Happy New Year!

Heh. See what we did there?

Well guys, we've made it through another year. Ye olde 2010 is now past and we're embarking on new and exciting adventures in the year 2011. It was a far less sad than the year previous but we had our fair share of bumps, bruises and scars.

But it's been a good year. I know we here at AthensMusicJunkie certainly had a lot of major life changes but we've survived, no more deranged than we already were. And we want to thank you, from the bottom of our Athens music hearts, for all of your love, support, and feedback this year. Our resolution for 2011: Be even more epically awesome than ever before. Hold on to your assorted articles of clothing! It's going to be great!

See ya on the other side! 2011 For the Win!

The Staff and Other Loons at

ATHENS MUSIC JUNKIE

The Required BEST OF 2010 List

Firstly, congrats to Nina B. for guessing the day the B-52s first played Athens! Secondly, here are a few of the responses we got when we asked for your BEST OF 2010 lists. At least, these were the most filled out.

Abandoned Couches Picks:
Best Album - Gray Waves, Twin Tigers 
Best Music Video - Can't say I've seen any
Best Single - Luxury & Light, The Gold Party
Best Live Show - (tie) Arctic Monkeys and The Hold Steady, both at the 40 Watt (though locally the band Powers is amazing)
Best Venue - 40 Watt 
Best Live Moment - During Popfest when Mission of Burma broke into Academy Fight Song. I thought I was going to cry.
Weirdest Moment - The night of the last A.Armada show at Caledonia. The band, usually so together, was fractured beyond repair. The drum set was constantly falling apart, and the band just looked pissed off, It was uncomfortable. When the show was over, you knew they would never play together again.
Biggest Disappointment - Broken Bells at 40 Watt. Technically perfect but boring as hell
Biggest Surprise - A blast from the past and a new band. Engineering at AthFest was wonderful, such noisy, fuzzed out pop songs. And Misfortune500, who won my heart with a goth cover of Springsteen's Dancing in the Dark.

The Now Anonymous One Picks:

Best Album     Kuroma "Paris" EP
Best Music Video     Of Montreal "Coquette, Coquette"   
Best Single  The District Attorneys "Splittsville"
Best Live Show  Futurebirds 3-D Rodeo at the 40 Watt
Best Venue     40 Watt Club
Best Live Moment     Reptar covering Cee Lo's "Fuck You" at the 40 Watt
Weirdest Moment     Spotting a less than healthy looking Kirsten Dunst backstage at the 40 Watt during Jenny and Johnny.  (She dates the drummer)
Biggest Disappointment     The Whigs "In The Dark"  (I had overly high expectations)
Biggest Surprise     David Barbe heading up the UGA Music Business Program

And finally, The AthensMusicJunkie picks:

Best Album    The Humms "Lemonland"
Best Music Video       Of Montreal "Famine Affair"
Best Single  Reptar "Houseboat Babies"
Best Live Show  The Vic Shows at 40 Watt
Best Venue     Caledonia Lounge
Best Live Moment     The Surprise Glands show at Flicker
Weirdest Moment     All the lights and lazers at Flash to Bang Time's Athfest show
Biggest Disappointment     The Whigs "In the Dark" Just not what I was expecting
Biggest Surprise     Bruce Burch leaving UGA and David Barbe taking over

Weekly Show Picks

Last show picks post before the new year and boy are there some awesome parties going on in Athens this week! So pick your show, pick your date, pick your drink and ring in 2011!

TONIGHT

Terrapin Beer Co.

Catt Leach

Manhattan Cafe

Jack Jiggles

THURSDAY

Max Canada

Dead Confederate

New Earth

Dubconscious 2.0

Glitch Mob

Go Bar

Harp Unstrung

FRIDAY

New Year's Eve

40 Watt

of Montreal

Yip Deceiver

Caledonia

Free Mountain

Incendiaries

Pride Parade

Farm 255

Quiet Hooves

Venice is Sinking

Georgia Bar

8-Track Gorilla

Bloodkin

Go Bar

Twin Powers

SATURDAY

Go Bar

8-Track Gorilla

Gemini Cricket

The Humms

Dexter Romweber

New Earth Music Hall

Classic City Kings

Effie's Club Follies

MONDAY

Max Canada

The Itchy Hearts

Tumbleweed Stampede

TUESDAY

WUOG

Timber

Rye Bar

Ghetto Mezrab

A Look Ahead at 2011

Yup. It's the end of the year as we know it. And I feel fine. But what have we got on the horizon? A lot of stuff, actually.

New albums from R.E.M., the Modern Skirts, Gold Party, Reptar (?), and many more. SXSW is coming up fast. Athens, as always, will be sending a ton of bands out to Austin, including the likes of Reptar and Supercluster. There's always tour news and we bet that we'll be seeing Dead Confederate and The Whigs hitting the road once again. Oh, and ATHFEST. And the B-52s. And possibly another REALLY BIG THING.

We might see the expansion of the Classic Center, a final decision on what to do with the GA Music Hall of Fame, the return of the GA Theatre, Athens Popfest, etc. And as always, the inevitable rise and fall of bands, venues, and various happenings that can only be categorized as "Well That Was Random."

As for AMJ, the last days of 2010 find us plotting, planning, and yes, even scheming about what to do in the new year. New logo, new layout, new writers, new subjects, old faves and standbys...A few really big announcements..... It's gonna be awesome guys. So here's to the new year! It's going to be a big one!

10 Things That Happened in 2010

Howdy all! Hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas! We just wanted to revisit ten general things that happened this year that stand out in our minds. It's been a good year, here's hoping 2011 will be even better!

R.E.M. Turns 30
Wowzers! What a month! Between the amazing R.E.M. 30 concert at the Melting Point, all the good friends coming from all over into Athens, and the mind-blowing experience of spinning 5 hours of R.E.M. rarities and b-sides on WUOG, we barely had time to breathe! Next up, 25 years of Widespread Panic in 2011!

ATHFEST
It was hot, wasn't it? But boy was it fun! We romped and rocked through the many days and nights of music, got drenched at the Modern Skirts and sweated with Reptar. This year promises to be even better!

The Return of POPFEST
Man oh man oh man! Did we miss you, Popfest! Mission of Burma, Apples in Stereo, and on and on and on. Glad to have you back!

David Barbe Takes Over
Bruce Burch and Co. left for Kennesaw to start a Music Business program there but decided to leave local music hero David Barbe in charge. Since then, things seem to be going swimmingly for both programs. YAY!

Graduation
I graduated from UGA in May and our awesome intern Sofia graduated in December. Woot! Even better than spending a ton on an education? The way your degree comes mailed in a dumb little tube. *facepalm*

New Addictions
Our most popular recurring feature this year on AMJ? New Addictions. We'll have a ton more during 2011, I assure you, but we're always up for recommendations! If you've heard an awesome band that you think deserves some props, let us know!

Closings and Openings
Bye-bye Tasty World Uptown, hello Hendershot's! Goodbye to Deaf Judges, Leading Edge, Chris McKay and the Critical Darlings, and so many more.

Awesome New Albums
We rocked out to The Humms, mourned the Ga Theatre with Venice is Sinking, got befuddled by the changes of direction that Dead Confederate and the Modern Skirts took, wondered what's going on with of Montreal, drooled over Twin Tigers and Nana Grizol, wept at the awesomeness that is Bambara, Gift Horse, and Elf Power.... just too much goodness to handle!

Awkward Situations, We had them!
Oh, like getting stuck in an elevator. Or nearly dying in Columbus... that was fun. Or living out of a suitcase for six months. Yeah. All part of life's rich pageant, right? (See what I did there?)

YOU! You're Awesome!
Far and away, our best times have revolved around y'all, the readers. You've read post after post, helped us answer some debatable issues, entered our contests, joined our facebook and twitter pages, and so so so much more. We love you! Thanks!

And that's just 10 things. What happened this year for you?

Merry Christmas From AthensMusicJunkie

We hope that your Christmas is merry, your presents many, and your music awesome.

Happy Holidays from the Staff of AMJ

Don't Forget To Nominate!

HEY YOU GUYS! It's that time of year again when we all break out our top 10 lists and such but this year, we figured that it'd be nice to hear from you what you thought was awesome about Athens in 2010. Seriously. We've gotten about 20 different emails from people telling us what they liked but we'd really like to know! So here's your chance to pass kudos on to the local greats that made this year awesome! Categories below. Tell us your faves either by commenting or emailing athensmusicjunkie@gmail.com.

And to start you off, we'll reveal Jordan's choice for Album of the Year....

Best Album - Lemonland by The Humms
Best Music Video -
Best Single -
Best Live Show -
Best Venue -
Best Live Moment -
Weirdest Moment -
Biggest Disappointment -
Biggest Surprise -

Weekly Show Picks

Now we know why they call it the DEAD of winter. Sheesh. Anywho, quick programming note for all you AMJs out there. Yes, we'll be posting through the holidays but it's automated so some of these posts may have been written yesterday or two years ago. Just in case you were wondering.

TONIGHT

Rye Bar

Creation Co.

THURSDAY

Terrapin

Alex Woodard

FRIDAY

Go Bar

Dr. Fred's Christmas Karaoke

SATURDAY

CHRISTMAS

SUNDAY
Melting Point
Randall Bramblett

MONDAY

Go Bar

Twin Powers

TUESDAY

40 Watt

Don Chambers

Free Mountain

Garbage Island

Ricer

Playlist: Too Much Christmas Food Edition

Seasons Eatings! Wait, what? Oh yeah, it's that time of year when all the Christmas parties start popping up along with their tasty morsels. Cake, pies, chips, chocolate, cupcakes, fudge, all the major food groups, right?
But you know what will have to come next: Post-Holiday Exercise. Ugh. Why not listen to some awesome local music to help pass the time? These tunes will get you moving, even if it's only from one buffet to the next.

Chris McKay and the Critical Darlings "Give Up Town"


Pylon "Volume"


The Orkids "Paper Dolls"


Ruby Isle "How It Hurts"


Reptar


Vietnam "Inside Out" (It counts. Sorta)

Hey, We Got You A Present!

 Yup, we've got yet another giveaway for y'all, just in time for a next-to-last minute Christmas gift! Ya just gotta answer this question and you'll be on your way to Presenttown!

Question: The B-52s are playing a show in Athens at the Classic Center in February. When was the FIRST time the group played in Athens? Need Month, Day, and Year.

Email your answer with the subject line Ho Ho Ho to athensmusicjunkie@gmail.com. First correct answer wins and in case of a tie, there will be a draw. Contest ends Wednesday at Noon, winner will be decided on Thursday. Good Luck!

Athens Music News Roundup

Michael says "Hi!"

Biggest news of the week comes from R.E.M. land, as per usual. The boys announced that their follow up to Accelerate, titled Collapse Into Now, will be available March 8th here in the USA. In addition, they revealed the album artwork (see above) and are giving away the first song from the record "Discoverer."  Get it here or try before you don't buy and watch the lyric video.

Speaking of all things R.E.M., Happy Birthday Mr. Mike Mills.  Has it really been 2 years since the Birthday Sled to Hell?!
Next up, Nuci's Space won the seemingly never ending court-case involving its non-profit status, property taxes, and the ACC government. About damn time.

The Whigs and Dead Confederate are co-headlining a European tour in February. Anyone overseas care to review a show? Tour details here.

Don't forget to email athensmusicjunkie@gmail.com with your Local "BEST OF 2010" list.

Oh, Flagpole Comment Blog, you're like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

Have you checked out RadioFreeAthens yet? Pretty awesome if you get to work near computers all day.

The Drive-By Truckers will screen The Secret to a Happy Ending during their string of shows at the 40 Watt next year.

And last, but certainly not least, Congrats to all you UGA grads. Especially our dear intern Sofia!

Merry Christmas Nuci's...

In a "thank god that it's finally over" decision, the Georgia Supreme Court has decided not to reconsider its previous ruling in the Nuci's Space tax case. As you may recall, Athens-Clarke County has been making a case for Nuci's to have to pay property taxes. Their argument was that Nuci's sold beverages (including beer), rented out the building for parties, and had various other money-generating activities that disqualified it from property tax exemption.

More on this from the ABH. The Nov. 8th ruling stands. WOOOO!

Weekly Show Picks

Well, the last of exams are today so things are about to get reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaally slow for a while here in Chronic Town, but never fear. We'll keep you posted on a few upcoming shows worth your time. Otherwise, we recommend honing those open mic skills.

TONIGHT

Caledonia

Witness the Apotheosis

Tealvox

Entropic Constant

Go Bar

Candice's Going Away Party

Twin Powers

Rye Bar

Max Eve

THURSDAY

Caledonia

Love Tractor

The Bros. Marler

Matt Indigo

Farm 255

Nutritional Peace

Tunabunny

Max Canada

Eureka California

Aaron Berg & the Heavy Love

Greg & George

FRIDAY

40 Watt

40 Watt Christmas Party

Athens the Band

Five Eight

The Orkids

Victor Charlie

Gnat's Landing

Nathan Sheppard

Go Bar

Big Hug Little Kiss

Dj Mahogany

Green Gerry

Stegosaurus

Melting Point

Rack of Spam

The Office Lounge

Strung Out Like the Lights at Christmastime

Benefit for the Empty Stocking Fund

SATURDAY

40 Watt

Living the Dream II: Jon Guthrie Tribute

18 bands

Borders

Keane Family Christmas

John and his daughters Paige and Rachel

Go Bar

Everymen

Grape Soda

Immuzikation

Twin Powers

Ye Olde Sub Shoppe

MONDAY

Little Kings

Little Kings Holiday Party

Everywhere Else?

Open Mic. Not Kidding.

TUESDAY

Go Bar

8 Track Gorilla

Rye Bar

Ghetto Mezrab

Christmas Carols, Athens Style

So it seems that the latest R.E.M. Christmas single is out and features quite the interesting array of songs. I'm posting no spoilers here but I'm rather fond of this year's song. Though I will always hear this version in my head when I think of that title...

Anyway, I thought it might be cool to post some other Christmas tunes as performed by locals. Here we go!

Panic at Christmas!

While this may be about Bethlehem, GA, it is still appropriate, no?


For the Naughty boys and girls, some Drive-By Truckers...


Some Woggles!


A different take on Ghost Riders in the Sky, Christmas style...


And my all time favorite R.E.M. Christmas single.


I know, I know. I post that every year. It's just too funny.

Don Chambers At Hendershot's

BY ALEX TANK

Don Chambers lost his GOAT, but don't worry; he's just fine without it -- or them, more accurately. This past week, on a brisk Wednesday evening, Hendershot's pie-piece stage hosted an authentic Athens staple: Don Chambers! He commanded the small but attentive audience with dark acoustic numbers full of haunting Southern gothic imagery, aided by his trusty Simon & Patrick 6-string (complete with duct tape) and his tiny 70's-style suitcase full of evocative lyrics and quiet confidence.

At six feet plus (not counting bed-head), the local legend planted himself and proceeded to paint shadowy scenes for the appreciative coffee/bar crowd at Hendershot's garage turned venue. Alternating between blues dirges and bare bones rockers fit for Springsteen, Chambers seemed just fine to hear the backing band in his head as he whiled away the evening, at one point "trying out a new holiday-spirited one in a minor chord" as he put it cheerily.

Backwoods handsome tunes like "Until the World Runs Out of Dirt" and "Werewolf Moon' found Chambers stripped down even further than before, yet he literally rocked in his chair . He's a charming lyricist and no slave to rhyme which was refreshing for its unpredictability. To hear his banjo would have been grand, but finally foregoing the mic and amp led to some new clarity from a heartful writer and performer who's clearly seen a hard night through a time or two. This last move gave the impression that if Don Chambers were in your living room jostling strums and clamboring verses up your spine, you'd realize the understated greatest in your presence.

Nearly every word Don Chambers sings is like pouring the last shot out of a beloved bottle. Next time he loses his GOAT, extract yourself from your living room, find a spot in Hendershot's livable room, and experience something worth far more than free.

What to Get an Athens Music Junkie for Christmas

You all know the type. That one person on your list that seems nearly impossible to buy for. When you ask them for a gift list, all they do is say "Whatever you get will be fine, thanks!". But we here at AthensMusicJunkie have come up with a list of Athens music items that you can buy your own music junkie for Christmas.

For the Georgia Theatre Fan...
Why not an awesome BAND TOGETHER bracelet? That way, the money you spend goes toward rebuilding their favorite venue and they get a snazzy accessory out of the deal too!

Or if you are REALLY loaded, give directly towards the Theatre in your junkie's honor. That way, he'll have his name connected to the Theatre for a long, long, long, time.

For the R.E.M. fan...
Well, hopefully they already have a subscription to the official fan club but if not, it's $10 a year and that includes the awesomeness that is the REMFANCLUB CHRISTMAS PACKAGE! Oh, and you get discounts on online merch, newsletters, and sometimes stickers!

If you're the more visual type, why not get your loved one a nice photo of the band? David Belisle has a number of prints from "REM HELLO" right here. Our buddy Oyvind Svele has some great pics of Mr. Stipe.

For the Widespread Panic fan... 
Why not a snuggly throw? With a snowflake? Right here.

Or maybe relive the day Athens went nuts and allowed some 100,000 people to roam the streets for a show.

For the General Athens fan...
Know someone who's been dying to get to Athens but just hasn't made it there yet? Why not give 'em a little taste of the town with the GRIT Cookbook.

Or howsabout a really nifty Athfest shirt?

Or perhaps a subscription to Flagpole? Yes, we have subscriptions.

Help Us Pick the Best of the Year

Well, it's that time of year again when we start (or finish) assembling our "End of Year" lists. You'll see them popping up everywhere now, filled with bands you may not of heard of but are supposed to be really great. So, after much poking and prodding, AMJ has decided to do a list as well. But we want YOU to tell us who you thought really stood out this year. Here's your chance to give your band/your boyfriend's band/your neighbor's band/ your sound guy an award for being just plain awesome.

If you need any help figuring out which albums were released this year, check out AthensMusic.net. We'll take submissions via athensmusicjunkie@gmail.com until Dec. 28th with the winners revealed Dec. 30th! And now for the categories! Remember, it's ALL LOCAL. Support your scene! WOO!

Best Album

Best Music Video

Best Single

Best Live Show

Best Venue

Best Live Moment

Weirdest Moment

Biggest Disappointment

Biggest Surprise

  

Weekly Show Picks

TONIGHT

Hendershot's

Don Chambers

Go Bar

Maximum Busy Muscle

Wishgift

X-ray Visionaries

THURSDAY

Caledonia

Bo Bedingfield

Romper Stompers

No Where Bar

Brad Downs and the Poor Bastard Souls

Max Canada
Misfortune500

Melting Point

Half Dozen Brass Band

FRIDAY

40 Watt

Tidings for Tikes

Futurebirds

Ninja Gun

Song Swap

Farm 255

Dream Scene

Quiet Hooves

Melting Point

Abbey Road Live!

SATURDAY

40 Watt Club

Townie Winter Formal

Go Bar

Go Bar/Team Clermont Christmas Party

Gold Party

Spring Tigers

New Earth Music Hall

BangRadio

The Caste

Venice is Sinking

MONDAY

Little Kings

The Christmas Hoot

Caledonia

HACKS 2 Comedy

TUESDAY

Little Kings

American Cheeseburger

Canadian Rifle

Hot Breath

Playlist: Relax, The Year is Almost Over

We're all stressed this time of year. Worrying when we should be merry making, studying for finals, moving, cleaning, cooking, etc. can really wear you down. What you need is a bit of relaxation, perhaps some tunes to get you through the day and into a calmer place. So we made a playlist for just that reason, filled with delicate tunes (and one kinda loud one) that will hopefully get your mind off work and into a restful state. Enjoy! 

Venice is Sinking "Ryan's Song"

Liz Durrett feat. Vic Chesnutt "Not Running"

Sleepy Horses "Echoes"

Dead Confederate "It Was a Rose"

I'm Your Man...

When I was a freshman at the University of Georgia, I had the opportunity to take a class based totally on the works of Leonard Cohen. Though I had originally wanted to land in the Bob Dylan class, I'm still absolutely thrilled that I got to spend some time going through the lyrics and poetry of Mr. Cohen.

Our class was small but a few of us could play guitar. We pitched the idea of a tribute show as an end of the semester party. We gathered together at the top of the Transmet downtown and ate pizza, played music, and had a fun ol' time. Dr. Kraft, our fantastic instructor, decided to carry on the tradition for the next class she taught.

And so I got the opportunity to come back again and play some of my favorite Cohen songs which were, still to this day, the only performances I've done in Athens. And I know several people are thankful for that, but I digress...

The students from this year's class are doing both performances and readings of Cohen's work. The event runs from noon til 1:30 at Nuci's Space. So use that lunch break of yours to head on down and get a glimpse of some talented kids displaying the brilliance that is Cohen.

Athens Music News Roundup

Shiny! Ooo a shiny!

John Keane has been nominated for a Grammy for his work on Widespread Panic's Dirty Side Down. The official category is Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. If memory serves, this is Widespread's first Grammy nod. Congrats to all and best of luck!

If you're looking for more info on R.E.M.'s latest, check out Q Magazine.

Dead Confederate was robbed in Atlanta and had to cancel some dates with Minus the Bear. No one got hurt, thankfully.

Congrats to Athfest/Flagpole founder Jared Bailey on his successful bid for the District 5 Commission seat.

Rye Bar was on Jeopardy. Wowzers.

More on the seemingly never ending quest to get the GA Music Hall of Fame to Athens. Did I mention I'd like to work there if we got it? Cause I would. (end shameless plug)

Downtown Athens sure was pretty last night. The parade was awesome, as always.

Last but not least, submit your FAVORITE LOCAL ALBUMS OF THE YEAR to athensmusicjunkie@gmail.com. We want our end of the year list to be as awesome as possible. Thanks!

Yo Dawg, I Heard You Like Parades....

I think I can blame Gordon Lamb for my complete love of the annual Athens Downtown Parade of Lights. His enthusiasm about the event never ceases to amaze me. It's infectious and darn it if I haven't been looking forward to tonight's parade all year. The bands, the floats, the customary coffee stop, the stuffing my hands in my jacket pockets in a desperate attempt to stay warm...

There's something so heartwarming, and yes, a little cheesy, about a town parade. The cheesiness kinda depends on the size and humor of your town but there's an inherent sweetness in the Athens Christmas parade that makes me smile despite freezing my tail off. Nothing quite like watching little kids dancing and laughing and having a good ol' time while their parents chase the marshmallow looking tykes around. Ah, holidays.

All of the holiday cheer kicks off at 7 p.m. on Dougherty Street. Keep an eye out for the ATHFEST float, the Star Wars Legion (wait, what?!), and the WUOG band type thing. Some of us will be camped out in the usual spot, hopefully we'll see you there. If our eyelids haven't frozen shut, that is.

Weekly Show Picks

Today is World AIDS Day. Just so you know.

TODAY

Caledonia

The Gold Party

Jukebox the Ghost

The Meligrove Band

Rye Bar

Ghetto Mezrab

THURSDAY

Downtown Parade of Lights

40 Watt

Jimmy Herring

Lefty Hathaway

Caledonia

Deaf Judges (Last Show?)

Gift Horse

Bambara

New Earth Music Hall

Captain Crunk

PANTyRAiD

FRIDAY

Borders

Keane Family Singers

Cine

WUOG Winter Banquet

Casper and the Cookies

The Humms

Supercluster

New Earth Music Hall

Athens Music Collective

Nuci's Space

House Show at Nuci's

Rye Bar

Gaslight Street

Junk

Melting Point

Moses Gunn

Packway Handle Band

The Woodgrains

SATURDAY

Athens Community Theatre

The Rocky Horror Show

Caledonia

Lazer/Wulf

Manray

Savagist

Flicker Theatre

Grape Soda

The New Sound of Numbers

Sea of Dogs

The Melting Point

John Keane and Nathan Sheppard

Saint Francis

Rye Bar

Laissez Funk

Pseudo Blues and the Majestics

MONDAY

Nuci's Space

Leonard Cohen Tribute (Noon)

40 Watt

Cold War Kids

The Cave Singers

Caledonia

A Horse Called Lina

Native Kid

The Skipperdees

TUESDAY

40 Watt Club

Third Annual Squidmas

Doctor Squid

Flesh and Blood

The Warm Fuzzies

Max Canada

Liz Faucett

Liars and Lovers

Sam Sniper

Caledonia

New Music Festival