WELL, HEY, Y’ALL: Athens composer and musician Grant Evans (Quiet Evenings, Modern Lamps, et al) is starting the New Year off right by lending a helping hand. Specifically, he helped put together a showcase for Nashville-based ambient artist Nicholas Maloney, who performs and records under the name Blanket Swimming. The show happens at Buvez on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. Evans himself will appear on this bill as well as John Fernandes. There’s an astounding amount of material available to get you familiarized with these artists before you head out, so please see blanketswimming.bandcamp.com, hookervision.bandcamp.com and cloudrecordings.bandcamp.com for more information.
THE RACE IS ON: The nomination season is open for the 2024 Vic Chesnutt Songwriter of the Year Award. This annual event, which had its inaugural year in 2017, has gained more attention each year, with 110 songs nominated last year alone. Any song released in 2023 by an Athens-area artist is eligible for nomination. In this specific case “Athens-area” means Athens-Clarke, Barrow, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Madison or Jackson counties. The nomination process is very simple, and anyone may make a nomination. However, while the process is simple, it is also specific, so please read the instructions carefully. This process is open until Mar. 20, and this year’s awards ceremony and show happens at the 40 Watt Club on May 2. The Vic Chesnutt Songwriter of the Year Awards were created by, and are hosted and maintained by, the Rotary Club of the Classic City of Athens. To make a nomination, please see vicchesnuttaward.com/nominations.
CARRY SOME CASH: The Athens Area Community Foundation and Athentic Brewing Company will host the second annual Hey, You! Hoedown at Athentic Saturday, Jan. 20 from 2–8 p.m. Featured artists performing are 38 Strings, Dire Wolf, Marker Dog, Red Oak and The Vassar Blondes. Admission is free, but organizers are encouraging donations because this is a benefit, after all. For whom? Well, punky, it’s for the Carrie Fischer Siegmund Grant for Classroom Innovation which, according to a press release, is “an annual award that goes to a local educator who seeks to inspire through innovative, interdisciplinary, and meaningful learning that results in a long-lasting impact on students.” The award’s namesake was an accomplished Clarke County teacher who sadly passed away in 2021. For more information, you can follow @teamsiegmund on Instagram or simply head to athensareacf.org.
LISTEN CAREFULLY: Garett Hatch has a new EP out as we speak. This five song release is named Stories and, while not an entirely different animal, it’s more accurately related to his other work as opposed to being a clear descendant. There are no barnburners here, but rather five songs of varying intensity and a decidedly introspective slant. Specific highlights are the lyrically minimal “Nobody” and “Place Without A Name.” Also, Hatch wins the prize for performing the only Fleetwood Mac cover I’ve ever been bothered to pay attention to with his nearly prayer-like version of “Dreams.” Find this at garetthatch.bandcamp.com, and catch Hatch live at Flicker Theatre & Bar on Thursday, Jan. 18.
RISE UP, GATHER ‘ROUND: Athens punk faithfuls Beat Up released a live recording last month while we were bedded down for our long winter’s nap. It’s titled as obnoxiously as possible, No Fucks Given Fucksgiving ’23 LIVE at Munsoon House, but it’s a solid rocker of a collection. As its title belies, it was recorded at Atlanta’s Munsoon House on Thanksgiving Day and mastered by Cowboy Kerouac. The band is particularly strong on “Scream and Shout,” “The Olds” and opening song “Jerks.” They even managed to squeeze in a cover “Dayo (Banana Boat Song),” which was popularized in the mid-20th century by Harry Belafonte. Beat Up makes it its own and substantially increases the plea of the song. Find this at beatup.bandcamp.com.
DO-RE-MI: Any number of local bands can tell you that, with almost zero exception, I’m not a fan of comedy in music. However, I’m often drawn to absurdity in music. Sometimes the difference is virtually imperceptible, but it’s powerful. So, I’m here to tell you that this thing that crossed my desk, the eight-song self-titled album by Info Dump, is right up my alley. Musically speaking, this is all keyboard presets or compositions that are incredibly close to a manufacturer’s presets. But lyrically, oh, boy. Dig these lines: “Shopping at the mall/shopping at the mall/drinking alcohol/drinking alcohol”; “Look in the mirror/See a pile of crap/crawling around like a greyhound/wasting your time on the internet/You’re pathetic”; and “Have you ever considered letting your freak flag fly?/ I have.” Some of this gets pretty old by the second time around, but that first spin is a blast. Find it at clown4haha.bandcamp.com.
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