Take Out Your Earplugs If You Can't Hear Me
Flagpole Readers Respond To The 2006 Music Survey
originally published December 27, 2006
Which local album from 2006 was your favorite?
Venice Is Sinking's Sorry About the Flowers is the most gorgeous, breathtaking record of the year… in Athens or anywhere else. Just listen to tracks like "Tours" and "Undecided" - the vibrant, dreamy sound of the recording, the beautiful male/ female vocal interplay, anchored by concise, inventive drumming and draped in haunting cello drones… I'll be listening to this record for years. [Steve LaBate]
Beyond Tomorrow's album was my favorite because they managed to make a label-quality album full of catchy Top 40 pop-rock hits, all on an indie/shoestring budget. I also liked it because it's one of the few albums coming out at Athens that isn't country, jam band or crappy, pretentious indie garbage. [PT Umphress]
Cinemechanica's The Martial Arts. The raw and unbridled power that Cinemechanica pours forward in this melodic and spastic union of technicality and soul burnt me to the core… in a good way. [Mason Savage]
It's a tie between Music Hates You and Cinemechanica. [Producer] Andy Baker can make drums sound so awesome I would buy the Candlebox reunion album if he did the drums for it. These are also the two best live acts in town. [Chris Garcia]
Elf Power's Back to the Web. They've come a long, long way from their start, and the work they've put in to get to where they are shows. [Craig Lieske]
Beyond Tomorrow's Beyond Tomorrow. Super catchy and really fun to listen to. [Lindsey Stier]
The Winter Sounds album was really clean-cut and was the only album this year that just flat-out surprised me. I didn't know the band previously and just heard the record and really liked it. [Will Kiser]
Dubconscious' Realization - a very close second to Music Hates You - because they finally managed to duplicate their intense live shows on disc. The production is basically perfect and their long jammed-out songs finally get the recording they deserve. [Greg Knauft]
The Martial Arts destroys my face every time I listen to it. It is so good. It has all the intensity of a symphony. With guitars! [Kevan Williams]
Tell us about one of the best live shows you saw this year.
Modern Skirts at AthFest… it was in the rain and amazing! [Meg Pend]
As far as local bands, I'd have to say Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars at Go Bar. It was super cold, but a fun show to catch. [Mike Turner]
Bubba Sparxxx at the Georgia Theatre. It was the only rap concert I've ever been to and it was awesome. [Luke Rogers]
Tin Cup Prophette opening for the Modern Skirts. She truly blew me away. [Mason Savage]
The rollicking Sleepy Horses' Lunch Paper show at AthFest was energizing, mesmerizing and a marked change from the earlier performances I'd seen by the same band. The musicians were all in sync, and the packed crowd couldn't take their eyes and ears off that teensy little stage. [Janet Geddis]
I loved the Flagpole Music Awards, it was my first night out in Athens. [Heather Gamboa]
The Empties at Farm 255. Small, intimate venue with a small crowd. [Rachel Bailey]
The Dumps put on an amazing show at the Georgia Theatre. They were tight and just awesome!!! [Mark T. Weathersby]
I loved seeing Butch Walker & The Let's Go Out Tonights at Legion Field. Butch and his band had such great energy and really interacted with the crowd. I always love when performers involve the audience in the show, it makes for a great experience. [Courtney Agualo]
My friends and I had a blast in the front row of the Beck show at the Georgia Theatre. Between the great music, the energy of "dancey guy," as we liked to call him and the bandmember look-alike puppets changing instruments along with the bandmembers, it was a very memorable event. [Tina Ridley]
Liz Durrett, Matthew Houck, Jason Molina and Ray Raposa at Flicker on Dec. 4. Four singer-songwriters onstage = beautiful. [Kristen Ashley]
My first show after moving to Athens was Cinemechanica, Iron Hero and We Versus the Shark in February, so after that show I was like, "Wow, I made the right choice by moving to Athens." [Mike White]
How about one of the worst?
Modern Skirts, September at the 40 Watt. Too crowded, and not a good set. [Meg Pend]
Holiday wasn't too impressive. I think they are a little cocky to be not so rocky. [Mel Vickery]
Modern Skirts didn't live up to the hype at one of their 40 Watt shows. [Andy Turner]
Boulevard and Pushbutton, 40 Watt, spring. Pushbutton's alright, but Boulevard is music for dudes who borrow their girlfriends' jeans and wear scarves in April. [Matt Hudgins]
Apples in Stereo at Popfest. The headliner of the whole festival was the worst thing I saw that day. [Sean Bennett]
Dark Meat at the Flagpole Music Awards. [Montez Nash]
The setup of the Wilco show at the Classic Center was awful. [Mary Beth Justus]
What do you hope to see happen in local music in 2007?
More killer tuneage, more bands getting out on the road to spread the gospel. [Ben Clack]
Athens musicians, stop moving to New York. [Sloan Simpson]
I'd like to see Athens get more of the shows that we tend to lose to Atlanta on a weekly basis. [Mike Turner]
Telenovela finally putting out an album! [Max Martin]
More outdoor shows, and more daylight shows. In that same vein, I'd love to have some more venues that offer shows earlier in the evening so that I have the opportunity to go home before 1 or 2 a.m. [Janet Geddis]
More unification amongst all the different groups and genres. Less attitude and snobbery from the hipsters. [Taylor Northern]
More affordable, solid shows at the Melting Point. [Sean Bennett]
Georgia Theatre get some serious TLC: sanitize, scrub, scrape and rejuvenate! [Tina Ridley]
More naked bodies, less rap. [Jon Bird]
Ginger Envelope gets signed. Makes it big. Buys a small town in southwest TX. We all move there and become an autonomous state surrounded by a physical border of 20-foot San Pedro cacti. [Claire Campbell]
Upping the giving a shit/ not giving a shit quotient. [Mercer West]
I'd love to see the return of (although expensive) thought-provoking, artistic, visually appealing concert posters. We went through a little wave a really amazing ones a few years ago, but unfortunately it's dropped off a little in the past year. [Will Kiser]
AthFest needs to bring in some big names to create a buzz. Come for those bands, stay for the local bands. Also, there is probably a better time of the year for AthFest. [Mark Ellers]
I hope local music breaks big-time so the whole scene is taken over by creepy A&R men from major labels and thousands of talentless assholes coming to "Make It Big" as part of the "Athens Sound." [Matt Hudgins]
More bands. Every year, thousands of new students come to the University. I want to see some of these kids getting serious about making great music. I'd also like to see bands sticking with it more. Athens is such a transient town, and it seems many of the best bands break up as people come in and out of school and the town. I hope to see many jobs quit and classes dropped in the name of focusing on music. This is a call to the next generation to ruin your life for music - it will be worth it. [Robert Gunn]
Readers' Top 10 Local Albums of 2006
Drive-By Truckers A Blessing and A Curse
R.E.M. And I Feel Fine: Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982–1987
Dark Meat Universal Indians
Cinemechanica The Martial Arts
Beyond Tomorrow Beyond Tomorrow
Elf Power Back to the Web
Iron Hero Safe as Houses
Widespread Panic Earth to America
Dubconscious Realization
An Epic At Best There Will Be Rain
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