I started Friday Thursday night [Obviously, Smoove D is not quite awake yet. - Ed.] out at Smith’s Old Bar, which I had never been to before. Amusingly, the bar was full of posers. Here in Atlanta, local music scene posers are easy to spot, since their cans of $4.00 PBR give them away every time. Only a poser would pay more than $2.00 for a tallboy.

The first band I stopped in to see, The Whigs, went on stage soon after my arrival. They have been garnering plenty of buzz lately in local publications, so I was pretty excited to get a chance to see them.

Impressively, they lived up to the hype, playing solid indie rock with a minimal alt-country influence. Additionally, there was a distinct jam-band undercurrent, which is shocking, since they hail from Athens. With more than forty minutes to play, I suspect this band would have opened up and jammed. I thoroughly enjoyed their set and recommend seeing this band. I look forward to catching their next show in town.

The lighting in Smith’s Old Bar was acceptable, falling in the middle between the Drunken Unicorn (worst) and the Cotton Club (best). Sound was excellent, all the instruments and vocals came through clearly in the mix.

notes:

PHOTO: Hank Sullivant of The Whigs at Smith’s Old Bar in Midtown, Atlanta, GA. July 22, 2004. Courtesy of d.2263 Photographics.