Taskmaster

Flagpole Talks With AthFest Stage Manager Mary Sigalas

originally published June 20, 2007

It may come as a surprise to some, but AthFest does not actually run itself. Someone is organizing with the city, gathering the sound production teams, booking the bands and making the stage set-ups match the stage plots. One of these someones is Mary Sigalas, who came to visit Athens from California, and one year, just stayed.

Day to day, Sigalas holds a handful of odd jobs throughout the city; she is a hairstylist somedays, a coordinator and veteran AthFest stage manager others, and a passionate and creative musician throughout it all.

Between calls to volunteer coordinators, appointments at her salon and daydreams of her new band's first gig coming up mid-July, she found a few minutes to sit down with Flagpole and tell us what stage managing two outdoor stages with more than 40 bands really looks like before and during the annual AthFest weekend.

Flagpole

You've worked in other festivals before…

Mary Sigalas

I started off in Chico, CA, at the Chico World Music Festival, and then I worked at to the California World Music Festival. I did all that for about five years before I moved out here.

Flagpole

What called you out to Athens?

Mary Sigalas

Actually, I came out to visit my brothers for Christmas one year and I had previously, a couple years before, ironically, met some people from AthFest having one of their first meetings downtown where Wild Wing is now. I was sitting there throwing darts with my brothers and overheard AthFest people meeting. Immediately my ears perked up.

So I went over when the meeting slowed down and I just told them, "Hey, I do that out in California." So a couple of them walked me over to the window and showed me where the stages were going to go and the whole idea, the whole concept. I just thought "Wow, that sounds so cool." And they told me if I ever came back to join in.

Flagpole

It's always kind of random like that, isn't it?

Mary Sigalas

It is random like that. [At the time] they were preparing for '97, the very first AthFest. They were hoping it was going to come together, 11 years ago. And, so, in '98 at Christmas, I came out and my brothers talked me into just not going home. So I stayed, I just didn't get back on the plane. So I got online because I remembered AthFest, and I immediately called [Executive Director] Jared Bailey and he became my first pal and he showed me the ropes here.

Flagpole

You've been stage managing the outdoor stages for a handful of years. What is that like, on any random AthFest day?

Mary Sigalas

Well, it starts long before the festival. All through the spring, I've got my eyes peeled for volunteers and production people that maybe aren't already on board with AthFest, but I'm looking for them because it's a big deal. It's a big job. Then we get the volunteers together, kind of coordinating the volunteers for both the stages, and parking. Troy [Aubrey, AthFest Booking Chair] and I get together and he gives me the names and numbers of all the bands, and I get in contact with all of their contacts and get their information.

I try to make [the stage maps and plots for the individual bands] all reader-friendly for the stage hands, sound guys and the stage managers, so they have a flip chart they can go through. I try to make it as easy as possible so there are no breaks and we're not scrambling trying to figure out what's coming.

Typically, as I get all of that ready, I get all the last minute-band stuff, y'know, "Oh do you think you can throw a grand piano onstage?"

Flagpole

Of course, you'd love to throw a grand piano on the outdoor stage.

Mary Sigalas

Oh yes, that'd be fantastic. It's pretty amazing what kind of things have happened during a changeover, though. [Shows on] the big stage are normally 40 minutes to an hour and 20 minutes, depending on how big the band is of course, and then there's a 20-or-so-minute break. During that break, the other stage is playing. So, the turnovers are quick. And we assess how much time is actually going to be needed.

When we can, we like to give the band on the second stage a longer time, and they gobble that up. If they're able to play longer, they want to. But for the most part, we try to keep it flowing and on time. That's really our goal. We want everybody in the audience to feel like they can count on what the schedule says.

Flagpole

And how successful have you all been?

Mary Sigalas

Very! It's a collaborative effort. We have the best people on the stages working and they move fast and we have a system and we're real proud of the people because it's 98-percent attitude. They work really quickly. On both stages, it comes together because of the system, and the good attitudes and, of course, the skills to be able to plug things in and set things up. What I try to do for the main stage is put the sound guys in charge of the volunteer staff. So [the sound guys] tell the [volunteers] exactly what needs to happen, and it happens fast.

Flagpole

Do you get to enjoy any of the music during AthFest or are you too busy running between stages?

Mary Sigalas

In the last few years, I've learned to make myself stop and enjoy it so I don't lose the love of it. I enjoy the busy-ness and activity of it all. I, y'know… well, yes. To answer: yes. I do enjoy all the activity of it, but I make myself stop, and I always enjoy the last part. Unfortunately, I don't make it over to the second stage often. When we first started, the stages were side by side. And then my first year, I emceed the whole show. Which really, is a whole other part of it, getting the emcees together. That's a really fun part of it not to leave out. I think this is the second year, maybe the third year, when I've asked someone to help me out… So we'll have someone like the mayor open up the festival, y'know, people who make a difference. Sometimes that means just real big supporters of the bands, but for the most part, we try to include people from the whole city.

Flagpole

What is the day of, or the day before AthFest like?

Mary Sigalas

Well, normally we set up the stages on Thursday. We get the sound set up on Friday, and then the festival setup is crazy. The craziest part is Friday. And the rest of it is cake compared to the Friday setup, because we're trying to get it all up by five o'clock when the festival starts. I think there have been a couple exceptions to the start time. We've certainly started late, either because of a sound issue or getting the nuts and bolts together. But we always catch up, that's what we're proud of.

We've also had some issues where, just in working with the community, making sure we don't start before [everyone is ready]. It used to always be an issue, when the festival used to be on the other side of town by the Courthouse, and court didn't get out until 5 p.m. So we couldn't start on time. We couldn't do soundchecks or anything. There have been issues over the years.

Flagpole

How is the current location, down by the 40 Watt?

Mary Sigalas

Oh, we love the new location. It works out so well. And we feel that we're at the heart of the music scene right on Pulaski. We, of course, include all the big clubs, they've all been AthFest participants. It's not a favoritism thing, it just works out there, it's kind of like an amphitheatre.

Flagpole

How many volunteers do you work with?

Mary Sigalas

Well, promotions is HUGE. And actually, Andy Kogerma is the person in charge of the volunteers. But for the stages I kind of collaborate with whoever is coordinating all the volunteers, because they're usually busting their ass to make it all happen and to round up enough for all the venues. That job is enormous and really over my head. But for what we do, I'd say maybe 20 to 25.

Flagpole

That's a good number of people to try to keep together and get going towards the same goal.

Mary Sigalas

Well it's three days of fun. And there's always a core that emerges. What's great is that it always trickles down. There's this core that's growing stronger and stronger because they came to me when they were five and now they're older. And those people come back. Some others come and try a shift and never come back. But those that stay, they are so reliable…

All I need to say is what needs to happen when, and can you be back by this time, and it's done. It's really cool. I have to say there have been years where there's like 10 people that work, and it actually ran pretty well because those people were so excited about it. But between two stages, that's not very many. The really cool part is seeing how people will come to help set up the festival. They volunteer just to help set up. I mean, how fun could that be?

I mean, I get it because I'm passionate about it. But really? That's cool. They want to be part of it. And I think that's kind of the spirit of rock 'n' roll - people just want to be a part of something fun… I have really learned to delegate. I used to kill myself doing everything, running all over the place. I was kind of an island. And even if people were thrilled with the outcome, it wasn't the best way. So I can have that manic part of me, but I have to reel it in and delegate. The results are so much more enjoyable for everyone.

Flagpole

I'm sure you have some other life. What do you do outside of AthFest?

Mary Sigalas

Well, right out of college, I jumped on to the music festival in Chico, and I did that and quickly found out that, oh, I can't make a living doing this. You'd have to live in a big city to do it year-round.

So, while I've done a bunch of stuff at the Classic Center, I've always needed to do these little jobs like office work, or I worked at the hospital for a few years. Then I had a business that was production, managing, events and booking. Pretty much all of it. But recently, I decided I just needed to be the artist, so I went to cosmetology school. I was cutting everyone's hair anyways, so why not make some money doing it?

And really, I've done all that so I could pursue music. I just got a band together called Baby's Blue Swingset. It's jazz, kind of a tour of jazz through the decades. And I'm really excited about it.

Flagpole

What is your part in the group?

Mary Sigalas

I sing. It's 1920s through 1960s, so a few of my key vocal influences are Mildred Bailey, whom few people seem to know about, but she was one of the first leaders of a jazz band in the '20s and '30s, and Ella Fitzgerald, one of my all-time favorites, and, of course, Billie Holiday. It's fun, quirky music that I was raised on by my grandpa, like swing. That's stuff I used to do in California, swing bands and a cappella trios.

And so I'm excited about that, but I'm trying to reel myself in a little to focus on AthFest. One thing at a time. It's not townie cool, but I'm ready to let go of that. I love it. Real townie cool is just doing what you want and, y'know, I don't even care.

Lia Brunelle

Don't Get Lost In The Shuffle

Besides Those Big-Name Headliners, What Are Your Best Bets For AthFest Shows? The Flagpole Music Staff Points You In Many Fine Directions

originally published June 20, 2007

Thursday, June 21

Mike White

Vanessa Hay

Supercluster

40 Watt Club @ 11:50 p.m.

Hm, how to play this game… Pylon + New Sound of Numbers? Jolly Beggars + Olivia Tremor Control + Circulatory System? Whatever. Supercluster is a great name for this could-be-stellar assortment of local talent making its Athens debut tonight (a one-song performance in Atlanta took place earlier this summer). Pylon vocalist Vanessa Hay and guitarist Randy Bewley collaborate on an open-ended project with New Sound of Numbers experimentalist and OTC percussionist Hannah Jones as co-leader. Other members of the E6 gang - John Fernandes and Will Cullen Hart - join in, as does Bob Hay (Jolly Beggars, Squalls) and Bill David (Jolly Beggars). "Supercluster is an 'outreach' project," says Vanessa Hay. "That means the space to have fun, write, create and perform material that might not fit in with members' other current projects. Anyone is welcome to bring in something and work on it or just jam. Sort of a club, sort of a collective. I had songs appearing in my head that were not the type of material that Pylon would necessarily be interested in… The fun and risk of a live performance always helps jell up things." Head on over following the Music Awards. Show up early, show up on time, but don't show up too late: the set as it stands now is scheduled for only a brief 15 minutes. Could be the start of something great.

Chris Hassiotis

Casper & the Cookies

Caledonia Lounge @ 12:45 a.m.

Most of the songs on Casper & the Cookies' 2006 album The Optimist's Club tell the story of a couple falling in love during a trip to New York City. The romance unfolds, however, not against a romantic city skyline, but amidst traffic, street preaching and DuChamps pieces. Similarly, infectious, almost bubblegummy melodies that trace a line from doo-wop to K Records and back again slice through field recordings and subtle hints of psychedelia. Between the stories and the songs, we get a picture of Casper & the Cookies' greater project: to situate romance and wonder within a world that has spilt its coffee in its lap during rush hour; that has had its very idea of what art is blown to bits; a world that has been on a really bad acid trip.

Phillip Buchan

Friday, June 22

Murder Beach

Caledonia Lounge @ 8 p.m.

Once upon a time, in a wonderful place called Athens, there was this great and hilarious band called Murder Beach that played all the time, at least once a month and sometimes more, or at least so it felt. But then, well, who knows what happened then, but Murder Beach doesn't play nearly as often as it used to; November of 2006 was the band's last club show. Last year's AthFest brought the band's rendition of "Crazy," rendered in serious goofball style. And so, the members of Murder Beach are committed: to pop, to short songs, to making you and each other laugh. They deserve your time.

Hillary Brown

T. Valentine

Son 1

"Mantooth Music Presents"

Tasty World Upstairs @ 10 p.m.– 2 a.m.

This lineup is a great chance to experience the breadth of the Athens hip-hop scene, with a lot of love flowing among its members. All night long and in one place you've got Son 1, Big John Burbon, Mr. C, Bear, Deaf Judges [see below], Figaro and others. If you haven't picked up mixtapes from any of these folks, they'll probably all be available in one location - local rapper C-Fre$h is spring-boarding off tonight's show with a release of one himself - and you can sample their live shows to see who you want to hear more of. Elite tha Showstoppa had to cancel his appearance at the last minute, but no doubt there will be plenty of collaboration going on with the T-Nebula Family showing up. No, it's not absolutely everyone in the scene, but it's a great chance to taste some of the 31 flavors.

Hillary Brown

Deaf Judges

Tasty World Upstairs @ 10:20 p.m.

Pound for pound, Deaf Judges is the most exciting live band in Athens right now, screw genre. The combined forces of the hyper-kinetic Old White Women, Bellyache's Austin Darnell (known here as the mighty Produce Man), and the enigma in black we call Rorshak comprise a supergroup of combustible hip-hop that eliminates self-conscious hipster bullshit in a single swipe. Deaf Judges moves crowds, period.

Jeff Tobias

Luke Ferguson

Bob Hay & The Jolly Beggars

Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars and The Squallz

Melting Point @ 10 p.m., 11 p.m.

Yes, both acts are the same group of people, and if you missed their lovely double feature show at the Melting Point a year ago, you can pretend you just found a time machine. Apparently, Robert Burns' 17th-century drinking songs and the philosophical concerns of the 1980s in Athens have a lot in common, or at least it doesn't take very long to switch gears. Both are melodic and swing from the support of Bob Hay's voice, which still hits those high notes nicely. Coupled with the superior sound at a venue I am not always willing to pay $35 to experience, this show should be mature, not moldy.

Hillary Brown

Jack Logan

Jack Logan

Flicker Theatre & Bar @ 10:30 p.m.

The best part about AthFest is that Jack Logan, the best-ever oddball pop songwriter to check out of the Classic City and make a new home for himself in New York and then come back, performs. Concerts are rare for Logan, so make a point to savor every one of the songs he plays, because they're better than funnel cake, better than Little Italy at 3 a.m., better than your boss letting you slide into work two hours late on Monday, because, dude, you were at AthFest. I kid, of course, but I speak in earnest when I tell you that Athens - or any other town, for that matter - has hosted few songwriters as versatile, witty, consistently rewarding and perennially underrated as Logan. So, y'know, if qualities like melody, personality, and, um, quality are what draws you to music, then try to squeeze your way into Flicker to catch Logan and whichever ragtag crew of locals he'll have supporting him.

Phillip Buchan

John McDonald

Push!

Push!

Caledonia Lounge @ 11 p.m.

This time last year there were exactly three bands in Athens playing that could loosely be called "shoegaze-country." Sleepy Horses has reformatted its lineup and is still finding its (new) footing, and The Low Lows are in the studio this week, and then there's Push!. The band sways, not swings, with an emotional current and a Georgia-via-Manchester, England sound that betrays the influences of its members, yet keeps 'em solidly homegrown. Very good.

Gordon Lamb

Courtnie Wolfgang

Venice Is Sinking

Venice Is Sinking

Little Kings @ 11:30 p.m.

Career-wise, Venice Is Sinking is in the same boat as a handful of other prominent local indie-rock acts. The band has one full-length under its belt (2006's Sorry About the Flowers), and that album received a none-too-shabby amount of college radio airplay and positive reviews from across the Internet, but the blow-up - that point where we must quit thinking of VIS as only "our" band and come to terms with the idea of sharing it with the rest of the country - hasn't quite happened. VIS has taken the crucial next step more swiftly than many of its peers, though: in late May, the group began work on its second full-length with studio stud Scott Solter (Mountain Goats, Spoon). If the new record is as exponentially better than Sorry About the Flowers as Sorry About the Flowers was exponentially better than the debut EP that preceded it, the day when America's iPods swell with Venice is Sinking's sweeping pop harmonies may not be too far off.

Phillip Buchan

Dead Confederate

40 Watt Club @ 12:30 a.m.

Over the last two years, the members of Augusta/ Atlanta psych-rock band Dead Confederate, formerly the Redbelly Band, have done something highly recommended by another of Augusta's favorite sons/ funky godfathers and that's "tighten up." The group is virtually unrecognizable now compared to its original, looser version. Dead Confederate is now a much denser, more sonically-charged beast with Southern rock trimmings and new additions to the formula arriving with each subsequent album.

Michael Andrews

Ninjaband

Caledonia Lounge @ 1 a.m.

To see Cinemechanica's video game side project Megaband perform at the Georgia Theatre this past spring was to witness no small feat in creating an overarching effect of unity: a crowd both overjoyed and overwhelmed with a combination of NES nostalgia and pro-sports nail-biting. In case you somehow missed the boat on how the Contraband/ Megaband formula works, here's a refresher: Cinemechanica provides a flawless and thoroughly rocked-out soundtrack to gamer-savant Noah McCarthy's ruthless domination of a video game, in real time, projected on a big screen. The protagonist could be defeated at any moment, and there're no bullshit cheat codes here. This time, the guys are taking on Ninja Gaiden, renowned both for its gameplay difficulty and catchy music. Not to be missed.

Jeff Tobias

Saturday, June 23

David Dondero

AthFest Second Stage @ 4:40 p.m.

Carolina singer-songwriter David Dondero is a nomadic troubadour who writes autobiographical songs about love, youth and self-discovery on the open road. His clear, compulsory voice wavers over cool strumming with simple, amiable folk pop tones, even when he’s recalling hard times. Dondero is a rare example of the indie-rocker-turned-folk-singer who channels his pensive and personal fodder into narrative songs without beating you over the head with his personal demons and schmaltzy, confessional catharsis.

Chad Radford

Allison Weiss & the Bandits

AthFest Second Stage @ 6:40 p.m.

The young Ms. Weiss is still in the process of paying her dues around town, but since the beginning of this year has started making double-payments. This set is her playing with a full band and not her acoustic-solo act. Her earnest, playful music is a thing to be heard and hopefully the volume of this show will draw the crowd's attention.

Gordon Lamb

The Cheshire Bridge Academy for the Musically Gifted

Go Bar @ 9 p.m.

The ukulele is the new glockenspiel. Adding something childlike (because it's so tiny?) and charming to any song, it was locally popularized a while back by Crewsin' For A Brewsin' and then, more recently, by the Folk Yous, neither of which is playing AthFest this year. Instead, the Cheshire Bridge Academy for the Musically Gifted, two friendly Atlanta guys, each with his own ukulele, will provide the teeny strumming that warms your heart, with songs geared perhaps a bit to the preschool set but also far better than one would have any reason to expect. These guys should be perfect in the small confines of the Go Bar.

Hillary Brown

Courtnie Wolfgang

Titans of Filth

Hot Corner Coffee @ 9 p.m.

AthFest's outdoor stages are free and open to all, but only two of the nighttime club crawl's venues are open to all ages: Hot Corner Coffee (before midnight, anyway) and Nuçi's Space. So say you've got a younger friend, or sibling, or child of your own, and you want to show 'em just how swell and inspiring local music can be. Titans of Filth's earlier Hot Corner show might be just the place to convince anyone that all it takes to make droll, fun and uncomplicated pop music is a handful of friends, some instruments and a sure-let's-try-it-out attitude. Inspired by the relative ease and charmingly no-frills approach of the band, your young companion may need find her way to Camp Amped, Nuçi's Space's summer music camp [see p. 31].

Chris Hassiotis

The Willie-T Express

Georgia Theatre @ 9:30 p.m.

Whatever formation the rascally William Tonks brings to the stage, you can be sure it'll be led by a fella who's become synonymous with his six-string, be it slide-coaxed or finger-plucked. Tonks has appeared with a long list of local who's whos, including Barbara Cue, Hot Burritos, Six String Drag and the Workhorses of the Entertainment/ Recreational Industry. Lately, he's been at the helm of The Willie T. Express, while selflessly upping the game of just about anybody with whom he shares the stage.

Michael Andrews

Down With the Woo

Tasty World Downstairs @ 11 p.m.

Down with the Woo is the second coming of Eric Friar and Mandy Branch, the duo who crafted the crystalline melodies and jarring angles of Athens’ now-extinct Heros Severum. As DWTW, Friar (guitar, vocals) and Branch (guitar, keyboard, vocals), along with Winston Parker (bass, saxophone), shed the immediacy and terse punk leanings of their past for a spacey excursion into soul music, electro-pop and futuristic funk. Minimal rhythms and computer-generated beats come together in each song to form a web of sophisticated production and dance music that’s both slick and technology-obsessed without forgetting the organic ways of a human body on the dance floor.

Chad Radford

Southern Bitch

Caledonia Lounge @ 1 a.m.

Southern Bitch has looked its setbacks straight in the eye and responded with a confident "piss off!" The Musicks (Adam and Wendy), Chuck Bradburn and Taylor Sproull are, fortunately, back to their old tricks of rocking houses like it's the last gig before a week of Sundays. Their latest is Strong Medicine. It will make you do the rock; so will this show.

Michael Andrews

Zoroaster

Repent @ 1 a.m.

Georgia's best heavy rock acts - Jarboe, Jucifer, Kylesa, Harvey Milk - have much in common with Southern Gothic novelists. Both groups portray in gritty detail the depths of human depravity while holding fast to traditional ideas of craft and form, keeping us at once horrified and transfixed. And so it goes with Atlanta-based sludge metal trio Zoroaster. With its formidable array of rotgut riffs and monolithic amplifiers, these dudes can cause parts of your body that you didn't even know existed to rupture, and they'll wreak this havoc within the space of a memorable, logically-constructed song. If you ever thought local favorite Music Hates You would sound pretty righteous if it downed a steamshovel full of barbiturates before taking the stage, you'll be more than thrilled with the bludgeoning that Zoroaster will dish out Saturday night.

Phillip Buchan

Dark Meat

Tasty World Downstairs @ 1:15 a.m.

Athens’ indigenous freak-rock ensemble Dark Meat pushes the twisted and ecstatic soundscapes of Olivia Tremor Control into the outer reaches of warped experimentation. The group’s debut recording, Universal Indians is dedicated to free-jazz sax man Albert Ayler, whose holy ghost resonates profoundly in the group’s horn section. But for all intents and purposes, Dark Meat's twisted take on Southern rock has more in common with the Butthole Surfers’ golden years. Or more appropriately, the group’s performances evoke the elated bliss/ horror films of the drug-addled ‘60s circa Ira Cohen’s Invasion of the Thunderbolt Pagoda, where the limits of cognition, social comfort, sanity and spirituality are tested, all in the name of art and rock.

Chad Radford

Sunday, June 24

Georgia Guitar Quartet

AthFest Second Stage @ 1:40 p.m.

Sure, it'll be tempting to nurse the previous night's hangover 'til the Drive-By Truckers crank things up on the Main Stage at 7 p.m., but a performance from these local maestros might cure what ails ya. If not, at least you can bet it'll sound pretty damn good. Jason Solomon, Brian Smith, Kyle Dawkins and Phil Snyder recently celebrated their 10th anniversary together. The acoustic ensemble can do Bach, Zeppelin, John Cage and probably even Björk if given the chance. Get off your ass and get your culture on, already!

Michael Andrews

ABC@AthFest

AthFest Music Schedule

originally published June 20, 2007

Reprinted from the 2007 Athfest Program (a separate publication inside the June 20 issue of Flagpole. All page numbers referenced correspond to the AthFest Program. Don't get confused!

Wednesday, June 20

• 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.: Widespread Panic Exhibit: “The Earth Will Swallow You” (Lyndon House Arts Center) See p. 17. Free.

• 5:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 9:45 p.m. Rock Docs—Music Documentary Film Series (Ciné) Today: Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus. See p. 24. Tickets: $6 with AthFest wristband or for Ciné members, $8 without wristband.

• 10:00 p.m.: Sprockets Music Video Show (40 Watt Club) See p. 24. Tickets: Free with AthFest wristband, $5 without wristband.

Thursday, June 21

• 11:00 a.m.: Athens Music History Bus Tour (Leaves from Welcome Center Kiosk at City Hall) See p. 14. Tickets: $10 with AthFest wristband; $15 without wristband.

• 12:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.: Widespread Panic Exhibit: “The Earth Will Swallow You” (Lyndon House Arts Center) See p. 17. Free.

• 5:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 9:45 p.m. Rock Docs—Music Documentary Film Series (Ciné) Today: Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus. See p. 24. Tickets: $6 with AthFest wristband or for Ciné members, $8 without wristband.

• 5:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m.: “Self Made” (ATHICA) Touring artists. See p. 17. Free.

• 8:00 p.m.: 2007 Flagpole Athens Music Awards Show (Morton Theatre) Doors at 7:30 p.m.: See p. 22. Tickets: $4 with AthFest wristband; $6 advance, $8 door without wristband.

• 10:30 p.m.–2:30 a.m.: Club Crawl (Downtown Venues) See below for venues, times, age restrictions and pp. 4–15 for individual artist descriptions. Free with AthFest wristband; individual venue cover charges without wristband.

40 Watt Club (18 & up)

11:00 p.m.: 63 Crayons

11:50 p.m.: Supercluster

12:15 a.m.: New Sound of Numbers

Caledonia Lounge (18 & up)

Happy Happy Birthday to Me presents

10:30 p.m.: Cars Can Be Blue

11:15 p.m.: Velcro Stars

12:00 a.m.: M Coast

12:45 a.m.: Casper & the Cookies

Flicker Theatre & Bar (21 & up)

11:00 p.m.: Mother Jackson Orchestra

Repent (21 & up)

8:00 p.m.: BirdFlu

9:00 p.m.: Aegis of Athena

10:00 p.m.: Idolotar

11:00 p.m.: 696

12:00 a.m.: Celerity

1:00 a.m.: American Mutts

Friday, June 22

• 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.: Widespread Panic Exhibit: “The Earth Will Swallow You” (Lyndon House Arts Center) See p. 17. Free.

• 11:00 a.m.: Athens Music History Bus Tour (Leaves from Welcome Center Kiosk at City Hall) See p. 14. Tickets: $10 with AthFest wristband; $15 without wristband.

• 5:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.: Juried Artisan Market (Hull Street Stage Area) See p. 16. Free.

• 5:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.: Performances on Outdoor Stages (285 W. Washington St.; Corner of Hull and Washington streets) See below for times and pp. 4–15 for individual artist descriptions. Free.

• 5:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m., 9:45 p.m.: Before the Music Dies / 7:30 p.m., 10:00 p.m, 12:00 a.m.: Headspace . Rock Docs—Music Documentary Film Series (Ciné) See p. 24. Tickets: $6 with AthFest wristband or for Ciné members, $8 without wristband.

• 5:30 p.m.–10:00 p.m.: Art Cars (Hull Street Stage Area) See p. 16. Free.

• 8:00 p.m.–2:30 a.m.: Club Crawl (Downtown Venues) See below for venues, times, age restrictions and pp. 4–15 for individual artist descriptions. Free with AthFest wristband; individual venue cover charges apply without wristband.

AthFest Outdoor Stages (All Ages)

5:00 p.m.: Jazz Chronic

5:40 p.m.: Eucalyptus and the Kamikaze Koalas

6:00 p.m.: Justin Brogdon

6:40 p.m.: Ralph Roddenbery

7:00 p.m.: Zydefunk featuring Charlie Wooton

7:40 p.m.: Divine Maggees

8:00 p.m.: Squat

8:40 p.m.: The Revival

9:00 p.m.: Perpetual Groove

40 Watt Club (18 & up)

10:30 p.m.: Madeline

11:30 p.m.: Mother Jackson

12:30 a.m.: Dead Confederate

1:00 a.m.: The Dexateens

Caledonia Lounge (18 & up)

8:00 p.m.: Murder Beach

9:00 p.m.: King of Prussia

10:00 p.m.: Nutria

11:00 p.m.: Push!

12:00 a.m.: Psychic Hearts

1:00 a.m.: Ninja Gaiden Band

DT’s Down Under (18 & up)

10:00 p.m.: Brent Stephens

11:15 p.m.: Dusty Rhodes

12:30 a.m.: The Beer Club for Men

Farm 255 (18 & up)

10:30 p.m.: Eclectic Roots Ensemble

11:45 p.m.: Velveteen Pink

Flicker Theatre & Bar (21 & up)

10:30 p.m.: Jack Logan

11:30 p.m.: David Barbe

12:30 a.m.: Don Chambers

Georgia Theatre (18 & up)

9:30 p.m.: Kite to the Moon

11:00 p.m.: Bling the Children Back Home

12:30 a.m.: Dictatortots

Go Bar (21 & up)

9:00 p.m.: Engineering

10:00 p.m.: Misfortune 500

11:00 p.m.: Entertainme.nt

12:00 a.m.: USSR

Hot Corner Coffee (All Ages)

9:00 p.m.: Visitations

10:00 p.m.: Nate Nelson and Cortright

11:00 p.m.: Gemini Cricket

12:00 a.m.: Goodbye Donovan

Little Kings Club (18 & up)

9:30 p.m.: Wild Sweet Orange

10:30 p.m.: Tin Cup Prophette

11:30 p.m.: Venice is Sinking

12:30 a.m.: Modern Skirts

The Melting Point (18 & up)

10:00 p.m.: Bob Hay & The Jolly Beggars

11:00 p.m.: The Squallz

12:00 a.m.: Time Toy

Mercury Lounge (21 & up)

10:00 p.m.: Echo Canyon

Nuçi’s Space (All Ages)

8:00 p.m.: In Memory Of

9:00 p.m.: Music Hates You

10:00 p.m.: Stab the Cook

11:00 p.m.: Lazer/Wülf

Repent (21 & up)

9:00 p.m.: We Know the Future

10:00 p.m.: The Vinyl Strangers

11:00 p.m.: 60 Cycles of Sound

12:00 a.m.: Commander Chameleon

1:00 a.m.: Poncho Magic

The Ritz (18 & up)

10:00 p.m.: Holiday

11:15 p.m.: Sounds of Silence

12:30 a.m.: Last November

Tasty World (18 & up)

DOWNSTAIRS

8:00 p.m.: LeVeaux

9:00 p.m.: Part Bear

10:00 p.m.: Walcott

11:00 p.m.: The Leavers

12:00 a.m.: Red Legs

1:00 a.m.: The Empties

UPSTAIRS

Mantooth Music Presents:

10:00 p.m.–2:00 a.m.: DJ Killacut, Deaf Judges, M Pac & Kinghill, Curtison Jones, Mr. C, Figaro, Big John Burbon, Elite tha Showstoppa, Bear, Dirt Reynolds, C-Fre$h

Saturday, June 23

• 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.: Widespread Panic Exhibit: “The Earth Will Swallow You” (LHAC) See p. 17. Free.

• 11:00 a.m.: Athens Music History Bus Tour (Leaves from Welcome Center Kiosk at City Hall) See p. 14. Tickets: $10 with AthFest wristband; $15 without wristband.

• 12:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.: KidsFest (W. Washington Street between Lumpkin and Hull streets) See p. 19. Free.

• 12:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.: Performances on Outdoor Stages (285 W. Washington St.; Corner of Hull and Washington streets) See below for times and pp. 4–15 for artist descriptions. Free.

• 12:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.: Juried Artisan Market (Hull Street Stage Area) See p. 16. Free.

• 12:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.: Art Cars (Hull Street Stage Area) See p. 16. Free.

• 2:00 p.m.–2:30 a.m.: Wired ‘07: The Athens Electronic Music Festival (Detour, Little Kings) See full schedule on p. 23. Free with AthFest wristband; $10 without wristband. Ages 18 & up.

• 2:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m., 9:45 p.m.: Before the Music Dies / 7:30 p.m., 10:00 p.m, 12:00 a.m.: Headspace . Rock Docs—Music Documentary Film Series (Ciné) See p. 24. Tickets: $6 with AthFest wristband or for Ciné members, $8 without wristband.

• 8:00 p.m.–2:30 a.m.: Club Crawl (Downtown Venues) See below for venues, times, age restrictions and pp. 4–15 for individual artist descriptions. Free with AthFest wristband; individual venue cover charges without wristband.

• 8:30 p.m.: TeenScreen (Redeemer Presbyterian Church Auditorium, 165 Pulaski St.) See p. 25. With live music by Stab the Cook, Connelly Crowe and Gus D. Free with AthFest Wristband or for Film::Athens Members, $5 without wristband, $1 student admission.

AthFest Outdoor Stages (All Ages)

12:00 p.m.: Pam Blanchard & the Sunny-Side Up Band

1:00 p.m.: Jackpot City

1:40 p.m.: Megan Baer

2:00 p.m.: Adam Payne Band

2:40 p.m.: Battle Against Poverty High School Winner: Connelly Crowe

3:00 p.m.: Bobby Yang & His Unrivaled Players

3:40 p.m.: Molasses Skye featuring Kyshona Armstrong

4:00 p.m.: Josh Perkins’ Theomataras

4:40 p.m.: David Dondero

5:00 p.m.: Beyond Tomorrow

5:40 p.m.: 8-Track Gorilla & The Love Handles

6:00 p.m.: The Winter Sounds

6:40 p.m.: Allison Weiss & The Bandits

7:00 p.m.: Still, Small Voice & The Joyful Noise

7:40 p.m.: John Paul White

8:00 p.m.: Bain Mattox & Shot From Guns

8:40 p.m.: Sleepy Horses

9:00 p.m.: The Whigs

40 Watt Club (18 & up)

10:30 p.m.: Pegasuses XL

11:30 p.m.: Mouser

12:30 a.m.: We Vs. the Shark

1:00 a.m.: Cinemechanica

Caledonia Lounge (18 & up)

8:00 p.m.: Pride Parade

9:00 p.m.: Subrig Destroyer

10:00 p.m.: Freeball

11:00 p.m.: The Dumps

12:00 a.m.: Music Hates You

1:00 a.m.: Southern Bitch

DT’s Down Under (18 & up)

10:00 p.m.: Ken Will Morton &

the Wholly Ghosts

11:15 p.m.: John Strickland

12:30 a.m.: Eric Dodd

Farm 255 (18 & up)

10:30 p.m.: Count

11:45 p.m.: Birds&Wire

1:00 a.m.: Electa Villain

Flicker Theatre & Bar (21 & up)

10:30 p.m.: The Diamond Center

11:30 p.m.: Bellyache

12:30 a.m.: The Ones

Georgia Theatre (18 & up)

9:30 p.m.: Willie-T Express

11:00 p.m.: Dodd Ferrelle

12:30 a.m.: Don Chambers + Goat

Go Bar (21 & up)

9:00 p.m.: Cheshire Bridge Academy for the Musically Gifted

10:00 p.m.: Bicycles and Gravel

11:00 p.m.: Parade

12:00 a.m.: Tracer Metula

Hot Corner Coffee (All Ages, 18 & up after 12:00 a.m.)

9:00 p.m.: Titans of Filth

10:00 p.m.: Br’er Render

11:00 p.m.: Christopher’s Liver

12:00 a.m.: Folklore

The Library (18 & up)

10:00 p.m.: Rockinwood

11:15 p.m.: Mogus

12:30 a.m.: Bearfoot Hookers

The Melting Point (18 & up)

9:00 p.m.: Jay Markwalter

9:30 p.m.: Chris Moore

10:00 p.m.: Jay Gonzalez

10:30 p.m.: Peter Alvanos

11:00 p.m.: Caroline Monroe

11:30 p.m.: Fester Hagood

12:00 p.m.: Adam Klein

Mercury Lounge (21 & up)

10:00 p.m.: Mission to Mercury (Immuzikation, MP3J Vinal, Mr. Brown)

Nuçi’s Space (All Ages)

9:00 p.m.: Cara Beth Satalino

10:00 p.m.: The Good Ship

11:00 p.m.: Russian Spy Camera

Repent (21 & up)

8:00 p.m.: In the Lurch

9:00 p.m.: American Cheeseburger

10:00 p.m.: Polemic

11:00 p.m.: Organ

12:00 a.m.: Waited

1:00 a.m.: Zoroaster

The Ritz (18 & up)

10:00 p.m.: The Green Hornets

11:00 p.m.: Save the Grand Canyon

12:00 a.m.: Countdown to Ecstasy

Tasty World (18 & up)

Downtown Athens Recording Company presents:

DOWNSTAIRS

6:45 p.m.: Sean Arington (on the patio)

7:10 p.m.: Stereo Campbell (on the patio)

7:35 p.m.: Some Animal (on the patio)

8:00 p.m.: Patrick Carey

9:00 p.m.: Zach Gresham

10:00 p.m.: One Man Machine

11:00 p.m.: Down with the Woo

12:00 a.m.: Michael

1:15 a.m.: Dark Meat

UPSTAIRS

8:30 p.m.: Les Napoleones

9:30 p.m.: Ayo

10:30 p.m.: The Renegadez

11:30 p.m.: Morning State

12:30 a.m.: The Pendletons

Sunday, June 24

• 2:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m., 9:45 p.m.: Before the Music Dies / 7:30 p.m., 10:00 p.m.: Dangerous Highway . Rock Docs—Music Documentary Film Series (Ciné) See p. 24. Tickets: $6 with AthFest wristband or for Ciné members, $8 without wristband.

• 11:00 a.m.: Sundays @ the Morton Outdoor Service (AthFest Main Stage) Free.

• 11:00 a.m.: Athens Music History Bus Tour (Leaves from Welcome Center Kiosk at City Hall) See p. 14. Tickets: $10 with AthFest wristband; $15 without wristband.

• 12:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.: Performances on Outdoor Stages (285 W. Washington St.; Corner of Hull and Lumpkin streets) See below for times and pp. 4–15 for individual artist descriptions. Free.

• 12:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.: Juried Artisan Market (Hull Street Stage Area) See p. 16. Free.

• 12:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.: KidsFest (W. Washington Street between Lumpkin and Hull streets) See p. 19. Free.

• 12:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.: Art Cars (Hull Street Stage Area) See p. 16. Free.

AthFest Outdoor Stages (All Ages)

11:00 a.m.: Sundays @ the Morton Praise Band

12:15 p.m.: Jason Harwell

1:00 p.m.: Montana Skies w/ Dr. Arvin Scott

1:40 p.m.: Georgia Guitar Quartet

2:00 p.m.: Short Road Home

2:40 p.m.: The Corduroy Road

3:00 p.m.: Passafire

3:40 p.m.: Wampus Cat Scanners

4:00 p.m.: Little Country Giants

4:40 p.m.: Warm in the Wake

5:00 p.m.: Bang Bang Bang

5:40 p.m.: Winfield Smith

6:00 p.m.: Kimberly Morgan & The Everlovin’ Band

6:40 p.m.: Lake City

7:00 p.m.: Drive-By Truckers

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