PRETTY DAMN GOOD I MUST SAY

Je Suis France - The Drunken Unicorn - 7-14-07



Saturday night I attended a show at the Drunken Unicorn in Atlanta. I had never been there before and was impressed, it was a very good room to showcase bands. It was just big enough to still be intimate without feeling like you were jammed into a sardine can, but enough about the venue, on to the show.

There were three bands playing, but the main reason I was there was to check out Athens, GA's own JE SUIS FRANCE. They were crammed into the middle between BRASS CASTLE and the RUMP POSSE. I saw a little of BRASS CASTLE, two guys, a guitar and a drum set, not bad, but I spent most of their set in the bar as for the RUMP POSSE, not much to say about them. Then the FRANCE hit the stage. It was the first show they had all played together in a while, and it was the first show of the tour, and they had limited rehearsal, and they were all tired, but they KICKED ASS. Seven guys were all crammed onto a stage that was clearly made for no more than 4 yet they moved as one living thing, switching guitars, moving to mics, changing drummers and keyboard players without stepping on feet or knocking over each other. With the exception of one mix up and blowing the bass amp the set was flawless. They sounded tight, as if they had been playing together for months.

They only played for 45 minutes but boy was it a good 45 minutes. They had a good mix of older material with stuff off of their new record. It was good hearing "Memorial Day", "California Rules" and "Fantastic Area" and "Ice Age". The new stuff sounded good live, "That Don't Work That Well For Us", "Whalebone" and "California Still Rules". "Whalebone" may have been the best song of the night, it was pretty damn incredible live. DJ Hammond totally kicked the keyboards ass while singing in almost perfect unison with Jeff Griggs who never once put down his Miller High Life. The multiple guitarists throughout the show, Darkenss, Ice, Crog, DJ and the others played together as one monster guitar unit which really slammed your ears, I knew I should have brought my ear plugs. They finished the show with a scaled down version of their ever present instrumental "Sufficiently Breakfast". While not the 15+ minute version that runs the gamut of musical genres, it still packed a nice punch. People were dancing, high-fiving and having an all around good time while they ran through the final tune.

This show was pretty damn good for their opening night, hell it was pretty damn good for any night. I was a little disappointed they didn't play a cover song which they usually mix into their set but I will survive. I would suggest you check them out live if you get the chance. They are playing 8 shows in 7 nights, traveling from GA to the north east to KY and back to GA where they will end the tour with a slammin show at the Caledonia Lounge in Athens, GA on July 21st.

Check out their web site, www.jesuisfrance.com , their myspace page, http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=19142528 , or their record label page, http://www.antennafarmrecords.com/2.0/index.htm for more info on the tour and their new album AFRIKAN MAJIK. You can also google them, there are quite a few reviews and blog articles about the band and their new record.

Later.

SIX PACK...DRINK UP

1. WHITE STRIPES - ICKY THUMP

After their last album I did not have high hopes for this one. I was pleasantly surprised when I played this record cause it kicks major grizzly bear ass. By adding other instruments you would not expect on a WS album they have changed their sound yet still kept their bad assnes in tact. Who would have thought bag pipes, horns, organs etc mixed with the bare bones rock of the stripes would equal one hell of an album. The song "Conquest" is freakin' AWESOME!

2. JOHN DOE - A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS

Pretty good record, nice to listen to, has a bite to it. His last couple of records were getting real mellow, but JD's edge is back with this one. It is a very nice listen when you want to chill out, or your sitting back sucking down a couple of brews. Another solid effort from the man from X.

3. MUTE MATH - MUTE MATH

I heard the song "Typical" for the first time. It was one of those songs that at first you are thinking eh, it's ok, but then as the song rolls to a climax, the pace picks up, it gets louder, stronger, really starts to kick ass. The rest of the album isn't as good as this song, bu tit is a nice listen. Check out the video for "Typical", it is pretty cool.

4. VELVET REVOLVER - LIBERTAD

AHHHH PURE ASS KICKIN' ROCK. I think this record may be better than the first one. The boys bring that good ol rock n roll swagger back to the forefront where it should be. They kick your ears in with good ol fashioned guitar rock n roll. HELL YEAH!

5. TI - TI vs TIP

I never really listened to TI. Then I heard "You Know What It Is", good tune. So of course I checked out his new record, and I am hooked. I usually listen to old rap with a few new guys every so often, but TI is definitely the real deal. His lyrics are really good and they are over some sweet beats. Glad I heard this track.

6. RYAN ADAMS - EASY TIGER

Not bad, not bad, Ryan has put out another solid album. When I first listened to it I was not sold on this record, but then I played it a few times the other day and it is growing on me. Very good lyrics, and it is not as countryfied as I originally had thought. It is not as good as Cold Roses but definitely is much better than Jacksonville City Nights or 29.

A SPOON FULL OF YUMMY GOODNESS

SPOON - GA GA GA GA GA

I remember my first SPOON record, I was working in a music store and scored a promo copy of A SERIES OF SNEAKS......oh yeah, I was hooked on the sweet sounds of the Austin, TX band from that day on.

Then when they released KILL THE MOONLIGHT, I knew this was one of the best records I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.

I now have heard the record that out does their effort on KTM. GA GA GA GA GA may be the perfect Spoon record. This is one of those rare once every so often records where you can listen to the entire album and truly dig every track. No filler here, no throw ins, just 100% pure sweet Spoon music.

This album kicks off with a great song in "Don't Make Me A Target". It is a light catchy pop tune that really sticks in your head. The best of the record has to be "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb", a very 60ish pop tune with a catchy hook and snappy lyrics, "The Underdog", which could be the best song on the record, and "Black Like Me", a mellow. These tracks kick major heiney.

Unlike a lot of albums, where the best songs are loaded at the front and the further you get into the record the worse the tracks get, Spoon put GA together where the four best tracks of the album are dispersed throughout the record and hold everything else together. So after your hear "Cherry Bomb" you have a few pleasing tunes to partake in while your ears await the the auditory pleasure of "The Underdog".

I have been listening to this record as mush as I can, and the more I listen to it the more I like it. The boy is a big fan, he grooves to the music, bobbing and weaving and shaking his head to the rhythm. GA GA GA GA GA could be one of the best albums of 2007, take that to the bank.

CHATTAHOOCHIE COOCHIE MAN

On Friday June 22nd I attended one of the ass kickinest rock shows I have ever been to, and I have been to quite a few. I am a huge Drivin N Cryin fan and have been attending their shows since 1988. I will admit that over the past few years, the few times they have played they have been OK, nothing great, but not bad. I think it was mainly due to the deterioration of Kevn Kinney's voice and the band doing so few shows they just did not sound tight, at least not like a band that had been playing together day in and day out.

Forget all that mess, Friday night they came out and kicked the shit out of one hell of a set of rock and roll music. Kevn had a procedure done to take care of some health issues with his throat, and he sounded like he did back in 1988. On top of that the band was tight as tight can be and played one of the best sets I have seen them play. Kevn's guitar play was spectacular, Jeff Sullivan's drumming was out of site, Tim and Mac brought their best and Joey on keyboards topped everything off. They operated as one well oiled ass kickin' machine.

The set list was great too. Kicking off with a slammin' version of "Blues On Top Of Blues" and closing it all out with one of the best renditions of "Rockin' In The Free World" I have ever heard, while slipping "This Land Is Our Land" into the middle of it. During the middle of the show the band stepped off and Kevn had a 2 song acoustic set, performing excellent renditions of "Right Side Of Town" and "Not Afraid To Die" with the band returning and joining in on "Let's Go Dancing", always one of my favorites. The highlights of the show had to be "Chattahoochie Coochie Man", "Honeysuckle Blue", "Fly Me Courageous" with a little bit of "Smoke On The Water" mixed in, and one of the best performances of "Indian Song" in recent history. It was great, they jammed and jammed and even threw in Zep's "Kashmir" in the middle of the jamming. FREAKIN AWESOME!

The only down side of the show was where it took place. Nothing against COWBOYS and all, but the majority of the people there could have cared less about DNC, except when they played "Honeysuckle Blue", "Straight To Hell", "Fly Me Courageous" and "Build A Fire". During other songs and especially with the acoustic part the crowd milled around talking, laughing, smoking, anything but listening to the music. They could care less if it was DNC or a bad 80's mix tape playing.

I enjoyed the show, the music was incredible, just wish it would have been at a music club such as Variety Playhouse or the Roxy.

STUPID AS HELL....BUT I LOVE IT

Grandma's Boy

This movie is stupid as hell, but I cannot stop watching it. I DVR'd it and have watched it several times. It is so damn stupid is is funny. It is one of those movies that you do not have to think one damn bit to enjoy it.

If you do not know the movie it is about a 35 year old video game tester who gets booted out of his apartment and moves in with his grandma and her 2 roomies.

So just kick back, pop open a brew, turn off your brain and enjoy the time watching this movie.