-
09-03
FridayTHE SHITTY BEATLES
with Morningbell
& Candy BarsDoors: 9:00pm
Day of: $6
Advance: $6
Click image to view full size.Event Info:
Common Grounds presents
THE SHITTY BEATLES
with Morningbell
& Candy Bars
$6 / Doors open at 9:00 File Under: Indie / Pop / Rock
RIYL: The Beatles / The Shins The Porch: Happy Hour Cookout 5-9
-
09-04
SaturdayCOLOURSLIDE
with The Great Take Back
& The DebutauntsDoors: 9:00pm
Cover: $6
Click image to view full size.Event Info:
Common Grounds presents
COLOURSLIDE
with The Great Take Back
& The Debutaunts
$6 / Doors open at 9:00 File Under: Alt / Indie / Rock / Pop
RIYL: Coldplay / U2 / Snow Patrol The Porch: No Cover 21+ -
09-05
SundayMATT HIRES
with Wakey!Wakey!
& White Elephant Gift ExchangeDoors: 6:00pm
Day of: $8
Advance: $8
Click image to view full size.Event Info:Common Grounds presents
MATT HIRES
with Wakey!Wakey!
& White Elephant Gift Exchange
$8 / Doors open at 6:00Singer/songwriter Matt Hires made his recording debut at the age of 22, when the Florida native introduced his confessional songcraft with the Live from the Hotel Cafe EP. Hires had begun writing music during his late teens, when his father jump-started his son's career by giving him a 1977 acoustic guitar. Before long, he'd pieced together a band with several friends; the rock group named itself Brer and released two records before calling it quits. Hires continued onward as a solo musician, landing opening gigs with Marc Broussard and the Dave Matthews Band before issuing Live from the Hotel Café in October 2008. A full-length album, Take Us to the Start, followed in 2009.
-Allmusic.com -
09-08
WednesdayINGRAM HILL
& Benjy Davis Project
with Blue CaimansDoors: 9:00pm
Day of: $10
Advance: $10
Click image to view full size.Event Info:
Glory Days presents
INGRAM HILL
& Benjy Davis Project
with Blue Caimans -
09-10
FridayCHRIS MCCARTYDoors: 9:00pm
Day of: $10
Advance: $10
Click image to view full size.Event Info:
Common Grounds presents
CHRIS MCCARTY
with guests TBA File Under: Rock / Pop
The Porch: Happy Hour Cookout 5-9 -
09-16
ThursdayON THE FLOOR
SPANISH GAMBLE
with Let Me Run,
Rust Belt Lights,
Go Rydell
& KadetsDoors: 9:00pm
Cover: $5
Event Info:
Common Grounds presents
ON THE FLOOR
SPANISH GAMBLE
with Let Me Run,
Rust Belt Lights,
Go Rydell
& Kadets File Under: Punk / Rock
-
09-17
FridayafroVIBE
with Daryl Hance (of Mofro)Doors: 9:00pm
Cover: $6Event Info:
Glory Days presents:
afroVIBE
with Daryl Hance (of Mofro)
$6 / Doors open at 9:00 -
09-18
SaturdayANCIENT RIVER
with Driver
& Sweet BroncoDoors: 9:00pm
Cover: $6Event Info:
Common Grounds presents
ANCIENT RIVER
with Driver
& Sweet Bronco
$6 / Doors open at 9:00 File Under: Psych / Rock / Indie
RIYL: Black Angels / Velvet Underground The Porch: No Cover 21+ -
09-20
MondayTHE DRUMS
& SURFER BLOOD
with The Young FriendsDoors: 9:00pm
Day of: $12
Advance: $12
Click image to view full size.Event Info:Common Grounds presents:
THE DRUMS
& SURFER BLOOD
with The Young Friends
$12 / Doors open at 9:00THE DRUMS: An unlikely but undeniably catchy mix of Factory Records-style indie and ‘50s-inspired melodies, the Drums have roots that can be traced to the childhood friendship of Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham. After meeting at summer camp, the pair formed the electro-pop duo Goat Explosion while they were still in their teens. However, the band split and Pierce and Graham went on to other projects: Graham formed the indie pop group Horse Shoes, who released an EP on Shelflife in 2009. Meanwhile, Pierce and another friend, Adam Kessler, founded the new wave-inspired band Elkland, who were signed to Columbia Records and issued the album Golden in 2005. That year, Pierce left the band (which broke up in 2006) and took a hiatus from making music. In 2008, Graham and Pierce reconnected and began writing songs together, trading the electronic direction of their earlier collaboration for a guitar-based approach. Early the following year, Pierce and Graham moved from central Florida to New York City, where Kessler became their second guitarist. With the addition of drummer Connor Hanwick, formerly of Cape of No Hope, the Drums' lineup was complete, and by that summer, the band's shows were gaining buzz. Moshi Moshi released the Drums' singles "Let's Go Surfing" and "I Felt Stupid," and their debut EP, Summertime!, arrived late in 2009. The singles Best Friend and Forever and Ever Amen preceded the band's self-titled first album, which Moshi Moshi released in the UK in spring 2010; it arrived in the States that autumn. - Allmusic.com
SURFER BLOOD: Though South Florida doesn't have the tides to shoot the curl, West Palm Beach's Surfer Blood fuse sunny surf rock charm with indie rock cool. Guitarist/vocalist John Paul Pitts and drummer Tyler Schwarz had known each other since high school; they started playing together and connected with guitarist Thomas Fekete, bassist Brian Black, and percussionist Marcos Marchesani at an Ultra Music Festival after-party, officially becoming Surfer Blood in spring 2009. They began recording and touring almost immediately, laying down tracks in Pitts' apartment and embarking on four tours in their first five months together. The buzz around the band began in late August after Surfer Blood played a show at the Brooklyn venue Bruar Falls; when they returned to New York that fall for the CMJ Music Marathon, they played ten shows. Tours with Art Brut and Japandroids kept Surfer Blood busy for the rest of 2009, and their debut album, Astro Coast, was released in early 2010. - Allmusic.com
File Under: Indie / Rock
-
09-21
TuesdayON THE FLOOR:
Nerd Alert
Ten Thirty NineDoors: 9:00pm
Cover: $3Event Info:
Common Grounds presents
ON THE FLOOR:
Nerd Alert
Ten Thirty Nine
$3 / Doors open at 9:00 File Under: Punk / Rock / Hardcore
-
09-23
ThursdayLESS THAN JAKE
with Whole Wheat Bread,
Spanish Gamble,
Assassinate The Scientist
& Nerd AlertDoors: 7:00pm
Day of: $15
Advance: $15
Click image to view full size.Event Info:
Common Grounds presents
LESS THAN JAKE
with Whole Wheat Bread,
Spanish Gamble,
Assassinate The Scientist
& Nerd Alert
$15 / Doors open at 7:00 File Under: Ska / Punk / Rock
-
09-24
FridayLESS THAN JAKE
with Chris Wollard & The Ship Thieves,
The Future Now,
Coffee Project
& Greenland Is MeltingDoors: 7:00pm
Day of: $15
Advance: $15
Click image to view full size.Event Info:
Common Grounds presents
LESS THAN JAKE
with Chris Wollard & The Ship Thieves,
The Future Now,
Coffee Project
& Greenland Is Melting
$15 / Doors open at 7:00 File Under: Ska / Punk / Rock
-
09-25
SaturdayLEVEK with
Viernes,
Hear Hums
& Travis Atria of MorningbellDoors: 9:00pm
Cover: $6
Click image to view full size.Event Info:
Common Grounds presents
LEVEK with
Viernes,
Hear Hums
& Travis Atria of Morningbell
www.myspace.com/viernes
www.myspace.com/hearhums
$6 / Doors open at 9:00 File Under: Indie / Rock / Electronica
-
10-01
FridayDAR WILLIAMS
with Marie CurieDoors: 7:00pm
Day of: $15
Advance: $15Event Info:
Common Grounds presents:
DAR WILLIAMS
with Marie Curie (former members of Redboy)
$15 / Doors open at 7
www.darwilliams.com
Dar Williams has become a major force on the New England folk scene. An idiosyncratic songwriter who writes folk songs from a unique, often insightful perspective, Williams takes pains to avoid the coy and the quirky; her songwriting and performing style has been compared to that of Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez, but with a few acidic and at times hilarious twists. She was born in Mount Kisco, NY, but raised in Chappaqua, the daughter of medical writer/editor Gray Williams and Marian Ferry, an active figure in Planned Parenthood. Her parents were educated at Yale and Vassar, respectively. Raised in a decidedly liberal arts atmosphere, Williams began studying guitar at age nine and wrote her first song at 11. In high school she was interested in athletics, but an ankle injury led her to audition for the musical Godspell. She became active in drama, and by her senior year, after composing more music and writing plays, considered herself a playwright. She blames an "existential crisis" at age 16 for her creativity and sharp sense of humor.During her sophomore year at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, Williams spent a few months in Berkeley, CA, where she wrote songs and performed at the Starry Plough. After earning a B.A., she moved to Boston in 1990 to find a career in the arts, dabbling in everything from directing plays and operas to performing. By the year's end she was stage manager for the Opera Company of Boston. She also began taking voice lessons and it was her teacher, Jeannie Diva, who encouraged Williams to try the coffeehouse circuit. Williams tried hard, especially between late 1992 and early 1993, but things didn't pan out, so she abandoned Boston for the relaxed folksy, artsy atmosphere of Northampton, MA, home of many prominent universities.
Williams claims to draw much inspiration from her home community. Her love of the folk scene stems from her admiration of its integrity toward honesty and real emotion, and a creative freedom not found in more popular music genres. She loves trying to use traditional methods to express the realities and foibles of contemporary life. After several self-released cassettes, Williams made her proper debut in 1993 with the independent Honesty Room to considerable critical acclaim for both her beautiful soprano voice and her lovely, intriguing songs. The following year she signed to Razor & Tie Records, which reissued the album. Her second album, Mortal City (1995), has been similarly praised, and was followed by 1997's End of the Summer.
Williams performs on the college and coffeehouse circuit and has also won rave reviews for her festival appearances, including the Newport Folk Festival and the Mississippi River Music Fest, St. Louis. She issued Cry, Cry, Cry in 1998, and The Green World followed two years later. Over the next few years, Williams remained a major presence on the concert trail; she also recorded songs during this two-year trek across America and Europe. She hooked up with Alison Krauss, Béla Fleck, Dave Matthews Band's Stefan Lessard, trumpet player Chris Botti, and others for the impressive The Beauty of the Rain, which appeared in February 2003. My Better Self, Williams' most personal set of her career yet, arrived two years later, followed by Promised Land in 2008. - Allmusic.com
File Under: Folk / Singer-Songwriter / Rock
-
10-06
WednesdayMARGOT & THE NUCLEAR SO & SO'S
with The Lonely Forest
& Cameron McGill & What ArmyDoors: 9:00pm
Day of: $12
Advance: $12Event Info:
Glory Days presents:
MARGOT & THE NUCLEAR SO & SO'S
with The Lonely Forest
& Cameron McGill & What Army
$12 / Doors open at 9:00
Show at 9:45
www.margotandthenuclearsoandsos.net
The dreamy, bittersweet world of Margot & the Nuclear So and So's is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Richard Edwards, who formed the eight-piece indie rock collective in his native Indianapolis. Named after the Margot Tenenbaum character in Wes Anderson's sophisticated comedy The Royal Tenenbaums, the band took root in 2004, when Edwards decided to flesh out his scenic chamber pop sound with help from Andy Fry (guitar), Jesse Lee (cello), Emily Watkins (piano), Hubert Glover (trumpet), Chris Fry (drums), Casey Tennis (drums/percussion), and Tyler Watkins (bass). The band's debut album, The Dust of Retreat, was issued on the local independent label Standard Recording in Spring 2005. The picturesque, dozen-song set earned the band a loyal following, and in November 2005, Margot & the Nuclear So and So's signed with Artemis Records. A remixed and remastered version of The Dust of Retreat was released in March 2006, but a series of label acquisitions (Artemis bought V2, Virgin Records effectively absorbed the band, and Capitol merged with Virgin) convinced the band to partner with another company. They relocated to the Epic roster in October 2007 while working on their sophomore release. After tracking approximately 25 songs, however, the band clashed with Epic over which songs to include in the final product. Accordingly, two versions of the album were released: Animal!, a vinyl and digital release of the band's preferred version, and Not Animal, a traditional CD release featuring those songs favored by the label. - Allmusic.com File Under: Indie / Pop / Rock
-
10-07
ThursdayKINA GRANNISDoors: 8:00pm
Day of: $10
Advance: $10Event Info:
Common Grounds presents
KINA GRANNIS
with guests TBA
www.kinagrannis.com
$10 / Doors open at 8:00 File Under: Singer-Songwriter
The Porch: No Cover 21+ -
10-08
FridayTHE SHITTY BEATLES
(2 Sets)
with We Are The WillowsDoors: 9:00pm
Day of: $6
Advance: $6Event Info:
Common Grounds presents
THE SHITTY BEATLES
(2 Sets)
with We Are The Willows
www.myspace.com/wearethewillowsmusic
$6 / Doors open at 9:00 File Under: Pop / Rock / Indie
RIYL: The Beatles / The Shins The Porch: Happy Hour Cookout 5:00 - 9:00 -
10-12
TuesdayTED LEO & THE PHARMACISTS
with Screaming FemalesDoors: 9:00pm
Day of: $13
Advance: $13Event Info:
Common Grounds presents
TED LEO & THE PHARMACISTS
with Screaming Females
$13 / Doors open at 9:00
www.tedleo.comwww.screamingfemales.comFile Under: Pop / Indie / Punk / RockTed Leo has been one of the most progressive forces in East Coast independent music, with a unique combination of punk and folk, soul and hardcore, and tradition and experimentation. Originally rising to a small degree of fame in the late-'80s New York hardcore scene by playing with Citizen's Arrest and Animal Crackers, Leo left New York for Washington, D.C., in 1990, when he founded and fronted Chisel, one of the first mod/punk revival outfits to gain national notoriety. Leo was the primary songwriter and singer of Chisel, recording two full-length records with the band that were released on Gern Blandsten in the mid-'90s and leading the band on countless short tours. The songwriting was as infectious and calculated as that of Brit rock legends the Kinks, yet the rhythms remained fueled by the anthemic energy reminiscent of bands like the Who and the Clash.Chisel's eventual breakup in 1997 came after their critically acclaimed sophomore full-length, Set You Free. The band's reputation seemed to flourish after their breakup, however, and even though the retro trends in indie rock would eventually gain enough popularity to inspire the likes of mod underground sweethearts like the Mooney Suzuki and the Delta 72, the influence of Chisel goes largely unnoticed. Leo went on to a variety of musical endeavors, including two years of on-again, off-again touring as a guitarist with the Spinanes, and a short-lived project called the Sin Eaters that he founded with his brother, Danny Leo, on drums and former Van Pelt bassist Sean Greene. The Sin Eaters' progressive, politically charged, punk-fused rock and local all-star lineup took the New York underground by storm between 1997 and 1998, until Danny Leo left the band to work on his own material and eventually founded the Holy Childhood.
When the Sin Eaters disbanded without a recorded legacy in 1998, Ted Leo was left without a band and began his career as a solo artist. He remained active by wearing the hat of producer for the Secret Stars' debut record, Geneologies, and touring alone on the East Coast and through the Midwest. He eventually recorded a self-titled full-length on his homestead, Gern Blandsten Records, in 1999 with a new band, the Pharmacists, that included various friends and affiliates of the Secret Stars, including Jodi Buonanno. This record marked a notable change in Leo's sound, which, mostly due to his performance practices, was more and more rooted in songwriting legends like Billy Bragg and Alex Chilton. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists released a split with the One AM Radio later that year as a collaborative effort of both Gern Blansten and Garbage Czar.
In the spring of 2000, Leo's sophomore effort, Treble in Trouble, was released on New Jersey-based Ace Fu Records, displaying a more aggressive and romantic bent to Leo's writing. In the early summer of 2001, Leo released a polished studio effort, The Tyranny of Distance, on Lookout Records. A strong contender for record of the year, it was followed by the equally strong Hearts of Oak in 2003. Shake the Sheets. which appeared in 2004, would prove to be his last for then-troubled Lookout, as Leo signed with Chicago-based indie Touch and Go in February 2006. A tour followed in March, on which he was supported by the Duke Spirit and Les Aus. He continued touring throughout 2006, festivals such as Coachella and headlining dates alike, as new material was worked on as well. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists eventually returned in March 2007 with full-length number five, Living with the Living. In 2009 Leo signed with Matador, and the following year he released his first record with them, The Brutalist Bricks.
RIYL: The Clash / Billy Bragg / Elvis Costello / Thin Lizzy -
10-13
WednesdayLIGHT POLLUTION
with Prince Rama
& Cloud NothingsDoors: 9:00pm
Day of: $8
Advance: $8Event Info:
Common Grounds presents
LIGHT POLLUTION
with Prince Rama
& Cloud Nothings
$8 / Doors open at 9:00www.myspace.com/lightpollutionwww.princerama.com
www.myspace.com/cloudnothings
Taking an ambient tack to driving indie rock, an ethereal, otherworldly sound somewhere between the Arcade Fire and Grizzly Bear, Light Pollution gradually built a reputation as one of Chicago's premier (and certainly one of its most fascinating) bands. Led by singer/songwriter Jim Cicero, they formed in the Windy City suburb of DeKalb. Housed in a Victorian dwelling, they utilized its unique acoustics to craft delicate, oddly angled, jangly-jagged compositions. Light Pollution released their self-titled, self-produced debut EP in 2008, becoming a darling of discerning blogs. The group inked to Carpark Records the following year. - Allmusic.com
File Under: Indie
-
10-14
ThursdayZACH DEPUTY
with Josh Phillips Folk FestivalDoors: 9:00pm
Day of: $10
Advance: $10Event Info:
Low End Productions presents
ZACH DEPUTY
with Josh Phillips Folk Festival
$10 / Doors open at 9:00File Under: Funk / Soul / Rock / Jamwww.zachdeputy.comThere is nothing out there like Zach Deputy. Truly a one-man band, he is a powerhouse of performance, technical chops, and one hell of a charismatic presence. Put simply, Zach Deputy does what is called live looping: layering sounds through the magic of technology to create a full band effect. He isn’t the only performer out there doing this, but he has taken the technique to the next level. First and foremost, however, Zach Deputy is a songwriter, a shredding guitarist and a soulful singer with a 4+ octave vocal range.He can also drop freestyle rhymes with the best of them. The Zach Deputy sound is essentially roots rock, but in his case the roots are in soul, calypso and dancehall, underpinned by driving hip-hop, rock steady, Motown and Stax backbeats created with his layered vocal beatboxing. On top of the backbeat, Zach Deputy’s nylon strings pull multiple duties as bass, rhythm and lead guitar. Riding over that, a plethora of sounds– keyboard, steel drums and an entire horn section– come pumping and grinding out of the speakers when Zach takes the stage. He is a one man dance party, but he can also bring an audience to rapt attention with a heartfelt love ballad.Hailing from the South Carolina coast, Zach Deputy’s family roots are in Puerto Rico and St. Croix. Cruzan rhythms and folk songs competed with blues and American roots music for space on the family stereo. Having toured the country in his late teens and early 20’s with a couple of bands that just didn’t inspire him, Zach Deputy followed his muse back to the Atlantic coast, where he began to craft his own approach to music as a solo artist. Zach embraced the creative freedom of performing alone, but soon realized it also had its limitations. Thus, he began to employ live looping as a means of filling out the sound. Zach Deputy is now a full band unto himself, made possible through simple technology, but delivered by a skill and mastery of technique, made pure through the injection of warm, charming soul.From his base in Hilton Head, Zach Deputy has been performing 250-300 shows a year for the last four years, and has expanded his base into the Northeast and Midwest over the last 12 months. The pace of growth has been startling. Tourists and summer residents of the South Carolina and Georgia beachside resort communities got caught up in the fun took the music back home, creating fan bases in places where Zach Deputy had yet to travel, leading to remarkable first time attendance numbers in many new markets. Promoters and regional acts, blown away by the refreshing new sound, have also enthusiastically made it their mission to help Zach build his fanbase.Zach Deputy now basically lives and works from a small box truck, playing almost every night of the week. The tireless work ethic is paying off, as audiences all up-and-down the East Coast and as far West as the Mississippi are reacting with genuine joy and passion, spreading the word to friends and fellow music lovers. Zach Deputy is bound to hit your town soon. If he does, head on over—he will be glad to see you—but be sure to bring your dancing shoes… and prepare for the wow factor.
The Porch: No Cover 21+ -
10-15
FridayHEAVY PETTYDoors: 9:00pm
Cover: $6Event Info:
Common Grounds presents
HEAVY PETTY
with Guests TBA File Under: Rock / Americana
RIYL: Tom Petty The Porch: Happy Hour Cookout 5-9 -
10-16
SaturdaySHERMY D
with The Righteous Kind
& YemanaDoors: 9:00pm
Cover: $6Event Info:Common Grounds presents
SHERMY D
with The Righteous Kind
& Yemana
$6 / Doors open at 9 -
10-20
WednesdayXIU XIU
with Yip YipDoors: 9:00pm
Day of: $12
Advance: $12Event Info:
Glory Days presents
XIU XIU
with Yip Yip
$12 / Doors open at 9:00 File Under: Indie / Experimental
-
10-23
SaturdayFRIGHTENED RABBIT
with Plants and AnimalsDoors: 9:00pm
Day of: $13
Advance: $13Event Info:
Common Grounds presents:
FRIGHTENED RABBIT
with Plants and Animals
$13 / Doors open at 9:00
Show starts at 10:00
www.frightenedrabbit.comFile Under: Indie / Rock / PopPlaying clever but purposefully naïve pop in the manner of the Vaselines, the Twilight Sad, and the Clean, Frightened Rabbit sound a good bit bolder than their moniker would suggest, though it suits their lively but nervous musical personality. Frightened Rabbit was founded in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2004, when guitarist Scott Hutchison and his brother Grant, a percussionist who -- like his sibling -- prefers to keep his last name a secret, began recording demos of songs they had written. Encouraged by friends and family, the brothers added a second guitarist, their friend Billy, and the trio began making the rounds of Glasgow's pubs and music venues. Slowly but surely gaining a reputation for their work, Frightened Rabbit began work on their first album, initially planning to record at the home studio where they'd done their original demos but eventually opting to record at Glasgow's Diving Bell Studio with Marcus Mackay instead.Frightened Rabbit released Sing the Greys through their own label, Hits the Fan Records, in mid-2006. Reviews were enthusiastic, and Universal picked up the disc for distribution in the U.K. and the U.S. The group's reputation enjoyed a considerable boost in America after they played a well-received showcase at the 2007 South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, TX, and the U.S. release of Sings only increased Frightened Rabbit's popularity. The band's sophomore release, Midnight Organ Flight, arrived in April 2008. Keyboard player Andy Monaghan was added to the line-up shortly before the release of the album. The live album Quietly Now!, also known as Liver! Lung! FR!, appeared in 2009; meanwhile the band was working on their third studio album The Winter of Mixed Drinks, which introduced fifth band member Gordon Skene. A lush, uplifting set of songs, The Winter of Mixed Drinks arrived early in 2010.- Allmusic.com
-
10-27
WednesdayJJ GREY & MOFRO
with Jonathan Tyler & The Northern LightsDoors: 8:00pm
Day of: $18
Advance: $16
Click image to view full size.Event Info:
Glory Days presents:
JJ GREY & MOFRO
with Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights
$16 Advance
$18 Day of Show
Doors open at 8:00
Show Starts at 9:00
Mofro on at 10:00File Under: Southern Rock / Soul / Jamwww.mofro.netSinging with a passion and fervor directly influenced by the classic soul heroes, JJ Grey has written and recorded five albums of original songs steeped in the rhythm & blues, rock, and country soul of his native backwoods home outside Jacksonville, Florida. Grey comes from a long tradition of Southern storytellers and, in that spirit, he fills his songs with details that are at once vivid, personal and universal. After a decade of hard touring, he still spends eight months of the year on the road, bringing his music to a loyal, ever-growing, worldwide fanbaseIn a live performance review in The New York Times, writer Nate Chinen praised JJ's “balance of wildness and cool” describing his music as "Southern swamp rock with undercurrents of Memphis soul. His songs chronicle ambiguous truths and unambiguous urges," delivered by Grey's “winningly uncontrived vocals.” Likewise, Billboard has praised Grey’s “world-beating blend of Southern rock, blues and Florida swamp soul.”2010 sees the Alligator Records release of Grey’s latest labor of love, Georgia Warhorse, named after the resilient Southern lubber grasshopper. “Yellow and black, and tough like an old-school Tonka toy,” says JJ. “They seem so at ease with the world. Nothing seems to rile them. They’re in no hurry but they have a kind of resilience because they just keep coming back and I’ve always felt there was a lesson in there for me to learn.” Grey could be described in such words; his own career has grown over the course of a decade of winning over fans night after nightAs with the previous releases, Grey meticulously demoed the entire Georgia Warhorse album himself on the various instruments in his own home studio he calls the Egg Room. “It’s named after the old refrigerator room we used to keep eggs in when my grandparents were in the egg business,” says Grey. “Once I’m done with the demos then I start thinking about hitting the real studio.” Armed with eleven new original songs including one co-written with songwriting icons Chuck Prophet and Angelo Petraglia (Kings of Leon), Grey and long-time friend and producer Dan Prothero hit the “real” studio, Jim Devito’s Retrophonics in St. Augustine, Florida, to begin tracking Georgia Warhorse. There, Grey would again track the majority of the instruments himself, playing guitars, keys, harmonica and delivering all the vocals with his gritty, straight-from-the-soul voice. Prothero’s approach as producer and Retrophonics’ unvarnished, natural sound mirrors Grey’s vision of musical tones and his love of the rustic Florida backwoods, where his family has lived for generations.Joining him for a track on this album is Grey’s long-time musical hero and reggae icon Toots Hibbert, who sings with Grey on The Sweetest Thing. “Toots is the greatest soul singer I’ve ever heard and one of my biggest influences,” says Grey. Georgia Warhorse also provided the opportunity for Grey to work with another friend and hero, fellow Jacksonvillian Derek Trucks. In true neighborly fashion, Trucks stopped by JJ’s house to record slide guitar for the song Lullaby. “Derek Trucks is the greatest guitarist I’ve ever seen and I’m honored to have Derek and Toots on my record,” says Grey.Debuting in 2001 with the CD Blackwater, following up in 2004 with Lochloosa, Grey steadily built his following one live performance at a time. Both albums (reissued by Alligator in 2007) were released under the name Mofro, a name the young Grey chose to describe his music and sound while still working his day job at a lumberyard. He has since used the word to name his band of ever-changing world-class players. The albums were met with critical acclaim, including “one of the 10 best R&B records of the year and one of the best of the decade” at Amazon.com for Blackwater and “one of the 10 best releases of the year” in Rolling Stone for Lochloosa.In 2007, with his first Alligator release, Country Ghetto, Grey reached an even larger audience, doubling both his album sales and his concert attendance. Relix said, “Country Ghetto is a tribute to JJ Grey’s rich comprehension of the South’s learned musical roots and knack to make age-old ideas sound fresh. Grey and Mofro fuse rock with plenty of soul, groove-heavy blues, and dirty, infectious funk. The deep and introspective lyrics are a breath of fresh air.” 2008’s Orange Blossoms built on that energy, with even more fans, radio stations and critics coming on board. A 2009 best-of LP, The Choice Cuts, has kept the momentum going.Grey, an avid outdoorsman, is a dedicated fisherman and surfer and holds an honorary position on the board of the Snook Foundation, dedicated to the protection of coastal fish and fish habitat. He has written passionately and articulately about his love for the untrammeled environment of his north Florida home.JJ has brought his music to countless festivals, including Austin City Limits Festival, Byron Bay Blues Festival (Australia), Bonnaroo, Montreal Jazz Festival and Fuji Rock (Japan). Over the course of his 15-plus year career, Grey has shared stages with the likes of the B.B. King, The Allman Brothers Band, The Black Crowes, Los Lobos, Jeff Beck, Ben Harper, Lenny Kravitz, Booker T. Jones, Mavis Staples and many others. In the spring of 2010 Grey was awarded the opportunity of a lifetime as a solo acoustic opener with soul legends Mavis Staples and Booker T. Jones on the What It Is! tour. JJ reminisces, “Getting to open up for such legends, it’s just something I’ll never forget.”His songs have also appeared in film and on network and cable television programs including House, Flashpoint, Crash, Friday Night Lights, The Deadliest Catch, and the film The Hoot. In November 2009, JJ wrote his first film score for the critically acclaimed documentary The Good Soldier that appeared in theatres and on Bill Moyers' Journal on PBS. Recently, Grey played piano, sang and contributed a song (The Wrong Side) to Buckwheat Zydeco’s Grammy-winning Alligator album, Lay Your Burden Down.With the release of Georgia Warhorse and a relentless world tour to follow, Grey is set for a breakout year. Commenting on his musical future, he says, “Life just makes itself up right in front of me and I just roll with it. All I know is to have the family I have, see the places I’ve been, meet the people I’ve met and to get to play music with some of the most talented folks around has got to make me the luckiest man alive.”
-
11-06
SaturdayFUNKATRONDoors: 9:00pm
Cover: $6Event Info:
Common Grounds presents
FUNKATRON
with guests TBA File Under: Funk / Rock / Jam
The Porch: No Cover 21+ -
11-12
FridayPEELANDER-Z
& Tsu Shi Ma Mi RaeDoors: 9:00pm
Day of: $8
Advance: $8Event Info:
Glory Days presents
PEELANDER-Z
& Tsu Shi Ma Mi Rae
with guests TBAFile Under: Japanese Comic Action Punkwww.peelander-z.comPEELANDER-Z, the Japanese Action Comic Punk Band based in NYC, was originally formed in 1998 by Peelander-Yellow, Peelander-Red, and Peelander-Blue, after meeting in New York City (although they'll tell you they're all from the Z area on the planet Peelander). Peelander-Green was welcomed in July 2008 after Blue left the band.Peelander-Z has appeared at major music festivals including Bonnaroo, CMJ and SXSW, and played with artists such as Buckethead, Electric SIx, Particles, The Vibrators, and Guitar Wolf. Peelander-Z has also been featured on TV programs like VH1's Best Week Ever, Comedy Central's Upright Citizens Brigade, Spike TV's MXC: Most Extreme Challenge, and Anime Network. They also often perform at Anime conventions and festivals all over the US, as well as at Kaiju Big Battel.At their live show, you'll see the band in colorful costumes reminiscent of Japanese Animation, though they describe their outfit as their skin. Their shows guarantee intense audience participation and chance to exercise with the band. "Do human bowling with us. Do limbo dancing with us. Do karaoke competition with us. Hit our cowbell with us," says Yellow. " Don't be shy, give us your smile! We can beat your stress! See you at our show!"One experience would capture you. Just pay attention to their coming activities.
RIYL: Devo / Aquabats / Power Rangers The Porch: Happy Hour Cookout 5-9 -
02-10
ThursdayTHAT ONE GUY
Doors: 8:00pm
Day of: $10
Advance: $10Event Info:
Common Grounds presents
THAT ONE GUY
with guests TBA
$10 / Doors open at 8:00File Under: One Man BandPLEASE!!!! You have to watch this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpc325WEsNBwww.thatoneguy.com“Funky Bean,” “Buttmachine,” Mustaches and Laser beams. It reads like a page out of a Dr. Seuss book, but for Mike Silverman, better known as That 1 Guy, it is just the reality he was searching for.At 150-200 live shows each year people gather to see his mad scientist at work, curiously watching as That 1 Guy plugs an electric chord into the heel of a cowboy boot and transforms it into an instrument. He howls and the audience joins him like a pack of coyotes. They even chime in for the song “Weasel Pot Pie,” offering rhymes to finish a line about “cinnamon scones”: Twilight Zones? Al Capones? Frank Stallones? That 1 Guy laughs and offers the grin of a Cheshire cat. Here is a man who loves his job.Silverman’s back story is not dissimilar to other musicians: he grew up a music geek, influenced by his jazz musician father, and enrolled in San Francisco Conservatory of Music before joining the jazz scene himself as a sought-after percussive bassist. This is where the similarities end, though, and where That 1 Guy began. “In my case, being a bass player, I just felt very restricted by the instrument itself,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to sound different and have my own sound. I was headed that way on the bass, but for me to fully realize what I was hearing in my head sonically I was going to have to do it my way."That 1 Guy set off on his own, challenging the idea of what a one-man band can and should be. Rather than altering and adding on to the bass, he started from scratch, conceptualizing and creating the Magic Pipe. Standing at seven-feet-tall, the collection of swiveling pipes, metal gears, bass strings and electronic buttons forms the shape of a harp, but is played like a futuristic gutbucket.With his curious instrument, creative performances and abundant talent, That 1 Guy soon caught the attention of promoters around the world and began touring heavily, wowing crowds at Big Day Out, Glastonbury, Monterrey Jazz Festival, Lowlands, Wakarusa and numerous other festivals. In 2007 he joined Guns ‘N’ Roses guitarist Buckethead on an American tour before headlining his own “Mustaches and Laser Beams” tour through North America.Despite a demanding tour schedule, That 1 Guy has no plans on slowing down in 2010. His latest album PACKS A WALLOP! brings a new dimension to his work, thanks to new sounds and a new partnership with famed sound engineer Billy Hume (Nelly, Shop Boyz, Ying Yang Twins). Recorded at Hume’s studio in Atlanta, GA, PACKS A WALLOP! stretches That 1 Guy’s soundscapes further than ever, seamlessly combining hard-hitting rock (“Modern Man”), swampy blues (“Step Into Striped Light”) and electronic groove (“Funk Bean”). Hume’s influence brings greater depth to the low frequencies and heavy beats. “I’m really proud of what we did with the album,” says That 1 Guy. “It sounds closer to what I’ve been trying to do sonically since I started.”This accomplishment required a new creative process. Whereas his last two albums, The Moon is Disgusting (2006) and Songs in the Key of Beotch (2000, re-released in 2004) were created from songs that he had already performed, That 1 Guy went into The Zone with nothing but ideas, sleeping on a mattress upstairs so he could sneak in to the studio whenever he felt inspired. “I went in there with zero – nothing finished – and I lived at the studio for a month. It was really hard work, really long days, and I forced myself to craft some stuff.” The spontaneity, coupled with a tight window for completing the album, made all the difference.“Human beings do our best work when we’re challenged and pushed up against the wall,” That 1 Guy explains. “By nature, we’re hunters and gathers, spending each day looking for next meal. It’s easy to be lazy when you don’t have to come up with something creative right away.”His creativity continues with a new tour in support of PACKS A WALLOP! Along with the Magic Pipe, expect to see the Magic Saw and Magic Flute, as well as magic tricks. “I had never seen a magic show until about two years ago,” That 1 Guy confesses. “I had no interest in it—but now I just love it. I’m like a twelve-year-old,” incorporating magic tricks seamlessly into live performances, even using a playing card in place of a traditional pick. “So much of my music has miraculous qualities to it because it’s hard to tell what’s going on. There are lots of slights of hand and sonic misdirection. It feels like I was meant to do magic.”Strange? Perhaps. But as Billboard noted, “In the case of Mike Silverman’s slamming, futuristic funk act… the normal rules of biology just don’t apply.” It suits That 1 Guy just fine.“I like being my own person,” he says. “I didn’t set out to be a weirdo but I’m starting to embrace it.” - thatoneguy.com
- NEW UNDER 21 POLICY
PLEASE BE ADVISED:
As of June 2008, ALL shows at Common Grounds are subject to $2 under 21 charge taken at the door. - Common Grounds "The Porch" shirts on sale.
We've got some sharp looking The Porch shirts available for sale at Common Grounds or through Mooseblood online.
KARAOKE - Sing It!
Rock, Country, Soul, R&B, Pop, etc.
PLUS > Free BEER from 9 - 10
$2 21+
$3 Under 21.
Doors open at 8:30
If There's No Show:
HAPPY HOUR ON THE PORCH
$1 Keystone Light
$2 Import Drafts
$2 Single Wells
No Cover 21+ Only
The Porch Opens at 9
If There's No Show:
HAPPY HOUR ON THE PORCH
$1 Keystone Light
$2 Import Drafts
$2 Single Wells
No Cover 21+ Only
The Porch Opens at 9
THE PORCH IS OPEN
DJ MR. ROGERS spinning at 10
No Cover 21+ Only
The Porch Opens at 9
HAPPY HOUR COOKOUT 5-9
$1 Keystone Light
$2 Import Drafts
$2 Single Wells
Burgers & Dogs on the grill.
No Lurkers
No Cover 21+ Only.
The Porch opens at 5
THE PORCH IS OPEN
No Cover 21+ Only
The Porch Opens at 9
HAPPY HOUR ALL NITE!
$1 Keystone Light
$2 Import Drafts
$2 Single Wells
No Cover 21+
Doors open at 6
NOTE: All Bars in Gainesville MUST close at 11:00 PM on Sundays