HERE, THERE, EVERYWHERE: No Yonder will host a listening and release party for its new album, Crying At The Movies, this Friday, Nov. 7 at Rook & Pawn. The 13-song album opens with the doo-wop country of “Already Too Late” before sliding into the late-’60s-ish country of the title song. Now, this record is ready to be enjoyed by anyone, but honestly, this is a songwriter’s record. Every style here circles around the same group of usual suspects of Americana influences. But the band also throws a heavy dose of rock and roll in here and really stretches its wings with Cracker-worthy “Old Soul/Body” as well as “Break My Heart Already” and “Get Rich Quick.” The album was produced by Annie Leeth, and for more information, you can head over to facebook.com/noyonderband and find the actual music at noyonderband.bandcamp.com.
GOING, GOING… : As of this writing, both Wednesday and Saturday shows for the 2026 Drive-By Truckers HeAthens shows are sold out. Some tickets remain for Thursday and Friday. Again, this could all have changed by the time you read this. In any case, the dates for these annual and hotly anticipated shows are Feb. 11–14 and, don’t you worry about it, all of these will absolutely and completely sell out. For more information, please see 40watt.com and drivebytruckers.com.
AND THEN THERE WERE THREE: Man, when the dudes in Fizzy Soda describe the band’s music as “fusion,” they’re not kidding. Now, Standard Fizzy Supply Co.’s opening track “Arc Mural” comes on like background music from some classic television police show, with several sections sounding like bumper music. “Dreamer” is groovy in a particular Carlos Santana way, but not any others. While the final couple of tracks (the jam-pastoral “Maggie’s Song” and the surf drama “Pistols At Dawn” ) are solid entries into the band’s dream journal, the highlight here is centerpiece “Truth Still Hurts.” It’s smooth, slightly funky, swings a bit, and takes cues from The Stray Cats. Fizzy Soda plays its debut show at Flicker Theatre and Bar on Thursday, Nov. 6 with Seaboard Bridge. Find the record over at fizzysoda3.bandcamp.com.
INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE: After teasing out singles this season, the supremely dark and apocalyptic electro destructo duo Obscurity released its second full-length album this week. It’s titled Black Cat, Good Luck and runs 13 songs. The artistic distance this band has crossed in only about 18 months is both edifying and a little shocking. Opening track “Trenches” is literally a three-minute wail that, depending on the listener’s mood, is one of anger, fear or grief. The relatively mainstream, in that it has a discernible beat and melody, “Ultra Bitch” is pretty straightforward as are “Electric Chair” and “Choir Boy.” Plus, in a perfect club the DJ would already have “Cast Iron” on the list. Now, for all my talking about how Obscurity continually pushes its own boundaries, this descriptor may seem like a softening on the band’s part, but it’s not. More accurately, Obscurity just knows when to grab a beat and catchy riff out of its back pocket as if to say, “When we want it, we’ll come get it.” On this release I was most taken by the meditative “Genesis” which begins with woodwinds and ends in a drone. Find this at obscurityy.bandcamp.com.
RIGHT ON TIME: I was first struck by the high lonesome vocals that introduce Every Silver Lining, the new four-song EP by Alys Willman. It’s those few a capella stanzas that hooked me, but then she went straight into the country pop sweetness of the rest of the title track which is replete with clever lyrics and hooks galore. The plain-spoken, true-to-life lyrics of “Travel Soccer” recall the same from writers such as Lucinda Williams. The next two songs, “Rural Route 3” and “Some Kinda Way” are, respectively, driving in a way similar to The Feelies and wistfully yearning. All in all a very nice little record worth the time it takes to hear. Find it at alyswillman.bandcamp.com.
GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON IN, WHY DON’T YA?: There’s a triple threat of free, back-to-back performances on Wednesday, Nov. 5 so listen up. First, from 4:30–5:30 p.m. the International Exchange Student Recital happens at the Edge Concert Hall at Hugh Hodgson School of Music. Next, just mosey across the walkway to the Ramsey Concert Hall in the UGA Performing Arts Center, and from 5:30–6:30 p.m. you can enjoy the UGA Percussion Recital. And, finally, from 7:30–9:30 p.m. in the same location you can hear Damon Denton on piano as part of the Faculty Artist Series. Now, each of these events is free, but the Damon Denton performance does require an RSVP. To do that and get all other relevant information, please see music.uga.edu.
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