Area Events: April 21 is Record Store Day

Begun in 2007 by a handful of indie record store owners (including Atlanta's Criminal Records owner Eric Levin), Record Store Day has become a worldwide celebration. Though the special and limited edition artist releases (many on vinyl) are the highlight, many stores will also be featuring live in-store music performances -- and in some cases, food and drink. Check the Record Store Day website for a list of participating stores in the area and a look at the tomorrow-only special edition artist releases.

Remember, too, that Conyers-Rockdale Library features a growing collection of music on CD and welcomes donations of new and gently-used CDs; for details on ways to donate, visit the Donate page on the library's website.

Area Events: Film Fest for Kids in Athens

The “Fresh Look” Athens International Film Festival for Children and Youth will be held at Cine in downtown Athens tomorrow and Sunday. “Fresh Look” screens international independent movies for children, youth and adults -- including animation, documentaries and fiction films -- from Argentina, Belgium, Canada, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and USA. And it's all family-friendly fun. For tickets, a list of films and other info, visit the "Fresh Look" website.

Upcoming Area Events: EcoFocus Film Festival in Athens, GA

Tickets and passes are now on sale for Athens' annual EcoFocus Film Festival, March 23-31. EcoFocus highlights environmentally-focused films from around the world, and features panel discussions, speakers and other events. Visit their website at http://ecofocusfilmfest.org/.

New in CDs

In Spoken:


NPR Sound Treks: Adventures

In Alternative:

Gang of Four - Content

Iggy Pop and the Stooges - Raw Power

 

In Jazz:

Gregory Porter - Water

Esperanza Spalding - Junjo

In Local:

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

In Rock:

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Mojo

In Popular:

Michael Buble Meets Madison Square Garden

In Rap & Hip-Hop

Dangerdoom (a Dangermouse and MF Doom collaboration)- The Mouse and the Mask

New in CD Music

In CD LATIN:

Ana Tijoux/1977 -- The US debut of Chilean MC Tijoux, who has had a huge career in Latin America. She was born in France, where her parents sought political refuge during Pinochet's dictatorship. 1977 is a largely autobiographical album and is considered one of the top ten world releases of 2009.

In CD LOCAL ROCK

Black Lips/(self-titled) -- the Atlanta band is loud and in-your-face, with a stage show that pushes the envelope, but this self-styled "flower punk" band offers a plate of angst-ridden, rhythm-heavy anthems that have taken them worldwide and landed their music in films like (500) Days of Summer and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Pylon/Chomp More -- named after a Faulkner novel, Athens band Pylon were an early influence on other college rock bands like R.E.M. and toured the country, often as an opening act for bands like Gang of Four, the B52s and U2. After the loss of guitarist Randall Bewley last year, Chomp More serves to highlight some of the best moments of early Athens rock.

In CD POPULAR

Taio Cruz/Rokstarr  -- this British singer-songwriter has launched a fashion line to accompany his new release, and is currently writing music for Justin Beiber's next album, due in 2011.

Roxy Music/(self-titled) -- though the British art rock band defined the look of early 80s glamour rock, they also brought an elegant, dreamy style to the punk-populated youth airwaves, later crossing over with the classic "Avalon." This was their first album.

Taylor Swift/Speak Now -- you've probably heard a few of these songs during Taylor's rounds of the tv shows; now hear the rest.

In CD ROCK

Bob Dylan/Best of the Original Mono Recordings -- this collection captures music from Dylan's first eight albums, in their original mono recorded form.

New in LOCAL MUSIC CDs

In the CD LOCAL music bin, check out these new additions:

Silver Lake -- Vic Chesnutt

The Lost Atlanta Tapes -- Piano Red

Sir Lucious Left Foot -- Big Boi

Blue Record -- Baroness

7even Year Itch -- Collective Soul

Local Music Events: the Sixth Annual Athens Popfest Aug. 10-14, 2010

Athens Popfest kicked off last night (Tuesday, August 10), beginning a series of performances by 60 indie bands from the US and Europe at three different venues in downtown Athens, among them Mission of Burma, Apples in Stereo and Oh OK. The festival is for more than entertainment purposes; proceeds will help fund college scholarships for area high school students. For tickets and more information, check out the Athens Popfest website. And if you'd like a preview of the music, listen to a sampler on the Popfest Jukebox at the Athens Banner Herald's website.

New Arrivals in CD Music

Here are a few new additions to the music collection:

In the Jazz section:


The Best of Chuck Mangione

In the Local section:

The Adventures of Bobby Ray -- B.O.B.

Around the Sun and Green -- R.E.M.

Soul-Sizzling 7" Meltdown -- the Woggles

In the Popular section:

Bionic -- Christina Aguilera

Plastic Beach -- Gorillaz

Animal -- Ke$ha

Tomorrow -- Sean Kingston

Raymond v. Raymond -- Usher


For these and other music cds, visit the online catalog for the Conyers-Rockdale Library.

Livin' La Vida Local

Check out the LOCAL section in music cds to find singers and groups from the great state of Georgia. Everything from R.E.M. to Randall Bramblett, Mastodon to Blind Willie McTell, Caroline Aiken to the Coathangers, Gentleman Jesse to T.I.. Support our local artists!

Area events: Free Comic Book Day

This Saturday, May 1, is Free Comic Book Day! That’s the day fans can go to participating locations, meet comic book artists and writers (and fellow enthusiasts), and pick up free – yes, FREE – promotional copies of comic books for every age group. Check out this article about Atlanta's comics connection, featuring a link to the official Free Comic Book Day website.

While you plan the what/when/where for your weekend, try these comic book-based DVDs:

Tales from the Crypt: from comic books to television -- Tells the story of Entertaining Comics (EC) publisher William M. Gaines and details the controversy which erupted in the 1950s over his ground-breaking horror, crime and science fiction comic books.

Stan Lee' s mutants, monsters, & marvels -- Stan Lee is interviewed about his life and career in animating comic book characters.

The mindscape of Alan Moore : a psychedelic journey into one of the world's most powerful minds -- Follow the evolution of Moore’s career as he transformed the comics medium, from the earliest days of his childhood through The Watchmen and beyond.

(Want music instead? Try this: The Dark Knight : original motion picture soundtrack)

New in CD music-Outside Our Gates/Liz Durrett

Athens singer-songwriter Liz Durrett has garnered comparisons to Cat Power (a.k.a. Chan Marshall, another Georgia native) and Athens' Vic Chesnutt (who happens to be Durrett's uncle). For the last couple of years, she's been touring internationally, both as a solo performer and as a member of Chesnutt's band. Look for Durrett's new album, Outside Our Gates, in the library's CD LOCAL section and find out why NPR recently named her one of the top ten great unknowns in music today.
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