April 4, 2018
In 2013, Tim Sweetwood set out to bring a proper indie music festival to Atlanta in Shaky Knees (QRO Shaky Knees ’13 recap), and since then it has only grown, now to a major force, with three days, Friday-Sunday, May 4th-6th:
FRIDAY, MAY 4th
| Peachtree Stage Jack White, 9:00 PM – 11:00 PM The most famous artist in indie-rock, probably the most famous rock ‘n’ roller to emerge in a generation, you already know Jack White’s story (QRO photos) – married & broke-up with drummer Meg White, then formed The White Stripes (QRO live review) with her (pseudo-pretending to be brother-and-sister), massive success as a new generation of rock ‘n’ roll broke out at the start of this century/millennium, Meg’s meltdown, Jack’s work in other bands like The Raconteurs & The Dead Weather (QRO album review), The White Stripes’ final confirmed break up in 2011, and Jack White’s solo, with 2012’s Blunderbuss (QRO review), 2014’s Lazaretto, and this year’s Boarding House Reach (QRO review). White’s been on everything from The Simpsons to The Colbert Report, founded his own label, Third Man Records (that included America’s favorite pundit as an artist), and Boarding House Reach hit #1 on the charts – so don’t expect to get anywhere near the stage (QRO photos headlining a festival) unless you camp out there the night before (but hopefully he’ll play for longer than he did at his notorious Radio City Music Hall appearance in 2012 – QRO live review)… |
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| David Byrne, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM If you like music, you like David Byrne. The lead Talking Head became the art-rock icon in the eighties behind amazing songs like “Psycho Killer”, “Once In a Lifetime”, “Burning Down the House”, “And She Was”, and so much more, like the classic live full concert movie/album, Stop Making Sense. Since The Heads, he’s become the most recognized & influential art-rock artist since David Bowie, teaming up with everyone from Brian Eno to St. Vincent (QRO photos at a festival with St. Vincent), with 2012’s Love This Ghost (QRO review), but this year has come out solo on American Utopia (QRO review). And his live show features a massive, all-dancing (including drummers) ensemble. |
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| Courtney Barnett, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Melbourne’s Courtney Barnett (QRO photos at a festival) won fans like Rolling Stone and New York Times after her CMJ 2013 performance (QRO festival recap), with funny, rambling lyrics and a deadpan delivery (QRO photos). Since then she’s just gone and won fans outside of just critics with 2015 debut full-length, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, last year’s team up with Kurt Vile, Lotta Sea Live, this year’s Tell Me How You Really Feel, out right after Shaky Knees. |
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| Ezra Furman, 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM Main man behind Chicago folk-rock outfit Ezra Furman & The Harpoons (QRO photos at a festival), Mr. Furman comes to Shaky Knees solo. |
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| Also: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM Lillie Mae, 12:15 PM – 1:00 PM Songs For Kids, 11:45 AM – 12:00 PM |
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Piedmont Stage Fleet Foxes, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM After the decent Sun Giant EP (QRO review), maybe no band broke out in as big a way in 2008 as Fleet Foxes with their self-titled debut full-length (QRO review) – a breakthrough that earned them (QRO photos at a festival) a fair share of hype-backlash. The Seattle band’s folk hymnals garnered huge popularity (some of which was due to their more engaging live shows – QRO photos). After the whirlwind, the Foxes took some time off, but came back in 2011 Helplessness Blues (QRO review), disappeared again, and last year come back (QRO live review last year, playing for television) behind Crack-Up (QRO review). Whether or not you think they’re overrated, they come to Shaky Knees (QRO photos at a festival). |
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| Franz Ferdinand, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Playing Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (QRO review). The Scottish band broke out of their native Glasgow in 2005 with Franz Ferdinand and killer single “Take Me Out”, and even if their studio output since then hasn’t matched up, they’re still a great band live (QRO live review), and come to Shaky Knees (QRO photos at a festival) after 2013’s Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action (QRO review), 2015’s team-up (QRO photos) with art-rock new wave greats Sparks, FFS, and this year’s Always Ascending (QRO review), with great material all their own (QRO recent live review). |
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| Jimmy Eat World, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Jimmy Eat World (QRO photos) set the standard for emo-rock in 2001 with Bleed American and “The Middle” (QRO video). Though have never lived up to that (but did play it & prior Clarity in full – QRO live review), 2010’s Invented (QRO review) and songs like “Movielike” (QRO video) and “Coffee and Cigarettes” (QRO video) still kept the band in the top tier of emo (QRO live review) – though they’ve kept repeating themselves with 2013’s Damage (QRO review) and the subsequent tour (QRO live review). They come to Shaky Knees (QRO photos at a festival) after the 2016 release of Integrity Blues (QRO review). |
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| Rival Sons, 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM American blues rockers Rival Sons (QRO photos at a festival) are coming off of 2016’s Hollow Bones. If performing with Alice Cooper and Kid Rock is any clue, Rival Sons bring the bluesy country cooking with a rock edge. |
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| Also: WELLES, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM – QRO photos Amasa Hines, 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM – QRO photos at a festival |
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Ponce De Leon Stage Japandroids, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM Vancouver garage-rock guitar-and-drums (QRO photos at a festival) outfit Japandroids have moved from festivals up north to those in America (QRO photos at a festival) & Europe (QRO photos in Europe), and are one of the best guitar & drums duos out there (QRO photos at a festival), even at festivals (QRO photos at a festival). They come to Shaky Knees (QRO photos at a recent festival) behind last year’s Near To the Wild Heart of Life (QRO review) and tour (QRO live review) – the follow-up to their breakthrough Celebration Rock (QRO review), which was QRO’s Album of 2012. |
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| The Black Angels, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Austin’s great music scene has many dimensions, but the band that opened up the psychedelic side of the Live Music Capitol of the World is The Black Angels (QRO spotlight on). The group (QRO photos), fronted by Alex Mass (QRO interview), bring the psych-rock of 2013’s Indigo Meadow (QRO review) and 2010’s Phosphene Dream (QRO review) to Atlanta (QRO photos outdoors at a festival), after having toured all over America (QRO live review) & Europe (QRO photos at a European festival), not to mention their own Levitation Festival (QRO photos at Levitation ’15). They come back to Shaky Knees (QRO photos at Shaky Knees ’16) behind last year’s Death Song. |
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| Waxahatchee, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Katie Crutchfield’s acclaimed indie-folk project Waxahatchee (QRO photos) comes to Shaky Knees off the back of last year’s fourth record, Out In the Storm. |
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| Also: The Frights, 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM The War & Treaty, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM Liz Brasher, 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM |
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Criminal Records Stage The Brian Jonestown Massacre, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM One of the best psychedelic bands of the last thirty years, The Brian Jonestown Massacre (QRO photos) emerged out of San Francisco (where else?) have endured a tumultuous history (including rivalry with The Dandy Warhols in celebrated music documentary, Dig!) for a prolific and consistent output (QRO photos). |
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| Also: Marlon Williams, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM – QRO photos at a festival Ghost of Paul Revere, 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM L.A. Witch, 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM – QRO photos *repeat repeat, 12:30 PM – 1:00 PM |
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SATURDAY, MAY 5th
| Peachtree Stage Queens of the Stone Age, 9:30 PM – 11:00 PM After the dissolution of the hard rock Kyuss, singer/guitarist Josh Homme formed what today might be the biggest ‘stoner rock’ band in the world, The Queens of the Stone Age (QRO photos at a festival). This is the kind of band that can put Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl back on skins, get contributions from Screaming Trees’ Mark Lanegan & Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, and more. Maybe no record has matched Songs For the Deaf, but 2013’s …Like Clockwork (QRO review) has come the closest. They come to headline Shaky Knees after recovering from injury – and the release of their latest, Villains (QRO review). |
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| The War On Drugs, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM Claimed to be “Best New Music” by Pitchfork for their 2011 album, Slave Ambient, The War On Drugs are often known for the jauntily confections of atmospheric guitars and rolling drums (QRO live review). The Philly outfit (QRO photos) later saw member Kurt Vile spin-off for his own successful career (QRO live review), and followed up Slave with 2014’s Lost In the Dream (QRO mp3 review), and last year’s acclaimed A Deeper Understanding (One of QRO’s Top Albums of 2017), which won the Grammy for Best Rock Album. |
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| The Distillers, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM It’s not a rock festival without a rock reunion, and Shaky Knees has managed to pull together Los Angeles punk veterans The Distillers, for their first show in over thirteen years! |
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| Greta Van Fleet, 3:45 PM – 4:30 PM New Michigan rock comes to Shaky Knees in the form of Greta Van Fleet, one of Robert Plant’s favorite young bands, touring behind last year’s EPs Black Smoke Rising & From the Fires (QRO reviews). |
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| Also: Bully, 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM – QRO photos at a festival The Sherlocks, 12:45 PM – 1:30 PM Songs For Kids, 11:45 AM – 12:15 PM |
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Piedmont Stage CAKE, 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM A band that covers a lot of musical ground, CAKE (QRO live review) draws from more than just the indie-rock well. While best known for singles like “The Distance” and “Short Skirt/Long Jacket”, the repertoire is varied (QRO photos). Look for material old and new at Shaky Knees (QRO photos at a festival) – though they haven’t had a new album since 2011’s Showroom of Compassion. |
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| Manchester Orchestra, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM From Atlanta, not New or Old England, Manchester Orchestra (QRO live review) were more rock than alt- on debut I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child (QRO review), and moved firmly into the rock camp with 2009’s Mean Everything To Nothing (QRO review), 2011’s Simple Math (QRO review), 2014’s Cope (QRO review), and last year’s A Black Mile To the Surface (QRO review). However, the outfit does it well (QRO live review) and big (QRO photos) as they come back to Shaky Knees (QRO photos at Shaky Knees ’15) to rock (QRO live review). |
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| Parquet Courts, 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM Bringing grunge back has been the active Parquet Courts (QRO photos at a festival), who come back to Shaky Knees (QRO photos at Shaky Knees ’16) after the prior month’s release of Wide Awake!. |
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| The Night Game, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM Martin Johnson’s neo-new wave The Night Game (QRO live review) comes to Shaky Knees on his ‘American Nights’ tour. |
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| TORRES, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM Mackenzie Scott, a.k.a. TORRES (QRO photos), comes to Shaky Knees behind last year’s Three Futures. |
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| Bayonne, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM Austin electronic musician Roger Sellers released a trio of records under his own name, but has gotten much more notice since shifting to going as Bayonne (QRO photos at an festival). |
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Ponce De Leon Stage Matt & Kim, 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM Serious, long-time ‘Friends of the Q’ (QRO spotlight on), it’s been great watching Matt & Kim (QRO photos at a festival) blow up so seriously – without losing their infectious cheer (QRO live review). Singer/keyboardist Matt Johnson (QRO interview) and drummer Kim Schifino (QRO interview) bring a self-described ‘onstage pizza party’ with their sugar-filled hyper-pop/rock on stage (QRO live review). Known for spreading their giant, ever-present grins (QRO photos) to every crowd they play for (QRO live review), large, outdoor stages (QRO live review outdoors) don’t faze them, and neither do massive festivals (QRO photos at a festival), nor even foreign crowds (QRO live review overseas) or playing on holidays like New Year’s Eve (QRO live review on New Year’s Eve) or Halloween (QRO live review on Halloween). They also stepped up their musical game on 2009’s Grand (QRO review), with Sidewalks (QRO review) the following year, and most recently with 2012’s Lightning (QRO review), 2015’s New Glow (QRO review), 2016’s We Were the Weirdoes EP (QRO review), and the brand-new Almost Everday (QRO review) . So expect them to rock the crowd (QRO photos), from old tracks like “Silver Tiles” (QRO video) and “Yea Yeah” (QRO video) to Grand ones like “Good Old-Fashioned Nightmare” (QRO video) and “Daylight” (QRO video) to Sidewalks’ “Good For Great” (QRO video), Lightning‘s “Let’s Go” (QRO video) and even a cover of Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” (QRO video) – as the kids go nuts (QRO photos at a festival), and so do Matt & Kim (QRO live review). The hard-working duo recently had their longest hiatus ever, because Kim injured herself on stage (given how they perform, kind of a surprise it hadn’t happened earlier), but she’s healed & they’re back with Almost Everyday, out the day before their Shaky Knees performance (QRO live review at a festival). And those up front better be ready for when Matt (QRO interview) sends Kim out to do her ‘booty shakin’ crowd surf’ (QRO photos at a festival)… |
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Andrew W.K., 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM No artist in this millennium has done as many different things, worked with as many different people, while staying true to who he is, than Andrew W.K. (QRO photos). He started as a party-rock impresario with 2001’s I Get Wet and “Party Hard”, but has since built a wide list of accomplishments, from founding his own NYC venue, the late Santos Party House (QRO venue review), to doing self-help & motivational speaking, his own MTV series (and guest-appearing on Adult Swim’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force), playing with a classical string quartet (QRO photos), hosting the World Snowboarding Championship in Oslo in 2012 (QRO kick-off review), founding the ‘Party Party’, and even bringing I Get Wet back for its tenth anniversary (QRO live review of I Get Wet show). The hard-partying, hard-working man comes to Shaky Knees (QRO photos at a festival) behind his first new album in almost a decade, You’re Not Alone. |
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| Circa Survive, 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM Anthony Green abandoned his successful Saosin when he became disillusioned, but has found a new home in Circa Survive (QRO photos at a festival), most recently with last year’s The Amulet. |
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| Also: BRONCHO, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM – QRO photos at a festival Stop Light Observations, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM Teenage Wrist, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM |
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Criminal Records Stage Chicano Batman, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM Los Angeles’ Chicano Batman (QRO photos at a festival) first got notice in 2014/5 with Cycles of Existential Rhyme, but last year went full-on Gil Scott-Heron with Freedom Is Free. |
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| Jacob Banks, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM The first ever unsigned act to appear on BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, singer Jacob Banks (QRO photos) has won big-name music competitions – and last year came out with his major label debut, The Boy Who Cried Freedom. |
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| Charly Bliss, 3:45 PM – 4:30 PM Catch the power-pop of Brooklyn’s new Charly Bliss (QRO photos), playing Shaky Knees behind last year’s debut full-length, Guppy. |
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| Also: Mikky Ekko, 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM – QRO photos Sun Seeker, 12:45 PM – 1:30 PM – QRO photos at a festival |
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SUNDAY, MAY 6th
| Peachtree Stage The National, 8:30 PM – 10:00 PM Cincinnati-by-way-of-Brooklyn’s The National (QRO photos outdoors) hit it big in 2007 with Boxer (QRO review) and tracks like “Fake Empire”, “Mistaken For Strangers”, and “Apartment Story” (QRO video) – and again in 2008 with the Virginia EP (QRO review), but that just presaged 2011’s High Violet (QRO review), which debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts (QRO expanded edition review). An impressive and much-in-demand act (QRO live review), they’re fitting in nicely as even festival headliner (QRO photos headlining a festival) or curator (QRO photos curating a festival), like at London’s All Tomorrow’s Parties (QRO photos), Boston Calling (QRO photos at Boston Calling), or the newer Eaux Claires (QRO photos at Eaux Claires ‘15). Blown up to the point that New York Times Magazine ran a feature on them (QRO spotlight on) & Obama used (a family-friendly) bit of “Mr. November” (QRO video at a festival) as a campaign song, The National (QRO photos at a festival) returned from an hiatus in 2013 to take North America by storm (QRO photos headlining a festival) behind Trouble Will Find Me (QRO review), after having done so in Europe (QRO photos in Europe), the festival circuit (QRO photos at a festival), the European festival circuit (QRO photos at a European festival), Canada (QRO photos at a festival in Canada), Spain (QRO photos at a Spanish festival), Croatia (QRO photos at a Croatian festival), Singapore (QRO photos in Singapore) & their own Brooklyn (QRO photos in Brooklyn). They’ve since keep it going (QRO photos in 2014), including headlining Shaky Knees ’14 (QRO photos at Shaky Knees ’14). Last year, The National (QRO live review) released yet another amazing album, Sleep Well Beast (QRO review), which earlier this year won the Grammy for Alternative Album of the Year (QRO live review at Grammy party). A perfect headliner for Shaky Knees (QRO photos at headlining a festival). |
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| Vance Joy, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM From the other side of the world, Melbourne’s Vance Joy (QRO photos) is the rare footballer (that’s soccer to you yanks) turned singer (QRO photos at a festival). |
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| Lord Huron, 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM Los Angeles label IAMSOUND is best known for electronic acts, but found a nice local indie-folk act in Lord Huron (QRO photos in Los Angeles), who is also a festival regular (QRO photos at a festival), like at Shaky Knees ’14. |
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| Alvvays, 2:45 PM – 3:30 PM New U.K. indie hit Alvvays (QRO live review in the U.K.) comes to America (QRO photos at a festival) to play at Shaky Knees (QRO photos outdoors) after last fall’s release of highly acclaimed sophomore record Antisocialites (QRO review). |
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| Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, 1:15 PM – 2:00 PM Rivaling Sean Lennon and Jakob Dylan in fatherly shadows to get out of, Willie Nelson’s own son Lukas (QRO photos of them together at the elder Wilson’s 80th birthday celebration) has established his own country name with his band, Promise of the Real (QRO live review). Also: Mt. Joy, 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM |
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Piedmont Stage Tenacious D, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM It’s Tenacious D time (QRO photos) – muthafuckin’ D! Jack Black and Kyle Gass – JB & KG – began their epic journey when they got a handful of shorts got on HBO (making up only three half-hour episodes), and then Black’s movie career took off and ‘The D’ took off. Making & playing heavy metal music with only their voices (including “Inward Singing”) and acoustic guitars (including “One Note Song”), they became the greatest – and funniest – band in rock ‘n’ roll thanks to songs like “Tribute” and “Wonderboy”. It all culminated in their life story coming to the silver screen in Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny in 2006 – and the passion project bombed in the theaters. The D were not ashamed, even their second tour DVD, The Complete Masterworks Part 2, where they talked about the film’s lack of success (“This is film Tenacious D doesn’t want you to see” – Black), but it seemed like the group had had their run (and their drummer Dave something returned to his side-project, The Foo Fighters). But no one can keep The D down, and Kage & Jabels returned in 2012 with Rise of the Fenix (QRO review)! So they hit “The Road” (QRO live review outdoors), did their “Cock Push-Ups”, got their “Low Hanging Fruit” and “Roadie” – get ready for them to “Rock Your Socks” off with “Exploding Brains” (QRO live review)! Hollywood Jack and Rage Cage may have declared that “Rock Is Dead” – and even embraced “The Jazz” (QRO photos of The D playing a jazz club) before winning the Grammy for Best Metal Performance for their tribute to Ronny James Dio – but there isn’t a better act (QRO live review) to combines rock & comedy as Tenacious D (QRO photos at a festival), who come to headline Shaky Knees (QRO photos headlining a festival). |
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| Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM Denver’s Nathaniel Rateliff (QRO photos) brings sad indie-folks sounds with his band, The Night Sweats (QRO photos at a festival), as he has successfully climbed the festival ladder (QRO photos at a festival), behind this year’s Tearing at the Seams. |
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| Also: Parcels, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM Sir Sly, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM – QRO photos The Wild Reeds, 12:30 PM – 1:15 PM Songs For Kids, 11:45 AM – 12:15 PM |
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Ponce De Leon Stage The Voidz, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM When The Strokes (QRO photos at Shaky Knees ’15) broke out of the Lower East Side in 2001 and basically launched the alternative music revival, fronting the band was singer Julian Casablancas. When The Strokes began to feel like old hat later in the decade, they went into hiatus & solo projects. Casablancas released the lame electronic Phrazes For the Young (QRO review) to decent commercial success, but eventually found his way back to The Strokes for 2011’s Angles (QRO review) and 2014’s Comedown Machine (QRO review). But that record looks to be The Strokes last for a while again, as Casablancas is already looking to a new project, The Voidz (QRO live review), though the live word isn’t great (QRO photos at a festival). |
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| Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM Riding into Shaky Knees are the veterans of the garage-road, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (QRO live review). Originally hailing from California to, BRMC have since driven around the world (QRO live review overseas) with their signature sound (QRO live review). And even if that sound hadn’t evolved greatly on records like 2013’s Specter At the Feast (QRO review), 2010’s Beat the Devil’s Tattoo (QRO review), or 2007’s Baby 81 (QRO review), it did on this year’s Wrong Creatures (QRO review), and it’s still a strong sound from a strong band (QRO live review). |
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| All Time Low, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM Kind of the definition of emo-rock from a certain period in time, from their three-word name to starting by covering Green Day & Blink-182, All Time Low (QRO live review) come to Shaky Knees (QRO photos at a festival) behind last year’s Last Young Renegade, their follow-up to 2015’s Future Hearts (QRO review) and 2012’s Don’t Panic (QRO review). |
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| Also: Alice Merton, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM Frankie Rose, 12:30 PM – 1:15 PM – QRO album review |
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Criminal Records Stage The Menzingers, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM Coming from the home of The Office & Joe Biden, Scranton’s ska-punks The Menzingers (QRO photos at a festival in Pennsylvania) bring punk rock to Shaky Knees. |
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| Basement, 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM Ipswich rock outfit Basement broke up in 2012, but reunited only two years later. Also: Post Animal, 2:45 PM – 3:30 PM Tedo Stone, 1:15 PM – 2:00 PM |
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For festival website, go here: https://www.shakykneesfestival.com/
