A Town Press

It’s the time of year for basketball mayhem and new music. Here’s some more of what’s around the corner as far as music (you’re going to have to fill out your own bracket) Free Energy from their debut LP of the same name on DFA Records (March 9) Listen: Free Energy – Hope Child The Drive-By Truckers [...]

Paint A Picture is a series that asks musicians, painters, graphic designers, local film directors, and other artistic individuals what external factors influence their art. It’s rooted in the concept that we, as musicians and artists, are not just driven by what we see in our own internal communities, everything in the creative world influences us.

My second guest on Paint A Picture is my friend Rod Hamdallah. Rod and I were both members of the notorious skate crew FTS in high school. I recall both of us staying out late for hours at time and literally skating miles around the city and suburbs with FTS. In addition to our love for skateboarding, Rod and I were both music junkies. He was more of punk rocker at the time and I was a reformed metalhead in the middle of a bizarre hipster metamorphosis.

Since then Rod has gone on to start a couple rockabilly/soul-oriented music groups and has followed his dreams. He has not allowed any of his fears to paralyze his actions and he’s one of the most driven people that I know. I wanted to talk with him about skating and briefly discuss how it impacted his life.

When did you first start skating and why?

I first started at the age of eleven. My neighbor in Clifton, NJ was trying to skate so I thought I’d give it a try.

Is your music influenced by your experiences as a skater?

When I first started playing music, it was punk rock. It was already kind of a part of the scene and sub-culture that surrounds skateboarding. Today my music has that skater attitude, which I like and thrive off of. It shares that same energy and dynamic feeling, the same feeling that I get when skating.

Overall, how has skating impacted your life?

It has impacted my life in many ways like, attitude mostly – if you don’t get it right the first time, don’t stop and keep going (like if you fall off your board and have to get up and try something again). It’s implicitly taught me about perseverance and dedication and I am very grateful for that.

Rod Hamdallah will be performing at the Earl on March 3. For more information, click here

Wednesday, March 3

Rod Hamdallah, Austin Lucas & the Choir @ the Earl

Emancipator, Heyoka, AV8R @ New Earth Music Hall

Pink Floyd Experience @ Variety Playhouse

Thursday, March 4

Chicken & Whiskey, Eskimo Fuck Party @ Club 529

Boys and Girls Club of Athens present: Nappy Roots @ 40 Watt

Saturday, March 6

Butch Walker & the Black Widows @ 40 Watt

Tuesday, March 9

Soulfly, Prong @ the Loft

Saturday, March 13

Portugal. The Man, Port O’ Brien, The Dig @ the Earl

Monday, March 15

Josh Yoder of the Jungol @ the 5 Spot

AIR, A.M @ Center Stage

These Are Powers, Lemonade, MNDR @ 529

Thursday, March 18

The Mercury Program, Fin Fang Foam, Nigredo @ the Earl

Saturday, March 20

Untied States, Wizard Smoke, Vincas @ Caledonia Lounge

Tea Leaf Green @ Variety Playhouse

Sunday, March 21

Torche, Irreversible, Wizard Smoke @ the Earl

Monday, March 22

Sunglasses, Giant Lion, Living Rooms (free show) @ 529

Wednesday, March 24

Dillinger Escape Plan, Darkest Hour, I Wrestled a Bear Once, and Animals and Leaders @ the Masquerade

Friday, March 26

Young Widows, My Disco, Phantom Family Halo @ 529

Saturday, March 27

King Khan and the Shrines, the Fresh & Onlys, GG King @ The Earl

Pnuma Trio, Break Science @ New Earth Music Hall

Monday, March 29

Tight Bros Presents: GZA @ the Masquerade

Molotov Pipedream, Joshua Loner, Spirits of the Red Sky @ WonderRoot

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The problem may be that we just don’t have a filter… Here’s another quick post that doesn’t really fit but we actually watched the video all the way through so that must be worth something. Maybe it was just watching the declining cash account at the bottom (sort of like a train wreck) [...]