‘Greedy,’ ‘Crazy,’ ‘Uncrowned’: Atlanta’s unholy trinity

GUMBO STAFF REPORT

Houma’s Brickhouse is a favorite stop for Atlanta’s Greedy White Citizens.

The “in your face” hard rock band has made a name for itself at the venue, delivering their “no excuses, no more explanations” sound, said Brickhouse owner Kendal Brunet. “These guys always draw a crowd, and the people here love ’em. I guess that’s why they love playing here. Greedy considers this their favorite place to play anywhere.”

Greedy White is one of three Atlanta-based rock bands on the bill Feb. 3 at the Brickhouse around 8 p.m., long after the Krewe of Terreanians parade.

Also returning to the Houma bar are Crazy Anglos and Uncrowned.

“All three of them have played here before,” Brunet said. “Uncrowned wanted a Mardi Gras show here, so we decided to do an Atlanta theme… offer something unique. Everyone’s schedules clicked, so we’ve got a show … something different. Hard rock you normally don’t hear too much around New Orleans.”

And best of all, Brunet said, the cover for the night’s entertainment is only $7.

Greedy White Citizens – Mark Schultz (vocals), Austin Bolen (guitars), Chris Sincavage (bass) and Alex Gray (drums) – spent much of 2007 promoting its first CD, “Stereotype,” recorded at Atlanta’s famed Tree Sound Studios.

Front man Schultz said in a recent interview that the 10 original cuts on the CD are the result of Greedy members being “tired of empty lyrics, boring riffs, silly sub-genres and the same mundane stuff being done over and over again.”

The band’s live vibe, combined with early year influences (including Bolen’s years on the cello) all come into play on the CDs tracks.

The videos for “Greedy” and the CD’s title cut, “Stereotype,” continue to get regular play on the band’s Web site, and harkens back to their influences: Alice in Chains, SoundGarden, Tool, Bush and Black Sabbath.

“Our music is a hostile takeover on what we believe is going wrong with rock today,” Schultz said.

Joining Greedy White Citizens is Crazy Anglos. Fresh off last year’s Reverb Nation Tour, the five-member band is known for its infinite supply of rock energy.

The band – drummer Kevin Comptom, who hails from New Orleans, guitarist Brandon Parker, bass player Danny Helms, vocalist John O’Leary and MC Bryan Bozeman – has developed a loyal following as the opening act for Rehab, another group of hard corps rockers from Atlanta.

The band’s music (“Rushing In”) has been featured on the soundtrack for the TV show, “The Shield.” And the group’s first single, “Fade,” can be heard on the Xbox video game “Project Gotham Racing.”

Crazy Anglos’ musical influences cover a wide spectrum: Outkast, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fugazi. But there’s also some unlikely favorites for a hard rock band – Mos Def, James Brown, Beethoven, Miles David and Bob Marley.

It makes for a unique mix, Brunet said. Live shows, he added, are memorable.

One critic described Crazy Anglos sound like this: “Performing as if they are under the impression that amplifiers will be outlawed within the next few hours, [the band] never hesitate to unleash two fistfuls of intensity every time they play. This pure, unbridled energy if flat-out contagious, and has a tendency to instigate fits of (welcomed) borderline-chaotic behavior from the crowd.”

Brunet said concert-goers can expect to hear songs off the band’s current CD, “Fight the System,” the follow-up to “Get Up or Get Out.”

The third band on the Brickhouse’s Feb. 3 playlist is Uncrowned. Featured in an eight-page feature article in June’s edition of “Spin Magazine, ” Uncrowned’s “Devils and Angels” CD is gaining national attention. Songs from the CD are even available through iTunes.

In the “Spin” article, “The Art of the Hustle,” writer Charles Aaron quotes Axel Lowe, a drive-time DJ at an Atlanta alternative-rock station as saying, “[Uncrowned is] tenacious and likable and talented, and I think they’re getting really close. It’s just a matter of getting that one hit song.”

The band may have hit the mark with “Remember Your Ghost,” the first cut on “Devils and Angels.”

The video for “Remember” is playing on the band’s MySpace page, www.myspace.com/ uncrowned.

Band members Jack Andrad (lead guitar/backing vocals), Scott Sellers (drums), Stuart Clark (bass) and Stephen Bazzel (lead vocals) include among their influences Three Days Grace, Slipknot, 30 Seconds to Mars and Breaking Benjamin.

The night’s performances at the Brickhouse will be interspersed with mixes by Atlanta DJs as well, Brunet said.

“Every Sunday, we already we have a DJ Cafe – it’s open turntable night for anyone who wants to try a mix,” he explained. “We’ll just segue from the bands into the DJs. There will probably some local guys, too, in the mix.”