Keeping an ear out for new music?

There’s usually something interesting going on in the Georgia music scene. After all, this is the home state of rock ‘n’ roll originals James Brown, Ray Charles and Little Richard. And we Georgians are damn proud of our B-52’s and Pylon … Johnny Mercer and Jessye Norman … Gram Parsons and Otis Redding ... Widespread Panic and The Allman Brothers … Gladys Knight and Curtis Mayfield ... Vic Chesnutt and Magnapop … Neutral Milk Hotel and Elf Power. Even Elton John lives here part of the time.

And, of course, the greatest band of all time … R.E.M.

My cousin Jamey just turned me on to Corey Smith, a talented singer-songwriter from Jefferson — and a social studies teacher in Gwinnett County. It would be easy to lump him in the Shawn Mullins/John Mayer category, but he has an original voice. Corey’s music is perfect for this time of year, while you’re zoning on the deck after a long day at work, looking at the azaleas and sipping on a beer. Check out his site to sample some of his songs; "Dahlonega" is my favorite. (Damn, Jamey, we missed him tonight at Wild Wing Café!)

On the other end of the local music spectrum is Charlie Hustle. The band is brilliant, and it has a really hot lead guitarist (who also happens to be my friend Paul’s brother). Charlie Hustle (guitarist Ben is from Cincinnati, after all) is what I’d call hardcore alternative. Now, I'm not a huge fan of hardcore; much of it sort of bores me. But Charlie Hustle is great. I love the singer's voice, and the music is amazing. I like all of the tunes on their site and listen to them a few times a week. Charlie Hustle is definitely worth the click to MySpace. They recently tore the roof off The Darkside, so you should keep an eye out for their next appearance.

What are you listening to these days? I’m always looking for a new MP3 to download … so drop some suggestions in the Comments section.

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