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D avid Lowery has visited Athens regularly since his other
band, seminal alt-rock act Camper Van Beethoven,
played the 40 Watt during its first national tour in '
1986; and he still likes what he sees. "A lot of other college
towns have spruced up and become tech meccas, but Athens
is still a slacker town," says Lowery. "Its intellectual energies
have never been spent on creating material things. You can
play in a band, and work a part time job, and not have a car,
and ride your bike to work—to me that's civilization."
Since Athens is the home of Lowery's long-time girlfriend,
40 Watt talent broker and Cracker/ Camper Van Beethoven
manager Velena Vego, Cracker found Athens' location ideal for
recording its latest, Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey. "So
many of the things you need for a successful recording—the
bars to hang out in, the musicians to hang out with, the Taco
Stand-type food, and a climate that's not completely cold—are
in Athens." * < • -
They recorded at Chase Park Transduction Studio with David
Barbe, who was impressed with their dedication. "With Cracker,
'okay' really wasn't good enough," says Barbe. "At one point,
we believed we were completely done tracking the record and
were putting what we believed to be the final vocal tracks
down before we were done mixing, and David [Lowery] realized
[the title track] didn't feel right... He decided that we had'to
re-record the song from scratch or take it off the record, so we
re-recorded the song.
"I'm always happy when I find somebody who, even when
they get close to the finish line, if it's not what they want it
to be, realize that once you'put it out you are stuck with it
forever, so get it right."
Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey revisits the punk/
power-pop roots that shaped its members' musical aesthetics,
a focus sharpened by the inclusion of new bassist, Sal Maida,
who, Lowery says, "has a really cool rock pedigree (Roxy Music,
Sparks, The Runaways) that compliments what we do."
While the music on Sunrise may be upbeat, thematically
some aspects are dark. Its songs are shaped "not by current
events, but by current moods... I like hearing what people say,
and some certain phrases imply a character. I like to hear the
character speak, and that's where some songs come from."
Built to Spill's Brett Netson (playing the 40 Watt on Oct.
20) inspired "Hey Brett (Do You Know What Time It Is)" with
an offhand quip about class inequality. "From there I just sort
of imagined somebody whose family had grown up in Idaho
for four generations. Those are the places that people come
from who are volunteering. It's the story of someone who has
been passed over by the economic good fortune the rest of the
country has enjoyed."
He concurs that "there is sort of this theme that the end is
nigh on the record... but mostly that was just in the air in our
culture for the last three or four years... Different classes of
people from all walks of life had this narrative."
It's a narrative that has resonated. "Turn On, Tune In, Drop
Out" has charted in the top 20 in AAA radio format. "Yalla,
Yalla," set with the troops in Iraq, has become a viral video
sensation, with over 30,000 hits in two weeks. In November,
Cracker will visit Iraq for two weeks and play for the troops.
But first, they'll finish their American tour, stopping in
Athens to entertain and recharge in our "civilized" space, lock
ing the rest of our worlds. It's a show you don't want to miss.
Deirdre Sayre
r
.
WHO: Cracker, Dexateens
WHERE: 40 Watt ChA
WHEN: Friday, Aug. 21,9 p.ra.
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DAVID W. GRIFFETH,
Attorney
announces the relocation of his law office’
to Downtown in the Fred Building
220 College Ave. Ste. 612,
Athens, Georgia
(706) 353-1360
tformer location 957 Baxter St)
Admitted to the Bar of the United
States Supreme Court since 1976*
♦And lesser courts
Specializing in Personal Injury, Wrongful Death,
Criminal Defense, Credit Card/Debt Relief, DUI,
Drug Cases and more.
Listed in Error in the AT&T/Bellsouth
Phone Book under “Law Office”
www.DavidWGriffeth.com
EARTH-FRIENDLY ’ WATER-WISE
ORGANIC GARDENING
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DROPONICS
www.FloraHydroponics.com
706-353-2223 v Mon-Sat 10am-6pm
Newton Bridge'Rd to Paradise Blvri - Behind Terrapin Brewery
AUGUST 19,2009 • FLAGPOLE.COM 21