LA-based Drugdealer came to Atlanta for the first time on Monday at The EARL behind their stellar sophomore album Raw Honey, released in April via Mexican Summer.
Opening up the show was another band out of Los Angeles, Maraschino. Maraschino are newcomers to the scene, having only officially released one song into the world so far, “True Lover“. But if their live performance at The EARL was any indication, this is a band to watch out for. The six piece band led by frontwoman Piper Durabo (formerly of Puro Instinct) showed off a danceable brand of pop with a myriad of influences shown throughout their set. Maraschino’s disco pop has a bubblegum sheen, but dark undertones still lurk beneath as they meshed influences with everything from punk to power pop to glam rock during the set that even included finely placed flute solos from Courtney Conrad Garvin (aka Toucan). The set itself was overall short, but still they got the crowd moving early with the band showing off a lot of chemistry onstage together, having the time of their lives. An energy that fed straight into the crowd.
Drugdealer came on not long after Maraschino ended, they turned down the lights and brought it old school with a slightly different pace. The project of Michael Collins, Drugdealer has their own brand of weirdo pop, though they lean more towards the retro rock of the early 70’s Laurel Canyon psych pop. Collins and his band of top notch collaborators (which also includes Weyes Blood on Raw Honey), put on one of the shows of the summer here in Atlanta. The sensational melodies and a multitude of soundscapes will bring you back to a different era of music, yet it all feels so right here in 2019. The big band brought the record alive here at The EARL which included a rousing rendition of the single “Fools”, and a set that also included at least 3 new songs from the band. Despite that fact that Raw Honey is only a few months old, the new songs Drugdealer played already had the Atlanta crowd ready for the next album.
What’s so amazing about it all is when you hear Collins’ backstory, how he had never played an instrument until he started experimenting with abstract samples in 2009 after traveling the US on freight trains. Eventually Collins decided to teach himself how to write the “traditional” song, but looking at it from the listeners perspective as opposed to a musician. That led to Collins immersing himself in the LA scene, hanging out and collaborating with weirdo pop icons like Ariel Pink and exploring music from the heyday of Laurel Canyon before releasing the first Drugdealer album in 2016. Now Collins is literally writing great songs between tour stops that could have been hits in the 70’s, or today.
While Collins is the driving force behind Drugdealer, the talented cast of surrounding collaborators is what brings Collins’ vision alive, including sharing lead vocals with Sasha Winn. There was a lot of camaraderie with the members of the band, who obviously love playing these songs with Michael Collins. The set included lots of funny banter from the man himself, and a ton of smiles from the other members. And when it comes to the music itself, well there wasn’t a soul in the backroom of The EARL that wasn’t completely engulfed in Drugdealer’s lush arrangements and hypnotic melodies. What a show. Come back soon.
Check out photos from the show by Mike Gerry below:
Maraschino
Drugdealer
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UPCOMING DRUGDEALER TOUR DATES
SAT 7/20/2019 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, New York
SUN 7/21/2019 Club Cafe Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
MON 7/22/2019 El Club Detroit, Michigan
TUE 7/23/2019 Sleeping Village Chicago, Illinois
WED 7/24/2019 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, Minnesota
FRI 7/26/2019 Real Love Fest Teulon, Manitoba, Canada Real Love Fest
SAT 7/27/2019 The Palomino Calgary, Alberta, Canada
MON 7/29/2019 The Sunset Seattle, Washington
TUE 7/30/2019 The Fox Cabaret Vancouver, British Columbia
WED 7/31/2019 Mississippi Studios Portland, Oregon
FRI 8/2/2019 The Independent San Francisco, California
SAT 8/3/2019 Bootleg HiFi Los Angeles, California
SUN 8/4/2019 Pappy and Harriets Pioneertown, California
