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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Atlanta Concert Reviews
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261019T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261019T193000
DTSTAMP:20260517T211226Z
CREATED:20260517T194145Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260517T211226Z
UID:19953-1792438200-1792438200@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Journey - Final Frontier Tour
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/journey-final-frontier-tour/
LOCATION:State Farm Arena\, 1 State Farm Drive\, Atlanta\, GA
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/journey-SFA-19OCT2026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261020T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261020T190000
DTSTAMP:20260517T211627Z
CREATED:20260426T032114Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260517T211627Z
UID:19577-1792522800-1792522800@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Teddy Swims: The UGLY Tour
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/teddy-swims-the-ugly-tour/
LOCATION:State Farm Arena\, 1 State Farm Drive\, Atlanta\, GA
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/teddyswims-SFA-20OCT2026.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261020T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261020T200000
DTSTAMP:20260720T034232Z
CREATED:20260720T034232Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260720T034232Z
UID:20596-1792526400-1792526400@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:The Linda Lindas w/ Grace Bowers
DESCRIPTION:Since going viral with their LA Public Library performance of their song “Racist\, Sexist\, Boy” the world has watched The Linda Lindas scream about injustice\, sing about growing up and exhibit the kind of altruism that is so meaningful to the punk scene. While their evolution as writers\, performers and studio geeks is clear on No Obligation\, their ethos remain steadfast. The band has released three great album cuts so far\, the anxiety filled ”Too Many Things\,” the scorcher “Revolution / Resolution\,” and the album’s addictive lead single “All In My Head”.  With all four musicians each contributing to the writing and lead-singing\, the songs are as varied and dynamic as the girls themselves\, however the listener always senses the underpinning of both their shared world-view and their bond. \nNo Obligation\, the second full-length album (released on October 11 via Epitaph Records) from The Linda Lindas further advances their unironic\, joyful\, and exciting trajectory of mashing up L.A. punk with post punk\, garage rock\, power pop\, new wave and rock en español. Written and recorded by the band during spring breaks\, winter breaks\, and long weekends (Lucia de la Garza and bassist Eloise Wong are still in high school\, drummer Mila de la Garza just finished middle school\, and Bela Salazar is patiently waiting for them to get done with it already)\, the new album has been in the works for the last two years whenever they weren’t at school or touring. \nThe Linda Lindas most recently shared “No Obligation” – the ferocious title track. “I don’t got no obligation\,” roars Eloise Wong in the album’s opening song –  “just brush off all expectation.” From the first moment of their sophomore release\, it is clear that The Linda Lindas are here to defy expectations and challenge the norms.
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/the-linda-lindas-w-grace-bowers/
LOCATION:Terminal West\, 887 West Maritetta St. NW\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30318\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/lindalindas-TW-20OCT2026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261021T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261021T200000
DTSTAMP:20260628T230647Z
CREATED:20260628T230647Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260628T230647Z
UID:20295-1792612800-1792612800@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Karina Rykman
DESCRIPTION:Karina Rykman plays bass\, sings\, jumps around\, and laughs a lot. In doing so\, she has garnered rare attention and avid listenership. Straddling the worlds of jam rock and indie pop drenched in psychedelia\, Karina’s effervescent presence comes to life in musical form. \nBorn & raised in New York City\, Karina Rykman’s musical path began in her early teens playing in bands whenever she could while attending a veritable ton of live music as a fan. By the end of her senior year at NYU\, Rykman’s virtuoso talent & infectious spirit saw her invited to join pianist Marco Benevento’s band (as recommended by Ween bassist Dave Dreiwitz)\, with whom she’s performed countless shows including dates with Vulfpeck\, Dispatch\, The Claypool Lennon Delirium\, & many more. \nRykman soon formed her own namesake band\, accompanied by Adam November (guitar\, loopers\, effects) and Chris Corsico (drums). She quickly earned a reputation as an unmissable live act – a bombastic exposition that floats freely between dreamy indie pop and thick\, distorted rock – with “fun” as its guiding light. Tearing up sold out headline performances to ravenous fans\, show-stealing festival performances (including Bonnaroo\, Peach Music Festival\, and Sweetwater 420 Fest)\, opening for Khruangbin\, My Morning Jacket\, the Tedeschi Trucks Band (+ many more)\, plus recent appearances in the house band on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers\, Karina stays busy. \nRykman released her debut album\, JOYRIDE via AWAL in August 2023. Written & recorded with childhood friend and producer Gabe Monro\, the album serves as a vivid canvas for Rykman’s vibrant expression & chameleonic songcraft. JOYRIDE features Trey Anastasio as co-producer & featured musician\, contributing guitar on five of the album’s nine tracks. \nThe bassist/vocalist’s concerts are often packed with fans who feel more like friends—a testament to her undeniable charisma and her embrace of the live music community—and that circle continues to expand at alarming rates.
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/karina-rykman/
LOCATION:Aisle 5\, 1123 Euclid Ave NE\, Atlanta\, GA
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/karinarykman-A5-21OCT2026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261021T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261021T200000
DTSTAMP:20260911T035651Z
CREATED:20260911T035651Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260911T035651Z
UID:20952-1792612800-1792612800@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Dope Lemon
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/dope-lemon/
LOCATION:Buckhead Theatre\, 3110 Roswell Rd NE\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30305
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/dopelemon-BT-21OCT2026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261022T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261022T190000
DTSTAMP:20260517T193418Z
CREATED:20260517T193418Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260517T193418Z
UID:19947-1792695600-1792695600@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:sombr - You Are the Reason Tour
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/sombr-you-are-the-reason-tour/
LOCATION:State Farm Arena\, 1 State Farm Drive\, Atlanta\, GA
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/sombr-SFA-22OCT2026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261022T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261022T190000
DTSTAMP:20260612T040042Z
CREATED:20260612T040042Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260612T040042Z
UID:20224-1792695600-1792695600@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Mastodon\, with Deafhaven and Alcest
DESCRIPTION:Death is inevitable. Time is a precious\, finite resource. Regret springs solely from our collective inability to square these two truths. A friend suddenly passes away and you’re left to think about all those times where you could have said how much you appreciate them and didn’t – because you figured there would always be a next time. A partnership collapses and you’re left to reflect on the moments you took for granted\, the ways you could have been more present. A band lacks the foresight to predict that touring will cease to exist for two years and doesn’t leave it all on the stage that last night; or\, think of the fan that doesn’t stick around for the encore because they wanted an extra half hour of sleep. \nThese concerns were not hypothetical for Mastodon. The core lineup has been in place for 21 years\, an eternity in the highest echelons of metal\, where even the most legendary band names eventually become brands staffed by a rotating cast of hired guns. And yet\, Brann Dailor\, Brent Hinds\, Bill Kelliher\, and Troy Sanders experienced enough individual and collective tragedy to threaten their adamantine bond – the death of their longtime friend and manager Nick John after battling pancreatic cancer\, a devastating global pandemic that put their faith\, families\, and livelihoods in jeopardy. Mastodon’s decades of success and the brotherhood between its four members had not made them any more immune to the possibility that it could all splinter tomorrow. Mastodon had a glimpse of the end and committed to a new beginning – and Hushed And Grim does not take a single moment for granted. \nAnd there are more of these moments than on any previous Mastodon release. It initially feels reductive to simply describe Hushed And Grim as Mastodon’s ninth album – at 88 minutes\, their first double LP boldly defies conventional assumptions about attention spans in the streaming era. With the expanse of a studio film\, the texture of a novel and the breadth of a Greatest Hits\, Hushed And Grim is Mastodon paying tribute to John by building an eternal monument. “He’s always been an influence when he was alive\,” Hinds wistfully states. “And he’s even more of an influence now.” \nConsider why double albums are frequently called “monumental.” Mastodon is very much aware of what this format says about their legacy in heavy music. Dailor recalls his formative teenage years absorbing every note of world-building epics like The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway\, Physical Graffiti\, and The Wall\, milestone works from bands whose inspiration and craft have simultaneously reached a zenith. “It takes some balls to put out a double album these days or takes some ovaries\,” Dailor quips. “I’ve been trying to say ovaries because I think it’s more powerful.” \nMastodon fundamentally altered the course of 21st century metal on 2004’s classic Leviathan\, and every album thereafter continued to shape the genre in their image. In 2018\, five-time nominees Mastodon won their first GRAMMY®\, with “Sultan’s Curse” earning Best Metal Performance. Arguably more impressive was Emperor of Sand being nominated for Best Rock Album\, with lead single “Show Yourself” hitting the top five on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. Without sacrificing an iota of their intensity and intelligence\, Mastodon’s imprint on pop culture has spread from Adult Swim to late night network television\, from the History Channel’s Counting Cars to HBO’s Game of Thrones\, from DC Comics Dark Knight Metal to Bill and Ted Face the Music. \nBut as Sanders points out\, “the most solid representation of us is when we get in our cycle and craft a wholesome\, dynamic and beautiful record from top to bottom. That’s what we ultimately thrive on.” Hushed And Grim only emphasizes what the band’s many accomplishments has expressed to this point – Mastodon have transcended genre of any kind\, animated by an unwillingness to compromise that results in their most expansive and accessible release yet. There are no interludes\, no filler\, none of the stereotypical bloat that accompanies even the most revered double albums. With the spirit of Nick John coursing throughout its entirety\, “every song has a place in our hearts\,” Kelliher stresses. \nThroughout\, Mastodon travel through time and space\, through memory and imagination\, drawing on their experience and formative influences to open new portals. On “Pushing the Tides\,” they exist at the thrilling intersection of metal and post-hardcore\, “The Beast”’s heaving Southern rock\, replete with a countrified contribution from guitarist Marcus King\, creates an alternate history of the Allman Brothers sharing a bottle of Jack Daniels with Black Sabbath\, “Had it All” features a guitar solo from Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil and some classical French Horn by Jody Sanders\, Mother of Troy\, reimagining Mastodon as a band intermingling with the monsters of Headbanger’s Ball. It’s all overseen by the legendary producer David Bottrill now including Hushed And Grim alongside his prior progressive pop landmarks from Peter Gabriel\, Tool and King Crimson. \nYet for all of their technical mastery and ambitious musicianship\, the most daring aspect of Hushed And Grim comes from the voices of Mastodon themselves. It’s not just in the tremendous growth all members have made as vocal performers\, exemplified in the explosive shouts of “The Crux” and the aching refrain of “Skeleton of Splendor”; there’s an unmistakable expressive grit that cannot be coached\, that takes years of endurance and pain to unlock. \nAs Mastodon’s music continues to expand outward\, each member traveled inward\, more deeply to unearth their most emotionally transparent lyrics yet. “One thing I’ve noticed about longevity is that you kind of eliminate layers of bullshit and become more honest\,” Sanders muses. In the past\, Mastodon albums were so memorable in their metaphorical heft that it threatened to swallow them whole – they’re the Moby Dick band\, the Rasputin band\, the guys who wrote about wolves and skulls. “We pull authentic emotion from our life experiences\,” Sanders explains. “And we channel that through the art that we call Mastodon.” And the themes of heartbreak\, of joy and hope that have always underpinned the band’s most referential work are pushed to the fore on Hushed And Grim. \nLook\, they’re still called Mastodon – the metal is here\, Kelliher and Hinds’ riffs are still massive\, Sanders’ bass can level a mountain and Dailor’s drumming is every bit as dazzling in its intricacies. Yet\, the towering “Had It All” was originally built from Sanders’ simple acoustic strum\, Kelliher and Hinds’ interplay impresses with a newfound\, nimble sense of melody and Dailor’s restraint is as thrilling as his blinding fills as “The Beast” brings a slow Southern shuffle to their repertoire. But Hushed And Grim dares you to see Mastodon as what they’ve always been – four friends from Atlanta who are subject to the same struggles as you and I. “I’ve turned the grief to medicine\,” “I feel the pressure\,” “death comes and brings with him sickle and peace\,” “leaving you behind is the hardest thing I’ve done\,” these are their refrains\, to be shared between Mastodon and the listener as equals. “My love\, so strong/The mountains we made in the distance/Those will stay with us” – these are Mastodon’s parting words on the closing “Gigantium\,” and we is all-inclusive\, to themselves\, to the fans that have stuck with them throughout the years\, and the new ones to come. And to Nick Johns’. Our time together can’t possibly last forever and\, inevitably\, Mastodon may one day be no more. Hushed And Grim will remain.
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/mastodon-with-deafhaven-and-alcest/
LOCATION:The Eastern\, 777 Memorial Dr SE\, Atlanta\, GA
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Mastodon-deafheavenalcest-EAST-22OCT2026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261022T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261022T200000
DTSTAMP:20260628T232402Z
CREATED:20260628T232402Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260628T232402Z
UID:20313-1792699200-1792699200@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Brand New
DESCRIPTION:American alternative rock band\, Brand New\, is bringing their most influential album to the Fox Theatre on October 22. The band consisting of Jesse Lacey\, Vincent Accardi\, Garrett Tierney\, and Brian Lane formed in 2000 on Long Island\, New York. Their debut album\, Your Favorite Weapon\, established themselves within the Long Island emo and pop-punk scene. \nThey went on to create more albums including The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me\, a record that would become one of the most influential albums of the emo era. Brand New returned in 2017 with Science Fiction\, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and received widespread critical acclaim.
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/brand-new/
LOCATION:Fox Theatre\, 660 Peachtree Street NE\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30308
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/brandnew-FOX22OCT2026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261022T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261024T170000
DTSTAMP:20260517T200719Z
CREATED:20260426T032453Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260517T200719Z
UID:19579-1792699200-1792861200@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Stryper
DESCRIPTION:STRYPER\n\n\n\n\n\nAfter four decades of producing\, recording and performing high-caliber music\, prolific rock  foursome Stryper continues to relentlessly show itself as a renewed force with  unquenchable firepower. \nIn addition to kicking off an ambitious 40th anniversary tour in fall of 2024\, the group  releases its 16th studio project\, the triumphant When We Were Kings (Frontiers Music Srl)\,  on September 13\, 2024. The 11-track project fortifies Stryper’s signature sonic output by  showcasing tight harmonies\, riff-infused instrumentation and impassioned vocals. \nAmong the album’s most spiritually straightforward songs\, hard-charging track “Trinity”  speaks to the mysterious unity of the Father\, Son and Spirit\, while thundering tune “End of  Days” addresses the last days prior to the apocalypse. Elsewhere\, guitars loom large and a  captivating chorus encompasses the title track focused on the futility of dwelling on the  past. \nFurther song themes run the gamut from overcoming bitterness and showing mercy  (“Unforgiveable”) to finding common ground in relationships (“Divided by Design”) and  dealing with deceit and unfaithfulness (“Betrayed by Love”). \nStryper also has made solid progress on a much-anticipated Kickstarter-fueled  documentary film. More than 1\,700 backers helped the band far exceed its original funding  goal\, earning a “Projects We Love” tag on the popular crowdfunding platform. \nWhen it comes to groundbreaking bands in the Christian hard-rock genre\, Stryper is  renowned for its trademark style of “heavenly metal\,” remarkable crossover success and  venerable endurance. The group ascended to prominence in the 1980s with Billboard Top  40 hits like “Calling on You\,” “Honestly” and “Always There for You.” \nStryper’s career album sales exceed 10 million worldwide\, including 1986’s standard bearing multiplatinum release To Hell with the Devil. The band also made history when it  notched two songs simultaneously in MTV’s Top 10 with videos “Free” and “Honestly.”
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/stryper/
LOCATION:Center Stage Theater\, 1374 West Peachtree St\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30188\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Stryper-CS-22OCT2026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261023T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261023T200000
DTSTAMP:20260210T002318Z
CREATED:20260210T002318Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260210T002318Z
UID:18342-1792785600-1792785600@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Sugar w/ J. Robbins (Jawbox)
DESCRIPTION:Having already placed his indelible mark on the future direction of rock with Hüsker Dü\, Bob Mould teamed with bassist David Barbe and drummer Malcolm Travis to found Sugar in late 1991\, making their live debut early the next year at Athens\, GA’s famed 40 Watt Club. Named by NME as its 1992 “Album of the Year\,” Sugar’s now-classic debut album\, Copper Blue\, immediately proved a sensation\, earning worldwide acclaim and landmark status for the melodic strength and intensely cathartic popcraft of songs like “A Good Idea\,” “Helpless\,” and the alternative rock radio hit and MTV favorite\, “If I Can’t Change Your Mind.” The trio quickly found themselves performing on increasingly larger stages\, including a legendary show-stealing set at London’s Great X-pectations Festival in Finsbury Park. \nWith the wind at their back\, Sugar unleashed Beaster in 1993\, making a momentous debut at #3 on the UK’s Official Albums Chart as well as at #4 on Billboard’s “Heatseekers” chart in the US. Though recorded during the same sessions that yielded Copper Blue\, the six-song mini-album evinced a more visceral energy and dark melancholy than its predecessor\, highlighted by such pulverizing expressions of sacrilegious fury as “Judas Cradle” and “JC Auto.” 1994’s second full-length LP\, File Under: Easy Listening once again made an explosive arrival among the top 10 on the UK Official Albums Chart\, this time landing in the upper reaches of the overall Billboard 200. The album saw Sugar pushing boundaries yet again on songs like the country-flavored “Believe What You’re Saying” and the incendiary “Gee Angel\,” tackling a wider range of musical approaches without sacrificing their signature intensity and unrestrained power. Despite their successes\, Sugar called it a day following a Japanese tour in early 1995. A series of live recordings\, reissues\, and anthologies served to magnify the band’s legacy over the three decades since\, confirming Sugar as incontrovertible masters of high-volume guitar-fueled rock for the ages. \nThe original members of Sugar reconvened in June 2025. The first new song in over three decades\, “House Of Dead Memories”\, was released on October 15\, 2025\, with live shows to follow in 2026.
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/sugar-w-j-robbins-jawbox/
LOCATION:The Eastern\, 777 Memorial Dr SE\, Atlanta\, GA
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Sugar-EAST-23OCT2026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261024T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261024T200000
DTSTAMP:20260317T011809Z
CREATED:20260317T011644Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260317T011809Z
UID:18883-1792872000-1792872000@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Chasing Abbey
DESCRIPTION:Chasing Abbey the award winning trio from Tullamore\, Ireland—is returning to the U.S. in autumn 2026 for a twenty-four-date North American tour. Known for combining cutting edge electronic production with the heart of traditional Irish music\, Chasing Abbey has become one of Ireland’s most exciting and dynamic acts. \nWith massive hits like “Arís is Arís\,” “Íorónta\,” and “Oh My Johnny\,” the group has earned multiple platinum singles and packed venues across Ireland and the world with their electrifying live shows. Their latest release\, Íoronta\, is climbing the charts and igniting a global audience\, setting the stage for an unforgettable American tour.
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/chasing-abbey/
LOCATION:Terminal West\, 887 West Maritetta St. NW\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30318\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ChasingAbbey-TW-24OCT2026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261025T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261025T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T025111Z
CREATED:20260407T025111Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260407T025111Z
UID:19099-1792947600-1792947600@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:John Scofield's Electrospective
DESCRIPTION:City Winery presents JOHN SCOFIELD’S “ELECTROSPECTIVE” – featuring OTEIL BURBRIDGE\, LARRY GOLDINGS & ADAM DEITCH live on Sunday\, October 25th at 5pm and 8:30pm. \n  \nThrough his 54-year career\, 3-time Grammy Award winner John Scofield has occasionally detoured from the traditions of straight-ahead jazz\, exploring a blend of funk and jazz that has led to some of his most popular projects. In late autumn of 2026\, Scofield looks back at many of his now classic fusion groove compositions with Electrospective. Not intending to replicate the earlier fan favorites\, he plans instead to revisit them with the seasoned perspective of several decades; culling tunes from his Blue Matter\, Uberjam\, and AGoGo bands – each responsible for a few recordings – as well as new material in the same vein. Scofield looks forward to teaming up with a stellar band of colleagues\, Electrospective will rely on interpretative input from Scofield alum and super funk drummer/producer Adam Deitch (Lettuce)\, multidimensional Larry Goldings (Scary Goldings\, James Taylor) on keyboards\, and legendary bassist Oteil Burbridge (Dead & CO.\, Tedeschi Trucks\, Allman Brothers). With this repertoire so frequently (and loudly) requested by audience members\, Scofield is glad to have a band that will truly do the music justice.
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/john-scofields-electrospective/
LOCATION:City Winery Atlanta\, 650 North Avenue\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30308
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/JohnScofield-CW-25OCT2026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261025T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261025T200000
DTSTAMP:20261013T212513Z
CREATED:20261013T212513Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261013T212513Z
UID:21710-1792958400-1792958400@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Johnny Blue Skies & the Dark Clouds - Mutiny for the Masses 2026 Tour
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/johnny-blue-skies-the-dark-clouds-mutiny-for-the-masses-2026-tour/
LOCATION:State Farm Arena\, 1 State Farm Drive\, Atlanta\, GA
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/johnnyblueskies-SFA-25OCT2026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261026T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261026T193000
DTSTAMP:20260517T200807Z
CREATED:20260426T030001Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260517T200807Z
UID:19557-1793043000-1793043000@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:The Damned
DESCRIPTION:People have been arguing about punk rock since the big bang that created that high decibel universe. The Damned were at the heart of that revolution and have returned like resurrected vampires to take back the(ir) punk rock crown. \nFew bands have managed to maintain their manic muse\, few bands have been key catalysts to a musical genre\, few bands have managed to improve like fine old wines and few have managed to do it with such fantastic chaos\, captivating style and shape shifting music as The Damned.  Their mix of theatrics and raw power combine to create their vaudeville immaculate and gothic horror shivers\, dark music hall anthems and a perfect punk rock. \nIn the rules of rock ’n’ roll most bands fade away but then the Damned were never playing by the rules. One of the originals who sparked the punk rock riot doesn’t mean they had to stay there. Their trip has been long and thrillingly strange and ‘Darkadelic’ is a late period triumph that entwines their core obsessions of garage/psyche/punk rock old black and white Universal horror film soundtracks and even moments of sweet jazz which they sieve with a brooding and enthralling melody. This is a tasteful aural experience with exquisite guitar playing delivered with a breath taking virtuosity but never loses its inventive punk rock edge. \nIt feels they have been waiting for decades to deal this hand that sees them surpass their early 80s classics such as Machine Gun Etiquette\, Black Album and Strawberries whilst nodding at what was loved on all those classic albums. \nFrom their 1976 formation to the new album this has been a wild creative trip. Playing by their own rules\, The Damned were the first punk band to release a single in Nov 1976\, the first punk band to release an album and six months later they were the first punk band to release a second album\, they were the first punk band to tour America and then the first punk band to split up. They did this all by the autumn of 1977 before most people had cut their hair and even woken up to punk rock. \nThe Damned were then the first punk band to reform and came back with all guns blazing with their third album\, 1979’s Machine Gun Etiquette\, and then lurch through the years with their powder keg music\, sartorial style\, innovative takes on psyche and goth and even a brush with pop stardom in their grandiose pop goth phase of the late eighties. \nFor a form of music that was meant to be of the moment and flash in the pan\, punk has become a much loved historical epoch and it’s perfect that one of the form’s key originators and one of the most prestigious bands coming out of the 70s scene are the only true survivors and are still\, somehow\, at the top of their dark game. \nFew classic bands still have the inspiration left to make albums and few make albums as good as the aptly named Darkadelic. 2018’s Evil Spirits finally established the band in the top ten of the album charts giving the band the confidence to make an even more guitar driven album that celebrates their garage psych influences that have always been a part of all their best work. Taking advantage of the enforced down time of the pandemic they have been in creative overdrive in the past year either working remotely or in Thomas Mitchener’s studio just outside Watford. \nThe Damned may have been the punk pioneers but their muse has always been multi dimensional. From their first rehearsal onwards the band were beyond the cliche. They were the only “classic” punk rock band to combine gothic sounds and horror aesthetic with punk music\, shaping a strong identity of their own. They had a baritone crooning vocalist instead of a shouter. They also had great songs and an intense manic energy plus a wild abandon of ideas. The new album brings all these threads together into a perfect whole. Their unlikely strange brew of psychedelia\, garage rock\, punk rock with a gothic twist has never sounded so well realised. It’s this seamless combination of all the dark and fascinating forms of music that is the key to the band\, a combination that reflects the oddly diverse core members of the group. \nYou could not get a more unlikely combination of characters into one room if you tried. After four decades the two leading members of the original line up are as chalk and cheese as ever. The vampiric stylish sex god singer David Vanian is still dealing that 24 carat gold croon that pioneered Goth and gives the band a unique dark flavour. The singer is ageless as the mad\, bad and dangerous to know Byronic vampire and is still immersed in the attendant B movie culture that he is so imbued with. His partner in crime is the manic songwriter and guitarist/bass player Captain Sensible whose wild stage personae\, hilariously perfect monicker and off the cuff quips sometimes masks his brilliant guitar playing and timeless knack for melody and a creative sensitivity that is peaking on the album. \nIt’s this fantastically phantasmagoric bizarre core to the band that is key to their genius. They are the sartorial and stylistic creative tension that is the representation of the band’s music. Like all the great bands\, the Damned were always a combustible creative arms race from the start. They were formed by the foresight and genius of Brian James who was famously described by The Clash’s Mick Jones as having the vision for punk a year before anyone else. Brian also had a fist full of anthems to back his perception up with. Their classic November 1976 New Rose debut single was released a month before the Sex Pistols ‘Anarchy In The UK’ putting a spiky cat amongst the pop pigeons. \nThe Damned should have been huge. They had the tunes\, the style\, the moment and the momentum. They hit the road with Trex\, threw up all over the music press and were a thrilling surge of lunatic energy but they were hamstrung by being on an indie label and fell apart as other punk bands were catapulted into the mainstream by the majors. \nTheir influence from that period though hangs over the worldwide punk scene. The 1977 debut album with its short sharp shocks of songs was a template for many teenage youth working out what punk was and then its insane speed and wild energy was key to American hardcore and beyond. The album’s darker moments and shivering aesthetic were riders on the storm harbingers to goth and death rock. As the years rolled by The Damned have been acknowledged as one of the fundamentals of alternative rock history and one of the most influential groups of all time. They have been acclaimed by a diverse selection of bands that includes Guns N´Roses\, who covered New Rose on Spaghetti Incident\, The Foo Fighters\, Depeche Mode\, Minor Threat\, The Misfits\, Black Flag\, Bad Brains\, Green Day\, The Offspring… \nThat would have been enough for any band but the Damned have remained restless and have survived and thrived. Evil Spirits showed there was still plenty of creativity in the tank and Darkaledic takes this up several notches. Where once they were almost feared for their wreckless and wild abandon the Damned now are respected for their talent and influence and Darkadelic is the perfect document of this sea change.
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/the-damned/
LOCATION:Variety Playhouse\, 1099 Euclid Avenue NE\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30307\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/TheDamned-VP-26OCT2026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261027T203000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261027T203000
DTSTAMP:20260720T035553Z
CREATED:20260720T035553Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260720T035553Z
UID:20609-1793133000-1793133000@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Taper's Choice
DESCRIPTION:California’s fastest rising top tier jamband\, Taper’s Choice is the four headed brain-child of Alex Bleeker (Real Estate)\, Dave Harrington (Darkside)\, Chris Tomson (Vampire Weekend)\, and Zach Tenorio (Arc Iris).
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/tapers-choice/
LOCATION:The EARL\, 488 Flat Shoals Ave SE\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30316
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/taperschoice-EARL-27OCT2026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261028T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261028T190000
DTSTAMP:20260725T203338Z
CREATED:20260725T203338Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260725T203338Z
UID:20691-1793214000-1793214000@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:GWAR & Mac Sabbath
DESCRIPTION:The story of GWAR is carved across the history of this hopeless planet\, but GWAR themselves are not of this world…Their story begins far past Uranus\, in the deepest reaches of space\, where the beings known as GWAR were warriors in the Scumdogs of the Universe\, an elite fighting force in the army of the Master of All Reality. But GWAR proved too reckless and powerful\, and after a series of tragic but hilarious blunders\, they were banished to the furthest reaches of the galaxy\, with orders to conquer an insignificant backwater prehistoric mudball known as the planet Earth. Once here\, GWAR\, the original Ancient Aliens\, shaped the face of the globe\, wiping out the dinosaurs\, and mating with apes to create the human race. Having accidentally given rise to all human history\, the Master of All Reality froze them in Antarctic ice where they could do no more harm. It was there they were discovered by a shady entrepreneur known as Sleazy P Martini\, who sat the band down in front of professional wrestling\, late-night horror movies\, heavy metal music\, and a steady diet of crack cocaine until GWAR became the cultural force they are today!
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/gwar-mac-sabbath/
LOCATION:Masquerade – Heaven\, 50 Lower Alabama St\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30303
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Gwar-MASQ-28OCT2026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261028T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261028T200000
DTSTAMP:20260210T002532Z
CREATED:20260210T002532Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260210T002532Z
UID:18344-1793217600-1793217600@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Iron & Wine w/ DUG
DESCRIPTION:Sam Beam is a singer-songwriter who has been creating music as Iron & Wine for over a decade. Through the course of seven albums\, numerous EPs and singles\, and the initial volumes of an Archive Series – Iron & Wine has captured the emotion and imagination of listeners with distinctly cinematic songs.
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/iron-wine-w-dug/
LOCATION:The Eastern\, 777 Memorial Dr SE\, Atlanta\, GA
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/ironandwine-EAST-28OCT2026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261028T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261028T200000
DTSTAMP:20260407T022456Z
CREATED:20260403T020817Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260407T022456Z
UID:19079-1793217600-1793217600@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Friko
DESCRIPTION:When Friko delivered their debut album Where we’ve been\, Where we go from here\, the Chicago-based band introduced a galvanizing new voice into the indie-rock canon. Both uncompromising in spirit and thrilling in impact\, the 2024 LP landed on best-of-the-year lists from the likes of Pitchfork\, the cover of NME\, and led to glowing acclaim from Rolling Stone\, Paste\, NPR Music\, and SPIN (who noted that the album “places them in a lineage of great indie- and alt-rock acts…bands with prominent weird streaks\, arena-sized potential\, and the chops to build a bridge between the two”). In the making of their sophomore full-length\, vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan\, drummer Bailey Minzenberger\, guitarist Korgan Robb\, and bassist David Fuller gained a powerful new clarity on their purpose and vision while embracing an even bolder sense of abandon\, exploring everything from noise-rock to avant-garde classical to ’70s-era symphonic balladry. Equal parts sonically extravagant and emotionally searing\, Something Worth Waiting For ultimately locates a wildly elusive balance between the wide-eyed idealism of youth and the self-possessed grit of lived experience. \nProduced by John Congleton (a Grammy Award-winner known for his work with St. Vincent\, Mannequin Pussy\, Mogwai\, and more)\, Something Worth Waiting For marks the first Friko release to feature Robb and Fuller\, who joined the band in the midst of their globe-spanning tour in support of their full-length debut—an endeavor that included headlining shows all over North America\, England\, Europe\, and Asia (and achieving remarkable success in Japan\, where they performed at Fuji Rock Festival then quickly returned for a sold-out show at Tokyo’s 1\,000-capacity Kanda Square Hall)\, as well as touring with seminal alt-rock acts like The Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse. As they assembled songs for the new album\, Friko mined inspiration from their endless state of motion over the past two years\, arriving at a body of work that speaks to a more existential form of movement. “If the general theme of the record is transit\, then the title gets at the idea of always moving toward something you never quite seem to reach\,” says Kapetan. “That might sound pessimistic\, but maybe the reaching isn’t necessarily the point\,” Minzenberger adds. “I think life is meant to bring new experiences so that your world is ever-expanding\, and not about constantly striving to achieve one particular thing.” \nWhile Something Worth Waiting For often embodies a frenzied intensity\, the album tilts toward the ecstatic on songs like lead single “Seven Degrees”—a sing-along-ready anthem born from a linguistic misunderstanding on Kapetan’s part. “For a long time I thought the saying was ‘seven degrees of separation’ and not ‘six\,’” he explains. “There’s a lightness to that song but really it’s about connection\, and trying to stay close to the people you care about.” Another hit of pure unbridled energy\, the gang-vocal-fueled “Choo Choo” rides the line between sublimely fun and unabashedly sincere as Friko shed light on the strangeness of the vagabond life. “I’ve always had a thing with the magic of trains\, and when I was writing that song I started singing ‘choo choo’ and it made me laugh\,” Kapetan recalls. “It always feels good to play live\, with all the slowdowns and speed-ups\, but it’s also a very emotional homage to the band and how they feel like home to me.” \nElsewhere on Something Worth Waiting For\, Friko bring an immense depth of imagination to their cathartic breed of indie-rock. Rooted in a lilting piano part composed by Robb\, the drifting and dreamlike “Alice” soon evolved into an Alice in Wonderland-inspired message of loving reassurance to a dear friend of the band. “That’s a special song for me because the intro melody is from the first piano piece I ever wrote when I was 16\,” says Robb. “Whenever I hear it I’m reminded of the crazy journey of going from being a fan of this band to becoming part of it.” A spellbinding piece of orchestral pop arranged by Jherek Bischoff (formerly of Xiu Xiu)\, “Certainty” hovers between fantasy and reality in its poetic narrative of longing for escape. “That’s a literal story of when I worked at a warehouse and would wake up every morning\, walk to the train\, then switch from the train to the bus—although I never actually got on a boat and sailed off to a wall in the sky\,” says Kapetan\, who shares lead vocals with Minzenberger on the epic but intimate track. Next\, on “Hot Air Balloon\,” Something Worth Waiting For presents a sweetly psychedelic reminiscence of an oddly charmed morning in a Cracker Barrel parking lot—a moment Friko regard as a potent affirmation of their path ahead. “We’d slept in the van and when I woke up at 6:30 a.m.\, the sky was full of hot air balloons because of a festival going on nearby\,” says Kapetan. “It was so beautiful and so unexpected\, and to me that song feels as euphoric as that morning was to us.” \nRecorded at Congleton’s studio in Los Angeles\, Something Worth Waiting For bears a heightened urgency that Friko partly attribute to a profound shift in their production process. “On our first record we were much more involved in the technical aspect of everything\, but this time John made it clear that he wanted us to just come in and do our thing\,” says Minzenberger. “I think that allowed us to let go in a way that we never had before\, and because of that we captured something very raw.” And with the addition of Robb and Fuller to Friko’s lineup\, Kapetan and Minzenberger found an ideal match for their viscerally attuned yet voraciously creative sensibilities. “We spend so much of our time talking about these songs and focusing on every detail\,” says Fuller. “That deep love of the music is in all our bones\, which makes it really special for every one of us.” \nIn a glorious bookend to the album-opening “Guess” (a primally explosive track completed in just one take)\, Something Worth Waiting For closes out on the enigmatic but ineffably tender “Dear Bicycle”—a six-minute-long meditation on stepping beyond the hazy naïveté of childhood. “One of my hopes is that by the time people get to the end of ‘Dear Bicycle\,’ they feel some kind of solace or relief from whatever bad feelings they’ve been dealing with\,” says Kapetan. “I hope they feel like something worth waiting for is still coming to them.” As they look toward their own future\, Friko express a similar sense of promise. “There’s been so much change and growth since the first record\, which I think will continue as we move forward\,” says Minzenberger. “There’s usually a lot of fear or discomfort when you’re trying something different\, but we’re just going to keep being as genuine as possible and keep creating whatever feels true to us.”
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/friko/
LOCATION:Terminal West\, 887 West Maritetta St. NW\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30318\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Friko-TW-28OCT2026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261028T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261028T200000
DTSTAMP:20260612T034319Z
CREATED:20260612T034319Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260612T034319Z
UID:20216-1793217600-1793217600@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Osees
DESCRIPTION:The 12 tracks on ABOMINATION REVEALED AT LAST. are a pummeling\, maniacal\, and propulsive attack on the senses–a fitting reaction to a world suffering from genocide\, environmental collapse\, state sanctioned violence\, progressing technocracy\, and more. “Well this album just channelled out of the mist of atrocities swirling around the planet right now\,” songwriter John Dwyer explains. “AI empathy\, genocides\, social media data collection & addiction\, the alignment of tech billionaires with the fascist overlords and their armada of dogs\, civilians being kidnapped by bootlicking thugs\, the death of due process…the list goes on and on. It’s been a long year already.” \nABOMINATION REVEALED AT LAST and its singles have received acclaim from Stereogum\, Aquarium Drunkard (review)\, FLOOD Magazine (review\, premiere)\, Brooklyn Vegan\, The Line of Best Fit\, Northern Transmissions\, RIFF Magazine\, and many more. The LP was recorded by Enrique Tena Padilla\, Mario Ramirez & Dwyer\, mixed by Padilla and Dwyer\, and mastered by JJ Golden. \nOSEES are John Dwyer (vocals/guitar/synths)\, Tom Dolas (guitar/samples/keys)\, Tim Hellman (bass)\, and Dan Rincon (drums).
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/osees/
LOCATION:Variety Playhouse\, 1099 Euclid Avenue NE\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30307\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Osees-VP-28OCT2026.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261030T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261030T200000
DTSTAMP:20260517T192656Z
CREATED:20260517T192656Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260517T192656Z
UID:19939-1793390400-1793390400@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Beck: Ride Lonesome Tour
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/beck-ride-lonesome-tour/
LOCATION:Coca-Cola Roxy\, 800 Battery Ave SE\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30339
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Beck-CCR-30OCT-2026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261030T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261030T200000
DTSTAMP:20260720T032811Z
CREATED:20260720T032811Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260720T032811Z
UID:20585-1793390400-1793390400@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:hey\, nothing
DESCRIPTION:hey\, nothing—composed of best friends Tyler Mabry and Harlow Phillips—has built a devoted following with their richly literary emo-folk\, marked by indelible vocal interplay and unflinching explorations of addiction\, toxicity\, trauma\, and family struggles. Inspired by Stephen Chbosky’s coming-of-age classic The Perks of Being a Wallflower\, the duo has sold out runs of headlining shows and earned praise from outlets including NPR Music\, Alternative Press\, Pigeons & Planes\, Stereogum\, Brooklyn Vegan\, and even their hometown Atlanta newspaper. \nBarely 21 years old\, hey\, nothing has spent much of 2025 deepening their connection with a devoted fan base through passionate\, story-driven live shows—equal parts poignant and playfully humorous—at both headline performances and major festivals like Bonnaroo\, Lollapalooza\, Shaky Knees\, Austin City Limits\, and All Things Go\, solidifying their unshakable identity and a growing community of die-hard fans. They performed at Live at Leeds in the City (Leeds\, UK)\, Pitchfork London\, and Pitchfork Paris\, and wrapped a support tour with Cage the Elephant.
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/hey-nothing/
LOCATION:Variety Playhouse\, 1099 Euclid Avenue NE\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30307\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/heynothing-vp-30OCT2026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261031T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261031T193000
DTSTAMP:20261013T041118Z
CREATED:20260531T011916Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261013T041118Z
UID:20107-1793475000-1793475000@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:White Denim
DESCRIPTION:“I’ve always wanted to make work that’s a reflection of my life experience\,” says singer-guitarist James Petralli\, leader of venturous L.A.-based rockers White Denim. “The just-below-the-surface significance to ‘13’ as an album title is that I was born on the thirteenth of August. ‘13’ in numerology can signify independence\, creativity\, and a solid foundation\, but inversely is often considered to be unlucky and can signify chaos and misfortune. Like everyone\, I can certainly see both sides in my life.”‘13’ also happens to be the thirteenth album of White Denim’s career. An incandescent\, groove-heavy alchemy of rock\, funk\, dub\, soul and down-dirty blues – and plenty more besides – it’s imbued with the same questing spirit that’s been the band’s trademark since first starting in Austin\, Texas\, some 20 years ago.Petralli’s wide-ranging musical appetites have become more voracious over time. The sounds and textures of ‘13’ are informed by everyone from Scritti Politti to The Gap Band\, Terry Reid to King Tubby\, Caetano Veloso to John Cale\, Stevie Wonder to ‘80s-era Steve Winwood. Such diversity is reflected in multi-faceted gems like “(God Created) Lock And Key”\, “Only A Fool” and “That’s Rap”.The seed of the project is rooted in the irresistible “Chew Nails”. “It’s a straightforward glam-rock tune\,” says Petralli. “My take on the ‘New York Groove’\, which is itself a take on the Bo Diddley beat. It has a big ol’ guitar riff and a singalong chorus. It’s familiar territory for me\, yet the vocal is perhaps more forward than most things I’ve done for the band. It’s the song that made me feel like I was definitely making a White Denim album.”The duality of ‘13’ is immediately apparent. The pungent funk-blues of opener “(God Created) Lock And Key” begins with a piece of waggish self-mythology – “On the thirteenth day God created White Denim…” – but soon goes somewhere darker. “This is a Beefheart / Sun Ra sort of thing\,” Petralli explains. “I hope that it’s a somewhat terrifying\, startling\, and visceral piece for everyone that hears it. Everything I say in that song is the truth. It’s about power\, generational cycles of abuse\, shame\, violence\, and survival. The things that we all understand and know and see and push down to get through the day.”Elsewhere\, the temperate “Time Time” heads into the kind of soulful\, horn-gilded territory that earmarked White Denim’s previous album\, 2024’s critically lauded ‘12’. Here\, Petralli addresses the roll of the years\, creative freedom and the importance of family: “It’s a sort of promise that\, as long as I’m alive\, I will try to prioritise my wife and children and our relationships above all else.” This is a key theme of ‘13’. “I felt that I had to write about my life and experience as a middle-aged dad trying to do better for a family and make sense of this life through making art\,” he adds.A similar sensibility drives the fabulous “Earth To”\, a hallucinatory piece of self-reflection that charts Petralli’s journey thus far. Though\, as ever with White Denim\, it also speaks to the universal. “If you zoom out a little bit\, the song is ultimately a sort of takedown of the American dream\,” he says.Then there’s “Keep Calling Me (Baby)”\, which rides a fine line between dubby calypso and shimmery sunshine-pop. Petralli likens it to “sort of Ace of Base meets Cyndi Lauper meets Roy Orbison in my mind. Nick Lowe’s ‘Jesus Of Cool’ tells me it’s OK to do whatever you want. He gave me permission to do this one.”The song features band members Michael Hunter (keyboards) and Cat Clemons (guitar)\, alongside original drummer Josh Block\, who\, having also journeyed west from Texas in recent times\, is now Petralli’s neighbour. Block’s presence on ‘13’ – alongside the likes of Matt Young (drums\, percussion)\, Jesse Chandler (clarinet\, sax\, flute)\, Kosta Galanoupolis (bass)\, and Dawes siblings Griffin and Taylor Goldsmith – highlights both the fluid nature of latter-day White Denim and Petralli’s determination to honour the band’s initial directive.Also aboard is fellow original\, bassist Steve Terebecki. “I wouldn’t call a project White Denim if it didn’t include significant contributions from another founding member of the group\,” asserts Petralli. “‘12’ and ‘13’ both feature Josh and Steve in various capacities. I recorded and arranged these last two records for the most part\, but I really don’t ever want to be alone. Music has given me a place and purpose in this world. And it’s been the primary way I’ve connected with other people over the years.”‘13’ proves that Petralli continues to do so. And in imperious style
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/white-denim/
LOCATION:The EARL\, 488 Flat Shoals Ave SE\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30316
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/white-denim-oct2026.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261031T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261031T200000
DTSTAMP:20260612T040818Z
CREATED:20260612T040818Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260612T040818Z
UID:20230-1793476800-1793476800@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Neal Francis with Sam Fribush Organ Trio
DESCRIPTION:The latest album from Neal Francis\, Return To Zero\, emerged from the kind of visionary fever dream that only the most masterful and inventive artists are capable of bringing to life. Amid a grueling tour schedule that found him playing nearly 400 shows from 2021 to 2024\, the Chicago-based singer/songwriter/pianist immersed himself in creating a beautifully strange entangling of timeless rock & roll and ’70s-era dance music\, merging supremely heavy guitar riffs with lush and pulsating grooves—all constructed sans digital programming\, in keeping with his devotion to all things analog. Worlds away from the glitzy fantasia of archetypal disco\, Return To Zero inhabits a far moodier atmosphere and ultimately makes for the most thrilling manifestation of Francis’ peerless musicality yet. \nEqual parts heady and hedonistic\, pensive and euphoric\, Francis’ third studio LP echoes both his deep-rooted psych-rock sensibilities and a lifelong affinity for classic funk. “I’ve always been intrigued by music that toes the line between funk and rock\,” notes Francis. “In the past I’ve asked myself things like\, ‘What would it sound like if Thin Lizzy cut a disco record?’ It’s something I’ve been fascinated with for a very long time\, so I finally decided to really go for it.” \nThe follow-up to his 2023 double live album and concert film Francis Comes Alive\, Return To Zero marks Francis’ first full-length studio effort since In Plain Sight—a 2021 release acclaimed by the likes of leading rock critic Steven Hyden\, who praised its “throwback big-band sound that recalls the highs of 1970s funk and swamp rock.” With his past work also including his 2019 debut album Changes (hailed as “the reincarnation of Allen Toussaint” by BBC Radio 6)\, Francis began playing piano at the young age of four and became an in-demand sideman while still a teenager\, touring with revered blues artists and beloved instrumental band The Heard before embarking on his solo career. Over the years\, he’s sold out headline shows all across the globe\, supported the likes of Wilco\, Black Pumas\, and My Morning Jacket\, appeared at major festivals such as Bonnaroo\, Fuji Rock\, and Lollapalooza\, and even performed at historic venues like Carnegie Hall. \nLike all of his studio work so far (including his 2022 EP Sentimental Garbage)\, Return To Zero finds Francis co-producing alongside his frequent collaborator Sergio Rios and recording live with members of his touring band (drummer Collin O’Brien\, bassist Mike Starr\, guitarist Kellen Boersma)\, elegantly showcasing his prodigious talent and dazzling originality as a keyboard player. Mainly created at Rios’ L.A. studio\, the album’s grandiose yet warmly inviting sound also took shape from his close collaboration with composer/conductor Dom Frigo (who aided Francis by transcribing the LP’s symphonic string sections)\, Say She She (a Brooklyn-based psychedelic-soul trio who adorn a number of songs with their beguiling backing vocals)\, and a stacked lineup of co-writers that includes Queens of the Stone Age bassist Michael Shuman and Wild Belle co-founder Elliot Bergman. \nIn the making of his most ambitious work to date\, Francis faced countless moments of creative frustration—a factor that eventually gave the album its title. “I was cutting a lot of the vocals at home\, using a hybrid process where I’d bounce the tracks from my computer to a tape machine and then record the vocals to tape\,” he explains. “I’d be in my vocal booth in the closet with all our winter coats\, and every time I needed to start over I’d press this button that says ‘RTZ\,’ which stands for ‘Return To Zero.’ I was doing take after take and pressing that button over and over—it was a huge pain\, but it also linked up with what I’ve learned in my meditation practice: no matter how frustrated you get\, just remain calm and take inventory\, and then begin again.” \nAlthough executing Return To Zero’s highly elaborate arrangements often involved a very time-intensive trial-and-error approach\, the album-opening “Need You Again” surfaced from an immediate burst of inspiration after Francis attended a DJ set by Derrick Carter (a Chicago house legend who created a 12-inch remix of “BNYLV” from In Plain Sight). “My girlfriend and I went out to a queer dance party called Queen! and stayed till about four in the morning\, and Derrick played a track that was a big rock riff over a funk beat\,” he recalls. “The next day I went into the studio on very little sleep and started working on the demo for ‘Need You Again\,’ and after I finished I couldn’t stop listening to it.” Featuring a guest spot from Grammy-winning guitarist Eric Krasno (Soulive\, Lettuce)\, the result is a glorious entry point into the album’s groove-heavy soundscape\, unfolding in sinewy riffs and larger-than-life rhythms as Francis narrates a tale of ruinous infatuation. “It’s a song about a love affair\, and the experience of projecting magical qualities onto another person and feeling almost addicted or beholden to them\,” he reveals. \nAnother charmed moment in the album’s creation\, “Broken Glass” was sparked from a session featuring Francis on bass and Shuman on drums\, with the two soon conjuring the hypnotically potent riff that propels the track forward. With its viscerally charged depiction of lust and self-denial\, the darkly majestic epic reaches a stratospheric crescendo at the bridge\, when pounding drums meet with Say She She’s near-operatic harmonies. “Once we had that riff I started filling in some freeform poetry from my notebook\, which had to do with the idea of taking direction in an intimate liaison\,” says Francis. “It all came together so naturally because of how Michael was playing drums\, bringing that Queens of the Stone Age heavy-rock thing I love so much.” \nOne of the most dance-ready tracks on Return To Zero\, “Back It Up” glides along on glossy synth lines and a playfully swaggering riff\, imbuing a carefree spirit into Francis’ deliberately over-the-top confession of romantic desperation. “That song went through a few different phases before we got to the final iteration\,” he says. “It took me a while to accept that it’s okay to have fun with the lyrics\, instead of making everything so serious all the time.” Meanwhile\, on “What’s Left Of Me\,” Francis presents a gorgeously sprawling power-pop anthem built on his resplendent piano work. Co-written with Nashville-based songwriter Chris Gelbuda\, the track arose from a piano-and-vocal demo captured at Chicago’s Fine Arts Building\, soon evolving into a piercingly candid reflection on life on the road. “Chris and I are good friends and we got to talking about the challenges of being in a committed relationship while you’re on tour\,” says Francis. “A lot of these songs were influenced by Electric Light Orchestra and the way Jeff Lynne synthesizes classical music and pop songwriting\, and ‘What’s Left Of Me’ was definitely one where I was going for an ELO vibe.” \nPartly inspired by the funk and dance records he typically spins during his sets as an all-vinyl DJ\, Return To Zero also encompasses everything from the spaced-out drama of “Dance Through Life” to the string-laced reverie of “Can’t Get Enough” (a collaboration with Durand Jones & The Indications’ Blake Rhein that is a sublimely mellowed-out homage to acid-jazz pioneer Roy Ayers). In creating such a complex body of work\, Francis found his sense of perseverance repeatedly tested. “Most of these songs were pretty hard-won\,” he says. “There was a feeling of pulling out all the stops to achieve what I was going for\, and in the middle of that I was dealing with some depression and exhaustion. I ended up learning a lot about myself\, and now I feel like I’m in a completely different place in terms of my priorities with mental health.” Despite its more daunting aspects\, the writing and recording of Return To Zero also brought plenty of moments of pleasure\, including composing with strings for the very first time and tracking songs with his longtime bandmates. “All those guys are like my brothers\, and there was a feeling of us working together with an almost athletic desire to get better every time we did a new take\,” Francis says. “Those were really long days at the studio\, but they were also so much fun.” \nLooking back on the making of Return To Zero\, Francis points to certain crucial lessons absorbed while creating his most extravagantly realized work so far. “One of the main things I’ve learned is that every album is going to be its own journey; I can’t really take the arsenal of things I’ve learned in the past and expect them to save me from any kind of frustration with whatever I make next\,” he says. “Creating art is always going to be a challenge\, which maybe goes back to why AI-created music is never going to be all that compelling—it’s just too fucking easy. The best I can do is use what’s at my disposal and try not to freak out or despair when it gets difficult\, and hopefully end up making something that gives people joy.”
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/neal-francis-with-sam-fribush-organ-trio/
LOCATION:Terminal West\, 887 West Maritetta St. NW\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30318\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/neal-francis-TW-31OCT2026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261103T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261103T190000
DTSTAMP:20260720T025449Z
CREATED:20260720T025449Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260720T025449Z
UID:20561-1793732400-1793732400@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:The Bitch Cabal Tour ft. Wednesday & Mannequin Pussy
DESCRIPTION:Wednesday is a band from North Carolina led by Karly Hartzman\, with guitarist MJ Lenderman\, bassist Ethan Baechtold\, drummer Alan Miller\, and pedal steel player Xandy Chelmis. Half-funny\, half-tragic dispatches from the American South unfurling somewhere between the wailing skuzz of Nineties shoegaze and classic country twang\, Wednesday’s music defies categorization. Hartzman calls it “creek rock” – there are sleepy country-imbued love songs\, moments of screaming hardcore propulsion\, distorted pedal steel and Hartzman’s sweet voice slicing through the din. \nHartzman\, the songwriter/vocalist/guitarist at the helm of the project\, is a story collector as much as she is a storyteller: a scholar of people and one-liners\, in constant awe of memory and the minutiae of everyday life in North Carolina\, she’s an empathetic writer weaving together the weight of memories and possibility of what’s next into one patchwork of sound. \nWednesday’s most recent album\, 2023’s Rat Saw God\, was released to global critical acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone\, the Wall Street Journal\, The Atlantic\, The New York Times\, AP\, and many other major publications across the globe. On the heels of that release\, the band toured extensively and internationally\, headlining sold-out shows across the US\, Europe\, Japan\, Australia\, and New Zealand across the last several years.
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/the-bitch-cabal-tour-ft-wednesday-mannequin-pussy/
LOCATION:The Eastern\, 777 Memorial Dr SE\, Atlanta\, GA
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/bitchcabal-wednesday-mannequin-EAST-03NOV2026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261104T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261104T190000
DTSTAMP:20260517T203146Z
CREATED:20260517T183100Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260517T203146Z
UID:19890-1793818800-1793818800@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Aaron Lee Tasjan
DESCRIPTION:Aaron Lee Tasjan was experiencing the worst bout of imposter syndrome of his career when he sat down and wrote Todd Snider a vulnerable email asking for advice. Tasjan\, despite writing and recording some of the most astute Americana rock songs of the last decade and being nominated for a Grammy\, just didn’t see a future for an independent singer\, songwriter\, and guitarist like himself. \nSnider read Tasjan’s email and immediately replied: “I think I have some ideas. I’ll write you back tomorrow.” \nThe next morning\, Tasjan awoke to a signature Todd Snider missive for how to move forward as an artist. It was a novel-length email that read like the battle plans for the Invasion of Normandy. Do this\, Snider wrote. Then this. But never that. The specifics don’t matter — besides\, that’d be giving away the secret — but Tasjan devoured his mentor’s words and took them to heart. \nHe began writing feverishly\, unbothered by expectations and immune to any pressure to match his acclaimed albums like In the Blazes\, Karma for Cheap\, or his most recent\, 2024’s Stellar Evolution. When he was through\, Tasjan had Get Over It\, Underdog\, his most inspiring LP to date. Produced by Tasjan and his longtime sound engineer Mark Miller\, the album is a celebration of the power of songwriting\, the unbreakable bond of friendship\, and the determination of the dark horse. \n“I went to the ultimate oasis for a singer\, songwriter\, and troubadour: Todd Snider. And he said\, in very Todd fashion\, ‘You can find your path forward by going backwards\,’” Tasjan says with a laugh. “But he was right. I set aside my ego\, played shows solo without my band\, and wrote a lot of songs. In that process\, I found my confidence again.” \nTragically\, however\, he lost his mentor. Snider died shortly after Get Over It\, Underdog\, was finished\, leaving a void in the folk-rock scene that will prove nearly impossible to fill. But Tasjan is committed to carrying on Snider’s unbridled spirit and lifting up underdogs everywhere. \nOver 11 tracks\, Tasjan’s new album kills sacred cows and pokes holes in the dam\, while leaning hard into the idea of perseverance. In the talking-blues of “Science Friction\,” he tells an abridged origin story of civilization that culminates with humankind editing itself out of its own picture. “Man made machines/putting man out of business\,” he sings with a knowing wink. “Lost & Alone\,” meanwhile\, finds him feeling like a “stranger in this town.” It’s a compact blast of indie-rock with a sing-along chorus that underscores Tasjan’s gift for writing infectious hooks. \nIn “Twilight Zone Blues\,” a shot of gritty T. Rex glam-rock\, Tasjan wonders why we’re compelled to press the mysterious button just to find out what happens. “In society today\, all this bad shit can become tempting\, especially as the situation feels more and more dangerous as time goes on\,” he says. “‘Twilight Zone Blues’ builds to that tension of\, ‘What happens if I just give in to this or succumb to that?’” \nAnd in the story-song “Ballad of an East Canton Lowlife\,” Tasjan returns to his adolescent years in Ohio\, where he moved with his family from Orange County\, California\, at 13. The vitriol he felt in Ohio as an outsider was unavoidable\, but he learned to defuse it. “All these folks feel like they have their back up against a wall\, cornered by what society is trying to force them to fit into. As a transplant into a town that was being redeveloped\, I represented something that they saw as different\, and I’d bear the brunt of their anger\,” he says. “But then I could turn around and sing them a Johnny Cash or a Charley Pride song and suddenly everybody’s dancing. That was the power of music to me.” \nTasjan took pains to make sure that each song on Get Over It\, Underdog was as concise and potent as it could be. Often\, he’d run them by Snider for critiques\, who shared stories of how the American songwriting treasure John Prine did likewise for him early in his career. The goal in writing was always to find the “emotional rock to stand on” of each song. Once Tasjan had that\, he learned from Snider\, he had something personal. \n“Songs are like mantras — you’ve got to say them every night\,” Tasjan recalls Snider challenging him. “So\, what’s in there that you’re repeating every night?” \nTasjan found one such mantra in the “The Real\,” a song that sums up Get Over It\, Underdog. An empowering singalong with a gang vocal refrain and a snaking guitar line\, it takes a hard look at all that is authentic in today’s culture\, both the good and the bad. “Tell of our true history/violence that we must see\,” Tasjan sings. “It’s up to us to heal it/ Sing this\, if you feel it!” \nIt’s as much a song for the artist as it is the listener. \n“That’s the point where I start talking to myself in the song and reconnecting with my mission\,” Tasjan says. “I want to make songs that help people. I want to be an artist in the service to the community of music fans\, but also to anybody that needs to hear these messages. On Get Over It\, Underdog\, I’m rediscovering something I thought I had lost.” \nTasjan needn’t worry. His mantras are coming through loud and clear. \n— \nMadeleine Kelson is a Nashville based Americana artist. She pulls from a rich tradition of Folk\, Country\, and Americana\, challenging its boundaries as a queer artist to represent the modern world. Madeleine spent her high school years in Chicago band\, The Kelson Twins\, playing venues including House of Blues and Thalia Hall\, and landing a top Daytrotter Session with Paste Magazine. She later moved to Music City to pursue a solo career. Inspired by artists like Patty Griffin\, Jason Isbell\, andBrandi Carlile\, her dynamic and down-to-earth storytelling and rich vocals are part of why NPR named her one 10 Nashville artists on the rise. \nOnce in Nashville\, Madeleine won the 2017 International Bluegrass MusicAssociation’s (IBMA) Songwriter Showcase\, and in 2018 released her acclaimed solo debut Siren\, an introspective five-song EP with clean\, melodic vocals backed by elegant countermelodies on violin. Praised by press for its genre-defying\, sparse style and emotional richness\, Siren earned Kelson comparisons to both Amos Lee and Gillian Welch. \nIn 2022\, Madeleine released her debut\, self-produced album\, While I Was Away\, on Olivia Records. Since its release she has gained praise from No Depression\, been featured multiple times in NPR\, and was a finalist in the prestigious Kerrville New Folk songwriting competition. Her queer country anthem\, The Way I Do\, became a viral TikTok hit with over 1.7 million views. Madeleine has been featured on Spotify editorial playlists including Queer as Folk\, Emerging Americana\, and Fresh Finds Folk. Her new EP\, Where the Spirit Meets the Muscle\, was released in February 2024.
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/aaron-lee-tasjan/
LOCATION:Eddie’s Attic\, 515B North Mcdonough St\, Decatur\, GA\, 30030
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ALT-Eddies-04NOV2026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261104T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261104T200000
DTSTAMP:20260304T034523Z
CREATED:20260304T034523Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260304T034523Z
UID:18686-1793822400-1793822400@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Bruce Cockburn
DESCRIPTION:“Time takes its toll\, but in my soul I’m on a roll\,” Bruce Cockburn sings on his latest studio album\, O Sun O Moon. Smart and catchy\, it’s the kind of memorable line—like “gotta kick at the darkness ’til it bleeds daylight” from his classic song “Lovers in a Dangerous Time”—the world has become used to hearing from Cockburn. \nAn inspired poet and exceptional guitarist\, the award-winning artist has spent his entire career kicking at the darkness with songs that tackle topics from politics and human rights to the environment and spirituality. And he’s not letting up. While other singer-songwriters his age are slowing down\, Cockburn\, on the eve of his 78 th birthday\, has released a dozen new compositions as powerful as any he’s written. You could even say his songwriting is on a roll as well. \nExquisitely recorded in Nashville with his longtime producer\, Colin Linden\, O Sun O Moon exudes a newfound simplicity and clarity\, as Cockburn focuses on more spiritual than topical concerns this time around\, looking back and taking stock. “I think it’s a product of age to a certain extent\,” he explains\, “and seeing the approaching horizon.” Then\, lightening the tone\, he adds with a laugh: “I think these are exactly the kind of songs that an old guy writes.” \nOld or not\, Cockburn exhibits a palpable urgency on the opening “On a Roll\,” playing a driving resonator guitar with all the vigor of his veteran blues heroes. Similarly “To Keep the World We Know\,” one of the album’s few explicitly topical numbers\, bristles with Cockburn’s buzzing dulcimer as he and Inuk music star Susan Aglukark\, with whom he co-wrote the song\, sing about the growing threat of global warming. \nStill\, most of the songs strike gentler tones\, from the jazz sway of “Push Come to Shove” and the folky drone of “Into the Now” to the string-laden “Us All” and the hymn-like “Colin Went Down to the Water.” The latter\, one of several songs Cockburn wrote while on a month-long holiday with family on the Hawaiian island of Maui\, describes the drowning of a friend. “It’s not about Colin Linden\,” Cockburn is quick to point out\, “but someone I knew from San Francisco who’d moved to Maui. It was tragic and quite surreal because I got a voicemail message from him when I was in Maui\, saying ‘Welcome to paradise\,’ and then found out afterward that he’d died.” \nSpeaking of surreal\, another song written while in Maui\, the whimsical “King of the Bolero\,” is unlike anything else on the album. Over a woozy clarinet and drunken\, New Orleans-style horns\, Cockburn paints a cartoon portrait of an oversized barroom musician “with a double chin all the way round his neck and a pot belly in the back.” Is it a dream or a figment of his imagination? In a gravelly voice\, Cockburn leaves us guessing as he sings “it’s moon high noon—I’m not in my Bed.” \n“The people I was with in Maui were quite perplexed when they heard that song\,” muses Cockburn. “After hearing the other things I’d written there\, they wondered ‘where did that come from?’ It really came from out of the blue. I remembered when I was in high school one of my friends made a crack about an old blues singer who used to come through who he said had a double chin in the back. It was a funny thing to hear at the time and it stayed with me. I didn’t want to make it specifically about a black blues guy\, so I mention Minnesota Fats and Fatty Arbuckle as well as Fats Domino and Fats Waller.” \nAs with so many Cockburn albums\, the musicianship on O Sun O Moon is superb. Along with usual suspects Linden on guitar\, Janice Powers on keyboards and Gary Craig on drums\, the album features bassist Viktor Krauss\, drummer Chris Brown\, accordionist Jeff Taylor\, violinist Jenny Scheinman and multi-instrumentalist Jim Hoke. And Cockburn’s guest vocalists include Shawn Colvin\, Buddy Miller as well as mellifluous singers Allison Russell\, Sarah Jarosz and Ann and Regina McCrary\, daughters of gospel great Rev. Samuel McCrary\, one of the founders of the Fairfield Four. The McCrary sisters shine brightest on the title track\, whose full name is “O Sun By Day O Moon By Night.” They sing the euphoric chorus of the song which relates\, during spoken verses\, a dream Cockburn had in which he makes the journey to heaven. “In the dream\, which was really powerful\,” says Cockburn\, “I see myself silhouetted on a ridge with this jar of blood pouring it on the soil. It wasn’t scary or disturbing at all.” Cockburn adds that he wrote the line “and if that sun and moon don’t shine” in the spirit of songs from the folk ballad “Mockingbird” to the blues number “Bo Diddley.” \nThe album’s jazzy closer\, “When You Arrive\,” finds Cockburn confessing to feeling his age when he sings “You’re limping like a three-legged canine\, backbone creaking like a cheap shoe.” But it’s clearly a song of acceptance\, about eventually slipping one’s mortal coil\, as he’s joined on the chorus by all of his guest vocalists\, singing “bells will ring when you arrive.” \nO Sun O Moon includes just one song without vocals\, “Haiku\,” a four-minute showcase of Cockburn’s fleet-fingered guitar work\, where his previous studio recording\, 2019’s Crowing Ignites\, was a collection of all instrumental numbers. In between those albums\, Cockburn\, the Order of Canada recipient\, 13-time Juno Award winner and Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee released a 50th anniversary box set\, greatest hits package and rarities collection. \nNever one to rest on his laurels—even when\, as he notes\, “time takes its toll\,” Cockburn keeps finding and conquering new challenges\, never repeating himself in the process. “I just don’t want to ever keep doing the same thing\,” he says. “I’m grateful that I can keep on doing anything at this point\,” he adds. “My body doesn’t hold up and perform the way it once did.” \nThat may be so. But the legendary musician has just made his 38 th studio album. And it may stand as one of his best of his long and storied career.
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/bruce-cockburn/
LOCATION:Variety Playhouse\, 1099 Euclid Avenue NE\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30307\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/BruceCockburn-VP-04NOV2026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261105T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261105T200000
DTSTAMP:20260612T035040Z
CREATED:20260612T035040Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260612T035040Z
UID:20218-1793908800-1793908800@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:The Afghan Whigs
DESCRIPTION:“Cleromancy” isn’t a word one normally finds in rock lyrics. Then again\, In Spades — the forthcoming album by The Afghan Whigs\, from which the new song “Oriole” hails — is defined only by its own mystical inner logic. The term means to divine\, in a supernatural manner\, a prediction of destiny from the random casting of lots: the throwing of dice\, picking a card from a deck. From its evocative cover art to the troubled spirits haunting its halls\, In Spades casts a spell that challenges the listener to unpack its dark metaphors and spectral imagery. “It’s a spooky record\,” notes Greg Dulli\, Afghan Whigs’ songwriter and frontman. “I like that it’s veiled. It’s not a concept album per se\, but as I began to assemble it\, I saw an arc and followed it. To me it’s about memory — in particular\, how quickly life and memory can blur together.” \nOn the one hand\, In Spades is as quintessentially Afghan Whigs as anything the group has ever done — fulfilling its original mandate to explore the missing link between howling Midwestern punk like Die Kreuzen and Hüsker Dü\, The Temptations’ psychedelic soul symphonies\, and the expansive hard rock tapestries of Led Zeppelin and Lynyrd Skynyrd. At the same time\, this new record continues to push beyond anything in the Whigs’ previous repertoire — another trademark\, along with the explosive group dynamic captured on the recording. \nIndeed\, the chemistry of the lineup — Dulli\, guitarists Dave Rosser and Jon Skibic\, drummer Patrick Keeler\, multi-instrumentalist Rick Nelson\, and Whigs co-founder/bassist John Curley — set the tone for In Spades‘ creation. When it came to follow up the band’s triumphant return to recording — Do To the Beast (Sub Pop 2014)\, which was the band’s first ever Top 40 album\, — the die was cast. “This is the first time since Black Love [the Whigs’ 1996 noir masterpiece] that we’ve done a full-blown band album\,” Dulli says. “As the last tour wound down\, Greg and I realized we wanted to keep the momentum going and roll that energy into making a record\,” Curley explains. “I’m old school in that way. Having a band seasoned in playing together was how we made [classic Whigs albums like] Gentlemen and Congregation and it just felt right.” \nIn fact\, In Spades‘ crushing closing track “Into The Floor” had actually evolved out of an onstage jam that concluded Whigs fan favorite “Miles Iz Dead” every night. “People would ask all the time why don’t you record that?\,” Dulli says. “One day we were like\, ‘Well\, why don’t we?’ And we nailed it in one take.” \nMaterial continued to come fast and furious. Two months after the Whigs’ 2015 tour concluded\, the band members reconvened at Nelson’s studio Marigny Sound in New Orleans; within a week\, half of the ten songs that would make In Spades final tracklist were laid down. Something heavy clearly hung in the air. Standout “Copernicus” rocks with a thump evoking T. Rex meets Jesus Lizard\, while “Arabian Heights” exudes the gutbucket exoticism of Houses of the Holy and Physical Graffiti writ large\, driven by Keeler’s bravura\, muscularly tribal cadences. “Rick [Nelson\, who engineered the album] got incredible drum sounds\, and what Patrick does on that song is a master class in drumming\,” Dulli says. “It was like watching a Formula One racer move through the gears. And the combination of Rosser’s Southern grease and Skibic’s guitar acrobatics kept astounding me. Skibic is a master of atmosphere: the sounds he makes on ‘Oriole’ are like a cosmic smoke machine.” \nThe Afghan Whigs’ soul side also rises to new heights on In Spades\, largely inspired by the lush productions of R&B genius Norman Whitfield for The Temptations and Undisputed Truth. Throughout his oeuvre\, Dulli has employed horn sections to tantalizing effect since 1965\, the 1998 swan song LP from the Whigs’ first incarnation — and yes\, that’s a young Kamasi Washington playing on “Esta Noche” off of Dulli’s post-Whigs outfit The Twilight Singers’ 2003 opus Blackberry Belle. However\, on In Spades he truly harnesses their soul power on songs like “Toy Automatic.” “I brought the horns in on ‘Toy Automatic’ for emotional devastation\,” Dulli explains. “The horns pulling those long lines gave me so much power: when they come in\, the song takes off\, and I sing with everything I have. It might be the most unbridled vocal I’ve ever done. Every record I have a favorite child\, and ‘Toy Automatic’ is that here. \nIn Spades also reveals a new\, brutalist minimalism to Dulli’s wordplay: lines like “Don’t you cum when they come for me” and “Taste your fear/They rely on volunteers” (both from “Arabian Heights”) succinctly distill the vivid\, paranoiac eroticism he’s become famed for. “Greg’s reached a place where he can now say more with less\,” Curley says. “The lyrics stand on their own as written\, even on the page\, separate from the song.” A renowned lyricist\, here Dulli revels in the play of phonetics\, letting the sounds lead to imagistic\, often surreal wordplay\, like the provocative couplets enlivening “Copernicus”: “Listen in the distance/As the sky begins to fall/Raining down like crystalline/Apocalypse in thrall.” \nAccording to Dulli\, his recent lyrical obsessions reflect the period spent “writing these songs alongside some of the most peculiar upheavals in history” — both personal and global. Mortality was never far from his mind: “I Got Lost” was written in the wake of Dulli learning that longtime collaborator Dave Rosser had been diagnosed with inoperable colon cancer. As well\, Dulli found himself profoundly affected by the recent passing of many of the icons that inspired him to make music in the first place. “It was a year of unrelenting death\,” he says. “The reaper was hungry in 2016. Prince’s passing perhaps affected me the most. He was my North Star. Watching him upped my quality control\, and opened my eyes to the absolute joy and necessity of self-evolution.” \nAs such\, while tracks like “Light As a Feather” exude the rhythmic tension and psychosexual aura of signature Whigs numbers like “John the Baptist\,” other songs fearlessly enter completely uncharted waters. “The way the album sounded as it took direction was a surprise\, but then with Greg\, it always is\,” says Curley. \nIn Spades in fact features some of Dulli’s catchiest material yet — yet pointedly eschews simple verse-chorus-verse structures for ambitious arrangements and soundscapes laced with irresistible hooks\, riffs\, and textures. On “Arabian Heights\,” Rosser thrillingly mirrors Dulli’s vocal melody with winsome slide guitar; elsewhere\, “Into the Floor” suggests “The Boys of Summer” chopped and screwed with shoegaze’s lysergic sway. Most startling\, though\, prove the innovations of widescreen piano ballad “I Got Lost” and especially of album opener “Birdland\,” with its jazzy\, syncopated changes and Jimmy Scott-influenced vocal melodies. \nIn name and aesthetic alike\, “Birdland” seems to pay homage the iconic New York jazz club that provided a crucial venue for greats like Charlie Parker and Lester Young. However\, its title actually serves as a literal reference to a neighborhood in Ross\, Ohio where Dulli went to school in his youth\, so named because all the streets are evocatively named after birds: Finch\, Cardinal\, Oriole\, and so on. “Birdland” commences In Spades with the line “I was a child\,” placing the listener firmly in primal psychological territory. It’s a zone that Dulli has explored previously: “If I Were Going” off Gentlemen refers to a book of the same name that piqued his childhood imagination to other worlds\, and Do To the Beast explored this theme as well. In Spades\, however\, goes even further\, probing the unconscious self to its fullest metaphysical extent. “There’s a difference between nostalgia and connecting with your past\,” Dulli notes. “For the last few years\, I’ve been in touch with the younger me: I clearly don’t want to get too far away from that kid. I had a lucid dream about my childhood: I was watching myself as a boy in Birdland\, playing basketball with my friends. I knew exactly where I was\, and when I woke up from that dream\, I wrote ‘Oriole.’ I thought a lot\, too\, about these distinct memories of when I used to ride my bike through a field near the river. I would see a place I didn’t understand\, or know where it was — but I’m in that place now. I was here before I got here; I was already waiting for me.” \nThe joys\, sorrows\, and upheavals of innocence and experience echo throughout In Spades: it powerfully documents where The Afghan Whigs have been\, and where they might go next. For Dulli and Curley\, it’s a journey that has spanned decades — from their origins as the first Sub Pop act to be signed from outside the label’s Pacific Northwest base up through the present day\, and beyond. Dulli notes they were barely in their twenties when they first started the band\, and yet here they are\, fulfilling dreams long held and frequently realized. “Having a break from the Whigs helped me remember what made it so rewarding\,” Curley continues. “When we broke up\, we were burnt out and ground down\, but I never stopped being friends with Greg. Over the course of a lifetime\, there are constants\, and there’s also change. You see who’s dropped off the vine — who’s going in reverse\, and who’s still by your side. It’s interesting to see where life takes you\, and where it doesn’t. That’s the journey and it hasn’t stopped.”
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/the-afghan-whigs/
LOCATION:Variety Playhouse\, 1099 Euclid Avenue NE\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30307\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AfghanWhigs-VP-05NOV2026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261105T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261105T200000
DTSTAMP:20261013T025157Z
CREATED:20261013T025157Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261013T025157Z
UID:21657-1793908800-1793908800@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Wim Tapley & The Cannons with Tobacco Road
DESCRIPTION:Based in Athens\, Georgia\, Wim Tapley came of age playing shows in Washington D.C. where he honed his voice with the passion of a born troubadour. \nSince 2021\, Wim and his live band The Cannons have called Athens home. His first week in Georgia\, he made his way onto a local bill\, etching a name for himself as a fresh and favorite hometown voice. He is ardently received by his ever-growing following at legendary venues like Eddie’s Attic and the Georgia Theatre\, along with tours across the East Coast. \nFirmly rooted in Americana and dashed with catchy pop sensibilities\, the swinging depths of neo-soul\, and a sprinkling of riotous horns\, Wim’s arresting sound is as fresh as it is ageless\, as fevered as it is raucous fun. A sonic westward expansion of fuzzed-out guitars\, saloon pianos\, defiant horns\, and dusty vocals\, his discography blazes a new take on folk and soul while honoring the songwriting giants that paved the way before him like Jason Isbell\, Bill Withers\, and Chris Stapleton. \nFollow Wim on Spotify and Instagram and never miss out on the musical misadventures of the East Coast’s resident space cowboy.
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/wim-tapley-the-cannons-with-tobacco-road/
LOCATION:Aisle 5\, 1123 Euclid Ave NE\, Atlanta\, GA
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/wmtapleytobaccoroad-Aisle5-05NOV2026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261106T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261106T183000
DTSTAMP:20261013T040603Z
CREATED:20260725T203801Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261013T040603Z
UID:20695-1793989800-1793989800@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Trivium
DESCRIPTION:Various belief systems throughout history exalt the number 10 as divine. 10 years comprise a decade\, we\ntraditionally possess 10 fingers and 10 toes\, our very decimal system remains based on 10\, and so on and so\nforth. Trivium grasp for collective perfection on their 10th full-length offering\, In The Court of the Dragon\n[Roadrunner Records]. Following 22 years\, over 1 million units moved\, hundreds of sold-out shows\, and halfa-billion streams\, the GRAMMY® Award-nominated Florida quartet—Matt Heavy [vocals\, guitar]\, Corey\nBeaulieu [guitar]\, Paolo Gregoletto [bass]\, and Alex Bent [drums]—deliver a definitive statement cast in\nironclad guitar fireworks\, pummeling rhythms\, lyrical provocations\, and stadium-shaking choruses. It springs\nfrom the past\, seizes the present\, and hints at the future of Trivium—and metal—all at once.\n“Getting to album 10 felt momentous\,” says Paolo. “Not many bands get this far\, so it had to live up to being\nthe 10th record. We didn’t know if we were going to be able to tour\, so it had to still be impressive enough to\nkeep everyone’s attention. It was the sole focus for the last ten months. We had to make sure we met the bar\nwe’ve set for our fans and ourselves.”\n“To be 10 records in is an accomplishment in and of itself\,” agrees Corey. “To us\, this music felt special. We’re\nthe strongest we’ve ever been as friends and as a band. I hope it shows in the songs.”\n“I feel like we’re four people who just started a new band with all of the aspirations and dreams in the\nworld\,” exclaims Matt. “I’m excited to go to practice. I’m excited to play our music. I’m very happy to be in\nthe band with these three guys. 22 years into this thing\, that’s incredible.”\nThose 22 years have set the stage for this era. Trivium crafted a classic in the form of Ascendancy. It\nconcluded 2005 as KERRANG!’s “Album of the Year\,” went gold in the UK\, and has since surpassed global\nsales of 500\,000 copies. Retrospectively\, Metal Hammer cited it in the Top 15 of the “The Greatest Metal\nAlbums of the Century.” They’ve earned six straight Top 25 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 and six Top 3\ndebuts on the Top Rock Albums Chart. One of many standouts from 2017’s The Sin and The Sentence\, the\nsingle “Betrayer” garnered a GRAMMY® Award nod in the category of “Best Metal Performance.” The quartet\nreached new heights on 2020’s What The Dead Men Say\, appearing everywhere from The New York Times\,\nNPR\, Forbes\, Billboard\, Tech Crunch\, and Kotaku to Revolver and Alternative Press. They are the rare band\nwho can incinerate a stage alongside Metallica and Iron Maiden and hold a captive audience of tens of\nthousands on a Twitch stream.\nIn the midst of the Global Pandemic\, the members safely congregated in order to practice and volley ideas\nback and forth. During the summer\, Alex and his wife moved across the country from California to Florida as\nPaolo also relocated back home. Once conditions permitted\, they returned to the studio in Full Sail University\nwith producer Josh Wilbur [Lamb of God\, A Day To Remember] in 2021.\n“When I moved\, everything changed\,” says Alex. “We could easily get on a group text to practice or write\nvirtually anytime. It isn’t like I had to hop on a plane anymore. Everything was so much simpler and\nsmoother. We weren’t working with any time limitations\, and everything paid off.”\nIt most certainly did…Trivium sent shockwaves through heavy metal with the surprise release of the first\nsingle and title track “In The Court of The Dragon.” Within a month\, the song piled up millions of streams as\nGuitar World hailed it as “one of the standout metal tracks of the year.” With its striking renaissance-inspired\nartwork\, enigmatically unnerving fantasy visual\, and conflagration of guttural screams\, hammering\npercussion\, orchestral intro courtesy of Ihsahn [Emperor]\, and sweeping hooks\, it unlocked a gateway into\nanother realm.\n“As far as the meaning goes\, there is no right or wrong answer\,” grins Matt. “I want people to come up with\ntheir own interpretations of everything they hear\, see\, and experience on In The Court of the Dragon. Of\ncourse\, I’m obsessed with Scandinavian stories\, Vikings\, Japanese history\, and the tales of Odin\, Thor\,\nRagnarok\, and the end of the world\, Paolo was like\, ‘Why don’t we create our own mythology?’ We’ve\ndefinitely used pre-existing myths for inspiration in the past. We created our own myth now.”\nMeanwhile\, “Feast Of Fire” burns bright with a massive chant hyper-charged by nimble melodic thrash and a\nsmart-bomb precise solo. “To us\, ‘Feast Of Fire’ is in the direct lineage of ‘Dying In Your Arms’\, ‘Unti The\nWorld Goes Cold’\, and ‘Black’\,” Matt observes. “We really fleshed it out perfectly with the chorus\, and it was\nmeant to feel big.”\nThen\, there’s “Like A Sword Over Damocles.” A hulking groove gives way to a skyscraping refrain uplifted by\nthick distortion.\n“I had the initial backbone of the song\, and I really wanted to do a barnburner\,” Corey reveals. “I had\nresearched the concept. It was a cool story about the struggles of being someone in power and always having\npeople question you. What happens when the person who’s questioning you has your job and responsibility?\nThey don’t want it. Paolo built on that idea\, and we made our own story. I’m really stoked for everyone to\nhear it.”\nThe near eight-minute “Fall Into Your Hands” originated on Matt’s uber popular daily Twitch stream and\norganically progressed into one of the most epic compositions in the band’s catalog. However\, everything\nculminates on “The Phalanx.” It twists and turns through incendiary leads\, heart-wrenching screams\, an\nentrancing melody\, and final symphonic comedown.\n“Thematically and musically\, the song has three acts\,” Matt states. “For as conceptual as it is\, it also reflects\nour chemistry in the room. Since we’re so technically proficient at our instruments and I spend hours singing\nevery day on stream\, we’re over prepared. For In The Court of the Dragon and What the Dead Men Say\, we\nwent in and played without thinking. We default to technical\, elaborate\, and long ideas\, because that’s what\nwe grew up on. It all felt natural.”\nIn the end\, Trivium have inched towards this moment for ten albums and finally arrived like never\nbefore as they triumphantly rise In The Court of the Dragon.\n“This album has everything\,” Matt leaves off. “It has the singing\, the screaming\, the death metal\, the\nblack metal\, and the catchy metal. When we have all of those elements together\, we’re the happiest. It’s\nthe key to Trivium.”\n“This is a new chapter\,” Paolo concludes. “We’re crossing into something else. I don’t know what it is\,\nbut I’m excited for it. We have a lot left in us\, and I want to prove that.” – Rick Florino\, August 2021\nBOILER\nFor over two decades\, Trivium have quietly raised the bar for heavy music by conjuring a near-magic balance\nbetween towering melodic metal infectiousness\, extreme metal unpredictability\, black metal scope\, and a\nkick of rock ‘n’ roll spirit. After forming in 1999\, Trivium crafted a classic in the form of Ascendancy. It\nconcluded 2005 as KERRANG!’s “Album of the Year\,” went gold in the UK\, and has since surpassed global\nsales of 500\,000 copies. Retrospectively\, Metal Hammer cited it in the Top 15 of the “The Greatest Metal\nAlbums of the Century.” They’ve earned six straight Top 25 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 and six Top 3\ndebuts on the Top Rock Albums Chart. One of many standouts from 2017’s The Sin and The Sentence\, the\nsingle “Betrayer” garnered a GRAMMY® Award nod in the category of “Best Metal Performance.” The quartet\nreached new heights on 2020’s What The Dead Men Say\, appearing everywhere from The New York Times\,\nNPR\, Forbes\, Billboard\, Tech Crunch\, and Kotaku to Revolver and Alternative Press. They are the rare band\nwho can incinerate a stage alongside Metallica and Iron Maiden and hold a captive audience of tens of\nthousands on a Twitch stream. Following 22 years\, over 1 million units moved\, hundreds of sold-out shows\,\nand half-a-billion streams\, the GRAMMY® Award-nominated Florida quartet—Matt Heavy [vocals\, guitar]\,\nCorey Beaulieu [guitar]\, Paolo Gregoletto [bass]\, and Alex Bent [drums]—deliver a definitive statement cast\nin ironclad guitar fireworks\, pummeling rhythms\, lyrical provocations\, and stadium-shaking choruses on their\n10th full-length offering\, In The Court of the Dragon [Roadrunner Records]. It springs from the past\, seizes the\npresent\, and hints at the future of Trivium—and metal—all at once.
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/20695/
LOCATION:The Eastern\, 777 Memorial Dr SE\, Atlanta\, GA
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Trivium-EAST-06NOV2026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261106T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261106T190000
DTSTAMP:20261013T021947Z
CREATED:20261013T021947Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261013T021947Z
UID:21633-1793991600-1793991600@atlantaconcertreviews.com
SUMMARY:Hawthorne Heights
DESCRIPTION:“I couldn’t sleep at all while making this record\,” admits HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS frontman JT Woodruff of his band’s eighth full-length\, THE RAIN JUST FOLLOWS ME\, due out September 10\, 2021 via Pure Noise Records. “It was an 18-year breakdown in the making.” \nThroughout their long and storied career as one of the most iconic emo acts of the new millennium\, the quartet have overcome obstacles at every turn – but these roadblocks always seemed to come from external forces\, from unscrupulous record labels and the shifting whims of fickle audiences to unimaginable personal tragedy threatening to derail them. \nDespite the odds\, Hawthorne Heights have overcome it all: earning two Gold albums (2004’s The Silence In Black And White and 2006’s If Only You Were Lonely)\, penning some of the genre’s most well-known songs (“Ohio Is For Lovers\,” “Saying Sorry”)\, and remaining a hard-touring act nearly two decades after forming in Dayton\, Ohio. \nBut in 2019\, the band – Woodruff\, Matt Ridenour (bass\, backing vocals)\, Mark McMillon (guitar\, unclean vocals) and Chris “Poppy” Popadak (drums) – found themselves staring down maybe their biggest foe yet: themselves. \n2018’s Bad Frequencies\, the group’s first album for Pure Noise\, had re-established Hawthorne Heights in the scene after a series of self-released efforts\, and they followed it by – what else? – heading out on tour with the likes of New Found Glory and Silverstein. The shows were epic\, celebratory\, and cathartic for the band as they refound their footing\, but they also complicated things tremendously when it came time to start working on Bad Frequencies’ follow-up. \nEager to hit the studio again as soon as possible – and probably a bit naive about how much they could physically take – the writing sessions for LP8 took place in unusual places: in sound checks and dressing rooms\, in far-flung rehearsal studios after marathon overnight drives. Hawthorne Heights weren’t just burning the candle at both ends; they were splitting it in two\, then letting the flames engulf the smaller pieces completely \nAlmost immediately\, the line between the end of the Bad Frequencies era and the beginning of a new one blurred to an unrecognizable Rorschach test. When it came time to decamp in Southern California with Grammy-winner Cameron Webb (Alkaline Trio\, NOFX\, Megadeth) behind the boards\, things came to a head. \n“I developed nightly panic attacks\,” Woodruff says. “It was just exhaustion – from running out of gas and breaking down on the side of highways\, from never being able to get the smell of diesel fuel out of your head. It was the first time in our career I had no vision of a record. That scared the hell out of me” \nThere was a lot pulling at the singer\, not the least of which was the wife and daughter he once again was forced to leave back in Ohio while he was out living his dream. But Woodruff and his bandmates were also undergoing a bigger identity crisis: Just who were they this many albums into their career? \n“Are we a heavy band with melodic vocals\, or are we a pop-punk band with screaming?” he asks rhetorically. “What we realized was we were separating the songs more than we realized. On one side\, we had killer pop-punk songs\, on the other there were super-heavy songs. At its core\, Hawthorne Heights is both of those things put together.” \nIt was this moment of realization that cements THE RAIN JUST FOLLOWS ME as an essential entry into the Hawthorne Heights discography\, as the group adroitly swerve between soaring pop melodies and caustic breakdowns with little warning – keeping audiences\, and even themselves\, guessing. \nThey didn’t set out to replicate the sound of their early albums\, but rather the spirit\, eschewing overthinking and instead simply following their instincts: the riffy\, frenetic (and aptly named) first single “Constant Dread” that finds Counterparts vocalist Brendan Murphy delivering a bone-rattling guest spot; the driving title track and reflective “Thunder In Our Hearts”; the album standout “Spray Paint It Black\,” featuring Bayside’s Anthony Raneri. \nThe 11-track record stands as some of Woodruff’s most resonant writing to date\, as he unravels themes of both physical and emotional distance as well as personal identity – anxieties so exacerbated by the last year that it’s incredible the album was completed before the pandemic hit. (“There’s so many undertones of what would happen over the next 16 months\,” he says with a laugh. “I don’t know if that makes us the emo Nostradamus or what.”) \nMost of all\, THE RAIN JUST FOLLOWS ME is quintessentially Hawthorne Heights. It’s who they’ve always been – they just needed to push down the heartache and strife long enough to rediscover those intangible characteristics. \n“The biggest mistake bands made back in the day was trying to get on the radio\,” Woodruff muses. “Why worry about whether we should double the chorus to make it more appealing\, or whether doing that would make it too long for radio? Eighteen years in\, why are we trying to make a big song?” \nIn reality\, though\, Hawthorne Heights have been making big songs their entire career – in the realm of popular music\, sure\, but even more importantly\, in the hearts of those who still show up to the band’s shows\, who’ve inked their bodies with lyric tattoos\, who’ve used the songs to help them get through life’s challenges. Those are big songs in the life-changing sense\, unmeasurable by Soundscan reports or radio spins. \n“We want to create the best songs that are accurate depictions of our lives and connect to other people through our songs\,” Woodruff says. “I hope this record helps people understand that others out there are thinking like them – and thinking about them. Everyone gets poured on in life; we just want to provide an umbrella.”
URL:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/event/hawthorne-heights/
LOCATION:Masquerade – Heaven\, 50 Lower Alabama St\, Atlanta\, GA\, 30303
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://atlantaconcertreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hawthornheights-MASQ-06NOV2026.jpg
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