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COLORBEARER OF ATHENS DECORATING AND WRAPPING

LOCALLY OWNED SINCE 1987

Holiday Guide!

Lots of Good Stuff to Do and Buy and Enjoy p. 10

DECEMBER 9, 2009 · VOL. 23 · NO. 49 · FREE

BP Helium

Of Montreal Guitarist Resurrects His Side Project p. 25

Sarah = Huey? p. 8 · Hot Enough? p. 9 · Miscellany p. 16 · Face/Off p. 26 · The Dream Scene p. 33

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

pub notes Athens Influences An Athens Life Phyllis Jenkins Barrow was buried last week after a long life filled with accomplishments few remember but affecting us all. “Big Phyllis” (to distinguish her from her daughter, “Little Phyllis,” now Phyllis Barrow Nelson) was a formidable friend to Athens and to the University of Georgia and to her family.

She did things. She got involved. She chose to take the outside path to influencing her community for the better, and it was indeed her community, because her family has been here so long that she could lay claims on the Church-Brumby House, our oldest, now our welcome center.

Phyllis had the bona fides to be a society matron, but she was afflicted with a conscience that drove her to champion people who lacked her status. She knew how to use influence and to leverage political strength, and she became an advocate for women and for African-Americans at a time when such activities made one suspect. The progressive political climate that generally prevails in Athens was helped along meeting by meeting, vote by vote, conversation by conversation over many years by the likes of Phyllis Barrow and allies like her husband, Judge James Barrow and her friend, Sen. Paul Broun.

They dared to be moderate, when a moderate was the same thing as a liberal. They put into action their church’s admonition to love thy neighbor, and they accepted with equanimity whatever ostracism that occasioned. Phyllis was tough. She wasn’t afraid of anybody, and she was strong enough to take on the opposition without stooping to hate. She could give as good as she got without ever losing her firm smile and twinkling eye. Athens is a far better place because of Phyllis Jenkins Barrow and all those living and dead who along with her have accepted the responsibility for improving our town for the benefit of all its citizens.

A Lively Athenian I ran into Charlie Burch the other evening at Town & Gown and almost told him, “You made me what I am today.” I didn’t, though, because I wasn’t sure he would take it as a compliment. In the early days of the Athens Observer, that other journalistic enterprise with which I was associated, Charlie somehow became our banker, probably because First National, now Suntrust, was up at the corner, the closest bank to our old loft of an office, therefore by default where we kept our chancy checking account.

The first time Chuck Searcy and I wandered into Charlie’s office hoping for a loan he professed never to have heard of our newspaper. We were not surprised, because to us Charlie appeared the very model of the stern banker, in his dark suit and shined shoes, ensconced behind a polished desk with nothing on its surface save our thrown-together attempt at a financial statement.

What we couldn’t see at the time was that Charlie was the model of the hometown banker, and that he was looking not at our statement but at us, assessing us and seeing two guys serious about their undertaking and worth risking his bank’s money. There was nothing in what he saw that would show up in a computer. If he had needed to send our meager information to Atlanta or to Charlotte for approval, that would have been the end of it. But Charlie could make his decisions on the spot, and he decided to back us and continued to help us expand as our business grew. He always kidded us and looked askance at our homemade, too liberal newspaper, but he helped us succeed as a business, because he was right there on the corner, close enough to see through the numbers to the people who made them up.

Athens Alive!

Take the pledge (see back page) to spend at least $100 of your holiday shopping with a local Athens business. That’s not much to ask, and it doesn’t mean you’re not shopping at big box stores or online. It just means that as you go about spending the money you need to spend, you remember all the bargains and one-of-a-kind and locally made things available from hometown merchants. As a matter of fact, shopping locally is a good idea all year long. Shop your Ath off!

Pete McCommons editor@flagpole.com

THIS WEEK’S ISSUE: NEWS & FEATURES Whole Lot of Huey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 An Eerie Resemblance

There are startling parallels between Gov. Sarah Palin and Gov. Huey Long of Louisiana back in the ‘30s.

What Do You Believe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The World Fiddles

Will Copenhagen prove that climate change is going to snuff us all?

ARTS & EVENTS Holiday Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 A Handy Shopping Reference

Local businesses strut their stuff just in time for the holiday season.

Miscellany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

COVER DESIGN by Kelly Ruberto

Christmas Cheer

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Miss Elaine E. takes a look at the holidays through the bottom of an eggnog glass.

MUSIC Face/Off Returns, Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Musical Grab Bag

Sixty-six local musicians randomly assembled into trios will play for 10 minutes with a two-song limit.

Upstart Roundup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Who’s New?

Four more bands grab the spotlight on their efforts to get going in Athens.

LETTERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 CITY DOPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 CITY PAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 CAPITOL IMPACT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 ATHENS RISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 HUEY & SARAH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 COMMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 HOLIDAY GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 MISCELLANY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 GRUB NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 THE READER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 MOVIE DOPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 MOVIE PICK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

THREATS & PROMISES. . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 B.P. HELIUM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 FACE/OFF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 UPSTART ROUNDUP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 RECORD REVIEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 THE CALENDAR!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 BULLETIN BOARD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 ART AROUND TOWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 COMICS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 REALITY CHECK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 EVERYDAY PEOPLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

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This week at Flagpole.COM  Flash: the lost Ort tapes reveal a hitherto unpublished episode from his Winston-Salem trip.

 Miscellany: Here’s a reminder of all the reasons local  

holiday shopping makes so much good sense for shoppers, merchants and Athens.

Take the End of Decade Athens Music Survey.

If you haven’t already, try out Flagpole’s new, easy-touse classified ads online.

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 Dave Marr CLASSIFIEDS, DISTRIBUTION & OFFICE MANAGER Paul Karjian AD DESIGNERS Ian Rickert, Kelly Ruberto CARTOONISTS James Allen, Cameron Bogue, Jacob Hunt, Missy Kulik, Ryan Hall, Jeremy Long, David Mack, Clint McElroy ADOPT ME Special Agent Cindy Jerrell CONTRIBUTORS Bryan Aiken, Charles-Ryan Barber, Hillary Brown, Tom Crawford, Elaine Ely, Tony Floyd, Jeff Gore, Jennifer Gibson, Chris Hassiotis, John Huie, Jyl Inov, Bart King, John Knox, Gordon Lamb, Bao Le-Huu, Jim McHugh, John Nettles, Julia Reidy, Jordan Stepp, Jeff Tobias CIRCULATION Charles Greenleaf, Harper Bridgers, Jimmy Courson, Swen Froemke, Anthony Gentilles WEB DESIGNER Ian Rickert ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Maggie Summers EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Erin Cork MUSIC INTERN Charlie Stafford ADVERTISING INTERNS Melanie Foster, Teresa Tamburello

VOLUME 23 ISSUE NUMBER 49

Flagpole, Inc. publishes Flagpole Magazine weekly and distributes 17,000 copies free at over 275 locations around Athens, Georgia. Subscriptions cost $55 a year, $35 for six months. © 2009 Flagpole, Inc. All rights reserved.

CONTACT US: 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 NEWS: news@flagpole.com WEB SITE: web@flagpole.com

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DECEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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letters

CONTACT US AT P.O. BOX 1027, ATHENS, GA 30603, LETTERS@FLAGPOLE.COM OR VIA THE “TALK BACK TO US” LINK AT FLAGPOLE.COM

Good Urban Design?

Re: the December 2, 2009 article on the City Hall block improvements, Commissioner Maxwell is on target. City Hall is an institutional/civic use in a government zone that should be differentiated from surrounding, differing uses. Providing parking spaces (for obvious use by neighboring retail businesses) so that City Hall would appear to be open for business demonstrates either an absence of understanding of good urban design or a pandering for political support from retail businesses. Differing urban uses should be recognized and accentuated by good design; not blurred by feigning use/demand of one use over another through provision of parking.

Steven Martin Athens

Not a Consumer Product I enjoyed Sam Prestridge’s column “We die individually. We live collectively.” [Nov. 25] I agree that on the health-care debate, there is no moral equivalence between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats have been working tirelessly to craft a passable health-care reform bill; Republican opposition has yet to offer a viable alternative and seems to be based entirely on scare tactics and namecalling. However, I must take issue with Prestridge’s concluding paragraph: “The issue, it seems to me,” he writes, “is what forces control the market in which we as consumers

must participate.” Conceptualizing healthphysician in hopes of fixing the problem. If the physician can do so (and most do) the care in terms of the marketplace plays right into the hands of the conservatives. I don’t problem would be solved. think most Americans would feel comfortable However, this is not the end of the road leaving their health (potentially their life or for the citizen who is most likely a working person and/or a mother or father raising childeath) to the whims of supply and demand.

Unlike other consumer products, health-care dren, or one of the children. He or she must pay for the goods and services. Is he or she is a moral issue. Health care is a human right, and it is immoral for any corporation to profit lucky enough to be able to afford health insuroff of sickness and ance? Perhaps they death. The language can pay for it outright. Unfortunately, of business is not the BUMPERSTICKER OF THE WEEK: language of the soul. for many in this Make Cornbread Not War extremely wealthy It is not the language of humanity. As long nation they are just Thanks, Pejman. Send your sticker as Democrats constarting down that sightings to letters@flagpole.com. tinue to conceptuallong dark path of ize health care as a paying off a health consumer product and care bill.

Does not anyone find this collectively not as a human right, true reform will not be possible. embarrassing? Is it not a damned shame that Jonathan Rich people who contribute to our economic wellAthens being through employed work, child rearing or in some other way are not physically well-kept by that same economic system?

Our sick citizenry has, for many years now, repeatedly come up against a wall (apparently) created by insurance companies, large Well, we have recently heard a lot and read pharmaceutical corporations and others in the many things (letters included) concerning industry. The people find themselves choked health care. Since we all have the “right” in by demands on their money every time they this nation (according to rule #1) to comment try to achieve the simple task of keeping on the matter, I hope (with the help of this themselves healthy so that they can go back fine rag) to throw my two cents in: to work, raise their children or go back to A citizen finds him- or herself in an work so that they can raise their children. adversarial situation: he or she is sick or has So, should we simply point the finger at some sort of an ailment (or is, worse yet, HMOs and “big Pharma,” bring about justice, chronically ill). This person must then see a

Economic Gluttony

and let it all be done with? Would this solve the problem? Did busting Skilling, Lay, and Fastow eliminate the greed and deceit in the energy and financial industries? Just for a moment, try to put yourself in the shoes of a giant corporation involved with health care.

You are constantly trying to find the next way to make an extra dollar while at the same time trying to save an extra dollar. You do this so that you can get more of these dollars than the other corporation that is trying to do the same thing. Quite simply put, you are in constant competition and looking out primarily for your own self-interest. These are, and have for many hundreds of years been, the basic principles of the system. It is set up to care for the relatively few who own it. It provides, primarily, for them. It is racked with greed and excess. These are the side effects of economic gluttony—something that has no place anywhere in our society and most certainly not in the maintenance of the health of the people.

For well over a century now the free market has had the opportunity to prove that it can provide for the health of our citizens.

It has failed miserably. It is now the duty of us as a people to, in whatever way possible, reject any “health care solution” that does not provide for all of us, for it is all of us who, through the circular process of economics, provide for one another. We have let it happen for a long time now, and we should never let it happen again.

“Don’t let the same dog bite you twice.”— Chuck Berry Rob Veal Athens

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

city dope Athens News and Views Diversion Center Redux: It was somewhat unexpected when the mayor and commission voted Dec. 1 to delay plans for building a diversion/work-release center to house nonviolent offenders such as those convicted of failing to keep up with child-support payments. Commissioner Kelly Girtz has been a main proponent of the center, and was one of those most surprised by the decision to delay it a year. After the dust of the voting session had cleared, the Dope asked him about the future of the project.

“The issue isn’t dead yet,” Girtz says, “it just hasn’t been resolved.” While he thinks the position taken by five commissioners and Mayor Heidi Davison—that it’s wise to delay incurring over $400,000 in estimated firstyear operating costs for the center until the tough economy improves—is “very reasonable,” he remains convinced that the project Dave Marr

then by the mayor and commission as a whole.

It now goes to county legal staff to be written into an ordinance to be voted on during the commission’s January 2010 agenda cycle.

Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation Executive Director Amy Kissane sees the plan as a positive step for historic preservation, but would like the ordinance to include policy-oriented language aimed at designing a process in which all properties are treated in a similar fashion, with less emphasis on the leanings of the commissioners involved.

“Properties that need to be protected are important to the whole community,” Kissane says, not just their particular districts. With the permit delay process moving through particular commissioners, steps to help ensure uniformity of evaluation—like consulting with the ACHF, the county Historic Preservation Commission and neighborhood groups—might well be suggested.

Kissane also suggests making the process less cumbersome by undertaking a county-wide survey of potentially historic properties (i.e. structures over 50 years old) outside of registered historic districts. The findings of such a survey could help expedite the review process in its early stages, lessening the likelihood of unnecessary delays in issuing permits in cases that should be routine.

This nifty split-rail fence was quickly erected along the curbside of Dudley Park Kissane sees an excesat Poplar and Mulberry Streets after high-spirited revelers following the UGAsively bureaucratic LSU game stole all the “no parking” signs placed there by the greenway staff. process as potentially Is this an example of how UGA football contributes to the Athens community? counterproductive to preservation interests: represents an opportunity for overall improve- “I think this is something people want to see ment to the county’s economy, not only happen, as long as it’s not overused.” [DM] through savings in incarceration expenses, but through decreasing recidivism rates and social Trails to… Better Trails: An abandoned roadservices costs to the families of inmates. way that has been used as a cut-through “Right now our typical inmate in jail has been path to South Milledge Avenue by university there 11 times,” at enormous cost to the students will become a 14-foot-wide multicommunity, Girtz says. “If we can cut that use path that could eventually connect to down to 10 1/2, we’ll save a lot of money.”

Lake Herrick and to other county trails. The Girtz hopes to see support for returning the nearly quarter-mile concrete path (for which diversion center to its fast-track schedule as the county already owns most of the right-ofthe commission puts together the fiscal year way) will stretch Milledge Extension beyond 2011 budget, and suggests there are ways UGA’s Family and Graduate Housing apartto move money around to make room for the ments, then turn west to connect with South project. One place he would like to look is the Milledge near the Loop 10 off-ramp and Sons $718,400 currently allocated to “leaf/limb/lit- of Italy pizzeria. It will require most of the ter,” most of which, according to Girtz, is for money—$500,000—set aside by commissioncurbside leaf and limb pickup. “It would be ers in 2006 for an undesignated alternative wise to leave some money in this budget for transportation project, and will include a small pickup following severe storms,” Girtz says via “greenway plaza.” The trail could be comemail, “but I believe many citizens would be pleted within a year. [John Huie] happier with some money spent on the diversion center rather than general pickup, which Living Up to the Name: Apologies to the could be done as a fee-for-service.” We’ll be folks at Athens Urban Ministries, one of the hearing much more about this in the months partners in the GED/computer skills initiative to come. [Dave Marr] touted in this space on Nov. 25. The Dope inexplicably and incorrectly referred to the A Different Kind of Delay: Another action non-profit group as the Oconee Street United taken at the Dec. 1 voting session, with Methodist Urban Ministry, which is apparently considerably less upheaval, was the approval not the name of any organization. You can of the concept for a demolition/relocation look into the Athens Urban Ministries work, permit delay ordinance for historic structures. including the aforementioned project, at www.

The plan includes provisions for review of peractionministries.net. [DM] mit requests first by the district and super-district commissioners of structures in question, Dave Marr and John Huie news@flagpole.com

DECEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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city pages Commission Votes to Delay Streetscape, Diversion Center Projects Next year’s county budget looks to be the toughest yet, and Athens-Clarke County commissioners voted Dec. 1 to postpone completion of several sales-tax-funded projects in order to keep the government’s operating expenses down. “We have cut, cut, cut to the bone, people. We have nowhere left to cut,”

Also postponed: decisions about streetscape improvements that will edge the block surrounding City Hall. Commissioners haven’t decided whether to keep 11 angle parking spaces that have replaced the bus bays no longer needed there (buses now rendezvous at the multimodal station instead).

The plan would widen sidewalks and create “event spaces” at the block’s four corners, with added trees and platforms for displaying public art. It was created with oversight from a “user group” of citizens and county staff, but the public at large had had little opportunity for input until a recent forum.

A rendering of the Washington Street phase of the now-delayed City Hall streetscape improvement plan.

Commissioner Kathy Hoard admonished her colleagues. Sales-tax revenues will pay for building a new diversion/work-release center off Lexington Road, but not for the cost of operating it—especially during its first year, which will require buying vehicles, uniforms, and other startup costs. The same applies to the proposed tennis center, improvements at East Athens Park, greenway land acquisition and an expansion of the Sandy Creek Nature Center building: all projects that will be delayed, most until 2011.

But the delays will only postpone the inevitable, and Mayor Heidi Davison had to break an unusual 5-5 tie vote to delay the long-planned diversion center. “What I see in the diversion center is a way to hold back the costs that we would be facing otherwise,” argued Commissioner Kelly Girtz. The center will provide counseling to nonviolent inmates and allow them to hold jobs; it is intended to reduce jail populations and recidivism. But budget decisions are always hard, Commissioner David Lynn said: “I’ve never gone through an easy budget cycle; it’s always at the expense of some very worthy project. I just don’t think this is the normal budget year.

I think these are extraordinary times economically, and it’s finally coming to call here at our next budget cycle.”

County Manager Alan Reddish told commissioners last month he expects a tax hike (and service cuts) will be needed to cover the budget for FY11. No one has ventured to say how much taxes might go up (and budget discussions won’t begin for several more months), but to cover the expected $1.4 million shortfall would require a tax increase of about $20 on a $150,000 home. At the state level—with reserve funds depleted and no more federal stimulus money to cover gaps—finances will be “shaky” too, State Representative Bill Cowsert said earlier this year.

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

“Opinions from our community were all over the globe” at that meeting, Hoard said, with several citizens asking that a downtown “master plan” contemplated by commissioners be drawn up first, and others asking for more community involvement, or for additional greenspace or parking. Allen Stovall, a retired landscape architecture professor at the University of Georgia, told commissioners the current proposal needs more consideration. He agreed with several commissioners in questioning the need for a wider sidewalk along Washington: a corridor, he said, that’s hot in summer, windy in winter, and noisy from traffic. “You can put lipstick on a pig, and it’s still a pig… I’m saying that the current proposal is not really clear in its uses,” he said, and the “donut approach,” which makes changes only to the sidewalks, is “not really addressing the possibilities we have here.”

Athens Area Arts Council President Laura Nehf, who was part of the user group that participated in the creation of the plan, told Flagpole that the group was not allowed to consider redesigning any interior areas of the City Hall block. She would like to see greenspace added to the block’s interior, she said, and suggested that a plan that included such improvements could “treat it like a campus.”

But she believes the “event spaces” in the plan (with seating provided by curving steps at each corner of the block) will create “a really amenable space” for speakers, musicians or other events, and “set the stage for an increased willingness for people to come and hang out.”

“I think this is a good opportunity to take a little more time for public input,” said Commissioner Alice Kinman, and the commission voted to delay approval of the plan, perhaps for a few months.

John Huie

capitol impact The Battle’s Not Over The Republican leadership in the Georgia House worked out an arrangement among themselves last week for the scandal-plagued Glenn Richardson to step down as House speaker and be replaced by Mark Burkhalter in the powerful legislative position. The leaders hoped to put their problems behind them with the removal of Richardson, but they still have some long-simmering issues to resolve.

The decision to change speakers is not sitting well with some of the rank-and-file House Republicans, especially the younger ones who’ve only served in the legislature for a few terms. They want the House leaders to schedule an early caucus meeting—before the General Assembly convenes on Jan. 11—and allow all of the GOP lawmakers to have a vote in electing the next speaker.

Richardson was forced out of the speaker’s job after his former wife, Susan, disclosed in a TV interview that Richardson had an affair with an Atlanta Gas Light Resources lobbyist in 2006.

That was the same period when the speaker was pushing for passage of a bill that would have resulted in major financial benefits for AGL. (The bill passed the House but stalled in the Senate).

Allegations of that relationship were mentioned in an ethics complaint filed against Richardson by Democratic Party official Bobby Kahn in January 2007. A legislative review panel quickly threw out the complaint without holding a hearing or an investigation, a decision that caused much embarrassment when Susan Richardson confirmed on television that her former husband was indeed involved in that affair.

The media coverage of the Richardson scandal, coupled with concerns that other exposés could be lurking in the near future, has some Republican lawmakers concerned that their majority control of the House of Representatives could be threatened. It is not enough to replace Richardson as speaker,

they contend. Instead, it is time to consider a clean sweep of the entire leadership team.

“We need a fresh face,” said one legislator. “If we don’t clean things up, somebody’s going to clean things up for us.”

Several names are being floated as possible candidates for the speakership and other leadership positions. They include Rep. David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge), who ran for speaker against Richardson last year and lost; Rep. Jim Cole (R-Forsyth), the House floor leader for Gov. Sonny Perdue; Rep. Edward Lindsey (R-Atlanta), a thoughtful attorney well-versed in public policy matters; Rep. Larry O’Neal (R-Bonaire), the current chairman of the Ways & Means Committee; and Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Cassville), a third-term House member from North Georgia.

Rep. Mark Burkhalter (R-Johns Creek), who moves from speaker pro-tem to speaker when Richardson’s resignation becomes effective Jan. 1, would still be considered the favorite to retain the speaker’s post at this point in time. Burkhalter has a much calmer personality than the hot-headed Richardson and for that reason can put a friendlier public face on the Republican majority. He is also promising to clean up the party’s image at the Capitol. Whether that will be enough to placate the anxious legislators calling for an early vote, of course, remains to be seen.

Prior to Richardson’s resignation, Burkhalter was angling for the highly paid position of executive director of the Georgia World Congress Center. He has since indicated that he wants to be speaker for the long term, but there are still rumors floating about that the World Congress Center job will be kept open for him—just in case.

It would probably be a good idea for every legislator, not just Burkhalter, to keep his or her options open.

Tom Crawford

athens rising What’s Up in New Development The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation puts out a top-10 list of endangered historic places every year, which it calls “Places in Peril.” And while Athens hasn’t had any buildings on that list in the last few years, we certainly don’t deserve any kudos. A recent Athens Banner-Herald editorial called for the compiling of a list of local “places in peril,” so I thought I’d take a crack at it. Here’s my admittedly unscientific attempt, based only on my own observations and those of readers who’ve shared their concerns with me.

Relocated to South Milledge a few years ago to make room for a commuter parking lot at UGA’s intramural fields, the beautiful 1930s red barn belonging to the university has sat vacant for a number of years. It was intended to be used by the agriculture school, but no one ever moved in, and storm damage from over a year ago remains unrepaired. Word is, the university is looking for someone to take the barn off its hands and move it again.

in a moment) on Oconee Street. When the Armstrong and Dobbs property inevitably redevelops, more and more pressure will fall on these industrial remnants.

Nearby are also a pair of landmarks which came to the attention of the preservation movement more through local music lore than their own equally fascinating stories, and these should perhaps be doubly protected because of that. The steeple of the former St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, where R.E.M. first played and practiced, is literally falling apart, while the “Murmur” trestle, originally serving the Georgia Railroad, is in danger of being value-engineered into oblivion. Railtrail planners are right now choosing between a more expensive retrofit and a cheaper, newer replacement span for a proposed bike trail.

The Wellington Puritan Mill and Village on the old Macon Highway is another example of Athens’ quickly fading industrial past. The mill has been partially torn down recently, and

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As long as we’re in the area, the fate of Whitehall worries me quite a bit. Adjacent to the railroad tracks near the intersection of Whitehall Road and South Milledge is one former warehouse that has begun to fall in on itself. Within Whitehall Forest, a historic hydroelectric plant with its massive gears intact is abandoned and slowly rotting away.

The cottages of the mill village itself are unprotected, and slowly disappearing; any road widening attempts will also mark the end of them.

Pinecrest Lodge, just up the river from Whitehall, is also in bad shape. Several efforts to protect it and establish a conservation plan for the property failed a decade ago, and a developer began building a subdivision around it. Currently, half the subdivision remains undeveloped, and the lodge itself is undergoing slow demolition by neglect. In addition to the original lodge structure, there is also a fascinating collection of historic outbuildings which were moved to the site from around Georgia, including a waterwheel.

Potterytown, a small remnant collection of mill houses on the outskirts of downtown near Weaver D’s, may also disappear soon, with the area being zoned for a much higher density.

Other buildings in the “metro” Potterytown area that have me worried are the Jittery Joe’s Roaster and the small storefront (next to the “R.E.M. steeple”—more on that

apartment-scale infill threatens the integrity of the rambling collection of cottages and the cemetery on Martha Drive.

To round out the set, the Southern Mill off of Chase Street is the other remaining mill structure yet to be renovated. It’s also one of the larger complexes intown, with the real potential to anchor the budding Railroad Arts District if it is renovated.

The Oconee Street School isn’t out of the woods yet, even though it has been the subject of plenty of attention in the past year or two. It’s the one of the last of Athens’ historic urban schools, and a fascinating piece of the Carr’s Hill area.

I hope this gives some food for thought, and that wiser people than me will redraft and build upon this list as new information comes to light. Especially worrying to me, though, is a lack of attention to the mill landscapes that shaped Athens in the 1800s, earning it the nickname of “The Manchester of the South.”

There are many bright spots on the preservation front, such as the start of renovations planning for the old Winterville School and auditorium and new historic district guidelines for Reese Street, Milledge and downtown; however, there still seems to be little initiative to move beyond reactionary tactics to preserve our local legacy.

Kevan Williams athensrising@flagpole.com

DECEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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A Whole Lot of Huey An Eerie Historical Palin Parallel

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

arah Palin: love her or loathe her, she’s marketing a national bestseller and is wowing adoring fans across “real America.” She claims that speculation about a Palin run for President in 2012 is a lot of hooey, however. Actually, it’s a lot of Huey. As in, Huey Long. Let’s review the histories of Long and Palin in parallel.

Huey Long was the preeminent radical Democratic populist of the 20th century, emerging nationally during the depths of the Great Depression. Palin aspires to be the preeminent radical Republican populist of the 21st century, tapping into public discontent during the Great Recession. But the similarities don’t end there.

Long grew up in little Winnfield, Louisiana, far from the power elite in New Orleans, the seventh of nine children. He was accepted to or attended four different colleges or universities in two states and held a variety of public-oriented jobs, such as traveling salesman and auctioneer. Later he rose to prominence by opposing a powerful oil company. He chaired Louisiana’s Public Service Commission, then ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1924. In defeat, Long laid the groundwork for a second run for governor from his PSC position.

Palin was born in tiny Sandpoint, ID (the setting for Marilynne Robinson’s brilliant novel Housekeeping, which she describes as a place where “the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere”), the third of four children. She attended four different colleges or universities in three states and worked as a TV sportscaster. She served as mayor of tiny Wasilla, AK and then ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2002. In defeat, Palin chaired the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, resigned in protest because of the ethical lapses of her fellow commissioners, and awaited a second try at statewide office. Notice any resemblance yet?

Long was elected governor of Louisiana in 1928 at age 35. He won on a platform of “every man a king, but no one wears a crown,” borrowed from longtime populist William Jennings Bryan. Long defeated sitting Governor O.H. Simpson who, among other things, signed off on the intentional flooding of two poor parishes to “save” high-and-dry, wealthy New Orleans from the Flood of 1927.

Simpson finished an embarrassing third in the general election, splitting the GOP vote and opening the door for Long.

Palin was elected governor of Alaska in 2006, the youngest governor in Alaska history. She rose to power on a clean-government platform. She ran in the aftermath of a political corruption scandal involving oil company payoffs and a pricey state jet airplane that effectively deposed then-governor Frank Murkowski. Palin humiliated Murkowski in the GOP primary, and then defeated former governor Tony Knowles in the general election. How about now—any similarities?

Long didn’t stay put in state government very long. He fired his opponents and required state employees to pay into his infamous “deduct box” slush fund. Then, less than two years later, he ran successfully for the U.S. Senate. It was an unlikely path to national prominence; Louisiana was a relatively poor, culturally anomalous coastal state.

No Louisiana native had ever been president.

His friends, and later his family, inherited his power over the state, although he refused to resign from the governor’s seat even as a senator. On the plus side, devoted followers of “the Kingfish” pointed to his energetic efforts to build and improve roads and bridges and schools in a state that had been shamefully neglected by its own previous leadership.

Palin didn’t stay put in state government very long, becoming the improbable vicepresidential choice of Republican nominee

John McCain. Even political wonks struggled to remember who she was during the run-up to her selection. Hers was an unlikely path to national prominence; Alaska is a remote, culturally anomalous coastal state with virtually no tradition of national leadership. Palin did not resign from her position despite relocating to the campaign trail, but did resign abruptly the next year, blaming ethics investigations as a distraction from her work. During her brief gubernatorial reign, Palin dismissed a public safety commissioner in circumstances related to her family. Her husband Todd, the “First Dude,” assumed an unusually high profile in state matters for a spouse. Palin’s fervent supporters, however, pointed to her emphasis on ethics, infrastructure development and less reliance on federal funding in a state largely dependent on government largesse.

Once in the Senate, Long first supported, then broke with President Franklin D. Roosevelt over FDR’s perceived lack of devotion to Long’s political agenda. As a vice-presidential candidate, Palin was soon accused of “going rogue”—abandoning the McCain political playbook during the 2008 campaign—a phrase she later embraced as the title of her bestselling book.

That brings us up to 1934—or 2009.

“History never repeats itself, but sometimes it rhymes,” according to Mark Twain. Vaulting ambition, popular appeal and a particular disdain for constitutional checks and balances

define these two politicians, despite differences in politics, gender, and era. So, if the past is the key to predicting the future, what does the Sarah-Huey analogy forecast for 2012?

Huey Long never made it to the White House, but—like Palin—he strongly swayed the direction of his party. Long’s “Share the Wealth” platform pushed for a progressive tax system beyond mainstream Democrats’ wildest nightmares, confiscating 100 percent of all annual income above $1 million. Franklin Roosevelt, according to some historians, maneuvered to the left politically to keep Long from capturing the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. One result: Social Security. Meanwhile, Long’s political machine in Louisiana overreached, and Long was assassinated in 1935 by a member of a family that opposed Long, several of whom had lost their government jobs as a result of Long’s machinations. (Or so it is said: find Donald Wilkes’ dissection of Long’s death at www.law.uga.edu [direct link at Flagpole.com.])

Therefore, by analogy it is possible that Palin, like Long in reverse, will turn the GOP toward the far right for decades to come while never quite making it to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The analogy is not exact.

Huey Long was by many accounts a brilliant thinker and politician.

Former President and U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Howard Taft proclaimed him to be one of the finest legal minds he had ever encountered. Sarah Palin has yet to exude intellectual brilliance. But many of the circumstances surrounding their ascent are eerily similar. And the disdain that high-culture New Orleanians dripped on the uncouth Long is almost perfectly mirrored by the intellectual snobbery that the Left indulges in regarding Palin’s inability to name her favorite newspaper. To intellectuals and progressives, the Long-Palin analogy might best be summarized in Karl Marx’s axiom that “history repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second as farce.”

But viewing Palin merely as a clownish sideshow discounts the possibility that she and the GOP may “go rogue” with respect to basic tenets of American democracy, taking the excesses of Bush/Cheney to new extremes should they regain power. Those who adore Palin should contemplate the dictatorial overreach of Long. Those who dismiss Palin as a joke should watch Ken Burns’ 1985 documentary Huey Long and then study the impact he had on the Democratic Party, influencing even FDR and leading to permanent changes in American society.

Misunderestimate Sarah Palin at your own risk.

John Knox John Knox is an assistant professor in the department of geography at the University of Georgia.

comment Climate Change: What Do You Believe?

Marian Kamensky

Whether you believe recent reports that global climate change is on course for worst-case scenarios, or you believe hacked emails from the University of East Anglia prove it’s all a big hoax, one thing is undeniable: international negotiations on climate change have brought us to a critical juncture in world history.

The international community will soon agree to a common path for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, or abandon the idea altogether, return to our respective corners and wait to see what happens.

Following two years of laborious negotiations, world leaders are meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, Dec. 7–18, in an effort to reach final agreement on emissions targets for the year 2020 and funding for poor nations—two obstacles that have thus far proven insurmountable. These elements would be the core of a protocol to take effect in 2012 when the current Kyoto Protocol comes to an end.

The Kyoto Protocol, which was devised as a test period for global greenhouse gas reduction strategies, is already widely considered a failure. This is largely because the United States chose not to participate, thereby undermining the protocol’s economic and political effectiveness.

President Obama has pledged to the world that the United States will participate in the next round by cutting its emissions 17 percent by 2020—a modest goal, but probably enough to appease developing nations like India and China, who want to see leadership from industrialized countries.

However, because the U.S. political system does not guarantee legislative support to the head of state, Obama cannot guarantee anything to the world.

Having already been burned in this exact manner on the Kyoto Protocol, our global neighbors won’t commit to another legally binding protocol unless U.S. climate change legislation is in place. That’s why, despite the likely announcement of “political” or “aspirational” agreements in Copenhagen, no binding legal commitments will be made this year, if at all.

James Inhofe, the U.S. Senate’s unapologetic Republican climate change denier, says the “Climategate” email scandal— which purportedly reveals a collusive effort to suppress dissenting views on climate change—puts the final nails in the coffin of U.S. climate change legislation, and he may be right.

The House passed a bill last summer that matches Obama’s 17 percent pledge. But Senate Democrats this fall struggled to find enough party-line votes to do the same. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he will try to pass legislation in the spring, but his blue-dog colleagues will be even less supportive in a mid-term election year, and now they can blame their reluctance on disingenuous British scientists.

With a split electorate struggling through a deep economic recession, an exhausting media battle over health care, and real battles underway in Afghanistan, it’s likely the United States will return to its isolationist habits and deny cooperation to the world.

If this happens, it will kill the United Nations treaty on climate change (also known as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC). And it may very well mark the beginning of the end for the United Nations itself, which has a spotty 65-year history of preventing war and promoting human rights.

In June of 1992, George H. W. Bush signed the UNFCCC at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janiero. Upon passage by the Senate later that year, the United States became the first

developed nation to ratify the landmark treaty, which recognized that greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere were the result of the industrialization through which the United States and its contemporaries came into prominence. The treaty affirms that these rich nations hold the financial responsibility for reducing emissions, while developing nations will need to grow their economies and emissions to bring their standards of living up to par.

This egalitarian ideal did not exist in international relations before the United Nations gave it a forum. And while the United Nations has been roundly criticized by opponents of industrial globalization for indirectly damaging the economies and societies of developing nations, the ideals professed in the UNFCCC, and in the Millennium Development Goals set in 2000, are a laudable step in transcending nationalism for a broader sense of global citizenry. They recognize that the wellbeing of a random American on the West Coast is no more, or less, connected to the well-being of someone here in Athens, than it is to that of someone in Malaysia or Peru. This notion is especially important in protecting the environment and its ecosystems, which also do not heed political boundaries.

But this enlightened idea is a tough sell in the best of times, let alone when unemployment and national debt are on the rise. Most U.S. politicians who support climate change legislation will say that it should not be allowed to hurt the economy. But if it is to achieve climate and egalitarian goals, it will have to hurt, at least a little. Because in a world of limited resources and environmental constraints, carbon-based wealth (oil, gas, coal, timber) cannot increase in a linear fashion for all people. For the conditions of the world’s poorest to improve, there must be a degree of sacrifice from the rich. This balancing of the scales is at the heart of United Nations’ stated mission for the new millennium. It is part of the noble pact the United States ratified in 1992, but is afraid to put into practice today.

How much will carbon limits cost American families? Will it be the equivalent of a postage stamp a day, as promised by the Obama administration, or the thousands of dollars a year estimated by Republicans? Ultimately it depends on how rapidly we are able to transform our economy away from a reliance on non-renewable resources.

I believe that climate change is underway and that we have no time to waste in reversing the growth of global emissions.

I believe the United States can no longer afford to act as a unilateral player on the global stage and that we must pay the price to recognize the equal rights of our neighbors. And finally, I believe we must seize this opportunity simultaneously to strengthen international cooperation and reduce dependence on non-renewable resources, so that as they run out, we will be less inclined to fight for the last drop of oil, the last lump of coal and the last productive cropland.

What do you believe? What do Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson believe? The fate of U.S. legislation—and the course of international relations—will be decided in the next few months, and regardless of our beliefs, it will affect our lives and the lives of those who come after us.

Bart King Bart King is an Athens-based freelance writer and the News Editor for SustainableBusiness.com.

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DECEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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Holiday Guide Flagpole’s Businesses Extend Season’s Greetings and Welcome Art — Retail & Galleries Brick House Studio

www.lamarwood.com, 706-742-2757 An early-19th-century brick home accommodates Brick House Studio. Its Old-World charm offers a perfect setting for this, the first Brick House Studio Holiday Market, focusing on jewelry by local artists and more. Sunday, Dec. 13, 12–5 p.m. From Athens, drive east on Highway 78 about 12 miles.

The driveway with a sign is on the left 1.5 miles past the Oglethorpe County line. For a map and driving instructions: Google Maps—keyword: Brick House Studio.

Allgood Lounge

256 E. Clayton St., 706-549-0166 Happy Holidays! This year let Allgood Lounge host your holiday party. With two floors, three full bars, pool tables, hugescreen TVs, build-your-own Bloody Mary bar, expanded wine

Concerts & Events OCAF Holiday Market

34 School St., Watkinsville, 706-769-4565 A Holiday Tradition Continues. The 15th annual Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation Holiday Market will continue on Dec. 12th in Watkinsville from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thirty artists, selected through a jury process, will offer their original artwork of pottery, paintings, jewelry, sculpture, books, wood art, photography and more. Only a $3 admission. Free parking. Food and refreshments. For more information, visit www.ocaf.com.

OCAF Signing and Singing

Anita Aubrey

Good Dirt Clay Studio and Gallery

us support The Afghan Soldier Project. We’re doing Toys for Tots too! Visit facebook.com/alibibar for details. Come by Dec. 11 for live music with Albratross, Dec. 12 for Karaoke, Dec. 18 to hear Forward Motion, Dec. 19. for our righteous Christmas Party (Say Merry Christmas!), and New Years Eve for a party with Grains of Sand!

34 School St., Watkinsville, 706-769-4565 Signing and Singing: A Holiday Treat. Writers and singers celebrate the holidays in a festive collaboration December 16, 6:00–8:00 p.m., Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation (OCAF). Free admission. Authors signing: Julie Cannon, Gail Karwoski, Terry Kay, Donny Seagraves, Grady Thrasher, and Philip Lee Williams.

Music programs: Oconee County Middle School, and Westminster Christian Academy. Authors ensemble reading of The Night Before Christmas. OCAF Artists’ Shoppe will be open. Call us or email info@ocaf.com.

510 N. Thomas St., 706-355-3161 Good Dirt is a spacious, well-equipped facility for people of all ages and abilities to explore clay and other media. Our schedule of winter classes (starting early January) in pottery, sculpture and tile is at www. gooddirt.net. Gift certificates for classes and workshops are available for holiday shopping. The Gallery @ Good Dirt will feature pottery by local artists through Dec. 23. Our annual studio sale is Dec. 11–13, with a great selection and outstanding value.

Gallery Shop at Lyndon House Arts Center

Grocery Stores

Bars & Clubs

Health & Beauty

283 Bar

Adam and Eve Hair Designers

Daily Groceries

293 Hoyt St., 706-613-3623 The halls, walls and cases of the Lyndon House Arts Center’s Gallery Shop are decked out with seasonal delights of all kinds. Handcrafted wreaths, ornaments, candles, cards, soap, scarves, purses, jewelry, stained and fused glass, wood containers, pottery, paintings, weavings and more are all created by local artists. You are sure to find something to please everyone on your holiday shopping list. Open: Tuesday–Saturday 12–5 p.m. or by appointment. Free parking.

283 E. Broad St., 706-208-1283 The 283 Bar has been serving tasty cocktails to happy customers for over 10 years. Our relaxed atmosphere provides a great place to bring a date or to meet a new one. Join us for “Trivia Wars” every Wednesday, happy hour on Thursdays and Fridays, and rockin’ dance parties most weekends. The 283 Bar sports a killer jukebox and the only coin-operated disco lights in town. Come by for a cocktail! You name it; we mix it.

40 Watt Club

285 W. Washington St., 706-549-7871 This holiday season, there’s nothing cooler to get for the music fan in your life than a 40 Watt Club T-shirt or tickets to an upcoming show—including the Drive-By Truckers’ homecoming stand from Jan. 14–16 or Jonathan Richman’s return to Athens on Feb. 6. And don’t forget to come out for the 40 Watt Xmas Party on Friday, Dec. 18 with Lona. Santa Clay might even let you sit on his lap! www.40watt.com

Alibi Saloon

50 Gaines School Rd., 706-549-1010 Marilyn and Rob invite you to kick off the Holidays at the Alibi Lounge (aka Marilyn’s Joint). We love our Troops so help

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

523 Prince Ave., 706-548-1732 Daily Groceries is a community owned and operated cooperative that specializes in local and organic produce, food and personal-care products. A community fixture for 17 years, we are located on the edges of the Cobbham and Boulevard neighborhoods, less than a half mile from downtown. We are now seeking candidates for our Board of Directors. Open daily until 10 p.m. & open to the public. Visit us at 523 Prince Ave. or www.dailygroceries.org.

list, 150+ craft, imported and domestic beers, 20 select beers on draught, and a large, heated patio, Allgood is ready to host any event. So let us deck your liver with loads of cocktails this holiday season. Happy Holidays and may all your hangovers be mild.

New Earth Music Hall

227 W. Dougherty St., 706-543-8323 Welcome to New Earth Music Hall, Athens’ newest venue.

New Earth opened its doors on Aug. 28, 2009, and although the 500-capacity room still caters to the counter-culture crowd, there is a new emphasis on international DJs, world music and live bands, with a little comedy thrown into the mix. The 200-capacity deck will also host daytime, all-ages events. Check out www.newearthmusichall.com for a list of all upcoming performances!

Tasty World

312 E. Broad St., 706-543-0797 Santa told me that people that don’t rock out for the holiday are getting switches and coal. He did. He really, really did.

Or maybe that was Satan?

3190 Atlanta Hwy., 706-549-9970 Do you need bangs? Is your hair too long for your height?

Here at Adam and Eve we take time to analyze skin tone and bone structure to optimize your hair color and style. Come meet our staff for a consultation. Walk-ins always welcome. Adam and Eve Hair Designers… where the art of doing hair meets the science of knowing how. www.myspace.com/adamandevehair

Advanced Massage Therapies

1363 S. Milledge Ave., 706-369-7595 Peggy Gugino offers a cozy winter time treat: Hot Stone Massage. The heat from the stones deeply penetrates the muscles, increasing the blood flow to the tissues, thus accelerating the healing process. Also, it feels wonderful! We have Gift Certificates and offer many styles of bodywork: Hot Stone, CranioSacral Therapy, Deep Tissue and more. Bob Klein, Amy Bramblett, Peggy Gugino, and Courtney DiCarlo wish you a joyous Holiday Season! www.AdvancedMassageTherapies.com

Foundry Park Inn & Spa

295 E. Dougherty St., 706-549-7020 Looking for the perfect gift? Whether you want to treat someone to our award winning Spa, a night on the town

listening to the best live music in Athens at the Melting Point, spending the night in our hotel or dining at the Hoyt House Restaurant, a Foundry Park Inn & Spa gift card is the perfect gift and good at any outlet. Don’t forget to join us for our Mardi Gras New Year’s Eve!

Healing Arts Centre

834 Prince Ave., 706-613-1142 During this time of transformation and change, healthy living has become more important than ever! Remedy Herb Shop provides the highest quality vitamins, minerals and herbs along with cutting-edge nutritional advice and iridology. Sangha Yoga Studio has over 20 classes a week and sells Prana active wear. Our therapists offer natural healing modalities that include Neuromuscular Massage, Lymphatic Drainage, Counseling and Ear Candling. Offer Radiant Wellness to a loved one… Gift Certificates are encouraged!! www.healingartscentre.net

Honey’s Salon

www.honeyssalon.com, 706-254-4008 Offering gift certificates and fine Paul Mitchell products, including Paul Mitchell smoothing irons and blow dryers. Come to glamorize yourself and your friends before holiday parties!

Come to refresh yourself with a customized hair treatment and beautiful blow out! Honey, you’d be happier here. xoxo Honey’s

Mind Body Institute

1199 Prince Ave., 706-475-7330 Give the gift of health with a gift certificate from Athens Regional Mind Body Institute! Our evidence based services help people be healthy and well with yoga, Tai Chi, Mindfulness, Acupuncture, Therapeutic Massage, Health Consultations and Psychotherapy. Folks who come to the Mind Body Institute feel and sleep better, reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression, have less pain and better control of chronic conditions. Visit www.armc.org/mbi or call 706-475-7330. Happy Holidays!

Republic Salon

312 E Broad St. (3rd floor), 706-208-5222 The perfect present. A gift certificate to the hottest, most luxurious and unique salon in town. Award-winning Republic Salon provides top quality hair styling, the only color bar around, and pampered service all within a luxurious New York loft environment. A most unforgettable gift of a most indulgent experience. Check us out. We occupy the entire third floor above Magnolia’s and Tasty World Uptown (entrance on Jackson Street). Visit us at www.republicsalon.com.

Rocket Salon

163 N. Jackson St., 706-353-0500 ‘Tis the season to celebrate with family and friends. Pamper and indulge yourself with a cut and color to spiff up before your parties begin. Rocket offers a variety of hair services in a fun, laid-back atmosphere. Our fanatical fan-base consists of hipsters, rockers, professionals, students and ladies who lunch.

Everyone is welcome. Pop in for a cup of hot chocolate and a complimentary consultation. Gift certificates available this holiday season.

VeinSolutions

195 King Ave., 706-353-2727 The Medi-spa at VeinSolutions offers cosmetic treatments such as microdermabrasion, peels, cutera laser skin rejuvenation and hair removal. We also carry Jane Iredale make-up, Results Rx and Obaji skincare products. VeinSolutuons, a division of Athens Vascular specialists, provides comprehensive vein care with over 55 years of combined surgical experience, sclerotherapy and minimally invasive outpatient surgery. Call today for your free consultation with our board-certified vascular physicians and licensed esthetician. www.veinsolutions.com

Recreation Altamaha Coastal Tours

www.altamaha.com, 912-437-6010 Broad River Outpost is offering holiday fun and great Geta-Ways. Four hours south, the Altamaha Coastal Tours offer

great paddling and cycling trips in one of the World’s Last Great Places: The Altamaha BioReserve. As this magnificent river enters the ocean, experience a variety of ecosystems and wildlife in the protected river, tidal swamp and salt marsh.

Awesome motor-free bike trails and wilderness paddling trips.

Minutes from I-95 and St. Simon’s Island. Great camping.

BikeAthens

P.O. Box 344, 706-372-9529 Happy holidays from BikeAthens! Holiday traffic got you down? Try walking, biking or taking public transit! Give a cyclist a unique gift of Jittery Joe’s “Alternative Fuel” coffee or a donation in their name to our Holiday Bikes for Kids project!

BikeAthens advocates for improved transportation choices in Athens. Find out more at www.bikeathens.com!

Ciné

234 W. Hancock Ave., 706-353-3343 CINÉ—downtown’s only arthouse cinema screens the latest independent and international films, documentaries, festival discoveries and classic movies. More than a movie theater, Ciné is a modern arts center, featuring an exhibit gallery by local visual artists and the versatile CinéLab space—great for events, parties and live performances. Ciné offers a variety of cocktails and treats, gift certificates and annual memberships, plus a Dinner + Movie combo package with neighboring restaurant, The National. More info and showtimes at www. athenscine.com.

Restaurants A Tavola

237 Prince Ave., 706-549-7520 Serving authentic traditional and innovative Italian dishes and pizzas. We will be closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day and open Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Please make your reservations now for our special New Year’s Eve dinner. Gift certificates available. Through December when you purchase a $50 or more gift card you receive an extra $10 on the card.

Happy Holidays!

Allen’s Bar & Grill

810 Hawthorne Ave., 706-353-6244 Celebrate this holiday season at the oldest bar and grill in Athens. Since 1955, Allen’s has been a place for people of all walks of life to meet and have a good time. So, leave your cares at the door and come party with us this New Year’s Eve with The Grunttones! From our gang to yours… Have a safe and happy holiday! Visit www.allensbarandgrill.com.

Agua Linda Mexican Restaurant & Cantina

1376 Prince Ave., 706-543-1500 2080 Timothy Rd., 706-543-0154 The holidays are just around the corner. Spend some time off with friends and family and enjoy the Taste of Mexico at your local Agua Linda Restaurant. Agua Linda is here to cater all your holiday needs from large groups to small groups so please call us and enjoy the holidays together. Happy holidays!

Beef O’ Brady’s

1860 Barnett Shoals Rd., 706-850-1916 We are a great Place to meet Friends & Family. Make Your Family/Holiday Reservations Today! Full Bar, try some Hot Cider with Captain Morgan. 18 TVs with NFL Ticket and all Bowl Games! Gift Cards are the perfect stocking stuffer. Open Christmas for Dine in or Take out! Come see Justin from 4–11 p.m. on Christmas night for Wings, Fries, Alcohol and Good Times!!

Buffalo’s Southwest Cafe

196 Alps Rd., 706-354-6655 We invite you to Buffalo’s for the holidays! Party in one of our private rooms, let us deliver the party to you OR gift cards are on sale now! For every $100 get $20 in Buffalo Bucks for you! Our annual White Buffalo Christmas will be held on Dec. 22 at 6 p.m. Select a buffalo tag, wrap the gift, and make a child’s Christmas special. Visit with Santa one and all!

Clocked!

259 W. Washington St., 706-548-9175 Bring your family and friends in for the best burger in town!

Big tables and booths that can accommodate 8-15 people, or reserve our side room for parties up to 30. December-only specials: buy a $14 t-shirt get a second free—$100 book of gift certificates only $75—Monday nights, beer is 2 for price of 1—Tuesday nights, kids under 12 eat free—Sunday nights, Regular Burger, fries, soft drink $4.99!

El Paisano

478 North Ave., 706-353-0346 Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad from El Paisano! Come try the best Mexican food in town. Bring the whole family! Join us for New Year’s Eve at Club El Paisano!

Farm 255

255 W. Washington St., 706-549-4660 Come celebrate the season seasonally with sustainably sourced food from local farms, live music and our signature bar offerings. 10% off all gift certificates through December!

Unique holiday menus for both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, supper served from 5:30 to 10 p.m. And don’t miss Athens’ best New Year’s Eve celebration, our annual dance party with The Heap! For reservations, please call or email: reservations@ farm255.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for menu updates! www.farm255.com.

Five Star Day Café

229 E. Broad St., 706-543-8552 2230 Barnett Shoals Rd., 706-613-1001 Bring home your favorite Five Star dish for the holidays.

From collards and black-eyed peas for your New Year’s Day, to sweet potatoes, mac and cheese and squash casserole to round out your holiday dinner—we have it all. We are available for Holiday Parties and Catering. We Are Open New Year’s Day! Gift certificates available for friends and family.

Gnat’s Landing

1080 Baxter St., 706-850-5858 Gnat’s Landing, located at 1080 Baxter St., GNAT-hens.

Born in St. Simons, our unique Coastal Cuisine menu is a fit for anyone’s taste buds and our Beach Casual Food and Attitude is a nice stress reliever during the silly season. Reserve our back room for a private party or have us cater to your needs. Don’t forget, gift cards make a lovely gift! Stop by for details. We will be closed 12/24, 12/25 & 1/1. www.gnatslanding.net

The Grit

199 Prince Ave., 706-543-6592 Out and about this holiday season? Gonna shop ‘til you drop? Drop by The Grit, the toast of Athenian vegetarian cuisine. Located on Prince Avenue since 1991, The Grit offers delectable, down-home favorites, international specialties, and fabulous home-made desserts. We’ve got something for everyone- even carnivores love us! Still shopping? Our Grit Cookbook is a perennial stocking stuffing favorite, along with gift certificates, t-shirts, Jittery Joe’s Grit Blend coffee, and Grit Granola.

Now serving breakfast!

Harry Bissett’s

1155 Mitchell Bridge Rd., 706-552-1193 279 E. Broad St., 706-353-7065 Harry Bissett’s, celebrating Athens since 1986 with two great locations. This holiday season we are offering 10% off all gift card purchases over $100. Book your New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day Brunch reservations now! Become a fan on Facebook for updates on upcoming events. We will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Happy Holidays!

Ike & Jane

1307 Prince Ave., 706-850-1580 Donuts & breakfast, biscuits & barbecue… OH, MY! We make all of our donuts in-house every day! It’s all delicious, so come & give us a try. It’s our first holiday season, and we can’t wait! We’ll have locally made stockings for sale all month and we’ll make you any kind of holiday goody you’re interested in!

Monday–Friday, 6:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, 8 a.m.–2 p.m. k continued on next page

DECEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

11

ALIBI FORMERLY SPIRITS PUB

NEVER A COVER!

FRIENDLIEST BAR IN ATHENS! 3 Pool Tables, Darts, PINBALL

PLAY KENO!

LIVE MUSIC EVERY WEEKEND!

FRI. DEC. 11th

ALBATROSS ROCK N’ ROll! SAT. DEC. 12th BRING IN TOYS FOR TOTS BY TODAY!

KARAOKE

with the singing cowboy EGGNOG, COOKIES & MISTLETOE

JOIN US MONDAY-SATURDAY! MON.

POOL TOURNAMENT! wiN BIG AT ALIBI!

TUES.

KARAOKE

with the singing cowboy WED.

DART LEAGUE bikers welcome

thurs.

OPen MIC/ JAM NIGHT

HOSTED BY MEMBERS OF THE RATTLERS

MON-sat 2PM-2am • COME WI-FI AT ALIBI!

50 Gaines school rd. • 706-549-1010

DENALI JACKET $165.00 Half-Moon Outfitters 1225 S. Milledge Avenue Athens, GA 30306 (706) 548-7225 Mon - Sat 10-6, Sunday 12-5 www.halfmoonoutfitters.com

Give the gift of Apple You won’t find a greater selection of Holiday gifts — more than 1300 items including Macs, MacBooks, iMacs, iPods, printers, software & much more. Visit our new website at peachmac.com.

macs • ipods • software • service

1850 Epps Bridge Pkwy • 706-208-9990 • peachmac.com • Athens • Augusta • Now in Macon!

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

HOLIDAY GUIDE

continued from p. 11

Jittery Joe’s Tasting Room

780 E. Broad St., 706-227-4291 Nestled in the landmark Jittery Joe’s Roasting Warehouse, on 780 E Broad St., lives The Tasting Room, a locally owned and operated coffee shop that brews the freshest coffee in town with just a dash of controversy. The Tasting Room not only offers coffee by the pound but fine handmade coffee drinks, loose leaf tea, and unique smoothies that are sure to please. Parking is abundant, for now, so come check out the bike selection.

The Original La Fiesta

995 Hawthorne Ave., 706-548-4261 Come to the original La Fiesta for authentic Mexican food cooked fresh daily. Stop by Mondays for the best deal

Transmetropolitan

145 E. Clayton St., 706-613-8773 1550 Oglethorpe Ave., 706-549-5112 Visit us throughout the holidays for daily lasagna specials, the Sunday Bloody Mary bar, pizzas, pastas, panini and salads.

Try our Chicken Parmesan over linguini with pomodoro, it’s Blitzen’s favorite! Happy Hour cheer begins each day at 4 p.m.

Don’t be late, Comet and Vixen never are! Half-off bottles of wine every Wednesday upstairs at the downtown bar. On the nights Jessica the bartender is working, expect to see Cupid and Donner. They love her!

DLY PRES ROU EN P E T W

White Tiger Gourmet Food & Chocolates

Anita Aubrey

217 Hiawasee Ave., 706-353-6847 This little restaurant does BBQ like nobody’s business, with Ken at the helm of the kitchen and Amanda keeping delicious homemade chocolates stocked. They provide friendly, down-home atmosphere and a full menu that includes many vegetarian and vegan options. Order gift boxes of chocolate in advance or just stop by. Live music, monthly art shows, pottery, jewelry, and other art for sale. Gift certificates and catering available. Wishing you a purrfect White Tiger holiday!

Willy’s Mexicana Grill

196 Alps Rd., 706-548-1920 Willy’s Mexicana Grill offers a host of Fresh-Mex menu items made from scratch with only the freshest ingredients. Make someone happy on your gift list this year with a Willy’s gift card—perfect for college students, teachers and co-workers. Having a holiday party? Invite Willy’s to bring the great taste and service from our restaurant to your gathering—call 706-548-1920 to order now! Online ordering available for gift cards and catering at www. willys.com.

Retail Aurum Studios

in town—hardshell tacos for JUST $1! Daily food and drink specials. The Westside is the BEST side! Servings Athens since 1983. Happy Holidays!

Peking Restaurant

1935 Barnett Shoals Rd., 706-549-0274 Happy Holidays from Peking Eastside! Closed on Christmas Day. www.pekingeastside.com

Shokitini

251 W. Clayton St., 706-353-7933 With a fun and vibrant atmosphere, Shokitini provides a perfect place to be “seen” downtown. The martini and sake selections are second to none, with specials provided by the mixologists daily. The restaurant has won the reader’s choice award (ABH) for “best sushi” two years in a row! The steaks at Shokitini are phenomenal, using only the best meats. Private karaoke rooms are ideal for Christmas parties and birthdays.

Gift certificates also available. Closed on Christmas. www. shokitini.com

Speakeasy

269 E. Broad St. (upstairs), 706-546-5556 Located in beautiful downtown Athens, Speakeasy sits upstairs on historic East Broad Street, overlooking the beautiful campus of UGA. Delicious southern inspired tapas, specialty cocktails, an award winning wine list and delectable fresh made desserts provide an intimate evening of sharing among friends. Grab your friends and come order off our extensive tapas menu and share a wonderful evening upstairs. Call us for event catering and holiday parties. Visit www.speakeasyathens. com for more information.

125 E. Clayton St., 706-546-8826 Voted Best Jewelry and Best Art Gallery, Aurum has a fabulous selection of platinum, gold and silver jewelry, diamonds, pearls, stunning color and cool beads. Original designs, custom work and repairs are available from six in-house goldsmiths. The Aurum gallery of American crafts features pottery, glass, wood and paintings by talented regional artists—even Christmas ornaments! Let Aurum’s friendly staff help you find all the gifts you need—layaway, all charge cards and free giftwrapping.

Cillies Clothing

175 E. Clayton St., 706-369-7418 This is what the holidays at Cillies are all about! C-ash Money $$ from selling your clothes, I-mpulse purchasing (one for my mom and one for me…), L-uxury at affordable prices, L-azy? Get a gift certificate!, I-nsanely hot holiday dresses, E-nvironmental love, S-anta shops here, too, so beware of paparazzi!

Cofer’s Home & Garden Showplace

1145 Mitchell Bridge Rd., 706-353-1519 Cofer’s has lighted covered greenhouses for finding that perfect Christmas tree. We carry only premium grown Fraser Firs from North Carolina. Sizes from 3 ft. to 10 ft. Ask about our Christmas tree delivery service for Clarke and Oconee counties!

We can also pick up your tree after the holidays and recycle it for a small fee. Gifts for the gardener—Felco Swiss pruners, bird supplies and gift certificates.

Dynamite Clothing

143 N. Jackson St., 706-543-1243 This holiday season, along with our spectacular selection of men’s and women’s vintage, recycled and new clothing, we are now offering a wide variety of amazing retro home and gift items including great books, records, lamps, fabrics, furniture and vintage décor. Create one-of-a-kind looks for yourself with k continued on next page

DECEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

13

HOLIDAY GUIDE

Frontier

continued from p. 13

our huge selection of items from vintage t-shirts, hoodies and western shirts to sunglasses, dresses, jewelry and more.

American Apparel available here! Open daily 12:30–6 p.m. We recycle fashion!

Elements Art Supply

2026 S. Milledge Ave., 706-546-1310 BUY ART: Support living artists! Elements Art Supply has a wonderful selection of original artwork including paintings, drawings, sculpture and etchings from local, regional and Blue Chip artists. Give the gift that is one-of-a-kind and will appreciate in value as time goes on. Don’t forget art supplies for the artist on your list! Come see us in the Shoppes of South Athens.

Five Points Bottle Shop

1655 S. Lumpkin St., 706-543-6989 3685 Atlanta Hwy., 706-316-2337 This holiday season Five Points Bottle is stocking the shelves so you can stuff your stocking! Beer and liquor gift sets make a wonderful present and are available in all shapes and sizes. Come browse our huge inventory of seasonal brews just waiting for that beer-lover on your list. We’ll help you select the ideal wine to give your favorite connoisseur. Did we mention everyone’s favorite stocking stuffer? Mini-bottles!

Remember, No Fake IDs, No Crybabies!

Flora Hydroponics

195 Paradise Blvd., 706-353-2223 Looking for a great gift for an avid gardener? We got it!

Come visit Athens’ leading indoor gardening supplier. We have helped growers worldwide since 2006. As the temperature cools down, we offer all of the items you need to bring your garden indoors. Whether it’s lights, fertilizers or gardening accessories you are looking for, Flora has the items you need! We offer unique gift items such as Grobals, Earth Boxes and Hobby Greenhouses! Happy Holidays!

193 E. Clayton St., 706-369-8079 Now Celebrating our 20th Year! Sip cider and enjoy the warm, friendly atmosphere of this beloved Athens tradition…

Shop for beautiful and unusual gifts from Athens, Georgia and around the globe… handcrafted pyramids, smokers and ornaments from Germany, French soaps, local BeeNatural® Honeypots, Hanukkah candles from Israel, Fair Trade handknits, toys, ribbons and candles… EVERYTHING to prepare you for the holidays!

Half-Moon Outfitters

1225 S. Milledge Ave., 706-548-7225 Half-Moon Outfitters offers great customer service for getting you ready for your next adventure. Half-Moon features quality gear for adventure and travel by Patagonia, The North Face, Arc’Teryx, Mountain Hardwear, Petzl and more. Open daily for your shopping convenience. Gift certificates available.

Helix

146 E. Clayton St., 706-354-8631 Have a peaceful, enjoyable shopping experience at Helix this holiday season! Choose from our large selection of stylish and artistic jewelry, housewares and stationery. For your child, fresh playful prints in clothes from Zutano and quality wooden toys. Deck your halls with original work by local artists. Bill Campbell’s pottery will thrill anyone on your list! With complimentary gift wrap and friendly service, Helix has everything you need to fill your holidays with cheer!

Junkman’s Daughter’s Brother

458 E. Clayton St., 706-543-4454 ‘Twas the day before Xmas/ the shoppers were manic/ Junkman’s is open, no need to panic/ We have earrings and lanterns/ jigsaws and t-shirts/ key chains and vases, handbags and short skirts/ comics and stickers, incense and bangles/ cool shoes and jackets, stuffed toys and candles/ Everything you would need for your special elf/ We make it so easy, there’s time to shop for yourself.

A t a e p Holiday rRfeormance e P ay d r Tradition Satu d in con e s Watkinsvillea witFhH3ol0idaayns Dec 12 10am - 5pm

J’s Bottle Shop

1452 Prince Ave., 706-353-8881 J’s Bottle Shop and Cheer’s Package have the best prices and the best selection on holiday gift sets from your favorites like Crown Royal, Jack Daniel’s, Dewar’s, Glenmorangie, Jameson, Bailey’s, Kahlua and more! Champagnes, fine wines, single-malt Scotches, ultra premium vodkas, imported cigars, craft microbrews and exotic liqueurs bring warmth and cheer to the season. Make your gift sets special with free gift wrapping!

Two convenient locations, the same great prices!

Music Exchange

296 W. Broad St., 706-549-6199 Conveniently located downtown with free parking, we have great gift ideas for musicians. Featuring the best prices around on Gretsch, Jackson, Fender, Guild, Roland, Alesis, Crate, Blueridge, Yorkville and Alvarez. Guitars, amps, effects pedals, drums, drum machines, PA systems, multitrack recorders, horns, and keyboards. Great selection of used musical instruments.

Lots of great stocking stuffer accessories. We can even bring new life to your old clunker. Make your musician’s dreams come true!

Music Go Round

www.musicgoroundlilburn.com, 706-931-9190 The best place to find cool used gear is Music Go Round.

Located just a short drive from Athens, it is a destination store worth the road trip. Our huge inventory of guitars, amps, effects, drums, pro sound, brass, woodwinds, strings and keyboards changes because we buy hundreds more every week.

Seriously, you will not believe how much gear we buy and sell.

Come visit soon and be sure to bring trades!!

Native America Gallery

195 E. Clayton St., 706-543-8425 Native America Gallery is all decked out for the holidays and we have something special for everyone on your list.

An amazing selection of sterling-silver jewelry embellished

Wine Dinner Wednesday, Dec. 16th

6 Courses • 6 Wines

$40/person - Call for Reservations

OCA et Artis k Mar

Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation 34 School Street • Watkinsville

free parking - $3 donation admission For more info 706 769-4565

www.ocaf.com

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

Call us for your Holiday Parties, Gift Certificates and Catered Events 269 E. BROAD ST. • UPSTAIRS • 706-546-5556 • www.speakeasyathens.com

with turquoise, opal, gemstones or real flowers! Leather journals, zuni fetish carvings, felted wood purses from Nepal and fabulous scarves! Holiday Ornaments and Nativities— Complimentary gift wrap, hot cider and treats. Open Daily ‘til 8 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday nights! Native America Gallery–“Where You’re One of the Tribe!”

P.S. Too

1055 Gaines School Rd., 706-552-2345 Are you looking for the perfect gift for that special someone this holiday? At P.S. Too you’ll find women’s clothing, jewelry, and accessories in all of the latest styles. Not only will each purchase support a local business, all of the proceeds from P.S. Too sales directly help survivors of domestic violence. P.S. Too is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m.–6 p.m. We’re located in the Eastside Omni Club shopping center.

Sexy Suz Adult Emporium

World of Futons

2041 W. Broad St., 706-353-1218 Seasons Greetings from World of Futons near Red Lobster on Broad Street. See us for the best deals on living room and bedroom furniture. We have locally made products in our store along with a variety of other items. We carry platform beds, case goods, mirrors, the largest selection of futon furniture and more at the best prices in town. Established in 1984—we knew futons before futons were cool!! Happy holidays and happy futoning—come see us!

Z-Dog Bakery and Pet Supply

2475 Jefferson Rd., 706-354-1804 Z-Dog Bakery is your neighborhood pet supply store. We make our own healthy treats right in the store, but we also carry premium dog and cat food, toys, beds, collars, shampoo Anita Aubrey

50 Gaines School Rd., 706-850-6919 Sexy gifts for Christmas. Sexy Suz–making love better.

Come check out our new expanded lingerie department featuring the finest lingerie selection in Athens (including brand new holiday lingerie), plus our new sexy shoe department. Whether it’s naughty stocking stuffers, massage oils, Kama Sutra, adult toys and novelties, games or our adult DVD selection, every adult has something to spice up their holiday gift giving. If it’s not sexy, we don’t carry it!

heavily discount. VIDEO LINK is located 1 mile southeast of 5 Points in the Shoppes of South of Athens (across from Sons of Italy). We will be closed Christmas but open New Year’s Day.

285 W. Washington St., 706-208-9588 This permanent artwork will be the gift that lasts forever. Highest sterilization standards in the industry.

Be pierced using implant-quality jewelry. Gift certificates available. Artists include Chris Parry, Mike G, Graham Bradford and Miss Billie. Piercers include Bethra and Randy. Members National Tattoo Association. Piercers are proud members of the Association of Professional Piercers. www.painandwonder.com, www.virtueandvice.com.

3775 Atlanta Hwy., 706-543-4323 The original wood frame waterbeds started the sleep revolution in the ‘60s and are still popular today. You’ll rest in a semi-weightless state without pressure points, in soothing heated comfort. Great for all ages. We have a large showroom with waterbeds, futons, bunk beds, platform beds, lofts and matching furniture. We have plenty of UGA room décor and gifts, too. Same local owner since 1975. Open six days, 10 a.m. ‘til 7 p.m. Closed Sunday.

Across from Georgia Square Mall. www.southernwaterbeds. com

550 Athens Rd., Winterville, 706-742-7149 Looking for a gift that has meaning and a personal touch?

We have the perfect presents! From unique ornaments to gifts that grow, we can help you give the best gifts in town. Create a combination of live plants, give a birdseed wreath, birdhouse, birdbath, or ring in the new year with a windchime! We have a wide selection of yard art, gardener gifts, natural body care products, locally grown herbs and gift certificates! Come see our winter wonderland! www.thymeafterthyme.com

Video Link

2026 S. Milledge Ave., 706-543-2288 VIDEO LINK is the LAST of the locally owned, non-chain independent video stores. ALL titles are for sale or rental.

VIDEO LINK carries ALL the new releases and TV shows, but specializes in hard to find classics, foreign and cult movies. We

4330 Highway 72 West, Colbert, 706-788-0559 We are a landscape and hardscape materials producer and distributor. Unlike plants, hardscape projects can be installed year round. Smart gardeners get a jump on spring by putting in their pathways, patios, walls, borders, soil, soil amendments and mulch in the winter. Boulders in the landscape add interest without the maintenance of watering and fertilizer. Beat the rush and order now. Through February, buy $50 in gift certificates and get another $10 free. We deliver anywhere. www. backyard2nature.com

Pain and Wonder Tattoo

Southern Waterbeds & Futons

Thyme After Thyme, Inc.

Backyard to Nature

800 Oglethorpe Ave., 706-549-0190 Celebrating 20 Years in Business, Athens’ first professional Tattoo studio. Midnight Iguana is Athens’ only complete Full service Body-Art facility, offering all styles of body-art, a full line of the finest quality body jewelry for all piercings, including dermal implants. Midnight Iguana is recognized World Wide, working in conjunction with its sister company Micropigment Implantation Technologies offering Tattoo Removal, Permanent Make-up, & our exclusive Scar correction Process.

Teaching educational seminars World wide. (Now offered in Athens, GA)

289 College Ave., 706-546-8787 Our downtown store, The Smoker’s Den, is Athens’ first hookah lounge. Our store at 1086 Baxter St., Modern Age, has been Athens’ most unique gift shop, as well as the area’s premiere tobacconist. Our Humidor stocks dozens of cigar labels kept fresh for cigar enthusiasts. Incense, Hookahs and Hookah accessories, Zippo Lighters, E Health Cigarettes and vaporizers. See us for all your smoking needs.

50 Gaines School Rd., 706-543-6368 Skater-owned and operated, we ride what we sell! Fully stocked with professional skateboards from Element, Plan B, Creature, Habitat, Krooked and more, safety equipment, accessories, footwear and clothing from Vans, Etnies, Draven, Independent, Es, Vox, Elwood, Spitfire and Emerica.

Conveniently located just one mile from the Skate Park of Athens. Open 7 days a week—’til 6 p.m. Christmas Eve. All major credit cards accepted.

1035 Baxter St., 706-543-7628 We offer the gift that always fits. American Classic Tattoos and Body Piercing offering fine custom and classic tattoos to suit your needs. We offer gift certificates and a fine selection of body jewelry. Open Mondays-Saturdays, noon ‘til 10 p.m. www.americanclassictattoo.net

Midnight Iguana Tattoo

Smoker’s Den

Skate Shop of Athens

American Classic Tattoo and Body Piercing

Project Safe, Inc.

and more! As part of our commitment to the community and our love of animals, we are collecting pet food donations for local rescue groups and for the Athens Council on Aging. We are collecting toys for “Toys for Tots,” too! Happy Holidays!

Services 13 Roses Tattoo

598 W. Hancock Ave., 706-354-6613 Your friends and family will be impressed with your discriminating taste and gift that will last a lifetime—a New Tattoo!

13 Roses is Atlanta & Athens’ premier Tattoo Studio. Gift Certificates available and are valid at both Atlanta and Athens locations for all of 13 Roses’ award-winning Tattoo Artists. If you can imagine it, we can do it! Open ‘til 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve for late shopping elves! www.13RosesTattoo.com.

AAA Airport Express

www.aaaairportexpress.com, 800-354-7874 AAA Airport Express departs Athens and Atlanta 12 times daily. Our fare is $45 each way per person. There is a $5 off coupon in Flagpole and other publications in Athens. Please visit our website at www.aaaairportexpress.com or call us at 800-354-7874 or 404-767-2000 for more information and to make reservations. We can make your holiday travels merrier this year!

www.project-safe.org, 706-549-0922 The holidays are all about giving, and at a time when every penny counts it’s important to remember that even small donations make a big difference. At the Project Safe emergency shelter, items like toilet paper, cleaning supplies, personal toiletries, blankets and pillows are always needed. Donations can be brought to the Project Safe Thrift Store, located at the corner of Hawthorne and Prince Avenue in the Bell’s Shopping center, Monday through Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Walk the Line Tattoos

364 E. Broad St., 706-369-9424 Athens’ One and Only “Radar” presents: Walk the Line Tattoos. We are located in downtown Athens. We currently have three artists working at the studio… Radar, John Collins and Corey. We are hoping to see our family grow in the near future.

If you are passing by… come on in and check it out… Gift certificates available.

WUGA

www.wuga.org, 706-542-9842 WISHING YOU THE HAPPIEST OF HOLIDAYS AND A GREAT YEAR IN 2010. WUGA, the Classic 91.7 & 97.9 FM. Your oasis for ideas and the arts. To make a donation visit www.wuga.org.

University of Georgia Independent and Distance Learning www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/flagpole Wishing you Happy Holidays! Try UGA Online. We have Credit Classes. Drop/Add is easy. Check it out today!

DECEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

15

miscellany Out and About Around Athens

FUTON SALE Get the year’s LOWEST PRICES on our HUGE SELECTION of Futon SofaBeds, Futon Loungers, Platform Beds, Mattresses, Covers & Accessories UGA Student Specials SHOP ONLINE AT:

get f u t o n s . c om WORLD OF FUTONS 2041 W. Broad St. Athens Across from Red Lobster

706-353-1218

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

Hotty Toddy, God Almighty: Who would have guessed that my most entertaining and challenging intellectual encounter of the month would be not with Lady Gaga’s new video but with two ministers and a Kierkegaard scholar?

Pub Theology has met for more than a year at Trappeze to discuss diverse, if largely Christian, readings, under the direction of Chris McCreight, from the First Christian Church of Athens on Dougherty. The week I attended, a retired campus minister, a visiting Swiss leprosy advocate, Trappeze a physician’s assistant and her husband, a philosophy doctoral student, convened to consider Jacques Ellul’s Anarchy and Christianity. I confess: I was nervous.

But I was thoroughly fascinated by the conversation that ensued—an examination of anarchy and how it might be reconciled with community—and by tangent dialogues on institutional power, definitions of violence, Ayn Rand and punks. Was Jesus an anarchist, we wondered, if he relied on others but resisted political structures, lived amidst society but on its margins? Is self-sufficiency “Christian” in a global age, we debated, or do co-dependent communities represent an ethical evolution away from the free market, which, we agreed, should be divorced from Christianity in the American imagination? Big questions and, thank God, no easy answers.

On Tuesday, Dec. 15 Pub Theology will discuss The First Christmas by Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan.

Cup of Jeer: A block over at Little Kings the Drinking Liberally group meets under the leadership of Patrick Moore and Thomas Bavis as a safe haven for frank discussion of politics—or anything else that might come up.

It is difficult to make generalizations about politics in Athens, the members say, where citizens may be more liberal than “transients” like undergraduate students and commuters; the meetings are “no pressure” conversations, a member said, “just a place to go relax with friends that you know are like-minded.”

At the gathering I joined, members discussed a colleague who had feared Obama would cover the American flag with a “Muslim flag”; Ted Rall’s Wake Up, You’re Liberal!; Karl Rove; the seeming collapse of the social/neoconservative tent; the 2010 elections; local political coverage (Flagpole is where they get

their local political news, they claim, because the Banner-Herald “is very famous for being conservative”); Jon Stewart; Sarah Palin; pets; the gaming website Sporkle; legalized marijuana; Congress’ “politically correct” and “unthinking” support of Israel; UGA football; and “Pull the Plug on Paul Broun.” One member joked that his friends were fighting over whether Broun was a “crazy motherfucker” or a “lying asshole.” “Friends, come together,” he told them: “He’s both.” Drinking Liberally meets on the first and third Friday of every month at Little Kings.

Red and Green: Athens Green Drinks meets at rotating bars and restaurants to discuss local development and sustainability issues. Tim Lacy, the group’s organizer, hoped the meetings would bring together various perspectives Rachel Bailey

Holiday Spirits: The holiday season began last week, and with it my month-long embrace of that warm, happy feeling: inebriation. We do our heaviest drinking in the chilly weeks between Thanksgiving and the year’s ultimate party night. To kick off my drinking season my mother’s college friends came to town; the next week, I made my annual trek to Oxford, MS, where drinking needs no occasion.

Mimosa, Mama, hold the orange juice; Bloody Mary, Uncle Beck, hold the fishies.

In Athens some drinking groups come together year-round, united not by familial obligation but by shared interests. This month I dropped by a few of their meetings.

on Athens development. Indeed, the group’s last event, at Hotel Indigo’s Phi Bar, was a convivial, informal scene—more cocktail party than meeting—whose participants included real estate agents, architects, green entrepreneurs, new Athens residents, a PhD philosophy student and a radio journalist, among others.

The group rotated through Indigo’s cozy lobby as Lacy and I reminisced about New York’s East Village, discussed the group’s history, and hoped that all large development would soon require LEED certification. Then, with a general sense of child-like wonder, the crew boarded energy-retaining elevators to visit the presidential suites, where we ogled teal furniture, examined toilet fixtures and wondered about celebrity visitors. Athens Green Drinks will gather next on Tuesday, Dec. 29 at Farm 255.

This week: Speaking of green, check out the community garden underway at Hill and Church Streets, hit up vegetarian potlucks at the Vastu School of Yoga (12/9) and the Roots Farm CSA (12/10), and think on Athens’ development with Frances Taliaferro Thomas at the ACC Library (12/13).

Try to score an invite to the Rialto Suite; among its next visitors will be Serena Williams, in town for Rock-n-Racquets (12/12), along with John Isner, Melanie Oudin and Sam Querrey.

Catch ATHICA’s “Not So Silent Night” auction, benefitting Clarke Central High School’s student publications (12/11), White Tiger’s holiday market (12/12), the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation’s Annual Holiday Gala (12/13) and the Athens Symphony Christmas Concert (12/12 & 12/13).

Elaine Ely misc@flagpole.com

grub notes À la Cart Let the Revolution Begin: Anyone reasonably defensive about the food offerings in little ol’ Athens, GA and suspicious of transplanted Brooklynites (traffic usually moves the other way, right?) would have written off the brand-new Farm Cart parked on the patio of Farm 255 (255 W. Washington St., 706-5494660) and operating during weekday lunch. Really? You think you can just come down here and tell us how to run a streetcart gourmet operation on a shoestring, yet with the resources of a larger business to back you and make sure all your veggies are free of chemicals and your meats have lived happy lives?

Well, darn it, Jake O. Francis apparently can, and anyone who’s avoided the Farm Cart in its few weeks in business thus far out of fear of pretension or an empty wallet should suck it up and get over it.

Francis is a personable fellow, with the right kind of chatty but not garrulous manner to run just such a business. When he asks you if you know what a banh mi is, there’s no judgment in his voice. He just wants to educate you, and he’ll do it briefly, too. The cart offers either five or six items daily, which vary slowly from week to week, all priced between $4 and $6 each and most in plenty large servings to have a satisfying mid-day meal off just one of them (although you may want to order more just so you can keep tasting).

Perhaps the best deal is the tortilla espagnole, a hearty wedge of what is basically a frittata crammed with beautiful vegetables, topped with a sweet-and-spicy pepper jelly and nestled alongside a pretty little green salad that tastes wonderful, with unexpected leaves of herbs to break up the lettuce, but could have used one more dunking in the sink to remove every last morsel of grit.

At $4, neatly packed in a theoretically compostable container, it’s beautifully portable, survives hanging out in the refrigerator, is vegetarian (most offerings are) and is damned attractive to the eye as Every minor complaint well as being sizable enough for a large dude’s lunch. aside, the effort is A salad of cabbage, admirable… shaved brussels sprouts, thin-sliced red apples and a few radishes, topped with bacony spiced almonds and dressed with a buttermilk concoction was fresh, seasonal and complexly, subtly flavored. The veggie banh mi, now morphed into a veggie sandwich due to changes in bread, features hardboiled egg, pickled vegetables and aioli, and comes alongside cute pickles and potato chips.

Not everything is perfect. A friend of mine experienced a rather disappointing pastrami sandwich. If I were to nitpick, I could complain that neither the radishes nor the apples in the abovementioned salad added much more than textural variety, being light on taste. But for $4 to $6 for an organic, chefdriven lunch, it hardly seems fair to dwell on a misstep or two.

Beverages are limited (Limonata, lemon water, mulled wine on occasion), and seating may get chilly in months to come. You must remember to have cash on you. It would be nice if the cart were open weekends. Every minor complaint aside, the effort is admirable, delicious and, I hope, inspiring to other budding restaurateurs.

Korea Expands: Well, the Korean options at Eat Hibachi (131 E. Broad St., 706-548-7441) have expanded, at any rate, even if Athens continues to fail on pretty much all other fronts Korean, and the place appears to have a regular clientele. No longer do the menu boards stress boring combinations of stirfried veggies, proteins and rice/noodles. Instead, an array of Korean and Japanese soups takes up a board of its own, and potentially unfamiliar terms (naruto, for example) go untranslated. For pure, satisfying comfort food, the Korean pancakes, made of finely chopped tofu, egg, vegetable and beef, are a great way to get most of your food pyramid in every bite. And the curry noodles feature Japanese curry, which is more salty than spicy and is exciting to find available in a restaurant.

Does Eat Hibachi hold a candle to the options on Atlanta’s Buford Highway and beyond? Heck no. It doesn’t have Korean fried chicken or pork belly sizzled to order on a grill or anything of the sort, but it does continue to take steps in the right direction.

Hillary Brown food@flagpole.com

DECEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

17

Eat. Drink. Listen Closely.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9

BETSY FRANCK

and FRIENDS

Tickets $5 adv. • $5 at the door

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10

HEIDI HENSLEY Tickets $7 adv. • $10 at the door

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11

ABBEY ROAD LIVE! Tickets $10 adv. • $12 at the door

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16

BURNING ANGELS Tickets $5

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18

SONS OF SAILORS

(featuring members of the TONY PRITCHETT BAND Tickets $10 adv. • $13 at the door

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19

Athens’ Original

RACK OF SPAM

ANNUAL HOLIDAY SHOW Tickets $10 adv. • $13 at the door

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26 GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

RANDALL BRAMBLETT BAND Tickets $12 adv. • $15 at the door

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31

MARDI GRAS NEW YEARS EVE featuring

BONERAMA

and LIL’ BRYAN AND THE ZYDECO TRAVELERS Big Easy VIP Packages Available Call 706-549-7020

COMING SOON

1/9 - KINCHAFOONEE COWBOYS 1/20 - LEO KOTTKE 1/21 - TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE 1/22 - MOUNTAIN HEART, TOWN MOUNTAIN 2/4 - TAB BENOIT

2/6 - OWL CITY with LIGHTS & DEAS VAIL (SOLD OUT) 2/13 - FRANCINE REED 2/17 - BRANDI CARLILE, AMY RAY’S ROCK SHOW 2/27 - DIRK HOWELL BAND

All doors at 6pm and all shows 18 + up. Bring in this ad for 2 for 1 admission!

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FOR TICKETS & SHOWTIMES OR CALL THE BOX OFFICE 706.254.6909

18

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

the reader The Tramp Stamp of Approval As they do every year, a couple of weeks ago the Oxford University Press unveiled its Word of the Year for 2009, that singular word, phrase, or term that best captures the spirit of the times in the preceding 12 months. Among the entries jockeying for the honor of being declared an official word by the publishers of the Oxford English Dictionary were such terms as “sexting,” “funemployment” and, my personal favorite, “zombie bank.” Top honors, however, went to “unfriend,” as in the thing you do on social-networking sites when someone pisses you off (which is something we all should do from time to time; I mean, I have a couple hundred “friends” on Facebook, but how many of them could I really count on to, say, help me dispose of a dead hooker?).

Another word that made it to the finals was “tramp stamp,” the pejorative term for the now-ubiquitous tattoos on the lower backs of party girls everywhere. Personally, I’ve never really seen the point in getting a tattoo you’ll never see unless someone is photographing your ass, but it’s become a fairly standard badge of adulthood for young women from all social strata and a fitting measure of just how respectable tattooing has become.

Once the province of sailors, bikers, convicts and rockabilly chicks, now sorority girls, professional athletes and your mom are getting skin art every minute of the day and night.

Of course, this is not exactly a grand revelation, especially here in Coolsville where tattoo shops are a growth industry, operating downtown and elsewhere in full, horrified view of the Chamber of Commerce and doing a brisk business in high and low art. Still, for many of us, tattoo culture is a whole different world, arcane and profane, the province of wildcat artists who can render both obscene symbology and breathtaking works of line and color on their human canvases at will—men and women who can do what you can’t and subsequently live lives you’ll never understand.

Sure, there’s Kat von D and her crew whooping it up on TV, but like all “reality” television there’s a gloss and contrivance to it. As in so

many other areas of life, if you want the real picture, the grunt’s-eye view, you need a book.

Jeff Johnson has your book. Journeyman artist, back-alley philosopher, veteran hellraiser and often-gifted writer, Johnson is the co-owner of the Sea Tramp Tattoo Company in Portland, OR (a great tattoo town) and has the stories, tips and wisdom to either drive you away screaming or suck you headlong into his world in his book Tattoo Machine: Tall Tales, True Stories and My Life in Ink (Random House, 2009).

Anthony Bourdain’s indispensable Kitchen Confidential wasn’t just a groundbreaking book for its glimpse at the dark goo beneath the starched-tablecloth world of fine dining, it also launched a new subgenre in tell-all books about the service industry, part autobiography, part exposé, part punk sociology. Johnson does much the same thing in his book.

Here is a chapter about legends in the business and how the art of tattoo grew through evolutions in technology, materials, professional standards and good old-fashioned rivalry, from the early days of anchors and mermaids and “MOM” rendered thickly in the black, now green, ink on the arms of old Navy men to the sleeves and back pieces rendered with wit and consummate artistry in bold colors and subtle shades. Here are the dangers of choosing the wrong shop or the wrong artist, both aesthetically and medically hazardous to your health. And here are the pranks and revenge stories and cautionary tales about the folly of pissing off people with mechanical needles. My favorite is the one about the skinhead who shoved his way through the line on Free Tattoo Day and ended up with an R. Crumb-style African princess on his arm.

And then there are the customers, the con artists who’ll try to scam free art by claiming the artist did it wrong, the nightly parade of old men who hit Johnson up for tattoos of Bill Murray, the gang leader who sat for a tat of his girlfriend’s name while one of his boys stood by ordering a hit over his cellphone, and the creepy guy covered with the names and Social Security numbers of people who may no longer be living and asking Johnson to add to his collection. And then there’s the cute punky girl with whom Johnson went home and barely escaped alive…

Johnson dispenses his fair share of chestpounding and smack-talk, as is to be expected from a veteran outlaw fringe-dweller, but to his credit, he is also able to call dumbass on his younger self as he embraces the wisdom gleaned from years of burning and getting burned. He’s a thinker who waited to write his book until he had plenty to say, an act of patience that is becoming increasingly rare in our current era of instant notoriety.

Subsequently, Tattoo Machine rings true even when Johnson’s stories strain credulity. Tattoo artists will find themselves nodding in recognition, and the rest of Tattoo Nation—even your mom—will find this book to be a good, solid read.

John G. Nettles

DECEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

19

movie dope Some releases may not be showing locally this week.

2012 (PG-13) German disaster taskmaster Roland Emmerich (Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow) destroys the entire world in his newest lowest-commondenominator blockbuster. 2012 uses the conspiracy-theorist wet-dream of the Mayan calendar’s predicted Earth expiration date—Dec. 21, 2012—as the springboard for the biggest disaster picture ever. This audacious, awful flick makes Emmerich’s last cinematic sermon, The Day After Tomorrow, look downright documentarian and artful.

ANTICHRIST (R) Love him or hate him, filmmaker Lars von Trier (Breaking the Waves, Dogville) likes to make a splash. His latest, a psychological horror torture porn drama, split Cannes but has failed to generate much buzz in the real world. A couple (Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg), grieving the loss of a child, head to a cabin in the woods to save their marriage. But what was bad soon becomes worse. I’m always excited about new output from Trier, so you can imagine how intrigued I am by his version of a horror flick.

ARMORED (PG-13) A crew of security guards (Matt Dillon, Laurence Fishburne, Jean Reno, Skeet Ulrich and Amaury Nolasco) enlist the new guy (Columbus Short) in a scheme to steal $42 million. Of course, it goes wrong, pitting the newbie against the vets. I’ll give you one guess who comes out on top. Director Nimrod Antal delivered the goods in Vacancy and proves he knows how to ratchet up the tension and films a good, brief, climactic chase. Too bad the acting is atrocious.

BLACK DYNAMITE (R) Another homage to blaxploitation, Black Dynamite stars co-writer Michael Jai White (Spawn) as the titular hero who must avenge his brother’s murder and right neighborhood wrongs all the way to the White House (James McManus plays Richard Nixon himself). I kind of hope this movie actually makes it to Athens.

Winner of the Seattle International Film Festival’s Golden Space Needle Award for Best Film.

THE BLIND SIDE (PG-13) The Blind Side tells such a lovely story that it is hard to knock the inspirational movie for a lack of creativity and artistic merit.

Plus, I am afraid current Baltimore Raven Michael Oher, portrayed with quiet sympathy in the movie by Quinton Aaron, might beat the crap out of me if I say anything too bad about the cinematic version of his life. A rich white couple, Leigh Anne and Sean Touhy (Sandra Bullock and likable, easygoing Tim McGraw), take in Big Mike, an African-American giant given up on by most of Memphis. They turn his life around; he eventually earns a scholarship to Ole Miss. He doesn’t really do anything to change their lives, although the movie insists that he does.

THE BOONDOCK SAINTS II: ALL SAINTS DAY (R) Writer-director Troy Duffy mines his only successful film, a box office bust turned cult fave, for its inevitable sequel. The Brothers MacManus, Connor (former “Young Indiana Jones” Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus), leave their idyllic life on the family farm in Ireland and return to Boston to take revenge on the mob that killed their favorite priest. With Julie Benz (“Angel” and “Dexter”), Clifton Collins Jr., Billy Connolly, Judd Nelson and Peter Fonda.

BROTHERS (R) See Movie Pick.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL (PG) Oscarwinning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis’ third foray into motion-capture animation is his most successful. ‘Oliday Spirit is piled in waist-high drifts, and the animation is absolutely gorgeous, if still perched on the edge of the “uncanny valley.” Carrey voices multiple roles as Ebenezer Scrooge, young Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. His old Scrooge is the most successful. Gary Oldman makes an oddly appropriate Bob Cratchit and Marley. The problem with this newest version of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic is its familiarity, which has grown a tad musty.

COUPLES RETREAT (PG-13) Writers Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau and Dana Fox also star in this lazily glued-together sitcom collage of misunderstandings about sex, massages, et cetera and platitudes about the hard work it takes to maintain the two-way street of a relationship.

CRAZY HEART (R) Jeff Bridges is being positioned for his fifth Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of hard-living country music singer Bad Blake. After a string of bad marriages,

Hello, Georgia Power? alcoholic Bad gets one last shot, thanks to a younger woman, journalist Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal). He also begins to mentor up-and-coming country music sensation, Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell). Robert Duvall also stars in filmmaker Scott Cooper’s directorial debut, adapted from the novel by Thomas Cobb.

DARE (R) Three high school seniors—aspiring actress and good girl Alexa Walker (Emmy Rossum, The Phantom of the Opera), her best friend Ben Berger (Ashley Springer, Teeth) and bad boy Johnny Drake (Zach Gilford of “Friday Night Lights”)— become embroiled in an intimate, complicated relationship. The trailer looks kind of CW-y. With Ana Gasteyer, Rooney Mara, Sandra Bernhard and Alan Cumming. Directed by Adam Salky. Nominated for the coveted

M OVI E L I S T I N G S

Theater schedules often change after our deadline. Please call ahead.

ACC LIBRARY (706-613-3650)

Taxi to the Dark Side (R) 7:00 (Th. 12/10)

BEECHWOOD (706-546-1011)

Beechwood movie times are only accurate through Dec. 10.

Visit www.flagpole.com for updated times.

2012 (PG-13) 4:30, 8:15 Armored (PG-13) 5:10, 7:20, 9:25 Blind Side (PG-13) 4:10, 7:00, 9:45 Brothers (R) 4:25, 7:25, 9:55 A Christmas Carol 3D (PG) 5:00, 7:15, 9:30 Everybody’s Fine (PG-13) 5:00, 7:15, 9:30 Fantastic Mr. Fox (PG) 5:20, 7:30, 9:40 Ninja Assassin (R) 5:15, 7:35, 9:55 Old Dogs (PG) 5:05, 7:25, 9:35 Planet 51 (PG) 5:05, 7:25, 9:35 The Twilight Saga: New Moon (PG-13) 4:15, 7:15, 10:00

CARMIKE 12 (706-354-0016)

Carmike 12 movie times are only accurate through Dec. 10.

Visit www.flagpole.com for updated times.

2012 (PG-13) 12:20, 3:40, 7:00 Blind Side (PG-13) 1:25, 4:20, 7:10, 10:00 The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (R) 1:45, 4:30, 7:15, 10:00 Brothers (R) 1:35, 4:15, 7:10, 9:50 A Christmas Carol 3D (PG) 12:30, 2:50, 5:10, 7:30, 9:50

20

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

AN EDUCATION (PG-13) Teenaged Jenny (Carey Mulligan) comes of age in the 1960s suburban London upon the arrival of David (Peter Sarsgaard), a playboy nearly twice her age. Mulligan is winning raves and positioning herself on the shortlist of potential Oscar dark horses. Director Lone Scherfig also helmed Italian for Beginners and bestselling novelist Nick Hornby (High Fidelity and About a Boy) adapted the

Everybody’s Fine (PG-13) 1:45, 4:30, 7:00, 9:30 Fantastic Mr. Fox (PG) 1:05, 3:10, 5:15, 7:20, 9:30 (no 7:20 or 9:30 shows Tu. 12/8) Old Dogs (PG) 1:00, 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40 Transylmania (R) 1:00, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10:00 The Twilight Saga: New Moon (PG-13) 1:00, 2:00, 4:00, 5:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:50

CINÉ (706-353-3343)

New York, I Love You (R) 9:45 (add’l times Sa. 12/12–Su. 12/13: 2:45) (no 9:45 show Su. 12/13) Paris (R) 7:00 The Room (R) midnight (F. 12/11 only) A Serious Man (R) 5:00, 7:15, 9:30 (no 9:30 show Su. 12/13) Where the Wild Things Are (PG) 4:45 (add’l times Sa. 12/12–Su. 12/13: 2:30) (add’l time F. 12/11: midnight)

GEORGIA SQUARE 5 (706-548-3426)

Georgia Square Five movie times are only accurate through Dec. 10. Visit www.flagpole.com for updated times.

I Can Do Bad All By Myself (PG-13) 4:25, 7:30, 10:05 Couples Retreat (PG-13) 4:30, 7:25, 10:00 Julie and Julia (PG-13) 4:20, 9:50 Surrogates (PG-13) 7:35 White Out (R) 5:20, 7:40, 10:10 Zombieland (R) 5:25, 7:45, 9:55

memoir by Lynn Barber. Winner of the Dramatic World Cinema Audience Award, Cinematography Award, as well as a Grand Jury Prize nomination from the Sundance Film Festival.

EVERYBODY’S FINE (PG-13) Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell all acquit themselves professionally and nicely in this formulaic holiday flick. De Niro stars as widower Frank Goode, who travels across the country to visit his grown-up kids (Barrymore, Beckinsale and Rockwell), who all confided in their recently deceased mother. Now Frank wants to know what is really going on with his not-so-perfect kids. Director Kirk Jones (Waking Ned Devine) does not shy away from any of the drippy formula associated with this genre, and his movie slogs through some tedious moments as a result. If it were not for the performers, this dramedy would not be worth the time, but honestly, you knew whether or not you were going to like this holiday treacle from the first trailer (I’m talking to you, Mom).

FANTASTIC MR. FOX (PG) A lock for a Best Animated Feature nomination come February, the first family film by Wes Anderson is also the most genuinely appealing and possibly most human feature the Oscar-nominated auteur has ever dreamed up (with the help of Mr. Roald Dahl, of course).

Anderson has crafted—quite literally as the animation is primarily accomplished via stop motion—a glorious storybook world.

GENTLEMEN BRONCOS (PG13) Science-fiction author Ronald Chevalier (Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords, the band and the TV program) battles plagiarism charges leveled by a teenage writer, Benjamin Purvis (The Forbidden Kingdom’s Michael Angarano), homeschooled by his eccentric mother (Jennifer Coolidge). Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess tries to recover from his poorly received sophomore effort, Nacho Libre. Cowritten

by Hess’ wife, Jerusha. With Sam Rockwell and producer Mike White.

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, blues-singing Aunt April who does not want to deal with them. But will these kids and a sexy new tenant (Adam Rodriguez) help April get her life on track?

INVICTUS (PG-13) Recently freed, newly elected South African President Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) attempts to unite his divided country through the sport of rugby. Along the way, he enlists national team captain Francois Pienaar (a beefed-up Matt Damon) in his quest to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup. In the trailers for Freeman’s third teaming with director Clint Eastwood (the almost-an-octagenarian’s fifth film in five years), I am having trouble seeing Mandela and not the Oscar winning actor.

JULIE & JULIA (PG-13) 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. Julie & Julia isn’t a fancy French delicacy; it’s Hollywood comfort food prepared with love and laughter. m THE LOVELY BONES (PG13) Oscar winning visionary Peter Jackson’s long-awaited adaptation of Alice Sebold’s bestseller finally comes to the screen. While the sumptuous trailer is jaw-dropping, advance word cannot quite make up its mind. Young Susie Salmon (Atonement Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan,) watches as her family (Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, and Rose McIver) falls apart in the aftermath of her unsolved murder. With Michael Imperioli (“The Sopranos”) and Stanley Tucci as Susie’s neighborly killer.

ME AND ORSON WELLES (PG13) Director Richard Linklater’s latest stars Zac Efron and Claire Danes as two actors cast opposite one another in Orson Welles’ 1937 staging of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Efron plays aspiring actor Richard Samuels who falls for his older costar, Sonja Jones (Danes). The Oscar-nominated Linklater (Slacker, Dazed and Confused, School of Rock) loves to keep audiences guessing, but will anyone outside of his true fanatics want to see his first period piece since the 1998 Western, The Newton Boys?

THE MESSENGER (R) Films about the Iraq War still have not proved popular with audiences, but I’m Not There screenwriter Oren Moverman is testing the waters with his directorial debut. A soldier (the buzzy Ben Foster) struggles with his conscience after falling for the widow of a fallen officer.

Woody Harrelson has been getting some positive pub. Winner of the Silver Berlin Bear and the Peace Film Award from the Berlin International Film Festival and two Best Film prizes from the Deauville Film Festival.

NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU (R) Shia LeBeouf, Natalie Portman, The Hangover’s breakout star Bradley Cooper, Blake Lively, Orlando Bloom, Robin Wright Penn, Hayden Christensen, Drea de Matteo, Christina

Ricci, John Hurt, Ethan Hawke, James Caan, Justin Bartha, Chris Cooper, Andy Garcia, Julie Christie, Eli Wallach, Cloris Leachman, Irrfan Khan and many, many more star in an anthology of love stories set in New York City.

NINJA ASSASSIN (R) This flick looks totally badass. It also just looks bad. A rogue ninja, Raizo (Rain, Speed Racer), teams up with an Interpol agent (Naomie Harris, 28 Days Later and the last two Pirates of the Caribbean) to take down a shadowy secret society of assassins, the Ozunu clan. Director James McTeigue last helmed V for Vendetta for the Wachowski brothers.

OLD DOGS (PG) A spiritual followup to Wild Hogs, Old Dogs shares star John Travolta, director Walt Becker (Van Wilder), and old-man hijinks. Ben (Robin Williams) is a successful businessman who discovers he fathered twins. Naturally, he enlists his bachelor pal (Travolta) when asked to care for the kids for an extended period of time.

Costar Seth Green looks to be funny.

ONG BAK 2 (R) I don’t really remember the first Ong Bak, though I know I saw it. (Rereading my own review of 2005’s The Protector reminded me that I preferred its 2003 predecessor, if that means anything to you.) Tien (Tony Jaa) must use his fighting skills to get revenge on the man who killed his parents. Director and star Jaa reportedly took a two month sabbatical before returning to finish shooting the movie with the help of writer Panna Rittikrai.

PARIS (R) 2008. In his most recent film since 2004’s The Russian Dolls, director Cédric Klapisch presents the intersecting stories of various characters living, loving and dying in Paris.

With an all-star cast featuring Juliette Binoche, Paris was nominated for three César awards.

PLANET 51 (PG) Astronaut Chuck Baker (v. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) lands on Planet 51 and finds an alien race paranoid of an alien invasion. He must recover his spaceship with the help of his new alien friend. Three firsttime directors—Jorge Blanco, Javier Abad and Marcos Martinez—bring Shrek Oscar nominee Joe Stillman’s script to animated life. This family flick does not look terrible, but it does not resemble a holiday blockbuster either.

PRECIOUS (R) Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire tells the story of an overweight, illiterate teen mother (Gabourey “Gabby” Sidibe), who is pregnant with her second child when she gets a chance to turn her life around at an alternative school. I never thought I would write that Mo’Nique is generating serious Oscar buzz with her portrayal of Precious’ abusive mother.

Can the Sundance favorite score with the larger moviegoing audience?

Public plugs from mega-producers and tastemakers Oprah and Tyler Perry should help. Written and directed by Lee Daniels. With Mariah Carey.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (G) Disney returns to good ol’ fashioned hand-drawn animation with this fairy tale of a young woman, Tiana (v.

Anika Noni Rose, Dreamgirls), who lives in New Orleans’ French Quarter during the Jazz Age. She falls for a prince (v. Bruno Campos) cursed to live as a frog by a voodoo magician (v.

Keith David). Disney is pretty proud of themselves for finally introducing an African American princess to their popular brand. Original songs are contributed by House of Mouse stalwart, Randy Newman.

THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE (R) Fifty-year-old Pippa Lee (Robin Wright) begins to quietly have a nervous breakdown after her much older husband (Academy Award winner Alan Arkin) moves them from New York City to a retirement home and has an affair with a younger woman.

Filmmaker Rebecca Miller (The Ballad

of Jack and Rose) adapts her own book for her fourth feature. With Mike Binder, Winona Ryder, Maria Bello, Keanu Reeves, Blake Lively, Robin Weigert (“Deadwood”’s Calamity Jane), Julianne Moore and Monica Belluci.

RED CLIFF (R) During the Han Dynasty, two rival warlords, Sun Quan and Liu Bei, pool their resources to combat power-mad Prime Minister Cao Cao, who seeks to take over both men’s kingdoms. Director John Woo’s return is a triumph. The most expensive Asian production of all-time is also the number one domestically made film in China. Woo himself edited the twopart epic into two and a half hours for America’s short attention spans. Winner of five Hong Kong Film Awards.

THE ROAD (R) Man, I want this film to be good. The adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s highly acclaimed Pulitzer Prize winner has a lot of hype and expectation to live up to. Viggo Mortensen stars as the nameless, dying father, scouring the post-apocalypse for a future for his young son (Kodi SmitMcPhee). Aussie writer-director John Hillcoat has little to his name save a connection to Nick Cave. With Charlize Theron as the wife and mother.

THE ROOM (R) 2003. I’ve wanted to see writer-director-star Tommy Wiseau’s personal cinematic atom bomb since reading an article in Entertainment Weekly about the prominent billboard for the would-be auteur’s debut, an awful picture beloved by two of my favorite ensembles, “The State” and “Arrested Development.” Wiseau’s film is supposedly THE new cult phenomenon.

A SERIOUS MAN (R) See Movie Pick.

A SINGLE MAN (PG-13) Strong word of mouth precedes Tom Ford’s drama of an English professor, George (Colin Firth), who tries to go about his normal life after the death of his partner. The

cast includes Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, Ginnifer Goodwin (I cannot wait for the new season of “Big Love” to start in January), and Nicholas Hoult (About a Boy). Filmmaker Ford fascinates; as a fashion designer, he turned around Gucci. By next year, he could potentially be a multiple award winning writer-director.

SURROGATES (PG-13) It may be a big dumb action movie, but it’s a big dumb action movie with some big ideas. A revolutionary, anti-robot underclass, called Dreads, has amassed in sovereign reservation under the leadership of a man called the Prophet (Ving Rhames). A fake future in which people don’t just log on, they jack in, holds a bevy of Big Brother-ish opportunities for the government. For what amounts to the fall version of a blockbuster, Surrogates will not disappoint anyone whose expectations have been lowered.

TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE (R) The Academy Award winner for Best Documentary Feature, Taxi to the Dark Side investigates the torture tactics practiced by the U.S. military that led to the death of an innocent Afghani cab driver in 2002. Taxi… director Alex Gibney was responsible for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room and served as executive producer on No End in Sight, a film that could have easily won the Best Documentary Oscar.

TRANSYLMANIA (R) A leading candidate for the year’s worst film based solely on its title and trailer, horror comedy (loose use of the term) Transylmania concerns the antics of an oversexed group of dumbass American college students studying abroad at Razvan University.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON (PG-13) All Twilight hating aside, the second cinematic installment of the four-part series bests the first film, even with less of Robert

Pattinson’s Edward—a loss tempered by the promotion of the mostly shirtless Taylor Lautner. Twilight true believers will have no trouble loving the follow-up as much, if not more than, its predecessor. Those not inducted into the ever-expanding cult will wonder what all the fuss is about.

UP IN THE AIR (R) Oscar-nominated director Jason Reitman’s follow-up to Juno stars George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, who lives out of a suitcase as he travels cross-country to fire people.

Newly tasked with mentoring a young employee, Natalie (Anna Kendrick), Ryan begins to see the emptiness of his traveling lifestyle once his company forcibly grounds him. Adapted from Walter Kirn’s novel by Reitman and Sheldon Turner, who has nothing impressive on his filmography.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (PG) It is quite impressive what director Spike Jonze and cowriter Dave Eggers do with Maurice Sendak’s beloved 339 words. They expand upon his wild world, populated by giant-headed monsters and a boy in a wolfsuit named Max, with the same imaginative recklessness as Sendak.

WHITEOUT (R) Based on a comic

by Greg Rucka, Whiteout stars Kate Beckinsale as U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko, who must track a killer before six months of darkness set in at Antarctica’s McMurdo Station. Director Dominic Sena previously helmed Swordfish and Gone in Sixty Seconds; those movies don’t quite build confidence for Sena’s latest.

ZOMBIELAND (R) Zombieland is funny, violent, gross; if horror-comedy fans can name it, Zombieland’s got it.

Its action-packed destination may be rote, but the living-dead-cluttered road leading there is as entertaining as any since Shaun of the Dead.

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Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation Presents

Signing and Singing A

H o l i d a y

T r e a t

Everything Adult for A Passionate World

Six local authors sign their books and live choral music performances. One night only! Ensemble reading of the Night Before Christmas. Buy handmade Christmas gifts in the OCAF Artists Shoppe!

Admission is Free Singing Performances by: Decatens Acapella Choir of Oconee County Middle School A Chorale of the Westminster Christian Academy's Lower School

The Authors and the works offered: Julie Cannon

Terry Kay

True Love & Homegrown Tomatoes

To Whom the Angel Spoke: A Story of the Christmas

‘Mater Biscuit

To Dance with the White Dog

Gail Karwoski

Donny Seagraves

River Beds: Sleeping in the World's Rivers

Gone from these Woods

Miracle: The True Story of the Wreck of the Sea Venture

Philip Lee Williams

Grady Thrasher

The Campfire Boys

Tim and Sally's Vegetable Garden

Elegies for the Water

Tim and Sally's Beach Adventure

For more information or to register:

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movie pick Family Feud BROTHERS (R) Films about the wars in Iraq for his true love. He even frightens his daughand Afghanistan have not found much traction ters, who prefer their criminal uncle to their among the larger filmgoing audience. Brothers, shell-shocked father. a remake of Susanne Bier’s Brødre, is more I am a sucker for a good fraternal tale, than a simple war movie. and Brothers did not disappoint. Director Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) is not Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot), working from a only the perfect soldier; he is the perfect screenplay by David Benioff, has clearly left father and husband. Just ask his wife, Grace behind the Irish stories on which he made his (Natalie Portman), who doubles as his high name. But the film is never as significant as school sweetheart, and it deludedly believes his daughters, Isabelle itself to be; exhibit A: (Bailee Madison) and U2’s tremendously preMaggie (Taylor Geare). tentious, original conIf you ask Sam’s dad, tribution, “Winter.”

Vietnam vet Hank Fortunately, (Sam Shepard), his Sheridan hired the right elder son is a hero. performers. Maguire’s But do not ask Hank harrowingly sad perforabout his other son, mance could never be ex-con Tommy (Jake achieved by the skinny Gyllenhaal). He has kid from Delta Farce. nothing good to say He physically, mentally about him. and psychologically After being redechanges from the film’s Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal ployed to Afghanistan, first to final act. The Sam is declared KIA doe-eyed, handsome after his helicopter is shot down. A devastated Gyllenhaal eases Tommy from angry failure to Grace leans on her troubled brother-in-law. darling uncle. Portman, of course, continues to Tommy helps her raise his nieces and remodels be the epitome of consistency. her pathetic kitchen.

As good as Brothers is, good is all it is. I Then POW Sam comes back to life, and doubt anyone will recall it in a month’s time, nothing is the same. The paranoid soldier but for the time being, not much better can believes his wife and brother betrayed him, be found at the local multiplex. carrying on an illicit affair while he perpetrated horrible, unforgivable acts to stay alive Drew Wheeler

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A Serious Man perfectly blends what the Coens’ love and do best, bleak humor and existential dilemma. Their unfamiliar cast helps tremendously. Gone is the showy, silly mugging of Burn After Reading’s superstars. The hilariously sad life of Larry Gopnick unfolds with a realism, slyly cut with trademark Coen surreality, easier to believe than anything they have produced since Fargo. Every unknown, first-time performer is on the proper page tonally, a tough task considering the filmmakers’ complex, intelligent vision. Fortunately, Joel and Ethan Coen are more than simply technical whizzes; as mean and cold as they may treat their characters, they do not leave their actors swinging in the wind. They elicit the proper performance in each and every scene.

As beautifully shot as any of their previous collaborations with cinematographer Roger Deakins, A Serious Man may be their best, most literary script. I wouldn’t be surprised if A Serious Man winds up in the top five percent of the Coen filmography.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★★

A SERIOUS MAN (R) The Coen brothers’ latest black comedy is as autobiographical and Jewish as the fraternal duo, raised by college professors in Minnesota, have ever gotten. College physics professor Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) tries to be a serious man. He winds up being more of an intimidated, infuriated man. His wife, Judith (Sari Lennick), wants a divorce. Actually, she wants a “get,” a ritual divorce that will allow her and her new boyfriend, touchy-feely widower Sy Ableman (Fred Melamed), to remarry in the faith.

Facing tenure at what appears to be a local community Michael Stuhlbarg college, Larry has his morals compromised by a Korean student, Clive Park (David Kang), looking for a better grade. Larry’s gun-toting neighbor, Mr. Brandt (Peter Breitmayer) keeps encroaching on the property line. His son, on the verge of his bar mitzvah, and teenage daughter constantly fight and pester their dad for money. Larry’s brother, Arthur (Richard Kind), rarely comes out of the bathroom and when he does, he winds up in the hands of the law. What is a serious man to do?

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threats & promises

FRI. DEC. 18

Music News And Gossip

SAT. DEC. 19

Hello, everyone. Wondering how you’re going to fit a bunch of Athens music into your holiday spending and egg nogging?

Dedication, that’s how. Get inspired below…

THU. DEC. 31

David Cassidy in Reverse: Helen Rhinehart (Chrissakes) has a new project named Get Sad. Spearheaded by some initial recording in North Carolina with Jeremy Snyder, Get Sad continued back here in Athens with Rhinehart alternating on guitar and bass and Aaron Sims (Pride Parade) on drums. The duo recorded some new tracks with the illustrious Martin Brummeler (Mass Solo Revolt) a couple of months back. While more immediately tuneful than Chrissakes, Get Sad is no less intense.

The best track so far is “How’d I Cut My Face?” which you can check out online. The duo makes its live debut at the Flicker Theatre

WED. DEC. 9

THU. DEC. 10

FRI. DEC. 11

Previously/Currently: The Athens band previously knows as The David Kirby is now known as Ochre Aunt. Not only is this a much better name, but it’ll prevent confusion with the Atlanta artist David Kirby. Head over to www. myspace.com/ochreaunt and get sanctified.

For the Last Time, Again: Curtiss Pernice (Porn Orchard, Dimes, Vic Chesnutt) sent word a few days ago that he had uploaded the entirety of Porn Orchard’s final performance to YouTube. The video was shot by Flagpole’s own Larry Tenner (Magneto, Lures, Brave New Citizen) at the Chameleon Club (the second one, at 140 E. Washington St. where the Copper Creek brew pub is now located) on Dec. 12, 1992. Pernice found the footage after the original VHS tapes had gone missing for several years. He had them dumped to DVD

n

SAT. DEC. 12

THU. DEC. 17

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Emmanuel Episcopal Church 498 Prince Ave. Athens, GA 706.543.1294 ext. 201

24

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

Porn Orchard & Bar on Saturday, Dec. 12 with Vincas and Charlotte, NC band The Grids. Get in on the ground floor over at www.myspace.com/getsadband, and check our full profile of the band in Upstart Roundup on p. 27.

Get Your Hand off My Head: Watkinsville music band/collective Noogeez released its six-song EP Galaxy Day last week. The band members include Ken Starratt, Bill David, Bob Hay and Diana Torell (each of The Squalls and Jolly Beggars) Jorma Starratt (Herb and Skills), David Dowless, Tara Neely and Safi Khesghi.

To celebrate this release, the band has made an MP3 of the title track available for free over at www.netnik.com/noogeez. Check it out.

An Early Christmas: One of my absolute favorites in the “emerging Athens artist” category this year is Nicklaus Andersen, and his project Whiff Trophy. Andersen has a new album, Year of Teh Awks (yes, that’s correct) available for free download over at www.whifftrophy. com and it is, by my count, his 21st release in the past two years. Most artists this prolific wind up spewing out whatever they happen to record rather than actually taking care to create thoughtful compositions. Andersen doesn’t. He operates in the blissful area where indie rock warmth and electronic iciness intersect, and he does a damn fine job of occupying that space. Look, just head over to his site and thank me later.

and uploaded the entire show, track by track, to the web. He also included two original Porn Orchard videos done by the late Ted Hafer for the songs “What Plays Flame” and “Now, I Am Bitter.” You can find these by heading to YouTube and simply searching for Porn Orchard or by clicking www.youtube.com/user/iglooist and then looking at the playlist. Either way, it’s a killer document of a great band and a fine look back to what Athens was like exactly 17 years ago this week.

Plan Now: This is a couple of weeks away, but I wanted y’all to have a heads-up. The first, hopefully annual, Jon Guthrie “Living The Dream” Tribute Show will happen Saturday, Dec. 19 at the 40 Watt. The lineup includes Guff, Music Hates You, Supercluster, Heavy Feather, Thunderchief, Michael Guthrie, Burns Like Fire, Choptop, Consult the Bones, So It Goes, The Bros. Marler, The Athens Band, Kemp Jones, Gabriela Meijas and Hayride. There’s a chance more will be added, too. There will be auctions, a raffle, special merchandise and a previously unreleased solo project from Jon Guthrie available. The show is all ages and will start at 6 p.m. Jon Guthrie was tragically lost this past September when his car left the road in a single vehicle accident in eastern Clarke County.

His friends are committed to keeping his spirit alive and have so far done an incredible job.

Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com

The Resurrection of the The Late BP Helium

Bryan Poole Announces a Special “Family Show”

A

FP: Do you think playing with Kevin so much over the past years has pushed you in that direction?

BP: I didn’t think that at first, but maybe a bit.

I think, too, it’s me really getting into computerbased music and writing, and trying to develop my music to be more original. Kevin has his own way and stamp, and nothing sounds like his music. So I’ve been trying to find my own stamp, and listening to a lot of krautrock heavyweights like Can and Neu! and a bunch of other guys… lately I’ve been delving into a bunch of weird stuff.

There’s a series of records put out by this guy Raymond Scott called “Soothing Sounds for Baby.”

He worked for Bell Labs in the early ‘60s, and was one of the first guys to start doing electronic music, you might say. He developed how to put oscillators at the forefront. And he made music that he really believed was great for children, but it’s a series of tone cycles floating around in a very mathematical way. I’ve also really been into Lamont Young and his Dream House project.

Mike White · deadlydesigns.com

standout presence on whatever stage he happens to be playing, Bryan Poole draws as much attention with his oftdiscussed muttonchop sidebars and snappy pants as he does with his musical prowess.

Poole has most recently gained national prominence as the bassist and go-to guy for Of Montreal (decked out in pink angel wings and glitter, glitter, glitter), and has spent a good chunk of time over the past two years out of Athens, touring behind longtime pal Kevin Barnes’ musical whims.

Poole played bass for years in Elf Power, too, and has been a generally handy guy to know. Lately he’s been working on a new recording project with members of Dark Meat and the Ginger Envelope he’s excited about called Dream Dads, creating sound sculptures and avant garde music. No simple sideman, Poole’s own project, The Late BP Helium—both his stage name and band name—dips into straightahead classic rock and roll, country and the psychedelia that typifies the music of his Elephant 6 compatriots. He put out an EP called Kumquat Mae more than seven years ago and followed that up with the fulllength debut Amok in 2004.

Over the years the band has shifted lineups, as local bands do, because of the limitations of who’s available for tour, and the Late BP Helium has included guys like Frank MacDonell, Mikey Dwyer, Charlie Estes and Marcus Thompson. This weekend’s show is Poole’s first show of his own here in Athens since back in ‘05 or so, and Flagpole recently caught up with the man to fill in the gap.

Flagpole: Why has it been so long since a BP show?

Bryan Poole: Well, I kind of retired the Late BP Helium a number of years ago because the songs were a bit old for me, and I could never keep my band together in town to really rehearse new material. And I wasn’t really writing that much new material. Playing in between Of Montreal shows, it got to be really where I was getting back in town and book a gig to get things going, but it was tough to keep things going.

And Jason Nesmith [of Casper & the Cookies] is kind of the ranger of the band, and without him it’s tough to do stuff. He’s done everything in my band, he’s played drums, he’s played bass… and it’s great to always have him around, regardless of who else is playing.

FP: Who’ll be playing with you this weekend?

BP: Well, this is kind of the classic lineup of the Late BP Helium, sometimes known as Los Gatos Perdidos. This lineup is

Pete Erchick on bass, Jason Nesmith on guitar, Eric Harris on drums and Neil Golden’s playing keys. Eric was the first drummer who played with me, and he never wanted to go on tour, so Aaron Wegelin was drumming with me for a while. I’ve had fun mixing up the lineups, but this is the classic one.

FP: Have you been working on new songs?

BP: I have a whole new set of material, but it’s not necessarily for this band and this group of guys. The reason I’m playing this show is because I was asked by The Arcs to play, and Ben Spraker up until two days ago was a roommate of mine, and we’re old friends, so it’s kinda like a family gig because they talked me into it.

And Kaya [Yamashita, Caledonia owner] has been asking me to play the Caledonia forever. She keeps bugging me about it every time I go to a show there, and since it’s her last month there and she’s selling it, I thought I’d play. The Arcs said they were kinda playing for Kaya, and I said that’s good enough for me! I really appreciate that Kaya and everyone there has spent their time and effort to keep it running. For me, it’s kind of a family show, resurrecting the band to play this one show or maybe another one at the Secret Squirrel, but I don’t think this is going the be a recurring thing.

My new stuff is more like Kraftwerk meets afrobeat meets ambient disco. Maybe a little more funky, too, and electronic, melding a little of what Of Montreal has been doing with krautrock.

FP: Is this new stuff something you’d want to present live, or is it more of a studio thing?

BP: If it could be done live, I’d love to do it live. But I think it’s gonna take some people that really want to work with it. A lot of people these days make electronic music at home on laptops, so you see a lot of bands that are up there with their Macs and maybe playing a few things on top of backing tracks. And I dunno, that’s just not appealing to me as such.

You learn things over the years, and there are great bands that do it electronically, but I like to see people playing.

There’s something primal about a drummer! One of the most primal things in our musical consciousness is memorizing these beats that mean something to us, and it doesn’t make any sense why we like the sound of drums, it’s really kind of odd, so it must be something that’s really important and goes pretty far back. I think that affects people to see that.

Chris Hassiotis

WHO: The Arcs, The Late BP Helium WHERE: Caledonia Lounge WHEN: Friday, Dec. 11; 11 p.m.

HOW MUCH: $6 (21+), $8 (18+)

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25

10 Minutes of Fame

Face/Off Returns For Its Sixth Installment

H

26

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

surprises, says Tobias, “like Kayla Cox’s beautiful voice or Dylan Angell’s weird party rap persona… Any time someone uses the Face/Off as an opportunity to expose the larger community to a secret skill or long-lost ability is a total thrill.”

Monotaur

Mike White · deadlydesigns.com

aving trouble thinking outside the box? Maybe you need Jeff Tobias to forcibly push you out of it. The musician and frequent Flagpole scribe is mixing things up once again with another round of Face/Off, the musical smorgasbord that takes local performers from disparate backgrounds and randomly puts them together into trios. Each makeshift band is then thrown on stage and asked to perform for 10 minutes. This Friday will mark the sixth such event, and Face/Off has only gotten more intricate and interesting with every show.

“I had the idea after a spontaneous free-jazz session after a late-night party, and the original idea was for the Face/Off to be all improv,” says Tobias. “But of course that would probably get old/terrible-sounding, so I decided to give people the opportunity to get together and do some compositional work.”

The first few Face/Off events featured pairings of artists, but for the fifth installment, the acts were expanded into trios, an event coined: “Garage a Trois.” The three-piece configuration allowed for even more dynamic experimentation, and so that will again be the format for this weekend’s “Garage a Trois Part 2: The Toss Up.” As of press time, 22 acts have been assembled, the names of individuals having been literally drawn out of a hat. Tobias always manages to get a fresh assortment of talent that crosses all genres, so you end up with metalheads working with folk singers and country balladeers collaborating with avantgarde experimentalists. But a hat full of musicians to choose from would be too easy—so there are a few non-musicians, “wild cards,” thrown into the mix as well.

“The wild card musicians are just free-roaming weirdos who may or may not know how to play an instrument but are, in my approximation, creative in their own right,” explains Tobias.

And really, although most of the participants have musical backgrounds, Face/Off doesn’t require a musical performance at all.

“The only parameters offered are 10 minutes/2 songs.

Beyond that, they can do whatever the hell they want,” says Tobias. “I’ve seen totally insane covers and beyond-bonkers originals. I actually encourage people to NOT do music—I’d love to see some bizarre Fluxus performance art, but beyond Andrew Prater’s fake-pro wrestling moment, no such luck!”

Indeed, people are still talking about the mock brawl that ensued at the last Face/Off between Andrew Prater and Oakley Munson—it was our city’s own Brüno vs. Eminem was-it-realor-not shocker. A number of other Face/Off teams have also left a lasting impression, and some continue to collaborate.

Drone duo Monotaur, for example, featuring Al Daglis and Andy Hollingsworth, has continued as band since its Face/Off debut.

Face/Off has also unveiled a number of hidden talents and

So what do the Face/Off bands have in store for us this year? Well, as of press time, most of them don’t even know.

Although for this round the musicians were given twice as long—two months—to prepare, two weeks prior to show time a lot of the trios have had nary a practice session, but that’s all part of the fun.

“I’ve got people coming out of the woodwork saying that they’re having last-minute implosions,” Tobias admits, “but sometimes the most exciting and enthralling groups are the ones who got together that day.”

Leslie Dallion (The Lolligags), seems to agree with that sentiment, saying her group is “throwing it all to the wind” and

plans to practice maybe two or three times. “I think it’s one of those whatever happens happens kind of deals,” she says.

Kay Stanton (Casper and the Cookies, Supercluster) says her trio, which includes Loretta Adams (Hot Breath) and Gregory Sanders (Athens Food and Culture Magazine), has gotten together, but their first couple of practices have been more like ice breakers than rehearsals. “We’re hoping for four [practice sessions],” she says. “We’ve had two so far, and the first was more of a ‘what the heck do YOU do? type situation.” Still, an artistic vision seems to be forming between the pop rocker, the experimental artist and the wild card: “We seem to be heading toward something a little krautrock flavored,” promises Stanton.

The newly dubbed group “Porchchops,” which includes Shauna Greeson (Hola Halo), Sam Paulsen (We Versus the Shark) and Adam Hebert (Maximum Busy Muscle), is “all sorts of psyched up for Face/Off.” Although two of the three are known for playing harder rock and metal, Greeson says they’re planning on “going country” for Face/Off. Jordan Noel (Little Francis), Chase Prince (Spring Tigers) and Nick Canada (ex-Dark Meat) seem to be having almost too much fun working together, having named their collaboration Bachelor Cheesehead, the trio says it may continue working together after Face/Off, that is, “if we don’t completely obliterate ourselves with our audile atom bomb…” They are planning “a sonic culinary experience; with three cooks in the kitchen, it may be pink faerie flapjacks or deep fried elk pituitaries, who knows?” If that sounds delicious and revolting at the same time, well, that’s pretty much par for the course with Face/Off. So, the general consensus seems to be: expect the unexpected. As Flagpole’s own Gordon Lamb—a two-time Face/Off participant himself—says, “you’d be floored by how creative people can be outside of their normal musical contexts.” Come in with an open mind and prepare to have it blown.

Proceeds from this Face/Off will go towards Athens Food 2 Kids, a program that provides sacks of food to Clarke, Oconee and Barrow County school children.

Michelle Gilzenrat

WHAT: Athens Face/Off #6: Garage A Trois, Part 2: The Toss Up WHERE: 40 Watt Club WHEN: Friday, Dec. 11, 9:30 p.m.

HOW MUCH: $6 (21+), $8 (18+)

upstart roundup Skate Shop O F AT H E N S

Introducing Athens’ Newest Talent THE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS Americana/Pop/Rock Lineup: Drew Beskin, Dennis Love, Reid “The Professor” Scott and Chris Wilson. Shares a member with: Futurebirds. Influences: Bruce Springsteen, Rilo Kiley, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, The Replacements.

This melodic rock band started as Drew Beskin’s solo project while he was a student at Indiana University. Beskin says he writes “progressively vintage songs about freedom,” and the tunes do resonate with a sort of organic pride. It’s a hearty mix of pop hooks and anthemic appeals to the Heartland. When Beskin returned to Georgia, he filled out the lineup with high school buddies Scott and Wilson plus Futurebirds pedal steel player Love (who takes on guitar and backup vocals for this band). The band has been gigging in town more and more frequently, and has

Vestibules

been working on writing new material with plans to record soon. You can check out the preliminary demos at www.myspace.com/ thedistricattorneys.

Next show: Check website for updates.

GET SAD Loud/Quiet/Medium Lineup: Aaron Sims, Helen Rhinehart and (sometimes) Jeremy Snyder. Shares members with: Chrissakes and Pride Parade. Influences: Booze, Steve Albini, the song “Beautiful Sunrises” by the band Complete.

Get Sad was born in January of this year in Charlotte, NC as a recording project between Rhinehart and Snyder. Eventually Rhinehart returned to Athens to pursue her studies at UGA, and while in town she teamed up with Pride Parade drummer Aaron Sims. The latter duo recorded its debut release with Martin Brummler (Mass Solo Revolt) in October, and will be making its live debut in Athens this month. The group describes itself clinically, focusing on the various apparatuses that amplify its dynamic sound: “a Fender bass with active pickups + Sunn 0))) concert bass head + Ampeg 4x12 cabinet + a highly agitated snare, hi-hat, kick drum, some toms, cymbals + a girl mouth.” Bassist Rhinehart jokes that the group’s immediate and future plans include “getting in lots of fights, signing to a major label and making so much that we don’t need anyone, even each other

or you.” Can you sense the aggression? Well, maybe it’s said in jest here, but there is a palpable sense of tension in Get Sad’s brooding rock. The guitars are edgy and almost politely discordant, utilizing a lot of space and unexpected pacing that often erupts into sludgy ferocity. You can get a preview of the tunes online at www.myspace.com/getsadband.

Next show: Saturday, Dec. 12 @ Flicker Theatre and Bar SAVAGIST Metal Lineup: Clem Adams, Steve Miller, Jason Richardson, Patrick Ware. Shares Members With: Hot Breath, 300 Cobras. Influences: Carcass, Suffocation, Mastodon, Black Flag, Philip Glass, High on Fire It’s hard to write about a band in complete sentences when their music demands nothing but all-caps, poorly punctuated blasts of verbiage. So let’s skip to the gushing praise: is this the band that will meet the bar that Harvey Milk set for heavy metal in Athens-Clarke County 15 years ago? It seems that this might be the case. Dig the pedigree: Patrick Ware and Jason “Mohawk” Richardson of freshly ‘sploded sludge act The Dumps, Clem Adams of Hot Breath, and Steve Miller of 300 Cobras have united under this name, this Savagist name. It’s so awesome to see a band with no hyphens to dilute their aim, which is playing straight-up metal with teeth gritted and knuckles white. Operating in the vein of Mastodon and Baroness, Savagist is no-frills and all business. A long-gestating recording is on its way, but the band has been spewing bile from stages across downtown every two weeks or so, so in the meantime, run don’t walk. Seriously. Have a listen online at www.myspace.com/savagist.

[Jeff Tobias] Next show: Check website for updates!

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VESTIBULES Folk/Rock/Americana Lineup: William Chamberlain, Coy King, Charlie Estes and Michael Gonzalez. Shares members with: A PostWar Drama, Nightingale News, Dark Meat. Influences: AM Radio, girl trouble, whiskey.

There is little known about this new collaboration besides the eclectic and impressive previous projects of its bespectacled members.

King divulges little, describing Vestibules as sounding like both “an earthquake fucking a hurricane” and “late night slipshod symphonic grammaphonistry” with promises of “Balkan wedding jams.” There are no recorded tunes or a website yet, so these abstractions are all we have to work with. “Vestibules play fatal lullabies,” adds King, “for the inner Lindsay Lohan trapped in a bathroom stall of eternity.” Interpret that as you may, but it might be easier and more fruitful to just catch the band’s debut gig on Wednesday.

Next show: Wednesday, Dec. 9 @ Flicker Theatre and Bar Michelle Gilzenrat music@flagpole.com

DECEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

27

record reviews HEADLIGHTS Wildlife Polyvinyl For an album born of such difficulty (personal loss, infighting, scrapped recording sessions), this third full-length outing by the Champaign, IL band contains some remarkably facile music. Existing weightlessly somewhere between a more organic Ivy and a less esoteric Yo La Tengo, the smart, crisp sound on Wildlife carries the baton of the pitch-perfect indie-pop of the ‘90s, only modernized with snappier percussive detail. Though the warm organ vibes and dynamic rhythmic turns provide an enchanting aura, the undisputed foundation of Headlights’ music is sparkling guitar pop.

Top picks include the buoyant drive of “Secrets” and “Get Going,” the graceful blossom of “Telephones,” the dramatic ebb and flow of “Dead Ends,” and especially the noise-pop burnout of “I Don’t Mind at All.” Indie pop that rejects textural obfuscation for pure melodic precision is a rare commodity these days, and these Midwesterners have stepped up with a supremely balanced and wellproportioned work. Fans of airy, tweekissed pop will relish this perfectly lovely record.

Bao Le-Huu

long-awaited successor to Homme and Grohl’s last collaboration, and QOTSA’s best album by a mile, Songs for the Deaf. Whether an assurance to the willing, or caveat to the skeptic: this is mainstream rock, designed by experience for easy digestion. This isn’t progressive or experimental music, but a drug-laced crumb trail back to the funk and blues origin of the genre.

That said, the album feels legitimately classic, rather than nostalgic, without relying on low-fi production to tap that elusive vein.

I realized around my 20th straight listen (perhaps because there were 20 straight listens) just how much I love every song on this record.

Entire articles could be written around each track: the stomping, trumpeting riff-imagery of “Elephants;” the blissfully pummeling B-section of “No One Loves Me…;” the bleak far-outery of “Interlude with Ludes;” or simply Jones’ expert clavinet that shoots “Scumbag Blues” out of the atmosphere like some kind of funky trebuchet.

The most impressive element here, despite (or because of) such remarkable individual performances from each member, is the seemingly effortless cohesion between them. Every song does not merely exist on whim and gimmick, but is so thoroughly written.

Even now, on my 21st listen, I am still speechless at how great and refreshing TCV is.

That is, almost speechless.

Bryan Aiken

LIGHTNING BOLT Earthly Delights Load Records #126

THEM CROOKED VULTURES Them Crooked Vultures DGC/Interscope

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If you answered, “heck yes!” to all of the above, you might be just what we’re looking for.

Send a cover letter, resume and writing samples to music@flagpole.com

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

Someone’s been reading my diary.

Though you’ve likely already heard, Them Crooked Vultures sees three of the most successful, prolific living rock and roll songwriters—vocalist/ guitarist Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, etc.), drummer Dave Grohl (Nirvana, etc.), and bassist/multiinstrumentalist John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin, etc., etc.)—uniting into the ultimate superpower trio. And—spoiler alert!—the debut album is rad as hell.

But that’s the short answer. Truth is, any longer description of TCV is hard to pull off; there’s too much good happening here to shoehorn into any word count. So, forgive me my fanboy trespasses, and I will try not to get drool in your eyes.

To be fair, TCV plays like a perfected QOTSA album. In fact, this project could be considered the

Lightning Bolt’s reputation as Prime Destroyers of the past decade is spot-slam-on: the show I saw about 10 years ago was one of the most fucked up, intense, joyful and insane things I’ve ever experienced—and I’m not talking about just rock shows, either: births, grandparents’ anniversaries, sexual dalliances, drug wig-outs, periods of incarceration and deep depression all apply. Seeing them hipped me to a new musical approach, and there’s obviously a great heaping handful who should say the same: the Bolt’s commitment to a brutal lo-fi abstraction forged in minimalist circumstances (they’re a two-piece) wherein manic percussion reigns supreme, is a defining characteristic of the, uh, independent music made in their earthtorn wake. They make veiny new age music for Lord Humongous’ Murder Clan, and there’ve been a buncha young’uns chasing their tails off jump street.

That said, their records have always been disappointing—seemed to be mere shadow-reproductions of their gigantic live show, minus the hysteria, decibels and athleticism. This one here is more classically “psychedelic”: sound-palate is more detailed, swirlier, phased, panned and there’s a good bit of raw power in the riffage. There’s something like an Irish reel (seriously!)

a drumless and delayed goof-trip through ambient territory and two murderous epics that go for the throat and stay there for a while. See, they’ve gone and made a beautiful piece of artifice instead of just letting their blood flow into a shallow plastic plan that they sold. Go gag on it, weirdo—you deserve it! Artwork rules, too.

Jim McHugh

HEAVY TRASH Midnight Soul Serenade Big Legal Mess Forgive me, father, for I have sinned. I’ve been listening to this horribly addictive garagabilly blues record, Heavy Trash’s Midnight Soul Serenade, to the point of being gluttonous. The salacious snarls and heart-pounding hot rod licks of Jon Spencer (Blues Explosion) and Matt Verta-Ray (Madder Rose, Speedball Baby) have inspired me to, among other things, drink, dance and relive my teenage fascination with filthy rockabilly boys. It’s the sonic equivalent of everything I probably shouldn’t be doing.

Spencer, for his part, is still every mother’s worst nightmare. Part velvet, part Elvis, all wolf, he plows his way through straight up, lascivious rock like “Bedevilment” with the vocal theatrics of a ‘50s rockabilly train wreck, busting strings and collecting women along the way. But the real surprise is Verta-Ray, whose previous work doesn’t necessarily suggest the quietly sexy yet menacing vocal swagger he produces on “Good Man” (backing vocals courtesy of Those Darlins) or the torrents of unfiltered guitar deviltry he unleashes across the record.

Heavy Trash didn’t invent the rockabilly sound, but they’re advancing it nicely. And it’s almost dirty enough to make this Jewish girl want to confess.

Ultimately, though, there’s nothing here but soul-saving rock and roll.

Jennifer Gibson

BEAR IN HEAVEN Beast Rest Forth Mouth Hometapes Blessed with one of the best leadoff tracks in recent history, replete with driving percussion and reverberating keys, Bear In Heaven’s sophomore full-length barrels into existence from a silence that never knew what it was missing. Sounding like the love child of Tears For Fears and Yeasayer (just listen to single “Lovesick Teenagers”),

Beast Rest Forth Mouth stretches out wagging fingers in all the cardinal directions its name would obliquely suggest.

Led by Georgia native and Brooklyn resident Jon Philpot, Bear In Heaven recently congealed into a fullfledged four-piece after years of lineup changes and members’ relocations. The result is an album with hips, high heels tapping at 100 bpm, a throwback that, like recent luminaries such as M83, references new wave without keeling over into it.

But Beast packs more punch than M83’s ilk ever did. “Beast In Peace,” the aforementioned standout, devolves halfway through into a rabid tribal drumming seizure that introduces listeners to the record’s characteristic implacable kineticism. Another powerhouse, “Ultimate Satisfaction” layers terrifying, telescopic synths over bell-punctuated percussion; the effect is dark and twistedly familiar, like a member of Modern English starring in Phantom of the Opera. Though it’s a rollicking pop number, Bear In Heaven riddles it with rhythmic breaks and changes the key every time the chorus reprises, giving the song an edge that’s more challenging than its danceable front end would suggest. Equal parts sinister, euphoric, reverent and subversive, Beast Rest Forth Mouth covers startling new ground even as it looks backward.

Julia Reidy

DEVENDRA BANHART What Will We Be Warner Bros./Reprise Devendra Banhart’s major label debut finds him collaborating once again with associates from his two excellent previous albums. But where those albums reveal a group of musicians embracing humor, soul music, and everything between Naturalismo and Psychedelia with giddiness, originality and abandon, What Will We Be unfolds more conservatively and crescendos less frequently, and occasionally sounds ridiculously uninspired and pretentious (“16th & Valencia Roxy Music,” “Rats”).

The edges have been rounded on What Will We Be, and though it has several characteristically Banhartian pieces (such as the “…song[s] for B” suite, which moves from patient piano balladry to languid finger-picking) and captures Banhart in twisted mystic/ lover form lyrically (arguably his most compelling talent), the album on the whole never really seems to break new ground. Sure, trumpet and fiddle are new additions to the Banhart catalogue, but it really sounds like someone needs to give this group its drugs back.

Expect the album to grow on you for slow evening background music, but don’t expect to find yourself singing any of these recordings in your head to beat the boredom back the way you might have with pieces from each of his previous releases.

Tony Floyd

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 EVENTS: Holiday Market (Lyndon House Arts Center) Peruse fine arts and crafts from more than 80 artists!

Choose unique gifts from the selection of cards, folk art, jewelry, pottery, knitted wear and more. Through Jan. 2, Tuesday–Saturday, noon–5 p.m. 706-613-3623 EVENTS: Mickeys for the Kids (Roadhouse) The folks at Roadhouse host a toy drive. 8 p.m. $2 or an unwrapped toy. 706-613-2324 EVENTS: Potluck Supper (East Athens Community Center, 400 McKinley Dr.) The Athens Urban Food Collective will use produce grown on the geography/geology building’s green roof in their potluck dishes. Join them in the kitchen at 5 p.m. or bring a dish of your own.

6:30 p.m. FREE! alexotto@uga.edu EVENTS: Rally Against ModernDay Slavery (Ciné Barcafé) Join forces with the International Justice Mission in the campaign to end human trafficking across the globe.

Live music, food, speakers and a screening of the documentary film At the End of Slavery. 7:30 p.m. www. onehopeathens.com, www.ijm.org 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: Read to Rover (ACC Library) Beginning readers in grades 1–4 read aloud to an aid dog. Trainer always present. 3:30–4:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 MEETINGS: French Group (1000faces Coffee, 585 Barber Street) All-level French conversation group. Informal, welcoming and très bon! Every Tuesday.

7–8:30 p.m. FREE! 706-534-8860, www.1000facescoffee.com MEETINGS: Saving Sailing (ACC Library) Come talk about sailing with Captain Bob and enjoy a film about a ship that became a legend in The Christmas Tree Ship. 6:30–8:30 p.m.

FREE! www.savingsailing.com 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: Bellydance Show (40 Watt Club) Bellydancers promise to “Rak” the 40 Watt. 7 p.m. $5 (adv.) $8 (door). www.40watt.com EVENTS: Fuad Elhage (Casa Mia) Tango dancing! Bring a partner or make a new friend. 8 p.m. FREE! 706-227-4444 EVENTS: Holiday Market (Lyndon House Arts Center) Peruse fine arts and crafts from more than 80 artists!

Through Jan. 2, Tuesday–Saturday, noon–5 p.m. 706-613-3623 EVENTS: Paisajes: Benefit Art Exhibit and Silent Auction (Taylor-Grady House) The Migrant Education Program presents original artwork by students, parents and guest artists and musical performances by Sonny Ortiz of Widespread Panic, Wade Hester and John Leffl. Proceeds benefit a holiday gift fund for program participants. 11 a.m.–9 p.m. 706-5467721, borgesa@clark.k12.ga.us ART: Opening Reception (Speakeasy) For an exhibit featuring new paintings by Will Eskridge.

Complimentary appetizers! 5:30– 7:30 p.m. FREE! 706-546-5556, www.willeskridge.com PERFORMANCE: Dance Performance (Georgia Square Mall) A special holiday performance

by DanceFX. 7 p.m. FREE! 706543-7908 KIDSTUFF: Anti-bullying Seminar (Rocksprings Neighborhood Center) Playground politics with Ms. Carter from Athens Tae Kwon Do Center.

For ages 6–12. 4 p.m. FREE! www. accleisureservices.com 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: Wildcard Wednesday for Teens (ACC Library) Up next: Jewelry Stringing. Now you’re the designer! Ages 11–18. Space is limited. 4 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 LECTURES & LIT.: “The Road to Resilience” (Athens Technical College) Dr. Betsy Stewart, Adult Behavioral Health Services Manager at Advantage Behavioral Health Systems, leads a conversation on mental health. Dr. Stewart earned a doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology and has worked at ABHS for seven years. 6 p.m. FREE! www. fightthestigma.com, director@fightthestigma.com MEETINGS: American Sign Language Study Group (Cups Coffee Café) All skill levels welcome. Come once or come weekly.

Newcomers welcome! 7–8 p.m.

FREE! www.myspace.com/aslstudygroup MEETINGS: Library Sewing Group (Madison County Library) Currently crocheting with double-ended crochet needles. Newcomers welcome.

1–3 p.m. FREE! 706-795-5597 MEETINGS: Sitting Meditation Group (Mind Body Institute) Silent meditation every Wednesday. Noon.

FREE! 706-475-7329 GAMES: Dart League (Alibi) Every Wednesday! Bikers welcome. 8 p.m.

FREE! 706-549-1010 GAMES: Movie Trivia Night (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Where movie trivia meets performance art. Hosted by “It Boy” Jeff Tobias and sponsored by Vision Video. Prizes! Sign

up at 8 p.m. Trivia starts at 8:30 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) Think you know it all? 9:30 p.m.

706-548-3442 GAMES: Trivia Wars (283 Bar) Chris Creech hosts general knowledge trivia with different themes each week. Check the Facebook group “Trivia Wars!” for weekly updates and online question of the week.

8:30 p.m. (sign up) 9 p.m. (game starts). FREE! 706-208-1283

Thursday 10 EVENTS: Art Opening and Sale (Blue Tin Art Studio, 393 N. Finley St.) Affordable artwork by local artists Erin McIntosh, Sarah Seabolt, Denton Crawford, Craig Hawkins, Marie Porterfield and David Savino.

Reception Dec. 10, 5 -7 p.m. Dec. 10, noon–10 p.m. Dec. 11, 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Dec. 12, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. www.bluetinstudio.com EVENTS: Canopy Studio Aerial Performance Fundraiser (283 Bar) A portion of the bar proceeds benefit Canopy’s 2010 scholarship program. 9–11 p.m. FREE! 706-5498501, www.canopystudio.com EVENTS: GMOA Holiday Book Sale (UGA Visual Arts Building, Lobby) Sponsored by the Friends of the Museum, the museum’s gift shop and the GMOA department of communications. Drop off donations for the sale at the Visual Arts Building weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Dec. 10–11, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. 706542-4662 EVENTS: Holiday Market (Lyndon House Arts Center) Peruse fine arts and crafts from more than 80 artists!

Through Jan. 2, Tuesday–Saturday, noon–5 p.m. 706-613-3623 EVENTS: Holiday Open House (Georgetown Frames, 50 Gaines School Rd.) Local holiday arts and crafts abound! Get some shopping done or just enjoy the live music and refreshments. Dec. 10 & 17, 6–8 p.m. FREE! 706-549-3674 EVENTS: Live After Five (Hotel Indigo, Phi Bar and Bistro) Get a headstart on your weekend with live music from Lera Lynn from Birds & Wire and wine tastings. This week: Kathryn Hall Wines by National Distribution. Thursdays, 6–8 p.m. $12 (wine tastings). 706-546-0430, www.athensdowntownhotel.com EVENTS: Slow Food Terra Madre Dinner (Roots Farm CSA) Athens Area Slow Food Group hosts a vegetarian potluck to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Call or email for reservations. 6 p.m. $3. 706-4253069, showard@athenstech.edu

Local songwriter Don Chambers plays Flicker Theatre & Bar on Thursday, Dec. 10.

PERFORMANCE: Christmas in the Southwest (Athens First United Methodist Church) The Athens Choral Society performs carols and lullabies from the Southwest featuring arrangements for choir, harp, guitar and marimba. 7:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenschoralsociety.com PERFORMANCE: Music at the Mall (Georgia Square Mall) A holiday concert by the Oconee County Senior Singers. 1 p.m. FREE! 706543-7908 PERFORMANCE: Music at the Mall (Georgia Square Mall) The Athens Flute Choir performs a holiday concert. 7 p.m. FREE! 706543-7908 PERFORMANCE: St. Cecilia Society Girls’ Chorus (Borders Books & Music) This choral ensemble from Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School brings the holiday cheer. 5 p.m. FREE! 706583-8647 THEATRE: “Finding Home: A Christmas Musical” (Morton Theatre) A quiet 1905 train town is brought to life with Broadway-style ballads and your favorite Christmas carols as the townspeople search for the ever-elusive true meaning of Christmas in this new musical by Cornerstone Theatrical Productions.

Dec. 10–12, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12–13, 2:30 p.m. $8–$15. 706-613-3771, www.mortontheatre.com THEATRE: The Mousetrap (Athens Community Theatre) Get snowed in with a group of travelers and try to figure out who among you is the

killer! Shane Clayton directs this Agatha Christie classic presented by the Town and Gown Theatre.

Dec. 10–12, 8 p.m. Dec. 13, 2 p.m. $12–$15. 706-208-8696, www. townandgownplayers.org THEATRE: A Victorian Christmas with Charles Dickens (SeneyStovall Chapel) John Vance is Charles Dickens (in this one-man show, at least). For one night only, you can spend an evening with the illustrious tale-teller as he regales with selected readings from his Christmas stories and muses on 19th-century Christmas customs. 8 p.m. $10 (adults), $8 (seniors and students). 706-543-2012 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 (Borders Books & Music) The 2007 winner of the Georgia Governor’s Award in the Humanities signs copies of his book The Campfire Boys, a spirited work of historical fiction. 7 p.m. FREE! 706583-8647

Friday 11 EVENTS: Art Opening and Sale (Blue Tin Art Studio) Affordable artwork by local artists. See Dec. 10 Art. Dec. 10, noon–10 p.m. Dec. 11,

10 a.m.–8 p.m. Dec. 12, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. www.bluetinstudio.com EVENTS: GMOA Holiday Book Sale (UGA Visual Arts Building) See Dec. 10 Events. Dec. 10–11, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. 706-542-4662 EVENTS: Good Dirt Annual Holiday Pottery Sale (Good Dirt) 12th annual sale features functional pottery and ceramic sculpture from a wide selection of Athens-area studio potters. Dec. 11–13. 9 a.m.–5 p.m. www.gooddirt.net EVENTS: Holiday Market (Lyndon House Arts Center) Peruse fine arts and crafts from more than 80 artists!

Through Jan. 2, Tuesday–Saturday, noon–5 p.m. 706-613-3623 EVENTS: Not So Silent Night (ATHICA) Bid on art, jewelry, weekend getaways, computer services and more at this second annual fundraiser for Clarke Central High School’s student publications, Odyssey Newsmagazine and Iliad Literary Magazine. 7–9 p.m. $10 (suggested). www.athica.org EVENTS: Observatory Open House (UGA Observatory) The UGA Observatory hosts its monthly open house viewing at the UGA Physics Building. 7:30 p.m. FREE! 706542-2870 THEATRE: “Finding Home: A Christmas Musical” (Morton Theatre) A Cornerstone Theatrical Production. See Dec. 10 Theatre.

Dec. 10–12, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12–13, 2:30 p.m. $8–$15. 706-613-3771, www.mortontheatre.com

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DECEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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JASON THRASHER

the calendar!

THE CALENDAR! THEATRE: The Mousetrap (Athens Community Theatre) A Town and Gown production. See Dec. 10 Theatre. Dec. 10–12, 8 p.m. Dec. 13, 2 p.m. $12–$15. 706-208-8696, www.townandgownplayers.org KIDSTUFF: Holiday Cupcakes (Madison County Library) Enjoy a delicious afternoon of learning in this cupcake decorating tutorial.

Call to register! Noon, FREE! 706795-5597 KIDSTUFF: Holidays Around the World (Rocksprings Neighborhood Center) Find out how children in other cultures celebrate the holidays!

For ages 6–12. 4–6 p.m. $3. www. accleisureservices.com KIDSTUFF: Preschool & Toddler Storytime (Madison County Library) This month’s themes are the letter C, author and illustrator Jean deBrunhoff and Christmas! For kids ages 2 to 5. 10:30 a.m. FREE! 706795-5597 MEETINGS: Mindfulness Practice Group (Mind Body Institute) Meets the second Friday of every month.

5:30 p.m. FREE! 706-475-7329

Saturday 12 EVENTS: Adoption Day (Mary’s Feed, 4860 Atlanta Highway) Come by and find a new friend from Athens Canine Rescue. Half-price adoptions through the end of the year. 10:30– noon. www.athenscaninerescue.com EVENTS: Adoption Day (Pet Supplies Plus) Local animal rescue organizations bring their pups out for a chance at finding a forever home. Love connections made every Saturday! 11 a.m.–3 p.m. 706-3530650 EVENTS: Annual Holiday Studio (Soup Studios, 2140 S. Lumpkin Street) Warm up with some hot apple cider and peruse Soup Studios’ new creations! Fun hats, clay and sterling jewelry and an entire line of functional pottery. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. 706340-1973, www.soupstudios.com EVENTS: Art Opening and Sale (Blue Tin Art Studio) Affordable artwork by local artists. See Dec. 10 Art. Dec. 10, noon–10 p.m. Dec. 11, 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Dec. 12, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. www.bluetinstudio.com EVENTS: English Country Christmas Market (The Portico, High Shoals) Sift through jewelry, textiles, handmade books, soaps and more at this charming 1800s country church or simply warm up with music from the Concordia Chamber Choir and the Costumed Madrigal Singers as well as homemade meat pies, savory pies and mulled cider.

10 a.m.–3 p.m. FREE! 706-7692833 EVENTS: Good Dirt Annual Holiday Pottery Sale (Good Dirt) See Dec. 11 Art. Dec. 11–13. 9 a.m.–5 p.m. www.gooddirt.net EVENTS: Holiday Market (Lyndon House Arts Center) Peruse fine arts and crafts from more than 80 artists!

Through Jan. 2, Tuesday–Saturday, noon–5 p.m. 706-613-3623 EVENTS: Holiday Market (White Tiger Gourmet Food & Chocolates) Come buy and browse at the holiday market under the oaks at the corner of Boulevard and Hiawassee.

Handmade and vintage items from local artists and treats from White Tiger! 10 a.m.–6 p.m. FREE! 706353-6847 EVENTS: OCAF 15th Annual Holiday Market (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) Featuring over 30 of the region’s top artists. Market includes pottery, paintings, fiber art, stained and fused glass, jewelry,

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Friday, Dec. 11 continued from p. 29

sculpture, photography, woodwork and more. Dec. 12, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. $3 donation. www.ocaf.com EVENTS: Paws and Claus (Mary’s Feed, 4860 Atlanta Highway) Get your pet’s picture taken with Santa!

Pictures printed while you wait.

Hosted by Athens Canine Rescue. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. www.athenscaninerescue.com EVENTS: Rock-n-Racquets (UGA Stegeman Coliseum) Come see today’s superstars of the clay court at this annual tennis exhibition. Special appearances by Serena Williams, John Isner, Melanie Oudin, Sam Querrey and Gordon Beckham plus musical performances, photo ops and a meet-and-greet hosted

by Hotel Indigo. 4 p.m. $10–$65.

1-877-542-1231, 706-546-0430, www.georgiadogs.com ART: Absolute Crockery! (Carter Gillies Pottery) Featuring work by local potters including Geoff and Lisa Pickett, Jeff Bishoff, Jim Peckham, Julie Greene and Juana Gnecco. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. 706-546-7235, www. carterthepotter.etsy.com ART: Holiday Open House (Old Clarke County Jail, 380-B Meigs St.) For one day only, local metalsmith Charles Pinckney opens up his studio to the public. Find handcrafted wearable sculpture, including earrings, pendants and bracelets, as well as unique furniture and decor.

10 a.m.–6 p.m. FREE! 706-6146114, www.charlespinckney.com PERFORMANCE: Aerial Dance Recital (Canopy Studio) A performance by Canopy’s junior aerial dancers. 4 p.m. $1. 706-549-8501, www.canopystudio.com PERFORMANCE: Athens Symphony Christmas Concert (The Classic Center) Featuring a performance by the Athens Symphony Chorus and a selection of holiday compositions. Tickets are available in sets of four while supplies last. Guests are encouraged to bring cans of food for The Salvation Army Food Drive. Dec. 12, 8 p.m. & Dec. 13, 3 p.m. Call 706-357-4444 for ticket information, www.athenssymphony.org PERFORMANCE: Senior Trip to the Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker (Memorial Park) Senior citizens are invited to enjoy this holiday classic in the historic Fox Theatre. Space is limited; call to reserve spot by Dec. 1. Noon, $40. 706-613-3603, www. accleisureservices.com THEATRE: “Finding Home: A Christmas Musical” (Morton Theatre) A Cornerstone Theatrical Production. See Dec. 10 Theatre.

Dec. 10–12, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12–13, 2:30 p.m. $8–$15. 706-613-3771, www.mortontheatre.com THEATRE: The Mousetrap (Athens Community Theatre) A Town and Gown production. See Dec. 10 Theatre. Dec. 10–12, 8 p.m. Dec. 13, 2 p.m. $12–$15. 706-208-8696, www.townandgownplayers.org KIDSTUFF: Breakfast with Santa (Sandy Creek Nature Center) Santa is terribly busy this time of year, but he knows how important breakfast is. Join him for crafts, activities and photos! Call to sign up for a time. 8, 9 & 10 a.m. $5. 706-613-3615 KIDSTUFF: Holiday Hay Ride (Rocksprings Neighborhood Center) Ride around the community, sing along with your favorite holiday songs and decorate cookies. Santa may stop by for some hot cocoa after the hayride. Call to register. 9 a.m.–1 p.m. $3. 706-613-3603, www.accleisureservices.com KIDSTUFF: Mingle with Kringle (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation)

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

OCAF hosts a children’s workshop where kids can create cards, jewelry, gingerbread houses and gifts for family members. There will also be holiday singers, a puppet show and a Mother Goose reading. A FREE! photo shoot with Kringle and sack lunch are included. Register to reserve a spot. All proceeds benefit DFACS and Toys for Tots. 10 a.m.–noon & 1–3 p.m. $2 donation or new toy. 706-769-4565, info@ ocaf.com KIDSTUFF: Parents’ Day Out: The Holidays are Coming! (Memorial Park) Let’s go to the zoo! Kids, create fabulous arts and crafts, play games and watch a movie! Parents, pack a lunch for your elementary schooler and take some time off. Register by Dec. 9. 10 a.m.–3 p.m. $10 (ACC residents), $23 (non-ACC residents), 706-613-3580 KIDSTUFF: Quick Gifts for Teens (Madison County Library) There are enough macaroni magnets, picture frames and necklaces in this world; learn how to make cool gifts for your family this year! For ages 11 and up. Dec. 12, 2 p.m. FREE! 706795-5597 LECTURES & LIT.: Book Signing (Borders Books & Music) Atlanta native Stacey Covington-Lee signs copies of her novel The Knife in My Back, a story of friendship and trust.

2 p.m. FREE! 706-583-8647 LECTURES & LIT.: Book Signing (Borders Books & Music) Alan Thomas’s novel Flashback: Vietnam: Cover-Up is the account of a failed military mission in Vietnam. 4 p.m.

FREE! 706-583-8647

Sunday 13 EVENTS: ACHF Holiday Gala (Call for location) Enjoy an evening of beautiful architecture, gourmet hors d’ouvres and classic libations. The

EVENTS: Starwatch: Geminid Meteor Showers (Sandy Creek Park) Enjoy one of the year’s best meteor showers. If cloudy skies obscure the nearly 100 meteors radiating per hour, Dr. Snook will present a talk on meteors and comets. 6–9 p.m. $2. 706-613-3631 ART: Absolute Crockery! (Carter Gillies Pottery) Featuring work by local potters including Geoff and Lisa Pickett, Jeff Bishoff, Jim Peckham, Julie Greene and Juana Gnecco. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. 706-546-7235, www. carterthepotter.etsy.com PERFORMANCE: Athens Symphony Christmas Concert (The Classic Center) Featuring a performance by the Athens Symphony Chorus and a selection of holiday compositions. Tickets are available in sets of four while supplies last. Guests are encouraged to bring cans of food for The Salvation Army Food Drive. Dec. 12, 8 p.m. & Dec. 13, 3 p.m. Call 706-357-4444 for ticket information, www.athenssymphony.org PERFORMANCE: Community Holiday Concert (MadisonMorgan Cultural Center) The kickoff event to Madison’s holiday season highlights local talent as individuals and groups perform holiday hits on the center’s stage. Proceeds benefit The Caring Place. 7 p.m. FREE! (with a canned food donation) 706-3424743, www.mmcc-arts.org THEATRE: “Finding Home: A Christmas Musical” (Morton Theatre) A Cornerstone Theatrical Production. See Dec. 10 Theatre.

Dec. 10–12, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12–13, 2:30 p.m. $8–$15. 706-613-3771, www.mortontheatre.com* THEATRE: The Mousetrap (Athens Community Theatre) A Town and Gown production. See Dec. 10 Theatre. Dec. 10–12, 8 p.m. Dec. 13, 2 p.m. $12–$15. 706-208-8696, www.townandgownplayers.org*

Monday 14 KIDSTUFF: Bedtime Stories (ACC Library) Every Monday. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Infant Storytime (ACC Library) Nurture your young one’s language skills. 10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Infant Storytime (Madison County Library) Rhymes and songs with your little one! 10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-795-5597 GAMES: “20 Questions at Transmet” (Transmetropolitan, Downtown) General trivia. Topics include sex, music, movies, science, history and much more. Check the Facebook Group “20 questions at Transmet” for weekly themes and the online question of the week. Every Monday. 8:30–10 p.m. FREE! 706613-8773 GAMES: Ping Pong (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Get your paddle ready for a riveting round of table tennis. 8:30 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ flickerbar GAMES: Pool Tournament (Alibi) Win prizes every Monday! 8 p.m.

FREE! 706-549-1010 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

Tuesday 15 EVENTS: Fuad Elhage (Casa Mia) Tango dancing! Bring a partner or make a new friend. 8 p.m. FREE! 706-227-4444 EVENTS: Holiday Market (Lyndon House Arts Center) Peruse fine arts and crafts from more than 80 artists!

Through Jan. 2, Tuesday–Saturday, noon–5 p.m. 706-613-3623 PERFORMANCE: Holiday Chorus (Borders Books & Music) The East

Seattle’s Unwed Sailor is playing at Caledonia Lounge on Thursday, Dec. 10.

Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation holds their annual fundraiser in the Historic Woodlawn District where three historic homes will be open to the public. 5–8 p.m. $65. 706353-1801 EVENTS: Good Dirt Annual Holiday Pottery Sale (Good Dirt) See Dec. 11 Art listing. Dec. 11–13.

9 a.m.–5 p.m. www.gooddirt.net EVENTS: Holiday Hoop Party (Canopy Studio) Adults, sip some bubbly and hoop for free! Santa/ elf costumes strongly encouraged.

6 p.m. FREE! 706-549-8501, www. canopystudio.com EVENTS: Holiday Market (Brick House Studio) Jewelry and various handmade goods from local artists.

Noon to 5 p.m. FREE! www.lamarwood.com

LECTURES & LIT.: Book Signing (Borders Books & Music) Martha Phillips writes about her hometown of Elberton in her novel Written on a Rock, a fictional murder mystery and romance set in the granite capital of the world. 1 p.m. FREE! 706583-8647 LECTURES & LIT.: “Updating Athens: 19 Years of Change” (ACC Library) Local author Frances Taliaferro Thomas talks about the remarkable changes she’s observed in Athens over the 19 years since her book A Portrait of Athens and Clarke County was first published. 3 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 GAMES: Full-Contact Trivia (Allen’s Bar & Grill) Sports-themed rules with diverse categories. 9 p.m.

FREE! www.allensbarandgrill.com

Jackson High School Chorale, the Advanced Women’s Chorus and the Freshman Chorus perform two sets of holiday music. 4:30 & 5:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-583-8647 PERFORMANCE: Holiday Concert (UGA Hodgson Hall) A festive performance by the Georgia Children’s Chorus. 7 p.m. $5. 706-542-4400, www.georgiachildrenschorus.org PERFORMANCE: Holiday Concert (Oconee County Library) Local choral ensemble Arioso returns to treat you to beautiful classical and holiday music. 7 p.m. FREE! 706613-3650 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

LECTURES & LIT.: “What Is Solar Water Heating?” (ACC Library) Local green builder Tony Purcell discusses energy trends and the history, components and benefits of solar water heating. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 MEETINGS: French Group (1000faces Coffee, 585 Barber Street) All-level French conversation group. Informal, welcoming and tres bon! Every Tuesday.

7–8:30 p.m. FREE! 706-534-8860, www.1000facescoffee.com MEETINGS: Pub Theology (Trappeze Pub) Open conversations revolving around theology. 8 p.m.

FREE! 706-549-1915, cmccreight@ fccathens.org GAMES: Board Game Night (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Choose from the classic assortment provided or bring your own! 6 p.m. FREE! www. myspace.com/flickerbar 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 EVENTS: Holiday Market (Lyndon House Arts Center) Peruse fine arts and crafts from more than 80 artists!

Through Jan. 2, Tuesday–Saturday, noon–5 p.m. 706-613-3623 EVENTS: Signing and Singing (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) Enjoy live performances from local school choirs, listen to an ensemble reading of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and meet six local authors, including Terry Kay, Gail Karwoski and Grady Thrasher, at this unique holiday lineup. Call for more information! 6–8 p.m. FREE! 7067694565, www.ocaf.com EVENTS: Wine Dinner (Speakeasy) Six courses paired with six wines.

Call for reservations. $40/person.

706-546-5556 ART: Soundtrack to Nothing (Ciné Barcafé) Opening for Christy Bush Fogarino’s body of photography work via rock concerts and based on the idea of a non-existent movie. It has its own soundtrack created by Sam Fogarino.

PERFORMANCE: Open Mic Poetry (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Hosted by Mr. Guppyfin. 11:30 p.m. www.myspace.com/flickerbar 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. 11 a.m.–noon, $0–$13 (scholarships available). 706-613-3615 KIDSTUFF: Kids Christmas Party (East Athens Community Center) Let loose with some of your holiday energy at this evening of arts and crafts, games and a visit from YOUKNOW-WHO (white beard, belly, funny hat)! For kindergarteners through fifth graders. 5–6:30 p.m. $3. 706-613-3593 KIDSTUFF: Wildcard Wednesday for Teens (ACC Library) Up next: Origami Boxes. Handcraft the prettiest of packages. Ages 11–18. Space is limited. 4 p.m. FREE! 706-6133650 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

The Melting Point 7 p.m. $3. www.meltingpointathens. com THE GEORGIA FLATPICKERS Bluegrass act featuring acclaimed “Flatpicking Professor” David Leinweber.

Friday, December 11

“Holidays and Hits” Songwriters in the Round Rialto Room There are few things better during the holiday season than being able to sit back, relax and listen to some good Christmas carols sung by talented artists.

You could, hypothetically, pop in a CD of pre-recorded tired, old standards, but why do that when Greg Barnhill you could just as easily spend the night in an intimate setting with great sound and be only 10 feet from actual performers?

The UGA Music Business Program is hosting a special singer-songwriter showcase called “The Holidays and the Hits” on Friday, hoping to help spread some holiday cheer.

The organizers have wrangled up some of the most talented storytellers around to sing original compositions and sprinkle in some holiday favorites inside the cozy confines of the aurally stunning Rialto Room. The Music Business Program’s singer-songwriter showcases usually draw some incredible talent, and this event is no exception.

Local favorite Mike Dekle will take the stage and charm the audience with his trademark wit and honest storytelling. With songs like “No Trash in My Trailer” (a collaboration with Colt Ford) and “Size Matters” (Joe Nichols) in his repertoire, Dekle proves he has the ability to run with the big dogs of country music and still maintain some down home sensibility.

Joining Dekle is New Orleans’ Greg Barnhill, whose compositions have been covered by the likes of Tim McGraw and Amy Grant. His versatile voice and unique vocal treatment fit a range of genres, from country to R&B. Barnhill’s work has been featured on numerous movie soundtracks and television shows.

Rounding out the songwriter’s circle will be Will Robinson, writer of Alabama’s “You’ve Got the Touch,” and Joanna Cotton, the Julliard School trained vocalist whose smooth voice combines R&B style with country songwriting.

If you’re looking for an early Christmas present for yourself, you can’t do much better than a four-for-one songwriting holiday tour-de-force at the Rialto. [Jordan Stepp]

MEETINGS: Library Sewing Group (Madison County Library) Currently crocheting with double-ended crochet needles. Newcomers welcome.

1–3 p.m. FREE! 706-795-5597 MEETINGS: Sitting Meditation Group (Mind Body Institute) Silent meditation every Wednesday. Noon.

FREE! 706-475-7329 GAMES: Dart League (Alibi) Every Wednesday! Bikers welcome. 8 p.m.

FREE! 706-549-1010 GAMES: Movie Trivia Night (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Where movie trivia meets performance art. Hosted by “It Boy” Jeff Tobias and sponsored by Vision Video. Prizes! Sign up at 8 p.m. Trivia starts at 8:30 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) Think you know it all? 9:30 p.m.

706-548-3442 GAMES: Trivia Wars (283 Bar) Chris Creech hosts general knowledge trivia with different themes each week. Check the Facebook group “Trivia Wars!” for weekly updates and online question of the week.

8:30 p.m. (sign up) 9 p.m. (game starts). FREE! 706-208-1283 * Advance Tickets Available

Down the Line EVENTS: BikeAthens Art Bash 12/17 (The Globe, Upstairs) Bid on local art inspired by alternative transportation in this silent auction and mixer! 6–10 p.m. FREE! www. bikeathens.com EVENTS: Red and Green Senior Fling 12/19 (Columbus Avenue Senior Center, Columbus Ave. off of Baxter St.) Senior adults ages 55

and over are invited to this holiday party. Delicious holiday food, festive music, a white elephant gift exchange and great company! 5–7:30 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3603 PERFORMANCE: Athens Master Chorale 12/19 (UGA Hodgson Hall) The AMC will be joined by an orchestra for their performance of Handel’s Messiah in this Christmas season concert. 8 p.m. $10, $5 (students). 706-542-4400, www. athensmasterchorale.org KIDSTUFF: Happy Holidays: School’s Out! 12/21 (Memorial Park) Make crafts and snacks and play games at the zoo! Program relates to Xmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Day festivities. Register for Dec. 21 and/or Dec. 22 by Dec. 17.

9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. $15/day. 706-6133580, www.accleisureservices.com EVENTS: Invasive Crafts Program 12/22 (Greenway) Learn why kudzu, privet and honeysuckle aren’t really your friends. Then, make crafts out of specimens harvested from the Greenway! For all ages. Call to register. 10 a.m.–noon. $2. 706613-3615 OUTDOORS: Blue Full Moon Hike 12/31 (Greenway) Once in a blue moon, you may actually see a blue moon; now is your chance! The next blue moon won’t occur until 2012, so don’t miss out. 6–8 p.m. $2. 706613-3615 * Advance Tickets Available

Live Music Tuesday 8 40 Watt Club Tidings for Tikes II. 9 p.m. $6 (21+), $8 (18+). www.40watt.com BLACK BELT PATRIOTS Athens rock trio that plays original music

and covers ranging from the Rolling Stones to Band of Horses.

FUTUREBIRDS Local folk-rock collective with a tattered, raspy edge.

THE INTERNS Local band that shares several members with Futurebirds.

Instead of Americana, this configuration plays dreamy, guitar-driven indie rock with a hint of alt-country.

Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 KARAOKE With the singing cowboy.

ATHICA 8 – 9:30 p.m. $6 (suggested donation). www.athica.org “PREPARED AND IMPROVISED” An evening of experimental music featuring Layne Garrett (Washington, DC), Cursillistas and Ochre Aunt (formerly known as David Kirby).

Dancefx Dancing from 8–10 p.m. $3–$5. www. athensswingnight.com ATHENS SWING NIGHT No partner or experience necessary! Lesson at 9 p.m.

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar ABBANNA LEBON Hilariously bratty and overtly perverted lo-fi swingpunk, like Yeah Yeah Yeahs meets the Cramps. Featuring members of Fashion Knee High and Daffodil.

BANGUTOT Featuring a fresh lineup and a sound that has only been described as “styrofoam music” as opposed to “paper cup music,” which is apparently what the band used to be.

THE GREAT AMERICAN COUNTRY DRIFTERS Expect slide guitar and blue-collar lyrics from this Atlanta band.

SHITHEAD This band wants you to pronounce its name “shy-theed…”

The tunes are laid back with a jam band sort of vibe.

No Where Bar 10 p.m. $2. 706-546-4742 NATHAN SHEPPARD AND JOHN KEANE Two great local guitarists/ singer-songwriters play some tunes together.

Tasty World Uptown Holiday Celebration! Festive dress code enforced. 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace. com/tastyworlduptown DR. SQUID Jangly, frenetic rock and roll at its best when emphasizing its British Invasion sounds.

THE JONES PLAN Alternative poprock out of Marietta, GA. LEAVING ARABY Pop-rock quartet with a style akin to yesteryear radio sweethearts Goo Goo Dolls, Gin Blossoms and the like.

ROMANENKO Local trio draws from ‘70s pop and folk with a modern rock edge, like Mary Timony fronting the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Wednesday 9 283 Bar Holiday Wig Party. 10 p.m. FREE! 706208-1283 IMMUZIKATION Celebrated local DJ Alfredo Lapuz Jr. mashes up highenergy electro and rock. Dance party begins after the bands. Put on your favorite wig for this themed dance night! Bring an unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots for a chance to win a 283 t-shirt!

Caledonia Lounge 9:30 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www. caledonialounge.com EAT LIGHTNING DIY garage rock trio from Augusta, featuring dreamy arrangements and layered, distant vocals.

GEMINI CRICKET The current threepiece lineup of this local band has ditched its cutesy kazoo pop in favor of sleazy garage stomps that swagger through the reverb and jangle with ‘60s abandon.

SMOKEDOG Local guys Thom Strickland (vocals, guitar) and Jason Jones (drums) play a noisy motorik pulse with treated guitar. Says Jones, “noisy lo-fi boogie smeared over mechanical back-pocket beats.”

SOAPBAR Local group plays shaggy, diverse alt-rock informed by its lo-fi and folk peers.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 11:30 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/ flickerbar TIMBER Frontman Daniel Aaron serves up his brand of hangover country rock. His lyric-focused arrangements are often nestled within minimalist instrumentation, incorporating fiddle, piano, pedal steel and xylophone.

VESTIBULES Brand-new band featuing members of A PostWar Drama and Dark Meat. See Upstart Roundup on p. 27.

Gnat’s Landing 6 p.m. FREE! 706-850-5858 RYAN HORNE Folksinger from Atlanta with a sweet, smokey voice accompanied by acoustic, Americana-tinged guitar and violins.

Go Bar “Happy Birthday Lindsay!” 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar TWIN POWERS Britpop, ‘80s new wave and danceable favor-

DECK theWALLS! ARTIST - MADE GREETING CARDS ORNAMENTS WREATHS CANDLES AND OTHER SEASONAL ITEMS

PHOTOGRAPHY WATERCOLORS OIL PAINTINGS FIBER ARTS POTTERY JEWELRY PRINTS FUSED & STAINED GLASS Looking for something a little out of the ordinary?

Visit the Gallery Shop at

Lyndon House Arts Center for our annual

Holiday Arts Market Tuesday - Saturday, Noon - 5 p.m.

Lots of free parking!

293 Hoyt Street, Athens GA 30601 706-613-3623 ext 224

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DECEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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ites. Consider it a “Wednesday Resurrection,” bringing back the old hits that first got Wednesday nights bumpin’ at Go a few years back.

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $5. www.meltingpointathens. com* BETSY FRANCK & THE BAREKNUCKLE BAND Soulful, brassy Southern rock and country songs rooted in tradition, but with a modern sensibility.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. $10 (adv), $15 (door). www. newearthmusichall.com BLUE TECH The psy-club specialist plays his second ever show in Athens.

EOTO The String Cheese Incident’s percussionist Jason Hann and drummer Michael Travis explore looping waters, performing 100 percent improvised with live breakbeat, trip-hop, house and drum ‘n’ bass tunes.

ESKMO Live electronic dance music based around trance beats.

Wednesday, Dec. 9 continued from p. 31

Thursday 10 40 Watt Club “Squidmas.” 9 p.m. $6. www.40watt. com DOCTOR SQUID Jangly, frenetic rock and roll at its best when emphasizing its British Invasion sounds.

THE JONES PLAN Alternative poprock out of Marietta, GA. LEAVING ARABY Pop-rock quartet with a style akin to yesteryear radio sweethearts Goo Goo Dolls, Gin Blossoms and the like.

ROMANENKO Local trio draws from ‘70s pop and folk with a modern rock edge, like Mary Timony fronting the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Alibi Thursdays, FREE! 706-549-1010 OPEN MIC/JAM Hosted by members of The Rattlers. Open to all musicians.

The Office Lounge 9:30 p.m. FREE! 706-549-0840 KARAOKE Every Wednesday with Lynn!

Buffalo’s Southwest Café 6 & 8 p.m. $12 or $100 for table of 10.

706-354-6655 CHRISTMAS WITH THE KING Topnotch ribute artist Chris Shupe and the TCB Band present “A Celebration of Holiday Hits.”

Rye Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/ryebarathens ACHACHAY! Funk rock band out of Austin, TX. Expect a high-energy performance and some unique merch for sale with proceeds going toward the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

TENT CITY This local four-piece fuses elements of jazz, funk, blues and world music.

Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com HARRISON HUDSON Musician Harrison Hudson (vocals, guitar) and his backing band, David Dees (bass), Brandon Dees (bass) and Steven Kadar (drums), head south from their Nashville base, playing upbeat, melodic, no-frills pop rock.

NATIVE LIGHTS Psychedelic progpop.

THIEVES & PASTORS Newly formed, local indie shoegaze with post-rock guitar and soaring vocals.

UNWED SAILOR Seattle’s Unwed Sailor churns out mystical, ambient, dreamlike (usually) instrumental tracks. The most recent album is a retrospective titled History.

Casa Mia 7 p.m. FREE! 706-227-4444 KEVIN FLEMING Spanish and Latin guitar.

Farm 255 11 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com BUBBLY MOMMY GUN Raucous psychedelic explorations led by members of Sleeping Friends, The Lickity-Splits and Ice Cream Socialists.

GRANDCHILDREN Subtle post-rock from Philly, with a hint of electronics for fans of Animal Collective.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 9 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/flickerbar DON CHAMBERS This local favorite’s whiskey-soaked bootstomps capture a certain dusty closing-time chic.

Rough and tumble vocals scratch and howl over rootsy guitars, banjo and pedal steel.

PETE STEIN Solo project from a member of the rootsy band Truckstop Coffee.

Georgia Bar 10 p.m. 706-546-9884 THE XG-1 Up-and-coming local rock trio featuring big blues-based riffs.

“3 BR/2 BA on 10 acres of hard rock.”

Gnat’s Landing 6 p.m. FREE! 706-850-5858 TONGUE & GROOVE The acoustic quartet of Henry Williams, Don

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Saturday, December 12

The Dream Scene, Quiet Hooves Farm 255 In a town where there’s a day job for every artist, you could easily waltz through years of interactions with someone and never know they’ve got something remarkable hidden at home. Could the quiet, fair-haired guy in the multi-color windbreaker and khakis be a bedroom auteur? He could and he is: it would not be disingenuous to say Javier Morales that Javier Morales and his recording project, The Dream Scene, is the best-kept secret in Athens music.

The only time most folks catch Morales at work is when he’s playing tactfully coy guitar with out-pop band Quiet Hooves, but his playing is less lead or rhythm than “color.”

So here are some fun facts about Javier Morales that may surprise you: First, if you’ve picked up a copy of the Quiet Hooves/Dream Scene split CD-R that came out last month, all of the sounds heard on the Quiet Hooves side of the split, save for songwriter Julian Bozeman’s voice, are Morales’ doing. Second of all, he’s got a full-length LP on the way from Party Party Partners. It’s a Christmas album.

“It’s just something that seemed like a fun thing to do,” Morales explains laconically.

“I think it’s mostly out of the feeling for Christmas, or what it means, or what it used to mean, or how I used to feel. I don’t think the music that comes out of it necessarily reflects that, it’s just something that every couple of years, I’d get some ideas around Christmastime and I just felt like doing it.” The Dream Scene’s Christmas album—all hazy, creepy, Brian Eno-influenced takes on the classics—is five years in the making, off and on. With the help of them boys in Quiet Hooves, Morales will be celebrating the vinyl release by performing cuts from this wonderful, bizarre album on Dec. 12 at Farm 255.

[Jeff Tobias]

voted best burrito by Creative Loafing, Insite and Sunday Paper

burritonight?

Trivia night at Willy’s!

Join us for great fun and prizes Every Wed beginning at 8pm

www.willys.com 196 Alps Road Beechwood Promenade Mon – Sun, 11am - 10pm 706-548-1920

buy one get one 1/2 off expiration 12/31/09 • Willy’s Mexicana Grill

we cater to a crowd!

call 706-548-1920 to place order

One coupon per customer per visit per offer. Not valid if sold, transferred or duplicated. Not valid for catering orders.

Cash value 1/100 of 1¢. Good only at Athens location. © 2009 Willy’s Mexicana Grill. Code: FP

DECEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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THE CALENDAR! Henderson, Jason Peckham and Amy Moon plays lively covers and originals.

Go Bar 11:30 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ gobar “DR. FRED’S KARAOKE” Hosted by karaoke fanatic John “Dr. Fred” Bowers, every Thursday.

9:30 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar MUSIC HATES YOU High-energy and higher volume, Music Hates You plays a dirty kind of punk metal.

There’s red clay under the fingernails of this fist raised against authority.

TOURNAMENT Noisy hardcore punk from New York with loads of drone.

Hotel Indigo “Life After Five.” 6–8 p.m. FREE! www. athensdowntownhotel.com LERA LYNN The tender, jazzy folk voice behind Birds & Wire.

Little Kings Shuffle Club 6:30 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ littlekingsshuffleclub DAVID HOWARD Mellow contemporary folk music. Come relax and unwind with the music of Bob Dylan, John Gorka, John Stewart, John Prine and more.

The Melting Point 8:30 p.m. $7 (adv), $10 (door).* HEIDI HENSLEY Modern rock and roll with country elements and a bit of ‘80s nostalgia.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. www.newearthmusichall.com BIO RITMO Live salsa!

SERENATA Latin jazz from Atlanta.

The Office Lounge 8 p.m. FREE! 706-546-0840 KARAOKE CONTEST Every Thursday with Ken! Rye Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/ryebarathens ACIREMA Blazingly fast death metal to get your heart pumping.

THE PHANTOM VARIANT Is it black metal? Death metal? Metalcore? Let’s just call it all three!

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown MIGHTY MCFLY Covering hits from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s plus some originals.

Friday 11 40 Watt Club Athens Face/Off #6–Garage a Trois, Part 2. 10 p.m. www.40watt.com.

See story p. 26 BACHELOR CHEESEHEAD A new band featuring Nick Canada (ex-Dark Meat), Jordan Noel (Lil Francis) and Chase Prince (Spring Tigers).

BISON A new band featuring JS Dillard (All City Cannonballers), Carter Ross (Holy Liars) and Jeremy Harbin (A. Armada).

CRUSTY PLUG AND THE THIRTEEN SINS A new band featuring Raleigh Hatfield (ex-Elf Power), Wesley Kays and Charlie Key (Bubbly Mommy Gun).

FAREWELL A new band featuring Jake Ward (Eureka California), Dave Commins and Claire Campbell (Hope for Agoldensummer).

FOUR FLIES ON GRAVY VELVET A new band featuring Al Daglis (Dark Meat), Ryan Lewis (Grape Soda) and Jeff Fallis, local poet.

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Thursday, Dec. 10 continued from p. 33

MESH HABIT A brand-new band featuring JoJo Glidewell (Modern Skirts), Emily Armond (Sea of Dogs) and Cara Beth Satalino (Witches).

MILKQUAKE A new band featuring Brian Kindamo (The Jack Burton), Leslie Dallion (The Lolligags) and Bryan Howard (The HEAP).

MILLENNIUM FALCOR A new band featuring Kris Deason (GSOL), Marie A. Uhler (Werewolves) and Lucas Jensen (Venice Is Sinking).

MUMMY TURD A new band featuring Kelsey Brooks (Sea of Dogs), Eli Barnard (Spring Tigers) and Max Talkovich (Daffodil).

PONZI TEAM A new band featuring Page Campbell (Hope for Agoldensummer), Zack Thrower (ex-Nationale) and Nick Hileman (ex-Drainbow).

PORCH CHOPS A new band featuring Samantha Paulsen (ex-We Versus the Shark), Adam Hebert (Los Meesfits) and Shauna Greeson (Hola Halo).

REEFAH MCENTYRE A new band featuring Austin Darnell (Deaf Judges), Coy King (Timber) and Gordon Lamb (Salmon Panties).

SEMITONE HPF LEVEL A new band featuring Hannah Jones (Supercluster), Greg O’Connell (Bubbly Mommy Gun) and Brett Winslett.

SNAKE CHAPS A new band featuring Melissa Colbert (Creepy), Scott K (Vincas) and Georgia Theatre owner Wilmot Greene (Ashtray).

THE NEW 97.1 THE RIVER A new band featuring Jason NeSmith (Casper & the Cookies), Meghan Morris (Mouser) and Rob Thomasen (Chrissakes).

THEE TRUNXXX A new band featuring Derek Wiggs (Daffodil), Aaron Jollay (Dark Meat) and Jeff Webber (Nuclear Spring).

TURBO PONY A new band featuring Elizabeth Hargrett (Sea of Dogs), Clem Adams (Hot Breath) and Drew Smith (Chrissakes).

TURPENTINE A new band featuring Allen Owens (Pride Parade), Davey Rathgaber (The Visitations) and Asa Leffer (Holy Liars).

UMLAUT A new band featuring Loretta Adams (Hot Breath), Kay Stanton (Casper & the Cookies) and Gregory Sanders.

VIBE DRONE TREKKER A new band featuring Derek Almstead (Elf Power), Kevin Sweeney (Hayride) and Robert Gunn (Just These Dudes).

ZWAN II A new band featuring Ted Kuhn (Marriage), Wes Fritts (Cop Dope) and Davey Staton (The Warm Fuzzies).

Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 ALBATROSS Local band plays classic rock and alternative rock covers.

Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $6 (21+), $8 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com THE ARCS Having solidified their place in the Athens music scene of the 21st century with the recent release of their debut 7”, it’s easy to forget that the members bring years of collective rock and roll experience to the table. See them live, however, and you’ll not forget again.

THE LATE BP HELIUM Local musician Bryan Poole, who has worked with numerous Elephant 6 bands including Of Montreal and Olivia Tremor Control, produces a sound that fits the Elephant 6 vibe without sounding like a rehash. See story on p. 25.

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

East Jackson Comprehensive High School 7 p.m. $15. 706-215-2971, www.ejhseagleband.com ECHOING ANGELS Atlanta Christian rockers.

Farm 255 11 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com KEVIN HYFANTIS & THE BISHOPS BAND Indie Americana from Knoxville with smooth, memorable melodies influenced by R&B. Flicker Theatre & Bar 9 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/flickerbar ADRON The music of Adrienne McCann is influenced by late-’60s Brazilian Tropicalia.

LITTLE TYBEE Hip-hop with intriguing lyrics and futuristic beats that were probably sent back in time to kill John Conner.

The Globe 9 p.m. FREE! 706-353-4721 THE PREMONITIONS Last show!

Singer Maureen McGinnis is moving back to L.A., so this is your last chance to catch her with The Premonitions. Her lush vocals are smoky and sultry, with a dark ambiance that calls to mind acts like Beach House and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Gnat’s Landing 6 p.m. FREE! 706-850-5858 TJ MIMBS This local acoustic singersongwriter plays melodramatic pop in the vein of Dave Matthews.

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar ELECTA VILLIAN This local trio plays moody, dark indie rock with big, theatrical vocals a la Muse.

FIRE ZUAVE Dreamy, fun psych-pop based here in town.

IMMUZIKATION Celebrated local DJ Alfredo Lapuz Jr. mashes up highenergy electro and rock.

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $10 (adv), $12 (door). www. meltingpointathens.com ABBEY ROAD LIVE! Here come the sun kings! The local cover band delivers a start-to-finish performance of The Beatles’ Abbey Road and tosses in other high-energy, later-era Beatles rockers.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. $15 (adv), $17 (door). www. newearthmusichall.com ALMOST KINGS A rock/hip-hop quartet like you haven’t heard in years. Remember Zebrahead?

REHAB Atlanta-based band Rehab incorporates hard rock and pop into the mix, creating funk-based numbers reminiscent of early Red Hot Chili Peppers. The quintet broke new ground on its 2008 album, Graffiti the World.

SOUL STASH Hard-charging rock from Atlanta.

The Rialto Room 7 p.m. 9:30 p.m. $15. www.therialtoroom.com HOLIDAYS AND HITS Songwriters in the Round featuring: Will Robinson, Mike Dekle, Greg Barnhill and Joanna Cotten. See Calendar Pick on p. 31.

Rye Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/ryebarathens SUMILAN Local prog jam rockers.

Tasty World Uptown 11 p.m. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown BITCH SWITCH Your all-star lady DJ team, three strong tonight, spins

Monday, December 14

Hammer No More the Fingers, Gift Horse, Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun Caledonia Lounge It isn’t often that Hammer No More the Fingers a band’s sound can be described as simultaneously “heavy” and “upbeat,” but the music of Durham, NC trio Hammer No More The Fingers fits comfortably beneath both banners. There is some discrepancy about the band’s history. Spin’s 2009 article “25 Must-Hear Artists from the CMJ Festival” states that HNMTF’s members formed their first band at age 10, playing “all originals and one Archers of Loaf cover.” MySpace and Wikipedia entries fail to mention this tidbit and place the band’s formation in 2007. Even so, this does appear to be the group’s first visit to Athens under its current moniker and with the specter of buzz hanging about.

Mainstream coverage is sort of like blood in the ocean, so it’s no surprise that a rocksolid bill has been organized for the occasion (and two other dates nearby). HNMTF will share the stage with formidable Georgia talents Gift Horse (local reverb monsters who put on a pleasing show), and Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun (doubly recommended female-fronted electro-punk quartet from Atlanta).

There’s something here for almost every shade of suburbanite, from the most angstridden high-schooler to the snobbiest I-only-listen-to-Radiohead music fan. In fact, listening to Hammer…’s 2009 album Looking for Bruce really took me back to that awkward transition into ninth grade where I compulsively listened to NOFX CDs and Blink-182’s Cheshire Cat. There’s a similar sensibility in HNMTF’s sound to that of the ‘90s “punk” revival: wailing singing with call-and-response segments buoyed by mildly distorted bass lines and tasteful drumming. That mood gets tempered and centered a bit by this postalternative crunchy, exploratory guitar theme orientation. On the whole, the sonic adventures reliably converge in prominent and memorable choruses.

So while the three groups playing this evening share a love for distortion, all signs point to a delightfully diverse rotation of magical minstrels well worth investigating.

[Tony Floyd]

thick dance grooves and adds in a twinge of their own campy performance.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5:30 p.m. www.terrapinbeer.com TAYLOR CORUM Keeping the blues alive with a modern interpretation.

WUGA 91.7 FM 4 p.m. FREE! www.uga.edu/wuga “IT’S FRIDAY!” Nathan Sheppard and Boo Ray will perform on the local radio station’s weekly program.

University Cable Channel 15 will also broadcast the show.

Saturday 12 40 Watt Club 9 p.m. $6. www.40watt.com DICTATORTOTS These longtime Athenian chaos cultivators stomp about and trash the night with their beery post-grunge grooves.

Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 KARAOKE With the singing cowboy.

Allen’s Bar & Grill 9 p.m. FREE! www.allensbarandgrill. com ROLLIN HOME This band jams on originals with a Dead groove and a Southern rock leaning.

Borders Books & Music 4 p.m. FREE! 706-583-8647 IN HIS IMAGE Local musicians share the Word with their holiday gospel songs.

Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com GIFT HORSE Swirling reverb and dark psychedelic textures pervade this local band’s alternative rock edge that’s equal parts shoegaze and Sonic Youth.

HAMMER NO MORE THE FINGERS Off-kilter power-pop trio that borrows equally from Weezer and The Strokes. See Calendar Pick on this page.

TODAY THE MOON, TOMORROW THE SUN Endearing electro-rock from Atlanta featuring sweet and strong female vocals backed by fierce guitars.

built around guitar, drums and stand-up bass. Tonight the band will be joined by Danny Cottar on bass and Nathan Hale on drums.

Farm 255 Christmas/Hannukh Spectacular. 11 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com THE DREAM SCENE Javier Morales presents a unique, avant-garde take on Christmas favorites. Celebrating the release of his new Christmas album tonight. See Calendar Pick on p. 33.

QUIET HOOVES Pop-oriented experimental psych-folk from here in town featuring creative arrangements.

Go Bar 9 p.m. WUOG Space Holiday Party. $3 (18+), FREE! (21+). www.myspace. com/gobar ABANDON THE EARTH MISSION Recently expanded into a five-piece featuring Josh McKay (ex-Macha) on lead vocals backed by Winston Parker, Lawson Grice (Iron Hero), Mason Brown (Jet By Day) and drummer Sam Fogarino (Interpol).

The band has gone in a more ambient and lush direction, driven by vibraphone, hammered dulcimer and heavier beats. Tonight features guest vocalists Madeline and Cara Beth Satalino.

THE GOLD PARTY Danceable new wave and synth-driven glam featuring Dan Geller (I Am the World Trade Center), Benji Barton (Boulevard) and Brian Smith (USSR, The Curl).

IMMUZIKATION Celebrated local DJ Alfredo Lapuz Jr.—also known for his over-the-top Daft Punk tribute act—mashes up high-energy electro and rock. After the bands.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 9 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/flickerbar GET SAD Brand-new act featuring members of Chrissakes and Pride Parade. See Upstart Roundup on p. 27.

GRIDS Hard and heavy rock with some hardcore tendencies.

VINCAS Energetic, erratic garage punk with growling guitars, howling vocals and a bit of rockabilly blues swagger.

Little Kings Shuffle Club 10:30 p.m. www.myspace.com/littlekingsshuffleclub JUSTIN EVANS Local guy Justin Evans wrangles intricate lyricism and twangy guitar into dirt-road romanticism.

THE GRANFALLOONS Georgians playing sunny Americana with twangy guitars, accordion and pop melodies. Currently recording in Athens at The Troubador Den Studio.

New full-length is Songs to Sing.

The Globe 10 p.m. 706-353-4721 BREATHLANES Led by guitarist/ composer John Miley, Breathlanes features atmospheric, organic tones

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. www.newearthmusichall.com EDDIE & THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS Local blues-funk trio led by frontman Eddie Speaker.

Club Chrome 9 p.m. $7, $5 (w/ UGA ID). 706-5439009 HOLMAN AUTRY BAND Fans of Southern rock icons like Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers will love Holman Autry Band’s rowdy rock and roll.

THREE FOOT SWAGGER Local band featuring musicians Dave Cardello, Jake Cohen, Scott Lerch, Charlie McCoy and Jeff Reusche.

The Swagger plays high-energy rock and roll with a lot of funk.

UP ON THE PORCH No info available.

Caledonia Lounge 9:30 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www. caledonialounge.com CALLOOH! CALLAY! Indie rock from Tuscaloosa with a folk bent, a la Fleet Foxes.

FIRE ZUAVE Dreamy, fun psych-pop based here in town.

Rye Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/ryebarathens BRYAN BLAYLOCK This Dallas troubadour serenades audiences with his acoustic stylings.

The Melting Point 7 p.m. $3. www.meltingpointathens. com NORTH GEORGIA BLUEGRASS BAND An eclectic blend of traditional and contemporary acoustic music. Part of Melting Point’s weekly bluegrass series, the Terrapin Tuesday Bluegrass Series.

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown DAIQUIRI A blend of new wave and electro for your pleasure.

NEIL HAMBURGER “America’s Funnyman” performs his usual brand of off-beat humor plus numbers from his recent album Neil Hamburger Sings Country Winners.

TJ YOUNG Celebrated local comedian and host of the Loft Lounge Comedy showcase.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5:30–7:30 p.m. www.terrapinbeer.com LARA Newcomer to Athens, Lara plays soulful piano ballads mixed with folksy poetic rock.

White Tiger Gourmet Food & Chocolates 6–9 p.m. FREE! 706-353-6847 VIVIAN CLIFTON The soprano will perform a selection of 11 Spanish Xmas carols accompanied by guitar.

Sunday 13 Borders Books & Music 4 p.m. FREE! 706-583-8647 KYSHONA ARMSTRONG Local songstress Kyshona sings soulful ballads and holiday tunes over acoustic guitar.

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.

Monday 14 40 Watt Club 8 p.m. $5. www.40watt.com BATTLE OF THE BANDS: PART 2 The 40 Watt battle of the bands continues with musicians from The Caledonia, Dial America, Jittery Joe’s, the UGA Music Business Program, Partner Software and Your Pie. Little Kings Shuffle Club 8–10 p.m. FREE! www.athensfolk.org.

THE CHRISTMAS HOOT Local musician Tommy Jordan hosts the Athens Folk Music and Dance Society’s annual Christmas carol sing-along. Lokshen Kugel performs a set of traditional Hanukkah songs and klezmer music, while local vocal trio The Solstice Sisters turns out songs off the Holiday Music from Around the World CD. All ages.

Tuesday 15 283 Bar 10 p.m. 706-208-1283 DANCE PARTY A birthday blowout for Alfredo and Stan! “The dance floor will be at DEF CON 5.”

Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 KARAOKE With the singing cowboy.

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown THE RON JOHNSONS Brandnew progressive rock band that incorporates unique Latin and jazz influences.

Wednesday 16 Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com LIONZ Southern jam-rock from Athens.

THIEVES MARKET Local, alternative rock band.

THE WOODGRAINS Austin, TX foursome that mixes electronic sounds with metal drums.

285 W. Washington St. Athens, GA • Call 706-549-7871 for Show Updates

CHEAP DRINK SPECIALS EVERY NIGHT BEFORE 11PM • 18 + UP

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9

WUGA C the lassic

91.7

97.9fm

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $5. www.meltingpointathens. com* THE BURNING ANGELS New local act that plays Americana soul.

Featuring Natalie Garcia on vocals and guitar Mark Cunningham on vocals, guitar and dobro, Josh Westbrook on drums and appearances by Adam Poulin on fiddle and Matt Dyson on dobro and banjo.

Tasty World Uptown 8 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown JOSHUA WESTBROOK Local rock musician known for his work behind the drums in such bands as HIlls Rolling. * Advance Tickets Available

Down the Line 12/17 Maps and Transit (Farm 255) 12/17 Rusko (New Earth Music Hall) 12/18 97 Sheeki / American Cheeseburger / Canadian Rifle / Hot Breath (Go Bar) 12/19 Excalibrah / Swamp Thang / Triple Velcro (Caledonia Lounge) 12/19 The Hypsys (Rye Bar) 12/19 Rack of Spam (The Melting Point)* 12/26 Randall Bramblett Band (The Melting Point)* 12/31 Deaf Judges / Pride Parade (Caledonia Lounge) 12/31 The HEAP (Farm 255) 12/31 Bonerama (The Melting Point) * Advance Tickets Available

doors open at 7pm • five dollars adv.* eight dollars at the door

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10

SQU IDMAS FEATURING

ROMANENKO DOCTOR SQUID LEAVING ARABY

Casa Mia 7 p.m. FREE! 706-227-4444 LUDWIG PORRAS Latin and Flamenco guitar.

Go Bar 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ gobar DJS RAPEDOGG 40 Watt club employees and local rockers Jeff Rapier (American Cheeseburger) and Zack “Z-Dogg” Hosey make up this rad DJ duo, spinning dance classics, punk, ‘80s and more.

Bellydance Show

“RAK” THE 40 WATT

doors open at 9:00pm • six dollars BENEFIT FOR FOOD 2 KIDS!

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11

ATHENS FACE/OFF #6

GARAGE A TROIS PT. 2: THE TOSS-UP

clocked home made hamburgers and milkshakes

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THE CALEDONIA DIALAMERICA JITTERY JOE’S ROASTING CO. UGA MUSIC BUSINESS PROGRAM PARTNER SOFTWARE • YOUR PIE doors open at 8pm • five dollars All Shows 18 and up • + $2 for Under 21 * Advance Tix Available at Schoolkids Records ** Advance Tix Sold at http://www.40watt.com

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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.

CLASSES Active Climbing Family Climbers (Active Climbing) Family bonding time, where kids get to climb with their parents. Please call ahead! Fridays, 4–6 p.m. $10/ person. 706-354-0038, adrian@ activeclimbing.com Archery for Beginners (Sandy Creek Park) Basic archery instructions for beginners with a strong emphasis on safety. Ages 10 & up.

Registration required. Dec. 12, 1–3 p.m. $6. 706-613-3631 Art Classes (Lyndon House Arts Center) Now registering for instruction in drawing, painting, jewelry, clay and printmaking. For adults, teens and children. Go online for full list of programs. 706-613-3623, www.accleisureservices.com Beekeeping for Beginners (State Botanical Garden) Threepart series on beekeeping basics.

Sponsored by the State Botanical Garden. First session Dec. 11 or 12.

9 a.m.–12 p.m. $45. 706-542-6156 Beginning to Intermediate Pottery (Lyndon House Arts Center) Develop wheelthrowing, glazing and decorating techniques while you make your own unique stoneware! Jan. 14–Feb. 18, 706613-3623, www.accleisureservices. com Bouldering (Active Climbing) Come and learn to climb without ropes at Athens’ new climbing center! Wednesdays, 5:30–6:30 p.m. $15. 706-354-0038, adrian@activeclimbing.com Chen Style Taijiquan (Floorspace) Effortless power.

Authentic Chinese martial lineage.

Register for ongoing instruction.

Sundays and Mondays, 706-6143342, telihu@gmail.com

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Classical Pilates (StudiO) Private instruction and group classes offered daily! Schedule online. 678-596-2956, www.studioinathens.com Clay Classes (Good Dirt) Weekly “Try Clay” class every Friday from 7–9 p.m. and “Family Try Clay” every Sunday from 2–4 p.m. ($20/ person). 706-355-3161, www.gooddirt.net Climbing for Beginners (Active Climbing) Learn the ropes and develop climbing technique at Athens’ new climbing center.

Mondays, 5:30–7 p.m. 706-3540038, adrian@activeclimbing.com Computer Class (ACC Library) “Mouse and Keyboard Skills.” In the Educational Technology Center. Call to register. Dec. 10, 7–8:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 Computer Class (ACC Library) Introduction to Word. In the Educational Technology Center. Call to register. Dec. 15, 7–8:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 Computer Classes (Madison County Library) Make holiday cards from the heart! Register. Dec. 9, 11 a.m. to noon. FREE! 706-795-5597 Computer Classes (ACC Library) Introduction to the Internet.

In the Educational Technology Center. Call to register. Dec. 17, 10–11:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 Dance Center Winter Classes (East Athens Educational Dance Center) Registering for adult and children’s classes including Beginning Jazz, Ballet, Tap and more. $18–$25. www.accleisureservices.com/dance.shtml Enamel Bead Making and Beading Basics (Lyndon House Arts Center) Learn a unique enameling technique to make your own spectacular jewelry! 706-613-3623, www.accleisureservices.com

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

Etching for Beginners and Intermediates (Lyndon House) An introduction to intaglio/etching processes using printmaking methods to inscribe images onto metal plates. Learn Xerox transfer, soft ground and aquatint techniques! Call for more info. 706-613-3623, www. accleisureservices.com Find Your Balance Yoga Workshop (Five Points Yoga) Slow down and reclaim your balance through breath, core strength and mindfulness. Wobblers welcome.

Dec. 13, 1:30–3:30 p.m. $20. 706355-3114, www.fivepointsyoga.com Fitness Fusion (Healing Arts Centre) Belly dancing infused with yoga and Pilates wisdom. Mondays, 7:30. 706-613-1143 Genealogy 101: The Basics (Oconee County Library) Learn how to begin your family history research! Registration required. Dec. 9, 7–8:30 p.m. FREE! Genealogy 102: Census Records Online (Oconee County Library) Research family history online using Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest Online.

Genealogy 101 is a prerequisite for this class. Call to register. Dec. 15, 3–4 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 Georgia Spiders Free Workshop (Active Climbing) A two-week workshop for kids who are ready to take climbing to the next level. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5–6:30 p.m. 706-354-0038, adrian@activeclimbing.com Getting Started with Genealogy (ACC Library) Genealogy for beginners. In the Heritage Room. Dec. 17, 2–4:30 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 Hiking 102: Raven Cliff Falls (Sandy Creek Park) Learn basic hiking techniques, map reading and more. Transportation provided. Bring

Cecile L. K. Martin’s graphic media works are on exhibit at the UGA College of Environmental Design’s Circle Gallery through Dec. 11. a sack lunch and water bottle. Ages 10 & up. Registration required. Dec. 13, $20. 706-613-3631 Hoop Class (Canopy Studio) This guided hoop dance class helps develop fitness, balance, strength and flow. Fridays, 6:30–7:30 p.m. $15. www.canopystudio.com Intro to Word (Oconee County Library) Learn the basics of word processing. Registration required.

Dec. 16, 3–4:30 p.m. FREE! 706769-3950 Introduction to Computers (Oconee County Library) Call to register for this two-part class covering the basics of hardware, software, storage disks and Windows XP. Dec. 17 & 18, 4–5:30 p.m. FREE! 706769-3950 Jewelry and Metalsmithing (Lyndon House Arts Center) Learn how to create unique pieces of jewelry while learning about various metalsmithing techniques, including piercing, soldering, stone setting, appliqué and inlay. Call for more information! 706-613-3623, www. accleisureservices.com Line Dancing for Seniors (Council on Aging, Harris Room) Keep your health in line and have fun at the same time! Tuesdays, 4–5 p.m. $5/class. 706-549-4850 Making Greenery Wreaths (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Make a live wreath to bring home for the holidays. Dec. 10, 6:30–8:30 p.m. $27. 706-542-6156

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 a.m. $60/6 classes. 706-475-7329, mbiprograms@armc.org Mama-Baby Yoga Bonding (Full Bloom Center) Fussy babies and tired mamas welcome! For babies 1 to 10 months old. Fridays, 10:30 a.m. $14/class, $60/6-weeks.

706-353-3373 Mind Your Muscles (Athens Community Council on Aging) Bring your muscles into focus with a combination of tai chi, yoga and Pilates! Fridays, 3–4 p.m. $5/class.

706-549-4850 Mindbody Bootcamp (Five Points Yoga) Chant, breathe, sweat and meditate in this two-week session of early-morning yoga.

Register. Jan. 11–22, weekdays, 5:45–6:45 a.m. $135/2 weeks, $96/ any 6 classes. 706-355-3113, www. athensfivepointsyoga.com Nonfiction Writing Class (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) Journalist and retired professor Dr. Wally Eberhard teaches a six-week class on “Writing for Money: The Art of Freelance Nonfiction Journalism.”

Begins Jan. 19, $100. 706-7694565, www.ocaf.com

Oil and Acrylic Basics (Lyndon House Arts Center) Apply the basic techniques of drawing, image composition, painting styles and color theory to your still-lifes and landscapes. Jan. 14–March 4, Thursdays, 6:30–8:30 p.m. 706613-3623, www.accleisureservices. com Pilates Classes (Balance Pilates and Wellness Studio) Schedule and details online. Private lessons also available. 706-546-1061, www. balancepilatesathens.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.athensfivepointsyoga.com Prenatal Yoga (Full Bloom Center) Get ready for birth and beyond. Every Thursday. 5:30 p.m. $14/class or $60/6 classes. 706353-3373, www.fullbloomparent. com Scottish Country Dancing (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens) Introductory classes. No partner necessary! Thursdays, 7–9 p.m. $25/12 weeks, $3/class. 706255-1010, info@thistleandkudzu.net Tae Kwon Do & Jodo Classes (Live Oak Martial Arts, Chase Street Warehouses) For kids and adults, beginner through advanced.

Mondays–Thursdays, 3:30-8:30 p.m. 706-548-0077, www.liveoakmartialarts.com

Tai Chi for Seniors (Council on Aging) Increase strength and balance at your own pace! Every Tuesday. 2–3 p.m. $15/semester.

706-549-4850 Tech Tips: Gmail (Oconee County Library) Still IDigBison@hotmail. com? Learn how Gmail will improve your life! Dec. 21, 7–7:45 p.m.

Teen Painting Class (Lyndon House) Students will focus on painting and its materials and methods, as well as its history. Supplies provided. Call for more information!

Jan. 12–Feb. 16. 706-613-3623, www.accleisureservices.com The Artist Within (Lyndon House Arts Center) Students learn to give visual expression to their emotions through drawing and painting activities in a supportive and relaxing environment. Jan. 13–Feb. 17, Wednesdays, 10–11 a.m. 706-6133623, www.accleisureservices.com Wilderness Skills Program (Greenway) Should you yell at that bear or run away? Is sucking out the poison really a good idea? How do you build an outdoor shelter when the streets are no longer safe?

Do these questions make you feel helpless and vulnerable? Don’t be caught unprepared; call to register and learn essential outdoor survival techniques. Kids 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Dec. 19, 9–11 a.m. $2. 706-613-3615 Yoga Classes (Om Town Yoga, 190 Park Avenue) Iyengar certified Yoga instruction for balance, strength, flexibility and stamina.

Mondays, 6:15 p.m. Wednesdays, 5:45 p.m. $10/drop-in. www.athensomtownyoga.com

HELP OUT! GMOA Book Drive (UGA Visual Arts Building) The Georgia Museum of Art is preparing for its annual holiday book sale. Please drop off

books between the following hours: Weekdays, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. or call or email for other arrangements: 706542-1817, hazbrown@uga.edu Holiday Bikes for Kids (BikeAthens) Help provide quality, fully refurbished bicycles to underprivileged youth. Seeking volunteers to help clean and polish bikes.

BikeAthens provides all the tools and supplies. Bike donations can also be made during these times. Sundays, 2–4 p.m. Mondays & Wednesdays, 6–8 p.m. www.bikeathens.com

KIDSTUFF Family Yoga Sprouts (Full Bloom Center) Third Sunday of every month. 1:30–2:30 p.m. Call for fees. 706-353-3373, www.yogasprouts.com Gymnastics (Bishop Park) Now registering for winter/spring programs! Non-ACC residents may register Dec. 10. Dec. 7–9, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (ACC residents).

706-613-3589, www.accleisureservices.com/gymnastics.shtml Kids Trapeze Open Studio (Canopy Studio) Bring a parent to assist you as you learn the art of trapeze. Sundays, noon–1 p.m. info@ canopystudio.com Mommy/Daddy and Me Trapeze (Canopy Studio) Parents will guide their children in a range of exercises on the floor and low trapezes. Sundays, 10–11 a.m. (ages 2–3) 11 a.m.–noon (ages 1–2) $10/ class. 706-549-8501, info@canopystudio.com Santa’s Mail Bag (Various Locations) Santa has an overstock of coal this year, so if your child has been more nice than naughty, please be sure to register them for Santa’s “nice list” before Dec. 17. Call or go online for more information. 706613-3603, www.accleisureservices. com/holidayevents.shtml

ART AROUND TOWN ACC Library (Top of the Stairs Gallery) Paintings by Preston Snyder. Through December.

Athens Academy (Myers Gallery) Paintings by Erin McIntosh and Jennifer Hartley. (Bertelsmann Gallery) Work by Didi Dunphy, Lou Kregel and Carol John.

Through Dec. 14.

Athens Technical College “85 Degrees” features panoramics from photographer McGinnis Leathers’ international jaunts. Through Dec. 15.

Aurum Studio (125 East Clayton St.) Paintings

by Christine Shockley-Gholson and John Gholson.

Through February.

Circle Gallery, UGA College of Environmental Design (Caldwell Hall) “Forming Content,” a collection of graphic media works by Cecile L. K. Martin. Through Dec. 11.

Espresso Royale Caffe (297 E. Broad St.) Paintings by Rhys May. Through December.

Flicker Theatre & Bar (263 W. Washington St.) Shadowbox collages by Alexei Gural. Through December.

Georgia Piedmont Arts Center (105 E. Athens St., Winder) “Harvest of Art” features works by a wide variety of local talent. Through Dec. 19.

Good Dirt (510 B N. Thomas St.) Functional pottery, sculpture and jewelry by over 30 local artists.

Through December.

The Grit (199 Prince Ave.) Paintings and drawings by Noah McCarthy and James Greer. Through Dec. 27.

Hawthorne House Antiques and Interiors (1073 S. Milledge Ave.) Photographs and various artistic explorations by Field Trip duo Rinne Allen and Lucy Allen Gillis. Through Dec. 24.

Healing Arts Centre (834 Prince Ave.) “Balancing Polarity: A Sacred Union,” featuring “original art for the free at heart” by Lara. Through Dec. 12.

Just Pho…and More (1063 Baxter St.) Work by William C. Pierson. Through Dec. 15.

Krimson Kafe (40 Greensboro Hwy., Watkinsville)

Winter Break Camp (Rocksprings Park) Four days of Nickelodeon-themed crafts, computer activities, games and sports! Ages 6–12. Register by Dec. 22. Dec. 28–Dec. 31, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. $11.

706-613-3603, www.accleisureservices.com/holidayevents.shtml

SUPPORT Emotional Abuse Support Group (Call for location) Demeaning behavior and hateful words can be just as harmful as punches and kicks. Childcare is provided. Call Project Safe hotline at 706-543-3331 for location.

Wednesdays, 6:30–8 p.m.

Emotions Anonymous (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens) Informal and supportive 12-step program. Sundays, 4–5 p.m. 706-202-7463, www.emotionsanonymous.org Mental Health Support Group (St. Mary’s Hospital) Meets in the lobby conference room.

Thursdays, 6:30–8 p.m. 706-7835706, www.athensmentalhealth.org

ON THE STREET Band Together: Help Rebuild the Georgia Theatre (Georgia Theatre) The Georgia Theatre and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation have banded together to help fund the rebuilding of the Theatre. To make a donation or learn more, visit their website. www. georgiatrust.org/preservation/georgiatheatre.php Chili Cook-off (Email for Location) Effie’s Club Follies is now accepting entries in the beef, veggie and mysterious “other” categories for their fourth annual cook-off.

Deadline Dec. 18. www.effiesclubfollies.com f

Mosaic artwork by J. Elizabeth Wright. Through December.

Lamar Dodd School of Art (270 River Rd.) “Exit Strategies,” an exhibit featuring work by BFA candidates in jewelry and metalworking, fabric design, ceramics, photography and sculpture. Through Dec. 14.

Lyndon House Arts Center (293 Hoyt St.) “Through Our Eyes: Portraits and Self-Portraits by the Students of Clarke County” highlights the work of local young artists in clay, pencil, paint and fabric.

Through Jan. 20.

Madison-Morgan Cultural Center (434 S. Main St., Madison) In his exhibit “From the Forest to the Shore,” Michael Murrell’s works in wood, metal and mixed media reflect on ecological issues, endangered species and man’s relationship with nature.

Through Jan. 15.

Mercury Art Works “Terre Verte,” the debut exhibition for Mercury Art Works at Hotel Indigo, features photographs by Rinne Allen and work by various local artists, including Art Rosenbaum, Chris Bilheimer, Mary Engel, Scott Belville and Michael Stipe. Through Feb. 15.

Monroe Art Guild (205 S. Broad St., Monroe) “Wood and Stone” by Dan Thoman. Through December.

Oconee County Library Photography by Kathy Berry. Through December.

Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation (34 School St., Watkinsville) Artists of OCAF Shop features original works by 35 regional artists and craftspeople. Through Dec. 23, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. www.ocaf.com Visionary Growth Gallery (2400 Booger Hill Rd., Danielsville) “Our Way The Only Way,” an exhibit featuring new works by UGA Sculpture Professor Jim Buonaccorsi and painter David Barron. Through Jan. 15.

White Tiger Gourmet Food & Chocolates (217 Hiawasee Ave.) An exhibit featuring paintings and sculpture by local artist and art educator Leonard Piha. Through December.

175 E. Clayton St. • 706-369-7418

’ Follow Us On Twitter @PowerAthens Now Streaming Online at...

Powerathens.com Sushi dishes from Japan

Chocolates from Germanyy

Hand drums from Ghana ll

a c o clay art from chile l e adfrom indonesia clove boxes m n Wool Fu hats from Peru Prayer flags from Nepal

Junkman’s Daughter’s Brother 458 e. Clayton st. 706.543.4454

DECEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

37

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.

38

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

reality check Matters Of The Heart And Loins I’m a 30-year-old, semi-single female living in Atlanta. I have issues with friendships with women, mainly because I can’t stand the cattiness. So, I have a billion guy friends. Most of them have been my friends for 15/20 years and aren’t going anywhere. The thing is, when I start dating someone, they are not comfortable with these friendships, so I end up doing things with my boyfriend all the time. I’ve made superficial friendships with women to ease my significant other’s worries, but it’s just so phony that I grow tired and want my guys back.

Here’s the deal: the newest boyfriend in my life can’t STAND that I have all these guy friends… he thinks it’s strange, which I guess in some way it is, but I’m not willing to drop my friends for him. But should I? I AM getting older and want to settle down, so I may have to make some sacrifices but, eh, dropping friends ain’t my style. What to do, Jyl? Supersonic Platonic It sounds to me like you have issues with both sexes, SP. You describe yourself as “semisingle” and then tell me about your boyfriend, and you wonder why you have relationship trouble? Really? Are your guy friends actual friends or are they exes? Have you slept with them?

Do you tell boyfriends this? If you have, then you shouldn’t. If they really are platonic friends of yours, then any guy you date is just going to have to deal with it. You can try to make him comfortable any way you want, but the best way is probably just to invite him to hang out with you and your friends and see how things really are. And don’t some of your guy friends have girlfriends? Can’t you be friends with any of them? You might want to try. Do you have to make some sacrifices? Sure. You need to make sure that any new guy knows that he is your guy. Make sure he knows the difference. And ask your guy friends to make him feel welcome and comfortable. But don’t try to change who you are for a guy or you’ll never make it last.

I know for a fact that a friend of mine cheated on his girlfriend while he was out of town. He does not know that I know. He hasn’t been happy with his girlfriend for a while, and I am sure this past infidelity won’t be his last. I do consider him a friend of mine, but we’re not super close, and, frankly, I can’t stand his girlfriend, and we don’t really talk at all. I don’t feel comfortable telling her what happened, but I feel like she should know. I guess I am thinking if she learns about this she will finally leave him, and that would really be good for both of them. But I am torn because I don’t feel close enough to either of them to be the one to break the news. Should I just let their doomed relationship follow its own course and mind my own business, or do I need to get involved so that truth comes out sooner than later?

I Know Too Much I don’t know why you would want to get involved. You aren’t close to either of them, and it is absolutely none of your business, so it seems like a lot of drama to get involved with for no good reason. On the other hand, if

you want her to go away, and you don’t care that much about him anyway, then why not?

Do realize, however, that she probably won’t believe you, and that he may or may not get pissed if you tell her, and that it would be much, much easier to let this screwed-up relationship run its course.

I have been in a long-distance relationship for about a year and a half. I met my boyfriend while I was living in his country temporarily.

We hit it off immediately, stayed together every night for a couple of months, and then I had to go home. We have spent as much time as we can together, though it is very expensive. We love each other, get along well with each other’s families, and despite bad odds and cultural differences all seems to be going well. Recently though, he hurt my feelings. This was the first time it ever happened, and now I am experiencing doubt that I have never had before. I am supposed to go to visit him after Christmas and I don’t know what to do. We still talk every day, but I feel like something has changed. I don’t know what it is, or how serious it is, but now I’m worried that I’m going to be stuck there for three weeks and everything is going to suck. I am getting more worried and I am afraid that I will ruin this trip before it even starts. What can I do?

IKE & Gingerbread Houses?!

JANE Yeah!

We’re making some!

cafeandbakery

Holiday Goodies are on their way!

1307 Prince Avenue

All you can do is go there and see how things are. I highly recommend buying trip insurance (it only costs about 50 bucks), so if you need to get the hell out of there you can. Then just go and see how things feel and try to have fun. There will probably be no need to analyze.

When you get there, you’ll either feel it or you won’t, and then you’ll know. Good luck.

For Anonymous: Jyl, this story is like déjà vu for me. I read it and felt a familiarity and wanted to write something. Here’s my supershort summary before my blurb. When someone lies to you it makes you feel crazy, but don’t indulge that feeling. Did she refuse to go to marriage counseling? Sounds similar to the way my wife was acting right before she said she wanted a divorce. I described this behavior to several counselors, and they all asked me immediately if she had a boyfriend. I tried several because I didn’t like what they said, but they all told me the same things and asked similar questions—cold and withdrawing from sex often means an affair. Never lose your cool. It won’t matter in the long run if you are “right” or not; all that’s important is how you conduct yourself. If you have children, this is even more important. Even if you find out for sure she is screwing around, don’t go around telling people about it; when you vent, choose one or two close friends you know you can trust. When someone lies to you for an extended period of time, it makes you feel crazy. Don’t hand her what she needs to feed you to the lawyers.

Good advice, but since this all started on the honeymoon, I’m not sure how relevant it is. Thanks, in any case.

Jyl Inov Got a question for Jyl? Submit your anonymous inquiry via the Reality Check button at www.flagpole.com.

DECEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

39

classifieds

Buy It, Sell It, Rent It, Use It! Place an ad anytime at flagpole.com  Indicates images available at flagpole.com

Real Estate

1,2, & 3BR apts avail.

December rent free! Also, 1BRs 1/2 off January rent. 2 BRs Jan. rent is also free! Sec. dep. starts at $150. Huge apts, pet friendly, on bus line, recycling incl! Call us (706) 549-6254.

Restrictions apply.

Apartments for Rent $450/mo. Alexi Apartments. 1 lg.

BR/1BA w/ lg. lv. rm & walk–in closet. Laundry facilities, picnic tables, grill. 1 block off Milledge w/ bus stop. (706) 207-9902, (706) 835-8401.

1BR apt. w/ full kit. & BA. W/D. incl. $400/mo. + $400/sec dep.

Avail. now. Won’t last! (706) 254-2936.

$475–525/mo. 1BR/1BA, 2 Blocks to town & campus.

Lg. BR, CHVAC, great view of city, ceiling fans, some screen porches. Owner pays water & garbage. Avail. for January 1st move–in. Go to boulevard​ p ro p e r t y ​m a n a g e m e n t . com, (706) 548-9797.

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.

2BR/2BA apt in East Athens.

Partially furnished. Big kitchen, deck. $750/mo. (706) 433-2712.

2BR/1BA, Deville 136 Grady Ave. $695/mo. Great place to live, upstairs, HWflrs, pool, courtyard. Call for showing (706) 548-9797, www.boulevard​ property​management.com.



1BR/1BA. All electric, water, furnished, nice! On busline.

Single pref. Avail. now! (706) 543-4271.

2BR/1BA. ARMC area.

Avail. immediately! Prefer family, professionals, grad students or nurses. Central heat/AC, newly renovated, off–street parking. Safe quiet n’hood. Total electric. $550/mo.

(706) 543-4556.

flagpole classifieds Reach Over 30,000 Readers Every Week!

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BASIC RATES* Individual Real Estate Business (RTS) Run-‘Til-Sold** Online Only***

$10 per week $14 per week $16 per week $40 per 12 weeks $5 per week

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PLACE AN AD • At flagpole.com, pay with credit card or PayPal account • Call our Classifieds Dept. (706) 549-0301 • Email us at class@flagpole.com

• Deadline to place ads is 11:00 a.m. every Monday for the following Wednesday issue • All ads must be prepaid • Set up an account to review your placement history or replace old ads at flagpole.com

40

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

2BR/1BA Five Points Duplex on Mell St., total electric, DW, W/D hookups. $625/mo. (706) 546-6900, ValerioProperties.com.

2BR basement apt. 180 Moss Side Dr. Great rm. w/ FP. Private entrance. $520/mo + utils. Washer & DW provided. Call (706) 2542526 or (706) 227-9312.

2BR/1BA. Apts avail. 125 Honeysuckle Lane off Broad St. across from King Ave. On busline. GRFA welcomed. Water & trash incl. Central location.

Lease, deposit, references required. $450/mo. (706) 2276000 or (706) 461-2349.

3 B R / 2 . 5 B A t o w n h o m e o ff Riverbend. Tons of space!

Finished basement, front porch & back deck. Pool & tennis community. Only $900/mo.

Aaron (706) 207-2957.

Artist studio/garden cottage.

Ver y private, quiet, lovely setting. Dwntn Watkinsville, walk 1 block to Jittery Joe’s.

Great restaurants, music on the lawn, lg. open main rm. w/ great windows. 2BR/1BA, screen porch, 1200 sq. ft. Professional/ grad student. N/S, no candles, pets neg. $740/mo. incl. water & all appl. Avail Dec. 15! Pls. call (706) 769-0205 evening, (706) 207-5175. Lv. msg.

Available January. Spacious 2BR Dwntn apts. 3 blocks from N. campus. Out of bar scene.

Close to ever ything. Call George (706) 340-0987.

Best property in town!

Woodlands of Athens.

3BR/3BA full of amenities. Gated community, great specials.

Reduced to only $1050/mo. Call Pete (706) 372-3319.

Great loft apt. in Bowman. 30 mi. from Athens. 1800 sq. ft. 1.5BA. W/D conn. CHAC, full kitchen, open space. Historic bldg. $550/ mo./dep. (706) 498-4733.

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.

Dwntn 2nd floor apt. on Clayton St. Walk to UGA. Great location! $675/mo. Available now! Parker & Associates (706) 546-0600 or visit parkerand associates.com.

FTX Apartments. Campus & busline within half a block.

Near Milledge Ave. 2BR units.

Pre–lease for Fall 2010. These units are always 100% leased so act now for low rental rates.

Call Stacy at (706) 425-4048 or (706) 296-1863.

In 5 Pts. 815 S. Milledge.

Stained glass windows, beautiful stained wood floors/ walls/ceilings. Gas heat/electric air, FPs, heavy insulation, skylights, electric security, storage rm., W/D conn. No pets.

Non–smoking. Studio $523/mo, 1BR $523/mo., 2BR $682–$792/ mo., Stone cottage efficiency $482/mo. (706) 546-1716.

Nice 2BR w/ CHVAC in quiet 5 Pts. neighborhood. 310 Stanton Way. Avail. January. $575/mo.

Owner/Broker Herbert Bond Realty & Investment. (706) 224-8002.

West Athens, just off Prince. $595/mo. 2BR/2BA apt. Living rm w/ FP, eat–in kitchen, deck.

High speed internet avail. Avail. now. (706) 433-2712.

White Columns Hall.

1BR/1BA, 1 block from Dwntn.

Wa t e r, g a s i n c l . , l a u n d r y onsite. $465/mo. Call Joiner Management (706) 353-6868.

Westside condos. 2BR/2BA, $600/mo. Hospital Area, garage apt., totally updated, 2BR/1BA, $525/mo. & $550/ mo. Eastside quadraplex 2BR/2BA, $525/mo.

2BR/1BA, $490/mo. Eastside duplex 2BR/1BA, FP, $490/ mo.3BR/2BA, FP, $650/mo., corner lot. Call McWaters Realty, (706) 549-3222, (706) 353-2700 or cell (706) 540-1529.

Apartments for Sale Downtown Condo. 1BR/1BA in University Tower. Approx 720 sq. ft. Across Broad St. from north campus, great view. $94K. Call (706) 255-3743.

DON’T BE LEFT THE FRED BUILDING HOMELESS! Office Space Downtown Lofts Available Available For Lease Hurry, Only a Few Left! 220 COLLEGE

AVENUE Call

(706) 613-2742

www.fredshp.com

Commercial Property $100-$150 Studio spaces.

Great location, cool spaces.

1 block from town. (706) 5489797, boulevard​p roperty​ management.com. $100-$150 Studio spaces.

Great location, cool spaces.

1 block from town. (706) 548-9797,boulevard property​management.com.

195 Park Ave. $750/mo.3 lg. offices, common area w/ kitchen. Currently used as wellness center. Great location, great n’hood. Contact or call today (706) 5489797, boulevard​p roperty​ management.com.

LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO LIVE? Turn to FLAGPOLE CLASSIFIEDS to find roommates, apartments, houses, subleases, and commercial proper ty... but you can’t live in commercial property! To place an ad call 706-549-0301.



5K sq. ft. Building/ Warehouse for sale o r l e a s e i n C r a w f o rd , GA. $1650/mo. or $150K. 187 Bunker Hill Rd. On 1.5 acres in Oglethorpe Co. Call Diego (706) 6211035 or Ken (706) 6148295. More info:http:// w w w. k p s u r p l u s . c o m / products/view/26553.

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5K sq. ft. Building/ Warehouse for sale or lease in Lexington, GA. $1K/mo. or $120K. 111, 113 & 115 E. Main St. Call Diego (706) 6211035 or Ken (706) 614-8295.

More info: www.kpsurplus.com/ products/view/26554.



7500 sq. ft. Building/ Warehouse for sale or lease in Winterville, GA. $3500/ mo. or $420K. 1459 Hargrove Lake Rd. On 6 acres zoned B1 in Oglethorpe Co. Call Diego (706) 621-1035 or Ken (706) 614-8295. More info:http:// www.kpsurplus.com/products/ view/25214.



Amazing Office Spaces for lease above Dwntn Five Guys restaurant.

Sign a 1 Year Lease and Receive the 1st Month Free or 12% off!! Call Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty (706) 372-4166, or (706) 543-4000.

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) 296-1863.

Commercial or Residential. 10 rooms, 2 kitchens, 2BAs. 1 mi. to Arch. Huge porch, large yard. $1300/mo. Call David (706) 247-1398.

Eastside offices 1060 Gaines School Rd. Rent: 1200 sqft-1200/ mo. 450 sq. ft. $600/mo., 170 sq. ft. $375/mo., 450 sq. ft. $600/ mo. (706) 546-1615 or www. athenstownproperties.com.

Great business opportunity in Bowman. 1800 sq. ft. bldg. for $650/mo., 575 sq. ft. bldg. for $450/mo. Retail office, hair studio, etc. Great traffic. (706) 498-4733.

Paint Artist Studio Historic Blvd Area. Artist Community.

160 Tracy St. Rent: 400 sq. ft. $200/mo. 300 sq. ft. $150/ mo. (706) 546-1615 or www. athenstownproperties.com.

Retail Suites for lease at Homewood Village.

1K–12,500 sq. ft. avail. For more info call Bryan Austin at (706) 353-1039 or visit www. sumnerproperties.net.

Condos for Rent 2BR/1BA condo. Campus close.

Security gate, pool, fitness center. Located at Stadium Village. Excellent condition. $600/mo. or $200/wk. (706) 206-2347.

2BR/1.5BA condo at E a g l e w o o d , o ff L u m p k i n .

Pool, on lake, completely remodeled. $675/mo. Call (706) 353-7826 anytime.

2BR/2.5 Bath condo on Epps Bridge. Avail. immediately.

December rent free w/ signed lease!Newly renovated. New carpets, cabinets, & appls. W/D connection. Backyard. Garbage incl. in rent. $725/mo. (706) 255-7039.

3BR/2BA condo, newly remodeled, incl. paint & flooring.

Spacious rooms, central location. $750/mo. Avail. now!

Call Geoff for more info (706) 206-3560.

196 Plaza. 3BR/1BA. Avail. Jan. 1st. $700/mo. CHAC, W/D, DW, fenced yd. Close to Dwntn.

Call/text (706) 714-4486 email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

Spacious 2BR/2BA condo. 6 mo. lease req’d. $650/mo. Near busline. (706) 207-3677.

1080 Oglethorpe Ave. City busline. 2BR/1BA + bonus rm., laundry rm., patio. Neat c o n d i t i o n , g re a t l o c a t i o n .

Lawn maintenance possible.

Perfect for 2 grad students/ professionals. Short lease avail. $750–$850/mo. (706) 338-7990, (706) 353-0708.

Duplexes For Rent 2BR/1BA duplexes on Westside.

171 & 173 Nicole Circle. W/D conn. FP, CHAC, fenced yd. $425/mo. & dep. each. (706) 498-4733.

2BR/1BA duplex, Eastside, Lexington Heights. Close to UGA & busline. $495/mo. Avail. now. Call Leah (706) 254-6713.

2BR/1.5BA East Athens Duplex. Fresh paint, W/D, DW, range, fridge, trash & yard service incl. Pets OK. Av a i l a b l e n o w ! $ 5 5 0 / mo. Call Mike toll free (877) 740-1514.

Houses for Rent $875/mo. 4BR/1.5BA. Eastside.

Lg. kitchen, W/D, workshop, 1–car garage, fenced yard, safe & n’hood. Avail. now. 117 Crossbow Circle. Owner/Agent.

Call Mike (706) 207-7400. $925/mo. 3BR/2BA, Office, Dining Room, Remodeled, Exc. Condition, Masonry FP, W/D Conn., 1700 sq. ft., Lg. Wooded Lot, New Deck, Close to the Mall, Avail. Now. 420 Cavalier Dr. Call Mike (706) 207-7400.



$1250/mo. 3BR/2BA, Huge Bonus Rm., Split Floor Plan, Completely Remodeled, Vaulted Ceiling, Granite Tops, HWflrs., Stainless Steel Appl., Oil Rubbed Bronze Fixtures, FP. 2200 sq. ft., Big, Flat Yard, Private Deck. Avail. Now. 110 Victory Estates Dr. Owner/Agent.

Call Mike (706) 207-7400. $875/mo. Blocks from campus.

3 extra lg. BRs, 1.5BA. 12’ ceilings, HWflrs., W/D, CHAC. Avail. now. 127 Elizabeth St. Owner/Agent. Call Mike (706) 207-7400. $750/mo. Blocks from campus.

4BR/2BA. Tall ceilings, CHAC, DW, W/D conn., sunroom, deck.

Avail. now. 231 Elizabeth St. Owner/Agent. Call Mike (706) 207-7400.

1434 E. Broad St. 1BR/1BA duplex. $475/mo. Walk to UGA. Renovated bungalow.

W/D & yd. maint. incl. Pets OK. Flexible lease. (770) 841-7090.

1BR house off Blvd. Avail. Jan. 1st. 1.5 mi. to Dwntn/UGA. Lovely, simple, private, W/D, off-street parking. 1 yr. lease, dep., ref’s. Pet OK. $560/mo. incl. Internet/water/trash. (706) 206-0291.

1BR/1BA. $ 4 9 5 - 5 2 5 / m o . overlooking Dwntn & campus.

All electric, lg. BRs, some w/ screened porches, laundry on site. Freshly renovated & priced right. Avail. 1/01/09. Call (706) 548-9797 or boulevard​ property​management.com.

1695 W. Hancock. 3BR/2BA. CHAC, W/D, DW, fenced, pets OK, bands OK, HWflrs.

Close to Dwntn. Sec. sys. $ 6 5 0 / m o . Av a i l . J a n 1 s t .

Call/text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

2BR/2BA townhouse. 1st 3 months $100 off! $250 sec. dep.

Pls. call (706) 549-6070.



2BR/2BA beautifully restored historic home, Lexington, courthouse square, 1.5 acre. 16 mi. to UGA. Lg. rms, high ceilings, HWflrs, CHAC. Home or business. $800/mo. (706) 338-7695.

2BR/1BA cute cottage w/ front porch. CHAC, near UGA. $800/ mo. Avail. 12/15. Also, ask about 2 other houses avail. now.

Call (706) 354-1276 or (706) 540-7812.

2BR/1BA. Avail. Jan. 1. 1.5 mi. north of Dwntn, HWflrs., lg. fenced yd., W/D, CHAC, all electric, lawncare incl. $535/ mo. w/ dep. (706) 546-5390 evenings.

2BR/2BA new house Dwntn.

Spacious & less than 1 m i . f ro m A rc h . W / D i n c l .

Upgrades galore. $1050/mo.

Avail. August. Aaron (706) 207-2957.

235 Plaza. 3BR/1BA. Avail. Jan 1st. CHAC, W/D, DW, HWflrs., fenced yd. Close to Dwntn. $600/ mo. Call/text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

2BR duplexes starting at $450/ mo. 159 Gran Ellen, 3BR/3BA $1300/mo. 1BR/1BA $600/ mo. 167 Tibbets, Normaltown house $650/mo. Pls. call (706) 549-6070.

3BR/2BA house in Crawford.

Living room, dining, den/ office, carport, porch. 15 min. from Athens. Newly renovated.

Garden spot avail. $800/mo.

(706) 743-5212.

3BR/2.5BA houses w/ HWflrs, granite tops & all appls! Avail. now for $1200/mo! 1/2 mi. to Dwntn. 105 Trail Creek Dr.! (706) 713-0626.

3BR/2BA. Extra rooms. Avail.

Jan! Walk to Downtown. wood flrs., CHAC, DW, W/D, $1200/ mo. Email hello@rwoodstudio. com or call Josh (706) 424-9127.

3BR/2BA historic farmhouse in Lexington, GA. Pls. call (706) 549-6070.

3BR/2BA house Eastside. Quiet n’hood. $900/mo. All appls. 213 Springtree St. Avail. now! (706) 713-0626.

3BR/2.5BA. 1 mi. to UGA. $1200/mo. 1 yr. old house.

Open floor plan, microwave, DW, W/D conn. Avail. now. (706) 410-6122.

3BR/2BA. Walk Downtown.

Avail. Jan! Huge or ganic garden, wood flrs., CHAC, DW, W/D. Extra rooms for studio/ office. $1K/mo. Email hello@ rwoodstudio.com or call josh (706) 424-9127.

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.

4BR/3BA cottage. Kitchen w/ island & all appls. incl.

DW. Pets OK. Internet avail. $1200/mo. Approx. 1 mi. from campus/Eastside/Dwntn. RE/ MAX realtor Michelle Watson (706) 353-1131.

4BR/4BA new houses Dwntn.

Less than 1 mi. from Arch. W/D incl. Upgrades galore. Only $1900/mo. Avail. August. Aaron (706) 207-2957.

5 Pts. area. 3BR/2BA house.

CHAC, DW, laundry rm. w/ W/D, back deck, carport. Call (706) 255-0066.

5BR/3BA Eastside home for rent. 50% off 1st mo. rent if lease signed by 12/1. Approx $300/mo. per room. 1 mi from campus, 2nd kitchen, deck, fenced yard. Will consider some pets. W/D incl! Move–in today & save, or prelease while avail!

(770) 374-0123.

Available now! 3BR/1BA. Blvd. HWflrs., W/D. Pets OK. CHVAC. $900/mo. Call Tom (706) 540-2432.

Avail. Dec. 1st. 3BR/2BA. Off Milledge. CHAC, W/D, HWflrs. $750/mo. + dep. Pets OK. Call Mark (706) 202-5110.

Best rentals in Athens!

1–5BR houses, apts., condos.

In the heart of UGA/Dwntn/5 Pts. Avail. Aug. Going fast, call today! (706) 369-2908 for more info.

Cute house on Hollie St. 1BR/1BA for $550/mo. Great yard, quiet location. Available now! Convenient location. Parker & Associates ( 7 0 6 ) 5 4 6 - 0 6 0 0 We b s i t e : parkerandassociates.com.

Cozy secluded 2BR/1BA. Walking distance to Dwntn/ campus! Private fenced backyd. HVAC W/D conn. Pets allowed. $800/mo. Call Michelle (404) 932-3804.

Call about our exciting January special! Huge floorplan. Tons of space. HWflrs, ceiling fans, W/D, DW, micro, bonus rm. & back deck! 1 mi. to Dwntn.

(706) 543-1910 or becky@ landmarkathens.com.

Convenient Eastside location.

2BR/1BA. Convenient to schools & shopping. All appls. incl. W/D. Avail. Dec. 1st. $525/ mo. Carole Moon Owner/Agent (706) 540-0472.

First month free! 2–3BRs in quiet setting, off the beaten path. Sec. sys. incl. W/D, DW, priv. deck. Mention this ad & pay no pet fee! (706) 548-2522, www.dovetailmanagement.com.

Handicap accessible in–town house. Good condition, HVAC, parking, fenced yard, pets OK, 2BR/2BA. Avail. Jan.1. $950/mo. Diane (706) 788-7997.

Newly renovated 4BR/3BA for rent in ARMC area. W/D, DW, CHAC, screen porch, game room, off–street parking. $1200/ mo. Call Vicki at (706) 540-7113 to set up a tour.

Nor maltown/ARMC. 180 Willow Run. Very nice 3BR/1BA. HWflrs, DW, W/D, CHAC. Lg. fenced backyd. Pets OK w/ dep. $800/mo. (404) 210-7145.

Normaltown cottage. Avail. 1/1/10.

2BR/1BA. HWflrs, CHAC, DW, W/D hookups, fenced–in backyd, covered patio, FP. Perfect for grad students or professionals.

On busline. Pets OK w/ dep.! $800/mo.+ dep. (706) 372-3383.

Northside 2BR/1BA, lg. lot, $600/mo. Hospital area 2BR/1BA, carport, fenced–in yard, $750/mo. Eastside 3BR/2BA. Lg. yd., on dead–end street. $950/mo. 4BR/2BA w/ lg. yd. $1200/mo. 2 or 3BR/1BA w/ screened front porch, $700/ mo. Cedar Creek 4BR/2BA $950/mo. Oconee County 3BR/2BA. Lv. rm. w/ FP, din. rm., double garage, $1000/mo.

Call McWaters Realty, (706) 549-3222, (706) 353-2700, (706) 540-1529.

Newly renovated 3BR/1BA house Blvd n’hood. Close to campus & Dwntn. W/D, CHAC. Nicest in town! $1200/mo. Avail. January 1st. Call jeff (706) 247-6373, email sheryl819@yahoo.com.

Your own 2BR/1BA house for $575/mo. Quiet location convenient to everything Av a i l a b l e n o w. P a r k e r & Associate (706) 546-0600 or visit www.parkerandassociates.com.

Houses for Sale $77,700. Cute 2BR/1BA house w/ bonus rm. HWflrs, CHAC, fenced yd, butterfly garden.

Bus, walk, or bike to Dwntn, campus & Alps. 405 Benning St. Michael (706) 255-8600, www.fullcircleathens.com.

1695 W. Hancock. 3BR/2BA lg house. Double lot. CHAC, W/D, DW, wood flrs, sec. sys., fenced, close to Dwntn. $135K. Call/text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

Tu r n t o F L A G P O L E CLASSIFIEDS to find roommates, apartments, houses, etc. To place an ad call 706-549-0301.

2BR/2BA townhouse w/ pool & balcony. Fully furnished except for bed. Daytona Beach, FL. 1 mi. from ocean. 70 degrees in November! $100K. Call (386) 212-9340.

Owner financing. 3BR/2BA ranch. Basement, remodeled k i t c h e n , H W f l r s , c o v e re d porch, fenced yd., koi pond, vegetable garden. $135K. Call Martha (770) 540-9262. View at www.upchurchrealty.com/ MarthaCooper.

Land for Sale



0 Valleywood.

Awesome Homewood Hills Lot For Sale $44,900.

Call Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty (706) 3724166, or (706) 543-4000.

Roommates 2 roommates needed for 3BR house. Alps area. W/D, WiFi, $315/mo + 1/3 utils. Avail. Jan. 3rd. Grad students pref’d. Call (864) 550-0148.

M/F housemate wanted (grad student/professional) to share 2BR/1BA. $325/mo. + 1/2 utils.

Quiet n’hood. 5 Pts. Walk to campus/busline. HWflrs, W/D, CHAC. Email thedobhran@ hotmail.com.

Roommate needed to share 2BR/ apt. on Eastside.

Spacious, big kitchen, W/D, CHAC, deck space. $300/mo. + 1/2 utils. (706) 850-0372.

Rooms for Rent $ 5 0 0 / m o . 3 rd h o u s e m a t e needed for room in recently renovated 3BR/3.5BA house w/ 2 (M,F) PhD students. Terrific location! Pulaski, near Prince.

Av a i l . J a n . E m a i l g f e l i s @ uga.edu.

Roommate needed 12/1. Lg. rm., CHVAC, private entrance.

Avail. now! W/D use, share kit/ bath w/ 1 person, utils 5–way split. Walk to town. (706) 424-0901.

Room in 2BR/1.5BA condo in Winfield Chase. Across from the Navy School on Prince. Asking $350/mo. + 1/2 utils. Call (706) 424-9370.

Sub-lease Available immediately! 2–story, 2BR/2BA, 1 lg. office (can be an add’l BR), huge laundry rm., FP, breakfast nook, dining area, lots of light, & plenty of storage space make this house an ideal place for a couple, small family or single person. The little maintenance wooded yd. is also an attractive feature! This is a quiet, no traffic area of 5 Pts., w/in 5 min. walking to all 5 Pts businesses like EarthFare, yoga, coffee shops, pub, etc. Rent: $1100 plus utils. Air conditioning can be controlled independently upstairs/ downstairs, saving on bills. Pls. call Sonia (706) 296-3909. $333/mo. Male subleaser needed for Jan. 1st. 1 roommate, works & attends UGA’s Grad School. Furnished living & kitchen areas w/ your own room & private BA. No pets.

Pool & tennis court. On Cedar Shoals next to a gym, car wash, & gas station. Contact Kendall at (706) 461-9622, lv. msg.



1BR in 3BR house. $280/ mo + utils. Quiet, nice landlord, bike to campus. Near ATS 7–stop. Dogs OK. Avail.

Jan 1st. Email csjordan@uga. edu or (662) 332-0030.

2BR/2BA. $406/mo. 898 sq. ft North Ave. Full kitchen, closets, porch, access to huge pool, tanning beds & 24–hr. gym & computer lab. Comes w/ W/D, 32” TV, oven, fridge/freezer, micro, & DW. Fully furnished! Gated entry & 24–hr. security. 10 min walk Dwntn.

Email mscain350@gmail.com. Call (860) 578-5468. Visit www thelodge ofathens.com.

Lg. 1BR apt. prime location! 6 mo. sublease avail. Jan 1st. 5 Pts. next to UGA Foley field & Barrow Elementary. $425/mo.

(478) 552-0378 lv. msg. Email cbennett_2@charter.net.

For Sale Appliances 24 cubic ft. Hotpoint refrigerator for sale. White, side–by–side doors. Only 4 yrs. old! $375 OBO. Call (706) 338-1661. ➤ continued on next page

Spacious room for rent in Blvd area. Private entrance & porch, W/D. $375/mo. Avail. immediately. (606) 584-5231.



235 Bailey. $50K. Great Investment Property!

Call Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty (706) 3724166, or (706) 543-4000.

WELCH PLACE

CALL DEALFOR S!

The BEST Deal in Five Points Just Got Better! $

From 315 a Bedroom

3BR Townhomes and 4BR/3BA Townhouse w/ Study Includes Washer & Dryer, Free Wireless and 42” Plasma TV! Call Today for viewing.

706-549-7371

DECEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

41

Antiques Estate liquidation! Fri. 12/11 & Sat. 12/12, 9am–3pm.

Unusual Designer Collected antiques, furniture. Exquisite to Chabby Chic. Household, tools, office etc. 502 University Circle, University Heights. Visit 2estatesale.blogspot.com.

Furniture Run an ad UNTIL IT SELLS in FLAGPOLE CLASSIFIEDS for only $40. Call 706-549-0301.

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.

Tables, chairs, sofas, antiques, clothes, records & players, retro goods, & more! Cool, affordable furniture every day. Go to Agora!

Your favorite everything store! 260 W. Clayton St., (706) 316-0130.

Miscellaneous Come to Betty for vintage quilted Chanel bags, just in time for Christmas! On the corner of Pulaski & Clayton, next to Agora. Open 1pm–4pm daily.

(706) 424-0566.

MUSIC Equipment Ampeg Bass cabinet. 4 10” & 1 15” speakers. Beat all to hell & sounds great! Considering partial trade for smaller cabinet. $500. Call (706) 296-4034.

Barely used! 1 yr. old Yamaha portable grand piano. DGX, YPG-635 w/ accompaniment module. Weighted 88 keys.

Stand incl. $500. (706) 8500721, or (706) 201-2935.

Gibson Explorer, black w/ black pick guard. Like new, case included. $850. Call Scott at (706) 207-5117.

Takamine, Alvarez & Michael Kelly acoustic guitars for sale.

(706) 424-2700.

Music Services F re t S h o p . P rofes s ional guitar repairs & modifications, setups, electronics, precision f re t w o r k . P re v i o u s c l i e n t s i n c l . R . E . M . , W i d e s p re a d P a n i c , C r a c k e r, B o b Mould, John Berr y, Abbey Road Live!, Squat. (706) 549-1567.

Guitar Repair, setups, electronics & fretwork by 20 yr. pro. Thousands of previous clients. Proceeds help benefit N u ç i ’s S p a c e . C o n t a c t Jeff (404) 643-9772 or www.

AthensGuitar.com for details.

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 visit w w w. s q u a t m e . c o m / 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. classiccityentertainment. com.

Featuring The Magictones—Athens’ premiere wedding & party band. www. themagictones.com.

Instruction Is your m u s i c related business making $$$? Are you advertising in Flagpole?

Call 706-549-0301 for details.

Athens School of Music.

Instruction in Guitar, Bass, Drums, Piano, Voice, Brass, Woodwinds, Strings, Banjo, Mandolin, Fiddle, & more.

F ro m b e g i n n e r t o e x p e r t .

Instrument repairs avail. (706) 543-5800.



Musicians Wanted

Opportunities

Contemporary co–ed acappella group seeking tenors, basses & vocal percussionist. Contact Blair at strider768@yahoo.com.

Services Home and Garden Backyard Solutions.

Make your neighbors jealous!

Water falls, ponds, fences, decks, gazebos, porches, & more! Call Robin for free estimate! (706) 340-4492.

James Wood’s Homes Repairs.

Steps, porches, decks, doors, raised bed gardens, rotten wood, painting, wallpaper r e m o v e d , d r y w a l l r e p a i r, pressure washing screening.

15yrs. exp. References. (706) 206-5813.

Jobs Full-time Sexy Suz Adult Emporium now hiring 21+ yr. old for retail positions. Retail experience pref’d. Email resume/photo to sexysuz@comcast.net. No calls.

50 Gaines School Rd. Sales Reps needed!

Looking for confident, self motivated, well spoken people. Starting out at $8/hr. + commission. Experience necessary. Call Kris (770) 560-5653. Weak people need not apply!

Bodyguards wanted. Free training for members. No experience OK. Excellent $. FT & PT. Expenses paid when you travel. (615) 2281701, www.psubodyguards.com (AAN CAN).

Does your daughter have symptoms of bulimia nervosa?

Has your daughter injured herself on purpose? Researchers at the University of Georgia Psychology Clinic are conducting a treatment study for teens w/ symptoms of bulimia nervosa & deliberate self harm. Open to teenage girls age 16–18. Receive $300 upon completion of study!

For more info, please email the Eating, Drinking, & Personality Research lab at the University of Georgia at bnstudy@uga.edu, or call (706) 542-3827.

High School diploma! Fast, affordable & accredited. Call now!

(800) 532-6546 ext. 97. Go to http://www.continentalacademy. com (AAN CAN).

Movie Extras Needed. Earn $150–$300/day. All looks, types & ages. Feature films, TV, commercials, & print. No exp. necessary. (800) 340-8404 ext.

2001 (AAN CAN).

Women! Earn $18K–$30K for 6 egg donations w/ the largest, most experienced agency in the US. Call (800) 444-7119 or apply online at www.theworldeggbank. com (AAN CAN).

Part-time Mystery shoppers earn up to $100/day. Undercover shoppers needed to judge retail & dining establishments. No exp. req’d.

(800) 743-8535.

Southland Graphics is hiring.

Specializing in group designed T-shirts. Is seeking motivated individuals for sales in the Greek community. if interested, pls call (706) 549-4505 or email nazz@ southlandgraphics.com.

Vehicles Autos 1997 Volvo V90 wagon. Blue exterior, leather interior, folding seat in rear. Good condition.

122K mi. AC, CD Player, sun roof. $2300/neg. (706) 380-1521.

Misc. Vehicles



2007 Bobcat T300 Compact Track Loader.

Must Sell Now! Price $4700, trailer incl. Cab w/ Heat/AC. Contact frh57uj@msn.com.

(404) 601-9843.



Tr a v e l Tr a i l e r 2005 Airstream International. Price $4600, 28 ft. Sleeping capacity: 6. Details & 100 pictures: w1977wje@msn.com. (678) 559-0777.

Motorcycles For Sale. 2007 250 Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle. Black w/ red flames. Like new, only 14 mi.

Reduced $2K firm. Call (706) 788-3160.

Ya m a h a 6 5 0 V - S t a r Classic. 2001 cruiser. 8K miles, black, excellent condition. New windshield, luggage rack, & tires.

Ridden daily. $2950 firm.

(706) 254-6529.

A Holiday Happy Hour with

presents

Burnt Bacon Blues

•

R’n’B

•

Swamp

•

Jazz

•

Soul

•

Creole

Featuring: • • • • •

Oliver Wood (The Wood Brothers) Jon Liebman (The Electromatics) Chris Uhler (King Johnson) Dave Roth & very special guests

Thursday, Dec. 17, 6–9 p.m.

The Melting Point • $10 Happy Hour Show followed by Kate Morrisey & Ryan Monahan Show $5 Lisa Love, Editor of Georgia Music magazine, invites all our Athens area friends to a Holiday Happy Hour.

All proceeds benefit the Writers & Artists Fund for the non-profit magazine published by the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Foundation Inc.

42

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 9, 2009

everyday people MIKE MOON, FIREFIGHTER Fire Sergeant Mike Moon grew up in Wrightsville Beach, NC, where he fished, drove boats and did everything else one might expect a kid living on the beach to do. He never tired of the ocean: he joined the Coast Guard in 1989, but after he got married, he followed his then-wife to Athens and had to start all over again, professionally speaking. For a short stint he was a truck driver, but he then found his calling as a firefighter after putting in a few volunteer shifts. Mike already had a leg up because, as he puts it, “everybody’s a firefighter in the Coast Guard.” Unless your house is burning down or you’re delivering a pizza to the fire station at Five Points, you’re unlikely to see Mike at work. But you may be able to catch this fascinating fellow off-duty—just look for the Harley decorated with green flames.

Flagpole: What do enjoy about your job?

Mike Moon: The camaraderie—the schedule is awesome.

Twenty-four on, 48 off. Every fireman has a job on his days off.

Charles-Ryan Barber

I have a landscaping company also; I’m a busy guy. I don’t sit around very often.

FP: Except right now.

MM: [Laughs.] Except when I’m right here… in fact, some of the guys that have businesses on their days off make, you know, 10 times what they make here. But they enjoy it, plus this is where they come to relax, believe it or not. Unless, of course, you got some days where we have like the Georgia Theatre fire or something like that—an all-day fiasco.

FP: Oh, man. How crazy was that?

MM: We got a call [at 6:55 a.m.] that said: “Possible structure fire at Georgia Theatre.” And we were like “Oh, crap.”

We’ve been up for two hours already, and I looked to my right, and I saw that column of smoke and I was like “Oh, sh—, here we go.” …We had over three-fourths of the department there.

We had three huge ladder trucks… all three of ‘em were set up, blowin’ water. I’m talking rainin’ hundreds of thousands of gallons of water down there. That was a hairy day.

FP: What’s been your scariest moment as a firefighter?

MM: Do you know who Tara Baker was?

FP: Nuh uh.

MM: She was a Georgia law student that was murdered and found over there on the Eastside… [back in] ’01. Somebody murdered her and set the house on fire to cover it up. And I found her. That was probably the worst… I radioed back, and they said “Don’t touch her,” and I said, “Hell, I’ve already touched her, that’s how I found her.”

FP: What’s the average day of a firefighter like?

MM: It’s a lot of fun… it’s like a fraternity. It’s like a bunch of guys who get together and have a blast for 24 hours. We come in… we check the trucks in the morning, put all our gear on it, log on to the computers… make sure everything’s groovy. And then we worry about eatin’. [Laughs.]…all of us hunt, we’ll bring in deer meat because it’s cheap, it’s free and it’s healthy. We’re making deer jerky today. If you smell something funny, we have the dehydrator going in the other room.

FP: So, you said it’s like a fraternity here. Do you guys haze each other?

MM: We don’t really haze to where we hurt somebody, but yeah… we take their beds apart [so] if they get into bed, it falls apart. We hide stuff from each other; if you leave your car keys layin’ around—if it’s not an electronic car key—it’s in a cup of water in the freezer. I guarantee it. We’ve had guys come in on their days off, grab somebody’s Tupperware full of linen, fill it with water, [and] stick it in the freezer… we’ll put flour on your sheets, so when you get [into bed] in the middle of the night, you can’t tell, you wake up… and look like a ghost, leaving a trail, stuff like that. It’s all in fun.

FP: Switching subjects, I’m curious, is boot camp in the Coast Guard any less intense than the other branches of the military?

MM: It’s just as intense. A lot more classroom stuff than you would think. The hardest thing about boot camp—other than people screaming at you all the time—is the first day you get there, they keep you up ‘till three in the morning. On purpose.

And wake you up at five in the morning. And you never, ever, regain that sleep through eight weeks… they don’t give you enough time to catch it up. ‘Cause you’re not allowed to go to bed until 10, and you’re up at five… if you’re nodding off before 10, you’re in deep doo-doo. They say it’s like wartime. ‘Cause you never know when you’re going to get sleep during wartime, so they keep you tired to see if you can handle the pressure.

FP: Do you plan on being in Athens for the rest of your life?

MM: Eh, I’m pretty much stuck here. I’m divorced, with two kids, so once they get out of school I’m moving to the mountains or something. [Laughs.] I like Athens, but I like wideopen spaces, too. That’s what I love about the ocean.

PAIN & WONDER

TATTOO

FP: But you can’t fight fires out there…

MM: [If I have] a fishing rod, that’s all that matters to me. I can retire from the Coast Guard in April, but I love it so much, and I need the money; I’ll just keep going. I’m blessed that I’ve been smart enough to plan for retirement. My dad, if it wasn’t for the union, wouldn’t have retirement at all… I see some of these old geezers at McDonald’s, 65 years old, I don’t want to be one of those guys. So, I’m set up pretty good… at 56, I’m done.

FP: What do you like to do with the spare time you do have?

MM: I love riding my motorcycle. That’s like therapy… we get a pack of us firefighters—there’s 20 of us—and we’ll take off to the mountains and try to get lost. That’s our goal: to get lost. And of course, somebody’s got a GPS with ‘em.

Jeff Gore

DECEMBER 9, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

43

ENCOURAGES YOU TO

BRING ATHENS HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

MAKE THE PLEDGE & REGISTER TO WIN at

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IMPACT OUR LOCAL ECONOMY:

Flagpole readers, by pledging to spend $100 of your shopping dollars at locally owned businesses, you will have a potential $12 million impact on our community, an estimated $2 million more than if it were spent at a non-local big box retailer. *

R U O Y P O SH

AOTFFH!

MAKE THE PLEDGE:

Making the pledge is easy.

Just go to flagpole.com and register your commitment to spend at least $100 at local businesses this holiday season.

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Deadline to register: Sunday, Dec. 13

Winners announced: Dec. 16 issue of Flagpole So whether you are shopping, eating, drinking or seeking entertainment,

THINK LOCAL FIRST! *(Estimates based on numbers from Civic Economics stating that .68 of every dollar spent at a locally owned business stays in the community, while only .43 stays when spent at a chain.)

GIFT CERTIFICATES SUPPLIED BY THE FOLLOWING LOCAL FLAGPOLE ADVERTISERS

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If your local business would like to be a part of Flagpole’s Shop Your ATH Off program, call our Advertising Department at 706-549-0301 or email ads@flagpole.com

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