Bridges, Not Walls

Perpetual Groove Settles Into Its New Status As An Athens Band

originally published November 8, 2006

The Perpetual Groove syndicate - band, management and technical support personnel - recently traded in Low Country mailing addresses to become Athenians. Our Northeast Georgia oasis has long supported homegrown, transplanted and in-transit bands of every conceivable genre and talent level. They loiter and practice at Nuçi’s, feed at the Taco Stand, phone and email Flagpole - and you, the readers, decide if these bands are served a welcome-mat-and-fanfare or a tumbleweed-and-crickets reception at, say, Tasty World on a Tuesday night.

Having sold out the Georgia Theatre for three consecutive evenings during a New Year's run as 2005 became '06, Perpetual Groove arrives in Athens with an established fanbase, an impressive resume and results-oriented handlers. Unquestionably, the band's already a few steps ahead of most locals looking to make music for money. Pantene (the shampoo) had an ad campaign a few years back where a British supermodel said, “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.” Same goes for Perpetual Groove. Whether you’re a hater, a fan, a lover or simply riding the welcome wagon, Perpetual Groove is an Athens band, and the town is better off for it. Really.

This writer was recently adopted by the P-Groove (we’re on a one-name basis now) family and spent lunch breaks, late evenings and cocktail hours with different members. We discovered that bassist Adam Perry is the bona fide rock star of the quartet, and his recent purchase of a ’73 El Dorado, an undeniably sweet sled he got for a song, proves it. Manager Ben Ferguson tirelessly promotes, protects and personalizes this band unlike any point person in recent memory. Jason Huffer, the band’s incomparable lighting director, listens to more MP3s than most bloggers and even the sexiest of music journalists. But the rest of the story is the responsibility of guitarist, vocalist and principal songwriter Brock Butler.

Economics and aesthetics were the most important considerations in the group’s decision to uproot from Savannah. “For me, and I think for all of us, they all went hand in hand," says Butler. "I love Savannah, and I’ll always love it, [but] I think Athens has a fantastic energy. The week we moved here, Beck played at the Georgia Theatre, and Savannah just doesn’t get these things we’d like to be seeing. It’s an inspiring place to be.”

The bottom line? “I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve been going to bed after a road trip and I think to myself, if we lived in Savannah I’d still be in the van for another five hours,” says Butler. No doubt the centralized location of Athens makes a significant difference to this regional heavy making national noise, especially considering the more than 200 shows P-Groove performs annually.

As for getting comfortable and assimilated in the Classic City, Butler - who had a number of full-band and solo acoustic shows in Athens under his belt at places as disparate as Italian eatery Amici and the Georgia Theatre - smiles and says, “I felt pretty acclimated when I got here. I’m home now.”

P-Groove has even paid live homage to some of its new neighbors, even if most hippies at the show (and hipsters that didn’t go) don’t know. Unafraid in improvisational endeavors, the band, and namely drummer Albert Suttle, recently incorporated the beat from Of Montreal’s “Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games” into their original (and unreleased) song “The Twist” during a few live performances.

Further evidence of the band's intent to marry itself to the community and break down provincial boundaries dividing music camps arrives this week at the Georgia Theatre. Proceeds from the performance will go directly to the venue instead of the band, in an effort to make some much-needed improvements to the facility's aging plumbing system. This benefit show promises to be the first in a series of events coordinated by an organization called Friends of the Georgia Theatre. The group is “dedicated to the historic preservation of the cornerstone of the Athens music scene” and, “bring[ing] back the art-deco glory of the magnificent Georgia Theatre.”

As of press time, the band was discussing an opener for this week's show, eventually deciding to share the bill with local Southern psych-pop outfit Summer Hymns. It’s refreshing to see bands from either side of Lumpkin Street acknowledge and support each other in the Swiss middle ground of the Georgia Theatre. The venue has meant a lot to the development of a band that once cut its teeth and toiled in unfortunate and less-prominent local spaces like Last Call. For all intents and purposes, the Theatre represented home base to Perpetual Groove long before its recent transplant, and Butler credits Theatre owner Wilmot Greene with maintaining that relationship. “Wilmot has been very generous,” says Butler, adding, “It’s a great room to play.”

Greene, for his part, says he appreciates Perpetual Groove’s assistance and admires their perseverance. “The guys in the band load in their own equipment and the crew gets stuff done," he says.  "I guess that sounds simple, but it's not too often that we have a big band show up and do what they're supposed to do in an efficient and friendly manner.  And the fans just love it!”

He adds, “It's no surprise that when four guys check their egos and just commit to making music everything seems to work out.  Every time they play here, I feel like it's my kid brothers showing up to have a big party in my house… I know they're going to make a mess, but everyone's going to have a real good time.”

As for the fundraising efforts, Greene admits that Perpetual Groove has, thus far, been the only band to approach him about "giving back" to the venue. “P-Groove always brings this crazy light show and therefore you can really see the imperfections in the room when they play," he says.  "So I painted the ceiling before the New Year’s shows last year so you couldn't see the ugly water stains up there.  I jokingly said that they were making my place look bad.  They must have taken me seriously, because they offered to help out.  I am so flattered and pleased by their gift; it's really incredible.”

The aforementioned New Year’s run and the historic live performance in Dolby 5.1 surround sound in 2004 make the Georgia Theatre an integral part of the band's growing legend. Affectionately dubbed, “The Shitter Show” by P-Groove’s Perry, the band will give back to toilets that have long suffered on the receiving end.

Yes, the phrase "growing legend" was used. It's not a term that should be thrown around, but consider Perpetual Groove's roots and then witness recent performances: amazing 20,000 revelers at Bonnaroo 2006; the festival-on-water cruise ship jaunt Xingolati with the Flaming Lips; a sold-out tour of Japan. That’s a long way from the Mellow Mushroom in Statesboro.

Just a few years ago, the Georgia-based jamband roster was crowded with like-minded performers following virtually identical paths. Unfortunately, the destination was never clearly defined. Many bands have been swallowed by obscurity, while others still find themselves experiencing the same levels of success (or lack thereof) they’ve known from the start. Adams Township, Captain Soular Cat, Field Trip, The Strange, Ancient Harmony, Moonshine Still, Ghost Train, Green Light Council, Maxwell Lummus, Shank, Melodious Ground - the list goes on, and likely has a half-dozen bands that incorporate the word "groove" into their names, yet P-Groove has eclipsed its jammy contemporaries and blazed a trail the others would gladly let light their way.

In January 2007, the band will release its third proper album, and its first for Tree Leaf Records, the fledgling label recently founded by folks at Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta. The quartet recorded the as-of-yet untitled effort and 2004’s All This Everything (Harmonized Records) at Tree Sound with Grammy-winning producer Robert Hannon, who has handled recording duties for Outkast, among others.

Is this the beginning of a producer-artist relationship that’ll see the same mileage as, say, that between John Keane and Widespread Panic? “I certainly hope so,” says Butler. “Robert and Tree Sound in general are really nice. They don’t look at their watch and figure out how much money you owe. It’s a really relaxed atmosphere working with him, and he’s not really a jam-band guy. He’d never seen us play before we started recording with him.”

An advance copy of the album proves once again that Perpetual Groove has a leg up on the rest of the heady, improvisational scene. While most bands with similar inclinations are still trying to capture elusive live energy on an album, or prove their propensity for genre-hopping, Perpetual Groove has captured a more mature sound. The band does not lack direction. Its music is as song-oriented and concise as could be expected from any arena-ready prog-rockers, past or present.

“I think the elements that make us the band we are are still there, but we’re bringing more experience," says Butler of the band's evolution. "We’re no longer jamming out to see what happens, and we’re not just recording happy accidents. We like having ideas that manifest… and on this album I wanted a different guitar tone. I wanted crunch!”

Mission accomplished. The recorded incarnations of road-tested anthems like “Only Always” and “Speed Queen” fit nicely alongside fierce and philosophical new songs like “Save for One” and “It Starts Where it Ends” (which, incidentally features some very interesting and very real disaster dialogue between pilots and air traffic controllers). P-Groove purists will not be disappointed. And others who drop their musical guards may be pleasantly surprised.

David Eduardo

WHO: Perpetual Groove, Summer Hymns
WHERE: Georgia Theatre
WHEN: Wednesday, November 8
HOW MUCH: $15