CATAPULT: Irrepressible Athens rockers Five Eight have been on a pronounced upcycle this past year, buoyed by filmmaker Mark Pilvinsky’s documentary Weirdo: The Story of Five Eight as well as the frenetic energy of its single from February, “Take Me To The Skatepark.” Now newly signed to Milford, CT label Static Era Records, with an anticipated new album in 2026, the band recently released its newest single “I’m Alone,” which is exactly the type of pick-me-up song title you’ve come to expect from these boys. The tune itself is a mid-tempo rocker that is smooth in its transitions, features some creative use of classic riff-rock, and even closes out with vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Mike Mantione’s signature emotive wail. Find this on all major streaming services, and gather all other information at fiveeight.com.
TALK ABOUT THE PASSION: The overlap between Athens music and visual art is so foundational that it seems born that way. A great example of such is the upcoming closing reception event at Flicker Theatre and Bar on Tuesday, Nov. 25 in celebration of artist James Greer (American Cheeseburger). The event runs 5–9 p.m. Attendees can check out Greer’s 19-piece exhibition, as well as enjoy live music from IXIAN, Grant Evans and Matthew Kovacevich, and Motion Sickness of Time Travel. Catch up on Greer’s work at jamesgreerart.blogspot.com, and head over to hookervision.bandcamp.com and ixian.bandcamp.com to check out the musical offerings for this night.
LITTLE AMERICA: While you’re enjoying the artists mentioned directly above, you may be inclined to check out Evans’ merchandise table in hopes there are physical copies of the gorgeous new compilation Hooker Vision has released. It’s titled Creek Drift Mosaic: A Field Guide to Southern Cosmic, and each copy of the cassette and compact disc comes with a hugely informative, and very nicely assembled, printed field guide to the artists on the comp as well as “current locations, artist photos, essential listening for each artist, and a slew of tour/show photos and posters.” As always with Hooker Vision releases, this comp is something to sit with, not rush through. Among the most contemplative tracks here are Motion Sickness of Time Travel’s “Kudzoo Warped Thistle,” but I’m also quite partial to Observance’s “Material Point” and its mechanical heartbeat. Ask for this if you go to the show but, if not, head over to hookervision.bandcamp.com and grab a copy.
GET UP: Anthem master Phantom Dan released a new single named “Rat Girl Hunny” last week and, as you might imagine, it’s got a huge chorus that connects its hook-packed verses in a sing-along fashion. The man himself, according to a press release, describes it as “a show-tune-tinged pop-punk roller coaster,” which is surely as flowery as I could ever describe it. Pump your fist in the air and shout along to this when Dan and Co. play Athens Rocksgiving on Friday, Nov. 21 at Live Wire. Also on the bill this night are Enox, Ashes To Omens and Atlanta group Intension. There are advance tickets for this, so head to facebook.com/phantomdanmusic for more details.
I’M GONNA DJ: The third album from Athens-related DJ Knetter Gek came out last week, and it’s titled Vol. 4 On The Floor. Thus far, I’ve been solidly onboard with all his releases, but nothing prepared me for the way he absolutely spread his wings with this one. With its rock guitar and bass, harder beats, etc., this is akin to when rock bands were dipping into dance music in the 1990s (think U2, Blur, Happy Mondays, et al). Indeed, the main guitar flourish on opening track “Brummie” would have been right at home on 1997’s Pop. Similarly, the timbale beats in “Fuzz Buster” could have fallen off “Sympathy For the Devil” before they run headlong into a Kravitz-style guitar riff. The first vocal I can recall hearing from any of his albums appears on “Redline,” which is a groove even before the fact, and this aspect only adds to it. I was taken, in particular, by “Heel-Toe,” the surf-y intrigue of “Downshift” and the all-out swagger of “Big Block.” Also, everything here is a bit long by about one minute per track, but the good DJ uses this space to give the songs a long exhale and exhibit constituent parts for closer aural inspection. He’s currently exploring vinyl options, so don’t hold your breath on that, but this is available as a digital download, as well as compact disc. This was a welcome surprise, and you too can be surprised by heading over to djknettergek.bandcamp.com and djknettergek.com.
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