Photos and Words by Max Stewart
Atlanta’s Improvement Movement are frankly one of our favorite new bands, and they should be yours too. In a time when so much music feels redundant or engineered to quietly slide into your algorithm, this four-piece has cracked a far rarer code: a sound that feels wholly unique yet instantly welcoming. Breaking down genre walls with ease, they stitch together prog, psychedelia, folk, jazz, jam, and more into a journey that is seamless and cohesive. Their music is full of surprise without ever being alienating, and seeing Improvement Movement live is something truly special and an experience that exists in a category all its own. That’s a rare thing these days.
Members Marshall Ruffin, Zach Pyles, Clark Hamilton (aka Klark Sound), and Tony Aparo all have ATL roots and distinct musical identities that coexist masterfully live. Each member has a fantastic voice and the way in which the band harmonizes amongst the unique musical surprises and time signature adjustments is downright captivating.
A few months ago, we spoke with the band as they looked ahead to their Saturday, 12/20 homecoming show at Atlanta‘s Terminal West alongside Adron. Oh yeah, if you haven’t yet, get your tickets now!
As they eye the Atlanta date and the band is building momentum, Aparo summed up the moment simply: “To be honest, there’s this weird feeling that we’re on the inside of the train that’s moving.” With the band set to support Iron & Wine this spring, it’s hard not to feel like that train is picking up speed.
One of the high-water marks of their year came in September, when they took the main stage at Shaky Knees Music Festival in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park. “It was trippy. And the main stage too… that was unreal. That view we had while playing is where I used to set up and lay down for Jazz Fest.”
From early shows at Star Bar, 529 to sets at breweries and many places around town, the band reflects fondly on the road behind them and the rarity of a true homecoming: “Because we don’t get a chance to play Atlanta that much anymore because we’re on the road so much, when we do get to play Atlanta, it’s a really special thing for us.”
If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if ’70s harmony rock collided with a jazz-indie-psych sensibility, Improvement Movement is your answer. Their music sits comfortably alongside analog-era touchstones like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Laurel Canyon’s golden-hour harmonies, but it’s infused with the restless curiosity of modern indie and prog. One moment you’re floating on lush vocal stacks, and next you’re pulled into exploratory grooves and mind-bending guitar passages.
Catch them in Atlanta at Terminal West on Saturday, 12/20!
