The Kills pounded Atlanta's skeez rock scene last Wednesday night. The band consists of only two members, guitarist Jamie Hince and vocalist Alison Mosshart, who is better known for her newer band, The Dead Weather- a super group formed with Jack White. Mosshart and Hince trampled the stage for fifteen songs and a four song encore. Mosshart led the band with two-thirds Joan Jett and one-third Stevie Nicks influence, as if she was once a pop lover, who was swooned by Detroit's depressed sludge rock scene.
All the while, Jamie Hince rocked just as hard, in his own right. He slammed on his guitar, as often as he actually played it, taking breaks to hold it up like a shotgun, reminiscent of the original Man In Black. Gothic tones intersecting American blues thundered from the stage, while a man with a bandana over his face hit floor toms for the duration of the show. It sounded as if the darkness of the Motor City scene, the sludge of today, and the wailing of 70 years ago had moved into Atlanta for a night.Some of the city's alumni watched the show side stage including Jack White and Jack "Little Jack" Lawrence both from The Raconteurs and Dead Weather; all the while cheering on the The Kills as fans, not modern music tycoons. Nine songs into the night, the duo covered the country classic, "Crazy" by Patsy Cline. Hince played minimally, letting Mosshart and the crowd carry the tune to the hilt of emotion. They played their major hits- last year's hot tracks, "Future Starts Slow," "Satellite," "Heart Is A Beating Drum," as well as singles from their previous records. They also touched on some of the deeper cuts, such as "Sour Cherry" and "Monkey 23," from 2008's Midnight Boom and 2003's Keep On Your Mean Side. The crowd loved it, and even though there are two members in the band, not once did they fight for the attention of the crowd, rather the crowd was enraptured for nineteen songs.
In their ten year existence, The Kills haven't always been popular, but they've been consistent. They aren't striving for approval; but after seeing them live, you see that's exactly why they've obtained it.
Ben Israel Thompson
Stars and filmmakers Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim are taking their TV antics onto the big screen with the release of their new film, Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie. The stars will actually be in Atlanta to promote the film and to answer fan questions immediately following a showing of the movie on February 13 at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema. Tickets are available for purchase, here. This is a one-night-only event so get your tickets now!
Blockbuster favorites Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds star in the new action- thriller Safe House opening nationwide on February 10. Washington plays a rogue CIA spy that surfaces in South Africa and must rely on a rookie agent played by Reynolds to figure out who is behind a series of attacks. When a covert safe house is bombed, Washington and Reynolds must join forces to figure out if the attacks are terror related or something internal. Full of powerhouse action and talent, Safe House is sure to be one of 2012 best cinematic rides.
Mixtape Atlanta wants to give you a sneak peek of the action. We are giving away pairs of tickets to an advanced screening on February 7 at Atlantic Station's Regal Cinema. To enter simply send and email with the subject "SAFE HOUSE" to Contest@MixtapeEntertainment.com. Winners will be notified by Monday, February 6.
Saturday, January 28 Bowe Inc. presents Trances Arc, Tesla Rossa, and Wolves at The Basement in East Atlanta. All three of these bands regularly headline shows, so catch them all in one stop Saturday night. Doors open at 9:30PM and the music starts at 10PM. Get there early so you don't miss any of these talented acts.
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It's back! Today Songs for Kids Foundation announced that they will be returning to Smith's Olde Bar for the sixth straight year for their annual fundraiser- 500 Songs for Kids. This year's theme is the 500 Most Beautiful Songs of All Time. The 10-day consecutive music marathon will be May 3- 12, so go ahead and mark your calendars. If you are interested in performing, click here.
The Kicks from Nashville are no stranger to the Atlanta music scene. Over the years they have been familar faces on stages at Vinyl, Smith's Olde Bar, and Park Tavern, and this city's music scene and fans have accepted them as adopted sons. Known for their pop-rock radio friendly songs, The Kicks have- literally- kicked it up an amp with their new EP, Sputnik Sessions. Showing a mature yet refined gritty rock sound, this new album has the band and the listener exploring exciting songs that still maintain The Kicks' same catchy accessibility.
Recently Mixtape Atlanta chatted with The Kicks bass player Gabe Anderson about the new album, 2012 resolutions, and what to expect at their upcoming Smith's Olde Bar show on Saturday, January 7.
I'm really digging the new songs on Sputnik Sessions. The songs have a rawer more emotional drive and rock sound, whether they are fast ("Pretty Little Thing") or slower ("Lay It On Me"). Was this evolution in sound a conscious one? Was it inspired by anything in particular?
The sound of the guitars and drums and all is really just something where we try stuff and tweak stuff until we're all smiling about what we're hearing. We feel like the Sputnik Sessions especially (more than King Richie) has a wider range of styles from song to song. A couple that come to mind are "Let Me Love You"- we just kept referencing that Rolling Stones percussive-ness, so that really ended up shaping the tune. "Hawk Eyes"- Lenny Kravitz is awesome, and always posts unbelievable pictures of himself on his twitter.
Are there any plans for a full length album?
YES! The plans are in the works! The beginning of this year we'll be finishing up songs and heading back into the studio to get another record out as soon as possible this year. We'll be playing some new stuff at the Smith's show on Saturday night that will probably make it on the new record.
On "Hawk Eyes" and "Pretty Little Thing" there is a great rock rhythm and force that I haven't heard in your previous stuff. Especially with "Pretty Little Thing"'s guitar solo, there is a real Aerosmith quality there. What bands from the past and current- if any- do you look for for inspiration in your own sound? Are there ever any disagreements in favorites among the band?
Well, truth be told, the newly discovered force of rhythm comes from Lucas and I, who won the wrestling matches against the other two when it came time to decide whether or not to turn up the bass and drums while we were mixing the songs.
Lately, inspiration has been drawn from: Fitz and the Tantrums, The Kooks, Crash Kings, Jellyfish and a lot of the usual suspects The Beatles, Queen, Aerosmith (pleeeeease YouTube Aerosmith "What It Takes" Live Japan).
*We did. Gabe's right. It's awesome.
Nashville these days is becoming as known for its rock acts as it is for its country past. How do you keep your music and live shows fresh?
We love to play shows, so we play quite a few of them. But we get tired of doing the exact same things too many times. We'll add new original tunes as often as possible, play a cover song or two, and even re-work older songs just to give ourselves a new jolt...and hopefully the audience as well.
We also build into the show a few moments where we don't know exactly where a song is going to go. Not knowing how long Adam is gonna solo on something (and believe me, HE always things it should keep going!), or how long we're gonna stay "down" in a song before building back up. Those sorts of things. Communicating with head nods and hand gestures is fantastic.
Any New Year's resolutions as a band or personally for the upcoming year?
We're really excited about doing this full-length record, so I guess a resolution would be "In 2012, The Kicks are going to release an awesome record, and then be on the road playing that record all the time".
Personally...I think we'd all like to make it in to the massage parlor a bit more often.
If you where making your Ultimate Mixtape of favorite songs, what is the one song you would have to include?
In My Life- The Beatles
Check out The Kicks do their thing live with Red Letter Agent and Indianapolis Jones THIS Saturday at Smith's Olde Bar. Doors are at 8PM and tickets are $10 in advance or $12 day of show.
Kim Burdges
A Social Mess entered 2012 the same way they entered 2011 with a bunch of booze, partiers, and hangovers. The Atlanta party squad invaded The Buckhead Theatre for the second year in a row for their "legendary" New Year's Eve extravaganza. Mixtape Atlanta was there capturing all the fun and insanity in a special Pee-Wee Playhouse photo booth featuring friends Chairy, Clocky, and Pee-Wee's trusty bike. Check out all the photo booth photos, here. View other event photos of the night, here.
We promise this offer is legit. Mixtape Atlanta is giving away advanced screening passes to Mark Wahlberg's new film, Contraband. This action thriller centers on Wahlberg's character, a former smuggler, who must re-enter his past life of crime for one more job in order to save his brother-in-law from the wrath of a ruthless drug lord (Giovanni Ribisi). Kate Beckinsale and Ben Foster also star. Join the adventure by being one of the first in Atlanta to check out his new film before it hits theaters nationwide on January 13. The advanced screening will take place on Tuesday, January 10 at Regal Cinema Atlantic Station and to enter simply send an email to Contest@MixtapeEntertainment.com with “CONTRABAND” in the subject line. Winners will be notified on Monday, January 9.
