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Less than a week after the Atlanta Mess-Around, someone posted a flier in Little Five Points that listed three days worth of fake bands. Among the “Shitty Local Bar presents” highlights: “Ironic Bearded Assholes,” “Cutesy Couple You Can’t Stand,” “Asshole Vocalist and The Four Dudes That Hate Him” and “Lost Without a Set List.” Despite the timing, you can’t read this as a direct insult. But still, the hardly witty jab incites a little frustration—especially if you saw it while still recovering from the Atlanta Mess-Around.
Honestly, the Mess-Around makes me damn proud to live in Atlanta. Damon Hare of Triple D’s and Jesse Smith of Gentleman Jesse (among other bands) were at the helm this year, and they built on the fest’s growing tradition of reuniting seminal bands for headliners, showcasing notable acts that hail from all over and spotlighting deserving local outfits.
COPS
This third go ‘round, the Atlanta roster featured returning bands like Customers, Predator and GG King, plus The Clap and Turf War. Smith’s new band COPS, a pummeling, more traditionally punk rock offering than his other outlets, kicked off the fest. Out-of-town bands like the noisy, spacey K-Holes (whose members are almost all former Atlantans), Austin’s hooky Bad Sports, rough-and-tumble girly trio Midnite Snaxxx and the jokey Personal and the Pizzas were timely, well-picked additions.
Personal & the Pizzas
Deviations from the expected, however, like New Orleans’ bred blues-rock from the animated Guitar Lightnin’ Lee and ‘60s pop throwback sets from Shannon and the Clams and Hunx and His Punx, were refreshing. The Mess-Around is generally a niche festival for folks who really, really like punk rock and its derivatives, but those elements gave the weekend a touch of universal appeal. I mean, how can you not be entertained by Hunx’ Seth Bogart? While wearing a thong covered only by strategically-slashed tights, he complained about nagging diarrhea to the crowd. Maybe entertained isn’t the appropriate word, but his antics certainly weren’t boring.
Hunx & His Punx
Atlanta’s own Subsonics granted the fest a rare performance, and Oblivians took time away from Goner Records and the Reigning Sound to mend, albeit briefly, the gaping holes they left in the hearts of ‘90s garage fans. Testors dusted off their gear a set of their late-‘70s originals, which was almost as pristine as ringleader Sonny Vincent’s looks. (I’m pretty sure he’s been injected with a revised, consequence-free version of the potion in Death Becomes Her.) Though Vincent never stopped making music and the band played a warm-up show in New York a week earlier, had it not been for the Mess-Around, younger fans of old-school punk rock (me, for instance) probably wouldn’t have seen them live—ever.
Oblivians
After a weekend of incredible performances and constant displays of the good-time camaraderie between Atlanta’s punk rock players and fans, I’m dead sure of this: Whoever made that crappy poster has never been to the Mess-Around.
Photo Credit: Tim Song
COPS
Guitar Lightnin’ Lee
Die Rotzz
Predator
K-Holes
GG King
Shannon & the Clams
Hunx & His Punx
Oblivians
Customers
Midnight Snaxxx
Bad Sports
Subsonics
Barreracudas
Half Rats
White Mystery
Personal & the Pizzas
Mind Spiders
Testors
No surprise here – the Atlanta Mess-Around was an absolute knockout. Some of Atlanta’s best rock ‘n’ roll acts graced the stages of 529 and the EARL, supplemented by a slew of the rougher side of indie’s heaviest hitters headlining both nights. The shindig was packed, smoky and oozing with that good ole homegrown community vibe. For anyone who missed it, here’s a quick run-down
The fest started a bit late at 529 on Friday, but nobody seemed to care – early birds were complacent just chatting and boozing. About 20 people gathered ‘round for local band Ralph and its angst-fueled hardcore punk, with more floating in like the thrashing was a magnet. Bukkake Boys filled in the crowd to Friday night proportions – until a mini-mosh filtered out a few cautionary fans. Around 6 p.m., the super danceable tracks of Customers had everyone bobbing along. Gaye Blades rounded out the locals-only bill and kept up the swinging pace with ‘50s-inclined doo-wop punk.
The fest inadvertently demanded that attendees partied hard. It was like Andrew W.K. was sitting on my shoulder, encouraging me to get another Tallboy or buy a round of shots for friends. There was no angelic counter-argument in sight. Unfortunately, those devilish whispers didn’t do me any favors and my night ended prematurely. Yes, I missed Davila 666, the infamously wild Puerto Ricans. I’m still kicking myself for it. But not long before I bailed, I aggressively ordered a Whynatte on a stranger’s tab and made sure my friends knew my age and how long I’ve been “doing this,” among other blunders I was informed of the next day.
However, I do remember Bad Sports (hailing from Denton, Texas, and the first out-of-town band to perform) playing a fast-paced onslaught of catchy punk, Atlanta’s own GG King doing their usual brand of quickie jams and dancing around to the repetitive riffs of Chicago’s Cococoma.
Moving on, because that’s what you do when you wake up with a brain still floating in PBR… After a quick brunch at the EARL and a coffee from Joe’s, I was ready for day two. Umbrellas aided the outdoor scene in light of the rain, and the pig roast promise wasn’t broken.
Brooklyn’s Games, a mash-up of dudes from several respected bands ranging from Busy Signals to Gentleman Jesse, was pretty incredible. Seasoned locals who deserve a thicker crowd than they received, Carnivores was like Animal Collective pre-Merriweather Post Pavillion on steroids. Anyone still groggy from the night before received an abrupt wake-up call when keyboardist/singer Caitlin Long bum-rushed the crowd.
Sadly, Georgiana Starlington of Brooklyn — the fest’s only bit of outright twang (besides Reigning Sounds’ sporadic country nods) I’d so been looking forward to — kind of bombed. The vocals were mostly low and nervous, the set riddled with slip-ups. But the hopeless, stranded-in-a-desert feel of their slow country songs was a welcome shift in pace. Let’s hope their next visit to Atlanta is more filled with confidence than awkward “Who screwed that one up?” glances.
Frantic’s crowd was, as expected, quite chaotic and involved plenty of friendly roughhousing. There was even a guy twirling an opened umbrella. Neon lights were kicked on for a dizzying set from synth-powered Wizzard Sleeve of Mobile, Alabama (really), and beloved locals Gentleman Jesse & His Men had the bulk of the crowd swaying to the poppy beats of the infectious indie tunes.
Many of the Mess-Around’s most anticipated acts were saved for the last leg at the EARL. After Predator’s capable, super-aggressive set, Woven Bones‘ (Austin, TX) lethargic, fuzzed-out garage-rock completely blew me away. The immediate stickiness The White Wires’ anthemic pop was another welcome suprise. And the grand finale, a double-shot of legendary front-men — NYC’s Paul Collins’ Beat followed by Reigning Sound (of Asheville, NC) — incited more venue-wide sing-a-longs than I saw all weekend.
Photo Credit: Tim Song
The Atlanta Mess-Around is back for another round with a promise to be bigger, better and nuttier than its 2008 debut. Equipped with more bands (including several big-time out-of-towners), an additional venue (529!) and even a roast-ready swine, this year’s fest is guaranteed to be a boozed-out rock’n’roll doozy!
True to the nature of Atlanta’s indie scene, the shindig is a collective effort organized by some of the city’s busiest taste-making dudes: Bryan Rackley of Douchemaster Records, Damon Hare of Triple D’s booking and Rob’s House Records’ Trey Lindsay and Travis Flagel.
We snagged a couple minutes of Rackley’s time to get answers to a few burning questions. If you’re still pissing sideways after reading this, check out the event program.
When the event debuted in 2008, did you already imagine The Atlanta Mess-Around as an annual shindig?
We certainly didn’t want to be presumptuous, but we knew it had the potential to catch on Atlanta and the southeast in general. To be fair, I think we just imagined going into the first one that The Spits would destroy us all…and that pretty much happened.
How stoked are you for this year’s expanded version?
I’m extremely excited. More friends involved. Bigger crowds. And we’re roasting a pig Saturday afternoon at the 529 show. That fucking pig is gonna be the guest of honor.
Are there any bands that you struggled to get on the bill, but just had to book?
We really felt like we had to get Reigning Sound involved. We had options we could have explored for a day two headliner, but we all felt collectively unsatisfied without them at the top.
Of the out of town bands, I’m most excited to see Georgiana Starlington. Which band or bands not from Atlanta are you most amped to watch?
Games. I don’t think they’ve even played a show yet, but it’s got former folks from the Carbonas, Busy Signals, Electric Shadows, Gentleman Jesse, and Joseph Plunkett from The Weight. Can’t wait to see Davila 666 again either. There ain’t a more exciting live band out there at the moment.
For someone who’s super broke and can only afford to attend one day of the event, which date do you recommend they commit to?
Answering this is probably not in my best interests, but I don’t skip pig roasts if it can be helped. Of course you may want to ask yourself when you’ll get another chance to see the Urinals and then put that shit on a credit card.
For two-day pass-holders who plan to camp out in East Atlanta all day Friday and Saturday, what do you recommend as a Mess-Around survival kit?
For the few of you that plan on surviving, I’d suggest a thermos of coffee, a shit load of water, and an ounce of Fernet–Branca with every meal. Consider pacing yourselves a little. We had slightly less turnout in 2008 on night two, because everyone got so hammered the night before.
Clearly, this is an indie rock’n’roll fest. But the variations are wide – meaning, there are a bunch of different styles of bands. How would you describe the festival to someone who’s never heard of it?
It’s like Pitchfork but without dudes who look sad in public.
Could next year’s festival be even bigger? Say, taking over all of East Atlanta and overflowing into Sunday?
King Louie’s One Man Band is doing Dunch on Sunday this year. So I guess technically we are spilling into Sunday. I guess the next likely expansion would be to take on a third night of bands. We’ll see what happens this year first.
The Atlanta Mess-Around takes place Friday, April 23, through Saturday, April 24, at The EARL and 529. Tickets are still available. Get yours through Ticket Alternative.
