FREE FREE FREE FREE FREE

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 6

A.C. NEWMAN • ADELE • JOE BONAMASSA

JOSHUA RADIN • MADELINE • GIFT HORSE
CASPER & THE COOKIES • THE RATTLERS
DUBCONSCIOUS • KUROMA & MANY MORE!

Vinyl
The
Revival
adele’s
big
night
Fan
Funded
ALBUMs
confessions
of a groupie

HorsEplay
PLUS!
WITH
Ben Kweller
FALLING IN
LOVE WITH
PAUL RUDD

willie nelson gets naked!!

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HELP THE PEOPLE COME HOME
WWW.PNOLA.ORG
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(14)
r sto
ove
c
HorsEplay Not that he needed a new direction,

WITH
but five albums into a celebrated
cult-status career, Ben Kweller

Ben Kweller
found one by looking back to where
it all began - his Austin, TX roots.

— Jon Ross

(42)
Underneath the layers of
Nashville’s ‘60s country
Willie sound, one man found a gold-
Gets mine of Willie Nelson gems.

Naked
(22)
— Alec Wooden

Fan (((44)) 20 year-old British

pop-singer, Adele, wins
two Grammys this year
As major labels

Funded
become less relevant, and produced a criti-
bands look to their cally acclaimed debut
fans for the big $$$$. album.

— Natalie B. David — Nicole Black

Confessions of a Groupie (49)

A self-proclaimed ‘group-
ie’ discloses an abridged
version of her adventures
with musicians, ball play-
ers, & comedians.

— Vixen*

(53)
Is America falling back in
(60)
Finally admitting your bro-
love with Vinyl? Depending mance for Paul Rudd? You’re We Love
on who you ask, it never
really fell out.
not the only one. You,
— Alec Wooden — DeMarco Williams Man

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 3

 12

music
COLUMNS
THE FIRST WORD: 9
A Merger Of Epic Proportions
WHAT’S YOUR MUSICSCOPE? 80

17
Astrology for Musicians

spotlights
A.C Newman 11
13
Kuroma 12
Joe Bonamassa 13
Ben Kweller 14
Joshua Radin 17
Madeline 18
Gift Horse 20
Dubconscious 21

20
Adele 22
Casper & The Cookies 25

40
Zion I 26
The Rattlers 27

EAR CANDY: Album Reviews 28

31

25
UPCOMING RELEASES

26 THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

THE BUZZ: News & Noise
34
37

ALSO:
TEN QUESTIONS FOR: 40
Irish folk legend Liam Clancy

ARTS &
ENTERTAINMENT
MOVIE PREVIEWS: Worth your $9.50? 57

57 60
We Love You, Man: 60
America Keeps Falling For Paul Rudd
What You See Is What You Get: 62

65
Paula Poundstone Returns to Athens

FOOD
MEALS FOR YOUR BROKE ASS: 65
The Joy of Ramen Noodles

ALSO INSIDE:

62
ATHENS LIVE: The Month in Photos 69
FOOD BY OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE CALENDAR OF EVENTS 74

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 5

 BLUR FROM THE EDITORS
BLUR WHO WE ARE

Who We Are editor’s playlist FROM THE EDITOR

old or new, 10 songs we can’t get enough of this month The Athens
Editor-in-Chief
Nicole Black Nicole Black Alec Wooden
Dear Readers,
Blur Magazine
nicole@athensblur.com Editor-in-Chief Executive Editor I have a confession to make. When I first moved to Athens over two years
ago, I was oblivious to how incredible and diverse the music scene here really
P.O. Box 7117
Executive Editor “Bad Habit” The Rattlers “Sentimental Heart” She & Him is. I assumed this was just another college town (I previously lived in Tempe,
Ariz.) crammed with too many bands all hoping to “make it big” someday. The
Athens, Ga
Alec Wooden “Opiate” Tool “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here”
She & Him
more involved I became in the local music scene, (much in part because of our 30604
alec@athensblur.com Executive Editor, Alec Wooden) the more I realized Athens was more than just
“Should I Stay Or Should I Go” another small-town southern music scene. I discovered that many of you aren’t
Director of Sales The Clash
“This Is Not A Test” She & Him
necessarily looking to “make it big,” you’re just looking to share your craft of Main Office
“Change Is Hard” She & Him making music with others.
Stephen Simmons “Chasing Pavements” Adele (706) 353-7799
stephen@athensblur.com “I Thought I Saw Your Face Today” Not only do we have the most talented and diverse bands right here in Athens;
“Thunder Kiss ‘65” White Zombie She & Him
Sales Representatives we also have an amazing tight-knit community in support of local music —
“Pink” Aerosmith “Take It Back” She & Him from fans to local businesses and venues, to places like Nuci’s Space — all of
which bring Athens’ music scene full circle. I continue to be impressed and
Sales
Brian Leigh
brian@athensblur.com “The Waiting” Tom Petty “I Was Made For You” She & Him amazed by the quality of music being produced here. This isn’t just a college
town. This is the musical and cultural capital of the Southeast and beyond.
(706) 207-9091
“You Really Got A Hold On Me”
Adrienne Klein “Falling Slowly” The Swell Season She & Him
adrienne@athensblur.com On the cover this month is indie-rocker-turned-country-rocker Ben Kweller. For general comments
“Take It Easy” The Eagles “Black Hole” She & Him Raised on dirt roads and honky tonks in small-town Texas, Kweller jumped and inquiries:
ship to New York at the age of 19, where he started cranking out albums with editorial@
Jim McGahee “Finnegan’s Wake” Dropkick Murphys “Got Me” She & Him athensblur.com
Jim@athensblur.com inspiring regularity. 2002’s Sha Sha was his first taste of mainstream success,
continued with 2004’s On My Way and an eponymous LP in 2006. Kweller’s
For advertising
Art Director gone back home — literally and ideologically — with his latest Austin, Texas opportunities:
produced record, Changing Horses.
Terry Wilson
terry@athensblur.com
looking for blur? try here: Be sure to pick up our next issue of Blur Magazine, where we look at the
sales@athensblur.com

13 Roses Tattoo Farm 255 Pita Pit The Athens Blur

evolution of Athens’ music scene. We will also be including a guide to summer Magazine issue 6,
40 Watt Club Flora Hydroponics Recycle Scooters
Layout Design
42 Degrees Athens Follet’s Textbook Red Eye Coffee
music festivals not to miss, and so much more! And, as always, send us your copyright©2009
5 Points Bottle Shop Exchange School Kids Records
comments and suggestions as we approach our one year mark and continue to By The Athens Blur
Colin Dunlop grow into the product we strive to be. Magazine, INC. All rights
Lily Feinberg ABC Package Georgia Bar Sons of Italy reserved. No part of
Alibi Saloon Gosford Wine Tasty World this publication may be
Amici’s Italian Café Inoko Express Taqueria La Parrilla Keep reading and rocking,
Editorial Interns reproduced in whole
American Tavern Jittery Joe’s Coffee The Burger & or part in any way
Will Hackett Barberitos Jot ‘em Down BBQ Cheesesteak Factory by any means unless
Lindsey Lee Barnes & Noble J’s Bottle Shop The Georgia Theater written permission
Kristen Lee Beat the Bookstore Kingpin Bowl & Brew The Globe Tavern is received from the
Julie McCollum Blind Pig Tavern Lansdowne Road The Grill publisher. Published
Erica Schwartz Borders Bookstore Irish Pub The Mercury Lounge monthly except for
Broad St. Bar and Grill Lay-Z Shopper The Rye Bar Nicole D. Black each summer issue in
Contributing Writers Caledonia Lounge Little Italy The Taco Stand Editor-in-Chief the United States of
Cheers Package Locos Deli & Pub Transmetropolitan America and distributed
Jacquie Brasher, Natalie B. Chick Music Mama’s Boy Restaurant Trappeze Pub free of charge (limit
David, Matt Joiner, Ed Morales, Ciné Arthaus Theater Mellow Mushroom Village Wine & Spirits one copy per reader,
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Country Rock Café Modern Age Tobacco Walker’s Pub copy is distributed
Umphress, DeMarco Williams
Daily Co-Op Moe’s Weaver D’s at a charge of $4.95).
Depalma’s Musician’s Warehouse Wild Wing Café Postmaster send
Doc Chey’s Restaurant Nuci’s Space Willy’s address changes to The
Dos Palmas Oglethorpe Package Wuxtry Records Athens Blur Magazine,
ON THE COVER: Ben EarthFare Pain & Wonder Tattoo Your Pie
P.O. Box 7117
Kweller, photo courtesy Athens, Ga. 30604
of ATO Records
FOR MORE LOCATIONS, VISIT ATHENSBLUR.COM
6 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 7

The First Word: one sided debates about all things music
an evil on the horizon
why the ticketmaster/livenation merger can’t be allowed
W hile gearing up for the stretch
run of his presidential campaign
in May 2008, then-Illinois Senator
Barack Obama made the following
promise to the American voters: “I will
assure that we will have an Antitrust
Division that is serious about pursuing
cases.” Ready. Set. Defend your promise,
Mr. President.   What happens? Show revenue, the most
As if he could use anything else on
his plate right now (not sure if you’ve
heard, but we’re in a recession), Obama
is suddenly faced with a very disturbing
threat to that promise. As first reported
by The Wall Street Journal, mega-media
conglomerate Ticketmaster has agreed in
principle to a merger with semi-mega-
media conglomerate LiveNation, creating
the possibility of one of the largest and
most monopolistic threats to the music
industry in quite some time.
Let’s do a quick review on
Ticketmaster alone – this isn’t the first
time the good folks at the Antitrust
Division have heard that name. In 1994,
rising rock stars Pearl Jam appeared
before them to formally lodge complaints
against the perceived monopolistic
practices of Ticketmaster who, at the
time (and more so today), was the world’s
leading authority on event ticket sales.  of creativity. Any band in any place in all
The fuel that sparked the fire was
simple: Ticketmaster overcharged music
fans, slamming them with excessive fees
for ordering tickets online, sometimes
requiring event-goers to pay as much
as 10 percent on top of the face value
of a ticket. But this alone wasn’t really
the issue. Ticketmaster could charge
whatever they damn well pleased, as long
as the patrons of these events had other
options to go about getting tickets if they
saw the fees excessive. They didn’t. And
still don’t.
Ticketmaster did, and still does, have
exclusive deals with the vast majority of
major music venues across the country,
effectively eliminating a band’s ability to
sell tickets at a desired price to fans (at
the time, Pearl Jam wanted to charge no
more than $20/ticket, with fees of no
more then $1.80). Pearl Jam lost their
case, despite winning decisively in the
court of public opinion, and proceeded to
cancel the 1994 tour in protest.  
The kicker of the Justice Department’s
decision? It didn’t dispute Ticketmaster’s
monopoly on the situation, but claimed
(Above)With symbols like this
popping up all over the internet, there’s
certainly enough public outrage to
interest the government.
(Below) U.S. Representative Bill
Pascrell (D-N.J.), is one government
official who quickly called for invesit-
gations and hearings into the proposed
merger.
the individual bands weren’t the proper
plaintiffs for the lawsuit. That rested
instead with the individual promoters
and venues (who, not surprisingly, were
spineless in the long run).  the side of the ring, gloves on and ready
Other challengers have since risen,
including String Cheese Incident
in 2003 and, most recently, Bruce
Springsteen only a matter of weeks ago.
These uprisings were for Ticketmaster
alone. Can you imagine the effects
(and the outrage) if this merger
continues? LiveNation’s management
BLUR THE FIRST WORD
and promotion powers combined with
Ticketmaster’s death grip on the throats
of music venues would allow the new
super-company to essentially set the
ticket market exactly as they please.
If you want to see live music, you’ll
pay their price. But let’s say you’re not
willing (or, in these times, not able).
formidable revenue stream for the bands
of today, has the potential to plummet.
Could bands go under? Would whole
tours be cancelled? Might a venue or two
shut down?
The other side of the coin is the
minority sentiment that Live Nation
Entertainment (that’d be the new name)
may actually have a notion to streamline
ticket sales into a cheaper, more efficient
process.
Wrong. The new company would
have too much interest in the artist to
worry about making the consumer’s
life easier. It’s not just about ticket sales
anymore – this monopolistic train would
control ticketing, promotion and even
management of many major artists. The
bottom line would be protected at any
and all costs to the consumer.
Live music is one of the final frontiers
the world can buy the basic equipment
and cut records in their basement. As
the recorded music market continues to
flood, men and boys will be separated on
the live field of battle. Threatening the
livelihood of such is reckless.
Pearl Jam, String Cheese,
Springsteen…they have given it their
best shots but were ultimately powerless
in their respective quests. Now the power
of the oval office is potentially behind
the fight – or, at least, they’re standing on
to go.
Will they jump in? Let’s hope so.
—Alec Wooden
Got an opinion on this topic? Would
you like to suggest a future topic? Join the
discussion at editorial@athensblur.com.
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 9

MUSIC
on a guilt trip
the head new pornographer goes at it solo...
Carl “A.C.” Newman
makes it look easy. The New
Pornographer’s frontman
and occasional solo artist has
released an album, as Pitchfork
recognized, every 18 months
since his indie super-group
emerged with Mass Romantic
in 2000. But don’t for a
second think it’s all a breeze
for the pop mastermind.
“It’s something that I
work hard at. It doesn’t come
that naturally,” comments
Newman via telephone from
his Brooklyn home. “It’s kind
of maddening. I’ve always
approached music as a fan,
and when you listen to a
record it always seems like it
just magically appeared. If you
really like a record, you don’t
see the work that the band
put into it; it just plopped in
your lap and you listen to it
and go ‘This is amazing!’ As
a listener you think records
magically appear.”
But they don’t. Newman
explains that, from lyric
writing to meticulous
arrangement, the process of
making albums — even for
someone as seemingly prolific
as Newman — is pretty labor
intensive: “So much of it is
work. I think there’s a spark at
the beginning of songs that I
can’t quite place, like the germ
at the center of most songs. I
don’t know where they come
from exactly. They just show
up. But after that, it’s just a
massive amount of work,” he
says. “I think I just work hard
at it.”
And work hard he does.
For Get Guilty, Newman’s
second solo album following
2004’s The Slow Wonder, the
pop mastermind again brings
his A-game to the indie
pop field, crafting 12 tunes
equally on-par with his day
job material. In opposite
circumstances as his fellow
Pornographers (Newman’s
solo work, released under the
“A.C. Newman” moniker, is
his side project, while Pornos
albums are hobby activities for
fellow focal points Neko Case
and Destroyer’s Dan Bejar),
Newman sees his position in
the music world as a job and
one he says he’s nervous about
losing.
“It’s a pretty good job and
I should be pretty thankful to
have this job where all I do is
make music, so for that reason
I force myself to be prolific,”
says Newman. “I think you’d
MUSIC ALTERNATIVE
A.C. NEWMAN
WHO’S WHO
Carl “A.C.” Newman (vo-
cals, guitar) — featuring
guest appearances by:
Jon Wurster (drums),
Charles Burst (drums),
Nicole Atkins and Mates
of State (vocals)
FORMED
2004 in New York City
LABEL
Matador
LATEST RELEASE
Get Guilty (2009)
ON THE WEB
www.acnewman.net
I’ll get it next time.’ So that’s
what keeps me going.”
Although Newman is
arguably one of the premier
indie pop leaders of the
past decade, the humble
songwriter is still hesitant
about his place in a musical
landscape where major labels
have lost influence and indie
Photo courtesy Big Hassle Media
bands are making a significant
mainstream stand.
be an idiot to sit on your ass
“It’s kind of an intimidating
for four years not making a
time to be making music,
record just because you can,
actually. There’s so many good
because you have enough
bands. I just think, how can
money to support yourself.
you compete in this world?”
You’ve gotta keep going.”
he says, citing releases by
As a result, Newman
Animal Collective, Andrew
doesn’t allow his work to
Bird, and Antony and The
suffer, nor his time to remain
Johnsons, who shared Get
idle, constantly aiming to not
Guilty’s release date. “That’s
only keep his job, but pursue
pretty heavy competition and
that great intangible: to reach
most of them are hogging the
the pinnacle of one’s craft. “I
‘A’ section, too. I don’t even
don’t think I’ve ever made the
have the ‘A’ section to myself.”
record that I really want to
So maybe it’s not quite as
make. I don’t think I’ve made
easy as it seems — even for
my best record,” he explains.
Carl Newman.
“I’ll make a record and say,
‘That’s a valiant attempt, but
— Natalie B. David
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 11

MUSIC ALTERNATIVE
he did it his way
Hank Sullivant Finds contentment with kuroma
You’re a founding member
of The Whigs, this catchy-ass
band from Athens, and on
the cusp of signing to a major
record deal, you leave.
Weird, but OK.
Then your high school
buddy Andrew calls, and says
“Hey, tour with my band.”
You do, and during that time
the band, MGMT, becomes
an international hit. You’re
atop the mountain.
And . . . you leave. Again.
Hank Sullivant: Are. You.
Crazy. Are you afraid of
success?
“No, that’s stupid,”
Sullivant said with a laugh.
“I wouldn’t mind being the
biggest thing in the world. I
would love that. I just wanted
to do my own thing and be
extremely careful to do it the
right way.”
If The Whigs was college,
and MGMT was graduate
school, then Kuroma is
Sullivant’s job, and he’s quite
happy thankyouverymuch.
An outfit with a rotating
crew to go with its sundry
of sounds, Kuroma boasts an
album (Paris) and strategy (no
MySpace) seeking to engage,
not pander.
“The goal is to have some
aspect of you other people
have to find out about and
not you desperately seeking
12 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
attention,” Sullivant said.
“That turns me off to a lot
of bands nowadays. A lot of
them don’t have any nerve.”
With a whole lot of pluck
and a little bit of patience,
Sullivant now finds plenty of
people seeking him out. In
January the band supported
Cold War Kids at New York’s
Mercury Lounge (“Awesome.
I told myself I’d never use that
word again unless describing
mountains,” Sullivant said). because of the musicianship,”
In March, the band has a
half-dozen dates opening for
Primal Scream, while April
has Kuroma embarking on an
extensive tour with Starfucker
(“It was fun telling my mom
that,” he said).
Hank Sullivant, meet
mountain. Again.
“After the careful starting
out approach, things are
rolling,” Sullivant said. “The
plan is to become the best
band in the world.”
Sullivant’s path to
Kuroma is an amalgamation
of elements starting in
Memphis with a guy named
Andrew VanWyngarden.
Now one-half of MGMT,
VanWyngarden and Sullivant
then flexed their musical
muscles in a funk band, a
genre that doesn’t reward poor
playing. “It was important
to be incredible at our
Courtesy Big Hassle Media
instruments,” Sullivant notes.
Upon graduation, the
two diverged. While
VanWyngarden started
playing “subversive Cyndi
Lauper kind of stuff ” while
singing to recorded tracks,
Sullivant came to Athens to
attend UGA and share in the
town’s musical wealth.
At first, he was under
whelmed.
“I was unimpressed mainly
he said. “I saw a couple of
bands, and my first reaction
was it was pathetic and
wimpy. I knew there could be
music that could stomp on it.”
With Parker Gispert and
Julian Dorio, stomp he did.
The Whigs were a revelation,
pounding pop gems to SRO
crowds. It was here Sullivant
grasped the power of pop
structure.
“And the bass,” Sullivant
said. “I never played bass
before. I would have left
Georgia if I hadn’t met Parker
and Julian. Back then, the
songs I wrote were all over
the place, and Julian and
Parker have a keen sense of
pop structure. The big thing
with The Whigs was we were
young and wanted to stomp
other Athens bands. That was
part of the energy.”
“With MGMT, I admired
KUROMA
WHO’S WHO
Hank Sullivant (bass)
FORMED
2008 in Athens, GA
LABEL
independent
LATEST RELEASE
Paris (2009)
ON THE WEB
www.kuromamusic.com
the way Andrew and Ben
(Goldwasser) think about
music. Moving to New
York and playing with them
was eye-opening. And Ben
shared music that has messed
everything up in my head. I
don’t know what’s good or
bad anymore.”
Seeing where Sullivant’s
been makes it easy to
understand where Kuroma’s
going; he did his own thing
by piecing everything he
loves with everything he
learns. Paris’ tracks prove
this, revealing chunks of funk
(“Paris”), pop (“Searching
For A Sheep”), playfulness
(“Alexander Martin”), and
grunge (“May Be I’m Lazy
“– “Kurt Cobain is amazing,”
Sullivant adds), while not
making any effort to conceal
its origins.
“People are copying each
other but trying to hide it,”
Sullivant said. “With Kuroma
we’re copying people blatantly,
absolutely stealing and doing
nothing to cover it up. It’s
trying to introduce elements
you’ve heard a zillion times
and repackaging it in a
different context. It’s making
things hyper-real, truer than
they were.”
Sounds like this time he’s
staying.
— Ed Morales
the best from the worst
joe bonamassa takes life with a grain of salt
Following the release of his
latest album, “The Ballad of
John Henry,” bluesman Joe
Bonamassa sits down for a quick
chat about his writing and life
on the road.
Athens Blur Magazine: Talk
about what’s behind the new
album.
Joe Bonamassa: Well, you
know, I mean the album is
the album. The album came
out February 24 and I think
it’s the best work, you know,
I think it’s the best work I’ve
ever done. I was generally very
shy about writing beforehand.
Open the book of Joe and,
you know, maybe share with
people what’s going on.
Unfortunately, sometimes
your best stuff comes from
your worst moments.
ABM: Is it easier to write
when things are going bad?
JB: Sometimes when you’re
too happy personally...you
lack the passion, you know?
So when I listen to this
album, I hear a passion that
goes all the way through it.
For a long time, I wouldn’t
even talk about why the
album was being done, how it
was being done, who I wrote
it for. You know, whatever.
And it’s like, as time went
by, I realized that everything
happens for a reason.
ABM: But you’re in a good
spot now?
JB: I wouldn’t have traded
anything to get where I’m
at at this point. Would I
have hoped it would have
worked out differently?
Would I have hoped it had
been done differently? Sure.
But this album is really just
a documentation of where
I was between the months
of May and September of
2008. I was touring my ass
off. I was taking very few days
off. I was writing songs and
then recording them the next
Photo: Rob Shanahan
day. And that was  “Story
of a Quarry Man,” that was
“Happier Times,” that was
“Last Kiss, ” that was a bunch
[of songs]. It was like all this
stuff that was happening in
real life.
ABM: How are you doing
tour-wise these days? Is the
economy a big issue in the music
industry, as far as you can tell?
JB: You know what? For
some. We’re selling, this year,
more tickets than we’ve ever
sold in our entire life. We are
selling an average of 1,000
or more domestically. Two
to three thousand in Europe.
We haven’t seen it, you know?
But, we’re still a cheap date.
The top tickets we only sell
for like $50, $55, for front
row seats, you know? So, to
me it’s like, I’m not really
seeing it, the economy. I
know the economy is weak,
so I like to give people more
show, to try to get them in.
I do appreciate my fans very,
very much and I don’t take
them for granted. And I know
times are tough for everybody,
so it’s really critical that you
make an effort to show some
appreciation in return.
ABM: Can you share with
us your most outrageous stories
from the road?
JB: Well, there’s a bunch,
but generally nothing too
outrageous for me. If you put
yourself in that position, then
weird stuff will happen, but
generally if you keep going,
if you use the kind of control.
I mean, you’ll see some
weirdness at the hotels, like
chillin’ at the fuckin’ Marriott
in Dayton, Ohio and there’s
a transvestite convention,
like totally a transvestite
convention, you know? And,
it’s like, you show up at this
other place, — we’ve showed
MUSIC BLUES
JOE
BONAMASSA
WHO’S WHO
Joe Bonamassa
(guitar, vocals)
FORMED
2000 in Los Angeles, CA
LABEL
J & R Adventure
LATEST RELEASE
The Ballad of John Henry
(2009)
ON THE WEB
www.jbonamassa.com
up to some gigs early on and
when we had 10 times as
many speakers on stage as
they had PAs and the drum
riser was bigger than the
whole stage, and we were like,
“How are we gonna do this?”
and we made it work. That
kind of thing.
ABM: What’s something a lot
of people wouldn’t know about
you?
JB: A lot of people didn’t
believe I lived in Athens, but
I did, for 2 and a half fuckin’
weeks (laughs).
ABM: I didn’t realize that
until very recently.
JB:  Yeah, that’s how it is.
I lived there for 2 and a half
weeks. By and large, I enjoyed
my time there, and I was
grateful for the welcome that
the local people showed me. I
was just happy to be there, for
a second.
ABM: So you’re not planning
a move back to Athens anytime
soon?
JB: I’ll stick to Atlanta for
now. I’m not ready to come
back yet. Maybe one of these
days.
— Matt Joiner
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 13

   “In New York,
it’s every man
indie rocker goes back to
for himself, and
people are cold childhood roots
and pissed off —
working too hard
I ndie rocker Ben Kweller’s
fifth album, Chang-
ing Horses, has been reviewed
and looking in all the right media out-
lets. Music publications from
straight ahead Paste to Rolling Stone have
when they walk. praised the work, but it’s also
snagged mentions in a few
I missed nature. unexpected places: maga-
I missed trees zines filled with tidbits about
country pop stars have sin-
and rivers gled out the album with pos-
and swimming itive reviews. Country Music
Television even recently be-
and freedom.” gan airing the video for the
record’s first single, “Fight.”
    “That’s a dream come
true. Get on CMT? Holy
shit,” said Kweller over
the phone from his cous-
in’s house in Connecticut,
where Kweller was taking
some time off from touring.
    Fans know Kweller as
a no-frills vocalist who al-
ternately plays guitar, pia-
no and drums. Before he be-
came the object of hipster
worship, he was just a coun-
try boy growing up in north-
east Texas, surrounded by mu-
sic. His dad filled the house
with songs from ‘60s rock
masters, but on lazy mid-
dle school nights at the roller
rink, Garth Brooks was king.
Country music fit perfectly
with Kweller’s world: shoot-
ing BB guns, smoking Cam-
el Wides and chasing girls.
    “Small-town Texas is
HorsEplay
probably similar to small-
town Georgia in a lot of
ways,” Kweller said. “It’s just
like so many other normal lit-
Ben Kweller
tle southern towns in Ameri-
WITH
ca where the football team is
really popular in high school,
and people cruise around in
their pickup trucks and go to
Sonic and get cherry limeade.”
   On Changing Hors-
es, Kweller’s singing, a reedy
sound that always seems
about to crack but almost
never does, is buffeted by a
lazy pedal steel. While back-
ground vocals have been part
of his music since 2002’s Sha
14 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
Sha, songs like “Fight” bring
rollicking vocal harmonies
front and center. “Things I
Like To Do” and “On Her
Own” are rooted in shuffle
beats, reflecting a rambling
spirit and a laid-back way of
life. These songs embody the
Texas country sound, which
may put him at odds with
contemporary country radio.
    “Obviously, they know
I’m Texas country and not
Nashville country, so I don’t
know if they’ll fully let me
Photo courtesy ATO Records
into their clique,” Kweller
said. “The whole country
scene from the late ‘70s came
out of Texas — people just
didn’t want to conform to the
Nashville ways. Nashville’s al-
ways been very pop driven.”
    When Kweller left Tex-
as for New York City on the
heels of rock success, he kept
his country music child-
hood tucked away. Many of
the songs on Changing Hors-
es were written during the en-
suing years while Kweller,
MUSIC COUNTRY
BEN KWELLER
WHO’S WHO
Ben Kweller
FORMED
2000 in New York City
LABEL
ATO Records
LATEST RELEASE
Changing Horses (2009)
ON THE WEB
www.kweller.net
sitting in a cramped apart-
ment, thought about home.
    “In New York, it’s ev-
ery man for himself, and peo-
ple are cold and pissed off —
working too hard and looking
straight ahead when they
walk,” he said. “I missed na-
ture — that was a big thing.
I missed trees and rivers and
swimming and freedom.”
    After nearly a decade in
the Northeast, Kweller re-
cently packed up and headed
down to Austin, TX., search-
ing for wide-open spac-
es. Though his new sound
may have more twang than
his previous efforts, Kweller
said he’s simply following his
own musical progression. Af-
ter all, Changing Horses is
just a snapshot of a partic-
ular point in time. For his
next album, Kweller may re-
turn to piano-driven rock,
or he could move toward a
different sound entirely.
    “Genre change is a part
of what Ben Kweller is. I’m
a Gemini with multiple per-
sonalities. And I have ADD,
so I get bored really easily,”
he said. “My favorite artists
always did different things;
it’s just part of being an art-
ist. You don’t want to lim-
it yourself to one sound.”
— Jon Ross
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 15

2009
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YOUR USED COMPUTER HEADQUARTERS iTunes killed the radio star
And sitcoms kind of did, too...the joshua radin story
n When Joshua Radin wrote
KP s Music
Instrument Rentals & Sales
his first song, he was almost
30. Though, at the time, he
MAC & PC Sales,
was penning screenplays
(he calls what he writes,
Upgrades & Repair “whimsical comedy”) he
had basically tried his hand
Our Techs have over 10 years experience
serving the Athens area.
at everything: parking cars,
catering, real estate, teaching,
coaching, serving and working
as a camp counselor. It
seemed that rock star fame
WE
ters SERVICE Lapt
was a far stretch for a man
whose roots dig deep into
starting
at
ON SITE
star ops
ting
$249 at
middle class Ohio. But with
$99.99 .99 the advent of iTunes and
television music licensing,
it seems that anything and
everything is possible.
Radin’s music can’t be
706-353-0802 OPEN
found on the radio, though at
8849 Macon Hwy Weekdays 11 - 6
Athens/Oconee Saturdays 11 - 5 any given moment his songs
can be heard on primetime
television sitcoms such as
“Scrubs,” “House” and “Grey’s
Anatomy.” He had both his
albums for sale on iTunes
before they were released in
stores and has sold his songs
to 100 different television
programs. Radin believes
that the combination of the
two technologies makes it
unnecessary to rely on radio
play to guarantee success.
He is well known in Europe,
and though not necessarily
recognizable in the U.S.,
people have heard of his
name and several of his songs
(whether they realize it or
not).
Radin’s mellow echo of
a voice evokes memories of
Nick Drake and Elliot Smith
on uppers and is a natural
kin to current artists such
as The Shins and Iron &
Wine. His songs are the sort
of melancholy that inspire
cooking, driving, painting
or laying in the sunshine.
With themes like jealousy,
break-ups, loneliness, love
and forgiveness, Radin is
a big believer that true life
makes for the best story…or
song. And somehow, Radin
has kept his love songs and
Courtesy Big Hassle Media
longing songs from sounding
either too cheesy or too sad.
They just seem…well, real.
“Just take a journal
entry, set a melody to it,
and you’ve got a song,” said
Radin, who has found he can
channel more emotion into
songwriting than through
screenwriting.   DeGeneres.
“I want to keep working
on this (songwriting) for
now,” said Radin though his
ultimate goal is to write a
film in which his own songs
comprise the soundtrack.
Radin has sold two of his
screenplays, one of which
revolves around a philosophy
student with the gift of seeing
other people’s auras. Despite
both screenplays being
shelved, Radin sounds upbeat
about his current success
in music, made possible by
good luck, iTunes, television,
and a few famous fans such
as college buddy Zach Braff
(who has put Radin’s music
on his show “Scrubs” and
his movie “The Last Kiss”)
and talk show host, Ellen
Radin was brought to
national attention last year
with the release of his second
album, Simple Times, an
appearance on “The Ellen
DeGeneres Show” and his
performance for DeGeneres’s
wedding to longtime
girlfriend, Portia de Rossi.
Though the event brought
Radin more exposure, he has
no desire to serve as tabloid
material. “I don’t want to date
MUSIC FOLK
JOSHUA RADIN
WHO’S WHO
Joshua Radin
(vocals, guitar)
FORMED
2004 in Shaker Heights,
OH
LABEL
Mom & Pop
LATEST RELEASE
Simple Times (2008)
ON THE WEB
www.joshuaradin.com
Jessica Simpson or to have
that kind of life,” says Radin,
admitting he always strives
to keep some semblance
of normalcy in his life. He
doesn’t want to be recognized
at the grocery store, though
with his roguishly handsome
features, he is hard not to look
at.
Radin’s European tour
to promote Simple Times, is
currently underway (in fact,
he kicked off the tour in
Athens on January 30). Radin
said that he “loved walking
the streets of Athens,” and
really enjoyed his first visit
there.
To the aspiring musicians
of Athens, Radin had the
following piece of advice:
“play every day, write every
day. There’s strength in
numbers. Form a community
and surround yourself with
creative people.” As far as the
steps one needs to take in
order to get television play he
says, “Go to L.A. You don’t
have to move there, just get
yourself booked at the Hotel
Café. There’s always music
supervisors for television
shows hanging out there. It’s
how I first got discovered.”
— Kelly Skinner
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 17
MUSIC FOLK
raising the white flag
but no plans for a surrender
For the record, Madeline
Adams is great at interviews.
“They pretty much all
make me nervous,” laughs
the local on-the-rise song-
stress. “I’m not really good
with talking at all.”
Lucky for her, she’s quite
good at singing — some-
thing that has always
made her stand out since
her days as young coffee
house rat around Athens.
“Every day I’d come down-
town and hang out at either
Blue Sky or the X-ray Café
or at Wuxtry and I met a lot
of musicians and ya know, it
was the cool thing to do,” she
says. “I had a great admiration
for a lot of local bands like
Elf Power and Neutral Milk
Hotel and of Montreal, and
I just wanted to participate.”
And since her start at the
ripe age of 15, she’s done
much more than participate.
2002’s Kissing & Dancing and
2007s The Slow Bang began
a local, regional and nation-
al buzz that has since grown
into a full-blown roar with
her latest effort, White Flag.
Recorded between the
18 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
summers of 2007 and 2008,
White Flag is a locally grown
product – recorded in small
parts by Asa Leffer at DARC
studios and in earnest by Ja-
son Rivera (also an occa-
sional member of her band)
at The Bakery Studios.
“One of the sweeping
themes of the album is kind
of a surrender of sadness,”
she says before stopping her-
self quickly. “Oh God, that’s
the cheesiest thing I’ve ever
said out loud (laughs). But re-
ally, I guess a lot of the songs
were about being really tired
about being sad and a final
apology and a letting go.”
And letting go on this,
her most polished (in terms
of quality, instrumentation,
etc…), seems like a chal-
lenge for someone who
is most decidedly to pre-
fer the live environment.
“The thing that’s real-
ly scary about recording is
that it’s just so permanent,”
she says of the differenc-
es. “There’s always this chal-
lenge that you give your-
self with the live performance
that you want to do better the
Courtesy The Weepies
next time than you did the
last. It’s nerve racking. And
the adrenaline rush is huge.”
And lately, she’s shared
that adrenaline rush with
the employment of a full-
time backing band.
“Well, I do like perform-
ing both ways (solo and full
band),” she says. “Solo is in-
teresting because it’s all on
you and that can be quite a
rush. But it’s not as fun as
playing with your friends.
And crowds enjoy the band
much more I would say.
It’s a lot to ask of a listen-
er to pay attention with-
out a beat going on.”
Which is, in reality, only
partially true. Say what you
will about Madeline, but one
thing she doesn’t have is a
problem commanding atten-
tion on stage. Between pulls
of whiskey, her between-song
banter is uncomfortably and
undeniably charming (re-
member, she doesn’t like to
talk), and while the back-
ing band certainly helps the
dynamic of each live show,
the musical buck stops with
the soaring, biker-brawl-
Courtesy Deus Ex Machina PR
MADELINE
WHO’S WHO
Madeline Adams
(guitar, vocals)
Jacob Morris (bass)
Theo Hilton (keys)
Jim Wilson (drums)
Jason Trahan (guitar)
FORMED
2000 in Athens, GA
LABEL
Orange Twin/Plan-It-X
LATEST RELEASE
White Flag (2009)
ON THE WEB
www.madelinesongs.com
stopping voice with which she
tells stories of years well be-
yond her young age of 23.
With Southeastern U.S.
and a European (U.K. and
France) tour slated for
the coming months, there
doesn’t seem to be much
on the horizon that could
stop Madeline’s trajectory.
Well, okay. Maybe one thing.
“I don’t quite under-
stand what I’m supposed to
do about a Visa in the U.K.
or work permits or any-
thing,” she says with a ner-
vous chuckle. “So I’m try-
ing to figure that out.”
— Alec Wooden

MUSIC MELTING POT
generation reverberation
gift horse gives fans what they need: a true and pure sound
Think 1994. Specifically,
recall the music scene that
the mid-90’s witnessed, with
releases such as Pearl Jam’s
Vitalogy and Nine Inch
Nails’ The Downward Spiral;
and bands like Nirvana,
The Smashing Pumpkins
and Jane’s Addiction were
cohesively and habitually
taking your parents attempted
censorship and wiping
their asses with it. Now fast
forward to 2009 and take a
second to realize the sick, sad
world we live in. The economy
has gone to hell, MTV is
about as cool as MTV, and
“pop” music incorporates as
much talent as a computer
interface deems necessary,
rather than pure talent that
Vedder, Cobain and Corgan
gave us merely 15 years ago.
Now, enter Gift Horse.
As raw as uncooked meat,
and as pure as the earth, the
Athens-based group relishes
in the fact that it incorporates
the stigma of our recent rock
legends. It’s a combination
of detailed concentration,
cheerful respect and
constructive criticism that
surrounds Gift Horse’s music.
In a conversation between
lead vocalist Hunter Morris
and back-up vocalist Mike
Stokes — both natives of
Augusta, GA: “you know, who
knows, it may mess things up
not having your [Hunter’s]
vocal tracks laid down first,
and I [Mike] may be way off
at first, but we can always
go back and make it sound
right.”
Working on the album,
Morris remarks, “You know,
there was a stint a couple of
weeks ago where we were in
the studio every night until
5 or 6 in the morning, just
trying to get every pitch
right.” The guys in the band
have an ear for what sounds
right. The band’s manager,
Matt DeCamp added: “some
20 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
GIFT HORSE
WHO’S WHO
Brandon Scarboro
(drums), Vaughan Lamb
(bass), Hunter Morris (vo-
cals, rhodes, organ), Mike
Stokes (guitar, vocals)
FORMED
2005 in Athens, GA
of the songs have space in
them, and we have the idea
to record all the drum tracks
and come out to an empty
hallway and re-record them
backwards, then use that
to place reverb back into
the tracks, to fill any empty
space.” It isn’t so much that
the members of Gift Horse
are nit picky, they are simply
using the resources at hand,
as evidenced by the album’s
engineer, Nate Nelson: “the
thing that I realized is that
Pro Tools mutes tracks, when
say, we reach 32, and if we
need two more vocal tracks,
it just mutes the two oldest
ones. But once we get over
to the other studio, with Pro
Tools HD, we can hear up to
96 channel outputs.” Don’t be
surprised if that much work
Courtesy Gift Horse
LABEL
independent
LATEST RELEASE
Gift Horse (2008)
ON THE WEB
www.rebelforcesofgeor-
gia.blogspot.com
goes into every song.
Not surprisingly, their
hard work on the album has
contracted from their time to
play live shows. Despite the
trade-off, the guys have the
mindset of planning for the
future by limiting the quantity
of shows they play in order
to maximize the quality of
audiences for whom they play.
“We don’t wanna go down to
SXSW (Austin) and try and
play six shows for 30 people…
we’d rather play two or three
shows for a couple of hundred
people,” Stokes added, “right
now, we’re all about building
trust and relationships.” For
the work on their current
album, the band has already
formed strong relationships
with Nelson and Hank
Sullivant; (Sullivant, who has
been helping to produce the
album, already has a proven
track record through his
associations with artists such
as The Whigs and MGMT;
and who is currently with
Kuroma). Clearly, the respect
that Gift Horse gives to
Nelson and Sullivant and vice
versa, plus the cohesiveness
and determination with which
they all work, a true piece of
magic is in the making.
Despite the laud that the
guys may get for their early
work on the album, they are
in no rush to get it out on the
market. “We are just taking
everything in baby steps,”
remarks bassist Vaughan
Lamb, “you work your ass off
without really knowing the
end result, sometimes finding
yourself only a little bit
better off than before — it’s
a game of perseverance.” In
talking of what may be their
first single, “Missionaries,”
Stokes remarks, “it’s tuned
to an open-D, and I was just
messing around one day and
Hunter came down and wrote
the song, just picked it up and
wrote it in a really unfamiliar
tune.” And Morris adds, “...
and it’s cool because the
theme of the song is about
mortality… It’s not gloomy at
all; it’s just like give it to me
straight.” That can be said for
the band itself: rugged, yet
refined and grungy, yet pure.
Audiences have grown soft in
lieu of, for whatever reason,
the repetition of jam band
after jam band after jam band.
There is hope yet, however,
as the album incorporates
clarinet, organ, chimes and
space-filling reverb that
will be sure to take listeners
back to the day of rock lore
and re-establish the sound
we all frantically, whether
consciously or unconsciously,
seek.
— Will Hackett
sweet mother nature
reggae band uses the stage to green the south
Courtesy Dubconscious
The members of Dubcon-
scious are more than a band.
They are crusaders for the en-
vironment, using music as
a powerful platform to fur-
ther the green movement in
the Southeast and beyond.
Their latest album, NonVi-
olent, was released on Jan-
uary 20. Adrian Zelski, the
group’s guitarist and vocal-
ist met up with me for an af-
ternoon chat at The Globe.
Athens Blur: Everyone in
the band has really diverse mu-
sic backgrounds, from jazz to
electronica, so why reggae?
Adrian Zelski: It was real-
ly timing more than anything.
Three members of Dubcon-
scious were playing Bob Mar-
ley covers and just learning
how to play it, and the oth-
er three members, includ-
ing myself, were doing more
of the acoustic, world mu-
sic thing and we just started
playing Bob Marley songs. So
we came together and just got
into it, and we were just im-
mediately taken. There wasn’t
anything like it. So that was
a big impetus, too. You know,
Athens has a million in-
die rock bands, pop bands,
cover bands, country bands
— everything but reggae.
AB: Do you think that helped
as far as being different, gain-
ing success by standing out?
AZ: Definitely. Well I
mean, it hurt us too. The
Southeast is the worst reg-
gae market in the country, no-
toriously. Most reggae bands
just pass up the Southeast. So
it really helped to be unique,
but it was also an “against
all odds” kind of thing.
AB: Dubconscious is pret-
ty outspoken about environmen-
tal issues. How does the music go
in with the band’s environmen-
tal standpoint and getting fans
to practice what y’all preach?
AZ: [The Southeast] is one
of the most habitable plac-
es on Earth with more re-
sources than anywhere, and so
it’s very important for South-
east people to protect their
environment, so that became
our mantra that we ran with.
So it becomes a communi-
ty based thing, and it’s more
DUBCONSCIOUS
WHO’S WHO
Adrian Zelski (vocals,
rhythm guitar), James
Keane (vocals, guitar),
Scott Pridgen (percus-
sion), Solomon Wright
(vocals, bass, trumpet),
Matt Woolley (vocals,
drums), Jerry Hendel-
berg (vocals, keyboards,
melodica)
FORMED
2002 in Athens, GA
LABEL
Tree Sound
LATEST RELEASE
Nonviolent (2009)
ON THE WEB
www.dubconscious.com
than just going to play a show
and up from the stage saying,
“Hey, we’ve got CD’s at the
merch table.” I think that’s
very lame. It’s much better to
say, “Hey, go to the table and
sign up for this organization
that’s gonna help the envi-
ronment and help your com-
munity.” So it became obvi-
ous, actually. I don’t see why
more bands don’t do it, really.
AB: How is “NonViolent”
different from past albums?
Why should someone buy it?
AZ: It’s our first song-
MUSIC MELTING POT
based, full album that we’ve
done since 2005’s Ameri-
can Dream. It’s much more
evolved song writing wise.
It has horns and female vo-
cals and guests that give it
a more full feel. You know,
we worked hard on it and
we basically put it togeth-
er through a producer that
said, “Hey that song’s too
long. That song’s too short.
That song doesn’t sound quite
right.” So, it’s more filtered
than our past experiences. It’s
also more purposed. NonVi-
olent, the name, we came up
with that. And so we kind of
went with the theme that this
album should be about that.
It should be about learning
to communicate nonviolent-
ly in our interpersonal rela-
tionships with ourselves and
with our environment as well.
AB: I know many of the
members of Dubconscious start-
ed out in Athens at the Univer-
sity of Georgia, but why stay?
Why make Athens homebase?
AZ: On a good day, it’s be-
cause of the music commu-
nity and because of the abil-
ity to live affordably and be
part of a great communi-
ty. I mean, I love Athens, the
people here are awesome…
we realize that Athens has
the potential that it had in
the ‘80s with R.E.M. and the
B-52’s and Pylon and all the
great bands that were here.
And also, I would say this
too, it’s a really weird place.
You could try to pigeonhole
it, but you’d be wrong, and
that’s what’s cool about it.
AB: When y’all get back
to Athens after being on the
road, what’s the one place
you can’t wait to visit?
AZ: The Grit. I go to The
Grit immediately almost ev-
ery time. That place makes
me feel normal pretty fast.
-Lindsey Lee
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 21

MUSIC POP
adele’s big night
sensational songstress wins big at grammys
F or the second year in
a row, a British female
pop star has won both a
Grammy for Best New Artist
and Best Female Pop Vocal
Performance.  20-year-old
“Chasing Pavements” singer,
Adele, took home the honors
at this year’s 2009 Grammys.
Her critically acclaimed debut
album, 19, a corresponding
title for her age at the time,
was released stateside in June
of 2008 and has elevated
Adele to crowning musical
achievements. With her
mature, passionate lyrics
combined with an incredibly
poignant voice, winning the
coveted honor of Best New
Artist was well merited.
A few weeks prior to the
Grammy ceremony, Adele
phoned in from California
to discuss her Grammy
nominations and the success
of 19. Not only is she an
22 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
extremely talented young
singer, she is also very humble.
When asked about being
nominated for four Grammy
awards, the meek but
energetic Adele responded in
her thick British accent, “I’m
very confused and baffled by
it but I’m over the moon.” She
added, “I never thought I’d be
included in the world of the
Grammys and I’m chummed
to peaches…It’s very surreal
actually.”
In fact, Adele hadn’t even
prepared a speech in case
of winning. She laughed,
“I don’t like speeches. If I
won a Grammy I would
be speechless anyway so
there’s no point in preparing
a speech.” And speechless
she nearly was. Adele, who
looked visibly and genuinely
shocked by her win for Best
New Artist, only took 23
seconds to thank everyone
for her win. Her reaction to a
Grammy win was much like
the shocked expression on
fellow British pop singer Amy
Winehouse’s face last year
for winning the same award
(plus five others). Winning
an American Grammy for a
British musician like Adele
is “the biggest thing ever,”
she said. “It’s the same as
an American getting Best
Album in Britain. It means as
much to me as an American
winning a Brit award. It’s
just surreal enough being
nominated.”
Adele is frequently
compared to Winehouse by
the media. She doesn’t mind
the compliment, though.
“I think she’s amazing. I
think she’s a genius, so it’s
a compliment. I never get
like annoyed of hearing it.”
However, she adds, “It gets
a little boring sometimes. I
Photo courtesy Sony BMG
think it’s kind of lazy a little
bit sometimes and they just
compare us because we’re
women as well and we both
went to the same school
[Selhurst College]. But apart
from that I don’t really mind
but I’m happy, as always the
case, because I think she’s
amazing.”
Raised by a single mom,
Adele and her mother have
a very close relationship. Her
mother has been her biggest
supporter. “My mom gets
more excited by things than
I do…when we found out
about the Grammys she was
running around my house at 4
a.m. screaming, knocking on
my neighbors doors, saying,
‘My daughter’s just been
nominated for a Grammy!’”
Winning two Grammys
added to Adele’s collection
of awards back home. Her
album was first released in the
“Just because you love doing something doesn’t mean that other people will
love what you do,” she explained. “Everyone wants to be a pop star, the fact
that I’ve actually kind of managed to do that-I never ever expected it. I never
expected it on this level anyway.” - Adele
U.K. in January of 2008 and
rocketed to #1 on the U.K.’s
Album Sales Chart. She
received a five star review in
The Observer Music Monthly,
which proclaimed, “Of all
2008’s female vocalists, none
is as great as this one.” She
went on to win a Critics
Choice Award at the 2008
Brit awards. The British press
weren’t the only fans of 19.
As soon as the album debuted
here, People Magazine gave
her album a four star review
and raved, “Adele is Britain’s
best new singer.”
Soon after its U.S. release,
Adele began performing live
on shows such as her debut
on The Today Show, followed
by appearances on The Late
Show with David Letterman,
The View, CBS Early Show,
CBS News Sunday Morning,
Late Night with Conan
O’Brien and the Late Late
Show with Craig Ferguson. But
her greatest launching pad for
recognition in the states was
her incredible performance on
Saturday Night Live, which
aired Oct. 18. The recognition
sent her album to #11 on The
Billboard Top 200.
Perhaps the most intriguing
part of Adele’s climb to
success is that she didn’t take
music seriously until she
was 14. When she picked
up the microphone to sing
a cover of “Heart of Glass”
for a family friend, she
realized her calling. Yet she
never envisioned in just six
years how much she would
accomplish.
“Just because you love
doing something doesn’t
mean that other people
will love what you do,” she
explained. “Everyone wants
to be a pop star, the fact that
I’ve actually kind of managed
to do that —I never ever
expected it. I never expected
it on this level, anyway.” She
added between chewing gum,
“I thought I might be big
in London or a U.K. based
thing, never thought it would
be Europe and America and
other places as well. It’s weird
that so far away from home
people are interested [in my
music].”
Adele’s writing style
exemplifies her talent. Her
mature lyrics of heartache
and the complexity of
relationships appeals to
women (and men) of any
age who have had their heart
broken. The songs on the
album consist of melancholy
songs about “being cheated
on and not getting what
you want.” The source of her
break-up album resulted from
a tumultuous relationship
with a bisexual boy. Adele
explained in a PR letter, “All
the things I wanted from my
boyfriend, he was never going
to be. I get really jealous
anyway, so I couldn’t fight
with girls and boys.”
The boy, whose name
remains anonymous to the
press, has since tried getting
back together with Adele.
She laughed, “Like three
times!” He’s not the only guy
trying to vie for Adele’s love.
“I have a stalker as well in
England,” she revealed. “He
sent me a letter to my record
company…he kept walking
around the area trying to find
me and then he found me
and stayed out by my house
sometimes watching me come
in and out of my house. It was
really scary.” There are some
harmless pursuers as well. She
explained, “There was a guy
at a show yesterday shouting
things out at me.” But mostly
her fans consist of “middle-
aged women and teenagers”.
Adele joked, “Unfortunately,
MUSIC POP
I’m not into girls. If I was I’d
be Queen!”
Now that she has
conquered the music industry
with her debut, Adele is
already writing for her next
album. “I haven’t started
recording it yet,” she said.
ADELE
WHO’S WHO
Adele (vocals)
FORMED
2006 in the UK
LABEL
Columbia Records, XL
Recordings
LATEST RELEASE
19 (2008)
ON THE WEB
www.adele.tv
“I’ve got a good body of work
that I’m happy with, [and] my
producer’s happy with.” This
time she plans on taking her
time. “I’m going to rehearse
them for like four months
before we go anywhere near
a studio. I sing my songs
everyday and sometimes
I wish that I put a lyric in
certain places so I want to
make sure I live with my
songs on this next record and
don’t have anything I wish I
changed…”
The young songstress
may not have found
what she was looking for
“chasing pavements” in her
relationship but doing so
in her music career has led
her to astonishing musical
accomplishments with no end
of the road in sight.
— Nicole Black
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 23

not your cookie-cutter pop
local band colors outside the lines
When hearing the band’s
offbeat name, Casper &
the Cookies, the first thing
to enter your mind is most
likely Christina Ricci and her
friendly ghost companion
from the 1995 flick, or the
thought of your mom’s
homemade chocolate-chip
cookies. (Neither are images
which should distress you too
much). But give this born and
bred Athens band a listen,
and the friendly little ghost
will be the furthest thing
from your mind.
When asked about the
peculiarity of the band name,
Jason NeSmith (aka Casper
Fandango) admits, “It’s my
fault.”
It all started in the late
‘90s when NeSmith started
a project where he would
release a string of homemade
cassettes, each having a
different backing name, even
though it was just NeSmith
behind the whole thing. First
it was Casper Fandango
and the Knees, then it was
Casper Fandango and His
Tiny Sick Tears. “The next
one on the list was Casper &
the Cookies, and that’s when
the live band got together and
everyone made me keep it,”
says NeSmith. “I’ve come to
accept that it’s just going to
be what it is.”
Though Casper & the
Cookies has been making
music since 1998, they
became an official touring
band in 2005, with NeSmith
and wife Kay Stanton being
the only remaining original
members, now complete
with drummer Joe Rowe and
guitarist Jim Hix.
The power-pop band is not
only unique in its name, but
in its style as well. “We just
have experimental tendencies,
but we end up making things
that sound like pop music
that is made to be played
loud most of the time,” says
NeSmith. “I don’t know
what you would call that. We
always fight against it, you
know? I don’t think we fight
against it to make the end
product convoluted, but what
comes out of us is pop songs.”
“Convoluted pop songs,”
Courtesy Casper & The Cookies
Stanton adds, laughing.
Casper & the Cookies
are known mostly for their
wildly entertaining shows that
seem to appeal to all kinds
of crowds. “We played this
neighborhood tavern called
White Water Tavern,” says
NeSmith. “It was in Little
Rock, Arkansas. You kind of
expected a Clinton to walk in,
and you know, start buying
people beers. They were
obviously all regulars and
didn’t know us.”
After the modest success of
2006’s The Optimist’s Club, a
ridiculous amount of touring
and a thriving fan base, it was
back to the studio to begin
what NeSmith calls “our
major statement.” The result
is a third full length album
off Happy Happy Birthday to
Me Records, Modern Silence.
“We did what we thought
sounded good and felt right
and we just weren’t going
to be afraid of things,”
says Stanton. “I think
that’s probably the biggest
difference from what we’ve
done in the past.”
MUSIC POP
CASPER & THE
COOKIES
WHO’S WHO
Casper Fandango (guitar)
Kay Stanton (bass)
Joe Rowe (drums)
Jim Hix (guitar)
FORMED
1998 in Athens, GA
LABEL
HHBTM (US), PIAPTK (US),
Wiakiki (Japan)
LATEST RELEASE
Modern Silence (2009)
ON THE WEB
www.casperfandango.
com
Why should you go out and
spend your hard earned cash
on Modern Silence?
“Economic stimulus,” says
Stanton. “You get a lot of
bang for your buck. There’s a
21-minute song on it. That’s
why!”
The album, set to drop
in May, is 69-minutes long
complete with 15 relatively
short pop songs and a final
track that NeSmith jokingly
calls, “a 21-minute long self-
indulgent piece of shit.”
Not one member from
Casper & the Cookies is
heard on the last track, just
35 of their closest friends
fusing together to form an
experimentally beautiful
track. “It’s high concept,” says
NeSmith, laughing.
Both Stanton and NeSmith
have high hopes for their
upcoming record. “I don’t
want to come off as conceited,
but damn it we’re great and
people need to know that! I
don’t know if it’s going to get
the exposure it deserves, but
this could be our moment.”
— Kristen Lee
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 25

MUSIC RHYME, RHYTHM & SOUL
golden state warriors
a not-so-hostile take over
Oakland, California is a
fascinating place. If you look
at one end of town, you’ll see
the same questionable guys
on the corner and dilapidated
houses you do everywhere else.
But down the street, you’ll find
Jack London Square, a popular
shopping and entertainment
destination for locals and
tourists. Only a few miles from
there is Pixar, the animation
studio where box-office hits
like “Wall-E” and “Cars”
are created. There’s almost a
different feel at every turn.
“Man, Oakland is an
interesting place,” begins
Zumbi, a member of one of
the city’s most consistent rap
acts, Zion I. “California is
a big state, but it’s not that
many concentrations of black
folks in this whole state. It’s
small but it’s real tough and
it’s real prideful. It’s kinda like
a blue-collar city compared to
San Francisco. It’s definitely
different from L.A. It’s way
more laid back and mellow,
but it’s grimy, too.”
And if you’ve listened to
hip hop over the past 15
years, you know Oaktown
also has a varied musical
pulse. For every progressive-
minded group like Zion I,
Hieroglyphics or Cali Agents,
there’s a better-known, potty-
mouthed rapper like Too
Short.
AmpLive, Zion I’s
producing half, explains, “In
the late ‘90s, you had the big
boom of independent labels
out here. The Bay Area has
basically always been known
for its independent scene,
so during that time, it was
really poppin’. You had a lot
of groups come out of here
that are now large. Back in
the day, with Too Short, E-40
and Mac Dre, they’ve been
on the independent grind.
When their industries grew, a
lot of people followed them.
26 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
Basically in the late ‘90s, it
was just a boom. After that,
when the dot com slowed
down, a lot of things slowed
down, but you still had a lot
of those groups out here. The
hustle’s always been there.”
For nearly a decade, Zion
I’s pushed hopeful and honest
hip hop while MTV played
footage of Bay Area rappers
smacking hoes and getting
hyphy. 2000’s Mind Over
Matter was Zion I’s first
release to generate big buzz.
It was like George Bernard
Shaw over futuristic, George
Courtesy Zion I
Lucas-inspired sounds. Deep
Water Slang V2.0, True &
Livin’ and the just-released
The TakeOver offer more
of the same. What Del tha
Funkee Homosapien and
Souls of Mischief started in
The Town underground, Zion
I’s admirably continued.
“For us, man,” adds Zumbi,
“I feel like we’ve always
been world bridgers. We
connect things that seemingly
don’t connect and put them
together. People say, ‘Oh, okay.
That does work together.’ The
intent on [The TakeOver] was
ZION I
WHO’S WHO
AmpLive (producer, DJ),
Zumbi (MC)
FORMED
1997 in Oakland, CA
LABEL
Live Up Records
LATEST RELEASE
The TakeOver (2009)
ON THE WEB
www.zionicrew.com
“I feel like we’ve
always been world
bridgers. We connect
things that seemingly
don’t connect and put
them together. People
say, ‘Oh, okay. That
does work together.’
We’re trying to look
back at all the legacies
that we brought with
us and mesh it up
and fused it into one
album.”
-Zumbi, Zion I-
to really spread love on some
black community, black folks,
Asian folks, Latino folks,
white folks. The TakeOver
is just going through black
music and reclaiming all the
vast creativity we’ve embodied
since leaving the continent
and coming to this one. So,
blues, jazz, reggae, hip hop,
house music, rock ‘n’ roll, we’re
taking it. We’re trying to look
back at all the legacies that
we brought with us and mesh
it up and fused it into one
album.”
— DeMarco Williams
MUSIC ROCK ‘N’ ROLL
bringing sexy back
if only prince had these blues
In just under a year, Athens’ newest
rock band, The Rattlers, has generated
more than just rattles in the music
world, growing an impressive following
and packing out venues across town.
Perhaps the buzz around The Rattlers
comes from people witnessing the
talented lead guitarist, Matt Joiner,
who mimics the playing style of Stevie
Ray Vaughan or from fans seeing lead
singer Tracy Carroll, exude a rock star
persona during his live performance.
But the collaboration of the band’s other
members, bassist Kevin Christian and
drummer Woody Hughes, is what gives
The Rattlers a blues-infused, southern
rock sound.
Carroll and Joiner sat with me
outside on a chilly, winter’s night. Joiner
shivered in front of me, sporting only
a black Jimi Hendrix t-shirt. Carroll
was dressed to impress - oh, and for the
weather - wearing a tan suede jacket
adorned with a brown and blue striped
scarf. Carroll asks Joiner if he would like
to borrow his scarf but Joiner refuses,
bear hugging himself and embracing the
cold.
Photo: Nicole Black
Athens Blur Magazine: How did you you know, Matt can play anything
guys find each other? Did you come from
other bands, like split up from other bands
THE RATTLERS from Hendrix and Clapton, Stevie Ray
and collaborate? 
Vaughan and, you know, Joe Bonamassa,
or Clarence Gatemouth [Brown]. He can
Tracy Carroll: We were just talkin’ WHO’S WHO do all the blues stuff and everything [but]
about music one day…and we were like Matt Joiner (guitars), Tracy Carroll he can play hard rock and country, the
“let’s get together and jam some.” When (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Kevin gospel…[whereas] I grew up listening
I heard Matt play, inside, I was going, Christian (bass, backup vocals),
Woody Hughes (drums) to 80s music with like Duran Duran, uh,
“Okay, play it really cool. Don’t let him and Icicle Works, and U2, and then, of
see how desperately you want him to be
FORMED course, Elvis Presley…
in a band with you.”  I knew if I could
2008 in Athens, Ga
talk him into doin’ a band, somethin’ ABM: One last question. How would you
would happen.   LABEL describe your music to a deaf person? 
independent MJ: Um, that’s a good one. I don’t
ABM: Matt, you never studied music know if I could even answer that. 
theory and you don’t know how to physically ON THE WEB TC: I’m going to get technical here.
write music, so how do you remember your www.therattlersband.com
This deaf person is going to understand
songs? somehow what I’m saying to them… 
Matt Joiner: I have forgotten a lot of
songs that I’ve wrote, but sometimes I’ll MJ: We put our own twist on it, and
we don’t want it to sound like you’re ABM: They know sign language…
record a scratch track. And, a lot of the
hearing a CD of another band, saying, TC: I would say our music is…it’s
way we write is I’ll come up with a guitar
“Oh, they sound like this band.” We want high energy, uh…sexy, I think, I think it
part or something, and I’ll tell Tracy,
somebody to hear us play and say, “Man, is [sexy].
“Hey, I got this guitar part,” and he’ll just
start spouting out words to it and there they really put their own twist and have a
ABM: How can music be sexy? 
you go, we’ll go with that.  whole different sound to that song.” 
TC: Ask Prince. 
TC: I think it’s the influences that
ABM: Okay, what sets your band apart each of us bring to the table. We’re not
— Nicole Black
from all the other blues-infused, southern all just influenced by blues and southern
rock bands here in Athens?  rock, so that’s what comes out. I mean,
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 27

MUSIC ALBUM REVIEWS
EAR CANDY
Bloodkin
Baby, They Told Us The newest project of former
We Would Rise Again
As 2008 witnessed the start of
a downturn in America, found-
ing members of Bloodkin, Dan-
iel Hutchens and Eric Carter,
emphasized the realities of start-
ing something new. In their lat-
est release, Baby, They Told Us We
Would Rise Again, Bloodkin em-
phasizes strong friendships and
a positive outlook on the days
ahead. The closing track, “Sum-
mer in Georgia” harps on the
fact that, “let’s take a road trip/
it’s been a while,” and in a world
of defaults, weakening mort-
gage backed securities and un-
ethical Wall Street execs, a road
trip (to get the hell out of here)
doesn’t sound all bad. The album
shifts between slow-paced, blue-
sy croons and twangy, country
dirges to popular, uplifting bal-
lads. The opening track, “The Vi-
per” laments on the band’s fall-
ing apart and hints at their
promising reunion. While there
are plenty of individual sounds
on the album, the catchy tune of
“Little Margarita” will swoon lis-
teners into Bloodkin’s position
of all-encompassing blues, coun-
try and Americana rock. The al-
bum fortifies that the revitalized
sound of Bloodkin rises from the
ashes of old and promulgates
that old friendships will nev-
er burn and, instead, rise again.
— Will Hackett
28 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
Kuroma
Paris
Whigs member Hank Sullivant,
Paris is a fun romp through sever-
al of your favorite music genres;
spanning a spectrum that moves
from classic rock to psychedel-
ic pop, sometimes in one song.
While marked with variety, there
is a cohesiveness to the album
that comes from Sullivant’s voice
and a certain grit that spans the
record and brings it all together.
While there’s not a track that
jumps out as a “can’t get it out
of your head” single, the record
ages like a fine wine, getting bet-
ter with each listen. The songs
have a decidedly southern rock
feel instilled with a psychedelic
edge. Sullivant’s voice is dreamy
and soft but assertive. High-
lights of the album include “Alex-
ander Martin,” a song with an al-
most country feel to it. In “Paris”
you’ll hear a more pop sound that
is reminiscent of MGMT (whom
Sullivant supported on tour
last year). The piano in “Search-
ing For A Sheep” is a nice touch.
In some places the guitar solos
drag out a little long for my taste,
but only because I really dig Sul-
livant’s voice and clever lyrics.
If you like the Whigs and
MGMT, Paris is a must listen,
but don’t expect too many ref-
erences to past projects. Sulli-
vant has created a sound and
a style independent of his for-
mer bandmates, and it works.
— Lindsey Lee
Jason Isbell And a new album, and damn it, if fans want-
The 400 Unit
Jason Isbell And their money and listen to the old albums.
The 400 Unit
The second solo effort from
Jason Isbell, (former guitarist of
Athens’ Drive-By Truckers), is a
perfect combination of southern
rock and classic soul, complete
with a live band kind of feeling,
which I don’t mind one bit. The
album’s opening track, “Seven-
Mile Island,” tells the story of
a failed father and a young girl
about to give birth, along with a
mention of concrete towers and
an airstream trailer 300 yards up
a lake. It could be a disaster, but
somehow it works. My personal
favorite, “The Blue,”shows Isbell’s
talent for creating deep and
meaningful lyrics, and with the
help of a front row electric guitar,
pushes the envelope of southern
rock. “No Choice in the Matter”
is the album’s statement of pure
classic soul, complete with horns,
an intervening keyboard and an
achingly beautiful electric guitar
solo. Brace yourself though, it’s
bound to get stuck in your head
for days. Though his first solo
record, Sirens of the Ditch, wasn’t
poorly received, this album will
be his best yet. Isbell embodies
southern rock with his own
soulful twang and, with the help
of The 400 Unit has proven he
can successfully stand on his own
two feet.
— Kristen Lee
Joshua Redman
Compass
In 2007, tenor saxophon-
ist Joshua Redman took a cue
from his saxophone forebears.
Instead of going into the stu-
dio with a standard rhythm sec-
tion, he removed the piano, mold-
ing Back East with just horns,
bass and drums. On the 50th an-
niversary of Sonny Rollins’ Way
Out West, a saxophone trio al-
bum, Redman was modeling him-
self after the saxophone great.
Fast forward two years to Com-
pass, which once again presents
Redman sans piano but with a
very unusual band. For the group,
he chose the bassists Larry Gren-
adier and Ruben Rogers, drum-
mers Brian Blade and Gregory
Hutchinson … and nobody else.
The concept alone — two bass
players? two drummers? — is
enough to create that giddy an-
ticipation that fuels CD sales. But
on the first track Redman and co.
leave the novelty behind, creat-
ing a boundary-breaking perfor-
mance that feels like a live show.
The music functions much the
same way as on Back East — the
lack of a harmonic piano anchor
allows Redman more improvi-
satory latitude — but the added
kick of two percussionists helps
propel the music. On Compass,
Redman flies far outside tempo
and harmony with bass and per-
cussion egging him on, creating
an album packed with thought-
ful and impressive musicality.
— Jon Ross
Thursday
Common Existence
Thursday has a new album out and, if
cerebral post-hardcore is your jam, it’s…
well, a new Thursday album. Geoff Rick-
ly still couldn’t hold a note if it was Su-
per Glued to his hand but Common Exis-
tence manages to rip, rumble, scream and
soar on par with Thursday’s best up to
this point – “on par” being the key qualifi-
er. Like sprinting on a treadmill, the guys
in Thursday are going full speed ahead,
but they’re not really going anywhere.
  Now, now! Calm down emo kids! Giv-
en how high 2006’s A City by the Light Di-
vided set the bar, that’s not to say Com-
mon Existence is not an enjoyable album – it
just means for a new album, there’s ironi-
cally not much “new” to be found. Where-
as ACBTLD marked a massive jump in pro-
duction quality and a noticeable increase
in energy and tempo, Common Existence
comes off sounding like a compilation of
muffled B-sides from the former album.
  And please understand, it’s tough to
give a band that’s been around for 11 years
and practically spearheaded a genre the
“what have you done for me lately” treat-
ment, but hey, Thursday chose to record
ed to tread familiar ground, they’d save
The gray area reality of Common Exis-
tence is that either all its tracks are equal-
ly great, equally unimpressive, or they all
sound too damn much alike. Whatever
the case, there are no standout hits or ob-
vious duds – just 11 totally solid Thurs-
day songs that sound just as good as
you’d expect, but not an ounce better.
— PT Umphress
Franz Ferdinand
Tonight
“I’m bored, c’mon let’s get high,” in-
tones Alex Kapranos on “Ulysses,” the
opening track of Tonight: Franz Ferdi-
nand, the third offering and first album in
three years from the Glasgow quartet.
“Alright Alex, I’m game.
What’s your poison?”
“To start, how about some Ecstasy to make
you all happy and nostalgic?” While “Ulysses”
churns through its singsong giddiness, “Turn
It On” quickly follows with dance-floor groov-
iness. “No You Girls” (hey, is this “Take Me
Out”?) pushes the party in full-rave mode.
“Awesome, Alex, I’m roll-
ing now, what’s next?”
“Let’s come down a lit-
tle there, partner.” A shot of “Twi-
light Omens” helps the transition.
“Yes, so right.” Hear the synths,
melodic, wondrous. Perfect.
“Question for you,” Alex pipes up. “Where
do you see yourself in five minutes time?”
“Don’t know, right now I’m feeling pret-
ty . . . HOLY CRAP WHAT IS THAT?”
“What, the punk/metal breakdown at
the end of ‘What She Came For’? That’s
“Where it’s always
New Found Glory
BAIL BONDS
Not Without a Fight
“Where
As I listen through New Found Glory’s lat-
est album, Not Without a Fight, I can’t help but
recall the famous scene from “Dazed and Con-
it’s always
fused” where Matthew McConaughey’s char-
acter, Wooderson, famously professes, “That’s
springtime.”
what I love about these high school girls,
man. I get older — they stay the same age.”
®
Surely the members of New Found Glo-
ry must feel like Wooderson in relation to
their fans, but what I could not have pre- LOGO AND NAME ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS
dicted was feeling like Wooderson my-
self in relation to New Found Glory.
Yes — I just essentially called
New Found Glory “jailbait.”
I first heard New Found Glory in 2000, when
they were called “A New Found Glory” and more
famous for an amazing album of pop-punk
covers than their own songs. I was an over-
ly self-conscious sophomore in high school, liv-
ing in a boring suburban wasteland, and the
Coral Springs quintet’s sugary sweet nug-
gets of radio-ready pseudo-punk were like son-
AARON
ic crack rocks for wannabe rebels like me. It
was okay to like them back then, but I’m 24
now. If New Found Glory was a musical vehi-
cle, it would be a sketchy DeLorean whose des-
BONDING
tination date is permanently locked to “High
School,” the age of sugary angst and pent up re-
bellion. An age I have no goddamn business go-
COMPANY
ing back to. And yet, I’m already halfway through
the album, and haven’t skipped a track yet. Oh,
god. We are far past foreplay. I’m going to hell.
It’s as if I’m 24 years old, standing outside the
local bowling alley of my crap ass hometown, and
along walked this naive, sexy little high school
706.353.3190
hottie called Not Without a Fight. And dam-
nit, I can’t help but feel dirty for flirting with
something I know I’m way too fucking old for.
I’m sure New Found Glory can relate, but
BAIL BONDS
hey, when your unwillingness to grow up is as
much a cash cow as theirs is, you can’t necessar-
ily blame them for continuing to crank out rock
20% UGA Discount
solid, cute, but barely legal albums like this.
— PT Umphress
QUICK RELEASE
just the cocaine talking.
Hey, it makes a whole lot
of sense on ‘Live Alone,’
our Studio 54 homage to
disco balls and Blondie.”
“Yes, I see what
you mean. Wait, is
that Andy Warhol?”
“No, no, that’s just a
hallucination brought
on by ‘Lucid Dreams.’”
“It’s only eight minutes (only?), but feels
like an eternity.” Damn mushrooms.
“Where it’s always springtime”
“Sorry. How about a farewell toke of
24-7
‘Dream Again’ and ‘Katherine Kiss Me’?”
Ahh, solemn berceuses from a quiet ballad-
eer – a fitting way to end a riotous affair.
Thanks guys for the weird, wild trip.
Don’t stay gone so long, OK?
— Ed Morales
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 29
 The Bad Plus  2008/09 COMEDY SERIES
For All I Care THE CLASSIC CENTER THEATRE PRESENTS
The Bad Plus — bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson
and drummer David King —  has a rich history of mining the pop
vernacular for improvisatory material. The band has toyed with
everything from the theme from “Chariots of Fire” to Queen’s “We
PAULA POUNDSTONE
Are the Champions” in a piano trio format. Many jazz covers of Thursday, March 26, 2009
pop tunes are cute, instrumental versions of the melody; the new
versions might include a blurring of the tempo, rhythm or harmony
9:00 p.m. | Tickets $10 - $40
of the original, but the core usually remains intact. The Bad Plus
have always produced heady, intellectual feats, not something
easily digestible for the casual listener. With the addition of singer
Wendy Lewis, the songs on For All I Care immediately become
more accessible. Lewis’ vocals help ground tunes like Nirvana’s “Lithium,” The Flaming Lips’ “Feeling
Yourself Disintegrate” and Heart’s “Barracuda” and present the listener with something easy to follow.
Improvisatory sparks are still present on this new disc, but lyrics drive the tunes. Sprinkled in among the
pop covers are the trio’s versions of compositions by the 20th century classical composers Gyorgy Ligeti,
Milton Babbitt and Igor Stravinsky. These readings pulse with the same energy the band affords “How
Deep Is Your Love” by the Bee Gees, providing instrumental respites in an album of instantly listenable
jazz pop standards.   
— Jon Ross

Railroad Earth
Amen Corner

The Railroad – a train, in partic- Appearing on stage with a stool, a

Chris McKay & The Todd Sheaffer’s 300-year-old ru-
Critical Darlings
Satisfactionista
On the surface, Satisfactionis-
ta is simply the follow up to the
sterling rock-debut C’mon, Ac-
cept Your Joy. To the band, how-
ever, it’s much, much more. The
press release for Satisfactionis-
ta details all this: “Three drum-
mers came and went, pneumonia
knocked frontman Chris McKay
out of commission for 2 months,
personal relationships faltered
and most unfortunately, sever-
al close friends and family mem-
bers died.” These words aren’t
meant for sympathy, and the Dar-
lings don’t seem to want yours.
What they want is your atten-
tion, and they have no problem
getting and keeping that. The re-
sult of this long recording process
is a record full of battle-tested
lyrics on top of charismatic riff-
rock with a mound of confidence
and absolutely zero pretentions.
— Alec Wooden
ular - is a perfect metaphor (and
namesake) for Railroad Earth.
Constant, driving and power-
ful, the bluegrass/roots sensa-
tions chug through their fourth
studio album with the same lack
of pretension and foot-stomp-
ing fun we’ve come to expect. Re-
corded on principal songwriter
ral New Jersey farm, Amen Cor-
ner is earthy but not lo-fi, hap-
py but not cheesy and down-home
without being redneck – put sim-
ply, a religious experience for all.
— Alec Wooden
Hotpants Romance
It’s a Heatwave
The first offering from Hotpants
Romance, an all-girl punk trio from
legendary Manchester, is nothing
if it’s not dripping with a sticky-
sweet dose of sass. But here, this
comes off as kitschy, not catchy.
The vocals are a shrieking mess,
and the driving drums just aren’t
enough to reign it all in. When the
girls aren’t screaming discordantly,
the vocals and lyrics have a Moldy
Peaches charm that works real-
ly well. If these girls concentrated a
bit more on the music and less on
their cheeky persona, there could
be potential for punk prowess.
— Lindsey Lee
microphone and a can of diet soda,
Paula Poundstone is a keen observer
of politics and society. Known for her
razor-sharp wit and spontaneity, she’s
famous for delivering smart comedy
that leaves her audience in hysterics.
Aidan Moffat
And The Best-Ofs
How To Get To THIS PRODUCTION IS MADE POSSIBLE
Heaven From Scotland BY THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF:
A 12 track work of art; How
To Get To Heaven From Scot-
land is mellow, poetic, and
downright creative (there’s
even some beat boxing on the
first track). One of Scotland’s
most well-received musicians,
Aidan Moffat (formerly of
Scottish indie rock band, Arab
Strap), had me by the first
track, “Lover’s Song,” and held
my attention until the very
end with no song too drawn-
BUY YOUR
out or too fleeting. The back-
ing band on the record, “The
TICKETS NOW!
Best-Ofs,” is the perfect com-
pliment to Moffat’s passion-
ate voice, keeping the album
honest and romantic, yet up-
Call, click or stop by:
beat with a wealth of instru- 706.357.4444 | 800.864.4160
ments. This album is down to www.ClassicCenter.com
earth, packed full of non-cli- 300 N. Thomas St.
ché, universal love songs.
Downtown Athens, GA 30601
— Kristen Lee
 MUSIC RELEASE CALENDAR
toppers up comingCD
upcoming CD
international showbar
release calendar
calendar
Pet Shop Boys Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks
march 17 Yes Tangled Tales
Dan Deacon Royksoop
Kelly Clarkson
All I Ever Wanted Bromst Junior
The Decemberists These Green Eyes
MSTRKRFT Hazards of Love Relapse to Recovery
Fist of God Papa Roach
Lionel Richie Papa Roach march 24
Just Go
Flo Rida Sara Watkins
march 31 R.O.O.T.S. (Routes Of Over-
coming the Struggle)
Sara Watkins
So Many Dynamos
Peter Bjorn & John The Blue Van The Loud Wars
Living Thing Man Up
Rascal Flatts
Diana Krall
Quiet Nights Unstoppable
april 7

april 14 april 21 Release dates are

subject to change.
Check artist or store
Dave Matthews Band Depeche Mode websites as these
We are here! Big Whiskey & The Sounds of the dates approach.
Washington St.
Groogux King Universe Hey local bands!
Clayton St.
Metric Booker T. Jones Got a relese date
coming up? Let us
Fantasies Potato Hole
know at editorial@
Broad St.
Papercuts Tortoise athensblur.com
College Ave.

Wall St.
Jackson St.
Lumpkin St.

You Can Have What (Title TBA)

You Want
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 33
MUSIC THIS DAY IN MUSIC
march
15 16 17 18
1945 -Billboard Magazine
introduces a top albums
chart naming The Nat King
Cole Trio as its first #1.
2004 -Axl Rose is refused a
request to block the release
of a Guns N’ Roses greatest
hits collection by Universal
Music Group after a federal
judge hears his case.
1979 - Metal hair band
Twisted Sister becomes the
first band to sell out New
York City’s Palladium without
ever releasing a record.
1991 - A deadly plane crash
near the California/Mexico
border kills seven members
of Reba McEntire’s band and
her road manager.  McEntire
was on a separate plane.
1962 – Ray Charles starts his
own record label, Tangerine.
1997 - For the first time,
Michael Jackson’s Thriller ties
with the Eagles Greatest Hits
as the all-time best-selling
album in the U.S., announced
by the RIAA.
34 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
MUSIC THIS DAY IN MUSIC
1976 - Bruce Springsteen jumps a
fence at Graceland in an attempt to see 1968 - James Brown
Elvis Presley. makes a national
TV appeal for calm
1998 - Shania Twain launches her following the 1971 - Chicago
first headlining tour in her Canadian assassination of the becomes the first
1958 - Chuck Berry releases his single
homeland in Sudbury, Ontario. Rev. Martin Luther rock group to sell out
“Johnny B. Goode”.
King, Jr. a week of shows at
1995 - Latin pop-star Selena is shot Carnegie Hall in New
1973 - A crazed fan bites Lou Reed on and killed by the president of her fan 1990 - Gloria Estefan York City.
his rear end during a concert in Buffalo, club, Yolanda Saldivar, who had recently leaves the hospital
NY. been fired for embezzlement. after being injured 1979 - Van Halen 1985 - “The Grand Ole Opry” debuts
in a bus crash on begins their first on television.
1992 - A Chicago judge rules in the lip- March 20. world tour.
syncing scandal of the Milli-Vanilli class- 1994 - Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley
APRIL
action suit that $3 cash rebates would announce they are separating.
be given to anyone that could prove
they bought the group’s music.
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
1957 - Elvis Presley
1961 - Elvis Presley 1969 - Jim
buys a mansion in 1981 - AC/DC 1985 - Wham! becomes the first
1970 - The Jackson Five performs his last Morrison is
Tennessee, which he
names Graceland. release “ABC”. live show for the
releases Dirty
Deeds Done 1966 - A
arrested by
the FBI for
Western act to play in China.
1991 - Ringo Starr is a guest 14
next eight years 1998 - George Michael is on Fox TV’s “The Simpsons.”
Dirt Cheap in riot breaks interstate flight,
1985 - Spin Magazine 1987 - Dean Martin Jr. in Pearl Harbor, arrested in a public restroom in
the U.S., five out after which stems
begins its first dies in a plane crash Hawaii. Presley Beverly Hills for lewd conduct. 2002 - Kid Rock and Pamela
years after a Rolling from obscenity
publication. while in the Air National performed the He is sentenced to community Anderson get engaged.
its Australia Stones charges after a
Guard. show which raised service for the incident.
release. concert in Miami concert.
$62,000 for the 1963 - The
Paris.  85
U.S.S. Arizona Beatles meet
2002 - Lyle people are 1996 - MC
memorial fund. the Rolling
1968 - Eric Clapton 1963 - The Beatles Lovett is arrested. Hammer files for 1968 - Syd Barrett leaves
trampled by a 1985 - An estimated Stones after
is arrested on drug release their first 1995 - Eddie bankruptcy. Pink Floyd due to his
bull, breaking 5,000 radio stations a Stones
charges in Los album, Please Please Me, Vedder of Pearl Jam suffering from psychiatric
his lower right around the world concert in
Angeles, along with in the U.K. is rescued after a disorders compounded by
leg in several simultaneously play the Richmond, England.
Neil Young, Richie riptide carries him 1976 - Jimmy Buffett’s drug use.
Furay and Jim 1997 - Marilyn places. song “We Are the World.”
250 feet offshore in “Margaritaville” is released. 1983 - Pete Farndon of
Messina. Manson ends a show 1983 - U.S. Interior Secretary
New Zealand. 1994 - Kurt Cobain the Pretenders dies of a
in Honolulu, soon 1991 - Rod Stewart is James Watt bans the drug overdose at the age
1991 - Eric after falling from the Beach Boys from the 4th (Nirvana) kills himself
surprised onstage by Elton of 29. He had been fired
Clapton’s four year- stage and severing an 1970 - Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul of July celebration on the with a shotgun. He is
John, who was wearing a from the band the year
old son, Conor, artery in his hand. & Mary pleads guilty to charges of Washington Mall. He says found three days later.
dress. before due to his drug
dies after falling 53 “taking immoral liberties” with a 14- rock ‘n’ roll bands attract the
problem.
stories from a New year-old girl while in Washington, DC. “wrong element.”
1997 - Joni Mitchell is reunited
York City apartment 1961 - Elvis Presley
window. records “Can’t Help 1995 - Rapper Eazy-E dies from with Kilauren Gibb. Gibb is the
Falling in Love.” complications of AIDS daughter that Mitchell had 1972 - Isaac Hayes wins
given up for adoption 32 years 2002- Eminem agrees an Oscar for Best Music,
to pay $100,000 minus 1963 - Bob Dylan performs his first
1965 - Members of The 1987 - The Soul Train 1982 - David Crosby is arrested in Los before. Original Song for the
attorney’s fees to a man major solo concert at Town Hall in
Rolling Stones — Mick Music Awards debuts. Angeles for possession of Quaaludes song “Shaft”.
who had filed a civil lawsuit New York City.
Jagger, Keith Richards, and It is the first televised and drug paraphernalia, driving under 1999 - The Black Crowes
Bill Wyman — are arrested perform in Knoxville, Tenn. One against him for allegedly 2000 - Sony Music
awards ceremony to the influence of cocaine and carrying a 2000 - Bo Diddley files suit against
for “insulting behavior” in of the concertgoers later sued hitting him in the head Entertainment
pay exclusive homage concealed .45-caliber pistol. Nike for using his name and
London after the three were the band for $385,000 in a claim and face with an unloaded announces plans to make
to black producers, handgun. The man, image without permission. Nike is
caught urinating on the wall songwriters and 1996 - Phil Collins announces his that he had suffered significant its first commercial digital
John Guerra, had kissed accused of continuing to use his
of the Francis Garage. recording artists in the departure from Genesis to focus on his hearing loss at the show. downloads available to
Eminem’s wife Kim. image after a contract expired in
music industry. solo career. U.S. consumers.
1991.
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 35
 MUSIC THE BUZZ
THE
BUZZ RIAA resumes college lawsuits?
news & noise
from the classic
city and beyond

TUESDAYS......$2 The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced in December

All Bottled Beers its intention to discontinue lawsuits filed against college students in favor of al-
locating funds towards proactively preventing downloading, rather than retroac-

WEDNESDAYS $2 tively punishing the behavior. Well…they may have lied. One George Washing-
ton student (and one alumnus) were recently slapped with fresh lawsuits, most
Domestics and Well Drinks
$ 2 WELLS & DOMESTICS
of which have cost roughly $4,000 in out of court settlements. A word to the
THURSDAYS • "POP LIFE" wise: most of the lawsuits have targeted file uploaders, not downloaders. A word

THURSDAYS... $2 FRIDAYS • "DRAG NIGHT" WITH DJ JASON

to the wiser: maybe lay low on the Limewire downloading for a little while.

High Life and Natty Light SATURDAYS • "HOME" WITH DJ ISAAC M CCALLA -Alec Wooden
Pitchers and Well Drinks
HAPPY HOURS THURSDAYS ALL NIGHT FOR SALE:
120120
E. WASHINGTON
E. WASHINGTON ST.
(Between
ST. •• DOWNTOWN
DOWNTOWN ATHENS
ATHENS FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS 9PM-11PM BOB MARLEY
(Between Copper
Copper Creek andthe
Creek and theBasil
BasilPress)
Press)
21 and up with proper I.D. $ 2 WELLS & DOMESTICS Imagine a future where everything
you eat, drink, read, and wear cap-
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/BLURATHENS
tures the essence and face of reg-
227 W. DOUGHERTY ST. • DOWNTOWN ATHENS gae legend, Bob Marley. Well, that just
might be possible. The late singer’s chil-
dren recently agreed to a merchan-
dising deal with private equity firm
Hilco Consumer Capital, and togeth-

Hope Animal Medical Center er they will be launching a joint (no,

EXCEPTIONAL CARE FOR EXCEPTIONAL PETS
Voted Athens’ Best Vet Clinic / Hospital in 2007 & 2008
new puppy & kitten care * Comprehensive exams * laser surgery
digital radiography * ultrasound * geriatric pet care
iPhoto. iMovie.
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1150 Mitchell Bridge Rd. * Athens, GA GarageBand. iWeb.
706.546.7879 All part of every new Mac.
Everything just keeps getting better for the Mac.
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macs • ipods • software • service
Epps Bridge Pkwy (across from Lowe’s) • 706-208-9990 • peachmac.com • Athens & Augusta
STAY TOGETHER
FOR THE KIDS
After an agonizing four-year hiatus, blink-182
is back and here to stay. At the 2009 Gram-
mys, the pop punk trio hopped on stage
for the first time since December 2004, an-
nouncing the reformation of their band. Lat-
er, they released a statement commenting
on the matter, “To put it simply, we’re back.
We mean really back. Picking up where we
left off and then some.” This includes a long-
awaited sixth studio album and a summer
2009 tour. Let’s hope the patched up band
can continue its legacy of rocking child-
hoods all across the globe. Also announc-
ing their reunion this month? Everyone’s fa-
vorite TRL memory. Limp Bizkit. Announcing
that they were “disgusted and bored with the
state of heavy popular music,” the band has
plans for a new album and worldwide tour.
— Kristen Lee
not that kind) venture called House
of Marley. Fans will be able to pur-
chase Bob Marley instruments, shoes,
clothing, snowboards and luggage,
while Marley Lager and Marley Cof-
fee are expected to hit the streets
soon. Also in the works are One Love coffee shops and a line of children’s story books
featuring Marley’s influential lyrics. In a recent interview the singer’s daughter, Ce-
della, said, “We’re open to licensing just about anything,” adding, “If it’s not right,
we won’t do it.” One of the reasons for the partnership is to tackle counterfeit Mar-
ley products, estimated to be worth $600 million a year black market. Looks like the
Marley clan has big, bold ideas...a gene they definitely inherited from their father.
-Kristen Lee
EASY, BREEZY, BEAUTIFUL...50 CENT
We all know 50 cent is easy on the eyes, but what’s
his secret to flawless, young- looking skin? Well, it
turns out, he wants to share his beauty secrets with
the whole world by launching his own line of cosmet-
ics for men. Now, don’t get too excited Pete Wentz. You
won’t find your guyliner here because Fiddy is keep-
ing it “manly” with boy moisturizers, macho night
creams and health supplements. Wow. Not only is
50 cent one of America’s prized rap stars, a million-
aire, and bulletproof — he is well-moisturized, too.
— Kristen Lee

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 37

MUSIC THE BUZZ
Sprockets/
PopFest 2009
cancelled
Weeks after the cancel-
lation of The Langera-
do Festival in Miami, the
economy has claimed
a local victim. As an-
nounced last month,
The Sprockets Music Vid-
eo Competition and Ath-
ens PopFest have can-
celled their 2009 events
because of the sag-
ging fiscal situation.
Says main festival orga-
nizer Gordon Lamb, “As both consumers and businesses tighten belts
this year, we deemed it unfeasible to press on with this year’s festi-
HAPPY HOUR
val in the current economic climate.” Sad news, indeed, but festival or- freshly prepared ‘09
BONNAROO coffee by the cup
INITIAL MON.-SUN. 3p.m. - 6 p.m.
ganizers stress the point of this being a one-year decision, and not re-
loose leaf teaannounced
LINEUP • local gelato • free wi-fi
flective of the festival’s future as a whole. Here’s hoping that’s right on.
www.redeyeathens.com $2 MARGARITAS!
-Alec Wooden One of the most celebrated music festi-
vals inlocated in the
the South (in theBottleworks
U.S. for that onmat-
Prince $1.50 DOMESTIC DRAFTS!
Free Parking
ter) has announced on Meigs
its line-up Street
for June 11-
behind
14 in Manchester, Tenn.the Headlining
Bottleworks. will be

3+ -3
'68
q

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (NEXT TO ACADEMY SPORTS)
MENTION THIS
(even after theAD FORBowl
Super 20% offthe
folly), ANY SINGLE ITEM
Beast- from the owners of La Fiesta (Eastside), re-opening soon!
until February 28, 2009
ie Boys, Nine Inch Nails and a double dip by
the recently reunited jam-band, Phish. If that
doesn’t tickle your fancy, there is a pletho-
ra of other acts that will for sure make the
indigo/Rialto taking shape trip worth your $224.50 (or more). Addition-
Things are moving along at 500 College Avenue for what is now a al artists include: Band of Horses, MGMT,
solid shell of the Hotel Indigo and Rialto Club, fresh off a “topping moe., Snoop Dogg, of Montreal and the Zac
out” party on March 6 to celebrate the completeion of the struc- Brown Band — just to name a few. If we’re
ture’s roof. The Indigo is a boutique hotel and the Rialto is a pri- lucky, there will be someone to step up and
vate club that, in addition to offering exclusive perks to its mem- blow everyone’s mind, much like My Morn-
bers, will be available for rental space and house live music acts. The ing Jacket did last year with a 35-song, 3
hour set in the pouring rain. Happy tripping.

is the bomb!
building(s) are slated for a grand opening sometime later this year.

-Alec Wooden — Will Hackett

ATHFEST DEADLINE APPROACHING KIDS EAT FREE

AthFest doesn’t get cranking until June 25-28 — but if you’re looking to be TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS 5-8pm
on stage, your deadline to be considered is quickly approaching. If you want
to submit online, SonicBids is the exclusive way to do so — visit www.sonic- SUNDAYS 12-3pm
bids.com/athfest. If you’re not into the whole digital thing, the submission com- *12 and under, 1 per adult meal purchase
mittee does accept physical mailings at P.O. Box 327, Athens, 30603. Submis-
sions must include the following: A copy of your latest CD, a band bio/relevant
press clippings, a current band photo and pertinent contact information. What
$5 SPECIAL
am I forgetting….right! A deadline. Materials must be submitted by April 1. 2 Bean Tacos, Chips, & Drink
— Alec Wooden for $5 anytime

GOT LOCAL OR NATIONAL NEWS FOR THE BUZZ?

Submit to editorial@athensblur.com with “Buzz” in the subject
Athens’ line.
Original “Do What You Like” Burrito Shop
Five Points • Lumpkin St., Athens, GA • 706.549.4868
38 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

questions
with
R
iding the memory of
friends past and six
months shy of his 74th
birthday, it seems Irish
folk legend Liam Clancy
finally has time to put
four decades of sustained
creativity into perspective
with the re-release of his
famous 1963 St. Patty’s Day
concert at Carnegie Hall.
Athens Blur Magazine: What’s your
earliest musical memory as a boy in
Ireland?
LC: “As a young boy I remember
walking up the bank of a river shore
and realizing that I knew a whole
song, ‘The Croppy Boy.’ And then I
said, ‘well, if this one feels so good,
maybe I’ll learn another song.’ And
it kind of took off from there. I was
a terrible romantic and dreamer. If
I hadn’t made it in this business,
The Clancy Brother and Tommy Makem blended music, theatre and cultural wit
I’d have ended up in the gutter
to become sensations of 1960’s Greenwich Village.
somewhere — because I had no
aptitude for anything else (laughs).”
ABM: Of course, you’re a man who’s
proud of your heritage. But you
weren’t exactly leaving paradise
when you sailed from Ireland,
correct?
LC: “In the early ‘60s, the British
occupation of Ireland wasn’t that
far removed. Ireland only became
40 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
Liam
Clancy
a country in 1948 when I was 13
years of age. There was still a great
deal of anger and a lot of people
who had witnessed the atrocities
of the occupations. So those things
were very much alive — and then,
of course, coming to America and
seeing similar things.”
ABM: And you certainly weren’t
coming to a place where everything it all back to me. So we were
by Alec Wooden
was perfect. Did you get to see any
of the Civil Rights movement first
hand?
LC: “Before these recordings
were made, I had traveled to the
(American) South — it was quite
startling to see the level of injustice
and discriminations, just like we
had suffered in Ireland. It brought
very involved in the Civil Rights
Movement because we came out of Paddy, and Tommy Makem. What
the background of similar injustices.”
was it like hearing that recording
ABM: Describe the artistic community again?
of Greenwich Village in the 1960s. LC: “I hadn’t heard (those songs) in
LC: “The one thing you have to
remember — the way we are going
through this (economic) down turn
now – is that the ‘60s were the upswing
from the terrible, terrible depression
decades earlier. Small town Ireland
was very much medieval. And when I
came to America, the first time I came
over was by ship. I didn’t know what
was happening to me, but I knew it
was extraordinary. So many kindred
spirits were coming into the Village —
people so much like ourselves, coming
from small towns and oppressed
backgrounds and finding spiritual and
artistic freedom. The euphoria of that
— it was incredible, it was all spanking
new, that was the amazing thing about
it. Spanking new. It would have been
great to be in the Village at that time
anyway — but to suddenly be on the
Ed Sullivan Show and have a measure
of celebrity was beyond your wildest
dreams. It was a very exciting time.”
ABM: When you saw the American
skyline from the boat for the first
time, do you remember your first
impression?
LC: “I thought it wasn’t a bit like
Hollywood (laughs). It was run
down West side by the docks, the
piers. Advertisements peeling off the
walls. It wasn’t at all the sparkling
Hollywood picture of America that
I expected. And then I settled in
Greenwich Village at my brother
Paddy’s apartment — and God
almighty, that summer was…rough. I
still remember sleeping on a mattress
on the floor and having cockroaches
scampering on my body.”
ABM: St. Patrick’s Day 1963 was a
special night, and a night cataloged
on this re-issue of your now-famous
concert with your brothers Tom,
45 years. (The record label) sent me
the proposed release discs , and it was
quite startling to hear after 45 years…I
probably would have heard some of the
It wasn’t as if you got off stage and then it was over.
Every night was a concert and a party because
we’d always be singing.
songs in the meantime on radio and
things like that — but never the entire
concert, which is a whole different
thing, because very often it’s not the
songs but the dialogue in between that
sets the period, ya know?”
ABM: The reception for the sound
of the Clancy Brothers was pretty
immediate. What do you think caught
people’s attention from the get-go?
LC: “We picked songs that were so
moving to us that we had to sing
them. And ironically, those were the
ones dropped by the imitators. People
started picking up on the up tempo
ones and singing them in pubs and
singing them to death — to the point
where they became nauseating. But
(the serious songs) were a great relief
from the perceived notion of Irish
songs — the songs written for the
Irish-American schmaltzy market.
And that wasn’t what we were about
at all. So something new was created.”
ABM: Did you have any idea of the
magic The Clancy’s and Tommy
Makem were creating in the
moment?
LC: “It’s hard to say. Having the
concerts was only part of the party,
ya know what I mean? It wasn’t as if
you got off stage and then it was over.
Every night was a concert and a party
because we’d always be singing. We’d
be in concert halls half the time, then
just singing in taverns, ya know. It was
a whirlwind. It was like being thrown
into a raft at the head of the Colorado
rapids and riding the rapids for the
next ten years. You didn’t have time to
think about anything else or put it in
perspective.”
ABM: Tom and Paddy died in 1990
and 1998, respectively, and Tommy
Makem passed in 2007. What do
you miss most about your former
bandmates?
LC: I find myself sometimes going
‘what the hell was the name of that
guy…’ and I go to pick up the phone
and call Paddy, but Paddy is dead.
Or something from Shakespeare will
come up and I’ll go ‘I’ll call Tom,’ and
I can’t. Ya know, the last man standing
is very tough. There’s no triumph in
the last man standing.”
ABM: You turn 74 this year, but you’re
certainly not slowing down, with a
new record due out shortly. What
continues to drive you into a fourth
decade of sustained creativity?
LC: “As far as the album goes,
it’s a much more reflective album.
Very, very different from some of
the older stuff. It’s definitely a sign
of the times. In general, ya know,
I’ve learned a lot at this stage. The
sun will rise tomorrow, and no one
knows what the next day will bring. I
think that’s the important thing is to
be receptive to what might happen.
Because in my experience, life has
been full of surprises, and no one
knows what the next tide is going
to bring. And that’s the lovely thing
about it, isn’t it?” B
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 41
 It was called 21, and I was lucky to be making a
Willie’s always stressed what we could find underneath

is more . Which was

living playing the harmonica. all that — and I found some great

always less
the “Nashville that playing. One of the songs, one of
Sound.” Endless So what is it that you’ve learned kind of drummed into me. the first recordings Willie ever did,
layers of thick the most from your four decades
playing alongside him? He’s always been one for “the I uncovered stuff that you couldn’t
here on the original recordings
harmonies and MR:If I could sum it all up, it’s really simpler , the better .” because they were covered up.
plush strings kept that “it’s not what you play, it’s
what you don’t play.” It’s the space Are you gonna head down to the
country music between the notes. When you’re local patent office with that
relevant in the young and just starting out, you’re way too loud and way too phrase (“un-producing”)?
rising times of busy, and you’re really not listening to anybody but yourself and
you just wanna get your licks in there. Now that I’ve mellowed out,
MR: (Laughs) I don’t think anybody wants it! It’s not too glamorous.
‘60s and ‘70s I hope, you choose what you play a little more sparingly. For me, What did you learn the most from revisiting these songs, many of
pop. It helped to it’s all about tone, and not necessarily how much or how fast I play. which are four decades old?
make Willie Nel- Willie’s always stressed that less is more. Which was always kind
of drummed into me. He’s always been one for “the simpler, the
MR: It just confirmed the fact that less is more — when you’ve got
a great song, you don’t need a lot else. All we needed was Willie
son a household better.” and the guitar, and we could have gotten by with that. To (Chet
name at RCA — Atkins’) credit, that’s what was selling at the time — that’s what
Speaking of simpler and better, you are the mastermind of the new people wanted to hear. But it didn’t work as well with Willie. Of 12
but, despite their “Naked Willie” records, I think only
mastery, some- collection due two songs charted.
thing about those

Willie
out soon. What And every record
sparked the idea? that came out
sessions never MR: This record at that time was
felt right. Four was produced done in that
decades later, by musical greats style. Chet knew

Gets
Chet Atkins and that Willie was
longtime Nelson Chuck Jarvis. Chet really special and
harmonica player was running RCA that maybe (the
Mickey Raphael and producing a Nashville Sound)

Naked
lot of their hits. The
finally got his style of the day
hands on the was “the Nashville
sound” where they
tapes and found would take an
out what was artist and a song
underneath. and — they called
it “sweetening”
By Alec Wooden — and put
wasn’t gonna fly,
but it’s what they
did at the time. It’s
the way records
were made. I
don’t wanna take
(Above Left) The younger versions of Nelson and Raphael lay down tracks in the RCA studios. (Above Right) Raphael on stage
anything away
from him — I just
during a recent tour. wanted to look at

W
illie was really your exposure to
country music, correct?
Mickey Raphael: Ya, I was really in the folk scene in the ‘70s —
didn’t know anything about country music. I was working with B.W.
Stephenson and was in the scene with Jerry Jeff Walker, Michael
Murphy — that was kind of the music world I was involved in. But
I was a big fan of The Band, The Rolling Stones, The Flying Burrito
Brothers, The Byrds, Gram Parsons...
So how were you able to score that gig as a 21-
year-old kid? Did you know, or was there any way to know, what a
MR: Let’s see…I went to work with Willie in 1973. On a fluke, I got
a call from Darrell Royal — at the time, the football coach at the
University of Texas. He was a real big fan and a real close friend
of Willie’s and invited me over to his hotel suite after a ballgame
and said, “I’ve seen you play before, bring your harmonicas, I’ve
got some of my friends who are singer and songwriters, they’ll be
passing the guitar around.” And Willie was one of the guys. I had
one record of Willie’s called “Willie Nelson & Family”, so I was kind
of aware of Willie, because he was really weird and eccentric and
different — but he wasn’t on my radar at all before this.
heavy strings it through another
and background lens.
Just sitting on the floor, just listening to his songs and his talking, he
singers on it to “sweeten” the performance. Country music was
so impressed me — and I thought, “this guy is really amazing.” And
he said, ‘If you’re ever around, come sit in with us.’ So I went and competing with pop at the time — Perry Como, Andy Williams — so Did it feel like more work at times to “un-produce” rather than
they wanted to break away and get it away from the fiddles and “produce?”
sat in with his band one night at a high school gymnasium outside of
banjos and be more of a cosmopolitan sound. They made great It was real time intensive. We went in and listened to everything and
Dallas at a benefit for a volunteer fire department (laughs). I really
records, but they were heavily produced. Lots of embellishments, there was so much leakage — some of the songs were recorded
struggled — didn’t know the songs, didn’t even know the classic
lots of strings and the background vocals. Listening to those, I love with everyone in the studio at one time — even the orchestra was
country songs he was doing. But it was really intriguing, and I knew
the songs – and I always thought that these songs were so strong in there. So you’ve got strings leaking into all the mics. But I didn’t
it was something I had to check out.
lyrically, they didn’t need all that. And I wondered what Willie would wanna start re-recording pieces because it would lose the integrity
have sounded like if he had a hand in the production back them. In of the original product. So I kept everything original, but it was real
the back of my mind, I knew these songs were great – and I know time consuming to find ways to clear the strings out without losing
how he records now, which is pretty basic, and I wondered what anything.
long and special career Willie was going to have? they would sound like. If you were to record them last week, or
record them the way he does now, what would they sound like? And what are the fans going to take away from it?
MR: No, not at all. In fact, I wanted to play with Waylon Jennings
Well, the fans that aren’t familiar with the originals, they’re just
(laughs). He had a harmonica player coming up that really influenced
Now, is this a typo on the credits, or are you really listed as the “un- gonna think it’s a good project with good songs. Some of the
me, named Don Brooks, who was from Dallas, where I grew up.
producer” of this record? younger fans may not even know of these songs. And then it might
So I was watching Donnie’s career and that really interested me.
MR: (Laughs) I couldn’t say I produced the record, because Chet spur them to and find the original and see how they were making
Donnie quit about the time I was with Willie, he just didn’t want to
Atkins produced the tracks. But coming in there and stripping all this records in the ‘60s. And all those things are still available. Even if
go on the road anymore. Willie was gonna take the summer off, so I
stuff off the tracks, I figured my credit would be “un-producing.” I they didn’t go back and look at the originals, it still makes for a
asked him if he could call Waylon for cause I wanted to go out and
was able to get a hold of the tapes, and I pitched it to RCA. I went great and unique Willie project. It’s the stuff that got me interested in
play with him, and he did. So I went out for a couple of months with
in, got the multitrack, and took the strings and the voices off to see Willie in the first place. B
Waylon. I just wanted to try something different — I had just turned

42 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 43

 F ans supporting bands on the brink of disaster is
not a new exercise. For decades, fans have been
helping to support the music they love by dropping a
with Sobule on the record.
“It was a joke when I did the $10,000 and you’d get
to sing with me on the record,” says Sobule, who came
few extra bucks in a jar for gas money at merch tables, or up with the fundraising levels over a glass of wine one
offering road-weary bands a sofa or floor for crashing. evening. “I never thought somebody would do that. And
They’ve donated money to help recover and replace somebody did!”
stolen equipment or repair broken down vans. At the end of fundraising, Sobule had tallied a
Now, musical acts are looking to their fans to help whopping $89,229 to finance not just the recording
start and sustain their careers in a whole new way. As of what would become her seventh album, entitled
the “Big Five” take fewer gambles on new artists and California Years, but also to establish Pinko records,
consistently drop “underperformers” from their rosters, Sobule’s own label.
in addition to the myriad acts looking for ways out of But the process can be even simpler. Arizona joke/
their contracts due to neglect, bands have begun seeking metal band Psychostick — most well known for their
the support of their fans to not just help them play viral video for “Beer is Good…and Stuff”, a song which
music, but get their albums made. topped the countdown on XM Radio’s Liquid Metal
Pop singer/songwriter Jill Sobule should know the program for seven consecutive weeks in 2007—raised
ins, outs and failings of money by offering fans the
the music industry better chance to hear their names
than almost anyone. immortalized in song
After finding moderate on an album they would
success in the 1990s, inevitably be funding.
most notably with her The song, which would
song “Supermodel”, which become the over 14-
landed on the soundtrack minute long opus entitled
to the 1995 quirky teen “373 Thank Yous”, was the
flick Clueless, Sobule’s path brainchild of Psychostick’s
has taken her through manager Anthony Caroto.
contracts with two major Inspired by other bands
labels and the bankruptcy who had offered fans
of not one, but two simply a chance to see
indie labels as well. Still their names printed in the
optimistic, Sobule broke liner notes, Psychostick
from tradition. Well-armed wanted to make the idea
with a significant-yet-small more appealing to their
fan base and buckets of fanbase.

Fan
industry know-how, she “We wanted to give
struck out solo. But there them a little bit more bang
was still one major obstacle (Above) Jill Sobule turned to her fands after two indie labels folded with her on the roster. for their buck,” says Rawrb,
to overcome: a big, fat They responded by donating over $80,000 to finance her new album. real name Rob Kersey,
dollar sign. the band’s jester-hat clad
“I wanted to do it on my frontman. “Hopefully one
own, but on my own, I had no money. There’s no trust of their favorite bands saying their name in a song on
fund,” Sobule’s raspy voice laughs over a mid-morning the CD would be pretty ideal.”

Funded
phone call from her home in L.A. “But I thought, I have
a small but really mighty fan base. I originally wanted
by Natalie B. David the idea of everybody being stockholders, but the way
that the laws are in the U.S. it would’ve been a difficult,
big mess, and impossible. So, I thought the second best
thing is donations, but in return I would give some sort
of gift at whatever the level would be.”
So to the fans Sobule went, offering donation levels
Masters of social networking and no strangers to
YouTube fame, the group posted a video on the site
humorously explaining the band’s plight and what they
hoped to achieve. For $50, fans names were included in
the song and they also received a free autographed CD
and poster from the band. Two businesses also donated
to the cause for slots at $250 each.
“We wanted to see what happened with that,”

As major labels become less relevant, bands look to

that ranged from as little as $10, which supplied a free
digital download of the album, to much larger figures,
like $1,000 for your own Sobule-penned theme song
their fans for the big $$$$. (which has turned into three per person: a spy theme,
Mary Tyler Moore theme and a dance theme) or $5,000
for Sobule to play a show in your living room. At the
precipice, fans could donate $10,000 for a chance to sing
explains Rawrb, noting that the business option didn’t
quite turn out as well as he would have liked. “Because I
don’t know if they would want their business name in an
album that has a bunch of goofy guys talking about food
and cussing every now and then, so I can understand
that.”
Ultimately, Psychostick raised $18,000 to put

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 45

 towards Sandwich, their follow up to 2006’s We
Couldn’t Think of a Title, surpassing their original goal
of $16,000 but still falling short on their dream goal of
$23,000. “We overshot the goal just because,
it’s kind of a psychological thing so that even if you
don’t reach your goal you’re still happy,” he says. “When
we reached 18, we were like, well, we have enough to do
what we want. So we’re happy.”
Beyond bands and artists taking their needs to the
fans themselves, several UK companies have begun to
tackle this task for artists. One such web site, entitled
Bandstocks, operates at the crossroads of supply and
demand, offering individuals
the chance to become music
world stockholders in albums
waiting to be created.
something the next day and put it online and,
eventually, over the course of a year or so, have a
pretty decent fan base if you know how to promote Need to get
yourself,” says Rawrb, echoing somewhat his own band’s your business
accomplishments. “The power of the Internet has given
even the smallest band a lot more power” rolling?
With that power comes a great accessibility to fans. Let us help.
Even greater than simply the ability to follow an act
on Twitter or comment them on MySpace, including
the fans in the album creation process makes them a
part of the music. Where Psychostick fans could hear
their names on record, donors to Sobule’s project had
the added option of giving
the singer feedback on her
tunes and even playing a
deciding role in what songs
t h e at h e n s

BLUR
Slightly more complicated made it on the record.
than either Sobule’s or “I recorded more songs
Psychostick’s tactics, than I put on the record,
Bandstocks works on a three- so I said ‘Everyone pick
MAGAZine
tier system. After signing up your six favorite songs,’ so
with the site as an investor, it was really interesting,” Contact
fans vote on potential says Sobule, who hopes to sales@athensblur.com
projects in stage one, continue corresponding or call (706) 207-9091
purchase stocks for projects to her diligent supporters. to ask about
that earn enough votes to “And, I have to say, pretty our affordable
move to phase two and, once much everyone’s point of advertising rates and
enough money has been view was really valid.” design options!
raised, or once time runs out, “Of course you get the
the projects move to phase one person who’s like ‘The
three: the production and EQ on the chorus of the one
marketing of the album. song…’” she laughs, “but
All investors, who even that was great. People
currently must be UK take the time to think about
residents, have their names it.”
credited in the first run of For bands at a crossroads
albums produced and also where one turn could mean
get a free download of the backing out of the industry,
completed record, as well asking help from fans is
as any other perks the band (Above) Joke/Metal band Psychostick raised $16,000 to fund a new record by offering incredibly logical. Including
fans a mention on an album track.
or artist wishes to offer. the people who would love
However, Bandstocks differs to see a band continue most
from solo D.I.Y.ers in one significant way: investors within the process will, in addition to giving them what
can earn back funds if the album becomes a serious they’ve been waiting for, make fans more loyal. After all,
commercial success. However, the Web site warns: every band is, at its core, fan funded.
“The people who buy Bandstocks should only do so “I think that’s important for any band to understand,
because they like the artist and want to be part of is to realize that your fans are what keeps you moving as
that collaboration, not because they are worried about a band,” he says. “If you want to be on any sort of level
overall financial results.” where it becomes your living, your fans will be the ones
But the end result of these new methods is, whether that put the money in your pocket, one way or another.”
bands go the fan-funded route on their own or with Although both Sobule and Psychostick hope they
the help of sites like Bandstocks, more than just money won’t have to repeat these experiments, at the end of
and services changing hands. With the emergence of the day, their fans’ contributions certainly won’t be
social networking Web Sites and the ever-increasing forgotten.
importance of the Internet within the music industry, “Maybe next time, the next album I’ll pay for. I
the long-standing gap between artist and fan is won’t need the donation system, but I’ll do something
shrinking ever smaller. different,” says Sobule. “But I’ll always do something to
“You could easily start a band tomorrow, record include the people that have supported me.” B

46 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

 Confessions
of a Groupie
The addiction started with a small dose. My favorite
indie-rock band was coming through town to a small
local club that held maybe 300 people at best. I had a
few drinks before the show, as I was underage at the
time, to give me a little “liquid courage.” Before the
band came to stage I planted myself on the steps stage
left. Security didn’t mind, as they were more focused on
watching the crowd in front of the stage, who had just
finished a massive mosh pit during the opening band’s
performance.
After what felt like hours the band came out and the
crowd went wild. The rush of excitement I felt being
so close to my favorite band was like that giddy feeling
you get when you are in a new relationship. I was in awe
during the entire performance. After the show ended, I
noticed the bass player, Kevin* hanging around greeting
fans and I felt the sudden urge to approach him. He was
dripping with sweat and his white shirt was soaked,
baring his skin underneath. I was nervous and when I
reached him; all I could manage to ask was, “Can I have
your shirt?” He laughed. “This sweaty, smelly thing?”
I shook my head yes. “Come with me, I’ll get you a
different shirt.”
The next thing I knew he was leading me to the “green
room” (a room designated for performers only). The
whole time I was trembling inside with nervousness.
A few other girls were escorted into the room shortly
after. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening — I
wanted to call every friend I knew who would be up so
late in the night but, alas, this was pre-cell phone days.
After a quick shower, Kevin led the group of us out
of the venue to the parking lot where a tour bus was
parked. This was the first time I had ever seen a tour bus
and naturally, asked for a grand tour. On the bus, there
were a few drunken girls baring their breasts to the
other musicians in the band.
From that night on I was officially addicted and
wanted to see what other and bigger bands I could hang
out with. The next concert was for a more recognized
band, Staind, who were on tour promoting Break The
Cycle. I went with two of my male friends. Together, the
three of us pushed our way to the front of the stage.
Again, with liquid courage, I felt compelled to get closer
by Vixen *
and get backstage somehow. This time proved more
challenging as they had a security guard blocking the
side entrance to get backstage. Luckily, a rowdy drunk
audience member distracted the guard long enough
for me and one of my guy friends to sneak past him.
There we were, standing on-stage with members of
Staind only a few feet away. We acted like we belonged
there, avoiding making eye contact with security. When
the show ended, we followed everyone else that was
backstage and the band that exited the back doors,
heading to another building where the green rooms
were. Just as we were about to walk into the building, a
man at the front entrance asked where our passes were.
My friend and I looked dumbfounded. I responded, “We
didn’t know we needed to wear them.” The guy smirked
and replied, “Sorry, no passes, no entry.” Disappointed,
we turned around and headed to the front of the venue
to reunite with our fallen comrade who wasn’t so lucky
sneaking backstage with us.
From then on every concert I went to turned into a
mission: find a way backstage to party with the band. I
wasn’t interested in sleeping with any, as most would
assume ‘groupies’ do. I was more about partying and
being friends with the members, although I am sure they
didn’t feel the same about wanting to just be friends
with me. For some reason there was a thrill in sneaking
backstage without getting caught but mostly it was for
bragging rights that I partied with “so and so.”
One weekend my best friend, Karen* and I decided
to make a trip up to Hollywood, California. We stayed
at the Hyatt on Sunset Boulevard, next door to The
Comedy Store. I had never seen stand-up comedy
before and had no desire to. Instead, we went to the
hot clubs around town — but as we walked back to
our hotel room, Karen had to use the restroom badly.
She asked a door guy at The Comedy Store to use the
facilities. Long moments went by and Karen had not
returned from the restroom so I asked to go investigate.
I walked up the stairs to the “original room’” and there
sat Karen, laughing as she watched the performance of
a local comedian. I joined her at the table and from that
moment became addicted to stand-up comedy. We spent
our next two nights in Hollywood at The Comedy Store,
running into comedians such as Pauly Shore, Eddie
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 49
 Griffin, Andrew “Dice” Clay, Joe
Rogan, Jon Reep, and so many more.
We partied with some and were
invited back to a few of their homes
for after-parties. We declined
personal invitations, however,
wanting to be just friends. We
continued to make trips back to
Hollywood as often as our wallets
would allow, spending most of our
time at our favorite comedy club. It
wasn’t until I heard an employee refer
to us as “groupies” that I realized
what these guys really thought about
us. We weren’t “cool chicks” they
enjoyed hanging with; they wanted to
get in our pants and were starting to
view us as teases. Needless to say, we
stopped going to Hollywood as much.
The addiction didn’t stop just
with band members or comedians. I
innocently became what most would
term a ‘baseball groupie’ after going
to my first spring-training game
with some friends. Kim* and I were
checking out a pitcher practicing in
the outfield near the wall where we
were sitting. He was cute, but I wasn’t
thinking anything past admiring
his physique. After a few moments
the player noticed us checking him
out and started making eye contact
with me. The next thing I knew he
mouthed the words, “Give me your
number.” I was so shocked that I
looked behind me to see if he was
talking to someone sitting nearby.
My now-jealous girlfriend started
freaking out and elbowed me. “You
lucky bitch! Give him your number!”
She ripped off a piece of her cigarette
box and managed to find a pen in her
over-stuffed bag.
I walked down a few rows to lean
over the wall and he came up to me,
shook my hand and took the piece
of paper. I remember thinking after
that he wouldn’t call. A few hours
after the game my phone rang. Of
course, I was so naive at the time that
I thought he wanted to take me on a
date but when he had me meet him
at his apartment, I quickly realized
otherwise and left. I didn’t know how
easy getting a chance to hang with
a baseball player was. I later learned
that our actions of checking the
player out and making eye contact is
usually a tell-tale sign to a ball player
that the girl is a groupie looking for
some action. But there was still that
rush of hanging with someone of
some level of fame. Thus, baseball
games became a new favorite past-
time and challenge to see who else we
could say we hung out with.
One time a girlfriend and I were
walking back to a bar from a spring
training game that had just let out
and a few players driving by us
stopped and asked if we wanted to go
back to their hotel room with them.
We said no because we wanted to
just party and say we hung out with
them rather than go sleeping with
any of them. There were a few players
we took up on offers of a night on
the town. When you walk into a
club with a major league player, you
get the royal treatment: reserved
seating, drinks on the house, or the
player you are with is buying you
and his entourage drinks all night.
Meanwhile, girls not in the group
shoot glaring looks of envy your way,
all the while you feel like a queen.
Over the years, I began weaning
myself from the need to hang with
celebrities. I realized most of these
men just want to get in your pants
and nothing more. You’re one of the
many notches they are hoping to
gain on their belt and most won’t
remember your name after they leave
town. A majority of the musicians,
comedians, and ball players were
married men looking to score on
the road with no strings attached.
“Celebrities” are people just like us
only they have cool jobs and get paid
a lot of money to do what they love.
The addiction wore off and became
the least important factor in my life.
Ladies, if you’re looking to nail a rock
star as a boyfriend, keep dreaming.
But if you are one of the lucky few to
do so, be prepared when they go on
the road without you; groupies are
everywhere and they want your
man. B
*Names
have been changed to protect the
innocence of groupies everywhere.
 
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TERRY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
musbus@terry.uga.edu
Applications are available online:
www.terry.uga.edu/musicbusiness
Of all things, it had to become
a tanning salon. When Record Express in
Middletown, Conn. shut its doors, Brendan Toller was
angry enough for being forced into finding a new avenue to feed
his vinyl addiction. But a tanning salon? Ouch.
The synthetic sun parlor was a salt-in-the-wound symbol for every “fake”
pillar of the music industry Toller thought had brought down his go-to vinyl spot.
“I really was sad and angry about it,” says Toller. “They would attribute [store
closings] to digital sales and downloading, which I knew full well wasn’t true. It was
corporate greed — major record labels pushing artists with little to no talent hoping to get
quick sales and nothing in the long term.”
So Toller set out to prove his point.
“I had been studying documentary film and it
seemed like a good thing to just take my camera to and
do a documentary about,” he said.
The genesis of his sensational film “I Need That Record:
The Death (or Possible Survival) of the Independent
Record Store” was really that simple. Toller grabbed his
camera, hopped in his car and headed anywhere that had a
story to tell.
“[Record stores] sort of started closing down and
shifting towards digital — the extreme version of the CD,”
says the filmmaker. “I don’t wanna seem too caveman,
ya know? But vinyl’s the complete reverse of that. It’s
got huge artwork, sound waves, the sound is much
warmer. Everything has gone so far forward and yet
so far reverse, people seem to want both sides of the
equation. Vinyl offers everything that digital doesn’t.”
Despite Toller’s fear of seeming too old fashioned, no one would actually see him as a caveman
because he is just 22 years old. This point, of course, lends no relevance to this story other
than to elicit a chuckle when considering most of the vinyl he loves is actually his elder.
But Toller is a poster-child — honestly, no pun intended — of sorts for a growing
phenomenon in American music culture. The consumer is falling back in love
with vinyl, as 2008 sales blew the roof off their projections, rising 89
percent in the calendar year, following a 15 percent spike in 2007.
Is America falling back in love with vinyl? Depending on
who you ask, it never fell out.
————
 A
ll bands want vinyl now.
Everybody wants vinyl.
They all do,” says Dylan
Magierek, working his
way through a sleet/snow mix on
the roads of Portland, Ore., where
he heads up the Badman Recording
Group. “Bands would always mention
it, and a lot of times it didn’t make
sense, but now it’s very important
that each of my bands do vinyl.
And I’m sure I could probably find
a bunch who would want to choose
vinyl over CD.”
Badman is well-suited for the
artistic community of Portland.
Founded in 1997, the independent
label and production company’s
flagship releases are from Innocence
Mission, My Morning Jacket and
Mark Kozelek — but its full roster
boasts nearly 30 clients, each of
whom find a unique niche in various
sectors of the industry. While the
majority of the clients on that roster
don’t sell more than 3,000 copies
of a recording, Magierek has an
understanding of their values in
today’s market.
“The last three releases we’ve done
have all been on vinyl,” he says. “But
we don’t do it on bands who we
expect to sell less than 500 because
it’s so cost prohibiting. If we can
move 500 LPs at around cost, I’ll do
it.”
Five hundred LPs. That’s crazy
talk for anyone with a major-label
mentality (which, by the way, does
not seem to make Magierek envious
— he’s been down that road before
as a one-time Universal music rep).
Selling only 500 units of just about
any band merchandise would make
most big time executives vomit in
their diamond encrusted Cheerios
and send said “failing” band packing.
But bands aren’t just flocking to
homes like Badman because they
can’t sell 500,000 copies of a record
— they’re doing so because of
Magierek’s reason behind supporting
the small peanuts of the industry.
“I love having LPs around,” he says
simply. “And bands love them. A
label doing an LP for a band is way to
54 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
make a band happy. Even if it loses a
little bit of money, it’s important to
keep your bands happy.”
D
id consumers suddenly
have a collective moment
of clarity and convince
themselves it was time to
start buying vinyl in mass quantities
again? Not exactly. By most
accounts, the digital industry has
actually set itself up for revisiting the
analog medium.
“The most interesting side of vinyl
to me is that it’s wrapped up into
the whole moving from vertical to
horizontal nature of what’s going on
in the music business at this time,”
says Steve Dixon, president of Red
Eye Distribution corporation, whose
catalog of over 3,000 titles makes
them one of the largest independent
distributors of physical and digital
music in the country. “Which is
to say ten years ago, there was
sort of like one thing [CDs]. The
horizontaling of the music business
is that you can buy [music] however
you want it and that’s what I like. I
like having these different formats
available, and I like the fact that you
can buy it on an online store or buy
it at a physical store or buy it direct
from the artists’ website. It’s a little
bit more decentralized but it offers
a lot more variety to match the
product, vinyl included, to whatever
the fans want.”
The last decade has proven
“whatever the fans want” is the
central pillar to music sales of the
future. When vinyl sales declined
during the rise of the CD, it was
what the fans wanted. When CDs
faltered in the face of downloading
and digital sales, it was what the fans
wanted. Now, fans seem to demand
any and every format.
“I think we’ll see more of that,
like record companies and artists
especially trying to cater their
offering to their fan base,” says
Dixon. “If the fans want a box set
of 45s they’ll do that, if they want
a vinyl with a download card they’ll
do that, if they want it on CD they’ll
do that. There will be these cool
offerings and I think that the fan
choice aspect of it is good and I
think that vinyl has added to that
equation.”
It’s becoming a fairly normal to
see music industry profit statements
colored in red. It’s a loser. A
worsening flop. But is really as bad
as it seems? Yes and no. Total music
sales in 2008 – Vinyl, CD, digital
albums and digital singles – actually
rose a substantial 10% from similar
figures in 2007. However, full album
sales (digital or CD) got hit with a
14 percent decrease from the year
before, pointing to digital single sales
being the biggest work horse of the
industry — leading many artists and
labels to encourage a hand-in-hand
growth of vinyl while still appealing
to Generation Y with free downloads
included in such a purchase.
“If you get a vinyl album with
a download card on it when you
purchase that format, you own the
whole record,” says Dixon. “You can
burn a whole CD of it, you can put
it on your computer, you can put it
in your iPod, you can play it on your
vinyl player, you know. It allows you
not to have to buy something twice
in order to have it on the format that
you might want, whereas if you buy
a CD, you’re stuck with not having
the vinyl option. If you want the
vinyl option you have to go and buy
it again.”
Whatever the reason, consumers
are buying records – but the question
remains: From where? The internet
seems a likely source, since so many
purchases now can be made with a
simple point and click. Not so much
on the Internet, but rather in your
local “mom & pop” record stores.
While this is a delightful thought
to the Brendan Tollers of the world,
it’s really about the least surprising
detail of 2008 vinyl sales to learn
that 2 of every 3 records sold were
done so in an independent store.
“You don’t have vinyl at Wal-Mart,
Target and such,” says Mike Turner,
the brains behind Athens, Ga.,
label Happy Happy Birthday To Me
Records. “Well, Best Buy is jumping
into vinyl, but if they aren’t careful
(and they won’t be) it could put
them in the same spot it put Tower
(Records) where they had loads
of vinyl and no one to sell it (to).”
Turner’s credentials surpass being a
label head — he’s also one of the two
vinyl purchasers for downtown’s own
Wuxtry Records.
Wuxtry (with two locations,
the other being down the road in
Decatur, Ga.) has been a snapshot
of the American vinyl culture since
opening in 1976. The melting pot of
Athens’ artistic community has long
fed a musical addiction for students,
musicians and tourists under
the watchful eye of nondescript
clerks with quiet demeanors and
encyclopedic knowledge about pretty
much every record, CD or cassette on
the racks.
“Any store can just blindly order
one copy of each release, but if you
do that you’ll go out of business.
If a store thinks it can just place
records on a shelf and they will sell
themselves then they will be stuck
with a lot of records,” says Turner.
“We take the time to listen and learn
about what we bring into the store.
We place orders daily, and some
titles we might only buy one copy
— but others, like the new Animal
Collective, of Montreal, Deerhoof,
Deerhunter, etc., we will order a box
lot [about 25 – 30 copies]. We deal
with [nearly 30] distributors in order
to carry a wider selection of vinyl.”
Turner is tuned in. Owning the
label helps, sure, but you can tell
from his words he takes pride in
carefully crafting a viable collection
at Wuxtry.
“Lots of things will determine what
we order,” he says. “Blog coverage,
Pitchfork [Media] reviews, regional
or local press push, bands touring
through town, customer requests,
our own personal tastes, and deep
back catalog.”
H
ere’s a fun exercise: Run
outside and find as many
13 to 24-year olds as
possible. It’s a safe bet most
will have a cell phone plastered to
the side of their face. And it’s a near
certainty that if they don’t, there
are two little earbuds coming out of
their head leading to an iPod or their
other preferred form of digital media
player. In today’s music world the
thought process is convenience sells.
Instant gratification sells. Portability
sells. Kids today don’t want anything
to do with those big ol’ black discs
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 55

mom and dad used to listen to when
they were in college, right? Oddly
enough, wrong. The most surprising
facet of 2008’s vinyl sales is not
necessarily that records are being
bought in mass — it’s how many are
being bought by American teenagers
and young adults.
“It’s so interesting for that age
group (to be buying vinyl) who tends
to get their music for free, and get
in online with quick access,” says
Badman’s big man Magierek. “They’re
gonna pay $15 or $20 for an LP? I
mean, it’s gonna be really difficult
to copy and share that as easily. It
reminds me of before I got into LP’s
as a kid. I loved collecting stamps and
coins. It could be somewhat related
to that, but way more entertaining
— there’s pop culture in it, there’s
so much more depth in it. And it’s
music and it could be timeless. So I
can see it being a new adventure for
kids.”
To vinyl junkie Toller, speaking of
his own age group, the exploration
of something new (in something old)
makes perfect sense.
“I certainly think it helps to have
parents that have records and they
probably don’t want them anymore
so [kids] can go through them. But a
lot of it, too, is that there’s just not
that many great acts [today], so a lot
of people are able to sort of go back
in time. People who are in their 20s
now are just getting into The Beatles
or Zeppelin. And where is the best
place to get that music for cheap? At
a record store.”
Toller’s “looking back to look
forward” theory carries some weight
when just glancing the top selling
vinyl list from last year. Second on
the list to Radiohead’s In Rainbows
(26,500 sold) is a re-issue of The
Beatles 1969 masterpiece Abbey Road
(16,500 sold). That is not a misprint.
The two best sellers of vinyl in 2008
were Radiohead’s album they gave
away digitally and a re-issue of
an album that everyone’s parents
already own.
“That’s why I say that I don’t think
there’s that many great acts that
56 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
people are exposed to today, and
that’s why kids are looking back to
that stuff,” says Toller. “Ya know,
I don’t think that (Abbey Road)
number represents 40-year-olds
buying Abbey Road again on vinyl.”
While Abbey Road is the oldest re
A&E MOVIE PREVIEWS
-issue on the list, it certainly isn’t
the only one. Also putting a serious
dent in ‘08’s vinyl sales were titles
like Pink Floyd’s 1973 release Dark
ARTS &ENTERTAINMENT
upcoming on the screen
Side of the Moon, Radiohead’s 1997
record OK Computer and (prepare
to scratch your head) Neutral Milk
Hotel’s In The Aeroplane Over the Sea making sure it’s worth your $9.50
from 1998.
While Mike Turner admits he’s
“old enough to have a 13 year-old
kid,” he’s got a bird’s-eye-view of
Duplicity
vinyl sales from his seat behind the (MARCH 20) (Tony Gilroy) Julia Roberts
Wuxtry counter, and he’s quick to and Clive Owen play a pair of romanti-
offer a more-than-educated guess. cally linked corporate spies working for
“I think part of it might be a bit of rival companies. They team up to rip off
a disconnect with digital,” he says. both of their bosses and score $40 mil-
lion, but first, they have to learn to trust
“The zine, cassette and vinyl are
each other.
all making a comeback right now.
There is a point where it really is too PREDICTION: A “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” meets
easy to find things these days — “Ocean’s Eleven”, this story’s already
and to search out an LP, cassette or been done too many times to count, but
zine, which is by far run in smaller with an all-star cast, the film will proba-
numbers than say it is to blog or put bly score pretty big at the box office.
MP3’s up on a MySpace, it might
be the sort of thing to where they
can own this culture. It’s something
special that they found. Now, with I Love You, Man
buying old records, it might just be
(MARCH 20) (John Hamburg) Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) pro-
that it’s usually cheaper to buy an old poses to his girlfriend, but he doesn’t have any guy friends.
Eagles, Billy Joel, Joe Jackson, Elvis He sets out to find a best man, and after a series of “man
Costello, or insert-name-here on dates” he finally clicks with Sydney Fife (Jason Segel). Fife
vinyl than it might be to find a new teaches Klaven how to be a man at some expense to his
or used CD.” relationship.
T
PREDICTION: With a cast full of the all-stars of modern com-
he exact reason for the vinyl edy, this flick promises to be chock full of dirty jokes, cheap
shopping spree is probably laughs and fun.
an amalgamation of all
these factors. When digital
is the childhood norm, you’ll need
something new to push the envelope.
And since the envelope is currently Knowing
being pushed to its technological
(MARCH 20) (Alex Proyas) A gripping action thriller about a
limit — though that will probably
professor (Nicolas Cage) who stumbles on terrifying predic-
change any day now — kids are tions about the future in the form of a piece of paper filled
looking backwards for their new fix. with random numbers, created five decades ago by an ele-
Is it the warmer sound quality? Is it mentary school student. As the numbers start matching up
the look? The feel? The interaction? to dates and death tolls from disaster’s past, the professor
One vinyl vet offers a big clue sets out to prevent future disasters from coming true.
without even trying.
“Right now my favorite record in PREDICTION: Looks like it could be worth your while, if
my collection is a test pressing of The you’re into the whole “end of the world” thing.
Mummies Play Their Own Records,”
says Turner. “Which I made a cool
mummy wrapped cloth sleeve and
hand drawn insert for.”
Try doing that with an MP3.
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 57
 A&E DVD RELEASE CALENDAR
A&E MOVIE PREVIEWS

OBSERVE &
REPORT upcoming DVD
RELEASE calendar
release
(APRIL 10) (Jody Hill) Seth Rogen
stars in this comedy as Ronnie
Barnhardt, a deceiving, self im-
portant head of mall security who
hopes to one day trade his flash-
light in for a badge and a gun.

PREDICTION: Nothing special. It *Twilight *Punisher: War Zone *Rachel *Walled In

seems like this is just an R rated
*Elegy Getting Married
17 Again
version of Mall Cop.

17
(APRIL 17) (Burr Steers) Mike O’Donnell

march
(Matthew Perry) finds himself 37 and mis-

State of Play erable with his wife and two teenage kids.
But Mike is given a second chance when he
is magically transformed back to the age of
(APRIL 17) (Kevin MacDonald) A star-filled cast including Ben Affleck (“Smokin’ Aces”, “He’s Just 17 (Zac Efron), where he is thrown into high
Not That Into You”), Rachel McAdams (“Wedding Crashers”, “The Family Stone”) and Russell school with his two kids.
Crowe (“Body of Lies”, “American Gangster”) is sure to take viewers through this crime thrill-
er, based on a BBC series by the same title. In the film, a team of investigative reporters work PREDICTION: Looks like this film could be a
alongside a police detective to try to solve the murder of a congressman’s wife. real winner with all the tweenies out there.

PREDICTION: With a solid cast and a solid plot, expect this to be a solid movie.

march 24 march 31
*Bolt *The Cake Eaters *Marley & Me *Timecrimes
*Big Stan *The Grudge 3 *Seven Pounds *Yes Man

*Columbus Day *Slumdog

Millionaire
*Passengers
*The Butterfly
*Quantum of Solace Effect

*Bedtime Stories *The Day The Earth *The Tale of *Not Easily Broken
Stood Still Despereaux april 7
The Soloist *Doubt
(APRIL 24) (Joe Wright) Starring Robert Downey
Jr. and Jamie Foxx, The Soloist portrays the un-
Crank 2: High Voltage Release dates
likely meeting and friendship of a Los Ange- (APRIL 17) (Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor) Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) faces a group are subject to
les journalist (Downey Jr.) and a homeless Juil-
liard-trained musician (Foxx), who suffers from
of Chinese mobsters who have replaced Chelios’ almost indestructible heart and re-
placed it with a battery-powered ticker that needs regular jolts of electricity to keep
change. Check
schizophrenia. working. movie websites as
PREDICTION: Without a doubt, this one will be a PREDICTION: Don’t expect this film to bring home any Academy Awards, but do expect a dates approach.
must see. lot of fast-paced and heart-pounding (haha, get it) action.

58 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 59


Finally
admitting
your
bromance
for Paul Rudd?
T he premise behind Paul
Rudd’s latest cinematic foray,
“I Love You, Man”, has him on the
verge of walking down the aisle
with the striking Rashida Jones.
Unfortunately, there’s one snag to
all the matrimonial bliss: he doesn’t
have a single male friend to appoint
as his best man.   in any business, whatever that is,”
If you’ve followed Rudd’s career
at any point over the past decade,
you know that plot line has a very
serious hole in it. (No, wise ass, the
hole has nothing to do with anyone
wanting to marry the “Clueless”
costar; Rudd’s actually had that
part covered in real life since 2003,
thanks.) It’s the no-male-friends
thing that’s so hard to believe. Rudd
is like that one co-worker you have
who rarely cracks a smile but always
has a timely joke. What’s not to
love?   career are roles where he’s this
 “I’ve been kind of a girlfriend guy,”
explains Rudd, 39, of his character
in the March release. “So, it starts
freaking my fiancé out and freaking
me out ‘cuz I never really thought
60 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
We Love
You,
Man
by DeMarco Williams
about it. I’m going to need a best
man for my wedding, so I go out and
try to find a friend. Then this movie
“I’m one of those guys,”
Rudd tells, “no matter how
old I get, if you fart, I’m
going to laugh for about
ten minutes.”
-Paul Rudd-
sorta follows these conventions of a
romantic comedy, but it’s between
two guys. I go on man dates, blind
dates. It doesn’t quite work.”
 What have worked in Rudd’s
Adam Sandler-like loveable loser
who can never seem to get all of his
ducks in a row. “Role Models”, the
’08 potty-mouthed laugher coming
to DVD this month, is the most
You’re
not
the
only
one.
recent example. Rudd’s memorable
supporting turns in  “40-Year-Old
Virgin”, “Anchorman: The Legend
of Ron Burgundy” and “Reno 911!:
Miami” also left audiences feeling
bad for the chap one scene and
fighting back gut-busting chuckles
the next. “It’s hard to make a living
says the New Jersey native. “To
try to do it on one’s own terms is
even harder. I thought, ‘I only want
to do things I really like.’ For the
most part, I have been able to kinda
stick to that. I mean, I have done
some real clunkers in there, too.
They don’t always turn out the way
you hope. I’m still always amazed
that people would hire me to do
something in a movie. It’s a job that
many people want. I just feel under-
qualified in almost every category.”
If you’re holding your breath for
Rudd to run off a list of duds he’s
been a part of, don’t; instead, the
new leading man offers, “If you have
this feeling that, ‘Oh, this is going
to be a clunker,’ more than likely it’s
PAUL RUDD
BORN: Forgetting Sarah
1969 in Passaic, NJ
YOU KNOW HIM FROM:
Marshall (2008)
Role Models (2008)
Clueless (1995)
Cider House Rules (1999)
UPCOMING RELEASES:
Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)
Anchorman (2004)
40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)
I Love You, Man (2009)
http://visionvideo.formovies.com
Knocked Up (2007)
going to be a clunker. The movies that I’ve worked
on that I really, really liked, and seemed genuinely
funny to me, in my opinion, have turned out
pretty funny.”
Just one week after “I Love You, Man” starts
cracking up audiences on March 20, Rudd returns
to the big screen – well, at least his voice does
– in “Monsters vs. Aliens”, Dreamworks’ latest
animated feature. “It’s strange because I feel
really distant from it,” says Rudd about the kiddie
flick. “You go to work one day for a few hours in
a sound stage and, six months later, you go do
another thing. It’s really isolated. I don’t really
work with any of the other people in the movie AVAILABLE 3/31
‘cuz it’s all just vocal. I will see that movie and
it will be very strange. I’m a character in it but
I don’t know what to expect. I’m really looking
forward to seeing it.”
Knowing Rudd’s recent box-office track record
(five of six of his last major releases earned $60
million-plus), the general public probably feels the
same way. There’s just something about the guy
that we all love. Maybe it’s the effortless cynicism.
Might be his spot-on comedic timing. It could just
be that the man is just like us. “I’m one of those
guys,” Rudd tells, “no matter how old I get, if you
fart, I’m going to laugh for about ten minutes.”
Duuude, us too! B
— 749 W. BROAD ST.— 706.543.7701
Screen shots from “Monsters vs. Aliens” (top, bottom left) — 2301 COLLEGE STATION RD.— 706.549.6900
and “I Love You, Man” (above right)
— 2405 JEFFERSON RD. — 706.227.2299

what you
see
is what
you get
Paula
Poundstone
returns
to Athens
C elebrating 30 years as a
comedian, Paula Poundstone
continues to hone her craft,
with her razor-sharp wit, candid
take on circumstance and
unassuming improvisation. This
veteran road warrior, TV star and
celebrated author doesn’t fear
the newcomers to comedy. The
younger guys jump at the chance
62 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
to share the stage with her for
one brief moment at the mic in
front of her following. There’s no
competition between the older
generation and the newbies;
there’s just pure, unadulterated
comedy, and Poundstone remains
ever quirky and relevant.
“I have an intelligent audience that
responds to things of certain humanity,”
said Poundstone, who brings her
show to The Classic Center Theater in
downtown Athens on Thursday, March
26. “I’ve had a nice, sustained career
that I am truly grateful for with a steady
stream of younger fans. I love the
audience; they are very special.”
A CableACE and Emmy Award winner,
Poundstone has built a career that’s
anything but ordinary, with HBO
specials, a show on ABC, numerous
appearances on primetime programs
(including “Hollywood Squares” and “To
Tell The Truth”), a comedy feature on
BRAVO, voiceover work for shows on
Cartoon Network and ABC and a panel
position on a highly acclaimed news quiz
show on National Public Radio (NPR).
“‘Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!’ on NPR
is so much fun to do. The audiences are
great and people often listen from home
and respond,” said Poundstone. “One
lady told me that I just helped her do
her laundry. The idea that I could lighten
anyone’s ‘load’ is pretty flattering.”
Jumping on a Greyhound bus at 19
to pursue an opportunity as a dancing
bear in the Disney parade in Orlando,
Poundstone found herself instead
“busing” at the local IHOP and never
staying in the same place for more than
two or three months at a time.
“A year in any one place seemed like
too long of a time at that age,” said
Poundstone. “I didn’t quit school to
pursue comedy, I just quit.”
Growing up in
Sudbury, Massachusetts, Poundstone
moved to Boston in 1979 to develop
her stand-up routine on the open mic
circuit. Later relocating to California,
she began to flourish on stage in San
Francisco and was eventually cast
in the movie “Hyperspace” in 1984
in Los Angeles. Billed as the film’s
star, Poundstone instead referred to
herself as the “squeaky wheel” of the
production.
Though the roots of her success are
in local comedy clubs, Poundstone’s
preference these days bends toward the
local community theater.
“It’s a great welcoming card when your
audience is in their seats and they’re
there, ready to laugh,” said Poundstone.
“I don’t care for the interruption of
the waitresses and the food in a club,
but I do still have a soft spot for the
atmosphere.”
Given her stint on the “Tonight
Show” with Jay Leno providing political
commentary for the presidential
election in 1992 and again in 1996
on the “Rosie O’Donnell Show”,
Poundstone was chosen as the first
woman to ever perform at the White
House Correspondents’ dinner.
“I have an interest in
politics, but I am
not an expert on
politics,”  teacher, Faye Ruopp, Poundstone has
said Poundstone.
“In my early years
I didn’t think that
it touched me.
Now it’s of
daily importance.
I’m
not a
huge activist; maybe
I should be.”
“I have an interest in politics,
but I am not an expert on
politics,” said Poundstone. “I don’t insist
that I’m right, but I am open to the
possibility that I’m wrong. In my early
years I didn’t think that it touched me.
Now it’s of daily importance. I’m not a
huge activist — maybe I should be.”
Though her comedy material always
touches on the political climate of the
time, Poundstone surmises that her act
is a total autobiography, featuring the
topics that peak her daily interest. While
public transportation and busing tables
seemed to dominate her early comedic
career, these days she’s more focused on
anti-aging treatments and weight loss
tactics — citing that vomiting should
be an honorable event, not a side effect
from the latest augmentation.
A suit with a tie have long served
as an image piece for her persona,
but Poundstone claims the wardrobe
actually functions as camouflage for
wearing the same shirt for an extended
length of time.
When asked if it’s easy to separate
her “stage life” from her “personal life,”
Poundstone simply cites that she can’t
turn it off.
“What you see is what you get,” she
said. “I’m annoying. I can’t do a parent-
teacher conference — I dominate the
conversation.”
This single mother of three adopted
children was recently named the
national spokesperson for Friends of
Libraries U.S.A. (FOLUSA) — a citizen
support group that helps raise money
for local libraries, children’s summer
reading programs, author events and
equipment needs.
Along with her high school math
also authored a series of math textbooks
for children entitled The Sticky Problem
of Parallelogram Pancakes, Venn Can We
Be Friends? and You Can’t Keep A Good
Slope Down.
Poundstone — who says her first
book, There’s Nothing In This Book That I
Meant To Say, took nine years to write –
has contracted for another book due to
her publisher in a year. She doubts she’ll
make her deadline; she remarks her
publisher shouldn’t find this surprising.
“Writing books is a grueling act for
me,” said Poundstone. “You have to
continually come up with characters
and situations and say stuff about
yourself…I talk to my fans on Facebook.
I’m tagged on all the social networking
sites.”
Excited about her upcoming
appearance at The Classic Center
Theatre, Poundstone last appeared
in Athens in October 1997 at the
University of Georgia as a part of their
pre-homecoming festivities.
“I once performed at an AIDs
fundraiser in San Francisco where I
shared a big stage with Linda Ronstadt
and Shirley McClain,” said Poundstone.
“At the time I felt like a little ‘club
person’…Now, there’s really no
difference to me between the crowd at
the theater or the club — there’s just a
difference in the way I can communicate
with them.”
— Luanne Byrd
Paula Poundstone is the last performance of the season
in The Classic Center’s Comedy Series. Tickets for the
March 26 show at 9 p.m. are priced from $10 to $40. For
tickets or information please call 706.357.4444, visit www.
classiccenter.com or stop by The Classic Center Box Office at
300 N. Thomas St. in downtown Athens.
ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 63
 MEALS
more ways to
FOR YOUR
pinch pennies
with your
grocery list By Jacquie Brasher

JERK CHICKEN • JERK PORK •

BBQ CHICKEN • SPICY CABBAGE The Joys of Ramen Noodles
• SPICY SQUASH • MACARONI I consider myself the Ramen Noodle
Queen. There haven’t been many ramen
AND CHEESE • CORNBREAD & noodle packets that I have spurned. I’ve
TEA INCLUDED WITH MEAL !!! eaten these yellow squiggly squares of
deliciousness ever since I was old and tall
enough to work a stove. And, by the way,
it’s pronounced RAH-mun, not Raymond.
1583 S. LUMPKIN ST. These noodles can sustain you
ATHENS during some pretty brutal days when
(706) 208-0000 you feel no one loves you. Well, the
ramen noodle loves you, and here
are some innovative ways to eat it.
This brings me to a very simple and
wonderful ramen dish I call: The Buffalo
Double “O” Bonding is your Georgia Bail Bond Specialist. Chicken Noodle. You can count the
ingredients on one hand. This was
discovered quite by accident, and, by
the way, is a great hangover cure.
free bailbond
c o n s u ltat i o n
Buffalo Chicken Noodle for One
Serving Athens, surrounding counties 1 packet ramen noodles, chicken flavor
1 slice Kraft American cheese
and Georgia, for over 20 years 1 teaspoon Texas Pete hot sauce
“Where it’s always springtime”®
Directions:
Put the required amount of water in a saucepan. Bring

L E “O ” B ON water to boil. Add noodles and stir. Reduce heat so nothing

B D boils over. Add flavor packet. Stir. Add the slice of American
cheese. Stir until dissolved. Add the hot sauce. Stir some
U

IN
DO

more. Remove from saucepot into bowl. Serve piping hot.

G

www.doubleobonding.com 706.353.6467 Slurp and enjoy. Note: You can add more or less hot sauce
SE R V IN

depending on your wimp factor. Also, please do not try to

YE ARS

substitute with real cheese. The effect won’t be the same, and
AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY SEVEN DAYS A WEEK the cheese will clump up on you. No, this recipe calls for the
G

We pride ourselves on our fast & friendly service G

20

EO blissfully less-than-pristine processed kind that dissolves.

RGI ER

-FYJOHUPO
3PBE
t
"UIFOT
(FPSHJB
 A FO R OV

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 65

 Eat your Greens
If you like broccoli and cheese, this next
recipe will be similar, just with noodles:
Broccoli and Cheese
Drop it Like its Hot
If you like Egg Drop Soup, you’ll like this one. I taught
it to a college friend of mine who, from that day on,
always told anyone who was cooking ramen noodles to
“drop an egg in it!”

Chicken & Mushroom Noodles

1 packet ramen noodles, chicken-
Drop-An-Egg-In-It Noodles TUESDAYS......$2
All Bottled Beers
mushroom flavor 1 packet ramen noodle, chicken, pork or Oriental flavor
1 slice Kraft American cheese
½ cup chopped raw or cooked broccoli florets
1 egg
1 stalk green onion, chopped WEDNESDAYS $2
Domestics and Well Drinks
A dash of sesame oil (optional) $ 2 WELLS & DOMESTICS
RE-OPENING
THURSDAYS • "POP LIFE"
Directions:
Prepare the noodles. After noodles are soft,
Directions:
THURSDAYS... $2 FRIDAYS • "DRAG NIGHT" WITH DJ JASON

SOON!
Prepare ramen noodles as directed. While that cooks,
add the broccoli and American cheese. Stir for
crack an egg in a bowl and whisk slightly. After noodles High Life and Natty Light SATURDAYS • "HOME" WITH DJ ISAAC M CCALLA
about 2-3 minutes. Serve hot. Note: I use raw Pitchers and Well Drinks
are gently boiling, add the egg and stir until “clouds” of
broccoli, because I have an aversion to mushy HAPPY HOURS THURSDAYS ALL NIGHT
egg form. Pour into a bowl. Garnish with the chopped 120120
E. WASHINGTON
veggies. If you like broccoli raw, use it raw. If E. WASHINGTON ST.
ST. •• DOWNTOWN
DOWNTOWN ATHENS
ATHENS FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS 9PM-11PM
green onion and dash of sesame oil. Serve very hot. (Between
(Between Copper
Copper Creek andthe
Creek and theBasil
BasilPress)
Press)
not, boil your broccoli in the water for about $ 2 WELLS
2 minutes before you add the noodles.
21 and up with proper I.D. 1395 COLLEGE STATION RD
& DOMESTICS
ATHENS, GA 30605
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/BLURATHENS
706.549.5933
227 W. DOUGHERTY ST. • DOWNTOWN ATHENS
Cravin’ Asian?
Ramen noodles can also be used as a base
for just about any kind of Asian noodle
recipe.Here’s one that’s pretty easy to make.
Hope Animal Medical Center
EXCEPTIONAL CARE FOR EXCEPTIONAL PETS
Spicy Beefy Noodles
Voted Athens’ Best Vet Clinic / Hospital in 2007 & 2008
with Vegetables new puppy & kitten care * Comprehensive exams * laser surgery
Culinary Missionaries
digital radiography * ultrasound * geriatric pet care Exemplar WIne Selection
2 packets ramen noodle, Oriental flavor grooming * pet insurance * boarding
½ cup of thinly sliced roast beef 1150 Mitchell Bridge Rd.
½ cup shredded cabbage or Romaine lettuce It is Mirko Pasta’s mission to *bring
Athens, GA
½ jalapeno pepper, chopped finely delicious food to706.546.7879
your table the
Dash of sesame oil (optional) real Italian way—homemade,
simple, healthy and affordable.
Directions: ATHENS
Add the jalapeno pepper to the water with 1040 Gaines School Rd.
the noodles and spice packets. When noodles Athens, GA
come to a boil, add the cabbage or Romaine. Think of ramen noodles as a canvas, and you’re the 706.850.5641
Stir into the noodles until vegetables are tender, hungry artist. You can add just about any kind of leftovers to WATKINSVILLE
but not limp. Add the roast beef and stir into a bowl of ramen noodles. The trick is to match the flavor packet
the noodles and vegetables. Pour into bowls, 2 S. Main St.
with the leftovers that you’re adding to it. For example, if you have
sprinkle with sesame oil, and serve immediately. 706.310.1233
leftover scrambled eggs, you can add that to any ramen noodle
Serves two people, or one person with a big CATERING
flavor. However, if you’ve got leftover pork, chicken or beef, mix
appetite. If you don’t want to use roast beef, you (404) 668-8510
can substitute with cooked chicken or pork. them with the corresponding flavor packets. Like any respectable
Vulcan would say, it’s just logical. Have ramen and prosper! www.mirkopasta.com
chef: Mirko Di Giacomantonio pasta made fresh daily
66 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
athens live on the town

see your
photos here!
submit to
editorial@athensblur.com

ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 69

 PHOTOS BY SANDRA GALLARDO, GEOFF POSS of VIII EAST GRAPHICS,
LIZ BOESLER, ALEC WOODEN, NICOLE BLACK

see your
pics here!
submit to
editorial@
athensblur.com

PHOTOS BY SANDRA GALLARDO, GEOFF POSS of VIII EAST GRAPHICS,

LIZ BOESLER, ALEC WOODEN, NICOLE BLACK ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE 71
concert shots
1 2 3
on the stage

6 6 7

8 10

11 12

see
your
our scooter drivers love getting
pics 11 13
here!
submit 14 15 Anyway, it’s better to wake up next to
to
editorial@
athensblur.com

1.866.75.NODUI
SET UP AN ACCOUNT TODAY! DON’T TAKE A CAB, CALL ZINGO AND

14
WE ALSO TAKE CREDIT CARDS! GET YOU AND YOUR CAR HOME SAFE!
GIFTCARDS AVAILABLE! WITH THREE PEOPLE, IT IS THE SAME
PRICE AS A CAB!

JazzChronic @ Nowhere Bar (Alec Wooden) Mother Jackson @ 40 Watt (Daniel Peiken) Appetite For Destruction @ Georgia Theatre (Sandra Gallardo) )
Vic Chesnutt and Andrew Reiger (Daniel Peiken) None More Black Repertory Company performance @ Canopy Studios (Dorothy Kozlowski) Bobby Comp-
www.zingoathens.com
ton Band @ Tasty World (Alec Wooden) Sugarland @ 40 Watt (Kim Jones) JazzChronic @ Nowhere Bar (Alec Wooden) Tin Cup Prophet (Daniel Peiken) .
Modern Skirts @ 40 Watt (Claire Boozer) The Premonitions @ Flicker Bar (Liz Boesler) Elf Power @ 40 Watt (Daniel Peiken) Sugarland @ 40 Watt (Kim possibly the only good decision you’ll make all night
Jones) Madeline Adams @ Go Bar (Claire Boozer) Patterson Hood and Friends @ Farm 255 (Daniel Peiken)

BLUR EVENT CALENDAR
go ahead : make my
upcoming events in athens and atlanta
ATHENS 
March 17
Resident Patient, Kinetic
Stereokids, Uncle Owen
Aunt Beru
Caledonia Lounge, 9:30
p.m., $5
The UGA Law School
Talent Review
40 Watt, 8 p.m., tickets TBA
A Very Special Terrapin
Tuesday St. Patrick’s Day
celebration with Short
Road Home and Green
Flag
The Melting Point, 7:30
p.m., $5/adv., 18+
March 18
Takka Takka, Sister Suri,
Birds & Wire
Caledonia Lounge, 10 p.m.,
$5
John Straws Blues Series
feat. Blues Crossing
The Melting Point, 8 p.m.,
$5, 18 +
March 19  40 Watt, 9:30 p.m., $6
Bloodkin, Backyard Tire
Fire
40 Watt, 9 p.m., $5
STS9
Georgia Theatre, 9 p.m.,
SOLD OUT  $5
Pastor of Muppets
Caledonia Lounge, 10 p.m.,
$5/$7>21
74 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE
BLUR EVENT CALENDAR
date
Kort McCumber &
McCumberland Gap
The Melting Point, 7 p.m., $3,
April 1 
Diamondback
Alibi Saloon, 9 p.m., $3
A. Armada, The Bronzed
Chorus, O’Brother, Rova
April 20
Dinosaur Jr.
40 Watt, 9 p.m., $16/adv.
Georgia Theatre, 9:30 p.m.,
$12/adv.
April 23
Zetella North Mississippi
Caledonia Lounge, DJ Logic and the New
Allstars with Hill County Mastersounds with
Matt & Kim, Chrissakes 9:30 p.m., $5 Review
Bloodkin, Backyard Tire Cinemachanica, Val Emmich with Sons of 40 Watt, 9 p.m., $10/adv. Moon Taxi
Fire Medications, Edie William Georgia Theatre, 9 p.m., Georgia Theatre, 10 p.m.,
Pigs on the Wing-Pink $15/adv.  
40 Watt, 9 p.m., $5 Sedgwick The Melting Point, 9 p.m., $
Caledonia Lounge, 10 p.m., 8/adv. ,18+
Slightly Stoopid Floyd Tribute $12 adv.
Georgia Theatre, 9 p.m., Georgia Theatre, 10 p.m.,
Monthly Jazz Series with $6 $20/adv.  $10 April 21
SQUAT Chairlift, Yacht, Acrylics April 24 
The Melting Point, 6 p.m., Terrapin Tuesday 40 Watt, 9 p.m., $10/adv. Dengue Fever, Chica
$5, All Ages Bluegrass feat. The April 2 April 10 Libre Dubconscious and the
Suggins Brothers Live Well 40 Watt, 9 p.m., $10/adv. Fuzzy Sprouts
The Melting Point, 7 p.m., Alibi Saloon, 9 p.m., Free Copeland, This Tracer Bullet Georgia Theatre, 10 p.m.,
March 20  $3,18+ Providence, Paper Alibi Saloon, 9 p.m., Free $10 
The Arcs, The Jack Route, Brooke Waggoner April 22
STS9 Burton, Vincas 40 Watt, 8 p.m., $20/adv. Allison Weiss, Casper
Georgia Theatre, 9 p.m., March 25 Caledonia Lounge, 10 p.m., & the Cookies, Spring Manchester Orchestra,
The Normaltown Flyers
30th Anniversary
SOLD OUT  $5/$7>21 The Plague, Solar Tigers Fun, Audrey Sessions Concert
An Evening with the Caledonia Lounge, 10 p.m., 40 Watt, 9 p.m., $5 21+, 40 Watt, 9 p.m., $10/adv.
Gene Ween Band The Melting Point, 8 p.m.,
Albatross $5/$7>21 $7<21
Alibi Saloon, 9 p.m., Free 40 Watt, 9 p.m., $15/adv. March 28  “Funkman” Tour feat. Del
$12, 18+
Abbey Road Live the Funky Homosapien,
The Empties, Dropsonic Sound Horses, These Are Butch Walker, Ponderosa April 3  Georgia Theatre, 9 p.m., Mike RElm, Bukue One,
Caledonia Lounge, 10 p.m., Powers (ex-Liars), Untied 40 Watt, 9 p.m., $20/adv. $10 and Serendipity Project
$5 States Hillary Lindsey
Caledonia Lounge, 10 p.m., Ghostland Observatory Songwriters in the
$7/$9>21 Georgia Theatre, 10 p.m., Round presented by The April 11
March 21  $20/adv.  Tumornators (benefiting
John Straw’s Wednesday the Children’s Tumor Southern Soul
STS9 Blues with ROCKIN JAKE James Hunter Foundation) Alibi Saloon, 9 p.m., $3
Georgia Theatre, 9 p.m., The Melting Point, 8 p.m., Alibi Saloon, 9 p.m., $3 The Melting Point, 7:30
SOLD OUT  $5 p.m., $17/adv., 18+ Lazer/Wulf, All That
The Gourds CD release March, Kill Lebanon
VH1 Save the Music party Blake Whitworth &
Benefit Concert
March 26  The Melting Point, 9 p.m., Friends
40 Watt, 9 p.m., $7
Featuring: Behind the $15/adv., 18+ Alibi Saloon, 9p.m., Free Nautilus
Sun (RHCP Tribute Band)  The HEAP Deluxe P-Funk
cover show with Snarky Georgia Theatre, 10 p.m.,
El Scorcho (Weezer Rehab
Tribute Band) Puppy March 29 Georgia Theatre, 9 p.m.,
$5
Georgia Theatre, 10 p.m.,
$10  Ari Hest, Tim Brantley,
$15/adv. 
David Koon
April 13
The Big Don Band Night Moves Gold,
Alibi Saloon, 9 p.m., Free Dead Confederate, The Melting Point, 8 p.m., Excalibrah and Lil Flip
The Hoot
Summerbirds in the $8/adv., 18+ Scoldjah, Cassavetes, DJ
The Melting Point, 7:30
Karbomb, So It Goes, Cellar, The Interns, MB p.m., Free, All Ages
Appomattux
Bastard Suns, APOB
40 Watt, 9 p.m., $7/adv. March 31  Caledonia Lounge, 10 p.m.,
Caledonia Lounge, 10 p.m., $5/$7>21
Emmitt-Nershi Band April 15
March 27 with Town Mountain April 4 Benjy Davis Project
March 24  Boombox
Georgia Theatre, 9 p.m.,
Georgia Theatre, 10 p.m.,
$12/adv.  The Whigs, Dark Meat,
Georgia Theatre, 10 p.m., $7
Vetiver, Larkin Grimm The Sammies
$10/adv. Terrapin Tuesday
40 Watt, 9 p.m., $10/adv.  40 Watt, 9 p.m., $15/adv.
Bluegrass feat.
 BLUR EVENT CALENDAR
BLUR EVENT CALENDAR
April 25 March 18    March 21  Comedy Night March 27  8 p.m., $42.50/adv.  The Five Spot, 8:30 p.m., Jeffrey Bützer CD
Hosted by Alyssa $15/adv.  Release Show, A Fight
Fester’s Farm Victor Wooten & J.D. Ani Difranco, Special Barnett & Jessica Rose Devil Wears Prada, A Day Cowboy Envy To The Death, Dancer Vs.
Alibi Saloon, 9 p.m., Free Blair Guest: Toshi Reagon Eddie’s Attic, 7:30 p.m., To Remember, Sky Eats Eddie’s Attic, 5 p.m., $5 The Last Waltz Ensemble Politician 
Variety Playhouse, Variety Playhouse, 8:30 $10/ $50 tables   Airplane, Emarosa Children / $8 Adults / $40 Smith’s Olde Bar, 8 p.m., The Drunken Unicorn, $5
The Jimmy Herring Band 8:30p.m., $22.50/adv. p.m., $36  Masquerade-Heaven, 6 tables   $20/adv. 
The Melting Point, 9 p.m.,   The Gourds Stimulus p.m., $16/adv.  Dumpstaphunk
$20, 18+ Quench, Royal Family, Fishhawk, Today The Package Guggenheim Grotto Rebuilt Records Smith’s Olde Bar, 8 p.m.,
We Won’t Stop, Stone Moon Tomorrow The Smith’s Olde Bar, 8 p.m., Punch Brothers Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $12 Presents: The Good $15/adv. 
Fox Sun, Weep   $15/adv (2 for 1)   Variety Playhouse, 8:30 adv./ $15 at the door / $60 Fight, Bethany Dick,
April 28  The Drunken Unicorn, $6   The Drunken Unicorn, $10/ p.m., $20  tables  Bonnie Bishop, Paul Record Release: Michelle
Reeves, Malone, Nathan Beaver
       adv.  March 25  Jason Harwell & Ryan Rockitt
Steve Kimock Crazy The Bowmans, Julia Zoroaster “Voice Of March 30  Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., Eddie’s Attic, Early Show:
Engine Rose, Korby Lenker Bobby Yang Bang Camaro Saturn” CD Release
Georgia Theatre, 10 p.m., Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $10/ Eddie’s Attic, Early Show: 7 Show, Hell Comes To $10 adv./$50 tables  7:00pm, Late Show:
Masquerade-Hell, 7 p.m., The Presets, The Golden 9:30p.m., $18/adv.  
$20  adv., $50 tables  p.m., ALL AGES, Late Show: $12/adv.  Town, Subrig Destroyer  Filter
9:30 pm 21+ ONLY, $12 The Drunken Unicorn, $7/ Masquerade-Heaven, 8 April 4 
Terrapn Tuesday Delta Moons Side Porch, adv./$60 tables  Butch Walker and adv.  p.m., $16/adv.  April 7 
Bluegrass feat. Spring Special Guest: Col. Bruce his Gang of Musical Destruction, Krisiun,
Creek Hampton BoomBox Melodymakers Ari Hest, Tim Brantley, Mantic Ritual Robyn Hitchcock & the
The Melting Point, 7 p.m., Smith’s Olde Bar, 7 p.m., $8/ Smith’s Olde Bar, 8 p.m., Variety Playhouse, 8 p.m., Nick Niespodziani (of March 31   Masquerade-Hell, 7 p.m., Venus 3
$3 adv.  $12/adv.  $26.50/adv.  Y-O-U) $15/adv.  Variety Playhouse, 8 p.m.,
    Eddie’s Attic, 8p.m., $12 The K-Macks, The Daniel, $17.50/adv. 
April 29 March 22  adv./$60 tables   Lee Band, Chip Greene
March 19   Phosphorescent, Deer
Smith’s Olde Bar, 7 p.m., $5 
Afro Cuban All Stars
  Tick Variety Playhouse, 8 p.m., Jimmie’s Chicken Shack
Robert Randolph and Dave Daniels & The PTA,  The Drunken Unicorn, $8/ $25/adv.  Smith’s Olde Bar, 8 p.m., $12  
Cadillac Sky, Jeff & Vida
adv. 
March 28 Dylan Sneed, Ellis
the Family Band Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $15/ X.O.X.O., It’s Elephants
Georgia Theatre, 9 p.m., $ Smith’s Olde Bar, 7 p.m., $8/ Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $10
adv., $75 tables  Kottonmouth Kings, La
20/adv. adv.  Val Emmich, Sons of adv./ $50 tables  
William, Pete & J Coka Nostra featuring
WILX, 3 Foot Swagger Everlast, Ill Bill
John Straw’s Wednesday Smith’s Olde Bar, 8 p.m., $8 Jimmy Robbins, Mark Smith’s Olde Bar, 8 p.m., $8/
Masquerade-Heaven, 7 April 1 
Blues feat. The Deacon adv.  Rose adv. 
p.m., $20/adv. 
Brandon Reeves Eddie’s Attic, 2 p.m., $10 Garrett Moore
The Melting Point, 8 p.m., adv./$50 tables   Kaiser Cartel, Clarence
$5, 18+ March 20  Bucaro, Judd & Maggie Raphael Saadiq Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $12
Variety Playhouse, 8:30 adv. /$60 tables 
Darol Angers, Republic Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $10
Almost Kings, SubCam, adv./$50 tables  p.m., $23.50/adv. 
of Strings, Featuring
ATLANTA  Bob
Masquerade-Heaven, 7
p.m., $10/adv. 
Scott Nygaard
With special guests: March 26  
Bloodkin, Turtle Folk
Smith’s Olde Bar, 8 p.m.,
April 2  
Neko Case, Crooked
Curley Maple & David
$10/adv.  Fingers
March 17  Golden, Sun Domingo,
Blackmon Cut Copy, Matt & Kim, Variety Playhouse, 8 p.m.,
Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $15 Knightlife
Adam Levy adv./$75 tables  Peter Karp & Sue Foley, $25 
There for Tomorrow Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $10 Masquerade-Heaven, 7 Denice Franke
Masquerade-Heaven, 7 adv. / $13 at the door / $50 p.m., $20/adv.  Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $12 Papa Mali, Special
p.m., $15/adv.  tables  March 24  adv./$60 tables   Guest: Lefty Williams
The Original Wailers Smith’s Olde Bar, 8 p.m.,
Adele BoomBox Variety Playhouse, 8:30 Last November $12/adv. 
Emmure, Winds Of
Variety Playhouse, 8p.m., Smith’s Olde Bar, 8 p.m., p.m., $20/adv.  Masquerade-Hell, 8 p.m.,
Plague, Terror, All Shall
SOLD OUT  $12/adv.  $8/adv.  John McCutcheon,
Perish, Abacabb
Tab Benoit, Olde Dog Chuck Brodsky
Masquerade-Heaven, 6:30
Obits, Bear Hands, The Groovestain, Ballyhoo! Smith’s Old Bar, 8 p.m.,
Orphans  Masquerade-Hell, 7 p.m.,
p.m., $15/adv. 
$17.50/adv.  March 29 Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $20
   adv./$100 tables 
The Drunken Unicorn, $10 $8/adv.  Say Hi, This Piano Plays Chick Corea & John
  Darrell Scott, Caroline
Itself McLaughlin Five Peace
The Buddy O’Reilly Band Herring April 3 
The Drunken Unicorn, $8/ Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $20 Band
Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $10
adv./$100 tables Variety Playhouse, 5 p.m. &
That 1 Guy

76 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE

 NO
April 10  April 16   Drew Holcomb April 26  EN! W
Jimmy Buffett and the
Eddie’s Attic, 7 p.m., $10
adv. O P OP
EN
Great Lake Swimmers Bruce Springsteen
The EARL, 8 p.m., $12  Coral Reefers    Phillip’s Arena, 7:30 p.m.,
O W
The Brian Jonestown
Lakewood Ampitheatre, 8
p.m. 
Adrianne, Kyler England
Eddie’s Attic 9:30 p.m.,
$12 adv. 
$69-$99 
N !
Massacre, The Flavor Robin & Linda Williams &
Crystal Silverstein, Blessthefall, Their Fine Group
Variety Playhouse, 8:30 Norma Jean, Before April 19  Eddie’s Attic, 4 p.m., $20
p.m., $15/adv.  Their Eyes   adv.
Masquerade-Heaven, 7 Jeffrey Gaines, Naked   
Mama’s Love, Free p.m., $18/adv.  Blue Tommy Talton, Caroline
Lunch, The Hypsys Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $15 Aiken
Smith’s Olde Bar, 8 p.m., $8       Hoots & Hellmouth, DiEL adv.  Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $12

Everything Adult for A Passionate World

                           Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $10/ adv. 
Record Release and 60th adv.            
Birthday Celebration: April 21 
Kodac Harrison
April 28 
Eddie’s Attic, 9:30 p.m. /
April 17  Voltaire
Masquerade-Hell, 8 p.m., Fleetwood Mac
doors at 9 p.m., $10 adv.                                    Stokeswood, Josh $14/adv.  Phillip’s Arena, 8 p.m.,
Robert & the Hinges $49.50-$149.50 
April 11  Masquerade-Hell, 7p.m., John Scofield Piety
$8/adv.  Street Band Tim Reynolds & TR3,
Pnuma Trio Variety Playhouse, 8 p.m., Shaun Hopper
Masquerade-Hell, 9 p.m., Family Force 5, 3OH!3, $22.50/adv. Smith’s Olde Bar, 9 p.m.,
$15/adv.  The Maine, Hit The $15/adv. (Discount w/ Dave
Lights, A Rocket To The Matthews ticket stub)       
Saffire-The Uppity Blues Moon April 22                              
Women Masquerade-Heaven, 6 Comedy Night
Variety Playhouse, 8:30 p.m., $15/adv.  Doria Roberts Eddie’s Attic, 7:30 p.m., $10  
p.m., $20/adv.  Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $10
Big Head Todd & the adv. 
The Hot Rods, The Pretty Monsters April 29 
Things Peep Show, The Variety Playhouse, 8:30 April 23    
Books Ma azines
p.m., $26/adv. Cross Canadian
Creeping Cruds, The                                    Ragweed
Downtown Executives Dehlia Low
Jennifer Daniels, Naked Variety Playhouse, 8 p.m.,
Smith’s Olde Bar, 9 p.m., Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $12
Blue  $18/adv.  
$10/adv.  adv. 
Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $12
The Brilliant Inventions, adv.  
Luke Brindley, Gilda Sue April 24 
Rosenstern Calendar listings are
April 18  Lord T & Eloise subject to change. List-
Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $12
Smith’s Olde Bar, 8 p.m., ed prices may be for ad-
adv.  We The Kings, Forever vance tickets only, and
$10/adv.  
the Sickest Kids, The listed times are door times
 
April 15  Cab, Never Shout Never
Alice Peacock, John Paul
of the given shows. We
Masquerade-Heaven, 6 suggest you call ahead
White before heading out!
Lily Allen p.m., $17.50/adv. 
Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $12
Variety Playhouse, 8 p.m., adv. 
$25/adv.  The Faint, Ladytron
Hey bands! Got a cal-
Variety Playhouse, 8:30 endar listing? Send it
Alejandro Escovedo p.m., $25/adv.  April 25  to editorial@athens-
Eddie’s Attic, 8 p.m., $22.50 blur.com and include
Collective Efforts, Noot The New Mastersounds, the following:Name
adv./ $112.50 tables 
d Noot DJ Logic of the Act(s), venue, Gaines School Shoppes • 50 Gaines School Rd. • Athens, GA 30606
Smith’s Olde Bar, 8 p.m.,
$10/adv.  
Smith’s Olde Bar, 8 p.m.,
$15/adv. 
door time and price.
store.sexy-suz.com
“Sexy Suz Adult Emporium is formerly known as Experience Adult Fantasy Store.”

78 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE No One Under 18 Admitted Photo ID Required

 what’s your
BLUR MUSICSCOPES

Astrology for

Musicscope? Musicians
by MISS
TERIOUS

CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES

(12/22-01/19) (01/20-02/18) (02/19-03/20)
Don’t let a bad show get you Release your stress through A quarrel amongst yourself and
feeling down about yourself songwriting this month, even fellow band members could end
or your ability to play music. if writing lyrics isn’t your forte. in an inevitable break up. Watch THE HEAP P-FUNK GHOSTLAND EMMITT-NERSHI
Spend some extra time practic- You may surprise yourself once carefully for the signs to happen TRIBUTE SHOW BOOMBOX OBSERVATORY BAND
ing and everyone will notice the you pick up a pen and start. this month.
difference. MARCH 26 MARCH 27 MARCH 28 MARCH 31

ARIES GEMINI
(03/21-04/19)
TAURUS (05/21-06/21)
(04/20-05/20) Hard work does pay off and the
Time to wipe the dust of that
Be cautious around the middle hours of rehearsal you have
bass and get the band back
of the month. You may find been putting in lately will help SLIGHTLY PIGS ON THE WING:
together this month! You’ll be STOOPID REHAB PINK FLOYD TRIBUTE ABBEY ROAD LIVE!
yourself distracted by the elevate your band to a new level
amazed that everyone else in
the band was thinking the same
beauty of a fan in the front row and expose yourselves to new APRIL 1 APRIL 3 APRIL 4 APRIL 10
and foolishly fall off the stage. fans. But don’t let it go to your
thing!
head!
CANCER LEO VIRGO
(06/22-07/22) (07/23-08/22)
(08/23-09/22)
No matter how sick you’re feel- Practice may seem like it’s turn-
Don’t freak out when your BENJY DAVIS NORTH MISS.
ing before an upcoming show, ing more into play time to you
and you may be feeling frustrat-
band dumps you this month. NAUTILUS PROJECT ALL STARS BRANTLEY GILBERT
do not cancel on your band A greater opportunity will
members — if so, they may be ed with everyone. Turn things APRIL 11 APRIL 14 APRIL 17 APRIL 18
become available a few weeks
the ones cancelling on you. around by having a quick band
after your breakup.
meeting to voice your concerns.
LIBRA SAGITTARIUS
(09/23-10/23) SCORPIO
Your heart will be broken this (10/24-11/21) (11/22-12/21)
month by a significant other. You’re feeling musically stale A person who can help your DJ LOGIC W/ THE NEW
STEVE KIMOCK ROBERT RANDOLPH
Heal yourself by writing the band along will be in atten- DUBCONSCIOUS CRAZY ENGINE & THE FAMILY BAND
lately. Luckily, a muse will come MASTERSOUNDS
dance at an upcoming show. Be
best song to date about your into your life around the 10th of APRIL 23 APRIL 24 APRIL 28 APRIL 29
sorrow. This could end up being the month, helping to inspire prepared to rock your heart out
during each performance!
the hit single you’ve you to get back in the groove. For complete schedule & pricing, check www.georgiatheatre.com
been waiting for.
80 ATHENS BLUR MAGAZINE