Hailing from Paducah, Kentucky, The Legendary Shack Shakers brought their brand of rock and roll and country to The EARL on November 4. They were joined by staples in the Atlanta rockabilly and surf rock scenes, Rod Hamdallah and Jeffrey Butzer and The Compartmentalizationists.
Trying to describe the monumental achievement that Swift’s team has accomplished with the Reputation Stadium Tour would be a nearly impossible trick to pull off.
On July 24, 2018, Tony Bennett, brought his 2018 USA Tour to Atlanta Symphony Hall.
TAM Photographer Chuck Holloway was on hand to capture the evening.
For more tour dates, visit Bennett’s website at https://tonybennett.com/
Tony Bennett 2018 USA Tour
Photos by Shaun Krisher. Full gallery at the bottom.
The brisk night of February 3 filled the Buckhead Theater with the amazing sounds of The Devil Makes Three and The Huntress and Holder of Hands. Leading up to the show, the parlor to the theater was filled with a calamity of different folk out on their Saturday night to fill their ears with bars full of great, seasoned sound. To quench the more traditional thirst found in Buckhead, drinks flowed as the patrons of the theater settled into their seats with some crowding the stage to get the best view in the house. Any remainders lingered near where the booze flowed to get their final cap before the show. Conversations all around could be heard reminiscing events of the long work week behind and throwing speculation on what would become of the week ahead. Overall, the scene was set for music to carry everyone’s worries away.
First up was The Huntress and Holder of Hands, a five-member group from Rhode Island consisting of an upright bass, cello, violin, bass guitar, and drummer with some variation including an acoustic guitar and ukulele. The group has a very mellow sound that has a very downtempo feel but also very folksy. The crowd was cold to them at first but warmed up to the group as their set progressed. The cohesiveness of the music, in my opinion, is what really drew in the crowd. While the music wasn’t very danceable or upbeat, the tightness around the set really made the music pleasant on the ears and enticing to listen to. They’re definitely not a house party band but a group worth taking a listening to.
The headliner for the evening was the solid trio The Devil Makes Three. Hailing from Santa Cruz, Cali., the band brought their take on folk to the stage at Buckhead Theater with not a single frown in the crowd. As was heard in the set by The Huntress and Holder of Hands, The Devil Makes Three played a very tight set with each member casually playing off each other to form a harmony to make angels cry. However, this time the music was super danceable.
The whole of Buckhead Theater turned into a country dance hall as Pete Bernhard filled the room with his peachy vocals and succinct guitar licks. Following his charge was banjo and guitarist Cooper McBean who gave their set that extra twang that one expects from good folk. Finally, add the illustrious Lucia Turino on bass slapping away any bad mojo with her slick beat. With them was their longtime friend and fiddler Chojo Jacques who killed it with his machine-like bow movements and “Johnny beat the Devil” fiddling. As a fellow violin player, fiddler in the country sense, I respect some good licks on those small strings.
Overall, The Devil Makes Three is a band not to miss. It is rare to find a band with such perfect harmony not only in their music but in their overall performance. Even if you dislike country, I challenge you to listen to one of their songs and not catch a beat.
Check The Devil Makes Three on their 2018 tour.
Photo Gallery – The Huntress and Holder of Hands
Photo Gllery – The Devil Makes Three
Last Thursday night was quite an evening! Udo Dirkschneider, former lead singer for metal band, Accept, made a stop at the Baltimore Soundstage with his solo band for a lengthy set featuring old Accept tunes and a good time. I had my own reasons for going to the show, however, which revolved around seeing one of my favorite bands, A Sound Of Thunder, open up for Udo. They did me a true kindness by obtaining a photo pass for me, which allowed me the pleasure of getting up-close and personal during their first three songs. While this photo pass allowed me to capture some shots of their set, as well as fellow opener, MindMaze, my clearance didn’t extend to Dirkschneider’s set. Unfortunate, but better than if I hadn’t been able to snap shots at all! Plus, I had the added enjoyment of discussing classic metal with a fellow enthusiast, ranging from Iron Maiden to Death. Discussing the finer points of Metallica’s back catalog was a rare treat.
Now, onto the photos!
MindMaze: Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bandcamp
It’s difficult for me to say exactly how awesome MindMaze’s set was. Based on what their vocalist, Sarah Teets, recently said on her Facebook page, this may have been their best set yet. However, as someone who has never listened to MindMaze prior to that night, I can only say this: the combination of searing vocals, pounding drums, and rapid fire riffs made their set a joy to behold. The abundant audience that filled Soundstage might have seemed a bit stiff at the beginning, but quickly erupted in applause at the end of their opening song. Even the debut of two new songs came across to resounding cheers. I, for one, have already gone to check out more of their music. In short: it’s worthy of your time.
A Sound Of Thunder: Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Google+ | Band Store
A Sound Of Thunder has been a personal favorite of mind since I first encountered them opening for Fozzy at the Jaxx Club in Springfield, VA. At that point, they gave off an air of Black Sabbath mixed with Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. However, over the years they’ve developed their sound and melded all their influences into a seamless exhibition of heavy metal. Though they didn’t have much more than half an hour, they still managed to wreak havoc upon Thursday’s crowd. I would be surprised if there were any in attendance who were not newly converted fans after their first track, “Queen Of Hell,” rang in their ears. Certainly, by the time they reached their cover of Manowar’s “Pleasure Slave,” a slew of onlookers were inducted into the Legion Of Thunder, submitting to the will of front-woman, Nina Osegueda. For those who are looking for some of their influences, I’d highly recommend their newest release, “Who Do You Think We Are?”, a collection of cover songs. If you’d like to check out their newest original work, however, look towards their album, “Tales From The Deadside,” which pairs nicely with the Valiant Darkman comics.
Here are some photos from Thursday, or check out the interview I did with Nina and Josh about “Tales From The Deadside.”
Peter Frampton
With a retro, soulful swagger Matthew Curry took the stage and made it his own when the guitar enthusiast opened for Peter Frampton and The Doobie Brothers at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on Thursday July 17. With Curry’s dynamic presence and blues heart he played songs off his Electric Religion and If I Don’t Have You albums. Curry’s sound is very reminiscent of a young Johnny Lang, both mature beyond their years. Curry performed “Love Me Right,” “Set Me Free,” “Storm’s A Brewing,” “If I Don’t Got You” and ended with “Down the Line.”
Matthew Curry
Peter Frampton took the stage next with nothing but a smile as he enchanted the crowd. There is nothing like seeing Frampton live, absolutely nothing. His energy is evanescent as he not only commands the stage, but at the same time he has the audience on the edge of their seats as he highlights and showcases his raw talent. With images of the past scroll across the backdrop screen alternate with psychedelic patterns.
This living rock god delighted all ages with his hits as fans recorded everything from snippets of their favorite songs to the entire show on their phones and iPads. Frampton’s ease on the stage is easily seen as he enraptured the thrall of fans, getting them up out of their seats clapping and hollering at the end of each song. Frampton even egged the crowd on by saying “this is fun (pause). Are we doing okay for you?” Frampton even gets cheeky with the crowd as he discussed about having a tailgate smoking party and even asking if it’s legal in this state, all the while chuckling.
Peter Frampton
Frampton started the night off with “You Had to Be There” then transitioned into “Doobie Wah,” “Lines on My Face,” “Show Me the Way,” “(I’ll Give You) Money,” “Black Hole Sun” (Soundgarden cover), “Baby I Love Your Way,” the highly infectious “Do You Feel Like We Do” and ended on the powerfully evocative “While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles cover).
The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers wrapped the night up as they took stage and made it their own as the ‘70s rock band revitalized it’s hits and made them golden again, as they played “Jesus is Just Right” (The Art Reynolds Singers cover), “ Rockin’ Down the Highway,” “Dependin’ On You,” “World Gone Crazy,” “Neal’s Fandango,” “South City Midnight Lady,” “Eyes of Silver,” “Takin’ It to the Streets,” “Don’t Start Me Talkin’” (Sonny Boy Williamson cover w/Peter Frampton), “Black Water, “ “Long Train Runnin,” “China Grove, “ “Road Angel” and ended with “Listen to the Music.” It was like a musical tapestry, all the hooks, choruses and chords coming together to create a perfect evening at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre.
This is a show that I would want to see again. Highly entertaining from start to finish.
