This is a Lot of Concerts... Days 20-25

Sorry it's been a while since I updated the progress of my concert-going madness, but I've been in hibernation since September ended. With all that catching up to do, I'll go ahead and get started...

When you think about Japan, the first thing that comes to mind is 45-minute guitar solos. Alright, maybe that's just me. Nonetheless, Peelander-Z flew in the face of my ideas about Japanese music with their high-energy punk-rock set on the 20th at the Drunken Unicorn. For all their energy, the band didn't impress me much. They were good, but there are a half-dozen punk bands in Atlanta alone that blow Peelander out of the water.

The next night, our friends from Secretly Canadian gave me a hand and got me into the Magnolia Electric Company show at the Earl for free! Jason Molina and company made sure I got well more than my money's worth, turning in a marathon set as consistent as their discography. It's hard to imagine anyone disliking Magnolia's hearty brand of folk rock. Molina may look like Leon Redbone these days, but he sounds a lot more like Neil Young.

September 22nd brought more free rock (thanks to our friends at Interscope this time), which is always a good thing. It's especially good when that band is the Queens of the Stone Age. With a great set-up and a packed house, QotSA rocked the Tabernacle with a tight, propulsive set.
Things got a little sweaty, but who cares about smelling good when you're rocking?

Right about now, you're probably thinking to yourselves, "Wait, Bob Dylan was here on the 22nd! Why didn't he see Dylan?" Well, I saw him on the 23rd in Clemson! How was it? Let's put it this way: Bob Dylan came out on stage wearing a ridiculous black jacket, a silly hat, and pants with gold stripes. Anyone but Bob Dylan would have looked like an idiot. That's how his performance was too: If it had been anyone but Bob Dylan, it would've been terrible. But, it was Bob Dylan, so it was great.

The 24th brought me back to Atlanta and my home away from home for September, the Drunken Unicorn. Ecstatic Sunshine opened with some really impressive blissed-out guitar noise. A sick Bradford Cox, under his Atlas Sound moniker, soldiered through and put on a quality show as well. But the night belonged to the awkward genius of Dave Longstreth and the Dirty Projectors. Their Black Flag covers have twice the punch live as they do on record, while they lost the annoying quality they had Rise Above. For the second time this year, the Dirty Projectors rocked the Unicorn and reminded me why they're one of my favorite bands around today.

So, who's in favor of a shuttle between The Earl and the Drunken Unicorn? It would certainly make it easier to do things like see Meg Baird (above) echo Sandy Denny with her powerful voice and beautiful guitarwork before taking in the catchy power-pop of Gentleman Jesse & His Men. Heck, if they had that shuttle, maybe I could've stuck around for the Carbonas, but unfortunately schoolwork called. Nonetheless, Baird and Jesse were two of my absolute favorites of the month.

Whew, just thinking back to the good ol' days of September makes me tired, so I'll leave you and remind you to check back soon for the exciting conclusion, featuring another plane ride, a canceled show, and, of course, Akron/Family.