ATLRetro

By Angelica Bakhsh
Contributing Blogger

This Friday night (Sept. 16) at Wild Bill’s in Duluth, Skid Row will take to the stage just as they have for the last 25 years. In spite of several line-up changes, Rachel Bolan, Dave “Snake” Sabo and Scotti Hill have hung in strong. These three, along with singer of 12 years Johnny Solinger and their new-ish drummer, Rob Hammersmith, will no doubt rock our faces just as hard, if not harder, than we have come to expect. I hear the guys plan to play a set of songs from each of their albums, so you will get to experience all of your favorites from the span of their five full-length releases. This is no doubt a perfect show for long-time and new fans alike.

Left to Right: Hill, Bolan, Solinger, Hammersmith, Sabo. Photo credit: Fran Strine.

Bassist Rachel Bolan says we are in for a few surprises. The guys will be sharing the stage with local favorites Bigfoot which happens to include Jimmy Write. Jimmy, one of Atlanta’s finest guitar players, is in Rachel’s and Rob’s other band The Quazimotors. I’m crossing my fingers that this means we may get to hear a few of those songs. Dangerous New Machine are also playing in the opening slot.

Seeing Skid Row play at Wild Bill’s is always worth the trek. The crowd there is really into the music and it shows. When people drive to see a band in Duluth, they go because they want to, not because it’s convenient. There is something extra nice about seeing a band you love with likeminded people. No one acts as if they are too cool to be there, as tends to happen often here inside the perimeter and that’s refreshing. Rachel and Rob are both Atlanta residents, so you also get that feeling of hometown love from the fans. Top that with this being a make-up show from a cancelled date this last June and you know the event will be nothing short of kick-ass.

At press time, tickets were still available. Buy them here.

Photo credit: Jayne Cormier.

Today many people make fun of music in the Eighties when pop stars sported ultra-teased mullets, super-wide shoulderpads, leg warmers and cut sweatshirts. Coming after the hard edge of punk, the sugary exuberance of Top of the Pops UK bands today seems quaint and something we sometimes like to forget we actually thought was rebellious at the time. Yet it’s easy to forget that for a lot of the ‘80s, only handful of Brit hits makers made the US Top 40, like Flock of Haircuts—excuse me Seagulls—, The Police, Human League, Soft Cell and Tears for Fears before John Hughes movies made at least one song by Simple Minds and a de-angrified Psychedelic Furs temporarily cool.

On the other hand, our charts were loaded with big-haired hard rock and metal bands from Van Halen to Bon Jovi, Cinderella to Motley Crue. Michael Jackson was the King of Pop. Billy Ocean crooned “Caribbean Queen,” Rick James undulated to “Super Freak,” Huey Lewis claimed the “Heart of Rock n Roll, Prince spawned an fleet of protégées, and Madonna seemed to spawn an entire genre to herself.

While many cover bands play ‘80s music, Atlanta’s Denim Arcade tries to capture both the decade’s sense of fun and unique sound using similar equipment from guitars to keyboards—the signature instrument of synth pop. Made up of seasoned musicians out to have some fun, Denim Arcade includes Wade Finch (lead and rhythm guitar) and John Christopher (bass), who first played together in the alternative band Noise Dot Com; Andy Womack, who has drummed in a wide variety of bands for more than 20 years including Atlanta-based Renaissance Festival phenomenon, The Lost Boys; and lead vocalist Becky Cormier Finch, best known for Three Quarter Ale, a fast-growing popular Celtic rock band that was a finalist recently on the GEORGIA  LOTTERY’S ALL-ACCESS MUSIC SEARCH show.

ATLRetro caught up with Becky to find out why these talented musicians decided to go back to the Eighties, what to expect at their next show this Saturday starting at 10 PM at @tmosphere, and what’s up next for Three Quarter Ale.

I understand Denim Arcade actually grew out of another ‘80s cover band called Great Scott. How did the band get started and get its name?

Both bands got started because of friends with a shared love of ‘80s music and a love of performing. “Great Scott,” of course, is Doc Brown’s signature phrase in BACK TO THE FUTURE. We had a line-up change, and decided that with a female lead singer, “Great Scott” didn’t really fit. No one in the band is named Scott, anyway! I believe a group of friends was at Manuel’s Tavern, having a conversation about quintessential ‘80s things, and my friend Bettina just blurted out “Denim Arcade” and it stuck!

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