originally published September 13, 2006

Week after week, time and again, we gather here on this page to go over the week’s events and news. Keep in mind that this information is only as good as you make it, and is only relevant if you use it. So, in the name of all that’s relevant, start using below…

In Memoriam: Local actress and vocalist Elissa Hadley passed away on Aug. 27 at age 36 after falling ill earlier this year. A resident of Athens for many years, she was best known among music fans for her work with popular early '90s band Lenny, as well as her work with Shawn Mullins, Andrew Hyra, Breathlanes, Aqualove and Al Reingold. An enthusiastic member of Athens' Town & Gown Players, Hadley appeared in productions of Quiet Desperation and Academia Nuts. Plans for an Athens-area memorial service are underway for October and anyone that has any photos, video clips or other materials that can be utilized for this purpose should contact www.townandgownplayers.org. An online guest book has been established at www.legacy.org. Flagpole sends its sincere condolences to all friends and family of Hadley and the Athens scene has surely lost ones of its most smiling faces - read more remembrances of Hadley []

I Dub Thee: Maserati has announced that its forthcoming album, heretofore known tentatively as Inventions for the World Outside, will instead be titled Inventions for the New Season. No news yet as to release date or label.

Been A Long Time: Although no longer living in Athens, songsmith and rocker Count Kellam will return to town on Wednesday, Sept. 13 to perform at Farm 255. Opening the show is an acoustic set by Kellam’s other entity, Monster Zero (at approx. 8:30 p.m.). At around 10:20 p.m., Kellam's main band Count will take the stage with a full lineup, including Dan Nettles, Billy Rhoton, Jeff Rieter, Jay Murphy and Matt Weiss. Word is that Count plans on pulling Hope For Agoldensummer vocalist and longtime compatriot Claire Campbell on-stage to sing a little bit, also. Keep your ears open for new material at this gig. Why? Because he said so.

Last Lunch: It’s with more than a little sadness that I bring you the news of the final show, at least in its current incarnation, at Athens' beloved punk rock bar Lunch Paper. Although I have not personally bellied up to the bar as a regular for the past few years, especially after its move from College Avenue, I did spend thousands of dollars and lose countless nights, and made countless friends and good memories, for several years in the 1990s courtesy of this place. At any rate, the final show is to take place Thursday, Sept. 14 and will feature The High Caliber, Music Hates You, Dirty Sanchez & the Pancho Villas, Sleepy Horses and The Dumps. Drink it up.

On the Green: This week, the University of Georgia's annual "Terry Tunes" concert series returns, though this year is a little different. While the Terry College of Business still sponsors the series, the school's new Music Business Program has assumed the booking duties and is aiming for something a little more Athens-relevant and crowd-drawing. Gone are the jazz bands and marching bands of years past, and so far we've got Modern Skirts on Friday, Sept. 15; Chris McKay & the Critical Darlings on Friday, Sept. 22; The Packway Handle Band on Friday, Sept. 29; and Nate Nelson on Friday, Oct. 20. The outdoor concerts take place on UGA's Herty Field from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Psychic Friends: They’ve spent the better part of this last year recording and touring, but the local rockers in Psychic Hearts are playing again in Athens on Friday, Sept. 15 at the Go Bar. The show is free and PBRs will run you a single buck that night, so unless you have a horrible derailment that day or something, you really have no excuse not to attend. Psychic Hearts has radically reworked its sound over the past several months and shifted bass player Nico Cashin to keyboards; if you haven’t caught the band in a while, you’re gonna wanna do so this night.

Pointing South: On Saturday, Sept. 20, former Athens musician and country/ folk guitarist John Pringle swings back through town as part of "Uncharted: The Jeep Compass Music Tour," a tour of music towns shilling the new car. His shows will be out in public and free, if you want to catch him. Find him at Sanford Stadium around noon, or downtown on College Square around 4:30 p.m. And if you want to overload yourself with corporate advertising, hit up www.myspace.com/jeep.

Nothing But The Tooth: Four bands will converge at the fabulous 40 Watt on Wednesday, Sept. 20 for a benefit show attempting to defray the costs of major oral surgery. The beneficiary is local musician Christian Seklecki (Quiet Hooves, ex-Kamikaze Headband) who recently underwent what is described as a “botched root canal.” At any rate, he needs major damage control on this one and the costs could be substantial. The bands playing the show are Mouser, Quiet Hooves, Telenovela and Col. Knowledge & the Lickity-Splits. Doing quadruple time this night is musician Mercer West, who plays drums for all four bands. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that such heavy activity won’t require an additional benefit for him.

The News Just Keeps On Coming: Another case of a band making much noise is Athens' own Harvey Milk. Years after the band split up, its profile, nurtured by years of legend-telling and posthumous critical acclaim, is higher than it’s ever been. Troubleman Unlimited has released a batch of new Harvey Milk compositions this week titled Special Wishes [see a review here]. A new 7” is also available via the label, and if both releases are ordered together, you save a dollar on your total purchase. In my opinion, though, you should pick these up via one of our independent record stores in town. Also, don’t forget the Relapse Records reissue of Courtesy and Good Will Toward Men, which was Harvey Milk’s double LP-only release that was out of print almost as soon as it was released. For more info on any of these records, please see www.troublemanunlimited.com or www.relapse.com.

Everybody’s Talkin ‘Bout Bagism: The Five Points location of the Earth Fare grocery store chain has chosen Nuçi’s Space as its “Friend of Earth Fare” for September. With this program, the store picks a local charity or organization each month and hosts special promotions to raise money. Jars are set up at the check-out counters for donations and for the entire month of September, every time a patron uses their own bag instead of an Earth Fare-provided one, the store will donate 10 cents to Nuçi’s Space. A couple of live performances will take place at the store this month with featured shows by Joel Byron on Wednesday, Sept. 13 and Chris Henderson on Sept. 27. In other bag-related news, Hot Corner Coffee will donate 10 percent of the proceeds from bagged coffee sales for the month of September to Nuçi’s Space.

Slight Correction: A few weeks ago, I reported some changes going on in the camp of the band Better People. While most of the facts reported were correct, there were a few things that could’ve been tightened up. So, in the name of getting it all right, let me clarify that Better People founder and main dude Doug Patterson lives in Athens and has never lived in Atlanta. Also, Better People consists of no other members besides Patterson and any collaborators are not really "members" per se, but subsumed under the Better People banner. Finally, no matter how much the music changes from one record to the next, none of this constitutes a change in direction for Better People but, rather, is part and parcel of the type of ongoing project Patterson has created. In his words, “I choose not to be confined to any genre or style… expect nothing and no one will be disappointed.” With that out of the way, we can consider the matter cleared up and all you folks out there now know more than you ever needed to about a band most of you will never even hear.

How About Tomorrow?: Atlanta rock dude Butch Walker is swinging back through town on Tuesday, Sept. 19 with a show at UGA's Legion Field. He's backed by his new band The Let's Go Out Tonites, and should pepper the set with tracks off the new album The Rise & Fall of Butch Walker and the Let's Go Out Tonites. Tickets range in price from $10 to $20, and are available at UGA's Tate Center box office or over the phone at 706-542-8074. Walker will also be available earlier that same day for something called "Up Close & Personal," but you can only attend if you're in UGA's Music Business program or if you're a dues-paying member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (the folks behind the Grammys). For more info on that, contact Molly Dean at molly.dean@grammy.com.

I’m out. Be sure to keep your news coming in and always mention either Threats & Promises or my name in the subject line of all emails. Mommy’s all right, daddy’s all right 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