Vacant Front Porches

Writing & Photos by Stephanie Augello

Overview of Atlanta's IMR Music Festival, which was held at The Five Spot on April 27th and 28th.  Originally seen in Target Audience Magazine.

I view Atlanta from the perspective of an outsider.  I have no choice but to do so.  I am neither a native, nor a transplanted resident.  I have, however, been a resident of a number of other cities, including New York, Boston, Asheville and Savannah.  My natural inclination is to compare Atlanta to those places with which I’m familiar.  I could say that its subculture is akin to Asheville’s; its prolonged summer and hints of lawlessness remind me of Savannah; its firmly rooted, respected history is strikingly Bostonian; and of course, its drive, zest and networking skills deserve a snug seat in the corner of a bar on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.  Really, what I just did was pretty unfair to the city of Atlanta – depriving it of an independent description and all.  I do, however, solemnly swear that I only did it because I don’t yet know enough about the city to properly assess the traits that declare its independence.  So, let’s get started with that.

Atlanta is a city of independents.  It’s a city of hospitality, style, realism, enthusiasm and more than a little bit of hedonism.  Oh, and furnished front porches – it’s full of porches that seem eerily absent of people occupying the decorated spaces.  Ruminate as you will.  Atlanta is also a city of community, both mainstream and underground.  The last weekend in April was a prime example of that such fellowship.  That Saturday, the annual, wildly popular (as was evident by the volume of traffic) Inman Park Festival was in full effect.  In addition, IMR, or Indie Music Reviewer to the less informed, held their first ever two day festival at The Five Spot on April 27 ^th & 28th.  Though I was unable to attend the former, I was there for portions of the latter, where I socialized to the best of my socially awkward ability, and also took some photographs.



On Friday, I captured performances by Jack of Hearts, Baby Baby, Cusses and Trances Arc.  Experience has shown me that a live show by Savannah’s Cusses is generally a slam dunk, and their appearance at the IMR Music Festival was no exception.  The lovely Angel Bond ensnared her audience with her gritty, yet sweet, vocals and dynamic movements.  I was also truly floored by the power of Jack of Hearts.  Drummer Sarah Wilson is the catalyst of that group, taking their well-crafted rock/pop style to visceral, primal extremes.  I spent much of Saturday just watching, and getting absorbed in the scene at The Five Spot.  Gun Party snapped me out of my trance.  They describe themselves on Facebook as being “…an eclectic hornet's nest of melodic mayhem…,” and I’d say that’s right on target.  They’re like a wild party in a forgotten industrial warehouse; something out of a graphic novel; the “behind the scenes” footage of an Andy Warhol film.

Jack of Hearts

              

             

Baby Baby

                         

                

It’s hard to gauge the success and overall merit of a music festival’s freshman year.  As the event is going on, every precedent is in the process of being set.  I refuse to be one of those people who letter grades a festival, so I’ll simply offer a few observations.  The IMR Music Festival was nearly as visual as it was musical.  Each band’s performance was accompanied by a sort of laser light extravaganza, which enhanced the view for the general audience, as well as the dozen or so photographers and videographers present.  Spending two days holed up in a single location full of kinetic lights and roaring music can get a bit redundant.  Though a sense of constriction was generated as a result of situating the festival solely at The Five Spot, doing so also had the ability to create a sense of camaraderie; of hunkering down in a fort and planting seeds.  As far as business decisions go, I believe the organizers were wise to choose only one location.  Start small.  Assess when it’s over.  Grow over time.

Cusses

                  

                                                     

Trances Arc

                                                     



Gun Party

                              

                                                    

The IMR Music Festival would have been more Boston if conversations about German poetry could be overheard at the bar; more Asheville if groups of train jumpers had been roaming the parking lot with their mutts; more New York if attendees had been darting their heads nervously about, looking for some elusive big break; and more Savannah if the whole sha-bang had ultimately been broken up by the cops.  But it was none of that.  It was Atlanta – conspiringly creative and neighborly – already energetically building upward from this year’s foundation.



                                                   

                             

Highs and Lows

Writing & Photos by Stephanie Augello

Sometimes, tragedy hits close to home.  A number of Long Island bands recently played a benefit show at Mr. Beery's to aid the family of fellow musician Mike Miller. 

                                  

Normally, I like to post positive notices about musicians.  Unfortunately, life doesn't always swing to the positive pole, so having a 100% good cheer rate is impossible.  There is, however, a certain degree of contentment that can arise from acknowledging that reality, and also a certain joy that can be experienced when resources and passions are pooled to help alleviate some of the negative.

A few weeks ago, a benefit show was held at Mr. Beery's in Bethpage NY, to raise money for the family of local musician Mike Miller.  Miller is the vocalist/guitarist, and the head namesake, of Mike Miller & the High Life, an outfit which also consists of Matt McLaughlin (Bass/Backing Vocals), Dom Barranco (Drums/Percussion) and Jess Debellis (Keys/Percussion/Backing Vocals).

In early March of this year, Mike Miller's cousins, Matthew and Elizabeth Bergman, lost their lives as result of injuries they sustained in an apartment fire in Reno, Nevada.  He was 16, she was 12.  The April 15th show on Long Island was arranged as a means of raising money to help Miller's uncle Ronald begin a financial recovery process after enduring such a terrible loss.  Mike Miller & the High Life was joined that night by Playing Dead, Graz & the Dangerous Few, as well as Andrew and Derek from Vision Through Sound.  Below are a few performance photos I shot.

Mike Miller & the High Life

                                         

                                

Playing Dead

                                        

                                      

That night,  Mr. Beery's and Mike Miller were able to successfully raise $508 for the surviving members of the Bergman family.  There were also a number of fundraising efforts in California and Nevada, as well an online campaign, the latter of which reached a total of $5617. 

                                                          

Midweek Anthem

Writing & Photos by Stephanie Augello

Long Island band The Kid Henry will be playing at The Studio at Webster Hall tomorrow night, April 25th.  They've got a lot of drive, a lot of heart and a lot worth paying attention to.

                                    

I have, on a number of occasions, described the members of The Kid Henry as being "some of the nicest people I've ever met."  That's not an exaggeration either.  They are definitely a genuine group, always ready to extend the hand of friendship to those they meet, and then openly support those friends when moments and happenings call for such gestures.  The "human" aspect of this band is far from the only thing that defines their role in the somewhat fragmented music scene on Long Island; their sound is head turning - driven by skill, enthusiasm and downright clever songwriting. 

According to their Facebook page, "The Kid Henry is an alternative rock band, featuring classically-trained vocalist Alexandra Lombardi.  Formed in 2008, The Kid Henry has been a fixture in the resurgent Long Island music scene ever since.  The individuals that make up The Kid Henry bring together eclectic musical taste and style to create a distinct sound built on driving rhythm, anthemic melody and personal, honest lyrics."  They released their self-titled EP in May 2011, which can be downloaded by following this link, or by simply looking below this line of writing. 



A recent article on LongIsland.com, stated that "One thing you can count on from this band is a high-energy, exciting performance," and also focused on the group's flow, camaraderie and multitude of musical talents.  The Kid Henry will be playing tomorrow night, Wednesday, April 25th, at The Studio at Webster Hall in New York City.  Included here are some photos I shot of them during their April 11th show at Local 269 on the Lower East Side.

                                           

                     


                        

Nervous in New York

Writing by Stephanie Augello
Photos/Video by Nervous Curtains

Dallas, TX band Nervous Curtains will be playing a string of shows in the NYC area this weekend.  Here's some more information about them, their latest album release and spring tour.

                                             

Texas post-punk/synth trio Nervous Curtains offers listeners "black humor in dramatic presentation" and "hypnotic waves of power, torn and jagged as rock music tends to be."  The band formed in 2009, and released their first album "Out of Sync with Time" in 2010.  Members Sean Kirkpatrick (vocals/keyboard instruments), Ian Hamilton (keyboard instruments) and Robert Anderson (percussion instruments) debuted their latest album "Fake Infinity" in February 2012.  Released on Latest Flame Records, the album is described in both straight-forward and musing fashions, consistent with the feelings of our listless, lost, sometimes hapless, ironically hopeful era.  The bright-eyed aspects of this perspective seem to be focused more on surviving, rather than thriving.  It all makes me think of the early days of the Renaissance and post-apocalyptic films like "Children of Men."  More simplistically, it's just the reality of living in this here 21st Century.  Fiddling while Rome is burning, I guess.  Anyway, here's that description:

A landscape of discarded metal baked on broken concrete foundations of abandoned buildings...carefree summers have given way to oppressive heat waves.  Naive optimism and idealism have been shattered.  There's a new beauty in the rubble. The world is at its end, and it's whatever you make it to be.  "Kill your dreams before they kill you."  Be grateful for the advice.  This is certainly no beach party.
 



This weekend, Nervous Curtains will be playing three shows at popular venues in the NYC area.  Below is a more thorough breakdown of that schedule. 

Friday, April 6th at Pianos (Manhattan)
Saturday, April 7th at The Living Room (Manhattan)
Sunday, April 8th at The Grand Victory (Brooklyn)

Baeble Music recently posted their video for track "Coming Out Viral."  The site also offered a description of the video's narrative structure - "...a schizophrenic priest discovers a book, which sheds an uncomfortable light on the extreme polarities between public and private life."



Their tour does not stop in NYC.  After playing in NYC, Nervous Curtains will be heading to other large cities such as Washington D.C. and Chicago.  A complete list of their spring tour stops can be found on their blog.

The Dirty Grand EP Release

Writing by Stephanie Augello
Photos by Wendy 13ird (Wendy Bowman)

On March 27th, NYC three piece The Dirty Grand released a hard copy preview of their new EP "Facedown" at Williamsburg's Cameo Gallery.  Wendy 13ird was there with her camera.  


                                            


                                    

On March 27th, NYC outfit The Dirty Grand held a party at Cameo Gallery in Williamsburg to offer fans a free hard copy preview of their new EP "Facedown."  Before coming together as a unit, members Jake Bernstein, Tony Diodore and Andrew Griffiths were already veterans of NYC's music community.  Since introducing themselves to the local scene back in October, they have played at a number of popular venues, including Pianos, Webster Hall and Brooklyn Bowl, as well as the aforementioned Cameo Gallery.  "Facedown" is the band's second EP.  You can take a listen to it via their Bandcamp site.

Last week's show received a preliminary write-up in Deli Magazine, in which their style of electronic post-punk was compared to "...reflective, after-hours groups like Destroyer and The Weeknd. Beyond the novelty of carving out a place equal parts electronica and post-punk, Dirty Grand also displays a deep cynicism, providing an unsettling backdrop to their urban meditations." 

Though I didn't make the "Facedown" release party, photographer Wendy 13ird did.  Below are some of her photos from that night.  To check out more of her work, follow this link.