In a recent survey, Flagpole asked its readers to name some of their favorite Athens music memories from the aughts. Here they are, with some of our favorite "threats and promises" from the decade, too. What did we miss?

2000

February: The Mental Health Benefit celebrates its 10th Anniversary with a concert series featuring Kevn Kinney, Five Eight, Elf Power and more.

February: Local musician/filmmaker Angie Grass and friends buy a bar called the Hole in the Wall and turn it into the headquarters for Athens' Flicker Film Society. Flicker was founded in '91 by a group of UGA students in art professor Jim Herbert's class. The venue is still known as Flicker Theatre & Bar, although its focus has shifted from film to live music.

Feb. 8: Widespread Panic plays a surprise gig at the Georgia Theatre under the moniker Stain Souls.

March: Rumors spread that a young Britney Spears has plans to enroll at UGA in the fall.

April: The Oracle changes its name to The X-Ray Café, a space which owner Paul Thomas tells Flagpole will be a "pop, surrealist, Dada venture… a constantly metamorphisizing organism."

Apr. 11: Flaming Lips perform a unique "headphone concert" at the 40 Watt Club wherein audience members listen to a stereo mix of the sound board through headphones with FM receivers.

Aug. 9–12: The Kindercore Expo features Kincaid, I Am the World Trade Center, Kings of Convenience, Masters of the Hemisphere, Of Montreal, VHS or Beta, Dressy Bessy and many, many more acts that rock the 40 Watt. "We serve Righteous Juices," boasts the 40 Watt ad.

Sept. 30: Nuçi's Space opens its doors!

Dec. 31:

"Guided by Voices/ The Glands 40 Watt (2000). GBV was still an amazing drunken revelation at this point, and The Glands were playing all the songs off their soon-to-be-released self-titled masterpiece, which was my favorite album by an Athens band this decade."

—Andrew Rieger

2001

February: The "Athens Band Search" series, called by some "the ultimate search for undiscovered local talent" begins at Wild Wing Café under the direction of Matt Lucas (of the band Grasshopper).

Mar. 6: Love Tractor releases its first studio album in 10 years, The Sky at Night, on Razor and Tie Entertainment.

April: Flagpole mentions a farewell show at Compadres for "gangly 23-year-old" and Half-Time Hip-hop Show host Brian Burton, who is moving from Athens to London. He ends up doing pretty well out there. You might know him today as DJ Danger Mouse of the internationally successful duo Gnarls Barkley.

April 21: R.E.M.'s Peter Buck is arrested after an alleged air rage incident during a flight from Seattle to London.

September: Local duo I Am the World Trade Center finds itself in a quandary with a new album out and a suddenly controversial band name. "The name means a lot to us, and we are really getting sick of people insisting we change it who don't even know who we are or what we are about," says Dan Geller. "We will be billed as I Am the… for the 40 Watt Club show [on Sept. 22, 2001]. However, we are not exactly sure what we are at this point."

Sept. 20: "To me, the White Stripes playing the 40 Watt shortly (days) after Sept. 11, 2001 was one of the strangest and most memorable shows of the decade; there was almost no one there, they played a really short set, and Jack White seemed to be getting pissy at the few people in attendance, but it was still really good." —Hillary Brown

Oct. 11: The debut performance of Circulatory System at the 40 Watt Club!

Oct. 16: Overly excited news blurb in Club & Wire (now Threats and Promises) reads:

"Holy Fucking Shit!! R.E.M. plays Athens!: In case you're dead or in a coma, Athens rock gods R.E.M. played the motherfucking Georgia Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 16."

This marks the band's first proper show in Athens since 1993.

Oct. 27:

"People forget pretty easily when it comes to this sort of thing, but when The Strokes came through shortly after the release of their debut album, with all the fire and hype the music world could muster behind them, some were excited, some were skeptical, all of them were trying to find tickets, and none of them left disappointed. That show was pure rock 'n' roll."

—Davy Gibbs

2002

Jan. 9: "Threats and Promises" debuts as a column title. The first round is written by Brandon Butler.

Feb. 7: John Mayer records the music video for "No Such Thing" at a show at the Georgia Theatre.

March: Music Hates You stirs up trouble after stenciling its logo on clubs and newspapers around town.

Mar. 8:

"Best show of the decade: The debut show of The Breakheart Beat and The Agenda at the Ultramod Compound. Also, best venue of all time!"

—Dan Geller

Apr. 20: Dashboard Saviors play a special reunion show at Tasty World, throwing in a cover of "Rhinestone Cowboy."

May 6:

Singer of legendary German '70s art rock band Can, Damo Suzuki, gave a moving and beautiful performance at Tasty World which ended as he came out into the crowd and hugged every single member of the audience! He ended up spending the night at the Ultramod house and resident Raleigh Hatfield reported waking up at 8 a.m. to go to the bathroom to find Suzuki sitting on the couch drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette. He smiled at Raleigh and said in his heavy Japanese accent, "Breakfast!"

—Andrew Rieger

May: Landlords evict the residents of 369 Finley St., a punk DIY space rented by members of Carrie Nations.

August: Mayoral candidate Heidi Davison appears onstage at a Breakheart Beat gig at the 40 Watt touting her run for office.

Aug. 7: JoE Silva writes in Threats and Promises about seeing Madeline Adams play solo for the first time:

"Not much bigger than her acoustic guitar, Madeline sat beneath a single blue light bulb that night and proceeded to wow all the girls and boys at the Ultramod… God help you if you happened to be in the way of those paying customers who leapt to their feet when she played an ode to pin-up model Betty Page… You can only take so much of that kind of euphoria in an airless room on a hot summer night in Georgia."

Aug. 24: In honor of Chronic Town's 20th anniversary, Flagpole music editor and Roosevelt drummer Ballard Lesemann covers the album in its entirety at the Engine Room (now Max Canada). "Ballard played bass and sang along to drum and guitar tracks that he pre-recorded," recalls Andrew Rieger. "Unbeknownst to him, Michael Stipe heard about it, came to the gig and joined Ballard onstage for a spontaneous and unrehearsed rendition of a couple of songs… It was simultaneously amazing and hilarious."

Sept. 4: Gordon Lamb's first Threats and Promises column! A few weeks later he'll declare "Coldplay is currently the shining jewel in the crown of Capitol Records now that labelmates Radiohead have decided to have a staring contest with irrelevancy."

Sept. 14: The B-52s play a Nuçi's Space benefit at the 40 Watt Club.

Oct. 3–6: WUOG celebrates its 30th anniversary.

2003

Jan. 22: "OK, punters," Gordon Lamb both threatens and promises, "this column is going to be 100 percent local, starting right now."

April: The B-52s are included on a list of bands MTV Europe should not play out of sensitivity to the war in Iraq. According to an MTV Broadcast Standards department memo, the network should refrain from playing videos that depict "war, soldiers, war planes, bombs, missiles, riots and social unrest, executions and other obviously sensitive material." Apparently a bomb-related band name is also on the list. "I don't know which is funnier," Gordon Lamb wrote at the time, "MTV picking on a band whose videos it hasn't played in at least 10 years or MTV trying to get us to believe they have anything to do with 'broadcast standards.'"

May 7: Bill Mallonee (Vigilantes of Love) becomes the first act signed to Paste Records, a subsidiary of the magazine.

Sept. 6:

"Favorite show of the decade: Drive-By Truckers at the Georgia Theatre for the Decoration Day release show. They brought it until 3 a.m. My ears are still ringing."

—Harrison Wallace

2004

June 12:

"Bonnie Prince Billy/ Brightblack Morning Light Orange Twin Conservation Community. Rain threatened to cancel the show, but Bonnie Prince Billy and band instead walked through the crowd, playing acoustic in the rain, making for a truly unique and wonderful experience. Then the rain let up, and they played another full set electric."

—Andrew Rieger

Aug. 5: Pylon reunites at a space soon to be called Little Kings Shuffle Club! Lee Valentine Smith wrote about the show:

"The crowd pushed in closer and onlookers that were turned away from the door of the sold-out bash crowded around the windows to watch as the band blazed to life again… Crowe, soaked in sweat, had shed his t-shirt and Hay had abandoned reading the lyrics, alternately standing dead still with her arms behind her back and dancing wildly, vividly recalling bursts of her famously frantic flailing of the past. It was 1980 in 2004."

"This surprise show was one of the most jubilant and raucous events I've ever witnessed in this town, with oldsters and youngsters alike dancing like crazy to the newly revitalized legends."

—Andrew Rieger

October: Wilmot Greene buys the Georgia Theatre from Bill "Duck" Anderson and begins extensive renovations.

November: Gordon Lamb reports:

"The Killers, riding a wave of hype so big you'd have to steer out of the way to miss it, provided the most banal mix of both The Strokes and The Faint without ever delivering the pleasure of either. Seriously, this band sounds like any number of indie-rock bands with an Emerson, Lake and Palmer fetish. While I know in their little hearts they envision themselves in the same league with bands such as New Order, in my humble opinion they're not even fit to sweep up the peanut shells after a New Order show."

December: Local "metal-goof group" Coulier celebrates the release of Cool, Cooler, Coulier at the Caledonia Lounge by not playing a single note. Rather, the band put together a Coulier cover band featuring members of We Versus the Shark, Cinemechanica, Serka and Marriage to play the songs instead. "The members of Coulier spent the night drinking themselves into a frenzy," said Flagpole, "challenging girls in the audience to drinking contests onstage and stripping down to their underwear."

2005

Apr. 15: "Holy Shit This Is Big" declares Flagpole. Olivia Tremor Control agrees to reunite for the English festival All Tomorrow's Parties. In preparation for the big event, OTC plays a warm-up show in Athens:

"Favorite show of the decade: Olivia Tremor Control at the 40 Watt in 2005. They're one of my favorite bands, and it's the only time I've ever been able to see them live."

—Candice Jones

June 24: Legendary rocker Nikki Sudden performs on an outdoor stage at AthFest. "Beside being a major influence on players ranging from Sonic Youth to today's young punters, Sudden has a formidable catalogue as a solo artist," wrote Gordon Lamb. "I could talk for hours about the man and still not say enough, so just be sure to catch him." Sudden passed away a year later.

Sept. 21: The Melting Point opens its doors with a performance by the Del McCoury Band.

Fall:

"Within the first week of moving to Athens, during a cold and otherwise depressing autumn of '05, I saw Hope for Agoldensummer performing on the Wuxtry rooftop, and it was rather beautiful. Having lived in a larger city all my life, I had never before witnessed such a casual, yet intimate, yet totally accessible performance of music..."

—Stacey-Marie Piotrowski

October: R.E.M. plays a special reunion show with original drummer Bill Berry at a wedding reception held at Kingpin's Bowl and Brew.

2006

January: UGA launches its Music Business Program.

Apr. 13: Beck plays a sold out show at the Georgia Theatre, but the real treat is his surprise performance with his band at the Georgia Bar afterwards, which included a quickie covers medley of Justin Timberlake, Queen, Sugarhill Gang and Michael Jackson.

June 22—25: AthFest turns 10!

July 20: The Beatles' original drummer, Pete Best, performs with a band at Loco's courtyard.

Sept. 1:

"One of the most memorable shows of the decade: Circulatory System at Secret Squirrel. This was the first time I got to see the Circulatory System, and it was probably my favorite performance by them simply because of the atmosphere. They played on the floor in a circle and really put on a high energy show. You'd never know it was 2 a.m. when they started playing."

—Mike White

Sept. 12: Athens musicians come together to cover songs by R.E.M. The show will be released on CD as Finest Worksongs: Athens Bands Play the Music of R.E.M. The guests of honor pop onstage for a surprise performance, too!

Dec. 31:

"One of the most memorable shows of the decade: Dark Meat, Maserati, Brown Frown and Music Hates You at Secret Squirrel. With New Year's Eve falling on a Sunday, all the bars were closed, and the only place to be was the Secret Squirrel, and they had one hell of a NYE show that lasted into the early morning hours. The place was packed and everyone was there to rock and have a good time."

—Mike White

2007

February: The Whigs put out the call for a new guitarist following the departure of Hank Sullivant. "Join the Whig Party" says Flagpole, "Anyone who even considers auditioning must be prepared to begin touring soon."

Mar. 6:

"Favorite concert of the decade: My Morning Jacket Prom at the 40 Watt! I wore my mom's dress, dancing in front of Jim James. The Set list was SICK (played "Johnny B. Goode"). I will never forget that moment."

—Ashley Knotts

Mar. 12: R.E.M. is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

May: Former local rapper JY King of Drunk is "banned from downtown Athens" following his third arrest for underage drinking, so he packs up and moves to Atlanta where, as he says on his MySpace blog, "the real mo-fuckin playas play."

Summer: A rap war erupts between Son1 and Jdown Valmont.

Aug. 18: The official resurrection of Kindercore Records is celebrated with a party at Caledonia Lounge.

Oct. 8:

"Favorite concert of the decade: John Popper's surprise performance with The Whigs (even to them) on "Need You Need You" at Tasty World speaks to all that is special about Athens. I mean, they were playing under a pseudonym as the early band on a Monday night, and the most famous harmonica player in the world jumps onstage with them for one song. Where else would that happen except the most magical city in the world?"

—Harrison Wallace

2008

February: DT's Down Under becomes Rye Bar.

February: Blue Flashing Light is invited to China to play the annual Peach Blossom Festival.

March: Dark Meat buys a huge green bus and hits the road on a Vice Records-backed national tour. Frontman Jim McHugh maintains a blog of their adventures. Hey, Flagpole is blogging!

April: Local promoter Mercer West, who is already well known for his free Jammy Jamm shows and Secret Squirrel bookings, wreaks havoc on Flagpole's Calendar with "Freedom Week," a month-long event featuring a free show almost every night. Many of the bands are makeshift ensembles thrown together just for one night. "Let's just say I've never seen a bigger example of people acting against their own self-interest since I was duped into voting for a Republican," Gordon Lamb wrote controversially. Thus spawned a scene-wide debate on the benefits and disadvantages of free concerts.

July: UGA classics professor Brett Rogers, playing under the name Brett Bretterson and the Brettastics, plays every street corner in downtown Athens.

July 4: The debut of the George W. Bush Cover Band at The Globe, a brilliant tribute/mockery of our infamously inarticulate commander-in-chief, the band uses W's speeches as lyrics and puts them to music.

Sept. 20: Widespread Panic is inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

Aug. 16: During Popfest, Julian Koster and his revived project Music Tapes end the show by passing out kazoos and leading the entire 40 Watt audience out of the club in a buzzing parade across downtown Athens.

Oct. 7: After years of waiting, Major Organ and the Adding Machine makes its debut at Ciné. The psychedelic film was created by Joey Foreman and Eric Harris and features a slew of Elephant 6-ers: Will Hart, Julian Koster, Kevin Barnes, Andrew Rieger, Jeff Mangum and more. The film coincides with the Holiday Surprise Tour featuring the Elephant 6 Orchestra.

Nov. 14: Five Eight celebrates its 20th anniversary with a show at the Melting Point.

Dec. 18: After 36 years of operation on the fifth floor of Memorial Hall, WUOG packs its bags and moves across the street to the Tate Student Center.

2009

June 28: Playing its first show in over a decade, Dreams So Real reunites as AthFest main stage headliners.

August: Club Chrome opens its doors and Blur reopens as New Earth Music Hall.

Aug. 22: The Tom Collins reunite for the Caledonia Lounge's 10th anniversary. The band played the venue's opening show back in '99. In November, Patterson Hood will begin a residency at the club as another way to honor its anniversary.

Sept. 8: After eight years of anticipation, Circulatory System finally releases its sophomore album, Signal Morning.

Sept. 11: The Rialto Room in the new Hotel Indigo hosts its first show.

Sept. 27–28: The sludgy, experimental drone of Sunn O))) shakes the walls of Seney-Stovall Chapel through an impossibly thick cloud of smoke-machine fog in what will surely be remembered as one of the most surprising pairings of band and venue.

October: Pylon's second album, Chomp, originally released in 1983, is made available on CD for the first time care of DFA Records.

Oct. 10: Legendary Krautrock band Faust headlines at the 40 Watt along with Circulatory System. Faust also hosts a workshop on composition the following day.

Oct. 24:

"Favorite show of the decade: It blew me away to see Dead Confederate and the Meat Puppets rock the 40 Watt stage together during an encore. It was so amazing to be standing just feet from the stage while these two awesome bands played!"

—Kristin Danch-Powell

Nov. 2: Vic Chesnutt plays the 40 Watt Club, enthusiastically singing old favorites and new material off his recent release, At the Cut. Unfortunately, it will be remembered as his last hometown performance.