Athens punk band Five Eight kicking off the holidays with an eye toward 2026
After decades of friendship and playing shows together, the members of Athens punk band Five Eight and Atlanta-based singer-guitarist-trumpet player James Hall have a camaraderie that made collaborating on a new Christmas song an easy decision ahead of an upcoming joint performance.
Launched at a recent Criminal Records event, the soulful single “Christmas Without You” features lyrics from Five Eight frontman Mike Mantione and Hall, and heralds their Friday performance at Smith’s Olde Bar. Hall, whose group the Ladies of … opens the show, sings lead on the track, with Mantione’s high harmony on the choruses adding to a seemingly effortless blend.
“Writing with (Hall) is really fun,” Mantione said on a recent Zoom call. “We never wrote together in all of the years and usually I don’t get that opportunity. But I had the idea and we just made it happen.” The song’s theme is being lonely at holiday time, especially when away from loved ones.
Five Eight ends 2025 with momentum, riding a wave of interest (in some cases renewed interest) generated by the 2024 documentary “Weirdo: The Story of Five Eight.” The film, which the group is selling on DVD, highlights its 1980s origins and never-say-die attitude, even in the face of mental health issues that led to Mantione being hospitalized briefly years ago. Marc Pilvinsky of Decatur made the movie over nearly a decade with the band: bassist Dan Horowitz, guitarist Sean Dunn, drummer Patrick Ferguson and Mantione.
“For me it was a real shot in the arm,” Mantione said. “The fans were just pouring in (to the Athens premiere) — people I hadn’t seen in many years were coming in and being really engaged with the band, so that was great.”
One focus of the documentary is the vocalist’s compulsion to write, which improves his mental health and ensures songs pile up in the queue for rehearsal and sometimes recording. Five Eight recently released “I’m Alone,” a song recorded in one take that benefits from that quick approach. It will be featured on a new album, “Help a Sinner,” produced by fellow Athens mainstay David Barbe and set for a March release on Static Era Records.
Especially given his band’s fraught history with record companies, Mantione is ecstatic about his new label: “They just love the album. It was a great match, you know?”
The record’s unveiling is being tied to what promises to be a busy spring and summer. “It’s supposed to be released on the Friday before South by Southwest,” said Mantione, who added that the band is in the process of booking a tour to include the enormous Austin, Texas, festival. Expect Five Eight concerts before and after the band’s return to Austin, with summer festival appearances also likely.
With “Help a Sinner” long finished and Mantione’s songwriting in perpetual overdrive, he’s certain the band will add making another record to its busy 2026. One or two new songs will likely be in the set list at Smith’s.
“The last time we practiced I started unveiling some stuff for the guys so they’d understand what was happening,” the frontman said. “I’ll send out voice memos of me with the acoustic guitar and the electric guitar of some of the new stuff that I’m writing.”
Hall and the largely Alabama-originated the Ladies of … have been together since 2012. The group’s driving, bass-heavy sound (featured on propulsive tracks including “We Are the Wu Wu”) is made by guitarist Jim Troglen, drummer Jack Massey, bassist James Wahl and guitarist Mark Patrick, alongside Hall. The band is riding high with new songs and a recent show in Los Angeles where country-rock artist Shooter Jennings, the son of Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, attended and hung out with the band afterward.
“We’re talking about collaborating with him on a new song,” said Hall. “So we’re interested in maybe getting out there and trying that stuff out.”
The singer is enjoying this chapter in a career that’s included fronting late ’80s band Mary My Hope and later the influential Pleasure Club. Hall has also made solo recordings and played trumpet on the Indigo Girls album “Swamp Ophelia.”
On Friday, the two bands will salute their friendship in true holiday spirit. “In the last four years we’ve done a bunch of shows together and it’s always a rip,” said Mantione.
Don’t be surprised if “Christmas Without You” is the finale. After all, said Hall, “I am much happier with songs that I collaborated with others on than anything I wrote by myself.”
CONCERT PREVIEW
Five Eight with the Ladies of … (featuring James Hall)
8 p.m. Friday. Music Room at Smith’s Olde Bar, 1578 Piedmont Ave. NE, Atlanta. Ages 18 and up. $24.28 advance, $34.78 door. smithsoldebar.freshtix.com.
