Athens' Biggest Threat Unleashed

American Cheeseburger Departs for Sixth Tour

originally published May 28, 2008

Rock and roll should never be safe. Although it is, at times, nearly perpetually anemic and neutered, and its impending death has been mourned practically since its inception - it requires an element of danger.

This means so much more, though, than simple-minded, thuggish, physical intimidation. Just as Frank Zappa proved philosophically dangerous to fashion-hippies in the late 1960s, so does the best rock and roll continue to challenge assumptions, belief systems and the syrupy, sickening trapdoor of misplaced nostalgia. Tune into any one of Clear Channel’s "oldies" stations and you begin to get the idea that the 1960s were nothing more than one long beach party served an incidental side dish of war. Similarly, nearly all the official stories concerning punk rock, with few notable, albeit significant, exceptions, treat the subject as a cultural curiosity whereby seminal groups released poor-selling records, the smartest of the bunch abandoned the gritty for the flashy, and the whole thing happened in a jelly pot of heroin, nihilism and a hearty helping of good, old-fashioned show business.

It’s not our job, really, to blame the re-writers of history for their desire to wrap things up in a neatly deliverable package. It is our job, however, to declare them dead wrong and irrelevant. The real story of rock and roll never takes place in polite conversation. It occurs in dives and backyards; living rooms and warehouse spaces; vans and highway rest stops. In 2008, and in Athens, it’s happening wherever American Cheeseburger happens to be playing.

Composed of members Steve Armstrong, James Greer, Jason Griffin and John Andrews, American Cheeseburger is among Athens’ finest exports. And, make no mistake, the band exports itself as often as possible. Now on the verge of its sixth major tour of the East Coast and Midwest, the band, which also tirelessly hosts bands from all over the world here in town, is also one of the finest examples of the community-based underground of U.S. punk and hardcore.

The members have each been, variously, members of bands such as Carrie Nations, No!, Halfula, Pillow Fort, Divorce, Goat Shanty, Pink Panties and Nocturne for a Dying Planet, and have steadily built relationships throughout the country with other bands and scenes. When asked how other locales reciprocated their generosity and hospitality, they all had ready examples. Andrews remarks, “With Carrie Nations we were always well taken care of in Bloomington, Asheville, Pensacola, Chattanooga and Gainesville. Now, they're all old friends, and the hospitality continues. Cheeseburger does great in those places. Chicago, Cleveland, Ohio, Albany, New York, Baton Rouge/ New Orleans and Raleigh are a few places that come to mind where we have developed relationships with bands from their towns. We take care of them, and they take care of us.”

Armstrong likens the phenomenon to a “buddy system” in that “after bands have come through Athens and like what they see, word gets around that this is a cool place to play, and more people want to check it out.” For his part, Griffin sums it up thusly, “People definitely reciprocate when we go on the road. I hear from so many punk and hardcore bands that Athens will be their best show of the tour. It's not that there is a big punk or hardcore scene here, but that is what makes it special. There isn’t a show every night, and I think people appreciate it more here, unlike the bigger 'scenes' where it is easy to get spoiled or bored of shows.”

Beyond this, American Cheeseburger has slowly, and practically unwittingly, built a reputation here in town as one of the single most exciting bands to witness. Furiously blasting through sets constructed with its own brand of thrash-hardcore, the band functions not merely through power but also an economy that is largely gone from even the punk scene. Greer remarks, “I don't keep up with who's who and what's hot in current punk/hardcore, and I rarely even look at our feedback, and that keeps the band fresh and unique for me.” Andrews says of the band’s shows, “We're probably fucking up and playing too fast. We try to slow down for shows; it never happens. I dunno. None of us are stereotypical hardcore kids. We all have tons of hardcore records, but we probably listen to others genres more.”

Although the ridiculous rise in gas prices has crimped nearly everyone’s travel options, American Cheeseburger hasn’t had to park the van just yet. The band is still able to get from town to town but admits that if prices increase much further, this will be harder to do. So far, though, the guys seem fortunate in that they’re able to keep touring while holding down steady day jobs. Greer, Griffin and Armstrong work by day as cooks at The Grit, and Andrews is a manager at Transmetropolitan.

Still, Armstrong says, “We've been doing all right on the road and putting any money we do end up making into the tank, but now we've got some vehicle trouble and a tour coming up. I'm sure we're going to get the shitty end of the stick one way or another, but we'll persevere.”

Andrews, however, directly confronts the issue of scene economics when asked about how increased gas prices are affecting homegrown touring. Even so, he holds that not touring really isn’t an option for a band like American Cheeseburger. “What can you do? Stay here and impress some frat hipsters at some bar? We're fish outta water [here and] we need to go where people have similar interests,” he says. “[It] seems like show prices have been rising, which helps. In 1980 shows were five bucks, and in 2000 shows were three bucks! It seems like people are 'getting it,' that shows aren’t two or three bucks anymore. I've always loved Fugazi’s five-buck rule, but maybe it should be six now.”

With regard to safety being a non-starter aspect in the best rock and roll, Griffin says, “I think what we bring is energy. I think rock and roll, or punk or whatever you want to call it, needs to be a little threatening sometimes, and when we play a show we always have a good time.”

So, too, does everyone in the audience.

Gordon Lamb

WHO: Chronic Seizure, Daffodil, American Cheeseburger
WHERE: Little Kings Shuffle Club
WHEN: Wednesday, May 28
HOW MUCH: $5