MUSIC OF ATHENS, GEORGIA

Athens, Georgia is a city in northeastern Georgia, United States, whose contributions to rock, country music and bluegrass have earned it the nickname "the Liverpool of the South". The international acclaim of the 'music of Athens, Georgia' has also led to the city being credited as the "mother of modern music" and the "birthplace of New Wave music". Athens is known nationwide as the home of chart-topping bands like R.E.M. and The B-52's. Much of the Athens music scene is based around students from the large University of Georgia campus in the city.^[1] The city's musical reputation draws many tourists to the area; as much as 10% of the total visitors to Athens are attracted by the music, according to the Athens Welcome Center.^[2]
Music author Richie Unterberger described the town as an unlikely center for musical development, as a "sleepy (place where) it's difficult to imagine anyone working up a sweat, let alone playing rock music". Both Unterberger and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame report that Athens' music status is apocryphally attributed to "something in the water".^[3] Athens' musical life can be traced back to the Civil War, when the city attracted national touring groups. By the middle of the 20th century, Athens was an important regional center for music, and was beginning to develop a local industry. The formation of local bands like The B-52's, Ravenstone, Pylon, Widespread Panic, Indigo Girls, and Love Tractor and R.E.M. by 1980 brought Athens rock to national attention.^[4]

Contents

Music venues and institutions

Music history

Origins of the modern scene

Rock/New Wave

The B-52's

R.E.M.

Pylon

Other Athens Bands

Folk, Bluegrass, Country, and other styles

See also

References

Notes

Further reading

External links

Music venues and institutions

Athens' local music is based primarily in the small downtown area of the northern part of the town. The nightclub 40 Watt Club is among the most famous indie rock venues on the East Coast; the club opened on Halloween in 1978, with a band called ''Strictly American'' featuring Curtis Crowe, founder of the club and future member of the band Pylon.^[5] Other major music venues in the city include the Georgia Theatre (a converted cinema that hosts both local and touring performers), Caledonia Lounge, the Melting Point, and the UGA Performing Arts Center, home to the Ramsey Concert Hall and the Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. The Morton Theater is a historic venue, a major part of the city's African American community in the early 20th century; it claims to be the only theater from that era which remains in operation.^[6]
Athens is home to the summer music festival Athfest, the Athens PopFest and the North Georgia Folk Festival. The college radio station WUOG, the internet-only radio station The Georgia Jukebox the low-power FM Hot 100.7 and the free weekly ''Flagpole'' are the city's most prominent modern music media. Mike Ewing and Brinkley Warren co-founded the world's first "rockumentary" podcast series [1] program called http://www.ATHCAST.com in 2005 [2]. ATHCAST is run and operated by the Athens Music Foundation [3], a non-profit dedicated to preserving the unique heritage of the Athens Music Scene and transforming the local music community. A mid-80s local music periodical, ''Tasty World'', is now the name of a well-known nightclub in the area. Athens has never produced a major local label like many similar indie rock towns; the most important local label of the 1970s and 80s was DB Records, based out of Atlanta, though jangle pop pioneer label Kindercore Records and Wuxtry Records were also Athens-based.^[7]
Local music institutions include the Athens Symphony Orchestra, Athens Choral Society (founded in 1971), Athens Youth Symphony and the Athens Folk Music and Dance Society. The Athens Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1978 as a firmly non-profit, strictly volunteer organization, conducted by Albert Ligotti of the University of Georgia. The first performance came in 1979; the Orchestra now has two regular performances, one in the summer and one in the winter, and has also done shows for young people, pops concerts and Christmas concerts. In 1996, the Athens Symphony finally moved into its modern home, the Classic Center Theatre in downtown Athens.^[8]
The University of Georgia's Athens campus has long been an important part of local music. The faculty of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music operate the Georgia Brass Quintet and Georgia Woodwind Quintet. Student institutions include the ARCO Chamber Orchestra, Men's and Women's Glee Clubs, several concert choirs, jazz bands and brass and woodwind ensembles, the Redcoat Marching Band, the University Philharmonica and a Symphony Orchestra. The University of Georgia Glee Clubs launched a pair of offshoots now called ''Noteworthy'' and ''Accidentals'' (female and male vocal groups, respectively), who are now known regionally.^[9]

Music history

The earliest music in North Georgia, including what is now Athens, was that of the Native Americans of the area, principally the Creek and the Cherokee. Athens was officially chartered in 1806, and began growing rapidly nearer the middle of the century. By the time of the American Civil War in the 1860s, the city was an important part of musical life in Georgia. The war accelerated the development of the city's musical importance, as Athens was largely spared widespread destruction while the larger city of Atlanta took a long time to recover. Major touring acts like the Dixie Family and The Slomans visited Athens during the war; the Dixie Family, a prominent touring group, performed disastrously, according to local newspapers.^[10]
The city's African American community was well established by the beginning of the 20th century, when the corner of Lumpkin and Washington Streets became a major center for the city's black culture. This area was known as the "Hot Corner", and was owned by a number of black professional businesses, as well as many performance spaces and a renowned opera house in the Morton Building that hosted such national figures as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.^[11] The Morton Theater was one of the preeminent venues in the city in the early 20th century, and is the only such theater to survive to the present, though it was not in operation for many years, until re-opening in 1993.^[6] The city was also the birthplace of the well-known jazz trombonist Lou McGarity, who played with Benny Goodman in the 1940s.

Origins of the modern scene

Modern music in Athens can be traced to the middle of the 20th century. In the 1950s, the city's musical life consisted primarily of dances at local venues like the American Legion Hall and the YMCA, where popular bandleaders included most famously Jimmy Dorsey. The Canteen was a spot in Memorial Park in Athens, which became an important performance space after local musician Terry "Mad Dog" Melton and his group began playing there in 1958. The Canteen later hosted local Motown/beach legends The Jesters, who have continued to perform from 1964 to the present.
Later in the 1960s and into the 70s, locally prominent bands gradually changed from primarily cover bands to more well rounded groups, while the city's musical opportunities grew with the foundation of venues and institutions. This period has been called the ''Normaltown River of Music'', and included long-time local performers like Mad Dog Melton as well as Brian Burke, Davis Causey and Randall Bramblett, many of whom later worked with Gregg Allman and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The most influential local bands to emerge from this period included the Normaltown Flyers, Hampton Grease Band and Dixie Grease. Bars like The Last Resort opened in the 60s, beginning the local club scene just as some bands were beginning to gain some regional fame for Athens.^[13] The Hampton Grease Band was signed to Columbia Records, and their debut double album was released in 1971; at the time, it was said to be the second worst-selling album in the history of Columbia's catalogue, second only to a yoga instructional recording. The album has since become a valuable collector's item, and the band's members have gone on to various side projects, with Glenn Phillips' solo work and Bruce Hampton's Aquarium Rescue Unit being the best-known.^[14]

Rock/New Wave

The best-known bands of the Athens music scene, like The B-52's and R.E.M., performed in a wide array of styles; there was never a clear sound associated with Athens, but most of the bands had a quirky and iconoclastic image.^[15] Since the early 1980s, Athens music has not received the mainstream attention it did in the 1970s, but the city remains a regionally important and musically active place.^[16]

The rock scene in Athens dates back to the 1970s, when local music was based around house parties, eccentric thrift store fashions and a wild and weird atmosphere. The foundation of the 40 Watt Club (a nightclub) in 1978 helped to establish Athens' musical nightlife, which had previously suffered due to lack of resources for community performances. The 40 Watt Club became a well-known regional attraction for music fans, and was followed by the Uptown Lounge; with the local industry's growth in the 1980s, both the 40 Watt Club and the Uptown Lounge moved to larger spaces, the latter taking over the landmark Georgia Theatre. Many members of Athens's most prominent later bands became locally renowned starting in the 1970s, including The B-52's.^[17]
Another notable part of the 1970s music scene in Athens was ''Ort's Oldies'', a used record store on Jackson Street, and its founder/proprietor, William Orten Carlton, universally known as "Ort". Ort, an Athens native and son of a beloved botany professor at U.Ga., was one of the institutional figures that made the Athens music scene possible. Ort's memory for rock and roll trivia was astounding—a talent that served him well in running his store. Perhaps more importantly, his off-the-wall sense of humor and warmly iconoclastic personality (and his thrift-sale wardrobe) were regularly on display at parties, gigs and musical venues around town. Ort hosted what some recall to be the first party at which the B-52's performed under that name.
A final element in creating and sustaining the Athens musical culture was the University of Georgia Lamar Dodd School of Art. The great majority of Athens' musicians and their fan base were associated with the University's liberal-arts curriculum; interestingly, it was the art department's classes and studios—much more than the music school—in which the creative sparks began flying and musical alliances began forming in the 70s. Michael Stipe of R.E.M. was an art major (although he did not graduate),^[18] and the Art School incubated other major figures such as Curtis Crowe, founding member and drummer for Pylon. The cinematographer for the documentary film ''Athens GA: Inside/Out'' was Jim Herbert, an art school professor. (Herbert went on to direct music videos for a number of Athens bands, including 14 for R.E.M.)^[19]

The B-52's

The B-52's formed after a St. Valentine's Day party in 1977. The members had little musical knowledge, but performed New Wave music with a cheeky and humorous image and sound. They were known for their campy thrift store fashion, and their unusual and eye-catching music videos for hits like "Rock Lobster" and "Love Shack".^[20] Though the B-52's were the first Athens band to achieve national prominence, their mainstream popularity was soon eclipsed by R.E.M..

R.E.M.

The future members of the band R.E.M. moved to Athens to work and/or attend the University of Georgia, including bassist Mike Mills and former drummer Bill Berry, who both hailed from Macon, Georgia and attended high school together. The group began performing together as R.E.M. in 1980. They became locally prominent, and released a single, "Radio Free Europe", that was a major college rock hit. Their popularity grew with a series of singles, EPs and albums that made R.E.M. the top underground band in the country, finally breaking into the mainstream with 1987's "The One I Love" and "It's The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)". By 1991's ''Out of Time'' album — which featured vocals by Kate Pierson of fellow Athens group the B-52s and included the hit "Losing My Religion" — and its acclaimed follow-up ''Automatic for the People'' (named after the motto of a local Athens eatery), R.E.M. had become one of the world's biggest rock bands. The band's style went through many evolutions but originally had a jangle pop sound and harmonies often compared to folk-rock band The Byrds; singer and songwriter Michael Stipe is known for obscure, allusive lyrics delivered in a monotonous drone.^[21] Several members of R.E.M. have remained fixtures in Athens even as they have become international stars, helping out local performers like Vic Chesnutt, the Chickasaw Mudd Puppies and Jack Logan.^[22] Stipe also had a short-lived collaboration with Matthew Sweet under the name Community Trolls. R.E.M. has reunited with Berry a couple of times in the past several years, once to play a wedding party for their guitar tech DeWitt Burton and bride Jacquie and another pair of shows in conjunction with their induction in the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

Pylon

The band Pylon was a long-standing and influential part of the Athens scene, and became critical darlings in the 1980s, but never achieved significant mainstream success. This was partially because they eschewed several record contracts from the major labels due to a lack of trust in their corporate goodwill. Their dance rock style was not very accessible or commercial, and was based on grating, chanting-style vocals, funky guitars and bass-heavy beats.

Other Athens Bands

Other 1980s local bands with nationwide alternative followings included Oh-OK, with Michael Stipe's sister Lynda Stipe and future solo performer Matthew Sweet, Mercyland, Dreams So Real, the Vigilantes of Love, The Woggles, The Primates, and Love Tractor.
The Elephant 6 Recording Company, a group of like-minded indie bands, gained limited nationwide exposure starting in the mid-1990s with the rise of The Olivia Tremor Control, The Apples in Stereo, Elf Power, Of Montreal, and Neutral Milk Hotel (which became one of the most well-regarded indie rock bands of the era). The same period saw the Kindercore Records' roster find critical acclaim, including the Sunshine Fix, Masters of the Hemisphere and Japancakes. Candy, a DJ store owned by Michael Lachowski of Pylon, opened in 1998; the store became an important part of the burgeoning dance music scene that produced Danger Mouse, Phungus, DJ 43.
Other notable bands who have spent formative years or currently reside in Athens: The Glands, The Possibilities, Nutria, Jucifer, Azure Ray, Little Red Rocket, M Coast, Marshmallow Coast, The 63 Crayons, Producto, Macha, The Instruments, The New Sound Of Numbers, Vaudeville, Don Chambers and Goat, The Starroom Boys, The Hot Burritos, The Fountains, Mrs. Atkins, Slackdaddy, Macha, Madeline, Mouser, Titans Of Filth, Maserati, We Vs. the Shark, Dark Meat, Modern Skirts, Allison Weiss, Servotron, Venice Is Sinking, The Ginger Envelope, 8 Track Gorilla, Bloodkin, Birds and Wire, matias, Roosevelt, Harvey Milk, Southern Bitch, Christopher's Liver, Kimberley Morgan and the Everlovin' Band, Music Hates You, The Dumps, Exit 86, Mother Jackson, The Visitations, Gloryfinger, Fuzzy Sprouts, Sound Tribe Sector Nine, The Woggles, Asa Nisi Masa, Ham 1, Casper and the Cookies, Circulatory System, Squat, Kenosha Kid, Hot Club of Athens, Perpetual Groove, Joe Christmas, Mercyland, Carrie Nations, Zumm Zumm, Citizen Cope, TV on the Radio, Cartel, Umphrey's Mcgee, and Led Zeppelin 4 (ZoSo) .
^[13]

Folk, Bluegrass, Country, and other styles

Athens is near the Blue Ridge Mountains area of North Georgia; this is an important region in the development of several varieties of folk music, including the Appalachian bluegrass style and the Piedmont blues. North Georgia's bluegrass heritage can be traced back to the 19th century, when bluegrass was a nascent style throughout Appalachia and North Georgia was home to major fiddling contests, beginning in the 1880s. Athens' modern contributions to the field of bluegrass include the Packway Handle Band.^[24] The Nashville Recording artist John Martin resides in Athens and represents the country scene.
Athens' local country scene has never been as significant as the profusion of indie rock bands; however, modern Athens rock takes many elements from the folk, bluegrass and country traditions. The band Drive-By Truckers have done a lot in recent years to make country rock a major part of Athens' musical identity. The rapper Bubba Sparxx, originally from South Georgia, has also helped diversify Athens' country heritage, by adding a rural image and elements of country music to his Dirty South style of hip hop music.^[25]

See also

★ ''

★ Music of Georgia (U.S. state)

References

★   History

★   Music USA: The Rough Guide, Unterberger, Richie, , , The Rough Guides, 1999, ISBN 1-85828-421-X

★   Touring Athens, Ga., with the B-52's

★   About the Morton Building

★   Singing the New Nation: How Music Shaped the Confederacy, 1861–1865, Abel, E. Lawrence, , , Stackpole Books, 2000, ISBN 0-8117-0228-6

★   Athens Music History

★   Athens has served as wellspring of musical talent

★   City of Athens History

★   Athens, Georgia's Rock History Draws Tourists, Stumps Preservationists

★   Piece of Music History Needs a Tune-Up

★   The Blue Ridge Mountains

★   Catfish Row:Redneck Chic and Hip-hop Get Down and Dirty

★   Performing Ensembles at the University of Georgia

★   History

★   Hampton Grease Band

Notes

1. Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Preservation Online, The Anti-Orange Page and OnlineAthens Online Athens cites the "mother of modern music" to ''Esquire'' and the record company executives to ''The Washington Post''; Preservation Online refers to Athens as the "birthplace of New Wave"
2. Grammy.com Grammy.com is the source only for the claim about music and tourism.
3. Unterberger, pg. 133 and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Athens Music History at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame reports that this claim was common in the 80s alternative rock press.
4. Unterberger, pg. 133 ''It's a shock to drive into town for the first time through neighborhoods dominated by stately antebellum homes and modest, attractive suburban dwellings. Apart from a few blocks near the campus, things are so sleepy that it's difficult to imagine anyone working up a sweat, let alone playing rock music.'' Unterberger cites The B-52's as forming in 1977, while the Anti-Orange Page cites 1976.
5. 40 Watt
6. About the Morton Building
7. Unterberger, pgs. 139–140 and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Unterberger notes the lack of a major indie industry and mentions DB Records; the Georgia Music Hall of Fame claims the importance of Kindercore Records
8. History of the Athens Symphony Orchestra
9. Performing Ensembles at the University of Georgia
10. Abel, pgs. 246–247
11. City of Athens History
12. About the Morton Building
13. OnlineAthens
14. Hampton Grease Band
15. Georgia Music Hall of Fame
16. Unterberger, pg. 133 Unterberger further notes that the only ''characteristic they shared was their willingness to do something different.''
17. Unterberger, pgs. 133–134 Unterberger states that the scene ''was brewing... even before the Sex Pistols made one of their few 1970s American appearances in nearby Atlanta in early 1978.''
18. http://www.uga.edu/gm/1202/Pro3.html ''Bertis Downs . . . in his own words'', Georgia Magazine, December 2002: Vol. 82, No. 1.
19. http://www.athensmagazine.com/jun06_insideout.html ''Athens Magazine'': June 2006.
20. Unterberger, pgs. 133–135
21. Unterberger, pgs. 135–136 "Radio Free Europe" was chosen as the "best independent single of the year" by the major New York magazine ''The Village Voice''. "The One I Love" was R.E.M.s first Top Ten hit in the United States.''
22. Unterberger, pgs. 134–137
23. OnlineAthens
24. North Georgia
25. PopMatters

Further reading

★ Party out of Bounds, Brown, Rodger Lyle, , , Everthemore Books, 2003, ISBN 0-9743877-0-3

External links

★ 40 Watt Club

★ Flagpole Magazine

★ Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia

★ Music history tour of Athens