Soulful Songbirds Wren and the Wravens Debut EP
A little bit funky, a little bit pop and soul. If you read that to the tune of Donny and Marie’s “A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock ‘n Roll,” then one of two things must be true:...
Luci Turner
PLAYING ATLANTA: The Pinx Reinvent Rock ‘n’ Roll with Music Video for “Mercy!”
The Pinx rock. That is all. Okay, that’s not all, but the Atlanta-based rock quartet truly does rock…and roll, and boogie-woogie, and power-pop all night long. Drawing on influences as varied as Duane Allman, MC5’s Fred “Sonic” Smith, and the lush...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Shepherds Explore Toxic Nostalgia with “Your Imagined Past” Video
For Atlanta sextet Shepherds, “genre” is a worn name tag hanging on by its last thread as theme and experimentation take prominence, rapidly setting the art-rock group apart in an ever-changing Atlanta market. Since the release of their 2011...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Sam Burchfield Reminisces on His Folk Roots with “Colorado”
Autumn is officially underway here in Atlanta, bringing in cooler weather, colorful leaves, and the perfect Appalachian folk-inspired songs to hum while drinking coffee on a crisp morning, thanks to singer-songwriter Sam Burchfield and his latest single, “Colorado.” The wanderlust-inspiring...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Cicada Rhythm Brings It Back Home with “Cecilia”
I’m a nostalgic person. I love anything that reminds me of the classic rock, country, and introspective singer-songwriters, like Joni Mitchell or Simon & Garfunkel, I listened to growing up. Having wiled away many a day to the sound...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Lesibu Grand Discuss Debut LP The Legend of Miranda
Playing Atlanta readers, you’re in for something special this week! Atlanta indie-rock group Lesibu Grand is officially the first fresh find of the fall, and I have a feeling you’ll be just as excited about them as I am....
PLAYING ATLANTA: Moriah Piacente Curates the Wild & Weird with Major Mars
For Moriah Piacente, Athens-and-Atlanta-based artist, vintage fashion curator, and lover of all things weird, wacky, and wonderful, the lines between visual art and music are nonexistent. Blending the enigmatic charisma of Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka with the delicate, ethereal...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Going Behind the Lens with Alexandra Scuffle
When one considers the music industry, generally the first thought is of the musicians themselves: a sweat-soaked Mick Jagger convulsing across the stage; Freddie Mercury, fist raised high before the crowd at Live Aid; a hazy image of Joni...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Sexbruise? Parties Like It’s 1983
Fluorescent colors and shoulder pads? Check. DJ Khaled screaming his own name at the beginning of the first track? Check. The greatest music video of our generation? Well, if you ask Sexbruise?, the answer is a resounding yes. Sexbruise? hardly needs...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Michael Forde Takes On Inner Chaos with Moments Under Water
Soulful and introspective, Atlanta musician Michael Forde has an uncanny way of blending the intricacies of jazz with easy rhythms and lyricism that is not only deeply personal but effortlessly relatable. With the release of his debut solo EP, Moments...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Victoria Blade Shares Music Video for “Moving Song”
Atlanta-via-Brooklyn’s singer-songwriter Victoria Blade is one of my favorite discoveries of the year. Blending classically trained vocals with a carefree, indie-pop vibe, sweet melodies, and lyricism that makes her songs feel more like a journal entry than a track...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Death Mama Resurrect Rock with High Strangeness
If there’s anything Atlanta has in spades, it’s killer rock bands. But not just your good ol’ Southern Rock bands: pop-rock, metal, psychedelic… you name it, you can find it, played with soul on a dark stage in a sweaty,...
PLAYING ATLANTA: The “Strange Motion” of Swallowed Sun
You know that feeling you get when you hear a band for the first time and think, “Hmm, they remind me of…someone?” Most of the time – for me, at least – I may never figure out who this brand...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Julie Slonecki Finds The Perfect “Recipe”
You know you’ve struck gold when a song is as thought-provoking as it is catchy, wrapping a universal millenial lament in twinkling synth and a beat that’ll have you reaching for your dancing shoes. Witty, wry, and sharp, Atlanta...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Holy Beach Turn Up The Volume with Debut Record
When Atlanta’s heavy experimental metal-rock sextet, Holy Beach, hits you, you know it. Beyond the sheer wall of sound that attacks with a visceral physicality, Holy Beach display an uncanny ability to harness lightning in a bottle. Far from...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Sarah and the Safe Word Reinvent Cabaret with Red Hot & Holy
Ever wonder what the music at Jay Gatsby’s funeral would’ve sounded like? I have to admit, I hadn’t either, until I saw a one-liner in the bio of Atlanta sextet, Sarah and the Safe Word that simply said, “Jay...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Half Hot Go All The Way with Debut LP ‘Whiskey Tango’
Flair, hair, and all things rock ‘n roll. It’s a simple statement, impactful and to the point… and it describes Half Hot perfectly. The Atlanta-based rock quartet – made up of Andrew “Goose” Hughes on guitar and vocals, Tyler...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Pip the Pansy and the Art of Reinvention
The first time I ever had the chance to see Pip the Pansy perform, she was known by another name and draped in flowers: her body, her microphone stand, her keyboard. She was a character from a Greek myth...
PLAYING ATLANTA: password:password Discuss New Singles and Dream Pop Vibes
We’ve really got it all here in Atlanta: rock ‘n roll, pop, R&B, soul, and – with the resurgence of the indie scene – some of the best shoegaze-y dream pop a music lover could want. Atlanta-based, Georgia Tech-born...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Seersha Returns With New Single, “Lecture Me”
It’s been almost two years since Atlanta’s chill electropop artist Seersha – aka Kara Revnes – shared any music with the world, but at long last, she’s back with her latest single, “Lecture Me.” The singer, songwriter, and producer’s...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Victoria Blade Talks Lo-Fi Love Songs and the Long Road Home
For singer-songwriter, actress, and filmmaker Victoria Blade, home is less of a place than a state of mind. Michigan-born, Blade has since called Detroit, Chicago, Brooklyn, and – finally – Atlanta home. Before you start calculating how much time...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Grace Conley Lives and Learns on Debut EP Indigo Sky
For singer-songwriter and high school senior Grace Conley, change has almost become second nature. As she approaches the next chapter of her life, however, she felt compelled to look back and chronicle her growth through some difficult goodbyes, painful...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Sarah Zúñiga Opens Up with “Heart of Mine”
Athens-based, New-York-born, Ecuadorian-and-Nicaraguan singer-songwriter Sarah Zúñiga brings an intimate sensibility to her unique brand of alternative-folk, blending sharp observation with the textured poeticism of traditional Spanish folk music. An alum of the University of Georgia who spent her senior...
PLAYING ATLANTA: Andi Kezh Banishes Self-Doubt with Bold Single “New Me”
Since the launch of PLAYING ATLANTA, I’ve had the opportunity to talk to some incredible bands, most of whom I’ve known for a while. Every now and then, though, a new local act comes onto my radar, and it’s...