Thursday, June 13, 2013 at 05:44PM 
2024 Winter & Spring
Come celebrate the New Year with The Swimming Pool Q's for two nights at Napoleon's in Decatur, on Sat. Jan. 20th at 9 p.m. and Sun. Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. Ticketing links are in the comments below. Looking forward to seeing you all in 2024!
2023 Autumn & Winter
The Swimming Pool Q's just played a three-date stand this late Summer, at Napoleon's in Decatur, and The 40 Watt in Athens, Ga. Please stay tuned here for any new shows this Fall and Winter. Follow the Q's on Facebook, for up to the minute news and ticketing links. Here are some photos of the show!
2020 Winter & Spring
Join The Swimming Pool Q's + Mitch Easter, on Friday, Feb. 7th at The Vista Room ATL. Tickets are on sale now at:
https://www.freshtix.com/events/spq-2-7-20
The Swimming Pool Q's will play a two-date stand this Summer, with the original Love Tractor! The shows will be in Decatur at The Vista Room ATL on Fri. June 28, and in Athens at the 40 Watt Club on Sat. June 29. The Athens show is all ages, 8 pm door, $15-20 tickets
Atlanta, come join us! Tickets available at:https://www.freshtix.com/events/lt-spqs-6-28-2019
Athens, Ga friends! All ages show! Tickets are available at:https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1850364.
"Corruption" Music Video with Aylmer from Bill Burton on Vimeo.
In 1988, the Swimming Pool Q’s appeared in the movie Brain Damage performing “Corruption” from the group’s album Blue Tomorrow. At a special April screening at Atlanta’s historic Plaza Theatre, presented by the Videodrome dvd rental shop, the Q’s Jeff Calder and Bill Burton introduced the cult horror classic with a short film especially created by Bill for the event. Brain Damage star (and Daytime Emmy Award nominee), Rick Hearst, was also on hand to share his hilarious recollections of the shoot. It includes clips from the movie, live Q concert footage and elements of an astonishing Aylmer tribute film made by Gary Brady, Chris Martin and puppeteer / artist Noel Kellett. Enjoy!
Jeff Calder and Bill Burton of the Swimming Pool Q’s will be on hand to introduce the 1988 cult horror classic, "Brain Damage" at Atlanta’s Plaza Theatre on Thursday, April 18 at 9 PM. The Q’s performed “Corruption” from their Blue Tomorrow album in the film. Jeff and Bill will attempt an acoustic version of the song at the Plaza and will share stories about their involvement in the film. Stay tuned for more info, and for ticketing and details, feel free to join the Plazadrome event on Facebook at: at:https://www.facebook.com/events/306505866683576/?ti=as
In just a few weeks, The Swimming Pool Q’s will be playing the Tenth Annual 30A Song Writers Festival 2019 in South Walton Florida. The event is the weekend of Jan 18 – 21. Tickets are on sale now. The day, time, and venue that the Q’s will be playing will be announced the week of the event. For more information, please visit either the 30 A Facebook page. You can visit The 30 A official website at or stay tuned here to the SPQ’s FB Official, and we’ll inform you as news develops! There will also be a downloadable app for your smartphone, as we approach the week of the festival.
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2018...
The Swimming Pool Q's & Wuxtry Records Double 40th Anniversary
The Swimming Pool Q’s celebrate their 40th Anniversary on Friday, November 9 at The Vista Room ATL in Decatur at 8 PM. The show will be a special double-event co-hosted by one of Atlanta’s oldest vinyl emporiums, Wuxtry Records-Decatur, also commemorating their 40th Anniversary. The evening features a guest appearance by 3, which has two members of the legendary Atlanta post-punk trio, 86, guitarist Ken Schenck (guitar) and Max Koshewa (bass), with Richard C. Kuykendall on drums. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 the day-of-show. Each of first 200 tickets will come with two free drinks.
True pioneers of Georgia’s new wave scene, the Swimming Pool Q’s were founded in 1978 in Atlanta. They performed at Wuxtry’s Decatur grand opening on September 30 of that year, an in-store shindig documented by photographer Richard Perez.
When they opened their first Wuxtry Records in Athens in 1976, Mark Methe and Dan Wall had already been students together at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.
“We took a quick loop of the South,” Mark says. “We ended up in Knoxville, but there was already a store there. On the map, we saw that Highway 441 went straight to Athens. When we got there, we met a guy named Brian, who, at the time, was married to Kate Pierson [of the B-52’s]. He turned us on to a location down the street.”
Wuxtry’s inventory grew so quickly between 1976 and 1978, it was clear they would need a second location. They found a spot in Atlanta at North Decatur Plaza near Emory.
“That was the whole Wuxtry formula,” Mark reveals. “Put it near a university. The name of our store came from an old Jack Kirby comic, Boy Commandos, [which had] a newsboy yelling, ‘Wuxtry! Wuxtry!’ It was Brooklyn dialect, or slang, for ‘Extra! Extra! Read all about it!’
Photo: The Swimming Pool Q’s, Wuxtry Records, September 30, 1978
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A SPECIAL EVENING WITH THE SWIMMING POOL Q’s & MITCH EASTER AT THE VISTA ROOM ON FRIDAY, MARCH 30.
Join the Swimming Pool Q’s and Mitch Easter (& his combo!) for a special evening at Decatur’s The Vista Room ATL on Friday, March 30. Founder of Let’s Active and co-producer of R.E.M.’s Murmur and Reckoning, songwriter/ guitarist Mitch Easter is one of the giants to emerge from the South’s original New Wave & Post-Punk explosion. The Q’s are celebrating our 40th Anniversary this year, and at the Vista we’ll be playing new songs and fan favorites from our entire career. Q’s are at 8:30 with Mitch at 10:00. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 day of show.
Tickets: https://www.freshtix.com/events/swimm
Jeff will also be playing with his dark psychedelic band The Hot Place, opening up once again for David J (Bauhaus/Love and Rockets) on Thursday, March 1st. 2018 at Little Tree Studios in Avondale Estates, with special guest James Hall. Advance Tickets Only with Limited Seating. You can purchase tickets on David J's Bandcamp Page here. Speaking of The Hot Place, Mr. Calder just played EBow and Backwards Guitar on "Little Doll", a special holiday 7" single cover of The Stooges song, by Album Gatefold + The Hot Place. All proceeds go to support the THORN charity, Digital Defenders of Children, www.wearethorn.org. You can stream and purchase the single on Bandcamp here.
Love Tractor & The Swimming Pool Q's will play The Vista Room ATL, on Friday Nov. 17th. The Q's go on at 8 p.m. and Love Tractor will go on at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are ON SALE NOW at: https://www.freshtix.com/events/love-tractor-and-the-swimming-pool-qs-reunion
The Swimming Pool Q's & Pylon Reenactment Society play The Vista Room ATL, on Friday, July 28. Doors at 7 p.m., The SPQ's will take the stage at 8 p.m. and PRS will go on at 9:30 p.m. Please visit The Vista Room for ticketing.
The Swimming Pool Q’s will appear, along with David Olney and Randall Bramblett, in Savannah on Friday, May 12 at the the 42nd Anniversary Celebration of the Night-Flight Cafe (1975-2017) to be held at the Ships of the Sea Museum, 41 MLK Blvd., Savannah, GA 31401. Doors are at 6 PM, with the Q’s taking the stage at 7 PM. Tickets are $42 general admission.
The Swimming Pool Q's first performed at the Night-Flight Cafe in 1979. There weren’t many opportunities for quirky New Wave bands in the Southeast then, but Night-Flight proprietors Tim Coy and Scott Alexander gave us a chance and treated us royally well.
Join the Facebook Event Page Here.
The SPQ's in the window of the Night Flight Cafe, Savannah, GA 1983.
photo by Anne Richmond Boston
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Jeff Calder of The SPQ's will be performing with his dark psychedelic band The Hot Place, (with Lisa King and Mike Lynn) in June. The band will be opening up for David J (of Bauhaus/Love and Rockets) on a Southeastern leg of David's "Vagabond Songs" LP tour. Tickets for The Atlanta show on 6/7. the Athens Show on 6/9, and the Savannah show on 6/11 are on sale now. These intimate and acoustic living room shows will be held at Little Tree Studios in Atlanta, The Georgia Theatre Rooftop Bar in Athens, and The Chapel at Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah.
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Jeff Calder of The Swimming Pool Q's / The Hot Place will be performing with The Glenn Phillips Band, Friday, November 4 at the Red Clay Music Foundry in Duluth GA. This special performance will celebrate the album release of Glenn's 1977 Rainbow Theatre concert in London exactly 39 years after it was recorded. For more information, please join the FB event page!
Musician, producer, and writer Jeff Calder, of The Swimming Pool Q's/The Hot Place/The Glenn Phillips Band, will be having a busy September! Here's where you can find the hardest working man in showbiz appearing live for the next few weeks:
DECATUR, GA, Sunday, Sept. 4th, 3:45-4:30, AJC Decatur Book Festival: Jeff will interview author Thomas Mullen. Mullen's latest novel, "Darktown", set in 1948 Atlanta, is an explosive crime drama spotlighting the city's first black police officers. Venue: Decatur Presbyterian Sanctuary, presented by Emory University. For info, visit the DBF website.
DECATUR, GA, Sunday, Sept. 4th. 5:00-5:45, AJC Decatur Book Festival: Jeff will interview Rodger Brown. Brown is the author of "Party Out of Bounds: The B-52's, R.E.M. and The Kids Who Rocked Athens, Georgia." Venue: Old Courthouse, presented by Lenz. For info, visit the DBF website.
LIVE SHOWS:
ROME, GA, Saturday, Sept. 10th, 7 p.m.-11 p.m., with The Glenn Phillips Band at Schroeder's in Rome, Ga: Jeff will be playing keys, guitars, and singing with The Glenn Phillips Band at Schroeder's New Deli. The show will be outdoors, rain or shine, and two sets.
AVONDALE ESTATES, ATLANTA, GA, Sunday, Sept. 19th, 7 p.m., with The Hot Place as opening support for David J of Bauhaus/Love & Rockets: Jeff will be playing guitar with his newest musical project The Hot Place, opening up for David J Haskins, with special guests James Hall & Jaz Jillette and Sasha Vallely of Midnight Larks, at Electron Gardens Studio in Avondale Estates, Ga. The Hot Place will be playing from 7 p.m.-7:30 p.m. RSVP, advance tickets only.
ATHENS, GA, Monday, Sept. 20th, 7 p.m., with The Hot Place as opening support for David J of Bauhaus/Love & Rockets: Jeff will be playing guitar with The Hot Place, opening up for David J Haskins at The World Famous in Athens, Ga. The Hot Place will be playing from 7 p.m.-7:30 p.m. RSVP, advance tickets only.
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The Swimming Pool Q's will be playing two dates in July, with The Pylon Reenactment Society, celebrating the release of "Pylon LIVE". Tickets go on sale Friday, 5/27.
ATLANTA: Pylon Reenactment Society, We Love Tractor & The Swimming Pool Q's. The EARL, Friday, July 29 at 8 PM. $15 in advance/$18 day of show, 21+. Presented by Chunklet Industries Please join the FB event page!
ATHENS: Chunklet Industries Presents a Record Release Party for “PYLON LIVE” Saturday Jul 30, 2016. Pylon Reenactment Society & The Swimming Pool Q's. 40 Watt Club, 285 West Washington Street, Athens, GA. Doors: 8:00 PM, Show: 9:00 PM, All Ages.$10 - $12.
Jeff Calder will be playing keys and guitars with The Glenn Phillips Band, at theAlzheimer’s Music Fest, which will be held on August 6, 2016 at the Red Clay Music Foundry in Duluth, Georgia.
PAST EVENTS:
Join David J (of Bauhaus/Love & Rockets) and special guest The Hot Place (featuring Lisa King, Jeff Calder of the Swimming Pool Q's, and Mike Lynn, ) for TWO intimate Living Room Shows this Summer! The events will be Acoustic, RSVP-only, and Limited Seating on Sunday, June 12 at Electron Gardens Studio in Avondale Estates, and on Tuesday, June 14 at ATHICA: Athens Institute for Contemporary Art.
For advance tickets, please visit the DAVID J OFFICIAL website.
The Q's will be playing at the Inman Park Festival on The Delta Stage, on May 1st, 2:30-3:30. Please visit the festival's website for all information about the event!
The SPQ's will be playing Rataid, on May 14th 2006 at Smith's Olde bar. Please click here for ticketing and more information about the show! The Q's will go on "10 p.m.-ish" according to the site.
Jeff Calder and the Q's received a nice shout out by Glenn Phillips, in this recent article for The Atlanta Business Chronicle. Check it out!
Jeff Calder of the Q's recently opened up the David J (of Bauhaus/Love & Rockets) Atlanta Living Room Show with The Hot Place, featuring Lisa King and Mike Lynn. Jeff is producing the band's second album, which is due out in 2017. For more information you can listen to "The Language of Birds", the band's debut album on their Bandcamp site.
This Saturday, May 30, The Q's' Jeff Calder will be playing a terrific and historical event with Glenn Phillips Band at the Red Clay Music Foundry in Duluth, GA. Glenn will perform his 1974 album "Lost at Sea" and songs from his 1976 release, "Swim in the Wind." Cindy Wilson of the B-52's is special guest.
The Q's play Changefest at 2:15-3:00 pm on Saturday, April 18th. RAIN or SHINE. Artists will include The Glenn Phillips Band with Cindy Wilson of the B-52's and Robert Schneider of The Apples in Stereo. The address is 731 Peachtree St. Atlanta Ga. For more information or directions, click here.
Join the SPQ's for their first show of 2015, at The Music Room at Smith's Olde Bar, Sat. Jan. 3rd with Murray Attaway's Blasting Cap! Ticketing and information here.
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The Swimming Pool Q's want you to help #SAVEWRAS.
The SPQ's are making their "The A&M Years" CD Reissue available this holiday season. You can purchase the standard or deluxe package on Cipher Bureau's website.
The SPQ's proper will be playing the Avondale Autumn Fest on Sat. Oct. 4th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Make sure you come down and celebrate Fall with a two hour set!
On May 15, The Swimming Pool Q's are at Eddie's Attic for an AM 1690 Voice of the Arts special event. The evening will include several great Atlanta musicians along with author Alan Paul, who will be signing copies of One Way Out: The Inside History of The Allman Brothers Band, favorably reviewed in the AJC on March 2 by Jeff Calder of The Q's. (To clarify, The Allman Brothers Band will not be appearing, and The Q's won't be playing any ABB tunes--they're too hard!) Among the featured artists are Bill Sheffield, Barry Richman, Lamar Williams, Jr., and Mike Holbrook and friends. You can click here for Eddie's Attic Showtimes and Ticketing for the event.
Also, The Swimming Pool Q's' Bob Elsey and Jeff Calder will be on Mike's 1690 radio show tomorrow night, Thursday, April 24, at 7 PM, which will air once again on Saturday, April 26 at 8 PM. Here is more info about the radio show:
Jeff Calder and Bob Elsey of The Swimming Pool Q's will be talking to Mike Holbrook on his 1690 AM Radio Free Radio show this Thursday, April 24th at 7 PM and again on Saturday, May 26 at 8 PM. Jeff and Bob will spin some of their favorite songs and recall performing with NRBQ, The Police, The Plasmatics and The Power Station. Host Mike Holbrook was the bassist for the legendary Hampton Grease Band (Music to Eat). Mike has also performed and recorded with the Supreme Court, which features Glenn Phillips and The Q's' Jeff Calder.
1690 AM Live broadcast web link is:
http://1690wmlb.com/radio-free-radio/
We have some really exciting news! The current December/January Best Of 2013 issue of Rolling Stone magazine has chosen The Swimming Pool Q’s The A&M Years 1984-1986 as one of 10 Best Reissues of The Year.
Fricke writes: "...Lou Reed's favorite Dixie New Wavers got their due...Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, the Q's were literate and buoyant, a Dixie-noir blend of the B-52's, Sixties folk rock and the Velvet Underground circa Loaded. Lou Reed liked the Q's' first A&M LP so much he took them on tour. Never doubt his word."
Thank you, David!
If you'd like to pick a copy up, the cover features Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy (Issue 1198/1199), and it is out on the newsstand shelves now!
Following on the runaway success of the Kickstarter-funded double-CD reissue The A&M Years, The Swimming Pool Q’s release The System of Love EP, the first new Q’s material since 2003’s critically acclaimed Royal Academy of Reality. In addition to new singles "System of Love", "Science Moon", and "Easy Prey", the EP also contains an exclusive – a live New Year's Eve 1987 recording of “Wreck Around." Each of the singles is available for individual purchase, and the live track is exclusive to the EP.
Didn't get in on the Q's Kickstarter campaign? Well, here's your opportunity to purchase our Double CD Reissue! Available NOW to our fans! Here are the links to pre-order the Swimming Pool Q's reissue "The A&M Years: 1984-1986" on Amazon.com. There will be TWO separate links--one for the standard reissue (2 disc set) and one for the deluxe version (extra cd of rarities and a DVD). The links will also be broken down for easy access in the comments section below.
Standard 2 disc reissue: http://smarturl.it/QsReissue
Deluxe 3 disc and 1 DVD reissue: http://smarturl.it/QsDeluxe
Reader Comments (28)
Over at the Royal Academy of Reality the reckless youth of the early Q’s has grown up, stepped out of the shadow of a heartbeat lost and once again taken up linen sheet and cleaning mop beard and walked across the deep end of the Swimming Pool Q’s to open the mouth of southern rock and breathe in new life. Extraordinarily well done! Rather than babbling on about how good it is I’ll just rise to my feet, hold up my lighter and say “More! More! More!”
All I have is a crappy recording on cassette from like 20 years ago. I can't even find the album.
Please!
Blue Tomorrow was issued on CD, but only in Germany! It sometimes comes up on EBAY but be prepared to pay a lot. The last one I bid for went for £35 (about $20). The vinyl albums are readily available on EBay at reasonable prices.
How about posting am mp3 of 'Stakeout at the Steakhouse.'
(I suppose I don't have to tell you what you can do with that "affidavit" do I?)
all the best,
marty
--- Blair, former organist/night club entertainer of the Dynamic Atlanta Cruis-O-Matic
Also, nice article about you guys in the Free Times. Jeff, I hope you can get those older albums released on CD. I'll be first in line to pick them up.
I followed you guys in the 80's and still following you today.
I ripped my original Q album onto CD and still play it all the time, but am waiting for it's official re-release (keep the pressure on the record company!)
And for you folks that missed the Q's when they teamed up with Tom Gray of the Brains (in Atlanta, early 2007), you missed a truly special show, the house was packed. Hope to see another Atlanta Q-Brains reunion.
Keep up the great work!
All the best,
James A. Dunlap III, Ph.D.
San Salvador
BOB .... CHECK THE Q'S E-MAIL THANKS RS JENSEN BCH FLA.
You music is timeless and your dedication extraordinary. Thank you for enriching my life with your music.
Sincerely,
Scott R. Haase
show in 15 long years and it more then
exceeded my expectations. Many thanks to the entire band on a flawless, inspiring show! After driving thru a monsoon from Charlotte NC to Atlanta, it was just what I needed.And I got to witness the 6 string genius of Glen Phillips. Still one of the world's most underated guitarist. See you again REAL soon!
I recall a poster of Steve McQueen being unfurled during one of the songs....
Was a fantastic show!