About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 2011)
RlEtOL EAUtH At HE<JD EARjH thens has had a hard time knowing what to do with its heavy metal. Many can attest to the poor attendance of several of Harvey Milk's early liturgical explosions, and that band is the finest the Classic City has ever offered in terms of aggressive music. In a town more well-regarded for its forays into psychedelia, pop and college rock—not to mention a tightly packed downtown where volume travels with impunity—where are metalheads to go to get their fix of the loud stuff? Although his venue is popularly regarded as the local haven for dubstep and the like. New Earth Music Hall talent buyer Ryan Hetrick wants people to know that his room is open for heavy business. "It was branded as a mostly electronic music venue, but since [then] Adrian [Zelski, owner] and I [have] chatted and had very long discussions about where we'd like to take it and be more of a full-service music venue, where we embrace a lot of counterculture types of things," says Hetrick. "That's part of what metal music and what loud, heavier music is; it's counterculture. I feel like there needed to be a place for those kids and those types of music listeners to feel comfort able in... There's been some stigma; there's been some things that I've battled against. I had to get people into the room and have them see and listen to it and see that it can be some place that isn't just electronic and raver kids running around." Since Hetrick joined the New Earth team in March of this year, his "Metal Earth" series has done great guns, kicking off with a headlining set from Atlanta grindcore quintet Primate (featuring moonlighting Mastadon guitarist Bill Kelliher), "party doom" act Demonaut and Athens' own Savagist. This was followed in quick succession by a show including ex-Athe nians/ Flagpole Band of the Year Award recipients Lazer/Wulf, doom-bearers Guzik, power trio Hot Breath and newer band By the Sword. Beyond mere decibels, a common bond between these two shows is Clem Adams, whom Hetrick describes as his "right-hand person" throughout the process of bringing metal to New Earth: helping to bring in bands, designing the first flier and performing with Savagist and Hot Breath. It makes sense that New Earth would want to expand beyond a niche audience; in a music community as small and somewhat segregated as Athens, strict genre lines hurt more than help local venues. But for Hetrick, including metal in the venue's purview was essential to his joining on to book shows at New Earth. "I just felt like in the times that I lived here, I saw so many . great bands that had heavier influences, whether it be metal or whether it be math rock or what have you," says Hetrick. "And up to that point, before I moved down here, I listened to a decent amount of it when I was younger, but when I got here, it re-energized me as to the power of a great heavy music show and how it transcends things and takes people's aggressions out and focuses them towards music and gives them an outlet. There's so many great bands and so many phenomenal musicians in that realm, and I felt in some ways that it never got represented in the way that it needed to. And that's no shot at the 40 Watt or Tasty World or to anybody else; I just felt like I had an opportunity to put that sort of music back in the forefront and give the metal kids and the musicians and the people in town who play in heavier bands a chance to take their thing higher and farther than what they could have gone previously." In the immediate future, there are three more "Metal Earth" shows are on the horizon. The next event features Weedeater, the 10-years-strong Southern metal pioneers who debuted in 2001 with the amazingly titled ...and Justice for Vail. Following that, the venue will be host to the most legitimately huge band of this series, The Black Dahlia Murder, a Detroit band that represents the vanguard of extreme metal's more melodic side. Finally, the CD release by Music Hates You is around the cor- . ner; Hetrick says that "they're a long-standing Athens institu tion, and for them to want to do their CD release party under the [banner] of Metal Earth and New Earth Music Hall was a complete honor for me. I'm tickled by it." Beyond all that, Hetrick makes ominous reference to some thing called "New Year's Eve Evil," but can't divulge much other than general enthusiasm. "Whether it be math rock, punk rock, sludge rock, stoner rock, weed metal, thrash metal, black metal, what have you. I don't care," he says. "If it's turned up and it's loud and it's somewhat aggressive, I'd like it to be rep resented under Metal Earth." Jeff Tobias 0) -Q o o O BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB of Athens Join us on October 21st for a night under the stars with the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young by Deja vu Table of 8 Sponsorship: $500.00 Includes dinner, wine, show ' and silent auction Time: 7pm Locos Mooseyard at 581 S. Harris Street To sponsor your table, please contact us at 706-548-7277 October 22 ' ^ REGISTER ON ACTIVE.COM Loco j Moo&eyard at 581 S. Harris Street 3 <t> & CO o $ m m •v 3 &> o <D ■ ■ <0 > 3 DEUIVEftt PJP nri DAYS ON m tSDAY OC1 A I (T (HMI ui li 7 ii 1 mil T1 £ 11 i JMMijj || j! l/n^ 1 \ “1 J 1 [ [| ~ nfj^m ONTHURS 10PMCL0SE SUN 8P MCLOSE AT BOTH LOCATIONS^ | 2440 WEST BROAD ST. - 1706) 208 7979 48S BALDWIN ST. - (706) S48 3442 WWW. v? ■ ’ i' SaaOlRNBM OCTOBER 5,2011 • FLAGPOLE.COM 17
