april 21, 2011 - april 28, 2011 BIRMINGHAM WEEKL Y 5 We are a little less than a month out from Secret Stages, Birmingham’s newest music fes- tival, which will be held May 13 and 14 in the heart of the loft district. The week of the festival, Birmingham Weekly will contain your essential guide to all of the cool stuff to be discovered, but for now we thought we’d drop another little taste of what’s to come into your opens mouths you hungry birdies, you. First off, in the very near future the Secret Stages website (secretstages .net) will unveil a social-media connected schedule of events that will allow you to easily browse through bands, even letting you listen to their music from the schedule itself. You will be able to pick which bands you are interes ted in seeing, instantlybuild a custom itinerary based on those picks, connect with friends who are also attending the festival and compare your schedules with theirs. There will be integration with Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Foursquare . Once you’ve built your very own customized Secret Stages schedule, you will be able to use the Secret Stage app via your smart phones on the d ayof the festival to find your way around. You won’t be hung-up by any last-minute schedule changes, since any adjustments will be pushed immediatelyto your phone. In the end, Secret Stages is all about the bands, and though we’v e covered a few of them in recent issues past, here are a few more brief pro- files to whet your whistles: The Love Language—Raleigh, N.C. North Carolina native Stuart McLamb has channeled a history of rough times and discon- tent into a healthier, less-dange rous lifestyle. The resulting music, recorded largely on an ancient arts culture bySam George Secret Stages Update new BAnds And fun tech four-track, is upbeat, lo-fi indie pop that makes it hard not to smile. Crooked Fingers—Asheville, N.C. Fronted by former Archers of Loaf singer Eric Bachmann, Crooked Fingers has spent a lot oftime moving around. Based in S eattle, Atlanta and Denver before ending up in Asheville, their sound has taken a similarly circuitous rout e, ending up as comfortable singer-songwriter balladry. Dylan LeBlanc—Muscle Shoals, Ala LeBlanc spent his impress ionable years amongst the session musicians at Fame Studios, and was writing songs before he was a teenager and playing live before he turned 16. He employs a deft finger-picking style and pairs it with voice that conveys world-wearines s even through his youth. Brass Bed—Lafayette, La Don ’t let the banjo fool you Brass Bed playdynamic rock-pop with lots of crunchy hooks to sink your ears into. They’ve got just enough throw- back to make me nostalgic (for a time I never lived through, no less), but mix it up enough to keep me interested. Still, it gives me a chuckle every time I hear that twang filter through the rock-fuzz and harmony. The Green Seed—Birmingham , AL Resident hip-hoppers The Green Seed move away from typical rap subject matter, embracing video-game and comic book culture in their tunes, usually with steller beats by DJFX backing them up. These guys know how to rock a live show, so get ready! For more information about Secret Stages, including audio and video of these bands andmany more, visit www.secretstages.net. Fri. 4/22 7-10 pm Thomas Henry Band MIDNIGHT Zach Doss & Kentucky’sFinest Mon. 4/25 7-10 pm TBA MIDNIGHT George SchererSat. 4/23 7-10 pm Sam PointerShow MIDNIGHT FisherGreen Sun. 4/24 Thu. 4/28 7-10 pm Errick Smith MIDNIGHT George SchererTue. 4/26 7-10 pm TBA MIDNIGHT George SchererWed. 4/27 7-10 pm Errick Smith MIDNIGHT Big George Griffin Come gather‘roundwww.MartysBar.com Open 4pm - 6am 365 days a year Food served 11pm - 5am ATM - Free WiFi 8-11pm JAZZ Carlos Pino Group THE BARKING KUDU FEATURES LIVE REGIONAL AND LOCAL MUSIC FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS, AN IMPRESSIVE SELECTION OF FINE SPIRITS AND NEW WORLD WINES AND 18 MICROBREWS ON TAP. 1312 cobb la ne | ww w.jclyde.com| 205.939.1312 over 200 beers from around the world Southern Fare with European Flair The Green Seed Dylan LeBlanc Brass Bed The Love Language Crooked Fingers
