for fans of music & those who make it

Issue 9 • Free • athensblur.com

MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA • DEREK TRUCKS

FUTUREBIRDS • MINDY SMITH • VAN HUNT
MARSHMALLOW COAST • ERIC HEATHERLY
LISSY TRULLIE • VIENNA TENG & MORE!!!

The AVETT
BROTHERS
A major band gets
a major label

taking back
sunday

passion
Adam Lazzara’s
new perspective

Ten
Questions
Sister Hazel outlives

pit
and outlasts on Release

The Trouble boston’s buzz

with tickets
A proposed merger could
band fights
turn the whole business
into one giant auction
the hype
(AIR) Guitar
HEROES
Melting faces and
saving the world, one
performance at a time

remembering the georgia theatre>>

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 (22)
The buzz instigated by five Boston
kids just barely able to buy a Sam
Adams at their local beer joint is

passion pit
inescapable — and quickly making its
way to a town near you...

by Kristen Lee

remembering
(40) the georgia theatre

A proposed merger of live music giants

could turn the whole business into one
giant auction.
by Ed Morales

(53)
10
questions with sister hazel
by Natalie B. David (46)

A Major Step
(48) The Avett Brothers get a makeover — Rick Rubin style.
by Alec Wooden

Something
New Again
rs. The U.S.
tic controlle and save
e pesky plas melt faces
Forget thos on sh ip s
Champi time.
Air Guitar mance at a
one perfor

(59)
the world,

(50)
David
by Natalie
Taking Back Sunday’s Adam Lazzara finds a fresh perspective.
by Nicole Black

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 3

 music
29 COLUMNS
EDITOR’S PLAYLIST: 7
Ten Tunes Worth Noting
THE FIRST WORD: 9

14
Life...after MJ
WHAT’S YOUR MUSICSCOPE? 66

12
Astrology for Musicians

11 spotlights
Regional Report: Memphis, Tenn. 66

13 Manchester Orchestra
Lissy Trullie
11
12
20
Derek Trucks 13
Eric Lindell 14
Eric Heatherly 17
Mindy Smith 18
Vienna Teng 19
fun. 20
Passion Pit 22
Chimaira 24
Marshmallow Coast 25
Blind Pilot 26
Keyshia Cole 28
Van Hunt 29

28
Futurebirds 30

ALSO:
64 38 EAR CANDY: Album Reviews
THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY
TOUR DIARY: Tishamingo
32
36
38
18
UPCOMING CD RELEASES 45
ARTS &
ENTERTAINMENT
MOVIE PREVIEWS: Worth your money? 67
Mike Epps: A Big Kid Livin’ in a Grown Man’s Body 69
UPCOMING DVD RELEASES 71

69 FOOD
MEALS FOR YOUR BROKE ASS:
Cool Treats!
73

ALSO INSIDE:
MUSICIAN’S GEAR GUIDE 64

73
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: 74
Go Ahead, Make My Date
ATHENS LIVE: The Month in Photos 78
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 5
 BLUR FROM THE EDITOR
DEAR READERS The Athens Blur Magazine
“Just be there opening night.”
That’s all Wilmot Greene wants — or, at least, that was his response to my P.O. Box 7117
hollow-feeling (yet heartfelt) question, ‘what can we do to help?’
As he says this, his pride and joy (The Georgia Theatre) isn’t even two weeks Athens, Ga 30604
removed from being gutted by fire. Donations and goodwill continue to pour
in, but rebuilding the joint isn’t, at this point, a foregone conclusion.
Main Office(706) 353-7799
Still, he’s confident: just be there opening night. Amazing. For my part, Sales(706) 207-9091
there’s not a circumstance on this planet that could keep me from it.
The truth is, of course, there is more we can do.
As a community, keep giving. Don’t let the donations slow as we become Executive Editor
further removed from the tragedy on Lumpkin street. As music fans, get out Alec Wooden
to one of the many benefit shows that continue to pop up around town. Oh, alec@athensblur.com
and...be at the Theatre opening night.
For our part as Blur Magazine, we’re trying to pitch in a couple ways. This Director of Sales
month’s centerfold feature is a simple and poignant look back at memories Stephen Simmons
made in the Theatre. Photographer Kevin Quinn generously donated a large stephen@athensblur.com
part of his archives for the project, showcasing photos from around 2001-
2009. Following the photo spread are just a few of the favorite memories from Account Executives
a wide range of people both willing and eager to share some of their favorite Adrienne Klein
times had in the building. adrienne@athensblur.com
Also, I’d like to draw your attention to the page normally dedicated to the Jim McGahee
Georgia Theatre advertisement (this month, immediately after the above- jim@athensblur.com
mentioned section) as we announce our efforts to chip in on the fundraising. Zach Greco
In partnership with www.eCampusWIDE.com, Blur is proud to sponsor “Re- zach@athensblur.com
vive the Theatre,” a massive percentage day planned for Saturday, August 22 at Jen Allen
more than 20 establishments around Athens. These businesses have generous- jen@athensblur.com
ly offered a percentage of their full day’s sales, which will be gathered and do-
nated through the current online giving means at georgiatheatre.com. Advertising Interns
For a full list of participating bars and restaurants, see the advertisement or Elaine Emma Kelch, Morgan Kelly, Julia Ott
visit www.eCampusWIDE.com/revive. If you’re around on the 22nd, get out
to eat, grab a few beers, an ice cream cone, whatever. Know that every dollar Design
you spend will be chipping in to the rebuilding battle — and it’s a long, uphill Colin Dunlop, Lauren Mullins,
battle — and getting us one step closer to opening night at The Theatre. Carlye Norton, Alec Wooden

Alec Wooden
Executive Editor
editor’s playlist
old or new, 10 songs I can’t get enough of this month
“1901” Phoenix
“So Blue” The Corduroy Road
“Cold Hands” Black Lips
“Polyanna” Patterson Hood
“Miss Bliss” Dodd Ferrelle
“Jessie The Goat” Joker’s Daughter
ON THE COVER: Boston’s Passion Pit, celebrating the release
of the new record, Manners. Photo by Elizabeth Weinberg.
Editorial Interns
Jessica Cole, Will Hackett, Lindsey Lee
Kristen Lee, Lauren Moot, Julie
McCollum, Sarah Saltzman
Contributing Editor
Jon Ross
Contributing Writers
Natalie David, Ed Morales,
Zac Taylor, Jon Ross, Melissa Coker, Amanda
“Sunken Union Boat”
Cuda, Matt Fink, Kelly Skinner, DeMarco
John Vanderslice
Williams, PT Umphress, Jacquie Brasher
“I’m Sorry Baby, But You Can’t Stand For general comments and inquiries:
in my Light Anymore” editorial@athensblur.com
Bob Mould
For advertising opportunities:
“Trillion Candles” A PostWar Drama sales@athensblur.com
The Athens Blur Magazine issue 9, copyright©2009
“I’ll Be There” Jackson 5 (really) By The Athens Blur Magazine, INC. The Athens Blur Magazine is
an eight issue/year music and variety publication, proud to be
based in the “Classic City” of Athens, Ga. All rights reserved. No
part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part in
any way by any means unless written permission is received from
the publisher. Published monthly except for each summer issue
in the United States of America and distributed free of charge
(limit one copy per reader, each subsequent copy is distributed
at a charge of $4.95). Postmaster send address changes to The
Athens Blur Magazine, P.O. Box 7117 Athens, Ga. 30604

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 7


MUSIC
Life...after mj
remembering the man in the mirror
Pop quiz, music fans: who’s the only
artist more popular than Presley and more
prolific than Lennon?
You got it. Michael Joseph Jackson.
Okay, so I don’t mean that — com-
pletely. But let’s break it down for a sec-
ond. Like Elvis, MJ understood that being
a musician wasn’t enough. His heart rest-
ed in presentation, and no one did it bet-
ter. Like Lennon, MJ wrote songs unlike
any other in his time period, showcasing
a genius unparalleled. So while it’s tough
to make the above blanket statement, it’s
certainly a defensable one (by the way, in
an interesting coincidental sidenote, Jack-
son’s death came one day before the 32nd
anniversary of Elvis’ final concert).
As was the feeling (I think, I wasn’t
around) in 1977 (Elvis’ death) and 1980
(Lennon’s), a generation of fans is now
left with a simple, profound and hollow
truth about their days on this planet. Life
exists now in two distinct spheres: life be-
fore June 25, 2009, and life after MJ.
Jackson is one of those sad cases of
the last decade (think OJ Simpson, if
you’re a sports fan) whose name has be-
come a punchline in its own right for a
joke that needn’t even be said. I didn’t care
then — 2005, during the trial — and I
don’t care now about the allegations. Yes,
some sick charges were brought forth
and, was he to be found guilty, nothing
would have excused the behavior. But that
doesn’t change 200+ million album sales.
That doesn’t change countless #1 singles
(back when it meant something to have
a #1 single). That doesn’t change genius
— genius — writing and arranging. It
doesn’t change an untouchable legacy of
showmanship.
Any legacy, to be untouchable, must be
properly defined — a chore not even re-
motely difficult when dealing with Jack-
son. The week after his death, he sold
over 400,000 records and claimed 14 of
the top 20 spots on Amazon’s UK charts.
The week prior? He sold around 10,000
and wasn’t even sniffing a chart. Jackson
holds a host of Guinness world records.
He claims the top selling record of all
time, the most successful run of concerts
of all time, and the most #1 hits of the
BLUR THE FIRST WORD
“Jackson’s now cancelled
“This Is It” London show
series had him originally
1980’s. He even holds a record for having
scheduled to appear 10 times
the most records by a recording artist. A at London’s O2 Arena. When
record for having records? Wow. But the
most interesting record to me? Jackson
ticket sales went through the
holds the Guinness for the most chari- roof (at one point, sales num-
ties donated to by a recording artist. For bers were around 11 tickets/
all the controversy that swirled around the
beleaguered star, a whole lot of good came second), Jackson bumped the
from his misunderstood life. number to 50 shows. Here’s
The jarring thing about Jackson’s death
— again, I dare say as it was with Pres- some perspective: when Paul
ley and Lennon — is that he was not an McCartney tickets for Citi
artist totally out of the sphere of cultur-
al relevance, despite the general concen- Field (New York) were going
sus that his musical prime was long, long well for two shows, the pro-
gone. Jackson’s now cancelled “This Is It”
London show series had him original-
moters bumped the number
ly scheduled to appear 10 times at Lon- up to three shows. A British
don’s O2 Arena. When ticket sales went
through the roof (at one point, sales num-
star in America added one
bers were around 11 tickets/second), Jack- show by popular demand.
son bumped the number to 50 shows. An American star in Britain
Here’s some perspective: when Paul Mc-
Cartney tickets for Citi Field (New York) added 40.”
were going well for two shows, the pro-
moters bumped the number up to three
shows. A British star in America added
one show by popular demand. An Ameri-
can star in Britain added 40.
This column wasn’t originally going to
be about Michael, ya know. By the time
you read this, he’s been gone for at least
a month, and the news outlets have long
since retreated from the story. But when I
checked the mailbox today, sitting inside
was “Now That’s What I Call Music, Vol.
31,” and it made me stop in my tracks at
the irony of its arrival date. Looking down
the artist and track list, I couldn’t help but
think the genres Michael bred and saved
time and again are essentially dead, as
they have been in his absence from the
music scene before his death. Will we ever
see this type of genius again? I’m not con-
vinced the answer is yes. I hope it is, but
I just don’t know. There was everything
before June 25, 2009, which was blessed
by his presence. And now, without warn-
ing, we must head into something which
something music and pop culture is frank-
ly not prepared — life after MJ.
— Alec Wooden
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 9
 MUSIC ALTERNATIVE
band on fire
behind the buzz of atlanta’s rising rock ACt
On the rock and roll career
trajectory, Manchester Orchestra
is somewhere between up-and-
coming and everywhere (think
Kings of Leon pre-“Sex on
Fire”). The promising signs are
there.
First, there’s the crowd
volume. “It was a pretty sold-out
tour, so that was encouraging,”
said Chris Freeman, Manchester
Orchestra’s keyboardist, calling
in from his hometown of Atlanta
during a two-week break after
wrapping up the U.S. tour.
But for Freeman, the
“something’s happening here”
moment for him occurred a few
years back at Atlanta’s Variety
Playhouse. “Our hopes were
to sell 400 tickets, which was
the most we’d ever sold before,”
he recalled. “A couple of hours
before the show, it sold out at
Photo: James Minchin III
1,200, and we walked onstage
in our hometown and there While the rest of us have example, in “The Only One,”
were 1,200 people there going
ape-shit. …  I just couldn’t stop MANCHESTER been gradually catching on, Hull sings, “I am the only son
smiling the whole show, which ORCHESTRA the band has been steadily
hitting its stride, most evident
of a pastor I know who does the
things I do.” (Hull’s father and
was awesome.” on the group’s recent release, grandfather were pastors.) The
Then, there are the awkward Mean Everything to Nothing, lyrics on the new record have
fame moments. “I had my first WHO’S WHO Manchester Orchestra’s answer gotten more personal than the
encounter with a crying fan,” Andy Hull (vocals, guitar),
Chris Freeman (keyboard), to Weezer’s Pinkerton. first, but sometimes they go over
Freeman admitted. “I had to go “Our goal was to make the even Hull’s own band mate’s
to the bathroom so bad ‘cause I Jeremiah Edmond (drums),
Robert McDowell (guitar), loudest parts louder and the heads. Freeman admitted that
was kind of drunk and we’d just quietest parts quieter,” Freeman for the most part, he isn’t quite
Jonathan Corley (bass)
played. This girl looks at me and said. sure what the lyrics to the music
just starts bawling her eyes out FORMED The effect leans on the he’s playing actually mean. He
and shaking.” (Wait ... it gets 2004 in Atlanta, Ga. dramatic side, but the band’s confessed, “A year later I’m like,
worse.) “I tried to comfort her other influences —  including ‘Oh hey, what the hell were you
until she grabbed my butt. And LABEL the Pixies and Neutral Milk talking about?’”
then it got really awkward.” Favorite Gentleman Hotel as well as what Freeman Remember back when you
Finally, there’s the whirlwind described as the “nasty, grungy, thought you were the only one
schedule. The band played 300 LATEST RELEASE
Mean Everything To Nothing loud” sound of Atlanta bands like listening to Kings of Leon, and
shows in one year following its Dead Confederate — keep the then it turns out most of your
first major release, I’m Like A
(2009)
edge on. As far as what influence friends were, and then suddenly
Virgin Losing A Child, and the ON THE WEB growing up in the South has had everyone you know name-drops
promotion for this record is just www.themanchester on his music, Freeman said, “We them as their favorite band? Well,
as intense. Freeman said it’s “tour, orchestra.com were all raised in the church, so with Manchester Orchestra,
tour, tour” until Thanksgiving. “I I think that definitely affected your friends are onto them, but
saw the schedule about halfway said), the constant togetherness us musically, and we listened to the band’s music hasn’t exactly
through this last tour, and I makes them tighter. a lot of Christian music growing infiltrated mall department
thought I was gonna have a “When it came time to write up.” stores. It is not a bad spot to be
mental breakdown.” for a record, it was just super easy. Though the discovery of — all of the awareness without
All of that touring does have We’d been around each other for, Radiohead in high school steered the over-saturation that happens
its perks, though. In addition to you know, ever — every day,” the musicians in a different after a big hit song. But at this
upcoming shows in Australia, Freeman said. “Playing all of direction, religious themes do rate, it’s only a matter of time.
England and a gig at Lollapalooza
(“My favorite festival,” Freeman
those shows, you end up getting tend to pop up in singer and  
better by default.” guitarist Andy Hull’s lyrics. For — Julie McCollum

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 11

 MUSIC BLUES
MUSIC ALTERNATIVE

lissy’s european vacation rite of passage

great food, killer accommodations...and a case of swine flu the surreaL Travels of musical prodigy derek trucks
Zac Taylor: You’re fresh back from A yard sale and a $5 salvaged
Europe. How’d the tour go? acoustic guitar provided enough
Lissy Trullie: Our tour was an LISSY TRULLIE intrigue to spark the interest of
unlucky one. Ian fell sick, and then nine-year-old Derek Trucks
the following morning we took to become a musical prodigy. By
him to the hospital in Hamburg WHO’S WHO age 11 he was gigging with some
Lissy Trullie (vocals, guitar), of the industry’s most prolific
where he tested positive for Josh Elrod (drums), Eben
the Swine Flu! We all had to artists of all time, developing
D’Amico (lead guitar), Ian his pickless style and slide guitar
be quarantined and spent three Fenger (bass)
days in a hotel room where we skill.
were not allowed to leave. We FORMED “You’re at an advantage at that
had to cancel a gigantic chunk of 2009 in New York, N.Y. age — musicians will open up
the tour and had to take Tamiflu the book to you and teach you
(wrecks your stomach; not fun). LABEL things if you’re inquisitive and
We were only able to salvage Wichita Recordings your attitude is right, where
a little later in life it becomes
the last two dates — Paris and
Amsterdam — as a three piece.
LATEST RELEASE more competitive,” said Trucks. THE DEREK
All and all, it was not what I was
Self-Taught Learner (2009) “At that age I found that a lot of TRUCKS BAND
expecting from this tour, but I’m world class musicians - whether
ON THE WEB it was Bob Dylan or Buddy Guy,
so happy Ian was alive in the www.myspace.com/lis- WHO’S WHO
end. sytrullie or people we would do shows Derek Trucks (guitar, photo courtesy derek trucks band

  with — were always pretty open slide guitar), Todd Smal-

and would invite you into their Theatre burned down. I know you see things differently. We try
ZT: How do the European lie (bass), Yonrico Scott
what got us where we are going. circles.” (drums), Kofi Burbridge there are so many musicians that to take that to the stage.”
stagehands and accommodations had a strong tie to that room. Married to blues and soul
Everyone’s a critic, and everyone His father, a roofing contractor, (keyboards), Mike Mattison
compare to those of your most recent That whole scene was thriving artist Susan Tedeschi with two
loves a chance to call bullshit and mother, an elementary school (lead vocals). Count M’Butu
tour of the United States?   when I was just coming to. I was small children, Trucks is the
on something. Give them that teacher, named him after Derek (percussion)
LT: I think the European techs/ starting to gig, play and travel quintessential time manager,
chance and prove them wrong. of Derek and the Dominoes,
sound guys are a little more FORMED and it was an eye-opener seeing continuing to play with the
  and he remains appreciative
attentive, but we’ve had great 1994 in Jacksonville, Fla. all of those great musicians — Allman Brothers Band —
ZT: Your blog is very charming of his situation. Enduring the
experiences in the U.S., too. As Athens was the hub for it.” who will celebrate their 40th
and honest — great photos, too. grind of the long, slow pathway
for accommodations, Europe LABEL Traveling hard, playing up to Anniversary this year — and
How else do you keep in touch with to stardom, Trucks has received Sony Music/Victor
kills it. Great food. Great 300 shows per year, the members touring behind the new album
fans and keep the word out about accolades and his rite of passage
dressing rooms. You get spoiled of The Derek Trucks Band have with The Derek Trucks Band.
your music? from infamous rock royalty, LATEST RELEASE
over there. managed to maintain a sense of “You make great music that
LT: People have asked me about including Eric Clapton. Carlos Already Free (2009)
  humility about their craft. An you believe in, you don’t cut
Twitter. I can’t think of anything Santana called Trucks’ playing
ZT: What kind of mentality did evolving, growing entity for more corners and your intention
more terrifying (that’s a little bit “stunning” and unlike anything ON THE WEB
you have when you were living in photo: jay hanna
www.derektrucks.com than 16 years, the group credits is pure,” explained Trucks.
of an exaggeration), but I have he had ever heard before.
New York and knew you wanted to the Atlanta and Athens music “Then, you throw it out there
ZT: How would you describe the my experience, it can also be a feeling mine would be either “I remember having my whole
pursue the musician life full time? scene — along with the likes of and whoever is turned on by
current New York music scene? Is from the standpoint of the really boring or borderline family in London, staying with youngest musician named to the
Was there a moment when it all Colonel Bruce Hampton & The it — great. Writing the tunes,
it overrated? Do you fit in? Does it journalists labeling my band offensive. Probably not the best Eric Clapton at his place in magazine’s list of the “Top 100
fell into place, or was it a gradual Aquarium Rescue Unit — with recording it and producing it
ever drive you mad? “cool” and using it in a negative idea.  the country,” recalls Trucks. Guitarists of All Time.”
realization amidst working odd contributing to its progression yourself (Already Free), it felt
LT: I think that being from connotation. Many interviews I   “It hit me how surreal it was Asked to join the Allman
jobs to survive? Did you pass into a Billboard chart-topping a little different than the other
NYC often impresses people do are more like myth busters. If ZT: What have you learned and/ watching my dad, the roofer Brothers Band as a permanent
around a mailing list at open mic blues-rock standout with its records. You tour so much and
that aren’t from here, and that’s I had a penny for every time I’ve or taught yourself with the Self- from Jacksonville, Florida, member in 1999,Trucks accepted
nights? Open up for bigger bands? latest release, Already Free. you work so hard and you’re out
something that’s overrated. It heard, “Wow, you’re really nice. Taught Learner EP? What do you sipping tea with Eric Clapton. with assurance that he would
LT: I’ve always played music. It “There was such a great there just trying to make things
should be about the music only. I thought you were too cool for want to do with your upcoming Or, you spend time with guys maintain the freedom to pursue
was never a conscious decision; period in music from the 50’s work. Sometimes you have to
As for fitting in, I don’t think school,” I’d be a rich girl. NYC full-length record? like Santana, people you grew his own work outside of the
it’s just what I do. I went to to the 70’s and so many great take a little break and a deep
that’s ever happened to me, and their idea of “cool” often LT: I learned the value of time. up with completely admiring band. In June 2004, The Derek
college in New York and worked artists — singers, songwriters breath and realize that what
musically and beyond. clouds perceptions. The EP was crammed into and learning from. Just spending Trucks Band released Live at the
a bunch of weird jobs, but I was and musicians,” said Trucks. “It you’re after is right in front of
    a small amount of time and time with them like people, like Georgia Theatre, which Trucks
making music the entirety of seemed to get lost for a while and your face.”
ZT: Much has been made over ZT: There are so many bands in money. For the full length, I’m friends — you definitely cherish considered a turning point —
that time. I’ve done everything become completely commercial
the trendiness of the scene — that New York City. Some are good, but definitely going to experiment those moments.” the group’s first statement as a
from solo gigs to strange arty driven. Music shouldn’t just be — Luanne Byrd
it’s often style over substance. Is most are bad. You’ve managed to with many different instruments Sharing company with the unified band.
conceptual shows to proper for entertainment, it should
there a higher value placed on the take your brand name to the next and sounds that we didn’t have likes of John Mayer and John “Athens was one of the first
opening shows. It just fell into serve a different social function The Derek Trucks Band featuring very special guest
coolness of a band over the quality level. What has set you apart? the resources for before. Also, Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili towns that we started doing JJ Grey & Mofro is the first performance of the
place when it did, I guess, and — it should enhance your life.
of material and performance? Good reviews? Hard work? Luck? it’ll be my first time working Peppers on the cover of Rolling really well in,” said Trucks. “We season in 2009-10 Bud Select Music Series at
thank God. I was fed up not There’s a reason music is in all of
The Classic Center Theatre. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show
LT: Yes. Coolness can be LT: I’ve paid my fair share of with a producer.  Stone’s “2007 New Guitar had some great shows over the on Sept. 16 are priced from $20 to $38. For tickets or
being able to only make music.  the major points in your life. It
confused with substance, and dues, but I think working hard   Gods” issue, Trucks was also the years and it’s sad that we’re information call 706.357.4444, visit www.classiccenter.
  has the ability to tap in and make
com or stop by The Classic Center Box Office at 300 N.
that often happens. From and playing lots of shows is — Zac Taylor
 coming back after the Georgia Thomas St. in downtown Athens.

12 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 13

MUSIC BLUES
defying description
eric lindell can’t be pinned down
Eric Lindell is a blues
musician. Wait, no — he’s a soul
artist. Actually, hold on there. He
might be a funk musician. Or
a practitioner of New Orleans
inflected rhythms. Or a reggae
artist. Or ... well, what is he
exactly?
All of the above and none
of the above, said Lindell, 40,
during a recent phone interview
from his home in New Orleans.
The San Matteo, Calif., native
has been performing music for
much of his life, but still doesn’t
know quite how to define his
style. “It’s kind of all over the
place,” Lindell said.
The musician’s latest album,
Gulf Coast Highway, came out in
April and, like his other releases,
combines elements of soul,
New Orleans funk, blues and
other styles to create something
unique. Though some critics
have tried to pigeonhole him as
a blues or New Orleans artist,
Lindell eagerly admits he doesn’t
fit into one category, and that’s
the way he likes it. After all, his
tastes in music have always been
diverse. Throughout his life and
career, he’s been influenced by a
variety of artists, including blues
singer Buddy Guy, reggae artists
Toots and the Maytals and
Motown acts like Sly and the
Family Stone. “To me, it seems
pretty broad,” Lindell said.
Perhaps one of his earliest
musical influences was the Los
Angeles band Fishbone, which
combined multiple styles,
including punk, funk and ska.
That sort of versatility impressed
Lindell, even in his mid-teens,
and he credits Fishbone with
inspiring his loose, undefined
style. “They crossed all genres,
kind of seamlessly,” Lindell said.
Lindell’s been playing
music practically his whole
life. He received a guitar at
age 10 and, just four or five
years later, Lindell joined his
first band, which consisted of
him and a few friends. “We
were all skateboarders,” he
explained. “And we decided we
14 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
“Every record I made in the studio, I just
knocked out live. I really took my time with this
one. Sonically, the record came together nice.”
— Eric Lindell —
wanted to form a skate band.”
Lindell played the bass in the
band, though it wasn’t his first
choice. “I wanted to play guitar
really bad,” he said. “But my
friend was the better guitar
player, so I got demoted.”
That little setback aside,
Lindell was quickly hooked
on music. As he got older, he
courtesy alligator records
honed his guitar and bass
skills and eventually added the
harmonica to his repertoire.
Lindell played with a few short-
lived bands in California before
starting his own band in 1993.
In 1996, he produced his debut
album, Bring it Back, and began
building his reputation as an
eclectic artist to watch.
ERIC LINDELL
WHO’S WHO
Eric Lindell (vocals, guitar)
FORMED
1993 in San Mateo, Calif.
LABEL
Alligator Records
LATEST RELEASE
Gulf Coast Highway (2009)
ON THE WEB
www.ericlindell.com
His musical style continued
to evolve, as he moved to New
York City in 1998 and played
some gigs there before moving
to New Orleans in 1999. That
city quickly became his adopted
home. Upon arriving there, he
discovered the area's roots music
scenes. He hung out in West
Bank dive bars in Gretna and
Algiers, Louisiana, where he met
older musicians who helped him
get regular gigs.
Lindell has come a long way
since those days. In the 16 years
following the release of Bring it
Back, he’s recorded several more
albums. His last three discs have
been for  the independent blues
label Alligator Records, including
Gulf Coast Highway. Since that
album’s release, Lindell has
spent most of his time touring
to promote it and is already
musing on what he wants to do
with his next album. But, for the
meantime, he’s happy with Gulf
Coast, which he considers his
most technically assured album
to date.
“Every record I made in
studio, I just knocked out live,”
Lindell explained. “I really took
my time with this one. Sonically,
the record really came together
nice.”
Whatever the future holds,
one thing’s for sure: it won’t be
easy to define.
 
— Amanda Cuda

Oh, the things he can do
guitar slinger is a man of many talents
 What’s in a name? Well, “Heat”
is in Eric Heatherly — in more
ways than one. The multi-award
winning, multi-talented phenom
perennially proves an ever-
engaging showman, startlingly
gifted lyric-shaper and master of
his beloved green Stratocaster. To
call him country’s grooviest guitar
slinger is an understatement.
“I’m not a man of many words ...
but baby I can still communicate/
You’ll understand me when you
hear me play … journey worlds
away from this old bar/Oh, the
things I could do to you with
my guitar,” he cleverly constructs
on “The Things I Could Do to
You,”   a track  from his much-
anticipated album, 2 High 2 Cry.
He can also command attention.
He planted firm roots with first
album, Swimming in Champagne.
Released in 2000, it hit No. 6 on
Billboard’s Heatseekers chart,
became its 44th Top Album of
the Year and yielded three Top
40 singles. His best known song,
“Flowers on the Wall,” grew to
be the third Top Country single
of 2000 and the No. 1 video
on both the Great American
Country (GAC) and Country
Music Television (CMT) stations.
He was the sole — and acoustic
—  opener for Merle Haggard at
the Ryman Auditorium in 2003.
Heatherly has recorded two
more  works, 2002’s  Sometimes It’s
Just Your Time and The Lower East
Side of Life in 2005. Sometimes isn’t
widely available, but it does surface
online from time to time. Life
traveled to Europe and spawned
six top 10 singles.
Speaking of life, Heatherly got
an early start on it. He wrote his
first song at age eight, took the
stage at thirteen, then confronted
the college circuit for a two-year
stint at Yesterday’s (now Midtown
Music Hall) in his hometown
of Chattanooga on the banks of
Graysville, Georgia.
“If someone asks me what I’m
doing now, I tell them, ‘The same
thing I’ve done since I was five
years old. I never stopped,’” he
said. “This was really the goal from
ERIC HEATHERLY
WHO’S WHO
Eric Heatherly (vocals,
guitar)
FORMED
2006 in Nashville, Tenn.
LABEL
Mercury Nashville
LATEST RELEASE
2 High 2 Cry (2009)
ON THE WEB
www.myspace.com/er-
icheatherly
day one — make a living playing
music and be able to pay the bills
with a guitar around my neck.”
One way he’s taking matters
into his own helping hands is by
placing copies of 2 High 2 Cry and
more merchandise (like original
lyrics) on eBay, passing along a
portion of sales to the Make-A-
Wish Foundation.  describes it as soft pink, stone-
“Make-A-Wish is close to my
heart,” he said. “I’ve sent several
kids on Disney cruises already
… I love animals and children.”
Heatherly, who rescued his dog,
Lucky, from an animal shelter,
added, “The glory and all …  it’s
shallow compared to what artists
can really do.”  Not to mention
his anatomy. It’s quite a visual,
though something of a grey area.
Heatherly’s self-penned, highly
contagious “Unforgettable” was
featured in a recent episode of
TV’s “Grey’s Anatomy” (On a
related note, Playgirl named him
one of country music’s top five
sexiest singers, twice).
Oh, and another thing. This
artist, who is such in every sense
of the word — he paints, for one,
plus plays at least 10 instruments
— is really quite a tool. He single-
handedly founded a clothing/
music accessories company, and
some of his designs have made
their way into the Musician’s Hall
of Fame in Nashville. He also co-
created and patented the hot-rod
seatbelt guitar strap, featured on a
Guitar Player cover.
  Lately the strapping star has
fashioned a handcuff design
and divulges he made one for
Miley Cyrus mere weeks ago. He
lined leather with handcuffs. He
also made a tough jet-black leather
strap with black cuffs for Billy Ray
Cyrus. The original design locked
in a “Show Stopper” designation
at this year’s prestigious NAMM
MUSIC COUNTRY
courtesy eric heatherly
show. Both the hot-rod strap
and the arresting new handcuff
strap are distributed worldwide
at Guitar Center stores (the latter
wherever Levy’s Leathers products
are sold). Just don’t let the cuffs
fool you: this is one man who is
neither chained in nor imprisoned
by the industry.
“Every single song [on Cry]
is a different vibe and mood,”
he reflected. “‘Bluer ‘n  Blackie’
is mainly for guitar players,
‘Unforgettable’  is like roll your
windows down, ease back and
groove, and ‘Curb Appeal’  will
make you get a speeding ticket.
I’m getting a really, really good
unexpected response from the
rawness of ‘Close.’”
When it comes to music-
making, Heatherly just can’t
shake the ache — he’s booked up
through 2010.
“I’ve spent the last three years
writing, touring and recording for
my real true fans,” he said. “I paid
for the making of this record one
gig at a time.” 
Stay tuned, and do remember
his name. Knowing Heatherly,
he has plenty more hot one-of-
a-kind surprises up his well-
outfitted sleeves.              


 — Melissa Coker
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 17

MUSIC FOLK
the next best thing
mindy smith jumps back into the limelight
Though most musicians have
the unenviable task of spending
most of their careers trying
to get people’s attention and
the rest trying to keep it, the
expectations that come along
with being labeled a “next big
thing” are  both a blessing and
a curse. In 2004, Mindy Smith
was one such artist, with a
critically-acclaimed debut
album (One Moment More), a
single on the radio (“Come to
Jesus”) and a high-profile fan
named Dolly Parton who sang
backup harmonies on Smith’s
first record. After 10 years of
struggling and being ignored, she
finally had our attention. Smith
made the most of her moment,
appearing on late night television
and barely taking a break from
nearly two years of touring to go
right back into the studio for her
follow-up, 2006’s Long Island
Shores. Then, unexpectedly, she
released a homespun Christmas
album, 2007’s surprisingly
unsentimental My Holiday. And
then nothing. Mindy Smith had
disappeared.
“I feel like so much time
has gone by that I don’t know
if people know that I’m still
around,” she laughs,  seeming
eager to discuss Stupid Love,
her eclectic and darkly cathartic
fourth album. “I think, to me, it
embodies an explanation of the
two years that I took off from
music. I had some things that I
had to deal with in my personal
life. Sometimes you have to
release that, and I feel like this
record is an exploration of failed
relationships and my career being
on hiatus. Sometimes you think
relationships are going a certain
way, but they’re not. I think it’s
just about life … or my life,” she
says. “It’s hard to explain.”
What Smith struggles to
explain in conversation is
abundantly clear on Stupid
Love, however. There are breezy
drink-myself-into-a-stupor
ballads (“What Went Wrong”)
and frustrated post-breakup
ruminations scattered over
18 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
“But, for me, it was what I was going to do,
and it did take me a long time. Sometimes music
and I get along, and sometimes we don’t, like a
relationship.”
— Mindy Smith —
skittering electronic beats (“Love
Lost”). There are brokenhearted
banjo-laden ballads (“If I
Didn’t Know Any Better”) and
ruminations on a devastated
internal landscape hidden under
driving electric guitars (“What
Love Can Do”). Obsessively
disillusioned but never self-
pitying, the album is a study in
COURTESY vanguard records
songwriting as therapy, one that
captures a period of time when
Smith was content to be away
from her responsibilities and
wasn’t even sure she wanted to
continue making records.
“I did feel like that,” she
admits. “But it’s all I know how
to do. I said, ‘Nuts to this! I need
to do something else.’ But I’ve
MINDY SMITH
WHO’S WHO
Mindy Smith (vocals)
FORMED
2003 in Nashville, Tenn.
LABEL
Vanguard Records
LATEST RELEASE
Stupid Love (2009)
ON THE WEB
www.mindysmith.net
had that throughout my life
with music. It’s nothing new.
I’ve gone back and forth with
it. Most people look at trying
to do art or music, trying to
have a professional career, [and]
typically they go, ‘Well, good
luck with that!’ But, for me, it
was what I was going to do, and
it did take me a long time,” she
explains. “Sometimes music and
I get along, and sometimes we
don’t, like a relationship.”
Music is a fickle lover,
however, and Smith has been
faithful enough to her restless
creative vision that she probably
ensures that Stupid Love’s shifts
from electronic to acoustic, from
pop to rock to country, will face
long odds in finding the sort of
mass audience that will pay off
Smith’s mortgage. She might
not have a future at the top of
the charts, but in continuing to
reinvent herself song by song,
she has the next best thing.
“There might be people who
go, ‘Oh, this was not what I
was expecting or wanting,’
but, personally, I think it’s my
favorite record,” she explains. “I
write songs and do all this stuff
so that I can just sing. That’s
really my agenda,” she laughs.
“So I make up all these songs so
I can sing them. That’s what has
always brought me back, having
an opportunity to use my voice.”


— Matt Fink
 I might as well graduate and
a little less kinky
former software engineer traces history through song
When songwriter Vienna
Teng’s grandparents escaped
communist China for Taiwan,
they left everything behind.
In the decades since, Teng has
grown up hearing fables of
her father’s childhood in the
Taiwanese rainforest. He told of
the guns he made out of bamboo
and of wild afternoons tying
water snakes into pretzels. 
“My favorite story was about
the time when my grandfather
caught an eel in the creek near
his house and wanted to eat it
by himself but didn’t want my
grandma to know,” said Teng.
“So he hid it in what he thought
was a rain barrel but was instead
a bottle of rice wine my grandma
was making. [The snake] woke
up pretty drunk before he met
his demise.”
Inland Territory, Teng’s latest
release, is about roots. The album
ranges in subject matter from a
grandma’s disapproval of her rock
star granddaughter’s lifestyle —
yes, it’s autobiographical — to
a song about people running
out of their homes in a flood
to a song about lovers traveling
through time.
“My last album (Dreaming
Through the Noise) was a very
mood-centric album, and with
Inland, I thought it was more
important for me to dig deeper
with what was on my mind.
There were a lot of things that
were going on with my family
at the time,” Teng said. “There
were a lot of people who made
a lot of sacrifices for me to have
the life I have and there are a lot
of people making sacrifices for
their children right now. There’s
just the sense of me needing to
recognize that and to find my
way to feel grateful for that,
which has led to a lot of the
songs. A lot are autobiographical
— some of which are more
like me imagining things like
situations in the Middle East or
past lives or future lives.”
As a computer science major
from Stanford University and
a former employee of Cisco
Systems, songwriting and the
COURTESY ROUNDER RECORDS
VIENNA TENG
WHO’S WHO
Vienna Teng (vocals,
guitar)
FORMED
2003 in Saratoga, Calif.
LABEL
Rounder Records
LATEST RELEASE
Inland Territory (2009)
ON THE WEB
www.viennateng.com
lifestyle of a performer is a
bit of a second life for Teng.
Though she’s been playing piano
since she was five years old and
always saw it as “unchallenging
and comforting,” it wasn’t until
an epiphany halfway through
college that she knew she wanted
to be a musician.
“I didn’t really know where
to begin,” she said, “so I figured
MUSIC FOLK
“It was kind of this scary and exhilarating
moment where I was like, ‘Alright, here we go, this
thing I’ve been planning for a couple of years is
finally happening.’”
— Vienna Teng —
have a job while I was sorting would have to quit. It was kind
that out.” of this scary and exhilarating
So as she worked as a software moment where I was like,
engineer to support herself, ‘Alright, here we go, this thing
Teng recorded her first album I’ve been planning for a couple
and released it on her own. She of years is finally happening.’”
started putting her music online She admits that she’s always
for people to buy, she submitted been a bit “kinky,” always the one
music to reviewers, she learned to gravitate towards the geeks
how to book her own shows and and the nerds as “her natural
she started soliciting labels — all tribe,” which may explain her
of which took about three and a obsession with dissecting the
half years. songs of musical greats like
“When I really made the Radiohead or John Coltrane
leap from software engineer to (her own music sounds similar
musician, I had been working to Sarah McLachlan with a shot
for Cisco for two years, and I of Dido with a little Feist thrown
had just gotten signed to a small in for good measure). But it’s the
independent label who wanted content of her songs that sets
me to tour,” she said. “I looked her apart. After all, stories are in
at my calendar and saw that I her blood.
had used up all of my vacation  
days, so if I wanted to tour, I — Kelly Skinner

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 19
MUSIC MELTING POT
for the FUN of it
Members of The Format, Anathallo and Steel Train have a blast
It takes some guts to name
your band “fun.” By definition,
it’s a word used to express
enjoyment and amusement,
but it implies a slurry of other
upbeat meanings, from the
whimsical to the adrenaline-
fueled. But for the band fun, the
new project from The Format’s
Nate Ruess, Anathallo’s
Andrew Dost and Steel Train’s
Jake Antonoff, the word has
even more complications. 
“It’s scary. It’s really scary to
have a band called ‘fun,’ because
you’re very much expected to
be fun or be zany and wacky
or be danceable,” said Dost
via telephone from Michigan,
admitting that the group’s
debut, Aim and Ignite, doesn’t
exactly match those descriptors.
“We might not be fun. It might
be ironic. It might be true. I
don’t know.”
Formed in 2008, the band
was born from the sudden
announcement that beloved
indie pop band The Format had
called it quits. “The news about
The Format was very much a
surprise,” said Dost, who had
toured with The Format as
an added instrumentalist in
support of 2006’s Dog Problems.
Dost and Ruess had already
bonded over a shared love of
‘70s pop and Weezer B-sides.
They had even worked on a
few tunes together while on the
road. When Ruess came calling
about the possibility of a new
project, Dost didn’t hesitate.
“I don’t think I really had to
think about it at all,” Dost said.
“It was pretty much instant.”
But following the analogy
that a band is like a marriage,
did Dost feel at all like Ruess’s
rebound?
“If anything, we were both
rebounding,” he explained. “I
had recently parted ways with
my band, and we were just
really in a similar point in time
in our lives. It didn’t feel at all
like a rebound — like I was a
second choice to be a part of
The Format. It felt like a new
20 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
“It’s scary. It’s really scary to have a band called
‘fun,’ because you’re very much expected to be
fun or be zany and wacky or be danceable.”
— Andrew Dost, fun. —
creative endeavor with the
three of us.”
Aim and Ignite begins with an
anecdote of newness, even if it is
laden with apprehension. “As I
fun.
WHO’S WHO
Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost,
Jake Antonoff
FORMED
2008 in New York, N.Y.
LABEL
Indie
LATEST RELEASE
Aim and Ignite (2009)
ON THE WEB
www.myspace.com/fun
worse I’ve yet to know,” Ruess
sings in his identifiable voice on
the album opener, “Be Calm.”
The record is a departure from
The Format’s more straight-to-
the-point indie pop. The quirky,
effervescent tunes found on Aim
and Ignite contain the obvious,
over-the-top influences of
‘70s icons like Queen and
ELO mixed with the style of
modern bands like Weezer and
Superdrag. It’s a sound that
certainly won’t alienate The
Format’s anxious fans but still
sets the band apart from simply
becoming The Format 2.0.
“I think once they hear the
record, they’ll understand that
there are a lot of different
people in play,” Dost said. “And
if it still sounds like a Format
record, that’s not a bad thing.
I think the Format’s a great
band, and I would be proud to
courtesy big hassle media
sound like that, but when I hear
the record, I can definitely hear
traces of everybody’s hands that
were in the mix.”
As for the band’s name, it
may not be a sound that people
associate with “fun” now, but
they hopefully soon will. “It’s a
lot to live up to basically,” Dost
said. “It’s a weird, bold choice
walk through the new streets
and it’s one that’s a little scary,
of my new city/ my back
but ultimately I really, really
feeling much better I suppose/
love it.”
I’ve reclaimed the use of my
imagination/ for better or for
— Natalie B. David 

Y
ou see a band. You
photo: elizabeth weinberg
really like the band.
Then, suddenly, you’re
in the band.
Sounds pretty unreal,but that’s
exactly how Nate Donmoyer
became the drummer in the
electro-pop darlings, Passion
Pit.
“I’m a DJ — that’s my
main thing. I ran a show in
Boston and we would always
book local bands, usually with
sort of an electronic minded
sound, to open up for national
or international DJs touring
through,” begins Donmoyer.
“[Passion Pit] played one night
and I interviewed them for
a blog and I was totally like
‘I really like this band.’ I had
a couple friends in the band
already and then somehow, six
months later, I ended up being
passion pit: in the band. Since then, I’ve
gotten to be really great friends
minding its
with all four members. It’s pretty
lucky to have it be that way.”
Long before Donmoyer —
before every band member,
actually — Passion Pit was
born from the simplest of
manners
circumstances. Chunk of Change,
the band’s 2008 EP, was actually
a solo production of now-
frontman Michael Angelakos,
recorded two years prior as a
Valentine’s gift for his girlfriend
at the time. Now, Angelakos
has a full band, a record deal
The buzz instigated (actually, two — one with the
boutique Frenchkiss Records
by five Boston kids in the U.S. and the other with
Columbia across the pond)
and gigs from Atlanta to Paris
just barely able to behind the band’s official debut,
Manners.
buy a Sam Adams at Unless you’ve been living
under a rock, it’s been hard to
avoid the buzz instigated by
their local beer joint these five Boston kids just barely
able to buy a Sam Adams at
is inescapable — and their local beer joint, marqueed
by sterling reviews from Clash
Magazine (9/10), Rolling Stone
quickly making its (4/5 stars), Paste Magazine
(92/100), Spin Magazine (3/5
way to a town near stars) and Pitchfork (8.1/10).
“I still just feel weird, having
people critique our debut album
you... like it’s our masterpiece or
something,” said Donmoyer of
the recent attention. “Wait until
our fourth or fifth album to
decide whether we’re worthy of
PASSION PIT
WHO’S WHO
Michael Angelakos (vocals),
Ian Hultquist (synths), Ayad
Al Adhamy (synths, sam-
plers), Jeff Apruzzese (bass,
synths), Nate Donmoyer
(drums)
FORMED
2007 in Cambridge, MA
“Musically, we wanted it to be very positive and
euphoric. And the best way to describe it would be like a
cure. So like whenever you put it on, you feel better. Like a
drug kind of thing.”
Nate Donmoyer, Passion Pit
any type of buzz, ya know?”
The formula behind Manners
was, for the band, quite simple.
“Musically, we wanted it to be
very positive and euphoric. The
best way to describe it would be
like a cure,” said Donmoyer. “So
whenever you put it on, you feel
better. Like a drug kind of thing.
However, lyrically it hits on a
lot of pretty dark subjects. That
kind of contrast, I think, is in all
the music that I love, we love.”
If Manners is a drug, critics
aren’t the only ones addicted.
Fans, too, are quickly catching
on. Not only is Passion Pit
gracing the stage (or has already)
of nearly every important music
festival this year (Bonnaroo,
Glastonbury, Lollapalooza,
Austin City Limits), but they
are touring non-stop, collecting
a mere 14 days off from May
until Christmas Day (at least 10
shows in that span are already
sold out).
“[Tour dates] on the MySpace
are very limited to what actually
is happening, just because we’re
going to be coming back to the
same cities and I guess we’re not
supposed to put up that we’re
going to be playing later on so
people come to shit [now],” said
Donmoyer.
This type of publicity comes
with a price, though. Manners
must absolutely live up to the
LABEL
Frenchkiss Records/
Columbia Records
LATEST RELEASE
Manners (2009)
ON THE WEB
www.passionpitmusic.com
critical bar set for it, or the band
is doomed for the all-too-often
failure in the eyes of commercial
expectations — and a lot of fear
can sprout from this concept.
“I guess [what we fear from]
the buzz standpoint, that Chunk
of Change is the last thing that
will ever be good; that the full
length doesn’t live up to it or
something, that we’ll just be a
flash in the pan,” said Donmoyer.
“We were 21 when we made it.
Please stop comparing us to
bands that are on their seventh
and eighth album and were in
their mid-30’s when they made
[hit records]. See promise, but
don’t see this as our end-all-be-
all and every single thing we
have.”
The boys of Passion Pit
aren’t the first group of kids to
release a heavily-hyped record
of late (think MGMT and
Vampire Weekend) — but their
similarities to these brethren
serve, if nothing else, to actually
highlight the differences.
“I mean there are definitely
songs that are electro-pop, but
not the entire album is pop,”
said Donmoyer. “Listening to
MGMT’s record or Vampire
Weekend’s record, the overall
feeling I get [is that] all three
are completely different. I
understand the analogies that
are made between us career-wise
MUSIC MELTING POT
and buzz-wise, but musically
I doubt we’d ever be on a bill
together. I’d never say we’d be
the perfect bill with MGMT
and Vampire Weekend. I don’t
think we’d draw the same fans
at all.”
If it sounds like Donmoyer is
complaining, he’s not. Any band
would be fortunate to receive
the amount of attention Passion
Pit has gotten as of late — it’s
just that, well, all this attention
is sort of a shock for someone
who isn’t far removed from
playing in a bunch of bands
that weren’t even taken seriously
amongst their own respective
members.
“When I was in high school I
was in like six bands and each of
them had like five or six geeks
playing in my bedroom and we
never played shows because we
sucked,” he said, laughing but
not joking. “This one is actually
fun to play in every night.
During Manners’ tracking,
the quintet employed the help
of an unexpected (and much
younger) source for the backing
vocal pads on the album — a
children’s choir.
“It was so humbling and
inspiring to see. They were so
on point and didn’t seem like
4th and 5th graders. They were
better singers than I am,” said
Donmoyer with a laugh. “It
was an after school program,
because their public school
doesn’t have a music program,
with an amazing director who
knows how to approach music
for younger years — mainly pop
music — and that’s what we
wanted. A bunch of kids, not a
polished choir, just kids singing
their hearts out and that’s totally
what they did. It was really kind
of moving.”
Rave reviews. A buzz for
which bands spend a lifetime
searching. Throngs of fans and
ticket sales through the roof.
All signs point north for
Passion Pit — but can they
possibly keep up the current
pace?
“It’s insane,” Donmoyer said
with a nervous laugh. “But I
wouldn’t wanna do anything
else.”
— Kristen Lee
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 23
MUSIC METAL

the metal revival
one band’s struggle to make it with metal finally pays off
Metal thrashers Chimaira
(pronounced Ka-mare-ah) are
among an elite list of metal
bands from the late ‘90s credited
for a movement known as the
New Wave of American Heavy
Metal (NWAHM).  While the
movement may have been a slow
process through the latter of the
‘90s and the beginning of the
‘00s, these days Chimaira has
finally gained momentum on
the metal scene. Lead guitarist
Rob Arnold discussed all things
metal recently during a phone
interview.
Nicole Black: It seems like metal
faded and went underground in
the late ‘90s/early ‘00s but it seems
more and more there’s a rebirth in
the metal scene today.  It just seems
the support is emerging again for
metal music, would you agree?
Rob Arnold (RA): I totally agree. 
I don’t really know what to say
CHIMAIRA
WHO’S WHO
Mark Hunter (vocals),
Matt DeVries (guitar), Rob
Arnold (lead guitar), Jim
LaMarca (bass), Andols
Herick (drums), Chris Spi-
cuzza (keyboards/FX)
So everybody’s always singing
along in English to the words.  NB:  Do you think your music
I think it will be the same way
in Russia.
Photo: Adrenaline PR
helps us out and keeps us sane.’
is responsible for the actions of
others?  For example, if a mosh-
MUSIC POP
inspiration from odd places
andy gonzales has a new album and a new direction
For many musicians, writing,
playing and recording music is not
their full-time job. Too often (and
this is certainly true in Athens)
the singer in the midnight slot
at Caledonia has someplace
to be in eight hours.  But from
these day jobs comes inspiration
— Andy Gonzales can attest
to that.
Gonzales, an Athens
mainstay for a decade, has worn
many hats during his Classic
City days. Once a member of
Music Tapes and Of Montreal,
he’s best known as creator and
keeper of Marshmallow Coast
(briefly M Coast). And while
he’s also Andy from Denver
and A.G. Forrester, during the
workday he’s Registered Nurse
Gonzales.  And it’s there the
muse will hit him.

“I work in endoscopy; I’m MARSHMALLOW
totally inundated in that world,” COAST
Gonzales said. “I have this song
in my head right now called
photo courtesy andy gonzales

or why but we (Chimaira) were FORMED   pit gets out of control at a show or WHO’S WHO
1998 in Cleveland, Oh. ‘Poop Cycles’, which is gonna
definitely affected by that.  We NB:  Would you agree the key someone commits a crime listening Andy Gonzales (guitar, vo- “Im never going to be on VH1; why don’t I just write
be like this great ’80s song about cals), Sara Kirkpatrick (flute,
were a young, up-and-coming to musical success is constant to your music; do you feel the band pooping — probably the first whatever absurd lyrics come to mind? That’s more real.”
LABEL touring? is responsible? percussion)
metal band in the early 2000s.  Ferret Music and last song about it. But I can’t
RA:  Totally, especially with RA:  I personally don’t think On this album: Heather
I don’t know what people were change the lyrics; the lyrics are — Andy Gonzales, Marshmallow Coast —
McIntoch (cello), Jesse
listening to at that time but LATEST RELEASE metal.  That’s really the only way that at all.  I think that’s unfortunately stuck with that Flavin (guitar), Will C. Hart
metal certainly wasn’t as popular Infection (2009) to have your band known is to ridiculous.  Every person is title. It could be this amazing (4 -track madness) where my interests have been for about his approach. A fiddler of
as it is now.  play, play, play and let the word responsible for their own song that’s going to end up as a quite a while.”
 sounds and lyrics, Gonzales is
  ON THE WEB of mouth spread.  There’s no actions in my eyes.  Obviously, joke video on YouTube.”
 FORMED Where other Marshmallow comfortable with the recording
NB: You have an upcoming www.chimaira.com radio for metal bands, or videos.  somebody has a problem if Three years removed from 1999 in Athens, Ga. Coast albums, such as Slang and tools that allow him to create
summer tour with Hatebreed, was You have to catch an hour of they can’t decipher between his previous release (Say It Ride the Lightning, bounded with songs from his bedroom. And he’s
Hatebreed ever influential to your Head Banger’s Ball on a Friday right and wrong and feels some LABEL
Europe but it just happened to in Slang under the M Coast independent jazz piano riffs, 1960s psychedelic embraced his identity and voice
style? night at one in the morning; it’s form of entertainment drives moniker), Gonzales dusted off pop and nods to classical music, amidst the sea of songwriters.

work out perfectly.  We were
RA:  They probably came the only time you get to see a you to do something crazy the Marshmallow Coast name Phreak is a child of the 1980s. “I have the freedom to work
able to work the dates out before LATEST RELEASE
out a year before us.  While metal video.  But yeah, word of or commit a crime or fight.  and returned to the racks with Gonzales sought to create on whatever I want. I can record
our European headlining tour. Phreak Fantasy (2009)
we’re all huge fans of the mouth and touring is the only Perhaps indirectly but in no way Phreak Phantasy. The nine- electronica, but not the electronica a song I feel OK about releasing
 
band, I wouldn’t say they were way to build a successful career. directly do I think our music is song collection of “nasty and ON THE WEB listeners would expect.  at home, which is something I
NB: I’ve always wondered about
influential.  They’ve always been   responsible.  weirder” tunes has Gonzales www.myspace.com/marsh- “My major influences before never had before. If somebody
these other countries that might
a hardcore band.  We came NB:  Do you feel like your music   singing to drum machines and mallowcoast were classical music and turn- else delivered my songs, it might
not know English that are fans
from hardcore bands but we makes people angry or do you NB:  And it seems like it’s more synthesizers, aided by his wife, of-the-century French music, so sound crappy, but I hope in my
of American music, when they are
wanted Chimaira to be a metal think your music’s a therapeutic like parents trying to find an Sara Kirkpatrick, and Circulatory I feel like I’ve gotten away from delivery there’s a little sarcasm
there rocking out, are they singing
band.  So I wouldn’t say they outlet for anger? excuse for their kids’ actions. System’s Will Hart with some that,” he said. “I’ve been inspired that makes it OK,” he said. “A lot
in English? “I left the band, and he went
influenced our music because RA: I would say the latter ­— RA: Absolutely.  I remember “4-track madness.” by ’80s production and drum of songwriters try to write for this
RA: You’d be surprised; on to do that with great success.
we were doing two different a therapeutic outlet for anger.  being young and my mother The seventh Marshmallow machines. I’m trying to approach audience that isn’t their audience.
everybody everywhere in the I was about to record an album
genres of heavy music.  But like And we hear that all the time.  thinking heavy metal music was Coast album, stamped with the the kind of modern music style They try to write for a bigger
world speaks English.  There that was going to be kind of like
I said, we’re all huge fans. So many people say, ‘Oh I’m in all about Satan and drugs.  Of Elephant 6 seal of approval, has like what I  think electronica is. I audience than they have, like, ‘I’m
are so many countries over that with Derek (Almstead), but
  this rough spot and Chimaira’s course there are those relations Gonzales reaching into his past.
 don’t listen to that kind of music, gonna write songs that could be
there (Europe) that are taught Derek was, ‘No, let’s do drums;
NB: What made you decide to music really helped me out’, or but I turned out to be a good “Forever ago, I used to be in but I want to use those tools and played on VH1.’ I’m never going
it 1st through 6th grade and let’s make it a big production.’ I
include Russia on this fall tour? ‘Chimaira’s music saved my life.’ kid and certainly not Satanic in Of Montreal and Kevin (Barnes) create my own version. I’m trying to be on VH1; why don’t I just
everybody has to learn it thought that was a great idea. We
RA: The right offer came in. A lot of the troops overseas, anyway.  And now she’s totally and I were talking about doing to approach that from a naive write whatever absurd lyrics come
because it’s such a universal did that record as M Coast. Now
Things just never worked out we get letters or (Myspace) happy and supports me and is this kind of upbeat music with perspective.”
 to mind? That’s more real.”
language.  For the most part we that I have my home studio, I’m
scheduling wise or time wise comments from them saying ‘It’s proud of what I do.

 drum machines, synthesizers When it comes to making  
rarely run into places where the gonna go on this path I meant
while we were going to be in brutal over here but Chimaira and keyboards,” Gonzales said. music, there’s nothing naive — Ed Morales


majority doesn’t speak English. — Nicole Black
 to go on five years ago. That’s

24 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 25

MUSIC POP
round and round and round
band spins wheels to launch career
What does it take to make it as
a band? Talent. Determination.
And ... quadriceps?
The musicians in Blind
Pilot, the indie folk band out
of Portland, Oregon, worked
their legs almost as much as
their instruments on a 2008
tour of the West Coast. With
no accompanying van, the
band members transported
themselves and all their gear by
bicycle, crafting handmade bike
trailers for their instruments.
Bassist Luke Ydstie’s trailer for
his upright bass was dubbed
“the coffin” for its odd shape.
Musicians aren’t immune to
pitfalls, however, and the tour,
planning to take the band from
Vancouver to Mexico along the
coast, was cut short when the
band’s bikes were stolen in San
Francisco. In just a year, Blind
Pilot has gone from stolen
bikes and handmade trailers
to wowing music critics and a
European tour. The band also
welcomed a few new members,
swelling from Ryan Dobrowski
and Israel Nebeker’s duo to a
six-piece touring band.  —Lindsey Lee
26 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
“I personally think it is a better time than ever
to make music. It certainly isn’t perfect, but the
less industry involved, the better it will be.”
— Ryan Dobrowski, Blind Pilot—
Blind Pilot jumped onto the
national music radar last July
when its single, “Go On, Say
It,” was featured as the iTunes
single of the week. The song
is emblematic of the group’s
brand of folk rock — softer and
smoother than that of the Avett
Brothers but harder than Fleet
Foxes’ music.  3 Rounds and a
Sound, Blind Pilot’s debut album,
rides the wave of recent success
seen by the folk genre. Infused
with soothing harmonies and
smooth pop melodies played
with folk instruments, the
record has a pure quality thanks
to Nebeker’s voice, separating
Blind Pilot from its more gritty
Southern folk peers.  “I think
there is definitely a rise in folk-
influenced music at the moment.
It wasn’t anything we were really
trying for, it just happened,”
photo: jay blakesberg
Dobrowski said.
In a time when many
musicians yearn for the old days,
Dobrowski embraces the digital
music revolution. “I personally
think it is a better time than
ever to make music,” he said. “It
certainly isn’t perfect, but the
less industry involved, the better
it will be. If iTunes has helped
to break that down, I think it’s
great. Plus CDs and jewel cases
are kind of a crappy format for
music. It’s great how fast music
can spread now. It is pretty
amazing.”   outlook on the band’s future.
In keeping with the times,
Dobrowski does maintain a blog
for Blind Pilot, but while some
musicians spend more time in
the blogosphere than the studio,
you won’t find personal rants
and ravings à la Kanye West
or John Mayer on this blog.
BLIND PILOT
WHO’S WHO
Israel Nebeker (guitar,
vocals), Ryan Dobrowski
(drums), Luke Ydstie (up- PC Sales & Support
right bass, vocals), Dave
Jorgensen (keyboard, Networking
trumpet), Kati Claborn
(dulcimer, banjo, vocals), Printer Sales & Service
Ian Krist (vibraphone)
FORMED Phone & Surveillance
2008 in Portland, Ore. Systems
LABEL Website Building
Expunged Records
& Hosting
LATEST RELEASE
3 Rounds and a Sound Email Hosting
(2008)
Call us today to see how we can streamline your IT.
ON THE WEB
(706)-549-6781
http://blindpilotmusic.
wordpress.com
“There is a little more pressure www.netstreamconsulting.com
to keep connected in the digital
world, but I think too many
artists spend too much time
working on that instead of the
music,” Dobrowski said. Like
the bike tour, the band even
puts their own home-spun twist
on blogging. The page consists
of postcards Dobrowski writes
from stops on the band’s tour. “I
generally don’t enjoy computers,
but I liked the idea of post
cards. It seemed like a good way
to keep people updated on our
whereabouts but more fun than
just standard blogging. It isn’t as
immediate, but ultimately a little
more satisfying,” Dobrowski
explained.  
For the rest of the year, Blind
Pilot will be busy touring the
country (not by bike) and
working on its second album.
Dobrowski has a humble
 
“I think we feel very fortunate
to have experienced so much in a
short amount of time. Hopefully
things will keep growing. I think
Kati and I are just happy to not
be working at the coffee shop
anymore.”
 
MUSIC RHYME, RHYTHM & SOUL
share her world
keyshia cole’s tumultuous life is an open book
We don’t know what’s more
amazing, Keyshia Cole’s meteoric
rise to the music stratosphere in
such a short period of time or the
fact that we’re able to get her on
the phone long enough to talk
about it. For the sake of keeping
this story going at a decent pace,
we’ll go ahead and say the latter
is slightly more unexpected.
If you’ve ever been to Oakland,
California, Cole’s hometown,
you know the city has its rough
edges. The singer was raised in
one of East Oakland’s grittiest
corners. While musical acts like
En Vogue and Tony! Toni! Tone!
made names for themselves in
the Bay Area, Cole knew that
if she too was to shine, a move
down to Los Angeles would be
in order, so she did just that.
Cole found a recording home
at A&M/Universal and released
the well-received debut The Way
It Is in 2005, which spawned FM
mainstays like “I Should Have
Cheated” and “Love.” With the
CD, which has sold more than
1.4 million copies, the world
of R&B had seemingly found
a younger version of Mary J.
Blige.
“That was six years ago,”
recalled a maturing Cole during
a rare, slow moment in her
summer touring schedule. “I
was young when I went to L.A.
and first got my deal. Also, me
and my family, we’ve all grown.
I’ve grown as a musician, as
an entertainer. I’ve learned so
much more about the business
and how to handle myself and
actually prepare. I’ve evolved as
a person throughout everything
in my life.”
  Since those days of getting
her feet wet, Cole has released
two more heartfelt albums, 2007’s
Just Like You and A Different Me
in 2008. Cole has also changed in
both the physical sense (another
move, this time to Atlanta) and
symbolic one (she’s a certified
star with more than three million
in domestic album sales).
Still, the area where things
may have altered the most with
28 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
the 27-year-old songbird are in
her personal life. But it’s likely
you already knew that, seeing as
all her business is pretty much
public knowledge because of
a revealing BET reality show,
COURTESY keyshia cole
“Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is,”
that has shown confrontations
with her mother, Frankie, fights
with her sister, Neffe and DNA
searches featuring guys claiming
to be Cole’s father.
KEYSHIA COLE
WHO’S WHO
Keyshia Cole (vocals)
FORMED
2004 in Oakland, Calif.
LABEL
Universal
LATEST RELEASE
A Different Me (2008)
ON THE WEB
www.keyshiacole.com
“When I’m singing
about pain, you can
actually feel it. It’s not
something that somebody
wrote for me. That’s my
life. That’s my family.
That’s a side of my life.”
— Keyshia Cole —
“We know everything about
my mother and my family and
what I’ve been through and
the road it took to get here,”
said Cole, who’s ending her TV
show and allowing the spin-off,
“Frankie & Neffe,” to air in all
its drama-filled delight this fall.
That’s too bad for fans itching
to see footage of the artist all
hugged up with current boyfriend
and Cleveland Cavaliers guard
Daniel Gibson.
“When I’m singing about pain,
you can actually feel it,” Cole
said. “It’s not something that
somebody wrote for me. That’s
my life. That’s my family. That’s
a side of my life. But my music
side is definitely something
different. That’s why I wanted
to try something different. And
that’s why I named this album A
Different Me.”


— DeMarco Williams
hunting for goodness
limitless mind equals flowing neo-soul
When the clock hit midnight
on March 8,1970,some certainties
were established: artists such as
James Brown and Ray Charles
had paved the rudiments for soul
music, Stax Records had formed
in Memphis and the singer Van
Hunt was taking his first breaths
of Dayton, Ohio air. Once bound
together, those oxygen molecules
layered Hunt’s lungs with soul,
jazz, funk and, damn it, some
amazing talent.
In asking Hunt about the
process of making his records, he
replied, “Well, since it’s just me,
it can take some time, man.” In
2006 the Recording Academy
recognized this process by
honoring Hunt with the Grammy
for Best R&B Performance by a
Duo or Group with Vocals for
his collaborative work with John
Legend and Joss Stone on Sly
and the Family Stone’s “Family
Affair.”
“Man, despite all the politics
that go behind it, that was one
of the bigger pleasures I’ve had,”
Hunt said of the humbling
experience. “The momentum
for the show comes from the
VAN HUNT
WHO’S WHO
Van Hunt (vocals, guitar,
bass, keyboards, drums)
FORMED
1997 in Atlanta, Ga.
LABEL
Blue Note
LATEST RELEASE
Popular (2008)
ON THE WEB
www.vanhunt.com
industry, but at the end of the
day, it’s the votes of your peers
that really matter.”
Peers are something of which
Hunt has many, ranging from
his work with Dallas Austin
to manager Randy Jackson —
yeah, the guy from American
Idol — to sharing the stage with
Coldplay, Curtis Whitehead and
The Dave Matthews Band.
“Working with Dave
[Matthews] was a humbling
experience. … Here’s a guy
making a million dollars a show,
and he was as down to earth
as could be,” Hunt said in a
smooth, easy-going voice that
incorporates the compelling
classiness that percolates through
his music.
Hunt worked with Dallas
Austin in Atlanta until 2008 and
has since moved out west to Los
Angeles. The move to L.A. can
be a whirlwind for anyone, but
for Hunt it became a balancing
act.
“I just stay away from [the
fast-paced life of L.A.],” he says
of his decidedly low-key lifestyle.
“I’ll just stay inside, play music
and stay away from it.”
After all, soul music, in its
broadest sense, is a blend of
the sacred gospel music and
the profane blues music. It’s
as though Hunt just lets the
world present the profane and
encapsulates it with his sacred
talent.
“Most of my songs are about
the everyday struggles and that
life gives you no promises,” he
MUSIC RHYME, RHYTHM & SOUL
COURTESY big hassle media
said, “but, of course, there are the
natural pleasures like love that
will always come to relieve you
from the hard times.”
Hunt is currently working
on his latest album, Popular,
and a collection of unreleased
studio outtakes, Use In Case of
Emergency, that will supplement
Hunt’s planned two-year tour
with his band. Before that
happens, however, the solo artist
must tackle the task of selling his
music. Since the albums are all
Hunt, the business has become
all Hunt; in both a literal and
figurative sense, he must prey on
those who truly appreciate his
work.
“It’s hard to get a perspective
[of the music industry] from
the outside looking in,” he said.
“But I wanna get my work out
to people who already love my
work and to people who might
love my work. If I spend less
money making a record, I may
make less, but I know I will be
getting it out to the people who
truly love my art.”


—Will Hackett
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 29
MUSIC ROCK
flocking to a familiar sound
together, athens’ futurebirds found what they were after
They had the big show booked,
the studio time slotted, the songs
poised for production. What they
didn’t have was time.
It was the start
of March, and the seven members
of Futurebirds were rushing to
record an EP to showcase at their
March 4 gig opening for Blitzen
Trapper at the 40 Watt. Playing in
different groups over the years, the
band members had a good feeling
about their brewing, underground
sound. But something else was
brewing overhead.

“We wanted to record in two
days, but we had to record in
two and a half days because we
got snowed out,” said Carter
King, Futurebirds’ “grease-stained
monkey wrench” (code for vocals,
guitar, banjo and keys player), of
the freak snowstorm that left
Athens in a deep carpet of white.
“It never snows in Athens. We
were just trying to crank that out.
We got some cardboard sleeves,
I made a stencil, and we spray-
painted the stencils all crazy —
some of them sucked, some were
cool — and just gave them out.”
In a few furious days,
Futurebirds’ good feeling was
confirmed. And now flocks
of listeners are heading their
direction. Fresh yet familiar, the
30 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
FUTUREBIRDS
WHO’S WHO
Carter King (vocals, guitar,
banjo, drums), Payton
Bradford (vocals, drums,
mandolin, guitar), Daniel
Womack (vocals, guitar,
banjo), Thomas Johnson
(vocals, guitar, banjo,
mandolin), Brannen Miles
(vocals, bass), Dennis Love
(pedal steel)
FORMED
2008 in Athens, Ga.
LABEL
independent
LATEST RELEASE
Futurebirds EP (2009)
PHOTO: Alyssa De Hayes ON THE WEB
www.myspace.com/thefu-
turebirds
“What I’ve heard, which I like the best, is we’re
psychedelic cowboy country-esque but with a
Holt (percussion, vocals) round
definite weirdo edge to it.”
out the crew. 

An online roster of band
— Carter King, Futurebirds— members lists an eighth Futurebird,
one with a curious yet familiar
eponymous six-track EP (available were.
 name: Reverend Cleophus James,
for download at futurebirds. “I knew a little bit about them master of the doom stick. After
bandcamp.com) is exactly what being an Athens resident — you a little investigating, the truth is
the seven sought. A mixture of kind of have to — but I didn’t revealed; Rev. James was the name
melodies accompanies a healthy really do a bunch of investigating of James Brown’s character in the
helping of guitar, banjo, mandolin, until we heard all that comparison cult classic “The Blues Brothers.”

keys and pedal steel in a wide- stuff,” he said. “People go, ‘You “Yeah, James Brown is in the
ranging free-for-all that’s difficult sound like these bands,’ but I band,” King said with a laugh.
to describe — though King gave haven’t really listened to those “He’s our spiritual adviser.”

it a shot.
 bands. I guess Athens just has that Summertime saw the band line
“What I’ve heard, which I kind of feel.”
 up dates in Nashville, Tennessee;
like the best, is we’re psychedelic Joining King in this latest Atlanta; New Orleans and Austin,
cowboy country-esque but with enterprise are buddies from Texas. And while the wanderlust
a definite weirdo edge to it,” he previous (and present) ventures is the sign of a band raring to
said. “Everybody plays something and buddies who moved from go, unlike the recording of the
different on every song.”
 other projects. Payton Bradford auspicious EP, King said this time
For some, the sound evokes (drums), Thomas Johnson they’re not in any particular hurry.
the Athens of a dozen years (mandolin, guitar) and Brannen 
“We all met in college and had
ago, when the denizens of the Miles (the bassist who took over all been in a few different bands,
scene were ruled by Elephant for China-bound Reid Scott) but no one was getting the kind of
6 and Kindercore bands. King anchor Futurebirds; they also sound they were after,” King said.
was intrigued after hearing his play with King in The Interns, a “But we found it. It was a slow
band compared to Olivia Tremor folk rock outfit started after they evolution and it is all working
Control and Masters of the met as (you guessed it) interns at itself out. We’re all still young and
Hemisphere, though notes there Chase Park Transduction Studios. fresh — we’re not in a rush.”  
was never any intention to mimic Daniel Womack (guitar), Dennis
them. He hardly knew who they Love (pedal steel) and Jessica — Ed Morales

MUSIC ALBUM REVIEWS
EAR CANDY
The Cubists
Mechanical Advantage
The new record from Augusta-based The Cubists is anything but ordinary.  While known by the bar
scene as an indie-rock band, the band also fuses pop, new wave, electronica and dance. Some songs,
such as “Redux,” have no vocals and showcase the band’s unique yet sometimes eerie instrumentals
that call on Pink Floyd and Rush.  I wasn’t a huge fan after hearing the four minutes of psychedelic
sounds from “Redux” and the six minutes from “Lights Out.” However, after I heard  “Hallelujah
Hollywood,” The Cubists quickly had my undivided attention with its upbeat dance rhythm that will
easily lift you out of your seat and onto the dance floor.  Noel Brown leads the eight-man band with
his soft voice, while sometimes playing multiple instruments.  Brown sounds like a gentler version
of Thom Yorke in The Cubist’s “Fire in the Backyard.”   Listen also for peaceful sounds that may
remind one of the Postal Service in “Best Friends,” my personal favorite. The stylings of The Cubists
left me feeling refreshed — partly because I had never heard anything quite like them before and also because the band, put simply,
rocks. Mechanical Advantage is worth a listen, especially since there is a little bit of every genre incorporated into the music. The band has
the potential of quenching every listener’s musical thirst for good music.
  — Sarah Saltzman 
Pattern Is Movement
All Together
The first thing that struck me when I popped Pattern Is Movement’s All Together into my CD player
was the seemingly endless amount of noise the band managed to pack into their songs. And I don’t
mean to say noise in a negative way. It’s just that this band has strung 10 incredibly frenetic, overly
dramatic banging songs back to back with such a fast and intense pace that I kind of felt like I just
got done running a marathon once I finished listening to it all the way through. While the beats
and banging minor chords get a little baffling (and tiring) at times, Andrew Thiboleaux and Chris
Ward somehow manage to pull it off. Ward’s thumping drums hold Thiboleaux’s strange melodies
and keyboard choir together, if at times only by a string. And every once in a while, a truly beautiful
section emerges from all that sound to keep you pushing through. “I Just Like the Sound of Your
Voice” gives the listener a peaceful break with a more composed song featuring beautiful tinkering
keyboards accented by a slightly eccentric horn section and more comprehensive lyrics. Although the overdose of sound and slightly off-
kilter melodies may come off as esoteric or pretentious to some listeners, overall, All Together is a success… if just barely.
— Laurie Moot
Pete Yorn
Back & Fourth
 
When I was little, I was a Dimetapp junkie. At the slightest sign of sickness, I’d demand a generous
spoonful of that sweet grape syrup, and even if I wasn’t sick, I’d play ill just to get a fix.
Fast-forward 15 years and I’m a writer who has called Dashboard Confessional “Robitussin for
the broken heart” – a surefire remedy for what ails you but which, when unneeded, is practically
unpalatable. Well, if Dashboard is the ‘Tussin, Pete Yorn’s Back & Fourth is Dimetapp, because I’ll
be damned if Mr. Yorn hasn’t turned me into a 24-year-old drugstore cowboy jonesing for sugary
nepenthe for the broken-hearted, despite the fact that I have absolutely no legitimate need for it.
Yorn wears his lyrical heart on his sleeve without coming off as trite, and he bears his musical soul
without being over-the-top or melodramatic. If the album were to be boiled down to two adjectives,
I would say: “honest” and “subdued.” It’s honest without being brutal, and subdued without being
boring. Like chugging on Dimetapp when you’re not really sick, listening to Yorn’s new album when you’re not presently heartbroken
isn’t exactly something to brag about – but it’s also far from unenjoyable.
Bottoms up.
— PT Umphress
32 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
Luke Winslow-King
New Old Baby 
There are 46 different similes used by Luke Winslow-King to
express exactly how tired he is, and you can hear all of these in
the track, “Never Tired” from the Cadillac, Mich. native’s new
album, New Old Baby.  It’s kind of ironic to hear Winslow speak
of growing tired of something since it seems nearly impossible
to tire of this album. 
King approaches each song with an affinity for a whole slew of genres that include:  New
Orleans rag time, delta blues, country blues, folk and even classical composition.  Showing
love for such a vast array of musical styles,  New Old Baby stays interesting through and
through.  One instrument that is rarely heard in contemporary folk tunes is the jazz tuba. 
The instrument stays prominent from the first track “As April Is To May” to the last track,
“Your Eyes, Your Eyes.” Wilson’s voice is a wispy wind on a dry New Orleans afternoon and
it is hard not to think of him as a Big Easy version of M. Ward, but with a fantastic '20s era
brass section. 
The horns can be heard most prominently on track five, “It’s All The Same.”  The
combination of sax and trumpet creates a fantastic mix of free flowing riffs that unfold
evenly with the lyrical rhythm.  Another track that stands apart is the instrumental
“Birthday Stomp,”which gives you the feeling that you are listening to the prelude before a
Vaudeville show, or maybe what you would hear playing at a carnival in the 1920's.  Either
way, the track is a light hearted and extremely fun, toe tapping type of song — one which
would be ruined by any sort of lyrical input.  All those who are fans of the nitty gritty delta
blues can appreciate “Bird Dog Blues.”  With lyrics like, 'Don’t bird dog and don’t trail me/
Don’t track where I tread/ What I picked up I’m having/ And back through what I said,'
Winslow makes you believe that he knows what he wants and goes for it. This mentality
is how New Old Baby is fueled.  Luke Winslow-King’s new album is definitely one you can’t
fully appreciate until you’ve given it a couple good listens. Every spin makes it easier to
distinguish all of the wide varieties of sound.  With all the work that seemed to be put forth
in New Old Baby, it would be appropriate to assume that Winslow is as tired as a Mardi Gras
night — that would be simile number 47.  But no matter how many different ways he can be
tired, one thing is certain:  Luke Winslow-King will never tire of making stand-out records.
— Jessica Cole
mewithoutYou
it’s all crazy! it’s all false! it’s all a dream! it’s alright
Having not drunk the proverbial Kool-Aid of indie/
experimental rock that would magically allow me to totally
forgive a band its blatant musical sins in exchange for its
obvious artistic creativity, I find myself deeply conflicted when
it comes to mewithoutYou in general, and their new album it's
all drazy! it's all false! it's all a dream! it's alright specifically. So, at
risk of being crucified by devout fans, I will speak my piece to the
masses and promptly make my exodus.
I like mewithoutYou, and if I could get over the disturbing fact that mewithoutYou’s
singer Aaron Weiss tends to sound like a creepy cross between a folksy Sesame Street
character and Heath Ledger’s Joker, I just might love the band. I will say, their new album
contains much less screaming, ranting and violent instrumentation – traded in for a
playful, Nickelodeon-ready vibe and folksy, childish singing inflection – so it sounds much
less like the schizophrenic rock ramblings of a religious nutcase and more like the subdued
soundtrack to a Sunday school puppet show…put on by a religious nutcase.
It’s really too bad I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place – the rock being the sense
that I’m listening to a band that jacks off to Raffi tapes (“A Stick, A Carrot & String”) and
the hard place being the growing fear that their lead singer belongs to a cult and I’m being
subliminally recruited (“Bullet To Binary (Pt. Two)”).
Bottom line, if you’d like to see the wolf in sheep’s clothing, this one’s for you.
 
— PT Umphress
These United States
Everything Touches Everything

Through assembling cities and realizing the truly important things

in life, to waking up feeling a need to make a change and hope
cracking open a beat heart, These United States take listeners on
the roller coaster ride that is the human condition in their third
full-length album, Everything Touches Everything (out September
1st). The band comes out swinging with their banging guitars and
throbbing drums that just scream rock ‘n’ roll. And just when you think you’ve got a handle
on them, they throw in a glockenspiel or a dobro and create a completely new sound. Bridging
the gap between tunes that make you want to get up and dance and lyrics that make you
want to sit down and think, Everything Touches Everything allows for anything but a passive
listen. These United States play every song on their 42-minute album like they mean it. This
eccentricity gets passed onto the listener, and by the time the album reaches its final track,
“Good Night Wish,” it feels like an entire day of emotion and adventure has passed by and it’s
time for the band to sing you to sleep. And honestly, this album is so good, I wouldn’t mind it
if they did just that.

— Laurie Moot

The Idle Hands:

The Hearts We Broke On The Way To The Show

Before I even listened to The Idle Hands, I knew the band had a great
sense of humor just from the name of the songs on its first album The
Hearts We Broke On The Way To The Show. Lead singer Ciaran Daly
and his Idle Hands, brother Criostoir on bass, Eileen on keys, Emma
on guitar and Nick on drums, are a trip with their lyrics to “The
80’s Killed Your Boyfriend,” “The Fall” and “Loaded,” showcasing a
dislike of all things popular and mainstream. The first four songs on
the album were made with the help of Mark Needham who worked with The Killers and Cake.
Daly’s voice has serious character, changing the genre of the band from song to song, especially
in the spontaneous sounding must-listen-to “Sunshine On The Tenements,” that may possibly
be the best song on the album. One second, The Idle Hands are punk rock, the next, electronic
infused pop, and the next, new-wave…it goes on and on, even entering the realm of disco and
just plain rock. They add a little bit of the synth player to get that new-wave rocker sound
in their radio hit “Loaded” and “The 80’s Killed Your Boyfriend.” If you are a fan of the Arctic
Monkeys, look no further. This band is definitely for you. Song “Space Thing” reminds me of
the voice of a softer, grungier version of James Mercer, lead vocalist in The Shins. The band
members hail from Irish decent and the Midwest, making the mixture of sounds on this album
interesting, unique and just plain good. Album set to release September 8th, 2009.

— Sarah Saltzman

Dave Matthews Band

Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King

Being one of the most successful bands in recent memory, DMB has
delivered, yet again, a kick-ass collection. With the death of founding
saxophonist LeRoi Moore, DMB proves that a table can indeed stand
with one leg missing. The New Orleans' roots that scream out of Big
Whiskey and the GrooGrux King should serve as a perfect tribute to
Moore, who died from complications after injuring himself in an ATV
accident. The opening sax solo “Grux,” is an unintended tear jerker with the recent memories
of Moore flowing through the listener's mind. Hit single “Funny the Way It Is” rings the typical
DMB tone, yet its refreshingly new jazz/rock style incorporates the Cajun roots of the album.
Produced by Rob Cavallo, the liner notes do not specify which tracks Moore was a part of, as he
died before the bulk of the recordings were finished. Jeff Coffin (Bela Fleck and the Flecktones)
subs for other tracks on the record and is currently on the road with the band. GrooGrux is a
true New Orleans-style mourning, with its crooning ballads crammed between brawny and
healthy jams.
—Will Hackett
MUSIC THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY MUSIC THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY
1939 - “The Wizard of Oz” premieres in
Hollywood, Calif. 1923 - An ordinance is passed in
1964 - The Kinks Kalamazoo, Mich.,  forbidding dancers
1969 - The first day of The Woodstock release “You Really from gazing into the eyes of their partner.
Music and Arts Fair begins in Bethel, N.Y. Got Me.” 
1993 - Elton John’s lyricist and longtime
1986 – Def Leppard co-writer, Bernie Taupin, is married to
1972 - Paul and Linda McCartney are drummer Rick Allen Stephanie Haymes.
arrested for drug possession after a plays his first concert
concert in Gothenburg Sweden. after losing his left 1994 - Jimmy Buffett’s plane flips
arm in a car wreck. shortly after take off in Nantucket. He
1985 - Madonna’s “Like A Virgin”
august

becomes the first album by a female to swam to safety.

be certified for $5 million in sales.
1962 - Booker T. and the MG’s release
an instrumental song, “Green Onions.”
1972 - Elvis and Priscilla Presley file for
divorce after being married since May
of 1967.
1974 - The Ramones play the band’s first
show at CBGB’s in New York.
1985 - Madonna and Sean Penn are wed.
They would divorce in 1989.
2001 - Aaliyah and eight others are
killed when their plane crashed
in Marsh Harbor of the northern
Bahamas. The cause is ruled as
engine failure due to the plane being
overloaded.
1989 - Izzy Stradlin of Guns ‘n Roses
is arrested for creating a disturbance
on an airplane.
1995 - James Taylor and ex-wife
Carly Simon reunite for a concert on
Martha’s Vineyard.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1960 – “The Twist” by
Chubby Checker is released.
1957 - American
Bandstand makes its
network debut on ABC,
hosted by Dick Clark.
1981 - MTV makes its debut
at 12:01a.m. with “Video
1975 - Stevie Wonder
Killed the Radio Star” by the
signs a seven year, $13
Buggles as its first music
million contract, the
video.
highest contract in the
recording industry at
the time.
1962 - Robert Zimmerman
changes his name legally to
1973 - Stevie
Bob Dylan.
Wonder is seriously
injured in a car
1991 - Rick James is arrested
accident. He
and charged with sexually
permanently lost
torturing a 24 year-old
his sense of smell
woman in Los Angeles, Calif.
and was in a coma
for four days.
1989 - Adam
1963 - The Beatles make Clayton of U2
their final appearance at the is arrested in
Cavern Club in Liverpool.
his home in
Dublin, Ireland
1974 - Jeff Baxter quits Steely
for possession of
Dan to join the Doobie
marijuana.
Brothers.
1956 - Elvis Presley releases
“Hound Dog.”
1980 - John Lennon and
Yoko Ono begin recording
their album “Double
Fantasy.”
36 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
1991 - Charges of
1966 - John Lennon apologizes at a 1882 - Tchaikovsky’s
“1812 Overture” 1983 - Jerry Lee Lewis’
31
news conference in Chicago, Ill., for 1967 - The Grateful Dead play
assault and property his comment that “the Beatles are debuts in Moscow. wife, Shawn, is found at the wake of a Hell’s Angels
damage are filed more popular than Jesus.” dead at the couple’s member hit by a car in San
against Axl Rose 2001 - The remaining home. The autopsy would Francisco.
of Guns N Roses in 1998 - Scott Weiland of Stone dates of Foo Fighters reveal she died of a
connection with a Temple Pilots pleads guilty to felony European tour are methadone overdose. 1986 - Tina Turner receives a
riot during a show in heroin possession. cancelled when the star on the Hollywood Walk of 1974 - “The
St. Louis, Mo. band’s drummer, 1998 - Shania Twain is Fame. Partridge
Taylor Hawkins, is forced to halt a Syracuse, Family” ends
1997 - Garth Brooks 1975 - Hank Williams, Jr. fell 500 feet admitted to the N.Y., concert when its television
plays a free concert down a mountain in Montana. After, hospital. lightning hits the ground 1906 - The Victor Talking run.
in New York City’s 40 yards behind the
two years of surgeries, he returned Machine Company
Central Park. stage.
to music. commences the 1997 - James Brown
1956 – Big Mama Thornton
manufacturing of the Victrola. becomes the first
releases the original version
1992 – A riot occurs at a concert in The units would sell for $200. U.S. artist to appear
of “Hound Dog.”
1964 - Bob Dylan Montreal after a Guns ‘N’ Roses’ set 1947 - Margaret Truman, in Lebanon after the
and Joan Baez is cut short because Axl Rose has a daughter of President Harry 1979 - Led Zeppelin released lifting of a travel ban to
1992 - Kurt Cobain and
perform for the first sore throat.  Truman, gives her first public its last album, “In Through The the country.
Courtney Love have a child,
time together on performance as a singer Out Door.”
daughter Frances Bean.
stage. 1952 - The original version of at the Hollywood Bowl to
an estimated audience of 1967 - Brian Epstein, former
“Hound Dog” is recorded by Willie
1978 - Muddy 15,000. manager of the Beatles, is
Mae Thornton.
Waters performs found dead in his home
from a drug overdose.
at a White House 1995 - Michael Stipe of R.E.M. 1998 - “Scary Spice” Melanie
picnic for U.S. undergoes surgery for a hernia. Brown announces her
1990 - Stevie Ray Vaughn
President Jimmy pregnancy.
and three members of Eric
Carter.
Clapton’s band are killed in a
1985 - Michael Jackson outbids
Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono for helicopter crash.
1977 - The Pretenders
the ATV music-publishing catalog 1964- The Beatles begin their first played their first public gig.
which gave Jackson the rights 1970 - The Kinks release “Lola.”
American tour in San Francisco.
to more than 250 songs written by John Lennon and Paul 1987 - Sonny Bono
McCartney for $47.5 million.  1996 - Isaac Hayes, co-writer of “Soul Man,” sends a protest
1980 – In Toronto, 1,400 people announces plans to run for
letter to presidential candidate Bob Dole about the use of
riot after Alice Cooper cancels a mayor of Palm Springs, Calif.
1995 - The Grateful Dead decide to cancel their fall tour in the his song, which his supporters had changed to “I’m A Dole
show due to illness. He would win the election.
wake of Jerry Garcia’s death. Man.”
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 37
 July 3, Casalmaggiore
- Arrived to Italy that morning, show that night. Sort of in twilight
zone due to time change and not much sleep.
- Reacquainted ourselves with how incredibly scary people drive
over here. We came to grips with the possibility that we might not
make it home in one piece.
- Fun show.
- Sang four part a capella “Star Spangled Banner” at midnight for
4th of July....proud to be Americans.
- Richard barfed in his food during a laughing fit at dinner....

July 4, Aosta July 8, Brindisi

- Drove 200km to the - Early trip to the airport to

tour diary:
mountains of northern Italy. fly from Milano to Brindisi (the
Bellissima! southern tip of Italy). Hungov-
- We were told by the pro- er...badly...

Tishamingo in Italia
moter that we were incredi- - Still hungover, they put us
bly too loud....pretty standard on the very back row of a plane
really. that’s sweltering hot and smells
- At dinner, journalists con- like jet fuel.
ducted an interview for a news- - A member of the band (who
This will be Tishamingo's 4th trip to Italy. This time we are here for just two weeks and playing six shows (“breve” tour). We find on paper. The questions all seemed will remain nameless) passed
these tours that we usually eat and drink our way through this beautiful country. We also have a little time to explore, drink more and try to come back to the Allman out shortly before landing. He
not to get booted from the hotel. We are very thankful to have friends and fans in Italy who love blues and rock ‘n’ roll music and always Brothers. For ex: “Richard, you awoke shaking violently in what
make our trips over very memorable. On this tour we have Tishamingo and our great friend Jason Fuller, who actually played keys on took lessons from Butch Trucks? resembled a grand mal seizure.
our debut album. Due to the fact that the show last night was rained out and rescheduled for Sunday we have only played three shows as Tell us about that.” “Cameron, Other passengers requested
this is written. We are about to head to our fourth show in the town of Traviglio (Tra-vee-leo). Again Graziemille to the wonderful folks do you think Dickey Betts is a a doctor and the flight atten-
who support us and make it possible for us to play music in such a beautiful and wonderful place. Tomorrow we play on the north side of better guitar player than Duane dants pulled out an insulin kit
Lago di Garda in a town called Malcesine (in redneck it is pronounced Mal chesney). That would have been the end of tour party but we Allman?” Or even, “Jason, your and a defibrilator. Apparently,
have a make up gig on Sunday in the Castle of Soiano. This just means two end of tour parties right? By the way, everything in this tour uncle was in Canned Heat. Did this band member had a dream
journal can be accounted for and verified. Some shit you just can’t make up...Ciao! they ever play with the Allman that the plane was crashing. He
— Chuck Thomas, Tishamingo Brothers?” We are still laugh- thought we were going down
ing about the possibilities of and freaked out in his sleep.
that interview going any longer. Needless to say, the ambulance
A typical day in Italy while we are touring looks like this: For example, “If Derek Trucks
9:56 a.m. - Wake up and head down to hotel lobby. Try to catch breakfast and deeelicious caffe greeted our plane on the tarmac
and Warren Haynes had a baby, in Brindisi. Phenomenal...the
(espresso) or cappuccino before breakfast ends at 10.
what would he look like? Would
July 5-7, off July 9, Soiano
11 a.m. - Following breakfast we get in our Fiat Ducato 8.5 passenger van with “Beppe,” our tour - Ate absurd amounts of pas- band has arrived. “What? Ya’ll
he be a better guitar player than - Flew back to Milan. We
manager, at the helm and head to the next town. “Beppe” is short for Guiseppe, sort of like Dick is short ta and drank lotsa vino. don’t like to party?”
Duane Allman?” decided to forego the medical
for Richard. He is a great tour manager and very kind-hearted. Not quite sure he knows what to make - Traveled to Lake Garda - Band member was released
emergencies on this flight.
of us and our antics, but seems to be going with the flow pretty well. (Lago di Garda) one day and re- from medical professionals once
-Set up in the amazing
acquainted ourselves with cul- vitals come back okay. He was
outdoor venue at the Castle of
tural customs of women not given a mild sedative, making for
Soiano.
wearing tops on the beach. a hell of an afternoon for him by
2 p.m. - Stop at Autogrille to grab a small lunch consistiwng of Pasta — they have chefs and full - Show was cancelled on
- Watched way too much BBC. the pool later on. Rumors have
service restaurants at the rest stops over here! The food is delicious even at a highway restaurant. It account of inclement weather.
- Drained the mini-bars in all it that said band member pissed
would be nice to have that on the road in the states. Typical lunch on road? Caprese (7 dollar ball of - We decided to get com-
of our rooms. his pants...really.
buffalo mozzarella w/ tomatoes and basil), large plate of delicious pasta, too much bread, large piece of pletely drunk there on the lake
- Late on the night of July 6, - Drive to amazing old estate
meat, water and wine — either vino rosso (red) or bianchi (white), depending on the mood. No, we instead. As usual, the night
Jess and Chuck got into a mi- that has been turned into a des-
are not here to fuck around or diet. Finish it off with “un caffe” and then back on the road. degraded into talking to our
nor, non-violent altercation with tination they refer to as “Agri-
4 p.m. - Check in hotel. Usually the hotels are pretty nice but every now and again we will wind up friends in accents that seem
the hotel attendant. We some- turismo” or Agricultural tour-
in a place where one could contract hepatitis D. What is that you ask? That would be Hep “D”= All The more like something out of
how managed to avoid getting ism. It was an amazing hotel
Above. Ok...they’re not that bad... Star Wars than anything Ital-
kicked out. That guy was real- with a 2,000 year old church on
ian. Luckily, no one was of-
ly pissed. the premises. Pool was phenom-
fended. Cameron kept buying
6:30 p.m. - Sound check (no load in...sweeet) - Got completely hammered enal, placed conveniently amidst
those beer tower things like
9:30-11:30 p.m. - Showtime! at an incredibly packed bar in a massive olive tree orchard.
they have in Vegas.
Midnight - Sit down for what is usually around a 2 hour dinner (w/ possible “southern rock” Brescia. Learned crude things - Show was really fun. It was
- Night ends with our Italian
interview following). The dinners are pretty ridiculous. Our first dinner on our first night here, Rich- to say to Italian women, made an American Music Festival on
comrades singing the theme
ard our drummer was so full and laughing so hard that he just puked right there on his plate. Had to many friends...well, maybe a a farm. It was also a Sausage
song to "Happy Days," and
include that because it is not something that Richard would normally do. couple enemies, too. Cameron Party....no seriously, they were
doing beer tower stands to see
2 a.m. - Continue drinking, either back at hotel or a bar with new Italian friends. Try to speak ate two roses on a dare from two grilling copious amounts of sau-
how many liters we can drink
Italian, but the drunker we get we end up sounding like Watto from Star Wars. Italian ladies. They then told sage. Okay, there were too many
at once...it's sooo cold when it
???? - Make it back to room hopefully with a few hours to sleep before breakfast. him “bye bye.” drunk dudes there as well.
hits your lips!

38 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 39

 remembering “The Theatre was a place of memories and raging good times for many, including myself. It would be hard
to describe my times there in words better than the photos I have captured could. I hope these bring mem-

the georgia theatre ories of good times to you the same as they do for myself. Be sure to help resurrect those great times by do-
nating to the rebuilding of the Theatre. Thanks for all the great times and fond memories!”
— Kevin Quinn, photographer —

1 2 3 1 2 3

4 5 6 4 5 6

7 8 7 8

9 10

9
11

10 11 14

12 13
Georgia Theatre crowd Particle Herring, Rogers and Sipe (2006) Moonshine Still (2006) Kris D (2006) Halloween (2006) Box Office line in 2006 AthFest (2006) Bling the Children
Classic Theatre Crowd RAQ Wilmot Greene onstage with Perpetual Groove Backstage with Dubconscious & Grogus Basement, Matt Martin (2001) Back Home STS9 (2002) Moonshine Still (2006) The Frequency Tom Hamilton & TAB (2006) . Manchester Orchestra Dubconscious (2006) The
Will Hoge . Perpetual Groove (2006) Les Claypool Frog Brigade Spam Allstars (2006) Grogus (2006)
 Jay Markwalter — Singer/songwriter, former High Hat owner: Kevin Lane — The Arcs: Nelson Wells — President, Team Clermont Publicity:
remembering
the georgia theatre I have been very fortunate, over the last 17 years in Athens, to work with
so many great people and musicians as a manager and friend; howev-
I have SO many great memories of the Georgia Theatre, but one that sticks
out in my mind is a show I played there in October 2001 when I was with
My memories are of moments at “The Theatre” and they are powerful; they
date back & include many great shows, including Book of Love, Dead
memories, stories and
favorite shows from years past er, Athens musicians and music industry professionals aren’t just friends – The Possibilities. We’d been asked to take part in a Community Connec- Milkmen, Marilyn Manson, Allgood (& meeting my first business partner
they are family. I am not sure that I stopped in the years of good times to tion benefit show and a day or two before the show was to take place, I got Jimmy McLean there), Derek Trucks at 15 years old, Feist, David Byrne,
realize how much I love the Georgia Theatre until I saw it burning. The a call from the R.E.M. office asking if the band could use our gear to play Dave Matthews Band, The Avett Brothers, Ween, Venice is Sinking, Kud-
Dave Schools — Widespread Panic: scene of barefooted Theatre fans and a former mayor working together to a set when we were done. We said, “sure.” We were asked to keep it a se- zu Bowl IV 1991, Team Clermont Prom with Patton Oswalt & Tiny
hand exhausted firemen drinking water made me realize how much I care cret and we did, but it didn’t matter. The word inevitably got around and Sticks, the Athens Comedy troupe, Drivin & Cryin, & of course witness-
Widespread Panic was playing the Theatre 3/13/1992. This was the key- about the Athens community and what a special place downtown Athens the place was completely sold out by show time. We played some Neil Young ing Wilmot’s proudest moment with the installation of the largest fan on
boardist John ‘Jojo’ Hermann’s first night playing with the band and he is for so many people – especially a landmark structure that thousands have covers with Scott McCaughey joining us, some Big Star and Posies songs earth; just to name a few.
didn’t know that the bands usually enter in the side door on Clayton Street. enjoyed….A ticket for a great show, a stroll past on tip-toes for a look and with Ken Stringfellow, and Pete Buck joined us for “ You Don’t Mean It”
He was stopped at the door by security guard Steve Fleming. Steve was the listen, or maybe just a wave to a friend working inside - that's the Geor- (a song of ours that the Minus 5 had recently covered on Conan O’Brien).
best door man on the planet and wouldn’t let Jojo inside. Jojo tried to con- gia Theatre - the shows run together but the experiences brand the sights, R.E.M. followed and the place went nuts. Somewhere in the middle of the Daniel Peiken — AthensRockShow.com, Analogue Records:
vince Steve that he was in the band but Steve pointed to the photo on the sounds and smells forever!! set, Michael Stipe thanked us and dedicated a song to us! That was one of
wall. It was an old photo with the previous keyboardist, T Lavitz. Af- MANY special nights that I’ve spent at the Georgia Theatre. My first visit to the Georgia Theatre was in 1987 as a University of Geor-
ter almost missing his very first gig with Widespread Panic, Jojo wrote the gia freshman. It was a ‘Carafe and Draft’ at that time and I liked it. Since
classic “One Arm Steve’.
Derek Trucks — Allman Brothers Band/Derek Trucks Band: then it has hosted thousands of unforgettable rock shows and I’ve made my
Troy Aubrey — Nomad Artists: way to hundreds of them. I’ll never forget seeingWidespread Panic, Phish,
There are so many musicians that had a strong tie to that room in Athens. Hot Tuna or the Ramones at the Theatre. I was also lucky enough to see
Owen Gray — Theatre Staff/Nimbleslick Entertainment: We played so many great shows in that room with a lot of different people I have some fond memories of seeing some amazing shows at the Geor- Drivin’ N Cryin, the Drive By Truckers and the Chickasaw Mudpuppies
back to the days when Colonel Bruce Hampton & The Aquarium Rescue gia Theatre during my time in Athens (1988-present)…like The Replace- there. Warren Zevon sang ‘Werewolves of Athens’ on January 22, of 1992.
I started working at The Georgia Theatre in the summer of 2006, dur- Unit were playing amazing stuff. We did a lot of shows with those guys. ments, when during the 1st song some kid threw one of the big Theatre Those memories will never be forgotten and I look forward to creating more
ing Beck. First day in, Wilmot gave me two free tickets to Phil Lesh & beers at Paul Westerberg and he threw his guitar down and jumped off musical memories in the New Georgia Theatre.
Friends, and that’s the kind of person he is — cares deeply about his staff the stage with fists pumped after the kid, crowd surfed around and then
and friends. One great night was a surprise birthday bash for Adam Per- Bruce Burch — UGA Music Business Program: jumped right back up on stage, picked up his guitar and told the kid “not
ry. After a huge dinner we all hung out at the Theatre ‘til very early in the to fuckin’ do that again” and went right back in to “I Will Dare” with- Mike Rizzi — Former drummer, Five Eight:
morning with different musicians playing their hearts out, collective im- The Georgia Theatre wasn’t here when I attended UGA from 1971-1975 out missing a beat! Coolest thing I’ve ever seen. Paul’s been my hero ever
promptu. Now more than ever, I feel what the people and endless nights of and neither was the Athens music scene. I came back here in 2005 to start since.Can’t wait for the new and improved Georgia Theatre, but will miss The biggest memory of all is running into Wilmot Green in Athens a few
music at the Theatre mean to me. the UGA Music Business Program and the first place I went was to the
the old one dearly! years back and he told me that he just bought the Theatre. Then he took me
Georgia Theatre. Wilmot Greene introduced me to the Athens music scene
on a tour of the Theatre (which I've seen many times, but this time was spe-
and I will forever be grateful to him. It felt like coming home.
cial). He had a glow and was proud of his new baby and I totally was hap-
Andrew Heaton — Packway Handle Band: Nic Goodson — Sleepy Horses: py to see him so excited about something I longed to do myself someday. Not
Daniel Hutchens — Bloodkin: a better guy to have to own such a venue. He understands the musician,
The Georgia Theatre was one of our wilder venues and the bar for extreme I stumbled into Athens (without ever having set foot in Georgia before) seeing as he is a great one himself, and has a perspective most owners don't
antics on stage had gotten pretty high. One show, we drew a blank and I remember the "Bar Tab" shows my band Bloodkin participated in, along on a balmy day in August. I had decided to move outta Texas for some rea- have. I don't doubt he'll rebuild and it will be even greater than before.
went on stage with no real plan except to think of something. Nothing with members of Widespread Panic and several other bands around town, son or another.....music...grad school....change of scenery. My first night in
good came to mind, so in a panic, I announced a “sexiest dancer” contest on during the mid ‘90s...those were always great gatherings, lots of old friends, town I heard that Will Johnson (Centro-Matic) would be playing with
stage for a free CD. Several girls got on stage and then the half of us who Patterson Hood and Don Chambers. I found the Theatre (after a long,
Benjy Davis — The Benjy Davis Project:
new friends, just pretty memorable events...and about two weeks before
were paying attention broke into "Happy Birthday" (to “Blah, Blah”) at the fire we did a "Bloodkin & Friends" benefit, and lots of those same fac- long walk around downtown). I fell in love with Athens that night. I
breakneck speed. It was impossible to dance to, but they tried and the result We have always loved the warm welcome the Georgia Theatre and Athens
es from all those years back showed up, and it felt like a full circle...though was in awe of the Theatre. I decided right then that I had to play the The-
was ludicrous. The audience loved it. Half the band was profoundly em- gave us. The fans there rocked. I remember when we were playing with The
I hope it won't be the last time we ever play the Theatre. Let's rebuild it. I ater someday. I've played there quite a few times...however, AthFest 2008
barrassed to have been a part of something so idiotic. I just shook my head Kin, there was a woman at the show who worked at a salon. So we took
also always recall seeing the Replacements at the Theatre, and Soul Asylum Sleepy Horses played with Don Chambers + GOAT....I had come full cir-
and thought “man, what was that?” It was the Georgia Theatre. her backstage after the show, and she gave us all haircuts.
on a different occasion...two of the better rock shows I've ever seen. cle...it was a perfect night."

Sometime in the early morning, a

massive fire breaks out in the back right
Sea Level is the first per- Carafe and Draft The building is sold to Wilmot corner of the building. While the walls
Elite Theatre Movie House Publix-Lucas Theatres Inc. buys the Theatre opens as mov-
former of the Theatre’s new Greene and Randy Smith, who are salvaged, the roof and interior are are
opens on ground floor, while United Theatre Enterpris-
building, cuts it in half, builds a incarnation as a music hall. ie house, with “Raiders of the undertake massive renovations
es Inc. buys the building; badly damaged. The investigation is ulti-
The Majestic Hotel occu- balcony and opens a new cinema. Lost Ark” as the first show.
continues Georgia Theatre. over the span of the next 5 years. mately inconclusive in its search for a cause.
pies second and third floors.
Jan. 11, 1978
1918 1930’s 1967 April 9, 1982 2004 June 19, 2009

July 7, 2009
1989
1889 1926 1960’s Oct.,1975 1977 1979 2004
From Wilmot Greene, in his latest
Building erected and con- Reopened as a music venue, Kyle Pil-
Masonic Temple Associated Serves as a worship hall for The Police make a tour public update: “The smoke has cleared
Georgia Theatre shows Sam Smartt, Hap Harris, grim and Bill “Duck” Anderson buy the The Derek Trucks Band
verted into the first YMCA of Athens buys the building. United Methodist Church.
George Fontaine and Shef- stop at the Theatre. and now it’s time to focus on rebuild-
of the South. Would later it’s last movie, building; plan to open Georgia The- recorded Live at the
fy McArthur team up to open ing the Georgia Theatre. I am still
become a department store. “Brotherhood of Death.” atre as a concert venue. First band to Georgia Theatre.
Georgia Theatre as a concert hall. confident that out of all this confu-
play was Pylon on October 2, 1989.
sion something positive will emerge.”
Ed. Note: A special thanks to Daniel Peiken for contributing past Theatre ticket stubs!

42 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 43

 MUSIC RELEASE CALENDAR
upcoming CD releases
28
Release dates are subject to change. Check artists
or store websites as these dates approach.

july Hey local bands! Got a release date coming up? Let
us know at editorial@athensblur.com
Fabolous
Lose’s Way
Howling Bells
Radio Wars
Sax Ruins
Yaqiauo
aug 18
Lil Wayne
Ryan Starr
Rebirth
11:59
Sean Paul
Ashley Tisdale
Imperial Balze
Guilty Pleasure
Third Eye Blind
M.O.P.
Ursa Major
The Foundation
Brandi Shearer
J-Kwon
Love Don’t Make You Just
Hood Hop 2.5
Paul Burch
Swollen Members
Still Your Man
Greatest Hits
Destroyer
Warren Haynes/Gov’t
Bay Of Pigs [EP] (Vinyl-only)
Mule
Nathan Maxwell And The Original
By A Thread

4
Bunny Gang
White Rabbit

aug
Bill Champlin aug 25
No Place Left To Fall
Jullan Plenti Colbie Caillat
Skyscraper Breakthrough
Circulatory System Matisyahu
Signal Morning Light
Seasick Steve Dolores O’Riordan
Dog House Music No Baggage
The Duke & The King Zechs Marquise
Nothing Gold Can Stay Our Delicate Stranded Nightmare
Cooper Boone Loundon Wainwright III
Cooper Boone High Wide & Handsome: The

11
Charlie Poole Project
The Casualties

aug We Are All We Have

Mariah Carey
Amerie Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel

1
In Love & War
Cobra Starship
Hot Mess
Raekwon
sept
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II Whitney Houston
Danny Chaimson And The Title TBA
11th Hour Black Crowes
Young Blood, Old Soul Before The Frost...Until The Freeze

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 45


10
questions with sister hazel
Now on the verge of releasing their 7th and most collaborative album yet, Sister Hazel’s Mark Trojanowsi sounds
as determined as ever. On a phone call from Atlanta, the drummer is eager to discuss the band’s latest, what it
takes to outlast their peers and having their faces on a credit card. Read on…By Natalie B. David
Athens Blur Magazine (ABM): The new
album, Release, is a very collaborative
effort for the band with every member
contributing at least two songs — how
did that idea come about?
Mark Trojanowski (MT): It got inspired from
our Christmas record a few years ago. We went
into the Christmas record with everybody
choosing three songs and you could either
choose to do original Christmas songs or
cover Christmas songs, and then you got to do
whatever you wanted to produce those songs,
whether you wanted to do them acoustically
or do full band versions. And that record was
sort of made in multiple places — everybody
did their own things. Some people recorded in
Ryan [Newell, guitars]’s basement. I went out
to Dallas. So with it being a hodgepodge like
that, recording being all over, it all seemed to
work really well, and we did a lot of the vocals,
actually, out on the road. So after having the
success of that, and everyone kind of getting
more of an integral part of the recording process
and creative process, we decided that it might
be a good way to do a new studio record.
ABM: So when you were writing your
songs, were you off in your own little
world, or was there much collaboration or
input from your bandmates?
MT: The way it works for us, everyone had their
songs and then, whether you wrote ‘em on your
46 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
own or you collaborated with other people, we
got together in Gainesville for a week before
going to Nashville to the recording studio, and
that was the first time that the band got to play
everyone else’s songs. And we knew we needed
to do that in order to go into the studio and play
them and it still sound like a band, like Sister
Hazel. So even though everyone had their
songs, everybody in the band still had to learn
their parts and what they were going to bring
to the songs, so that was a pretty crucial part of
the process. And we’ve always done it on every
other record and we knew that we needed to do
it on this one as well. So we got together for a
week and every person had a day to bring their
three songs in and get the band to learn them.
Then, the following week, we went to Nashville
and pretty much in four days recorded all of
the bass and drums on all of the songs on the
record and then we took several months after
that to start doing all of the guitars and over
dubs and keyboards and strings and vocals.
ABM: How did you all decide what songs
from each of you would be the ones that
made the record?
MT: Um, it was just, everyone just kind of
picked the material they felt strongly about.
Some people only wrote two songs. Some
people wrote three songs. The normal process
was people write songs and it was a vote system
of what was going to make the record. So we
went into this record knowing that everyone
was getting all their material on the record and
so I think that was another positive situation
for us, knowing that you were not going to have
to wait to the end of the process to know if your
songs were going to be on the record. You knew
from the beginning that your songs were going
to be on there, so we just sort of picked what we
liked the best and put them on there.
ABM: Sounds easy enough. So Release
is certainly varied, but in a subtle way.
Having five people writing and helming
the different songs, what did you all do
to make sure it still sounded like a Sister
Hazel record and not just a compilation?
MT: Well, I think the one thing I already said
that sort of addressed that was getting together
and playing the songs as a band. I think it
would’ve been quite different if we had gone to
Nashville and never played it until we got into
the studio. There wouldn’t be as much of a band
feeling about the music at that point, and at least,
Ryan and Jett [Beres, bass] and myself having a
strong foundation of the rhythm sections of the
songs was a major key. And it’s kind of hard to
not sound like Sister Hazel when you have Ken
[Block, vocals] singing. So having him sing
all the songs, even though Drew [Copeland,
gutars/vocals]’s singing the most he’s ever sung
on a Sister Hazel record on this one, you hear
Kens voice and instantaneously know it’s Sister
Hazel. So I think that was another thing that
brings it together. It can be the most avant
garde music brought to the table, but Ken’s still
gonna put his take on it and make it what it is,
which makes it sound like Sister Hazel.
ABM: Now this is also Sister Hazel’s 7th
album, excluding live releases and other
things like that. Once you hit album 7, do
you still get butterflies about its release?
MT: Oh, I think anytime you put our new
music you’re excited about the fans hearing it
and other people getting to hear it for the first
time, and the big thing for the band is getting
to play new music live. You can write new
music and play it live, but without a record it’s
almost kind of pointless because without fans
getting to hear that song ahead of time, or at
least having a recorded copy of it, you get a lot
of people looking at you with blank faces when
you play music that they’ve never heard before.
So it’s exciting for us that we can play a bunch
of new music live and people know the music
and the words already, so, it just kind of breeds
excitement, not only for the record release, but
for touring and live shows. Once you make a
record, usually there’s a lot of creative energy
around to create more songs, so hopefully we’ll
go back into the studio in the fall.
ABM: You’ve really kind of out-lasted a lot
of bands that emerged around the time
when you all did. Has it always been easy
to keep the band going?
MT: I think the most difficult part was
probably in the early years, but once we got past
our first two records, I think whatever could’ve
potentially caused problems for us, and then
broke up many other bands, kind of dissipated.
We don’t really have to worry about that much
anymore. Even with this record, while we were
in the studio we were playing shows. A lot of
other bands will make a record, do a tour and
then disappear for two years. You really can’t
do that and have a career like this. Your fans
want music. They want to see you. And so we’re
always playing at least four to five shows every
month or so. I think that has been a major point
in why we’ve held out as long as we have.
ABM: You mentioned your fans, and you
guys have an incredibly loyal fan base,
the Hazelnuts, but what have you all done
to attract such loyal fans?
MT: I think that partly is because we do
appreciate them and try to do as much as we
can for our fan base. We’re very accessible at
our concerts. And I think that we’ve always
been that way, in the early days when we were
starting, trying to get ourselves out there, we
would walk around at colleges and just hand
out our music and just meet people and try to
get them interested in our music. And these
SISTER HAZEL
WHO’S WHO
Ken Block (lead vocals, guitar), Jett
Beres (bass, vocals), Andrew Cope-
land (guitar, vocals), Ryan Newell
(lead guitar, vocals), Mark Trojanowski
(drums)
FORMED
1994 in Gainesville, Fla.
LABEL
Croakin’ Poets
LATEST RELEASE
Release (2009)
ON THE WEB
www.sisterhazel.com
days we started with our fans at the Rock Boat,
which is coming on the 10th one this year and
that was a fans-based, sort of appreciation thing
after one of our tours to try and get every one
together and have a big party and it’s just this
big music festival. And we do the Hazelnut
hang, which is in South Carolina in May. And
so we just try to do some fun things with our
fans. Ken, our lead singer, has the Lyrics for Life
charity foundation. So it’s just being accessible
and trying to have our fans be as big a part of
our music world as possible.
ABM: You mentioned Lyrics for Life —
what are you hoping to achieve with
Lyrics for Life Day?
MT: I think the goal is, we can only do so many
things in a year, right? And we can only be so
many places between touring and family life
and we had a Lyrics for Life main event that
we were doing here in Atlanta for many years
and then Tim started doing smaller satellite
projects in the New England area, and we do
one in Tampa in the fall, which I think is on
the day that they’re hoping to do Lyrics for Life
Day, and then there’s Operation Swan Dive in
the Boston area, where people actually jump
out of a plane and people get donations for
Lyrics for Life from people who sponsor them.
So there was all these sort of side Lyrics for
Life events popping up and we could only do
so many of the events in a certain year. Some of
these other events were started by other people
who wanted to help so we just felt like let’s try
to organize all these people to do something on
the same day.
ABM: I have to ask you about this: when
I went to the website, the first thing that
popped up was something saying to apply
for the Sister Hazel credit card…
MT: Yeah, we actually started that this year as
well. A lot of bands have started paid fan clubs,
and we’ve been in the middle of whether or not
we wanted to do something like that. With us
being so accessible, we’re sort of caught in the
middle that we’ve done so much where our fans
are used to whatever. But we decided that one
of the other ways for people to recognize the
name, because so many times people have heard
our music, “All For You” or “Champagne High”
or “Change your Mind,” but they don’t connect
the name to the face of the band.
And at the same time, we’ve got some good
relationships with different bank people and
it’s sort of a difficult economic time, not that
we are encouraging people to take on debt, but
we think it’s one of the lowest rates possibly out
there. Obviously we don’t encourage people to
go get a credit card and put all their spending
on it, but we always try to do different things
with our fans and we felt like this was another
way to brand our name and brand who we
are by people using it and hopefully we’ll be
offering different specials and perks to some of
those people who use it as well as, or instead
of, having a fan club. Maybe as more and more
fans start using the card, we will offer concert
tickets and things like that as a way to give back
to them through that system, rather than use a
fan club based paid kind of thing.
ABM: You all are really involved in a lot
of different things, but I have to admit
that I didn’t know about most of it until I
was doing research for this interview.
MT: Well, that’s been the hardest thing.
We’ve been that band that has been around
since the late ‘90s and we’ve done all of these
things, but a lot of it is so much under the
radar because we weren’t considered the
media darlings and we weren’t considered the
Matchbox Twenty-type band, whatever. But
there’s certain things that we can control and
certain things that we can’t. And that was one
of the things that has helped the five of us
continue our career and forge ahead and we
just have to learn that there are certain things
that we can’t control and we don’t worry
about it. If our song doesn’t get on the radio,
it’s not going to be the end of our record or
the end of our career. We’re just gonna go out
there and tour and do other things to get our
music out there for people to hear it, and I
think that’s why we continually come and
play Athens and play other college towns
because if we don’t have a vehicle, whether
it’s media or radio or television for the new
younger college students or younger people to
hear our music, then we have to go out and
play it live for them. And that’s what we’ve
continued to do for all these years. If one door
gets shut down, we open two or three more
until we can make it work for ourselves.
B
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 47

A Major Step
The Avett Brothers Get a Makeover — Rick Rubin Style
C
atching Bob Crawford on the
road is no surprise. Bassist for
the hell-raising North Carolina
“grungegrass” (we’ll get to that) trio The
Avett Brothers, Crawford and his bandmates
(brothers Seth and Scott Avett) have enjoyed
a meteoric rise through the musical ranks,
realized the old-school way: touring. Lots
and lots of touring. Naturally, then, as
Crawford speaks through the traffic noise on
the other end of the line, he must be steaming
toward some new musical high – Bonnaroo,
MerleFest or any one of the mid-sized
performing arts centers across the country
they’ve come to sell out with a frightening
regularity.
“Actually,” he said, “I’m driving to Ohio to
go see my parents.”
Oh.
Well, if anyone deserves some R & R at
their folks’ house, it’s these Avett fellas. They
claimed over 150 shows alone in 2008, and
2009 has already seen them hitting the above
listed hotspots and freshly-removed from
48 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
a tour with Dave Matthews, all the while
prepping for the release of a new studio
album, I And Love And You.
The well-spoken Crawford sticks out from
the group in a couple ways, namely the lack
of a particular lineage (obviously, he’s the only
Avett “brother” without the last name Avett).
Moreover, he’s the band member that almost
wasn’t, nearly choosing a career path in film
production shortly after his move to North
Carolina and shortly before he got hooked
up with the songwriting brothers. Years later,
there’s little doubt his career that didn’t pan
out has immensely benefited the one that
did.
“I think about [the similarities] all the
time, especially with recording I And Love
And You and the way we did it. In film you
have storyboard, where you get the shots that
you need to get but, you know, you won’t use
every shot. You get so you shoot as much as
possible and you edit — that was more of the
approach in recording this album than it had
ever been before. I was kind of beside myself
by Alec Wooden
thinking about how much like filmmaking
that that process is and that it's a very visual
process to make a record.  For me, there is
a lot of commonality in making a movie or
television show and being a touring band or
in the aspect of making a record, filming and
logistical things that a lot of people probably
don’t think about. It's 80 percent logistics.
Creativity, of course, factors in but you need
to have all of these logistics in place so the
creativity can flow open.”
In that flow of creativity, The Avett Brothers
have conjured up some unique genre monikers
(or the fans have, more correctly). There’s
“polk” (punk + folk), “bluerock” (bluegrass
+ rock) and the ever-popular “grungegrass”
(grunge + bluegrass). Whichever one chooses,
a large part of the Avett Brothers appeal,
particularly to a younger demographic, has
been the high-profile left turn from the
romanticized view of folk music as old-timey,
out-dated or “Deliverance” laden music.
“This is the information age, and
everybody is influenced by everybody else,”
PHOTO courtesy crackerfarm
said Crawford. “The world is very small, and so
I don’t think you’re gonna have people that play
‘old time music’ the way the very bizarre rules of,
say,  certain types of jazz or rag time do. You’re
gonna always have people that try to carry that
tradition on, which is great and necessary and
we need that. I think the larger population that
makes music is going to be influenced by a lot
of fringe elements. What I mean is, you can’t
tell anybody now that they’re a certain genre.
I mean, it’s always 'this meets this', well 'this
means this' and so on. I think ultimately when
people talk about this period of popular music,
it will be a more generational term, where you
kind of have a term to represent a generation. I
think it is going to be less jazz/funk or rock and
roll, there will be less of that kind of stuff and
more of like, whatever, information age rock or
technology music, I don’t know.”
The Avett Brothers have long been a “major”
player in the music world, with a cult following
turned super-sized as a result of each album
since the sterling debut (with the current
lineup) Country Was in 2002. I And Love And
You, however, marks the first “major” step for the
band in the literal sense of the word, as the trio
traded its cozy, boutique home of Ramseur
Records and settled in the with the magic
touch of some guy named Rick Rubin in a
little place known as Columbia Records.
“I can’t honestly tell you that I wasn’t a
little uncomfortable playing in front of
Rick Rubin the first couple of times,” said
Crawford with a laugh. “But it’s typical to
shut your mind off to who is in the room for
me personally. I think it may have been felt
by the other guys, but after you get used to
it, and it kind of goes away.”
What’s developed between Country Was
and I And Love And You has been steady
songwriting maturity, not overstated in its
process but evident in the end product.
“Between I And Love And You and
Emotionalism (2007) there isn’t a great
distance. Ya know, we learned a ton but I
think song-wise and playing-wise there is
only a step of evolution.  I think between
Four Thieves Gone (2006) and Emotionalism
there is also a step.  I think between
Mignonette (2004) and Four Thieves Gone
there is a step.  A Carolina Jubilee (2003) and
Mignonette there is a step, so if you want to
take A Carolina Jubilee and I And Love And
“For us, it was always
the live show before there
was anything else.”
Bob Crawford
The Avett Brothers
You there will be this huge gap.  But if you
take them all in context, it is a nice steady
ladder and a nice progression and very
comparable for us.”
Apart from the records, Crawford has
seen a progression in other logical ways —
simply put, for the first time in years as a
band, the Avett Brothers now brim with
confidence in their actual playing ability.
The elaborate stage presence for which the
band is known was, at one time, essentially
a cover up for what many saw as relatively
sub-par playing ability — now, however,
it’s a compliment to the much improved
technicality of the members.
“I think we are only beginning to
understand how to play our instruments and
more in a professional manner and I think
to make up for the lack of professionalism
with our instruments, we just let it all
hang out and leave it all on the stage,” said
Crawford. “For us, it was always the live
show before there was anything else. We’ve
always felt like if people are choosing to
spend their time with us, we’re going to give
them their money’s worth every night and
THE AVETT BROTHERS
WHO’S WHO
Seth Avett (guitar, vocals), Scott
Avett (banjo, vocals), Bob Crawford
(bass, vocals)
FORMED
2000 in Concord, N.C.
LABEL
Ramseur/Columbia
LATEST RELEASE
I And Love And You (2009)
ON THE WEB
www.theavettbrothers.com
it’s never been a problem for us.”
Watching an Avett Brothers show is an
exhausting enterprise for a fan, let alone for
the men on stage making the magic happen.
But if the trio has slowed with time, they
hide it well. Much like the improvement
on their respective instruments, Crawford
senses a better understanding of what it
takes night in and night out to put on the
kind of no-holds-barred, whiskey soaked
melee they’ve claimed as a trademark.
“In a normal show, I have found in recent
years it’s better to pace yourself,” he said.
“It’s almost like when you’re exercising, you
might get on the treadmill for ten minutes
or work your legs or whatever you want to
do, but you stretch, you get loose.  I like to
get loose on those first four or five songs
and pace myself, rather than let it all hang
out and be beat for the last 30 minutes of
the show, which has happened sometimes.”
Crawford’s words make perfect sense
coming from (and going to) any musician.
Such a steady progression is a musical goal
of any band. The commercial success is a
bonus, and The Avett Brothers enjoyed the
more rare combination of the two being
hand-in-hand. Of course, the terrifying
side of the coin is that with each new album
comes new expectations and all-too-often
crushing pressure from a large and still-
growing group of fans.
“What fans can expect from I And Love
And You, I would say, is that we expand
the range of sound and texture.  We play
more of the different instruments than I
think we have in the past,” said Crawford.
“The topics are getting broader and deeper. 
There are some songs on the new album
that are just incredible and then the
songs that we are just playing now and
learning that are even newer that I think
are even more incredible — so I think that
the progression just kind of continues.”
B
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 49
 Something New Again
Adam Lazzara gets a fresh perspective by Nicole Black

T
here’s more than one reason lead singer Adam Lazzara “Emo was a word that we used
of Taking Back Sunday feels new again. Not only does
TAKING BACK SUNDAY to make fun of our friends with.
he have a new album and a new band member, he’s also
a newly married man. It’s no wonder the band chose New Again as I wouldn’t consider myself emo at
the title for its latest release. WHO’S WHO all. It’s weird we got put in that
Adam Lazzara (vocals), Eddie Reyes (guitar), Mark
“Both in our personal lives and wour lives within the band, that’s
just how everything feels,” Lazzara said. “When we were writing O’Connell (drums), Matt Rubano (bass, vocals), category. Maybe it’s because of the
this record, there was this excitement that each one of us had, and Matthew Fazzi (guitar, vocals) bands we’ve toured with. I’ve just
it felt almost like a rekindling of a flame.” FORMED always considered us a rock band.”
Lazzara credits the rekindling to the band’s newest member, Matt 1999 in Long Island, N.Y.
Fazzi, who replaced lead guitarist and vocalist Fred Mascherino
last spring. “With the addition of Matt Fazzi, it really made it fun LABEL Adam Lazzara, Taking Back Sunday

photo: kurt iswarienko

again,” he said. “We [felt] like we were putting out our first record
(Tell All Your Friends) all over again.” 
On finding Fazzi, Lazzara explained, “We’ve known him since
2004. We met him on the Warped Tour when he was playing with
his band, Facing New York. We just stayed in contact with him.
He was actually the first person to come and audition, and he was
just the right guy. We went through a lot of other auditions, but it
always came back to Matt Fazzi.”  says he has finally found someone that can put up with him.
Members of TBS decided to take a year-long break after heavy
touring supporting their third album, Louder Now.
“After we did the tour for Louder Now, we just wanted to take a
break for a little while to kind of get reacquainted,” Lazzara said.
“We wanted to not feel like carnies for a hot minute.”
Getting everyone back together wasn’t a process, he explained,
“There wasn’t really a defining moment; it’s just what we do.”  put in that category. Maybe it’s because of the bands we’ve toured
New Again plays a little more with pop-rock than on previous
albums, as evinced in the song “Sink Into Me.” Yet the lyrics still
remain dark in true TBS fashion.
“I don’t necessarily think that the music’s happier,” Lazzara
said. “The music just feels a little happier with a little bit darker
subject matter. We went in and said, ‘OK, there’s nothing that
we’re not going to try,’ and that was really freeing. It was like we
Warner Bros.
LATEST RELEASE
New Again (2009)
ON THE WEB
www.takingbacksunday.com
were reminding ourselves that it’s up to us to dictate who and what
Taking Back Sunday is.”
Some people classify TBS as an emo band. When asked if he
considers himself ‘emo,’ Lazzara laughed.
“Emo was a word that we used to make fun of our friends with.
I wouldn’t consider myself emo at all,” he said. “It’s weird we got
with. I’ve just always considered us a rock band.”
Lazzara credits constant touring as the group’s reason for
success.
“Since we’ve started, we’ve toured nonstop,” he explained. “And
we kind of all dropped our last names for the name of the band.
Then again, I have a bunch of friends that did the same thing
(touring), and they’re still kind of struggling. We have a long way
to go. We’re just really blessed. Somebody’s looking out for us. We
always dreamed of doing this; we never thought it would happen,
though. Being that it has happened is just really awesome.”
After so many heartaches and devastating breakups, Lazzara
Married for just one year, you might wonder how Lazzara can
still write such agonizing love songs.
“The songs were written prior to getting hitched,” he admitted.
“Leading up to getting married, just as we all do, I put myself
through a lot of crap. You’d be pretty hard pressed to meet anybody
in their mid-20’s that doesn’t have some horror stories. There’s
one or two that are quite the hopeful love songs, like ‘Catholic
Knees.’” 
The most trying period lies ahead for the couple, as TBS begins
a venue-packed summer tour to promote New Again. “I try to
bring her out as much as I can,” Lazzara said. [Touring] is just
what we do, and she knows that. We both knew that going in to
this. You can make anything work as long as you put the right
heart behind it.” B

50 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

 I n three decades traversing the
music business, Wakeling has seen it all.
The 53-year-old Brit has been on stages
big and small, playing in front of tens of
thousands and sometimes just tens.
Much of the industry has changed in
those 30 years – once a realm inhabited
by the connected few, the personal
computer and Internet opened the gates
to everyone, whether you want to listen,
create or simply learn about music.
“The old model we had of the music
industry may be dead, but the music has
never been more alive,” Wakeling said
as he prepared to take The English Beat
out on a lengthy American tour. “It was
all so sown up and cut and dried when I
started, and certainly who you knew or
who you could meet could make a whole
big heap of difference. Monopolies were
guarded very tightly and to be invited into
the monopoly was much sought after.
It’s always been a mixture of sharks and
angels attracted to the music business,
and I think it’s all for the better now. The
whole thing has fallen to bits. It deserved
to.”
Amid those bits lie remnants of
an industry’s past – concept albums,
cassettes, large record companies, David
Lee Roth – while what arose remained
lean and compact. Small, tightly-run
record labels, CD collections stored in
electronic boxes the size of your hand,
the music itself reduced to one or two
downloadable megabytes.
Everything got smaller.
But not the live spectacle.
Concerts became the behemoth.
Amphitheaters of steel built in empty lots,
showcasing lights of all colors and sounds
to deafen the sky. Lead singers displayed
their faces and egos on television screens
200 times their size (or 100 times, in
Kanye West’s case).
The crowds grew, the venues grew, and
the tickets prices – oh my did they grow.
A show that was once $35 became $100
(thank you Eagles), then became $350
(thank you Paul McCartney).
And yet for the last decade, this growth
was steered by the power of two – Live
Nation (the world’s largest live music
company) and Ticketmaster (the world’s
largest live entertainment ticketing
company).
Now they want to be one.
One company controlling the tickets,
the venues, the promotion, the secondary
54 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
ticket market as well as many of the
world’s top musical acts.
H
Now that’s power.
ere’s where we’re at.
In February of this year Ticketmaster
and Live Nation announced they wanted
to merge and become Live Nation
Entertainment, a full service company
uniting the largest ticket distributor
with the largest concert promoter. The
two entities spent years fighting, as
Live Nation ended its contract with
Ticketmaster in 2007 – which gave it
sole control to sell tickets at Live Nation
events – and started a ticket service of its
own. Ticketmaster countered, buying
Front Line, one of the world’s largest
artist management companies, and
TicketsNow, a secondary ticket sales
subsidiary (read legal scalpers).
A few years ago, Live Nation started
signing several top artists (Madonna,
Jay-Z to name a few) to “360-deals,”
giving them multi-million dollar
payments upfront in exchange for future
percentages of their recording, touring
and merchandising sales.
The fight proved costly, as a weakened
economy saw the companies’ sales and
stock prices plummet.
What could save them? A gathering of
the giants.
“This combination will drive measurable
benefits to consumers and accelerate the
execution of our strategy to build a better
artist-to-fan direct distribution platform,”
Live Nation’s Michael Rapino said in a
statement after merger plans went public.
“This merger, and the resources of
these combined companies, will create
a new dynamic and unique creative
platform of choice for fans across all levels
of the live entertainment experience,”
Ticketmaster’s Chief Executive Irving
Azoff said.
Sounds good?
“Monopolies are inherently bad,” said
longtime rock critic Jim DeRogatis, who
has written for Spin, Rolling Stone and
now resides as pop critic for the Chicago
Sun-Times. “I miss the corner coffee
shops. I like Starbucks I drink Starbucks,
as a writer I drink coffee by the boatload.
But I would like to have a choice. Whether
the product is good or bad, it’s just not
a choice and that’s not good for the
consumer. The lack of competition is
never good for the consumer.”
In an analysis of the merger released
by the American Antitrust Institute in
April, James D. Hurwitz, who worked
with the Federal Trade Commission,
wrote: “Live Nation Entertainment would
be a vertically integrated enterprise with
dominance or substantial power on five
market levels. The new entity would
therefore be able to use its strengths
in some markets as leverage to gain
customers or compliance in others. This
vertical integration would effectively
frustrate new entry because, as a practical
matter, it would require firms seeking to
compete seriously against Live Nation
Entertainment to enter the industry on
several levels at once. The second factor
is that the merged entity would likely
enjoy market power not just as a seller but
also as a buyer. In essence, the company’s
market dominance would benefit it in
both ways.”
I’m not sure what it means either, but it
F
certainly doesn’t sound good.
ace it, the arena concert-
going experience is a pain in the ass.
If you’re lucky to get tickets to the
concert of your choice before a) it
sells out, b) Ticketmaster times out
your computer before you can make a
purchase or c) Ticketmaster sends all the
best seats to its secondary-selling site
where you can buy tickets for five times
the base price (a practice which reared
its crooked head with Bruce Springsteen
tickets earlier this year), you’re still left
paying a small mint for a few hours of
entertainment in what may be crappy
seats.
Of course, for the convenience of
buying tickets online and printing them
out yourself, Ticketmaster charges you
a fee.
“We’re kind of on the cheaper end
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 55
 of the tickets and I’m grateful of that,”
Wakeling said. “We do hear it sometimes,
where you might have a $20 ticket and
by the time you finished buying it you
might be paying $32 or $35 for the same
damn ticket.”
“What is convenient?” said Iain Bluett,
president of Atlanta’s Ticket Alternative,
a company fighting Ticketmaster for a
small piece of the ticket-selling pie. “The
convenience was allowing you to buy the
ticket online? They have no competition
and they built this huge infrastructure
and that fee just kept creeping up and
up. If they’re so worried about their fees,
why are they charging you $2.50 to print
out the ticket yourself? Your printer,
your paper, $2.50 to do that? Ohhh, they
have to pay for that technology. Well
you know what, I don’t know how much
technology costs but it’s not that hard to
print out your own ticket.”
So you paid for the tickets, the fees,
now it’s time to go to the show to have
some fun.
“You’re treated like a piece of shit,”
DeRogatis said. “With Live Nation I
resent being treated like cattle. Whether
it’s the added parking fee, which they do
per ticket – four people carpool out to a
show and each of them are paying $15
to park? $7.50 for a beer? $5 or $6 for a
hot dog? And then in between they have
the audacity to advertise to me? I paid
$50, $60, $100, $250 for a ticket, I just
paid $60 for the whole car to park in the
middle of nowhere in a dirt field. You’re
lined up, they search your bag and God
forbid you brought in a bottle of water –
throw that away because they’re going to
sell you one for $5. The experience is an
inferior one.”
This will change with the merger,
right?
Trent Reznor, the mastermind behind
Nine Inch Nails, is quite vocal about
the merger, especially in what happens
to ticket prices if it were to go through.
On the NIN Web site, Reznor wrote a
scathing review of the events, with a
harbinger of things to come.
“My guess as to what will eventually
happen if/when Live Nation and
TicketMaster merges is that they’ll move
to an auction or market-based pricing
scheme – which will simply mean it will
cost a lot more to get a good seat for
a hot show,” Reznor writes. “They will
simply BECOME the scalper, eliminating
them from the mix.”
“We’re moving to this world where
you have to be filthy fucking rich to see
a concert and if you’re not you’re out
of luck,” DeRogatis said. Auctioning off
tickets “is absolutely what they’re going
56 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
to do.”
“You’ll start to see dynamic pricing,”
Bluett said. “You’d have thresholds. You
would sell the first couple of thousand
tickets at $100 and then once they sell
out you put the tickets up to $120, very
much like the airline industry. It gets
more complicated because the artists are
looking to get more money out of it as
well.”
Surely the artists will put a stop to this
B
ticket-selling plan.
ono didn’t know.
When asked by DeRogatis about the
of Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger,
the bespectacled honorary knight, who
seemingly knows something about
everything, was clueless to the news.  and particularly in this social clime when
“A charlatan and a fraud,” DeRogatis
said of Bono. “If you just made $50
million from somebody, you would
know.”
In fact in 2008, Live Nation signed
U2 to a 12-year touring deal worth
$100 million. And therein lies the next
dynamic piece of this improbable puzzle
– what are the artists to do?
There are vocal barbs on both sides of
the issue. Many top artists signed deals
with either Ticketmaster or Live Nation,
and their silence is deafening.
“I think there is a certain amount of
artists spitting in the face of the fans,”
DeRogatis said. “When Paul McCartney
was 15 or 16 he was able to see Little
Richard in Liverpool for the equivalent
of a dollar or two and it changed his
life. Now some kid who’s sitting in a
basement learning to play those Beatles
songs, unless he has access to his dad’s
gold Amex card at $350 a ticket, can’t
see that experience. Paul McCartney has
the right to charge whatever he wants,
but don’t you tell me you’re an artist
anymore. You’re not. This is now some
capitalistic cash-in enterprise. How
much money does everybody need for 90
minutes of work?”
Springsteen fans bellowed after
Ticketmaster sent tickets to his show to
its secondary selling site, TicketsNow.
The Boss himself got involved, scolding
the company for its practices and
demanding they stop: “The one thing
that would make the current ticket
situation even worse for the fan than it
is now would be Ticketmaster and Live
Nation coming up with a single system,
thereby returning us to a near monopoly
situation in music ticketing . . . the abuse
of our fans and our trust by Ticketmaster
has made us as furious as it has made
many of you,” Springsteen wrote on the
band’s official Web site. Ticketmaster
relented and apologized.
But then there’s Billy Corgan,
Smashing Pumpkins’ front man, who
wrote to a U.S. Senate Committee earlier
this year that “the combination of these
companies creates powerful tools for
an independent artist to reach their
fans in new and unprecedented ways,
all the while restoring the power where
it belongs.” Corgan, as it turns out, is
managed by Azoff.
“It’s starting to look a little less
appropriate for $150 or $1,000 stadium
seats tickets to go on and watch a
band that’s in front of the television
screen with the singer dancing and
miming their latest,” Wakeling said. “It’s
becoming to appear a bit pretentious
people are losing their jobs, their houses,
losing any sense of hope for the future.
It’s as though the artists have in some
ways separated from the people they’re
meant to reflect on and service.”
“I know Ticketmaster makes a lot of
money,” Tim Mahoney, lead guitarist of
311 said. “To charge for a ticket now,
most people buy it online, but the cost
for that service charge just seems like a
ton of money. I know our band; we don’t
get any of that. It’s not like the bands or
artists are getting any sort of cut of it
… it interests me where all that money
goes.”
In the end, the artist will set the price
at what the people will pay.
And they’re paying.
“If I was in a band like Coldplay and
U2 and I heard that people weren’t
going because of the price, I would do
everything in my power to change it,”
Bluett said. “Unfortunately there are
80,000 other people at the Georgia Dome
who don’t care and suck it up and say
‘Well that what it is, screw you,’ click and
W
they bought the tickets. We all do it.”
hat, if anything, is
being done? As the economy continues
to falter while tickets continue to rise...is
anyone paying attention?
Some of the country’s larger festivals
remain a great bargain, and all are
allowing people to pay on layaway.
April’s Coachella festival (The Cure, Paul
McCartney, Morrissey) checked in at
$269 (or less than a single top-tier seat
for one McCartney show) to see more
than 100 bands during the three-day
event. June’s Bonnaroo (Springsteen,
Nine Inch Nails, Beastie Boys) charged
$250 for the three-day festival, while
August’s Lollapalooza (Depeche Mode,
The Killers, Jane’s Addiction) runs $190.
And Bluett, for one, is trying to tackle
the dreaded convenience charge. Ticket
Alternative, handling between 150 and
400 venues nationwide in usually smaller
venues (such as The EARL and Smith’s
Olde Bar in Atlanta), charges less than
half of what Ticketmaster does. “We only
make money if we sell tickets,” Bluett
said, “so we work really hard for our
venues to help them sell tickets.”
Of course the merger can only help
him, since the overwhelming presence of
one company could spur venues to look
for alternatives.
“It’s actually a great thing for us if it
goes through because a lot of the smaller
venues are looking now to jump ship,
like this is the final straw,” he said. “It’s
a bit of a win-win, lose-lose for us. On
one hand, I don’t want it to go through
because consumers have a hard enough
time getting good deals on buying tickets
and the exorbitant fees those companies
charge are outrageous. On the other
hand, if it does go through it could mean
great things for us because it’s going to
push more promoters to look for other
alternatives, which is where we step in.”
But the billion-dollar question
remains: Will the merger go through?
Bluett sees it happening, though with
some concessions.
“Ticketmaster is going to be forced
to sell TicketsNow, and if they do that
I don’t think there’s any reason why it
wouldn’t go through,” he said. “Those are
a complete conflict of interest, how on
earth anyone ever let that go through
blows my mind. But if Ticketmaster does
that, then they’ll likely merge with Live
Nation”
Members of the U.S. Congress and
the Justice Department are looking into
the merger, and some have vowed it will
not go through. Of course, the winning
of mergers such as this depends on
how deft the companies are at playing
political poker – and Live Nation has a
face card in the hole.
“I think it’s a 50-50 shot, I think
this is a really bad time to be selling
the American public this argument of
bigger is better,” DeRogatis said. “On the
other hand, the Live Nation board has
a really interesting fellow on it named
Ari Emanuel who happens to be Rahm
Emanuel’s brother.”
Who is Rahm Emanuel? He’s President
Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff.
L
Live Nation with a straight to the king.
et’s stop where we started.
For fans of the underground, none
of this matters much. Clubs and bars
were never tied to Ticketmaster and
Live Nation, and likely never will be.
The underground, after all, is the
future before anyone is aware of it, and
monopolies are never too good at seeing
much past their balance sheets.
But the window of opportunity to see
bands before they ascend to a new level
could be closing faster by the day. With
controlling interest in all music matters,
the merged companies could seek
360 deals with smaller, lesser-known
bands to join their cadre of superstars.
Suddenly the up-and-coming band you
wanted to see before it was big has
reached the land of $50 tickets and $9
beers.
The power of live music has never been
more important, or valuable, as it is now.
There’s a belief that if the merger goes
through, live music’s best of the best
(and maybe even its middle of the pack)
will be reserved only for the affluent and
connected.
And those anchored amphitheaters,
much like the high tension wires they
sit aside, will be forever seen but never
touched.
“The thing that is old as mankind itself
is the traveling troubadour who goes
from village to village with his mandolin,
puts out his hat and if he’s any good he
winds up with a couple loaves of bread
and pennies,” DeRogatis said. “If he’s
not, he better become a blacksmith.
“People talk about cybersex, but it’s
still just jerking off. It’s not as good as
the real thing. The one experience that
can not be duplicated in this digital age
is sitting in a room with a musician you
admire and he or she is playing this
incredible music. That remains incredibly
valuable – that may be the only part of
the music industry that is still viable.
And to have that in the control of one
company is outrageous.”
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 57
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ll of spli at results is a te to the national
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c s it in throug way to become air gu se and keeping on your
h dedication itar Hall of
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g the on par with , like Björn Fame materi air guitar
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drunkenn d
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involved. of all of the thri whole
p
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book To A “It rea t least for r ppelganger o eer
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If nothin Is Human: One Man and his further exdy was chronicle f o r m s , , t h e d
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when the w l d . i t e
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competitor
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t ca n’t hold p ro mote world But
i n g a world on. In 2009, t Angeles, Da ’s a ridiculo ir mullets a
s join on the end of every a gun if you’re h peace plott l competit i r k , L o s r i s t . I t o n t h e
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stage for
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it m h so r
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never ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 61
 , fell l, t
tairwell e my fal g a wris
p e cl im bing a s he ground brok ow I was wearin
o k e a r o s a y s . “T th e s h et, but
“I Br r,” he ay of the plan
the floo til the d n stage.” balls on ore and pushing
right to nice, but up un l before I got o l l g o o f
s
which wa my wrist could h
ea ck ‘n’ ro ing back for m it is
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brace so o f th e most ded ir guitarists co ing because in m essary skill,
are some keeps a o appeal t the nec ets
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th e co m mon misco r mother,” says g u it a rists, th it ec t w ho is th
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worl d ch a n o s h a inly of a
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the a air guit ous. Those that f shame.”
roll.” the best ci o
to a n yone but shy or self-cons e and total lack
u l y o p en o r th e m p l et
rsuit tr ’s not f ion, “a co fake
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k it ta k es most o rock ‘n’ roll sta surrender
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edicatio be an air itars an e them a
absurd d s Björn. “But to e don’t allow gu m en t will giv rn and Hot
a te r . W tr u jö
elabor
nity at th
e doo f the ins cluding both B bands and
your dig wledge o in various te to air genius
.
th in k that kno ny contestants, r m s , in
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uitarists
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Your Vision. Amplified.

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CAREER TRAINING FOR THE AUDIO AND FILM INDUSTRIES
this deca c performances. ght of its exces he Scorpions, ev
till
www.sae.edu
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rock ‘n’ r
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 music
gear guide ians Sabian Mackie
AAX & u.420d
corn HHX Mixer

SWR golight™ 4x10
4 ohm Bass Amp
These high-quality, light-
weight enclosures are the re-
sult of a painstaking process
in which every component
of SWR’s Goliath Series
was evaluated and, when-
ever possible, a new light-
weight high-performance
component was selected for
use in the golight enclosures.
This model features a 4x10
enclosure, 800 watts handling, custom SWR neodymium speakers,
horn tweeter with attenuator, Speakon® and 1/4” speaker jacks, re-
movable casters, side handles, vibration-free shock-mounted grill,
front slot port. 56 lbs. (25.4 kg) impedance: 4 ohms.
MOOG MP-201
The MP-201 Multi-Pedal is the perfect
Control Hub for live performers,
studios, DJ’s and more. It’s built
like a tank and with CV, MIDI
and USB connectivity, it can
control anything from a lap-
top running the latest software
to a monster analog modular synth.
Stay in control while your hands are busy
playing, spinning or mixing!
Boss FRV-1 Fender ‘63 Reverb Pedal
BOSS and Fender® USA have collaborated
to create the FRV-1, a stunning recreation
of the legendary ’63 Fender® Reverb.
The FRV-1 puts that timeless tube-
driven reverb sound under your
foot in a tough, reliable com-
pact pedal. The original ‘63
Fender® Spring Reverb is
the sound that launched
the surf-music phenome-
non, and is a staple of rocka-
billy, country, and blues. Lat-
er, it became commonplace
in grunge and other modern
genres. Now the same legend-
ary sound can be had in an affordable,
rugged compact pedal.
er
Aguilar DB 751
Bass Head
The DB 751 Bass Head
features a combination of raw
power and rich tone that con-
tinues the legacy of the DB
750. The DB 751 is a ground-
breaking hybrid with a discrete Mosfet output section
and a 3-tube preamp. While maintaining the legendary sound of the
DB 750, the DB 751 features improvements in the EQ section and
a better control layout, which gives you the headroom to bring your
tone to life no matter what kind of music you are playing.
Commemorating
its 40th Anniversary
B.C. Rich as America’s premier
Anniversary builder of unique-
ly shaped, lifestyle-driven
Guitar: The electric guitars, B.C. Rich®
Eagle proudly announces a new se-
ries of handcrafted instruments
to mark the milestone. The spe-
cial guitars are a tribute to mod-
els originally developed by com-
pany founder Bernardo (“Bernie”)
Rico and are limited to a production
run of 40 guitars per model.
The four Anniversary Guitars rep-
resent the first original designs offered
by B.C. Rich: the Seagull, Eagle, Mock-
ingbird and Bich. Each will receive a 40th
Anniversary commemorative logo on
the back of the headstock, a spe-
cial serial number and certificate of
authenticity.
All Anniversary instruments uti-
lize Neck-through-Body Koa wood
construction, a feature rarely seen be-
fore B.C. Rich came on the scene back in
‘69. This method maximizes sustain and
helps maintain the long-term structur-
al stability of the instrument. Bodies are
crafted of solid Koa with Maple accent
stripes (“stringers”) on two models and
utilize DiMarzio® Dual Sound pickups.
Additional design details include the clas-
sic B.C. Rich Diamond fingerboard inlays (Snow-
flake design on the Seagull), Grover® Super Rotomatic™
tuners and vintage Cal Rad knobs.
cymbals
In addition to vintage bright sound-
ing AA and vintage dark HH versions,
SABIAN has introduced modern bright
AAX and modern dark HHX designs of its
popular Raw Bell Dry Ride cymbal. Renowned
for award-winning innovations, SABIAN cymbals are played
by such greats as Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili
Peppers.
Spector “Shorty”
Spector Basses is now offering for
the first time a short scale USA bolt
on neck bass. Known familiarly as
“Shorty” the bass utilizes a 30 3/8”
scale length 22 fret neck. The orig-
inal versions of this bass were built
for Garry Tallent who has been us-
ing them for years on tour with
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street
Band. The neck features a pau fer-
ro fretboard on a 3 ply graphite re-
inforced hard maple neck. The
body is the original Spector
ergonomically carved shape
with a light weight mahog-
any core. It is available with
a wide range of figured ma-
ple and exotic wood tops and
stain colors. All hardware is
black plated and the elec-
tronics consist of EMG
pickups and an Aguilar
OBP-3 active tone circuit.
Swart
Hohner Blues Amplifiers
Bender
Hohner, Inc. announc-
es the addition of the Blues
Bender P.A.C. to its line of
professional harmonicas.
Designed primarily to make
playing and note bending
easy for entry level players,
the Blues Bender P.A.C. al-
lows everybody access to
the bluesy notes needed to
make any riff complete.
The Mackie u.420d
4-channel mixer with
24bit/96kHz FireWire in-
cludes two Mackie mic channels
featuring 3-band EQ with mid-sweep,
a built-in DI box and 30mm faders. Two high headroom stereo
line inputs channels feature Mackie Designed RIAA phono pre-
amps, 3-band “full kill” EQ, a 30mm crossfader and a full head-
phone cue system.
Krank
“Krankenstein Jr.”
Mini Stack
Krank Amps is known for making se-
riously kick ass guitar amps and was the
last stop in tone for the late Dimebag
Darrell of Pantera fame. Their collabora-
tion resulted in the uber popular Kran-
kenstein amp that has since weaved the
sonic tapestries of such rock luminaries
as Metallica, The Offspring, and  even
the hilarious Metalocalypse Cartoon
Network show. And now Krank is intro-
ducing the mini versions of Dime’s tone
in the Krankenstein Jr., available in both
20W and 50W and featuring 1x12 cabs
to complete the cool rock amp “stack”
look.  And the mini version of it’s big
brother certainly doesn’t skimp on the
tone, reproducing Dime’s wsignature
sound at more home-friendly volumes
or being able to easily power club gigs.
In a short time, Swart Amplifier Co. has garnered some of the most
stellar raves in the industry from the ones who matter most: musi-
cians. Featuring USA built, 100% hand-wired, all-tube circuits, with
components selected to maximize harmonic richness and superior
sonics, the Swart brigade will satisfy any connoisseur of Great Tone.
Choose from 5w of pure Class A, Single-Ended 6V6 combo portabil-
ity to the 30w SST-30 altar to Tonal Glory.

64 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 65


What’s your
musicscope
Astrology for
CAPRICORN
(12/22-01/19)
It’s not that you’re a bad musi-
cian, dear Capricorn; you’re just
playing the wrong instrument.  Try
alternating to a completely different
musical interest.
PISCES
(02/19-03/20)
Someone in your band is bad mouth-
ing you to every ear that will listen.  be a problem.  Pace yourself or you
When you confront the member,
they will deny everything.  Be cau-
tious about keeping this person
around.
TAURUS
(04/20-05/20)
Your band is gaining momentum.  Your significant other is significantly
Continue playing as many shows
as you can even if there’s no pay
involved.  Hard work does and will
pay off.
CANCER
(06/22-07/22)
Singing is not your forte and no one
else has the heart to tell you.  You
might want to consider taking vocal
lessons for a few months before
trying to start your own band.
VIRGO
(08/23-09/22)
You’re not the only one feeling like
the drummer has to go.  Find a
tactful way to let this person know
it’s not working out, then take your
time recruiting a new drummer.
SCORPIO
(10/24-11/21)
Don’t let your temper get the best
of you.  A club promoter angers
you at a gig this month and how
you handle yourself could dictate
whether you play any club in town
again.
66 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
?
Musicians
AQUARIUS
(01/20-02/18)
A band member quits, forms another
band and takes with him/her songs
you have written.  It’s up to you to
fight for the songs back or create
new ones inspired by the fiasco.  drive from athens 456 miles
ARIES
(03/21-04/19)
Drinking before shows is starting to
may make a total ass of yourself
when you fall off stage in the middle
of a performance.
GEMINI
(05/21-06/21)
jealous of the attention you have
been receiving from the opposite sex
after shows.  Time to think about
how to break up with him/her…
LEO
(07/23-08/22)
You are invited to open for another
band this month but without any
compensation.  Take the opportunity
to expose your music to new fans.  venue profile
LIBRA
(09/23-10/23)
A powerful performance at a recent
show has generated a local buzz.  3. “The Climb”
Instead of rushing to play the next
available gig, wait a few weeks to let
the buzz about your band magnify.  gritty bar (which also serves
SAGITTARIUS
(11/22-12/21)
Drink water in between all the sum-
mer boozing you’ve been doing before
shows.  Otherwise, you may collapse
during an outdoor performance from
dehydration.
A&E MOVIE PREVIEWS
Regional report
ARTS &ENTERTAINMENT
Memphis, TN . ...By Amanda Dent
upcoming on the screen
established 1819
population 1,280,533 making sure it’s worth your $9.50
notable bands Big Star, Lucero, The Grifters, Amy
G-Force
Lavere, Al Green, Elvis, Cory Branan, Isaac Hayes,
Big Ass Truck, Three 6 Mafia, North Mississippi Allstars,
Justin Timberlake, Booker T and the MGs.
usEless triviA There’s 7.5 miles of trolley track in (July 24) (Hoyt Yeatman) In this 3-D animated comedy adventure, animals are trained by
downtown and midtown Memphis. the government as spies and are given the latest equipment to assist them in their mis-
sions.  The ‘G-Force’ consists of guinea pigs by the voices of Sam Rockwell, Tracy Morgan,
Penelope Cruz, a literal fly-on-the-wall and a mole by the voice of Nicolas Cage.
Something Extra $5 Cover, a web and television  
series featuring real Memphis musicians and fictional- Prediction: The talking animated animals are overdone but the plot is new.  The kids will
ized stories, aired on mtv.com and MTV during the love this creative 3-D film making pets and insects the deciders of the world’s fate.
month of May. The series was the brainchild of “Hustle
& Flow” writer and director Craig Brewer.
Orphan
your new favorite band
the buzz in memphis : star and micey
This indie folk/pop outfit picked up steam in the past year after (July 24) (Jaume Collet-Serra) A sweet little girl named Esther is adopted by
founder/vocalist/guitar player Josh Cosby met Ardent Studios en- a troubled couple, John and Kate, played by Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga. 
gineer and musician Nick Redmond. Redmond joined the band as
After Kate’s miscarriage and the couple’s terrible luck with their marriage,
lead guitar player, and soon Star and Micey were recording at world- they adopt in order to be somewhat normal.  The innocent sweet attitude
renowned Ardent Studios, becoming the second band on the newly of the little girl quickly vanishes leaving Kate concerned and eager to alert
reactivated Ardent Music label (which launched power-pop pioneers her friends and family before something terrible occurs.
Big Star).  
With Geoff Smith on bass, Doug Walker on organ and keys, and a Prediction:  Oddly resembling the plot of The Omen, this film promises some
revolving cast of local drummers, Star and Micey wrapped up their nightmarish scenes that will make your stomach drop.
first studio album (to be released later this fall). Included in the al-
Funny People
bum are special guest appearances by some of Memphis’ most rec-
ognizable names — Big Star drummer Jody Stephens, North Mis-
sissippi Allstars axman Luther Dickinson, and Dave Cousar, guitar
virtuoso and one of Memphis’ best kept secrets.
Star and Micey continues to be a fixture of the live music scene in (July 31) (JUDD APATOW) George (Adam Sandler) is a successful comedian who
has less than a year to live. He meets Ira (Seth Rogen) after a stand-up set and
Memphis, with future gigs planned regionally.
hires him as his semi-personal assistant and friend. The two form a friendship
on the charts where George teaches Ira how to be a better comedian and Ira helps George
the hi tone top 10 songs played come to grips with death. However, when George finds out that his disease has
The Hi Tone has long been a sta-
on wmfs 92.9 FM gone into remission, he decides to start living the life he has always wanted and
tries to win back the love of his life (Leslie Mann). 
ple of the local live music scene, 1.“Gives You Hell”
featuring acts from all over the All-American Rejects       Prediction: A strange mix of comedy and the very serious subject of death, this
globe and from Memphis’ own 2. “Second Chance” movie will be a tough one to pull off. However, if anyone can tackle it, director
backyard. Located on Poplar Shinedown Judd Apatow is the one to try. Proving nothing’s sacred, he’s already done it with
Avenue — Memphis’ central both virginity and pregnancy (The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up). And if
Miley Cyrus
thoroughfare — in the heart nothing else, the new team of Adam Sandler and Seth Rogan will be interesting
of Midtown, this intimate and 4. “If Today WasYour Last Day” (and hopefully hilarious) to watch. 
Nickelback
5. “Boom Boom Pow”
Aliens in the Attic
superb New York-style pizza)
is the perfect representation Black Eyed Peas               
of the city of Memphis and the 6. “I’m Your’s”
Jason Mraz   
music it has created. With an
7. “You Found Me” (July 31) (John Schultz) In this comedy adventure, a family takes a vacation and the kids discover alien invaders
estimated 400-person capacity,
The Fray         with ambitions to destroy the world.  The kids must eventually battle the aliens without their parents ever find-
the Hi Tone has packed them in
8. “Poker Face” Lady GaGa                 ing out about the petite invaders.
for acts such as MGMT, Band of
9. “No Surprise” Daughtry  
Horses, Brian Jonestown Mas-
10. “Please Don’t Leave Me” Prediction:  Co-scripted by one of the writers of Madagascar, this film has high-hopes for success.  Teen phenom-
sacre and a broad slate of local
Pink  enon Ashley Tisdale is sure to bring a large audience after the box-office hit of “High School Musical I and II.“
acts and charity concerts.
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 67

A&E MOVIE PREVIEWS
Julie and Julia
(August 7) (NICK EPHRON) Based on two true stories, Julie and Julia is about two women, Julia Child (Meryl
Streep) and Julie Powell (Amy Adams), whose lives become intertwined despite being separated by time and
space. Julie Powell is a temp who decides to change her life for the better by creating a blog to document her
quest to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Going back and forth be-
tween time periods, the movie also shows Child’s struggle in making the cookbook and realizing her dream.  kid livin’ in a grown man’s body.
Prediction: If Meryl Streep and Amy Adams were not in this movie, I’d probably write it off as an overindulgent
chick-flick. The switching between time periods may be somewhat off-putting, but with these two actresses side
by side, the movie can’t be all bad.
Cold Souls District 9
(August 7) (SOPHIE BARTHES) In this interesting tragicomedy, Paul Gia- (August 9) (NEILL BLOMKAMP)  Peter Jackson takes the reigns as produc-
matti (who plays himself) is a man struggling with anxiety while play- er in this sci-fi flick about alien refugees living in slums on earth who have
ing the lead role in Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. He discovers a high-tech overstayed their welcome.  While the government tries to sort out what
company offering to deep-freeze souls and, in effect, take away suffer- to do with the extraterrestrials, the MNU (Multi-National Unit) try to cap-
ing. Giamatti decides to freeze his soul until after his performance in ture an ex-MNU field officer, Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), who
the play, but complications arise when a soul-trafficking “mule” steals has become infected with a virus that is mutating his DNA and just may
his soul for a soap-opera actress. The film chronicles Giamatti’s quest be the key to unlocking the alien’s advanced technology and weapons.  bein’ me. Then I started gettin’ some one-liners together. My name was kinda
to find his soul again while discovering what happiness and being able
to experience emotion really mean along the way. Prediction:  Sci-fi fans will flock to the theaters and the fresh take
on the tired aliens-coming-to-earth scenario may strike interest
Prediction: A combination of dry humor, pathos and the question we in action film junkies.  Plus, a new extraterrestrial movie might be
have all wondered at some point or another, would we actually be bet- just the breath of fresh air cinemas need from this summer of ro-
ter off without the burden of our souls?, this film is sure to be worth bots (Terminator Salvation, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen).
checking out.
The Boat that rocked
(August 28) (RICHARD CURTIS) Set in the 1960s, The Boat that Rocked
tells the story of ”The Count” (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Quentin (Bill
Neighy) who are in charge of an illegal radio station that broadcasts from
the middle of the North Sea.  Along with a group of rogue DJs, the crew
fights for their right to play the music that defined their generation and
stray from the quintessential jazz music that reigned supreme in Britain.
Prediction:  For movie buffs, the name Philip Seymour Hoffman carries a
lot of clout and if writer/director Richard Curtis goes along the same lines
as his previous Brit comedy, “Love Actually”, then audiences should be in
for a fun and hilarious romp into the British pop movement.
Carriers
(September 4)  (ALEX & DAVID PASTOR) Chris Pine
(Star Trek) and Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly) star as
survivors of a deadly viral pandemic that begins
in Western America.  Along with two other survi-
vors, the group flee from the virus only to find out
that they may be more of a threat to one another.  heavy price to pay for being that. I learned how to appreciate and protect my craft and protect my
Prediction:  Though the premise sounds like every oth-
er zombie/infection movie ever made, audiences seem
to never get enough of the genre.  Not to mention, Chris
Pine’s new found fame with the popularity of Star Trek. 
If a PG-13 rating is announced, Carriers should be a
sure fire hit. 
68 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
17 Again
  The Hangover’s Mike Epps is just a big
By DeMarco Williams
If you’ve seen Mike Epps on film, you know the dude is an absolute nut. If you’ve ever hung with
Mike Epps in person, you know it’s the farthest thing from a front. The guy smiles incessantly. The
guy tells stories like a grandpa. The guy cracks jokes like a cool uncle. Epps, one of the funniest
people of this generation, simply loves life and all that it entails.
“I stayed suspended,” Epps begins, presumably on his way through another hilarious chapter
in his life. “I always had a school prank. Out of 94 days, I might have went to school 50 of
them, straight up. I always had straight F’s.” Thankfully for Mike, the reception he got
after a stand-up performance would be the true final exam.
“When I knew I was on to something,” the Indianapolis native recollects, “people
would just tell me I was funny. I was actually going around practicing [my routine]
on people in just everyday life. I would say to myself, ‘Damn, this shit be workin'.
I was seein’ if I could do it on cue. I was makin’ people laugh all the time, just
poppin’ around the city in the after-hour clubs and the bars. I noticed how
people would act when I came around. Everybody would be like, ‘Get’me,
Mike. Talk about him!’ I was onto something. I ran with it.”
From there, gigs started to roll in. Then TV spots. Then movies.
Then stand-up DVDs. But Epps maintains, “I never did it for money.
Still don’t 'til this day. My wife cusses me out everyday. [She asks]
‘What you gonna do when you can’t do it no more?’ I said, ‘Shiiit.
When is that? When I’m dead? I can do this forever.’ I love to do it.
I’mma be 70-years-old, talkin’ crazy. Been married five times. Funny
is funny till you die.”
He ain’t lyin’. Just as sure as you’re holding this magazine right now,
somebody across this great land is bustin’ a gut, watching Epps’ old Def
Comedy Jams footage or a scene from one of his crazy pictures like Next
Friday, All About The Benjamins or last May’s Next Day Air. Hell, Mike wasn’t
even in the surprise summer hit The Hangover long, but his time in front of
the camera was memorable. It’s almost as if Epps, like Jimmy Fallon or Amy
Poehler, makes you laugh the moment he opens his mouth.
Almost. For when Mike Epps is 38, married and a proud papa these days- starts
to explain how his approach to comedy has changed over the years, he’s all business.
“I know exactly what I want out of it now,” says the comedian, who still books stand-up
dates when he can. “At first, it was like, ‘What do I want?’ Now I want to make my fans
happy and I want to walk away successful. I want people to be able to say, ‘I liked the way
he set that up. I liked how he broke it down.’ Details are important to me now. I’m more into
what I’m doing as opposed to just going out there freestylin.’ I like to know what I’m doing and how
to attack.”
With that sort of focus, fans would have enjoyed watching Mike portray his idol, Richard Pryor, on
the big screen. For years a deal was reportedly close to becoming official. Now Epps insists quarrels
amongst the Pryor estate may permanently hold up the project.
“Richard Pryor taught me how to protect my craft and to appreciate it,” tells Epps, who will costar
with Ice Cube in the long-delayed comedy Janky Promoters later this year. “That’s one of the downfalls
that he had of being a great artist, you know what I’m sayin’? He was a complete genius. There’s a
blessing and not take it for granted and not let it destroy me. That’s the everyday fight when you
have genius qualities or God blesses you with a gift. The fight is just to keep your sanity.»
“I make people laugh all the time. I just be wantin’ to laugh sometimes. I want somebody to bust
me up. It’s a heavy price to pay. You give up so much for the position. I just try to be as normal as
possible. I try to do normal things. I don’t have too many people or servants just doing stuff for me.
Fuck all of that. If I can’t ride down the street by myself, I don’t want it. When it start gettin’ like
that, I quit ‘cuz I ain’t gonna be able to enjoy nuthin’.” B
Epps from the
“Honeymooners,”
courtesy Paramount Pictures.
upcoming dvD releases
27
Release dates are subject to change. Check
artists or store websites as these dates ap-
july proach.

11
The 10th Victim
Comrades
Devil in the Flesh
Becoming Charley Chase aug
Torso
17 Again
Alien Trespass
I Love You, Man
London to Brighton
Almost Heaven

28
july
Battlestar Galactica
Dollhouse [Season 1]
Green Lantern: First Flight
An American Affair
Dragonball Evolution
Dark Rising
Minstral’s Daughter
Soundstage: Chris Isaak’s
Greatest Hits
Starman
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
[25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition]

18
Fast and Furious
Miss March
Ancient Aliens
Angel of Death aug
Life on Mars: Series 1 Sons of Anarchy (Season 1)
The Mafia Hannah Montana: The Movie
Streets of Blood Go
Repulsion Gossip Girl:
Complete Second Season
The Last House on the Left
Dexter: The Complete 3rd Season

aug 4
Alien Uprising
Delgo
aug 25
Mutant Chronicles
Adventureland
Labor Pains
Sunshine Cleaning
Race to Witch Mountain
Samantha Who?: The Complete
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
2nd season
Obsessed
House MD: Season 5
Flight of the Conchords: The
Complete Second Season
The Soloist

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 71

 FOOD
NEW STORE
COOL TREATS

meals for your broke ass

TO BEAT THE SUMMER HEAT By Jacquie Brasher
NOW OPEN! Nothing soothes the summer sweats quite as refreshingly as ice-cold treats, am
I right? Instead of spending your hard-earned cash buying ice-cream from the
grocery store, try making these easy-to-prepare desserts. Not only will you have
an abundance of coolness at your disposal, your friends will be begging for
more!

Granita is a fancy Italian word for

slushy, flavored shaved ice. It’s very
easy to make, but you need to check
on it every hour or so while it is
setting in the freezer. Hey, it’s worth
it!
come check out our expanded
retail & distribution facility
195 Paradise Blvd. * Athens, Ga. * 30607
Blueberry Mint Granita
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup superfine granulated sugar
3/4 pounds blueberries (2 1/2 cups), thawed
if frozen
3/4 cup water
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Directions:
Finely grind the mint with sugar in a food pro-
cessor or blender. Add blueberries and purée until
smooth. Force purée through a fine sieve into an 8-
to 9-inch baking pan, pressing hard on solids (dis-
card solids). Stir in water and lime juice.
Freeze, stirring and crushing lumps with a fork
every hour, until evenly frozen, about 4 hours total.
Scrape with a fork to lighten texture, crushing any
lumps. (Scrape less for slushier ice.) Serve immedi-
ately. (You can freeze this for a bout 3-4 days, cov-
ered. Scrape the ice to freshen it up.)

     My friend Teresa runs her own catering business and

makes absolutely wonderful desserts. She has graciously
loaned me this recipe as something that’s quick, easy,
inexpensive and delicious!
Throw-It-Together Trifle
This next dessert is something my mother came up with when
I was a child. I have always loved it. And it involves Jell-O!
What’s not to like?

Punch Cup Parfaits 1 4-serving size pkg. Jell-O, your favorite flavor
1 8 oz. can fruit cocktail
3 lemons 2 thick slices of moist pound cake, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 can sweetened condensed
milk
½ pint whipping cream Directions:
Prepare the Jell-O as directed. Meanwhile, in a medium glass casse-
role dish, combine the fruit cocktail and pound cake cubes. Stir very
gently, making sure the cake doesn’t get broken into crumbs. Pour
Directions: the Jell-O into the bowl. Stir gently to incorporate all ingredients.
Juice all three lemons to yield 1/3 to 1/2 cup juice. Mix juice Refrigerate until the mixture is set. Serve with dollops of whipped
with sweetened condensed milk. Pour very cold whipping cream cream--or if you’re really decadent--lashings of heavy cream!
into mixing bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Add powdered
sugar and mix until medium peaks form.
Alternately layer whipped cream and lemon mixture in punch
or parfait cups. Refrigerate two hours. If you have a slightly larg-
er budget, this pairs beautifully with berries, pound cake, gra-
ham cracker crumbs or broken bits of cookies. Just add the lay-
er of your choice.

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 73

BLUR EVENT CALENDAR

go ahead : make my date

Clay Leverett The Pride Kalvinova,
Farm 255, 11 p.m. Half Moon Pub, 11 p.m., Daffodil, Cemetery
August 1 FREE! Improvement,
Society, Meteoreyes

upcoming events in athens and atlanta Harvey Milk, Torche

July 24 July 25 “Slopfest” featuring
Christopher’s Liver,
Daffodil, Dead Dog,
The Starter Kits, The Gift Horse, All The
Jungol, Lazer/Wulf,
Thirties, Guided By Saints, The Balkans
Tendaberry, Laminated
Stewart, Minor Birds Caledonia Lounge Cat
Caledonia Lounge, 10 p.m., 10 pm., $6 (21+), $8 (18-20) Little Kings, 6 p.m., $2
$5 (21+), $7 (18-20)
Heavy Feather, Shanghai
Michelle Malone Band, Gesture
July 27
Heidi Hensley Melting Point, 9 p.m., $5/adv.
Grogus
The Melting Point Ashford Manor Concerts
Mad Whiskey Grin
8 p.m., $10/adv. on the Lawn, 6 p.m., $15
Athens Farmers Market, 10
(adults), $6 (children 12
Bob Linvingston a.m., FREE!
& under), FREE! (children
The Globe, 9 p.m. FREE! under 6)
Quiet Hooves, Sea of
Dogs, DJ Recreation
Man, Valley Arena, The Pride
Department
Creepy Half Moon Pub, 11 p.m.,
Farm 255, 11 p.m.
Farm 255, 11 p.m. FREE
Dear Savannah, Mad
Whiskey Grin
Tasty World, 9 p.m., $5
LoftComedy.com
showcase
The Loft, 9 p.m. $5, (21+),
$8 (18+)
July 28
The Mudflapjacks
The Melting Point, 7 p.m.,
$3
Punk Rock Dance Party
Little Kings, 10 p.m., FREE!
July 29
David Prince
Gnat’s Landing, 6 p.m., FREE!
KAOS
40 Watt, 9 p.m., $10/adv
Randall Bramblett
Ashford Manor Concerts
Caledonia Lounge, 9:30
p.m., $5 (21+), $7 (18-
on the Lawn, 6 p.m., $15 20)
Tasty World, 10 p.m., FREE! (adults), $6 (children 12
August 3 & under), FREE! (children
Casper and the Cookies under 6)
August 18
Caledonia Lounge, 10 p.m., The Pride
$5 (21+), $7 (18-20) Half Moon Pub, 11 p.m., High Strung
FREE! August 12 The Melting point, 7
p.m., $3
Scarlet Stitch, Daniel Lee
Marshmallow Coast,
Band August 4 How I Became the
The Melting Point, 9 p.m., August 20
Bomb, The Lolligags
$5 Before the Solstace,
Caledonia Lounge, 10
Wolfgang Wild, Sonny Got Blue
p.m., $5 (21+), $7 (18-
Kaos Shining Through, Girasoles, 6-9 p.m.,
20)
Tasty World, 8 p.m., TBA Shootout the Stars FREE!
Caledonia Lounge, 9:30
August 13 August 22
July 27 p.m., $5 (21+), $7 (18-
20)
Sonny Got Blue
M. Ward, The Moaners Georgia Theatre
The Incorrigible Girasoles, 6-9 p.m.,
40 Watt, 9 p.m., $15/adv. presents Packway
FREE!
String Band Handle Band
The Melting Point, 7 40 Watt, 9 p.m., $10
July 28 p.m., $3 Twin Tigers, Panda
(21+) $12 (18-20)
Riot, Tunnabunny
Caledonia Lounge, 10
Trachtenburg family
Slideshow Players, Lady August 6 p.m., $6 (21+), $8 (18-
MuleFest!
MuleTrain Records, N.
Blanche, Joachim’s 20)
Sonny Got Blue Thomas St. Time and
Dream Price TBD.
Girasoles, 6-9 p.m.,
40 Watt, 8 p.m., $2 (21+), $8 August 14
(18-20) FREE!
Amy Ray of the
August 25
Dark Meat
July 30 40 Watt, 10 p.m., TBA
Indigo Girls, Bellafea,
String Theory
The Holland Dutch
The Melting Point, 7
The Dumps, Lions, Hot 40 Watt, 9 p.m., $12.50/
Breath
August 7 adv. p.m., $3
Caledonia Lounge, 10 p.m.,
$5 (21+), $7 (18-20) Reigning Sound,
August 15 August 26
Thomas Function,
DJ Kurt Wood & DJ Eric Culberson
The Sauce Boss Kill LeBaron,
Grrtch The Melting Point, 8:30
The Melting Point, 7 p.m., $10 Mask the Wretch,
40 Watt, 10 p.m., $10/ p.m., $5/adv.
adv. Thunderbolt Five, Kill
Sonny Got Blue The School
Girasoles, 6-9 p.m., FREE!
August 10 Caledonia Lounge, 10 August 27
p.m., $5 (21+), $7 (18-
Justin Brogdon
So It Goes, Buddha 20) Cars Can Be Blue,
Wild Wing Cafe, 9 p.m., Heroes, Wrist Bandits The Lovely Eggs, The
FREE! Visitations,
Caledonia Lounge, 9:30 August 17
p.m., $5 (21+), $7 (18-20)
Tunabunny
Caledonia Lounge, 9 p.m., $5
(21+), $7 (18-20)
Sonny Got Blue
Girasoles, 6-9 p.m., FREE!
August 28
Needtobreathe, Griffin
House, Green River
Ordinance
40 Watt, 9 p.m., $12/adv.
Marshmallow Coast, The
Lolligags, Oh Ok, Red Pony
Clock
Caledonia Lounge, 9 p.m., $5
(21+), $7 (18-20)
Calendar listings are
subject to change. List-
ed prices may be for ad-
vance tickets only, and
listed times are door times
of the given shows.
Recurring Open
Mic and Trivia
Nights:
Karaoke at Wild Wing Café
Every Tuesday night at the
downtown wing chain’s upstairs
space at 10 p.m., free, www.
wildwingcafe.com
Cine Bar Café
Movie Trivia with drink specials
and prizes every Tuesday. Sign
up at 7:30 p.m., free
Fat Daddy’s
Karaoke, Huge karaoke dance
party hosted by Lynn every
Tuesday at 10 p.m., free, 706-
353-0241
Fat Daddy’s (again)
Open Mic
Every Wednesday featuring
Avery Dylan from 10 p.m.-
1a.m., free
Locos Trivia
All three Athens locations of
Locos Grill and Pub (Westside,
Eastside and Harris St.) feature
trivia night every Tuesday at
8:30 p.m., free, locosgrill.com
Club Chrome
Karaoke
Every Thursday night at the new
dance club off Atlanta Highway
across from Sam’s Club, 9 p.m.,
706-543-9009
“Dr. Fred’s Karaoke” at Go
Bar
www.myspace.com/gobar
— Hosted by karaoke fanatic
John “Dr. Fred” Bowers, every
Thursday, 10 p.m.
The Office Lounge
Karaoke
Every Wednesday with Stan at
9:30 p.m., free, 706-549-0840
Beef O’ Brady’s
Trivia
Every Monday at 8:30 p.m., free,
706-850-1916
Buffalo’s Southwest Café
Live Trivia
Every Monday with Trivia Joe.
Winning teams have a chance
to qualify for a 200 dollar cash
prize. 8 p.m., free, 706-354-6655
Fat Daddy’s
Texas Hold ‘Em Every Monday at
6 and 9 p.m. 706-353-0241
Rock and Roll Trivia at Little
Kings Shuffle Club!
8 p.m., free, myspace.com/
littlekingsshuffleclub
WOW Café and Wingery
Sports Trivia every Monday, 706-
543-5510
 concert shots scenes from summer shows
and athfest 2009
1 2 3

1 2 3

5
5
4 4
6

7 8
6

7 9

10
9 10 11

10 11
see your
12 13 pics
14 15 here!
submit
to
editorial@ 12
athensblur.com or
let us know when
you’re playing! you
never know when
we’ll show up...

Trances Arc @ Little Kings (Nicole Black) A.Armada @40 Watt (Daniel Peiken) Dead Confederate @ Mainstage (Daniel Peiken) The Warm Fuzzies @ Hull
Street Stage (Daniel Peiken) Hope ForAgoldensummer @ 40 Watt (Alyssa De Hayes) Play us a song, piano man (Nicole Black) Athfest at The Arch (Nicole
Black) Ginger Envelope @ Mainstage (Daniel Peiken) Liz Durrett @ Nuci’s Space (Steve Hendriksen) . 10-year-old rocking out @ Kids Stage (Daniel Peiken)
Don Chambers @ Main Stage (Daniel Peiken) Sanni Baumgartner @ Main Stage (Daniel Peiken) Randall Bramblett Band @ Mainstage (Daniel Peiken) Cool-
ing off at Hull Street Stage (Nicole Black) . Modern Skirts @ Nuci’s Space (Steve Hendriksen)
Heartless Bastards @ 40 Watt (Alyssa De Hayes) Jessica Lea Mayfield @ 40 Watt (AlyssaDe Hayes) The Circulatory System @ Farm 255 (Alyssa De Hayes)
The Incredible Sandwich @ Tasty World (Laurie Moot) The Corduroy Road @ 40 Watt (Laurie Moot) The Corduroy Road @ 40 Watt (Laurie Moot) The
Present @ Farm 255 (Laurie Moot) TJ Mimbs @ Sideways (Alyssa De Hayes) The Whigs @ Tasty World (Alyssa De Hayes) . Dodd Ferrelle @ 40 Watt (Laurie
Moot) The Present @ Farm 255 (Laurie Moot) Dodd Ferrelle @ 40 Watt (Laurie Moot)
 The 8th Annual
ch
Bruce Burnds
& Frie
Honor d
Jo h n Ja r r a r
Concert 2009
Thursday, September 24
6:00PM - 10:00PM (Gates open at 5:30pm)
The Lawn at Brenau
John was born and reared in Gainesville, Georgia, and
moved to Nashville in 1977 to pursue a career as a
country music songwriter. Within one year, he began to
experience sight failure resulting from diabetes, and by
1979, was totally blind. When country music superstar
Don Williams recorded John's song, "Nobody But You,"
taking it to the top of the charts, doors began to open.
Over the ensuing years, John's songs were recorded by the
group Alabama, George Strait, Diamond Rio, Tracy
Lawrence, and others, until he had scored eleven number
one hits.

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MICROWEDGE The John Jarrard Foundation is a non-profit organization with proceeds going to a permanent endowment fund in John’s
Check it out at www.eaw.com/products/MicroWedge name established at the North Georgia Community Foundation. Proceeds benefit local charities, including the Good News
Clinics, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hall County, Georgia Mountain Food Bank Fund, and one of John’s favorite causes,
Good News at Noon.
MicroWedge ad PSN.indd 1 6/12/08 9:45:21 AM
 SWOP
Profile:

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 83