Spring Break
Suburban bands contribute to burgeoning Atlanta scene
CAMERON HUBBARD
Issue date: 4/22/09 Section: Variety
Lying just 45 minutes west of Clarke County, Gwinnett County is in many ways the prototypical suburban branch of metro Atlanta.
Pristine, manicured lawns, neighborhoods named for European locales, high school football, involved families and church on Sunday.
Where: 40 Watt
When: 7:30 tonight
Cost: $10
As University demographics show, it is often the perfect breeding ground for future students. For two Gwinnett-based bands, however, it also served as home base for a musical operation that is bringing further attention to the already burgeoning Atlanta scene.
And though the subdued palette of suburban life may seem an atypical source for musical inspiration, Daniel DeWitt, vocalist and guitarist for Winston Audio and University alumnus, sees every type of hometown as a fount of inspiration.
"If there's any environment to not influence you in, it would probably be the suburbs. But even then, wherever you are, wherever there are people, there are always situations that are going to be harrowing and difficult and dramatic for you," he said.
DeWitt formed Winston Audio in 2003, though the band has been through various line-up changes since its inception.
"This band has been like three different bands ... If our band had a family tree, it would just be ridiculously complicated."
In its current lineup, Winston Audio produces music that sounds kind of like the popular grunge scene of the early '90s met the pop sensibilities of bands like Weezer and embraced the humid, molasses-sticky aura of the South, an influence DeWitt said the band cannot escape: "It's just there. You kind of breathe it."
Lyrically, the heavily religious atmosphere of the South also manifests itself: "There's definitely a ton of Biblical imagery ... It's very applicable to me, very personal to me."
Tonight's headliner, Manchester Orchestra also finds the Christian themes that so often permeate this region of the country a proper backdrop for its music.
Pristine, manicured lawns, neighborhoods named for European locales, high school football, involved families and church on Sunday.
MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA, WINSTON AUDIO
Featuring: Fun, Audrye SessionsWhere: 40 Watt
When: 7:30 tonight
Cost: $10
As University demographics show, it is often the perfect breeding ground for future students. For two Gwinnett-based bands, however, it also served as home base for a musical operation that is bringing further attention to the already burgeoning Atlanta scene.
And though the subdued palette of suburban life may seem an atypical source for musical inspiration, Daniel DeWitt, vocalist and guitarist for Winston Audio and University alumnus, sees every type of hometown as a fount of inspiration.
"If there's any environment to not influence you in, it would probably be the suburbs. But even then, wherever you are, wherever there are people, there are always situations that are going to be harrowing and difficult and dramatic for you," he said.
DeWitt formed Winston Audio in 2003, though the band has been through various line-up changes since its inception.
"This band has been like three different bands ... If our band had a family tree, it would just be ridiculously complicated."
In its current lineup, Winston Audio produces music that sounds kind of like the popular grunge scene of the early '90s met the pop sensibilities of bands like Weezer and embraced the humid, molasses-sticky aura of the South, an influence DeWitt said the band cannot escape: "It's just there. You kind of breathe it."
Lyrically, the heavily religious atmosphere of the South also manifests itself: "There's definitely a ton of Biblical imagery ... It's very applicable to me, very personal to me."
Tonight's headliner, Manchester Orchestra also finds the Christian themes that so often permeate this region of the country a proper backdrop for its music.
Be the first to comment on this story