originally published August 15, 2007

I guess this is the part where I say "Welcome back, students" all sincere like. So, consider it said. But, seriously, for all of you picking up Flagpole for the first time since spring, or even the first time ever, welcome to Athens. We've left the light on for you, so just be sure to check back here weekly for further illumination and wisdom. Begin your journey below…

Best News All Summer: In the space of less than a month, the most truly awesome Flicker Theatre & Bar closed, was put up for sale, was purchased and reopened. Although speculation raced throughout town for a couple of days about who had purchased the beloved gathering spot, the proud new owners are Clint McElroy and Jeremy Long, who'll be familiar to readers of Flagpole as creators of the film criticism cartoon Flick Skinny and longtime fixtures at the Broad Street branch of Vision Video. In a 2004 interview for Flagpole, the pair was unwittingly prescient. When asked about their goals, this exchange occurred: “It's my dream to make enough money that I can open my own theater and just play whatever I want," said Long, while McElroy added, "And I'd like to be a bartender at a movie theater that he owns." For those worried about what this space would turn into, rest assured: the pair have plans to keep it practically identical to what it was - though the popcorn machine has already been moved from the bar side of the bar to the theatre/stage side. The bar reopened for business on Friday, Aug. 3, and McElroy says that booking is happening again; all booking inquiries should be sent to flickerbooking@yahoo.com.

Out of The Studio, Into The Classroom: Recording studio legend (yes, I think he's earned that title) and local studio owner John Keane will do some time as an instructor in UGA's Music Business Program this fall. He'll be teaching a unit on ProTools Recording which, for any future engineers out there, is pretty essential knowledge these days. For better or worse, ProTools is now industry standard. Keane is the author of The Musician's Guide to ProTools and this book will serve as the text for the course. Registration is open to UGA students and is probably already filled up, but please drop a line to program director Bruce Burch and see what's what. Contact Burch via email at bburch@terry.uga.edu.

Man Takes Over Other Man's House: You know that saying that you don't really have a job because you can't, you know, give that job away or loan it to your friend or whatever. Well, two local engineers changed all that recently as Joel Hatstat (Pegasuses-XL, ex-Cinemechanica) is taking over Andy Baker's studio for the next year as Baker will be in Taiwan. The studio, which will retain the name The Bakery since that's what everyone already knows it as, will change hands for the year sometime in September and Hatstat already has plans to charge some super-special rates. So, if you want to preserve your timeless tunes for all of posterity, or just tape 'em for Grandma, go get some information by writing to analogchef@hotmail.com.

New Recordings: Speaking of which, local band Nana Grizol - performing with Wilma and Nutria at the Morton Theatre on Wednesday, Aug. 15 [see ABC] - just spent some time with Asa Leffer at his studio, Downtown Athens Recording Company, laying down tracks for an upcoming release. Whether it'll be a full album or an EP isn't clear, but expect to hear word over the next several months.

For The Kids. For Real: There's a lot of lip service given to helping kids, but Dr. Arvin Scott puts his hands where his mouth is. Through his Drumming For Success program, Dr. Scott provides Athens area kids ages three through 16 with instruction in hand-drumming while teaching the core values of academic achievement, good character, creativity, personal goal accomplishment and group cooperation. On Thursday, Aug. 16, the Melting Point will host a benefit for the program called "Beat the Drum" featuring Sunny Ortiz (Widespread Panic) and Dr. Arvin Scott. Doors are at 6 p.m. and the show runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $6 in advance and $8 at the door. For more info, please see www.drummingforsuccess.com.

Wind On Down: Folks new to Athens makin' that 316 shuttle may not realize that there's stuff between here and the Gwinnett sprawl. Take note, however - the city of Winder is putting on a big outdoor festival on Saturday, Aug. 18 that should be of interest to many an Athenian. The Lazy Daze Music Festival takes place at Winder's Pavilion Park, and features the bands Delorian (noon), Southfire (1:30 p.m.), Richard Sherfey & All God's Children (3 p.m.), Marty Ford Band (4:30 p.m.), The Fullhouse Band (6:30 p.m.), The Empties (9 p.m.) and a special unannounced closing act at 10:30 p.m. However, a quick look at the Modern Skirts' MySpace page and you'll see that band playing at the Lazy Daze festival, so put two and two together. The event is free and open to all, and will also feature food vendors. As a nice sidenote, this festival doubles as a "study project" for a UGA program to determine if a permanent outdoor amphitheater - something that even the city of Athens does not have - would be beneficial to the Winder community. For more info and directions, hit up www.cityofwinder.com.

Now You've Gotta Sing On Your Own: Geoff Carr, AKA DJ Do It, has left Athens for Statesboro, GA. He's accepted the position teaching journalism at Georgia Southern University and this means that his popular Thursday-night "Indie Rock Karaoke" at the Go Bar has also split the scene. While unsure of whether "Indie Rock Karaoke" will have a regular gig in Statesboro (although, this seems unlikely; I can't imagine a more hostile audience for this type of thing…) he's totally into the idea of bringing it back to Athens occasionally if transportation isn't an issue. Good luck, Geoff, hope to see ya soon!

Come Again?: The aforementioned Athens songwriter Wilma will be joined by the aforementioned John Keane and the rarely mentioned Davis Causey at the aforementioned show Wednesday, Aug. 15 at the Morton Theatre as part of the "Athens 441" series. Bart King is also helping out on guitar. Wilma plays a particularly pretty brand of acoustic music that seems to blend wind-swept Southwestern singer-songwriter stuff with a taste of jazz. Whatever you want to call it, it's nice and worth a listen. Her song "Winterville," written for her childhood home, was proclaimed "Official Song of Winterville" on Tuesday, Aug. 14. That's a damn fine honor, too. Please check her out over at www.myspace.com/wilmawilma.

New Records; I Love 'Em!: Killick, head honcho behind local label Solponticello Records, has two new releases available now. The first is by Killick himself, and is called bull****. Yes, that's the real title, lowercase letters and asterisks and all. This is the first album by Killick featuring "Big Red" which is his custom-made, 38-string harp. (That sounds simple but, in reality, Big Red is unbelievably impressive.) The other release is by Zepubicle, which is Killick, Marshall Marrotte, Jeff McLeod and special guest Tatsuya Nakatani. Killick describes Levitate Small Animals as "punky, arty, doomy, trancey, folky, scrapey, noisy, pushy, pully, southy and worldwise." Which is to say, it's most likely worth your time. Please visit www.myspace.com/solponticello for loads more info.

Totally Sick Rockin': Chris McKay, fearless leader of local band The Critical Darlings, is a trooper. Anyone familiar with his band or photography knows how hard he works, but what you may not know is that he spent nearly all of June and July suffering through mycoplasma pneumonia. Still, when he would have days when he sorta felt okay he continued working on demos for the band's upcoming album Satisfactionista. He's still not out of the woods yet, but wanted to let everyone know that there are new Critical Darlings demos, live recording and other stuff available to check out over at www.myspace.com/critcaldarlingslive. And, Chris, from us here at Flagpole, get well soon, dude.

Be cool, stay in school. But, more importantly, be sure to keep your news coming in and always mention either Threats & Promises or my name in the subject line of all emails. Send fistfuls of cash and ice cold beer 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