Live Review: Odd Trio at Hendershot's

by Alex Tank

A Thursday night at Hendershot's is an unassuming span, but this night was handily commanded by the Odd Trio, made up of Marc Gilley, saxophonist (of Athens' funk outfit The HEAP); Todd Mueller, drummer/percussionist; and Brian Smith, guitarist/bassist (of The Georgia Guitar Quartet). The three joyously trotted along through original jazz fusion compositions with equal parts childlike abandon and fearlessness, propelled by a sort of loose discipline honed over years of classical training and plain old sweat.

The Hendershot's crowd seemed intent and respectful, a trend at the coffee/beer and wine spot (now with liquor license I've heard!).  Maybe that's why it's such a fine place to catch some high-quality Athens music: openness, a lack of prejudice, and a general warmth.  The place is full of hard surfaces, but on Thursday night a huge number of deep oil paintings by Nash Hogan helped to ease the echoes giving the overall acoustics a welcomed damper.

Clearly rooted in improvisation, the Odd Trio's compositions can venture into territory from hard rock to hard bop, with tangents taking the versatile players into reggae, funk, classic rock, and swing; it's all there and it's all as malleable and flowing as hot wax. Put these guys on the West Coast in the late 50's, and they would have blown Dave Brubeck's mind past the Bikini Atoll!

Brian Smith has, at once, the monstrous dexterity of a classical guitarist and the attitude of a shredder fiend, and it comes through in his every experimental phrase, whether it be effects-laden or straight from his axe to your ears.  Behind the kit, Todd Mueller lays a stone foundation while allowing himself freedom to paint with auxiliary percussion; triangles, Tibetan prayer bells, enviable shaker complexes are his friends!  As a sax man, Marc Gilley knows and respects the tradition led by the likes of Wayne Shorter, but he, too, uses effects and manipulation to eke out lush and eerie reed sounds you'd never know possible.

On that particular Thursday evening, songs like "Accidental Cool" launched into brainy funk with an otherworldly zinging effect that recalled some lost level of Metroid. It's almost elemental how beats, soaring saxophone, and looped guitar shimmer and streak like beads of mercury on glass. Harmony and dialogue are pertinent yet unpretentious in their playing, but so is frequent grinding, jostling, pushing and pulling like there's always a localized tectonic micro-plate under the room.

For the theme "Indian Summer", a floating Latin feel served as the underpinning for all manner of stretchy, virtuosic guitar, some of which was so bizarre as to be almost comedic yet unmistakably engaging, too. Never has such a high level of musicianship been this much fun to hear and witness. To look at the faces in the tight-knit crowd was to realize that the Odd Trio brings as much intense joy to the stage as they do proficiency, beauty, and originality.

The night's closer was a crackling, syncopated tune called "Lo-Fi Hi-Jump" (rumored to be the title track of a forthcoming release!) and its bass riff was one that was still in my head the morning after. On tenor sax, Gilley assailed the crowd with a wail like a Comanche war cry, while a sort of Jamaican vamping on guitar bled into a demented, postmodern waltz. Mueller claimed a delirious, metallic march to finish the set, and the audience was left with wide smiles, conveying an evident hunger for the next sonic ride.

Don't miss the next chance to make it to Hendershot's. Catch the Odd Trio and partake in a decidedly enjoyable couple of hours, gratis: Thursday, Feb. 24th.

ALEX TANK  
More from Alex at ad rem

Athens Music News Roundup

First up: Grammy Nominated Local Producer John Keane has a blog written by his lovely wife Jo chronicling their adventures as they get ready for the upcoming Grammy awards. It's a great read so click here to find out more.

Ever debated the greatness of the B-52s first albums with your significant other? The Onion has.

Seriously, the deadline to submit your music for the ATHFEST comp. cd is pretty much here. Info at this link.

If you, like us, didn't get tickets to the Widespread Panic concerts in February, don't worry too much. They'll be streamed live right here.

Macon is out of the running for the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. That leaves Dunwoody, Woodstock, and Athens. Well, sorta Athens. It's complicated. Expect a long rambling post about my opinions on that later....

Julie Phillips rocks the Tumblr. Let the mutual link fest continue.

And last but far from least, Murmurs.com creator Ethan Kaplan posted yesterday on his blog that he is leaving Warner Music Group. We here at AthensMusicJunkie wish him all the best and look forward to seeing where he'll end up next!

Collapse Into Now Listening Party

Everytime R.E.M. releases a new album, we have a listening party the night before the US release. Same goes with Collapse Into Now. Check out the lovely press release below for all you need to know. If you're interested in what past events have been like, we've posted about some here on AMJ (Live at the Olympia, Murmur Reissue)

Benefitting Community Connection of Northeast Georgia & Family Connection / Communities in Schools of Athens / Whatever It Takes 

Monday, March 7, 2010
Doors at 6:30 p.m. (event begins promptly at 7 p.m.)
40 Watt Club
285 West Washington Street
Athens, GA 30601
All ages

Featuring: 

• Preview of Collapse Into Now album
• Live auction of signed memorabilia
• Screening of exclusive R.E.M. videos from Collapse Into Now
• Raffle
• Exclusive pre-release party t-shirts
• & more! 

A benefit preview listening party for each R.E.M. album of all-new material has been held in the band's hometown since the release of 1992’s Automatic for the People. 

Please note that the band will neither perform nor be in attendance at the event. 

For more information about the release party, contact Jeff Montgomery at 706-380-8269 or jeff@athensmusic.net. 

About Collapse Into Now: Collapse Into Now, R.E.M.'s new studio record, is the band's 15th album and set for a Tuesday, March 8 release in the United States on Warner Bros. Records. Collapse Into Now was produced by R.E.M. and Jacknife Lee and features guest appearances from Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye, Joel Gibb, Peaches, and Eddie Vedder. 

About the Beneficiaries: 

Community Connection of NEGA is the umbrella agency that oversees three crucial services in Northeast Georgia. They connect individuals in the 14 county area to resources via our 2-1-1 Information and Referral Helpline, which provides more than 30,000 referrals to the individuals in need of services each year; they connect thousands of interested citizens to volunteer opportunities in our community via our Hands On Northeast Georgia program; and they connect organizations to resources (including each other) via the Non-Profit Development Alliance, which helps non-profit organizations receive the training, support and assistance they need while ‘incubating’ new programs to fill gaps in services. For more information, visit www.communityconnection211.com or call 211 or 706-353-1313. 

Family Connection / Communities In Schools of Athens / Whatever It Takes brings the community together to toward a simple goal: that all children will succeed in school and in life. Family Connection / Communities In Schools of Athens is a partnership of 90 organizations working with families to research, plan, implement, and evaluate strategic approaches to improve results for all children and families. It is the official planning and coordinating body for services for children and families in the community and is nationally recognized for its work. Whatever It Takes seeks to ensure that every child in Athens-Clarke County will graduate from a post-secondary education. For more information, visit www.witathens.org, e-mail tim.johnson@witathens.org, or call 706-369-9732.

Tickets available at AthensMusic.net. THANKS JEFF!

Weekly Show Picks

TONIGHT

Go Bar

Damian Churchwell and the Omens

Greenland is Melting

The Melting Point

Efren

Matrimony

THURSDAY

40 Watt

Leaving Araby

The Less

Go Bar

The K-macks

Rye Bar

Plott

Sapphire Rebellion

FRIDAY

Farm 255

Hey Brother

Natalie Riccio

Monahan

Little Kings

The Knockouts

Klezmer Local 42

Hendershot's

Homegrown Revival

SATURDAY

Caledonia

Baxendale Guitar

The Burning Angels

Matt Hudgins and his Shit Hot Country Band

Go Bar

Bubbly Mommy Gun

Green Gerry

Bird Names

Little Kings

Adron

Justin Evans

MONDAY

40 Watt Club

The Humms

Smith Westerns

Yuck

Rye Bar

Sunlight Alchemists

TUESDAY

40 Watt Club

Eddie and the Public Speakers

Cody Canada & the Departed

Highwire

Kenosha Kid

Listen to this Now: R.E.M.'s Uberlin

I love this song. Don't love what that umlaut is doing to everyone's websites, though. Oh R.E.M. and their punctuation... I really wish this had been the single for the US over "Mine Smell Like Honey" but oh well.
If you haven't seen the other lyric videos, I'd recommend heading over to REMHQ's Youtube page to check 'em out. Word is that we'll get an official video for "Honey" soonish. And like the nerds we are, AMJ will let you know when that is.

Pylon and Painting

After couch/apartment surfing for 8 months, I've finally found a place to live for good. Naturally, with any new place comes the workload of cleaning and decorating and general mayhem. As I type now, I can see all the lovely splatters of paint still on my hands from yesterday (blue and white if you must know). The process of moving can be exhausting, exciting, and extremely rewarding but what to do about the soundtrack?

While doing some preliminary cleaning (dog fur in the bathtub, ew) and washing (yay walls?), my other half and I decided to crank up some tunes to keep us entertained while chasing dustbunnies around. What to play...what to play.... I put on the laptop and we listened to the new R.E.M. song (Uberlin! Wow!) but after I had hit "play" for the 17th time, Other Half suggested maybe we should listen to something else.

Naturally, I break out the Pylon. All of it. Chain, Chomp, and Gyrate were all in place and were thusly picked apart, analyzed, and talked about over the course of the evening. Ever notice how mean "K" sounds? Then a few tracks later you have the poppy "Crazy." Man, the stuff Randy did with that guitar. And those basslines. And the drums. And the vocals..... There's reasons why I keep coming back to this band.


Other Half is a fan of Chomp moreso than Gyrate, my fave, but the musical evolution of a band that wasn't really that intent on being a "band" at times is incredible. So, um, yeah. Summary of this post: YAY PYLON and also Yay House!

What Constitutes "Athens Music"?

A while back I posted about the Legend of Zelda musical that some UGA students were staging. I was wondering if I "could" post the announcement since it was so different than what we normally talk about here. Usually, AMJ doesn't get into the theatre/orchestra areas of Athens. Yes, it's a shame and yes, we're working on it.

Anyway, the thought finally struck me that of course "Zelda the Musical" was Athens music. Just as much as anything Pylon or Panic or anyone local has released. Sure, it's not a traditional four-piece experimental/post-punk/indie pop band like nearly everything else in town, but it was created by UGA students for the masses and I think that counts.

Truly, Athens is a talented town. When you've got this many over-educated, underemployed young/middle-aged kids with stars in their eyes, you're bound to have something wonderful happen. I sometimes feel, though, that there's this barrier between UGA and Athens. As the campus expands and offers more and more to the students, the less they seem to depend on the town itself.

I often wonder about the effect that moving the art school to East Campus is having. As most of y'all know, in the 80s it was almost required to have a member of your band either in art school or having just recently dropped out. There was collaboration. And still is. But I wonder sometimes. UGA's got some amazing musical talent. Take a glance at the precision of the Redcoat Marching Band. Or listen to one of their many chorus groups. Hell, there's a kid in Brumby right now brushing up on his guitar skills.

But how many of us stay away from campus because it's campus? And how many students stay away from downtown because they just don't need it (other than a few obvious drunken fratties)? I don't know. Yet I wonder.

When you get down to it, if it came from Athens, it's Athens music. Be it the new R.E.M. or the Bulldawg Brass Society. Some of it sucks. Some of it rocks. But it's all important. Cause it's Athens.

New Addiction: Monahan

Sometimes you want to bypass all the experimental rock bands in Athens and get something that hits a lot closer to home. Enter Monahan. If you're looking to fill the heartfelt pop-rock void the Modern Skirts just left, Monahan can do you one better: he actually means it.

Ryan Monahan has a strong group of contributors backing him, often joining him in other escapades like Beatles for Sale and Ola Moon. Monahan's musical leanings resemble everyone from Maroon 5 to Elvis Costello. But Monahan is pure indie crooning, balanced by clever melodies and developed instrumentation. We're still amazed he hasn't landed on a film soundtrack yet. All in due time. Make sure to check out Monahan for yourself this Saturday at Little Kings.

For more on Monahan, check here.

Weekly Show Picks

TONIGHT

283 Bar

Pastor of Muppets

Hendershot's 

Mary Sigalas

Farm 255

Dial Indicators

THURSDAY

40 Watt

The Athens Band

Bombs, Bombs, Bombs

Dr. Squid

Caledonia

Adam Klein and Friends

Thayer Sarrano

Sailor and Ship

Rye Bar

Connected Houses

Tastes Like Good

Thieves Market

FRIDAY

40 Watt

Georgia Theatre Presents

Dead Confederate

Bambara

Kuroma

Ruby Kendrick

Little Kings

Matt Butcher and the Revolvers

Workingman's Union

Caledonia

Mr. Falcon

Yo Soybean

Now You See Them

Tumbleweed Stampede

SATURDAY

Caledonia

The Gold Party

Sugar and Gold

Yip Deceiver

Farm 255

The Winter Sounds

Union of Concerned Scientists

The Kickback

Flicker

Monahan

Brothers

Oryx & Crake

Semicircle

MONDAY 

Max Canada

Bambara

Gringo Star

The KMacks

Nate Nelson

The Tenant

Rye Bar

Open Mic

TUESDAY

The Melting Point

Seven Handle Circus

CD Review: Yo Soybean

Those sunny sounding folk-popsters Yo Soybean have finally let loose their album Manifest Blasphemy and, boy, was it worth the wait, however short it may have been. Listeners familiar with the band will notice a lot of energy transferred over from their live show to the record, a difficult feat for any band, much less one as fun as Soybean. Make sure to check out the band this FRIDAY at the Caledonia.

As always, a quick note about the artwork. I love the font and drawing on the front of the record. The color scheme works, though it might not have been the colors I would associate with the 'Bean but in this case, it matches the slightly darker undertones of the record. Nicely done.

Anticipation A nice way to start up the record. The riff immediately gets stuck in your head and it's a fun song to bounce around to.

Manifest Blasphemy Part 2 I love the chanted chorus "We'll tell 'em all/ how we cheated the gods of fate." It sounds like a call that all can take up, a collective fist shaken at all those who have said that it, whatever it was, couldn't be done. HA! A rather low-key triumphant song, as if told by a weary traveller who just wants a nap before recounting the story.

Under the North West Moon If you've ever wondered what it's like for a band on tour, this would be it. The uncertainty, the thankfulness that you'll at least get food even if you don't get paid, the feeling of loneliness... This would be the song you'd strum to yourself in a stranger's living room before bed after a show. Very folksy, harmonica and all.

Neon Cowboy is possibly my favorite song on the record. Out and out country twangy tune about how the computer and internet change how we act and portray ourselves these days. Is there a disconnect we all carry now due to the internet? Are our lives ruled by the computer? Interesting concept.

This Was Just to Say is a beautiful tune with a memorable haunting string arrangement and female vocals that will keep you wanting more.

Song After Song is a familiar refrain if you've heard Nate Nelson's work, but even if you have, Yo Soybean's take on the craft of songwriting and being in a band is a fascinating look into the mind of the artist. This very open arrangement leaves a lot of sonic space, pushing the vocals up for full angsty effect.

Breathing Down Our Necks contains one of the best vocal performances on the entire record, using a male/female counterpoint backed by soft guitars to create an atmosphere that envelopes without overwhelming. Imagine lying on your back, looking at the stars, with fireflies lighting up the night. Such a beautiful song.

Paradise Found I'm fond of the beat behind this. It's amazing what kind of rhythm you can get out of instruments and "Paradise" showcases what Soybean does best, "gather round the campfire and shout" stompers. You can't help but join in.

Five Billion Rocks In The Pond Another low key one, sounds more like Nate Nelson than anything else. Never a bad thing, mind you.

Zig-Zag Town Another beautiful vocal performance. The melodic lines the vocals go through are interesting and lead you into places you normally wouldn't guess. They go up when you think they'd go down and vice versa. It keeps things fresh. And a pretty nice end to the record.

Overall, Manifest Blasphemy is a fun folk romp through the minds of songwriters armed with late night guitars and an ear for vocal melody. This'll really hit home for the Athens touring groups but anyone can relate to the wanderlust and wonder found here. Best heard when romping through the woods at dusk. I give it an 8 out of 10.

Athens Music News Roundup

The Avett Brothers will be playing the Classic Center March 29th! Thanks to the efforts of the UGA Music Business Program, the band known for "I and Love and You" will return to Athens to play a show benefiting the Georgia Theatre rebuild.

ATHFEST is taking submissions for the annual compilation. To be on the official Athfest cd, you've got to get your stuff sent by Feb. 1st. Your deadline for submissions for consideration to play on the outdoor stages is March 1st. More info and minute details and stuff here.

In our ever growing stack of R.E.M. news, you can listen to the first US radio single "Mine Smell Like Honey" here. As for what the "mine" refers to, um, we're almost afraid to ask.

Zelda the Musical, the incredibly awesome play created, run, and sustained completely by UGA students, had to turn away hundreds of people during its two night run due to an overwhelming crowd. The group is currently scrambling to arrange a third night of awesomeness. Go see this show, seriously.

Did you miss the Drive-By Truckers this weekend? No worries, so did we. But hey, Southern Shelter's got us covered.

The Cowboy Junkies are releasing their tribute to Vic Chesnutt this week. Read more about Demons at Spin.

Fans of The Rattlers will have a chance to say goodbye to founding members Matt and Kevin on the 22nd at the 40 Watt.

And finally, AMJ is not on tumblr, yet, but F***YEAHPETERBUCK has got a ton of fun REM pics.

Go See A Movie Tonight

If you're like me, you are more than stir crazy right now. Multiple days of snow and ice have caused us all to get a little bored so why not venture out tonight to see one (or both!) of two awesome local movies.

First up is the Drive By Truckers: The Secret to a Happy Ending at Cine. Times and details are here but if you wait until Monday, you can have a Q & A with DBT record producer David Barbe after the screening. The movie's been getting some rave reviews and features the story of three years of heartache and triumph for the Truckers.



Or tonight, you can head to Beechwood to see Athens Burning, the documentary on the Georgia Theatre. Ticket info and showtimes are here. It's the world premiere, so dress up if you want!



It's pretty awesome that we've got two great local movies coming out and getting a lot of attention. Not to mention a certain other flick that'll be coming out soon...

Hey! Look! Hey! Listen! Look!

If only he had ended it then, we would've been spared...

Ah, the Legend of Zelda. I cannot express how much I love this game series. I am a total video game nerd (psst, the cake is a lie) but nothing can compare to the majesty of Zelda. So when I heard that UGA was staging a musical version of Ocarina of Time, I kinda nerded out a bit.

The show was written by a UGA pre-med student and is the first UGA musical written, directed, and performed entirely by students. The shows are FREE but donations will go towards the next production. I want to see Metal Gear Solid next. Imagine the dancing boxes!

From the official Facebook page:
"Zelda the Musical is a thrilling tale that is loosely based off of the video game Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The main character, Link, is thrown into a whirlwind adventure where it becomes his destiny to save all of Hyrule kingdom from the evil sorcerer Ganon. Throughout his journey Link is met with many puzzles, challenges, and strange characters that will either help or hurt him along the way. Will he be able to be the hero Hyrule needs?"

Zoras and Gorons and Dekus! Oh my! Will we see Epona, Link's loyal steed? What of Impa and her town? Phantom Gannon? The crazy mask salesman? Who knows! Turn up Friday or Saturday for a musical romp through Hyrule and planes unknown.
 

Zelda Twitter

Weekly Show Picks

TONIGHT

40 Watt

Benefit for Athens Area Humane Society

Maria Bamford

Joe Zimmerman

Karen Hilton

Andrea Boyd

Natalie Glaser

TJ Young

Rye Bar

The K-Macks

THURSDAY

40 Watt

Drive-By Truckers

The Second Suns

Hendershot's

Kenosha Kid

Flicker

A Horse Called Lina

Sam Burchfield

Skipperdees

FRIDAY

40 Watt

Drive By Truckers

Henry Barbe

Don Chambers + GOAT

Melting Point

Ghost of a SaberTooth Tiger

Julianna Barwick

Go Bar

The Fuzzlers

Olde Growth

Wereelk

SATURDAY

40 Watt

The Camped Amped Band

David Barbe & the Quick Hooks

Drive By Truckers

Caledonia

Liars and Lovers

Matt Joiner Trio

Tealvox

Little Kings

Fleet Machine

Poncho Magic

Splinter Belly

MONDAY

Go Bar

Amil Byleckie

Rye Bar

Evelynn Rose

Sam Sniper

TUESDAY

Caledonia

Falcones

What's Going On?

Rye Bar

Tim Fast

Ghetto Mezrab

Please Do Not Drive Unless You Have To

My current living situation has me perched at the top of Baxter Hill where I spent a great deal of yesterday watching cars struggle up the hill only to have to turn around. Even worse, there were a number of cars that began sliding violently up and down the hill. It's not worth it to get to work guys.

Be safe. Not stupid.


On Winter Break like everyone else,

The AMJ staff

Collapse Into Snow

The trek to Downtown Athens. My tauntuan froze.

It is incredibly snowy out there. The entire town is shut down. Very few cars on the road. I'm sure some of y'all from outside Georgia are having a laugh but 5 inches of snow here can cripple everything. So what better to do than romp around outside in the snow then stay inside and listen to some music?

I'm really digging "Oh My Heart." It's my favorite of the songs released so far.



Love the horns. To me, it's an extension of "Houston" but done in a more Automatic for the People way.

For any of you who got stuck at work today, I give you this from the Drive By Truckers


Damn. Hits far too close to home for a lot of people.

As for a mashup, these two are perfect.


So, what are you doing this snow day?

Apparently People Still Camp Out For Tickets

Photo by Winston Murray

There are a few people camped out in front of the Classic Center for Widespread Panic tickets that go onsale tomorrow. With temperatures nearing the frigid freezing mark, you often have to wonder about the sanity of people. But who am I to say anything? If it were my all time favorite artist, I'd be camping out too. The people in line are most likely uber-fans like yourself, right? Instant friendship right there.

I guess I just missed out on all that so called fun. By the time I was old enough to buy concert tickets, most had already begun to be sold online. While that sounds a lot better than waiting in a cold line for a day, we had dial-up. Anyone with a connection even marginally faster than us could snatch up those Hanson tickets uber-fast.

But buying tickets online has its own rush, thrills, and chills. Maybe it doesn't have the same physical, real-life comradery that a line does, but it's still pretty intense. I remember my first time trying to buy major concert tickets. The year was 2008 and the band was R.E.M. (big surprise, right?)

Refresh the page. Camped out with my Mountain Dew, a pack of Twizzlers, and my eyes glued to the computer's clock. Refresh the page. There was no way in hell I was going to miss buying these tickets. I kept glancing nervously at the computer screen, back to the tv, back to my pile of pre-sale codes, phone numbers, and credit card. Refresh the page. Ugh, the stress was killing me. At the time, I was completely unaware of the Athens-only sale. Would've saved me some time and money but oh, well. We live and learn I suppose. Refresh the page.

What if they denied my card? What if all the good seats were taken? What if my computer froze? All of it was covered. I had a friend armed with his own card and my password on his own computer just in case. We were going to get those tickets if it killed us. Wait a sec, OH CRAP! Buy the tickets! Buy them now! *panic panic panic* I filled out those forms like a pro. *panic panic panic*

"Your order has been filled. You will receive a confirmation email shortly"

SUCCESS!

Whew. Now the only thing to worry about was if they got lost in the mail. Which they didn't. My songwriting partner and I made it to the show with plenty of time to spare, found a spot directly in front of the band, and stayed there. It was such a good night and we made a ton of friends in the crowd. Sure, we didn't have to stand in line to get the tickets nor did we have to jump through a bunch of hoops. I sometimes wonder at how many more friends we could've made in an actual line....

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Athens Burning

"Athens Burning" Trailer from SphereVibe Films on Vimeo.

Encouraging news from the Georgia Theatre folk via Twitter. "Big day today! Poured concrete on the stage, should pour the balcony early next week. Soft opening in May seems realistic at this pace"

It's really great to think that come May, we might be able to step once more into this Athens landmark and get to see all the cool new improvements. Word is that the "Athens Burning" documentary will be out soon. Details of times and locations coming soon as we get 'em. For more on the documentary, click here.

Weekly Show Picks

Hope everyone had a good break. We're still in the wind-up stages of the music scene, it appears but believe us, it's about to get nutty next week. For now, check out these awesome shows going on this week.

TONIGHT

Flicker

Singer-Songwriter Night

Rye Bar

Creation Co.

THURSDAY

Rye Bar

Knock Knock Dance Party w/ Wonky Kong

Caledonia

Best Friends

Group X  (whooohooo! Shifty-Five!)

Campaign

So So Death

40 Watt

Party for Heidi (Free!)

Melting Point

Nathan Sheppard/John Keane Duo

Little Kings

Benefit for Andre Gallant

Hot New Mexicans

Liverty

Zippers to Nowhere

WUOG

Captain #1

The Humms

FRIDAY

Caledonia

New Sound of Numbers

Witches

Flash to Bang Time

New Earth Music Hall

Mixer Details Here

WUOG

The Goons

Marshmallow Coast

SATURDAY

Farm 255

Nate Nelson

Carrie Ann Hearst

Shovels and Rope

Flicker Theater 

Ryan Monahan

Kate Morissey

WUOG

Casper and the Cookies

MONDAY

Go Bar

Big Eyes

Melting Point

The Hoot

TUESDAY

Caledonia 

Bit Brigade

Widespread Panic to Play Athens and Other News

HOLY FREAKIN' COW!  Widespread Panic will be playing Athens, Ga for the band's 25th anniversary. The band will play the Classic Center February 10th and 11th and in ATL on the 14th. Tickets are all $50 and go on sale THIS SATURDAY at 9 a.m. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. If memory serves the Classic Center sits on the site of the old Mad Hatter where Panic first played back in 1986. (update: yup, way to tell me what I need WP newsletter!)  And we've got the B-52s coming the same month? I'm gonna have to stock up on Jittery Joes.

You can check out a new R.E.M. track thanks to NPR. "Oh My Heart" can be heard here and here's a nod to the boys from the Decemberists that features Mr. Peter Buck himself called "Calamity Song." And have you seen Michael Stipe's new site? I'm pretty sure it's on a 30 minute loop. If you can last that long. Oh, and it's Mr. Stipe's birthday today too. Happy Birthday Michael!

Mark Yer Calendars: Athens Popfest is October 11-15th.

Cee-lo says that Danger Mouse is wrapping up the new U2 project.

Tealvox has a release show on the 15th at the Caledonia where they'll be giving away the album. Sweet!

Legend Of Zelda: The Musical. It's real. UGA students created this epic piece of awesome that'll play for two nights only on the 14th and 15th. Details here.

Athens Business Rocks

Just in case you didn't know..

Yeah, so it's not that uncommon for the guy you're watching onstage to have served you lunch earlier in the day but it's pretty cool when that guy's fry cook, boss, and dishwasher play along side him. Or maybe that nerd in the corner cubicle is harboring a secret desire to be a rockstar. Sure would be nice if that office assistant down the hall with dreams of drumming could help. Well, wait no longer! Here's your chance to get in on something the entire company will be buzzing about for days! Athens Business Rocks!


Yup. Live out your dreams by playing three cover songs with your coworkers under a hilarious or thoughtful name. Play your favorite songs. Play your most hated songs. Play something insane. Take last years bands Iron Richie and Lionel Maiden. One would play Lionel Richie songs in the style of Iron Maiden. The other would do the exact opposite. As weird as that sounds, it worked pretty well.

The rules and registration for the event can be found here.  Round one is Feb. 2nd, two is Feb. 3rd, and three is Feb. 4th. The grand finale featuring the winning band from each night will be Feb. 19th. All of the shows will be at the fabulous 40 Watt Club.All proceeds from the shows benefit Nuci's Space.
For more information on Athens Business Rocks, make sure to check out their website.