Apocalypse Jukebox/27s photos

A week or so back, we were pleased to have the authors of Apocalypse Jukebox and The 27s here in the store, reading from their impressive tomes and taking questions from customers as we all enjoyed some fine beverages and the company of each other during Decatur's Art Walk. We took a few photos, of course, which we encourage you to peruse in this post. While you're at it, get outside and enjoy the weather on this lovely Saturday. We'll be here, if you need anything.

Ticket Alternative's new and notable shows

Each week, our pal Leila at Ticket Alternative sends us an e-mail listing all the brand-new, freshly-announced, hot-off-the-presses Ticket Alternative shows. Each week (well, we try, anyway), we post this e-mail on the blog for y'all's information. Think of it as a sister post of sorts to our semi-regular monthly show calendar (speaking of which, it's almost time for June!) postings. Fun stuff, right? This one is a short one. Enjoy:

* Big Boi w/Kid Capri @ W Atlanta Midtown, July 11 - Just Added, on sale June 1

* "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf" - A play directed by Jasmine Guy and starring Robin Givens, Nicole Ari Parker and Crystal Fox, @ Fulton County's Southwest Arts Center, July 12-August 9 - Just Added!

* Corndogorama's (June 27-28) initial lineup has been announced! We have it here.

* The Charlatans @ The Loft, October 5 - Just Added! Tickets on sale tomorrow (Friday, May 29)

Win tickets to Georgia Mountain Roots fest, Decemberists and TV on the Radio!

Got some ticket giveaways ending soon. Don't miss out! Stop by the store to enter for any of the following. From the newsletter:

The Decemberists and TV on the Radio tickets giveaway:
Our pal Molly at Live Nation recently dropped by a couple packs of tickets to two of our favorite new rock groups making music these days. Have a look:

The Decemberists @ The Tabernacle on June 3rd (four pairs)
TV on the Radio @ The Tabernacle on June 13th (four pairs)

Georgia Mountain Roots & Music Festival ticket giveaway:
Check this out, folks: June 5-6, 2009. Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds in Hiawassee, GA. The Greencards, Red Stick Ramblers, The Steeldrivers, Dan Tyminski, Jim Lauderdale, Seldom Scene and more! It's the Georgia Mountain Roots & Music Festival, and we've got two pairs of two-day passes to giveaway. Stop by to sign up.

New. Release. Tuesday.

Happy Memorial Day, y'all. Hopefully you're out there somewhere getting your barbecue on, enjoying the holiday, pouring one out for Jay Bennett. But in case you make it by for the new stuff tomorrow, here's what we'll have:

Super Furry Animals
Grizzly Bear
Phoenix
Sunn 0)))
Creedence Clearwater Revival (reissues)
Jenny Owen Youngs
James Brown (singles)
Mandy Moore
Viva Voce
Black Moth Super Rainbow
Dave Brubeck (Time Out 50th Anniversary)
Julian Marley
Brian Jonestown Massacre (EP)
Carolina Chocolate Drops
Michelle Shocked
Miles Davis (Sketches 50th Anniversary)
Blank Dogs
Vieux Farka Toure
Charles Mingus (Ah Um 50th Anniversary)
David Berkeley
Zap Mama
Dave Alvin
Intelligence
...and more

Got Twitter?

We do. In fact, have for a little while. Almost two months now. Time flies when you're typing about stuff in 140-characters-or-less bursts, apparently. At any rate, if you're into the whole social-networking thing, you can follow Decatur CD here. We update it pretty regularly, sometimes announcing fun little things that we won't talk about anywhere else. Good times. See you on the interwebs!

Two Authors at Decatur CD for Friday's Art Walk

Good time coming this Friday. We'll have two authors in the store for Decatur's annual arts festival. In fact, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote about one of them over the weekend. Full details below grabbed straight from the DCD Newsletter. We hope to see you on Friday:

On Memorial Day Friday, May 22, at 7pm, we're happy to be hosting our latest author in-store appearance with A Cappella Books. The two books being featured are Eric Segalstad and Josh Hunter's The 27s and David Janssen and Edward Whitelock's Apocalypse Jukebox. Here is some explanation of these two interesting tomes:

--

The 27s
The 27s is the grandest story of rock & roll, firmly ingrained in popular music and culture yet the saga somehow slipped through the cracks of time; until today. If you're reading this you probably know that Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain's lives were cut short at age 27, but the same fate happened to thirty other musicians. Sure, they weren't all equally famous, but every one of them pushed rock in new directions, leaving lasting legacies that continue to inspire fans and musicians.

No chapters, just one complete story that unfolds over 312 pages bursting with color and original illustrations, quotes from interviews, curious coincidences, riveting revelations, and a myth greater than them all. It's a story about modesty & excess, fame & loneliness, success & defeat, struggle & perseverance, and life & death.

Apocalypse Jukebox
From hellfire hymnals to anarchic rock and roll, Apocalyptic Jukebox reveals our collective fixation on disaster, revelation, and impossible salvation.

American popular music has always been preoccupied with the end of the world, be it the Second Coming or a natural or nuclear disaster. In Apocalypse Jukebox, Edward Whitelock and David Janssen uncover both the paranoia and hope that thread through the nation's history and surface in its music.

From the books's opening scene--a terrifying 1883 meteor s hower in the American South--a sense of doom is palpable. And it is this deep foreboding that shadows every development in North American popular music. The authors examine a remarkable diversity of apocalyptic influences, focusing in particular on such performers as Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, John Coltrane, Devo, R.E.M., Sleater-Kinney, and Green Day.

--

Not bad, huh? The authors will be here at good old Decatur CD at 7pm on Friday, May 22. They'll be reading from, signing and selling the books. Warren is also prepping a monster of a mix that will feature selections from both books. We'll have some beer as well. It's also Decatur Art Walk night, which kicks off the Decatur Arts Festival weekend. Should be a blast.

New. Release. Tuesday.

We've been hearing a lot of mixed signals about that album above, which comes out tomorrow. which came out Friday. People are loving it and hating it and saying all the things that one might expect them to say about a fairly high-profile release. Whatever your take on it (and we'd like to hear it: send it on!), it leads a batch of pretty interesting batch of new releases this week. Have a look at the full list:

Green Day
Iron & Wine (rarities)
Eminem
Passion Pit
Tori Amos
White Rabbits
Steve Martin (banjo record!)
Jarvis Cocker
Nick Cave (reissues)
Jeffrey Lewis
Apostle of Hustle
Red Stick Ramblers
The Who (Deluxe Edition reissue)
Scott Biram
Civ (best of)
Datsuns
The Doors (reissue)
Jason Lytle
John Vanderslice
The Field
John Zorn
...and more!

Save Paste Magazine

From PasteMagazine.com:

Paste Needs You!

The global recession has taken its toll on Paste as advertisers have slashed their spending. We are turning to our readers to help bridge the gap. Even a small contribution can make a big difference.

Join 75+ of our favorite artists in the campaign to save Paste and get rare & exclusive tracks as a thank you.

Artists include The Decemberists, Neko Case, She & Him, Cowboy Junkies, Of Montreal, Indigo Girls, Jayhawks, String Cheese Incident, G. Love, Josh Rouse, The Hives, Matthew Sweet, The Avett Brothers, Joe Henry, John Roderick of The Long Winters, Over the Rhine, Bob Mould, Arrested Development, Brandi Carlile, John Doe, Josh Ritter, Marc Broussard and more. We also have a number of goodies (such as signed R.E.M. and Band of Horses posters, an ocean-view cabin on next year's Cayamo cruise, and more) to give to donors in random drawings.

Click here to learn more and to help out our hometown music magazine!

Bruce + fish = awesome

[Above: Click photo to make the fish even bigger.]

Back in Farmland, USA, where our boy Austin comes from, the local newspaper (which serve a handful of towns in the population range of 175-900) is more than happy to publish your photo if you're holding a freakishly large example of nature in said photo. Here at Decatur CD, we like that good-natured, Midwestern sense of pride. Not to mention that good-natured Midwestern sense of inclusion. So when our favorite Cornhusker, Bruce, sent us the above photo of the massive fish he caught on his recent vacation, of course we were going to blog about it. Congratulations, Bruce!

New. Release. Tuesday.

While the Braves prepare to lose another game and White Rabbits play on the stereo, we ponder this week's new releases. There really is something for everybody. Those who are into country/folk legends and/or covers albums, there's Steve Earle's latest, Townes. Dig on punkers-turned-stadium-rockers? Why, Green Day's here for you. Prefer the fuzzed-out psychedelic sounds of Japan? We've got Acid Mothers Temple. Need a little beat to get your feet moving? Crystal Method can help out with that. Prefer rap's grittiest moments? Cam'ron's here to save the day. We could go on (and there's quite a bit to go on about), but it's all below. Have a look and let us know what mood you're in at the moment:

Steve Earle (Townes Van Zandt covers)
Meat Puppets
Green Day
Mark Kozelek (live)
Acid Mothers Temple
Dr. John (early retrospective)
The Church
Wussy
The Dexateens
Cam'ron
Stanley Clarke
Better Than Ezra
Roman Candle
Crystal Method
Jeremy Enigk
Hanne Hukkelberg
..and more!

Decatur CD's Upcoming Show Guide - May

May is off to a rollicking start, whatever that means. Actually, what it means to us is another big, fat list of shows! Good stuff. Have a look below and say hi to Young Eliot if you make it Gentleman Jesse tonight at 529 in East Atlanta. Also, support a great cause tonight at Smith's Olde Bar by attending the final night of 500 Songs for Kids! Also, that's Thomas Function pictured above. Pick up the band's excellent debut, Celebration, here in the store, and don't miss their show below. Also! OK, no, that's it.

W = a Warren recommendation
A = an Austin recommendation
E = a Young Eliot recommendation

TONIGHT - 500 Songs for Kids (final night!) @ Smith's Olde Bar - WAE
TONIGHT - The Dexateens @ The EARL - W
TONIGHT - Gentleman Jesse, Redondo Beat, The Perfect Fits @ 529 - WAE
TONIGHT - Kevin Kinney (Drivin' n' Cryin'), Ryan Franklin @ Eddie's Attic
TONIGHT - Vienna Teng @ Variety Playhouse
TONIGHT - Stephen Lynch @ The Tabernacle
May 10 - Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
May 10 - Asylum Street Spankers @ Eddie's Attic
May 11 - Chain & The Gang (Ian Svenonius), The Hive Dwellers (Calvin Johnson), The Coathangers @ Drunken Unicorn - E
May 13 - MC Chris @ Drunken Unicorn
May 13 - Fischerspooner @ The Loft
May 13 - Alkaline Trio @ Center Stage
May 15 - Predator, The Krunchies (members of Busy Signals), GG King @ 529 - AE
May 15 - Some Girls Vs. Sticky Fingers (ft. Tom Cheshire, Young Antiques and more!) @ Star Bar
May 15 - Sneaker Pimps Art Exhibition (ft. Big Boi, Young MC and many more!) @ The Tabernacle
May 15 - Mastodon, Kylesa @ Center Stage - WA
May 15 - The Wood Brothers @ Variety Playhouse
May 15 - R.I.S.E. (formerly Rising Appalachia) @ The Five Spot - WA
May 15 - Pistolero @ Drunken Unicorn
May 16 - All the Saints, Poison Arrows (Chicago) @ 529
May 16 - B.O.B. @ Apache Cafe - A
May 16 - Caroline Herring @ Eddie's Attic - W
May 16 - Webb Wilder, The Backyardbirds @ Smith's Olde Bar - W
May 16 - The Thermals @ Masquerade - A
May 16 - Smith Westerns, Plexi 3, The Customers, Stolen Hearts @ 205 Holtzclaw - E
May 17 - Coldplay, Pete Yorn @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
May 19 - Robinella, The Little Country Giants @ Eddie's Attic - W
May 20 - Brandi Carlile @ Eddie's Attic
May 21 - Thomas Function, Carnivores, Paper Knives @ 529 - AE
May 21 - KRS-One featuring the ATL All Stars @ The Loft
May 22 - The Danny Barnes Band, The Georgia Fireflies @ Eddie's Attic
May 22 - Paul Thorn @ Variety Playhouse
May 22-23 - Bubbapalooza (ft. Caroline & The Ramblers, Slim Chance & The Convicts, many more) @ Star Bar
May 23 - Mr. Lif @ The EARL
May 23 - Mulgrew Miller @ Variety Playhouse - W
May 23 - Vigilantes of Love, The Corduroy Road, Ken Will Morton @ Eddie's Attic
May 23 - Ponytail, Judi Chicago @ 529 - A
May 23 - Paste Magazine Presents: The Deep Vibration, Roman Candle, The Rosewood Thieves, Ben Chapman @ Drunken Unicorn
May 24 - Warm in the Wake @ The EARL
May 25 - The Juan MacLean, The Field @ The EARL
May 26 - David Stephens & Banjolicious @ Java Monkey - WAE
May 27 - The National @ The Tabernacle - W
May 27 - Dead Confederate (recording a live EP!) @ The EARL
May 27 - Liz Durrett, The Bowmans @ Eddie's Attic
May 28 - Isis, Pelican, Tombs @ The EARL - A
May 28 - The Black Diamond Heavies, Ocha La Rocha, Attractive Eightes Women @ Star Bar - A
May 29 - The Constellations, The Judies @ 529
May 29 - Bonnie 'Prince' Billy @ Variety Playhouse - WA
May 30 - The Coathangers, The Selmanaires @ 529 - A

For those of you brave enough to make a trek down to Florida for a bunch of weird punk bands, Young Eliot heartily recommends World's Gone Wiggly, a punk mini-festival spearheaded by the amazing Florida's Dying label. Also, he says that the Smith Westerns are "very important."

Ticket Alternative's new and notable shows

Each week, our pal Leila at Ticket Alternative sends us an e-mail listing all the brand-new, freshly-announced, hot-off-the-presses Ticket Alternative shows. Starting today, we're going to post this e-mail on the blog for y'all's information. Think of it as a sister post of sorts to our semi-regular monthly show calendar (and yes, we realize May is late, shush!) postings. Fun stuff, right? Here goes:

Handsome Furs July 14 @ Earl - went on sale May 1

Atlanta Jazz Fest - we're selling tickets for three events, two remaining are Jazzy Cocktail Soiree (May 15), AJF Late Night Jazz Jam Featuring Jaspects (May 23)

500 Songs for Kids - Finishes Saturday

Old School Saturday - May 16, always a big seller

Gary Pfaff May 16 @ Smiths - we're doing a giveaway for a house show with Gary for one lucky person who buys a ticket for this show

KRS-One and a bunch of big Atlanta rappers May 21 @ The Loft, just added

Portugal. The Man - June 13 @ Earl

Edwin McCain/Freddy Jones Band - finished the presale earlier this week

Akron/Family - August 13 @ Earl - on sale Friday May 8

2009 Atlanta Air Sex Championship - Lennys on June 9

Corndogorama June 27-28 in East Atlanta Village goes on sale Monday, May 11

Our only remaining Sugar Hill event, Anthony David/Jaguar Wright, May 16, has been canceled, since the venue has now sadly closed.

Evergrey's May 29 show at the Masquerade was canceled, after having already moved the gig from The Local Venue. This was already a show which had been rescheduled from some months back.

Check out Warren's "ultimate mixtape" in Creative Loafing!

Decatur CD's own fearless leader, Warren D. Hudson, was recently feature on Creative Loafing's Crib Notes blog. CL's been publishing "ultimate mixtapes" from various music personalities around the Atlanta area, and sure enough, they asked good old WDH to submit a batch of his favorite songs. We won't ruin the surprise, so click here to see the full list. Oh, and next time you're in, ask Warren what in the world "LLC.com" means. Austin and Eliot have no idea.

New. Release. Tuesday.

Little early this week, but better early than late, right? Today is Saturday, but here's what we'll have Tuesday:

Conor Oberst
St. Vincent
New York Dolls
Ben Harper
Yusuf (formerly Cat Stevens)
Pink Mountaintops
Smithereens (track-by-track covers album of The Who's Tommy!)
Akron/Family
The Vaselines (reissue)
Arve Henriksen
The Kills (reissue)
Mika Miko
Ray Charles (reissue)
Nomo
Company Flow (reissue)
Paul Carrack
Kevin Devine
Patrick Watson
Rolling Stones (reissues)
Fischerspooner
Toni Childs
The Horrors
Peaches
...and more!