Luci Turner is a full-time musician, freelance writer, and lifestyle blogger, born on the Okefenokee Swamp and and raised on rock ‘n roll. Her passion for music led her to Atlanta, where she’s most often found packing a suitcase, digging through a pile of records, looking for a time machine to the '70s, or reviewing bands and looking for new music. Learn more at https://luciturner.com/.
Pip the Pansy may change everything you know about pop music. There’s only one day left in the decade, y’all. Like it or not, 2020 is almost here. Whether you’re ready to send it out with a bang or trying desperately to figure out where the last twenty years went, there’s no denying: the time has...
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: you've got a truly unique sense of humor combined with an encyclopedic knowledge of music, melody, and...
Photo by Chris McKay 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 Stax catalog, as well as...
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 debut EP, Holy Stain, the band has been in a state of...
Photo Credit: Jordana Dale Photography 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,...
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 and Garfunkel, I listened to growing up. Having wiled away many a day to the sound of harmony-laden songs playing through a radio, the overwhelming...
Photo Credit: Luke Usry 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. Founded by lead singer Tyler-Simone Molton and bassist...
Picture Credit: Alex Seibert 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,...
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 Mitchell, all blonde hair and sharply intuitive eyes nearly...
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 an introduction, but if you're not yet familiar...
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 Under Water, and his latest single, "The Breath...
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 meant to be shared with the...
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, crowded room. Blues rock quartet Death Mama is one of the newest - and...
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 new find reminds me of, but they have a hint of familiarity and, most likely, a nice little groove...
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 singer-songwriter Julie Slonecki does just that, sharing one of my...
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 a timid debut, the sextet - formed in early 2019 by lead...
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 Gatsby died, we played the funeral." Theatrical and vividly operatic in theme, Sarah and...
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 Messer on guitar and backing vocals, drummer and percussionist Jacob...
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 that had traveled through the ages to grace us with her song, and she captivated the audience...
We've really got it all here in Atlanta: rock 'n roll, pop, R and 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 quintet password:password is at the helm of the movement. Fronted by lead singer...
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 seemingly effort ability to create ambient soundscapes that are...
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 and energy it would take to simply move from city to...
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 moments, and take a big leap of faith into a...
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...
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 always a pleasant surprise. Andi Kezh, however, is something else entirely. A pleasant...
Only a few years ago, it was no surprise to hear an Atlanta musician say, "I'm moving to Nashville to play music." It makes sense, right? It is the music capital of the South - or, at least it was. But for Nate Cain, lead vocalist and guitarist of the tart-pop quartet The Hipps, the opposite was...
I think I was about 22 minutes into the Allman Brothers Band's infamous "Mountain Jam" one day when I realized something: I love jam bands. I love the seemingly effortless movement, the way the players anticipate every chord change, every shifting rhythm, every intricate melody and harmony, and...
It's officially spring in the South: the sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful... and the pollen count is through the roof. That's not keeping the music lovers of Atlanta from getting out and enjoying themselves, though! Lucky for us, we've got plenty of rad bands to keep us dancing through...
Before any kickoff at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, a video rolls across the big screen, with a deep, haunting voiceover that repeats the same monologue at every game. Just thinking about it brings chills to my body; there's something so nostalgic and powerful about it, highlighting the...
Even for a newbie in the Atlanta music scene, the name Greco is as familiar as the infamous straight-up-the-stairs load-in at Smith's Olde Bar, one of the city's most iconic haunts (don't worry, out-of-towners; there's an elevator now). The rock quartet, made up of brothers Sebastian (lead...
There’s a calm awareness woven through singer-songwriter Mogli’s music, an overarching grace that winds its way from the first wordless track of her new EP, Patience, through the very end. It is subtle, rising and falling, a pulsing heartbeat driving each track forward at its own pace as her...
There's something about the quiet and stillness of winter that drives me to seek out new music to break through the silence. Lucky for me, I stumbled across a Spotify playlist with a long list of new releases from Atlanta bands a few weeks ago. I spent a happy afternoon shuffling through a wide...
Though singer-songwriter Katie Schottland is based in Brooklyn, the music she makes as Swimming Bell defies expectations one might have in light of that fact. The creative force behind the group, Schottland's career began in 2015, when she broke her foot in a fall and began teaching herself the...
Reptile Room - made up of Sami and Sean Michelsen and Bill Zimmerman - is one of Atlanta's signature bands. The electronic-pop trio is known for their thrilling, psychedelic visuals, intoxicating music, and powerful performances on the best stages throughout the city, so when I got the chance to...
Ashley Rivera, the frontwoman and creative force behind Atanta's Southern gothic-blues group, Sister Moon, weaves a dark mystique throughout her music, eerie melodies set against a heavy sonic landscape. It's Southern gothic at its finest: a crumbling mansion in the light of a full moon, Spanish...
I discovered I The Victor by chance sometime in 2018. My band and I were asked to play an artist spotlight alongside Rebecca Ramos, the heart, brain, and creative force behind the act, that, unfortunately, coincided with a tour we were going on, but I started following her then and loved her...
Brothers Stephen and John Gomez and Cameron Walker are no strangers to success. Following chart-topping careers with The Summer Set and Nekokat, the trio united after working together to write and produce music for trailers, commercials, and other artists, such as All Time Low, Lindsey Stirling,...
Atlanta's varied music scene is no secret; in just a few short months, Playing Atlanta has featured garage rock, indie rock duos, Americana singer-songwriters, and disciples of Southern Rock, but even that doesn't begin to cover the true mosaic of the city. Audiofemme got the chance to talk with...
The Ain't Sisters are one of the raddest and most versatile groups Atlanta has to offer. Whether playing as an acoustic duo in front of a crowd of fifty at The Red Light Cafe, or captivating audience as a rockin' quartet, they bring passion, charisma, raw bravado, and a certain indescribable...
Atlanta's music is as varied as the people who call the city home, blending the sounds of pop, rock, alternative, R and B, hip-hop, and singer-songwriter to create a constantly moving, evolving scene. Even so, there's no mistaking the history of music in the region... or the city's proximity to...
One thing that I've noticed as the years go by is that, as we get older, our lives get simpler. Not that the problems, stresses, or worries disappear, but the things that kept us rattled as teenagers into our early twenties seem to settle into their designated place, and the things that really...
Luci Turner performing on stage with her band, BEAU + LUCI, in 2018. Photo by Alexandra Scuffle. ONLY NOISE explores music fandom with poignant personal essays that examine the ways we’re shaped by our chosen soundtrack. This week, Luci Turner takes stock of the trials, tribulations and triumphs...
So far, Audiofemme has had the chance to connect with some incredible Atlanta bands through Playing Atlanta. This week, we're taking it a step further into the music scene to chat with Nick Magliochetti, the owner of Pariah Recorders, a brand new studio opening its doors to the Atlanta scene. AF:...
It's easy to describe Atlanta psych-rock group MammaBear with one word: wild. The brainchild of band leader Kyle Gordon, a MammaBear show is an intense ride from start to finish, unlike anything most millennial music fans have ever experienced. As the band prepares to release their upcoming record,...
Photo Credit: Kara Hammond When watching Hannah Zale and Carly Gibson, the dynamic duo at the front of Atlanta indie rock outfit The Pussywillows, perform on stage, it’s easy to get lost in the effortless synchronicity presented. They are perfect complements to one another, standing toe to toe and...
all photos by Maggie Salesman With a rapidly growing music school and a successful music career of her own, calling Sydney Eloise busy would be an understatement. Many Atlanta residents know her as the frontwoman of '60s-infused indie pop group Sydney Eloise and The Palms, but she's also founder at...
When The Howling Tongues hit you, you know it. Atlanta’s brazen sons of rock ’n roll — Davey Rockett, Nick Magliochetti, Brandon Witcher, Thomas Wainright, and Tylor James — are best known for their signature garage rock-inspired records and over-the-top, bombastic performances, and made their name...
photo by Vegas Giovanni When considering the Atlanta music scene, few bands encapsulate the weird, ecstatic, constantly-changing energy as well as Starbenders. The halfway home for misunderstood misfits, fringers, and glam punks, Starbenders — made up of Emily Moon on the drums, bassist Aaron...
LA-by-way-of Syracuse’s dreamy siren, Doe Paoro, and her new album, Soft Power, are the kind of dynamic sonic duo rarely found in the music industry today. Passionate and empowered, Soft Power combines the alluring mystique of The Shirelles, The Ronnettes, and other original girl groups of the...