Mike Deni and the band chose the name Geographer because they liked the metaphor of songs being the maps of emotional states. Seeing them live is like getting a first-hand tour of their lives and emotions, with the help of their maps (aka, albums). Suffice it to say, Deni is an outstanding tour guide. This is the Animal Shapes 15 Year Anniversary Tour. He says it’s interesting to sing these songs he wrote when he was so sad. Since then, he’s gone to therapy and gotten married and is in a much different emotional space. 

Deni has a fantastic voice. His smooth and compelling sound is especially apparent when he sings Kites, one of the crowd’s favorites.  He starts by recording the melody at a slow pace on a small synth.  Once it is recorded, he just presses one button repeatedly which plays the notes at the pace he hits the button.  It allows him to play the notes very quickly as he sings.  When the full band joins in, the whole audience begins dancing around.  It’s a great build that leads to a fantastic payoff. It’s also a special treat when he breaks out his saxophone. 

The band sounds a lot like Hot Chip and Cut Copy. They are all a mix of indie rock, dance music, and synth pop.  Their sound is created with an impressive list of instruments. Mike Deni is on vocals, guitar, keys, synth, saxophone, and cowbell. Alex DiDonato rocks the guitar and bass. Jules de Gasperis crushes it on drums. 

Geographer has found a second home in Atlanta and we believe them when they say they’ll be back soon!

See a similar recent setlist here. 

Quinn Delaney

“We are the Married Men,” says Scott Lucas. “Welcome to our annual reunion.” 

Midway into their set, they play “Hey, Rita” from their 2010 EP, The Absolute Beginners EP. This is originally a Local H song. It sounds great with the full 6-piece band.  

They close their 30 minute set with “There Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down” by Brother Claude Ely.  The original is an upbeat gospel song. The Married Men version is a dark and ominous song. It is quite a transformation.     

During their set, they didn’t take any breaks between songs. As soon as one ended, the drummer immediately started the beat for the next one. It was a whirlwind of just 30 minutes that left the audience wanting more. 

See our review of their Christmas show in 2014 here. 

See their similar setlist from last year here. 

Cost of a ticket: $25

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

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Quinn Delaney

Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band is from Brown County, Indiana, which is located just east of Bloomington. Their style of southern blues matches well with New Orleans.  They play with great energy and a strong stage presence. The band consists of Reverend Peyton on guitar, Washboard Breezy Peyton, and Jacob “The Snakob” Powell on drums. 

Midway into their set, Rev plays an axe that has 3 strings. It’s a great moment that looks and sounds awesome.  

At the end of the night, the band returns to the stage for Gaelic Storm’s encore. First, the lead singer says they are going to play an Irish song and they launch into “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver. Afterwards, the combo band plays one of Reverend Peyton’s songs. Lastly, they played an Irish song that had the entire crowd dancing along. It was a fantastic close to a great night of music.  

Cost of a ticket: $48

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Quinn Delaney

A Muslim family moves from Las Vegas to Colombus, Ohio after a tragedy. They do their best to fit in with the community and support each other. The father starts to become paranoid that someone has bugged the house and insists that they keep the lights off, which makes the house feel like a cave.  

This is a fantastic debut by the playwright, Sadieh Rifai (Assistant-Directed Turret). The first half is so funny and charming. The second half dives into heavier material, but it still has it’s lighter moments. It’s a great balance. 

It’s a very impressive cast size for such a small space at A Red Orchid Theatre. H. Adoni Esho is excellent as the father, who struggles with mental issues, like his father before him. Kirsten Fitzgerald (In Quietness,Swing State) is superb as the wife, who doesn’t understand the changes in her husband. Aaliyah Montana is outstanding as the older daughter, who is discovering her identity. Milla Liss is stellar as the younger daughter, who is forced to grow up quickly. 

Ashley Neal (Plano) is great as the friendly neighbor who is very concerned with the HOA rules. Guy Van Swearingen (Trouble in Mind, The Moors) is excellent as the uncle who recounts Vietnam war stories to the older daughter for a school project. Omer Abbas Salem is solid as the father’s friend who has some interesting ideas. John Judd (A View From the Bridge, and Natalie West (Revolution, Fulfillment Center) are absolutely hilarious as the grandparents still learning about Muslim culture. 

Get tickets now for The Cave through March 23rd!

Cost of a ticket: $55

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

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Quinn Delaney

Betrayal was written by Harold Pinter in 1978. It was first produced by the National Theatre in London that same year. A film version was released in 1983 starring Jeremy Irons, Patricia Hodge, and Ben Kingsley. A 2013 revival in New York starred Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, and Rafe Spall. And now it’s running at the Goodman Theatre. 

A woman has an affair with her husband’s best friend. The husband finds out, but not until many years later. The acts of the play take place in reverse chronological order, like the film Memento. 

Unfortunately, it never feels like there is any tension or climatic moment. With the events going backwards in time, the audience already knows what is going to happen. 

Ian Barford (Another Marriage, Linda Vista) is excellent as the husband, especially when he discovers the affair. Sean Leonard (The Gilded Age, House) is great as the best friend. Helen Hunt (Mad About You, As Good as It Gets) is solid as the woman, but her accent is a bit distracting. 

Cost of a ticket: $75

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Get tickets now for Betrayal through March 30th. 

Quinn Delaney

George Thorogood enters with a great stage presence. “I can’t believe it’s really me!” he says. It’s a great start to his fun and charming personality. 

Early on in their set, they play “Who Do You Love?” by Bo Diddley, which was on their 1978 album, Essential Recordings: One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer. They truly have made this song their own and it still sounds fantastic. 

Soon afterwards is “I Drink Alone” from their 1985 album, Maverick. The whole crowd is joyfully singing along: “Yeah, you know when I drink alone / I prefer to be by myself”. The guitar playing on this song is excellent as well. 

Next up is “One Bourbon, Once Scotch, One Beer” from their self-titled album in 1977. This song has such a great buildup which leads perfectly into the chorus. It’s a timeless classic. 

A bit later they play “Get A Haircut” from the 1993 album, Haircut. “Get a haircut and get a real job / Clean your act up and don’t be a slob!” This is another great one to sing along to, especially for those who don’t have a “real” job. 

At last, they play their mega hit, “Bad to the Bone” from the 1982 album of the same name. This song has over 262 million streams on Spotify. The riff on this song is legendary along with the iconic saxophone solo.  It’s also used on the soundtrack for over 80 films including Terminator 2, Problem Child, and Bull Durhum.  

Cost of a ticket: $70

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

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See the full setlist here. 

Quinn Delaney

Hedda Gabler was written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere took place in 1891 in Munich. Steppenwolf produced a version in 2001 starring Martha Plimpton.  A revival on Broadway opened in 2009 starring Mary-Louise Parker and Michael Cerveris. The National Theatre premiered a new version in 2016 starring Ruth Wilson and Rafe Spall. And now, The Artistic Home’s production is playing at The Den Theatre. 

Hedda Gabler is about a woman who is expected to follow the standard roles of wife and mother, but refuses. 

Ariana Lopez (Witch, Eurydice is excellent as Thea Elvsted, who does her best to express herself within the rules of society. Brookelyn Hébert is excellent as Hedda, who rebels against society’s wishes. Todd Wojcik (Witch, Dying For It) is hilarious as her husband, often misunderstanding her. John Mossman (The Pavilion), Dan Evashevski (Witch), Laura Coleman , and Lynne Baker (Beyond Therapy) are all very good in their suporting roles.  

See the program here. 

Cost of a ticket: $41

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Get tickets now for Hedda Gabler through March 30th!

Quinn Delaney

Fool for Love first premiered in 1983 with Ed Harris and Kathy Baker in the lead roles at Magic Theatre in San Francisco. Steppenwolf did a production in 1984 starring Randall Arney, William Petersen and Rondi Reed. A film version was released in 1985 starring Sam Shepard (the playwright), Kim Basinger, Harry Dean Stanton, and Randy Quaid. This play is more than worthy of a revisit. It’s a timeless story of love and betrayal. Eddie meets May at a motel after having not seen her for a while. She wants him to leave, but at the same time she can’t bear to see him go. The history of their relationship is revealed as they struggle to figure out their future.

Unfortunately, this production is much tamer than others have been in the past. The emotional level feels much lower and the chemistry between the main characters is missing.

However, Caroline Neff’s performance of May is pretty good. It’s a roller coaster of a ride for her character. Nick Gehlfuss plays Eddie, the ex-boyfriend, who struggles to figure out what May wants. 

Tim Hopper as The Old Man is a quiet presence. His role is very much a supporting one in this production. Lastly, Cliff Chamberlain plays Martin, May’s new suitor, on point. He is thrown into this crazy situation with very little idea what is happening. He represents the audience searching for answers.

Cost of a ticket: $68 (Main Level Rear)

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Get tickets now for Fool for Love through March 23rd.

Quinn Delaney

Two students meet at school in the United Kingdom. They come from very different lives at home, but they are drawn to each other. Wesley Guimaraes is great as the calm and sweet one looking for a loving relationship. Jack Lancaster is excellent as the wild and violent one who doesn’t really understand his feelings or know what he’s looking for. Because of this, their relationship is volatile.

Sophie Swithinbank has written a very intense play that balances humor and darkness very well. In the very toxic high school relationship, the characters are two very different people trying to form a connection. It’s not an easy play to watch, but it is a powerful one. 

See the program here. 

Cost of a ticket: $48

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It –

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Get tickets now for Bacon through March 30th!

Quinn Delaney

A new couple decide to go on a double date. They met via the Jewish dating app, J-date. They both bring their friends who have just recently got out of long term relationships. None of them are looking for something serious, but things get serious despite their best efforts. 

Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham have written a very funny and charming musical about looking for love in NYC. The songs are fantastic and similar in style to the music in Rent. Instead of being all singing, there is a great amount of dialog which set up the songs nicely.  

Troy Dailey is great as the nerdy guy who struggles to get over his ex. Colin Huerta is so funny as his brother who teaches him that the best way to win her back is to not care. Cassandra Caruso is so good as the gal getting out of relationship and just looking for a fun rebound. Lauren Josephs is solid as her best friend, who does her best to stay in the friends with benefits zone. Renee Cohen and Ellie Rodriguez are excellent as the bartenders who clearly see what is going on among the couples. 

Cost of a ticket: $42

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

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Get tickets now for I Love You Because through March 16th! 

Quinn Delaney