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| NanyaNa |
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I walked into the
back room at CJ’s Landing about halfway through NanyaNa’s
second song “Something About You” and immediately began regretting my
tardiness. A powerhouse of melody and groove hit me, and at
once I realized this is a band you go see if you want to
dance. Their stage presence was completely over the top.
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From the antics
of Jean-Claude (bassist) to Todd Damian (drummer) bouncing on
his throne to NanyaNa’s sultry dance moves, the band held my
attention hostage for the entire evening. This band has
molded a blend of jazz, funk, and rock with a style and
fluidity that is seldom seen in an un-signed act. I highly
recommend checking out one of their shows. For more info on
the band, visit http://www.nanyana.com/.
~Lefty |
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| THE
GRASSMEN |
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| Formed just last winter, The
Grassmen recently took their poppy newgrass sounds to the
streets. While at the Somber Reptile to see locals King's
Indian, we just happened to catch this band's set which
integrated mostly original rock/pop songs with a couple of
well-done covers. The Grassmen's inclusion of a banjo in many
songs really sets them apart from many of Atlanta's local
bands I've seen of late. |
I had previously received a copy of the
band's
5-song demo. However, I found
that this band must be
seen live to truly
appreciate their energy. MP3's
available
at http://www.thegrassmen.com/.
Sippin'
Whiskey and Tragically Undecided
also performed this
night... More on these guys later,
perhaps.
~Cavram
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| NOTHING
SIMPLE |
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| If you have an Internet connection, which you
obviously do, you're likely familiar with Lefty, "the amazing
one-handed guitar player", and his latest project Nothing
Simple. It was not by chance that I caught this great band. In
fact, I have been meaning to check these guys out for some
time. |
However, I had been reluctant under
the misconception that this was a metal band. Was I ever
off!?! Nothing Simple's style unites Dave Mathews(esque)
progressions with the rhythmic styling of Cream. With that
said, these guys are a few of the nicest artists I've met in
some time. You can listen to Nothing Simple at NothingSimple.tv
~Cavram |
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| BLIND
SLIM |
| With a set
list spanning five decades of blues, Blind Slim is inspired by
greats such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, BB King, Doyle Bramhall II,
Little Walter, Colin James, and Santana. Since the band’s
conception, over three years ago, Blind Slim has dramatically
increased in popularity among the suburban bloozers. Front-man
Beau Hall, a fourth-generation singer, songwriter, and
guitarist, guarantees that the band will “make your ass hurt
from boogieing all night long”. |
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They
deliver! We caught Blind Slim at Darwin’s last week and I’m
still in pain. The band exploded on the small stage with a
dynamic mixture of originals and covers. Their style showcases
modernism without sacrificing traditional progressions. Don't
take my word for it. Take a listen at www.mp3.com/blindslim
~Cavram |
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| COBWEB STRANGE |
| Thursday
night. 11:40. After finishing off another flat,
watery beer I began to wonder if this band scheduled to begin
at 11:00 was really worth waiting for. Since the evening
began, I had already witnessed two bands promising a variety
of influences present bad impersonations of Korn and Limp
Bizkit for 45 minutes each. Although the "11:00" act,
Cobweb Strange, was supposed to sound like a cross
between a variety of bands that |
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I
enjoy, at this point I was less than optimistic. At
11:45, I heard the sound guy tell the bass player, "Whenever
you're ready." The guitar amp hummed. The drummer
hit a couple of drums. The bass player casually walked
up to the mic and apologetically thanked the audience for
hanging around this late on a Thursday and the show
began...finally. It only took a few minutes for me to
realize that although they weren't the Beatles, the show was
worth waiting for. For 40 minutes, Cobweb Strange played
a tight and intricate set of music ranging in styles from King
Crimson and Dream Theater to the Smashing Pumpkins and
Doors. These guys (and girls) are not your average bar
band. Made up of a drummer, bassist/vocalist, female
guitarist and female keyboardist, this quartet shows that they
know how to play and, even more importantly, that they know
how to write interesting songs. What the vocalist lacks
in singing ability, he makes up for in vocal style. The
guitarist showed more than once that she could hold her own
with the best of them, but didn't overplay through the songs
like many technically competent guitarists seem to do. I
doubt that you'll ever hear Cobweb Strange on the radio (their
music isn't very radio friendly), but it's worth five bucks to
see them live.
~Ryan
Kosinski
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