Night sounds: Catch a stellar show Saturday with The Stellas

By Debby Jet Jennings - Special to The Herald

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The Stellas’ streak of musical milestones checks off another goal as the band officially celebrates the release of its debut EP Saturday at The Evening Muse in Charlotte. “Cry Baby Cry,” a seven-song album, was produced by Joe Kuhlmann (Transmission Fields, The Houston Brothers, The Near Misses) and released in mid-August.

The Stellas features Adam Middleton, vocals/guitar; Jacob Worden, drums; Josh Knight, bass guitar; and Shaun McFall, guitarist. For a band still a few months shy of its first anniversary, the guys have racked up an impressive list of radio airplay, TV guest spots, in-store appearances and live shows around the region. Driving this frenzy/flurry of activities is a powerful pop rock punch fueled by a mix of ’60s British invasion strut, ’90s alternative sass a la Weezer and Nirvana and the group’s own melodic magic that manifests itself in hook-filled, infectious, engagingly catchy and clever tunes. Chart a course into the celestial sphere of The Stellas on Saturday at The Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St.. The night also includes The Gee Bees (aka the local Garrigan Brothers) and The Swear from Atlanta. For show details, call (704) 906-3112 or check eveningmuse.com. Find band info at myspace.com/ thestellasband.

Load up, step right this way to Abbey Road. The Beatles’ tribute group Abbey Road Live! brings its Magical Mystery Tour 40th anniversary show to The Visulite Theatre tonight, offering a unique opportunity to experience the music of this classic album “with horns and strings.” Hum along to “Fool on The Hill,”“I Am The Walrus,”“Hello Goodbye,” “Strawberry Fields” and “Penny Lane.”

What began as a tribute to the Fab Four’s epic “Abbey Road” album, this band of four all-star musicians from the infamous Athens, Ga., music scene (R.E.M., Widespread Panic, and B-52s) expanded its repertoire to include more than a hundred Beatles tunes. For more on the show or The Visulite Theater, 1615 Elizabeth Avenue, Charlotte, call (704) 358-9200 or go to visulite.com. Get band details at abbeyroadlive.com.

There’s something for every age and interest for a fine lineup of live musical maneuvers for this first of fall weekend. Check this list of happening to keep the fun flowing:

• Tonight: Simplified at Hooper’s in Rock Hill; ’80s Night at The Long Branch Saloon, Rock Hill; Smilin’ Dogs at McHale’s on Main, Rock Hill; Catawba City Music Series with Bill Noonan Band and Black Bottom Biscuits at Sylvia Theatre, York; Square Roots at Steve and Kelly’s Grill House, Tega Cay; Sunny Ledfurd with Ziggy Pockets and Piedmont Boys at Amos’ Southend, Charlotte; AntiSeen Pre-Anniversary Bash with Mad Brother Ward, Hammerlock, The Flat Tires, Biggy Stardust and Thomas O'Keefe at Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte; Shuffle Music Showcase at The Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte; Jeremy Current and The Hardy Boys at Snug Harbor, Charlotte; Abbey Road Live-Magical Mystery Tour 40th Anniversary at The Visulite Theatre, Charlotte; Roadside Attraction at Puckett’s Farm Equipment, Charlotte; CattleTruck, The Turnstiles and Wiggle Wagons at The Double Door Inn, Charlotte; Shameless James with Two Corpse Garage (last show) at The Milestone Club, Charlotte; Eileen Jewell, Cory Branan and Dylan Sneed at The Evening Muse, Charlotte; Bucky Covington at Coyote Joe’s, Charlotte; Actual Proof at The Pewter Rose, Charlotte; Tuesday’s Gone at The Double Door Inn at The Lake, Cornelius, N.C.; and Willy Evans Trio at Rodi’s, Gastonia, N.C.

• Saturday: Joe Hamilton at Scandal’s, Rock Hill; Deebs and Dabs at McHale’s on Main, Rock Hill; The Noises 10 CD release with The Old Ceremony at The Visulite Theatre, Charlotte; The Stellas CD release at The Evening Muse, Charlotte; Return of the Bats at Charlotte Underground, Charlotte; Little Brother with Inflowential at Amos’ Southend, Charlotte; George A Romero's Film Revolution at The Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte; Zelazowa and Hardcore Lounge at Snug Harbor, Charlotte; release at The Double Door Inn, Charlotte; The Logic at The Double Door Inn at The Lake, Cornelius, N.C.; The Detour Band at Puckett’s Farm Equipment, Charlotte; AntiSeen 25th Anniversary Show with Polecat Boogie Revival and Joe Buck Yourself at Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte; Lindy Dobbins at T-Bones, Lake Wylie; and Martha's Trouble at Rodi’s, Gastonia, N.C.

• Sunday: Charles Hairston Benefit at The Double Door Inn, Charlotte; Gorilla Productions Battle of the Bands at Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte; Flogging Molly at Amos’ Southend, Charlotte; Gift Horse, Sleepy Horses and Transmission Fields at Snug Harbor, Charlotte; and Greensky Bluegrass with Packway Handle Band at The Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte.

• Monday: Find Your Muse Open Mic at The Evening Muse, Charlotte; The Monday Night All Stars at The Double Door Inn, Charlotte; and These Are Powers (Ex-Liars) with Ultimate Optimist at The Milestone Club, Charlotte,

• Tuesday: The Mighty Orq at The Double Door Inn, Charlotte.

• Wednesday: Pen 15 and South Side Punx at Snug Harbor, Charlotte; Kevin Mattingly and Friends at Puckett’s Farm Equipment, Charlotte; Powerhouse at The Double Door Inn, Charlotte; Nightwish and Sonata Arctica at Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte; Rahim at The Milestone Club, Charlotte; and Crown Town Showdown at The Evening Muse, Charlotte.

• Thursday: Donny Honeycutt at McHale’s on Main, Rock Hill; Josh Roberts and The Hinges, Villanova and Owen Beverly at The Visulite Theatre, Charlotte; Iced Earth with Saviours and Into Eternity at Amos’ Southend, Charlotte; Brandon Kirkley and The Firecrackers and Waiting for Wednesday at Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte; Open Mic with Dale at Puckett’s Farm Equipment, Charlotte; Pinback with Kylesa at The Neighborhood Theatreer, Charlotte; Bill Hanna Jazz Jam at The Double Door Inn, Charlotte; Alan Barrington at The Evening Muse, Charlotte; and Amy Broome at Rodi’s, Gastonia, N.C.

And that was “‘all she wrote.”

E-mail to jetstar413@aol.com; send materials/press kits/photos/CDs to POB 13, Catawba, SC 29704; and get more info at myspace.com/jetrockmedia.