Saving them from immediate closure was one step, but keeping them alive is another task. It’s rumored that SCR has saved the best benefit concert for last, and that this weekend’s “Real Criminal Records Benefit” is the final survival effort show.

The Cottage in East Atlanta is hosting Saturday’s “Real Criminal Records Benefit” that’s presenting one of the best lineups of Atlanta-area bands this year. The show is presented by The Cottage, Goldsoundz on WREK, Wholly Roller, Little Advances, Industrial Strength Promotions, Earth Shaking Music, and Casey Yarbrough and Order of the Owl.

The benefit’s lineup features some Atlanta favorites: A Smart, Mediocre Machine, Nomen Novum, Places, New Animal, Small Reactions and Christ-Lord. While Qurious was on the original bill, they’ve bowed out and it’s fitting that Wowser Bowser fills their slot before opening up for Athens pop-outfit, Reptar. You may recognize Reptar from their recent tours with Foster the People and Phantogram.

Here is the full lineup:

6:30PM - A Smart
7:15PM - Mediocre Machine
7:45PM – Nomen Novum
8:15PM - Places
8:45PM - New Animal
9:30PM - Small Reactions
10:15PM - Christ, Lord
11:00PM - Wowser Bowser
11:45PM - Reptar

For those unfamiliar with The Cottage, I’ll provide a little more insight on one of Atlanta’s budding concert venues. The Cottage is a vintage house located about a mile away from East Atlanta Village. It serves to record bands and put on lively house shows. There will be two stages this Saturday evening. Between bands, we recommend checking out the excellent patio space, as well as a rope swing and view of East Atlanta Stone Quarry.

The show is just $5 with all proceeds going to Criminal Records. There will be cheap drinks and catered food. It’ll be a wonderful Saturday evening to spend with some of Atlanta’s best.

The Raconteurs, with only a hand-full of shows of their calendar for 2011, played a sold-out crowed at The Tabernacle this past Sunday night. The supergroup featuring Jack White (The White Stripes), Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence, and Patrick Keeler (the latter two of The Greenhornes) brought their two albums of material to The Tabernacle with no new material in sight.

That’s not so bad as the crowd seemed to know every word to each song and sang along as they kicked off with the title track from Consolers Of The Lonely before progressing into deeper tracks from Broken Boy Soldiers. Certainly folks may have wondered if Jack White would take a backseat (much like he does with The Dead Weather) to Benson and company, but White was in full rockstar-mode Sunday evening. Brendan Benson also brought along his friend and labelmate, Young Hines, to open up the evening.

Photo by Phil Dokas

Mangum will be playing one solo show in Atlanta at Variety Playhouse on February 1 and two solo shows at Athens’ 40 Watt Club on February 10 and 11. Tickets for these shows go on sale today, Friday, November 11, at noon. Expect to spend over $30 a ticket. There is a 4 ticket limit per show.

Pick up your tickets here:

Wednesday, February 1 at Variety Playhouse

Friday, February 10 and Saturday, February 11 at the 40 Watt

They’ll be hitting Atlanta in a couple of weeks and Drive A Faster Car has a pair of tickets to give away. Jump below the flyer for details on how to win.

Holy Ghost!
Monday, November 21
Masquerade – Hell
Doors 8PM | $12 | All Ages

To win a pair of tickets to see Holy Ghost! at the Masquerade on Monday, November 21, comment on Drive A Faster Car’s Facebook Page with why you should win the tickets.

One winner will be chosen at random from the rule abiding contestants and notified via Facebook message by November 18. Upon confirmation, the winner will be awarded two tickets which they will receive at Will Call.

There will be a variety of activities throughout the evening which you can join either independently or via caravan/carpool from MOCA.

5:30 p.m. – Leave MOCA GA. (Be on time; they aren’t waiting.)
6:00 p.m. – Meet at the sign in the Goat Farm parking lot.
6:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. – Tour begins at the Rodriguez Room and continues through the artist open studios.
7:15 p.m. – Blacksmithing demo by Corrina Sephora Mensoff.
7:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Shop in the Artist Market and revisit artist studios.
8:00 p.m. – Leave for MOCA GA. Independent travelers may stay as long as they wish. There are lots of places to eat on the Westside.

The tour will be guided by Corrina Sephora Mensoff, a Goat Farm studio resident. MOCA instructs to meet at the sign in the parking area which says you can’t park beyond this sign if you’d like to join and to dress for the weather with shoes appropriate for gravel trekking.

ArtMERGE will feature: 

• Rodriguez Room - The current exhibition in this gallery is Flowing as Water, a collaborative piece featuring the work of Corrina Sephora Mensoff (sculptural installation and paintings), Matt Gilbert (animations); and Ana Balka (sound).
• Goodson Yard - Tindel Michi/Amandine Drouet installation exhibition entitled “The Second Coming” is in the building and sculptures by Corrina Sephora Mensoff in the adjacent courtyard.
• Café/ Library - Beer, wine, water and soda available - Cash Bar
• Open Studios - Among the artists opening their studios are the following: David Baerwalde, Jane Garver (sculptor), Mark Hopper (metalwork), Tian Justman (fashion design), Ingrid Magnuson, Corrina Sephora Mensoff (metalwork), Dee Naalam (photography and mixed media), John Paul, and Vanessa Vadim (collages and recycled materials.) Also participating will be The Creatives Project “Artists in Studio” as follows:  Justin Rabideau & Nikki Starz (sculpture); Hannah Perner Wilson & Ashley Schick (printmaking and fabric arts); and Brandon Sadler and Marcy Starz (painting).
• Artist Market - Among the participating artists are Robin Canedy, Chelsea Darling, Emily Fisher, Robert Harrison, Tian Justman, Corrina Sephora Mensoff, Dee Naalam, and Vanessa Vadim, and Hannah Perner Wilson.
• Artist Performances will be presented by Neda Abghari, Chelsea Darling (fire performance), Robert Harrison (fire sculptures), Mark Hopper (mini-bronze pour); Corrina Sephora Mensoff (blacksmithing demonstration at 7:15pm) + the Glo Atlanta dancers will be doing a roving dance performance.

The War On Drugs are heading South to Atlanta for a show at The Earl on Thursday, October 13th in support of this new album, with openers Purling Hiss and Carter Tanton.

Their bio impressively manages to omit any “rootsy” description sans the mention of their Springsteen, Petty and Dylan influences. To their credit, TWOD does bring rootsy well to an indie crowd by interlacing synths and organs, layering the instrumentals on thickly, unlike their influences’ stripped down no-fuss guitar-driven anthems.

I’m not entirely sure why they didn’t chose to leverage the score of local crafty badasses to help curate and would have been more impressed if they tried to rally with the likes of Atlanta’s Indie Craft Experience. Regardless, it should be a fun event and they’re bringing drinks, snacks and tunes!

RSVP to attend on their Facebook event.

Here is the first video from The Wooden Birds’ new album Two Matchsticks.

In support of their shiny new album, this Austin-based group is hitting the road showcasing new album tracks along with favorites from their great debut, Magnolia, as well as a few favorites from frontman Andrew Kenny’s former band American Analog Set.

Catch the The Wooden Birds live at The Earl on July 17. Doors are at 8pm, with openers Lily and the Tigers and Takenobu. Tickets are on sale now.

One of my long-time favorite events, Castleberry Hill’s monthly neighborhood art stroll, is coming up once again on Friday, July 8!

To sweeten the incentive to head downtown, Castleberry Point Lofts will be hosting a food truck lot in conjunction with the event this month, sponsored by Kwanza Hall, highlighting great art across Castleberry’s many galleries complemented by wine tastings and nomtastic (that’s right) food trucks from 7 to 10 p.m. on Nelson Street in front of Castleberry Point Lofts.

Featured participants include King of Pops, Tex’s Tacos, The Pup Truck, Westside Creamery, wine tasting at The Wine Shoe, Denise Jackson’s Emerging Art Scene Gallery, and ZuCot Gallery’s monthly exhibits.

Park for free in Castleberry Point’s covered lot or take Marta to Garnett Street if you expect to partake to unknown bounds in the wine tastings.

Crown Royal recently released its premium whiskey in a limited edition black bag designed by Big Boi as part of its The Crown Life campaign. To celebrate the release, they threw an invite-only party at Atlanta’s Door 44, where Big Boi was on hand for interviews and an impromptu live performance with local hip-hoppers Pill, Killer Mike and others.

Here’s what Big Boi had to say about his Crown Royal collaboration.

First of all, thanks for all the food and drinks.

Anytime, man. You know, I try to be hospitable.

You’ve been very good about giving back to the local community, from your collaboration with the Atlanta Ballet a few years ago to the multimedia street festival you did last Winter with gloATL. How would you say this Crown Royal Black project is giving back to the community?

Basically, it’s a great branding opportunity. What I dig most about it is the creative input I had on designing the bag. The bag’s been the same for over a century, so for them to let me come in and promote something and help market something in a way that I can have my hands on it, not just drinking it, but by giving it a new look, that was a fun challenge to me.

I give back to the community my own way, through my Big Kidz Foundation and things like that. It ain’t like the liquor’s going hand-in-hand with the Foundation, it’s just part of what I do.

You also did a video to promote the Crown Royal Black project. What’s the video about?

I shot a little ten minute documentary about my life and it just really kind of documented a couple of days of me going around, performing in L.A., then we came back to Atlanta and followed me throughout the day. We’re just giving people a personal insight into me and my life. The Crown Life experience is about those crowning moments in life, those special moments you just want to remember. You might want to kick back and celebrate your kid’s graduation or you might have gotten a promotion at your job, or anything, you know what I’m saying? Those special moments in life that you want to celebrate. It might be the last day of school for you, if you’re a college student or whatever. The whole thing is it’s those moments that are special to you.

When it comes to actually drinking Crown Royal Black, how do you prefer it? What do you like to mix it with?

Apple juice. I call it the “Kinfolk” because it takes the edge off a little bit. It makes it a little smoother and the ladies like it.

And that’s always important.

Fo sho.

What do you garnish the Kinfolk with?

I might put a little piece of pineapple in there, or some tangerine. Just a little something something. Not too much. It don’t need much, you know what I’m saying?

Do you plan on working with Crown Royal on any additional projects in the future?

There’s some talks going on in the back rooms, you know what I’m saying? The launch has been going really good so far. We just did Orlando. We had an event in Houston that went really nice. Then we had Chicago, Detroit and another upcoming event in Atlanta. So we’re moving right along, bringing awareness to let everybody know this is out there, it’s The Crown Life and it’s summertime, so just sit back and relax.

Crown Royal Black is not a limited edition item, but the bag you designed is. How long will it be available with the limited edition bag?

Good question. I’m not really sure. For a minute. It depends on how many they’re selling. But it’s already in stores. It came out last week, I believe.