MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP
So, you've picked up the paper, leafed
through it and landed on this page. If that's
not a sign from the universe that you're meant
to be here then I don't know what. So, return
the benevolence and get up to date below...
Pallin' Around: The Athens Human Rights
Festival has launched a fundraising cam
paign via Indie GoGo for this year's event.
According to the organizers, operating
expenses typically run around 510,000; this
fundraising effort is only seeking $2,000. The
Athens Human Rights Festival is approaching
its 33rd year, and it's hard to imagine late
spring in Athens without it. Volunteer oppor
tunities are available for this year's festival,
too, which will happen in early May downtown
on College Square. For more info, please see
www.athenshumanrightsfest.org.
Y Cash Cow: Ridiculously successful acoustic
security blanket Corey Smith recently shot
a video for his best-known song, "Twenty-
One" at 8E's bar. The song will appear on
his upcoming album, The Broken Record,
due for release June 21 on Average Joes
Now Is the Time When We Dance: The
Sprockets Music Video Competition returns
this year after a two-year hiatus. The event,
featuring local music videos, has been a fan
favorite since its debut in 2004. Although
there has been some speculation over the
past couple of years about the future of
Sprockets, it will continue its association
with AthFest. Once again the video show will
take place at the 40 Watt Club and the win
ners will be announced at the Flagpole Athens
Music Awards a week later. Full disclosure: I
have been asked to participate as a judge in
this year's competition, and I've agreed to
do so. An official call for entries will happen
in the near future, but go ahead and pencil
in Apr. 1 as the early deadline and Apr. 15 as
the late deadline and start getting your stuff
together. For more information, please see
filmathens.net.
Listen Up: Tickets are on sale now for the
pre-release listening party for R.E.M.'s Collapse
Into Now. The event takes place on Monday,
Mar. 7 at the 40 Watt Club. The album will be
released the following day. The event is open
to all ages and costs $10 in
advance. As with the past
several R.E.M. release par
ties, this event is promoted
by Athensmusic.net and is
a benefit for Community
Connection of Northeast
Georgia and Family
Connection/ Communities
In School. Proceeds this
year will also benefit the
newly established Whatever
It Takes. Also planned for
the evening are a live auc
tion of autographed memo
rabilia and a raffle. The
members of R.E.M. are not
scheduled nor expected to
perform or appear at this
event, so please don't antic
ipate anything of the sort.
Tickets are available over at
www.athensmusic.net.
Another Man's Treasure:
Athens troubadour Mercer
West has established a
nice, clean place to dump
his recorded music. He's
been regularly posting both
demos and complete songs
on www.manstrash.tumblr.
com. Although West has used the name Man's
Trash as a band name in live settings, this
blog contains a number of collaborations
released under a whole host of names. All of
the tunes, however, pretty much fall into the
realm of fuzzy pop destruction, weirdo noise
jams, dumpstered psychedelia and similarly
distorted visions. Start listening today.
Get Well Soon: Our thoughts and well-wishes
go out to David Murphy, keyboardist and
bassist for STS9 who is recovering from exten
sive surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from
the inside of his nose. Although STS9 has been
based out of Santa Cruz, CA for a number of
years since leaving the Athens/Atlanta area,
the band still has enough roots here to make
this relevant to Flagpole readers. Here's to a
full, speedy recovery.
Gordon Lamb lhreatsandpromises@flagpole.com
Corey Smith
Entertainment (Colt Ford, Nappy Roots,
Brantley Gilbert). For the unfamiliar, "Twenty-
One" is basically Smith telling the story of
how he successfully used a fake ID at age 17
to begin drinking at the Clayton Street bars
just off College Square and drank and drank
and drank and went to school smelling "like
a brewery" and the whole time wished he was
21. The twist is that our narrator is now older
(26! Ancient!) and has to go to work and, wait
for it, he wishes he was 21. Of course, Smith
is actually in his 30s now, but that's neither
here nor there. The important question is
this: how much longer will he be able to •
milk this song? So far, it's been at least
eight years. But, you know, whatever. Smith
grossed $1.7 million in 2007, $4 million in
2008 and presumably more each year since
then, so what do I know, right? For more
information, please point your sun visor to
www.coreysmith.com.
^ HAPPY HOUR: ^
$2 WELLS and DOMESTICS
Germany
DubStep Producer
Stagga
with
Charlie P and Marc Yurm
(Post WSP)
$5 with WSP ticket stub!
Early:
Comedian
Brian
Posehn
Late: _
Cosmic c lk
Charlie 8
The Werks
with
Eddie and the
Public Speakers
Thirsty Thursdays
Soul Spectacular
Dance Party
with guest DJ
Fred
Schneider
from The B-52sH!
2/24 - Comedian Doug Sta,,hope
2/25 - Packway Handle Band
2/26 - Kraddy w/ Archnemesis
RJD2
706.543.8283
227 W Dougherty St.
Downtown Athenj
(Post WSP)
r Open Mon-Sal 5pm-2am • All Show! 18* • $2 for under 21
New Earlh Box Office Open Every Day g 4pm
Advance Tix available al. 42 Degrees - 708-353-4202
Schoolkids Records - 706-353-1666
f and online at
t www.newearthmusichall.com
Check out our new blog!
Sunday 12:30
february 20th
rSunday 4:30J
February 20th
* Tuesday 4:00
N-^bruary 22nd
Monday 6: IS]
February 21st
THE.
IHFIPeL
tClttflYw
Opening Film
Saturday 6:30
February 19th
Monday 4:00
February 21s7<
Monday
February
?lst
athensTjew'ish
F I L M*F E S,T.I VAlT
FEBRUARY 19^23
tlNE ARTHAUS
Rialto'Club
Athens] jL.ORG
$9.00 REGULAR TICKET
$7.00 SENIORS/STUDENTS
Special ticket
PACKAGES AVAILABLE
GROUND
«•«»> Tuesday 8:30
February 22nd !SF*
FEBRUARY 9.2011 • FLAGPOLE.COM 15
