Everybody knows you have to belt the blues.  And when the lights grow dimmer, and the mood becomes softer, you have to croon them.  Sue G. Wilkinson, along with her eight member band gets you high when you feel low, and when you’re low they get down with you.

A veteran musician, Sue G. Wilkinson tackles the keys at the Five Spot in a rousing performance, with a spunk equal to any barroom brawl.  But the Five Spot is no saloon, and this band is far from dive-ey.  Rather, they’re lively.  When joined with the bass, guitar, drums, trumpet, saxophone, not to mention the diva-licious backup babes, The Sue G. Wilkinson Band is an experience in jumpin’ and jivin’.

Sue G.’s vocals are as uninhibited as the classic Janis Joplin with the higher, uproarious melody of the more modern Duffy.  The song “Bitter Girl” evokes the 70’s during the era of Laura Nyro’s “Stoned Soul Picnic.”

With their swaying hips and lustrous harmonies, the backup singers, Rachel Nussbaum and Linda Jackson bring R&B, Funk and Fusion themes, and positively seduce with the song “Hold My Heart.”  Johnny Hibbert on sax and Miko (just Miko) on the trumpet, alongside Reese Harris on the drums summon the ghosts of the Big Easy with their New Orleans Brass style in “Work it out.”

The SGW Band brings the house down with “Big Black Woman,” wild and titillating as the after-church-basement-boogie-blues.  Lee Spivey on guitar and Mike Cady on bass both deliver a heavy dose of rockin’ blue-eyed soul.

It seems apt that SGW Band boldly traverses genres in a venue such as the Five Spot, a bar that is also in the business of uniting different elements.  The Five Spot pairs fine beers as well as a full bar with local art displays and live entertainment, performed on a stage backed by a giant movie projector for an engaging artistic experience.

The band attracts crowd of all ages, mostly hip with a significant number of admiring fellow musicians, and left standing room only to see The SGW band even though the performance fell in the midst of an ice storm.  But once The Sue G. Wilkinson Band takes the stage, they light a fire.  And it is hot!

For more info on The Sue G. Wilkinson Band as well as show dates:  sonicbids.com

The Sue G. Wilkinson Band’s performs next at Shorty’s on February 19th. Bring your stomping shoes!

529 in East Atlanta hosted our own Subsonics last Saturday. I’d been personally counting down the days until this show when I found out it was happening. Subsonics seem to have been playing in Atlanta for an eternity, their first release dating back to a seven inch from back in 1993. Clay Reed, brains behind the outfit, has been romping around Atlanta, spitting out twangy surf punk on vinyl ever since compact discs were the cutting edge.

This guy’s durability alone is enough to make the Subsonics worthy of recognition. The fact that he’s downright cool, sporting a look and attitude that could brand him a title such as Atlanta’s Iggy Pop doesn’t hurt him either, so seeing them play is not only like witnessing a little snippet of Atlanta history, it’s a great way to spend a night snapping fingers and shaking shoulders.  These guys rarely play out at all anymore, making this show all the more anticipated. The Subsonics don’t have much of a reputation for playing many shows, though. In fact the Subsonics’ main criticism is their lack of touring. Many fans of the group will tell you that the band could have really taken off with some more time on the road, but are the Subsonics a case of a missed opportunity? Well, in the eyes of an Atlantan such as myself, I say that’s not the case at all. The band has stayed true to its stomping grounds, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but maybe I’m just being possessive.

Also on the bill on Saturday, and excitedly so, were Atlanta newbies (compared to Reed’s veterans) The North Trolls, and Balkans. The North Trolls were admittedly psyched to be involved in the occasion. For them, the excitement for the night’s show began immediately after showing up, when they learned that the Balkans were all under-age, earning the rest of the bands more drink tickets, as the young Balkans would not be allowed to consume alcohol. Excellent.

After the North Trolls’ quick set of fast, southern style pop punk, the Balkans took the stage. Young age is not taken into consideration in this case. These guys play a low-fi style of hyper rock-n-roll, the singer’s Strokes-like voice putting them in the same category of a band like The Walkmen. It’s impressive.

And so then came the Subsonics, playing their music for a crowd mostly half their age, for musicians and fans who are being passed the torch lit by the band on stage. There was a feeling of respect in the room, made obvious when alluring Buffi Aguero (who plays drums standing up) asked if someone would bring her a vodka tonic, and multiple men handed her her drinks just moments later.

Needless to say the show was a success. Having moved to Atlanta only nine years ago, when Subsonics had already been around for a long, long time, I consider myself lucky to have been able to see them still. I recommend that we all look into the good music coming from Balkans and The North Trolls soon, as it shouldn’t be expected for many other bands to last as long as Subsonics have.