The Star Bar is taking music back to ragtime this weekend, as April Smith & The Great Picture Show will headline the community bar on Saturday. Opening up that night includes Atlanta's own Jeffrey Butzer and Rod Hamdallah.
Opening up the show will be Rod Hamdallah. People might have seen this cat perform at almost every rib shack and blues bar in Atlanta since he was under the drinking age, as he is the premiere Atlantan with the vintage Chicagoan blues sound. Though he may not be entirely reminiscent of big blues names like Buddy Guy, B.B. King, or Muddy Waters, he stills holds a powerful resemblance of a modern Blind Willie McTell, with guitar playing skills like a garage-version of Sean Costello. Not to mention he looks strikingly similar to Costello too!
Jeffrey Butzer will also open things up for April Smith. He is a keyboardist of many kinds - from electronic to accordion to toy pianos - that experiments with different styles of music of blues and classical origins. He thrives at not following traditional composition concepts, or dropping a single vocal line, and makes sure his piano playing skills will keep the crowd engaged. His latest released work Garden of Scissors has been getting rave reviews that claim it must have came from a different time period because of its minimalism and strong imagery within the music.
Coming all the way from Brooklyn, the boisterous vocalist April Smith will bring her band to perform what made her Lollapalooza's "Band to Watch" back in 2009, and who Rolling Stone keeps on their Hype Monitor. Her unique voice glide through her swing and ragtime records like butter on toast. She possesses strong and rich vocals, almost like Fiona Apple, which give her a country twang to her vintage style. Basically, she would be the dream artist if one were to imagine country and swing jazz put together. Placing her with her band gives her a sweet touch on stage - as one would foresee a folk and country show, they would quickly change once the tempo increases and she begins to wow the crowd with her sassy voice and jazz/country music.
This should be an interesting show that anyone with a yearn for something outside of the folk box will enjoy. Tickets for the $10 show are on sale now, so buy them early, and the doors open for those over 21 at 9 p.m.
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