What a week for news. All kinds of cool shiznit is going on. I can use words like "shiznit" because in a parallel universe I am a major hip hop star. You better recognize...

Storytime, Storytime: Local singer/ songwriter/ enigma Vic Chesnutt plans to perform Wednesday, May 19 at 4:30 p.m. on the University of Georgia campus. The event, located in room 265 of Park Hall, is part of the university's Maymester Writers' Institute creative writing program. Chesnutt will follow his intimate performance with a Q&A session focusing on the craft of songwriting, so this'll be a rare glance at a rare songwriter. The whole thing's free for institute members and $5 for the rest of us. [Chris Hassiotis]

Diebold Ain't Got Nothin' On Us: Flip over to p. 18 to cast your vote in this year's Flagpole Athens Music Awards. By the people, for the people, without fear of punishment or nude, hooded humiliation. Numerous categories, numerous awards, numerous chances for fun. Winners will claim their prize(s) on Thursday, June 17 at the Morton Theatre during the 2004 Flagpole Music Awards Show. Who's the best punk band? Which jazz act is tops? The best album of the year is... Let us know. Let the world know. Vote via the paper ballot or on www.flagpole.com. [Chris Hassiotis]

In My Family We Mostly Listened To Show Tunes: Athens' Drive-By Truckers have hit the prime time, cartoon time, big time with this one. The band recently recorded a version of Tom Petty's 1985 single "Rebels" and the song was featured a few days ago on the latest episode of Fox's "King Of The Hill." While this news arrived at Flagpole too late for me to deliver it to you before the episode airs, just think of how many re-runs you've seen of this show. Exactly. This shit will never die.

Strange Things Are Afoot on The Outdoor Stage: Things are speeding along quite nicely for this year's AthFest. News has just come in that Warner Robbins-based "rap" duo Rehab (who had a fairly high-charting hit a few years back with their single "It Don't Matter")

threats-davidlowery.jpg

will headline the outdoor stage on Saturday, June 19. I know I talk too much about Athens music history in these pages but on Sunday, June 20, you owe it to yourselves to go see one of the oldest Athens bands in existence. I'm speaking of The Jesters, who will celebrate their fortieth anniversary. (That's even older than The Michael Guthrie Band, whose original lineup formed around 1965–1966). Friday's headliner will be David Lowery's Camper Van Beethoven - among the most welcome of the reformed bands-of-the-1980's. Also of note on the Outdoor Stage this year are Murder Beach, Herb And Skills, Dodd Ferrelle, Tom Collins, Neal Pattman, The Sunshine Fix and Daisy. Not all the outdoor slots are announced, though, and who knows who'll pop into one of the spaces? AthFest, like all events of its type, can be an exercise in supreme patience during some bands' sets, and, of course, you're not going to love all the bands, but you'll discover at least a few bands you never heard of and you'll learn to love them. And that's really the whole point. For more information please see www.athfest.com.

Now This is The Way Stuff Should Happen: We all now that things can get boring when a maverick goes professional, but what about when a professional goes maverick? Well, pile into the fabulous 40 Watt on Tuesday, June 8, and you'll see. Atlanta-based film and video editor Tom Roche will debut a concert video he made of Japanese avant-everything group Melt Banana last year in East Atlanta. What Roche did was gather 15 people to videotape the show from any angle they could imagine and actually get into. The camera folk ranged from video professionals to complete amateurs. Roche says that they actually wound up with nine usable angles and after he took the raw footage and applied over 1,500 (!) edits to it, he's ready to present what he believes is a truly unique way to see the band. (And, I would argue, a unique way to see anything.) Lest one think that Roche is yet another boring, pompous, know-nothing film auteur, let me speak for the man's credentials. He has been editing since before some of you guys were even born. He very notably edited R.E.M.'s 1987 video for "Finest Worksong,"

threats-meltbanana.jpg

more than 60 episodes of Cartoon Networks "Space Ghost: Coast To Coast," by his own count thousands of commercials and very recently Norah Jones: Live In New Orleans. Melt Banana readily agreed via handshake when they heard what Roche was planning on doing and they should be commended for having such trust in a fellow artist. In these days when bands want to get paid for simply breathing, they allowed him to not only document their art free of charge but manipulate their image in a way that most bands would have refused. Kudos to all involved.

It Couldn't Have Happened Any Other Way: If you're at all familiar with the AM dial, then you can't have missed Athens' long-running WBKZ 880AM. The station has been playing its unique blend of blues, R&B, gospel and talk for many, many years. As of a couple of weeks ago, Athens resident Barbara Denvir and visual artist and musician Chris Cogan have convinced the station's management to yield two hours a week to them so they can bring us Athens Freeform Radio. What this means is that they will be playing soundscapes, underground pop and rock, straight-up noise, field recordings and basically anything that is solidly outside the mainstream of any stream. I was lucky enough to catch an on-air interview with Denvir and Cogan a couple of weeks ago with WBKX personality Lady B. While she expressed nothing but solid enthusiasm for their project, it was fairly obvious that she had no clear idea of what Athens Freeform Radio was actually going to be doing. Somehow I just don't imaging Lady B grooving to Stockhausen, but you never know. In a separate point, it's pretty awesome that a privately-run station has more fully embraced the idea of "community radio" than many of our publicly-funded outlets. if this type of thing floats your boat then please tune into WBKZ 880AM on Thursdays between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Actually, tune in all the time. It's a great station all week long. For more information please call 614-4537 or 353-8387.

Brief updates: A coupe of weeks back I made reference to Rome, GA resident Marcus Dixon who had been rotting in prison. The man is now free after a review of his case. Please see www.actforjustice.com. Amen; Atlanta's 99X station has added Five Eight's single "Square Pegs" to medium rotation, and it should please most of the listeners of the '90s nostalgia station.

That's it for now. Please keep your news coming in and be sure to reference either me or Threats & Promises in the subject line of all emails. I'm going back to Cali via email at music@flagpole.com, voicemail at 549-2360; or by post at P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603.

Gordon Lamb