Mixtape Atlanta

Night 6- Hot Stuff

Night 6 of 500 Songs for Kids 2011 had both levels of Smith's Olde Bar rocking. Southern Ground Artists Levi Lowrey, Sonia Leigh, and Nic Cowan played to an intimate sold-out crowd in the Atlanta Room, while the countdown of 500 Greatest Feel Good Songs of All Time continued upstairs. Both Cowan and Lowrey played songs off the countdown after their Atlanta Room set, including one of the night's highlights- Lowrey's version of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay." See video below.

Ziggy The RockStar & The Branches started the night off to a great start with the youngsters spot on note-for-note rendition of The Jackson 5's "ABC. Several members of Please Rock played throughout the night from Yacht Rock Schooner, Alyssa Olson, and Alyssa and Peter Olson's charming duet of "Anyone Else But You" from Juno. The Falcon Lords turned M.I.A.'s "money stealing" "Paper Planes" into a "money saving" jingle. Songs for Kids Foundation members (Kendra Gurkin, Josh Rifkind, Sanjay Kothair, and Justin Kerenyi)- performing as Lady and The Tramps- delivered some holiday cheer with their festive take on SNL's Christmas song, originally made famous by Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan, and Horatio Sanz. The Orkids also added some sporty flair to The Knife's "Heartbeats." Check out Night 6's photos!

View performances below by Levi Lowrey, Nic Cowan, Lady and The Tramps, Yacht Rock Schooner, Yacht Rock Schooner with Alyssa Olson, Alyssa and Peter Olson, The Falcon Lords, Matthew Chenoweth, Bruce Butkovich, and Friends, The Orkids, Ziggy The RockStar & The Branches, J.G. Spence, and Universal Kingdom.

Mask Yourself

DIGATL Circus has arrived! 4TH Ward Heroes and Mixtape Atlanta's FREE electronic masquerade party is TONIGHT at Star Bar. Music starts at 9PM with Cousin Dan followed by Fly Golden Eagle, Shitty Candy and The Circus Peanuts, Machines Are People Too, and The Falcon Lords. The Voice of Saturn will be DJing all night so come prepared to dance!

Mixtape Atlanta will be photographing this special event with a photo booth and crowd shoots. 4TH Ward Heroes will also be giving away the ultimate DIGATL Circus accessory: masks designed by The Voice of Saturn. So come early, snag a FREE awesome mask, get your photo taken (new profile photo!), and stay for a night of fantastic music and dynamic performances.

October 28 | STAR BAR | 9PM | 21+

 

Let's Get DIGATL!

The Falcon Lords are headlining DIGATL Circus this Thursday (October 28) at Star Bar. 4TH Ward Heroes and Mixtape Atlanta are presenting this FREE unique electronic masquerade party that is the perfect start to the Halloween weekend. Known for their flashy ensembles and catchy superhero anthems, The Falcon Lords are one of Atlanta's most entertaining performance/ rock/ pop /earth-saving power groups. If you haven't seen them live, you'll not want to miss their performance on Thursday.

The Falcon Lords will not be the only ones pulling out all the stops at Star Bar. Also adding super wattage to the bill are Machines Are People Too, Shitty Candy & The Circus Peanuts, Fly Golden Eagle, Cousin Dan, and a special DJ set by The Voice of Saturn.

STAR BAR. 9PM. 21+. BE THERE!

 

DIGATL Getdown

At the beginning of October, we told you to stay tuned for some exciting news and here it is! Mixtape Atlanta is teaming up again with 4TH Ward Heroes for one of this month's most exciting Halloween parties on October 28 at Star Bar. DIGATL Circus is an unique electronic masquerade event combining intoxicating visual elements with infectious live performances. Don't miss The Falcon Lords, Machines Are People Too, Shitty Candy & The Circus Peanuts, Fly Golden Eagle, Cousin Dan, and a special DJ set by The Voice of Saturn. Doors open at 8PM and music will start right at 9PM, so get there early. Plus, it's FREEEE!!!

Special thanks to our sponsors Mindzai Creative, Nao Media & Consulting, Nao Live, The Silver Tongue Online, and The Voice of Saturn for helping to make all of this possible.

 

Night 5- Bust a Move

Monday marked the halfway point of 500 Songs for Kids' 10-night marathon as many gathered at Smith's Olde Bar for Night Five's powerhouse performances. Fresh off of a cruise ship- literally- the guys from Please Rock performed The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" and a one of the night's best covers, Guns N' Roses' "November Rain." They also joined The Greater Vavoom for INXS' "I Need You Tonight." Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun tackled Smashing Pumpkins' "1979" and Great Society performed MGMT's "Kids"; both performances were spot on. Trevor Jones was joined by an all star cast including members of The Judies and The Falcon Lords to perform "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story. Another standout performance was Brad Cox's attack of Aerosmith's "Cryin'".

Check out all of Night 5's photos!

Night 4- Whole Lotta Love

Night Four of 500 Songs for Kids fell on a Sunday, which to some might not be the typical "going out" night. Thankfully many did come out to Smith's Olde Bar and support night four out of ten of 500 Songs for Kids. Several solo acts performed, including acoustic guitar solos like James Smith's cover of Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" and Joanna Duff performing Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car." Pianist Andrew Fazackerley performed George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" to an engaged crowd that seemed to welcome the break in rock hits and stayed memorized by Fazackerley's piano skills. Several fancied costumed performers took to the stage too. The Yacht Rock Schooner donned their finest 1970s duds for their cover of The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'." Resident superhero rockers The Falcon Lords performed another Top Gun soundtrack hit Berlin's "Take My Breath Away." Even Elvis himself -or maybe it was The Bradley Cole Smith Band- stopped by to shake his hips to The King's "Suspicious Minds." Well worth the wait, annual a capella performers The Graduates were one of the final acts of the night with their cover of Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing."

See all of Night 4's photos!

On a Roll

Have you bought your tickets for 500 Songs for Kids 2010? What are you waiting for?! Avoid having to carry cash for cover and buy your nightly tickets in advance! Purchase tickets here. Every day at noon, Mixtape Atlanta is bringing you 500 Songs for Kids updates and band announcements. Below are today's addition to the lineup as well as previously confirmed bands. You will not want to miss a night of 500 Songs for Kids' music marathon as each night musicians perform one song off of the list of 500 Greatest Era-Defining Songs of All Time.

Paul Warner (April 29, Night 1)
Michael Magno (May 2, Night 4)
Please PleaseRock Me (May 3, Night 5)
The Lost Boys (May 5, Night 7)
Romeo Spike (May 6, Night 8)Previously confirmed performers:
Rantings of Eva (April 29, Night 1)
The Serenaders (April 29, Night 1)
Stellate (April 29, Night 1)
County Line Strangers (April 30, Night 2)
Dead Confederate (April 30, Night 2)
StoneRider (April 30, Night 2)
The Orkids (April 30, Night 2)
Oh Dorian (May 1, Night 3)
The Julia Dream (May 1, Night 3)
The Falcon Lords (May 2, Night 4)
The Greater Vavoom (May 3, Night 5)
Dukes of Daville (May 3, Night 5)
Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun (May 3, Night 5)
Sun Domingo (May 3, Night 5)
The Yacht Rock Revue (May 3, Night 5)
Rebecca Loebe (May 4, Night 6)
Weapons of Audio (May 5, Night 7)
Dirty Pollyanna (May 5, Night 7)
Sam Thacker (May 5, Night 7)
The 54 (May 6, Night 8)
The Swear (May 6, Night 8)
Gareth Asher (May 6, Night 8)
Hightide Blues (May 6, Night 8)
Jimi Cravity (May 6, Night 8)
Golden (May 6, Night 8)
Five Eight (May 6, Night 8)
Pico Vs. Island Trees (May 7, Night 9)
The Coathangers (May 7, Night 9)
Sonia Leigh (May 7, Night 9)
Young Orchids (May 7, Night 9)
Wild Sweet Orange (May 7, Night 9)

Rock Steady

500 Songs for Kids is one of the most exciting events of the year, but it is also important to realize how much your contributions- even through nightly cover- actually impact children. All the proceeds from April 29- May 8 go directly to bring music and musicians into children's hospitals and special needs camps. A great example of Songs for Kids' efforts and impact can be seen in the video below. Check out Emily Saliers from the Indigo Girls help a young patient improvise a song at a recent Songs for Kids hospital visit.

500 Songs for Kids is 10 fun days at Smith's Olde Bar, but the organization works 365 days to bring music to kids in need all year. For more information about Songs for Kids Foundation or to make a donation, visit SongsforKidsFoundation.org.

Here are today's confirmed artists!
County Line Strangers (April 30, Night 2)
The Falcon Lords (May 2, Night 4)
Dukes of Daville (May 3, Night 5)
Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun (May 3, Night 5)
Gareth Asher (May 6, Night 8)

Check back tomorrow at noon for more artist announcements!

Kick-Ass Photos

April 1, BMI and 99x presented a showcase featuring some great local rock bands including Trances Arc, Falcon Lords, The Orkids, and Andy Lehman at Vinyl. While superhero rockers, Falcon Lords, are no strangers to donning masks and costumes, many new superheroes were minted at Mixtape Atlanta’s Kick-Ass photo booth. Produced by Brad Pitt and others, starring Aaron Johnson, Nicholas Cage, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kick-Ass will introduce us all to a new breed of self-made superheroes. If you stopped by our Kick-Ass photo booth, get your photos here! Don't miss Kick-Ass in movie theaters April 16.

SXSW 2010: Friday, March 19

Although Atlanta artists played many showcases throughout SXSW, on Friday they all converged onto one: We Put the A in Austin. Producing a diverse lineup of mostly hip-hop and rock acts, We Put the A in Austin benefited from an awesome lineup, a unique two-story club layout at the Light Bar, as well as a frequent open bar courtesy of Belvedere Vodka. Weapons of Audio (formerly Futureshock) and Hollyweerd got the party going downstairs, while alternative acts like Mermaids, The Judies, and indie songstress BOSCO performed on the rooftop. Spree Wilson and The 54 also performed on the roof with their mixture of rock and hip-hop beats. Frequent SXSW performers Ocha La Rocha rounded out the rock diversity on the upstairs stage, while The Falcon Lords made sure everyone was having a good time by dancing with the crowd. Check out all the photos from We Put the A in Austin here!

Kim Burdges

 

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a FALCON!

March 4, The Falcon Lords celebrated the release of their new CD, Straight From The Center of Their Volcano Lair, at Star Bar. The superhero trio donned their signature costumes to stop crime, perform music, and take photos with fans in Mixtape Atlanta's superhero photo booth. Check out all the falcon-tastic photos, here. Also read Mixtape Atlanta's album review of Straight From The Center of Their Volcano Lair, here.

The Falcon Lords Set to Invade Star Bar

If you have ever seen three characters dressed clad in black and gold spandex at local music venues, you are not hallucinating. They are The Falcon Lords and they are insuring that our city has no lack of comic dance grooves. Similar to their live performances, The Falcon Lords’ new album, Straight From The Center of Their Volcano Lair, is an experience. Forget liner notes, this CD is accompanied with a fully illustrated comic book storyboarding each songs lyrics. James Callahan’s detailed illustrations instantly help transport the listener into The Falcon Lords world and scarily enough into their mindset.

One of the most alluring aspects of The Falcon Lords concept, music, and concerts is their ability to never break character, which makes their comedy funnier and performances even more enjoyable. Although Volcano Lair could easily be catalogued under comedic dance pop, this trio of self-appointed superheroes prove to be talented clever writers. On the opening track “Falcon Surprise,” it is the juxtaposition of passionate rapping with electronic music over such lyrics like “I’ve got an underground lair/ It’s so hard core/ It’s got a dance floor/ Plus a bodyguard at the door,” that keep the listener hooked to find out more about their crazy world. The funky beat of “Falcon Love” will have you laughing over such lyrics like “I wanna take you to the Clermont on our first date/…My Honda Civic’s gonna ride like a Mercedes,” and bouncing to the rhythm at the same time. “Metallic Vagina” is a surprisingly catchy love song about a motorcycle- “I met a girl made out of chrome/ Now she’s trying to take me home/ And so we hit the road.”

If you have never seen The Falcon Lords live don’t miss The Official Executive Release Party for the new album at Star Bar on Thursday, March 4. The Falcon Lords will even be invading Mixtape Atlanta’s superhero photo booth to take photos with guest before taking the stage. Futureshock and Hollyweerd will also be performing. Did we mention it is FREE?!