About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 22, 2011)
ANDY PAYNE ends. "We take a little break in July to decompress," he says. "But we try to get back together fairly soon, two or three weeks after AthFest, while things are still fresh on our mind, and we have a wrap-up meeting and discuss what went right and what went wrong and how we can improve." By August and September, they are preparing for their fund-raising Athens, GA Half-Marathon, which takes place each October. In November, Aubrey begins accepting early electronic submissions via Sonic Bids, the press kit website—with caveats in mind. "The thing I don't want bands to do on Sonic Bids is to be this California band who has never played in the Southeast and pay $10 or whatever it is to submit and no chance in hell they're getting in. Who's going to come see that band that's never had any history here? We don't want a flood of bands just throwing submissions out there to see if they stick. We want bands to do their homework. What is AthFest? Local bands." While the majority of the festival features local bands, the select few out-of-towners are chosen not for their name rec ognition so much as local significance. "Every year, there's the argument: Why don't we do a bunch of bands that are national acts from out of town? And we have a small degree of those types of bands, but I always try to find bands that have a rela tionship to Athens." Centro-matic, the Denton, TX band who often frequented the stage at the now-defunct Tasty World, are one such band; Georgia music legend Colonel Bruce Hampton is another. In January, Aubrey begins his search for headliners on the outdoor stages, which largely shapes the booking for the earlier slots as well. "I'm not a big fan of putting two jarring bands together. I like a flow to the sets. If you're a fan of this band, well, maybe you don't know the next band, but you're probably going to become a fan of that band. I like eclectic, personally, but I think for the mass audience that's down there, you wanna have a sort of a good sonic flow to the day. There's some bands, like Free Mountain—where am I going to put them where it flows well? Nowhere, it's just so different from what everyone else is doing. So, I just tried to fit 'em in where it felt best." (Ed. note: That's what she said.) Aubrey cites the rootsy one-two-three-four punch of arriving-up-and-comers Lera Lynn, Woodfangs, Centro-matic and Futurebirds as one particularly fluid arrangement of acts. As winter winds down, Aubrey shores up his headliners and proceeds to sift through the rapidly arriving submissions, both electronic and physical. By mid-March, they're able to announce their line-up, and from there it's a lot of coordinat ing: communicating with bands, venues and the city to get all AthFest's ducks in a row. Before you—or anyone at the organization, for that matter—know it, June has rolled around and things are getting real. Which brings us to present day: you hold in your hands, reader, the story up until now. This, of course, is where you come in. Be sure to take full advantage of the opportunity. Jeff Tobias far as exclusivity goes, you could do far worse outside of Athens. * Complications surrounding insur- ance Prevent most venues from 1 WBBmr hosting all-ages events, creating an environment where only the most derring-do-doing youngsters venture out into the night. Plus, let's face it, lots of musi cians are poor self-promoters, leaving many songs unheard by potentially receptive ears. But for the most part, a thriving and dynamic local music scene is readily available. If nothing else, AthFest takes the next step and acts as our town's great equal izer. Like any good circus, the egalitarian call goes out: Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, young and old. "You get a lot of people who go out all the time, but then you get folks who are a little older," says AthFest director Jared Bailey. He sees AthFest as an event for music fans "who have kids and day jobs and don't get a chance to go out to the late-night rock clubs anymore, but they love music. This is an opportunity for them to bring their kids to see some bands they like, try some new bands, listen to some new bands, at an hour when they're able to come out." Bailey continues: "It's summer, and kids are out of school, whereas during the year, they don't get to see much live music." Troy Aubrey, the festival's booking chair—responsible for the line-ups on the popular outdoor stages—concurs: "It's awesome for families. Now that I have a family, I love bringing my daughter down there for the KidsFest and seeing some cool bands. And as she grows up, she's gonna experience that you can't get into clubs up until you're 16 or 17. Until then, it's the only opportunity to see what Athens bands are about." In 1997 AthFest's founders spent 10 weeks putting together a free street festival in downtown Athens in conjunction with the Athens Downtown Development Authority. Fourteen years later, the festival has grown to include an artists' market, the children's "KidsFest," mini film fests, a half-marathon (taking place in October), the release of an annual compilation CD, The Flagpole Athens Music Awards Show (see Calendar Pick p. 20) and, since this is 2011, an iPhone app: AthFest's download able website. AthFest is operating in tandem with the WIRED Dance Music Festival taking place that weekend at the New Earth Music Hall as well as the LaughFest comedy show at the 40 Watt—both of which offer discounted admission with the AthFest wristband. In short, this sprawling bonanza is a long way from 1998, when Aubrey ran into Bailey at the post office and was promptly offered the opportunity to manage AthFest's outdoor stage. "It's definitely grown, but AthFest has intentionally tried to grow with baby steps," says Aubrey. "We never wanted to be this Music Midtown, corporate, national act, huge festi val—the focus was always on the local scene. The whole thing started because it was a chance to showcase what Athens had to offer, you know?" The work that Aubrey and his fellow AthFest employees put into each festival starts almost as soon as the previous year's Frontier Come see what's in-store for you! BUTCHER SALT New! Tasty salts and herb blends perfect for the grill ' Plus, fabulous jewelry by local designer, Noah Saunders Gifts for the Soul & Shelter Downtown Athens 706.369.8079 frontierathens.com mmi & P t , 6 LOCOS LIVE MUSIC, on the natio! JUNE 22 Rick Fowler Band (Acoustic Originals) JUNE 29 Dwight Wilson & the Classic City Soul JULY 6 Kip Jones & Jay Ring (Acoustic Covers) Wednesday Nights 6pm 2020 Timothy Rd. Athens. GA 30606 706.549.7700 JUNE 22,2011 FLAGPOLE.COM 13
