So, after this year’s City Stages lineup was announced, there was a lot of speculation… like whether the headliners could pull folks back into the festival, if the Bonnarroo non-compete would hamper as much as folks feared or whether people even had enough money for a weekend pass during an unprecedented recession like this.
Well, I after a visit to Austin this past March, I wanted to “do my part”. Yeah yeah. Yuck it up. Sounds lame, but I’m a fan of indoor venues and people getting blown away by local talent. The best part about running the website for just under the past year or so has been the genuine surprise that people get when they realize “HOLY @#$^”, when did Birmingham music get this good?!” and/or “Why the hell is the band not famous like Amos?!”
So, BHAM.FM got together with 7 bands and decided to pour one out for the poor people. It’s called SECRET STAGES. Partly for the alliteration, partly for the irony. It’s not a secret… it’s not even a clear competitor. It’s a kickass show for folks who’ve got $7 and wanna party that weekend.
Sorry we didn’t go for the SEVEN BANDS for SEVEN BUCKS deal, but if it helps you remember… then by aaaall means.
The Facebook invite‘s been getting some big traffic lately, and so that’s how most folks heard the first 4 artists who were playing.
NOW, I bring you the official lineup:
- DUAL HEADLINERS: Vulture Whale + Duquette Johnston & the Rebel Kings along with…
- Blaine Duncan & the Lookers
- The Secret Dangers
- The Dirty Lungs
- Slow Masters
- Altamont
YAY! It’ll be at Speakeasy, right in the middle of downtown (19th St & 3rd Ave N). First band should go on right before 9pm, but the newly freed hops and all the alcohol goodness starts at 8pm sharp.
I was interviewed by WBHM’s Tapestry about this year’s loss of City Stages’ HomeGrown Stage. It’s a general consensus among folks I’ve talked to that the HGS of years past won’t be missed nearly as much as the notion. Hopefully, our show will bring a little bit of that big city “kickass show in an indoor venue that’s not exactly sanctioned” vibe to the Magic City. My take on the whole thing (which probably isn’t worth the time it took to record me) will be aired on Thursday, June 18th at 6:30pm.
However, headliners Vulture Whale will also be playing the general festival, along with Wild Sweet Orange and Abram & Sarah (who are a welcome addition to our June 2nd BHAM.FM show at Bottletree). Lots to look forward to.
We’ll post the sure to be amazing SECRET STAGES poster (to be designed by Sam George himself) A.S.A.P.
Follow us on Twitter for more unnecessary cursing and top secret @#$5 as well.
Tags: altamont, Blaine Duncan and The Lookers, city stages, dirty lungs, duquette johnston, secret dangers, secret stages, Slow Masters, speakeasy, unity (charlie murphy) tapestry, vulture whale, wbhm