Music In Atlanta
As the new cultural capital of the South in the United States of America, Atlanta is a thriving centre for music and musicians. It is also the capital and economic hub of Georgia, and its most populous city. The New York Times, in 2009, called the city "hip-hop's centre of gravity." Despite this, the city is home to several forms of art and has been the epicentre of many great moments in the history of music. The city sees a large number of immigrants from all over the world, this has resulted in a very diverse population with a diverse culture and ethnic music and ways. This diverse population has ended up creating an amalgamated culture that has twisted and shaped the music scene of Atlanta in a very unique, and yet natural manner. Each year the city hosts world-class talents in its various music festivals like the Shaky Knees Fest in May, Sea Water 420 in April, The Atlanta Jazz Festival on Memorial Day Weekend in Piedmont Park, Candler Park Music and Food Festival in June and many more. The Music Midtown fest is one of the country's largest music festivals. It draws fans from all over the world to Atlanta in September every year. It is held in Piedmont Park.
Experiencing Atlanta Through The Music
Atlanta is its music, and the music of Atlanta is what it is all about. Confusing, isn't it? Well, it's true once one understands this. The only way one can truly understand this is by experiencing Atlanta through its music. Home to many genres of music, Atlanta is one of the most visited places solely for its music and art. From around 1920s to the late 1950s, Atlanta was a centre of country music. By around 1980s, Atlanta's music scene was dominated by hip-hop. The city has been the inspiration and home to many great artists like Childish Gambino, CeeLo Green, Kanye West, Future, Usher, Ludacris and many more. In the late 1990s and 2000s, producer Lil Jon spearheaded the party-style music that came to be known as crunk. With the rise of the Dirty South style of hip-hop, the Apache Cafe soon became a centre-point in the development of the neo-soul style. Playing host to rap and R&B legends like Jermaine Dupree, Ludacris, Usher and many more, Atlanta became a hotbed for this type of music.
Despite all the mainstream hip-hop, Atlanta is also very serious about its indie music scene. Mastodon, Black Lips and a dozen other indie artists have grown in the cultural shade of Atlanta. Of course what helps all these musicians, regardless of their genre, are the 300-plus recording studios across Atlanta and a large number of venues available for live performances.
Atlanta Live Music Venues
Not only does Atlanta produce great music, it puts a great performance of it too. At any given day or night, tonnes of venues across Atlanta are booked for some band or singer of this genre or the other. For those wanting to sample the new talent, there is Eddie's Attic for breakout talents. All promising youngsters and newbies perform there. The Earl is a great option for indie lovers. It is a no-frills dive bar and music venue famous for its alternative sets. The Northside Tavern will cure your cravings of the blues. Blind Willie's will entertain you with some great Jazz. There is also the Tabernacle, another of Atlanta's icons. It used to be a church that has been turned into a music venue. Of course, there is also great country music in Atlanta, after all, it is home to some of the greats like Alan Jackson, Sugarland, Kenny Rogers and Ray Stevens. One might be able to catch them at the Verizon Amphitheater.
