sightings

The FREEFORM AMERICAN ROOTS CHART
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WORLDWIDE AIRPLAY
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Ireland, Austria,  Australia, Netherlands, 
Germany, Canada, France , Uruguay,
Canada, Belgium, U.S.A. and more

• Country Express Radio Show in the Netherlands 
• The Country Saloon Show
• The Sagebrush Boogie Show in Atlanta, USA
• Keep It Country! Top Country Hits radio show in Uruguay
• Hillbilly Rockhouse, Radio EVW,  Germany
• NSEO 95.2 FM Paris, France

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TUNE YOUR RADIO ...
Thursday nights 
between 7 and 9 pm.

WRFG 89.3 FM
The Sagebrush Boogie show. 
Be there.

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Atlanta Sightings

The Star Community Bar

Music club upstairs, lounge downstairs, the Star Bar attracts Atlanta's alternatives who favor rockabilly and don't mind rubbing shoulders with the odd leather deviant. The music tends to be loud, beer-soaked and tear-stained: Star Bar's unimposing stage is where many local bands--from rock to punk to country--grow their wings. Less noisy is the Little Vinyl Lounge, home to wicked martinis and the best countrified jukebox you've ever seen. There's also an Elvis shrine upstairs in the old bank vault, which begs for a look.

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The Somber Reptile

April 19, 2003
9:00 p.m

What started out as a dark, dingy punk club is now an excellent, inexpensive Cajun restaurant and a dark, dingy club featuring not only punk, but DJs, techno, blues, afro-beat, and rock acts. An unassuming exterior conceals a vast, bright upper room known as the Lizard Lounge, filled with suits, cops, students and music-biz types, and a smallish side stage where "experimental" performers are presented. The bigger, heavier bands play downstairs in what can best be described as dungeon-like conditions, surrounded by misfits of every persuasion.

Review:

Bigger Reptile Keeps Funky Cajun Attitude
Atlanta Journal – Constitution 10/22/1999 
By: KRISTA REESE 

Hatched as a rock ‘n’ roll nightclub, The Somber Reptile was also known for years for its good Cajun food. Recently, this amphibian showed that it could submerge itself into the nightlife and surface to breath air during the day, by taking over the big street-level storefront next door and adding a bona fide restaurant to its live-music venue. (OK, so an amphibian isn’t really a reptile - you get the idea.) Don’t worry, though: the Somber Reptile hasn’t sold its soul. It’s still plenty funky in this cavernous space, with odd constellations of tables and recycled booths, big canvases by local artists and a feeling that the place isn’t quite finished yet. Your waiter is likely to assure you, “You got it, baby!” throughout the meal and, at the end, announce that your credit card has been refused just to watch you squirm. (It’s his idea of a joke.) 

Recent lunchtimes have been packed with Georgia Tech students and faculty, a downtown bohemian crowd and businesspeople. On two visits, management asked for patients as the kitchen struggled to fill orders in 30 minutes or less. (Go early in the day when you’re not in a hurry, and order immediately. The food, however, is better than ever, and the merry-prankster staff works hard to get it to you quickly. Our cornmeal-encrusted oyster po boy sandwich was a good standard rendition, but we were more impressed with the smokey-rouxed gumbo and an excellent bowl of salad greens and vegetables topped with fat grilled shrimp and a side of remoulade. 
 

Try some offbeat side orders such as fried okra nuggets (we couldn’t stop eating them) or “Cajun Toothpicks”: deep-fried, julienned jalapeno and onion. Red beans and rice were substantial and fortifying. If this is another sign of downtown’s rejuvenation, we’re all for it. It’s sure a lot more fun than this industrial strip’s fast-food joints. After all, even a cold-blooded reptile has a heart. 
 
 

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THE EARL

With its lurid candelabra, yard-sale art and urban artifacts, the Earl is the perfect gathering place for post-punk locals. The hard-partying crowd, ranging their late-20s to early-40s, knocks back paper-cup shots in between pints of Pabst Blue till the wee hours. Meanwhile, a serious small-time indie music scene flourishes in the back. The Earl boasts a great booking agent, a reliable sound system and a terrific lineup almost every night of the week. 

Preppie Virginia-Highland overflows, local rock scenesters and regular Joes all call this neighborhood bar their favorite hangout. The downstairs bar area and dining rooms offer an airy, yet smoky, environment for guzzling pitchers or devouring one of the kitchen's creations. The best room is in the building's south wing. 

There you'll find pool tables, dartboards, video games, pinball machines, a foosball table and an excellent jukebox, a veritable playground for inebriates. Smith's attic vies for the honor of Atlanta's best small music venue. It favors rock, folk and acoustic singer-songwriter acts; most are local or regional, but national talent on the fringe drops in every now and then for exclusive concerts.