Friday, May 14, 2010

Thursday, May 27th I Said I Said headlines the Drunken Unicorn

On Thursday, May 27th I Said I Said



Melissa (lead vocals, guitar) and Eric (bass) went to high school together in a small Michigan town. They later moved to Georgia on a shoe string- with the intention of breaking into the Atlanta Scene. Earl (drums) soon became the piece that gave the music it's balance of Grit, Melody, Repetition and unpredictability. i said i said's second album is due out 2010.

I Said I Said on Reverbnation

Chicago's Blackbelts are playing second.



In late 2008, singer/guitarist Kevin Tabisz started putting together songs with the idea of keeping them short and simple, topped off with a catchy hook you'll find yourself repeating throughout the day. Kevin went on the search for like-minded musicians and discovered bassist/vocalist Allan Laskey, formerly of Rise of Man. Allan was also writing songs of the same genre and mindset. With ideas in motion and demos recorded, Kevin and Allan were introduced to drummer Kyle Kruszewski through Frankie O'Malley of The Safes. With inspiration from the great American classics such as Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly, complimented by the 1964 British invasion, the boys wasted no time getting down to business. After one practice, The Blackbelts were formed and there was no looking back! Within weeks of forming, The Blackbelts were already playing regularly in their native Chicago.

Blackbelts on Myspace

The Darling Trees are opening



The Darling Trees on Myspace

$5, 21+

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

MURS lands at the Drunken Unicorn on Wednesday, May 26th

MURS is performing on Wednesday, May 26th



"A longtime friend of Definitive Jux leader El-P, rapper Murs first appeared as a solo artist in 2003, after nearly a decade of working with various groups in the underground. Based in Los Angeles, his first single was released in 1993, and came from a self-released album by his first group, 3 Melancholy Gypsies. The track barely made a dent, but it did catch the attention of indie hip-hop fans in the area. Through time, the group members became friends with Mystik Journeymen, who asked 3MG (their shortened name) to join them when they started the Living Legends collective in 1996.

Between both 3MG and the Living Legends, Murs rapped on several influential indie rap albums, appearing on more than 20 records, EPs, and singles within a seven-year period. When El-P started to pull together his Def Jux label, Murs contacted the producer and told him he would release his solo record for the company once he had the opportunity. His commitments to both the Legends and 3MG often kept him from working on the album, but after a few years of slowly putting together tracks, Murs finally delivered The End of the Beginning in the spring of 2003.

Featuring flashier production than his group projects, the album was more in tune with a mainstream hip-hop record, though projects with Anticon rapper Slug under the name Felt -- A Tribute to Christina Ricci and A Tribute to Lisa Bonet -- unveiled a more experimental side to his artistry. The rapper returned to solo work with Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition, a collaboration with producer 9th Wonder, in 2004. One of the tracks from that album, "Walk Like a Man," inspired a movie starring Murs himself, along with Damien Wigfall. The soundtrack, Walk Like a Man, also appeared in mid-2005. Murs teamed up again with 9th Wonder to release Murray's Revenge in 2006. Two years later, he jumped to the majors for a contract with Warner Bros., which yielded Murs for President, with appropriately major-label features for will.i.am and Snoop Dogg. Another two years later, Murs reunited with 9th Wonder to make Forever." - Bradley Torreano

MURS website

Sick Jacken is main support.



"Tragedy and Triumph…Two sides of the same ever-spinning coin that rules the game of life. No man can predict when or on which side the coin will land, and peoples’ wildest dreams and worst nightmares come to life with its every flip. Life’s winners are those resourceful individuals who manage to turn tragedy into triumph. The members of Los Angeles super-group Psycho Realm are no strangers to struggle. Sick Jacken with the aid of Cynic (Street Platoon) and DJ FM (Sick Symphonies) emerge as a shining example of solidarity and success against almost insurmountable odds.

Critically acclaimed Los Angeles Hip Hop group Psycho Realm was started by brothers Sick Jacken and Duke in the late 90’s. The group was discovered by Cypress Hill’s front man B Real and was signed to Ruff House/Colombia Records where they released their self-titled debut “The Psycho Realm” in 1997. Over the years the Realm continued on, releasing, two more Psycho Realm albums: “A War Story Book I” in 2000, “A War Story Book II” in 2003, Street Platoon’s debut album “Steel Storm” in 2001, Sick Symphonies present: “The Terror Tapes” in 2006, “DJ FM’s Street Mixes”, and on 9/11/2007 released another classic when Jacken teamed up with DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill to deliver DJ Muggs Vs Sick Jacken Feat Cynic “Legend Of The Mask & The Assassin” which has sold 30,000+ units to date on Jacken’s RMG/Universal imprint.

At the present moment, the group continues to grow as artists and release quality albums into the marketplace satisfying their loyal fan base’s hunger for their style of music. Sick Jacken’s latest installment from the Psycho Realm catalog is titled “Stray Bullets” on his label RMG Street with a tentative April/May 2009 release. This album is dedicated to his past collaborations with artist with whom he shares a common musical bond. Indie heavyweights Evidence, B Real, Immortal Technique, Planet Asia, & Chace Infinite, just to name a few, are featured as well as a few brand new bonus tracks to round out the project.

Sick Jacken is featured on B Real’s (Cypress Hill) most recent solo debut album “Smoke N’ Mirrors” (Duck Down Records) with the fiery joint “Psycho Realm Revolution” reminding true Psycho Realm fans the chemistry B Real and Sick possess as a unit.

Both Jacken and Cynic are also featured on DJ Muggs’s latest Soul Assassins installment titled “The Intermission”. Jacken trades verses with New York based artist NECRO on “Rep Yo Shit” and then teams up with Evidence of Dilated Peoples on the Alchemist produced smash “Classical”. Cynic lends his production ability on “Meet Your Maker” feat: Reef The Lost Cause & Outer Space as well as produced and featured on “World Were In” showing his ability to hold his own as a solo artist. This album is scheduled for a June 23rd, 2009 release on K7/Gold Dust Records.

Future projects that are soon to be in production are: MURS/Sick Jacken Album, PCP, collaboration with B Real, a full length solo Spanish Album, Cynic’s solo debut, & DJ FM’s collaboration album. Psycho Realm independently have nurtured and cultivated a cult following worldwide. Now they’re set to bring their experience & live show to the Rock The Bells/Paid Dues Stage this summer 2009, and continue to build on an already rapidly growing young fan base." - Edited by SAOPP on 22 Apr 2009

Sick Jacken on Myspace

Nocando is the opener.



The L.A. underground has many voices, some covered in grit and dirt, some slapping the halt, some hitting high and brassy -- but none ring truer than that of Nocando. A seasoned member of the hip-hop community who isn't content to count his battle scars by the dozens, Nocando brings fresh rhymes week after week at the world-renowned club night Low End Theory where he is the resident host, as well as to a variety of steazy joints all around the West Coast.

With a witty style and open voice, Nocando's raps are unpredictable, funny and lean towards social commentary, although this MC is just as likely to tell you about a wild night on the streets of L.A. as to make a point about the fallacies of the music industry. Brash and confident while also being laid back, Nocando's lyrical delivery is an apt representative of the California attitude. Winner of the MC Battle at the 2007 Scribble Jam, the largest hip-hop festival in the nation, Nocando's mouth often seems to have a life of its own, throwing an excited energy onto any crowd he meets and providing an important connection between the music and the dance floor.

Nocando's debut album, Jimmy the Lock, drops on Alpha Pup Records January 26th, 2010; the initial single "Hurry Up and Wait" has garnered raving reviews from widespread locales and boasts beats from the top of the Los Angeles underground: Nosaj Thing, Nobody, Daedelus, Thavius Beck, Free the Robots, Maestroe, Th' Corn Gang and with scratching by Gaslamp Killer. The MC has also released a myriad of collaborations with artists such as Subtitle, Aceyalone, Murs, Luckyiam, Busdriver, Abstract Rude, 2mex, and many others.

Never afraid to get dirty, Nocando has won (and lost) numerous rap battles. Countless Thursday nights spent spitting freestyle in Leimert Park in the Crenshaw District of South Central L.A. established him as Project Blowed's new school poster boy and a Customer Service hard hitter. The tireless MC has traveled to New York City, Boston, Canada, France, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia, Japan and many other locations giving international music fans a taste of Los Angeles' main exports: blue collars, brown skies, bright lights, and bullshit.

With almost a decade of active duty in the L.A. beat scene and plenty of battle trophies under his belt, Nocando has earned the respect of peers, veterans and newcomers alike. Unpredictable and vivacious, Nocando will light any night and every crowd with his clever words and dynamic delivery style. With the continued convergence of the hip hop and electronic music communities in Los Angeles and around the world, Nocando is poised to shout his drops from the peak of the movement all the way to the vibrating dance floor of the underground.

Nocando on Myspace

Hosted by D.R.E.S. tha BEATnik



D.R.E.S. tha BEATnik has been compared to artists such as Rahzel the Godfather of Noize, Bobby McFerrin, Doug E. Fresh, and Biz Markie. In addition to the artists mentioned, D.R.E.S. tha BEATnik has also taken the stage with Black Eyed Peas, KRS-One, MF Doom, Busta Rhymes, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Slick Rick, Mos Def, Jurassic5, Dilated Peoples, Public Enemy, Talib Kweli, De La Soul, Rakim, Del the Funkee Homosapien, DJ Krush, Massinfluence, the Roots, Kanye West, DJ Green Lantern, Common, and Erykah Badu. D.R.E.S. tha BEATnik also lent his talents to Open Transport, a nationally-distributed video compilation featuring Pharoahe Monch, Reflection Eternal, and many other underground hip-hop artists.

D.R.E.S. tha BEATnik

$13 in adv, $15 DOS, ALL AGES
THIS SHOW WILL START AT 9 PM AND IT WILL BE OVER BY 12 AM

Advance tickets available @ Ticket Alternative, Criminal Records,
Decatur CD, Fantasyland Records and the following CD Warehouse locations: Buford, Duluth, Kennesaw, Lawrenceville and Roswell.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Monday, May 24th is Fang Island

Fang Island is performing at the Drunken Unicorn on Monday, May 24th.



"Brooklyn-based indie rock outfit Fang Island craft impossibly heavy hymn-like anthems that blend the uplifting and accessible hard rock melodiousness of Andrew W.K. and the D.I.Y. recording style of Surfer Blood with the offbeat tech-heavy progressive metal of bands like Protest the Hero and Sparta. Formed in Providence as an art project while the members were all attending the Rhode Island School of Design, the band (comprised of guitarist Jason Bartell, bassist Philip Curcuru, guitarist Chris Georges, guitarist Nicholas Andrew Sadler, and drummer Marc St. Sauveur) released its eponymous debut album through the Sargent House label in early 2010." - James Christopher Monger

Fang Island website

Hollerado is performing second.



Hollerado grew up on the same street in a small town in Ontario. There is one bar in the town and on Friday nights the jukebox plays Roy Orbison, and John Prine. One day, while riding the bus, a man in an exquisitely tailored suit said to them “it is not nearly as fun to reminisce about the times you didn’t spend your life savings on four one-way tickets to Japan.” With that in mind they got jobs doing construction. When they were tearing down the old walls they listened to The Who. When they built new walls they talked about time travel. Soon they bought an old van and started a moving company (Haulerado). The van had a tape player and they listened exclusively to the Traveling Wilburys. They hope you have an awesome holiday season.

Hollerado website

Reptar are opening!



Reptar is a dance-band from Darthlantaville. We like to party. and boogie. take off your shoes and come to our party and dance.

Flagpole described their Tasty World August 25th show: " 'Where did these guys come from?' he asked with amazement. I started to explain that they had just played their first show back in May when I was interrupted by a an explosion of glitter."

Reptar on Myspace

$8 in adv, $10 DOS, 18+

Advance tickets available @ Ticket Alternative, Criminal Records,
Decatur CD, Fantasyland Records and the following CD Warehouse locations: Buford, Duluth, Kennesaw, Lawrenceville and Roswell.

Monday, May 10, 2010

On Sunday May 23rd is Wheatus

Wheatus is performing at the Drunken Unicorn on Sunday, May 23rd.



"The Long Island-based singer/songwriter Brendan B. Brown formed Wheatus as a vehicle for his witty, energetic rock songs. The quartet began taking shape in 1995, when Brown enlisted the help of his brother, drummer Peter Brown, as well as multi-instrumentalist Phil A. Jimenez and bassist Rich Leigey (replaced in July 2000 by Mike McCabe). The musicians recorded their self-titled debut album in the Brown home, helming the production themselves, before signing a contract with Columbia Records and releasing the album in August 2000. "Teenage Dirtbag" became the band's first hit, climbing to number seven on the American rock charts while peaking at number two in the U.K. "A Little Respect" also fared well with British audiences, but Brown jeopardized such newfound U.K. success by refusing to lip-sync for a performance on Top of the Pops. In response, the band's label refused to release Wheatus' next record, Hand Over Your Loved Ones, in America. Although a U.K. release did appear in 2003, the label promoted it poorly, and no strong singles appeared. Two years later, the bandmates left the Columbia roster and created their own label to re-release Hand Over Your Loved Ones under a new title: Suck Fony. That same year also saw the release of Wheatus' third album, Too Soon Monsoon." - William Ruhlmann

Wheatus website

The Rise Of Science is main support.



"From the cinematic mind of Zachary Boswell, The Rise of Science has created an entire world surrounding calming melodies and light vocals comparable to Circa Survive. Their debut album titled Casey (after the main character of the story), is simply put, a motion picture captured in an audio disc. This isn’t a concept album, but more of a theatrical audio disc. Equipped with a few minutes of phone dialogue scattered throughout the disc, Casey captures listeners with an interesting storyline of a young man and the abrupt changes in his family.

The songs and the story seem separated at first, but as the album continues the lyrics in the songs tie in to what’s said in the phone conversations. It’s an album that bears major weight to someone who is attentively listening while being melodically delightful to those just enjoying the sound of the music. Each track has the ability to stand on its own while still being able to give a part of the story when need be.

Lyrically, the album has multiple levels of meaning. As a track on an album, each song can carry its own meaning like any other song. It’s a special case, however, that all of the tracks are interconnected in accordance to the story they’re trying to portray. So one wouldn’t be lost lyrically if they just chose a random track of the album, but you're rewarded if you listen to the album as a whole.

There are very vivid details of the events that go on between the character and his situation. The listener can always verify what they think is going on in the story with the phone calls at the end of a few tracks on the album. One of the only problems I do have with this record is the phone call dialogues aren’t their own track. They’re hidden at the end of certain songs and that makes for shitty easy listening when vibing to the music and the song ends followed by talking. It’s a real buzz kill.

The songs on this album vary in melodies and tones. They go from calm and melodic like the track “Short Comings Can Be Incomplete” to cynical and eerie like “Teenage Martyr.” They even have a sort of light, “lonely-road-like” ballad titled “Shutters To A Stop” filled with light piano and high, soft vocals finishing off with a loud cry of the chorus at the end. The Rise of Science definitely has a good variety in their music.

The Rise of Science have done a great job with their debut album Casey. The twists and turns the album takes can leave a listener wanting more even after the album finishes and Casey hangs up his end of the receiver for the last time. Luckily, the album art aids in the telling of the story as well as their music video for their first single “Short Comings Can Be Incomplete.” This album is definitely worth a spin for those fans of the wide range of math-like melodies on guitar and high vocals. This theatrical audio release is sure to grab listeners’ way into the new year." --Jose Terrero

The Rise Of Science on Myspace

Baby Baby are the openers.



There comes a time in every bands life when they must ask their selves “what are we doing?” Yeah we know life gets rough but, it’s the music that makes you want to forget about that sorry stuff. What are we doing? We are playing music!! Music that makes us dance, makes us sing, makes us want to keep playing songs for you with every entangled organ we own. We’ve heard the sad stuff and that just isn’t going to do. Truly ask yourself, look deep inside you and search for the answer… when was the last time you got your face painted? When was the last time you danced to some fun rock, baby? Tomorrow the light bill is due but tonight, without a doubt, we dance.

Baby Baby on Myspace

$8 in ADV, $10 DOS, ALL AGES

THIS SHOW WILL START @ 8 PM AND IT WILL BE OVER BY 12 AM!

Advance tickets available @ Ticket Alternative, Criminal Records,
Decatur CD, Fantasyland Records and the following CD Warehouse locations: Buford, Duluth, Kennesaw, Lawrenceville and Roswell.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Hermon Hitson performs on Saturday, May 22nd

Hermon Hitson returns to the Drunken Unicorn on Saturday, May 22nd.



Hermon Hitson has played with some of the biggest names in music history such as Bobby Womack, Wilson Pickett, Major Lance, Jackie Wilson, The Drifters, The Shirelles, Joe Tex, The Midnighters and others. He still plays on a regular basis at local clubs is his current hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. In 2006, Hermon released his latest album entitled, "Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow." He also recorded at LIVE album at the well-known Atlanta music venue The Earl in 2007. For more information about Hermon and his life in the music business, please see the great interview conducted by Colin Dilnot, the Managing Director of Keeping Soul Alive and owner of the "Dark End of the Street" Soul music blog at: Hermon Hitson on Dark End Of The Street

Hermon Hitson on Myspace

Coleman Fox & the Funky Broadways are opening



Coleman Fox & The Funky Broadways hails from a small town south of Atlanta Georgia. Growing up in the roots of Soul and Rock & Roll music helped shape them into the sound machine they are today. The long road that brought them together started in early 2005. Coleman had been in a regionally successful band during his high school days known as Refill. Having found some early success and being a strong songwriter he decided to focus on his own act following the breakup of the band. Coleman Fox, Jon Parrott, and Kyle Jones began playing gospel music together, shortly thereafter, growing up in the Church. As many artists before them, it helped nurture them and formed a tightness amongst the group. Now the search was on for a drummer. Dane Slaughter, during that time had been sharpening his skills on the skins by playing in a local act out of Statesboro, GA while attending Georgia Southern University. Having been childhood friends and growing up playing football together, Coleman and Dane had developed a friendship and a teamwork ethic already together. Following his return to Griffin, GA, Coleman asked if he was interested in joining the group and playing the drums. It was a perfect fit! The group quickly began practicing long and hard hours. It was during this time that they realized how special this group was. Needing some more soul to the group, Coleman began searching for a female vocal to help round out the harmonies. After searching and experimenting Miss Beth Hobbs seemed to fall out of the sky right when she was needed most. Having been trained in singing since she was a child, Beth was a wonderful addition to the group. Lo and behold the Funky Broadway Family was born. Coleman, decided to name them the Funky Broadways, stemming from the widely popular song of the 60's "Funky Broadway" sung by Mr. Wilson Pickett. During this whole time of growth and development Coleman had been working long hours in the studio to finish their first LP. It was a very long process, being the first album he had produced entirely solo, but a very rewarding one. Having finished the album in February of 2010, "Anything Goes", the band was ready for the road. They had been playing one off shows around the local area to perfect their skills as a group in front of an audience. Paying close attention to detail, Coleman felt he and his Funky family were ready for the big time. Now, the process of booking and touring has begun. Still working hard in the practice facilities Coleman Fox & The Funky Broadways are a band with very few comparisons. They have a unique look and sound. They have formed a sound that has been called "lo-fi at its best"; during an interview for Dirty South TV it was coined, "Rock and Soul". So, join the Family and spread the word! Coleman Fox & The Funky Broadways is an engine heading your way full steam. Don't be left out, tell all you know about this new sound coming from the Deep South.

Coleman Fox & The Funky Broadways on Myspace

Cullen Cole on the one's & two's

$10, 21+