Welcome, friends new and old, to AthFest week. I sincerely hope you have a good time, the weather remains in your favor, and you go home with great memories of the first full-on event since 2019. Please be respectful of all festival and venue staff. Locals, be welcoming of visitors, and visitors, please understand that you’re in our home, and we Athenians tend to be quite defensive of it. With all that said, y’all have a ball! Now, let’s get into this week’s news.
REMEMBERING DANNY: On Thursday, June 22 Live Wire will host a tribute to the late Danny Hutchens (Bloodkin). The event is billed as the “Daniel Hutchens Honorary Shebang Delang Jubilee & Magic Show.” Feature performers, as listed by the organizers, include Bentley Rhodes (In Like Flynn, Bloodkin), Donna Hopkins, Last Waltz Ensemble, Mike Gibson (Dashboard Saviors), the Redstone Ramblers (featuring Alberto Salazar, original drummer for Bloodkin and White Buffalo), Adam Grace (Truth & Salvage Co., Remembering Mikey), Jeremy Ward (Remembering Mikey, Farmer’s Soul), and Dylan Adams (Ninevah’s Garden), with more TBA. According to the event announcement, the proceeds will be split between the Hutchens Family Fund (providing care for his two children, Amberly and Zac) and Nuçi’s Space. For tickets and more information, please see livewireathens.com.
DON’T TOUCH THAT DIAL: Wondering where you can catch additional AthFest action away from the hustle and bustle of the street scene? Well, tune into JOKERJOKERtv on YouTube, and they’ll have you covered. These longtime supporters, movers and shakers of the Athens music scene will host live artist interviews from ATHICA all weekend long. To get up to speed, there’s already a pre-event playlist and preschedules on the channel for you to check out. There will be multiple hosts for these interviews, so stick around for these personalities. To tune in, please bookmark and be ready to launch youtube.com/@JOKERJOKERtvofficial beginning with its AthFest Preshow broadcasting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 22. Also, scan the QR code available on the back cover of this very paper to be fully on the techno tip for this. For all other information, please see facebook.com/jokerjokergallery.
BLUE’S THE COLOR OF THE SKY: Nick and Victoria Bradfield (Rabbit Hole Studios) have released a mini-album under the name Nini and Vivi containing live-recorded loops and featuring AI generated art. Like most of the work we’ve come to love from the Bradfield clan, this work is deeply meaningful, and repeated listens unfold it further and further, revealing layer after layer of compelling and touching mediations. The pair reported to me that these tracks were recorded during Victoria’s pregnancy, and now that their child is born they decided to release them. Take some time, go sit by yourself, throw the headphones on, and drink this in. Find it at instagram.com/nini_vivi_art.
CAN YOU DIG IT?: Self-described relative newcomer to the Athens scene Julia Nyunt has a new single out named “Fever.” It’s a wonderfully realized gem of a pop tune utterly swaddled in a classic arrangement worthy of Burt Bacharach, Phil Spector, Andrew Loog Oldham and Jack Nitzsche. Her voice is strong and timeless. Honestly, throw this on and wonder if you’re in 1968 or 2023. Nyunt was also last week’s featured guest on Nuçi’s Space’s Satellite Sessions, which can be found at nuci.org/satellite-sessions. Find the new single and a couple of more available tracks on Spotify.
COME ONE, COME ALL: The window is quickly closing on available time slots for both performers and hosts of this year’s Historic Athens Porchfest. This year’s event happens Sunday, Oct. 15, and will feature performances across seven historic Athens neighborhoods. This day-long marathon runs from noon to 8 p.m., and will feature hundreds of bands and artists. If you are at all interested in being a host or performer, you need to get on the ball immediately and head to historicathens.com/porchfest to make it happen.
THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING: Sturdy and reliable rocker Garett Hatch will release his new full-length album The Remover Aug. 25. So far, he’s released two singles you can check out now. The first is the slow and thoughtful “Blue,” and the second is the staccato and forceful “Rabbit Heart.” While these don’t really give you enough to go on if you’re unfamiliar with his work, they’re certainly not a bad first step into the man’s catalog. I’d encourage you, though, to dig back through his previous releases, especially his 2020 full length Place Without A Name. Find all this over at garetthatch.bandcamp.com.
Like what you just read? Support Flagpole by making a donation today. Every dollar you give helps fund our ongoing mission to provide Athens with quality, independent journalism.
