Neon City Album Review

Johnny Bertram and the Golden Bicycles

With the heavy reliance on music production like auto tuning it’s rare you turn on the radio and aren’t embraced by the artificial, robotic, and processed sound of the plug in.  There’s something to be said for an artist who isn’t afraid of imperfection at the expense of true talent and emotion.  The very reason we listen to music is to hear passion expressed.  No matter your style or taste, we can all agree on the simple fact that if there’s no feeling behind the song then why listen at all?  Johnny Bertram and the Golden Bicycles sophomore album “Neon City” highlights the beauty of raw talent, passion and the keen skill of storytelling. 

Bertram showcases his unique tenor that is both clean and cuttingly unique.   While listening you feel as if you’re traveling along with Bertram and his crew breathing the fresh air as you explore the great American land.  The tracks let you travel across the states as they combine the rustic vibe of the Northwest with a Southern soul and richness.  No matter where you’re from you can appreciate the crisp sound and original lyrics. 

A couple tracks to note for their catchy beat and melody are “River” and “Miracle.”   Out just in time for the summer season, these tracks can be played poolside or cruising in a boat soaking up the sun as you sing along “oooh oooh“ to the “River.”  Or enjoy the fun beat of “Miracle” while calling your attention off yourself and onto the world around you when it sings “say there was a modern day miracle would you see it?” 

Neon City was recorded between April and May of 2011 at the North Midtown Arts Center in Jackson Mississippi.  All of the songs were recorded live in a large room with hard wood floors that is normally used as a performance space.  This space was the perfect fit because the clear natural sounds of the room delivered crisp and clean vibes on the tracks.  

Bertram wrote all of the songs on this album and his skills are comparable to other singer-songwriters like M. Ward, Jim, James, Ray Lamontagne, and Josh Ritter.  Neon City is a well-rounded collection of acoustic/folk and guitar rocking tracks.  “Out of the Darkness” and “Mistake” both show a moodier, deeper shade to the shiny nice beats on the rest of the album.   The growth of this album showcases the union Bertram has formed with his backing band for three years.  With this much quality music on one album, and growth in one year the future holds bright things for this special band. 

Johnny Bertram and the Golden Bicycles’ Neon City will be released April 24.

Moon Taxi In Concert

It’s a Refreshing Ride with Moon Taxi

By: Allison Kwan

A 70s rock sound mixed with funky bass beats and introspective lyrics hit the Masquerade in Atlanta last Friday evening. Hell’s stage featured a new, up-and-coming band from Nashville, Tennessee by the name of Moon Taxi, comprised of five artful and talented gentlemen who were far more electric than eccentric as their name may seem to imply.

After hearing the intro to their first song of the night “Whiskey Sunset”—a melodic and upbeat combination of piano synthesizers, stimulating guitar riffs and a soulful, distinctive voice enticing me to “Drink it in, drink it in,”—I knew I had stumbled across a rare find.

Currently on tour across the nation to promote their new album “Cabaret,” Moon Taxi is comprised of Trevor Terndrup as lead vocalist and guitarist, Wes Bailey on keyboards, Spencer Thomson as lead guitarist, Tom Putnam on the bass and Tyler Ritter rocking the beat of the drums.

Everything about Moon Taxi caught me off guard: their playful, hippie-esque band name, Terndrup’s joyful nature and smiling face as he belted out deep, realistic (and very pensive) lyrics about the world we live in, and the mixed dynamic, funky beats of Moon Taxi’s instrumentals. It was pure happiness, to say the least, that exuded from the stage into the small crowd of 120 people, and I couldn’t help but drink it all in as Terndrup advised with his coy smile. 

And while I normally don’t trust men I don’t know that quickly, I couldn’t help but believe in the band’s sincerity as I continued to listen to Terndrup’s cheerful and powerful vocals. I instantly fell in love with his voice after that first song, reminding me of the early vocals of Caleb Followill from the Kings of Leon; that is, Followill from before the band’s mainstream and monotonous success. Terndrup’s voice is raw and his lyrics are imaginative. It was surprising to me to find a band that produced such definitive and meaningful lyrics without being depressing or overly emotional. As Terndrup sang out “gearing up for the last goodbye, it’s history repeated in a blink of an eye” from their song “Hideaway,” a devoted respect started to form for their poetic compilations; a similar respect that began to form after discovering Brandon Boyd’s expressive writing style when first being introduced to Incubus. But Moon Taxi accomplish their ecstatic harmony by pairing their profound lyrics with their own unique rhythm of rock, funk, jazz, and reggae all rolled together to make the progressive indie rock sound that is Moon Taxi. 

Their creative ingenuity continued to be evident as Moon Taxi played more songs from “Cabaret”, including “All the Rage” and “Mercury,” and then onto instrumental solos—Bailey, jamming with intense passion that was purely magnetic on double keyboards. Ritter smoothly slamming away each beat with his drumsticks. A duet of Thomson and Putnam creating an inspiring symphony with their opposing guitar strums. Finally, to all five reemerging as one to play a brand new song, not on the current album, called “Change.”

The band also performed the late Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good” but with their own added flair and older songs from their previous albums “Melodica” and  “Live Ride.”

After the set, I realized that their unique and creative sound matches perfectly with their unconventional, quirky name Moon Taxi. And I could tell from the audience’s reaction that they were just as pleased as I was for making it out to the Masquerade that night. My only complaint was that their performance was far too short; being enveloped by the sounds of Moon Taxi for only an hour and a half was just not enough.

But even after the music had physically stopped. Their sound had become infectious and continued to flow through the veins of my fellow Taxi-ravers, who proudly continued their merry dancing into the streets.

For me, it was refreshing to find Moon Taxi performing at the Masquerade that night. Their lyrics, sound and passion were evident from the beginning and it was invigorating to discover a band that wasn’t trying too hard to live up to a certain appearance. They weren’t trying to be anything except simple musicians putting on a powerful and authentic show.

 

"All the Rage"

Miranda Lambert in Concert

Miranda Lambert's a Surprising Hit

  
By: Matt Thompson

Let me preface by saying that I’m normally not a fan of live music. I much prefer the clear, concise sounds of my iTunes.  Nor am I a fan of the forum – standing amongst several thousand loud, screaming fans is a chore, and struggling to actually hear the lyrics doesn’t usually appeal much to me. 

But since Miranda Lambert’s “On Fire” Tour (with special guests Jared Niemann and Chris Young) was stopping in my hometown, I decided to give it a chance. I tried to stay positive about stepping out of my comfort zone for a rare concert experience, but I carried fairly low expectations with me into the Macon Centreplex on Thursday, February 23.  I fully expected it to be a ho-hum type of night, and I could feign excitement and interest after the fact.  Instead, I witnessed a real treat! 

 The main reason I decided to attend was that the concert was very affordable. Tickets started at $28.25. I heard from several of Lambert’s loyal followers that they really appreciate her because she often tries to play smaller venues, allowing her fans to see her more easily.

I wanted to find out a bit of background information on Lambert because other than her being a country singer, I really had no idea who she was.  She was a 2003 finalist on the show Nashville Star and shortly after released her debut album “Kerosene.”  That album went platinum, and she has gone on to release ten albums total.  Miranda is renown for numerous Top-10 hits, most recently including Number 1 songs like “The House Built Like Me” and “Heart Like Mine.” 

2011 was a busy year for her as she married fellow country singer Blake Shelton and collaborated with Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Pressley on a new project, the “Pistol Annies.”  I was impressed when I learned all of this fascinating information about her, and knowing this ahead of time actually made me more excited about the concert.  I really didn’t know what to expect for a country concert – although I’m a fan of country and have attended concerts, I’ve never seen a country show live. 

When we got there, everything was set up quite nicely to my surprise ­– given that the venue has begun to show its age.  I’ve been to many events at the Centreplex before, and the sound is nothing to write home about either.  At best, things sound garbled most of the time, so I hoped that wouldn’t ruin the concert.  Ultimately, The Centreplex’s shortcomings were noticeable, but didn’t detract terribly from the show.

Jared Niemann came on first and was eager to set the tone for the evening and set the bar high.  He played seven songs, and although not spectacular, provided a very solid opening and got the crowd going fairly well.  Chris Young followed Niemann with 11 songs, and I personally thought he was phenomenal.  I didn’t know any of his songs beforehand, but that didn’t matter.  He brought a ton of energy to the stage and really played to the crowd.  Knowing that Lambert was on next as the evening’s “main eventer” notwithstanding, I thought Young stole the show.  He worked the frenzied crowd to a fever pitch and made a perfect transition to the advertised star of the night, Miranda Lambert. 

Lambert played 22 songs in all – 20 initially then two for her encore.  The people I were with were really excited when she played Lady Gaga’s “You and I” and as seasoned fans, they also noted that it was “just really cool” how she played her song “Fine Tune” while sitting on a couch like she was among friends.  She also played a heartfelt, emotional dedication to her Blake Shelton’s father, which the majority of the crowd – and yours truly – were moved by.  Her final song before the encore was arguably one of her best known and certainly the one I was most familiar with, “White Liar.” Although I was largely unfamiliar with her set list, my company seemed to most enjoy “Kerosene” and “Fastest Girl in Town”, but also loved both encore songs – a cover of Aretha Franklin’s “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man” and Waylon Jennings’ “Honky Tonk Heroes.” It was a fun and fitting end to a surprisingly incredible night of music. 

Overall, I was very impressed with the concert despite my preconceived doubts. The Centreplex’s sound issues were noteworthy but perhaps only because I knew about them ahead of time. I’m betting that the average ear probably got lost in the music instead.  Each of the three performers impressed me in their own way with their distinctive styles, but I really began to get into the concert when Chris Young brought his unique energy to the stage, and that feeling of electricity was only sustained by Lambert.  Looking back, it was fun night and a new experience for this writer – one I’d absolutely pay to see again.

Affordability: A

Arena: C+

Performers: A+

Overall: A-

 

"Fastest Girl in Town"

The Sam Bush Band in Concert

New Grass Originator, Sam Bush brings his Band, Banjo and Classic Bluegrass to the Georgia Theatre

by: Meg Goggans

Sam Bush, an acclaimed solo artist on mandolin and fiddle

Walking into the Georgia Theatre on a Friday night in Athens holds a kind of magic. It’s a magic that is palpable, allowing it to literally rise from the ashes and continue hosting musicians and music lovers alike. 

Sam Bush is one of the theatre’s most recent musicians to take its stage. Bush, who could appear at first glance to be your father, your uncle, maybe even your grandfather in certain lighting, is scruffy, rugged, and a Grammy Award winning Bluegrass musician. 

Ask any of my friends and they’ll tell you, country and Bluegrass are not my favorite kinds of music. I find the lyrics and sounds repetitive and typically unoriginal, having to listen to it unwillingly as bad bar music and in Ford trucks with good ole’ Georgia boy friends of mine. That being said, I wasn’t entirely thrilled about attending a Bluegrass concert on a Friday night. However, when a friend called with a free ticket and his own good review, I conceded. 

After the poppy, more contemporary Bluegrass opening act, String Theory, played for about an hour, they left the stage and Bush and the band begin setting up their equipment. The music began with a fiddle, slow and soft, and built up to the breaking of Bush’s raspy voice. We listened to tales of Georgia dust, the wild unknown, and girls from Tennessee. Bush’s live performance came as a pleasant surprise to me. While some songs did seem to linger with their heavy banjo, others (specifically the ones with clear jazz and reggae influences) flowed and I even found my own foot tapping a few times. 

As the band took a short break, I learned through my more well informed friend that Bush’s nicknames include the King of Telluride and the King of New Grass, New Grass being a kind of progressive and modern take on Bluegrass. At only 57 years old, Bush has taken on a sort of leadership in pioneering the New Grass movement. Having been a fiddle prodigy since his childhood, he now blends elements of rock, gospel, reggae and jazz into his music. 

Throughout the show, Bush consistently communicated to his audience between songs. He didn’t rush to crank through the set list, but enjoyed each one as he was performing. The lighting was mellow and the mood was relaxed and casual. The crowd, older than the typical college audience the theatre usually brings in on a Friday night, also chatted between songs, conversing and sipping on drinks. 

As the night came to a close, Bush gave the deserved shout outs to the members of his band who shared the stage with him. With hoots and hollers from the receptive crowd, the sound of guitar plucks slowly building amplify the room. The drums rolled in and the plucking grew louder. 

Finally, after a solid ten minute build up, the guitar broke into the lead and the music finally made sense to me. The crowd was there for a reason: to listen to the kind of music they love to hear by a musician who loves to play it. Perhaps it was the magic of the theatre, but Bush’s passion, talent, and his friendly conversational demeanor made his concert easy to enjoy. Even if you aren’t a typical fan of country music, the Sam Bush Band may leave even your own foot tapping.

 

Sam Bush Band Live at the Georgia Theatre, Athens