An Atlanta Style of Music

By Gus Fernandez.

I woke up last week in a hurry, late for class. In a hasty search for my keys in the living room I found a stranger on my couch, just stirring from a night’s rest. One good-morning- nod later, I had moved my search into the kitchen, where another stranger was rolling up her sleeping bag. I had to wait to brush my teeth too, because someone was in my bathroom.

As it turns out, Yussuf Jerusalem, a band of which one of my roommates must be a fan, had found a place to crash in the comfort of my house. When I attempted a quick conversation before running out the door, I was surprised to learn that neither of them spoke much English at all. As it turns out, Yussuf Jerusalem is from France and they’ve booked themselves a three-month-long tour of the States.

This isn’t necessarily about Yussuf Jerusalem, but about a time and a place where creative minds are finding a way to make progress in the world of music, where anyone can make music and play it all over the globe. And they’re doing it. In a time where becoming successful in the music industry is just as common as moving up the ladder from janitor to CEO, there are those who do it because they love it and they see the answer to the question, “how can we do what we love all the time?” in doing it themselves.

DIY ethics are not a fresh way of thinking. In fact, doing it yourself has been a popular approach in music almost as long as there has been such a thing as music scenes. It just happens to work nicely with throwback garage rock bands working hard all over the world. Some could say that the Black Lips, Atlanta’s first born pride and joy of garage rock set the standard for re-applying DIY ethics to the growing garage scene in the 21’st century. Assigning instruments not based on who plays what the best, but randomly, eliminates any necessity for talent. Drummer Joe Bradley of the Black Lips once told me, “I’m just a drummer by default”. Access to the Internet, basements, and dive bars eliminates any need for booking agents and the like. All it takes is a creative brain and some iron work ethic. On this foundation, an empire is being created. Independent record labels who release strictly vinyl, distributing home-made, low-fi recordings that sound just like the sixties are popping up, among them Atlanta based Douchemaster and Die Slaughterhaus records.

You see, these kids have found solace in simplicity. While executives in the music industry are deciding what the next phase in the world of music will be, bands like Yussuf Jerusalem are moving forward by looking backward, towards a simpler time, a funner music. Shows at lower capacity venues are being easily filled. The distance between crowds and bands is slashed and nearly eliminated and the intimacy of sharing the energy produced by good songs is contagious.

Atlanta is teeming with this very energy as home of so many artists who will make an imprint on modern day music. Among these artists, Gentleman Jesse and his Men, who play a style of power-pop reminiscent of frontrunners, The Nerves or Ramones. Also The Carbonas, The Lids, Subsonics. These young enthusiasts have made such an impact that they’ve been able to bring to us quality concerts from their idols and frontrunners from the 60’s and 70’s. Paul Collins, lead-man for The Nerves who were tour mates with the Ramones and are responsible for their hit, Hangin’ On The Telephone (made popular by Blondie’s cover) at The Earl. Wreckless Eric, a great influence to Gentleman Jesse, at the Star Bar, a ‘Douchemaster Presents’ event. New fans and old came together to remember or to be introduced to what is the grass roots movement of modern day music.

Bands like the Black Lips who started out eating out of dumpsters while on the road can now say they’ve played to giant crowds at massive music festivals as far as Spain, sharing the same stage as goliaths of music such as Kings of Leon or Coldplay. Yussuf Jerusalem have no reason not to travel to the U.S for shows without an idea of where to sleep at night. There’s nothing to discourage them.

One thing that the language barrier between my houseguests and I couldn’t hold back was their obvious excitement to be seeing the world the way they want to, playing music. Atlantans should be proud to harbor and perpetuate these valiant creatives and the idea that if one wants something, it can be achieved.

Tags: Atlanta, Black Lips, Blondie, Coldplay, Die Slaughterhaus, Douchemaster, Douchemaster Presents, France, Gentleman Jesse, Gentleman Jesse and His Men, Hangin’ On The Telephone, international, Joe Bradley, Kings of Leon, live music, music, music band, music tours, Paul Collins, Ramones, Spain, Star Bar, Subsonics, The Carbonas, The Earl, The Lids, The Nerves, Wreckless Eric, Yussuf Jerusalem

More articles by Gus Fernandez

This article was published on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 and is filed under Atlanta Character, Bands, Featured, Music. You can follow any comments to this article through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.