The Earl is a Venue Worth Seeing in the East Atlanta Village
Above the stage, four blue lights shine from the top left corner of The Earl, a venue where I saw punk rock band Hammered Hulls play. More lights with orange and yellow hue hang from the ceiling and illuminate those performing. The walls surrounding the stage are painted red. As you take a step back, you notice – it all comes together to look like a fire. Starting from the blue center, which spreads out engulfing the audience in flames.
The Earl resides within East Atlanta Village, a part of town where the metal and hardcore scene are growing in Atlanta. Walk inside, and you notice the wear and tear of the place. Walls, not with perfect paint jobs, and covered with old automobile signs. My kind of place, for sure. I ordered a beer from the bar in the main dining area. After I grab my beer, I made the trek down a short hallway to the venue located in the back. Presented my ticket to the lady at the door, she stamped my hand, and in I went.
The stage was the first thing I noticed. Sitting in the left corner, opposite to the stage, is a bar, so you don’t have to go back and forth from the lounge to the venue (didn’t know that at first). Directly to the left of the bar (eyes still towards the stage), and where you enter the venue, is a merch station. Bountiful stickers from previous bands and other businesses fill various spaces of the four walls that enclose the venue. Hardwood floors are dark and worn from years of people’s shoes, either planted or moving to music.
The venue was an experience of its own for it has welcomed countless bands since it opened in 1999. However, I was excited to finally check out Hammered Hulls, a band that includes a compilation of members. Alec MacKaye (vocals), who once was part of the Untouchables; Mark Cisneroes (guitar), who plays with Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds and Des Demonas; and Chris Wilson (drums) of The Pharmacists. Mary Timony is listed as their bass player, but it was Brendan Canty (drummer for Fugazi) who played with them that night.
Mark Cisneroes was killer producing guitar sounds these ears of mine will not forget. The bass was on point, and the drums were powerful. Alec MacKaye, on a three-day binge of singing, cracked every once in a while but still put on an unbelievable show. They played a slew of songs from their 2022 album, Careening. “Hardest Road,” “Pilot Light,” “Written Word,” and more performed to absolute perfection. My favorite song of the night was “Rights and Reproduction.” Man, if I didn’t feel that song. Alec cased the crowd during the song, walking from stage to the floor and shouting, “RIGHT!” I felt his anger. The anger we should all feel about our rights and how jobs are eager to rob us of them. Chills then, and chills now, as I recall. The show ended not with a mic drop but a cord throw. Alec slowly began to walk into the crowd, took the cord from his mic, threw it back to the stage, and walked out the back door towards the lounge from where I first entered. All of us left hoping, “you think he’ll come back? I want more.”
And that was the night I experienced the venue I’d heard so many good things about, and the band I’d been aching to see. One thing I loved about The Earl, I noticed you didn’t see people raising their phone to “capture the moment,” twenty different “smart” phones all recording the same shot. Blah, blah. Rather, it seemed, each patron at The Earl raises their glass to cheers the moment and live it. Gabba, gabba.
If you’re in Atlanta, head to East Atlanta Village and check out The Earl. Or don’t, swine. What do I care? Oh, and go see Hammered Hulls – fantastic show.
See more about The Earl | Check Out Hammered Hulls
