Brothers Garrett and Xander Chiaramonte have cultivated something valuable in the fertile grounds of the Athens music scene. Originally from Alexandria, VA, a suburb of Washington, D.C., the Chriaramonte brothers came to the University of Georgia and fell in love with not only the college, but the town.
“Athens is the most accessible, inviting music scene,” Garrett said.
Garrett, a music business and business management student, and Xander, an entertainment and media studies student, took a 42-day road trip across the United States in the summer of 2021. It was on this road trip that the idea for a music management company emerged.
“It was nice, we were just sitting in the car for nine hours a day, driving through Monument Valley or wherever. We just had so many hours to ideate about how we wanted to do things that when we got back, we both had a very clear vision about how to approach it.”
By combining Xander’s skills in videography and content production with Garrett’s knowledge of entertainment management, booking and event planning, the brothers formed Clear Mountain Entertainment. For almost two years, Clear Mountain Entertainment has been providing services for artists in the Athens area, from professional promotion to music videos, as well as organizing live events in some of the town’s biggest venues.
CME’s upcoming event, Classic City Jam, is a showcase festival at Paloma Park featuring a large roster of CME’s bands. The Aug. 26 event will run all day, from 12 p.m. to 7:35 p.m., and feature the talents of Red Mile Road, Echolocations, Cam and His Dam Jam Band, Recess Party, A.D. Blanco, Wim Tapley & the Cannons and Heffner.
Local band Red Mile Road is managed by CME and writes songs with a fusion of ’90s Seattle grunge and ’70s Southern rock. It sounds like it wouldn’t work, but it does, and quite well. Red Mile Road was the first band to be managed by CME, but it would not be the last. Soon after, Garrett met local musician Wim Tapley after his first-ever show at the 40 Watt Club. A recent D.C. transplant, Tapley and the Chiaramonte brothers immediately bonded.
“I feel like I met the right people at the right times,” Garrett said. “Wim was kind of ready to move onto the next stage of his career. He had withdrawn from college. We just kind of hit it off from the beginning.”
CME personally managed Tapley, securing him gigs in town and beyond, as well as helping to create live concert footage and the music video for his song “Gut Punch.” Tapley has achieved great acclaim locally since moving to town, in part because of the efforts of CME’s management team. His unique sound—gritty Americana polished with 2000s era coffeehouse pop—combined with his skillful band makes him a powerful act in the local scene.
CME works with bands representing a variety of genres. Recess Party—which just released its new album, Paid in Full—is a four-piece indie rock band drawing influence from groups as diverse as Tool, Jimi Hendrix and Paramore. The Josh Bennett Band combines bluegrass, rock and funk to create a foot-stomping driven by keys, Bennett’s fingerpicked banjo, and occasionally saxophone. CME has also worked with up-and-coming acts like Ancient Infant, Everyday Dogs, Jacob Mallow, The Angelics, Convince the Kid and others.
CME is still in its early stages, and the brothers say that once they finish school, they intend to pursue their business full time. “We work anywhere from six to 12 hours a day,” Garrett said.
Between promotion, video and photo shoots, booking their ever-growing roster of bands, promotion and school, it almost seems like an unbearable load. But if anyone is up to the challenge, it’s the brothers. They’ve set their sights high to become one of the dominant artist service companies in the Athens area. “The goal is events more frequently and bigger as we go, especially once we graduate.”
WHO: Classic City Jam
WHEN: Aug. 26, 11:30 a.m. (doors), 12–7:35 p.m. (music)
WHERE: Paloma Park
HOW MUCH: $12 (adv.), $15
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