Music Midtown 2001 – Saturday Afternoon

featuring Darling Machine, The Moto-Litas, Injected, and TreePhort

Atlanta, GA • May 5, 2001

James Mann

From the Banana Splits on acid to Iggy•

“tp”

“injected”

Saturday at Music Midtown started off with a rather surreal touch. After running the media center gauntlet, we ambled down to the locals stage only to be accosted by a dancing crocodile and men in dresses and tights. This would be TreePhort, an eclectic (to put it mildly) band of ska-punk playing loons. Looking like an act better suited for the kids stage, they bashed out witty, energetic material highlighted by a rousing “Why Do Fat Kids Love Metallica (And Skinny Pricks Like Green Day)?” Find these guys if you can – it’s a once in a lifetime experience.

Next up was a band that has “graduated” in the course of a year. Injected played the locals stage last year, but in 2001, with their debut CD (produced by The Marvelous 3’s Butch Walker) coming out on Island, they moved up to the big stage. Basic, no frills hard rock is their forte, and the crowd seemed to eat it up. Featuring a guitarist who looked, as June aptly mentioned, like a heavy metal Parker Posey, they rocked the early afternoon like it was midnight at a biker bar. With apparently an average age of about 12, these guys are gonna be around for awhile.

“ml”

I had heard good things about The Moto-Litas, and most of it proved to be true. With a mixture of pop-punk and a touch of surf twang, these four women (any of ‘em named Lita? Who knows?) gave it their all in the hot sun. While they remind you of The Donnas or Catfight! at times, they seem harder-edged than that, and with a few more shows under their belt, would probably give either of them a run for their money.

“dm”

The afternoon portion of Music Midtown ended with Darling Machine. In black leather and chains, they pumped out Iggy and the Stooges inspired rock with an enthusiasm that was commendable for early afternoon. Their love of rock and roll is evident, and the mixture of posturing and passion is exciting to see. Their cover of the Boss’s “I’m On Fire” was a nice touch, if you could imagine James Osterberg of Detroit on a Springsteen tribute album. Kudos to a band that probably lost ten percent of their body weight due to the heat and seemed ready for more.

Coming later• Lucinda Williams and Cheap Trick! ◼