Meltasia’s must-see acts

What began as the annual birthday bash for Andy Animal, frontman for New York punk rock ‘n’ rollers Stalkers, has morphed into a weekend-long psych, punk, and garage rock fest in wilds of North Georgia. The inaugural Meltasia Music Festival crashing down on a vast camp site near LaFayette, Ga. (about 90 miles north of Atlanta), Sept. 5-7, with a lineup featuring more than 70 acts. This week, Creative Loafing music scribes weigh-in with 10 of their must-see acts for the weekend.

Fri., Sept. 5

Liquor Store: Jersey slop-rock lords Liquor Store throw one helluva party. Lasso together a crew with names like Block, Boy, Bones, Brawn, and Swamp, and you’ll be shoe-boating malt liquor all afternoon. Guitars are loud, unapologetic Americana pride is even louder. The DGAF ‘tude and capable compass to find or create the party combine in a sacred way. 5 p.m. Orange stage — Beca Grimm

Coathangers: The Coathangers latest LP, Suck My Shirt, is a sonic hurricane of romantic frustrations and blistering punk-anthems-turned-therapy. These ladies use only guitar, drums, and bass to update garage-punk’s formulas with the grace of a junkyard dog breaking off its chain. 9:45 p.m. Terrapin stage. — Paul DeMerritt

Nik Turner’s Hawkwind: Singer, flautist, sax man, and all-around musical shaman Nik Turner keeps Hawkwind’s cosmic vibes flowing with a young lineup that pays homage to the British group’s sci-fi rock legacy. Turner’s current lineup features U.K. Subs’ guitarist Nicky Garratt. Dig the group’s latest single, “Fallen Angel STS-51-L”; even in his mid-70s, Turner still turns out majestic space rock. Never mind that other group calling itself the real Hawkwind. This is the group you want to see. Midnight. Orange stage. — Chad Radford

Sat., Sept. 6

GG King: GG King’s current lineup features ex-Carbonas singer Greg King and his Scavenger of Death Records cohort, Ryan Bell, along with Bobby Michaud and Andrew Wiggins of Wymyn’s Prysyn, and Mike Koechlin, who’s also playing Meltasia with Predator, G.H.B., and Dinos Boys. Expect to hear cuts from GG King’s forthcoming Unending Darkness LP along with such catchy/heavy favorites as “Joyless Masturbation” and “Bored of Breathing.” 4:30 p.m. Terrapin stage. — Bobby Moore

Birdcloud: Perv-pop duo Birdcloud doesn’t sweat a cute agenda. The two have a good sense of humor about their Nashville home base. Subject matter zigzags from douching in rivers to dedicating hymens to Jesus — all with a hearty drawl. Jasmin Kaset and Makenzie Green craft refreshing songs that occasionally focus on a wild truth: Women like and obsess over sex, too. They gargle songs about resourceful feminine hygiene with lines such as, “Just warshin’ my big old pussy/Should you want to go down.” The twang-tinged, playful delivery is an exaggerated, welcome wink. 7:30 p.m. Terrapin stage. — BG

Bloodshot Bill: Perhaps the best way to understand the truck stop demigod that is Bloodshot Bill is to rattle off trivia from his website: The one-man band has played in a giant fridge, was banned from entering the U.S. for five years, and has his own “Nice ‘n’ Greasy” brand of pomade. Bill’s sludgeabilly style is a tailored fit for some forlorn Southern chicken joint, yet his roots lie in Montreal. He typically tours with a guitar, bass drum, high hat, and his amp to create a torrent of high-speed, bluesy brilliance. 8:15 p.m. PBR stage — PD

Vockah Redu: If one act speaks to the genuine weirdness of Meltasia, it’s Vockah Redu. The NOLA-bred rapper, dancer, and choreographer charges Prince’s androgynous alien aesthetic with his own brand of glittery chaos. His music mirrors his dancing with whirlwind rhymes bolstered by grooves that inspire light-speed booty shaking with deep roots in New Orleans bounce. Vockah Redu mangles bits of pop, rap, and Mardi Gras marching bands into a unique and twisted musical firestorm. 10:30 p.m. Terrapin stage. — PD

Sun., Sept. 7

Scully: Scully’s members have the garage rock credentials to be a Meltasia show stealer. The Brooklyn-based outfit features three-fourths of California’s Splinters, one of the most underappreciated bands from Oakland’s recent garage boom. Like the Splinters’ best songs, Scully’s lone Bandcamp demo mixes modern garage fuzz and a timeless punk sneer with classic pop harmonies. 12:30 p.m. PBR stage. — BM

White Mystery: Siblings Alex and Francis White of Chicago’s White Mystery bring a high-energy assault to the stage that leaves listeners thinking they prefer Iron Maiden to the sounds of the Sonics, making them a good fit for a festival that features such classic rockers as Black Oak Arkansas and Cherie Currie. 6 p.m. Orange stage. 6 p.m. — BM

Shannon and the Clams: Some current garage bands strive for a modern sound, but Shannon and the Clams refuse to hide their doo-wop, pop, girl group, and early rock ‘n’ roll influences under a mound of guitar fuzz. Drawing comparisons to the timeless sounds of acts such as Little Anthony and the Imperials, and incorporating campy costumes, the lyrical and instrumental talents of Shannon Shaw (bass) and Cody Blanchard (guitar), make this a must-see show of the weekend. 10:30 p.m. Orange stage. — BM