the memory of Herb Guthrie, and it's the first single from the group's upcoming album, Along the Way. You can find a video for the song, directed by Mason Towe, at facebook.com/CheckTheSigns.

Beat on the Traps: You'll be edified to know that the weird world of Unus Mundus (literally “one world”) is still shuffling along its orbit. The group, spearheaded by longtime Athens noisemaker Steve Fitzpatrick, includes Athenians Rob Fluhr, Cary White and Leslie Grove. The band's latest release, Type V Civilization, came out this past November. All things considered, it's probably the most easily accessible of its recordings, in that it's got some totally recognizable pop tropes mixed in with its Shaggs-ian sense of rhythm. Find it at unus-mundus.bandcamp.com. 

Picture Book: God bless old Athens band The Violets. Time was that the rabble-rousers created totally rockin' punk-influenced tunes, released 7-inch singles and played all around the Southeast. Lodged in Athens' perma-memory for their “hit” song “I Hate the Grateful Dead” (and its hook lyric, "I'll be grateful when they're dead," which was much funnier before Jerry Garcia actually, you know, died), The Violets have established an online presence worthy of the time of any Athens music enthusiast. If you head to facebook.com/TheViolets, you'll find a whole bunch of old flyers, videos of Athens bands like A Few Kids With Bicycles and Bar-B-Q Killers (mostly audio with static images) and a handful of cool old photos from our music scene. Thanks, dudes!

Bummeroo: Thumbs-up to Athens grindcore homeboys Gripe for snatching a coveted NPR Music First Listen feature out of the hands of struggling worldbeat artists everywhere. The band's new (and, reportedly, final) album, In His Image, was featured on the National Public Radio website last week along with a nice piece written by former Athenian, extreme music aficionado and NPR staffer Lars Gotrich. Our trusty music editor Gabe Vodicka explained the whole NPR/Athens connection last week on our esteemed Homedrone blog, but I wanted to mention it again for those who missed it. Go stream In His Image and plug your ears up right good via hygienerecords.bandcamp.com.

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