10th Annual Flagpole Athens Music Awards

Thursday, June 19 at the Morton Theatre

originally published June 18, 2008

Thanks to everyone who voted in this year's Flagpole Athens Music Awards! Your votes are in and counted. The awards themselves have been hand-crafted by artist Pattiy Torno. The winners' names, known only to a select few, have been sealed in envelopes, locked in a safe, buried underground and protected by armored guards 24 hours a day. It is finally time for their unveiling!

The Flagpole Awards have kicked off AthFest for the past decade, and there is truly no better way to get into the spirit of all that is Athens music. On this night we honor not only the award winners, but the thriving, supportive artistic community that so many of us take for granted. Honestly, not every college town could pull off an awards show like this. Athens is unique in the way we put music up on a pedestal, and Athens musicians are unique in their diversity and camaraderie. Just flip through that AthFest program a second; we've got an absurd amount of really, really good bands.

To prove it, just ask any member of the awards nomination committee. We spent hours debating and deliberating followed by endless emails reconsidering and revising trying to come up with the top five artists in each category. Frankly, it's a great problem to have. It was absolutely overwhelming to have so many talents to choose from in literally every genre. I'll admit it - I got a case of the warm fuzzies, and I think any Athenian will share in that sense of pride at the award show.

In addition to the awards, we have an eclectic mix of artists lined up to perform. Spring Tigers and Twin Tigers will take the stage at once so that hopefully we can finally figure out who is who. The Buddy System will brighten the Morton Theatre stage with its animation and accompanying soundtrack. We've also got hip-hop artist C-Fre$h, fiddler David Blackmon and soulful songwriter Kyshona Armstrong. You can also feel the rhythm of the Caribbean with �Moyuba! and then feel the rhythm of the University with the UGA Redcoat Drumline. Even the UGA Majorettes will take the stage to lend a hand!

Presenting awards this year are a host of local personalities including Dottie Alexander, Davey Pierce and other members of the Of Montreal family. We've also got the notorious Jammy Jamm promoter Mercer West (no, the award show can't be free, Mercer), blogger and rocker extraordinaire Jim McHugh of Dark Meat, plus country musician Clay Leverett and several surprise guests that you will not want to miss.

Get into the AthFest spirit and come give our local talent a round of applause!

Michelle Gilzenrat

WHAT: The 10th Annual Flagpole Athens Music Awards
WHERE: The Morton Theatre
WHEN: Thursday, June 19. 8 p.m.
HOW MUCH: $5 (w/AthFest wristband), $8 (advance), $10 (door without wristband)