Favorite Gentlemen’s 1st Annual THE STUFFING

Bad BooksNovember 24th was a historic day for Atlanta’s independent music scene. Favorite Gentlemen Recordings, a label started by Manchester Orchestra’s Jeremiah Edmond and Andy Hull as a community of artists and friends and has grown into a full fledged business with a roster of 10+ bands, held their first annual showcase, “The Stuffing.” Favorite Gent’s took over the entire Centerstage Complex and had 10 artists from their lineup play to a sold-out crowd. The event drew crowds of all ages from all over the United States. In the hours that we were there, we met people from Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Texas and Missouri, who had all come to Atlanta for the same reason; to support a group of artists that have spent a countless amount of time touring, writing, and promoting their label and their friends.

We arrived at CW about an hour before doors to a anxious line of fans, all talking about songs they wanted to hear, people they hoped to see, and what seemed to be the most mentioned name of the night, “Bad Books,” the newest project from members of Manchester Orchestra and Kevin Devine. After making our way inside, we met up with Trae with Death on Two Wheels, and some of the guys in O’Brother and All Get Out and were able to talk about whats been going on with their bands and what to look forward to for 2011.

Favorite Gentlemen seems to be one of the hardest working independent labels in the country with new records expected in 2011 from O’Brother, All Get Out, Manchester Orchestra, Harrison Hudson, and more, along with planned tours for every one of their bands. O’Brother is currently in the studio working on their upcoming record titled Beneath Your Garden Window and have set up streaming video in the studio so you can watch and interact with the band as the record is made. You can chat with the band at www.beneathyourgardenwindow.com . O’Brother squeezed in three new songs in their set to a crowded room of diehard fans while Dead Confederate was playing right downstairs.

Nathan Hussey with All Get Out filled us in on recording their new album, getting married, taking his first break from tour in two years, fishing, and getting a “real job.”
The band’s upcoming album, currently untitled, is set to be due out Spring of 2011, along with a full tour in support of their first full-length LP. After releasing two EP’s through Favorite Gentlemen Recordings and touring for nearly two years without stopping, the band realized they were getting burnt out and headed home to take a much needed rest and begin finalizing the songs that Hussey had written while they were touring. “This whole record is about being on the road, being as far away as you can possibly feel from the people and places and that you love, but still being able to find comfort where you are. There are love songs, pop songs, sad songs, but all of them are as real to what we’ve felt over the past two years as I could convey. This record was written in our van, in friends houses, while sound checking, and all the places in between so it was nice to come home and have something halfway done already.” The band headed to Atlanta to record with Matt Malpass at Marigolds and Monster’s studio, where they recorded their self titled EP. All Get Out played earlier in the lineup to a nearly packed room in The Loft. The crowd, now quite familiar with the Charleston, SC band, sang along to every single song aside from the three new songs the band played, which were met with a great applause.

Trae Vedder and Daniel Gleason with Death on Two Wheels let us know that we should be eagerly awaiting (which we are) their new record, due out later in 2011. The band was fresh home from weeks of touring the Midwest and East Coast with O’Brother, The Rocketboys, and River City Extension. DOTW opened the main stage with and amazing show and one of the best versions of their song “Take It Away” that I have ever heard. Watch out for these guys. Seriously.

The night also included performances by Kevin Devine, Robert McDowell’s (Manchester Orchestra) new project Gobotron, Harrison Hudson, Bad Books, Stadiums (a revamped version of Favorite Gent band Joy in Tomorrow), along with an awesome after-party put on by Mixtape Atlanta, with DJ sets from Trevor Dowdy (I Married My High School Sweetheart) and Jake Turner (Say Anything). We briefly got to speak with label founder Jeremiah Edmond about the event and he assured us that this is something that will become a tradition for the Favorite Gentlemen. The completely packed crowd at Center Stage thoroughly agreed when Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull took a break from the show to let everyone know what an honor it was to be on that stage, in front of them, and alongside such talented bands and friends.

Keep an eye out for all the bands on the Favorite Gentlemen roster and what they will be doing this next year. We’re very proud to be a part of what they’ve got going on with their community and hope you can find a way to see their bands live, buy a record, make some friends, and find something beneficial in it all. It won’t be hard, we promise.

*photos by Alec Stanley