originally published August 6, 2008

Ah, another week, a few dollars fewer and here we are. Although the time when Athens was a ghost town during the summer is long gone, it’s still relatively empty here this time of year. Enjoy it while you can, folks. Those kids are coming back. However, they will have missed the important information imparted to you below…

Hello, Groningen!: Athens' own Drive-By Truckers are currently out on a U.K. and European tour where they’re hitting spots such as London, Bristol, Nottingham, Oslo, Venlo and Stockholm. They’ll begin another run of U.S. dates in September, and they’ll have some shows in our approximate vicinity. You can make your trip to see them doubly special, though, if you catch one of the shows Sept. 15–19 (Tuscaloosa, Columbia, Charlotte and Norfolk respectively) or Sept. 29–Oct. 1 (Baton Rouge, Hattiesburg and Oxford respectively), because Don Chambers + GOAT will open those shows. A very special Patterson Hood solo show will take place in Decatur, GA at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival on Aug. 31, too. It’s free, all ages, and will take place at the Decatur Marta plaza. For more info, check out www.drivebytruckers.com.

Multiple and Massive: Someone who should get a lot more attention than he does is Ryan Cox. Alternately known as Sailor Winters and the man behind Black Noise Records, Cox never fails to impress me with his deliberate and understated way of going about his business. To wit, 2008 has been a relatively banner year for his Black Noise label which racked up releases by The Crowned Heads of Europe, Sports, Better People, Panzram Division, Kristen Bergman, Beyond the Black Ocean and more.

Most recently, Cox has released his own new double album under his Sailor Winters moniker. It’s titled Parker and comes courtesy of Witchhouse Records. It’s a fine addition to his catalog of releases, and like everything associated with Cox, his releases and his label, it’s dense and difficult. It’s also quite good and rewarding. None of this music is for the faint of heart or casual listener. Get a good dose over at www.sailorwinters.com and www.witchhouserecords.com.

Keeping It Local: Longtime local powerhouse Elf Power wowed the crowd at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago a couple of weeks back. In a very neat move, the band invited local soundman Kevin Lane (The Arcs) along to run sound for them and apparently everything went smooth as ice, and the Pitchfork folks were top notch. Also on the bill were the Athens-related A Hawk and a Hacksaw and Elf Power’s Elephant 6 brethren Apples in Stereo. Elf Power will play two local shows at the 40 Watt in mid-August when they open for Gnarls Barkley on Tuesday, Aug. 12 and then again on Saturday, Aug. 16 during the final night of Athens PopFest.

Better Really Early Than Never: There was a small listening party at New York bar Hi-Fi a couple of weeks back for Of Montreal’s newest long-play, Skeletal Lamping, which isn’t set for release until Oct. 7. In other news, the band recently added Columbus, OH drummer Ahmed Gallab, who also performs as Sinkane, to its ranks, and Sinkane will open a few shows this fall for the band. Speaking of shows, it looks like Of Montreal will not slow down one bit during the push of this next album, as the band has two solid months of shows booked throughout the nation and Europe following the album's release. For more information, please check out www.myspace.com/ofmontreal.

And Deservedly So: Widespread Panic will be inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame during the institution's 30th annual awards show which will take place Sept. 20 in Atlanta. Certainly, Widespread Panic is totally deserving of this honor and, if you check out who else is in the hall of fame, you’d know exactly how much of an honor this is. After being inducted, the band should be in top-gear mode to blow your skirt up when it plays back-to-back shows at the Lakewood Amphitheatre on Oct. 17 and 18. For ticketing information and all other stuff, please see www.widespreadpanic.com.

Shake Your Brass: A newly formed local band, cheekily named the Half Dozen Brass Band, will make its live club debut on Friday, Aug. 15 at Little Kings Shuffle Club. Members Elijah Carter, Luke Powell, Colin Jones, Jamie Pannell, Brent Hedrick and Joshua Cutchin have all done time in such other bands as Sursie, Abbey Road Live, Audition with Max Reinhardt and Venice Is Sinking, among others. Significantly, the band plays mostly original material and describes itself as being in the vein of The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Youngblood Brass Band. And I know there’s an audience here in town for that stuff, so if you’re among that audience, go see ‘em. Latin flavored locals One L open the show.

As always, be sure to keep your news coming in, and always mention either Threats & Promises or my name in the subject line of all emails. The whole world loves it via email to music@flagpole.com, voicemail at 706-549-9523, ext. 203, or by post to P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA, 30603.

Gordon Lamb