Well That's Cool

In celebration of the 200th episode of Well That’s Cool, we are giving you a chance to win a pair of tickets to The Tuscaloosa Get Up!

Were you planning on coming but you are low on funds? Don’t like ordering things on the internet? Or are you  just lazy, live out of town and/or all the on-line tickets are sold out? Never fear… We have you covered. It just takes is a little work on your part and you just might win tickets!

All you have to do is write a three paragraph essay on any topic you choose. Any topic! These essays will be read by our very own grammatoligist Eric St. Clair and resident elementary school teacher Matt King Smith. The judges will choose a winner based on whatever criteria they choose.

Judges St. Clair and Smith can not be be bought but that should not stop you from trying!

The winner of the essay contest will not only win a pair of tickets to the Tuscaloosa Get Up; they will have their essay read on next week’s podcast and posted to wellthatscool.com. As if that was not motivation enough, the night of the show you will also have a chance to take a picture with the judges (you just might get a beer outta this too!).

The contest deadline is Wednesday Feb. 22 at noon. E-mail all entries to wellthatscool200thepisode@gmail.com

Need some help coming up with a topic? We made a list to help you jump start ideas!
Anteaters
BEER
Cat Videos
Didgeridoos
Eric St. Clair
Freedom (AMERICA! Fuck Yeah)
German Engineering
Hewlett Packard
Indigo Girls
The word Janky
Kelly Lebrock
Lake Titicaca
MOXIE!
Noaa Weather Service
Oak City Barber Shop
Pudding Pops
Q-bert
Race Cars
Steve Holt
Travelocity Gnome
Uranus
vuvuzela
Wankers
Xylophones

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In honor of our big announcement about the Tuscaloosa Get UP, we have opened up the Wellthatscool.com Vault (combination 21-0) and are giving you a never before seen Alabama Shakes video. We hope you enjoy another video of The Shakes playing at the Well That’s Cool World Wide HQ!

Also don’t forget about the late night TV debut of the Alabama Shakes, Feb. 7th. on Conan!

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A few days after the April 27th tornado, we called our friend Elliot McPherson of the Dexateens with the idea of trying to organize a benefit  show to help in the recovery. It was decided that any sort of concert should be put on hold and the help the city needed most at that time was definitely more hands on. So with the one year anniversary approaching, we would like to announce the “Tuscaloosa Get UP”

The Tuscaloosa Get Up will take place at the Bama Theatre in downtown Tuscaloosa on Friday March 23rd at 8pm. The event is a partnership between us, the Tuscaloosa Arts Council and Tuscaloosa’s own Dexateens. It will showcase the music of the Alabama Shakes, The Dexateens and Lee III and the Glory Fires.  The event is all ages and will be $15 for general admission with a limited amount of VIP tickets for $50. The VIP tickets will entitle attendees to early entry to a preparty at the Bama featuring light food, free local beer and limited edition poster and a short acoustic set from the some of the bands.

This event is a fundraiser for Tuscaloosa Habitat for Humanity. All proceeds from the event will go towards our goal of rebuilding a whole house for a family that lost theirs during the storm. We want to harness the power of music to help heal Tuscaloosa.

General admission and VIP tickets are available here

If you can’t make it but still want to help, you can make a tax deductible donation here.

Here is a little wellthatscool.com taste of what you have in store.

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I know we must seem like the Alabama Shakes blog for Tuscaloosa as of late, but these guys are just so good. They agreed to do a few unannounced acoustic songs for people at the world wide headquarters. It was something special. It’s also the only time I’ve seen them play in that very intimate way. We hate we could not let the word out about this but we felt our little studio could not handle the amount of people who would come. So for those that missed it, here is a little something for you. We would also like to thank Chad at the Alcove for coming up with a second guitar at the drop of the hat. Also, there is a rumor that if you watch this week’s podcast, there might be a musical surprise at the end.

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Good beer and good music go hand and hand.  Luckily, I was able to partake in that great combination on November 3rd as The Alabama Shakes, probably the hottest band in this great state, performed at the Good People Brewery for a special event hosted by theMagic City Post and Shop Birmingham.

I know I keep saying it so I’ll be brief this time, but  The Alabama Shakes are absolutely blowing up and going big places.  The buzz this band is top notch.  As a result, it was great to see them at such a different but great venue as the Good People Brewery.  The set itself turned out to be another burning one from them as they captivated the crowd, some who had seen them before and others who hadn’t.  Like pretty much every show by them, they won over a whole new group of fans.

Before you check out the photos, please visit The Alabama Shakes at http://www.alabamashakes.com 

Also be sure to visit Good People Brewing at http://www.goodpeoplebrewing.com and pick up their products wherever you might find it.

The full gallery from this event can be visited at http://www.dsmithimages.com/site/music/the-alabama-shakes-11-3-11/1/ 

Enjoy!

-David
DSmithImages
“Modern Photography for Modern Times”
http://www.dsmithimages.com
david@dsmithimages.com
2314 Starlight Drive, Tuscaloosa, AL 35405
205-586-9723

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One of our favorite bands for years have been the D-teens and for good reason. They bring an amazing amount of energy to their live shows. We were lucky enough to be on hand and get a great amount of video. So enjoy what our own Mikey says is some of the best film he has ever been involved with. Look for a few more nuggets from both The Dexateens and The Alabama Shakes coming soon.

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For those lucky enough to get in on Friday Oct 14th, you got to see a band that will no longer be playing small venues. You might have even got in but could not see the band. It was the fullest Egan’s has ever been. Well, do we have a treat for you. With Mikey on the injured reserve, our own Erin Phillips fought the throbbing masses to record a few songs that are not on their wildly popular EP . The sound is not perfect but it really captures the energy of a packed out live Alabama Shakes show. These guys, much like the Dexateens, make us proud to be from Alabama.

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As many of you know we were lucky enough to have the Alabama Shakes play on the WTC Brews Cruise III. Well for those that could not make it you can now see this fantastic band from Athens Alabama. Also don’t forget they are playing this Friday night at Egans for Bo’s birthday party.

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On Friday, September 23rd, The Bear, based out of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, stopped into Tuscaloosa’s Oz Music to perform an in-store set before they played at Green Bar later that night with Blaine Duncan & The Lookers and Callooh! Callay!  Since I wasn’t going to be able to make the show at Green Bar, I wanted to make sure I got some coverage of this performance.

The last time I got a chance to see the band was my 3rd Anniversary Showcase at Green Bar, and I was absolutely blown away by their talent.  They present a hypnotic mix of folk and bluegrass, along with other styles, and it’s a winning combination.  If you ever get a chance to see this band, do so because you won’t be disappointed.  I was glad I got a chance to see them in the Oz Live! setting in this instance.

Before you check out the full gallery, please check out the band’s website at http://thebearmusic.com  - Also, please check out Oz Music at http://www.ozmusiconline. For the full gallery, check out http://www.dsmithimages.com/site/music/the-bear-9-23-11/1/ 

Enjoy!

-David
DSmithImages
“Modern Photography for Modern Times”
http://www.dsmithimages.com/
david@dsmithimages.com
2314 Starlight Drive, Tuscaloosa, AL 35405
205-586-9723

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“I want to say I saw them at Green Bar when it was only $5″…

I overheard those words last night in regards to the show The Alabama Shakes put on before an absolutely packed house at Green Bar in Tuscaloosa.  It summed up pretty much the view of everyone in the bar: this band is on the track to be something really big… really soon.

The band, based out of Athens, Alabama, wasn’t even the headliner for the night, but it was obvious the bulk of the crowd was out to see them perform.  I talk a lot about how a band either has “it” or they don’t.  The Alabama Shakes have so much “it”, things aren’t even fair at this point.  It is the right combination of stage presence, musical ability, and pure energy that is making this band turn so many heads.

Do yourself a favor and check out this band whenever you can.  The next time they will be in Tuscaloosa is October 14th at Egans Bar.  I highly recommend you make that show.  Until then, please check out their website at: http://www.alabamashakes.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/theAlabamaShakes.  For the full gallery from the event, please check out http://www.dsmithimages.com/site/music/the-alabama-shakes-9-21-11/1/

Enjoy!

-David
DSmithImages
“Modern Photography for Modern Times”
http://www.dsmithimages.com
david@dsmithimages.com
2314 Starlight Drive, Tuscaloosa, AL 35405
205-586-9723 

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