Jungol, The Drownout and Satellite District live at Vinyl 9.19.09

September 21, 2009 1 Comment

The Drownout always give the audience a fun experience with their catchy take on dance rock. They have an awesome stage presence and a style that promotes the word “party” in all its glory. Fans come out in droves to see The Drownout and from my three times seeing them live, they are always on game and the fans always leave pleased.

See more pics of The Drownout at beatlanta’s picture section…

Satellite District

This was my first time seeing Satellite District. Chris from beatlanta has been telling me a lot about them and now says they are his favorite local band. They are really good. My expectations were high and they did not let me down. They give me the impression that they will soon be heard playing power ballads across airwaves across the US. J Colman on vocals is uniquely talented in that his voice is really good and he carries it perfectly with his alluring style of lyrics. He sings about romance and love on par with Brandon Boyd of Incubus. Yul on Guitar is just short of prophetic, playing a dance inspired electric guitar, sometimes breaking down into epic space rock riffs that could easily become legendary.

Satellite District recently had to cut their tour short after having all of their equipment stolen out of the back of their van in Philadelphia. Please visit their myspace and donate if you can; or support them by catching one of their shows soon or buying their amazing New World EP.

JUNGOL

I was most excited to see Jungol. I have heard a ton of good things about them. Every interview I do I ask bands what other local bands that they would recommend to their fans and fans of local music and Jungol is recommended more than any other. After hearing their name tossed around a bit I sought out their stuff on the internet to take a listen and was thoroughly pleased. The sounds spiraling through the air out of my mac were mind-blowing and sharp; they were dense and meaningful. They play that legend inspiring sort of music in the tradition of Radiohead and the awe inspiring sense of greatness from Sigur Ros.

Here are a few questions I got to ask Jungol…

Who plays what? How long have ya’ll been together? How do you know each other?

We are a three piece band. Josh Yoder – lead vocals, bass, keys, synth, Graham Yoder – guitar, sampler, vocals, Jason Monseur – drums, Graham and I are twin brothers and have had versions of Jungol since early high school years. Jason has been a part of the band for 4 years now and we’ve toured over most of the country for the last few years.

Every interview I do, I ask bands which local acts they would recommend to their fans and fans of Atlanta music, and I have to say I think Jungol is on that list more than any other band. How do you feel about that? What bands would you recommend?

Wow… I didn’t realize that. That’s a cool thing to hear through the grapevine. Some local bands that we would recommend would be… Odist, Stokeswood, Kenny B and The Frizz, Nerd Parade, 13 Day Mission, This Piano Plays itself, Miles from Pangaea, Secret Life, Today the Moon Tomorrow the Sun. And there are many more great bands I would put down. Honestly the Atlanta music scene has a lot to offer right now and we feel happy to be a part of it.

You describe yourselves as “experimental” on myspace. What element or elements do you think make an “experimental” band?

An experimental band can mean different things to different people I suppose. To us the label of “experimental” describes our approach and our perspective on making music. We’ve always been a band that has embraced change. We believe the purpose of making music is to grow and constantly be in the search of new sounds and new ways to create.. We feel like we shouldn’t have to use the same tools on every album or on every song for that matter. Jungol’s music is certainly focused on the power of the songs but it is important for us to present them all in their own unique ways.

Do you know any of the other bands playing on Saturday? Have you played Vinyl before? How do you feel about the lineup?

We know the Drownout real well and have played several shows with them. We have run into some of the guys in the other bands but we haven’t had the chance to catch their shows yet. I’m very excited get to see all these sets under one roof.

How do you feel about the Atlanta music community? Being that your popularity is growing, would you say that Atlanta is a good scene for talented musicians to thrive in? Would you contribute anything in particular to your growing recognition and success?

Like I said earlier I genuinely feel like the Atlanta music scene has a lot to offer these days. Atlanta has never really been about one genre dominating but it definitely seems like all types of bands and genres are getting recognized these days. And we feel great about being a part it. I guess what I would contribute to our recognition in the ATL scene would be the word of mouth and loyal fans we’ve aquired over the years. And certainly all the local bands who have shared the stage with us and have turned us on to other great bands. Having a community is probably the most important part of a growing band.

What is some music, local or not, that the members Jungol are listening to right now?

Some of the local stuff we’ve been listening to lately … Stokeswood, Odist, It’s Elephant’s, and two great bands from Ohio The Zou and Simeon Soul Charger. Other things we’ve been listening to are….Beirut, Bjork, Dirty Progectors, the Raconteurs, Squarepusher, Prefuse 73, Kayo Dot, Grizzly Bear, St. Vincent, The Mars Volta, John Frusiante solo stuff… and a ton of other things…