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Upcoming Show: Folklore is the Village Green Preservation Society (40 Watt, July 22)

I have to admit that I had never heard of the local band Folklore before the last AthFest, but that's what AthFest is for, right? Folklore's appearance at AthFest was billed as their last show, and instead of playing their own songs (and in a move that strikes me as so cool I can hardly put my feelings into words), they decided to cover The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society in its entirety, or as happened, as much as they could in the limited time they had playing the side stage at the Georgia Theater. The show was great, and on the way out the door, I mentioned to Jimmy Hughes (unsolicited; not that I know him) that they should play one more show and perform the entire album. Turns out he listened to me, and Folklore is performing the album this Tuesday (July 22) at the 40 Watt. (I'll take full credit for this, of course. Send thanks you's to my PayPal account.)

The Kinks seem to be the single classic rock/British Invasion band that every indie kid can agree on, and Village Green Preservation Society is arguably their masterpiece, although any Kinks album before 1970 could probably fit the bill just as easily. It was a strange album in its day, and it continues to be. Released in 1968 in the midst of psychedelia, the album is a look backward at the traditional village life that was coming to an end in postwar England. It was created to be a nostalgic album, and coming to it today, a listener is in the odd position of being nostalgic for an album that's nostalgic about a way of life we've never experienced. Despite all this, it works. The album is a tour de force of Ray Davies' songwriting talents. The songs work well on their own, and it's a "concept" album without the excess usually evident in this genre.

At the AthFest show, it was a blast to be in a crowd who obviously had as much love for this album as the band did, and as I did. Giving the band time to do the whole album should only make this upcoming show even better. It's a one-time event (or so they say), so don't miss it.

Folklore (Performing The Kinks' Are the Village Green Preservation Society) with Ham1 and Future Ape Tapes at the 40 Watt. Tuesday, July 22. $4/$6 under 21. Doors open at 9PM.