originally published August 9, 2006

So, yeah, we’re in the middle of an awesome killer heat wave. But did you know that my love is like a heat wave? It’s true. They wrote a song about it. So with that in mind, let’s jump on into the news…

Preview: There will be more information published in next week's paper about this, but I wanted to give everyone a heads up as to what local band Unavox is up to. The band is preparing to release its debut full-length album Angels Dance Upwards, and it’s the type of solid foray into keyboard-driven darkwave that Athens hasn’t had in a long time. A CD release show goes down on Tuesday, Aug. 22 at Tasty World. To get a preview of what the band sounds like and all that, please check out www.unavoxmusic.com.

Hush Hush: Siren-like songwriter Aimee Mann will appear at The Melting Point on Sept. 19, and tickets are on sale now. The cost is $33 advance, plus a $3 “convenience fee,” or $37 at the door. Yes, this is incredibly pricey, but Aimee Mann is just so damn good, y'know? Plunk down the bucks over at tickets.meltingpointathens.com.

Plan Now If You’re Going: The Athens-based podcast people at Athcast.com have organized a jam-band festival at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC. Although the show won’t happen until Sept. 15, fans of local acts Lionz, The High River Band, Betsy Franck & the Bare Knuckle Band, Liquid Sundrop and Another Fiasco will want to make plans now, because, you know, if you don’t make plans, then things tend to get all screwed up. Organizer Brinkley Warren describes the event as “an incestuous Athens jam party in Myrtle Beach, SC that is sure to please southern rockers, hippies and funkin' tourists alike.” Athcast.com will produce a documentary podcast of the event to boot. If anyone knows what a funkin’ tourist is, please let me know.

Don’t Call it A Fakebook: Madeline, Athens' own troubadouring hit machine, has published a collection of her songs and illustrations titled What The Devil Don’t Know. Included in the 68-page publication are all the songs (lyrics and chord progressions) from her album Kissing & Dancing, her upcoming LP The Slow Bang and her split release with Dead Bird. Check it out over at www.valiantdeath.com or track down a copy when she plays at the 40 Watt Club on Thursday, Aug. 17.

So Elect Someone Else: Word has come in that drummer Jay Hoots has left local band Electa Villain for the employment opportunities of the Pacific Northwest. However, the rest of the bandmembers has been holed up in the studio working on ways to flesh out their sound via electronic beats and other whatnot. The band has taken a hiatus from playing live for the time being, but still has plans to release a debut album in the spring of 2007. In other news, Jay Murphy from Reason:Biodynamics has joined Electa Villain as a multi-instrumentalist.

(Time To Whig Out: Local act The Whigs has inked a deal with ATO Records and the label will re-release the band's previously self-released album Give ‘Em All A Big Fat Lip on Sept. 19. Founded by Dave Matthews Band manager Coran Capshaw, ATO Records also counts My Morning Jacket and David Gray on its roster of artists. The Whigs will hit the road pretty heavily until early next year, when the band will enter the studio to record its debut for the label. Check out the group's fancy website over at www.atorecords.com and, to The Whigs, congratulations guys - now get to work.

Coppin’ A Buzz: Local rock band Television Buzz is in the midst of recording a full-length album over at Andy Baker’s studio. Slowly the band is slipping preview tracks out via www.myspace.com/tvbuzz. Also, though the group admits it’s been pretty lax about playing out live in 2006, it has announced a couple of shows. Wednesday, Aug. 9 will see the band in Atlanta playing the 10 High with Skybucket and Dearest Azazel. Then on Sunday, Aug. 27, the band will play locally at Transmetropolitan with hey, revolution!. In other news, Television Buzz drummer Brent Cash is recording some solo stuff with Andy Baker, also. Rumored to be an orchestral masterpiece, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Or hear.

Book It!: Longtime vegetarian feast-fest Bluebird Café is seeking musicians to play on the weekends. As you can imagine, the restaurant/ pub is mostly looking for acoustic, quieter stuff, so if that’s what you do, then give Dave "Freelove" Mundy a call on Thursdays between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. at 706-549-3663. Also, if you’re inclined to play over at Farm 255, then start bugging Ck Koch (of Electa Villain); he is the new dude in charge of that stuff over there. Shoot him an email to music@farm255.com.

Supergroup. Sort Of?: There’s a new band in town (stop the presses!) called The Help and it will be playing for the second time ever on Monday, Aug. 14 over at Tasty World. Formed in May of this year, the band is comprised of Jamie Coulter (Honey, ex-Red Leader) on vocals and guitar, Dan Orchik (The Dictatortots, The Tamara Burch Project,) on drums, Jay Tootle (Todd McBride & the Cooler Heads) on bass and Richard Worthington (Big Gray, ex-Red Leader) on guitar. Check out what the group sounds like over at www.myspace.com/thehelpathens.

Quittin’ Time!: Widespread Panic lead guitarist George McConnell has left the band to go do other stuff. A member of Panic for the past four years, McConnell leaves nothing but fond memories for his bandmates. Says founding bandmember John Bell, “We’ll miss George a lot. I’m very grateful to him for lending us his talent and friendship these past four years, and we wish him all the best.” If you are a local guitarist, though, don’t hold your breath waiting for Panic to start doing auditions around here anytime soon. Jimmy Herring of the Dead and Aquarium Rescue Unit is the new lead guitarist.

Live From Athens: Tickets are going fast to the Athens taping of NPR's "Mountain Stage," and with good reason, too! The lineup mixes local acts like Vic Chesnutt, Tin Cup Prophette and Modern Skirts with regional performers like Carbon Leaf, Todd Snider and Garrison Starr, with each act performing a three- to six-song segment. The two-hour performance at UGA's Hodgson Hall takes place on Sunday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $25 and are available only at the UGA Performing Arts Center Box Office or by calling 706-542-4400. Seriously, if you want in on this, get your tickets now.

And that’s it for this week, folks. Be sure to keep your news coming in and always mention either Threats & Promises or my name in the subject line of all emails. Rock and Roll ain’t noise pollution via email to music@flagpole.com, voicemail at 706-549-9523, ext. 203, or by post at P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603.

Gordon Lamb

Gordon Lamb