Help us celebrate our 4 years in New Orleans at Handsome Willy’s with NOLA Rising, DJ sets by AG writers, cheap food and drink and, above all else, cake. We’ll go from 7pm ’til around 10 or so!

An Evening Of Soul On Film, The Big Top, 7pm; myspace.com/djsoulsis. DJ Soul Sister screens two of her favorite documentaries in “An Evening of Soul on Film” to raise money for The New Orleans Women’s Health Clinic. The first documentary is Wattstax, directed by Mel Stewart. Wattstax, sponsored by southern soul record company Stax, has long been known as the “Black Woodstock,” and in 1972 they the “black-is-beautiful” outlook of African-American culture was captured. This film features such greats as Isaac Hayes, Rufus and Carla Thomas, and even acts by Richard Prior. To celebrate the 14th anniversary of Ghana’s independence, the second film of this series, Soul to Soul, brings pop stars from all around the United States to Africa to play a fourteen-hour concert, where over 100,000 Ghanaians attended. Carlos Santana, Roberta Flack, Wilson Pickett, and many Ghanaian faces light up the screen in this documentary. —Christopher Woods

Mudhoney, Birds of Avalon, One Eyed Jacks, 10pm, $18. Any elitist worth his/her flannel will most likely have something to say about pioneer grunge band Mudhoney’s new album, The Lucky Ones. These Seattle natives were the ones that Kurt Cobain cited as an inspiration but then they totally, like, sold out in 1992 when they went to Reprise Records. They went back to Sub Pop in 2002 but released Since We’ve Become Translucent, which was so commercial and had nowhere near the raw power of Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge. Under A Billion Suns came out four years later and had a more progressive rock sound. Some critics applaud Mudhoney for growing, others say the band has simply sold out and is washed up. Whatever their opinions are of Mudhoney’s recorded music, skeptic and elitist alike are still itching for the show. What would it be like? Will they stick to their new, prog rock-style stuff? Will they play “Touch Me, I’m Sick?” Whether you’re praying for disappointment so you could tell everybody that you called it or secretly hoping the show will make you feel like you’re sixteen again, this show is worth checking out because, you know, it’s, like, Mudhoney! —Caroline DeBruhl, Photo by Shawn Brackbill

Check out the process behind our 4-Year anniversary cover by Caesar Meadows!

I’m a fan of “process” commentaries, where people go through the steps of how a project evolved into the finished product. Our June cover is a celebration for AG’s 4th anniversary and is drawn by Qomix artist Caesar Meadows, so I thought I’d post some of his sketches how the ideas evolved into the actual cover. (more…)

When I saw David Lynch’s Lost Highway for the first time, I drove myself nuts trying to understand the film’s every twist and turn. I instead should’ve sat back and absorbed the experience, waiting till later to ask the whys and the whos and the “why did that house just implode?”

It’s best to use the same approach for local rock group Good Guys and their new first full length, The Social Engagement. Like Lynch, they specialize in dark, strange, abstract and schizophrenic works of art that don’t ask the consumer to entirely understand their madness. One second its doo-wop, the next Tropicália, the next Mike Patton-inspired avant-metal, and the next a lullaby. Fans of film scores and classical music, Good Guys thankfully always come back to a recognizable common ground in their songs, similar to how Tool has approached their last two albums.

Formed in 2004, Good Guys are led by vocalist, melodica and theremin player Jeremy Johnson and vocalist, guitarist and pianist Tom McLaughlin and rounded out by synthesizer player and trumpeter Greg Beaman, drummer Kyle Sharimataro and bassist Greg Smith.

The Social Engagement is more mature and thought-out than the band’s previous two EPs. Simply, it sounds like they killed themselves working out the absolute best arrangements. Produced by Mike Napolitano and augmented by Mike Dillon and Skerik, the album becomes better the more you listen to it. It’s a hard-worked triumph, to be sure. ANTIGRAVITY sat down with Johnson and McLaughlin at Mojo Coffehouse, just as a cop was about to mow over a pedestrian at Race and Magazine, to talk about Ennio Morricone, Kathleen Turner and, of course, their music. (more…)

The June issue of ANTIGRAVITY is starting to hit the streets! We have a special cover celebrating our 4-year anniversary with several local characters from our history drawn by Caesar Meadows. Coverage includes local artists Good Guys and Robin Boudreaux and we have two artist-on-artist chats: one with Ballzack talking to local cult icon Biff Rose and the other with The Junior League’s Joe Adragna and Sloan’s Jay Ferguson. Plus, coverage of Worn Again II, why Chris Paul should’ve been the NBA’s MVP, previews of Settly, Zydepunks, Mudhoney and others, reviews of Indiana Jones, the new Nine Inch Nails, The National’s DVD, our statement on The Gray Ghost vs. NOLA Rising, the last Rock & Roll Confessional, and way, way more.

Don’t forget to check out our 4-year anniversary party on Saturday, June 21st over at Handsome Willy’s. It’s free and the festivities begin at 7pm—come see us before you go out for the night!

Download the issue here or pick it up soon at an eatery/coffeeshop/hedonistic place of fancy near you!

June content (and some exclusive stuff–whoah) will start to hit the blog on Monday, so keep an eye out!