EASY HONEY @ EL ROCKO
FRI FEB 9 | 9 PM
Charleston’s indie rockers play a surf-splashed, mellow modern rock with an abundance of retro cues and flourishes. Their recorded material is polished and well produced, but never too slick. Depending on the span of years that make up your definition, “timeless” may be a word that comes to mind. They have a pop sensibility that relates to 60s psych hits all the way up to the current interpretation that’s not very hard to find, but is hard to find this good. For further proof, singles “Tributary” and “Orbiter” capture the overall vibe. To underscore that timeless pop/indie rock timespan point, the band cites the The Kinks (formed 1963), The Replacements (essential in the 80s) and Radiohead (huge in the 90s-00s) as influences, and you’ll hear them come through without it being derivative.
NICHOLAS MALLIS + CALICO MD + JUSTIN VREELAND @ EL ROCKO
SAT FEB 10 | 8 PM
Mallis might be the the Beck of Athens, and that’s not just a comment of the physical resemblance. Known as a sideman in Athens side projects of Fred Schneider and Cindy Wilson of New Wave legends The B-52s, his own music has a weirdo pop vibe, with elements of disco, alt rock, and modern indie pop. So it’s no surprise local alt rockers Calico MD is sharing the bill. The latest iteration of the local act is back playing shows with a slightly different lineup but the same strong songs reminiscent of early Sebadoh. Justin Vreeland is more or less a folk and blues artist with trademark harmonica, but his recorded material — including his latest record “Death to Atl-Rock" — sounds more like lo-fi garage rock. Like this bill, it's winning combination.
HEROBUST @ ELAN SAVANNAH
SAT FEB 10 | 8 PM
While an undergrad at UGA, Heyden Kramer realized he was more interested in making sound, turning knobs, and moving butts than the scholastic trappings of a college student. In 2016, before reaching 20 years old, his debut “I’m Aloud” under the moniker Herobust reached #22 on the US Dance charts. It gained attention from MTV, Vice, and former music magazine Rolling Stone. Proving he wasn’t a one-hit wonder, his follow up EP “Vertebreaker” was given the multiple remix treatment and led to a collab hit with Monxxx. Herobust blends a healthy dose of hip hop into his bass EDM, best exemplified on “Lose Your Shit” with its Timbaland/Missy E-style big, bad beats and horns.
STAR PERIOD STAR @ THE WORMHOLE
SAT FEB 10 | 10 PM
Prog rock leaves a lot of room for different sounds and styles within a set, not to mention a song itself. Long meandering guitar noodling cutting to a dark church organ passage followed by a mid-tempo jazz groove is perfectly acceptable, and if you’ve been at it for 30+ years, you get even more slack. Founded in Savannah in the early 90s, local prog rockers Star Period Star fits that description just fine. They are comfortable playing it dense and complex, with odd timing, unusual chord progressions and head spinning polyrhythms. At the same time, they have moments of straight-forward pop rock that gives the audience time to absorb the hard parts and catch an airy groove in preparation for the next overload. But make no mistake, it’s a lot more enjoyable than an anthropology test.
PIGEONS PLAYING PING PONG + TAND @ VICTORY NORTH
WED FEB 14 | 6:45 PM
Hard to believe the joy-spreading funk jam band hails from the carnival of misery that is Baltimore, but the unexpected is one of the many things that makes music the life-affirming force it is. A University of Maryland dorm project that turned into the real thing, PPPP has the Phish universe to thank for a lot of their success, but they haven’t exactly been carried and they do put on a very live show. Playing 200 of them a year helps, as does hosting the Domefest gathering every year since 2009 in rural Ohio. Supporting the Players is South Florida’s fellow funk rockers Tand, who rock it like a house party. They have plenty of originals but spice it up with interesting covers like Radiohead’s “Karma Police,” Nine Inch Nail’s “Head Like a Hole,” and Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” Variety good!
