Sarah Lee Guthrie/Johnny Irion Ticket Giveaway

Our friends at Ticket Alternative have provided us with some giveaway goodness for Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion's show at The EARL next Thursday, December 8th. Stop by the store to enter, and here's the Guthrie/Irion bio via the venue:

A lot can happen in five years, and for the husband-and-wife duo Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, the time between Exploration, their first album together in 2005, and soon-to-be-released Bright Examples (Ninth Street Opus Records, Feb. 22, 2011), their new, full-length collaborative project, has been one nonstop whirlwind of activity. Not only has the couple toured extensively both as a duo and as part of the “Guthrie Family Rides Again” tour (with Sarah Lee’s dad, Arlo Guthrie), they’ve also released the children’s album Go Waggaloo (Smithsonian Folkways), a live DVD entitled Folk Song, a solo album by Johnny (Ex Tempore), parented their two young daughters and moved from South Carolina to the Berkshires in western Massachusetts.

“Never Far From My Heart,” is a shining example of the close harmony and emerging pop sensibilities Guthrie and Irion embrace. A sunny, mutual love letter, it was written when they were saying goodbye to South Carolina and preparing for their move north.

“Speed of Light” turns up the beat considerably. A stomping, steady 4/4 rhythm frames an addictively melodic pop tune and chiming guitars meet up with soul touches. In an earlier era, back when AM radio was all about the perfect three-minute record, “Speed of Light” would have gone straight to the top.

The inspiration behind the finger-pointing “Target On Your Heart” may be known to author Irion but neither he nor Guthrie are letting on. Says Sarah Lee, “There’s some good drama going on up here in Massachusetts to write about. That one took a while to grow on me. I didn’t like that song at first but Johnny kept wanting to play it. Finally we ended up doing it, and it ended up my favorite song on the record.”

Felice Brothers Ticket Giveaway

Our friends at Ticket Alternative set us up with a few Felice Brothers tickets for Monday night's show at The EARL. Gil Landry from Old Crow Medicine Show is opening up the bill that night, and we know how many of you are nutty for those two acts, so make like tree and get in here to sign up! (That's how that saying goes, right?) All we need is your first name and phone number. And hey, if you make with the quickness (IE: Saturday afternoon, which is the moment this is being written), you might even get a free beer out of the deal. Do it.

Wilco Pre-Order/Ticket Giveaway

From a recent Decatur CD newsletter...

We've got one pair of tickets to give away for the Wednesday, September 28th Wilco show at Cobb Energy Centre. The winner's name will be at will call where they can pick up the tickets the night of the show with a picture ID, walking directly in after getting them. (It's an anti-scalper trick the likes of which Tom Waits used during his last ATL gig.) As you probably know, Wilco drops its new album, Whole Love, the day before, so we figured, what better time than to connect these two events? As such, in order to enter for the tickets, you just need to pre-order the album. You save two bucks and get a chance at some sweet tickets, we get to sell some music from one of our favorite bands in the whole world. Everybody wins!

Speaking of that new album, check out the sweet cover art:

Return to Forever Ticket Giveaway

On September 8th, Return to Forever (Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, Frank Gambale, Jean-Luc Ponty) will play the Fox Theatre with support from Zappa Plays Zappa (Dweezil doing his dad Frank's material). It's a pretty awesome pairing, if we do say so ourselves, a pairing that's carries with it some pretty steep ticket prices ($35-$100). Luckily, we've got a few pairs of tickets to give away. If you'd like a chance at them, stop by the store and drop your first name and phone number into our giveaway box. We'll pull winners in late August.

We're giving away concert tickets...

...but we'll let the picture do the talking. Stop by, find that box and enter to win!

Win two tickets to the Georgia Mountain Fair!

There's a reason we do this every year, folks. The Georgia Mountain Fair is an excellent, one-of-a-kind event that comes to Hiawassee each summer. From the newsletter:

It's getting to be that time of the summer. The time where maybe you've seen one or two (thousand) too many mosquitoes. The time where that one annoying guy at work, you know the one, who keeps clearing his throat a little too loudly a couple cubicles over, has finally pushed you over the edge. The time to...get away? Turns out, we've got just the thing: two tickets to the Americana Roots and Music Day at the Georgia Mountain Fair on July 23 in Hiawassee. This year's all day (10am-11pm) music event will feature Nelson Thomas, Larkin Poe, The Waybacks, 18 South, Irons in the Fire and The Claire Lynch Band. Stop by the store and drop your name in the giveaway box up front by the cash register for your chance to win!

Ticket Alternative Giveways

As you no doubt know by now, we are a proud Ticket Alternative vendor, selling tickets to many of Atlanta's finest music venues with far less surcharges than that other, giant service that rhymes with Clicketsasster. Well, our TA friends gave us a pair of giveaway tickets for a TON of shows in honor of Record Store Day. Then RSD came in like a lion, sparing no one with its stampede-inducing claws (wha?), and we didn't get a chance to properly promote all the free shows we have up for grabs. Check out the list below and stop by to enter. Lots of great stuff!

Thursday, April 28: Silverstein/Bayside @ Center Stage
Monday, May 2: CSS/Sleigh Bells @ Center Stage
Wednesday, May 4: Daylights @ Drunken Unicorn
Sunday, May 8: Phosphorescent @ The EARL
Monday, May 9: Wintersleep @ The EARL
Thursday, May 12: Legendary JC's @ The EARL
Friday, May 13: The Kicks @ Smith's Olde Bar
Saturday, May 14: Please PleaseRockMe @ Smith's Olde Bar
Sunday, May 15: A Thousand Horses @ Smith's Olde Bar
Friday, May 20: Mogwai @ Center Stage
Saturday, May 21: Hackensaw Boys @ Smith's Olde Bar
Saturday, May 28: Packway Handle Band @ Smith's Olde Bar
Sunday, May 29: Brian Olive @ Smith's Olde Bar

Free Tickets: Langhorne Slim and Brett Dennen

The former, pictured above, is performing this evening at The EARL with Dawes and Austin Lucas. The latter, pictured below, is performing at the Tabernacle this evening with Grace Potter. If you would like tickets to either, stop by the store and ask for them!

Ticket Giveaway Update

Just a quick update for y'all. Subtracted a couple shows that have passed and added a couple shows that are coming up. Stop by and drop your name and phone number in the giveaway box!

Nov. 13: Charlie Louvin, Dexter Romweber and Anna Kramer @ The EARL
Nov. 14: Brett Dennen @ The Tabernacle
Nov. 14: Langhorne Slim @ The EARL
Nov. 17: Dan Auerbach, Justin Townes Earle and Jessica Lea Mayfield @ Variety Playhouse
Nov. 17: Train @ The Tabernacle
Nov. 18: Lyle Lovett @ The Tabernacle
Nov. 19: Heavy Trash @ The EARL
Nov. 21: Mountain Goats and Final Fantasy @ Variety Playhouse
Nov. 24: Nigels With Attitude (XTC Tribute) @ The EARL
Nov. 26: Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs @ The EARL
Dec. 10: Crystal Antlers @ The EARL
Dec. 16: The Dutchess & The Duke @ The EARL

Free Tickets to Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs at Eddie's Attic on Friday

As many of you are no doubt aware, Matthew Sweet (he of Matthew Sweet fame) and Susanna Hoffs (she of The Bangles fame) have collaborated on a couple of charming covers albums in recent years, albums that have garnered positive reviews and positive sales (at least around these parts). Well, Sweet & Hoffs (or Sid & Susie, as they're calling themselves) are bringing their show to Eddie's Attic this very Friday night. There are a pair of shows (7pm and 9:30pm) and we've got two pairs of guest list spots that can be applied to either. How do you win? Stop by or call or e-mail or tweet at us. First come, first serve. Good luck!

Ticket Giveaways!

Concert tickets! We're giving them away! You want them! Let's combine forces! If you'd like the Low Anthem/Blind Pilot tickets, give us a call tonight. For the others, you'll have to stop by the store and drop your name in the box. Good luck, y'all:

Nov. 4: The Low Anthem and Blind Pilot @ The EARL
Nov. 6: The Jesus Lizard @ Variety Playhouse
Nov. 11: Monsters of Folk @ The Tabernacle
Nov. 13: Charlie Louvin, Dexter Romweber and Anna Kramer @ The EARL
Nov. 14: Langhorne Slim @ The EARL
Nov. 17: Dan Auerbach, Justin Townes Earle and Jessica Lea Mayfield @ Variety Playhouse
Nov. 19: Heavy Trash @ The EARL
Nov. 21: Mountain Goats and Final Fantasy @ Variety Playhouse
Nov. 24: Nigels With Attitude (XTC Tribute) @ The EARL
Nov. 26: Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs @ The EARL
Dec. 10: Crystal Anterls @ The EARL
Dec. 16: The Dutchess & The Duke @ The EARL

Meat Puppets Ticket Giveaway

Hey, remember when the Meat Puppets paid us a visit back in June? That sure was fun. Well, the Pups are coming back to town and we've got some tickets to give away. They'll play the Maquerade on Friday, Oct. 23, Dead Confederate is opening the show, and we have two pairs of tickets up for grabs. You know the drill... Stop by the store and drop your first name and phone number into the giveaway box near the cash register. Good luck!

Two Free Passes to Karma Lingo!

You read that headline right, folks. We've got two passes (that each admit two people) for Karma Lingo's upcoming show this very Saturday, Oct. 10th, at the Academy Theater in Avondale Estates. A little about the band: "Active in the Atlanta music scene since 1995, Karma Lingo appears today as a streamlined quintet featuring the talents of Matthew Trautwein, Kristina Baade, Angela Porter, Geoffrey Brown and Will Daniel. Purveyors of what they call the New Classic Rock, Karma Lingo presents a live show balancing original songs with carefully chosen covers, from Led Zeppelin to The Beatles to Tori Amos to Jeff Buckley to Prince to the Pretenders, the Eagles, Black Sabbath, Kiss and more!" Sound like your kind of thing? Check out the band's MySpace page and stop by the store to get one of these free passes before they're gone!

Free tickets: Mos Def and Bonnie Ratt/Taj Mahal

Couple new ticket giveaways bounded into our inbox recently. First, and the most immediate, is that guy above, Mos Def, who'll play the Tabernacle a week from Friday. Then, just a few days later, Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal will play Chastain. We've got tickets to give away for both shows, but just in case you forgot what else we've got up for grabs, here's the full list:

August 14th - Mos Def @ The Tabernacle
August 18th - Bonnie Ratt, Taj Mahal @ Chastain
September 1st - Depeche Mode @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
September 11th - Creed @ Lakewood Amphitheatre

You know the drill. If one of those shows sounds tantalizing, stop by the store and drop your first name/phone number into the giveaway box by the cash register. That's it. Good luck!

Concert ticket giveaways left and right

[Above: Not these tickets.]

We gave away several pairs of tickets and one meet-and-greet opportunity to tonight's War/Average White Band show at Chastain, and it got us thinking that we should probably remind y'all what other shows we've got on tap. Have a look, and if you're interested in any, stop by the store to drop your first name/phone number in the giveaway box by the cash register:

Neko Case @ Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center on July 26th
Tori Amos @ Chastain on July 27th
Dream Theater and Zappa Plays Zappa @ The Tabernacle on July 28th
Paolo Nutini @ Variety Playhouse on July 28th (winner will meet Paolo Nutini)
Depeche Mode @ Lakewood Amphitheatre on Sept. 1st
Creed @ Lakewood Amphitheatre on Sept 11th

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.

Alejandro Escovedo and JD Souther tickets

If you're subscribed to our newsletter (And if you're not, what's your excuse?!? Get at it on the right side of of this page!), you already know this. But in the interest of thorough blogeration, here's the short of it: JD Souther is playing Eddie's Attic on Feb. 15. We've got tickets and an autographed LP to give away for the show. Alejandro Escovedo is playing Eddie's Attic on April 14 and 15, and we've got tickets to sell. Read the long of it, straight from the newsletter, below.

And yes, that's Jimmy Carter above, kicking it with Alejandro at the Democratic National Convention.

Autographed LP/ticket giveaway:
JD Souther, who, according to his bio, "decided not to be a member of The Eagles, but wrote several of their biggest hits" (as well as Brian Wilson, Brooks & Dunn, Jimmy Buffett, Bonnie Raitt, the Dixies Chicks and many others) will play Eddie's Attic on Feb. 15 with April Smith. Tickets are $25 a piece, but we have some to giveaway. Stop by the store and drop your name and phone number off for a chance to win the grand prize, which includes a pair of tickets to the show and an autographed, vinyl copy of his new album, If the World was You. Runner-up winners will receive one of five additional tickets we're giving away to the show. Don't delay, though. That show, again, is this Sunday, Feb. 15.

Alejandro Escovedo at Eddie's Attic - April 14 & 15:
Speaking of Eddie's, Decatur CD hero Alejandro Escovedo will play a two-night stand there right as all the slackers are furiously shoving their tax returns into the already too-full post office. We have five pairs of tickets to sell for both nights, and they're $22.50 a pop. If you know Alejandro, you know these tickets will NOT last long. Warren attended his last performance at Eddie's (which also sold out in no time) and he describes it as "massively good." Get these tickets while you can, folks.

An announcement.

Get your Scion Rock Fest tickets at Decatur CD!

[Above: Click to enlarge the awesome!]

UPDATE (1/15): For all the out of town folks leaving comments on this post (and e-mailing us and calling us and sending us messages via carrier pigeon), hold up! We don't have tickets yet. But when we do, we'll make another blog post. At that time we'll start working out how you can pick up your tickets from the store when you get to Atlanta. Thanks!

--

Well, not quite yet, but soon. Many of you have probably heard this news floating around here or there, but we finally have details. The festival is happening on Saturday, Feb. 28th from noon to midnight at Masquerade Music Park. Tickets are absolutely free and you can get them here. We're told we'll have them sometime next week, and when we do there will be another blog post as well as an e-mail. Additionally, in a few weeks we'll have some limited edition silk-screened posters for giveaway to anyone who buys an album from one of the festival's artists. What artists are included? Glad that you asked. Look at the fantastic line-up below. It's a veritable who's who of modern-day metal:

Mastodon
Neurosis
High on Fire
Boris
1349
Cryptopsy
Torche
Nachtmystium
Wolves in the Throne Room
Baroness
Harvey Milk
Kylesa
Zoroaster
Withered
Krallice
Toxic Holocaust
Skeletonwitch
Rwake
A Storm of Light
Warbringer
Salome
Suidakra
Tyr
Alestorm
...and more!

That's right, "more." We've heard a rumor the actual line-up will include closer to 40 bands (24 are listed above), so look forward to some more announcements in the coming weeks. And in the meantime, get excited! This is going to be one crazy day of heavy music.

Bloc Party, John Butler Trio, Todd Rundgren, etc.

Hear ye, hear ye, our hallowed art director just spent all her energy designing a fancy giveaway box for a bunch of tickets we have for you from our friends at The Roxy (incidentally, that's where each of the gigs are located). Check out this big, nasty list o' shows, wouldya? We have two pairs of tickets to giveaway to each:

April 25th - Kenny Wayne Shepherd
April 28th - Stephen Stills
May 3rd - Todd Rundgren
May 4th - John Butler Trio
May 5th - Zach Galifianakis
May 31st - Bloc Party w/ The Noisettes

Stop by soon and get your first name, phone number and preferred show in the box. We'll give you a call if you're one of the lucky winners.