Hello, Goodbye Goats

The Goodbye Goats' rock opera at The Union on Saturday proved to be a raunchy, seductive, baby-killing treat, full of face paint, props and the grossest stage show of music bestowed upon the stage of an uptown bar.

Celebrating the 10th year anniversary of the Court street tattoo shop Decorative Injections, Goodbye Goats' lead singer and Decorative Injections owner Jimmy Kisor went all out.

No, seriously, it was a hot mess (and we mean that in the best way possible). But don't be too upset if you missed out -- this is only the third of four rock-operas that The Union.

Scubadog came, Manor Animals rocked, She Bears roared...

So you saw those posters around Athens that said "Scubadog is coming" in BIG BOLD LETTERS, right? I couldn't stop laughing every single time I passed one. (Sidenote: my roommate stole one and is threatening to hang it up in our apartment. I would never get any work done again.)

It seems Scubadog came and conquered last night (October 15) at Casa! Of course I missed it, because I can't show up to anything less than 45 minutes late. I spent the rest of the night kicking myself, but alas, the rest of the tunes were enjoyable enough for me to soon forget.

It was She Bears' CD release show last night, and everyone I've ever met came out to celebrate. Did I mention it was a free show? It was, which I think was actually a really smart move for She Bears AND Casa (the bar was BUMPING -- I waited 15 minutes to get a damn amaretto sour, which I promptly sucked down in about 4.2 minutes. Argh). It made me a little sad, though, to think that the reason last night's show was the most crowded local show I've been to in the last couple months was because it was free. I mean, I get it -- most of us are "poor college students" who don't want to spend money to listen to some band we've never heard of. But I can't gush over the local scene in Athens enough. Really.

ANYWAY, it was great to bop around and talk to a bunch of folks (my throat was actually sore from talking so much last night), but of course, the music is the important part! I arrived in time to see most of the set from new band Manor Animals, comprised of the savory fellows who live in Bruce Manor this year. A girl I knew said something along the lines of: "Oh, this band is Russenorsk but some other name and some other dudes in it, too." I laughed. But, honestly, the sound is different; Manor Animals had me dancing my tush off with an upbeat and poppy/spazzy brand of indie rock. I just think people see Tim Race singing and playing guitar and Zach Inscho on the drums and get confused. No need.

She Bears were, of course, the main draw last night. The show marked the release of the band's first full-length, I Found Myself Asleep. As the band played through the album, I surely did not find myself asleep. Instead I found myself dancing, swaying, and overall, just enjoying the band's anthemic sound. It was a good night for local music, and I'll just leave it at that. -- Jillian Mapes, ACRN Editorial Director

Thursday nights at The Union

It was a Thursday night in the midst of midterms. As I went to see the highly-anticipated Box Elders show at The Union, I realized the members of the crowd were going to be few and far between, many people busy tending to their school-related responsibilities. C'est la vie, I was determined to party hard.

The show opened with in Silent Movies, a newly-formed band led by Josh Landis, a well- known, Athens-bred singer/songwriter. Their soft, folky sound in songs like “Japanese Beetle” was perfect for opening the night.

Seascapes, another a new band made up of former members of Russenorsk and Spooktober were next. They kept the good feeling going with their catchy hooks and early-punk sounding rifts.

Soon after, Box Elders was up -- finally! I had no idea what to expect when the three –piece, mismatched band from Nebraska took the stage, but within minutes of starting their set everyone in the crowd was dancing. Box Elders pumped out an upbeat, get-your-feet-moving sound that made even the sleepy doorman perk up. Whether it was alcohol-induced craziness or kids just trying to shake off the cold weather blues, Box Elders was the perfect excuse to let loose.

I watched as everyone laughed and danced and it appeared the guys from Box Elders were enjoying themselves as well. Danny Goldberg, the drummer and organ player, was mind blowing as he switched from one instrument to the other, sometimes playing them simultaneously. He stood up while playing -- an obviously off-kilter sight for a drummer -- and hit his maraca against his cymbal before throwing it into the crowd, just missing an innocent bystander.

Clayton McIntyre, the bassist, flung his long locks while singing their garage-rock, perfectly chaotic songs with his brother Jeremiah.

The night ended with The Red Army, who changed the vibe from pop beats to politics. As the bars on Court St. began to empty out, the boys of The Red Army continued to play well into the night as the crowd sang along to songs such as “Hey” and “Washington” off their album Tomorrow’s Unforgiving Sun. Former tour mates of Jay Reatard and currently pursuing a world tour of their own, I was not surprised that Box Elders had an awesome show. In fact, it was better than I even imagined and just what all these stuffy-nosed, summer-nostalgic students needed.

-Erica Euse, ACRN Contributor

Photo credit: The Red Army's MySpace page