The Planet Riders CD Release party

[Whitney Altine]

It's probably no secret by now that Smith's Olde Bar is, hands all the way down, my favorite venue to work in. The people there have gotten used to my incessant hanging around (Hi, Judd!), and I think even the barstools know to instantly accommodate my eager promo-pushing behind. The merch table upstairs has numerous tape marks where I've stuck up my signs, and if you look closely at the absolute WORST of the dirty graffiti backstage you might notice my distinctively curvaceous "y"s. (heh Just kidding, Mom...maybe). So it should come as no surprise to anyone that when I saw that The Planet Riders chose to celebrate the release of their newest album, "Homegrown", in the Atlanta Room, I leaped at the chance to work with them. And at the time I didn't even know there would be free beer and pizza! As expected, the night went beautifully, with hours of delicious conversation before a rock-star show. As is usually the case in the cozy atmosphere of the Atlanta Room, the audience was made to feel, in turns, that we were watching our friends perform at their backyard party and we were watching rock stars 10 seconds before they hit the charts. And just to add a dash of extra excitement to the mix, DaveFM's Sully decided to drop by for the festivities! Keep an eye on TPR, Sully; in less time than you'd ever guess you'll be forced by some creepy record exec to play one of their songs 3 times an hour! LOL, well, maybe that's not the kind of fame this truly sweet trio of guys really wants, but certainly we hope and expect the best for them.