Although it has been a little while since we came back from Atlanta, a trip review still seems fitting.
Mainly because it was a wicked trip and there are some recommendations to be made based on our travels.
We flew to Philly on the 7th of May and grabbed our rental car. A Ford Focus or something equally as shitty. Four wheels, windows, roof, steering wheel. Bog standard and just right for what we needed.
A night in NJ with the fam was a must. We'd hit the road the next morning at the crack of dawn.
Needless to say, we did not hit the road at the crack of dawn. Nor the morning. It was afternoon when we mustarded the strength to pry ourselves from the air mattress and pile into our chariot.
We had a 14 hour drive ahead of us and we were originally hoping to arrive before night fall.
Stupid idea.
Mainly because everyone knows that when you hit the road in America, there are too many rest stops, natural wonders and awesome oddities to stop at along the way.
Our first major stop was at the Natural Land Bridge in Virginia. We needed a stretch of the legs and who in their right mind can resist a natural bridge?!
Exactly.
We entered the gift shop to buy tickets to enter. 18 bucks a person!!! Pretty damn expensive if you ask me, but lucky for us, I grabbed a buy one get one free coupon from a rest stop 100 miles earlier. Forward thinking when you have to pee is difficult but well worth the energy. Truth.
You exit the gift shop out the back, down 90 or so steps and BAM... there it is.
Colossal. Staggering. Still.
Who knows how old it is but legend has it, George Washington surveyed the bridge in 1750 and Thomas Jefferson bought the land it's on in 1774.
The stream that runs under it is home to humping frogs and water snakes. Fact. We saw em.
Other native inhabitants included panting visitors and Jack Russell terriers, desperate to escape the scorching sun.
Back in the car, we had only one more stop that had to be made.
When passing through the South, Carolina BBQ is an absolute must!
A super small, family style diner equipped with model train set looping the ceiling and traditional white and red checkered table cloth, sweet talking, deep accented staff and mountains of food that would make a fat man weep with joy... this place nailed it.
Fried everything, tender meats, sweet sauces... you name it. Got it. Ate it. Done. Good. Stuffed.
Back on the road, we completed the 16 hour journey by crashing hard in our hotel room.
In typical travel fashion, we were up with the sun the next morning. Not on purpose of course. It's just something that happens.
Instead of staying in bed, we decided to make the most of the day.
We jumped up and headed down to collect our wristbands for the first day of the festival.
Easy. Staff were super helpful and we were ready for the first bands to play.
BUT... the first bands weren't set to play for another 3 or so hours.
That left us enough time to go eat. And eat we did.
We set out to find a highly recommended place but got lost because our GPS was an absolute piece of shit. We must have passed the place 3 times before giving up and settling for the next place we saw.
Lucky for us, the next place we saw was one of the best spots in Atlanta.
The Flying Biscuit.
A must! Grits to die for and portions that a grizzly would be pleased with.
We gorged ourselves yet again. I could almost feel my body expanding by the end of the meal.
Stuffed and satisfied, we headed back for the start of the festival.
The first band we saw was BLOOD RED SHOES. Ehhh. Rated em 1.5 out of 5.
Screamy duo with not much excitement.
Next was WILD BELLE who took us by surprise. Had never heard them before this but was really into their set. They were a sorta Jamaica meets Wild West. Rated em 3 out of 5.
Then we saw WHITE DENIM. Really really disappointed with their set. Really enjoyed their records but wasn't feeling it live. Rated em 1.5 out of 5.
Then we saw split sets from BAND OF SKULLS - ehhh. Not bad but nothing that special. Guitar player/lead singer killed it on guitar but that was about it (2 out of 5), and CHARLES BRADLEY & HIS EXTRAORDINAIRES- who absolutely KILLED IT. One of the best acts of the entire festival. 5 out of 5.
MAN MAN was up next. And sadly, they pretty much sucked. Their new record is brilliant and it had been a couple years since I saw the band I used to live right near. Ryan (aka Honus) is a bloated version of himself who sounds shit live and tries to make up for it by parading around in costumes and silly masks. Shame. Used to really love seeing them. Rated em a 2 out of 5.
As they finished their set, the rain started coming down. Slow and steady at first.
As we laughed at a few songs from DROPKICK MURPHY'S, the sky opened up and it PISSED down. We were soaked through and through.
We ran from the rain and took a break in the parking garage before heading back out to catch CAGE THE ELEPHANT. Totally thought this band was something different than what they were. Not for me. No thanks.
Saying fuck the rain, we missed SPOON and made it back just in time for THE NATIONAL.
Now this is a complicated one.
I saw The National many years ago as the opening act of Arcade Fire at Radio City Music Hall and they SUCKED. Sucked bad. Found them boring and pompous.
Fast forward a few years and their new record comes out. I instantly fall in love with it. Brilliant record. So in my mind, I am thinking, 'Hey. Maybe they are better now than before.'
Sadly, they are not. The singer paces the stage dressed like an 8th grade history teacher and nervously stares at his bandmates before straddling back to the mic which he holds and sings with nearly no emotion.
We stayed for 5 or 6 songs before saying 'Fuck the rain' again and heading back to the hotel.
Day one was in the books.
The next morning, we headed back out to find our original breakfast spot.
This time, we found it with no problem and by God it was so worth it.
In a new, up and coming neighborhood, Emory Point, The General Muir is a perfect place.
Perfect atmosphere, design, staff and most of all, food.
Pecan crusted french toast?! Oh hell to the yes.
Killer.
Go there. And then go again. And again.
You will not be disappointed.
Stuffed and satisfied, we headed back to the festival.
This was to be a great day of bands.
First up was TOKYO POLICE CLUB. Disappointing. Although they sounded just like their records and I love their early records... didn't do anything for me. Bummer. 2 out of 5.
Then was LORD HURON. We were probably most excited about seeing them. Totally addicted to their records, this was supposed to be the highlight. Sadly, it wasn't. The sound system was all screwed up and even screaming at the top of his lungs, the vocals were barely audible. Lord Huron is definitely a small club band. See em in a smokey bar with spurs on. Don't see them at a giant outdoor festival. 3 out of 5.
Then, the always fun PORTUGAL. THE MAN. Obviously I am partial to these guys and will always say they were great. So I'll just say it... they were great. The crowd was crazy diverse and the songs sounded solid. Even with some massive fuck ups in some of the songs, they killed it even when covering 'Day Man' from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and 'The Wall' by Pink Floyd. As usual. 4 out of 5.
After they finished, the rain started coming down and we saw a song from CONOR OBERST but wasn't in the mood for whiny bitch music so we bounced with the intention to come back and see THE REPLACEMENTS and MODEST MOUSE to close the night but instead we went to The Waffle House, pigged out and fell asleep in our hotel room.
Day 2 in the books.
The final day was set to be a good line up but on the eve of my 31st birthday, I was looking for more adventure than standing in the rain all day to watch IRON & WINE, LOCAL NATIVES, VIOLENT FEMMES and ALABAMA SHAKES.
After a conversation with John from PTM, Lauren and I decided to say 'Screw it. Let's drive the 3 hours to Asheville, NC to see PTM play at the world famous Orange Peel.
We bought tickets and jumped back in the car.
On the way up, we stopped at a place that simply advertised "Goats on the Roof" (which is exactly what it delivered... for some reason), a 'Trading Post' where I uncovered a treasure trove of Vietnam war snap shots, and Tallulah Falls where The Great Wallenda tight rope walked the gorge in 1970. Nutter.
We arrived a few hours before the show and stopped at a local bar to sample the vast collection of ales on tap. Apparently Asheville is a front running beer tourism town. Explains all the homeless drunk youth, I suppose.
An interesting town that is worth more than a few hours of exploring.
We got to the club and lined up to enter. Rejecting Lauren's foreign driver's license, the bouncer put 2 giant, black marker, straight edge style X's on her hands. He said that unless she could produce her passport, she couldn't drink inside. Lame.
We met up with the band and went backstage to hang before their set.
Drinking beers and shooting shit, we were having a good ol time.
Then, the bouncer that put the X's on Lauren's hands appeared and yelled "This is a problem!" He called over another security guard and yelled out again "THIS is a problem! This girl is not 21 and she's drinking!"
Embarrassed and turning red, Lauren assured them she was of age. They weren't having it.
They made me leave the club, go back to the car, get the passport and bring it back. When I got back, the band was already on stage playing and the X's on her hands were gone.
The balance of the world had been restored.
PTM killed it and we had a great time.
Just before the clock ticked out on my 30th year, we were back in the car speeding through the night to get back to Atlanta.
3 hours later and nearly asleep at the wheel several times, we arrived back in Atlanta to catch a few hours of sleep before hitting the airport.
Back to Philly underslept, overfed and partied out... I was 31.
Not a bad way to start a new chapter in my life.
All in all, I highly recommend Atlanta if for nothing else, the food.
Shaky Knees is cool but probably for people who don't mind rain, shitty sound systems and hours upon hours of standing on concrete.
My festival days seem to be over.
But my love of live music shall forever live on.
Mainly because it was a wicked trip and there are some recommendations to be made based on our travels.
We flew to Philly on the 7th of May and grabbed our rental car. A Ford Focus or something equally as shitty. Four wheels, windows, roof, steering wheel. Bog standard and just right for what we needed.
A night in NJ with the fam was a must. We'd hit the road the next morning at the crack of dawn.
Needless to say, we did not hit the road at the crack of dawn. Nor the morning. It was afternoon when we mustarded the strength to pry ourselves from the air mattress and pile into our chariot.
We had a 14 hour drive ahead of us and we were originally hoping to arrive before night fall.
Stupid idea.
Mainly because everyone knows that when you hit the road in America, there are too many rest stops, natural wonders and awesome oddities to stop at along the way.
Our first major stop was at the Natural Land Bridge in Virginia. We needed a stretch of the legs and who in their right mind can resist a natural bridge?!
Exactly.
We entered the gift shop to buy tickets to enter. 18 bucks a person!!! Pretty damn expensive if you ask me, but lucky for us, I grabbed a buy one get one free coupon from a rest stop 100 miles earlier. Forward thinking when you have to pee is difficult but well worth the energy. Truth.
You exit the gift shop out the back, down 90 or so steps and BAM... there it is.
Colossal. Staggering. Still.
Who knows how old it is but legend has it, George Washington surveyed the bridge in 1750 and Thomas Jefferson bought the land it's on in 1774.
The stream that runs under it is home to humping frogs and water snakes. Fact. We saw em.
Other native inhabitants included panting visitors and Jack Russell terriers, desperate to escape the scorching sun.
Back in the car, we had only one more stop that had to be made.
When passing through the South, Carolina BBQ is an absolute must!
A super small, family style diner equipped with model train set looping the ceiling and traditional white and red checkered table cloth, sweet talking, deep accented staff and mountains of food that would make a fat man weep with joy... this place nailed it.
Fried everything, tender meats, sweet sauces... you name it. Got it. Ate it. Done. Good. Stuffed.
Back on the road, we completed the 16 hour journey by crashing hard in our hotel room.
In typical travel fashion, we were up with the sun the next morning. Not on purpose of course. It's just something that happens.
Instead of staying in bed, we decided to make the most of the day.
We jumped up and headed down to collect our wristbands for the first day of the festival.
Easy. Staff were super helpful and we were ready for the first bands to play.
BUT... the first bands weren't set to play for another 3 or so hours.
That left us enough time to go eat. And eat we did.
We set out to find a highly recommended place but got lost because our GPS was an absolute piece of shit. We must have passed the place 3 times before giving up and settling for the next place we saw.
Lucky for us, the next place we saw was one of the best spots in Atlanta.
The Flying Biscuit.
A must! Grits to die for and portions that a grizzly would be pleased with.
We gorged ourselves yet again. I could almost feel my body expanding by the end of the meal.
Stuffed and satisfied, we headed back for the start of the festival.
The first band we saw was BLOOD RED SHOES. Ehhh. Rated em 1.5 out of 5.
Screamy duo with not much excitement.
Next was WILD BELLE who took us by surprise. Had never heard them before this but was really into their set. They were a sorta Jamaica meets Wild West. Rated em 3 out of 5.
Then we saw WHITE DENIM. Really really disappointed with their set. Really enjoyed their records but wasn't feeling it live. Rated em 1.5 out of 5.
Then we saw split sets from BAND OF SKULLS - ehhh. Not bad but nothing that special. Guitar player/lead singer killed it on guitar but that was about it (2 out of 5), and CHARLES BRADLEY & HIS EXTRAORDINAIRES- who absolutely KILLED IT. One of the best acts of the entire festival. 5 out of 5.
MAN MAN was up next. And sadly, they pretty much sucked. Their new record is brilliant and it had been a couple years since I saw the band I used to live right near. Ryan (aka Honus) is a bloated version of himself who sounds shit live and tries to make up for it by parading around in costumes and silly masks. Shame. Used to really love seeing them. Rated em a 2 out of 5.
As they finished their set, the rain started coming down. Slow and steady at first.
As we laughed at a few songs from DROPKICK MURPHY'S, the sky opened up and it PISSED down. We were soaked through and through.
We ran from the rain and took a break in the parking garage before heading back out to catch CAGE THE ELEPHANT. Totally thought this band was something different than what they were. Not for me. No thanks.
Saying fuck the rain, we missed SPOON and made it back just in time for THE NATIONAL.
Now this is a complicated one.
I saw The National many years ago as the opening act of Arcade Fire at Radio City Music Hall and they SUCKED. Sucked bad. Found them boring and pompous.
Fast forward a few years and their new record comes out. I instantly fall in love with it. Brilliant record. So in my mind, I am thinking, 'Hey. Maybe they are better now than before.'
Sadly, they are not. The singer paces the stage dressed like an 8th grade history teacher and nervously stares at his bandmates before straddling back to the mic which he holds and sings with nearly no emotion.
We stayed for 5 or 6 songs before saying 'Fuck the rain' again and heading back to the hotel.
Day one was in the books.
The next morning, we headed back out to find our original breakfast spot.
This time, we found it with no problem and by God it was so worth it.
In a new, up and coming neighborhood, Emory Point, The General Muir is a perfect place.
Perfect atmosphere, design, staff and most of all, food.
Pecan crusted french toast?! Oh hell to the yes.
Killer.
Go there. And then go again. And again.
You will not be disappointed.
Stuffed and satisfied, we headed back to the festival.
This was to be a great day of bands.
First up was TOKYO POLICE CLUB. Disappointing. Although they sounded just like their records and I love their early records... didn't do anything for me. Bummer. 2 out of 5.
Then was LORD HURON. We were probably most excited about seeing them. Totally addicted to their records, this was supposed to be the highlight. Sadly, it wasn't. The sound system was all screwed up and even screaming at the top of his lungs, the vocals were barely audible. Lord Huron is definitely a small club band. See em in a smokey bar with spurs on. Don't see them at a giant outdoor festival. 3 out of 5.
Then, the always fun PORTUGAL. THE MAN. Obviously I am partial to these guys and will always say they were great. So I'll just say it... they were great. The crowd was crazy diverse and the songs sounded solid. Even with some massive fuck ups in some of the songs, they killed it even when covering 'Day Man' from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and 'The Wall' by Pink Floyd. As usual. 4 out of 5.
After they finished, the rain started coming down and we saw a song from CONOR OBERST but wasn't in the mood for whiny bitch music so we bounced with the intention to come back and see THE REPLACEMENTS and MODEST MOUSE to close the night but instead we went to The Waffle House, pigged out and fell asleep in our hotel room.
Day 2 in the books.
The final day was set to be a good line up but on the eve of my 31st birthday, I was looking for more adventure than standing in the rain all day to watch IRON & WINE, LOCAL NATIVES, VIOLENT FEMMES and ALABAMA SHAKES.
After a conversation with John from PTM, Lauren and I decided to say 'Screw it. Let's drive the 3 hours to Asheville, NC to see PTM play at the world famous Orange Peel.
We bought tickets and jumped back in the car.
On the way up, we stopped at a place that simply advertised "Goats on the Roof" (which is exactly what it delivered... for some reason), a 'Trading Post' where I uncovered a treasure trove of Vietnam war snap shots, and Tallulah Falls where The Great Wallenda tight rope walked the gorge in 1970. Nutter.
An interesting town that is worth more than a few hours of exploring.
We got to the club and lined up to enter. Rejecting Lauren's foreign driver's license, the bouncer put 2 giant, black marker, straight edge style X's on her hands. He said that unless she could produce her passport, she couldn't drink inside. Lame.
We met up with the band and went backstage to hang before their set.
Drinking beers and shooting shit, we were having a good ol time.
Then, the bouncer that put the X's on Lauren's hands appeared and yelled "This is a problem!" He called over another security guard and yelled out again "THIS is a problem! This girl is not 21 and she's drinking!"
Embarrassed and turning red, Lauren assured them she was of age. They weren't having it.
They made me leave the club, go back to the car, get the passport and bring it back. When I got back, the band was already on stage playing and the X's on her hands were gone.
The balance of the world had been restored.
PTM killed it and we had a great time.
Just before the clock ticked out on my 30th year, we were back in the car speeding through the night to get back to Atlanta.
3 hours later and nearly asleep at the wheel several times, we arrived back in Atlanta to catch a few hours of sleep before hitting the airport.
Back to Philly underslept, overfed and partied out... I was 31.
Not a bad way to start a new chapter in my life.
All in all, I highly recommend Atlanta if for nothing else, the food.
Shaky Knees is cool but probably for people who don't mind rain, shitty sound systems and hours upon hours of standing on concrete.
My festival days seem to be over.
But my love of live music shall forever live on.
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