Concert Report: Last Thursday

In the middle of the night, on the East side of Atlanta, under a bar, last Thursday one of the most energetic concerts I've ever been to went down at The Basement.  The Basement is an extremely small venue with amazing acoustics, and the crowd was absolutely tiny.  I'm talking maybe ten people there who weren't in one of the bands.  I fell in love with the place, which was nice enough to let me into an 18+ show even though I'm not 18+.  Seriously, people in the Atlanta area, go to The Basement.  They need your patronage.  Anyway, onward.

The four bands performing were Wolves, Nico's Gun, Yip Deceiver, and Chappo.

Wolves is an Atlanta based, self produced alt-pop band made up of Kyle Dreaden and Zak Ray.  Their debut album, "Youth" was released in April, and is available for free here.  It includes eight songs, one of them is called 'Twenty Something' and I have had it playing in my head since the show.   Wolves has a unique sound that I can only describe as something to the tune of dance-rock.

Nico's Gun played a set of mostly funk, but ended their time on stage with two very different songs that had an almost metal feel.  Talking to them after the show, I asked them about why that was, and they said that, had they had enough time, they would have played some of their punk stuff.  Nico's Gun is great to watch live, if not for the music then for their look. Barney, the singer and guitarist, wore glittery fake eyelashes, the keyboardist was in a blue fur jacket and had his hair in a topknot.  The bassist looked like he could have stepped right out of a hard rock band.  With their unique mix of people, massive amounts of talent, varied influences, and general want to have a lot of fun, it's hard to tell just what Nico's Gun will do from one song to the next.

Yip Deceiver was definitely a surprise for me.  I had listened to their music before the show, but that didn't prepare me for the fact that the two piece electronic dance group is made up of Davey Peirce and Nicolas Dubbratz from of Montreal.  Having missed seeing Of Montreal earlier this year, I was excited to see Davey and Nicolas's side project.  They did not disappoint and had the small crowd dancing from the first song.

"Get Strict" - Yip Deceiver

Chappo was amazing, as always. I had a chance to talk to keyboardist Chris before the show.  We didn't really talk about anything important or interview-ish.  It was actually a lot like old friends just chatting, which was a good change from the normal "I have a blog, let's talk business" type conversations I've had with bands.  By the time Chappo went on stage, I had talked to the whole band.  Living in New York, they were lucky to have sustained little damage from hurricane Sandy and managed to be one step ahead of the storm while on tour.  Their set went by entirely too fast, but was very theatrical and very intimate.  Frontman Alex Chappo requested tht everyone in the audience form a semicircle around him and made sure to touch everyone at least once.  In a later song, he opened a bottle of water, poured part of it over his head, part on the floor, and the rest on the audience.  I definitely enjoyed the close quarters of their show, and preferred seeing them in a small venue opposed to outdoors.

(CHAPPO on stage at The Basement)

News From CHAPPO

CHAPPO has recently released their music video for "5-0." The band says, "There are no singing nipples this time, but there ARE some teenagers getting it on in bathroom stalls, taking pills, and driving recklessly." You can find the "5-0" video posted below.

 

If you're interested in catching CHAPPO live soon, check out their upcoming tour dates for their Fall Soiree Tour:

 

OCT 21 – Brooklyn, NY: 151 Kent – Rooftop Party and "5–0" screening

OCT 22 – Long Branch, NJ: Brighton Bar

OCT 26 – Philadelphia, PA: The Fire

OCT 28 – Richmond, VA: House Party (RVA Magazine)

OCT 30 – Charlotte, NC: Evening Muse

OCT 31 – Athens, GA: FreakFest Party

NOV 01 – Atlanta, GA: The Basement

NOV 02 – Durham, NC: Motorco Music Hall

NOV 03 – Washington, DC: The Pinch with Nicos Gun

 

Seeing Scars on 45 Live, Twice

Scars on 45 is hands down one of the best bands I've ever seen live, and trust me, I've seen A LOT of bands. Seeing them twice in one week, at two completely different venues, gave me huge respect for the band's music and the band's members.

The first time I became aware of Scars was when one of their songs was featured on Itunes this past April. I had honestly kind of forgotten about them until I saw that they were playing at the Bunbury Music Festival. They were the opening act for the outdoor music festival and there was a surprisingly small crowd. Scars on 45 is one of those bands that you can't help but be captivated by as soon as they take the stage. They had amazing sound, especially on the outdoor stage. Aimee's voice is unbelievable live. It makes you wonder how someone can have such a naturally pure voice. Their incredible sound, memorable lyrics, and wonderful personalities had me hooked. Before the show was over, I was already looking at their next tour locations, and it just so happened that they were playing at The Vinyl in Atlanta less than a week later.

Of course after seeing Scars on 45's show at Bunbury, I had to see them again. The Vinyl is a very small, bar style venue in downtown Atlanta. The band took the stage around 10:00 p.m. and had about an hour and 45 minute set. The small setting allowed the band to be much more interactive with the audience, which made the show even better than I had expected. The band members had conversations with the audience off and on throughout the show and, at a few points in the performance, they even came off the stage and mingled with the crowd during songs. With the smaller venue, the sound wasn't as good, but the band made up for that otherwise. It was yet another fantastic show from Scars on 45.

After both shows, the band did meet and greets with fans, talking and taking pictures with them, signing merchandise. All of the band members were genuinely excited to meet their fans and more than happy to sign merch. When bands truly appreciate their fans like Scars on 45 does, to me, it is priceless.

In conclusion, Scars on 45 is a band you should definitely see live if you ever get the chance! Believe me, you will be shocked at how good they are live. I know I was. And, as of now, I plan on seeing them again in the very near future.

My friends, my sister, and I at the Bunbury Fest. with Scars on 45

My friends and I at The Vinyl with Scars on 45's co-lead singer, Aimee Driver 

How Scars on 45 Came to Be

This is Scars on 45's official full biography by Melinda Newman:
How Scars on 45 Came to Be

And this is the song that set everything into motion (which I might add, I saw them perform this live and it was unbelievable in person):

"Friday, I'm In Love" Cover

(Includes the song and a band interview that goes along with the above article)

This band was obviously meant to be. Everything seemed to fall into the right place at the right time for them. It's incredible how things like that happen. Some of this may be a slight recap of my previous post, but I wanted give the full story and this is the best way to do it. Hope you find it interesting and enjoy the read!

One last thing! Here is the Scars on 45 Q&A with Billboard!!

About "The Lesser Known"

I have been talking about creating a music blog for several years now. After attending a music festival in Ohio, I decided that the time was right. Over the past few years, I have discovered thousands of incredible bands with an unbelievably small fan base. Through The Lesser Known, I want to share these bands with the world and other music lovers. This blog will be a resource for readers to learn about and share bands, concerts, music sites, personal music experiences, and everything in between.  Music is master when it comes to The Lesser Known. 

Suggestions of any kind are always welcome and encouraged. I hope you like what you see and please share The Lesser Known with your friends! Thanks!