News
SweetWater 420 Festival Reveals Stacked Afterparty Lineup March 1, 2018 17:11
Double Down With Disco Tendencies & Wild Adriatic At Aisle 5 January 25, 2018 23:08
Saturday night is shaping up to be another rowdy occasion at Atlanta's Aisle 5, as local favorites Disco Tendencies are teaming up with Upstate New York's Wild Adriatic. Those attending can expect a funk-filled powerful rock & roll. Disco Tendencies looks at add to its rapidly growing local following, while Wild Adriatic adds a notable national flare to the bill. Showtime is scheduled for 9:00 PM, and this one is sure to go late into the night. Tickets are moving fast, and you can purchase yours in advance by clicking here. For all of the latest updates on this show, make sure to join the official Facebook event. This show is presented by Don't Fret Entertainment and Rhythm-n-News.
Disco Tendencies:
Post-College-Funk: Not a state of depression, but rather a nostalgic mix of funky grooves, thumping bass, soulful vocals, and dueling guitars.
Wild Adriatic:
Rooted in the rowdy spirit of rock & roll, Wild Adriatic has built an international audience on a combination of groove, grit, and guitar-heavy swagger.
With the power trio's newest album, Feel, bandmates Travis Gray, Rich Derbyshire, and Mateo Vosganian update the sound of their influences -- from Seventies rock to Motown to soul -- for a contemporary audience, taking influence from the past but never losing sight of the present. They aren't revivalists; they're modern men, carrying the torch of melodic, riff-ready, high-energy rock into new territory.
Whittled into sharp shape by a touring schedule that's kept them busy for roughly 175 days a year — including two European tours, countless stateside runs, and appearances at festivals like Bonnaroo — Wild Adriatic's three members recorded Feel in Austin, teaming up with Grammy-nominated producer Frenchie Smith in the process. The goal was to shine a light on the band's strength as a live act, avoiding click tracks, digital instruments, sampled sounds, and other tricks of the recording studio. Instead, Wild Adriatic focused on the same core ingredients — Gray's guitar playing and soulful sweep of a voice; Vosganian's percussive stomp; Derbyshire's in-the-pocket bass — that helped kickstart the band in 2011, back when Wild Adriatic formed in Upstate New York.
Watch Disco Tendencies perform "Wild Voodoo" here:
Watch Wild Adriatic's music video for "Come Back Baby" here:
BIG Something Returns To Atlanta With Sold Out Throwdown November 12, 2017 22:27
Encore: Life During Wartime (Talking Heads)
Notes: Entire show with Rhett Huffman on keys
Win Tickets To See BIG Something In Atlanta On Friday November 7, 2017 15:08
Ryan Viser's Brass-Infused Electronic Live Band Heads South This Week July 3, 2017 23:18
Roosevelt Collier To Play Atlanta's Aisle 5 With AJ Ghent & Displace May 16, 2017 15:55
Atlanta jam fans are in for a special treat this Saturday night, as the Roosevelt Collier Trio is set to play Atlanta's Aisle 5. Local sacred steel guitarist AJ Ghent and Florida-based jam natives Displace will also be on hand for what is sure to be a big night in Little 5 Points. Known for his soul-shaking live performances, Roosevelt will perform with his trio which also fetures Mark Raudendurg (Donna The Buffalo) and Matt Lapham. This event is presented by Don't Fret Entertainment and Aisle 5. Tickets can be purchased in advance by clicking here.
Atlanta-Based Duo Kissing Electric Debuts Fresh New Sound February 3, 2017 00:35
Interview by Taylor Pack: Live & Listen
Atlanta-based duo Kissing Electric release their debut EP KE at the beginning of this month. KE was recorded at Europa Studios and includes six original tracks and features other local Atlanta artists. Kissing Electric is the brain child of guitarist Trevor Wolford and drummer Che Marshall, who have been a local mainstay on the Atlanta scene for several years. At the end of the month, they will be hosting their own album release party at Aisle 5 on Friday, February 24th. Earlier this week, we were able to sit down with Kissing Electric to learn a little bit about the band and their upcoming debut.
Let’s start off with the name Kissing Electric. How did you guys come up with it and what does it mean?
Che: I think the basis of it was that the type of music we deal with. A lot of us are out of the acoustic world and a lot of music we make comes from the acoustic world. So in the name we had to have something that signifies how we were going to deal with music i.e. electricity or a way we were going deal with technology differently.
Trevor: I had a friend that I was staying with and he was hearing me mess with these sounds that weren’t conventional to what type music we played together as a drummer that played jazz with me. He told me he thought I should explore this and make a group with these sounds. So I listened to him and later on when Evan said kissing electric I knew it was perfect because it was embracing electronic. I had finally gotten out of this world of being jaded about you know, other music. I actually really like electronic sounds. I grew up listening to that stuff with Roni Size and Aphex [Twin] and all those people… The Chemical Brothers were big for me. Kissing Electric is about embracing the combination of acoustic instruments in a world they are not traditionally found in.
Right on. So where did you guys meet?
Che: [laughs] On the scene, playing around… It was initially at a church gig for the very first meeting but then after that, just playing around the Atlanta scene.
Trevor: Yeah, probably playing at Elliot Street [Pub] or something like that.
So you guys were in the same scene here in Atlanta. Did you guys share similar musical backgrounds?
Trevor: I started out just playing like any white kid in America would play guitar. They hear Hendrix or Zeppelin and…
Che: Oh do they? [laughs]
Trevor: [laughs] Then I got into jazz through Wes Montgomery and started playing in bands in high school. By the time college came around I was really serious about it. I studied classical guitar and then got into jazz guitar with a guy that used to teach at the college. Long story short, I was just playing in a bunch of jazz groups and trying to figure out how to play jazz guitar in a way that I felt like I wanted to play it. So here I am today doing the same thing just trying to go further with it.
Che: Dig. Well mine came from my mom playing a bunch of records throughout the house when I was a kid. I started out on pots and pans, ice-cream buckets, desks, the coffee table, sofas, stuff like that [laughs]. Yeah, and my mom would play everything from Ella to Chopin to Dizzy. My dad was real heavy into jazz coming up so I just played along with those records. I got my first real drum set in middle school and spent the summers with my grandparents who are Pentecostal ministers. So I spent hours on end playing ‘boom-tap boom-tap, boom-tap boom-tap’ about ten hours on Sundays doing that. Then I went to the school of the arts in Pittsburgh which expanded my palette of music a bit, you know being around a bunch of different people.
I took on a lot of rock then and even more jazz then because during that time period in America those worlds were intertwined a bit, at least from drummer’s perspective. A lot of cats were checking out Elvin [Jones] and Tony [Williams]. So I spent time doing that through college. I did some marching band and gospel, got into the pop thing and did a lot of touring and then got into the drum and beat scene. I eventually got into the more eclectic side of things thanks to Atlanta. Thanks to WCLK back in the day. There was this cat Ken Batie who played stuff from everywhere and that was my first real taste of like European music and some of the risks they were taking. That was all a heavy influence that has led to today dealing with afro beat and world music.
So what can music fans who have never heard Kissing Electric expect to find on the new EP?
Trevor: This project for me was meant to be a real expression of what I want music to do and say. If you’re at a show I want you to feel some kind of groove or feel some kind of emotional attachment. All of my favorite music does that whether it’s an electronic thing, a jazz thing, or just a guy playing acoustic guitar, I want it to speak in some way. For me, there is definitely the electronic thing happening but the groove element was the biggest thing with this group.
Che: Dig with that. But to say what the music is… I am always leery of throwing it into a genre because that gets really dangerous. With all these influences that we have and that are being thrown out there, if your even like really checking some music out you’re not going to say “aah you only listen to music in 7/8’. Right now, at heart, we are artists, and artists go through phases. Where we are right now is like “okay, we need to document this because this is you know… a pure form of expression”. Like I said before, we want you to dance to it, we want you to bob your head to it, and we want you to connect with it. This energy that we put into the music and into the album, and that we put into the shows, we want you to come experience that and get on this wavelength and connect.
Tell me a little about the tracks on KE and where the material comes from.
Trevor: Well it is all very collaborative. Um… it usually starts with two or three of us putting the platform down… usually I come up with some kind of idea or format that is either built on the groove or the guitar or the bass. From there we kind of build upon it and decide if we want to add a synth layer or we feel it needs a vocalist on the track in which I will call one of my favorite people. For instance, with “Drifting” that is exactly how it went down.
I heard Evan play a bass riff at his house, just kinda noodling and I was like “I really like that” so I just took the guitar part and ran it through an arpeggiator and the next thing you know they kinda mesh together. I kinda heard them in my head and then I tried it out and built upon the idea and added a bridge and a chorus and stuff like that. Then we asked Brenda if she would like to write something to it. That day she came over and we just started going at it and came up with some great stuff. So yeah, it is all very collaborative. By the time we were in the studio we had all really thought about what we wanted to do.
Che: Yeah, you can always get to the root of the tracks. Like with some of the other songs, like “L5P”, we were sitting in Little Five Points, in that room… I guess the same with “Drifting”, you had that line and came in with the arpeggiator and I was like “man, what am I gonna do with this?” At the basis of a lot of our music it needs to be feel-good music, it needs to be true music, and you need to be able to dance to it somehow. We don’t want it to be like math stuff where your like “what the hell is going on?” So sitting in the room that day, all four of us had gone in there to get through everything and take it chunk by chunk and being pretty democratic about what we want to say and how we want to get our points across.
Trevor: It was cool… And this is the world we live in where you randomly see someone you don’t know on social media and say “oh my gosh, that’s that guy and they are here right now”. So I randomly saw that Jacob Bergson, who did some synth stuff on the track “Drifting”, was in Atlanta. I just randomly saw him on an Instagram post or something, and I was like “aah that’s Jacob, the guy who plays with Nerve”, which is Jojo Mayer’s drum n bass/electronic group, and I thought it would be cool to try and get him in the studio.
So as I was literally going to bed but I thought I would put my pants back on and see what was happening. I texted my friend who said they were at The Local and went down there and bought him a beer and asked if I could get him to come into the studio, bring his moog and do something and he told me he would love to. He just came in the next day and killed it. He did this kind of stacking of sounds that created a lot of tension that ended up being really cool and created a really cool ending to the tune. At the very end you hear all these synths going in and out of tune, very much like a film score where it’s very dissonant and it…
Che: Creates some chaos…
Trevor: Yeah, exactly.
Now that you guys got KE finished up what should fans be on the lookout for next from you guys?
T: The Release party is February 24th. There are a couple other bands on the bill that are opening and are totally worth checking out. Chelsea Shag is going to be releasing a single as well that night. We specifically wanted to do the release show at Aisle 5. We talked about a lot of venues but ultimately we felt like we had played there before and it was such a good vibe, and the sound crew there did such a good job and knew exactly what we wanted to do sonically. All that spoke the most and of all the neighborhoods in Atlanta Little 5 Points feels like home. So that is the next show and after that we are planning a short run of dates in the summer. Last year we did a one off at the Rockwood in NYC that went over really well so we want to try and do another Rockwood show and then work our way down the east coast.
C: Yeah, and you can also check us at the art parties.
T: Yeah, we do the art parties every year. That is something we like being a part of which is the non-tradition music scene, stuff like art parties and fashion shows and stuff like that.
Follow Kissing Electric on Facebook
Official Website: Kissing Electric
"This One's For Trey" Benefit Scheduled For January 7th At Aisle 5 November 16, 2016 20:43
As the one year anniversary approaches of a tragic accident experienced by a dear friend, Trey Hemphill. Trey and his close friends have come together and planned an awesome night of music at Aisle 5 in Atlanta on Saturday, January 7th with The Morkestra and After Funk, drinks, raffles, and other fun stuff all in support of Trey! While we are having a benefit concert, donations through this site will support the majority of the fundraising effort.
“This One’s For Trey” is a benefit focused on helping Trey get back to doing all the things he loves including playing sports, getting outside, traveling, and of course, seeing live music. While totally capable of doing all of these things, special equipment like a sports wheelchair, a hand cycle, and an off road wheelchair are essential to allow Trey to maintain his active lifestyle. Each piece of equipment range from $2000-$5000. With “This One’s for Trey”, we hope to raise $15,000 dollars to help Trey get these special chairs and remind others that obstacles can be overcome with the power of positivity. As Trey would say, ‘the show must go on.’
Click Here: Purchase Your TIckets Today!
For those who aren't already familiar, Trey had a tragic accident while seeing his favorite band in Mexico in January of 2016. Requiring an emergency airlift from Mexico to Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital, Trey underwent two major spinal surgeries. While the surgeon was able to stabilize his spine, unfortunately the damage to his spinal cord was already done. The accident left Trey paralyzed from the chest down. Trey remained for a month in ICU and then airlifted back to Atlanta where he underwent rehab at Shepherd Center for five months. The road to recovery has not been an easy one, but with his positive attitude and the support of his fiancé, Cameron, his family, and friends, Trey has made huge strides towards recovery and independence. For those who know Trey, it is known that he has refused to let this injury slow him down. He is dedicated to continuing to live the best and fullest life possible in spite of his injury.
This year's event will be the first of many events in our future. Inspired by the tremendous support of friends and family, Trey's accident illuminated the opportunity to help others in similar situations. After 'This One's for Trey', we hope to finish structuring our own non-profit foundation to support others in similar situations . Subsequent events will be named for the participant, "This One's for _____" and donations will help the recipient regain their sense of hope and life back. If you can't attend this year's event, please donate to help Trey return to his active lifestyle, and we hope to see you at next year's benefit.
Watch After Funk's official music video for "Elephant Walk" here:
Ticket Giveaway: Roosevelt Collier's All Star Throwdown :: Saturday 1/16 :: Aisle 5 Atlanta January 8, 2016 10:48
Roosevelt Collier's All Star Throwdown W/ Fletcher's Grove Presented by Live Music Daily and Don't Fret Entertainment
Saturday, January 16
9PM // $10 ADV & $15 DOS
It's always a pleasure to team up with our friends at Live Music Daily, and this is a lineup we couldn't be more excited about. Saturday, January 16th will make for an epic throwdown at Atlanta's Aisle 5, and we're giving away a FREE PAIR of tickets to one lucky winner. Simply share this post from our Facebook page and tag a friend who you would like to take to the show. We will announce a winner on Monday, January 11th at 5:00 PM.
Photo by Josh Brick Graphics
Soft-spoken by nature, south Florida-bred Roosevelt Collier does his hollering on the sacred steel guitar. Brought up in the tradition of the House of God Church, Roosevelt built his reputation alongside his uncles and cousins in The Lee Boys, known for their spirited, soul-shaking live performances. Seated front and center, "The Dr." leaves an indelible mark on listeners, flooring audiences with his lightning-fast slide work on the pedal steel. At festivals, he is a regular "Artist at Large," performing alongside many of music's most prestigious acts, from the Allman Brothers, to the Funky Meters, to Los Lobos to the Del McCoury Band. Whether on tour with the Lee Boys, bouncing from stage to stage at festivals, or hosting an allstar get down in Miami, when Roosevelt takes the stage, the ear-to-ear grins can’t help but be contagious.
Joining Roosevelt will be Mark Raudabaugh (Donna the Buffalo), Matt Slocum (Col. Bruce Hampton and The Aquarium Rescue Unit), Kevin Scott (King Baby) and Rick Lollar (King Baby)
Watch Roosevelt Collier, Jeff Sipe, Oteil Burbridge, & Kofi Burbridge jam on "Papa Was a Rolling Stone":
Fletcher's Grove
Known for their high-energy shows, the band mixes pulsating bass lines, dual-guitar solos, and an eclectic percussion section that makes standing still nearly impossible. By maintaining a solid focus on perfecting musical intricacy and creating seamless improvisation, Fletcher’s Grove has captured the imaginations of thousands in the Mountain State and beyond.