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Holy Land

Reflections on a Summer in the Middle East p. 11

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · VOL. 23 · NO. 36 · FREE

Pride Parade Like the Jonas Brothers but Completely Different p. 19

Bike Ridin’ p. 8 · God & Wal-Mart p. 12 · The Tenant p. 21 · Jack Rose p. 27 · Volunteer Expo p. 28

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pub notes Cowardly Cloun My colleague across the way at the Banner-Herald, Jim Thompson, the hardest working journalist in Athens, in a masterful editorial last week called our Congressman Paul Broun a “coward” for declining to face Athens voters in a health care “Town Meeting” here. I myself have called Broun “Congressman Cloun,” among other things. Jim and I are both irrelevant to the congressman’s career path, and we may be just plain wrong. There is no such thing as cowardice in politics: only votes. You get the votes by doing what the majority of your constituents want you to do. If a clear majority of your constituents want something, you want it, too. And if you and the majority of your constituents want something, you can afford to ignore those who don’t want it. There’s no such thing as a political coward, and there’s nothing wrong with being a cloun. If you’ve got the votes, you can be anything you want to be, and you can hold your “Town Meetings” in the safest towns where everybody agrees with you. What’s more, you can say the most outlandish things you want to say, if everybody already agrees with you. You can call the President of the United States a Hitler, a Nazi or a Communist. You can say the President of the United States has a blueprint to impose a dictatorship on our country. You can say the President of the United States is planning to infect our citizens with the swine flu as an excuse for imposing his dictatorship. You can say anything you want to say. Everybody has freedom of speech, of course, because we’re Americans. A congressman with a safe majority just has a better quality freedom of speech, like his health There is no such thing insurance. Does all that mean as cowardice in politics: you’re a coward? Of course not. It just means only votes. that you’ve got the votes in your pocket and that you know what frightens those voters and what makes them mad and what they’re already mad about. Why, once you’ve got that kind of majority, you can take the fact that your constituents can’t get health insurance and whip them into a frenzy against the idea of the government doing anything at all to help them get health insurance. With a majority like that, you’re golden. You are above both cowardice and courage. You’re up there with the great Eugene Talmadge. Ol’ Gene was governor of Georgia back there during the first New Deal, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt was trying to save the economy and using the government to do it. Gene saw right off that if the socialist government off there in Washington D.C. came down here to Georgia with a lot of money to spend, he might lose some of his complete political control. He knew for a fact that the communist federal government would make people, including Gene’s state government, pay black folks the same wage as white folks, and just like Ol’ Paul, Ol’ Gene knew what made his constituents mad, and he knew how to play them like a pipe organ. Back then the whole state of Georgia was divided up into the county unit system, so that all the counties with sparse population got two votes and Fulton County (Atlanta) got six county unit votes. Ol’ Gene was a Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Georgia, and he could see real quick that the most populous counties among them couldn’t add up enough votes to elect the dog catcher in Taliaferro County, not that they had one. So, Ol’ Gene was fond of saying that he didn’t want no votes from no county where no streetcar ran. See? Like Atlanta and Athens and Augusta ’n them. And Ol’ Gene didn’t need none of them votes, because he had all those little bitty counties in his hip pocket, and he could say anything he wanted to about the federal government, and they ate it up. Ol’ Gene could say his Georgians did not need or want Social Security or minimum wage or public works projects or none of that Yankeefied stuff. He put a cow out to graze on the lawn at the governor’s mansion, and they loved that, too. Ol’ Gene might be a cloun, but he sure knew how to make them laugh and forget their troubles caused by the boll weevil and the stock market crash and the Depression. A cow! Ain’t that funny! Our Congressman Cowardly Cloun is following right along in Ol’ Gene’s footsteps, and we can call him anything we want, ’cause it’s meaningless. He’s got the votes, and we don’t, because we live in a county where a streetcar used to run. Pete McCommons editor@flagpole.com

THIS WEEK’S ISSUE: News & Features City Dope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Athens News and Views

As we deplore Paul Broun, Jr.’s phobia of Athens-Clarke County, let us turn to another week…

Holy Land Sojourn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Back in Athens, Remembering the Holy Land

The trip taught him more about politics, people and place than he’d counted on.

Arts & Events Art Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Angels and Demons

“Lord Love You” is a sampling of 83 works from R. A. Miller’s prolific output.

Film Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

COVER DESIGN by Kelly Ruberto featuring a painting by Carlos Solis on display at the Lyndon House Arts Center

News of Athens’ Cinema Scene

The ICE series at Lamar Dodd continues with Werner Herzog’s Stoszek.

Music Bulls on Parade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Meet the Boys and Men of Pride Parade

We’ve gone all teenybopper over the band’s new album Dose.

The Tenant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Ex-Summerbirds Frontman Debuts New Band

Brad Register teams up with Andy LeMaster to pick up where his old band left off.

LETTERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 CITY DOPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 CITY PAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 CAPITOL IMPACT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 ATHENS RISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 AVID BOOKSTORE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 COMMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 HOLY LAND SOJOURN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 BOOK REVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 ART NOTES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 MOVIE DOPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 MOVIE PICK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 FILM NOTEBOOK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

THREATS & PROMISES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 RECORD REVIEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 PRIDE PARADE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 THE TENANT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 UPSTART ROUNDUP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 THE CALENDAR!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 BULLETIN BOARD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 ART AROUND TOWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 COMICS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 REALITY CHECK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 EVERYDAY PEOPLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pete McCommons ADVERTISING DIRECTOR & PUBLISHER Alicia Nickles PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Larry Tenner MANAGING EDITOR Christina Cotter ADVERTISING SALES Anita Aubrey, Melinda Edwards, Jessica Pritchard MUSIC EDITOR Michelle Gilzenrat CITY EDITOR Ben Emanuel CLASSIFIEDS, DISTRIBUTION & OFFICE MANAGER Paul Karjian AD DESIGNERS Ian Rickert, Kelly Ruberto CARTOONISTS James Allen, Cameron Bogue, Jacob Hunt, Missy Kulik, Jeremy Long, Clint McElroy, Matthew Ziemer ADOPT ME Special Agent Cindy Jerrell CONTRIBUTORS Michael Andrews, Rachel Bailey, Rebecca Brantley, Tom Crawford, Jennifer Gibson, Jeff Gore, John Huie, Coy King, Gordon Lamb, Bao Le-Huu, Dave Marr, Jim McHugh, Matt Pulver, Julia Reidy, John Seay, Katherine Shell, Jeff Tobias, Jeff Webber, Drew Wheeler, Kevan Williams CIRCULATION Charles Greenleaf, Harper Bridgers, Jimmy Courson, Swen Froemke, Anthony Gentilles WEB DESIGNER Ian Rickert ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Maggie Summers EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Erin Cork EDITORIAL INTERN Fabian Poth MUSIC INTERN Charlie Stafford ADVERTISING INTERNS Melanie Foster, Teresa Tamburello

VOLUME 23 ISSUE NUMBER 36

STREET ADDRESS: 112 S. Foundry St., Athens, GA 30601 MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603 EDITORIAL: (706) 549-9523 ADVERTISING: (706) 549-0301 FAX: (706) 548-8981 ADVERTISING: ads@flagpole.com CALENDAR: calendar@flagpole.com COMICS: comics@flagpole.com EDITORIAL: editor@flagpole.com LETTERS: letters@flagpole.com MUSIC: music@flagpole.com WEB SITE: web@flagpole.com

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SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

letters

ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL We as consumers of our current health care system should consider the following aspects of this system. It takes adequate insurance, or exceptionally deep pockets, to feel any security against the threat of injury or illness requiring substantial, or even minimal, medical attention. Right now, the health care consumer supports two industries: the health care insurance industry and the health care (medical) industry. Both of these industries are composed of stockholders, who require a return on their investments, and who could be living in any country in the world and/or could be grouped together under other corporate umbrellas with competing interests of their own (both economic and political). It is also composed of executive managers who require competitive salaries and bonuses—both too often reaching into the seven digit figures, far beyond the monetary world of the ordinary productionoriented American. Also required are ever increasing premiums to satisfy the expanding needs of keeping all of this intact. This all until the ability for consumers to pay these premiums runs out. Then there is an implosion, and the need for a government bailout. Take away the healthcare insurance companies, then there is only one industry for the consumer to support. Of course the insurance need is still there, but the government satisfies this need and the taxpayers become the stockholders, thus the beneficiaries of any successes of good management. No more

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

seven digit salaries or bonuses here (unless, of the precursor to a single-payer plan. Critics of Obama’s health care plan also say that those course, approved by the taxpayers. Ha, ha!). in Obama’s administration are socialists and Plus, everyone is insured. Another savings to the consumer would want to take away our private insurance and be from no more need for workers’ compensaour doctors’ right to make health care decition. This would provide mammoth savings sions for us; government bureaucrats will dictate what kind of health care we’re going for businesses, both large and small, making it much easier and more competitive for the to get. Obama’s critics also say we already have the world’s best health care system small entrepreneur. Also, no need for Medicare supplements. There’s more, but I’ll stop here. and that 80 percent of patients are satisfied Call it socialism, if you will, but call it with the care they receive. Such wrong and misguided assertions are a distraction from a democratic socialism, not corporate socialreasoned debate. Go to www.moveon.org to ism—which is what we have now—along with its economic polarread the truth about Obama’s plan. Those izing roller coasters and its hidden botopposed to Obama’s BUMPERSTICKER OF THE WEEK: tomless pits (which plan want to give people more private when stumbling upon require bailouts). options and let the Thanks, Nancy. Send your sticker sightings to Democratic socialism: market work. This, ben@flagpole.com or call 706-549-9523. in their opinion, will it’s all for one and one for all, which in markedly lower the my opinion, is not an cost of health care. If the critics had been paying attention, they un-American concept, or idea, at all (at least, most certainly, not in times of war). would know that the goals of Obama’s plan Jack Schatz are to give folks lower cost health insurance Bowman options, to inject more competition into the market and to provide insurance to the 46-54 million Americans who are currently uninsured. (These figures are from the National Coalition on Health Care and the Agency for Healthcare Opponents to President Obama’s health Research and Quality.) insurance plan assert that he intends to let I did some online research to find out exactly how the “world’s best health the elderly die, that he will give young people preferential treatment and that Americans will care” stacks up globally. According to the United Nations, the U.S. health care system be forced off their employers’ insurance plans and onto a competing government-run plan, ranks 37th worldwide. Here are some other

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overall health care rankings: France 1, Italy 2, Singapore 4, Oman 8, Japan 10, U.K. 18, and Canada 30. If our health care system is so great, our life expectancy should be great also, right? Japan has the highest life expectancy; France is third, Italy 6th, Canada 12th, and U.K. 14th. The U.S. ranks 24th. So, is the U.S. health care system really the “world’s best?” I cannot speak for the U.S. health care system as a whole, but only from my personal experience. Overall, I have been quite satisfied by the level of health care I have received from my primary care physician, various specialists, and from Athens hospitals. My physicians do not make the decisions regarding my medical treatment; my insurance company does. My primary care physician has to be on the insurance company’s list as do any specialists I see. My drugs have to be on the insurance company’s approved list. The hospital where I go for emergency treatment or in-patient care also has to be on my insurance company’s list. In conclusion, I do not make my health care decisions, my doctor does not make my health care decisions, and a Washington bureaucrat does not make my health care decisions. My health care decisions are made by an insurance company bureaucrat. How can another bureaucrat, this one working for the government, be any worse? How can there be any more paperwork than there already is? How can one more insurance choice be bad? How can an insurance choice affordable for all citizens be wrong? Let the market judge the Obama plan. Jared V. Harper Athens

city dope Athens News and Views Heckuva Job, Brounie: This is sort of like one of those Election Day editions of Flagpole, when the big news of the week happens on a Tuesday and we writers get to try to guess at what happens. Tuesday’s news this week, of course, is coming from Rep. Paul Broun, Jr.’s “Athens” town hall meeting on health care reform, out in Watkinsville at 10 in the morning (thanks!). Then again, will much news come of it? Hard to say. Worth saying— and repeating—in the meantime is that our congressman is continuing his steady track from wacky and offensive to extremist and irresponsible. All Athens should thank Blake Aued for reporting this to us in last week’s Banner-Herald: “At a town hall meeting in

Big News for City Hall Wonks: Agendas will soon be put online for monthly ACC Mayor and Commission work sessions—staff presentations to commissioners, typically about upcoming issues they must decide, that are held on the second Tuesday of each month. Also, agendas for the two standing committees of the commission (Government Ops and the Legislative Review committee) will be online, Commissioner Kelly Girtz announced last week. Thanks, Kelly: those little-known meetings (not televised, but open to the public) are where a lot of public issues get vetted, and some get decided. Now if only those two committee meetings could be scheduled so they aren’t at the same time, maybe local reporters wouldn’t be so challenged to report on them… [John Huie]

A SPLOST Complaint: Recent criticisms of the process for picking new sales-tax-funded projects do not appear be hitting any nerves with ACC Commissioners, who last week went ahead with a timetable that will leave public comment for last, rather than first. True enough, the next round of SPLOST projects will be picked by a citizens’ committee, itself to be picked by commissioners this month (the projects list must then be approved by commissioners and, later, voters). But in scheduling the public hearing so late in the process—next February, after the citizens’ group will have made its recommendations—commissioners only increase local government’s gap between insiders and outsiders. When most citizens hear the words “public hearing,” they take it at face value: a chance to offer their views on some plan that’s still being developed. But as Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation director Amy Kissane told Flagpole this summer, Swine flu? Nothing but a Democrat conspiracy! Trust me, I’m a “there’s really a point of no return” doctor! at which decisions have already been made. That’s likely to be true with Clarkesville last month, Broun called Obama, SPLOST 2010; certainly with the last SPLOST House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate cycle, commissioners did not depart much Majority Leader Harry Reid a ’socialistic elite’ from the citizen committee’s recommendaand agreed with a constituent who said they tions. In fact, the citizens who most influence might use a flu pandemic to declare martial the actions of local government don’t do it law…. ’They’re trying to develop an environthrough hearings. They network, they form ment where they can take over,’ Broun said. organizations, they talk to county staffers, ’We’ve seen that historically.’” Yep. [Ben get the ears of commissioners, run for office Emanuel] themselves or help get their allies elected. Citizens who want to influence the next round Guv’s Race Getting Interesting: City Dope welof sales-tax projects would be better advised comes the news that Republican state Senator to get on the citizens’ committee (or talk to Jeff Chapman of Brunswick has joined the those who will be) than to show up at a “pub2010 race for governor. This is not an early lic hearing” after the fact. endorsement by any means, but simply a recWhich makes City Dope wonder why the ognition that having a guy in the race who hearing is being scheduled so late. Not all doesn’t take any crap from anybody—witness citizens are activists—many don’t have the his role in the saga that brought him into the time, even if they have the initiative—and statewide limelight, the Jekyll Island redevel- maybe it is naive to suggest that some nugget opment mess—is going to be a good thing all of wisdom from a citizen, expressed at a pubaround. That’s especially true given the slate lic hearing, will bloom into positive change. we’ve got for the primary on the Republican But why make it impossible? [JH] side this cycle. In fact, Capitol Impact’s Tom Crawford quoted the self-designated leader In Memoriam: Sincerest condolences go out of the Republican pack, state Insurance to ACC Commissioner Kathy Hoard, whose husCommissioner John Oxendine, as saying this band of 34 years, Ed, died suddenly of a heart about Chapman: “Jeff brings a new voice to attack on Aug. 31. Much loved and revered in this campaign and I look forward to seeing Athens, he will clearly be missed. [BE] him on the campaign trail.” A new voice, eh, Ox? Like, one that tells the truth? [BE] Ben Emanuel & John Huie

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

city pages 50-foot-deep tree buffer along Jefferson Road and will group retail shops around a parking lot and open green. But it was controversial with some commissioners (and with the ACC Planning Commission, which recommended denial of the plan). The proposal isn’t New Urbanism, “No one’s going to pat us on the back said Planning Commissioner Lucy Rowland for building a new jail,” said District 5 ACC last month, but just a suburban strip mall. “I think this is a bait-and-switch,” said District Commissioner David Lynn at last week’s Commission voting meeting, “but it’s some8 ACC Commissioner Andy Herod. And while the majority of commissioners agreed with thing that has to be done.” The cost of a mostly new, larger jail—conservatively estiDistrict 5’s David Lynn that “you can’t undo” mated at $80 million to build—could rise to past decisions, District 6 Commissioner Ed Robinson argued that approval now would $126 million if the county borrows the money and takes 24 years to pay it back. And that’s only deepen past errors—and pave the way for future ones. “Once a bad decision is made, the default schedule commissioners approved at the Sept. 1 meeting— that itself becomes the although the money reason for the next bad “No one’s going to pat us could also be repaid decision,” he said. Also approved were sooner, saving interest on the back for building a variances to allow a costs, ACC Manager Alan new jail, but it’s something small UGA fraternity, Reddish told Flagpole. But delaying payback Tau Kappa Epsilon, to that has to be done.” of the jail bonds means occupy a house at 2815 Riverbend Rd. (The house more community projects could be built, and sooner, with the remaining itself won’t be changed, but more parking will be allowed.) In comments to commissionrevenues from a renewed 1-cent sales tax… provided, that is, that voters approve the proj- ers, one nearby apartment dweller opposed ects eventually selected for the next six-year the change, which will allow six or seven round of collections. students in the house, but another favored Construction costs have declined lately, it, saying UGA’s frat rules would provide more so bids to build the new jail could come in control over the property than exists now. below $80 million. “We are beginning to meet Commissioners agreed—except for George with the design professionals,” Reddish said. Maxwell, who voted nay. “I know what’s going Athens-Clarke County’s jail has been overto happen. When a fraternity goes in there, crowded for years; last year the county paid noise will follow,” he predicted. $1.7 million to house out inmates in other jails. Local burglaries are up, but most crimes John Huie johnphuie@gmail.com have been down since the 1990s (in Athens and elsewhere), ACC Police Chief Jack Lumpkin has said. But police are arresting more people anyway, county-hired consultant Bob Goble said last year—because the worst offenders are already in prison, he said, allowing police to make arrests for less-serious crimes. The county is pursuing several work-release At meeting’s end inside City Hall Sept. 1, programs to reduce the number of people senseveral volunteers with Organizing for America tenced to jail or awaiting trial. offered views on health care reform. (A citizen John Huie johnphuie@gmail.com may speak for three minutes on any subject after ACC Commissioners have finished the business before them.) Under the present health care system, “I feel like we all walk on eggshells,” said antiques store owner Airee Hong. “The corporate-dominated health care system has brought everyday Americans to their knees,” said law school student Russell Edwards. “We do not have the best health care system in the world,” Edwards added, citing While ACC Commissioners differed—by a six-to-three vote at their Sept. 1 meeting—on low U.S. rankings of life expectancy and infant mortality. approving a revised, more commercial plan Some commissioners agreed: “I was fortufor the Oak Grove development on Jefferson nate enough to grow up in a country that did Road (at Lavender Road), the plan will now have a national health care system, where we go forward. The original Oak Grove develophad plenty of choice,” said Andy Herod, who ment, approved in 2000, brought public prois British. Added Ed Robinson, “As a small tests to City Hall—it was a good, progressive business owner, I live in constant fear of what residential development, opponents said, but will happen if one of my employees becomes too far out in the county’s supposedly protruly ill. As long as the common denominatected “greenbelt.” (Oak Grove’s innovative tor… is that nobody has insurance, then layout clustered some homes around common that’s what businesses will compete to.” Said areas and built them along the land’s natural Commissioner Kelly Girtz, the profit-driven contours; it was featured in a National Public health care system impacts health care costs Radio story several years ago.) In 2004, comfor county employees, too, “and that’s coming missioners approved an expansion of the out of the pocket of every one of our taxpayproject, including some commercial developers here in Clarke County.” ment (never built). Recently, developers asked to expand the commercial plans slightly; the John Huie johnphuie@gmail.com compromise approved last week will keep a

Schedule for Next Round of SPLOST Is Now Set

Organizers Talk Health Care Reform; Commissioners Agree

Commish Approves Oak Grove, Frat House in Zoning Decisions

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

capitol impact The Political Landscape Question: Do media scandals harm a politician? In the case of some state politicians, maybe not. Several months ago, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution revealed that more than $100,000 in political contributions had been funneled to Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine through political action committees set up in Alabama. The story hinted that Oxendine, who has regulatory authority over insurance companies operating in Georgia, was shaking down the companies for campaign contributions. The AJC’s reporting was solid enough that Oxendine agreed to return $120,000 in questionable donations. The resulting publicity, however, does not appear to have hurt Oxendine’s standing in the Republican primary for governor. Recent polls have consistently shown him well ahead of the other GOP candidates with 38 or 39 percent support among his party’s voters. Another Republican candidate for governor, U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal of Gainesville, was the subject of a front-page article in the AJC that described how he had tried to influence state officials to continue with a profitable business arrangement involving Deal’s auto salvage business. The article did not reflect well on Deal, but it’s too early to tell if he will emerge unscathed in the polls, as Oxendine did. Question: Does money deliver the votes? There does seem to be a strong correlation between lobbyist money and congressional opposition to the health insurance reform bill that is coming up for debate this fall. The health care industry and its lobbyists, according to some estimates, are spending $1.4 million every day to try to defeat several aspects of the proposed health care plan, including a “public option” that would provide government-funded health insurance coverage for people who don’t have it.

The biggest recipients of health care industry dollars among Georgia’s congressmen are Republican Rep. Tom Price (who has received nearly $2.4 million in campaign contributions from the health care sector) and Rep. Phil Gingrey (who’s received $1.87 million from the same source). Reps. John Barrow and Jim Marshall are Blue Dog Democrats who have opposed the Democratic version of the health care plan. They have also received a lot of money from the health care sector ($462,000 for Marshall and $360,000 for Barrow). The Georgia congressman who most strongly supports a health insurance bill with a public option is Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson. Johnson has also received less campaign money (only $51,752) from health care lobbyists than anyone else in the delegation. Question: We’ve heard a lot of bad news about the state budget. Is there any good news? Over the past week there have been some positive developments. The seven justices of the Georgia Supreme Court have agreed to take three furlough days without pay between now and Dec. 31, saving the state a few thousand dollars. Attorney General Thurbert Baker also announced a settlement of fraud allegations against the drug manufacturer Pfizer that will result in Georgia receiving $21.7 million that can be used to pay some Medicaid expenses. Baker said the $21.7 million would be enough money to pay for Medicaid coverage of more than 8,900 non-disabled children or to take care of all treatment costs related to treating Medicaid cancer patients between the ages of 18–44. In the overall context of an $18 billion state budget, neither sum represents a lot of money. But at least it’s a start. Tom Crawford

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

athens rising Special Edition: Sharing the Road pedestrian or something. But partly due to my assessment of the current state of bike culture (and road culture as a whole) in Athens, I’m willing to compromise a good bit—to ride in an exceedingly predictable, defensive way—if it means that cardrivers here can get more used to sharing the road with bikes without getting angry at cyclists. [BE] On Stop Signs and Intersections: Bikes may be vehicles, but so are airplanes. Though cars and bicycles operate in a similar environment, each requires a different way to navigate. Even a

Pete McCommons

This is the time of year when traffic returns to Athens life, and just like last year and the year before, there seem to be more bicycles on the road here than ever. There are many aphorisms that fit those who would lecture cyclists on their bad traffic manners; the most appropriate, though, is this: “Let him who is without a moving violation cast the first stone.” I won’t try to defend the bad behavior of every cyclist or denounce the entire motoring community due to the actions of a few. It’s a tired argument, and it may be better to start the discussion over from scratch and consider what daily bicycle commuting is actually like. This town’s driving population turns over every school year, and the cycling population does too. There are too many riding styles to count, which may lead to some of the unpredictability of cyclists. But at the very least, it might be time to restart the conversation. In the interests of doing so, I’ve put down on paper my own approach to certain situations as a regular bike commuter, and also—because his approach to biking is a little different from mine in some ways—solicited somewhat different perspectives from Flagpole City Editor Ben Emanuel, too.

On Being Aggressive: Any aggressive cycling on my part is the result of aggressive and inconsiderate driving going on around me. I wouldn’t take the lane if I knew people would give me the proper amount of space as they passed me. If my unpredictability on a bicycle causes you to slow down and pay attention to me, then that seems to be a good thing for me to do. I have every right to be out there having fun on my bike, and I shouldn’t have to put on armor every time I want to. Can’t we all just get along? Every day in Europe, well-dressed men and women of all ages ride helmet-free and fearless, listening to music, talking on the phone, and having a cyclist with thunder thighs and calves like tree trunks cannot great time. We ought to be able to do that here, too. If making overcome physics. It’s Newton’s laws that govern the moveyou see me means moving into your way and out of the gutter, ment of a human-powered vehicle, trumping local ordinance. I’ll do it. [KW] Forgive me for coasting through an empty intersection, but I’ll take a whole lane when I need it, and if I need to turn when stopping and re-acceleration require physical effort, left, for example, I’m getting out of the bike lane or movyou’d let momentum do its job, too. Hills in this town can be ing away from the curb and merging into the left-turn lane, menacing, and I’ll go the long way around to avoid a punishrather than stopping, getting off my bike and crossing like a ing climb. Gravity is a tough thing to overcome on a bicycle.

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

On the Culture of It All: With much less mass compared to a car, every puddle and pothole in the road has the potential to ruin a cyclist’s day, so I will take the lane in order to avoid these hazards. You drivers may be slowed down for two seconds, but you can easily make that time up: deal with it. The next time your day is ruined by this minor inconvenience, consider that cyclists are contending not only with your big car, but also with broken glass, grates, crumbling asphalt, limbs piled on the curb and any other street garbage. That, of course, applies when there is a place to ride at all. Cycling-friendly infrastructure is spotty at best, which requires creative navigation. If there’s no room on the road, and I’ve got somewhere to be, parking lots and sidewalks are fair territory to cut through. [KW] I have to admit that it’s taken me a while to get to the point where I ride as aggressively—I’d rather say confidently— as I do in this town. I almost never ride on sidewalks, or switch unpredictably between street and sidewalk, because I’m comfortable enough in the street. I know that not everyone who wants to bike is ready to bike like that, but I think that however each of us rides, we’ll continue to make the local bike culture better, and the roads safer, if we keep respect, patience and the predictability of our behavior in mind. At the end of the day, I’m glad that anybody who’s biking—no matter how— is biking rather than driving. But to me, Athens is at the place right now where just a little compromise could go a surprisingly long way. [BE] If you’re not a cyclist, I hope this conversation of sorts has provided some insight into the minds of your fellow travelers. Without getting too sappy, the best thing to remember is that we’re all human, fallibility and fragility applying to everyone involved. A little patience, civility and compassion could do a lot to keep everyone safe and happy on the road. Kevan Williams athensrising@flagpole.com

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For this reason, flat Prince and Milledge avenues are favored routes. [KW] Personally, I ride fast and confidently, and if you come up behind me on a neighborhood street with a stop sign 50 or a hundred yards ahead, don’t blame me if you try to zoom way around me and then find yourself in the middle of the street because we both got to the stop sign at the same time. I’m not exponentially slower than you are, although that’s probably what you think as soon as you see a bike in front of you. Still, you’ll never see me run a red light, and I probably make a fuller stop than most cyclists do at stop signs. [BE]

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Bookshop Coming Geddis Slowly Gets It Together

FIVE POI N TS

Charles-Ryan Barber

the current economy and Age of Amazon, someone would have to be certifiably insane to open a bookstore, but maybe it just requires bravery. Janet Geddis will open Avid Bookshop in downtown Athens in summer, 2010, after it has been in the works for several years. Her plans include creating a place where kids, parents, professors, students and townies can all find activities and books that meet their needs. In a town known for restaurants, bars and a big music scene, it’s interesting to see someone so dedicated to reading. “There’s a general creativity in Athens,” Geddis says, “but it lacks in services for those into literature.” Geddis plans to remedy that lack by offering “multiple events per week” and coordinating with other local organizations and stores, such as the Classic Center, that could help bring in a wider audience. “We want to find dialogues about books already out there and create new dialogues of our own,” she says, as she describes her overall plan. Over the past few decades, local bookstores have generally closed, rather than opening. Tony Arnold has owned the downtown used-book store Jackson Street Books for the past 10 years. He notes the different face of Athens’ downtown from when he first came to work at the store in 1991. “Athens attracted people for the day to shop at the bookstores,” he says, noting that there were five or six bookstores downtown at that time. “It isn’t that independent bookstores are competing with chain stores; we’re both competing with Amazon,” he says. Jackson Street Books has changed its methods over the years to compete with online sales, and new bookstores need creative ways to ensure they won’t be beaten out by the low prices online sellers can offer. When someone sells a book online, they don’t have to pay for overhead, employees or any other of the many expenses incurred by bookstore owners. For Jackson Street Books, that means continuing to offer comparatively low prices, being selective about which used books to accept and offering online sales of their own.

However, they only put the rarest and most valuable books online. “We can’t compete with people who sell books online for a dollar or fifty cents, so we don’t. Instead, we put hard-to-find books online for those willing to pay for them,” Arnold says. He also notes that the key to remaining a successful bookstore is to “focus on a niche.” Janet Geddis seems to have that idea in mind. She’s sure that she won’t compete with Jackson Street Books, because the stores don’t have exactly the same market. Avid Bookshop will sell small publishers’ books, and used books will only be a portion of what she offers. Her store sounds like something out of You’ve Got Mail, where Meg Ryan reads to children in the background. (Geddis would probably object to this comparison; she emphasizes her dedication to clean, uncluttered shelves and plenty of open space, where customers can sit down and flip through books.) This is a different role than Jackson Street Books plays; there, tall shelves are stacked with so many books of a wide variety that even Tony Arnold admits he doesn’t always know what’s on his shelves. Arnold doesn’t seem to have many worries about having a competitor just a few blocks away. Instead, he says with a genuine smile, “We always like to see the community support bookstores.” Jackson Street Books celebrates its 25th year this October, and, according to the owner, “business is good.” Geddis also has other methods for competing with online sales: Sony announced last week it will sell ebooks and ebook readers through ABA independent bookstores, including Avid. “If you’re going to exist in the book world,” she says, “you have to be ready to adapt to changes.” For more information about Avid Bookshop, go to the blog: http://imanavidreader.blogspot.com/. You can email Janet Geddis of Avid Bookshop at avid.athens@gmail.com. You can also investigate Jackson Street Books at http://www.abebooks.com/jackson-streetbooks-athens-ga-u.s.a/510407/sf or in person at 260 N. Jackson Street, Athens, GA. Katherine Shell

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

comment Abolish Insurance As I’ve been watching the health care debate (studiously ignoring the morons who are shrieking and waving their hands at various town meetings), several things have struck me as being odd about this whole business. First, and most obviously, there are some people who don’t want to change our current system. From a pragmatic, fiscal conservative standpoint this is pretty crazy. We pay more and get less under our system, and a good chunk of our population can’t afford insurance. If I were a virus, this is exactly the kind of environment I’d love: just the right combination of pressures to ensure a disease can take hold and enough of a group that feels safe (i.e., has insurance) to ensure that nothing would be done until it was too late. Also, the burden of providing insurance seems to be falling on businesses, particularly small ones, and I’m starting to wonder just why we’re expecting private businesses to provide anything to their employees but wages. I mean, sure, provide perks, but why should a business be responsible for its employees’ health when it doesn’t pertain to their immediate working environment? Why in God’s name do we even have an insurance industry? When you look at what it offers, the insurance business looks roughly like a pyramid scheme that relies on a lot of people paying for services they never use so that a few people can pay for expensive services they do use. Obviously, this business setup relies on minimizing the amount of money the insurance company pays to the people who are paying it, so the insurance companies can make a profit. In other words, profit, not life, is the prime motivator here. This quite frankly is as it should be in the business sector, but it’s not really in the best interests of the public sector. In addition, the two major players in this issue—the patients and their health care providers—both have to deal with this gigantic bureaucracy that seemingly exists to make it as hard as possible for patients to get treatment and for their doctors to give it to them: again, to protect the profit margin. One of the biggest components in this debate isn’t remotely interested in securing the life of the citizenry or making our health care system more efficient. Why in God’s name That strikes me as being rather bizarre. do we even have an Suppose we abolish insurinsurance industry? ance entirely and instead take a percentage of everyone’s paycheck regardless of how little or much they make and stick it in a fund like Medicaid. Every time you’re sick you go directly to the hospital and get fixed up. The hospital then documents what it did to you and submits a bill to the “Health Fund” and gets paid. Patients who aren’t happy with their treatment or want more expensive tests pay for it themselves. Hospitals are then forced to compete with each other to provide health care as efficiently as possible, which leads to overall lower costs and a more creative, flexible system. You save a lot of time, money and energy by simply removing the gigantic, parasitical institution that’s sitting squarely in the middle of this debate. Now, pure capitalism won’t work either: you’d have to have government set guidelines for acceptable health care (sort of like the FDA does with food, although I’d hope we’d fund this organization a little better) for starters. You’d also have to have an enforcement agency to crack down on fraud. And I mean you fund these guys to the hilt and make examples out of people who try to game the system. Doctors who do so lose their license; patients have to pay back the money they stole plus interest and serve jail time: stuff like that. There will always be some sort of fraud with programs like this, but making sure to minimize it by strong oversight will go a long way to making sure the health care system actually works. But, of course we are doing none of this. Instead, we continue to lurch between two equally impractical systems (i.e., government run health care and our current pseudo-capitalistic one), and I’m sure the final result will be some atrocity that combines the worse aspects of each. Perhaps I’m being overly cynical here, but I’m really not expecting much. Guess we’ll see. Scott Kelso “Scott Kelso” has lived in Athens for almost 15 years. He likes mulling about issues both local and national and wishes both parties would just shut up and get about the business of running the country.

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

Dan Gore

holy land sojourn Back in Athens, Remembering the Holy Land

Dan Gore

Before I went to Palestine and Israel—also known collectively as the “Holy Land”—I was partial to the Palestinians because of the suffering they endure under Israeli occupation. Soon I realized the error in this thinking: I only appreciated them for the circumstances they live in, not for who they actually are. So, after supporting the Palestinians from afar for so long, I decided to live in the Palestinian city of Ramallah over the summer, partly to test myself. Would I actually like these people that I supposedly cared about so much? In short: yes, I really did. Palestinians are some of the most caring, hospitable, curious people I have ever met. Many a time walking the streets of Ramallah or Nablus, I would get a hearty “Welcome!” from a person I had never met and would likely never see again. Whenever I sat down in a Palestinian home—whether it was a modern, well furnished structure or a dusty tent with mattresses for seats—I was invariably offered tea or coffee. Everyone seemed to want to know my name and where I was from. And to think that I was told I’d be killed out there! It was fitting that I was handed a copy of George Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia during my stay there. At some point on the long bus ride from Ramallah to Jerusalem, I came across Bullet holes in a window at a Nablus hotel are not just a relic of a more violent past there, but also a reminder that hostilities could resume any time. this passage: “A Spaniard’s generosity, in the ordinary Yet despite these distasteful aspects of Palestinian culture, sense of the word, is at times I still fell in love with the Palestinian people. In my eyes, they almost embarrassing. If you ceased to be an abstract victim and instead became a multitude ask him for a cigarette he will of real people who not only weep and grieve, but laugh and force the whole packet upon sing and dance like you’ve never seen anybody dance before. you. And beyond this there is What about Israel? I was there, although not as often as I generosity in a deeper sense, a had planned. Surely I already knew that traveling between the real largeness of spirit, which two areas on a regular basis would be no piece of cake. But I I have met with again and soon learned that the political NGO I was volunteering with again in the most unpromishad mostly research-based work to offer me—not something ing circumstances.” If the I came halfway across the world to do—so I largely abstained Spaniard were replaced with from going to its Jerusalem-based office, especially because a Palestinian in this passage, the trip involved an arduous chain of bus rides and a trip there’d be no truer description through the infamous Qalandia checkpoint, which is like a more of the people whom I had the draconian version of airport security. Thus my trips into Israel good fortune of living among. became more occasional travel than professional commute. Their qualities rubbed What I will say about Israel is that its own suffering is off on me. For example, in evident through the palpable fear and tension in the air. The Palestine it is borderline number of automatic weapons you’ll see on an average day in insulting to eat in front of an average Israeli city is staggering—far more than I saw in somebody without offering any Palestinian city. Every bus station in Israel bristles with them some of what you’re metal detectors; even going to a gay pride parade in Jerusalem having—fruits, cookies and or a shopping center in Tel Aviv required me to empty my crackers were regularly thrust pockets, spread my arms and consent to being patted down by in front of me by the natives. a security officer. And it doesn’t help that Israel’s leaders are This kind of unconditional always exaggerating their precarious position: when I arrived, I generosity not only compelled had just missed what the government had deemed “Doomsday me to change my own behavDrills.” ior but also restored some of Politically, my views changed only in that the solution to my lost faith in humanity, as the conflict now seems more elusive than ever. The internacliché as that sounds. And tionally agreed-upon solution is “two states for two people,” judging by the fact that I saw based on borders that existed before the Six-Day War of 1967. not one homeless person in But now, knowing the size, multitude and utter permanence Palestine (compare this to of some Israeli settlements in the West Bank, as well as the Israel, a country with nearly 10 strong Palestinian connection to many villages that now times more per capita income lie in Israel proper, I am inclined to think that one unified than the West Bank, and also state would be the most just solution. Still, Israel and the many more homeless people), I Palestinian territories are so, so different that it boggles the have a strong feeling that this mind to think of how this single state would actually work. culture of charity is not merely So, if you asked me about my trip to Palestine, I wouldn’t a gift reserved for foreigners, depress you with talk about borders or peace plans or statebut a strong social glue that hood. Instead I would tell you about the Palestinian boys on has allowed the Palestinians to the street hustling various cheap candies, or about the compersevere under occupation for plexity of the Arabic language, which is both maddening and so long. alluring. I would talk about the gorgeous sunsets that overOf course, there are less looked landscapes dotted with olive trees, the mouth-watering appealing things about smell of a sizzling hunk of shawerma, the unmistakable scent Palestinian culture. Their curiof Turkish coffee, the marvelous texture of Dead Sea mud, the osity is charming and endearunappreciated beauty of the Golan Heights, the perfection of An unusually quiet street in Jerusalem’s Old City, away from the tourists, religious sites and bustling markets. ing, but there are times when Mediterranean water, and on and on and on until I reach the you just want to sit in the park inevitable point of telling you that you should come with me without being bothered. Their caring and hospitality is touchand the father of the girl you want to marry decides he doesn’t the next time I go. ing but can also be intrusive and even clingy—true privacy like you, it’s over—no matter how deeply in love you and the is rare in Palestine. And as much as I rag on Western culture, girl really are. And you’ll probably never get to speak to her Jeff Gore I never appreciated it more than when I learned about how again. Want to have a woman stay overnight, even if she’s just relationships work in Palestine. If you’re a Palestinian man, a friend? Forget about it. Read Jeff Gore’s journal of his summer in the Holy Land at Flagpole.com.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

book review And God Created Wal-Mart It usually surprises people to learn that corporations in the United States are legally regarded as individual persons, what Bethany Moreton calls “immortal supercitizens.” If a latter-day Geppetto were to grant actual personhood to Wal-Mart, that “person” would not have Pinocchio’s lovable personality. Hardly. Dr. Moreton suggests that Wal-mart as a real person would be a sociopath in real need of some time on a psychiatrist’s couch. Wal-Mart the person is a conscienceless manipulator, an opportunist of the vilest order, an abuser with a tendency to use anything or anyone, only to discard them once used. And this “person” operates behind the deception of a friendly façade and a warm greeting. Put simply: WalMart as a corporate person is an asshole. To be sure, Bethany Moreton, assistant professor of history at the University of Georgia, nuances her analysis of the world’s largest corporation. Her first book, To Serve God and WalMart: The Making of Christian Free Enterprise (Harvard University Press, 2009), relies on a staggering amount of research and a precise eye to tell the story of Wal-Mart’s rise.

Government, Yuk! Moreton provides both a bird’s eye view of the corporation’s history and the in-store perspective of a great many interviewed employees. Her wide-lensed analysis includes in its focus aspects as divergent as the sleepy Ozarks of the early 20th century, the turbulent Latin America of the late 20th century and the network of conservative free market fundamentalists who dutifully prepared the way for Wal-Mart’s meteoric rise. Wal-Mart’s opportunism has taken a number of forms. Moreton begins her analysis by describing how Wal-Mart was, in its more fragile early years, the glad beneficiary of the comforts of a governmentsubsidized growth economy. She returns to the early 20th century to chart the growth of an American economy powered by state encouragement, a Keynesian model that came to be generally standardized by the post-War period. But once Wal-Mart and its corporate contemporaries found their stride, they quickly forgot their humble beginnings and shunned their former friend, the government. In effect, Wal-Mart helped to kick away the ladder, so that businesses started in their wake would not receive the same encouragement they had in their own formative years.

Mom and Pop Moreton points out that in its stores, WalMart used existing relationships in the home, namely the male-female power structure, to great success. She explains that “Wal-Mart wanted the yeoman’s wife as both a customer and an employee. To get her, it had to model itself on her family relationships.” Stores

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

came to resemble large families (which many employees genuinely appreciated, as Moreton’s interviews suggest) in which the woman’s place in the home was analogized as a lesser paid, harder working floor salesperson. WalMart was discovering an important lesson for 20th-century corporations: industrial, commodity-producing labor was not the only way to make money. The immaterial, affective labor of the mother and housewife could also be harnessed for profit. Moreton’s particular expertise in gender politics (she also teaches and researches women’s studies) sheds a helpful light on this integral aspect of Wal-Mart’s early success. But just as the government policies that helped the corporation’s growth were rejected, the workers’ families who built Wal-Mart’s empire were never offered even the most basic thanks in the form of living wages, health care or the right to bargain collectively.

Jesus, Too After the government and the family had been used and more or less discarded, WalMart found American Christianity a useful vehicle for profit. Accompanying the rightist religious revival of the 1970s came a revised notion of Christian servitude, one which wove notions of the market, Christian values and wistful patriotism into a dense amalgam to formulate a new mode of devotion: the “servant-leader.” Moreton describes the usefulness of the servantleader for corporate structures like WalMart: “What disappeared in this formula [of servant-leadership], of course, was any notion of authority or ownership… rather, one’s position of power within a system became de facto evidence of service, with no reference to the external structures that determined the distribution of power.” The new mentality defanged the classic American skepticism—when not downright antagonism—toward big business. The servant-leader became one whose self-worth and, yes, even metaphysical fate, could be gauged by his devotion to the profitability of a multinational corporation. That model echoes the aristocratic systems of Europe, where participants served their superiors in a hierarchy, at the top of which sat the divine king. The entire hierarchical order, with God’s chosen on top, grew to associate fidelity to one’s earthly master with devotion to the God of the heavens. In both cases, of course, the vast majority are relegated to a peasant status. To Serve God and Wal-Mart can be seen as a case study, a scrutiny of the all-too-familiar larger phenomenon, that strange conflation of metaphysics and economics, where the Dow Jones average moves in mysterious increments according to unknown and unknowable vagaries, and the individual is sacrificed on the altar of corporate profit. Matthew Pulver

art notes Angels and Demons “Lord Love You” at the Lyndon House: Ever wondered what happens when a Klansman goes to hell? Or what a sneaky church-going devil might look like? Georgia folk artist R.A. Miller did. Organized by the temporarily closed Georgia Museum of Art and on view at the Lyndon House Arts Center, “Lord Love You” is a sampling of 83 works from Miller’s prolific output. The work probably came from his cluttered yard in nearby Rabbittown, which he began to fill with art in the 1970s. The setting of filmmaker Jim Herbert’s video for R.E.M.’s Left of Reckoning video in 1984, Miller’s yard was filled with whirligigs, cutouts and paintings—a project he began in his 70s after a lifetime of working in cotton mills and as an itinerant Free Will Baptist preacher.

person—sports a patriotic Uncle Sam outfit and appears repeatedly. Speaking of patriotism, “This Flag Won’t Burn” is a tin-andenamel remake of our national flag that is at least a lot harder to burn than cloth. I think there’s a comparison to be made to proto-pop master Jasper John’s iconic “Flag,” and I think it has to do with the blatant, self-assured materiality of Miller’s flag and an American brand of machismo that puts the Ab Ex-ers to shame. But apples and oranges are, at the end of the day, apples and oranges. Culling from popular culture, he also created a disappointing diminutive “Bigfoot” and a nearmonolithic Coca-Cola bottle that might just be the perfect antithesis to Andy Warhol’s halfdisenchanted homage to repetition via the ever-ubiquitous presence of Coke. Like his folk-art peers, take the reclusive St. EOM’s Pasaquan, for example, Miller’s art never was intended for the cool, air-conditioned environs of a gallery or the tactfully spell-corrected labels of a museum. Our appreciation of Miller’s art, part of the rise in popularity of folk art over the last couple of decades, is just another example of a cultural desire for the exotic, the authentic, blah, blah, blah. It’s an art form ripe for exploitation, and our collective appreciation of it is worth thinking about. But when it comes to Miller, I think it’s safe to wager that we’re dealing with the real thing.

Books? Clothes? Dinner? Music? Jewelry? Shoes? You really CAN have it all.

Subtrop Pop: Also at the Lyndon House is a “Surrealist Tropical Pop Exhibition,” a duel of sorts that pits Carlos Solis’ Dali-Magritte-style canvases (see this issue’s cover) against Stanley Bermudez’s DayGlo rainbow of politically charged paintings. While there is a corner in which Solis’ “False Revolution” R. A. Miller’s painting “Blow Oskar Was My Cousin” is on display at hangs adjacent to Bermedez’s the Lyndon House Arts Center. “Venezuela Today/ Venezuela Hoy,” a condemnation of Hugo Chavez’s Having spent some time under the tuterise to power, there doesn’t seem to be a lot lage of Baptists, I immediately felt in familiar of curatorial evidence to justify the dual show company with the good-is-good, bad-is-bad, other than the artists’ shared heritage. and more times than not, good-is-actuallybad-too rhetoric of Miller’s universe of angels The Fine Print: The school year opens with and demons. And appropriately, I was immedia strong show curated by UGA professor ately drawn to the corner with all the devils. Jon Swindler and gallery director Jeffrey They range from the pot-smoking variety to Whittle. ”Divergent Impressions: Printmaking the aforementioned torturer of Klansmen, and Invitational featuring Jason Urban, Leslie let me tell you: it doesn’t look good for that Mutchler, Matthew Sugarman, Sarah Bryant” Klansman. Squished together onto a long, thin went up at the Lamar Dodd School of Art at sheet of tin that towers above your typical the end of August and will be up through gallery-goer, the devil looks like he’s taking Sept. 15. The four artists take on themes such his time sticking a tiny pitchfork into the as consumer culture and the once-rigid disKlansman’s torso. Even better is Miller’s “Fat tinction between art and design. Devils,” a rusted-over segment of an old billboard for Bireley’s soda. Overlapped onto the Around Town: Returning to Flicker is painter once-bright colors and advertising promises Eric Simmons’ work. You may remember his (like the non-carbonated soda’s guarantee scenes of carnivals and nighttime soirees from of “not a bubble in a bottle”) are the black, last year. Also up this month at White Tiger almost faceless shapes of quite evil-looking is “The Next to Last Recession-Proof Art and devils. Of course, there are a few angels in Music” show. After kicking off with a happenthis exhibition, too. They have spotted wings ing including music from Theo Hilton of Nana and inhabit pretty little gardens and the like, Grizol and Colby Carter of Mouser, the creepy, but I think it’s fair to assume that Miller had a mind-bending photographs of Todd Diederich lot more fun worrying about those devils. Oh, and Will Donaldson and works on paper by yeah, there’s a seven-headed beast, too. Heather Kohlberger will remain up through Miller’s work does extend well beyond September. the fire and brimstone of the unseen world. His “Blow Oskar” character—based on a real Rebecca Brantley

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

movie dope Some releases may not be showing locally this week. 9 (PG-13) Tim Burton and Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov combine to produce what appears to be the more intriguing animated films of the year. Sack-doll 9 (v. Elijah Wood) awakes in a human-less post-apocalypse world, where he joins forces with other beings like him to overthrow the machines that rule them. Writer-director Shane Acker extended his Oscar-nominated 11-minute short into a 79-minute feature. Featuring the voices of Martin Landau, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover and Jennifer Connelly. (500) DAYS OF SUMMER (PG-13) Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a boy. Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel) is a girl. The film’s narrator lets you know from the get-go their story does not come from the happy ending department. Boy meets girl; girl breaks boy’s heart into tiny pieces. (500) Days of Summer brilliantly shows us their entire relationship, from cute beginning (an office romance ignited by karaoke and alcohol) to whiskey-drowned end. ADORATION (R) For an assignment, high school student Simon (Devon Bostick) weaves the story of his parents (Noam Jenkins and Rachel Blanchard), both killed in a car accident, with a news story about a terrorist. Controversy arrives when his fact-meets-fiction tale goes viral. ALIENS IN THE ATTIC (PG) A family moves to Maine and discovers the top floor of their new home has been invaded by aliens. The cast is all over the place. First, there’s High School Musical alum Ashley Tisdale; then you’ve got “SNL” vets Kevin Nealon and Tim Meadows. Director John Schultz (The Honeymooners) won some awards for his 1996 debut, Bandwagon. ALL ABOUT STEVE (PG-13) Poor Bradley Cooper. The Hangover didn’t come out soon enough for him to avoid being in a romcom starring Sandy Bullock. Eccentric crossword creator

Mary Horowitz (Bullock) falls in love with cameraman Steve (Cooper) after just one date. First-time feature director Phil Traill’s 2003 short, Dangle, was well-received, but I’m not curious to see how he fares with cookie-cutter comedy. With Thomas Haden Church and Keith David (not to be confused with David Keith). AWAY WE GO (R) Burt and Verona (John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph) are searching for a place to raise their yet-to-be-born child after Burt’s selfish parents (Catherine O’Hara and Athensborn Jeff Daniels) announce their plan to move to Belgium. Away We Go, written by novelists Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) and his wife, Vendela Vida (cofounder and co-editor of The Believer), reads like a quirky, literarily humorous National Book Award finalist. CARRIERS (PG-13) Four friends (Star Trek’s Chris Pine, Piper Perabo, Emily Van Camp and Thumbsucker’s Lou Taylor Pucci) try to outrun a deadly virus decimating the United States. With the big, empty hotel, Carriers resembles a Dawn of the 28 Shinings Later, but the flick, the feature debut of Spanish writing-directing brothers, Alex and David Pastor, has a cool sheen to it. I don’t imagine anyone will remember Carriers once the adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic masterwork, The Road, comes out. DEPARTURES (PG-13) (NR) This year’s Oscar-winner for Best Foreign Language Film bested The Class and Waltz with Bashir. Now it’s time to put up or shut up. A recently unemployed cellist, Daigo Kobayashi (multiple award-winner Masahiro Motoki) returns to his hometown and begins a new career as an “encoffineer,” the person who prepares the deceased for burial and the next life. Director Yôjirô Takita’s film snagged 28 other international awards to go along with its Oscar.

DISFIGURED (NR) 2008. Lydia (Deidra Edwards) is overweight, sells trendy home furnishings and is verging on 30. Darcy (Staci Lawrence) sells real estate, is in her mid-20s and anorexic. The two women become friends after Darcy is rejected by Lydia’s Fat Acceptance Group. Together the women struggle with their opposing body issues. Writer-director Glenn Gers wrote Mad Money and Fracture. Nominated for the Prism Award.

Intervention for a webcam addict. DISTRICT 9 (R) For the past 20 years, insectile aliens, derisively nicknamed “Prawns,” have resided in slums constructed just outside of Johannesburg. This new underclass of illegal aliens anger the populace, and the South African government hires private military corporation, MNU (Multi-National United), to relocate the Prawns from the outskirts of Johannesburg to a specially constructed concentration camp. Problems arise when paper-pusher Wikus Van Der Merwe (newcomer Sharlto Copley) is appointed to head the relocation. Wikus contracts an alien virus that mutates his DNA... EXTRACT (R) Office Space writerdirector Mike Judge may have disappointed with his 2006 follow-up, Idiocracy, but Extract looks like a return

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Theater schedules often change after our deadline. Please call ahead. ACC LIBRARY (706-613-3650) Disfigured (NR) 7:00 (Th. 9/10)

BEECHWOOD (706-546-1011)

Due to the Labor Day holiday, Beechwood movie times are only accurate through September 10. Visit www.flagpole. com for updated times. 9 (PG-13) 5:05, 7:20, 9:30 (starts Th. 9/10) (500) Days of Summer (PG-13) 5:05, 7:20, 9:30 All About Steve (PG-13) 5:10, 7:30, 9:50 District 9 (R) 4:10, 7:10, 9:45 Extract (R) 5:20, 7:40, 10:00 The Final Destination (R) 5:10, 7:30, 9:45 Gamer (R) 5:15, 7:35, 10:00 Halloween II (R) 4:55, 7:10, 9:50 Inglourious Basterds (R) 4:30, 8:00 Julie & Julia (PG-13) 4:05, 7:00, 9:40 Taking Woodstock (R) 4:05, 7:00, 9:40 The Time Traveler’s Wife (PG-13) 4:25, 7:25, 9:55

CARMIKE 12 (706-354-0016)

Due to the Labor Day holiday, Carmike 12 movie times are only accurate through September 10. Visit www.flagpole. com for updated times. All About Steve (PG-13) 1:30, 4:05, 7:10, 9:40 District 9 (R) 1:45, 4:15, 7:05, 9:55 Extract (R) 1:15, 4:00, 7:00, 9:55 The Final Destination (3D) (R) 1:45, 4:15, 7:05, 9:35 Gamer (R) 1:15, 4:30, 7:40, 10:05 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (PG-13) 1:30, 4:15, 7:05, 9:45

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

to the workplace antics at which he excels. Nice guy Joel (Jason Bateman) owns an extract plant and has to deal with a cadre of professional idiots and personal problems. The cast, including Kristen Wiig, Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck, J.K. Simmons, Clifton Collins, Jr., David Koechner and more. FACE/OFF (R) 1997. A dedicated fed and family man, Sean Archer, trades faces with criminal mastermind Castor Troy. Of course, Troy wakes up and

G-Force (3D) (PG)12:20, 2:35, 4:50 Halloween II (R) 1:30, 4:05, 7:10, 9:40 The Hurt Locker (R) 1:20, 4:15, 7:05, 9:55 Inglourious Basterds (R) 1:45, 5:00, 8:15 Julie & Julia (PG-13) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 Taking Woodstock (R) 1:15, 4:00, 7:00, 9:55 The Time Traveler’s Wife (PG-13) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00

CINÉ (706-353-3343)

Due to the Labor Day holiday, Ciné movie times are unavailable. Call or visit www.athenscine.com for updated times. Adoration (R) Away We Go (R) Departures (PG-13) Food, Inc. (NR) In the Loop (NR)

GEORGIA SQUARE 5 (706-548-3426)

Due to the Labor Day holiday, Georgia Square Five movie times are only accurate through September 10. Visit www. flagpole.com for updated times. Aliens in the Attic (PG) 4:35 Funny People (R) 4:40, 7:50 A Perfect Getaway (R) 5:25, 7:45, 10:05 Transformers (PG) 4:30, 7:00, 8:00, 10:15 Up (PG) 5:20, 7:40, 10:10

TATE CENTER THEATER (706-542-6396)

Face/Off (R) 8:00 (Th. 9/10) The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (R) 3:00, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45 (F. 9/11 & Su. 9/13)

insinuates himself into Archer’s pretty family that includes Joan Allen and Dominique Swain. Seeing Travolta ape Cage and Cage ape Travolta is entertaining, and Woo knows his way around an action scene. THE FINAL DESTINATION 3D (R) The Final Destination 3D is too silly to be scary. After another bland, pretty teen (Bobby Campo, the poor man’s James Franco) saves his pals from Death’s masterplan, said bland, pretty teens must figure out a way to stop the unstoppable, unseen Grim Reaper. FOOD, INC. (PG) Fast Food Nation’s Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, peek inside the pantry of America’s corporate kitchen, analyzing the effects of a corporate-controlled food industry on the country’s farmers and the health of its citizens. FUNNY PEOPLE (R) Funny People is a strange animal. As raunchy and immature as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, Apatow’s third film is maturely depressing. Laughs are prolific but tempered by death’s looming visage. A devastating diagnosis leaves George pondering his life choices. His only friend is a newly hired assistant, wannabe stand-up comic Ira Wright (Seth Rogen), and his true love is married with two kids. But impending mortality frees George to amend the mistakes of his past and he reconnects with Laura. GAMER (R) Neveldine/Taylor, the love ‘em or hate ‘em auteurs behind Crank and Crank: High Voltage, take online gaming to the next level in this Running Man/Death Race wannabe. Gerard Butler stars as Kable, a death row inmate and popular “Slayer” looking to overthrow the game’s mastermind, the inexplicably old Southern Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”). G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA (PG-13) In the not too distant future, G.I. Joe is no longer merely a real American hero; he’s now a real global hero led by General Hawk (an appropriately stiff-jawed Dennis Quaid) and backed by the most talented soldiers from the world’s top militaries. The

lineup includes popular characters like Snake Eyes, Scarlett, the lesser-known Heavy Duty and Breaker, recruited to battle a new threat: the world’s largest arms dealer. Where Transformers is clearly a blockbuster of the 2000s, G.I. Joe remains boxed in its original packaging from the late 1980s, to which my inner eight-year-old bellows a hearty, “Yo, Joe!” G-FORCE (PG) G-Force is being touted as über-producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s first 3-D and family film. The heroes may be furry, well-animated guinea pigs voiced by Sam Rockwell, Penelope Cruz, Tracy Morgan and Nicolas Cage, but the loud, busy action movie definitely hails from Bruckheimer’s gated Hollywood neighborhood. It’s as good—or as bad—as any old Bruckheimer production. HALLOWEEN II (R) See Movie Pick. THE HURT LOCKER (R) Largely plotless, The Hurt Locker follows Bravo Company’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit through the rubblestrewn streets of Baghdad, where every rubbish pile may hide an improvised explosive device, better known as an IED. While anyone waiting for an overarching mystery to solve or an explosive mastermind to catch will be disappointed,The Hurt Locker is the highest intensity, hottest war drama made about Iraq. Director Kathryn Bigelow and Barry Ackroyd, the cinematographer from United 93 and Ken Loach’s Palme d’Or-winning The Wind That Shakes the Barley, capture the explosive microcosm of bomb removal, especially when the team fails. I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF (PG-13) The logline for Tyler Perry’s newest film featuring the writerdirector-producer-actor’s popular alter ego, Madea, reads exactly as his fans expect. Madea hands three young thieves over to their hard-living, bluessinging Aunt April (Oscar-nominee Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), who does not want to deal with them. (There’s a shocker.) But will these kids and a sexy new tenant (Adam Rodriguez) help April get her life on track? With Mary J. Blige and Gladys Knight. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (R) Once upon a time, the world was at the mercy of a madman. Then “The Basterds,” a gang of Jewish-American soldiers swept across Nazi-occupied France. The world lived happily ever after. The hyperbolical trailers are right. You’ve never seen war until you’ve seen it through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino. Inglourious Basterds is the film both critics and moviegoers have been waiting for since the ‘90s trifecta of Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown. IN THE LOOP (NR) The U.S. President and British Prime Minister want a war, but their advisers, U.S. General George Miller (James Gandolfini) and British Secretary of State for International Development Simon Tucker (Tom Hollander, The Pirates of the Caribbean’s Lord Cutler Beckett), don’t think a conflict is such a swell idea. The potential is there; director Armando Iannucci was responsible, in a good way, for Brit polit-com “The Thick of It” and “I’m Alan Partridge,” starring Steve Coogan. JULIE & JULIA (PG-13) As I watched Streep gloriously honk her way through Nora Ephron’s delicious new film as

the famous TV chef Julia Child, I was pleasantly entertained; much of the decidedly older crowd was in hysterics. Julie & Julia is the twin culinary tales of Julia Child and Julie Powell (the delightful, cute Amy Adams), a lowly government employee who finds meaning—and a book deal—in cooking all 524 of the recipes in Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking in 365 days and blogging about it. You might think the Sleepless in Seattle auteur is breaking up with her longtime partner, the romcom, but J&J is still about couples—three to be exact: Julia and Paul Child (Stanley Tucci); Julie and Eric Powell (Chris Messina); and Julia and Julie—in love. Julie & Julia isn’t a fancy French delicacy; it’s Hollywood comfort food prepared with love and laughter. MY ONE AND ONLY (PG-13) I am at a loss for words after learning that My One and Only is based on the life of the tan one, George Hamilton. I wasn’t expecting that. Renée Zellweger stars as Anne Deveraux, a glamorous ‘50s vixen who cruises the eastern seaboard seeking a new husband and daddy for her two boys, George (Logan Lerman, set to hit it big in 2010’s first Percy Jackson & the Olympians flick) and Robbie (Mark Rendall). With Chris Noth, Kevin Bacon, David Koechner, Eric McCormack and Steven Weber. A PERFECT GETAWAY (R) Paradise is lost when two couples, Cliff & Cydney (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) and Nick and Gina (Timothy Olyphant and Kiele Sanchez, the infamous Nikki of “Lost”’s despised Nikki and Paulo), discover a killer couple is stalking the Hawaiian islands, murdering newlyweds. Pitch Black writerdirector David Twohy holds a fun, informative screenwriting camp in this meta-thriller. The second act twist won’t blindside you, but it may lead you to cry, “Bullshit!” Still, the unkillable, off-his-rocker (or is he?), macho man, Nick, is Twohy’s first home-run character since Riddick, and lets a winking, twinkling Olyphant, of whom I’ve been a fan since “Deadwood,” finally shine. Thriller fans may have traveled this twisty path before, but A Perfect Getaway is a trip worth taking. THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE (PG13) The hot doc of the moment, The September Issue chronicles the production of Vogue’s 2007 fall fashion issue, which, weighing in at a whopping five pounds, was the largest issue of a magazine ever published. The Devil Wears Prada fans should be excited to see editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, the alleged inspiration for Miranda Priestly, in action. Director R.J. Cutler won an Emmy for “American High.” Winner of the Cinematography Award and a Grand Jury Prize nomination from Sundance. l SORORITY ROW (R) Another weekend, another low-rent horror movie. This I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Mean Girls endangers a gaggle of sorostitutes (including Bruno-Demi spawn Rumer Willis and Step Up 2’s Briana Evigan) who accidentally murder a fellow sister. The trailer betrays little originality; those who expect little shall be disappointed less. Slasher flicks with sorority in the title aren’t typically angling for Oscars. At least it has the decency to go for an R rating. Featuring Carrie Fisher as the tough-talking house-marm. THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 (R) A schlubby MTA employee (Denzel Washington) becomes embroiled in New York City’s News Story of the Day when a mysterious hijacker (John Travolta) attempts to ransom a subway car for $10 million. This remake of the 1974 Walter Matthau-Robert Shaw film (already remade for TV in 1998) bops along the tracks with the electric energy expected from director Tony Scott. Washington nicely plays against type,

giving one of his better performances in a while. Travolta mostly elicits eye-rolling, ticking off traits—crazed eye-popping to maniacal cackling to uncontrollable rage—from the dimestore baddie grocery list. Excitingly suspenseful as Pelham is, the film grows exhausting by the time the case is closed by its unlikely, out-of-shape hero. TAKING WOODSTOCK (R) This slight Ang Lee historical comedy, his first American language film since Brokeback Mountain, grew on me as I watched it. It’s nowhere near as funny as it thinks it is, and the ‘60s clichés (the awesome Emile Hirsch gets saddled with the post-traumatic stressed Vietnam vet) abound. Still, the story of how Woodstock came to be thanks to the help of interior designer Elliot Teichberg (writer-comedian Demetri Martin, who grows as an actor right there on the screen). Living with his parents for the summer at their Catskills motel, Elliot brings together concert promoter Mitchell Lang (a very cool Jonathan Groff) and dairy farmer Max Yasgur (the always loveable Eugene Levy) to save what becomes the most important music festival of all time. Lee might disappoint some viewers by withholding Woodstock’s key ingredient, the music, but most people know it by heart. What they don’t know (if they, like me, haven’t seen Michael Wadleigh’s Oscar-winning 1970 documentary) is how the music festival came to be.

THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE (PG13) I won’t speak for fans of Aubrey Niffenegger’s beloved bestseller; I have no clue as to whether or not it’s a good (i.e., faithful) adaptation of the love story of Henry (Eric Bana), a regular guy with a genetic predisposition for time travel, and Claire (Rachel McAdams), the lovely lady who falls in love with grown-up naked him at the age of six. As critics and sci-fi nuts love to point out, Niffenegger’s time travel premise is flawed, paradoxical and perfect for her passionate story. Bana and McAdams are pretty. Tears will be shed. The Time Traveler’s Wife should please romance junkies pining for their next chance to pine. TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (PG-13) The millions trekking to the theater to witness over two hours of robotic mayhem are going to get their money’s worth and their socks rocked by Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The only people who won’t like it probably didn’t really want to gorge on a gigantic robot civil war anyway, and there’s as little wrong with that as there is with being so stoked you have to see it all unfold at midnight the day before the movie officially opens. Please don’t mistake Transformers: RotF for a good movie. But as childhood wish fulfillment, the new Transformers can’t be beat. TYSON (R) Controversial filmmaker James Toback (Black and White) returns to documentaries for the first time in a decade with this chronicle

of his pal, former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson. Tyson’s legendary infamy ever increases; maybe Toback, who’s known him since the late ‘80s, can shed actual illuminating light on one of modern sports’ most mercurial figures. With Tyson’s recent cameo in June’s smash hit, The Hangover, what better time to reflect than the present? Winner of the Regard Knockout Award at Cannes. UP (PG) Seventy-eight-year-old Carl Fredricksen (v. Edward Asner) and his late wife, Ellie, always dreamed of traveling to South America. After Ellie’s death, Carl floats his house to the fabled Paradise Falls via several thousand helium balloons. Carl and a young stowaway, lonely Wilderness Explorer Russell (v. Jordan Nagai), confront the wilderness for the first time, encountering a mythical bird, a talking dog named Dug (voiced by co-director and screenwriter Bob Peterson), and Carl’s childhood hero, lost adventurer Charles Muntz (v. Christopher Plummer). With its odd old protagonist (Carl’s in better shape than Jack LaLanne), Up is bound to be the year’s most unconventional blockbuster. Every minute of the film, co-directed by Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc.) and Peterson, bursts with creativity and ingenuity. In Dug, the worn-out anthropomorphic animal sidekick is imaginatively reinvented to produce the film’s freshest, biggest laughs. Drew Wheeler

movie pick

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The Latest Death of Horror HALLOWEEN II (R) Writer-director Rob Zombie’s reimagining of the first Halloween excellently psychoanalyzed the Captain Kirkmasked serial killer Michael Myers, the sort of abused piece of white trash for which Zombie has a soft spot. The first half, when Michael was a kid, is an exploitative masterpiece of a short film. The rest of the film adequately unveiled the scary world lurking just beyond the suburban streetlights. The isolated sequel seems more rural, working-class nightmare—Texas Chainsaw Massacre— than Halloween’s middle-class terror. H2 starts out pretty terrifyingly. Picking up almost directly where the first film ended, a bloodied Laurie Strode (Scout TaylorCompton), Michael’s baby sister, stumbles away from the slaughScout Taylor-Compton ter. A seemingly dead Michael (the hulking Tyler Mane) is dumped into the back of the coroner’s van, while Sheriff Lee Brackett (Brad Dourif) deals with the aftermath. To the surprise of no one but the soonto-be-dead coroner’s men, Michael isn’t dead and continues his spree at the hospital where Laurie was taken. The hospital opening is a nice homage to the Carpenter-scripted 1981 sequel. From here, the film jumps ahead a year, and Zombie goes from aping the excusable Halloween 2 to the atrocious late-’80s fourth and fifth sequels. In this H2, Zombie again tries to get inside the head of a killer, showing us the white-clad visions of Michael’s mother, Deborah (Sheri

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Moon Zombie), that keep him hunting his sister, but unlike the charismatic Firefly clan of House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects, Michael is a personality-less killing machine. He’s more silent Jason than loquacious Freddy, a movie monster whose remake I think would have suited Zombie’s psycho sympathies. His interest in having a psycho protagonist leads him to turn original hero, Dr. Loomis (Malcolm McDowell), into a cold, money-grubbing publicity hound, haranguing reporters one minute and being interviewed in front of the Myers home the next. Zombie shows no maturity in his fourth feature. His dialogue is peppered with Neanderthal Tarantino pop cultural references strung together by f-bomb adjectives. Much of the action looks to have been shot by a convulsing cameraman, with the sole illumination coming from strobe lights. Muddying the waters was a myopic editor who also lacked a strong sense of cause and effect. I may sound a bit harsh, but H2 is hard to watch. H2 is an unlikable film with unlikable characters. The film takes itself too seriously, and while too many horror films nowadays are tokey, jokey disposables, slasher pics are, ultimately, meant to entertain. All the death and scares should, in the end, leave the audience jazzed about what they’ve just seen. The relentless, exploitative H2 just left me exhausted and depressed. Drew Wheeler

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

film notebook News of Athens’ Cinema Scene Why, Yes, I Like to Sit Around by Myself. Why?: to projections of the 16mm print. This, I My now-indispensable DVR (does anybody believe, is the first outside the United States. remember when we had to videotape movies Congratulations, CC. we couldn’t watch live? Like, about two years ago?) caught Beat the Devil on Turner Classic Thursdays at the Library: This week’s iFilms Movies last week, and I watched it yesterseries screening, Sept. 10 at the Athensday. I’d only seen John Huston’s 1953 cult Clarke County Library, is Disfigured, Glen favorite on a cheap public domain VHS tape Gers’ 2008 film about the friendship that years ago, and as far as I know it’s currently develops between two women struggling with available only on various DVDs of similarly the opposite ends of the “body issues” specdubious quality. TCM, of course, presented a trum: one is overweight, the other anorexic. transfer that more than lived up to its usual Showing Sept. 17 is Cocalero, a 2007 docuimpeccable standards. Huston, collaborating mentary by Alejandro Landes about the bid on the script with Truman Capote, is obviby Evo Morales to become Bolivia’s first indigously having a grand time here, and so is his enous president by representing the interests extraordinary international cast: Humphrey of the nation’s coca farmers, in opposition to Bogart and Edward Underdown do a bit of semi-surreptitious wife-swapping with Ms. Lollobrigida and Jennifer Jones, while the hilariously unsavory quartet of Robert Morley, Peter Lorre, Ivor Barnard and Marco Tulli plot away at some vaguely illegal uranium-mining scheme on a very disorderly slow boat to Africa. Lollobrigida, whose absurd lusciousness is simultaneously celebrated and mocked, is the victim of perhaps the earthiest bit of Werner Herzog’s Stoszek screens at Lamar Dodd on Thursday, Sept. 10. art criticism I have ever heard: regarding a portrait she is painting of Underdown—in the U.S.-backed incumbent regime. All iFilms profile—Lorre observes, witheringly, “He only screenings are Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the has one eye.” auditorium of the main library at 2025 Baxter St. For more information, go to www.clarke. Film about Art about Music: On Wednesday, public.lib.ga.us. Sept. 9, Ciné presents a special screening of the new documentary Died Young, Stayed Thursdays at the Art School: UGA’s Ideas for Pretty, which brings to light the troglodytic Creative Exploration (ICE) is off to a very subculture of the underground rock poster promising start with its new ICE-Vision film movement. Director Eileen Yaghoobian will series, which presents “a variety of world be in attendance for the one-night event to cinema classics and subcultural curiosities” discuss her film after screenings at 7 and 9 curated by UGA Film Studies major Will p.m. Interviewees include Jeff Kleinsmith, Stephenson. The ICE website (www.iceanthe Ames Brothers and Tom Hazelmeyer, an nouncements.com) is even using the same artist who may also be familiar to folks my age blurbs by Chicago Reader critics Dave Kehr as the frontman for Halo of Flies and founder and Jonathan Rosenbaum that served as of the legendary Amphetamine Reptile my introductory guide to the world of film record label. Featuring an original score by as a teenager in the ‘80s. The next film in Chicago musician and recording engineer Mark the series, on Sept. 10, is Stroszek, Werner Greenberg and posters from countless acts Herzog’s ultra-bleak comic fable of three including White Stripes, Melvins, Nick Cave German losers seeking a new start on life in and Bob Dylan, this promises to be a funny, the promised land: Wisconsin. Sept. 17 is fascinating look at a very freaky corner of pop John Boorman’s classic 1967 revenge thriller culture. Check out previews and some cool Pointe Blank—tragically remade in 1999 with images on the film’s website: www.diedyoungMel Gibson as Payback —starring Lee Marvin stayedpretty.com. and Angie Dickinson. ICE-Vision screenings are Thursdays at 8 p.m. in Room S150 of the The French, They Are a Funny Race: Athens Lamar Dodd School of Art, 270 River Rd. performance artist/musician (Melted Men, Baby Hair) and avant-garde filmmaker Chris Finally: Check out Ciné’s website (www.athCogan will screen his 16mm film Tunnels in enscine.com) for info on some exciting films his French distributor, Light Cone Cinema’s coming up, including the great looking, muchPreview Show at the cinema Action Christine buzzed comedy In the Loop on Sept. 11, and in Paris Sept. 16–19. Alan Flurry calls the on Sept. 18, the “Rumble in the Jungle” con10-minute b&w/color film “a flickering wincert-doc Soul Power and high-camp thriller The dow to the jerky, dark terror of movement Room. And if you want to talk to me, write to and sound through which we are allowed pasfilm@flagpole.com. sage.” Cogan screened it at Ciné in February; its exhibitions have been strictly limited Dave Marr

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

A Spaniard in the Works: Long-dormant Athens band King of Prussia spent some time in the studio recently working on a new full-length. Member Brandon Hanick has been living in Barcelona, Spain for the past year, but he flew into Sea Note Recording Studios in Myrtle Beach, SC for the two-week session. That’s really all there is to report concerning this, so maybe there’ll be more news soon. For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, please see www.myspace.com/ wearekingofprussia.

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writing separately and, as yet, have no real idea of what the project will sound like but have tried to assure me it will sound nothing like their other bands. It’s like 2004 all over again! The trio hopes to have something for the listening public by November.

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Welcome back, my friends. Here’s this week’s roundup of news, happenings and other Athens music hoo-ha. So, dig in and enjoy. Stab your fork below…

Music News And Gossip

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You’re Gonna Make Me Love You: DJ Kurt Wood and DJ Mahogany will spin records at a Northern Soul dance party on Sunday, Sept. 13 at Ben’s Bikes (670 W. Broad Street). It goes without saying that this often-argued genre is safe in the hands of these two. Doors open at 9 p.m. Not a bad way to sweat off Saturday night, you know. Yer Boo: Athens songwriter Boo Ray, who has been spending an awful lot of time in Los Angeles, will play the 40 Watt on Wednesday, Sept. 9 with Clay Leverett, Mark Cunningham, Workhorses of the Entertainment/ Recreational Industry and Still, Small Voice and the Joyful Noise. He’ll play again on Monday, Sept. 14 at Tasty World with Fire Zuave. Boo Ray’s newest record, Bad News Travels Fast, was recorded throughout the past 18 months with half the sessions taking place in L.A. and the other half in Athens. An impressive list of sidemen accompanied him, too, including David Blackmon, William Tonks, Jordan Shapiro (Shooter Jennings), Steve Feronne (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) and many more. He uses the term “hillbilly” to describe his harmonies, and there is a distinctive celebratory wail to his mandolin-driven tunes that I find simultaneously invigorating and familiar. You can read a full record review on p. 18. In other news, Boo Ray and Athens/Atlanta rapper Big John Bourbon are recording tracks with DJ Chrisis and have plans to release something by the turn of 2010. For sound samples, etc., please see www.reverbnation.com/booray.

Well, Finally: Athens band Spring Tigers will finally see the release of its debut EP on Oct. 20 via San Francisco label Bright Antenna. The new-ish label, best known as the U.S. home of UK band The Wombats, inked a deal with Spring Tigers several months ago. The band’s basic sound of Britpoppy tunefulness is pretty well preserved on the recording but also features a high-gloss finish that will render the songs as new experiences to anyone who has seen the band live. It’s a shiny, shiny, shiny record. The band spent loads of time tweak-

Boo Ray ing these recordings and has plans to tour in support of the six-song EP this fall. Congrats, guys. Also, tell your label to add your name to its website. I mean, what the hell? For more info, please see www.myspace.com/springtigers. Get Them Again for the First Time: Bill Mallonee has rereleased, in physical form no less, his 2006 album Permafrost and his 2008 EP lower case. You can sample the tracks from Permafrost over at Mallonee’s Works (in) Progress Administration site but, frustratingly, there’s no indication as to which songs are from that record. But head to www. myspace.com/worksprogressadministration and listen anyway. Everything there is well worth your time. As always, Mallonee is constantly booking shows and traveling. Currently, he’s seeking house, church and café shows. You know, low-cost nontraditional venues. If you’ve got one or a line on one, give him a shout at Volmail@aol.com. Total Hearsay: Athens ex-pat Robert Gunn (An Epic at Best) has returned briefly from his new home in France, Gabe Vodicka (Long Legged Woman, Erutrevo) is intermittently in town from the West Coast, and Roy Coughlin (Some Animal) is back briefly from San Francisco. The three are currently writing and recording a new record inside the space formerly known as Chi House, which hosted the punk rock dreams of a billion Athens youth only a few years ago. The three have been

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Keeper of the Beats: Athens jazz hounds Squat will reunite briefly with drummer Dwayne Holloway, who left the band in 2001. Holloway also did time with several other Athens combos and, in 1999, represented Athens with Jazz Studies professor Steve Dancz at the World Sacred Music Festival in India. Holloway currently resides in Philadelphia. You can catch the band with Holloway on Thursday, Sept. 10 at the Melting Point here in Athens, where they’ll play with Kinky Waikiki, and Saturday, Sept. 19 at Bhojanic in Decatur. Merger Time: Athens hip-hop monster Tommy Valentine has teamed up with Bobby Stamps (business partner and manager of Bubba Sparxxx) to form Mean Mic Entertainment. The new venture plans to host a weekly hip-hop series at the New Earth Music Hall. The events will feature the turntable skills of DJ Tune, be hosted by Elite tha Showstoppa, feature a weekly competition of some kind and then host a feature performer. The pair has plans for a weekly, streaming Internet show, too. The first event from this newly formed partnership will happen Friday, Sept. 18 at New Earth. I Can See the Theatre from Here: George McConnell (ex-Widespread Panic) has a new band together and will play No Where Bar on Thursday, Sept. 17. Brad Downs & the Poor Bastard Souls are also on the bill. Lately, McConnell has steadily released a series of “virtual 45s” which, as one would imagine, are two-track digital singles complete with both “a” and “b” sides. Check them out over at www.georgemcconnell.com Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

record reviews greet the next morning with a joyous mish-mash of mandolin, dirty guitar and musical spoons, while the sultry “Constantina” brings to mind the work of both late L.A. singer/songwriter Tim Buckley and Bloodkin frontman Danny Hutchens. Might be smart to keep a free eye on old Boo Ray. His deceptively simple songs have a habit of sneaking up on you and not letting go. Michael Andrews

MARK MALLMAN

Boo Ray is playing at the 40 Watt Club on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

Invincible Criminal Badman It’s a scary thing, the sudden realization that you are not, in fact, invincible. That anxiety permeates the newest release, Invincible Criminal, from acclaimed synth-popper/pianorocker Mark Mallman. The unassailable culprit here isn’t Mallman—it’s time. Though lyrically he treads a wellworn path, Mallman manages to make his subject matter sound fresh by dousing it in synth, fuzzy guitars and bouncy piano chords. His torrential enthusiasm, which has earned him a reputation for epic live performances, doesn’t hurt either. Mallman’s golden days clearly lie in the ‘80s. “White Leather Days” pays homage to such nostalgic pop classics as “Jack and Diane” and “Summer of ‘69,” both in its lyrical content and its composition. He does this all without a hint of irony, which is especially impressive considering he’s pining for white leather outfits. The new wave electropop and arena guitars of “If We Only Kept Getting Young” mask the fact that Mallman is confronting the imminence of death, singing, “After the joy ride/ only fingerprints remain.” Though Invincible Criminal is filled with pathos, the joy ride clearly is not over for Mark Mallman just yet. You’ve never heard anyone having this much fun lamenting the waning of youth and promise. Rachel Bailey Mark Mallman is playing Friday, Sept. 18 at Caledonia Lounge.

BOO RAY Bad News Travels Fast Independent Release California-by-way-of-the-GulfCoast singer/songwriter Boo Ray takes his handle from a slick old Cajun card game and explores the grittier corners of life after midnight on Bad News Travels Fast. The nine-song release finds Ray recording with two separate groups of musicians on opposite coasts of the country. Vocalist/guitarist Ray recorded the first half of the album in Atlanta with backing from artists including Athens fiddle player David Blackmon and dobro man William Tonks. The ensemble’s urgent, straightahead pace and Ray’s laid-back Southern drawl make for a stout combo churning out the bent roadhouse blues of “Four Letters in a Heart” and the hip-shaking bar room country of the album’s title track. Ray laid down the second half of Bad News Travels Fast in L.A., with longtime Circle Jerks/ Weirdos bassist Zander Schloss producing and sitting in on various instruments alongside an additional cast of players. The nearyodeling “Bleeding Song” sounds like bluegrass played by a gang of New Orleans bluesmen who stayed up too late the night before and decided to

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

On I Love You Blank delivers her putdowns with venom and heart, and you won’t doubt her sincerity when she goes from a 3 a.m. don’t-fuck-with-me club swagger to the admission that she wants to settle down with the love of her life even though she knows karma is a bitch. What Blank has created is a record that can carry you through the game, a nasty girl’s night out, knocking back losers who think you’re a kindred spirit and looking in the mirror and wondering if you are. The beats will keep you unconsciously moving your body in time, and the lyrics will keep you nodding your head in agreement. In a way, it’s an anthem record. It’s also a testament to figuring yourself out. Jennifer Gibson

JAPANDROIDS Post-Nothing Polyvinyl Record Co. I know a lot of people in Athens are too young to remember MTV’s illustrious “120 Minutes,” that Sunday night romp devoted entirely to ‘80s and ‘90s underground-ish rock that would have been mostly ignored by the coveted Buzz Bin and had its heart broken by Alternative Nation. (So many anachronisms, I know, but please bear with me.) For those of you who do remember the days of music television, the following analogy won’t be hard to grasp: the new Japandroids record, Post-Nothing, is largely the entire “120 Minutes” repertoire wrapped up in an overly reverb-filled nut shell. For those left scratching their heads, listen up. Sub Pop, Merge, Matt Pinfield. Research those terms. While you’re at it, see if Superchunk has a MySpace page. Use Google to find a site dedicated to the defunct Velocity Girl. Download those MP3s. If you like what you hear, Post-Nothing just might be the record for you. Keep in mind, though, that the early- to mid-’90s were a special time in rock and roll, and Japandroids only have a gift for mimicry. You’ve been warned. Jennifer Gibson

PISSED JEANS King of Jeans Sub Pop Whatever fleeting embers of promise this working-class Pennsylvania band showed before were doused by a lack of definition. But in this third LP, the band has finally jettisoned the muddled ideas and unnecessary weirdness and concentrated its attack into something far more pointed and forceful. The result is caveman-core that’s all scuzz and savagery. Shouted growls clawing through polluted noise pumped from blown speakers; this isn’t just abrasive, it’s dangerous. You don’t quite know whether it’s sanity, civility or even humanity, but it’s teetering on the edge of something dramatic. It’s the kind of thick-necked, bare-knuckled precariousness that promises excitement. Maybe it’s you, maybe it’s somebody else but, guaranteed, something’s gonna get fucked up. The flailing bumble and rumble of “Half Idiot” and the unfiltered sleaze and fury of “Dream Smotherer” are pure auditory assault and battery. But none kick harder than the thuggish hardcore stomp of “False Jessii Part 2.” Like a cyclone pushed through an alley, this record is the sound of a band with all pistons finally firing, and it’s one nasty-ass beast. Are Pissed Jeans the new kings of brute-rock? King of Jeans makes a serious case. Bao Le-Huu

AMANDA BLANK I Love You Downtown Amanda Blank is a bad ass. She’s like the male version of Gwen Stefani —tough and sexy yet vulnerable, but with balls to spare. Sure, describing Blank’s sound is like listing off modern female button-pushers—unmelodic Lily Allen, suburban Missy Elliott, Peaches with a little less cream—but when you’re having this much fun listening to her record, who cares that she could stand to dial up the originality?

THE MATT KURZ ONE Debt Sounds Quote Unquote Matt Kurz’s left foot is a decent bassist. His right foot plays pretty good snare and bass drum. His right hand

is a respectable guitarist. His left hand plays keys and high hat well enough. But the sum of all these limbs (or rather his band The Matt Kurz One, of which he is the sole member) excels. See, Kurz plays everything simultaneously, and sings determinedly over it all. It makes his debut Debt Sounds, which would otherwise be a perfectly enjoyable album, into something truly impressive—something to which you can’t help but tap and sing along. That is, as long as you’ve accepted you’ll never be as coordinated as he is. Kurz’s garage vocals grate and slide from pitch to pitch and, in fact, are the only part of the record that was overdubbed, the album notes reveal. He uses them to tell adorable, charmingly slanted stories, drawing lyrical inspiration from everything from James Brown’s verbal wisdom (“Solid Gold Coffin”) to in-town interpersonal relationships (“Hey Renee”). The latter, the album’s standout, talks about an outwardly excited friendship that cleverly overlaps multiple thoughts into one line: “We hug each other’s names we both shout.” “Hey Renee” and tracks like “God Said” and “I Don’t Fucking Believe It” exemplify the bright melodies that demonstrate Kurz’s gift for making simplicity something more, something driven by solid charisma and, of course, very dexterous feet. Julia Reidy Matt Kurz is playing at Go Bar on Monday, Sept. 28.

OBLIO Tonight You’re Gonna Be a Revelation Independent Release I’m not overly familiar with Oblio’s kind of music. Perhaps I’m not from Nashville, where I could imagine this sort of pop-country being ubiquitous. However, I am inclined to categorize Tonight You’re Gonna Be a Revelation as a more divergent amalgamation of disparate indie and power-pop acts— artistically viable and highly popular ones (see: Wilco). This makes Oblio highly accessible, while the band carves out a niche—even if the niche it carves isn’t very deep. There is a loudness and a sense of breaking apart of the traditional songwriting structure, but this comes only on brief occasions, making it seem like Oblio is still not quite ready to wean itself from its contemporaries’ collective teat. But Oblio is highly capable at this suckling, especially if you don’t mind the sort of naiveté and cloying sweetness that pervades each of these 11 songs. Oblio’s niche, then, is something slightly off-kilter, but predictable. When Terry Price’s vocals crack for a moment in a half-yelp, I want them to crack more. That half-yelp feels like an impasse they can’t yet break through. Jeff Webber Oblio is playing The Star Bar in Atlanta on Thursday, Sept. 17.

Bulls on Parade

PO IF VE

Meet the Boys and Men of

Pride Parade I recently got to spend a week in Denver, CO with my five- and nineyear-old cousins. I had a quasiulterior motive beyond standard-issue quality time; I sought to discover what stripe of popular culture was beginning to imbed itself into their psyches. I saw in them the future of futures: a key to which artists had captured our up-and-coming generation’s hearts and, truly, our minds as well. I sat by with the observant poise of a Jane Goodall, taking notes on the likes of The Jonas Brothers and High School Musical. The results of my field research are conclusive: if you want to put your money on a band born of Athens, GA, put that cash on Pride Parade. These fresh-faced young(-ish) sters fit right in with the current landscape of family-friendly entertainment that at least somewhat involves electric guitars. Their new ZZ Top-referencing full-length, Dose, is the

sort of stuff cash-money dreams are made of when it comes to the kids these days. They seem almost scarily bred to grace the cover of Tiger Beat, BOP or what have you. One possible roadblock to their success: every member of the band is a white male, and everyone knows those people all look alike. So, we here at Flagpole are happy to provide you with this, a personality chart to help you get to know these husky heartthrobs. You’re welcome.

INT S B OTTLE SH OP

NO FAKE I.D.S F

MIC

NO CRYBABIES NORTHEAST GEORGIA’S

BEST SELECTION EWS

INE W

& LIQ

FREE SHOW!

Jeff Tobias

WHO: Pride Parade (CD release), The Jack Burton, Black Skies WHERE: Caledonia Lounge WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 12 HOW MUCH: $6 (21+), $8 (18+)

Name: Byron Arthur Bracewell, Jr. Instrument: Heart strings Sign: Exit Only Favorite Drink: A “How did I lose three pairs of pants?” martini. Straight up. Nine olives. Favorite Food: Cotton candy salad Dream Date: With Destiny in an El Camino limo, barreling towards eternal success. Or, Dairy Queen. Name: Bubba McDonald Instrument: Bass, Apache tears Sign: I don’t believe in witchcraft Favorite Drink: Communion wine Favorite Food: Banana pudding Dream Date: It’s 1993, a young Kelly Clarkson gazes across the playground and locks eyes with a fresh-faced boy named Bubba. They enjoy animal crackers and orange drink beneath the monkey bars. It’s magic; puppies appear. Name: Allen Owens Instrument: Guitar Sign: Reluctantly… Scorpio Favorite Drink: Budweiser Favorite Food: My mama’s lasagna Dream Date: A long walk on the beach and a campfire-lit dinner with my favorite, totally fabulous local drummer… you know who you are, you tigerstriped little kitten. Name: Andrew Prater Instrument: It’s MY band. Sign: Unknown Favorite Drink: I quit drinking 54 days ago, praise the Lord! Favorite Food: Miller Lite Dream Date: I enjoy ingesting anywhere from 12–18 beers and singing/ acting out George Jones songs. I want you to watch.

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Name: Aaron Sims Instrument: Drums Sign: Aquarius, the water bearer Favorite Drink: The Ric Flair Favorite Food: Finch viscera Dream Date: A three-day cough syrup binge with Artie Lange listening to Bing Crosby at full volume and simultaneously watching Breakin’ II: Electric Beagle… in slow motion.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

The Tenant n man Ex-Summerbirds Frontman -Sum Ex Debuts Deb t New Band

ne of the music business’ greatest injustices is that while shit always seems to float to the top, too many of the bands that really deserve to make it just don’t. Such was the frustrating story of Summerbirds in the Cellar, a band that always felt like it was just on the cusp of a breakthrough, a major signing or some big break. They had the fervent hometown following (both in Orlando and in Athens, where they temporarily relocated) and the unanimous critical acclaim, but the stars just never aligned perfectly in their favor. Summerbirds singer/guitarist Brad Register says the band was always waiting for a label to pull through to help fund their recording, and in the meantime they just toured and toured and toured. “We toured so much we kind of forgot how to write together,” he says. “There was a lot of tension… When Summerbirds split up we hadn’t written a new song in, like, two years. We had a bunch of ideas for different songs, but for whatever reason, over the almost six

years [we were together] we started wanting different things.” Add to those creative challenges the stress of legal trouble, and it’s no wonder the band had to call it quits. “We ran into a lot of legal trouble with our first label, and the guy turned out to be a real monster, and that kind of tore us apart, too,” says Register. “Our first album barely saw the light of the day, and I don’t know if our second album ever will… because he continues to threaten to fuck with us more if we ever try to do something with Summerbirds. I don’t know how he got this power over our band, but he did.” Following the band’s dissolution, Register settled into a new life in Orlando, refocusing his creative energies. He had a handful of songs that never made it as Summerbirds tunes and wanted the chance to develop those ideas on tape. “I just got married in October, and a lot of the songs I had written had to do with that…

but we were really trying to avoid relationship-type songs in Summerbirds,” he says. When he was ready to head to the studio, Register called up long-time friend local musician/producer Andy LeMaster. Register and LeMaster have a long, rich musical history together. Summerbirds first came to Athens to record with him after playing a show with LeMaster’s band Now It’s Overhead, and before long both Register and fellow Summerbird Curtis Brown joined Now It’s Overhead on guitar and bass. Register was looking forward to working with LeMaster to record these lost Summerbirds tracks as a solo project. But just a couple weeks before his planned trip to Athens, he met Orlando musicians Travis Reed and Chandler Strang and everything changed. Inspired by the potential for a fresh collaboration, Register reached out to old friend Dave Kazyk, who was set to join Summerbirds on bass right before the band split, and the foursome came up to Athens to record as The Tenant. While the new bandmembers made their fair share of contributions, their time in Athens was limited, and so Register and LeMaster completed the project as a duo, with LeMaster’s backing vocals. “It turned out to be mine and Andy’s project, which I was happy to do, and it seemed like he was happy, too… I really like working with Andy.” The resulting four-song EP Is Listening will be available online by the time The Tenant hits the road on its maiden tour. “We were going to call the EP Hustlers of the World, but our website is [www.myspace. com/]thetenantislistening and, actually,

[Michael] Stipe was the one who said that was a great album name, so we switched it,” Register laughs. “I figured he knew what he was talking about.” The airy, dark textures on The Tenant’s debut album will certainly resonate with Summerbirds fans, especially the song “The Stranger,” whose thudding bass line and buzzing synth are particularly Summerbirds-like. LeMaster’s breathy harmonies, though, give Is Listening a more organic, gentle vibe than Register’s previous recordings. The EP feels effortless and intricate at the same time, full of ringing tones, intense rhythms and breezy melodies. You can hear these four songs (and most likely just these four songs) at The Tenant’s first-ever show this Saturday. Also of note that night, the high-energy indie-pop band Shapiro returns to town with a brand new lineup featuring Athens’ own Chris Howe, formerly of electronic duo Kebert Xela. It’ll be a full night with a packed five-band bill, and The Tenant is only playing for about 20 minutes, so make sure to get there on time or you might miss this exciting debut! Michelle Gilzenrat

WHO: The Tenant, Spring Tigers, Slow Claw, Dusty Lightswitch, Shapiro WHERE: Caledonia Lounge WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 9 HOW MUCH: $5 (21+), $7 (18+)

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SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

upstart roundup Introducing Athens’ Newest Talent COP DOPE Power-Violent ‘80s Hardcore Lineup: Wesley Fritts, Al Danglis and Jon Lukus. Members have also played with: Bird Flu, Backtalk, Subversivo, Dark Meat and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better. Influences: Depravity, the human condition

Cop Dope

Eric Hernandez

I was really bummed to discover that Cop Dope had a MySpace. Basically, more sellout bullshit from the local punk scene: opportunistic pop music for beautiful people. I’m just playin’, y’all: noise-drenched grindcore from gravel-voiced nice guy Wesley Fritts, goofy-looking Greek drummer Al Danglis (known for being the saxophone player in Dark Meat who can’t keep a shirt on) and loop-abusing guitarist John Lukus. Initially called Hurricane Asshole, they opted for the triple-entendre moniker Cop Dope and are better for Treedom! it. I saw them play at Flicker, and I have to say, they are blazing a trail yet uncharted in Athens hardcore. Their album is in the mixing stage and should be released soon on Steve Miller’s awesome tape label Hail Shitar. There should also be a split release with BackTalk out before then. Full disclosure: I play in Dark Meat with Al, but that doesn’t mean I like him. The incriminating evidence can be found at www.myspace.com/ copdope706. [Jeff Tobias] Next show: Tuesday, Oct. 20 @ Caledonia Lounge TREEDOM! Funk/Psychedelic/Progressive Lineup: Travis Dorsey, Brent Ducote, Taylor Lorio and Chad Danklef. Influences: Pink Floyd, The Meters and Phish Although Athens is never in short supply of funky jam bands, the demand has also yet to waver. Treedom! is the newest addition to that scene and is quickly becoming a staple act at No Where Bar. While the name Treedom! is relatively new, the band has a good bit of experience behind it. Ducote and Danklef have collaborated since their high school days, and this foursome first came together back in 2007 under the name The Green Room (which would have become confusing, considering the new local venue of the same name). The band released its first studio recordings in 2008, but only made its debut in the Flagpole live music Calendar this summer. A new EP and a new website are in the works, but you can find some early demos at www.myspace.com/thetreedomband. Next show: Friday, Oct. 16 @ Rye Bar ANDY ERICKSON R&B/Soul/Rock Lineup: Andy Erickson. Influences: Stevie Wonder, Prince, Allman Brothers, Derek Trucks, Otis Redding, Michael Jackson, Patty Griffin and Jimi Hendrix Drawing equally from Southern rock and Motown, 19-yearold Andy Erickson has been playing music for about four years

now. Considering his age, he’s already mastered a great number of instruments. On his latest recording, the self-produced Andrew Kahrs Erickson I, he mans the guitar, bass, keys, percussion, trumpet and vocals (although not all at once… for that, see the Matt Kurz One record review on p. 18). Erickson studies music composition at UGA and says he is “constantly writing and recording new music,” and loves to experiment with new sounds and ideas. Erickson is also quick to acknowledge the musician that has influenced him the most: “If there was no Stevie Wonder,” he declares on www.myspace.com/andyericksonsmusic, “my world would stop spinning.” Next show: Wednesday, Sept. 16 @ Rye Bar BANG-UTOT Rock/Punk/Pop Lineup: Dan Gold, Rob LeBer and Marshall Yarbrough. Members have also played with: Fashion Knee High, Stegosaurus and Nero + the Burning Violins. Influences: Bo Diddley, Velvet Underground Hello and goodbye, Bang-Utot. We hardly knew ye. On Sept. 11 this new local trio will celebrate its album release. Four days later, Marshall Yarbrough is taking off for Germany for a year, so his various bands will be temporarily on hiatus. “As such,” says Yarbrough, “the September 11 show will be the last for this permutation of Bang-Utot. Afterwards Rob and Dan will take it in some new direction.” So, the release show will also serve as the band’s farewell (for a year) show, and related bands Fashion Knee High, Stegosaurus and Nero will also be on the bill, with the last two bands celebrating simultaneous CD releases as well. Next show: Friday, Sept. 11 @ Go Bar

THE VIKING PROGRESS Indie/Folk Lineup: Patrick Morales backed by a rotating cast that often includes Nathan Thompson. Influences: Neutral Milk Hotel, Andrew Bird, Nickel Creek, Radiohead, The Beatles and Pink Floyd Patrick Morales launched this project while working in the Bering Sea as a marine biologist in the commercial fishing industry. “During my time out there,” says Morales, “I started writing a lot of songs specifically from the point of view of people experiencing the end of the world and their reactions to it. The name of the band is a combination of the names of the two boats that I primarily wrote all the music on: The Viking and The Progress. The experience was so dear to me that I figured I’d pay homage to it with the present moniker.” Now safely back home in Athens, Morales is looking to solidify his backing band and has plans to record some home demos before booking more shows. Keep an eye on www.myspace.com/thevikingprogress for updates. Next show: Check website for details!

WUGA C the lassic

91.7

97.9fm

Michelle Gilzenrat

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

the calendar! WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK

Deadline for getting listed in the calendar is every FRIDAY at 5 p.m. for the issue that comes out the following Wednesday. Email calendar@flagpole.com.

Tuesday 8 PERFORMANCE: Open TOAD Comedy (Flicker Theatre & Bar) A unique open mic experience. The audience gets to pelt the performers who go over their six-minute time limit with foam rocks. Performers get in free but must sign up by 8 p.m. 8:30 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/ flickerbar KIDSTUFF: Chapter Book Review (Madison County Library) Every Tuesday and Thursday elementary school-aged children meet in the lobby to read aloud and share thoughts about books. 4:30 p.m. FREE! 706-795-5597 LECTURES & LIT.: AfricanAmerican Authors Book Club (ACC Library, Small Conference Room) September’s title is Naughty or Nice by Eric Jerome Dickey. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 LECTURES & LIT.: Jim Fiscus (Lamar Dodd School of Art, Rm S151) Award-winning advertising and editorial photographer speaks as part of the Visiting Artist/Scholar Series. 5:30 p.m. FREE! www.art. uga.edu MEETINGS: Amnesty International (Earth Fare) First Amnesty International Community Group meeting. 5:30, FREE! www. athensai.blogspot.com GAMES: Drunken Bingo (283 Bar) Great prizes and fun all night long. 10 p.m. FREE! 706-208-1283 GAMES: Locos Trivia (Locos Grill & Pub) All three Athens locations of Locos Grill and Pub (Westside, Eastside and Harris St.) feature trivia night every Tuesday. 8:30 p.m. FREE! www.locosgrill.com

Wednesday 9 EVENTS: I Have a Dreamcast Party (Go Bar) Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Sega Dreamcast game console. There will be several game consules set up and streaming video so people at home can chat it up with everyone at Go. Plus sweets baked in the Dreamcast’s likeness, lots of door prizes and performances by Bicycles and Gravel, Captain No. 1, Grey Milk, Gemini Cricket, I Have Read Other Books Besides Catcher in the Rye and DJ Other Voices, Other Rooms. 8 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/gobar EVENTS: PROBE College Fair (The Classic Center) Over 75 institutions attend this annual event to discuss admissions, scholarships and housing with parents and students. 6–8:30 p.m. FREE! www.gaprobe.org EVENTS: UGA Fall Activities Fair (UGA Tate Center) Over 150 student organizations will be represented at the Department of Campus Life’s annual event. Open to students, faculty

and staff and members of the Athens community. 10:30 a.m.–3 p.m. FREE! 706-542-8584, www.uga.edu/ stuorgs/ KIDSTUFF: Children’s Storytime (ACC Library) For children ages 18 months to 5 years. Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m., Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Parent and Student Orientation (ACC Library) Explore the library’s various resources in this hour-long tour. Call for times. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Wildcard Wednesday for Teens (ACC Library) Up next: Munchkin Cthulu. Love Lovecraft? You’ll love this game. Ages 11–18. 4:00 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 MEETINGS: American Sign Language Study Group (Cups Coffee Café) All skill levels welcome. Come once or come weekly. Meets Wednesdays. 7–8 p.m. FREE! www. myspace.com/aslstudygroup GAMES: Sports Trivia (Beef O’ Brady’s) Every Wednesday. 8:30 p.m. FREE! 706-850-1916 GAMES: Trivia (Willy’s Mexicana Grill) Every Wednesday. 8–10 p.m. FREE! 706-548-1920 GAMES: Trivia (Blind Pig Tavern) Think you know it all? 9:30 p.m. 706-548-3442 GAMES: Trivia Wars (283 Bar) “If you know your stuff you can win great stuff.” 9 p.m. FREE! 706-2081283

Thursday 10 EVENTS: Volunteer Service Expo (The Classic Center) Pick your cause and volunteer. With over 100 local nonprofits to choose from. See Calendar Pick on p. 28. 12–7 p.m. www.athensvolunteerserviceexpo.org ART: Gallery Talk (Lyndon House Arts Center) Paul Manoguerra, curator of American art, leads a public tour of “Lord Love You: Works by R.A. Miller from the Mullis Collection.” 2 p.m. FREE! 706-6133623 PERFORMANCE: UGA Symphony Orchestra (UGA Hodgson Hall) Stravinsky and Brahms. 8 p.m. $15. 706-542-4400, www.uga.edu/pac* KIDSTUFF: Chapter Book Review (Madison County Library) Every Tuesday and Thursday elementary school-aged children meet in the lobby to read aloud and share thoughts about books. 4:30 p.m. FREE! 706-795-5597 KIDSTUFF: Daring and Dangerous Club for Boys and Girls (Oconee County Library) Books can take you on all kinds of daring and dangerous adventures, so join Miss Jessie to learn about the things all kids should know! For first through third graders. Call to register by Sept. 4. 4 p.m. FREE! 706-769-3950 KIDSTUFF: Open Playtime (ACC Library) For children ages 1–3 with

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

their caregivers. 10 a.m. FREE! 706613-3650 KIDSTUFF: We the People “Picturing America” Book Shelf Discussion Group (ACC Library, Storyroom) Led by Lorraine Holahan. For first through fifth graders. 3:30–4:30 p.m. FREE! 706613-3650 LECTURES & LIT.: Philip Lee Williams (Lumpkin Cafe) Reading and book signing for The Campfire Boys, a novel by the award-winning poet, novelist and essayist. 7–9 p.m. FREE! 706-543-3122 GAMES: Pool Tournament (Fat Daddy’s) 7 p.m. 706-353-0241 GAMES: Texas Hold ‘Em (Club Chrome) Every Thursday night. 8 p.m. FREE! 706-543-9009 GAMES: Trivia (WOW Café & Wingery) Every Thursday. 706-5435510 GAMES: Trivia (El Azteca) Every Thursday. Prizes! 8 p.m. 706-5492639

Friday 11 EVENTS: Lunch with the Dawgs (The Melting Point) This week’s speaker is former UGA quarterback and current color voice of the Dogs, Eric Zeier. Ticket includes buffet lunch. 11:30 a.m. $15. www.meltingpointathens.com* EVENTS: Tailgate Cookoff (WrayNicholson House) The UGA Alumni Association hosts this competition as a prelude to the football season. WSB-TV meteorologist David Chandley emcees with a panel of guest judges. 5:30 p.m. $60/team, $3/sample. www.uga.edu/alumni, 706-542-2251 ART: Opening Reception (MadisonMorgan Cultural Center) For new exhibit “Reflections on Water, Earth & Sky,” featuring work by Lucinda Bunnen. 6–8 p.m. FREE! 706-3424743 ART: Opening Reception (Circle Gallery, UGA College of Environmental Design) For “Across the Spectrum,” an exhibit showcasing the award-winning work of students and alumni of UGA’s College of Environment & Design. 5–7 p.m. FREE! 706-542-8292 THEATRE: A Celebration of George Bernard Shaw & Oscar Wilde (Seney-Stovall Chapel) JV Productions presents scenes from The Importance of Being Earnest, Pygmalion, Lady Windermere’s Fan and Arms & the Man as well as a performance of Shaw’s short play Village Wooing. Sept. 11, 8 p.m. Sept. 13, 2p.m. 706-543-2012. MEETINGS: Happy Hoop Hour (Canopy Studio) Hooping fun with friends. Unwind from the week and chat while practicing your hoopdance skills. No formal instruction is provided. 7–8 p.m. $5. www.athenshoopdance.wordpress.com

This detail of Sarah Bryant’s print “Point-of-View” is part of the “Divergent Impressions: Printmaking Invitational” show at the Lamar Dodd School of Art through Sept. 15.

Saturday 12 EVENTS: Athens Farmers’ Market (Bishop Park) Buy fresh, locally grown organic produce, locally crafted goods and freshly baked breads. Every Saturday. 8 a.m.–12 p.m. athensfarmersmarket.net EVENTS: Classic City Rollergirls Bout (Skate-A-Round USA) The Classic City Rollergirls take on the Dixie Derby Girls from Huntsville, AL. 7 p.m. $10 (adults), $5 (ages 6–10), FREE! (ages 5 & under). www.classiccityrollergirls.com* EVENTS: Rollergirls After Party (Fat Daddy’s) Head to the Eastside after the latest Classic City Rollergirls bout for a party hosted by Stan! 9 p.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 EVENTS: Saturday Stroll (Oconee County Courthouse) Co-founder of Oconee Citizens for Responsible Growth, Mary Mellein will lead an informal, hour-long stroll in Watkinsville. 9 a.m. $5. oconeedemocrats.org ART: Jewelry Show and Sale (White Tiger Gourmet Food & Chocolates) Hand-hammered antiqued brass with vintage uncirculated Czech glass beads by Kenneth Kase. 6–9 p.m. FREE! www.whitetigergourmet.squarespace.com ART: Perspectives Pottery Demonstrations (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) As part of the Perspectives Georgia Pottery Invitational, participants will demonstrate wheel-thrown pottery

techniques. Saturdays, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Sundays, 12–4 p.m. FREE! www.ocaf.com

Sunday 13 EVENTS: Blue Tin Art Studio Grand Opening (Big City Bread Cafe) Celebrate the opening of this new gallery and teaching space with art, food and performances by The Summer Hymns and Art Rosenbaum. 5–8 p.m. FREE! www.bluetinstudio.com ART: Perspectives Pottery Demonstrations (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) As part of the Perspectives Georgia Pottery Invitational, participants will demonstrate wheel-thrown pottery techniques. Saturdays, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Sundays, 12–4 p.m. FREE! www.ocaf.com THEATRE: A Celebration of George Bernard Shaw & Oscar Wilde (Seney-Stovall Chapel) JV Productions presents scenes from The Importance of Being Earnest, Pygmalion, Lady Windermere’s Fan and Arms & the Man as well as a performance of Shaw’s short play Village Wooing. Sept. 11, 8 p.m. Sept. 13, 2p.m. 706-543-2012. OUTDOORS: Garden Tour (Email for Location) Barbara and Vince Dooley host “A Gardening Experience,” a tour of their garden. Proceeds benefit the the Southeastern Horticultural Society. Refreshments, raffle and book sign-

ing follow. 5–8 p.m. $50, www. sehort.org* GAMES: Full-Contact Trivia (Allen’s Bar & Grill) Sports-themed rules with diverse categories. 9 p.m. FREE! www.allensbarandgrill.com GAMES: Team Trivia (Wild Wing Café) Every Sunday. FREE! www. wildwingcafe.com

Monday 14 EVENTS: Last Comic Standing Round 1 (New Earth Music Hall) Who’ll get the last (and biggest) laugh? 9 p.m. www.newearthmusichall.com OUTDOORS: Bike Ride (Main Street Yarns) A leisurely ride to Bishop (8ish miles) and back. Every Monday. 6:15 p.m. FREE! 706-769-5531 KIDSTUFF: Bedtime Stories (ACC Library) Every Monday. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 MEETINGS: Zen Meditation and Book Discussion (Email for Location) The Key by Cheri Huber. Meets every Monday. 7:15 p.m. FREE! meditateathens@gmail.com GAMES: Darts (Broad Street Bar and Grill) Blind Draw Darts Tournament. Every Monday. 10 p.m. 706-5485187 GAMES: Live Trivia (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Every Monday with Trivia Joe. Winning teams have a chance to qualify for a $200 cash prize. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-354-6655 GAMES: Ping Pong (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Get your paddle ready for

a round of table tennis. 8:30 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/flickerbar GAMES: Rock and Roll Trivia (Little Kings Shuffle Club) Get a team together and show off your extensive music knowledge every Monday! 8 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/littlekingsshuffleclub GAMES: Sports Trivia (WOW Café & Wingery) Every Monday. 706543-5510. GAMES: Team Trivia (Beef O’ Brady’s) Get a team together and test your knowledge. Every Monday! 8:30 p.m. FREE! 706-850-1916 GAMES: Texas Hold ‘Em (Fat Daddy’s) Every Monday. 6 & 9 p.m. 706-353-0241. GAMES: Texas Hold ‘Em (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Play cards and enjoy Monday Night Football all at the same place. 8:30 p.m. FREE! 706-354-6655 GAMES: Trivia (Fat Daddy’s) Every Monday with Stan. 9 p.m. 706-3530241. GAMES: Trivia (Transmetropolitan) General knowledge trivia. Every Monday. 8–10 p.m. FREE! 706613-8773 GAMES: Tune Trivia (Alibi) Test your knowledge of music trivia. Hosted by Bobby Nettles. 9 p.m. FREE! 706549-1010

Tuesday 15 PERFORMANCE: Ronnie Jordan (UGA Tate Center) Atlanta-based comedian featured as the opening act on the recent Queens of Comedy tour. He also performed on the Comedy Soul Fest Tour and frequents the Punchline Comedy Club. Dawghouse Comedy Series. 8 p.m. FREE! (UGA students), $5 (nonstudents). www.uga.edu/union KIDSTUFF: Chapter Book Review (Madison County Library) Every Tuesday and Thursday elementary school-aged children meet in the lobby to read aloud and share thoughts about books. 4:30 p.m. FREE! 706-795-5597 KIDSTUFF: Children’s Storytime (ACC Library) For children ages 18 months to 5 years. Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m., Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 MEETINGS: Athens Rock and Gem Club (Friendship Christian Church) Show-and-tell from summer adventures. Bring in your treasures! 7:30 p.m. FREE! 706-549-8082 GAMES: Board Game Night (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Choose from the classic assortment provided or bring your own! 8:30 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/flickerbar GAMES: Drunken Bingo (283 Bar) Great prizes and fun all night long. 10 p.m. FREE! 706-208-1283 GAMES: Locos Trivia (Locos Grill & Pub) All three Athens locations of Locos Grill and Pub (Westside, Eastside and Harris St.) feature trivia night every Tuesday. 8:30 p.m. FREE! www.locosgrill.com

Wednesday 16 KIDSTUFF: Children’s Storytime (ACC Library) For children ages 18 months to 5 years. Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m., Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Eatin’ with the Critters (Sandy Creek Nature Center, ENSAT) Bring a sack lunch for an hour of learning about our world and the animals that inhabit it. For ages 3–5 with an adult. Call to register. 12:30 p.m. $0–$13 (scholarships available). 706-613-3615 KIDSTUFF: Storytelling Celebration (ACC Library, Auditorium) Children’s Librarian

Jackie Elsner performs a farewell storytelling concert with puppets, stories and songs. Light reception. 4 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Wildcard Wednesday (ACC Library) Up next: Arabic Designs: Coloring can be like meditation; color some traditional geometric Arabic designs and relieve stress. Ages 11–18. 4 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 LECTURES & LIT.: Talking about Books (ACC Library, Small Conference Room) This month’s title is The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte. Newcomers welcome. 10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 MEETINGS: American Sign Language Study Group (Cups Coffee Café) All skill levels welcome. Come once or come weekly. 7–8 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ aslstudygroup GAMES: Movie Trivia Night (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Sign up at 8 p.m. Trivia starts at 8:30 p.m. 8 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/flickerbar GAMES: Sports Trivia (Beef O’ Brady’s) Every Wednesday. 8:30 p.m. FREE! 706-850-1916 GAMES: Trivia (Willy’s Mexicana Grill) Every Wednesday. 8–10 p.m. FREE! 706-548-1920 GAMES: Trivia (Blind Pig Tavern) 9:30 p.m. 706-548-3442 GAMES: Trivia Wars (283 Bar) “If you know your stuff you can win great stuff.” 9 p.m. FREE! 706-2081283 * Advance Tickets Available

Down the Line KIDSTUFF: Parent/Child Workshop 9/17 (ACC Library, Storyroom) For children ages 1–3 and their caregivers. Registration begins Sept. 8. 10–11 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 LECTURES & LIT.: Richard Ford 9/18 (UGA Chapel) The Pulitzerprize winning novelist will deliver the Ferdinand Phinizy Lecture. 11 a.m. FREE! 706-542-2053 ART: Gypsy Artist Market 9/19 (Lyndon House Arts Center) Unique open air market featuring eclectic wares by artists of all ages. Local artists demonstrating their craft: wood turning, printmaking, pottery, photography, floral design, painting, quilting and more. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3623 ART: Opening Reception 9/19 (ATHICA) For “Free Press in Free Fall,” featuring the work of 13 artists addressing the current state of the American news media. Sept. 19, 7–9 p.m. www.athica.org EVENTS: Grace’s Birthday Party 9/20 (Ashford Manor, Watkinsville) Luau-themed benefit for UGA Vet Hospital and local animal advocacy groups. Featuring costumes, art, games, picnic supper, adoptions and more. Guests are encouraged to donate an unopened bag of dog food for rescue groups. 2–5 p.m. $5 (adults), FREE! (dogs). www.gracesbirthday.com THEATRE: Our Lady of 121st Street 9/24 (Cellar Theatre) The University Theatre Department performs Adly Guirgis’ play about the memorial of a nun in Spanish Harlem and the frantic community’s search for her missing body. A comedy! Sept. 24–25, 29–30, Oct. 1–2, 8 p.m. Sept. 27 and Oct. 4, 2:30 p.m. $15. www.drama.uga.edu, 706-542-2838 ART: Athens Artists Clearance Sale 9/26 (Chase Street Warehouses) Young, Foxy & Free magazine and local artists team up to sell their wares. Sep. 26. 12–7 p.m. mattblanksart@gmail.com

LECTURES & LIT.: Pipo Nguyenduy 9/29 (Lamar Dodd School of Art, Rm S151) Photographer Pipo Nguyen-duy, whose recent work explores “humanity in the context of the post-apocalyptic landscape” speaks as part of the Visiting Artist/ Scholar Series. 5:30 p.m. FREE! www.art.uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: “How Does a Shadow Shine?” 10/8 (Morton Theatre) The Georgia Review hosts a reading from Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. poet laureate Rita Dove. 7 p.m. FREE! www.thegeorgiareview.com PERFORMANCE: Robert Belinic 10/17 (UGA Hodgson Hall) Renowned Croatian guitarist performs. 8 p.m. $18. www.uga.edu/ pac* PERFORMANCE: Taikoza 10/18 (UGA Hodgson Hall) Internationally acclaimed Japanese dance and drum ensemble featuring a 6-foot long ancestral Taiko drum. 3 p.m. $20–$25. 706-542-4400, www.uga.edu/pac* EVENTS: The Art of: Music 10/20 (The Melting Point) The Georgia Museum of Art presents Grammy Award-winner Art Rosenbaum in this old time and bluegrass music performance. Part of GMOA’s “The Art of…” series. Call to RSVP. 6–8 p.m. $20. 706-542-0830, www.uga. edu/gamuseum LECTURES & LIT.: Michael Fried 10/20 (Lamar Dodd School of Art, Rm S151) The poet, art historian and art and literary critic speaks as part of the Visiting Artist/Scholar Series. 5:30 p.m. FREE! www.art.uga.edu PERFORMANCE: Lynn Harrell 10/24 (UGA Hodgson Hall) Awardwinning cellist performs as a part of UGA Performing Arts Center’s Music Series II. 8 p.m. $23–$28. 706-5424400, www.uga.edu/pac* EVENTS: Fall Wine Fest 10/25 (Ashford Manor) Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation fundraiser features food/wine tasting from local and regional vineyards and restaurants and a silent art auction. 3–6 p.m. $30 (advance), $35. 706-769-4565, www.ocaf.com* PERFORMANCE: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra 11/5 (UGA Hodgson Hall) Conductor Robert Spano conducts Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 and Stravinsky’s Nightingale. 8 p.m. $37–42. 706542-4400, www.uga.edu/pac* * Advance Tickets Available

Live Music Tuesday 8 Alibi FREE! 706-549-1010 KLASSIC KARAOKE DANCE PARTY Every Tuesday. Buffalo’s Southwest Café 6–10 p.m. $5 (includes lessons). 706354-6655 DINE & DANCE NIGHT Beginners’ and advanced dance lessons every Tuesday from 6–7 p.m. followed by open dance until 10 p.m. Tonight features Tango. Caledonia Lounge 9:30 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www. caledonialounge.com FIRE ZUAVE The lead singer of this Athens-by-way-of-West-Palm-Beach trio is the cousin of Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes, but he sings a scratchier pop that veers toward Americana. His voice can channel Conor Oberst and Jeff Tweedy, and k continued on next page

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

THE CALENDAR!

Theatre

The Budweiser Select Music Series at The Classic Center Theatre presents

The Derek Trucks Band Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009 8 p.m.

With Very Special Guests JJ Grey and Mofro Call, click or stop by the Box Office 706.357.4444 • www.ClassicCenter.com 300 N. Thomas St., Downtown Athens The Budweiser Select Music Series at The Classic Center is brought to you by:

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

the bassist and drummer buoy his melodies with clean backing vocals. RICHARD SHERFEY AND ALL GOD’S CHILDREN Fronted by local singer Richard Sherfey, All God’s Children includes members of the bands Hey, Revolution! and Modern Skirts. Sherfey trucks in some squarely American, impassioned pop-rock songs. TRUCKSTOP COFFEE Southern rock with songs about “whiskey, women, heartache and interstate highways.” Farm 255 10 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com DAN NETTLES Celebrated local jazz musician known for his work fronting Kenosha Kid. Fat Daddy’s 10 p.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 KARAOKE Huge karaoke dance party hosted by Lynn every Tuesday. The Melting Point 7 p.m. $3. www.meltingpointathens. com* THE DRIFTWOOD BAND Acclaimed flat-picking guitarist Jimmy Driftwood brings his band for a night of legendary bluegrass. No Where Bar 11 p.m. $2. (706) 546-4742 THE SUEX EFFECT The trio of guitarist Ricky Barrett, drummer Jonathan Daniels and bassist Miles Karp plays psychedelicized funk-rock instrumentals, relying on spacey harmonies. Tasty World Uptown 9 p.m. $5. 706-543-0797 AMERICAN NIGHT An evening of Americana hosted by Clay Leverett and The Gun Show. Wild Wing Café 10 p.m. FREE! www.wildwingcafe.com KARAOKE Every Tuesday night at the downtown wing chain’s upstairs space. WUOG 90.5FM 8 p.m. FREE! www.wuog.org “LIVE IN THE LOBBY” Dusty Lightswitch will perform on the college radio station’s weekly program.

Wednesday 9 40 Watt Club “Nine Nine O-Nine.” 9 p.m. $5 (21+). $7 (18+). www.40watt.com TIMI CONLEY The current Kite to the Moon frontman and ex-Fuzzy Sprout will debut new tunes off his new solo record in between the headlining acts. MARK CUNNINGHAM Helen, Dodge main man performs acoustic Americana solo. LONA Lona is the flagship band for local songwriter, guitarist and drummer Clay Leverett (The Chasers, Now It’s Overhead, Bright Eyes). The band sends out more than a little country and more than enough gutsy, mid-tempo rock. BOO RAY Soulful singer-songwriter who takes inspiration from Glen Campbell and Exile on Mainstreetera Rolling Stones. Debuting his new band which features Daniel Marler, Steve Abercrombie, Nate Hale, Anna Innecken and special guest William Tonks on dobro. Playing songs off the new record! See p. 18 for our review. STILL, SMALL VOICE & THE JOYFUL NOISE A revolving lineup of family and friends pounding out garage-rock spirituals.

Tuesday, Sep. 8 continued from p. 25

WORKHORSES OF THE ENTERTAINMENT/ RECREATIONAL INDUSTRY Stripped-down, twangy country with a dash of rock and roll featuring William Tonks, Ben Reynolds and Rob Keller. This is their first show in a few years, so give ‘em a warm welcome back! Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 MEMBERS OF HAMMERSTRAT Blues-heavy Southern rock from members of the band Hammerstrat. Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com DUSTY LIGHTSWITCH Described as “one of the most exciting and satisfying live bands in town” by our own Gordon Lamb, this revolving cast of local eccentrics delivers rock and roll with epic possibilites. SLOW CLAW Straightforward, unpretentious, very listenable indie rock from Ohio. SPRING TIGERS Taking cues from bands like XTC and Blur, local band Spring Tigers offers up angular pop rock. THE TENANT New indie-rock band from Florida featuring songwriter and frontman Brad Register (exSummerbirds in the Cellar). See story on p. 21. Farm 255 10 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com CRAIG LIESKE Local experimental music stalwart of Garbage Island and Ether Frolic (among other projects). JACK ROSE Virginia guitarist and founding member of drone band Pelt plays a solo acoustic set. See Calendar Pick on p. 27. JASON TRAHAN The guitarist for The Ginger Envelope, Madeline, and the Merlin Olsen Twins goes it solo with improv and lap steel pieces. Fat Daddy’s 10 p.m.–1 a.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 OPEN MIC Every Wednesday featuring Avery Dylan. Gnat’s Landing 6 p.m. FREE! 706-850-5858 DAVID PRINCE This Athens staple and one-time member of The Jesters plays your favorite soul, rock and R&B oldies. Harry Bissett’s Bayou Grill 8 p.m. FREE! 706-552-1193 THE BIG DADDY’S Clarence Young (Rack of Spam, The Jesters) teams up with Bill Pappas, Kenny Head (The Georgia Satellites), Tim Pritchett and Chris Hillsman to turn out some good-time Southern rock tunes. Locos Grill & Pub 6:30 p.m. FREE! 706-549-7700 KIP JONES AND JAY RING Many of Jones’ tunes split between the reflective acoustic territory of Harvest-era Neil Young and the country-infused rock of ‘80s-era Steve Earle. Playing tonight as a duo with Jay Ring. The Melting Point 9 p.m. $10 (adv.), $13 (door). www. meltingpointathens.com* REEVES GABRELS & HIS IMAGINARY FRI3NDS Grammynominated guitarist/songwriter Reeves Gabrels is best known for his work with David Bowie. His songs with Imaginary Fri3nds have a strong glam vibe with lots of arena-ready power twisted by clever eccentricities.

The Office Lounge 9:30 p.m. FREE! 706-549-0840 KARAOKE Every Wednesday with Stan. Rye Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/ryebarathens EIGHTBALL BLUE No info available. Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown THE BORDER LIONS Rock and roll trio that plays ‘70s-inspired songs, ranging from beachy to bluesy. CORTEZ GARZA Local singer/songwriter Cortez Garza used to front NC emo band Mason Curse, but has relocated to Athens and turned more acoustic. The result is a truly contemporary take on Americana. JOSH LOWELL A gentlemanly singer-songwriter who frequents the stage with Kate Morrissey.

Thursday 10 283 Bar 10:30 p.m. FREE! 706-208-1283 DJ ELTON COUGAR Join DJ Elton for Ladies’ Night featuring your favorite dance hits. 40 Watt Club 9 p.m. $15 (adv). www.40watt.com MICHAEL BELLAR/AS-IS ENSEMBLE Funky jazz originals and even funkier jazz reworkings of songs from artists as diverse as Led Zeppelin and Björk. TEA LEAF GREEN Like a number of other jam bands, Tea Leaf Green is made up of road warriors whose relentless touring has won over dedicated fans across the nation. Alibi Thursdays, FREE! 706-549-1010 OPEN MIC/JAM Hosted by Tracy Carroll and Matt Joiner of The Rattlers. Open to all musicians. Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+). $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com BODHI ZAFFA This brand-spanking new Atlanta band offers up fun and furious surf rock. CLASSIC BASTARDS Light metal about such pressing social issues as “pwning n00bs in Call of Duty” and lovable serial killer Dexter. Club Chrome 9 p.m. FREE! 706-543-9009 KARAOKE Every Thursday night! Farm 255 10 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com JACOB MORRIS Acoustic, ‘70sinspired folk rock. Morris also plays in Moths and Ham1. THOMAS TELEVISION Moths bassist performs hip-hop improv. Fat Daddy’s 10 p.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 KARAOKE Hosted by Lynn! Flicker Theatre & Bar 8:30 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ flickerbar KYSHONA ARMSTRONG Local songstress Kyshona sings soulful ballads over acoustic guitar. BROS. MARLER Brothers Drew and Daniel Marler bring their brand of Neil Young/Elliot Smith/Allman Bros.-influenced music to the people as an acoustic duo. LEFTY HATHAWAY Local singersongwriter Lefty Hathaway plays rock and roll soul with turbulent piano jams reminiscent of the late, great Lowell George and fellow Tulsan JJ Cale. Tonight he performs a solo set on Flicker’s acoustic upright.

Wednesday, September 9

Jack Rose, Craig Lieske, Jason Trahan Farm 255 Guitarist Jack Rose is the godhead purveyor of some grave and holy business, for serious—a John Fahey/Bert Jansch/Robbie Basho-level mystic-virtuoso with a seadeep soul and a widescreen timewarp compositional sensibility. His solo guitarwork spans millennia and nation states and ruined riverdeltas long disappeared, and if you come to him equipped for the interior quests he can inspire in you, it often ain’t no easy ride. That Rose facilitates such visionary excursions with just his ringing-bell-like guitar and his well-nourished Jack Rose instrumental imagination aligns him with traditions ancient as palaces; he lists the Dagar Brothers, North Indian court performers descended from a generations-long line of Devotional Dhrupad-Drone singers, as prime influences, and it shows. The intention behind his playing feels high and pure like that: he channels important knowledge, and it possesses a gravity akin to worship, and it will be a privilege to experience it. Lucky for us, and weather-permitting, of course, it will be out under the autumnburgeoning stars at Farm 255. For you’d wanna revel in the moods he makes and the high magic he radiates at a fallen stone circle in the Midlands or a firelit rebel-cave in Mali or a Morris Dance in the Hebrides more than, say, at the Caledonia with a warm Pabst in your paw. We do the best we can in this respect, I guess. Trust me, though: when you hump it to the Farm on this ostensibly innocuous Wednesday, be prepared, through whatever chemical or meditative means necessary, for a mind-blow of the realest and deepest and most DNA-unfurling variety. Buckle down, travelers all! [Jim McHugh]

Georgia Bar 11 p.m. 706-546-9884 JON GOSA Get ready to feel the magic with Gosa’s own brand of acoustic soul. Girasoles 6–9 p.m. FREE! 706-310-0410 SONNY GOT BLUE Local group plays swing and Latin jazz standards for the dinner crowd every Thursday. Gnat’s Landing 6 p.m. FREE! 706-850-5858 BROS. MARLER Brothers Drew and Daniel Marler bring their brand of Neil Young/Elliot Smith/Allman Bros.-influenced music to the people as an acoustic duo. Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar “DR. FRED’S KARAOKE” Hosted by karaoke fanatic John “Dr. Fred” Bowers, following the live music. The Melting Point 8 p.m. $5 (adv.), $8 (door). www.meltingpointathens.com KINKY WAIKIKI Featuring members of Kenosha Kid, Birds+Wire, Big C and the Ringers, Vigilantes of Love and Pride Parade and original Squat drummer Carlton Owens, this group plays modern arrangements of traditional Hawaiian music, with a little Western swing thrown into the mix. SQUAT Old school Squat returns, reuniting with drummer Dwayne Holloway. Squat is an Athens/ Atlanta-based jazz and Latin quartet. New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. FREE! www.newearthmusichall. com DRUM N BASS NIGHT W/ LOOSCROO Come ready to groove!

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.tastyworld.net FUTUREBIRDS Local folk-rock collective with a tattered, raspy edge. See Calendar Pick on p. 30. MR. FALCON High-energy, indie garage rock influenced equally by The Kinks and Pixies. MULETIDE PERKINS Slide guitar, heavily reverb-laden vocals, and lyrics with a down-home Southern sound despite featurig such topics as The Beastie Boys and Run DMC. Terrapin Beer Co. 5:30 p.m. www.terrapinbeer.com TENT CITY This local four-piece fuses elements of jazz, funk, blues and world music. Wild Wing Café 9 p.m. FREE! www.wildwingcafe.com JASON SWAIN Acoustic rocker from South Carolina.

Friday 11 40 Watt Club Presented by the Georgia Theatre. 9 p.m. SOLD OUT! www.40watt.com ERIC CHURCH Since his major label debut in 2006 with Sinners Like Me, country artist Eric Church has gained notoriety as one of the more sincere and earnest performers in the genre. “Honesty is my number one responsibility,” he has said. “If you listen to [my record], you’ll find out who I am.” DIRT DRIFTERS No-nonsence country rock, just like Papa used to play. Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 CARLA LEFEVER Local hard-rocker Carla LeFever and her band play un-

plugged covers of AC/DC and Dio, as well as some of her more “hardgrooving” and dancey originals in the same vein. Broad Street Bar and Grill 10 p.m. FREE! 706-548-5187 REDSTONE RAMBLERS Country and old time bluegrass originals and covers. This local three-piece features members of Samurai Trout. Performing every Friday! Buffalo’s Southwest Café 7 p.m. $10, $80 (table of 10). 706354-6655 ELVIS 9/11 MEMORIAL SHOW Two sets of music from The King! Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+). $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com FIVE EIGHT This totally wired, near-legendary Athens rock trio has consistently pumped out highenergy rock and roll that’s not too complicated but overwhelmingly satisfying. HELEN, DODGE Local Americana act featuring Neal Canup, Mark Cunningham, Roger Alan Wade and Corey Holland performing both original music and obscure covers. ADAM PAYNE This local musician’s impressively versatile tenor is somewhat reminiscent of Neil Young’s nasal delivery. Payne writes songs with a lot of heart–the kind of tunes that can either make you tear up or laugh out loud. PET VOLCANO Rock band featuring guitarists/vocalists Spencer Frye (he’s running for mayor next year!) and Jason Beckham, bassist Tommy k continued on next page

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

THE CALENDAR! Jones of Ralph Roddenbery Band, keyboardist Bart King and percussionist Eddie Glikin.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

The Classic Center Children’s Miracle Network Benefit. 8 p.m. $17 (adv.) www.georgiatheatre. com MICHAEL LOGEN Tender voiced singer-songwriter who plays light, radio-friendly ballads on acoustic guitar. SISTER HAZEL Radio-friendly mid’90s college “alternatives,” the longrunning Sister Hazel performs in this benefit for the UGA Miracle Network. Farm 255 10 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com THE HEAP Funky local indie-soul band that’s been praised by the likes of Violent Femmes and Kevin Kinney. HOLY LIARS This local four-piece tends toward blue-collar rock, not unlike a more polished early Uncle Tupelo or the cow-punkier moments of Social Distortion. RAMSAY MIDWOOD Austin guitarist plays the blues with a country twang.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 presented by

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13

Fat Daddy’s 9 p.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 AVERY DYLAN PROJECT Guitarist Avery Dylan turns out electric blues backed by Clint Swords and Mike Strickland. The Globe 9 p.m. $5. 706-353-4721 THE FEDORA BROTHERS Fastfingered Nashville duo plays any kind of Southern music you could imagine— be it country, blues, or ragtime. Hosted by local legend Art Rosenbaum.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

COMING SOON

Gnat’s Landing 6 p.m. FREE! www.gnatslanding.net TJ MIMBS This local acoustic singersongwriter plays melodramatic pop in the vein of Dave Matthews. Go Bar 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ gobar BANG-UTOT CD release and farewell show for this new local band featuring members of Stegosaurus, Fashion Knee High and Nero. FASHION KNEE HIGH Jangly local garage rock with some more playfully indulgent guitar sounds and an emphasis on chance-taking, all topped off by disaffected vocals. NERO AND THE BURNING VIOLINS Athens band that borrows from Neil Young, Pavement and a little Velvet Underground. New CD available tonight! STEGOSAURUS Usually witty, sometimes danceable and always raw, this local trio plays songs about down-and-out characters. New CD available tonight! Harmony Grove Grille 8:30 p.m. FREE! www.harmonygrovegrille.com BEN SMITH AND JIM TANNER No info available. Harry Bissett’s Bayou Grill 8 p.m. FREE! 706-552-1193 DAVID PRINCE This Athens staple and one-time member of The Jesters plays your favorite soul, rock and R&B oldies. Jot ‘Em Down Country Store & BBQ 6 p.m. 706-549-2110 REDNECK GREECE Traditionally this show consists of two sets–a clean one for the whole family and a

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second set full of white trash-fueled naughtiness that is as twisted as it is hilarious. Musically Redneck GReece draws from the old country classics–Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and the like. Little Kings Shuffle Club 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/littlekingsshuffleclub DUSTY LIGHTSWITCH Described as “one of the most exciting and satisfying live bands in town” by our own Gordon Lamb, this revolving cast of local eccentrics delivers rock and roll with epic possibilites. SAILOR DAWN This local garage rock band draws heavily from ‘90s alternative rock and powerpop.

Square One Fish Co. 8 p.m. FREE! www.squareonefishco. com THE DOMINO EFFECT Savannah five-piece band happily diving into reggae, soul and funk.

Alibi After the UGA game. FREE! 706-5491010 ROLLIN’ HOME This band jams on originals with a Dead groove and a Southern rock leaning.

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. FREE! www.tastyworld.net BEARFOOT HOOKERS This rowdy local band performs funky, goodhumored country. It’s beer-drinkin’ gospel.

Athens Farmers Market 8 a.m. FREE! 706-296-8000 JAKE MOWRER TRIO Guitarist Jake Mowrer (of local Brazilian-style band Cachaça) teams up with Dennis Barew (bass) and Kane Stanley (drums) for a set of classic jazz standards. Performing second tonight at 10 a.m. MARY SIGALIS AND FRIENDS Local jazz vocalist Mary Sigalas performs with her new classic jazz, swing and blues band. Playing first at 8 a.m.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5:30 p.m. www.terrapinbeer.com B-SIDE REVOLUTION Local piano pop-rock group fronted by Kyle Rogers.

The Melting Point 8:30 p.m. $10 (adv.), $13 (door). www. meltingpointathens.com SONS OF SAILORS Jimmy Buffett cover band.

Wild Wing Café 9 p.m. FREE! www.wildwingcafe.com BRANDI THORNTON & THE DAWGTOWN RAMBLERS A pop country sound with the occasional bluegrass number define this Tennessee-based songstress’ twangy rhythms.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. FREE! www.newearthmusichall. com ELECTA VILLAIN This local trio plays moody, dark indie rock with big, theatrical vocals a la Muse. HEATHER B AND BEAT BABY Electra/indie DJs from Atlanta.

WUGA 91.7 FM 4 p.m. FREE! www.wuga.org “IT’S FRIDAY!” The Warm Fuzzies and The Bros. Marler will perform on the local radio station’s weekly program. University Cable Channel 15 will also broadcast the show.

The Rialto Room Inaugural Rialto Bridge Concert Series. 9:30 p.m. $25. www.therialtoroom. com DAVID SMITS Jazzy Ben Folds-type songwriter from Colorado performs in the intimate new venue connected to Hotel Indigo.

Saturday 12

Rye Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/ryebarathens LASSIEZ FUNK Local up-and-comers play funk-jam fusion plus a variety of covers.

40 Watt Club 9 p.m. $10. www.40watt.com KATIE HERZIG This Nashville based singer-songwriter performs acoustic pop that’s full of wit and sunshine. WILL HOGE Comparisons to Springsteen grow more apt with this talented Nashville country guitaristvocalist-harmonica player’s latest release, The Man Who Killed Love. Hoge’s new sound is more raw and bluesier than ever.

Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $6 (21+), $8 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com BLACK SKIES Heavy, scruffy rock and roll out of Chapel Hill, conjuring thoughts of Sabbath and its countless offspring. THE JACK BURTON Local punk band featuring former members of departed Athens faves like Hunter-Gatherer, Let’s Surf! and Exit 86. PRIDE PARADE Local hard rockers celebrate the release of their new album, Dose. Expect a blistering mix of punk, grunge, stoner metal and blues. See story on p. 19. Club Chrome 9 p.m. $5. 706-543-9009 LANEY STRICKLAND AND THE BLOODTHIRSTY COWBOYS Classic Southern rock with bluesy riffs, wailing organ and soulful vocals. Elberton Arts Center 8 p.m. $10 (advance) $15 (door).706283-1049,* ERICA SUNSHINE LEE Elberton native and singer-songwriter Erica Lee performs with her band.

Thursday, September 10

2nd Annual Athens Area Volunteer Expo The Classic Center Students know that volunteering looks great on a résumé and helps build character, but the opportunity to enrich your life and that of the community is available to everyone. It doesn’t matter whether you have a year, a day or even just an hour to dedicate to a cause, contributing to something bigger than yourself is always well worth your time. Sherri Goggin, one of Athens’ most avid volunteer advocates, says she came up with the idea for a local Volunteer Expo last year. “We wanted to gather these agencies under one roof,” she says, “just like any other trade show, and invite the public in to visit free of charge to just browse around and learn about these agencies’ mission statements, their volunteer opportunities and their needs. It’s a way to put agencies out there to be able to recruit volunteers and give volunteers information about what’s available in the community.” Goggin says that what people may not consider about volunteering is that it doesn’t always have to be manual labor like building houses or planting trees. There are opportunities available for people with a wide range of skill sets. “These agencies are running a business, and they need the whole gamut of people. Whether it’s banking, marketing or public relations help…” With nearly 50 different agencies represented at this year’s expo, you are bound to find some organization that interests you because of its focus—whether it’s nature, children, pets or the arts. Volunteering also provides a great opportunity to learn new skills and maybe even discover a hidden passion you didn’t know about. Don’t think you have time to volunteer? Think again. Art Ordoqui at Community Connection says a popular new program called “Happy at Home” is facilitating volunteer opportunities you can take advantage of from the comfort of your own home, from data entry to website management. Find the agency that’s right for you, and start making a difference! [Michelle Gilzenrat]

Farm 255 10 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com FEATHERS & SMOKE Local heroic weirdos join for a folkicana rock show. Feathers & Smoke features members of Futurebirds, TJ Mimbs, Wilmot Greene and Owen Gray. Flicker Theatre & Bar 8:30 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ flickerbar BUBBLY MOMMY GUN Raucous psychedelic explorations led by members of Sleeping Friends and Ice Cream Socialists. ETHAN, MASTER OF THE HAWAIIAN UKELELE The name says it all… except he actually plays guitar. He does wear a lei, though, so there’s that. GREAT ARCHITECT Instrumental math rock band from North Carolina with meters and tonality that hop all over the place. LAMINATED CAT Local psychedelic pop band fluent in the absurd. MOUSER Colby Carter (vocals, guitar) and his expanding gang of backing musicians play efficient and exuberant garage-pop songs that suggest a willingness to experiment, working through noise jams to find the aggressive pop hiding behind. Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar ROMANENKO Local trio draws from ‘70s pop and folk with a modern rock edge, like Mary Timony fronting the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. TWIN POWERS Local Kindercore Records alum Dan Geller and local chef Eddie Russell mix up contemporary Top 40 with danceable ‘80s new wave and Britpop tunes. VIOLENCE GANG Local trip-hop group that names Gnarls Barkley and The Roots as key influences. Little Kings Shuffle Club 10 p.m. $3. www.myspace.com/littlekingsshuffleclub MAHOGANY VS. THE KING A threeround DJ battle with DJ Mahogany and Little Kings’ own Brian King. New Earth Music Hall Roots and Culture Series Part 1. 8 p.m. $8 (adv.), $10 (door). www. newearthmusichall.com GROUNDATION California-based fusion-music pioneers who have toured around the globe. Although already highly acclaimed abroad, it won’t be long before Groundation’s unique presentation of reggae will make an impact here at home. Rye Bar 10 p.m. $2. www.myspace.com/ryebarathens TRIBAL ZINE Local band with a classic rock/jam band sound featuring live improvisation. Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. FREE! www.tastyworld.net THE CASUAL KINGS New rock trio from Columbia, SC inspired by acts as diverse as John Mayer and Rage Against the Machine. EDDIE AND THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS Local blues-funk trio led by frontman Eddie Speaker. MACON GREYSON Lynyrd Skynyrd reborn for the 21st century. Terrapin Beer Co. 5:30 p.m. www.terrapinbeer.com CLARKE COUNTY LINE Local band plays classic country covers.

Sunday 13 Ben’s Bikes 9 p.m. www.bensbikesathens.com NORTHERN SOUL DANCE PARTY Dig the turntable talents of DJ

Mahogany and Kurt Wood as they showcase their most obscure and exciting ‘60s soul 45s. Big City Bread Cafe Blue Tin Art Studio Grand Opening. 5–8 p.m. FREE! www.bluetinstudio. com ART ROSENBAUM Traditional American folk music from a local Grammy-winner and acclaimed archivist. SUMMER HYMNS Local indie rockers swing between a power-pop sound and lighter Flaming Lips-style fun. Buffalo’s Southwest Café 6:30 p.m. FREE! 706-354-6655 BUTTERMILK REVIVAL Bluegrass gospel band playing songs by artists like the Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe and many others. The Melting Point 8 p.m. $12 (adv.), $15 (door). www. meltingpointathens.com ERICK BAKER Rhythmic, souful acoustic ballads. MINDY SMITH Nashville songstress Smith offers up homespun folk with pop sensibilities. She is celebrating the release of her new album, Stupid Love, tonight! Square One Fish Co. 1-4 p.m. FREE! www.squareonefishco. com SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH Rotating local jazz artists play Sunday afternoons on the patio. This week: Carlton Owens Trio.

Monday 14 Caledonia Lounge 9:30 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www. caledonialounge.com THE CAMPAIGN 1984 Fast-paced Southern drawl metal with Orwellian overtones. CLOAK AND DAGGER DATING SERVICE With melodies sewn throughout the hard-hitting rock, this Snellville six-piece offers male/ female vocals and a dark mood punctuated by clever and intricate guitar solos. SO IT GOES Socially conscious punk rock band that infuses elements of Spanish rock, folk and ska. Ciné Barcafé 6–8:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenscine. com OPEN JAZZ JAM Calling all jazz musicians. Now you can join local jazz group Sonny Got Blue every Monday for an open mic jam. The Melting Point The Hoot. 8 p.m. FREE! www.meltingpointathens.com BUZZARD MOUNTAIN BOYS Dahlonega music/comedy duo offers some old-timey laughs. LOKSHEN KUGEL A local seven-piece Klezmer band specializing in Jewish and Gypsy music. Accordians, fiddles, clarinets, oh my! STEREOFIDELICS This Asheville duo has “the energy of bluegrass, the seduction of Latin, the freedom of jazz and the raw passion of hard rock driven by instinctive virtuosity and musicianship.” Rye Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/ryebarathens THE EPIC OPEN MIC NIGHT Athens Blur magazine and Rye Bar present a six-week open mic challenge. It’s like March Madness, only with more guitars and less basketballs. k continued on next page

THE KING OF THE BLUES

FRIDAY

OCTOBER 2

SPECIAL GUEST

Rachael Cantu

THE THRILL IS BACK... IN ATHENS Call, Click or stop by the box office in Downtown Athens www.ClassicCenter.com 706.357.4444

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown BOO RAY BAND Soulful singersongwriter who takes inspiration from Glen Campbell and Exile on Mainstreet-era Rolling Stones. BROS. MARLER Brothers Drew and Daniel Marler bring their brand of Neil Young/Elliot Smith/Allman Bros.-influenced music to the people as an acoustic duo. FIRE ZUAVE The lead singer of this Athens-by-way-of-West-Palm-Beach trio is the cousin of Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes, but he sings a scratchier pop that veers toward Americana. His voice can channel Conor Oberst and Jeff Tweedy, and the bassist and drummer buoy his melodies with clean backing vocals.

Joe Dakin and bassist Ian McCord create catchy, boozy punk-influenced power pop. NANA GRIZOL Punk band from here in town that plays songs about shooting stars, fancy cars and red guitars.

Tuesday 15

Tasty World Uptown 9 p.m. $5. www.tastyworld.net AMERICANA NIGHT This week host Clay Leverett presents Erica Sunshine Lee.

Alibi FREE! 706-549-1010 KLASSIC KARAOKE DANCE PARTY Every Tuesday. Buffalo’s Southwest Café 6–10 p.m. $5 (includes lessons). 706354-6655 DINE & DANCE NIGHT Beginners and advanced dance lessons every Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. followed by open dance until 10 p.m. Tonight features swing dancing hosted by Bugg. Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $6 (21+), $8 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com THE BLACK HOLLIES This Jersey City band presents its own take on ‘60s psychedelia, infusing it with moody synth and guitar noise to create distant, bubblegum rock. BENJY FERRE Sounding alternately like a trip-hop version of Fleet Foxes, a modern alt-country and a straight-forward rock band, Benjy may be hard to classify, but he’s always fun to listen to. NUCLEAR SPRING Athens natives Nuclear Spring sound like a cassette tape of Woody Guthrie that’s been left in the sun and is now warped and melted; the band’s folky undertones are twisted and distorted by experimental effects and overdubs. Farm 255 10 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com CARL LINDBERG Jazz bassist Carl Lindberg (Grogus, Squat, Kenosha Kid, etc.) performs standards, originals and some surprising tunes from divergent styles. Fat Daddy’s 10 p.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 KARAOKE Huge karaoke dance party hosted by Lynn every Tuesday. Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar MERCURY VEIL Formerly known as The Children of Desolation, local band Mercury Veil plays emotional alternative rock with crunchy guitar riffs, male and female vocals as well as an obvious affinity for bands like Tool and Smashing Pumpkins. SIMONE Florida rockers, described as “a cross between No Doubt and Led Zeppelin,” go eco-friendly by requesting everyone to bring at least one CD to the show to be recycled.

Your ultimate USED gear experience!

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Little Kings Shuffle Club 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/littlekingsshuffleclub HOT NEW MEXICANS Vocalistguitarist Patrick Jennings, drummer

The Melting Point 7 p.m. $3. www.meltingpointathens. com* SMOKEY’S FARMLAND BAND This Atlanta band plays a fun mixture of bluegrass, funk, reggae, Eastern European tunes and acoustic jazz. No Where Bar 10 p.m. $3. 706-546-4742 TENT CITY This local four-piece fuses elements of jazz, funk, blues and world music.

Wild Wing Café 10 p.m. FREE! www.wildwingcafe.com KARAOKE Every Tuesday night at the downtown wing chain’s upstairs space.

Wednesday 16 40 Watt Club 9 p.m. $15 (adv.) www.40watt.com* CROSS CANADIAN RAGWEED Oklahoma country-rock quartet. SEAN MCCONNELL Solo songwriter with an aching soul and beautiful melodies. Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $7 (18+), $9 (21+). www.caledonialounge.com SEADUB Local DJ Colin Williams spins and mixes dubstep. SEEPEOPLES Asheville, NC-based group performs eclectic pop-rock that draws on psychedelia, ‘60s garage, reggae, funk and more.

Celebrating the release of their new album Apocalypse Cow Vol. 2 now available for free at www.seepeoples. com. The Classic Center 8 p.m. $21–$36. www.classiccenter. com THE DEREK TRUCKS BAND Well known jam band spanning such genres as country, jazz, and blues bring its legendary live show to Athens. Fat Daddy’s 10 p.m.–1 a.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 OPEN MIC Every Wednesday featuring Avery Dylan. Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar DEAD STARS Loud, textured indie rock sounds from Brooklyn featuring pulsating rhythms and emotional lyrics. EVERYBODY RUN This local rock band offers a blend of poppy and psychedelic melodies with a folkrock tinge. PONCHO MAGIC Bluegrass sensibilities with country-rock execution. The multi-part vocal harmonies are the real show, though. Harry Bissett’s Bayou Grill 8 p.m. FREE! www.harrybissetts.net MILLIGAN Performing a set of cover songs from CSNY to Johnny Cash to Jack Johnson to Maroon 5, this band reworks both classic rockers and more recent hits. Locos Grill & Pub 6:30 p.m. FREE! 706-549-7700 RACHEL O’NEIL This singer-songwriter plays an eclectic blend of jazz, indie rock, and Americana. The Melting Point 9 p.m. $5. www.themeltingpointathens. com HIGHTIDE BLUES This Auburnbased modern Southern rock band delivers acoustic and electric guitars backed by a hard-hitting rhythm section.

The Office Lounge 9:30 p.m. FREE! 706-549-0840 KARAOKE Every Wednesday with Stan. Square One Fish Co. Derek Trucks Show Afterparty. Midnight. FREE! 706-353-8862 TENT CITY This local four-piece fuses elements of jazz, funk, blues and world music. Tasty World Uptown 9 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown A.A.BONDY August Arthur Bondy (ex-Verbena) celebrated the release of his new album When the Devil’s Lose earlier this month. By turns sardonic and innocent, Bondy’s heartfelt songs draw equally from Ryan Adams and Elliott Smith. SEAN BONES Sunglasses-sporting hipster kid from Brooklyn who produces surprisingly solid dancehall tracks. * Advance Tickets Available

Down the Line 9/17 DJ Elton Cougar (283 Bar) 9/17 Karaoke (Fat Daddy’s) 9/17 Baby Baby / Monahan / The Orkids (40 Watt Club) 9/17 Lera Lynn (Farm 255) 9/17 XG-1 (Georgia Bar) 9/17 Sonny Got Blue (Girasoles) 9/17 The Malah / MO Theory / Savoy (New Earth Music Hall) 9/17 Brad Downs and the Poor Bastard Souls / George McConnell (No Where Bar) 9/17 George McConnell (Rye Bar) 9/17 Bloodkin / Leon Russell (The Melting Point)* 9/18 Redstone Ramblers (Broad Street Bar and Grill) 9/18 The Automatics / The Leading Edge (Farm 255) 9/18 Holly Belle / Kaitlin Jones and the County Fair (Little Kings Shuffle Club) 9/18 Animals That Will Kill Yer Ass / Besides Daniel / Efren (Rye Bar)

Thursday, September 10

Futurebirds, Mr. Falcon, Muletide Perkins Tasty World Uptown Futurebirds is a young band hailing from Athens currently playing shows in support of their debut, self-titled demo EP. The band’s songs have an easygoing Laurel Canyon-type Futurebirds feel (picture Beachwood Sparks and My Morning Jacket listening to Harvest-era Neil Young). Perhaps due to its fairly straight-forward instrumentation and the traditional arrangement of its songs, Futurebirds is a very easy band to listen to, and—because its music lends itself to swaying—their shows are probably good ones at which to drink. While some of the early songs on the EP run together, the word on the street is the band is more dynamic when performing live. If a couple of tracks on the EP are any indication, the guitarists in the group are itching to unleash some extended and melodic guitar solos. But the band is far more than a onetrick pony. Some of the songs on the band’s EP are very good and paint a picture of a band that—while still growing musically—has the potential to explode into something great. Standout tracks on the EP include “Red Top Girl,” on which the vocalist sounds not unlike Jay Farrar, and “Megachills” and “Americle,” on which the guitarists’ talents shine through and the band issues a truly powerful, sing-along-able chorus. As far as the personnel of Futurebirds is concerned, there is some overlap with The Interns. The groups do have a similar sound, and fans of one are likely to appreciate the songs of the other. But comparisons to other local bands notwithstanding, what is clear is that these Futurebirds—though fledglings—are very nearly ready to soar. [John Seay]

Mike White · deadlydesigns.com

THE CALENDAR!

9/18 Golden / The Incredible Sandwich / Mercury’s Landing (Tasty World Uptown) 9/18 The Border Lions (Terrapin Beer Co.) 9/18 Missing Cats (The Melting Point)* 9/18 Amante Da Prez (UGA Campus) 9/18 “It’s Friday!” (WUGA 91.7 FM) 9/19 Maserati / Ruby Isle / Still Flyin’ / Venice Is Sinking / The Yes of Course / The Young Sinclairs (40 Watt Club) 9/19 Athens Folk Society Band / John Keane and Nathan Sheppard / The Solstice Sisters (Athens Farmers Market) 9/19 Kate Morrissey / Sarah Pray (Little Kings Shuffle Club) 9/19 Nautilus / Prefuse 73 / T8R(TOT) (New Earth Music Hall) 9/19 The Interns / J. Roddy Walston and the Business / Ponderosa / Michael Trent (Tasty World Uptown) 9/20 Timmeya Telford (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) 9/20 Desolation Wilderness / Madeline (Farm 255) 9/20 Sunday Jazz Brunch (Square One Fish Co.) 9/21 Lera Lynn / Packway Handle Band (Ashford Manor)* 9/21 The Epic Open Mic Night (Rye Bar) 9/22 Klassic Karaoke Dance Party (Alibi) 9/22 Karaoke (Fat Daddy’s) 9/22 Karaoke (Wild Wing Café) 9/22 Dine & Dance Night (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) 9/22 Birds of Avalon (Caledonia Lounge) 9/22 Dan Nettles (Farm 255) 9/22 Kort McCumber (The Melting Point) 9/23 Open Mic (Fat Daddy’s) 9/23 Guff / Romaneko / Tendaberry (40 Watt Club) 9/23 Nathan Sheppard with John Keane (Harry Bissett’s Bayou Grill) 9/24 Baby’s Blue Swingset (Farm 255) 9/24 Timi Conley / Efren (New Earth Music Hall) 9/24 Ian Thomas (Terrapin Beer Co.) 9/24 A Hawk and a Hacksaw / Damon & Naomi (The Melting Point) 9/25 Perpetual Groove (40 Watt Club)* 9/25 Harrison Hudson / The K-Macks / Andrew Nelson / Radiolucent (Caledonia Lounge) 9/25 The Splitz (Harry Bissett’s Bayou Grill) 9/25 The Blekers (Tasty World Uptown) 9/25 Mercury Veil / Jon Roniger (Terrapin Beer Co.) 9/25 Corey Smith (The Classic Center)* 9/25 The Jesters (The Melting Point)* 9/25 “It’s Friday!” (WUGA 91.7 FM) 9/26 Perpetual Groove (40 Watt Club)* 9/26 Jake Mowrer Trio / Whisper Kiss (Athens Farmers Market) 9/26 Gift Horse / Gus D (Farm 255) 9/26 Entropy (New Earth Music Hall) 9/26 Tent City (Square One Fish Co.) 9/26 High Strung / Rachel O’Neal (Terrapin Beer Co.) 9/26 The Decemberists (The Classic Center)* 9/27 Eagle Twin / Sunn O))) (Seney-Stovall Chapel) 9/28 The Felice Brothers (40 Watt Club)* 9/28 Tom Goss (Little Kings Shuffle Club) 9/29 The Baseball Project / The Minus 5 / Steve Wynn IV (40 Watt Club)* 9/29 Open Jam Night (Alibi) 9/29 Carl Lindberg (Farm 255) 9/29 Art Rosenbaum (The Globe)

9/29 The North Georgia Bluegrass Band (The Melting Point)* 9/30 Colour Revolt (40 Watt Club) 9/30 The Common People Band (Harry Bissett’s Bayou Grill) 9/30 Napoleon Solo (Locos Grill & Pub) 10/1 Randy Rogers Band (40 Watt Club)* 10/1 Punch Brothers (MadisonMorgan Cultural Center)* 10/2 State Radio (40 Watt Club)* 10/2 Rachael Cantu (Classic City Arts)* 10/2 A Darker Shade (Rye Bar) 10/2 B. B. King (The Classic Center)* 10/2 Rack of Spam (The Melting Point) 10/2 Luke Bryan / Jason Coley / Colt Ford / Brantley Gilbert (Tucker Plantation) 10/3 Dan Deacon / Nuclear Power Pants / Wavves (40 Watt Club)* 10/3 Athens Folk Society Band (Athens Farmers Market) 10/6 Lonesome Traveler (The Melting Point)* 10/7 Titus Andronicus (Caledonia Lounge) 10/7 Hot and Cold (Go Bar) 10/9 Bassnectar / DJ Vadim (40 Watt Club)* 10/10 Circulatory System / Faust (40 Watt Club)* 10/10 Thayer Sarrano / Tin Cup Prophette (Athens Farmers Market) 10/12 Dish (Caledonia Lounge) 10/13 Dine & Dance Night (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) 10/13 Steel String Session (The Melting Point)* 10/14 Jamey Johnson (40 Watt Club)* 10/16 Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ (40 Watt Club)* 10/17 Heathens / Mike Eudy and Sean Arington (Athens Farmers Market) 10/17 Singing the News (ATHICA) 10/17 Reptar / Spring Tigers (Caledonia Lounge) 10/18 Will Rock 4 Food (Taylor Grady House) 10/20 Built to Spill / Disco Doom (40 Watt Club)* 10/20 Tasty Tuesday (Tasty World Uptown) 10/20 Curley Maple (The Melting Point)* 10/23 Social Distorrion / The Strangers (40 Watt Club)* 10/24 Dead Confederate / Meat Puppets (40 Watt Club)* 10/24 Fiddle DW / Ryan Monohan (Athens Farmers Market) 10/24 Harp Unstrung (Terrapin Beer Co.) 10/27 The Black Heart Procession / The Mumlers (40 Watt Club)* 10/27 Buck & Nelson (The Melting Point)* 10/28 Junior Boys (40 Watt Club)* 10/30 Kenosha Kid / Trey Wright Trio (The Melting Point) 10/31 Faith and Paige Carmichael / William Tonks and Friends (Athens Farmers Market) 11/2 The Vic Chesnutt Band (40 Watt Club)* 11/3 The Drovers Old Time Medicine Show (The Melting Point) 11/7 Artie Ball Swing Band / The Musicsmiths (Athens Farmers Market) 11/14 Carl Lindberg and Friends / Grogus! (Athens Farmers Market) 11/14 Rachel O’Neal (Terrapin Beer Co.) 11/18 Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcolm / The Dirty Streets / Lucero (40 Watt Club)* 12/3 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Holiday Concert (MadisonMorgan Cultural Center)* 12/22 Tasty Tuesday (Tasty World Uptown)

Chad and Alicia Cooper’s

Live Comedy Gospel Stage Play

CHURCH MESS Sunday, September 27 at 7 p.m.

Call, click or stop by the Box Ofce 706.357.4444 www.ClassicCenter.com 300 N. Thomas St. Downtown Athens

This production in The Classic Center Theatre Stage Play Series is made possible by our sponsor.

Join us for Shelly Garrett’s Beauty Shop on February 27, 2010!

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macs • ipods • software • service • business solutions 1850 Epps Bridge Pkwy • 706-208-9990 peachmac.com • also in Augusta

* Advance Tickets Available

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

bulletin board DO SOMETHING; GET INVOLVED! Deadline for getting listed in Bulletin Board and Art Around Town is every THURSDAY at 12 p.m. Email calendar@flagpole.com. Listings are printed based on available space, more listings are online.

ART Art Classes (Blue Tin Art Studio) Now registering for classes beginning Sept. 19. 404-556-6884, www. bluetinstudio.com Call for Artists (Lyndon House Arts Center) Market spaces available at Gypsy Artist Market, an open air market featuring eclectic wares. $15–$30. Register by Sept. 10. undergroundathens2@yahoo.com or visit Gypsy Market on Facebook. Call for Artists (Downtown Washington) The Washington Wilkes Arts Foundation seeks submissions for ArtFest, taking place Nov. 7 & 8. www.washingtonwilkesarts.org Call for Entries (ATHICA) Seeking strong, focused proposals or cohesive bodies of work for slots in late 2010 and 2011. Deadline Sept. 30. www.athica.org/callfor entries.php

CLASSES Acting for Film Workshop (106 West Performing Arts Venue, Winder) Next five-week session of this ongoing workshop begins Sept. 8, but you can come anytime. Open to ages 16 & up. No acting experience necessary. Tuesdays, 6:45 p.m. $95 (adults), $65 (students). 770868-1977, beckytollerson@106west. com Adopt-a-Stream Workshops (Sandy Creek Nature Center) Learn how to assess the water quality of our streams. For ages 13 and up.

Sept. 12 & 26, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. FREE! Pre-register at 706-613-3615. African-American Genealogical Research (ACC Library) The Clarke-Oconee Genealogical Society explores African-American family history research experiences and methodology. Sept. 26, 1 p.m. FREE! 706613-3650, loutome@aol.com Argentine Tango Essentials (YWCO, Eastside) Workshop taught by Clint Rauscher of Atlanta’s Tango Evolution. No experience or partner necessary. 4:15–6:15 p.m. $15 (students), $20 (non-students), 706-613-8178, cvunderwood@ charter.net Art and Music Classes (UGA Center for Continuing Education) Find a new way to express yourself this fall with one of the Center’s many creative classes. Open to all. 706-542-3537, www.georgiacenter. uga.edu/ppd Art Classes (Lyndon House Arts Center) Registration now open for fall classes. List of programs and descriptions online. 706-613-3623, www.accleisureservices.com Beginning Golf (UGA Center for Continuing Education) Take a swing at this class for beginners. Open to all! Sept. 12–Nov. 2, 706-542-3537, www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/ppd Bellydance for Fitness (Floorspace) Women of all sizes and experience welcome. Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m. $60/6 weeks, $12/class. floorspaceathens.com Clay Classes (Good Dirt) Weekly “Try Clay” class every Friday from 7–9 p.m. and “Family Try Clay”

ART AROUND TOWN ACC Library (Top of the Stairs Gallery) Paintings by Tyler Harris. Through September. Antiques and Jewels “Athens Fine Art Gallery,” an exhibit featuring works by Mary Porter, Elizabeth Barton, Brandon Zinninger, Greg Benson, Jim StipeMaas, Taylor DuBeau, Judy Dudley O’Donnell and Susan Elizabeth. Through September. Aurum Studio New charcoal work on paper by Mark Watkins and arcrylic paintings by Amy Wilmoth Watts. Though September. Big City Bread Cafe Acrylic and watercolor paintings by Lauren Harrell. Through September. Black Forest Bakery & Deli New floral paintings by Marshall L. Reddoch. Through Sept. 20. Ciné Barcafé “A Handful of Dust,” featuring paintings and drawings by Adrian Cox and Lizzy Hinrich, explores the relationship between time, death and memory through the sublime landscape. Through Sept. 18. Reception Sept. 18. Downtown Watkinsville Artscape 2009, an outdoor display of art boards created by 10 local artists that is sponsored by the City of Watkinsville and Grassroots Arts Program. Through September. Espresso Royale Caffe Work by Ainhoa B. Canup. Five Star Day Café Paintings of Athens by Heidi Hensley. Through September. Flicker Theatre & Bar Paintings by Eric Simmons. Through September. Good Dirt Work by Jeff Bishoff and Juana Gnecco. Through mid-September. The Grit Photography by Robyn Waserman. Through Sept. 13.

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

every Sunday from 2–4 p.m. ($20/ person). 706-355-3161, www.good dirt.net Clay, Glass Fusing, and Knitting Classes (Good Dirt) Now accepting registration for fall classes. All levels of experience. Computer Class (ACC Library) Introduction to Excel. In the Educational Technology Center. Call to register. Sept. 24, 10–11:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 Dance Classes (Floorspace) Now registering for beginning and intermediate modern dance classes. 706-540-1039, www.floorspace athens.com Drumming for Fun and Well-Being (Mind Body Institute) Led by Dr. Arvin Scott. Saturdays, Sept. 12–Oct. 3, 2–3:30 p.m. $75/4 classes, $25/class. 706-475-7329, www.armc.org/mbi English as a Second Language (Pinewoods Hispanic Community Library) Classes every week! Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:30–8 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3708 Fall Container Planting (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Tips on potting mixers, choosing a container, spring bulbs and plant choices for sun or shade. Nov. 10, 5:30–7 p.m. $17. www.uga.edu/botgarden Family Yoga (Mind Body Institute) Offering instruction for kids in grades K–5 when accompanied by an adult. $40/4 classes, mbi programs@armc.org, 706-475-7329 GEN Homeschool Program (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Garden Earth Naturalist program for homeschoolers. Topics include pol-

Just Pho…and More Work by Stephen Humphreys. Through Sept. 15. Work by Jill Leite. Sep. 16–Oct. 30. Lamar Dodd School of Art “Divergent Impressions,” the 2009 Printmaking Invitational, features the work of Sarah Bryant, Leslie Mutchler, Matthew Sugarman and Jason Urban. “Physical/ Metaphysical” featuring work by Rocio Rodriguez, Don Cooper and Betsy Cain. Through Sept. 15. Last Resort Grill Encaustic and mixed media paintings by Sarah Seabolt. Through September. Lyndon House Arts Center “Lord Love You: Works by R.A. Miller from the Mullis Collection” includes more than 75 paintings, drawings, sculptures and whirligigs created by the Georgia self-taught artist Reuben Aaron Miller. Through Oct. 24. “Surrealist Tropical Pop,” features paintings by artists Stanley Bermudez and Carlos Solis. Through October. Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation 7th Annual Perspectives Pottery Exhibition features the work of over 50 Georgian potters. Through Sept. 16. Red Eye Coffee Photography by Jaclyn Enck. Through September. State Botanical Garden of Georgia “The Wonders of Nature,” an exhibit featuring silk painting, watercolor, oil painting, sculpture, photography and more. Through Sep. 20. Transmetropolitan Photographs by Kathryn Bowen. Walk the Line Tattoo Co. “Don’t Tell Mommy,” an annual erotic art show, features work by Joe Havasy, Nash Hogan, Keith Rein, Lea Purvis and other local artists. Through September. White Tiger Gourmet Food & Chocolates Work by Todd Diederich, Will Donaldson and Heather Kohlberger. Presented by the Next to Last Festival.

Kenneth Kase’s original jewelry designs are on exhibit at White Tiger Gourmet on Saturday, Sept. 12. lination, air and water purification, pest control, soil production and recycling. Nov. 23–Dec. 11, 9–11 a.m. (ages 6–8), 1–3 p.m. (ages 9–11). $22–$36. 706-542-6156 Genealogy on the Internet (Oconee County Library) Learn how to research your family online. Space is limited; registration required. Sept. 22, 3–4:30 p.m. FREE! 706-769-3950 Gentle Yoga (St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church) Tuesdays, 5:30–7 p.m. $9/class. 706-354-1996 Getting Started with Genealogy (ACC Library) Monthly informal class to walk you through the basics of researching family history. Bring a pencil and paper. In the Heritage Room. Sept. 17, 6–8:30 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 Hoopdance Workshops (Canopy Studio) Recommended for experienced hoopers. Sept. 20, 1–2:30 p.m. $25/workshop, 706549-8501, www.canopystudio.com Intro to Computers (Madison County Library) Three weekly meetings, and you may attend one per week or all three. Pre-registration required. 706-795-5597. Tuesdays, 2–3 p.m. or 7–8 p.m. Wednesdays, 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Introduction to Excel (ACC Library, Education Technology Center) Register. Sept. 24, 10 a.m.–11:30 a.m. 706-613-3650 Jewelry Making Classes (UGA Center for Continuing Ed) Learn the fine art of wire wrap jewelry, or delve into metalwork in the jewelry lab. Classes for beginning and intermediate students. Open to all! Classes begin Sept. 14. 706-542-3537, www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/ppd Knitting Classes (Good Dirt) 8-week knitting class starting Sept. 14. Weeks 1–3: Beginner Level: Beginning Stitches. Weeks 4–8: Intermediate Level: Reading a Pattern. Mondays, 7–9 p.m. 706355-3161, www.gooddirt.net Language Classes (UGA Center for Continuing Education) Multiple levels of instruction in Spanish, French, Italian, American Sign Language and English for non-native speakers. Open to all! Classes begin Sept. 14. 706-542-3537, www. georgiacenter.uga.edu/ppd Laugh-a-Yoga (Mind Body Institute) Laugh your stress away. Sept. 26, 5:30 p.m. $5. 706-4757329, mbiprograms@armc.org Mama-Baby Yoga (Five Points Yoga) For babies 1–8 months old

and their grown-ups. Every Monday. 11 a.m. $10. 706-355-3114, www. athensfivepointsyoga.com Mama-Baby Yoga (Mind Body Institute) For mamas and their babies. Six weeks old to crawlers. Every Wednesday. 10:30–11:45 a.m. $60/6 classes. 706-475-7329, mbiprograms@armc.org Mindfulness Practice Group (Mind Body Institute) Call for more information. Sept. 11, 5:30–6:30 p.m. FREE! 706-475-7329, mbi programs@armc.org New Canopy Classes (Canopy Studio) Now registering for hoopdance and trapeze classes. 706-5498501, www.canopystudio.com Online Job Application Tips (ACC Library) Learn tips and strategies for filling out job applications on the web. Sept. 24, 12:15 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 Open Art Studio (Art School, Watkinsville) Instruction is provided as requested. Mondays, 12:30–2:30 p.m. $190 for 8 classes (includes supplies). artschoolstreet@gmail. com, www.artschoolwatkinsville.com Open Hoops (Canopy Studio) No instruction. Bring your own hoop. Every Friday, 6–7 p.m. $5. 706-5498504, info@canopystudio.com

Prenatal Yoga (Five Points Yoga) Get ready for birth and beyond with Jenni Derryberry Mann, RYT-200. Every Sunday. 10:30 a.m. $10. 706355-3114, www.athensfivepoints yoga.com Prenatal Yoga (Full Bloom Center) Every Thursday. 5:30 p.m. $14/class or $60/6 classes. 706353-3373, www.fullbloomparent. com Qigong (State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Visitor Center, Great Room) Ancient Chinese art of self-cultivation that fosters health, relaxation and calm. Mondays, Sept. 14–Oct. 5, 12–1 p.m. $50. 706-542-6156, www.uga.edu/botgarden Quiet Woman: Restorative Yoga (Mind Body Institute) Call for information. 6 classes/$75, 706475-7329, mbiprograms@armc.org Registration for Learning in Retirement Classes (Trumps on Milledge) Classes include “Operating a Computer,” “Economic and Financial Changes” and “The Creek Indian Nation.” Sept. 14, 9:30–11:30 a.m. 706-549-7350, athenslir.org Reiki Clinic (Pangea Herb Shop) De-stress with a 15-minute reiki tune-up. Sept. 12, 1–5 p.m. FREE! 706-549-6007 Swing Dancing (Dancefx) Social swing dancing, with advanced and beginner lessons preceding the fun. Sept. 23, 9 p.m.–12 a.m. $3–$5. www. athensswingnight.com Tae Kwon Do & Jodo Classes (Live Oak Martial Arts) For kids and adults, beginner through advanced. Chase St. Warehouses, next to Canopy and ATHICA. Mondays– Thursdays, 3:30-8:30 p.m. 706-5480077, www.liveoakmartialarts.com Tai Chi in the Park on Talmadge Drive (Mind Body Institute, Athens Regional Medical Center) Reserve a spot. Saturdays, 9:30–10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-4757329, mbiprograms@armc.org Take One: A Fundamental Look at Screenwriting (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) An intro to screenwriting taught by veteran writer Terry Kay, a regional Emmy winner for his teleplay Run Down the Rabbit. Sept. 26 & 27. $150. 706-769-4565, www.ocaf.com Watercolor Classes (The Loft Art Supplies) New six-week session begins Sept. 10. Thursdays, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. $80/6-week session. 706-548-5334, theloftartstore@ aol.com Women’s Self Defense Class (American Black Belt Academy) Bring a friend for this free monthlong course of women’s self defense classes. Thursdays, 5 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1671 Yoga and Tai Chi Classes (Athens Wellness Cooperative) For beginners through experienced. See full calendar online. $14/drop-in, $60/6 classes, $108/12 classes. www.wellnesscooperative.com Yoga Classes (Om Town Yoga, 190 Park Avenue) Ongoing classes with detailed asana instruction. Mondays, 6:15 p.m. Wednesdays, 5:45 p.m. $10/drop-in. www.athens omtownyoga.com Yoga Crawlers (Full Bloom Center) For active babies 8–18 months. Every Tuesday. 10:30 a.m. $14. 706-353-3373, www.fullbloom parent.com Yoshukai Karate (AKF Itto Martial Arts) Learn Yoshukai Karate. www. akfitto.com YWCO Ballroom Dance (YWCO) Learn the basics of ballroom dance. Classes begin Sept. 13, 3 p.m. 706354-7880, www.ywco.org Zumba at the Garden (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves

comprise this dynamic fitness program. Wednesdays, Sept. 9–Oct. 28, 5:30–6:30 p.m. $10/class, $48/session. www.uga.edu/botgarden

HELP OUT! American Red Cross (Red Cross Center, 3525 Atlanta Hwy.) Seeking donors for all blood types. 706-5460681, www.redcrossblood.org Athens Farmers’ Market Volunteers (Bishop Park) Looking for people willing to help out anytime between 6:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on any Saturday through Nov. 14. marketmanager@athens farmersmarket.net Athens Pagan Pride Volunteers (Bishop Park) Now seeking vendors, educators and entertainers for the annual festival on Oct. 24. For more information, contact athenspaganpride@gmail.com, http://athenspaganpride.org AthFest Volunteer Opportunity (Email for Location) The AthFest Education Committee seeks year-round volunteers to assist them in their mission to connect local music to local schools. education@athfest.com Scare Up a Harvest: Help the Hungry (Lyndon House Arts Center) Design scarecrows for a display at the Lyndon House! Proceeds benefit Food 2 Kids program at the Food Bank of Northeast GA. Contact for more information. Sept. 16–Oct. 17, 5 cans of 15 oz ravioli (individual), 15 cans (group), 706-613-3623, www.accleisureservices.com Tailgate Raffle (Athens YMCA) Tailgate4kids is looking for organizations to help with sponsorship and ticket sales in a raffle to send kids to summer camp. 706-613-9098, tailgate4kids@gmail.com.

KIDSTUFF Art Classes (Art School) Eightweek classes for kids and teens begin Sept. 21. Register by Sept. 16. $130 for 8 classes (includes supplies). artschoolstreet@gmail.com, www.artschoolwatkinsville.com Creative Movement (Floorspace) Ongoing class for ages 3–5. Tuesdays, 10 a.m. Wednesdays, 1 p.m. 706-850-5557, www.floorspace athens.com Insectival! (State Botanical Garden) Family festival with discovery stations. Butterfly release at 11 a.m. Sept. 19, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. $3/person, $10 (family max), FREE! ages 2 & under. 706-542-6156 Sweet Pea Club (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Program involves puppet shows, storytelling, learning games, nature crafts and garden explorations. Ages 3–5. Preregistration required. Fridays, Oct. 16–Nov. 6, 9–11 a.m.$14. www.uga. edu/botgarden Yoga Sprouts (Memorial Park) Now registering. Session II: Oct. 20– Dec. 8. Ages 3–6 & 7–12. Tuesdays. $0–$48 (scholarships available). 706-613-3580, yogasprouts@ gmail.com

ON THE STREET Showtime Series (The PerformingArtsCenter) Lineup includes the Hot 8 Brass Band, the Moscow Festival Ballet and KT Sullivan. Tickets on sale now. 706542-4400, www.uga.edu/pac Tickets on Sale (The Classic Center) Singles and season tickets to The Classic Center’s music and event series are available now. 706357-4444, www.classiccenter.com f

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SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

comics

Comics submissions: Please email your comics to comics@flagpole.com or mail copies, not originals, to Flagpole Comics Dept., P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603. You can hand deliver copies to our office at 112 S. Foundry Street. Comics POLICY: Please do not give us original artwork. If we need your original, we will contact you. If you give us your original artwork, we are not responsible for its safety. We retain the right to run any comics we like. Thank you, kindly.

FLAGPOLE.COM â&#x2C6;&#x2122; SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

reality check

Fantasizing about having sex with women does not make a woman homosexual, C. You have already said that you are romantically and physically attracted to men, and that you have never had a crush on or been with a woman. And you enjoy hetero sex. That does not make you a lesbian. Fantasies are just that—fantasies. They are not necessarily meant to be translated into action, nor would acting them out necessarily satisfy you. I think you should just keep on keeping on with men, and if you ever decide you have a crush on a woman, go for it. Until then, don’t overanalyze. You’re not lying to yourself. I’m kind of stumped and need some advice. I have always liked girls without much baggage. For example: no children, crazy ex husband(s), etc. I like children a lot, but usually that means (possibly) a pesky ex will be in the photo. Divorce doesn’t bother me, but usually that means (possibly) a pesky ex will be in the photo. That’s how I look at things. I like this girl I met a lot. We date, go out and have fun together. We enjoy each other’s company. But she has a crazy ex that can’t stay out of her life. Crazy, not threatening. But then again, maybe one day he will be. He is an alcoholic. There are kids, money problems and so on. She’s not looking for a sugar daddy, just a good man this time around. Friends say to get out while I can. Part of me says they’re right. Yet, I feel like it’s love. I like her as a person, head to toe. The kids aren’t a problem, it seems. They accept me. I like them, too. I don’t want to hurt her by dragging her along, then one day dumping her. What do you think, should I stay or should I go? Sincerely, Confused I think you need to have an honest conversation with this woman about your concerns. Tell her that you really like her but that you don’t want to be in the middle of things with her and her ex. If you get along with the kids, then there shouldn’t be any trouble there. Just keep yourself in “Mommy’s friend” mode when

they are around, so you’re not accused of trying to be daddy. Only you can decide if this is worth the trouble, Confused, but if you really like this woman and there is no trouble so far, then maybe you should give it some time and effort. Making a go at something is not “dragging” a person along if you are being honest.

LOWE’S

Does fantasizing about the same sex make a person homosexual? I am just out of a long-term relationship with a man and I have never been with a woman. My generic sexual fantasies have always been about women, though. However, I have never had a crush on a woman, and I almost always have a man that I have a romantic interest in. And I really do enjoy heterosexual sex. So, what does it mean if I fall for guys and am turned on by the thought of girls? Am I a lesbian in denial? I can’t see myself in a relationship with a woman except for casual sex. On the other hand, it feels untruthful to pursue men when I am more turned on by women. Confused

Lexington Rd.

Matters Of The Heart And Loins

FAT DADDY’S Gaines School Rd.

I’ve been with my boyfriend for over a year now and absolutely adore him. He’s broken down any walls I had up, and we can pretty much talk about anything. My problem is shallow as hell, and I don’t even know if I would want to bring it up. I love this man, regardless. So, before I knew him my man was a very big guy. I don’t even recognize him in his old pictures. He decided to change his evil ways and started eating healthier and running everyday. I’m not sure how much he lost, but he can fit into my skinny jeans. I’m really impressed by all his hard work but… (I’m cringing as I type this) he has a lot of extra skin hanging on him. It was a turn off at first, but I’m pretty used to it by now. It makes him look like he has man boobs and a saggy gut, but I know that he is very fit under there. Sometimes, when we’ve gone to the beach/pool with a group, he has left his shirt on. I know he could afford it but maybe he doesn’t care or want to get it taken care of. Maybe he would be embarrassed. Do I keep my mouth shut or gently make a suggestion? I don’t want him to think I’m being super shallow. I’ve dated guys in the past with six packs that were as dumb as a brick or assholes, so it’s not something that has ever been a priority. It’s just more to love in the long run. To Nip or Not This is something that your boyfriend is obviously aware of, TNOT. He isn’t talking about it because he isn’t comfortable with it, and how/if you approach it is up to you, but tread lightly. First, think about why this bothers you. You obviously aren’t turned off by it, so make sure he knows that. Are you concerned because you feel like he’s not comfortable with himself? Make sure that you say that. You have been together for a long time and hopefully you have established some trust. You can ask him about it, but be careful. Don’t bring it up when you’re in bed, or when you’re on your way to a pool party and he’s deciding what to wear. He has to know that you aren’t bothered by it yourself, but that you are concerned about how it affects him. Tell him you love him and you don’t care, but that if it is an issue for him maybe he should consider trying to deal with it. Also consider the fact that you could just keep your mouth shut. He may be relieved to finally talk about it, but he might also get upset. But in a good relationship, you should be able to talk about anything. Good luck. Jyl Inov Got a question for Jyl? Submit your anonymous inquiry via the Reality Check button at www.flagpole.com.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

Real Estate Apartments for Rent 2BR/1BA in Stadium Village. Very private, gated w/ pool, fitness, walk to UGA. $650/ mo. (706) 206-2347. 1BR apt. for $475/mo. 2BR apt. starting at $700/ mo. 3BR apt starting at $1000/mo. All close to campus! Howard Properties (706) 546-0300. 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. Fireplace, dishwasher. Cedar Shoals Rd. Eastside. Rent $525/ mo., $525/dep. Call (706) 769-8781. 3BR/2.5BA Eastside townhome. Spacious & convenient, on bus route. Pets allowed. Incl. W/D. Only $700/mo. Call Aaron (706) 207-2957. Best deal in town! El Dorado 2BR/1BA & studio apts. in Normaltown. Free water, gas, basic cable & wireless Internet. W/D in 2BR units. Dog runs. $420–$675/mo. Joiner & Associates (706) 549-7371. 2BR/2.5BA condo. Along river. Avail. now. HWflrs., W/D, DW, ceiling fans, deck, amenities galore, convenient to everything. $650/mo. Call Matt at (706) 248-9088.

1BR/1BA. Completely furnished apt. Mature student preferred. No smoking, drinking, pets. CHAC. Quiet & safe. $525/ mo. Utils. & cable incl. (706) 549-7590, (706) 296-6957. 1BR/1BA. All electric, water fur nished, nice! On bus line. Single pref. Avail. now! (706) 543-4271. 1BRs starting at $467.50/ mo., 2BRs starting at $506.67/mo., 3BRs starting at $705/mo. Sec. dep. starts at $150. On busline, pet friendly! Walk–in closets, FPs, recycling avail. on site. Call today! (706) 549-6254. Restrictions apply. 1BR/1BA + study/guest rm. Security gates, pool, fitness center, 1 mi. from campus. Excellent condition. Reduced $600/mo. Pets OK. Call Rob (706) 338-4984 or email robwimberly@gmail. com. 2BR duplexes starting at $450/mo. (706) 549-6070. 2BR/1.5BA East Athens Duplex for rent. Fresh paint, W/D, DW, range, fridge, trash & yard service incl. Pets OK. Avail. now! $550/ mo. Toll free (877) 7401514. 205 Little Street. 2BR/1BA. Water, gas, power incl. Near Dwntn. $550/mo. Call Joiner Management (706) 353-6868.

3BR/2.5BA. Incl. W/D & fridge. Great condition. At bus stop on S. Lumpkin. $900/mo. Call (404) 6447983. A Nice 2BR/2BA in great n’hood (ARMC area). Centrally located, convenient t o e v e r y t h i n g . Wa l k i n g n’hood. HWflrs., lots of light, big front yd. W/D. $700/mo + sec. dep. 1 yr. lease. Small pet negotiable w/ pet dep. N/S. 132 Sunset Terrace. Call (706) 850-5530. Basement apt. 5 Pts/ Glenwood. Kitchen, BA, lg. entry hall, carpeted BR/ sitting rm. w/ lg. closet. No pets. NS. $450/mo. & deposit. Utils incl. (706) 5438821. Borders! Print section of the Classifieds. Pictures! Check them out on the Flagpole website. N e w Categories! And still the lowest rates in town! All coming soon. Place your ad at www.flagpole.com. Cedar Shoals Dr. 5BR/4BA. Lg. rms, W/D incl., quiet n’hood. $1000/mo. + dep. (706) 742-8555. Move–in special. Westside 2BR/2BA, $475/mo. Eastside 2BR/1BA, $475/mo. (706) 255-0385. Quiet duplex apt. 1BR/1BA E a s t s i d e . L g . p r i v. l o t . Convenient location. Ideal for grad student. $375/mo. (770) 725-2758. White Columns Hall. 1 B R / 1 B A , 1 b l o c k f ro m Dwntn. Water, gas, incl., laundry onsite. $465/mo. Call Joiner Management (706) 353-6868. Available Now and Pre-Leasing for Fall 1-Year-Old

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Westside condos. 2BR/2BA, $600/mo. 3BR/2BA, $700/mo. Converted clubhouse into a huge open flr. plan. 4BR/2.5BA, $1200/mo. 5 Pts. 2BR/2.5BA. lv. r m w/ FP. Cor ner lot. $700/mo. Eastside quadraplex 2BR/2BA, $525/mo. 2BR/1BA, $490/mo. Call McWaters Realty, (706) 549-3222, (706) 353-2700 or cell (706) 540-1529.

Apartments for Sale Condo. 2BR/2BA. Near campus/busline. Community pool, low assoc. fees. W/D, F P, H VA C , c e i l i n g f a n s , private patio, new paint, move–in ready. $96K. (706) 546-0290, (706) 296-3313. FSBO. 1BR studio condo. Broad St., Athens. HWflrs, appls incl. Private & secure. $94,900. (706) 474-1101.

Commercial Property Athens Executive Suites. Offices avail. in historic Dwntn bldg. w/ on–site parking. All utils., Internet, & janitorial incl. Single or multiple offices avail. Call Stacy (706) 425-4048 or (706) 2961863. Retail Suites for lease at Homewood Vi l l a g e . 1K – 12, 500 s q . ft. avail. For more info call Bryan Austin at (706) 3 5 3 - 1 0 3 9 o r v i s i t w w w. sumnerproperties.net.

Amazing Office Spaces for lease above Dwntn Five Guys restaurant. No better location! Call Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty (706) 372-4166, or (706) 543-4000. Eastside offices for lease. 1060 Gaines School Rd. 170 sq. ft., $375/mo., 500 sq. ft., $625/mo., 1200 sq. ft., $1200/mo. (706) 546-1615 or athenstownproperties.com. Paint Artist Studio for re nt. 3 00 s q. ft., $1 50/ mo. 400 sq. ft., $200/ mo. 160 Tracy St. Historic B o u l e v a rd A re a , A r t i s t / Crafts C o m m u n i t y. (706) 546-1615 or www. athenstownproperties.com. Westside office space for lease. Call owner for info. at (706) 552-0450 or (706) 2065105.

Houses for Rent Affordable housing. Houses, condos, A-frame all $550/mo. or less. Various locations. Excellent cond. Cats permitted w/ dep. Call (706) 202-0147, (706) 5496070.

3BR/3BA, 145 Mell St. 5 Pts. 2 blocks to UGA, $500/BR. Free utilities. CHAC, W/D, DW, wood flrs. hathawayproperties@gmail. com, (706) 714-4486. 3BR/2BA house. Cedar creek subdivision. Fenced backyd., gas grill attached to sundeck, F P, w o o d e d l o t . Q u i e t family n’hood. Swimming community. 360 Sandstone Dr. Avail. 7/1. $1025/mo. + dep. (706) 319-1846 or (706) 548-4819. GA. R, E, lic. 300830. 3BR/1.5BA attractive brick h o u s e C H A C , D W, W / D hookup, carport, yd. service incl. $650/mo. Call (706) 5485869. First mo. rent free! Close to Dwntn. New 4BR/3.5BA houses. 2 master BR’s & 2 private BA’s within house. New appls. Pets welcome. $1100/mo. Call (706) 5401257. 3BR/1BA attractive brick house in quiet residential n’hood. Nice condition. CHAC, DW, W/D, & carport. $750/mo. Call (706) 5485869.

3 BRs . 1 8 0 O ’ F a r r e l l , C h e c k o u t t h e s e g re a t houses in the heart of 5 Pts. Online at boulevard propertymanagement. com or call (706) 5489797.

$800/mo. 4BR cool houses. Wa l k t o U G A & t o w n . Renovated, lg. farmhouse. Also avail. newer 2–story, 4.5BA, $900/mo. Charming character. CHAC, W/D, DW. Avail. now. (706) 215-4496.

$1050/mo. 3BR/2BA house in country. 9 mi. from Dwntn. W/D hookup, DW, FP. Call (706) 540-8461.

$600/mo., $500/dep. 3BR/1.5BA A–frame cottage. 180 Nowhere Rd. Athens. (770) 715-6168. Pets w/ extra dep. W/D, refrigerator.

Duplex for rent. 2BR/1.5BA. Jolly Lane in Sleepy Hollow Subdivision. Near UGA, Memorial Park & Birchmore Trail. W/D, DW, CHAC, FP. $675/mo. Call April (706) 549-5006, go to www. athenscondosales.com. Athens & near Campus! 597 Dearing St.off Milledge. 4BR/2BA, $1495/mo. 105 Whitehall Rd., 2BR/1BA, $675/ mo.All w/ HWflrs., no carpet. (706) 546-7946, Flowersnancy@bellsouth. net. See virtual tours www.nancyflowers.com.

$750/mo. Blocks to Campus. 4BR/2BA. Tall ceilings, central air, DW, W/D conn., sunroom, pets allowed. 231 Elizabeth St. Owner/Agent. Call Mike (706) 207-7400. 1BR/1BA studio condo. Broad St. & UGA. HWflrs, appls incl. Private & secure. $600/mo. (706) 474-1101. 145 Mell St. 3BR/3BA, 5 Pts., 2 blocks to UGA, $500/BR. Free utilities. C H A C , W / D , D W, w o o d flrs. hathawayproperties@ gmail.com, (706) 7144486. 2BR/1BA, 151 Marlin St. off North Ave. Split level duplex. 4 blocks from Dwntn, recently renovated. New kitchen, W/D, bamboo flrs., CHAC, fenced yd. $675/mo. Dave (706) 2019222.

3BR/2.5BA Lexington Estates, Eastside. 6 mi. to UGA. WD, DW, CHAC. 2–car garage & extra pad. Open plan. Master BA w/ dual vanities & sep. shower. Lg. closets, porch & deck. Lg. lot. Low utils. Quiet. $1000/mo., w/ dep. & ref. Call (404) 4024921. 3BR/2BA house w/ fireplace & fenced yd. In a nice subdivision in West Athens. Call (706) 549-7371. Joiner & Associates Realtors. 3BR/2BA renovated Victorian. Price reduced. 1/2 mi. to UGA. Lg. rms., high ceilings. HWflrs, front porch back deck. Nice yd. lots of parking. W/D, DW, CHAC. Pets OK. $1000/mo. (706) 369-2908. 3BR/2BA + study/office. HWflrs., CHAC, DW, W/D, fenced yd. Pet friendly. Close to Dwntn & Riverwalk. $765/ mo. Flexible lease. (646) 2475646. 3BR/3BA. Modern style houses. New construction! Only 1 mi. from Dwntn. Concrete & bamboo flring throughout. Energy efficient, unique materials. Over 1400 sq. ft. Awesome opportunity to live in a brand new custom house by local design/ build firm. (706) 425-9626 w/ any questions or to see houseplans. 3BR/2BA renovated home 1 street mi. from Dwntn in Chicopee–Dudley. $725/ mo. Big yd., pest control, yd. maintenance incl. Photos & info www.1596eastbroad. blogspot.com, (706) 2550659. 3BR/2BA historic home near Dwntn, off Pulaski. Brand new renovations, energy efficient w/ lg. rooms & HWflrs., laundry. Very clean/ nice. $900/mo. Avail. now. (706) 614-3557. 3BR/2BA w/ basement. Fenced backyd., carport. All electric. W/D. 1 mi. from Dwntn. $900/mo. 145 Conrad Dr. Call Brian (706) 613-7242.

4 B R / 2 B A . New appls., W/D, new CHAC, clean, nice yd. 260 Timothy Rd. $900/ mo. Call (706) 340-3435. 5 Pts. area. 3BR/2BA house. CHAC, DW, laundry room w/ W/D, back deck, carport. Call (706) 255-0066. 640 Ta l l a s s e e Rd.2BR/1BA home for rent, $600/mo. in a private setting. Just west of loop 10 on Tallassee Rd. Wood bur ning FP & “rocking c h a i r ” s i z e f ro n t p o rc h . CHAC, DW, & W/D conn. Yo u r p e t p ro b a b l y O K . Call Bill at Thornton Realty & Construction (706) 3537700. Available now! Newly renovated. Close to Dwntn, 3BR/1BA apt. in house, HWflrs, tile BA & kitchen. W/D, DW, CHAC. $750/mo. Call (706) 769-4779 or (706) 207-2001. Avail. now! 3–5BR cottages. Close to campus & Dwntn! HWflrs, W/D, micros. $350–$485/BR. Call (706) 543-1910 or email becky@ landmarkathens.com. Brand new 3BR/2.5BA houses w/ HWflrs., granite countertops. Walk to Dwntn. Avail. now! $1200. 706-7130626. Cute 2BR/1BA. All electric, CHAC, W/D, nice yd. $600/ mo. + dep. Call Mark (706) 202-5110. C l e a n 3 B R / 2 B A . Nice house in quiet n’hood on Eastside. Only 3 mi to Dwntn/campus. Avail. now! Great house! All appls incl. (706) 713-0626. Cute house on 1.6 acres. 3 rooms, kitchen & BA. 1/2 mi. from Athens Tech. 340 Calhoun Dr. $500/mo. or $69K. Call David (706) 247-1398.

For Sale or Rent. 3BR/1BA in 5 Pts. 176 H a b e r s h a m D r. A v a i l . now! Pets OK. W/D & CHAC incl. $139,900 or $900/mo. Call Talley Toro (706) 424-2695 or Calvin (912) 399-4057. First month free. Walk to campus! 2 & 3BRs from $625/mo. W/D, D W, p r i v. d e c k , p e t s welcome. Mention this ad & pay no pet fee! ( 7 0 6 ) 5 4 8 - 2 5 2 2 , w w w. dovetailmanagement. com. Lg. 3BR/2BA newly renov at ed his t or ic home. N ew k it chen, B A , H VA C , W / D , D W. H W f lr s , w r ap– around porch. Les s t han 1/ 2 mi. f rom D w nt n. Pet s welcome. $1000/mo. ( 706) 247- 6469. Northside 2BR/1BA, lg. lot, $600/mo. Hospital area Fenced–in yd. Avail. June. $800/ mo.Five Points 2 B R / 2 . 5 B A , l v. r m . w / FP, cor ner lot, $700/mo. Eastside 3BR/2BA. Lg. yd., on dead–end street. $1100/mo. 4BR/2BA w/ lg. yd. $1300/mo. 2 or 3BR/1BA w/ screened front porch, $800/mo. C e d a r C re e k 4BR/2BA $1100/mo. Oconee County 3BR/2BA. Lv. rm. w / F P, d i n . r m . , d o u b l e garage, $1100/mo. Call McWaters Realty, (706) 549-3222, (706) 353-2700, (706) 5401529. Normaltown/ARMC. 180 Willow Run. Very nice 3 B R / 1 B A . H W f l r s , D W, W/D, CHAC. Lg. fenced backyd. Pets OK w/ dep. (404) 210-7145.

Own your own rental property!139 & 143 Strickland Ave. 4BR/3BA on each side of duplex. Each side for rent at $1200/mo. Entire duplex for sale $359,800. Call Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty (706) 372-4166, or (706) 5434000. Spacious 2BR/2.5BA Sleepy Hollow Townhouse near Memorial Park, wooded trails. CHAC, DW, W / D , d e c k , p e t f r i e n d l y. Avail. immediately. $750/ mo. (678) 777-6979.

Houses for Sale 3BR/2BA countr y house. 9 m i . f r o m D w n t n . F P. $138,000. (706) 540-8461. 115 Hight Drive. $134,900. 3BR/1.5BA. Completely Renovated Oconee Co. home in Cedar Hills Subdivison b e h i n d A s h f o r d M a n o r. Call Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty (706) 543-4000, or (706) 372-4166. 2BR/1.5BA Condo W/D, DW, CHAC, landscaped. To t a l l y r e m o d e l e d t o p to bottom! Must see! $51,000. Affordable living. 307 Chalfont Drive. Call (770) 9121577. Downtown. Beautiful new construction. Key West–style home on hidden street next to Dwntn. Lush tranquil setting! 140 Hendrix. Photos at www. fullcircleathens.com. Michael Littleton (706) 255-8600.

F u l l re n o v a t i o n ! F i r s t St. millhouse. 1200 sq. ft. Big yd. 2BR/1BA. Tile & wood floors. 10 ft. ceilings. Metal roof. Custom kitchen–bathroom. $ 1 7 9 K . C a l l D re w ( 7 0 6 ) 202-2712. In–town historic style cottages w/ 3 acres greenspace. Green bldg. practices. Homes can be customized. $150K to low $200K. Michael Littleton (706) 255-8600 or visit www.fullcircleathens.com. Romantic 1918 Victorian & historic 2–story guest cottage on 8 private a c re s . E x c e l l e n t p e r i o d restoration! Must s e e p h o t o s a t w w w. fullcircleathens.com or Michael Littleton (706) 255-8600. Lovely for sale by owner 3BR/2.5BA on large lot in quiet Lexington Estates on Eastside. Only 6+ mi. to campus. Open plan w/ FP, 2–car garage. Country porch & rear deck. Private re a r. Ta k e a d v a n t a g e o f 1st time buyers tax credit. Parents w/ students may qualify. Agents welcome. Please call Grace (404) 402-4921.

Land for Sale Houses & Lots. Dwntn., 2BR/1BA House on corner lot. 2 lots w/ city sewer adjacent to the house. House currently cash flows $600/mo. Great starter home & investment o p p o r t u n i t y. $ 1 6 2 , 9 0 0 . For more info. call Jamie (706) 215-7078.

Roommates Room avail. for student roommate to share 3BR/1BA behind ARMC. W/D, CHAC, HWflrs., renovated house, fenced-in backyd. Pets w/ dep. $300/mo. + 1/3 utils. (404) 713-0655. Female roommate wanted for 2BR/2.5BA 2 n d f l r. a p t . F u r n i s h e d except for private bed & bath. Great location on S. Milledge busline! $390/mo + 1/2 utils.! No deposit! Email Rebecca at becca747@ uga.edu. M/F Grad student/ professional. 2BR/1BA. $325/mo. + 1/2 utils. Quiet n’hood. 5 Pts. Walk to campus/bus line. HWflrs, W/D, CHAC, DSL, med dog. Email thedobhran@ hotmail.com. Room for rent in Bridgewater Sub. $460/ mo. per person. All utils & cable/Internet/ alarm sys. incl. Female needed ASAP! Lg. rm. w/ walk–in closet. (678) 488-3884.

Rooms for Rent Spacious, furnished BR. Quiet, close to campus, kitchen, laundry privileges. Shared BA, priv. entrance. No pets. M students only. $275/mo. incl. utils. ( 7 0 6 ) 3 5 3 - 0 2 2 7 . Av a i l . immediately!

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Five mins. from campus, Dwntn, 3BR/1BA home. CHAC, WD, N/S, fenced backyd., oak flrs. $775/mo., (706) 338-1859. Email bro@ athens.net.

3BR/2BA. 525 McWhorter, Five Points. HWflrs., tile BAs, FP, eat–in kitchen, study, master BR/BA w/ jacuzzi, bonus space/ playroom. Barrow elementar y. Call (706) 548-9797, boulevard propertymanagement. com. 4BR/2.5BA beautiful plantation house on 3 acres. High ceilings, HWflrs., lg. kitchen & rooms w/ a country setting. Front porch, screen porch & rear sunroom. Pets welcome. 3–sided fence. 990 Double Bridges Rd. Avail. now! $1200/mo. + dep. (706) 319-1846, or (706) 548-4819. GA. R, E, lic. 300830.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

For Sale Businesses Cheap restaurant/bar/pool room for sale. 243–A N. Broad St., Winder, GA 30680. (678) 963-0794 or (678) 5228891. Ask for Doug, if he is not avail., pls. lv. a msg! Full bar, full kitchen, 7 top of the line pool tables. Business is up & running. This ad will do the business no justice, you really need to come out & see the place. It’s great! We are selling & selling cheap due to death & now sickness in the family. We are asking $55K cash up front for everything! To see more about our daily activities (to get an idea of the business), go to www.myspace.com/ wewanttomeetyou. Thank you!

Computers Brand new laptops & desktops. Bad credit, no credit, no problem. Small wkly payments. Order today & get free Nintendo Wii game system! Call now (800) 8405439 (AAN CAN).

Furniture Ta b l e s , c h a i r s , s o f a s , antiques, clothes, records & players, retro goods, & more! Cool, affordable furniture every day. Go to Agora! Your favorite everything store! 260 W. Clayton St., (706) 3160130. Flagpole Classifieds! $9/ wk. for your merchandise, $13/wk. for your house, $15/ wk. for your business! Go to www.flagpole.com or call (706) 549-0301. Deadlines every Monday at 11am. Gently used fur niture at AthensGaFurniture. com. Sofas $100+, dining tables $50, bed sets $50, desks $20, loveseats $75+, chairs, accent tables, & much more. (706) 340-3969. Pillowtop Queen Mattress set. Never used. Still in factory plastic. $260. Full size mattress set. Never used. Still in factory plastic. $160. (706) 769-1959. Delivery avail.

Miscellaneous Come to Betty for vintage quilted Chanel bags, just in for Fall! On the corner of Pulaski & Clayton, next to Agora. Open 1–4 daily. (706) 424-0566. L e a v i n g t o w n ? D o n ’t know how to get your weekly Flagpole fix? Subscribe! $35 for 6 months, $55 for a yr.! Call (706) 549-9523.

Baby piano $8500. Pop-Up camper $3200. Canoe $ 3 5 0 . N o rd i c F l e x $ 2 2 5 . G a z e l l e $ 3 0 0 . To t a l G y m $300. Ping Pong table $25. Va n $ 2 5 0 0 . C o n v e r t i b l e $5900. Call (706) 850-1909. Muscadine, Scuppernong grapes ready at the Vi n e y a rd . 8 m i . e a s t o f Lexington on Highway 78. Open 7 days. Also local produce, boiled peanuts, blueberries & more.

Music Equipment Roland TD–10 V Drums. $1400, price negotiable. Comes w/ extras: sound proofing tiles, drumming DVDs, teaching workbooks. Contact (706) 202-7316 or email redhubcap@gmail. com.

Instruction Athens School of Music. Instruction in G u i t a r, B a s s , D r u m s , P i a n o , Vo i c e , B r a s s , Woodwinds, Strings, Banjo, Mandolin, Fiddle, & more. From beginner to expert. Instrument repairs avail. (706) 543-5800. Guitar lessons taught by UGA Doct ora l guit ar i n s t r u c t o r. A l l s t y l e s . 18 yrs. exp. Students have won several guitar competitions. 1st lesson free. Composition/theor y & bass lessons too. David Mitchell, (706) 546-7082 or www.mitchellmusicguitar. com. Piano Lessons: All levels welcome. Taught on large artist concert grand piano in upscale Athens n’hood near UGA. Excellent teacher w/ Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance with Honors. Discounts for UGA students & families. Call (706) 5490707 or email shane_ aldredge@bellsouth.net.

Music Services Guitar Repair, setups, electronics & fretwork by 20 yr. pro. Thousands of previous clients. Proceeds help benefit Nuçi’s Space. Contact Jeff, (404) 643-9772 or www.AthensGuitar.com for details. Fret Shop. Professional guitar repairs & modifications, setups, electronics, precision fretwork. Previous clients incl. R.E.M., Widespread Panic, Cracker, Bob Mould, John Berry, Abbey Road Live!, Squat. (706) 5491567.

Looking for a fun, classy alternative to the typical wedding band? If you are looking for “YMCA” then Squatis not your band. If you want Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, & salsa, then v i s i t w w w. s q u a t m e . com/weddings. (706) 548-0457. Wedding Bands. Quality, professional bands. Weddings, parties. Rock, Jazz, etc. Call Classic City Entertainment. ( 7 0 6 ) 5 4 9 - 1 5 6 7 . w w w. classiccityenter tainment. com. Featuring The Magictones—Athens’ premiere wedding & party band. www.themagictones. com.

Musicians Wanted Folk guitar, singer–songwriter seeking bass or stand–up bass & percussion. (678) 988-5310.

Legal Services Buried in credit card debt? We can get you out of debt in months instead of yrs. America’s only truly attor ney driven program. Free no obligation consultation. (877) 4586408 (AAN CAN).

Misc. Services Sewing Lessons. Learn h o w t o c re a t e b e a u t i f u l things from a NYC fashion Grad. Any age, also specialize in corsets. Call (917) 687-2678 or Jenni0546@excite.com.

Sports Martial Arts. Ladies Kickboxing, Kenpo Karate, Kali, Silat, Muay Thai, Tue. & Thu., 6pm–8pm. 4th Degree Black Belt. Call Steve (706) 410-0951, or email steve@ karatefire.com.

Tutors

M a r k e t i n g Communication Specialist. Join an est. Athens company calling CEO’s & CFO’s of major c o rp o ra ti o n s g e n e ra ti n g sales leads for technology c o m p a n i e s . $ 9 / h r. B O S Staffing www.bostemps.com, (706) 353-3030. Sexy Suz Adult Emporium now hiring 21+ retail positions. Retail experience pref ’d. Email resume/photo to sexysuz@comcast.net. No calls pls. 50 Gaines School Rd. TSAV is looking for an IT specialist w/ expertise in Linux-based VOIP, Windows network administration, Exchange, Small Business S e r v e r, M S S h a re P o i n t . Salaried position w/ health insurance, paid vacation, 401(k) matching. Call (706) 613-8759 for details or email resume to cristinepilgrim@ tsav.com.

Are you a talented musician looking to form (or join) a band? Advertise your skills in the “Musicians Wanted” section of the Flagpole Classifieds. Only $9 for 1 week!

Tutoring for kids still learning English in after–school settings. All volunteers w e l c o m e . S e e C L A S E ’s website, www.coe.uga.edu/ clase/tutoring, for more info.

Services

Jobs

NEED A JOB? Full-Time and Part-Time opportunities are listed weekly in the Flagpole Classifieds.

Health

Full-time

Opportunities

Pregnant? Considering adoption? Talk w/ caring agency specializing in matching birthmothers w/ families nationwide. Living expenses paid. C a l l 2 4 / 7 . A b b y ’s O n e True Gift Adoptions (866) 413-6293 (AAN CAN).

Dental Office Person needed for busy Athens practice. Ability to Multitask a must. Mon–Fri. Following on–the–job training, the right person will primarily perform dental assisting but also be asked to perform front office duties. Bachelors degree and min 3.5 G PA p r e f e r r e d . M u s t provide work references showing long-term employment per job. Computer literate. Great oppor tunity for a great employee. $15/hr. during training phase. Employer contributes 100% to retirement plan. Apply at DentalAthens@gmail.com.

Bodyguards wanted. Free training for members. No experience OK. Excellent $. Full & part time. Expenses paid when you travel. (615) 228-1701, www.psubodyguards.com (AAN CAN).

FLA GPOLE B U S I N E S S / SERVICE CLASSIFIED A D R AT E S : A d v e r t i s e your business or service in the Flagpole Classifieds for $15/ wk or $45/mo. 15% Discount for ad runs exceeding 8 weeks. Call Paul at 706-5490301.

Home and Garden Backyard Solutions. Make your neighbors jealous! Waterfalls, ponds, fences, decks, gazebos, porches, & more! Call Robin for free estimate! (706) 3404492. Hardman General Contractors. Major renovations & Major additions. Completely I n s u r e d . M a n y references, Quality work for Commercial & Residential. For more info call Comus Hardman (404) 790-6996.

Award–winning Republic Salon seeks stylist(s) to j o i n o u r c re a t i v e t a l e n t . Offering competitive commissions, full benefits incl. paid vacation. Drop off resume at 312 E. Broad St., 3rd flr. Hardcore Sales Reps Needed. Hourly + commission. PT & FT positions avail. I need the best & forget the rest! Call Chris (770) 560-5653. Head chef/kitchen manager at Donderos’ Kitchen. Must be organized & efficient. Morning & afternoon hrs, some weekends. Call (706) 389-7955.

Use a logo, graphic or border in your classified ad with Classified Display Advertising!!! Call 706-5490301 for more information.

Now hiring! Companies desperately need employees to assemble products at home. No selling, any hours. $500/ wk. potential. Info at (985) 646-1700 dept. GA–3058. Brand new laptops & desktops. Bad credit, no credit, no problem. Small wkly payments. Order today & get free Nintendo Wii game system! Call now (800) 816-2232 (AAN CAN). Does your daughter have symptoms of bulimia ner vosa? Has your daughter injured herself on purpose? Researchers at the University of Georgia Psychology Clinic are c o n d u c t i n g a t re a t m e n t study for teens w/ symptoms of bulimia nervosa & deliberate self harm. Open to teenage girls age 16–18. For more info email the UGA Eating, Drinking, & Personality Research lab at bnstudy@ uga.edu, or call (706) 5423827. Earn $40! UGA researchers looking for F age 18 & older who purge at least twice/mo. to participate in a 1–visit research study. Contact bnstudy@uga. edu.

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

Earn extra income assembling CD cases from home. No experience necessary. Call our live operators now. (800) 405-7619 ext. 2450. http:// www.easywork-greatpay.com (AAN CAN). High School diploma! Fast, affordable & accredited. Free brochure. Call now! (800) 532-6546 ext. 97. Go to http:// www.continentalacademy. com (AAN CAN).

Part-time Mystery shoppers e a r n u p t o $ 1 0 0 / d a y. Undercover shoppers needed to judge retail & dining establishments. No exp. req’d. (800) 7438535.

Vehicles Autos 1985 MB 300D, 268, XXX miles. Bombproof. Daily driver. PW/Pl/sunroof. Run anything combustible. New Greasecar kit, w/ 13-gallon tank. Free WVO everywhere! $2750 neg. (706) 621-0135. Van for Band. 1997 Astro Cargo, 80,845 mi., safety cage, cruise, tilt wheel, cold air, automatic, new paint, uses gas or propane. $3200. John (706) 614-0306.

Motorcycles 2007 Harley Davidson Fatboy Softtail. Perfect condition. Adult owned. Crisis-low price $4300! Email ddt174@gmail. com or call (770) 818-5489.

Notices Messages L e a v i n g t o w n ? D o n ’t know how to get your weekly Flagpole fix? Subscribe! $35 for 6 months, $55 for a yr.! Call (706) 549-9523. Lose your puppy? Need a date? Want to find that guy you saw at the bar last weekend? Place your ad here. Get Well Soon, Ort! G a i n n a t i o n a l e x p o s u re . Reach over 5 million young, active, educated readers for only $995 by advertising in 110 weekly newspapers like this one. Call Jason (202) 289-8484 (AAN CAN).

Organizations Adver tise your business in 111 alternative newspapers like this one. Over 6 million circulation ever y wk. for $1200. No adult ads. Call Rick at (202) 289-8484 (AAN CAN).

Personals Friendly, attractive 43 yr. old white male seeks male 25-45 yrs. old for tennis, friendship, & road trips. If interested pls. call (478) 451-7381.

everyday people Susan Clay, Serials Associate, UGA Law Library After two and a half decades in the nation’s capital, Susan Clay is back in Athens, where she earned her BFA at the University of Georgia. In D.C. Susan immersed herself in the art world, working at the library of the National Gallery during the day and plugging away at her own canvases at night. Turns out that the first half of her days in D.C. were more indicative of her future: the art world didn’t provide enough income for her, and it turns out she enjoys library work. Originally from Jasper, FL, Susan cannot technically be called a librarian yet, but she’s currently working on her masters degree to change that.

FP: But you’re not going all the way down to Florida for them. SC: No. I hate Florida. [laughs]

FP: You told me that your father was in the Navy. How was that experience for you as a child? SC: I loved it. But it makes me feel like I don’t have a home… but I’m at that point in my life where I don’t care if I have a home. Like, wherever I stick my butt is my home. My sister is funny, because she reacted the opposite—I have just

Charles-Ryan Barber

Flagpole: What made you leave D.C. to come down here? Susan Clay: My parents live in North Florida and they’re both getting older, and I just felt like I was too far away.

that—I think that they’re sort of striving for that now… When I first came to the Law School I was walking through and [at] the Law Library the decibel level was gigantic. People were sitting on tables, talking to each other… it’s where law students meet; it’s their big meeting place now.

FP: Your bread and butter is art—painting, right? SC: Well, I’d love for it to be, but it never worked out for me. I sort of beat that horse in D.C. for about 12 years, and I found myself doing nothing but going to work during the day and coming home and painting for hours, till I went to bed basically. And I got in galleries, and I got shows, and I got written up, and I sold work, but it was never enough to leave a career for.

PERRY’S COUNTRY CONVENIENCE BEER • GAS • LOTTO • U-HAUL

FP: So, you were constantly busy, all the time, for 12 years. SC: Constantly. Go to work, come home, eat a quick dinner, and just start painting. All I did was paint paint paint… there was really no other time to do anything. There wasn’t much socializing; there wasn’t much of anything, really. But you can have some pretty nice paintings when you really apply your mind and your time to it.

PERRY’S #1 • 1195 Cedar Shoals Rd. • 706-353-0057 PERRY’S #2 • 4390 Lexington Rd. • 706-546-7988 Across from Super Wal-Mart • UHaul 706-353-0630

FP: There was no way to make painting work financially for you? SC: No. I was selling my paintings for almost nothing… if it takes you three or four weeks to make a painting, and you’re selling it for three, four hundred dollars, then you can’t make a living at that. It’s almost nothing when you extrapolate it over a year. FP: Let’s say that when you were an aspiring painter back then, America had a universal health care system. Do you think you might have been able to make painting as a career work under those circumstances? SC: Absolutely… ’cause I was afraid to not have health insurance, you know? My parents drilled it into me that if you have an accident, you can go broke. Which I guess you can. So, I always had good health insurance working for the federal government, but… like when I was here doing my massage, my insurance was $450 a month, and that was with a five thousand dollar deductible! If you have national health care, then why do you need to make x dollars a month? You can get by on half that, or a third of that. FP: So, do you enjoy working at the law library, considering that you’re not dealing with art anymore? SC: Oh yeah… Because I really enjoy library work. So, it doesn’t really matter what the subject matter is, the same principles apply. FP: Do you ever get bored at work? SC: No. There’s always something to look for; there’s always a problem; there’s always something that needs tweaking or solving or looking into, and it’s very fulfilling to find those little problems and fix them. FP: What do you think the library of the future will look like? SC: I think there’s a big push for libraries to become a communal meeting ground. It used to be where you’d walk in and everything’s real quiet… now it’s not so much like that because… people don’t go to the library to find things anymore. People think they can find it on their own or just Google it or whatever… but the library as a meeting place, like a public library that has film, or music, or something like

one sibling, and she wanted to root herself. And so she married a guy from near our hometown and has lived there for her entire life; raised two kids and everything. FP: What kind of food do you enjoy? SC: I love to eat fresh food right from the garden… I love chocolate. I eat chocolate every single day, and I have for as many years as I can remember. I can’t actually get through a day without eating some chocolate. Dark chocolate. FP: Tell me something interesting about yourself that no one would ever guess by looking at you. SC: I can ride a unicycle… I can ride your bike backwards, too. My dad taught me to do that when I was really young, you know these sort of useless skills like juggling and riding bikes backwards and stuff like that. FP: Do you have any pet peeves? SC: Actually my biggest pet peeve is the term “pet peeves.” Because to me a peeve is a singular thing. I have this peeve or that peeve. But I have a pet peeve. So, to me there’s no such thing as pet peeves, because only one is your pet. FP: That makes perfect sense. Did I actually say “pet peeves?” SC: Yeah, I think you did. FP: Wow, that’s embarrassing. Jeff Gore

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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