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The Georgia Center for Continuing Education will be kicking off
their fall season of exciting musical events September 29 with
'Gershwin and Friends.” The show is at 8:15 in the Georgia
Center's Hugh B. Master’s Hall. For tickets call 542-9464.
The Red and Black • Tuesday, September 18, 1990 ♦ SB
A&E
Club hopping
40 Watt to leave home on Clayton Street
for less-cramped space in Potter's House
By RAE CURRY
Entertainment Writer
The Athens club scene has seen
a lot of changes in the past couple
of years. The city has witnessd the
closing of the Uptown Lounge, the
transformation of Stonewall’s into
Wax Alley, the reopening of the
Georgia Theatre, and the birth of
new places like Club Fred, The Ex-
sirlence, E.T.’s Hangar, and even
our own version of an Atlanta
dance club in the form of the ever-
so-posh Colorbox.
Now another change is in store
for the nightlife of this club-fixated
town. At the end of October, the 40
Watt Club will open its doors at a
new location — The Potter’s House
building on Washington St.
The present 40 Watt is a rustic
hole-in-the-wall that has pulled in
big name acts such as Billy Bragg,
Robyn Hitchcock, Firehose, and
Fugazi. Its simple, unadorned style
gives the 40 Watt a look different
than most clubs in town and has
certainly helped to make it an
Athens favorite. The 40 Watt’s only
drawback is that it’s too small to
hold the crowds that pack in to see
bands and the throngs of folks that
venture out on Monday and Sat
urday to boogie down at the the
club’s popular Late Night Disco.
Jared Bailey and Barrie Buck
worked at the 40 Watt at its pre
vious location on Broad Street.
When it closed three years ago,
they decided to reopen the club
themselves and looked for a large
building, but were only able to find
the Watt’s present location at the
comer of Clayton St. and Pulaski
St. Now Bailey and Buck have fi
nally found their larger location —
literally ten times larger. The new
40 Watt will be the largest progres
sive club in town and will certainly
be competing with the Georgia
Theatre to bring in nationally
known bands.
“Well be trying to get bigger
bands in — bands at the top of the
alternative charts. A lot of bands
bypass Athens because they say
there is no place big enough for
them to play...Sonic Youth is not
playing here for that reason,” said
Bailey.
The renovations that Bailey and
Buck plan to make on The Potter’s
House, in order to transform it into
Athens’ largest night spot, are sure
to please out-of-town bands, as
We will definitely keep
the minimalistic feel
that has always been
the idea behind the 40
Watt.
well as local groups.
‘The stage will be twice as big as
it is now and higher. Well have
large dressing rooms for the bands
too,” said Bailey.
Bailey also said that there will
be eating areas in the new facility,
but Bailey and Buck do not plan to
do anything too fancy or opulent.
“We will definitely keep the min
imalistic feel that has always been
the idea behind the 40 Watt,”
Bailey said.
That is the issue that some
faithful 40 Watt patrons are wor
ried about. Will the Watt be the
same in a different location?
Junior child and family devel
opment major Jennifer Ellis is one
of those concerned about the move.
“I like the small, intimate atmo
sphere it has now,” said Ellis. “I
don’t know if it’ll be the same in a
larger place.”
“I hope it’ll be easier to get
bigger bands in the new club, but I
hope it doesn’t look nice or any
thing,” said Katie Donovan, junior
journalism major.
Other club-goers feel that the
Rockfish mellows out for daytime hours
By LYNN BARFIELD
Staff Writer
It’s five in the afternoon and
you want a cool drink, a light
sandwich with a little soothing
music to boot. Where do you go?
Starting this month, the
Rockfish Palace is undergoing a
format renovation that will be
able to offer such an escape.
Rockfish owner J.R. Greene
said the new plans will change
the theme of the club, with the
emphasis on becoming a “day
bar”. Greene said he hopes the
club will attract a wider variety
of people and not cater to one spe
cific type of clientele.
“Other clubs in town seem to
be just new wave or just progres
sive. People have the concept in
their minds that we’re one of
those places,” said Greene.
Greene said the major changes
involve Pebble Bay, an open-air
band area that was opened last
year. He said Pebble Bay was
added to the club’s original struc
ture as a late-night concert area
and to control crowds. The area
will now also be used for a 5-7
p.m. happy hour. The happy hour
will feature pitcher drinks and a
light sandwich menu for cus
tomers that want an afternoon
snack.
Greene said the pitchers are a
new item for the Rockfish and he
wants to see how the idea of the
light menu takes off before
making it a permanent feature.
Even the outside of the
Rockfish will look different. The
management is adding a wall of
bamboo on the outside entrance
to give the club the look of a true
Jamaician hangout.
‘If I can’t go to Jamaica, I’ll
bring Jamaica to me”, said
Greene.
Greene said he sees the con
cept of the new Pebble Bay as a
place for “total escapism” for
anyone who wants a chance to
get away from classes, work, and
everyday troubles.
“I want everyone to be able to
come and relax”, Greene said.
Music fans, have no fear.
Greene’s plans still include late
night concerts and regular band
engagements at the Rockfish.
Greene said that fun events
will be held every day, such as
games and contests. He said
something will always be going
on at the club.
Greene took over as manager
of the Rockfish in September of
1988. He said the club will be cel
ebrating its third anniversary
this year with a grand re-opening
party on Sep. 21 featuring the
jazzy-blusey tunes of the local
band, The Jody Grind. Greene
said the club will also continue
its tradition of providing Athens
with some of the best reggae
music throughout the year.
40 Watt: Packing for move
to larger location
change is necessary.
“I enjoy the cozy atmosphere (of
the present 40 Watt), however like
everything, growth and progress is
inevitable,” said Athens resident
and Roosevelt drummer Ballard
Lesemann. “It’ll make for a better
music scene. I think some people
would argue that it’s been stag
nating. It’s changes like this that
perpetuate the scene.”
Romance language major Jeanie
Webb said that the extra space the
new 40 Watt will make it a better
place to see bands. Graduate jour
nalism student Nick Schweitzer
agrees.
“I’ve only been there once and it
was really cramped. I think it will
be much better in a bigger place,”
Schweitzer said.
Bailey said he hopes to open on
Halloween night and conduct a
whole weeks worth of special grand
opening events with major local
bands playing every night. What
ever the look of the new 40 Watt,
it’s safe to say that all of Athens
will be curious enough to check it
out.
©
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