The Pleasantdales

Smith’s Olde Bar, Atlanta, GA • March 5, 2000

Roi J. Tamkin

Can Atlanta be a rock and roll town? Will Atlanta support rock and roll bands? 9 Lives Saloon and Whiskey Rock Saloon, ( Which has since burned down- ed ) two new music venues, are banking on it. The Pleasantdales are counting on it.

Rising above the fray of Atlanta pop/rock bands, the Pleasantdales have been pumping out dynamic melodies and electric riffs across the Southeast, getting radio airplay from Nashville to Charlotte, Myrtle Beach to Tampa. If any Atlanta rock band is poised to break out, it is the Pleasantdales. The band has cut back on touring to concentrate on recording new material for their forthcoming third CD, but when the mother of booking agent Christy Morgan died in a car accident, the boys came out to play for the benefit concert. Seven bands in all played Smith’s, with proceeds going to Creative Circus. Among them was Spanking Catherine, playing some high energy guitar-oriented rock that pulled in a good crowd and kept them in their chairs.

When the Pleasantdales took the stage, the crowd made their way to the front of the stage, making the place look like a real rock and roll concert. The four opened with “Freak Show,” a fairly new song, and followed up with a newer song entitled “Together” that will hopefully make the cut for the new CD. The new songs see bassist Jeff Little stepping out of the corners and singing backup along with hyper-lead guitarist J.J. Singer/guitarist Mike Schmeelk kept the crowd dancing and playing air guitar with songs from their last CD, Pretty Scars . For “5 if not Sooner,” they slowed down the tempo. Drummer Jeremy Truitt explained this was done deliberately for the guys to catch their breath before breaking into another high voltage song.

They closed the set with Billy Joel’s “You May Be Right (I May Be Crazy).” Crazy or not, these guys are ready to prove Atlanta can be home to rock and roll. Catch them before they leave at http://www.pleasantdales.com. ◼