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CHRIS BILHEIMER
MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP
Hello people and welcome to "Threats & Promises: Short Pants
Edition." Since we've sprung forward now and have to deal with
more sunlight every day, there's no way I'm keeping my pale gams
locked up inside blue jeans all the livelong day! So, when you see
that blinding light coming from the back of the club, you'll know
I'm there. That said, let's dive into this week's news...
The Who, The What, The Where, Etc.: We're gonna keep telling you
about this til you get it!: the completely brand-spanking-new on
line Flagpole Athens Music Directory is up and running! This vital
resource is where you'll find contact info for local bands, screen-
printers, venues, attorneys, record labels, designers, producers and
more! Constantly up-to-date (whenever you've got changes, you
can edit your listings instantly), the site also features MP3s, pho
tos and more! Hit up www.flagpole.com and all your questions,
worries, prayers and hopes will be answered.
Godspeed You! Redheaded Emperor: Sleepy Horses guitarist and
main man Nic Goodson is back in Athens and back to performing.
Goodson has been recovering for the past few months back home
in Texas following a chemically induced near-death experience.
The damage to his body was so severe that the jury is still out on
whether he has permanent nerve damage, but Goodson did lose the
use of his legs for several weeks and has only recently begun to
walk again. While his recovery is to be a long and slow one, and
not without its share of pain, Goodson says he's committed to get
ting back to Athens and playing music again. To this end, he'll be
setting up over at Mercury Lounge on Thursday, Mar. 22 for a solo
set of material with Chip McKenzie and Coy King also on the bill.
So go see him, give him a hand, a hug and welcome him back.
New Band Debut: A couple of former members of Sleepy Horses
will debut their new band over at Little Kings on Saturday, Mar.
24. Comprised of Brandi Goodson and Kyle Harris (both ex-Sleepy
Horses) along with Matt Hudgins (Pride Parade, Visitations,
ex-Brown Frown) and Bubba McDonald (Pride Parade, ex-Brown
Frown), the band is named The Diamond Center. The group re
annual "Week of Soul" also sponsored by CBCP. It's also free for
anyone who wants to attend. And any emcees eager to sign up and
battle, particularly those college students reading this, please drop
an email to halftimehiphop@gmail.com and jump on it.
New Game In Town: Athens has a new recording studio in the form
of Odd Squad Studios. Appropriately named given its location on
Odd Street, the fully digital studio is the realized dream of owner
Dylan Roth who moved to Athens last year. The "fully-digital"
aspect applies to more than mere recording, however, as the studio
is equipped to do live web broadcasts during recording. It also
boasts a huge amount of drum gear and a whole bunch of fancy,
brand-name equipment that I am pretty unfamiliar with, but studio
hounds will probably drool over. Give 'em a look over at www.odd-
squadentertainment.com.
Follow The Rules: Widespread Panic is particularly sensitive about
folks scalping tickets, and especially so in its own hometown,
so for the band's upcoming shows at the Classic Center, a few
safeguards have been put in place. First, no hard tickets are sold
upfront at all. Second, what you receive after purchase is a ticket
voucher which you have to redeem on the day of the show, and
only the person whose name is used with the initial order can pick
them up. Third, tickets will only be sold over the phone or online.
Fourth, there is a strict limit of two tickets per person, per night
and per transaction. Meaning if you want to buy tickets for more
than one night, you must place a separate order for each addition
al night. If this amount of hoop-jumping doesn't make you want
to say "aw, fuck it," then the good news is that ticket sales begin
Saturday, March 24 at 10 a.m. and can be ordered via phone at
706-357-4444 or 800-864-4160, or online at www.classiccenter.
com. The scheduled shows are for Apr. 23, 24 and 25 and tickets
will run you $42.50 each.
V New Album In The Works: Warner Brothers Records reports that
R.E.M. will begin working on a new album this spring with pro
ducer Jacknife Lee who has worked with U2, Snow Patrol and Bloc
Party. Lee was also the guitarist
for the criminally underappreciat
ed Irish band Compulsion back in
the 1990s. This is the band's first
album of new work since 2004's
Around the Sun, and the record
ing time comes hot on the heels
of the band's induction into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I'm
pretty stoked about it. As always,
for more information, please see
www.remhq.com.
R.E.M.
ports its sound is a psychedelic garage sound with a bit of country
thrown in. Also on the bill this night is Diego Catalan, the new
solo project by Mother Jackson member Jim Wilson, and Mother
Jackson itself pertoiming in an "acoustic micro-orchestra" forma
tion.
Stock Up, Help Out: Athens audiences, pay heed! Heading to the
Georgia Theatre any time soon? Audiences are encouraged to
bring two cans of food to each show they attend at the Georgia
Theatre, "starting with the Avett Brothers on Mar. 23 and running
through the Truckers shows" in April, according to Joshua Stack of
Panic Fans For Food. The food drive aims to "feed more of Athens'
and North Georgia's hungry." Visit www.panidBnsforfood.com for
more info.
Getting III: WUOG 90.5 FM, its program "The Halftime Hip Hop
Show" and the Committee for Black Cultural Programming of
UGA's University Union have joined forces to present the emcee
battle "Survival Of The Illest, VoL 1." The stated goal of the pro
moters is to have more hip-hop-related events on the UGA campus,
and this event is to "plant the seed," so to speak. Taking place at
the Tate Center on Wednesday, Mar. 28, the event is part of the
An Athens Original: Long before
anyone ever thought of cash
ing in by rehashing the 1980s
(read: The Killers, Interpol, etc.),
Athens was home to a true be
liever named Christian Engel who
fearlessly led his band The Girl
Pool through gig after gig (and a
protracted email battle with for
mer Flagpole staffer Russ Hallauer
which was published in full)
with its music inspired by Echo
& The Bunnymen, Siouxsie & The
Banshees and others. At any rate, eventually Engel left town for
the Northeast and has resurfaced some eight years later with his
band Eisdrive, which is very much in the vein of Front 242 and, to
a lesser extent, Nitzer Ebb. Although probably only a few folks, me
included, will remember his efforts here in town, that's enough to
make me want to mention him in these pages and send y'all over
toward www.myspace.com/eisdrive.
Calendar Shift: So the local post-rock band Maserati had to cancel
its Athens and Atlanta shows originally planned for last week, right
before heading out on a current tour of Germany, France and the
Czech Republic. No worries, though; the band reports it's booked
two homecoming shows at The EARL and the 40 Watt Club on
June 14 and June 15, respectively. Word.
Okay, be good. Or not. Whatever. Just keep your news com
ing in and always mention either Threats 8. Promises or my name
in the subject line of all emails. Call me the breeze via email to
music@flagpole.com, voicemail at 706-549-9523, ext. 203, or by
post at P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603.
Gordon Lamb
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