Spring Break
Band sandwiches broad styles together with promise
CHRISTOPHER BENTON
Issue date: 4/30/09 Section: Out & About
When postulating the "next big thing" to come out of Athens, I would have never elected a "jam band."
Where: Caledonia Lounge
Cost: $5 (21+), $7 (18+)
But after seeing Athens quartet The Incredible Sandwich kick out the jams at the Georgia Theatre on Saturday night, I saw a glimmer of something great.
From its live presence and a pleasant interview with lead guitarist and singer Matt McKinney, it seems the band is talented and philosophical enough to make "it" happen, whatever that may be.
The Incredible Sandwich comprises bass, synths, guitar and drums. Everyone is technically proficient, and two of the members majored in music.
Hailing from Cordele, McKinney plays fast as hell. Everyone in the audience at the Theatre went Joaquin Phoenix-crazy for his solos.
Of course, the two-steppers at the Theatre were faced with the quintessential jam conundrum: How do you dance to music that sort-of rocked-out and that had a near-but-not-quite-funky rhythm section?
The answer: goofily and with clumsy abandon, a hopping about punctuated by the cliché guy-twirls-girl-around move.
The Incredible Sandwich's arrangements were too complex for most to find the danceable core and too cumbersome to dance to. What kind of jam band is this, exactly?
According to McKinney, The Incredible Sandwich is not a jam band at all.
McKinney had a lot to say about the jam music scene, to which the band dubiously belongs.
"Lately the jam scene is too much about the drugs," McKinney said. "When I was going to see [Widespread] Panic, people were going to see Panic, not just to do drugs. These fans, they have a sticker of a jam band on their car but then can only listen to them on some drug."
"The Incredible Sandwich is completely drug-free," he said. "We support a 100% drug-free environment."
THE INCREDIBLE SANDWICH
When: 10 tonightWhere: Caledonia Lounge
Cost: $5 (21+), $7 (18+)
But after seeing Athens quartet The Incredible Sandwich kick out the jams at the Georgia Theatre on Saturday night, I saw a glimmer of something great.
From its live presence and a pleasant interview with lead guitarist and singer Matt McKinney, it seems the band is talented and philosophical enough to make "it" happen, whatever that may be.
The Incredible Sandwich comprises bass, synths, guitar and drums. Everyone is technically proficient, and two of the members majored in music.
Hailing from Cordele, McKinney plays fast as hell. Everyone in the audience at the Theatre went Joaquin Phoenix-crazy for his solos.
Of course, the two-steppers at the Theatre were faced with the quintessential jam conundrum: How do you dance to music that sort-of rocked-out and that had a near-but-not-quite-funky rhythm section?
The answer: goofily and with clumsy abandon, a hopping about punctuated by the cliché guy-twirls-girl-around move.
The Incredible Sandwich's arrangements were too complex for most to find the danceable core and too cumbersome to dance to. What kind of jam band is this, exactly?
According to McKinney, The Incredible Sandwich is not a jam band at all.
McKinney had a lot to say about the jam music scene, to which the band dubiously belongs.
"Lately the jam scene is too much about the drugs," McKinney said. "When I was going to see [Widespread] Panic, people were going to see Panic, not just to do drugs. These fans, they have a sticker of a jam band on their car but then can only listen to them on some drug."
"The Incredible Sandwich is completely drug-free," he said. "We support a 100% drug-free environment."
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 6
Kara
posted 4/30/09 @ 10:43 AM EST
I want Matt's juice.
kkirz
Kara
posted 4/30/09 @ 10:46 AM EST
I want Matt's juice.
Liz
posted 5/01/09 @ 12:54 PM EST
Matt's juice tastes like tartar sauce
They suck
posted 5/04/09 @ 9:20 AM EST
Incredible sandwich fucking sucks. Jambands are lame and this is the lamest of the lame.
Christopher Benton
posted 5/19/09 @ 3:38 PM EST
This was edited a little weird. For dismabiguation:
I thoroughly though that TIS was awesome, I just didn't the enjoy the songs w/ lyrics as much because the songs were instrumentally weaker (Matt said this himself). (Continued…)
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