Newspaper Page Text
NOT THE DAILY NEWS
11 720/96 Vol. 10, No. 47
Are Rumors Of
The Athens
Music Scene’s
Demise Qreatly
Exaggerated?
There are those who view Athens, Ga.,
as one of the best cities in America for live
music. The city has an honored past as a
musical wonderland where beginning mu
sicians can explore and maybe strike it big.
Therefore, many aspiring musicians jour
ney to Athens hoping to become “the next
big band" to follow in the van tracks of
R.E.M., Widespread Panic and the B-52s.
Bands who make the journey over to
the Classic City, though, may find them
selves disappointed once they arrive. First,
they may find that Athens is a tough town
to play. The haidest part for many is sim
ply getting booked at a venue. The Ath
ens crowd seems to be stuck in its music
likes and isn’t seeking too many new bands.
Attendance is down for the local music
scene, and when there’s little or no audi
ence, bands won’t get asked back. Clubs
aren’t concerned about bow well the band
might draw in another city; the simple fact
is that if the band can’t draw here, it
doesn’t play.
MORE CHOICE
Velena Vego books bands for one of Ath
ens’ chief night spots, the 40 Watt Club. She
said she feels the Classic City has definitely
lost some of *ts local music appeal. Vego be
lieves the lack of attendance at some perfor
mances is due t< i the vast number of bars that
have opened in Athens within the last 10
years.
"Now, with so many choices, people don’t
have to pay a cover charge to drink anymore,”
Vego says. "They used to come in to drink
and listen to the band, but now they can go
to a bar and listen to a CD without ever pay
ing a cover.”
Drew Alston, owner of the High Hat Blues
Club, also feels Athens is suffering from a mu
sic lull, but he claims the lack of interest in
local music is caused by other things.
“There used to be bands who drew huge
crowds, but their audience graduated and
moved on,” Alston says. He also says there
are more students attending the University
of Georgia on scholarships like the state's
HOPE scholarships.
“They’re just not going out as much,”
Alston says. “They’re taking school more se
riously, and you can't fault that, but at the
same time, it’s not exactly good for business.”
Another reason for the lack of attendance,
Alston says, is simply a general apathy for new
music.
“It they haven’t heard of the band, they
won’t come out." he adds. “They would rather
pay $30-$40 to see some big band than pay
$3 to hear someone new."
Yet despite the lack of musicgoers in Ath
ens, outside bands, especially those from At
lanta, are still eager to try' their luck in the
mystic city.
Kevin Lawson, of Atlanta's 3 Lost Souls,
opened for the Vigilantes of Love at the 40
Watt this past summer. He says one of the
biggest attractions to playing in Athens is its
close proximity to Atlanta.
STILL A DRAW
“I like playing there for the same reason I
like driving there: it’s close to Atlanta," says
Lawson. “I like the whole college vibe of be
ing young and eager to listen to new music
and try new things.”
Lawson was first drawn to Athens years
ago because of its mystical quality. He soon
discovered, however, the music boom town
wasn't anything like the picture he’d
formed in his head. Now, years later,
Lawson appreciates the city for other rea
sons and enjoys playing here.
The bassist for Atlanta band Gentle
Readers, Lee Cuthbert, cites Athenians’
discriminating tastes as one of the allures
of playing in the city.
“It has such a music heritage," Cuthbert
says. “It was supposed to be really organic
and cool. Since the audience has such dis
criminating tastes, it's good if they like
you.”
A MYSTIQUE
She thinks Athens has a certain mys
tique because it was a sleepy little town and
then “all these bands started coming out
of nowhere. For a while, the music was such
good quality, it was like if you got a record
there, you were on your way." Cuthbert says
there are still good bands here; it’s just not
as good as it used to be.
Despite the number of people who be
lieve Athens has lost its touch, an equal
amount of club owners, concertgoers and
musicians feel Athens still has a lot to of
fer young music ingenues.
Billy Comess, owner of the Atomic Mu
sic Hall in Athens, claims the success of a
venue depends on the bands booked to play
there.
“Athens has never been a great place
for out-of-town bands, unless they’re na
tional,” says Comess. “You have to cut
down on the amount of chances you take
with out-of-town bands, because you don’t
want your club to be empty.”
Molly Bancroft, lead singer of Atlanta
band Lift, recently played in Athens as part
of the Honor the Earth Benefit.
“I think there is a mystique about it
being a fertile ground for creativity and
bands in the South to develop a distinc
tive sound,” Bancroft says. “There are clubs
who treasure original music, and it’s a col
lege town, so that affects the perception
of it being a ‘cool’ place for bands to play.”
Georgia Theatre owner Kyle Pilgrim
says there isn’t necessarily a “lull” in Ath
ens; it's just not a town where people ven
ture out to see new bands.
“People just don’t like to experiment,"
he says. “Athens crowds just don’t support
people without a name or record, and it’s
not a big deal to go see bands like it was 10
years ago."
THE SECRET
For Atlanta music veteran Michelle
Malone Athens still holds its charm and
entices her to venture over to play.
“For me, I like to go there because I feel
very welcome,” Malone says. “As a musi
cian, you like to go where people listen,
and the people in Athens really like mu
sic."
“Plus,” she says, “1 like to go and eat at
the Grit — that's why I really go there.”
Natalie Chaltin
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