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Long-lost Hex Error tape unearthed

HEX ERROR: David Lane (from left), Jason Hatcher, and Greg Stevens.

On June 19, 2003, bass player David Lane, drummer Greg Stevens, and singer and guitar player Jason Hatcher of Hex Error went into Zero Return Studios with Rob del Bueno, aka Coco the Electronic Monkey Wizard of Man? Or Astro-Man?.

The plan was to cut the instrumental tracks for six new songs the group had been working on since releasing their self-titled debut CD in 2001. Vocals were to be recorded during another session later on down the line. The rising noise rock three-piece was slashing its way through the local scene, playing shows at venues such as Lenny’s and the Earl, and landing spots at the day-long Corndogorama indie rock festival.

Alas, this fatal afternoon at Zero Return, now dubbed Maze Studios, was Hex Error’s last studio session. Hatcher, Stevens, and Lane broke up before vocals were recorded and the three never looked back.

Since then, Lane has long served as singer and guitar player with the band Skin Jobs, who released their debut album Def Bods in 2021. Stevens has spent time playing with various bands, and currently plays in the groups Uneven Lanes with Benjamin, as well as Total Peace Band. Lane and Stevens also currently play in the post-punk outfit Scratch Offs.

Hatcher died on February 20, 2022.

While doing some housekeeping during the pandemic, del Bueno discovered a 2-inch reel of the sessions and passed it along to Stevens.

The recordings offering a stark and compelling glimpse at what was a quickly evolving musical outfit. The  crushing grooves that drive the opening number, “Death From Above,” and the dissonant energy of “Greed” capture a mastery of songwriting dynamics. “Social Leprosy” and the wide-eyed “Time” show off instincts that move far beyond the nascent, teeth-gnashing dirges of their self-titled 2001 debut. The instrumental recordings as they are rendered here capture Hex Error in gloriously muscular and sophisticated form.

Stevens took a few minutes to talk more about the recording.

Chad Radford: Where have these tapes been for the last 20 years?

Greg Stevens: The tapes had been in storage at Zero Return until the pandemic. During that time, Rob del Bueno let me know he had come across this 2-inch reel of tape from our final recording session. Jason passed away a year or so ago, so we figured it would be a fitting memorial to him to release this EP 20 years after the initial recording.

Did you alter the recordings in any way?

The initial recording wasn’t altered in any way. We had completed all of the basic tracking at the session on 6/29/03. That said, we broke up before we could complete the vocals, so these are instrumental tracks only. Given that Jason had passed, there wasn’t an opportunity to add vocals to anything. So we ended up putting the finishing touches on it, as is. We worked with David Barbe for the mixing of the 2-inch tape out at Chase Park in Athens and Carl Saff for the mastering.

Have you had any realizations about these songs or the band in general now that you have released this final recording?

David Lane and I have been playing music together off and on for the past 20 years. It has been interesting releasing these tracks from 20 years ago while at the same time we are putting the finishing touches on the upcoming Scratch Offs record.  So from that perspective it’s interesting to see how much we have both grown as musicians over the past couple of decades. We’re really proud of how far we took the Hex Error sound all those years ago, and we’re excited about exploring different sonic territories with Scratch Offs.

What’s your favorite song from this session?

The opening track, “Death from Above,” really highlights what we could have accomplished had we not called it a day. We had started working within longer song structures and more intricate polyrhythms. That one was a crowd favorite, whether we were playing in Atlanta or out on the road.

Where there lyrics written and performed with these songs that are now just lost to the sands of time?

All of these songs had lyrics. We performed all of them live back in the day. So, yes, lost to the sands of time.

Any plans for a physical release with this one?

Not at this time. We decided to self-release this digitally mainly for archival purposes. But if a label was so inclined, we’d definitely be into it.

Do you have a release date in mind for the Scratch Offs LP? Does it have a title yet? 

We just got the final master back from Carl Saff a couple of days ago. We’re aiming for a digital release in the next couple months, before we do our next batch of shows. We’re playing with Bass Drum of Death and Small at the Earl on September 7, and then headed to Florida for some dates shortly after that.  So it would be good for people to have a frame of reference aside from the live experience. Right now, the consensus is to call the record Tidal Wave.

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Dash Rip Rock plays Smith’s Olde Bar July 14

DASH RIP ROCK: Photo by Troy Glasgow

Cow Punk. It’s more than just a genre of redneck rock ‘n’ roll. It’s a lifestyle, and it’s the title of Dash Rip Rock’s latest album. Since the 1987 arrival of the New Orleans trio’s self-titled debut on 688 Records, singer and guitarist Bill Davis has crafted a blend of Athens, GA-style college rock, fueled by Austin, TX-style country, punk, and rockabilly. The group’s latest release features a spread of revved up new recordings of older numbers from throughout Dash Rip Rock’s catalog. Check out a couple of Status Quo and Gram Parsons covers as well. It’s the definitive cowpunk statement—or at least it’s Dash Rip Rock’s vision of all that cowpunk can be.

Dash Rip Rock and Kraken’s Release play Smith’s Olde Bar on Fri., July 14. $15. 8 p.m. (doors).

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Son Volt celebrates 28 years and the songs of Doug Sahm at Variety Playhouse July 12

SON VOLT: Photo by Auset Sarno.

Alt-country luminaries Son Volt grace the Variety Playhouse stage on Wednesday, July 12, celebrating the band’s 28th anniversary.  Singer and guitarist Jay Farrar and Co. are performing the group’s 1995 debut album Trace in its entirety. They’re also playing the songs of Tex-Mex musical legend Doug Sahm of the Sir Douglas Quintet and the the Texas Tornados, whose songs are featured on Son Volt’s 2023 tribute album, Day Of The Doug.

For this outing, Farrar is flanked by bass player Andrew DuPlantis, guitar player John Horton, drummer Mark Patterson, and keyboard/guitar player Mark Spencer.

Peter Bruntnell opens the show on an extended victory lap, playing songs from his 2021 opus, Journey To The Sun. Bruntnell’s songs conjure a sometimes breezy, sometimes brooding atmosphere, placing a distinctly British take on Americana, folk, and country music.


Son Volt and Peter Bruntnell play Variety Playhouse one Wed., July 12. $27-$129. 7 p.m. (doors). 8 p.m. (show).

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D.R.I., Metalriser, Stripper Cult, and Loony at Boggs Social & Supply on Tuesday, June 27

D.R.I. photo by Andie Borie

Since 1982, Dirty Rotten Imbeciles (D.R.I.) have circled the globe, playing a break-neck blend of hardcore, punk, and thrash metal crossover forged amid Houston’s skate-punk scene of the Reagan era. The group’s sound culminates with recordings such 1985’s Dealing With It, 1988’s Four Of A Kind, and the 2015’s criminally overlooked But Wait … There’s More! EP. Co-founding members vocalist Kurt Brecht and guitarist Spike Cassidy have remained at the front of the stage, leading an ever-shifting rhythm section. After keeping the band on the road for more than 40 years, D.R.I.’s anti-commercial, anti-authoritarian values are symbolized by the group’s trademark running man logo—an emblem that signifies the whiplash fury the group has commanded for decades. In the pit, the ferocity remains unmatched. This marks the group’s rescheduled 40-year anniversary show.

Photo courtesy Loony!

San Antonio’s Metalriser, Atlanta punx Stripper Cult, and hardcore/nardcore skatepunk outfit Loony get the party started.


$20. 7:30 p.m. (doors). Boggs Social & Supply. 1310 White St SW, Atlanta, GA 30310.

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Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. play The Earl on Tues., May 23

SELF PORTRAIT: Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.

Rejoice! Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. return to the Earl on Tuesday, May 23.

The last time Japan’s ultimate sorcerers of psychedelic rock delivered a dose of cosmic freakouts to the East Atlanta Village was in the Spring of 2019. Now, the group’s founding guitarists Makoto Kawabata and Higashi Hiroshi are on the road again, traversing the States on the “Metareboot North American Spring Tour 2023.” For these shows the group’s lineup features drummer Satoshima Nani, guitar and bouzouki player Jyonson Tsu, and their latest addition, bass player Ron Anderson (also of PAK). Acid Mothers Temple’s kaleidoscopic stage presence is the stuff of legend—full throttle exploration of inner space while reaching for outer space. Every live show offers a mind-bending portal into unknown realms of the multiverse, where ecstasy and overload collide with searing rhythms and riffs.


The group’s body of work is truly immense. Although no new AMT offerings have materialized since the pandemic shut down the world, the group filled up its official  Bandcamp page with 60+ albums and various unreleased offerings.

ATTENTION COLLECTORS: There will be a full-on mountain of rare reissues on the merch table—LPs, tapes, CDs, hand-drawn artwork, and more. Speaking of which, Austin’s ST 37 will open the show, and there will be a split live cassette of recordings made during their 2015 tour together.

$16 (adv). $20 (doors). 7:30 p.m. (doors open). 8 p.m. (show). The Earl, www.badearl.com.

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RadATL Podcasts & Interviews

‘Atlanta Record Stores’ reviews are in: What are the critics saying?

The reviews are in, “Atlanta Record Stores: An Oral History” is a bonafide hit! Check out a list of interviews, reviews, and more. … And click below to get a signed copy of the book delivered to your door.

“‘Atlanta Record Stores: An Oral History,’ is a collection of first-person accounts exploring how vinyl has survived new technology from 8 tracks to CDs to streaming and why the industry continues to thrive.” — “New book ‘Atlanta Record Stores: An Oral History’ explores how vinyl has survived over decades” by Kim Drobes for WABE/NPR’s City Lights

“The new book ‘Atlanta Record Stores: An Oral History’ shares stories of the influence these stores have had over the past half-century.”— “Record stores offer ‘singular take’ on a city’s history” by Peter Biello for Georgia Public Broadcasting/NPR’s All Things Considered

“While Atlanta often operates on the premise that anything not mega-famous must be outdated and worth mercy-killing for profit, Radford’s book is a reminder that—to paraphrase Faulkner—the past isn’t even past. The city’s counterculture is a DIY torch passed to each generation.” — “A new history of Atlanta and Athens record stores meets the subcultural moment” by John Ruch for Saporta Report

“Chad Radford joins Rhythm and Resistance to discuss his new book, Atlanta Record Stores: An Oral History” — An interview with Christopher Hollis 

“Rather than a straight narrative, Radford let the owners, employees past and present, musicians, and shoppers tell the stories of the record stores in a series of oral histories. It’s a breezy, funny, nostalgic read.” — “New book chronicles the history of Atlanta’s record stores” with Collin Kelly for Rough Draft

Press play on a fun and candid conversation about the book with Tom Cheshire and Renée Yaworsky for Cosmos Creative TV’s “Burn It Down!”

More reviews are coming soon!

Click below to purchase a signed copy of Atlanta Record Stores: An Oral History. $25 (postage paid).

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RadATL New music

Nicol Eltzroth Rosendorf unveils ‘Olah (Burnt Offering)’ from latest album, ‘Internal Return’


Internal Return, the second and most recent full-length by composer Nicol Eltzroth Rosendorf, is set to arrive via streaming platforms on June 9. A vinyl release will arrive in August via Negative Capability Editions.

In the meantime, RadATL is honored to premier the album’s first single and music video, titled “Olah (Burnt Offering).”

For this latest album, Rosendorf weaves together Ashkenazi musical tones, textures, and melodies with electronic drone music. The song’s magic lies in its smooth combination of these elements, giving rise to a vast, atmospheric piece of music that stands on its own as a cohesive work, as well as an entry point into a nuanced excursion into the surreal. “Olah (Burnt Offering)” retains the post-industrial essence of Rosendorf’s 2020 debut, Big Other, while placing an emphasis on environmental sublimation and a refined sense of Rosendorf’s singular compositional style as a musician and visual artist.

For this song premier, “Olah (Burnt Offering)” is accompanied by a RadATL exclusive track titled “Shûb.”

For this project, Rosendorf used Chat GPT to create a series of instagram posts—song descriptions—written in the style of a 19th century Rabbi. Follow @nicol_eltzroth_rosendorf on Instagram for more.

“For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters” (Job 3:24).

The Internal Return commences with “Olah (Burnt Offering)“—titled after the sacred Burnt Offering in the Jewish tradition. Just as the Burnt Offering is brought forth as a symbol of devotion and atonement, so too does this music seek to perturb within us a sense of expansive intensity. The peculiarly unprecedented fusion of the explosive machinery of synthesizers and distorted guitars, twined with the Ashkenazi tools of the clarinet and the violin, is the musical ideal I have been seeking. 

Drawing inspiration from a fragment of Wagner’s “Magic Fire Music,” I have transformed the notes with the Klezmer scale and stretched them to their very limits. The result has taken on a life of its own, evolving from a weighty drone with a prominent sampled clarinet into a powerful expression with the addition of a masterful violin solo by the renowned musician, Daniel Hoffman.

Hoffman, a true virtuoso, came to my attention with his band Davka, which created some of my most personality-treasured music. With his intervention, I have sought an authenticity of sound, and with the replacement of the sampled clarinet with the real instrument by the esteemed Ben Bertrand the composition has attained an even greater depth. I am boundlessly thankful for their contributions.

Contrasting the anti-Semitic notes of Wagner’s music with Jewish concepts of sacrificial offering is a sort of koan. Titling the piece with a Hebrew word that contains the root of Holocaust is nearly a pun. One can only try to laugh in the face of the void.

Again and again—I do not speak Hebrew, German, or Yiddish. 

I am not in any way a conventionally religious person. 

I am so proud of this body of work, and I hope it pleases you.

As it is written in the Talmud, ‘All beginnings are difficult.'”


Three versions of the physical release will be out June 9, including the limited edition 180g vinyl, a deluxe set that includes a Giclee print as well as a CD featuring remixes By Rafael Anton Irisarri, Siavash Amini, and Terence Hannum. More details will be available soon. Click here to pre-order “the album”Olah (Burnt Offering).”

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What’s the point of saying destroy? A five-week seminar examining punk as a cultural phenomenon

NEON CHRIST: Photo by Chuck Gill

“All over the country / We want a new direction. I said all over this land / We need a reaction. Well there should be a youth explosion / Inflate creation. But something we can command. What’s the point in saying destroy?”

— The Jam, “All Around The World”

On Wednesday, May 3 at 6 p.m., Randy Gue will kick off the inaugural session of a five-week seminar, titled “What’s the Point of Saying Destroy?’: Punk and the DIY Ethos,” at The Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry at Emory University.

Think of the seminar as Punk 101, an informal class that touches on all things punk, hardcore, and DIY, and how the culture has changed over the decades.

Gue is the Curator of the Political, Cultural, and Social Movements Collection at Emory’s Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library. He’s also vocalist and guitar player for the “wordcore” outfit El Matador, a former auxiliary member of Atlanta’s ‘80s hardcore luminaries Neon Christ, and one of the masterminds behind Emory’s “Create Your Own Culture: Art, Punk, and DIY Fest.”

Throughout these hour-long sessions (from 6-7 p.m. every other Wednesday until the end of June), conversations will be guided by listening to songs—by the Ramones and beyond—and reading select texts and news articles from the last 40+ years. Come as you are. Attendees will receive a free copy of Osa Atoe’s recently published “Shotgun Seamstress,” an anthology of the Black punk zine.

The sessions are free to attend but space is limited. Send an email to foxcenter@emory.edu. to RSVP. 1635 N Decatur Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322

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RadATL Atlanta shows, New music, Podcasts & Interviews, Uncategorized

Atlanta Record Stores: An Oral History

Why write a book about Atlanta record stores? The truth is that you get a singularly unique perspective on a city’s history, its culture, and its personality when viewed through the lens of a record store’s front window. I have often said that if you want to understand a society or a culture, just take a look at its pop culture, and music has always remained right there on the frontlines.

Atlanta is world-renowned as a hip-hop mecca, but a rich underground rock scene has been thriving here for decades. The hub of that world is the city’s record stores. Featuring decades-old institutions to shops that existed just long enough to leave an impact, Atlanta Record Stores is a rock-centric take on a hip-hop town, unfurling the secret history of music underdogs—outliers living among outliers—telling their stories in their native tongue. From Jarboe of SWANS to William DuVall of Alice in Chains and Neon Christ to Kelly Hogan, Gentleman Jesse Smith, Atlanta Braves organist Matthew Kaminski, and those surly characters behind the counter at Wuxtry, Wax ‘n’ Facts, Criminal, Ella Guru, Fantasyland, and more, all were drawn by the irresistible lure of vinyl records—all found their communities and their own identities, leaving an indelible mark on the culture of Atlanta.

Click below to purchase a signed copy of Atlanta Record Stores: An Oral History. $25 (postage paid).

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RadATL Podcasts & Interviews

Another way to rebel: Mr. Clit and the Pink Cigarettes

Photo courtesy Mr. Clit and the Pink Cigarettes

By David Sherman

Mr. Clit and the Pink Cigarettes have been a locomotive punk rock freak-out on the national DIY circuit since their 2010 inception in Indianapolis. In that time, The Pink Cigarettes have been defined by their love of all things DIY, their jubilant, unrepentant creativity, and the ferocity by which it is all held together.

Born out of a high school friendship, bassist Abby Hart and guitarist Davey Gravey originally formed a horror punk band going by the name Room 21, a reference to The Misfits’ song “Horror Hotel.” When that band ended in 2010, the friends readied their next project to play an already scheduled Halloween show. Ayesha Clarissa then joined and learned drums for the project. While the band started as a five-piece, two members quickly exited, and the trio of Clarissa, Gravey, and Hart continued to write, driven by their desire to share their music and play shows.


“Our reason for naming [the band] as flamboyantly as it is, is because we had been listening to The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, and we thought about having just a whole troupe of people playing when we were writing the songs and that’s kind of like, where the crazy name came from,” says Hart. “Our friends would always be like, ‘Hey, let’s have a party, but… let’s make it formal.’ And then as we got more into the band, we wanted to show our inspirations aesthetically for the band, so like a ‘60s, ‘50s [-era] John Waters ‘Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.’ We wanted it to be colorful and fun.” Gravey notes, “We were watching all the John Waters movies when we recorded the first stuff that we were making.” Hart adds, “And [Richard Elfman’s film] ‘Forbidden Zone.’ We chose the name because it could be a band that was in a John Waters movie. He’d be like, ‘Yes, you can be in my movie, that’s a name that fits!’”

Live, Mr. Clit and the Pink Cigarettes are an utter spectacle. The musicians throw themselves about on stage in a thrall, somehow keeping the propulsive backbeat in the pocket as Hart and Gravey alternate singing into a single microphone at center stage. The performance is immediately captivating. Driven by the force of Clarissa’s percussion, the melodies of the songs are carried by the alternating vocals of Gravey and Hart, when they aren’t screaming at the top of their lungs. The band’s sound is akin to Pixies driving too fast for conditions, or a version of The Gories that grooves until they actually, truly bite you on the shoulder when you aren’t looking.

Key to the ongoing success of the band is their DIY mentality and love of DIY culture. Hart explains, “I care if a band is good. But, I care way less if a band is good if they’re shitty people. I would rather play a show where maybe it doesn’t make full sense but everyone is on the same page about community, and DIY.” Adds Gravey, “So much of this whole thing is friends, making connections…”

Hart continues, “The bands that aren’t signed to giant labels, and even some that are signed to smaller labels, we’re all using the same contacts, we’re all in this together, I guess. And it makes it way easier when everyone’s on the same page. We all just like doing this, whether it’s successful that night or not.”

Clarissa concludes, “Being in a band gives us an excuse to do all of the different parts of it. It gives us an excuse to make a video, it gives us an excuse to make a design for a T-shirt. It gives us an excuse to dress up, it gives us an excuse to paint your instrument or your new pedal. It gives us an excuse to do things that are fun.”

The band is now looking forward to the release of a new full-length, as well as a split 7-inch with NightFreak from Chicago, both on What’s for Breakfast? Records.

Mr. Clit and the Pink Cigarettes play Boggs Social & Supply on April 18 with Television Sick, Loony, and The Vaginas. $10 (adv). $15 (door). 7:30 p.m.

David Sherman plays bass in Naw and is the saxophonist with Bad Leavers. He’s also a promoter at Jabroni Productions who booked this show.

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