This coming week is gonna be a huge weekend if you are a fan of the Milestone Club! The Ghetto Fortress will be celebrating their 40th Anniversary with and entire weekend of insane shows! If that wasn’t enough a legendary band is coming to town as well. Let’s check it all out in another edition of “Next Week”!
Social Distortion at Amos Southend 10/21/09!!
Social Distortion 10/21/09 Amos Southend- I know there is no need to hype this show. It’ll be packed. Even though it’s basically Mike Ness and a backing band as a friend of mine said. It doesn’t matter, the attraction the female species feels toward Mike Ness is irresistible so expect a lot of girlfriends/ wives to drag their significant others to Amos to partake in this mass lusting. Course the guys will get to hear such hits as “Ball and Chain” and “Ring of Fire” and truthfully I never thought these guys would end up playing Charlotte so it’s always a good thing when a band of their stature comes through, even if they are a little past being relevant. Admission is $25 in advance and $30 at the door, I believe.
Happy 40th Ghetto Fortress!!
Day one featuring: Junior Astronomers, Harvard, The Lights Fluorescent and Grids 10/22/09- Let the festivities begin! The Milestone begins their weekend long 40th anniversary celebration and it starts with a bang. Grids features former members of Obstruction and play up the minimalist’s version of hardcore with style. The Lights Fluorescent are fresh off playing the Darfur benefit show last week and always impress with one of the best live shows in Charlotte. Harvard play a slick sounding version of indie rock and I’m surprised they aren’t playing much larger venues at this point with their sound. I’ve been impressed with Junior Astronomers ever since I saw them at the Charlotte Local Music Showcase. Awesome vocals and great songwriting make them a great indie rock band and if they stick to it there could be great things ahead for them. Doors are at 7pm and admission is $7 for over and $9 for under. 18+ only please.
Day two/ Afterbirth Casserole Records Showcase featuring: 25 Minutes to Go, PPR, Andy The Doorbum and 2013 Wolves 10/23/09- Afterbirth Casserole is the record label ran by Phillip Shive and Neal “MF” Harper, the guys who also run the Milestone so what better way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Ghetto Fortress than by also showcasing all the talent that has put out recordings on their label this year. 25 Minutes to Go’s “It’s Go Time” hasn’t received as much attention as it deserves and that’s a pity. It’s a kick ass cd (even though my reviewer never gave me my copy!!) But you know what to expect from the self proclaimed “biggest punk band in Charlotte ( weight wise that is!)” These guys bring soaring sing alongs and melody to a driving punk sound that has taken a slightly heavier (no pun intended) turn with this recording. If nothing else show up for the live show. These guys take it more seriously than most and strive to put on a show to remember every time they play! PPR are from Atlanta and from what I remember they are heavy as hell. Or at least loud as hell. I couldn’t find a link for them though so I can’t get more in depth than that. Andy The Doorbum is already the owner of the best local release of this year in my opinion. Pick up his cd “Art is Shit” to see what I mean. Live Andy is a whirling dervish of musical insanity. He approaches live acoustic shows with the intensity of a death metal band and would make a normal singer/ songwriter shit his pants. 2013 Wolves are the creation of Milestone owner Neal “MF” Harper and “Battlin” Bobby Childers and believe me these wolves have teeth! This duo sounds bigger than their numbers and have an excellent cd called “Sinners Get Ready”. Trust me, when they play you won’t be a sinner long. This two man riff machine will make believers out of everyone! As if this show wasn’t kick ass enough the bonus is IT”S FREE!! Doors are at 8pm and I expect everyone to come out and pack this place! See you there!! Oh yeah, the only drawback is this party is 18+ only!
Day three featuring Birds of Avalon, Maserati and Hectagons 10/24/09- If there is anything left of the club after day two we’ll proceed to the third day of celebration featuring Hectagons, an instrumental riff monster of a band featuring Wiley Buck Boswell, who you’ll know from Clavius, Andy the Doorbum, Appalucia, stapling flyers on telephone polls, you know that guy I’m sure! Also on this show are Birds of Avalon from Raleigh, NC. They fall on the rock side of things with a heavy dose of psychedelic. Interesting stuff for sure! Athens Ga’s Maserati finishes up the bill and I don’t know how to describe then other than saying they are a sonic adventure with songs that build gradually into epic masterpieces of noise and power. This should clear the cobwebs out of the ’stone if there are any left after Friday’s show. Doors at 8pm!
Day four featuring So Many Dynamos, Cinemechanica, One Another and the Heiz 10/25/09- Four days, really? Can the crew of the Milestone handle this fourth day of celebration? The last night isn’t going softly that’s for sure. In fact it’s a pure adrenaline rush! So Many Dynamos are fast guitar oriented rock that tickles my ears with their melodic harmonizing licks. Cinemechanica from Athens Ga are a noisy experimental/ chinese firedrill of a band. They manage to be all over the place all at once and charge foward at full speed whether you’re ready or not! Charlotte’s One Another is the only local band on this bill and have a very energetic, wide open driving sound with some catchy hooks to boot! The final band on the lineup is a garage rock band from Japan! They are called the Heiz and don’t expect to understand much that comes from the stage. With lyrics that seem to flow back and forth between english and japanese these guys play surprisingly accurate Detroit style garage rock. It’s like Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels on a heavy sake binge! Doors are at 8pm and admission is $7 for over 21 and $9 for under. 18+ only please!!
Meth Mountain's new 7" ep!
Lunchbox Records- Meth Mountain record release party 10/23/09- If the party at the Milestone is too much for you, swing by Lunchbox Records for the cd release party of Meth Mountain. This hardcore/ surf rock band features former members of Obstruction and are a great addition to the local scene. This show will feature the release of their new 7″, Monotony and at the show there will be special limited edition covers of the 7″ that will only be available at the show and all copies will come with a download card for anyone who is vinyl challenged. Also playing are Worn in Red, Bandname and Mon Frere. Show starts promptly at 8pm and cover is $3! Oh yeah, and it’s all ages!
Well that’s all for this week, tune in next week when we look at all the halloween happenings that will be taking place around town, including Skalloween at the Visulite! We’ll see you then!
Ryan Dead
Okay this week I’m actually getting the column out on Friday! It’s nice to be on time for a change! Before I get to the usual rundown of shows I wanted to talk about a few things that are going on in the local scene so take a few moments and check this out.
Social Distortion at Amos! Tickets go on sale TODAY!
Social Distortion is coming to Amos Southend October 21st with Tat and the Strangers opening up. We found out about this show on the forum the other week and confirmed it on Social Distortions website. Amos’ has now put the flyer up for it complete with all the information about the show. Tickets are going to be $25 in advance with a $3 surcharge for under 21. It’s a 16+ show and the doors are scheduled to open at 7:00pm. Tickets go on sale TODAY, July 31st and can be purchased at www.etix.com. Or just click on the flyer to the left! You’re welcome for the easy link by the way! Now we can all rock out together to Social Distortion!
Diamond Jem & The Ace Featuring Jem Crossland
Jem Crossland has a new project but never fear, Jem Crossland & The Hypertonics still exist. The new project, Diamond Jem & The Ace is merely a side project. According to Jem the new project is more about the true concept of Sun Records ala NO DRUMS. He went on to say they may pull in a drummer later but for now the two man setup ( guitar and upright bass) sounds really good and pure. They’ve already had a handful of stellar gigs under there belt including the Heavy Rebel Weekender pre-party. Check them out soon at the Buddy Holly Tribute Show, which will be taking place at Rodi in Gastonia on September 5th. Stay tuned for more details when I get them. Btw, I added a video to the main page from Puckett’s Farm Equipment, it’s a killer cover of an Eddie Cochrane song called Twenty Flight Rock. Also if you want to see more videos of this great new rockabilly group click on the picture to the right to check out their myspace page!
The MilestoneClub- Franz Nicolay, The Houstons and Andy the Doorbum 7/7/09- Franz is getting seriously good press for his release Major General. Nicolay, who is normally plays keyboards for the Hold Steadys, is being compared to people such as 70’s era Tom Wait or Peter Hammill with a Mohawk. The Houstons are basically Justin and Matt Faircloth playing more instruments simultaneously than should be humanly possible. The result is a lo-fi, subtle sound punctuated by reverbed out drums and keyboards. Really relaxed stuff, this would be the perfect soundtrack for a morning after, hangover. Andy the Doorbum on the other hand is anything but subtle. He brings his acoustic show with the subtleness of a sledgehammer. It’s as if it takes everything Andy has to wrench the songs from deep down inside of him somewhere. The super human effort pays off though. His live show is something special to behold and makes me glad I live in Charlotte and can claim him as one of our cities own. Don’t miss this or you’ll be sorry. Doors are at 8pm and the cover is $8 for over 21 and $10 for under 21. 18+ only please.
The Milestone Club- Analog Daze, Angwish and Nicolas Gray 8/9/09- It’s Sunday night but come out anyway and end you’re weekend in style with this show at the Milestone Club. Self desribed “Jangled Rock” band Analog Daze headlines this rock show with their fuzzed out jangly rock that puts me in mind of the Flaming Lips. Also on the bill are Angwish, a long standing Charlotte rock/ powerpop band. Crunchy guitars, catchy hooks and driving rhythms are the method of their madness. Also on the card is Nicolas Gray, a Charlotte acoustic indie rock. These guys have an interesting, acoustic sound. It’s gentle, easy flowing acoustic music and should prove an interesting contrast to the noise and power of the other two bands on the bill. All in all, it should be a good sunday night at the Ghetto Fortress. Doors are at 8. Admission is probably $6 for over and $8 for under but the information wasn’t available as of today.
Bruce Hazel and Some Volunteers @ Snug Harbor
Snug Harbor- Bruce Hazel and Some Volunteers w/ The Bleeding Hearts 7/7/09- I have to admit, I have a soft spot for Bruce Hazel. Their spot on delivery of garage rock soul makes me feel warm and fuzzy. It will definitely be a great show. Great hooks abound and the horns are just the icing on the cake. I’m a sucker for soul music. The Bleeding Hearts are a Raleigh band with a love for hook laden indie rock. They have nice hooks though. Catchy and energetic these guys can really catch your ear and in my opinion, would go over great in a bar with a beer. The reason I say that is that the recording on their myspace is good but perhaps a little too polished for my taste. Live it’s bound to be a little rougher and that would be a good thing. This will be a great late night of rock-n-roll. Show starts at 11pm.
Well that’s it for this week’s edition. Be ready for next week when we dive head first into August and talk about a HUGE weekend for shows including our own Punk Rock Picnic! It’s gonna be a great party with grillling, games and over 10 bands! That’s August 16th at Tremont Music Hall. For more information check out the flyer on our main page or as always, the Stillnotdead Forum! I’ll see you guys tonight at the 25 Minutes to Go show at Tremont! Thanks for the support! See you on the forums!
Ryan Dead